Hey, Lovelies! Here is the long awaited chapter you all wanted to read. I hope you'll enjoy it as much I have enjoyed writing it. :)
Chapter Nine: The Wedding
Today was finally the day. Today was the day where two people would unite. Two hearts would unite. Two souls would become one. Today was the day where Sora Takenouchi and Matt Ishida were getting married – becoming husband and wife.
It was 9:00 a.m. when Sora woke and began to take a shower. It was going to be a long day but there were a lot of things to do before the actual wedding.
Two hours later she came inside her living room already showered and dressed. She was busy gathering her things in a small trolley bag where she heard a loud horn from a car just outside her house. She peeked outside the window and saw that Mimi had come to pick her up. She smiled and gathered her things before she got out and locked the door behind her.
She walked up to her and got into the car where Mimi greeted her. "Hey soon to be bride, how are you feeling?" They drove toward the wedding banquet where the wedding was going to be held.
"To be honest, I don't know. I don't think I've quite realized that today is the day of my life. Is that bad?"
She smiled. "No Sora, not at all. You're just nervous, but everything will sort out fine"
"I hope so." she smiled at her best friend even though she was pretty much a nervous wreck.
Meanwhile Matt was still sleeping in his bed. He had sat his alarm for 10 am but he had somehow missed the sound and had overslept.
Tai and Izzy pulled the car up front of his house and glanced down their watches and sighed. They still had to bring their own clothes from the shop and more importantly they needed their groom to be ready. Matt's family was already at the banquet hall making the last arrangements for the wedding.
They two guys got out of the car and walked up the front door where they knocked several times. Tai reached down in his pocket and took out a key. Izzy gave him a what-do-you-think-you're-doing look. The brown haired guy smirked and opened the front door and walked themselves inside.
They took a look around. "You think he's awake?"
"Maybe we should go and wake our groom."
They entered his room and saw the older blond lying flat on his stomach – sleeping. Tai walked toward his best friend and smirked as an idea crossed his mind.
"Uh, I don't think we should do whatever you are thinking, just shake him a little and he'll wake up."
"Oh come one Izzy, this is absolutely the last time we can do something like this! Imagine! We could never just walk in on him like this. Why not enjoy it a bit?"
"He's going to be real mad you know that, right?"
"I know." He then lowered his head down do the blond's ear and yelled as loud he could: "TIME TO WAKE UP ISHIDA. UP, UP, UP!"
"WHAT THE.." His eyes shot up and he frantically looked around, almost jumping off the bed. Once he calmed down, he looked at the two grinning figures in front of him. "Tai I'm going to kill you" as he lowered himself off the bed.
"You have to do that later, right now you're going to get ready! It's your wedding day, Hotshot." Suddenly Matt shot up as he got up and ran to the bathroom. "Damn it, I even set my alarm."
"Yeah, surprise. But you weren't woken up by it."
After an hour later, they managed to drive toward the banquet where everyone was. The place was a huge tall building with beautiful interior design. It was just like a hotel.
Matt came inside where he met his brother and his parents. Matt's mother was wearing a grey chiffon dress with a square neckline and three quarter sleeves. The dress went below the knees.
He saw that Sora's mother was there as well. The mother of the bride was wearing a navy blue dress with a V-neckline and short sleeves. The dress went just below the knees as well. She stood talking to his mother where he came and greeted her. They were helping with the small decorations at the big hall. He stood beside his brother when he felt an arm around his right shoulder. It was Tai. He looked at TK and told him that they needed to go and pick up their clothes from the shop. The younger brother nodded and Matt left his brother alone with the elders.
Sora and Mimi came inside through the huge doors and Sora couldn't believe what she was seeing. It was just beyond beautiful. Mimi led her best friend up the stairs and into the room where she was going to get ready in.
Sora came inside a room which was also decorated beautifully. It had white and cream colored furniture and white curtains hanging by the large windows. In the middle of the room stood a wooden colored table and a dresser. It even had a white crystal light hanging above the ceiling. 'Wow, if the single room is decorated like this, I wonder how the wedding hall is going to look like' she silently thought to herself. She smiled as she led herself inside with Mimi behind her. There! Her eyes found something which was hers. There in front of her stood her white wedding dress hanging on a hanger by the window.
"The dress sure is beautiful." Sora turned to her right and saw a woman smiling at her.
Sora already knew who she was, as Mimi told her that she was a make-up artist and she would be doing her hair for the wedding. The auburn haired girl smiled at her.
"Thank you so much for coming here, I really appreciate it."
"The pleasure is all mine and congratulations on your big day." She smiled and nodded thank you to her. Sora then turned her attention toward her friend and noticed that she already had laid down the bags she carried with her. She then took out her car keys from her bag.
"Where are you going?"
"I'm going to pick up our dresses with Yolei and we'll be here in a couple of hours."
"Okay, hey can you call my mom; I haven't seen her all day."
"Sure! I'll bring her here for you. I'll see you in a bit, sweetie."
The door was closed behind them and Sora walked up to the make-up artist.
"I don't think I got your name?"
"Oh, my name is Abby."
"My name's Sora, but I think you already know that." She couldn't help but smile at her. In fact Sora couldn't stop smiling all the time, but she had a good reason to smile after all.
Abby began to take her things out of her bag and slowly placed it on the dresser in front of her. There were a whole bag of professional make-up brushes and all kinds of equipment and make up in all colors which only a girl could dream of having – according to Mimi that is.
She then took out her straightener and curling machine and plugged them in, so they would be ready to use in a couple of hours.
"So how do you want your make-up and hair to be like?"
"Uhm, I was actually thinking something like…"
"TK, can you give Davis and Ken a call and tell them to meet us at the clothing shop?" TK took out his cell phone and texted them that they were driving toward it now. Tai, Izzy and TK came outside the parking lot and got into Tai's car and drove.
After a half hour, they met up with Davis and Ken outside the Hugo Boss shop. They got inside and told the elder guy that they were here to pick up their suits for today. He nodded at them and went to another room to collect their suits. After 10 minutes he returned holding 6 suits on a hanger with him. They were all placed in a black suit bags with their names on each bag as they were each tailored to their size.
