Suzume promised herself that she wouldn't cry. But she couldn't help it when she saw her best friend walking down the aisle.

Yuyuka Nekota was positively glowing. Her reddish-brown hair was done up in a fancy braid wrapped around her head, and her face was unobscured by a veil. ("I want to see her face," Togyuu had insisted.) She wore a shining, white dress embellished with lace and sequins, and in her hands she held a modest yet colorful bouquet of flowers. A small smile graced her pink lips. Her real, honest smile.

As Suzume took in this beautiful sight, her eyes filled with tears. She could imagine Yuyuka scolding her for being so embarrassing in a public place, all the while being secretly pleased on the inside. For some reason this just made Suzume want to cry more.

Yuyuka had made her way to the front and was now facing Togyuu, who was looking at her like she was his most precious treasure.

Is that how Mamura looks at me? Suzume couldn't help but wonder.

"Oi, isn't that minister ridiculously hot?" said Kameyoshi, who was sitting next to Suzume.

Tsurutani turned to her best friend and gave her the look she had given her a thousand times before. "Kame, no. Just… no."

"You're just biased towards Inukai," Kame teased. "When were you planning to tell us about your engagement, anyway?"

Tsuru's face flushed bright red. "That's not… how did you even…"

"Suzume agrees with me. Right, Suzume?"

Suzume mumbled something incoherent between sniffles, which Kame took as a sign of support.

"See," Kame continued, "This is exactly why—"

"WOULD YOU THREE PIPE DOWN?!"

Yuyuka's indignant screech echoed throughout the entire chapel.

"If I'd known you would all be so noisy, I'd have never put you in the front row," she huffed. "You!" She pointed at Suzume. "Stop crying or I'll never give you relationship advice again. And you!" She turned to Kame. "Stop displaying your fetish for older men. It's downright creepy. And you!" She glared at Tsuru. "Why didn't you tell us earlier, you idiot?"

Kame and Tsuru's jaws simultaneously dropped. Suzume still looked expressionless, but she had effectively stopped crying. Even the minister had paused mid-sentence, looking back and forth frantically between the bride and the groom, wondering what he should do. And everyone, everyone was staring at her.

Too late, Yuyuka realized what she had done. Slowly, she turned back to Togyuu. He stared at her, wide-eyed.

"Ah… this is…" For once, she was at a loss for words.

Yuyuka closed her eyes, waiting for Togyuu to reprimand her. It was inevitable, she thought. Sure, Togyuu knew all about her real personality, encouraged it even, but even he wouldn't forgive her for acting like this on their wedding day.

"Pfft!"

The sound was so unexpected that Yuyuka's eyes flew open. Much to her shock, Togyuu didn't look angry at all. In fact, it was quite the opposite—his head was thrown back in laughter. His eyes were crinkled at the corners, and dimples dotted his cheeks.

"That's my girl." Togyuu's lips curved in amusement. Without another word, he placed his hand gently on the back of Yuyuka's head and pulled her in for a kiss.

Everyone was quiet for a moment, save for the surprised squeak that Yuyuka made. (Togyuu would later tease her about it to no end.) But the moment passed, and then the room erupted with applause and cheers and a whole lot of wolf-whistling supplied by none other than Kame.

But Yuyuka was only vaguely aware of it all.

Her senses were filled with Togyuu, and only Togyuu. Her husband, the man who had seen the real Yuyuka from the start and had loved her anyway. Who didn't care that she had just exploded in tsundere-rage. Who had comforted her and cared for her and encouraged her to be honest.

She didn't think it was possible for her to love someone this much, but she did.

Yuyuka would deal with her friends' antics later. For now, all she wanted to do was kiss Togyuu Minagawa senseless.

A/N: I just finished reading HnR, so of course I had to celebrate my favorite pairing. Leave a review, perhaps?