Author's Note: Happy NaruHina because people want a happy NaruHina. Hope you like it! :)

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot line.

Title: A Ramen A Day
Genre: Romance, Humor
Rating: T [for language]
Pairing(s): NaruHina
Summary: It was the most delicious ramen bowl he had ever eaten. He wanted—no, he had to know who was behind such culinary mastery.

It started out like any other day.

The rays of sunshine streamed in from the curtains, promising a day of warmth and pleasantness. Naruto stretched out his arms and yawned loudly, rubbing his tired eyes.

He swung his feet off the bed and trudged over to his small refrigerator, opened the door and brought out some milk to place on the table. Then, while releasing another tired yawn with his eyes barely open, he walked a step to the left and reached for the cabinets.

His stomach roared for food, eliciting a sigh from the boy as he opened the door. His hand reached inside, seeking his traditional morning ramen.

A dreamy smile spread across his whiskery features. He could already taste the sweet, salty noodles with small bits of chicken and feel the delightfully warm steam fanning his face, his nose inhaling the sweet smell and—and…

Naruto's eyes squinted. His hand continued searching around the cabinet, but it didn't collide into anything. In fact, it felt…

He whipped his head and looked into the cupboard. Cerulean eyes widened at the sheer horror.

The space was empty! Not a ramen cup in sight!

Naruto wheezed, clutching his stomach that growled painfully. How could this be?! No ramen—surely, there must be something wrong. All cannot be right in the world when Naruto does not have his ramen.

He groaned in frustration, realizing he had forgotten to go ramen shopping yesterday when he returned home from his mission. But his body was still so sore from last night; sleeping it off did nothing to relax his worn muscles. Now, his stomach aggravated the pain of his body, exacting cruel vengeance for not feeding it ramen!

Naruto whined loudly and sank to the floor, bunching the cloth of his simple black t-shirt as he gripped his stomach tight. He wasn't going to make it, not without his super amazing mouth watering spine tingling favorite food to get him through!

Suddenly, as though the angels had heard his desperate plea, Naruto smelled it. The most delicious aroma known to man was wafting over to him, tickling his sharp senses. It was pure, unadulterated bliss.

He floated in the air in pursuit of the smell, hearts dancing in his eyes.

His hovering led him to the door, where he spared no second in opening it. He looked around everywhere, sniffing to find where the smell was coming from. It didn't take him long to determine the source.

It was coming from underneath him.

He looked down, and there it was. Such a gorgeous sight, no words could describe it.

A bowl of ramen. And not just any ramen—around the rim, decorating the noodles, were some pork, boiled egg, and shrimp. Beside the bowl lay a little note. Naruto stooped down, picking up the bowl in one hand and the note in the other.

The small paper simply read: For Naruto.

Short, easy and to the point. Who was he to reject such a kind, generous, thoughtful offer?

He turned the note over and over several times. There was no name written. All it said was those two simple words.

Naruto didn't spend much time dwelling on who the identity of his savior was. He immediately closed the door behind him and leapt back inside. Tenderly placing the ramen on his small dining table, he grabbed a pair of chopsticks and pulled up a chair.

The chopsticks clinked against one another as Naruto hovered over the bowl with a cat-like grin spreading ear to ear on his face. Half a second later, he began devouring the whole bowl, and within a minute he was done. The pain in his stomach was gone, and the lower half of his face was covered in the broth of the soup.

He cleaned his face with the inside of his shirt and leaned back in his chair, an arm draped over his satisfied stomach.

Maybe it was because he was tired and hungry, or maybe not. Either way, that was definitely one of the best ramen bowls Naruto had ever had—dare he say, the best. He almost wished he could eat it again but slower (and by slower it would take him a couple minutes instead of just one) and savor each and every flavor.

The taste still lingered in the back of his throat as he sighed dreamily. His cerulean eyes darted towards where the note lay forgotten by the bowl. He picked it up again and examined it.

Now it really irritated him that there was no name on the note. How was he supposed to thank whoever did this properly if he didn't know who it was? And furthermore, how could he get the recipe for the greatest ramen bowl he's ever had in his whole existence?

