' Everyone's got these memories. Some are so sweet that they make you giggle. Some are so bitter that they make you cry. But they both incorporate the bittersweet element of life - bitter enough to make you suffer, but sweet enough to make you smile. It isn't always a spool of cotton candy, and also not a cup of thick espresso. Combining the two will give you the definition of life, all you have to do is relish it '
2 weeks later ~
(Name) stared at her reflection in the mirror, completely stunned. She ran her hand on the fine diamond embellishments on her wedding gown, a small smile tugging her lips.
(Name)'s gown was a traditional one, the usual white one with a long trail behind her.
The sleeves were long and made from fine lace, and the skirt was puffy and flared out. The diamond embellishments completed the entire look, giving it a hint of luxury.
She twirled around, feeling like a true princess.
" (Name), are you done? " Gaara called out from the other side of the curtain that separated them.
" Yeah! " she replied, unable to cap her excitement.
Gaara motioned the workers of the wedding boutique to lift the curtains, and they quickly complied.
When the curtains were lifted, it was Gaara's turn to be stunned.
The gown seemed as if it was made for (Name), and he couldn't wait to see her walking down the aisle wearing exactly that.
" Looking good, " she smiled, pointing at Gaara's black cashmere tuxedo.
" Really, angel? " he concurred, sneaking a small peck on her lips.
(Name)'s face turned into a raging bright scarlet immediately, and she quickly covered it with her hands.
" (Name), I'd like to bring you somewhere after this. I'm sure you'll love it, " Gaara grinned, taking hold of her hand.
" Really? Where? " she quickly questioned. " If I tell you now, it wouldn't be a surprise anymore, " Gaara ended his words with a pout.
" Okay.. I won't ask. It better be nice though, " she replied.
" No doubts about that."
When they got into the car, (Name) asked Gaara thousands of times where they were going, yet he didn't give in to her.
The route was rather unfamiliar to (Name), and all she knew was that it was headed to the most luxurious and exclusive area of Suna's residences.
The Fourth Kazekage's mansion was built in the upscale area of the capital city, for his wife Karura refused to live in the oh-so exclusive area. In fact, she was reluctant to live in the upscale parts of Suna. Karura was from a well off, famous clan.
Majority of her life was spent being cooped up in the mansion, and surrounded by the sons and daughters of nobles.
Unlike herself, they were proud of their luxurious lifestyle, and could barely live without it.
When Rasa courted her, all she could say were that she was pleasantly surprised.
She learned that Rasa was the Fourth Kazekage, and thought she would be surrounded by snobby and arrogant people with all the high class rubbish until the day she died.
The thing is, Rasa was different. Instead of forcing her to adapt to the lifestyle she hated so intensely, he simply gave her what she wanted.
A simple, average life.
She didn't ask for much, Rasa could see that. It was something that he could easily fulfill. Of course, even by average, he still showered her in gifts and jewelleries whenever he had the chance. Their mansion was still one of the grandest in Suna, but Karura was happy.
She slowly realised what she truly wanted - a family that she could take care of, and spend her life with.
Karura and Rasa dreamed to make their mansion a joyous and cheerful one, but they never got to achieve it. Now, all that was left of that broken dream was a huge, empty house and siblings who had slowly drifted apart.
The car pulled over in front of a large manor, which was vastly superior to the mansions of other powerful clans. Unlike the rest of Suna, it had trees and shrubs, and wasn't just plain old sand. Gaara glanced at (Name), who dozed off after she gave up to get information out of Gaara.
" (Name).." he called out softly, inching close to her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. He pulled her closer towards him and pressed a tender kiss on her cheek.
She let out a groan as she stirred awake, her eyes fluttering wide open.
" Hmm..? What are you doing? " she murmured.
" Well, you were asleep. I was just waking you up. Anyway, we're here," Gaara ended his words with a bright smile.
(Name)'s face lit up in excitement, and she quickly got out from the car.
" Eh, who's house is this? " she blurted, staring at the large manor.
" Why? Do you like it? " Gaara grinned, linking his arms with her.
" It's nice. Actually the nicest house I've ever seen. But I think this qualifies as a castle, " she smiled.
Gaara nodded as a matter of factly. " Ah, I see. So it's a castle. Our castle."
(Name) turned around to face Gaara.
" What? Our castle? What do you mean by that? " she couldn't help herself but ask.
" Let's just skip to the introduction, can we? Okay, (Name)..
Welcome to our new home! "
When Gaara turned around, he found a surprised (Name) staring back at him.
" Our home? This castle is our new home? " she voiced.
" Yeah.. We'll be married soon, and as your husband, I have to make sure that you're always safe and protected. Besides, we need a good place to raise our children. I built a lot of rooms, just in case, " he chuckled.
(Name) flushed red, and she retaliated by playfully slapping Gaara's back.
" Gaara!"
Gaara continued to laugh - something about (Name)'s reaction was comical to him.
" Don't you want to go inside? " he asked after recovering from his laughing fit.
(Name) let out a huff, pouting her lips. She didn't reply to Gaara's question, and continued to ignore him.
