Wassup my fellow fans? How was your Valentine's Day? Good? Good. Now I know this is a day late and well, it's almost midnight when I posted this, but whatever, I got it out and well, I'm glad I got something out there in honors of Valentine's Day. I know I said I'd post this short story around 3 or 4 in the afternoon, but I kinda had to deal with other things and I wasn't able to get my butt anywhere near the computer until around 6. And yes, it took me the entire five to six hours to write this damn thing... TTwTT So I hope you enjoy this story, because I worked really hard on it, and it's ending is probably really crappy because I was half asleep doing it, but I did my best nonetheless. So here's to Valentine's Day - enjoy! :)

VALENTINE'S DAY SPECIAL: NARUHINA SHORT STORY:

TYPICAL HOLIDAY...?

It had been years since the Fourth Shinobi World War and the times back in Konohagakure have settled down peacefully. If one were to reflect upon the years passed, there would be so much to remember, they'd most likely find themselves lost in their own thoughts. Nevertheless, those who do remember and can recall the details quite vividly, have the chance to cherish those memories and experiences for years to come. At the moment, now was one of those times to lose yourself in your thoughts… your memories… the past.

Familiar hands suddenly came slipping past her hair, and over her shoulders, a face lowering towards hers from over her shoulder as soft lips sweetly kissed her on the cheek. The young woman turned towards the newcomer as she gave him a soft smile and held onto one of his hands grasping her shoulders with her own.

"…You're back home early today."

Her lover walked around from behind her and pulled out a seat next to her by the dining table, his hand still holding onto hers.

"Yeah, the lazy bum back at the office insisted that I turned in early for the day, said something about taking care all of the paperwork for the rest of the week…"

The blonde ran his free hand through his hair, hair that she recalled used to be longer in his younger years…

"So what were you up to? I walk in and I see you staring off into space at the dinner table."

The young man before her leans his face into an open palm, grinning at her sweetly as his other hand squeezes her own, reminding her that he was still there beside her. She smiles at him as she uses her other hand to tuck her long hair behind her ear as she replies in embarrassment, "Oh I was just… thinking about the past."

He stares at her for a moment longer before slowly pulling her closer and kisses her gently in blissful silence. When he finally pulled away, he rested his forehead against his wife's and smiled into her curious eyes as she quietly asked, "What was that for…?"
"Hinata…"

The young Hokage holds her hands in his as he closes his eyes for a prolonged moment, cherishing the hands that held his and the special smile she reserved for his eyes only. He loved her so much, and even after all these years, he still found it difficult to express his love into words.

"…We've all gone through so much in the past, and as time passes by, it seems so surreal at how everything fell into place."

He raises a hand to her face, running his fingers through her silky hair as he kisses the strands at his fingertips, causing Hinata to blush at his touch as he smiles back at her.

"Even though bad things happened in the past… I just hope that my future with you and everybody else around us… I hope life gets better from here on out."
Hinata returns the smile as she folds her hands over her husband's, leaning forward to kiss him on the cheek as she answers, "Naruto… you earned your future. You went through so many hardships and sufferings to find your place in life. Now look at you Naruto; you're the 7th Hokage. You got married to me, and we have two beautiful children. Sasuke has reverted back into a steady friendship with you and all our other friends in the village keep in touch. Life doesn't have to get better for us Naruto; we just need to stay together and be happy with what we have, who we're with and what we have and have yet to achieve."

Naruto smiles at her words and quickly catches her in another kiss, grinning against her lips as he states, "I love it when you say things like that."

He wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her off her chair and onto his lap, his other hand slipping behind her head, pulling her yet closer to him as their kiss slowly deepened. Hinata slowly began realizing where this was leading to when she tried stopping him by pulling away, "Ah… Naruto… wait…"

However he persistently pulls her back and catches her lips once again in his as he mumbles to her, "Come on Hinata… it's been months since I've actually been able to have time like this with you… let's spend the night together, just you and me…"

As Naruto moved his lips to her neck, Hinata gazed past his shoulders towards the hallway to the bedrooms when she noticed two small faces peering around the corner towards them in mild curiosity. Immediately she tries to pull away, exclaiming to Naruto in surprise, "H-Hold on, Naruto, the kids-!"
Naruto, as impatient as he was, clings to her as he keeps his face buried in her neck as he mutters, "Aw don't be like that Hinata… the kids are asleep right? There's nothing to worry about…"

Hinata flusters as she eyes their two children staring at the pair as she embarrassingly whispers to Naruto, "Honey… they're watching us…!"

In a flash, Naruto jumps away from Hinata, all the while attempting to wipe away the blush on his face as he stalks towards the children that now stood in the hallway with wide eyes.

"K-Kids…! What are you doing out of bed? It's way past your bedtime."

Boruto frowned up at his father as he defends, "We know! It's just… we heard the front door open and we heard your voice so we wanted to see if it was really you…"

Boruto began to eye his father suspiciously as he mutters, "…You're not going back to the office though are you? Why are you home early?"

Naruto offers an apologetic smile to his children as he bends down to his knees before them as he explains, "Ah… so that's what this is all about. Yeah, I came home early tonight because daddy finished all his work. You know daddy's friend Shikamaru right? Shikadai's dad?"
The two kids nod as he continues, "Yeah well he's going to be taking care of the rest of the work so I should be home earlier this week."
Boruto brightens as he exclaims, "The rest of the week!?"
Naruto grins as he ruffles his son's hair adoringly as Hinata comes to join his side beside their children.

"Yes, the rest of the week."

His daughter tugs on his sleeve as he turns to her with a question in his eyes as she asks innocently, "Daddy…? What were you doing with mommy earlier?"
Both Naruto and Hinata began blushing furiously once again as he stammered, "O-Oh, sweetie, well uh… t-that was nothing! Think nothing of it, it was just your daddy hugging your mommy… that's all, honest!"
Hinata quickly swept the current of the subject away as she hurriedly exclaims, "Oh dear, look at the time! We need to get you kids to bed right away!"
Hinata gathered their confused daughter into their arms as she continues to cry out, "Wait, mommy, daddy, what were you really doing? I want to know!"
Naruto gives his daughter an apologetic smile as he pinches her cheek and sighs, "Aw… you're so cute, look, maybe I'll tell you more about it when you're older, okay Himawari?"
Himawari frowns unsatisfied with her father's answer as Hinata walks down the hallway with her in her arms, turning to look back over her shoulder towards Boruto as she exclaims, "Boruto? Come on now dear, it's time for bed."

Boruto gazes back over his shoulder to his mother as he pouts and quietly mutters, "I… Can I have daddy tuck me in bed?"
Hinata looks towards Naruto with a shrug in her shoulders as Naruto smiles and takes upon himself the liberty of dealing with his son's request.

"Sure, daddy won't mind. Let's hurry up and get to bed now…!"
Hinata smiles back at the two as Boruto lit up like a light bulb at the sound of his father's acceptance. Gently guided by his father's hand on his back, Boruto was led to his bedroom as Hinata slipped away with Himawari into his sister's bedroom. Boruto clambers into bed as his father pulls up a chair from his son's desk and beside the bed as he sits down while adjusting the covers over his son. Boruto continues to smile cheerfully as his father finally asks with the same smile, "Hey now, why are you smiling like that still?"
"Nothing. I'm just really happy that you're home."

Adding quietly Boruto murmurs, "You're never around since you're always so busy… I just miss you sometimes dad…"

Naruto sat there momentarily stunned as he then rests his hands on his son's bedside as he gives his son a soft, sad smile.

"…You must really miss me all the time, don't you…?"
Boruto silently stares at his father's hands as if to avoid the question, whether or not he was embarrassed to admit it or too afraid to say anything, he wasn't too sure which was the case.

Naruto affectionately runs a hand over his son's head, smoothing down Boruto's wild hair as he jokingly jabs, "It's not like I'm never around son. You saw me two days ago, remember?"
Boruto pouts as he exclaims, "Yeah, but that was only because I was running around the office with toilet paper."

Naruto tugs on his son's ear in annoyance as he counters, "Something you shouldn't have been doing. What were you thinking that day? You were supposed to be in class at the Ninja Academy. Didn't I have you promise to me that you would stop skipping classes and doing silly nonsense? I thought we had this talk back when you brewed up the same mischief with the Hokage monument a few months back. You do understand what I said to you that day, right?"

Boruto indignantly defends himself with weak justification; "I know, I know! It's just… I never get to see you as much anymore. And… whenever I get in trouble in the village… you come so… I figured…"

"You figured that by causing mischief in the village would get me to see you more often?"
Boruto casts an expression mingled with shame and stubbornness to one side as he murmurs quietly, "…Maybe…"

Naruto sighs as he places a hand on his son's shoulder as he begins explaining, "Son… you don't have to do that. Causing problems and making the villagers miserable isn't going to make me proud of you son. Do you really want me to come to you all the time with nothing but scolding prepared for you?"

Boruto slowly shakes his head, frowning to himself as he sinks farther down in his bed as if to hide his face under the covers.

