Starting over

Special - Marriage

Elegant. That was the only way Temari knew to describe the scenery in front of her. Smiling, she held onto the small bundle of flowers she had been given as she looked over the many guests. There were all kinds of people attending; she saw Tsunade along with Kakashi and a few other shinobi from the leaf, a few representatives from Ishigakure, of course a lot of people from Suna itself. The chairs were clad in a light beige color, almost indistinguishable from the white of the flowers in Temari's hand. She saw Gaara standing there in his suit, a smile always present on his face, a red rose pinned on his jacket, the kazekage hat hanging loosely by his side, since this was an official occasion as much as a private one. Baki also stood on the podium, his black suit seeming totally unfitting for the soldier.

She saw Neji standing next to Gaara, the flower on his breast being the same color as Temari's. Smiling she made her way towards the podium, followed by quiet compliments as she made her way down the aisle.

When she had reached the podium she grinned at her brother before taking her spot almost right beside Baki.

The next to arrive was Anko. She wore the same pink dress as Temari, also carrying the same bundle of flowers. Smiling, she stepped into the hall, making her way towards Temari's side. Smiling, she took her place opposite Neji.

"I hope she is ready." Temari whispered to the newcomer, earning a laugh from the purple haired woman.

"She won't get any more ready." Anko replied in a hushed tone, as the door opened again, this time fully, causing everyone to turn around.

Temari could see the smile of her future sister-in-law before anything else. The happiness radiated off of the young woman as she stepped through the door, two kids from the foster home she grew up in going in front of her throwing white flower petals on the red carpet. The white dress seemed to glow as the girl finally set into motion, slowly walking towards Gaara and the podium.

"The bride and groom have prepared their own vows." Baki announced after he had said a few words himself regarding the marriage he was about to seal.

Gaara smiled, as he took a step forward, holding his hands out for the bride to lay her hands in them.

"Matsuri, I don't know where to begin. I remember when my father died, you were the first person to not ask how I felt but to only offer company and silence. When we got together I thought that I couldn't be happier. But you prove me wrong, every time I wake up next to you, every time I find one of your little notes in between my stuff, every time I see you smile I get a little happier. When I told Temari that I was going to propose to you I was so nervous that you would say no. But Temari only laughed at me and pulled out another of your notes she had found in between the mail. It was a simple heart but it made all my worries go away in an instant. When I actually heard that one magical word leave your lips I couldn't describe how I felt, I can't even describe it now. All I know is that this feeling is something that I have felt ever since and I don't want it to stop.

So I swear that I will always stay by your side. The world may part us, but I want you to know that my heart will always beat for you. Whenever the world might seem dark and unforgiving I will be the light that guides you back to Suna, back to your friends, back to your family, back to me. In this life and the next I will stay with you and will protect you.

Because I love you."

Gaara's voice was calm and soft as he spoke but Temari could hear the happiness that threatened to make his voice jump and she was sure Matsuri could too. She took the silence as her cue to start the vow and smiled shyly as she took the small card Anko was holding.

Reading the first sentence she laughed quietly before throwing it away and looking up into Gaara's patient eyes.

"You know, I had this whole speech written about how much you mean to me, but I feel like this shouldn't be something planned and scripted, it should be something that comes naturally. I may not know all things but I know a few. For example I know that you didn't go with the speech you had prepared for today. But I also know that you being here, standing next to me feels right. It feels like we belong together. When you asked me to marry you, I imagined me standing here and being worried about the future, or being scared and until I stepped onto this podium these predictions were true. But the fact that you standing here is enough to calm me down just proves to me, that I don't have anything to be scared of, because we will be able to master everything. I am looking forward to our future, not as two individuals but as one family, as husband and wife, as lovers.

Because I love you."

Temari had to quickly wipe away some tears that threatened to roll down her face, as she heard these proclamations of love. "By the power invested to me by the council of Sunagakure and the Wind Daimyo I pronounce you Mr. and Ms. Gaara and Matsuri no Sabaku." Baki exclaimed, not bothering with the 'you may kiss the bride' sentence, since Gaara and Matsuri already leaned forward on their own.

A huge round of applause was given as the pair smiled and went out of the hall, hand in hand.

At the wedding party Temari kept to herself, smiling at the people around her having fun. The table for the bridesmaids and best men was small, only four chairs were put on it, but it was that exact reason Temari couldn't help but feel sad. Everywhere they had been today, there was a constant reminder of Naruto. At the ceremony he should have been opposite Temari as Gaara's best man, just like Neji had stood opposite Anko, but there was only a small picture of him with a black ribbon. The chair that would have been his on the very table Temari was sitting on was not sand colored like the rest but black. A sad sigh made it's way out of her mouth as she heard her name being called. Looking up she saw Matsuri standing with her back towards a large group of women. Of course she wanted Temari to be present when she threw her flower into the crowd. Smiling, Temari made her way towards the crowd making sure to stay at the edge, not wanting to get pulled into the pulk.

When everything had settled it was the Daimyo's daughter who had come out with the flowers in hand. Grinning, she went away, presumably to find her boyfriend, but Temari didn't bother. The blonde went back to her seat, watching as everyone had fun, listening to an actually hilarious speech from Anko, where she was glad that the woman didn't bring up Temari or Naruto, observing as Neji, half drunk, almost crashed into several tables while dancing. As the night slowly came to an end Temari carefully placed her bundle of flowers on the black chair next to her, giving the ring on her finger a gentle kiss. Making her way away from the party she snuck on top of the wall surrounding Suna, lying down and staring up into the stars. A single tear left her eye as she thought about the years that had passed since Naruto's death. "I see you still have the ring." Came a voice from next to her. Temari didn't even flinch as she closed her eyes. "Yeah I do. I didn't see you at the ceremony, I thought you didn't come." She replied as she sat up, looking at the tall man sitting next to her.

"I was there, but I had to keep low, since there were a lot of foreign people." The red haired man replied.

"Can't believe that it has almost been two years now."

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Hey dragons,

I just wrote this, trying to make up my mind about my own feelings and didnt want it to go to waste, so here I am publishing it as a special chapter. Have fun with it.

Peace,

Gleam-eyes