I spotted a mistake in the previous chapter. I wrote 'After approximately a week and a half crawled by, my immune system finally claimed victory in the battle with the illness and I could now return to my normal life, soaring like a free bird. I was moved by Tsuna, Kyoko, Kurokawa, Yamamoto, Gokudera, Sasagawa and Reiko-sensei's warm "Welcome back!" to me when I made my appearance in school'.
This sounded like Nagi had stayed at home for a week and a half, but Dr. Hoshina only gave her three days of absence from school, which would be the time for her fever to recover. I wanted to say she had sore throat for a week and half but could still attend school, but looked like I phrased it wrongly. So please accept my apologies!
Anyway, enjoy this chapter for this is going to be the end! :)
"KYOYA!" I screamed as I ran and shoved through crowds of people.
"Nagi!" Kyoya turned around with wide shocked eyes just as I clung onto his arm.
"Kyoya, you can't go! You just can't!" I exclaimed as I tried my hardest to pull him away from his mother's vice-like grip.
My mother seized my shoulders and yanked me forcefully from Kyoya, shouting lividly, "what are you doing, Nagi?! Don't embarrass me in public!"
"I don't give a damn about that!" I yelled in determination, "you guys can't take Kyoya away from me!"
Sensing that my mother was urging to deliver a slap across my face, Kyoya quickly jerked me loose from her and squeezed me closely and protectively to him.
"I don't care who you are. Hurt her and I'll bite you to death," his icy voice carried a vehement tone as he glared daggers at Okasan and those bystanders who halted to see what the commotion was about. The onlookers fearfully dispersed and left us alone.
My dam of tears burst and released the trails of water down my scarlet cheeks, unable to withstand all this pain. I bored my iris into Kyoya's grey apologetic eyes, cupping his face and sobbing forlornly, "please, Kyoya… Come back home with me… I love you…"
He gently pecked my pink lips that were a little stained by my tears. Wrapping his arms around my body, he leant his head against mine and hugged me longingly, as if this was the last moment that we could ever meet, the dreadful moment when we had to say our last words to each other, our goodbyes.
"Stop wasting time, Kyo-kun! We have a flight to catch!" Auntie Suki groaned biliously as she pointed at her pocket watch.
Feigning ignorance, Kyoya kissed me deeply and whispered deplorably to my ears, "Nagi, I'm sorry…"
My eye enlarged in bewilderment and I shook my head hard, "no! Don't continue! I know what you'll s-say… I-I can't believe this… I hate it every time the predictions in my dreams come true. I can't believe all this is h-happening…." I slumped in exhaustion and disconsolation against him, my tears being absorbed into the fabric of his jacket and leaving dark spots. I hugged him around his waist, stubbornly refusing to let go.
Her patience reaching its limit, Auntie Suki spoke up angrily, "Kyo-kun, we have to leave now! We can't miss the plane! Stop all this nonsense and follow me!"
"K-Kyoya… P-Please… Don't…" I begged frantically and tightened my strong grip on him as though my life was put on the line. Auntie Suki began stalking away, expecting her son to follow soon. With every sound of her clacking heels, my heart jumped a few beats, afraid that Kyoya would be too pressurised and chose to break away from me in the end.
Noticing that his lips were parting, I felt a knife puncture my lungs as I thought Kyoya was going to speak his last words and farewell to me, but when his voice was heard I realised that I was not the one he was addressing.
"I'm not going".
~Third Person P.O.V.~
Hibari Suki's dumbfounded eyes widened into two big ovals at her son's response.
"W-What did you just say?"
Hibari Kyoya slowly turned around to glare straight at his mother.
"I'm not going".
Regaining her composure, Suki's shock switched to wrath.
"What?! Do you know what you're saying, Kyo-kun? We are already at the airport and you're telling me you want to opt out from the flight?!"
"That's right," Kyoya replied boldly.
Even Amechi and Nagi were stunned by Kyoya's reaction. Nagi looked up at her fiancé's face, noticing how much certainty and determination it portrayed, 'Kyoya?'
"I am not taking one more step from here," Kyoya said as he hid his clenching fist into his pants pocket, "I am not going to leave Japan, not when it means abandoning Nagi. I doubt that herbivorous manager of yours will promise to send you back after two years. She dotes on you too much to ignore your desires".
Suki had the surging urge to shout at the top of her lungs and slap some sense into her son, but her pride reminded her that they were in a public place and any rash actions would only bring shame to her. Inhaling and exhaling to cool down the rage that threatened to erupt out of her with the power of a destructive volcano, she put her hands on her hips and tried her best to talk calmly.