"…No sir…"

"Then try something else for a change son. I know I'm not always around at home to be with you, your sister and mom, but do understand that I'm not just your father Boruto. I'm the Hokage, and so that makes the entire village my family. And just like families do, I have to take care of them as much as I have to take care of you, Himawari, and mom. So I can't promise you son that I'll be around often as I should for you or Himawari…"

Boruto tearfully mumbles incoherent words to himself as Naruto strokes his son's hair out of love one last time as he smiles, "But you know this already don't you Boruto? You're a smart lad, and I know you're strong, just like me. So let me ask you one more time Boruto; be strong and endure. You know how much I love you and I'm always trying to find time for you and Himawari, so don't worry, I'll be around whenever I can."

Naruto leans forward to kiss his son's forehead lovingly before ruffling his hair while standing up to leave. He replaces the chair he borrowed back to his son's desk and heads for the door as his son calls out one last time, "Wait, dad!"

Naruto turns to Boruto with the question in his eyes as his son asks curiously, "…What did you mean by, 'try something else'…?"
Naruto blinks for a second before sporting a pleasant smile as he laughs, "Oh son, I'm sure you know what I mean by that. Instead of being naughty and making your father and mother upset all the time, why don't you try being something more than that?"

Boruto frowns in mild confusion as Naruto shakes his head with a smile, "Ah… it's alright son. Time will come when you understand what I mean. Just try to be a good boy for now, okay son?"

Boruto shrugs as he sighs, closing his eyes and turning over with his back facing his father as he groans, "Oh fine, I guess… whatever that was supposed to mean."

Naruto shakes his head on more time before turning off the lights and bidding his son goodnight, stepping out of his bedroom and into the hallway as he shuts his son's bedroom door behind him quietly. He moves silently further down the hallway to Himawari's bedroom, where Hinata sat beside their daughter's bedside reading a bedtime story to her. Naruto watched with a smile plastered to his face while leaning on the door side; observing how his wife flips the pages and reads the words while Himawari excitedly reacts to each page either by pointing to the pictures depicted or shouting out a question or a comment to her mother. God, he could die happy right now; their charming smiles were so beautiful and their laughter so rich, his heart felt like bursting. He smiled to himself, imagining how the love he felt for his family right now was how his parents felt when they were about to start their own family. If only his parents had the chance to live with him, maybe they'd be as happy as he was right now with his wife and children…

"...and that was how Foxy the fox became friends with Clever the Crow."

Himawari sighs in contentment as she yawns, her tired eyes blinking rapidly as she attempts to stay awake a little longer.

"Tell me more mommy, I want to hear more!"

"That's all for tonight dear, you need to sleep now. I'll read you some more stories tomorrow, okay?"
Himawari pouts as she exclaims, "I'm not tired! I don't want to sleep. I want to hear more stories! Please mommy?"
Himawari unleashes another yawn as Naruto comes to join their side with a laugh lingering on his lips, coming by to sit on Himawari's bed as he answers, "Come on now Himawari, mom is tired tonight and you should be too. Look at you yawning, I swear you could swallow the moon if you wanted to!"

Naruto reaches forward to pinch her cheeks, making his daughter laugh at his words.

"But the moon is so big daddy!"

"Yes, yes it is. I was just teasing you sweetie."

Leaning forward he plants a big kiss on his daughter's forehead as he turns to his wife and stands as he addresses Himawari for a final goodnight; "Alright now Himawari, it's time for bed. Mom and dad are going to bed too, so sleep well, okay Himawari?"
Hinata smiles as she places the book back on the bookshelf and joins her husband's side, his open arm sliding over her shoulders as the two walked back towards the door side by side. Himawari snuggles into bed as she calls back out drowsily, "Night-night daddy, mommy…!"

Hinata smiles back at their daughter as she quietly turns off the lights and answers, "Good night dear, sweet dreams now."

The two walk out of the room and as soon as Hinata closes the door, Naruto smiles to her and comments, "Have you always been reading to her every night?"
Hinata smiles back as the two head to their bedroom for the night as she answers, "Yes, I used to read to both her and Boruto every night because they were always upset you weren't home. But lately now that Boruto has grown up quite a bit, he's refused to hear anymore bedtime stories and goes to bed on his own, so it's just been Himawari and me now."

Naruto nods at her words as he slides off his jacket and sighs, "Ah well, I think you reading to them is very sweet of you. Makes you even more of the mother you already are."

Hinata blushes as she sits down by her mirror as she picks up her hairbrush from the dresser top as she shyly mumbles back, "T-Thank you… I'm trying to be a good mother, I just don't know if reading them books, walking them to school and feeding them every day is enough."

Naruto stopped changing his clothes for a moment to eye his wife as she sat there fingering her hairbrush, a sad expression of worry planted on her face as she contemplates on her own thoughts once again.

Smiling he comes over half dressed to her side and wraps his arms around her shoulders, resting his face beside hers as they both stared at the mirror before them as he sighs, "Hinata… you're being ridiculous. Our kids love you and you're a fantastic mother. You're everything a child would want in a mother, and even better, you're a wonderful wife. Have some more confidence in yourself Hinata; you're perfect."

Hinata blushes as she fiddles with her hairbrush once more as she mumbles back in embarrassment, "Oh I don't know about being absolutely perfect…"

Flashing her a mischievous smile, he plucks the hairbrush from her fingers and tosses it back on the dresser as he swings her into his arms in one sweep. Shocked, his wife clings to him with her arms around his neck as she gasps, "N-Naruto, what are you doing?"
Naruto grins at her as he exclaims, "Maybe you're right. You may not be the perfect girl, or the perfect wife or a perfect mother to everybody else and to yourself – but to me and our kids, you're better than perfect."

Smiling back at Naruto she continues to blush, "…Thank you… Naruto."

Then, she leaned towards his face and pecked him on the cheek with a soft kiss before mumbling in embarrassment, "…I love you Naruto… so much…"

Now it was Naruto's turn to blush as he returns the gratitude with a smile, "Silly… I love you too Hinata."

He then gives her one last kiss before dropping her back to her feet, still smiling at her sweetly as he stretches his arms over his head and yawns, "Ahhhh… what a day! We should get to bed now, it's almost midnight by now and you must be exhausted."

Hinata shakes her head as she smiles back, "Oh no, I'm not that tired…"

Naruto eyes her curiously as he reaches forward to grasp a few strands of her hair in his hand as he playfully teases, "And just what are you implying there dear? Not too tired for what…?"
Hinata blushes furiously as she watches him seductively kiss the ends of her hair in his palm as he catches hold of her gaze with his as he draws closer to her.

"Hmm…? Well dear…?"
Hinata brings her face to her burning cheeks as she slowly backs away as she stammers uncontrollably, "I-I, uh, N-Naruto…I-I!"

Naruto laughs suddenly as he tugs on her bangs teasingly as he continues to laugh, "Oh Hinata, you're so cute when you act like that. Don't worry, I'm not going to try anything tonight, I was just teasing you."

Hinata sags her shoulders in relief as she attempts to hide her blushing face behind her hands as she mumbles in embarrassment, "…Naruto, don't scare me like that…!"

Laughing he pulls her close to kiss her on the forehead, seemingly blowing away her embarrassment as he gives her a quick hug as he saunters off to the bathroom.

"Sorry, I'll try to I'll keep teasing to a minimum then. But next time we're alone, I'm not holding myself back!"

Hinata flusters as she exclaims in shock, "N-Naruto…! We already have Boruto and Himawari though…!"

Naruto pokes his head back out of the bathroom as he mischievously suggests, "So? Why don't we get them another sibling?"

Hinata throws a towel at his face in her embarrassment as she stammers, "J-Just take a shower and get to bed already…!"

Naruto laughs as he pulls the towel off his face and closes the door as he shakes his head to himself. "God do I love her…!"

The next morning he woke to the warm kiss of Hinata's lips on his cheek as he wearily opened one eye in the dimly lit room as he yawned in exhaustion, "Urgh… man I slept well… what time is it?"

Hinata smiles at him sweetly as he sat up, rubbing the grit from his eyes as she answers, "Its six thirty in the morning."

Naruto sat there dumbfounded before leaping up from bed in shock.

"S-Six thirty?! Oh crap, I was supposed to be in back at the office this morning by four-!"

Hinata holds out her hands to Naruto in a calming gesture as she smiles at him with a light laugh on her lips as she exclaims, "Naruto, it's alright! Earlier this morning around four thirty, Shikamaru dropped by to inform you that you were excused from your duties today, but because you were sleeping, he simply told me to tell you what he wanted to say."

Naruto blinks once again in dumbstruck wonder as he collapses back into bed with a sigh as he drops an arm over his eyes in weary exhaustion.

"Ugh… for a moment I thought I was late again! Urgh, being Hokage is no different than trying to get to school on time!"

Hinata giggled as she encouragingly pats him on the shoulder as she stood from his bedside while tying back her hair into a long ponytail and announced, "And yet you're managing it just fine! I'm almost done with breakfast, so you should get washed up and dressed; the children want for you to walk with them to school with me today."

