36I know a lot of you were expecting my next Harry Potter chapter, or Demon Dragon Rider chapter.
Sadly, my muse of motivation for them has been twitchy lately. So, I took a small breather to write up this one shot. Rest assured, my Harry Potter chapter is underway, and is actually about 2/3rds done so far.
Now, I'd like to dedicate this one shot to Uwaah, a good friend and fanfic author who I sadly offended recently. Not in a bad way, but enough to make her feel bad. So, I'm doing this one shot for her, to say I'm sorry. *nods*
Please note: this fanfic takes place about two years after the Fourth Shinobi War, so Naruto and company are 18-19.
Anyways, on with the show!
A Proposal
Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze paced the floor of his living room. The now eighteen year old blonde jounin was nervous, anxious. But what could possibly have him rattled? He had faced down more high ranked criminals and threats in his six years as a shinobi then most jounin faced in their entire careers. He had befriended the Kyuubi no Kitsune for crying out loud! So what could possibly have him rattled?
Simple. Naruto was planning to ask the love of his life to marry him.
Naruto had been dating Hinata Hyuuga for the past two years. He grinned, remembering how he had asked her out.
Flashback
The Forth Shinobi war, after three days of fighting, was over. The imposter Tobi had been killed by a surprise RasenShuriken to his back, similar to his defeat at the hands of Naruto's father, Minato Namikaze, when he released Kyuubi from Naruto's mother Kushina Uzumaki. The traitor Sasuke had taken his own life, in a vain attempt to kill Naruto with him when the two had fought.
Naruto, the hero of the hour, was in medical tent, covered in bandages and almost completely unable to move. Only his nose, mouth, and eyes were visible. The battles against Tobi and Sasuke had been brutal on him. And he wasn't the only one.
Nearby, Lee was suffering from severe damage to his muscles, after opening six of the eight gates in combat. He was being doted over by Sakura. Anko Mitarashi, successfully rescued from Kabuto's clutches, was quietly huddled in a bed nearby. Her secret boyfriend of six months, Iruka Umino, was next to her, gently placing a hand on her shoulder as he did his best to comfort her.
Naruto groaned softly, trying to reach a glass of water nearby, when a soft pale hand stopped him. He looked up to see Hinata Hyuuga blushing but smiling as she got the water for him and helped him to drink.
Naruto grinned when he finished. "Thanks Hinata. I hate not being able to move easily," he said.
She nodded, blushing. "Y-You're welcome Naruto-kun," she said in her soft voice.
Naruto looked up at her, smiling. Inside though, his mind turned back to the day when Hinata had thrown herself, suicidally, against the Akatsuki ninja Pein, to protect him. He remembered what she had said that day to him. About having watched him for so long, and how she loved him. He felt ashamed that he hadn't talked to her about her confession to him.
He cleared his throat a bit. "Hey Hinata? Can I ask you something?" he asked.
She blushed. "You just did," she said, giggling.
He blinked before chuckling a bit. "Good one Hinata-chan," he said, earning a huge blush form the Hyuuga heiress. "But I….well…I was kinda wondering…would you maybe like to get some Ichiraku ramen with me? You know, after we get back to Konoha, and I get all these dumb bandages off me," he said.
Hinata's eyes widened. She stared at Naruto, her face tomato red, before she squeaked out a 'What'.
Naruto just smiled. "You know, like a date?"
Hinata just stood there, before she wobbled, her eyes rolling back into her head. She managed to get out a faint 'yes', before she collapsed onto the empty bed next to Naruto's.
He blinked, and grinned. "Cool," he said.
Flashback Ends
That had been two years ago, and Naruto could say that they had been the two best years of his life. Once you got past the shyness, Hinata was incredibly fun to be with. She was smart, she was kind, and he found that she could be really playful as well. He grinned, as he remembered a few small pranks she had helped him pull on some of their friends, as well as a few pranks she had pulled on him.
It had been three months ago, that Naruto realized though, that he didn't just love spending time with Hinata. He realized that he loved Hinata. He realized that he hated not being with her, that he was worried to death every time she went on a mission, that his heart nearly exploded with joy whenever he saw her, or nearly stopped dead with fear whenever she ended up in the hospital.
He had talked to Iruka about these feelings, and his big brother like figure had explained it all to him. Naruto was in love with Hinata. And when Naruto realized that, he realized something else; he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her.