They all took their own suits where Davis looked at the four guys in front of him and couldn't help but think who would be taking the groom's suit. "Guys, who is going to take Matt's suit?"
"I don't think there's space enough in my car, and I don't want to crumble his wedding suit." Ken had a point as they had only brought two cars with them and they had other things they needed to take with them in the car.
Tai turned back to the elder man. "Is it possible that we can come again to pick up the suit?"
"Yes of course, no problem." They nodded their thank you and left the shop with their tailored suits.
However they were not done yet. They still needed to take care of one thing before they could go home and get ready for the wedding.
Tai laid the two suits in the back of his car and climbed in the driving seat with TK sitting beside him before they drove toward Matt's house. Davis and Ken were following closely from behind.
Mimi had also picked up her bridesmaids dresses with Yolei, Kari and Catherine. It was good that she had taken her Audi Estate car with her as they needed a lot of space for the things there were putting in the car. When they had gotten their dresses they drove toward Matt's house to meet up with the guys, as they needed to take care of one last thing.
Mimi pulled the car in front of Matt's driveway and saw that the guys were already outside leaning beside their cars. She and the girls got outside of the car and took out two shopping bags as well from the backseat. Mimi pulled the bags out and shut the car door, smirking at the guys.
"This is going to be so great." Her boyfriend Izzy smirked at her in return.
"I'm sure it will be." Tai pulled out a key and unlocked the front door. They came inside where they started to tidy up a bit around the house. There wasn't a lot to do, but they had to make sure everything was perfect and in its place when the couple would get home later on the night. Kari took one of the bags and began to do whatever they had come here to do.
"I can't wait till they see this."
"I bet they're going to love it."
"Or maybe they'll just be too busy doing other things than notice all this." Tai grinned.
"Tai!" his girlfriend playfully slapped his arm.
"Actually I think they would be taking it slow tonight. I mean they are Matt and Sora."
"Oh well I guess we'll find out tomorrow morning." Yolei winked at them when she finished the sentence.
After half an hour they finally finished whatever they were doing and they all stood and looked around at the sight before them.
"They're going to freaking love this, that's for sure." They all nodded and smiled and took one last glance at it before they closed the door behind them and got to their cars.
Yolei drove with her boyfriend Ken and managed to drop Davis off to his house on the way.
TK and Kari drove with Mimi and Izzy as they could drop them to their houses.
Tai and Catherine managed to drive straight home where they pulled into their driveway to their house and climbed out with their suit and dress on their respective sides. Tai glanced down at his watch and saw that it was already 2 o'clock. Catherine unlocked the door and got inside where they began to get ready for the wedding.
Meanwhile at the Banquet Hall, Hiroaki and Natsuko was busy preparing the hall alongside with Toshiko Takenouchi. They were almost finished with the preparations and couldn't help but feel happy for their children.
Catherine was in her room when she looked at the full length mirror in front of her. She was busy putting her silver earrings on when she caught Tai walking inside with his grey jacket on his arm. The moment he came in, he couldn't take his eyes off of her. She was looking beautiful in her dress. He smiled and walked behind her where he wrapped his arms around her waist and whispered lightly into her ear. "You look beautiful."
She smiled and turned around to face him, "You don't look bad yourself", as she reached to straighten his thin, black tie. He was looking rather handsome with his white Hugo Boss shirt and grey coat resting on his arm and his short brown hair styled perfectly as well.
Catherine rested her hand on his shoulder and spoke in a gentle voice "I can't believe that they are getting married."
"Yeah, me neither, but they deserve each other." Catherine nodded at her boyfriend. He then glanced at his watch. "We should get going." With that, they took all the things they needed and headed out to their car and drove toward the wedding hall.
Within half an hour they all managed to meet up at the wedding hall looking ready for the wedding. The five men were looking handsome in their suits of different shades of grey and their black ties. Not that the women were looking bad either. In fact they were all looking beautiful in their wedding attire. They could really sense that their two close friends were finally getting married.
They walked up to the wedding hall where they met up with the elders.
Hiroaki turned to his younger son. "TK, did you remember to pick up Matt's suit?"
"No, not yet dad, I was on my way to do it now, but I wanted to check up on you guys first."
"We have just finished preparing all there was to prepare. We have taken care of the food and the other reception hall. Now, we were just going to wait till the guests arrive and make sure that the bride and groom are ready".
They all nodded at the elder Ishida. Toshiko Takenouchi reached down in her purse and pulled out some keys.
"Tai can you do me a favor? I need to pick up Sora's bouquet. It's in my car on the front seat; can you pick it up for me?"
"Sure Mrs. Takenouchi, I'll just go and get it." She handed him the car keys and he took off towards the parking lot.
Meanwhile the guys went to Matt's room to give their support to him where the girls got up to meet Sora and see how far she was getting ready.
They came inside the room and saw that Sora was getting her make up done by her make-up artist, Abby. They smiled and walked up toward her. She noticed them and couldn't help but smile and feel happy that they were here by her side. More importantly she couldn't believe how beautiful her bridesmaids were looking.
"Oh my god, you all are looking so beautiful."
Her eyes drifted to each bridesmaid and their dress. The colors were so beautiful – they were all so beautiful.
The dresses that the girls had chosen to wear, was a chiffon dress which went to the floor. It had a silk ribbon wrapped around the waistline and a small flower was imprinted along the right side of the waist as well, giving its nice detail along the dress. They had chosen to wear the same dress but slight differences between them. They wanted to create something unique and "out of the box" idea than wear the same traditional dress at the wedding. Sora however did not mind at all as she thought that it was a good idea that they wanted to give their own personal touch to the dresses.
Catherine wore a light sky blue colored dress with a one shoulder ruffle pleated strap. Her dress was easily matched her blue sparkling eyes. Her blond hair was curled widely, and pinned loosely back giving it volume on top where the rest of her curls were falling gently on one of her shoulders. She wore light blue eyeliner and a silver colored eye shadow and some mascara as well. She also wore a light colored pink blush around her cheeks which gave a sweet final touch to her make-up.