If there were a connoisseur in ramen, that title would no doubt go to Naruto. He tasted thousands of bowls in his day, maybe millions.

But this very bowl, now resting completely empty before him, had a taste like none he'd ever eaten.

He stood up abruptly, the chair squeaking against the flooring from being roughly shoved back. His fist clenched tight, his eyes burning with unyielding determination.

He had to find out who this amazing cook was! And he wouldn't rest until he did, for he would never be able to truly appreciate the taste of any other ramen without knowing the special ingredient that made this bowl so different from the rest!

The note crumpled in his grasp as he stuffed it in his pocket, his other hand holding the bowl as he dashed out of the house.

The first place to check? Ichiraku of course! The old man would surely know what that ingredient is! His whole life was about making ramen, so who better to ask?

Naruto arrived in a yellow flash, a rapid gust of wind trailing behind him. Teuchi, the ramen shop owner, along with his daughter, Ayame, shielded their eyes from the onslaught of dust and dirt that flew from the breeze. When they recognized the blonde shinobi, they both smiled.

"Naruto, what brings my favorite customer around?" the old man asked, giving him a kind smile. "Ah, I know! One specialty, coming right up!"

"Oh, thank you! But before you do that, old man—"

He interrupted him with waves of his hand. "Don't worry, it's on the house."

Naruto chuckled. "Thanks, I appreciate it, but I actually wanted to ask a question!"

Teuchi blinked, looking at the young man. "Of course, what is it?"

"Well, I couldn't find any ramen to eat this morning—"

"No! The horror!"

"I know! But suddenly I found a bowl of ramen in front of my house, and I thought maybe it was from you?"

Teuchi crossed his arms. "No, I'm afraid it wasn't me. I don't do delivery, though that could expand the business…"

As the old man rambled off to his own thoughts, Naruto looked to his daughter. "Did you make it, Ayame-chan?"

The girl gave him an apologetic smile. "Sorry, Naruto. It wasn't me either."

The blonde's face fell before lighting up a moment later. "Hey, wait a sec!" he said, whipping out the bowl where he had eaten the delicious ramen. "This is where the ramen was!" He handed the bowl to the old man, but all that was left inside was a few drops of ramen broth at the very bottom. "Would you be able to tell what the ingredients are?"

Teuchi glanced at the bowl before smiling remorsefully. "I wouldn't be able to do that without seeing the actual ramen, Naruto."

The boy pouted. "Aw, are you sure?"

"Afraid so. There's not much I can say from some drops of ramen broth."

Naruto groaned in frustration. "But I don't know where it came from, so who knows if I'll get another!" His shoulders slacked, his head hanging low. "I'll never be able to look at ramen the same way…"

Teuchi rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "You say you found a ramen bowl at your doorstep? Is that all you found?"

Naruto's head snapped up. "No, there was something else!" He dug in his pocket, fishing out the crumpled note. "This was next to it too!"

Teuchi took the paper, examining it for a few moments. He shrugged as Ayame took it out of his hands, her eyes narrowing as she studied it.

"Do you know who wrote it?" Naruto asked eagerly.

The brunette shook her head. "No, I'm sorry Naruto." His body slumped over before she added, "But I can tell you this. This definitely is a girl's handwriting."

"A girl?" Naruto repeated, blinking his cerulean eyes.

"Uh-huh," Ayame nodded, handing the note back to the blonde. Giving him a teasing wink, she said, "I think Naruto-kun has a secret admirer."

He blinked. A secret… admirer…?

The thought swirled around in his mind. He thanked Teuchi and Ayame for their help before hopping off the stool, wandering about the village lost in his thoughts.

When Naruto defeated Pain, Konoha received him as a hero. And with this title, everyone, especially the girls, was really starting to acknowledge him.

After all, the blonde had grown from a hyperactive boy to a handsome young man, with his bright cerulean eyes and charming grin. And now that he was an official hero, girls swooned at the mention of him.

So really, it could be anyone who made him this delicious delicacy sent from Kami himself. Where on earth was he going to begin his search? Or how?

