Edit-- Revised

Author's Notes: I must say, you mustn't give me all the credit for what you will soon embark on-- this plot line/story once belonged to the incredible Bullwinkle's Lady, so please check her out. She has given me the chance to write it my way... and I plan to do so.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters

Prologue

She had to admit, Naruto's smile made her insides wriggle in excitement and joy. On that day, after so long of hiding it, she saw his smile.

Hinata Hyuuga, twenty-two, walked down the halls of the Hokage tower. Remembering her youth, the place had always seemed so warm and lively, full of shouts and laughter – and Tsunade's drunken rambling had never failed to fill the office. However, today, the tower was strangely cold. It was dark, quiet, and everything seemed dim.

I suppose I have not gotten over Tsunade-sama's death… During her struggle, the fifth's body had ultimately failed her; it was similar to the way the sixth's own was weakening.

Still, Naruto Uzumaki was the strongest ninja in Konoha. The blond-haired man had proven his rightful place as Hokage with his defeat of Orochimaru.

And he was smiling right then as Hinata quietly slipped into his office.

Naruto sat behind his desk, appearing comfortable with Sakura Uchiha upon his lap. Suddenly, Hinata found her cheek twitching; from what she could see, Sasuke had a similar reaction splattered upon his face. The man stood, arms crossed, glaring down at the two.

"Put my wife down," Sasuke growled through clenched teeth. As an ANBU captain, the man was thought to be muscular and handsome, his armor and uniform perfecting his physique. However, Hinata noticed dark bags under his eyes, Sasuke's face was pale and though he was a rather handsome man, Hinata had to think of him as someone in need of medical attention; he looked sick every time she met with him. His weary onyx eyes were dull and the man was covered in bloodstains. It seemed he had just returned from a mission.

Naruto began to whine in that some-what husky, some-what girlish, yet completely adorable, voice of his. "But we were having so much fun," he frowned as Sakura climbed off and leapt into her husband's arms, kissing him on the cheek.

Sasuke seemed satisfied. "Floozy," he muttered, jokingly, snaking an arm around her waist, taking his hand and placing it upon her rear end.

The woman's hair had grown long again, reaching her mid-back. Her emerald eyes were lively as ever, shut tight from laughter as the sex jokes continued. Hinata rarely saw any of them so happy and carefree. However, most knew that Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto were happiest together.

"Pervert," Sakura whispered, slipping out of his hold. She moved toward Naruto, who snatched her arm and winked suggestively. Sakura giggled as Sasuke made an inappropriate gesture.

Sasuke and Sakura had married a year ago; yet, not much had changed. Both were usually away on missions, sometimes Sakura would address her husband with a "kun" and she would always blush when embarrassing herself around him. Sasuke did not seem to mind, because he always smirked caringly.

Naruto was happy for them. Sincerely happy.

With spiky, blond hair growing out of control and blue eyes lacking that certain sparkle, all could tell he was very preoccupied with other things; the Hokage's responsibilities escalated far beyond anyone else's. He was deeply haunted by Konoha's war with the Sound; he no longer seemed to have the patience for the tribulations of love; especially those that could place others in danger.

Maturing over the years, Naruto acquired a build stronger and stockier than Sasuke's. The single, noticeable change was in his expression; when he grinned, a spark of evil reflected off his distinguishable canines, bordering on fangs, from a few too many transformations. If Naruto allowed himself the power, the Kyuubi would have the ability to take his body.

Finally, he noticed her at his doorway and his smile softened. "Hinata-chan," His voice was low and authoritative, a tone he borrowed from Sasuke; it helped him slide through meetings and tough spots. Sasuke and Sakura, too, noticed her presence and turned to her.

The dark-haired kunoichi bowed her head. "Hokage-sama," she uttered softly, looking down if only to hide the faint blush that appeared every time Naruto's eyes met hers. She could not help but allow herself an inner grin of excitement.

