Chapter Fourty Three

  "I'm glad that your face is looking better, but we have a wedding to get to in about an hour." Neji said to the couple, while looking down at his expensive watch, as his other hand held TenTen's purse. After ten minutes of searching the hotel for Shikamaru, the couple found him by the hotel entrance, with Temari.

"I don't think that purse is really your color, Neji." Shika teased him while walking behind them, through the entrance of the hotel. "Shut up." He said conclusively, making TenTen laugh as she finished her task at hands, and took her purse back.

"Thank you, Darling." She said while pecking his cheek, making him smile, and wrap his arm around her waist. "We'll meet you guys down in twenty." Shikamaru said to them, as him and Temari stepped onto the elevator. "Okay, we're all meeting at nine. Don't be late." Neji warned them, "Pull the stick out of your as-" The elevator door cut him off as it closed, and Neji rolled his eyes.

TenTen laughed at his expression and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "You're so stressed, Neji. Everything will be fine, and our little Hinata will be walking down that isle." He smiled at just the thought of that, "She's so happy. Have you seen her? Is she okay?"

She nodded, "She's so excited, it's adorable."Her hands moved to his tie, and she adjusted it for him as he said, "I'm so happy for her." A cute laugh left TenTen's lips, "I hope you're this excited when we get married." Neji's lavender eyes gazed into her mocha colored one's, and he just smiled cutely. "I can't wait to marry you." He said genuinely, making her blush deeply, and him laugh a little at her expression.

"However, today is Hinata's turn." She nodded with a smile on her face while pulling away from him, only for him to grab her hand and intertwine their fingers. "Yes it is, and she's gonna make a beautiful Uzumaki."

Neji nodded in agreement, while trying not to gape at his beautiful girlfriend. She wore a beautiful yellow floral sundress, that clung to her slim figure, and the tan she had gotten from being at the lake for the last few days, made her look absolutely gorgeous in it.

Just as he parted his lips to compliment her, they heard the ding of the elevator, followed by a frantic Sakura as she said, "N-neji, we need you right now, Hinata is totally freaking out, and none of us can calm her down." He gave her a questionable look, "Since when am I better at this than you?" He asked her, and instead of answering the question, she grabbed him by his arm and forced him into the elevator.

"Sorry, TenTen. You look great by the way." Sakura said while pressing the button for her floor, "Thanks?" TenTen responded as the doors closed in front of her.

"You're practically her brother, and I assumed that if my words weren't getting through to her, that maybe yours would. Besides, you're in the perfect relationship, so I don't think my words really meant much anyways." Neji just laughed as the doors opened, "You won't be laughing when you see her." Sakura warned, making him shake his head while still laughing. "Come on, she can't be that bad."

Immediately he stopped talking as she opened the door, and he saw Hinata dressed in a white Kimono, sobbing on the floor. "My goodness." He said in a soft tone, while seeing Ino as she sat next to her, trying to tell her to pull it together.

"Hinata?" He spoke, making her look over her shoulder at him, with her tear stained face. "What's wrong?" When he asked that, she turned back around, and placed her head in her hands. Sighing deeply, he nodded at their friends, who decided to give them some privacy by going into the bedroom of the suite, and closing the door.

"I can't help if I don't know what's wrong." He said while sitting in front of her, waiting for her to look into his eyes. As he sat there in front of her, it reminded him of all the times he would talk to her as a child, and they'd be in that exact same position.

Hinata would be crying over any and everything, while Neji would naturally feel inclined to make sure that she was okay, all while fixing the problem. Though they didn't have the same parents, they had always had a close bond like siblings, and they always would.

"Dad is going to kill me." She said into her hands, and Neji tried not to laugh. Hearing his distinct chuckle, she looked up into his eyes, and the face he made trying to compose himself, made her giggle. "It's not funny."

He shrugged, making her laugh even harder. "It is, Hinata, because you're right. You're so absolutely right." She sighed deeply and averted her gaze to the floor as she said what was bugging her, "You don't think he'd ever, you know?" He gave her a confused look, and she immediately shook her head at the intrusive thought. "No, never mind."

"Ever what, Hinata?" He asked her anyways, curious as to what had just crossed her mind about Hiashi. Honestly she wanted to ask if he thought that Hiashi would ever hurt her, and not just with his harsh words, but the same way he had hurt her mother for years.

Neji wasn't aware of the abuse, because by the time that he had moved in, Hinata's mother had been deceased for a few years, and she knew that it was far from the right time to bring it up; So, she brushed it off and sighed deeply.

