I do not own Naruto, nor do I make any money off of this.

"talking"

'thinking'

Chapter 15: Magnolia

There was gold and white with splashes of red as far as the eye could see. Some would say it wasn't as grand as Sakura's wedding while others would say it was too much for a simple concubine. More people than expected had come so they had to move it to a bigger space. A grand table was set up where all of the heads and their wives would sit. Anyone with a rank of viscount or lower were seated at a different table. Mikoto wanted to give the wedding parties enough room to make their way up to the priest. The red carpet that led from the doorway to the steps where the priest stood matched the ruby-colored roses that lined the outer edge of the tables. Orbs of light hang from the ceiling. It had been a strange choice to have the wedding after the sun went down, but the way the lights lit up the room gave everything an ethereal glow. Sakura wasn't happy about being escorted by Itachi. She really wished he'd been the groom instead of her husband. Mikoto happily accepted Fugaku's hand. Usually, the King and Queen would sit in the middle of the table, but Mikoto wanted to be closer to the stage. Fugaku sat closest to the stage with Mikoto next to him, followed by Itachi and Sakura. Karin's mother took the seat next to her and then her husband was next to her. Danzo sat next to Karin's father and the other Dukes and their wives filled up the remaining seats. Karin was given the fourth seat on the other side of the aisle, leaving the other three seats for the late arrivals. The rest of Sakura's Ladies were behind Sakura along with the Ladies and Lords of Fugaku, Mikoto, and Itachi. Next to Karin was Sai. She didn't like being this close to him. On Sai's left were Neji and Hanabi. At first, they were going to be on Karin's right, but they didn't want to be so close to the three late comers. Fugaku offered to sit them at their table because of their high status, but Neji humble refused, not wanting to upset the order that's already been changed twice. He made sure that the person sitting next to Hanabi was a woman since he didn't want any man to touch her, even if accidentally. Emiri's father was a little displeased at the placement, but his wife shut him up. It helped that he couldn't wait to see his daughter since she's already been away for three months.

The doors to the room opened and the knight announced the arrival of the late comers. Gaara was in front of Temari and Kankuro. He wore a blue sherwani with a yellow cloth belt that matched the leg cuffs on his black bloomer pants. On his feet were gold sandals. The surkat (turban) on his head matched the sherwani. The Suna Royal Crest was proudly engraved in red and gold on the forehead piece of the surkat. Kankuro's sherwani was maroon with a smaller brown belt and white bloomer pants. Instead of a surkat, he wore a white and maroon keffiyeh. His sandals were also gold. Temari wore an Indian Hanfu dress. It was mainly purple with white straps of fabric mixed with lighter shade of purple ones to make up a shawl. Her headdress was rose gold, clipping on the sides of her head to the front, only long enough to cover her forehead. The pieces that were covered by a veil pinned to her ponytail, rain down to the front, spreading out to form a necklace that sat on her chest. Her stomach was left uncovered. Matching jewels formed a belt and hung loosely on the skirt of her dress. The veil also had matching jewels on the hems. Just like her brothers, she wore gold sandals.

Behind Itachi, Shikamaru blushed, turning his head slightly as if trying to hide it. The three siblings took their seats with Gaara closest to the stage and Temari sitting next to Karin. Karin shifted uncomfortably, beginning to wish she was with Sakura's other Ladies.

"Neji?" Hanabi asked quietly. She held back a giggle. "You're still staring." Neji let out a cough as his face matched Shikamaru's before he forced it back to its previous emotionless state. It was hard to do since his eyes kept trying to steal a peek at Gaara. As the Suna siblings were the last guests, the music finally began to play.

Sasuke took that as the sign to head to the entrance of the room. The guards opened the door and he stepped through it. This was his second wedding, yet he was more nervous. Only Itachi seemed to notice and he smirked. Sasuke threw a glare at his brother before walking down the aisle. He stopped on the middle step. Sasuke wore a simple white tuxedo with gold vines wrapping from the waist of the top to up the front, only one golden button keeping the top together. His undershirt was also white and buttoned up almost fully. He left the button at the top undone to make it easier to breathe. A golden bowtie completed the suit. On his feet were a pair of black dress shoes.

The music changed and everyone turned their gazes towards the doors. Both were opened as Naruto and his Ladies walked through it. Almost all eyes widened and a few people gasped. Sasuke had to make sure his body didn't react too much to the beauty before him. Beautiful was good enough of a word to describe how Naruto looked. Ino had worked hard to make sure the makeup added to Naruto's natural beauty without overpowering it. She stood behind Naruto on the right, holding up that side of Naruto's veil. Emiri was holding up the middle while Hinata was on the left. The three of them wore plain dresses that matched their families. Hinata's was lavender, Emiri's was a light pink, and Ino's was a pale blue. They were really proud of how their master looked.

