Together, You and Me


Today was the best day of Hinata's life.

She was getting married to the man who she's had a crush on ever since childhood. She was going to spend the rest of her life with this person, who she's admired and looked up to for so long. She was getting betrothed to this man, who she's loved all her life.

Naruto Uzumaki.

It was an arranged marriage, conducted and planned by the head elders of the village. The last step for Naruto to finally become Hokage, was that he must choose a bride from one of the prestige clans of Konoha. It was a shock, really, to both of them.

Being the oldest in her family, she was the only candidate from the Hyuuga clan lined up alongside with many other women from recognizable clans.

He chose her.

It was a moment she would never forget.

But she also knew that he chose her because she was the only one out of those 50 women that he knew. They grew up together, fought many battles alongside each other, they went on countless missions together, and so it was only logical that she'd be the one that he picked.

When he did choose her, he apologized to her over and over again. He knew that if he chose her, that meant her future was bound to him. She kept reassuring him that it was ok, that she knew the reason why he'd choose her over the others, but he just kept looking at her with those regretful eyes.

Even now, when they stood next to each other in front of the whole village, he still looked at her like that.

"Sorry, Hinata..." He muttered quietly so that only she could hear.

She made a faint smile at him and just slightly shook her head. Why couldn't he see that she was so beyond happy right now? That this was all she's ever wanted?

Her heart was pounding like crazy and she was proud that she's gotten over her habit of fainting and blushing excessively whenever she got nervous. When she stared at his blue eyes that captivated her every moment, she felt breathless and lightheaded.

People in the village were whistling and shouting happy comments; most of them were from their friends, of course. Before she was on the platform, Sakura, Ino, Tenten, and the other girls were swooning over her, congratulating her on finally getting Naruto after all these years.

This would have been a perfect moment.

It would have been.

...but it wasn't, because she knew for a fact, that he did not feel the same as her. The whole time, his expression was regretful and he didn't seem at all happy. He'd flash a couple of smiles here and there to fake it, but she knew that he has never once saw her romantically or even looked at her as a woman who was capable of being by his side.

It was always Sakura.

Even now, when she followed his eyes to where he was gazing at in the crowd, it fell right upon Sakura...who was evidently standing by Sasuke. Sasuke had returned momentarily to witness this ceremony before he resumed his journey of self-redemption.

Hinata refused to let that ruin this moment. Though she knew reality wasn't as perfect as she wanted it to be, for this moment right now, she was willing to lie to herself.

"Naruto Uzumaki, I pronounce you, the 7th Hokage of Konohagakure, head of this village and all affairs. Hinata Hyuuga, I pronounce you the wife of the 7th Hokage, that you may share all responsibilities alongside him. The people of this village entrust our lives in both of your leadership for years to come." Kakashi announced as he slowly turned the two towards the village.

"People of Konoha, Naruto and Hinata Uzumaki!"

Hinata nearly jumped at the sound of the roaring crowd. She has never been hit with this kind of realization in her life before...she was the wife of an Hokage. She was the head lady of this village. She was a leader of a nation.

Suddenly, those happy feelings that she had just a second ago disappeared. This whole time, she was thinking about how she was finally going to be with Naruto that she didn't even think about the full extent of what it meant to be married to him.

Her hands trembled at the sudden thought of what would lay ahead of her. She knew for a fact that Naruto was going to lead the village into prosperity and strength...but was she capable of being both a good wife to him and a leader to these people? Would she be able to handle the stress that she could barely handle in her own clan? Would she be able to survive this, knowing that he didn't even love her?

Then in that moment, she felt like crying. She felt like crumbling to pieces at the very fear that hit the pit of her stomach when she realized what she got herself into. She realized why Naruto apologized to her over and over again.

She was entering a contract marriage. A loveless marriage. A marriage that was for nothing else but for the name of being an Hokage's wife. She was entering into a dangerous life of politics, a life of duty to the people of Konoha, and a life of managing both internal and external responsibilities with other villages.

She was going to become someone that everyone was going to look up to. Everyone was going to watch her every move, and because she was at the upmost highest division of leadership that a woman could have in Konoha, all the women in the village will look upon her every decision.

She wasn't even as strong as most of the women in Konoha. She wasn't the smartest, the prettiest, nor the most confident or outspoken person there was. Yet, here she was, standing in front of her beloved village as the Hokage's wife.

