Give Me an Eskimo Kiss or Two

A Naruto x Hinata fanfiction

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

It was a brisk spring day in Konoha; the air was crisp and the wind nipped playfully at sunburned cheeks and noses.

All was well.

Naruto was hunkered over a bowl of ramen and was slurping away noisily. Ten empty bowls wobbled precariously in a disorderly stack next to him.

Teuchi, the proprietor of Ramen Ichiraku, held back an affectionate grin as the young ninja tipped yet another serving back and politely (at least for Naruto) asked for one more.

His girlfriend of one month, Hinata Hyuuga, was at his side. She had already finished her bowl of tonkotsu ramen. Of course, it was her first and only bowl.

Hinata sighed. It had been a month and there was no progress in their relationship. Though she and Naruto were dating, their relationship didn't seem to have changed. Even before, when they were merely friends, they went to Ramen Ichiraku every Friday night.

Which was exactly what they were doing now.

Granted, the looming presence of Neji Hyuuga might have deterred Naruto from making a move on the stolid Hyuuga's shy cousin. But he never interfered in their Ramen Nights, as every Friday night was called.

So why didn't Naruto kiss her? He'd only held her hand, but not in a romantic way - the boy had held her hand even before they'd realized their feelings for each other!

Perhaps Naruto didn't actually like her, Hinata reflected, her brow furrowing and her expression becoming quite melancholy.

"Hina, are you okay?" Naruto's worried voice broke into her thoughts. He reached for her and smoothed out the crease between her eyebrows with gentle, calming fingers.

Hinata gave a faint nod as her face turned beet red. Naruto touched her! But this was the furthest he would ever attempt, Hinata reminded herself crossly. She shouldn't get her hopes up.

Moments later, full and very pleased with himself, Naruto escorted Hinata out of Ichiraku's. As they were walking home together, Hinata kept her eyes downcast so that she would not have to gaze at the sliver of tanned skin between his angular chin and collar or his full lips that she wanted to nibble on.

"Hinata?" Naruto waved a hand in front of the girl unabashedly staring at him. Under her gaze, Naruto felt uncomfortable; on edge. He fought an urge to stare back and draw her closer to him, closer until he could tilt her head back and place a delicate kiss on her lips...

Wait. No no no no no no no. Those were inappropriate thoughts. Hinata was too pure and lovely for him to kiss her suddenly. And it was only a month into their relationship. Wouldn't it be moving too fast for him to kiss her now?

Hinata herself wanted to grab him by the shoulders and launch herself at him, crushing his lips with her own. As Naruto drew closer, she felt her resolve slipping...

The two leaned closer and closer, until they were within kissing distance.

His eyes were beautiful, Hinata remembered. As if the entire sky was encompassed in his gaze. His eyes invited her in; invited her to draw ever closer as he narrowed the distance between their lips.

Hinata closed her eyes and waited blissfully for her kiss.

She felt a gentle nudging at her nose. "Wha-" her eyes flashed open. Naruto's nose was delicately bumping her own.

He smiled down at her, lips still enticing her. "Eskimo kiss - it's called an Eskimo kiss".

Though she felt a bit disappointed, for the first time in weeks, Hinata began to hope again. After all, this was a start.

A/N: tonkotsu ramen- a Japanese noodle dish consisting of Chinese-style wheat noodles served in a pork bone broth (Source: Wikipedia).

Eskimo kiss- the act of pressing the tip of one's nose against another's. It is loosely based on a traditional Inuit greeting called a kunik (Source: Wikipedia). I know Naruto's world does not have any Eskimos, but this is just too cute!

This is supposed to be a oneshot, but if I get enough reviews, I may add more chapters.