Naruto had been planning this night for two months. He had first spoken with Hinata's father, Hiashi Hyuuga, about it. Hiashi Hyuuga had first chased Naruto around with the Hyuuga family sword, before grilling him for an hour on if he was worthy for his daughter. Afterwards, he had given his permission to Naruto, provided he promised never to hurt his daughter, and give him tons of grandkids.
After that, Naruto had called upon the combined help of Iruka, Sakura, and Ino to find the perfect ring for Hinata, and plan the perfect night. The two girls had squealed when they found out, and began going over fifty million different things before Naruto could stop them. Iruka just hugged him warmly and congratulated him on taking such a big step.
Now, it was time for the big night. Naruto stopped pacing as he went over everything again.
'Okay. I take her to dinner at the Golden Dragon. Get her a bottle of her favorite wine. Afterwards, take her on a stroll through the park, before ending on the Hokage Monument. And there, in front of the full moon, I ask her to marry me. I can do this, right?' He thought, as he pulled the small box out of his coat pocket. He opened it up, smiling at the ring.
He had it custom ordered, when he couldn't find any that were perfect. The jewel in the center was actually a sapphire and an amethyst, cut and shaped to look like a small yin/yang symbol.
As he stared at it, he felt a new wave of anxiousness and slight fear wash trough him. What if she said no? He knew it was a possiblity, but still, it made his heart ache a bit at the thought.
However, before his worries could take hold, a voice echoed in his mind. "Oh stop freaking out over the unknown. You have no idea what she's going to say. So stop freaking out and just get on with it!" The irritated voice of Kurama, aka the Kyuubi no Kitsune, shook Naruto from his worries.
He took a deep breath. 'You're right. I can't worry about that now. I just gotta go with the here and now,' he thought.
Kurama grumbled as he went back to sleep. Naruto, meanwhile, put the ring back into his pocket, checked himself in the mirror one last time, and headed to the door.
Twenty minutes later, he was waiting in the entrance hall of the Hyuuga compound. He shifted a bit in the suit like pants, shirt, and jacket Ino and Sakura had gotten for him. They were black in color, with the shirt being a dark orange, with a black tie. The outfit sorta looked like the black and orange track suit that had been his shinobi uniform of choice before he became a jounin.
He looked in a mirror, trying to smooth his hair out a bit, when he heard footsteps approaching. He turned, only to stop in awe and astonishment.
Hinata was quietly approaching, wearing the most stunning outfit her had ever seen her wear. She was wearing a light purple, almost lavender spaghetti strap evening gown, which went down to her ankles and had a slit up the right side that went from her knees down. Around her shoulders she was wearing a white shawl. She had on lip stick, some light blush on her cheeks, and light purple eye shadow, which highlighted her lavender colored Byakugan eyes.
Naruto just stared, unable to comprehend the beauty before him. It made Hinata smile, and blush lightly, as she came over. "Hello Naru-kun," she said, finally snapping him from his daze.
"Hinata, wow. You look…..indescribable," he said. She blushed but giggled at that.
"Awww, you know how to say the nicest things," she said, wrapping an arm around his. Naruto grinned as he began to escort her out.
Neji watched them leave from a distance. "They seem rather dressed up for the night," he said quietly. His uncle next to him nodded.
"Yes. Though I do not think we will be seeing Hinata again tonight," Hiashi said, leaving. Not knowing that his words were being misunderstood.
'What? Does that mean he intends to deflower Hinata-sama? How can he just accept that? Well I won't!'Neji thought, as he went to go find his teammate Tenten. He had a mission.
Naruto smiled as he walked with Hinata down the streets, on their way to the Golden Dragon. He smiled, thinking about the perfect night he had planned.
Hinata glanced at him. "So, you going to tell me what this big date is about?" She asked.
He blinked at her. "Huh?" He asked.
She looked at him, smiling. "Well, you ask me to get all dressed up. And you're taking me to the Golden Dragon, one of the most expensive restaurants in Konoha. So, obviously you must have big news."
He grinned mischievously. "Oh, and I can't simply want to take my incredible and amazing girlfriend to some place really nice?" He asked.
She blinked. "Oh ummm…well you can," she said, looking a little embarassed.
