Naruto opened his front door to find Hinata waiting with bags of groceries in her hands. She smiled sweetly at him as their eyes met for the first time again. He saw a form of excitement in them, like she was truly thrilled to see him and be with him again. She had told him before that she loved the way he looked at her, and now he understood exactly what she meant.

"Hello, Naruto. It's good to see you again... um, can I come in?"

"Y-Yeah, sorry. It's good to see you too, Hinata. What's all this?" Naruto said, noticing the bags in her hands as she walked through the door.

"Well..." Hinata said happily as Naruto closed the door behind them.

Hinata walked into the kitchen and placed the groceries on the counter. She then approached the sink, rolled up her sleeves and began washing her hands. As she paused before continuing her sentence, she silently reminded herself to be confident in her words. No stuttering.

"I was thinking... you never got a proper birthday celebration. So, I'm going to make you a homemade birthday dinner!" She said proudly.

"Homemade!? That's very thoughtful of you, but you really don't have to go through all that trouble, Hinata! I mean, my birthday was over a month ago."

"I know, and I don't care. Nobody should have to spend their birthday in the middle of a war. Now that we have the time, I want to treat you to a nice meal at the very least. It's no trouble for me at all."

"A-Are you sure? I feel guilty having someone else cook for me... if you really want to treat me to dinner, we could just go out somewhere?"

Hinata finished drying her hands and turned to look him in the eye, a firm but loving expression on her face.

"Absolutely not. I don't want you to feel guilty about me cooking for you. I want to cook for you."

"Um... okay then. Sorry, I don't mean to sound ungrateful, it's just... I've never had a home cooked meal in my own home before, and definitely not one that someone else made specially for me."

She knew that Naruto had pretty much grown up alone, but... at exactly what age did he start fending for himself?

"Naruto, who took care of you when you were little?"

"Lord Third gave me a monthly allowance for rent and stuff. I was usually still pretty low on food, though, because I didn't know how to cook anything but instant ramen. I taught myself to fish when I was four. It wasn't easy, but I managed."

His voice wasn't sad or angry. He said this as if every child experienced it.

"You mean, even when you were four years old, you had nobody taking care of you?"

"Well... yeah."

This broke Hinata's heart. How could the village have let him grow up like that? He wasn't just mistreated, he was downright neglected. It made her feel guilty that she had never known about his poor living conditions. She could have brought him actual food, or at least given him company. She knew that he had a rough childhood, but she hadn't known it was that bad.

He hadn't been living, he had just been surviving.

She walked up to him and wrapped her hands around the back of his neck. She looked into his eyes with tears in her own.

"I swear, I will give you a better life than that. You're mine now, and that means I'm going to take care of you, even if it isn't your birthday." She said softly.

Naruto smiled brightly at her before he leaned down and kissed her sweetly. It had been less than a day, but he had longed for just one more kiss since last night when he watched her disappear behind the gates of the Hyuuga compound. As soon as he found himself standing alone, he had immediately yearned for her embrace and loving eyes.

She was truly addicting.

"I can't tell you how happy that makes me, Hinata. And I promise that I'll always take care of you too. I can't cook very well, but I'll make up for it somehow."

"No worries, I've got the cooking part down. I'm sure there's... other things... you could do."

"Oh yeah? Do tell me."

"Maybe after dinner, I'll show you myself."

"You're dangerous."

"You know you love me." Hinata said with a giggle as she turned around to start preparing the meal.

"You're damn right I do. Ya know, I've tried to cook before, but I really suck at it. I probably almost burnt down my old apartment a couple times."

"I'd love to teach you some time, but for tonight, you have to let me cook for you. No helping, just relaxing. Got it?"

"Kinda sounds like I don't really have a choice, do I?"

"I know it's hard for you to accept, so I won't give you another option. I'm glad you understand." She said smiling at him.

Naruto watched in amazement as Hinata went to work. Every movement was calculated perfectly as her hands prepared multiple different foods at once. It wasn't long before his kitchen smelled absolutely heavenly. Naruto soon realized that his mouth was watering at the sight and smell of the food. Surprisingly, he hadn't been particularly hungry before she started cooking, but now he was ready to indulge.

"Go take a seat, I'll fix you a plate."

"Okay..."

Naruto didn't have a dining room, or chairs in the kitchen for that matter. As he took a seat on the couch, he couldn't help but feel awkward knowing Hinata was practically serving him. He knew it was something he'd have to get used to, but the thought of her putting in so much effort to please him made him feel inadequate. He had to do something to reciprocate her thoughtfulness, otherwise it would drive him crazy.

