Soul Mates

Hinata was just about to lie down for bed when her little sister, Hanabi, knocked on her bedroom door.

"Hinata?"

"Yes, Hanabi?"

"Um, Naruto Uzumaki wants to see you."

"He wants to see me? Now...?"

"He was very adamant about it. He said it's important."

The blue haired Hyuuga scratched her forehead and looked at the clock on her nightstand. The time was currently 12:08 and for Hinata, it was a bit late, even for an important social call.

"Alright...I'm put on my robe and be down there in a bit. Thank you, Hanabi."

"No problem. Well, I'm off to bed now. Good night, Hinata."

"Good night, Hanabi." Hinata gave her sister a hug and went over to her bed and donned her robe.

Moments later, she was outside in the front yard, waiting for Naruto to appear. "Naruto? Naruto? Where are you?"

Two hands grabbed Hinata from behind and she squealed, kicking her legs out. "Ahh! Let me go!"

"Shh! Hinata, it's me! Lower your voice or you'll wake your dad up! I definitely don't need him to see us like this."

The blue haired girl calmed her breathing and placed her hands on his. "Naruto, you can't sneak up on me like that! You scared me!" She pulled his hands from her stomach, trying not to miss the warmth of his skin.

The blonde chuckled sheepishly. "Eh, sorry, Hinata. I wasn't thinking."

Hinata resisted the urge to roll her eyes, instead, opting for a small shake of her head. Naruto was a usually charismatic and excitable person who was known for playing pranks on people and shocking them, herself included. It was a very annoying habit, but he had a tenacious spirit that drove him to do his best, so she really couldn't stay mad at him for long.

"It's alright, Naruto. Now what is so important that you couldn't have waited to tell me tomorrow?" She crossed her arms and rubbed her shoulders. It was a bit more chilly than she'd expected it to be.

Naruto grinned and stuck his hands in his jean pockets. For once in his life, he seemed...a little flustered, maybe even nervous too. That was interesting, as he tend to be one of the most boisterous and outgoing people in all of Konoha.

"You know the dance at school tomorrow?"

"Yes..."

"Are you going?"

That was the reason he wanted to speak to her? The school dance? Hinata crossed her arms and sighed. "Neji told me that I need to get out more and have fun, so I'm going with he and Ten Ten. Although, I really don't want to."

The blonde moved a little closer and leaned against the wall of the house. "Why not?"

Hinata bit her lip. Naruto was one of her best friends and he understood her better than anyone. She knew he wouldn't judge her because of the way she felt, but it struck her that she was being a little selfish.

"Have you ever heard of the saying 'three's a crowd'?"

"Hm, no. I don't think so."

"It means that having three people spend time together is too many. A couple is perfect for dinners and professional outings, even casual things like school dances. But a third person would always feel awkward because he or she are all alone with no one as their date. It's worse for me because Neji and Ten Ten are dating now and even though they're trying to be nice, I'd just feel like a tag-along or a burden for them." She sighed once she finished talking. Now he knew why she didn't want to attend the dance.

"Go with me."

At this, Hinata's head popped up. "What did you say?"

Naruto smiled and came nearer, taking her hand in his. "You can go with me. I don't have anyone I wanted to ask anyway and we're best friends, so it makes sense if we'd go together. That way, neither of us will feel alone or worried that we're butting in on other people. C'mon, Hinata. What do you say?"

Naruto Uzumaki was asking her out to the school dance? It was kind of like he was asking her out! This only happened in Hinata's dreams, and not that often too! The blonde boy never knew that his blue haired best friend had a crush on him. She'd liked him ever since they first met as toddlers, but as they grew older, Hinata was afraid that Naruto would laugh off her feelings for him, so she kept them to herself.

"A-are you sure you want to go with me, Naruto? I'm sure there are plenty of girls who would go with you if you asked them."

Naruto shook his head and smiled at her. The silly girl didn't get it. "Hinata...you don't understand. I don't want to go with any other girl. I want to go with you."

"You do?" Hinata's eyes widened and her jaw dropped in an undignified manner. She began fluttering her eyelids and Naruto was hoping to God that she wasn't about to faint. Every time something shocking or amazing happened concerning Naruto, she was prone to faint over it.

Perhaps it was flattering in a way, but also very distracting. He put his hands on her shoulders and rubbed them. "Hey, do me a favor and stay conscious, alright?"

"I'm not going to faint, Naruto." There was an indignant sound in her voice when she spoke and it made Naruto smirk.

