A/N: I wrote this story almost a year ago, on Deviantart, for my big bro's contest. I was going through my gallery and figured I ought to post it and its other stories here, too. Can never have too much Naru-love.
Pairings: KibaKarui, ShikaxTema, mentions of NaruHina
IMPORTANT: References to Kiba and Karui's "first date" at a fancy restruant and their clothing thereof are from bk00's story, The Fox And The Hound. Outfit designs belong to him. You can read his story or see an image of said clothing at his page, here: (remove spaces and all that)
The title is a reference to an endless cycle: the leaves on the trees always fall in autumn, but come spring, they'll grow back, thrive in the summer, and fall again once more. An endless cycle. A circle. Something unending: that's love.
A few references used for the wedding grab and ceremony, which was loosely based on a Shinto/Buddhist style Feduel-Japan wedding, which I found to be the most befitting for the Naruto universe, but I must say I totally bullshitted a good portion of that, so apologies for the inaccuracies.
Hope you like.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Uzumaki Naruto, Seventh Hokage of Konohagakure, was extremely happy.
So very happy, in fact, that he felt his face mayjust break in half from the huge, goofy smile he wore.
But, really, he had good reason!
As it happened, there would soon be a wedding taking place in Konoha. And not just any wedding, but the wedding of their resident lazy genius! Honestly, who'd have guessed Shikamaru of all people would ever put something like effort into a relationship? But still that was the case: and the bride-to-be? Freaking Temari! As in Gaara's sister Temari, with the four ponytails and the really big fan.
Was he the only one who didn't see this coming? He didn't think so. I mean, they'd denied being together when he'd first come home from his journey. How was he supposed to know that lazy old Nara and the tough kunoichi from Suna would one day be getting married?
All the same, Naruto was extremely happy for his old friend. Though, that wasn't the only reason his jaw was sure to fall off in the near future: in the coming weeks, there would be not one, but two weddings in Konohagakure! It wasn't just Shikamaru and Temari tying the knot, but Kibaand that Karui chick from Kumogakure! Naruto shuddered a little to remember her: the red-haired, gold-eyed kunoichi was fierce, violent, and there was no way in hell she was afraid to show it. But still, the dog-lover and—rather fox-like, if he did say so himself—Kumo nin were obviously in love, just like their other distant couple, so Naruto certainly wouldn't protest.
And besides, that still, still, wasn't the best part!
The greatest, most amazing, awesome thing, was that Shikamaru and Kiba now stood, grinning and blushing just a bit, one huffing about the event being troublesome, the other stroking his ninken's fur, in his office, asking himto be the one to perform the ceremonies for the both of them, who had decided to be married on the same day to make matters easier.
He, Uzumaki Naruto, was going to be marrying some of his oldest nakama!
He swore the thudding sound he heard was indeed the lower half of his face flopping to the floor, but, of course, it was just Akamaru's tail whapping Kiba's leg.
With the two men looking at him expectantly, Naruto finally gathered himself enough to tone down his grin just a bit, moving forward to fling an arm around each of his friend's shoulders.
"Of course I'll marry you guys!" He exclaimed happily, chuckling. "This is great! I'm so happy for both of ya!" Shikamaru grumbled quietly about the awkward embrace, but Kiba was chipper as always, and smirked toothily back at his Hokage.
"Yea! Never though we'd get tied down though, eh, Akamaru?" He asked. Next to him, the large white dog barked in agreement, his tail still wagging. Naruto laughed.
"But Karui's worth it, huh?" Kiba blushed a bit, folding his arms behind his head.
"Yea. Roo's worth it a'right."
"That's true. It's troublesome, but I guess I don't mind, for Temari. Besides, she'd kick my ass otherwise, stubborn woman." Shikamaru murmured, affection in his tone.
Suddenly, Naruto jumped away from them, pumping his fist.
"Yosh! Double weddings it is! Plus, this'll be just in time for me'n Hina's first anniversary." He said brightly. Shikamaru snorted.
"Frankly, I'm surprised you'd even remember, Naruto."
"Hey, hey! C'mon Shika, I'm not thatbad!" He tried to defend.
"No, he's right. You're worse, Hokage-sama," Kiba laughed. Of course, that was a losing battle.
"Guys!" He whined.
Yes, Naruto was very happy.