"Kyo-kun, we had already booked the flight to Italy. What's your point of wanting to quit at the last minute? Do you know you're causing inconvenience to others?"
Kyoya refused to back down, not when he was on the verge of losing something so precious to him, that he would never give up.
"I dislike repeating, you know. If you want to leave for your business, go ahead. But don't involve innocent people into your 'plot'. Can you spare a thought for us, or at least for Nagi, that it is never a nice idea to force us into something as ugly as our separation? Nagi needs me. If I leave, everything will be meaningless to her".
Suki rolled her eyes insolently and argued, "so you're suggesting that she'll die if you're gone? She's foolish and too dependent on you then!"
Nagi winced in apprehension at her supposed future mother-in-law's slight increase in volume, but she was even more hurt by her insensitive comment. Kyoya narrowed his piercing dark eyes dangerously, "stop insulting her. I've got enough of her mum and your unreasonable attitude. You herbivores only think about yourselves. You are too influenced by wealth and luxury. You don't even think about your children's pain due to your selfishness".
Nagi was overwhelmed with admiration and gratitude for her fiancé's courage to speak up for them. Thinking that she should also put in effort to help change the situation, she gathered all her bravery and intercepted in the argument, "if you didn't want us to be such a nuisance, then you shouldn't have arranged a forced marriage for us at the very beginning".
Amechi was rather startled to witness her timid daughter participate in such fierce conversations. When did she learn to defend herself more independently?
The woman glanced at the man that her best friend and her had planned to entrust Nagi to. He must have been the one who was unconditionally supporting her daughter and inspiring her about the significance of possessing a strong and resolute will that could play an important role in almost every aspect of life. He must have been the one who showed Nagi that she did have an even bigger purpose that motivated her to continue living with hope. He was definitely the person who loved her above all else, even his own life. He proved to her that it was never impossible to seek true happiness, no matter how dire things seemed to be.
At this moment, she began to feel guilt stirring within her.
She reflected on her past actions of scorn and terrible treatment toward her daughter, which were constantly disapproved by her late ex-husband.
"Please, Auntie," Nagi pleaded as she locked hands with Kyoya tightly, "don't separate us. If Kyoya goes, I won't be able to take it. I refuse to find another man. I love him, and he loves me. Please understand our feelings. I'm sure you know how much it can hurt to leave the person you love, or see him disappear from you".
Suki twitched as Nagi's last sentence made her recall on the excruciating pain of discovering that her husband threw her aside for another woman. Could that heartbreaking incident relate to this?
She sighed, regret gradually filling her heart, as it dawned on her about how her remorseless decisions had affected her son and his fiancée.
Then she remembered the reason why she had chosen to pay her jailed husband a last visit before she set off for the airport. In spite of his betrayal, she still could not bring herself to hate him as though he was the criminal who murdered her parents. Ever since the day she found out about his affair with another woman, she felt vengeance and animosity building up within her torn heart. However, those feelings did not reach the point when she would always yearn to kill him and smear his blood with her own hands.
It was because regardless of everything, she still loved him.
She did not have the heart to hate him for the rest of her life, indicating the depth of the love she held for him before he abandoned her.
Suki stared into her son and her future daughter-in-law's eyes that were filled with intense resolve. Knowing them, they would definitely protest if Amechi and her decided to choose other partners for them, and that would complicate the problem. If what she was doing would mean unrequited love for these teenagers, then she wanted to stop. She understood how much pain and angst such things could bring about.
She wanted to love, but she could not. If that was what Kyoya and Nagi were feeling, then she would change her ways.
Rolling Kyoya's luggage back to him, she rubbed the bridge of her nose and said something that took Kyoya and Nagi aback, "fine, fine… I'll leave you guys here…"
The young engaged couple exchanged surprised glances and Kyoya inquired suspiciously, "… Are you sure?"
His mother nodded confidently and crossed her arms, "I can kind of understand your emotions. I don't want to be responsible for causing you tragic unrequited love or something of the sort, so I'm letting you, Kyo-kun, stay with Nagi-chan. You don't have to come with me anymore".
It took them at least a minute to keep up with her sudden and astounding change of mind.
Amechi stepped forward, "Suki, do you mean you're going on the trip alone and leaving your son with us?"
Suki shook her head and grinned, "I won't be alone. Two of my butlers and three of my junior colleagues are accompanying me, so you don't have to worry because I won't be lonely. But yes, I'm entrusting the welfare of Kyo-kun to you, Amechi".
