VII.The Echizen-Ryuuzaki Nuptials: The Making Part I
It was such a tiring day, especially after a 'bloody' party. He never did anticipate that the planned wedding would be so sudden. And asking his father questions about it was never an option for him since it never led to a serious conversation anyway.
"Che." Ryoma slumped on the sofa, a scowl present on his face.
He didn't like how things were going since he unexpectedly felt jitters whenever the topic was brought up. The ceremony was about to take place in a week and didn't even know where to start. He also felt quite troubled with the marriage as emotions stirred on the pit of his stomach. Thinking about what he should do about it, his brows furrowed even more, catching the attention of his adoptive brother who came absolutely from nowhere.
"Oi, Chibisuke. What's with the scary face?" Echizen Ryoga's grinning appearance was gazing at Ryoma's darkening scowl as he waited for his retort.
Ryoma then glared at his brother, not bothering to even bicker at his question. He, in its place, retorted with another, saying, "What are you doing here? And where are you from?" accompanied by an annoyed snort as he crossed his arms that somewhat hid his surprise for his brother's abrupt arrival.
"The big day is next week right? I heard it from Oyaji." Ryoga asked and that made Ryoma's frown deepen as it was earlier.
"If it is, and so…? You act as if it does concern you." But Ryoma chose to answer coolly instead as his older sibling faked a surprised expression on his visage seeing that Ryoma had grown so much. "And you—"
"You sure know how to answer questions, Chibisuke." Ryoma was cut off by one of Ryoga's expected taunts. "And of course, it does concern me. Well, I'm here to sup—"
"Don't even dare to mention that word to me. I don't need anything from you." But of course, Ryoma wouldn't let the 'Taunt Contest' to be won by his brother easily. Mada mada daneas he would say.
"Che. You should be happy that I accepted your offer for me to be your 'best man'. You sure are lucky, Chibi—" This made Ryoma face him with a prideful look that made Ryoga's goofy grin widened.
"You're my what?"
"Best man, Chibisuke. Best man.Does knowing your marriage have your hearing impaired?" Ryoga's scoffs intensified.
"I never said anything like that." Ryoma was absolutely certain that he didn't mention something that connected the words 'best man' and his brother's name.
"Bingo. I never said anything that yousaid that." Ryoga replied; his grin still never left him for one bit. "But I came here all the way from nowhere just to be yourbest man. Aren't you pleased in any way? Well, of course you should, but—"
"No. And stop rambling. You're annoying." Ryoma decided to end the 'match' by the 'compliment' he gave.
"Che. You'll see." Ryoga then left him all alone on the sofa and headed towards the kitchen ("I'm getting some Ponta. Oh, and make me your best man…or else…") as the younger Echizen translated his brother's antics. Ryoma ruffled his hair, still wearing a frown on his face, not knowing what else he can do. Closing his eyes for a brief moment, he thought a lot about how this new life he was to have would turn out.
"Ryoma?" A calm voice broke his train of thoughts. "Are you okay?" Ryoma then opened his eyes.
"Okaa-san." He acknowledged his mother's presence, providing enough space for her to sit on the sofa as well.
"I made you some tea." Rinko poured a cupful for both of them. "It looks like you're a bit distracted. Mind telling me?" She smiled at her son as she handed the mug to him.
"Thanks." Ryoma stared at his blurred reflection, his orbs completely compelled within his thoughts. "It's about—"
"About the wedding, I suppose." Rinko knew exactly what his son was thinking. It was about the wedding prepared for him without his knowledge. Rinko knew well that Ryoma hates being manipulated, being his mother for years. And especially if they were talking about his future, more precisely, his marriage. It wasn't that she ignored that fact when she, Nanjirou, and Sumire met up about the engagement. It wasn't it.
She watched him for some time, not wanting to distract the inner battle her son was currently experiencing. It was pretty obvious that the lad couldn't understand the sudden turn of events and steer of emotions that was out of his familiarity. And as the young man calmly sat there beside her with the cup of tea in his hand, Rinko chuckled lightly, only to catch her son's attention.
