Chapter 10: Til The End
8 years later
"You sure this isn't too much?" Ryuji asked as he groomed his hair in the mirror. After the whole case with Akira was sorted out, everything seemed to go back to normal for a bit. With his probation revoked and his life seemingly to be getting better, he could finally move back with his family. It was a little disappointing but it was more than relieving to be able to hang out with everybody again, even if it was for a short while.
That, of course, wasn't the only good news. When everyone saw the ring on Himari's finger, they were all over it. The gang was so happy for them and also couldn't believe that Ryuji was able to do that on his own, much to his annoyance. Even Morgana, who honestly couldn't care less, just couldn't believe that it even happened.
Throughout the years, they've all kept in touch and hung out as much as they could. Akira actually opened his own cafe with the help of Sojiro, which became a new hangout spot for them. It wasn't the best but he was able to get through life without much problem. Yusuke and Futaba put their skills together and were able to make digital art together. Although it still doesn't make much since he was still a struggling artist, they both now had two different fields to work and Futaba even picked up on the hobby herself. Ann started working with her parents in the fashion industry and became a top designer in kimonos and yukatas in Japan. Makoto went to college and studied in the law firm and psychology and became a therapist for troubled teens. Haru started to expanded Okumura Foods to different branches and even helped Akira by supplying his coffee and ingrediants for food.
Ryuji and Himari's relationship grew more throughout the years. A couple of years after Ryuji graduated, they decided to move in together. Himari continued to work on her music and Ryuji actually started running again. It took some time and more work than usual but he started getting back to the star he was before and he was soon participating in more sports other than track. In eight years, they offically became engaged. As expected, the whole gang was happy for them and all began to help and chip in for the wedding. Akira obviously became Ryuji's Best Man and Himari chose Makoto to be the Maid of Honor. As the girls went off to get the dress, all the guys went to try on their tuxes.
"Stop it. You keep this up, you're going to end up getting cold feet and Himari won't be the only one that's going to get hurt." Akira threatened.
"Geez, you didn't need to go that far." Ryuji said. He looked at himself in the mirror to straighten himself out. His hair had gone back to black after he stopped dyeing it. He had on a black tux jacket with tailfeathers in the back, a white long sleave dress shirt with a stripped vest, orange tie, black slacks, black dress shoes and white gloves.
"Relax. You shouldn't be this worked up. It should be the best time of your life." Yusuke said as he put on the rest of his tux.
"Yeah, I know, but..." He looked at himself in the mirror again. "It's just that I'm not really used to all this."
"Just be glad it's only happening for one day." Akira said. He placed his hands on his shoulders, reassuring him. "Don't think about it too much. It'll all be over in an instant and it will be all better."
"Yes, so much better." Yusuke said. "You'll be a married man with the love of your life." Ryuji slightly smiled at that. It was so much to take in. He still can't believe he's even gotten this far with her or anyone with anyone for that matter.
"You'll be fine." Yusuke reassured. "Now please help me with this stupid cummerbund."
"Geez. You're hopeless, Inari." Ryuji said as he turned to him. It was then Akira's phone chimed.
"Oh, I got to go. The girls wanted a guy's opinion." Akira said.
"What? Why can't I go?" Ryuji asked.
"You're the groom, smart one. You want more bad luck than you're going to bring?" Yusuke said. Ryuji gave him an annoyed face.
"Don't worry, you can trust me. I'll see you two later." Akira said. They nodded in agreement as Akira signed out the tux and left to the bridal shop.
* * *
When Akira made it to the shop, he found Haru, Ann, and Makoto crowded Futaba who they were helping getting fitted into a dress.
"Oh my gosh, you look so cute!" Ann squealed.
"Shut up! I don't want to hear it!" Futaba yelled.
"Oh, please. You look so adorable in this, Futaba-chan." Haru added.
"Shut up!" Futaba said again, adding a stomp to her shout.
"Whoa there, you'll ruin the dress before you even get it." Akira joked. All the girls turned to him and greeted him with a smile.
"Hey there." Makoto said. "Himari's getting fitted right now and Futaba's being a little fiesty."
"She almost pulled out the previous fitter's hair!" Ann said.
"She almost made me fall over! I have a reason!" Futaba shouted. Akira chuckled as he stepped closer to them to get a better look. The girls then parted to let him see better. When he saw Futaba, who was in a sparkly royal blue off-shoulder short dress with silver high heels, he chuckled again.
"Don't say it!" Futaba said, blushing heavily. "Don't you dare!"
