Second Time Around Chapter 15: Epilogue, a naruto fanfic

A/N: I'm SO SORRY about the long wait, but here it finally comes – the end of the story!

But first… GOSH! Thank you so much for all those absolutely amazing, baffling review! (HUGS!) Can you even imagine how much I enjoy writing to a group of such bafflingly astonishing readers? Thank you so much!

But now, without anything further, here comes the epilogue! I really hope you'll like!

Remember to check out the present alternative ending!

(Btw, if your interested… Meanings of the kids' names can be found from underneath the responses to reviews.)

DISCLAIMER: I don't own "Second time around" from Frank Sinatra OR "Little wonders" from Rob Thomas, which are the songs used.

I also didn't make the wedding vows. I found them from the internet.

Me now own, you know sue. Pwease? (sends hopeful glances)

/ Love is lovelier, the second time around

There are those who'd bet
Love comes but once - and yet
I'm oh so glad we met
The second time around /

Frank Sinatra, "Second time around"

Epilogue

Twelve and a half years later.

Standing on the highest spot of Konoha and allowing her eyes to wander on the landscape, Ino couldn't help being amazed by how much had changed during the past twelve and a half years. No longer did people have to be worried about dark powers, no longer was the Akatsuki shadowing their everyday lives. Ninjas still went and returned from missions, but life was more normal now. There was peace.

Tremendous surge of pain went through her.

If only you could be here to see this…

Suddenly, a female voice pulled her out of her thoughts. " Mom, what do you think? Is this any good?"

Blinking furiously to rid the tears that wanted to erupt, she turned her gaze. She just had to smile as she found an almost twelve-years-old girl with shortcut hair of darkest brown and pale skin. Without the blue eyes she'd inherited from her, the girl would've been a picture of her father. Her eyes then travelled to the girl's artwork. It was a breathtakingly beautiful painting of the landscape. " It's beautiful, Takara." She felt a stab of pain. " You're a real artist, just like your father."

Takara's eyes immediately lit with hopeful excitement. " Will you tell me about him?"

No matter how hard she swallowed, the lump in her throat didn't disappear completely. " Some other time, honey", she promised, using a pet name meant only for the most tender, painful situations. " Right now, I've got a lot to do before the ceremony begins, and you should go home to get yourself ready."

Takara nodded, visibly swallowing down bitter disappointment. Just before leaving, the girl glanced towards her. The unshed tears in her daughter's eyes tore her chest. " Mom… Could we go and visit dad someday soon? I mean, the big day is coming, and…" The girl trailed off, heartbroken and embarrassed.

It was increasingly hard for her to hold back tears. " Of course." She had to breathe in deeply for several times. " Now let's get going before we'll be late."

Purposely to hide her torn expression she tailed behind her daughter as they started to walk, blinking furiously with each step.

Goodness, how badly she wished there would've been a certain hand holding hers as they walked down the path towards their tiny house.

No one watching would've believed Kiba had just returned from a mission as he sprinted through the hospital's hallways, eyes searching frantically.

He managed to startle quite a number of medics and inhabitants when bursting through the doors of maternity ward. " H – Hinata…", he managed in a extremely pathetic voice. " Where… is… she…?"

Never had been as relieved to hear Sakura's voice as he was then. " Good, the trainee I sent managed to find you."

His eyes were still radiating near-terror as he spun around to face the pinkette, who seemed exhausted. " Where is she? How is she? Is the baby…?"

Sakura seemed to be on the verge of bursting into laughter. " It was all over two hours ago. She lost a bit of blood and she'll be sore for a while, but she's alright – as is your baby-girl."

At first he didn't quite understand, but when it all came crashing down his eyes widened to ridiculous extend. " W – What?"

Apparently figuring out that he was in no state to function reasonably, Sakura called for her trainee over her shoulder. " I'm taking him to see his wife. Toku, could you please bring Akamaru some water?"

Blinking a bit, Kiba lowered his eyes, and felt a sharp stab of guilt when finding Akamaru, who'd practically slumped to his feet, seeming pooped. " I'm sorry, boy. Sometimes I just forget that you're already getting old."

The canine gave him a look that signalled it understood.

Sakura's voice brought his thoughts elsewhere once more. " So, should we go?"

The journey to Hinata's room felt like eternity. Once they were there, Sakura smiled slightly at him. " Here it is." As an afterthought, she added. " Do you want me to let Naruto know you're also with him in spirit today?"

" Yeah", he replied dazedly. With everything spinning around in his head, he barely managed to fight off the urge to hug the woman. " Thanks, Sakura."

With a wave of hand, she took her leave.

He entered the room silently and cautiously, like a thief. He just had to grin goofily at what he found.

On the opposite side of the room Hinata was already standing, holding a tiny, tightly wrapped bungle in her arms. Their almost twelve-years-old son Eiri – who'd inherited his hair and Hinata's eyes – stared at his sister in utter awe.

The moment was almost too beautiful to be shattered, but he just couldn't hold himself back. " Am I also invited to this party?"

Both his wife and son smiled widely when seeing him. " Hey, dad!" his son greeted. " How was the mission?"

He shrugged. " Nothing out of ordinary." His eyes grew unbelievably soft as he glanced towards his wife, then the baby in her arms. " You have no idea of how glad I am it's finally over."

After thinking about it for a moment, Hinata walked up to him (only slight sway of steps showing she was in pain), then placed the baby-girl tenderly into his arms. " Come on, little one, open up your eyes and say 'hi' to daddy."

He stared, completely mesmerised, as the tiny one yawned, then – ever so slowly – inched her eyes halfway open, revealing a baffling sea of lilac.

He barely managed to hear Hinata's voice. " I thought about naming her Iva. Eiri agreed that it sounds perfect for her."

Embarrassingly wide smile came to his lips. " Yeah, it's definitely perfect." Then, very slowly overcoming the first shock, he looked towards his son. " There's no need for us all to stay in here, especially not today. Besides, weren't you supposed to take Takara to the ceremony?"

Eiri scoffed moodily. " She's probably going with Hoshi, anyway", the teen muttered darkly, referring to Shino and Miyako's son of his age.

Hinata seemed to restrain a chuckle. " Well, she'll definitely go with him if you're here." Her eyes were soft. " Go. We'll be right here waiting when the ceremony ends."

After hesitating for a long moment, Eiri finally made his decision and pushed himself up with apparent effort. After saying his byes and stroking his sister's cheek (which made the baby chirp with delight), the teen disappeared.

As soon as the door was closed, Kiba found himself making a sound of exasperation. " Geez, they grow up fast!"

" Yeah, they do. And they never fail to amaze us", Hinata murmured while stroking her daughter's head, losing herself into the baby's eyes. " Life is full of surprises."

As he returned recently named Iva to her mother and wrapped both of his arms tenderly around his wife, his eyes never leaving his daughter, Kiba decided that those life's surprises (such as this one) were what made life so exciting and beautiful.

Naruto was practically brisling with excitement while standing on a small stage, anxiously waiting for what was to come. His eyes, however, also carried some worry while darting towards the crowd that'd showed up to wait.

Where the hell is she?

He bit his lip hard.

