Disclaimer: Don't own the Naruto franchise or any of it's characters.

Rating: T

A look into the pairing of SaiXIno; enjoy.


A week later

Sai had to admit, this was a most unusual mission - trying to find a gift - but he still intended to obey Kakashi's orders, including that not one word of this reach the happy couple until after the ceremony. Even as he looked/thought though gift ideas, he often heard the various sounds Ino made, also going through the same process and apparently putting even her own savviness to the test.

There was still time before the wedding today, but it felt like the time limit was speeding things up- odd.

Hmm, he believed a nice book would be helpful to them, or perhaps a drawing- no, a wedding-related drawing had to be personal, and until he had actually attended this wedding, he would not have such details to draw upon until too late. With that idea dismissed, he returned to the book suggestion, wondering what sort of book would be best helpful to them? Numerous ideas swirled around in his mind, all related to what he knew came with living in a home, alone or together with another person, either in short-term or long-term. Sai then felt strange; the idea itself still had merit, but his ideas had a sensation of... unimpressive to them, and if he felt this, how would Naruto and Hinata react?

"Hmm... they would regard the thought as sweet, but their actual reaction would be... various, I believe. They would try to spare my feelings too, focusing on only the positive parts... I think that is likely."

Okay, so his idea wasn't discarded as-of-yet, but he needed higher standards of which to present as a gift to them.

"Ah, this'll be perfect!"

Hmm, judging by the sound of it, Ino had found her idea of a perfect gift- Sai was glad for her, but he still needed to think, so he didn't notice the double 'Huh?' that sounded.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing?"

"What does it look like-"

Hmm? Sakura?

"-I'm doing? I've picked up this picture frame."

"Actually no you haven't, Billboard Brow! I've picked up this picture frame!"

"Yeah right, like I'm gonna let you Ino-pig!"

Sai realized he was feeling awkward, hearing a 'friendly argument' between his girlfriend and her friendly rival not ten feet away. His normal reaction would've been to tell them both to calm down, but with their argument building and both women known for their tempers (and Sakura's Chakra-Enhanced Strength), he quickly decided it's better for his health if he didn't interfere. He tried to think during this, but found their argument too distracting, as it had a strange verbal quality that demanded he pay attention to it. This briefly gave him a thought at how Ino's looks did similar, before he blinked and wondered why he'd thought about that now... the mind could be strange sometimes.

Always his conscious mind obeyed as normal, but the unconscious had started to flare up in small bits, as he'd been learning everything...

By the time he 'came back' to himself, he realized the owner had already thrown both women outside, leaving Sai shocked that so much time had passed so quickly in his perception. This left him 'torn' between the realization that Ino may yell after (and expect) him to follow her no matter what, or risk her wrath by not doing that, among other things, and he's undecided what he should be doing.

He'd always believed such 'rooting' or 'torn-ness' to be a trick of the mind... clearly it wasn't in some cases...

"Hey, you came in with that blonde girl. Is she your girlfriend?"

This brought him back to the question posed by the owner... Sai was sweating slightly trying to find an answer, but his eyes wouldn't focus on anything in particular...

Uh!

Quickly, he plucked a certain book off the shelf, managing to hide an instinctive urge to gulp. "I'm not here to cause trouble, but yes, she is my girlfriend" he stated quickly, before opening up his wallet. "I am prepared to pay you for this item, and leave right now."

He held no illusions that Ino would still be furious due to the arugment, perhaps unable to enjoy his company, but he thought it best if he could at least keep her out of trouble. After paying and leaving though, he was 'sadly' mistaken, for Ino + Sakura were both nowhere to be found, as if they'd left for something together... well, at least he gotten himself the wedding gift.

