Un-Arranging an Arranged Marriage...

A/N: I know, it's been a very long time. But this is a two part story that has been nagging me for a very long time. I was just looking through my computer the other day, and saw all these things that I'd written (some that were finished, many that weren't) but never published. So, you may have noticed I've published 'Unknown' that was one I found on my computer (not initially to be a oneshot but maybe I'll add chapters later) and this one, which was mostly finished.

This is pretty long, and I could separate it into maybe 4 or five parts, but I hope you guys are happy with reading it in big chunks – it's a personal preference, I think. I almost published this as a one shot (but its almost 10,000 words – not even finished yet – and I didn't want to torture you all)

I'm still finishing up the second part of this story (literally only the finale left), so I thought I'd publish this for you today, and get the rest of it to you in a couple of days. I hope you enjoy it, and I'm sorry I haven't been writing in a long time!

Summary: Naruto Uzumaki finally became what he always wanted, The Hokage of Konoha. And Hinata Hyuuga, through blood, sweat and tears finally became head of the Hyuuga clan. But one problem arises, the only way she can stay head is if she goes through with an arranged marriage. Hinata, distressed, tells Naruto the news, and there's no way he's going to let one of his best friends go through with an arranged marriage they don't want! He just needs to find out how to stop it.

~ (((UN-ARRANGING AN ARRANGED MARRIAGE.)) ~

Naruto sighed, walking through the almost empty streets of his village. There were only few people around, and all would smile and wave at him as he walked past. He loved this. He loved being the Hokage, he loved protecting the village, he loved the village.

But something wasn't quite right.

He had thought, once he became Hokage, everything would be perfect. That he would love it, and that would be all he'd need, so he'd live like this forever. But he felt as though something was missing. He just didn't know what.

Continuing on his walk, he spotted a raven-haired woman turn swiftly down the corner in front of him, and his eyes lit up. He hadn't seen Hinata in ages! Considering both of them were very busy now, Hinata had just become leader of the Hyuuga clan, and Naruto had just become Hokage. The two really had spent much time together. Which sucked, really, because they used to spend a tonne of time together.

He missed that.

Their walks through the village, the endless nights they'd spend on the Hokage mountain, how she'd just smile at him when he ate his ramen like a savage animal and even when they'd just sit at the park and talk for hours about anything at all.

Everyone else had been so busy. Sakura was charge at the hospital, had gotten married to Sasuke and now had a kid on the way. Shino, Choji, Ino and Shikamaru we're all leading their clans, amongst all their other shinobi duties. Ino was getting really good at interrogation, from all that training she was doing with Ibiki and was going steady with Shikamaru. Kiba was one of the best trackers in ANBU, and worked in a very advanced team with Sai, Neji, Tenten and Kakashi. Lee had even opened up his own dojo, and was teaching people how to fight honourably, which he was so proud of.

This had left Naruto alone for a long time. He had tried to hang out with them, but they always had something important to do... Until he'd came across Hinata. She had been busy trying to make sure her little sister Hanabi didn't get the caged-bird seal when Hinata became the leader. The Hyuuga clan had already decided – years before – that Hinata should be the next leader to the Hyuuga clan. She had grown so strong, and had a good head on her shoulders, and after thoroughly impressing the Hyuuga clan elders with her ANBU records and other achievements, they had decided she would be the best choice.

She was immensely busy too, during all that time.

But she found time for him.

She took unnecessary breaks so she could have lunch with him almost every day. She knew he was feeling lonely, even though he wouldn't tell her. She knew he wouldn't want to be alone, so she sacrificed her time to be with him.

And that meant a lot to him.

The others, they were always busy, they always had something better to do, and Naruto understood that. But Hinata, for some reason, put him above all her other duties, and that made him feel important. Wanted. And he loved every minute he spent with her.

But once he became Hokage, and she became leader of the Hyuuga clan, they were so busy they couldn't even do anything else for ages.

Until now.