"Fine, fine, I won't say anything." Akira said. He then patted her head and smirked. Futaba turned extremely red as the others giggled behind him.
"You all are so dead." She said.
"Oh, Futaba, calm down." Makoto said, rubbing her shoulder reassuringly. "You look great and it'll be for one day. You'll be fine."
"Did you guys already try on your dresses?" Akira asked.
"Yup. Fits like a glove." Ann said.
"By the way, is Mona-chan still'napping?'" Haru asked.
"Well, you guys know how he feels about Ryuji." Akira said. "Don't worry, he's still coming just don't expect him to be extatic about it."
"I thought Ryuji was the one that needed to grow up." Ann joked. "How's he doing, by the way?"
"Well, he's doing good so far. The nerves are starting to get to him." Akira replied.
"He's not thinking about doing something stupid, is he?" Makoto asked. "I'll give him the beating of a lifetime if he does." Akira smirked at her.
"You and me both." He said. Makoto chuckled with a somewhat evil smile.
"Excuse me?" They all turned to the fitter peering at them behind the screen. "She's ready." The girls excitedly clapped and squealed as the fitter called Himari to come out. When she did, everyone's jaws dropped. She had a strapless laced white dress with a long semi-fluffy skirt with flower designs all over it and some arm-length white gloves. Her black hair was tied back away from her face in a simple waterfall braid.
"Oh. My. God!" Ann shouted. "You look gorgeous!" Himari giggled as she blushed.
"Oh, it's perfect!" Haru exclaimed. "Can't wait to see Ryuji's reaction when he sees you." Makoto walked up to her and took her hands with a big smile.
"He will be drooling at the first sight of you." She said the girls giggled around her. Akira chuckled as he walked up to her. She was starting to turn even redder than before.
"I've had enough flattery so please stop." She said, smiling sheepishly. Akira chuckled as he patted her on the shoulder.
"Ryuji will love it." Akira said. Her smile as she heard his name. She covered her face in embarrassment as she giggle some more.
"So, we have a verdict?" The fitter asked. All the girls nodded.
"This is definetly it." Ann said. "And the dresses for us are perfect." The fitter smiled and nodded.
"Whoever the man is, he's very lucky, my dear." She said. Himari smiled again.
"Not him." She said. "I'm the one that's lucky."
* * *
The next couple of days were just pure chaos. They were able to get everything in order, but as usual, everything seems to almost fall apart as the wedding day was approaching. This was stressing both Himari and Ryuji to they point they almost ended up fighting for petty reasons such as the wrong order of food or flowers. The gang did their best to handle most of it themselves so they didn't have to worry but something always ended up going through the cracks that stressed them out even more.
Two days before the wedding came, Ryuji and Himari had another fight that ended badly. Ryuji left the house, leaving Himari alone to cry and worry even more. That's when they had to step in. All of the girls except for Makoto stayed to help Himari calm down while she, Akira, and Yusuke went after Ryuji. They went all over Shibuya but didn't find him anywhere. It was when they went to the Red Light District when they found him at the Crossroads, sitting alone and playing with a glass of whiskey.
"Geez, you scared us half to death. We looked everywhere for you!" Akira said.
"Well, here I am." Ryuji replied in a dejected tone.
"Didn't we discuss this before? Don't run off on us like that again!" Yusuke said.
"Sorry." Ryuji said in the same tone. They all let out a sigh of slight relief.
"Oh, hello honeys!" The bar tender said. "Don't worry, I'll leave him to you. Since it looks like you're all having a stressful day, I'll let this be on me."
"Oh, thank you." Makoto said. "Just give us something light. We don't want to take up too much of your time." The bar tender scoffed.
"Please dear, it's the least I could do. He's having love problems and it's good to have support in the time of need." He replied.
"Oh, in that case, let me get the drinks. I used to work here so it makes this easier." Akira said.
"Oh, you're such a doll, honey. Knock yourself out." The bar tender replied. They all thanked him as Yusuke and Makoto sat around Ryuji while Akira went behind the bar.
"If you guys came to grill, let me have it." He said.
"You have a lot on your plate right now. You don't need any more." Makoto said.
"We understand if this is stressful, Ryuji. It's a wedding, it's supposed to be." Yusuke added. Ryuji sighed as spun the whiskey around in the cup.
"It's just that you see it in movies and shows and stuff and you never really think that it could be that hectic and crazy but..." He trailed off as he took a sip of whiskey. "Now that it's here, this feels so effin' insane!" He slammed the glass down with brute force that even he flinched. He looked up, about to apologize to the bar tender, but he shook his head and smiled, showing he understood.
