Disclaimer: No actual summon creatures were harmed in the creation of this fic. Though, a few ninja might have been. LOL!

Now several of you have asked, Mists? What are you on after reading the last chapter... *Mists hides her bottle of tequila with the hallucinogenic worm in it* Nothing! Nothing at all. ;)

Oh, and sorry Myzticmoon it won't be the Hokage monument, I already used that in 'Vessel of Love' so I went with a new location. I always strive to do something different. Hehehe! You'll see.

It's romance time everybody! Now on with the fic!

~The Date! (Part 3)~

Several hours later, Sakura was still on a warpath though the village searching for the pair.

All the others had long since returned home.

"You aren't going to find them, Sakura," said Sasuke as he calmly followed behind her.

"And how would you know that?" she inquired with a snap.

"Because I know where they went," he finally revealed in a huff to Sakura's back.

The pink-haired woman paused for a moment and then whipped her head around to glare at Sasuke.

"Well why didn't you tell me earlier?" she irritatedly asked, "Come on! Let's get going!"

Sakura motioned for Sasuke to take the lead, but the last Uchiha simply remained where he stood.

"No," he stated coldly.

"What do you mean 'no?'" questioned Sakura as she angrily placed her hands onto her hips.

"They left because they want to be alone," explained Sasuke calmly. "And as their friend you should respect their wishes."

Sakura just snorted at his answer and waved him off saying, "Yeah, whatever."

Sasuke simply glared at her and asked, "What is wrong with you?"

Sakura placed her right hand over her heart in shock.

"With, me?" she questioned back.

"Yes, you," Sasuke insisted. "You're obsessed with their relationship."

"What on earth are you talking about?" Sakura inquired to Sasuke with wide eyes.

Sasuke simply glared back at her. He wasn't going to play this game.

"I-" said the pink-haired woman as she took a step back in surprise, "I'm not. I just want them to be happy."

"Again, why?" asked Sasuke clearly determined to find the answer.

It was then that Sakura finally snapped, "Because one of us deserves to be, damn it!"

The medical kunoichi quickly slapped a hand over her mouth the second she said it.

"I... see," answered Sasuke as he took in this information.

After a few moments of silence, Sakura removed her hand with a sigh, "I just- want them to be happy. The two of them together is just so right. They were pretty much made for each other. Naruto's very special to me, he's like the brother I never had... and Hinata is the most amazing person I know. If anyone deserves to find love, it's those two. "

The pair stood there for a while, staring at one another.

Until Sasuke surprisingly said, "You... have a very big heart."

Sakura's stunned green eyes went wide as she stammered out, "E-Excuse me?"

"But Naruto and Hinata aren't the only ones who deserve to find happiness, Sakura," stated Sasuke, his eyes remaining completely focused on her.

"W-What are you-"

"You could have had any other man," said Sasuke in his logical tone. "I'm sure you've had many offers over the years-"

"Sasuke-"

"So why?" demanded the last Uchiha, his voice becoming a bit rough as he slowly approached Sakura's unmoving form, "Out of all those men, why me?"

Sakura could barely will herself to breathe as she gathered enough strength to whisper, "Because... I love you. No one else. There will never be anyone else. I love you, only you. From now, until the day I die."

"I... Sakura," replied Sasuke in a hushed tone. He was deeply moved by her words. "There's something I've been meaning to speak to you about."

"Okay..." she answered skeptically with narrowed eyes, "Go ahead."

"Earlier, before Naruto went on his date, he and I had a talk..." Sasuke trailed off, unsure of how he should put this.

Sakura simply stayed silent and allowed him to continue.

The last Uchiha took a deep breath and said, "I feel I have finally come to the point where, I want to try."

"Try?" asked Sakura confused, "Try, what exactly?"

"Us," he clearly stated and then let out an uncertain sigh, "Again, or... for the first time. Look, you know what I mean..."

"W-What?" stuttered Sakura in disbelief. Was he actually being serious?

"Sakura, don't make me say it again," said Sasuke gruffly. "This is hard enough for me already."

"You... want to try," whispered Sakura in awe, having never truly believed the day would finally come.

"Hai," confirmed Sasuke as he closed the last remaining gap let between them. He then reached out and gently placed his hand against her cheek.

"Sakura, I am an empty shell of a man," confessed Sasuke truthfully. "I have nothing to offer you. I am cold and I am broken. I know that if we start a relationship it won't be easy, for either of us. I'm still trying to find my way back to the person I was, or... maybe the person I am now. We will fight, and I will most likely end up hurting you..."

Here Sasuke trailed off for a moment as he got lost in her wide, hope filled eyes.