Naruto ran to Hinata who had just turned the corner, and grabbed her shoulder.

Hinata spun on her feet, startled. She had been stressing out for the past three days, and she was just hoping to get some tea to calm her down at her favourite tea house. She had told the elders that she wanted no one to interrupt, so she wasn't expecting anyone. But turning around, only to see Naruto, that shocked her. A wave of happiness flooded over her, closely followed by guilt.

"Hey Hinata-chan!" Naruto smiled at her, "I haven't been able to talk to you in ages! How have you been, Miss-Head-of-the-Hyuuga-Clan? Or should I call you Hina-Hime? Since you are a princess now," He teased.

Hinata couldn't help but smile back, Naruto just brought out that sort of reaction in her, "What about you?" She smiled, "Mr Rokudaime Hokage? Naruto-Sama? How does it feel to have your dream come true?"

"Well, you should know. Since becoming Head was your dream, was it not?" He started walking with her, letting her lead the way so she could continue in the direction she wished – which was still towards the tea house.

"That it was." Hinata sighed, but those thoughts only made her think back to her current complication, "But... I don't know, Naruto-kun. It doesn't feel as I expected it too... I feel as if-"

"-Something's missing?" Naruto guessed, shocked that she felt it too.

Hinata nodded, "And not only that, but..." She paused, she didn't want to tell him what was aspiring in the next few hours. Having spent so much time with him recently, she told him everything – well, except her feelings – but she didn't want to tell him about this. She was worried of his reaction. She was worried that he wouldn't have a negative reaction. She was worried he'd... he'd be happy for her.

"What's going on?" He asked, instantly worried.

"Well..." Hinata sighed, looking up as they finally reached the tea house. Staring at the beautifully decorated shop, she decided it looked extremely unappealing at that moment, and she sighed again. "Come on, Naruto-kun. Let's go to the Hokage mountain." She needed some place more secluded anyway, so she could tell him, and so she could just think.

Naruto nodded and within a minute, the two were comfortably seated on top of the Hokage Mountain, looking down upon the village.

"What's troubling you, Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked again, bringing up the subject he was insanely curious about.

"In a couple of hours," Hinata looked ahead of her, at the village so she wouldn't have to see Naruto's face, "I'll be meeting.." She sighed, "My... My fiancé." She sounded strangely unenthused.

Naruto's face scrunched up in hurt, "You're engaged... You're getting married and you didn't tell me?" He asked quietly, disappointment rushing around in his head. Firstly, that she was even dating someone, and she didn't tell him, and that she was engaged? He didn't want her to be engaged. That's not okay!

They wouldn't be good enough for her. He decided, looking at the pale beauty next to him, no man was good enough for her. They would need to know how to make her laugh, the way she always looks down when she's sad, that you can only tell she's fake smiling when you can't see that little sparkle in her eyes, that she's extremely ticklish in that little spot just under her left rib-cage... But once Naruto thought those thoughts, he realised he didn't want anyone else to know those things. He wanted to be the only one to know Hinata like he did.

Hinata finally looked up to him, and saw the confusion and hurt on his face. Her eyes widened when she realised what he must have concluded from what she said. Putting a gentle hand on his arm, she forced him to look at her, "I don't want to be married, Naruto-kun." She told him, looking deeply into his eyes as his confusion expanded, "I haven't met him before. I wasn't dating anyone. It's arranged, and I have no choice in the matter, because I have to be married."

Naruto's eyes widened, as he finally realised what Hinata was saying, "But... But why? They can't force you to get married. You've just become head!"

Hinata sighed, somewhat angrily – Well, as angry as Hinata can get – and clenched her knuckles together tightly, "It's because I'm a female." She told him quietly, "There's never been a female head before, and they've made sure of that. Until now. Now that I'm the head of the clan. That a woman is leading their clan, they believe that I'm stuff it up just because I don't have a-" She gasped, putting her hands over her mouth so she wouldn't finish her sentence. She couldn't believe it, she was just about to say... She looked at Naruto, bright red with embarrassment.

