A/N: If I don't do this now, it'll never get done. There's 19 pages left, so I'm just going to cram it all into one long, final chapter. This has been a thread running through so many phases of my life from my senior year of high school to now, two and a half years later. I've been hospitalized three times, gotten a cat, changed jobs half a dozen times and moved out of and back into my parent's home. Now it's time to weave in the ends and embark on some new stories and times for myself and my writing. Thanks for sticking with me on this journey. And to those who sent me messages and reviews in the wake of my message after the last chapter, here's to us, the warriors, the survivors, the true shinobi fighting against the worst within ourselves. We're still here, against all odds, just like Naruto. The war isn't over. Hold on tight and we'll get out of here together. I hope you can always come back here to find solace. Also, you can find me on my Tumblr at .com I love you all.

Recovery: 1. a return to a normal state of health, mind, or strength.

2. the action or process of regaining possession or control of something stolen or lost.

Temari knew that Gaara had a close relationship with Naruto. She knew that blood reminded him of the things he'd done when he was younger. She knew, from what Sasuke Uchiha had said, that he was rattled by whatever he'd seen in Naruto's mind and she knew that although he'd never said anything, the war had affected him badly.

She hadn't expected them to all come to a head as a full-blown panic attack. She stood frozen and unsure while Kankuro tried to get their little brother to relax, to slow his breathing. Gaara never panicked. Gaara never cried. Gaara was the sand, steady yet dynamic, powerful and familiar, a storm of controlled passions.

This boy that collapsed to the ground, that shook and paled, that muttered and cried and hyperventilated, this boy was unfamiliar. Yet in him, she could clearly see her brother, the lonely boy of two or three who didn't yet understand, who still smiled and pouted and sang nonsense songs. She'd almost forgotten that boy ever existed, almost forgotten the tiny infant that snuggled against her, the baby that clutched her fingers as he learned to walk, the little coos of 'Teri' that echoed as she chased him around the house as a toddler.

She came back to the present, seeing her brother hyperventilating, eyes rolling, crying out an unintelligible phrase. She fell to her knees, gathering him in her arms, ignoring the bruises that formed from his terrified flailing. She felt sand creeping jerkily up her limbs and shivered, but forced himself to ignore it.

"Shh," She soothed, rocking him gently. "It's okay, everything will be okay. We're right here." His flailing slowed to convulsive twitching and he frowned.

"Nee-chan?" He murmured, seeming confused. Again, she was vividly reminded of tiny Gaara the first few years of his life, when he didn't realize that Shukaku took over when he slept. He clutched her hand, grip seizing every few seconds.

"I'm right here, so is Kankuro." She said, carefully running her fingers through his hair. He shifted in her grip, pulling away from her slightly.

"Is the war over?" She nodded.

"We won." She added and he relaxed, curling close to her again.

"Good. I'm tired."

"Then sleep." she said simply, watching him as he calmed, eyes drifting shut. A surge of fondness washed over her. Kankuro sighed, scooting so he was next to her with his back against the wall. They didn't speak, just sat there with their sleeping little brother.

When the tile grew uncomfortable, Kankuro gently lifted Gaara against his bare chest, remarking with an affectionate smile that his brother was lighter than his puppets. They moved to the waiting room, curling together on the couch with Temari sitting up, Kankuro sprawled with his head in her lap and Gaara laid over his chest. They slept.

Sasuke ended up in the waiting room as well with Kakashi, Sai, and Sakura trailing him grimly. Kakashi convinced Sai to quickly sketch an image of the Sand Siblings, citing that they'd want it later. As distractions went, it was pretty good.

Tsunade came out a few hours later, bloodstained, but with relief in her eyes.

"He'll be fine." She said. "Physically at least. The wound only barely nicked his intestine and stomach and Gaara-sama's quick action kept his blood loss minimal." She glanced at the still-sleeping trio on the couch, smiling warmly.

"And mentally?" Sasuke asked, concern sounding angry in his throat. She wilted slightly.

"I'm not sure. He hasn't woken up yet. Not that he should have, especially considering…" She stopped abruptly, pressing her lips into a thin line. Sasuke glared, twitching in an effort to restrain his Sharingan.

"Considering what?" He clipped out. Tsunade sighed.

"Not only did his body reject healing chakra, which Sakura tells me has happened before, but it somehow burned through the painkillers so quickly that they had virtually no effect. He went through surgery dry and aware, if not awake." She didn't try to sugarcoat it, didn't try to make it sound okay.

