I did a double update!!! Is anyone proud of me?!

Inner Me: Yosh! You are so awesome and wonderful, all who read your story fall in love with the amazing author-ess!!!

Oute Me: Thanks dude...I love you too.

GUYS LOOK! MY INNER SELF TALKS LIKE LEE! HOW AWESOME IS THAT?!!??!!

Yeah, yeah, ignore me. The story's RIGHT there *points*...R&R please?!! Oh, and the 'surprise' is at the bottom. You can see it before reading, it may even help with your visualisation...no spoilers there! I hope you like it!!!

Disclaimer: Unless I'm a Japanese male named Masashi Kishimoto, there's no way I can own Naruto.

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CH - 7

The morning of Hinata's wedding foretold that the rest of the day would be a pretty one. It was spring in Konoha, how could it NOT be pretty?

The ceremony was to be a small one held in Hyuuga compound, both sides agreed on less pomp and show. There were some chairs arranged in rows for the groom's and bride's sides. the guests looked happy, a wedding was a joyful occasion. Everyone was happy. Except two people.

The bride and groom.

Hinata looked out the window, trying desperately to control her emotions. Her friends were there with her in the room, helping her get ready, even though she didn't need it.

Hanabi sat on the window-sill looking lazily at the excited girls, wearing an orange kimono and had her hair loose. She was a tomboyish girl, rarely dressing up, but the occasion demanded it.

Ino, wearing a purple kimono, did the bride's hair and make-up, everyone agreed it was a fabulous job.

Sakura walked around in her red yukata and did whatever Ino told her to.

Tenten had tried sitting helping out, but as soon as she'd got Hinata's hair looking like Minnie Mouse's, Ino restricted her from entering within 2 metres of the pale girl, who was being dolled up for something she didn't care about. So now, she was sitting in her white qipao with Hanabi and playing something which included close-range weapon attacks and dodging them with clothes intact and untorn.

Within minutes, everyone was done, ready and hurrying the bride to the where the ceremony was to be held. As she walked down the makeshift aisle, Hinata felt a sense of impending doom. This wasn't how she'd imagined her wedding...this wasn't the groom she'd dreamt of...and the emotions were far from the exhilerating joy she had expected to feel. But then again, life wasn't always what one expected.

During the short, 30 minute ceremony, she could feel her groom's discomfort as he shifted his weight from leg to leg. Her heart dropped lower than it had earlier. He wanted to do this far less than she did. It was almost as though he...resented her. For...what? She couldn't fathom.

"I..I do," she muttered sadly, when it was her turn, sneaking glances at her stoic husband (to-be). He clenched his fist, she noted.

He must have been hoping for me to say no. Haha.

The rest of the ridiculous charade passed by quickly, the exchange of vows and rings complete, they were "given permission" to kiss. Before doing so, the couple looked out at their guests together, involuntarily. It was as though they were both thinking the same thing.

Hinata caught sight of Naruto who was smiling at her as if she were his own sister that he was marrying off. He was sitting on the groom's side, as were almost all the other males (except Shino, Neji and Kiba). Tears welled behind her eyelids, but she blinked rapidly, forcing them back. The man she loved was HAPPY that she was getting married to someone else.

Shikamaru was asleep next to his glowing newly-wed wife, who winked at Kankuro. He glared at her and turned to his brother. Gaara merely ignored him and concentrated on getting his arm around Matsuri from behind the bench. The old yawning trick. Kankuro rolled his eyes.

They turned to each other, both taking a deep breath. The crowd held its breath and let it out in a sigh the moment the newlyweds' lips touched. Kankuro shivered. Just a mere second of feeling her lips against his own, and he was putty. Hinata felt an electric jolt but repressed it the moment she felt his shudder.

Honestly, someone needs to tell me how repulsive I am! I hate this pity thing...

Nevertheless, she blushed and resisted the urge to pull him in for a deeper kiss. She had been feeling more attracted to him, but she told herself it was because he was a man. The only man with whom she'd been intimate. It was an uncomfortable knowledge.

"Let's go." the groom said gruffly, motioning for her to follow as he made his way down the aisle, in an obvious hurry. She hurried after him but they came to a halt when their path was blocked by a photographer. Kankuro ran a hand through his hair, his face paint not covering his irritation.

"Smile please." the old man said in a monotone. He obviously couldn't care less whether they smiled or not.

"Whatever," Kankuro rolled his eyes and stood stiffly next to his wilting bride. He made no attempt to smile and she didn't want to either, not with the way she was feeling.

"Hina-chan!" Ino called as soon as they'd made their escape from the photographer.

"Yes?" she called back.

