The Wanderers

Bonus Chapter – A Small Wedding

A/N: If you haven't read the chapter for this week, chapter 614, go do that. Right now. I'll wait. All I want to say is that he was one of my favourite characters from the get go, and I'm happy with how he went out. Exactly how I would have imagined. I was planning on making him a more central character to my story regardless, but this just cements the idea in my mind. Expect to see more of him, once the Separation period is done.

2nd A/N: This chapter is totally fanservice. Almost entirely. But still canon. Nothing terribly elicit though. I'm not writing that kind of stuff.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If I did more people would have died by now.

***Five Weeks after Separation***

The girl behind the counter smiled as she watched her blonde customer wandering through her shop, seemingly aimlessly.

"Would you like some help?" she asked with a warm smile.

Naruto stopped sniffing suspiciously at the roses and looked over at the girl with a confused face. "Yeah, that would be good. What would you recommend for a young girl, who doesn't even think about herself?"

The girl looked at his confused face with amusement. "Such a girl would be troublesome to get a gift for. When is the wedding?"

Naruto rubbed the back of his neck embarrassed, "You know about that, huh?"

Placing her chin into her hand and leaning on the counter, the girl nodded. "It's pretty hard not to know you two. You did save our town after all."

"Ah…yeah. Um…it's tomorrow."

She let out a jealous sigh, "Ah, to be young and in love."

Naruto frowned, she didn't look more than a few years older than him. He started to look around the flowers again, with little idea of what to actually pick out. "So…what do you recommend?"

"What's the occasion?"

He looked over to her with glazed eyes. She grinned and pointed to a section of flowers behind him. "Those are all our best flowers."

Naruto nodded his thanks and turned around, his eyes widening as he saw a set of deep blue azure flowers. He leaned down and took a long sniff, sighing and standing back up with a smile.

"These are the ones."

"Just like that? How do you know?"

He pulled up the flowers and smiled as he ran a finger along one of the blue petals. "Everything about this reminds me of her. It's the same colour as her hair, and even these little white bits are the same as her eyes. These flowers even smell like her."

The girl let out a long sigh, leaning back on the wall with her arms crossed. "Ah, I am so jealous. Why are all the good men taken?"

Bringing the flowers to the counter, Naruto grinned and reached into his pockets from some money. "I wouldn't know. How much do I owe you?"

She put up her hands, shaking her head. "Don't be silly. We all said that we'd give the two of you whatever you need. Take the flowers; I'm sure she'll love them."

Naruto thanked her for her help and left the store with the azure flowers in hand, making his way back to their makeshift home.

He wasn't sure how long they were going to stay at the village, but as long as they kept feeding them, he wasn't going to complain.

Standing in his dress uniform, the army general frowned with his arms crossed. "You know what you'll be missing, right? Freedom…the ability to win…the right to put your feet on the table…"

Naruto laughed and fidgeted with his collar, "How is the marriage going, general?"

"My wife is fine. My dignity might be in a questionable state though."

"That's comforting," said Naruto dryly. He'd been ready for an hour, but they weren't going to start for another two. "Why are we doing this again?"

The general turned to him with his usual stoic expression. "We, as a people, are immensely grateful to the two of you. You may be shinobi, but we all said we'd do whatever is needed to make up for the great debt we owe."

"It's just…I proposed to her a week ago. We were expecting to have a reasonable time to plan this thing…have a bit of fun."

His companion indicated to the growing crowd, "Look at these people, Naruto. We have been under siege for months. They need something to perk up their spirits, and a wedding is just the thing to do it."

"Well, I suppose we are happy to help then."

Clapping him on the back the general grinned uncharacteristically. "This is only a small thing, boy. You can have the big thing once you find your friends again. Just enjoy your moment. You don't get many of them."

Naruto frowned, doing a mental count of the townsfolk gathering in the courtyard. By his calculation, nearly the entire town was present for the wedding. "A…small affair?"

The general didn't reply, simply smirking before turning back to the soldiers that were present and barking orders again. He seemed to enjoy doing such an action, and Naruto had to admit he was quite good at it.

