Review Replies for Chapter 12 – Replying in the order I received them in.

I'm replying to reviews because you guys took the time to actually review me and that means a lot. –glomps all-

Snoopy Girl – Thanks. I'm glad you liked it. I'll finish as soon as I can.
Animelover5.6 – Wow…I'm…I'm kinda speechless. I'm really glad you like this lil' story of mine! It means a lot that you're reviewing! –happy tears- Your own stories are great, too! Thanks so much! –glomps-
InvaderWeb – Hehehe, yeah, bad blender! –smacks blender- Thanks for reviewing!
GaarasGurl – Thanks, well, here's your next chapter! I wish you luck on your fic!
EnduranceInTribulation – Kou! Your reviews are always the best! Without you, I am nothing! Thanks so much, they make me really, really happy! I'm glad I have someone like you behind me. -huggles- You're the one person who kept me from quitting and helped me through all the rough times and crappy chapters.
Neccor – I don't even know what a filler is. Lol. But, thank you for your review. I'm glad the story hasn't… 'lost its touch'. I thought your last review was…different. And about Sasuke…you'll see….and, to see if the twins are Identical or Fraternal twins…you'll see that in a few chapters too. But, if you think that's something, wait until you see when the twins are born. Thanks! You're one of my most dedicated reviewers! –grins-
Hiss – Yeah, that part made me laugh too. This chapter was fairly amusing…Thanks for the review!
Funky Platypus – Hahaha, yeah, I can picture that happening. Lee's so silly sometimes. And I rather enjoyed writing the Lee vs. Evil Blender myself. XD Thanks for reviewing!
anissa – I have it all planned out! You just gotta wait and see, it'll happen soon enough! –thumbs up-
Depsycho – Yosh! I'm glad that you liked this chapter! Yeah, I guess the whole…pickle strawberry pineapple juice with whipped cream was worth it. XD
Lotus84 – Thanks, I'm glad you liked it! Here's the next chapter, I hope it's just as good as the previous ones!
mangocloud – I think now that the Lee and blender thing is a…ah, classic? Maybe…masterpiece? Nah, I'm kidding. And, haha…It would have been funnier if he had gotten Hinata's FATHER window instead…hmm…should've gone with that one…oh well, thanks for your review! It made me happy!
Donna – Thanks!
GoodDevil1989 – Um, thanks. XD
Angelina – Yosh! Thnaks.

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The Power of Youth
By SapphireWhiteTigress

Chapter XIII - My Party Planners

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"Hey, Hinata-chan, can we talk?"

Hinata blinked shyly as she gazed down at Naruto. For some reason, this reminded her of an old play that she had watched with her mother before she passed away. What was the name of it? Romeo and Juliet. Now that she remembers…it didn't have a happy ending.

"Naruto-kun…wh-what are you do-doing…here?" She whispered.

Even though her voice was soft and barely audible, Naruto (with his keen hearing) heard her as if she shouted the words. "I wanna talk to you, Hinata-chan…" He said again, blushing slightly. There were so many things he wanted to ask her, like why he hadn't seen her in the past three weeks and why did she kissed him.

"B-but, Naruto-kun…" She continued to whisper, afraid that her sister (who was sleeping in the room next to hers), Neji, or (god forbid) her father would hear her.

Naruto frowned at Hinata's unwillingness to talk to him. "Hinata-chan…move back."

The girl blinked in confusion, but did as she was told and seconds later, Naruto was standing in her room. She nearly shrieked in surprise and would have fallen on her backside if Naruto hadn't caught her by the waist. He pulled her back to her feet and grinned at her before releasing his hold on her.

Hinata blushed as she realized that she was only dressed in a thin purple nightgown that went past her knees. And the boy of her dreams was standing in her bedroom. She felt exposed and embarrassed.

Naruto stared Hinata directly in the eyes, trying to convince his eyes to stay above her neck. His cheeks burned with a fiery red blush that could rival any of Hinata's. Why didn't he wait until she was fully dressed before jumping into her bedroom window? Oh, right, common sense was nonexistent for the loudmouth blond, especially with years of hanging around that pervert Jiraiya.

