Hey guy! I have ben MIA for a while now and I apologize. But I have been having the worst case of writer's block. I'm really sorry for totally disappearing.

But I hope you guys enjoy this final chapter. A lot of you asked me to do an epilogue and here it is.

I'm sorry about this being the last chapter but I'm currently writing a sasusaku (sort of) and I feel happy with this ending. I loved writing this and thanks for the support, it really helps when you guys love what I write.

HOPE YOU ENJOY THIS! HAPPY READING.

Chapter 12: The past, present and future

Naruto Uzumaki, the seventh Hokage of the village hidden in the leaves, opened the door to his room in the Hokage tower to find his view of the village from his window obstructed by piles and piles of files. He blinked several times at the papers before he quietly closed the door to his room and turned back around to face his advisor Shikamaru. Shikamaru stared back at him in boredom as he buried his hands in his pant pockets awaiting the usual whines from his boss.

They stared at each other for a while as if both of them were waiting for the other to speak before Shikamaru decided to speak.

"You know you have to finish them." He said as if in resignation.

"Oh come on! I did a pile that big yesterday too. It's Friday." Naruto whined, just as Shikamaru had predicted. Being twenty seven years old and being the Hokage still hasn't changed naruto much from the young genin he was decades ago. Sometimes Shikamaru questioned whether that was a good or a bad thing.

"Yeah its Friday…and if you don't finish them today you'll have to come tomorrow to finish them. Which means I'll have to come in tomorrow. So you will finish them today no matter what." Shikamaru finished with a sigh as if resigning himself to the heavy work of having to tie Naruto down to the chair. To his greatest surprise and relief though he heard Naruto let out a sigh before opening the door to his room again and walking in with Shikamaru following behind him after he recovered from the shock.

Naruto sat down on his chair with a plop as he made up his mind to finish all this paperwork before sun down. He doesn't remember the last time he had a break from all this work. His assumption had been that after the war all he'd have to do was sit on his chair and eat ramen. But just because the war was over doesn't mean the world had any less enemies. There were always threats to the world and missions to go on for the ninja of the village. In return he had to do a lot of paperwork to go with those missions as well as keeping an alliance with many of the countries required a lot of paper work as well. Boy did he miss the days of verbal contracts.

The last time he had dinner with his whole family was ages ago. Usually by the time he got home, Bolt and Himawari were already sleeping. Even Hinata sometimes fell asleep waiting for him. Although he had told her she didn't have to wait up for him, she tried her best so that he doesn't have to eat his meals alone. He's rarely home to see Bolt off to the academy, though he tries his best to wake up in time for it if he's home. Himawari sleep until late and he sees Hinata in the mornings and at night, but those tiny glimpse barely kept him satisfied.

Naruto's favourite time is when the three of them come to visit him in the Hokage office. The three of them comes during his break and they eat together the meals they packed. That still didn't give me enough time to spend with his family to his heart's content.

Naruto took one last long look at the piles and piles of paperwork in front of him and let out a sigh as he pushed his sleeves back and started on the first pile with determination and a promise to finish so he can go home early.

Not to mention it has been quiet awhile since the last time he and Hinata had some "alone time". He's starting to forget what Hinata looked like naked. If he's starting to forget what Hinata looked like naked, then it had truly been way too long.

Throughout the day Naruto kept on looking at the clock located to his right to make sure he finished in time to go home and have dinner with his family. But even at 7 o'clock in the evening, he still had 2 more piles of paperwork to get through. When he was certain that he wouldn't be making it home for dinner, his determination to finish everything today only increased because that meant he won't have to come in tomorrow, Saturday.

As Naruto read and put his signature on the last piece of paper he let out a heavy sigh as he sat back on his chair. His back cracked as he stretched his arms and legs and looked back at the clock to find that it was past 10 o'clock at night. He closed his eyes and slumped his shoulders as the realization that both Bolt and Himawari already had their dinner and most likely are in bed by now.