Nagi glanced at her mother, wondering if she would agree with Auntie Suki's suggestion.
Amechi mused for several seconds, and concluded her ultimate choice, "all right. I will watch over your son for you, and I'll make sure he can be happy with my daughter. You just have to work hard in Italy and return home after the two years".
Suki smiled delightedly, "thank you, Amechi! It's the same case with you. Although our quarrels had weakened our friendship, I can't bring myself to dislike you a lot because I always treat you as my best buddy!"
Trying to fight back her tears that were on the brink of flowing out of her eyes, Amechi shone a warm smile at her best friend, "I wish you don't have to go as well, but nevertheless, good luck for your training in Italy".
Nagi grinned triumphantly at the success of reconciling their mothers. Watching them shake each other's hands in a gesture of best wishes and temporary farewell, she bowed deeply to them, "thank you, Okasan, Auntie. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't be able to find my true love".
The women blinked in surprise, but beamed with pride and mirth.
Kyoya smirked, satisfied with how things had turned out. Now he no longer needed to fight so hard to remain by Nagi's side, protecting and loving her until the very end of time.
"Thanks, Mum," he said with a small nod of appreciation.
Suki gave her son a bear hug before she began to panic about the little time she had left to catch the plane. "I-I must leave now! Goodbye, Kyo-kun, Nagi-chan, Amechi! I'll miss you guys! I promise to call and write whenever I can! Sayonara!"
She ran off while dragging her luggage along for just a metre or so, and then she waved back cheerfully, "I'll help you cancel your seat, Kyo-kun! Bye! Your mum loves you!"
Kyoya twitched in slight disgust at her last flattering declaration, but waved back at her and felt a tingle of sadness as he saw her depart from them. But he was confident enough to proclaim that she would not migrate and would come back to Japan, where she belonged.
~Back to Nagi's P.O.V.~
Watching Auntie Suki's figure disappearing into the departure hall, I silently prayed for her to have a safe and meaningful trip to and from Italy, and wished her all the best in pursuing her dreams in becoming a famous, rich celebrity.
I shut my droopy eye and heaved a small sigh of relief that all the exhausting drama was over, "… Yokatta… Hontoni yokatta…."
A single tear of jolly rolled down my cheek as I smiled and inwardly rejoiced the end of our conflict that had haunted us for months. I looked up when my beloved fiancé hugged my waist and snuggled me closely to him, stroking my hair affectionately and wiping my tears away.
"You must be tired, huh…" he remarked, kissing my forehead softly, "how did you get here in such a short time?"
"I had to sacrifice my money to pay for nine taxi rides…" I tiptoed and pressed my lips to his, not bothered by several onlookers' weird stares, "but it was worth it. It was really worth everything…because I got you now".
We glanced over at my mother when she let out an 'ahem', but this time, she was not annoyed or impatient. She merely grinned sweetly and tapped her finger on her wristwatch.
Kyoya turned toward me and a microscopic smile graced his good-looking facial features, "let's go home".
I nodded ecstatically, and together we walked hand in hand out of the airport terminal toward Auntie Suki's car, welcoming the dusk sunshine that embraced our newly revived peaceful and exuberant lives.
The felicity of our love grew over time. We braced the difficulties in life together, never giving up on one another. We did not mind the teasing that came from students who knew about our close relationship, for we knew that nothing could stop us from loving each other. Kyoya was as strong and strict as ever, biting herbivores to death on a daily basis with him being the confirmed victor and always returned to me with the same old comment, "such weaklings…"
Okasan's attitude toward us seemed to have changed too. She was no longer spitting hurtful remarks or reprimanding us for no good reason. She was deeply involved in her career, especially in her movie screening. One night, she even skipped home in such jubilance that we thought she was the winner of a lottery. But it was definitely an honour for her, to be selected to take part in a business trip to England, and she appeared to have forgotten about her jealousy of Auntie Suki's privilege to work in Italy.
On the other side of the globe, Auntie Suki had been calling Kyoya and writing letters to us during her leisure time. Kyoya always complained about how she kept repeating that she missed him so much and sometimes even wished she had not left home, much to my amusement. I was glad that Okasan and Auntie were no longer on bad terms, seeing how my mother chatted so livelily over the phone to her best friend.