"N-Naruto-kun?" Hinata questioned as she cast her pale eyes to the floor.

Naruto took a deep breath before speaking. "Why…have you been avoiding me lately?"

Hinata blinked back the sudden tears that threatened to spill from her eyes. She must be strong. She had already showed enough weakness around the person she admires and she will no longer give in to it. "I…" She found that she could not find her voice. Nervously, she tapped her two index fingers together, trying to find a good excuse for not wanting to see Naruto. Truthfully, the only reason she hid from him was because she was afraid that Naruto would hate her for what she did that night. The memories of the rain, sitting with him, and then kissing him flashed into her mind

Naruto took a step closer to the girl and frowned when she backed away from him. "Hinata-chan…are you…afraid of me?" The hurt was evident in his voice. Everyone hated him, feared him, then why shouldn't she?

Hinata snapped her eyes up to look at him, her mouth open in shock. She slowly shook her head. "N-No, Naruto-kun…"

"Then what is it?" Naruto asked softly, almost whispering it. He felt…strange, when he was around Hinata. Like, there was something fluttering around in the pit of his stomach. The feeling was indescribable and he wasn't sure if he liked the feeling too much. The kiss that they briefly shared flashed in his mind.

"I…I…" She stuttered, looking into Naruto's crystal blue eyes. She wanted to turn away from them. She didn't want to fall again. She didn't want to get hurt.

Naruto reached a hand out to the girl and winced as she flinched at his touch. His hand slowly trended through her long hair. He always thought she had beautiful hair. "…Why did you kiss me that day? Why…did you run away?"

Hinata felt like she was on fire as he touched her. She wanted to fling herself in his arms and tell him how much she loved him. How much she had always loved him. How she longed to be his one and only and his soul mate. She wanted nothing more than to grow old with him. To be with him no matter what. Through the good times and bad. To help chase away his demons and be his strength and to just be there for him.

She moved to break eye contact with the boy, but he made sure she wouldn't do that as the same hand that was in her hair gently held her chin between his thumb and index finger. She stared up into his eyes and noticed something shimmering in their depths. She could see into his soul.

Naruto stared into her own eyes, hypnotized by their beauty. Why was he doing this? Why was he even here? Why was he feeling this way whenever he was around Hinata? His feelings for the girl were growing stronger and stronger with each tick of the clock. He liked her. He liked her a lot…but she was sweet and innocent. She deserved someone better…

Someone who wasn't him, the vessel that imprisons the demon only known as Kyuubi. He withdrew his hand from her chin, but she took the initiative once more and grabbed his hand, holding it to her cheek. Their eyes locked and Naruto found himself wanting to kiss her again. To feel the soft texture of her lips against his own once more.

But he couldn't. If she knew what was inside of him, she would hate him and he couldn't bare the thought of someone else hating him for what resides inside him.

"Hinata-chan…I…"

"N-no…it's…it's okay, N-Naruto-kun…" Hinata gently interrupted him. She wanted to turn away from him, but she couldn't, not with his thumb unconsciously caressing her cheek and his eyes being so…hypnotic.

Naruto shook his head. "Hinata-chan…" He glanced over his shoulder, reluctantly breaking eye contact, and looked out the window into the blanket of darkness that covered over Konoha. He turned his eyes back to the girl. "Walk with me, Hinata-chan?"

Hinata was surprised that Naruto would make such a request, especially in the middle of the night. Was he here to torment her for that kiss? To tease her because she could never have him? "A…walk?"

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, it's a nice night…and…I really need to talk to you. Please, Hinata-chan?"

Hinata slowly nodded and timidly removed her face from Naruto's hand. "I…I have to…to change…" She said quietly, looking down at the floor as a small blush crept across her face.

Naruto nodded sheepishly. "Alright, I'll wait outside." He said as he headed to Hinata's window and jumped to the ground below.