"Good. Because it gets tiring for me to have to keep catching you every time you pass out."

Hinata blushed and huffed, pushing him away. If he wanted to be a jerk, he could go to the stupid dance all by himself! "Good night, Naruto." Then she turned to go back inside the house, but he pulled her back.

"Hey, Hinata, wait a minute!"

Hinata tried to shrug him off, but lost her footing and when he pulled her, she slipped and they both fell to the ground. It was a clumsy fall, with Hinata lying on Naruto's chest. He put his arms around her and maneuvered his body to hit the ground so she would fall on him and not get hurt.

Naruto groaned and looked down at the young girl on his chest. "You okay?"

"Yes. Are you?"

"Just a little winded, but I'm fine."

She nodded. "Well, then, I'm off." She started to get up, but Naruto's hold tightened on her wrists.

"Dammit. Would you stop for a second?"

Hinata's eyes narrowed and she angrily poked Naruto's chest with her fingernails. "Why should I? You've made it very clear that my fainting 'annoys' you and I'd hate to be such a problem of embarrassment for you. So I'm going to bed!" She struggled against him, trying to push off him.

Naruto growled, "Why are you so impossibly stubborn?" Then he pressed his lips to hers.

A surprised squeak left Hinata's lips and she pushed him once more, but the strength on her arms had ebbed away. After the shock at feeling her best friend's lips touching her own, Hinata moaned and tangled her hands in his hair.

As for Naruto, he gripped her hips and flipped them so she was now under him. Reluctantly, he lifted his lips from hers and gave her a sly grin. "Do you get the idea now?"

The blue haired girl looked up at him with eyes full of wonder. "You l-like me, Naruto?"

"Of course I do! I always have! You know me. I'm awkward around girls, but with you, it's easier to be...I dunno, natural, I guess. I like being myself around you." He smiled at her and she smiled back.

"Then, I'd be happy to go to the dance with you, Naruto!" Hinata sat up and hugged the blonde, happy that he returned the embrace. They stayed like that for a while, enjoying this feeling of intimacy.

Naruto groaned when he opened his eyes. It was late and he was keeping her up longer than she needed to be. "Hey, we'll talk more tomorrow. You need sleep, so let me get you in to bed."

Hinata's eyes bugged out of their sockets and she stared at him. Naruto blanched when he realized what he'd just said and covered his mouth with his hand. "Sorry! Sorry! That's not what I meant at all! I meant, um, I'll let you go to bed!"

He was so cute with his wild gesturing and frantic hand movements. Most people just ignored him when he got like this, but Hinata loved this energetic side of her best friend. She grasped his hand, getting his attention.

"Naruto...you're right. It is late, so why don't you come up to my room?"

His dumbstruck facial expression was hilarious. "Wha-you want me to sleep with you? In your room?"

Giggling, she tugged him into moving forward towards the house. "Yes, but not for that. I mean to sleep, silly."

A brief disappointed look showed on his face, but he quickly replaced it with a neutral one. "Right. I knew that."

Hinata opened the front door and closed it very quietly. "We have to be very quiet because it wouldn't be good if Dad caught us tip-toeing around."

Naruto gulped and didn't respond to that. Hiashi Hyuuga was a scary man. If he found Hinata walking around the house with a boy, best friend or not, Naruto was sure that his goose would be cooked.

They didn't speak until they reached Hinata's room and she locked the door.

"Um, Hinata, won't your dad want to know why your door is locked?"

"No. He's used to it. I always lock my door at night because I sleep in the nude." She tossed her robe on a chair and slid under the warm covers. When she didn't feel the bed dip again, she looked up. Naruto stood there, staring at her.

"Naruto? Is something wrong?"

"Y-you sleep naked?"

Hinata couldn't help the sultry grin that spread across her face. Naruto really was adorable. "Yes, but don't worry. I'm wearing shorts and a tank top tonight. I decided to sleep in clothes, so you're in luck."

As he took off his pants, Naruto mumbled something about that being a damn shame and he got into bed with her. Once he settled under the covers, she laid her head on his chest. "Don't worry about getting caught. I always wake up earlier than father and Hanabi, so I can help you sneak out of here before anyone sees you."

Naruto's hand touched hers and his other was draped over her shoulder. This was a comfortable position for them both and he found his eyes drooping. Before he fell asleep, he felt Hinata's soft lips kiss his cheek and she whispered, "Good night, Naruto."