"Are you nervous?" Rinko teased him for a while with some light giggles, only to receive a glower as a reply.
"Is the tea delicious?" Ryoma eyed his mother suspiciously as Rinko continued to gaze at her own cup.
Not hearing a reply from her son, she immediately put her own cup down and smiled brightly at his direction. This action surprised the lad for a second and decided to give a curious glance. Rinko then placed her hands atop of his, and said:
"You will not know its taste if you'll just stare at it." Rinko sighed and eyed him. "Even though the color is unappetizing, it is vastly different from its flavor. Without taking the risk of moving towards another step and sipping some from the cup will not lead you to anything." Ryoma, in return, twitched his brows, a sign that he couldn't grasp any of her mother's metaphors and other figures of speech.
With that, Rinko continued. "Even though you have known tea for long, you would still hesitate on drinking it when you find an odd color or scent. Yet if you'll take your chances and try, you'll eventually find out that it is worth it after all. Do you understand?"
Ryoma's golden orbs blinked as his mother placed her right hand on his head. A tiny smile emerged from the corner of his lips, saying inwardly that he did understand it finally. He knew that his mother was trying to point out that the wedding ceremony between Sakuno and himself would bring forth greater opportunities. And with his final nod, he told her that he would give it a shot.
"Take care of her, Ryoma." Rinko winked at his smirking figure. "Now go prepare!"
"Hn." Ryoma stood up from his chair and picked up his phone.
"Yo, Echizen."
"Momo—"
"Oh boy, I knew you would call. Need a hand?"
"Obaa-chan, you must be all out of your minds! It's impossible for us to be together!" Sakuno clarified as they ate brunch. "And besides that, a wedding to be prepared just within a week? You're must be in a hurry, but it's too good to be true."
"Don't worry about it. Most of the preparations had been cleared. Nanjirou, Rinko-san and I did most of them and you just need to do some things for yourself." Sumire watched her granddaughter's frenzy yet remained her calm, reassuring smile. "And please, pull yourself together and stop your tantrums will you? You're not yet married, mind you."
"That's the point, obaa-chan. How can you say we're ready even if we're not?"
"You'll be ready enough when you're both in there."
Sakuno, not wanting to argue with her grandma, leaned on her chair, still restless about the issue. It would be a lie if she would tell them that she wasn't worried about how the preparations would be handled, including herself and Ryoma, too. She wasn't even sure of her own feelings, and Ryoma's feelings, in return. And it was, in fact, her wedding ceremony after all. A wedding was considered a dream of every woman alive, of marrying the man you love and have loved you, which, in their case, turned out to be the other way, that made her think that she wouldn't want to turn it into a farce. Sakuno's serious demeanor remained within her face, her scrunched up nose and furrowed brows ceased to hide her current distress. After eating, Sakuno decided to rest on the living room for a while, only to be halted by a series of knocking on the front door.
"Sakuno, can you see who it is? I'm washing the dishes." Her grandmother's thunderous voice echoed throughout the whole house.
Sakuno abruptly stood up from the couch and went straight towards the door. Lightly peering onto the eyepiece, her chocolate orbs went wide for a second and the locks were frantically released.
"Tomo-chan! Ann-chan! What are you doing here?" Sakuno inquired with an astonished face.
"Is that a way to welcome your guests?" Tomoka smirked as Sakuno flushed beet red. "We'll explain once we're inside."
"Y-Yeah. Sorry about that." Sakuno's rosy complexion died back down to normal as she welcomed the two lasses to enter the house.
Tea was already set on the center table as they entered the living room. Sumire welcomed their guests as well and sat down with them on the couch. It had been exactly ten hours since the party (it was held on midnight) and the three were pleasantly chatting about their congratulations about the wedding.
"Oh! Look at what we brought!" Tomoka looked into her shoulder bag in a hurried pace as Ann did the same with hers. "Here." They both handed two folders towards the Ryuuzakis.
