Hey there everybody, thesaiyanjedi here! I sure a lot of you are waiting with bated breath for the next chapter of "Shinachiku's First Adventure," and I'm getting to work on that. But with Valentine's Day coming, I decided to hammer out another one-shot in honor of the season.

Like "An Uzumaki Family Christmas," this is meant to take place in the same continuity as "Shinachiku's Frist Adventure," serving as a prequel/one-shot. Unlike my Christmas story, this one takes place during the first year of Naruto and Sakura's relationship, as the title suggests, on their first Valentine's Day together.

There will also be a few moments of mature-themed content and perverted humor since we are talking two late-teens in a new relationship and, y'know, hormones. But other than that, this really meant to be a fun, cute, romantic, and sexy NaruSaku Valentine's Day fanfic. I Hope you all enjoy it.

So, let's get the reading!

Valentine's Day, the season of love and romance; people all over the world celebrated it, and Konoha was no exception. Couples took advantage of this day to share their love for one another.

For Naruto Uzumaki, this Valentine's Day was a first. After years of struggling to win her over, the blonde-haired, orange-clad jinchūriki had finally gotten together with the love of his life. It was a hard-earned victory to be sure, but it was all worth it.

Sakura Haruno, his pink-haired teammate and closest friend, had finally returned his feelings and the two had been dating for close to a year…Granted, it did take him about five years, keeping his promise to bring home her first love and his best friend, and saving the entire world, but he loved her so much that he would do it all over again if need be. He would do anything to see her smile, anything to make her happy…

…And that is why he wanted this night, their first Valentine's Day together, to be absolutely perfect!

Naruto was lucky that Kakashi-sensei hadn't assigned him any missions today; now all he needed to do was make sure that Sakura had some free time tonight. He understood that her shifts at the hospital could often get really long, and that she often had training on top of all of that. He didn't mind though; every second he got to spend with her, even in her more temperamental moments, were a gift in his eyes.

And so, February 14, Valentine's Day morning, Naruto woke up to begin planning his day.

He slept in the master bedroom of his parent's house…or rather, what would have been his parent's house had they not gave their lives to save him the night he was born. The master bedroom was large, lavish but not ridiculously fancy, with a king sized bed, a full-length mirror, two dressers, and a huge walk-in closet. After getting out of bed, something he was hesitant to do given that it felt as comfortable as sleeping on a cloud, Naruto rubbed his eyes of excess sleep and, groggy and lazy as always and with his hair and sleeping clothes a total mess, he exited his bedroom and went to the room directly across the hall, the bathroom.

After sitting on the toilet to, err, relieve himself, he washed his hands and stripped off his clothes, getting into the shower. He turned on the faucet to a comforting Luke-warm temperature and let that cascading water pelt his body. The shower head was adjusted to a massaging spray, which felt good on the young man's muscles, flexed and strained from a hard day's training yesterday. As he took the bar of soap to wash himself, he thought over what he should do first today.

'Hmm…first things first, I need to go check that Sakura's not busy tonight. Then…umm…Oh! I guess I should book us a reservation at the most expensive restaurant in the village. I guess I can go see Ino and see if she'll help in picking out flowers. I'll need to find her a present too. Let's see, what should we do to close out the night…Looking at the stars over the Hokage Monument. Yeah! She'll love that!'

As Naruto cleaned up, he noted the sheer size and lavishness of the bathroom, namely the shower that was easily large enough to comfortably hold two people.

'Mmm…that would be fun…Wait, what?! Calm down Naruto, if Sakura ever caught you thinking like that she'd whoop your ass! Okay…think unsexy thoughts! Uhh…cold showers…loneliness…' It wasn't working, so Naruto gulped. Desperate times called for desperate measures, "…Lee naked." Naruto shuddered in horror at his own thought, but was relieved when he looked down and saw that "Little Naruto" was back to normal again. "Oh thank God!"

By now he was done with his shower so he dried off, put his robe on, did his hair, and went back to his room to rewrap the bandages on his pale white prosthetic arm, and picked out his clothes…the exact same outfit he always wore.

Anyway, as soon as he was ready he went down two flights of stairs until he got to the ground floor of his house. He went into the kitchen and walked into the pantry.

Dear God he loved the pantry! All the food you could ever want lined up on several shelves, some so high you needed a stepping stool to reach them. He pulled out a box of cereal and an apple for breakfast. Sakura had made him promise to stop having ramen for every single meal, so he at least had to try.

After breakfast, it was finally time to head out. He locked the door and went through the front gate to his estate. When he entered the village he was greeted with many looks, but this was completely different than what he suffered from as a child. Instead of stares of resentment and hate, these were stares of respect and praise. Naruto was a hero now and after all these years he was finally being treated as one. Passers by would smile and wave their hands at him and he would happily wave back. Kids would jump for joy whenever they saw him and sometimes would even ask him for his autograph, or at least the kid's parents would ask him for his autograph, and he was always happy to grant their request. Naruto was always happy to speak with his fans…well, some of his fans anyway.

