Toudou Akira let out a shaky breath. She glanced around her, at the whitewashed walls of a bridal room in an old church. She only had an hour left.
"Akira-chan, are you feeling okay?" the concerned voice of Akira's old friend, Hanazono Hikari, filtered through the purple-haired girl's thoughts.
"Akira-chan looks out of it," Yamamoto Megumi raised her sketchbook, on which she wrote all she wanted the world to hear.
"Cheer up, Akira!" pink-haired Sakura gave her friend an encouraging slap on the shoulder. "I heard from my parents that he isn't a bad person at all."
"Yeah," was all Akira managed to say. She suddenly stood up and revolved before the mirror, taking in her dress for the first time that day. It was definitely a gorgeous dress. The off-the-shoulder dress was entirely covered in a sheer layer of elaborately knit silk lace that reached down to her wrists and up to cover the sweetheart neckline of the silk gown itself. At her knees, far beneath the empire waist, it fanned out into a mermaid-styled frock with a train, that though intimidating wouldn't be a killer.
"You look beautiful," Sakura said with a genuine smile. She and the two others, all bridesmaids, were dressed identically. Each had on a pale silvery blue knee-length dress with a semi-sweetheart neckline and delicate strappy heeled shoes. A white bejeweled rosette was pinned into their hair and a diamond necklace fastened around their necks.
"Akira-chan, there isn't much time left," Megumi held up the sketchbook once again. "You should finish getting dressed."
"What's the point?" Akira threw her hands into the air. "I shouldn't even be marrying whoever he is!"
She felt tears fill her eyes as she recalled how exactly she'd gotten herself tangled in this mess.
She'd never expected to find herself pregnant. It was her second year in college, after the entire S.A. class had graduated from Hakusen Academy and split up. Her boyfriend, Tadashi, had come to visit for winter vacation. And yes, they had, "done it." Protection had failed. Akira had always been a careful person, but even she couldn't foresee that. Who would have known…known that she'd become pregnant the very first time? Her parents had been furious. They blamed it all on Tadashi, though it had been Akira who wanted to do it in the first place. They refused to let her return to college, refused to let her see her boyfriend ever again. Her tears and pleads didn't matter to them. In their eyes, she was an utter failure and complete disgrace to the family name. As soon as she gave birth to the child, a battle of custody emerged between the Kadinos and the Toudous. Eventually, Tadashi's parents won full custody of the child. And so, Akira's precious baby girl had been taken away from her. Her last remnant of Kadino Tadashi was gone.
Akira's parents had forced her into an arranged marriage without telling her who the groom would be. Akira hadn't wanted to know anyway. It didn't matter. She'd never love him like she loved Tadashi. And now, on this gloriously warm summer day, she would leave Tadashi behind forever and enter her new life as the wife of some other man. Her parents had refused to let her invite him to the wedding. She wouldn't ever see him again. He probably didn't even know she was getting married.
"Akira-chan, let's fix your hair," Hikari tried to give her a sunny smile. Akira knew Hikari hurt every day as well. She and Kei were no longer permitted to see each other. The Takishima Group president, who was also Kei's grandfather, had fiercely disapproved of their relationship. He had forcefully removed his son from Japan and sent him to a prestigious college in the United States. Harvard, or something of the sort. Hikari and Kei had entirely lost contact, just like Akira and Tadashi. There was no happy ending for these two girls.
"It's a beautiful tiara," Sakura opened a silver jewelry box and removed the delicate curlicue headdress. She handed it to Megumi, who gently placed it in Akira's still-short hair after she ran a brush through the dark violet locks. Hikari handed Akira a pair of diamond earrings and a matching necklace. The sparkling crystal gems hung suspended like frozen water droplets. Sakura quickly touched up on makeup, adding a bit of eyeliner, a thin brushing of grey eye-shadow, apple-flavored pink lip gloss, and pale blush.
"You look like a ghost," she remarked as she ran the brush over Akira's cheekbones.
"And finally, the veil," Sakura and Megumi took the gauzy cloth and carefully draped it around their friend. Under the covering, Akira tried to stop a flow of tears. It wouldn't do to ruin her makeup.
"Girls, you have half an hour left," Hikari's mother opened the door to the small room. "Akira, are you feeling all right?"
"Yes, I'm fine," Akira responded.
"You look lovely," the kindly elder woman smiled. "Best wishes to you."
"Arigato," Akira whispered.
"I wonder who the groom will be," Megumi wrote.
"He'd better not be a blithering idiot," Sakura growled. "If they marry you to some big-footed, clumsy jerk I'll stop the wedding."
"I don't think that's a good idea," Hikari laughed.
"Worth a shot," Sakura shrugged.
"Thanks, you guys," Akira smiled beneath her veil. "Thanks for everything you've done for me. I really appreciate it."
