XxpuppetmasterxX and LilMzSunshine
Chapter 3: The Wedding
Marriage is not a word, but a sentence.
Hinata was on the phone. "Um... I'm not sure... nobody's been telling me anything. Just a second, I'll ask." She put her hand on the receiver so as not to hurt her friend's eardrums. "Daddy? When's the rehearsal dinner?"
"The what?"
"You know, for the wedding... Shino wants to know."
"Oh, we're not having one."
"Why not?"
"Because we don't want this guy to bolt after he gets a look at you," Hanabi said. Hinata glared at her.
"So... Do I get to meet this girl before we get married or what?" Kankuro asked after they had arrived at their hotel. His father shook his head. "No? What do you mean, no? This is like a blind date from Hell!"
"It's pretty sensible, really," Temari said. "I mean, put yourself in her shoes. Would you stick around if you realized you had to married you?"
Kankuro glared at her.
Hinata's mother insisted that she wear a little makeup, so Kurenai was applying some foundation for her as they waited for the wedding to start.
"...Kankuro..." Hinata tried to conjure up an image of the middle Sand Sibling without much luck. All she really remembered about him was the kitty ears, the face paint, and the puppet. She wasn't entirely sure she had ever heard him speak. "I don't know anything about him."
"Hey, at least it's not Gaara!" Kiba said, adjusting Shino's tie for him.
"Amen to that!" Kurenai and Shino added.
"Anyway, I think Kankuro's an ok guy," Shino said, "He's not insane or angsty or anything. He's just really average. One could do worse."
"Sis, look at my dress!" Hanabi skipped in.
"AH!" gasped Shino, Kiba, Kurenai, and Hinata.
"It's- It's-," Hinata sputtered not from nervousness, but from lack of a word. "It's pinker than necessary."
"And fluffier," Kiba said.
"I know, isn't it hideous? Mom picked it out." Hanabi spun around once to show off. "I look like a cartoon poodle."
Akamaru barked, so Hanabi patted his head. "Is Kurenai-san the only female bridesmaid you have?"
"I don't talk to many girls," Hinata shrugged. "And I don't care what happens today. Mom's the one who's been excited about planning this. Do you think Kankuro cares?... I wish I could at least talk to him before we go through with this."
"It's bad luck," Hanabi said. "And what difference would it really make?"
"...Hinata..." Kankuro muttered to himself. He vaguely remembered her from his first chunin exam. "Well, at least she's arguably the most adorable girl on the face of the planet."
"I can't believe he's making you marry into the Nutso Clan," Temari said bitterly. "The son of a bitch."
"I'll be OK, Temari. She's nice."
"She's a world-class freak, is what she is! I don't want my baby brother shut up with the Hyuugas and married to the anti-empowered poster child!" Temari cried, throwing her arms around Kankuro and smushing the carnation on his lapel.
"Don't be so emotional, Temari," Gaara said. "It's already emasculating enough to have your sister as the best man, don't make it worse by crying."
"I should have married what's-his-face Sarutobi so I could stay here with you!"
"Don't say that, 'Mari," Kankuro said compassionately. "You've got to watch out for Gaara. I'll still be online, even the Hyuugas must have a computer."
"It's not the same."
"Of course it is; we only talk through emails anyway."
"Don't be difficult, Kan-kun, we're losing our brother."
Due to bad experiences with large celebrations, the Hyuugas liked to keep things short (which was good for Kankuro, as he hated fuss) and small (which was good for Hinata as she was extremely shy), and after the ceremony they went to the reception and hung out on opposite sides of the room with their respective friends.
"He looks really different without the makeup and outfit," Kiba said. "I didn't recognize him at all."
"Are you going to have to dance with him or anything?" Shino asked Hinata, glaring through his shades at Kankuro and his family.
"I don't think so," Hinata said uncertainly. She snagged Hanabi as the younger girl walked by. "Hey, go ask Dad if I have to dance with... er..."
"Kankuro," Kiba prompted.
Hanabi blinked at them. "You can't ask him yourself?"
"Just ask him, doob," Kiba said, pushing her gently. He didn't have anything against Hanabi; you couldn't have anything against Hanabi; she was just a cynical little girl without much personality one way or the other. But she was his friend's little sister, so he picked on her anyway.
Hanabi talked briefly to her father and returned. "Two songs, tops."
Hinata looked unhappy at this.
"Ask if she can just get away with tossing the bouquet," Kurenai suggested, sending Hanabi back.
"He says he'll cut it down to one song, if you agree to cut the cake with what's-his-face."
"Well, all right... but tell him I need a glass of wine first."
Hanabi returned once more. "You just have to cut the cake."
Hinata made eye-contact with her father and nodded once. They had a deal.
"Was she as scared as she looked, just now?" Gaara asked his brother after they had retreated back to the Of The Sand corner with their cake.
"I dunno... she was shaking. I almost wanted to take the knife away from her and help her out, but I think I'm the one intimidating her," Kankuro sighed, morosely checking his reflection in the back of a spoon. "I mean, everyone else here is her family or a friend."
"Don't be so hard on yourself," Baki, who was just there, as always, advised. "It's not like her family treats her real well. After all, we were all here for the Neji-Hinata fight."
The Sand nins nodded solemnly.
"Well... um..." It was the next morning, and the Sands were leaving, and Hinata and her family were seeing them off, which was a very difficult social situation for Hinata. "It's good to... meet you, Kankuro, and I guess I'll see you again some day."
"Hinata," Hiashi tapped her on the shoulder. God, his kids could be dumb... (Hanabi had twice tried to microwave a Ding-Dong with the foil on). "Kankuro's not leaving. He's staying here with us. That's why all his stuff is sitting in the living room."
Hinata blinked, turned red, and hid herself behind Neji for the remainder of the good-byes.
"So... how was last night?" Neji asked her under his breath.
"It was fine... nothing much happened. I've almost finished the next chapter... Hanabi tried to sleep with some wedding cake under her pillow and dreamed Konohamaru pushed her into a vat of icing."
"No, I mean, did you and Kankuro..."
"Oh, he slept in the hotel with his family. I haven't even talked to him alone yet."
"Well, I guess you'll have plenty of opportunity tonight."
"... what do you mean?"
"...He's sleeping in your room. You did know that, didn't you?"
"He- he is?"
"I take that as a 'no'... yeah, he is. Don't panic," he added as Hinata's breath started to become more shallow.
"How am I not supposed to panic? I can't go through with—,"
"Nobody's asking you to go through with anything... except sharing the blankets, which, granted, is no fun, but—,"
"All boys are horny little bastards, you told me so yourself!"
"We are, but I'd imagine that right now he's just as afraid of you as you are of him." Neji glanced at his cousin out of the corner of his eye. "Ok, maybe not as afraid, but he's stuck with a stranger away from home, sex is the last thing on his mind. Nothing is going to happen."