After the war Naruto's name became recognized all over the shinobi world and that attracted the attention of A LOT of women, especially in Konoha! He was already getting admirers and fans after saving the village from Pain, but the war sent his fame totally into the stratosphere. Girls would line up outside his old apartment and now his house just to get a glimpse of him. Girls would blush and wave as they called out to him, some would even be bold enough to wink and blow him kisses.

Now, Naruto had a pretty lonely childhood and he was always starving for attention growing up. So when he first discovered his growing female fan base, he liked it, a lot. But after a while it just got annoying and sometimes downright disturbing, like the rare fanatics that would come up to him wearing cosplay versions of his outfit or hold up plush dolls of him that they'd made. Hell, at least half of these girls were far too young for him. The worst part was when these girls approached him and Sakura was around…those were some pretty bad days to be sure!

Anyway, Naruto shyly waved to the girls that greeted him this morning, the girls then gasping and laughing to each other like a bunch of, well, fan girls.

A single thought went through Naruto's brain, 'Now I understand how Sasuke must have felt.' But then, the ever-optimistic young shinobi got one of his signature goofy smiles on his face again. "But so what? I'm with the woman I love! Life couldn't be better! Believe it!"

With that, the orange-clad knucklehead headed in the direction of his first destination. He wanted to catch up with his beloved before she left for the hospital.

Naruto made it to Sakura's apartment in only a few minutes. He walked up to the door and knocked. The door soon opened revealing a middle-aged woman with shoulder-length brownish-blonde hair and wearing a white dress.

"Oh hello Naruto! How are you this morning?" the woman asked.

"Fine, thank you Miss Haruno."

"Naruto please, I've told you to call me Mebuki."

"Sorry…Mebuki." The woman smiled. "Listen, is Sakura home?"

"Yes, you're just in time; she was just about to head to the hospital." Mebuki suddenly got a smug look on her face. "Why? Were you planning to ask my daughter out for some Valentine's Day fun?"

Naruto blushed bright red "I-I-I'm a…I was a…I came here to—"

"I'm just kidding. You know how much Kizashi and I trust you. I'll call her for you."

Naruto let out a breath and smiled, "Thank you Miss Har—I mean Mebuki."

She smiled one more time as she turned her head back into the house. "Sakura, you've got a visitor!"

Naruto heard a beautiful voice calling him from inside, "I'll be right there!"

Within seconds, a pink-haired angel came to the door, and her face brightened up the moment she saw him.

"Naruto!" Sakura ran up to her boyfriend and wrapped him in a bone crushing hug, which he quickly returned.

"Hey sweetie!" Naruto chimed. "I didn't catch you at a bad time, did I?"

"No, its okay, I was just leaving. So how come you're here?"

"Well…you know its Valentine's Day and…" for some reason Naruto was suddenly getting nervous. "…I was wondering…y'know, if you weren't too busy…if you'd like go out on a date tonight?" Naruto couldn't help scratching the back of his head shyly, even after dating for several months now.

Sakura beamed. "Sure honey, I'd love to go out tonight! Where are we going…Ichiraku's?" She narrowed her eyes in suspicion at that last part.

"No, no. Give me some credit; I know better than to take my girlfriend out for ramen on Valentine's Day." Sakura grinned happily at him. "So tell you what, how about I pick you up here at seven. Wear your fanciest clothes because I'm taking you somewhere special."

"Okay? Where?"

Naruto merely smiled, "It's a surprise. Well, I don't want you to be late for work, so I'll let you go now." He started taking off in another direction. "See you tonight Sakura!"

"See you tonight!" Sakura waves her boyfriend goodbye.

As he walked away and she headed to work, both of them smiled in pure contentment as they shared the same thought, 'How did I ever get so lucky?'

Naruto had just finished making dinner reservations for tonight. Yeah, it was going to put a dent in his savings, but Sakura was worth it. Besides, being the biggest hero in the village has awarded him special privileges.

'Now where to next? Hmm…Oh yeah! I'd better go see Ino!'

He made a trek to Yamanaka's Flower Shop, taking in the smell of fresh flowers as soon as he entered the door. There, standing at the checkout counter, was his girlfriend's best friend, just who he was expecting to see.

"Hi, welcome to Yamanaka's, how may I—" Ino addressed him as she would her usual customer, until she realized exactly who her customer was. "Naruto!"

"Hey Ino, Happy Valentine's Day!"

"Thank you!" She suddenly started fluttering her eyelashes at him. "But you know, we really shouldn't…I mean, I have a boyfriend and you have a girlfriend."

Naruto turned beat read as his eyes bulged out of their sockets. "INO!"

The platinum-blonde laughed, "I'm just kidding around doofus! So, how may I help you?"

"Actually, Sakura and I have a date tonight and I was wondering if you could help me pick out a bouquet that she'd really love."

"Oh absolutely!" Ino walked Naruto over to the flowers and showed him showed him their stock.

"To tell you the truth," Naruto said, "I was at first planning on doing something with cherry blossoms, you know like her name, but as I thought about it I decided it was a little too…umm…what's the word?"

"Cliché?" Ino finished.

"Yes, thanks. Anyway, do you know what kind of flowers Sakura likes?"