She promised to be here…

A couple of weeks earlier, Sasuke had been sent to a mission, but she'd sworn she'd be back for this significant day. For this was the day when Naruto would finally – after such a long and hard struggle – become the Hokage.

This was what he'd been waiting for all his life to get, and pretty much all his friends were there. But if she wouldn't be here…

Although unusually soft, Tsunade's voice managed to startle him. " Alright then, brat. It's almost time." Turning his head, he found the woman looking at him with a soft smile. " Are you ready for this?"

He opened his mouth, completely clueless as to what was about to come out, when he felt a sudden touch in the air he couldn't be mistaken of. Almost holding his breath with anticipation, he turned his head slowly. Moments later, he couldn't help smirking widely as a familiar face appeared into the crowd. For there, standing at the very back where she was carefully hidden yet able to see everything, stood Sasuke in her usual pose. She, as well as her ANBU-gear, seemed slightly tattered, but she was there nonetheless, gazing at him with eyes that sent clear message.

You better not screw this one up, dobe.

His grin widened still.

" Naruto?" Tsunade seemed and sounded mildly annoyed by then. " Should we get started?"

He nodded with anticipation. " Yeah. I'm ready."

What Tsunade said after that he barely registered in his state of disbelieving shock. All he managed was nods and 'I promise' in parts where it felt appropriate.

And then, followed the part he'd waited for the most. Smiling even more softly than before, Tsunade first kissed his forehead gently, then set the Hokage's hat to his head where it fit surprisingly comfortably.

So loud was the cheering that erupted from the crowd, that he almost didn't hear what Tsunade nearly whispered next. " Your father would've wanted you to have this." So saying, she pulled out a beautiful white cloak that had a lot of red decorating it.

Putting it on, he was forced to blink a little as his eyes were sent burning. He smirked at the woman. " Thank you, Baa-chan."

Tsunade could only smirk in return. " Congratulations, brat. Now it's finally official."

As rays of sunlight erupted from the formally cloudy sky just then, dancing around in Naruto's eyes, Tsunade was almost sure that his parents and Jiraiya were watching somewhere up there.

Sasuke gave a deep sigh of happiness when approaching the house he and Naruto had bought, allowing her eyes to wander on the familiar surroundings.

" It's good to be back home", Taichi – who'd been assigned with her on this latest mission to test if he was ANBU-material – sighed beside her, waking her from her thoughts.

" Hn", she gave as reply while darting a sideways glance towards the boy.

Even after all the years passed, Sasuke's skin sometimes crawled as she realized just how much like Itachi the boy looked, especially now that he was older. But that feeling never lived long, because she knew the alikeness was only skin deep. After having been raised by she and Naruto for almost all his life, even the last traces of Itachi's personality had disappeared from the boy. Sasuke was beyond relieved Taichi had shown no curiosity towards knowing about his biological family. As far as their family concerned, she and Naruto were the boy's only true parents, no matter how much adjusting it'd taken of her to accept the child as a family member.

Her sharp ears caught a faint thump of kunai hitting a tree just before the female-voice came. " Mom?"

She smirked a bit when turning her head to see a blonde-haired girl who looked so much like Naruto it still baffled her. If she'd had her father's eyes, she would've been a perfect female copy. Her eyes then travelled to a nearby tree for a moment, only to spot a long, extremely neat row of kunais and shurikens. " Well how about that, 'Kari", she stated, voice filled with what can only be called maternal pride, using Hikari's pet name. " I'm gone for a couple of weeks, and you become a real ninja."

" Hey!" a male-voice protested. Turning her eyes once more, she locked eyes with what can only be called a perfect copy of her old male-form. The boy pouted. " I threw just as well!"

Yes, Sasuke mused with amusement. He's definitely Naruto's son.

Against her nature, she almost smiled softly. " I know, Nozumu." 'And I'm very proud of you both', didn't have to be voiced.

Nozumu nodded, appearing somewhat more pleased as he understood. " That's good."

Hikari was grinning at her, still looking so much like Naruto it made her feel dizzy. " I'm glad you're back home, mom."

She allowed her eyes to soften as she ruffled her daughter's hair. ' I'm glad to be back, too.' She then frowned, realizing that something was missing. " Where's Hinode?"

" Inside", Nozumu replied. " We sent her there after she'd been training for four hours."

It took a lot of her to hide her surprise. Four hours?

She heard a small rustle of grass from behind her before Taichi's voice came. " If you want to go and see her, I'll make sure these two finish off properly."

She cast her nephew a grateful glance, then – with a one more look at the twins – started to make her way towards the house she shared with Naruto. Immediately when entering, she shook her head and groaned with exasperation upon discovering that absolutely no cleaning up and barely any dishwashing had been done during the time she'd been away.

Apparently, some things would never change…

It didn't take her long to follow the faint sounds coming from the house's attic. Her eyes became even softer than before as she found her younger daughter – a five-year-old with long black hair on a plait and onyx eyes of Uchiha-family – searching through what seemed to be an old cardboard-box. " Shouldn't you be asleep already, Hinode?"

The girl's head turned rapidly, and her eyes immediately lit up when she spotted him. " Mommy!" In a matter of seconds the child was in her arms. " I knew you'd come home today, and so did daddy!"

She stroked her daughter's hair with a sigh. " I'm sorry it took so long." She then pushed the child gently a bit further. " Now, what were you working on up here?"

She was almost sure her heart stilled for a moment when Hinode revealed a photograph to her – a picture old team seven, back when the team had just been formed. She swallowed hard.

Oh no…

Why hadn't she and Naruto destroyed those?!

" Mommy, who's that?" Hinode asked while pointing at a picture of her in his male form, eyes and voice filled with wonder. " He looks just like brother and you!"

She had to think for a while. Already when the twins had been just babies, she and Naruto had agreed to not tell their children about her life as a boy – after all, that was already long gone. But she wanted to be as truthful as possible. " He was… someone I knew pretty well once."

The girl frowned. " He seems sad."

Sasuke was a bit surprised by those words. It took a while before she found her voice. " Yeah, I suppose that's what he was."

The girl looked at her with somewhat worried eyes. " Is he happy now, mommy?"

Despite herself, she couldn't help smiling just a little. " Yes, kiddo. I happen to know that she's very, very happy right now." She then patted her younger daughter's hair. " Now off to bed with you. It's already late."

The girl gave her a hopeful glance. " Will you read me a bedtime story?"

She swallowed a sigh of guilt. " I'm sorry, but I can't tonight. But if you go to bed now, I will tomorrow."

Not wasting another second, the child disappeared. Not much later, she heard Naruto's voice. " She really missed you, you know? We all did."

" I know", she replied in an uncharacteristically soft voice, turning towards the man. The feeling was very mutual. " Aren't you supposed to be celebrating?"

Naruto shrugged while approaching, a sly look upon his face. " I had more important things in mind." The blonde made an audible growl of worry and irritation when she shuddered and hissed silently with pain as the man wrapped his arms around her waistline. " You teme… You got yourself hurt, didn't you?"

She shot the man a stern, meaningful look. There was no way she'd let him get worked up over something like this now. " It's just a scratch, dobe. One which I paid back dearly."

Naruto's face gained a hopeful expression. " Maybe I can nurse you a little."

