Chapter 95: Yes, I Do
Time sure can fly by so fast. A year just ended and a new one just started a few months ago.
"Kaori-san, please close your eyes. I'll be applying makeup to your eyes now."
"Oh, okay."
I close my eyes and the makeup artist starts to put on eye shadow on my eye lids. While she's doing my makeup, her co-worker works on my hair and some people from Marriage Contract comes by the room to document all the preparation with photos and videos; they also go around to the other rooms and places to take photos and videos of everyone else. I heard that some of them are already at the botanical garden, taking photos and videos of the set up and small preparations that are left.
Everything feels surreal at the moment; dating him seemed like it was just yesterday. At first, I was just dating Ai and then I started living with him and then he proposed to me and we were just planning for the wedding last year and now I'm going to get married to him. I really am getting married today...
*knock knock*
"So how are you, Ms. Yamashita?"
"Good morning, Ms. Katsura."
She approaches me and upon seeing the progress of my makeup and hair, she smiles.
"You look very beautiful. I'm excited to see you walk down the aisle today; I'm sure Mr. Kisaragi and everyone else will be stunned."
"I'm excited and nervous!"
"Oh dear, there's nothing to be nervous of. Today is an important day for the both of you; you two must enjoy and savor it as much as you can. A day like this will only come once in your life. Everyone will make sure that it will be a day that the two of you will never forget."
"Thank you, Ms. Katsura. Thank you, everyone."
They all smile back as they resume their work.
Some time has passed and they finally finished with my hair and makeup. I didn't know it would take this long; now I understand why it always took so long for the bride to arrive at the wedding venue in the weddings I've attended before especially when I was a kid.
"Wow..." those words left my mouth when I looked at myself at the mirror. My makeup wasn't heavy but not too light either and my hair was just absolutely beautiful. Is this really my reflection? Is that really me? A goofy smile forms on my face as I ponder on those silly questions.
"Ms. Yamashita, let's get you into your dress now. We'll help you get it on as well as your veil."
"Thank you very much."
Once the dress was on, I couldn't help but stare at myself at the mirror with an expression of disbelief.
"Whaaa! Ms. Yamashita! Please stop crying!" my makeup artist quickly goes thru her makeup kit to get the products she needs for retouching my makeup. Her assistant on the other hand quickly gives me some tissues and helps me wipe my tears away with minimal damage to the makeup that's already on my face.
"I'm sorry." I say as I try to stop my tears from flowing any further. "I'm just filled with such mixed emotions that I couldn't contain them. I feel like I'm going to burst into confetti or something."
My makeup artist and her assistant laugh.
"That's alright! It's normal to feel whatever you're feeling right now." The assistant says.
"We've had brides that would cry a river before the ceremony. There were some who couldn't stop crying in time for the ceremony so they walked down the aisle with tears. Haha. I had to do some major retouching after the ceremony before she could go to the reception. Haha." My makeup artist says as she fixes my makeup.
"Really? That's good to hear; so I'm not crazy at the moment then. I'm sane. I'm sane."
They once again laugh at me.
"You're just too happy. A happy little girl." She says.
Her assistant starts putting on the veil over my head while my makeup is still being retouched. The veil is very soft and it follows my movements; it's so pretty especially the headband-like piece where my favorite hair clip is used as one of the decorations.
"There we go. You're ready to go, Ms. Yamashita." My makeup artist says.
"Now I feel like crying just looking at you." The assistant says as she holds some tissues in her hands.
"Ms. Yamashita, you look extremely wonderful!" Ms. Katsura says as she enters the room. "We should have you model for our company's dresses next time!" She looks at me from different angles. "I should tell my cameramen to get shots of you from different angles; you look good wherever I look from."
"How are the others?" I ask all of a sudden.
"No need to worry about them. They're all at the garden already waiting for you, including the groom."
"Oh, then shouldn't we hurry?"
"Ms. Yamashita, calm down. You don't need to hurry, my dear. They just finished preparing earlier than expected and well, the boys are practicing while waiting for the ceremony to start."
"How diligent of them. I hope they don't tire themselves."
"They seem to be full of energy when I passed by the garden before coming here. I would say they keep sounding better and better; you'll definitely have a great performance all throughout your wedding and reception."
"I can't wait to hear them sing! Ai and I were so surprised when they requested to sing for our wedding and reception."
"Your friends love you and Mr. Kisaragi very much; they were very determined to make me allow them to sing for your wedding." She chuckles a little. "I agreed because they already had your permission but also because I thought it would be good business for the live broadcast coverage of your wedding. Haha."
"Haha. Business minded as always." Ms. Katsura is very considerate of her customers not only because she really cares about their wedding but also because she cares about the business aspect.
"I just remembered, some of the guests haven't arrived yet such as Saotome, Tsukimiya, Hyuuga, and your family."
"My family?"
"Yes. They just left their hotel a few minutes ago and are now on their way to the garden. Then for Saotome and the two, they're on their way as well."
*beep beep beep beep*
Ms. Katsura takes out her phone. "Hm? Excuse me for a moment, I'll be right back."
"Okay."
"Also, Ms. Nanami and Ms. Shibuya will be accompanying you to the wedding venue since they're staying at a nearby hotel; they'll ride in the bridal car with you."
I nod at Ms. Katsura when one of the staff approaches me.
"Ms. Yamashita, could you please sit down over there? I want to fix your hair and veil a little."
"Oh, sure."
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Ms. Yamashita sure is brimming with beauty; thank goodness that she slept well or else she won't be in top condition for today. According to my subordinates' messages, the preparations at the garden are complete and the guests are almost complete. We'll leave in twenty minutes then; I should notify Ms. Nanami and the driver.
I open a thick folder that I have been holding all this time.