Sakuno raked the envelopes inside the pink folder, only to be fascinated by the striking designs of the invitation cards. There were different themes on each, a diverse quote on each one. The silver-plated ones caught her outmost interest as her hands traced the copperplate letters embossed on the front cover.
"Ryuuzaki-san told us that the theme for your wedding was blue so we tried to receive a few samples with the matching color for the invitations. You just need to talk it over with Ryoma-sama to finalize your decisions." Tomoka ended her talk with a wink and handed her the green folder.
"Ryoma-sama?" An eyed her sadistically as she poked Tomoka on her left rib. "Back to that again, huh?"
Tomoka ignored her teasing and continued on handing Sakuno the folder.
The brochures on the green folder did mesmerize her once again. The dazzling design for her wedding gown was displayed right in front of her eyes. The detailed embroideries and fine silky feel for the pictures and drawings left her awestruck in her chair. Each angle was different in its own way and brought a new ray of emotions about every time she gazed at them. The other three savored her current state, happily discussing about how they were able to track down such a beautiful dress.
"The venue for the wedding proper and the reception area had been reserved, together with the wedding minister(1). I had already contacted Atobe for the available flowers for your bouquet. We just need to go there today for you to pick some yourself." Sumire scanned the invitations as she explained most of the cleared preparations.
Sakuno looked at them in bewilderment, trying to ponder why they were too frantic to prepare for the biggest day of her life. It wasn't incomprehensible, and that was for a fact. She, after all, wasn't called a teacher for nothing. But her insecurities, such as the thought of both Ryoma and her feelings were unclear, and of course, her pride that practically built walls to conserve her new self, kept her from feeling the bliss that should be manifested up 'til her insides.
"I don't know if—" She was about to retort, to let them know that she should be free of whether she wanted to be married or not, yet obviously misunderstood by people around her.
"Oh no, Sakuno-chan. You need not to thank us. What are bridesmaids for? Now, let's settle with you meeting your groom." An dialed her phone, hoping that the person on the other line is with Ryoma.
"Ah! An, why'd you call? I'm busy right now if you're asking for a date." The loud voice from the other line rang through Ann's ears.
"Shut up, Takeshi. Is Echizen with you?"
Ryoma blamed himself for calling his former senpai in order to help him plan his wedding. He called Momoshiro for the personal reason that he wanted to share this endeavor for both of them alone, yet, it seemed that the older lad brought the other seven with them. It looked like a reunion from the horrendous party they set up for themselves the night before and it felt extremely annoying whenever they ranted about something concerning the wedding preparations.
"So what did your father say, Echizen? Were some arrangements done already? It sure is stupid if all would be done within a week. An and I would need a year to prepare!" Momoshiro sipped on his cola.
"Ne, O'chibi, you asked Ryuuzaki-chan about your plans, nya?" Eiji gobbled on a burger as bread crumbs remained on his cheeks.
"Echizen, I would prefer to be the photographer. Yet it's quite tempting to only capture photos of Sakuno-chan while on her wedding gown." Fuji grinned at Ryoma's glowering face, fascinated on how fast Ryoma his former kouhai could be so jealous with just a few words. Let alone his continuous rants that he had no feelings for the lass.
"Oyaji told me to fix the tux." Ryoma leaned on his chair while munching on his fries, not minding the whispers from his companions.
"There's a boutique owned by Tooyama at Hijinzo Market Center, five kilometers from here, which sells wedding suits that may fit your image, Echizen." Inui adjusted his glasses as he clasped his notebook shut.
"Let's go." Tezuka stood up, eventually followed by the others outside the burger joint.
They split up as they reached their cars parked by the sidewalk. Since only Ryoma, Fuji and Inui brought theirs, the others decided to separate and meet each other on the said shop. At mid-twenties, these tennis prodigies dug a lot of money from winning competitions from time to time, thus, having a lot of luxuries in life. They do other jobs as well, since they only considered tennis as a hobby and not a career (unlike Ryoma).