As Naruto waited for Hinata to get dressed, he started thinking of what he should say to her. He tried to keep his mind from thinking of how she looked in her nightgown, a side of her he never dreamt of seeing. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

Seconds later, he opened his eyes and turned to see that Hinata had joined him outside her house. He must have been too preoccupied with his thoughts that he didn't even hear her jump from the window. He grinned at her, that feeling whenever he was around her returning.

"Wanna get going?" He asked, leading out of the Hyuuga complex.

Hinata nodded and slowly followed behind the boy. For five whole minutes, neither said anything as they walked the streets of Konoha. Naruto was working up the courage to talk to her, while Hinata was enjoying his company.

"Why did you kiss me that day?" Naruto suddenly asked again, but he kept walking, with his hands in his pockets as if he hadn't even uttered a word.

Hinata stayed silent for a moment. She kissed him because she loved him. Wasn't it obvious? Didn't he see what he was doing to her?

"I…" She tried, but the words wouldn't come to her. She didn't want her heart to break more than it already was.

Naruto stopped walking, almost causing Hinata to bump into him. He turned around and looked her straight in the eyes before saying, "Hinata-chan, do you like me?" His eyes pleaded with her to answer.

Hinata looked like a deer caught in headlights as he asked that question. She wanted to run away from here and to never look back, but she needed to stop running. She needed to face her problems and she needed to tell him how she feels. "I...y-yes…N-Naruto-kun…" She whispered as the tears fell from her eyes. "I…I love you…" She finally confessed to him.

Naruto was shocked, to say the less. He expected that she liked him, maybe a little, but he never thought it was possible that someone could actually love him. It seemed so…surreal, like an impossible, unreachable dream. He wasn't sure how he should respond. If she knew…if she knew about the Kyuubi…she would regret saying those words to him.

Just tell her and get it over with, brat. The all too familiar voice of the Kyuubi said inside his mind.

Naruto growled in annoyance, low enough so Hinata couldn't hear him. 'Stay out of this, damn fox.'

Hey, I'm just trying to help your stupid ass.

'If I needed your help, I'll ask.' Naruto replied back in irritation.

Hinata thought that the irritation she saw in Naruto's eyes were directed at her and so, she turned away from him, her heart breaking further. "I-I'm s-sorry, Naruto-kun…" And she ran, for the second time, away from the boy she loves…the boy who didn't love her back.

Naruto snapped out of his subconscious argument. Hinata was running away from him, again. Why was he always screwing something up?

'Don't stand here like an idiot! Run after her!' He ran after her.

The tears that fell from Hinata eyes trailed behind her like crystal diamonds that were discarded in the wind. She was always running away…and she hated it.

"Hinata-chan! Please wait!" The voice of Naruto called out behind her but she continued to blindly run away from him. Unfortunately, the tears that blurred her vision prevented her from seeing the small stone lying conveniently on the ground. She tripped over it and fell. Sadden and frustrated, Hinata refused to move as she sat them, her legs tucked under her as she buried her face in her hands, sobbing brokenly.

As Naruto neared her, he could clearly hear her sobs and they tore at his heart. It was painful to hear the one person that actually loved him cry like that. She shouldn't be crying those tears, especially not because of him. He slowly stepped towards her until he was a few inches from her back. He carefully knelt down behind her, unsure of what he should do. He took a deep breath and prayed that for once in his life he would do the right thing. He wrapped his arms around the girl and pulled her to him, ignoring the pain in his knees from the rocks on the ground.

Hinata's eyes widen in shock as she felt his arms around her and his forehead resting on the back of her head. "Hinata-chan, please, don't cry…" Naruto whispered into her ear, sounding as if he was crying too. He probably was…he was always so sensitive like that, she knew. "I don't like it when you cry, especially because of something I did…I'm sorry, Hinata-chan…" His arms wrapped more tightly around her, more securely, and for once in her life…she felt safe.