One last overview. There will be two bride's maids—Yui, Kaori's best friend since grade school, and Yamashita Chisako, the wife of Kaori's older brother. Next, there will be two best men—Yamashita Kurosuke and Kotobuki Reiji. The ring bearer is Hijirikawa Masato. The flower girls are Nanami Haruka and Shibuya Tomochika. The flower boys...requested by Tsukimiya...are Tsukimiya Ringo, Hyuuga Ryuuya, Obi, and Tabi...this would be the first time I've had flower boys and dogs in charge of flower throwing or in this case, showing; not a bad idea but it's a little weird as it is the first time for something like this to happen. Ms. Yamashita and Mr. Kisaragi will surely be surprised about this.
Hmm. After making some calls, I should proceed to the wedding venue.
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"Good morning, Mr. Kisaragi! The wedding venue is this way."
I follow the young man who works for Marriage Contract. He leads me to an area somewhere at the inner back portion of the garden where I'm taken by surprise—the wedding venue looks wonderful. Everything is organized well and though I've seen the layout of the place and pictures of the designs, having them on front of me right now is just amazing.
"Good morning, Ai-senpai!" Syo says.
"Ai-chan! Good morning! You look great!" Natsuki says as he comes to hug me.
"Look at you! You're looking fine and dandy, Ai-Ai!" Reiji says as he puts an arm over me.
"You're all here early. Were you all practicing?"
"That's right!" Syo gives me a thumb up. "We all got ready early and went over here to practice the songs we'll be singing for the ceremony and reception. I swear on my life, we're going to sound so good that you'd praise us all after!"
"I look forward to it then."
Syo smiles greatly at my remark.
"However, should I find a flaw or think that you did not live up to your statement just now, I'll have to re-educate you all and of course I won't go easy on any of you."
"W-Whaaa! Y-Yes, sir! C'mon Natsuki, I don't want to go back to the dark eras!"
"Syo-chan, w-wait! See you later, Ai-chan!"
Natsuki gets dragged back towards the area where everyone was practicing.
"Hey Ai-Ai...that doesn't apply to your fellow Quartet Night mates, right? Right? Hehe...?" Reiji asks me hesitantly.
"Well, he did say 'we' meaning everyone who is part of the so called choir. You, Ranmaru, and Camus are part of the choir, right?"
"Haha...is that so..." Reiji's smile becomes a little crooked. "Well...See you later, Ai-Ai! I'm going to go back to everyone and continue practicing! Congratulations on getting married and I can't wait to see you both later!"
And there he goes; quick as ever.
"Oh! The garden looks so beautiful!"
I turn towards the voice and see Kaori's mother and father arrive; Kuro is with them as well.
"Hey, how are you? Good morning, Ai!"
"Good morning, Kuro."
"I'd like to stay and chat a bit but I have to take Obi and Tabi to the staff and introduce them to the two guys who'll handle them during the ceremony."
"Sure."
"See you later!"
Kuro leaves immediately to attend to Obi and Tabi. I wonder how those two are; they'll be so adorable later when they walk down the aisle.
"Good morning, Miw—"
Kaori's mother smiles at me but her smile seems to send me a message...
"Um...Good morning, mother, father."
"Hohoho, good morning Ai-kun! You look so handsome."
"Thank you very much. You look wonderful and father looks good too."
"You're such a sweet one, aren't you? Well, Hiroyuki looked awful before we left the house."
"Did something happen? Was he feeling unwell?"
"Oh heavens, no. He was crying and ended up consuming two boxes of tissues; he was brawling like a little child. I thought he wasn't going to stop and got me worried that we might not be able to come!"
"Ack! You didn't have to mention that, Miwa!" Father says with an embarrassed tone.
"Hmph. I'm telling him now so that he won't worry or anything when you start crying again later. Try not to cry when you walk Kaori down the aisle later, okay?"
Father's eyes start to water. "Don't...don't say that!" He starts sniffing a little.
"Hey! Don't cry now! The wedding hasn't even started yet, silly!"
Mother hands him a box of tissue; she's prepared.
"Well, we'll go sit down now and wait. The ceremony will be starting soon."
"Okay. Thank you very much for coming and thank you very much for allowing me to take Kaori as my wife."
"Take care of our one and only daughter, Ai-kun. I'm sure you'll be a good husband to her."
"If you make her cry, I will definitely look for you and hunt you down! You hear me?!"
"Dear, you don't sound very convincing when you're on the verge of crying."
"Mom, dad, long time no see." An unfamiliar voice says.
Kaori's parents and I turn to the voice. A tall man who is accompanied by a woman comes towards us.
"Kei-kun, you made it and Chisako too!" Mother says.
The man looks at me from head to toe. "You're the man that my sister is going to be marrying?"
I nod. He must be Keima, Kaori's older brother; he's somewhat intimidating. The woman he's with, named Chisako, is his wife.
Keima sighs. "I should have taken a vacation when you went to meet the family. If I did, I might have been able to test you to the bones and see if you really are a good person. I can't believe she's getting married already...she's still quite young to get married but it's not like I have the right to scold her about that since I too got married quite early. There's nothing I could do now. Oh well. You take care of my troublesome sister, okay? Don't let her health decline, don't spoil her so much, don't let her do anything reckless, don't..."
He continues on saying several things about Kaori; some were repetitive. He seems to be protective of Kaori though he was not present most of the time to take care of her; it seems that Kuro is the most lenient among them all. I get the chance to talk to him and his wife for a while before they decide to go and sit. Not long after, the place starts getting crowded as more of the guests arrive.
"Ai-chan!" Ringo has arrived together with Saotome and Ryuuya.
"Good morning, Ringo, Ryuuya, and Saotome. Thank you for coming today."
"Gooooood morrrrrning! Today is a day where the love of two starrrsss will be locked togetherrr for eterrrnityyy! I wouldn't miss this for sure! May you both give birth to wonderful music that this world will forever love! " Saotome is eccentric as usual. He seems to be genuinely happy and excited for me and Kaori; I'm happy to know that.
