A/N: And here we are, part 10! Thank you for sticking with it this far. Now I'll get out of your way so you can get to reading.
A/N2: Oh, and before I forget: Merry Christmas!
Episode 10:
Yuki found herself at a bus stop, wearing a sky-blue sundress (her mother bought her lots of them in this style) and waiting for Akise, sorry Aru (as he insisted on being called) to show up. She didn't know why he wanted to go see a movie together, as she was sure Yuto wasn't too happy at the thought of another man making a move on her, but she went along with it.
"Hello my love."
Yuto's voice startled her as she looked up, seeing him before her in a blue jeans, a white shirt and a matching blue jean jacket. Seeing his hair she fought the urge to run her fingers through it, although like always it was going to be a losing battle.
"Don't just sit there, silly girl. Don't want the bus to leave without us, do we?"
"But I have plans with Akise for the day," she protested, tugging in the opposite direction.
"He told me you'd say that; but it's fine, I've got this. Come on, let's go!" And without any further resistance she was dragged onto the bus.
"Do you know where he is?"
He reached into his jacket and pulled out his phone, flipped it open to show a text from Akise. "Sure do, see?"
She blushed when she read it. Why did he have to word it that way?
"You did want to invite me, right?" The worry in his voice urged her to respond.
"Y-yes, I did!"
As they paid the fare and sat down, Yuto pulled a container with food out of his backpack. Taking a fork, he speared a piece of chicken and held it up to her mouth, "Say ah!"
"Ah." And in went the food. She hummed contentedly as she chewed. She loved Yuto's cooking.
The trip went on like that, Yuto feeding her and watching her sigh happily. It was looking to be a good day.
They arrived at the site of the wedding trial, a place named the Sakugami Hotel, several other couples were already there. Seeing all the other women that were walking around with their dates made her feel self-conscious as she tugged on the end of her dress.
"This was a bad idea, we should go."
Yuto looked at her sadly, "You mean you don't want to do this with me?"
She waved her hands quickly, "No! It's not like that, it's just... Wouldn't you rather do it with someone prettier than me? I'm not as pretty as those other girls that follow you around." Her head was bowed at the end, her insecurity shining through.
A hand cupped her chin gently, lifting it til she was face to face with Yuto, her eyes looked away bashfully, "Don't look away," his voice was soothing as he bent down to meet her gaze. She blushed, "I don't care about any of those girls, only you."
"Oh, if only I was 10 years younger." The bright tone brought their gaze to the side, where a hotel attendant was standing in the establishment's uniform which consisted of a dark blue skirt and dress jacket atop a white buttoned blouse and a red ribbon tied in a bow at her neck. "I think you two will quite enjoy the experience here."
"Thanks!" Yuto said brightly. Yuki was blushing brightly at being seen in such an intimate position.
It was then that Yuki noticed the employee's name tag. Kurusu? Yuto dragged her away before she could ask the woman.
"Wow! Would you look at that? It looks like something only royalty would eat. Wanna taste how the other half lives?" He looked at her happily.
She smiled in return, "Why not?"
They each took a bite. "Holy crap!"
"It's actually pretty good. But what am I eating? It reminds me of duck."
"Very good! And you are quite right, it's called foie gras."
Yuto looked at something else in front of him, "Then what's that thing that looks like sludge?"
"That's caviar," Yuki said before the attendant could. She seemed impressed at her knowledge of higher cuisine.
"You know a lot about food, are you an aspiring chef?"
She shook her head, "I wish, I looked up these types of meals once a couple years ago and tried my hand at it," she glanced away bashfully, "It didn't come out as well as I liked."
"Did it taste bad?"
"No, my mom just has a really refined pallet and voted it down. And I know it's not top-quality if she doesn't like it."
"And who is your mother, if I may ask?"
"Um, Rea Amano, ma'am." Silence actually fell over the room as people started looking at her. She blinked and glance around, wondering why everyone was so silent. "Did I say something wrong?"
The female staff member shook her head hastily, "Oh no, not at all, it's just she's rather well known for being a rather harsh critic of restaurant foods. Getting a good review from her is the equivalent of getting a five-star rating."
"Wow, I never knew. So that's why we always got preferential treatment when we went out."
Yuto shook his head at her in amusement.
They were led to a room to try on clothes when a woman short on height and temper appeared wearing a purple kimono with an abundance of gray hair on her head and a sour look on her face.
"Who told you I was in the business of baby-sitting snot-nosed little brats?"
"Um, nobody. They just said this is where Hana goes to try on dresses?"
"Ha! So now I have to clothe you as well! I make dresses for sophisticated women, not cow-eyed Tinkerbells! I am an artisan!" she scoffed as she took out a measuring tape in an overly dramatic fashion. "Fair anointed youth cares not for the subtle drape of cloth.
Nor the ageless cut of quality fabric. You like cheap crap, although I admit it's of higher quality than I was expecting. Your mother has good taste."
"Um, thank you?" She wasn't sure if that was a compliment or not. Especially with that tag-on at the end.
