"Beautiful Evening," by Fire Rules.

It was a really pretty night, he concluded, shortly before he slung his untied bowtie over his shoulder and sat on the cool grass.

"Not a cloud in the sky, the stars are shining, it's a bright full moon… nice. Why am I talking to myself?" Vivid blue eyes scanned the horizon, looking for anything that could possibly keep his thoughts from running away and scattering in every direction. It had been a long night.

And a happy one, he thought.

"I can't believe the bastard actually did it, and before me, too! Stupid Sasuke!" He grinned ever so slightly. "But I'm still happy for him… for them."

'Before me' was an understatement, he realized, and rather bitterly too. Everything else was going so well for him, but he still felt it… he didn't like feeling it, and he told himself on a number of occasions that he didn't need to feel it, but he felt it all the same.

Loneliness.

'Why should I feel lonely,' he wondered. After all, he was Naruto. Maybe ten years ago he had an excuse to feel lonely, but not any longer. He had everyone that he had become so close to.

Iruka… Kakashi… Sakura… Sasuke… Tsunade… Jiraiya… Shikamaru… Chouji… Shizune… Konahamaru… Neji… Fuzzy Eyebrows… Hinata…

Clearly, his "Precious People" list went on and on, and that was just a portion of his very first precious people. He now had his pupils, his students, the young genin he would give his life for as their Sensei and friend. He had all of the steadfast companions he had made from his leadership in an ANBU squad. He'd be reciting names all night if he started to think of all the comrades and acquaintances he had in the Hidden Village of Sand. He was fast friends with Gaara, their beloved Kazekage, after all.

He figured he had no excuse for being lonely. He was just being a baka.

"I'm the next Hokage, for crying out loud!" Although he liked the way it sounded, that proclamation didn't cheer him up too much at the moment.

His lifelong dream accomplished, he now felt somewhat empty deep in his guts. Tsunade, Konoha's precious Godaime Hokage, was to step down in a little over three months.

Three months prior, Tsunade had announced that her successor. Konaha's Rokudaime, was to be none other than Naruto. With much fanfare and approval from the citizens of Konaha, he had accepted her appointment. He had lived for that moment, the moment where everybody realized that he was strong and capable of leading them, not a weak person with a terrible demon inside of him. He was accepted, he was loved, and he was going to be the best Hokage Konaha had ever seen.

But he was still lonely.

"Dammit!" he said bitterly, his head hanging low. It was rare for him to feel this low, and it was bugging the hell out of him.

"I should be happy for them… I'm being a selfish bastard!"

He felt the need to kick some ass; he would have kicked his own ass, of course… for being the selfish idiot that he thought he was, but he would have a hard time explaining that one to Tsunade in the hospital. He saw a hapless large tree standing proudly to his left. That tree was ripe for an ass kicking.

Yelling loudly at nothing in particular, he concentrated on spinning two balls of chakra in each hand, as he had done hundreds of times before. With two powerful Rasengans swirling angrily in his palms, he approached the tree with much gusto, slamming the supercharged balls of Chakra on each side of it.

The tree didn't stand a chance.

He backed away from what was left of the tree a little bit, his small contribution to Konaha's deforestation problem complete, and sat roughly on the ground again. He was startled by a tiny voice behind him.

"Naruto-kun…"

Naruto looked sharply behind him, trying to figure out who it was. His lips curved upward in a little smile, and his heart skipped a beat after he realized the identity of the perpetrator.

"Hinata-chan."

The young kunoichi walked briskly over to Naruto, sitting next to him. Hinata smiled a little when she saw the tree.

"Did it make you mad?"

Naruto looked puzzled at Hinata's question. "Huh?"

"The tree, Naruto-kun… did it make you angry?"

Naruto's eyes lit up in understanding, and he laughed softly at her little quip. "I'm afraid that I'm a S-Class tree murderer, Hinata-chan." He bowed his head in mock shame in Hinata's direction. "Please don't tell… I still want to be Hokage!"

Hinata giggled at the perky blond. Although most things change with time, some things never do. Naruto's silliness would always be in the latter category.

"It was beautiful, wasn't it Naruto-kun? The ceremony, that is?" Naruto looked at her, smiling widely.

"You're beautiful," he thought wryly. He shook his head, trying to clear the thoughts. Just where the hell had that come from? Hinata once again giggled at his actions, oblivious to the meaning behind them.