Naruto continued to speak before she could utter a word or escape from his grasp. "…I've been doing a lot of thinking and…I care about you a lot Hinata-chan…" He said, gathering up his thoughts and courage to go on. "You're the only person to ever care about me like this. I thought I liked Sakura-chan, because she was pretty and smart but she never really noticed me. Not like you had. But…"

Hinata tightly closed her eyes to squeeze back the tears. He was going to tell her that she wasn't good enough for him, that he could never be with someone like her. She was too weak, she was – and then she paused. No, Naruto wasn't like that. She knew Naruto. Naruto didn't think she was weak. No, Naruto was one of the first people in her life – aside from her sensei, Kiba, and Shino – to think she was strong, that she was more than what and who people thought she was. He gave her strength when she had none of her own; he was her confidence, her savior. He saved her from herself.

She waited for him to continue, allowing the feel of his arms around her to take her to a place she has never been before. She wanted this moment to last forever. It was just the two of them, under the bright moon and the wind gently blowing through their hair.

"…But there are things…" He paused. In his voice, she could sense the hurt he felt and wondered why. He continued. "Things that…that you wouldn't like. That you would hate me for….I can't bear the thought of you hating me, Hinata-chan."

Hinata blinked open her eyes and wished that she could look into his. "H-hate you…?" Her voice was hoarse and it slightly hurt to talk. "I…I c-could never…hate you, N-Naruto-kun…n-no matter what you-you did…"

Naruto smiled sadly, hiding his face in her beautiful dark hair. She smelled like lavender. "Trust me, Hinata-chan. You'll hate me for this. Everyone does."

Hinata shook her head softly and her hair rubbed against Naruto's nose, slightly tickling it a little. "N-No Naruto-kun…I c-could never hate you…" She whispered again. She meant it when she said that there was absolutely nothing that could ever make her change her mind about loving him.

Naruto had the sudden urge to tell her everything about the Kyuubi being inside of him. He wanted to so desperately, so he could have someone to confine in, someone who would stick with him no matter what. Would Hinata still want to be with him once the secret was finally out? He could only hope.

"Do you really…love me?" Naruto asked softly, his voice muffled by her silk-like hair. Her hair felt nice, something he could enjoy running his fingers through. He felt her nod and heard her voice afterwards.

"I…I do…m-more than…an-anything…"

It took Naruto a few seconds before responding. "I'm…glad." He withdraw his head from where it nestled in her hair and stood up, pulling Hinata with him. The joint in his knees popped painfully, but he ignored them. He turned Hinata around in his arms. He was glad that he was a good five-six inches taller than the girl as he looked down at her in his arms. It felt…right. Like she belonged there. "If…If I tell you something, would you still love me?"

"Yes." Both with surprised of the blunt and straightforward answer that harbored no hesitation.

Naruto grinned as he gazed down at her, his long bangs shadowing his eyes in darkness. "You promise?"

Hinata nodded.

Taking one last deep breath and slowly letting it out, Naruto begin telling Hinata everything that he wanted to tell her. "Remember the Kyuubi attack on the village sixteen years ago?" At her nod, he continued, "You were told that the Fourth Hokage destroyed it, weren't you?" She nodded again. "Well, he wasn't destroyed like all the adults wanted you to believe, Hinata-chan. He was sealed inside of a newborn child."

Hinata nodded for a third time, not really following. What did that have to do with anything?

…Unless…

Hinata's eyes widen as the realization dawn on her.

Naruto nodded sadly. "Yeah, I was that newborn child. For sixteen years, I bared the burden of the demon fox, Kyuubi. That's why everyone hates me, because I am the vessel for that demon, the demon that destroyed this village." He turned his head away from her. "…I'll understand if you…well, you know, hate me too. It's only natural. After all, the Kyuubi killed a lot of people and destroyed families…"

Newly fresh tears sprung into the girl's eyes. She flung herself in Naruto's arms, thoroughly surprising him. "N-Naruto-kun…I'm s-sorry …" She sobbed into his jacket. Naruto nervously wrapped his arms around her again and held her close to him. "I…I love you…"

"Thanks, Hinata-chan," he said. "For everything. You're the first person to accept me without turning away." He suddenly grinned as he pulled away from her. "Hey, wanna go get some ramen with me?" He said, breaking the magical moment between the two.