"It's time to throw the bouquet, like the Western custom!" the blonde replied excitedly, glancing over at Chouji who blushed and grinned.

"But Ino-!"

"Come on!" the Yamanaka had already reached them and was tugging the unwilling girl along. "It'll just take a second!"

"Go on, I don't care." Kankuro replied rudely to her beseeching look and walked off without a backward glance.

Had he been a person she cared more strongly for, tears would be flowing freely by this point. But Hinata just felt a hollow pain swallow her chest as she followed her excited friend to...wherever she was leading her.

Another person who can add me to their list of grievances, I suppose...

____________________ --That night, the Hyuuga Mansion-- ____________________

"Kankuro, this is your room. Hina's is next door. I hope you guys haven't fought, because Hinata told me that maybe you would prefer to be away from her." Hanabi looked at him. She didn't glare, she didn't yell, she just waited for his reply. He sighed and scrached his neck.

"Hanabi-chan, we haven't fought. How can we, when your sister's a person as sweet as THAT?!" he laughed uncomfortably. "But it's hard for us both. She didn't want to marry me, I think she's in love with Naruto? As for me, I never wanted to marry and get tied down. I suppose I partially blame her for taking away my freedom."

"Freedom?" Hanabi snorted. "That's sad for you, but it doesn't explain why you were so damn rude to her all day..."

"I'm trying to make her hate me, if she doesn't already. Then we'll divorce and go our seperate ways!" he admitted. "It's better for us both."

"I would laugh if you weren't so adorably earnest about this idiotic idea. I won't discourage you. Try your best to make my sister hate you." Hanabi rolled her eyes. "But you better not make her cry while you're at it. I don't promise not to kick your ass if it happens."

"What?! I would never-!" the purple-faced (literally!) ninja was surprised.

"Promise me." his sister-in-law was suddenly dead serious and looking at him. He wondered if that was one of her methods of a silent kill.

"I promise I will never make her cry. But," he smiled. "Isn't the father or brother supposed to make this speech?"

"Father doesn't give a shit. Neji is...busy." She answered vaguely. He raised his eyebrow. "With TenTen..."

"Ah. Hehe." he winked at her and she was amiable again.

They made small talk for a few minutes. He told her that they were leaving before noon the next day, and she nodded absently.

"You better make sure she doesn't harm herself tomorrow. Keep her healthy and all...don't overwork her too much."

"I may have to be a teensy-weensy bit harsh on her," he began pleadingly. "The hate-me plan!"

"Ah, okay. But seriously, not too much. It may harm her in the long run, you know."

"How?"

"Wow, you ARE an idiot." the girl younger than him shook her head. "Anyway, Ja ne!"

The brunette stared at the door she'd just exited through, long after she'd gone. His mind was whirring a little, but he wasn't able to answer the question niggling at his brain:

"Why am I the idiot?"

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So?! What'd ya'll think?!?! Can I write beautifully or what?! Lol! Ne, just kidding, I know I suck!!! Haha!

Disclaimer 2: I don't own anything in these links. They're solely the property of the people in them or the ones who created them. I'm NOT a plagiarist!!! :D

Anyway, these links are my surprise. Don't roll your eyes please?! Oh, and remove the spaces to open the links...I hope you guys open these links! I know it's troublesome, but do try. There was some problem with them...they didn't open. So I edited them, I hope they open now. Please remove the small dashes between jpg and png too or they won't open.

1. Hanabi: ht tp:// w w w . old shanghai online .c o m/womens/womensclothing/ kimono_brocade /emblem/largerview/b-kimono-emblem(L) - orange - 600 . j-p-g

2. Ino: ht tp:// students . eng . fiu . edu/ ~ jfunk / images / anime/rei_kimono_ 512 . j-p-g

3. Sakura: ht tp:// media . photo bucket .c o m/ image/ haruno%20sakura%20in%20a%20kimono / wolflover _ 08 _ 2008 /Sakura - kimono . j-p-g

4. TenTen: ht tp: // w w w . china today. c o m/culture/china . clothes / . j-p-g

5. Temari: ht tp : // image. blog. livedoor . jp / auberginefleur / imgs/8/ d/ 8d7ab35e . j-p-g

6. Kankuro: ht tp: // fc00 . deviantart . com/ fs27/ f/2008 /125/4 /e/ Kankuro_Sabaku_no_by_Sunaki Sabaku no . p-n-g

Things to watch out for:

1. TenTen's is without the frill thing...unless you like that.

2. In Kankuro's link, after removing the spaces, there might appear a '%20' between the words 'SunakiSabakuno' after you hit 'enter'. Just erase that, and it'll open. Try it...He's HOT.

3. I've made some changes in the story too, but they're nothing major, so don't worry.