An older man walked up to Naruto wearing a long grey robe and a tall pointy hat. He pointed to Naruto with his cane. "Are you the bride?"

The blonde shinobi pushed down the cane with a finger, "No…I'm the groom. Who are you?"

The old man put up a hand to stop his hat from falling off. "I am…who am I again?"

Having finished giving out orders, the general turned to the two of them, "Naruto, this is Father Yule. He's a bit…you know…"

"Yes, I can see that," replied Naruto. "Is he going to be doing the ceremony?"

With a quiet chuckle the general moved the priest to his position in front of Naruto. "He's all we've got. Don't worry, it should be fine."

Naruto let out a long sigh and ran a hand through his hair. "Who's worried?"

oOoOoOo

Despite what he would have thought, Naruto wasn't nervous at all. He'd been opposed to the idea of having the wedding without everyone else, but something had occurred to him during one of the times he had been watching Hinata sleeping beside him.

They might not get the opportunity.

He frowned and glanced at the sun in the sky. They weren't planning to start until midday, but there were still a few things that hadn't happened yet.

Running through the list in his head, Naruto gasped when he realised what was missing.

He turned to the general, "I'll be back in a second."

"Running away?"

Naruto scoffed, "And let all this go to waste? I'm just getting something that hasn't arrived yet."

The general rolled his eyes, but indicated that he'd have things under control until he got back. There was dancing and singing as entertainment before the wedding started, and despite himself he was trying to force himself to relax.

There was no-one to fight today.

As a shinobi it didn't take Naruto long to get to the blacksmith, though he had been particularly careful not to crease the suit he was borrowing. Taking a slow breath he knocked on the wooden door, praying that they were ready.

A middle-aged man with burnished skin opened the door, nodding as soon as he recognised Naruto and indicated for him to come in.

The blacksmith was quite large, since it had been converted into an armoury during the attempted invasion there were plenty of weapons lining the walls. Naruto had actually planned to have him make the two of them some kunai, but that wasn't his reason for coming here at such a late stage.

"You have good timing, boy. The wife just finished making an apple pie." He indicated to the section at the back, which Naruto knew to be the blacksmith's house. "You want a slice?"

Laughing to hide his impatience, Naruto politely declined. "I'm here for the item I asked you about a few days ago."

"Ah, of course." Placing a hand to his mouth, the blacksmith turned to the back.

"WOMAN! BRING ME SOME PIE!"

The door at the back slammed open and a large blonde woman walked out with a spatula in hand. "Get the pie yourself, you lazy bastard."

She smiled warmly at Naruto when she saw him, "You are here for those? Hang on, I'll go and grab them."

She glared at her husband for a second before smiling again and walking back through the door, closing it behind her.

The blacksmith chuckled and turned to Naruto with a wide grin, "She's just a bit cranky this morning."

Naruto didn't say anything, figuring it wasn't his place to comment. After a few minutes she came back out with a small black box in her hands.

She handed Naruto the box with one hand while smacking her husband on the head with a spatula with the other.

"Ow! What was that for?!"

"Just cause," she replied.

"Thank you for these," said Naruto, clutching the box with a knowing smile.

The blacksmith rubbed his head sorely, "Yes well, despite her disposition, my wife is an excellent jeweller. It was a genius idea to use that sort of thing, though couldn't it have been easier to make them into the normal style?"

"It's…a long story. Thank you for this, it means a lot to the both of us."

She nodded and indicated to the door with her spatula, "No doubt. Now go on and marry that pretty young girl before someone else snaps her up."

The blonde shinobi grinned and ran out of the blacksmith, leaving the couple to themselves.

Turning to his wife, the blacksmith looked at her expectantly.

Rolling her eyes, she pushed him towards the back. "Fine. But only one piece."

He grinned and walked towards his prize.

"Am I late?" asked Naruto, fixing the tie around his neck.

The general shook his head, "Just on time." He indicated to the sleeping old man on a bench nearby, "Though it looks like our priest is down for the count."

"What will we do then? Who'll do the ceremony?"

His companion stared at him like it should have been obvious, "I will."

