Normally, I don't post chapters all at once, but the circumstances regarding this fanfic are unusual. *is so tired*

Hi, everyone! This is my current project I've been working on since the end of April. It has had my undivided attention for a long while, what with the research it needed, the panic that over took me on realizing how long it was getting and the general rushed feelings I got on finishing this on time.

I keep my comments short this time. The chapter itself is long enough! No need for my big mouth to make it longer!

Special Thanks to Tennyo_night_elf, an online friend of mine. Without her, I doubt this would have ever been finished! Thank you so much!

Title: Complicated Ceremonies
Genre: Drama/Comedy
Timeline: Post Manga
Summary: All Naruto and Hinata want is a small, quiet wedding, but the Hyuuga and Tsunade have their own plans. Now Naruto wants to elope, Hinata fears for his life and Ino is more than thrilled at the business her shop will get!
Pairings: NaruHina (mentions of SasuSaku, NejiTen, SaiIno, ShikaTema and GaaMatsu)
Rating: G
Disclaimer: Kishimoto owns all of Naruto. I don't own one little bit of it.
Author's Notes: Entry for a contest. Shockingly enough.

Ceremonial Decisions: Wedding Snags

A sharp crack rang through the late November day, disrupting the tranquil afternoon that had fallen upon the dirt road leading to Konoha. Birds, upset over the noise, took to the skies, leaving the trees that lined the path, shading it with its colorful foliage. The two people walking gave their scenic route little interest.

Especially the one shrieking in pain.

"Owww!"

"Hey! Loser! I am not stopping every time you get your head in the clouds! Focus!"

Naruto rubbed the back of his head where Sasuke had hit him, glaring at his teammate's retreating back as he continued down the way they had been headed. It was a beautiful day for being so late in the season and Naruto felt like nothing could be more perfect. He had successfully completed his last mission without a single problem to report, Tsunade was preparing him to be her official successor as Hokage and...a week ago, Hinata accepted his proposal for marriage.

A huge grin appeared on his face. Just the thought of Hinata's face lighting up when he asked her to marry him, her saying yes, her seeing, for the first time, the engagement ring; a thin silver band that widened at the top, a row of blue stones embedded into it, gold lines on each side of the blue stones leading up to the very top, wrapping around a purple stone and the feeling he got when he slid the ring onto her finger caused him to smile giddily and lose track of what was going on...

Another smacking sound echoed in the trees. "Owww!"

Sasuke stood in front of him again, wearing a bothered look on his face, with his hand raised as he had just smacked him in the head...again. "I told you," growled Sasuke, "I'm not going to stop again. I'm not going to get yelled at by the Hokage because you're off in daydream land!"

Naruto returned the look with an annoyed glare. "Oh, shut up, Sasuke!" he said, shoving his hands into his pockets. "I have every right to be happy this week!"

Of course, Sasuke knew that. Team 7 had been the first to know about his plans to ask Hinata to marry him and her answer afterward when the two came to Ichiraku to celebrate. But the two rivals had to continue to push each other's buttons in ways only they knew how. So Sasuke did not crack a smile at what Naruto said and instead turned to continue toward the village. "I never said you couldn't be happy, idiot," he responded, sounding irritated. "I just said stay focused. You're supposed to meet with the Hokage now. You keep stalling and she's only going to get angry at you when we get there."

"Hmph!" Naruto took his hands out of his pockets and placed them behind his head as he followed his friend down the path. "You're likely just mad because you're playing messenger boy, aren't you, Sasuke? What? Not worth your time?"

Sasuke paused, his fingers on his sword as if he thought of whipping it out at any moment, but then he whirled around, glaring furiously at Naruto. "For your information, I had just completed my mission when Tsunade asked me to get you. I just happened to be in the room. Got that, you idiot!"

Bull's-eye! Knowing full well what would happen if he continued, Naruto smirked. "Yeah, yeah, keep telling yourself that...messenger boy!"

In a flash, the two were skirmishing, fighting each other briefly with only a bit of taijutsu. Unfortunately for Naruto, the brawl ended quickly when Sasuke tripped Naruto, grabbed him by the collar and started dragging him down the path until they reached the end where the village started and Naruto's loud protests could be heard.

"So," started Sasuke as he let go of Naruto and straightening his dark blue shirt he wore under his jounin vest and black pants, acting like the whole incident had not happened at all, "what exactly are you and Hinata planning for your wedding, anyway?"