She gave the blonde a meaningful look. " You know I can't spend tonight here. I'll go to Kakashi and Aika's as soon as I've packed up a little."

Naruto had been quite determined that they wouldn't get married before he was the Hokage. The next day would finally be the big one.

Naruto made a loud moan of disappointment while burying his face into her shoulder. " I hate traditions."

She surprised them both with chuckling a little. " We'll see about that tomorrow."

Losing control over her own actions, she nibbled Naruto's ear gently as the man pulled her closer still. " This is going to be such a long night", the blonde whined, adjusting his arms so that he could hold her tightly without bringing pain. " Do you have any idea of how damn cold the bed is without you?"

She rolled her eyes and dared to smile a bit when she knew no one was there to see it. " It's just one night, dobe. I'm sure you'll live through it."

" Yeah." The blonde grinned up at her. " Especially since tomorrow, you'll become all mine."

Her eyes narrowed dangerously as she smacked the man's head with one hand. " Talk about me as though I'd be a piece of furniture again, and I'll put all my ANBU-experience to good use."

If anything, those words seemed to spur something hot awake inside Naruto. Blue eyes gleamed. " Sasuke… You don't have to leave at this minute, right?"

She arched an eyebrow. " I suppose so. Why are you asking?"

Naruto's grin turned cheeky. " I'm the Hokage now. And you owe me proper congratulations."

That was most definitely what the brand new village leader received that night. (Thank heavens Taichi was wise enough to keep the kids preoccupied in the meantime.)

Four and a half hours later Sasuke left soundlessly, leaving Naruto to sleep with a contented smile upon his face.

Shino had always loved the scent of autumn. That's why he closed his eyes tight as he stood on a pier right behind his house, feeling a slightest drop in temperature as evening started to close in on Konoha. First stars already illuminated the sky.

" Dad, is that one of mom's?"

Lifting his gaze with mild surprise, he came across a nearly twelve-years-old boy who had rather short hair of deepest blue and eyes of rich maroon. Quite soon, however, his eyes moved again to see what the boy pointed at, this time meeting a rather small snake that held threatening colours of red and black. He shivered.

That was most definitely not Miyako's.

" Hoshi, don't…" But he never made it in time.

As he watched with shock and mild fright, the reptile crawled to his son's hand, then curled up comfortably, making a nest. There was a slight smile upon his son's face.

He really is his mother's son, he mused.

Hoshi's eyes were filled with excitement the boy was clearly trying to hide as they found his. " Can I keep her? She'd like it with me."

As much as snakes still made his skin crawl, he knew he had no real reason to deny his son's wish; the years spent with Miyako had taught him that snakes would never harm members of her family branch. " Alright, then. So long as you promise it'll never leave your room." Getting a warm feeling into his chest from the sight of his son's bright smile, he went on. " Now go to bed. It's already much too late. Your mom would be furious if she'd find out I've let you stay up this late."

The boy nodded while standing up, seeming deeply reluctant to go. " Okay. Goodnight, dad."

" Goodnight."

His eyes observed the boy's distancing back all the way until he was inside, then turned towards stars now shining brightly above him.

The voice that soon came startled him. " Silly man. Did you really think that I wouldn't find out you've been trying to teach bad influences on our son?"

Something he could only call relief flowed through as he turned his gaze to meet Miyako. With utmost care his eyes scanned her through, alert for any possible signs of injury. His relief grew tenfold as he discovered that she seemed unharmed, but he still needed to make sure. " Are you okay?"

She nodded while taking a stand beside him, her eyes growing soft. " I only have a couple of scratches a bit of herbs will heal in no time."

As they stood in silence, not needing to say a word, he was stunned to discover that even though they weren't touching, she was closer to him than anyone (save Hoshi, of course) had ever been before.

And then, so suddenly it shocked him, he finally felt the courage he'd been searching for a longest time finally arising.

After a thick gulp, he found it hard to keep his voice casual. " Naruto and Sasuke are finally getting married tomorrow."

Faint smile appeared to the woman's face. " That's good. I wanted to be here to see it."

It took a long time before he managed to toughen himself enough to say the next words. " Would you like to?" Seeing her questioning expression, he was forced to go on. He could feel almost unbearably hot burning on his cheeks. " Get married, I mean."

Miyako's eyes filled with laughter and something else as she understood. " Shino-kun… Are you actually attempting to propose?"

The burning on his cheeks became thrice as bad. " Depends on your answer."

Miyako didn't speak a word, instead took his hand and squeezed, with that simple gesture giving a response that was louder than any words.

As Shino lifted his gaze towards sky, desperately attempting to rid the heat on his cheeks, he could've sworn the stars were unnaturally bright that night.

Kakashi didn't think he'd ever seen Sasuke as nervous before as she was that morning. The woman didn't let it show from her face, of course – after all, she was an Uchiha – but there was certain stiffness about her posture that didn't belong there, and her eyes were unnaturally alert, as though she'd been on a mission.

It was obvious she was still afraid someone would come to take this all away from her.

Eventually, Kakashi decided that something needed to be done. The Uchiha gave him a look of deep suspicion as he handed her a mug of something green. " It's tea", he explained, smiling behind his mask. " It should help you calm down a little."

At first the raven opened her mouth, obviously about to deny being nervous, but ended up taking a sip instead. " Thank you." They both knew it wasn't just for the tea.

As he watched his former student, especially her still fierce eyes that'd lost their obsessive hunger for revenge, Kakashi could only wonder what'd happened to the boy he'd once been forced to tie to a tree to calm him down. " You've really grown up, Sasuke", he mused out loud.

The raven gave him a slightly odd look and opened her mouth, but before she got a chance to ask there was a knock that interrupted them. Wordlessly, he walked up to open and found Sakura from behind the door.

There was a bright grin upon the pinkette's face. " I assume there's a bride here who needs some help with preparations?"

As Sasuke had announced right away when becoming a member of team seven, there were several things she disliked. Getting dressed up was most definitely one of them. Sakura, on the other hand, seemed to be having the time of her life while the pinkette worked on her hair.

" You really love weddings, don't you?" she finally concluded darkly.

The pinkette grinned sheepishly. " Yeah. No matter how much dad still detests Lee, I'll marry him someday soon." Her face then darkened. " That is, if he stops trying to teach Shun the pose."

She found herself shuddering at the mere thought.

She didn't realize what she'd been doing until she found the fingers of her right hand brushing a certain finger that still lacked a ring, the promise she'd made years ago not sealed yet.

It felt surreal to think that very soon, all she and Naruto had gone through would finally pay off. Naruto would give his all to her – whether she deserved it or not.

She growled and glared when Sakura tugged her hair unnecessarily harshly. There was a warning in the girl's green eyes. " I suggest you to wipe off that expression right now." The woman's eyes softened. " You were given a second chance for a good reason, you know?"

Her face softened. " Hn." 'Thank you', she would've said, had the words not choked on her pride.

Sakura's eyes revealed she understood. " Now… Let's go and get that dress of yours, shall we? It's almost time."

While Kakashi had went to get Sasuke, Shizune had her hands full with the kids and Naruto had announced he needed some time alone, Iruka stepped out of the chapel in which the wedding would soon take place, inhaling deeply.

