As Hinata's eyes began to flutter open as panic rushed through her mind. Is Naruto alright? Did I save him? Tears slid down her cheeks as she came to the conclusion that Pain must have killed him. The only boy she had ever loved, her strong, wonderful Naruto was….

"Why the tears Hinata?" Came a voice, from the side of the bed. She gasped as a hand encircled her own. She tried to sit up not believing what her ears had confirmed

A gentle hand pushed against her shoulder keeping her lying on the hospital bed. Then the most beautiful face in the world entered her vision. A look of concern clouded his tired eyes below his disheveled spiky blond hair.

"Are you ok Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked again.

"Na-Naru-to?" Her eyes grew wide looking in disbelief at the nine tailed jincuriki. "You're…you're alive?"

That ever so familiar grin dawned his features as he looked at her. "Thanks to you Hinata."

He removed his hand from her shoulder and resumed his seat beside her bed. Only then did she realize that he had been there for quite a while waiting for her to wake.

Keeping his hand in hers he asked, "Hinata? …Did you really mean what you said? When you rescued me from Pain?"

Hinata turned her head to the wall a familiar blush coloring her cheeks. Gathering courage she turned back to him with a nervous smile, her eyes filled with tears for this wonderful man that sat beside her. "I've always loved you Naruto," her usual stutter silenced by the conviction of her words.

Stunned Naruto looked up into her crystal gray eyes and saw the truth of what she spoke there.

"Ever since you protected me from those bullies and got beat up because of it. Since that moment, I wished I could be like you, so brave and always standing tall even when everyone else was putting you down. You always worked so hard to surpass everyone's expectations of you." Tears welled up in her eyes. "And when I saw you pinned to the ground by pain...those stakes impaling your hands….I couldn't sit and do nothing. I couldn't watch him take you away without doing something to protect you…" a tear slid down her ivory cheek as she recalled the moment.

"Oh Hinata," he reached up and wiped the tear from her cheek. "I never knew please tell me why you are crying."

"Because I thought I lost you… that what I did didn't help… that you had…" tears began to stream down her cheeks as her pent up emotion were released. She lowered her head ashamed to show him her tears.

Releasing her hand and taking her face into his hands he used his thumbs to wipe away her tears. "Hinata?" He tilted her face up so he could look into her eyes. "Always Hinata? You loved me since before the academy?"

"Always Naruto-kun," the tears ceasing as she realized his face was only inches from her own. The familiar light headedness she felt around him came in full force as her face tuned deep red and her world went black in her characteristic faint.

"HINATA! Hinata…..are you ok?" Naruto's panicked voice invaded her cloud nine experience. Was Naruto actually going to kiss her? She opened her eyes as the panic in Naruto's voice registered.

She looked up into his panicked face and was surprised to find tears in his eyes. "Hinata? Oh thank Kami… are you ok? I'll go get Granny Tsunade."

Just now noticing that he now held her in his lap she drew courage from as she lifted her hand to his face wiping away the tears that had begun to trickle down from those heavenly blue eyes.

"Naruto-kun, I'm fine, I don't need the Hokaga. Why are you crying?"

He pulled her closer so her head was resting against his chest. Cradling her as close as he could. "I thought you were still hurt, Hinata, I thought that you were going to die that Pain…. killed you….I…I…what you did for me gave me the strength to defeat him Hinata…you saved me. And because of you I was able to save the whole Village… I never realized my feelings for you until I thought you were gone from me forever… I wanted to die!" He exclaimed, a look of desperation on his face.

Looking down into her beautiful pale eyes he leaned forward his face only inches from her own and whispered "I love you too, Hinata," right before his lips met hers.

His lips where so warm and moved softly against her own, kissing her gently and lovingly. Her heart soared as she remembered all of the times she had felt so worthless but in the moment when it counted she was able to save was Her Naruto, now and forever.