It hadn't sunk in yet, not even as they sat side by side at the too familiar spot as the academy, on the swing. Naruto stared up at the clouds desperately trying to think of something to say. Hinata stared down at her lap, blushing deeply.

"Erm...so..." Naruto started.

"Why are we here?" Hinata asked, before he had a chance to say whatever it was he going to say. He looked at her; she'd raised her and head and no longer was blushing.

"Do you not want to be here?" He asked confused.

"No! I mean of course I do." She panicked. "It's just...I mean...Naruto..." He waited as she took in a deep breath. "W-why did you – why d-did you...?"

"I thought you didn't want to marry Neji." He answered her unfinished question.

"I don't"
"Then what's up?" Naruto folded his arms and his eyebrows together in confusion.

"Naruto-kun" She turned to him. "You were right I don't want to marry Neji and I am grateful, I mean I'm over the moon! That I'm here and not there..." She laughed slightly and he smiled. "It's just what does this mean...to you?"

"To me...?" Naruto repeated unsure of what she meant. "What do you mean? It's nothing to do with me." He said flatly. "Is it?" He added curiously, hopeful for a reason he couldn't work out.

Hinata frowned and almost began to cry, but she held it together.

"I guess I'll go then..." She arose from the swing, Naruto stared at her shocked.

"W-what? Where?"

She had her back to him.

"Home"

He stared at the back of her head, confused and worried.

"But...Are you going to marry Neji then?"

Hinata laughed quietly and completely humourlessly.

"What else can I do?" She shook her head and tears flung from her eyes into her hair.

Naruto stood up, he went to answer, to tell her there had to be something they could do, didn't there? But then she turned to face him and his words got stuck in his throat. He saw for what felt like the first time, he saw Hinata.

Sunlight shone through the branches of a tree close by and blazed Hinata's face. Glistening tears sparkled in her eyes. Her skin was a natural rosy colour, a colour he'd never seen her in. Normally she was bright red or as white as snow. She looked different, happy, though the tears suggested otherwise.

Naruto felt himself move towards her and lift his hands to her face. He felt it, he just didn't believe it, he hadn't told himself to move and yet there he was, his face inches from hers.

She looked into his bright blue eyes completely bewildered. "Naruto-kun..." She whispered through shocked lips. One of his hands slid down her face to her lips, he watched it move. She kept looking into his eyes; he was so close that she could see her reflection in his sapphire irises. She was trying to understand his movements, but her head was too fuzzy. "N-Naruto..."

He put his fingertips to the tip of her bottom lip. He cocked his head to one side and slowly began to move towards her, his heart beat thumping in his ears.

Her heart beat froze, along with her whole body; she closed her eyes completely lost in the moment.

Hiashi reared around a corner and ran through the academy gates; he'd used his Byakugan to find out where they were.

He froze near the swing, his mouth hanging open. Anger flooded through his veins. He tried to stay calm but the second his daughter and that Naruto's heads started moving towards each other, his anger over took him.

"Get away from my daughter!" He shouted across the short distance to where Naruto and Hinata both stood.

Hinata stood still, her arms hung lifelessly at her sides; her body wasn't responding to her, it was if it had shut itself down. She wanted to wrap her arms around his neck and pull him closer, but she was powerless to her emotions that had her stuck with: confusion, love and lust. What did this mean? Did he love her like she loves him?

Suddenly her thoughts were drowned out, as her father's voice stormed through her ears. Her eyes snapped open and she pulled away from Naruto instantly.

Naruto looked confused as she pulled away from his lips. Rejection crashed though him like a wave. But then he recognised a worried look on Hinata's face as she stared at something behind him.

He turned nervously around and saw Hiashi standing hands in fists moments away from them, clearly not in a happy mood. Naruto cringed.

Hiashi stepped one place forward. Naruto grabbed Hinata's hand instinctively.

"I said: GET AWAY FROM MY DAUGHTER!"

Naruto wasn't sure of how to respond.

"F-father..." Hinata spoke instead. "I-I'm not-"

"Hinata get out of the way" Hiashi ordered.

Naruto squeezed Hinata's hand to show her his support.