Hinata blushed. "B-But…the ramen stand…is-isn't open…"

Naruto blinked and frowned. "Oh, yeah, that's right. Alright, I'll take you back home and we can go later. It could be a…um, a date!" His cheeks flared a crimson hue as he suggested it.

"A…a d-date…w-with Naruto-kun?" She whispered out loud, not believing her ears. Naruto wanted to go on a date with her? Does this mean that everyone was going to be okay between them? Could Naruto possibly fall in love with her? She felt a joy inside of her that she hadn't felt in a long, long time.

Naruto grabbed her smaller hand and started to lead her back home. "Yeah. Um, if you don't want to get ramen…we could, uh, we could always go…someplace else?"

Hinata hardly heard what he had said as the pleasant sensation of his hand holding hers filled her to the very core. She looked up at his face and couldn't help the blush that covered her cheeks. "I…w-would go an-anywhere with you, Naruto-kun…"

"Great!" Naruto happily said and the two of them slowly made their way to Hinata's home.

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It was twelve noon when Ino called a brief meeting between the remaining members of the previous Rookie Nine and the two members of Gai's team. The other people that didn't seem to realize the meeting was taking place were Naruto, Hinata, Lee, and Sakura, as they were elsewhere and Ino couldn't possibly tell Sakura and Lee of the surprise that they had in store for the soon-to-be mother and wife. And Lee wouldn't be able to keep a secret from her, so that ultimately ruled him out.

Ino glanced at the faces of the people around her; Shikamaru, Chouji (equipped with chips), Kiba, Shino, Neji and Tenten. It was a small group now that Sasuke was no longer in it and the four teens weren't here to join their party. Currently, they were having lunch at Ichiraku.

Shikamaru yawned, already bored out of his mind. "Okay, Ino, why are we here?" He thanked the ramen owner as he placed his meal in front of him.

Ino grinned slyly at her boyfriend before replying. "I thought it would be obvious, Shika-kun. I mean, you are a genius, aren't you?"

Shikamaru rolled his eyes at the nickname before shrugging. He slurped up his soup and only half listened to the conversation.

Ino glared at his lack of attentiveness. She turned back to the others. Neji could care less about being here, Chouji would go anywhere as long as there was food involved, Tenten enjoyed making secret plans, Kiba and Shino really had no idea why they were there.

"I called this meeting because as we all know of the situation between Lee and Sakura; they are expecting twins and are getting married in a few months!" She clasped her hands excitedly as she said that.

Tenten was also happily excited for her friends. She had known Lee practically longer than anyone else and she really adored him for his strength and determination to exceed in the ninja world with no ninjutsu and genjutsu whatsoever. He deserved to be happy and she was there with him one hundred percent. "That's great! I wonder who Sakura's going to pick as Maid of Honor." She looked thoughtful at that comment.

Ino rolled her eyes. "She's going to pick me, of course! I AM her best friend, after all!"

"Well, she can have more than one." Said Tenten.

The other girl shrugged. "Well, from what I heard, they haven't even thought of planning the wedding. My mother's a wedding planner on the side, so we were going to ask her for some help. Hopefully, Sakura's parents wouldn't mind paying for the wedding…" She highly doubt that they wouldn't, considering how Sakura's father acted at the hospital a few weeks ago. There was bad blood between the father and Rock Lee.

Kiba blinked as he finally decided to speak. "Wait, we came here to talk about a stupid wedding?"

Ino glared threateningly at him, immediately shutting the dog-boy up. "If you know what's good for you, you'll shut up now."

Kiba gulped and remained quiet for the rest of the exchange. He slouched in his seat and played with his ramen. Girls just…really scare him sometimes.

"Hey guys!" A voice shouted behind him and seven pairs of eyes turned around to see Naruto and Hinata standing there.

Neji raised an eyebrow and Naruto grinned sheepishly at the other boy. The two newcomers took a seat with them.

Ino couldn't help but noticed how close they seem to be; especially since she knew that Hinata was trying everything she could not to see Naruto.

