This is it, you guys. We are now reaching the last chapter of A Different Story. Wow, amazing stuff does happen, huh? LOL.

Well, I'm seriously glad that I managed to finish this before school started for me. If I had had to write this fic in between school and such, I doubt such quick updates would have happened. Heh.

Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. Please excuse any mistakes if you see any. My eyes are exhausted after their long day of writing. It is 2 in the morning and I think a good, long sleep is in order to restore them to full-capacity.

I hope you guys like this last chapter of mine :)

Oh, and thank you to all my wonderful reviewers. I love you all, seriously.

Sasuke looked distastefully at the brightly-colored sweets in Sakura's hands. Just how in the world could she stand to eat all that sugar? He snorted when she tentatively offered a few pieces to him and turned his head to refuse.

Ignoring the hurt look on the girl's face, he focused his energy on finding Hinata. Really, where was she? They'd made plans to go to the festival together. Just as friends, of course.

'As friends. Tch.'

Sasuke stuffed his hands into his new pair of black pants and walked down the crowded street, ignoring the surprised looks on the villagers' faces. Seeing an empty alley, he slipped into it and relished the cool darkness it provided for him. The bright lights of the festival lanterns and such were much too blinding for him. He leaned against the cool wood, letting his mind wander.

Involuntarily, they wandered to the quiet Hyuuga girl. Sasuke stifled a sigh as he ran through random images of her in his mind. Her laughing, her smiling softly at some snide remark of his, her blushing slightly when he complimented her cooking… These past two weeks had been a refreshing experience for him, spending it all with the beautiful Hyuuga ex-heiress. He'd learned so many things about her, so many… How she enjoyed training and working hard, how she loved cinnamon buns (much to his distaste) how she… didn't like that blonde idiot quite as much anymore.

Every time he thought of her now absent blushing face when talking to the dobe, hope would fill him up crazily, would make him wish that… maybe she would now turn her attention to him… and only him.

Sasuke released his sigh and ran a hand through his black bangs. No, that wouldn't happen, ever. Her absent blushes whenever he casually mentioned the dobe's name were obvious, but even more obvious were the faint pink hues on her face whenever he spoke of Kakashi… He hadn't missed them, those blushes at just the mere mention of his former sensei's name, the slight dimming of her eyes when he spoke of how long it was taking Kakashi to return… the fond smiles on her face when she spoke of him, that irresponsible, perverted sensei of his.

It seemed like his former sensei had played a large part in her now, more confident steps, and her friendly, just friendly talks, with Naruto.

Sasuke clenched his fists tightly, his nails digging deeply into his palms.

It looked like he'd missed his chance… his chance with her.

But then again… Kakashi had always had her, so it wasn't really fair. And really… as much as Sasuke didn't want to admit it… he liked seeing that smile of hers that crossed her face whenever there was talk of the infamous Copy Nin swirling about.

Sasuke slinked out of the alley warily and made sure to avoid letting light hit his skin (fangirls had an uncanny sense when they saw flashes of pale skin) and decided to cool off in a training area. The image of a pole with spiky silver hair appeared briefly before Sasuke could control himself.

'Oh no… I think I saw pink hair.'

Doubling his pace, he set off at a furious speed and ignored the faint yells of "Come back, Sasuke-kun!"

Three blurs raced through the trees, stepping lightly, leaving no trail behind. It was a perfected art of these three talented trackers. As they neared their destination, the sounds of loud cheering and excited chatter reached their finely honed ears. The two humans of the group shared a look and increased their speed.

"You think we'll make it?" growled the woman through gritted teeth.

Kakashi nodded. "It looks like they've just started."

The woman's face broke into a feral grin. "Can't believe the Hokage actually organized a festival. I can't wait to get my hands on that sake!"

A small smile flitted across Kakashi's masked face, but it quickly disappeared. Really, sake sounded great, but… he didn't think he could handle it, another moment… without seeing her.

