First Day 3

Hinata strolled down a quiet street, looking up at the sky with a contented smile on her face. The sky was clear and blue, even if the temperature was still a little cold for her liking, and it reminded her, as so many things did, of Naruto. Her smile widened as the reality of her new relationship hit her again: she and Naruto were in love. She didn't need to dream when she looked up at the sky, now that she could just look into his eyes when she pleased. She laughed to herself as she pictured his pout when Ino accidentally torpedoed their plans, quickly followed by a blush as she remembered the kiss he had given her. She shook her head and reminded herself of her errand: she had caught up to Choji who had happily agreed to accommodate her, now all she had to do was tell the girl herself. But first, there was someone else Hinata felt the need to speak to, and so she turned left instead of right and made her way to them, smiling sadly when she arrived.

"Hello Neji," she whispered. "It's been a while. So much has happened, good and bad. Hanabi was hurt... badly. But she is well again, at least physically, though I wouldn't be surprised if there are some bad dreams around the corner. I think I would have nightmares too if someone took my eyes. Father was hurt also, but he's on the mend. I... I know you always spoke of destiny when we were younger, Neji, or were you just being fatalistic? I don't know. All I know is that it took me and Naruto to save everyone and, if you hadn't saved us both that day... Again, I thank you, Neji. Thank you for saving me." She knelt down and let her fingers rest on his name. "Naruto... he says he loves me, Neji. If I had died that day we might never... you gave me that, Neji. Thank you so, so much!" she said, her voice cracking and her eyes stinging. She cleared her throat and stood, bowing before the grave. "I'll come back soon. Maybe I'll bring Hanabi with me. She still misses you... almost as much as I do. Goodbye, dear brother."


Naruto walked with a purpose but no destination, quickly exasperating his friend.

"Naruto, what are we looking for?" Sakura whined as Naruto glanced around at all of the shop fronts.

"I need to get Hinata a gift. You know, for the Rinne Festival," he said.

"Ohhhhh," Sakura breathed. "Okay, let's go this way," she said, marching off with Naruto in tow. They arrived at a small store which, according to Sakura, sold kunoichi accessories, decorative and/or lethal. She happily perused some of the more eccentric items like a fan that had pockets for explosive tags or a purse that had a razor sharp wire concealed in the strap. Naruto, however, had homed in on his desired purchase almost immediately: a scarf. The idea of giving her the same gift she had intended for him appealed to him, especially given that the scarf was bright orange. He clutched the humble garment to his chest as he looked around for the merchant, marching quickly and making his purchase even as Sakura continued to browse. As he counted out his money, he noted a tray of tiny little clips and pins on the counter, almost laughing as he picked one from the many. It was perfect. He tapped Sakura on the shoulder with a grin.

"All done! Thanks for your help, Sakura," he said, cheerfully. Sakura blinked a few times as he left the store.

"Uh... you're welcome?"


Naruto walked down the street, trying to look relaxed but visibly anxious to get to the Hyuga gate before Hinata left. They hadn't made plans to meet before the gathering with the others but he thought he might give her the gift concealed by his jacket. As he walked, someone called his name from behind. He turned and grinned.

"Iruka!" he greeted, cheerfully. "I'd love to catch up but I'm on my way to-"

"Actually, that's sort of what I wanted to talk to you about. It'll only be a minute," Iruka said. Naruto nodded and turned his body to face his former teacher. "I heard about you and Hinata. I'm happy for you, Naruto." Naruto blushed and rubbed the back of his head.

"Hehe... thanks, Iruka," he chuckled. To his surprise, Iruka blushed as well, but didn't smile.

"Just know before I start this is as bad for me as it is for you but I had to make sure... do you need 'the talk'?" Iruka mumbled. Naruto shrugged at him.

"The talk? Talk about what?" he asked. Iruka groaned.

"You know... 'the talk'," he tried again. Naruto just blinked. "The sex talk, Naruto!" Iruka whispered harshly. Naruto's face suddenly glowed red.

"W-what?!" he cried, prompting Iruka to shush him.

"I know you're already eighteen but you lived alone so long and I should have done this years ago or checked if kakashi had done it or-"

"Stop! Please, stop, Iruka. If you must know, Pervy Sage gave me 'the talk', as you put it, when we were away from Konoha," Naruto explained. Iruka cleared his throat.

