Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Hot Sand ❯ The Wedding ( Chapter 21 )

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Hot Sand

by Lemon Drops/thatreevesgirl (they're both me)

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Authors Note: The last chapter is here, OMG! You may freak out now.

 

 

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Chapter 21: The Wedding

 

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There are times for anger, and there are times for forgiveness. Gaara, who had supposedly forgiven the Hokage for his slight indiscretion with Sasuke in the chasm, was glad to have his lover alive, but there were consequences. Their relationship suffered the aftermath of an angry Gaara when they returned to Konoha. Naruto was nearly sex-starved for two months after the assassination attempt, seeing as Gaara simply refused to be intimate with him. No sex, no kisses, not even hugs, it was the worst case of the cold shoulder Naruto had ever received from a partner. If Naruto wasn't so completely smitten with the redhead, he might have given up and moved on, but he couldn't…Naruto loved Gaara.

 

Slowly, Gaara came around and the two men repaired their relationship, once again planning their future life together. The night they actually reconsummated their relationship the entirety of Konoha breathed a sigh of relief, because Naruto (usually kind and generous Hokage) had been in the foulest of moods in the previous weeks. More missions, tougher training, and nothing seemed good enough for the grumpy man. The people of Konoha needed Gaara and Naruto to make up. The distance between the two men was killing the village's livelihood (or at least its happiness).

 

Before Gaara forgave Naruto, Sakura had to endure letter upon letter of constant complaining from her friend. The two times she visited to check up on Naruto, she had to suffer through the longest whining session of her life. The only thing the kunoichi could do was listen (while rubbing the temples of her forehead, trying to will the migraine away) as Naruto went on and on about how he hadn't really done anything wrong. Gaara hadn't seen it that way, and Sakura (unfortunately) was also the lucky person chosen to hear Gaara's long list of grievances. In the end, love prevailed, as it often does (though it did help that Sakura played the good matchmaking friend who assisted in the process).

 

Sasuke did allow Naruto to go on with his life, and though it was excruciatingly painful for the young man (who normally shunned all ties to his emotions), the Uchiha let Naruto be happy. Happiness is all he could wish for his best friend, the man who had saved him from Orochimaru, and who Sasuke secretly swore he would love forever. Other than the night when Naruto nearly died, those feelings never outwardly resurfaced again, instead they were replaced with the Uchiha's typical indifference toward the Hokage. A slew of “hn's” or an onslaught of apathetic silence would always consume Sasuke when he and Naruto were together, but inside he still felt the same. In the end, Uchiha Sasuke, the last of the Uchiha's, was in fact human. Slowly, ever so slowly, the feelings which seemed to consume him inwardly began to diminish. It was just as Naruto had said, love fades and changes, but it never truly disappears.

 

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“No…noooooooo. No way in hell,” the slurred drawl of a drunken Hokage fell over the crowd of men and women who were almost as intoxicated as their fearless leader. Sakura was seated to the right of Naruto, and kept the flow of drinks constant to the man who would be a bachelor for only about 48 hours longer.

 

Kankuro and Gaara, seated at Naruto's left, shook their heads in complete agreement. Kakashi's humorous suggestion for Gaara to borrow Temari's wedding dress to wear instead of a formal kimono was met with utter condemnation by Naruto, Gaara, and Kankuro.

 

“He'd look so pretty,” Sakura joked, eliciting a warning glare from Kankuro. Her own fiancé obviously didn't like the idea of his little brother wearing a dress during the wedding.

 

Gaara fumed until Kakashi wandered up to the younger man and slapped him on the back, “It's only a joke Gaara, lighten up, drink more.” In a puff of smoke Kakashi produced a bottle of expensive sake, pouring the redhead a drink.

 

“Thank you,” the former Kazekage grumbled as he inspected the crazed spectacle of a party he was attending before downing a good portion of the drink in his sake cup. Gaara had never attended a bachelor's party before, but he was sure it was unusual for both members of the couple to share a single event.

