Coming back into the party, I saw Tori narrow her eyes and she saw Hina-chan's slightly red eyes and blissful smile. I winced, remembering that she had staked a claim on her part of our wedding. Separating myself from Hinata-chan for just a moment, I ran into the house and into my bedroom. In the bedside table drawer sat a small black box with a note from my mother. I opened the box and took my mother's wedding ring out of the velvet bed before dashing out to find Hina-chan before Tori attacked her.
The ring itself was simple and elegant, not exaggerated but not boring. The band was silver with small waves etched across the surface. The face of the ring was a medium sized diamond surrounded by smaller sapphires. After I had found the ring, I took it to one of Konoha's jewelers to make a few changes. There was now a lavender amethyst every other sapphire surrounding the diamond. On the inside of the band, I had the words Always and Everywhere inscribed into the silver.
I found Hina-chan talking to Temari, the Suna kunoichi hugging her happily. I appeared behind Hinata-chan and tapped her shoulder, clearing my throat. I was tackled by two giggling kunoichi. Kakashi, the closest person to us, chuckled to himself. In the flurry of movement, I seized Hina-chan's left hand and slid the ring onto her finger, struggling to breath.
"Thought… you might… want the ring… before you… suffocate me," I gasped out. Temari and Hina-chan jumped off of me, the latter blushing while the former grabbed her left wrist, twisting it so she could see the ring. I coughed, sitting up so I could breathe without doing any more damage to my ribcage.
"It's beautiful," Temari said breathlessly. Hina-chan's face broke into a new smile as her eyes took in the ring that was now hers. I stood and walked closer to Hina-chan, hugging her waist.
"It was my mother's'," I said, my eyes resting on the ring before moving to my mate's happy smile. "I changed a little bit, adding the amethysts and the inscription on the inside, but everything else is the same." When I mentioned the inscription, Hina-chan slid the ring off of her finger, studying the inside in the light.
"Always and Everywhere," she read, sharing a smile with me while Temari looked a little confused. Hinata-chan smiled at her expression, sliding the ring back onto her finger. "Always and everywhere… That was what we promised to each other. That's how I said yes," she explained. Temari cooed, smiling at us just as Tori marched up behind her.
"Namikaze Uzumaki Naruto," she growled. "Give me a reason why I shouldn't kill you right now?"
"Because that would mean the wedding's off?" I said nervously. Tori followed Temari's gaze and found the ring before she went through a complete transformation: extremely dangerous and angry psychopath to equally dangerous giggling teenager. I slipped away, desperate for a little quieter atmosphere. I found myself in the quietest spot, next the Shikamaru and Zabuza. Shikamaru glanced at the girls I had left behind and sighed.
"Troublesome," he muttered. "What did you do to get them like that?" he asked me, watching the girls laugh. His personality shining through, Kiba glanced up and started walking towards the three excited kunoichi, wondering what had happened and if he could use it to his advantage.
"You'll hear when Kiba finds out. He won't be very happy," I said, hiding deeper in the shadows as Haku, Sakura, and Ino walked towards the sphere of insanity and joy that seemed to emanate from the ring on Hinata-chan's finger.
I grabbed a cup of punch and almost drank it before noticing the smell and pouring it out. Walking back to Zabuza, I sighed a little angrily.
"Do you know who spiked the punch? It smells like sake," I said. Zabuza shook his head and Shikamaru glanced at the cup in his hand before pouring the drink into the bushes. All three of us, as well as the rest of the party, cringed when Kiba started yelling.
"Naruto! I am going to kill you!" he growled, stalking towards me. I sighed and glanced sideways at Hinata-chan, shrugging apologetically. Shikamaru glanced at me, his eyebrows raised.
"What'd you do?" he asked as Kiba came closer.
"I, uh, might've proposed…" Asuma's cigarette fell out of his mouth.
"To?" Kurenai asked, watching her student clench his fists.
"Hinata-chan?" I said a little nervously. Kurenai's face went from anxious to happiness and she walked towards Hina-chan, asking to see the ring. I sighed in disbelief. "Her student is coming over her to rip my head off and she wants to see the ring? What is it with women that make them so…"
"Troublesome?" Shikamaru offered. I nodded and Kiba stopped in front of me, fuming.
"You have three seconds to convince why I shouldn't kill you," he growled. I shook my head and sighed.
"Because I'm a twelve year old jounin. You can't-" I was interrupted by a kunai scratching my cheek. Kiba smiled evilly.