He just smiled lovingly at her and kissed her cheek. "It's alright," he said. "I do actually have news, but I don't want you to think about it. Let's just enjoy the night, okay?" He asked.
She nodded, as they walked, unaware of the eyes watching them. Ino and Sakura both were stalking the couple.
"We have to make sure this goes absolutely right!" Ino said, with Sakura nodded.
"So we sneak into the restaurant, and enact 'Operation Foolproof', right?" Sakura asked.
Ino nodded. "I'll possess some people to try and help their night along, and you make sure no one bugs them."
They both grinned and rushed ahead.
A few minutes later, Naruto and Hinata were seated in the Golden Dragon, and had placed their orders. Hinata had blushed when Naurto had ordered a bottle of her favorite wine, and gave him a small smile when the waiter left. "Whatever that news is, it must be really important," she said.
He smiled. "Like I said, it's nothing to worry about now," he said.
The two of them quietly talked for a bit, enjoying each other's company. When their soup arrived though, Naruto blinked when he noticed a small piece of paper on the edge of his plate that said 'We've got you covered- S&I'. He looked up to see the waiter wink at him and move on. Naruto felt a small pang of worry in his stomach.
Almost as if to confirm his fear, the small quartet of musicians who had been playing for the customers moved nearer to Hinata and Naruto's table, and began playing romantic music. Hinata blinked at this, as did Naruto. "Well, that's….odd." Hinata said.
Naruto just nodded weakly, glancing around. He soon saw a mop of pink hair disappearing back into the kitchen. 'Oh no,' he thought quietly.
Thankfully, nothing else seemed to happen, until partway through their main entrée's. That's when Naruto felt some killer intent sent his way. He blinked and glanced around, before finding himself looking towards a pair of rather angry white eyes.
Neji and Tenten had managed to infiltrate the restaurant as a dining couple. Tenten looked at Neji skeptically, as the Hyuuga Prodigy glared at Naruto. "Neji, don't you think you're maybe taking this all too far?" She asked. "Maybe he's not going to sleep with her?"
Neji growled. "The only reason Hinata-sama would not be returning to the Hyuuga Compound would be because she will be sleeping elsewhere. And since she is out with Namikaze-san, that must mean she'll be sleeping there. Ergo, he intends to deflower her. Why else would he bring her to such a place and act this way?'
Tenten scowled a bit. "Maybe he's just being a good boyfriend? Are you saying the only way you'd bring me here is if you were intended to sleep with me?" She asked, crossing her arms.
Neji turned to her. "That's not true Tenten. I would bring you here if I wanted to celebrate something special," he said.
Teten turned away, looking angry. Neji just sighed, before turning back to a now sweating Naruto.
Hinata blinked at Naruto, seeing him look uncomfortable. "Are you alright, Naruto-kun?" she asked.
He just nodded. "Y-Yeah! I'm fine. Just feeling kinda flushed," he said, trying not to worry her.
Elsewhere, Ino and Sakura saw a threat to their plans. "What the hell is Neji doing?" Ino whispered angrily.
Sakura growled, cracking her knuckles. "I got this," she said, as she made her way over.
Neji was now doubly angry at Naruto; he wanted to disgrace Hinata, and had made Tenten agry with him. He decided to confront Naruto as the blonde ninja got up to go to the bathroom. He got up to follow, only to find himself stopped by Sakura. "Neji, I really advise you stop what you're doing. You're ruining Naruto and Hinata's evening," Sakura growled angrily.
Neji glared at her. "So you're in on this too? You would let him disgrace Hinata-sama?" he asked.
Sakura growled. "I hardly would call it disgracing," she said.
Neji looked at her in anger and shock. "Get out of my way!" He said, trying to shove past her. Sakura stopped him, but accidentally shoved him into another waiter. This caused the trays of food he was carrying to go everywhere.
Hinata looked up, blinking as she saw the disturbance. However, she couldn't identify the people causing it, as both currently had food covering their hair and faces. Though she did see Tenten grabbing one of them, or trying to pull them away.
Naruto came out, blinking. "What's going on?" He asked.
Hinata shrugged. "I have no idea," she said.
Naruto just shook his head, signaling their waitress for the check.
A few minutes later, they were out the door, as some ANBU moved in to stop the brawl that had erupted. Naruto sighed, looking at Hinata. "Sorry about that," he said quietly.
