I Pledge Myself to You – One Shot

There you go, a tiny little FLUFFYfluff Wedding One-Shot, to get myself back into the writing process ^^

Hope you like, and please let me know!

L

"And I'd choose you;

In a hundred lifetimes,

In a hundred worlds,

In any version of reality,

I'd find you and

I'd choose you."

- The Chaos of Stars

L

Usagi giggled against Mamoru's chest as he lifted her back from the dip he'd had her in, and then quickly swung her out in an underarm turn, her white dress swinging around her fit for the princess that she truly was.

She giggled again, radiating happiness, as he smirked down at her, bringing her close as they swayed to the soft waltz tune.

There was magic in the air when she danced with him, there always was.

Today it was amplified tenfold. She couldn't imagine there would ever again be a wedding as beautiful as this one.

She was happy, so happy she could burst, so happy she constantly teared up, spontaneously, in happy teary laughs, all day, and she saw how it affected him, how he couldn't keep his eyes away from her, all day, how his eyes danced and twinkled, how she had never seen him smile this way.

So content, so utterly blissful, so without any worry, so completely in this very moment.

He rested his cheek against the crown of her head, and she closed her eyes briefly, her face pressed into his shirt and her hand in his, as it always did, felt like it was home as she leaned against him and he swayed her to the rhythm of the music.

"Have I told you today how much I like you in this dress?" He whispered against her crown with a playful smile laced into his hushed voice and she giggled.

Of course he had. Multiple times, all day long now, in little hushed whispers during the signing of all the official documents, with gleaming eyes as they stood in a rainfall of flower petals, with roaming hands while everyone was distracted clinking champagne glasses and making toasts.

She knew how he had longed to see her in white.

"Hm. I don't quite recall. Have you?" She answered with a playful smirk and his rumbling chuckle vibrated beneath her cheek in his chest.

They danced like this, to the beautiful sound of violin music, swaying, so utterly happy the word did very little to do the feeling justice.

She looked around the room, and saw Ami and Minako dancing, both in white. It had been such a wonderful idea of Michiru's to suggest all the guests come in white.

They were all brides today.

Usagi smiled. It was perfect.

The sun had already set behind the tall glass windows, the moonlight shining at them into the elegantly and lavishly decorated room, bright and clear, making Usagi's skin glimmer in a way that was not fully natural but that no one seemed to question.

A few people behind her – she couldn't hear who, started talking in hushed tones. "Where's the bride?" She heard someone ask, and Minako answer in her cheerful, happy voice.

"Which one?" Minako twinkled mischievously, twirling happily in her white dress.

Usagi had to giggle at her friend, when she felt Luna's tail nestle itself against her leg as she traipsed around them.

She looked down at the feline and nodded. It was time.

She looked up into Mamoru's eyes. So happy, so warm. He nodded. It was time, just as Makoto came up to Mamoru's side to escort him, touching him on the shoulder.

They'd part ways, for just a tiny little while. She had to go change.

The ceremony in the morning had been beautiful, if very official. But the real ceremony, as was lunarian custom, the real ceremony that the couple had wished for so dearly, this one came now.

Lunarian ceremonies came after the daily festivities, they were held when the moon shone brightly. The best for last, or so they say.

She followed Luna into the hallway, away from guests and the noise, into a small lush hotel room.

Changing would be easy of course.

She touched her chest briefly, and with a glimmer of falling ribbons, she stood, barefoot, in her princess dress.

It was, and had always been ceremonial. Made for an occasion like this one.

She inhaled deeply, her hands began to tremble slightly as she followed Luna, and now Artemis too, up the few flights of stairs to the open rooftop of the hotel, just above the rest of the unassuming guests.

"Luna." Usagi hissed, voice laced with worry. "What if I forget my lines? What if I forget the vows?"

Luna smiled warmly at her charge. Maybe the warmest smile the cat had ever gifted her with. And she looked so cute, with her little bow.

"Don't worry, Usagi-chan. You will do just fine, I have no doubt."