"Five seconds are up," he snarled. I sighed and sent out a pulse of killing intent towards the Inuzuka. He collapsed. The rest of the party looked at me, questions in their eyes, and I knelt at the Inuzuka, checking his pulse.
"He's fine," I reported. "Killing intent. Picked up this trick back in Kumo. I'll take him inside," I volunteered. I picked him up and carried Kiba to the living room, placing him on the couch. I put a blanket over him and poured a glass of water, leaving it on the coffee table for him once he woke up. I came back out and sighed; nobody had moved.
Can you do something? I asked Hina-chan through our seal. She shook her head.
All I can do is announce the-
Do it. It'll distract the kunoichi. I can handle the guys.
Okay, then. You brought this on yourself, she pressed, glancing at her left hand.
"So, Tori," she began loudly. "You said you wanted to help plan my and Naruto-kun's wedding?" she asked loudly, pointing to her left hand. Tori's eyes widened and she smiled, tackling my mate in a hug as all of the girls raced towards Hinata-chan, all wanting to see the ring. I shook my head and turned to the guys and said two words that were sure to get everyone's attention.
"Bachelor party," I said, smiling quietly. It worked; all the guys, even Shikamaru, walked over to me and started throwing around ideas. If Kiba had been awake, and not wanting to kill me, I'm sure he would've made a number of suggestions.
The party didn't last much longer after Kiba's would-be attack. When people began to leave, I smiled as I watched Sasuke follow Sakura away. Shino was one of the first to leave, offering to take Kiba home. After a quick Hiraishin, the sand siblings were all safely returned, none the wiser. The shinobi all left in ones and twos until I sat in my living room with Kakashi, Zabuza, and Haku.
"Married already? You're making me feel old," Kakashi complained. I shrugged.
"You still have time, Kakashi. I'm sure Shizune would be willing to pick off where you left off," I winked. The Copy Nin chuckled, shaking his head.
"If it happens, it happens. Besides, I thought we put that in the 'never talk about ever again' part of our brains? I could always talk about the time you kissed-"
"I agree, 'never talk about ever again'…" I said loudly, overpowering the rest of his sentence. "Besides, Hiashi and I agreed that the wedding would be postponed until Hinata-chan becomes a chuunin. She's sticking to plan more than I am so that means Chuunin Exams."
"They're coming up," Kakashi reminded me. I nodded, smiling.
"I know that, Kakashi. I was appointed a jounin sensei. And, unlike you, I actually go to the jounin meetings every week. Hiruzen is lucky if you go once or twice a year."
"I'm busy," Kakashi said, shrugging. I scoffed and Zabuza rolled his eyes. I glanced at Haku, already asleep on the couch. I shushed Kakashi and pointed to her, a finger on my lips.
I lifted her gently, trying to not wake the kunoichi. I carried her into the room that she had claimed as her own. When Haku was safe and asleep, Zabuza left for his own room on the second floor.
Kakashi left for his own apartment soon after, leaving me in the silence of the Namikaze house. Instead of going to sleep- I was wide awake- I created a dozen shadow clones and went down to the Namikaze records, learning the clan history.
The Namikaze were an old clan, related to the Senju clan. The Sage of Six Paths had two sons, naming his younger son his successor on his deathbed. The older son, who craved power for the sake of having power, felt embittered and his descendants became the Uchiha clan. The younger son, whose ideals centered on gaining power to protect and love, had two sons, just like his father. The older son became the next head of the Senju clan while the younger branched off and became the founder of the Namikaze clan. The two clans stayed allied with each other, sharing ideals and morals.
When Konoha was founded, the Namikaze acted as the bridge between the Uchiha and the Senju. Despite their ties and past allegiances, the Namikaze tried to stay as open minded as possible, a trait that helped them to befriend the Uchiha.
After the founding of Konoha, something strange happened to the Namikaze clan. Due to some unknown cause, it became increasingly rare for Namikaze women to bear sons. Without men to carry on the name, the Namikaze name dwindled down to a small number. There were still Namikaze by blood, from the mother's side, but they weren't recognized by name.
By the time Kyuubi attacked Konoha twelve years ago, my father was the last true Namikaze in both name and blood.
Eventually, I left the scrolls and the clan records, stumbling to my bedroom and collapsed on my bed, the day's events finally catching up to me. I smiled, remembering Hinata-chan's eyes in the starlight and fell asleep, the smile never leaving my face.