The two shinobi sat on Naruto's couch and talked for several hours. Naruto did most of the talking. Hinata listened and laughed.

The conversation was paused by the growling of Hinata's stomach. Embarrassed, she tried to silence it.

"OH! That reminds me!" Naruto jumped off the couch and darted toward the kitchen. "I uh… made these…" He said, holding up a tray of burnt cookies. Hinata took one of the small charred disks in her hands and took a bite. Her face said it all. They were barely edible. It practically turned to dust in her hand. Seeing the look on her face, Naruto tossed the rest of the cookies in the trash and turned to her and said "Hinata, would you like to grab some dinner with me."

She nodded and with that, Naruto stripped off his apron and grabbed his trusty orange jacket. Placing his hand on the small of her back, he guided her out of his apartment. "So what do you feel like eating?" He asked. Hinata thought for a moment, though there was really only one answer, "Ramen." She said firmly. His face lit up. "I know just the place!" Naruto took Hinata by the hand. It was evening now, so the low light masked the bright red blush that danced across her cheeks. This was really happening. Although not entirely sure what 'this' was, Hinata was beaming with happiness.

When they reached the front of Ichiraku's Ramen shop, Naruto shouted across the counter "Hey old man! You got a table for two?" The old man behind the counter turned around so quickly he nearly threw out a hip. "TWO?" He shouted in surprise. Naruto rarely brought guests, but when he turned around to see the young Hyuga girl, he shot Naruto a wink and said "I've got just the thing". Moments later, the old man led them through the kitchen and to the back patio of the restaurant, where a small table with two wooden chairs and a candle were set up.

"Thanks, old man" Naruto said, giving him the famous Uzumaki thumbs up. By the time they took their seats, the owner was already bringing food out. "Dumplings, on the house!" He said, placing a steaming plate of pork dumplings on the table. "And will you be having the usual this evening?" Naruto looked over at Hinata, who gave him a nod, "two, please" he said.

The heat from the Ramen kept Hinata's body warm amidst the cool night air. She had been out nearly all day, the time had flown by so quickly. It seemed like a dream. Just as she was beginning to lose herself in her thoughts, Naruto spoke. "Hinata…" She snapped back into reality. "Do I need to take you home soon?" Truthfully, she didn't know the answer to that. She was an adult now, and although she felt like she had outgrown her father's curfew, she was never really quite sure what the limits were. But she wasn't ready for the night to be over…"Because if, there's time, I'd really like to show you something…" She nodded and smiled as she finished the last of her broth.

They waved goodbye to Ichiraku as they walked out into the brisk summer's night air. "Here" Naruto said, placing his jacket over her shoulders. She gripped the edges of it tightly around her body. It smelled just like him. "C'mon, the place I want to show you is on your way home." He was clearly very excited because he was walking very fast and Hinata was practically having to jog to keep up. She didn't mind though, she loved how he lit up whenever he was excited about something.

They arrived at the outside gates of the school. The place where Hinata first met Naruto, the place where they took their genin and chunin exams. The place where they grew up. "We've gotta get to the top, so jump on my back". He said, crouching down in front of her. "What, she said in a confused tone.

"C'mon Hinata, you're still recovering from your injuries. I can't have you jumping on top of buildings, so climb on". While this explanation did not rid Hinata of her confusion, she did as he asked and climbed onto his back, wrapping her legs around his waist and her arms around his shoulders.

"Hold on tight!" He said as he leapt from the ground to the second floor balcony, and then to the third floor and finally to the roof. When they reached the top, Naruto bent down to let Hinata down easily, then he grabbed her hand and walked her over to a spot on the roof. She noticed that there was a blanket already laying atop the roof, as if someone had left it there for safe keeping.

"I come here to watch the stars" He said, taking a seat on the blanket and gazing upward. She sat down next to him, tucking the seams of her dress underneath her thighs. She gazed up also.

"Ever since I defeated Pain, I've had difficulty sleeping. So, I come out here and watch the stars." He took a deep breath. "It's peaceful here."

He looked down over the school yard. "Hey look! That's where I first met you!" He said, pointing to the rusted swing set. She giggled as she thought of that day, so many years ago, when Naruto was professing his dream to become Hokage to the entire class.

"it feels like everything has changed since then…" He said. It was unclear from his tone whether he was happy or sad. The more she thought about it, the more she realized he was right. Everything had changed. Their classmates eventually stopped teasing Naruto about his dream to become Hokage. Eventually, everyone accepted the crazy golden haired ninja for who he was, and he slowly won over the hearts of everyone in Konoha. But one thing hadn't changed. Hinata. From the moment she met Naruto, she knew he was special and those feelings never wavered. She was perhaps the only thing in his life that hadn't changed.