/

Considerably later

Ino still felt embarrassed, as she'd gotten into a stupid argument with her best-friend-rival... her pride had demanded she retaliate, as she had, but it'd also gotten them booted out of the store. So not only had she left Sai alone, she'd gone and roped Choji into this cooking contest, something he'd being unwilling for until they mentioned food (then he was all over it)... by the end they'd concluded that their rivalry motivated them to improve, and then they'd been BFF's and gone wedding-gift shopping together.

"I'm really sorry about that, Sai" she said, for the third time.

In front of the mirror, Sai adjusted his new shirt, an official fabric and style he hadn't worn before; it made him look distinguished, even handsome (moreso anyway). "Miss Beautiful, it isn't an issue" he assured, before tilting his head, before his expression turned 'interesting'. "However, I am having flickers upon your stating apologies this many times... is that the beginnings of irritation?"

She narrowed her gaze, not certain if he's being serious, play-serious, or just clueless... then she sighed, figuring the third option is playing a part somewhere.

"I don't know right now" Ino admitted, before lifting up her own fabrics, motioning toward the bathroom. "But still, may I?"

"Of course."

One quick change and she stepped back out, Sai turning around- his breath paused, blinking as the first thing he noticed was her hair, having been put back up into it's ponytail, but then looking her over with mostly-normal interest. She wore this thicker white shirt (complete with necklace), just over a bit of the black dress, overall looking both beautiful and official for a wedding- had to look at least a little spiffy that way, but she was certain it'd draw attention anyway.

"Like it?"

"Hmm" he considered, head briefly tilted before he looked back. "It is different from your normal style, but yes, I believe it is lovely in it's own style. Uh, I mean your style."

Maybe it's his small praise, but Ino didn't care about the difference between 'own' and 'her' style, so she just smiled. In particular, she stepped over and did an adjustment to his collar, as it's a bit off-center and ruffled, much to his small surprise over the hands-on action - "I think you look quite handsome" she said, very gentle.

Anyone else would've said he didn't react, but she saw the little hints, that he was thinking back to the library- after all, her calling him that had been connected to their first kiss together, un-reciprocated on his part due to shock.

Then he smiled, nodding. "Thank you, Miss B- Ino" he breathed back, before slowly, his hand came up to briefly touch the tips of her hair. "I'm also glad to see your hair back in this style as well, even if it's just for the ceremony."

For all that, Ino made sure to kiss him- this time he wasn't exactly surprised, or 'enough' to slow him down anyway.

Definitely improving, yet again.


The wedding

Thus far the ceremony had yet to start, with most people already seated and chatting, surrounding the center in a circle with five aisles separating them - up at the makeshift altar, Naruto stood, currently talking with Iruka, Sasuke, Gaara, and Kakashi. He hadn't seen Hinata yet, but apparently Ino had, for she'd recently returned to her seat along, saying there were a few last-minute details and such.

"Naruto is nervous, and yet... it seems he's 'aglow' with happiness" Sai slowly ventured, hushed so as not to disturb the others. "Is Hinata feeling similar?"

"You have no idea" Ino whispered back, smiling big. "I don't think there's anything that could bring down her mood today. She's finally gotten her feelings returned, with minimal waiting time I might add once Naruto 'got it', and now they're gonna stay together forever."

He smiled, indeed happy, both for his friends and Ino's happiness on the matter- it's a good detail to look at. "Well, now I have an idea" he ventured, figuring it's an appropriate response- Ino just near-silently laughed, which was a good response. "But I also wonder if that flower on Naruto's outfit is your work, Miss Beautiful?"

"Duh!" she whispered. "I wouldn't have them use anything else for this important event!"

Indeed, Ino's pride would demand that she take a personal role, considering Hinata is one of her friends- he found it wasn't a surprise, despite his having asked. But also-

"Everyone."

Upon hearing Kakashi's voice, the crowd quickly stopped, turning all eyes to the altar. The Hokage made sure of this before continuing: "Based upon the cue I just got, all parties are ready to begin" he stated easily. "They should begin in another minute or so, and if everyone not seated would do so, we'd be grateful."

