Happy New Year and Happy NaruHina Month everyone! I hope you enjoy reading this one-shot as much as I enjoyed writing it!

'thoughts'

"Dialogue"

"December 6th? What's so special about December 6th?"

That's the question that kept going through his head as he held his girlfriend's hand and walked with her through the snowy forest.

He knew it wasn't her birthday (that was on December 27th) and he knew it wasn't the day they shared their first kiss (that was January the 3rd). It most certainly wasn't his birthday (that was October 10th). And yet, she told him that December 6th was a very special day to her.

So what the heck was it that happened on that day?

Was December the 6th the day when she called him a "Proud Failure"? The day when his heart skipped a bit for the first time and he told her that she was weird... And that he liked her?

No it couldn't have been it. Chuunin exams usually took place in summer and he clearly remembered the heat of the sun on his face as he walked towards the stadium.

So that day wasn't December 6th.

Was it the day she had first professed her love for him?

He had tried to push that day in the back of his memory, but it kept crawling back at him when he least expected it. There were times when he would spend some time with her, enjoying her company, feeling the warmth of her body against his, being the happiest man in the world...

And then the memory of that day would suddenly hit him, reminding him of how he had almost lost her.

He didn't remember the exact date of that day. It didn't really matter to him. But he remembered the pain, he remembered the desperation, he remembered the relief he felt when he found out she was still alive, and he remembered tracking the enemy inside a forest that was in full spring bloom.

So this day wasn't December 6th either.

He squeezed her hand tighter. She smiled at him and blushed…

He always loved it when she did that. He couldn't believe that this wonderful woman that was currently walking by his side was really his girlfriend.

It made him incredibly nervous. This meant he was her boyfriend right? And that book that Sai gave him said that a good boyfriend was supposed to always remember all the important dates that define a relationship (birthdays, first kiss, first date etc) without her having to remind him.

So for the past for the past few hours he was trying to figure out what the heck was so special about December 6th. He played back every single memory he had with her trying to work out its significance but he would come up with nothing. Every memory he came up with her would either be in a different season, a different month or a different date. For the life of him, he couldn't remember what happened on December 6th.

Does this mean that he is a bad boyfriend? He would have to apologize to her later.

He turned his eyes towards her and took a closer look at her face. She had a dreamy look in her eyes and a bright warm smile on her lips. The way her cheeks blushed and the snow glittered on her black hair she looked absolutely beautiful...

He wanted to kiss her so bad! But he also wanted to find out what she had in mind for today...

And why it was so special to her.

The young couple walked for a few more minutes going a bit deeper in the snowy forest. Eventually they came across an old worn lonely swing.

"This is the place."

Naruto recognized the swing as the one he had spent a large part of his lonely childhood on. Back when he was the village pariah and wondered why everybody avoided him and refused to even acknowledge his existence…

...Everybody except her… but he didn't find out about this until much later.

He recognized the swing. A lot of lonely painful memories were associated with it. He just didn't understand what December 6th had to do with it.

Hinata took out a package that she was carrying with her up until that moment.

"This is for you."

A large smile formed on his face when she unwrapped the package and saw what she was holding: A really lengthy red scarf.

"So you finally completed it…"

She wrapped the scarf carefully around his neck bringing her face closer to his. He felt a jolt of electricity as her fingers softly touched his skin. They've been together for almost a year now, and he still couldn't get used to the way her touch made him feel.

"What's wrong Naruto-kun?"

"It must be the static." he said as his grin grew wider.

"That's odd… I didn't feel anything…"

"Oh really?"

He put his arms around her and embraced her. He always enjoyed how she fitted perfectly inside his hug, her face just below his chin, allowing him to fully envelop her and fully feel the warmth of her body against his.

He caressed her hair and softly rubbed her cheeks. He could feel her trembling as his fingers slid on her velvety skin. He lowered his face and bought it closer to hers. For a brief moment their lips rubbed against each other. She felt shivers go down her whole body and she jumped back.

"Do you feel the static now?"

She let out a soft chuckle and playfully hit his chest.

"Yes, I do." she quipped "How does it feel? It's not itchy or anything, right?"

Naruto took a moment to fully appreciate the gift that Hinata gave him. It felt warm against his neck, fully insulating him from the cold. The needlework was impeccable and it felt soft and comfortable around him. It was really long too. Despite the fact that his neck was fully covered, a large part of the scarf was still dangling downwards.

A scarf like this must have taken a long time to make. He could practically feel the effort… the sheer depth of the emotions she knitted into it.