"Mikaze, congratulations on getting married. I wish you two the best of luck." Ryuuya extends his hand and I take it.
I turn to Ringo and see him wearing a suit; it's quite new to the eyes but he doesn't look bad at all.
"Ai-chan, you look great! I'm sure Kaori will fall in love with you all over again!" he laughs.
"I'm quite sure that I'll be the one who'll fall in love all over again when I see her later."
Ringo and Ryuuya laugh.
"Ai-chan." Ringo gets close to me and talks to me in a lowered voice. "So where will the honeymoon be?" He asks with a grin. "Are you ready for it?" He asks while nudging my arm. His giggling is quite disturbing.
"I'm sorry but that's something even Marriage Contract doesn't know. I don't intend to let anyone know any details at all; I'm making sure that no one will be disturbing us. We'll just simply disappear after today. That's all I can say."
A staff member from Marriage Contract suddenly comes and says out loud, "Excuse me everyone, please go to your respective positions. The guests are all complete and the bride has arrived! We'll be starting the ceremony in a few minutes!"
"Wha! Kaori is here! Let's go Ryuuya! We have to get the dogs and flowers!" Ringo starts pulling Ryuuya by his arm.
"Tell me again how on earth did I become a flower boy for this wedding?!" Ryuuya asks angrily.
"Oh stop complaining and pretending! The moment I mentioned about the dogs, you agreed to be one when I asked you! Now, come on and let's get going!" Ringo pulls him away.
Hm, does Ryuuya like dogs?
Everyone starts to move. The media goes to their stations, attending to their cameras and other equipment. The wedding sponsors and escorts go to their positions as well as the guys who'll be singing.
Here I stand at the end of the aisle by the altar, waiting for the woman whom I'll be with for the rest of my life. A mixture of excitement, joy, and nervousness dwells within me; I can't seem to choose between smiling or not.
As I try to confront the unexplainable and conflicting emotions growing inside of me, I hear a small laughter from the two people standing behind me.
"Just relax, Ai. Don't be so tense! I can feel the tension from here. Haha." Kuro says.
"He's right, you know! If you meet Kaori-chan with an expression and tension like that, she won't know what to think or feel, Ai-Ai! Just loosen up and smile, you lucky boy!" Reiji says.
"I'll try to relax."
"And smile!" the two of them say in unison.
"Yes." I take a deep breath and hold it in a little before exhaling.
"Hahahaha! I've never seen you this nervous before! You've never been like this during any show or live performance. It's so fresh to the eyes to see you like this; you're so adorable when you lose your cool. Haha. Kaori-chan is the only person in the world who could make you like this!" Reiji says in amusement.
"Sis must have magic on him. Haha. She took your heart and next is your life!" Kuro says jokingly.
I smile at his remark. "Then I'll gladly offer my life to her. In exchange, I'll have hers as well which I'll care for for eternity."
The music starts to play and everyone becomes quiet and excited. I, too, am excited; I'm excited to see Kaori in her wedding dress and to tell her just how much I love her. If I could talk to my old self, he must be spending the time scolding me on just how flawed my logic becomes due to one person alone; my way of thinking no longer becomes straight at the thought of her.
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I take a deep breath as I stand here a few meters away from everybody else hidden from plain sight; the aisle is just around the corner. At the moment, the wedding ushers and sponsors are walking down the aisle going to their positions as the music plays; I can hear the guys singing from here and I can say that they really sound great. Ms. Katsura told me that she'll give me a signal when it's my time to walk down the aisle. I feel really really excited and nervous at the same time. I want to hide away but at the same time I just want to go to Ai. I wonder how he looks at the moment. I want to see him already. I want to hug him. I want to kiss him. I want to tell him I love him very much.
After a while, Ms. Katsura approaches me. "Ms. Yamashita, it's almost your turn to walk down the aisle. Please walk slowly so that you can avoid stepping on your dress and tripping."
"Okay. I'll remember that."
"Your father will walk you down the aisle. He's already in position, waiting for you at the opposite side." She looks over at the people who are walking down the aisle. "It will be your turn shortly after a while."
"Um, Ms. Katsura, did you do my request a little while ago?"
"Ah yes, I gave your father a pack of tissue and one box to your mother in preparation for when your father goes to his seat after walking you down the aisle. I assigned one of our staff to be in charge of providing tissue for your father for when he starts crying at any moment during the ceremony and reception so do not worry."
"Thank you very much and I'm sorry for the inconvenience. My papa can be quite...um...sensitive." Is that the right word?
Ms. Katsura watches the people walking down the aisle and after a few minutes, she smiles and says to me, "Ms. Yamashita, the time has come; you're next. This way please."
She guides me to my father and tells us to take our time in walking.
"Kaori, you look very beautiful." Papa says in a trembling voice. "I thought that I would get to walk you down the aisle on your wedding day. I really thought that you'd stay single forever since you were always ignoring your suitors and rejecting their efforts. Huhu. Next thing you know, I'll be holding my grandchild in my arms!"
"W-Wha! Papa, that's too fast! I'm only about to get married and you're already thinking of grandchildren! Also, don't cry yet! We haven't started walking yet! Y-You'll look horrible if you start crying now and the tissues will run out quickly; at least hold it until you get back to your seat where a box of tissue is waiting for you."
Papa nods and does his best to hold his tears as he offers his arm. I wrap my arm around his and at Ms. Katsura's signal, we start walking down the aisle. The aisle starts some meters before the wedding area itself. As we walk further down the aisle, I start feeling heavy and my heart starts to beat quickly due to nervousness.
"You should relax, my dear daughter. You're starting to look like Ai a while ago."
"Eh? Ai? Was he nervous too?"
"Haha. Very! He was just like this when one of the staff announced that you were already here. Don't worry though, Kuro and Kotobuki-san are fixing him up."
I breathe in and then out. "Then I should relax too for both of our sakes."