As this was going on, another employee popped up by Yuto and let him away to try on tuxes, telling him he'd see her soon.
The old woman shoved her into the back room, where she began running around with different fabrics, marking down things on a sheet of paper as she moved.
"Yes, this would look perfect... No that would clash terribly... Oh this will go wonderfully with this and this..." the woman mumbled to herself excitedly in broken sentences, her thoughts running wild as she went.
"So," the woman said she worked, "Who is your mother? She has a fine taste in clothes, however cheap they may be."
Yuki bristled, "My mother is Rea Amano, if you must know! And this was the cheapest thing I had! I thought I was going to the movies today, not a wedding trial."
The old woman looked surprised at that before nodding, "Yes, I can see that. She always had good taste."
It was Yuki's turn to be surprised, "You know my mother?"
The old woman laughed, "Know her, honey I made her wedding dress right here in this room! Ah she was a nervous little thing. How is that man of hers these days?"
And at those words, any joy she had was snuffed out, "They divorced a year ago."
The old woman sighed, "I'm sorry, child. I didn't mean to dredge up bad memories. They were just such a happy couple, so I thought they'd be together til death and beyond. Tell you what, I'll let you keep the dress, free of charge as an apology."
Her eyes widened, "What? But why?"
The seamstress smiled, "No one should be sad on their wedding day."
And with that a bubble of joy burst anew in her chest, and she nodded shyly in agreement.
30 minutes later, although it felt like hours due to all the pin, needles, and pain she endured to get the dress fitted, it was done.
"Step out, dear, Show it off," the gentle smile on her face in stark contrast to her previous expression.
"But what if he laughs?" Her worried voice coming from inside the curtains.
"If he does, I'll kick in in the shin, now come out. You're beautiful. Now the world just needs to see it too."
She cautiously stepped out of the fitting room, nearly fidgeting but then catching the stern eye of the seamstress and stopping.
POV Change: Yuto
The groom-to-be was dressed in a western-style white long coat over a gray vest over a white buttoned-up shirt with a blue flared neckerchief acting as a tie along with a pair of also white slacks.
Yuto sucked in a breath at the sight of her. For all that he knew that she was a diamond in the rough, now she shone like the most radiant of gems polished to perfection.
"It doesn't look awful, does it? I'm not much used wearing this style."
The dress was a pure white, cutting off right above the breasts and flowing out at her feet. Ridges formed at the waist, spreading out from a broach-like design near her left hip that served as a split between the top half and the bottom. Smooth on two sides, the bottom was split into three sections of a sort as it was bisected at the side by an ever-widening triangle that reached the foot of the dress, larger ridges present here acting as a divider as the smooth sections circle around the back. A see-through veil adorned her head, falling down to mid-back, two thick white bands circled the edges, one next to the other and accented with little silver stars at the crest of every wave of fabric.
He was still gaping when he yelped. Clutching his shin, he looked down and beheld the stern gaze of the old woman, who nodded in Hana's direction. Realizing his error, he looked up and saw she looked disappointed. He was a blur as he moved to her side, grasping her hands in his.
"I have never beheld a sight more radiant than you."
She sniffed, "Do you mean that?"
"Of course! Would I lie to you about something like this?"
She shook her head as a smile overtook her face, "No, you wouldn't lie."
He felt a slight pain in his chest at that, but he couldn't figure out why, so he dismissed it and went back to admiring her.
The seamstress nodded happily, "So, what do you say to having a wedding ceremony?"
Hana blinked at her, her mind trying to process what the elder had just said before her face turned a brilliant red, "A-a wedding ceremony!"
The woman nodded, "Of course, a dress like this deserves a good wedding to go with it, wouldn't you agree, young man?"
He nodded seriously, and at his agreement, her protests faltered, and agreed to go along with it.
She was given a bouquet and he was stood at the end of the columns of roped-off pews standing beside a priest. The room was lit in the fading the fading sunlight, beams of light coming in through the stained-glass windows that were on each side and at the back, the beams angling downward through the circular parts of the windows providing a spotlight of sorts that landed right in the spot where Yuto was standing as well as the spot where Hana would be in a moments time.
Now, while one might be wondering why this was happening during a wedding TRIAL well, that's because Yuto might have been slightly misleading with the text (he had gone into reply mode and taken out some words that Akise had thought might be pertinent for Hana to know. It might have been a trial, for some, but there was also the option to make it the real deal, and Yuto wasn't about to let anyone else have her if he could help it, even if his bride wasn't exactly aware of her status as such.
Fortunately he was able to invite Mama-Rea, as he didn't want to even think about what would have happened if she wasn't.
As she was walked down the aisle, Rea had a proud-yet-sad look on her face, clearly remembering her own wedding as her only child walked past her slowly.
They both faced the priest that was an older gentleman, his graying hair giving him an air of wisdom and experience. He wore the traditional black tabard of the institution, and had the white stole around his neck. The elderly priest looked at the two fondly, "We are gathered here today to witness the union between Yuto Gasai and Yukihana Amano. Let any who disagree with this union speak now or forever hold their peace."
