"Group twelve, you're on lunch break! Group eleven, hurry up and fill in!" I look up at the grizzled bridge builder from Nami, Tazuna-san, and wipe some of the sweat from my brow. I consider my coat for a second then pick it up and wrap it around my waist. I groan as I stretch my arms above my head, knowing full well the attention it draws to me. But, I don't care. I'd just confessed to the man I love not two days ago and almost died trying to defend him, so as far as I'm concerned, I'm a woman now and damn it, I'm going to start acting like one. But, just to be safe, I decide to crawl before I head off into a dead sprint. As casually as can be, I untie my jacket and let it drape over my laced fingers, in front of my body. My hips sway as I walk. Most people would say they usually don't but most people only see me with my big, heavy coat that covers it up. Needless to say, it isn't covering much of anything now. I can feel their eyes on me and I feel myself start to blush, but I fight it down. My efforts are in vain when I notice Naruto among the men eyeing me. I blush furiously and so does he and we stare at each other, approximately fifty feet of construction equipment and workers between us. I'm only vaguely aware of the audience as they shift their attention between Naruto and me.

"Hey, this village damn well ain't gonna build itself! Get to work!" Tazuna's voice shatters the silence and the workers resume their bustle. I look away from Naruto briefly and when I turn my attention back to him, I find him heading toward one of Yamato-san's many wooden houses. I gather every ounce of courage that I hadn't used to get myself to walk around without my coat and follow him. When I enter the temporary barrack, he's nowhere to be seen but a quick scan with my byakugan reveals him to be in a room on the third floor. I make my way up the stairs and when I finally find myself at the door, I raise my hand to knock. I stop, knuckles inches away from the wooden surface. I prepare myself once again and once again I stop. I can feel someone watching me but I don't dare turn to look. All that confidence I had amassed is evaporating in the stifling heat. The only thing that could possibly make this worse is Naruto opening the door.

The door opens to reveal Naruto's radiant blonde hair and deep blue eyes. God-fucking-damn-it. My eyes explore his features. The training he had gone through mere months ago has virtually eliminated any of his boyish features. As such, he possesses a well chiseled jaw line and strong chin. His wild hair is not bound by his hitai-ate and frames his face perfectly. He bears a striking resemblance to Yondaime-sama, whom I'm convinced is his father. My attention is drawn, like always, to the one thing that sets him apart from Yondaime-sama; the birthmarks on his cheeks that look like whiskers. Oh God, how I want to touch them. Like always, I start to reach for them and, like always, I redirect the motion into my 'habit' of prodding my index fingers together. The one thing that could make this situation worse is for him to talk to me. I won't even mention what would make it better.

"What's up, Hinata…chan?" Now that falls somewhere in between worse and better. I start to feel light-headed. Fantastic, I can usually stammer out a syllable-and-a-half before this happens. The last thing I remember before everything goes black is Naruto reaching out to catch me. Finally. I love the man, but he can be denser than lead sometimes. The blackness comes.

The next thing I know, I'm awake. I love that about losing consciousness, one second it's out the door and you have no idea how it happened. The next thing you know, it's back again and just goes about its business; doesn't even knock. I like to consider consciousness a permanent houseguest of sorts. It's there for the majority of the time but then almost as soon as a certain radiant-blonde-haired-deep-blue-eyed-well-chiseled-jaw-line-strong-chin-cute-oh-so-very-pettable-whisker-marked man-boy comes along it up and leaves. I can only hope it's making itself useful and tracking down my self-esteem. I'm about to open my eyes when I hear voices. It's Naruto and Sakura. The fact that their talking isn't what stops me. It's the topic that does it. Me.

"So, she's gonna be okay, right Sakura-chan?" the usual pang of jealousy is absent when I remember that the first and last thing he said to me before the Naruto's-very-presence ritual took place is calling me 'Hinata-chan'.

"She'll be fine, Naruto," Sakura says. "She just needs the rest of the day off."

"The heat musta hit her pretty hard, huh?" he says with a laugh. I can only assume he's rubbing the back of his head and grinning like the adorable idiot he is.

"Yes, of course." Her tone suggests that she's trying to hint at Naruto that the heat is not in fact the cause. Well, there is some kind of heat involved. Suddenly the atmosphere changes from concern and mild conversation and takes on a more serious air.

"She told me she loves me…" Naruto says. To my everlasting glee, I can feel him push my bangs away from my forehead. Mmm, he's so warm…

"Well, it's about damn time!" Sakura exclaims.

"What do you mean?" I can hear in his voice that he's not as surprised as he tries to convince Sakura he is. I would know. I've watched him since I saw him training when everyone else had left. Every time he speaks, I ignore everything else and listen to his voice; the way it fluctuates, the conviction and passion in every statement, the way it's always a little louder than necessary. I know when he's not being entirely truthful.