Just like that, everyone did so - after nodding to Naruto, Sasuke and Gaara both moved down from the altar, each going toward their respective seats. Sasuke was soon down beside Sakura (of course), the latter touching his hand briefly with a little smile while he didn't outwardly react, and Gaara sat down beside Temari, who was also sitting beside Shikamaru. Sai's attention was still on the altar though, for while Naruto was now standing upon his appointed spot, Kakashi and Iruka were staying put on his right side. At first he was confused, until he remembered reading that that side (and the opposite one for Hinata) was reserved for family... he felt a small flicker of warmth as he realized the apparent implications, and smiled, realizing that was quite like Naruto.

Ino took his hand then, making him look over- hers was simply soft, happy.

He was uncertain if it's because she saw his realization, or a coincidence, but didn't care that moment- he instead returned the grip, keeping the smile.

Music began to play then, and a light spread of pink blossom petals began to float across the ceremony, brought upon by the wind (but no one really minded). Almost as a single mind, people stood and turned toward the back of one aisle, whereupon the first person came forward- Hanbei, a basket full of petals hanging from her left arm, under which she carried a picture of Neji. Wearing a rather cheeky smile, the girl put quite some power in her fistfuls of petals, throwing them every which way, but people took it in apparent good humor. Up ahead, she also motioned something to Naruto, causing him to sheepishly rub his head and grin... perhaps a wink or something?

Ino's nudge (and subsequent tilt-of-head motion when he looked) quickly told where his attention should be, as indeed he had followed Hanbei's progress too much- his mistake.

Hinata came forward, flanked by her father, Hiashi - he was astounded how right Ino had been; she seemed similarly 'aglow' with happiness, equal-if-not-greater than Ino's normal happiness-attraction in this moment. Even as she walked though, she seemed on the verge of tears (good ones he hoped), but her eyes were only on Naruto, and he on her.

The moment she went up the altar, Naruto held his hands out, and Hinata took them without reservation- beside her, Hiashi and Hanbei stayed as her family, while the crowd slowly sat back down.

Sai admitted, while he heard the words said and kept his attention on the happy couple (as expected to), Ino seemed purposefully trying to distract him during things, for her fingers kept playing with his. After a little thought, he assumed that whether or not she's doing so on purpose, or just because she enjoyed it, he didn't mind; it wasn't the worst kind of distraction, remembering the sensations of her kisses. In a way, it also gave him a good sense of time as he returned the favor, hearing Naruto and Hinata recite vows to each other. The way they spoke was so easy in their affections, that it made him briefly feel... feel- um... oh, jealous?

Or maybe inadequate? Otherwise?

He instinctively pushed this 'emotion' away, but held onto the truth: he may (or may not) feel any of those things, but if he does, he's not going to blame Naruto/Hinata for their ease of affection. Instead, he should use it and his own reaction to further his desire to re-experience emotions, as well as silently praise them for it - this was another step in that, if a surprising one.

When he came back to, they were just finishing up the vows... completely unaware of their audience, Naruto and Hinata leaned down, kissing each other-

-for which the crowd erupted into applause.

Ino leapt to her feet, cheering loudly ("Woo!"), something he wouldn't be trying to imitate - standing as well, he simply smiled as he clapped vigorously- now is the time to indulge these happier emotions, as is proper.

...

Ino had to admit, she didn't think Naruto was so good at slow-dancing- though 'good' might be pushing it, as he was simply holding Hinata close, and might just be unconsciously moving where he wished. Thus far they were the only ones doing so, as the first dance was reserved for them, but everyone was clearly enjoying themselves, including all their friends.

"So far, it seems to be working" she thought, content. "You've done good, Naruto. You've done good."

Out loud: "Things are gonna change for them now, even with all their happiness" Ino breathed.

Sai tilted his head beside her. "Hmm?" he breathed, curiously confused. "What are you referring to, Miss Beautiful? Or rather, what changes?"