Silence fell, as Yuto knew would. He figured Akise would probably butt in if he knew this was going to happen, so he made sure that he wouldn't be able to interfere by setting Hinata on him, not that she knew she was being played, of course, but eh, all's fair in love and war as they say.
The ceremony continued without a hitch, they exchanged rings as well, one of them being Rea's old one, a slim silver band with a sapphire stone sitting atop it, and then came the fated words, "By the power invested in me by God and the nation of Japan, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride."
He lifted the veil off her face and without further ado, did just that. When they parted, he had a blinding smile on his face that he was sure reached solar levels and her with a smile as well, albeit with a very heavy blush. She seemed to be doing that a lot lately.
Rea clapped happily as they walked down the aisle again, Hana's arm looped through his as they left the room. The next room they went into had a sheet that they signed together, and he felt excitement well within him as she wrote out her new married name of 'Yukihana Gasai'.
They were ushered into a room where she sat in a high-backed chair with the bouquet in her lap and him standing beside her. A man stood behind a tripod camera setup as he directed them for their wedding photo.
"Okay, chins a little to the left and say, "Registry.""
They were both beaming when the camera flashed, and moments later they were sitting in the waiting room, looking over their respective copies of the photo, Hana sitting down on the padded bench and he standing. While he would have loved to be sitting beside her, he still felt bad for deceiving her. He knew it would all work out in the end, his Diary said so, but that didn't take away the trepidation he felt right now.
When it was all over, and Rea had gone back to her house (she gave him a book on how to have sex [that he hid in his backpack] and said, "Make me those grandbabies!". It still surprised him how forward she was when she wanted something.) they were sitting on a bench in the foyer of the hotel, Hana resting against him with her wedding dress in a box beside her, when an employee walked over. Yuto idly noticed she was the same one they met when they arrived here.
"You've had quite a day."
He smiled, gently stroking his new wife's hair, "Oh yes. You guys really know your stuff."
"Oh to be young again. I'm so jealous of your youth. I sure wish my husband would take a page from your enthusiasm. He's so tied up with work lately I hardly ever see him. But what are you going to do?"
"What does he do for a living, if I may ask?"
"Oh, he's a homicide detective."
The moment suddenly became awkward before Hana shifted, burrowing deeper into his side with a quiet protest to stop moving so much. They both laughed quietly and he hefted her into his arms, taking them to the bus stop.
Considering the circumstances, and Rea being gone (although he did wonder about that) Yuto decided unilaterally to bring her back to his house.
He was reaching for his key when he noticed something odd. Reaching out his hand, he discovered the door was unlocked. Narrowing his eyes, he moved down the hall, eyes peeled for intruders.
Of course, this one decided to reveal himself rather quickly. "Powers out, you should probably get that fixed."
The nonchalant way he was moving around told Yuto he was familiar with the surroundings, and that led him to one conclusion he really didn't like, "So that's why you sent me that text. You were trying to distract me."
"Well come on, it's not like I could have scoured the place while you were here, could I? I'm good, but not that good."
The door he had previously taped shut wasn't so secured anymore. "Did you go into that room?"
Hana stirred on his back, "Hmm? Yuto, is something *yawn* wrong?"
"Very curious, this room. Have you seen inside? Of course you have, it's your house after all." His hand moved to the door handle.
"You had no right to go poking around!" He snarled. He should have killed him way back at the observatory, Hana's wishes be damned! This punk was trying to tear them apart.
"Oh please, if I had stayed within the bounds of propriety what could I hope to uncover?" He slid the door open to reveal the room beyond it, although there seemed to be a makeshift door on the other side, that lead to the backyard. Apparently the silver-haired teen hadnt been too picky on his methods of investigation as he calmly walked through the room that had things tossed here and there to the backyard, where a large hole could be seen.
Yuto glared at him, "So you dug up my backyard?"
Hana moved about a bit, as all Yuto's shouting had disturbed her slumbering and the rapid movement aside she was nearly fully awake.
"You know, it was rather clever of you, but it wasn't quite clever enough. Did you think someone digging a hole deep into the night and then filling it up again? C'mon, your neighbors aren't that dull."
"Get. Out."
"Fine, fine. But I'll be keeping a close eye on you."
And with that he left.
"Yuto?"
And with that he remembered who was on his back, and rushed to his room, getting a quiet complaint at the jerky movement. When he laid her down on the bed, she held on to him, looking up at him sleepily, "I'm not quite ready for a wedding night, but could you lay with me anyway? I sleep better when you're around."
His rage vanished completely as he nodded happily, "Of course, Hana, anything for you."
And so they ended another day, wrapped in each others arms.
A/N: Yes I know that Japan's age of consent is 18 for males and 16 for females with parental approval, I decided to make it 16 for both genders to fit with the story. And obviously Rea agrees, so that's not an issue.
A/N2: here is the dress I tried my hand at describing for Yuki. I hope I did it justice. There were too many to choose from and this one just leapt out at me as being 'the one'. As usual, just remove the spaces.
s. tbdress images/ product/ 3/ 3818/ 3818857_11. jpg