A cool, crisp breeze blew, eliciting a chorus of rustling from the golden, crimson, and burgundy stained leaves that still covered the innumerous sentinel trees surrounded Konohagakure. The cornucopia of colors and sound brought the memory of a recently gone-by evening bubbling to the surface, and Shikamaru smiled slightly as he walked home, thinking of his soon-to-be-wife's little engagement party at Ino's. He'd bet all his hard earned cash that the party was troublesome.
Chuckling tiredly, he hummed a bit to himself, honestly in too good a mood to care much about all the work he'd have coming to him very soon.
~xoxoxox~
It was evening. The fast-fading sunlight broke over the tops of the trees in beams of brilliant gold, carving their place in the sky among their distant, subdued cousins of pink, violet, and orange that melded into the horizon. The forest hummed with a sort of dying energy, not like the quiet death of winter, but a gentle acceptance, a languid unwinding to the euphoric summer season. Warm coloring painted the once green tree leaves, and a cool breeze carrying the sweet scent of autumn apples made those previously verdant fixtures sway in a symphony of sound. The air wasn't quite heavy or light, nor was the temperature high or low; rather, everything blended together in a deliciously quaint, peaceful atmosphere.
Of course, that wasn't to say the people under those trees were necessarily pacified themselves.
"Baka! Just go home and sleep or something, you stupid, lazy fool!" A woman yelled, her straw-blonde hair oddly, if stylishly held up in four ponytails around her head, her pale, dark green eyes alive with anger, annoyance, and sparkling with undercurrents of hurt.
"Tema, c'mon. Don't be like this..." Muttered the source of the woman's frustrations, a tall, lean young man with his long, soot black hair bound in a spiky ponytail, his expression creased with worry and exasperation. His thin brown eyes closed briefly as a hand escaped his pants pocket to idly finger the studs in his ears, and he let out a long sigh.
"Tema, please." He pleaded in a quiet voice, his posture losing its usual slack and his demeanor completely serious, pleading, open. It wasn't a side shown often. The woman hesitated, looking over her shoulder at the man, her black-gloved hands unclenching from their tight fists, her fingers falling to thumb at the edge of her red sash.
"Shikamaru...don't." She said, her normally aggressive tone hushed and almost regretful. "You shouldn't have said those things. It was absolutely idiotic of you, and you've gotta be pretty dense not to realize that. Genius my ass..."
"I'm not sorry for what I said. I shouldn't need to be! It was a perfectly acceptable statement, but you had to go and make things so troublesome. I've done nothing wrong, Temari." Shikamaru replied. A few steps away, Temari whirled to face him, her teeth clenched.
"It was not! Saying such a thing so casually...it's not, and you know it, Shikamaru. Stop acting like this."
His dark eyes flickered with anger before going flat—complacent—again. He took a few slow paces forward, stopping just in front of the kunoichi.
"Temari, I don't see why you're so upset about my commenting on my interest in familial matters. Aren't women supposed to like that stuff?" He murmured, quirking a thin eyebrow. Temari just glared at him.
"Of course you can't see! You. Are. A. Baka. Now get out of here. I'm going home."
She turned to go, but quicker than she'd seen the lazy man move before, he'd caught her wrist and spun her around, pressing her shoulders into an adjacent tree trunk. His stare was unnerving, not particularly cold, but an intense, probing gaze that demanded answers and gave none in return.
"To where, Tema? Back to Suna?"
"Of course!" She spat. "Suna is my home."
"But home is a place where you're happy, right? Where there're people that care for you?" Temari lowered her eyes.
"Konoha isn't my home, Shikamaru. I don't belong here." She whispered, palms resting lightly on his firm chest as if with the intention to push him away, though no move was made. Shikamaru was silent and still but for the rise and fall of his breathing under he fingertips, and for a moment, she though he had no more to say.
"And if you did?" He breathed, barely above a whisper. Her head snapped up with enough force to crack her neck, creating a dull ache, and her wide eyes were instantly captured in the intensity of Shikamaru's gaze.
"What do you mean?" She gasped. The leaf nin leaned towards her, pressing his forehead to hers, his stare boring into her, pinning her in place. Her breath caught. The reaction was so unlike her, all of this was unlike her, and unlike him, but she didn't stop to think about it further under his scrutiny.
"Temari..." He paused, sighing quietly, before continuing. "Temari, I told you about my wishes for a family life so you'd realize that I wanted those things, that I have for a long time. When I pictured my future wife, I pictured some regular girl, with blurry features, a placeholder, since I still had no idea who that girl would be. But now, when I close my eyes, all I see is you, and all I hear is your voice, calling me stupid and telling me to stop being so lazy and to help with the kids."
