WEDDING RING WARS
Where Sakura attends a school reunion, or is it a wedding ring competition?
AU SasuSaku with other Canon pairings One Shot
Disclaimer: I do not own any characters on this story and anything I wrote with reference to the manga.
I sat on one of the round tables in a very delicately decorated function rooms of the five-star hotel where our highschool reunion is currently being held. The silverwares are arranged neatly in front of me over the smooth satin tablecloth, the centerpiece is a bunch of white lilies in a fish-bowl shaped vase and the best of wine is being served.
I looked around the table, seeing an almost bored man with hair tied looking like a pineapple I cannot help thinking, 'nothing less from a hotel owned by Nara Shikamaru'. I saw him yawn and he was instantly berated by his wife beside him.
"Oi, Shika don't you dare sleep here! This is your reunion," Temari, who was not really from Konoha Academy but was able to attend because of the extra invitation given to guests for their dates or companions, shouted at her husband. Everyone at the table laughed.
"This reunion is so troublesome, very much like you, Tem." Shikamaru drawled lazily while looking at the ceiling and hands, I cannot see but still sure that, in his pocket. I giggled as I saw Temari lift her hand and slapped his hubby's shoulder,giving everyone at the table a look of her sparkling aquamarine embellished wedding ring.
"You're still the same Shikamaru, you still see everything as troublesome, even Temari," said Ino smiling charmingly while her hands draped over her husbands right arm flaunting a band adorned by little blue diamond –which I really don't know where the jewellers got from –on her ring finger. Apparently, Temari's innocent display of her ring was not missed by Ino and turned it into a competition, as she usually does. 'Typical Ino.' Sai, her husband, only smiled an enigmatic smile, yeah, as he usually does.
I really don't know how Sai, one of our class' weirdoes and a socially impaired guy, managed to woo Ino, the most outgoing and most spontaneous girl in class. Not that I don't want them together, though. It was just... unexpected. Well, Sai is a renowned painter and Ino is a famous model and actress, they worked in the same industry and they are just perfect for each other.
"Whoa, is it just me or did it suddenly became all bright and sparkly on our table?" and the loud blonde finally joins in. Naruto, aka my brother-from-another-mother and CEO of the world's famous car manufacturer, the Kyuubi, said with a wide grin.
"Apparently Naruto, someone here does not want her ring left out," I said looking at Ino.
"Of course Forehead, especially because this ring is from my darling Sai," Ino countered then stuck her tongue out at me. "If I know you're just jealous of my ring because what you have is just a little plain and simple pathetic excuse of a wedding ring," she added. I just chuckled at her tirade.
"Oh, I might have been the one who instigated this," said Temari. "I'm not surprised, though; this ring ought to get attention. It's not very, very expensive without a reason, right Shika?"
"Troublesome woman, it's not my fault that you owned a jewelry shop and knows what's cheap. I never really had a choice." And for the second time that night Shikamaru got a slap on his shoulder.
"Grrrrrr..."
"You can say that you have the most expensive one but my Hinata has the brightest one," he said and held her wife's hand up for us to see an eye-blinding orange gem surrounded by smaller pale lilac ones. It's a very odd combination, just like Naruto and Hinata. He is loud and she is soft-spoken and shy.
"Not the most expensive, huh, Naruto? I know you had it custom-made for Hinata," Temari smirked and the other blonde just grinned. "I know it took you almost a month to convince Gaara to combine orange and lilac." She, then, laughed heartily as as everyone on the table chuckled and smirked except for Hinata who just blushed and smiled.
"But, really, why didn't Gaara want the combination? It was odd, yes, but the ring itself was beautiful overall." I said.
Temari answered, "Because according to Gaara," she then made the quotation gestures with her fingers, "'that combination will ruin 25 years of good reputation.' And it also took him nearly five weeks to get the perfect shades of orange and lilac that will complement each other."
"Hm.. I think Lavender Eyes needed to wear sunglasses when you proposed to her Dickless." Here goes Sai and his name-calling."Noone can even look at it for five seconds flat and, besides, where did they get an orange gem stone?"
"Sai..." Hinata grumbled at his vulgarity, she is still not used to his nickname for her husband.
"You're also the one to talk, Sai. You also ought to know that Kankuro had to personally go to our mines just to get the blue diamonds that you said 'is the same shade as Ino's eyes.' So cheesy."
Ino smirked at Temari's comment, "Temari, you reallly do know a lot about our rings. I guess, being the owner of the Sabaku no Jewelry is a good thing; we get to know the stories of our rings. And I guess the dullest story of them all was when Sasuke chose the ring for Forehead, he might have just pointed something without even bothering to look at it and that's why she had a crappy ring."
"Oi Pig, I've got the best ring as far as I'm concerned. I do not need those expensive stones to make my ring precious."
"Hmmm. And I really doubt that it's cheap, Ino," muttered Temari, smirking.
"Huh, why?"
