I fidgeted in my dress, unsure of how to react with this girl... I mean, I'd been her unspoken of rival since our second year of high school... Why was she there? What could she possibly have to say to me now!?

The girl who always wore a green headband, the one who's name I'd never bothered to learn, sat in front of me awkwardly, also toying with her gown.

"So..." I began bashfully, "Uh... Do you, do you like the, uh... Do you like the cake today?"

"Oh, oh yes, it's good. It's very good, thank you." She smiled and rubbed the back of her neck. "Uh, I suppose you're wondering why I'm here to see you..."

We sat another moment in silence.

"Yeah... Kinda..."

"Erm, well, I just- I just wanted to, uh... I just wanted to say congrats..." I watched, a headache forming in my temples, as tears formed silently in her pink eyes. "You know, on the wedding and all..."

"Oh... Thanks..."

Her mouth opened and closed several times, unsure of herself, before she finally found her voice. "I am so sorry for how I've acted around you! I knew from day one you two were meant to be, but while you were away, and even while you were still here, I tried to get in the way of that... Could you ever forgive me for that?"

I smiled, "Of course... You know... It may sound ludicrous and mean, but I think it would be nice if you would come to the wedding. I have a friend who needs a date. I think you two would make a great couple." I leaned on the table, trying not to be cruel about it. "So what do you say? Would you let me set you two up?"

She stuttered over her words, not sure how to respond to a request like that. "Well, I guess... Who did you have in mind?"

I grinned.

"No!" The foreigner shouted at me in Japanese, "There's no way!"

"Come on, it's only one night, and she's really nice! You'll love her! Please let me set you up!?" I was nearly on my knees, begging Shibisaki to take the girl from the host club to the wedding as his date. Stubborn, he refused. Continuously.

"No, no and no. There's no chance. I couldn't! I'm not good about dates!"

"Don't worry, I'd do all the hard stuff! All you have to do is talk and walk her to her car afterwards. And maybe dance... But that's for you to decide. Come on, she really wants to meet you...!"

He crossed his arms over his tidy school uniform and huffed. "Well... Who is she, huh?"

"Her name is Aina Tanakau, she's in our class. She's sweet, you guys would make a great couple!" I paused while he pondered.

"Well... Well, alright. But I'm not promising I'll be a great gentleman..."

"Yes!" I hugged him tightly around his shoulders, shouting, "Thank you so much, Kira! I knew you wouldn't dissappoint us!"

As the rest of that month flew by, my time was absorbed in studying for college entrance exams, spending time with my fabulous fiance, and checking up on wedding preparations. As I worked, I did a lot of reminiscing over the end of last year. I remember how great Tokyo with the guys was, but the rest of the school year had been even better...

Two weeks after we returned, Mitskuni, Takashi and I found the school's gardens. It was a beautiful set up, full of lush trees and overflowing bushes that dappled the ground with shadows and absorbed sound from the outside. Birds, hidden behind the greenery, twittered and sang almost all the time. When they weren't belting out their serenades, the grasshopper choruses began. However beautiful the garden was though, it was best at night. The ponds within were lit with a green-tinged light, and the fireflies produced a kind of glow that could never be reproduced otherwise... There were plenty of great memories there.

One of the nights that Mori and I snuck back to the grounds to sit there was the one I remember the best.

When he proposed to me. The second time.

We all know about his... Less than satisfactory proposal... But none of the club members save for he and I knew about this one. It was... Perfect... There's no other word.

The grasshoppers' chirps and the fireflies lit up the perfumed foliage around us, washing over us in waves, seductively surprising our senses.

We found an old copper looking bench, green from old age, twisting metal formed intricate shapes and swirls around the sides. For the longest time, we simply sat and talked. I noticed that he twitched and fiddled a little, which wasn't quite normal for him.

What? I'd said to him. Got a hot date you're late for? I nudged him around. He smiled that charismatic, casually carefree smile he had.

Well, yeah, but she's just a toy. You're the one I had to work for. He'd kissed me then, cheesy prick.

But I loved it.

Oh ho? Good for me, then? In all honesty, you won before the race had even started. Though you already knew that, correct?

The memories swelled in my head, stopping me from doing anything productive when this part came into play.

He leaned over me, rubbing my neck underneath my hair and squeezing my leg just above my knee.

Hmph, he laughed at me, Sure... So, I have a question for you, my trophy... Do you love me?

Of course! I sat up with a jolt. What are you getting at? Do you want to break it off? Because that would really cause a problem between us.

He laughed loudly. I mean a sort of laugh that I thought he was less than capable of. Loud, full, and hearty. I thought his vocal chords were going to burst.

No, no, no... I assure you, that's not it. Not at all. He chortled some more before continuing. I just wanted to make sure you and I were on the same page. So that's that. I looked at him suspiciously.

He was acting pretty oddly, even to me. Normally he'd do things that weren't normal for him when he was with me (i.e. singing, dancing, stuff like that), which would really freak out the club boys. But this... This was different. It was honestly weird. I figured that he'd finally embraced the energy he used in ken-do and had directed it toward his emotions. That made sense... Maybe.

Suddenly he'd been stoic again. Mostly straight faced, hint of a smile... The expression that I loved to see the most. It won by a landslide, even next to the smile he saved only for me.

That face just had a way of making me feel like he was pushing the whole world aside to pay attention to me. Even considering that's probably true, it was a great feeling.

I want to marry you.

I know, that's why you gave me the ring, ya know.

Heh, I know... Rebekah...?

Yeah? I was a little scared...

Will you marry me?

And he was down on one knee, a long, thin box in his hand, definitely not a ring.

I stared down at him, shocked, as he opened it; he revealed a sparkling bracelet of shining sterling silver. Inlaid upon it in the middle was a delicate pattern of swirling blue gems. My first thought was-

It matches the necklace you gave me... And the ring!

He laughed again, and followed up, So how about it? Marry me?

Let me just say, that was fine by me!

One day, while replaying this same moment, I sighed and set down the bottle of Clorox I was using to clean the bathroom. I blew a clump of feathery hair out of my face and sat back on my heels.

Did I really have to deal with this... This... This withdrawal, every day until graduation?