Final part for this little series! ^_^ Thank you for reading, let me know what you think and I hope you like it!

Small feet pounded against the ground as a lone figure sprinted through the streets of Konoha, desperately searching for something that evaded her. Veins pulsated on her temples as her head scanned everywhere around her, searching for his bright chakra. She ducked into an alley quickly as a group of girls rounded the corner, speaking animatedly as they ran past.

"We have to keep looking!"

"Yeah, he's here somewhere!"

Kami, the longer I take to find him the more chance someone else will. They're getting more restless and dangerous. Hinata continued her search, running street by street and looking for any slight trace of where Naruto may have gone. Her brow furrowed helplessly and her lips pressed into a thin line as her search began feeling more futile by the minute.

"Oh Naruto," she sighed as she deactivated her Byakugan, unable to find him in the east side of the village. She clutched the fabric at her chest trying to calm her aching heart, and shut her eyes tightly as she felt emotion overwhelm her.

Why would he just run away from me like that, I just…I don't understand. Can't you see I'm in love with you, Naruto? She bit her lip as she felt it begin to quiver.

"Looking for someone," a voice spoke dully from behind her and she whipped around in surprise, stumbling back a few steps.

"S-Sakura! W-What are you d-doing out here so late?" Hinata stammered as her pink haired companion stared at her intently.

"That's actually what we were wondering about you, Hinata." Her gaze flickered quickly to her left and right sides where Ino and Tenten approached her at a menacingly slow pace. Hinata cleared her throat, taking a cautious step back from the group as she found herself being increasingly blocked off from the rest of the street. The shimmer of kunai in their clenched fists did not go beyond her notice and she attempted a weak smile at them.

"I was running an errand for my Father," she said calmly, standing a little straighter as she stared at Sakura while attempting to keep both Tenten and Ino in her peripherals.

I could activate my Byakugan, but I don't want to initiate a fight… she thought as she discreetly surveyed her surroundings, putting on a calm façade.

"Oh Hinata," Tenten chuckled lightly to herself, shaking her head as though she disapproved of Hinata's response.

"We know you're looking for Naruto," Sakura smiled at her sweetly as she made a slow circle around Hinata while Tenten and Ino maintained their distance. "In fact, we're looking for him too."

"Maybe you can help us out a bit? Surely you know where he is?" Ino asked in a condescending tone, raising her eyebrows expectantly.

"I'm sorry, I don't know where he is. Maybe you can try checking at Ichiraku's? If you'll excuse me, I really should get going," Hinata smiled at them forcefully, taking a few determined steps past Sakura.

"Now, now, Hinata," Tenten spoke flatly and immediately Hinata twisted her body, leaning her body to the right as a kunai whizzed past her head. She linked her finger through the handle, swiftly redirecting it into the ground a couple feet away. She raised her gaze to her three friends with a furrowed brow.

Good to know the potion doesn't seem to have affected their aim, she thought bitterly as Sakura smiled wickedly.

"The thing is," Sakura stepped up to her, twirling a kunai around her finger almost playfully. "We know you know where he is. You're hiding him, aren't you?"

She threw her body backwards as Sakura lunged at her, her kunai missing Hinata's throat by a few mere inches. Falling back she plucked the kunai from the ground before pushing herself up into a back flip and landing in a crouching position.

"Sakura we're friends! I don't want to fight you; I don't know where he is!" Hinata pleaded with them desperately and they laughed coldly in response.

"Oh Hinata, it's not going to be much of a fight."

They lunged just as she activated her Byakugan.

Naruto stood examining his kitchen with a critical eye. Opening and closing door after door, he didn't know what he was searching for, only that he couldn't find anything to his satisfaction. He scowled, slamming his refrigerator door shut as he strained to keep his thoughts off a certain kunoichi.

Fate seemed to be working against him, because everything he looked at reminded him of her in some way or another.

He tried not to think about how the moon shining bright outside the window reminded him of the white in her eyes, or that the flowers Sakura had put on his windowsill to "brighten" his "boring" apartment reminded him of those she had planted in the ground outside her home. The sight of the kitchen alone reminded him of their sudden kiss in front of the sink and he even refused to touch the instant ramen, knowing it wouldn't taste as good as the one she'd hand made for him.