Naruto stood up, taking the time to brush off the dirt from his orange and black jumpsuit. "We talked about having a small and quiet ceremony, but we don't know what kind of wedding we want. We're thinking of having it sometime in the spring, through, so we've got lots of time to think."

"Small and quiet, huh?" Sasuke appeared thoughtful. "If you had told me that years ago, I would have laughed at you. I wouldn't think you were capable of wanting something small and quiet."

Naruto did not say anything at first. He honestly thought he had not changed all that much over the years. People still complained he was loud and obnoxious. He still wore his orange and black jumpsuit his opponents laughed at...until he had them down on the ground ready to take into custody. He played pranks and ate ramen. Except for his skills, which he was more than happy to brag about had changed, what was different about him at twenty-four that was not there when he was sixteen or even twelve?

Although Iruka had said he had become sort of a recluse. Naruto did want more peace and quiet than he had ever wanted before. The villagers had tone down their excitement whenever they saw him over the years, but it remained a bit overwhelming for Naruto. Some days, he actually had to find time to be alone. Which, of course, lead to people trying to find him, taking hours to do so and yelling at him when he finally showed up.

Perhaps he had not so much changed as he had adapted to the times?

In response to Sasuke's comment, Naruto ended up shrugging his shoulders. "Everyone deserves to have some peace and quiet every now and then, you know."

Sasuke smirked, as if he had not expected that answer, but at the same time, found it unsurprising. "Yeah, that's true."

They continued to head toward the tower in relative silence. Naruto wondered why exactly Tsunade wanted to see him. He figured it was not a mission as he had already been to the tower and found nothing for him. While there was always a chance something had come up, he knew Sasuke would not have been sent to get him if there were. They also were not in a rush to get to the tower, either, and so whatever this was could not be urgent; no matter how angry Sasuke said Tsunade would be if he were late.

Maybe it has to do with the Hokage succession? speculated Naruto, putting his hands behind his head as they continued toward their destination. The old lady said there's a ton of stuff I have to do before she can officially name me her successor. But she also said it would be awhile before I would have to worry about anything really important, through.

Mentally, Naruto shrugged off his worries. He could not think of anything he should be troubled about and knew if something were truly wrong, Tsunade would not send someone for him and not have it explained before he got there.

Besides, Naruto was feeling so good about the day that he felt like nothing could ruin it and the week he had had. So whatever it was Tsunade had for him, well, he always did like surprises!

"Naruto..." Sasuke's voice sounded extremely tried and irritated.

"Umm? Yeah, Sasuke?"

"...I told you...focus!"

_oOo_oOo_

Sakura and Ino nearly spit out their drinks when Hinata informed them of the type of ceremony she and Naruto had planned. "Small and quiet?" asked an incredulous Ino, wiping her mouth with a napkin. "The same Naruto who had a prank war with Kiba a month ago in the village? That Naruto? They only just finished cleaning up the barbeque restaurant and Chouji is still angry with them over it!"

Hinata could not help but giggle slightly at their reaction. Next to her, Tenten shook her head, smiling as well. The four girls sat at Ichiraku, eating ramen as they discussed Hinata's engagement. As she had been the only one of them who had not gotten married yet, the occasion deserved to be celebrated at their usual gathering to talk.

Through, there were times when Hinata thought this time only served for them to poke fun at the boys.

Picking up a bit of her ramen, Hinata replied to Ino's statement, "Naruto-kun and I just want a private ceremony with our close friends and family. He really is a quiet person when he needs to be." Ino snorted as if the image could not be fully envisioned in her mind. "However, I like it better when Naruto-kun's more himself."

Tenten chuckled, swirling her drink around as she waited for Ayame to finish with her order. "That's a mark of a good marriage, all right, being able to handle Konoha's Hyperactive Ninja. The whole private wedding thing makes sense to me. Naruto has become somewhat of a recluse, thanks to all the fame he and Team 7 has." She laughed as Ayame placed her bowl of Miso ramen in front of her. "Remember how long it took for us to find him two weeks ago?"

Sakura groaned and rubbed her forehead. "Yeah, I remember that," she growled. "We never found him, actually. And then four hours later, he walks up here like nothing had happened. I guess you have a point there." She took a sip of water and placed the cup back down, sighing as she did so. "While he's still very much a show-off, Naruto has been avoiding public areas more than normal. A private wedding isn't that much of a surprise after all, then."

