Why did complete strangers keep coming up to talk to her?

Balding, sweaty men in expensive suits kept coming to her table and dropping comments on how lovely she looked and would the groom mind if he gave this business proposal to his father? Skinny, sour-faced women she had never spoken to or seen her life approached her table, gave her a painfully fake smile and complimented her dress. Even some old man with a bow tie and the faint smell of gin emanating from his suit kept drifting up to comment on how splendid this whole 'affair' was and how Gaara was the spit of his father.

Sakura had grown infinitely tired of strangers talking to her as though they'd been friends for years and desperately needed a catch up – she pulled a face at Gaara, who only smirked in return.

For all his smudged eyeliner and cigarette-smoking, Gaara couldn't really claim to be the bad boy he aspired to be – not when he so smoothly responded to every back-handed compliment, every sneaky attempt to get to his father through him and every tiny flirt with expert diplomatic skills. He might be a blunt, angry little teenager on the inside (with a tendency to sulk), but it was clear that he was more similar to Daddy-Gaara than he'd like to admit.

Sakura sat in the middle of a long table covered in a white cloth, red petals scattered everywhere (she just knew some idiot would manage to accidentally consume enough to complain to them about) and scented candles in real gold bowls. The plates were not gold, fortunately enough, but had a pattern of roses delicately entwining around the china.

Gaara sat on her left, his hand holding hers under the table, as was their wont. Sakura could hear music faintly streaming from the direction of the dance floor where the 'musical supervisor' – as Daddy-Gaara had actually looked at her in horror when she suggested a DJ – fiddled with some CDs and waved at their table.

"Oh God." Sakura groaned in realisation.

Gaara gave her an aside glance, his stiff smile slipping, "What?"

"We – we have to dance, don't we?" She spluttered in horror. Yes, she'd remembered all of the traditional aspects of a wedding and had followed them according to the norm in her small involvement with the planning of the wedding, but for some reason she had completely forgotten she would be required to dance.

With just her and Gaara on the dance floor, awkwardly swaying to some awful power ballad Daddy-Gaara undoubtedly loved, every guest secretly chuckling. The mocking she would get from Shikamaru alone would be unbearable.

"Shit." Gaara cursed quietly, glaring at his empty plate, "Surely they'll serve the food first?"

But Sakura had spotted something truly terrifying, Daddy-Gaara, in his beautiful designer suit, climbing onto the musical supervisor's platform to whisper in his ear, occasionally looking over at her and Gaara.

"No," She said faintly, "Daddy-Gaara's been looking forward to the first dance. He mentioned something about how he couldn't wait to see us dance, but I had assumed he was joking."

Gaara slumped in his chair, "If we don't do it, he'll be intolerable for years. There will be no end to his whining and complaining."

Sakura watched Daddy-Gaara pick up a CD and point to something on the back. Oh dear…

The musical supervisor – who was really just a glorified DJ who had treated her to an immensely long speech full of musical snobbery about modern pop music – picked up his microphone and tapped it, the sound echoing throughout the large hall.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, before we serve the dinner – smoked salmon and other delights! – we will be treated to the first dance between the newly married couple!" The man beamed at them, gesturing for them to come over.

"This is, to borrow from modern vernacular, 'going to suck.'" Sakura said gloomily.

Gaara stood up from his chair, adjusting his silk tie and placing his hat onto the table beside his plate.

He turned to her, hand extended, his expression resigned.

"We may as well please the crowd." Gaara said quietly, a touch of humour in his voice.

Sakura took his hand and they walked down to the dance floor. There was a grating scraping sound as hundreds of guests shoved their seats back and headed to the dance floor to watch.

"Is this some form of ritual humiliation?" Sakura murmured as they both carefully glided down the stairs, "Is there anyone I can sue about it?"

"Father." Gaara smirked.

"Oh goodie."

He led her to the middle of the highly polished dance floor, Sakura's mind bemoaning the health and safety issues of having such slippery floor intended for moving about wildly.

The lights dimmed, the candles still lighting the dinner tables, the floor quiet and dim.

Daddy-Gaara was grinning broadly.