"How many have you had?" Akira asked, holding the bottle of whiskey.
"It's my first one." He replied. Akira nodded and poured him another drink.
"Give me some." Makoto said. Akira looked at her with a weird look. "What, can't I drink whiskey too?"
"You said'light.'" Akira enunciated. He was about to say something else but she gave him a look of annoyance. "Nevermind. Yusuke, you want one?"
"Might as well." He said. Akira then poured them two glasses.
"Ok, back to the groom in distress." Akira joked. "Look, no one said this was going to be easy, weddings never are. That's why we're all here to help. Don't let this stress get in the way, Ryuji. You love Himari, right?"
"Of course I do. I have ever since I met her!" He said as he got up from the table, agitated. He took another gulp of the whiskey before speaking again. "I want this to be special and I want to take this step with her. I mean, after this, we'll be more than just simply Himari and Ryuji. We'll be Mr. and Mrs! Why wouldn't I want this?!" He slammed his hands down on the table as he groaned.
"That's just it." Yusuke spoke up. "Why wouldn't you want this? Maybe it's just the stress but there must be something inside you that is probably adding to the weight on your shoulders."
"Plain and simple please, Inari!" Ryuji groaned.
"What he means to say," Makoto interrupted. "Is that there is probably something else about this whole idea that scares you."
"That's what I just said." Yusuke said.
"So do you think maybe there's something else?" Makoto asked. Ryuji sighed as he held his head.
"I don't know." He replied. "I always thought this wouldn't be that big of a deal but now..." He played with his empty glass on the table with a pained expression. "I just feel so scared."
"Why? What makes you feel scared?" Akira asked, leaning on the bar. Ryuji's expression started to fill with more fear and pain.
"Last night, I had another nightmare." He said. The others inched closer to him, giving him their full attention. "I saw Himari crying and she was covered in bruises. I went to try to comfort her but when I did, she pushed me away and was scared of me."
"Why?" Yusuke asked. "What happened?" Ryuji covered his eyes with his hand.
"She kept telling me to get away, to not touch her." He said, his voice slightly breaking. "Then she said that I did this to her. And when I looked down at my hands they were..." He sighed as he leaned down on the table. Akira, Makoto and Yusuke shared glances with each other. They all knew what this meant.
"You're afraid of becoming like your father." Yusuke stated. "That's... horrible, Ryuji."
"With all this stress and the day approaching, it must've awoken an unknown fear to you." Makoto said. Akira sighed. Seeing his best friend like this really hurt, especially since he would even think about himself like this.
"I know that they say 'like father, like son,' but I don't think it could happen to you." Akira said. Ryuji looked up at him with worry.
"I want to believe that, but I've almost lost my cool so many times to the point where I've almost hurt somebody." Ryuji replied.
"But you haven't." Yusuke said. "You've been able to stop yourself everytime the opportunity came up. No matter how close you came, you've never laid you hands on anyone."
"What happened with Kamoshida was unfair and wrong." Makoto said. "Everything after that, you've always been able to restrain yourself. I'd say that you will never become like your father. You're much stronger than that."
"And Himari won't blame you." Akira added. "She knows what you've been through. She loves you way too much to blame you for this and she knows more than any of us how abuse can affect someone."
"She was in the same boat as you, remember?" Makoto said with a sincere smile. "That's how you ended up connecting with each other." Ryuji wasn't sure what to say. He felt a little dumb at the moment. Has he really forgotten what Himari went through? He can't believe how selfish he's been this whole time. How could he forget something important as that?
"I have to go." He said as he hastenly stood. "I've gotta go back. I've gotta fix this!" He quickly ran out the door.
"Wait! Ryuji!" Yusuke yelled. They followed him out of the bar. Akira stopped before he was out and glanced over at the bar tender.
"Don't worry honey. It was my pleasure to help." He said. Akira thanked him one last time before running out of the bar to catch up.
* * *
The three of them panted as the stood outstide of the house. They were hardly able to keep up with Ryuji since they weren't as in shap as he was. He was standing right at the door but he didn't knock.
"What are you... waiting for?" Yusuke panted as collapsed on the ground. "Just knock already!"
"Shut it, Inari." Ryuji said. Akira and Makoto tried to say something but they were panting way too hard that it hurt to try and speak. Ryuji stood there for a few seconds before he let out a sigh and knocked on the door. After a minute, Haru appeared at the door with a reassuring smile.