"So..." started Ino, taking a bit of ramen from her bowl to eat. She looked like she wanted to get away from talking about Naruto and his multiple personalities. "Have you worked out the details with the elders yet?"

The question caused everyone else to pause and glance toward Hinata for her answer. It was not a surprise that some of the elders were wary of Naruto marrying the heir of the Hyuuga. After all, this was the same Naruto who vowed to change the Hyuuga at his first Chuunin exam so it was natural for the more traditional of the clan to question the marriage. "Father is still working with them, however, he says to not to worry about it and continue planning. He even said I can take Naruto's name after our marriage is official."

Ino blinked, the information surprising her. "Really? I wasn't sure about that before since you're the heir. Did he give a reason as to why?"

Hinata nodded, but not feeling happy over what her father said when she had asked. In the end, she figured the reasons behind it were not as important as her wish being granted in the end. "Yes, he believes that the Hyuuga can gain political influence if the Uzumaki name is attached to the clan. He thinks it would be wasteful not to since Naruto's famous and going to become Hokage. At least, that's what he's telling the elders..."

Ino seemed to realize she was uncomfortable with that reasoning because a soft smile appeared on her face. "Don't be too concerned about that. I'm sure your father is just trying to do what's best and what you and Naruto want. It's the elders who need to be convinced. I doubt Hyuuga-sama would have told you not to worry about it if he didn't care about your feelings on the matter."

Hinata felt herself relax at Ino's words. She was right; while Hiashi had seemed to approve of their dating, she and Naruto had been slightly concerned over his reaction toward their engagement. Finding him strict, but helpful in getting the elders to approve had been a huge relief for the two of them. Well, she felt relieved. Naruto said Hiashi had threatened him when they were alone.

She was surprised to hear it as her father had expressed approval toward him before, but Naruto would not lie. Of course, that could explain why her father spent more time in the Hyuuga's weapon room now...

"I think they're not going to be happy with your name change at all," commented Tenten, "political influence or not." She sighed and stirred her ramen, looking for another bite. "Things like this make me glad my team isn't on the level of popularity as Team 7 is and that I never gave my family name out on missions!"

Ino struggled not to laugh while Sakura elbowed Tenten in the arm. "That's not nice." Sakura looked a bit irritated. "I'm on Team 7, remember? I have to deal with that popularity and I changed my name when I married Sasuke-kun."

"Well, you're not a member of a clan, Forehead Girl," snorted Ino. At once, the two began to glare at each other. Tenten looked on, mildly interested, and Hinata finished up her ramen, both far too used to the fights between Sakura and Ino to put effort into separating the two.

Hinata put her chopsticks down and got up from her seat. "Well, I'll be going now," she said, putting down some money for her share of the bill. "I promised Father I would meet with him today. He's going to tell me what happened during his meeting with the elders. I'll see you later, then."

"Good luck with that!" chimed Tenten. "See you later, Hinata!"

"Later, Hinata!" called out Ino and Sakura at the same time, not breaking eye contact with the other even once.

Halfway to the Hyuuga compound, Hinata began to dwell on her conversation with the girls and the upcoming meeting. I must be realistic, she thought, her head down as she strolled through the village. The elders might not approve of this at all. I know Father said we should do what we wish, however, the elders might cause trouble. What would happen then? To Father and Hanabi?

She knew the elders would disapprove. Naruto represented change for the Hyuuga. For over a year, she, Naruto and Neji had tried to improve things within the Hyuuga clan and the elders always tried to block their efforts. Hiashi had become a go-between for the two groups, but he made it clear which side he preferred, which infuriated the elders and made them even more resistant to change. Hinata felt like the revisions they wanted would not drastically change the Hyuuga at all and would only serve to make things better, but the elders seemed indifferent to her explanations.

It was only recently that they had started to give in, but she knew the fight had not ended just yet. It would be a long time before the Hyuuga would truly be different from the clan of the past.

Sighing as the previous disagreements among her and the elders filtered through her head, Hinata tried to find resolve in her father's words to not to worry and Ino's attempt to ease her discomfort.

In the end, she and Naruto would never give up; he had asked her to marry him, she had said yes and the two of them never went back on their word...not ever.

_oOo_oOo_

"Hey! Hey! Old Lady Tsunade! What do you want?"