Usually the two of them were fast asleep by the time he arrived at home. But he never forgot to go to their rooms to wish them good night silently every night before he himself went to bed. He knew his kids missed him, he missed them as well, that's why he tried his best to spend as much time with them as his schedule possibly allowed. But even that sometimes wasn't enough. He also knew that this was leaving an impact on his and Bolt's relationship. Never having had a father himself he understood only a little of what Bolt goes through having to share his father with everyone else.

As Bolt got older though he was much more mature about that whole thing. He understood his father's responsibilities and respected it. But Naruto knew that Bolt was still a child and needed his father. Which is why he will be spending all of tomorrow with his family. He had already decided, as he walked home that night, that the only reason he will come into work that day would be due to a serious crisis.

Knowing full well that his family will be fast asleep at this hour, Naruto tried to be as quiet as he could be as he unlocked his front door and entered into his house. Locking the door behind him, he took off his shoes and tiptoed down the hallway in the darkness with only the street lights and the front porch light that Hinata usually left on guide him. Upon getting closer to his living room, he was surprised to hear voices coming from there. With a couple more steps forward he concluded that the voices were coming from his television.

He continued to walk down the hall to his living room to find that, indeed, the television was on though no one seems to be watching it as the living room was dark and empty, with only the light from the television illuminating the room.

It was unlikely that Hinata forgot to turn off the TV before going to sleep. She rarely watched it. He took quiet steps towards the TV to turn it off but stopped short as he noticed from the corner of his eye that the room was in fact not empty at all.

He stared at the three bodies on his sofa. Hinata lay on the couch with her hair cascading down to the floor as Himawari lay nuzzled on top of Hinata, her head comfortably laying on Hinata's chest. Bolt also lay on the couch beside his mother, his body flush against her side as Hinata lay on the side of the couch making sure that neither of them fell off. As Naruto had suspected, the three were fast asleep.

'They must've waited up for me.' Naruto thought with a smile. He walked closer to the couch and stared at the peaceful looks on the faces of his family. His idea had been to admire the fact that he now has a family, but being ninja they weren't the most heaviest of sleepers and Hinata being one, the next thing he knew her lips were curving into a small smile though her eyes remained closed. She always knew when he was around for some reason. He could never figure out how and whenever he asked her she always says 'I just know' before smiling at him wholeheartedly.

"You are later than usual." She whispered as not to wake the children. She opened her eyes slowly after saying that, her cream eyes still a little hazy from just waking up.

"Yeah, lots of paperwork. You should've gone to sleep." He whispered back with a tired smile.

"They wanted to stay up for you. It's Friday so I let them." Hinata said moving her eyes downwards towards their two sleeping children. "Why don't you wash up and I'll heat up some food." Hinata kindly offered, moving her eyes back to meet his. Naruto opened his mouth to reply but was interrupted by Hinata. "And don't even think about refusing." She said sternly though her eyes twinkled with playfulness. Naruto closed his mouth instantly.

Naruto smiled at her before leaning down to kiss her forehead gently. "Okay, be back soon." He promised before standing up and walking upstairs to their room.

Naruto took a quick shower and wrapped the towel around his waist as he walked out of the bathroom, water still dripping down from his hair and down his neck. He looked at the clock on his bedside table and his pace quickened even more as it already said 10:30 PM. He put on his usual black jumper pants and a simple white shirt with short sleeves

Hinata probably would've put the kids on their beds already, but he would have to wish them goodnight after food because he didn't want to make Hinata wait any longer. He took two steps at a time as he sprinted downstairs. When he finally stepped into his kitchen he got the surprise of his life.

"Daddy!" Himawari greeted happily while still sitting on her high chair.

"Dad!" Bolt also greeted with a hidden smile. Naruto's blue eyes widened in surprise.

"They wanted to wait for you to have dinner together." He heard Hinata's soft voice and turned his head to his left to find her standing in front of the stove with a wooden spoon on her hand and a lovely smile on her lips.

"You guys aren't sleepy?" Naruto asked as he turned his warm gaze towards his two children sitting at the table.