"Ahem... including contraceptives?" he muttered. Blushing even more brightly, Naruto nodded. "Ah. Okay, then. Good. You should maybe just ignore the pamphlet I stuck under your door, then." Naruto groaned.

"Aaaaaaaa Irukaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" he wailed, getting a laugh.

"Sorry, Naruto, I just wanted to make sure, I guess," Iruka said, giving Naruto a long look. "So you really like Hinata?" Naruto looked at him, steadily.

"I do. Very, very much," he said, quietly. Iruka smiled.

"Good. Good. Well, what are standing staring at me for? Get going!" he said, laughing when Naruto suddenly took off down the street. He turned to head home. After that conversation... he needed a drink.


Night had fallen, and the temperature with it, and Hinata Hyuga and her sister Hanabi exited their home, both wearing winter coats. They had taken only a few steps when they bumped into someone.

"Naruto!" Hinata gasped, pleased to see him and wearing a smile that proved it. He grinned right back and fell in step beside her, Hanabi on her other side.

"I thought you might like some company on the way," he said, blushing a little. Hinata beamed back at him.

"You were correct, Naruto. Have you heard if you'll be assigned to a mission tomorrow?" she asked. Naruto shook his head.

"Apparently, getting your chakra completely drained a few times gets you a week of medical leave. At least that's what Kakashi called it. You?" he replied, veiling his apprehension.

"No. My... experience with Toneri's control jutsu gets me a week of leave as well," she said, flinching as she recalled being left motionless on his wall like a blasted ornament. She stopped suddenly when Naruto stepped in front of her, an excited grin on his face.

"We both have a week off?! This is perfect!" he enthused, though he cleared his throat and flushed under Hanabi's practiced unimpressed gaze. "Well... we can talk about that later, I guess. Let's go eat!" As they resumed walking, Hinata fidgeted for a moment.

"Um... Naruto?" she asked, getting his attention. "The others may ask about... well, about us. What should we tell them?" Naruto shrugged.

"We'll just tell 'em the truth," he answered, before giving it a little more thought and leaning over with his hand next to his mouth, whispering like he was back in school. "Unless it's embarrassing. Did I do something embarrassing?" Hinata giggled.

"No, Naruto. But I may keep some of the more personal details to myself," she reasoned.

"Oh, right," Naruto laughed. They were near Yakiniku Q by now and Naruto's face morphed into a sly smirk that he aimed right at Hinata. She laughed again, both at his face and at the joyous feeling that all of his behaviour was still so... Naruto, even with her in the mix.

"We should arrive separately, make it a surprise. I bet Ino and Lee flip!" he said, rubbing his hands like a cartoon mad scientist. "You go first, I'll be there soon." Hinata went with it, guiding Hanabi before her and greeting her friends. Naruto suddenly realised he had forgotten to give her her present and swore quietly. A few minutes later, Naruto sauntered in and immediately regretted his scheme. Hinata was surrounded by Sakura, Ino, Hanabi and Tenten, meaning he couldn't sit with her or even close to her. She gave him a tiny, apologetic shrug as he sighed regretfully before taking a seat next to Choji.

"Hey, Naruto!" the Akimichi said, happy to see his friend and occasional binge-eating partner.

"Hey, Choji, how's it going?" Naruto responded, sliding into easy small talk with his friends.

Ino smiled around at her fellow kunoichi, having deliberately grouped them together to grill Hinata about her time with Naruto. They were so adorably oblivious - it was like a soap opera!

"So, Hinata, you spent days on the road with a certain hyperactive ninja... that must have been nice," she probed. Hinata chuckled, more out of politeness than anything.

"Sometimes... but the mission was actually rather-"

"Oh no... you didn't let pinky here hog all of his attention while you did all the work, did you?" Ino grumbled. Sakura grumbled right along with her but avoided confrontation so she could watch as Ino imploded when she finally learned the truth.

"No... No, that didn't happen," Hinata answered cautiously.

"Oh goody! So tell us: any news? Any tidbits? Any progress, Hinata?" Ino asked. Hinata cast a glance at Naruto: he was trading macho poses with Lee and seemed utterly unconcerned.

"Well..."