This past mission of his had been grueling, very much so. Tracking down Madara had been no easy feat; he had barely managed to track his movements half the time, only just managing to find his location using clever tricks. And sending off two of his former students alone with Tenzou had been difficult, made even more so when both of them were laced with multiple battle wounds. Leaving them had been harder than he would have ever thought, but none of that topped the pain that wracked through his body when… he thought of her. Going for so many weeks without seeing her face when he hadn't even given her a proper goodbye… It had been so hard, so damn painful.

Kakashi's pace quickened, barely noticeable. Nothing ever escaped Tsume's sharp eyes, though. A sly grin crossed the wild woman's face, but she kept quiet when she received a warning look from her partner, Kuromaru.

He resisted the urge to break out into a furious sprint when he caught sight of the village's newly erected village walls. Forcing his heart to stop pounding so loudly (he had a suspicious feeling that Tsume could hear it, if the gleam in her eyes was anything to go by), he handed the scroll to the unfortunate pair of Chuunin that were guarding the village entrance.

"You're clear. Go on through," mumbled Kotetsu. He handed back the scroll tiredly. "And have a great time at the festival, something that we're not doi- OUCH!"

Kakashi eyed the Chuunin pair oddly. Izumo sent an innocent smile his way. "Please go on in, Kakashi-senpai, Tsume-sama."

He had already waved a goodbye to Tsume and Kuromaru when he heard the distinct sound of Izumo's voice. "It's because of that stupid stunt you pulled that Tsunade-sama made us do this!"

Chuckling lowly to himself when he heard the tell-tale sound of someone's head being smacked, he made his way through the village. As Kakashi walked, he marveled at how fast the villagers had rebuilt the buildings. Konoha looked almost like its former glory, if one ignored the empty patches of flat land here and there. The festival decorations and general cheer around the village also made it seem a bit more… happier? Kakashi smiled when he saw kids running around with sweets in their hands, but it instantly faltered when he saw one of them clutching a stick of dango in their hand. His heart clenched uncomfortably as memories of him and Hinata eating dango came to mind.

Deciding to turn in for the night, he turned away from the festival stands and activities… only to be faced with an unfamiliar sight.

'Ah. right. I don't have an apartment.'

Kakashi ran a hand through his hair before deciding that a visit to the Hokage was in order to get a new apartment. He pursed his lips when he remembered the time of night and why the Hokage would even consider doing a festival. He decided that talking to her would be more beneficial tomorrow morning when she was more… sober.

Now faced with no apartment to turn to, no desire to join in with the celebrating villagers, and no one he particularly wanted to talk to (a swift pang to his heart suggested otherwise), Kakashi quickly made his way out of the middle of Konoha and headed to his most visited spot… and their usual meeting place.

Squashing down the hope that had sneakily built up in his chest, he told himself that seeing her there was impossible; she was probably playing merry games in the festival and chatting happily with her friends. With her… Naruto-kun.

Ignoring the flame of jealousy that burned intensely in his chest, Kakashi walked down the familiar path to the memorial stone, fully intending on wasting away his night there.

It was a beautiful night. The stars were twinkling brightly, the wind was blowing lightly, and the loud sounds from the festival could be heard in the distance.

Hinata sighed. It was too beautiful, too cheery, too… much for her. Not when he wasn't there, not there with her, walking down the crowded streets, enjoying the festival with her. It didn't feel right, not when the two of them had enjoyed so many festivals, together. To go now, without him…

'Sorry, Sasuke-san.'

Hinata looked at the memorial stone before shifting uncomfortably in her loose kimono, not liking the way it flowed around her. It restricted her movements immensely, something that, as a proper shinobi, couldn't be tolerated. Her ninja paranoia was making her jumpy, too jumpy. She'd already lost three kunai from reacting too violently to the random rustling of the trees' leaves. She kind of wished she hadn't worn it, but… it had been a birthday present from Kurenai-sensei, and seeing as there was a festival, she had seen this as a perfect chance to wear it.