Papa smiles and holds my arm and hand firmly as we continued to walk. The music and the guys' voices fill the air and it gets louder and louder as we walk down further.
"Congratulations on getting married, Kaori. We're all happy for you; we're happy that you've found someone who loves you more than you love him." He chuckles.
"Oh Papa!" I chuckle. "Thank you but then I still think we're too young to get married. Is it really okay?"
"Well, mama and I did think that you are still a little too young to get married but we were okay with it since the man you introduced to us was a good one plus you're both working and capable of providing for yourselves; you're both mature minded too so it's okay. As long you're happy and being taken care of and loved, then there's no problem. Besides, me and your mother don't' exactly have the right to lecture about marrying early since I got married to your mama when I was eighteen and she was nineteen. Oh! But we only did that since we were both working; we were stable then. At least you're getting married at an older age than we did."
"Papa, do you think I deserve to marry Ai?"
"Now what kind of questions are you thinking just before getting married? You don't have to think about things like that anymore. He chose you, didn't he? And you chose him, right? From the moment that you two decided, it should have been clear to the both of you that you both love each other, want to spend the rest of your lives together, and that you both felt and thought that you deserved one another. Stop thinking about things you don't need to think about! You must be happy and bright by the time I hand you over to Ai."
I chuckle at his remark. "Okay. Thanks again, papa."
"You can always count on this old man of yours!" He says proudly. "You can come back to me any time for whatever reason!"
"Haha. But I think I'll be in good hands, papa. So I think I won't be returning to you any time soon."
"N-Nooo..."
"D-Don't cry! We'll surely visit you time to time! Uh well...that is when you're in the country and not at work abroad though. W-We'll keep in contact as usual!"
I felt like I was talking to my papa for an hour or so but in reality, only a few minutes have passed. I could hear the music getting even louder and I see the flower arch that Marriage Contract made. That means, once I go thru that arch, I'll be able to see everyone, including Ai.
I silently have a countdown in my head, counting how many seconds left before I see everyone past the flower arch.
5...4....3...2...1...
My eyes widen in surprise when I see the whole area. The garden...it gives off the feeling of walking on top of water and into the sky. Wherever you look, the place seems so beautiful and heavenly. The weather is wonderful and the subtle blowing wind makes the flowers look like they're dancing or shining; it also bring the scent of the flowers everywhere. The rain of flowers is enchanting; watching them float gently down from the trees to the floor makes me feel like I'm truly in a good dream. Looking around, I see all of our dear friends and family; it really feels like you're in heaven or something like that. When I turn to look forward, right there at the end of the aisle, Ai is there smiling at me as he watches me walk towards him; he looks so handsome.
"Hey now, don't cry or get overly excited; I can feel you shaking." Papa whispers to me.
"Y-Yes." I whisper back at him.
We reach the end of the aisle and papa talks a little to Ai; I can't hear what they're saying since they're whispering to one another. As they talk, I look around me for a while and I feel so happy seeing the people dear to me all here smiling and feeling happy.
Papa then turns to me and then says, "It's time for me to let you go. I love you and I pray for your happiness with him."
"Thank you, papa. I love you too."
I hug papa and turn to Ai. Just like me, his face holds a really happy smile.
"You look beautiful, Kaori. Very beautiful. I was taken by surprise when I saw you." He says as he offers his left hand to me.
"You look very good too. So handsome that I started getting nervous as I walked down the aisle." I say shyly as I take his hand.
He chuckles. "I know. I saw. It was cute."
I stand beside him on front of the altar but unlike most couples, we were holding hands during the ceremony. I think that Ai could tell that I was feeling nervous the whole time; I'm glad that he didn't let go of my hand. Now that I think about it, he never lets me go no matter what happens and no matter what reason.
Today really is wonderful; everything feels like a dream. The place, the people, the atmosphere...it's all perfect. I have no words to say or to think at all. I'm so happy. Very happy.
I steal a glance at Ai and the smile on his face hasn't disappeared at all. I wonder what is he thinking; is he thinking of the same things? Is he feeling as happy as I am? Hmm...is he hungry too? Haha.
The ceremony went on and on and the next thing I knew was that it was time to exchange our rings and vows.
The minister asks, "Do you, Kisaragi Ai, take Yamashita Kaori as your lawful wife?"
"Yes, I do."
"Do you, Yamashita Kaori, take Kisaragi Ai as your lawful husband?"
"Yes, I do."
Masato comes to me and Ai to present the wedding rings to us.
Ai takes the ring that is for me. He takes my left hand and says, "I, Kisaragi Ai, take you, Yamashita Kaori, as my beloved wife, to have and to hold from this day onward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in times of sorrow and of happiness, in sickness and in health, until death do us part." He then puts the ring on my ring finger. "I'll forever be loyal and loving to no one else but you." He says softly.
I then take the ring that is for him and do the same. "I, Yamashita Kaori, take you, Kisaragi Ai, as my beloved husband. I promise with all my heart to be true to you in good times and in bad times, in sickness and in health. I will love and honor you all the days of my life. I will love you and stay by your side always until death do us part." I then put the ring on his ring finger. "I, too, will be loyal and loving to no one else but you, Ai. Forever."
The minister smiles and says, "How wonderful; you two are the cutest couple I've ever seen."
Everyone laughs at the minister's comment.
The minister then proceeds to say, "You may now kiss the bride."
Ai and I look at each other. I feel my cheeks getting warm as Ai carefully raises my veil. The moment I see his face, clearer because the veil is no longer in the way, I can't help but smile and feel embarrassed at the same time.
"...You look so handsome, Ai." I unconsciously say as I stare at him.
He looks at me for a few seconds and then chuckles. Realizing what I just said, I start to get embarrassed.
"I don't think that will ever change."
"Eh?"
"Even though we've been together for a long time now, you still get embarrassed or shy around me; that hasn't changed over time."
