Happy Birthday Hinata

It was a cold day in Konoha, two days after Christmas, and Hinata Hyuuga was walking through the frigid streets of the village, very depressed and tired. A few days after Naruto left to train with Jiraiya, Hinata had fallen into a deeply sullen depression. She said even less than she usually did to any of her friends, even to her teammates and sensei, she cried herself to sleep every night, and she usually spent the time she wasn't training with squad 8 or her father thinking about Naruto, who she had a very serious crush on. It had been almost two years since Naruto had left, and Hinata's depression did nothing but worsen over the many months. When her father gave her a break from practicing her Taijutsu, she usually walked down to the apartment where Naruto used to live, as though hoping that he would be there when she peered through the window, which was obscured by a fine layer of dust.

"He'll be home soon." She whispered to herself, as she did every time she looked through the dusty window, only to find the house deserted as always. An idea then came into her head. She ran quickly back to her own home, grabbed several cleaning supplies, ignoring questions from Neji and her little sister Hanabi, and dashed back to Naruto's house. She opened the door with some difficulty, as it was jammed up somehow, and got straight to work. She wiped of the thick layer of dust, picked up all the clutter, put everything back into the place she thought it belonged, and threw out all the expired foods in his cupboards and refrigerator. She gave a satisfied little sigh of satisfaction as she double checked and admired her handiwork. "It's perfect!" She smiled. "He'll be so happy when he gets home!"

"When who gets home?" said a voice from behind, making her squeal and jump about five feet in the air.

"AH! N-na-naruto!" She trembled. "I didn't know you would be back so soon!"

"Actually, I have a little bit of business to do her, so I'm not going to stay long." Said Naruto. "Pervy Sage it's only going to take me one day, so Pervy Sage didn't even come along. I'll be leaving first thing tomorrow."

"Oh." Hinata sighed, disappointed. Naruto looked at his house. "Whoa. Hinata! Did you do this?" he asked in amazement. Hinata smiled appreciatively and nodded. "Wow. Thanks." Naruto hugged her tightly. "This is incredible. I never would have been able to do any of this myself. Thanks a load, Hinata!"
"He's hugging me?!" Hinata thought, her face very flushed. She tried all she could to keep from fainting, her face becoming redder and hotter, but by the time Naruto let go, she collapsed, her face still a very hot red, and smiling faintly. "Uh, Hinata?"

She awoke about an hour later in a comfortable bed. It didn't feel anything like her own, but something about it felt familiar. "Oh, Hinata. You're awake." Naruto had just entered the room with two cups of tea. "Wh-what happened?" Hinata asked.

"You fainted." Naruto answered simply, setting a cup of tea on the nightstand next to Hinata. Then she suddenly remembered. Naruto had hugged her, and even though she tried her best not to, she had fainted. That meant that the bed she was resting in was Naruto's. "I'm… I'm sorry." said Hinata apologetically. "For what?" asked Naruto.  Hinata shook her head. "F-fo-forget it." She blushed. "So, what did you return for?" She asked, wanting to change the subject. Naruto seemed pretty happy that she brought this question up.
"Well, interesting story." He said. "See, Pervy Sage and I were passing by Konoha on the way to our next destination, and, funny thing. There was a nice little town nearby I've never seen before called 'Hyuuga Village'." Hinata raised her eyebrows. She had never known there was a village named after her clan. "And so then I almost immediately remembered you." Naruto continued. "So, what do you want to go do?" Hinata seemed taken aback by this question.

"What do I want to do?" She repeated. Naruto nodded encouragingly. Hinata didn't understand why he was asking this, but she considered for a moment. She had always fantasized about the moment when she finally confessed her romantic feeling for Naruto, but she had never even considered their first date, or anything that would happen after her confession for that matter. "Um, could we maybe, um… go get ramen?" She suggested timidly. Naruto never expected this answer. It was definitely his first option if Hinata asked him on a date, but for her to suggest it? "Uh, yeah. Okay." He nodded.

Is it me, or does Konoha seem unusually quiet today?" Naruto asked as he and Hinata walked down the usually bustling village streets. Hinata didn't notice before because of her depression, but now that Naruto called attention to it, there was a surprising limited amount of people in the village, which was so quiet, you could practically hear Lady Tsunade sneeze a mile away. However, when they got to Ichiraku's, Teuchi, the kindly old man who ran the popular noodle shop, was there waiting for them, along with his young daughter, Ayame.

"Naruto! I didn't think you would be home so fast." Said Teuchi heartily. "I'm only going to be here for today." Said Naruto. "I'll be back on the road first thing tomorrow."
"Well, in that case, have some on the house!" said Teuchi, placing a bowl in front of both Naruto and Hinata. "Thanks." They said together. After they both got their fill of some of Ichiraku's finest ramen, they thanked Teuchi and Ayame, left a small tip, and left.

"So what do you want to do next?" Naruto asked. Hinata was getting very curious now why Naruto was doing all this for her. "Naruto? Why are you being so nice to me?" She asked, though this wasn't quite what she meant to ask. Naruto chuckled.