A loud growl roared from his stomach. He placed a hand over his abdomen and whined, turning around and heading back to Ichiraku.

He'd figure out how to find this mystery girl tomorrow. For now, he needed a bowl of a ramen, stat.

When Naruto awoke the next day, he knew he had to, and really had to, find out who cooked that amazing bowl of ramen.

When he went back to Ichiraku for a classic bowl of ramen, it had tasted delicious, of course. But, as Naruto had feared, it hardly compared to the symphony of flavor that danced on his tongue with that one ramen bowl he had eaten the previous morning.

He paced around the small space of his living room with arms crossed over his chest, his head tilted down in deep thought.

Where to begin, where to begin…

Suddenly he flashed a wide, bright smile and snapped his fingers. Got it!

Dashing out of his house, he headed straight towards Konoha Hospital.

"Sakura-chan! Sakura-chaaaan!" he called when he entered the establishment.

The pink-haired kunoichi came rushing out when she heard her blonde teammate's call. She held a finger to her lips as she loudly shushed him.

"Naruto! This is a hospital! Keep your voice down!" she scolded.

"Ah, sorry, sorry!" he answered, covering his mouth with both hands. "Sakura-chan, I need to talk to you!" he whispered.

Concern flashed across her emerald eyes. "Is everything okay?" she asked.

He gave her a wide, reassuring grin. "Of course! Everything's great!"

"Then what did you want to talk about?"

"Well, you see Sakura-chan, yesterday morning I had the most amazingest delicousest ramen I'd ever eaten, and—"

A smile played on her lips as Sakura rolled her eyes. "Naruto, you interrupted my shift to tell me about some ramen you ate?"

"Not just any ramen, Sakura-chan! It was the best thing I'd ever eaten in my life!"

She laughed. "Thanks for sharing that with me, Naruto. Now, if that's all—"

"You're not listening to me, Sakura-chan!" he whined.

She leaned her weight on one leg, lifting an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"

Naruto mirrored the confusion on her face. "Wait, so it wasn't you?"

"What wasn't me?"

"You didn't make me the super amazing yummy mouth watering heavenly ramen?"

She blinked. "Naruto, I'm too busy between my training with Tsunade-shishou, missions and shifts here to make myself a decent meal."

Naruto pouted, scratching the side of his head in thought. He knew what Sakura said was true. She had hardly any time to see him or Kakashi-sensei between her hectic schedule, and he would have recognized her handwriting from the note.

"If it wasn't you, then…" he mumbled to himself.

Sakura gave a thoughtful pause. "It's not exactly a secret that you love ramen, Naruto."

"Sakura-san! We need you!" said a nurse as a new patient was brought in by a gurney.

Sakura looked at the girl before glancing back to the blonde. "I wish I could help you, Naruto, but I need to go."

"Yeah, I understand, Sakura-chan," he said, giving her a dashing smile. "I'll see you tomorrow!"

"Sure. Good luck!"

As Naruto walked back to his small apartment, his gaze was locked on the ground, lost in his thoughts.

Sakura was right; everyone did know he loved ramen. He was going to ask Kakashi or Iruka if it had been them, but according to Ayame, the handwriting came from a girl, and as far as he knew, Kakashi and Iruka were not girls.

Suddenly, an intoxicating, enchanting aroma floated over to him. His eyes widened, pupils dilating—that smell! It was the exact same smell from yesterday morning!

Naruto broke out into a sprint, running so fast his form became an orange blur. He reached the front of his door minutes later, his jaw falling open.

There, at his doorstep, was another steaming bowl of ramen! The most delicious broth ever made, which got his mouth watering just staring at it! He wasn't even that hungry, yet it felt as though he hadn't eaten in days.

Again, there was that note beside it. He picked it up along with the bowl, and the message was still the same: For Naruto, signed without a name.

The ninja looked around his surroundings, cerulean eyes narrowing as he sifted through the trees, streets and buildings. He didn't sense any familiar chakra around him.

The wonderful scent of the fresh ramen filled his sense of smell, overwhelming him with the need to devour the oh-so-tempting meal in his hands. Moments later, he was in his kitchen—and the contents of the ramen bowl were no more.