She patted down her sleeve slowly. This kimono had one saving grace at least—it allowed her to hide multiple weapons in its loose folds. And, as she ran her fingers down the soft cloth, she decided that it was quite pretty, what with the dark blue print and light cloud puffs along the bottom of it. The pink sash was a bit… much though.

A rustling of leaves made Hinata tense up slightly. She relaxed and casually reached a hand up to her pat her twisted bun, grabbing a hidden senbon while doing so. A figure stepped out of the trees and walked gracefully to her. Hinata relaxed her hold on the senbon when she realized that the person was making their footsteps deliberately loud in an attempt to alert her to their presence. They weren't here to attack, not yet at least.

Keeping this in mind, Hinata folded her hands neatly in the sleeves of her kimono and waited for the person to approach her. When the light from the moon shined on silver spikes, Hinata gasped in shock.

'I-it can't be…'

"Kakashi?" she whispered.

The person stepped closer, allowing her sharp eyes to see the black mask, the dusty uniform, the… orange book.

"Yo, Hinata." This was said in a casual tone, but as Hinata stared into his dark, piercing eye, she saw an intense look in them, different from his usual lazy stare.

Hinata gripped her kimono sleeves tightly, not sure if she could speak. Their gazes locked and no one looked away. They stared at each other for what seemed like ages before Hinata's mouth finally started functioning again.

"Y-you're back?" she asked quietly, cursing her stutter.

A gloved hand rose to run through unruly silver hair. "Yes, just got in a few minutes ago, actually."

Hinata didn't answer, didn't say anything. She just looked at him, looked at him and took in everything, every little detail she had missed dearly during these two, long, painful months. Her eyes took in the way his silver bangs fell over his lopsided forehead protector, the way his body looked as he relaxed into his comfortable standing position—hands in pocket, back slouched, yet still ready for any threat or attack. Her eyes lingered on his vest (she blushed slightly as she remembered that it had sheltered her from perverted looks but had drawn other, more disturbing, looks in the process), and she stared at the creases in his black mask, mentally going through the image of Kakashi's face in her mind and where the creases were, checking to see where they corresponded. And… and… She gazed into his dark charcoal eye, memorizing the way his eyelashes curved, the way his eye smiled at her, not having to curve or crinkle, just look at her and glint playfully.

"Kakashi…" she murmured, lifting her hands to clasp tightly at her chest, trying to control the way her heart was now beating madly, uncontrollably.

His head tilted. "Yeah?"

"I..."

Hinata looked away, a blush coloring her cheeks, and turned her gaze on a solid branch that's leaves were swaying lightly with the wind. She stared at it before narrowing her eyes and speaking again.

"I... missed you," she said quietly. A blush burned its way to her cheeks, flushed the pink away, and replaced it with a deep red.

"I missed you too."

Hinata's head whipped around to stare at him. Her mouth opened in shock as she replayed his words, not too sure if she had imagined it or not. But... for what reason would he not miss her? Were they not friends? Equals? Best friends?

And... for some reason... her heart thudded painfully.

Kakashi was amused to see Hinata staring at him, looking at him with an intense look in her beautiful, pearly Hyuuga eyes.

"Kakashi..."

He tilted his head curiously, wondering why a starry look had crossed the girl's face. "Yeah?"

"I..." She turned her face away for some strange reason and seemed to glare at a tree branch before breathing in deeply. Kakashi eyed her carefully, curious about her strange behavior. "I... missed you."

To say Kakashi was shocked would be like saying Gai was only slightly loud and not overenthusiastic at all. He was beyond shocked, beyond words. But... as he saw the blush that was dyeing Hinata's pale cheeks a robust red, he felt his lips move before he could stop them.

"I missed you too."