Tsunade twitched and glared over her desk, her arms crossed and not answering his question. Naruto sat in front of her desk, initially waiting for her to finish working. The Hokage office was as messy as ever; the desk filled with paperwork Tsunade tried to put off for saké or sleep and scrolls and books littered the corners of the room. It was just the two of them; Sasuke had left the moment they had gotten to the tower while Shizune had apparently run off to see to something at the hospital.

"I wanted to ask you..." she said, finally, an edge in her voice, but overlooking his nickname for her, "about the plans you and Hinata have made for your wedding. I'm guessing you haven't entirely made plans since it's only been a week since you proposed. Am I right?"

Naruto tilted his head to the side, blinking slowly, not understanding what she wanted. She was right; they had not gotten very far into planning their ceremony, but why would she need to know that information? He had a feeling this was not like when Sasuke had asked about them earlier. This felt different, but he could not place why he felt that way. "Why do you want to know?"

Tsunade had a peculiar look in her eyes; one that Naruto had trouble placing. "It's nothing bad, if that's what you're thinking. I'm just curious." She leaned forward on her desk, placing her elbows on top and resting her chin in her hands. "I'm guessing you two don't want a really large wedding, correct?"

"Yeah," answered Naruto, still not understanding why Tsunade was asking about this. "It's going to be small and quiet, but we don't know about the details yet. We also want to have it in the spring sometime, too."

She nodded curtly, her eyes becoming unfocused. "I see..." She stood up, walked around her desk and leaned against the front of it while crossing her arms and gazing down at him. It made Naruto uneasy. Tsunade may have said it was nothing bad, but her look said something completely different. "Do you know what your status is right now?" she asked.

My...status...? Naruto blinked, absolutely confused now. What's she talking about? And what does it have to do with my wedding? "Uhh...no...?" His voice made it clear that he was fishing for the right answer.

"Thought as much." Tsunade sighed, closing her eyes. "Naruto, you're a war hero..."

"I know that!" he interrupted, annoyed. It was a hard fact to forget and on the extremely remote chance he did forget, something reminded him. That detail did not upset him; he just did not see what that had to do with his wedding and this status thing.

"Quiet! On top of that, you're my successor, a fact that, while unannounced, is well known to just about everyone in this village, the other Hidden Villages, the Daimyo and many others. It's likely the worst kept secret in this village." Suddenly, she smirked, obviously holding back laughter. "I think we both know why that is so..."

Despite feeling apprehensive about this line of conversation, Naruto could not help but grin and put his arms behind his head. Iruka said he acted more mature about it, but he was still a loud person, compared to others, much to everyone's displeasure sometimes. He would always proclaim he would become Hokage ever so often; however, he did not do it much now. Mostly because everyone knew his goal so there was not much of a need to go around and shouting it at the top of his lungs.

"In addition to that," she continued, "you're also the son of Namikaze Minato, the Fourth Hokage." Naruto sombered at the mention of his father, but focused on what Tsunade said. Clearly if the Fourth was involved, then this had to be important...somehow. "Putting them all together and you have become a very important person to many factions and in the eyes of a lot of people."

Naruto scratched his head, still not getting it. "Okay, so I'm an important person now. What's that got to do with my wedding?"

Tsunade sighed again. "Everything, unfortunately. It means that people like the Daimyo of the Land of Fire is going to want to attend your wedding."

He blinked once, twice and finally everything registered in his mind. "Huh?" he exclaimed. "But I've never met him before! Why would he want to attend it?"

"It's just something people like him do." She rubbed her temples; her face pained like a headache was coming. "The thing about the Daimyo and other members of their court is that they like to be connected to important people, especially those who are popular with the people they rule over. You fit both of those qualifications."

Naruto crossed his arms, frowning at her explanation. "I don't like that. It seems very shallow and fake to me. Why would anyone want to do something like that?"

Tsunade snorted. Clearly, she agreed with him, even if she was trying to convince him to invite the Daimyo. "I don't know, but that's how things are. And I realize you don't want to invite him. I'm just telling you the facts of the matter: the Daimyo and others, like the Kage of the other villages, are going to want to be invited. Not doing so...well, it'll be a headache, at least with the Daimyo it would be."

At that, he lowered his head, his frown becoming not only displeased but more frustrated at the current predicament he had been handed. Okay...so if we don't invite the Lord of the Land of Fire, he might get mad or something and that's not good. But... He winced and groaned. Me and Hinata just want our friends and family to be there when we get married! Not people we don't know! What do I do here?

