Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or the characters they belong to Masashi Kishimoto.
Takumi, Junko, Takahiro, Ryuu and Ayano belong to me and are invented by me.
A/N: Attention everyone! This is the first part of the ending of Betrothed. Here to assist me is one of my best friends Yumi-chan. (For people who care it means very beautiful and it's her real name)
To be honest I still have some things what I'm not certain about for the ending but I do know the general direction. Yumi-chan is going to help me. So please give her a big applause while she puts up with my impossible requests and demands.
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All Hinata's friends were sitting at a huge table in the bag garden drinking tea and eating lunch. Hinata had to admit that her friends could've reacted better towards her fiancé. Kiba almost crushed Takahiro's hand when they were shaking hands and said that if he ever hurt Hinata he would… well she didn't even dare to think what Kiba said. She just kept at the conclusion that it had to hurt. A lot. Shino's handshake was a lot better but he whispered something in Takahiro's ear that made him swallow, and his smile crumble.
'At least Kurenai-sensei is taking it in better. She even asked Takahiro if he could join her for a walk so they could talk.' Hinata sighed in relieve. Her friends and Kurenai meant a lot to her. She had always considered them her family and that at least one member of her family excepted him was good news. She knew Kiba and Shino would turn around eventually. Once they got used to the situation even she wasn't used to yet. At least Kurenai had accepted her fiancé.
Somewhere in the garden
"Listen here punk if you even do anything to hurt my student I swear I will feed your intestines to the crows myself. Got that?! I don't care who you are or who your father is! I swear that if you make Hinata cry only one tear I'm going to make sure that you die so slow and painful you'll beg for death."
Back at the lunch table
Hinata, Tenten, Sakura and Ino were having girl talk. Ino and Sakura were obvious really excited about girl talk. Tenten and Hinata felt of course totally out of place.
"You're so lucky Hinata your fiancé is so cute. Don't you think so?" Ino squealed.
"I g-guess." Hinata said. Naruto scoffs on the background. "He's really n-nice and I think we'll get along just f-fine."
"I don't know Ino. Love isn't supposed to go like this. You should marry someone you love instead of someone they chose for you." Tenten said.
"Well look at it this way. She will be married to a handsome, nice, rich, important man. What is not to love? I'm sure she'll fall for him soon enough. Once you get to know him you'll be head over heels for the guy." Ino said again while a bit further on the table Naruto accidentally shatters his glass in his fist.
Tenten still looked unconvinced.
"And she's getting the most beautiful wedding a girl could ask for. I can't wait until tomorrow." Sakura added.
"Besides" Ino stated. "What you get to after the wedding is going to be even better! I sure hope you use the present we gave you."
Hinata immediately became tomato red. On the background Naruto chocked on his food. The girls ignored him except for Hinata who kept glancing over at him worried while Chouji used the Heimlich method on him. The rest of the girls just stared expectedly at Hinata and the knowing looks on their faces mad her want to disappear from embarrassment.
Suddenly Ino's face turned from a pervy smirk to a super sweet look, so sweet and innocent it scared everyone a bit. Even Naruto who still had food in his troth while Chouji repeatedly pounded his chest couldn't help but stare at Ino's innocent and angelic expression in amazement. Ino wrapped her arm around Hinata's shoulders. "So Hinata-chan, who's going to be your maid of honor?"
Everybody let out a sigh in relieve knowing that Ino's true intentions had been made clear. It was starting to get a bit worrying and out of relieve Naruto finally coughed up the food that was in his troth.
"Of course that's going to be me Ino-pig! You wouldn't look good in a super expensive custom made dress." Sakura said.
"What did you say forehead-girl?! There's no way a girl with such a big forehead can look better in such as dress than me!"
"Stop it! This is Hinata's wedding!" Tenten shouted. There was a short silence while both girls looked apologetic at the ground. "And since I'm Hinata's best friend it's only logical that I'm the made of honor." She than added with a smirk.
"WHAT?!" Both girls screamed.
The girls were arguing furiously when Hinata's small voice tried to interrupt.
"S-Sorry Tenten-chan, Ino-chan, Sakura-chan but I'm afraid the made of honor has already been chosen."
"WHAT?! WHO?!" All three girls asked in unison.
"A-Ano… I don't know e-exactly. Takumi-san is the w-wedding planner. I-I could ask him."
"That's so unfair!" Ino cried. "Now I'll never be able to stun all important people from all countries with my beauty!"
"It's not fair!" Sakura cried. "Now I'll never be able to wear a dress that's worth more than the house I live in."
"It's so wrong!" Tenten followed. "Now I won't be able to stand by my best friend's wedding!"
Naruto sweat dropped. 'Tenten is the only person who actually made sense to me.'
"I-I'm sorry. But I'm s-sure that Ayano-san would l-love to make a d-dress for you all."
"Really?" Sakura said with tears in her eyes. "You would give us a super expensive dress even though were not your made of honor or a part of the wedding in any way?"
