A/N: Hi everyone thanks for the feedback and the reviews! I truly appreciate any comments, suggestions, or anything else you all have to give me. This story is mainly for me to work on my writing skills and so forth, so feel free to pick prod and poke at my story.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of it.

Chapter 2:

I followed the bride with my camera up until she disappeared into the house. Just seeing her left me breathless, in more ways than one. I had no idea why I was reacting in such a way. It unnerved me to say the least. I felt my chest tingle at the mere thought of her. I stared at the front doors, the last place she was before she was out of my sight. I mentally and physically shook myself, snap out of it Natsuki! I look around slightly dazed and realized everyone had moved inside. I made my way through the front doors and towards the mother of the bride for my next set of instructions.


Everything was happening so fast! I got out of the car and was bombarded with cheers and well wishes. I vaguely remember seeing my mother shouting orders at a woman with beautiful midnight blue hair. Before I could see anything else Haruka and my mother had whisked me up the steps and through the front doors of our large home. We decided on having the ceremony and the reception on our estate. The ceremony would take place in our backyard under a gazebo over looking the meandering stream that ran through our grounds. The reception would be held outdoors incorporating the gardens and the stream, making for a very naturally beautiful wedding theme. Everything was perfect, I had been looking forward to this day ever since I could remember. Haruka and my mother had rushed me into a room, our staging room so to speak. As I sat on a chair in front of a mirror Haruka began to busily fuss at my dress, fluffing it wherever she deemed necessary. My mother was picking at my hair making sure ever strand was just perfect. They were talking but I couldn't hear anything, I was in a daze. I sat staring at my reflection daydreaming. Haruka who was waving a hand in front of my face snapped me back to reality,

" Earth to Shizuru!" I blink and look her in the eyes before smiling,

"Ara, sorry Haruka, I guess I kind of just spaced out."

"I'll say, what were you thinking anyway? I was asking you a ton of questions and you didn't respond to any of them!"

"I wasn't really thinking anything, I was just, here, I guess?"

"What do you mean you were just 'here'? Shouldn't you be more excited than that? Don't tell me you're having second thoughts!" at that Haruka stops fussing and stands with her hands on her hips. My mother had also stopped doing what she was doing to stare at me intently.

"No! Of course not! I love Reito; he's my best friend! I couldn't be happier! I was just day dreaming is all!" Haruka and my mother breathe a collective sigh of relief and continue what they were doing.

"Haruka dear, do you think you can handle this? I'm going to find the photographer and have her set up to take pictures of the ceremony,"

"Yes of course I can ! Don't worry about a thing!" With a nod and a squeeze of my shoulder my mother bustles out the door and into the main hall of the house in search of the photographer.


I was taking pictures of the guest milling about waiting for the ceremony to start and taking candid shots of the groom when I felt a sharp tap on my shoulder. I turn to see the mother of the bride.

", Where would you like me?"

"Ah yes, well I'd like you to just roam around for the most part during the ceremony, taking pictures of whatever you deem worthy, adorable children, myself, the father of the bride, the groom, his best man, the brides maids and maid of honor, and of course the bride."

"Ok that sounds great. After the ceremony is over, did you want to do a large group shot of everyone that is a part of the wedding in front of the gazebo? I'd like to get a few good shots of everyone together in the natural lighting before the sun sets and I have to use my flash and studio lights."

"That is a wonderful idea! I knew I hired you for a reason! You came highly recommended by friends who have used you for parties!"

"Thank you for the compliment! After the group shots I will go and set up over to the side to take shots of anyone who is interested in getting personal shots with the bride and groom, or just portraits of themselves. I'll have that set up for an hour or two before I'll move on to just taking candid photos of the wedding guests."

"Natsuki, you sound like you know what you're doing, I leave it all to you! Now I'm off to get the ceremony started!" rushes down the hall and up the steps.

Natsuki stares after her wishing she still had a mother around to help her plan her wedding one day. She sighs and makes her way to the backyard.


"She's coming right Takeda?" Reito fidgeted nervously staring at the back door to the large home. It had been twenty minutes since Shizuru had shown up and still no sign of the bride coming down the aisle.

"Yes, I'm sure she is. You saw the photographer right? You think she likes me? I think she likes me, we had a moment out front earlier." Reito rolls his eyes,

"Takeda, this is my wedding day, could we please talk about ME for once?"

"Huh? Oh yeah of course sure…"

"Thank you."

"Did YOU get the feeling she liked me?" before Reito could respond the band began to play the wedding march.

