Well, it's finally here! The very last chapter of this story. I know, I know, it is kind of short, and the story did have potential to keep going, but I decided that I just really didn't want to keep working on this story. So, I'm moving on to the next story! ^_^ Bye-bye Naruto and Ino! It was fun while it lasted!

Naruto: You're throwing us to the curb?! Some friend you are!

Me: I'm sorry, I'm sorry...it's just that there's school, work, and other characters in Naruto who want their time to shine as well!

Ino: I can't believe you!

Me: Don't worry, I will come back to you two soon. You are my favorite couple to write about after all! ^_^

Ino: Well, ok since you put it that way.

Naruto: Ino! She just-

Ino: Can it Naruto! Let the lady finish what she's trying to do.

Me: Thanks Ino. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter, and I hope you've enjoyed this story as well. Please be on the look out for other stories that I will be coming up with soon! Thanks again, and enjoy!

Chapter 12: I love you!

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY NARUTO," everyone yelled in the bar that Asami had reserved for this festive occasion. Sasuke and Sakura were there, Shikamaru and Temari, some people from the hospital, and even Sasori was there. I later found out that Asami had asked him to come with her on a date, which is why it took her so long to come back with my lunch. That sly doctor actually accepted! Asami said he told her he appreciated her straightforwardness. He liked a woman who didn't waste any time, so he would be happy to go on a date with her. That's good, at least it worked out for one of us.

"Naruto," Sakura yelled pulling the aggravated Sasuke over towards me. I figured he would be annoyed. He and Shikamaru did not want anything to do with their wives the entire time they were visiting. The whole point of the trip was to get away from them and "misbehave", but I knew Sakura and Temari were too smart for that. They wouldn't let Sasuke and Shikamaru have too much free time on their hands. "Happy birthday Naruto," she said when she finally approached me.

"Thanks Sakura."

"Yeah bud, happy birthday."

"Thanks Sasuke."

"So how are you? Are things going good," Sakura asked.

"As best as they can be," I told her.

"Temari and I got extremely bored without Sasuke and Shikamaru. We didn't think it was fair that we were left to take care of the kids. So we let them have their fun for a little while, but we knew that they missed us and wouldn't mind us coming to spend time with them. Besides, we wanted to spend time with our old friends as well."

"Yeah, you hit the nail on the head there honey. We definitely did miss you," Sasuke said sarcastically, but Sakura just ignored him and squeezed his hand a little. I could tell by the facial expression Sasuke made when he looked down at his hand that was being held by hers.

"Anyway Naruto. The girl who put this all together, she seems very nice and she's pretty too. Is she your new girlfriend?"

I laughed, "Asami? No, she's just my personal assistant."

"You mean you're letting someone as sexy as her get away? You have to be joking right? Oh I get it, your just 'friends' right," Sasuke said before getting hit by Sakura.

"No, she's really just my personal assistant. Nothing is going on between me and her at all. I hardly like her."

I could see Sasuke shaking his head out of the corner of my eye. I could tell that was disappointment over his face, and somehow he managed to slip out of Sakura's grip. He rushed over to his partner and crime and I could hear from a distance him telling Shikamaru how he couldn't believe that I wasn't doing anything with Asami. Great, now I would get teased by both of them, oh well. If he only knew the truth. Asami and I were the only ones who knew that actually, we were intimate for one night, and one night only, and neither one of us would tell anybody that.

"Just ignore those immature boys," Sakura said, "Moving on. Is Ino coming? I know you two work together in the same hospital. I was hoping I would get a chance to see her tonight."

"I don't know, I don't even really know who all was invited so there is a possibility. Everyone was told to be here by ten, but it's past that now, so I figured all those who were coming were already here," I smiled as I told her that. I couldn't tell her that really I hoped that Ino wasn't coming, and I hoped that Asami didn't invite her because I really couldn't handle seeing Ino that night. But of course, fate is never on my side, because just as I was telling Sakura this, Ino walked into the bar.

"Ino," Sakura yelled with a huge grin across her face. Sakura ran over to her close friend and gave her a big hug. Oh how I wished that I could hug Ino so gently and kiss her hello. I turned to face Asami, and walked over in her direction. She was talking with a group of people from the hospital and of course Sasori who was always next to her now for some reason. "Excuse me," I interrupted, "Asami, can I speak with you for a moment?"

"But I'm-"

"Now," I yelled before she could finish as I grabbed her arm.

I pulled Asami outside through a side door at the bar. I knew she could tell how upset I was with her, and I was pretty sure she knew what it was about. When we finally got outside, I stopped and Asami pulled her arm away from me. "What is your problem," she yelled.

"What is my problem? Why would you invite Ino here after all that has happened? I told you that I was giving up on her, that I couldn't take it anymore, but yet you invite her to my birthday party! I'm sure you knew the kind of reaction I would have," I yelled back. I wasn't going to just sit back about this one, she was wrong for doing this, and she needed to know that.