"Don't you know what day it is?" He asked her. Hinata shook her head. "Silly." Naruto laughed. "It's December 27th. It's your birthday, Hinata!" Hinata flinched at these words. How could she have forgotten?! "He… knew?!" She thought.

"So for today, I'm all yours." Naruto finished. "So what do you want to do now?"

Hinata led Naruto down the streets to their next destination, and as they did so, Naruto couldn't help but blush at her. "She's really gotten pretty since I left." He thought. Her ink blue hair, which used to be very short, had grown quite long since last they met, she had a hime cut that grew almost down to her chest, and although she wore somewhat baggy clothes, it was clear that her body had developed nicely for the last two years. She brought him to the Yamanaka flower shop. After Ino, a friend of theirs who helped run the store, greeted them, Hinata picked out a bouquet of Irises. "So why did you want to stop here?" Naruto asked as they continued on. "There's someone I have to take these to." said Hinata simply. After a fair distance of travel, they came upon a small grave site. Naruto understood now who she was talking about. She placed the Irises in front of a small grave marked 'Hitomi Hyuuga'.

"Hello, mother. I-I brought you flowers." Hinata said to the grave in a low voice. "I brought some… somebody with me. Someone I… I…" She mouthed the word 'love'. Naruto stepped forward, sat on one knee and said nervously, "Um, Hello. I'm Naruto Uzumaki."

"I'm sorry to take you somewhere so sad, Naruto." Said Hinata. "I just…"

"No, it's okay." Naruto interjected. "I would bring flowers to my parents' graves everyday too if I could."
"If you could?" Hinata repeated. Naruto nodded. "I never knew my parents, so I don't know what their names where, or even if they were given a proper burial." He said sadly. He then noticed some flowers on the grave that had a little frost on them from the cold weather, but they weren't the Irises that Hinata had just brought.

"Hanabi must have been here earlier." Hinata said, as though reading Naruto's mind. "Your little sister, right?" said Naruto. Hinata nodded. "Mother died just hours after she was born, so she feels as though she's responsible for her death." She said sadly. "That's a pretty hard thing for a kid to handle." Naruto muttered. Hinata nodded, tears streaming silently down her face. "N-n-n-n-na-naru…to? Can we pl-please…"
"Sure." Said Naruto gently. He walked her caringly out of the cemetery. "Don't worry, Mrs. Hyuuga. I'll treat your daughter as well as I can." He whispered. "What did you say, Naruto?" Hinata asked, wiping the tears from her eyes. "Nothing." said Naruto quickly. It began to snow as they continued through the streets, and it started to feel very cold. Hinata stopped at some point down the road and held on to the neck of Naruto's jacket.

"Um, Naruto?" She mumbled, her face red as a beat now. "C-could we go… here now?" She pointed to the building in front of her. Naruto then saw why her face was as red as it was. It was a hot spring. But not just any hot spring, a co-ed hot spring. The color of his face now matched Hinata's. "Um, sure. If that's what you want." He said.

"I can't believe I'm doing this." Hinata thought as she undressed. "I want to be with him but… this is so embarrassing." She promptly wrapped herself in a towel and stepped out onto the cold stone floor outside. Naruto was already sitting in the warm water. "Is that you, Hinata?" he asked. "Ye…yes." She whimpered. Naruto, who was already facing with his back turned to Hinata, made sure that he looked away from her as she stepped nervously into the hot bath.

"It sure feels nice." She sighed. "Yeah." said Naruto placidly. They sat for several minutes in the steamy hot spring, just enjoying the warmth and comfort. "So, why did you want to come here?" Naruto asked after several minutes.

"Well, I, uh…" Hinata stammered, fidgeting her fingers. Naruto laughed softly. "You still do that thing with your fingers?" he chuckled. Hinata blushed and hid her hands under the water. "No. I wasn't' making fun of you or anything!" said Naruto hastily. "I just think that thing you do is kind of… well, uh… cute."
"C-cute?" Hinata thought, her cheeks inventing a new shade of red. "Um, Naruto?" She said aloud. "May I um…" She swallowed. "Wash your back?" Naruto smiled. "Sure." He made sure his towel was wrapped properly around his waist and got out of the water, then sat on a stool at one of the bathing stations. Hinata made a small breath of surprise as she saw several cuts, bruises, and small scars on Naruto's back.

"Don't worry about it." said Naruto assuringly when she pointed them out. "It's  just a few scratches. They'll clear up soon enough."

"What happened?" Hinata asked worryingly as she ran a sponge gingerly over his back. "It's nothing too bad." Naruto assured her. "Just a few cuts I got from training with Pervy Sage. It's nothing too bad. I can't really even feel them anymore." he added, as Hinata seemed very cautious just touching the marks with a sponge. "So what have you been doing with Mr. Jiraiya?" Hinata asked. As she washed his back, Naruto told her some stories from his days training.