To Sakura's dismay, a spotlight swung around to face them until they glowed in the gloom, their skin ghostly pale and Sakura's diamond ring sparkling.

Then, the music began.

"Don't try to explain your mind, I know what's happening here… one minute it's love and suddenly it's like a battlefield…"

Oh, hilarious, Daddy-Gaara. Yes, it was highly amusing that she and Gaara had had a flirty, angsty teenage war when they were young, but really? Their first dance?

Gaara's resigned expression melted away, his smirk growing amused. He placed his in the small of her back, holding her other hand aloft and suddenly –

They were off.

Like this, with the spotlight wildly veering around to keep them alight, with just her and Gaara clearly visible, Jordin Sparks singing in the background, Sakura locked eyes with her new husband and felt her tight, annoyed frown disappear, beginning to smile.

When it was just the two of them, it was amazingly perfect.

"My world's nothing when you're gone, I'm out here without a shield, can't go back now…"

Her dress swirled as Gaara lead the dance, his feet expertly painting a rhythm on the dance floor in time with the music – which Sakura was certain he had never heard before – the two of them spinning lightly around, hand in hand, never losing eye contact.

"I never meant to start a war, you know I never wanna hurt you, don't even know what we're fighting for…"

Sakura knew she was beaming at Gaara uncontrollably. He was smiling too, his expression soft and tender.

"Why does love always feel like a battlefield?"

As they danced together, Sakura could see familiar faces in the crowd of smiling guests, Ino tearing up but grinning at them, Temari filming it on her camera, Tenten cuddling up to Neji, his hand on her stomach, Kakashi, hands in pockets, posture slumped, trying to conceal his smile…

And Gaara's father, standing at the side of the stage, dabbing his silken handkerchief at his eyes.

When the song finally finished, Sakura and Gaara slowly swirled to a halt, smiling at each other fondly.

Gaara leant forward and pulled her into a hug, her forehead touching his chest.

"Love you, you know." He said gently, his voice almost inaudible.

"Love you too." Sakura pulled back to give him a kiss.

The lights came back on and the spotlight melted away.

Maybe it was too fast to be considered a slow dance, maybe the lyrics were more suited to past love's regrets, but as Sakura gazed at the guests, her cheeks pink and her breathing fast, she thought it couldn't have possibly been more perfect, her and Gaara twirling each other around the dance floor at such a fast pace, Gaara keeping her from falling onto her face, the lyrics spelling out how difficult their love had once been…

Sakura gave her friends an immensely happy grin, startling them.

Hinata returned the smile proudly.

The musical supervisor clapped, "How 'bout it folks? How romantic was that? And now, a selection of hits chosen by the Kazekage himself. Dinner will be served shortly."

Sakura and Gaara headed back to their table, their friends in tow.

"I didn't know you could dance, Gaara!" Shikamaru elbowed his friend with a lazy smirk, "You've been holding back."

"Don't ruin this moment for me," Temari barked, "I need to remember my little brother dancing with his bride for all eternity, OK?"

Even she was a bit misty-eyed.

"OK, I won't kill Daddy-Gaara just yet." Sakura decided.

"Excellent, do I still have time to compose a last will and testament? I'm planning on donating my funds to a local cat shelter, so your murder would be a public service." The Kazekage said dryly from behind them.

"You're pushing it." Sakura gave him a flinty-eyed glare, but it was half-hearted. That song had been the imperfectly perfect choice.

"Gaara, may I borrow your bride for a minute or two?" Daddy-Gaara ignored her threat and instead smiled charmingly at his son.

Gaara looked unimpressed.

"Return her in the same condition and without additional annoyance added." He said flatly, "And don't gush about how pretty she looks, she already knows and I don't want her getting a big head."

His smirk softened his words, making it obvious he was joking. Which was useful, because Gaara could deliver devastating verbal blows with a completely blank face, making it impossible to discern whether or not he meant it.

Daddy-Gaara bowed sarcastically, fluttering his hand in an odd sort of rich-man salute, careful not to spill a drop of his champagne.

"I am enormously grateful and in your debt." His smirk was disconcertingly similar to his son's.

