Hi all, next chapter is here. Thank you to BrokenHeartHinata and rinrin2 for the reviews. I really appreciate it. So bring more kay!
In my last chapter 'Temporary Comfort' I forgot to put that the characters belong to Kishimoto, Masashi; but you all know that.
So here it goes: All characters in this story belong to Kishimoto, Masashi.
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The sun began to bake his face as it was at its zenith
The sun began to bake his face as it was at its zenith. "Hot…to hot...my face" Sasuke mumbled as he open his eyes. He woke up to find himself on the floor again with empty bottles of sake surrounding him; he touched his head before slowly moving away from the blinding sun. He had been drinking since he came back from killing his brother, every night he'd steal sake from Tsunade's secret store room and drink it off at home, but the only difference now was that he had been sleeping in the moonlight every night. "Itai! (ow) one, two, three, ffo uh…only three? I guess it helps." He said to himself in surprise.
Since Sai's party, Sasuke had been lying on the floor every night with sake in hand and talking to the moon like she did. 'I really wish you would stay with me, I feel so exposed when your yang comes out, but its better than being in the dark…in that place' he thought to the moon, as though it was there. He cleared the sake bottles from the floor, got dressed without bathing or brushing his teeth and sat on the couch with his hand still to his head. A loud bang hit his now sensitive skull, he got up slowly, walked slowly with his head to the floor and walked to the door.
"Hey Sas…oh my gosh when was the last time you had a bath?" asked a young six foot tall male with a well toned body wearing a tight Hakama.
"Out of the whole of Konoha you had to be the one to show up at my door. What do you want Lee?" Sasuke asked Lee
"Have you forgotten what day it is? IT THE WEDDING TODAY! Man we are gonna be late, Gaara's gonna be in mood and worst of all you the best man." Lee shouted at Sasuke
"So it is" he answered in a tone which simply stated that he didn't really care; he just stood there looking at Lee who then swung his hand and swiped it across Sasuke's face, making a loud clap sound.
"How could you say that? You don't seem to care…HE rescued you" Lee again shouted at Sasuke gritting his teeth.
Sasuke however still made no effort to care. He looked at Lee and loudly said to himself 'I wish he hadn't….I WISH I HAD DIED!' But all he said to Lee (trying to change the subject) was "Lee, you are so gay, you used to hit harder and faster than that"
"I don't care, I am proud of who I am and so is my partner and Gai sensei, rest his youthful soul" Lee proudly lifted his chin
Sasuke turned his back to Lee and went to take a shower. He stood in the shower thinking about the slap Lee gave him. He saw it coming yet chose not to counter it, he had hoped that it would snap him out of what he had fallen into. He was immediately pulled out of thought by a loud bang.
"Come on Sasuke, move your royal Uchiha butt" Lee shouted from the other end of the bathroom door.
Sasuke not answering switched off the tap, walked out the bathroom and got dressed in his traditional Hakama. They both left Sasuke's apartment without a word from either one of them.
--
"Sasuke, Lee! You two are just in time, he is going crazy. We've had to give him a towel to wear since he wet his Montsuki kimono. " Sai said greeting to Sasuke and Lee
Sasuke and Lee walked in to find him just as Sai had described; the groom stood there close to the window shaking and the towel itself was now wet from the groom's sweating.
"My, my; how the mighty have fallen." Sasuke said to the groom making fun of his nervousness
"Shut up Sasuke! Why are you late? And you look like backed up toilet" the groom shouted at his best man
The other six men in the room (Shikamaru, Choji, Gaara, Kankuro, Shino and Kiba) all nodded in a agreement with the grooms comment about the best man.
"Look who's talking…and what I look like has got nothing to do with you" Sasuke answered, still smirking at the groom
"Actually, what you look like has everything to do with me…ITS MY WEDDING YOU IDIOT!" the groom shouted back
"Why don't you come with me to see Ino and let her fix you up" Sai interrupted
" I agree" Kankuro said nodding his head "You're the best man you can't look like that for your best friend's wedding"
Sai left with Sasuke pulling him to where the women were. They arrived at the door and could hear giggles and sounds of enormous joy. Sai knocked on the door "Ino honey, can you please come out for a sec, we need your healing touch my love"
Ino came creeping out of the room full of giggles "Sai not to be rude butwe are trying to get ready – oh my…what happened to you?! Sasuke you're a total mess"
Sasuke turned his head in the opposite direction "humph…"
"Please help him" Sai asked
"You out of all people should know better Sasuke! This consumption of alcohol has to stop…its not good for-" Ino scolded Sasuke
Sasuke interrupted her before she could finish her lecture "You're not my mother and you don't care…you never did! So back off"
Ino raised her head after her completion of the jutsu she used to rid Sasuke of his toxins and said "There you go again pushing me away! You doing the same you did ten years ago before you left Konoha. Itachi is dead now Sasuke …and you should be at peace now. I care for you, you are my friend and we hate seeing you like this all the time…"
"Hey Ino we need you, hurry up!" Tenten shouted from other side of the door
Ino tilted her head toward the door "Ok! Sheesh. Sai honey please look after him" she asked Sai then walked into the room of joy.