Wincing when she turned her head so sharply that her bun slipped loose, letting a few strands of inky indigo hair escape it, he fingered the orange book in his back pocket nervously, searching for some reassurance from her deeply shocked face.

For some strange reason, the girl's face suddenly dropped; a depressed look replaced her shock and settled in, dimming her luminescent eyes and shadowing her pale features. For some strange reason, his hand involuntarily lifted and he took a step closer.

"What's wrong?" he found himself asking.

Hinata's face lowered and she shook her head. "Nothing," she murmured. Her bangs escaped the clip that had been keeping them clipped to the side and covered her forehead, neatly concealing her eyes.

Despite her solid answer and firm voice, his feet wouldn't obey his brain's commands and continued to step closer and closer to the girl. Before he knew it, he was standing directly in front of her, barely a foot of air separating them. From their close proximity, he could now see the tears that were glimmering in the girl's eyes.

Fear filled him, horror flooded him, shock descended upon him.

'She's crying?!'

He hated seeing women crying, hated seeing them display their weakness and feelings for all the world to see, but most of all, he hated feeling that weakness in his heart that always filled him when he saw them, those stupid tears. And when they were her tears, her misery, her sadness... Kakashi licked his lips dryly.

"W-why are you crying?" He hated that his voice broke, hated that his heart was pounding faster, ever-so-slightly.

Hinata's pale hand went up to her cheek and wiped away a tear that had escaped her eye. "I'm not."

Resisting the urge to laugh at her obvious lie, he instead placed a hand under her chin and lifted her face so he could look directly into her eyes.

"Why are you crying?" he repeated.

Hinata's eyes shut tightly before she answered lightly, in a quiet tone. "Because... we're friends."

Kakashi took in her answer and felt confusion settle itself across his features. Releasing his hold on her chin, he placed his hand on his head and ruffled his hair confusedly.

'What?'

"J-just friends."

A dark blush crossed Hinata's face before she turned around, hiding her face, hiding it all. Kakashi stared at her back in shock, taking in her words and modifying it to fit in his mind.

'Just friends, she says? What does she me-' Kakashi's eye widened. He felt his heart start to pound a bit faster, a bit louder.

And again, he felt his lips move without his permission.

"J-just friends."

Hinata bit her lip and turned around, feeling a blush flame across her face. She covered it with her cool hands, hoping that it would bring down the heat. 'I can't believe I said that!'

There was no denying the fact that... she had let it out, let the fears that had been plaguing her... slip. Tears had suddenly filled her eyes when that thought hit her. The fact that... they were just friends... just close friends... It hurt because...

She loved him.

She loved his spiky hair, loved his mischievous grins, his calm speech, his old-man talk, his lean muscular body, his sexy smirks, his teasing, his laughs, his everything!

It didn't matter that there was a massive age gap between them, it didn't matter that none of her friends would approve, it didn't matter that he probably didn't feel the same way... She just did. Just loved him.

Feeling tears start to flood her eyes, she covered her face in her hands and let them fall, let them escape her eyes. Because... because her and Kakashi were just... teacher and student. Just man and teenage girl. Just equals. Friends.

And then Kakashi started speaking, started saying things that shocked her, made her... start to hope.

"You are my closest friend since Obito died," he said in his typical calm voice, unperturbed by nothing. "You know more about me than anyone else. And... I guess I know a lot about you too." He was quiet for a second. Hinata heard the faintest sound of a hand shuffling through hair. "I know that you blush when you're complimented. I know that you always give it your all, never giving up, never backing down. I know that you love cinnamon buns, love the feel of air rushing against your face, love cooking..." Hinata felt a blush start to color her cheeks. Just what was Kakashi getting at? "I know that you're beautiful, too beautiful sometimes." Her heart was pounding faster, she knew it. Why was he saying this?

'Why?' she wondered.

"You..." A hand grasped her shoulder and pulled her around gently. Hinata turned around and slowly lifted her head to look at him. She blushed when he wiped away a few of her tears with his thumb. Hinata decided that she liked the feel of his rough fingers against her skin. "You're beautiful when you blush, when you laugh, when you smile... Hinata."