"I have a choice in this matter," Sakura said coldly, in her Student Body President steely tones of pseudo-feminism that she used to adhere to, "And, alright then."

The group of them shared smirks. They always found it amusing when Sakura mocked herself, if only because it happened so rarely.

Daddy-Gaara took her arm and wandered off towards the musical supervisor, helping her up the platform.

Oh God, he wanted her to help choosing the songs.

Wait –

And suddenly, Daddy-Gaara had the microphone and was saying, "Testing, testing, hello everyone! My, it looks as though the most beautiful people in the country have gathered under one roof! To bear witness to –" He pulled Sakura closer to him, ignoring her wriggling attempts to escape, realising it was a speech, "my son and his beautiful fiancée finally tying the knot. I cannot adequately communicate how utterly pleased I am that my son has found happiness with such an intelligent, wonderful young woman. I have gotten to know Sakura over the years and I believe that I have grown to be something of a father figure for her. Her father, dreadful man of course, had that terrible accident in one of my own company cars!" He laughed. The guests laughed with him. Sakura kicked him. He carried on, tears of pain in his eyes, "What a scandal that was. Oh well, he survived, at least. I simply feel privileged to fill the hole in Sakura's life. The happy couple are genuinely lucky to have found each other so early in life. I ask that we all raise our glasses for a toast to the long-lived happiness of Gaara and Sakura, and that their love only grows stronger over time."

The guests all raised their flutes of champagne and chorused, "To the long-lived happiness of Gaara and Sakura!"

Then they broke off into some vague mumbling as they forgot what Daddy-Gaara had said and downed their champagne.

Sakura gave Daddy-Gaara a deeply unmoved look, "For what I can only assume was your gross parody of the Father of the Bride speech, you mentioned yourself a lot more than Gaara or I."

"Father of the Bride, Sakura," He smirked, "I only wished to let them all know you have my blessings and approval."

"Had to fight for it, though." Sakura pointed out coolly.

"There was no contest," He said warmly, "You were obviously in love with my son. That was all I needed."

Sakura coughed and rubbed her red cheeks, "Yes, well… ahem. Thanks."

He leaned closer and muttered, "By the way, I've bought the two of you a rather lovely house. I'll let you go back to Gaara now." He winked and melted into the crowd, calling after some leggy blonde.

Sakura rolled her eyes, feeling secretly thrilled about the house. Daddy-Gaara would never change.

xxxxxxxx

After Puppy Love started playing for the third time – the guests groaning in unison, Daddy-Gaara smirking – Sakura muttered to Gaara she needed some air.

She had seen Ino exiting out of the back where most of the smokers were lurking. Though the air would be tinged with smoke, it would certainly be fresher than the beer-soaked fumes the guests were currently breathing out, especially after the champagne had all been drunk within the first hour.

Sakura pushed the back door open where Ino had disappeared through and slipped outside, holding her dress up carefully to avoid dragging it across the stone steps outside.

The sun had long since set, so the sky was a deep blue speckled with stars, the moon shining down onto her little wedding party.

Ino had her hands on a man's face and she gave him the tiniest peck before drawing back to smile at him.

Sakura, who had assumed Ino had pulled one of the party guests, was just drawing herself up for a lecture when the man looked over at her and the lights from above the door outlined his face in achingly familiar detail.

Sasuke.

Oh my.

He immediately looked embarrassed, his hands on Ino's shoulders. She turned and gaped at Sakura.

"Oh my God –" She spluttered, "I am so, so sorry, I never wanted you to find out like this –"

"Ino," Sakura laughed, genuinely amused, "Don't worry about it. I'm actually really, really happy!"

The two of them looked stunned.

C'mon, she wasn't that much of a steely bitch that her friends had to be shocked whenever she acted nice, surely?

Sasuke hadn't had any steady girlfriends that Sakura knew of, not since their disastrous not-quite-relationship. Whenever he came to social gatherings or reunions, he went with Naruto, but without a date. His letters made out that he was happier alone, but the thought of him being happy with someone made Sakura feel oddly relieved.

"Are you together?" She asked, hardly daring to hope. Ino had been alone in that time too and had to bear hanging out with her friends, most of whom had partners and enjoyed PDAs.