Mimi chose to wear a light green colored strapless dress with a sweetheart neckline. It gave her a beautiful figure as the dress fitted perfectly around her well-formed curves. She wore her light brown hair in an up style manner which was loosely being held up by pins. She wore a black eye liner and mascara with a silver and green colored eye shadow which gave a sparkling touch to her brown eyes. She also wore a light blush on her cheeks and some lip gloss.
Kari wore a pearl pink colored dress with wide shoulder straps. Her dark brown hair was flat ironed and falling just past her shoulders. She wore a black eyeliner and mascara as well and silver colored eye shadow which was neatly blended with a light pink. She, just like the rest of the girls, also wore a pink blush on her cheeks.
Yolei chose to wear a lilac colored strapless dress. Her long purple hair was braided in an up-do style which was being held up with several matching pins. Her make-up was light as well with a black eyeliner and mascara. She wore two colored eye shadow, making a beautiful combination between a light purple and a silver. She still wore her glasses, which only made her look more sophisticated and classy.
Overall they had managed to choose some light, pastel colors for their dresses.
Catherine placed an arm on the bride's shoulder and smiled warmly at her. "Wait till you see yourself, Sora."
"Yeah you're going to be a beautiful bride."
She smiled at them and couldn't believe how thankful she was for their support. If it wasn't for their support then none of this was even possible to begin with.
Abby was finally finishing her last touch to her make-up and began to do her hair. The girls began to get Sora's shoes out of the bag and her jewelry as well. Meanwhile Sora couldn't help but wonder how the wedding preparations were going. How many guests were here? Did the others pick up the things which were needed at the wedding? She closed her eyes and hoped that they had everything under control. She then couldn't help but wonder how Matt was doing.
Matt was pacing nervously back and forth in his room, as he still hadn't got his suit from the shop. Izzy was sitting with Davis and Ken as they all watched the older blond getting stressed. "Matt just calm down, I'm sure TK is going to be here at any minute."
The older blond wasn't listening as he was busy with his own thoughts. "What if he hadn't taken the right suit? What if they messed up with the order, and I get the wrong suit.. or-"
Izzy stood up from his chair and placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. He made him sit down on a chair.
"Matt you need to calm down." He then reached out for a glass of water and handed it to him. "Here, drink this; it will make you feel better."
"I think he needs something stronger than just water" Ken grinned.
He drank the whole glass and sighed. "You're probably right Izzy, I am just overreacting."
Davis smirked at his words. "Dude, more like freaking out I would say." He continued. "I think you're having an emotional breakdown."
"I am not. I love Sora and I can't wait to spend my whole life with her." In that very moment, the door opened and TK rushed inside with Matt's suit on a hanger.
"TK, where were you?"
"Sorry Matt, the traffic was slow and I needed to pick a couple of other things on my way."
"Anyway the important thing is the suit is here." But before Matt could reach forward, TK stopped him with a concerned expression plastered on his face. "Actually," the younger blond paused slightly, "They messed up the order. They didn't have the right size!"
"What!? How can that be? They took measurements and did the whole deal. I knew it. I knew my luck won't carry me through today – of course!"
TK couldn't hold his laughter back anymore as a huge smile spread across his face. "Relax bro, I'm kidding. You need to loosen up a little." TK laughed lightly and he couldn't stop smirking at his older brother's expression.
Matt walked forward and picked it up, then walked to the bathroom to change. The rest of them sat down and waited for their groom to get ready.
Tai walked back inside the banquet hall and knocked on the door where the girls were. Catherine opened it and saw him standing there with a bag of their bouquets. She took the bag from him and gave it to Kari who laid it back on the couch.
Tai stood outside with a confused expression on his face. "And uh, what do you want me to do with these?" He asked as he looked down where he held six white roses in his hand.
Catherine couldn't help but smile and shook her head at him. She took one of the roses. "Wait here, I'll be right back."
She went inside and got couple of pins and got back where she pinned the white rose into his grey suit. "You pin them up, this is what you do." she said, as she smirked at his boyfriend.
"Remember to take these with you so you can get these to the guys. Everyone has to wear this." He smiled lovingly at her and kissed her forehead.
"Yes madam." He slowly walked backwards and turned around to get the roses to the guys. She smiled and watched him go before she closed the door behind her.
Tai came inside the guy's room and saw them all sitting on chairs. He placed the roses and pins on the table in front of them. "You guys need to wear these."
TK stood up and took one of the roses and walked toward the full length mirror and tried to pin it up, but failed to do so. Tai walked to him and helped him pin it. He then helped Izzy, Davis and Ken with the same. Soon enough, there were only one rose left on the table - which belonged to the groom.
Matt came out of the bathroom wearing a white Hugo Boss shirt tucked into grey dress pants while a grey colored tie was hanging loosely around the collar of his shirt. He and the groomsmen wore different shades of grey, with Matt wearing a slighter darker color. The silver tie separated them from the groom as the others all wore black. He was busy buttoning the silver rectangular formed cuff links of his shirt sleeves when he saw his friends looking at him and grinning.
"What?"
"Nothing Matt, you look great."
Tai placed a hand on his heart and pouted in a joking manner. "Yeah man, I'm feeling real heartbroken here that you're getting married. Dude I always thought we had a deal – you and me, together."
Matt chuckled at his best friend and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry Tai. I can't do this anymore." He said jokingly as they all broke down in light laughter. It was a good thing that he had his friends here with him who made sure that he wasn't too nervous and was ready to lighten up the mood for him at any time.
"So have the guests arrived yet?"
"Yeah, dad said that the guests are slowly coming in. They are busy receiving them at the hall right now actually." He nodded and started to tie his silver colored tie but had somehow forgotten how to do it as he was beginning to feel nervous. He couldn't help but wonder how Sora was doing. Was she ready? Was she as nervous as he was?
"Come here man, let me help you with that." Tai stood up from his chair to stand in front of him as he helped him making the knot for the tie.
When he finished, he pulled down the collar of his shirt and straightened his tie one last time before giving him a light squeeze on his shoulder. "You'll pull through, don't worry" he said as he gave him a wink. Matt then turned his attention toward Ken who held his grey blazer out for him to wear without crumbling it. He straightened his shirt and pulled down the arms of his shirt so the cuffs were visible.