"Yes it was… I can't believe that they finally did it. To think that they even did it before Shikamaru and Ino!"

Hinata nodded vigorously in reply. "I know… Sakura-chan was such a beautiful bride. And Sasuke-kun was very handsome." She thought for a moment before continuing, the darkness of the night hiding her cherry red cheeks. "And you were a very handsome best man."

Naruto gulped slightly, trying to think of a way to change the subject and not be too suspicious of it. She was just trying to be nice, after all.

Right?

"Ahh, Hinata-chan! I'm really sorry about not seeing you at the reception!" he said loudly, hoping to ease the unease her previous comment had brought him. "I really wanted to dance with you, because… umm, y-you… I mean." Naruto gulped again, positive that she heard him this time. He fidgeted and tried to look at her.

"Because you looked, err, look p-pretty too!" Naruto said quickly, almost too quickly for Hinata to understand.

Almost.

Hinata concluded that her blush was freaking palpable.

"Thank you, Naruto-kun."

There were a few moments of awkward silence, and Naruto took the time to remember when he had become so nervous around the white-eyed girl.

"Maybe it was when she became a freakin' hottie!" an evil voice proclaimed in the back of his mind. He would have liked to blame Kyuubi for that comment, but he knew it was his own hormonal thoughts plaguing him. Naruto once again shook his head fiercely, but didn't hear a giggle from Hinata this time.

It really did take some effort on Naruto's part to remember when and how he had become this way around Hinata. By the time their ANBU days were over, which was only about seven months prior, she was the best, most reliable, most kick-ass ANBU ninja under his command. Having been there with him from when he first took command, they worked with flawless accuracy and teamwork together. She was a top notch fighter, had an amazing head on her shoulders, and was an extremely capable medic ninja to boot. He knew that with the purple-haired kunoichi under his command, they could accomplish anything.

And they did.

With the cooperation of Neji's and Naruto's ANBU squads, they had rescued Sasuke from the darkness that Orochimaru had trapped him in, kicking all kinds of Sound Village ass in the process. The snake Sannin didn't live to see the next day, and in one night, the Sound was no longer a threat to the Leaf.

One and a half years later, Naruto's ANBU squad, with Sasuke, finally decimated Akatsuki's ranks, its survivors scattering to the four corners of the earth. Naruto helped Sasuke complete his revenge, the two of them taking Itachi down together. All the time they were fighting Itachi, Hinata was there to coordinate his squad's attack on the other Akatsuki members. Needless to say, she performed flawlessly.

The village of Konoha had never seen such peace since before the great ninja wars, and they were eternally grateful for the tranquility that Naruto had bestowed upon the leaf. His actions and deeds had truly earned him the right to become Konaha's next Hokage.

With the two of them spending so much time together on his ANBU squad, they had turned into fast friends, and it was a sad time for Naruto when they parted ways. With their ANBU responsibilities done, and with the peace that they had brought to Konoha, Hinata turned her attention over to her clan.

No longer the shy, timid girl that Naruto knew as a child, she had taken over the Hyuuga clan at the age of 21, roughly six months ago. With his ANBU squad taking a much needed permanent leave, Naruto took on his students as Hinata took on the responsibilities of overseeing her clan.

And with each having such responsibilities, they saw each other less and less. It had been over six months, he realized, since he had last seen her. He had an epiphany of sorts as he sat in the grass with Hinata.

He missed her terribly.

He also realized, not long after Hinata left to run her clan, that he felt strange around her. Of course, she had grown incredibly beautiful over the years, her dark purple hair long and shining, with every curve on her body in the right place. She had filled out beautifully. Naruto knew this all to well, having to constantly look at her face as opposed to other parts of her body when he saw her.

"Naruto-kun…"

But it wasn't just the way she looked, far from it. On the inside, Naruto thought, Hinata was the most beautiful person he had ever met. In their ANBU days, she was always there for him. When times were tough, she always had some words of encouragement and a gentle hug to calm him and reassure him. Oh, how he missed those hugs!

She had made him forget about Sakura quickly with those hugs, which was a good thing. Sasuke and Sakura had quickly become an item after his return. They were beautiful together, and Sakura was really the perfect person for Sasuke. Naruto was truly happy to see them united in marriage earlier that afternoon.