"Well Sai, have you ever been married?" she asked, completely teasing, grinning to go along with it.

He stared at her a full five seconds, blinking several times and mouth open a little... before he closed it. "I will assume that's rhetorical" he stated, but there was a little furrowed brow/smile thing that might've been lack of surprise at her antic. "We both know I have not."

Ino laughed, patting his shoulder; he's getting nuances, but it still took a little time to figure things out. "Exactly" she agreed, before motioning to Naruto and Hinata (Sai glanced that way). "But marriage kinda demands changes like that. For example... hypothetically, say you had to deal with me in a bad mood. What would you do?"

Sai jolted upon her hypothetical, again staring at her, this time strangely- she did feel warm herself, but her smile and everything else were just normal. That seemed to slowly make him realize it's just a hypothetical; she didn't really mean it or was truly thinking about them in such a situation... but the small redness in his cheeks took longer to convince, something she was interested to discreetly observe.

"Um" he breathed, blinking, as if awkward yet self-aware of it. "I believe I might attempt to placate you, distract you from it, or if necessary let you feel so while waiting for you to cool down. I would choose based upon the specifics that way, Miss Beautiful."

Figures- pragmatic and all.

"But what if none of them worked?" she asked, a little more serious. "What if my bad mood lasted the entire day? Or worse, several days? A week? Or even longer?"

Sai looked at her for a bit, as if trying to imagine that last one.

"Well it'd be frustrating for you, Sai" Ino breathed gently. "Because of my bad mood, I'd be lacking in many of the things you find appealing about me. In the end you'd either have to wait till I cool down, or go and apologize, even if it's something that wasn't really your fault. That and similar situations could happen across time, alongside the good, other bad ones, even unusual and crazy ones. We'd still be in love, but that isn't always enough to make a life together work- it takes a lot of other things too."

The red on Sai's cheeks seemed to be making a comeback.

"Hypothetically" she added. "To sum it up, marriage isn't easy, but if we loved each other enough to work through things, then it's worth it. So you're right; Naruto and Hinata are gonna have some challenges ahead of them, but they'll get through them."

Sai suddenly seemed to enter a lack-of-blinking period, before he looked over at Naruto/Hinata, who were close to finishing the end of the song. Then he looked back at her, glanced at her hand, before he slowly took it... pretty much like normal for him.

"I- I realized marriage was quite an undertaking, from all sources on the subject" he managed, lip twitching. "But I didn't realize it was that much of one, regarding love."

For that, Ino leaned over and kissed him- he was curiously surprised. "Well now you do" she breathed, "Even if it's just a hypothetical, rather than hints or anything."

Sai managed a small smile. "I do get those better than regular hints, when explained correctly" he said in a slightly-lighter tone- his self-proclaimed playful-teasing tone.

Her only answer was to grin, trying not to laugh - luckily for her this was distracted by the applause, regarding Naruto and Hinata having kissed at the end of their first dance. It seemed a wedding thing, where you're supposed to cheer things like that- she couldn't imagine certain friends cheering like this though, namely Shikamaru, Shino, or quite a few others.

Oh, that reminded her! She needed to find the other girls and get a quick group pic at some point! And while she's thinking, hang out with them a little too; least she could do, as she could hog Sai to herself outside the ceremony.

/

Later

Even without Ino around at this moment, Sai realized he was enjoying himself. Naruto, one of his best friends and former teammate, was happy at finally having realized he loved Hinata; Hinata had become Naruto's wife, radiating pure happiness and joy; Sakura had similarly been happy near to the point of tears, considering the joy of two of her best friends - he'd even had a conversation with Sakura about how good she must feel, as she was indeed; all of their other friends were basically the same, if quite varied in their reactions, particularly the odd styles of Killer Bee and the 'passions' of Rock Lee and Might Guy, even with the latter in a wheelchair.