Hinata nodded. "O-Of course. You are my f-friends. I want y-you all to look g-good on my w-wedding day."
"Hinata." Ino said with tears and sparkles in her eyes. "You're so awesome."
"I'm going to miss you so much." Tenten said likewise.
All three girls launched them selves at her on the same time and suddenly Hinata was pulled into a group hug.
Normally Hinata wouldn't like being in a group hug. It made her uncomfortable. Being in the middle of a group hug like she was now was totally out of the question. But at this moment she could only smile and whisper. "I-I'm going to m-miss you too."
The rest of the day went fairly smooth. Hinata had a hard time dividing her attention amongst everyone. Lee, Tenten, Sakura, Ino, Naruto, Kurenai and Kiba were all trying to talk to her at the same time. It was a bit overwhelming. She was really grateful to Shikamaru, Neji, Chouji, Sai and Shino who saw she was busy enough and after a while started to draw the attention of Hinata's crowd. When the sun began to set it she was glad that she was able to talk to everyone. Everybody seemed to be having a great time. It had been a long time since they all had come together like this. The last time that they all had been together had been at the funeral of the third Hokage. It wasn't that they didn't see each other a lot. Naruto had been away for a long time. And most of the time it were just 2 teams hanging out and not all 4 teams.
Some things had gone wrong like Lee accidentally drinking alcohol. Luckily Neji, Naruto, Kiba and Chouji were able to restrain him before he did any damage. They had a great laugh. Chouji had been eating everything he could get his hands on and the servants and cooks had a hard time keeping up with him. Naruto and Kiba almost started fighting both of them being slightly drunk but not much. It was 8 in the evening when the weather suddenly changed. In a half hour the warm summer evening had turned into a storm with heavy rain, wind, lightning and thunder. They all said there goodbyes and left for there rooms.
It was the middle of the night when Naruto was lying in bed. Tomorrow was the day of Hinata's wedding. He hadn't figured out a way. He had thought that he had enough time still but with the arrival of his friends and their small party he had no time for thinking. His mind desperately thought of the craziest plans that didn't have the desired affect. 'Damn is there no way I can stop the wedding without either country being offended.' Naruto's eyes felt heavy. He was already half sleeping. Even the really loud thunder and lightening didn't seem to be enough to keep him awake. It had only increased in volume since it started and he knew it was really close now. It wouldn't surprise him if somewhere on the huge property of the Tsuchikage the lightning was going to hit tonight. It was almost impossible if it didn't. Never had he heard lightning from so close. It was slightly worrying. Was it his Ninja senses that made him so suspicious of this night?
A huge flash of lightning flashed outside his window. 'Stupid lightning. It almost doesn't seem normal.' He groaned and pulled the covers over his head to shield himself from the light flashes.
Naruto had almost fallen asleep when he softly heard his door open. He drowsily slipped his hand under his pillow and grabbed a kunai that he kept there.
"N-Neji nee-san. I-I had a bad d-dream again. I think it's the s-storm. C-Can I sleep with you a-again?"
Naruto tilted his head in surprise. The room was dark so he could only see the light from the hallway coming in. He couldn't see Hinata clearly. Only Hinata's silhouette in the door opening. He didn't need to see her to know she was slightly shaking.
"Hinata?"
"N-Naruto-kun!" Hinata said startled.
"Neji isn't hear right now. I don't know where he is. I thought he was supposed to be guarding you. Takahiro probably told him he didn't need to guard you anymore. He's probably sleeping in some guest room Takahiro gave him. Did you have a nightmare?"
Hinata nodded.
"That's okay Hinata. You can sleep here. The lightning is scary. Especially when it's this close."
Hinata doubted for a minute and was about to reject his offer when a loud lightning crashed the silence. She quickly laid down on the bed as far away as she could. It was a king sized so they're was a great distance between them but immediately Hinata felt Naruto's presence was reassuring and protecting her. She was never scared when she was with Naruto. Around him she always felt safe.
Another loud roar split the silence. Naruto could see Hinata cringe. She looked scared. He wondered what her bad dream had been about. He remembered he had a lot of nightmares. Sometimes about the Kyuubi braking free, sometimes about his friends leaving him and sometimes about Konoha being destroyed. He even had one of Sakura beating the crap out of him after he peeped on her in the hot springs.
When he saw another flash of lightning outside he moved over in her direction and when pulled her towards him. Her already tensed body tensed even more. There was a new flash of lightning and she noticed that with his arms around her she felt more relaxed. His warmth felt safe and soothing. He comforted her and stroked her hair. "It's okay Hinata. It's just lightning. Let's go to sleep I'm tired. Don't worry about anything. I'll protect you. Believe it."
Every time lightning would flash outside Hinata's body would tense for a minute while she buried her face deeper in his chest but after Naruto gave her a reassuring squeeze she would relax.
Eventually Hinata's breathing slowed down and she fell asleep. Naruto was pretty tired himself. He was happy to be so close to her. To be able to help her when she was scared. 'This wedding is going down. I feel more determined than ever. There's no way I can let this happen to the girl I love.' Naruto's half sleeping eyes widened in surprise.