He wasn't aware of his company until Aika's voice startled him out of his thoughts. " So you needed fresh air as well?"

Turning his head towards her, he managed a nod. " Yeah." He then frowned when catching her wiping her mouth. " Are you alright?"

" Yeah." She pondered for a longest time before finally going on. " Just… Morning sickness isn't always up to its name."

Even with all the years that'd passed he felt like he'd been slapped, hard straight across the face. It was a pure miracle he managed to speak eventually. " Have… Have you told Kakashi?"

Aika shook her head, several emotions apparent in her eyes. It took a long moment before she spoke. " Iruka, I… I'm almost thirty-eight already, and… Kakashi and I already lost one child. I don't think either of us could bear losing another one."

Hearing the carefully hidden despair in her voice, Iruka felt a violent tug in his chest. Without slightest hesitation, he walked up to her and wrapped one arm around her shoulders. " Everything's going to be just fine, I'm sure."

What the two didn't know was that three pairs of watchful eyes were observing them.

Yuudai Umino, a five-years-old boy with chocolate-coloured hair that seemed unruly although they were tied up and almost black eyes, frowned as he caught the look upon Iruka's face when Aika leaned her head against his shoulder. " Katsu, why does daddy always look so sad around your mommy?"

Katsu Hatake, also five-years-old boy with shortcut silvery hair and strange brown eyes, frowned as well, and thought for a longest time. " I don't know", the child finally admitted with deep reluctance, obviously hating the answer.

Hinode Uzumaki seemed somewhat distracted as she murmured her conclusion. " I guess adults' friendships can be tricky."

Both boys nodded at that.

The three of them jumped with startle when a door was opened behind them. In peered Shizune, a mixture of amusement and annoyance upon her face. " There you little rascals are! I've been looking all over for you – the ceremony's about to begin."

Hinode was immediately up, her eyes gleaming with excitement, and begun to sprint off. " Finally!" she exclaimed.

The two boys gave exasperated sighs and shook their heads. " Girls and wedding…", they muttered in unison.

Feeling a hint of reluctance to do so despite all the years that'd passed, Iruka allowed Aika to slip away from his arms when steps approached and Kakashi's voice came. " Is everything okay?"

As Aika looked into Kakashi's eyes and smirked faintly, Iruka could tell her response wasn't a lie. " Yeah. Everything's just fine now." Then, apparently, she chose to switch topic. " Is the bride all set?"

They could tell Kakashi grinned underneath his mask. " She's inside, and fully ready to kill someone if this waiting doesn't end soon."

Aika snickered. " Then let's get going." When she took Kakashi's hand, Iruka couldn't restrain the small stab that appeared as he discovered that the simple touch was more intimate – said much more – than any kiss ever could. The white-haired woman then offered her free hand towards him with a somewhat irritated expression. " Come on. Naruto's gonna kill you if you don't show up."

Something inside Iruka healed just a little when his hand held on to hers, and he felt the bond that could only exist between the three of them reappear.

A warm, genuine smile came to his face as their little trio entered the chapel, holding hands like a bunch of kids.

He was utterly relieved to discover that some things in this world would never disappear.

No matter how much he'd already been through during his brief life, Naruto didn't think he'd ever been as nervous and excited as he was that day, stood in the very same chapel where Shikamaru and Temari had been wedded all those years ago. Although a huge group of people he cared about was sitting right there before him – including his children – it didn't make him feel even an inch more at ease.

" Naruto, you should try to relax", Iruka, who was stood right behind him, told him softly, laying a gentle hand to his shoulder. " Everything's going to go just fine."

He scoffed, making an exasperated gesture with both arms. " Easy for you to say!" What felt like millions of dark 'what ifs' appeared to play around in his head. " What if she doesn't show up? What if something goes wrong? What if…?"

Just then, his voice was wiped away as music started to play, and only a moment later the chapel's door opened. He felt like someone had sucked all breath out of him.

He knew he looked good in his wedding kimono that held colours of black and radiant gold, and Sasuke's eyes revealed she was definitely impressed. But he was forced to admit that Sasuke had never looked quite as beautiful as she did just then, her slightly curled raven hair glowing in sunlight as they flowed over her shoulders, her white dress that had a lot of dark blue decorating it fitting perfectly.

He didn't manage to overcome his stupor until he felt Kakashi (who'd walked Sasuke in) place the girl's hand into his. There was a look of deep amusement upon the man's face. " In case you're conscious enough, it's time to get started."

He blinked owlishly, still too dumbstruck to retort. " Yeah…"

Sasuke was obviously stifling laughter as they walked the last couple of steps together. " You really are a dobe."

He gave the woman a half-hearted glare. " That one was your damn fault, teme."

Tsunade seemed deeply amused when looking at them. " Alright, you two, in case you feel ready to stop fighting, we could get this thing started." A meaningful look came into her eyes. " Are you ready?"

Neither hesitated as they nodded. " Yeah."

" Very good." After clearing her throat, she begun. " We gather to acknowledge and to bless a marriage that has arisen. We come together to celebrate a discovery and to record in the minds and hearts of all present the ripe event of a love that has bloomed. We gather also to mark the reality that marriage must overcome many forces that would destroy it. Love is an act of creation; a direct sharing of a process. Love can survive only by being born again and again. Love is dynamic and will fly away from a marriage which has become static and unbending. When love lives, as it does here today it reflects the deepest and most tender secrets of the universe." Her eyes were slightly hard when locking with Sasuke's. " Do you, Sasuke, take this man to be your lawful wedded husband? Do you promise to be patient, kind, giving, understanding and loving in the face of life unexpected twists and turns, in the face of strife and hardship, as well as in the gleeful resolve you find in each other? Do you promise this heart, body and soul? Do you commit to one another to honour this vow all the days of your life?"

Sasuke's nod was firm, left no room for doubt. " I do."

Her eyes softening, Tsunade nodded as well, most likely not even noticing it. She then looked at Naruto. " Do you, Naruto, take this woman to be your lawful wedded wife? Do you promise to be patient, kind, giving, understanding and loving in the face of life unexpected twists and turns, in the face of strife and hardship, as well as in the gleeful resolve you find in each other? Do you promise this heart, body and soul? Do you commit to one another to honour this vow all the days of your life?"

As Naruto nodded, he realized he'd never been this sure about anything in his entire life. " I do."

All eyes in the room were suddenly on Iruka, filled with curiosity. Fortunately, the man had once again fulfilled his duty. There was a soft smile upon the brunette's face as he handed over the two beautiful rings that were half gold, half white gold.

Sasuke was the first one to go. Naruto could've sworn her fingers trembled just a bit, but it was most likely just his imagination. " I Sasuke, take you Naruto to be my husband, my partner in life and my one true love. I will cherish our union and love you more each day than I did the day before. I will trust you and respect you, laugh with you and cry with you, loving you faithfully through good times and bad, regardless of the obstacles we may face together. I give you my hand, my heart, and my love, from this day forward, for as long as we both shall live." The ring slipped on effortlessly. Sasuke's eyes held something he'd never seen in them before as they looked directly into his. " With this ring, I give you all that I have and all that I am."