Naruto nods as he yawns once again, "Really? Sure, why not? I can't remember the last time I've done that in the past few months…"

Suddenly, in barreled Boruto and Himawari, both bright-eyed and in high spirits as they tumbled into bed headfirst into Naruto's stomach as their father gasped under their weight as he exclaimed in surprise, "Guh-! Kids! Honestly, would it kill you to walk in like human beings instead of barreling into my stomach like a pair of hyperactive bulls!?"
Ignoring their father's comment, Boruto and Himawari excitedly leaned towards their father's face and shouted in unison, "Good morning daddy!"

Stunned by their cheery smiles and pleasant greeting, Naruto felt another smile yanked to the surface as he embraced his children with a sigh, "…Grr, why do you guys have to be so adorable? Yeah, yeah, good morning to you rascals too…!"

Boruto jumps up and down on the bed as he exclaims, "Dad! Dad! Dad! Are you going to walk us to school today!? Mom says you weren't going to the office today!"
Himawari clings to Naruto's chest as she giggles, "Daddy doesn't have work! I can go show my friends how cool my daddy is!"

Naruto laughed nervously as his children danced around in bed, rolling around restlessly among the rumpled bed sheets as Hinata shooed them off the bed.

"Now, now kids… run along now back to the dining room and finish your breakfast, your father needs to get ready if you want him to walk you two to school."

Boruto pumped his fists in the air as he gave out a loud whoop, his sister following suit with a more cheerful squeal as she chased after her brother out the bedroom and down the hallway to return to their abandoned breakfast.

"YA-HOO! JUST WAIT UNTIL I MEET EVERYONE ELSE AT SCHOOL, THEY'LL BE IN FOR A BIG SURPRISE AGAIN!"
Naruto chuckled to himself as he hefted himself onto his feet, stretching his arms over his head as he wondered out loud, "Heh… I wonder if I would've been the same way if my dad was still alive…"

Hinata offered him a sad smile as she handed him his new clothes while following him to the bathroom, "Things would've been very different had that been the case…"

Naruto smiled back at Hinata as he reached for his toothbrush and sighed happily, "Yeah… maybe…"

He took a moment to wet his toothbrush and apply the toothpaste before pausing to smile once more towards Hinata as he commented, "It makes me wonder if perhaps my mom would've been as sweet and pleasant as you as a mother… you remind me of her sometimes…"

Hinata blushed, clearly pleased after hearing from Naruto her resemblance to the long deceased mother-in-law… Naruto continued to brush his teeth before pausing in mid-thought, shaking his head to himself with a smile on his lips as he spoke through a mouthful of toothpaste; "Nah… you're probably ten times better than my mother – she's wasn't called the Red Hot-Blooded Habanero for nothing…"

Hinata cocked her head in puzzlement over her husband's commentary concerning his mother as she asked, "Red Hot… what?"
Naruto spat out the toothpaste in the sink as he offered a smile to Hinata as he laughed, "Ah nothing, just something about my mom, that's all…"

Deciding not to expand upon the subject, Hinata left the bathroom to the dining room to break the brewing fight between Boruto and Himawari – something about being the one with the rights to the first servings of toasted bagels.

It didn't take long for Naruto to clean himself up, thrown on his clothes and accept a buttered bagel from his daughter at the door, his son throwing his shoes at his face in a hurried manner, shouting loudly about the time.

In a matter of minutes, Naruto was herded out the door by the eager and giddy pair while Hinata followed closely in pursuit after locking the door behind them, carrying with her, her children's forgotten coats.

Farther down the street, Naruto managed to slow his giddy daughter and son to a moderate pace, slowing to a walk much to his relief as his son clung to his side with bright eyes and a goofy smile, his daughter skipping around him in circles with giggles and laughs while Hinata attempted to have Himawari worm on her coat. The villagers took notice of the rare sight of the Hokage walking his children to school and warmly greeted them as they walked by, receiving an equally warm greeting from their Hokage. Farther along their walk, other families joined alongside them along the street, dragging along whining and or hyperactive children beside them.

While Hinata was fussing to Boruto about wearing his coat, a familiar voice called out to the family brightly, "Hinata! Naruto! Good morning!"
The family came to a halt as Himawari turned and gleefully waved to the approaching family of two.

"Good morning Mrs. Haruno!"

Sakura smiled fondly towards the young girl as she greeted back, "Good morning to you too Himawari!"
Sakura casted Boruto a look before smiling and adding, "Ah, and you too Boruto, nice to see you again!"

Boruto sourly casted a look towards Sarada, who stood behind her mother with her arms crossed, a scoff crossing her face at eye-contact with the blond as she turned away with a snort, a hand pushing her glasses up her face in a self-conceited gesture.

"Yeah… sure, great to see you too Mrs. Haruno…"

Naruto laughed as he ruffled his son's hair fondly while stating, "Ah this son of mine… he's probably still pouting over the fact Sarada reported him to the headmaster about his last prank last week, like the big baby he is…"

Boruto blushed out of both shame and embarrassment as he swiped at his father's hand and grumbled angrily, "Dad…!"

Sarada smirked her all-knowingly smile to herself as her mother chuckled nervously before commenting, "Oh I'm sure they'll make up sooner or later, Boruto doesn't seem like the type to hold a grudge for very long."
Sakura smiled towards the pouting blond as she added, "So be sure to make up with Sarada ASAP Boruto – she often complains to me about your grudges, it gets kind of annoying sometimes, you know?"
Sarada flustered at her mother's comment as she yanked on her mother's skirt and hissed furiously, "Mom…! Why in the world would you mention THAT of all things…?"

Sakura shrugged at her daughter as Boruto casted a glare sideways, mumbling incoherently to himself as Hinata bowed her head apologetically to Sakura.

"Sakura…! Good morning, oh, and I apologize about the fight Boruto had with your Sarada last week, I hope she didn't get hurt…"

Sakura waved at the air dismissively with her hand, smiling as she laughed, "Oh dear me, Hinata, that's all in the past! This has happened so many times, I'd be surprised to hear if they hadn't gotten into a fight for over a month or so! Don't worry, all is forgiven, it's not like the two of them can do much to each other anyway."

Boruto snapped at her comment as he angrily challenged with his fists drawn, "What!? Are you saying I'm not strong!?"
Naruto gave his son a solid smack over the head as he sighed, "Boruto… don't get her aggravated; you have no idea what it's like to aggravate Mrs. Haruno…"

Sakura threw Naruto a sour expression as she held up an irritated fist, "Don't paint a bad image of myself to your children Naruto – otherwise they might start calling me a witch again."

Himawari hugged Sakura's knees jovially as she giggled, "I didn't call you a witch! I like Mrs. Sakura! I think you're very pretty!"
Sakura blushed, pleased to hear such a compliment from the sweet girl as she fondly ruffled the girl's hair with a smile, "Why thank you-!"

"But you're not as pretty as MY mommy, but even still, you're kinda pretty! At least when you're not angry."

Sakura's smile froze on her face as Hinata flustered at her daughter's comment, pulling her away from Sakura as she mildly scolded her for offending Sakura – whom was now glowering and mumbling to herself about being compared to Hinata by both the young and old…

Naruto snickered behind his hand as he pointed to Sakura and through a stifled laugh, stated, "Oh dang…! You just got told to by my own daughter…! Pwah-ha!"

Sakura grabbed the young Hokage by the front of his shirt as she snarled threateningly, "Clam it big shot, or else I'll send you right back to that moon you last visited years ago…"

Sarada sighed as she hid her face from the on-looking villagers as she grumbled to herself, "Ugh… how embarrassing…! Why does mom have to act so childish around the Hokage…? And why is the Hokage such a child himself…?"

"Ah… it seems that the Hokage is enjoying himself with his family, about time you did too."

Naruto perked at the new voice as he waved behind Sakura's shoulder to the approaching trio.

"Ah! Ah! Shikamaru! Temari! Good morning!"

Prying himself away from Sakura's death grip, he wormed past the sour woman to greet Shikamaru and his family formally.

"How ya' doing Shikadai?"
Shikadai, Shikamaru's son, eyed the Hokage skeptically before shrugging and yawning to one side, "Nothing much…"

Temari pursed her lips as she pinched her son on the shoulder, profiting nothing but a sour glare from her son before the son sighed irritably and bowed to Naruto respectively, "Good morning Hokage sir…"

Shikamaru elbowed Temari as he sighed, "Must you always make him act like this…? It's not like he's forgotten his manners or anything, besides, this is Naruto we're talking to…"
Naruto watched hesitantly as Temari shot Shikamaru a sharp glare as she grouched, "Shikamaru, you shouldn't be like this with our son – the moment you let him loose on a slack leash and he'll lose all sense of responsibility and control – we have to teach him while he's still young and fresh how to be a proper young man! And regardless of what kind of a person Naruto is, he's still the Hokage – and he should be addressed as such no matter what!"
Shikamaru threw Naruto a pleading look as he sighed heavily to himself, a hand coming up to tug on his goatee (an odd new habit he picked up recently) as he grumbled quietly to himself, "You have us both on a leash woman… could you be any more suffocating than you already are…?"
Temari shot him a glare as she snapped, "I heard that!"