"Oh, thank goodness!" She exclaimed. "We were all so worried!"
"Is she..." Ryuji said. Haru looked back inside for a second before turning to him again.
"We calmed her down. She seems to be ok." She replied.
"I need some time with her, alone." He said. Haru stared at him before nodding.
"Of course. I'll tell the girls." She said. She then went back inside. For some reason, Ryuji looked down at his hands. He wasn't sure what to expect but he was still afraid of doing something he was going to regret. His hands balled up into fists as he closed his eyes.
"You'll be fine." He heard Akira said. He felt him put his hand on shoulder. As much as he wanted to believe that, he couldn't help but worry even more. The sound of the door opening brought him back to his senses. He saw Ann, Futaba and Haru standing there, all with somewhat worried expressions.
"We'll leave you to it." Ann said.
"You better not make this any worse." Futaba said.
"Not now, Futaba-chan." Haru said. They then exited the door for Ryuji to get in. He took in a breath as he stepped in and closed the door behind him. He saw Himari standing a bit away from him. Her eyes were red and puffy and her face was visibly stained with tears.
"Himari..." He uttered out. She started to walk toward him slowly. "I-I just wanted to apologize and explain why I ran off." As she was getting closer, he started feeling a little nervous. "I've been totally selfish and it's stupid of me to not think about how you were feeling. It's all my fault so..." She was right in front him, still doing nothing but staring. He felt himself gulp as he closed his eyes and waited for it. He was expecting a slap to the face or even a punch but nothing came. He then felt her warm arms around him and her weight on his chest. When he opened his eyes, he was surprised to see her hugging him and leaning her head on his chest.
"You're... you're not mad at me?" He asked. Her grip tightened around him.
"Why would I be mad?" She said. "This date has been affecting us in more ways than one. I'm just glad that you came back." She buried her head into his chest. Ryuji slowly put his arms around her, still a little hesitant.
"Your not going to ask why?" He asked. He wasn't sure if he wanted her to say yes or no.
"Whatever it was, let's not worry about it now." She said. "I just want you here." Ryuji gulped again, this time so she didn't hear it. "Plus, I'm kinda tired."
"You wanna go to bed?" Ryuji said.
"Carry me?" She asked. Ryuji slightly smiled as he picked her up bridal style and started walking to the bedroom. Once he was there, he noticed she ended up falling asleep in his arms. He smiled again as he carefully placed her down on the bed as comfortable as he could and slowly lay down next to her. He brushed some of her hair away to look at her sleepy face. He softly caressed her face, making his way over to her shoulder. He then traced his way and ended up to her left hand. He sighed as he looked at the ring on her finger.
"I want this more than anybody." He whispered as he held her hand. "I love you more than anything. I don't want to screw this up like I always do." He looked up at her peaceful face. "I'm not going to be like my dad. I will not run off like he did or hurt you in any way. And if I do, I hope you will be able to forgive me if it happens." He suddenly felt his hand being squeezed. He looked down at in surprise and when he looked back at her, she was looking right at him.
"I fell in love with you because you and I shared our struggles with an abusive parent." She said. "We connected in more ways than one and we both understand how our parents have had a negative effect on us." He hand moved up to his cheek. "Do not think for one moment that this will change anything between us. I will love you, no matter what and I will stay by your side until the end." Ryuji was at a loss for words. Everything Himari has done for him never ceases to amaze him. He drew his face close as he placed his forehead on hers.
"I'm so sorry." He said softly. "I will never leave you again." Himari brought her lips close to his.
"You never have, and I know you never will." She whispered. They then shared a long, loving kiss as they lay in each other's arms for the rest of the night.
* * *
This was it. It's the big day the gang's been waiting for. After the mess with Himari and Ryuji was cleared up, the others worked their hardest to keep the wedding under control and make it go as smooth as possible. After two days of double checking everything, it was finally the wedding day. Everyone was excited and nervous. The guests started to show as the bride and groom got ready in their seperate rooms. Ryuji stared into the mirror as he felt the last of his nerves coming to him.
"Don't worry." Akira said as he walked in, all dressed in his tux. "It'll be over in a flash and you'll soon be laughing at yourself for thinking this way."
"I know." Ryuji replied. He pulled down his jacket to be more comfortable. "But I'm still nervous. I can't believe I've made it this far."
"Me either." They both heard a voice say. Morgana than trodded up and jumped on a nearby stool. "But I gotta admit, even someone like you deserves a happy ending." Ryuji rolled his eyes but shrugged it off as he pet Morgana's head.