" Oh.. You're playing this game," he said, a smirk creeping onto his face. He sprinted towards (Name) and scooped her in his arms, carrying her in a bridal style.
" Gaara! Put me down! "
He ignored her and strutted towards the door, and unlocked it by keying in the four digit code.
With that, the door clicked open.
It was the loveliest place (Name) ever saw, every single detail of the design was perfection.
" It's wonderful, " she breathed, quickly hopping off Gaara's arms. (Name) looked around, eyeing anything that caught her eye.
" There's not much to see here. This is the guest's waiting room. I filled it with paintings and sculptures to make it more vibrant. There are some guestrooms too. Ah, that door leads to the kitchen, " he commentated.
" Ooh.. Let's go! " she beamed.
Simply said, (Name) loved it. The kitchen had all the cooking and baking appliances she would ever need, a huge fridge, and a large working area.
After that, Gaara took her to the second floor. This floor was filled with a library, several two living rooms, the dining room, and a Japanese style tea room.
(Name) marvelled at the book collections, grinning widely. She quickly pulled out a random book from one of the many shelves, but didn't even had the chance to glance at the cover before Gaara pulled her away.
" Let's go to the next floor. I'm sure you'll love it, " he grinned, wrapping his arm around her waist.
The third floor was rather different from the other floors. It was somewhat - childlike and simple. The ground floor boasted a combination of Victorian and Contemporary design, and the second floor was more of a mix of Oriental and English decor.
The design of the third floor was child friendly and light hearted, complete with pastel coloured walls and watercolour paintings.
They went into one of the rooms, which had a crib and several furnitures inside.
" I dedicated the entire floor to our future children, (Name), " he smiled, pulling her into an embrace. (Name) smiled as well, but a thought quickly slipped into her mind.
" Ah.. And how many children's rooms are there? " she questioned.
" Five," he answered immediately, rather in a proud way. (Name)'s jaw dropped as she stared at Gaara. " I know it sounds like a lot of work-" Gaara was cut off by a red faced (Name).
" Hey! You pervert!" she burst. Gaara let out a loud chuckle, failing to bottle it up.
" I am a pervert, but you still love me the same, don't you? " he grinned widely. (Name) let out a huff and turned her head to another direction.
" There's one final floor. It just happens to be ours, " he smirked.
(Name) raised a sceptical eyebrow at him, giving the 'really dude?" look.
" Oh let's just go! "
Gaara grabbed her hand and led her up the staircase, an excited smile forming on his face.
The stairs led straight to a space that seemed like a living room, although the decor indicated that it was only for two people. The color scheme was warm and romantic, and the lighting was dim as well.
There was an opening that led to a second library, and two doors that each opened to the bathroom and the bedroom.
(Name) first went into the bathroom, and wasn't even surprised to find a hot tub for two inside.
Finally, they entered the bedroom. (Name) adored the design of the entire house, but this room takes the cake.
There was a sliding door that led to the rooftop, and she quickly went outside.
" Woah! " she burst. Her eyes were wide open as she took in the view. " I've only seen rooftop swimming pools in movies! "
On the rooftop was a large, intricately designed swimming pool. There was a hot water jacuzzi in one corner, and a patio in another.
(Name) approached the pool and gingerly dipped one of her feet into the water.
" (Name)! What are you doing?" Gaara called out, making her jump in shock. She felt herself losing all balance, and as if she was tossed in the air.
It wasn't long before she was engulfed in the cold water.
" (Name)!" Gaara yelled, quickly running to the pool. Luckily, (Name) was only on one side of the pool, and he was able to pull her out without having to jump in.
(Name) let out a groan as she lay on the floor, her clothes all sticky and uncomfortable. " Damn it.. Sorry Gaara.. " she murmured.
" Never mind that. Are you hurt? " he inquired immediately. (Name) shook her head, but a sudden breeze of cool air came by and made her shiver.
" Nah.. I'm fine.." Out from the middle of nowhere, wind started to blow, and to (Name), in such an annoying manner.
She shivered again, and this time her teeth clattered.
Gaara didn't say a word, he simply grabbed her hand and led her inside, back to the bedroom. (Name) expected him to give her a new set of clothes or something like that, but instead, he told her to take off only her cardigan and scarf.
Gaara approached her, a warm blanket in his arms. " A blanket?" (Name) blurted out loud.
He gently wrapped the thick, fluffy material around (Name), providing her with warmth and comfort.
" It's kind of a habit of mine. You know when you come out from the shower, and it's freezing cold. Then you just snatch your blanket and stay in there until you're all warm? I must say, I don't even care if it gets wet, " he grinned.
" Yeah, I do that a lot.. " (Name) replied slowly. She knelt down and laid her head on Gaara's lap, exhaustion taking over her.
" I guess excitement taxes a lot of energy huh? " Gaara teased, running his fingers through her damp hair. He gently lifted her head and placed a pillow underneath, and proceeded to lay down opposite her.
" I'm so happy (Name). I get to spend my life with you, and soon we'll have our own family. This joy.. I can't even describe it.." he smiled.
After everything they went through, they were finally having their much anticipated happy ending.