Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, or any of the characters that appear in the anime/manga series. I like cake.

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I saw dirt, paint, and disgustingly gaudy orange clothing. I remember taking in the sight with amazement. You were being chased around Konoha again because of the silly stunts you were always pulling. Last week it was the rotten eggs inside all the public bathrooms. The week before, you pulled a stunt too. This time you painted the Hokage monument. And you say you're gonna be a Hokage someday. You really are foolish. Why couldn't you be more like Sasuke? Mature, smart, and much better choice in clothing. You, on the other hand, needed quite a lot of work in the growing up department.

I felt soft cotton, warm arms delicately wrapped around me, and a steady beating of your heart. You held me close as I cried, Sasuke's defection and subsequent death was almost too much for me to bear, but you were there. You, and Kakashi-sensei and the rest of the rookie nine were there to help me through my misery. I thought I loved Sasuke, but he left me, left us all. He took me for granted, took all the support and friendship and teaching that he was showered with like he deserved it all and left us as soon as something that seemed better came along.

I smelled flowers. A large bouquet of red roses, along with assorted wildflowers that certainly could not have been sold at Ino's family shop was thrust upon me proudly. You must have picked them yourself. They really were a mess, the flowers. Arranged in no discernable order, the mismatched pile somehow made sense, in your own way. It was comforting, to know that some things will always stay the same, regardless of what form it comes in. I placed the chaotic bouquet in a spare vase and headed out to our very first date. It was much more pleasant than I had expected, and I felt a sense of… longing? I felt like I should have taken advantage of your offers to go out sooner, should have spent my time with someone who would treat me well, instead of pining away idiotically for a boy that would never have me.

I tasted the chocolate-flavored ice-cream you had for dessert, the okonomiyaki we had before that, and various other sweets that we had picked up earlier. Your breath was warm, your arms holding me gently, and your kisses light and a bit teasing. It's a funny coincidence how the winter festival just happened to fall on our three month anniversary, since we became an 'official' couple. We wandered from stand to stand, having the time of our lives. You bought me all the little gifts I could possibly want, treated me like a princess. At the end of the night, we watched as fireworks were set off. You stood behind me and took me into your coat, sharing your warmth with me. You whispered sweet, sweet, meaningless words into my ears. Meaningless because all I could hear, all I needed to hear, were words. Just comforting, soothing words, in that special way of yours.

I heard the indistinct mutterings of the crowd. Although the size of the crowd was small, I felt it was rather better that way. It would have been a lot more nerve-wracking had there have been more people. I could hear the faint sniffles coming from behind me. I think that might have been Ino. Paying more attention to the event at hand, I tried to tune out all my thoughts, all my fears. Undoubtedly this will change my life completely, and honestly, I was really scared of it. I could barely remain composed enough to keep myself from fleeing, just to get away from it all. But it would all be over soon. I noticed you out of the corner of my eye. You wore a happy grin, and seemed for all intents and purposes, completely unfazed by the thought of what lay ahead. But then I noticed your shirt collar. It was soaked through, you were sweating that much. I grinned, despite trying to stop myself. I couldn't help it. This was the man I had fallen in love with; the man who would never give up, never give in, because he had learned long ago how to tame his fears, and how to use them to make himself a better person. This was the man that I had agreed to spend the rest of my life with.

Moments later, we shared our first kiss as husband and wife.