"Thanks for the vote of confidance, cat." He said. He let out a sigh he fidgeted with his tux some more.
"You'll be fine. I know you will." Morgana said in a reassuring tone. Akira placed his arm around Ryuji.
"Just don't think about it. Everything will be better from here on out." Akira said. Ryuji let out another sigh as he smiled at himself in the mirror.
"You're right. This will be awesome. I'm going to be married with the person I love more than anyone else in the world." He chuckled as he straightened his tie.
"Ahem." They heard behind them. They then turned to see Yusuke and Makoto in the dressing room. "It's almost time." Yusuke said.
"You two ready?" Makoto asked. Akira nodded and turned to Ryuji, who smiled and nodded as well.
"I'll see you at the alter." Morgana said as he trodded out the door. Akira walked to Makoto and took a look at her.
"Is everyone else ready?" He asked.
"Yes. We had a few... problems with a certain orange haired girl but everything is in place." She replied. Both chuckled at that. Ryuji looked at them curiously.
"You look beautiful, by the way." He added. Makoto smiled. There was a slight hint of blush on her cheeks.
"Not bad yourself." She said softly. Akira put his hands on her shoulders and smiled. Ryuji smiled before Yusuke stepped in front of him with a smile himself.
"They wanted to keep it a secret." He whispered. "Today's about you and we must be off." He gestured toward the door.
"Alright, fine." He said. He started walking toward the doors before taking one last glance at them. They hugging this time and Akira happened to look up at him when he did.
"Go!" He mouthed. Ryuji chuckled and started walking to the alter. He was at the doors when he let out a sigh and straightened himself out one last time.
"Don't worry. You look fine." He heard to his right. He saw Ann walking up to him with a sweet and sincere smile.
"Ah. For once, you're taller than me." He joked as he looked down at her heels.
"Do you ever grow up?" Ann replied.
"Calm down, I'm kidding." He said. "You look great." Ann smiled again.
"Thanks." She replied. Ryuji rubbed the back of his neck nervously.
"Oh, there you are!" Haru said, walking up to them. She had Morgana in her arms, petting him evenly.
"I said wait up!" They heard a shrill cry. They looked behind them to see Futaba slowly walking to Haru.
"Will you be able to walk down the aisle ok?" Yusuke asked. They all turned to see him behind Ryuji.
"When did you get here?" Ryuji asked.
"Don't worry, Inari. You'll be helping me. You just need to keep up with my pace." Futaba replied.
"Of course." Yusuke smiled.
"Hey guys." Makoto said as she and Akira walked to them.
"Well, looks like we're all here." Morgana said. "You ready for this, Ryuji?" They all turned to him. He looked down as he sighed and smiled at them and nodded.
"I am." He said. The others smiled at that.
"Well," Ann said, holding her arm out. "Let's go then." Ryuji smiled as he took her arm around his and took in a deep breath as the doors opened. Everyone in the room turned to them, smiling greatly. Ryuji gulped but smiled back as they started walking to the alter. Ryuji felt his heart beat against his chest as tried to avoid eye contact as much as he could. Seeing everyone just stare at him made him feel nervous.
Just be cool. He thought. We're almost there. Don't worry. They then reached the alter, where they would part ways. Ann looked at him with a sincere smile.
"I'm so happy for you, Ryuji." She said. "Good luck." Ryuji nodded to her as she went to the left and he stepped up to the alter next to the priest. Next came Akira and Makoto, who were both smiling as they shared a few glances between the people. Makoto was slightly blushing from all this. Before they parted their ways, Akira reached over and gave her a peck on the cheek, which made her blush more. Ryuji silently chuckled at that. Next was Yusuke and Futaba. They took a little longer since Futaba was still slow at walking with heels. but Yusuke kept at her pace and even helped her to her side when they finished.
It was then when Ryuji heard the wedding march begin and he saw everyone slowly stand up. When he looked over at the doors, he froze and felt his heart drop to his stomach. He saw Haru and Himari walking down the aisle and his eyes were immediately drawn to Himari. She was looking right at him with a smile. Everything about her at that moment was perfect. Her dress flowed with every step she took and hair tied back behind her ears let Ryuji see her beautiful face with just the right amount of makeup. It seemed to all go in slow motion for Ryuji as he enjoyed every detail of her just walking down aisle. She then came up to the alter, hugging Haru before they parted and then walking right beside Ryuji, both turning to face each other.
