~Roughly 9 months since the final battle~

I think I'm becoming an awful, selfish person. Thank the Lord Matsuri finally woke from her coma and has been working hard on recovering so she can come home. The time finally arrived, and she left the hospital to move into one of the houses at the compound with Gaara, who seemed a million times more full of life now that the girl's life wasn't in the balance anymore.

Some of us girls met at the mall a couple days after that to take her shopping, a sort of welcome-home-spree. It was cut short by public members recognizing her, but otherwise, catching up was genuinely lovely.

This brings me to the present. We're having a girls' night at Ino and Sai's house, sitting in a big circle, drinking, laughing, and just trying to relax and spend time together. The boys chose to hang out at Sakura and Sasuke's house, right next door, to take advantage of the fact that we weren't bothering them for once.

I know this get-together is supposed to be celebratory because so many fantastic things are happening for my friends. Matsuri's alive and on the road to full recovery, many of our careers are taking off, and, the biggest blessing of all, we're alive. A year ago, none of us were sure if that'd be the case.

The most significant thing that's bothering me, and making me selfish and rude, is that Ino, Sakura, and Tenten are all engaged to be married.

I took sip after sip from the vodka bottle in my hands rather than pass it along to the next person; my eyes trained in a glare at the carpet as the group teased Matsuri about her relationship with Gaara.

Why hasn't Naruto asked me to marry him yet?

The two of us act like we're already wed, anyway, so what's the hold-up? We live together and even share responsibilities in raising a child. Our finances are in order, too. Royalty checks from my father's cancer cure are still coming in once and month, and they're more than enough to cover all of our living expenses three times over.

Tears welled in my eyes as I took a bigger drink this time. Back then, when we thought we were facing the end of the world, Naruto spoke as though he was already in it for the long haul. Was it just the adrenaline? Did he say all those passionate and sweet things because he figured it wouldn't hurt; we'll be dead anyway?

Shaking my head, I took yet another swig. That's not Naruto, and I know that. His sincerity hasn't changed in the slightest, and neither has his constant affection. A day can't go by without him showering me with compliments, encouragement, and I-love-yous.

My tears fell heavier as I pictured all the beautiful things he does daily: helping with Sinzo, dealing with a stubborn Hanabi, and keeping up with his half of the household upkeep. All the while, he's working full-time as a news anchor because he doesn't want to freeload.

To my humiliation, I drunkenly asked the girls if they thought Naruto actually loves me. Naturally, each one had words of defense for him and encouragement for me. They're right, too. I know I don't have anything to worry about. Even if he did fall out of love with me, he'd never knowingly leave me hanging, unsure and insecure, like this. Naruto would tell me immediately to prevent the worsening of the situation.

Another hour passed, and I kept drinking despite knowing I should've cut myself off when I began crying. I've been very stressed at work, school, and home. I feel so awful. I've been given so much, yet here I am, crying and fussing because I don't have a ring on my finger. I'm a bigger baby than Sinzo.

In a blink, the group of us were in the kitchen of Sakura's house while Ino and Sakura yelled at Naruto, who looked utterly lost. When did we get here!? Oh, God, I can't let him see me all emotional and stupid like this, or he'll want to have a huge conversation about it. I ducked behind Temari and Matsuri, cursing drunkenly under my breath.

What if it's worse? What if he proposes because he feels guilty? That'd cast a shadow of doubt over the whole ordeal.

"Hina, come here."

My spine straightened, and I met Naruto's warm blue eyes across the room. They told him, didn't they? I'm so embarrassed! He motioned with his hand to encourage me to come closer, and I wiped at the tears on my wet cheeks as I stumbled around Matsuri.

The blonde man pulled my hands into his, a look of understanding about his bright features. Our friends were distracted by the other drunk girls' antics, so no one was paying attention to us, "Hina, is this why you've been so stressed?"

Stupid and drunk, I mumbled with a bright red face, "I thought you loved me."

