A/N:Ha! I bet you guys thought I forgot about Risa and the rest of them...No way! I have been working on this chapter for some time now. It's the last one. I know I said that there would not be a happy ending, but I am kind of a sucker for those, so anyone who was looking for the 'everyone dies' ending will just have to be disappointed. Warnings: nervous Itachi, Ino in labor (swearing and thowing things...scary), and more fluff than you can shake a stick at. So, I hope you like the final chapter of A Meaning In Death. I had to rework it six times. Thank you all for your reviews, and being so supportive. This story really has been one of my very favorites, and I'm glad that so many of you have said that you like it.

Legal Stuffiness: I don't own Naruto, or any of the characters therein.

Last time...

"You hurt my baby girl, and I'll use your guts to fertilize my roses." He said this with a smile, which was all the more frightening. Inoshi then turned to Sasuke. "He has your permission?" Sasuke hid his smile with a cough, and then nodded. The blond haired man faced Itachi once again. "Then, you have mine as well. But remember about the roses." He turned away and strode to the door. Itachi felt as if he were going to vomit.

"Sasuke, can we leave now?" He asked his brother, and then turned to the rest of the clan heads. "That is, unless anyone else wants to give me any advice?" He put all the sarcasm he could muster into his voice. Inuzuka Hana simply laughed and embraced him.

"Welcome back, Itachi. Now, get the hell out of here and go see Ino." She shoved both him and Sasuke toward the door. They complied with alacrity, and were back at the Uchiha compound in less than half an hour, though they were walking slowly.

A Meaning In Death
Chapter 11: The Gift of Life

Ino lay sleeping on the couch in Sasuke's living room. Tsunade was sitting by the window, watching for the brothers to return. After her talk with Naruto, she was surprised, and not a little angry that he had gone over her head like that. But, he was Hokage now, like she was, and had taken on the same duties that she had. He had the clan heads' support, which was the important thing. That was not an easy thing to attain, and she had been secretly pleased by the clever way that he had gained it.

She saw them coming, and went to meet them at the door. She slid it open, adopting a stern expression. "Sasuke, go to bed. Itachi, come with me." Tsunade's smile spread over her lips as she led the way into the living room. The woman said nothing, but only pointed at the sleeping girl on the couch. After she'd done that, she left the room, proceeding to the guest bedroom she'd been placed in.

Was she dreaming? Ino opened her eyes. Itachi sat next to her on the couch, running his fingers through her hair. His face was full of a peaceful expression. "Ashiteru yo," He said, which had to confirm the fact that she was dreaming. Ino blinked up at him.

"Itachi?"

A small smile formed on his shapely lips, and she sighed. I don't care if this is a dream or not. I love that smile. "Ashiteru wa, Itachi. Where did you go?"

"To the clan meeting with Sasuke. I met your father." Ino's eyes widened. No, this wasn't a dream, it was a nightmare! How was he still alive and whole? If Yamanaka Inoshi got hold of him, he would be dead by now, right? Then he said something else that shocked her even more. "They're letting me stay." Then, he seemed to get nervous, and showed it by gnawing on his bottom lip.

Itachi stood up, and pulled her into a sitting position. She was quite bewildered. What was he doing? She watched in a mesmerized way as he sank down to his knees in front of her. His face was an almost comical mask of nervousness. She had to be dreaming. Uchiha Itachi was never nervous. "Itachi, what are you doing?"

His face suddenly became very serious, and she halted any questions. He lifted a hand to her face, tracing her cheekbone, and her jaw. Itachi released the Sharingan. This was not something she had ever seen him do before. She could tell that he had a hard time seeing. He was nearly blind without the use of his bloodline limit. What was he doing that he felt the need to do this? Seeming to sense this question, he said, "I wanted you to look into my true eyes, Ino. Do you like what you see?"

"What is this about, Itachi?"

"I want you to answer me, Ino."

She looked into his eyes. "I see a man. I see you. Of course I like what I see. I love you."

"Do you love me enough to look at me every day for the rest of your life?" That gave her pause. She blinked. Had he just asked what she thought he did?

"Yes."