"Naruto?" He looked up to see Tsunade gazing at him expectedly. "I have an idea that could solve this problem. I figured you wouldn't want to invite people you didn't know to the wedding so I came up with a solution that may help."

He stared at her, relief at this prospect being solved. He moved to the edge of his seat, eager to hear what she had in mind. "Well? What it is? Tell me!"

She sighed. "It's going to be a bit difficult, but if you had two weddings, then everything would be fine. You can invite the Daimyo and others like him," she elaborated upon seeing his confused look, "to one wedding and then a few days or a week later, you and Hinata can hold a more private ceremony for yourselves and those close to you."

Wait...two weddings? TWO? Naruto stood up, all the color drained from his face at the mere thought of planning two ceremonies. "Two weddings?" he screamed. "Do you realize how much planning that'll take?"

He had every reason to be wary. The memories of what happened last year when Sakura had planned her wedding were vivid, almost nightmarish. She had been stressed out for months, so much so that she lashed out at people for merely breathing. Naruto literally hid for over a week due to one incident. He had seen his other friends' plan their weddings and, while he had not been knocked over to the other side of the village during the course of them, he knew firsthand how much planning went into one.

Two just seemed to be asking for trouble!

Tsunade raised her hands, the pained look on her face growing more so. "Calm down. I understand that it's a bit much. That's why I've asked Shizune to be the planner for that one. All you and Hinata need to do is supervise and make some decisions on ideas Shizune has. That'll be it. Shizune will take care of everything else and you two can focus on your own plans."

Naruto backed off, crossed his arms and gazed down at the floor. He still was not sure about this idea. It felt complicated, even if Shizune handled the more complex planning. "I don't know..."

She nodded and started back to her seat behind her desk. "I understand. This is a very big decision. I'm not going to force this on the two of you." She started moving around some paperwork and Naruto realized he was about to be dismissed. "Talk it over with Hinata and then come to me when you've made your decision, all right?"

Talk to Hinata... repeated Naruto in his head. Right. She would know what to do better than he could. All he knew was how difficult arranging two weddings would be, but since she was doing more of the planning than he was, she would understand the situation more. Not to mention, she might have other ideas they could use, instead of having two ceremonies. "Right," he said aloud. "I'll talk to Hinata about this, then. Later, then, Old Lady Tsunade!"

He was already halfway down the hall, ignoring the angry screaming of his name that emerged from the Hokage's office.

_oOo_oOo_

Hinata entered her father's study. It was a sparse room that Hiashi enjoyed to be in during the afternoon, especially after meetings with the council. Books and scrolls filled the wall opposite of the door while a large window to the outside occupied the wall to her right. The other two walls remained bare, nothing decorating it except for the brown paint that covered the rest of the room.

Right in front of the bookcase, Hiashi sat on a raised platform, a small table with a calligraphy scroll and a cup of green tea in front of him. He glanced toward her and nodded curtly, indicating that she could join him. Hinata took a deep breath, hoping everything had went well with the elders, and walked over to her father's position and sat down on the bamboo mat flooring. "You wished to see me, Father?" she asked, bowing slightly in the process.

Hiashi put down his brush, his face unreadable to her eyes. "Yes. I have spoken with the council over your engagement to Uzumaki Naruto."

She nodded as her heart began beating rapidly at the possible outcome. "And...what did they say, Father?"

There was a brief pause as he gazed at her and then his mouth twitched upward ever so slightly. "Hinata...did I not tell you not to worry about this?" A warm smile appeared on his face. "The elders have approved of your betrothal."

"...They have?" Hinata could hardly believe her ears. She was sure she would wake up and this would be just a dream. To think that the elders approved of her being engaged to Naruto after the months of political wrangling they had to endure? "Everything?"

Her father seemed amused by her reaction. "Yes, they have approved of everything. It did take some convincing, but in the end, they even agreed to you changing your name, however..." Hiashi suddenly looked serious and business-like. "They do expect you to use the Hyuuga name on the occasions you represent the clan."

Hinata was still in shock over the ease the elders seemed to have accepted everything. It still felt too good to be true. "Oh, of course, Father," she exclaimed, "I will bear the Hyuuga name during official functions. I don't mind that and I don't believe Naruto-kun will mind it, either."

Hiashi nodded, pleased at her answer. "Good."

Everything went okay, she thought, feeling lightheaded with relief. She brought her hand up and pushed away a lock of her hair, closing her eyes, sighing. Everything went okay, the elders really are not going to interfere. Oh, thank goodness!

