Soul Mates

"Augh! How could this happen?! How?!" Loud sounds of crashing filled the apartment next to Hinata's and she cringed, wondering what in the world was going on over there.

Maybe Naruto just found out some terrible news, she thought to herself. Maybe I can provide some comfort to him. The blue haired girl put her hair in a ponytail and went over to her neighbour's front door, knocking on the wood tentatively.

After a few moments, Naruto opened the door and widened his eyes. "Oh...Hinata. I, uh, I'm sorry if I disturbed you with all of the noise."

Even though she liked Naruto, Hinata wasn't going to lie and say that he didn't disturb her, because he did. She was cooking her lunch and the racket he was making made it hard for her to pay attention to what she was doing. This visit wasn't just to see what was wrong. It was for her sanity as well.

"Um, you were pretty loud, Naruto."

The blond laughed sheepishly and scratched his neck. The door widened and he stepped outside. "I ran out of ramen..."

Of course he did. Hinata shook her head at her friend and a little giggle escaped from her lips. "Silly me. I should have known that your anguish had something to do with ramen."

Naruto blushed and chuckled. "Yeah, I guess I do get a bit carried away when it comes to ramen."

"Because you love it so much," she responded teasingly.

"That's not true. Ramen is great and I do love it, but the way I feel about it is nothing compared to the way I feel about...some people."

Hinata's breathing grew shallow and she looked into Naruto's eyes. There was a tenderness in his gaze when he'd said that and it made her wonder...

She'd have to think about that gaze and what it may or may not have meant later. Right now, she had a mission. "Well, that's good. People are very important." She moved a strand of hair away from her face, smiling up at him.

He sniffed and crinkled his brow. "Hey, are you cooking something?"

The blue haired girl gasped and turned back to her apartment. "My lunch!" She sped back into her apartment and stopped in the kitchen, quickly removing a medium-sized pot of the stovetop. Hinata took off the lid and waved the air in front it.

"Did you burn it?" Naruto had walked in after her and closed the door.

Hinata picked up a spoon and dipped it into the food, blowing on it for several seconds, then tasting it. "Mm-mm. It's edible."

"What were you making? Soup?"

"No. Ramen, actually."

"Wha??" Naruto went to the kitchen and stared down into the pot Hinata was stirring. There was ramen in the pot, as well as tomatoes, leeks, strips of beef, green onions, fried egg and mushrooms. Never in his life had Naruto seen such a delicious sight.

"Damn, Hinata. I never knew you were a cook. Or that you liked ramen..."

"Yes. I like to experiment sometimes. I was supposed to go to a restaurant with a friend, but she came down with the flu, so I decided to eat in today and make myself a meal." She noticed Naruto's borderline lusty expression as he stared down into the pot. A small smile curved her lips. She dipped the spoon into the broth again, scooping up a little meat and vegetables, holding it to his lips.

"What do you think?" She asked him, expectantly.

Naruto's eyes widened in anticipation and he blew on the food for a half second before engulfing the spoon with his mouth. He chewed and hummed appreciatively. The heat from the broth warmed him as it went down his belly and he sighed in ecstasy. "It's amazing, Hinata."

"I was hoping you'd think so. Naruto?"

"Yeah?"

"Would you like to join me?"

"Huh? You want me to eat with you?"

Hinata nodded. "Yes. I'd rather not eat all by myself, and since we're friends and you ran out of ramen, I figured this would be a win-win for both of us. Unless you don't want to..."

"Whoa! No way would I ever turn a good bowl of ramen down! I'll stay!"

It was hard to keep a calm facial expression when she was a screaming mess on the inside. Hinata smiled and motioned to the cupboard. "Alright, you know where the bowls and the silverware is. If you set two places on the table, I'll take care of the ramen and the drinks."

The young man was reinvigorated with a pep in his step as he sprung into action. "Sure, Hinata!"

Within a few moments, the table was set and both adults were about to sit down and eat. Before Hinata could sit down, Naruto leaned over and kissed her on the forehead. She blinked in surprise and stared at him.

"What did you do that for?"

"To thank you for inviting me over to eat with you. You didn't have to do it, but you did anyway and I just wanted to tell you that I'm grateful." The bashful look in his eyes made her heart swell with affection.

Hinata touched Naruto's cheek and kissed it softly. "I could never turn you away when you're in need, Naruto. I'd share anything with you..." She blushed and looked down at the table.

Naruto's lips parted and he smiled. "So would I, Hina."

She nudged him, trying to draw his attention away from her blush. "Lunch will get cold."

"Right! No one likes cold ramen!" He held out her chair and pushed her up to the table before seating himself opposite her.

Hinata watched Naruto as he tore through his ramen. It was really adorable to see him eat so ravenously. Many people would think it was disgusting, but she thought it was nice.

Every now and then, Naruto would look up and grin at her, telling her how amazing the food was. The proud gaze that he sent her made her feel good about herself. Then Hinata silently decided to make her own ramen once a week and invite Naruto over to share it with her.

The way to a man's heart was through his stomach, after all.