He smiled, and said, "Then…then, if you do, w-will you marry me?" At that, she simply stared for a long moment and then laughed.

"Baka! Of course I'll marry you! When?" Her arms flew around his neck, and she jumped onto him. They fell in a hilarious heap to the floor, Ino laughing—rather giggling wildly—and Itachi chuckling for lack of anything else to do. "You were nervous about that, weren't you?" She asked as she hooked her blonde hair behind her ear.

"Hai, a little."

"Why? You should have known I'd say yes. For crying out loud, Itachi, we're going to have a child together." She smiled down at him, feeling for once that everything really would be alright. She didn't have to fool herself, or pretend, ever again. "So, when do you want to do this?"

He looked pensive for a long time. "Have to discuss that with the clan head." He said, hooking his thumb toward the other end of the house where Sasuke's bedroom lay. Ino stood up, and pulled her fiancé (I have a fiancé! I'm getting married! Yatta!) up from the floor.

"What are we waiting for? Let's go wake him up." Her hand had Itachi's wrist in a death-grip, and she was dragging him down the hall before he could protest. Soon, she was banging on Sasuke's door. He came to the door wearing nothing but a bed sheet and a scowl. Ino lifted an eyebrow and stared at him for a moment. His hair was mussed, and there was a mark on his neck that looked suspiciously like a hickey. Her eyes widened when she saw Shizune coming out of the bathroom in Sasuke's bathrobe. "Gomen, Sasuke. Um," She stammered, "Itachi and I were wondering when we could get married."

Rolling his eyes, Sasuke waved a dismissive hand. "Any time before it becomes physically evident that you're pregnant. How about…" He seemed to do mental calculations. "How about the first of April?"

"Don't make me hit you, Sasuke. I'm not having my wedding on April Fool's Day. The second is fine." Ino stuck her tongue out at him as he slammed the door in her face. "Itachi, is he always like that?" Turning to him, she was going to ask him more questions about his family, but was hauled off of her feet and thrown over his shoulder. She slapped at his back as he started walking. "Where are you taking me?"

"My old room. It's a bit dusty, but the bed's still functional." She swallowed audibly at the sound of his voice. Apparently, he felt that his brother had the right idea.

"Do I at least have a choice?"

He laughed. "Maybe. Depends."

"On?"

"You'll see." She didn't like the sound of that, or of the amusement in his voice. He opened a door, and turned on the lights. The room was painted a dark blue, and ANBU masks hung dusty on the walls. It had not been opened since the last night he'd been in the house. Being that he was obsessively neat at all times, Itachi's room simply looked as if it had dulled with the dust. Everything was exactly as he had left it. "Hm." He closed the door, and deposited Ino on the bed.

Dust motes flew everywhere, and Ino coughed. He looked at her and cocked his head to one side, smiling. What was he up to? "Help me?" He said, and opened the closet. There was a large plastic bin that held bedding. He pulled out sheets and a comforter, not covered with dust. They were a little musty, but they would do for the night. Not knowing what was going on, she helped him make the bed. Then, he turned out the light. She felt herself being lifted from the floor and being carried to the bed.

Now, he said, "Which side?" Was that what he meant by her having a choice?

"Right." She picked one arbitrarily, since she usually slept in the middle of her bed. He put her on the right-hand side, and crawled in next to her, his arms slipping around her waist and his chin coming to rest on her shoulder. Her body was nestled against his, and it felt so nice…it felt right.

There was a short pause, and then Itachi said, "Good night, Ino."

Ino smiled and snuggled closer to him. "Good night, Itachi." Then, she took a moment to think. "Don't think that just because you met my dad today that it excuses you from coming with me tomorrow before Hinata's party."

Itachi groaned. "Do I have to? He said that he was going to use my guts to fertilize the roses." That made Ino laugh. Now that was one she hadn't heard. Usually, she heard her father threaten Akimichi-san by saying he would use his liver to make a special plant food for the heliotropes. Or that he would use Nara-san's head as a vase.

"Don't worry about him." She cracked her knuckles, the light popping noises echoing in the room. "I'll deal with him just fine." Soon after that, they'd both fallen asleep.