"Yes Naruto, I know that you said that you were giving up on Ino, but that doesn't mean that I'm giving up on you two! Listen to me, you are not the type of person to give up so easily! If you were, then you wouldn't have become the great doctor that you are now! People would have never thought that you would have made it this far, but you tried your hardest and look at where that has gotten you. You didn't need any help getting through your college years, and you don't need any help with Ino either! You just need to find that inner strength that you had before."

Asami surprised me with her words. She was right, I didn't need any help getting through school, and even when people thought that I was a loser and could never better myself, I proved them wrong. I became the head doctor of the cardiology wing, not a loser, and a very successful man. Asami patted my shoulder as she told me that she would leave me alone to reflect on what she said and went back into the bar. Where did that fire go? Since when did I loose myself? Just then I heard the door creak back open, "Asami I thought you were going to give me spa-," but before I finished, I had turned around to see that it wasn't Asami standing at the door, it was Ino.

"Ino!"

"Happy Birthday Naruto," Ino politely said. I started to feel myself blush, so I turned my head in the opposite direction of her so she couldn't see how red I was getting.

"Oh my goodness, Naruto are you ok? Your face is red." Damn, she saw my face before I turned it away from her.

"Yes, I'm fine. Thank you for the birthday wishes. Did you come out here just to tell me happy birthday?"

Ino began to laugh. I turned around anxiously. What was she laughing at? "I think that is the first time since high school that you actually held a conversation with me," she giggled. She was right, that was the first time in years that I actually talked to her without stuttering, screaming, or doing anything stupid. I couldn't believe it! I actually talked to Ino! I wonder if Asami put a spell on me or something when she patted my shoulder. I laughed with Ino, "Ye-yeah you, you-r, you are right." What the hell was that? I just talked to her like a normal person! And now, I'm back to stuttering? Was it because she brought it to my attention? Maybe it was a spell Asami put on me, and it wore off! What am I supposed to do now? I mean, I gave up on Ino...well, at least I think I did after that talk with Asami, I don't know, but I don't want to seem like a blubbering fool even though I gave up on her! She still is the angel in my life, I don't want her to think any less of me than what she already does.

I turned around and sat down on the curb. Maybe if I don't talk she'll go back inside. I really don't want her to, I would love to sit and talk with her, but I just can't take the embarrassment. Ino came and sat down right next to me on the curb...once again, thanks luck! Great, now what was I going to do? I looked up at the stars, continuing not to make any type of eye contact with her. "You know Naruto, I always wanted to tell you this, but I never really got the chance to. You were always with your friends in high school, then we went our separate ways, and we didn't really talk in grad school, so I never had a chance to talk to you alone like this."

Ino glanced over at me, waiting for a response out of me, but I just continued to look up. She continued as well, "When we were little and you put that gum in my hair...I was really upset with you. I wanted to get you back the best way I could, which is why I always hounded you or told on you at school. But eventually, as I got older and forgot about what you did, and realized that you really didn't mean it, I was going to stop bothering you, but when I decided that, I felt sort of empty inside. I was always there telling you what to do, trying to put you on the right path, I didn't want to stop. To me, you felt like my life's mission to get you through school."

What the hell was she saying? Was this supposed to make me feel good in any way, or did she just come out here to make me feel even more stupid than what I already feel. Besides, her bossiness didn't help me! It pissed me off, which is why I hated her guts! Which is why I enjoyed pulling pranks and doing things that I wasn't supposed to be doing because it got under her skin! I just wanted her to leave me alone...at least then I did. Now I don't want her to ever leave. What was the point of this conversation? Why is she bringing up memories of the past? I finally looked at Ino as she continued her speech.

"As I continued to try and boss you around, and you continued to do the opposite of every thing I tried to tell you to do, I noticed something in you, something that I admired. You never let anybody, or anything stop you from doing what you wanted to do. You tried your best at every thing, even if someone said that you couldn't do it. Whether it was a prank, or school, you tried and tried again until you succeeded. When you decided to become a doctor, and people told you that you wouldn't be able to do it, I knew you would. In fact, you becoming a doctor, was one of the reasons why I became one too. I just couldn't let you go, being around you for so long, it was hard to let you go. I felt that if I became a doctor, it would make me feel close to you, and I would try my hardest to become the best just like I knew you would. I believed that maybe if I became a doctor as well, it would eventually...," Ino stopped before she finished. I could see a tear roll down her eye, which is something that I never wanted to see. I never wanted to see my beautiful Ino sad.

Was she sad because she felt like I wasn't trying anymore? Why was she telling me this, and why did she start to cry? I balled my fists up. Fine, if she wanted me to try my hardest, then that is what I was going to do. If she admired my will, my never give up attitude, then look out because it's coming back. Ino, Asami, they were both right. I was different before. I didn't give up on the things I wanted, and I didn't let anyone or anything stop me from getting what I wanted. Not Sasori, not Asami, not any of my friends, and certainly not my nerves. This was it, I was through depending on others for help. If you want something, you have to go after it yourself...so..."Ino," I gulped. Ino wiped her eyes, she could see how serious I was.