He just smiled a bit, seeing Naruto and Hinata talk to Tsunade some distance away, flanked by Kakashi and Shizune - they seemed all smiles as well, even as he sipped the last bits of his current drink.

Perhaps this was the time for a refill-

"Okay!"

A little startled, he turned to see Ino stop beside him, slightly out-of-breath and almost laughing. "Miss Beautiful?" he asked, feeling a flicker of concern. "Are you alright?"

"Well 'sorta'" she breathed, air-quoting it. "I just tried to rope my two best friends into dancing with me, you know as friends, but it didn't go well at all."

Slightly confused, Sai felt 'rope' might be another metaphor for 'dragging'- hmm. Then he looked over the crowd, spotting Shikamaru and Choji at separate areas, the former near Temari (who didn't seem the type to dance, but stood close to Shikamaru), while the latter was surrounded by a bunch of their other friends, eating as per usual.

"I would venture that they were both stubborn" he guessed, head tilted.

Ino groaned, merely exasperated. "You have no idea!" she complained, purely for the sake of the moment it seemed. "One dance, that's all I was asking! But nooo, I had to be glared at by Temari, and Choji's too busy stuffing his face to pay attention to me!"

Sai merely gave off a hum; this sounded bad, and perhaps insensitive of said friends, but he believed it was considerably overplayed (and the real events were more nuanced)... and besides, even if Ino's fully correct, it'd take more than this to seriously affect their friendships.

After a moments, her mood then changed entirely, once she started laughed. "Well, this is a rare occurrence" she teased, "Here I come with a played-up version of how things went down, and you're not even the slightest bit worried that it's true."

"I have learned some nuances, including yours as of late" he answered easily. "That helps me."

His statement further made her 'burst out' laughing, slightly confusing him until he thought it must be a 'way-you-said-that-was-so-funny' quirk, which Ino had stated she liked... though honestly he's still figuring that one out, for he'd only rarely intended to be funny. Playful as-of late in certain situations, but funny wasn't something he grasped well, for the 'emotion' of humor seemed to elude him even now - unnoticed by him, those playing the music switched from a fast tone to a slower, soft one.

At the same time: "Oh, that's a good one!" Ino called, drawing him back, seeing her big grin. "Now then, let's dance!"

The empty cup fell from his hand- luckily it was plastic, so it didn't shatter. "What?" Sai breathed, not certain he'd heard right.

What was happening? Someone please tell him what's happening.

"You heard me! Come on!"

Finding himself being dragged again, Sai wasn't certain how or what's happening, but next thing he knew, he and Ino were standing in the middle of things. Others danced around them, mostly couples but some other pairings for possible 'friendly' dances, yet that's in the back of his mind.

"Sai" she breathed gently.

He realized his hands were shaking slightly- because he didn't wish to disappoint her. "I- I do not how to dance."

Ino took his hands then, quite gently. "It'll be okay" she whispered softly.

Unconsciously, that seemed to help, for the slight shakiness disappeared- not the feelings that he might disappoint, but still.

"I'll teach you" she continued, before holding up their hands together - she had his right hand go to her hip, her left hand then resting upon his upper arm there. The other hands were held together, holding them at just about a foot apart and just looking at each other... then she had him move his feet a bit, as his first instinct had been to attempt a toe-to-toe positioning, but apparently that was wrong. "Now, I'll lead."

"Lead?"

"I'll be the one who indicates the direction, the little steps, and stuff like that. Watch my feet; we'll go through it slowly."

Still a little uneasy about this, he nonetheless looked down, seeing her heeled feet... he briefly wondered how women walked in those, before he saw her move a half-step to the right, leaving their positioning off. Glancing up - Ino nodded - he then slowly did a half-step in that same direction, adjusting himself back to the previous position. His next task was similar, as apparently her feet movements were a hint of where he was supposed to go- sorry, 'be led', as were her arm and body movements. The first attempts were equally awkward, for he was always a half-second before her movements, though that was from watching what he's required to do.

