"Bye Hinata, have a good night!"

"You too, Naruto; see you again soon!"

There was something different.

"Heeeeey Hinata! Want to grab something to eat with us?"

"I'd love to, but not today, Naruto. Perhaps another time?"

He couldn't quite…

"Hinata!"

"Naruto?"

Put his finger…

"So, Hinata.."

"Yes, Naruto?"

On it.

"Hinata, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure, what is it, Naruto?"

OH. That's what is was.

"Why did you stop calling me Naruto-kun?" He looked her straight in the eyes, a hand fluffing his short blonde hair.

"I-I'm sor- What?" Hinata dropped the bandages in her hand, looking away from Naruto's gaze, instead choosing to watch her handwork unravel itself from around his fingers. "Um, I- I don't know what you mean…"

"You stopped calling me Naruto-kun." He caught the roll of bandages and set them on the counter next to him. "You always used to call me that so, I dunno, I guess I just want to know why you don't anymore."

"Oh, well…" Hinata grabbed Naruto's right hand again and busied herself with fixing the bandages. "I thought that maybe you didn't like me calling you that so… and… And besides, aren't you past the age to be called '-kun' anymore?"

Naruto sat in silence as he watched her delicately wrap tiny strips of bandage around each of his fingers and soon over and around his palm. Her hands worked quickly and efficiently as she continued to gently wrap the bandages around his wrist and up his arm.

"There you go." Hinata clipped the ends and tucked them in. She turned away from Naruto and began to pack up her things. "This should last you a little longer than the last set."

"I'm not too old to be called Naruto-kun." Naruto reached out and softly grabbed Hinata's wrist. "Besides… I-I didn't mind it at all… I kinda liked it, ya know?"

"You did?" Hinata's eyes went wide and a soft blush dusted her cheeks.

"Yeah!" Naruto grinned, his nose crinkling. "It's your special name for me! And it's nice to know that we're good enough friends that you gave me one."

Hinata breathed a sigh of relief. Hearing Naruto say that… "Oh I'm glad you don't mind! It was really hard to not call you Naruto-kun."

"Hehehe, it's alright. If it'll make you feel less weird, I'll come up with a special name for you!"

Hinata blushed. She stuttered a goodbye and ran from the room. Naruto scratched the back of his head.

It would take some time for Naruto to think of a name for Hinata; a couple years, to be exact. It would be their wedding day when Naruto would first utter the name only Hinata was meant to hear: "You look beautiful, Hime." "Hime?" "Yes; we're a bit like that fairytale, don't you think? The lonely monster befriends a princess and then they fall in love and live happily ever after. Do you not like it?" "No, Naruto-kun, I love it. I think it's perfect. Just one change, this princess isn't marrying a lonely monster today, she's marrying a brave, kind, beloved hero." Naruto leaned down and gently placed a kiss on Hinata's lips. Taking her hand, he opened the door and led her out to the courtyard, where their friends and family were waiting to celebrate.