He then sat down on a chair where he put on his black shoes. When he had done that, he turned his attention toward his brother, who he had picked to be his best man. TK held up a white rose in his hand and pinned it to his brother's suit. When he was done, he smiled at him. "You look sharp bro."
Matt smiled at him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Thanks Teeks."
Indeed he was looking handsome in his grey Hugo Boss suit and shirt with his grey colored tie. The suit was tailored to his body, just like the rest of the guys. This however only made him look more handsome as his blond hair was styled perfectly and not to forget; his piercing blue eyes were shining even more brightly today. Today was the day where he was finally taking a step towards a new life. A life he had longed for in so many years. Today was a step towards becoming a man.
"Have you remembered your vows?"
Matt reached inside his suit as to see if he had remembered to put it in the pocket.
"Yeah I got it," and with that, he walked inside the bathroom one last time.
Suddenly a knock was heard from behind. Tai opened the door and saw that it was the senior Ishida. Tai smiled at him and led him inside. TK stood from his chair and looked at his father.
"Hey dad, what's up?"
"I just wanted to make sure everything was as it should be. Is Matt here? I wanted to talk to him." They all noticed that he carried something in his hand.
"Yeah he's in the bathroom but I think he'll come out in a couple of seconds." Tai knocked on the bathroom door. "Matt, we're going out to the hall to see if everything is set; we'll see you outside, Hotshot."
He grinned and walked toward the door of the room with the rest of the guys. They left, giving the groom and his father some privacy.
Meanwhile Sora's make-up artist had just finished styling her hair and the girls were now going to help her into her white wedding dress. They pulled it out from the hanger and walked towards her where they helped her put it on.
Once she put it on, they helped her zip it up from behind where her curves were showing off at just the right places. Her slender waist made the dress look even more beautiful.
She still couldn't believe that Matt's mother had decided to pay for it, but she was more than happy that she wanted to. Once they were finished zipping up her dress, she turned around to face them. They helped her wearing her small diamond necklace and matching earrings. On her right hand she wore her engagement ring and a silver colored bracelet.
"Oh my god." They all looked at her in awe. She looked absolutely gorgeous.
"You look so beautiful, Sora." With that said, they were almost close to tears when they saw their friend in her wedding dress.
"Oh god Sora. I love you so much, you really deserve this." Mimi reached out for her hand and Sora gladly took it, smiling brightly at her.
"No come on guys, don't cry. You'll make me cry too."
"No, don't, you'll ruin your make up."
"Besides redoing the make-up can be pretty expensive." Mimi joked lightly which brought a smile to the girls' faces.
They blinked the tears from their eyes. "You need to see yourself, come."
Sora was led toward the full length mirror when she finally got to look at herself. She couldn't believe how beautiful she looked – how beautiful she felt. At this point she finally realized that today was her day. Today was the day where she would be getting married to the person she loved whole-heartedly.
Today she was getting married to Matt Ishida.
She couldn't take her eyes off the mirror.
She wore a white trumpet style bridal gown with a sweetheart neckline, which also had lace printed along the bodice. The dress had cap sleeves and an open back. They had bought it from a Bridal Designer Collection. It had a drop waist trumpet skirt which showed off her slender waist. It was curving around her figure and leading into a beautiful fullness throughout the gently gathered A-line skirt. The skirt flowed in an asymmetrical pattern with the lace which was beautifully done by the designers. She wore silver colored stilettos under her wedding dress and she also wore a long veil which went to her hips.
She had decided to wear light make-up along with the dress and her hair was beautifully pinned up where a couple of loose strands were falling on each side of her beautiful face.
Suddenly a soft knock could be heard from behind them. Kari turned and went over to open the door to let Matt's mother come inside. "Oh my, aren't you all looking gorgeous?"
She then saw how beautiful Sora looked and couldn't help but compliment her. "Oh Sora, you're looking so beautiful. Matt is so lucky to have you in his life." Sora blushed heavily at her soon to be mother-in-law's words. Then she smiled at her.
Catherine looked at Natsuko and asked her if the guests were here. "Yes, I came here to tell you that the guests are finally here. They are, however, just starting to take their seating in the wedding hall." Catherine nodded and turned her attention to her friends, and Natsuko smiled at them all before she walked herself out. "I think we should go out there, and see if everything is in its place."
Yolei got Sora's bouquet and laid it on the table beside her. Her mother had made a bouquet of fresh pink, purple, yellow, orange and peach roses so it could match the bridesmaids' dresses.
The girls smiled and nodded at the bride. "We'll see you outside."
They came out one by one as they kissed her on the cheek and gave their final hug, leaving Sora as the only one inside.
Meanwhile inside Matt's room:
Matt came out of the bathroom and saw to his surprise his father sitting on a chair. He quickly thought of the worst that could happen and got concerned. "Dad? Is everything okay? Did something happen?"
"No, there's nothing to worry about, Matt. Everything is under control. All the guests are finally here so everything is set."
A relieved look ran past Matt's face and he nodded. Hiroaki couldn't help but stare at his eldest son and how handsome he was looking in his suit. It almost brought him back to his own younger days when he was about to marry Matt's mother. How he regretted that he had given up on her. He shook the thought away and turned his attention to the black box he had carried with him.
He stood up from the chair and got the black box into his hand and faced his son. "I actually brought a gift for you." Taking the top of the box off, he revealed an expensive looking watch. His father had brought him an Omega watch with a black leather strap. "I thought it would look good with your suit."
Matt looked at it and couldn't believe his eyes. "Dad, you didn't have to."
"I wanted to." He took the watch out of its box and handed it to Matt. He was about to wear it but stopped when he noticed something written on the inside of the watch. He turned it around was surprised to see that there were a couple of sentences engraved into the back.
He silently read it: 'Matt Ishida, My Son, My Pride, My Joy – Hiroaki Ishida'.
A smile formed on his lips, as he felt deeply touched by his father's gesture and the choice of words. He could almost feel his eyes getting teary from it.
"I uh.. I wanted to give you something special, and show you how much you mean to me… I know I haven't been the best father but I want the best for you, son – I want you to have a successful marriage and a successful life." He looked into his son's eyes. "And remember son, patience is the key word for a successful marriage."