"What kind of effects could that have on his healing?" Kakashi asked, hands clenched together so tightly that his knuckles cracked. His voice, however, was calm and in control.

"Extended time needed for healing, extreme fatigue, muscle strain, increased intensity of pain, confusion, retrograde amnesia in the short term." She sounded exhausted.

"Can we see him?" Sakura asked. Tsunade took in a breath, rubbing the back of her neck.

"Due to the weakness of his immune system, only a few people can go in until he has a chance to recover. One or two at a time, full scrub, sterile, only for an hour at a time." She glanced at them. "So between the five of you here, not counting Sakura because she's a doctor here, you must work it out so it doesn't stress him. He's very fragile." They all shivered. 'Fragile' was not a word that should apply to Naruto. It scared them.

"I will not go in. You all know him better and should spend time with him." Sai said firmly. Sakura gripped his arm as he went to leave.

"You're a member of Team Kakashi and Naruto needs you. He speaks highly of you. Don't you dare cut yourself off like that." Her eyes were flames, her grip tight but not painful. Sai studied her, searching her for the nervous tics that gave away her lies, but her gaze was steady, her jaw was set, her hand was not shaking in the least.

"Thank you, Sakura." He murmured, sitting back again. Tsunade was smiling slightly.

"Make sure Hinata-chan and Gaara-sama get in on this. Try for one person every four hours or so." Then she left, heading for her private room to sleep off the effects of the extensive healing. Sakura followed, citing being one of the only ones qualified to care for her sensei in this condition.

Just as she left, Hinata burst in, flushed and panting. She saw Kakashi and rushed over.

"What happened?" She asked.

"He hurt himself again. My fault. I wasn't watching closely enough." Sasuke growled.

"I'm just as much to blame, Sasuke-san." Gaara said, having been woken by Hinata's entrance and walked over to join the other team. He turned slightly to Kakashi. "I hope I'm not intruding." Kakashi waved him off, smiling.

"You're practically part of the family." He said, half teasing and half serious. Gaara smiled cautiously, then turned back to Sasuke and Hinata.

"I should not have distracted Sasuke-san nor paid so little attention to my weapons. I typically use my sand and sometimes forget I have a weapons pouch for emergencies. The kunai was mine, the distraction mine. Sasuke-san simply reacted." He bowed deeply to the group. "I am truly, deeply sorry." There was a brief silence, then Hinata spoke.

"Please get up, Gaara-sama. As Kakashi-sensei said, you're practically part of the family. It could have happened to any of us." Her voice was quiet and somewhat cautious, but firm and kind. Gaara straightened, seeing answering nods all around. He nodded, lips twitching into a sort of half smile.

"Thanks."

When Naruto awoke, he didn't know where he was. He hurt all over, but mostly his abdomen, where the pain was so sharp, it was hard to breathe. He tried to swallow, but something was in his throat, choking him. He panicked, trying to reach up, to rip out whatever was stuck there.

"Naruto!" The voice was too loud, distorted like it was echoing down a long, long tunnel. He was held by hands, three hands that secured him to a bed. "It's a breathing tube. They can't take it out until you calm down." It was Sasuke. Naruto relaxed as he was told, following the nurse's instructions to cough as the tube was slid out. Oh man, did it hurt to cough. He gasped as the pain sharpened, his left hand finding Sasuke's familiar right and gripping it until the pain weakened slightly.

"Are you alright?" Sasuke asked as Naruto's breathing evened.. Naruto nodded slowly, feeling drained by even these brief actions. He could feel Kurama sending concerned and supportive (if

snarky) comments up from his belly. He sent a promise down to talk later, then focused back outside himself. He realized his eyes were still closed and began slowly forcing them to open. A warm hand settled over his eyes.

"Just let us do the seeing, Naruto. Rest and lay as still as possible. And for heaven's sake, don't try to talk." It was Kakashi. His sensei was there with him, and so was his teme-nii. He relaxed, feeling himself drift towards unconsciousness again. He tightened his grip on Sasuke's hand, slightly annoyed at the newly noticed sensation of the rubber glove that covered it.

"Sleep, dobe. We'll still be here when you wake up." Sasuke said, and so Naruto did, releasing the pain into the black with a sigh. Kurama was waiting when he drifted in, a sunny courtyard half filled with the huge fox. He ran over, clambering up into the hollow between the fox's shoulder blades and burying himself in the thick, warm fur.