"Nope, coz we took a nap with mama now, right onii-chan?" Himawari answered happily shaking her head wildly as if to get the point across.

"Yeah yeah, I'm hungry, sit down dad." Bolt answered impatiently patting the seat beside him. Naruto walked over to where Bolt was and bent down and kissed the top of his orange head and ruffled his hair. Bolt whined with a half-hearted protest before Naruto walked to where Himawari is and kissed the top of her head as well to which she giggled happily. Then Naruto walked to Hinata but she had already turned around to look at the now boiling pot on the stove. He stood behind her and rested his hands on her hips, successfully surprising her for a moment before she smiled, still not taking her eyes from the pot though. He pecked the side of her head affectionately while she tilted her head closer to his lips and he heard Himawari's continuous giggle and Bolt's disgusted grunt before he went and sat down beside him, making sure to ruffle his hair again as Bolt continued to protest hitting his dad's hand away from his head.

"Okay, I made everyone's favourite." Hinata announced turning around to face the table of her anxiously awaiting family. Even though they all knew what it was, the three faces stared at her with anticipation and she smiled at them before answering. "Ramen!" She said and the three biggest ramen lovers cheered and clapped as if it were the happiest news they ever received.

Dinner lasted longer than average and even after the plates were empty they all sat down on the table with Naruto attempting to catch a glimpse of the lives of his two fast growing children. Bolt and Himawari animatedly told him several weeks worth of stories while Naruto listened as if he were listening to the council, giving the two all the attention he hasn't been able to give them.

"Dinner" ended a little past midnight with Naruto putting two very reluctant children to sleep and Hinata cleaning the kitchen.

"They are sleeping." Naruto announced as he came back to the kitchen. Hinata stood at the kitchen sink with her back to him but turned around to give a smile before turning back to her dishes. Naruto picked up the folded cloth on the counter and started to dry the dishes in the dish rack, the two standing beside each other in a comfortable silence.

Hinata finished washing and turned to her side to face Naruto as he continued to dry. She wiped her hands on the apron around her waist and continued to stare at his tired blue eyes. Hinata hadn't missed the dark circles around her husband's beautiful cerulean eyes or the way he tried to supress several yawns during dinner. She worried about him every day and told him to take a break every chance she got. But she also knew how much he loved his job. The only thing he didn't like, she knew, was not having enough time for his family. Being Naruto, family was a huge part of his life. She knew that having to balance all these things will take its toll on her husband sooner or later, which is exactly why she will be supporting her husband no matter what. Because at the end of the day, she is where he comes to looking for tranquility.

Hinata watched as Naruto turned his head towards the clock on the wall behind them.

"Hmm…"he hummed turning around to face her. "Twelve thirty. I'm not sleepy yet and won't be for a while. Now what could I do during that time I wonder?" he asked with feigned innocence with furrowed eyebrows as if he were thinking really hard.

Hinata raised an eyebrow as she tied her hands in front of her chest. "I wonder…"she replied looking at his mischievous grin. "Maybe…"she murmured moving her face closer to his and she could feel his anticipation as he bore his blue eyes into her. "Maybe…" she tried again, this time in a whisper. She saw and heard him swallow in clear excitement for what he believes is to come. "…you could read a book." She finished in a whisper before pulling back, almost missing the shock pass his eyes. "That always works for me." She added innocently in her normal voice.

Hinata laughed as his blue eyes sparkled with playfulness and she could guess what was coming next. She slowly inched away from him, backing up and his expression turned into a mischievous smirk. As soon as Hinata backed into the wall, she stuck her tongue out at him before hitting the light switch beside her head.

The moment he was greeted with darkness, he heard his wife's hurried steps running up the stairs and he put his own legs into motion as anticipation bubbled inside him. He heard her laugh just as he entered their room. It was dark in their room and Naruto felt around for the light switch after quietly closing the door behind him. Hinata gasped as light illuminated the room and Naruto saw her cream eyes widen. But she had nowhere to run because she was standing near their bed, with her back to it and with nowhere to run to.

