Naruto's Selfishness

Naruto was having a frustrating time. Not that he wasn't happy with his life, he was, very much so in fact. But how could he not be? The Hokage, his old sensei, Kakashi, had stated that when he stepped down in a year or so, Naruto would be taking over for him. He had been dating Hinata – well, officially dating her, anyway – for about three months now. They had been "seeing each other" – their way of explaining what they were doing before they had officially started "dating" – for about a year. He didn't know for certain yet (seeing as he hadn't asked yet) but he suspected that when he eventually asked, he and Hinata would be getting married at some point.

In a way, that was the problem. Naruto was happy with his life, almost too much so, and yet...he wanted more. He was being incredibly selfish, and he knew it. After all the years he had spent getting people to acknowledge him, to accept him for who and what he was, he didn't feel like he had any right to want more than he had now. And yet, he did. Deep down, he knew this was an ironic selfishness, and yet, he couldn't get past it.

For, you see, he wanted to bring happiness to Hinata. He wanted this in the most terrible way. He knew, in the back of his mind, that he already did bring her happiness, in some way at least. He had spent the last hour trying to explain his problem to his old friend and teammate, Sakura.

"So, what's the problem?" she asked now. Naruto had just told her he wanted to make Hinata happy, and Sakura was baffled by this statement. Naruto looked at Sakura with an annoyed look, and Sakura said, "You already do make her happy, Naruto, you must know that."

Naruto sighed. "Yeah, I know, but...I don't know how to put it." He was getting more and more frustrated. He wasn't frustrated with Sakura, just with himself.

Looking around the small restaurant where the two friends had met, Sakura saw Hinata sitting with Ino and Tenten in a booth nearby. Sakura also saw the dopey look on Naruto's face as he looked at Hinata. Hinata was laughing, smiling, and basically just having a good time with the other two girls. "Can't you tell she's happy, Naruto?" Sakura asked. She was thoroughly baffled what in the world Naruto's issue was.

Naruto groaned. "Of course I can!" he said back. "That's just it. She's happy..."

Sakura bopped Naruto on the head. For her, it was a gentle hit, although it still hurt Naruto a bit. "What in the world was that for, Sakura?!" Naruto asked, annoyed.

Sakura gave him a smile and said, "That was for being an idiot. You want her to be happy, and she is, so what's the problem?!"

Naruto groaned again. "She's happy, and I didn't do it, that's the problem," he finally said.

Sakura looked at Naruto with a raised eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

Naruto sighed. "I want her to be happy. And I'm glad she is. But...I want to be the one to make her happy!" he finally burst out. Sakura looked like she was about to say something, but Naruto beat her to it. "I know. I'm being selfish. I can't help it. I want to make her happy."

"That's hardly selfish, Naruto," Sakura said. "I wish someone felt that way about me."

Naruto looked at his pseudo-sister. "I guess, but still, I'm practically jealous of her right now. She's happy, so I should just be glad for her, but instead, I'm getting jealous that someone else is making her happy. I'm such a horrible person," he said, burying his face in his hands. He wasn't crying, he just...didn't want anyone to see how terrible he was.

Sakura reached across the table they were sharing and rubbed his shoulder. "Tell her," she said after a moment.

Naruto looked up in confusion. "Tell who what?" he asked.

Sakura chuckled. "Tell Hinata, dummy. Tell her how you feel. Trust me, you'll be surprised at how she reacts," she said with a small smile. Naruto considered this, then started to get up. Sakura stopped him. "Not right now, dummy! Tell her later, when you're alone with her."

Naruto gave a small smile and blushed a bit. "You're right. I should do that."

The Next Day

Naruto was sitting with Hinata on a blanket under a tree. The two had just finished a picnic lunch Hinata had made for them. Hinata had noticed throughout their lunch that Naruto had been acting weird. Even now, he was just sitting there, knees up, head resting on them. Hinata sighed. This wasn't the Naruto she had so long ago fallen in love with, and she was distressed by it. Had she done something wrong?

Hinata had been gathering her courage and was about to ask what was wrong when Naruto finally spoke up. "Why are you with me, Hinata?" he asked her.

Hinata gasped. Of all the things she could have guessed he would say, that would have never crossed her mind. After taking a moment to regain her composure, she said, "I guess I'm with you because being with you makes me happy."

Naruto turned around and faced her. "But I'm not the only one who makes you happy," he said.

Hinata thought about this. "Well, I suppose that's true," she began.

She was going to say more when Naruto cut her off. "I know it is, and that's been driving me crazy. I'm a horrible person, I know, but seeing you happy with others makes me so insanely jealous. I know I should just be glad that you're happy, but I want to be the one who makes you happy, always!" he said, then turned away from her again, hiding his face in shame. He was sure she would leave him now, and the thought ate at him.

Hinata giggled. Naruto turned to her in surprise at the sound. Hinata gave him a small smile. "Is that what's been bothering you all day, Naruto?" she asked. Naruto nodded. Hinata came up to Naruto from behind and wrapped her arms around him. Naruto blushed a bit when he felt Hinata's chest press against his back, but he didn't say anything. Hinata kissed Naruto on the cheek softly. "No one makes me happy the way you do," she said.

Naruto turned around to face her. Hinata smiled at him. "I'm being selfish, aren't I?" he said after a moment. "I know I am. I'm sorry."

Hinata giggled again. "You're not being selfish, Naruto," she said.

"Yes I am, Hinata," he said back. "I want to be the one who makes you happy. I want to keep that all to myself."

Hinata touched her finger to Naruto's lips to silence him. "If that's selfish, then I'm just as selfish," she said with a small smile. "I want to be the one who makes you happy, too. And I want to keep you all to myself."

Naruto blushed and rubbed the back of his neck. It was his own nervous habit. Then he smiled at Hinata, took her hands in his, and said, "Let's be selfish together."

Hinata giggled, blushing herself. "That almost sounded like a proposal, Naruto," she said teasingly.

Naruto grinned. "Who says it wasn't?" he asked.

Hinata gasped. "Are you...p-p-p-proposing to me?" she asked. She hadn't stuttered like that in a long time, but she was so shocked it brought it out of her.

Naruto responded by getting on his knees. "I'll make it official," he said. "I'm sorry I don't have a ring right now, but...Hinata, will you marry me?" His heart was in his throat. He hadn't planned on doing this now, but...the moment was right. He had to do it.

Hinata gasped. "Don't faint, don't faint, don't you DARE faint!" she was thinking furiously. Taking Naruto's hands in hers again, she said, "Of...of course I will, Naruto!"

Naruto grinned and jumped to his feet, wrapping Hinata in a hug and swirling her around. Hinata giggled and hugged Naruto back tightly. After spinning her around, Naruto set Hinata on the ground and smiled at her. "I love you, Hinata," he said.

Hinata smiled just as wide as any smile Naruto ever had. "I love you, too, Naruto."

Then they kissed. It was far from the first time they had kissed, but it was the first kiss they shared...as fiances. And the two would never forget it.

A/N: And the rest, as they say, is history. Hope you guys enjoyed this little drabble. I was just inspired to write this earlier today, and I had to get it down while the thought was there.