"It feels good… More than good in fact… Uhm… thanks!"

Her smile grew even wider as she sighed in relief.

"I am glad… The truth is I kind of rushed it… I really wanted to give this to you today."

Naruto took a deep breath, and braced himself. He hoped that Hinata wouldn't feel offended for not remembering what happened on that day.

"You know I've been meaning to ask you this… Why today? What's so special about December 6th?"

Hinata took a step backwards and looked at the snow. Her smile was still there but Naruto could see that she was hiding a lot of pain underneath it.

"December 6th was a really painful day for me. It was a week after my kidnap attempt, and a month after my mother had died. My father took me to the dojo and attempted to train me in the ways of the gentle fist for the first time. I couldn't pick up anything he demonstrated and as a result got pretty beat up. He told me that I was weak and to get out of his sight."

Naruto got up from behind her and placed his arms around her waist in an attempt to comfort her. He had known that Hinata didn't exactly have the happiest of childhoods but he never imagined that it was this bad. True, his childhood wasn't sunshine and roses either, he was shunned by the entire village for being the nine-tails jinchuriki, but at least he didn't have to get beaten up and degraded on a daily basis by those who were supposed to love you and protect you.

"As I went back to my room I bumped into Neji. He had a look on his eyes that I had never seen up until that point. It was full of pain, full of hate, full of resentment. And it was directed towards me."

Tears were beginning to flow on her eyes. He wanted to wipe the tears off her face, but he knew that this was one of those moments when Hinata needed to let her feelings out.

"He told me… He told me that I was responsible for his father's death. That I was worthless, that I was a burden and that I should just disappear…"

He could feel her shivering around his arms.

"And so I did… I dressed up and wandered around the snowy woods, wondering if my life had any worth. Wondering if I should go on living. Wondering if the world would be a much better place without me in it. And then it happened…"

"What happened?"

"A bunch of boys saw me wandering alone and they came up to me. They told me that I was a monster because of my eyes. That I didn't belong in this world…"

He held her tighter. It pained him to see her like this.

"That was the straw that broke my back. I just couldn't take it anymore. I broke down and cried. The kids just pointed at me and laughed. A feeling of despair came over me. I felt like I couldn't go on living anymore. And then…"

"Then…?"

"A boy showed up wearing a red scarf. He told them to stop picking on me and he challenged the kids to a fight."

"Did he win?"

"No…" his girlfriend said and she let out a light laugh amidst her tears. "He lost pretty badly. He got knocked down with just one punch. And his red scarf was then taken by the kids and torn to shreds…"

The smile remained on her face as she started to wipe her tears and compose herself. Naruto noticed that it was beginning to get warmer.

"But I really appreciated it, you know? That boy that I hardly knew just showed up and stood up for me, a complete stranger, when everyone, even my own family, put me down. .."

Naruto looked at the expression she had. It was a mix of nostalgia and happiness. Whoever that boy was, he must have made quite an impression on her. She blushed as she talked about him.

He couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy… He thought that he was the only one who ever made her blush like this.

"When he got up, he told me that it didn't matter that his scarf was torn to shreds. He just smiled at me… That smile felt warm and bright like the sun. It made all my problems melt away… My heart skipped a beat and I held his torn scarf tighter as he left… It was the first time I ever fell in love…"

Naruto felt like a chidori went through his chest. He might have been her boyfriend now and he knows he shouldn't feel this way, but the fact that he wasn't Hinata's first love still hurt. He wondered who that boy could be.

"It was the only time I fell in love… His smile… saved me!"

'Huh?!'

Hinata turned around and placed her hands on his face. She had a look full of love and longing as she softly touched the spikes on his hair and caressed the whiskers on his cheeks.

"I still remember his face, bright as the sun, and his eyes blue as the sky. That boy's name was… Uzumaki Naruto!"

'Say what!?'

Naruto could only stand there dumbfounded.

"M-m-m-me?!"

"Yes, you! Can't you remember?"

A shot of a long-lost memory flashed before his eyes. He did remember that day. But not the way she remembered it…

...He recalled a beautiful girl getting shunned by the kids that also shunned him…

...He recalled seeing the girl in pain and how much it hurt his heart to see her cry…

...He recalled an embarrassing defeat when he challenged the kids…

...He recalled her thanking him as he waved her goodbye...

...He recalled being ashamed of his weakness…

...He recalled crying alone in the dark when he was a safe distance away…

...He recalled vying to himself to become stronger and train… just like he always did..

To Hinata this really seemed like a special day, but to him it was just another day when he messed up and embarrassed himself. No wonder he couldn't recall it before now.