Ino smiled, "Well, for most Valentine's bouquets I usually recommended roses, but since we're talking about billboard brow, I suggest going with daffodils."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah, I remember she specifically picked them out after the preliminaries of the Chūnin Exams. She was planning on giving one to Sasuke while he was in the hospital." As soon as finished talking, Ino gasped in horror at what she had just said. "I'm sorry Naruto! I swear I didn't mean—"

"It's okay Ino." Naruto reassured her with a smile. "Daffodils huh?"

"Yeah. Tell you what, why don't you let me ring them up for you as soon as I put them together."

She gathered up the flowers and wrapped them up for her friend and brought them over to checkout.

"So how much?" Naruto asked.

"30 ryo."

Naruto was surprised, "Really? That's it."

"Consider it a discount for one of my friends." She ringed up the flowers and then leaned in, "So, just between us, where are you two going on your date tonight?"

Naruto frowned, "If I tell you, do you promise that you won't tell anyone?"

"She ran her fingers across her mouth in a gesture of faith. "My lips are sealed."

Naruto leaned in and whispered his plans in her ear. When he was done her eyes nearly bugged out of their sockets in surprise.

"Whoa! Really?! Can you afford a place like that?"

"I have my ways. Just promise me you won't tell her please, I want it to be a surprise."

"Deal; you two have fun tonight."

"Thanks." Naruto then remembered something, "By the way, do you and Sai have anything planned tonight?"

Even Naruto, as dimwitted as he is, only needed to see Ino's sly, borderline perverted smile to get exactly the answer he needed. "Got it, see you Ino!"

Sakura was making her rounds at the hospital, same as usual. She saw a few patients, prescribed some medications; thankfully she didn't need to perform any emergency operations today.

The other nurses were all polite to her and they took note of her unusually bubbly mood.

"Hey Sakura," Shizune greeted, "you seem in a good mood today."

"Well, Naruto came to my house this morning and asked me out to a date tonight. He said he wants to take me somewhere special but he wouldn't tell me where."

"Ooh," Shizune chimed, "so it's a surprise Valentine's date huh? You're pretty lucky."

Sakura smiled warmly, "Yeah, I guess I am."

"I'm happy for you two," another voice approached her. They both turned to see their old master approach them.

"Lady Tsunade!" they both said.

"Listen Sakura, if you wanted to get off early tonight, I think I can arrange something so one of the other nurses can pick up your shift."

"Oh no, that's alright m'lady," Sakura stated, "I don't want to shortchange my responsibilities just for my night with Naruto—"

"Sakura," Tsunade interrupted, "I've trained you for years now, and Naruto is a splendid young man and the closest thing I've ever had to a son. When you two got together I couldn't have been happier. You two deserve to enjoy your first Valentine's Day together. You're only young once."

Sakura couldn't help but get a huge grin on her face, her eyes getting a bit watery as she gave her master a hug. "Thank you m'lady!"

"You're welcome Sakura. But can you please promise me once thing?" Sakura nodded. "Promise that you two will use protection tonight."

Sakura blushed deep red as she leaped out of Tsunade's arms, "SENSEI!"

"Just kidding…Still, like I said, you're only young once!"

Naruto was ready for tonight; he just needed to double check one more thing first. So he headed to the Academy and ascended the Hokage's tower.

After making it to the top, he knocked on the door and heard a bunch of fumbling around on the other side of the door, as if someone was hastily rushing to put something away, before a familiar voice said "Come in!"

When Naruto opened the door, he saw Kakashi, his old sensei and his current kage leader, sitting at his desk trying to look as proper as he could. But Naruto knew the man well enough to know better.

'Sensei must have been slacking off and reading his dirty books during work hours again,' Naruto thought with a smirk.

"Ah Naruto, what can I do for you?" Kakashi asked politely.

"Hello sensei, I just wanted to double check whether I had any missions or duties assigned to me today."

"Alright, let me double check that for you."

Kakashi got out his mission roster for the day and scanned through it. "No, I don't see your name on my list for anything today. Why? You got plans?"

"Actually, Sakura and I have a date tonight."

"Oh right, I forgot it was Valentine's Day," Kakashi said with one of his signature eye smiles. "So, are you taking her anywhere special?"

"Only the most expensive restaurant in the village," Naruto answered with confidence.

"If you're going where I think you're going, then that place may be a bit outside your salary Naruto."

"Don't worry, I've got plenty saved up and I can dip into my parent's savings for the night. Besides, Sakura's worth every ryo."

Kakashi got up from his desk and walked up to the boy. "I'm happy to hear you say that Naruto. I've watched you and Sakura grow up and I couldn't be happier to see you two finally come together. And I know your parent's would be proud of you two. When I look at you two, I'm reminded of Minato-sensei and Kushina-san when they were alive. More than that, I see Obito and Rin all over again, old friends I miss every day that deserved a happy ending. I want nothing more than for you and Sakura to find that happiness together."

Naruto put on a smile of contentment, "Arigato Kakashi-sensei."

Kakashi put his hand on the boy's shoulder in further reassurance. "Now go on kiddo, you've got a big night tonight."

