Warnings: Sort of WAFFY and some minor Hyuugacest (if you read it that way.) Don't read this chapter if you liked I'm Here's last ending.

I'm Here - Epilogue

By Saori-Hime

They were walking towards the gates of Konoha, when Naruto suddenly sprung up in front of the group and stopped just a few meters away from them with a loud stomp of feet. Sakura, Shikamaru, and Neji looked at the usually composed blonde in wonder, confusion, and surprise.

"Hey, you are so full of energy today Naruto…" Sakura commented, which voiced all of her teammates thoughts. Naruto turned around to face them slowly, and he put both of his hands behind his head.

They stared at him.

He gave them a big grin, "Today, I'm going to be the leader! Follow me guys!" He shouted and without waiting for a response he took off into the forest. Shikamaru was speechless, Sakura couldn't believe her eyes, and Neji actually blinked. They glanced at each other, wondering if all of them had seen the same thing or it was just another one of those Shinobi mornings where you confused yourself with your own Genjutsu.

Neji finally shrugged and was soon after Naruto in order to remind him that the mission was on the opposite way he was going.

"Hey Sakura," Shikamaru spoke up, walking up to the pink-haired girl who still looked like she had just seen a ghost walk by. Run away was more like it. "How long has it been?" He asked, and Sakura was silent for a moment, her green eyes were lost in thought and remembering with a sad solitude the past she had yet to put behind her.

A gloomy smile was born on her lips, "Yesterday… was the fifth year."

"Ah…" Shikamaru looked back at the path before them where the strangely hyper Naruto had suddenly manifested himself in front of them. He would have smiled in recognition, but he only managed to look happy, because for Shikamaru it was too troublesome to actually smile, so looking happy was good enough.

"I haven't heard him speak in a very long time… I thought he had forgotten he could do it by now." Shikamaru commented into the open just because it was the absolute truth, a truth that walked, and breathed, and smiled, and cried when no one was watching, because it was all made-up of dirty lies and gross denials that no one could make go away. "It seemed like a joke to everyone, to see the loudest ninja in Konoha go mute."

Sakura's gaze fell to the floor, and her head lost the strength that held it up. Shikamaru panicked—he had forgotten he was speaking to a girl—and all guys knew that they couldn't really speak to girls without upsetting them or making them mad, or even worst, bringing them to tears. Shikamaru was very afraid of having just done the last one, "Ah—well...what I meant—"

Sakura shook her head, "It's okay… I'm just glad he decided to speak up again." She looked up and smiled gently, "I also missed his voice…" Her gaze turned up towards the sky above them, and the soft blues and violets that mixed together in the morning sky stared down at her in acknowledgement. Her smile turned brighter, and she chuckled to herself as whispered thoughts and memories passed by her fleeting heart and melted away years of worry and sorrow.

Today, she could look up at the sky and smile.

"Captain, how about we postpone this mission, I'm sure Hokage-sama will be delighted to hear this." Shikamaru blinked… and then nodded. He put a hand behind his head and added, "Captain…where do you get those nicknames from, seriously…geez…"

Sakura stuck her tongue out at him, "Ino calls you Shika-chan and you get angry because I call you captain." Shikamaru's cheeks colored a warm red and Sakura laughed, if only she had a camera with her, she thought, before her giggles were eaten away by the wind as she disappeared in a puff of smoke.

•

Hinata vaulted from her chair, "A-ano… oops…" She apologized to the room, even though there wasn't anyone around. She straightened the chair and tucked it in carefully under the table like the others before running out to catch up with Neji, who was already heading towards the door, "Y-you said Naruto-kun spoke up?" The blue-haired girl blushed, "Neji-neesan, are you sure?" Neji turned back to watch Hinata's hopeful and cheerful expression, and he stood by the doorway with his unreadable expression on.

"Yes." He replied.

Hinata clasped her hands together in delight, "I'm so happy! I was so worried…all this time…" Neji nodded and then turned back towards the exit "I just thought you'd like to know."

Hinata watched Neji begin to put his shoes on and her excitement fell back into dismay, "Neji-neesan… a-ano… would you like to stay for… dinner?"