"Aniki! Aniki, get up!" Sasuke was banging hard on his brother's door. When Itachi finally came to the door, he found that he had slept in his clothes. "Itachi, there's someone here to see you." Sasuke led the way to the living room. Itachi was bleary, and when he saw who it was, he tried to turn around and go back the way he'd come. "Oh, no. They're going to be your inlaws soon. Go and face the music, brother." The younger pushed the elder into the living room and shut the door to the hallway. It was cruel, but it had to be done. Ino had been up for a long time, and he wondered at his brother for sleeping so long.

Sasuke sat on the couch, and his brother joined him. Inoshi grinned wolfishly. "So, she said yes, did she?" Itachi nodded sleepily. "That's good. When's the wedding?"

"On the second of April." Sasuke said, well aware that his brother probably wasn't capable of coherent speech. He looked over at Ino and raised an eyebrow, then looked at Itachi. She rose and left the room, taking his silent cue to make tea. Sasuke looked at his brother. "So, Aniki, what are you going to name the kid?"

"I was going to leave that up to Ino." He stifled a yawn with the back of his hand.

Inoshi scoffed. "You can't leave it up to her. She'll name him something stupid."

Sasuke piped up, "She said that she'd name the baby Itachi if it was a boy."

At that, his brother seemed completely awake and lucid. "No." They all looked at him. "My son, if that is what it turns out to be, will not be named after me." He crossed his arms over his chest, indicating that he was going to put his foot down on the matter. Inoshi smiled.

"I see you have things well in hand, son. You'll need to. Ino's quite a handful." He sighed, remembering. "Itachi, I'm going to warn you. She's a little cranky sometimes." Both Sasuke and Itachi snorted. "I see you've discovered that already. Ok. Then I'll be completely frank. She eats too much, she's loud, and she's really quite bitchy."

"I HEARD THAT! DADDY, YOU STOP FILLING ITACHI'S HEAD WITH YOUR NONSENSE!" Inoshi covered his ears at the thundering voice of his daughter. He gave Itachi the 'are you sure you want to do this' look, and when he got no response, he shrugged. A moment later, Ino came in with tea for everyone. Her voice was low and pleasant. "Daddy. Now what did I tell you about telling him horrible things about me?"

"But Ino, dear, you really do pig out. And you just proved that you're loud. Not to mention bitchy." Her father covered his head as she swatted at him with the back of her hand. "See what I mean?" Sasuke stifled a laugh by drinking his tea. It was obvious where Ino got her sense of humor. Inoshi would be an interesting person to have around. At least, things would never really be boring!

Ino walked down the street with Itachi, smiling ear-to-ear. She wore a beautiful blue kimono with white cranes flying over the back, her purple obi tied into a perfect drum. Itachi had borrowed a black kimono from his brother, who walked on the other side of Ino in silvery gray. "You boys look so handsome!" She said as she beamed at Itachi and Sasuke. "Sasuke, where's Shizune?" The woman was supposed to have met them at the house.

"She'll be along. Said she had something to take care of at the hospital." He surreptitiously glanced at she and Itachi. "What do you think of her, Ino?"

At that question, Ino was a little startled, but recovered quickly. "Oh, I think she's really great. A little old for you, maybe, but other than that, I'd say go for it." Sasuke grunted noncommittally. "Sasuke, don't make me hurt you."

"As if." He said, and his face took on the signature 'Sasuke smirk' that he was famous for. It didn't affect her anywhere near the way it used to. She had an almost overwhelming urge to give him a noogie. Instead, she settled for cuffing him soundly on the back of his head. "Ino-neechan, please! The hair…"

"Teme." She sighed. Being his sister was going to be hard. Ino really wished she had Sakura around. If she did, then they could complain together. Two against one when it was dealing with Sasuke was actually pretty fair odds.

"I'm scared, Neji." They were standing in a room alone. Hiashi was about to make the announcement, and he felt her trembling against him.

"Hinata, it will be fine. Look at me." She turned her face up toward his, and he looked into the pale depths of her eyes. "You'll do fine. I'm here with you." She smiled, and he melted inside. A small shiver passed through him as her lips barely touched his. He suddenly felt a jolt in his stomach, and pulled her tighter against him, deepening their kiss. Her small voice sounded in a tiny whimper, and he very nearly lost his mind. How long was Hiashi going to make them wait to be married? He was well aware of what went on after the wedding's festivities, and it didn't phase him in the least. If anything, he looked forward to it.