For the first time in a very long time, Temari was too stunned to so much as blink.
"I told you those things, and I'm telling you this now, so that you'll know that I want all that, and that I want it with you. I'm sick of saying goodbye, I'm sick of walking you through that gate and watching you leave me. I hate it. It's troublesome, and I hate it. I want you to call Konoha your home. I want you to always know that here, in this village, is your place: your husband, your family, your nakama. I want you to know just how much I really do care." He took another deep breath, and Temari swore she couldn't breathe. She felt like she was falling, like there was nothing to stop her descent. She felt scared.
"Temari, I love you. I love you, and I want you-I'm asking you-to marry me."
But she also felt absolutely, amazingly, utterly light and glorious and happy, as if she weren't plummeting, but soaring, soaring on her beautiful, strong wind.
And when she started crying-crying, for the first time in Kami knows how long-and throwing her arms around the lazy genius's neck and burying her face in his shoulder and hiccupping out a 'Yes!', she honestly couldn't care how girly or pathetic she was acting, because, dammit, she was happy.
And if the way Shikamaru was currently ravishing her mouth with his own was any indication, so was he.
~xoxoxox~
"Awwwwwwwwwwww!" Cried Ino, hugging herself and smiling blindingly. Next to her, Sakura similarly simpered. Tenten was giggling behind clasped hands, and Hinata just laughed and hugged her. At Temari's side, Karui had her head thrown back, shaking with mirth, but her eyes held a softness that bellied how adorable she found the story.
"That. Is. So. Wonderful!" Sakura cried, and Ino nodded enthusiastically next to her, the two girls looking oddly like bobble heads to Temari.
"So, yea, that's how it happened." She said, shrugging coolly, unwilling to expose any more of her weakness in the face of her and her fiancée's romance. The other girls just cooed, Karui practically leering. Deciding the Kumo nin needed a taste of the touchy-feely spotlight, Temari turned to the red-haired woman.
"So Karui...how'd Kiba propose to you?" She asked brightly, feigning eagerness and smiling with her eyes closed to hide their mischievous glint. Her friend leveled her a glare as the other girls immediately fell upon her, questions spilling from their lips and blushes dusting their cheeks. Only Hinata remained calm.
"Congratulations, Temari-san." She murmured, offering the girl a tender smile, meeting her gaze easily. It still amazed Temari the changes that had taken place in the quiet, shy Hyūga, but she supposed that was to happen when one seized their dreams. Hinata had risked her life to protect Naruto, confessing her love for the boy while she did so, and after the Fourth Great Ninja War had been resolved, she too had taken the name 'Uzumaki'. Temari respected the woman for it.
"Thanks Hinata-san." She replied, and the two shared a quiet pause before turning their attention to Karui as she began her tale. By force, obviously.
~xoxoxox~
It was late at night. Laughter echoed behind them as the couple exited the elite restaurant, leaving behind the dim booths and swaying beat of the dance floor. The woman, with brilliant red hair and golden eyes, still danced a bit as she walked in rhythm, pumping her arms and rotating her hips. The ruffled fabric of her yellow, black-lace trimmed dress flared the tiniest bit with her small movements, and her companion, dressed in a white suit, chuckled heartily.
To say that it was nearly déjà vu was pretty damn accurate, but they liked it like that. The nostalgic salute to their first date was rather charming.
Kiba's smile turned sultry, his customary red face paint and gleaming eyes giving him a predatory look as he growled lowly, gaze zeroed in on every movement of the woman's hips.
"Hey, Karui." He called, grasping her forearm and pulling her toward him. The relentless, daring girl kept dancing in his grip, even as his arms wound around her back, hands pressing into her upper thighs below the hem of her skirt. He smirked around his canines, and she sent him a smoldering look, purposely grinding into him just a bit, as if without meaning to.
"Yes, dogface?" She drawled, drawing her lips lightly over his cheek. He turned, pressing an oddly tender kiss to her nose for all the heat building between them.
"Let's get married." The dog-lover exclaimed in such a way that reminded Karui of a cheery bark from their beloved Akamaru.
At that blunt, chipper comment, Karui froze. He didn't honestly just...
"Kiba," she said slowly. "Are you seriously asking me to marry you right now?" Her man pulled back a bit, looking at her with a confused expression.