"Echizen, it would be better to wear a white one—wait." Momoshiro's effort on a conversation was halted by the vibration of his phone.
Ryoma glanced at his friends at the back of his car since he didn't permit them to ride on the passenger's seat which sooner or later gave chances for them to tease him ("O'chibi just wants Ryuuzaki-chan to sit there, nya!").
"Ah! An, why'd you call? I'm busy right now if you're asking for a date." Momoshiro chuckled at his remark, only for Ryoma to roll his eyes in bother.
"Shut up, Takeshi. Is Echizen with you?" Ann's irritated voice from the other line told him that the maiden wanted some serious talk.
"Aa. We're off to find some tux for his wedding." Momoshiro answered while scratched the back of his neck.
"Okay. We'll be off to Yukimura-san's boutique then Atobe-san's flower shop. Tell Echizen to drop by Sakuno's house by 5 p.m. Bye." An hung up.
"We better hurry, Echizen. Your fiancée wants to meet up with you by five and it's already eleven." Momoshiro slapped his hand with Eiji's amid the smug grins plastered on their faces.
Ryoma paid them no heed, not minding their continuous jingles about how youthful he was. Yet he sped off towards the boutique, not wanting to spend more time with those two.
"The gown fits you well, Ryuuzaki-chan." Yukimura Seiichi complimented her as she stepped out of the dressing platform with complete accessories.
"Woah! You look like a goddess, Sakuno!" Tomoka gave her two thumbs up; a smile of satisfaction was lingering on her features.
Sakuno twirled once again, the feel of the silky dress flowed within every curve of her body. A gentle smile graced on her face as her cheeks turned rosy for the reason of Tomoka's remark. Thoughts of herself walking towards the altar flooded her mind as the blurry image of Ryoma stood right in front of her. She couldn't comprehend on how her husband-to-be might look like on his wedding attire, yet she does knew that it would be something to gawk at.
"Yukimura-san, how did you prepare the gown according to Sakuno's size, anyway? It fitted her perfectly." An questioned the shop's owner yet her eyes were still transfixed at Sakuno's direction.
"Ryuuzaki-baa-san informed me about the wedding a few weeks ago and I got Ryuuzaki-chan's measurements through Renji's data." Yukimura gazed at the lass as well, totally pleased with the content expression on her face.
An only nodded in understanding as she eyed the maiden who was enclosed within the gown's fabrics. She was somewhat at ease, now that Sakuno quite admitted that her love for the tennis prodigy never died down to begin with, even though she hadn't confirmed it by herself yet. An perfectly understood that by how the bride-to-be looked at her dress swallowed her denials about her attachments she had with the feline-eyed gamin and it made An satisfied that Sakuno could undergo such positive changes. Her thoughts were then broken as Sakuno smiled at her in her full potential. And Ann beamed at her as well.
"We'll get this one, Yukimura. Send it by Thursday morning." Sumire finalized the deal for the wedding gown as they all waited for Sakuno to change back to her casual clothes.
"Understood. The bill would be sent with it." Yukimura gently smiled.
"Thank you, Yukimura-san. Good bye." Sakuno bowed and waved farewell as she followed her grandmother and friends outside.
"Wow! Tooyama-chan sure turned big time, nya!" Eiji scanned the different suits and tuxedos displayed on the mannequins.
Ryoma scrutinized the said boutique as well, not wanting to believe that his childish rival in tennis would be this successful in such a short time span. It was true that they hadn't met for a decade and the only source of information he had regarding Kintarou was from Tennis Pro, the radio or the television. And anything outside tennis was not included in his data book about him. It did surprise him a bit when Inui said that the bubbly twenty-three year old did own a boutique of bachelor's clothing, yet to visit the store itself was a different story.
"Oi, Echizen! You should go fit this! White is good!" Momo grabbed a random suit out of nowhere and immediately offered it to Ryoma.
"Fusshh. Don't let him wear white, aho." Kaidoh spat back in a loud whisper.
