literally just 5k of nh fluff

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The time for Hinata to go back to Konohagakure had finally arrived. She had new stipulations and rules to follow but she wasn't going to worry about that right now. She kissed her mother goodbye and bid only a quick farewell to everyone else.

She swam up through the portal and smiled once she felt the much less salty water touch her skin and immediately began to summon Naruto. Hinata was so excited to see the blond boy and be able to be honest about everything.

So imagine her surprise when she reached the surface and saw him.

The broad expanse of his shoulders and back and the rest of his body emerged in the water. His hair was wet and skin unexplainably tan. Hinata felt that odd sensation of her ears and cheeks heating up again but she would just have to ask Naruto about it again.

"I miss you, Hinata." She heard him groan into the grass.

Hinata smiled at his admission and could no longer stay quiet. "I missed you too, Naruto Uzumaki Naruto. " she mused out softly.

The blond visibly startled and turned around much too fast. He slipped under the surface of the water but easily popped back up while coughing up the water he inhaled. "Oh my- god-" he muttered between coughs.

Hinata only smiled harder at his behavior and swam closer to him. "Hi."

Naruto could only stare in disbelief. Had he gone through the portal? Was he really seeing Hinata in front of him?

"You're a mermaid," he mumbled out. "You're a mermaid with magical powers and you're supposed to marry Sasuke."

Hinata nodded and swam even closer to him, nearly close enough to touch him. "That is correct," she said. "However, I do not wish to speak of Sasuke at the moment."

Naruto could no longer restrain himself and practically launched himself at Hinata. He wrapped his arms around her waist while she wrapped her own around his shoulders. Her skin was oddly warm in contrast to the cold water and air surrounding them but he was just happy she was safe.

"I can't believe you're here," he mumbled into her shoulder. "And you're safe."

"Of course I am safe, my family would never harm me." Hinata reassured him. "I appreciate your concern. I missed you a great deal, Naruto."

Naruto smiled and pulled back to look at her clearly. Her bangs were pushed back since her hair was wet which meant her face was clear and just as beautiful. Maybe because she was still a mermaid but her eyes were literally glowing which was enchanting to him.

"I missed you the past four days like crazy," he said. "I felt the pull when you call for me and I just tried to go through the portal."

"Humans can't-"

"I know," he cut her off. "But it was worth a shot. I needed to try it if not to find you but to prove Sasuke wrong." He chuckled a bit.

The bluenette sighed and moved her hand from his shoulder to his cheek, replicating his affectionate motions from a few days ago. "I am truly sorry that I was deceitful and unable to tell you the truth about my identity."

"It's okay," he sighed. "I don't know if I would've believed you. But you're gonna have to tell me about everything from your side. Sasuke did his best."

"Of course," she nuzzled closer to him and let out a content sigh. "I missed your embrace. I had forgotten that my kind is not the most affectionate."

Naruto chuckled and pulled her chin up to look at him. "Then I'll just have to make up for it."

He didn't let himself think before he leaned down. Naruto paused briefly, suddenly unsure of her feelings, but then she nodded softly. He pressed his lips gently against her own before he closed his eyes.

Hinata pulled him closer and leaned into him, unaware of what exactly else to do. Naruto cradled the back of her neck and let out a soft sound to encourage her.

He moved his lips against hers and slowly deepened the kiss as he felt her relax more into him. Naruto didn't want her to feel misplaced or awkward since he was aware of her lack of experience so he took the lead but let her do her own experimenting in what felt better to her.

She finally pulled back after many long moments to catch her breath. Hinata looked up at him and felt an odd sensation that lingered in his gaze.

"What is wrong?" She asked quickly. "I apologize, was I too forward or was it not to your satis-"

"Hey, no," he leaned down and pressed another kiss to her lips. "It was great. I very much enjoyed kissing you and plan to do it more in the future." Naruto said quickly to assure her. Hinata smiled shyly at him but waited for him to continue.