Shikamaru threw back a charming smile as he cooed, "Did you also catch the part that I said I loved you?"
Temari snorted scornfully.

"Liar."

Boruto hurried over to greet a bored Shikadai as Shikamaru and Temari bickered, leaving Naruto to shy back to Hinata's side with Himawari wedged between them, a nervously laugh escaping Naruto as he addressed the bickering couple with his wife, "There they go again… were they always like this?"
Hinata observed with wide eyes as Shikamaru ignored his wife's angry rambling with a kiss to the cheek, a brief apology and a reminder that he loved her regardless of her sour attitude.

"Um… were they?"
Sakura rolled her eyes at the sight of the odd family as she grabbed Sarada by the shoulders and began herding her towards the direction of the academy, "Oh God… there goes Shikamaru and Temari again, come on dear, let's get you to school already…"

One by one, Naruto was able to greet his friend's families all over again, feeling a wave of nostalgia of their younger years… Hinata slipped her hand in Naruto's as she gently shook him from his daze, peering at his face with a soft smile as she whispered; "You're doing the same thing I did last night…"

Naruto smiled at her knowingly, squeezing her hand back as he leaned towards her to kiss her forehead, "Hmm… yeah, sorry if I was getting all tear-eyed; just seeing everyone with their kids reminds me of the good old days…"

Hinata rested her head on her husband's shoulder as she smiled and nodded, "I agree, it does make you remember a lot of things…"

Himawari wormed in between her parents and shot her hands up towards her father as she jumped up and down and squealed, "Daddy, daddy, lift me up, lift me up!"

Naruto laughed as he reached down and hoisted his daughter up and over his head, resting her on his shoulders as she grasped at his hair, giggling as she kicked her feet on either side of his face.

"There you go my little sunshine, happy?"

"Mmhmm! Wow, daddy, daddy look! I can see the academy from here! Wow, daddy, you're so tall!"

Boruto caught sight of his sister riding upon their father's shoulders as he came barreling towards them and indignantly shouted to the two, "Hey, Himawari, that's not cool! It was my turn to ride on dad's shoulders, remember!?"
Naruto glanced up at his daughter, watching as little Himawari whined to Boruto from up above, "Aww, but big brother, can't I just-?"

"Don't be such a baby Himawari! I hardly ever get a chance to ride on dad's shoulders because of you! Now come on, get down already!"

Naruto sighed before reaching down and scooping Boruto up in one arm, grunting at the extra weight as he offered the two a thin smile, "Alright now kids, no fighting… how about we just go to school like this? Daddy will carry both of you!"

Himawari cheered and Boruto simply sat in his father's arms with a scowl on his face and arms crossed, but he didn't deny his father's suggestion either, perhaps because he wasn't at all against the suggestion in the first place…

Hinata glanced at her husband with a worried expression as she asked, "Um, dear… are you sure you're alright carrying the kids like that? They must be very heavy for you all by yourself, do you want me to carry Himawari or Boruto for you?"

Before Naruto even had the chance to assure Hinata he was perfectly capable of carrying the two, Himawari and Boruto both shouted in chorus; "No, mom! I want dad to carry me!"

Hinata and Naruto blinked in surprise before laughing, shaking their heads as Naruto barked with laughter, "Ah you kids… you just love daddy don't ya'?"

"Alright then… if you insist children… just be careful, alright Naruto? I don't want to see either one of them fall to the ground on their heads…"

Naruto gave Hinata a reassuring smile, winking to her as he proudly roared, "Have no fear my love! I'll keep them upright and in one piece, no need to worry! It's not like I'm a clumsy fool, right kids?"
His kids chimed with a hearty "yeah!" as Hinata walked beside her husband wringing her skirt in her hands as she mumbled to herself, "Oh I trust you Naruto… but you never know…"

Thankfully, and much to Hinata's relief, Naruto was able to safely carry his children the rest of the way to the academy, causing other students to turn to their parents and tug on their sleeves, pointing and begging to be carried like the Hokage did with his children. At the academy gates, Naruto gently released Boruto from his arms and lifted Himawari gently to her feet, allowing her to hug her brother as she sent him off with a cheerful smile, "Bye big brother! Have fun at school!"

Boruto awkwardly patted her on the back as he squirmed out of her hug, smoothing out his jacket as he grumbled back, "Yeah, sure, whatever. Uh, have fun at your daycare or whatnot…"

Himawari brightened as she nodded, "Yeah, I will!"

Hinata bent down before her son as she zipped up the rest of his jacket to his chin, fixing his hair absentmindedly as she fussed, "Now Boruto, please try and behave yourself today, and do try your best and get along with the other children at the academy. Don't get into any more fights with Sarada either, and please, don't pull any pranks on Aburame-sensei and-!"
"Okay, okay, geez mom… I wasn't planning on doing any of that anyway today…"

Hinata stared at her son before smiling softly, kissing him on the forehead before standing on her feet, "Alright then… I believe in you son. Hopefully after school, your father and I will be able to pick you up on our way from picking up Himawari from her daycare, so be a good student so your father can hear a good report of your behavior at school today."

Boruto nodded, waving behind his back as he marched off towards the academy, shouting over his shoulder, "Sure thing mom, bye now!"

Naruto smiled as he shouted back, "Bye son! Have a good day at school! Play nicely!"

Boruto glanced over his shoulder at his smiling farther before beaming back with a happy grin, saluting to his father with a whip of his hand before happily joining Shikadai and a group of boys, boasting loudly about how his father, the Hokage, was able to take him to school today. Naruto watched with mixed expressions as his son sat in the tree swing, talking rapidly to his classmates as they surrounded him by that tree, nodding and asking questions to every word Boruto spoke as he elaborated about Naruto being his father. Naruto watched his son swing on the swing happily as he spoke to his classmates, laughing and smiling… that image seemingly washing away the years of self-pity and glowering depression that hung over him like the branches of the tree whenever he sat in that same tree swing… alone… quietly… like a shadow…

A small hand grasped his hand and yanked him back to reality, the bright, gleaming smile of his daughter beaming back up at him as she squealed and yanked him onwards down the street, "Daddy, daddy, take me to my daycare! I want you to meet Miss. Akiko, she's this super nice lady, with pretty brown hair, and…!"
Himawari rambled on as she led her father down the street with an amused mother following suit, leading him away from the dark memories of his painful past… reminding him of his present time and the future… reminding him of his wife and children.

Miss. Akiko turned out to be a pleasant young caretaker, with creamy brown hair and soft hazel eyes as she greeted Naruto and Hinata pleasantly as Himawari nearly jumped into her arms before she was taken inside. Now the married couple walked homewards alone, enjoying each other's presence to themselves as Naruto clasped his hands behind his head and walked alongside his wife with a goofy smile. Hinata eyed that smile and found herself smiling as well as she resigned herself to simply enjoy the silent harmony between them…

Then she remembered something. Something rather important…

Hinata bit her bottom lip, contemplating to herself as to how to approach it in a nonsuggestive manner in her hopes to remind the oblivious blond concerning the matter, however she didn't want to make it so obvious that would most likely cause him to beat himself up over it. Glancing shyly towards her husband, she watched him as he hummed to himself a merry tune, his gait paced with a skip to his step as he retained the silly smile on his face – a picture of ignorance. Caught up in her thoughts, Hinata cleared her throat gently as she brushed her bangs to one side of her face, peering up at her husband as she spoke hesitantly, "Um… Naruto? Can we talk for a moment…?"
Naruto glanced over his shoulder towards his wife, silently taking note of her choice of words before dropping his hands from behind his head and shoved them into his pockets, leaning towards his wife with an attentive ear as he smiled reassuringly, letting her know he was listening.

"Mmhmm?"
"Well… I was just wondering… since you're on a break from work that if you perhaps um… how do I say this… have any plans for us…?"

Naruto blinked blankly back at her as she quickly added, hoping to clear the fog of confusion before he misinterpreted her words completely, "Oh well, you know, for the family. Maybe a chance to spend some time together…? Boruto has been telling me how he's been feeling rather down lately because you're never home, and well, Himawari misses you dearly as well, so I was rather hoping that…"
As her voice trailed away with her courage, Naruto rubbed at his chin thoughtfully as he casted his eyes skywards before nodding knowingly, "Mmhmm… I see… you do have a point Hinata, I do have a lot of time on my hands this week, so I guess I should take some time to hang out with the family…"

Hinata was certain he didn't understand what she was trying to remind him of, but it was better than nothing she supposed… Naruto snapped his fingers as he sported a wide grin before exclaiming, "Alright then! First thing first – I'll take you on a date tomorrow! We'll drop off the kids at your father's place for the day, just so we can spend some quality time together. Then the day after that, we can go on a family picnic! How does the park sound? I heard from Shikamaru that they remodeled the playground, so it should be fun for the kids. Oh, and how about…?"
Hinata nodded kindly to Naruto's ramblings, sighing to herself sadly at how unaware he was of the particular events around them – even as they walked down the streets filled with pink and red laces decorating every shops' door, the heart-shaped balloons tied to bouquets of roses, and stands of wrapped chocolate – Naruto was still Naruto in the end, of course he wasn't one to be particularly conscious of these trivial proceedings… yet still, a holiday was a holiday, and Hinata was hoping that Naruto would come around and realize that the only reason why Shikamaru bothered to let him off the leash at work was so he could spent time with the family for Valentine's Day this upcoming weekend, however it didn't seem like Naruto was well informed… clearly he had nothing planned and well, it wasn't like Hinata was expecting him to, but she had this slight sliver of hope that maybe… just maybe… he had a surprise for the family to enjoy that day. Perhaps next time…

Somewhere along the way, Naruto suggested they grabbed a bite of Ichiraku's ramen, complaining to her that he had nothing for breakfast earlier in the morning except for the bagel Himawari so graciously offered to him. Although Hinata was a bit against Naruto having ramen for breakfast, she decided to let him have it his way just this once, allowing the elated blond to take her by the hand and into the ramen stand, greeting the old cook behind the counter as they seated themselves in the high stools.