"Naruto-kun…"

So, Naruto knew without a doubt that he liked Hinata… a lot. Did he love her? Probably. There wasn't a day in the six months he hadn't seen her that he didn't think about her. She was constantly in his mind, like a bitter-sweet melody that you can't get out of your head. Yeah, he loved her… but he was fairly confident that Hinata had no time for such things. Besides, he simply knew that she couldn't feel the same way about him.

"Naruto-kun!"

Startled, Naruto quickly looked at the girl that yelled his name. Had she been trying to get his attention for a long time now?

Naruto decided to take the nonchalant approach. "Sorry Hinata-chan! Thanks for stopping my brain… it has a tendency to run away with itself!" Naruto guffawed loudly, but his laughter quickly died when he realized that Hinata was not laughing with him. He looked away from her again.

Now, Naruto had never been the smartest person to grace the planet; he would actually be the first to admit that. Relying on quick wits and a lot of luck had gotten him quite far over the years.

Hinata knew that there were things about him that would never change. The denseness that Naruto continued to have regarding her feelings for him still rang loud and clear in Hinata's mind. It was starting to become frustrating. Scratch that, it had become frustrating a long time ago. She worked up the sweetest voice she could make.

"Naruto-kun," she started slowly. "Something's bothering you." She leaned over bravely and whispered in his ear.

"The tree told me."

Naruto laughed a little bit and instinctively pulled Hinata into a tight hug. She gasped softly in surprise.

"Sorry, I'm force-hugging you… I've always been bad about that, huh?"

"No, I don't think so."

"You sure?"

"Hai, Naruto-kun."

Naruto reluctantly pulled away from Hinata, already missing the warmth the embrace provided him. He sighed a little.

"There's really nothing that wrong with me, Hinata-chan. I'm just being a selfish bastard is all."

Hinata looked at him questioningly. "Why do you say that?"

"Because I'm jealous of Sasuke."

Hinata immediately and unintentionally backed away from Naruto, trying to will her tears from coming. Could he possibly still have feelings for Sakura?

"N-Naruto-kun…" She started twiddling her fingers.

Naruto blinked back his surprise… how long had it been since she'd stuttered, or twiddled her fingers for that matter? That wasn't the Hinata-chan he knew. It was as if the 12 year old Hinata had taken control of the 21 year old Hinata, and he didn't like it. He decided to keep talking… hopefully he would get to the bottom of the problem.

"I'm really happy for both of them… they're so happy together. I guess that's what makes me jealous."

Hinata looked at him in confusion. "Wh-what do you mean?"

He ignored the stutter. "I just see the way they are… Sasuke is actually smiling and happy. Sakura-chan just glows with love for him. I wish…" Naruto stopped, not feeling comfortable talking so intimately about his feelings.

"You wish what, Naruto-kun?"

"I wish that I could feel the same way with someone," Naruto proclaimed, just above a whisper.

Hinata was elated and ashamed at the same time. Elated that Sakura wasn't in Naruto's heart still, but very ashamed that she even thought that he still liked Sakura in that way. She was quiet literally speechless, so silence filled the air.

"Pretty stupid, ne?" Naruto said with a scoff as he glanced at the horizon. Hinata's mind turned back on, and she shook her head fiercely.

"Not at all, Naruto-kun! Everyone deserves to fall in love, at least once!" Hinata looked down, her cheeks flaming red, trying to squeak out her last comment.

"I feel the same way, Naruto-kun."

Naruto's eyes lit up at her comment. "Really?" he asked, wanting a little reassurance.

"Really," she replied softly. "I want to someday feel like Sakura and Sasuke obviously felt like today."

"With you, Naruto-kun! Can't you see that?" She was desperately trying to keep her emotions in check, to keep from crying, but she felt her control slipping away.

Naruto tentatively pulled her into another embrace, wordlessly asking of Hinata's approval to hug her. She complied by melting into his arms and burying her face in the crook of his neck, trying desperately to fight the tears that wanted to spill so badly. In her battle against her tears, she realized that she was losing… badly.

He winced when he felt them. They were hot and plentiful… Hinata's tears. Why was she crying? Naruto quickly figured out that he didn't like her crying… wrapping her up even tighter in his arms, he fought the urge to wipe the tears lovingly from her face.

He was being stupid, he realized. She was obviously very upset, and he had a feeling it had something to do with romance. Should he just tell her how he felt, even if she didn't want to return his feelings? Naruto was starting to become afraid of someone else getting to her first, and that thought bothered him greatly.