Time after time, Naruto would correct her with a 'just call me Naruto', but he left her without a word, sighing deeply. It was odd because he would usually dedicate more than enough time lecturing her on unnecessary formalities and small slip-ups. Hinata suddenly felt frustrated with herself. Would she ever change—his lack of correction wanted to make her scream, knowing she might have upset him one too many times. She slowly looked back up to see that he was simply holding out a folder to her, the tired smile remaining, a small something playing on the corners of his lips. "Your mission," he said.

Without a second thought, she turned to leave knowing she would see him until she returned for debriefing. She could only hope her mission ended quickly; anticipation filled her as she imagined…

Hinata sighed deeply as she scrambled through her pockets for her keys. That night, all she needed to worry about was getting all the sleep she could. And, with what the mission entailed, she cold only hope for morning to hit. The mission would take her a week to accomplish. A week was much too long of a period of Naruto's absence, she realized as she absently tugged a lock of black hair resting behind her ear.

Stepping into the cold, dark apartment, visions of her former life at the Hyuuga Compound came to mind. She was undeniably content with her separation from her clan however, life then—before her eighteenth birthday—had been lavish and extravagant. Any girl would miss being waited on hand and foot once forced to leave it all and relocate to a small apartment where no more than three people could live comfortably.

Her childhood had not been the worst, had not been the best but she was more than certain that when she thought back on it, her insecure 12 year-old self came to mind. No matter how taunting or demeaning it seemed now, that childish crush of hers always seemed easier than what she had to do now that she had the one she wanted. Then, as she thought back on the passion shared in the confines of his office, the childhood crush era never seemed as great.

Though, she did remember the moment she chose her path and her decisive thinking brought a turning point. It had been eight years ago; Sakura had thrown a large sixteenth birthday party for Ino and all guests had been forced into a game of 'Truth or Dare'. That had been the first kiss she and her blond prince had shared.

Steadily, a relationship had developed; nothing special—Naruto just got close to her and allowed himself to be friends with her. By then, Hinata had hoped Naruto would be hers for the taking. Oh, how she had been wrong. Nevertheless, Hinata waited for him. She had even taken the liberty of declining any involvement with any other boy—hoping Naruto would sweep her off her feet.

Now, at the peak of her maturity and understanding, Hinata let her mind wander, wondering whether it was all worth it. Yes, it was; Hinata wanted nothing more than to belong to him! What would people say if she told them the Rokudaime loved her? Maybe that she was crazy—is that why Naruto forbade her from telling anyone? Or was it that he was Hokage and he would seem weak if the people he was protecting knew he had weaknesses and that he could not be trusted because of them.

She trudged silently into the bathroom and took a glance at herself in the mirror.

Lavender eyes stared blankly at the reflection she hoped was not her, disheveled bangs tickling her forehead. Pale as the walls of the bathroom, Hinata frowned at her complexion and what the light did to her skin; it shone with an intensity of a pale violet.

Maybe he thought she was not pretty enough to be the Hokage's girlfriend. Why, then, did he call her his goddess every time he caressed her, tickled her neck with his gentle kisses?

Muttering his name, she thought about how amazing, strong and vibrant, his smile was. How he was so optimistic. Her lips parted as another sigh escaped.

Everyday, Hinata would remind herself that she should never let Naruto's lack of information hinder her and decided that made her strong. In addition, she knew her strength also came from the willingness she had had the moment she declined the title of clan head.

She declined her father's offer —she did so thinking of Hanabi's safety. If it were not for Hinata's insecurity and kindness, her sister would have been marked with the cursed seal; yet she knew she was only lying to herself.

After her father had accepted the fact she would not take his place, he banished her. Hinata, at that point, considered herself as the only unique individual to hold the name Hyuuga. The thought of never returning did not weaken her, did not sadden her—she was relieved. Happy. Happy of finally having no restraints, no borders—nothing would stop from being with her prince.