He tilted his head back, slurping the last remaining juices of the ramen broth before placing the bowl down with a satisfied sigh. He leaned back in his chair, eyes closed contently as he rubbed his stomach.

Suddenly, a chill shot through him—another bowl! That means he could take it to Ichiraku and have the old man tell him what the ingredients are! Maybe they could start serving it! Hearts appeared in his eyes at the thought.

He bolted from his seat, grabbing the bowl and rushing over to Ichiraku. "Old man! Old man!" he yelled, running down the streets.

Teuchi blinked upon seeing the hyperactive shinobi rushing towards him. "Naruto? What is it?" he asked.

"Another bowl! Look!" said the blonde, thrusting the bowl in the old man's face.

Teuchi tilted his head. "Yes, it is a bowl," he said, his expression confused.

Naruto gave him a pointed look. "No, not the bowl! What's inside!"

"There's nothing in there, son."

"What are you talking about? Just look—" Naruto peered down, only for his stomach to drop as his eyes fell upon the empty bowl where the ramen had once been. "Oh, damn it!" he cursed, plopping down on one of the stools. He had completely forgotten how he had devoured the thing mere minutes ago. His head slouched forward, his hands in his hair as he sighed.

Ayame appeared from the back of the restaurant. "What's wrong, Naruto?" she asked, seeing a depressing aura radiate from the boy.

"I think he got a new bowl of that ramen he's been talking about and ate it on the way over here," Teuchi explained in a hushed tone, his hand by his mouth. "He knows I can't tell him what it's made of unless I see it."

Naruto remained uncharacteristically quiet, the gloomy atmosphere seeming to worsen at the explanation.

Laughing softly, Ayame said, "Aw, it's not the end of the world. Ne, otousan, why don't we hold a ramen contest?"

Naruto's head sprang up at the suggestion. "Ramen contest?" he echoed eagerly.

The brunette nodded, beaming at him. "Yeah. We know someone in the village is giving you this amazing ramen, so we'll invite all the girls to make a ramen bowl for you. We have all the ingredients, so that won't be a problem. You'll pick the one you like best, and the winner will get a date with you. It's a win-win situation." A cheeky grin spread across her face. "Also, the exposure would be wonderful for Ichiraku."

Teuchi rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Sounds like a wonderful idea."

Naruto's eyes widened, his face incredulous. "You guys would do that?"

"Of course," said Ayame with a kind smile.

"You are a loyal customer and a hero of the village. Without your bravery, Ichiraku wouldn't be here," added Teuchi, mirroring his daughter's smile.

Naruto rubbed the back of his head, grinning sheepishly. "Aw, it was nothing… wow, you're both so nice! But do you really think people will come?"

"Of course!" Ayame chirped. "You should hear how some of the girls talk about you. Don't be so bashful." She winked, adding, "If you were a few years older—"

"Let's not get distracted from the topic," Teuchi cut in, clearing his throat as Naruto blushed wildly.

Ayame giggled, bending down and scooping up a packet of papers. "Anyway, I made these flyers yesterday just for the occasion. Here,"—she placed the flyers before Naruto—"take these and put them around the village. We need to get the shop ready for the contest tomorrow."

"Yeah, you got it!" Naruto launched forward, catching the two in a hug. "Thanks guys! You're the best!"

Naruto was never much of a morning person, but the following day he rose at the crack of dawn. Anticipation coursed through him, along with a tinge of nervousness. What if the mysterious ramen maker didn't show up, or somehow didn't catch wind of the event? He put the flyers in every place he could think of, including women-only areas, courtesy of his sexy no jutsu disguising himself as a woman.

He cast his worries aside, changing into a fresh pair of clothes and bolting out the door. He glanced up to the sky, finding the sun shining high and bright. Okay, maybe the crack of dawn wasn't the same time to everyone else as it was to Naruto. It was currently around noon, which Naruto considered the crack of dawn, unlike Kakashi's 6am training sessions that were practically in the middle of the night.