 

“When are the strippers coming?” Sakura asked, knowing that most likely Kakashi had purchased some lovely persons of the male persuasion. Kankuro grumbled again at this, glad that Kakashi had brought the fresh bottle of sake as he poured himself some of his brother's drink. He hadn't really wanted Sakura present, but both Naruto and Gaara had made it clear the kunoichi was to be invited to the bachelor's party. He might have even called it an early night had he not worried about how much fun Sakura would have when the so-called entertainment arrived.

 

Kakashi, a very pleasant and happy drunkard when he choose to be inebriated (and who everyone guessed was grinning like an idiot under his mask), draped himself over Sakura and pointed at the happy couple, “No strippers, those two detested the idea of it.”

 

Kankuro chuckled, he didn't know who looked more disappointed by that, Kakashi or Sakura. Not that Kankuro blamed his fiancé, it would have been the one highlight of the night for her since she couldn't participate in all of the festivities. Their mission, which had lasted about five months, ended a bit prematurely after an overly-zealous night when both he and Sakura completely forgot about contraceptive or a pregnancy seal. There was no sake or alcohol for the kunoichi this evening, since she was almost two months pregnant with their first child.

 

Sakura and Kankuro's wedding would occur in less than a month, which Kankuro was rather pleased about. The thought of beginning his own family was a nice one, because the puppet-nin (like Gaara) desired to have what he never did as a child…a normal family who loved one another. His children would never know the loneliness that he, Temari, and Gaara did growing up, Kankuro swore to that.

 

The party continued, loud and brash, and as always a drunken, happy Kakashi always goes hand in hand with a obsessively horny Kakashi, which to Sasuke's dismay meant more attention than he really cared to receive from the copy-nin. They weren't exactly together, not officially, but everyone who knew the two understood that despite the fact neither referred to the other as their boyfriend or significant other, they were. The two men were constantly together, and Sakura grinned as she saw Kakashi lean in close to Sasuke, wrapping his fingers around one of the Uchiha's hands, holding it for a minute moment before Sasuke shrugged it away.

 

Sasuke didn't allow public displays of affection, so it made Sakura's heart happy to see a few seconds later (when Kakashi had apparently given up attempting to hold his lover's hand) Sasuke decided to change his mind and sneakily wove his fingers around the copy-nin's. Sakura was sure she was the only one who caught the extremely brief moment when the two locked eyes and Sasuke (who was seated on a barstool as Kakashi stood beside him) smiled up at the silver-haired jonin ever so slightly before returning his face to the gruff look of disinterest per usual for the Uchiha and pulling his hand away from Kakashi.

 

However, the small act was enough to goad the copy-nin into trying to convince Sasuke to leave the party early (in hopes of receiving a good private showing of the entertainment Naruto and Gaara had banned). Sasuke sighed and wandered over to Naruto.

 

“I'm heading out,” he told the Hokage, “Congratulations, I'll see you tomorrow at the rehearsal.”

 

“Aw, leaving so soon?” the drunk Naruto drawled as he leaned toward Sasuke, making Gaara's cold, hard eyes squint into a look of death aimed for the Uchiha. “My best man can't leave yet.”

 

“Yes, I can,” said Sasuke with a slight smirk. Normally, most dealings with Naruto seemed to pain him, at least a little bit, but tonight the reason he was departing early gave him some smug bit of satisfaction rise over the normal waves of regret. “Kakashi says congrats too, so we'll be at the tower at six tomorrow, right?”

 

“Kakashi? Ol' pervy pants is leaving too…no fair!” Naruto looked disappointed, but only for a second before (without thinking) added rather loudly, “Don't let him get too frisky, I've heard he likes it rough after drinking. Sakura's chakra is all wonky with the baby, so she can't heal you if you're limping around tomorrow at the rehearsal. No gimpy best man at my wedding.”

 

Sasuke squelched the urge to yell at Naruto, and instead gave a curt nod before turning and meeting Kakashi at the door of the bar, the copy-nin waving as they both left.

