Two years later

The bright blue of the spring sky faded as it dipped to meet the horizon, thinning out into a robin's egg backdrop to the city of Konoha. It was a warmer spring than usual, the temperature bleeding the cherry blossoms of their delicate scent and flooding the streets with it in tandem with the pink, snow-like petals. The afternoon sun was glittery and bright, almost tangible, as Sasuke lifted a hand to let it run over his fingertips.

Somewhere nearby, deeper within the upper class district, strains of elegant music filtered through the ambiance of twittering birds and the rush of rainwater in the gutter below. Sasuke inhaled deeply before lurching into a steady lope up the cobblestone street. A pair of high, broad gates met him at the entrance to a grassy courtyard and he pushed them open just enough to slip inside, where he was met with a suffocating bustle of people scrambling to and fro laden with chairs, or flowers, or gossamer, white banners. Sasuke flattened himself against the inside of the wall, inching towards a door as he pulled at the tie around his neck. He managed to slip by the numerous staff with surprising ease and exhaled a soft sigh of relief when he made it through the door without incident. After straightening his jacket, he continued down the nigh-oppressively quiet hall with a hint of spring in his step. He passed several doors which emanated discouraging, high-pitched giggles but soldiered forward. He had one thing in mind and he would remain on target.

Eventually he came to a final door. Steeling his nerves, he pushed it open and went inside.

The room was bright, lit by several large windows around the perimeter. A privacy divider was in one corner, wrapped around some floor length mirrors. There was a cream-colored chair set in the main part of the room, but Sasuke couldn't sit down just yet. He cleared his throat.

There was a quiet 'eep!' from behind the divider before something clattered against the mirrors and whoever it was stepped out into the light.

Sasuke gaped, cheeks flushing before he could will his surprise away.

"Sasuke?" Hinata frowned, reaching up to straighten the ornament in her hair. "The reception isn't for another couple of hours; what are you doing here?" Her fingers expertly sank into her dark hair, winding it tighter at a braided junction near her ear. When she was finished, she brushed her hands down the front of her crane-patterned furisode. When Sasuke didn't respond right away she glanced up at him nervously between her lashes, cheeks flushing a fetching pink. After several moments of shared blushing, she raised an arm and hid behind a sleeve. "You're embarrassing me."

Sasuke blew out a sheepish gust of air and cleared his throat. "Sorry... You just looked... so incredible."

Her arm drifted just low enough to expose her eyes and creased brows. "You're not supposed to be here, you know. This building is just for the girls to get ready."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "I got bored waiting for the ceremony to be over." He released a teasing, exaggerated sigh and sank into the love seat on one side of the coffee table. "Imagining those two idiots joining up and reproducing? Exhausting." He pressed a hand over his face in mock weariness. Hinata stepped closer to him, giggling softly.

"You know you're only saying that because you want them to be happy."

Sasuke lowered his hand, concealing his playful smirk. "Yeah, you're right." He and Hinata shared a warm look, eyes glittering with gladness over their friends' nuptials. Hinata sank down on the other end of the love seat, carefully arranging her furisode so it wouldn't wrinkle. She soon grew shy once more, glancing over at him and away and again several times. After drinking in the lovely image of her dressed in her formal wear again, Sasuke got distracted by the pleasing way Hinata's pale eyes reflected the light from the windows. He scooted closer to her, lips splitting into a cocky grin when he noticed her flush returning, creeping up from the collar of her clothing. He draped his arm over her shoulders, pulling her close against him. She smiled slightly, relaxing into the half-hug.

He chuckled and leaned close to her ear. "Did I already say how amazing you look?"

Her smile grew. "I think you might have mentioned it." They chuckled together as he leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to her lips.

With the bright sun filtering in behind them, the heat blooming in his chest from the kiss, Sasuke breathed in. A day like today could last forever... and he didn't think he'd ever grow tired of it.

The courtyard had been transformed since he'd seen it earlier in the afternoon. Bright-feeling music played loudly from the audio setup in the corner. The gossamer banners from before had been tied up around the rooftops, framing the yard in an ethereal softness. Fairy lights sparkles along strings around the dining area and large, white lanterns seemed to float, unfettered, throughout the space. The delicate glow suffused the evening air, contrasting against the deepening blue of the clear sky. Round, white tables were arranged in a honeycomb formation and several longer tables—laden with trays of food—bordered the edges. At a separate table in the back of the setting, what Sasuke assumed was the cake sat, covered in a massive opaque cloche, awaiting the reveal by the bride and groom.

