Well, somehow a lot of the happy prompts like "smile" and "proposal" just have to end up being a bit angsty. So, sorry, but I actually love how this turned out.

I didn't have a chance to edit this like I usually do so let me know if there are any mistakes.

Also, I won't be doing the Kingdom Hearts/Final Fantasy AU because I know next to nothing about those stories. I'll get to work on the next one, though, and will try to make it a little happier!

Day Fourteen: Proposal

Naruto had everything planned out.

He was not usually someone who liked to plan. In fact, his sensei still called him Konoha's Number One Unpredictable Ninja, but this was for Hinata and he wanted it to be perfect.

So, after talking with her family and their friends, Naruto had his proposal planned down to the last detail.

Now, the hardest part was the wait. They had been together for almost a year and he had never imagined that he could be so happy. When he had initially made the decision to pop the question, he had wanted to do so immediately. After consulting their friends, however, he had decided it would be best to propose to her on her birthday. It would come as a complete surprise because it was only two days after Christmas and she never had anyone make a huge fuss over her birthday. This meant, of course, that he had to wait a few months. The anticipation was worth it, however, when he thought of the look on her face when she saw what he had prepared for her.

As he sat in Kakashi's office one day, going over paperwork and grumbling about lazy Hokages shirking their work by pretending to "train" the future Hokage, he heard a tapping on the window. He looked to see a messenger hawk flapping furiously as it tried to come inside. The Uzumaki opened the window and recognized the insignia on the bird as the one from Suna. More interesting still, the pouch was red, indicating an emergency.

Quickly, Naruto handed the hawk a treat and pulled the scroll out of the pouch, unsure whether or not he should wait until Kakashi got back. He knew that he should, as he was not actually the Hokage, but the message was obviously urgent and it came from one of his best friends, Gaara.

Luckily, Naruto did not have to debate for long because his former sensei soon entered the room through the same window the hawk had come through. He looked at the unopened scroll in Naruto's hand and raised an eyebrow in question.

"It's an emergency summons from Suna," the blond explained, "I haven't opened it so I don't know any details."

Kakashi nodded his head and took the scroll from Naruto's hand, not bothering to dismiss him as he knew that the blond would refuse anyway. Ever since the time the Akatsuki had kidnapped Gaara and almost successfully killed him, the blond was especially sensitive when Suna sent them any communication, emergency or non emergency related.

As Kakashi began to read the scroll, his body tensed and his eyes slid to the man standing next to him. Naruto paled at this reaction and reached for the scroll, which Kakashi immediately relinquished.

The Konoha team consisting of Aburame Shino, Inuzuka Kiba, and Hyuga Hinata have been admitted to the Suna hospital for treatment of critical injuries.

At the time they were found, they were closest to Suna so our shinobi brought them back here. Please inform all necessary parties that the proper steps are being taken to ensure the health and safety of aforementioned shinobi.

If you would like to send a small team to oversee their recovery, we will understand.

-The Fifth Kazekage

Naruto felt like he had been punched in the stomach. He could hear the blood rushing through his head and it was becoming hard to focus on the words in front of him.

As he came dangerously close to hyperventilating, he felt two hands grip his shoulders tightly and looked up to see the face of his former sensei. He could tell Kakashi was saying something, but for a minute nothing seemed to make sense. Eventually, the sounds he was hearing began to sound more like actual words.

"Naruto, Naruto. Get a hold of yourself."

The blond shook his head in an attempt to clear it and looked back into the black eyes of the Hokage.

When Kakashi saw that his eyes were actually focusing on his own, he nodded.

"Good, now I need you to stay with me-"

Before he could finish his statement, Naruto interrupted, "I can't stay here! I have to go to her! I have to see her now! What if something happens? What if she-"

His voice cracked and he couldn't say what he was most afraid of happening.

Kakashi just shook his head, "Naruto I wasn't saying that I need you to stay here in Konoha. I just needed you to get your head on straight. I can't responsibly send out a shinobi who is losing his mind."

"Huh?"

"I'm sure you saw the last part of the message. Your friend is giving you the opportunity to come. He knew you would want to watch over your girlfriend and he gave me the okay to send you. Would you like me to send Sakura as well?"

Naruto shifted on his feet, eager to get on his way, but realizing that Sakura would be a good person to have along in case the situation was, in fact, as bad as he was imagining. It's not that he didn't trust Suna's medics, but when you had Tsunade's own personal apprentice on your team for years you get used to knowing you have the best.

Reluctantly, he nodded, wondering if Sakura would let him carry her part of the way as he was faster than her. Kakashi wasted no time in sending for the pinkette and in no time they were zooming out of the gates towards Wind Country.