"It's nothing, Akira-chan!" Hikari grinned. "That's what friends are for, right?"
"Hikari-chan's right," Megumi smiled. "We're here because we're your friends and we love you."
Seeing Megumi's sweet words brought tears to Akira's eyes. The younger girl would be happy in her life. She was marrying the man she loved in less than a year. Even if he was a total jerk and Akira wouldn't ever see what Megumi saw in him, at least she loved him with all her heart. She would be happy. And for that Akira was grateful.
The last half hour was spent reminiscing about times of old, when the S.A. was still together. They bitterly recalled the first time they'd stopped Kei from staying in London. Hikari retold Kei's confession to her, no matter how much it hurt. In the end, they had to redo everyone's makeup, for tears had run down their cheeks ceaselessly.
"Should we really have remembered all that now?" Megumi held up her sketchbook.
"It never hurts to bring back old memories," Hikari replied.
"It's time," Sakura whispered, glancing around at the three other girls. A solemn air hung over all of them. Akira stood up, shut her eyes, and took in a deep breath. She turned to her friends.
"Thank you for everything, again," she said calmly. "But this final step is one I'm going to go alone."
"We know," Sakura and Hikari chorused. "But we have to carry your train."
"Correction; Sakura carries my train, Hikari and Megumi scatter rose petals in front," Akira corrected the two.
"Wasn't I supposed to carry your train, Akira-chan?" Hikari tilted her head in confusion.
"Well, you'd probably trip me if you did, so Sakura got the job," Akira smiled. Hikari pouted for an instant before her face lit up again.
"Oh well, right, Megumi? We'll fill the aisle completely with rose petals," she pumped a fist enthusiastically into the air.
"Hikari-chan gets excited so easily," Megumi wrote with a sweat-drop on the back of her head.
"Only one more thing to love about her," Sakura laughed. "All right, you two, lead the way. Here's your bouquet, Akira-chan."
Akira gently took the bunch of white roses, flushed towards the center with a pale lilac, from the pink-haired girl. They were beautiful flowers, but Akira couldn't help but remember the sweet lilacs and daisies Tadashi had picked for her at graduation from Hakusen. He hadn't found any nearby and had gone far into his favorite forests in search of the fragrant blossoms. He had come out scratched and covered in dirt, but had handed the handpicked bunch to Akira with an enormous grin and a "These are some pretty flowers all right, but they're not half as beautiful as you."
Akira felt the knot in her stomach growing bigger as she tenderly recalled the moment.
"Tadashi," she whispered.
"Akira, are you all right?" Sakura broke into the bride's thoughts. "It's time for you to head out."
"Right," Akira straightened her shoulders, swallowed a lump of tears, and slowly walked out, careful to not to trip in her heeled shoes. God, those were some serious heels. The only time she'd worn shoes like these was last year at the mixer she'd attended. In an effort to concentrate on her shoes and to not meet the eyes of any audience member, Akira didn't see the groom until she reached the platform.
"What the hell?" she breathed, her eyes widening.
The groom, the man standing before her in a pressed white tuxedo, was none other than Takishima Kei.
"Akira?" he was taken back.
"Kei," Akira gasped. The two had lost contact after he'd moved to the States.
"You didn't know either, did you?" he asked lowly.
"No," she whispered. "This is awful."
"Yeah, it is," he muttered, averting his gaze. The two looked up as the pastor began to speak. In the audience, composed mostly of those prestigious in the financial world, they could see the familiar faces of Ryuu and Jun. Both had shock written all over their face. Akira glanced at her bridesmaids. Sakura was keeping it well together, Megumi's eyes looked two times too big for her face, and Hikari was fighting back tears.
The ceremony went on and on, the pastor speaking in his monotonous voice. Soon it came time for the two to speak their vows. Akira felt that familiar lump rise in her throat again. I can't cry now…I can't go back to being that crybaby again. I have to stay calm. It's Kei. At least I know him. At least I know he's a good guy…oh, God, I'm marrying the spawn of the devil.
"Do you, Takishima Kei, take…" the pastor's words were suddenly drowned out by an unexpected roar. As in, a real roar. Each head turned to the source of the strange sound—right outside the church.
"What the hell?" Akira exclaimed, ignoring the dirty looks she was given for using such profanity in a place of worship. Then came the crashing sound of glass shattering as one of the gorgeous stained glass windows was completely destroyed. People screamed as a whizzing blur flew over their heads, landing squarely in the aisle.
"It can't be," Kei murmured.
"What?" Akira questioned.
"Look," he hissed. With an enormous din, whatever the thing was smashed into the middle of the large church and sent its rider flying. He sprawled out before the soon-to-be-newlyweds and raised his face.