"Naruto, is every...," but before she could finish, I reached over to her, put my hands on her cheeks and gently kissed her lips. I pulled back from the kiss that I had been waiting for since graduate school to see a surprised expression on her face, "Ino, I love you. I loved you since the day I saw you at school, and I have loved you ever since. I just...I just could never work up the nerve to tell you until now thanks to you and Asami. You both helped me remember who I really was, the me that I lost a long time ago, so I thank you. Even if you don't feel the same way as I do, even if you love Sasori, I just didn't want to go on any longer without telling you how I feel."

Ino continued to stare, but finally smiled and put her head down. "You know, it's true that I was infatuated with Sasori, I mean what girl wouldn't."

"Yeah tell me about it," I interrupted thinking about Asami.

"It seems like Sasori has found the person he wants to be with though."

"I'm sorry. Are you ok?"

"Truth is, I'm perfectly fine about it because I only started to like him because the actual person I really cared about seemed as if he wasn't interested in me at all," she said while looking at me and smiling.

I stared blankly at her, waiting for her to tell me who it was, "Who," I asked.

Ino widened her eyes and began to laugh again. What did I say? "Oh Naruto, you are back to your old self aren't you. Clueless as ever."

Why did everybody think I was clueless? If everyone knew that I was such a clueless person, then why did they always beat around the bush about things, just come right out and say it! "What do you mean," I asked her.

Ino leaned in and before I could realize what she was doing, she kissed me just as I had kissed her. "It's funny how we both were so clueless to not realize that we are in love with each other," Ino said as she pulled away.

My head filled with so many emotions! I was surprised, happy, sad, angry at how long it took me to tell her when little did I know, she was in love with me as well, and I could have told her that I loved her a long time ago. I just didn't know what to do, so instincts took over and I grabbed my charming princess, hugged her close to me, and just passionately kissed her until our lips began to hurt.

After, I'd say, about fifteen minutes of making out, I heard the side door that we had come out of earlier slam open and saw a drunk Asami standing in the doorway.

"Naruto! What are you doing out...oh...I see what's going on. You two finally admitted your feelings for each other huh? That's great! See I told you if you came out here to say happy birthday to him it would make your day better."

"Huh," I said confused.

"Well, when Asami walked back into the bar from back here, she over heard me telling Sakura that I was having a bad day. So she told me that saying happy birthday to the birthday boy, would make me feel better. I didn't believe her, but I wanted to say happy birthday to you anyway, since it was your party after all. Then for some reason, when I did say happy birthday to you, I began to feel so much better. Now look at us, just because she told me to come say happy birthday to you! Thanks Asami, because of you, Naruto and I are together now. Who knows when one of us would have told each other how we really felt."

Ino jumped up and hugged my drunk fairy godmother. "No problem," Asami said while slurring her words, "Now why don't you lovebirds come in and tell everybody the good news! Besides the birthday boy needs to get drunk! Woo hoo!"

"Yeah let's go. Ino, go on ahead, I need to talk to Asami really quick. We'll be in in a second." Ino smiled and headed back into the bar.

"Asami, did you know what was going to happen?"

"What do you mean did I know, I'm not psychic," she said still slurring her words and stumbling.

"Pull yourself together woman! Did you have a hand in what happened between Ino and me? Did you use some type of spell or something?"

"Nooope"

"Did you know Ino loved me too."

"Yeelp"

"Why didn't you tell me?!"

"Because it was funny watching you mess up at your wishes," she laughed.

"Asami why-," I began to yell before being cut off by her.

"Besides, if I had told you, do you think your fear of talking to her would have gone away? You lost yourself, so until you found Naruto again, whether I told you how she felt about you or not would not have made a difference."

"Yeah but it would have helped," I muttered.

"But who cares now! You two are together, you've found yourself again, and all is well in the life of Naruto! Oh yeah, by the way, I quit."

"What?!"

"You don't need me anymore, you have Ino. Besides, I'm together with Sasori now, and he want's me to be his personal assistant; so I quit."

I looked at the woman staggering in front of me, and remembered the first day I met her. I'll never forget that one night either, and how strange and amazing this woman is. I knew that I would still see her in the hospital since she will now be Sasori's assistant, but it still felt as if I was never going to see her again. I was going to miss having her around all the time. "Well, does that mean you're getting out of my house now too," I said anxiously.

"Wow, you just couldn't wait to kick me out could you. And after all I did for you. Yes, that means I'll be moving out too, I'm staying with Sasori."

"Yes! Oh and by the way, why is it that sometimes when I am talking with you, you slur your words and stagger, but other times, you seem sober?"

"Haha, oh Naruto, I don't know what you are talking about," she said while slurring again.

I began to walk by her to go back into the bar and placed my hand on her shoulder. "Thanks for all your help Asami. For before, and for tonight," I said pleased.

"All in a day's work Naruto. A fairy's job is to answer her master's wish, I only wanted to fulfill your's. Is there anything else master wishes?"

"Yeah, come in here and have some fun."

"But you didn't say you wish for me to have fun."

"Ugh Asami!" She turned around and ran back into the bar laughing. Once inside, she turned back to me, bowed, and said, "Your wish is my command."

What a strange woman.

Thanks for reading! ^_^