King Of Fighters Fanfiction X Dead Or Alive

The proposal

Athena's concert was in two hours. Kensou was determined to propose to Athena that day, directly after the concert. He packed a nice suit, the ring he got her, the autographed ball from Alessandro Del Piero and some of his favourite nikuman prepared by Chin's wife.
"I'm gonna ace this," Kensou said to himself. "Yeah! You can do this, Kensou!"
They went for the concert and towards the end, he felt his fingers shaking as he held the guitar in his hands. Chin realised and was surprised.
"What is it, Kensou?" Chin whispered, concerned. "Though old, even my hands don't shake like that."
"N-Nothing master," Kensou stuttered.
"No there's something," Chim realised. "It's that proposal isn't it?"
"H-How did you know?" Kensou asked, surprised.
Chin chuckled.
"It's written all over your face, Ken," Chin said, giving him a toothy grin. "Come on, kid. You can do this!"
What made this conversation awkward was the fact that they were actually having it in the middle of the stage with Athena singing and Kaoru and Momoko as the chorus singers.
"Master, we're in the middle of the stage," Kensou said when he noticed how Athena glanced back at them. "We should talk later."
They played their parts and went backstage after signing some autographs. Not many people wanted their autographs, most of them were only interested in Athena.
"You can do this, Ken," Momoko said, giving his hand a comforting squeeze. "I'm sure she would say yes!"
"That's right, Ken," Kaoru added. "Propose to her. I feel like you're the right man for her. And she's the one for you."
Kensou gulped. Chin took the bag of stuff that Kensou packed and handed it to Kensou.
"Go get changed," Chin said. "Athena's busy with the crowd."
Kensou nodded and took the bag with shaking hands and went to the powder room to change. He even brought perfume to set the mood.
He changed and looked at himself in the mirror. He was wearing a light yellow dress shirt and a blue casual coat. He finished it with a pair of black slacks. He was going for his usual shorts but Kaoru didn't let him.
He looked at himself in the mirror and smiled. It was a shaky smile. He decided to practice.
"Will you- Will you marry me?" Kensou asked, genuflecting at his reflection. "No I look pathetic!"
He cleared his throat and tried again. This time, he found himself sounding much sterner.
"No no too harsh," Kensou said to himself. "Let's try again."
He tried again and again several times when someone knocked on the door.
"Oi!" Momoko shouted, opening the door to see Kensou genuflecting in front of the mirror. "Have you decided to proposal to yourself instead? Gosh, you're so lame..."
The others came in, with the exception of Athena, and saw how he was dressed.
"You look great," Chin said. "Now go! What's life without a little fun? Go propose to her!"
"You make it sound so easy..." Kensou said, getting up and stuffing his clothes into the bag.
"Well, I was like you too," Chin said with a smile. "I was anxious and panicky to propose to grandma. My father told me this: 'son, if you chicken out, you are gonna be miserable for the rest of your life because you're not gonna get her.' That's exactly what he told me."
Kensou nodded.
They all wished him luck and he grinned before leaving the room. Athena had just finished signing autographs and taking pictures. She sighed tiredly and entered the backstage area. She smiled when she saw Kensou walking towards her.
"Hey Kensou," Athena said with a smile. "You look nice. Where are you off to?"
"I-I wanted to go to Hinokicho Park," Kensou said. "You wanna come with me?"
"Sure!" Athena said with a bright smile. "Gimme a minute, I'll go get changed."
Athena went into her powder room and changed into a more casual outfit. They both put their bags in the car before going there in Kensou's rented motorbike.
Kensou gulped several times on the way. They finally arrived at Hinokicho and went it. Kensou felt his pocket to make sure that the ring was there.
They strolled in and admired the scenery. The picturesque park was lit with blossoming Sakura trees that seem to glow under the light of the lanterns. The cool night breeze gently blew their hair back. Kensou was glad that he chose to bring her here.
Athena took her phone out and started taking pictures of the breathtaking view.
"Nice place isn't it?" Kensou begin, trying to break the silence between them.
"Yeah!" Athena agreed, walking beside him. "This place is breathtaking!"
They strolled, talking about how nice the park was. They took pictures and smiled.
Kensou planned to propose to her when they come to the bridge. Kensou gulped when he saw it approaching in the distance.
"Kensou, are you okay?" Athena asked, a concerned look on her face. "You seem off..."
"What? No!" Kensou said, grinning to cover his anxiety. "What makes you think that?"
"Well, you keep gulping since the time we were riding here in the bike," Athena pointed out. "You okay? You're not sick or anything, are you?"
"Nah," Kensou said sheepishly. "It's just that... yeah..."
Athena chuckled and continued walking with him. They were nearing the bridge.
'I'll do it in the middle,' Kensou decided. 'It's more scenic there.'
They walked onto the bridge and looked around in awe.
"Can we stop at the centre of the bridge?" Athena asked suddenly. "I want to take some pictures and admire the scenery for a moment."
"Sure!" Kensou said, glad that he didn't have to ask her for the wait. "That would be nice!"
Athena chuckled and walked with him. Kensou's heart sped up the more they neared the centre of the bridge.
Athena stopped and took her phone out to take pictures. She was admiring the scenery when Kensou thought it would be the perfect time to take the ring out while Athena was distracted with her phone.
"A-Athena?" Kensou called to grab her attention.
"What is it, Ken?" Athena asked without turning away from her phone.
"I have something to say to you," Kensou began. "I don't know how you'd react to this, but... I have to say it."
"What is it?" Athena asked again, turning towards him. "What's up? You look kinda distraught."
Kensou took a deep breath and took the ring box out. He opened it and genuflected in front of her. Athena felt a little confused.
"Athena?" Kensou began. "Will you marry me? I-It's okay of you decline, I won't mind."
Athena's eyes grew wide. Kensou looked back up at her with hopeful eyes. The more she delayed, the faster Kensou's heart thumped.
"Kensou?" Athena said softly. "Is this a joke?"
Kensou managed to shake his head.
"No, Athena," Kensou said. "This is not a joke. It's real. Very real. I've liked you from the start. I liked you and wanted to protect you at all costs. I love you, Athena. I really do!"
Athena blinked a few times before letting out a little laugh.
"Yes!" Athena exclaimed.
"What?" Kensou asked, surprised.
"Yes!" Athena repeated. "I will! I will marry you, Ken!"
Kensou let out a surprised laugh and took the ring out of the box. He stood up and almost dropped the ring into the lake. With trembling fingers, he put the ring on her finger.
He looked into her eyes and she looked back at them. Athena suddenly threw her arms around Kensou and pulled him into a tight hug.
That was the start of their relationship.