"Almost ready to go?" Hinata said as she made her way into his bathroom. She had just called the Hyuuga compound to tell her father that she would be out later. She also left her number on a note next to Naruto's phone so that he could call her later.

"Yeah... good thing we aren't all going swimming." Naruto said as he looked in awe at his torso in the mirror.

Hinata had definitely one upped him this time. She had pushed him onto the bed just as he did, this time leaving a long trail of about a dozen purple bruises, as well as a few bite marks, starting at his chest and slowly making her way down to his lower waist.

The first few on his chest had felt nice but not overly stimulating. However, the lower Hinata went, the more ticklish her soft lips felt against him, and by the time she reached his hips he was shaking so hard that she had to stop and make sure he was okay. This would have been a more wholesome gesture if she hadn't been giggling when she asked.

As she reached the bottom, kissing just barely above his pant line, he became self aware of the throbbing feeling in his pants and prayed that she wouldn't notice it. The feeling of her lips so low on his body was only making him want her to go lower, and the thought of such had enticed him beyond what he had previously thought was possible.

One thing was for sure, Hinata had a side to her that neither Naruto nor even herself could have ever known was there until now. What Naruto found more interesting was that he was starting to feel this lust within himself as well. He almost felt defeated, that she had boldly gone a step further than him. He felt like he needed to redeem himself, to take lead once more.

"I don't know, I think it would be nice for everyone to see that you belong to me." Hinata replied as she started fixing her messy hair.

"So, we're not being secretive about this then?"

"I was thinking we should just be our normal selves. We don't have to hide anything but we also don't have to announce it to everyone. Word travels fast. I'm sure they'll pick up on it sooner or later."

Hinata stopped for a second as she realized... she probably wasn't the only one after Naruto now. He was the hero of the village, no, of the world. Surely he had already racked up a base of fangirls that claimed they would do anything for him. She knew they would never commit to him on the same level as her, and she knew they weren't a threat, but the thought of Naruto getting such attention from other women made her sick to her stomach.

"Maybe it would be better if more people knew, especially now that you've become such an idol." She continued.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Look around, Naruto. Look at the villagers. They love you. I mean, what if... other girls... start coming up to you and try to hit on you or something?"

She wasn't completely wrong. During the month they spent apart, Naruto had been treated very well by the villagers, even some who he recognized as being especially cruel to him in his younger years. He still wondered just how true their good intentions were.

No girls, though. Well, sure there were women who thanked him for his efforts, but no girls that flirted with him or tried to entice him like Hinata feared.

"I think you might be overthinking this a little." Naruto said with a chuckle. "And besides, you don't have to worry about that. Nobody could ever compare to you, Hinata."

"Not even if the most beautiful girl in the world said she wanted you?"

Naruto turned to look at her, and as she turned to look back at him, he brought both of his hands to her face and gently planted a tender kiss on her forehead.

"She already has me."

"Naruto! Hinata! Over here!" Lee called.

Naruto and Hinata approached the large two-sided booth that their friends had claimed and took their seats. Luckily there were a couple open seats, so Naruto sat beside Shikamaru with Hinata to his right, while Hinata sat beside Sakura with Naruto on her left. They weren't picky about seating as long as they got to sit next to each other.

The only people missing were Sasuke... and Neji. Even Shino decided to show up, much to Naruto's surprise. That guy always seemed rather antisocial.

Naruto was fine with not being secretive about their relationship but still hoped people would save him the public embarrassment by not bringing it up. Unfortunately, he wasn't so lucky.

"Didn't expect to see you two show up together." Ino said to Naruto with a smirk.

"I could say the same about you and Sai." Naruto said, immediately shutting her down and making her blush. He had seen them walk in together just before he and Hinata had arrived. He took a quick glance at Hinata and saw that her cheeks were growing pink as well.

"So, what's everyone been up to?" Naruto said, changing the subject as quickly as possible.

"Honestly, not much. Ever since the construction ended, life has felt pretty normal and boring compared to everything that was previously going on. At least for me, I don't know about you guys." TenTen replied. Everyone else seemed to murmur in concurrence.

"I like it that way. Way easier than fighting a war." Shikamaru responded.

"Why am I not surprised?" Ino replied.

"What can I say? Some things never change." Shikamaru said causing everyone to laugh.

"What about you, Naruto? What's new with you?" Kiba asked. There was something other than intrigue in his voice. He almost sounded suspicious, like he was interrogating him. Naruto decided to disregard his tone and simply answer his question.

"Uh, I finally got a new apartment. Not much better than my old one, but it's better than sleeping in a tent! Other than that, um... not much. I'm just glad everything is back to normal."

