A few housekeeping items then we'll get started.

Firstly I finished the prequel, To Walk Beside You, so if you haven't read that and like cute fluffy pining NaruHina go give it a read! There are a few inconsistencies now with this story since I was a dummy and wrote it halfway through this but hey I'll fix those when I'm done here.

Second, I made one small change to the previous chapter. I originally had the Raikage sending guards to pick up the prisoners in the next two days, but I changed it to the end of the week. I want Hinata off crutches when she confronts them. And let's just remember that healing isn't linear nor is it the same for everyone.

March 13th

Kiba walked through the familiar halls of Hinata's home, after all the years they were teammates he was able to find his way around pretty well. Some member of her clan, there were too many, he hardly remembered their name, had told him Hinata was in the main kitchen.

"Gods Hinata!" Kiba had pushed the door open and was met with the sight of her and Naruto together. "You make food there."

"Oh, hi Kiba, I forgot you were coming over." Her blush was evident even from his spot at the door. Hinata was perched on the counter, knees open with Naruto standing in between. He laughed, pulling his hand from beneath her shirt.

"Oh, hi Kiba. That's all you have to say to me? It's not even nine in the morning Hinata, in no way was I expecting to walk in here and find his tongue halfway down your throat and a hand up your shirt."

"Kiba please, we're sorry, it won't happen again. We just finished eating, let me get my crutches, grab my stuff and we can go."

"Where are you going?" Naruto asks, helping Hinata ease her way off the countertop.

"We have to finalize our statements and mission notes. I should only be gone an hour or so."

"Do you want me to go with or?"

"I'm good, Kiba and Shino will be there. Want to meet for lunch around one?"

"Yeah, sure, sounds good ya know." Naruto chuckles when she tries to hold her crutches and go up on her one good foot to kiss him. Taking pity on he leans down, her lips brushing his cheek. Naruto watches her, hobbling out of the room, Kiba clears his throat, rubbing the back of his neck.

"So," he starts as soon as the door closes behind Hinata. "How mad are you at Shino and I?" Naruto shots him a confused look.

"We let you down, she got hurt. I promised you we had her. I didn't have her, I let her down."

"Kiba, I'm not mad, well at you guys. Not like you and Shino came back without injury." Naruto eyes the long cut on Kiba's forearm and the bruise taking up the better half of the left side of his face.

"We really did try though, there's a reason why she's more banged up than us. I know everyone thinks Hinata's just really shy. But, Gods, she's something else when you threaten someone she cares about or get her upset."

"I've been figuring that out." Naruto mutters under his breath

"They were leaving her alone, until they did this" he motions to the cut on his arm. "Then she started yelling at them, got herself gagged and bound. Just, she went through a lot and I know you don't need relationship advice from me, but she's not good at letting anyone know when she needs something. Hinata's so good at taking care of everyone, but maybe she'll talk to you cause." The telltale sound of Hinata's crutches coming down the hall cut Kiba off.

"Kiba?" She asks, leaning into the room.

"I'll see you for lunch, where do you want to meet?"

"Maybe you could just grab something and we could eat at your house?"

"Works for me," Naruto walks past Hinata, brushing his knuckles lightly across her cheek.

The pair walk silently through the village, walking into the Hokage office. Shikamaru had them wait in a room, saying Lord Six would be in soon.

"You guys good?" Kiba asks "You and Naruto I mean."

"Yeah why wouldn't we be?"

"I don't know Hina, just with what you went through."

"We're good Kiba, we talked, well kind of. I was on IV meds."

"Oh, pain med Hinata is fun, what did you tell him?"

"You know my usual spiral with him, worrying that we won't have a future all that."

"How'd he take that?"

"I think he's going to propose."

Kiba stares, mouth slightly open. "What?" He starts, Shino coming through the door.

"Did I hear her right?"

"Why do you both look like I told you that Naruto grew a second head or something."

"You guys have only been dating for three months." Shino states.

"Well yes, I know, it's my relationship and all. Yes it's only been three months officially I guess, but you guys know it's been years." Hinata explains. "We've had that talk, and I swear either of you say anything about what I'm about to say, but you were right, all of you, and I was an idiot. He had feelings, okay, Naruto knew well without really knowing but it's the same for him as it is for me. We both know that we're it for each other. Why would it matter if I marry him after three months or three years?"

"I guess all our hard work over the past two years did pay off Shino, we'll have to make sure Sakura knows too. She deserves most of the credit after all."

"You're both horrible."

"We just want you to be happy Hinata." Almost a decade of knowing him let Hinata know that Shino was grinning at her from behind the high collar of his shirt.

"I am, I promise, I'm so happy. And before either of you ask, I'm going to talk to him, really talk to him about what happened. We'll work through it, Naruto and I."

With that their conversation cut short, Kakashi-sensei followed by two familiar faces close behind. The kunoichi with red hair, her eyes a striking gold against her dark skin while her counterpart a shinobi with white hair and sucker permanently fixed in his mouth. Karui and Omoi from the Hidden Cloud.

"No forgive me if I'm out of place Lord Hokage, but if you can't control that jinchuriki of yours something will need to be done. He can't get a free pass to break the treaty just because of who he is. If he went further it would have been treason." Karui states, not noticing the three of them seated at the long table across the room.