He stood dumbly by his door, trying to focus on all the reasons he shouldn't go running back to her with an abundance of apologies and finding it increasingly difficult to do. A shiver ran up his spine and with a groan he realized he'd left his clothes outside on her patio. I can't go back over there. I can't see her. He'd have to send Sasuke over to get it for him tomorrow, he sighed, turning away from the door to get a new jacket from his closet (and some pants while he was at it) when he heard a crunching beneath his foot.

"What the–" he lifted his foot in confusion and spotting the bundle of color and paper that lay underneath. Bending over he picked up the package gently and was surprised to see a bouquet of flowers. His heartbeat quickened as he momentarily panicked at the possibility of some crazed girl having snuck into his apartment until a wave of lavender hit his nose and filled him with a new barrage of grief and remorse.

These were the flowers Hina was carrying when I knocked her down, he recalled with a frown before noticing the card placed neatly inside them. Ignoring his better judgment telling him to mind his own business and not get into things that only reminded him of her more, he pulled the small paper out gently and gazed down at her neat, curly writing.

Neji nii-san,

I thought that maybe as time went on, the pain of losing you might fade… But every day brings a new reminder that you are gone, and opens up the wound all over again.

It wasn't supposed to be you. I never meant for you to take the fall, and every day my mind is a constant battle between gratitude and grief. I swore to protect Naruto, and I was prepared to give my life for him. You knew that I love him, didn't you? I won't waste the chance you gave me with him, and I will be grateful for all my life- the life I owe you.

Flowers hit the floor forgotten as he read the card twice, and then again, and again. He gripped it tightly as though it might disappear in his grasp and leave him alone and empty once more, and his breath became short as distant memories flooded his mind.

"I'm here because I want to be. This time…I'm going to save you, Naruto. I was always crying, and giving up before even trying. I made the wrong turns so many times…But you helped me find my way and take the correct path, Naruto. I always chased after you. I wanted to catch up to you. I wanted to walk beside you all the time. I wanted to be beside you, always. You changed me, Naruto! Your smile is what saved me! That's why I'm not afraid to die, if it means I can protect you! Because...I love you Naruto."

"Hinata-sama is…willing to die for you, Naruto…So keep in mind…that your life…is not…your own…anymore."

"Going back on your word…would truly kill your comrades! And it would result in us ceasing to be…a family…At least that's how I feel… That is why now is the time to stand with me, Naruto...Always going ahead and not going back on one's words; that is also my ninja way!"

"Hinata…" he smiled, slapping his hand against his forehead and letting out a euphoric laugh. "I'm such an idiot! Hinata loves me! I'm that guy she was talking about!" He jumped around the room happily, clutching the paper to his chest with a wide grin before another realization hit him and he groaned. Kami, I'm such an asshole! She almost died for me! Twice! And I forgot about and now she probably hates me for leaving her!

"Naruto!" a voice yelled out as someone pounded on his door roughly and he cursed silently for forgetting that he was in hiding.

"Naruto, open up! We love you!" another voice yelled moments before the door burst open. He looked at the door anxiously as three women scrambled into his apartment, laying eyes on him and smiling wildly. He raised his hand just as they ran at him, forming the Ram seal in the nick of time and reappearing outside of Hinata's apartment. He sighed in relief as he took wide, determined strides towards her door.

"Hinata? Hinata, open up!" he called, pounding on the door loudly. He frowned when there was no response, pounding on the door once more and pressing his ear against the wood in attempt to hear any sounds inside. "Hinata, I need to talk to you!"

She's not the type to just ignore someone, so why isn't she answering the door? He paused in his knocking as the distant sound of metal clashing against metal hit his ears, and he looked over his shoulder with a confused expression. Is someone…fighting?

A pained cry filled the air and he felt as though someone had hit him in the gut, turning around with a distraught expression. That– that was Hinata!

"Hinata!" he yelled desperately, identifying the direction in which the scream came from and taking off in a quick sprint. The sounds of the clash became louder and louder as he made his way through the eastern side of the village, looking wildly through each street as he looked for a sight of her long black hair.