Reluctantly, the two of them pulled away from each other as they heard the murmurs begin. "Take my hand, Hinata." She did, and they stepped out into the banquet hall of the Hyuuga main house.

The applause erupted as the two stepped into the hall. Hinata was startled, and clung to Neji's arm. Hanabi, who stood to one side, came forward and hugged her sister. "You'll be happy, Hinata, I know you will. And on the off chance that I'm wrong," she looked over at Neji, "he'll have me to answer to. Got that, Neji?" He smirked down at the willowy young woman. Her gaze was more penetrating than his own, and it was not long before his smirk disappeared.

"Hai, Hanabi-sama. I got it." When the girl went back to where she had been standing, Neji leaned over to his fiancé. "Your sister's a little scary, Hinata." The woman nodded, still clinging to him. This did not last long, because the throng rushed forward to congratulate them. There were so many people, that she barely had time to shake all of the hands that were presented. Then, she saw her teammates, Kiba and Shino. The stood in front of her, heedless of the crowd.

"Hinata-chan, why didn't you tell me that you were getting married?" Kiba had his arms crossed over his chest, and he was tapping his foot in irritation and frowning. She stammered for a moment, and then he started laughing. "It's all right, Hinata-chan! I'm glad you're happy. You are happy, aren't you?"

"Hai, Kiba-kun. I am." She could feel Neji's eyes on her, burning into her in a way that she found to be most pleasant. Shino had been silent up until now. He merely leaned down and smiled, then kissed her forehead.

"Congratulations, Hinata-chan." She smiled. He was like the big brother she never had, but not so openly protective as Kiba was. The two of them moved away, going to get food and find other friends. The next person Hinata recognized was Nara Shikamaru. He slinked forward, hands in his pockets, staring at the floor. Akimichi Chouji, who had come up with him, elbowed him in the ribs, and sighed.

"Hinata-chan, Shikamaru isn't being very social today. He's not on good terms with T-mmrph!" The young Nara had clamped a hand over Chouji's mouth, and tried to glare and smile at the same time.

"Congratulations, Hinata-chan, Neji. I wish you all the best. Now, Chouji, what were you saying?" His friend nearly bit him, and then offered his regards as well. This excange left Hinata blinking in surprise. Those two were very odd. Next came Kurenai and Kakashi. Her teacher rushed over, and embraced her.

"Oh, Hinata, you're getting married? I'm so excited! Now, if someone would just take the initiative, we'd both be set!" The red-eye'd jounin said this pointedly, jabbing Kakashi in the ribs. He simply shrugged. The woman sighed. "Anyway, when are you two getting married?" Neither of them knew, so they just shrugged and said they would have to talk to Hiashi.

Ino, Itachi, and Sasuke walked up after a long line of acquaintances. Neji sidled in front of her slightly. It was quite clear that he did not trust Sasuke. "Ano, Neji?" He looked down at her. "We can't appear afraid of him. It would show us to be weak. Let me greet him." He did as he was asked, and Hinata stepped forward.

Itachi and Sasuke both bowed low, formally. Ino rolled her eyes. Sasuke stepped forward, and said, "Hinata-san, I apologize for my actions before. Will you ever forgive me?" His eyes were downcast, and it was obvious that he was feeling a large amount of shame.

She said, "It would not befit our clans to be at odds, Sasuke. I know that you were not exactly in your right mind. I can forgive you. But you must promise me something."

"Anything, Hinata-san."

"Promise me that you will stop calling me that. It's Hinata or Hinata-chan. All my friends call me that." Neji seemed amazed at her capacity to forgive him, and Sasuke smiled in relief, nodding and stepping back.

Ino dragged Itachi forward, and she hugged Hinata. "Guess what!" the blond was effervescent. "I'm getting married too! Itachi's staying. Can you believe it?"