"Naruto, sweetie, you're the brother I never wanted." Sakura says. "The goofy, naïve younger brother."

"I'm five months older than you," Naruto objects.

"Physically, yes, but maturity? Not by a long-shot." I can hear mocking in her voice, but it's friendly so I don't hold a grudge. "She's had a crush on you since our days in the academy. Depending on when it started, that's about eight years of devotion." Sakura's tone changes. "What is it?"

"I… I've known the whole time…or at least knew she was always watching me." This statement doesn't shock me half as much as it shocks Sakura.

"Then, why didn't you do anything?" she asks. I have a feeling she already knows the answer. We both do.

"Well, I was so hung up on you…" My heart skips a beat. Was.

"So then, you've finally given up on me?" There is a mixture of disappointment and relief in her voice. I can't tell which is more prominent.

"Well, sort of…" My heart sinks a little. Sakura heaves a sigh.

"Naruto…"

"Well, hang on! Let me finish. Since I came back with Ero— Jiraiya-sensei, I feel like we've gotten closer. Not the way I would've liked when we were younger, but I think this is better. Sakura-chan, you really are the sister I never had. I would kill and die for you. At the same time, if I really needed to. I love you, Sakura-chan; that fact'll never change. It's just a different way." There is a minute of silence. I crack one eye open ever-so-slightly to see Sakura has pulled Naruto into a hug. My eye twitches involuntarily. She pulls away and wipes a tear from her eye.

"You okay?" he asks her.

"Yeah…" she replies. "That's the most mature thing I've ever heard you say…"

"Eh, I have my moments." Sakura chuckles.

"I am going to miss all the attention, though," she admits.

"Well, I'm not just gonna start ignoring you, Sakura-chan." The tone in his voice suggests that the very idea is alien to him.

"You say that now, but you'll see," she jokes. "What are you going to do about Hinata?" My heart starts to race in the silence that follows.

"I… I'm not sure…" For the first time in all the time I've known him, there is uncertainty in his voice. I want to reach out to him and hold him, tell him that he doesn't have to do anything, but I can't will myself to move. "I feel like… if I were to go to her now, it would seem like I'm only doing it because of what she said or because I can't have you that way. I don't want people to think that I'm with her just because you've turned me down so many times."

"Naruto, the simple fact that you've taken that into consideration means you could never do anything with her out of pity or…" she pauses; I suppose she's looking for the right word. "resignation. What?" I open my eye again. Naruto's smiling. It's that goofy smile he gets when he thinks something's funny that would normally only be funny for someone considerably younger. I love that about him.

"That rhymed."

"Dork," Sakura says with a chuckle. "Well, I'm going to see if Tazuna-san still needs me to chop wood." She stands and brushes herself off.

"Chop wood? I didn't see any axes." Naruto says. Sakura sighs and makes a chopping motion with her hand.

"Huh. Wait a minute, why does he have you chopping wood?" Sakura considers that for a moment.

"Hey, you're right! Why the hell didn't I think of that?" She storms out of the room and slams the door behind her. Now, I'm alone with him. I close my eye and hope I don't have another episode.

"Y'know, if you don't exhale soon, you're gonna pass out again, Hinata-chan." Oh… he's right… I release the breath I'm holding and sit up.

"How did you know I was awake?" I ask as I adjust my seating position. Naruto is watching me very intently.

"I always know when people are watching me, Hinata-chan." Then a look of realization crosses his face. "Hey, you didn't stammer or anything, Hinata-chan!" I tilt my head a little bit.

"You seem to have taken a liking to my name, Naruto-kun." I don't know where this boldness came from but I hope it doesn't develop the same habit as Consciousness, that freeloader. Oh, Lord, he's blushing! I made him blush!

"Just… trying it out, I guess. I kinda like the sound of it," he replies. There's no hint of flirtation in his voice, just sheer honesty and I love him for it. Okay, now, before Boldness packs up and leaves.

"There's something I've always wanted to try out." It takes sheer force of will to get that sentence out in one go. Naruto looks at me and, without any hesitation:

"Anything." My heart soars and a flood of possibilities crosses my mind. Oh, Lord, the possibilities. I gather my will again and scoot closer to him; with the way we're sitting, my knees touch his shins, and reach my hands toward his face, fingers twitching in anticipation. His eyes are focused on mine as my eyes are focused on his whisker-marked cheeks. My hands freeze centimeters from their target and I draw back a little. He must see how badly I want to touch them because he takes my hands in his and guides them to his face. My fingertips touch his cheeks and my heart starts to pound. I stroke one with my index finger and Naruto makes a noise that I never would've imagined I could evoke from anyone. A deep, satisfied grumble resounds in his throat. I stop and stare and my face heats up. "That one's a little sensitive…" he explains sheepishly.

His eyes are still fixed on mine as I explore his face. "There's…" Uh-oh, Boldness is starting to lose interest. "There's something else I want to try…" I look into his eyes and almost miss his response.