'Not much' was a total lie and 'normal' wasn't really the way to put it. Life had never been more abnormal for Naruto than it was right now. He now possessed a power within him that almost nobody else could even come close to. He had people actively going out of their way to see him and talk to him. And most notably, he had an amazing girl at his side that he wanted to hold on to forever. A girl that had always treated him like an actual human being, even if he hadn't realized it until just recently.

There was a not so distant time where he had only dreams of these things.

"What's with the cloak? It looks like the one you wear when you're in Sage Mode." Sakura asked.

"It is my sage cloak. I wear it as a tribute to Per- uh, Jiraiya Sensei. He was a toad sage as well. Without him, I never would have gotten this far. Plus, I just like the way it looks."

"Where's the food!?" Choji said impatiently. Everyone bursted out laughing in response at his reputable appetite.

It was true, some things never change.

Although it seemed like eternity for Choji, the food did eventually show up. Unfortunately for him, it was decimated just as quickly. Rounds and rounds of barbecue made their way around the table as the group of hungry friends indulged themselves, chatting about whatever they pleased. Dessert soon found its way to their table as well.

Hinata was enjoying a freshly baked cinnamon roll until Sakura leaned over and whispered in her ear.

"So? What's the news? It's been a month! You two showed up together... were you with each other before this?"

"I don't want to over exaggerate, but a lot has happened since we last spoke." Hinata whispered back.

"I want details!"

"Not here. Eventually, I pro-" Hinata's eyes widened and her words became stuck in her throat.

Naruto had gently placed his hand on her lower thigh, just barely above her knee. He didn't appear to do it in a sensual or teasing manner. However, his hand was far enough under the table where nobody could see, and for some reason this made it more enticing to her. It felt... sneaky.

"You what?" Sakura responded in confusion.

"Um, n-nothing. Listen, I'll tell you later at some point, I promise, but not here. Not now."

"Understandable. But don't leave me hanging!"

Hinata had no intention of telling Sakura everything that had happened or would happen between her and Naruto. After all, some things were private to them and only them. But she could share a little, at another time. Right now, she was too focused on Naruto's hand making her leg feel like jelly. Naruto seemed to pay no mind as he casually continued his conversation with Shikamaru about... what were they talking about again?

"I'm just saying, I think if you had been in my shoes, you would've found out that she's a lot stronger than she looks." Naruto said. Who the hell was he talking about?

Shikamaru saw the confusion on Hinata's face and filled her in.

"We're talking about how you kicked Naruto's ass during the taijutsu competition."

"Shikamaru claims he could have done better." Naruto said while rolling his eyes.

"You were pinned in like five seconds! By a girl!"

"I lasted at least ten! You wouldn't have lasted long enough to blink! Especially if you were too scared to show up to your match with me! Oh yeah, that's right, you were too busy with Temari."

This elicited an "Oooh" from everyone, causing Shikamaru to blush slightly before quickly recomposing himself.

Shikamaru looked dead into Naruto's eyes with an eyebrow raised as if saying, 'You really wanna go there?' and Naruto immediately realized his mistake. Shikamaru could call him out right now in front of everyone if he chose to. Thankfully, he didn't.

"Okay, okay, settle down. No need to get so worked up." Shikamaru said.

'Thank you.' Naruto mouthed to him. Shikamaru said nothing further. Lee spoke next.

"I have to admit, I didn't expect Hinata to beat him so quickly, especially after how fast he took down Kakashi Sensei. It really was quite impressive!"

"I told you guys, she's stronger than she looks!" Naruto said. He glanced to her and gave her thigh a gentle squeeze. When his hand relaxed, he inched it slightly further away from her knee and toward the warmth that she still felt between her legs.

He was doing this on purpose, right? He had to be. His hand wasn't even halfway up her thigh, but still Hinata found herself wishing they could go back to his apartment and break the tension again. Unfortunately, she knew that just wasn't an option. She would have to suffer his teases for now.

Were they even teases? Did Naruto even understand exactly what he was doing to her? Or was he just being affectionate? His expression gave no hints, not even the slightest indication that he was intentionally turning her on. Hinata could only imagine how she'd react if his hand got any closer.

The group continued their random conversations for a while, everyone seemingly unaware of the blush that Hinata still had growing on her face. Everyone except Naruto.

He leaned over and whispered into her ear as everyone else continued talking.

"You look pretty red..." Naruto said as he brought his hand all the way to the top of her inner thigh. "Everything okay?" He said as he began to slowly rub her leg. Hinata shuddered at the feeling of him touching her so intimately, so close to a place she had always kept reserved for him.

"You know what you're doing." She whispered back nervously.

"Do you want me to stop?"

"I d-didn't say that."

"Oh, so you do like being sneaky. I'll have to remember that."