"So, what'cha talking about?" Naruto asked after ordering some ramen for him and Hinata.

"We're talking about Lee and Sakura's wedding." Ino said before turning back to the little group.

A small flash of pain flickered in Naruto's eyes before dying out. He would be happy for Lee and Sakura, especially now that he has Hinata. Hinata deserves a chance, just like Lee deserved a chance to be with Sakura. "That's cool. What about it?"

Ino turned back to him, since she was now sitting between Naruto and Shikamaru. "Well, we know that Sakura hadn't made any plans yet…but, I was also thinking of throwing an engagement –slash- birthday –slash- baby shower for them."

Kiba decided to speak out again. "A birthday party?"

Ino was getting tired of turning back and fourth between them and sighed. "Sakura's birthday is in two more days." She rolled her eyes. "And you call yourself her friend." She said sarcastically.

Kiba blushed. "Hey, we're not very close!"

"Obviously."

Shino cut in between them. "What are you planning, Ino?" He asked in that soft and monotonous voice of his.

Ino glanced at Shino. If it weren't for the fact that she was dating Shikamaru, she'll be all over the sexiness that was the bug-boy. Oh, yes, Shino has grown into a fine, well-toned, young man…but that was slightly going off topic.

"What we're planning is throwing them a party in two days. I have everything planned out and all your tasks ready!" She pulled out a slip of paper from her pocket started to read from it. "Okay, hmm…I'll be the coordinator, of course. Shikamaru, I need you to run out and get some decorations." She handed him a piece of paper.

Shikamaru lazily took it without saying a word, though it was obvious what he was thinking. 'How troublesome…'

Ino continued. "Kiba and Shino, I'll need you two to pick up some stuff for the baby-shower portion of the party." She also handed them a piece of paper.

"Wow, Ino, you really thought this through." Remarked Naruto as he worked on his third bowl of ramen. Hinata said nothing as she was still on her first and only bowl. She really wanted to spend some alone time with Naruto, but she didn't mind too much spending time with her other friends too. She also wanted to know the status of their relationship and what ground they stood on. Were they an official couple or just out having ramen like friends?

Ino only smugly grin at him. "Of course! This is one of my specialties. Now, back to business. I was thinking we could hold the party at an empty classroom at the Academy. I'm sure Hokage-sama and Iruka-sensei won't mind. I'll need Neji and Tenten to make a list of the guests." She looked at the two.

Tenten would happily take care of the task handed to her, but Neji wouldn't be much help. He wasn't a big party person and preferred to be alone more than not. Actually, right now, he would rather be asleep since he was oh-so rudely disturbed from his slumber earlier that morning when an idiot decided to throw rocks at his window, mistaking his room for that of his cousin's. Life was just mocking him, wasn't it?

"We'll get right on it, Ino!" Tenten said, already thinking up a list of people that Lee and Sakura would want to have at the 'surprise' party. Let's see…there's Kakashi-sensei, Gai-sensei, Iruka-sensei, that girl from the academy four years ago…she ticked each person off in her mind.

Neji's response was the opposite of Tenten's. "There's no way that I-" Tenten gave him a look that caused him to rethink his response. He sighed and reconsidered. "Fine." Tenten smiled sweetly at him.

Shikamaru, who was sitting next to Chouji, leaned over the boy to whisper to Neji. "Why do we allow girls to run and ruin our lives? This is so troublesome…"

Neji, for once in his life, had to agree with the genius.

Ino sweatdropped and thwacked Shikamaru on the back of his head. "Shut up, Shikamaru." She returned back to the topic on hand. "I'll talk to Sakura's parents about the arrangements and I'm pretty sure they wouldn't mind." I hope, she added silently. "I'll also take care of the catering and floral arrangements."

Shikamaru nodded, only pretending to be interested. "And how much will all of this cost?"

Ino glared at him. "If we all pitch in, it shouldn't really matter."

Tenten nodded. "My cousin got married two years ago and the wedding was beautiful! It was like being in a dream! I asked them how much all that cost and it was like, twenty thousand dollars."