He released my hands to cup my face, brushing my tears away with his thumbs as he grinned, obviously amused by my state of honesty, "I love you very much. You know that."

Sighing in defeat, I nodded, accepting a couple quick kisses from him.

He brushed his nose against mine, "Have I ever told you how cute you are when you're drunk?"

For some reason, I giggled, "No, I'm annoying everyone tonight because all I can think about is you."

Naruto's tan skin took on a red hue, "Hina, listen. You don't have anything to worry about, okay? I promise." Eager to end the humiliating conversation, I nodded, smiling happily as he kissed me again.

Since the negative emotions had been quelled for the moment, something else appeared to take their place, and I asked with wide eyes, searching his face eagerly, "Did you drink a lot? Can you drive? I wanna take my clothes off."

A couple different people laughed nearby, and I turned to see that most of our friends had left. The only people remaining were Kankuro and Kiba, who were the ones laughing.

Kankuro sobered up first, wiping a tear from his eye, "Naruto, you lucky bastard."

An arm came around me, and I was pulled against Naruto's chest, which vibrated as he snickered, "You have no idea, man."

I groaned immediately upon waking, lifting a hand to my head as it throbbed. Wincing, I opened my eyes to see a little note on my nightstand. After reading it, I sighed, set it back down, and rolled over to snuggle deeper into the thick covers.

"Got called in early. Last night was amazing. I love you!"

What that man did when we got home last night was, indeed, fantastic, but all I can think about is how I humiliated myself at the compound. That's the drunkest I've ever been, and everyone was there to see it.

After showering, I wore my robe and went downstairs to see Hanabi and Konohamaru studying in the family room. Baby Sinzo was in his playpen trying to figure out if each toy was edible, with a happy little grin on his cute face.

"Good morning, sunshine." Just by my little sister's tone, I knew she knew something had happened last night.

I rolled my eyes at her and trudged into the kitchen, "Did you two eat breakfast yet?"

"Kono brought coffee and donuts. They're on the counter."

Despite being drastically hung over, starving, and drowning in self-anguish, I smiled as I snagged the remaining takeout cup of coffee from the carrier and a donut from the box. Waiting for the two of them to admit they're dating has been like splitting hairs: tedious.

Naruto and I even walked in on them making out once but managed to back out of the room without them noticing. To everyone involved's dismay, I tried to subtly have "the talk" with Hanabi after that, which led to a screaming match where both of us were mortified. Ultimately, we agreed to designate a drawer in the guest bedroom for contraception; that way, she doesn't have to ask if she needs it, and I don't have to know because I genuinely don't want that knowledge.

I returned to the family room, kneeling down to play with the baby while sipping my coffee, "Thank you, Konohamaru. You didn't have to do that."

The boy blushed, shaking his head dismissively. Hanabi grinned mischievously, "You were out past curfew last night, big sister. Don't tell me you got into trouble."

I groaned, pulling a drool-covered block from Sinzo's hand so he wouldn't hurt his gums on it, "I don't want to talk about it."

The two shared a look, one with a blush and the other with a smug smile.

The day passed slowly, and I spent time catching up on housework and caring for Sinzo. My phone rang in the evening while I was giving him a bath. After seeing it was Tenten calling, I answered and put it on speaker so I wouldn't have to hold it.

The energetic woman spoke before I could greet her, "Hinata, how are you? Are you hungover? I know I am!"

I winced at her loud voice, "It doesn't sound like you are."

She laughed, "I'm resilient; what can I say? Anyway, that's not why I called." I waited for her to continue, rinsing Sinzo's dark hair as he slapped playfully at the bubbles in the water. "So you know how Neji and I wanna get married the week between Christmas and New Year's?"

I made a confirming sound, so she said, "Well, that's less than four months away, and I still haven't planned anything. So…."

I wiped some sweat from my brow with the back of my hand, glancing at the phone absently before focusing back on the baby, "So…? Do you want some help? You know I don't mind. Just let me know when you want to meet so I can clear my schedule."

"Damn it, Hinata, I'm trying to ask you to be my maid of honor!"