"Good to see you again, cub. You scared me for a while there." Naruto yawned, curling closer.

"Don't know what happened, but I'd rather just relax for now, y'know" Just relax a little while." Kurama lay down in the fragrant grass, calming himself so his steady breaths would soothe Naruto. The fog still obscured all the pathways out into the other parts of Naruto, but if Naruto was going to ignore it for now and just relax, he had no problem with that. The boy deserved some rest. He discreetly sent small parts of his chakra to guard the entrances, knowing Naruto could fight them off if he really wanted to confront his inner demons, but feeling better for the action anyway. Then he slept.

Luckily for Naruto, now that he was back in full control, pain medications worked to dull the terrible agony. Luckily for his friends, the drugs kept him sleepy and confused enough that they could sidetrack his questions on what had hurt him. Usually such conversations went something like this.

Naruto: "What happened anyway?"

Anyone else: "You got hurt."

Naruto: "Yeah, but how?"

Anyone else: "Something sharp."

Naruto: "Mission?"

Anyone else: "She's doing really well now, you know."

Naruto: "Who?"

Anyone else: "The girl your team saved."

Naruto: "Really? That's good."

After this point, Naruto had forgotten his original line of inquiry and would usually fall asleep pretty soon afterwards. This continued to work because, as mentioned by Tsunade, his mind held about as much of his short term memory as a colander held water.

"The shock of the injury plus his surgery basically shut down his short term memory temporarily as a way to cope with the pain of it. That along with the previous damage is preventing it from coming back too quickly out of protection. He'll bounce back." She explained after a week.

Gaara and Kankuro had now been gone from Sunagakure for almost 3 weeks. The administration was still functioning well, but some things required Kage approval. He'd been gone too long. Painfully, sadly, he bid goodbye, promising to write and begging for messages in return. He all but threatened that if Kakashi didn't keep him up to date that his fellow Kage would end up with sand in places he didn't know existed yet.

Naruto asked every time he awoke when Gaara would be coming for a week. On the evening of his 33rd day in the hospital, he awoke with a frown.

"Gaara had to go home, huh?" He said. Sakura, on duty while Sasuke and Hinata scrubbed down, nodded and squeezed his hand gently.

"He sent you a couple of letters. Do you want to read them?" He shook his head, muttering something about being tired and laying back. He shook her hand off, hitting the button for more meds. She knew he'd been weaning himself off them and it had been four hours since his last hit, so it didn't worry her too much.

Hinata came in alone, looking apologetic. Sakura left, whispering to her what had happened on the way out. Naruto wasn't asleep, though the drugs had kicked in. He lay with his head tilted to the side, eyes closed, fists clenched under the blankets.

"Sasuke-kun got called in to help with some Sharingan decoding. He'll be coming in later tonight.." She gently settled on the piece of bed he'd left, knowing he'd made sure it was open for her. "Is the pain very bad?" She whispered, running her fingers over his tense forehead. He sucked in a breath, seeming unsure of what to answer. His eyes opened as he exhaled.

"I don't know. I guess… I don't know, I kinda like feeling it a bit. I feel more… alive, I don't know." He bit his lip softly, drawing her hand back to his head when she began to pull away. She happily began stroking his hair, massaging his scalp. He sighed with a contented smile.

"You're such a puppy, Naruto." She giggled, teasingly scratching behind his ear. He melted under her hands, further proving her point. He smiled softly, catching her hand and drawing it to his mouth for a warm kiss.

"Mmm, you smell good." He mumbled sleepily, pulling her towards him. She resisted, blushing madly.

"No, Naruto. Your wounds…" She trailed off as he shushed her.

"Just lay on my arm. If you stay still, I can still kiss you without you touching my wound." He pulled on her again and she gently lay down, finding that his bicep fit under her neck when she lay on her side. She realized her hair was fanning out everywhere and began to pull it back but he stilled her, bending his neck so his face was buried in her silky locks.

"It's lilac and vanilla." She stammered nervously, needing to fill the silence. "We have a very pretty lilac bush outside my room and every year at the end of the season, we take the blooms and

make perfume. And today we were baking so I smell like vanilla too. Sorry, I'm babbling, huh?" He smiled, laughing silently.