"Welcome to Ichiraku Ramen, the best stuff in Konoha, how may I be of service today-?"
The old cook looked up from his pot of soup before pointing at Naruto and Hinata with his ladle as he exclaimed in both surprise and wonder, "AH! Well I'll be – if it isn't my favorite customer and his lovely wife!"

Naruto grinned back at the old cook as Hinata bowed her head in a quiet and polite greeting, much to the pleasure of the old man.

"Hey old man Teuchi! How have you been?"
"Fine, fine, tired and old as always, ha! But it can't get any better than this, anyhow, how about you two? How's life dealing with that spunky son of yours, Boruto was it?"

Naruto nodded with laugh as he accepted the chopsticks his wife handed to him as he addressed the old cook concerning his son, "Ah-ha, yeah, well it's tough as always, who knew raising a kid was so difficult?"
The old cook waved his ladle in the air as his lips perked into a quirky smile as he stated, "Well nothing is too difficult for Konoha's Orange Hokage now is it? And let's not forget you're dealing with two little blossoms now – how is our little sunflower now? Bright and cheerful as always I presume?"

Hinata smiled as she nodded, "Yes, Himawari is doing wonderfully; the children are exceptionally delighted recently since their father is staying home for the rest of the week."

The cook leaned across the counter with a sly smile on his face as he poked Naruto's shoulder teasingly as he hinted, "Oh really now? Since we're talking about it already, do you have anything special planned for this weekend…?"
Naruto offered the old man an odd smile as he asked in confusion, "This weekend…? What's so special about this weekend that has to do with my plans…?"
The old cook stared at Naruto before glancing back at Hinata with an incredulous expression slapped on his face as Hinata quietly shook her head, a sad smile playing on her face as she shrugged, receiving in return a sympathetic expression from the old cook as he sighed a disappointed sigh in Naruto's direction.

"My boy… you never change do you?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about, of course I changed! I changed tons! I got stronger and I'm the Hokage too – what about me hasn't changed?"

Moments later Ayame sauntered over from the other side of the kitchen to hand her father two bowls of noodles for the soup to be poured in as she sourly eyed Naruto while stating, "After hearing what you just said earlier, I think the entire village would agree with my father and I about how little you've actually changed – you're still the same old Naruto as you were years before, aren't you now?"

Naruto eyed the two as he sourly tapped his chopsticks on the countertop before muttering to himself, "Geez… what's with the sour tongue? Am I missing something here…?"

Hinata gently patted her husband on the shoulder as the old cook handed off the two bowls to the pair over the counter as he asked rhetorically, "The usual, yes…?"

As Naruto grumpily split his chopsticks apart to devour his bowl, Hinata thanked Teuchi for the meal and began to eat her own bowl as Ayame turned to her father as they secretly spoke to one another off to one side far from Naruto's ears.

"Father, was he being serious? He seriously forgot about Valentine's Day that's coming up this Saturday!?"
"Correction my dear Ayame – it's more like he wasn't aware of it than him forgetting about it."
Ayame crossed her arms and winced as if she had just been slapped, throwing a sympathetic look over her shoulder towards the quiet Hyuuga eating beside the blond, a sigh escaping her lips as she shook her head with a hand to her temples, "Ah geez…. I feel so bad for Mrs. Hinata… to have been married to such an idiot…"

"We should probably subtly remind the poor boy so he can actually make it up to his wife and kids for being unaware of the holiday before he disappoints them all on that self-same day."

"Subtly…? Oh sure dad, easier said than done. As great as Naruto is, being our Hokage and all, he isn't very smart – he can't take a damn clue even if any of us were to make it so damn obvious!"

"Well we should at least try, giving him a little bit of a push won't hurt…"

"What are you two talking about?"

The old cook and his daughter nearly jumped out of their skin as they turned to face Shikamaru and his wife Temari, an odd expression on their faces after overhearing the none-too-quiet conversation as the Nara questioned once again, "What about Naruto now?"
Ayame grabbed his arm, surprising the married couple as she urgently exclaimed in a harsh whisper, "Thank God you two are here! Listen, big news guys, you two are so not going to believe this when I say this… but Naruto… he forgot that this Saturday is Valentine's Day!"

The two stared at her blankly before snapping in surprise at her words. Temari nearly reeled back as if being verbally clubbed over the head at the impossibility as she exclaimed, "EHHH?! SERIOUSLY!?"

Shikamaru groaned to himself as he delivered himself a solid face-palm before mumbling almost angrily, "Damn that Naruto…! He seriously can't take a damn clue! The only god damn reason I gave him a break for the rest of the week was for that reason only…! Naruto can't be any dumber than this…!"

Ayame and Teuchi simultaneously nodded in mutual agreement as Shikamaru glanced over towards Naruto and Hinata on the other side of the ramen stand, nearly finishing their bowls as Hinata graciously fed him a fishcake from her own bowl, receiving in gratitude a kiss on the cheek from Naruto.

"So… I take it that Hinata isn't very pleased…?"
"She just shrugged to me earlier, but she doesn't seem very happy about it either, it seems to me that she was expecting this already, almost as if she never expected anything from him since the beginning… poor girl…"

Temari tugged on Shikamaru's arm as she shot a glare over at Naruto before grouching, "You better remind that damn idiot, I'm sick and tired of hearing every holiday how he screwed it up for his family. For once, he needs to learn how to do things right!"

Shikamaru stared at his wife incredulously as she shoved him towards Naruto in a hurried manner, "Eh…? Why me?!"

"Because you do a good job of it, now stop whining and teach him a lesson for once! I'll keep Hinata distracted…"

"God, how troublesome…!"

Naruto and Hinata perked up at the sight of the two as Naruto waved his chopsticks up at the two with a smile, "Ah! You two again, what brings you guys here all of a sudden?"
Temari pinched Shikamaru's elbow as the Nara winced slightly before sighing with a heave of his shoulders before jabbing a thumb behind his back towards Temari as he stated plainly, "Ah well… Temari here was craving for some dango all of a sudden and dragged me all the way here to fetch some at her favorite tea shop. Then she went on a wild crave for some ramen and pulled me over here and – surprise, surprise! – we find you here with Hinata."

Temari wasn't at all pleased with Shikamaru's alibi, but at the very least it didn't stray too far from the truth, after all, she did drag him over to the tea shop because she didn't want to go alone like he always made her go sometimes…

Temari came to settle down besides Hinata as she flashed a kind smile (as kind as it can be coming from Temari) and offered one of the packaged dango to her as she made small talk, "Here Hinata, have one, they're well done this time around, wasn't too happy with the last batch they gave me once, but they're usually pretty good at making them. So, how are your kids, healthy…?"

Hinata was immediately absorbed into Temari's conversation, sharing with her past week while Shikamaru settled down besides Naruto and watched him with his face perched on an upturned palm as the Hokage slurped down the remainder of the soup, slamming his hands on the countertop as he called out to Teuchi cheerily, "One more round Teuchi! Add some extra fishcakes this time!"

Shikamaru sighed to himself as Naruto swiped at his mouth with the back of his hand as he leaned back slightly and sighed, waiting patiently for his next bowl as Shikamaru cleared his throat and began, "A-hem… well then… Naruto… can I have a word with you?"
Naruto nodded subconsciously as Teuchi handed him another bowl, his chopsticks attacking the noodles as he spoke through a mouthful of ramen, "Sure thing Shikamaru, fire away!"

Pursing his lips at the vulgar display of Naruto eating his ramen, Shikamaru shook his head and focused on the topic at hand as he continued, "Okay… so uh, do you have any idea why I let you have the rest of the week for your break?"

Naruto shook his head, slurping the noodles noisily as he peered up at Shikamaru with innocent eyes as he exclaimed, "Nope, what's the deal? Was there a particular reason for it?"
Shikamaru irked at his words before sighing into his hand, casting his eyes skywards as he inwardly groaned to himself.

"…seriously Naruto? Are you joking around with me or are you seriously being just a plain idiot?"
Naruto narrowed his eyes at Shikamaru before slamming his chopsticks down beside his unfinished bowl of ramen, sighing as he faced Shikamaru directly before bitterly hissing, "What is wrong with everyone!? First Teuchi gives me a weird look, then Ayame badmouths me, and now you're calling me an idiot – whatever did I do that deserves this kind of sour treatment?!"