Artemis peered out through the doorway in which they hovered, ordering to wait, they weren't ready yet. It was only a few moments later that he gave his cue.

As she stepped out onto the starry rooftop and into the aisle, flanked on either side by her feline lunarian guardians, a melody started, hanging softly in the air. A melody which came from everywhere and nowhere, magical, moving, a waltz so hauntingly sad and happy all at once she felt her throat constrict… Harp, violin, so soft and tender, even though there weren't any musicians or tech up here with them, and she knew Michiru had had her hand in this.

She caught Mamoru's eyes first, so warm, so encouraging, right at the back of the aisle; the Senshi – and only the Senshi – all lined up, all in white.

She stepped towards the small, pretty makeshift crystalline altar and lifted teary eyes at the two trembling, happy, teary figures in front of her.

They were barefoot as she was, and both wore simple white silk shifts, as was the custom. Their hair was lavishly braided into flowery crowns made with white night-blooming flowers; Jasmine, Moon Flowers, Casablanca Lilies, as was the custom as well.

They looked so young, so hopeful, their eyes so wide that Usagi's throat constricted even more.

Behind them stood small, adorable Hotaru, in her white puffy dress and so happy from ear to ear, clutching the box with the rings in her pudgy little fingers, her Setsuna-Mama right behind her in her long, lavish white robe.

Usagi gulped, and caught and held both their gazes, and as these two held their breaths in anticipation, Usagi started to speak in a trembling, emotional voice.

"We have come here today," Usagi started, taking Michiru's right hand in her left, and Haruka's left hand in her right between them. "To bind two souls together for eternity."

As if on cue they both knelt in front of her – mirrored, their knees pressed together between them.

Usagi swallowed, caught Mamoru's gaze briefly who nodded at her, and she started this ancient, holy ceremony.

She motioned for Haruka and Michiru to face each other, and they got up and did, hands still clasped in Usagi's.

"Please," Usagi started, her voice breaking as she caught Haruka's shining eyes. "Repeat after me."

They had rehearsed this, of course, so instead of repeating, they spoke directly with their princess, chanting softly together.

"Today I give my life to you," She said, and Michiru's melodic voice mingled with Haruka's as they spoke.

"I will encourage and enable you. Protect you and forgive you. Comfort and support you." They said with Usagi, and Michiru's voice choked on a tear as Haruka's eyes became so impossible shiny.

"Cherish and respect you," They said, "In all the moments we have been given."

Usagi paused, and spoke. This time, they did repeat after her, and then spoke alone, in unison.

"Today I tie my strings with yours,

I will share this life and all the lifes to come with you

Promise you a home in my arms

I choose this path with you

Believe in it and you"

They said it in a whisper, and Usagi gave the last line for them, which they repeated.

"Every step along the way"

Behind them, they could hear a loud sob – Minako, of course, and Haruka had to chuckle.

Setsuna and Mamoru stepped up towards them, holding lavishly colorful and embroidered cloaks up and draped them around Michiru's and Haruka's shoulders. Haruka was clad in the royal colors of Neptune, Michiru in the royal blue of Uranus.

Usagi smiled at them, and then nodded towards Hotaru, who hopped up with them, smiling her widest tooth-gap smile, and held up a box.

Haruka first cradled Hotaru's chin, giving her a soft kiss to the forehead and with a beam, she lifted the first ring out of the box.

Both rings were a silver platinum, carved and engraved, formed like the waves meeting wind, with a tiny moon stone set in the middle.

"Repeat after me." Usagi said again. "With this ring, I pledge myself to you."

Haruka cradled Michiru's hand in hers, holding her watery gaze, looking into her gentle smiling face, and spoke, in a choked voice. "With this ring, I pledge myself to you."

And then it was Michiru's turn to lift the delicate ring from its box, and push it, slowly, tenderly, onto Haruka's trembling finger.

"With this ring, I pledge myself to you." She said, her voice so melodic Usagi wanted to savor this moment forever.