Naruto looked at her, stunned for a moment, before he burst out laughing. "Oh, Hina-Hime. I can't believe it! You were about to say 'dick', weren't you? You've definitely been around me too much!" He laughed, and Hinata had to join in. His laugh always was contagious.

She smiled at him as she stopped laughing, "Oh, gosh." She was still blushing, "I definitely have been around you too much, Naruto-kun." She laughed slightly, "I'd never... just imagine the look on my father's face if I burst out with that in the middle of a clan meeting." She said quietly, which just set Naruto off again, Hinata only to follow.

Naruto smiled, still chuckling slightly as he looked at his companion, "Boy, I've missed you, Hina-Hime." He told her sincerely. These sort of conversations they had, always put him in the best mood, and he hadn't realised he was missing them until they had another one.

Hinata smiled at him, "I've missed you too, Naruto-kun." With a slight blush on her face.

"You know what?" Naruto immediately turned serious, thinking back to their previous conversation, "As soon as you're done with this meeting, come by the Hokage building. I'm sure I can find a way to get you out of this, Hinata-chan. We'll just need to work on it."

Hinata's eyes sparkled as she looked up at the blonde Hokage, hope clearly seen on her face; a look that made Naruto proud to be the one who put it on her head. "Really?" She asked, "But... I don't want to be a bother, Naruto-kun. I mean, I'm sure you have better things to do..." The hope immediately vanished.

"Hinata Hyuuga," Naruto looked at her seriously, already missing that look on her face, "For months, when every single one of my other friends were busy, you made time for me. You definitely had better things to do. You were stressing out about being the head, about your little sister, and even though it was wasting time that could've been spent trying to solve your problems, you hung out with me. You decided 'to hell with all this important clan stuff I have to do, I'm gonna spend the day with Naruto'. And you did it without fail for three months!" He looked at her shocked face. She had no idea he had paid that much attention to what was going on in her life. She had no idea that hanging out with him meant that much to her.

But she smiled.

The words he said to her made her heart soar, and she couldn't stop the priceless smile from appearing on her stunning face.

And Naruto couldn't help but smile back, she had that sparkle in her eyes again.

Hinata leaned down and hugged him tightly, "I have to get going," She said quietly, but knew he could hear her anyway. He listened a whole lot more then people gave him credit for, "But I'll come by as soon as the meeting's over. Thank you, Naruto-kun." She let go of him, pausing only to kiss him gently on the cheek, before disappearing with the skill she had as an ANBU specialist assassin without even a poof of smoke towards the Hyuuga Compound.

And Naruto stood, staring ahead of him, thinking about the feeling of her lips on his cheek, and grinned.

~ (((UN-ARRANGING AN ARRANGED MARRIAGE.)) ~

He couldn't think straight. For the remainder of the day, Naruto Uzumaki couldn't do any paperwork, because he couldn't get his mind off of his best friend. How was she going? Who were they making her marry? Did they put up any conditions? What was happening?

But all he could do was wait.

Sighing, he created several shadow clones, and let them do the paperwork – as he usually did, because paperwork got really annoying after an hour of it – and paced around his office.

"If you don't have an appointment, you can't enter," Naruto stopped as he heard his guards speak.

He couldn't quite hear the next voice, only hearing a soft jumble of words, but instantly knew who it was.

"No appointment, no entry." The guard said loudly, and Naruto was just about to go out there and give that guy a piece of his mind when he heard another voice speak.

"Hey! That's no way to speak to a lady – and not just any lady, Lady Hinata, head of the Hyuuga clan." Konohamaru's voice echoed down the halls, and Naruto was instantly grateful for his assistant. "She and Rokudaime-Sama are very good friends and he told me that she was coming in after an important meeting. So let her in, now." The seventeen year old Konohamaru ordered, loudly.

