Part 2: Lost and Found

While he was away, time passed slowly for Hinata. It was as if everything was happening, but time wasn't really moving. Each day felt like a year. The clock hands never seemed to move. She tried to act like everything was normal, finally thankful she had a naturally shy personality. When you've never really talked much in the first place, there's no reason to start all of a sudden.

But the days and nights did pass. She kept moving on, kept training as hard as she could. But no matter what she was doing, he was always in the back of her mind. He had always been there. In her mind and in her heart. But now her thoughts of him came more frequently, as in almost every minute of each day. She thought differently of him, now, too, after seeing him look at her the way she had always wanted him to. It was as if that look had distorted her memory of him, but in the best way possible.

And as for his place in her heart? Well, he had always had a small peice of it, whether he knew it or not. But in the week after the fair, just before he had left, she felt the spot grow bigger every day. And with him gone it was as if she was missing it all together. She was left with only the intensified memories of him to keep her smiling.

She wondered if somewhere in the back of his mind he was thinking of her too. Maybe she held a peice of his heart in place of the one he had taken from her.

While he was away on his mission, time passed slowly for Naruto. It was all he could do to remember what progress he and Jaraiya made from day to day. Everything blurred together and nothing really made sense. His normally hyperactive personality playing against him once again. Jaraiya worried at first, but then blamed Naruto's suddenly quiet personality on the stress of the mission and being away from home for so long.

There was really no way to keep track of the time out there anyway. Their mission was a secret, even to Naruto up until weeks into the assignment. They camped most of the time, tracking, picking up information to take back to Tsunade in Konoha. And so Naruto knew the world was still revolving as the nights fell and the sun rose every day, every night. And though training had always been his number one priority, there was something else on his mind these days.

Her face was always smiling at him in the back of his mind. He remembered her clearly, his visions of her clear and sharp. Her hair blew in the breeze, tickling her cheeks. Her face was always smiling gently, her cheeks permanently blushing a slight shade of pink. Sometimes he imagined her twiddling her fingers like she did. But mostly he remembered the way she had looked at him that night at the fair... The time he had kissed her. He wondered how long she had looked at him like that for. How long he had been oblivious to her longing glaces and shy smiles directed at him. And while she occupied the back of his mind twenty-four hours a day, there was also something new.

She had stolen part of his heart. He had known it from the moment she had left the fair. Every day it seemed like she took more and more of it, constantly taking it over. But not in a bad way. It was as if she was there with him. She had his heart; it was her's for the taking. He had never really felt this way about anyone and he wondered what had been there, in his heart, before she had come along.

And even though he was constantly hiding from mortal danger, fighting for his life didn't seem like such a chore as long as in the end it would mean he could get back to her. But all that time he couldn't help but wonder if she thought about him as much as he thought about her. And he couldn't help but wonder if he had recieved a piece of her heart in return. Maybe, just maybe, he thought, it was an equal trade. A win-win situation. Maybe he had touched her heart like she had touched his.

But in the end he always felt that no one, not even the shy Hyuuga girl, could love another the way he loved her.

September passed...

October passed...

November passed...

December passed...

January passed...

February passed...

After six months of waiting she was finally ready for him to come home. All fall... All winter... Everyone had been home. There had always been someone around. But she had felt so alone. She didn't think she'd be complete until he came back to her.

She remembered hearing people talking about how long he and Jaraiya would be gone for. Most people said it would be about six months. Well, six months had passed, no matter how slowly. But what if he didn't come home this month? Next month? She had just won everything she had ever wanted and then lost it all for six months of tense anticipation. She was not going to give it up now.

"But at least I had it, no matter for how short a time," she thought as she made her way to the city gates. Then she shook her head. She wouldn't loose it. Naruto would come back to her. He had to.

She made it to the gates and walked over to the two guys sitting there. They kept track of who came in and went out of the city all the time. "Must be boring, sitting there recording names all day," she thought to herself. She made her way over to them and smiled.

"Good morning, Hinata-san!" they greeted her.

She smiled shyly in return. "Um..." she started. For some reason she couldn't force herself to ask. "D-do you, um, know w-when..." She let her voice trail off as she saw the two of them exchange a knowning look. She widened her eyes and raised her eyebrows the slightest bit to prompt them to tell her what they were thinking.