"Hey, Hinata, can I ask you something"

"Hmm?" She said, half in a daze, captivated by the stars above her.

"About what you said…" he whispered, "that day…"

Her heart leapt… she swallowed hard as she felt Naruto reach for her hand. She couldn't move. After everything they discussed today, why had he waited until now to ask her about this…

"Did you mean…. " He shook his head in disbelief. "I mean, I don't even know if I heard you correctly when you said—" He was cut off…

In a split second, blinded by bravery and by fear, Hinata had plunged her face toward Naruto's and sealed their lips together. To her surprise, she felt a hand reach up to cup her cheek, ,which pulled her deeper into the kiss. It felt just like she imagined it would. The feeling seemed to relax every tense muscle in her body. Every bit of her anxiety was released in this one moment.

They broke apart and stared briefly into each others eyes. "So you did say…"

She nodded, smiling up at him, unembarrassed of the blush that stained her cheeks.

" I KNEW IT!" He yelled! Chuckling and punching the air victoriously before turning back to kiss her again. She gladly reciprocated.

"I'd been going crazy thinking about that for weeks" he admitted nervously. "I thought I was losing my mind…hearing things"

"I've always felt that way…" She whispered. He turned to her with a surprised look on his face. "Really?" She nodded. "Why did you wait so long to tell me"

She shrugged, even she didn't full understand the answer to this… "I never had the courage…" She gripped the edges of Naruto's jacket tightly.

Naruto looked at her with a confused daze. "But— you're one of the bravest people I know…"

"You think so?" Hinata was certainly not one to think of herself as brave. She often thought of herself as timid and easily frightened.

"Yeah!" He said in awe "Everyone knows you're one of the bravest and most beautiful Kunoichi in Konoha!" He blushed as the words escaped his mouth "…or, at least I think so…"

She was speechless. She had dreamed of this moment for so long, and now that it was here, she was completely overwhelmed with emotion. Tears started to fill the corners of her eyes. "Th…Thank you Naruto. She said, reaching out to embrace him. He wrapped his arms around her waist, careful not to squeeze too tightly. Little did she know, this night was everything he had dreamed of also.

They sat in silence for a few more moments before Naruto said "It's late, I should probably get you home. Hinata nodded. She didn't know what would be waiting for her when she arrived back at the Hyuga residence, but nothing could ruin this day. She hopped into Naruto's back once again as they jumped down onto the ground, and to her surprise Naruto didn't let her down but instead, kept carrying her as they began to make their way toward Hinata's house.

Admittedly, Hinata felt a bit ridiculous riding on the back of her golden haired shinobi, but she didn't let her typical feelings of embarrassment overcome her. Instead she waved politely at the passers-by who shot them strange glances. When they arrived at the front gate, Naruto let her down and before saying anything, he wrapped Hinata in a tight embrace, so tight, that she couldn't even raise her arms to reciprocate. "You make me a better shinobi, Hinata, and I love you for that.". He sounded so stern and serious, which took her by surprise. She wriggled her way out of his embrace and reached her hands out to cup his face. "I love you too, Naruto". She stretched up to peck him gently on the lips."

"Can I see you again tomorrow?" he asked eagerly, returning to his usual goofy tone.

"Yes" she replied, beginning to remove his jacket from her shoulders.

"Keep it" he said, pulling it back over her. She smiled. They kissed one final time before saying their final goodbyes for the evening.

Naruto's heart was practically floating out of his body the entire walk back. Everything he had dreamed of was true. He was loved, and not just by anyone, but by a beautiful woman whom he admired and adored. He could hardly wait to see her again. That night, Naruto got the best sleep he had gotten in months. At long last, he had her, his Hinata.

Hinata had managed to enter her room without encountering anyone else in the house. She closed her bedroom door behind her and let out a sigh of relief. She slipped Narutos jacket off of her shoulders and hugged it tightly in her arms. It was taking every once of her will not to shriek out in pure joy. That morning, she was the timid and afraid version of herself, but now, she was the 'brave and beautiful' Hinata. His words echoed in her head until she drifted off to sleep.

At long last, she had her Naruto.

End. Wow. Wrote this in like 30 minutes. Hope it doesn't suck.

This completes the story. Thanks for reading!