Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

A/N: The title of this chapter is a pun since you all probably thought I was dead. How about that?

I'm alive

Hinata sighed as she took a moment to gaze up at the night sky. The moon was full and stars covered the black sky. Everything above her looked wondrous and beautiful. She lowered her head. Everything in front of her was in ruin. In her hands she held a small tray of food.

Pain's attack had destroyed almost everything in the village. Barely any houses were left standing and the villagers were being forced to camp out in the open. They couldn't afford to hospitalize everyone in the safe houses, especially when so many ninja had to be nursed and tended to because of Pain's attack. Some families had to be forced out into the ruined village because the medics needed the extra room for the wounded. Not only that, but there were already plenty of people trying to rebuild the village. It would take weeks for the village to get back to what it once was.

Hinata was one of the able ninja who had volunteered to hand out rations to the village residents camping out amongst the ruins. Right now, she was on her way to deliver food to the guard at the north gate. As she made her way to the Konoha village border, she noticed the clusters of people she had seen inside the village had disappeared. The outskirts of town were almost completely vacant.

When she reached he destination, she was a little frustrated to find that the guard was no where to be seen. She was even more surprised when she heard snoring coming from above. Hinata looked up to find that someone was sleeping on the top of the high village border wall. The Hyuga sighed and hopped on a few ruined houses in order to gain enough height to the point where she could leap onto the wall safely. Imagine her surprise when she found out who the guard was.

"Naruto-kun?" Hinata squeaked, recognizing his sleeping form immediately. He snored soundly with a blanket hanging off to the side of his body.

Apparently her small outburst had been enough to rouse Naruto from his sleep. He yawned and stretched, blinking his sleep away. He turned his head and smiled at his visitor.

"Hey, Hinata." Naruto grinned. "What are you doing here?"

"I-I c-came to give some f-food to you." Hinata replied, handing the tray to him. He took it with a smile. "W-What are you doing our here?"

"I volunteered to be border watch since the guards had been hurt in the attack." Naruto answered, setting the tray aside. "Never know when one of those Akatsuki bastards will attack, y'know?"

"I-I guess." Hinata nodded.

Hinata shivered as a cold breeze blew by. She had given her jacket to a family who didn't have enough blankets for their children, and being the kind-hearted young woman she was, the Hyuga heiress had happily given away her jacket. Of course, that left her vulnerable to the cold night air. Naruto noticed this and frowned. He glanced at his blanket for a moment then smiled at her.

"You look cold." Naruto stated with a small grin.

"I'll manage." Hinata smiled back. "I-It's fine if it's a little chilly."

"…Sit down." Naruto said, surprising Hinata with his request. The thought of refusing her crush never coming to mind, she sat down next to him without a word.

What he did next surprised and touched her beyond belief. Naruto quickly scooted closer to her until their shoulders touched and he threw his blanket around both of them. Hinata immediately blushed at the action as Naruto smiled at her.

"Are you still cold?" Naruto asked.

"N-Not anymore." Hinata stuttered. All of a sudden she felt way too hot.

The two looked over at the ruined village in silence. Hinata blushed when she noticed Naruto shoot occasional side-glances at her. Eventually, her curiosity got the best of her.

"I-Is something wrong?" Hinata asked, worried that something about her was bothering him.

"N-No. Not really." Naruto replied, surprising Hinata with his blush. "Hey, Hinata… about what happened earlier, when Pain attacked me…"

"Y-Yes?"

"You, um, said that you loved me?"

Hinata almost fainted when he said that. To tell the truth, she had almost forgotten about that confession when she had protected him. It had been a spur of the moment kind of thing, but to think he actually remembered…

She blushed seven different shades of red when she realized how embarrassing this situation was.

Naruto noticed her discomfort and immediately changed the subject. He wanted to talk with her had he wasn't about to scare her away.

"W-What I mean is, why did you protect me in that fight with Pain?" Naruto asked, turning her head and forcing Hinata to look at him. "You could have died."

