Part 5 – Wedding Day
The following day, Tsunade got Congress to approve a Declaration of War against the Kandra Republic.
The team's CO, Major Kakashi Hatake, codenamed Arthur, a six-foot-two human male with snow-white hair, and one magic red eye that was hidden behind his eyepatch had summoned them to the war room which was in one of the base's classrooms.
Back on base in Chicago, the team gathered with him, "Most of the Knights are on deployment across the Middle East," he said, "Command doesn't want to pull them off of deployment, and many other teams are either on leave or are too far away to assist in the operation. Following these attacks, the U.S. is on high alert, and many of our forces are being diverted from other battlefields to assist with this one. Right now as the closest unit in the Knights that has a deployment date close enough for them to move up, so the responsibility falls to you to represent the unit as best you can. I'm sorry to say this boys, but your date of deployment just got moved up."
"How long do we have," Sasuke asked.
"You leave in 18 hours," Kakashi said, "Any tidying up you have to do on the personal front, I suggest you do it now. Any questions?"
"You going to be joining us for this one, Major," Naruto asked.
"Not at this moment," Kakashi said, "Command wants me here coordinating things on behalf of the Knights. Command wants you boys to get settled in. I'll follow after about a few weeks to a month."
"Any word if we're actually going to get in on the action, or if we're going to be limited to throw-away assignments like we've been getting," Rock asked.
"Rock," Sasuke snapped.
"Don't be mad at the boy, Lieutenant," Kakashi said, "He has a fair point. And as of this point, we don't know. All I do know is that once you arrive in the United Congolese Confederacy, the various other units will be sharing a camp with you."
"And they'll want nothing to do with us," Naruto said as he looked over at his team, "As usual."
"Get used to it," Sasuke said, "We can't help the way we look. But we can help the way people look at us."
"Hey," Kakashi said, "Save it for the base. Right now, you boys have some catching up to do with your family. Any further questions," no one said anything, "Ok then boys, go home, take a shower, kiss your partner, feed the dog. Wheels up tomorrow, 0750. Dismissed."
As the team was walking away, Sasuke put his hand on Naruto's shoulder, "Hey," he said as he pulled Naruto over to the corner of the room, "Look, if you need to stay for a while so you and Hinata can…"
"Let me stop you there," Naruto said, "No, I'm not going to stay, and don't try to talk the Major into letting me. I want to be with you and the guys on this one, and I don't care if you say otherwise. Hinata and I have an understanding. We're grown adults, and we can handle it. We actually had a plan set up just in case."
"Go ahead," Sasuke said.
"You got your dress blues back at the house," Naruto asked.
"Freshly pressed," Sasuke said.
"Spirit of Chicago, tonight, 8:30," Naruto said.
"Alright," Sasuke said, "But you know what this means when we get back."
"Yea, yea," Naruto said, "After-wedding bachelor party," he then pointed at Sasuke, "But as best-man, you know what that means to a married man."
"Yea, yea," Sasuke said, "Don't worry about it," he then turned to the group, and hooked his arms around his XO's shoulders, "Hey boys! We get to watch them tie the anchor around his neck early! He's getting married tonight!"
The team cheered and gathered around Naruto to congratulate him before they all walked out of the room together.
As they were walking out to their car, Shino spoke up, "I never expected you of all people to have a contingency plan in case you deployed early."
"We thought something like this might happen," Naruto said, "We're Spec Ops. We thought something like this might happen."
"You'll get through it, I'm sure," Rock said, "Anything we should do?"
"We will need a few things," Naruto said.
"What things," Sasuke asked.
"A cake would be nice," Naruto said.
"I can take care of that," Rock said.
"Maybe some flowers," Naruto said.
"Done," Sai said.
"We could use a flower girl," Naruto said.
"I volunteer my girl," Shino said.
"A ring-bearer," Naruto asked.
"Arund should do just fine," Rock said.
"Looks like we have our wedding party together," Naruto said, "See you tonight, boys."
Sai simply walked back to his dorm where Ino was waiting, her having decided not to open her family's flower shop that day.
As Sai walked into their room and up to her, she placed her forehead against his when they embraced, "What's the word," she asked.
"We leave in eighteen hours," Sai said.
"Here I was thinking I'd get you for a little while longer," Ino said.
"You'll have me plenty for the next few hours," Sai said, "But afterward, you think we could make some flower arrangements?"
"For what," Ino asked.
"Naruto and Hinata's wedding," Sai said, "We'll probably be gone for at least six months."
"I think we can make a decent flower arrangement for them," Ino said, "After I get my creative juices flowing."
"I'll get them going for you," Sai said as he lifted his girlfriend up, and carried her into their bedroom.
Needless to say, Naruto arriving at Hinata's law firm was something she wasn't expecting.
Her office building was a very nicely decorated space with oak-wood floors and rich leather furniture.
Her office itself was nicely sized with a mahogany wood desk, a large computer set up, and a very nice view of Chicago.
"You want to get married tonight," Hinata asked.