Despite the "early" time, he had the same amount of energy as though it were late afternoon. Naruto practically bounced over to Ichiraku, faltering when he was overwhelmed by the combined scent of perfume and ramen broth. He slowed his next step, eyes widening and mouth falling open at the long line of girls before Ichiraku. Not just any girls—cute, young village girls. And there were all there… for him?

Upon his arrival, one girl screamed, "There he is!" Suddenly a unison of high-pitched giggles assaulted his ears. Naruto smiled widely, doing his best to hide his cringing.

"Uh, hi," he greeted, chuckling nervously as he walked passed the line of girls.

"I hope you pick me, Naruto-kun!"

"No, pick me Naruto-kun!"

"Hey, back off, you know he's mine!"

Naruto raised an eyebrow, skeptical to what was happening before him. Girls were actually fighting over him? A year ago they were insulting him, now they were fawning over him?

It was a strange adjustment, one he was still unaccustomed to. Nevertheless, his pride soared at the amount of girls that showed up, baffling his mind that so many women wanted a date with him.

"Naruto, there you are!" called Ayame, waving him over.

"Do you see how many girls are here?!" Naruto whispered, turning around to look at the girls once more.

Ayame laughed. "What did I tell you? Now focus, remember how that amazing ramen tasted. I hope you find the lucky girl!" Then she directed her attention to the crowd. "Okay, each of you will have ten minutes in the kitchen. Whip up the best ramen dish you can, and after Naruto has sampled each one, he will choose the lucky winner!" A series of squeals followed the announcement. "But keep in mind, supplies are limited," Ayame added, muttering under her breath, "we didn't expect this much of a turn out." She cleared her throat, raising her voice, "So with that being said, good luck! You may begin!"

The ground shook as the girls stormed to the kitchen. They were vicious, shoving each other out of the way, pulling hair, clawing and screaming obscenities at one another. For a moment, Naruto felt a rush of fear. Maybe this wasn't the best idea, he thought, smiling nervously.

Ayame whipped out a megaphone and began shouting relentlessly at the girls. "No sabotaging! Keep to your station! Only a few minutes left to go! Stop growling!"

Naruto twitched, watching the girls hurriedly stir, add ingredients, taste their work, or flat out debilitate their competition. Some gave flirtatious smiles and coy winks, making his face beet red. The destruction of Ichiraku's kitchen paired with screams and taunts from the girls quickly became overwhelming—his battle versus Pain was less chaotic than this madness.

He winced and stuck a finger in his ear as the noise increased to an irritating level. Suddenly, his home began to sound quite appealing, preferring a quiet meal of his own ramen rather than witnessing the anarchy before him. Actually, just a mere moment of silence would be ideal.

There was a glimpse of lavender from the corner of his eye, prompting his attention as he glance to the right. Walking several yards away from the commotion was a girl holding a few bags of groceries in her hands. Naruto quickly recognized the girl to be Hinata, causing a small smile to spread across his face.

Hinata wasn't loud or annoying, which was exactly what he needed at the moment.

Just as he was about to stand up and go talk to her, Ayame's voice boomed in her megaphone.

"Time's up!"

Some girls cursed, some whined, one almost dropped her bowl in surprise. Naruto merely blinked as he looked at the brunette.

"Clearly each of you girls were desperate to win today's little contest," Ayame said, eye twitching she glanced at trashed kitchen with broken bowls, bent cooking utensils, and all sorts of ramen ingredients scattered about.

"My resturant," Teuchi sobbed quietly in the background.

Ayame laughed uneasily. "Now, please line up the bowls on the counter and on the index cards provided for you, write, 'For Naruto' on the front and your name on the back." The girls did as told, smiling and giggling to themselves. Ayame gave a polite smile. "Thank you for participating in this contest! Our guest of honor will now sample the bowls and the winner will be contacted. Take care!"

And just like that, the girls filed out of the crowded restaurant, blowing kisses and waving goodbye to their favorite ninja hero. Naruto merely gave a bashful smile in return, unaccustomed to the forward displays of affection.

As the last of the girls faded in the distance, Naruto turned his attention to the rows of ramen bowls placed before him. His eyes widened at the challenge before him—so much ramen in so little time! He'd have to carefully assess each bite and search the deep recesses of his stomach to find the perfect ramen he's been relentlessly searching for.

