This is just an oneshot that I've been rolling around in my head for a while. I decided to write this now so people have something to read while I finish the next chapter of Remnant of a Legacy. Hopefully, getting this out there will spur me to finish the last 1/3 of the chapter. Unfortunately, so I could get this out there as soon as possible, this has not been checked by my betas, so please forgive any grammatical or spelling errors.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto….not yet anyway. (Insert evil maniacal laughter here)

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WARNING: EXRTREME FLUFF FOLLOWS! IF YOU FEEL YOURSELF BECOMING SLIGHTLY ILL AT ANY TIME, PLEASE STOP WHERE YOU ARE, EAT SOMETHING SALTY, THAN CONTINUE READING. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

(And if you didn't laugh at that you're a freakin' robot)

The Reason That I Stayed

Upon hearing the story of, my life, friends and enemies alike have always asked me the same question.

"Why did you stay?"

I can't deny that I had plenty of good reasons to do just that. The constant mistreatment by the villagers for something I couldn't even control; the assumption by my peers that I was nothing but a "dead last"; the fear that once any friends I managed to make managed to learn my dark secret, they would hate me; the fact that I was forced at birth with carrying the most powerful demon in existence sealed within me…..the list goes on. So yes, I had plenty of reason to leave and never look back. But I also had reasons to stay.

For the Third, who cared for me and took care of me since I was born. For Iruka-sensei, who was willing to look past the Kyuubi and become the closest thing I had to a father. For my dream, to become the most powerful Hokage the village had ever seen and have everyone acknowledge me. But there was one main reason, one reason I have never told to anyone or said aloud. The one true reason that, despite everything I went through, made me want to stay and persevere.

It was for the sake of that one person.

It began as just a presence that I felt. It stood out to me because there was no amount of killing intent or hatred mixed in it. Instead, it held something that I As if this person was accepting me for who I was, without me having to try to impress them. It was similar to how the Third and Iruka-sensei's presence felt toward me, yet it seemed to carrying something slightly different. Something I had never felt before. However, every time I tried to seek the person out, they seemed to just disappear. But just knowing that there was someone out there who felt that way made me fill very warm inside, similar to the unfamiliar feeling I picked up from that person. And while I was never able to find that person, I could always sense them somewhere nearby.

It was because I could always feel that person's presence that I noticed something about it. It always seemed to carry with it an undercurrent of sadness to it. It was as if their life was full of misery and depression. At one point, it was so bad that I knew I had to do something to make that person feel better. So even though I had no idea who the person was, I would smile and try to make sure that everyone around me would be happy and laughing. That was half of the reason I decided to start pulling pranks (the other half being they were just fun to pull). And I always knew when I made that person feel better because I was able to hear a giggle originated from somewhere nearby. And even though I was still unable to find out who that person was, I could tell she was female because of her laugh, which would always bring that same unfamiliar feeling to my chest when I heard it. I was really starting to wonder what that feeling was.

It wasn't until my first Chunin exams that I began to suspect who that person was. I began to suspect her when she offered to help in the first part of the exam. I was almost positive it was her when she handed me ointment for my injuries after my preliminary match against Kiba. But it wasn't until right before the final, when she told me she saw me as a "proud failure" and pulled me out of my depression that I was finally sure. And it was at that point in time that I was able to give that unfamiliar feeling a name.

Love. That feeling I had for her was love. And I knew, after feeling her presence near me for most of my life, that she felt the same way.

But I also realized that I wasn't strong enough for her. I was still the 'demon brat" to most of the villagers, though by then I had managed to gain the recognition and friendship of some of the people there. I realized that if I told her then, we would face hardships from both her family and the council. And I didn't want to put her through something like. So I pretended to remain ignorant of her feelings, swearing silently to myself that I would gain the acknowledgement of the village, not just for my own sake, but for hers as well. So that when the time came, I could look her straight in the eye and say to her, without fear of negative consequences or adversity:

"I love you, Hyuuga Hinata, and you are the reason I stay."

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Naruto looked up from his notes to see most of the women in the audience weeping uncontrollably (and some men, Gai and Lee already had the sunset beach behind them), Jiraiya yelling "You're gonna get some tonight" before getting slugged by angry Tsunade, Sakura looking at him with a happy but slightly jealous look, Iruka with a fatherly smile on his face, the guys looking impressed tha the had been able to write something like that, and Hinata was redder than he had ever seen her (and that's saying something), but she also had the brightest smile he had ever seen on her face. He turned to look behind him at Neji, who looked as if he was having a difficult time trying not to cry. Naruto smirked.

"And you were worried I was going to screw up the vows and ruin the wedding for her."

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How's THAT for an ending? Show of hands who saw that coming…….That's what I thought! Wow, I'm just asking for someone to prove me wrong, aren't I? I'm just happy I wrote this, please don't flame me! I have a very fragile sense of self-worth...(laughs). No, I'm just trying to be funny. Chapter 3 of my other story should be out in about two weeks. I'm really sorry for taking so long. Please review, as it makes me feel a whole lot better about writing these fanfics.

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….And Neji was the best man. Don't get any ideas, yaoi-fangirls.