"Eat up!" Hinata said as she set down a large plate of food on the coffee table in front of him. Looking down at his plate, he saw diced chicken and steak, fried rice, teriyaki noodles, and a cup of red bean soup, a favorite they both shared. Naruto wasted no time in digging in.

"Wow... I think that was the best meal I've ever had." Naruto said as he finished what was on his plate.

"Really? Better than ramen?" She replied as she ate next to him.

"I never thought I'd say it, but... yes! Seriously Hinata, where did you learn to cook like that? I mean, that has got to be the red bean soup I've ever had."

"I learned to cook when I was younger. I always liked making different things. I guess I just got a lot of practice."

"Well, for the record, I myself make a mean instant ramen." He said with a grin.

"I don't doubt that." Hinata said with a laugh.

Naruto took in the scene around him for a moment. He was eating homemade food made specially for him by a girl who loved him unconditionally. He watched her as her laughter slowly lessened into a beautiful smiling face. Naruto himself had a grin glued to his lips that he hadn't noticed until now. This was without a doubt one of the happiest moments of his life.

"I can't thank you enough for this, Hinata. This is a very special gift to me. I'll never forget this. In the meantime, I got you something too."

"You did? Why? What is it?"

"It's not much, but I really want you to have it. Close your eyes and hold out your hand."

Hinata did as she was told and tried to come up with a reasonable guess for what it was. She was here for his birthday after all, why would he have gotten her something? She felt him place what felt like a piece of metal in her hand.

"Open."

"A key? What does it go to?"

"My apartment. I want to make sure you know that you're welcome here. You have a key now, so you can come and go as you please, whenever you please. Like I said, it's not much..."

"Oh Naruto, thank you so much! That's so thoughtful of you! I'll try not to use it too often..." Hinata said as she threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly.

Naruto hadn't expected such a positive reaction from her. It was just a key after all. He wasn't about to complain, though.

"No way, you use it as much as you want! I mean it, you're always welcome here. If it were up to me, I'd keep you here with me all the time."

"So... you don't mind me being here after yesterday? I mean, you don't think I'm being clingy?"

"You kidding me? I've been wanting to see you since we split up last night! Not gonna lie, I was kinda hoping you would sneak out and come see me. Trust me, Hinata, I could never get enough of you. I want you around for as long as you can put up with me."

"That's it, you're getting your dessert early." Hinata said as she pulled away and darted toward the kitchen.

"Dessert? You didn't!"

"Oh, but I did." Hinata replied with a slice of chocolate cake in her hand.

"Woah, that looks great! Where did you get it from?"

"I made it, silly. Don't take a bite just yet. There's another option, but you can only choose one."

"What's the other option?"

Hinata gently took the plate from him and set it on the coffee table. She then climbed on top of him and straddled his waist as she brought her hand to the zipper of her jacket. Naruto watched as she slowly pulled her zipper down and was reminded of how she had teased him yesterday when they were in his bathroom.

Only this time, she didn't stop. She pulled her zipper all the way down and removed her jacket. Once again, she had gone without wearing her mesh shirt underneath. Naruto stared in awe at her sizeable breasts hidden behind the black fabric of her bra.

"You can have the cake, or you can have me."

Was it even a question at this point?

"You. Definitely you." He said huskily as he brought his hands to her slim waist.

Hinata shivered at the touch of his warm hands on her skin, and she couldn't help but smile as she heard the lust in his voice. She could tell he was trying to hold back but was slowly failing. She blushed heavily knowing she could easily rile him up like this.

Naruto's hands were inching upward until he forced himself to move one to the back of her neck and pull her in for a kiss. Hinata melted into him without hesitation as she ran her hands across his lean shoulders and chest. Naruto took one of his hands and traced it down the valley of her spine, occasionally running it through her long hair.

She felt Naruto's other hand resisting the urge to move up to her chest, so she decided to give him a little encouragement. With her lips still hungrily attached to his, she reached down and grabbed his hand, slowly moving it up her side until she felt him take over. His fingers got higher and higher until she felt both of his hands grab firmly onto her breasts.

"Is this okay, Hinata?"

"Yes Naruto, I'm all yours. I want you to touch me. I want you to do anything you want to me."

"Anything I want?"

"Anything."