Smiling, Ayame handed him a bib and some chopsticks. "Have fun!" she said cheerily, stepping back to comfort her wailing father.

Without wasting a moment longer, Naruto dove into the first of many ramen bowls.

An obnoxiously loud belch escaped Naruto as he laid a hand over his round, engorged stomach. Ramen broth stained the corners of his mouth as imaginary stars danced above his head.

"Well?" asked Ayame, beginning to pile the bowls together before placing them in the sink.

"So… much… ramen…" Naruto wheezed, the chair creaking beneath him from his increased weight.

The girl laughed behind her hand before giving him a gentle smile. "Did you find your 'perfect bowl', Naruto?"

"They were all so good, but…" He rolled forward, slumping his weight over the counter as he hunched forward. Burying his face in his hands, he murmured desolately, "It wasn't the bowl, Ayame-chan."

"Really?" she questioned, eyes blinking in disbelief. "But, there was so many!"

"I know!" Naruto whined, running his hands through his hair. "They were all good, but something was still missing!"

"Sorry to hear that," Ayame said gently. "I guess we weren't much help."

The boy lifted his head, looking at the brunette before shaking his head, "No, no! It was so cool what you guys did for me! And at least now we know it's not most of the girls in the village, right?"

"That's the spirit," Teuchi said, coming up behind his daughter and placing a hand on her shoulder. "And Ichiraku did get a lot of free exposure today, thanks to you."

Naruto beamed, scratching the back of his head. "Glad I helped!" He hopped off the bar stool and waved goodbye. "See you later!"

Shoving his hands in his pockets, he quickly became lost in his thoughts on the way home. The ramen was tasty, sure—but, as he feared, they all paled in comparison to the ramen left on his doorstop. Maybe the ramen maker was having an off day, but even then, none of the handwriting looked similar to the style on the notes.

His shoulders slouched as he hunched forward. Would he ever get another bowl of the super amazing one of a kind ramen?

Just then, a smell tickled his nose. Not just any smell—the smell that emanated from the delicious ramen he was currently lamenting over!

He whipped his head up, his nose wrinkling. At his doorstep, a flash of lavender met his gaze, making his eyes widen.

Hinata?

Yes, he was certain—the intoxicating scent was coming directly from her. He had to find out why.

"Yo, Hinata-chan!" he called. The girl's body immediately stiffened, causing him to lift an eyebrow in confusion. He quickly walked to where she stood and placed a hand on her shoulder, concern in his eyes. "Hey, are you okay?"

She slowly turned around, and when she finally faced him, he instantly understood why she had flinched. His pupils dilated and his jaw fell open in shock.

In her hands, along with the anonymous note, was the heavenly mouth watering knee shaking ecstasy of flavor ramen he had been craving ever since he first tasted it.

Naruto lost the ability to speak, taking several moments for him to regain the ability to articulate words.

Slowly, he muttered, "It… it was you?"

Hinata's face immediately flushed pink, keeping her eyes glued to the floor.

Certainly, Naruto hadn't expected this. Of all the possibilities of who it could have been—it was Hinata! The lovely Hyuuga who had bravely sacrificed herself for him during the battle against Pain, the very sacrifice that awakened a hidden power inside him and gave him the strength to defeat the man and save the village.

Since then, he held her in the highest respect for what she did for him. Though, her sacrifice was all he remembered about that moment. Amidst the intensity of battle, weak from his various injuries, he had heard her say something, but she spoke so quietly he barely caught what she said. Nevertheless, he was grateful to her.

A wide, cheery grin spread across his features. Hinata—the girl who's face always grew red whenever he was around, who spoke so quiet with her stutters that he sometimes had a hard time understanding what she was saying, who was actually very pretty as he studied her thick lashes, flushed red cheeks, lovely lavender eyes and soft, raven hair—had been making the finest ramen he'd ever eaten in his sixteen years, the type of ramen he thought only existed in the greatest of his dreams!

They say the best way to a man's heart is through his stomach, and with Naruto, this proved much too true. He was practically ready to marry the girl.

