Vixen
Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. Sorry that this one took so long. I just had more inspiration for my other stories. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy the wedding chapter.
Naruko talking to Kyuubi in bold.
Kyuubi talking to Naruko in bold italics.
Chapter 10
Weeks. It had taken weeks of planning, but the day that would likely change Naruko's life forever was finally here. Her wedding day.
She didn't really know how to feel about that actually. Sasuke was a good kisser and surprisingly cuddly, but would he have ever married her if their hands hadn't been somewhat forced? They could have backed out from the arrangement, but both of them knew the potential horrific consequences of doing so. What else were they going to do?
"You look beautiful, baby." Kushina praises her as she brushes her daughter's hair.
"Thanks, mom. You know that I can do my own hair though, right?" Naruko asks with a laugh.
It was probably good to focus on something else besides the circumstances of their wedding. Her mother's fussing provided as good a distraction as any. The other bridesmaids seemed to agree.
"It's tradition!" She protests.
"I always wanted another child, but being the Clan Heads is a very busy job. Things were too tense to try again, but I'm so happy to be welcoming you into the family." Mikoto adds.
"Awe thanks! That's really nice of you to say!" The blonde woman beams as she looks into the mirror.
Her hair was going to be worn down. Sasuke seemed to prefer that and as much as she loved pigtails, she knew they weren't exactly appropriate for a wedding. Any sort of bun was just out of the question too. She didn't have the patience for that sort of thing. So down it was.
Her kimono was a beautiful snowy white one with a red sash and an Uchiha Symbol on the back. Uchihas were apparently a possessive lot. They tended to display their family crest on whatever clothes they could, the bride muses.
"Yes, but it's also true." Mikoto informs her.
"I still can't believe Naruko is getting married. She's right though. You do look beautiful." Sakura agrees.
Naruko could tell that Sakura couldn't believe that Sasuke of all people was getting married and this young. He had never really been the flirt that Shisui was or the romantic that Itachi was. It was only natural that it would seem odd to the pink haired woman.
"I can't believe it either." The blonde admits.
"Here, Naruko! Put this in your hair. It'll make a nice final touch." Ino says as she places a red rose in the back.
The Leaf Ninja was rather grateful that it was just the petal part of it. Somehow Ino had attached it diamond barrettes to hold the floral hairpiece in place. It really was pretty though.
"Thanks! This looks great!" Naruko says happily .
Well she supposed that she was ready as she was ever going to be. Now they would just have to wait for the signal that the guys were in place. Then she would be walked down the aisle by her father and meet Sasuke at the alter.
"You can do this, Naruko!" Hinata says with a soft smile.
Hinata was going to be Naruko's Maid of Honor. She normally would have picked Sakura, but it would have been too awkward. Sakura used to have feelings for Sasuke. Hinata was more neutral and a good friend.
That and it had another benefit. A more strategic one. The Hyugas were similar to the Uchihas in many ways, but they were far more integrated with the rest of the village. Having a Hyuga woman be her Maid of Honor would show that there was a bond between the families.
"Yeah. It can't be that hard. I mean it's just walking down the aisle, saying I Do, and then I kiss Sasuke. I can do this! Believe it!" Naruko says cheerfully.
"That's the spirit. You definitely don't have cold feet." Tenten observes.
"That's most assuredly true." Izumi and Aiya both observe with knowing smiles.
Oh she did have cold feet. She just wasn't going to say that. Sasuke would be a good husband. She was sure of that, but there would always be that doubt lingering in the back of her mind. Would they have picked each other without their parents' help?
Meanwhile Sasuke and his Groomsmen were heading outside and towards the alter. It was a beautiful fall day in the Uchiha District. An explosion of color thanks to the Fall Season. Reds, oranges, yellows, and even a dash of purple here and there. Thankfully, it was more of a crisp cool day than a truly cold one.
People had thrown various family tapestries, flowers, and other symbols of Clan and Leaf Pride outside of their homes. Some had banners. Some of the banners were…less than appropriate. Sasuke might have to fire off a few warning Chidoris at some point.
"Our family certainly does have a way of making special occasions memorable." Itachi says as he rubs the back of his head sheepishly.
Sasuke could tell that his brother was considering burning some of the more mischievous banners, but thinking better of it. That would just draw more attention to those houses. After all, every house and building had something on it to mark the occasion. For now, they could stay.
There were handsome oak tables with white tableclothes laid along the sides of the Uchiha Streets, filled with every kind of food and drink imaginable. The chairs were made of the same material and had red velvet cushions for comfort. The sound of ancient music played in the background that was almost tribal in a way. It had an almost hypnotizing effect that made one want to dance by a campfire.