"But, yes," he finally concluded, "I'm ready to try... that is- only if you wish to as well."

He waited for a moment as Sakura physically shook herself out of her stupor. Had the time, really, truly come?

A wry grin slid across her face as she reached up and gave his forehead a quick flick.

"Ow! What-" exclaimed Sasuke startled by her actions. Sakura then grabbed a fistful of his shirt, gruffly pulled him close, and planted a sweet kiss upon his forehead.

Sasuke simply blinked back at her in surprise.

She then rested her head against his chest and answered, "Hai, but did you really have to ask?"

This made Sasuke let out a sigh of contentment, it was unlike any other feeling he had ever experienced before. He then wrapped his one arm around her and grumbled, "Guess not," as the first genuine smile graced his lips in decades.

"Naruto... what is this place?" asked Hinata as she took in their new surroundings.

"Well..." replied the blond as he scratched the back of his head nervously, "Remember when I mentioned earlier about that place I wanted to plant the flowers? This is it."

Hinata's feet crunched across the snow covered ground, leaving a path of footprints in her wake. She analyzed the structure and deduced that the broken, decaying ruins before her had once been of a lavish and expensive estate.

Curiosity drove the dark-haired woman to investigate further. Nature had completely enveloped the hollow dwelling. Dead, gnarled vines had twisted their way through the wreckage. Through the snow cover, you could still make out tuffs of overgrown grass. Sliding doors hung off their hinges. Parts of the roof were torn away, leaving gaping holes where the snow had piled high upon the dirty floor. Broken beams were tossed about, some still clinging to the ice icicle encrusted rafters. Shattered glass and debris were strewn haphazardly across the vast landscape. The whole scene spoke of long past destruction and pain, a true frozen vale of sadness.

"It was hidden by a genjutsu for years to protect what was left after... well," explained Naruto solemnly. "Eventually the place just got so over grown everyone simply forgot it existed. It's so far removed from the rest of the village that it even survived Pain's attack fairly unscathed. I... found a couple of notes left by Old Man Third about it."

As Hinata moved in to get a closer look, her foot brushed up against something hard. She turned and glanced down at the object. The dark-haired woman bent over and brushed the snow from the surface. The object, Hinata concluded, had once been a mask; but the piece now appeared to be split in two.

Hinata reached out and gently picked up the halves. Her fingers caressed the rough fragments as she studied them. Cracked, spiderweb like patterns marred the white surface. The artwork on the plaster had long since faded, but the dark-haired woman could still make out enough of the design to tell that the painting used to be a fox.

Hinata let out a small gasp of surprise as her gentle eyes began to fill with tears. She turned back toward the unnervingly still form of Naruto, standing next to the vandalized remains of an Uzumaki spiral.

The blond had both his hands stuffed in his pockets, his shadowed face hung dejectedly toward the ground.

Hinata looked at the broken halves of the mask resting in her hands. Her hold on them tightened for a moment, before she rose and started to cautiously approach Naruto.

"Naruto... before when I asked what this place was, I meant, what was it to you," Hinata stressed in a mournful voice. She then walked in front of Naruto and held out the pieces of the mask.

Slowly, Naruto removed his hands from his pockets and shakily brought them up to cover Hinata's own. As he thumbed the side of the mask, chips of the brittle plaster fell away and gently drifted down onto the pure white snow. The blond man then raised his head and looked at Hinata with such sorrowful blue eyes that it broke her heart.

"I tried," said Naruto hoarsely, "so many, many times to start cleaning this place up." He took a deep, shuddering breath and glanced back down at the cracked mask in his hands.

"But it's so broken, Hinata, that I don't even know where to start," he whispered, his voice cracking with emotion.

Naruto then looked back up at Hinata with devastated eyes and explained, "This is a place of shattered dreams... and unfulfilled wishes of a happy life."

A single tear streaked down Naruto's face. Hinata brought up her hand and gently caressed his spiky blond locks.

"My poor Naruto," said Hinata in hushed tones, "this was your mother's home, wasn't it?"

"Hai," answered the blond as he fell to his knees and began to cry, "She was going to be happy here; we all were. Iwas meant to grow-up here, with a loving family. But it all..."

Naruto then drifted off unable to finish. Hinata knelt down and wrapped him in her loving embrace.

The blond simply turned his head and started to cry into Hinata's shoulder. The dark-haired woman held him tenderly as the boy she loved finally released years of pent-up pain and loneliness.

"I know, Naruto. I know," Hinata comforted and stayed right by his side.

A few minutes later, Naruto's tears finally began to dry. He eventually pulled back from Hinata's grasp and roughly wiped his eyes.