'Did I just say…'
'You sure did.'
He looked surprised at the girls curled up against his chest and his arms tightened a bit around her. 'That sounds about right.' He smiled down at the girl in his arms and fell asleep worrying about the next day.
Everywhere Naruto looked people were running around with all sorts of stuff. Hinata, Sakura, Tenten and Ino were being dressed by Ayano at the moment. Hinata had asked Ayano yesterday if she could make a dress for her friends. She had immediately agreed and taken their seizes. Hinata felt guilty at first because making three dresses in such a short time but Ayano said it would be no problem.
Naruto had wanted to stay by her side all day but now that he wasn't her bodyguard anymore and just a guest he had to stay with the rest of his friends while they waited for the wedding to start. His friends were talking and laughing but he wasn't paying attention. Than they were escorted into the ballroom with the rest of the guests but Naruto couldn't. He knew that this was probably his last chance to tell Hinata how he felt about her. If he did there was a big chance of him getting rejected, if she didn't there was also a chance that he would start a war between both countries. He had always said he never broke his promises. But today he might break the promise of the Hyuuga clan and the leaf village. He knew that if he didn't he would never forgive himself. He just had to hear from her own voice that she didn't like him that way. No matter what the outcome he knew it was going to hurt. But just sitting in the church watching her get married was something he just couldn't do.
It was than that he saw Hinata. He had never seen her this beautiful. Her dress, her face and her hair looked perfect. It was hard to focus on her but it was something he knew he had to do.
"H-Hinata?" He asked nervously.
"N-Naruto-kun, is something wrong?"
"I want to… No, I need to tell you something. I know that saying it can only start more bad things but if I don't I know I'll never forgive myself."
"W-What is it Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked worriedly.
"Hinata, I-I love you!" He just blurted it out like that. His eyes were closed. He slowly opened them and saw Hinata's chocked face.
"N-Naruto-kun, I-I…" Hinata's voice was stopped by the sound of the music. The kind of music that is played when the bride is supposed to come in. The kind of music that made Naruto's stomach cringe. "I-I'm s-sorry. I-I have to g-go."
With those words she walked away. With those words she grabbed her fathers arm and was guided in the church. With those words she walked out of his life. With those words Naruto's heart shattered.
"No!" Naruto yelled as he quickly shot up. The room was dark but he could feel a warmth source next to him move.
"What?" Hinata's sleepy voice said. "N-Naruto-kun, are you okay? Is something w-wrong?"
Naruto took a deep breath knowing it had just been a dream. It had seemed so real. He turned to Hinata. Even though it was dark in the room he could imagine her face looking at him worried.
"It's okay Hinata. It was just a dream." He placed a hand on top of her head and laid her back down on the pillow.
"A-Are you sure?"
"Yes, don't worry about it."
It had been a long day for Naruto. Everywhere he looked he was reminded of the wedding. The only thing he could do as a guest was wait for it. It was only two hours before the wedding when he decided he had waited long enough. He still didn't have a plan, which irritated him, and he needed to talk to Neji. Right now. Unfortunately for him he hadn't seen the Hyuuga all morning. He stood up from the couch he was sitting in. The other members of the Konoha 12 looked up from their thee confused. He just grabbed his jacket and walked off.
He turned the corner and was surprised to see Shikamaru standing before him. "It's a drag Naruto but I need to tell you that it's not a good idea."
"Wh-what? How did you…?"
"Well that was pretty easy. We could all feel the vibe around the three of you. It was hard not too. I'm not going to tell you what to do. I'm just saying that what ever you're planning it isn't smart."
Naruto walked past him and he could feel the shadow user's eyes on his back but "I know." Was all he could mutter.
Naruto had been looking for almost a half hour but couldn't find a sign of Neji. He really needed to talk to someone who knew the whole situation. He decided to check the garden when he heard whispering coming from on of the rooms. It was kind of suspicious because all the guests were all gathered up and the other people were all busy with the preparations of the wedding. Nobody was supposed to be here. He held his ear by the door but when he couldn't understand what they were saying he opened the door with a swing and everything went black.
Me: I'm pretty satisfied with this chapter. But I'm glad it's done.
Yumi: I'm exhausted. I want to take a break. This is too much work.
Me: Fine, fine we'll have a break.
Yumi: Hooray! So when will we meet again. In let's say euh… Wednesday?
Me: That's five days from now. I was thinking about in two hours.
Yumi: O.o Are you trying to kill me?! *Sigh* I never would've volunteered if I had know this would be so much work. I'm tired. Fine just give me two hours to eat and to stretch my legs. You damn freak.
Me: Thanks ^^
Yumi: Yeah, yeah What ever.
Me: It's been taking longer than I thought because I keep going back to change it and because me and Yumi have trouble with finding times that we both have time. So this was the first chapter I hope we'll soon finish the second.
BTW. I need to apologize to my friend Ryuu for using his name for one of my characters. XD Sorry.