As Naruto's turn came, he was annoyed and embarrassed to discover just how badly his hand shuddered. To his relief, he didn't drop the ring. " I Naruto, take you Sasuke to be my wife, my partner in life and my one true love. I will cherish our union and love you more each day than I did the day before. I will trust you and respect you, laugh with you and cry with you, loving you faithfully through good times and bad, regardless of the obstacles we may face together. I give you my hand, my heart, and my love, from this day forward, for as long as we both shall live." He'd never felt as warm, as complete and free of doubt, as he did when meeting Sasuke's eyes. " Sasuke, with a free and unconstrained soul, I give you all I am and all I am to become. Take this ring, and with it my promise, patience, and love, for the rest of my life."

There was a warm smile upon Tsunade's face as she looked at them. Naruto thought he saw tears in her eyes, but figured it was his imagination playing tricks on him. " Before these witnesses, you have joined yourselves in solemn matrimony. May you strive all your lives to meet this commitment with the same love and devotion you now possess. For love is truly the greatest gift we are given to share. Delight in each other's company and never take each other for granted." She grinned brightly. " Brats, I now pronounce you Husband and Wife."

His eyes once more finding Sasuke's, Naruto emitted a deep sigh. " So… It's finally over and done with now, huh?" You're officially mine.

Sasuke smirked. " Yeah, dobe. There's no escaping now."

He grinned foxily, glint of mischief appearing into his eyes. " Well, in that case…"

Sasuke growled loudly, her eyes narrowing dangerously, as he scooped the raven effortlessly into his arms. " What the hell do you think you're doing? Put me down, NOW."

His grin widened as he shook his head. " Nope. Because now, wife, it's time to have some fun…"

As he begun to make his way out (ignoring Sasuke's hissed protests), pretty much every guest in the chapel cheered loudly.

Hinode, being an innocent small child, blinked with confusion. " Brother, what's daddy going to do to mommy?"

Significantly paler than usual Nozumu gulped heavily, shuddering. " Trust me, squirt, you don't want to know."

Hinode glared at her brother. " Stop calling me that, baka!"

Several hours after the wedding ceremony, Naruto found himself shivering with contentment as he ran a hand down Sasuke's soft, bare skin, and felt the woman kiss his neck hard in response. " Do you think the others are going to be pissed off when they figure out we never showed up at the reception?"

Sasuke kissed his neck again, then bit slightly, nearly driving him insane with pleasure. " If they will, we'll have plenty of time to make it up to them."

He closed his eyes, utterly content with the sensation of Sasuke's skin against his. " Hmm…"

He felt cold and disappointed when after a minute, Sasuke suddenly got out of the bed, putting on her dark-blue dressing gown. Seeing his questioning expression, she spoke. " After that little… session, I need a shower." Her eyes glinted just a bit when detecting his pout. " Don't look at me like that, dobe. Iruka and Shizune promised to look after the kids, so we have all night."

His disappointment faded a little at those soothing words. Sasuke was almost out of the room when he suddenly remembered something and jumped out of the bed. " Teme, wait up!" he exclaimed while struggling on his own black dressing gown. " There's something I was supposed to do right after the wedding, but I forgot!"

Sasuke arched an inquisitive eyebrow, but didn't ask.

Rubbing his hands together, he walked up to a cd player, then pressed a button.

They paid barely any attention as the music started to play. Despite herself, Sasuke shuddered when his warm, wandering arms wrapped around her. " Now what, dobe?"

He grinned radiantly. " Just relax and enjoy of the moment, will you?"

/ Let it go,
Let it roll right off your shoulder
Don't you know
The hardest part is over
Let it in,
Let your clarity define you
In the end
We will only just remember how it feels /

She wasn't exactly surprised by how perfect sync their bodies found as they started to sway to the music both failed to pay much attention to.

Naruto sighed with utter bliss when burying his face into Sasuke's soft hair, drawing in their intoxicating scent.

It was a miracle they were together now, that they'd been granted this second chance, that he had Sasuke in his arms. He didn't think he'd ever be able to repay, no matter how grateful he was.

Most likely feeling moisture, Sasuke stiffened just a little. " What's wrong?"

He smirked brightly with his eyes closed. " There's absolutely nothing wrong, teme." Not now when everything was so perfect. He kissed her hair. " I love you, you know?"

He could actually feel Sasuke's smile. " I love you too, dobe."

The music was completely forgotten as they distanced themselves from each other, kissing lips this time.

In a matter of minutes, their dressing gowns laid forgotten on the floor.

/ Our lives are made
In these small hours
These little wonders,
These twists & turns of fate
Time falls away,
But these small hours,
These small hours still remain /

No matter how many times Ino had already faced this situation – brought her little girl to meet her father – she was still surprised by how much it could hurt. Regardless to how hard she tried to close her ears from the words that slashed harder than any sword, she still heard them.

" Hey daddy", Takara all but whispered. " It's been a full year again, so I… I decided to bring you some flowers. Mom's told me lilies were your favourites. I… I hope you like them." Although she knew it was the stupidest thing to do, she turned her gaze right on time to see Takara kiss her fingers, then place them tenderly to the cold stone, precisely to where her father's name was. " Daddy, I'll become a real ninja tomorrow. I promise, I'll make you proud of me." The girl smiled sadly. " I miss you."

Swallowing down a heavy sigh, she stepped forward and placed a hand to her daughter's shoulder. " Time to go, kiddo. You still have a lot of preparing to do for tomorrow."
The girl nodded with obvious reluctance. " I know." Having started her slow walk away, the teen suddenly paused and looked at her with a frown upon noticing she hadn't budged. " Mom? Aren't you coming?"

She forced a smile, although she knew it couldn't possibly come out right. " In a minute. There's still something I need to do."

Takara nodded slowly. " Okay."

As soon as she could be sure Takara was far away enough to not hear, Ino turned to the stone, caressed the name engraved to it. " I really hope you heard her. You have no idea of how much she misses you, although she's never even seen you in anything but pictures. But thank heavens, she's strong. She's taken after you." With a somewhat embarrassed motion, she wiped away the tears that broke through. " I miss you, too, I miss you so much. I'll never stop loving you."

She was mildly startled when steps approached her from behind. Turning her head, she found Chouji's somewhat sad face. " I figured I'd find you here", the man noted.

With the strength she summoned from seeing his face, she managed to smile through almost spilling tears. " I had to come and see him, especially now that tomorrow's Takara's big day." She smiled sadly, not bearing to turn her head towards the stone anymore. " It still hasn't gotten any easier."

Chouji gave her a smile of sympathy. " It will, in time." The man outstretched a hand towards her. " Come on, let's get you home."

Her smile wavering but not disappearing, she took the hand, not resisting when Chouji wrapped one arm around her. They'd walked for quite a while before she came to think of uttering something that should've been said a long time ago. " Thank you."

Chouji looked at her, seeming genuinely surprised. " For what?"

She was almost shocked. After all the times Chouji had held her when she'd cried, after all the times he'd picked her together when she'd fallen to pieces, after all he'd done for both her and Takara… He still had to ask? " For everything."

He shrugged, unable to look at her, and she could've sworn she saw hint of a blush. " Isn't that what friends are supposed to do?" Hearing her slight chuckle, he blinked and finally had the courage to glance her way. " What?"