Sai nodded and left with Sasuke to the ceremonial area.
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Sasuke stood next to his friend pretending to be happy for his friend "This is it,now you are stuck my friend"
The groom looked at Sasuke all puzzled "Stuck?! What the heck are you implying here you…"
Sasuke interrupted the groom's outburst and answered "This love you and her share…its real and it's gonna last forever…you really deserve it" Sasuke answered the groom.
In the back of Sasuke's head he heard his friend say " Is more real than you realise…but Sasuke you deserve to be happy too"
As his friend spoke Sasuke thought to himself 'Look at me, I've truly become snake left all alone to fend for myself. S-s-she should have been mine but she broke free of the hook I caught her on. W-will I ever find love? N-no….not a person like me, who has taken so many lives all in the name of vengeance' He watched the bride as she came to take her seat next to the groom.
"Good afternoon everyone! I Genma will be wedding Haruno Sakura and Uzumaki Naruto on this special day" Genma said to those who had gathered for the day. "Uzumaki Naruto your vows"
"Yosh! Genma sensei" Naruto said lifting his head, taking a deep breath and turning his toward the lovely woman in front of him and said " Sakura, you were one of the first people who acknowledged me and accepted me for me while everyone else still assumed I was that fox instead of an individual, it was then that I realised what was worth fighting for…you. You reached your hand to mine, held it tight and you've never let go, you opened your to me and kept me away from the darkness before it completely consumed me. Sakura, it may seem like all I am saying are endless clichés but Sakura, my love for you is no cliché…its real and will never leave you, Sakura…I LOVE YOU!" he said to her with tears coming out of his bright blue eyes.
"Haruno Sakura, your vows" Genma spoke to the pink haired beauty.
Tears were blurring her sight touched by what Naruto said, she finally spoke as the tears rolled down her face "You made me strong and showed me that I wasn't an obstacle, you never stopped loving me when I chose someone else over you, you always put me first…you…you…you…I LOVE YOU!"
"Oh my we will be drowning in tears soon…I pronounce you both Mr and Mrs Uzumaki" Genma spoke
Everyone shouted with joy except for Hinata and Sasuke, whom both pretended to be happy, when really inside they were both bleeding. Hinata tried to hide the tears burning her eyes but they broke free and leaked out down her face toward her Kimono, her excuse was that they were tears of joy for the newly weds. Neji crept up behind her, touched her shoulder and whispered to his cousin "You too will be happy one day but not with Naruto. Don't dismiss him when the time comes, don't let him walk out of your life, he will happens that Naruto never would have given you. You will get the better end of the stick I promise…don't cry Hinata-sama…don't cry"
Neji's words seemed to calm her on the outside but within her she was bleeding even more than before.
--
Reception
Naruto & Sakura had the first dance and the other married couples followed soon after. Sasuke got up from his chair and walked toward the garden…he lifted his face to the moonlight.
"Sasuke-kun? A small familiar voice crept into his ears and once again the alcohol urge disappeared.
"He has been so sour since returning to konoha and it seems to be getting worse. If he doesn't stop drinking…" Tenten said to Neji watching Sasuke standing in the moonlight with a glass in his hand, as they both danced
"I agree" Neji answered glaring at Sasuke, watching him carefully
"Maybe Naruto should have killed him or let him live his life as he did before…before he returned to Konoha" Ino said joining the conversation that Tenten and Neji were having about Sasuke.
"Also would he have been happy if Naruto left him, what would have happened?" Sai said adding his point of view
"But Ino? Didn't you heal him did you not?" Lee asked Ino as he and Gaara slipped into the Sasuke conversation
"Yes, I only detoxed his hangover not the pain lingering deep within him. No jutsu can ever get rid of what Sasuke is feeling…" Ino answered Lee's question
"Yes, I agree with Ino, also we can never know the outcome. Sasuke is in the here and now, saying 'maybe if' will do no justice. What Sasuke needs is well…" Shikamaru butted
Temari finished her husband's sentence for him "is love"
"Yes..and it's one of the hardest things to find, especially if you've lost it all once before" Gaara continued Temari's theory
And finally a now tipsy Tsunade concluded by asking the unanswerable question "However, the true question is, that, when he does find it…will he hold on or will he let it go?