Matt silently glanced at his watch and he ran his thumb over the engraved words of his watch before he looked up. "I'll remember that." He then put the watch on his wrist where he turned to look at his father.
Hiroaki placed an arm on his shoulder and smiled warmly. "You look good son." He then glanced down at his own watch. "I should probably get out there and help the boys."
Before he could go, Matt reached out and hugged his father – a hug which lasted a couple of minutes. "And dad, you've been the best father I could ask for." Hiroaki hugged his son before they let go of each other.
Hiroaki gave a smile and nodded. "I'll see you outside in a while". He left Matt alone in his room where he glanced down at his new watch with a smile on his face. He was truly touched by his father's words.
Sora's room:
Sora took a deep breath before she walked to the window and looked out.
Today was the day when she was finally getting married. She couldn't help but feel like the luckiest girl on earth as she had finally found true love. She had her mom and friends by her side, but she needed one more person, a person who wasn't here today. Her thoughts were interrupted by a soft knock at the door. She turned around and saw her mother entering the room.
Her mother closed the door behind her and looked at her daughter. There she stood in a white wedding dress – looking absolutely beautiful. She couldn't help but feel a tear run down her cheek from both the joy and sadness from the sight.
"Oh Sora… honey, you look so beautiful."
She couldn't help but blush and smile at her mother's words. "Thank you mom."
"I can't believe my little girl is getting married."
"Oh mom, you don't need to cry. You know I'll always be your daughter."
"I know honey, I'm just so happy for you." Sora smiled at her mother, but slowly her smile faded away as she looked out the window.
Her mother could see that there was something she was hiding. She placed a hand on her cheek and asked. "What's the matter honey? Aren't you happy?"
"I could never be more happy, Mom. This is the day I have always waited for my whole life." She paused as she looked out the window once more. "I guess I just wished that he would be here. He should be here. Because his daughter is finally getting married. Starting a new life… Without him". She looked back into her mother's eyes.
Her mother placed a hand on her arm. "I understand honey, but this is just how it meant to be. I wish Haruhiko was here to see his daughter starting a new life, but he had made his choice." She smiled sadly and Sora nodded.
Sora's mother quickly cleared her eyes. "Tai is going to be here soon to take you down the aisle, don't let him wait for too long." She leaned forward and hugged her, then planted a kiss on her forehead. "I'll see you outside, honey." And with that she turned around and walked herself out of the room, leaving her daughter alone with her thoughts.
The guests were finally here and they were all seated in the Banquet Hall. Matt walked toward the mirror and took one last glance at himself. He couldn't believe that it was finally time to stand at the end of the aisle and wait for his bride. He couldn't help but feel nervous, but why was he feeling this way? He had always been waiting for this moment to take place. He silently shook the nervous thoughts out of his mind and opened the door to walk down the hallway to where the others were.
He met his groomsmen and the bridesmaids outside. He could already see that everyone was seated in the room only waiting for them to walk down the aisle. Matt was too lost in his thoughts when he suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to the side where he met his best man – his brother, who shot him a light smile.
"Don't worry Bro, you'll do well." He returned the smile and hoped that he would be right.
Soon enough the music could be heard and they all began to get ready to walk down the aisle. Matt was the one standing at the front with Catherine by his side. She held a small bouquet in her hands. He was going to walk down with her because Tai had to be with Sora. She linked her arm around his and gave him a smile, telling him that he shouldn't be nervous. He nodded and they began to walk down the aisle. They saw the priest standing at the end with smile on his face.
When they reached the altar, where Matt was supposed to wait for his bride, Catherine kissed his cheek and walked to the other side of the altar to wait for the rest of the bridesmaids.
Matt stood alone and waited for his bride to come. He glanced toward the front row where his parents were seated. They each gave him a smile and they just couldn't believe that their eldest son was actually getting married. His eyes drifted to Mrs. Takenouchi and saw that she was already close to tears. He remembered that he had promised her that he would take good care of her daughter and he intended to keep that promise.
Yolei and Ken walked down the aisle and Yolei carried her bridesmaid's bouquet in her hands. They smiled as they walked and got to each side of the altar. One by one, they all walked down the aisle until they stood on each side of the Hall. Davis walked in with his girlfriend, and the best man, TK, walked down with his girlfriend, Kari. The maid of honor, Mimi walked down the aisle with her boyfriend, Izzy.
Finally it was time for the bride to walk down the aisle. Matt took a deep breath to calm his nerves down. He was more nervous now than when he stood at the altar alone waiting for Sora.
Meanwhile inside Sora's room:
She once again turned her attention to the window and sighed. "I guess you were never meant to be a part of my life, dad." She lightly shook her head and suddenly she heard a soft knock on her door. She turned around and answered. "Come in."
The brown haired friend opened the door and was pleasantly surprised to see his childhood friend finally dressed up as a bride.
He stared at her in awe.
She noticed that he hadn't said a word. "Tai?"
"Wow! You look absolutely… beautiful." He came closer and kissed her cheek.
She couldn't help but smile as a faint blush crept onto her cheeks. "Thank you, but I'm sure Catherine is going to look even more beautiful while wearing the white dress."
Tai gave her a smile and thought his best friend might have shared a few things with her.
She linked her arm with his as he led her down the hallway where they stood in front of a large wooden colored door. He placed his hand on hers and looked at her.
"Ready?" She could already hear the piano and violin being played. She gripped onto her beautifully colored bouquet and smiled.
"Ready as I'll ever be." The door opened and everyone's eyes were instantly on Sora in her beautiful dress.
TK leaned forward and whispered to the groom. "Here she comes, bro."
She came inside with Tai by her side. The large Banquet Hall was decorated beautifully. It had white roses and flowers attached on each side of the aisle. They even had a white silk ribbon tied around the wooden colored chairs. There was a large crystal light right in the middle of the ceiling. Everything was looking beautiful and beyond perfect.
Sora and Tai walked down the long aisle as everyone's eyes were focused solely on them. She noticed that her bridesmaids were standing on one side and the groomsmen were standing on the other.