"Why? White is the traditional color in weddings, stupid! And, I'm not talking to you, Ma-mu-shi. Don't go judging just because you aren't married yet!" Momo smirked in triumph as he saw the fuming state Kaidoh was in.
"You bastard—!" Kaidoh hissed in anger.
"Cut it out, it's embarrassing!" Oishi stepped in between them, hoping that the twenty-four year olds would quit their nonsense fight.
Ryoma approached a holder far away from the others, not wanting to get involved with their stupid bickering. He then looked for a suit that would fit him best for his wedding ceremony. Asking his senpais' opinions would rivet too much risks and he wouldn't want to create a rift on his growing reputation.
"Whatcha lookin' for, Koshimae?" A distinct voice caught Ryoma's attention.
Ryoma jerked his head from the clothes rack and saw a pair of curious grey eyes together with crimson tousled hair. The grin dangling on the stranger's lips brought the familiar feeling of displeasure which eventually resulted for him to greet him with a grimace.
"Tooyama." Ryoma bore his eyes deep within his, acknowledging the presence of the once alleged "friend" of his.
"Oh! You still remember me, Koshimae! C'mon, don't be shy! Just pick what you like. And, oh! The fitting room's by the corner on the far left of the store." Kintarou pointed it out for him.
"Aa." Ryoma responded his thanks and tried not to show the irritated look he had on his face.
It had been quite a while since they had seen each other yet the fact that Kintarou's loud, booming voice never did fade. They had been good friends to begin with, but it seemed that Ryoma couldn't tolerate such tones since he literally broke his ear drums off just by being near to the likes of him (examples are Osakada-now-Shijo-Tomoka and Horio Satoshi).
Kintarou just watched him in silence as the tennis prince decided on what he should try on. It really was a stun on Ryoma's behalf the time that he had noticed the unfamiliar quietude between the both of them. He didn't seem to mind though, and he savored the wild lad's peaceful presence as he checked on the price range of each suit that preferred his sense of fashion.
"You're getting married, right? I heard from Inui-san." Ryoma faced his direction as the collected tone of the red-haired man reached his ears.
"Hn." Ryoma monotonously answered his question, still keeping his gaze intact with the lad by the clothes stand.
Kintarou pouted underneath his arms and hid a third of his face with the help of his long locks yet Ryoma seemed unfazed about his behavior and continued to pick his best choices. He didn't pay any interest on Kintarou's sulking form and headed straight towards the route of the dressing room he once dictated. Yet as he passed by the young man's side, a hand caught up to his sleeve.
"It's Sakuno-chan, ne?" Kintarou's voice grew weaker by the moment as Ryoma gawked at the hand on his right arm.
Kintarou then stood up straight and released his grip on Ryoma. Without warning, he wrapped his left arm on Ryoma's broad shoulder and walked side-by-side with the glaring customer towards the fitting room. Kintarou blabbed continuous nonsense about his life, his career, and everything related to perk Ryoma's interest. Ryoma smirked knowingly and accepted his attempts on a conversation and decided himself that he would retort occasionally. As they reached the dressing room, Kintarou even managed to bleed his nose as Ryoma slammed the cubicle door right in front of his face since he rambled so much while talking.
"Ow, ow! That hurt, Koshimae!" Kintarou rubbed his bleeding nose while his back faced the door that separated the two of them. He silently faced the mirror in front of him and waited for the next thing to happen.
Ryoma changed his garments, not minding the hushed figure on the other side of the room. He knew that the lad harbored feelings for Sakuno, since they do meet once in a while. Ryoma positively wasn't dense enough to not sense the delight on Kintarou's voice as he rattled on about his meetings with the woman Ryoma was about to wed, either accidental of intentional, and provided him a lot good impressions on the maiden. Ryoma then fixed his coat and slacks with the same stoic expression on his countenance.
Ryoma unlocked the door and gazed at his reflection with Kintarou on the side and bestowed him his trademark smirk. As a reply, Kintarou smiled in full glory and ruffled Ryoma's hair hard enough to make the lad flinch in exasperation. Ryoma shoved his hand away and raked his own tresses to its original arrangement as the smirk remained intact on his handsome features, yet his smirk was cut off by Kintarou's solemn yet muffled voice.