There was a tug on his sleeve and Hinata pointed to the gates. "It's time," she murmured, eyes dancing. He nodded, giving the arm laced with his a reassuring squeeze. The sound of a bell echoed throughout the district and a pair of staff members opened the gates, revealing a radiant procession the likes of which Konoha hadn't seen in decades. A hundred guests at least, clad in varying shades of formal wear—both traditional and modern—flowed through the gates like a rainbow-colored river, illuminated with the exultation they all shared. There were familiar faces as well as unfamiliar, but they were all alike in the smiles they wore. The courtyard filled and for a moment Sasuke fretted that there wouldn't be enough room. Yet, they all settled in and as the last few guests arrived, so did the main attraction, flanked on either side by the mayor herself, Tsunade Senju, and the bride's parents.

Tsunade, boisterous as ever, stepped forward firmly and raised her arms. "Ladies and gentlemen, may I present the bride and groom!"

Hinata's face lit up. Sasuke swallowed thickly and refused to acknowledge the building moisture in his eyes. The music reached a crescendo.

Naruto and Sakura stepped through the gates, arm in arm and emitting such touching happiness that some guests would later describe it as 'blinding'. Naruto's eyes were scrunched up from the breadth of his usual foxy grin, wider and whiter than it had ever been before in his life. In keeping with their split traditional/contemporary style wedding, he was wearing a glossy black tux, but in keeping with Naruto, the tie was undone and flapping about his shoulders whimsically. A bundle of cherry blossoms were pinned to his lapel.

Sakura, mirroring her name, was the true flower of the pair. Her trademark pink hair had grown even longer over the past two years, cascading down her back and flowing freely in styled, broad ringlets. Instead of wearing her uchikake as it was originally intended, she had opted to follow the new trend of folding it down over the obi, transforming it into a eye-catching, sleeveless gown. Sasuke, despite himself, found himself smiling at that. It was just so Sakura. Clasped in her arm was a massive bouquet of cherry blossoms, white camellias and pale pink roses.

They finally reached the arbor, lit from above by a woven structure of fairy lights, and stopped to survey the image. The guests began a round of applause and a reverberating, collective shout of "Congratulations!" flooded the space.

Sasuke found himself clapping along with them, although it felt cheap compared the emotions he actually felt in regards to Naruto's marriage.

I hope they find happiness together, forever.

The food was delicious, but the speeches were better. So many different stories of Naruto from when he was a rambunctious hoodlum running the streets, spray-painting the city hall building before he was even old enough to buy the paint on his own. Tales of how happy people were to hear when Mayor Tsunade had adopted him, how proud they were to watch him grow into the thoughtful, responsible young man he had become and how glad they were to see him stepping into a new chapter of his life with his beloved new wife.

Stories were also shared on Sakura's end, many honoring her for her strong initiative for her medical career and well wishes for her to go far as a practitioner. At one point Ino stood up and—being a bit tipsy—accidentally called Sakura "Billboard Brow". It had almost come to half-joking blows, until Ino began to weep, happily gushing about how happy she was to see her friend end up with someone who cherished her. Sakura really deserved that, she explained, someone who would appreciate her for who she was.

The night wore on. The trees surrounding the yard slowly filled with guests' wedding offerings, wrapped in brightly-colored, shimmering cards and tied to the branches with gold thread. In the true spirit of modern advancement and wholly surprising to some of the older attendees, a dance floor was prepared on one side of the yard and band struck up a romantic song for Naruto's and Sakura's first dance. Many 'oohs' and 'ahhs' emanated from the crowd, as well as some chuckling when Naruto attempted to dip Sakura and nearly dropped her.

Hinata and Sasuke remained close together, content to observe most of the goings-on from the peaceful sidelines. They had gotten so relaxed that Sasuke nearly jumped out of his skin when a voice suddenly sounded near his ear.

"So, you guys think you'll be next?"

Sasuke released a strange, strangled squeak before realizing it was only Shikamaru, half-lidded and tie loose and he eyed Sasuke flatly. His eyebrows rose at Sasuke's reaction.

"Didn't mean to startle you."

Sasuke straightened up and cleared his throat. "No problem." Hinata took notice of Shikamaru's arrival and dipped her head.

"Good evening!"

Shikamaru returned the gesture. "Hinata." He looked back at Sasuke. "So are you gonna answer or what? You guys planning on getting married anytime soon?"

Sasuke's mouth went dry and Hinata blushed, stammering out several incoherent sounds. Sasuke shrugged, "I... I... Well, why are you asking?"

Shikamaru opened his mouth to respond but was interrupted by a gruff, feminine voice from behind him. "He's only asking so he can try to get out of proposing!"

Shikamaru bit the the toothpick he been chewing in half and muttered, "Temari."

The speaker sidled up next him. She was a blonde woman in a deep purple kimono, her gold hair pulled back in an elaborate—yet somehow sharp-looking—updo. Her lips were painted a dark red and somehow Sasuke felt that was meaningful. She wound her arm into the crook of Shikamaru's elbow and smirked. "You must be the Uchiha brat I've heard so much about." Sasuke blanched, confused. The woman eyed Hinata. "Judging from the pretty Hyuuga you have next to you, I'm assuming my boyfriend's advice from back then paid off." Her arm tightened on Shikamaru's, causing him to go pale. "Now if only my dear Shikamaru could take some of his own useful advice to advance our relationship."

Shikamaru spat the remains of the toothpick out and frowned at her. "Don't make this weird. You haven't even introduced yourself to them yet."

The woman's blue-green eyes hardened.

Shikamaru sighed and, using his free hand, gestured at the woman. "Sasuke, Hinata, this is my fiancee, Temari no Sabaku." Sasuke and Hinata bowed shallowly, nodding along with the introduction. Meanwhile, Temari's eyes had gone wide, her brusque demeanor melting into one of shock.

"'Fiancee'?" She sputtered.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes, "Well, if it means so much to you, I figured I'd start calling you that."

Her face went red. "You can't just 'start calling' me that! You have to propose properly! Make me feel loved!"

Shikamaru looked away. "Troublesome." He glanced at Sasuke sidelong. "I'll see you around." Before anyone could react, he bolted into the crowd, forcing Temari to chase after him, a lecture already leaving her lips. Moments after they'd gone, a pair of tired-looking men stopped by where Hinata and Sasuke were still standing, frozen and bewildered. The taller one, a stocky man with brown hair, waved them down.

"Did you see a terrifying blonde lady come by? She was most likely chasing a spiky haired slouch."

The other man, red headed with pale, blue-green eyes, glanced at Hinata before turning away. As brief as it was, his expression caused her to blush. Noticing the exchange, Sasuke grit his teeth. He pointed in the direction Shikamaru and Temari had gone. "Yeah, they ran that way." The brunet man nodded, biting out a sharp 'thanks', before he tapped the red-head's shoulder and they darted after the oddly-matched couple.

Sasuke exhaled quietly. What an odd sequence of events. He felt fingers thread through his and looked down to see Hinata smiling up at him. He leaned down so she could whisper in his ear.

"Let's go sit down." He allowed her to drag him to a quiet table in the corner. A waiter came by and served them champagne, which they sipped quietly. The energy of the reception buzzed gently in their chests. The more subtle energy that lingered between them crackled along their skin. Sasuke took another sip and reflected on the events of the years since he'd confessed to Hinata.

Their relationship had been rocky at first. Hinata was still getting used to the idea of Sasuke being in love with her, and Sasuke was still working on getting his mental obstacles in check. They'd bickered occasionally, but with encouragement from Itachi, Sasuke had always stepped forward when he was in the wrong.

Strangely, Neji had become a weird source of comfort for Sasuke during times when he and Hinata had fought. Neji had been a huge part of Hinata's life and was thus a font of knowledge on how to handle her. Whenever it had been her fault for a spat, he'd tell Sasuke to just wait a few days and eventually Hinata would crack, crawling back spewing apologies and attempting to make up for her slight.

As time went on, they got better about handling their problems alone, and the problems gave way to a strong foundation and a blossoming partnership. Sasuke was ceaselessly encouraging, prodding Hinata to step out and chase her own dreams. She remained in theater class, but grew more aggressive about pursuing direction, rather than just working in the background.

In turn, Hinata had also helped Sasuke work through his deep-seated emotional turmoil. He frequently relapsed into his apathetic state, sleeping often and doing his best to ignore anything that might be difficult to imagine. At one point, he nearly had another meltdown when Itachi overworked himself and collapsed from exhaustion. Luckily, that's all it had been.

But they were here now, together and more in love than ever. Hinata's was a quiet passion, more loyalty than romance. Sasuke's was a stormy one, demanding to give and illustrate his love for her through support and intimate gestures.

She puts up with a lot, he mused as he stared at her. He leaned on the table on his elbow, chin cradled in his palm.

Suddenly, as if melting from the shadows, Itachi appeared. Sasuke jumped once more, spluttering in the fashion of Hinata.

Itachi laughed quietly. "No need to be scared, little brother."

Sasuke's shock turned to irritation. "You're so late I can't even tell you."

Itachi nodded. "I'm aware. I've already apologized to Naruto and he assured me that he had some staff from the city hall film the entire thing for me."

"Where were you?"

"I was attempting to escort a distant relation of Naruto's here. Small world, isn't it? He's actually the one who founded the Akatsuki."

Sasuke blinked rapidly, "W-what?"

Itachi smiled, eyes creasing. "It's amazing how humanity can stretch so far, yet still tie together so closely."

Sasuke nodded, contemplating the concept. Several moments passed before he leapt to his feet, "You brought the Akatsuki here?!"

Itachi stood slowly, "Now, now. No need to worry. I'm sure they'll be on their best behavior."

At that moment, Naruto appeared, vaulting into Sasuke's side with a crushing force. "So this is where you've been hiding, you jerk!" He looked over Sasuke's shoulder and grinned at Hinata. "Oh, hey Hinata!" She smiled warmly.

"Hello, Naruto!"

Naruto turned back to Sasuke, grin twisting into a ferocious glare. "As I was saying, jerk! You were supposed to congratulate me first and I found you here, at the end of the party, having not even said a word to me all day! What kind of best friend are you?!"

"Naruto," Sasuke struggled to escape Naruto's grasp, "Naruto, we have much bigger problems to worry about!"

"Oh really? Like what? The fact that I've known you for ten years and this is how you treat me? I oughta—"

A loud bang erupted from the other side of the courtyard, followed by several screams. Smoke began to billow upward between the buildings.

Itachi rubbed his chin. "Oh dear."

Naruto stilled. "W... What was that?"

Sasuke groaned. "The bigger problem."

Tsunade's voice rose above the crowd, "Everyone! This way to evacuate!" The crowd began spilling back out the gates. Using the distraction to escape Naruto's grip, Sasuke grabbed Hinata's hand and dragged her away, nearly in a run. Despite the threat of fire being very real, it seemed most of the crowd had realized it was relatively minor, so most were evacuating while still smiling, laughing about how this would make the night even more memorable than before.

Caught up in the rush of the events, Sasuke breathlessly gazed back over his shoulder. Hinata was following close behind, grinning broadly at him. He watched her hair come loose from it's confines, spilling down over the shoulders of her pale furisode. She had reached down and pulled the tight fabric up to her knees so she could run more freely, exposing her zori and the fact that she had sneakily worn leggings under her clothes, probably for comfort. Sasuke drank in the elation in her pearly eyes and the rosiness of her cheeks and strawberry-colored flush of her smiling lips and—surrounded by all things to do with weddings, friends spanning generations and the hopes for his future—decided that he didn't want to spend that future with anyone else.

He scarcely felt the breath in his lungs as he shouted over the noise. "Hinata!"

She fluttered her eyes prettily. "What?!"

He stilled for an instant, just long enough to whirl her in against his chest. He caught her arms; they were nose to nose, a rock in the river of evacuating wedding guests. They panted together, breath mingling. He could smell the champagne on her lips.

"Hinata, marry me."

For the umpteenth time that night, beneath the stars and the lanterns, her face lit up. She threw her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek.

"Yes!"

He kissed her, laughing against her lips. A breeze picked up, showering them in sakura petals. Sasuke felt his chest burst into fireworks, streaking away into the sky and crumbling back to reveal the path towards the future. The future with Hinata by his side.

I love you, Hinata.

I love you too, Sasuke.

And now it's officially over. I'm going to miss this story a bit, but I'm more excited about the next one I'm planning with these two. I hope you enjoyed this epilogue. I wasn't quite sure what I wanted to do with it when I started, but then it came together. I love all these cuties so much.

Saki-Hime: Thanks for reviewing, and especially for reviewing throughout the story! That means so much to me!

Switchlolly007: I was barely breathing while writing! It got intense for a while there, ha. Thank you for reading!

Itachi's Queen: You didn't sound arrogant at all :) I just know it can be hard to review things, I'm not the best at it either, so I like to thank people for taking the time to say something! Your review made me smile, it was so lovely gushing with kind words. Hope you like this epilogue!

wolf-enzeru: Thank you so much!

UnfinishedCadenza: Wow, wow! Your review was so kind, thank you! I feel like this story did push me a lot to improve and consider all sides of my characters and plot, instead of just writing stuff because I wanted it to be a certain way. I'm so floored that a story of mine could elicit such strong reactions. Thank you for your wonderful review!

10ShizukaYuukiMistress10: Hope you liked it! But if you didn't, that's okay as well! Thanks for reviewing!

Wifi Princess: Uwaa, your review is so encouraging! Thank you for reading and your kind words. I will definitely keep writing! :D

That should do it. I feel like I'm closing up a shop, haha. Thank you to everyone who's read this, to my lovely reviewers who helped sort out the wrinkles and make this story my best yet! I hope to see you again soon.

If you want to see my planning stages for the next story and snippets of other writing/art, you can follow my tumblr: toomanypizzaboxes.

Thanks again!

~Whyte