Hinata blinked. "Why? You didn't start that, did you?"
He shook his head. "Well no, but I think I know who did," he said, sighing. "It doesn't matter though," he said with a smile. "How about we go for a walk?" He asked, smiling.
She nodded, smiling as she snuggled against his side. With that, they went for a walk.
Naruto smiled softly as they headed out to the park, enjoying the moon lit night and the peaceful environment. He gently wrapped an arm around Hinata, snuggling her against his side.
Unfortunately, some higher power seemed determined to mess with Narto's perfectly laid plans. Just as he was starting to steer her towards the Hokage Monument, Hinata blinked. "Kurenai-sensei?" She asked.
Indeed, it was Hinata's former jounin teacher. Currently, she was struggling to carry several bags, as well as her roughly two year old son, Asuma. She blinked up. "Oh Hinata! Naruto! Out on a date?" she asked.
Hinata nodded. "We were just on a walk after dinner," she said. "Do you need some help?"
Kurenai shook her head. "No, I couldn't possible bother-," she started to say, only for one of the bags to rip and some groceries to fall out.
Naruto just sighed to himself as he helped big the groceries up. "We'll help you out," he said quietly. Hinata took a few bags herself, and they started to walk to Kurenai's home.
Once there, Naruto and Hinata were putting groceries away, while Kurenai tucked Asuma into bed. She came back, smiling. "Thank you both for your help," she said.
Hinata smiled. "It wasn't a problem sensei. I'm always happy to help."
Kurenai just smiled at her former student. "Well I'm sorry that I interrupted your evening. I hope you enjoy the rest of your date."
Naruto just smiled. "I'm sure we will, Kurenai-san," he said, as he began to escort Hinata away, only to hear Asuma start crying. Kurenai groaned as she went to try and quiet him down. But after several minutes, and no success, she came out with him. "Hinata, I feel horrible asking, but could you help me? You always seem to have an easier time getting him to sleep then I do when he's fussy."
Hinata smiled. "Of course," she said, as she came over and took Asuma. She quietly began rocking him and singing.
Naruto mentally groaned, but he stopped, as he heard Hinata gently start to sing. As he watched, he thought of her doing that with their child. He smiled at the thought, hoping that one day, that would happen.
About twenty minutes of singing and rocking later, Naruto and Hinata were on their way again. Hinata snuggled agaisnt his side. "Sorry about that Naruto-kun."
He grinned. "It's not a problem, Hina-hime," he said. "You looked beautiful with little Asuma."
She blushed at that, hugging his arm.
Quietly, they made their way up to the top of Hokage Monument. Naruto, though, was glancing worriedly up at the sky. Instead of the beautiful clear, moonlit sky, it was starting to cloud up. He mentally groaned, as another part of his plan was ruined.
Hinata blinked as they reached the top. "So Naruto, why are we up here?" She asked. "What was that big news you wanted to talk to me about?"
Naruto took a deep breath. This was it. He turned to Hinata, gently taking her hands. "Hinata…..these past two years…..they've been the best two years of my life," he started. "I….I've never had so much fun with anyone. Not with Iruka, not with team 7, not even with Jiraiya. Being with you…..it's been incredible," he said.
Hinata blushed, before getting a worried look in her eyes. "You….you're not breaking up with me, are you?" She whispered.
His eyes widened. "W-what? No, of course not! Hinata, I'd have to be the world's biggest moron to do something that stupid!"
She blushed at that, looking down. "S-Sorry," she said.
Naruto pulled her into a hug. "Hinata….if anything, what I want to say is the opposite of that. I love you Hinata Hyuuga," he said quietly.
Her eyes began to water, as she hugged him, looking up at him. "I love you too, Naruto-kun," she said softly.
Slowly, their lips mess with a gentle, loving kiss, as Naruto held her close to his chest. He mentally smiled, sensing this was the moment. As they pulled apart, he gently touched her cheek, smiling lovingly at her.
"Hinata….the reason I did all this….why I brought you up here….was because….there was something very important I wanted to ask you. And….well," he said, as he reached into his pocket, gently gripping the box. He was just about to go down on one knee, when a crash of thunder scared them both.
Naruto looked up, just in time for the first drop of rain to hit him in the face. Within minutes, rain was pouring down on them, and thunder rumbled in the distance.
Hinata gasped, covering her head with her shawl. "W-We need to get inside!" She said, turning to go, only to be stopped by Naruto's voice.
"DAMN IT ALL TO HELL!" He shouted at the sky, as he dropped to his knees. Hinata blinked at Naruto, and came over to him.
"Naruto-kun, what's wong?" she asked worriedly. "Why are you so upset?"
Naruto looked up, frustration and sadness on his face. "What's wrong? What's wrong? I've been planning this night for months so I could ask you to marry me! And everything's just gone to crap," he said, unaware of what he had blurted out to her.
Hinata gasped, a hand going to her mouth. "You…..you were going to ask me to marry you?" She asked.
Naruto froze, before slumping his shoulders. "….yes," he said softly. "I wanted this night to be incredible for you. I…you deserved to have the most perfect evening before I asked you, and I wanted to give you that. And just….nothing went right. I was going to propose to you in front of a moonlit sky while overlooking the village."
Hinata trembled, tears forming in her eyes, before she took his hands and held them. He looked up into her face as she smiled at him. "Naruto-kun…..you….you didn't need to go to all this, just to ask me to marry you," she said. "You could have taken me to Ichiraku and just proposed to me then, and I would have said yes. The fact that you….that you wanted to do all this for me, just makes me love you even more."
Naruto blinked at her. "Really?" He asked.
She nodded, moving closer to him. "Yes Naruto-kun," she said. "And…to answer your question…I do Naruto-kun. I do want to marry you!"
Naruto's eyes widened in disblief, beofre a smile broke out on his face. Slowly, he pulled out the box, and opened it, revealing the ring. Hinata's eyes widened at the sight of it, as Naruto slowly pulled the ring out, took her hand, and slid it onto her ring finger. Almost as soon as he was done, Hinata hugged him, crying happily. Naruto hugged her close as well, burying his face into her neck.
"I love you, Hinata. With all my heart," he whispered.
Hinata smiled through her tears of joy. "And I you, Naruto. With all my heart."
They stayed like that for several minutes, beofre another bolt of thunder brought them back to reality. Naruto chuckled nervously. "Maybe we should celebrate indoors," he said.
Hinata nodded, as Naruto wrapped his arms around her and shushined them away to his home. Soon to be their home.
Next Morning
Tsunade had her arms crossed, staring at the three kunoichi and one shinobi in front of her. "Do I want to know why three of my chuunin and one jounin were brawling in a restaurant, and had to be detained over night?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.
Neji glared towards Sakura and Ino, but both of them glared back, before Sakura answered. "I'm sorry Tsunade-sensei. The reason may seem pretty pointless, but the reason for our brawl was because I accidentally pushed Neji into a waiter while trying to stop him from ruining Hinata and Naruto's date."
Tsunade blinked. "I see. And why, Neji, were you trying to ruin their date?"
Neji stood straight, with as much dignity as he could. "It is a personal matter, Hokage-sama," he said, only for Ino to shout at him.
"You said that Naruto was going to disgrace Hinata, you jerk!" She shouted. "You think him asking her to marry him is disgracing her! I thought you were his friend!"
Neji blinked. "He was asking her to marry him?" He asked, eyes wide.
Sakura and Ino blinked. "You didn't know? Hiashi didn't tell you?" Sakura asked.
Tsunade sighed and rubbed her forehead. "I don't have time for this. Ino, Neji, sakura. You three are on D-ranked missions for the next month. You can talk to Naruto and Hinata later. Now go!" She yelled.
The four shinobi quickly left, while Tsunade turned her chair to look over the village. Specifically to Naruto's home. "Treat her right, gaki," she whispered, smiling.
In Naruto's home, the sun was gently streaming through the window of Naruto's bedroom. There, the happy couple was cuddled together, their hands clasped together. The sunlight gently gleamed off the diamond of Hinata's ring, as the happy couple dreamed of the upcoming years that they would spend together, forever.
And that's a wrap. I hope you all enjoyed this little one shot. Rest assured, the next Harry Potter chapte rwill be out as quickly as possible, followed by the next Demon Dragon Rider chapter.
I hope you all enjoyed this, as much as I did writing it. Till then, I remain Leaf Ranger!