Sasuke looked at her for a long moment, as though assessing whether or not she was being sincere, and then, very slowly, nodded.

Ino looked like she feared an explosion was imminent.

"How long for?"

She noticed the couple things they were displaying, Ino was automatically leaning into Sasuke and his arm was unconsciously around her back and they both kept looking at each, quick little glances like they thought the other would disappear if they didn't keep them in constant sight. Sakura remembered doing that with Gaara for ages.

"A year." Ino said cautiously.

Sakura put her hands on her hips, difficult to do when they were hidden under mounds of fabric, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I was afraid you would be angry." Ino said, her eyes watery like they always were when she was afraid of being told off.

Sakura smiled without her usual hint of ice or sarcastic twist. She felt a surge of happiness and tugged them both into a hug.

Sasuke seemed bewildered by the embrace, but Ino gladly returned the hug. She smelt of a mixture of flowers, freesias, roses and even the pungent smell of lilies and earth from her flower shop.

"Now you, bugger off," Sakura said teasingly, poking her finger at Sasuke, "Gaara might disembowel you if he sees you!"

Sasuke smirked, sharing another long look with Ino. Sakura absently noted that no matter how much he professed he loved her; he had never once looked at her like that, like she was the most beautiful creature that ever graced the Earth.

Sakura took out the letter that she had placed in her little bag, retrieved some red lipstick and gestured for Sasuke to turn around so she could use his back. He did so with a bemused look on his face.

The letter that she had spent hours composing, the one that poured out her feelings and told Sasuke how glad she was that they were friends, she wrote on the back of the envelope in lipstick: You and Ino make a lovely couple.

Then, she tidied up her hair, flashed them both a quick, sincere grin, and returned to the party.

There was the tiniest feeling of regret, perhaps sadness, but she knew it was about how she and Sasuke had ended things so badly, with him and Ino expecting Sakura to fly into a rage at the idea of her best friend dating her ex. Although the few times she had read a 'social magazine' told her that this situation was unusual and that she really ought to slap Ino in revenge, she had absolutely no desire to. Oddly enough, she was content in the knowledge that the two of them had found each other.

She inwardly smiled smugly, I am such a good person.

OK, maybe not, but points for trying, right?

xxxxxxxx

"I love you Shikamaru…" Naruto slurred, shoving his face in the other man's, smiling dopily at him.

Shikamaru unconcernedly pushed Naruto's face away with one finger. not even turning to look at him. Temari gave Naruto a ferocious glare and marked her territory with an arm slung around her boyfriend's neck.

Hinata good-naturedly held her boyfriend's hand as he came on to every single person in his line of sight. Inevitably, after about ten minutes of this behaviour, he always turned to Hinata, looking aghast, as though he had only just remembered he had a girlfriend.

He was an incredibly loving, touchy-feely drunk. Gaara had once punched him in the face when he tried to kiss Sakura.

"I love you sooooo much, Hinata-chan." Naruto planted a sloppy kiss on his girlfriend's cheek, "Marry me! It'll be in a church with ramen everywhere and… and… ninjas and stuff and…"

He slumped in his seat, snoring lightly.

Hinata stifled a giggle and mopped up some food Naruto had spilled on himself.

It must be love, Sakura thought dryly.

"Ahem." Kankuro coughed into the microphone, looking very, very awkward in his suit standing in front of everyone.

Oh, she'd forgotten about the best man speech.

Daddy-Gaara probably wished it was him, just so he could wax lyrical about how awesome a father he was again.

Gaara was watching Kankuro with no small amount of amusement.

"Er, OK, here it is guys. My bro over there used to have serious anger problems. He was wild and uncontrollable. And then he met a pink-haired, stern Student Body President who wouldn't take his shit lying down. They went through a lot together before they eventually kissed and made up, but I know how hard it was for Gaara, changing like that for someone. I know Sakura appreciates the effort it took him. I also know that no one in the world is more perfect for my little brother than Haruno Sakura. She's tough, badass and scary as hell. She's also funny, kind and has the patience of a saint. The two of them make an odd, but awesome couple. I know they'll last because not only is Gaara stubborn as hell, Sakura is the single most determined individual I have ever met. I've watched her sit with a pile of twisted coat hangers and slowly untwist them for like an hour. Seriously. So anyway, before people start crying or whatever, I made the wedding cake for my bro and my new sister-in-law, and I really hope they like it. They should, it looks fucking awesome." Kankuro spoke into the microphone, grinning stupidly at the two of them.