"Uh, yea? What didya think I was askin'?"
Karui did not reply. She just stared at him for a moment, her eye twitching, and Kiba began to wonder if the instinct to back way off and run away with his tail between his legs currently screaming at him should be listened to.
Well, duh.
Lightning quick—per a shinobi of Kumogakure—Karui reared back and punched Kiba right in the face. The man let out a startled sort of howl, clutching at his cheek and falling to his back on the ground. He looked up at his girlfriend with an expression that'd do a kicked puppy proud.
"Roo! The hell was that for?" He whined, lurching to his feet, one hand rubbing absently at his jaw—she hadn't wanted to break his nose—while the other brushed the dirt off of his jacket.
"That was for being a moron, dogface!" The Kumo nin cried, hands on her hips. "Asking me something like that out of nowhere at a time like this! You've got no tact, pup." She huffed. Kiba pouted.
"Well, I couldn't really think of a good time to ask, so I just decided to throw it out there! I mean, I love you, so why not? Besides, this is kinda romantic isn't it? It's just like our first date."
"You. Are. So. Stupid." She growled, rolling her eyes. Though it caused him to wince, Kiba smiled at her.
"But you still love me, right?" Grumbling, Karui smacked him over the head.
"Of course." At that, Kiba's smile widened, seeming to shine like the lightning bolts that had danced around her birthplace.
"So is that a 'yes'?"
"What do you think dogface? Yes it's a 'yes'!"
"Hell yeah!" he hooted. It sounded like a happy yip. And, she supposed, moving to softly kiss his bruised jaw, it probably was.
They shared a contented moment before something rather important suddenly occurred to her.
"Akamaru can't do the ceremony." She told him sternly.
And this, of course, launched a whole other round of whining.
"What? That's crazy! Why not?"
~xoxoxox~
This time, the girls' reactions were a little less enthusiastic. In fact, most of them just smacked their foreheads.
"I never thought Shikamaru would be more of a romantic than Kiba." Sakura mumbled. Ino nodded sagely, as if the situation were a grievous matter.
"But, they're still getting hitched, and very much in love, tact or not." Tenten remarked, and everyone giggled, joy bubbling in the tinkling laughter. Karui's face was red as her hair when she protested it was really very sweet, and the girls just giggled even more, hugging her.
Once they were all calm enough to think again, Ino decided to ask the question that'd been burning on the tip of her tongue since she'd heard the news.
"So when's the wedding?" The girl was practically bouncing in her seat.
"In two weeks. We're having joint ceremonies." Karui answered, eliciting a few squeals of delight. Sakura piped up.
"Who's going to perform them?" She queried, obviously curious; after all, there were many options...
This time, Temari answered.
"Naruto." There was a stunned pause, and even Hinata looked a little surprised.
"Why?" Ino blurted. Temari and Karui glanced at each other, sharing a smile.
"Well...in a way, he's responsible for bringing us together. If Naruto hadn't helped Gaara realize those things all those years ago, Konoha and Suna wouldn't have the relationship we do now, and I may have never gotten close to Shika." Beside her, Karui nodded.
"It's basically the same for me: had he not opened my eyes when he let me beat the shit outta him, I might've just run off and gotten myself killed looking for B-sama. Not to mention his role in keeping us allalive in the war. Besides, he's been Kiba's and Shikamaru's friend for a long time. I think it'd make everyone happier."
It was food for thought, certainly. The group lapsed into a contented, if contemplative silence, until Hinata's gentle voice broke it.
"Well, your weddings will be just in time for mine and Naruto's anniversary, so it'll be a very nice occasion, won't it?" She smiled softly, her pale lavender eyes joyous.
Everyone nodded in agreement. It would be great.
"Happy day my ass. I am going to die under all this!" Karui hissed, and not far from her, Temari similarly groaned.
"For Kami's sake! I grew up in Suna! Clothing should not be the death of me." She gasped.
"Oh hush," Hinata laughed. "You both look beautiful. Like princesses."
Both women were resplendent in wedding garb of finely woven kimonos and brocaded uchikake. Temari's inner layers were made of a shimmering white silk, while the outer layer was a bright scarlet, adorned with silver fans, light blue birds, and silver and black swirls. Karui's inner layers matched Temari's, while her out layer was also a snowy white, boldly decorated with cherry blossoms and lightning strikes in gold and orange, and pale clouds in silver.
