Well here we go. This was actually the the first fiction I wrote since my current sprout of fictions. The person beta reading this work didn't have much time so it got pushed back. Not like I mind it gave me time to finish a few more projects in the mean time and get some other things done. Anyway this will be another 2 part story with a special stand alone third which was originally a request a couple years ago.
With this whole series I wanted to be a little different, I think in the little bits here and there I think I managed to achieve it. If not well poop, better luck next time.
Several references to 'Sisters at War' (Yes I know, soon, eventually and all).
This is the follow up to Traditionally Unorthodox
Beta Reader: enchantedsleeper
"I can't believe I cut it," she said in exasperation as she looked in the mirror. It was finally the day that she was going to lock in this relationship. She sighed as she looked at the almost-complete package of the woman staring back at her. She had cut her hair short, reminiscent of the first time they had met. She wanted to remind Souji of the image she had burned into his brain: the woman he fell for. Naoto fiddled with the skirt of the dress in frustration.
"I know I settled on this one, but I'm not sure if it's me still." The pop idol in the back turned to look at her like she was mad.
"What the hell are you talking about Naoto-kun? We were there for at least nine hours." Naoto sighed as she let her arms hang slack.
"Yes, I know; in the end Tatsumi Textiles tailored one for me anyway. Damn my short stature to bust ratio."
Rise came up behind her and put her hands on Naoto's bare shoulders."What is wrong with it, anyway?"
"I'm nervous that's all. I knew this was coming when I proposed to him but I wasn't too sure what I wanted to do with myself when this day came." Rise gave her a sympathetic look through the mirror.
"He loves you right? You are worrying over nothing. He wouldn't have agreed if he didn't." He voice was stern but she could hear the faint downcast tone in her reply.
"Come on Rise, I'm sorry for that, okay?" While it hadn't been voiced openly, Naoto had clocked exactly what her tone was implying.
"Look, Naoto," Rise turned Naoto around to face her and took both her trembling and clammy hands in both of hers. "I know it's not ideal, but out of all five of us here, you are getting the best deal out of this. You won fair and square..."
Rise looked down in thought."Fair and square without even competing. At that point the rest of us have to hold up our hands and say it's just meant to be."
Naoto deflated slightly."I know. I'm sorry I put stress on you and the other girls in the group; it wasn't my intention to make it so difficult on you all. I didn't mean to steal him from you guys-"
Rise put her hand up to stop her friend's rambling.
"Don't be sorry. At the end of the day, we as people fighting for his affection didn't fight enough or want it hard enough for it to be. Something in you sparked a fire in him which has led to this day. Souji-kun knew what he was getting into when he got involved with you and to his credit, he honestly never treated us differently regardless of how in love you two were."
Naoto sighed.
"He never wanted to treat anyone else differently. He saw how much everyone meant to him, and he never wanted to disrupt the balance of the team –to make us inefficient with our own emotional issues we had to face involving one another."
Rise smiled nostalgically, thinking about the investigation times.
"It took me by surprise when you announced it. I figured that it was two smart people just doing what smart people did." Rise let go of her hands to scratch the back of her head sheepishly. "I never thought he was gonna be the one to crack the lock to your heart. I thought-"
"It would be Kanji, right?"
Rise winced. The girls had always whispered rumours amongst themselves about it; they had tried as hard as possible to keep them from Naoto over the investigation period, and any meet-ups after.
"He didn't stand a chance." The flat statement caused Rise to look at her in surprise.
"Wha- How, why is that?"
Naoto shook her head."Rise, I'm aloof and calculating but I'm also not stupid. I knew from the very beginning, considering how awkward it was about my gender. I avoided the discussion because I didn't know how to break it to him and everyone else." She looked down in thought. "And he took it the best, he shrugged it off and was like,'That's how it goes because hell, I can see why any woman would fall for him.'And considering the amount us women all fought over him, I don't think Kanji was far off."
"You saw right through us..."
Naoto shook her head slowly.
"We women in the group – especially the two of us – are like it wasn't for you guys, I would never be alive to even witness this part of my life." She smiled sadly as she thought of the way she was back then. "I was lost; I thought I'd be alone for the rest of my life, with only the mysteries of people's wrongdoing to keep me company."
She turned to Rise with tears forming in her eyes."But you guys gave me a reason to see the future. To take my fortune and run with it. To be honest, I owe everyone in the team my life and so yes, it unsettles me when something I did affects you negatively."
Rise smiled sweetly but then scoffed."Now is not the time to cry, you'll mess up your make-up and I'm not doing it again."
Naoto snapped out of it and brushed the tears away as quickly as possible. Rise pointed the bride-to-be to the small vanity table.
"One more look over your make-up, then you should be good to go. I'll go get Chie-chan and Yukiko-chan once it's done." Naoto shuffled the best she could towards the table and sat on the stool as neatly as possible. Rise leaned over her shoulder, reaching for various forms of makeup. "Don't let anyone tell you otherwise that you don't deserve this," she whispered. Naoto just nodded.
"By the way, Naoto..."
"Hmm?"