Naruto was at a loss… what was he to do about the beautiful, albeit immensely sad woman in his arms? Why couldn't there be a handbook for such things? Why couldn't he just stop skirting the issue and just tell her how he felt?

"Hinata-chan."

She looked up, her cheeks red from the embarrassment of crying so openly around him. The shame of how weak she was being at the moment was almost overwhelming.

Slowly, with shaking hands, Naruto carefully and lovingly wiped the tears from her face. Hinata instinctively shivered at his touch and closed her eyes, the feeling almost electric against her skin. Why was he doing this? Whatever the reason, she didn't want him to stop.

Naruto's entire body was now shaking as he looked at the woman in his arms. She looked so vulnerable, more vulnerable than he had seen her in a long time, and that made him sad.

His eyes lingered on her lips… they looked very kissable.

"Why not?"

Hinata was sure that her lungs were going collapse when she felt it. Her eyes shot open, for she wanted to verify that it was indeed Naruto's lips on hers.

It was definitely Naruto that was kissing her.

She leaned into the kiss heavily, her entire body shaking with nervousness and ecstasy. She let out a small moan, which caused Naruto to deepen the kiss. How long had she been waiting for this? Was it ten years?

"Yeah, ten years… far too long."

Eventually, Naruto broke this kiss with her and rested his forehead on hers. He breathed deeply, feeling much more secure with revealing his secret. She seemed to enjoy the kiss, after all, so maybe…

"I love you," he blurted out quickly.

Hinata blinked rapidly, too shocked to respond. Naruto stared at her with unease, hoping for some kind of response.

"I love you, Hinata-chan," he said once again, hoping that it would illicit some kind of response from her.

Naruto shifted uncomfortably and sighed. "I understand if you don't feel the same way… if there's someone else…"

"Don't feel the same way? Baka!" Hinata interrupted harshly, yelling with a ferocity Naruto never knew she had. She pounded her small fists softly and repeatedly into Naruto's chest, tears once again falling freely.

"Baka, baka, baka… Naruto no baka!"

"Hina-chan…" Naruto was scared of her outburst. He felt like running far away, or digging himself in a deep whole. He was stupid for telling her how he felt.

"Do you know… h-how long I-I've w-waited for you to say t-that, N-Naruto-kun?" Hinata revealed loudly in between her sobs. She launched herself back into his arms, angrily planting kisses on his lips. Naruto was generally confused, but took it in stride.

When Hinata was done with her violent display of affection, she collapsed tiredly in Naruto's arms.

"Ten years," she started softly. "Ten years, Naruto-kun… that's how long I've liked you." Naruto held back his surprise.

"These last three years… that's how long I've loved you," she whispered.

"I never knew," Naruto replied honestly. Hinata felt too drained to laugh.

"That's because you're a thick-skulled baka."

"I know… I'm sorry."

"I forgive you," she said, her breath tickling his chest. "I love you too… so much."

Naruto tightened his grip on her… he then realized how stupid he really was. Looking back, it was obvious how Hinata felt about him all this time. He could have been married to her by now, for crying out loud!

"Everyone wanted to fill you in, too," Hinata said, interrupting his self-depreciation. "But I wouldn't let them."

"Why not?" he asked curiously.

"Because I wanted to tell you… guess I never got around to it soon enough."

"Hmm," Naruto grunted quietly, unsure of what to say.

Hinata yawned softly, the sound muffled in Naruto's toned chest. "Sleepy," she said cutely, causing Naruto to instinctively kiss the top of her head.

"Rest, Hina-chan… we can talk more about it in the morning." Hinata didn't need to be asked twice, and she fell contentedly to sleep in his arms.

"Thanks for being patient with me, Hina-chan."

Naruto held her protectively, feeling sleepiness claim him as well. Before joining the woman he held tightly in slumber, he realized with great appreciation how beautiful his, no, their evening had become.

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Author's Note: Hope you guys enjoyed my first stab at any fanfiction that isn't Final Fantasy related. I really love the Naruto and Hinata pairing, and I hope this little story did it justice.

I realize that the real NaruHina romance doesn't really start until the very end of the story. I assure you that it was on purpse; I guess I'm just evil that way. I may continue this, but I made it a one shot in nature… it all depends on the feedback I get, methinks. Thanks for reading, and please review!