Hinata gasped as Naruto brought his face to her breasts and began to kiss all over while massaging them through her bra. Occasionally, he would suck hard enough that he would leave another bruise behind. If he got to do whatever he wanted, he was going to mark what belonged to him even further then he did yesterday. After all, he couldn't let Hinata go a step ahead of him and not do anything about it.

His actions elicited several moans from Hinata, each one tempting him further to rip her bra off of her.

Hinata was enjoying this so much that she didn't even notice she had started slightly grinding her hips against him. Her arousal had resulted in her becoming warm between her legs once more, which reminded her of how she touched herself the night before, as well as all the different thoughts that had run through her head. She knew they were supposed to be taking it slow, but she really wanted him inside her, even if it was just his fingers. One way or another, she needed more.

"Damn, Hina, I love the way you move against me."

She began to run her hands through his hair, pulling slightly whenever he hit a sensitive spot on her chest.

Naruto's confidence arose as he heard the sounds she was making. He started wanting to go further, to take more of her clothes off and see what he had been missing out on. The feeling of her grinding against him wasn't helping to suppress his lust, and the fact that she had given him full permission to do as he pleased wasn't helping his temptation. Shikamaru's words echoed in his head as he thought back to their sex-ed conversation.

'Temptation is a fun part as well, as long as you can control yourself.'

He had to mentally remind himself to not get too carried away. They were still taking things slow, after all.

Well, attempting to.

Suddenly, he stood up off of the couch while holding Hinata in his arms. She instinctively wrapped her legs around him and looked at him confused.

"N-Naruto? What are you doing?"

"Anything I want."

His lips crashed back into hers as he carried her from the couch all the way to his bed and laid her down on her back. Hinata looked up at him and could tell he was about to do something new. She could see the excitement in his eyes. Although it was Naruto's idea to take it slow, she could take one look at him and see that he wanted to give in to his temptation just as much as she did. Her heart beat faster as his hands reached for the button on her pants.

"Hinata, before I go any further, I need you to tell me that you're comfortable with me right now. I don't want you to feel like you owe me anything."

"I'm loving everything you're doing, Naruto. You've got nothing to worry about."

Naruto wasted no time in removing her pants, leaving her in a pair of black panties that seemed to match her bra.

"Matching? You were expecting me then?"

"Let's just say I came prepared. What do you think?"

"I think, you're making it very difficult to control myself. And I think you're doing it on purpose." Naruto replied.

"Maybe I am. What are you gonna do about it?"

Naruto kissed her intensely on the lips before moving down to her neck. He sucked hard, purposely leaving more bruises on her. He kissed further down to her breasts and sucked some more as he reveled from the sounds she made. He then slowly made his way down her abdomen, almost laughing as Hinata's body twitched from his lips on her sensitive skin. He was about to kiss just above her underwear when she interrupted him.

"Naruto, are you sure you want to go that far? I don't want you to be uncomfortable either... I mean, don't you still want to take it slow?"

Hinata truthfully wanted nothing more than for Naruto to rip her underwear off and plunge his tongue straight into her. However, she knew that Naruto truly wanted them both to take their time with each other, and she decided she should help him maintain that goal. She thought he might feel guilty if he felt like he went too far.

She smiled internally as she thought about how caring he had been to her. From their first kiss up until now, he had been gentle with her and always made sure she was enjoying what they were doing together. This would make it easier for her to take it slow as well, for she knew that every step along the way was bound to be better than the last.

"Don't worry, I'm not going as far as you think. But I'm going to make you wish I did."

Hinata blushed furiously as she imagined Naruto licking and kissing her sensitive spot she had discovered. She was doing good about not stuttering, but she couldn't really control the red hue that her cheeks had acquired.

"And I'm the tease?"

"You said I could do anything I want, remember?" Naruto said as he used his hands to gently spread her legs further apart.

He leaned back down and kissed her midriff a few times just barely above the lining of her underwear, resulting in more shivers from Hinata. As he lowered his face down between her inner thighs, he could smell a sweet, intoxicating scent coming from between her legs, and he could see that her underwear was soaked. It took every ounce of control he had left to not pull them down and lick her wet opening. His desire was nearly taking over. He wanted to taste her and hear her moan his name with her fingers running through his hair.

'Not yet. Soon, but not yet.'

Instead, he turned to the side and gently kissed her inner thigh. Hinata moaned loudly and brought her hands to his hair while gripping tightly, which did all but stop him from continuing. He used his thumbs to massage her hips while kissing all over her thighs, occasionally biting down a little, just enough to stimulate her further. Both her hips and her thighs must have been sensitive with the way she was twitching and squirming. He found it quite amusing, and extremely arousing as well. He loved knowing he could make her spasm just by touching her in certain ways.