Naruto held a nosegay of white roses and gold carnations with rhinestone brooches and strings of pearls that cascaded down to Naruto's gloved hands. The gloves were white satin lace with gold gemstones scattered about. The gloves ended above Naruto's elbows. There was a teasing strip of tanned skin between them and the start of the sleeves of the dress. The sleeves were made up of white flower embroidered lace that sat on light gold satin. It continues upward covering Naruto's neckline. It flowed down over Naruto's chest, stopping at the waist. Where the lace ended, the gold satin turned white. Golden roses were embroidered at the hem and vined upwards about two feet. It did the same from the waist leaving a foot of plain white in between. As he stepped forward, you could see that his long train had even more gold vines. His three Ladies were about five feet behind him, glad there was a foot difference between the length of the veil and train. It made it much easier to avoid stepping on the train. The veil itself was made of light golden lace with beads of a darker gold braided together. It clipped onto the front of his high bun. Since he was only to become Sasuke's concubine, instead of a crown Naruto was given a small diadem of ivory leaves.

When Naruto got close to the steps, Sasuke reached down. Naruto put his hand in Sasuke's and allowed the man to help him up the stairs. Ino, Emiri, and Hinata remained behind them as the priest began to speak. Vows and rings were exchanged. When it was time, Sasuke cupped Naruto's face and leaned down, pressing his lips against Naruto's. There was a spark at the connecting that caused the two of them to pull away. They both looked at each other in confusion. No one else seemed to notice.

Mikoto was the first to cheer. Most of the nobles capped because they had to. Sakura didn't look happy, but that didn't surprise Naruto. Sasuke helped Naruto back down the stairs. Mikoto ran towards them all giddy. She congratulated the pair before Fugaku and Itachi did the same. Sasuke escorted Naruto out first so no one could step on Naruto's train. Ino, Emiri, and Hinata still held onto the veil. Sasuke brought them to a room where Naruto would change into a dress more suitable for the after party. He waited outside the room for the women to help Naruto change. Not wanting to waste anymore time, Ino tossed the dress and the veil on the large bed, promising to deal with it later. The new dress was also white with long sleeves. Like the wedding dress, it was embroidered with gold vines. Naruto kept on his white dress shoes. Ino fixed up his makeup although there wasn't much to fix. The four of them left the room and once more Sasuke offered his hand to Naruto. The five of them made their way to the ballroom. The couple took the first dance as expected of them. Sasuke didn't want to let Naruto go, but after their third song together, he knew that it was time for him to dance with Sakura. Naruto in turn danced a song with Itachi. Tired of dancing, Naruto went to rest a bit. He ended up sitting down a few seats away from Gaara.

"Oh, hello Prince Gaara," Naruto said. "It is good to see you again." Gaara's party had been unexpected. He still remembered the poor messenger when interrupted the royal breakfast to deliver the news that Gaara's party was only a couple hours away. Fugaku instantly ordered the servants around. Luckily, they had already been preparing for Neji's arrival so they only needed to speed things up a little bit. Gaara ended up arriving an hour before Neji. The group was tired so after quick introductions, a servant led them to the guest wing they'd be staying in. They only waited a few more minutes before welcoming Neji's group back.

Gaara looked at Naruto and nodded. Naruto wasn't offended since that seemed to be the way Gaara acknowledged someone. He was the quietest person he'd ever met. Temari and Kankuro were more outspoken. At that thought, his eyes went to Temari who was dancing with Shikamaru. How she had managed to drag the man to the dance floor, Naruto would never know. Kankuro was also dancing. He was dancing with a woman from Neji's convoy. If Naruto remembered correctly her name was Tenten and she was a Lady-in-waiting for Hanabi. Hanabi hadn't even presented yet so Naruto was surprised that she already had a Lady. Tenten was a Beta so it would work out regardless of what Hanabi presented as.

"So you are his concubine then?" Gaara asked. Naruto was so surprised to hear Gaara speak that he wasn't sure if he was just hearing things. Gaara saw the surprise before he sighed and repeated himself.

"Oh, yes I am," Naruto said.

"Why?" Gaara asked.

"Um… because Princess Sakura is of a higher rank?" Naruto said, sounding like he was asking a question of his own more than answering Gaara's.

"That's not what I meant," Gaara said. "I'm just wondering why you chose to marry a man who was already married."

