Disclaimer: Do not own YGO or traditional wedding vows.
prequel Memoirs of A Bonsai now available.
I love him so much, but I just don't know about this whole obey business...
Téa Gardner sprawled out on the floor of her dressing room, her long dancer's legs stretched to a side-split. Her ivory and lace dress spread like a cushion. Behind her, racks of ballet costumes, performance programs, and a vase of roses decorated her vanity. Blush, perfume, and powder littered the tabletop. The lights on her dressing room mirror made spools of ribbon, gauze, and hairspray glitter.
Today she would lift the curtain on the most important act of her life, and yet the nervous apprehension inside her heart seemed stronger than ever.
Sighing, she crumpled another piece of paper, which drooped sadly on the floor. Her slim, graceful hand cradled a small, fuzzy notebook. A brilliant, cushion-cut sapphire sparkled as she tapped the page. An unruly strand of brown silk escaped from her otherwise neat chignon, and but, lost in a haze of memories, she didn't notice.
For the nineteen millionth time, she rehearsed her vows in her head.
"I, Téa Isabelle Gardner, take thee..."
Bleh. She couldn't believe she let Mai and Serenity talk her into holding a mushy, Hollywood affair instead of a small, intimate ceremony. She would have much rather preferred the infinitely more practical avenue of obtaining a license at city hall and then celebrating with friends. Instead, here she was, one half of the duo of honor at a charity gala masquerading as her wedding. Thank goodness her husband to be was a good sport about all this nonsense.
Yugi.
Memories danced across her mind.
"In sickness and in health"
He looked smaller than usual in his hospital-issue printed pajamas, sinking into the bed, teeth chattering even in sleep. Tristan and Joey made short work of his jello; otherwise, she would have offered him sustenance instead of another blanket. Outside, the sun dipped below the horizon, casting Domino in a squall of shadows. He stirred and mumbled something unintelligible. She brushed the grimace from his face and gently took his hand. His blonde bangs felt softly delicate. She worried about him- and Joey too, participating in that awful tournament with that creep Marik and his group of delinquents. He was always saving other people- her in school, the Kaibas in duelist kingdom, and Joey today. He really was too young to carry the weight of so many, but she knew he needed her so she held his ice cold hands in her warm ones until the sun rose.
"For richer or for poorer"
She didn't have much use for money, really. She never has and probably never will. Maybe growing up solidly middle-class dulled her tastes, but she had no use for the material things. The string of zeros in Kaiba's bank account was empty to her. She was much more interested in intellectual fulfillment and character development, but the utility company didn't care about either of those things when when they shut off her electricity during her first winter in New York.
She had been a struggling dancer then, practicing for hours on end at the studio while moonlighting as a waitress. She didn't dare write him or any of her friends about her struggles- how her shoes chafed as callous after callous broke from overexertion- but, somehow, he knew and flew three thousand miles to find her crumpled on the floor of the cafe, soles bleeding and spirit broken. He carried her back to her squalid studio apartment, climbing up five stories on the fire escape because the elevator- like always- was broken and dangerous. He tucked her into her air mattress (who could afford furniture then?) and brushed her brunette bangs, holding her hands as he gently bandaged her feet and will.
"To cherish and obey"
They had always cherished each other. Ever since their first meeting in kindergarten. He a bright-eyed, curious child and she a wide-eyed, spunky tomboy, challenging each other to the last piece of cake at the games table. He let her win, of course, and she repaid him by chucking the icing at the bully who teased him about losing to a girl. They've been friends ever since... until adulthood, when suddenly he wasn't that adorable little boy who brought her chocolates and she wasn't that cute little girl who pulled his hair when he napped during class. They were past their awkward pimples and braces and midget stage then. He grew into a tall, handsome man and, to him, the most beautiful girl in the world simply grew to be so beautiful that his heart couldn't take it anymore.
The neighbors nearly called the police when he proposed, but decided against it at the last minute. After all, this was New York City, and people here screamed continuously for any number of reasons, most of then bad. Often it was because rodents crashed breakfast, but sometimes, like then, it was due to pure joy. She never forgot the way she cried when he pulled the little plastic ring prize from the cereal box and promised to buy her a real ring one day, after he convinced Kaiba to give him a raise.
She kissed him silly and told him she didn't care about what ring she wore as long as it was his.
Nonetheless, he made good on his promise. He convinced- or rather, arm-twisted- Kaiba into a promotion as head game developer. He exploited every ounce of his card-playing knowledge into mastering the corporate game, winning friends and allies alike with his charm. It was easy, really, to make himself indispensable to Kaiba, and the tall man grew to, in his words, "accommodate" his best employee and friend. Hence Mai and Serenity's relatively easy time in convincing the usually antisocial Kaiba to sponsor their wedding/charity gala.
"Tay? Are you alright?" A rich, baritone voice interrupted her reverie. She looked up. Only one person in the world called her by that affectionate nickname, and that person was now training a pair of very concerned amethyst eyes on her face. Her apprehension lifted.
She grinned weakly. "A bit nervous, that's all."
Yugi frowned before lowering himself on the floor. He un-crumpled the piece of paper she had dropped to the floor. His eyes softened. "The vows, dearest?"
She nodded. He read her like a game manual. "It's just...I don't know about this obey business, you know? I love you, I just..."
She just what? She was a modern, twenty-first century girl; a thoroughly independent person and proud of it. The whole idea of promising to obey someone else for the rest of her life seemed...at odds with the fire within. He would understand, wouldn't he, that she was her own being? That she retained the essence of who she was even in marriage? He wouldn't actually want her to promise to obey, right?
It was his turn to kiss her silly. "You've never obeyed anyone before, Tay. I hardly expect you to start today."
She grinned as he carried her out the door.
"To love and hold, Til death do us part."
Thoughts?