"It's just," he looked up at the trees and Hinata could see his blush travel down to his chest. "I'm much more aware that you're naked."

Hinata looked down at herself and once again was confused. Her chest was pressed tightly against his own bare chest and their arms were wrapped around each other.

"But," she poked his chin for him to look back down at her. "Is that not normal when people engage in physical affection?"

"Oh my god," he gasped. "I mean, yeah but no. We're not- it's not like we're gonna- I can't-"

"Oh my god!" A sudden shriek was heard. "Oh my god, babe, we're interrupting."

Naruto whipped his head around and saw Sakura covering her eyes and Sasuke with his mouth hanging open and eyes wide.

There was a beat of silence while everyone looked at each other, except Sakura of course.

"What are you doing here?" Naruto asked, twisting out of Hinata's embrace and shielding her from Sasuke's line of vision. Although he has apparently seen it all.

"I could ask you the same thing," he scoffed. "We were headed home from dinner and I could feel her magic so I came to see if she was here. I didn't expect to see.. to see this."

Sakura nudged him, more accurately shoved him, and let out an awkward laugh. "Sasuke, let's go. We'll meet up in a few days, at our place." The pinkette steered her boyfriend out of the clearing. She knew he wasn't jealous but he was protective of Hinata. They grew up together just as herself and Naruto did.

"I apologize for the nudity!" Hinata yelled after they left, remembering that it was frowned upon. Naruto could hear Sasuke groan and snickered to himself.

He turned back to face Hinata and smiled. "Would you like me to put on the clothes?" She asked even though she had completely pressed herself against him again.

Naruto didn't look at anything he wasn't supposed to but just maintained their eye contact. "Yeah but only if you want to. I actually want to see your tail if you would feel comfortable with it." He had been feeling her tail against his legs but tried his best not to be awkward about it.

Hinata's eyes became much more brighter and glowed a vibrant lavendar in the dark area. "Really?" She asked. "I can show you now."

"But it's dark-"

Hinata snapped her fingers and muttered something in an unknown language and suddenly small spheres of water floated up above them and lit up the small pool. "Oh wow." He felt his mouth dry a bit as he looked up at the soft lighting. "That's... that's so cool."

She smiled brightly, suddenly much more confident and comfortable in Naruto's presence since he was so accepting of her. Hinata reached up and pressed a tender kiss on his lips to which he quickly reciprocated.

"I enjoy this affection," Hinata said once she pulled away. "I look forward to our future relationship."

Naruto blushed a bright red once he realized the weight of her words. He was in Hinata's life whether he wanted to be or not. But he made his choice when he decided to learn about who she really was and he knew that he wouldn't regret his decision.

"Me too," he smiled. "We're dating now, okay? I'm not letting you go for a second."

"Okay," she smiled brightly. "What is the titles? Sasuke told me once but I cannot recall."

Naruto smiled cheekily once more. "Boyfriend," he pointed to himself. "And girlfriend." he pointed to Hinata. She kissed his chin which caused him to let out a breathless laugh.

They both basked in the silence of the night, the water oddly keeping Naruto warm. Hinata laid her head against Naruto's shoulder and let out a content sigh.

"So you gonna show me?" The blond asked after a few minutes of basking in each other's presence.

Once again, Hinata's eyes lit up and she nodded very quickly. She pushed Naruto to the edge of the water which caused him to let out a soft groan once his back made contact with the ground.

"I will pull myself up now," Hinata said, a little jittery. She swam a little ways away from him so she wouldn't be too close. "Close your eyes, please."

He let out a soft chuckle but looked up at the trees once more and closed his eyes. Naruto could hear her movements in the water and was getting a little excited and nervous to see Hinata's true self.

"You may open your eyes, Naruto."

The blonde opened his eyes still looking up at the treeline. He took in a deep breath before turning his head to Hinata's direction.

He gasped once he saw her.

Hinata had pulled herself up to sit on the grass a little ways away from him and let her tail dangle into the pool of water. She had somehow acquired a black t-shirt which made Naruto much more endeared. Her tail was just as it was in the photographs but much more radiant in person.