Hinata's cheeks reddened further, if that was even possible. It was a little different when they were alone in a private place, and even then it made her nervous to act like this around him. But this wasn't a private place, and they certainly weren't alone. Her heart was pounding and her face was on fire from his boldness.

"N-Naruto... I want-"

"Can I get you guys anything else?" The server asked happily as she approached the table.

"I'm stuffed." Choji responded.

"If Choji's had enough, I think we probably have too." Ino responded, resulting in a laugh from everyone.

Everyone paid their share of the bill and began making their way out of the restaurant. Hinata had felt disappointment as soon as Naruto stood up and took his hand off her. He couldn't just leave her hanging like that!

"I guess I'll catch you guys later. Don't be strangers." Shikamaru said as they walked outside. Everyone said their goodbyes and wandered off toward wherever they were headed next. It was around 9:30, so most of them were likely headed home for the night.

"When do you need to be home Hinata?" Naruto asked.

"Unfortunately, probably soon. I told father I'd be out after dark but it would be best if I didn't get home too late."

"In that case, is it okay if I walk you home?"

"I'd like that, Naruto."

"Okay then, lead the way."

They reluctantly began the dreaded path to her home, both wishing they could turn around and stay together. As they walked hand in hand, Naruto noticed that her face was still very red, and she seemed to be thinking about something.

"Hinata, what are you thinking about?"

"Uh... dinner."

"What about it?" He said with a smirk.

"I think you know."

"Too bad you have to go home tonight, there's more where that came from."

"Who said I had to stay home?"

"Hinata! Are you... are you really thinking about sneaking out?"

"I guess you won't know until it happens, will you?"

"Tease."

"There's more where that came from." She said, copying his words from just seconds ago. "That reminds me... next week, my father won't be in the village for a couple days. Which means I don't have to be home at any time."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying... you should let me spend the night while he's gone. You did say I was welcome whenever I want, didn't you?"

"It's true, I did say that. And I meant it."

"Then I would like to stay with you... if that's okay?"

"You don't even have to ask!"

Naruto felt his heart race with excitement. Sure, he still had to wait a week, but the thought of Hinata staying with him, laying in bed with him, waking up with him... nothing sounded better. It almost made him more depressed that he had to sleep alone tonight.

It also made him nervous. He told Hinata he had wanted to take their physical relationship slower, and that was true, but how hard would that be if they were sleeping in the same bed together? If Hinata didn't control herself, it was likely that he wouldn't either.

They soon found themselves standing in front of the gates of the Hyuuga compound, neither one of them wanting to say it, until Naruto bit the bullet.

"I guess, I'll see you again soon?" He said.

"Absolutely."

Hinata turned to look at him, capturing him in her eyes as he met them again. She leaned up to him and kissed him sweetly, to which he gladly returned. One kiss turned into two, then three, then four... until Hinata made herself pull away before she decided to run back to his apartment with him.

"I love you, Hinata. I love you so much."

"I love you too, Naruto, and I will never get tired of hearing you say that."

"Good, 'cause you're going to be hearing it for a long time."

"I... I have to go now... but, I will see you again soon."

"I know, Hinata. I know." He replied softly.

They exchanged one final kiss before Hinata disappeared behind the large wooden doors. Naruto stood there for a few minutes by himself, his head hanging low as he felt the crushing weight of solitude. He eventually began making his way back home, thoughts of the day running rampant through his mind.

He missed her already.

Naruto mentally scolded himself for his pining. It was like Kurama had told him, he was never one to get worked up over a female, not even in his youth when he had a crush on Sakura. At the end of the day, his main focus had always been to succeed and prove himself to those around him.

But things were different now. His main focus was her. Every waking moment he thought of her, in all different ways. The month they spent apart from each other had been torture for him as he laid in his tent every night, thinking of her and what she might've been doing at the time, wondering if she missed him as much as he missed her. There were even times where he thought of sneaking into the newly built Hyuuga compound just to see her. Thankfully, he wasn't stupid enough to actually try it.

Naruto sighed as he shut his front door behind him and began to take off his clothes. He made his way to his bed and plopped down on his back, staring at the ceiling while deep in thought. A smile slowly worked its way back onto his face as memories of today's events repeated within his thoughts.

"Best. Day. Ever."

First, their first date... then, what was most memorable, becoming an official couple. He could still hardly believe he had an actual girlfriend, and a damn good one at that.

And then everything that came after. It was quite difficult for him to focus on just one part of the day, for the memories were all dancing around his mind overwhelmingly. He thought of her, the way they had touched and kissed each other, how addictive she was. He thought of the look of adoration in her eyes when asked her to be his. God, that look was something he'd never get enough of.