Hinata gave Konohamaru a small grateful smile, trying to hold back all the feelings that were coming forth due to her most recent meeting and slipped silently inside Naruto's office.

Once she closed the door behind her, she finally let the devastated expression that she was holding back fall on her face, tears immediately coming to her eyes, but she wasn't going to let them fall.

Naruto, who was watching her from the moment she entered his office, had her in his arms the instant he saw that look on her face. She looked so heartbroken, vulnerable, and he hadn't seen that look on Hinata's face for a very long time. She had grown so strong, emotionally and physically, and he had not seen her cry once in the past seven or so years.

"I can't do this, Naruto-kun. I can't marry him. I just don't know what to do. What do I do?" She asked, gripping onto Naruto tightly.

"What happened?" Naruto asked, alarmed at her reaction. She had been holding the tears in for quite a while, he could tell. And he felt special that she would only let them fall in his presence, and in his presence only. He had never seen her cry before. She never would in public.

She had actually confessed that to him once. About her fear of crying. When she was small, with the way her father treated her, she used to cry a lot. And Hiashi would only yell at her further for crying, and not only him. She was looked down on in the Hyuuga clan when she cried, people would always shut her down, only make her feel worse.

So she stopped crying in public.

And cried when she was alone.

She looked up at Naruto, who patted her back gently, eyes full of worry. This was the first time she had cried in front of someone in over a decade. And she was quite shocked to see his reaction. No harsh words, no teasing, no anger. Just worry and hopelessness. He wanted to help her. He just didn't know how.

"He's in his late 40s, Naruto-kun! He's more than twenty years older than me! He cares for nothing but himself, and only wants me as a trophy bride! He's arrogant, boring, and I've only known him for twenty minutes and can't stand the perverted, stubborn, grotesque, pompous weasel!" She cried, burying her head deep in Naruto's chest.

Naruto's eyebrows furrowed at her description of the man she was to be married to. Late 40s? Hinata was only twenty-one years old! The same age as himself and this so-called-man she was going to be forced to be married to was old enough to be her father! And that's down-right disgusting! "Why are they making you marry him if he's such a bastard?" He asked, angry at the Hyuuga elders for deciding such a thing.

"He's from a very wealthy and well-respected clan, apparently," Hinata's eyes narrowed angrily, "It's not like we need any more money!" She sighed quietly, "But they've decided. And I don't know what to do."

Hinata's voice broke in the last sentence, and Naruto reflexively held her tightly, "It's okay, Hina-Hime. I promise you, that I will get you out of this arranged marriage. Whatever it takes."

Naruto was surprised when Hinata shook her head quickly, "Don't make that promise, Naruto-kun! You shouldn't have to deal with this burden. You have a village to look after. You've just become Hokage, your dream has just came true. You shouldn't deal with this. This isn't your burden to carry."

Naruto pulled Hinata away from himself gently, his hands on her shoulders as he looked her in the eye, "Too late. I've already made my promise. And you are a part of my village. I need to look after you too. You're one of my closest friends, and I won't sit around while I know you're sad! We'll get you out of this, alright?"

Seeing the look in his eyes, her own narrowed in determination, "Okay Naruto-kun." She nodded, "Thank you."

Naruto grinned, now pleased with himself in the fact that she hadn't given up, "Now, did I hear you say 'grotesque, pompous weasel'?" He laughed, "Even your insults are so posh and cute, Hina-Hime!"

She smiled shyly, looking up at him. "Thank you, Naruto-kun."

Naruto smiled, leaned over and ruffled her hair. "It's going to be okay. I promise." He grinned, "Now, did you bring a copy of that arrangement? I'll get Shikamaru to join us, and we'll find a way out of it."

~ (((UN-ARRANGING AN ARRANGED MARRIAGE.)) ~

"What am I doing here this early in the morning, Naruto?" Shikamaru stepped foot into the Hokage's office early the next morning, surprised to see Hinata standing beside the blonde looking over a piece of parchment. He knew Naruto and Hinata had been spending a lot of time together recently, but this was odd, to say the least. What was on that parchment?