Naruto laughed as Lee demonstrated he had learned to shed a single tear on command and was about to ask if there was a name for the 'technique' when Ino shrieked, making everyone jump. She immediately clamped her hands over her mouth and looked around at everyone.

"What? Nothing! Go back to whatever you were doing," she cried before turning back to Hinata, practically bouncing in her seat. Naruto smirked to himself.

"Tell me everything! Aaaaannnnnnd go!" Ino pleaded, her eyes sparkling. Hinata sighed and began to speak, wondering when their food would arrive. Naruto watched carefully - he wasn't an expert but Jiraiya had taught him how to lip-read during their journey. It came in handy sometimes, like when he was wondering what all of his female friends were saying about him. He missed a lot but struggled not to laugh as Ino's eyes grew wider and wider as Hinata spoke.

"... and then Shikamaru yelled we would hit the cave ceiling. Naruto just said 'I'm not stopping there' and blasted us right through into the air. Then... oh then... in the moonlight... we kissed!" Hinata breathed, her hands over her flushed cheeks. Ino screamed again, this time uncaring what attention it drew. Sakura had a hand over her heart - she hadn't seen the kiss. And what Naruto said before (though she thought maybe Hinata kept back a few details)... who knew the idiot could be so charming? Even Hanabi looked impressed! Tenten shook her head, though her own face was a little pink.

"Oh myyyyyy goddddd!" Ino hissed. "You guys are so cute! Any pet names? Any dates? Why isn't he sat with you?" she asked, rapidly.

"Umm... thank you, no, no and you sort of kidnapped me," Hinata laughed.

Naruto watched as Hinata laughed, her cheeks still pink. She was so beautiful... he had known she was even before this last mission and he remembered pausing to watch her once or twice at Ichiraku's as she would push her hair behind her ear to eat. He had caught himself staring and resumed eating, quickly forgetting about it all. Until now. He had stared during their investigation of the ruins on the Moon as well, but his words had failed him at the time. Had he ever told her? He had confessed his love and saved her life but had he ever even told her she was pretty? That he found her beautiful? No. And that wasn't good enough!

He stood and walked over, tapping Sakura on the shoulder. She smiled up at him and vacated her seat, letting him slide in next to Hinata. The others watched him closely, honestly a little envious of their fairy tale first kiss (not counting all of the danger and sorrow they went through to reach it) but he ignored them. He leaned close to Hinata, causing her blush to darken.

"Hey there, beautiful" he whispered, and then put one hand on her cheek and gently pressed his lips to hers. That... caused an uproar, and not just from Ino. Lee stood on his chair crowing about burning passion, Choji stared open-mouthed, Shikamaru yawned, Sai took notes, Kiba cheered and laughed, Shino... remained silent, Sakura merely smiled, Ino screamed, Hanabi laughed and Tenten joined her, clapping as well. The kiss ended and Hinata just stared back at him - he had called her beautiful and then kissed her in front of all their friends! At least if she ever suspected she had dreamed it all, she had lots of witnesses. Her shocked expression melted into a warm smile, and she wrapped her arms around Naruto, humming as he let his arm fall around her shoulders.

"Hey," she replied as she snuggled closer. Ino sighed - she and Sai had a good relationship but, for a moment, she wished he was able to make a grand gesture like Naruto. She glanced toward him and saw him scribbling away, no doubt sketching the couple in front of her while he could. She didn't blame him. The servers arrived with their food and the room filled with the smell of cooking meat. Choji insisted on supervising his table's food and Tenten watched the other. Sakura had taken Naruto's place at the other table, though she had them move around so she could sit with Sai and watch him draw. Her eyes widened when she saw it, something that Ino noticed as well. The chatter died down as they ate, everyone realising quickly that having Naruto and Choji on separate table was for the best, given their large appetites. There were a few glances at the new couple, still close and grinning, as well as a few slightly invasive questions that they answered vaguely. Hanabi laughed along with everyone, much to Hinata's delight. Eventually, the food was gone and all conversations started to wind down as time passed. The first to go was Lee - he had an early mission tomorrow - quickly followed by his mission partner, Tenten. Sakura left not long later, citing an early shift at the hospital, then Shikamaru and Choji, then Ino and Sai, finally leaving Naruto, Hinata, Hanabi, Kiba and Shino. They all stood outside the restaurant, saying their farewells when Kiba detected Naruto and Hinata's reluctance. He smirked to himself.