The two smiled warmly at her. "Naruto-kun is supposed to get back sometime this week. We don't know exactly when, but Tsunade recieved a letter from him a few days ago saying they'd be back soon," one of them answered her in response to the look on her face. They had guessed what she was there for the moment she had walked up.

Hinata let out her breath that she had been unintentionally holding. They laughed at her lightly and she couldn't help but smile, too. A blush came across her face, partly from embarrassment and partly from the mention of his name. It was almost pitiful how attached she was to him, even to her. "Thank you," she told them. She turned to leave and started to walk away.

"I can guess we'll be seeing a lot of her until he's back," one of the guards said. It had meant to be too low for her to hear, but her ears had picked it up. She smiled and silently agreed.

"Jaraiya-sama!" Naruto called, making his way through the forest, speeding ahead of his sensei. He couldn't believe they were finally going home. As soon as Jaraiya had announced that the mission was over and they were going back Naruto had been his old, hyperactive self. The thought of seeing Hinata after so long was almost too much for him. He wanted to get back as soon as possible.

"Naruto, slow down!" Jaraiya called from behind him. Naruto slowed up for about five seconds before his joy got the best of him and he sped ahead again. They were about a day from the village, but at this speed, maybe even less.

As Jaraiya caught up with him he whispered into the wind, hoping, foolishly, he thought, that it would somehow carry on the wind all the way to Hinata back in Konoha.

"Wait for me. I'm coming."

"What was that, Naruto?" Jariya asked from beside him. He had caught up faster than Naruto had thought.

"Nothing, Ero Senin!" Naruto called. "But you better hurry up! I wanna get back soon!" Naruto jumped ahead and sped off.

Hinata walked aimless around town. There was really nothing to do today. It was a lazy day. Missions had been low on supply lately and the new genins were getting all the little missions; not like the village chuunins would agree to do them anyway. Chasing cats was so genin.

She let her eye wander onto the familiar sign of Itchiraku Ramen, Naruto's favorite place to eat. She let her feet take her to the end of the main street where she and Naruto had danced for about two seconds, only for her to be dragged away by Kiba and not returned until the end of the night.

She turned and it looked like she was headed back to the gate. She couldn't go back there again until she knew she would meet him there. She directed her feet to go in a different direction, but just at that moment she felt the wind shift and push her towards the gate. It seemed to be warm compared to the crisp March air around her. It only lasted a moment but she couldn't help but think that there had been something special about that breeze.

She stood rooted to the spot in the middle of the town. She couldn't go back to the gate by herself. She didn't think she could stand it again. Her last memory there was so bittersweet; this kiss they had shared, only to end in him leaving. But that contradicting wind...

"Hinata-san!" She spun, having heard her name from behind her. A waving arm was visible over the afternoon crowd, pink hair bobbing up and down, running towards her.

"Hi, Sakura-san," Hinata greeted her warmly as the girl caught up to her.

She smiled at her friend. She wasn't one to hold grudges, or even be mad. And she certainly didn't have anything against Sakura. It wasn't her fault that Naruto had been infatuated with her for about five years of his life. If anything, Sakura had wanted nothing more than for Naruto to leave her alone. But, although there was nothing she could do about the past now, Hinata couldn't help but feel the ghost of jealousy she had always felt towards Sakura. For some reason she had to keep reminding herself that Naruto was hers now.

But looking at Sakura she couldn't help but worry that Naruto's old feelings could be reignited in a second.

"Have you been to the gate today?" Sakura asked her, a smile on her face. "I was just on my way to see if Naruto is back. I saw Jaraiya-sama's bird come about a week ago and Lady Tsunade told me it said they should be back soon. I was just on my way to see if they were back yet."

Hinata nodded. "Y-yeah," her voice shook a little but she quickly gained control of it. "I've already been there. The gaurds told me the same thing. But they haven't gotten back yet," she told her.

Sakura's face fell a little, then she smiled again. "Well, there's no sense in just standing around waiting by ourselves. Why don't we wait together?"

Hinata hesitated. The idea of sitting around all day waiting for Naruto was double sided. She was willing to sit at those gates for as long as it took for him to get back. But then again, it would be boring sitting there all day, especially if he didn't show up until tomorrow or the next day. It would be like wasting time. More anticipation. And the idea of waiting with Sakura, well, she didn't really want the first face Naruto saw to be her's.