The white around her hips was almost glowing in contrast against the dark t-shirt she had suddenly put on. His eyes trailed downward, following the ombre shades of purple. Naruto flinched when Hinata flexed her tail upwards and splashed him.

"Hey!" He laughed as he spat out the water. It was then that he belatedly realized his mouth had been hanging open.

"Y-you have not said a word, Naruto Uzuamki Naruto." she muttered while glaring at said boy. Naruto looked up at her and noticed her cheeks were a deep shade of scarlet and eyes much dimmer than before. He suspected that her eyes were a huge tell in her emotions just from the time he had seen her today.

Naruto swam closer a little slower to give Hinata some space. "I'm sorry," he said softly. Hinata's face grew brighter as he came closer but she didn't shy away. "I've just... never seen someone so beautiful."

The blonde smiled brightly up at Hinata and he watched her eyes widened at the sudden compliment. "Th-thank you."

She slipped back into the water, suddenly more nervous than she previously was. Naruto laughed but let her come close to him and slide back into his arms. His sanity was much more in tact now that she was wearing a t-shirt.

Naruto didn't know how he ended up here. In his junior year of college snuggling a mermaid in the middle of the woods. But he decided it best not to question his fate.

"I'm gonna take you to my dorm tonight, is that okay?" He asked after some time. Naruto felt uneasy about leaving her alone in the woods tonight. What if her relatives came to take her back again and he wouldn't be here to defend her. There was just too many things to worry about and he would prefer to just have her close at least for tonight.

Hinata looked up at Naruto, her eyes once again bright and glowy. It looked like there was glitter in her eyes now that Naruto was closer to her and could enjoy the way her eyes lit up so brightly.

"To... your place of rest?" She asked softly. Her cheeks dusted a soft pink, much differently from when she was practically glowing red from embarrassment. "To your home?"

"Well, my real home is on the other side of town but I guess this is my-"

"Yes," she cut him off swiftly. "I would like to accompany you to your dorm."

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Naruto shivered in the driver's seat of his car, his wet hair practically forming icicles in the late hours of the night. He was jealous of Hinata's magic powers and how when she transformed from tail to legs her skin and hair was perfectly dry. Naruto awkwardly went off into into the trees to change and give Hinata a moment to dress herself. Although Hinata basically magic'ed herself into her clothes and waited patiently for Naruto to come back for her.

"I apologize for my inability to warm you," Hinata said. "My magic only works on myself until I reach maturity. Then I will be able to warm you."

Naruto laughed and looked over at her for a moment. She was so beautiful. Naruto couldn't even believe that he ever even thought she was a human. No human was this beautiful.

"It's nothing to stress yourself over. I'll just take a hot shower when I get to the dorm."

Hinata frowned and looked over at the blonde. "You are going to combat your wet hair with getting it more wet?"

Naruto explained as they continued the drive back to the dorm. It only confused Hinata further but she decided to keep it to herself for now.

Hinata looked up at the big beige building in front of her. It was huge. But Naruto explained how he only occupied a small shared space with another person in the building. Naruto slipped his hand into her own and showed her a warm smile of reassurance.

Once they walked in her eyes grew wide. It was certainly... less than what she expected. But it was nice. There was a man behind an open window with a thick coat on and dark tinted glasses.

"Hey Shino," Naruto greeted said man. "It's late. I thought there was no desk duty on Wednesday's."

The man raised his head slowly to look at Naruto. He glanced at Hinata which made her uneasy so she slipped closer to the blonde. "So is Wednesday the only day you bring your girlfriends over?"

Naruto chuckled and walked closer to the desk, pulling Hinata with him. "Um no, just the one girlfriend," Naruto emphasized and raised their joint hands so the man could see. "and visitors aren't against dorm policy until finals weeks."

"Yeah, yeah." Shino said mutedly. "Why's your hair wet?"

"None of your business." Naruto quickly replied. And with that Naruto once again pulled her with him down the hallway.

