' Thank you to you who relentlessly smiles at me, to you who always watches out for me from afar, and to you who is always there for me when I am at wits end. Thank you for being here with me, and I wish that you would continue doing so. I wish that you would lead me on in this journey called life , and that you would be the one that I call my love. Sincerely, that's all I wish for. 

" Omo, the makeup is a bit off," Temari murmured under her breath, scrutinizing the makeup artist's handiwork. (Name) broke into a sweat under Temari's dictator-like criticism , the said woman's glares made her feel as if she was gulping down bottles of Tabasco.

Yum.

" The colour scheme should be warm and mellow . Make it look natural. Keep the eye makeup to a minimum. And tone down with the eyeliner and white foundation , she's not a geisha ! " Temari ordered.

(Name) shook her head, keeping her laughter to herself. The makeup artist proceeded to wipe off the red lipstick off her lips, and then the chalk white foundation.

An assistant rushed into the room, a shoebox held sturdily in her hand.

   " Temari-sama , I have the Jimmy Choo shoes," she spoke, handing the shoebox to Temari .

    " Can I see them, Tema-nee ?" (Name) asked out of excitement. Temari nodded and gave her the box.

    " They're custom made, you know. I asked Gaara if a Cinderella theme would work, but he refused. He said glass slippers weren't your thing. So I recommended gems or natural stones, yet he still said no," Temari huffed.

(Name) gingerly opened the shoebox , and found a lovely pair of black and white heels.

The pattern was similar to marble, the way the black and white mingled .

   " All alone, white would be considered naive and vulnerable - so easy to be tainted. 

  All alone, black is considered to be dark and wicked , even if you were to taint it, if would be visible.

But together, they become a beautiful pattern, a new dimension achieved by combining two contrasting elements."

The makeup artist completed her task, and thankfully, Temari found it satisfactory this time. (Name) slipped on the shoes, and Temari fixed the flowers and veil on her head. Small, fine white flowers decorated the intricate braids off her hair , and a platinum hair ornament with the Suna crest was pinned on. 

    " Ah, of all the flowers out there, you chose buckwheat flowers? " Temari sighed, taking the bouquet out of the box.

   (Name) smiled, taking the bouquet from Temari's hand. " I like what they symbolize. Lovers."

Temari raised an inquiring eyebrow. " You're getting married, (Name) . It's a more stable relationship."

" I know that , Tema-nee. And I'm glad it's happening for real. But then again, the world celebrates lovers more than married couples," she chuckled. " I want Gaara and I to have a strong, steady marriage , and at the same time , be as intimate as any loving couple out there."

She wrapped her fingers around the bouquet, taking a deep breath.

    " That's all I wish for."

  " Hey, what's with that awful hairstyle, huh? " Naruto blurted, casually messing up Gaara's hair.

  " Yah! What was that for? " Gaara shouted, furiously combing his hair back again.

    " I hate to break it to you, Little Brother, but that slicked back hairstyle just doesn't work on you. Sure, it looks great on Draco Malfoy and Hidan , but not you," Kankurou grinned .

The others snickered, while Gaara forcefully slammed the bottle of Pomade on the vanity.

    " I hope you don't envy these luscious locks of mine, Kazekage-sama ," Naruto's brother in law, Neji Hyuga chuckled.

   " You know Kazekage-sama, I did a research on the hairstyles that girls like. Apparently they like the wet look, dreamy beach boy type ," Inuzuka Kiba grinned widely.

  " Right.. I remember (Name) say she adores beach boys. Too bad, you have no beach boy qualities whatsoever, Gaara," Kankurou laughed out loud.

  " Beach boys.. What are they like? " Gaara voiced in a determined tone.

" Like me !" Naruto shouted.

A very loud and intense 'booing' ensued for at least ten minutes, and even the passing bids speed and joined together.

Naruto let out a hug and slumped into one of the beanbags scattered across the room.

   " Yeah , boo all you want," he said between gritted teeth.

" Ah, by the way, where are you spending the honeymoon? Ehem ehem.. " Kiba asked out of the blue. Gaara's face turned into a vibrant red hue , probably redder than his own hair. It was one of the moments when Gaara simultaneously became Hinata's male counter part.

   " Hey, are you blushing?" Shikamaru commented, shaking his head.

   " Come on! We're all guys here! "Kankurou burst.

   " It's a secret!" Gaara seethed.

 " Ah, never mind. Anyway, make sure to invite us to the baby shower, okay? " Neji snickered, and the rest of the guys broke into laughter.

He met her at a time when he thought all hope was lost. A time when he was full of sorrow, a time when he was suffering. Loneliness became his best friend, and his heart constantly ached from the lack of love, and having nobody to love.