This. This is what he wanted for them. To go a bit further every time, learning more and more about how to make each other feel good.

Hinata on the other hand was trying not to lose her mind. She could feel her heartbeat pumping throughout her entire body as her arousal continued to climb higher. She kept thinking back to when she had pleasured herself and how close Naruto was to fulfilling her fantasies. Her desire for more had strengthened to an almost alarming degree. If he didn't stop now, she wouldn't be able to let him stop later. Naruto had to cut them off yesterday, now it was her turn to take charge. As much as she would hate for him to stop, she knew they had to slow it down while it was still an option.

"N-Naruto, I can't take much more."

"What's wrong? I thought you liked it?" Naruto said with concern in his voice.

"No no, nothing's wrong. I love the way you do that, Naruto, but you're making me want more. If we're taking this slow, you need to stop now while you still can. Otherwise, I may not let you stop."

"Well, if you really need me to, then I'll stop for now. But I'm not done with you. I was thinking... next week, when you stay here for a couple nights, we'll have lots of time alone together. Maybe we could go a little further then?" Naruto said as he got off of her and let her sit up.

She was relieved to hear that he still wanted to go further with her, even though the thought of waiting until next week wasn't nearly as exciting. Nevertheless, she would hold out as long as it would take.

"That sounds perfect, Naruto. So, have you enjoyed your birthday so far?" She replied as she began to put her pants back on.

Naruto chuckled in response. "It feels weird celebrating it, especially so late, but yes, this has definitely been the best birthday ever. And I owe it all to you. Thank you, Hinata, for everything."

"You don't have to thank me, Naruto. I'd do anything to make you happy. Oh! That reminds me, you haven't eaten your cake!"

"I thought I could only choose one of the options?"

"I was only kidding, of course you can have your cake."

"I think I might already be addicted to your cooking." Naruto said as he finished off his fourth slice of chocolate cake.

After Hinata had gone back to the couch to retrieve her jacket, Naruto took one bite of the slice of cake she had left on the coffee table and was instantly hooked. He then went to the kitchen and grabbed the rest of the cake with a mission to finish the entire thing with her.

They were laying on his bed now, and had been for about an hour, just chatting with each other and eating cake. Naruto found that he really enjoyed these innocent moments with her, talking about nothing important and just enjoying each other's company.

"I'm glad you like it, Naruto. It won't be the last time I cook for us."

Hinata looked over at his alarm clock and saw that it was getting late. Unfortunately, she could only stay so long.

"Do you really have to go?" Naruto pouted as they walked to his front door.

"I really don't want to. But, yes, I have to."

Naruto sighed in disappointment. He knew this moment would come, but it had been easier to simply forget about it for as long as he could. But now, there was no hiding from it.

"Can I walk you home again?"

"I was hoping you'd ask me that." She said smiling at him.

They made their way to the Hyuuga compound again, hand in hand, just as they did last night. When they finally reached the front gates, Naruto turned to Hinata with tears in his eyes.

"I want to thank you again, Hinata. I know I already told you this, but you made this day really special for me. I love you so much, and sometimes I feel like I don't deserve you. I know we haven't been together long, but I swear you've already made me happier than I could ever be without you in my life. I just want you to know that some day, somehow, I hope to make you as happy as I am."

"Oh Naruto, you already have. When I wake up every morning, you're the first person I think about, and I instantly look forward to seeing you again. I don't want you to feel like you don't deserve me, because you do make me as happy as you. And because I love you, Naruto. I always will."

Naruto felt her words echo in his head as he remembered the first time she had said that to him. After all they had been through since then, that memory seemed like it happened forever ago.

"And I'll always love you, Hinata." Naruto said before leaning in for a final kiss to which Hinata gladly returned.

"Mm, you taste like chocolate cake. So, then, I'll see you again soon?" He said as he pulled away. Hinata giggled for a moment before she answered.

"Sooner than you think, my love." She replied as she brought her hand up to caress his cheek.

"What does that mean?"

"Don't worry about it. You'll know soon enough. But for now, I'm afraid it's time for me to go."

"Yeah... I guess so. Goodnight, Hinata."

"Goodnight, Naruto."

Naruto felt her soft touch leave his skin before watching her disappear behind those damn doors once more. He stared at them for a moment and resented them for standing between him and the girl he'd give everything for.

Watching her walk away was one thing he would never get used to.