"I can't believe you never told me it was you!" he laughed, engulfing her in a tight hug while making sure not to collide against the ramen in his hands.

"N-Naruto-kun?!" she stammered, her voice thin and soft and pretty and delicate, just like her.

He released her and stepped back, his hands holding her shoulders as he gave her a wolfish grin. "Hinata-chan, your ramen is the best I've ever eaten in my whole entire life! Do you have any idea how hard I searched looking for who was bringing me this amazing stuff? Did you not hear about my ramen contest?"

She trembled nervously under his grasp, her shyness getting the better of her as her face flushed deep red. "R-Ramen c-contest?"

"Yeah, but they were nothing compared to yours, and—Oh, where are my manners! Come in, come in!" He took her wrist and led her into his house.

"M-Me? Inside N-Naruto-kun's house?" she squeaked, blinking her eyes in surprise.

"Yeah, of course, Hinata-chan! You don't expect me to eat this whole bowl of ramen by myself, do you?" He released her wrist as he looked at her, giving a wide, cheeky grin. "Well, I could, but it wouldn't be right! You worked so hard making it, so Hina-chan should have some too!"

She stared at her feet. "I—I don't want to impose, Naruto-kun…"

"Nonsense! Unless," he began, and she looked at him curiously, "you're busy, or something…"

"N-No!" Hinata blurted out, squeaking when she realized what she said as she covered her mouth. "I—I mean… thank you for your hospitality, Naruto-kun." She held out her bowl of ramen for him.

He grinned widely at her, taking the bowl from her hands. "Sure! Next time, we'll go somewhere real nice—"

"Next time?" Hinata echoed, lavender eyes incredulously wide as Naruto turned around and placed the steaming bowl on his dining table.

"—even though the food probably won't be as good as your cooking, but it's the proper thing to do, right? That's how dates work?"

Immediately her face erupted in a warm blush. "D-D-D-Date?"

The boy flinched, realization dawning upon him at what he just said. He whirled around to face her, bending an arm behind his head as he scratched his sun-kissed blonde hair. "W-Well, yeah! Hinata-chan's very nice, and very…" He swallowed then smiled, despite the blush dusting his cheeks, "Very pretty, and an amazing cook! So I want to, you know… take you out and—Hinata-chan? Hinata-chan?!"

The poor girl fainted from the rush of emotion overwhelming her. Naruto quickly caught her, gently keeping her upright.

"Hinata-chan? Are you okay? Hinata-chan!" He pushed the hair out of her face before fanning her with his hand.

Hinata quickly came to, breathing slowly as her blurred vision cleared. "Ah… I'm sorry, Naruto-kun," she murmured, standing upright with the help of him balancing her. "I'm just… so happy."

"You are?" he asked with a bright smile.

She nodded, pressing the tips of her fingers against one another. "Mm-hmm."

His cerulean eyes twinkled in delight before he suddenly grew serious. "Ne, Hinata-chan, will you…" He fell to one knee, prompting a gasp from the girl. Her heart raced erractically as he took her hand.

She blinked a few times, tilting her head slightly. "Y-Yes…?"

"Will you…" His eyes grew serious, his grip on her hand tightening. Hinata felt herself growing dizzy again. Suddenly, his serious expression was replaced with a wide grin as he threw his arms around her waist, nuzzling his face against her stomach. "Will you make me some more ramen? Please?"

She laughed softly, patting his head gently as she closed her eyes, echoing his smile with one of her own. "Sure, Naruto-kun."

She squeaked when he engulfed her in another tight hug. "Thanks, Hinata-chan! You're the best! The best the best the best!"

Her heart raced in her chest, a red blush staining her cheeks as she shyly returned his embrace. She couldn't believe it. Naruto liked her cooking. Naruto invited her into his home. Naruto—her face got even redder at the thought—wanted to take her out on dates. It was everything she could have dreamed of, and more.

Naruto soon released her to return to his dear, precious ramen. But before he walked back to his seat, a sheepish grin crossed his face as he swooped down and gave Hinata a light peck on the cheek.

"Itadakima—Hinata-chan?!"

She fainted again.