"…And so then, I walk in the door, and the Pervy Sage is totally plastered, he's got about four women all over him, and the wallet he stole from me was completely empty." Naruto finished. Hinata giggled silently. "Sorry, am I boring you?" Naruto asked apologetically, mistaking her concealed laughter for irritation. "No, not at all." Hinata assured him.

"His training must have been really intense." She thought, looking at his back, which was quite muscular. "I bet his front is even…" she shook her head vigorously.   

"Could I wash your hair, Hinata?" Naruto asked.  Hinata snapped out of her train of though. "Of… of course." She said, and she and Naruto traded places. "Her hair is so soft." Naruto thought to himself as he lathered it with shampoo and ran his fingers through it. He then found himself looking a little further down from her hair. He suddenly became flushed. Although she wore a towel that covered most of her body, he could tell that her body was quite slender and very well-toned. He felt a Jiraiya-like urge to see her without the towel, but he snapped himself out of it.

"So what have you been doing since I've been gone, Hinata?" Naruto asked as he continued to wash her hair. It was Hinata's turn to tell some stories, but she didn't have as many to tell as Naruto, at least none that didn't involve her crying in loneliness.

"Hinata. Why did you want to come here?" Naruto asked when they had gotten back into the warm water. "This is it. My chance." Hinata thought. "Because I trust you, Naruto." She said aloud. "And because I wanted to be with you. Because I…" She gulped and mustered up all the courage she had.

"Because I love you."

Naruto grinned broadly. "Been waiting to hear her say that." He thought. Hinata looked away, as though scared of his reaction. "I love you too, Hinata." She froze, then turned back to face him. His face was inches away from her own, and quite red, either from embarrassment or the heat of the hot spring, or both. He was ready to kiss her, but to the surprise of Naruto and herself, she was the one who acted first. They stayed embraced in each other's arms with their lips locked for what felt to them like hours, then Hinata felt very light-headed and, whether it was from being so close to Naruto for so long or from the heat, she couldn't tell, she fainted in Naruto's arms.

"Uhhh… What… what happened??" Hinata breathed faintly. "We were in the bath too long and you fainted." Answered Naruto's voice. Hinata shot bolt upright, covering herself. "My clothes!" She whispered discomfitedly, quickly covering herself with her hands. To her surprise, she was already wearing her regular clothes. "So that means… Naruto…" she flushed Hinata Red.

"Don't worry. I had my eyes closed the whole time." Naruto assured her. Hinata sighed in relief, though she was still embarrassed that Naruto dressed her when she was out of it. "Naruto, where are we?" She asked.

"Back at my house." Naruto answered. "I wanted to take you to your home, but I don't think your dad would be too happy if I came up to his door step with you over my shoulder."

"Yes. I suppose he would be angry with us if that happened." Hinata giggled.

"Listen, Hinata. I'm sorry I didn't get you anything for your birthday." said Naruto apologetically. "It's alright. Today was more than I could ever ask for." said Hinata, kissing him again.

"No. I feel like I still need to get you something." Said Naruto, once his lips were free again. "Ah! I know. Close your eyes, Hinata." She did so, half expecting another kiss. She felt something touch her neck. "Okay, you can open them now." She did as Naruto said and felt the area around her neck. Her mouth went agape as she saw that she wore the blue crystal necklace that Naruto commonly wore under his shirt. "You're giving this… to me??" She said bewildered. Naruto nodded, wearing his loveable childish grin.

"Thank you, Naruto. For everything." said Hinata at the village gates. "No problem." said Naruto simply.

"I love you, Naruto."

"I love you too, Hinata."

And before parting ways, they kissed one last time. "And don't worry." Naruto said as he walked away. "I'll be back soon. Take care of yourself."

"I'll be waiting, Naruto." said Hinata. "Good bye."

She waved at Naruto's back until he disappeared into the night. When she could no longer see his silhouette, she made her way back home. It wasn't until she was in her room, ready to go to bed, that she noticed something on the necklace Naruto gave her. It was a crumpled up slip of paper. She disentangled it and opened it. There was a little note scribbled on it in Naruto's handwriting.
Hinata,
Hope you had a good time today. Please treasure this necklace and look after yourself. Remember the day we shared together and remember that I'll always be thinking of you.
                             Happy Birthday with much love,
                                       Naruto

Hinata's eyes filled with tears of sheer joy. There was a light knock on her door. She wiped her tears, and her father opened the door and said, "Hinata. There's a cake out here for you."

"I'll be right out father." said Hinata in a soggy voice.  When her father closed the door, she noticed one more thing scrawled in the corner of Naruto's note:

P.S. I got you a cake

She grinned. "Will wonders never cease when you're around?" She said to herself. She walked out to the dining room, where her father, Hanabi, and Neji were waiting for her with a large birthday cake with fifteen candles in it on the table.

"Happy Birthday, Hinata!" Her family said together.


It may be a bit late in the day, but here it is, just in time. Hinata's my favorite character, so I really just couldn't help making a birthday oneshot for her. Hope you enjoy.
Happy Birthday Hinata