The capital echoed with the sound of bells. Their tune could be heard throughout each and every part of the city, making people aware of the soon starting ceremony. Thousands of people gathered around the square in front of the shrine, all waiting for the service to begin.

Sakura felt sick. Even though she had nothing in her stomach by this time, thanks to her previous visits to the bathroom, the nonexistent contents of her belly still wanted to escape. She was nervous, that's for sure. Since this was a royal wedding, thousands of people would be attending the whole ritual, and these were only the invited guests. Because the simple citizens of the Land of Fire were also paying attention to this historical moment, thanks to the live broadcast of the whole ceremony. Who would've thought that so many people would be interested in the loss of her freedom?

Sakura put a hand in front of her mouth, hiding the enormous yawn that erupted. She's been up since the first rays of the sun appeared having been poked and prodded by hairdressers, makeup artists and tailors. The different kinds of ornaments on her head made her neck hurt and the damn wedding dress must have weighted at list half of her own body mass. And to think that she had to spend the whole day in this ridiculous getup.

"Enter." She said after a brief knock could be heard on her room's door.

Tsunade stepped in, already dressed in a forest green furisode with golden embroidery. With her blonde hair in a chignon and having makeup on she looked even more beautiful than usual. Even though she was well past fifty years old she could easily pass as a woman in her twenties. Heck, a whole branch of the beauty industry specialized in cracking the secret about her youthful look.

Her surrogate mother halted in her steps, looking at the young woman in front of her with awe.

"Sakura…you…you look beautiful." She whispered.

"Thank you." The pink haired woman cracked a smile.

"I just came to say goodbye, since there won't be an opportunity later on." The soft tone to her voice was so strange for Sakura. The blonde always had a gruff undertone to her speech, rarely using this softer version.

"This isn't final, so don't cry." Tsunade stepped closer, grabbing both of her daughter's hands. The bride just nodded, trying to suppress the wave of sadness that washed over her. "You have to know that I'm really proud of you. You are the best daughter that any mother could wish for. And I'm so incredibly sorry for failing you."

Sakura bit down on her ruby red lips, fighting against the tears that threatened to appear. Suddenly she felt guilty for making her mother feel like this. She shouldn't have acted the way she did after receiving the news of her betrothal. She should've known that Tsunade did everything in her power to change the fate that waited for her.

"It's not your fault. Things happen and I was at the wrong place in the wrong time." She smiled sadly. "And I couldn't live with myself if others had to suffer because of my selfishness." She felt the air from her lungs being knocked out as strong arms wrapped around her torso. Tsunade wasn't the kind of person to give hugs to everyone anytime, but when she did, the blond made sure that it was a bone crushing and suffocating one.

"I will miss you so much." The older woman whispered.

"I'll miss you too." Sakura wheezed.

A faint knock could be heard from the door. "The car is going to leave in 15 minutes." Shizune said from outside the room.

The two women looked at each other, with apparent sadness on their faces. Though they knew that this won't be the last time they saw each other, the fact that things would change, that nothing will be the same after this day made this moment sorrowful.

….

The pristine white car sped through the empty main road that led to the country's most important shrine. Huge masses of people line the street, all cheering and throwing confetti. Since the windows of the vehicle weren't tinted, they could see their queen-to-be's pink hair and a few parts of her wedding gown. Their cheers grew even louder when she started waving at them.

The car stopped once it reached the square in front of the shrine. Sakura inhaled deeply, enjoying the calmness which the interior brought. Things will get a lot more hectic once she steps out from the vehicle. And well, her life would take a really different turn to what she imagined a few years ago.

The door opened, the cheers becoming even louder. The weight of her dress made it really hard for her to climb out gracefully, but thankfully Ino was there to help her. Sakura smiled at her blonde friend while she arranged the train of the gown.

She sought her blue eyes friend's help after her encounter with Naruto a few days ago. She retold their conversation and even mentioned their almost kiss. Ino listened with a wide open mouth and didn't even interrupt her, which was by all means really surprising. Though Sakura knew that she did right by not letting things escalate with Naruto, she needed someone else's input about the whole ordeal, and Ino didn't disappoint.

Sakura looked up at the enormous torii that marked the entrance to the shrine, her anxiousness reaching new heights. Gulping, she walked inside the temple grounds, noting the rows upon rows of guests that stood up from their seats and bowed deeply upon her arrival. She set her chin up and proceeded on moving forward to the end of the row, where Kakashi and the priest were standing.

His droopy eyes widened at her sight. She was… she was…

Her hair was in an up do, only a few hair strands were framing her face loosely. The bun was pierced by a golden stick, having strings of crimson gems and amber running down at both ends. They created the illusion of fire once the light hit them from different directions. Her face was powdered white, but her lips were ruby red.

The gown itself was probably the most intricately ornamented one Kakashi has ever seen. Her white kimono had different kinds of floral patterns sewn onto it with pearls with a scarlet obi wrapped around her narrow waist. The bottom part of the garment was a lot looser than a normal kimono, almost like an A-Line skirt. But what stood out the most was the blood red haori on top of the white kimono, a seemingly never ending train following her. It was painted with all possible shades of red, blurred together but surprisingly still resembling some kind of pattern. The whole garment looked like it was on fire.

Though it was customary for women of the Land of Fire to wear something fire themed during their wedding, like having their lips painted crimson or earring with red gemstones, this was something no one was expecting. At least not him. But he couldn't complain, because red suited her really well. And she looked so…

Beautiful?

No, that was such a superficial word to describe her visage.

Astonishing?

That was more fitting, but still lacking.

Otherworldly?

Yes, that was more like it. She looked like someone who fell from the skies, like a goddess.