"There is one thing the council wants you to do," said her father, abruptly.

Immediately, Hinata's heart sank. She should have known there was a catch.

Hiashi apparently realized his daughter was feeling apprehensive because he gazed at her amusingly. He took hold of his tea cup and chuckled. "Hinata, I told you not to worry. If the council tried anything unreasonable, I would have warned you and Uzumaki. Do you not trust me?"

"Oh!" Hinata's face turned red and she felt lost for words. "Of course! It's just...I mean, I..."

"It's all right, I understand." Hiashi took a sip of his tea and brought the cup back down to set on the table. "Both you and Uzumaki have concerns about the elders interfering and I don't blame you. However, the request of the council is one I believe is reasonable and one you and Uzumaki can manage effortless in any case, which is why I did not protest it."

Hinata nodded. "I see." I suppose Father is right. If this request isn't too hard, then we should be able to handle it without any problems. She took a deep breath and composed herself, relaxing and regaining her previous formal bearing. "Then what does the council wish for Naruto-kun and I to do?"

"They want you to have a traditional ceremony. I managed to convince them to allow the wedding you and Uzumaki wish to plan. As long as you hold it after the traditional one, the council should have no objections." Hiashi gazed up at her, his white eyes curious to her answer.

But Hinata had frozen, the implications filling her head and the potential fallout to it. "A traditional wedding?" she asked, hoping she had heard wrong, but at her father's nod, she knew there was no room for error. "Father..." she started, almost afraid, not of his reaction, but of the long term complications this now held, "I'm afraid...I don't believe Naruto-kun has seen a traditional wedding before..."

In the past four years, Naruto had been invited to weddings of their friends. The first had been Ino's wedding to Sai. It had been a very modern wedding with no traditional customs. The second and third weddings had come at roughly the same time, about three years ago, for Gaara, the Kazekage, to Matsuri and Neji to Tenten. Hinata knew that Gaara had a traditional ceremony, but Naruto had not attended that since it had been for family only. Instead, he attended the larger wedding Suna held for the public.

Neji and Tenten held a mix wedding of sorts, applying certain traditions and other customs so not all aspects of the traditional ceremony had been there. The final wedding Naruto had attended had been Sasuke and Sakura's last year. Their wedding had been modern with a traditional theme, meaning they dressed up in traditional dress, but with modern rituals. Hinata remembered Naruto had asked her a lot of questions about each ceremony, saying he had never been to a wedding before.

Hiashi paused, clearly taking in this new information. "Hmmm I see...yes, Uzumaki is an orphan so he would not be acquainted with weddings or the customs that come with them." But then, he smiled, taking his tea and sipping it again. "However, I'm sure he can handle it," he said, putting his cup down on the table. "He is very capable and the rituals are simple enough. He should learn them easily. However, I'll assign someone to manage the ceremony so you will not feel too burdened and go over it with both of you. Will that be satisfactory?"

Hinata lowered her head, biting her lip, unsure of what to do. She did not doubt Naruto could learn the customs involved; she just felt like there was more to it than she and her father knew. There was also the fact that there would now be two weddings to take care of, not just one, and while they would not manage both, it was still a daunting task...

But if we refuse, then what will the council say? she thought, fear nibbling at her mind. The council might start trouble, especially if what I believe is in fact true... She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. "Father," she said, "would it be all right if I speak with Naruto-kun about this request?"

"Of course," he replied. "I see nothing wrong with that. However, the council will want to know your answer by tomorrow."

"I understand." She stood up, indicating she was leaving. "I'll go and speak with him now." She bowed and then quickly made her way out of his study, the conversation playing out in her mind.

We might be able to handle two weddings... she thought, as she swiftly made her way out of the Hyuuga Main House and grounds. We might...if things go as planned...but if it is as I fear... She sighed, knowing upsetting herself would not solve anything. She had to talk to Naruto about the new situation. She felt like she already knew how he would respond. He would go at the traditional ceremony head on without any concern, willing to do anything to keep his word.

Stepping out of the main gate, now outside the Hyuuga compound, she smiled. Perhaps they could handle both ceremonies, regardless of the motives behind one of them...

_oOo_oOo_

Three weddings...

Naruto felt like his world was swirling around his head, making him dizzy and unable to grasp anything at all. Across the table in his apartment, Hinata sat looking the same, like the wind had just been knocked out of her. Suddenly, the simple wedding they wanted, the joy of their engagement, felt so far away. Only the terrifying aspect of planning three weddings remained in their wake...