"W-Well, you could have died too." Hinata countered. "Why did you fight him?"

"I was confident that I had the strength to beat Pain." Naruto retorted. He had won the fight. "I know you're strong, but there was no way you could have beat him. Why did you try so hard to protect me?"

"Because… because Naruto-kun is an important person to me." Hinata answered quietly. Her blush disappeared. "When I saw Pain about to… just the thought of him killing you made me act without thinking. Losing you would be terrible not just for me, but for everyone in the village."

"I'm not that special." Naruto smiled sheepishly. "Even if I died, I'm sure that-"

"Don't say that!" Hinata shouted, making Naruto jump.

Hinata stood up, the blanket falling off her shoulders. She turned away from him, clenching her fists. Naruto just stared at her with a puzzled expression.

"Naruto-kun is always fighting. You always go off to fight in these life or death battles. Knowing that if you lose one battle… knowing that it could mean your death…" Hinata said, her voice cracking as her shoulders shook. "Do you have any idea what that's like for me…?"

"H-Hinata…"

"It's not fair…" Hinata whimpered. Tears were starting to cloud her vision. "Why do you have to be the one to fight these battles? Why can't someone else risk their life instead? It always has to be you, putting your life on the line for the sake of others. I know that's one of the reasons I admire you but… but I'm afraid sooner or later there's going to be one battle that you just can't win."

Naruto stared at the girl's back. Her words contained such emotion and intensity that he felt himself at a loss for words. He slowly stood up. Hearing her cry made his chest hurt.

"Naruto-kun is the person I care most about… the person that I love most." Hinata cried. Her face turned red at her second confession. "The thought that I could lose you one day is… it's…!"

Hinata gasped when she felt Naruto's hands twist her around to face him. She watched as he reached down and grabbed her hand. Hinata blushed as Naruto grinned at her. His hand firmly held on to her smaller one. He quickly wiped away her tears with his free hand.

"This is my hand." Naruto smiled. "It's holding yours."

"S-So I see." Hinata nodded, not quite understanding what he was trying to say.

The Hyuga girl gasped again when he pulled her forward and wrapped his arms around her. Naruto held her tightly to her chest. Hinata could feel her face getting hotter with each second.

"N-Naruto-kun…?"

"Can you hear my heartbeat?" Naruto asked quietly.

"Y-Yes…" Hinata nodded against his chest.

"It means that I'm alive, Hinata."

She felt him pull away from her a bit, but he still held her close. Hinata's eyes widened as one of his hands tilted her chin upwards. Naruto smiled and lowered her head towards her.

Hinata felt it as Naruto slowly pressed his lips against hers.

She felt her blush disappear. Hinata had never felt happier in her entire life. The kiss was better than she had ever imagined it would be. It was her first kiss, and Naruto was the one kissing her. Naruto pulled away from her, flashing her that smile she loved.

"I'm alive." Naruto smiled at her.

Hinata leaned up and pressed her lips against his for a second kiss. He smiled against her lips and kissed back. When they pulled apart they were both smiling happily at each other. Hinata felt a few happy tears fall from her eyes.

"You're alive, Naruto." Hinata smiled at him. Her beaming smile made him blush.

"…Um, about your confession. I never gave an answer." Naruto smiled sheepishly. "Well, I just wanted to say that I lo-"

He stopped when Hinata pressed her finger against his lips. She slowly drew him closer until her arms were wrapped around him. Naruto smiled and returned her embrace.

"I know." Hinata smiled.

"I love you." Naruto smiled. He didn't feel right unless he said it too.

Hinata just hugged him tighter in response. Tomorrow he'd probably just go off and fight in some battle again. She wasn't worried for him anymore though. Hinata knew that he wouldn't die. There wasn't a battle that he couldn't win.

Naruto was alive. That was all that mattered.

A/N: Yep. Almost a year since I've written anything. God it feels good to write again. I won't bore anyone with reasons for my absence, but hopefully I'll stick around for a while. If anyone is still reading my stories, I'd appreciate a review.

Kiiam