"I'm supposed to do this while looking at you?" Sai asked, feeling the uneasy feeling increase- he didn't wish to step on her toes.

"Normally, yeah" she admitted, yet when he looked up, her smile was soft. "But don't worry, I'll let you keep looking at my feet while we go through the next few dozen tries. Even if it looks silly or weird or whatever to the others, let them think that; I only care about you getting this."

Hmm, that's just like Ino- the uneasy feeling had a flicker of warmth, if briefly.

Good.

...

Well, this wasn't your average romantic first-slow-dance moment... but Ino couldn't suppress a smile, Sai at a foot's distance with leading him in small circles. She'd known from the beginning that if he didn't watch her movements first, letting his ninja-trained mind unconsciously learn how he's supposed to act, he'd be stepping on her feet all night. He might still, but at least he'd get things quicker with as little pain, frustration, and/or yelling as possible. And by going this slow, she never taking a step without him returning the last one, this ensured she wouldn't drag him through anything.

"See? It's not so bad" she whispered to him.

"Perhaps it's your physical way of teaching, but... I'm agreeing" Sai managed, rather awkward (how cute!), attention only half on her words. "It is easier than I anticipated... and it's interesting."

"Well when you feel up to it, look right at me: that'll make it better, Sai."

She counted at least ten steps later had passed, then Sai pulled his gaze up, which made her smile- the motions remained slow if stiffer on his part from extra focus, but she kept at it. The music continued like normal, about halfway through she guessed, but her attention was mainly on Sai; he looked quite distinguished in that suit, complimenting his dark eyes well, while making his skin tone stand out.

"You're getting it" Ino breathed gently. "Still a little tense, but you're getting it. And don't be afraid to talk to me either."

Those statements seemed to make him un-tense just the slightest, and he managed a small lip curve. "I'm glad" he stated, before a slight head-tilt. "Going back to our previous discussion, I'm curious about something, Miss Beautiful."

'Previous discussion' could only mean the bit about marriage- heh, Sai's learning about timing, but clearly he needed stronger 'courses' on how to ease into uncommon topics. That much had her inwardly exasperated, but another part of her mind was trying to indulge something fantasy-like, such as this being a prelude to Sai asking her to marry him-

-she kept both parts down; don't want to indulge any such thing.

"The guy is expected to propose to the girl-"

"Mmh-hmm."

"-but then why is the reverse not allowed?"

That almost made her stop, and probably laugh at how clueless Sai could be, even if that's business-as-usual. "There's nothing against women proposing, Sai" Ino admitted with a little grin. "Not precisely anyway. It's just that the guy proposing is so deeply-ingrained that it's expected, traditional even, and therefore the girl proposing is just weird."

"Hmm" Sai breathed, seeming confused. "But each person is unique; that seems restrictive and unfair."

"Well, that's a big discussion for another time, but I agree a little" she answered, giggling. "If that situation occurred, that I wanted to propose, I'd do it rather than wait for the guy; I wouldn't let such a tradition stop me."

His lip curved, not surprised by that part.

"But don't let me wrong" Ino quickly added. "I'm not disrespecting the tradition-"

"You were not speaking with disrespect" Sai stated, so simply he obviously believed it's true; she was a bit more shocked he'd actually interrupted her. "I don't think anyone would believe you didn't respect the tradition, Miss Beautiful. You would simply choose to disregard it in that situation."

"Well I don't believe it" she stated teasing, continuing quickly: "I mean, I think you actually just got a tone of mine, instead of being confused about it!"

"Oh" he considered, seeming interested, not seeming to notice or care her statement was partly teasing. "Perhaps today it was easier, because I'm quite enjoying myself."

