Shun

When we got home, I looked at Alice. I felt so sad for her. I knew she wanted a small wedding. Julie and Runo told me that, but knowing her parents, that was highly going to happen any time soon. "Alice," I began, before stopping, seeing her eyes glisten with tears.

"Sorry," she said, sharply and quietly, "I just wanted to be a normal girl for once. Have a long engagement, and a small wedding."

"Maybe in the future, we could hold a small ceremony." I had to compromised with her. After all, I did take her chance to take what she wanted away from her. Well, that would more likely be both of our patents doing.

After I said that, she broke out into a huge grin, spreading across her face from one ear to the next, "I'd like that very much Shun."

"So, however you want the wedding, I'll go along with whatever color scheme you want, flowers, cake, and what not. You're going to be the main star so I want you to have a great time." As I said this she looked somewhat shocked. "What?"

"Well," she started, looking uncomfortable, "I just thought that you would've been more controlling over the wedding and just let me sit back, seeing as most women in both of our families do that anyways."

I rolled my eyes, "I'm not like that. Believe it or not, I do think there are women with enough brains to take over the human race. I know some women who make better ninjas as well." I smirked, "And I know you have a brain, so I know that you can make some rash decisions, but you tend to be honest and blunt about some things, but that's just your style. It's how you are." As I said this, she smiled again, her eyes drying the tears she had from when we first got home, "I sometimes think that you'd be able to lead the company without me, but we wouldn't like to see that."

As we talked about what the wedding should be like, we looked at things like: color, cake, venue, ect.

"What type of dress do you think I should wear," Alice asked, looking at me with excitement. I guess even though it couldn't be what she would exactly want, she was still happy that she was going to marry her best friend. Even if our parents set up this marriage for us.

I looked at her in confusion, "Why would it matter? I already know that you are going to look amazing in it if I look for you, plus, I don't exactly know your size, and I have no clue in dresses other than white."

The next day I went into the dojo. I trained the ninja, seeing as father did the business side, until Alice and I got married, then I'll be the one in charge, while father will come back here to train the ninja. I usually train the little kids. I don't see why father makes me do this. He knows how bad I am with children. I think I can hear him now.

"I don't understand how you are so bad with children."

"How will you ever raise a family if you can't even get along with the children from the dojo?"

"How will Alice feel when all you do to your children is yell at them."

I looked at one of the girls that's in the class. She was a prodigy. She would easily become a first class ninja by the time she's sixteen. I then looked at a boy with poor form that was training with another boy. One of them was doing amazingly well, while the other, well, not so much.

He was trying to block all wrong, and he had terrible posture. I walked over to them, confidently, and they immediately stopped their spar, and looked at me with wide eyes, "Sensei," they greeted me.

"You need to have better posture," I said to the boy with bad posture. As soon as I said that, the other boy started to snicker. I looked at him and he immediately stopped. "What is your name?" I never stopped my cool demeanor.

"Kazuma, Master."

I looked at the other boy, and felt my eyes soften as I saw his scared reaction, "and you?" It may have been cooler, but it was better than the way I yelled at Kazuma.

"Joe, Master Shun."

I heaved a sigh, "Joe, you need to understand that if you don't have good posture, then you'll never succeed as a skilled ninja. That along with balance will help determine how well you'll fight." As I said this, he looked at me, surprise on his face, "So I have to practice posture and balance?"

I smirked, "Yeah, otherwise you'll never get as good as me, or my father."

He smiled a bright smile. One that you would only see on a child, "Alright Master, I'll do my best to make you proud."

I smiled. Maybe there is a chance for me to be nice to children. And maybe one day, Alice will return what I feel about her.

Hopefully she doesn't think that this marriage is just forced upon her. As I walked through the door I was greeted by the smell of one of Alice's home cooked meals, "Welcome home, Shun," she stood at the stove; an apron adorned her, along with a blue tank top, and a pair of acid washed blue jeans.

"It smells good," I said as I went over to the stove, and saw that she was stirring some type of soup in a pot. I could easily say that the color was brown, and could see some meat floating about as well as some potatoes and some other miscellaneous vegetables. My mouth started to instantly water as soon as I took another sniff to smell the delicious contents.

"It's just some beef stew. I thought it may be a good idea because it's getting a bit chilly out, and it's hearty enough that it can easily fill you up, and I know it's one of your favorite things that I make for you." She then looked at me and said, "I know you want to help, but all we really have to do is wait for it to finish cooking, so how about if you set the table and I'll get started on the salad." As she said this, she handed me some dinner sized plates, and then some soup bowls, along with some spoons, soup spoons, knives and forks.