"I've told you many times before, I can't help it because I love you a lot and because of that I become cautious or conscious of myself and you. You should know that by now." I feel my cheeks getting warmer than before.
"I know. I know. I just prefer to hear you say why every time because it's so cute to see you speak so honestly."
I pout a little. "You just love to tease me, don't you?"
He chuckles a little. "Well, that's because I want to see the expressions you make that are only for me. Also, it's because I love you a lot; a whole lot."
He looks at me for a moment and caresses my cheek. "You are too beautiful and cute. I should keep my guard up on you even more."
"You're too much as always."
The minister coughs softly and says to me and Ai in a low voice, "You may kiss the bride now."
"Ah right, sorry!" I say shyly to the minister. I flash a peace sign at him.
Ai chuckles. "I'm sorry for the delay as well." He gives the minister a nod.
He puts his hands on my cheeks and leans towards me. This is one of those times where I'm happy to wear heels; it closes some distance between our heights. Hehe. I close my eyes as his face gets closer and closer. The moment I feel his soft lips on mine, I hear everyone cheer.
When I open my eyes, I see Ai smiling at me with his hands still holding my face. Unable to contain how happy I am, I suddenly hug him tightly without a care in the world.
"I love you." He says to me.
"I love you too." I tighten my arms around him as I say this.
He takes my hand and we walk back down the aisle. Our dear friends and family look so happy for me and Ai; the place is filled with their clapping and cheers. I can hear someone crying among the crowd; that's probably papa...how many boxes of tissues did he consume by now? I hope he doesn't catch a cold after crying so much.
You know, the future is something we can't predict; it's something we'll never know until we get there. It can be sad or full of hardship but it can also be happy or filled with blessings. I used to be afraid of what my future would be like; I was always wondering how things would play out for me. I didn't expect to be such a successful idol nor did I expect to fall in love and get married but here I am today. I'm not as scared as I used to be and I don't worry much about the future anymore because I've come to learn that if you just do what you think should be done and say the things that should be said, then good things will most likely happen and things will play out well for you. Work hard and be good is all you need to do in life. Now, I'm going to be starting a new life—a life with the person I've come to love and cherish so much; the person that I've decided to spend the rest of my life with. What will our future be like? I have no idea and I can't really say anything is certain but that doesn't concern me anymore. As long as we have each other, help each other, and love one another, then I believe that our life, our future, will be as happy as it can be.
Everyone gathers at one beautiful open area in the garden and prepares for a picture. There's so many of us so after trying to fit into one picture, Ms. Katsura instructs us to have some smaller group pictures with family group first, and then friends group.
"Kaori! I can't believe you're married now! I knew this day would come!" Yui, my best friend says as she hugs me tightly. The last time I saw her was when I went to visit Kyoto on my own to tell my family and friends about the wedding and to give them their invitations. I remember she too cried out of shock that I was going to get married. Haha. We've been together for so long; we're practically like sisters.
"Thank you for coming, Yui. I really appreciate it."
"Of course I would come! I wouldn't miss my best friend's wedding! I hope you and Ai will be happy all the way and have cute children."
"Wha! You're already thinking of children?!"
"Hahaha! Why not? Hehe! I hope you'll have a steamy—"
"Whaa! S-Stop! What are you saying?! Y-Yui!"
"You're so cute and shy as ever! I bet your husband here loves to tease you and make you smile, no? Who wouldn't! You always had such adorable reactions! Hey Ai, how about you treat me to lunch some time and I'll tell you all sorts of stories about lil' Kaori?"
"Those would be interesting to listen to." Ai says as he takes a quick glance at me with a smile.
"What? N-No! I won't allow it! You two are such devils in disguise!" I go after Yui who runs off.
"Ai, congratulations on getting married. I'm very happy for you both and if you two run into some trouble, I'll gladly help you guys out any time." The professor says.
"Thank you very much, uncle. Thank you for coming to the wedding."
"If your parents were alive, they'd surely be very happy to know you've found a partner in life." He hugs Ai who smiles at his remark and nods. Unconsciously, Ai hugs his uncle back which surprises but pleases his dear uncle who has cared and loved him as if he was his own son.
"Professor, thank you for coming." I say upon going over to him and Ai; I just finished speaking with some friends and my family.
"Kaori, you're still calling me professor? I told you, you can call me uncle too especially now that we're officially family! Haha."
"Haha. I'll do my best to remember then, uncle!"
"Ms. Yamashiiitaaaa, Mr. Mikazeee, congrrrratulations! I'm sure that the two of you will be making wonderful muuuuusic together! Love will give birth to more miracles from your combination! You two take care now and keep the fire burning until the veryyyy end!" Saotome-sensei does a ridiculous pose. I wonderful if he'll be like that until he dies? I'll never get used to his antics and surprises.
"Thank you, Saotome-sensei." I say happily.
"Hmmm, you're blooming and shining even more Ms. Yamashita. The agency will always be supporting you two lovebirds so if anything happens, we'll gladly come to your side."
"Saotome-sensei, you're starting to sound like a father." I chuckle.
"But of courrrrrse I am! I see all of my students and workers as my children! To nurture and to help them is my dutyyyy!"
"Kaori-chan, congratulations! You look gorgeous on the aisle a while ago! I wanted to kidnap you! Sigh, only if I could." Tsukimiya-sensei says.
"Wha! Tsukimiya-sensei, I didn't recognize you for a second! It's been a while since I last saw you look like this; you're handsome as ever."
"Haha. Thank you, my dear!"
"Congratulations, Yamashita, Mikaze. I pray for your happy married life and success in your careers."
"Thank you very much, Ryuuya." Ai shakes Hyuuga-sensei's hand.
Right after, Ai and I get ambushed by everyone from Quartet Night and Starish; Haruka and Tomochan also joined in.
"Ai-chan! Ori-chan! Congratulations!" Natsuki hugs me and Ai.