"Why not," Naruto asked, "We're already engaged, so why not?"
"Naruto, I love you, and I do want to get married," Hinata said, "But tonight? We don't even have a wedding party together."
"Yes we do," Naruto said, "The team said they'd help. You have Sakura here. You always said you wanted her to be your Maid-of-Honor. Ino can put together a wedding bouquet. You know Shino's girl is the best flower girl we can have, and Rock's nephew is the best ring bearer."
"But what about my parents," Hinata asked, "You know my parents are going to be angry. Mom will want to come and see me get married."
"You know she'll want to bring your father," Naruto said, "You know he won't giving a flying fuck about giving you away."
"I know," Hinata said, "But I still want mom to come, I want to see her at my ceremony."
"We can still do that," Naruto said as he walked around the desk to kneel in front of his fiancée, "We'll get married tonight, and when we return from deployment, we'll have a separate ceremony for our families. We'll make it the biggest ceremony in history for both our families and all of our friends. But let's jump into this now. Let's get this over with before I have to leave. I'll always have you to come back too, but I want to come back to you as your husband."
"I love you," Hinata said as she leaned down to kiss him.
Naruto took her hands and asked, "What do you say? You want to take the plunge with me tonight?"
"Let's do it," Hinata said.
Naruto and Hinata embraced before sharing a deep kiss.
The first stop for Shino after leaving the base was to Chicago Central Elementary.
Chicago Central Elementary was for many years after WW2 a predominantly human school. In about 1967, during Vietnam, desegregation took hold, the first race to comingle with the human children in the school were elves. Shino himself attended the school, as did Sasuke, Naruto, Sai, and Lee. It's where they all became friends.
As he was walking into the front office, the office worker at the time asked, "Yes, sir, can I help you?"
"Shino Aburame," he said, "I'm here to get my daughter, Hine Aburame."
"I.D.," the office worker asked.
Shino went into his pocket, pulled out his I.D., and showed it to the worker.
"Ok then," the office worker said as she held out a form, "Sign here please."
Shino signed his name on the line, and after finding out which room Hine was in, she walked over to the intercom and clicked on the room number, "Mrs. Lopez," she said.
"Yes," Hine's teacher, Mrs. Lopez said over the other line.
"I need Hine to check out," the assistant said.
"She's on her way," Mrs. Lopez said.
"Ok, thank you," the assistant said.
After a few minutes, Hine saw her father, and ran towards him, "Daddy," she exclaimed.
Shino reached down to pick up his daughter, and carried her out the door, "There's my little girl," he said.
"What are you doing here," Hine asked, "I had just finished that test when I got called up here?"
"Daddy will explain everything," Shino said as he walked out the front door of the school, "Right now, how about lunch?"
"Where," Hine asked as they walked up to Shino's truck.
"Anywhere you want," Shino said as he opened the door, and placed her in the back seat.
"Gnome'Donalds," Hine asked as she buckled herself in.
"Absolutely," Shino said, "You want to get mommy, and we'll eat together?"
"Yes," Hine exclaimed.
"Let's go," Shino said as he shut the door.
As Rock's niece and nephew were arriving home when the smelled something that got them very, very, very excited.
"CAKE," they both yelled as they dropped their bags.
As soon as they ran into the kitchen, they heard their uncle exclaim, "Freeze," he didn't look up from his work on the cake, leveling a large wooden spoon at the two of them, "Touch the cake before tonight, and you don't get a piece."
"What's this," Zunagu asked as she walked in to see her brother finishing the border on the cake he was making.
"It's a wedding cake," Rock said as he lifted the cake up on the presentation dish to check his work: not perfect, but in no way bad, "It's time I used all the knowledge I learned from Bismark for something practical."
"I still can't believe he taught you that," Zunagu said, "You were an apprentice at his bakery for about two years before you went off to college."
"And I learned as much as I could from him," Rock said, "You know how good I was when I worked there."
The cake was a two-tiered cake that was covered in a gloriously shiny white icing that looked like it could have been made out of pure snow. The roses he put on top of the cake were made of red icing, but since he had no tools, the petals were very spirally, and not spread out like a regular rose.
"Ok, ok," Zunagu asked, "But whose wedding is it for?"
"Naruto and Hinata's," Rock said as he looked up at his sister, "We're being deployed early. Naruto and Hinata called, and they want to get married before we leave so they can have a prolonged honeymoon when they get back."
"Mommy, what's a honeymoon," Arund asked.
"I'll tell you when you're older," Zunagu said, "They're having their wedding tonight?"
"On the river," Rock said as he covered the cake in the glass case that neither his niece or nephew could lift, and turned toward them, "And we're going."
"We're going," Arund asked, "Why?"
"Because we need to be there to support Uncle Naruto and Aunt Hinata," Rock said, "Besides, you already accepted being the ring bearer."
"I did," Arund asked.
"Yes, you did," Rock said, "Plus," he knelt down, and turned his attention to the cake, "That's a Naughty Royal fudge cake with royal vanilla icing."
"Where's my suit," Arund asked.
How was that…