"You can definitely say that again!" Shisui adds with laughter.
Sasuke just shakes his head as they continue their trek. At the center of a District was a water fountain. By the fountain they had erected a beautiful alter made of pinewood with red and yellow roses woven into it.
It didn't take a genius to realize that the roses were symbolic. Red for his Clan. Yellow for Naruko's. Probably because she and her father were both blonde.
"Well it's certainly a good turnout." Fugaku observes.
Sasuke couldn't disagree with that. Between his Clan, Naruko's family and friends, and curious onlookers the place was packed. The respective families of the couple had all agreed that it was a good idea to have a public wedding.
Anyone could come. That was why it wasn't particularly surprising when almost everyone did. Curiosity was a powerful force. In some cases, it was even more powerful than fear.
"This is going to be one Hell of a party." Kenji muses, much to Fugaku's chagrin.
Sasuke snorts in amusement. Kenji Uchiha had always been a more relaxed individual than his traditional son. That was just the way it was.
"Look at the sky!" Someone shouts.
Sasuke smirks at their reaction. Garuda had agreed to handle the flowers. Flowergirls were cute, but just so ordinary. If there was one thing that their wedding wasn't going to be, it was ordinary.
The giant hawk flies over the District with a large basket in its talons. A basket filled with red and yellow rose petals. Garuda certainly seemed to enjoy being the center of attention and his current task too.
The enormous bird was doing loops and slowly flying around. The flowers were getting everywhere. After the guests got over their shock, they began to clap at the Summon's antics.
"Well that was certainly dramatic." Itachi comments.
"I figured that it was appropriate for the occasion. One of Naruko's Summons should be coming out shortly." Sasuke informs him.
True to form, a toad comes out. The toad was carrying the ring. Sasuke just smirks. Toads might not be the most aesthetically pleasing Summons, but a toad wearing a formal outfit, well that got everyone's attention.
"Alright! I got the ring for the boss!" He says cheerfully as he hops along and eventually reaches the Groom and his groomsmen.
"Thank you." Sasuke says with a smile and not long after that, loud gasps were heard.
Sasuke smiles as he sees Naruko coming down the aisle. The aisle that was a street of the Uchiha District, but that didn't make her entrance any less ethereal. The woman was simply beautiful.
She was being escorted down the aisle by Minato. There really wasn't any other way to make a bigger impact on a crowd of ninjas than to have the Hokage personally involved at your wedding as the father of the Bride. Everyone watches in awe.
"Don't screw this up, kid." Tsunade whispers to him.
The young Uchiha wasn't exactly sure how, but apparently Tsunade had been granted the official power to marry people. She didn't want to go into details. Something about having too much Sake one day during the war and getting into a bet with her teammates. A bet that she had not surprisingly, lost.
Oh well. Sasuke wasn't going to argue with this stroke of good fortune. What matters was that he was getting married to Naruko and they had found someone who was willing to preside over the ceremony. After all, most people would be intimidated by such a loud crowd. Not Tsunade though.
"She's beautiful." Sasuke hears several people say.
They certainly had that much right. He didn't know how the bubbly and very loud woman that he had grown used to had transformed into a graceful swan for the day. The effect was undeniable though.
Naruko was the picture of grace and poise at he moment. He supposed his female family members likely had something to do with it, but he didn't particularly care. Whatever worked.
After short walk down the aisle, Naruko makes her way to her future husband. She smiles and takes his hands. Sasuke smiles back and does likewise.
"Well we did it. We somehow survived the wedding planning." She whispers.
"Yeah. Now we just have to survive the actual ceremony." He whispers back and she laughs in response.
"Dearly Beloved, we are gathered here today to celebrate the Union of Naruko Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha. If there is anyone who has any objections, speak now or forever hold your peace. Though I would not recommend it. There is a rather large Snake Summon who will likely be most upset if you do." Tsunade says.
Sasuke smirks. Indeed. Aoda was in the back. He was guarding the truly gigantic red velvet cake that was designed to look like the Leaf's Symbol. That cake was probably as big as he was and about as thick. He really didn't know how they were even going to cut it.
Thankfully, no one objected. Aoda looked rather fearsome, but Sasuke knew the truth. In reality, he was about as vicious as a puppy outside of battle. He was nothing like Manda.
"Ah good. So there are no objections. We may proceed then. Naruko Uzumaki, do you take Sasuke Uchiha to be your lawfully wedded husband? To love, honor, and cherish? In sickness and in health? For richer or for poorer? And to forsake all others until death do you part?" The other busty blonde inquires.