My stomach dropped into my stomach, and I held the baby still so he wouldn't move as I stared at my phone in disbelief, "Y-You want me to-" "Of course, I do! Who else would I ask but my future sister-in-law?"

Tears filled my eyes as I tried to find the words to respond. "Are you crying? Don't cry, Hina! Just say yes so I can stop pacing around all nervous!"

A shaky laugh left my lips, and I shook my head, "Y-Yes, Tenten, I'll do it. You really didn't have to ask."

"I only made it sound like a question. You were doing it whether you wanted to or not. Okay, now that that's all done, let's meet up…next Sunday?"

After ending the phone call, I smiled at Sinzo with happy tears falling down my cheeks. The baby just giggled and grinned back up at me. A soft knock came at the door before I heard it open and glanced back to see Naruto loosening his tie, "Hey."

When he met my eye, he frowned and entered the room the rest of the way, "What's wrong? Did something happen?"

I shook my head, focusing on the baby again as I rinsed the soap from his body, "T-Tenten asked me to be her maid of honor."

The man grinned toothily, making my heart flutter as he was still in the business suit he filmed in while at work, "You cry too easily, Hina. You know that?"

I offered a playful glare before picking Sinzo up and wrapping him in a fluffy dinosaur towel. Naruto followed me casually as I carried him to the nursery. I sat him on the changing table and began drying him off and dressing him, asking absently, "What do you want for dinner? Or do you want takeout?"

When I glanced at Naruto, he gave me a sheepish grin, and I shook my head, laughing, "We can't have ramen every night."

While unbuttoning his shirt, he shrugged, "Something with meat, then." Nodding, I finished dressing Sinzo and carried him into the family room so he could play in his pen again while I cooked.

Naruto went upstairs to change out of his work clothes. Hanabi was having dinner at Konohamaru's uncle's house tonight. (Again, who do they think they're fooling?)

That night, after dinner, we realized Sinzo didn't want to go to sleep, something that's becoming more normal the older he gets. Naruto and I stared down at him as he giggled happily in his crib, holding onto the crib's edge to help him stand.

"Sinzo, buddy, where do you get all this energy? It's night-night time." The corner of my lips tugged as Naruto leaned forward to touch his nose against the baby's with a playful smile.

The blonde man straightened his spine, absently wrapping an arm around my waist as I stepped closer and leaned into his side, "I wonder if we should leave him alone. He might not want to sleep if we're here," Naruto looked over at me with warm blue eyes, "We have the baby monitor. It'll be fine, right?"

I nodded, accepting a short kiss from him.

"Da…"

Our eyes widened, and we looked down at Sinzo again. He's been vocal for a few months, but nothing has made sense. Pretty silver eyes gleamed back up at us as he offered us one of his heart-melting smiles.

My face warmed, and I cooed at him, coming down lower so our faces were at the same level, "Don't tease us like that. Go on." Sinzo squealed happily, giggling as he reached over to pat my cheek.

To my utter and complete surprise, his pretty little eyes danced over to Naruto, and he reached both hands up at him, "Dada…." I stood straight, eyes wide, as Naruto and I both gasped.

A hand came to my lips as the blonde man visibly melted, picking up the baby and cuddling him with a happy grin and tears in his eyes, "How'd he even learn that? We haven't…."

I wiped at a stray tear and shook my head, rolling my eyes, "I-It had to be Hanabi."

After moving in together, we decided quickly that we would be honest with Sinzo once he became old enough to understand how we're all related, so we haven't been trying to get him to say "Mama" or "Dada" like normal parents would.

Naruto lifted his gaze as he bounced the baby in a way that said it was more for his own benefit than the babies, obviously trying not to cry. It was quiet for a long moment as we waited to see if the baby would say anything else.

"Hina…. I'm so happy."

Letting out a breathy laugh, I embraced him and Sinzo, rising to kiss him softly before wiping at a stray tear that'd managed to fall from his pretty blue eyes, "Me, too."