"Naruto-kun,"

Naruto smiled, turning to see his girlfriend. Yes, Hinata was his girlfriend. His own, personal girlfriend.

And he was her boyfriend. That word seemed weird to him. He, Naruto Uzumaki, was somebody's boyfriend. Not just somebody, though.

"Hinata!"

He pulled her into a hug, pressing her against him, breathing her in. He couldn't do it for as long as he would've like. They were in public after all. It was spring time now in Konoha, much nicer weather than a couple months ago. That winter had been particularly snowy and cold. One of the coldest Rinne Festivals Naruto could remember. But it was a good thing that's when he got his brand new, first ever girlfriend to keep him nice and cozy.

"What are you doing today?" Hinata asked, pulling away.

Her head tilted almost all the way back to look up at him. He hadn't noticed before they started dating, but Hinata was small. Easily the shortest Kunoichi her age. Naruto himself was the tallest, a far cry different from back when they were Gennin, and he and Hinata were almost the same height. Not that he had really noticed back then.

There was always a bitterness, remembering how he had over looked someone as perfect as Hinata for so long.

But he wasn't overlooking her anymore. No, and he never would again.

He slid his hands down her soft arms all the way to her tiny little hands, lacing their fingers together. The sun was in the middle of the sky, noon time, hot and shinning down on her thick black hair, making almost glow navy. He wanted to brush his fingers through it, but he was pretty sure he wasn't supposed to do that in public. Dating someone as prim and proper as Hinata was had taught him some much-needed social cues, and he was fairly sure this was not the place for hair-caressing.

He could imagine how her face would burn with embarrassment if he did. It was honestly too easy to embarrass her. Especially in the beginning of their relationship. Every kiss, every brush, every touch would send her face a flame and her words would start to stutter, her fingers got all fidgety. It was so cute though, definitely hard to pass up.

"Naruto-kun?" Her voice was so light and sweet, the velvet sound practically caressing his name as she spoke it.

Even though it was quiet, it brought him right back to reality.

Reality, which was him standing in the middle of the street, holding both of his girlfriend's hands in his own, staring at her like the idiot he was. He glanced around quickly, hoping that he hadn't pissed Sakura off by ignoring her in favor of day dreaming about his lovely relationship with his most favorite lady. But thankfully his friend was engrossed in a conversation with Kiba, distractedly petting Akamaru's fluffy head.

Safe this time.

"I'm sorry Hinata, what did you say?" Naruto laughed nervously.

She just smiled, sweetly at him. Hinata seemed to have an endless amount of patience for Naruto, which he was constantly grateful for.

"I was wondering what you were doing today, Naruto-kun." She giggled.

"Oh!" Naruto smiled, letting go of one of her hands to ruffle up the back of his shortened hair. "We were hoping some more missions had opened up, but no luck. So, we were just gonna get some training in, probably."

Training was the next best thing after Sakura had shot down his Ichiraku suggestion.

His eyes slid over Hinata, dressed in her own training gear. "What about you?"

"Same." She smiled, her beautiful white eyes crinkling around the edges. "Well, we were. Until a little mishap."

Akamaru, whined, lowering his head in shame. Sakura looked down quickly, startled, looking as if she had upset the over grown puppy. Like it was an inside joke, Kiba started laughing at his poor canine, and even Hinata let out a giggle, using her free hand to cover her mouth.

"Wha-" Naruto jumped, finally noticing Shino, who barely let out a barely audible, single 'ha'.

"Oh, hi Shino."

Hinata leaned away, bending over to console the dog. "Akamaru didn't mean to." She spoke softly through her giggles.

"Didn't mean to wha-?"

That's when Naruto had finally noticed. The lavender, sleeveless top that Hinata now wore as her training gear, was torn over her hip. Jaggedly ripped off, clearly by dog claws, exposing her last rib, down to the beginning of her black shorts. Pale white, creamy skin, that Naruto knew for a fact had been unblemished previously, now held three, uniform scratches.

In a flash, Naruto had let go of her hand, grabbed her by the hips and, squatting down to examine it.

"Naruto-kun!" She squealed.

He had done it now.

Practically holding her butt in his hand in public was a far worse offense than just brushing his fingers through her pretty hair, but he couldn't help himself.

Hinata had amazing skin. Soft. Pale. Warm. Almost completely unblemished. She had a few scars here and there, nothing compared to most ninja he knew. Even with Kurama's healing Naruto himself was littered with them, crisscrossing all across his much darker skin. Her palms had scars on them, from years of tearing them open in intense training, though her super cool ointment she made had softened them. She also had very large scar from a massive chakra rod being rammed through her chest, on his own account.

When he had first seen that one, under her heart, right beneath her left breast, the air had left his chest.

She had taken that.

For him.

After that, he hated seeing her skin marred. His fault or not. He wanted to protect her forever.

His thumb ghosted across the scratches in distaste.

"Naruto-kun," Hinata cried again.

Naruto finally glanced up at her, his head bending back this time to look up at her.

Her face was flushed tomato red, eyes wide as dinner plates.

He had definitely done it this time.

"Sorry," He smiled sheepishly, slowly raising back up to full height, keeping his hands wrapped around her hips.

Suddenly, without thinking it through too much, as he did with most decisions, he unzipped his jacket, wrenching it off. Leaving him in his white under shirt, which Sakura was always telling him to tuck in, was untucked. Wrapping the black jacket around his petite girlfriend, and then in one motion, picking her up, cradling her against his chest.

"Naruto-kun!" She gasped, nervously.

"Don't worry," He nuzzled her cheek. "I got you."

A single bend of his knees and he jumped, landing on the closet roof top.

"Naruto! You idiot!" "Hey, what gives you ass?!" Kiba and Sakura screamed after him. He didn't give them much thought.

The jacket on Hinata covered her all the way down to mid-thigh, passed where her socks started. The sleeves came down, covering her hands, but she was still trying to fidget her fingers together through the cloth. Her cheeks were still heated, eyes wide and doll like, trained on him. Her lips, pouted together. Her body, so small, soft and warm against his chest. Looking down at her, she looked very similar to what she did from so long ago.

Before they were together.

Before he knew he loved her.

He didn't know how that time could even exist. But it did. Whole expanses of time where he didn't appreciate how beautiful she was. How cute she was. How smart and strong and sweet she was. How she said his name.

He loved how she said his name.

"Naruto-kun?" She asked, clearly confused and embarrassed.

He was just holding her like a baby on some random roof.

"Don't worry Hina." He beamed at his girlfriend. "I'll patch you back up." His sweet, boyfriend-ly smile shifted, impish. Up to no good. His voice lowered, husky already and now dark and rich. "Then, I'll kiss you all better." He said in a way that was obviously hinted at much more than kissing.

"Naruto-kun." Hinata whined, mortified at his teasing, tucking her face into his chest. Though he saw her lips curving into a smile.

She liked his kisses as much as he liked giving them.

And oh, how he liked giving them.