Of Two Hearts

Chapter 29: A Dream Come True

The day had finally come. Fall and Winter had passed, and the beauty and new life of Spring was upon the kingdom of Edo once again. The citizens were happy for the new year, but even happier to attend the wedding of their princess. The largest temple in the kingdom was filled with friends, family and wedding guests, and surrounded by a bubbling river and blooming cherry blossom trees. At the entrance of the temple stood the high priest Omashu, and at his right and left were stone statues of the holy dragons. Behind them were many musicians ready to play their flutes, strings, and ready to beat their large drums.

Down the temple steps and in the first row of the audience sat the Ox-King and his bodyguards, looking back toward a clear path behind them, where Goku and Chi-Chi were going to be walking.

Omashu caught sight of the main bodyguard at the end of the path, and the two men nodded at each other as an understanding that Goku and Chi-Chi were ready. Omashu quieted the crowd and signaled the musicians, who began to play a soft, sweet song. The audience turned to see Goku and Chi-Chi stand beneath a pair of cherry blossom trees, their arms linked together, their eyes on each other.

Goku paid no attention to the cooing of the crowd, as he found he could only stare at his lovely bride. She looked gorgeous in her elegant, snow white kimono, embedded with a delicate pattern of gold swirls. Her hair was done beautifully, pinned up and decorated with the bride's hood, pink and white flower petals resting in between hood and her hair. She smelled sweet like the pink and white flower petals that were raining down on her pretty face, her eyes gazing at him in anticipation and love.

Chi-Chi couldn't help but blush when she saw Goku looking at her like that, and thought that he looked quite handsome himself in his dark overcoat and hakama. As she held onto his arm, she felt his strength and his love for her, and gently squeezed him as she smiled. "Are you ready?" she whispered.

Goku nodded, and the two began to walk the path ahead of them to the priest waiting at the temple. Chi-Chi smiled at her father before she ascended the steps, and felt her eyes fill with tears when she spotted the portrait of her mother on its stand. She and Goku bowed before the priest and knelt at the altar. They waited for the ceremony to officially begin.

"Today is a glorious day, Nihon!" Omashu began enthusiastically. "On this beautiful morning, the beloved princess of our great emperor shall wed Lord Goku. As they join in unity, their hearts and minds must be right before the gods. As such I shall perform the ritual of purification to cleanse their souls."

He set down two scrolls on the altar and bent to Goku and Chi-Chi's level. He dipped his hands in a bowl of holy water and looked up to the sky, acknowledging the presence of the gods. Then he took Goku and Chi-Chi's hands and washed them in the bowl, praying to the gods and asking for their wisdom and blessings for the new couple. He dried their hands with a sacred cloth and stood up to address the crowd again. "The gods are pleased with our prayers. Our souls are well and at peace. Let us hope for the blessings of prosperity and new life for our country as the bride and groom take on the responsibility of leadership. Now we shall give our thanks."

Goku and Chi-Chi stood up and faced each other, with Omashu standing in front of them. He gave each of them a candle and wick, and began to burn incense as he prayed again. Tiny, curly wisps of smoke danced in the air as the sweet smell of incense joined that of the cherry blossoms.

After the prayer of gratitude, the incense was traded for the two scrolls Omashu had earlier. One was given to Chi-Chi and the other to Goku. "Your oaths," he said with a knowing smile.

Goku and Chi-Chi looked at each other expectantly, and Chi-Chi blushed as she opened her scroll. "I'll go first," she whispered. She never took her eyes off Goku as she read her wedding vows to him. "I have waited for you all my life, my dearest Goku. I write to you my vows, my promises to love you forever and remain at your side til death. I promise to be your loyal wife, to follow and help you, to never leave you through the bad times, to rejoice with you in our good times, and to be with you in sickness and in health. I love you and always will."