 

Naruto, grinning something fierce, turned to Sakura and whispered (well, the best one can whisper in a loud bar when you are completely smashed), “Do you think they'll find happiness together?”

 

Sakura contemplated the question for a moment, and then replied, “I think they already have, they just haven't admitted it.”

 

Gaara decided to add his two cents, chiming in with a slightly miffed, “If it means he'll leave you alone, then I hope that's true.”

 

Naruto shook his head, turned to Gaara, and wrapped his arm around the fuming redhead's waist, “You're sexy when you're jealous.”

 

“I'm not jealous.”

 

Kankuro, Sakura, and Naruto laughed at the obvious lie. Gaara hadn't really allowed himself to stop despising Sasuke, but at least the sand-nin had begun acting semi-civil toward the Uchiha as of late. He was, however, extremely jealous of any interaction between Sasuke and Naruto, and loathed the idea of Sasuke being Naruto's best man. If Sakura didn't share the position with the Uchiha (being what Naruto stupidly deemed his “Best Woman”), Gaara would have simply forbid it.

 

“Have I ever told you how hot you are when you're angry?” the tipsy Hokage asked, as he laid his forehead on Gaara's shoulder, swaying a bit simply because he'd had far too much to drink.

 

“No, in fact, I think you once told me that it is an unattractive quality.” Gaara crossed his arms and glared at Naruto.

 

“You're sexy,” Naruto grinned up at Gaara. “You're sexy and I wanna fuck you.”

 

Kankuro groaned, “No, no sex at the party. No talking dirty at the party. No groping at the party. Do either of you remember these things? These were the ground rules I set forth at the beginning of the night, and you both promised…”

 

“Or would you rather have me fuck you?” Gaara interrupted the reiteration of Kankuro's bachelor party regulations.

 

“No…no more talking about fucking. I don't want to know…” Kankuro tried again.

 

“How about I just suck you off right here?” Naruto asked, leaning in very close to Gaara and kissing him.

 

Even Sakura was blushing now, “Naruto, stop, really. Save it for later.”

 

“But Sakura…” the Hokage whined, drunk enough so that it was easy to distract him from his task at hand, which left Gaara slightly peeved. “I'm sure you wouldn't mind the free show.”

 

The way Naruto teasingly waggled his eyebrows at the kunoichi spoke of how he was only joking, and Sakura smacked him playfully on the back of the head, “Idiot, keep it in your pants.”

 

“I should tell Kankuro the same thing, because if he had I wouldn't have needed to send Rock Lee and Neji as your replacements for the diplomatic convoy…though I do like the fact that I'm going to be an Uncle.”

 

“Uncle Naruto and Uncle Gaara,” Gaara added in all seriousness.

 

Sakura considered this for a moment and then rolled her eyes, the two men were constantly fawning over the idea of having a niece or nephew. “It was about time for us to come home anyway, and I know Lee and Neji both appreciate the change in assignment, it gives their students some much needed time to work independently. Yuki likes being in charge, damn cocky chunin.”

 

The last part was added under Sakura's breath, because she had recently started training the young lad on some med-nin basics at the request of Naruto. Ever since passing the exam and receiving chunin status, Neji's most promising student had quite the air about him. Yuki's attitude reminded her a bit of Sasuke, but only a little. If Liel hadn't been there to put the young man in his place from time to time, Sakura might have killed the egotistical little bastard.

 

“Don't like your new student? I hear that he likes you,” Naruto told her.

 

“He likes Liel,” Sakura quipped back, almost groaning at the thought of a sixteen year old boy lusting after her.

 

Naruto guffawed, “They almost broke up because of you, because apparently Yuki likes older women as well.”

 

Sakura's eyes blazed, “Are you calling me old? I'm only twenty-three, Naruto.”

