The Power within Innocence

Chapter 25 - Magical Wedding

Juo pov:

"Sumire sama! Yuki isn't here yet!" I paced in front of the shrine as I waited.

It was five fifteen in the morning; the air was chilly and there was the gentle light of the sunrise the lit the shrine courtyard. The sweet smell of dew drops hung in the air making this place fresh.

"Relax Juo. You are early. Yuki said she would be here by five thirty, right? Besides, she has to sneak out of the mansion. It's not as easy as it is for you....since she stays in a noticeable place. Don't worry, trust her." Sumire sama smiled.

"Of course I trust Yuki! But I'm worried! She has to leave the mansion without Hitoshi sama and Hirui sama knowing and it's dangerous! What if they find out?! What if....." I was silenced by a finger on my lips.

"Yuki is strong, Juo. You know that too. She'll be fine. And today is the day the two of you are going to get married. You are going to live together for the rest of your lives and....it is also the day you will take your rightful place as the Lord of this town. From now on, you will refer to the Ichijou family with common respect. You are to call them Hitoshi san and Hirui, just the way Yuki calls them. Do you understand?" Sumire sama instructed sternly.

"Hitoshi san and Hirui?" I asked softly. It was strange calling them that way. I was so used to being respectful to them because they expected me to be so.

"But Sumire sama, I...." I paused when I heard a rustle in the bushes behind me. I turned around and grinned widely when I saw Yuki, Arata and Akio walk out.

"Yuki! Arata! Akio!" I called and ran to them. We fell into a group hug and I drowned in the warm feeling when Yuki wrapped her arms around me to return my embrace. I closed my eyes with a sigh and inhaled her sweet scent deeply.

"Juo....I missed you." "We missed Juo nii chan!!" I laughed and pulled away.

I ruffled Akio and Arata's hair and they giggled as they clung to me with their arms around my waist. I looked up at Yuki, so happy to see her again. When I noticed Yuki watching me with that affectionate smile, my face felt warm. My heart skipped a beat in excitement! Yuki and I were going to get married today! We would be together all the time from now on!

I tensed for a moment as Yuki kissed me without any warning. It was a very quick contact of our lips but being all the more excited and flustered today, I was sure steam was coming out of my ears. Yuki only laughed at that and hugged me again.

"I love you, Juo.....and I'm so happy that we're getting married today." She mumbled into my shoulder.

"I love you too, Yuki. I'm so glad I met you and I'm so glad that you love someone like me...." I buried my face in her hair and she tightened her arms around me.

"Don't talk like that, Juo. Nothing is your fault. I got to know that...." Yuki paused, hesitating to say what she wanted to. She sighed and pulled away with a smile. "Let's not talk about this right now. We should be happy and look forward to the wedding, right? We can talk about everything else later."

"Hmm! I'm so excited!" I grinned, feeling the blush still linger on my face.

Yuki smiled and reached out to run her fingers through my hair. It was calming and all the negative thoughts of what would happen after the wedding faded away. I was just drowning in this moment of bliss....and I didn't want it to end.

"I notice your hair has grown longer." Yuki commented while rubbing a few strands of my hair at the tips.

I hadn't really gotten the time to cut it....not that I didn't have time, but I wasn't in the mood to. I hadn't seen Yuki for so long that I had been in such a daze. I had missed her terribly during the one and a half months I couldn't see her so I hadn't bothered about cutting my hair or cutting my nails or even reading anything that could teach me about the town's governance. Everything besides seeing Yuki had been unimportant at that time. But for the wedding today, I had cut my nails neatly, washed my hair and put on good clothes because I wanted to be presentable. My hair was still longer than before though....