Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto! Duh! That's why I'm writing fan fiction! And now, without further ado, the moment you have all been waiting for! Enjoy!

~The Proposal~

Hinata slowly walked home from the grocery store. She found herself rather sullen that day. It had been over a week since she'd last seen Naruto-kun. Lately, Kakashi-sama had been sending him on a great deal of missions. The dark-haired woman knew they were important, but the distance always took a toll on her heart.

With a tired sigh, Hinata opened the main door to the Hyuga residence and prepared herself for another lonely day without her fox. That is, until Hanabi ran up to greet her. "There you are Nee-chan! I've been looking everywhere for you!"

The teenage girl pulled a scroll out of her bag and started waving it under her sister's nose. "An important message just came!"

"Really, how strange," Hinata said, exchanging the groceries she was carrying for the offered scroll.

"Well, come on now," her sister encouraged. "Hurry up and open it!"

This made the dark-haired woman pause. Why did Hanabi seem so excited about this? With a light shrug, Hinata brushed off the odd feeling and unrolled the scroll.

*POOF!*

Out popped a tiny, yellow, origami fox. "Oh!" she exclaimed in surprise, having not anticipated something being sealed inside. The second Hinata realized what it was, the sight of it made her smile. This was Naruto's way of telling her that he was alright. However, when she lifted the fox from off the paper, another seal broke, and a note became etched in it's place. It read:

Dear Hinata-chan,

First off, I wanted to say that I miss you, and I hope you are doing well. This past week has been really hard without you, and I'm sure it's sucked for you as well. Especially since I've been gone so much lately...

The woman let out a sad sigh, feeling that familiar ache of longing before she continued reading.

So, I decided to do something special to help make it up to you. Our friends have helped me set up, a kind of scavenger hunt. Decipher the riddles and follow the clues. Because at the end, there'll be a big surprise waiting for you! You're gonna love it!

Hinata blinked for a second. "What a cleaver idea!" she thought to herself with a gentle smile. "Naruto-kun's so thoughtful, he must have put a lot of work into this."

But as the woman read on, the next sentence gave her pause.

Or at least... I really hope you do.

Odd... that final sentence didn't really sound right, like Naruto was doubting himself. It didn't happen often, but there were times when the truly vulnerable side of her fox shone through. She'd have to get him to open up and talk about it once he returned.

Anyway, here's your first clue! Find the blue crane at the spot that used to be built for one, but now has room for two.

"Hmm," Hinata pondered, placing her finger to her chin. "Blue crane... I wonder-"

A sudden cry of "CAW!" then drew the woman's attention as a crow flew out of nowhere and started pecking about Hanabi's head. "GAH! Crazy bird! Shoo! Shoo!"

"CAW!" the ruffled creature cried, before making its escape.

"Nutty thing," Hanabi huffed, pulling black feathers out of her hair. "Anyway, you'd better get going."

"Wait..." said Hinata curiously as she eyed her sister. "I didn't tell you what the scroll said yet..."

To which, the teenager immediately sweatdropped. "Oops! Okay, fine. You caught me, I'm in on it, too."

After admitting this, Hanabi began pushing her sister towards the door. "Look, I'll handle all your chores today. Just get going! Naruto-kun put a lot effort into planning this, so just enjoy it. Okay?"

"Well... if you insist," the dark-haired woman reluctantly agreed as the teen girl practically shoved her back outside.

"I do," Hanabi grumbled, with a wave good-bye. "Have a fun day!" And with that, she ducked back through the main door and slammed it closed behind her.

"Oh, Hanabi-chan, always so dramatic," Hinata thought with a rueful grin as her attention turned back to the riddle.

"A place that had been made for one, but now has room for two..." she muttered to herself aloud. Honestly, that could mean a lot of places. But it was clearly something both she and Naruto considered to be important...

Hinata thought back to their shared past. He had been alone a great deal as a child. Almost everyday after lessons, she would see him sitting on his-

"That's it!" the dark-haired woman gasped, realizing she had stumbled upon the answer. Quickly, Hinata rolled back up the scroll and took off towards the academy.

During their first date, Naruto and Hinata discovered that a new swing had been placed were the old one used to reside. When Naruto's birthday approached that year, she asked Inari to take on a bit of a side project for her.

Hinata came to a stop as she reached the new school building. It was so large and modern now, far removed from the old wooden structure they used to study in. But one object of the past still remained... with a minor addition.

Instead of a single swing, swaying solitary in the breeze, there were now two. The pair dangled on opposite sides of the tree, ready for any passerby to come and rest upon them. Naruto had been deeply touched by the small gesture. From now on, no child needed to sit there alone.

With a wistful sigh, Hinata approached the swings and noticed something odd resting upon the one seat: an over the shoulder bag... with a blue origami crane placed upon it.