 

Kankuro groaned again, this night was definitely shaping up to be one of the more annoying experiences of his life, especially since Gaara had thought the hand which had dipped into Naruto's pants was stealthily hidden. Unfortunately, Kankuro had easily observed as his brother gave the Hokage's length a good grope. “I'm going to go and talk to…anyone else…anyone else but you two.”

 

Sakura hopped off of her barstool and gave Gaara's head a slight thwack with her extended palm (something she'd begun doing over the past few months as she and Gaara became closer friends, treating him more and more like Sasuke, Naruto, and Kakashi). “Hands to yourself,” she warned as she giggled and followed Kankuro.

 

Keeping their hands to themselves was apparently a very difficult thing indeed, because Naruto had decided he would play bartender, relieving the bar's owner after giving him a very hefty tip. Sakura and Kankuro returned from their conversations with their other friends to find the blond behind the bar.

 

“Where's Gaara?” Kankuro asked, glancing around for any sign of his brother.

 

Naruto shrugged and motioned for Sakura and Kankuro to sit, “What would you like to drink? How about something strong?” Naruto laid a shot glass next to Kankuro and placed ingredients into a shaker, mixing up something for the puppet-nin and pouring it into the shot glass.

 

“Naruto, you know those are my favorite,” Sakura whined.

 

“And that's why I made a virgin version for you, my dear. No kick, but it'll taste good, I promise.”

 

Sakura laughed, bringing her fingers up to her mouth as she mused at her best friend. What an amazing man he'd grown up to be, so strong and capable…someone who Sakura truly admired. Naruto grinned right back at her, winking, before his smile faltered momentarily as he groaned very slightly.

 

“Naruto? Are you alright?” Sakura asked, honestly concerned by Naruto's sudden and strange reaction. “I think you've drank enough.”

 

“Nah Sakura, that isn't ahh,” Naruto blushed profusely and scratched the back of his head. “I'm fine.”

 

Kankuro didn't quite believe the Hokage, and against his own better judgment leaned over the bar to find his brother between Naruto's legs, well, from behind that is. Naruto's pants were pulled down to mid-thigh and Gaara's tongue was strategically positioned in the warm entrance as his hand wrapped around Naruto to skillfully fist the blond's hard length.

 

“Oh for Kami's sake, you have got to be shitting me!” Kankuro screeched as he leapt off of the barstool and wandered away into the crowd, trying to will away the image which seemed to be burned into his retinas.

 

Sakura couldn't help herself, as she leaned over and took a quick peak, “You guys are horrible, but Gaara, you should really tell me how to do that sometime,” she told her friends, and even gave Gaara a wink before waving goodnight to them both. Something told her Kankuro was ready to leave.

 

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Long trails of amber colored silk billowed in the air. Naruto's ceremonial wedding kimono was breathtaking, but as it settled after crumpling to the ground it looked no better than a discarded pile of rumpled gold.

 

Naruto was a reasonable man, right? A man of strong credentials and high morals, a man who the consensus said was arguably the most powerful man in Konoha if not all the ninja nations. Then why, we should ask, was this most powerful man currently lying on the floor whimpering as his fiancé licked and prepared him for a little pre-wedding romp in the sack? They weren't in the sack, no bed was anywhere near where Gaara and Naruto were. Both men were holed up in a preparation room in the large auditorium where their marital union would take place, completely ignoring that their own wedding was about to start in fifteen minutes.

 

“Gaara…Gaa…ra,” Naruto moaned into the floor, clawing at the polished wood as Gaara lavished his tongue over the place which could drive his lover to tears.

 

Gaara's mind was almost blank at this point, driven to near insanity by nerves until he was filled with two thoughts alone…

 

I love Naruto and I want to fuck Naruto.

 

Gaara didn't want to worry about the sixty-five Sand dignitaries, the various ambassadors from the other villages, Konoha's own lot of important elders and clansman, the elder female Hokage, his sister the Kazekage, and everyone else who were waiting to see the event of a lifetime…Gaara marrying Naruto…Naruto marrying Gaara…two men marrying each other.