"Sorry about that," he hoarsely apologized, an embarrassed blush stretching across his face. "Not my greatest display of manliness, huh?"

Hinata gave him a warm smile and replied, "You have nothing to apologize for, everyone needs to cry sometimes. It's a healthy release of emotions. And as with all things, there's a time and a place for it. I feel very honored that you trusted me enough to see this side of you."

"Hinata..." Naruto sighed with all the love in his heart, "You really are the most amazing person I've ever known."

The blond then glanced away from her eyes and looked sadly back at the pieces of the broken mask still tightly grasped in his hands.

This statement caused Hinata's shy blush to return, but she quickly shook it off because there was something else she needed to say.

"Naruto...," she said hesitantly, unsure of how he would take this.

The blond took another deep breath and turned back to face Hinata. The dark-haired woman reached out and gently placed her hands alongside Naruto's on the halves of the mask.

"This place... it doesn't have to stay this way, you know," stated Hinata as Naruto raised a questioning eyebrow at her.

"Right now it's broken," continued Hinata, "and it will remain that way, if you do nothing to change it."

Naruto's eyes went wide as he stared at her stunned. Hinata then guided Naruto's hands to place the halves of the mask back together as she added, "But this can still be the place your mother dreamed of and so much more. All you have to do is make it one."

"I-" whispered the blond with the weight of such a task. Could he really do it? Was he emotionally strong enough now to try?

"I c-could help," generously offered Hinata with a bit of her old stutter, "i-if you'd like me to that is..."

"Oh, Hinata," sighed Naruto, "I could never ask something like that of you."

"You don't have to ask," she assured him. "I want to help you through this, Naruto."

"Hinata..."

"Besides I told you before, I love doing things with my hands," she encouraged with a smile. "It'll be a lot of work. But in the end, I think it will be worth it. I would love to see your mother's dream become reality."

Naruto looked at her with eyes filled with love. He gently let go of the mask, brought his left hand up to Hinata's face, and brushed away a stray lock of hair. Then they both leaned in and enthusiastic kissed. It was everything their first kiss had been and so much more.

After a few exhilarating moments, the couple broke apart as they both desperately gasped for air. Once they regained their composure, Naruto said, "You always seem to know exactly what I need and when. How on earth do you it, Hinata?"

This made the dark-haired woman giggle a little, "I don't know, I just do I guess."

"I'm really lucky to have a person as strong and kind as you are," declared Naruto as he snuggled up close to her like a playful fox.

"I-" Hinata whispered in shock, "Naruto- Do... you really mean that?"

"W-What?" he asked with an embarrassed blush. "Of course I do! I always say what I mean, Dattebayo! You know that."

"Hai, but..." replied Hinata hesitantly as she worriedly bit her lip. "I've always been weak. And when it's mattered most, I've never been strong enough to protect you."

Naruto stared at her, his face becoming completely serious.

"Hinata," he declared with all the love in his heart, "I know in the past, you've said that I was the one who saved you..."

Hinata nodded her head with a concerned frown.

"But I believe the opposite is true," concluded Naruto with a satisfied smile.

"What do you mean?" asked Hinata as she blinked in surprise.

"You are the one," emphasized Naruto as he pointed to Hinata and then to himself, "who saved me."

Hinata's eyes went wide but she remained silent as Naruto continued, "Over and over, time and time again, every time I slipped you caught me."

*Flash* Hinata slapping him when he almost gave in to Obito.

"Every time I failed, you immediately jumped in to protect me..."

*Flash* Hinata jumping in to face Pain when he was pinned to the ground.

"Whenever I was down, you picked me back up again..."

*Flash* Hinata encouraging him before his battle with Neji.

"Honestly, part of me feels I don't deserve your love," admitted Naruto. "Maybe that's why it took so long for me to realize what this feeling between the two of us was... "

"Naruto-kun..." whispered Hinata sadly.

"There's a space in my heart," professed Naruto as he place a hand to his chest, "that is still very much like this place. It's where that lost and lonely boy still lives."

Naruto shook his head in wonder as he continued, "Even when I was still that broken child, you saw something of worth in me. Something that I couldn't see for myself. That winter day? The one where those kids destroyed my scarf?"

Hinata nodded in remembrance.

"I heard the names they called you," explained the blond. "And for the first time, I realized that it wasn't just me. I wasn't the only one people hurt. I protected you because... I thought that even though I couldn't stop them from hurting me, maybe I could get them to stop hurting you.That was the first time I ever fought back, Hinata, and it was all because of you."

"Oh Naruto-kun, you've got it all wrong," she protested. "You were the one who inspired me."