She let out a shaky sigh as she tried to calm herself down. It was a learning process...she would try her very best, no matter what may come her way. She would do her best to become someone that even her father would respect. She will train to become a stronger shinobi and represent the honor of her Hyuuga clan. She will no longer shy away from things that make her nervous and she knew she would have to practice becoming someone who spoke with authority and power. She would have to become a loving wife to Naruto, no matter if he will ever come to love her not. She will become a mother to both her future children and the children of Konoha. She knew she was going to have to become someone who will not shake or crumble at anything or to anyone.

Suddenly, she felt someone grasp her hand and all her thoughts vanished. She glanced over at Naruto, who looked at her worriedly. "You ok? It's almost over. We just have to walk to the Konoha headquarters now."

Hinata pushed down her fears and her eyes suddenly held a determination that she's never felt before. Boldly, she entangled her fingers with his and flashed a sincere smile at him. "I'm ok. I'm ready."


It was the worst day of Naruto's life.

Sure, he reached his dream. Sure, he's going to become Hokage, leader of the village he loved more than anything.

But he wasn't going to spend his lifelong dream with the woman he loved the most.

Instead, he was marrying his friend, his friend who has fought alongside him his whole life and who's always been so gentle and kind. It wasn't that he despised the idea of being married to her...it was just that, it was so unexpected that she was the one who he would be spending his whole life with. He's never once even looked at her as a potential spouse or had any kind of romantic feelings towards her.

And he hated himself that he was going to make her do this with him. When he saw her in that line of women he was supposed to choose from, he knew he would choose her. She was the only one he knew and was comfortable with. He chose her because it was just better that he married his friend than some stranger.

He apologized to her again and again because he knew he was going to regret this his whole life. Even now, standing here with her in front of everyone, he still felt guilty for making her do this.

"Sorry, Hinata..." He muttered so that only she could hear it. She only smiled faintly at him and shook her head.

She was always so fragile. He was just scared that she wouldn't be able to handle this. He told himself that it was ok even if she couldn't...he would do all the work if necessary. He was going to protect her just like how he was going to protect the village.

He would try to love her. He knew he wasn't going to get over Sakura anytime soon, but he would try. She was going to be his wife and he was more than capable of giving her the love and attention that she deserved. It was just going to take some time because he's never had that type of relationship with anyone.

He couldn't help but feel heartbroken at the sight of Sakura in crowd, next to Sasuke. He knew that there was no one else for her, but Sasuke...and now, undeniably, there was no other girl but her for Sasuke.

He sighed and quickly pushed those thoughts away. It wasn't the time to be thinking about things such as his long unrequited love when he was going to be named a leader of a whole nation right now.

"Naruto Uzumaki, I pronounce you, the 7th Hokage of Konohagakure, head of this village and all affairs. Hinata Hyuuga, I pronounce you the wife of the 7th Hokage, that you may share all responsibilities alongside him. The people of this village entrust our lives in both of your leadership for years to come." Kakashi announced as he slowly turned the two towards the village.

"People of Konoha, Naruto and Hinata Uzumaki!"

Naruto flashed a smile at the roaring crowd. This was the moment he had been waiting for, for his whole life. He looked at his beloved village and vowed to himself that he would do whatever it takes to keep Konoha as a strong, safe, and united place. There will be no enemies that would be able to penetrate or destroy anything or anyone and he would make sure that peace will reign for as long as he was Hokage.

Since he was a boy, all he's ever wanted was for people to stop pointing at him like he was an outcast and a monster. All he's ever wanted was for people to respect and see him as a strong shinobi. He never gave up, and he was proud of himself for this very moment.

With Hinata by his side, too, he knew things would be ok. Though she wasn't the strongest, he knew she had her good traits. From all the years that he's known her, she was an honest, reliable, and smart person. He didn't know if she was going to be able to handle this alongside him, but he would train and grow together with her in all aspects of leadership. He will teach her how to be confident and he will learn to be both a good husband and a good father of their children in the future.

He glanced over at Hinata and a sudden rush of worry went through him when he saw her troubled expression. She looked scared and he guessed that all this was overwhelming for her right now.

He wanted to comfort her, so he reached over and gently held her hand. "You ok? It's almost over. We just have to walk to the Konoha headquarters now."

He was taken by surprise when her expression suddenly changed. She met his gaze and smiled with such confidence and determination that he's never seen before. Her beautiful pearl eyes shined brightly and his heart raced just a little faster when she held his hand back.

"I'm ok. I'm ready."

It was strange.

Those two statements alone made his worries about her fade away. Instead of seeing her as the fragile and softspoken Hinata he knew, it was like she suddenly changed into this confident and strongwilled woman right before his eyes.

He smiled back at her and thought that maybe...he might not regret this decision after all.


More to come!

Review! Suggestions for the next chapters are always accepted :D