Rise opened up the foundation powder."Have you and Souji-kun had sex?"
Naoto pondered her options before was the harm in being honest?
"Yes, we have."
"Good for you!When was the first time?"
"During our school years, on Christmas Day..."
"WHAT!?"
Naoto winced. Maybe honesty hadn't been such a good idea after all.
...
Souji sat in silence as Yosuke and Kanji discussed plans for the upcoming wedding, sighing as their typical bickering pushed all of his buttons.
"Seriously, everything is fine, we had so many members of the family working on the drapes for the wedding." Kanji stated, bringing forth an exasperated sigh from Yosuke.
"Yeah whatever, all that matters is that this goes perfectly, right partner?"
Souji shrugged nonchalantly."Perfect is subjective depending on who you ask."
The best men reeled back at his cryptic response.
"That sounds strangely ominous..."
Souji waved off Yosuke's concern.
"Sorry if that sounded quite gloomy. I'm not going in with amazing expectations; I just want Naoto to show up and say "I do", to be honest."
Kanji looked at him thoughtfully.
"Hey Senpai, is there anything you're worried about?"
Souji took a deep breath; he looked down at the suit he was wearing. The crisp white fabric shimmered in the dwindling sunlight of the groom's room. He had Naoto had been engaged for close to two years. Ever since returning for the P-1 and discovering that their bond was as strong as ever despite their fights, he had never had a doubt that he would eventually marry this woman. But surprisingly enough, Naoto beat him to the punch, proposing to him rather than him to her. Souji grinned at the role reversal. Not like he had a problem with it, but it was very like her.
'Maybe I should be the one wearing the dress. I'm sure she would be more comfortable in the suit.'
"How are you two gonna deal with names and all? I know that Naoto is the last member of her family outside of her grandpa."
Souji gave him a thoughtful look."We're not changing our surnames currently."
Yosuke gave him a look that told him to elaborate.
"The Shirogane name is famous. Even though her grandfather is happy with me taking her hand in marriage, I'm sure he would prefer to see the Shirogane name live on. It's the absolute least I can do for him."
"That's pretty different, Senpai. Not many guys I know would do something like that, especially with how you know, famous Naoto is."
Souji chuckled.
"Yeah, I guess you're right. I'm personally not interested in the name, but I know it means a lot to Naoto and what she wants to do." Souji paused, taking a moment to think. "After her parents died and being left alone like that, the least she could do is be just as capable as the generations of Shirogane family before her."
Yosuke let out a small laugh as he thought of something. "So whose name will the kids take, then?"
Souji turned to him giving a smirk so devious that the whole room seemed to drop a notch in temperature. "Well, that process is indeed going to be fun…But I'm going to go with Shirogane-Seta for now."
The comment caused Yosuke to choke and Kanji to flush several shades of red at the mere thought of what he was implying.
"I cannot wait until this wedding is done."
The main ceremony hall was decorated in various shades of blue, silver and white, two of the selected colours being known as the couple's signature theme. Many in the town of Inaba came in attendance out of respect. Most of the public knowing the Shirogane name as the name that helped them cleared the fog of death that was the Midnight Channel case from six years ago. If it wasn't for her intelligence and her deduction skill the Inaba police force would never have gotten their hands on the culprits.
As for Souji Seta, he spent most of his time in the small town solving everyone else's issues. No matter how small or how large it was, he was there. So when the town heard that the great sleuth and the town's greatest assistant were getting married, the support was over whelming.
"There are so many people here; I didn't know there were so many people that knew these two," Dojima said to Nanako, who nodded in agreement.
"Who would have thought big bro and big sis had so many friends? It's almost bizarre."
Dojima switched into detective mode for a second. "Almost makes me wonder what they were actually up to in the year they met."
Nanako poked her dad in the leg."It's not like it matters now, right?They finally have each other and they're getting married. I can't wait to see what they look like."
Dojima nodded at the excited Nanako.
"Definitely, I'm sure they will look amazing-"
Nanako pointed behind him excitedly."There! It's Big Bro!"
Walking down the aisle with Kanji and Yosuke in tow, the former leader of the Investigation Team walked down to take his place at the front. His honed, confident stride hid the butterflies that fluttered aggressively in his stomach.
'I can't believe I'm actually doing this...'
The walk seemed so much longer than it should be. All of the eyes on him made him nervous. He has dealt with various life threatening situations but marriage has been the hardest thing he's ever had to encounter.
'I wouldn't be surprised if Naoto has found it harder. She must be under so much more pressure considering our backgrounds...'
As he got to the front he caught the excited eyes of Nanako and Dojima and his parents. He sheepishly smiled back, with a rush of blood rising to his face in embarrassment. When he finally got to the front he finally noticed exactly how many people arrived. Time seemed to slow as he waited patiently for the bride to be to arrive.
"Big Bro looks so good; I knew that suit was perfect for him." Dojima and Souji's parents all nodded in agreement.
"Dude, I've never seen you so nervous before, these people can't see it very well but me and Kanji can see it as plain as day." Souji formed the best grin he could.