Shikamaru dropped a heavy hand on Naruto's shoulder as he took a deep breath and sighed, "Naruto… then let me just be straightforward and honest with you here… it's that time of the year my friend."

Naruto blinked blankly back at Shikamaru, clearly incapable of comprehending his elusive words as Shikamaru continued, "That one day of the month of February when lovers get all intimate… confessions are made… hearts, roses and chocolates…?"
Naruto's expression slowly evolved into a pale look of horror – it can't be what he was thinking now… was it…?

"No way… oh hell no… Valentine's Day!?"

Shikamaru rubbed his forehead with another sigh (only Naruto made him sigh so much, how irritating) as he mumbled, "We have a winner…"

Naruto leaped up, being caught in the moment, an expression of surprise and horror smacked on his face as he yanked at his hair and exclaimed out of his misery, "AH SHIT! HOW CAN I BE SO MINDLESS!?"

Hinata blinked up at her husband in surprise as she asked in concern, "Naruto…? Are you okay-?"
"Sorry hon! I forgot I had some uh, uh… plans! Yeah, plans, I made some prior plans so I gotta go right now, just take your time finishing your ramen and head on home, alright love?"
Hinata flustered in surprise as in one fluid motion, Naruto whipped out the payment for them both, slammed it down on the table and gave Hinata a brief and rushed kiss before leaping out of the ramen stand, leaving Hinata to watch in stunned silence as he went up and away from sight; "See you back home later tonight Hinata!"

Temari sat there with her arms crossed and a scoff escaped her as she glanced between Naruto's seat and the exit in disbelief, "Good grief… really!? Did he just seriously leave you like that!?"

Hinata sat in stunned silence before hanging her head in mild disappointment, sighing to herself as she rose to her feet and shrugged on her coat, leaving Shikamaru slapping himself on the face once more as he moaned, "Oh my God…"

"It's alright Temari, Shikamaru, I'm sure Naruto had his reasons… I'm fine, really."
Teuchi and Ayame stood with their jaws hanging open and in shock at Naruto's abrupt departure, refusing to believe at just how incredibly rude he seemed by leaving his dear wife to walk home alone, their respect for their Hokage dropping a few degrees or so.

Hinata trudged homewards shortly after reassuring the four that all was well and that she didn't mind walking home alone; even after Temari forced Shikamaru to offer their company to escort her home personally. Hinata sighed to herself on the way home as she recalled the look of horrified shock on her husband's face, and after realizing he must've realized the important holiday this upcoming Saturday, Hinata couldn't help but smile to herself at how silly he acted whenever in a daze…

"Idiot, idiot, idiot! No wonder Hinata was acting all aloof and vague earlier, god, I'm so stupid!"

Naruto sped across the rooftops of the village as he scolded himself – imagining at how disappointed his friends would be at him had they known he didn't remember about the holiday once again for the umpteenth time. Well… he knew Shikamaru and his wife Temari probably were disappointed already, considering they were the ones that personally reminded him. Naruto growled at himself, wishing for once in his life that he wasn't so ignorant of the dates, as he made a pit stop at a florist shop, spooking a familiar blond as she jumped back in shock.

"Eek-! Oh… ah, damn it Naruto! Stop being so damn fast! One of these days you're going to scare me so bad, I'll keel over and have a heart attack!"
Naruto laughed nervously, hanging his head low as he scratched the back of his head apologetically as he apologized, "Sorry Ino, didn't mean to scare ya' there."
Ino grouched in response as she retrieved the dropped watering can from the ground and headed back into her shop to refill the spilled canister as Naruto trailed after her like a lost puppy.

"Whatever…! Anyway, what brings you here in such a rush? Where's Hinata? The two of you are like inseparable every chance you get with her."

"Oh, I told her to go on home without me, I forgot something very important and well… I sort of really need your help with this."
Ino raised her eyebrows at the blond as she carried the watering can back outside the shop as she resumed watering the blooming roses placed before the windows for display, replying to Naruto in an incredulous manner, "My help? Good grief, what kind of sticky situation did you get yourself into for you to need MY help?"

Naruto hesitantly stood by one of the intricate bouquets of multicolored roses, picking at a petal as he mumbled in shame, "Oh uh… I sort of uh… forgot that this Saturday was Valentine's Day and so uh…"

Ino fumbled with the watering can once more and spun around to throw Naruto a dirty glare as the can went spilling out on the street, causing a few villagers to side step the flowing puddle, as Ino angrily yelled, "NARUTO UZUMAKI! YOU DID NOT-!"

"Okay, in my defense, I had no idea! I was cooped up for so long in the office that I didn't keep track of the time and-!"
Ino restrained herself miraculously as she took a deep breath and held out a hand to shut him up, her eyes closed as she took a few more deep breaths before asking with a twinge of annoyance in her voice, "Okay, okay… shut up for a moment… alright. So let me get this straight; you forgot this upcoming Saturday is Valentine's Day… even though there are like, a bazillion shops and stores out on the streets with their displays screaming 'Valentine's Day' in your god damn face with the god forsaken balloons, chocolates and flowers for sale, and you still… STILL you were dumb enough to NOT catch on that maybe Valentine's Day is nearby…?!"

Naruto took this moment to glance around, finally taking notice of the excessive advertising of Valentines' Day related products swarming the shops' displays all around as he turned back to Ino with a meek smile on his face, "Er… maybe…?"
The next five minutes consisted of a furious blond attempting to tear their village's Hokage to shreds, causing Sakura, who happened to be in the back of Ino's shop helping her take care of the displays, to run outside at the screams of the commotion.

"What in the world-?!"

"IMMA KILL YOU UZUMAKI! IMMA KILL YOU, AND THEN IMMA-!"

"HOLY SHIT – SAKURA! SAKURA HELP ME OUT HERE, INO'S GONE MAD! HOLY FUCK, MAD WOMAN, MAD WOMAN!"
Sakura bolted over and pried the furious female off the flustered Hokage, and stood wedged between them, fending off the angry Ino from the cowering Naruto as she sighed and exclaimed in both wonder and shock, "What the hell is going on here!? What did you do to made Ino go wild!?"

Following Sakura shortly after was Sai – who was informing Sakura of the display plans in the back of the shop – hurrying to his wife's side quickly as he grasped at her heaving shoulders as he eyed between her and Naruto in surprise as he exclaimed, "Ino…? Naruto…? What's going on here? What did Naruto do?"
"Aw come on guys! Give me a little credit! I didn't do anything! I just mentioned about my little dilemma to her and she goes flying off her handle at me-!"

Ino shook her finger at Naruto, glancing at Sakura and Sai in utter disbelief as she gasped for air, the shock of the news leaving her speechless as she exclaimed, "Oh my God, Sai, Sakura, you won't believe what this idiot did this time…!"

Sai had a look on his face as if he had a pretty good guess what it could be as Sakura glanced between the two with a confused look on her face, forcing her to eagerly squeeze it out of them, "What? What is it? Damn it Ino, cough it out already!"

"Come on guys, it's not THAT surprising is it-?"
Ino pointed accusingly at Naruto as she exclaimed with a shake of her head, "He forgot this Saturday was Valentine's Day!"

Silence followed shortly after as Sai sighed and dropped his face in an upturned palm as he mumbled, "Oh Naruto…"

Sakura turned towards the frightened Hokage as she cracked him a twisted smile – a smile of hatred and absolute fury as she pulled on her gloves she kept tucked in her pocket.

"You… no-good son of a…!"
"S-Sakura…? Why are you, oh no, oh please, Sakura don't do this…! A guy can forget every now and then, right? S-Sakura...?"
In a flash, Sakura reeled back her fist and sent the Hokage flying, spooking a few villagers as he went crashing into the shop's display across the street – a shower of laces, popped balloons, crumpled flowers and chocolates raining down on his crippled corpse as Sakura stormed up to him and grabbed his limp body and shook him back and forth angrily, "BASTARD! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MANY TIMES YOU'VE FORGOTTEN ABOUT THE HOLIDAYS!? HOW MANY DAMN TIMES MUST YOU FORGET!? HOW LONG ARE YOU GOING TO MAKE YOUR WIFE AND KIDS MISERABLE YOU BLOCK HEAD?!"

While Ino stood nodding in appreciation of Sakura's classic beating, Sai hurried over instantly to pry his old teammates apart, distancing the hissing Sakura from the crippled Naruto, who was now mumbling like a broken radio his apologies over and over again.

"S-Sakura! Please, calm down for a moment, you're causing a scene…!"

