Unseen Emotions: Unspoken Vows
Disclaimer: I don't own the Kingdom Hearts characters, but I do own all locations, the storyline, and the original characters.
For Warnings, Spoilers, and Plot see earlier chapters! Thanks!
Pairings: Axel:x:Riku, Roxas:x:Sora, Zack:x:Cloud, Naminé:x:February, and Zexion:x:Demyx
A.N. And now…for the wedding! =3 Tweet me! /TasogarenoRaiko (leave off the "u"!)
Riku got out of the car, stretching and looking up at the brightly lit sky. The sun was warm, beaming down from the cloudless baby-blue sky, birds chirping in the trees nearby. Axel stepped up to his side, Sora and Roxas walking over to them, Naminé and February following after. The pink-eyed girl was holding her stomach, laughing softly as February fussed over her. "I'm fine, Feb! The baby's not going anywhere…"
"I just feel like you're jiggling him when you walk really fast!" the other girl said with a pout, taking her fiancée's hand. The two girls shared a loving glance then turned to look over at Riku when the pale blonde spoke.
"Okay guys, my mother will be here soon. Until then I guess I should show you around my hometown." The boy looked around, his eyes seeing things he hadn't witnessed since he was a child. Standing in front of his old house, he panned around in a semi-circle, his eyes taking in the details of his old neighborhood. There was the street where he'd caught the bus to school, and around the corner was Sora's house. He turned to look the other way, off across the rooftops in the direction where the wedding would take place…at the lake, beneath the willow tree that had started it all. He and Axel had decided it would be the perfect place to begin their new life together.
Riku looked back at his fiancée, smiling up at him tenderly. The red-head caught his gaze and grinned, dipping down and kissing him. "You going to show me your old place or just stand there looking cute?"
Riku laughed softly, swatting at the older boy, stepping forward towards the house and making his way to the door, knocking and waiting for the new occupants of the house to answer the door. A middle-aged woman came to the door, laughing and greeting Riku warmly. "Why hello there! Your mother said that you might be dropping by. Come in, come in! She and I used to go to school together, I was so excited when she called me about the wedding…"
Riku turned and looked back at his friends, beckoning them into the house. Axel walked after him, Sora and Roxas following after the red-headed boy, then Naminé and February. The girls took extra care on the steps, the woman coming back to close the door behind them, noticing the albino girl's round belly. "Oh! Congratulations dear, how far along are you?"
"Six months and counting!" the girl said with a grin. "It took almost a year, but we finally managed to do it!"
The middle aged woman looked between the two girls, laughing and saying, "Oh my! I can see you two are obviously in love, but lacking certain essential baby-making qualities…" She pressed a finger thoughtfully against her chin, looking over at the boys standing nearby. "Let me guess, you had a friend help out?"
Sora grinned sheepishly, "I may or may not have donated my sperm to my best friend, and successfully claimed title of godfather before her doting older brother had the chance to…"
"Cloud is still seething about that, by the way!" Riku said, looking over at Sora then Naminé, smiling at his sister. She laughed merrily, holding her stomach as she did so, February watching her with soft blue eyes. The pale boy let his eyes wander around the house, his eyes picking out the details of the ceiling he'd stared at for hours as a child, lying in the foyer of the house with Sora at his side, pretending they could see pictures in the plaster. He could still half-way make out the alligator being chased by the butterfly near the staircase, looking over at Sora and noticing the brunette was looking up at the ceiling too. There were so many memories in this house. So many wonderful, precious memories…
"Well, make yourselves at home dears! I'll be in the kitchen." The woman chuckled and walked off towards the back of the house, humming as she went.
Axel turned from watching her leave to look over at his fiancée, reaching out and taking Riku's hand. The younger boy looked up at him, smiling and squeezing his fingers. "Let's go upstairs! I want to show you my old room!"
The boys toured around the house, Naminé and February sitting down on the couch in the living room and waiting for the two other couples to finish their exploration. Sora pointed out the paint smears on the doorframe of the guest bedroom where he'd been running away from Riku after dipping his pale hair in paint, dying the other boy's hair bright green for a week. Riku in turn showed Axel and Roxas the spot where he'd hidden behind the corner leading into the bathroom, and scared Sora so badly the boy had pissed himself. Sora, blushing furiously, said, "It totally wasn't fair! He waited until I'd had two giant cups of milk, finished watching a scary movie, and had to walk to the bathroom in the dark by myself!"