Temari's normal ponytails were absent; rather, her hair was bunched up, curled, and bound in a mass with two thick, wooden pins. Karui's was styled closely, also held up in a bundle, though a few straight locks were left down to frame her face, while the rest was held up with a craved comb. Both girls wore zori on their feet and a light dusting of blush across their cheeks.
They truly did look lovely.
Hinata had been getting the two ready in this small tent for a few hours now, and finally, they were ready, as were the rest of the preparations. Just as Hinata began packing her supplies up, the tent flap was pushed back, and Shikamaru walked in wearing an elegant, dark blue kimono and hakama printed with his family's crest in white, his hair hanging loose and brushing his shoulders. Kiba was inches behind him, dressed similarly, though his outfit was black, and adorned with the Inuzuka clan's crest. Both men froze when they saw their brides.
Temari blushed prettily as Shikamaru approached her. "So beautiful..." He murmured. Tearing her gaze from her gorgeous groom for a split second, she saw that Karui was once more red-faced as Kiba whispered things in her ear—she caught only snatches of what he was saying, but it was clear her fellow nin was being similarly complimented. Hinata simply watched the scene, a small smile on her face and amusement twinkling in her eyes. For her part, she wore a pretty, pale blue kimono tied with a violet sash, her hair tucked over her shoulder in a curly, loose braid.
"It's time to go." She reminded the couples gently, moving forward and holding the tent flap open for them.
As the pairs emerged, the girls were met with the sight of what seemed the entire village of Konohagakure gathering along the established path, cheering gaily for them. Shikamaru huffed about how troublesome it all was, and Kiba laughed at the obviously empty statement. The man was saying it out of habit more than anything else!
The bridal procession moved quickly, and soon the two couples were presented with the sight of their Hokage standing in front of a small alter, dressed in a dark yakuta over which his formal white robes lay, his face perfectly serene and solemn as suited someone in his important role; but his eyes were swimming with happiness for his nakama. Before them, tatami mats were placed in front of small-footed wooden trays. They sat the appropriate distance apart, and, after Hinata fussed a bit over the trains of the girls' uchikake, the rest of the guests settled themselves. Both the couples families were gathered closest, including Gaara and his wife Matsuri, Kankuro, Killer B, Omoi, and Samui, as well as Inuzuka Hana, Inuzuka Tsume, Nara Shikaku, and Nara Yoshino, along with all their close friends from the Konoha 11—now actually twelve, with Sasuke's mostly-stoic presence.
Silence reigned as Naruto dipped his fingers in a cup of cold water and sprinkled some on each of their foreheads.
"May your love last for one hundred thousand lifetimes." He declared, his voice steady and proud—the man had truly grown up.
Now, Akamaru padded carefully forward, two bottles of sake and some napkins balanced carefully on his back, and Hinata took them and poured a small amount of sake in each saucer. Once she stepped back, Kiba and Shikamaru simultaneously took hold of their cups, bowed their heads to Naruto, and downed the burning liquid. The cups were refilled, and Temari and Karui repeated the process. As they set the containers back down and looked to their Hokage once more, Naruto came forward, a silken ribbon in each hand, turning one of the two over to Hinata.
Both Kiba and Karui, and Shikamaru and Temari faced each other and clasped their hands together, one each. Uzumaki Hinata and Uzumaki Naruto approached them, each wrapping a ribbon around their joint hands three times before tying a knot. They retreated, and Naruto's voice sounded again.
"You are now bound to one another. Like the circle of this tie, may your love be endless." One final time, Naruto came towards them, unwinding the ribbons and handing them to the brides. Everyone was still for a moment, before the Hokage's face split into a broad smile, and he clapped his hands together.
"Be happy guys! You just got married!" He laughed, and after that, everyone's respectful postures dissolved, replaced by carefree mirth, joy, and, above all, love.
Oh, yes. Above all, above hatred, and loneliness, and strife, and pain, there was always, always that beautiful light in the dark. For above all, this is love, eternal, and everlasting, that which would transcend pain, death, and time.
Love...
It really was reason to smile.
Yay for happy-sappy oneshots. xD There's two more oneshots that are sort-of sequels to this, and some WIP's for this "universe". If you guys like, I can upload them here, too, or you can check them out on my dA account: the link is in my profile. They're called Winter Bloom and Spring Crushes, Tiny Blushes. Thanks for reading, love, and cookies!