As I nodded I then quickly went to the table that happened to be in the room next to the family room. The layout of the house was weird. We had a huge kitchen, which I heard Alice wanted, seeing as she likes to do just about anything when it came to food. Then, next to that was the family room, where we would usually use to just watch some television, or Alice would do homework. Next to that was the dining room, and the wall from the kitchen had a space where you could easily set things to transport to it, but Alice had flowers set up there. I think she said they were called carnations? I don't really recall, but I know she was ecstatic when she saw them at the market when we were doing out weekly shopping. Next to the kitchen as well was a small hallway, which had the front door, a coat closet, and a pantry space. As you turned left you were lead to the family area if you followed it all the way down.

If you turned left when you first walk into the house you would end up in the kitchen. At the end of the hall, if you make a right, you would be greeted with another hallway, but it would have two rooms on the left side, a bathroom and small sink area on the right side, and if you followed it all the way down you would come across the master bathroom. It was very spacious, and had a huge walk in closet, and a master bathroom. Let's just say that it was Alice's way of saying it was perfection when she first saw it, although, I think she was more obsessed with the kitchen more than anything else.

As I walked back into the kitchen, she handed me a couple of glasses, and a pitcher of water. She followed me with a dish of butter, and bread. I could hear her humming, which she usually did when she was very happy. I know that we haven't really talked much today. The dojo was way too busy for me to simply ignore my fellow ninja and just drop everything to check up on her. But then again, she was busy as well, she had classes at the University, but then again, she was already a junior, so I can see why she would be so busy.

"Shun," Alice said as we finished setting the table, "I was thinking that we could do the honeymoon after I finish college." As she said this she had a nervous look on her face, "I know that we'd have to wait for another year, but I just really want to focus on my studies." "

I was thinking that we were already doing that," I said, looking down at the table, which happened to be neat and tidy. All it needed was the main dish and it would be all set. "I mean, I know how serious you are about school, so I knew that you would want to wait till after you finished getting your degree."

She smiled at me, "Really? You actually put me into consideration?"

"Why would I not?"

As I said that, she gave me a grief stricken look, "Well. It's just that I normally don't think that you would be the type of person to just put others into consideration. That's all."

I felt a smirk tug against my lips, "Well, I mean, we do happen to be getting married, so I need to make sure that you're in on this as well," after I said that, I felt my eyes grow softer, a now sincere smile stretched across my face, "We've been best friends for as long as I can remember, so how could I not put you into consideration, especially when you're so close to achieving your dream."

A now gloomier expression crossed her face, "It may be my dream, but my parents sure as hell don't seem to think so." With that she walked back into the kitchen, and then yelled, "It's ready!" After we ate our dinner, chatting about what happened at the dojo, the phone started ringing, "Kazami residence," I spoke into the phone, before getting a voice that sounded familiar, "Is this Shun Kazami?"

The voice that questioned, high pitched, and fairly annoying. I quietly groaned before replying, "Yes," sharply.

I got the feeling like it was somebody I knew on the other side of the phone. "I heard that you are getting married soon, is that correct?"

"Yes," I let out forcefully, gritting my teeth together, trying to not sound as annoyed as I actually do.

"Well," he/ she continued, "I would just like you to know that you've won an amazing, all exclusive . all expenses paid, trip to Hawaii! Isn't that exciting!?"

I smirked, now I know who it was. "It sure does Dan. But that does sound exciting."

"How did you know it was me!" He shouted through the phone.

"Just did," I said, then hung up the phone.

"Who was that," Alice asked, confusion in her voice.

"No one of real concern," I replied back, then switched the subject, "did you get any preparations done for the wedding?"

She shook her head, "No, but I am going to look at wedding dresses tomorrow." As she said this she had a look of excitement in her voice. Of course she would be excited. Every girl I know loves to go dress shopping, and a wedding as basically free reigns must have that perfect style that every girl wanted.

"Are you taking anybody with you," as I said this her face lit up once again, like she was waiting for me to ask that question.

"Just mother, your mother, and Runo and Julie."

"You're not bringing Michel?"

As I said that, she looked sad again. Great.

"No," she looked like she was on the brink of tears, "he may not even get to go to the wedding," as she said this, a few tears started streaming down her face. "Sorry," with that she giggled, "you must really think I'm pathetic."

"Not at all," I said, as we made our way into the family room, "sometimes it's a good thing to cry. Sure, you may not like people seeing you do that, but it's just a part of who we are. It shows that some of us have been strong for too long, and it can show that there are people who are not afraid to show how they feel, happiness or sadness. You're a strong woman. Even if you don't see the potential yet."

"You really thing that I'm strong?"

I nodded, then said, "We should go to bed soon. It's going to be a long day for the both of us."