"Hey, Hanabi! Want to see Akamaru before you head home?" he asked. Hanabi had always been fond of the dog, even as she often pretended to find Kiba annoying. She smiled at Hinata, a question in her eyes, and Hinata understood with a start that she was being asked for permission.

"Um... if you want to and it's alright with Kiba, go ahead," she answered. Hanabi grinned brightly and ran off toward the Inuzuka household, followed by Kiba, who threw a wink and a smile over his shoulder at Hinata. Shino lingered for a moment.

"We will make sure she arrives home safely," he said before turning and leaving. That left Naruto and Hinata standing alone in the street. Despite his show of easy confidence earlier, Naruto found himself a little nervous.

"So... you maybe wanna take a walk or something?" he asked. Hinata beamed and looped her arn around his, holding herself to his side.

"That sounds nice," she sighed. The pair of them walked into the night, heading towards the training grounds.


Ino smiled as Sai held her to his side as they walked. She felt some regret that she had wished for him to make a grand gesture - that just wasn't Sai and it wasn't fair to want him to be different. She asked about the sketches he had made during the meal and without hesitation, he stopped and pulled out his sketchbook. She felt her eyes sting when he showed her the drawings he had done.

Every one of them was of her.


Naruto and Hinata talked about little things, about the reactions they got from their friends, about Kiba apparently appointing himself as their wingman, but for the most part they just walked and enjoyed their closeness. When they stopped on a leafy trail, however, Naruto felt a weight in the back of his mind. There was a bench nearby, so he took her hand and sat them both down on it.

"I... I know I said it before, but just so you don't think that was for everyone else, I really do think you're beautiful, Hinata," he said, shakily. Hinata gasped a little - she hoped she never got used to him saying that.

"Thank you, Naruto. I feel the same way," she said, before becoming flustered. "A-about you, I mean! I think you're very handsome." Naruto grinned and flushed. He had overheard some of his fan club mention him being 'cute' or even 'hot' but none of that measured up to Hinata's frank admission. That filled him with a very pleasant, heated sensation. He tipped his head and leaned in to kiss her, grinning as Hinata reciprocated. They separated for a moment, watching each other, before they kissed again. Up until now, their kisses had been tender, even delicate. This kiss steadily became more passionate, more needy, as their mouths opened and their lips moved across each other. Naruto, having been the unfortunate proof-reader of a certain legendary shinobi's literature, had learned a few things, at least in theory. He was debating whether or not to try anything when, to his surprise and immense enjoyment, Hinata's tongue slid into his own mouth. He groaned into the kiss and returned the favour as best he could. It was all new to both of them, a little awkward even, but the sensation was addictive to say the least. Naruto's hand slipped inside Hinata's open coat and found her hip, which he squeezed, getting a moan in return from Hinata. The kiss continued. Naruto belatedly realised he was now kneeling on the bench, his free hand on the seat as Hinata almost lay under him - the position filled his mind with ideas and he unwillingly thought of the pamphlet that waited for him at home. All thoughts vanished when he felt something snaking around his own waist. Hinata's hand explored him, drawing him even closer, and then moved across his clothes to his backside.

He froze for a fraction of a second, and then found himself moaning again as his famously shy Hinata squeezed! The kiss continued for several more frighteningly intense moments, before they finally stopped, breathing hard and staring into each other's lidded eyes. Naruto smiled down at her and she returned it. He pecked her lips a few more times, winding himself down, before starting to push himself up.

"You might have to move your hand for me to sit down, Hinata," he said with a chuckle. Hinata blushed and her hand immediately returned to her side. He sat down and took a deep breath. "So that was pretty awesome," he laughed. Hinata, now also sitting straight, laughed with him, wringing her hands as she debated something in her head. She decided to keep being completely honest.

"I've... wanted to do that for some time," she admitted, quietly, her blush deepening. Naruto's blush did the same upon hearing it, his smile broadening.

"Which part? The making out or grabbing a handful of my butt?" he asked, waggling his eyebrows at her. She looked up at him with pursed lips, though he saw the smile she was trying to hide, and lightly slapped at his shoulder in mock annoyance.