Naruto bowed and stepped out of the office with one of his signature goofy smiles. The Sixth Hokage than returned to his desk and, double checking that no one was looking, reached into his desk drawer and pulled out his favorite book, picking up where he had left off. 'Ah, young love…'

As Naruto headed out of the Academy he came across another familiar face. "Hey Shikamaru!"

The lazy Nara with the pineapple-shaped hair looked up to see who was greeting him. No surprise, only one person he knew could talk that loud. "Hey Naruto, what do you want?"

Naruto groaned, "I was just saying hi, no need to be rude about it."

"What a drag! So, what's going on?"

"Nothing much, except I've got a date with Sakura tonight," Naruto said enthusiastically.

"Yay, I'll be sure to call the papers," Shikamaru said in complete deadpan sarcasm.

A vein appeared on the boy's head, "Thanks for the support. By the way, how's the long distance thing going between you and Temari?"

"Well Gaara hasn't threatened to kill me for anything yet, so I guess I'm doing something right," Shikamaru quipped, finally with a smirk on his face.

"Hey, you two are great together; just treat her well and with plenty of love and you and Gaara will get along fine. I know, he's one of my best friends…just like you."

"In speaking of treating women right, I thought you said that you had a date tonight? Shouldn't you be getting ready?"

"Oh yeah, sorry, I guess I'd better be going." He waved to his friend as he started heading back to his house. "See ya!"

Shikamaru lazily waved as if he didn't care, but as soon as Naruto turned back in the direction he was walking, he put on a warm smile.

'Thanks Naruto, you're a true friend…'

Sakura was feeling warm and bubbly like a little girl. She had a date tonight with the love of her life. Even better, it was their first Valentine's Day together. She needed to get home so she could be ready; her boyfriend had told her to dress in her best tonight and she wasn't going to disappoint him.

As she headed back to her house, she happened to come across one of her closest friends. "Hey Hinata!" Sakura waved to her.

The Hyūga clan heiress turned her head in the direction of the voice and saw the pinkette waving at her. "Oh, hello Sakura."

Sakura walked up to her as the two friends shared a quick hug. "So, how's it going?"

"Oh it's going fine, no problems. How about you?"

"I'm doing great. Naruto and I have a date tonight. He says he's taking me someplace special but he wouldn't tell me where."

"Oh…I see."

Hinata had a clear hint of discomfort in her voice as she said that which Sakura was able to catch onto immediately. "Oh, I'm sorry Hinata. I didn't mean—"

"I-It's okay Sakura. I used to love Naruto, he gave me the inspiration to be more than I am and I can't imagine my life without him in it…But I had one date with him and I knew that there was a place in his heart that no one could ever fill but you. I'm happy for you, I really am. I think, deep down, I always knew that you two were meant to be together, and I'm just glad that we can still be friends."

"Hinata…" Sakura had no idea what to say. The white-eyed beauty was so selfless, so grown up, she couldn't think of anything else to do except wrap her friend in another hug.

"Don't you worry," Sakura told her friend, "a girl like you can find any guy she wants. And if you ever need help with anything, you just let me know okay?"

"Arigato Sakura…"

After the two parted, Sakura realized that she needed to cut their friendly meeting short. "Hey listen Hinata, I need to get going so that I can get ready for my date, but how about you and I go get lunch some time? How about next Tuesday?"

"Arigato Sakura, but actually Kiba already offered to take me to lunch on Tuesday."

Sakura got an understanding look on her face. "Oh I see. Well, some other time then! Listen, I've got to go, but it was great seeing you Hinata!"

"Sayonara Sakura!" the lavender-haired vixen waved goodbye to the pinkette as she took off back towards her house.

As Sakura kept walking, she put on a happy smile, 'Like I said, any guy you want Hinata…'

Naruto made it back to his house and opened one of the large double doors. Upon walking through the hallway, he set the flowers he bought in a vase and then immediately turned right at the atrium towards the staircase. He jogged up two flights of stairs to the third floor then went down the hall all the way to his bedroom.

Once inside, he started going through his closet and rummaged through his clothes, looking for his nicest ensemble.

"Let's see…orange…orange…orange…black and orange…blue and orange…Ah perfect!"

He laid out his choice of clothes for the night and pulled something out of his pocket. It was a small box wrapped in pink construction paper. He picked it up at a local jeweler on the way home, and to his surprise the man there decided to give him a discount on the gift after realizing who he was.

"Hmm…first Ino, now that jeweler…since when is everybody so eager to give me a discount when I go shopping? Oh whatever, Sakura will love these."

Naruto double checked his pits and his worries were confirmed. "I guessed I worked up a bit of a sweat with all the running around I did today. I'd better take another shower."

Sakura made it back to her apartment and her mother was surprised to see her.

"Sakura, don't you have work sweetie?" asked Mebuki.

"Not tonight mom, Lady Tsunade told me I could have the rest of the day off."

"Oh I see! So now you came home to get ready for your big date tonight."

Sakura was taken aback, "Mom, how did you know that Naruto and I had plans tonight?"