"Hinata!" he yelled just before rounding a corner and freezing as he saw a form hunched over slightly in pain as three figures stood before her, cruel smiles on their faces.

"N-Naruto, go hide!" Hinata called out with a strained voice as she held her hands out in her clan's signature stance. He noticed red leaking down her right leg and the way she bent it to avoid putting her weight on it.

"Look, there he is!" Ino said excitedly and ran forward directly towards him. He watched in shock as Hinata moved like a dancer, sliding her feet and twisting her body around to block Ino's path, chakra streaming out of her fingertips as she hit pressure points in her shoulders, thigh, and neck.

"Hey, no fair!" Ino winced as she fell to the ground immobilized and Naruto's jaw dropped at the sight while Hinata hobbled to regain her balance, careful not to place too much pressure on her leg.

What the hell- why are they fighting?! What's going on?!

"Now that wasn't so nice," Tenten pouted playfully, flinging a shuriken gracefully at Hinata. She moved to dodge but stumbled on her incapacitated leg, causing the shuriken to embed itself in her side. She cried out in pain and Naruto was at her side in instant, eyes full of worry as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

"I..I was l-looking for you," she smiled up at him weakly, beads of sweat dripping down her face as she tried to catch her breath and Naruto felt guilt pang at his heart.

"What the hell is going on here!?" he demanded heatedly, glancing between Sakura and Tenten who smiled at him happily.

"We were looking for you!" Tenten piped happily, twirling a kunai in each hand as she tilted her head at him.

"We couldn't just let her find you before us, so we had to take her out of the equation!" Sakura responded as though the answer was simple, bounding over to him happily and draping an arm around his neck. He noticed the other slumped at her side, also incapacitated by Hinata's jutsu.

"Stop this!" he pushed her off of him roughly and she gave him an offended expression, stepping back slowly to her spot next to Tenten. "She's your friend, what are you doing?!"

"T-They don't," Hinata panted, looking at him pleadingly as he returned her gaze with his own concerned one. "They don't realize…what they're doing. The potion…it's altering t-their minds, it's not their fault."

"How could you just push me away like that?" He watched as Sakura's expression shifted from hurt to anger. "I love you, and you would just push me away?! How dare you!"

"N-Naruto," Hinata mumbled as she clutched onto his shirt for support. "M-My apartment."

He looked down at her in confusion for a brief moment before nodding in understanding. He took her hand as Sakura and Tenten leapt at them, disappearing as they brandished kunai. He opened his eyes hesitantly and sighed with relief at the sight her familiar living room, opening his mouth to cheer when he felt her body begin to fall.

"Hinata!" he exclaimed, catching her body before it could fall to the ground. Lifting her into his arms he carried her frail body into the kitchen and laid her on the table.

"T-Two scrolls…bottom shelf," she spoke quietly, grimacing as she lifted an arm to point at the book shelf in her living room.

"Hinata, you're hurt! I don't– what do I do?" Naruto asked her anxiously, eyes wide with concern as blood flowed down her leg and side.

"P-Put the scrolls o-on the front and back doors, quickly," she directed him, still pointing at the book shelf. He hurried over two it, unsure of what else to do, and grabbed the scrolls hastily. After seeing her nod of approval he unfurled one and pasted it against the front door before following suit with the back.

"What else, Hinata, tell me what to do," he asked desperately as blood trickled down her side, watching as she formed the Rat, Ox, Horse, and Boar seals in succession. The scroll glowed a bright shade of purple as the symbols on the paper extended over the door before fading into the wood.

"I-It's a Hyuuga sealing technique," she said in response to his confused gaze, wincing as she held onto his arm and pulled herself into a sitting position. "As long as the s-seal is activated…no one but a Hyuuga can enter. We use them…at the compound f-for emergency protection." He reached for her as she let out a small gasp when she pulled the shuriken free from her side.

"I'm so sorry, Hina. All of this is my fault, I should have listened to you, and I shouldn't have left–" he said with remorse, halting as she raised her hand and cupped his cheek reassuringly. His heart thumped loudly in his chest and heat rose to his cheeks as she looked at him with a sweet smile.

"P-Please listen to me next time," she said quietly and he chuckled lightly, feeling relief flood him. "I-I need to get to my bedroom…I have bandages on the-Oh!"

She flushed a bright red as Naruto scooped her into his arms suddenly, her head falling into the crook of his neck as he carried her wordlessly down the hallway and into her bedroom(which caused another sheet of red to blanket her face at the idea of him being in her bedroom. At night. Alone.) She sensed a chakra presence outside moments before hearing a frustrated scream and she didn't know whether to feel happy that her seal worked or guilty for making Sakura angry. She felt the presence fade slowly as he sat her down at the edge of the bed gently, wincing at the strain it put on her side. The shuriken didn't embed too deeply, she thought thankfully as she held her hand to her side with a good amount of pressure, though she would need to take it easy for at least a week.

She watched as he walked over to her dresser silently, picking up two rolls of bandages and a small container of ointment she had made earlier that week. She caught a quick glimpse of his face and noted he looked deeply lost in thought before entering her bathroom. She heard him scuffling around and the sink running for a moment before he entered the room. Sliding open her closet door he pulled out an orange t-shirt before turning and placing the items on the bed beside her. He avoided her gaze for which she was thankful, because she didn't think she had the courage to look into his eyes at that moment, and sat silently on the ground in front of her.

"T-Thank you," she said quietly. "U-Um, Naruto?"

"Yes?" he responded a bit eagerly, causing both of them to blush and he scratched his head goofily.

"C-Could you, u-um, turn a-around?" she managed to stammer out, glancing at the wound at her side and his mouth formed an 'O' shape in acknowledgement, a bright red flushing his cheeks as he silently chastised himself for his stupidity and turned to face the opposite wall.

It took all of his will to attempt to ignore the sound of fabric sliding off her skin as she removed her shirt and set it softly on the ground. She picked up one of the wet towels he had brought from the bathroom and it was very hard for him not to imagine her running it over her soft skin to clean the wound. He thought of ramen and lavender and training, ANYTHING to drown out his wandering thoughts before he felt her tap him lightly on the shoulder, signaling her okay for him to turn around.

She looked very good in orange, he decided as he made a plan to see her in it as often as possible. She looked down at the floor with a blush, not able to meet his eye and he saw her reaching for the other towel to clean off her leg when he decided that he would very much like to touch her skin at that moment. She froze suddenly as his hand slid underneath hers, taking the towel in his hand before she could pick it up.

She had to fight off a fainting spell as he took her leg softly in his hand, raising the towel to her skin and wiping off the blood that had dripped down her leg from the cut on her thigh. She thought she would die of cardiac arrest as she watched him slowly make his way up from her ankle, to her knee, then finally her thigh; cleaning the blood from her skin. She thought she saw a tint of red on his cheeks as he pushed the edge of her shorts up slightly to expose the top of her wound. She winced as he wiped the excess blood from the gash before placing the towel on the floor and opening the container of ointment.

"Ow," she whined childishly as he rubbed the cream over the wound and for a moment regretted it when he lifted his hand from her skin, immediately missing his warmth. She breathed with relief when he laughed lightly, finishing applying the ointment and taking the bandages in his hand.

"So Hinata…" he began with a serious expression, brows furrowed and eyes unreadable and she gulped.

"Y-Yes, Naruto?"

"This guy that you love…" She wondered how her heart didn't beat right through her chest as her eyes widened at his question. Try as she might, she couldn't fight the small blush that came to her cheeks.

"He smells like black coffee." It was more of a statement, but she nodded her head anyway.

"Y-Yes, he does."

"And spring rain…and ramen." He continued while slowly wrapping her thigh with the bandage, running his fingers over her skin every chance he got.

"Mhmm," she squeaked out in response.

"He also lives in the village," he continued, talking more to himself now than her while she sat there dumbly with red cheeks. "And he's someone our age that I know very well."

"N-Naruto…" she whispered, enjoying the feel of his fingertips brushing lightly against her skin as he wrapped her wound.

"And he's pretty funny, huh?" She smiled weakly.

"V-very much so."

"But he's also kind and determined…And doesn't let anyone bring him down and never goes back on his word…" He spoke slowly, finishing wrapping her bandages but allowing his fingers to graze across her skin lightly.

"He is, yes…" she said softly, watching his fingers dance across her skin, and she was sure that she could have died and been satisfied with her life at that moment.

"And you say he's helped the village out a lot…and you think he's one of the greatest shinobi of all time?"

"I do..."

"And you love him?" He raised his gaze to hers, sapphire eyes filled with a deep aching for something that she didn't know and she smiled sadly, tears prickling her eyes.

"Since I was a little girl," she repeated in a whisper, tears falling down her cheeks as she felt a hopeless sort of longing. She bit her lip as lifted his arm, leaning her head into his palm as he wiped a tear away.

"…Do you love me, Hina?" he asked her, his voice laced with so much fear, with so much hesitancy, that it was all she could do to nod her head as a small sob escaped her lips, raising her hand and grazing his cheek.

And so he kissed her again.

And there was no hesitancy, no fear, no longing. It was a kiss that held passion, and love, and a final satisfaction at gaining something both had desired for such a long time.

And he wouldn't push her away again that night, or the next day, or any day that they spent together for the rest of their lives. And he would whisper that he loved her over and over again as he held her close to him, placing both soft and deep kisses on her lips and her cheeks and her eyes and her nose. And she would cry tears of happiness, and make sure he never felt alone again. And she would care for him like no one else had, and would encourage him openly for all to see, and finally walk by his side.

And as they drifted off to sleep, smiles on their lips as he held her body close to his, she thanked Neji.

"Oh, come on Granny! I said I was sorry!"

"Have some respect you little brat, it's Lady Hokage to you!"

"I mean, you only tried to kiss me once-"

"Naruto!"

"Sakura was the one who actually landed one on me, OW!"

"Shut up!" Sakura flushed pink and chucked a stapler directly at his head, holding a fist up at him threateningly while he whined. "You're lucky you didn't get Hinata killed! We could have killed her, do you realize how hard it must have been for her to fight us without hurting us while we were trying to kill her!?"

"I-It's okay," Hinata interjected as Naruto slumped dejectedly. "M-My injuries were very small."

"Can I just say, again, we're soooo sorry for that," Ino offered an apologetic smile while Tenten scratched her cheek guiltily and Sakura nodded her head in agreement, shooting Hinata a remorseful glance.

"We're very lucky that no one else was hurt, other than a few peoples' pride," Tsunade muttered and Naruto scuffled his feet in shame. "Fortunately for you, Hinata managed to convince me that this provides a good research opportunity and will be providing me a full report of her observations tomorrow morning."

Hinata blushed furiously as he openly hugged her with gratitude, not noticing the smirks on everyone's faces.

"My decision still stands though; D-rank missions for a month for not following orders! You're all dismissed."

The group bowed respectively, minus Naruto who merely waved with a cheeky grin, and turned to leave the room.

"By the way, it's about time you two got together!" Tsunade called out, chuckling as she heard Hinata squeak with embarrassment.

"So Hina," Naruto took her hand in his, much to the pleasure of Sakura, Ino, and Tenten who trailed behind at a considerable distance. "Since I'm stuck with grunt work for the next month, you know what it means right?"

"W-What does it m-mean, N-Naruto?" she asked, using all her will power to keep herself standing upright as her brain screamed at her that holy crap he was holding her hand and oh Kami, he actually loves you.

"That I'll be spending the next month with you here in the village," he grinned down at her and her heart fluttered at she smiled back at him.

And so the two headed to Ichiraku Ramen with three nosey girls trailing behind them the entire way (exchanging gossip and plans to tell everyone about how blockhead Naruto was finally dating their sweet, shy Hinata),

"N-Naruto, what is this picture hanging out of your pocket?"

"A-Ah, i-it's nothing!"

He would talk nonstop the entire way, and she would listen attentively and hang on to every word. And many would stare in happy surprise, and many (women) would look away from him in shame as they were reminded of their actions the previous day. But lost in their own little world, they wouldn't notice anything but each other. And it would be the first of many dates to the ramen stand, and another best day in each of their lives.

Thanks again for reading lovelies ! 3