As she walked down the aisle she couldn't take her eyes off of Matt. He was looking handsome in his grey suit waiting for her. He also, was in pure shock from how breathtaking she was looking. He swallowed and he couldn't believe how lucky he was that he had Sora in his life. She was soon going to be his wife – a wife he would promise to love and protect all his life no matter what.
She gripped onto Tai's arm as she started to feel nervous. Her heartbeat was going faster minute by minute. She glanced toward her bridesmaids who smiled back to her almost telling her that everything was going to be fine.
As she came closer she noticed Matt's parents and her mother sitting on the front row smiling at her. She saw her mother crying and couldn't help but feel her own eyes getting teary as well.
This was the moment she had been waiting for her whole life and here she was – a couple of feet away from her soon to be husband. Tai kissed her cheek and whispered lightly 'I love you' into her ear before giving a nod to Matt where he came forward and extended a hand toward his bride with a loving smile.
She gladly took it with shaking hands. She could feel herself getting emotional but she tried to control it. She couldn't cry just yet.
The priest began the ceremony but Sora had a hard time listening as she felt herself getting drawn into Matt's clear blue eyes. She noticed that they were shining a bit too much today and she quickly concluded that it was because of the tears. He was feeling emotional by just looking at Sora and how beautiful and stunning she looked in her white wedding dress. He smiled and couldn't wait to spend his whole life with this beautiful woman in front of him.
"… and now to your vows." The priest looked at Matt, giving him a nod to begin.
Matt reached inside his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. He unfolded it and looked into Sora's eyes before he began to speak.
"Today is a very special day for me. Today I'm marrying the woman of my dreams, the woman I truly love. Today I'm taking a step toward the life I have always dreamt of for so long." He paused. "Before I met you I never knew what it was like to be able to look at someone and smile for no reason, but now I do." He smiled warmly at her.
"Sora, you have no idea how nervous I was today. I was nervous of standing here alone and I couldn't help but wonder if I ever could be the man you want me to be – the man you deserve."
"But when I saw you walking down the aisle and saw how beautiful you looked suddenly all of my worries disappeared. I made up my mind that I would be so much more than just your man, your husband – I would be your greatest love and support." He paused a little before he continued with his vow.
"You truly are the queen of the symbol love, Sora. You have showed me the real meaning of love, when I had no idea what it was like or how it felt to be loved. You made me realize that it was okay to show your emotions to those who are close to you. You made me discover a whole new part of me that I never knew existed. You made me feel whole when I felt empty inside. You made me feel loved and I will cherish that now and forever. You made me trust the word, love again."
This made the senior Ishida smile by the fact that Sora had managed to show the love his son needed – and he was happy for them. Happy for his son.
Matt looked deep into her eyes and spoke his heart out.
"Sora, I promise you today that I will love you. I will honor you and I will cherish you."
She could see that he meant every word he was saying. She tried to hold back her tears from his emotional speech, but failed as a lone tear ran down her cheek.
"My love for you has no limits. It goes beyond the universe, beyond the stars. Besides, they say that that it is the farthest someone has ever come to experience." He laughed slightly in an attempt to calm his nerves down a bit, but his gaze never left hers. His friends were smiling and couldn't believe how beautiful the vow he had written for the wedding truly was.
"Sora, I loved you yesterday, I love you now, and I shall continue loving you in my life till the last breath and even after that." He decided to take a small pause when he felt his voice began to crack slightly.
"You are the world for me. You are my love. You are mine."
He took a quick look at his feet and took a deep breath. Then he looked up at the red haired beauty in front of him.
"I really don't know what the future holds for us, but I don't care as long as I have you by my side because I know we'll make it through. We'll make it through the challenges we way face in the future and I'll be by your side every step we take."
His deep blue eyes were now glistening from his speech. He was finally showing emotions which everyone knew were a rare thing for Matt. This only made Sora feel happier by the fact that she was marrying a man with a beautiful heart.
"Sora Takenouchi, you have touched my heart like no other woman could. You made me who I am today and I will never forget that. From this day forward you are mine and I am yours. To hold. To share. To love."
He ended his vow there and they both stood gazing at each other, feeling the love between them. Everyone else around them had tears in their eyes and couldn't help but smile from his vow he had written to Sora.
Sora took the paper from Mimi's hands and unfolded slowly as she was already emotional from Matt's speech. She unfolded it and looked up into Matt's blue eyes.
"Someone once told me that every person living on this earth was destined to be with someone special." She paused.
"Someone who would be there for them, someone who would grow old with them, and someone who would love them unconditionally. But never in my wildest dream would I ever imagine that, my special someone would be you – my friend. My only love." She looked at him lovingly and couldn't help but think if this was just a dream or reality.
"We started out becoming friends in our teenage years which has led to this very special day – our wedding day. It only proves how strong our friendship has grown to become over time; those years of dating and getting to know each other on a deeper level now finally paying off. This however has only strengthened our love for each other and I hope it gets stronger in each moment we pass." Sora had taken a couple of pauses throughout her speech as she really let her true feelings shine through.
"I still remember the day when you saved me from my nightmares and when the darkness surrounded me on our first adventure in the Digital World. You saved me from falling buildings when control spires ruled the world. I guess I can call you my own personal super hero now." She smiled a little from the thought but she wasn't alone in that everyone around her was smiling as well.
"You have always been the person who understood me, made me laugh when I felt like crying, made me feel comfortable when I thought I couldn't be. Above all, you made me feel beautiful and special. You made me feel like a woman – like a queen." She took a moment to steady her voice as she was getting emotional again. Matt couldn't help but get emotional too by the sight in front of him.
"You made our hearts become one – one which is filled with so much love and passion. Passion for each other." She had her gaze solely on him, as he really had made Sora into a woman. This was something she would never forget in her whole lifetime. It was a very special feeling and she wanted to cherish it to the fullest.
"You are where I can be myself."
Another single tear ran down her delicate features as she took a small pause. Her mother who was sitting at the front row was crying as well, feeling all the emotions her daughter was feeling right now. Her bridesmaids were smiling slightly as they couldn't help but wipe some tears away from their own eyes.