Hinata, after becoming a jounin, and taking on three students, realized her choice was the right one. Her students were misfits and they made her job extremely rewarding as she saw her genin self within them… or parts of her old self. Hinata grew stronger as she traveled with them and protected them. Those little genin of hers had even brought a new courage ready to fuel her at a moment's notice—the Hyuuga had hopes of joining Kiba and Shino and her other old teammates in the waging war against neighboring hidden villages. Then, maybe, Naruto would feel that their relationship could go public.

What if that was it? What if he didn't love her? No— no 'what if's. Hinata, he loves you.

Once changed in her nightdress, Hinata slipped into bed and quickly fell to sleep, dreaming that Naruto came to her aid on a black stallion, rescuing her from a large, black, looming shadow. Surprisingly, she heard nothing that night as her window was gently forced opened, her dream escalating in excitement. A figure loomed over her sleeping body, crawling to her side; the figure slit her throat and gouged Hinata's eyes from her skull…

Morning came and her lifeless body was discovered on her bed, sheets drenched in her blood.

"I'm sorry Hokage-sama, did—did you… know her?"

"We actually… grew up together," Naruto said weakly. He felt his insides squirm as he began to feel sick. He unconsciously gripped the edges of his desk, his hands going numb.

"My apologies," the messenger said. After shedding a few moments of silence, the man slowly made his way to the door.

Naruto uneasily broke the silence, calling after the messenger. "But, why take her eyes?"

"It is quite standard of the Sound shinobi. It is a means of disgracing the previous owner—taking their bloodline. No doubt, the secrets of byakugan will be studied and tested."

As his hands began to shake, Naruto spoke, "Thank you. You may go now."

Bowing slightly, the man exited the office.

Vindictively, Naruto turned and glared out the window; the morning was bright and beautiful. It made no sense to him. The Hokage took a deep breath in an effort to steady the furious pounding of his heart. Never had he felt so miserable in his life—helpless—and to blame.

He closed his eyes and turned back to his desk, slamming his fists upon the hard surface. You moron… why…why? Cursing himself for his cruelty, Naruto calmed and realized it was not her fault—she had done nothing wrong. Hinata…

He was right; it was not her fault. And if it was not her fault, it was his.

The blond's vision blurred as the tears finally came, and he buried his face into cupped hands. "This war . . . is getting out of hand."

Who made that rule, huh, Hinata? I should have been at your side.

--

Naruto grimaced as it began to rain. He did not want to leave her side as his eyes trailed the casket's borders. His fists began to shake as the urge to hit something almost overtook him.

One by one, the guests stepped forward and paid their respects, black umbrellas at hand. As every single one of then bowed as they passed, he wanted to scream; they should just have gone about their business and leave him to his thoughts and Hinata. Some of his closest friends gave him encouraging hugs and reassuring smiles; he wondered if they knew. What were they thinking? Just what do you think about this?

Naruto's insides cartwheeled and his skin crawled as he remembered those lonesome, working nights: Hinata had always made sure to accompany him, urging him to work as she caressed his sore spots.

The Hokage had failed to notice he had been clutching his chest until droplets of water rolled down his shaking hands. Looking to the dark sky, he lowered his arms and his tears mingled with the rain.

Two people walked by; Sasuke and Sakura moved as one as they took turns paying respect to the woman. The kunoichi's eyes red and puffy and she clung tightly to her husband's arm. Sasuke was impassive, as always, but pulled his wife closer yet. The two bowed their heads as they reached the casket, and Naruto wondered whether Sakura was praying for Sasuke's safety.

Konoha's sweetest girl had died so young, and Naruto had to wonder if it was a twisted quirk.

Was it a warning? A sign? Cruel fate?

Can I… could I have done anything…?

He was suddenly on his knees, his clothes soaked, and for a stunned moment, he felt all eyes on him. Uchiha Sakura was suddenly knelt beside him, gently whispering – asking whether he could hear her. If he was okay, whether he would be okay.

I want to fix this. I want her back…

Author's Notes: This is version 2.0 of Selfish-- Prologue. I had to add things about Naruto and Hinata's relationship.

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