"Can't it be both?" she mumbled, getting a joyous laugh from Naruto, who then threw his arm across her shoulders, drawing her in close. She let her head fall on his shoulder - this was bliss. Naruto mumbled something and she blinked for a moment before turning questioning eyes on him.

"I'm sorry," he repeated.

"Sorry? For what?" she whispered. He squeezed his eyes shut and gulped.

"For making you wait," he whispered, hoarsely. She shook her head.

"Don't say that, Naruto. You can't just decide when to fall in love," she replied, surprised at how easily she said it. It was fact now. Naruto loved her.

"Not that. You confessed to me years ago, when Pain... I should have said something," he said, slowly. Hinata, sensing he had more to day, remained silent. "I was scared, Hinata. I didn't know what to say to you. I didn't know what to do! And there was so much other stuff, the village repairs, the Kage summit, Sasuke being declared a rogue ninja... there was so much going on. And you were there and still supporting me... I guess I managed to talk about it during the war a little."

"You told me I had been strong. That I had saved you from Pain," she said, keeping him talking.

"Right. We... we don't have to talk about all that again. I tried to be there for you and you were there for me. After all that, after the memorial... when we started hanging out it all seemed fine. And so I thought I'd been let off, that I didn't have to say anything, that we were still friends and it was all okay. I'm sorry for that," he finally said.

"What would you have said to me, Naruto?" Hinata asked. Naruto blinked at her.

"I... I don't know," he answered, honestly.

"But we both know what you wouldn't have said. What you couldn't have said... don't we?" she said. Naruto nodded guiltily. He hadn't loved her then. He would have been polite and remorseful and kind... but he would have rejected her.

"But-"

"Do you love me, Naruto?" she asked, thrilled by the certainty that filled his eyes when he answered.

"Yes," he said.

"Then I'm happy you made me wait. If you had told me you couldn't return my feelings back then..."

"You might have gotten over me? Loved someone else?" he asked, the words unexpectedly painful when he considered them.

"No," Hinata responded firmly, banishing the pain. "But I might have accepted that you wouldn't love me back. I might have stopped hoping. I might have never knitted you that scarf." Naruto's eyes widened at that - that scarf had connected them during the genjutsu trap and he had told Hinata that much on their journey back home so she understood it's importance. Through that he had finally started to truly understand how Hinata felt about him. Through that he had finally started to fall in love. He smiled and kissed her again, happily.

"What made you start knitting that thing, anyway? I gave you my ripped up one years ago," he asked. Hinata blushed.

"Well, we've been spending more time together lately, eating at Ichiraku's together and, more often than not, it's been just the two of us. I started to hope..." she said, quietly. Naruto's heart soared, glad she had thought him worth the risk of trying again.

"I'd like to think that, if you had given me that scarf, we might have ended up like this anyway," he muttered. Hinata slumped a little.

"No... when I saw your mother's scarf, I panicked and ran away," she admitted.

"Ah, Sakura would have found out for you, right? You would have given me that scarf, you're way too awesome to give up like that," he said, grinning and winking at her. Hinata chuckled and smiled gratefully, tipping her head up to place a kiss on his jaw. "Speaking of which..." At that, he reached inside his own jacket and pulled out a plainly wrapped package. He offered it to Hinata and she dropped it in her lap as she opened it. She laughed when she saw it: a scarf in bright orange, Naruto's favourite colour. She saw there was something pinned near one end and laughed again. It was a little round badge that bore the same spiral Konoha ninja wore on the back of their vests. Hinata knew it came from an old relationship with the Uzu village. With the Uzumaki clan. She hugged it tightly, feeling her eyes well up.

"Naruto..." she whimpered.

"I know it's late but I wanted to get you something anyway and-" his rambling was stopped when Hinata pressed her lips to his again. She pulled back and carefully wrapped the scarf around her neck, making sure the spiral badge was visible. She wiped her eyes and beamed at him.

"Thank you, Naruto. I love you," she said, softly. Naruto's eyes shone - he hoped he never got used to her saying that - and his heart swelled with warmth and profound gratitude.

"I love you too, Hinata."

So this is still happening. Hope you like it! Little bit for InoSai peeps as well ^_^

-Jack