 

It was a first for the ninja nations. Sure, there had been homosexual couples, but it took a leader like Naruto waiving decrees against such unions to actually have it happen. Gaara didn't like being in the spotlight at all, so he consigned himself to a simpler task…tongue fucking Naruto. At least he was good at that, and he was fairly sure weddings weren't his thing from the few which he had attended. If it were up to Gaara, Naruto and he would have been married on a cliff between the border of Leaf and Sand while overlooking the sunset, with only those that the two men considered their family present for the event.

 

There were many, many more people than just family coming to the festivities. Nearly a thousand people had been invited, but there was talk of opening it up to the public as well. Gaara grumbled and pulled his tongue out of Naruto and whispered, “Naruto?”

 

Naruto, completely numb from the sensations Gaara had been creating, panted lightly and looked up at Gaara, his head resting on the floor while his arse was still high in the air.

 

“You okay?” Naruto asked, noting that Gaara looked like a scared rabbit.

 

Gaara didn't display many emotions, so when one was shown so obviously it worried Naruto. Naruto climbed up from his place on the floor and over to Gaara, pulling him into an embrace.

 

“I'm really nervous,” Gaara whispered.

 

“Well, that's why we were doing this, to relieve some tension,” Naruto murmured, kissing the kanji on Gaara's forehead. “Not working?”

 

“Not really,” Gaara grumbled.

 

It must have looked rather funny to have Gaara in his red, olive, and gold silk kimono, being cradled in a naked Naruto's lap, but it didn't seem to bother either of them. Naruto began tugging at fabric, trying to get it apart. He never really saw the need for such overindulgences like formal ceremonial kimonos, and thought they were rather silly. He didn't know anything about them, and Sakura and Kankuro had helped both him and Gaara dress. Hopefully the two dropped by again soon, otherwise Gaara and Naruto were going to have to march to the alter in the buff.

 

Naruto's lips settled in the curvature of Gaara's neck as he undressed the redhead, careful to not rip the delicate silk, “Let me show you why we are doing this,” Naruto whispered into Gaara's flesh, the unspoken emotions being told through actions rather than words.

 

I love you…Naruto kissed every ounce of worry he could find in Gaara, lips brushed over every inch of Gaara's tense skin, every scared bit of chakra which lashed out, relaxing the anxiety away. The tip of Naruto's tongue covered the vast expanses of his lover's flesh. Gaara, who was still seated on Naruto's lap, took great comfort in the soothing circles Naruto was tracing with his thumbs into the small of his back, thanking him with a slight moan.

 

I will love you forever…Gaara's fingers wove their way into Naruto's hair, pulling on locks of the sunny mop upon the Hokage's head. Every time Naruto hit a spot with his mouth which made Gaara gasp, he would punctuate the airy moan with a gentle tug on Naruto's hair. Naruto smiled into the warm, alabaster skin of Gaara, trying to stay composed. The knowledge of having the one you love agree to be with you for the rest of your life was a powerful thing, and on a day like today, the day of their wedding, it was nearly too much for Naruto to take.

 

Tears of happiness...Gaara's fingers fell to Naruto's face, wiping away the small droplets which were running down his cheek. “Are you okay?” Gaara asked, worried he'd done something wrong.

 

Naruto nuzzled into Gaara's chest, sniffing the calming, musky scent, letting his tears fall down his cheeks as they made small rivers on the smooth, hairless skin of Gaara's torso.

 

“I love you.”

 

Gaara's lips curled into a slight smile and gripped Naruto tightly, “I love you, too.”

 

What will tomorrow bring? How many years will we have together? Those questions burned brightly in Naruto's mind, reminding him of his near-death experience during the assassination attempt on his life. It worried him a lot to think about how little time they might have left, because Hokages usually didn't have the longest of life spans, at least not the ones who led with their symbolic torches burning…the ones which burn the brightest burn the fastest. Naruto never wanted to leave Gaara alone, but at the same time, he had a duty to all his people and desperately wanted Gaara at his side.