Roxas patted his boyfriend's shoulder, saying with mock concern, "There, there… I'll make sure to remember not to scare you until after you've been to the bathroom…"
Sora cut his eyes over at Riku threateningly, the boy laughing and holding up his hands defensively as Sora walked over him with his hands poised into tickle-attack formation. "Truce! I call truce!"
Roxas pulled Sora back into his arms, the brunette pouting and looking over his shoulder at the blonde. The boy smiled down at him, nuzzling his cheek, "Let him win, it's his wedding after all."
Sora sighed, looking back over at Riku, saying with a slight pout, "Well, alright…"
February's voice sounded from the bottom of the stairs, "Riku! Your mother just arrived!" The boys exchanged glances, smiling at one another and racing down the stairs excitedly. Her arrival meant that the wedding party was about to start, and everyone else should be arriving. Roxas and Axel stood together at the top of the stairs, watching their lovers shove one another playfully and greet the tall blonde woman who walked through the door, the woman greeting them warmly with hugs.
"So, did you manage to finish your vows last night?" Roxas asked, looking over at Axel, a soft smile on his lips.
The red-head sighed, shaking his head. "The words just won't come. I'm still not sure what to say to him. There's so much that I want to express, but not enough time in the world to do so."
The blonde boy reached over and patted his friend's back, saying with encouragement, "Don't worry. I'm sure when the time comes you'll know exactly what you've wanted to say. And whatever it is, Riku will love it."
"Thanks, Rox…" the older boy replied, the blonde nodding to him and heading down the stairs, the red-head following after him.
They followed Riku's mother outside, climbed back into their cars, and drove across the neighborhood to park along the side of the cul-de-sac closest to the lake. As they piled out of their cars they were greeted by the rest of their family and friends, Tasogare and Kairi walking over to fawn over Naminé's rounded belly. Cloud and Zack were busy helping the wedding coordinators carry chairs from their trailer towards the edge of the water, Kurei helping drag a large table across the grass. Yuffie and Reno were with Demyx and Zexion, decorating several different wrought-iron arches with various assortments of flowers. More and more people came, friends of the family, cousins, uncles Riku didn't remember he had. His grandmother showed up as well, wobbling over to him and pinching his cheeks, saying how proud she was that he had found his true love. The only person who wasn't there was his father. But Riku hadn't really expected him to be.
Suddenly Naminé was at his side, tugging at his arm. "Come on, Ri-kun! We have to go get you ready!"
Riku laughed softly, turning and catching Axel's eyes, the red-headed boy being pulled away by Zack and Cloud. Cat-green eyes met teal blue for an endless moment, then the two boys looked away, each being drug to a separate side of the wedding party. Naminé and Kairi pulled Riku along, the girls chatting excitedly, Tasogare and February following after them. The mint-haired girl glanced over at her friend, asking softly, "Have you picked out a name for him yet?"
February laughed, her pale blue eyes dancing as she looked over at the other girl. "Do you really have to ask? The minute she found out it was a boy she asked if we could name him Shiloh."
Tasogare smiled, closing her eyes and reaching out for her brother. He was far away, but she could still feel him faintly. He seemed to be contented, wherever he was. And somehow she knew that he knew about Naminé's baby, and he was happy for her and February. "Shiloh…" she smiled over at February. "Yes, I think that's a beautiful name."
Naminé looked over her shoulder at her girlfriend, saying cheering, "Come stand around him so he can change!"
The girls stepped forward, surrounding Riku and turning their backs, giggling as they exchanged stories about the drive over and thoughts about how to do the boy's hair. Riku sighed, stripping out of his jeans and shirt before taking the white dress pants and blouse from his sister's waiting hands, the albino girl looking over her shoulder at him and grinning as he slid into his pants and began to button up his shirt. "Alright ladies," he announced grandiosely, "The essentials have been covered. You may turn around now."
Tasogare immediately reached over and began threading her fingers through the boy's long pale hair, saying to Naminé, "I'm thinking we should go with the braid, it looked so good on him the other night at the party!"