Kakashi's eyes meet Hinatas for the briefest moment, giving her a slight nod, as if he knew the thoughts running through her head.

"Naruto isn't something for me to control, trust me I've been trying since he was twelve," Kakashi chuckles. "Now I will agree that he acted recklessly, but given the circumstances frankly I'm hard pressed to even reprimand him."

"So what I'm hearing is that you plan on letting what's questionably the most powerful shinobi run unchecked because a mission went bad."

"I will not check my shinobi for defending their comrades, treaty or no treaty. If we'd really like to get into how the treaty has been handled I'd like to discuss the treatment of captured shinobi. But for that I believe we need to hear from these three." Kakashi motions towards the table. "Aburame Shino, Inuzuka Kiba and Hyuga Hinata."

The hours ticked by as the three gave an account of their mission. Explaining how they had tracked the rogue shinobi and what had happened after they had been captured. Kiba placed a hand on Hinata's knee under the table as she gave a detailed description of what had been done prior to the rescue team from the Hidden Leaf arriving.

"Well," Omoi starts, pulling the sucker from his mouth "I'd have to agree with Lord Hokage in that our shinobi violated the treaty, Lord Raikage had complaints regarding Naruto but given the circumstances I'd say the way he acted was understandable." Hinata hadn't heard the man speak more than a few words during the war let alone take the sucker from his mouth.

Kakashi stands, followed by the rest in the room "Lunch? There's some prepared for the guest why don't you three stay."

"Thanks Kakashi-sensei" Kiba smiles as Shino nods his head in agreement.

"I appreciate the offer sensei, but I already have lunch plans." Standing, Kiba passing her the crutches.

Kakashi smiles, eyes crinkling "Tell Naruto hello."

Hinata hobbles through the village, crutches hindering her movement. Passing Naruto's old apartment, the shops before finally entering the new section of the village. A light sweat coated her skin by the time she reached Naruto's home, due to the added effort the crutches took to cross the village. Climbing the steps she hesitated.

Do I knock, go in, try the key? She questioned herself, before reaching out and turning the knob.

"Naruto" her voice cutting through the silence in the empty entryway.

"Hey, in here!" His voice sounds from the kitchen "I got us pork buns and some stir fried vegetables. And for dessert" Naruto places a box on the counter in front of her "those cinnamon rolls you wanted."

"Do you wanna talk?" Naruto asks between bites.

"I just don't know where to start." Hinata pushes the vegetables around on her plate.

"Wherever you want, ya know, I just wanna be here for you Hinata however you need." He reaches out covering her hand with his own.

"I just don't know how to feel. Yeah what happened on my mission happened but Gods Naruto it could have been worse. I've heard the stories from others, the cautionary tales they tell just us girls in the academy. I'm lucky, truely, I was saved and I'm safe now. The only thing I know for sure is I don't want to be a victim, I don't want to let what happened define me and change how I feel."

"How do you feel?" His blue eyes questioning.

"Safe, happy, content, loved oh so loved and well all because of you. You and this village that has done nothing but protect me and watch out for me even lost in the field."

"You know you don't have to be right? You don't have to be those things, everyone's told me to let me take this at your own pace but Hina, don't feel like you can't be sad or hurt or something else. Especially with me, ya know."

"Naruto, I, fuck," her boyfriend chuckling at her words "to be honest I don't know how to feel. I'm feeling a million things at once right now. But I have you and when I have you it just makes being all those things okay. It makes me feel okay and like I can get through the pain cause you're here."

"And I want to be that I want you to be able to feel safe with me but you gotta tell me Hinata cause I'm useless at this feelings stuff and I don't want you to feel like I don't care."

"For someone who thinks he's useless you sure are doing a good job."

"Hinata." His voice soft

"Why don't we go upstairs, I didn't sleep well last night, with my leg and all."

Hinata stands, grabbing her crutches and making her way up the stairs

"What is this?" She asks, laughing, his normal single mattress replaced with a larger one. Full of pillows and a fluffy gray blanket.

"It was supposed to be a surprise, ya know, for when you got back."

"You bought a bed, a big bed." Hinata takes a step towards it, leaning her crutches against the wall and sitting on the edge of the bed. "It's comfortable." She pats the spot next to her.

Instead Naruto moves to stand between her legs, gently nudging them apart with his knees. His hands finding their way to her hair, fingers combing through the loose strands.

"I love you." Naruto mumbles, pushing her down and covering her body with his own. "I missed you" He kisses her cloth covered shoulder. "I'm proud of you." He rolls to his side, fingers finding the zipper to her jacket. "So strong, so amazing." She moves now, sliding the jacket off revealing the sports bra beneath. He the spot between her breast, feeling her heartbeat beneath his lips.

"I love you too." Hinata smiles, pulling him back go her side, nuzzling her head into his neck. "Take a nap with me then we can head back to my place for dinner?"

Wordlessly Naruto pulls his shirt over his head, before pulling her into his chest and the blanket over them.

There's some art that inspired Kiba walking in on them linked in the Ao3 version