Chapter 3

A/N: You may call off your assassins now. :readers glare: Umm, please? Cause, you know, I'm pretty sure that I did promise at some point that I'd finish this fic even if it killed me. :ded:

B0b: Landlady would also like to point out that she's super sorry that this chapter took so freaking long, and that there are lots of boring, real life excuses that kept her from writing that you don't want to hear, but you were never very far from her thoughts... err, much. And anyway, just read cause I ran out of things to say.

Also, even though the actual wedding is this weird mutant fusion of a traditional and a western wedding, all the information about the traditional costume that Sakura is wearing was given to me by Lasaire, who's stuck by me through all of my Neji/Sakura ventures, and harrassed/bribed me into writing, and whom I wuv. :squishes:

Ino was proud that she was only slightly jealous watching her best friend dress for her wedding. Sakura had beaten her in this race fair and square, and besides, if she had anything to say about it, Sakura wouldn't be the only one getting married any time soon. Ino allowed herself a small smirk as she imagined the look on Naruto's face.

Sakura hummed happily to herself as they laid out all the accompaniments to her formal kimono. "Let's see, dagger to poke lazy husband with, check…"

Hinata giggled. "I don't think that's quite the way it goes, Sakura-chan."

Sakura winked jauntily at her friend. "Don't be silly. We all know that men need a good prodding now and then."

"With a dagger?" Ino said, half-choking on a laugh.

"Yup," the pink-haired bride said while poking through the rest of her wedding essentials. The traditional fan and wallet, lay next to her something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue traditions that the younger generations favored.

Hinata motioned for her to come over so they could help her into the first layer of her wedding kimono. It was white silk, embroidered with a design of sakura blossoms. Her uchikake kimono, which she would wear over her kimono during the reception afterwards, was painted in a traditional Hyuuga design, worn by Hyuuga brides for generations. It would please her soon to be Uncle-in-law, anyway – the sole reason why they'd settled on traditional dress in the first place.

"So who's going to walk you down the asile?" Hinata asked.

"Naruto," Sakura replied. "My dad, uhh, couldn't make it."

Truth was, her dad wasn't going to dare come without her mother. And after the fiasco she'd made of telling them about the wedding, hell would likely freeze before her mother would show. Sakura sighed inwardly. She wasn't really upset about her mother's absence – it would only cause a ruckus anyway – but she would have really liked to have her father there. Couldn't be helped though, and anyway, Naruto was just as much family as any of her real family, right down to his protectiveness...

"Oh shit! I forgot!" Sakura exclaimed suddenly, startling both her friends. Before they'd recovered, she was halfway out the door.

Ino caught her before she got any further. "Where do you think you're going, forehead-girl?" she screeched. "Don't you know it's bad luck if Neji sees you in your dress before the wedding?"

"Damn, you're right." Sakura ducked inside, shut the door and stripped, grabbing a yukata to cover up.

"Sakura-chan? Where are you going to go? We've got to get ready or we'll be late," Hinata pointed out.

"Yea, I know. But I totally forgot to threaten Naruto."

"And why would you have to do that?" Ino bristled, a little defensive for her boyfriend's sake.

Sakura finished the hasty knot on her yukata and grabbed Ino by the shoulders. "You know how he gets. And I swear, if Naruto breaks out in one of his 'you take care of my Sakura-chan or else' speeches in the middle of my wedding, I'm gonna kill him."

Ino paled, though Sakura suspected it was more from trying to hold back laughter than from dread. "Oh god. You're right. Go."

"I'll be right back!" Sakura called, launching herself out the door. Left alone, Hinata and Ino took one look at each other and burst into giggles.

"I wonder if she knows she's totally flashing everyone in that yukata."

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Neji caught Sakura barreling through the hallway. Literally. She nearly barreled right into him and would have knocked them both over if it weren't for his quick reflexes. "What's wrong?" he asked quickly. "Did something happen? Are you hurt?"

She ignored him, standing on tiptoe to look over his shoulder. "Hey honey. Have you seen Naruto?"

"Naruto?"

"Yea, you know, blonde, really big mouth."

Neji sighed, "Do I even want to know why you're running around looking for Naruto in your underwear?"