"Hi." She said softly, smiling even wider. Ryuji found himself smiling again as he took one last look at her from head to toe.
"Hey." He said after a while. They both looked into each other's eyes before the priest cleared his throught, signaling he was about to begin.
"Dearly beloved," He started off. "We are gathered here to join this man, Ryuji Sakamoto, and this woman, Himari Aisaka, in holy matrimony." He leaned towards Himari. "Would you like to say something, dear?" He asked. Himari nodded her head and turned to Ryuji.
"Ryuji," She said. "Before I met you, my life, as most people would see it, seemed perfect. I had everything that most people would dream about, but there was always something missing. I didn't even know I needed it because I distracted myself with my music and other things. Even so, I've always felt that my life was incomplete and I've never really been truly happy." She took in a shaky breath as she looked down for a second. When she looked up at him again, she reached her hands to him. He gently took her hands as he smiled greatly.
"After that fateful night at the hotel, I slowly came to realize what was missing." She continued. "For the first time ever, I had made some amazing friends that I know will last forever. I also met the most caring man ever, which I've come to call my best friend and the love of my life. I never would've imagined myself standing here at all, but seeing who's in front of me right now, I have no doubt in mind and I can't wait to share the rest of my life with you. I love you." She smiled as she blinked away the tears in her eyes. Ryuji was deeply touched by this so much, he had to blink away his own tears.
"That was beautiful." The priest said. He then looked over at Ryuji. "You, sir?" Ryuji nodded as he let took in a breath. He looked right into Himari as he started to speak.
"Himari, you have no idea how much you're worth to me." He said. "My life has never been the best and although I tried to make the best of it, it all just seems to fall apart again and sometimes get even worse. There have been times when I've wondered if it was even worth it to keep going. Then when I met my best friend, everything turned around. I found a reason for me to keep going and because of that, I was able to meet you." He squeezed her hands as he took in another breath.
"After I met you, that's when I knew it was worth it." He continued. "Every second I spent with you made up for all the bad things. I don't ever want to lose you because you are the only thing that I'm ever going to need to make my life better and I hope I will be able to the same for you from here on out. I will love you, no matter what." Himari's smile grew even wider once he finished. He let out a silent sigh and nodded his head toward the priest.
"Very well." He replied. "Now, the rings." Akira and Makoto both gave the rings to him and he then held it out to the couple. They both took their rings and looked at each other again. "Go ahead, my dear." The priest said to Himari. She nodded and took Ryuji's left hand.
"I, Himari Aisaka, take thee, Ryuji, to be my husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worst, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish forever, til death do us part." She then slid the ring onto his finger. Ryuji silently chuckled as admired the ring for a second before he took Himari's hand and looked up at her.
"I, Ryuji Sakamoto, take thee, Himari, to be my wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worst, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish forever, til death do us part." He looked down as he slid the ring on her finger and squeezed her hand tightly. He heard her chuckled and when he looked at her, she had the hugest smile on her face.
"Well," The priest said, smiling. "By the power vested in me, it is my honor to now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride." At that, Ryuij cupped Himari's face in his hands, leaned over and kissed her. Cheers erupted from the crowd as they applauded and screamed with joy. When Ryuji parted from Himari, he smiled at her.
"We did it." He said. Himari nodded as she put her arms around his neck.
"Yes, we did." She replied. Ryuji felt a rush of happiness as he grabbed her tightly and swung her in the air. Himari laughed joyfully as the rest of the gang came up and started hugging and congradulating them. Everything felt just right for all of them.
"I can't believe it! You're now married!" Ann squealed. They all let out another cheer as they hugged them even tighter.
"Guys, don't choke me before the day ends." Ryuji joked. They all laughed as they parted. They all then looked on to the crowd of people before them, who were all coming up to congradulate them. Ryuji glanced over at Akira, who had his arm around Makoto. Akira finally looked over at him. Ryuji smiled and held his hand out to him.
"Thanks man. None of this would've happened without you." He said. Akira returned the smile and took his hand.
"Of course, buddy. I'll always be here for you like you were for me." Akira said.
"Til the end?" Ryuji asked. Akira flashed him his signature smirk and nodded.
"Til the end." He replied.
*and there we have it. the end of honestly one of the hardest fanfics ive written. you have no idea how many times ive had to rewrite a chapter because it just felt like it wasnt good enough. all in all though, i really liked this fic and i hope you guys did too. thx for those who favorited, followed and reviewed this fic. love you guys and keep an eye out for more of my stories(im working on another one right now) ;)