Forgotten

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Naruto (Shippuden). This is a story inspired by the original made up for entertainment purposes only. - Krystal

Chapter 60: The Promise of a Future

They had now all returned to the village. Although nothing was quite alright, things seemed to have fallen into place. Kakashi was about to be officially appointed as the sixth Hokage. He dreaded the idea of becoming the Hokage as he didn't really believed that he was suited for the job. Meanwhile, the rest of them were once again all together and preparing themselves for the war. They also were told about Sasuke's decision to destroy the village. Kiba was angered as Naruto announced to them that he alone would be fighting Sasuke when the time came to do so.

"Naruto. Don't act like a big shot now!" He said. "We are all in this together. We will all fight him."

"No. I have my reasons for wanting to fight him." Naruto replied as he began walking away from them.

"And you can't tell us why?" Neji asked him as he stood up and was about to stop Naruto from getting away from them.

Yuki stopped him by grabbing onto his sleeve. He looked at her as she simply shook her head. Naruto walked away without looking back. He had a lot on his mind, yet nothing as well. He just wanted to grab some food. He was tired. He was tired of thinking about Sasuke. He was tired of talking about Sasuke. It didn't feel like the right time and it felt like the decision had already been made, therefore there was no need to think about it any more. As he was now out of sight, Yuki looked at the others and asked them:

"Let's just trust him, alright?"

"He's not giving me a good reason to trust him right now!" Kiba said angrily.

"When was his way ever wrong?" She then asked him. "I can't remember a time when Naruto couldn't do what he set himself out to do."

"But..." Kiba began.

"She isn't wrong. Naruto knows Sasuke best and he wants the best for the village as well." Shikamaru interrupted him. "For now, let's just believe in Naruto."

Yuki looked at him and smiled. She knew he would understand their point of view. Shikamaru was that friend that you didn't have to say much for him to understand you. He liked things that were simple, things that weren't complicated. As long as it didn't have to be complicated, he kept it that way. He also trusted Naruto much more than the others. He had been observing him for a while now and saw the same things that Yuki saw in Naruto.

At the corner of her eyes, Yuki noticed that Sakura was looking down onto the ground. She had guilt written all over her face. Sakura had been feeling helpless and guilty since she returned to the village. She felt like she was once again just a burden to Naruto. She also felt guilty for not trusting the rest of them when they were all there to help her. She also felt guilty for lying to Naruto about how she felt. She felt bad for not believing in him when he said that he would bring Sasuke home and that he saw Sasuke as his own brother. She felt unworthy of Naruto's friendship and love. Although Naruto never blamed her, she couldn't help but feel like she had caused him so much pain. Yuki walked over to Sakura and placed her hand on her shoulder as a mean to comfort her. She looked at Yuki and smiled before walking away as well. Sakura was probably heading towards Tsunade's tent as she needed to share her feelings with her mentor whether she could hear her or not.

As all of them started going their own ways as they needed to prepare for the upcoming war, Yuki decided to head to the interrogation department as they were probably now questioning Karin. She couldn't help but be curious about that woman and the information that she could provide them with. As she made her way there, Neji decided to walk with her until she made it to her destination before going back home to his clan for a meeting that was planned later that day.

"It's crazy how peaceful it is right now in the village while war is just at our doorstep." He said.

"The calm before the storm. It's scary, isn't it?" She said as she sighed.

"It's not as scary since we are all in this together." He said.

"You are right. At least, we are not fighting alone."

"We are definitely not alone." He replied as he grabbed her hand and looked away as his cheeks turned red.

It was the first time they walked hand in hand. Yuki couldn't help but to smile. It was in these moments that she forgot that war was even going to be happening. It felt so natural to be around him. It felt like this was the life she had to be leading. It felt right. Although her heart would always race when they were together, it also put her mind at ease. She felt relaxed with him there. She felt warm inside. He felt the same way. Although he was always a little nervous of showing and expressing his love for her, it reassured him that he wasn't going to regret it in the future. He gave her everything he could and that was all he felt was needed.

"I've been meaning to ask you..." He then started saying before feeling his throat tightening up.

They stopped walking. He grabbed her other hand and they were now standing face to face. Yuki couldn't help but feel nervous about what he was about to ask her. As their eyes met for a second, they couldn't help looking away almost immediately. He coughed and took a deep breath before continuing:

"I think it's no secret that I have feelings for you... I mean... Umm..."