But there was no sense in making Sakura unhappy, and she would have a reason besides her own to wait for Naruto. Plus she wouldn't have to wait by herself. "Sure, lets go," she answered. She turned around, with Sakura now at her side, and they started for the gate.

After three hours of waiting, Hinata gave up. "Sakura-san, he hasn't shown up yet. Let's call it a day. I bet he gets here tomorrow."

Sakura gave Hinata a strange look. "Ok..." she answered skeptically as she stood.

"What is it, Sakura-san?" Hinata asked. She had noticed a strange tone in her voice.

"Well," Sakura hesitated. "It's just, I would imagine that you of all people would be the most eager to sit here until he gets back."

Hinata blushed deep red and turned away from Sakura. "Well... It's just... This is... It's hard for me..." She couldn't find the words. Presently she felt Sakura's arm around her shoulder.

"I know," Sakura crooned in Hinata's ear. "Everyone saw it... The kiss..." Hinata's ears perked up at this. It wasn't exactly a secret, but she didn't think very many people had actually witnessed it. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought you here. We can leave if you want."

Hinata was holding back tears now, grateful that Sakura was able to understand the situation. She nodded silently and they walked into town, Sakura's arm around Hinata's shoulder. The sun was starting to set. He would be home soon.

Sakura walked her home and left her at the door. Hinata thanked the girl for everything and went inside to make dinner for her family. All was quiet as she made dinner and all through the meal. No one talked, but Hinata noticed Neji sending nervous glances at her all through dinner.

Once dinner was over Hinata cleaned up the meal. As she was washing dishes in the kitchen she heard footsteps behind her. She turned to see Neji standing there. "What do you want, Neji-niisan?" she asked him politely, continuing her work.

Neji eyed her. "He's coming back soon." It wasn't a question.

Hinata felt herself smile slightly. "Yes. Tomorrow if everything's on schedule."

Neji nodded as if he had known it all along and left. Hinata finished the dishes and went to her room, but she couldn't sleep that night. She got up and snuck out, walking absent mindedly through the town. Soon she found herself on the little dock on the stream where she had first asked Naruto to go to the fair with her...

"Naruto, we have to stop sometime!" Jaraiya called from somewhere behind him.

"He is such a wimp sometimes," Naruto thought, slowing down for his sensei once again.

"I think we should stop for the night," Jairaya said as he caught up to Naruto.

The blonde looked thoughtful for a moment, stopping to consider. All he wanted to do was get back to Hinata. They had been traveling at almost three times their usual pace which meant they were close to the village. "Hold an a minute," Naruto requested. The sannin sighed but let Naruto go. He leapt up the tree they were on to look out over the land.

There, about two miles to the north, was Konoha.

"Ero-Senin!" Naruto called as he climbed back down the tree. "We're only about 20 minutes from the village! Please can we just keep going?" he pleaded.

Jaraiya sighed. "You go on. I'm sure there's not much danger between here and the village. But keep a look out, anyway. I'll follow, but don't expect me to keep up," he warned. But before he could finish his sentence Naruto was leaping off into the distance.

"Almost there," he thought. "I'm coming, Hinata."

Hinata fell asleep on the dock, her toes dangling in the water. Her knees were bent so that her legs hung off the end and she was laying on her back with her arms crossed lightly across her chest. Her shoes were next to her on the dock. The moon glittered brightly off the water and shone on her face. Her waist-length navy blue hair spread out around her, framing her face.

That's how she looked when he found her.

He picked her up lightly in his arms, pulling her so that her toes no longer hung in the water. He sat her in his lap and for a second she stayed curled up there.

After about a minute she stirred and opened her eyes. She hadn't remembered falling asleep but at first thought she was caught in the middle of a dream. He had been there, waiting for her in her dream world each night, for some time now. But as she reached up and touched her hand to his face she knew that it was no dream.

A tear slid down her blushing face and she nestled her head into his chest. "Naruto-kun..." she hummed.

"Shhh," he crooned, stroking her hair and tucking a stray strand behind her ear. "I know. It's ok. I'm here now." He pressed his soft lips to the top of her head and she let more tears fall from her eyes.