"Oh… it's because my parents had a contract with the King and Queen stating that I'd marry Prince Sasuke," Naruto said. "But because of current status, they had to find Prince Sasuke's Queen first."

"And they chose her?" Gaara asked. He motioned with his eyes to Sakura who was still dancing with Sasuke. "She's a Beta. I could understand if she was an Omega like you but she's not." Naruto blinked at that. It was the first time that someone hinted at Omegas being better than Betas. Naruto didn't know what to say. Gaara chose not to say anything else. Suddenly, Temari was in front of them, pulling an lethargic Shikamaru behind her.

"Gaara!" Temari said. "I've found him." She pushed Shikamaru in front of her. "I'm going to marry him." Shikamaru's face instantly turned red and the genius was finally lost for words. Gaara looked the man up and down before giving what Naruto guessed was a nod of approval. "Great!" She then pulled Shikamaru towards her and kissed him. Naruto thought he could see steam coming from Shikamaru from how red he was.

"W-wait," Shikamaru stuttered. "You can't just see you'll marry me. I'm Prince Sasuke's aide!"

"Then I'll ask for his permission," Temari said. She turned around and started to drag Shikamaru towards Sasuke. Shikamaru looked at Naruto with pleading eyes. Naruto just smiled and saluted, mouthing good luck. Naruto would later call it his revenge for Shikamaru's treatment of Naruto in his 'visions.' Gaara just shook his head at his sister's antics. He then sighed. He had a nagging feeling that Temari would refuse to go back to Suna without her 'fiancé.' His eyes went back towards the blond next to him. The boy had his gaze on Temari and he chuckled as Shikamaru tried to free himself from Temari's grip. Gaara had to admit that Naruto was quite beautiful for an Omega, especially when he laughed. He frowned.

When Gaara heard that Sasuke Uchiha was getting married not just once, but twice, he didn't understand why. Usually when someone married a second time, it was because the first wife could not provide them an heir. Sakura was a Beta, so he could understand why it may be harder for her to conceive than normal, but that still didn't mean that Sasuke needed to marry another person so quickly. Gaara's father, the King of Suna, wanted to know if there was something else going on, so he decided to send his three children to the Uchiha Kingdom. At first, they were supposed to arrive in time for Sakura's wedding, but certain things caused them to delay their journey. Luckily, they made it in time for Naruto's wedding. Gaara had heard that Sasuke's second wife was to be an Omega, but he never thought it would be a male Omega. Male Omegas were extremely rare and in Suna, they were treated as royalty. Gaara has only ever met two other male Omegas, one named Shukaku who was mated to an Alpha name Kurama and one named Deidara who was engaged to Gaara's cousin Sasori. Both weren't really Omega-like, tending to act more like Alphas. They were headstrong, loud, outgoing, and assertive. Sasori was more laid back unless it was about his art. Deidara and Sasori tended to butt heads when it came to their art, but it also made more sense to have them mate because of it. Kurama and Shukaku had a love-hate relationship. Kurama was younger than Shukaku, which was unusual in an Alpha-Omega relationship, by five years. Shukaku had to suffer through nearly six years of Heats alone until he met Kurama. Shukaku kept seeing Kurama as a rival since the Alpha was better at almost everything than Shukaku was. Kurama didn't acknowledge the rivalry. Kurama was promised to a foreign countess, but Shukaku refused to let them marry, claiming that Kurama was his. It had come out of nowhere since they'd only met each other a few times, each usually ending in a fight since their personalities just seemed to clash. In the end, Kurama let himself be kidnapped by Shukaku, claiming that it would have been a waste to let some old man mate with Shukaku. Their tryst ended with Shukaku carrying Kurama's bite mark as well as their twin daughters. Kurama had never been more proud to brag about his lover. Deidara also cursed Sasori for getting him pregnant with their son before their wedding. The two couples may have conceived out of wedlock, but they were happy with their lives.

Gaara on the other hand was still unmated. He had many suitors, but none of them seemed right. The only person that came close to winning Gaara's heart was an Alpha that died during an assassination attempt. The man had protected Gaara, killing the assassin before dying himself. Gaara later found out that the Alpha was already mated to a female Omega, but they were childless. Gaara took her in as one of his maids. At the thought of her, he glanced over to see her talking to one of Temari's guards, Pakura. Maki really admired Pakura, the older woman having also lost her mate.