"Take care of her, Echizen." Ryoma knew that Kintarou was being serious, since he never did once call his correct name until now. "And if you don't, or you can't, it will be a pleasure to take your place." Kintarou was grinning until he saw Ryoma glared at him with his san paku gan.He patted the groom's shoulder. "Kiddin'! Now, chill, okay?" But, Ryoma, being him, remained his silence unbroken.
"Best wishes, Koshimae!" Kintarou showed him the back of his palm as he paced towards a new customer, leaving the lad with his senpais.
The others told him that the black tuxedo he chose provided him the image of a rich bastard and he took that statement as a compliment. He decided that this would be fair enough for the wedding and abruptly paid for it at the counter. With a final glance on the front window of the boutique, he smirked once again, and then headed off towards his car.
Sakuno kept herself busy right after they arrived home. Talking with "Ore-sama" only brought headaches for all of them, yet the whiff of flora on his grand flower shop did soothe the throbbing pain they felt whenever Atobe Keigo addressed himself in such an egotistical manner. Sakuno continued to pick people in which she would prefer to be her bridesmaids and listed them in a piece of paper. She couldn't contain herself about this matter any longer, and the bottled excitement about the upcoming ceremony seemed to have swallowed every disagreement up she felt before. With a sip from her coffee, she proceeded with her task as she waited for what else they had to do.
An stood by the front door with her phone flipped open. She became impatient for a while now, since her fiancé and Ryoma weren't there on the Ryuuzaki household yet. It had been thirty minutes past five and she couldn't contain herself any longer. Tapping her feet on the wooden floor, she settled on the option of giving Momoshiro a nice yell on the phone.
"That lazy ass—" She stopped dialing as the door burst open.
"Sorry, we're late." Momoshiro's pants were evidence that they were truly in a hurry to be on the house on time.
An sighed in defeat and asked them to hastily remove their shoes by the shoe rack. Following her inside, the former Seigaku regulars greeted their former coach and saw that the girls were really busy about the wedding preparations.
Sakuno raised her head from the list she made as soon as she heard Tezuka's impassive greeting. Not realizing that she was staring too long, Eiji shoved Ryoma towards her position only for him to squeeze his way through Sakuno's lap. Ryoma quickly acquired his balance and sat straight as his golden orbs pierced through Eiji's shivering flesh.
Not having any choice, Ryoma posed his elbow on the table and saddled his head on his palm. He wasn't really paying attention to the chants of youthfulness by Momoshiro and Eiji yet to the refined expression of the woman beside her. They didn't converse after the announcement was made and it wasn't his attitude to strike up an exchange. Ryoma chose to close his eyes and not mind the others, but was then distracted when someone poked him on his right shoulder.
"Ryoma-kun, I need the list." Sakuno pointed out on the paper underneath his elbow. It was kind of odd to find herself, after all those years, calling the lad "Ryoma-kun" once again. But, it couldn't be helped right this moment.
Ryoma gradually jerked his elbow from the table and handed her the piece of paper she wanted. Sakuno just gazed at him and shook her head with a slight smile, which caught him, off-guard.
"S-Sorry. I'm done with mine. You just need to list yours." Sakuno set her finger on the 'groomsmen' page and tried to give him another smile.
Ryoma felt weird the moment she smiled at him. It had been years since she did that and it did faze him a little. The feel of uncertainty and the air of awkwardness they once had during the past days were starting to crack open and it seemed like Sakuno didn't avoid him any longer. Yet, Ryoma chose to not take any chances and decided to see for himself if this was just brought up by some influence on her part.