And he was complaining about having to wear this ridiculous black kimono with golden embroidery. He thought that it was really flashy and he'll stand out too much with it. But his wife to be looked so exquisite that no one would remember how he looked on this day, not that he was complaining.

She stopped next to him, sending a neutral look towards his direction. Sakura's calmness really surprised him; he was expecting her to be angry or at least more passionate about this situation. But she looked really nonchalant, like she already accepted her fate fully.

The priest started talking, his booming voice reaching even the furthest corners of the shrine. The speech was so boring that Kakashi zoned out immediately, only focusing back his attention when he started speaking about more important things.

"Now, please raise your right hand." He said eventually, they both complied. The priest raised up a red string that was a few feet long. He wrapped each end around their wrists, tying them together.

"It is said that those who are fated to tie their lives together are connected by a red string, the string of fate. This string on your wrists shall symbolize God's will of bringing you together."

Sakura resisted the urge to snort at his words. It was so absurd to say these words about their…relationship. It had nothing to do with two lovers who were fated to meet and unite. It was so disappointing to have such a beautiful legend linked to something which was forced.

"You shall wear these bracelets until the end of your lives, for these are more important than rings or other jewelry. The knots signify the way two separate lives have been tied together until the end of time." Sakura looked at the string around her wrist while the priest recited another prayer. It was such a simple thing, yet it had so much meaning behind it.

After repeating their vows and getting their wedding bands on came probably the highlight of the whole wedding: the kiss. It was one of the things Sakura dreaded the most. It wasn't like this would be her first kiss, but she knew that it'll be awkward as hell nonetheless.

Kakashi leaned down, his hands wrapped around her waist; his masked lips touched her own ones in a matter of seconds. She reciprocated the kiss, but the feeling of butterflies, sparks or fireworks didn't appear, though it wasn't so unpleasant as well. However it was quite frustrating that he was still wearing that stupid mask.

After their marriage has been marked as official, her coronation as the queen of the Land of Fire came next. The long speech of the priest was about how a righteous ruler should behave, how she should defend their country until their last drop of blood and such.

"Do you promise and swear to always do what's best of interest for the Land of Fire? Will you do anything in your power to protect the people of this country?" The priest held the crown up while Sakura was sitting on a throne like chair.

"I solemnly promise to do so." She answered, and then felt the weight of the crown on her head. Sakura stood up, looking at the people gathered.

"Presenting Her Majesty Hatake Sakura, queen of the Land of Fire."

It somehow felt overwhelming. From this day forward she won't be just a princess, but a queen. That meant that she had a lot more responsibilities towards the people of this country than before. But at least it seemed like they liked her, they didn't look at her like some kind of foreign intruder who tried to influence their oh so precious king, too bad that this couldn't be said about the council members.

They went back to the palace riding an open carriage so that the city residents could see the newlywed couple. She waved and smiled at them, pretending like the previous happenings of the day were the highlight of her life. The cheers and showers of flowers followed them on the whole way back.

Kakashi helped her out of the carriage, for which she was incredibly thankful. He led her towards the palace gardens where the banquet would be held. Thankfully they didn't have to stay until the end of it, since royal couple had other duties as well today, which made her nervous like never before.

"You look really gorgeous." He said as they neared the garden.

"Thank you. You don't look that bad yourself." She smiled up at him.

"Well, I tried but maybe I should've used a little bit of mascara. You know, to make my eye more distinguishable." His nonchalant tone made her laugh.

It was actually really nice of him for trying to lighten the solemn mood of this whole day. She thought that this day would be filled with tears and sadness, but maybe it wouldn't be that bad. Maybe.

"Hey, the bride should be the center of attention." This earned a chuckle from Kakashi.

Sakura inhaled deeply as they entered the garden, the gaze of hundreds of people on them once again.

….

It was time.

The final event of the wedding day would start in a few minutes, and it made her sick to the core.

She sat inside her shared bedroom with Kakashi, waiting for him. Her thumb and index finger pinched the skin of her palm, an action Sakura often did when she was incredibly nervous. Like right now.

The pink haired woman jumped up from her seat instantly as the room's door opened, Kakashi stepping inside. He was wearing black pajamas, with his ever present mask still intact.

Kakashi looked at his wife, who was wearing a lot simpler attire than before. And if someone would ask his opinion, he'd definitely say that she looked even prettier in this simple getup than in the earlier one. Her hair was braided on the side; the white nightgown was made of the lightest fabric ever created. She looked so beautiful but fragile, the sad look on her face made his heart sink. Kakashi heard her sighing, then looking straight into his eyes. Sakura tried to look confident, like she didn't get fazed by the whole situation at all. But he could see through her mask.

She was terrified.

"I'm going to sleep on the couch." Kakashi stated, earning a surprised look from her.

"Wh…what?"

"I'm not going to take something that does not belong to me." He stated simply. "I…I've already taken so much from you…"

"But…the council…"

"Don't worry about anything. They can't make us do something like this. I won't let them force us." Kakashi put his hands on her shoulders, trying to reassure her. "If…if we ever get to this point…then it'll be our decision." He scratched the back of his neck, a faint trace of blush appearing above his mask. Had the situation not been so serious, Sakura would've definitely teased him about it.

"Thank you." She smiled, the sickness she felt a few minutes ago instantly vanishing.

"Good night." He disappeared behind one of the doors, leaving her completely alone.

"Good night."

The only problem was that sleep didn't come easily for either of them.

Hello everyone.

I'm really sorry for updating so late, but real life duties kept me a bit busy, so I didn't have time to just sit down and write.

So, here's the much awaited wedding chapter, which didn't disappoint you really much.

Thank you really much for your support so far!