Gaara looked at Naruto with slight curiosity. The Omega had said his marriage with Sasuke was due to a contract. The contract was strong enough to force the two to marry, but not to allow Naruto the position of Queen. The blond mentioned his status. From what he knew, he guessed that meant that Naruto's rank was less than that of a Count. If he'd been born in Suna, his status wouldn't have mattered since being a male Omega outweighed it. He'd have been given the chance to marry someone far above his station, maybe even Kankuro had his brother been an Alpha. Sadly, there were no Alphas in the direct lineage of the current king of Suna, only two Betas and a male Omega. That meant that Naruto would marry one of Gaara's Alpha cousins. But alas, Naruto wasn't born in Suna and was thus given the role of concubine to the future King of the Uchiha Kingdom. Gaara pitied Naruto since he could see Sakura's jealousy. He'd bet that Sakura might use her position as future Queen to have Naruto killed. It would be a pity for such a beautiful person to die, but there wasn't anything Gaara could do.

Naruto turned to Gaara and smiled. "It looks like we may have an alliance on our hands." He motioned to Temari and Shikamaru. "If they really do mate, the fighting between our kingdoms could potentially cease. We could exchange some soldiers with each other and form better groups to guard the border. The amount of insurgents would decrease and we'd be able to share our resources with each other ending the struggle there."

Gaara's eyes widened. Naruto had just shown that he was more than just a pretty face. He was knowledgeable about the current problems between Suna and the Uchiha Kingdom. And he was right that if Temari and Shikamaru got married, support would come from both sides to strengthen the relationship between the two kingdoms, ending any necessary conflicts to better each other. If Suna had the Uchiha Kingdom on their side, they'd even be able to stand up to Kiri or the Hyuuga Kingdom should either of them decide to attack. Gaara felt his mouth dry. He wanted Naruto. If he was able to see the political benefits of such a union so quickly, there was surely more the blond could contribute to the betterment of Suna. For the first time in his life, Gaara cursed his second gender, for in his eyes, had Gaara been an Alpha, he'd be the future King of Suna and Naruto would be his Queen. Naruto was made to be a Queen and if Sasuke was as smart as the rumors said he was, he'd realize that soon.

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When Sasuke first glanced over at Naruto and Gaara, he frowned. He didn't like how close they were. He had heard that those from Suna were a bit uncouth, but from how the three siblings acted, that seemed to be nothing but false rumors. Sasuke chose not to further stereotype them as he learned more about them. Kankuro was very laid back, not so much as Shikamaru, but he was also honest with his opinion of things. He had made it clear that he wasn't the biggest fan of some of the Uchiha Castle's paintings. Temari was the most outgoing of the three and she reminded Sasuke a bit of Sakura with how pushy she came off when she pulled Shikamaru around. The difference was that she had the confidence to show how she felt. Gaara on the other hand was very quiet. He barely spoke, making him fit rather well among the Uchiha family. Mikoto was the anomaly in the Uchiha family since she was outspoken while Fugaku wasn't. Outside of royal speeches, Fugaku wasn't much of a talker. Itachi and Sasuke seemed to take after their father this way, though Itachi was more influenced by his mother than people thought. So when Gaara allowed his siblings to speak for him, understanding was found amongst the Uchiha males. They also confirmed Gaara's second gender as an Omega.

But that didn't quell the emotions Sasuke was feeling. He was jealous that Gaara so easily received a smile from the blond as they talked. It was the first time he'd seen Gaara have an actual conversation with someone. Sure, he saw Gaara talk to his siblings, but whatever he said was kept short, never lasting more than a couple minutes. Gaara's expressions were heard to read and from the ones Sasuke could make out on Naruto's face, whatever they were talking about wasn't exactly a normal conversation. He was about to confront them when he saw Temari drag Shikamaru over to them. Gaara simply nodded at what Temari said while Naruto looked a bit surprised and Shikamaru had a slight look of dread on his face. She then proceeded to drag Shikamaru right over to him.

"I want to marry this man," Temari said bluntly.

Sasuke blinked at that. He was expecting her to come out with that of all things. "You want to marry Shikamaru?"

"Yes," Temari said.

Again Sasuke blinked. He glanced over at Shikamaru who's expression was a mix of fear, acceptance, and hopefulness? It was hard to read the strange array of emotions. "And uh, do you want to marry Princess Temari?"

"Of course he does," Temari said, answering for him. Sasuke didn't really like that. He wanted to hear Shikamaru's opinion, not Temari's demand. From the looks of it though, Temari was ready to fight if she didn't get her way.

"I'll have to think about this," Sasuke said. "Shikamaru is my personal aide and as future King I need him. We'll have to discuss this further at a later date." At this, Shikamaru stood at attention.

"Can we have a meeting or something in a few days then?" Temari asked. "I'm not a huge fan of waiting, but I'm willing to satisfy the needs of my future husband."