She covered her mouth and let out a breathy laugh, knowing what the paper bird meant. Idly, Hinata wondered what Naruto had done to get Sasuke to take part in this. But in the end, it didn't really matter; it was a sweet gesture from them both.

The dark-haired woman walked over to the swing and crouched down in front of it. Reaching out with her delicate hands, she gently removed the parcel from the seat. Hinata then flipped open the bag and looked inside. Her eyes sparkled with joy, as she found another sealing scroll.

Immediately, she took it out and unrolled it, curious to see where this little adventure was leading next.

The scroll came open with a great *POOF!* And when the smoke cleared, another note and origami figure appeared.

Congratulations! the note said. You have discovered your second clue! This bag is to help you carry all the notes you gather. Now, here's the next one! Find the pillar of strength, at the place we call our second home. Have fun Hinata-chan!

The kunoichi smiled to herself, having a distinct impression of who she was going to find next. If the paper sakura flower resting in her hand was any indication. And as for the place they called their second home, that was easy: Ichiraku's. She and Naruto would always find some excuse to meet up there. Iruka, Ayame, and Teuchi were like Naruto's adoptive family. That, and it truly was the best ramen in the village. Just about the entire ninja population of Konoha frequented the establishment on a regular basis. All hoping get some warm food, and a chance to catch up with the rest of their friends.

With a gentle grin, Hinata rolled back up the clue and tucked it, along with the origami flower, safely back into the bag. The dark-haired woman then turned her head up and began addressing the tree. "Arigato, Sasuke-kun. I hope returning to the village for this, didn't inconvenience your mission."

The leaves above her angrily rustled for a moment, before a gruff voice answered, "Hmph... what can I say? The dobe's one persistent bastard. Now get going, I don't want to have to deal with a pissed off Sakura because you were late."

His comment made Hinata giggle into her hand. "Very well, and thank you, again." And with that, she took off towards the ramen stand to meet with her next friend. As the dark-haired kunoichi sped away, Sasuke couldn't help, but grin and whisper to himself, "Be happy, Hinata-chan. You deserve it.

And so, it continued on like this for the rest of the day. Hinata would find one of her friends at the clue's location, and trade them the origami piece for the next scroll. As time went on, she began to notice a pattern emerging. All the locations seemed to revolve around places she and Naruto often frequented or held a special significance to them both.

There was the waterfall, where she found Sai serenely sketching. It was where she and Naruto had skated during their first date. The beautiful scene made her blush in remembrance of the mission where the blond had inadvertently seen her naked. Even to this day, she found the thought of Naruto discovering the truth about that 'mysterious water dancing woman' utterly mortifying. Although Hinata had to admit, his vague 'descriptions' of her had been rather flattering.

Then there was Shino, who she found in the forest where Naruto had saved her from bullies, at the cost of his red scarf. And Ino, who pointed her toward the same assorted bouquet Naruto had given her on their first date. The list went on and on, friend after friend, so many happy, blissful memories...

As the sun began to set, the kunoichi arrived at a very memorable place, the Third Training Ground. This was where, Hinata had her first real conversation with Naruto. During the Chunin exams, the blond had wandered there before his big fight with Neji. Naruto voiced to her his doubt about being able to beat the Hyuga prodigy. At first, his admission had shocked Hinata. She had never heard him doubt himself before. And even though the girl was terrified of speaking to her crush, she found the strength to voice the words that rang true in her heart.

The dark-haired woman couldn't help but smile as his response echoed again in her mind, "I always thought you were kind of timid and weird. But I think I actually like... people like you."

Not the best start to a relationship, but to Hinata, those words said a lot. It meant, that maybe there was hope. From that point on, she began to better herself in every way she could. In the hopes, that one day, Naruto might see her in the same way she saw him... as the love of her life.

Just then, Tenten's cheerful voice broke Hinata out of her reverie. "There you are! I was worried you'd gotten lost!"

"Oh, no. Gomen," the dark-haired woman immediately apologized. "I was just..."

"It's okay," her friend said, brushing it off with a careless wave. "This is the last clue anyway."

The weapons user pulled the scroll out of her bag and traded it for Hinata's origami shuriken.

"Um... Tenten?" Hinata asked, gently biting at her lip. Something had been bothering her all day, and she finally found the courage to voice it. "D-Do you know what this is really about?"

But the other woman merely gave her a playful wink and a scolding finger. "Now, now! You're almost there! Don't think too much and spoil it!"

And with that warning, Tenten suddenly poofed! away using Substitution Jutsu, leaving Hinata alone with her hopeful thoughts.

"Oh, well," she whispered to herself, before tugging open the final scroll.

When the seal released, Hinata was met once again with the little yellow fox from the beginning of the day.

The last note simply said, This is it! Great job, Hinata-chan! Now here's your final clue! Go to the place we built together, and you'll find your surprise waiting for you...