Naruto was surprised, but hid it as the makeshift band began playing music. Moving to stand in position, Naruto leaned over to whisper to the general, "If you are doing the ceremony, then you should know something."

He explained the situation to the general, who looked back at him with surprise, "Are you sure?"

The shinobi put up his hands with a sigh, "Believe me, it's the only thing we argued on."

Understanding, the general motioned for him to be ready as the crowd began to part. With an unsubtle gesture he nudged Naruto with an elbow, "You ready for this?"

"Absolutely," replied Naruto with a grin.

As he saw the girl he was planning to marry, it was clear that he was ready to do the deed, but he wasn't prepared for what he saw.

oOoOoOo

Hinata was not a crowd-type of person. She rarely liked the attention of others in a large setting, but with considerable effort she tried not to blush when she realised that every single person in the crowd was staring at her.

It was a quick job that the townsfolk had made for her, but clad in white silk with a long veil and white gloves Hinata felt like a princess from the stories her mother used to tell her before she died. She'd taken particular care to wash her hair and cover up the cuts and bruises that hadn't quite healed yet and she, like Naruto, thought it was strange they were getting married so early.

But in the same vein, she also agreed that it didn't matter when they got married, so long as they did.

She walked down the opening the crowd had made for her, thankful that her dress wasn't so long that it dragged along the ground, and she couldn't help but smile widely when she saw Naruto staring at her with his mouth wide open.

She took her time walking down towards him before standing opposite him, trying her hardest not to blush as she stared into his blue eyes.

Seeing the couple staring at each other, the general coughed loudly and motioned for the music to stop.

"Let's get started, shall we?"

Breaking himself out of his stunned stupor, Naruto nodded and let out the breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding. "Yes, let's."

Hinata nodded, wondering what her father would think about her current situation. It pained her that he'd never get to see who she became, and there were times when all she wanted to do was sit in a corner and cry for her father and sister, but in this moment she knew one thing.

She was loved, and she was about to have a new family.

The general put up his hands towards the couple, "We are gathered here today to celebrate the union between these two people. Though they may be shinobi, we no longer hold it against them. The two of them are some of the best people I am proud to say I know, and nobody can say otherwise, lest they want my foot up their collective asses."

With pride on his scarred face, he placed one hand on Naruto's shoulder, "I haven't known this young man long. But never have I ever seen a soldier with such dedication to both the woman he loves and to people he doesn't even know."

Indicating to Hinata, the general didn't do the same motion, primarily because he didn't want to crease her dress, but also because he knew that Naruto probably wouldn't appreciate it.

"And this young woman performed no small feat either. After recovering from a life threatening disease, she stayed by this man's side until he recovered, then threw herself into battle without a moments hesitation."

The general smiled at the girl before turning back to the crowd.

"Both of these two saved our town and are worthy of our respect. They fought with us, they bled with us, and they would have died with us if needed to."

He pushed his feet together, nodding to the soldiers to the side, "And we are honoured to be in your presence."

As one single unit, the soldiers present saluted the two shinobi in line with their general. Both Naruto and Hinata beamed proudly, it was nice to be honoured for once, though that wasn't why they fought the white armoured soldier.

The soldiers stood back in formation and the general put down his hand, "Sorry, had to embarrass you at least once."

"We are honoured," said Naruto, with Hinata nodding in agreement.

"Right. Well, let's keep going. Do the two of you have your vows?"

They both nodded, with the general motioning to Hinata, "Traditionally the bride goes first."

The Hyuuga heiress smiled happily. She had thought hard about what she wanted to say, and hadn't needed to write it down, she had committed it to memory.

Looking her fiancé straight in the eyes, she was reminded of all the times she had looked into him and been filled with confidence.

"Naruto. It's been…a long journey, one that we haven't even really started. When you first came into my life, I thought it was a dream. Whenever I felt my confidence wavering, I could look at you and just that would perk me back up."

She reached out and held his hands, running her fingers along his rough skin. "Even when we were kids, I wanted to be with you. It's not that I wanted your strength. I wanted your hope. I wanted to help you achieve your dreams, to be by your side no matter the situation."

