"Nii-san, just shut up! We're not delivering orange wedding invitations!"

"But orange is a cool color!"

"Not for weddings."

Hinata cleared her throat. Naruto and Hanabi totally ignored her.

"I didn't know that there was some kind of rule that wedding invitations aren't allowed to be orange."

"Don't you know how to read the air? No one sends out orange wedding invitations. It's tacky."

"Orange isn't tacky!"

"You two, please calm down..." Hinata pleaded.

"You're an idiot!"

"Hanabi, that's uncalled for – "

"Who are you calling an idiot, huh?"

"Naruto-kun, just ignore her – "

"Neon green wedding invitations are way tackier than orange!"

"QUIET."

Hanabi and Naruto both jumped in surprise and stared at her. Hinata blinked. She didn't know that she was even capable of being that loud.

"I will be deciding which color the wedding invitations will be," she said. "Orange and neon green are not on the table."

She shot them a reproachful look. "Is that clear?"

Her little sister and her fiance nodded mutely.

"Good. Now, Hanabi, apologize for calling Naruto-kun an idiot."

"Sorry..." Hanabi muttered.

"Naruto-kun, don't pick fights with fifteen-year-old girls anymore."

"Okay..." Naruto grumbled.

Hinata sighed in relief.

Wedding planning sure was a pain.

Tsumugi oba-san swatted Naruto's fidgeting arms.

"Stop shaking so much. How am I supposed to take your measurements like this?"

"Oba-chan, we've been doing this for two hours. How long does it take?"

Giichi oji-san spoke up. "Naruto. The tailor who makes the montsuki kimono is very particular. For our own wedding, he refused at the very last minute because the measurements were off by half a centimeter. We were desperate and had to beg him."

"Why couldn't you find another tailor?" Naruto grumbled.

"That man never forgives and never forgets," oba-chan said. "The Hyuuga have been availing his services since the Warring States Era and if we find another tailor now, during yours and Hinata-sama's wedding..." She shuddered.

"Why?" Naruto asked. "What would he do that's so bad?"

"We don't know and we don't want to find out," Tsumugi oba-san muttered.

"Ok...aaaay." Hinata's relatives were nice, but they were super weird at times.

Last week, Niko roamed around the village, announcing to random people on the street that the Hyuuga clan would have "the most awesome and coolest wedding of all time" and that all of the previous Hokage would be resurrected with Edo Tensei so that they could attend.

Hinata's dad and grandparents weren't happy about it, but Niko somehow avoided punishment anyway.

The Hyuuga clan were the strongest in Konoha. They were also the most insane.

Oba-san finally finished taking his measurements and sent him away. Naruto sighed in relief.

Wedding planning sure was a pain.

"Today was a long day," Hinata said, sinking onto the park bench in exhaustion.

"You're telling me...what's up the Hyuuga clan's evil tailor?" Naruto asked, also sinking onto the park bench in exhaustion.

"He stuck needles into people's wedding kimonos, or something like that."

"Your clan really is crazy, ya know?" He idly ran his fingers over the scrap of red scarf that he'd pulled out of his pocket.

"Of course, ya know," she teased.

Naruto stared at the scarf.

"I was just thinking...that scarf you knit, it's like our red string of fate, ya know! Not that I believe in fate, or anything, but still..." he rambled on. "I think we're meant to be together. When I think about it, it's like what my mom said!"

"Your...mother?"

"Yeah. She had amazing, long hair. It was really beautiful, like yours, except her hair was red and some kids at the Academy would always make fun of her and call her a tomato and..." He paused momentarily to take a breath. "She would always beat up those bullies, but she hated her hair and then my dad saved her from being kidnapped and he said her hair was beautiful and then my mom was convinced that it was their red string of fate, ya know!"

She was much better at understanding Naruto's rambling than many of their friends, but this one was a bit tough to figure out, even for her.

"Naruto-kun," she said. "Please repeat that last part about the kidnapping."

"Kaa-chan was the Kyuubi jinchuuriki before I was..."

Hinata smiled. "So she wasn't really the Kyuubi's real form, but only the jinchuuriki. No wonder she got annoyed at you."

"That's right! I knew you would – " Naruto said. "Wait…how did you know that?"

She clapped her hand over her mouth.

Naruto squinted suspiciously at her. "I didn't tell you this story before, did I?"

"Oh, no, Naruto-kun," she said. "I completely forgot to tell you, but um...on the moon mission, when we got stuck in that genjutsu..."

"Yeah?" he prompted.

"I – I think I saw your memories. I wasn't sure and I didn't know how to bring it up."

"You...saw my memories?" Naruto's ears turned red. "Don't tell me you saw something embarrassing…I mean, I think I saw your memories too, but it was so embarrassing and I didn't want to say anything and – "

"You saw my memories too?"

"Yeah, I saw you during that time when Nagato attacked the village, then that time in the Academy when you wrote down my name, and you talking to Sakura-chan about me and stuff," Naruto said. "You only saw my memories of kaa-chan?"

"Yes..."

"Oh, okay, then!" He beamed. "So anyway, since my kaa-chan was the Kyuubi jinchuuriki, some ninja from Kumo tried to kidnap her to gain more power. They would have succeeded, but my tou-chan found her. She left behind strands of her hair on the ground as a trail, and he was the only one who noticed. Because he loved her hair."

He smiled, lost in those memories. "And that was their red string of fate."

"I see," Hinata said. "And the scarf is our red string of fate?"

"Yup."

A content silence descended upon them.

The bushes off in the corner of the park rustled.

"I think Hanabi is spying on us," Naruto said.

"Her, and possibly some of my other cousins too," Hinata agreed.

"Do you care, though?"

"No."

They glanced at the bushes in amusement, then went back to reclining on the park bench.

Naruto reached out to stroke her hair.

She leaned her head against his shoulder and smiled.

A/N: Hi everyone. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. :)

Next chapter will be the last one.

I'm glad you like the story, Cm361, and hopefully this chapter and the next one will fulfill your expectations. :)

Reviews, please? :)