"I overheard you two from inside the house."

"Oh…So where's dad?"

"Right here Sakura." Into the living room came an older man with dark pink hair, stubble on his face, brown pants and a blue gi over a green one. "Your mom told me all about your big date, and I just wanted to tell you to please be careful. Naruto's a good kid and I want you two to have fun. I'm not even going to put a curfew on you tonight since it's Valentine's Day…Just please promise me that you won't make any bad decisions tonight, okay sweetie?"

Sakura was actually flattered by her father's trust and faith in her to make her own decisions for once, even if it was coupled with a typical parental warning. "T-Thank you daddy!" Sakura gave her father a warm hug which Kizashi returned.

After breaking away she readjusted herself and remembered her priorities. "Well, I'd better start getting ready!" she said as he headed to her room, her parent's smiling to each other at how much their little girl had grown up and proud of her for choosing the right young man.

Once inside her room, Sakura went straight to her closet and started scanning through her clothes. She didn't know what Naruto had planned, but he had told her to dress in her fanciest clothes, so she was going to knock his socks off!

"Where is it...? No…no…no…no…God! I can't believe I ever held onto that! Ah! There it is!"

Sakura pulled from her closet the most formal dress she had. She'd been looking for an excuse to wear it for a while…actually, she'd used to imagine Sasuke seeing her in it.

'Hey! Don't you go thinking like that!' the girl thought to herself. 'Sasuke is in the past! He's a terrific friend and you two will always be close, but what you and Naruto have got…that's love! That boy's been waiting his whole life to show how much he love you, and tonight is about you two!'

Her feelings reassured, Sakura laid her dress out on her bed and then went to her dresser. She started rummaging through her underwear drawer.

'Hmm…my black lace panties will sure get him going...Wait, what?! Why the hell am I thinking that?! I love Naruto, but I don't plan on showing him my underwear tonight! God, I think Inner Sakura has finally worn off on me!'

Sakura had an inner pervert buried inside her; she was old enough to admit it to herself now. To herself, never to others! After years of hitting and chastising Naruto, Master Jiraiya, Kakashi-sensei and Konohamaru for being such huge perverts, to let it out how much of one she was herself would make her the biggest hypocrite on the planet…

…Still, she did find herself thinking about all the times she saw him training when they were growing up. It was strange, she had seen him without his shirt on several times before and though little of it, except maybe giving him credit for staying in shape despite his all-ramen diet. Now that they were dating however…

'Calm down girl! Jeez! Just get yourself in the shower and try to get you brain in order!'

With that decided she left her room and went into the bathroom. After shutting the door behind her she turned on the water to let it warm up. Then, she started shedding her clothes one piece at a time, until she was fully nude. She was going to get into the shower right away, until she got a look at herself in the mirror.

'Mmm…not too bad looking if I do say so myself. Fit, some muscle tone, long legs…oh yeah, better than my blonde doofus deserves.' Sakura smirked at her own reflection…when she developed such a narcissistic side to her personality she had no idea; maybe she'd been hanging out with Ino too much.

She then directed her attention to her low C-cup breasts, 'About damn time these started growing in…still, they suck compared to Hinata's…or even Ino's…Wait, what am I saying! Naruto loves me for who I am, not what I look like!'

With confidence, she got in the shower and started washing her body. Unfortunately, as she was doing so, her damned inner pervert kicked in again. She remembered when she and Naruto explored his new house for the first time. She remembered that his shower was easily large enough for two people. She fantasied about the two of them in the morning, naked, making out under the cascading water as they washed each other, followed by—

'DAMN IT!' Sakura thought in irritation, 'Get a grip on yourself Sakura! You're better than this!'

She spent the rest of the shower doing all she could to block out the mental images, which was proving to be difficult, especially when she washed her breasts and her, err, lower areas.

Sakura was relieved when her shower was over. Wrapping a towel around herself, she started doing her hair and applying her makeup. She usually wasn't big on dolling up, but again, Naruto wanted her to look her best.

But seriously, she needed to do something about these urges…then she smirked as she got an idea…

It was close to seven o'clock when Naruto neared the Haruno's apartment. He was ready to take his girl out for a night on the town and he prayed that she was as well. after making it to the front door, he knocked and only had to wait a few seconds before someone opened it up.

"Oh hi Naruto!" Kizashi said. "Come on in, Sakura's nearly ready for you."

The young man stepped inside the Haruno's home and was then greeted for the second time today by the woman of the house. "Naruto! Good to see you again. You sure look handsome!"

Naruto actually blushed at the older woman's comment, "Uh…thanks."

Mebuki called out, "Sakura, your boyfriend's here!"

"Okay, here I come!" Sakura's voice called out from her room.

She opened the door and walked to the front door. Both of them froze at the sight of the other.

Naruto had arrived in a striking black suit, one that looked tailor made to fit his build, complete with a black neck tie black slacks, white undershirt, and a pair of fancy dress shoes.

Sakura was wearing a form-hugging red dress with an opening on the side to expose her legs. She had some light makeup, lipstick and eyeliner on to add to the presentation. Her shoulder-length hair was cleanly combed to look as presentable as possible.