"I had always been a tomboy who loved soccer and didn't care about make-up or fashion. But that was then. Matt Ishida, you have changed me. You have changed me into a better person. You have taught me how beautiful life can be despite what you have been through – and I respect those words."
He smiled lovingly at her and wanted to wipe those tears away which had escaped her beautiful eyes. He was truly touched by her vow as he knew what she was referring to, and he felt truly lucky to have someone like her in his life.
He turned his attention back to Sora as he heard her delicate voice speak again.
"Besides, I had always heard that the first step towards love is friendship. So we finally took a step. A step toward a new journey. A step toward a new life as husband and wife, but more importantly as friends as well – together."
She took a glance down at her white paper and took yet another small pause before she continued.
"And Matt, we've finally managed to stop the clock together, because the time of our love saga has arrived."
She glanced briefly at his face to see if he knew what she was referring to – and he did. He smiled back at her and nodded.
"My friend, my love, my fiancé, my soul mate, my soon to be husband – I have chosen your hand to hold for the rest of my life and I promise to love you and cherish you." Her voice was now filled with so many emotions that everyone in the hall could easily hear it ringing through.
"So here I stand today giving myself to you and your love. I promise to continue loving you, because love conquers everything. I cannot wait till spend my whole life with you as Mrs. Ishida."
She looked deep into his eyes and spoke the last sentence from her vow which had touched Matt like no other. She finally showed all her emotions through that one last sentence. She wanted to show him how much she really loved him and that she did not care about he had been though with his life – but she was going to make sure that they both conquered their fears and any challenges that they will face together in the future. No matter what happens.
"And because I love you… for all that you are, all that you have been and all you're yet to become."
Sora closed her eyes and took a deep breath before she opened them. She could feel Matt's hand slide into hers and he gave a tight squeeze to let her know that he loved her for everything she was.
Finally the time came. The moment everyone was waiting for. The priest looked at Matt.
"Do you, Matt Ishida, take Sora Takenouchi to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, as long as you both shall live?"
He kept his glistering eyes on her as he smiled. "I do."
"And do you, Sora Takenouchi, take Matt Ishida to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, as long as you both shall live?"
She could feel a tear run down her cheek again as she whispered loudly. "I do."
"Very well, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride." Matt had waited the whole day for this moment. He came close to her where he wrapped his arms around her slender waist and kissed her. She slowly linked her arms around his neck, pulling him closer to herself. They could hear the cheers and applause behind them as let go of each other and they smiled at their friends and family.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I present you Mr. and Mrs. Matt Ishida." Everyone were smiling and cheering for the newlywed couple.
He looked into her ruby eyes where he gently brushed away the fallen tears. "I love you, Mrs. Ishida."
She smiled as she couldn't ask for more in her life. "I love you too, Mr. Ishida."
They made their way down the aisle, hands gripping each other. They walked to the other room, where they could take their wedding pictures. They reached the room and saw a photographer smiling in their direction. Soon enough the groomsmen and bridesmaids were there as well to take part in the photo-shoot. The first couple of pictures which were taken were family pictures.
While the girls got ready to take their pictures, the photographer began to take a couple of snaps of everyone without them knowing it. One of them was a snap of Matt and Tai. They were facing each other and Tai's hand was placed on Matt's shoulder as they both were laughing about something. It was a beautiful shot of the two friends. Other than that, there were a couple of snaps of TK, Izzy, Davis and Ken as well.
The photographer turned his attention to the groom and the bridesmaids who were now standing on either side of him.
He took a picture only featuring the bride and her bridesmaids where they were posing like high class models busy taking a photo shoot.
He then took a picture of the groom and his friends where they were posing like James Bond.
They managed to take all kinds of different pictures of the newly wedded couple and their friends. One of them was a picture of Sora standing in the middle of a circle where the groomsmen were down on their knees giving her a bouquet. Another one was of Matt and Tai, who were busy posing like they were playing air guitars. There was also one which was of the two brothers, Matt and TK.
There was a picture of Matt's old band mates as well. They were all standing side by side and smiling into the camera.
After they had finished the photo session they walked down to the reception hall, which was quite close by.
The reception hall was huge and decorated beautifully with tables and chairs. There were three long rectangular tables on each side of the room and in the middle of it was the dance floor. The dinner tables and chairs were decorated with cream colored cloth and on the tables were a couple of bundles of flowers making the decoration even more beautiful. There were candle lights as well which only made the atmosphere livelier.
They came inside where they began to get seated.
A special table was set for the groom and bride so they could sit with their close friends and family. Once they sat down on the chairs, a sound of a spoon clinging to a glass could be heard. Mimi, Sora's maid of honor, stood from her chair and glanced around. Everyone's attention went towards her as she gazed warmly at the newly wedded couple.
"Hi, as you may know, my name is Mimi, and I'm the maid of honor of the beautiful bride sitting over there." She smiled at Sora.
"I've known Sora almost all my life. We became friends at the early age of 11. She is like a sister I never had, and I could not be happier at the sight in front of me today – both glowing from happiness on your wedding day." She took a glance at the couple as everyone else sat smiling.
"I remember while growing up together we would have these endless banters about love and what kind of guy we wanted to spend our lives with. You would always say; "I don't believe in these kinds of fairy tale stories." Well, Sora! I guess I was right this time. You've got your prince charming right beside you just like I predicted many years ago. You truly complete each other in a way every couple should. You both met as friends and it soon evolved into love. Love after all, doesn't make the world go around; love is what makes the ride worthwhile." She smiled warmly around at everyone as she caught Izzy's eyes, her boyfriend smiling at her and giving her a brief nod.
She moved on with her speech and took a look at the groom. "However I'm sure there are a couple of things Matt came across with Sora. For instance, she prefers to stay home in her T-shirt and loose trousers than go out and see the night life. I'm sure you've experienced it... and the countless chick movies you both have watched – well, mostly she made you watch them. Sora would never give up on those small less exciting things. Ever. Not even if your name is Matt Ishida." Everyone else started to laugh over the facts being revealed about the bride.