And then a man appeared from around the corner, wheeling a massive trolley with hugest cake Sakura had ever seen.

She couldn't even tell how many tiers there were. It was white, obviously, with pink icing. It was rectangular and extremely tall. The icing glittered in the candlelight as it was brought past the tables. It had little pink flowers decorating the sides which, as it got closer, Sakura identified them as cherry blossoms with a smile. On the side, a massive red kanji had been drawn in icing, identical to the tattoo on Gaara's forehead.

Sakura laughed out loud when the cake grew closer and she spotted the little figures sitting on top.

The little mini bride had a prim, stern look on her face. She was wearing exactly the same wedding dress as Sakura, only she also had a gold, glittery sash on that had 'Student Body President' in minuscule letters on it. Underneath the glittering veil, the mini bride had very pink hair.

The tiny groom had blood red hair and a kanji drawn on his forehead. He had eyeliner smudged around his eyes. He was wearing a tux. A tiny cigarette dangled out of his mouth. He was holding what appeared to be a detention slip in one hand and a can of spray paint in the other.

Both figures appeared to be heavily armed, presumably a reference to their oh-so-funny past war, and a banner that flowed between announced proudly, 'LOVE IS WAR.'

Good God.

Kankuro pointed at the musical supervisor, who nodded.

A bouncy, screamy song blared out with lyrics like, 'War situation still a drawback, love is blind, yes I will be awaken by your kiss…'

Overall the effect was rather impressive, she and Gaara craning their necks to get a good look at this towering monstrosity of confectionary that appeared to come with its own theme tune.

"Wow." Sakura said, amazed.

Gaara could only nod, awed.

xxxxxxxx

Temari and Shikamaru were slow dancing, both with blissfully happy expressions. Hinata was quietly falling asleep next to her snoring boyfriend, sinking down in her chair, a smile on her face. Tenten and Neji were talking to each other, sitting on some of the chairs that had been abandoned next to the dance floor, Neji massaging one of Tenten's swollen ankles, both of them looking incredibly peaceful and happy.

Sakura had received a text from Ino saying, thank you so much. You are my best friend and I'm so happy you aren't upset because it would kill me to hurt you. Sasuke and I started talking for real after he beat my P.E. scores and I complained to him. He offered to train me, help my running be more efficient, quicker. We spent a long time running together, until it got to the point where we both knew how we felt without having to talk about it with each other. The only thing that stopped us from being together straightaway was the thought of losing you as a friend. Thank you for understanding, and congratulations on your wedding! Xxxxxxxx

Sakura had saved the message with a grin.

She saw Daddy-Gaara drunkenly chasing the leggy blonde (whose legs made her rather fast), her giggling and shrieking the whole time.

The guests had begun to drift out of the door, all of them stopping to make a comment about how wonderful the evening had been, content smiles on their tipsy faces, expensive clothes ruffled from the energetic dancing Daddy-Gaara's music had brought on.

Sakura gave Gaara a meaningful look and stood. He copied her, taking a moment to grab some things from the table.

Without having to say anything, they headed outside and sat down on the stone steps outside, Sakura having realised that she would never, ever wear this dress again and it didn't really matter if she ruined it, and Gaara blatantly not caring about scuffing his suit.

Gaara pulled a cigarette out of nowhere and light it with the lighter that never left his pocket. He inhaled deeply and slowly breathed out smoke, looking up at the stars.

The back door was still open a crack, so they could hear the faint strains of Cheryl Cole's 'Fight for this Love,' and the laughter of the remaining guests.

Gaara handed her one of the beers he had taken from the wedding table after opening it with his teeth.

He took a hearty gulp, she took a delicate sip and grimaced. Though it had become a sort of ritual for them, she still couldn't appreciate the taste of beer.