His dark eye pierced through hers. Hinata couldn't help herself, couldn't help the way her heart was beating entirely too fast, pumping way too much blood. Kakashi's eye crinkled when she gasped when he casually brushed away her bangs with his fingers.

"Hinata. It's wrong to say this, but I'll say it anyways." His eye gazed into hers, serious, light, warm. "I..." And then he looked away, his lips pursed underneath his mask. Hinata couldn't withhold the giggles that escaped her lips when she saw the lightest hint of pink on what was visible of his cheek. He turned to her when he heard her giggle and looked at her sternly before rolling his eye and smiling at her.

It was that smile that did her in, that familiar curve of his eye, that familiar hint of laughter in his dark, charcoal eye. That eye that always made her heart leap, made it jump, made it... flutter pleasantly.

"I love you."

The words escaped her lips, mixed with air, and reached his ears. When they did, his eye widened and his eyebrow disappeared underneath his forehead protector. Hinata only smiled at his reaction. Taking a light step backward, she looked up and stared at the twinkling stars and the dark blanket they rested on.

"I know you probably don't feel the same, b-but..." Hinata felt her blush that had receded return, felt it light up her cheeks. She looked at the sky fiercely and willed it away, to no avail. She sighed before looking down and looking directly at Kakashi. Before instantly lowering her gaze to his vest. She couldn't face his dark eye, not right now, not when she was spilling these... feelings of hers. "I love you... Kakashi."

Finally finding the courage to face him, face his dark gaze, she looked at him. She was utterly disappointed to see his eye frowning and staring pointedly at something behind her shoulder.

'I guess... it shocked him.' Hinata sighed. 'Of course it would... a confession from a teenager.'

The loud sound of a person being slapped reached Hinata's ears, effectively distracting her from her depressing thoughts. She looked up sharply and was surprised to see Kakashi pull his hand away from his face, a pained look in his eye. He looked at her, his eye curving into a smile.

"I was about to grin stupidly so I had to slap myself," he explained in a sheepish tone.

Hinata took in his explanation with a hushed breath, feeling hope start to light its way to her heart. 'W-what does he mean?'

"Hinata." She looked up into his dark charcoal eye and immediately blushed at the intense way his eye stared into hers, all laughing and teasing gone from his face. "I lo-"

Crack! Boom! Pssstooom!

Hinata jumped up, breaking their intense gaze, and turned her attention to the sound of the noise. From the corner of her eyes, she saw Kakashi frown dangerously as he too turned to look. Hinata's eyes traveled upward before she gasped lightly.

"Fireworks!" she breathed out happily.

An array of color and sparks spilled over the inky dark sky, filling it with color and cheer. Flashes of green, red, blue, everything, was coloring the sky. A few loud cracks would explode through the air, making the shinobi wince and grip their kunai tightly, before the sky would flash brightly.

Hinata smiled at the display, loving the way Hanabi's namesake filled the night sky, the stars all paling in comparison to this loud and brief wonder. She jumped when a hand landed on her shoulder lightly. Her pale eyes met Kakashi's dark one and he smiled at her. Very lightly, he placed another hand on her other shoulder, effectively making them face each other. Hinata felt her cheeks start to heat up dangerously as her heart pounded painfully, thrummed in her chest, threatened to escape her rib cage.

As the sound of another bang went up and another firecracker colored the sky, Kakashi slyly leaned his head in. Hinata blushed when she felt his warm breath tickling her right cheek, suspiciously close to her ear. The lights of the latest firecracker flickered downward before disappearing. Hinata only vaguely took this in, too shocked from the way Kakashi's breath felt sinful against her neck, from the way the heat from his mask brushed against her cheek ever-so-lightly.