"I'll talk to my father and the rest of the council," Sasuke said. "The meeting will require Prince Kankuro's attendance since he is the acting guardian, correct?"

Temari nodded. "Yes."

"Then I'll send word to the two of you when a date has been made," Sasuke said.

"Three of us," Temari said. "Gaara will want to be there too."

Sasuke and Shikamaru looked at each other. "Forgive me for asking this, Princess Temari, but Prince Gaara is an Omega, correct?"

"Yes," Temari said, crossing her arms, wondering where this was going.

"Well, Omegas are not welcomed at a Council Meeting," Sasuke said.

"What?" Temari asked in surprise. "Why?"

"Because that's how it's always been?" Sasuke said with a bit of a question to it. He wasn't used to someone questioning his kingdom's way of doing things.

"Oh, so that's why," Temari said. "That explains things."

"Explains what?" Shikamaru asked.

"It explains why Prince Sasuke here got married twice," Temari said. "I forgot that Omegas were looked down upon in the Uchiha Kingdom. In Suna, Omegas, especially male ones, are worshiped. They are deemed the perfect providers for the next generation and are always given royal treatment no matter what their birth status is." Sasuke and Shikamaru looked surprised at this. "If it wasn't for 'the only Alphas can rule' law, Gaara would be the future King of Suna instead of Kankuro." Ignoring the looks of the two men's faces, Temari continued. "Kankuro is hoping to make Gaara a Regnant so he can rule in Kankuro's place. This way, whichever Alpha Gaara marries doesn't try to downplay his role as the reigning sovereign."

"That's…" Sasuke didn't know what to say.

Shikamaru on the other hand seemed displeased. As Sasuke's aide, he knew a lot about the Uchiha Kingdom so he knew what Naruto and Itachi did to prevent a drought. He knew that if Naruto was born an Alpha or even a Beta, he'd be easily accepted to work in the palace as a fellow aide. The blond had a good head on his shoulders and he was sure to contribute a lot to the betterment of the Uchiha Kingdom. The only thing holding Naruto back were the laws in place to keep an Omega from holding a position usually given to Alphas. Shikamaru was one of the only two Betas in the Uchiha Council with the only other one being Itachi. And Itachi only held that position because he was a Prince. Had Itachi been born an Omega like Naruto, he would have been used as a political tool the moment he presented, probably sent to Kiri or Iwa to become a bride of whatever person that kingdom's ruler chose. In the Uchiha Kingdom, Omega were simply bargaining tools. Most were sold off since they had a higher pregnancy rate. Naruto had been lucky that his parents had made a contract with Sasuke's before they even presented. Shikamaru knew all of this and he decided not to question it. But if Naruto was born in Suna… His thoughts trailed off and Sasuke noticed this.

"Shikamaru?"

"It's nothing," Shikamaru said. He had a lot more to think about. For now, he had to convince Temari to let him rest. He turned to the blond woman. "I'm tired from all that dancing and I'd like to plan out what to say at the meeting." He took one of her hands into his and kissed the back of it. "If you are truly willing to wait for me, then I ask that you keep enjoying yourself at this party. Just allow me some time."

"O-of course," Temari said, blushing.

Shikamaru smiled. "Then if you will excuse me…" He turned to Sasuke. "I'll be going back to my quarters for the night. I'm sure the servants will assist you in tonight's consummation." Sasuke simply nodded and Shikamaru bowed towards the two before leaving. He had a lot of things to sort out.

"Then if you will excuse me," Temari said, not knowing what else to say to Sasuke. Sasuke gave his approval and Sasuke was once more alone. He glanced back towards Naruto and Gaara. There was a desire in Gaara's eyes that made Sasuke clench his fists. But when Temari sat down next to him, the desire was gone.

Fugaku took that moment to announce that the ball was coming to an end, giving a slightly altered yet similar speech to the one he gave at Sasuke and Sakura's reception. Sasuke took that cue to walk over to Naruto who was doing the same. Sasuke took one of Naruto's hands in his while their servants surrounded them. They were escorted out of the ballroom and back to the room Naruto's wedding dress was in. They separated, with Naruto's group going into the room and Sasuke going into another room further down the hall. Naruto gulped as his Ladies got to work.

Magnolia is believed to have existed from the beginning of time, so it symbolizes endurance, longevity and perseverance, but can also represent dignity and nobility. Their symbolism is often tied to innocence, purity and beauty, but at the same time they symbolize power and pride. Aside from that, Magnolias symbolize different things like passion, love, romance, happiness, joy and friendship.