She shook her head. " You really are a special case."

He grinned, his blush becoming more than pronounced. Nothing more needed to be said during their walk.

/ Let it slide,
Let your troubles fall behind you
Let it shine
Until you feel it all around you
And I don't mind
If it's me you need to turn to
We'll get by,
It's the heart that really matters in the end /

Neji could quite safely say that his head had never been hurting as badly as it was as he walked home that day.

He'd attended to far more wedding than his chest would've been able to handle during the past twelve and a half years, but somehow… Right now, he was feeling worse than ever before.

He growled when suddenly bumping into someone. " Would watch where…?" The rest, however, got stuck into his throat when he became face to face with the person, and his face fell several shades paler than usual.

For staring right back at him with wide, shocked eyes was a girl – or no, not anymore, a woman – he hadn't seen in so many years he'd already lost count. Her brown hair was now a lot longer and she held them open, but he still recognized better than well. " TenTen…"

She blinked, as though not daring to trust her eyes. " Neji?"

He blinked uncharacteristically, absolutely all words disappearing from his mind. In the end, he managed to utter the about most idiotic option. " You've… grown up." It was almost unbearably hard to not touch her.

The amusement appearing into TenTen's eyes told him she understood. " So have you."

Had his cursed pride not stood in the way, he would've wrapped his arms around her, held on tight and never let go again. But as it was now, all he managed was pathetic words. " It's good to have you back." Dear goodness, what an understatement!

He was surprised to see something slightly sad about her smile. " I'm glad I could finally come back. I really missed everyone around here."

There was so much he would've wanted to ask. Why it'd taken her so long to come back, what she'd been doing for all this time… But apparently, cruel fate decided to play against him once more.

Never had such darkness existed within him that appeared when a man at about their age with shortcut, unruly auburn hair and threatening glass-blue eyes appeared, wrapping his arms possessively around TenTen. (Had he not been so shocked, he would've noticed how TenTen shuddered under the man's touch.) " So here you are. Shouldn't you be resting?" One of the man's hands brushed her abdomen. " For both of your sakes." It was, apparently, then the man noticed him. Something extremely dark and threatening flashed amongst blue. " Oh, you have company."

Neji's stomach turned impossibly cold and tight, and his head filled with such haze he was amazed he could stand, let alone speak without stuttering. " Now who would you be?" His voice was just as cold and hollow as his heart was slowly but steadily becoming.

TenTen couldn't look at him anymore. Had he not been so blinded by everything else, he would've seen the tremendous agony and near despair in her eyes.

There was something devious about her companion's smile as the man offered a hand towards him. " My name is Seiji Itchemeko. I'm TenTen's husband."

/ Our lives are made
In these small hours
These little wonders,
These twists & turns of fate
Time falls away,
But these small hours,
These small hours still remain /

The day after the wedding, it took a while before Iruka managed to convince himself into going home with all the thoughts spinning around in his head.

Of course he hadn't been foolish enough to think it'd stop hurting completely at some point. But after having endured Aika and Kakashi's wedding, the birth of Katsu and having watched them become a family, he hadn't expected it to hurt this much.

Those thoughts, however, fortunately vanished when he entered the house where a single candle was burning on a table, almost like a beacon to guide him home. He couldn't keep a small, genuine smile from rising to his lips as he found Shizune fallen asleep into an armchair, with also sleeping Yuudai securely in her arms.

It was at that moment he realized just how lucky he was.

He was mildly startled when Shizune moved slightly all of a sudden, blinking her eyes open. A smile appeared when she saw him. " Hey", she whispered, careful not to wake Yuudai.

" Hey." For some reason, he felt like explaining himself. " I needed to take a walk. I'm sorry it took this long."

Shizune, of course, was not stupid. Her smile disappeared as she knew. " Did it help?"

He nodded, then – in a spur of a moment – walked up to her and kissed her forehead. " Yeah. My head is much clearer now."

He could feel Shizune relax. " That's good." After pondering for a long time she added. " I love you." The uncertainty shining through even after all these years hurt him.

For a moment, he pressed his forehead against hers. " I love you, too." And he meant it with all his heart.

He could actually see the ease that settled into her as she, too, realized that he meant his words. With a contented sigh, she pushed herself up, readjusting Yuudai in her arms. " I'll better get this little guy into bed. He's been training hard today."

" I'll make tea." Before she could speak, he went on. " Chamomile, a spoonful of sugar, extremely hot."

He could just see the smile on Shizune's face as she disappeared.

As he walked into a kitchen and started search for supplies, he allowed his thoughts to wander.

This wasn't the life he'd imagined to lead, the love he'd pictured receiving. Nothing had gone according to his plan. But he had a wife who loved him and whom he loved in return, and a beautiful son.

And he wouldn't have traded any of that away, no matter how deceitful his most secret thoughts could be at times.

/ All of my regret
Will wash away some how
But I can not forget
The way I feel right now /

Temari supposed it was mostly her sharp instincts that woke her up in the middle of that night, but it could also be that she'd developed a sixth sense of some sort during the years passed.

Whichever the case, she found herself slipping out of the bed soundlessly and making her way towards Shinju's room. She wasn't surprised to find Shikamaru in his ANBU-gear stood by the room's doorway, his eyes fixed firmly on the soul occupant. " I could've never imagined she'd grow up this fast", he whispered, voice filled with something it rarely showed. " I was only gone for two months, but it feels like years."

She chuckled a bit. " You're not the only one who feels that way", she pointed out and – refusing to be ashamed of such softness – wrapped her arms around his waistline. Her eyes travelled to the girl sleeping inside the room as well. She was still amused to discover that Shinju looked almost exactly like a female Shikamaru, even her hairstyle was the same. The only thing different about the two was eyes. " She's missed you." Swallowing hard, she managed to go on. " We all three have."

Her words beginning to sink in, Shikamaru blinked dubiously for a moment. " Three?" With wide eyes, he glanced towards her for the time being flat abdomen. " You mean…?"

She nodded, not bothering to fight against the grin wanting to erupt. " I just found out a week ago. I haven't told anyone else yet."

For another long moment, Shikamaru stood completely still, frozen by shock. Then, very slowly, a sun-bright, wide smirk appeared. " This is going to be very, very troublesome."

She chuckled as loudly as she could without waking Shinju. " You can be sure of that."

Without wasting another second, Shikamaru pulled her into a tight hug. Nothing needed to be said as he started to guide her towards their bedroom.

/ In these small hours
These little wonders
These twists & turns of fate
These twists & turns of fate
Time falls away but these small hours
These small hours, still remain,
Still remain
These little wonders
These twists & turns of fate
Time falls away
But these small hours
These little wonders still remain /

The next afternoon, Naruto's office was quite full packed with people as a familiar group of friends formed brand new teams.

A thoughtful look appeared to Neji's face as he eyed on a certain file. " I'd like to take this one", he announced, voice thick after two sleepless nights. " There's something about this strange kid that troubles me. I'd like to keep an eye on him."

Kiba snickered. " Well, you're definitely not afraid of a challenge!" The dog boy fished out a list of names. " I choose these three. They'll have an experience of a lifetime."

Neji's eyebrow bounced high up. " And you say I'm not afraid of challenge."