Riku sighed, unable to shake his head for fear of the mint-haired girl tugging his hair. At his bachelor party the girls had gotten him very drunk, and dressed him up, and taken pictures of him with his hair and makeup done, wearing several lavish dresses. Reno and Yuffie had pictures to prove it. "Whatever you girls think is best…"
"That's what we like to hear!" Naminé said with a smile, reaching over and taking some flowers from the bouquet February was holding, breaking off several white roses and offering Riku his white tuxedo jacket. "Here! Hold this for me while I work my magic!"
Over the next few minutes Tasogare managed to twist Riku's hair into an eloquent braid, tying it at the end with a white ribbon. Naminé placed several flowers along the breast pocket of Riku's jacket, smiling happily at her work and watching with glee as her brother pulled it onto his shoulders. Kairi reached up and adjusted his collar and braid, walking around him in a circle and inspecting him from head to toe. "Shoes?" she asked, Naminé holding them up triumphantly. The magenta-haired girl clapped her hands together, saying excitedly, "Alright ladies! Our work here is done!"
On the other side of the wedding party, Cloud was inspecting Axel in similar fashion, Vincent, Reno, and Zack watching as he circled the red-headed boy. Axel raised an eyebrow at the blonde, asking with teasing in his tone, "Do I pass?"
The older boy chuckled, cutting his eyes towards the red-head and replying, "I would mess up your hair again, but your brother would kill me." He looked over at Reno, nodding to the older red-head. "It looks good pinned back like this. I'm surprised, actually." He returned his eyes to Axel, reaching out and patting his shoulder. "Welcome to the family, lil' bro."
"Oh god, please no." Axel drawled, "Any other nickname but that, please…"
"He's right, that's Riku's nickname. You can't just go giving it away to Axel." Zack said, his boyfriend looking up at him, the dark headed boy grinning down at him impishly. "We'll just stick with fire crotch. It's worked out so well for him with Chakram…"
Axel laughed, reaching up and rubbing the back of his head, Reno instantly gasping and walking over to pull his brother's hands away from his hair, fixing the damage that had been done. "Don't touch it!" he said, scolding his younger brother, shaking his finger at him threateningly.
"Sorry!" Axel replied, Reno sighing and looking him over.
"My little brother, all grown up and getting married!" he reached up, wiping at his eyes and fanning himself, "I'm not going to cry. I'm not going to cry!"
Axel scowled at him, turning away with a blush, reaching up and straightening the red rose cluster pinned against his pocket. The bright colors accented the darkness of his raven-black tuxedo handsomely, his green eyes bright and shining as he looked up across the field towards his fiancée. He could see Riku talking with his sister and the other girls, the older boy's heart beginning to pound. This was it. This was really happening. He was getting married…
And he had absolutely no idea what he was going to say.
-x-x-x-
The guests took their seats, then the woman from before appeared. She was apparently good friends with Riku's mother, they had shared many years of school together, and Riku's mother had asked her to marry her son and his fiancée. She stepped forward, her hands clasped together, smiling at those that had gathered to bear witness to the two boy's union. Kurei stepped forward, as well, standing off to the side, lifting a violin to his chin and beginning to play a soft, eloquent melody. The sun was warm, birds sang merrily nearby, the soft summer breeze rustling the top of the lake nearby and rustling through the bows of the willow tree towering next to them. It was simple, a beautiful, and perfect. Much like their lives together. Axel stood with them, looking across the grass towards where Riku was standing, their eyes locking as they gazed at one another longingly. Then slowly, ever so slowly, Riku began walking down through the rows of chairs that had been placed on either side of the makeshift flower petal aisle, Naminé walking with him and holding his hand. They passed under the first arch of flowers, then the second, then came to stand with Axel at the front, the third arch standing behind them. Naminé moved to the side to stand with Kurei, leaving the two boys together before the lady minister.
"Friends and family! We are gathered here to bear witness to the union of these two souls." She said warmly, smiling at the two boys. Axel reached out and took Riku's hands, squeezing them tightly, noticing the tears glistening in his fiancée's eyes. "But first, each would like to say something to the other, about the feelings that they hold dearest to their hearts."