But she wasn't done, and when Haruka cleared her throat, Usagi realized she had been daydreaming, staring at them, so caught up in this moment, and she blushed, and whirled around to accept the small tin Setsuna was holding out for her, opened it, and ran her fingers inside, covering her hands in a soft, perfumed creamy powder.

With the shimmery white powder on her fingers, Usagi carefully drew a crescent moon on each of their foreheads, and started a ritual as old as her people.

She held out her hands and with a flick from her wrist, moving them in a graceful dance fitting the royalty that she was, in just a few elegant, precise movements from her hands, gleaming with the power of the silver crystal, pale creamy ribbons shot out of the powder, reminiscent of the kind that wrapped her usually in her fuku. But these were different, older.

Like snakes they wrapped themselves tightly against Haruka and Michiru, binding them together, fusing them so tight there was no space left between them, making them one.

When they were wrapped around them so tight the women could hardly breathe, they disappeared in a flash of glimmering light, yet stayed, fused, forever.

Usagi stepped up to them then – it seemed that everyone present held their breath, so aware of this sacred moment – and rolled herself up onto her tiptoes.

She put her hands tenderly against the sides of Haruka's face, turning it down towards her, and with a soft and tender touch, she kissed her forehead where she had drawn the crescent moon and it began to glow faintly.

She withdrew, and Haruka winked at her, until she turned to Michiru's warm smile, cradled her face as well, and kissed her forehead, too.

The women then turned towards each other, and in turn, kissed the same spot their princess had just kissed.

Haruka's lips lingered the longest, breathing in the scent of Michiru's hair, mixed with the perfume of the moon-blooming flowers in her hair.

Usagi lifted her hands to pray toward the moon, in a soft, melodic chant and for a moment, the moon shone a little brighter, covering not only its princess, but also Haruka and Michiru in a soft glow as their Majesty performed the ritual that made them one soul.

Haruka and Michiru turned towards each other, clasping their hands between them and touching their foreheads together. It looked so tender, so loving.

They gasped, both of them, as the crescent moons on their foreheads glimmered and then disappeared like the ribbon had along to the chanting of their princess, and for the first time in their lives, they could feel what the other felt, in this moment.

Could feel the intensity of their love, their bodies and souls now linked forever in an immortal bond, a bond that would still exist even throughout lifetimes.

She met Mamoru's eyes, briefly, just a second, feeling what he felt, knowing.

Minako, again, cried the loudest, when the ceremony was done, but Usagi was still talking, crying.

"You're an example. Your love is a lesson for us all. In the name of the moon, I pronounce you wife and wife."

And when Haruka cradled Michiru's face and planted the tenderest of kisses on her lips, right here on this rooftop under the stars, the Senshi cried, all of them, and then cheered.

This was the most beautiful moment Usagi had ever witnessed.

She had to giggle, for all the happiness that bubbled from her.

…And she was damn adamant to beg Michiru to let her steal her idea with everyone wearing white for her own wedding, when it came to that.

L

There, The End ^^

I hope you like.

Obviously, I know that as of this moment, same sex marriage is sadly not yet legal in Japan. Yet in this very moment there is a province in Japan deciding over a legal bond between same-sex spouses that means at least something close. This fic of course has no time stamp on it, and in my head it is happening in the future, when love is love and marriage is marriage, no matter the gender.

This being said though, even if this document they signed in the morning may not be a same sex marriage, Usagi married them as true to their society as any person could be married, in my mind 3

Soul Bonds for Everyone!

Also, the melody I imagined here was something along the lines of the Theme of Schindler's list – something soul-wreckingly beautiful ; )

I will be back in a month or so (6ish weeks maybe?) with the first chapter of the sequel to Ikigai. It also already has a title: Yugen. Japanese for the emotional feeling one has when gazing at the stars ^.^ Till then you can of course always find me on tumblr (as floraone)

Also, a huge thank you to my friend Lynleigh, the loveliest proof-reader in the world : *

AND

please review and let me know what you thought of this, it helps me keep writing!