"I think I remember that day too now… I am actually quite ashamed of it."

"Why?"

"I acted like an idiot like I always used to do back in those days. I don't recall 'saving anyone'. I recall getting beat up for biting more than I could chew. I was weak and stupid back then."

Hinata pulled his face and bought it closer to hers. Her expression was stern and serious.

"You weren't weak, and you weren't stupid, even back then, you hear me?"

"Eh?!"

"It takes a huge amount of character and moral courage to stand up for somebody you don't know. To do what's right even when you know you are probably going to get beaten down for it. You might not have had the physical strength or the skills to back it all up, but you still stood up for what you believed was right…."

"But I…"

"No 'buts'. Yes, you got beat up pretty badly back then, but you were still stronger than all those kids combined. You had an inner strength and determination that they lacked. You had the power to stand up on your own and keep going whenever you were knocked down… You were a…"

"A 'Proud Failure'?" he inquired.

"Yes!" she told him as her face lit up once more. "And I fell in love with you for it."

She placed her palms on his and looked him in the eyes once more.

"Today is the day when I first met you. And so, I wanted to make you the scarf that you lost on that day, give it back to you and tell you what I couldn't tell you back then."

She took a deep breath and steeled herself. This was clearly something she had practised doing beforehand.

"Thank you for protecting me. Thank you for standing up for me. Your courage inspired me. Your smile saved me. And even after all this time… I am still in love with you. With the person you were back then… and the person you still are now."

A single tear escaped from his eyes as he felt his heart overflow with warmth and joy. He placed his hands on her cheeks and moved his face closer.

His smile at that moment made her heart scream. It was exactly like that smile he had when he first met her, when he saved her. But with his current adult features it became something that captivated her, that drove her senses into overdrive.

"You know… There's something that I also wanted to tell you back on that day…"

"What… did you… want … to tell me?" she whimpered as she felt his warm breath on her lips.

"I don't care what those boys say. Your eyes are beautiful."

Their lips connected and she melted into his embrace.

"Thank you…" he said as he deepened their kiss. "For loving me all this time … For caring for me… for not giving up on me… "

Passion overtook them and they both got lost in each other. They both lied down on the snow, ignoring the cold and relishing in each other's warmth. They expressed their love touching and caressing one another without a single care in the world. It was a perfect moment of pure love…

"AA-CHOO!"

…up until Hinata sneezed and clocked Naruto right on the nose.

"Ow, Ow, Ow! That hurt! "

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to…"

Naruto couldn't help but smile at his girlfriend's panicked expression. He thought it was incredibly cute. It made his pain go away in an instant.

He straightened his nose and bought his hand on her face once more.

"No, it's my fault. I got so caught up in reminiscing and wanting to kiss you that it didn't occur to me that you might be feeling cold."

A grin formed on his face.

"I have an idea. Here…"

He wrapped the dangling part of her scarf around her neck and bought her face close to his once more.

"Now we are both covered, right?"

He fondled her lips once more.

"Happy Anniversary Hinata…"

"Happy Anniversary Naruto…"

AFTERSTORY: Whatever happened to the bullies?

Ichigo, Nimaru and Sansuke took one stroll through the snowy woods for old times sake. They fondly remembered this place as the place where they spent a great part of their childhood. Back in those days, they practically owned the woods. Nobody messed with them, and nobody dared to speak up to them. They were known as "Ichi-Ni-San" the "Trio of Terror".

Back in those days, they were kings.

These days, however, they were simply known as "Those Three Guys". They grew up to be fairly average ninjas, they were enlisted in an average squad that didn't even get to see any action in the 4th Shinobi war, and they got into average missions with low risks after the war ended. They didn't amount to anything great but they weren't exactly unhappy with their lives either.

And they always stuck together. Maybe it was their names, maybe it was their shared misspent youth, but whatever the reason was they always stood by one another through thick and thin.

"Hey, remember the time when we…"

"And how about the time when we…"

"Oh no man, that's not how it went what happened was we…"

And that's about how all the conversations went. They went for beers, they told jokes, they played cards and were generally non-descript random background guys that you wouldn't pay any attention to if you saw them in a shonen manga series. They were the guys that were smart enough to ran screaming in the opposite direction whenever a disaster struck, while the hero jumped into the fray and took care of the mess.

For some reason however, today, on December 6th, they had a sudden urge to go back and play in the snowy woods again. As if a higher power controlled them. They felt the need to go and check out the place just like they used to do back in those days… When nobody messed with them.