He hung his head, closing his eyes, sighing, his thoughts screaming protests. Man...why can't things be easy for once? Why can't we just have something simple? That's not too hard, is it?

"Naruto-kun?" said Hinata, breaking the silence that had fallen between them, "What do we do?"

He shook his head, unsure how to answer, not knowing the answer itself. "I don't know. Old Lady Tsunade seemed pretty certain that there might be trouble if the Daimyo isn't invited to a wedding." He looked up, a hopeful gaze in his eyes. "You wouldn't have any ideas for this, would you?"

Unfortunately, she shook her head, staring at the table. "No, I'm afraid I don't. I can't believe I didn't think of this earlier. I think Tsunade-sama is right. Having a ceremony for the nobles to see would satisfy them. They wouldn't mind if we held a private one later."

Naruto shook his head, feeling his head hurt at the complex planning he knew would come. He had a feeling this would make the planning for Sakura's wedding look easy in comparison. Wait... he thought, his two teammates coming to mind now, Sasuke and Sakura-chan are just as famous as me. Why was their wedding private, then? "Hey, how come the clans don't have nobles coming to their weddings?" he asked, looking up to see Hinata's reaction. "I mean, no one asked to come to Sasuke and Sakura-chan's or even Neji and Tenten. If someone did, I certainly didn't hear about it."

She shook her head. "That's because they wouldn't ask to attend. The clans have always been very private families, separate from the other nobles. They're very steep into their customs and the traditional wedding centers around the two families that will be joined in marriage. "

Groaning, he rubbed the back of his head, hoping his headache would ease. "And because of my position now, a private ceremony won't cut it. Not even if I'm marrying you, right, Hinata?"

"It doesn't look like it. I distantly remember Kurenai-sensei mentioning that Asuma-sensei's brother holding a large wedding the Daimyo attended. But I'm guessing it was smaller than what Godaime-sama has in mind due to the war going on at the time and the fact that the Third's son was not as famous as his father. I suppose it depends on the status of the people involved."

Asuma-sensei's brother? I guess that's Konohamaru's dad... Naruto felt his headache get worse. He sighed and laid his head face down on the table. "I guess we've got no choice then. We have to do it."

"However," she added, cringing slightly, "I don't think we can really get out of the elders' idea, either."

Looking up, he blinked, somewhat confused at her reaction. While the traditional wedding idea had concerned him since he knew virtually nothing about it, he was almost okay with it, willing to try it. The only thing keeping him from fully embracing it was the fact it would be another ceremony in addition to the more public one and their private wedding. "What do you mean, Hinata? We can't get out of it? I thought Hiashi said not to worry about what the elders said?"

"He did," she said, poking her fingers together like she used to do long ago. That surprised Naruto. Hinata barely did that anymore, especially when she was nervous. In fact, the only times he had seen her do that was when they were together, almost always accompanied by a slight blush. "I believe Father knows, but since he thinks we can handle it, I don't think he's concerned about it."

She took a deep breath, placing her hands on the table, gripping it tightly. "I think the elders might be using the ceremony as an excuse to make us look bad. If we don't do it correctly, they'll continue to make trouble whenever we try to bring our reforms before them."

Naruto leaned back in his chair, his anger bubbling under the surface. He really did not like this. "So...they're just pushing this onto us just to be more stubborn and refuse to listen to us later on?"

She looked miserable. "Right. We've told the elders that our reforms will improve the Hyuuga clan, but we've also told them that we value some traditions. Like my using the Hyuuga name during official functions, we don't mind doing that." Naruto nodded his head. It was a reasonable compromise, even if they did end changing the Hyuuga leadership role later on. "However, if something goes wrong, if we mess something up, then they'll say we are out to destroy the Hyuuga."

"And then they will dig their heels in and refuse to budge." Naruto snorted, disgusted at this type of political trickery. "They say they care about traditions? I doubt this ceremony they want us to do was meant for this!"

At that, Hinata's face darkened. She leaned back in her chair with her arms folded, gazing sideways at the floor. "You're right," she said, her voice hard with restrained anger. "I doubt anyone would be pleased if this is the truth and it became known. However, at the same time, I doubt we can get out of it."

He figured as much. He had not learned much about politics just yet as Tsunade had only begin to teach him the basics, but he had learned enough in his dealings with the Hyuuga clan to not like the concept at all. And it was already giving him a headache, another headache.