"Did you hear me?" Hiashi couldn't believe he was being ignored and by his own daughter!

"I heard you." Hinata said firmly, confident because of Naruto. His hand in his hers meant so much to her. That if she could show Naruto how much she loves him, she can do anything!

"Hinata go home, where you belong."

"No"

"What?"

"Father, I want to stay –" She blushed despite her confidence she was still worried about Naruto's reaction to the end of that sentence, "- with Naruto."

It was Hiashi turn to turn red, furious red!

"HINATA-"

"I'm serious! I know what I want." She smiled in Naruto's direction, he was grinning at her.

"You don't know what you want, you're only 16. You're going home right now!"

"She already said no." Naruto butted in. Hiashi glared at him.

"When she lives under my roof, she'll do as she's told."

Naruto turned back to Hinata. "Then don't live there anymore."

"W-what...?" Hinata asked, taken back. Her father was right, she was only 16. She had to go home. But how could she explain that to him, without hurting his feelings?

"Live with me" He said simply.

"Naruto-kun..."

"NO!" That won't happen!" Hiashi ran at Naruto. Naruto pushed Hinata out of the way and she fell to the ground. But she wasn't down for long; she quickly scrambled to her feet. Naruto held fists out in front of himself and Hiashi came at him, Byakugan and all.

Hinata leaped in between them.

"NO! Don't fight"

Hiashi froze gentle fists in midair. One of his hands was dangerously close to Hinata's face; it was the shock of this that made him calm himself. Naruto's arms relaxed from his blocking position.

After awhile of both males staring warningly at each other, both bodies were completely calm.

"Right" Hinata sighed in relief that she'd managed to stop them. She faced Naruto. "Naruto-kun I-I love you. But we're too young to live together. Plus I'm also too young too leave home all together, unless my father wishes otherwise." She extremely doubted this. "So I'll be going home."

Naruto opened his mouth to object, but she quickly raised her hand palm-out to silence him. He did so. Then she faced her father, who looked quite smug.

"I'm going back with you. But I am not marrying Neji." Hiashi's face dropped. "I don't care what you do or say to force me. My heart and hand belong to Naruto. So you can lock me up and throw away the key, call me selfish, whatever you want. But I'm never walking down that aisle again, unless it's Naruto I meet at the end." Hiashi showed no indication that he'd heard her. She took his silence as a sour 'okay.'

She turned anxiously back to Naruto, who was grinning happily to himself. He noticed she was watching him, after awhile. He pulled the hand; she still had in the air towards him, pulling her along with it. He pressed her against his chest.

She hugged him close, her head resting on his shoulder breathing in his scent. His head was dug between her neck and shoulder. They stayed like this for what felt like hours to Hiashi, who was standing with his back to them, arms crossed.

After two more seconds he'd had enough.

"Hinata..." He moaned through gritted teeth. Hinata looked to him and turned bright pink. Naruto didn't seem to notice anything. "Now" Hiashi ordered for Hinata to come home with him.

"Naruto-kun"

Naruto noticed that time, Hinata looked up at him, he moved down to her lips and them gently with his own. He wanted to do more but they were interrupted again.

"I mean it!" Hiashi shouted, annoyed.

Hinata pulled unwillingly away from Naruto, an apologetic smile playing on her lips. They still held hands as she backed slowly away to where her father stood. Naruto grinned at her, completely happy but also disappointed.

Hinata's hands slipped out of his. She wandered over to her father, not meeting his eyes and left with him. Hiashi gave Naruto one last glare before he followed Hinata. Hinata glanced back over her shoulder as they walked, Naruto's eyes had not left her and she still smiled apologetically. He grinned back.

After Hinata and her father had left, Naruto sat back down on the swing feeling like the luckiest guy on the planet. He smiled broadly to himself as he thought of Hinata in his arms.

"Hey!" Iruka waved to Naruto from the academy gates, Naruto looked to him and waved also. "Remember, my treat?" When Naruto shook his head completely bewildered, Iruka couldn't believe it. "Ichiraku Ramen shop!"

"Oh" Naruto mouthed as he ran over to Iruka, a big grin on his face and not because of the ramen.