Sakura looked scandalized. "Neji! How dare you! How dare you suggest that I would let you see me in my wedding dress before the wedding. It's terrible bad luck you know. Besides," Sakura huffed, "I am not 'running around' in my underwear." The pink-haired women looked down at herself, and cleared her throat before tugging the open ends of her yukata together. "Much."

Neji tried very hard not to shake his head in amusement. He would have failed too, had he not been rescued by the sudden arrival of the big-mouthed blonde that Sakura had been seeking.

"Sakura-chan?" Naruto trotted up to them, confusion written all over his face. No, that was the remnants of the sharpie doodles inflicted on him by a very drunk Lee after he'd passed out at Neji's bachelor party the night before. "What are you doing? Aren't you supposed to be getting ready?"

Sakura put a hand to her heart in relief. "Oh, Naruto, I'm so glad you're here." Lightning fast, Sakura caught his wrist before he could bolt at the tone in her voice. The other hand had already likewise trapped Neji. She joined their hands in front of her. "You two," Sakura began, a bit of a mad glint to her eye. "I want you two to promise me you'll behave today."

"Uhh, sure Sakura-chan," Naruto replied while Neji merely rolled his eyes.

"Wonderful!" she squealed. "Now kiss and make up so I know there aren't any hard feelings that are going to surface during my wedding."

Both men tried to bolt, but were pulled back by the unnatural strength of a woman on a mission. Their heads met each other with enough force to bounce them back to their original positions. "Now boys," Sakura began sternly.

"Oh for heaven's sake, woman!" Neji wrenched his hand out of her grasp, the other firmly planted on his sore head, and grabbed Naruto's free hand, shaking it firmly. "There, now we have a truce. Happy?"

Sakura frowned thoughtfully and looked for a moment as if she would refuse. We might take a moment to point out that she had been a little too taken with the display two male strippers had put on for the guests at her bachlorette party. "I suppose it will do."

"Good. Now release Naruto and go get dressed or we'll be late."

Sakura blinked, squealed and threw herself into Neji's arms, kissing him soundly. "Love you!" she said before retreating.

Naruto, still nursing his sore head, blinked. "What just happened?"

Neji shrugged. "I think I'm just going to lay it down to hormones and stick to the easy questions."

The blonde took one last glance in the direction Sakura had bolted and nodded. "Good idea."

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Hinata tucked an errant strand of hair behind Sakura's ear before she and Ino placed the white hood over the bride's head. "There, you're ready."

Sakura remained silent, looking at herself in the mirror and smoothing a hand down her white kimono. A slight frown marred what should have been perfect, happy features.

"Is something wrong?" Ino asked her instantly.

Sakura turned to her best friend. "I can't do this," she whispered, moving toward the door. "I have to go."

Ino and Hinata took one look at one another before lunging, each catching one of the bride's wrists. "You have cold feet," Ino pointed out. "It's perfectly normal, you know."

Sakura shook her head, "No really, I..."

The door opened suddenly. Everyone in the room expected Naruto to burst in, ready to drag, err, walk Sakura down the asile whether she wanted to or not. The two bridesmaids breathed a sigh of relief.

Only it wasn't Naruto in the doorway. "Daddy?"

Sakura's father smiled. "Hey kid, you ready?"

"Where's Naruto?" the bride asked, "no, wait, scratch that. Where's Mom?"

Her father shrugged, "Well, you know your mother. No force in the world is gonna change her mind once she's got it set. She'll come around right about the time you introduce the grandkids. But I figured I'll only get to walk my favorite daughter down the asile once, if I'm lucky." He winked at Ino and Hinata, who had released their grip on their friend.

Sakura rolled her eyes, "I'm your only daughter, Dad," she shot back. "Anyway, you needed have bothered coming..."

"Ooooh! Haruno Sakura, you are not backing out of this now!" Ino exclaimed.

Sakura's father grinned at her. "Cold feet? You shoulda seen the case your mother had. Come to think of it, I wasn't unaffected myself."

"But Dad..."

"No buts. You love each other, don't you?"

She didn't have to think about it. "Of course."

"Then it's as simple as that." Her father held out an arm. "Let's go."

Later on, Sakura wouldn't remember much of the ceremony. There was the wedding video, of course, but the actual memory was mostly a blur of emotion in her mind. But there was only one thing that forever stood clear in her mind about that day.

"Do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

"Hell yea!"

I am super annoyed at FFN's new formatting laws o' D00M. They eat my soul. And my smilies.