"It's okay. I like your voice and your stories." He lifted his head slightly, kissing her head before shifting back. He looked like he should be very uncomfortable, but he also looked happy. She let herself relax, finding his arm a very comfortable pillow and his breaths against her hair very soothing. His scent, though much covered by the sterile environment, was soaked into him and the bedding. It was a warm smell, like sun-drenched cotton and hot metal; it was an earthy smell, like a summer garden or terracotta pots; it was a charged scent, like a fire or a lightning bolt; it was home.

She could tell the instant something went wrong. He stiffened, turning cold and hard beneath her. She opened her eyes, shifting slightly to look up at him. He was pale, eyes wide, jaw tight.

"Naruto?" She sat carefully upright, her hand finding his cheek. He jerked his head away, but not in an 'I hate you' kind of way. She sensed only a confused pain from him, a desperate need to focus until he understood. "Talk to me." She pleaded.

"How did I get hurt?" He asked tightly. She knew, abruptly, that she wasn't going to be able to put him off this time.

"Naruto…" She barely kept control of her stammer, feeling herself retreat from his energies, his hatred, his pain. None of it was aimed at her, but it still hurt, since it was so sharp and she loved him. He fixed those pleading blue eyes on her. She felt her breath stop.

"Please tell me. I need to know." She shook her head hard,

"I-I-I can't. Naruto-kun p-p-please." She hated herself for falling back, for being afraid. "Please ask Sasuke-k-kun when he gets here." But it was too late. She could see that he remembered, that he knew. He looked so hurt, so betrayed by her resistance to telling him. She burst into silent tears, her gaze helplessly locked into his as tears dripped off her face. She shook with soundless sobs.

"Why?" He breathed, begging her for an explanation.

"Because it hurt!" She cried. "It scared me. You could have died and you wouldn't have cared. I would have lost someone else and you would have been happy." She could feel herself breaking, shredding from the inside out. She wanted to shove the words back in and swallow them, but the shrapnel was already flying. She found herself standing, walking to the window, hugging herself.

"Because I thought maybe if you stayed forgetting it, that you wouldn't want to do it again. I can't lose you, not like I lost Neji." Luckily for her, Sasuke came in just then and she ran out, sobbing. Sasuke stepped aside as she barreled past, concern on his face.

"What happened?" He asked, worried about Naruto. The blond was blinking back tears, but didn't say anything. Slowly, deliberately, he settled himself again, closed his eyes, and hit the button for his meds till it locked, injecting the maximum dose into his bloodstream. Sighing, he fell asleep in seconds.

To say that worried Sasuke was an understatement. Naruto was so careful to avoid even getting close to possible addiction. This over-the-top medicating was out of character. So was the sobbing Hinata. Naruto would never, ever hurt her. He sighed, seating himself by the bed.

Kakashi came in around midnight. He looked grim.

"I hear Hinata-chan ran out of here crying earlier." He said. Sasuke nodded wearily.

"She pushed past me before I could figure out what happened. Naruto hit his drug to the maximum and passed out." Kakashi frowned. "I think he remembered something." Sasuke added.

"Something like how this happened?" Sasuke nodded. Kakashi sighed, running his fingers through his hair.

"Poor kid. Sacrifices everything and for what? To get trapped in his own mind? It isn't fair." His voice shook with emotion, with memories too close, too strong. He took a deep breath, steadying himself, then sat down in the second chair.

Naruto woke in the very early morning for just long enough to max out his meds again before falling asleep. He refused to say a word, shrank from their hands. Kakashi faithfully reported his condition to Gaara, adding a postscript to the effect of 'Don't even think of coming, your village needs you.'

Hinata didn't come that day. Sakura adjusted the medication drip so the maximum dose was significantly lower. Naruto barely seemed to notice, as though it wasn't the drugs themselves he craved, but the sensation of the button and the excuse to ignore them.

Sasuke stayed all that day and the next night. Halfway through the next day, Sakura shooed him off, telling him strictly not to even think of returning until he'd showered, eaten, and gotten at least four hours of sleep. Kakashi found himself drawn into an important, all day meeting with Sai and Shikamaru as his bodyguards. Sakura had to perform an emergency surgery. Hinata could not be found.

Somehow in all the commotion, each though another would be with Naruto, when in reality he was alone. He awoke in solitude, ready to hit the button again. But without pressure, he found he had no desire to sleep again. He set the button on the tray and lay still and silent for several blissful minutes. He breathed slowly and deeply, tensing each muscle group one at a time to awaken himself. Then, carefully and gradually, he sat up. His wound twinged, but his stitches didn't tear and he didn't begin to bleed again so he scooted back to lean gingerly against the wall. It felt good to be upright.