Hinata: "This is all I've ever wanted..."
Naruto: "I'm so glad it's her..."

It seemed like they sat there like that for hours. It was really only ten minutes before Hinata raised her head to look at him and the tears stopped. But that ten minutes had seemed like a few, blissful, dream-like hours.

She pulled away from his arms a little and turned to kneel and face him. There he sat, right in front of her. She found herself holding her breath from the thrill of finally seeing him after the months of agonizing waiting. She took him in, not wanting that moment to end. He was looking right back, looking at her with those peircing blue eyes, the way she had always wished he would.

She let her eyes follow the lines of his face. Over his mouth, his chin. She let them fall to his collar bone, over his shoulders, down his arms to his hands. She then looked back up into his blue eyes and smiled gently. Her lips quivered as she spoke, fighting back tears again. "I missed you." It came out in an almost inaudible whisper.

"I missed you, too," he said. His voice was a soft whisper also. He reached for her and she leaned into him. He caressed her face in his hands, one hand gently holding on the each side of her face. She closed her eyes and smiled at his touch and brought one of her hands up to place it on top of his.

He let his thumb brush over her cheek, her lips. She was trying not to cry again but her efforts were futile; tears started to slide silently down her face. She opened her eyes and looked at him longingly, her lips quivering. He leaned into her and pressed his lips to hers.

She embraced the moment and closed her eyes slowly, not wanting to lose him. It was gentle and soft. She felt his lips against hers, his hands on her face, her hot tears against her cheeks. It was everything she'd ever wanted.

His hands never left her face and she brought her other hand up to place it over his other hand for a moment before moving them to hold his face to hers. She felt his face, spreading her fingers and dragging them gently down to his shoulders. She scooted foward, moving herself closer to him. Her hands continued to moved down across his chest, over his shoulder, over his arms. She dropped them to his knees than brought them up his thighs, his stomach, feeling his muscles through is shirt, then came to let them rest on his chest. All the while hot tears fell down her face, but his hands never left her cheeks and the kiss never broke.

They stayed like that for a moment. When they finally pulled away they kept their heads together, their noses just touching. She could feel his hot breath on her face, blowing over her features. Hinata gasped a little from it all. Her eyes were still closed from the moment after the kiss and so were his. Both were afraid to let the moment go.

"Naruto-kun..." she whispered.

"Hmmmm?" he hummed in response before kissing her lightly again.

When he pulled away they both opened their eyes, their noses still touching, both breathing a little heavier than usual, Hinata's face pink from blushing and crying. "I... I love you, Naruto-kun," she managed. "I always have... From the first day I saw you... You've always had my heart, Naruto-kun..."

He didn't respond right away, causing her to close her eyes and drop her hands from his chest. Her lip began to quiver again. Her immediate instinct was to look down but she couldn't because he still had her face in his hands.

He brushed his thumb over her lips causing them to quiver more. He wiped the steady tears away from her cheeks and kissed them each in turn before moving back to her lips. While still kissing her he took his hands from her face and grabbed hers which were now in his lap. She curled them into light fists and he brought them up, bent at the elbows, between them. He pulled away from the kiss, her eyes still closed.

He leaned forward, holding her wrists in his hands, so that his mouth came next her face. "I love you, too, Hinata-chan," he whispered in her ear. As the words escaped his lips, he realized that they were true. It had happened so fast... But it was true, nonetheless. He had fallen for the shy, quiet, Hyuuga girl who had always been waiting for him. His only regret at that moment was that he had taken so long to see it.

She fell forward into him and sobbed, her shoulders heaving. He held one of her hands in his and brought the other around to stroke her hair. "I love you, Hinata-chan... I love you... I really do..." he hummed to her.

She brought her head up from his chest and looked at the silhouette of his face against the night sky. The tears slowed and she calmed down after a moment and smiled as he looked down at her. She leaned up and kissed his lips lightly.

"I love you so much, Naruto-kun," Hinata said.

"I know, and I love you more than you can ever know just for loving me," he replied before their lips met again.

You never seem to know what you've got until it's been taken away from you.

But, sometimes, in the end, it comes back.

And for those lucky enough to get a second chance? Well, let's just say some of us get a happy ending.