Both lovers had the same simultaneous thought upon seeing each other, 'Whoa…'

"H-Hey Sakura," Naruto greeted while blushing. "You, uh, you look great."

"T-Thanks Naruto," Sakura answered while also blushing, "So do you."

Then Naruto remembered the gift that was in his hand. "Oh, ah, here! I got you these. I hope you like them."

Sakura was touched by the flowers, "Wow, daffodils! Naruto, how did you know?"

"Ino gave me the idea. So…uh…ready to go?"

"Oh yeah! Let me just put these in a vase really quick!"

"Oh nonsense Sakura! I'll take care of that for you!" Mebuki interrupted. "You two just go and have a good time!"

"Okay, thanks mom! Well be back!" Sasuke said as she took Naruto's arm.

"Take your time and have fun kids!" Kizashi waved as they both closed the door behind them.

Naruto led Sakura through the brightly-lit streets of Konoha as they walked towards their destination. Sakura still had no idea where they were going, and frankly she was starting to get annoyed by it. The jealous glances she was getting from some of the women they walked by didn't help things either.

"Naruto, can you please just tell me where we're going?"

"Just wait, were almost there." They walked for another block or two, until they turned the corner and Sakura finally saw where they were eating. "TA DAH! Happy Valentine's Day Sakura!"

Sakura shared in disbelief. "No…way…Naruto! We're eating at Hashirama's! This is the most expensive, most lavish restaurant in the village! Can you afford a place like this?!"

"I can tonight, trust me. Besides, no place is too expensive for the woman I love."

Sakura couldn't resist putting on a warm, loving smile at what her boyfriend told her. "You are such a dork." She kissed him on the cheek as they both walked to the entrance.

The maitre d greeted the couple. "Good evening folks, welcome to Hashirama's. May I take you name's please?"

The male answered for them, "Naruto Uzumaki and Sakura Haruno."

The maitre d nearly lost his shit. "Naru—THE Naruto Uzumaki?! The hero of the Fourth Great Shinobi War! The most famous ninja in the entire village?! And Lady Sakura, the Fifth Hokage's apprentice?!"

Now the poor blonde was getting embarrassed, as was his date, "…Yeah, that's us."

"Oh sir, it is truly an honor to have you join us tonight! I give you my word that you two will not be disappointed."

"Thank you. So, we were on the list right?"

"Oh yes, your names are right here…and I see that you left some special instructions for our staff as well…Very well sir, if you'd please follow me."

The maitre d led the two young ninja to a table in the center of the grand dining room. This being Valentine's Day, there were a lot of couples there tonight, and the ones that noticed them were stunned to see two of the heroes of the war here tonight on a date.

After seating them down at the table, the maitre d handed them their menus and left to allow them their privacy, taking their orders for sodas to drink.

"You can order anything you want tonight honey," Naruto told her, "I'll take care of everything."

"Naruto, I…I just can't believe we're eating here! This place…" Sakura took in the very lavish décor, a restaurant built after the reconstruction of the village following Pain's attack on the village, it was a place truly made for the First Hokage for which it was named. "…It's beautiful."

"Not as beautiful as you are," Naruto quipped.

"Now that was just a tacky line." Sakura remarked.

"Hey, it worked didn't it?"

Sakura smiled, "Yeah…"

A few minutes later, the waiter came by to take their orders. Naruto ordered the house special: filet mignon and salmon with rice pilaf, green beans, a mashed potato topped with blue cheese and spices, and a small side of the spaghetti doused in marinara sauce. Sakura thought it sounded so good that she ordered the same thing.

As they waited in anticipation for their food, which Naruto had been assured would take too long since they were VIP guests tonight, they turned their attention to a small stage set up on the far wall of the restaurant. The band was playing romantic music to coincide with the holiday, and it set the mood well. But then a quartet of backup singers joined the lead singer on stage.

"Attention everyone!" the lead singer called out. "We all hope you're enjoying your Valentine's Day evening. This next batch of songs is a special request by a very special guest, Mr. Naruto Uzumaki himself, for a very special lady, Miss Sakura Haruno herself."

Sakura turned to Naruto in surprise, and Naruto merely put on one of his signature goofy grins as he nodded his head. The two of them, and the rest of the guests in attendance, turned to the stage to hear the music:

Oh, oh, oh
For the longest time
Oh, oh, oh
For the longest
If you said goodbye to me tonight
There would still be music left to write
What else could I do
I'm so inspired by you
That hasn't happened for the longest time

Once I thought my innocence was gone
Now I know that happiness goes on
That's where you found me
When you put your arms around me
I haven't been there for the longest time

Oh, oh, oh
For the longest time
Oh, oh, oh
For the longest
I'm that voice you're hearing in the hall
And the greatest miracle of all
Is how I need you
And how you needed me too
That hasn't happened for the longest time

Maybe this won't last very long
But you feel so right
And I could be wrong
Maybe I've been hoping too hard
But I've gone this far
And it's more than I hoped for

Who knows how much further we'll go on
Maybe I'll be sorry when you're gone
I'll take my chances
I forgot how nice romance is
I haven't been there for the longest time

I had second thoughts at the start
I said to myself
Hold on to your heart
Now I know the woman that you are
You're wonderful so far
And it's more than I hoped for

I don't care what consequence it brings
I have been a fool for lesser things
I want you so bad
I think you ought to know that
I intend to hold you for the longest time

Oh, oh, oh
For the longest time
Oh, oh, oh
For the longest time
Oh, oh, oh
For the longest time
Oh, oh, oh
For the longest time

Sakura loved it. The song sounded so romantic and so sweet to know that that was how Naruto felt about her. She dried the tears in her eyes as she turned to her boyfriend.