Goku smiled, touched by her words, and opened his scroll next. He began to read the vow he wrote to her sincerely, "You're more than a princess to me, Chi-Chi. You're the woman who has changed my life, made me a better person, the one to show me what love is. You've given me hope since the day I met you. All I can do is thank Kami that you found me and never gave up on me. I vow to be with you always, to love and care for you as your husband, to protect and honor you. My love for you is true, and I will prove that to you everyday that we're together for the rest of our lives."

He saw tears fill Chi-Chi's eyes once more, and smiled again when he saw she couldn't hold them back. Even when she was crying she looked beautiful.

After the vows were said, Omashu handed the couple three shallow bowls of different sizes that were to be used as cups. He then gave them a small jar of sake, to be used for the San-San-Kudo wedding ritual. He stepped back to let the couple perform the ceremony.

Chi-Chi and Goku prepared the altar and stacked the cups from largest to smallest, with the smallest being on top. The top cup represented heaven, the middle one earth, and the smallest cup humankind. Together they went through the motions of pouring sake into the cups twice, and on the third time actually filled them. It was a representation of the beginning of doing everything together from now on. Then the bride and groom sipped sake from each cup, both taking three sips from each cup until the liquid was gone. This was repeated for the earth cup and humankind cup.

After the last cup was shared and emptied, Omashu stood before them and faced the kingdom, a pleased look on his face. "With San-San-Kudo complete, it is my pleasure to announce Lady Chi-Chi and Lord Goku are now husband and wife."

The crowd cheered and applauded, celebrating in the wonderful occasion before them. On the temple steps, Goku and Chi-Chi looked at each other and smiled in satisfaction and excitement. They had finally done it. Now it was time for the reception.

***

The celebration lasted throughout the entire day, and when it grew dark, the reception became even more exciting when a bonfire was made in the center of the temple grounds. The musicians began to play long, lively songs, and the people danced and rejoiced with their princess and her new husband. Ox-King danced with his daughter, and told her he was so happy for her and that he loved her very much. When the songs turned slow and quiet, many couples began to sway with each other. Goku and Chi-Chi had their first official dance together as a couple, and smiled when they saw Hisuke and Talim dancing together as well.

The night of fun carried on a little longer until the last dance under stars. As Goku and Chi-Chi were saying their goodbyes, one of Ox-King's officials got a carriage ready for their departure. By the time he was done, he was the only one who had not said goodbye. However, when he turned around, he saw Goku and Chi-Chi already flying away on the Nimbus in the sky. His face ran blank as he realized the carriage was no longer needed. "I suppose that works too," he mumbled.

***

The moon had risen above the rows of majestic mountains in the sky, where the darkness was spotted with pretty dots of light from the silver stars. The weather was light and cool, with a comforting breeze. This was the perfect kind of atmosphere present in a fantasy.

But to Chi-Chi, she knew it was no fantasy.

She cuddled close to Goku and warmly clung to him, rubbing her cheek against his shoulder affectionately, as she Goku settled on the Flying Nimbus. It was taking them to their new home. The ride there was calm and peaceful.

Goku looked down at his wife of a few hours, and smiled gently. He remembered Chi-Chi explaining things to him about marriage, and what life was going to be like from now on. He remembered saying he'd try his best, and he was going to make sure of it. He wanted to try to make her happy. It made him happy to make her happy.

After all, that was what love was about, wasn't it?

"Are you excited to go to our new home, Chi-Chi?"

Goku could feel Chi-Chi nod against his shoulder, and heard her sigh contentedly. "Yeah. I'm so happy, Goku. I can't wait until we start our new life together."

Yes, he remembered that too. It was going to be like being born again, because this new experience called marriage... This new thing would require him to start over. And that was okay, as long as he had Chi-Chi with him. He placed his arm around her waist, and pulled her closer to him. This was going to be the beginning of a new life.

Maybe nothing can get in the way of true love. This story of the monkey and the princess... This story of two hearts... now joined.

To be continued...

The epilogue is next.

Courtney: Thank you! Yes, I did do a lot of reading and researching on Japanese culture. Could you tell? Hehe. I appreciate your reviews and comments; they are always welcome.