She let out a squeak and tried to jump over the bed as Naruto charged at her but didn't manage to in time. Naruto caught her and wrapped his hands around her waist pulling them both down to the bed.

"I don't think so." He said as he pulled himself up to face her with his arms wrapped around her and him lying on the bed on his side looking down at her. Her midnight hair sprawled on their mattress and her cream eyes showed clear happiness, add to that her melodious laugh and Naruto wondered how he ever got so lucky. "God I missed you." He said, his voice low and raspy..

Hinata's laugh disappeared giving way to a loving smile. Naruto didn't waste any more time as he leaned his head down to lock their lips together. He took a deep breath before tilting his more and deepening the kiss that was taking him to cloud nine.

"Mommy." Naruto immediately got off of Hinata as Himawari's voice reached their ears and his blue eyes turned to the closed door. He sighed in relief when he saw that the door was in fact closed.

"Yes honey. Mommy's coming." Hinata said as she as stood up from the bed and walked towards the door, patting down her hair in the process. She opened the door to reveal Himawari in her pink onesie rubbing one of her eyes. "What's the matter?" Hinata asked lovingly as she crouched down to Himawari's height. Naruto heard Himawari sniffle a little and he sat up from the bed and walked towards her. "Did you see a bad dream sweetie?" Hinata asked and Himawari nodded with a pout.

"Do you want to sleep here today?" Naruto asked smiling down at her scared little face.

"Okay." Himawari replied happily, all traces of fear and tears gone from her face before she jumped onto the big bed and laying down in the middle.

Naruto and Hinata stared at each other in confusion before realising they have been fooled by their four year old daughter. Naruto shook his head with a laugh before walking to the other side of the bed and laying down on it. He watched as Hinata changed into her night gown, through the little crack in the bathroom door and sighed at his missed opportunity. Just as Hinata walked back into the room, turning off the bathroom light, they heard a knock on their now open door. All three eyes turned to the door to find Bolt standing there in his sky blue pajamas.

"I heard Hima-chan crying." He said with concerned blue eyes before his eyes landed on the now smiling little girl. "Never mind." He mumbled but hesitated before turning back around to go back to his room with a slight frown on his face.

"Why don't you sleep here too Bolt?" Hinata suggested smiling knowing what her son is thinking.

"Tch, I'm not a baby mom" he complained annoyed, making Naruto smile at his behaviour. Cleary he wanted to join but was too prideful to admit it. He was definitely his son.

"Onii-chan can sleep beside me." Himawari said patting down the empty space beside her.

"Fine fine." Bolt said in annoyance, but he was lying on the bed before anyone's eyes could catch it. Naruto turned his eyes to Hinata and they shared an amused smile before Hinata walked to the light switch and turned it off, closing the door as well.

Naruto watched as she laid down on the bed beside bolt. The two of them laid down on their sides facing each other with Bolt and Himawari safely between them. Hinata reached her hand over her head and laid it down on the pillow over Bolt's and Himawari's heads. She smiled at him lovingly making her eyes sparkle and look beautiful through the moonlight coming from the window behind him. Naruto also reached his hand and landed it over Himawari's head, his and Hinata's hands intertwining together in the middle.

"Good night Naruto-kun." Hinata said landing her free hand around Bolt softly.

He grinned cheekily at her forgetting all about his missed chance to finally make love to her again after a while. 'There's always tomorrow.'

He wondered how people ever fell out of love because every time he looks at Hinata he is reminded of why he loves her so much and each time that love only increases with each smile she gives him.

"Good night hime." He said running his thumb over whatever part of her hand is accessible to him.

Naruto couldn't help but think back to a time when he slept on a single bed all by himself imagining something very similar to this. It felt like such a long time ago and while his past brought pain to his heart, he couldn't helping feeling a little sense of fondness towards those memories because not only did they help him become who he is but they also helped him appreciate what he has now even more.

His past consisted of just him and a lot of pretending as if he was okay with it. But his future is definitely these three people and their continuous smiles.

THE END!

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