"I do." Naruko says with a smile.
"I'm surprised that you didn't yell believe it at that end. I was expecting you to do something childish. Oh well. I suppose the wedding isn't over yet. I'll likely still get my entertainment either way." Kurama taunts her.
"Shut up! You're ruining the moment!" Naruko grumbles.
Honestly, she couldn't believe that Kurama would pull something like that during her wedding. Well she could and she couldn't. That damn furball.
"Sasuke Uchiha, do you take Naruko Uzumaki to be your lawfully wedded wife? To love, honor, and cherish? In sickness and in health? For richer or for poorer? And to forsake all others until death do you part?" The medic continues.
"I do." He says with a smile of her own.
Well he had a nice smile. Naruko decides to focus on that instead of how much she wanted to throttle a certain Nine Tails fox for his cheek. Yeah. That was a good idea.
She couldn't let her annoyance with Kurama show up on her face at her wedding. People would think that she wasn't happy to be getting married. That definitely wasn't the case at all.
"Then by the power vested in me by the Leaf and the Fire Nation, I pronounce thee man and wife. You may kiss the Bride." Tsunade finishes happily.
She might have some reservations about how their marriage was arranged, but she cared about Sasuke. Naruko knew that he felt the same way on some level. At the very least, they were attracted to each other and willing to defend each other in battle. That was something, right?
Oh right. Kissing. Yeah. She should probably focus on the kissing thing now. That's when Sasuke kissed her and all thoughts of the Nine Tails were temporarily banished.
If there was one thing that Sasuke was very good at besides fighting, it was definitely kiss. She smiles and returns the kiss as she wraps her arms around his neck. They must have gotten a little carried away because soon there were some catcalls.
"Like father, like son." Mikoto whispers to Fugaku as she stands a with the Bridal Party.
Naruko heard that and blushes. Well apparently, it ran in the family. Right. Wait. What were they doing with that hoop and why was someone giving her a bow and arrow?
"Have you ever shot?" Sasuke whispers to her, after kiss was broken.
"No! What are they doing?!" She demands.
"Fire's important to my Clan. Shoot the flaming arrow through the hoop and it'll land at the bonfire. Don't worry. We shoot it together. I'm good at this." Sasuke explains.
Naruko looks at her husband like he had completely lost his mind. She'd never fired off a bow before and now she was supposed to shoot a flaming freaking arrow?! What was the matter with him?!
"If I accidentally burn down your District or someone gets shot on accident, I'm blaming you. Just so you know." She tells him as Sasuke shows her how to draw the bow back.
"Don't be such a scaredy cat." Sasuke whispers into her ear.
"I am NOT a scaredy cat!" The blonde protests.
Just because she didn't want to shoot a flaming arrow and potentially burn down a District, didn't make her a scaredy cat. Really. He was crazy! This was crazy!
"Then prove it." He says with a smirk.
Naruko grumbles some rather unflattering things about her husband underneath her breath when she feels thousands of eyes on them. Damn it. She was going to have to shoot this arrow and hope that her archer could prevent a disaster.
"Fine! I will!" She says as she fires it off, with Sasuke's arms guiding her.
The arrow goes flying through the hoop and towards the place that was designed to be a bonfire. It lands and the flames spread. Soon a roaring fire is seen blazing.
"It's rather clear who the Dominant Mate in this Mating is. He goaded you into that perfectly. Then again, Uchihas were always a rather manipulative bunch." Kurama observes.
"I DID IT! Wait! Quiet! Kurama, you're being really annoying. Stop that!" She grumbles.
"There. See? That wasn't so bad, now was it?" Sasuke whispers.
"Bastard, when we get away from all these people, I'm going to kick your ass for being such a bastard!" She warns him.
Sasuke just smirks and shakes his head. That only infuriated Naruko more. Oh she was going to teach him a lesson later. Unfortunately, he was safe because there were so many people around them.
That wouldn't last for long though. Soon she would have her revenge. It was going to be sweet too!
"Come on, Vixen. They'll expect us to do our first dance as a married couple. Just copy what I do." Sasuke tells her as he leads her towards the bonfire.
Sasuke goes to one side of the bonfire and has Naruko go to the opposite. He places the palm of his hand up and nudges her to do the same. Soon their hands were touching, but the fire was separating them. He begins to move around the bonfire, having her do the same.
There was something very primal about it. Seeing his face in the firelight and hearing the ancient music in the background. It was hypnotic, even Kurama was quiet at that moment.