He stopped for a few seconds to calm himself down. He didn't know this was going to make him so nervous. At that moment, he would rather have a blade against his neck than have to continue speaking about his feelings. He took another deep breath and then looked her into the eyes and said:

"I know this is the worst timing ever as we are about to go to war, but I felt like if I didn't tell you now and if I never got the chance to tell you again, I would regret it on my deathbed."

"Please don't talk as if you are going to die." Yuki said.

She hated the thought of war because she was afraid that the people she cared about the most wouldn't return. She knew she wouldn't be able to live on if anything happened to them. As much as she knew that was the reality of war, she didn't want to hear about it nor think about it. It wasn't something she could handle at the moment. She especially did not want to hear that from him.

"I'll try my best not to. I feel like you are the one who should be promising me that though. We all know how reckless you are." He replied as he was seemingly more relaxed now.

Yuki smiled at that comment. He definitely wasn't wrong. She was indeed the one who, too often, risked her life during those kinds of situation. She had already died once in similar circumstances. He wasn't wrong to assume that something similar could happen.

"But back to what I wanted to say to you..." He started again, much more serious now. "I... If... Let's make it back together home."

"Home?" She then asked him, not fully understanding the meaning behind it.

She was certain that he wasn't just speaking of Konohagakure. If that was the case, he wouldn't be so bashful about it. Deep down, she knew what he meant, but she wanted that meaning to be clear. She didn't want to just assume things.

"When we make it out alive, let's build a home together. I know how much you struggled to find a place to call home. I want to someone who can make this place a home for you... I... I want a future with you."

Yuki stood there frozen. Home. It was something she hadn't thought about in a long time as things were quite chaotic in the village. She forgot what it meant to call a place home. She was then reminded of the Third and how he asked her to seek out its meaning. Her eyes started filling up with tears. She wasn't feeling sad as she was reminded of his death. They were tears of joy. He once told her home where was her heart would be. She finally understood it. She finally found it. She never actually loved the village. Therefore, despite returning it after having the possibility of leaving it forever, she couldn't really call it home. However, she now found someone who would make it feel like home. He was standing right in front of her. He was holding her hands and keeping her heart warm. As her lips trembled, Neji was alarmed by her tears and reaction. He quickly wiped away the tears from her face and apologized:

"I'm sorry! I... You don't have to feel like you have to have a future with me. I'm so sorry... I just..."

"Why are you apologizing?" She asked him with a smile on her face. "I... Who said I didn't want to share my future with you?"

He was taken aback by her answer. Although he sensed that they mutually had feelings for each other, he was always scared that she didn't see him the same way that he perceived her. He smiled before taking her into his arms and hugged her tightly.

"Do you really mean it?" He asked her.

"You are suffocating me... I might have to rethink this."

"I'm sorry!" He said as he let go. "I... I really didn't know how to bring this up to you as I was unsure about how you felt about us. I'm really happy you feel the same way I do. I... I'm so relieved now. I feel like I can breathe again. Do you know how scary it is to confess to someone? It is so much scarier than having to think about a war."

"You didn't actually confess though..." Yuki said teasingly.

He smiled as he looked away, scratching the back of his head. Yuki looked at him and smiled, loving the way he looked when he felt embarrassed about something. He then pulled out a necklace from around his neck. He took it off and put it around Yuki's neck. It was delicate and elegant. It was a silver chain with a single clear crystal as a pendant. It was the clearest crystal Yuki had ever seen.

"I've always worn this necklace ever since I was born. I was told that it was my mother's. She wanted it to be a gift to the one I would fall in love with and who would be willing to share the rest of her life with me. I..."

Yuki stopped him from talking anymore as she kissed him on the lips as she closed her eyes and tears of joy rolled down her cheeks once again. He brought his hands to her face as he kissed her back. It was their first kiss. As the sun was caressing their faces with warmth, their love for each other was caressing their hearts with warmth. They were both once so lonely. They had now found each other in this chaotic time and promised each other to be there for each other through their highs and lows. They found someone who would be able to fill up all the emptiness they once had. They weren't just merely living for the sake of living. They now had a reason to live on. They were each other's reason. In that moment, they didn't want to let go of the other. They knew too well that such peaceful time was going to be hard to come by again. In that moment, they had no responsibilities, no role, no worries. There was no war, no conflict, no danger. They only had each other and their love to care for. In that moment, it was their happy ending. It was their moment and nothing could take that away from them.

End of Chapter 60

Thank you for reading this chapter!

Hope you enjoyed it!

xox

Krystal