Another firecracker exploded, filling the sky with its bright array of color. Hinata's eyes widened when she heard Kakashi start to speak, heard his words...

"I love you too, Hinata."

And suddenly the fireworks display didn't matter anymore, didn't occupy any part of her mind or sight. All that mattered was Kakashi pressing her against his solid frame, his strong arms crushing her against him, his masked chin on top of her head. All that mattered was the scent of pine and something deeply masculine that only Kakashi possessed.

All that mattered was the two of them, underneath the night sky, leaning into each other's warm embrace.

Hinata swore she could still feel the tingling heat on her forehead when Kakashi had ever-so-slyly brushed his masked lips against it when he'd dropped her off in front of Kurenai-sensei's apartment.

'I can't wait until tomorrow,' she thought with a faint smile as she climbed into bed.

They'd made plans to meet each other at the dango shop tomorrow.

"Oi, is that Kakashi and Hinata?" hissed Ino into Sakura's ear.

"What?"

Sakura looked up from her medical book before her jaw dropped.

"They're eating dango together," she whispered.

"Hmm? Hinata? With Kakashi? Cool." Naruto went back to his barbeque, uninterested in his sensei's love life. Well, for now anyways. His stomach was first priority right now.

"Ah, really?" mumbled Chouji through a mouthful of barbeque.

Ino screeched. "That's disgusting, Chouji! Eat with your mouth closed!"

Beside the blonde girl, Shikamaru opened and closed his chopsticks lazily. "Hinata and Kakashi? Hmm, Kurenai's going to be happy." He'd been on the receiving end on one of Kurenai's rants as well and knew the whole situation very well.

"Shit, they're finished," choked out Ino. Her eyes followed them closely before losing sight of them in the crowd.

"Your meat's getting cold, Beautiful."

Ino fluttered her eyes prettily. "Thank you, Sai. You're such a sweet g-Oh my god! They're holding hands!"

The table almost broke as Sakura stood up quickly. "What? Where!?" When her eyes finally caught sight of them, she squealed. "Oh my god, they are!"

"Uh, Sakura-chan? You might want to calm down. You're breaking the seat," commented Naruto nervously.

"Shut up, Naruto! This is serious business!" she snapped back.

"Sit down, Sakura."

"Ok, Sasuke-kun." Her green eyes focused on him fiercely though. "Aren't you guys interested in how those two are progressing though?"

Chouji coughed on his food. He gulped down some water before clacking his chopsticks noisily. "No."

Naruto folded his hands and closed his eyes contemplatively. "Not yet." He opened his eyes and cheerily dug into his food. Sakura rolled her eyes.

"Those two together? Not an uncommon occurence," muttered Shikamaru as he yawned into his hand.

Sakura and Ino glared at him. "Not holding hands, though! That definitely means they're a couple!"

"Shut up, you two," said Sasuke as he reached for his cup of water. He stole another glance at the pair holding hands before quickly looking away. "What those two do... isn't our business."

"Yeah, listen to what Blind-Ass says."

The table cracked under the rage of the two kunoichi.

"SAI!" yelled the two as they cracked their knuckles threateningly.

"Oi, Raidou. You see that?"

The scarred man turned his head lazily. "Hmm?"

Genma flicked his senbon to the left. "There. Look."

Noticing the awed stare on his friend's face, Raidou turned his head around curiously... only to have his eyes bug out.

"Oh no..." he murmured.

"Yeah, damn it." Genma chewed on his senbon furiously. "Tsunade-sama won the bet. Now we gotta pay up!"

"Damn it, Gen! Why'd you have to bet all our savings!?"

"Shut up! You think I expected this!? Whodda thought that Kakashi actually had it in him to get the girl before she was even legal?! Plus Tsunade never wins bets!"

Raidou grumbled to himself as he started calculating how much he could save before Tsunade actually found out. Out of the corner of his eyes, he caught the smiling face of the Hyuuga girl as she slipped her hand into Kakashi's.