Riku took a long, shaky breath, and then met eyes with the boy standing before him, smiling softly. "It's been three years since you gave me back my sight. But in my heart I know that I would have loved you for the rest of my life even without ever seeing your face." Axel squeezed his hands, his heart clenching as he listened to the younger boy's words. "You brought me out of the darkness; you gave me so many things I had never experienced before. You opened me up to a new life, and held my hand through it all. And now, I want to spend the rest of my days continuing to hold your hand, through thick and thin, for better or for worse. Until the end of time."
Naminé was clutching her hands together, biting her lip to try and keep from crying. Kurei continued to play softly beside her, the boy's eyes soft as he watched his friends exchange vows. Riku's mother, sitting in the front row with his grandmother, wasn't having as much luck holding back her tears, wiping at her cheeks and sniffing quietly. Cloud and Zack held hands tightly, Sora and Roxas exchanged a soft kiss, Demyx and Zexion shared a knowing smile. The silence passed for a moment, everyone turning to look at Axel, waiting to hear what the boy would say in reply.
The red-headed boy swallowed down his nervousness, searching Riku's eyes. He wanted to say so much, he was overflowing with emotions, but for some reason the words just wouldn't come. Riku seemed to sense something was off, tilting his head to the side and smiling up at him, whispering softly, "I love you…"
Axel smiled down at him, letting out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. "For the longest time, I was so afraid to tell you that I loved you. And when I finally did I was worried that I might have made a mistake. I'd been hurt before, and reopening my heart to let you in was painful for me, but you have managed to work your way so far into my heart I think I would die if you weren't with me." He searched his fiancée's eyes, cat-green searching teal-blue, "You are my everything. The song in my soul, the air that I breathe, the pulse that keeps me alive. I can't imagine life without you. And I am never letting you go."
The guests all cooed and sighed, making soft sounds of awe at the boy's affection for one another. Sora was crying, Roxas wrapping his arms around his shoulders and holding him close. Riku's mother was practically sobbing, February reaching over and patting her back soothingly, laughing softly at the woman's hysterics. It was almost as bad as when they had told her Naminé was pregnant. Almost.
The minister looked over at Naminé, asking while holding out her hand to the girl, "Do you have the rings?"
The albino girl stepped forward, holding out the rings for each of the boys to take. They were white gold and beautifully crafted; Riku's with a blue stone inlay that matched his engagement ring, and Axel's with a red stone inlay. Axel took Riku's hand first; sliding the blue-stone band around the younger boy's finger to lie against his other ring, then Riku in turn placed the red-stone band around Axel's finger. They held one another's hands tightly, feeling as if their hearts would burst from happiness. In that moment there was no one else in the world but them.
The lady minster stepped forward again, looking out at the crowd. "Are there any of you who have anything to say against the union of these two beloved souls? Speak now, or forever hold your peace!"
Cloud turned, his eyes like daggers as he looked through the crowd, half expecting to see his father waiting in ambush, sighing in relief when he was sure the man wasn't there. Zack chuckled at him softly, patting his knee. The blonde grinned up at him, blushing softly.
The crowd looked at one another, heads turning left and right, and after several quiet moments where no one had said anything the minister smiled and lifted her hands, clapping them together to draw the crowd's attention back to the ceremony. "Now then! By the power invested in me, I would like to happily pronounce this couple to the world! Embrace them as they now are, united by love for all eternity! Your new husbands, Riku and Axel!"
The boys instantly grabbed one another, Axel dipping the smaller boy into a sweeping kiss, laying Riku back so far the pale blonde nearly fell. When Axel pulled away Riku was laughing happily, the two boys lifting their hands into the air with their fingers intertwined, their rings glimmering in the sunlight. The crowd cheered, Naminé and Riku's mother rushing forward to hug and congratulate the two boys. Cloud and Zack were next, embracing them and welcoming them to the family. There were several teasing comments from Riku's mother about how Cloud was going to be next, the older blonde blushing furiously and covering his face with his hand. They made their way to the long fancy tables that had been laid out beside the water, a grand buffet laid out for the guests to enjoy. They soon found out that the lady minister was gifted in many ways, as she had also baked their wedding cake. It was immaculate, covered with white roses made of icing, red petals scattered here and there, the centerpiece a red ring and blue ring linked together in the shape of an infinity symbol. Together forever. They had never been so happy, or so in love.