Naruto, who was drinking from a cup, immediately spewed the drink across the table. "Twenty thousand dollars for a stupid wedding! That's ridiculous! And we're not even talking about the wedding. If the wedding was only twenty thousand dollars, that means the party's gonna be like mega expensive!"

Ino, as well as everyone else, glared at Naruto as they all dripped in the liquid that came from Naruto's mouth. "Naruto…" Ino said through clenched teeth as she balled up her fist and smacked Naruto in the back of the head.

"Ow!" He cried out in pain as he grabbed the back of his head and glared at Ino. "What did you do that for!"

"For being an idiot," Ino said with a roll of her eyes. She cleared her throat. "So, everyone knows what to do?"

Naruto raised his hand, squirming in his seat and forgetting about his recent bout of pain.

Ino couldn't help but glare at the boy as he jumped around in his seat to get her attention. "What Naruto?"

"Um, um, um…where are we going to get the money for the party?"

Ino smiled. "I'll let you think of that." She clasped her hands together and looked at them all. "That concludes our briefing. Now, everyone knows what to do?"

They all reluctantly nodded.

Naruto raised his hand again. "Wait, wait! What about me and Hina-chan?"

Hinata blushed at the nickname while the others merely raised an eyebrow. Ino thought about it for a moment. "Hmm…you could…get the presents!"

Naruto face-faulted. "The presents! Aw man, I always get the lame jobs."

"Don't complain, idiot." Naruto had the feeling that everyone actually thought his name was 'idiot'. Ino got up from the stool she was sitting on and paid for her barely touched meal. "Report back here tomorrow at 1700 hours."

Naruto blinked. "Wait, huh? But…there's only 24 hours in a day! You want us to report back here in 1700 hours?"

Ino's anger was rising as her nostrils flared and fire sparkled in her eyes. How idiotic can one person be? Thankfully, Shikamaru answered before she ended up killing the poor boy. "She means five o'clock, Naruto."

Naruto nodded. "Oh, well, why didn't you say so?"

"It's common sense to know military time, especially for a ninja." Responded Neji with a graceful raise of a brow.

Naruto said nothing as he finished up the last of his ramen and silently watched as the others slipped away to take care of their tasks. He sighed and glanced next to him at Hinata who stared blankly at her half eaten bowl of ramen. "Hey, Hina-chan, are you okay?"

Hinata wringed her hands in her lap and nodded slowly.

Naruto frowned and put an arm around her. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"N-Nothing, Naruto-kun…" She said softly, ignoring the stares that the Ichiraku owner and his daughter were giving them. Both the owner and his daughter smiled at them, thinking that they made the cutest couple. Actually, anyone who saw them thought they were the perfect pair. Hinata's shyness and innocent certainly could balance out Naruto's outgoingness and carelessness. They could only help that she could get some sense through that thick skull of his.

Naruto nodded and cautiously with an extremely amount of affection that surprised all present, rubbed a hand on her back, hoping to make her feel better. She blushed tremendously as his hand made smoothing circles on her back. "Are you sure?"

She nodded one last time before Naruto pulled her in his arms. She wished she could stay like that forever.

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The visit with Tsunade was uneventful as the Hokage checked up on the girl's pregnancy. She was happy to know that after the incident a few weeks ago with Sasuke, there was no real damage. Tsunade made sure that Sakura would check back every month to see her so as to keep a good eye on how it progress. She had also told her that it was too soon to determine the sex of the babies when Sakura had asked her. But from what the older woman could tell, they both were of the same sex and that left Sakura guessing if she was going to have two daughters or two sons. It didn't matter, because she would love her daughters or sons just the same.

Once she left the hospital, she would meet up with her parents for lunch. She was against the whole idea, but her mother insisted that they should spend some more quality time together. It wasn't that she didn't want to, in fact, she would love to spend some time with her parents but by the way her father's previous behavior has been, it prevented them from doing that. He needed to stop acting like a child and grow up.