She motioned with her head to the town around them, "And here we are. Even so far away from home, with none of our friends around, you helped me. Protected me. And in those times when I needed you, you were there."

She shared a smile with him, one that only he was able to bring out from her. "Naruto, I would walk up to Death itself and bring you back from its clutches, just to spend another day in your arms."

Everything she said, she said from the heart, and Naruto knew that from the look in her eyes. He had to resist the urge to lean forward and kiss her, but in that moment he was proud to be standing opposite her.

Hinata turned to the general, indicating that she was done. He smiled at her proudly, suddenly reminded of how his daughter would act before her death.

He motioned to Naruto, "And now, the groom."

Naruto went to pull out the piece of paper that he'd written down his notes on, but hesitated when he looked into Hinata's eyes. It was something his father had said to him when the Kyuubi was being 'extracted'.

When you truly love someone, you know what to say without having to think of it.

"I had written a few things down…but that's not truly what I want to say."

He reached out and took her hands again into his, looking straight into her eyes. "Hyuuga Hinata. I…am not an eloquent person. I don't truly have the words to describe to you how I feel. But…I'll give it a try."

Hinata's smile grew; she could feel the warmth flowing from his hands up through her arms.

"When I was young, I didn't know what love was. I saw kids with their parents…and wondered why I didn't have that. Little did I know that there was someone out there who did care for me. I was just too stupid to see it."

Hinata chuckled; it was something of a joke between them now over how Naruto seemed oblivious to her attentions during their days at the Academy.

"But despite that, we did find each other, and every day since then…well I've never had happier times in my life. Hinata, when I look at you, I realise what I knew all along. I love everything about you, Hinata. And that will never change."

He reached out and lightly touched the side of her face, "I nearly lost you once. Every time I train, and fight, I do it to protect you. Nothing is more important to me."

The two shinobi stared at each for a long drawn-out moment, before the general rolled his eyes and pulled Naruto's hand off her face, letting it fall back to his side.

"Keep it in your pants, people. We still have a while to go yet," he whispered.

Naruto chuckled, nodding before reaching into his pocket and produced the box he had been given from the blacksmith. He handed it to the general, who understood immediately and opened it.

"I'm sure there was other stuff to do, but frankly I don't know them so they can't be too important. Now we'll do the rings."

He went to pull out the rings, but sighed and closed the box, looking back at the crowd. "Sorry, forgot something."

He turned to the groom, "Naruto. Do you take Hinata to be your wife? To have, and hold, until she drives you insane?"

Naruto grinned, "I do."

The general turned to the bride, "Hinata. Do you take Naruto to be your husband? To have, and hold, until he gets old and fat?"

Hinata chuckled at the idea of a fat Naruto, "I certainly do."

Looking at the both of them, the general opened the box. They took out their respective rings, with Naruto offering to place the ring on her first.

Hinata extended her hand, unable to keep the joy off her face as he pushed the ring onto her finger. Unlike most wedding rings, their rings were pure dark red, made from the same bloodstone that Naruto had torn from the sword hilt in order to save her.

She placed her ring on his finger, completing their connection. Naruto had gotten the jeweller to fit perfectly on their hands, and they felt like extensions of their bodies immediately upon being put on their fingers.

"Then, by the powers vested to me by being the best damn solider in the land and commander of this city…I pronounce you husband and wife."

With a rare smile, he turned to Naruto, "You may now kiss the bride."

Without a moment's hesitation, the blonde shinobi stepped forward and kissed Hinata as passionately as he felt was appropriate in a public setting. The newly wed bride kissed him back as much as Naruto kissed her, the newly-wed couple trying not to get too carried away as the crowd cheered and clapped the celebrities.

Eventually they broke apart, but before they looked back at the crowd they stared at each other's eyes, as if there was nothing was around them but a black void.

"We did it," said Naruto proudly.

Hinata nodded, "That we did. Did you ever think we would be here?"

"Of course," replied Naruto confidently. "There wasn't a doubt in my mind."