Maybe it was fate, maybe it was karma. But as they threw snowballs at each other (because even adult men enjoy a little bit of childishness when nobody is really looking) they noticed a young couple making out while lying downι on the snow. They stood there for a while dumbfounded at that particularly bold public display of affection.

"Look at them, eating each other's faces…"

"Get a room you two…"

"Is she touching his…?"

"Yes, Ichi, yes she is…"

"And is he fondling her…"

"Looks like it San."

A wide grin formed on their collective faces as they nodded at each other.

"Shall we go mess with them?" said Ichi.

"You know, for old times sake?" said Ni.

"I don't see why not." said San

They gathered a couple of snowballs approached the couple stealthily, and when they were at a good distance from them, threw it at them.

The young couple was startled and quickly rose up in order to properly defend from the assault. The blond man had covered the woman with his back, protecting her from the incoming snowballs, while she rubbed his back in order to quickly get the snow off him before his clothes got soaked.

"Hey, what's the big idea here?" said the blond man.

"We are the ones who should be saying that! This is a public park you know. There are other places where you can get frisky with one another. Somewhere where passing kids might not be watching!"

The blond man hunched and looked downwards in embarrassment.

"Err… I guess you are right. Sorry... Me and my girlfriend are going to be on our way. Let's go Hinata."

The girl nodded and held her boyfriend's hand as she stood by his side. It was then that Ichigo took a closer look at her.

"No way!, It can't be! You are…"

"The Byakugan Monster?" wondered Nimaru.

"It's is! It's the Byakugan Monster!"

"I can't believe she has found a boyfriend! And here I thought the Hyuga always bred with themselves."

The trio started laughing, just like they did back in that time. It didn't take long for Naruto and Hinata to figure out who those three guys were.

Naruto cracked his fists and got ready to give them some well-deserved payback. He was about to throw a punch at one of them when he felt a light tug on his jacket.

"No. Naruto. Please don't."

"But Hinata, they called you a monster, just like they did that time. "

"It's OK. If it weren't for those three guys we wouldn't have met and we wouldn't be together! Think about it!"

Naruto nodded in understanding.

"I understand what you are saying, but I can't just sit idly while those jerks insult you and call you names."

"Look, Naruto, you are an extremely powerful shinobi. If you fight them as you are now, in anger, you might seriously injure them or even kill them. And as lousy as those guys are, I don't think they really deserve that."

"So, I should just leave them be? Let bygones be bygones?"

Hinata looked at her boyfriend sweetly and then activated her Byakugan.

"No, I'm just telling you to let me handle this."

The former "Trio-of-Terror" stood in shock as they saw a very calm and collected Hyuga woman slowly approach them with a warm smile on her face and her fists surrounded by purple lion-shaped chakra.

Five minutes later

"Hey, Ichi… are we dead?"

The Ichi-Ni-San trio was currently lying on the snow piled up against each other.

"No, but I think we won't be able to move for a while."

"You think somebody will come and pick us up?"

"I don't think so. The Rinne festival is approaching and very few people go through the park on those days. Hopefully, an ANBU will see us and inform the authorities."

They stood there silently for a while.

"She really was a 'Byakugan monster'. Wasn't she?"

"Remind me to never insult a Hyuga again."

"And she has a boyfriend?"

"Yeah, apparently that tall blond guy with the whiskers on his face."

"Who do you think that guy was?"

Their memories raced back to the "Byakugan Monster" incident many years ago. Their eyes went wide with the realization.

"The squirt with the scarf?"

"But it can't be! Can it? We knocked him out with one punch back then, didn't we?"

"Wait, didn't he say back then that his name was Uzumaki Naruto? As in 'Hero of the 4th Shinobi War' Uzumaki Naruto?"

"No, way! That's her boyfriend?"

"I don't remember what his name was back then. Was that really him?"

There was a moment of silence.

"Some hero he is, letting his girlfriend fight for him!"

"Yeah! I bet we would have kicked his ass again really good if he was the one we fought!"

"Yeah! Totally!"

'We would probably be more than just paralyzed if we fought him' was the consensus among them, but none of them voiced it… they had to maintain SOME of their pride after all.

"This blows! When do you think the paralysis is going to wear off?"

"I think I can move my arm a little. I am touching something. Is this your hand San?"

"That's my crotch Ichi."

"Oh, sorry…"

"..."

"..."

"..."

"So, let go of it!"

December 6th is the day "Naruto: The Last" premiered in cinemas. I wanted to give this date a special significance in the Narutoverse and I came up with this.

I appreciate any feedback and comments.