But then he met her.

It was something beyond his expectations, yet it bright him such joy. She owned the doors to the outside world for him, and led him out  .

She showed him the world on the other side of the door, a world he thought never existed. A world he thought he would never be a part of.

From the little lingering butterflies, the feelings soon evolved into a bold, strong emotion. It was none other than love. First love.

But no love story is a path of roses. There's always a little thorn here and there , but worse, maybe even a split road .

When he thought everything was finally looking bright for him, she left, leaving him in absolute darkness.

He grew to loathe her so immensely, even the mere mention of her name repulsed him. Little did he know, she left him for his own good.

She left him because she loved him.

And he didn't know how much she suffered afterwards. False assumptions are always much more comforting than the painful truth.

Eventually, he learned about the truth. A bold statement that was enough to make him collapse in years . He almost lost her, but fate has another plan. It gave then another chance.

A chance that went down the drain.

This time, they truly posted away, each waking on their own paths. Him, on his asphalt road, and her, barefooted on a bed of sharded glass.

However, no matter how different the road seems, they led to the same destination.

Fate gave the unlucky couple one final chance, and they were quick to snatch the opportunity .

She almost died for the sake of her love, yet she continued living on. His longing for her made him suffer, but he never stopped yearning for her.

And today, they were finally able to establish their bond, and show the world how love could change someone's fate.

He finally had someone to rescue him and drag him out of his shell. She finally had someone to lean on.

He was happy. She was happy. They were both happy.

And there came the happy ending.

Gaara's eyes flickered around wildly, his heart beating erratically. He couldn't wait to see (Name) walking down the aisle, and to hold her in his arms.

The ceremony was held in a small chapel near their new home, with a few people, mostly family and friends.

By friends though, there was the Hokage and his wife, high ranking officers and all sorts of elite people . And of course there were (Name)'s friends as well.

He wanted it to be a sincere and honest ceremony, but mostly he just wanted to sneak away (Name) afterwards. The traditional Suna style coronation was to be held tomorrow, and  was to be televised to the whole Five Countries. Gaara let out a sigh, slightly displeased with the Council's request, but somehow he did agree to it.

Why? He just wanted to show the world how pretty his wife is.

The chapel's heavy doors setting open, and sunlight blasted into the room. Gaara squinted his eyes, but when hee opened them, he saw her.

Standing in the doorway, with the sunshine wrapped around her, and the sun rays reflecting off the ladies' fine diamonds created he own limelight.

(Name) slowly took a step forward, her grip on the buckwheat flower bouquet growing stronger. She wanted to lower her head more than ever, but Gaara's words lingered in her head.

She was a queen.

(Name) kept her chin up, and walked gracefully. Her gaze brushed against Gaara's , and a smile formed on her face. He returned it gladly, happiness flooding his heart.

(Name) joined him a second later, and he quickly grasped her hand. The priest started to speak, but Gaara didn't pay attention to a single word. He was far too busy admiring the woman standing next to him. The time soon came for them to read their vows.

Gaara took in a deep breath as he turned to face (Name). Calmness took over when he laid his eyes on his bride. She gave him a small, reassuring smile that made his heart beat rapidly .

  " (Name), I met you when I thought all hope was lost. I in the darkness, and I had no desire to leave it. But you were willing to drag me out of my misery, and you have me a reason to live, (Name). You were the only person who ever made me happy, and you are the cure to the pain that's been haunting me. (Name), I promise too protect you, and no one would be able to hurt you. I promise to cherish you, the way I always had . I promise to make you happy, just like how you made me happy. Without you, I'll be like a lone moon in the sky , without the stars for company. (Name) , week you be the bride of this lonely man?"

A tear trickled down her cheek after hearing Gaara's words. She swallowed the lump in her throat as she began to say her own vows.

" Gaara, I always thought that I don't deserve you. You are of noble blood , but I'm just a commoner. But you looked past that , and you have me the love that I never tasted before.

You are someone I could always rely on, and you never cease doing so. You were there when I'm at my worst , without a destination . But you were always there, to support me.

Her voice grew slower as tears steadily dripped down her face.

" There's pretty much nothing I could give you. I have no wealth, nor influence. But you're still here for me. Gaara , I promise too give you all, and that I'd never leave you. I'll make you smile everyday , andI will make sure that you'll never fall into the darkness again. And yes, I will be the bride of this lonely man," she smiled.

" You may kiss the bride."

Gaara smiled at her before pulling her into a hug, and outward a soft, gentle kiss on her forehead. 

    " I love you so much, (Name) ," he whispered.

       " I love you too, Gaara."