The back door swung open and out came the brides maids and maid of honor. Everyone rose in anticipation of the bride. Meanwhile Natsuki had been snapping pictures of everyone doing everything, she stops as she hears the wedding march begin to play. She immediately runs to the side of the main aisle to get the best shots of everyone coming down the aisle. After all the bridesmaids have reached the front Natsuki sees the bride. She starts firing off her camera like crazy, not wanting to miss anything about the bride. Shizuru marches down the aisle, her eyes lock with Reito and she feels safe and secure. She breaks the gaze to look around, she sees her mother and a multitude of friends and family smiling at her. She catches a streak of midnight blue to her left. She turns to see what it is only to be met with nothing. Then she sees a flash to her side. She glances over just in time to catch the photographer lowering her camera, their eyes lock for less than a second, and Shizuru's breath catches in her throat. She turns away and takes a deep breath. When she looks back the photographer is gone. She finally reaches her groom and takes his hand.

"Shizuru is something wrong?" Reito looks at her, concern written all over his face.

"No, nothing." I blink trying to shake whatever feeling I was just having.

"You look gorgeous by the way." He smiles his loving smile at me.

"Thank you, you too." I respond looking into his eyes.

The ceremony goes off without a hitch. Natsuki is purposely trying to stay away from the field of vision of the bride. When their eyes had locked earlier Natsuki's heart had stopped. She felt something electric shoot through the air. She couldn't explain it, this had never happened to her before. She berated herself; the bride was just that, a bride! Natsuki had no chance with her ever. She set her mind to it and got back to her job of photographing the wedding. After the ceremony was over Natsuki began to set her tripod up in front of the gazebo while Haruka and rounded up everyone that was supposed to be in the photo. Natsuki had her equipment set up and was staring thru her view finder to make sure everyone was within the frame, as she looked through she noticed the bride staring straight at her. Natsuki didn't dare to look up from behind the camera. She felt that if she were to make actual eye contact with the bride she would freeze up, and that would be counter productive to her job. So she stayed behind the camera, staring at the bride through the viewfinder until everyone was ready.

Shizuru had almost forgotten about her brief eye contact encounter with the photographer. That is until her mother had started shouting directions at everyone in the wedding party to get positioned for the group photo. That's when it hit her again, the photographer, she looked around from where her mother had positioned her and found what she had been searching for. Shizuru looked straight at the camera, waiting for the photographer to look up from behind her camera so that she could stare into her eyes again, but she never did. Instead the photographer stayed perfectly still behind her camera. 'That's strange, why isn't the photographer looking up from her camera?' Shizuru mused to herself. She just had to see her eyes again; they were such a startling shade of green. She tried coughing to see if that would get the photographer's attention. Instead it only worried her new husband,

"Shizuru do you need some water? I can go and fetch some if you'd like?"

"Oh, no thank you Reito, I just was clearing my throat." I smile at him, loving how caring and considerate he was. Ok, so coughing didn't work. I couldn't think of anything else to do, so I did what I do best, I approached the situation head first with a charming smile.

"*Ahem* Excuses me? Miss Photographer? Do you think the photo can be taken sometime soon? I believe our reception is awaiting us?" I lay my accent on thick and use my most charming smile.

Natsuki, who had been watching the bride the entire time through the view finder was shocked when she realized the bride had spoken to her. She was embarrassed beyond belief, she couldn't believe how she had just spaced out. She blushed furiously while looking up from her camera, careful to keep her eyes cast downward away from those crimson eyes that she felt boring into her.

"Ah, I apologize Mrs. Kanzaki! I was just trying to fix my light meter in the camera," I lied, knowing that if I used enough photo terminology no one would be able to say anything to me.

Shizuru tried to contain the grin that wanted so desperately to escape, the photographer was blushing, and it was the cutest thing she had ever seen.

"Ara, that's perfectly fine, Miss Photographer, but please I find it unfair that you would know my name and I not know yours? How will I beckon you to take my photos during the reception if I only know you as Miss Photographer? Unless that is, you don't mind if I beckon you by whistling?" I smile at the photographer, noting a slighter darker shade of red creeping up onto her cheeks.

"Whistling?" She tilts her head to the side, not understanding what I am insinuating. Seeing her tilting her head to the side like a confused puppy is too much for me to bear.

"Yes, whistling, as if I were to call an adorable puppy to my side." I watch as her expression goes from confusion to one of pouting indignance.

"I am NOT an adorable puppy, and my name is Natsuki Kuga!"

"Ara, well Na-tsu-ki, it is a pleasure to meet you, but if you don't mind could we take our group photo and head over to the reception? I believe my wedding guests may begin to riot if they do not get fed soon." She blushes several more shades of red before disappearing behind her camera once more.

"S-S-Sorry! Yes right away! Everyone look at the camera please! 1-2-3!" Natsuki snaps off a handful of shots, completely embarrassed at being teased so mercilessly by the bride. She finishes off and tells everyone they can go. The group begins to disperse, and as Natsuki is getting ready to set up for the individual portrait shots she can't help but think about how beautiful her name sounded coming out of the bride's mouth.