"Shikamaru," Naruto's 'Hokage Voice' echoed throughout the room, causing Shikamaru to automatically straighten his back, alert, "We need your help."

"With what?"

Hinata smiled gently at the Nara. "What do you know about un-arranging an arranged marriage?"

Shikamaru blinked slowly, the dots connecting seamlessly in his mind. "You've been arranged a marriage, Hinata? With who?"

Naruto slid the parchment across the table, so Shikamaru could have a closer look. "His name is Iwao Yuuichi, from a wealthy clan in the land of iron."

Shikamaru nodded, "I don't know a lot about arranged marriages, but I'll do what I can. What are the negotiations?"

Hinata guestured to several areas within the parchment, "A wealthy sum of money will be gifted to the Hyuuga clan, as well as continuing with half the profit accumulated from their clan's trade business in iron and steels. Iwao and a select few of his advisors will join the Hyuuga clan and help the head – me – lead the clan through it's future. However the Hyuuga advisors will still have the final say in decisions over the Yuuichi elders."

SHikamaru nodded. "This position in the Hyuuga must be very well sought after – considering how little they get out of it."

Hinata sighed, blushing and looked at the ground, while Naruto grunted angrily, "A Hyuuga trophy wife? Affiliation to such a regal and wealthy clan? Hinata told me there were over 300 offers to the Hyuuga. And they chose this guy." Naruto growled, upset.

Hinata blushed, embarrassed, but glanced back at the clock. "I'm sorry, Naruto, Shikamaru, I have to leave. I am being forced to go out to lunch today with… him."

"Can't you just not go?" Naruto begged, looking up at the dainty Hyuuga.

Hinata sighed, "I need to remain the head of my clan – there are changes that I still need to make, to better us. If I want to remove the caged-bird seal and this division between branches, I need to choose my battles wisely. And I can't go against the elders without respectable evidence."

Naruto sighed, clenching and unclenching his fist at his side angrily. "Okay," He slowly breathed out. "Don't worry Hinata-chan. It'll all work out. Me and Shikamaru will find a way out of this. Come by when you can."

Hinata smiled at him, causing a flush of red to pass by his cheeks at her utter beauty. She nodded to him gently, saying a quick goodbye before spinning on her feet and disappearing out the door.

Shikamaru sighed loudly, re-catching the attention of the enamoured Hokage. "So, when did you fall in love with her?"

Naruto smiled at his friend for a moment, before the words sunk in and he spluttered for a number of seconds. "Shika-.. what.. I don't-"

"So you haven't accepted it yet?" Shikamaru asked, interrupting Naruto's pointless jabber that wouldn't have made any sense anyway.

Naruto paused, and let out one long calming breath before turning back to his comrade. "Well, I mean, I know how I feel about her." This admission stunned Shikamaru, who would've thought the blonde would've remained oblivious to his feelings up until the last possible second. "But… she's a princess. The head of the Hyuuga clan. And she's so beautiful men are lining up to get the chance to marry her. I couldn't compare to any of them… I mean, look at me."

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow, "I am, and I don't know what you see when you look in the mirror, but from my perspective, you look a lot like a Hokage."

"I'm just… not good enough."

"And this guy is?" Shikamaru asked, pointing at the parchment in front of them. "This is so troublesome, but Naruto, you know how she feels about you."

Naruto sighed, "That was a long time ago. I was stupid, and confused, and didn't even respond to her back then. There's no way she feels the same the way I ignored her confession all those years ago. I'm such an idiot. I should've realised back then! I'm in love with her, Shikamaru. And I don't know what I'm supposed to do about that. Especially now!" He gestures to the marriage contract.

"I think you're mature enough to figure it out, right Hokage-sama."

~ (((UN-ARRANGING AN ARRANGED MARRIAGE.)) ~

Thoughts?