All around the four were clumps of on-looking villagers, their eyes wide and quiet whispers exchanged to one another about their pitiful Hokage as Sakura angrily shook her head and stalked back towards Ino's florist shop, snapping her fingers and pointing to Naruto as she snarled to Sai, "Do I look like I give a fuck about that right now!? Drag that damn fool inside right now!"
Ino hurried after the seething Sakura as Sai glanced down at the unconscious Naruto before sighing and slipping a limp arm over his shoulders as he hefted him up on his feet, supporting his weight as Sai dragged him towards his wife's shop; assuring the shop owner, of whose display was wrecked, that he'd be properly reimbursed for the damages. As Sai pulled Naruto into the shop he thoughtfully took note of the situation as he murmured to himself, "So this is how women act when men forget about the holidays… I better remember to watch myself from now on and keep up with the holidays…"

Things couldn't get any worse than this, could it? Naruto endured the next few hours getting his ears chewed off by Ino and Sakura's ramblings, about how irresponsible he was as a husband and a father – he even got a short lecture by Sai ironically enough! As if the fella himself wasn't too ignorant of the holidays either…!

Nonetheless, he felt ten times worse than he had before concerning his situation – he knew this happened more often than not, and he hardly scraped by any holiday and or special events without upsetting someone, and usually that someone was someone from his family. Like that one time he mixed up Boruto's and Akamaru's Christmas gifts and watched in horror as his son unwrapped a bone in puzzlement. Or that one time he forgot to pick up Himawari's birthday cake and had to substitute it with a cookie topped with a candle. Oh… and that one time he dragged Hinata's father to the hospital when he told him that he was getting cancer watching the two of them walk around the village late last night for their anniversary – who knew Hinata's father was just joking?

It was nearly impossible to count the times he made someone frown every time he screwed something up, and nothing made him more upset than making his wife and children saddened or embarrassed. He always tried his best to keep on his toes when it came to the holidays, but he hadn't quite got around to perfecting that yet, considering his forgetfulness was one heck of a joke.

Sakura leaned back against the counter as she crossed her arms before her chest and sighed in relief, "Okay then… now that we got everything planned out for you, you just need to keep up with all the orders and take care of them yourself – nobody is going to be paying for your stuff this time again Naruto."
"Yeah… thanks again guys, for not murdering me and for giving me a hand…"

Ino came back from the rows upon rows of flowers as she thrusted a bouquet of white and pink roses in Naruto's arms as she scowled and pointed for the door, "This is the last time I'm doing this for you Naruto – now take that and go home to Hinata already, the flowers are on me."

Naruto glumly accepted the flowers as he was ushered out of the shop, walking out with mixed feelings of relief and shame – how was he going to walk right back up to Hinata without feeling like a total fool? Only an idiot would forget about the holidays, and it seems inevitable that Naruto was one of them.

Upset at himself, Naruto trudged on home with the flowers in hand, mentally rehearsing to himself what to say to Hinata when a blurred figure leaped from the shadows and kneeled before him in a flash – head bowed in respect as Naruto recognized the masked uniform and snapped to attention.

"Report."

"Hokage-sama, there's been a state of emergency concerning the missing Daimyo, your presence has been urgently requested at the Kage Summit as soon as you can."

Naruto sighed as he rubbed his face with his free hand before groaning to himself, "Damn it… of all days…! How many of you are waiting at the gate?"
"Three my lord. We've already notified your advisor to meet us at there – he has your things prepared for you."

Naruto nodded as he sadly shook his head to himself before handing the flowers to the ANBU member, dazing the mysterious man as he questioned, "Sir…?"
"Take this to my wife, tell her that I won't be home tonight and well… ah shit, I don't know how long I'll be gone! Damn it…! Urgh, whatever, just tell her I won't be home tonight and for the next few days, oh, and tell her I'll send her a message later about the details."

The ANBU member hesitantly accepted the flowers before nodding, confirming his orders as Naruto stopped him before he disappeared. The Hokage pursed his lips as he quietly added, "…if you may… tell her that I love her and that I wish her and the kids a Happy Valentine's Day."

"Where's dad!? You said he'd come to pick me up!"

Boruto stood indignantly before his mother as she sadly shook her head at her son, a bawling Himawari in hand as she gently confessed, "Honey, I honestly thought your father would be around to pick you and your sister up, but he left earlier this morning because of some plans and he hasn't returned yet..."
Boruto stood there in disbelief as he exclaimed, "He left without a word? Again?! WHY?!"

Himawari released another ear splitting shriek as she sobbed, "DAAAAADDY…! I WANT TO SEE DADDY!"

Hinata looked between her blubbering daughter and furious son as she apologetically embraced the two in her arms, a tired sigh escaping her lips, incapable of easing her children's mournful cries as she mumbled sadly back; "I'm sorry… I'm sorry children… maybe next time…"

Suddenly, to their surprise, an ANBU member appeared by their side, solemnly standing respectively to one side with a bouquet of flowers in hand (a rather peculiar sight) as the mysterious ninja inclined his head towards Hinata out of courtesy.

"Hinata-sama, these are for you from the Hokage."

Hinata peered up from her embrace, wiping the tears from her eyes as she forlornly received the flowers, the sight of them hardly making a difference in her gloomy state as she sighed and glanced back up at the ANBU member and asked, "Did he leave again?"
The ANBU member hesitated, imagining that such news would do wonders to her present condition as the ninja reluctantly informed her, "Unfortunately yes, the Hokage was called to an emergency outside of the village, he told me to inform you that he won't be home tonight and perhaps for the next few days."

Himawari tugged on Hinata's sleeve, sniffing away her tears as she probed, "What does he mean mommy? Daddy won't be home? Why?"

Boruto tugged on Hinata's opposite sleeve as he demanded, "What kind of trouble is the ANBU guy talking about mom? Why does dad have to leave now of all times!?"

Hinata stared back at her children's upset faces before breaking down in tears, pulling them into another hug as she wept, feeling utterly at loss as to how to deal with the two children that felt unjustly wronged by their lying father – their father who lied about sticking around for the remainder of the week.

Boruto clung to his mother's shirt as he glared at the ground behind her, tears sprouting in his eyes as he growled, "Doesn't dad know what day Saturday is…?"
Himawari buried her face in her mother's shirt on the opposite side, still bawling like a howling animal as she cried, "Daddy was supposed to be home for Valentine's Day! I even made him a necklace of candy hearts at daycare today!"

The ANBU member stood to one side, blinking in surprise at how quickly their cries escalated, trying to figure out how to approach the upset trio with the remainder of the Hokage's message as he cautiously announced specifically towards the tearful mother, "Erm… about the rest of the Hokage's message… he also wanted me to tell you that he loves you all and that he wishes you three a Happy Valentine's Day."

At his words, Boruto swung his glare to the ANBU member as he snapped, "Why did he have to tell you to say that to us!? Does that mean he won't be home this Saturday!?"

Hinata quietly rebuked her son as he glumly casted his glare away, tearfully looking to one side as Hinata rubbed her crying children's back, a small gesture of comfort – that was about as much as she could do to soothe their disappointments.

The ANBU ninja stood there a moment longer, knowing that his duty was done and that he could leave now if he wanted, but he felt compelled to stay a moment longer to emphasize the Hokage's words once again; "Hinata-sama… you do know that the Hokage loves you, yes?"

Although the ANBU member felt silly for talking about the Hokage's feelings to the woman, he felt responsible to vouch for the Hokage and make certain that the Hokage's family didn't take his departure out of bitterness of heart.

Hinata simply nodded to the ANBU member, offering a weak smile as she replied, "I know that better than anyone… but it still makes me sad every once in a while whenever he's not around for the kids; it's more heartbreaking for the kids than it is for me… do you understand what I mean?"
The ANBU member glanced between the weepy kids in her arms as he concluded with a shake of his head, "…No, no I wouldn't know anything about it my lady… I wasn't with my wife long enough to have kids to understand."

Before Hinata had the chance to apologize for perhaps reminding the man of a painful memory, the ANBU member dipping his head with a murmur of farewell as he disappeared, the only traces of his presence left behind being the soft whirl of the stirred wind scattering the leaves by the street, yanking a few loose petals apart from the bouquet in Hinata's hands up and away with the leaves – dancing away in the evening sun and off yonder and beyond…

Days came to pass as the gloomy family of three waited patiently for the unannounced arrival of their absent family member; Boruto gazing wistfully at the door as if hoping it would swing open to admit inside his grinning father, his younger sister resigning to making several Valentine cards for their father, somehow knowing however that in the end, he might never get them on the designated day they were meant to be given. Hinata spent most of her time stand out on the balcony peering out over the rooftops of the village from sunrise to sunset, taking a few short breaks from her post from the balcony to take her kids to and from school, devoting her time to waiting for her husband to return home – to return to her and the kids. She wanted nothing more but for Naruto to spend some quality time with not just her, but with the kids – was she being too demanding?

Word of the family's evident disappointment found its way into the ears of the villagers, becoming the heat of the village's gossip as eventually, Valentine's Day made its way around the corner.