"Practice safe sex!" Shino yelled. Hinata watched as Naruto raised his other hand with his middle finger extended and then heard the man they left behind let out a laugh.

Hinata knew what that word meant and she suddenly became much more nervous. She hadn't had the chance to ask Sasuke anything about it yet. Hinata didn't want to be unprepared.

The blonde led them to the elevator. He clicked the up button and took a step back as they waited for the elevator. Naruto looked down at the blunette next to him and saw her reddened face and lowered his face so he could look at her. "What's wrong?"

Hinata lifted her gaze slowly, very nervous for the answer she was going get from the question she was about to ask. "Naruto Uzumaki Naruto," she said timidly. "A-are you looking to have sex with me tonight?"

The ding of the elevator went off and the doors slid open. Naruto's eyes widened and his face went up in flames at her question. "W-what?" he asked slowly. The doors slid closed as Naruto was frozen in shock and couldn't lead them into the elevator. "Why would you think that? I just didn't want you to sleep outside or wherever you sleep tonight."

Hinata cocked her head to the side. "I do not understand," she mumbled quietly. "Can you explain it so I can understand?"

Naruto let out a sigh and covered his face with his hands to try and calm down his embarrassment. He leaned over and pressed the button to call for the elevator again and sighed once more before looking back down at Hinata to try to explain.

"What exactly do you want me to explain, Hinata? What sex is or why I wanted you to be here with me?" he asked. The doors dinged and Naruto pulled them onto it. "Don't get scared, the elevator is going to move once I press the button."

Naruto pressed the button for the eighth floor and watched the doors close. Hinata was alarmed but tried to stay calm since Naruto told her not to get scared. "I wish to know both but I would be satisfied with the former."

He let out a breath he didn't know he was holding, thankful he could avoid that conversation for at least another night. The elevator dinged once more and the couple got off and Naruto lead them to his dorm. "I'll explain when we get to my room, okay?"

Hinata nodded and let Naruto let go of her hand while he dug around in his coat pockets for his keys. Then his jean pockets. He let out a sigh and knocked on the door, hoping Shikamaru was in so he could at least let Hinata in and head back down to his car for the keys. No such luck, though.

"I left my keys in the car," he groaned. "Wait right here, don't move."

"Can I not accompany you?" she grabbed his coat sleeve.

Naruto smiled at her and kissed her cheek softly. "I won't take more than a few minutes," he whispered against her skin. Hinata blushed and once again nodded. "Please don't go anywhere. Just stay right here in front of my door."

Naruto turned around and began to walk towards the lift but looked back at Hinata and saw her looking down at her feet with a dejected look upon her face. He jogged back quickly and lifted her chin softly and pressed soft kisses all around her face which caused the bluenette to giggle. The blond pulled back to see her with her glowy eyes and made a note to ask her about that later. Once she noticed though, she blinked and her eyes were back to normal. Naruto leaned down once more and kissed her, to which sighed softly into.

"I'll be right back, yeah?" he whispered. "Stay right here."

He quickly left because if he would have looked and her soft and gooey, loving expression he would have just kissed her all night right in front of his door. Hinata stood right where Naruto left her and couldn't get her smile off her face. This was the first time she could identify her emotions without Sasuke's help. Happy.

The sound of the door opening was heard down the hallway which caused Hinata to turn her head. There was the sound of laughter and she cocked her head to the side when she saw the couple standing in the doorway. It was a dirty blonde haired woman with her arms wrapped around a brunet male. They had smiles on their faces and kissed each other between giggles.

"Listen, I'll come over-" kiss. "Tomorrow." kiss. "You have a test to study for!" The male exclaimed but still held onto the woman tightly.

"I don't care," she mused out, voice thick like honey. She kissed the man in a way that made Hinata blush and look away for a moment. "I want you here."

"Tenten has desk duty tomorrow which means we can celebrate you passing your test or I can cheer you up if you fail. Sounds better, yeah?" The man said against her skin. The couple said some more things that Hinata couldn't quite understand since they were said much more quietly.