"Branch House members can't dine with the Main House family," Neji stood up, "Bye, Hinata-sama." He opened the sliding door and walked out into the garden of the Hyuuga Main house, which had a small, well-kept walkway that led him towards the exit gates.

He almost arrived there when his senses were surprised by the light footsteps approaching him. He turned to see a rushing Hinata catching up to him, "T-then…" The shy girl began, "May I…" She blushed, "…join you?" Neji stared at her blankly, and Hinata put both of her hands in front of her body in defense, "I-I mean—but if you had plans—I didn't—s-sorry…"

Hinata watched in frequent embarrassment how Neji offered his arm out to her, and her features flustered visibly before she closed her eyes and dared herself to hook her arm with his in the traditional way man and woman used to walk together when going out into the street.

Her eyes were fixed to the floor and she could only see her moving feet and the floor beneath them.

Neji kept his gaze on her as they walked and felt a tugging smile on his lips.

•

Naruto gulfed down on his ramen and whenever he was done, he would set his plate down with a loud thud and scream, "Ojichan! Serve me one more!"

Everyone that walked by had to stop to look at the famous blonde Jounin who had the fame of being the stealthiest ninja in the Fire country, and they would wonder when they saw him doing this if it was an imposter trying to pass off as Naruto-kun. It was impossible for someone as loud and obnoxious as the person eating ramen in that little stand to be called the stealthiest ninja in Konoha! The rumors went that he hadn't spoken a word since he was born!

But of course, rumors were rumors, and Naruto himself was full of them.

And if someone knew this more than anyone else, it was Kakashi.

"I see you are already causing a commotion." Said the silver-haired man as he took a sit next to the noisy blonde. Naruto coughed up some noodles before forcing himself to gulp them down, and quickly turned to face his teacher. He blamed Kakashi for the surprise, but instead of the quick glare he deserved, Naruto gave him a happy grin, "Kakashi-sensei," Naruto greeted him, rolling the name off his tongue in easy pleasure. His grin grew larger, and he looked around him, inspecting the area from left to right, and from right to left, before he turning back to Kakashi and whispering, "You know, Kakashi-sensei… I've wanted to tell you this for a long while. Ano sa, ano sa… those Icha Icha Paradise books you are always reading," Naruto made a face, "They are so corny..."

There were a lot of first words Kakashi could have expected from his student, many of which he suspected would revolve around the incident that left him "speechless" for over five years, but… he certainly didn't expect that.

His eye curved and he played on, "Wait until you get to volume eight."

Naruto stared at his teacher for a second, before he started laughing, and when he finished, he turned back to continue eating his abandoned ramen. Kakashi watched him eat quietly with his face covered with a dark blue cloth like always.

Minutes stretched between gulps and slurps of ramen, and when Naruto didn't speak up again, Kakashi decided he should give him a push, but before the older man could voice his question, Naruto held out his finger and answered him, "It's a s-e-c-r-e-t." He mumbled with a mouth full of ramen and with some noodle-ends sticking out of his mouth.

Kakashi blinked and his lips turned into an understanding smile behind his mask. His hand reached out to ruffle Naruto's wild blonde hair, and he nodded, "Just make sure you talk to Iruka, he is angry at me for kidding about your… newly found outspoken traits." Naruto nodded at Kakashi with a closed-eye grin, and Kakashi got up, "Whenever your ready…" He suggested, concluding that it was time to take his leave.

"Hey, Kakashi-sensei…" The older Jounin paused and turned back to look at his former student, "Do you believe in ghosts?"

Kakashi stared at the blonde blankly; an expressionless face reacted to the meanings of his words and it pieced things together from experience. After watching and assuming things from Kakashi's face, which even when hidden it still gave away things only another person with the same troubled childhood could read, Naruto started.