"Arigato Naruto." She leaned in across the table and kissed him on the lips. The crowd applauded the show of affection, some of the other couples coming closer together as well, but neither Naruto or Sakura paid much attention to that.

But their focus on each other was interrupted as the band started up again with another song:

Uptown girl
She's been living in her uptown world
I bet she's never had a backstreet guy
I bet her momma never told her why

I'm gonna try for an uptown girl
She's been living in her white bread world
As long as anyone with hot blood can
And now she's looking for a downtown man
That's what I am

And when she knows what
She wants from her time
And when she wakes up
And makes up her mind

She'll see I'm not so tough
Just because
I'm in love with an uptown girl
You know I've seen her in her uptown world
She's getting tired of her high class toys
And all the presents from her uptown boys
She's got a choice

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Uptown girl
You know I can't afford to buy her pearls
But maybe someday when my ship comes in
She'll understand what kind of guy I've been
And then I'll win

And when she's walking
She's looking so fine
And when she's talking
She'll say that she's mine

She'll say I'm not so tough
Just because
I'm in love
With an uptown girl
She's been living in her white bread world
As long as anyone with hot blood can
And now she's looking for a downtown man
That's what I am

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Uptown girl
She's my uptown girl
You know I'm in love
With an uptown girl
My uptown girl
You know I'm in love
With an uptown girl
My uptown girl
You know I'm in love
With an uptown girl
My uptown girl
She an uptown girl
My uptown girl

Sakura held Naruto's hand and was crying tears of happiness throughout the song. It sounded so much like Naruto's struggle to win her feelings, and now here they were, and she couldn't be happier. When the song was done, she quickly took her napkin and dried herself to keep her makeup from running.

By this time their food had finally come and, frankly, it was amazing! It was no wonder this place had earned such a reputation since it opened. The steak, the salmon, everything was to die for! The couple didn't say much during their meal, but that was only because the food was so delicious!

By the time they were done, both of them felt stuffed. And yet, when the waiter came by asking if they wanted any dessert…well, neither of them could say no. So within minutes the waiter came back with a giant bowl that contained a large brownie covered with vanilla ice cream, chocolate syrup, nuts, and a cherry on top for good measure. The bowl was large and came with two spoons, so it was clearly meant for couples to share. So, not wasting any time, they both dug in, each of them feeding the other when they were sure none of the other patrons were looking.

And then, once again, the band began to play:

Sugar, ah honey, honey
You are my candy girl
And you've got me wanting you

Honey, ah sugar, sugar
You are my candy girl
And you've got me wanting you

I just can't believe the loveliness of loving you
I just can't believe it's true
I just can't believe the wonder of this feeling too
I just can't believe it's true

Ah sugar, ah honey, honey
You are my candy girl
And you've got me wanting you

Oh honey, ah sugar, sugar
You are my candy girl
And you've got me wanting you

When I kissed you, girl, I knew how sweet a kiss could be
I knew how sweet a kiss can be
Like the summer sunshine pour your sweetness over me
Pour your sweetness over me

Oh, sugar, pour a little sugar on it honey
Pour a little sugar on it baby
I'm gonna make your life so sweet, yeah, yeah, yeah
Pour a little sugar on it, oh yeah

Pour a little sugar on it, honey
Pour a little sugar on it, baby
I'm gonna make your life so sweet, yeah, yeah, yeah
Pour a little sugar on it honey

Ah sugar, ah ah, honey honey
You are my candy girl
And you've got me wanting you

Oh honey, sugar, sugar
You are my candy girl

That song closed out the evening as the couple finished their dessert. The waiter came with their bill, and thank goodness Naruto prepared for the worst because even with the discount they offered him it still wasn't what many of us would call cheap.

As they exited the restaurant, Sakura placed her head on Naruto's shoulder. "I had a wonderful time tonight Naruto. I can't wait to tell our friends where my boyfriend took me to dinner."

'Yeah, assuming Ino doesn't break her promise and they already know by tomorrow,' Naruto thought sarcastically.

"So," he said, "how about you and I go watch the stars on top of the Hokage Monument?"

"Actually Naruto, how about we go over to your house instead?"

"Huh? Why?"

"No reason…"

The couple made it to Naruto's house and he opened the doors to let them inside. No matter how many Sakura visited this place, she was always in awe at how amazing it was.

"So Sakura," Naruto asked innocently, "what do you want to do now?"

"Let's go into the back yard," she answered.