Seven and a half months later…

"Is she supposed to be screaming like that?" Itachi looked worriedly at the door to the room Ino was in. Shizune patted his arm. None of them wanted to go in there. Well, Itachi did, but the last time he tried, she'd grabbed a pair of foreceps out of the doctor's hands and hurled them at him. If he hadn't shut the door, they'd have embedded themselves in his head, and not the wooden partition.

Kakashi kicked Itachi's foot. "Hey, don't worry about her, kid. She's tough." He scratched his head. Kurenai sat next to him, and Itachi sat on his other side, while Shizune paced. She seemed very nervous. Sasuke was away on a mission with Naruto, and though they were due back any moment, things seemed to be progressing more quickly than expected. The young clan head had wanted very badly to be there for the birth of the next generation of his clan.

The last time Shizune had gone in, she was about to start pushing, and now, with all of the screaming they heard, it was clear that things would be over soon. Moments after Kakashi's reassurance, two dark blurs were seen pelting through the hallways of Konoha Hospital. Sliding to a stop, Naruto nearly fell over Shizune, and Sasuke bowled over his brother. "Aniki, how is she?"

Shizune made Naruto sit down, and turned to Sasuke. "She's fine. The screaming is normal." Then they heard a string of obscenities echo through the hallway, and she winced. "Even that." Both young men nodded, and Sasuke sat down. They all proceeded to laugh at Itachi, whose eyes widened because of the threats being yelled at him through the door.

Naruto smiled. "Do you really think she would cut that off with a butter knife?" Sasuke seemed as if he were trying (for the sake of decency) not to burst out laughing. Kakashi hunched his shoulders and read the latest installment of Icha Icha Violence, not looking at anyone. He knew better. Shizune simply stared at the younger members of the company. She was still nervous. Not that she had mentioned it to Itachi—she hadn't wanted him to worry—but Ino's mother had nearly died in childbirth. The last thing she wanted was for Itachi to have that kind of scare.

All of the screaming suddenly stopped, and Itachi was suddenly no longer in his seat. Before anyone really saw what happened, he had run to the door and ripped it off of its hinges to get to Ino. Sasuke just blinked in confusion at the spot where his brother had been, while Naruto timidly inched toward the broken door to peer through it. Then, there came a series of strangled sobs and one last scream, then all was still again.

Shizune strode into the room, and found something that she had never in all her life expected to see. There was Uchiha Itachi, holding his wife with one arm, and a tiny bundle in the other. Ino was holding another bundle. Twins? Shizune nearly swooned. How had she not seen that in her examinations? The medic turned to her and said, "A girl and a boy." She grinned and stuck her head out the door.

"Everything's fine! They had a girl and a boy. Twins!" Her face hurt from smiling. Sasuke ran forward, grabbing her arm as he went, and hauled her back through the door and to Ino's bedside.

"Ino, let me see them." His voice was deep and calm, but he looked nothing of the sort. She was now holding both of them, and she shifted the little bundles so that he could see them. His eyes latched onto them, and they grew wide. It was almost as if he wanted to see them for himself, just so that he knew the clan would continue. Sasuke's chin started to tremble, and he reached out a shaking hand to ghost his finger across the forehead of the blue-wrapped baby. "What are you going to name them?"

Itachi looked down at Ino, who smiled up at him. She shifted the pink bundle. "This is Sakura."

The elder Uchiha was silent for a moment, but then said, "We would like your permission to name the boy Shishui." It was customary among the Uchiha to ask permission of the clan heads what to name children. It had long since been decided that, of course, any girl they had would be named Sakura, since it was because of her that they met. Sasuke seemed to think of this for a long moment, and then nodded, never taking his eyes from the babies.

Sasuke carefully placed a hand on the forehead of each sleeping babe. "Uchiha Shishui, Uchiha Sakura. May their lives be full of peace." Shizune tugged at him once he had performed his first duty in the lives of his neice and nephew. He allowed himself to be led from the room, and sat shakily down on the bench outside the door.

"Ano sa! How do they look?" Naruto asked, just as excited as always.

"They're beautiful." Sasuke said, staring at the floor. His voice seemed far away. He rubbed the back of his neck tiredly, and then stood. "Since everyone is fine, I'm going to go home." With that, he left, walking slowly down the hallways.