"Then that's the reason you guys are my best men right?" Yosuke shot him a smirk.
"Yeah don't worry, we have your back." Souji nodded gratefully but then they snapped to attention as the ceremony hall's music started to play lightly in the background. The small watch on Souji's wrist bleeped.
"She's here..."
"How do you know?"
"She's wearing her tracking watch."
'Trust her to wear something like that on her wedding day.'
At the far entrance to the hall, the bridesmaids made their appearance. Dressed in sleek navy blue dresses, Chie, Yukiko and Rise walked in. They confidently strolled up the hall, each of them holding flowers in colours that represented them.
'Neat touch there, Naoto...'
The three women shot the groomsmen looks of appreciation as they stood on the bride's side of the altar.
"Man, I never knew they could look so good." Kanji's face flushed in embarrassment. Yosuke only agreed with him.
"Yeah, they really pulled out all the stops." Souji's watch beeped again as it was hit with an updated signal.
'8 meters. She's really close... Ah...'
"Would you all please be upstanding for the bride!" The minister called.
Coming from the start of the aisle, Naoto Shirogane shuffled in slowly with her left arm linked with her grandfather's right. Souji couldn't read his wife-to-be's eyes from where he was, he had no help from the veil covering her face. What took Souji's breath away was how she looked. Her dress was simple, the upper half plain outside of the angelic wings pattern around the bust and the neck line. The shoulder section was strapless, going for a design that went over her arms instead. The skirt overflowed, completely hiding her legs and making it seem like the dress went on forever. Just above the bust line, she had the Shirogane clan insignia as a representation of who she was and where she came from. Just before she got to the altar, she turned to make sure her grandfather sat down safely. He grinned as he leaned next to whisper something into in her ear which caused her to blush heavily through her makeup. Tentatively, she walked up the altar, still struggling in the shoes and the dress.
"Sorry I took so long; I'm not used to this sort of clothing." She raised an eyebrow as Souji's expression was locked on her, never wavering. "Is there something wrong with me?"
"You look absolutely stunning." Naoto turn away, her face going so red he could see the flush through the veil. The pair seemed to be lost in each other's gaze as the minister went on with the formalities. Discreetly, Souji took her hand in his which caused her to reflexively intertwine their fingers.
"Th-Thanks Souji-kun." She stuttered. Souji's watch bleeped with a similar noise emitting from Naoto. He checked her wrist to see nothing there.
"Where is your watch?" He whispered. Naoto just blushed and turned away.
"It's around my ankle. I had to make the strap longer for it to fit, because the girls wouldn't allow me to wear it above my dress." Souji grinned at her resourcefulness, which brought an answering smile from Naoto.
"Always one step ahead."
"Before we go on with final part of the ceremony, I've been told the groom has some words for the bride. Seta-san if you would?"
Naoto looked up inquisitively."Souji-kun?"
Souji removed his hand from hers and waved her concern away.
"I'm sorry to make this a little bit more difficult than it is, but it's something I've wanted to say for a while so I thought this was the best place I could." Souji cleared his throat, then took both her hands in his.
"Naoto Shirogane, we as a pair have been through a lot. A majority of people will never know of the struggles it took to make it to today. We have faced a lot and if it wasn't for a gamble on your part and a hunch on mine we would have probably never met. But as you can see I will cross worlds for you and I'll make sure you will always see the clarity of truth no matter if it's in life, work or love. The great Izanagi went through hell and back for his wife, while their outcome was less than desirable..." Naoto giggled cutely, losing the battle to keep her blush in check.
"...I would do the same thing without a second thought as many times as I need to." Souji took a moment to compose himself. "Would you be my Izanami?"
The smile that Naoto gave him was so bright and serene; it was as if she had never seen such clarity before. She could only nod, the tears threatening to spill at any moment. The minister took over.
"That was touching to say the least, but here is the important question: Shirogane Naoto, do you take Seta Souji as your husband, to care for and love, in sickness and in health?"
"Yes I do. A million times I do!"
The minster smiled as he turned to Souji."Do you, Seta Souji, take Shirogane Naoto as your lawfully wedded wife, to care for and to love, in sickness and in health?"
"I do without a doubt."
The minister motioned to Yosuke."Can I have the rings please?"
With a quick shuffle in slight panic at being called to arms, Yosuke handed over the box with the bands in them. Souji, taking the band, raised Naoto's hand and slipped it on. It was a simple gold band with a thin blue sapphire lining the middle.
"You may now kiss the bride!" He slowly lifted the veil seeing Naoto look down slightly in embarrassment. Souji then pulled Naoto in close,bringing out a yelp of surprise. He smirked mischievously, which caused her blood to boil in excitement.
"You don't know how long I've been waiting to do this." With that he leaned down and kissed her with as much passion as possible. Naoto, taken by surprise, needed a moment for her brain to catch up. When she did, she kissed him back with equal force while throwing her arms around his neck. The crowed in the hall roared with applause, but the two bonded lovers were in their own world; time could wait.
He was simply a fool with fortune...
...
...
...A long time passed with Naoto...
Keep an eye out for part 2.