Syo joins the hug. "Congratulations to the lovebirds! Hehehe! You two are incredible!"
"My, my, let me hug the lady too for one last time." Ren says.
"Oi! O-Otoya! Don't push me!" Tokiya says.
"But we have to join in too, Tokiya! Group hug!" Otoya says as he pushes Tokiya and squishes him into the group hug.
"Be careful, everyone! If you push too much, we'll all fall down!" Masato says. He's stuck somewhere in the middle; he must be pretty squished there. Haha.
"You're such a worry wart, Hijirikawa. It's killjoy." Ren says.
"I hope your hands are kept to yourself." Masato says back at him.
"Now, now, don't' you two start fighting now. Keep the peace for Kaori and Ai-senpai's wedding!" Syo says in worry as he hears them talking. "Wha! I'm sinking into this group hug. Why is everyone so tall?!"
"Syo-chan? Syo-chan? Where are you? Uhm...Syo-chan?" Natsuki asks as he looks around him.
"Drowning in a sea of tall people." Ai remarks as he holds me tight.
"I want to join in too! Don't leave me out!" Cecil says.
"Over here, Cecil! Hug from here!" Otoya says.
"Hey, hey, hey, what are you all up to?" Rei-chan asks. "Eh? Is this a group hug?! Your senpais will join you too!" He grabs Ranmaru and Camus forcefully and throws himself, together with the two, to the group hug.
"Whoa! Hold on there, guys! We're gonna have a titanic!" Tomochan declares.
"W-Wait!" Haruka starts losing her balance.
"W-Whaaaaa! W-We're falling down!" I shout as I feel the balance shifting.
"Reiji, you idiot!" Ai shouts as we all fall down.
"London Bridge is falling d-doooowwwwnnnn!" Rei-chan shouts as we all fall to the ground.
We all end up laughing as we're all scattered on the floor; the staff and other guests are also laughing at our little incident. Ranmaru, Camus, and Ai however end up hunting down Rei-chan who immediately started running away from them. I was always amazed with their team work as an idol group but now I'm amazed by their teamwork as hunters too. Ranmaru tackled Rei-chan and then Camus and Ai attacked. Very...interesting...somewhat brutal. Poor Rei-chan.
Ms. Katsura goes over to them and tames them with the same method—her fists; she then lectures them with all her might. I don't know if I should feel bad for Rei-chan or for all of them. Haha.
Ai comes back to me with a sulking expression; he must feel upset about getting scolded. Hehe. As I try to stand up from the ground, he hugs me the moment I sit up.
"Wait."
This hug of his is a little different from his usual ones. He's completely covering me; it's as if he's shielding me from something.
"Ai?"
"Don't move please."
"Eh? Why—Ah!"
I flinch the moment I feel his hands touch the back of my neck. That would mean that my—
"...Your dress. The halter strap came off when you fell."
I look down at my chest and to my surprise, I find the straps off. If I stood up immediately...then my chest would have...
I cling on to Ai. "T-Thanks. Really."
"Could you pull the two straps up? I'll tie them back for you. I can't get them myself because if I move you might be seen in this state." He speaks softly to avoid catching other peoples' attention.
I timidly do so and he ties the straps into a tighter knot behind my neck.
"It's okay now. Have you fixed the front?" he asks.
"Yes, it's all fixed now. Thank you, Ai."
He gets off of me and helps me stand up.
We continue to take pictures and have some time to talk with everyone until Ms. Katsura approaches me and Ai. She whispers, "Ms. Yamashita, it's time to throw the bouquet and then you two will have to proceed to the reception afterwards."
"Oh, okay." I nod.
She claps her hands loudly and announces, "All right everyone, Ms. Yamashita will now throw the bouquet! Gather around and let's see who'll be the next lucky bride or groom!" Her tone is so enthusiastic.
Everyone who was interested in catching the bouquet gathers in the center; even the boys are fired up. Haha. How cute.
"I'm going to throw it at the count of three, okay? Ready?" I ready myself to throw the bouquet. "1...2..." I pull back my arm. "3!"
I throw the bouquet with all my might and it flies into the air. Everyone was getting ready to catch it as it was about to fall but something happens. A white bird, perhaps a dove, flies towards the bouquet while it was still in the air and it causes the bouquet to separate and scatter the flowers everywhere.
"Whoa. That bird came out of nowhere." Ranmaru says.
"Look, everyone caught a flower!" Natsuki points out loudly.
Everyone looks at their hands where a flower rests.
"Then that means that everyone caught the bouquet!" I say to them the moment the idea enters my mind.
"Which means that everyone will one day be happily married to the one they love." Ai says to them.
Everyone becomes happy due to Ai's remark. I want to believe in the words he said. I think that everyone here is a good person and they all deserve to be happy one day in the future. I pray that they too will find a love as great as or even greater than what Ai and I have found.
Ai and I then head to the bridal car where Ms. Katsura is waiting.
"Congratulations on your marriage! It was wonderful." She says with a gentle smile. "Please have a safe trip to the reception; we'll all see you two there." She opens the bridal car's rear door and we both get inside.
The hotel where the reception will take place isn't far from here so the trip was quite short; the hotel is also where Ai and I will be sleeping tonight before we leave for the place where we've decided to have our honeymoon.
The reception hall was filled with flowers as decorations; most of the flowers are white, light blue, light pink, and lavender. Though we're indoors, it feels like you're outside because of the layout! The round tables are covered with white table cloths that have gold trimmings at the ends and the chairs are covered with the same type of cloth but they have a lavender ribbon tied around the chair; how cute.
Ai and I have a table sitting on a medium sized stage found at one end of the all while all other tables for the guests are scattered everywhere.
Holding a microphone, Ms. Katsura goes on the stage as soon as Ai and I take our seat. "Ladies and gentlemen may I present to you the newly wedded couple, Mr. and Mrs. Kisaragi."