"It's nothing, Neji. I'm actually just so scared, and not about getting married, just about having to tell dad. I-I-I just can't." Placing his hand on her shoulder, in an attempt to conform her, Neji smiled at her, "Hinata, if you want to marry Naruto, marry him. You're an adult, and if Hiashi has a problem with it, so what? It's your life, and he can't control it forever. Whatever happens, I'll always be there for you, regardless of how he reacts to this."

Extending her arm out towards him, she stuck out her pinky finger, "Promise?" Neji smiled at her, and interlaced their pinkies. "I promise." Smiling too, she pulled him into a hug."Will you walk me down the isle?" She whispered to him as they hugged each other. "Of course." He said with a smile, making her smile too.

"Very cute moment you guys, but if we don't hurry you'll be late to your own wedding." Smiling at her friends, Neji helped her up, and gave his cousin one last reassuring smile. "I'll see you down there."

  Once he left the room, the three girls finished getting their friend ready, before TenTen came back up to the room with the other essentials. "Alright, Sweetie. Are you ready for this?" She asked her friend with a smile on her face, making her smile too, with her red lipstick on her plump lips. "I'm so ready." ~ "How are you doing, Sasuke? I haven't seen you much today." Sakura said to him as she approached him with a smile. He was looking down at his arms, as he folded the sleeves of his button-up, and when he looked up at her a blush came to his face.

The smile on her gorgeous face, paired with the pink colored dress that made her emerald colored eyes pop, was enough to make anyone gawk at her beauty.

"I'm fine, how are you?" He asked her while nonchalantly putting his hands in his pocket, and subconsciously avoiding her beautiful eyes as his blush deepened. "I'm good, I'm actually really excited for them. After everything that happened tonight, I'm just happy that something good is going to come out of it."

Sasuke looked up as she said that, "Well something good did come from today." She tilted her head cutely and asked him, "Which was?" He mimicked her expression, making her giggle as he said, "Your birthday, Sakura."

A blush came to her face, "Oh yeah, I-I guess so." He laughed a little, "You've been so worried about everyone else, that you forgot it was your own birthday." She laughed a little while taking a step towards him, moving out of the way as a group of people walked behind her.

"Y-yeah a little, I was just in a weird mood today. I know the whole point of the trip was to celebrate, but I don't know." Sasuke nodded in understanding, "Remember how you made sure my birthday was memorable?"

A cute laugh left her lips, and she adverted her gaze to the floor as she remembered last summer. "Y-yeah I do." The way she subconsciously crossed her feet, while softly swaying and looking to the floor made Sasuke smile. Raising his hand, he brought his index and middle finger to her forehead, making her look into his eyes.

His gaze on her made her heartbeat settle, and for a moment, it felt like she was falling in love with him all over again. The innocent look in her eyes, combined with her adorable blush gave him a similar feeling as he asked, "Can I do the same for you?"

Parting her lipstick coated lips to answer his question, as his hand cupped her face in his palm, she was interrupted by the door to the venue as it opened. "Sakura, Sasuke, it's time." TenTen said with a smile, making Sasuke nod and take Sakura's hand. "Let's go, Sakura."

She nodded, and he interlaced their fingers before they walked into the beautifully decorated room. Since there wasn't too many people there, they were all in proximity to each other, and the group of friends talked to each other with anticipation written over their faces.

"She's gonna look so beautiful." Ino said to TenTen as she sat behind her, with an empty seat to her right, and Temari to her left. "Right? She's so-" She stopped talking as she looked behind Ino, "Is this seat taken?" He asked with his charming smile on his face, "N-no, of course not." Ino answered with a light blush coming to her face.

Sitting down, Sai parted his lips to tell Ino that he was sorry, only for her to do it first. "I'm....sorry. After everything we've been through, I really should've been more honest with you. You don't even have to forgive me, but Sai?"

His onyx eyes looked into her blue ones, seeing tears come to them as they stood up, hearing the sound of the piano. "I love you, and I'll never stop loving you." She finished, breaking eye contact with him as the door of the hall opened, and Hinata walked alongside Neji towards her fiancé who stood at the alter, with the brightest smile on his face.

As Sai stood next to his girlfriend watching her beautiful face, he watched the tears in her blue eyes slowly fall as she delicately blinked. Not wanting to see anymore of her tears fall, he reached for her hand that was at her side, and intertwined their fingers.

Turning her head, a cute blush came to her face, while Sai gave her a smile, that made her smile too. Standing next to his best friend, Sasuke's gaze stayed on Sakura, who had a bright smile on her face, and tears in her eyes as she smiled at her friend.