But the idea of dealing with three weddings? The prospect still felt overwhelming to take, not something anyone living would even want to undertake willingly. An automatic refusal seemed to be the response for anyone sane. Naruto felt tired just thinking about them. Across the table, Hinata looked to be just as weary, weighed down by the idea just as much as he was. His thoughts didn't help much. "How can we deal with three weddings? The mere idea is stressing us out and the actual planning is bound to be worse. There's no way we can deal with that stress; that's got to be too difficult to manage. There has to be an easy way to deal with them?

Then something came to Naruto, an idea to deal with the troublesome weddings in an easy fashion without having to do very much. He felt his stomach explode with excitement...and stress. It was crazy and he was not sure how it would be received.

But yet, as Naruto looked up, knowing he must have a desperate look on his face, he had to ask. The idea he considered, he knew would be rejected, but yet, somehow, the hope it offered, the hope of escaping all their problems, was too tempting to ignore. No one could say he did not try. "Hinata?" he asked. "Is it possible that we could just not have a wedding at all? What's the word again? Eloop?"

"Elope?" Hinata looked horrified.

"Yeah!" However, his enthusiasm was dying quickly at her apparent dismay. "Is...that...Is that possible?"

She held her shaking hands to her mouth and her eyes wide in fear. "My father would kill us! I know he'll kill you! Naruto-kun, we can't do that, we can't!" She shook her head violently as if to prove her point. "We just can't!"

"All right, all right, no eloping..." Naruto sighed, trying to ignore the alluring idea of getting away from it all. Then he blinked, realized what he was thinking and laid his head down, groaning. "I guess it's bad to run away from it all. Sorry, Hinata."

"It's okay," she said, her voice still fearful, rubbing her hands together agitatedly. "It's all right; it's just the stress talking. That's all."

Abruptly, Naruto rose up, startling Hinata. He had to pump up his mood. He could not afford to be depressed any more. He thought back to what he learned about politics. One thing he had learned was that the best way to convince someone of something was to go along with them. So if that's what he needed to do, then so be it. They would do the weddings, then. If the Hyuuga elders wanted a traditional wedding, then Naruto would learn everything he could about it and do it correctly. If the Daimyo wanted to come and attend his wedding, then he would be happy to greet him.

"Right!" he said, finally feeling energized for the first time since he left Tsunade. "So they want weddings? Okay, then! We'll hold both of them and show them. We've been through so many fights, Akatsuki and others so what's a couple of extra weddings going to do to us, right?"

She looked surprised at first, but then a determined look appeared on her face. "Right!"

"We can do this! We can handle it!"

"Right!" Hinata looked energized, too, and that caused him to pause for a moment. Frowning, he glanced over to Hinata, right into her face that had been filled with determination, her white eyes firm with resolve.

As much as he was willing to plough through this head-on, he had to know if Hinata truly felt the same way. If she was not...well, what could he do then? "Hinata...are you sure you want to do this?" he asked, his voice low, impassive. "Because if you don't want to, then I'm with you, whatever happens, we'll go through it together."

Hinata nodded understandingly. "I know," she responded, softly. "I'm glad that we'll be together, no matter what." Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath, let the air gush out of her and then she opened them again, looking to be ready for anything. "I think we should do it. Yes, it'll be more difficult, but it's possible that something good can come out of all of this."

"Right." The elders could relent, finally. He was not sure what the Daimyo attending could bring, but not everything could be readily apparent. But the possibility remained: the wedding could bring out something good, whatever that may be. "You're right. Well, if you're in..."

Hinata gripped the table, biting her lip. "I am," she said, "I really am."

"Then let's go for it!" he nodded, grinning, gripping the table as well as he still felt very worried about it all, despite his confident words. "Let's do it."

Sitting at his kitchen table, having just decided to undertake what could be possibly their most difficult challenge ever, Naruto tried not to think about the various steps they would have to take to plan, the focus they would have to have and the problems that could arise. He wanted to keep positive and not think negativity.

"Naruto-kun?"

"Yeah, Hinata?"

"What am I going to tell my father about having a third wedding to plan?"

And so as their preparations started; their first problem had come.

So…what did everyone think? Naruto and Hinata have found themselves in a difficult situation. And it's only going to get worse…what, did I say that out loud? *hides*

Thanks for reading! – NessaMoon