They went into the back yard, which was as stunning as the house itself was. As soon as they were out on the deck, Sakura smirked as she turned away from Naruto and started taking off her dress.

Naruto looked like he was about to have a panic attack. "S-SAKURA! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! You can't just change your clothes right…Huh?!"

To Naruto's surprise, and somewhat his relief, Sakura was not wearing her underwear beneath her dress, but a two-piece bikini, dark pink colored to complement her hair. She smiled at him cutely as she took her shoes off. Once she was done, she put on the cutest face she could.

"Naruto, how about you and I get in the hot tub?"

'Holy moly…' was all Naruto could think as he took is her form. She looked gorgeous, her suit complimenting her form perfectly. He couldn't help but notice the perky breasts that had grown in too, accentuated by the top half of her suit, or how the bottom half hugged her voluptuous buttocks. These observations caused the inevitable blush to appear on his face.

Naruto quickly started taking off his suit and pants until he was left in just his boxers. Sakura didn't notice a line of drool leaking from her mouth as she saw her boyfriend's incredible body. Tight six-pack abs, toned muscles appropriate for his age, all topped off by his handsome face.

Naruto went inside long enough to get them some towels. One they were both ready, they walked down the walkway to the hot tub, built into the ground for easy entrance. Naruto fired it up and got the temperature and jets going. After that, they both got in.

"Ah! This feels so good!" Sakura proclaimed.

"Oh yeah!" Naruto agreed.

Both of them enjoyed the good feeling of the warm water for several minutes, sharing the usual small talk and trading stories. Naruto made a joke about one of their friends that got Sakura laughing hysterically.

But the next moment their eyes met, something was there literally bubbling to the surface. Cerulean eyes met emerald ones as before they knew it they were leaning in and their eyes closed tight as their lips collided in a passionate kiss.

They each wrapped their arms around the other, the kiss deepening as their bodies moved around in the water. Naruto ran his tongue across Sakura's teeth as if asking for permission and Sakura did not refuse him; in fact, she welcomed it.

Their hands were running everywhere. He would touch her shoulders, her back, her thighs. She would touch his shoulders, his back, his chest. They couldn't stay off of each other.

Naruto ended the kiss to plant a string of kisses along Sakura's neck, causing her to moan in approval.

The couple went back to making out after that, until something clicked in Sakura's brain and she pulled away, confusing Naruto.

"Naruto…I'm sorry. I got carried away…I don't know what I was thinking. I just thought that you and me, together like this, I thought it'd be romantic, and it is…But…but I don't think we're ready for—"

She was stopped when Naruto put his hand on her shoulder. "It's okay Sakura, I understand. There's no rush."

"I'm sorry Naruto, I really am, but I promised my dad that I wouldn't make any mistakes tonight, and I chose to save myself for marriage since I was a girl…You must be really disappointed."

On the contrary, instead of frowning, Naruto's reaction was to smile at her in acceptance. "Sakura, I've waited all my childhood for us to be together…and now that we are, that's good enough for me. You take as long as you want Sakura, I can wait."

Sakura couldn't believe it. She couldn't believe that this boy, this man, was willing to completely put his needs, his basic human instincts aside until she was ready. He was the most compassionate, selfless, loving man that she had ever known.

Tears of joy formed in her eyes as she embraced him in a hug, not caring about the water she was splashing around. After hearing her say a sincere "Thank you," he wrapped his strong arms around her and they sat back against the wall of the tub, kissing each other romantically as the water massaged their muscles and the stars shined overhead.

After a while they both got out and used the towels to dry off. Sakura needed to be extra careful to make sure her hair was dry and orderly so her parent's didn't get too suspicious. After they dried off they got back into their formal clothes.

After that they decided that it was time to bring their night to an end, so Naruto walked Sakura back home, Sakura clinging to his arm the whole time. When they finally made it to her family's apartment, she took both of his hands in her own.

"I really did have a wonderful time tonight Naruto. Thank you."

"You're welcome Sakura…Oh crap! I almost forgot!"

He reached into his pocket and pulled out the small, wrapped box. Sakura looked at it curiously as Naruto handed it to her.

"Open it," he said.

She pulled off the wrapper and opened the box. Inside was a small pair of earrings, decorative golden earrings with a green gem inside them of similar shade to her eyes. Sakura clasped her hands over her mouth as she gasped.

"Oh my God! They're beautiful! Thank you so much Naruto!" She hugged her boyfriend tightly.

"Your welcome Sakura, Happy Valentine's Day. I love you."

"I love you too Naruto."

The two lovers sealed their love in one final kiss before she quietly opened the door and reentered her apartment. As Naruto started walking back home and Sakura walked towards her room, but of them smiled warmly and shared the same thought that they did this morning, 'How did I ever get so lucky?'

Whoa! I never expected a simple date story would go on that long! But seriously, I hope you guys all enjoyed it. Full credit to Billie Joel for the songs "The Longest Time" and "Uptown Girl," (two of my favorite songs of his) and to the Archies for the song "Sugar, Sugar."

I'll see you all in the next story. Until then, Happy Valentine's Day!