"Yeah, why indeed, Temari? Could'ya tell us?" said Naruto, interest evident on his eyes.
Temari's statement seemed to capture the interest of everyone around the table. Even Sai and Shikamaru who was chatting with each other just a moment earlier stopped their little talk to listen to Temari.
"Well, Gaara tried to explain it to me when I asked him because he was cursing so loud and telling Sasuke a barrage of words synonymous or akin to the word 'impossible' when he said what the design of the ring would be.
"We all know that the Uchihas owned the biggest metal company in the world. It seems like he wanted to inscribe something on the ring, which is rather easy, using an alloy of some sort. To which Gaara burst to curses and went on an explanation consisting of the words melting, impossible, boiling point, impossible, melting point, impossible, and not gonna happen it's impossible. And Sasuke just said 'Make it happen.'"
Hmmm... Interesting. I really never knew the story of how my ring came to be and coming from Temari, the story must be true. Sasuke just told Gaara to make the 'impossible' happen, that means if he was able to pull it off, he was paid good money. I can't even begin to imagine how much must've it costed him.
"Yo, why is everyone so quite?" asked one girl walking towards our table. Said girl had her hair tied into twin buns and was accompanied ba a man whose long, silky hair is the envy of every female in the said function room and rivaled even Ino's.
"Hn." The man, who, by the way, goes by the name Neji Hyuuga, grunted in greeting. Yes, a grunt for a greeting, that's how cool dudes do it and that's how Sasuke does it as well. He looks at the girl beside him, who is still confused by the silence on the table that was supposed to be the loudest one. Neji just frowned at her.
"It's just weird, Neji," Tenten, the bun-haired girl, continued. "I can understand your cousin (Hinata) and Sai but Naruto and Ino as well? What the heck just happened?" She questioned all of us. It was Shikamaru who answered. "They were just talking about something troublesome."
"Eh? What?"
"We were just talking about our wedding rings. Sakura's specifically, when you came." Temari explained at the still confused Tenten.
"Oh... I see. That's interesting, I guess. Neji and I are already halfway through our wedding preparations and we tried to look for wedding rings earlier this week but he decided to have it just custom-made and surprise me with the design but he won't even consider my ideas." Tenten huffed.
"Because apparently, you wanted a kunai for the wedding ring!" Neji answered, face devoid of emotion.
"Not a kunai Neji... I want a miniature kunai to adorn the ring." Said Tenten.
"Hn. No."
"Hmp! Anyway, since Neji does not love me enough to give me a wedding ring with a small kunai on it," Neji frowned at Tenten, "what were you talking about Sakura's ring?"
It was Sai who answered with his pokerface. "My Gorgeous Ino said that Ugly's ring is as ugly if not uglier than her."
Ino just smirked and Sakura visibly flinched, first at his nickname for her and second for his insult of her wedding ring.
"Really? Why? Sakura?" Tenten looked expectantly at me.
"Because my ring does not have those shining, shimmering, splendid (1) things aka diamonds and gems on it."
"Hmmm… really? But I cannot understand why it should be an rings are symbol of a man's love for a woman. It does not have to be expensive because what's important is what it represents not what it costs." Tenten said in a very dazed voice then she smiled to his fiance.
"Very well said," Neji smiled back at her.
"So, do I get the ring that I want now?"
"Still no."
Tenten sighed, defeated. "Okay."
The people on the table continued to chat about Tenten and Neji's wedding, about who the maid of honor should be, and again about the kunai adorment for the bride's ring. I just smiled at them ocassionally until I heard someone call my name.
"Sakura," I turned back and just what I had expected, it was Sasuke.
"Sasuke!" I greeted him, as the rest of people on the table did. "Hn," he simply said and sat on the chair beside me. I told you, that's how cool dudes greet.
"Teme, you're late." Naruto shouted at my husband.
"Hn. I had a lot of paperwork to do, dobe. And I'm not like you who constantly put everything off the last minute and cram."
Did I already tell you that they are bestfriends? Yes, they are, business partners as well.
Sasuke continued to bicker with Naruto but somewhere between their steady throw of insults, Sasuke held my hands –the one where I wore my ring –and entwined it with his. With this angle, I was able to see the inscription on it. The words that took him almost ten years to say, words he does not often tell me even after the marriage, and the words I thought I would never hear from him.
I love you, Sakura
Said the golden inscription –with an alloy that I don't even know –on the plain platinum band. And Tenten was right, it does not matter how expensive a ring is what's more important is the thing it represents, love. I smiled then I tightened my hold on Sasuke's hand and leaned against his shoulder. He may not say it everyday but he makes sure that I see and feel it. And with that, I'm happy.
Reference to the song, A Whole New World.
Author's Notes: So, this is my first fanfic. I just hope someone reads this. Well, if you are reading this right now, then thank you very much, that just means that you have finished the story. I'm grateful. There might be some inconsistencies, grammar mistakes/typographical mistakes and other kinds of mistakes on this story; I apologise. Comments and reviews are welcome!