Yuuki had dreamed of this day since she was small. The birds were chirping happily outside the window; the sun shone through beautiful stain glass windows, leaving stunning colourful patterns on the floor. There were plenty of guests here, both close friends and those who were there in a political context; who were striving for coexistence. Her dress was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen, and she was excited to be wearing it.

Best of all, there was her knight in shining armour; the best friend she had fallen so deeply in love with all those years ago. She hadn't seen him yet, but she could imagine him in a sharp wedding suit, standing proud and strong and beautiful. And when she walked out there, he would turn his dazzling gaze on her, and her alone…

Her heart fluttered at the thought. Yes, she had been dreaming of this day since she was small.

So why, she angrily chided herself, was she feeling so fearful about this? Why was she so scared to go out there and face the crowds, to so publicly declare her love for this man?

As she ended her pacing and plopped herself dejectedly onto the floor, there was a light knock on the door which was followed quickly by her daughter, Ai.

"Zero said you'd still be here." Ai stood in front of her mother, hands on her hips in a perfect imitation.

"He did?"

"Yes. He said to stop being a chicken and get out there."

Yuuki glanced up at her daughter, checking her face, "he didn't say that."

"You're right. He didn't. I did." Ai sighed softly. "He did say that you'd be stressing about stupid things again. He said to tell you that he can take care of himself, he doesn't see this as a mistake, the vampires and hunters who are against your marriage have been given a false location so they can't stop you, and it's time to move forward at last."

Yuuki gripped her knees at the quick barrage of words. Zero had always known her so well, to so accurately be able to pinpoint her worries and fears before she had even articulated them to herself.

"Mother. You do know that he's still completely in love with you, right? You told me yourself that since you asked him to marry you, that was all you could taste in his blood. He's been so excited about it. You think he'll have changed his mind just because the day is here?"

"No…"

Yuuki was realising that her fear was for naught, that all of her worries had simply been magnified in the wake of this momentous day. They had been working through these problems together for years already, after all…

"Oh, and he also said to say," Ai's voice dropped an octave as she attempted to imitate her father figure's voice, "Besides, we decided together, right? The two of us. He said you'd know what that meant."

Yuuki started slightly, before blushing. She was amazed that he could still remember that. She had been so pushy back then. She guessed that she had become that way again, desperate for him to drink her blood when he was injured. She smiled softly to herself.

"Besides, you still need to give me a little sister!"

Yuuki gave a startled laugh, rising to her feet to give her daughter an affectionate hug. Both she and Zero could allay her fears so easily. She felt a fresh surge of love for both.

"You're right. I'm worrying over nothing. Thank you, Ai." She drank in her daughter's pleased smile before she left the little room she had stuck herself in. Zero was right. It was time to move forward.

~Z~

Zero subtly checked his watch, shifting impatiently in place. She was now forty five minutes late. He had already told the procession to wait a few times. He could sense the annoyed look from the priest behind him, but he steadily ignored it.

Yuuki would be here. He had already known that she would need time; that she would be, well, Yuuki. This was something he loved about her after all; her huge heart and the worry that came because of that. Even if she did call off the wedding, he knew it wouldn't be because she didn't love him. He hoped that she wouldn't allow her worries to consume her, however…

He turned to look to the end of the aisle, heart soaring as he saw Yuuki steeling herself. She took his breath away. The dress looked perfect on her, the contrast between the pale gown and her dark hair making her look even more angelic than she usually did. Even through her nerves, her chocolate coloured eyes twinkled with excitement. She was, for lack of a better word, beautiful.

Zero allowed his excitement to rise once more. This was happening. After so many years, they would finally be bound together in such a way that no one could tear them apart. The aristocratic vampires couldn't make her marry if she had already pledged herself to him, after all…

~Z~

As she heard the organ begin to play again, she sucked in a deep breath and, with an encouraging smile from Ai, began to walk up the aisle.

Yuuki couldn't contain the delirious smile that spread across her face as she finally took her place beside her husband to be. Now that she was here, looking into his tender lilac eyes, she could no longer understand what she had been so worried about. What did anything else matter, when she was here with the man she loved? With the man who had shown again and again that he loved her so desperately?

She found herself unable to tear her eyes away from him as she repeated the vows she had so easily memorised, the people around them fading away to nothing.

"Do you, Zero Kiryuu, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife, till death shall you part?"

Her heart pounded at his confident, "I do."

"And do you, Yuuki Kuran, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband, till death shall you part?"

"I do." She tried to keep the giddiness out of her voice, but she wasn't sure of her success. No matter. The guests could be absolutely sure of her happiness, this happiness that she had finally decided to pursue for herself.

"You may kiss the bride."

She gently caressed his beautiful silver hair as she met him in a passionate kiss, almost melting into his touch as he whispered a soft "I love you so much" into her ear. She wiped the happy tears from her eyes as the cheers amplified around them.

~Z~

"You're so predictable." Zero teased an hour later, as Yuuki drew her swaying body closer to him.

"I am not!" Yuuki pouted up at him.

"You were worrying about the repercussions of this day. It's so like you, Yuuki." The pout deepened. She had nothing to refute that. Her pout changed to a determined grin.

"Then I'll just have to be unpredictable!"

"…What are you planning, Yuuki-san?" Her grin deepened as he imitated her speech.

"If I told you, it would be predictable, Zero-san."

"Will it… be something enjoyable?" Her new husband asked her tentatively. He didn't want to think about the kinds of things Yuuki could come up with in order to be unpredictable. She had tried way back when they were at Cross Academy, and it could only have been described as a disaster.

"Of course! You'll enjoy it very much, Zero-san." She fluttered her eyelashes at him coyly, making him smile and pull her close once more. To see her smile would be worth any catastrophic prank she tried to pull. He'd just have to keep an eye on her.

"Then I'll allow it." She was quickly losing herself in his eyes once more. She entwined her fingers with his, using her other hand to gently play with his hair.

She vaguely registered a flash in her peripheral vision before she pulled her husband (she felt that giddy feeling surface in her again at the thought) towards her to take another kiss.

~Z~

"And then, not long after that, you were born." Yuuki placed her wedding photo back on the dresser; squeezing her four year old son, who had been listening intently, close. She really loved the photo, which demonstrated the pair's deep love for each other. Of all the photo's that had been taken, the one in which the pair were dreamily looking into one another's eyes had been her favourite. She could see the love in her own face, as well as the love in his. She especially made sure that certain guests could see it.

"Why were you so worried?" Yuuki tapped her son on the nose.

"You weren't listening all the way through?" Ren scowled and put his hands on his hips as he had seen his mother do.

"I was! You didn't want to marry Papa! And then you did!" He stated confidently, drawing a snort of laughter from Yuuki. This was what he took away from her story?

"It's not that I didn't want to marry him. And it was only forty five minutes." Yuuki mumbled before she pressed a kiss to his forehead. "You'll understand when you're older. Though hopefully, you won't have to worry about it."

She looked up at the sound of Zero's voice, "Mama just worries too much about such silly things."

"Papa!" Ren turned around on his mother's lap and stretched his arms out to his father, giggling as he was lifted energetically into the air above Zero's head.

"Hey! I don't worry about silly things!" That adorable pout that Zero loved so much was once more on Yuuki's face.

"Suuuure, you don't." Yuuki got to her feet, folding her arms briefly in mock anger. She couldn't hold back her smile as Zero childishly stuck his tongue out at her.

"Welcome home." She gave him a gentle kiss on his lips, mindful of their child in between them. Zero smiled the soft smile that never failed to make her heart jump.

"I'm home, Yuuki."