They reached Suna in half the time it usually took. Sakura had reluctantly agreed to let Naruto carry her for part of the trip, knowing that he was having a hard time. It wasn't worth having to watch him pout or listening to him beg. Besides, she was also worried about her friends.

The guards had been told to be on the lookout for the Konoha pair so by the time they reached the entrance to the city, Kankuro was already there to greet them. Without them having to ask, he escorted them straight to the hospital.

Sakura checked on them in order of the severity of their injuries. Apparently, Shino had taken a severe beating while Kiba had tried to carry an already badly injured Hinata away on Akamaru. All in all, the three were incredibly lucky to be alive.

While the pinkette spoke to the medical team to find out what had been done for the patients, Gaara made his way over to the hospital, having finished the meeting he was in when they had initially arrived. He told Naruto about what his Suna shinobi had found as well as what they had been able to gather from Team Eight.

However, all thoughts of official investigations and even revenge flew out the window when Sakura came out of Hinata's room to let him know she was awake and able to talk. Gaara nodded at his friend, letting him know that it was alright and that they could continue their discussion later. Naruto shot him an appreciative glance before rushing into Hinata's room.

The sight of his girlfriend laying on the hospital bed, pale and covered in bandages, was terrifying. His teammate had reassured him that she was out of any danger and that she was recovering nicely, but the whole scene was a stark reminder that had anything gone differently he could have lost her.

With uneven breaths and shaky hands, he walked over to her bed, taking her small hand into his own. She had been watching him this whole time, obviously still a little out of it from the pain medication, but alert enough to observe him.

They looked at one another for a few minutes, just confirming for themselves that the other was there.

"I'm sorry," Hinata said quietly.

Her words broke Naruto out of his current state and he had to restrain himself from hugging his still injured girlfriend. Instead he gripped her hand a little tighter and brushed her hair away from her face with his other hand.

He sighed. It was just like her to apologize for something that wasn't her fault just because she saw he was hurting.

"Hina, there's nothing to apologize for. I've heard the preliminary findings and the ambush came out of nowhere. You guys managed to kill a couple of them and one was wounded badly, but still alive and he's in interrogation. From what they could tell, these guys were good. Extremely good. And you guys did everything you could considering you were coming from a very tiring mission."

Hinata just smiled at him, a smile that he had come to cherish greatly over the time they were dating. Naruto felt tears coming to his eyes at the thought that he almost didn't get to see that smile again.

Seeing his eyes water, Hinata became concerned for him, but before she could open her mouth to say anything, he had already started.

"Hinata, I -" Naruto's voice cracked and it was another minute before he calmed down enough to talk.

"I can't lose you," he finally choked out and it broke her heart to see the fear in his eyes.

"Naruto, I'm a kunoichi. I'm going to have to go on missions and they are going to be dangerous. But I promise, I will always do my best to come back to you. I will never leave you of my own volition. And you know I don't go back on my word because -"

"That's our ninja way," he finished for her, though his small smile didn't quite reach his eyes.

"It's just, when I heard what had happened I panicked. The idea that I might never see you again was physically painful. And I realized that I can't ever be without you. I need you. I will always need you. Please stay with me."

"I already told you, Naruto, I won't leave you. I'll always be here for you."

"No, I mean stay with me. After this, I don't want you leaving my side. I know you'll have to go on missions at times, but aside from that I want you here. I want to sleep next to you, I want to wake up next to you, I want to go home and know that it's your home, too. I want to know that if you aren't with me, that you will be coming home to me."

Hinata's eyes were wide and glistening with tears of her own.

"Naruto, are you - are you saying what I think you're saying?"

Blue eyes met lavender and his serious gaze said it before he even spoke.

"Hinata, please be my wife."

By now Hinata was crying, but instead of tears of pain they were tears of joy. Her lifelong dream was coming true and she was overwhelmed with happiness.

"Of course! Naruto, I'd be honored."

For the first time since he'd read Gaara's message, Naruto grinned. Not only was his girlfriend okay, but she had just agreed to be his fiancee. From here on out, they would officially belong together.

He thought about all of the things he had prepared and the plans he had had for proposing, but couldn't find it in him to regret doing it right there and then. Apparently, being unpredictable was something that was just a part of his life and when he saw the beautiful smile of his now fiancee, he wouldn't have it any other way.

Also, quite a few of you have requested me to continue the last prompt in a kind of story and I'm considering it. I really need to focus on my Hinata Sweetheart story, but if enough of you want a longer Mardi Gras story I think I would enjoy it, too. Just let me know and if there's enough interest I'll see what I can do!