Epilogue: Our Future

Five years later…

The two friends stood at the training grounds together. A nostalgic feeling filled the long haired kunoichi as she watched the warm breeze tickle the branches of the trees, causing them to sway. She leaned against a wooden pillar, closed her eyes, and absorbed her surroundings. The action was to calm her racing nerves more than anything else. They were alone again in the place where it had all started and this time it was a little more intense then it had been back when they were teenagers. Hinata had changed. She was no longer a lovesick puppy. Unbeknown to her, Naruto had changed as well. She wasn't aware of the way he watched her, soaking in her beauty. He was still unable to believe how he'd managed to get her there alone. Maybe they could finally talk. She'd been dodging him for far too long… When she opened her eyes and caught him staring at her, the two blushed and looked away from each other bashfully.

Finding the atmosphere to be smothering, the girl looked back at her friend and offered him a forced smile to soften the awkwardness between them.

"I'm so excited… today's the day!" Hinata exclaimed merrily.

"Hehhehheh… you act like such a kid… Hinata." The ebony haired girl playfully stuck her tongue out at the man before her and then said, "You're one to talk! You're trying to act so cool but you know you're just as excited as I am!" Naruto smiled. She was right, but only halfway. He wasn't acting cool to hide how excited he was about his inauguration but to hide how nervous he was to be alone there with her. He took a step towards her and grabbed her wrist, pulling her close to him. She gasped in surprise and a blush crawled its way on her cheeks when he wrapped his arms around her waist. He brought his forehead down to hers and they were so close now that their noses touched. Hinata went rigid in his arms.

"I'm more nervous than anything else," he claimed sheepishly. The girl giggled nervously and cupped his face in her hands hesitantly.

"Don't be. You've earned this! It's what you always wanted and now you have it. I'm so proud of you…" Naruto's eyes fluttered closed in content as he felt her soft, delicate hands on his bare skin. He brought his hands up from her waist to cup her hands and stroke her long petite fingers affectionately as he whispered, "Being Hokage… wasn't the only thing I wanted… Hinata…" The girl's faced flushed and she looked at her feet shyly.

"N… Naruto… what… what are you saying?" She wanted to pull away to create some space between them but he only held her tighter. She gulped nervously and took deep, short breaths.

"Hinata… you… you haven't been the same since that time… since that time five years ago when Akatsuki attacked the village…" His tone was serious and carried a sad property to it. Hinata couldn't meet his gaze. She didn't want to know what he was thinking by seeing those large cerulean eyes looking at her. She trembled a little and Naruto pulled her into himself, laying her head against his shoulder as he gently stroked her hair.

"I don't know what happened… but… I can't stand how much it changed you," he claimed breathily. She felt his warm breath against her neck and involuntarily trembled with delight.

"I… I don't know… what you mean… Naruto…" For a minute neither spoke, and the two just reveled in the other's embrace instead. Hinata's heart was beating so fast and hard that she was sure he could feel it against his stomach. She had tried to control it. She had tried so hard to keep her feelings at bay. But it was no use. There was no containing the extra rush she got whenever he was around her.

Pushing herself away from him forcefully, Hinata shook her head furiously and said, "We… we can't! I can't do this Naruto!"

"Why not Hinata? I don't understand! This is what I mean! Ever since that time you've been keeping your distance from me! Why?" He demanded. He grabbed her shoulders and looked down at her sternly. She wouldn't meet his gaze and he hated it. She never looked at him directly. Not anymore. The subtle ways she managed to keep her distance were hurting him. She had definitely changed since that time five years ago and Naruto wanted to get to the bottom of it. He had waited for her long enough and he was tired of waiting. Everyone else was happy with their significant other and Naruto wanted to share in that happiness as well.

"Hinata! Don't you understand why I'm bothered by this? I… I…," his face turned beat red and his grip on her shoulders tightened in his nervousness. Hinata held her breath and waited.

"I mean… all my life I wanted a family… just as much as I wanted to become Hokage… Hinata, aren't you jealous of Sasuke and Sakura? They're expecting their third child already! Their family is growing bigger! And what about Neji and Tenten? They have four children! And everyone else is happy too! They're all so happy Hinata!" Reluctantly, she met his eyes and saw the desperation on his face. She saw just how much pain she was causing him.

"Naruto…," she whispered. He pulled her closer again and she didn't fight him.

"Hinata… I… I love you," he said. His voice cracked a little and he wanted to slap himself. He didn't want to sound so needy, so weak. But he was desperate for her to understand.