Genma watched the show with a satisfied smirk.

'Match made in heaven,' they both thought to themselves.

Round, circled eyes watched Kakashi tighten his grip around his beloved's delicate hand. The beautiful flower blushed a brilliant shade of burgandy as she smiled, looking as beautiful as a lake goddess.

Their watcher felt tears start to form in his eyes. Finally, at long last, his rival had found his special person! Gai felt like he could run a million laps around Konoha!

'What a youthful endeavor! I must do this at on-'

"Gai! I told you to wait in the lobby! What are you doing out here?"

'That can wait for another day,' thought Gai as he took out the bouquet of flowers he had brought for his black-haired beauty.

Blocking a blow to his face, Kiba leaped over Shino's sweeping kick to deliver a crippling blow to the other's neck. As soon as he hit, the person's frame split into bugs. Kiba growled and spit.

"Damn it, Shino! Quit cheating!"

His teammate's cool voice from behind him made him jump slightly. How'd he get there so fast?

"It seems as if Hinata has picked her partner."

Kiba's eyes bugged out. "What?!" He turned to face Shino, shock written all over his face. "What the hell are you going on about this time, Shino?!"

Shino coolly regarded him as he let one of his insects fly off his finger. "My sources tell me that Hinata is currently on a 'date' with a certain 'Copy Nin' and is now happily walking down the streets 'hand-in-hand' with said 'Copy-Nin'."

Kiba felt his jaw drop in shock. 'What the hell?!' was his only comprehending thought.

"My thoughts exactly, Kiba."

Tsunade cackled happily as she watched the pair walk down the street hand-in-hand, ignoring all of the villagers' surprised stares. A malicious grin found its way to her lips as she thought of the nice and nifty sets of cash that would be finding their way to her bank account by this time tomorrow, if she had anything to do with it.

'Good job, Hinata. Very good job.'

Kurenai watched her young student smile brightly at, yet another, corny joke of Kakashi's with a proud look on her face. It looked like Hinata had gone for it, done it, won her love, won her happiness. Kurenai had nothing to do but be happy for her.

She rested a hand on her heavily swollen stomach and smiled when she felt her child kick her.

'Asuma, everyone's growing so healthily.'

She stood up, fully intent on leaving the cafe, when she felt something leak uncomfortably down her leg. Her companion for the day, Anko, gave her a worried look.

"What's wrong, Kurenai? You got diarrhea or something?"

Kurenai stared at the brash woman and spoke, fear laced with every word.

"I think my water broke."

"Oh shit."

'Oh shit, indeed,' thought Kurenai as Anko picked her up and started yelling obscenities at anyone and everyone that crossed their path. As Kurenai saw the white hospital building loom ever-closer, she could only think of her student's smiling face and could only see Asuma's face.

'Asuma... I'm so happy. If only you were here right now.'

"Hang on, Kurenai! I won't let you die on me!" yelled Anko before she lashed at a kid for blocking her way.

'You'd be laughing hysterically.'

The End

Oh my gahhh. This is the end you guys! I would cry if my eyes weren't so swollen. Oh man, you guys, it's freaking 2:03 in the MORNING! I'm so tired... But I worked diligently and managed to finish this chapter! So yay ME! :)

Soo, how was it? I don't know why but I'm really proud of this chapter. I dunno why, since I suck at romance in general (which is why there have only been hints of it through out this whole fic ;P), but I think I did pretty well on the "confession." What do you guys think?

Oh, and I decided to just finish it with the other characters' thoughts on their 'date.' Heh, hoped you guys enjoyed.

And, thank you to everyone who has reviewed, especially those who have reviewed my every chapter. I love you guys :)

Well, I do hope that everyone likes how this ends, and if you don't, quite frankly I'm too tired to care right now. Talk to me when I'm more awake... Like at 12 noon tomorr- err, later today.

Thank you, you guys, for your support and love and... everything! ;)