"What?" asked Naruto confused.

"I always looked to you as my source of light in those dark times..." Hinata confessed earnestly. "If I felt bad that someone bullied me, I'd think 'Naruto can take it, and so can I.' Every time I fell, I'd think 'Naruto would get back up, and so can I.' I'm the person I am today because you set the example, Naruto-kun."

"Hinata-chan..." replied Naruto hoarsely, his eyes once again filling with tears.

"And now, here we both are together," proclaimed the dark-haired woman. "This is it Naruto, the final piece."

"The final piece?" whispered Naruto confused.

"The one that will make both of us whole," Hinata stressed as she placed a hand over the one Naruto still held protectively against his heart.

She then raised her lavender eyes, staring deep into his sparkling blue and said, "Don't you see it's ..."

Her words lingered in the air between them in anticipation.

Naruto reached up his other shaking hand and reverently placed it over Hinata's heart. He felt her rapid heartbeat pulse beneath his skin.

"-it's each other," finished Naruto as they both leaned in and passionately began to kiss beneath the winter sky. Their chakra flared around them and became entwined. The flakes of newly fallen snow swirled with their power like in a magical snow globe. The thaw had finally come to their solitary lives.

The only thing the pair could feel now, was the everlasting warmth of their eternal love.

~Epilogue~

The next morning, Konohamaru whistled merrily to himself as he walked down the street. The sun was shining and the snow fall from the previous night had already begun to melt. It was a good day to be alive.

Yup! Just a normal, peaceful day in-

"PAKKUN! What kind of seduction scene was that?!" yelled the Hokage as he chased after the small dog. "That was not what we had discussed! Get your furry ass back here!"

"Huh..." commented Konohamaru, "Odd. I wonder what that was all about." But the teen quickly dismissed it with a shrug and continued on his merry way.

That is until the sweet sound of "Maru-kun!" caught his undivided attention.

"W-What? H-Hanabi!" exclaimed the teen in surprise. It was the first time the cute girl had called him anything other than "Hey, you."

Not many people knew, but Konohamaru had a huge crush on her for almost as long as he could remember.

"There you are!" Hanabi exclaimed as she rushed up and started tugging on his arm. "I've been looking for you everywhere. Come on, let's go get some dango!"

The young girl started dragging him off as Konohamaru said, "Hey! Hanabi! Hold up, what are you-"

Hanabi whirled back around and answered in an authoritative tone. "Last week, you invited me out for dango. So I'm now here to collect."

"Yeah, but I didn't think you'd actually come," thought Konohamaru wryly. "You never wanted to before."

Just then the teen had an epiphany, "Wait a second, the only other person I told about that was... Naruto."

An evil smile graced Konohamaru's lips as he realized, "That's what's going on. Naruto's pretending to be Hanabi to get back at me. Well two can play at this game!"

"Sure thing! Sweet cheeks," said the teen as he slimy wrapped an arm around her waist. "For you, anything."

"Okay..." replied Hanabi uncertainly as Konohamaru led her away. The teen ninja then quickly made his move by reaching up, and squeezing her tit.

Hanabi shrieked in horror as she pulled away from Konohamaru with wide violated eyes.

"Konohamaru!" she exclaimed, placing her hands protectively over her chest, "What is wrong with you!"

"HA! Cut the crap, Naruto!" he accused, pointing at the teen girl. "I know it's you! I can tell the feel of a henged breast... from... a..."

Konohamaru trailed off as he saw none other than Naruto himself approach the pair with a bag of groceries.

"Konohamaru! What are you doing to Hinata's little sister you perv!" the blond threatened with an angry glare.

"I- but you-!" stuttered the teen in shock. Konohamaru immediately fell to his knees and begged for forgiveness, "Hanabi! Please forgive me! I really thought you were Naruto! I would have never done it otherwise! Please don't hate me!"

"Oh, you have much bigger things to worry about," answered the voice above him coldly.

Konohamaru glanced back up just in time to see Hanabi POOF! Back into... Hinata.

"Honestly, I'm not sure what disturbs me more. The fact that honking my sister's tit was your first choice in determining whether or not she was real," she said glaring down at the boy. "Or the fact that you know the difference between a real or henged breast by feel."

"HINATA!" screamed Konohamaru in abject horror as he quickly crawled away from her while attempting to shield himself from whatever was coming.

"Now," said Hinata with an eerie calm, "I'm not normally a violent person."

The dark-haired woman's Twin-Lion-Fists sprung to life over her hands.

"But when my sister is involved," she stressed as her Byakugan activated, "I don't tend to hold back. So I suggest you run. Now!"