For Kyoya and I, we were simply spending most of the time every day with each other, sharing joyous and upsetting occasions together. We never got sick of the other's presence. In fact, we were always reluctant to separate, even for just for an hour or so, such as when I needed to attend lessons and could not stay with Kyoya in the Reception Room.
But through these years, both of us knew what we were really looking forward to, something that we hoped so much to quickly knock on our door.
Our marriage.
~Ten years later~
"This is it…" I murmured to myself, and I could hear the clacking of my silver heels echoing throughout the majestic hall when I stepped onto the red carpet as the doors carved with beautiful designs swung open.
The sea of guests on both of my sides applauded enthusiastically in cordial welcome. I smiled brightly under my veil and spotted my friends, my mother, my mother-in-law and even my father-in-law, Uncle Jo, Stella and her twin sister, Nancy, Reiko-sensei, Kusakabe with the members of the Disciplinary Committee who followed under Kyoya's leadership until now, and even people I did not know personally. The adorable bridesmaids, including Kyoko, Haru and Kurokawa, showered me with countless flower petals in blessing as I walked further up the aisle.
After what seemed to last for eternity, I finally saw my greatest dream come true.
I melted in admiration at the sparkling sight of my handsome husband standing before me and smiling so warmly at me that I thought I was on the verge of spurting out a nosebleed.
After such a long wait, he finally led me to the altar.
I trudged up the low stairs as gracefully as I could and reached out for his extended hand. The priest was about to start his speech when Kyoya interrupted him, "you don't have to blabber on about the vows… Just continue on with the exchange of rings". I giggled at Kyoya's directness and beamed apologetically at the sweat-dropping priest.
Slipping on the exquisite precious sapphire rings that marked the end of our engagement and the beginning of our marriage onto each other's fingers, the priest announced loudly, "I pronounce you husband and wife! You may now kiss the—"
Kyoya smashed his hungry lips onto mine after swiftly removing the veil even before the priest ended his sentence, catching me off guard. I gasped into his mouth but returned his kiss as passionately as he did.
The audience cheered crazily like the spectators of an exciting football tournament.
"Congratulations, Hibari, Himekawa! Woohoo!" Yamamoto yelled happily above the deafening noises.
"I wish you all the best! Congratulations!" I could hear Tsuna shout before he was drowned by the over-reacting crowd.
"Kyaaaa! Hime-chan! We wish you a happily ever after with Hibari-san!" Kyoko and Haru squealed and waved bouquets of roses in the air.
"GIVE ME AN EXTREME GODCHILD, OKAY! DON'T FORGET THAT TO THE EXTREME!" Sasagawa, as expected, could beat anyone in a competition of screaming.
"SHUT UP, LAWN HEAD! STOP ADDING TO THE NOISE!" Gokudera shouted in irritation, which popped a vein in Sasagawa's head.
"WANNA FIGHT, OCTOPUS HEAD?!"
"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU JUST CALL ME?! FINE! BRING IT ON!"
"Yamete, Gokudera-kun, Onisan— Arggh! Stop stepping on my foot!"
"Onichan! What are you doing? Don't fight in a wedding!"
"Hahi! This is crazy!"
"Hahahaha… Hey, girls, wanna bet who will win?"
Even Kyoya was not in the mood to bite those annoying herbivores to death and plain ignored the brawl. He kissed me aggressively again and whispered against my lips, "I will accept the best gift you can ever give me".
I smiled radiantly, wrapping my arms around his neck before kissing him sweetly.
"A baby".
Our love was priceless.
I was beyond happy to meet him.
I was so glad that our mothers forced us into an engagement that was so ridiculous at first but turned out to be something we would never regret being involved in. I was really in debt to them, and over the years, I had forgiven them for their mistakes. I was also thanking my father and Mukuro-sama in my heart for their unyielding love and motivation for me.
I loved Kyoya, and subsequently I would love my child, be it a son or daughter.
"I love you".
To the world he might be just one person, but to me, he was my entire world.
My husband, Hibari Kyoya, was my reason for existence.
Yokatta: Thank goodness/ I'm so glad
THE END!
This story seems to be more successful than my previous one, seeing that it received so many more reviews. But why? I dunno. I personally liked my first story, really.
Anyway, I think I wrote this story in a way that's a little too romantic to me… ^^ and I got the tendency to add humor to some parts even if the genres don't include that. Apparently, many readers like romance stories, no? If so, I will try writing more.
In a nutshell, thank you to all who read and/or reviewed! :D More importantly, I hope you guys get the morale behind this story (I hope it was kinda touching, too). Zai jian (goodbye in Chinese)!~