"I love you and I want to have a family with you…," he said in a more controlled voice. He pulled a ring out of his pocket and placed it on her left ring finger shakily. Hinata stared at the modest golden ring. It was a small engagement ring, the diamond in the middle was barely the size of her pinky nail but it was the most beautiful shade of blue she'd ever seen. Her hand began to shake the longer she stared at the ring and Naruto watched her reaction wearily.

"Please… Hinata… marry me?" The woman barely comprehended his question but when the words he spoke finally registered, she shook her head vehemently.

"N… no!"

"But why not? Hinata! I know you love me! I know you do! So why won't you marry me!? Is it because I'm going to be Hokage? Does that bother you?" Hinata shook her head and grasped her left hand with her right and brought them to her heart.

"Then what is it? Why have you been so cold to me? What is it that I did wrong? I know I took forever to respond to your feelings but we were kids Hinata! I didn't understand then like I do now! But Hinata you've always been my most cherished friend and… and…," he stopped talking when he saw how his words weren't having an affect on her. He took a step away from her and looked at his feet.

"I'm… too late… aren't I? You… you must really love someone else then…" Nothing transgressed between the two for a few minutes and Naruto forced a pained smile on his face.

"I'm sorry Hinata… I… I'll just go…" He turned to walk away but felt a small fist grab onto his back and pull on his clothing. Her grip was tight and Naruto stopped dead in his tracks.

"Hinata?"

"That… that time… I thought… I thought I lost you… Naruto…," she said slowly after a few minutes. Naruto stood rigidly when he felt her hand shake.

"I… I was… so sad… Naruto… I thought you'd died to protect me… I… I couldn't… I couldn't accept the fact that your feelings for me had driven you to such extremes as that. So… so I thought that if I kept my distance… those feelings would die and we could live our lives in peace but… but…I'm so stupid! I couldn't suppress my feelings for you and you…" Her grip weakened and Naruto felt her come closer to him. She wrapped her arms around him from behind and buried her face into his back. He felt her tremble and hot tears wet his back.

"You love me! You love me!" Her voice was muffled but Naruto could feel the intensity of her words. They stood that way for a few minutes, Naruto letting Hinata cry as long as she needed to. When she finally calmed down, he pried her arms away from around his waist and turned around to face her. Her eyes were red from crying and her face was solemn.

"I… I don't want to be hurt like that ever again… Naruto…," she whispered. He smiled softly.

"Then… is that a yes?" Hinata blushed and looked at her feet.

"Maybe." His smile widened and he took her into his arms and spun her around yelling out "yeses" and "woohoos" in his mirth. She laughed and held him tightly. When he put her down, he looked into her eyes lovingly and said, "Now, I'm the happiest man in the world!"

"I'm glad…" Unable to contain himself anymore, he leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers. Hinata moaned and pressed herself against him. He groaned in his throat and pushed her against the nearby wooden pillar for optimum closeness. He beckoned her mouth open with his eager tongue and Hinata allowed him entrance. His tongue was warm in her mouth and it explored her hungrily as he tasted her. He pushed up against her more and Hinata's back arched instinctively. Her heart beat rapidly and just when she thought she'd black out from the lack of oxygen, Naruto broke the lock on their lips and withdrew his tongue. He began trailing hot kisses down her neck instead and she held his head, loving the feel of his soft, golden tresses against her hands.

"N… Naruto… the inauguration… ceremony… you'll… you'll be late…," she grunted breathlessly. Naruto stopped mauling her body and looked at her hotly. Hinata silently thought to herself, "Please don't look at me like that… I can barely control myself as it is…"

"… Alright… You're right. I have to go…," he said in a raspy voice, thick with his desire. Hinata's cheeks heated and she dared to breathe when he finally backed away from her. He took her hand into his and smiling, led them away from the training grounds and towards the village, towards their future.

A/N: Well, that's the really real end! I hoped you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it! Thought I was gonna leave you all deprived of some good ol' NaruHina fluff huh? Wrong!

This story was kinda complicated because I had started writing it during the time the anime was in fillers and the manga hadn't produced any new chapters (a sad time for Naruto indeed) but then, the manga started again so the story became what I wished would happen between Naruto and Hinata as well as what I predicted would happen in the future of the series. Yeah. My ideas probably are no where near the reality but hey, I think it'd be kinda cool if some the stuff I wrote about happened. You don't have to agree with me.

So anyway, go me! I finished another one! And since I got positive feed back for this story, I might post another NaruHina that will be strictly NaruHina. Yeah. Thanks again for reading. Adios until next time.