Last chapter was very interesting to write with all the time skips and getting them to work out so they followed well. I hope you enjoyed it. I had to condense a lot of time into a chapter since I didn't feel every moment deserved a whole chapter to itself, but wanted th key moments. Even then, I still have to break it up into two chapters. I can't say too much here without giving a lot away, but I put more in the author's note at the end.

Chapter 14: Closing Time

May 22

Mortarboards flew into the air as the graduating class of Kono High School let out a cheer that roared through the school's gym. The students on the floor started to celebrate as many cheered and hugged those around them, many of them saying their goodbyes. Pictures were snapped and contact information was exchanged as the students looked toward the future. A blond-haired boy that had been the last to cross the stage to the cheers of the student body soon had worked his way out of the crowd and had joined up with Iruka and Konohamaru, getting a huge hug from them both as they celebrated.

The next several hours were a blur for the blonde though as he soon had to leave the two behind to go squeeze in a couple of his friends' graduation parties before his own started. Teachers, mentors, friends and numerous people arrived at Naruto's house to congratulate the boy and let him know how happy they were for him to be able to move on and play in college. He was also happy about the rather hefty pile of graduation gifts people had left, but that wasn't the most important thing to him. He was just glad to see the people that had come to celebrate with him. He had come a long way from when he was a kid.

Hours later though, as the day had drawn to a close and the final few people were gone; Naruto's was resting on his bed with his arm lightly around Konohamaru's bare abdomen. However, Konohamaru wasn't resting like his neighboring companion, but had a distant stare into the darkness that hid the ceiling with his hands tucked under his head.

Naruto shifted around a little in his sleep for a moment before opening his eyes a bit. He glanced at the boy beside him, expecting him to be sleeping when he noticed the boy's eyes still open. He pulled the boy a bit closer as he wrapped his arm around him a bit more.
"Can't sleep?" he asked with a sleepy tone as he closed his eyes a bit for the moment.
"I guess…" Konohamaru simply replied.
"What's wrong?" Naruto asked as he tried to stay awake long enough to make sure his boyfriend was okay.

"We can talk about it another time. Today is supposed to be a celebration after all," the brunette said.

Naruto moved to sit up on his elbow and rubbed his eyes a bit as he stared down at the brunette through the darkness with the help from the soft light that filtered through the window. "No what is it? What's bothering you?" Naruto asked.

"It's nothing," Konohamaru replied. "I don't want to talk about it on your graduation day."
Naruto took a quick glance at the clock and said, "It's 2:30 in the morning. Graduation is over. What's the matter? Has to bug you enough to keep you awake. So what is it?"
Konohamaru slowly shifted his eyes to look over at Naruto, their eye meeting in the near darkness. Letting out a soft sigh, Konohamaru moved up to match Naruto's position on his arm. "It's just that… well today made me think a lot. I mean, with you graduating and going off to college. Then where does that leave us?" Konohamaru said.

Naruto frowned a bit and tried to calm him down. "Don't worry about that. We can deal with that when we come to it," Naruto answered.
"When? We have come to it. You just graduated. You will be gone to start practice and then all season you will be busy. And if not football, then classes will keep you busy. And you will start to make friends up there. And you will start to deal with you life up there."

Naruto lightly stroked Konohamaru's arm as the tried to think of a way to calm him still. "Just because I'm going to be away at college doesn't mean things can't still work with us. We can talk about it and figure how we are going to get things to work. We still got some time this summer. Yeah, it can be difficult and tough, but when have you ever known to let that stop me?" he said as he put on his best smile.

"But that's just it. I do know you. You're going to get up there and worry about me and how I'm doing. You aren't going to let yourself go out there and be in college and try things out. I mean, when I got to college, I want to experience it all and try new things. But, if you're up there, looking back here at me and at the past, then you won't do it. I mean, I'm looking ahead and seeing same school, same town, just sophomore year, which is good and all. But you're looking ahead at a whole new life with a lot of new things," Konohamaru said as he tried to hold down his emotions. "I just don't want you to miss out on something because of me. I don't want you to miss things, then look back after it all and blame me because you didn't get to do something. I won't let me be the cause of that."