He thought of his friends and how he had missed them as well. He was thankful that he was able to spend time with everyone, but Hinata was what made his day as good as it was.

It truly was the best day of his life thus far. The only way it could've been any better was if Hinata was laying at his side.

Naruto mentally prepared himself for bed and turned over in an attempt to fall asleep. As his face hit the pillow, he took one breath and could still smell Hinata's scent deeply embedded into his sheets, which he found oddly soothing, like she was still there with him.

He would eventually fall into a deep sleep, thoughts of seeing her again easing his mind into relaxation, and then into slumber.

Hinata laid awake in her bed staring at the moon from her window. It reminded her of the first night they unintentionally slept together, their first campfire. The moon had shone so brightly that night, illuminating the world around them. That was only about a month ago, but still she felt that they had grown so much closer since then. A month ago, she had still feared that Naruto would never understand or return her feelings. And now, as she thought of the day they shared together, she almost laughed at how wrong she had been.

"Best day ever."

Hinata reminisced about him taking control of her and kissing her in ways that made her body shiver. She was so deep in thought that she almost didn't even realize that her hand had made its way into her underwear.

She had attempted playing with herself before, but had always stopped quickly because of guilt. She would think of Naruto, and the thought of him disapproving had been enough to turn her off and make her stop.

But they were together now, and after the way they had treated each other today, she was sure that there was nothing wrong with this. She could take one look at him and tell that he wanted her in every way imaginable, even if he wanted to take it slower. That didn't mean she couldn't have fun by herself, right?

After a moment of contemplation, she made her decision. She let her hand delve deeper into her underwear until she could feel the wetness that resulted from the day's earlier activities. She experimented for a while, touching herself in different ways, trying to figure out what felt good. She shuddered slightly as her fingers reached a small but sensitive bump toward the top of her opening. She gently rubbed this spot some more and found that she really enjoyed it. There was another thing she wanted to try, though.

Hinata brought her hand back down to her opening and gently slipped in her middle finger, making her experience a new feeling. It hurt just a little at first, but the pain quickly went away as her arousal took over. She began slowly pushing her finger in and out, experimenting with different angles and techniques.

She soon discovered that it felt better when she curved her finger upward and massaged a sensitive spot on the inside. She then realized that she could use the palm of her hand to rub her spot on the outside while simultaneously rubbing the inside with her fingers.

Sliding a second finger in, she tried this technique and immediately had to silence the small moan that escaped her mouth. She then knew exactly how she wanted to end her night.

She pleasured herself further as she imagined all kinds of different things she wanted Naruto to do to her. She wanted to feel him kiss her down there, to feel his tongue slide in and out while she ran her fingers through his hair. She wanted it to be his fingers that were inside her.

As her arousal grew stronger, she couldn't help but imagine what it would be like for them to actually have sex. She wanted to feel him deep inside of her, having his way with her and taking what had always been his. She wanted him to be rough with her, to dominate her.

She quickened her pace with her fingers, feeling her climax getting closer.

"N-Naruto... f-fuck..."

Normally, Hinata was very mindful of the words that left her mouth. She couldn't remember the last time she had cursed, and not a single time she'd done it in front of anyone.

Her words were shaky as her body shivered from the new pleasure she was experiencing. She thought back to when she had kissed Naruto all the way down his abdomen, and what she had seen at the bottom. She hadn't said anything about it at the time, fearing it might make him uncomfortable, but she had noticed the large bulge in his pants and had to fight the urge to touch it.

Her mouth watered as she thought of what it would be like to taste him, to pleasure him with her lips and tongue. She wanted to engulf all of him and please him until she felt him release himself inside her mouth.

The thought of her making Naruto climax was enough to trigger her own.

Her body shook violently as all of her pleasure and desire intensified far beyond what she had imagined it would feel like. She forced her other hand to cover her mouth, trying her hardest not to cry out as waves of pure bliss washed over her. Slowly, the intensity lessened, until she laid still, quietly trying to recollect herself.

When she finally remembered how to move, she removed her soaked underwear and made her way into her bathroom to wash up. After cleaning her hands and preparing herself for bed, she crawled back into her sheets and smiled to herself. She had always wanted to do that but could never bring herself to go through with it.

However, she knew that the pleasure she felt wouldn't even come close to the real thing with him. She wanted every bit of him now more than ever before.

Hinata laid there blissfully, remembering every detail of her recent experiences with Naruto. She remembered how he had looked at her when he asked her to be his girlfriend. She had seen nothing but sincerity and passion in his eyes, ridding her of any doubt she had left. At the end of the day, her patience had paid off. They were finally together, and she knew that neither of them had any intention of changing that.

As her mind and body calmed back down, she quickly faded into sleep with the moon shining bright upon her smiling face.