Konohamaru did not have to be told twice.

"AHHHHH!" he yelled as the teen ran away as fast as his legs would carry him.

Off to the side, Naruto had dropped his bag of groceries and was staring at Hinata with giant stars in his eyes. His hands were violently shaking with the effort he was putting into trying to restrain his utter and complete joy. Finally the blond could hold back no longer and burst out, "HINATA-CHAN!"

Hinata's eyes returned to normal as she released her jutsu, and gave Naruto a quick bow.

"So you enjoyed the show, I take it?" she asked with a laugh.

Naruto ran up and hugged his girlfriend around the waist. He then lifted her up and started jumping up and down.

"That was the single greatest prank in the history of pranks! It was brilliant, Hinata-chan!" gushed Naruto as he enthusiastic hugged her.

"Hehehe!" she laughed breathlessly. "I must admit that was rather fun. Will Konohamaru be okay? I hope I didn't scare him too badly."

"Oh yeah, he'll be fine," dismissed Naruto with a wave. "Besides the brat had it coming. He did henge into a naked version of you first, remember?"

"Well I suppose..." finally relented Hinata. "It really was quite invigorating."

"I know! Right?" exclaimed Naruto excitedly. "And this is just the beginning! With your intelligence and my bullheadedness-"

"I believe the word you're searching for is 'tenacity,' Naruto," politely pointed out Hinata.

"Yeah, that too!" agreed Naruto with a wild grin. "We can take the village by storm!"

Naruto then placed Hinata back down and declared to everyone around, "Look out people! Konoha's new power couple is here to stay!"

"Whatever you say, Naruto," replied Hinata supportively with a shake of her head and a laugh. The pair then leaned in and sealed the promise with a kiss.

~The End~

UPDATE!: The one-shot friendship sequel "Little Things," and the new full sequel "Yes, Naruto, Propose!" are now up on FFN! So if you liked this story, please check out my author's page for those as well! Thanks again!

~MISTS~

Author's Notes: Well there you have it people! The story is finally complete! Hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did writing it! I'm so glad I was able to get to ten pages with this last part. I think splitting it up really worked out well. It seems pretty balanced to me. I'd like to thank all my reviewers, signed and not for all their support. Your reviews really helped stir the creative juices and inspired me to write a lot of great stuff.

Before I end though, I wanted to address a few things. Several people have said they wanted a part where Sasuke and Hinata start up their friendship again, while others are adamantly against the idea. So here is what I propose, I write a separate one-shot at some point that can be seen as connected to this story. So that way everyone wins. You get your story, and everyone who doesn't like the idea can ignore it's existence. But you guys have to review and tell me you want to see it, okay?

And then there have been, a few people who I feel have been rather unfair in their opinions about my thumbnail for the story.

Let me explain something to all of you. I am an artist, as well as a writer. I draw all of my own covers/avatars. I always have, and I always will. Because I like that the entire work was crafted by me.

I will not simply 'take' a picture off the internet from another artist because it is in your opinion, better.

As I've said I'm an artist, I've posted works that people have used before without asking. I don't like it, but I tolerate it. But that does not make it right. Am I be best artist in the universe? Hell's no! There are tons of people out there who are better than me. But I do know I am good. Now I know some people can't draw, and they still want to post a picture. That's fine. I still think you should ask the artist if you can before you post it though. But since I can draw, I will post my own. I don't expect anyone else to follow my code. But it is mine, and I feel you should at least respect that.

Anyway, I was trying to replicate the style of the anime when I drew it for "Vessel of Love." And since they are simply talking for most of the story, I drew them talking. I fully intend to keep that as the cover for that piece. So I can understand that argument for changing it, because it doesn't fully fit with the tone of this piece.

But just calling it 'ugly' and some of the other words people have used is considered rude.

And as I said before, I was MOVING. My computer and scanner were packed for almost a month. And all the while, I've spent all my free time trying to finish this story in a timely manner on my laptop. So I used the same picture because Hinata and Naruto were in it. I plan on designing, sketching, drawing, inking, scanning, and painting a new cover when I have time.

You are fully entitled to your opinion, but let me make it clear that so am I to mine.

Sorry to end on that note, the majority of my readers, but I've had enough of it from one or two people.

Anyway once again, hope you all have enjoyed the story. And truly, I am so thankful for all your input and ideas, guys and girls. You all really helped me make this fic the best it could be.

And please, when you review, I would like to first hear about how you liked the last chapter and the story as a whole before you add in anything about the picture or comment on what I just wrote about. I don't want this to overshadow everything else I did. But I felt it need to be said.

And lastly as always,

PLEASE remember to read and review!