Now that he was comfortable, he allowed himself to think on what he'd remembered. He wasn't one for frequent or deep introspection. He understood others and how to get along with them horribly, but he was even worse with himself. He just tended to bullheadedly spew emotions until someone figured out what he meant. Sometimes, someone would say something that would resonate with him and he'd agree, not because he'd thought about it, but because it felt right.

However, these memories, these urges, these feelings demanded analysis. Why had he stabbed himself? Why did he want to hurt? Why didn't he care? Did it have to do something with why everything was in grayscale? Why did he hate himself so much?

Even trying to think about it made his head pound. He had no idea where to even begin. Feeling overwhelmed and suffocated, he closed his eyes, seeking out Kurama within him. The fox was still in the meadow, but now it was overcast and Naruto was acutely aware of the shadowy corridors in all directions.

"You okay?" Kurama asked. Naruto sighed, seating himself cross-legged in the grass.

"You gotta help me figure out what's going on. I'm not good at that stuff, but I don't wanna feel like this anymore." Kurama felt a wash of relief and nodded, seating himself likewise. He also took a moment to shrink himself a bit, so he was only a little bigger than Naruto. The blond human smiled at him, then took a deep breath, preparing himself.

"So all I can figure out so far is that Neji's… death had something to do with it." He bit his lip hard, then shook himself. "He shouldn't have died, especially not to protect me."

"It was war, Naruto. A few thousand shinobi sacrificing themselves for a couple million civilians on top of the other ninja. If you had died, Tobi and Madara and that crazy rabbit lady would have won." Naruto growled with frustration.

"Yeah, maybe. But I could have been faster, could have been stronger. I should have been paying attention." He scowled at the ground. Kurama sighed, a combination of frustration and fondness behind the action.

"You were almost out of chakra, I was out of chakra. The projectiles came out of nowhere and with no warning. The fact that your friend even got in front of it in time at that speed is incredible."

"Hinata saw it too." Naruto muttered. Kurama barely resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

"They've both got the Byakugan right? You don't and I'm blind outside you without my chakra. There was nothing you could have done." Naruto threw up his hands in exasperation.

"What about Shikaku-san, huh? And Ino's dad?"

"The Ten Tails bijuu bomb was too powerful for even me to stop or move completely without extensive preparation."

"Asuma-sensei? Jiraiya?"

"You were nowhere near them and knew nothing of them."

"Nagato? Old Man Third? Granny Chiyo?" Kurama could see his desperation, his need to have a reason, to carry the weight of the blame. He acted as though, without them, he'd float away. The fox tried to gentle his voice.

"You saved Nagato, from what I can tell. The old man was up against Orochimaru and you were a genin. Granny Chiyo sacrificed herself for the Shukaku brat, not you."

"My parents?" Naruto's voice broke, baby blue eyes swimming. So here was the root of the problem. Come to think of it, it usually came back to the Fourth and Kushina with Naruto.

"They saved you, yes. But they also saved the village. You were a baby. I was being controlled by that bastard Madara Uchiha. You couldn't have done anything. And it didn't turn out so bad, right?" Kurama tried for humor and was rewarded with a brief grin. It faded almost instantly.

"Sasuke lost his arm." The argument was half-hearted.

"So did you and you both survived."

"All my friends got hurt."

"So did you, and it was war. They knew the risks."

"I messed up."

"You're human." Naruto glanced up sharply at that, a sort of shock and hunger in his eyes. Kurama repeated himself. "You're only human, so you'll screw up. But you're a human and a damn good one at that. You're allowed to trip, as long as you keep fighting." The blond blinked, tears running down his cheeks.

"I'm human." He whispered. "Not a monster?" Kurama shook his head. "Not a demon?" Again, more firmly. "Not a killer?" Again, with an unwavering stare. Naruto slumped, shaking with sobs. He released all the pain, all the grief and guilt and anger that he'd built up, flooding the space with a multicolored deluge of rain. Kurama reveled in it, watching the rain wash away the shadows and dissipate the fog. The corridors, although still twisted, widened and all of the shine that had covered lost just a bit of their dullness.