She made her way down the streets to her parents' house, wondering where Lee was. When they departed that morning, he said something about meeting up with his sensei and getting some training done. She told him to pick up some chocolate chip ice cream and Doritos© on his way back.

He, of course, didn't object to such a request coming from his beautiful and pregnant future wife and had eagerly declared that he would not let her down. It also involved a lot of youthful and passionate speeches. She had to shut him up with a kiss and a shove out the door.

In a few minutes she was standing outside her small home yet again. She subconsciously placed a hand on her slightly swollen belly before taking a deep and calming breath. She shouldn't have to feel this way around her parents, but given the current circumstances, it was undeniably understandable. She walked into the house, praying silently that this won't be the last time, and went in search of her parents.

It didn't take long before she found her mother upstairs in the room that she shared with her husband searching for something on the floor. She was dressed in a sleeveless elegant red dress that came down a little past her knees with a low neckline. Her long pink hair was tied into a loose bun on the top of her head with a few stray strands framing her nicely toned face. Sakura was momentarily surprised by her mother's choice in clothing and slowly approached her mother as she knelt down on the floor.

"Mom?" Sakura questioned without holding back the curiosity that was obvious in her voice.

Her mother looked up from searching under the bed and sighed in relief. "Good, you're here. Could you help me look for my contact, sweetie?"

Ah, so that would explain why she was crawling around on her hands and knees. Sakura nodded and carefully helped her mother search for the missing item. It took them ten minutes before Sakura shouted out with a triumphant grin that she had found it.

Her mother gratefully took the contact from her daughter and stuck it in her eye. Blinking rapidly, she smiled brightly at her daughter before frowning in disapproval. "You can't go dressed like that, Sakura!"

Sakura looked down at herself and wondered what was wrong with her loose fitted jeans and the pink loose shirt she was wearing. She looked back at her mother with a questioning look. "What's wrong with what I'm wearing?"

Miki shook her head and tisked. "Sweetie, we booked reservations for lunch at Vue de Monde. Your father chose it. I was pleasantly surprised that he did. There must be a reason for it." Miki said with a knowing smile. "Now, go change into something nice. Oh, and will Lee be joining us?" She asked before Sakura could leave the room.

Sakura was in a slight daze. Would Lee be joining them? Hell, she didn't even know about it. She was a little unnerved that her father would make reservations at one of the most expensive restaurants in the village. She thought about looking for Lee but wasn't sure as to what time that the reservations were set for. "What time are we supposed to be there?"

"Two o'clock for a late lunch."

Sakura nodded and glanced at the clock on her parents' bedside table. It was only 1:15 which meant she has less than half an hour to find Lee. He will join them. She'll make sure of that.

She told her mother that she would find Lee and they would be back within the hour before dashing out the room and out the house. Miki shook her head. She was still surprised that Matsou would go out of his way to try and redeem himself in his daughter and her boyfriend's eyes. He missed her terribly and so had she. Their daughter was all they had left and neither of them wanted something as trivial as this to tear them apart. That's why Matsou made reservations for four at the restaurant.

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AN: Okie, let me clear a few things up before I start getting crazy reviews (j/k). First, about the whole Naruto telling Hinata about the Kyuubi thing. That wasn't exactly easy to write. I also realized (a little too late, might I add) that Naruto SHOULDN'T have told Hinata about it, especially since no one was to know (that's what I read in most fics anyways). But, when I had that part written down, it was too late to turn back. I hope that doesn't pose as a problem. I am very sorry if I did something wrong concerning the two (Naruto and Hinata). This is technically my first time writing them into a fic. So, I apologize if they are not up to any expectation/standards of yours.

Yeah, but writing Naruto and Hinata just made me fall in love with them even more.

And as for the ending scene…gosh, that literally came out of nowhere. I wasn't planning on having them go to some random fancy restaurant to have lunch, but…it just happened. So, Matsou is trying to redeem himself! What made him change his mind? How will their day end at the restaurant? What will happen next? And what of the party that Ino's planning? Find out next time!

I also want to thank everyone who reviewed, Oh, thank you so, so much. I dedicate this fic to you! Please review!

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