Shizune followed, and fell in step beside him. "Ano, Sasuke?"

"Hmn?"

"You know, I'd like one of those." She smiled, thinking of the babies Ino was holding, but did not look at him.

"We would have to be married first."

"So?" She raised an eyebrow.

"So, do you really want to marry me?" He seemed to be in one of his self-loathing moods. She hated when he got like that. The last time he was in one of those funks, he wouldn't even look at her for a week.

Shizune rolled her eyes at him. "Sasuke, look at me." He did, and his face was pained, with the corners of his mouth turned down slightly. "Do I look like I care that you betrayed the village? I wouldn't stay with you if I did. Do you want to marry me, Sasuke?"

"It's not that. I do, but—"

"Then it's settled." He goggled at her. She nearly laughed, but managed to hold it in. "No buts. You go and do whatever clan-head stuff you have to do to set it up, and tell me when. I'll be there." He was so surprised that he was utterly speechless. Then, he was suddenly tackled to the ground from behind.

"Sasuke-teme! You're getting married?" Naruto grinned broadly as Sasuke threw him off, swearing. "We could get married together! Risa-chan said she would marry me!" The Rokudaime jumped up and did a happy little dance, looking less than dignified, but it was Naruto, so they didn't mind. "Ne, Sasuke, what do you think?" The Uchiha pushed himself to his feet, and stared at Naruto.

Sasuke eyed him as if he expected to be attacked again, then his face broke out into a mischievous grin, and he said, "Screw the clan heads, we'll do it. Shizune, how does next week sound?" Again, Shizune's face broke into a grin. She nodded. "Thursday, at the Uchiha main house. We'll have the Godaime marry us at sunset. How does that sound, Naruto?" The young Hokage grinned wider than before.

"I'll make sure neither of us have any missions for a while. Honeymoons, you know." Shizune and Sasuke stared at him. The dark-haired young man had suddenly developed a twitch under his right eye. Shizune knew that twitch. Sasuke was now mentally scarred by the image of Naruto having sex. She burst out laughing, and threw her arms around both of them.

"Next Thursday, then."

Shizune and Risa sat in the tea room in the Uchiha main house. Both wore formal uchikake kimono, and more makeup than they had in their entire lives. Risa's hand was straying up to the uncomfortable arrangement her hair was in. There were little jingling ornaments in it, so many that it had taken Ino half an hour just to arrange Risa's hair. Risa's uchikake was a deep green, and had a subtle pattern of fish over the back and sleeves. Shizune's was dark blue, with—what else but—the Uchiha fan embroidered on the back, but also red cranes flowing over the sleeves and hem. They were waiting for Konohamaru to come and fetch them.

"Are you nervous, Shizune?"

"No. I'm not." Risa could tell that the woman was lying.

"Me too." They were marrying two of the most prominent men in the entire village, perhaps even the fire country. The risks were many, but they didn't care. Risa was ready for whatever might come. The only problem she had was that she would have to deal with the boring aspects of being a Hokage's wife. Ceremony, pretense, and all of that idiocy. These were not things she was looking forward to.

"Ladies?" Konohamaru appeared in the doorway, looking uncomfortable in the extreme. His formal kimono looked wrong on him. Both women stood, and took deep breaths, then followed the young man from the room, gliding down the halls with small steps out to the rear of the house, where there was a formal garden, maintained by Sasuke. The light of the afternoon was golden, and the leaves of the willows seemed to glow. It was beautiful.