"Anything." I move myself so I'm sitting between his legs with my back pressed against his chest. As if reading my mind, he wraps his arms around my waist and nuzzles against my neck. I can feel him take a deep breath of my hair and I feel myself starting lose my nerve.

"There's one… last thing I would like to try, Naruto-kun…" he nuzzles me again, almost like a puppy.

"Anything, Hinata-chan," he whispers. I'm glad I'm sitting down; it makes for a shorter trip when I finally faint. I turn my head to look up at him and once again, his eyes are focused on mine. My eyes meet his and I feel myself start to blush. I don't think I'll be able to keep this up much longer.

"I-I… um… I lo-" Great, I'm a stammering wreck again. I bite my lip and feel the blush intensify. Naruto's eyes start to search my face and the blush, if possible gets deeper. "I-" this time I'm stopped by his finger on my lips; he then strokes them with his thumb. "I-" I try once more. Naruto leans in and presses his lips against mine. Oh, sweet mercy, we're kissing. After however-long-we've-been-sitting-there (do you think I'm paying attention?) I feel him move his mouth against mine and I follow suit. He brushes his tongue ever-so-slightly against my top lip and I gasp at the unfamiliar sensation, which he takes advantage of and infiltrates my mouth with his tongue. I fight back feebly and he retreats, but I chase him back into his own mouth and we fight back and forth like this for (again, do you think I'm paying attention?).

Suddenly, my mouth his lonely and I open my eyes to see that Naruto has pulled away. Damn that need for oxygen. We're both short of breath and blushing and my lips tingle from the sensation.

"Naruto-kun…" I whisper.

"Yes, Hinata-chan?" he replies.

"That was amazing…" I finish. He smiles.

"Yeah… It was." I move so I'm sitting with my feet tucked under me. I can feel that boldness coming back full force.

"Naruto-kun…" I can hear something behind the way I say his name that I never would've thought I was capable of. He misses it, though.

"Yes, Hinata-chan?" He's still smiling. It wavers a little when he sees the look in my eyes. I'm not quite sure what the look is but it seems to make him uneasy.

"I'm not finished yet…" The smile vanishes from his face and a look of confusion takes over.

"Huh?" Before he has a chance to make another comment I pounce on him and mash my lips to his. The impact knocks him on his back and I end up straddling him. Briefly, I consider our state of dress: he's topless and I'm almost topless. I muster up every ounce of willpower I possess, and even manage to find some I don't possess, in order to execute my next maneuver. I put a little more emphasis into the kiss before breaking it and sitting up. He's still a little dazed, which makes what I'm about to do a little easier. In a fluid movement that is only possible with extensive shinobi training, I remove my top and throw it… somewhere (still not paying much attention) and revel in the sight of Naruto's eyes bulging and his jaw dropping open.

"Sweet Jesus…" he whispers. I feel my nipples harden from the sudden change in temperature.

"Who?" He pauses to consider.

"I… have no idea…" he admits. I notice that his eyes seem to have found a new focus. I lean forward to kiss him again. He meets me halfway and the next thing I know I'm laying on my back with a cold towel on my forehead. What? As I sit up, I notice the room is dark except for the moonlight filtering in through the slatted window. I look down and see that my top is on. I dreamed it all, didn't I? Oh, but what dream it was. I blush a little. My reminiscence is interrupted the door opening followed by the smell of soup and Naruto. And also, Naruto.

"Oh, hey. You're awake. I brought you some food. I figured you might hungry after all the activity," he says with that grin of his.

"Activity?" he blushes a little.

"Yeah… you know… rebuilding the village… and stuff." His face gets redder and I feel mine heat up too.

"It wasn't a dream…" he shakes his head in the negative. Wow. I did it. I kissed Naruto. I made out with Naruto. I showed him my… Sweet Jesus…

"Hey." Naruto is crouched in front of me with the bowl of soup still in his hand. "You should eat." He takes a spoonful and offers it to me. "Say 'ah', Hinata-chan."

The world goes black.

Sweet Jesus indeed. It's been four years since I last published anyhing. If you haven't already figured it out, this takes place after Pain/Pein (I read my manga online and translators are always spelling things seven different ways) razes Konoha and, more importantly, Hinata confesses her love to Naruto. Then disappears off the face of the earth. WTF, mate?

To those of you who got here through an author update notification thingie, you are beautiful people. Or you haven't deleted me from your list-thingie. Many of you are probably wondering why this isn't the epic Teen Titans saga that I promised eons ago. I've been working on it a am making slow progress. And by progress, I mean "started-over-from-scratch-and-don't-know-what-the-hell-to-do-with-it." On that note, I will continue to strive for some sort of beginning-like portion of Family Matters Reduxified. Until then, hopefully this will sate those that bother to read it. And the story that precedes it.