"Hey, Akira," he smiled sheepishly. "Sorry to come without an invitation."
"T-Tadashi?" Akira gasped. Tadashi righted himself and shook off the impact of his crash landing.
"Hey, is this a wedding?" he fully registered the scene. Gazing upwards at his beloved in a wedding gown and one of his oldest friends in a tux… "Holy crap, you guys just got married?!"
"Not yet," Kei answered. Tadashi stood up shakily, still rather weak from his grand and destructive entrance and the idea that his girlfriend was getting married to someone that wasn't him.
"You're just in time," Jun called out from his seat, flushing slightly as everyone turned to stare at him.
"Oh," Tadashi said simply. He walked up to the two, ignoring the pastor's orders to take a seat and allow the ceremony to continue. "Akira…"
"Tadashi, you idiot!" Akira tore off her veil and stared him down, anger flashing in her eyes. Tadashi's steady gaze met her irate one. With an animalistic growl, Akira sprang forward and slapped him across the face, to the shock of many in the audience. "Why did you come so late? I almost got married to this wild animal bastard here!"
"Thanks…" Kei mumbled, though he was used to such comments from his oldest female friend.
"Sorry, sorry!" Tadashi held up his hands in defense after cradling his now-swollen cheek. "Ryuu called me at the last minute and told me to get myself to some church, only I forgot the church's name so I kinda crashed through the window of four or five before I got here."
"Ryuu, why didn't you tell me you had Tadashi's contact information?" Akira demanded, prepared to kill the teal-haired boy at her first chance.
"I didn't," Ryuu said. "But I've been searching ever since I heard you were engaged to mystery man. And I found it this morning."
"Th-thanks," Akira stammered.
"Not a problem," Ryuu gave her his quiet smile. "Anything to see you two happy."
At this, Akira turned to face Tadashi. Like always, he had a broad grin spread over his face. He looked so carefree, so pleased to see her. Seeing his familiar face beaming a cheerful smile, Akira felt that familiar lump rise inside her throat. With a sob she ran forward, tripping over her heels and landing neatly in his arms, weeping freely into his chest.
"All right, all right," Tadashi shushed her gently, wrapping his arms around her, his smile not faltering. "It's gonna be okay, Akira."
While this couple reunited, another was doing the same. Kei had noticed Hikari standing to the side, mouth hanging wide open. He turned to her, a soft smile on his face. Hikari gulped at the sight of his face, which hadn't changed much except a sharper corner here and there. When he held out his arms for her, she ran racing towards him, and like Akira, tripped over her heels and fell into his chest sobbing like a child. The audience, momentarily touched, was surprised to see a single tear trickle out of stoic Kei's eye as well.
"I hate to interrupt this touching moment," a brusque voice sounded. All four of them turned to see Akira's father frowning upon them, his arms crossed. Always an intimidating man, he was even more frightening when ticked off. And yes—he was one ticked off man right now. "But it's time for you to go your own ways."
"No!" Akira said sharply. She gripped Tadashi's shirt tighter, her manicured nails nearly ripping the fabric.
"No?" her father was taken back. He hadn't expected such behavior out of his daughter.
"No," she said firmly. "Dad, you don't get it. Tadashi is the one I love, not that spawn of the devil Takishima Kei."
"What did you say?" Kei's grandfather stood up, fuming. "What did you just call my grandson?"
"That's not my point," Akira said deadpan. "What I'm trying to say is, I'm not gonna be separated from Tadashi ever again, no matter what you try to do. Okay? I don't care if I lose my fortune, my inheritance, my place in the company, anything. I really don't give a crap."
"This is outrageous behavior, Akira," her father began to lecture. But he was interrupted, strangely enough, by his own wife.
"Stop," she said resolutely, placing a gentle hand on his arm. "I think we have severely misjudged the merit of Kadino Tadashi."
"Mom?" Akira breathed. Her relationship with her mother had been strained ever since her unexpected pregnancy.
"I made the suggestion to separate Akira from Kadino because I thought he didn't care about her at all," the elderly woman continued, a regretful smile playing at her lips. At this comment, Tadashi tightened his grip around Akira. "After his parents and not him fought the legal battle for the child, I was sure that he didn't care and that he didn't want the responsibility of the baby. That's why we fought so hard to keep her. I thought that he'd taken advantage of her and left her alone to bear the consequences. I didn't want my baby girl dating that kind of boy. But I suppose we've prejudged you awfully, Kadino Tadashi. And for that, I apologize."
"You thought I didn't care about Akira?" Tadashi demanded. "I care about her more than anyone in this world! You gotta understand that, really."
"Is this your logic, my dear?" Akira's father turned to his wife, who nodded. He gave a small, rough smile. "In that case, Kadino Tadashi, you have our blessing to propose to our beloved daughter."