Everyone applause.
"On behalf of the couple, I would like to thank you all for coming; I'm sure they're happy to see you here on this special day of their lives. To start off, let's welcome Hijirikawa Masato and Kurusu Syo for an opening number."
Ms. Katsura hands over the microphone to Syo while a staff member gives Masato two microphones.
"Hello everyone! I'm Syo and this is Masato. We're good friends of the couple." He goes over to Ai and grabs his arm. "Before we begin, we have to get our third and final member for this song—the groom himself!"
"What are you—" Ai gets pulled away without a choice. Syo whispers something to him; it's probably the name of the song.
Masato hands over one of the microphones to Ai.
"You know, thinking back, Ai-senpai has changed a whole lot!" Syo says.
"That's true. Mikaze was not as expressive or as talkative before when we first met him." Masato says.
"I used to think that this guy was incapable of smiling! He always had this expression on his face all the time!" Syo stands straight and imitates Ai's iconic poker face. Everyone in the reception hall laughs. "Though he seemed cold at first, we knew that he was a good guy! He was just full of tough love back then." he says with a smile and pats Ai's back.
"He may not show it but Mikaze is definitely a good man at heart. He looked after his juniors with full attention and diligence." Masato says.
"The song we're about to perform was the first song that the three of us worked on; I think some of you guys out there know this song. Man, when I heard that Masato and I were going to work with Ai-senpai, I got nervous! I was worried that we'd have lots of retakes since Ai-senpai was a perfectionist!"
"I share the same sentiment back then; seeing him at work and mentor Shinomiya and Kurusu made me feel intimidated due to his perfectionist side. I remember practicing the song a lot before the recording day."
"In the end, everything turned out well! I was relieved and happy! If I screwed up, I knew back then that I'd end up getting some sort of special training which would have been a nightmare! I seriously said to myself after the recording, 'You made it out alive, good job Syo. You can go back to the dorm without any worries.'"
Everyone chuckles.
The three of them get into position.
"Please sit back and enjoy our song, Beautiful Love!" Syo signals the technician stationed at the music booth.
I remember this song! Their voices fit the lyrics and melody; so happy and cute! Oh, they're even dancing the original dance steps; I remember they performed this song in a mini event when the single was released.
As the song ends, everyone claps at their performance. Suddenly, everyone from Starish and Quartet Night stands up and runs towards the three.
Eh?! They all have microphones! Don't tell me—
The intro of Maji Love 1000% starts playing. While Starish was doing the countdown part of the song, Natsuki pulls me over to join everyone and gives me a microphone.
Am I and Ai going to sing this song too?!
"Saa Let's Song! Yume wo utaou!"
Wow! We all sound great! Our blending voices motives to get into the song even further!
"Ai wo Change the Star! Check it Out!"
Natsuki suddenly inserts, "I need you...S!"
"I feel you...T!"
"I miss you...A!"
"I kiss you...R!"
Maji Love 2000%?!
"Zenryoku zenkai de"
"Nisen paa kimi no koto wo Love you"
"Ba, bang! Ja, jan!"
"Love you!"
Suddenly, Starish moves to the back and Quartet Night takes the front. The music shifts to the start of Quartet Night's Poison Kiss! Is this a remix of their songs or something?! I look over to Ai and I see that he's just as surprised as I am.
"Give in to temptation"
"My promise to you"
"I'll rock you hard"
"With my deep emotion"
Whaaa! I can't believe I'm singing this song! I kind of feel out of place hahaha.
"Love is all! Quartet Night!"
As soon as the song ends, Rei-chan starts singing, "I love you tsuite oide"
This is their song right?! They really combined everything!
"Torokeru youna mada shiranai"
"Eien no yume oshieyou"
When I thought everything was over, another familiar intro started playing immediately.
"Ima hajimaru yo!"
Quartet Night switch places with Starish.
"Tsugi no suteji"
"Tomo ni yukou"
"Aa kanjiru yo"
"Saa, 3, 2, 1!"
"Prism Seven!"
How on earth did they think of combining all these songs?! I bet Haruka was the one who arranged them!
"Love is forever!"
After we all strike a pose, everyone in the reception hall stands up and cheers for us. Lord, they made me and Ai sing and dance out of nowhere! Thank goodness it's not so hard to move around my wedding dress!
"So how was our little surprise, Ai-Ai?" Rei-chan asks him.
"You people just love to overdo things. It was a fun surprise however a little warning would have been favored." Ai says as he catches his breath.
"How are you, Kaori? I hope it wasn't too much for you to dance in your wedding dress. Originally we thought of not including you because of your dress but then that would have been unfair and lonely." Cecil says.
I take some time to catch my breath too. "I'm okay. This dress isn't hard to move around in. You guys really surprised me! Was Haruka the one who arranged the songs?"
"Yup!" Otoya says.
We return to our seats where a glass of water was waiting for us; thank goodness.
Ms. Katsura then takes over. "My, my, wasn't that splendid?! I'm surprised too because I was told that they were only going to perform Beautiful Love; they didn't tell me about their little surprise. Looks like this turned into a mini concert!"
Haha! I agree with her! It really felt like a mini concert! It was a lot of fun performing with everyone but now...I'm hungry...Haha.
"I'm sure their performance made you all excited and fired up and hungry as well!"
Everyone laughs.
"First off, we'll have the cutting of the wedding cake."
As soon as she says that, one of the staff members enters the reception hall with me and Ai's wedding cake. It looks wonderful; it's even better than what we imagined. Wedding Contract, you are a company of miracles! Look at those cute little seashells and flowers; the colors are so cute too! Oh! The star on top is perfect, not too small but not too big either and it's color is pretty.