His new wife offered him her hand, grinning from ear to ear when he took it and their rings touched. They both turned to the crowd, and to roaring applause they began walking through the aisle.

Naruto sighed loudly as he slid into the hot bath. It had been the first time he'd bathed with hot water since before they moved out towards the Village of the Sound, and it felt like heaven to him.

He leaned back and enjoyed the water as the door opened and his better half entered with a towel around her waist.

Hinata smiled as she saw Naruto relaxing with his eyes closed. Careful to not make a sound, the newly wed girl dipped a hand into the other side of the tub. The water was nice and hot, and looked incredibly inviting to the young girl.

The relaxing young man occupying it was just the icing on the cake.

Placing her towel on the rack beside the bath, Hinata leaned down and picked up Naruto's towel, putting it next to hers. She nodded in content then jumped when she felt a tug on her rear.

Turning around quickly she saw Naruto stared at the wall, with the guiltiest look she had ever seen on his face.

With a grin she leaned down and kissed the top of his head, "Good to see you too, husband."

He turned to with a grin, his eyes running up and down her body. "You don't have to call me that, you know."

Hinata sat down beside the bath and ran a hand down Naruto's neck. "I believe I have that right, now."

"I suppose you do," said Naruto with a smile. "Are you coming in?"

"Yeah."

Gracefully, Hinata stepped into the other side of the bath, sighing the same way her husband did as she felt the water wash over her skin.

"It feels like it's been forever since I've just…relaxed."

"I know what you mean. Not since…"

"…that night while Kakashi and Itachi were in their trance," finished Hinata, lifting up one of her legs and letting the water fall back into the tub.

Naruto nodded and watched as his new wife relaxing into the bathtub opposite him.

Look at us. Not even sixteen, and married happily. I wish my parents could have been here.

The bathtub wasn't long enough for the two of them to lie down completely, but Naruto had no interest in complaining as Hinata rested her legs on his hips.

For a long time neither of them said, simply happy to have a warm bath for once. It was a one-time deal that the townsfolk had offered them in lieu of a honeymoon, and they were immensely grateful for what the town had continued to offer them.

"Naruto…"

"Is this about the name thing again?"

Hinata nodded, it had been the one thing they had argued about, and she still wasn't satisfied with the result. "I still think I should take your name. It's only fair…"

"And I told you, not going to happen." Naruto never raised his voice to her, and he wasn't going to start now, but she had been developing a stubborn streak since finding her confidence. "Your clan is more important than my name, Hinata."

"But…"

"No buts. If Neji is…you are the Hyuuga clan, Hinata. When we…you know my arguments, Hinata. Why do you keep asking?"

"I…just don't want your name written out of history. Your clan has just as my history as mine…and yet…"

Naruto sighed; there was no arguing when she was right. As he watched her ran her hands down the long strands of blue hair attached to her head, an idea came him.

"Hinata…I've been meaning to ask you, but I could never find the words…"

"What is it?"

Naruto rubbed at the ring on his finger, something he had started to make a habit out of. "I know we are young…and I'm not talking for a few years at least…but…"

Hinata reached over and clasped her hands on top of his, letting their two rings touch lightly. "I understand, Naruto. And before you can ask…I know, and we will. But…not now."

"Yeah," replied Naruto proudly. He looked into her white eyes, which always served to remind him of why he loved her so much.

In a movement that proved cumbersome in the small bathtub, he reached over and kissed her lightly on the lips. "That's the future, right? Let's enjoy the now, while we can."

Smiling back at him, Hinata nodded, leaning her forehead onto his. "While we can."

Author's Note:

Ah, such a nice break from all the grim dark reality of reality. I'd like to think that despite their age, the two of them are as mature as any couple, and have only grown in their travels after Separation.

But of course, the wars must continue. So next chapter will be back to Kakashi for one more. And boy will it be grim dark. I love that expression. Reminds me of Warhammer 40,000.

Grim dark.

Please review and tell me what you think. I try to reply to each review, and believe me I read them all. Tell me what can be improved, what you liked, what you didn't, everything. I'm a writer so I'm always open to criticism.