Naruto's eyes widened. Risa looked beautiful. He straightened his Hokage robes. He'd not wanted to wear them, but Tsunade had insisted. Remembering the argument, he nearly reached up to his head. The compromise had been that he not wear the hat. He could live with that. He hated that thing. As it was, he was sweating buckets, because he was nervous. If the hat had been added in, making him uncomfortable, he'd probably have just bolted. But now that he saw Risa, his usual grin widened to an absurd size. The green of her kimono made her eyes stand out, as if they needed it! He just couldn't stop looking at her.
For just a moment, Sasuke's heart stopped. Shizune was stately in dark blue silk, and though he didn't approve of the makeup, he could see the woman he loved underneath it. She walked next to Risa, gliding gently toward him. As he waited for what seemed like an eternity for her to reach the small area strewn with Sakura petals, he marveled at how his life had gone from hell to as close to heaven as he could imagine. And as Shizune put her hand in his, he said a silent prayer of thanks to Sakura. It was all her doing. Everything. This life he had was a gift from her. The fact that his clan would be…no. The fact that it was revived, was because of her. That he had someone to be with him, hold him, and love him as he loved them, was also because of her. And as he glanced past Shizune at the people surrounding him, he thanked her again. He had friends. Real friends. A feeling that before was alien to him washed over his mind and heart with full force. He was, for the first time in his life, truly happy.

"All right. Now that we're all here, let's do this." Tsunade had never been a very formal Hokage, which was the source of much debate, but Sasuke didn't mind. This was an occasion among friends. "We are here today to join these young people in marriage. I have already instructed them on how hard it will be, so none of you are allowed to do so after the ceremony is over. Got that, Inoshi?" There was a loud laugh from the middle of the crowd, and the Godaime smiled. He was truly a strange man.

"Now, Sasuke. Do you take Shizune to be your wife, in good times and bad, in sickness and health, until death and beyond?" She looked into his eyes, and seemed to be searching for something. Did she still not trust him? Shizune was like her daughter, he knew. But, if this was to be his mother-in-law, he thought he should reassure her.

He smiled at the Hokage, then turned back to Shizune. "Until death, and beyond."

"And you Shizune?" The older woman's tone was rather sharp.

"In sickness, health, good times, bad times, until death and beyond." Her grip tightened on Sasuke's hand, almost painfully. He took it in both of his, and they waited for Naruto and Risa's vows to be said.

Naruto's throat was very dry. He was getting married? Was he insane? He looked around for an exit. Was he ready for this? Really ready? He felt twitchy. But then, he looked at the woman standing next to him. Fear? What fear? Naruto didn't know why he was so nervous. Not like he was going to screw up. He could never screw up with Risa. As the Godaime came to stand before them, Risa took his hand.

"Uzumaki Naruto, Rokudaime of Konoha. Do you take Morimoto Risa to be your wife, in good times and bad, in sickness and health, until death and beyond?" She was smiling at him. He felt, for some reason, like he had a mother. Or, a grandmother. Either way, he knew that Tsunade loved him like a son. Naruto gave her a wink and then turned to Risa.

"Until death and beyond, I take Morimoto Risa to be my wife." He squeezed her hand. Why was his heart hammering like this?

"And you, Risa?"

"Until death and beyond, I take Uzumaki Naruto to be my husband." Naruto smiled at her, and she at him.

"Now," Tsunade said, "I'd say it's about time. You are now married. What we have joined today, let no one tear apart." In a lower voice, she spoke to the two newly married couples. "Turn around, guys." Applause erupted from the many people seated all around them. "Party?" Naruto and Sasuke both turned back to Tsunade, and nearly laughed.

Sasuke held up a hand for silence. "Dinner will be served in the courtyard. If anyone is feeling up to it, there will be music and dancing in the pavilion next door." Naruto smiled broadly at his friend. Sasuke looked over at him. "Oi. Dobe, come here." Naruto excused himself from Risa's side. When he approached, Sasuke held out a hand.

"Teme," The Uchiha was stiff as a board when Naruto hugged him, but relaxed after a moment, and even returned the embrace. "I'm glad you're back." He thumped the other man on the back, and pulled away. Sasuke still had a stunned look on his face. "I wish Sakura was here, though."

A warm breeze blew through the garden, bringing with it a faint sound, as if someone were laughing in the distance. Naruto blinked, confused. Sasuke smiled faintly, taking Shizune by the hand once again, and putting an arm over Naruto's shoulder. Then he looked over to where Ino and Itachi sat, holding Sakura and Shishui respectively. He smiled wider and then shook his head. "She is, Naruto. She is."

End, A Meaning In Death

A/N: Thank you again for your reviews, and your support. I really am sorry that it took me so long to finish this. It's been a wonderful experience. -wipes eyes- Love you guys!