He said it like no big deal - almost always like that! - but the warmth was real enough for her, and it taking place at a wedding was good too. She still intended to enjoy the rest of this gathering, as indeed Sai would, but this one slow dance had been well worth things- it'd be great if they could dance the night away, but it's a party all their friends around.

Not gonna miss out on that... but she is gonna linger on this last dance, hehe.

...

"Miss Beautiful told me she tried to 'rope' you two into one friendly dance" Sai ventured. "She obviously failed, but she did play it up."

"That's not surprising" Shikamaru noted, arms crossed- matter-of-fact, he looked a little annoyed at the apparent memory. Beside them, Temari (also with inward flickers) and Choji stood, while in the immediate were a lot of the others, in preparation for a group photo thing Ino was setting up with the others - for a reason he didn't understand, she'd let her hair down for this part.

"What'd she say exactly?" Choji asked, just before eating a mouthful of chips.

Sai glanced up briefly. "That Temari glared her off, and you were too busy eating, Choji" he answered honestly.

Choji just shrugged with a smile, Shikamaru sighed, and Temari rolled her eyes- not quite in that order of progression. "Yeah, well that's only half-right" Temari explained. "I only glared at this lazy bum (Shikamaru gave her an annoyed glance) for assuming I was gonna metaphorically murder Ino; to Ino herself, I just gave an intense look. There's a difference."

"Oh boy" Choji said, chuckling. "Must've been something for you to say that, Shikamaru."

Sai agreed. "What happened between you?" he asked, even as he noted whatever it was, it seemed to be a friendly-incident even with the choice word of murder.

"Ino and Temari have matching outfits" Shikamaru stated, wearily blunt. "Thankfully just color-wise, but planned from the start since Ino 'helped' pick Temari's outfit, because she's not one for fancy outfits."

Temari just shrugged, not denying any of that. "And yes, I was annoyed about it, but not surprised" she merely said, before smirking. "It's the kind of devious thing I can respect. But in retaliation, I personally denied Ino the choice of dragging Shikamaru into a friendly dance, when otherwise I wouldn't have bothered."

"Thanks a lot."

"Shut up."

Choji didn't appear one bit surprised by this 'banter', simply eating as normal - Sai knew it was banter but he's still somewhat surprised, noting these two certainly don't show affection (friendly or otherwise) the same as many others. It must be odd, having sarcasm and 'playfulness' as common as breathing, requiring knowledge of the smallest nuances to decipher their real meaning toward each other. He reflected that Ino usually was playful to him, which he could understand, but the sarcastic angle still eluded him... particularly since sarcasm could combine with many other emotions. It was quite a challenge to read Shikamaru and Temari's interactions, beyond the exceptionally obvious basics, but in time, he reflected.

He believed he envied their ability to read each other, right down to the smallest nuances- not negative in context, but simply 'a moment'. Yes.

"That is quite like Miss Beautiful" Sai then said to Choji, who nodded. "But what about you? What truly happened?"

Choji was just about to answer when a familiar voice called out: "Ready!" Within moments, Ino had found him again, nodding to everyone - apparently getting the message, people started to form the 'lines' with the married couple front-and-center.

"Tell you later, Sai" Choji said under his breath, before moving away; Sai filed this, 'looking forward to it'.

"Alright Sai" Ino outlined, moving him and herself away to a spot quite to the right of the middle - Choji was behind them; Shikamaru, Temari, and Gaara were on their right; Sakura, Tsunade, and Kakashi were on their immediate left (the others filling things up in their lines). "Right here."

"Yes, of course."

Even as he said that, Ino took his hand, and didn't let go; nor did he wish her to.


Feels sorta odd, with the wedding being the focus of the chapter, and yet also out-of-focus because the story itself focuses on this particular couple :P

Anyway, I think even in adulthood, Sai would always be a bit of an unintentional goofball XD He's one in this story, thanks to his odd way of seeing things, and it at least lingers in adulthood. But for now the story continues, with many more interesting situations these two will be part of - and quite a few were really fun to write.