A/N: First fic for the new year. Yay! Just a little something I wrote in response to Chapter 504, re: Kushina talking to Naruto about women/potential girlfriends.
Plans
In life, there is the way you planned it, and the way it was meant to be.
.
Naruto was just going to have to expect it; his life hadn't exactly gone the way his mother had hoped.
She had wanted him to grow up healthy, happy, surrounded by friends, and to eventually meet a girl; not a weird one, but someone just like her.
Growing up, he'd always been a fussy eater, generally opting for ramen and instant meals over fresh foods and vegetables. They just made for a more convenient, albeit unhealthy form of sustenance, he found. Not a lot had changed over the years. It was just as his mother had feared.
He'd never done brilliantly with grades or study either. He was very much a practical person, and didn't have the focus or discipline to concentrate on his Academy lectures. He'd never really listened to his sensei as much as he should have either... Well, at least not when it came to anything academic.
He had several friends now, but gaining that hadn't exactly come easy. He'd spent years of his life being ostracised and neglected by those around them. Parents warning their children to keep their distance, all because of the thing he had sealed inside of him.
And well, when it came to love, well; Naruto felt certain that he wasn't going to be able to honour his mother's wish when it came to that particular aspect of his life either...
.
Hinata Hyuuga was definitely a weird girl; there was just no denying it.
An awkward, reserved, stuttering, weird girl.
In fact, now that he thought about it, she wasn't really like his mother at all... At least, not in any real obvious way.
His mother had been lively and mischievous as a child, very much one of the boys; whereas Hinata was always obedient and reserved, someone who only really spoke when necessary.
She didn't exactly fit the mould... But, that wasn't important.
Sure, Hinata might not have been a tomboy, or a loud-mouth, or even one for pulling pranks like one Uzumaki Kushina had been, but she was proud a woman.
She was a proud, independent woman, who was determined to prove herself, yet still possessed some insecurities and self-doubts. She harboured imperfections, by they only showed that she was human.
She was the epitome of feminine beauty; slender and graceful, yet a fierce and deadly kunoichi at the same time.
She was smart, caring and empathetic, but most importantly, just like his mother before her, Hinata Hyuuga had proved that she loved Uzumaki Naruto with all of her heart. To the point that she was willing to lay down her life and sacrifice herself for him.
A simple, courageous act that couldn't be changed by something as trivial as the colour of her hair, or her reclusive tendencies, or even by the way she carried herself.
Hinata Hyuuga.
His awkward, reserved, stuttering, weird girl.
He really liked people like her.
In the end, that was really all that mattered.
.
In life, things don't always turn out the way you planned.
But sometimes that's just for the best.
A/N: So this fic, as I'm sure you've already assumed, sort of reponse to what Kushina said to Naruto about women in chapter 504. I realise this might is probably a few months late, but I felt compelled to write it nonetheless. Simply because of the ridiculous onslaught of NaruHina vs. NaruSaku pairing wars that single comment caused.
It really annoyed me, because it made a lot of people start to view major characters from Naruto in the most shallow, one-dimensional ways. They were making claims like "Sakura has pink hair and Kushina has red hair, and those are similar colours, therefore Sakura is like Kushina and NaruSaku will happen". Completely overlooking the fact that each of these characters are unique in their own way and reducing NaruSaku or NaruHina to a clone of MinaKushi.
I was also really annoyed over the fact that people would simply write off NaruHina as a possibility based on something as trivial as Hinata's personality or physical appearance. Completely ignoring the fact that she risked her fucking life to try and save him! I mean, I really doubt Naruto would be the type of person to just reject a girl because his mum said she didn't want him getting together with a 'weirdo', especially if said 'weirdo' did even half of what Hinata has done for Naruto.
Really, I don't think Kushina's comment strengthens NaruSaku at all. I think it just highlights the fact that things in life don't always work out the way you plan or hope. It gives the story depth and realism. In a perfect world, I'm sure Kushina would be alive, enjoying a happy, healthy life with her son and husband, but that isn't the case. In the manga, she expressed hope that Naruto and Sasuke would be friends and that Naruto would eat healthily and pay attention in school, but that wasn't how it unfolded at all. Kushina wanting Naruto to be with a girl like her is no different.
With this fic, I try to point out that sometimes when things don't work out, it happens for a reason. Take Minato for example. He sealed the Kyuubi in Naruto in the hope that the village would see him as a hero. But instead Naruto was ostracised and belittled, and had to work hard to earn the respect and admiration of those around. Because of that, the admiration and respect he earned was real and genuine. It wasn't some overwhelming praise he received automatically based on a 'luck of the draw' situation. So in turn, even though Naruto being with Hinata would be going against what Kushina had hoped, that doesn't mean Hinata is any less deserving of Naruto's love... I hope that made sense.
(I realise this blurb is pretty much longer than the fic itself. Sorry :P).
Whew. Well, okay. Now that that's out of my system; I hope you enjoyed this! Please R&R. :D