A/N: The epilogue already? I really did see this through to the end. I had wanted the ending to be depressing and able to stand on its own, but the epilogue to make the ending happy, but not be required for one to have finished the story. Anyway, here we go.
Thirty year old Kiba Inuzuka had a smile on his face as he watched his best friend and the beautiful pinkette link their lives together in marriage, but he wasn't as happy on the inside. Oh sure, he was very happy that Shino and Sakura were married, but one thought still nagged at him.
Naruto and Ino were married, as were Shikamaru and Temari, Kankuro and Tenten, and Gaara had ended up marrying Shinzou, once the two had aged the age difference became less and less of a problem.
A lot of their teachers had married, Asuma and Kurenai, Kakashi and Anko. Two sisters, Sunako and Bara, had come looking for a new life and brought with them their cousin Shintei. Sunako had married Gai, Bara had married Ebisu, and it wasn't long before Shintei and Chouji fell in love, though he had yet to propose.
Hanabi had moved there and was currently dating Udon, whilst Konohamaru dated Moegi. Itachi had decided to stay for a while, and he and Hana ended up falling in love and getting married. When they moved away, she was finally able to pursue her dream of becoming a vet.
Everyone was happily in love, everyone except for Kiba, who could never let go of Hinata's memory. He hated Neji for sending her to her death. Neji had been sent to all sorts of things for bad teenagers, but Kiba always felt it wasn't enough and the cruel cousin of his love had deserved nothing short of death.
It was probably harder because this had been the day, many years ago, that she had left this world. Shino and Sakura hadn't wanted to get married on this day, but it was the only day convenient for everyone else.
No one had been able to find Hinata's body, but they were all sure that the shy beauty had died from that fall and he would never see her again. Being with another girl wasn't an option because he was only in love with white eyed, indigo haired Hyuuga Hinata.
~X~
About an hour away, in a city called Iwa, a thirty year old woman named Neko silently ate her lunch, while thirty five year old Tsutomu and her thirty three year old sister Kuma flipped through the newspaper.
"Hey, check this out," Kuma said, pointing to an article. "It says that, today, 16 years ago, the story of a girl named Hinata Hyuuga came to a tragic end at the bottom of a cliff."
"Hey, isn't today the same day we found Neko?" Tsutomu asked.
"Yeah, weird coincidence, huh?" her sister replied.
Yes, on that very day, sixteen years ago, the sisters had been fishing at a small lake when a body splashed in from above. She was rendered unconscious from the event and horribly injured, but the doctors could save her life at one cost: she completely lost her memory.
"C-can I see?" Neko asked.
"Sure," the older woman said, handing her the newspaper.
With one glance at the article, retelling the story, memories flooded back, everything, from childhood to that day when she fell off the cliff. Her name was not Neko, it was Hinata Hyuuga and she was in love with Kiba Inuzuka, the only one she wanted to be with at that moment.
No, she wanted to see them all, Ino, Sakura, Tenten, Temari, Kankuro, Gaara, Shikamaru, Chouji, Naruto, Shino, Tsume, Hana, but none as much as Kiba.
~X~
The next day, Kiba opened his eyes to one of Akamaru's mate's seven puppies, now all grown up, named Hina, licking his face. Akamaru had passed away, but Kiba still kept all of the pups and raised them, finding comfort in the fact that his best friend was in a better place now.
He hoped today would be easier because the day of Hinata's death had passed, but the pain still lingered, like it had for sixteen long years without her.
He headed out to his job, now working on the police force, not expecting what would happen that day.
He thought the girl standing before him was an illusion. There was no way it was her, she was dead now. The resemblance to her was uncanny, but this couldn't be her.
"K-Kiba? Kiba, is it you?"
Her voice, so soft, like it had always been. But how could this be real? She was dead, she had been for a long time, hadn't she? But now Kiba didn't care. She was standing in front of him, who cared if she was supposed to be dead?
He wrapped his arms tightly around the girl and said, "Why'd you have to die, Hinata? Why'd you leave me? I needed you."
"But I didn't die, Kiba. I'm alive. Can't you…can't you feel my heartbeat? I…I am alive," Hinata said.
He reached out, with shaking hands, to take her pulse, like he had done when he first found her, so many years ago. Sure enough, she did have a pulse, she was alive, his Hinata was alive.
"Then, why, Hinata? Why didn't you ever come back for me?" he asked. "Didn't you still love me?""Oh, Kiba, I wish I could have, but when I fell off the cliff, I landed in a lake. People found me and brought me to a hospital. I lived, but I was horribly wounded and suffered head trauma. I couldn't remember who I was and went by the name Neko for so long. But yesterday, when I looked in the newspaper, I saw the article telling my story, and I knew that this girl was, without a doubt, me."
It was the longest thing he had ever heard her say without a stutter or an uncertain pause. She had changed a bit, but she was still Hinata Hyuuga and he still loved her.
She remembered now, she remembered everything, and she and Kiba were ready to make even more great memories together.
A/N: *sobs* IT'S OVER! NOOOOOOOOOOO! Th-that was so BEAUTIFUL! *tears streaming down face*
Sunako: Geez, Hannah, it wasn't that great.
Me: HEY! I INCLUDED YOU IN THE STORY AND EVERYTHING!
Sunako: Yeah, in one paragraph.
Me: Well, anyway, it's over. I hope you all enjoyed it! Make sure you review and, if you want a short sequel, you should vote in the poll on my profile! Or Sunako'll get you.
Sunako: Huh?