Sakuno couldn't understand why, yet she felt that it had been a lot easier for her to cope up with him now. The sudden approach she carried out didn't contain an ounce of pain, and in the end, it made her believe that they could be wedded in such a manner wherein the concept of the arranged marriage would be off. She wanted to deny her blossoming feelings for the man he was to marry once again, yet the joyous emotions didn't seem to falter a tiny bit. Deciding for now, she would suppress her sentiments and try to avoid the growing stir of events happening on her head.
"Here." Ryoma broke her from her trance as he handed the list back to her.
Sakuno nodded as she held onto the list. Ryoma eyed her in curiosity and scanned a few invitation samples laid on the table. The silky blue color of the envelope near him perked his interest and he decided to scrutinize it even further. It was nice, with the embossed silver letters on the front side of the card. Silver was his favorite color after all, and the sensation brought by it with a simple touch made him feel serene.
"You like that, Ryoma-sama?" Tomoka asked him in a frantic manner.
"Hn." Ryoma answered as he flicked the card.
"Then it's settled. Sakuno, this card is what you chose as well, right?" Tomoka tried her best not to squeal as Sakuno's head nodded in agreement.
"You should finish your plans. Talk about your bridesmaids and groomsmen, we'll all be waiting by the kitchen!" Tomoka proceeded to the kitchen as the others followed her with haughty grins on their features.
"Osakada's your Maid of Honor?" Ryoma raised his eyebrow, even if he knew that those two were inseparable.
"Why, yes. And it's Shijo, not Osakada." She answered confidently. "Oh, seemed that you chose Ryoga-san to be your Best Man. Why him, anyway?" Sakuno retorted with tinge of sarcasm and delivered them without a single sweat.
"I was forced." Ryoma observed her reaction, only to receive a curious glance from his soon wife.
"Forced?" Sakuno replied disbelievingly.
"Yeah, forced."
And as Ryoma raised his eyebrows as well, Sakuno burst into a fit of giggles. The tennis prince didn't find his statement too funny and decided to glare at the lass instead. The ambiance between them did change now, as if they were back in middle school and were happy for winning another tennis match. The picture they now portray brought back the joyful days they once had, and the carefree life they once cherished. It felt great for him to act like this, to be all cocky and arrogant in front of Sakuno, now that she wasn't cautious of his presence any more.
Sakuno couldn't help herself. Even though she continually deprived her own sentiments toward the feline-eyed man, she still couldn't help herself. She knew that he was the man who shattered her heart, that he was the man who tore her world apart, and that he was the man who didn't love her back. Yet, amongst all of those things she knew about him, she couldn't help herself. She couldn't help to gaze at his handsome face, to smile at his remarks, to blush whenever he smirks, to stutter as her body stumbles against his, and to love him all the time. She knew that it would be a detriment if she would love again, yet she couldn't help herself.
Unbeknownst to Ryoma, a tiny smile was present on his lips as he sat there next to her. The feeling was foreign to him, even though he recognized that he was happy in a way. However, the happiness he felt wasn't like those before and it stirred his curiosity since he grew fond of the feeling, yearning for more. He somehow managed to push it aside for now by trying to focus on the ceremonial preparations they both had to make.
"It's a good thing that your camera doesn't have a flash, Fuji." Oishi beamed at the picture taken by Fuji.
"The picture is good! We need to put this in a humungous frame!" Tomoka shrieked in excitement.
Fuji only showed them another one of his mysterious smiles and noiselessly glanced at the young couple. It was a good sign now that they were starting to accept each other's company, especially on Sakuno's part. He was one of the few people who knew about the cold rejection she obtained from the cocky lad and he wanted for them to feel right about the engagement. Nevertheless, Fuji maintained the smile of his as others gathered with him to watch the scene unfolding before them.
TBC.
(1) Well, you might be wondering why choose a wedding minister to perform a 'white wedding' (chapel wedding) in a country not having a Christian religion. Western-style wedding ceremonies or 'white weddings' are currently very popular in Japan. These ceremonies are modeled on a traditional or stereotypical chapel wedding. But the Couples choose it not for any religious reason, but rather as a fashion statement. (Reference: Wikipedia dot org—Article: Western-style wedding in Japan)