"Goodness, have you heard about the Hokage's wife and children having to spend this holiday without him? I feel so bad for their family…"
"I did actually, and I also heard that this wasn't his first time either, missing out on a holiday. What was the reason again that he left the village?"
"Something about an emergency with the Daimyo, or so I heard. Anyway, isn't it just plain awful? If only the Hokage had a chance to spend some time with his family instead of being chased left and right for his work…"

Sakura watched as the conversing wives passed by her as the others did – everyone seemed to be discussing about Naruto and his family and how disappointing and or depressing it all was. Sakura sadly had to agree with the rest of the villagers – it was rather disappointing and depressing. After all the trouble she went through with Ino and Sai to make certain of Naruto's success for the present holiday… all of it going to waste considering he wouldn't be around for the holiday once again. Sakura wondered if she should drop by and give the family her regards, but then Sakura decided it'd probably be best to leave them alone – she wouldn't want Hinata and her kids to think she was pitying them on such an eventful day. Shaking her head she sighed to herself as she walked towards home, knowing that Sarada would still be studying in her bedroom – just the same way she had left her there before she left for an errand. Sakura came to her doorstep when she noticed a packaged box waiting for her sitting by the door – curiously she plucked it up and peered at the exterior, wondering if there was perhaps a tag attached to the package and shrugged before tearing it open to examine its contents. Inside sat two packaged boxes of chocolate and a note, a note of whose chicken scratch she recognized off the bat. The note read: "To Sakura and Sarada, from your beloved Hokage and his family, Happy Valentine's Day!"

Sakura cracked a smile as she stuffed the note in her pocket and tucked the chocolates under her arm, snorting to herself as she entered her home and laughed, "Ah that dimwit… he actually made it back in time."

Hinata tugged her nightgown over her head and smoothed the fabric over her legs as she turned towards the bathroom mirror to comb her hair, reflecting upon her day and wondered if it was satisfactory enough for the children. Hinata did her utter best to keep her kids happy, thankfully with the help of her father and Hanabi, she was at least able to keep her kids smiling and laughing the entire day with the gifts and flowers her father loaded onto his grandchildren, and Hanabi was kind enough to play with them in the Hyuuga compound, much to their delight. By the time she carried them home, they were beat out and dead tired, falling asleep instantly when she tucked them in bed, leaving them be to sleep well into the night. Hinata stayed up well until it was nearly midnight, and though she wanted to stay up longer in case Naruto returned, she couldn't refuse her weary body and resigned from the balcony to her bedroom – another night where she'd spend it alone on her shared bed.

Turning off the lights from the bathroom and bedroom, crawling blindly into bed in the darkness as she stretched her aching body across the mattress, her face buried into her pillow as she sighed in contentment for being able to finally give her own body relief from another day's worth of being a mother. Hinata laid in bed wondering when Naruto would ever be around in his own time on his own accord with the family – she knew he had his duties to the village and being the Hokage wasn't at all accommodating with his willingness to be with her and the kids, yet nonetheless, she wished he was home right now… with his loud snores lulling her to sleep… his arm around her waist, his smile pressed up against her hair. Hinata clutched at the empty covers beside her, sighing to herself in a lonesome manner, "…I miss you Naruto…"
Hinata slowly began drifting off to sleep when she felt a presence enter the room… at first she was certain it was a stranger, perhaps a hostile ninja, and Hinata was already reaching for the hidden kunai beneath the mattress when she stopped and recognized its familiar warmth – a bizarre pattern to the flow of the invader's chakra that made her cast aside all precautions as she threw herself at the intruder in the darkness.

"Whoa, Hinata-!"
Hinata encircled her arms around Naruto's waist, the momentum of her lunge propelling the two of them off the bed and on the floor, causing Naruto to slam his head against the wall with a notable BANG as he sat up rubbing at the sore as he hissed in pain, "Ouch…! Easy with the hug attacks Hinata, I nearly split open my head there!"

Hinata silenced him with a heart lifting kiss, her arms still locked around his waist as she pulled back to bury her face in his neck, murmuring to him softly, "Welcome back home Naruto…"

Naruto sat there momentarily dazed before smiling down at Hinata in the darkness, patting her lovingly on the back as he sighed back in response, "…I'm back home."

Hinata pulled herself free from Naruto as she crawled off his lap and came to sit before him on her knees, a curious light in her moonlit eyes emitting from the window in their bedroom as she questioned, "How did you make it back in time? I thought there was some trouble about the Daimyo…"

Naruto nodded, sighing irritably upon recalling the details as he scowled sourly to himself, "Ah that… yeah, of course, it had to be a damn false alarm. As it turns out, the Daimyo was just locked in his own kitchen closet when he was trying to sneak himself a late snack that night – his servants found him sleeping in the closet the same day they reported him missing – it was a total waste of time if you ask me."

Hinata shrugged, dismissing the topic concerning the feudal lord as she grasped Naruto's hands in hers as she smiled, "Well I'm glad he was safe and sound all along… but I'm even happier to know that you're alright and that you're back home with me and the kids…"

Naruto laughed as he kissed Hinata on the cheek, "Yeah, so am I… oh, which reminds me…"
Naruto pulled out a single rose from beneath his cloak, offering it to Hinata as she accepted it with a blush.

"Happy Valentine's Day."

Hinata stifled back a sob as she threw her arms around Naruto once more, tearfully crying joyously, "Thank you Naruto… thank you…!"

Naruto nodded, pulling her away to peer at her face teasingly as he asked, "You're most welcome, now then… did you have anything prepared form me? If I'd care to mention, I have stacks of chocolate and flowers sitting in the living room for you and the kids to enjoy tomorrow, and a few dozen balloons for the extra flare. I went through a lot of effort to get pull everything together in my last ditch effort for this Valentine's Day, I'm kinda expecting a little special in return you know…?"
Hinata flustered as she glanced around the room in utter horror, "Oh… oh no! Oh no, how can this be? I-I don't think I remembered to make you any chocolate…! And I didn't think of anything else… oh, oh dear, oh no…!"

Hinata tugged at her hair as she floundered about in her own despair, "Ahh…! How could I forget!? Even though I was preoccupied with waiting for you… oh dear… how could I…?"

Naruto laughed as he poked at Hinata's face, snapping her out of her momentary daze of outrage as he then slyly pulled her close, "That's okay Hinata, I don't care about that sort of stuff anyway… instead, how about a kiss or two?"

Hinata flustered at the spark in his eyes as he leaned in for a kiss, catching her off guard as she gasped in surprise against his lips, "N-Naruto…?"
"Shh… the kids are sleeping."

Boruto withdrew his ear from the door of his parent's bedroom as he wrinkled his nose in disgust – did they always have to be so mushy whenever they weren't around? Although Boruto was itching to barge in there in order to punch and hug his dad for returning home, he wasn't intending on walking in during an awkward moment, so he decided he'd save that for tomorrow… although he wasn't even sure if he'd have any bitterness left in him until then considering all the gifts their father hauled in for the night – towering boxes of chocolate, the floor swarmed with flowers and balloons tied down to chairs – it was a wonder how he managed to afford it all (he suspected his parents' friends, but whatever). He turned around to tiptoe back to his bedroom when he remembered Himawari followed him from behind as he turned to confront her as she eagerly whispered with wide eyes, "Is daddy in there? Did he really come back home big brother? Why aren't you going in? Is he talking with mommy? I wanna say hi!"

Boruto hesitated before quickly taking Himawari's hand and dragging her back quietly towards their own rooms as he hissed back quietly, "Yeah he's in there alright, and right now he's busy with mom, so we should leave them alone for tonight…"

"I…I don't understand. But I wanna say hi to daddy!"

"You can do that tomorrow morning, for now, let's just go to sleep."
"Big brother…?"
"Yeah?"
"Can I sleep with you tonight? My nightlight went out…"
"Eh? But you could just... never mind, whatever, sure, just stay on your side of the bed this time!"

Himawari beamed up at her brother as she nodded eagerly, "Okie-dokie!"
With that said, the pair of them tiptoed to his bedroom as they slipped inside and closed the door gently behind them, leaving their parents to enjoy each other's company for just that one night.

-FIN-

Sooooo...? How was it? Cheesy? Sweet? Stupid? Weird? Crappy? I agree with you guys. XD I know this is bound to bring up some mixed feelings since I sort of just botched the ending an stuff, but I hope I was able to deliver a sweet story. Not quite sure if I was able to portray the children appropriately, it's kinda hard to grasp their personalities since they've only just been mentioned in the last chapter of Naruto and so I apologize if they were totally botched in the end too. TTwTT Oh, and I realize that Himawari wasn't in school during the last Naruto chapter, so I simply made it so that she went a daycare in this short story, hopefully that seems fitting enough... sorta. TTwTT I don't know, all I know is that I screwed up here and there most likely, but this is the best I can do for a sleep deprived fool like myself. TTwTT Anyway, Happy (late) V-Day everybody, and I hope you enjoyed your time yesterday! (Best wishes to all those couples out there and a huge shout out to every single out there - I'm forever alone so clearly Valentine's Day doesn't mean much for me, but it's always nice to at least appreciate it for those people that do enjoy the holiday. Plus, it gives me an excuse to whip up a cute short story to post on FanFiction. XD Anyway, review and favorite if you enjoyed this short story, and go ahead and check out my other stories if you haven't already. ;) I appreciate everybody's support and I hope to see more of it in the latter chapters of my ongoing stories, thanks everyone for being so patient with my slow updates and for encouraging me through tough times! You guys are all the best! Thank you for existing and I wuv you all! XD One last time now: HAPPY (late...)VALENTINE'S DAY!