"Sasuke… used to wake up earlier than me," He said, now turned around on his sit so he was facing Kakashi instead of the inside of the ramen shop. "…So I'd always turn to see his pillow sunk instead of his face." Kakashi didn't say anything, "A...and…yesterday,"

"I dreamed with him." Naruto smiled with both of his eyes closed and his chin pointed down towards the ground, "Then, when I woke up this morning…" His chin tilted upwards and blue eyes opened slowly to stare at his teacher in the serious manner he had learned after hard years of only speaking through gestures and loaded glances. "…His pillow was sunk…"

They stayed silent for a moment of contemplation, one side remembering, the other imagining, before Kakashi turned around and finished getting out of the small stand. "You must have slept on both pillows, Naruto." He said logically, but the growing smile on his lips betrayed his words.

Naruto stood up, "Wha! No! I know it sounds stupid, but—" He stopped short, and just watched his teacher wave at him as he walked away. Naruto stuck his tongue out at him, still a little flustered, but understanding that Kakashi was only pressing his buttons, "Jerk!" He yelled without malice and sat back down on his sit.

Naruto was quiet, facing the now empty entryway to the ramen stand, and trying to settle his emotions, when—

"Naruto 3" Sakura sang cheerfully as she entered the small stand. Naruto looked up to see not only his pink-haired teammate come in, but also of his other childhood friends. He stared at them with wide-eyes, and Ino nudged Shikamaru on the side they were standing, "I thought you said he spoke…" She whispered, even though everyone else could obviously hear her, and Shikamaru sweatdropped. He decided not to comment since explaining the situation to Ino once had been troublesome enough.

Hinata blushed and fidgeted from the other corner of the room, and Neji stood with his hands inside his pockets quietly. He had been the one to drag Naruto back inside the village, so he knew the idiot could speak. He smirked and waited for Naruto to prove everyone else the truth.

Naruto smiled. "Hey guys…"

"OOOOOOH!" Rock Lee yelled out in victory as he stroke a pose, one hand landing on Naruto's shoulder passionately, "Naruto-kun, glad to have you back!" Everyone decided to join in the attack at the same time after Lee's outburst, and Naruto was squished back into the counter.

"Ah—oh—hey!—"

•

"Sasuke…" Naruto whispered to the sky from his position on the window inside his room, "Everyone was happy today, some even brought me gifts." Naruto smiled as he remembered the meek Hinata trying to explain what was inside the box even though he had already opened it and was even wearing it. It had been a sweater…an orange one. He grinned. "…And that old lady Tsunade almost sent me to the hospital with one of her hugs." He stuck his tongue out childishly, "Oh and Sasuke…" Naruto called, "Iruka-sensei almost had a heart-attack when I jumped in front of him and said hi." Naruto laughed.

He walked back towards his bed and plopped down tiredly. He had already taken off his Shinobi gear, and was clad in only his boxers. He turned over on his bed, so he was facing one of the pillows, "But… I still wish you had been there."

Naruto closed his eyes, "I'm not alone—everyone… is with me." Naruto mumbled as he began to fall asleep. The cold wind blew tersely over his face, and Naruto shivered a little. He snuggled closer to the bed as he felt his senses tickling him, "…maybe, maybe… you are here," He whispered with half-closed eyes, and before he fell asleep, he saw a warm darkness approaching him and it made him want to smile. "Right…Sasuke…?"

He heard faintly, hidden in between the rustle of leaves outside, a sure reply, and one that touched him gently and gave him confidence for the future, even if it didn't include his one and only special person in it…

"I'm here…"

•

Owari

Comments: I actually outlined I'm here to have this ending, but I realized while writing this part that it didn't have much SasuNaru in it, so I cut it off. I'll still put it up cause some people wanted a conclusion to the story (but I don't think this is what you guys wanted, since it only explains the title XP)

And if we are being serious editors, we can note that many of the small scenes included in the epilogue don't have any constructive purpose to the story, but I couldn't help myself from inserting them! Haha…-.-; sorry if some of them disturbed you.

People were asking what happened to Sassie in the reviews, so if you were left wondering he is dead. Why? No clue. lol… it just doesn't have a reason. Call up my confusing Inspiration and ask her yourself :P (1-800-Confusing-Inspiration) Is he a ghost? Did he really leave Naruto's apartment? I'll leave that up to you :P

Another one-shot, another killed character…lol I should stop writing one-shots.

-Saori