"Really?" Tadashi grinned. Akira rolled her eyes. He'd never actually proposed. The arrival of the baby had caused too much drama for that to happen. Tadashi immediately dropped to one knee, ignoring the wrinkled state of his clothes and the dirt that covered him. "In that case…"
"He's gonna do it," Sakura hissed.
"Toudou Akira, I think I've loved you since the first time you punched me when I stole a bite of that raspberry crumble you made for tea. Which, by the way, tasted great," he began. At this, Akira frowned slightly. He laughed slightly and took her hand, rubbing her slender fingers with his own calloused ones. "Honestly, you're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen. Not only in face but in person. You help me with so much stuff that I'd never get otherwise. I'm not good at understanding complicated things like love, but really I know I'm in love with you. And I don't ever wanna stop. So, will you marry me?"
"I…I…" tears were threatening Akira again. Megumi and Sakura were already openly bawling, Sakura hiding her head in Megumi's dress. Jun whisked a tear from his eye and Ryuu lowered his head and let the silent waterworks begin. Hikari simply grinned up at Kei and leaned against him. Akira made a sound deep in her throat before throwing herself at her boyfriend, wrapping her arms around his neck.
"And I hoped I wasn't too late to give you this," Tadashi felt around in his pocket with one hand while he used the other to wrap around Akira's slim figure. "Shoot, I hope it's still in here…"
"If you lost my engagement ring, I might say no," Akira warned, a playful smile at her lips.
"Then I'm lucky I didn't," Tadashi said cheerfully, withdrawing a small silver box. He opened it and removed the small silver band in it. "Oh, wait, crap, that's the wedding ring…"
"Tadashi, you idiot," Akira laughed before placing a kiss on his cheek. "It's fine, really. The ring's absolutely gorgeous."
"You think so?" Tadashi asked hopefully. Akira nodded, and he sighed in relief. "Good, 'cause I really think I lost the engagement ring on the way here…"
"Typical Tadashi," Kei muttered. Hikari laughed before nodding.
"It's still a yes," Akira sighed. Tadashi stood up quickly, wrapping his arms around Akira's waist and placing a passionate kiss on her lips. She made sounds of protest and blushed heavily at the coos in the audience, but soon lost herself in that oh-so-familiar feeling.
"They've had their moment," Kei muttered. He looked down at Hikari. "Ready for ours?"
"Just a second," a gruff voice interrupted him. Kei looked up, narrowing his eyes slightly at the massive form of his grandfather. Hikari's eyes widened slightly. The elderly man had been rumored as…rather eccentric. He rarely appeared in public, and this was her first time seeing him in person. Needless to say, he was kind of scary.
"Grandfather," Kei said quietly. "This is the girl I'm going to marry. And I won't take 'no' from you as an answer."
"I had nothing against her in the first place," his grandfather snorted. Kei blanched at that comment.
"Then why the hell did you send me to Harvard?" Kei demanded.
"I wanted to see if you loved her enough to find your way back," was the simple answer. "Plus, the Harvard education doesn't hurt."
"What the hell…" Kei muttered.
"I knew he was eccentric, but that was pretty awful," Ryuu hissed to Jun, who nodded.
"That's crazy," Sakura murmured to Megumi.
"He's a weird man," Megumi wrote.
"I can see that," Sakura said flatly.
"Well, what are you waiting for? You love her, go propose," the president said briskly, glancing from his shocked grandson to the equally shocked girl beside him. Kei wasted no time.
"Hikari, will you marry me?" he dropped down to one knee. "I don't have an engagement ring, but that really shouldn't matter."
"K-K-Kei…" Hikari whispered. "You really mean it?"
"I wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it, you know," Kei muttered. "Just say yes already, you know it's what you want."
"Yes, yes, and yes!" Hikari squealed, launching herself at him in a similar fashion as Akira.
"Thought so," Kei smirked, reciprocating the gesture.
"All right, pastor. Please begin the ceremony once again. We will be conducting two marriages today," Kei's grandfather turned to the small, wiry man, who nodded without question and motioned the four to their rightful places.
"Now this is right," Sakura muttered. Her eyes flitted over the audience and locked with the brown ones of a specific young man. When he felt her gaze on him, she could see his face heat up in an untimely blush.
"I'm happy for you and Jun, too," Megumi wrote, smiling at Sakura. She herself looked out to a pink-haired man, who caught her gaze before lowering his in a rough smile. Yahiro…Megumi frowned.
And so, two birds were killed with one stone that day. Two marriages, one wedding. One groom in a white tux and a girl in a pale blue bridesmaid dress, one groom with heavy-duty jeans stained with oil and a black T-shirt dirt-covered and wrinkled and his bride with a ripped, lacy veil and a huge smile on her face.