"I won't resent you for anything," Naruto said. "It maybe new, but it doesn't mean I don't want to hold on something so important to me. I'm not giving up my dad after all." Naruto was trying to hold back a mix of his own feelings that were starting to stir and well up in him.

"But, you have one dad. I can't be the only boy you ever let yourself look at. I can't be there for you up there. And you need to worry about you Naruto. I won't hold you back. And if things happen and we can come back together, then it can be for the right reason."

Naruto stared back in shock as a long silence hung in the air. "So… are you breaking up with me Konohamaru?" Naruto said as he had to force out each word.

Konohamaru looked down for a moment as he swallowed hard as a couple tears rolled down his cheek. "Yeah, I guess I am," he said with sorrow in his words.

The two laid there in bed as they stared at each other through the darkness as tears ran down both their faces. Each boy's heart sinking deeper and deeper. Konohamaru couldn't remember ever seeing Naruto cry before. It was the end of something that touched them both so deeply that they couldn't even understand right then. And their time together was something they both would forever share. An eternal bond.

7 Years Later…

A man in his twenties with spiky blond hair wondered down the sidewalk as he was chatting on his cell phone. He was dressed up a bit in an orange button-up dress shirt as he weaved his way between the people on the sidewalk that were trying to head in the opposite direction. One man bumped his arm and nearly made him drop his phone, but he shook it off and kept walking down the path.

A recent college graduate was hurrying along the sidewalk, worried about getting to his job interview on time. He wanted to get there early and be ready just in case. He was dressed up in a green shirt with a nice blue tie dangling from his neck. His brunette hair was spiked up a bit, but nicely cut and professional looking. He was lost in thoughts about how he would answer some of the questions he expected and what he would say to try to impress his potential employer.

The two men were each lost in their own little world that they didn't even noticed as they passed each other on the busy sidewalk. Each one heading in his own direction.

The blond man's steps soon stopped though and he let his phone drift away from his ear as he soon there for a moment. He looked back over his shoulder and glanced around at the people around, not exactly sure what he was looking for, but just feeling he'd missed something important.

"Naruto? Naruto? You still there?" the voice on the phone called out as it brought him back to the real world.

"Yeah, sorry about that. I got distracted for a moment…" he said as he started to walk along again.

After the blonde turned and started to walk away, the brunette boy lifted his eyes from once again checking his resume, which carried the name Konohamaru Sarutobi at the top. He stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and looked back around behind him as well. The same feeling of missing something had stirred inside him as well as he looked around for a moment. He slowly started to walk though as he tried to shake it off, taking one last glance over his shoulder before having to hurry on to his interview.

When two people are meant to be together, they will eventually find their way to each other in time because nothing can keep them apart. People in love find something special in the other person. They have their own hero.

It has been a long and crazy ride, and I loved it. I can't even tell you how amazing this writing trip has been for me. I hated it at times when I had to force myself past writer's block. But it was so worth it. I can't thank you all enough. It was because I knew people were enjoying it that I kept writing and worked so hard. I really want to thank and dedicate the story to a friend of mine, Daniel, who got me started on writing this in the first place. So thank you to him. I love Naruto and Konohamaru, and I will miss this story. If you want to see more with these two, I am thinking of starting another story once I have a solid idea in mind. So please come back and read more of my content; plus, I might write a few extra side chapters for this story as well. I hope I did this story justice for you and give this it an ending you feel it deserved. Again, I hope you all enjoyed the journey of the two boys and will read my additional content. If you have any comments or things you'd like to see in future content, let me know or send me a message. I'll still be around to get them. Thanks again to all my reviewers, Daniel and my readers. I truly do appreciate it. And for those of you who have read through my final author's note, I will give you a little reward for reading them. I didn't say the story was over yet. Thanks again.

Pushing his way through the crowd of people, Naruto had remembered a familiar brunette head he had seen in the crowd when he looked back, and he hurried after the boy he could never forgotten.

THE END