"You really should have told me about the arrow." She whispers as they dance around the fire.
"I know, but it was more fun this way. Besides, the arrow had a Jutsu on it. It was going to hit the mark, no matter how bad a shot you might have been. It was perfectly safe." He says as he slowly dances closer to her.
What?! He put her through all that for nothing?! Oh yeah! That definitely settled it. She was going to kick his ass later.
"You're such a jerk sometimes!" She grumbles, once she was finally in his arms again.
"That's true, but you married me anyway." Sasuke points out as he twirls her around the fire, much to the delight of the guests.
"That is so not the point!" She protests.
"The point is that you're beautiful when you're angry and that's why I did it." He tells her and kisses her forehead.
Once again, Naruko still wasn't sure what was up with this Uchiha Forehead fetish! She was going to smack him as soon as they were alone. He deserved it.
"Your daughter looks like she wants to smack my son." Fugaku observes to Minato.
"Ah well it's not a love match unless they want to strangle each other at least half the time." Minato says cheerfully.
"What's that supposed to mean?!" Kushina demands and Minato rubs the back of his head sheepishly.
He wisely decides that it was in his best interest to head over and offer his congratulations to the newlyweds. Yes. That was its. He definitely wasn't afraid of facing his wife's wrath at all. Nope. Definitely not.
"Congratulations. You two survived not only the wedding preparations, but most of the wedding. That's quite an accomplishment." He says.
"Yeah. There were a few times, when I wasn't really sure that we were going to." Sasuke admits.
Naruko sighs and nods. Sasuke had a good point there. She loved both of their families, but they had all gotten a little crazy on the whole wedding planning thing. Well more than a little actually.
"They were borderline psychotic in their zeal." Kurama adds helpfully.
Sadly, she couldn't really argue with that. Though she supposed that it didn't matter now. It was over. Thank goodness.
"Looks like mom and Sasuke's parents are coming over too." Naruko points out and she laughs when she saw her father gulp.
Mikoto, Kushina, and Fugaku were all indeed making their way over. Oh boy. Naruko knew that this was going to be quite the tshow.
"Welcome to our family, Sasuke." Kushina says with a smile.
"Thank you." He replies, not sure if the red head was actually going to leave it at that because she was giving her own husband a rather dirty look to put it mildly.
"Awe mom! Don't look at dad like that. I mean if Mikoto already forgave Fugaku for the mansion thing, I'm sure that you can overlook whatever dad said." The Bride says brightly.
Mikoto blinks and Fugaku gulps. Uh oh. Apparently, Sasuke's mom didn't know about the house yet. This could get ugly, Naruko thinks to herself.
"What mansion thing?!" The dark beauty demands.
"They're a young married couple. They deserve to have some privacy. So I gave them a house." The Uchiha Patriarch says nervously.
"Oh. Well that's not any different than what you did for Izumi and Itachi. You had me worried there for a moment there." MIkoto says sighing with relief.
Naruko could see that Sasuke was debating trying to sneak off. No way in Hell. After everything that he'd put her through today, he was going to suck it up. Payback could be a fox!
"He gave us a house outside of the District." Naruko says sneakily.
"How dare you?! Fugaku?! How could you do that without telling me?!" The formerly sweet housewife demands.
"Because I knew that you would overreact." He replies and Mikoto growls as she drags her husband off.
"Oh he's in for a long night." Minato muses with a chuckle.
That's when Kushina mutters, "So are you." Naruko blinks as she watches her mother drag the Fourth Hokage off. Well your ninja rank was apparently irrelevant when it came to dealing with an angry wife, she muses.
"Well that was unexpected. Wanna have some of that cake?" Sasuke asks.
"Yeah! That sounds like a good idea. It looks really pretty and we shouldn't let it go to waste. That and they're probably going to be awhile." Naruko reasons as she and Sasuke go and cut the cake.
The rest of the night passed in a blur of dancing, laughing, and eating. The celebration carried on until the wee hours of the morning. By the time the Sun came up, even Naruko was exhausted.
"Come on, Vixen. Let's get out of here." Sasuke says as he scoops her up Bridal Style.
"Well I don't mind being carried like a Princess, but where are we going?" She asks.
"To the carriage. Let's sneak out while they're all too exhausted to notice." Sasuke says with a smirk.
Naruko laughs and snuggles into Sasuke's chest as they head towards the carriage. Alright. She'd kick his ass later. Her feet hurt too much at the moment than to do much more than snuggle.
"Sounds like a good idea to me." She murmurs as Sasuke sets her down in the carriage and not long after that, the two head off to enjoy their Honeymoon.