Hinata felt her heart leap in chest. The entire day... the places she had visited... could Naruto really be...

But instead of finishing that thought, she took a deep, steadying breath and shoved the note back into her bag. And then on shaky legs, she began running to her final destination: Naruto's old family home.

Meanwhile, back at the house, the fireflies were just starting to awaken. Their reflected lights twinkled across the surface of the small pond near the front door.

When a tiny, blue and orange toad surfaced and started swimming towards the house, singing "La-la-la-" *Wham!* "GAHH!"

Out of nowhere, Tonton and Pakkun leaped up and tackled the summoning creature. After a brief scuffle, they were able to securely tie the meddlesome toad up with rope. The pair then performed a victory dance with Japanese fans as Pakkun declared into his headset, "Area secure, over!"

"Good work," congratulated Gai over the comlink. "Have the rest of the ninken continue to patrol the area. Over!"

"Aww! Come on guys!" Gama-chan whined at them with pleading eyes. "It'll be romantic!"

"Nope! Not this time!" Pakkun grumbled, dragging her away from the scene.

Naruto observed all this from the window, and let out a sigh of relief. One less thing to worry about. But truth be told, he was still a nervous wreck. Back and forth the blond paced, repeating the words he had practiced for days in his mind.

"Where is she?" he wondered, turning again to walk across the empty room. "Did I make the clues too hard? Maybe she doesn't know where to go?"

"Kit, calm down," Kurama grumbled in his head. "Your vixen is a hell of a lot smarter than that. Besides, one of your crazy friends would have contacted you if something had gone wrong."

With a stressful sigh, the blond reached into his pocket and pulled out the ring box. He opened it and stared at small object that would completely transform his life. In his youth, Naruto had never even dreamed that a moment like this would come. And now here he was, about to ask the woman he loved to spend the rest of her life with him.

And yet, one very frightening question still remained, "Would she really want to?"

Hinata knew that Naruto was in line to become the next Hokage. And being the leader of the entire village was a great commitment. Would she want that kind of life? Where the needs of everyone else, often times outweighed her own?

Naruto felt his eyes welling with tears. They had only been together for a little over a year, and the dark-haired woman had already become the foundation of his entire world. Through the hardest times, her love always kept him going. The thought of spending the rest of his life without her... terrified him. Hinata had done what Naruto had always believed was impossible, she filled the empty space that had been left in his heart.

If she said no, it would completely destroy him. But in life, there are somethings that are worth the risk. And Naruto would pay whatever price he had to, for a chance to have a long and fulfilling one with Hinata...

He just hoped, she wanted to do the same. Suddenly, Naruto's heart leapt into his throat. He felt her chakra signature approaching. Quickly, he snapped the box shut and stuffed it into his pocket. The blond then turned and stared expectantly towards the door; his heart swelling with hope.

The time had finally come...

The front of the warmly lit home beckoned Hinata to approach. Around the pond, small lanterns floated gently on the surface, as fireflies danced in the night sky. They reminded the woman of the first time Naruto had said he loved her. She still remembered the utter and complete shock she had felt. After all that time, he had finally noticed her. And then Hinata had to leave him... But she was a Hyuga, and the task that she had been given was far too important. It just about destroyed her, but Hinata did it, hoping that Naruto would realize the significance of the scarf she had left behind. Her heart would always belong to him, now and forever.

And now, she was living the life she had always dreamed about. It wasn't perfect, it would never be without Neji. But it was close, and that was enough for Hinata. The ethereal light emitting from the window called to her, inviting her home. In almost a daze, she walked up the steps and approached the door.

With a trembling hand, Hinata reached out and opened it. Immediately, the dark-haired woman gasped at the sight of a hundred glowing candles surrounding Naruto, bathing him in a veil of light.

"H-Hi, Hinata-chan!" he stuttered out, nervously playing with something in his pocket. "Welcome home!"

"Naruto-kun?" she asked in disbelief. Was this really happening? "I-I thought-"

The blond simply took a step forward and shakily grabbed her hands. "That I was on a mission? Well yeah, k-kinda. But that was over a few days ago. I just wanted to surprise you..."

"Oh..." she said in reply, feeling a bit saddened. For a moment, she had really believed-

"A-And you know, to sorta ask you something, too," he quickly admitted, during her reply.

Hinata's breath caught in her throat as her eyes went wide. "Naru-"

But the blond cut her off with a shake of his head. "Just hear me out."

The woman tried to slow her rapidly beating heart, as she stared at him with hopeful eyes.

"Hinata-chan, this past year has been the happiest of my entire life," he confessed, momentary tightening his grip on her hands. "W-When I was a boy, I never really believed that I could feel like this..." He paused for a second, and finally gathered enough strength to still his trembling body. "I'm whole. For the first time ever, I feel complete. A-And it's because I'm with you."