"Putting the jokes aside, Sora has always been a smart and beautiful woman with a very beautiful heart. And I know that Matt will take good care of it. I mean, it took you 8 months…" she paused in her speech and teased them with the sudden stop as they already knew where she was going with it. They knew that their friends would never leave them alone on this matter.
She coughed lightly and continued. ".. It took you 8 months to go to a fancy restaurant and have a proper dinner." She smirked by their watching their reaction. "And I'm sure you enjoyed it."
"We all know that two of you will be happy for years and years. And I know that however things change, and whatever fate rolls your way, you'll make the most of everything you have."
"Just remember we love you both dearly and cannot wait till the day when you're both going to have beautiful children running around real soon." Sora couldn't help but blush at her best friend's words whereas their parents were smile smiling and nodding in agreement.
"I want tell you that I love you Sora, and I will always love you. So I'd like to make a toast. And I'd like to make it with this thought in mind; if there is such a thing as good marriage, it is because it resembles friendship rather than love." The brown haired maid of honor reached out for her glass of champagne and raised it. "To our gorgeous bride and our handsome groom – and may you both have a beautiful marriage life together as true soul mates."
Everyone else sat clapping as the speech ended and Sora couldn't help getting teary eyed after listening to her best friend speak. She had been there for her every time she needed someone and she could not have asked for a better maid of honor.
A few minutes later, TK stood up and made his way to stand at the center of the room facing the guests.
He took a deep breath as he could feel himself getting a little nervous because of the speech he was going to make. Soon enough everyone was watching the blond, waiting for him to start.
"Well, I guess it's my turn now. My name is TK, and I'm the best man and brother of the handsome groom." He glanced around the room and noticed how many people there actually were at the wedding. "Wow, I still can't understand how Matt could manage to stand in front of a crowd and sing, I mean I'm having difficulties with just one speech. Oh well, I guess I haven't inherited that from him, but boy, did I get your good looks Bro, and thank god for that."
This caused everyone to laugh.
"But before I start, I would like to ask both Sora and Matt to take part in my speech."
They both looked puzzled and wondered what they had to do.
He continued. "Sora would you please place your left hand on the table and Matt will you please put your hand on top of hers. I would like to ask both of you to keep your hands in this position until the end of my speech and believe me, bro; you will not regret doing this."
He paused slightly as he looked down at the white sheet of paper in his hands. "You all may know Matt one way or another. Some of you may know him on a personal level and some have maybe met him a couple of times only. But I.." He took a small glance around at the people sitting at the tables.
"I know the real Matt. I've gotten the opportunity to get close to him and truly get to know him – trust me, when I say this, it does not always has it flaws. So therefore, Sora, do not get too close to him when he's angry or moody, especially when he can't find his hair gel, and yes I'm speaking from experience." Laughter coursed through the room again at the statement. "On the other hand, whenever you need to convince him to do something, just hide his hair gel or even better, his guitar, he'll do anything to get it back – and trust me, anything! I mean, the guy has his precious guitar beside his bed all the time."
This caused the groom to roll his eyes at his younger brother.
"Actually I remember this one time when I was in high school and I had to borrow Matt's guitar and he let me – after lecturing me for hours to keep it intact. When I returned home later on the day there was no, 'How did the day go, TK? How well did you play? Did the others like it?' None of that! He was standing at the doorway and asking me with his concerned eyes, 'Where is my guitar, did you bring it with you, is it okay?'" He chuckled at the reaction he was getting from his brother. He had buried his face in his hands while everyone else was enjoying getting an inside on their moments.
Even Matt's parents were laughing slightly by the episode as the senior Ishida recalled the incident as if it was yesterday.
When TK noticed the crowd was slowly getting over their laughter, he continued. "Well, they say the kind of marriage you have depends upon the kind of person you are. Well, I know what kind of person Matt is. He is solid and compassionate and cares deeply about those who are close to him."
He moved over to Sora and smiled at her. "I couldn't be happier knowing that you are going to be Matt's wife – my sister-in-law. He could never find anyone better to spend his life with than you. You've given my brother so much love which he rightly deserves – and I thank you from the bottom of my heart!"
The bride couldn't help but smile from TK's speech. She knew how much his brother meant to him.
"Now in case any of you are wondering why I asked Matt to place his hand on top of Sora's, I will tell you now. Matt, as my final role it has been a great pleasure to have been able to give you the last 10 minutes in which you have had the upper hand on Sora. It will most certainly be the last."
The hall broke into light laughter while Matt shook his head and couldn't help but laugh at it as well.
"Now, just to be on the safe side, I did not come up with this, it was your best friend, Tai who suggested the idea."
The brunet caught the blond's eyes and winked at him.
"But moving on I would just like to tell you that you've truly been the best brother anyone could ever ask for. Because someone has once said that sometimes being a brother is better than being a superhero – and you have proven that time after time. I only look up to you because you've raised me up countless of times when I was feeling down. You've been my inspiration from the very beginning. You've been my brother, my friend and my family. You have made both mom and dad proud of you, so therefore I will always look up to you, big brother." Their parents were smiling watching their son say this to his brother. They were glad that despite being separated, the brothers had maintained to keep a close relationship with each other.
"I know how much you mean to each other. Trust me Sor' you've taken the right choice by saying 'I do'. He's someone you can lean on, someone you can count on, and even convince him to do the household chores." He chuckled. "I know he'll be there for you just like he has been there for me. I love you, big bro – always remember that." He received a smile from the groom, who felt deeply touched by his brother's speech.
TK reached for his glass of champagne and raised it with a smile. "Have a nice evening everyone. Cheers for the new couple – Mr. and Mrs. Matt Ishida."
Everyone else sat clapping and smiling at the best man's speech. However they all saw Matt stand up from his seat and made his way toward his younger brother and hugged him while thanking him all the same. Everyone in the hall smiled at the two brothers and couldn't help but feel touched by their brotherly love. "Love you too, Teeks." Matt ruffled his brother's hair, much to TK's chagrin.
After they had finished with the speeches they moved to the dinner which they ate happily and enjoyed the evening with close friends and family.
Thank you so much for reading. It means the world to me. Feedback is always welcomed so don't forget to tell me what you thought of the chapter.
Until I see you next time, take care. I will try to update another chapter next week. :)