"Just us again." Gaara commented, turning to gaze at her, his eyes yellow-green under the electric light from above, his smile still a beautiful thing to behold after four years of being privileged enough to see it.

"Just how we like it." Sakura agreed, smiling back at him.

They both held the little figures from the cake, Gaara played with mini-Sakura, absently fiddling with the sash and Sakura had mini-Gaara in her lap.

Then, without having to say anything, they both leaned in at the same time and shared another kiss as man and wife, the taste of beer and cigarette smoke distinct and familiar on each other's lips.

I know. I know, guys. It's over. Man, I really loved writing this. I'm pleased I've finished it though, because it means I'll be able to focus on my new(ish) GaaSaku NaruHina fanfic, Speak Up, Calm Down. But oh my goooooood, I'm gonna miss writing these guys!

Shikamaru, btw, is over Sakura, but there is definitely something special about first love. In the same way that Sasuke and Sakura will always have a connection (platonic, though), so will she and Shikamaru.

This was both really fun and REALLY HARD to write. If there is anything I have forgotten or you wish I had added, please review or message me telling me what it is and I might just edit this chapter to add your desired changes.

The Student Body President and the Delinquent are married! And, by the way, I wouldn't be surprised if there was a bun in Sakura's oven soon :D

I really, really hope you all like this. It took a heck of a lot of effort. I feel like I've pulled a muscle somewhere after writing this! XD

For those who despised Sakura's father, are you glad that Daddy-Gaara… arranged something? ;D

Daddy Gaara has incredibly terrible taste in music (though I like Jordin Sparks and Cheryl Cole!). I was referring to his love for slushy gushy 80/90s power ballads.

If anyone can tell me what the song that plays when Kankuro shows off his cake is called without googling it, I will give you a virtual cookie and a heck of a lotta love.

Cannot fathom how I managed to forget to mention this: Sakura is currently training up to become a teacher. She's already guaranteed a job at her old school, Tsunade already considers her a worthy successor as head of the school and this ex Student Body President will soon be patrolling the corridors of her school once more, her name still considered legendary as one of the toughest, strictest, yet fairest Presidents the school had ever seen. In her spare time she writes articles about schools and secretly dabbles in Gaara's work, going through his paperwork and correcting his oversights.

Kankuro has opened his own bakery, but once he inherits the business he'll convert it into a chain of bakeries - of which Gaara will be Head of Security and his aide in financial matters. Daddy-Gaara secretly approves.

Temari plans on proposing to Shikamaru soon, who will be exasperated by her stealing his role, but will still say yes and be happy about it too.

Sasuke and Ino are taking things very slowly out of respect to Sakura, but are very fond of each other secretly.

The Hyuugas had massive problems with Hinata dating Naruto at first, but are coming round. Hiashi's invited Naruto to Christmas this year, but will simply use it as an excuse to threaten his life if he ever gets his daughter pregnant or breaks her heart.

Tenten and Neji are having twins, btw.

I know this story is very anti-Sasuke, but the Sasuke I'm writing about is pre-timeskip Sasuke, not dickhead, treacherous bastard shippuden Sasuke, so I wanted him to have a happy-ish ending.

I hope none of you hated him getting together with Ino. I tried to give little hints during the fic, I hope that even if it surprised you, you liked it :)

Daddy-Gaara still controls his company with an iron-grip, but will happily give it up to Kankuro after a few more years. While he remains a notorious playboy, he is content loving the memory of his wife and stays happily single (married in his mind). He bought Sakura and Gaara a house (and a crib, to their disgust), and tried to persuade Sakura into taking a tour of Europe with Gaara. Sakura, far too concerned about jabs and passports and the ramifications of leaving her training course for longer than ten seconds, absolutely refuses. Gaara may change her mind soon.

Well, that's it. The end ;(

I'll miss you all! *throws love around like glitter*

Last poll for Student Warfare: Did you enjoy this fic?

A) Meh, it was OK.

B) Holy cheeseballs it was awesome!

C) Utterly shite, it offended my eyes.

D) Other! Let me know!

Exeunt!