-x-x-x-
By the end of the ceremony Riku had managed to ruin his white jacket. Axel had tried to feed him a piece of cake, but Cloud had pushed the red-head forward at the last minute, resulting in a palm-full of cake planting itself across Riku's face. It smeared the red icing from the rose petals all over his white tuxedo, turning various spots pink. The older blonde about died from laughing. Riku was a bit less pleased, but laughed it off when Axel made it up to him by kissing and licking the offending icing and cake off of his face. His mother was busy taking pictures for the scrapbook she would be making later, Naminé and February pointing out every memorable moment that the woman might have otherwise missed. "Look! Demyx and Zexion are kissing again!" Naminé said, pointing towards the two boys, the camera shutter snapping several times as her mother captured a few photos.
February giggled, saying a moment later, "And look there! I think Kurei is holding hands with Kairi! Oh and that sweet old couple from before are sharing a piece of cake!"
Naminé gasped at her girlfriend's words, turning to look towards the cake. "Aww! They are just so cute!"
The blonde woman snapped a few more photos and turned around to look at her daughter at February, grinning at them with a gleam in her eye. "And don't forget! Grandma gets to take lots of pictures of the baby!" She turned around and began snapping pictures of the two girls, Naminé laughing and running off, February chasing after her and pleading with her to stop jiggling the baby. The blonde woman smiled, lowering her camera, flicking through the pictures in the album she was working on. There were so many smiling faces, so many new memories that she wanted them to always remember. The glanced up, looking around to see where Riku and Axel had run off to. They were with Sora and Roxas, standing beneath the willow tree, the wind passing slowly through the leaves and causing a soft rustling sound. She smiled softly, feeling the warmth in her heart around her like a blanket of love. She was glad that they were all together again, and had found happiness and love.
Riku reached out, pressing his hand against the trunk of the willow tree, looking up through the emerald leaves towards the sunshine beyond. "Why does it feel like we were here only yesterday? It's been years since I've been to this place, but I remember everything…"
Sora was lying beside him, staring up through the leaves of the willow tree… "You know, the way the sun's coming through the leaves, it's kind of like magic…" The brunette looked over at him with a smile across his lips. "I bet it would be awesome to climb all the way to the top and look at the stars at night."
"But it's too far up. We've only ever made half way."
"Yeah I know, but still. It would be cool…"
Riku turned to look at Sora, smiling over at the other boy. "You've still never been to the top, have you?"
Sora blinked at him, confusion in his sapphire eyes, "No, I left before we were old enough to climb that high…"
Riku reached over and took his hand, pulling him towards the lowest branches of the tree, climbing up and reaching down for Sora. "Come on! We always said we'd make it to the top someday. Let's go!"
Sore hesitated, looking over his shoulder at Roxas. The blonde boy nodded to him, smiling at him with his eyes. Sora laughed, looking up and following after Riku as the boy climbed higher, the pale boy stopping about half-way up the tree and leaning back against one of the thick branches, reaching out and ghosting his fingertips against the crayon still etched into the bark where they had messily written their names. Sora was at his side a moment later, reaching out and touching the crayon as well, smiling as he said, "We were so young…"
Riku looked upwards towards the top of the tree, the fear he thought he had felt a moment before fading away. It was like reliving that night, but instead of sadness filling his heart it was now unquenchable joy. He pushed himself up, reaching and climbing and pulling himself up to the very top of the tree, peeking his head up out of the dense leaves and looking around the bright blue sky. A moment later Sora popped up his head as well, looking around with a wide grin. Riku watched his friend, laughing softly at the boy's amazed expression, reaching over and placing his hand on Sora's shoulder. The brunette looked over at him, tilting his head questioningly. "Thank you…" he said softly. "For always being there. No matter what."
Sora's eyes shimmered for a moment, his heart twisting, before his surprise faded away into happiness. "You're my best friend Riku. We will always be best friends. No matter what." They held one another's eyes for a long moment, then both boys looked up towards the sun, watching the birds flying high above them without a care in the world. Contented and free.
Yay! Hope you enjoyed! More one-shots to come!
I am also writing Kuroshitsuji fanfics now! (aka Black Butler)
Updates for Knights and Guards coming soon! Thanks for reading! :x:Myou:x: