Wedding bells were pealing out amongst Suna. It was a decidedly average day. The sun was scalding hot, people were going about their business as usual, and Matsuri had no work for the day, so she was simply wandering through the streets, basking in the wonder that was her home. She paused a moment to watch the newly-weds travel off towards their honeymoon, and she felt...proud. It was hard to explain, but perhaps it was that even in a world of death and suffering, it lifted her heart skywards when she saw that people could still find love. Even she had, despite there being days in which she believed no-one would ever love someone like her. Maybe that was what drew her and her Gaara together, that belief. That loneliness.
Of course, she knew her adversities were nothing compared to his. Nothing more than a speck of sand in his desert. But the important thing was not the past, but the present and future, all that was within reach now they had each other...now he had his friends and family, and the support of the whole of Suna.
She didn't notice him approaching. She was watching the bride in that colourful yukata, and the love in the groom's eyes, and when she felt the hand on her shoulder, she was jolted out of her train of thought. She looked round, her dark eyes meeting with those beautiful turquoise orbs. "G-Gaara-kun..."
He offered a slight smile and the thought of how lucky she was to have him flashed through her head. "Hello Matsuri-san." His gaze went to the now empty wedding scene. "Lovely, isn't it?" He asked absent-mindedly.
"Yeah..." She breathed, leaning her head against his shoulder. "Wonderful."
He shifted his weight nervously, almost as though he were uncomfortable around her. She glanced at him in slight concern and he turned away, hiding the red that was creeping onto his cheeks. His hands went to his pockets, trying to remember the advice he'd received. The whole idea for how to do this wasn't his, but it was probably better than anything he could think up. His brother was strangely good at romantic nonsense. "Matsuri?"
"Mm?"
"Close your eyes."
"Why?"
He turned to her with a smile, trying to alleviate her nerves. "I...have a surprise for you."
After a pause, she obediently closed her eyes. Slowly, Gaara leant in, brushing his lips gently against hers, one hand caressing her cheek while the other drew something from his pocket.
Matsuri jumped when she felt the cold metal on her finger. Her eyes flickered open and he drew back, still holding onto her hand, and when she looked, she found a ring on her finger. Plain, but beautiful, nothing too over the top. Fine by her. The ones with big diamonds and an overload of gems were, in all honesty, ugly. This was sleek and shiny, simple, but conveyed the emotion within and the unspoken question perfectly.
"Are you...?" She asked uncertainly, feeling a strange anxiety rush through her. He wanted to marry her?
"Matsuri-Chan...would you do me the honour of becoming my wife? Becoming part of my...family?"
She remained caught within a wave of shock. Her whole body just froze. It was like a dream come true, and suddenly she was afraid she was going to wake up and find it had all been just that. She had to make the most of things before that had a chance to happen. She forced herself to move, throwing her arms around him and pulling him in close. "Of course!" She shouted, nuzzling his neck. "I'd love to. I'd really, really love to!" She'd started crying, burying her face in his shirt, hoping against hell she wouldn't wake up and find it was all just a dream.
~*~*~*~
The week running up to Gaara's wedding had been undoubtedly eventful. His friends from Konoha had flooded in, eager to make things perfect, although they found they would have to be on their toes. The stress of arranging everything, mixed with their normal jobs, seemed to be getting to the bride and groom. Heck, Naruto was sure something was wrong. Gaara wasn't acting like Gaara, and Matsuri looked almost afraid whenever he saw her. He barely saw Temari and Kankurou. When he tried to talk to Matsuri about it, she shushed him hurriedly and looked around.
"If Gaara's listening, you'll be in big trouble."
"But that isn't Gaara-!"
She covered his mouth with her hands then. "You're going to get yourself killed!" She turned and hurried off, clearly terrified. Frowning, Naruto ran after her.
"Matsuri, wait! There's something really wrong with Gaara!"
Suddenly, a swirl of green fire appeared before him, stopping him in his tracks. The first thing he saw through the flickering flames was the grinning visage of the Kazekage himself, and then hands were at his shoulders, pulling him down, through the floor.
~*~*~*~
Gaara didn't know how long he'd been trapped down in that ice cold cavern. Long enough to miss a good few meals. He couldn't find his way out of there. He'd tried, but he'd just gotten more lost. Thinking about it carefully, he realised today he was supposed to get married, Instead, up there, with Matsuri, was someone else in disguise. Someone else who wanted to overthrow Suna and have as many people as possible under his power. He'd gotten Gaara out of the way in a decidedly simple manner, managing to poison a simple glass of water.
He stopped by an underground oasis. There were a lot down here to sustain him. He took a deep drink, wishing he at least had his sand gourd with him, but alas, that was in the possession of the faker. Suddenly, a hand at the scruff of his neck heaved him up and he was thrown against a wall. His eyes remained clothes, almost out of hope. Matsuri was about to be wed to a man who simply wanted to use her to achieve his own means. He crossed his arms, waiting for the other man to speak.
Naruto released him after a moment with a sigh. "You look awful..."
He didn't look up. "How did you get here?"
"I-"
Gaara didn't give him a chance to answer. "Is anyone else here? Do you know how to get out?"
Naruto shook his head solemnly. "How long have you been down here?"
"I...don't know...the wedding...is it still going on?"
He gave a slight nod. "If this is what he does to everyone who realises he's fake...that explains why I haven't seen Temari since we got here..."
"They're all in danger...we have to get out of here before he hurts anyone else." He ran on at once, the blond following at his heels, determination on their faces. They couldn't let the fake get away with it. They couldn't let him unfurl his plans or use Suna or Matsuri as he planned to.
Up above them, the wedding was beginning. There were people missing from the audience. Gaara's siblings, Naruto, they just weren't there. 'Gaara' had stated a falling out with the blond jinchuriki had called the need to reassign the best man. As the two trapped within the cavern drew closer to the escape, they could hear the voices from the wedding drift down. Exchanging worried glances, they silently agreed they had to hurry.
Something flashed out of the shadows, attempting to strike Gaara's chest. The redhead stumbled back as Naruto got ready to fight. It was a puppet, the blades almost certainly poisoned. Familiar ones at that. Kankurou's puppets, being controlled by chakra strings that, in the end, did not connect to their true owner. He was down there somewhere, but not with the puppets.
Of course, Naruto was not the only one to notice the man now in the wedding was not who he said. Midway through the ceremony, Matsuri drew back a fist and punched the man before her. Naturally, nothing came up to defend the faker, and he fell back with a grunt. There was a stunned silence before the bride had a weapon held to the man's throat. "Where's Gaara?" She snarled before getting a kick in the stomach for her efforts. He launched himself at her only for hands to grab at him. She kicked back, screaming her question again. Someone wrapped an arm around his throat, trying to haul him away from her as he hailed down punches. A burst of green flame erupted from him, knocking the others away.
"All of you stop!" He snarled as he got to his feet, part of his façade beginning to melt away. "You can't fight me forever, you fools. I have a power far greater than yours, especially now I've had time to feed off the chakra of you stupid kids who just went along with me from the start." He shook his head, turning to Matsuri, a sick grin on his face. "Your Kazekage is dead. Don't worry. You'll get to join your precious fiancé soon."
Sand came crashing through the windows at that point, lifting the faker into the air and beginning to crush him. Four people came in through the shattered windows, and Matsuri noticed Gaara, the real Gaara, at once. She ran to him and caught him as he fell, the weakness from being trapped all that time finally getting the better of him. He clung to her, gazing into her eyes as the others fought around them.
"I thought you were...he said you were..."
He planted a quick kiss on her lips to silence her. "I'll never leave you like that, I promise."
~*~*~*~
Time. Time needed to be taken for healing, for the guests, for the groom, for many people. Everything was being rearranged, replanned, rescheduled. Even so, it wasn't long at all before the next wedding, the true wedding came round. A proper show of real love, where Gaara and Matsuri could be joined for life.
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