The sea and the sky are two different but similar things that seem to be so far from one another and yet they seem to be near each other. What we love about them the most is that they're both boundless. Looking up at the sky or looking at the sea, they just seem to stretch farther and farther away with no end; it's as if limits don't exist for them. To be boundless is what Ai and I feel whenever we work with music and whenever we're together; that feeling is precious to us and reminds us that if you want something to happen then you must work hard for it while believing that you can accomplish it no matter what. Once in a while, you have to feel that there are completely no limits in your life so that you can find the things that you can and can't actually do and use that knowledge to get to your goal. It goes the same way for love—people often think that love has no boundaries but that isn't true; there are things you can and can't do in love. You're free to do anything you like to or with your loved one but not all of your actions or words will make him or her happy. Haha. I was just saying things about having no boundaries or limits and then I suddenly say that there are; I sound conflicting! Sigh. The bottom line is, if you want to be free, to be boundless, you have to have limits because complete freedom will let you do things that are both good and bad; having limits will help you find the good choices and avoid the bad ones.
Ai takes the knife. "Here, you hold it first and I'll..." He suddenly stops for a moment.
"Is something wrong, Ai?"
"You're left handed and I'm right handed."
"Oh."
He thinks for a moment. "Could you hold the knife with both of your hands?"
I nod and hold the knife with both of my hands. I feel like I'm holding a sword or something similar to that haha. If the cake was designed like a bamboo shoot or grove then I'd really feel like a samurai. Hahaha.
While I'm getting amused by my childish thoughts, he gets behind me and holds the knife with both of his hands too.
"Awww! How cute! When I get married, I want my husband to do that too! Hey Haruka, when I get married, you'll be my bridesmaid okay?" Tomochan says happily.
"Sure! I'm sure you'll be a beautiful bride in the future." Haruka replies.
"That applies to you too, Haruka! Invite me to your wedding too in the future!"
"This solves the problem, doesn't it?" Ai asks me.
"It does but did you really have to go behind me? You could have just held it from beside me."
"You don't like it this way?" he asks worriedly.
"I never said that I didn't like it." I answer shyly.
He chuckles. "I know."
With my hands in his, we cut the first slice of the cake and place it on the plate given to us.
"Kaori."
"Hm?"
He holds out his fork to me with a piece of the cake on it. Of course I ate it happily with no hesitation! The texture and flavor of the cake is heavenly...I want to eat more...
"And this one is yours." I hold out my fork to him with the cake on it. He happily eats it and everyone claps their hands at the sight.
Ms. Katsura then speaks, "Now then, after such an adorable appetizer, the buffet is open; you may freely pick any of the food offered. Please take your time and enjoy your meal!"
What else could I say about the events that happened after? Too many to mention! The boys had some intermission performances while everyone was eating; they were terrific! I was surprised when Saotome-sensei, Tsukimiya-sensei, and Hyuuga-sensei also performed. Everyone was dying when Otoya, Cecil, Syo, and Reiji did some comedy skits! The reception was really lively and the best part was that everyone had fun. It was truly a day to remember...and to get tired from. Haha.
Hours pass by and evening came to greet us all.
"Thank you, everyone, for celebrating with us today for our marriage. We're really happy to see you all here. Really, this day wouldn't be so much fun and memorable without you all so thank you."
I hand over the microphone to Ai.
"I would also like to express my gratitude for your attendance and blessings today. Knowing that we have your support and receiving all your praise and encouragements makes us feel very blessed to have met you all; friends and family are truly wonderful to have. May you all have a safe journey going home or to your hotels."
Something then catches his attention at a certain section of the buffet tables.
"Reiji, if you want to take the karaage with you, you can ask one of the staff to wrap it up for you; you don't have to take them secretly. However, I do advise you to just leave them; you're getting fatter."
Everyone laughs.
"E-Eh?! Ai-Ai-, I'll have you know that I've been maintaining my weight well for the past weeks! Besides..." He suddenly points at Ranmaru. "Ran-Ran got all the good stuff when we were eating a while ago!"
"W-What?! Whatcha talkin' about?!"
Everyone laughs as the two argue over the food. Ms. Katsura was scary when she decided to silence the two...Rest in peace, my dear friends.
One by one, we bid farewell to everyone—family, friends, and the staff from Shining Agency and Wedding Contract.
"Mr. and Mrs. Kisaragi, it was an honor to be able to organize your wedding. I wish you both happiness and health. We'll wrap things up here before leaving. With regards to the wedding videos, pictures, and souvenirs, we'll immediately give them to you after editing and the like. Have a safe trip back to your hotel and to your honeymoon starting tomorrow wherever it may be."
"Thank you as well, Ms. Katsura. You did a splendid job." Ai says.
"I agree with him. You really did such a wonderful job that I was so surprise; everything went beyond my expectations. Have a safe trip back to head quarters and to your home, Ms. Katsura. Thank you for everything."
Ai and I took a group photo with all of the staff before getting inside the bridal car that was going to bring us back to our hotel.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Today was a lot of fun." I say while we're on our way back to the hotel.
"Yes, and tiring."
The car stops on the road after a while and the driver says, "Mr. and Mrs. Kisaragi, it seems to be traffic due to a car accident. This road is a bit narrow so the flow of the traffic will be definitely slow. You two can take a nap if you wish to; I'll wake you both once we arrive at the hotel."
"Okay. Thank you for telling us." Ai says. "Do you want to take a nap, Kaori?"
"Yeah..." I'm pretty tired.
I wrap my arms around his arm and lean my head on his shoulder. When I close my eyes, I feel him gently lean his head on mine.
"You'll get a stiff neck that way." I say sleepily.
"Don't worry, I won't."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"Okay. I love you."
"I love you more than you'll ever know."
Ai always says that; I don't think I'll ever get tired from hearing it. It makes me really happy to know that he loves me a lot...
"One day, I'll surpass your love and love you more than you love me." I says sleepily.
"You'll have to give your all because I won't let you." He's starting to sound sleepy too.
"Be prepared for me then."
He chuckles and that was the last sound that came from us before we fell asleep in traffic.