Hinata's wide, luminous eyes began spilling over with tears of joy.

"I love you, Hinata-chan, with all that I am," Naruto declared as he shakily got down on one knee. "This is the house we built together, and I want to spend the rest of my days here with you."

The dark-haired woman hand placed a hand over her mouth in shock as the blond reached into his pocket and pulled something out.

"So, I'm asking you..." he said, opening the box and holding it out to her. "Will you marry me?"

Hinata couldn't contain herself any longer, and openly wept. The ring was absolutely stunning; with the golden fox wrapped lovingly around the center sapphire. Truly, a symbol that represented the depth of their love. Her Naruto-kun had made this day everything she had always dreamed it to be.

"I-I know I can be a handful sometimes," the blond added with desperate blue eyes, pleading with her to give him an answer. "And that being married to a Hokage won't be easy... but-"

Hinata simply let a out breathless laugh dove in for a kiss. Silly boy, as if she would say, "no." The woman put all the passion and love that she felt for Naruto into it, and he returned it enthusiastically in kind.

When they finally broke apart several minutes later, Naruto teasingly asked, "So... I'm guessing that's a yes?"

Tearfully, Hinata giggled in return. "Hai, a thousand times, hai."

"A-And you're sure-" he began, not quite believing that she had agreed. The dark-haired woman just lovingly rested her head upon his chest.

"I most certainly am," she replied with a content sigh, and held out her hand for Naruto to place the ring on. With a wicked grin, he blond kissed her forehead and happily obliged. After that, they sat there for a while, wrapped in each others loving embrace. Before Naruto suddenly spoke up, "Oh yeah! I almost for got!"

The blond then reached into his pocket and took out what appeared to be another sealing scroll. Hinata raised a questioning eyebrow. "What's this now?"

"The night's not quite over yet," he answered with a quick wink and unraveled it with a flourish. "Come on out everybody! She said, 'Yes!'"

And with that, a giant POOOFF! of smoke enveloped the room. "SURPRISE! CONGRATULATIONS!" their friends cried as the romantic candles in the room instantly vanished and were replaced with buffet tables filled with food, a DJ stage, a large ink portrait of Naruto and Hinata, along with a group of their happy friends.

"What on earth?" Hinata exclaimed in shock as they formed a conga line behind her and started chanting, "Party, party, par-ty!"

"What can I say?" said Naruto with a nonchalant shrug. "Our friends are rather persistent. They've been holding onto this secret for a while now, and wanted to celebrate with us as soon as possible!"

"Everything's all set," said Lee with a salute to the blond. "The others are on their way."

Naruto gave him a hearty pat on the back. "Good job! And excellent work with the seals Tenten."

The weapon's user laughed as she went over to hug Hinata. "No prob!"

"Others?" the dark-haired woman asked, feeling a bit overwhelmed by their sudden appearance. "Who else is coming?"

"You'll see," replied Sakura with a sly wink. "But don't worry about it. This is all for you and Naruto, so relax and enjoy!"

And so, everyone began preparing for the guests to arrive. There was still a lot of work to be done to get the house ready.

It would seem, that while Naruto's actual proposal might have been a success, the night wasn't over quite yet. And by the end, it would certainly become one the Konoha 12 were sure to remember...

To Be Continued...

Author's Notes: HA! That's right everybody, I've been planning this from the beginning and now it's finally arrived! The story is not over! Thought you were just getting a cute lovey-dovey ending, huh? WRONG! I'm blowing my load people! Next time, the final full chapter before the epilogue: The Engagement Party! I'm bringing in everyone I can. It's going to be one heck of a night! XD

And again, it will probably be around a two-three week wait. I really need to read over everything I wrote again and outline the crap out of it so it all comes out perfect. But more will come soon!

And as always...

Please remember to read, fav, and review! Feedback helps fuel the muse! Feed the fanfic muse!

Japanese Word Key:

Dobe: Dead Last or Idiot

Teme: Bastard

Nii-chan: Brother

Nee-chan: Sister

Hai: Yes

Itadakimasu: It's a traditional Japanese phrase that means: "I thank you for the meal."

Otousan: Father (formal)

Tou-chan: Dad (informal)

Kaa-chan: Mother

Oba-chan: Granny

Ero-kage: Perverted (or Ero in japanese) Hokage

Arigato: Thank you

Kami: God or spirit

Chibi: Short, cute style of drawing

Baka: Idiot

Gomen'nasai: I'm sorry

Gomen: Sorry

Bento box: the Japanese term for a lunch box, or a boxed lunch of some kind.

Shogi: Japanese chess

Kunoichi: Female ninja

Shinobi: Ninja (not sure if it's just used for males though)

Sensei: Teacher

Dattebayo: Naruto's catchphrase in Japanese. It doesn't actually translate to "Believe it!" It's just an exclamation like: Yippee! or Huzzah!