"Wow." Naruto said aloud, making his friends laugh a little, while Neji kissed the temple of her forehead. "I love you, Little Sister." The smile she had on her face became even bigger, and a tear escaped her eye, as she kissed her cousin's cheek, before she let go of his arm, and took Naruto's hand as he held it out.

As her lavender eyes looked into his blue ones, she had to smile as she saw his infectious one, and it brought butterflies to his stomach to see how beautiful she looked. Parting his chapstick coated lips, Naruto was speechless for a moment as he gazed at her so lovingly.

The both of them had stomachs filled with butterflies, but when they gazed into each other's passion filled eyes, they were almost instantly calmed, and remembered the vows they had wrote out only an hour ago.

As the man between them did the typical wedding speech, they both focused on one another, while holding each other's hands. The only thing on their minds was each other, and for a moment, they wished that time could freeze, just so they could savor this moment.

Each of them drowned out others noises, until it was time for them to exchange their vows. Hinata started, with a deep blush on her face, as she thought about everything she had been practicing for the last hour and a half. 

  "My dearest Naruto, as I stand here before you today, about to become your wife, I find myself in a state of complete euphoria. The past few months with you, Naruto Uzumaki, have filled me with an amount of joy I didn't even know was possible."

"Through loving you, I was taught how to love myself, and because of that, I know that the love we share is nothing shy of true. Naruto, you are the best thing to have ever happened to me, and I can't wait to see what the future has in store for us, because I know that we'll be able to take it." Hinata said with tears in her eyes, as she tried to keep them at bay as she saw his own fall.

Though she had stolen her friends words, the words that followed were straight from her heart, and it made even Sakura tear up. "I'm in love with you, Naruto, and I'll never stop loving you, no matter what. We're in this for the long haul, because as you've said before, Uzumaki's don't quit." That made him chuckle, while wiping his face with his hand. Sakura and Ino awed in unison, making all of them chuckle, before he was instructed to give his vows.

"Hinata, I want to start off by saying thank you. Not only are you far too good for me, but you have allowed for me to become more of the man I aspire to be. By loving you, I have been taught a multitude of things, but the most important being that true love knows no end."

"Since the first time I laid eyes on you, I knew that I loved you, and since the first time I told you that I truly realized what that meant. Loving you is easy, because though you may not ask for much, I can't help but want to give you the world. I don't know what this marriage will entail, but I do know that whatever happens, I'll never stop becoming the man who deserves you, and treasures you, Princess. I can't wait to start our life together."

It took every bone in her not to kiss his awaiting lips, as his hands caressed her tears away from her cheeks. Her mind focused on his lips, and she sprang into action the minute the officiator said, "I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride."

Their friends cheered, as she kissed her husband with pure anticipation. "God they're gorgeous." Temari said with a smile, excited for her friends."That'll be you guys one day." TenTen teased, bringing a blush to her face, while Shikamaru grabbed her hand and said, "Yeah, it will."

Her green eyes gazed into his as a sweet smile came to her face, making him kiss her cheek. Everyone hugged each other, before hugging the bride and the groom. "Alright you guys, reception at the lake house, and we will take pictures, all that good stuff." Sakura declared to all of them, though Naruto and Hinata were rightfully in their own world.

"Alright, and you two? We will get your licenses tomorrow once the court house opens." She said with a bright smile, while gently patting them on their shoulders. Though they both glanced at Sakura, and nodded with a smile, they hardly paid attention as their hearts beat with anticipation, and their minds stayed on each other.

"We did it, Naruto." Hinata said with a smile, while her hand sat pressed against his handsome face. He could hear the sound of sheer disbelief in her voice, so he looked into her beautiful eyes with a smile on his lips. "We did, Princess."

Her tone gave him butterflies full of anxiety, because he wasn't sure if she was secure in what they had just done. As he parted his lips to ask if she was okay, she spoke with tears of joy in her eyes, "That was the best decision I've ever made."

  She didn't give him a chance to agree, before she kissed his plump lips. As they kissed each other, Naruto's anxiety ridden heartbeat went away with ease, while Hinata's previous fears seemed to drift away.

Sure, she was scared of what her father would do and say, but as she stood there, in the embrace of her husband, she knew that she would be okay. She knew that they didn't need her father's money, connections, or anything, as long as they had each other.

In that moment, as they passionately kissed each other, the both of them knew that they would always have each other, even if everything else went away. With his hand on her face, Naruto caressed her cheek with his thumb, and looked into her eyes with pure love as his lips parted to say, "I can't wait to start this new chapter of our lives together, Princess."