Posted: 1-27-09
Discalimer: I do not own Naruto, nor do I own the novel Shadow Dance by Garwood. I have only used the beginning chapter of the novel to help start this story, (which is only the church scene) after that, the chapters are my crazy imagination. The plot of this story is not the same as the plot of the novel. If you have any questions regarding the novel and it's relation to this story, then please PM me.
Summary: AU She was his first girlfriend, his only fiancé. But after years of giving him chances, after years of telling herself that he'd come around, that he'd be there for her when she needed him and for once, he'd pick her over his career. But that moment never came. His career mattered more, and she finally couldn't take it anymore. She returned the ring and left him…but was it really over?
Pairing: Sasuke x Sakura, Naruto x Hinata
Rating: T...might change to M if I'm tempted enough (haha)
Always Second
by DreamDevourer
Chapter One
This wedding was no small affair. There were seven bridesmaids, seven groomsmen, three ushers, two altar boys, three lectors, and enough firepower inside the church to wipe out half the congregation. All but two of the groomsmen were armed.
The federal agents weren't happy about the crowd, but they knew it would be pointless to complain. Judge Hiashi Hyuuga wasn't about to miss out on his eldest daughter's wedding, no matter how many death threats he received. Judge Hyuuga was in the midst of hearing a classified criminal case back in Yokohama, and the federal agents assigned to protect him would continue their task until the trial was over and a decision made.
The church was packed to capacity. The Hyuugas were such a large family that some of the bride's relatives and friends spilled over to the groom's side. Most had traveled from Yokohama to Tokyo, but there were still many Hyuugas who have traveled all the way from the States to celebrate the marriage of Hinata Hyuuga and Naruto Uzumaki.
The bride and groom were frantically happy, and their wedding was a festive occasion, but it never would have happened if it weren't for Naruto's best friend's ex-girlfriend, Sakura. Hinata and Sakura were best friends and had been roommates in college. On Sakura's twenty-fourth birthday, she introduced Hinata to Naruto. Sakura certainly had no intention of matchmaking, and she definitely wasn't aware at the time that there had been a spark between Hinata and her close friend Naruto. So years later when the spark between the two ignited into a flame and they became engaged, no one was more surprised—or thrilled—than she.
Every last detail of the happy event had been precisely planned. Like Hinata, Sakura was a great organizer, and so she was given the responsibility of decorating the church for the occasion. Admittedly, Sakura had gotten a little carried away. She'd put flowers everywhere, both inside and outside the church. Raspberry pink roses lined the stone walkway, their scent greeting guests as they arrived. Pink and white roses were arranged in large wreaths that were hung on the side of the wooden pews. Wide, laced-trimmed ribbons hung down on each side of the old battered double doors. Sakura had actually considered giving the doors a fresh coat of paint but at the last minute had come to her senses and left them alone.
Hinata had also asked Sakura to take care of the music, and Sakura had gone a little overboard on that task too. She'd started out with the notion of hiring a pianist and a singer for the ceremony and ended up with an orchestra. When the groomsmen lined up in front of the altar, the music was to stop; the trumpets would then sound, the crowd would rise to their feet, and the ceremony would begin.
The bride and the bridesmaids waited in a dressing room just off the entrance hall. The time had come. The trumpets should now be playing to begin the ceremony, but they were silent. Hinata sent Sakura to find out the reason for their delay.
The soft melody of the violins covered the noise of the door squeaking as Sakura peeked inside the church. She spotted one of the federal agents standing in seclusion to the left side of the church and tried not to think much of his reason for being there. The bodyguards weren't really necessary, she thought, considering that all of her guy friends, which were the groomsmen along with some extra strays in the pews, were law enforcement professionals. Naruto and Neji were CIB—Criminal Investigation Bureau—agents, Shino was a federal attorney, Shikamaru was a Marine, Kiba was a detective, and Sai a police officer. Also standing at the altar would be Sasuke Uchiha, the groom's best man and yet another CIB agent.
But the agents assigned to Judge Hyuuga didn't care how many others there were. Their job was clearly defined, and they—unlike the groomsmen—wouldn't be distracted by the celebration. Deciding that it was best to have the agents here, Sakura sighed and told herself that the wedding would go smoothly, and no one would be harmed.
She spotted Kiba make his way toward the back of the church. She smiled as she watched him approach. Kiba had gone all out for the wedding, which surprised her since him and Naruto weren't always on best terms. He worked undercover, but he'd cut his hair for the occasion, an impressive consideration on his part. His job usually required that he dress and look like a deranged serial killer. Sakura had barely recognized him when he arrived at the rehearsal last night. Now Kiba stopped to speak to one of the bodyguards. She waved to get his attention and motioned for him to step out into the hallway.
As the door closed behind them, she asked in a whisper, "Why haven't we started yet?"
"Naruto sent me to tell Hinata that we'll start in a couple of minutes," he answered.
Sakura noticed that his collar was partially inverted, and she reached up to fix it. "Quit squirming," she demanded. Seconds later, Sakura patted his chest and nodded approvingly. Yeah, he cleaned up good when he wanted to.
"Is Hinata worried that Naruto will take off?" Kiba asked with a glint in his eye that told her he was joking. They were only a couple minutes late now.
"Not really," Sakura answered. "She left five minutes ago."
He shook his head. "Not funny," he said, grinning. "Alright then, I've got to go back."
"Wait. You still haven't explained why we're waiting. Is something wrong?"
"Stop worrying. Nothing is wrong, we're just waiting for someone to show up."
Sakura quickly ran a list of names through her head, trying to figure out which person dared to show up late especially when she specifically said that everyone was to show up at eleven, an hour earlier.