Hinata watched curiously as they kissed once more, very passionately, and the woman finally pushed the man away playfully. "Goodnight." The man said with a goofy grin plastered on his face. He turned around and the woman playfully smacked his behind which caused the man to laugh but just continued to walk towards Hinata.

She looked back down at her feet and heard the man jangling his keys as he came closer to her. Suddenly there were dark combat boots in front of her white converse. She slowly looked up at the man and felt his eyes pierce into her.

"Who are you? Why are you in front of my door?" he asked flatly, clearly no interest in her whatsoever. It was odd how quickly he switched from a loving and joking persona to such an intimidating one in mere seconds.

Hinata gulped but remembered how Naruto taught her to introduce herself. "H-hello! I am Hinata Hyuga." She stuck her hand out in greeting just as Naruto taught her.

The man frowned. "Ok. Hi, Hinata." he shook her hand awkwardly. "Why are you in front of my door?"

"I am waiting for Naruto to retrieve his keys." she said in response.

The man's expression softened once she said that and he showed a small smile. "Oh. You're Naruto's girlfriend or something? Here, I can let you in so you're not waiting out here."

Hinata stepped aside and let the man fumble with the lock for a moment before opening the door and motioning for her to follow him inside. Hinata was reluctant since Naruto had said to wait by the door but she figured that since his roommate had arrived.

"Yes, we have just begun, um," Hinata thought for a moment to remember the word that Naruto used. "Dating." She said in response to his question.

The man threw his keys on the counter and turned on the light which revealed a small kitchenette and living space and she could already see three doors.

"Ah, nice." he said as he took off his shoes and coat. "I'm Shikamaru, by the way." he said. "Nice to meet you. Go ahead and make yourself comfortable while you wait for Naruto."

Hinata mumbled a nice to meet you as she awkwardly sat down on the couch and folded her arms across her chest. She watched the man move around the space with ease and then he sat on the opposite end of the couch.

He turned on the TV and Hinata tried not to fidget too much. She remembered Naruto said that most people engaged in small talk so she tried her hand at it.

"I do not mean to pry," she began which caused Shikamaru to hum in response as he flipped through the channels. "But was that blond woman your significant other?"

She watched as his cheeks turned a bright red and he turned to face her. "Ah, you saw that?" Hinata nodded. "Yeah, she's my girlfriend. We've been together about three years now."

Hinata was about to respond when the front door swung open to reveal a heavily breathing, wide eyed Naruto. He let out a breath of relief once he saw Hinata seated on his sofa. Shikamaru just stared at him and snorted. "Jeez man, calm down." he chuckled then paused. "Why's your hair wet?"

Naruto shot him a glare but he did in fact calm down and control his rapid breathing. "I see you two have already met," he said, glancing over at Hinata and completely ignoring Shikamaru's question. "Hinata, can I talk to you real quick?"

Hinata nodded and bowed slightly at Shikamaru once she stood up. Naruto directed them to his room which only caused Shikamaru to let out a wolf whistle. Once inside, Hinata could barely turn before Naruto wrapped his arms around her tightly. "Don't scare me like that."

She hugged the blond back slowly and suddenly felt guilty. "I am sorry. Shikamaru welcomed me in and I did not want to seem rude." Naruto mumbled it's okay into her shoulder. He pulled back and then steered them to his bed.

Hinata watched him sit down and take off his shoes so she copied his motions. "When you like someone," Naruto started. "You want to be around them all the time." Hinata paused at his words. She stopped fighting with her shoe laces and turned to look at the blond.

"Why I wanted you here tonight was because I was scared. The last time I left you in the woods I didn't see you for four days." Naruto wordlessly slipped onto the ground to unlace her shoes for her. "If you're uncomfortable staying here after tonight just let me know. But for tonight," he paused after removing her left shoe. "For tonight I want the girl I like to be in my arms. I was so confused a few days ago when Sasuke told me who you, the both of you, really are. But the more he spoke the more I realized that you were someone who was meant to be in my life."