 

Forgetting the tears and the worries Naruto removed the last of the silk garment from Gaara, leaving the other man stark naked. “No underwear today? How naughty!” the pleasantly surprised exclamation tumbled from Naruto's lips as he lifted Gaara just enough to maneuver himself at Gaara's entrance before urging the other man down on his cock.

 

Slowly Gaara slid onto the hardness of his lover, a long, exasperated moan coupled with Gaara's nails digging into Naruto's scalp, as Gaara impaled himself upon Naruto.

 

“Move,” Naruto ordered when Gaara was situated, pulling the hands which were clinging to his head away and leaning back so the redhead could ride him properly. Gaara was so good at being on top, whether in Naruto or on Naruto, in fact, the Hokage wasn't sure which he preferred more. Today he was contented to watch as Gaara lifted his body flawlessly up and down upon Naruto, controlling and driving the blond's cock in and out of his body.

 

Gaara rose to the very tip of Naruto's shaft, so that only the very head of Naruto stayed nestled in the warm flesh of his lover. Then, without warning, Gaara plunged down, his body hungrily swallowing all of Naruto's manhood, sheathing Naruto completely inside of himself, making the Hokage whimper in the process. Twisting his hips a bit and swiveling, clenching tightly around Naruto, and then pulling languidly off again with a loud moan made Naruto quiver and twitch with anticipation. Gaara was glorious, that was all there was too it, simply spectacular when it came to sex, a natural genius.

 

“Quit teasing and move faster,” Naruto pleaded, hoping for a regular rhythm, begging for release.

 

Gaara smirked as he watched Naruto strain, the blond trying his hardest not to come early, but even Gaara's teasing could get the man off. Gaara slipped down the shaft again, then pushed upward quickly only to come crashing down just as fast. This was what Naruto wanted and needed as they both found a rhythm. Naruto thrusted up to meet Gaara's body, which was slick with fresh layer of sweat as he groaned and grunted a few times, especially when Naruto hit that spot which made Gaara's breath hitch.

 

Gaara slumped forward, panting heavily as each rise and fall of his chest was clearly visible. When he came down, Naruto hit that spot one more time, Gaara cried out as he released onto Naruto's belly and chest. Tired, but realizing Naruto wasn't done yet, Gaara leaned back and urged Naruto to follow, pulling his lover into a position where Naruto was on top. Limply, Gaara met Naruto's thrusts as Naruto pounded into him ruthlessly, trying to ignore the sensitive nature of Gaara's body post-orgasm.

 

Every move and thrust reverberated throughout Gaara, and Naruto's muscles quivered as he fucked Gaara with a fervor befitting his status as the most powerful shinobi in all of Leaf. If there was one thing strength was good for, it was great for forcing your lovers into quivering piles of mush, proven by the whimpering Gaara who was trying vehemently to keep up with Naruto as the Hokage moved toward completion.

 

Naruto thrust harshly into Gaara, gripping the redhead's hips so hard that Naruto's knuckles were white. As far as Naruto could, he pushed into the depths of Gaara before releasing himself with a feral grunt, simultaneously biting down on Gaara's collarbone as he came. A few more tiny thrusts, almost afterthoughts as steady streams of warm liquid moved into the former Kazekage. Naruto was finished, wearily pulling out so he could clean both Gaara and himself up before Sakura or Kankuro found them.

 

“Hnn,” Gaara moaned as Naruto used a damp cloth to clean off his skin, going a little too rough on the more sensitive areas before Naruto started to removed the cum from his own body.

 

Naruto smiled at Gaara, “Get dressed, we have to get going now.”

 

Gaara grinned right back…yes, he supposed they did.

 

Naruto tried and failed at redressing himself and Gaara. Thankfully, fifteen minutes after the ceremony was to begin, Sakura found the pair of half-dressed men, struggling with their kimonos as they confusedly tried to put them back on right.