Grinning quite chillingly, Temari chose her own team. " I'm sure I'll have a lot of fun with these three."

" All right, then", Naruto stated, rubbing his hands together in an anxious manner. " It's all set then. Chouji, would you…?"

The said man smirked. " It'd be my pleasure." Taking the list of new teams and their senseis, he took his exit.

As soon as the man was gone, Naruto bounced up, grabbing Sasuke's hand quite tightly. " Well, if there are no further worries, we're out of here. Have fun – and take good care of the twins!" The newly wedded couple was gone in a flash.

Ino blinked dubiously. " Now those two were sure in a hurry."

Kiba snickered. " This interrupted their honeymoon. They have quite a bit of catching up to do."

Everyone in the room shuddered.

Electricity could almost be touched by hands as Chouji entered the room where a huge group of teenagers was waiting. " Alright then, brats. This is where the real fun begins. As from today, you'll be real ninjas with actual missions, responsibilities and dangers. You'll have both your own and your team mates' lives in your hands. If any of you wishes to not take that challenge, leave now and don't waste any more of anyone's time." No one budged. " Good. In that case, I'll nominate the teams."

Eiri groaned and slammed his head against a table as more and more names kept coming. " Could this possibly be any more boring?" he whined.

Takara shot a rather moody look towards him. " Some of us are actually trying to listen, you know?"

" Team seven. Your sensei will be Hyuuga Neji", Chouji read, and many could see him cast a sour, warning glance towards Eiri (the boy himself, of course, didn't). " Toshiki Isao, Uzumaki Hikari and Haruno Shun."

The latest one mentioned ran a hand through his shortcut black hair and grinned, green eyes flashing. " Did you hear that, 'Kari? We're in the same team!" Realizing that the girl hadn't heard, he frowned and looked at her. " 'Kari, what's wrong?"

The girl had an expression of thoughtfulness upon her face as she looked at an orange-haired, pale-eyed boy sitting quite nearby. He was Isao Toshiki. " I don't trust that guy, Shun", she announced. Even he could sense the venom that travelled as Isao turned his gaze and the couple's eyes met. Hikari's eyes flashed with determination. " There's something seriously wrong with him, and I'm about to find out what it is."

In the meantime, Chouji read on. " Team eight. Your sensei will be Nara Temari." After clearing his throat, he read the names. " Aburame Hoshi, Yamanaka Takara and Inuzuka Eiri."

Takara grinned brightly, blissfully unaware of the dark flash apparent in both boys' – best friends' – eyes, not knowing what was to come. " Did you guys hear that? We did end up into the same team after all!"

In the meantime, the final team was announced. " And, last but not least, team ten. Your sensei will be Inuzuka Kiba." Chouji's eyes moved on his papers. " Uzumaki Nozumu, Nara Shinju and Sarutobi Daiki."

Daiki and Shinju had been dearest friends for as long as he could remember and beyond. That's why he almost smirked when hearing her small sound of delight – but the expression faltered when he realized she was looking at her other new team mate. It was extremely hard not to wince. " Please don't tell me you're a fangirl, too."

She smacked his head quite hard. " Of course not, baka. I'm just excited." A smirk lingered upon her face as she looked at Nozumu's stoic face. " This will definitely be very, very interesting."

" Alright then, there were the teams. Your training will begin in two hours." No one failed to notice the threat behind Chouji's grin. " Good luck, brats. You'll definitely need it."

Later that evening, sea foam coloured eyes opened slowly when the small hut's door was opened. In came Isao Toshiki. " Did you succeed?"

The orange-haired boy nodded, pale eyes – so familiar it pained him – flaming. " Of course, father. I'm in a team now."

" Good." He held a small pause to push himself into a standing position. " There's dinner in kitchen. Eat, then go to sleep. You'll need a lot of rest with what's to come."

Isao nodded. " Yes, father."

As soon as the boy was gone, he dared to give a small sigh.

Father…

If only he'd been one. But as it was now, it was enough for him to know she was his mother.

After such a long time, he was no longer startled when the familiar voice spoke inside his head. ' I see he succeeded.'

' It was nothing more than we expected.' His eyes flashed. ' Now, am I allowed to go after Naruto and the Tailed Beasts?'

' Not yet', the voice nearly snarled. ' We've waited for such a long time. I won't let you destroy everything now that we're so close to succeeding. You'll get to go after your nephew and his family when the time is right.'

His eyes darkened with disappointment, almost rage. ' Yes, Master Madara.'

' Now go to bed. Isao isn't the only one who needs rest.'

As the connection was broken, his eyes flashed once more.

It was only a matter of time now.

Can you see it too, Minato-kun?, he asked in a thought that was filled with bitterness.

Soon enough, he'd bring Konoha to its knees. There'd be nothing left of what Minato and his followers had created.

Owari.

A/N: Here comes the little present I promised before; alternative ending! 'Hope you enjoy!

Alternative ending

/ " I'm sorry, Uchiha Sasuke, but there are only so many chances one person can be granted. But don't fall into despair – not all hope is lost yet…" /

New York City, August 2007.

When twenty-years-old Naruto Uzumaki had left Japan, he'd had only two dreams: to keep singing, and to become famous in America as well. So far, two hours after his landing, neither of those dreams was doing too well.

His chauffeur had apparently decided not to pick him up, thanks to which he was now lost in a city he'd never been in, and to top his misery his guitar as well as most of his other luggage had disappeared during the flight. The logical option would've been to call for help, but naturally his battery had died, he couldn't find a payphone and he didn't dare to even think about lending a phone from someone.

So, to put it briefly and bluntly, his life pretty much sucked at the moment.

Had he not been so busy with cursing the entire universe to deepest, darkest holes, he would've sensed something brisling in the air before a stick appeared to halt his steps, hitting so hard it most likely caused a bruise. Before he managed to roar his comment to the gesture, velvet-smooth male-voice that brought him shivers spoke. " If you want to get yourself killed, dobe, there are much faster and tidier ways than walking against red light in New York."

First time in his life, Naruto felt that there were no words – not even a single breath – left within his throat. Unnaturally slowly, his gaze moved from the white stick that'd stopped him to over his shoulder and towards the person who'd saved him. And absolutely everything but the man disappeared from his mind.

That raven hair which seemed softer than silk, that stoic pale face, that posture…

He knew it was completely irrational, that he was most likely going insane, but at that moment he recognized with every single fibre of his being.

His eyes locked to the other's milky-white ones as he finally found a smallest trace of breath. " Sasuke…"

Sasuke Uchiha had never been able to see. Therefore his world had always been a dark hole that was filled with so many sounds and smells that they made his head feel like it'd been about to explode.

But as he spotted that certain, unnaturally familiar scent that cool, rainy day of autumn, light finally appeared into his world.

His stick moved before thought. " If you want to get yourself killed, dobe, there are much faster and tidier ways than walking against red light in New York."

The more the other turned towards him, the greater the feeling of familiarity – of reassurance – became. " Sasuke…" The breath made his skin tingle.

This one time, he didn't need eyes to see.

First time in this life, he gave a pure, genuine smile.