Naruto was far from whole, but it was as good a start as any. They stood in the rain, eyes closed, breaths even, feeling their souls wash clean. Then, finally, the clouds overhead parted, revealing a whole sky of stars. The constellations didn't match the ones outside, but Kurama knew them by heart. Kaa-chan, Tou-san, Nii-san, Friends, Home, Hokage, Teacher, Student, Love; all the dreams he'd ever dreamt laid out in diamonds on velvet.

"I've missed these stars." Kurama murmured faintly. Naruto nodded, smiling.

"Me too."

Sai was surprised to come in to Naruto still asleep in the morning. He checked the medication bag. The last dose Naruto had taken was at around 1:30 the previous afternoon. He studied his friend, seeing that his face was calm, his muscles relaxed. His skin had just a touch of color to it.

Sakura came in a little while later, getting to work changing his bandages immediately. Humming softly, she carefully slit the ones around his torso, pulling them back to clean the wound. Then she gasped.

"What is it?" Sai asked, no small amount of alarm in his tone. Sakura put a hand to her mouth, feeling the tears well up. She pointed to Naruto's abdomen wordlessly. Sai looked, eyes widening in utter shock.

The wound was closed, with no sign of infection. It was still red and tender, still slightly swollen with healing, but it had finally closed. Removing the bandages around his thigh, arm, and neck showed similar healing, only fragile pink skin and slightly raised welts to show he'd ever been hurt.

"He's healing." Sakura exclaimed. "His accelerated healing is working." She hugged Sai impulsively, letting go an instant later.

"I'll get Machi-chan to cover my shift. You find Kakashi and Sasuke. I'll get Hinata and Tsunade-sama." Sai nodded and they split off. All six made it back before Naruto awoke, but they were perfectly happy just to watch him sleep peacefully for once.

He awoke about an hour later, Sasuke noticing the pick up in breathing first. He silenced the group with a gesture, not wanting to overwhelm Naruto. Those blue eyes opened slowly, languidly wandering around before landing on Sasuke. A grin lit up his features.

"Morning, teme-nii."

"Dobe." Sasuke said quietly. Before he could continue, Naruto sat up, stumbling to the window with a yawn. He pulled up the bottom pane, taking a deep breath as he blinked into the sunlight.

"Geez, with a sky that blue, it's bound to be a hot one." He leaned back in again, seeming to realize there were others in the room for the first time. He chuckled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.

"So, uh, you guys have been pretty worried, huh? My bad." He ducked his head, smile fading.

"Oh Naruto." Kakashi stood, placing a hand on his student's shoulder. "Welcome back." He hugged him tightly. Naruto returned the embrace.

Sakura and Tsunade hugged him as well; Sai and Sasuke settled for shoulder squeezes. Naruto was smiling a watery smile, tears dripping occasionally before he flicked them away.

Then he got to Hinata. The girl was stiff, head bowed, hands clasped. The others sensed the discomfort and shuffled out, leaving Naruto and Hinata alone. The two were perfectly still, Naruto standing before Hinata's chair. He crouched down finally, picking at the hem of his pants with eyes averted.

"I'm sorry." Hinata whispered. She felt horrible about what she'd said. It wasn't fair to him. He shook his head vehemently.

"No, what you said, it… it forced me to face what I was doing. It saved me. You were only being honest and brave. I know I can be…" He trailed off, seemingly unsure of what word to use.

"I still shouldn't have been so harsh." She countered. "I was worried it would hurt you enough to push you over." She bit her lip, unaware that Naruto had seen it. Damn, she was gorgeous.

"I always was stubborn. Not to mention stupid. But hey, it worked out, right?" He leaned forward, taking her lovely, strong hands in his. She glanced up, straight into his earnest, adoring eyes. He had a soft smile of pure love and he seemed to be simultaneously staring into her soul and memorizing her. Cautiously, tenderly, he leaned toward her, closing his eyes just as their lips met. Hinata gasped.

If their kiss had been a painting, it would have looked like a sunrise over the ocean. Bright gold at the core, softer pinks and oranges around it as all their different affections met. Below, a dark surface of past pains now glowing with the perfection and hope of the future. As steady and predictable as the passage of time, yet as fresh and new and passionate as fire or sakura trees or snowmelt swollen rivers. It was eternal, yet instantaneous. He pulled back slightly, touching his forehead against hers.

"Hinata," He said in a quiet, singsong tone. "I'm home." She let out a sound that was half sob, half laugh.

"Welcome home, Naruto." And outside, the sun shook off the embrace of the mountains and rose.