 

Naruto smirked as Sakura berated him for being so careless on his wedding day, going on and on about how they had all the time in the world to be intimate, but over a thousand guests were getting restless as Gaara and Naruto were nearly declared missing.

 

Naruto watched as Sakura retied silk and pruned him and Gaara carefully until they once again looked regal enough by her standards. Naruto choked back tears and pulled the kunoichi into a hug, “Thanks Sakura, you are the best friend a guy could have.”

 

Gaara nodded in agreement and awkwardly joined the hug, making both Naruto and Sakura chuckle at him. Gaara wasn't the hugging type, but he gripped both Naruto and Sakura tightly.

 

Sakura groaned, “You two smell like sex, musky boy sex. I need to find you some cologne or something to hide that.”

 

Naruto and Gaara chuckled, sniffing themselves as they watched Sakura hurry around the room looking for anything which would cover the proof of Gaara and Naruto's recent rendezvous. Digging in one of Kankuro's bags, which the puppet-nin had brought to help primp his brother, Sakura found Kankuro's cologne at the bottom and gave the men a healthy dose of the fragrance.

 

Sakura sniffed the two again, still not satisfied and vocalizing it by sighing and adding, “Now you smell like Kankuro after sex.”

 

Gaara obviously didn't like the thought of that at all, but Naruto just laughed. “Come on,” Naruto said while tugging at Gaara's sleeve, “We have a wedding to get to.”

 

It all passed in a big blur. Gaara hadn't realized how little one could remember from their own wedding. All the practiced motions and steps and words seemed to slip away, but there was one thing he did remember…watching Naruto. During the ceremony Naruto's eyes had locked with his own and he couldn't help but have the powerful memory of those loving blue eyes watching him, loving him, saying the things they weren't allowed to say in a proper ceremony like this.

 

Even their vows had been written by the council of elders, one of the many compromises they had to agree upon to have the wedding go forward. Apparently, flowery confessions of love by two men weren't appropriate for a wedding like this. Sakura reminded an angry Gaara and Naruto that the council often oversaw the weddings of the top families and officials in Konoha, and such restrictions were put on those couples as well. It still didn't go over well with the two men, but Gaara really didn't care about any of that during the ceremony, he just let himself get lost in the loving eyes of Naruto. They spoke more deeply than words ever could.

 

Know that no matter what happens in the future, I will always be there for you and will always love you with every atom of my being. There is nothing which could ever compare to what we have, don't forget that.

 

Gaara could never forget that.

 

Things to do…people to love... moments to live…

Naruto was grateful for the second chance he'd been given at life, grateful for Gaara and Sakura and Kakashi and Sasuke.

 

“I love you,” Naruto whispered as the ceremony came to a conclusion.

 

Gaara smiled, “I love you, too.”

 

Deviating from the planned course, Naruto decided one part which the council of elders had cut from his wedding would happen, despite the disdain of some grumpy old council members had for seeing two men kiss, as he pulled Gaara to him and kissed him furiously, eliciting a whooping round of applause from many of the ninja present. Those loving eyes and one hell of a kiss, that was what Sabaku no Gaara remembered from his wedding…and that was definitely enough.

 

“My new dream, which is more important than being Hokage, is to spend the rest of my life with you, Gaara. All of the days I have left, freely given to you so we can raise a family and then grow old and wrinkly together. That's what I want Gaara, to be with you…more than anything,”

 

The things Naruto had spoken to him the night of his proposal, the words of the letter Naruto had written, the eyes which told him of a love stronger than death, and a kiss which reached so far into Gaara's soul that he swore it mingled and shared itself freely with Naruto's. It might not have been happily ever after, a ninja's life rarely was, but it was enough. Enough for Naruto, and enough for Gaara, both of whom loved each other dearly.

 

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(the author is crying as she writes this...)

THE END

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A/N's: Okay, so it really isn't the end, end. I have an epilogue and some other stories which will happen later in their lives (like some KankySakura stuff), but it's the official end. *blubber, blubber* WAAAH!!!!