"Sakura?"
She was pulled out of her thoughts. "Yes?"
"You look nice."
Normally, when Kiba would give her compliments, she'd disregard them since he said it to a bunch of women without much thought, but looking at his sincere face, she knew he meant it. She was about to return the compliment when the outer church doors flew open, and Sasuke Uchiha came rushing inside tying his tie.
How did I miss him? she thought, I guess I assumed he would be on time since he was the best man. She sighed and watched as he approached. The man never failed to make a strong impression. Women loved him, and Sakura was once one of those women. Who wouldn't love him? Tall, athletic, handsome—he was every woman's fantasy. His dark spiky hair was always slightly in need of a trim, and his piercing coal eyes sparkled with mischief whenever he gave one of his devilish grins.
"Am I late?" he asked.
"No, you're just on time," Kiba said before Sakura could comment. He already sensed her anger rising. "Okay, Sakura, we can start now."
She ignored him and turned to Sasuke. "Where have you been!?" she asked him, exasperated.
Rather than answering, he gave her a quick once-over, smirked, and followed Kiba inside. How she wanted to give him a peace of her mind! The man was incorrigible.
Sakura hurried back to the waiting room, pushed the door open, and said, "Everyone ready? It's time."
Hinata motioned for Sakura to come to her. "What was the hold-up?" she asked, eyebrows furrowed.
"Sasuke…he just got here," she replied, frowning.
"He was with a woman, wasn't he?" Hinata asked, shaking her head with disparagement. She didn't wait for her to answer. "It's a given. I had no idea what a playboy he was until I saw it for myself. He disappeared from the rehearsal dinner last night with three of my bridesmaids, and all three looked like they hadn't slept when they got to the church this morning."
Sakura crossed her arms as she looked around the room, trying to decide which of the bridesmaids had disappeared with Sasuke. Indeed, the young man hadn't changed much. It was because of this wedding that Sakura even made an effort to be friends with him, before that she made sure to never come in contact with him again.
Hinata's aunt Nai Ling announced that they weren't going anywhere until they heard the trumpets, and then she began to line everyone up.
Hinata motioned Sakura closer. "I need to ask a favor. It's kind of a tough one."
Difficult or not, Sakura would do anything for her best friend. "Whatever it is, I'll do it," she said.
"Would you please make sure Sasuke behaves?"
Okay, maybe not anything. Sakura took a breath and whispered, "I'll never forgive you if I find out that you are secretly trying to put him and I together again. It was one thing partnering me up with him for the wedding march, it's another to ask me to look after him, Hinata! Him and I have been over years ago—"
"I know, I know. Believe me, I'm not trying to do anything like that. Actually, it's just Hanabi I'm concerned about. Did you see the way she glued herself to his side at the rehearsal?"
"Oh, is that why you paired me with him in the wedding? To keep your little sister away from him?"
"No, not exactly. You are my maid of honor, and he is Naruto's best man, it was obvious you two were going to march in together. But after seeing Hanabi in action last night, I'm glad you two did end up together. I can't blame her though—Sasuke is adorable and so is Naruto, of course," she added a bit too quickly, "And aside from Naruto, I think Sasuke is one of the sexiest men I've ever met. He oozes charisma, doesn't he?"
Sakura simply stared at her with a toothy grin. "Where is your modesty, eh shy-innocent Hinata?" she asked, her grin widening. To think that the sweet-stuttering young girl she'd met in college would actually acknowledge someone to be sexy in the open baffled Sakura a bit. She changed a lot since she met Naruto, and for the better.
She saw a tint of blush appear on her face and laughed out loud. "I'm only joshing you, Hinata, sure he is sexy, why else would I have gone out with him?"
Hinata, missing her sarcasm, said, "I thought you loved him…"
Sakura's smile faded, her words played in her mind. I thought you loved him. I thought you loved him.
I did Hinata, she thought, but I also thought he loved me…my assumptions of him were always wrong.
"But anyways," Hinata pulled her out of her thoughts. "I don't want Hanabi to become another SUG."
"What is a SUG?" she asked, her right eyebrow raised upward with interest.
Hinata grinned. "A Sasuke Uchiha Groupie."
Sakura burst out laughing, to think that he actually had real life fan group. Not that it was hard to believe. "Was I considered to be a SUG?" she asked moments later.
"Of course not, you were his first and only long time girlfriend and fiancé! It was after you that the SUG developed," Hinata responded, once again missing Sakura's sarcasm. "Or so my sister pointed out…"
Aunt Nai Ling clapped her hands. "Okay, everyone. It's time to go."
Hinata grabbed Sakura's arm. "I'm not moving until you promise to watch him."
"Oh, all right. I'll do it. How hard could it be?"
The trumpets sounded again. Since Sakura was to be the first to walk down the aisle, she was nervous and clutched her bouquet to her waist with both hands. She'd always been known as a klutz, but she was determined to not trip over her own feet today. She would pay attention and concentrate on putting one foot in front of the other.
She waited in the center of the doorway until she heard Aunt Nai Ling whisper, "Go."
She took a deep breath and started walking. The aisle seemed a mile long. Standing in front of the altar, Sasuke waited. When she was more than two-thirds there, he came toward her, looking amazing in his tuxedo. She relaxed once his arm was intertwined with hers. No one was paying her any attention. Thank God, she thought, relieved. Every eye—at least every female eye—was on Sasuke.
She concentrated on his smirk-like-smile and walked alongside him. For a brief second she looked up into his eyes and saw a look she hadn't seen in a long time. He longed for something, though she had no idea what. But then again, maybe she just confused that look with his usual mischievous glimmer.
Thank you for reading!
DeeDee