He finally looked up at the girl when he finished taking her shoes off. He startled when he saw her eyes filled with tears. "H-Hinata, I'm sorry. Did I-"

"No, no," she waved her hands. "I feel the same way. I am just overwhelmed with all the feelings I feel for you. I went my whole 20, nearly 21 years of existence, hardly ever feeling anything at all, so my time with you has been so... so..." Hinata struggled to find the right words, her limited vocabulary really frustrating her. Naruto shushed her when he saw the tears begin to fall and her cheeks begin to turn red out of frustration.

He sat back down next to her and pulled Hinata so she was on his lap. "It's okay. You're getting too worked up, I don't want you to get sick or something. I'm not sure how mermaids handle stress."

Hinata let out a laugh then wiped her tears with the sleeves of her sweater. She calmed down and figured she would express herself to Naruto much better after she'd get accustomed to life on land. "Thank you for explaining how you feel. I will try to communicate my emotions as well."

Naruto kissed her temple firmly. Hinata didn't think she would ever get over how much she enjoyed kissing. So she turned to face him and planted a big kiss right on Naruto's lips. He giggled at the sudden movement but kissed her back all the same. Naruto pulled away and sighed happily as he laid his head on her shoulder.

"Now, before you get any ideas or anything," he raised his head with a serious but soft expression. "I am not looking to have sex with you tonight or anytime soon. Okay?"

The bluenette frowned. "But is sex not something you do with your significant other?"

"Yes but, I don't want to rush into anything. It means a lot, at least to me it does. I'm not saying I don't want to," he reassured her. "I do, especially with you. But sex is a big step that I'm not sure you completely understand yet. I'll explain it to you later but not right now."

"Why not?"

"I am freezing and need to take a shower," he laughed. He slid Hinata off of his lap and pulled off his shirt and tossed it into his hamper. "You can stay in here or go watch TV with Shikamaru."

Hinata narrowed her eyes at him then stood up. "Can I shower with you?"

Naruto let out a defeated sigh. Hinata had no regard for privacy or felt any sense of shame. To put it simply, she wasn't like other girls. But maybe that's because she was a literal mythical creature.

"You won't turn into a mermaid if you get wet?" He asked, genuinely curious.

Hinata giggled. "No. I control when I transform. Plus, being in my natural form away from the portal would put strain on my reserve of magic. Meaning I would need to go back to the ocean." She explained.

The Hyuga hoped he would agree. She didn't want to leave his side until he had to go do his human duties. Plus, after the past couple hours Hinata understood why humans craved intimacy from their partners. She felt all warm and tingly and she knew that this was only the beginning of their relationship.

She pulled Naruto's arm to her chest and waited for him to make a decision. Of course, she also didn't want to intrude on any personal time that Naruto needed.

The blond looked down at her and could only put a tired smile on his face as he pulled away.

Naruto grabbed his robe and then two towels from his cabinet. Hinata smiled.

yes, they showered together. and NO, it was not anything nasty. just hinata learning about the male body and nardo respectfully looking 😌 and yes, shikamaru was annoyed at the sheer amount LAUGHTER and HOLLERING that they made bc naruhina are so funny in this fic

this chapter was so much fun to write!! it took awhile bc look at all this relationship progress in this ONE chapter. and all the kithes 🥺🥺 love it. i'm havin a lil writers block abt our other mer-pals but i'll figure it out!!

also can i get some shikatema appreciation. literally temari is so hot for what i love her and shika is so fione in the anime.

also also this is probably one of the longest chapters ive written. i just didn't wanna rush this chapter bc of the development or cut the chapter in two parts

once again, thank you for your continued support! life has not been the kindest to me the past few months and writing and y'all interacting w me makes my brain machine go brrr <3 so please comment more! its so fun to see what you guys have to say :(

bringing back my boy soft susky in the next chapter 😏✨

HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE 🎄❤