-Naruto-

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This is the worst.

Hinata's birthday is coming up. Not that that's the problem; Naruto's excited for Hinata and is more than happy to celebrate with her. No, the real problem is the preparation. You see, Hinata's party is going to be at the Hyuuga compound (naturally), which means formal wear and manners. Naruto gets that manners can be a good tool and all, but Mikoto-san's been drilling him all month and even got him a formal kimono to wear! At least he managed to convince her to get him an orange one, but still!

Naruto just doesn't see the point. He's pretty sure Hinata would be happy even if he came in pajamas, so why go to all this trouble?

Of course, when he told that to Mikoto-san, she launched into a lecture about presenting a good image to certain people, or something like that. Naruto gave up paying attention about half a minute into it.

"It's image, brat. The Uchiha and the Hyuuga are rivals, and you've very obviously shown that you have a close friendship with the Uchiha, which means your appearance will reflect on them. They obviously don't mind your pranking habits and general insanity, since they've been trying to form this alliance since well after your antics became well-known, but they want to present a strong image to their rivals. That means you should behave yourself, at least enough that it doesn't reflect poorly on the Uchiha."

That sounds like a pain. But Sasuke's family has been good to Naruto, so he'll at least try to be good for them. Maybe he can get away with polite passive-aggression? That's questionable, though. It'd probably be better to keep that in his back pocket, in case someone gets too cocky from his lack of general chaos-making.

Mikoto shows him how to put on his kimono. Naruto wants to go home. Maybe he could use checking on Hinata's presents as an excuse? He does want to make sure they stay nice...

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-Hinata-

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Hinata is nervous. Nervous, and somehow, a bit bored. It may be an odd combination, but it's rather common for her. And today is no exception.

It's her birthday. Most children look forward to their birthdays (and Hinata does too!), but parties in the Hyuuga compound are exceptionally difficult. It's always formalities, people coming to pay their respects, give congratulations, and bring presents (never fun ones). All in all, stressful, stuffy, and boring.

Of course, there was one thing that Hinata was genuinely looking forward to at this party. Naruto was coming. Maybe he'd try to be formal (the Uchiha most likely tried to convince him to behave at least a little better than usual today), but even a stifled Naruto will be fun. And the moment he has no reason to keep up the image, Hinata's sure that all his pent-up energy and chaos will explode outward and make for a spectacular end to the party. And even if it doesn't, it'll be nice to have a friend this time.

The party goes exactly as Hinata expected. So of course, the moment she heard Naruto had arrived, she immediately started looking for him. Finding him wasn't hard. He was wearing the most eye-catching orange kimono Hinata had ever seen! And he was carrying two potted plants?

Oh! He noticed her!

"Hey! Hinata-chan! I got presents! Sorry they're not wrapped. I put a bow on them, but I don't think being put in a box and wrapped up would be good for plants, you know?"
An indigo African Violet (probably to match Fuzzy Jr.) and a beautiful orange clivia. Poisonous, of course, but clivias are only mildly poisonous and only if you eat them. Hinata was more than pleased with her presents, and immediately brought them inside. She could've put them in her room, but she didn't want to leave Naruto and the elders would throw a fit if she brought a boy in her room. Never mind that she was seven years old; it just wasn't appropriate, apparently. Hinata wasn't exactly sure why, but when she mentioned it to Naruto he went pale and started stammering. Was he sick?

Luckily, Naruto calmed down rather quickly and gladly hung around Hinata. She figured he was probably uncomfortable with the stuffy atmosphere and the formal clothing, but he still managed to brighten up the party. Surprisingly, he managed to stay polite and only mildly passive-aggressive occasionally through the whole thing. Hinata was a little disappointed, but she understood. Acting in the usual way would only bring shame to the Uchiha, after all.

Everyone went home, and Hinata brought her plants into her room. She changed out of her formal kimono and was about to start her bedtime routine when there was a knock at her window. Curious, Hinata opened the window and peeked out, only to see a grinning ball of mischief and sunshine just outside.

"Hinata-chan! Change into something a little warmer and get out here!"

Hinata didn't need to be told twice. She followed Naruto to a small forest clearing, where Sasuke was guarding a picnic basket and blanket.

"Took you long enough, idiot."

"Shut up and sit down, jerk."

Naruto turned to Hinata and smiled invitingly.

"I got a bunch of free cakes and things from Foxbux! The best batch from today! Birthday girl gets first dibs! Oh, and a new baby fox was born last week! You've always liked holding the babies, so I thought maybe you'd like this one for a pet? You can totally say no if you want! I wanted to offer here instead of at your party so you wouldn't have any pressure to say yes."

"Y-yes, of course I'd love to take care of the little fox! Does it have a name?"

"Not yet! I thought you might like to name her."

Naruto quickly summoned a small white fox. He gestured for her to pet it, and Hinata eagerly scooped the fox up.

They had a nice, relaxed picnic, and topped off the night by sneaking back into the Hyuuga compound and dying every kimono they could find bright orange.

Hinata went to sleep happy that night, cuddling her cute new baby fox. This would definitely be a birthday she would remember.

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A/N - name suggestions for Hinata's baby fox are welcome!