/ " Be sure to do better the second time around, Uchiha Sasuke." /

A/N: Wow! I seriously can't believe this was the end! (faints from shock)

I'm so sorry if some of you find this ending too open; I just figured it'd be nice to leave the story here, where the next generation takes off. (grins)

I seriously have no words to thank you guys enough! All those reviews and listings… You've most definitely been the most amazing audience I've ever had the pleasure to write for! Thank you from the very bottom of my heart! (hugs each and every single one of you tightly) You guys mean a world to me, you know that, right? (bows with utter respect)

THANK YOU!

Take care, everyone!

To those who'd like to read another SasuNaru fic from me:

I'm planning on making a Naruto, more specifically SasuNaru or NarufemSasu, fic or even two in future. Therefore, I've put up a little poll to my profile as to which of my ideas I should start to build up. If you're interested, go and give a vote, yeah? The situation's REALLY tight right now, so one vote can seriously make a huge difference.

Pheonix To Flame: Aww, don't feel bad about missing the chapter! (huggles) After all, you did review this one. (grins)

And indeed, Sasuke grins – and they got one of each! (squeals with delight) They so deserved all that!
Enormous thank yous for reviewing! I really hope you liked this epilogue, too!

Izolda: And indeed, happy ending it was! (You can't even imagine how clearly it won.) Hooray! My goodness, I agree with you – they totally deserved their happy ending! (glomps) (snickers) (Glad to hear you've still got nails left!)

Aww, caring Naruto's such a cutie, huh? (huggles the poor thing until he's purple – and gets attacked by very angry Sasuke)

MASSIVE thank you for the review – I'm so glad you liked the chapter! I hope you liked this epilogue, too!

takuya: Heh, after all the twists and turns, there indeed was a happy ending! Damn, did those two deserve one!

Gigantic thank yous for reviewing – boy, how glad I am you liked the chapter! See ya around, yeah?

NaruSasuNarulover: (blushes) You actually consider me talented! WOW – thank you! (huggles)

(gawks with disbelief) My gosh – I can't believe how same views you have consider the end as I do! WOW! Two minds can really work alike, huh?

Colossal thank yous for the long, baffling and heart warming review – I'm totally amazed you've liked the story this much, and proud you liked the chapter! I really hope you'll enjoy the epilogue as well.

(And heck yeah, SasuNaru is any fangirl's dream come true!) (sighs and sinks into la-la-land)

Dragon77: Aww, I'm so sorry I couldn't turn Sasuke back into a boy! (huggles) Unfortunately, the plot required me to keep Sasuke as a 'she'. I really hope you liked the chapter, anyway!

Thank you for reviewing! See ya around, yeah?

yaoirulz especially sasUKE: I just didn't have the heart to kill Sasuke after all those poor two things have gone through. (And I didn't exactly wish to risk my life with such an unfair twist…) (sweatdrops)

Enormous thank yous for the review – I'm so glad you enjoyed the chapter! 'Hope you liked this epilogue as well!

(Heh, I agree, btw – SasUKE rules!) (snickers)

realityfling18: A sequel, huh? Now there's a thought. (rubs chin with deep musement)

Gigantic thank yous for the amazing review – you can't even imagine how glad I am you liked the chapter! I sincerily hope the epilogue was worth the wait!

ana-pj: So I have the license to kill, hmm? (snickers)

I'm beyond estatic the story is going like you wanted it to, and proud that I actually managed to make your heart beat fast with the chapter!

Colossal thank yous for the baffling review! I really hope you liked the epilogue as well!

DRKSilent-Killer: (winces) I'm so, so sorry I had to kill Sai, but unfortunately the plot required me to do so. (sniffs) If it offers you any consolation, I feel horrible for doing so.

I really hope you still enjoyed the epilogue!

shirilyle: I just couldn't bring myself to kill Sasuke after all she and Naruto had been through. (glomps the two poor things)

Huge thank yous for the review! I really hope you liked the epilogue!

VyseN: LOL! For a couple of seconds, you actually had me going there! Be grateful I have a strong heart! (keeps laughing)

First of all, I'm so proud you've liked the OCs – it means a lot to me that I managed to create likable characters! And I'm also ecstatic you liked the KakaAikaIru –thing; I was so worried about it turning into an OC-praising –thing. (winces) I also enjoyed writing it a lot! (Heh, I felt it needed to be explained why exactly someone as good hearted as Rin would turn evil. Damn, I wish I'd had the chance to write in some more Orochimaru!)

But now… WOW! I'm utterly speechless and blushing beyond any belief here! I seriously can't believe someone would enjoy something I've written even nearly THAT much, let alone leaves such astonishing reviews for EVERY chapter! You can't imagine what miracles you've done to my motivation! I just don't have words to thank you enough! You're definitely the most amazing reader and reviewer I've ever had!

(hugs tightly) THANK YOU! I really, really hope you liked the epilogue as well!

(There'll be a season three for the doujinshi? Hooray – I'll definitely be reading it as soon as it shows up!)

DeathRow609: My gosh, HUGE, enormous thank yous for the baffling review – I can't even begin to describe how proud I am you've liked the story so much so far! I really, really hope you enjoyed this epilogue as well!

SakuraKissy: Wee-hee, time-travelling! If you're writing one, I'll definitely read it!

Aww, I feel kinda bad for Iruka, too. (huggles) But at least he found his own share of love in the end. (smirks) And I so agree – the twins will be total knockouts!

Gigantic thank yous for the review! I really hope you liked the epilogue!

Kai's kitty: (growls at Pein) There's just no end painful enough for that bastard, huh? (hisses some more)

And gosh, am I glad Kakashi's fine, too! (glomps)

My goodness, thank you SO MUCH for the baffling review – I can't even describe how glad and proud I am you've liked this and Nine Months so much! I really hope you enjoyed the epilogue!

(Btw, thank you so much for voting! The race is REALLY tight, but Darkest Hours seems to be winning right now, so… Let's cross our fingers and wait!) (grins)

(I can't believe I actually have a fan!) (blushes)

shadowphoenix143: A lot of emotions indeed!

I'm also glad Tsunade did what was right. And Naruto and the (FINALLY!) mature Sasuke will most definitely offer a loving home for poor lil' Taichi.

Massive thank yous for the review! I really hope you liked the epilogue!

Chibi-Chaaan: (snickers) Whoever wouldn't?

Pizza rocks the universe!

nobodyinparticular: (shudders) Yeah, I just didn't dare to risk my very life with too many deaths. You can't even imagine how many people wanted a happy ending for this one!

ENORMOUS thank yous for the review – I'm so glad you enjoyed even with the lack of death! 'Hope you liked the epilogue as well.

CrimsonOmen: I actually managed to catch you with the only SasuNaru you'll ever read! WOW! (faints with stun)

Thank you so much for the review! I really hope you liked the epilogue.

kiki-chan: Aww, I'm sorry Sasu-chan's still a girl. But the plotline kinda asked for it… (snickers)

Huge thank yous for the review – I'm so glad you liked the chapter! I really hope you enjoyed the epilogue as well.

Meanings of names:

Hikari "light"

Nozumu "hope"

Hinode "sunrise"

Katsu "victory"

Yuudai "great hero"

Isao "honor, merit"

Hoshi "star"

Shun "quick, smart"

Eiri "blessed price"

Iva "God's great gift"