Eiji was in front of the big mirror in the changing room, trying to fix his bow tie. It was purple and Haruka had chosen for him, saying he would be cute. He was already wearing his black tuxedo.

"Why is this so difficult?!" he complained, trying to do it for the 100th time. He had look internet tutorials on how to do it. "Oishi-san, save me!"

"Yes, yes." Oishi appeared from the other dressing room. He was extremely handsome with his black tuxedo. He was also wearing a purple tie, but a regular one. He was in front of Eiji and smiled gently at him. "There we go, all set."

Kikumaru grinned happily.

"Do I look good?"

"You look very sharp." Shuichirou said gently.

"I'm going to send a selfie to Chiho-nee!" he said, picking up his cell phone.

"Do not take long, people were already called to the saloon."

"Okay!"

Oishi got into the other dressing room and Takumi was there, looking at his own reflection on the mirror. He was wearing a traditional groom attire, with a black outer layer and haori and dark grey hakama. His dark brown hair was tight on a discreet ponytail and the scarlet eyes were very apprehensive.

"Look at you." Shuichirou got close and fixed his friend's collar, smiling at him. "You look all grown up. The most charming husband to be. Haruka's one lucky lady."

He chuckled at his friend's joke.

"Thank you." He looked at him kindly. "For everything."

"Don't mention it." The green eyes were gentle. "There's no one else who would take better care of her. So, my heart is at ease."

Eiji appeared on the room with a big smile.

"Let's go?!"

"Yes." Takumi said, happily.

###########

"You're perfect." Haruka's mother said, holding her hands. "Takumi-san will definitely cry."

She smiled, the golden eyes filled with happiness.

"Tou-san, are you crying?" she looked at Hatsu and he his eyes were filled with tears.

"I've been waiting for this day for a long time already! But, still, my little girl is leaving me!"

"I'm not." She stood up carefully. "I'm just dragging Takumi into the family."

There was a brief knock on the door and Hitomi appeared.
"You look very beautiful, Haruka." She looked at her sister with a discreet smile. "Let's go? Everyone is waiting already."

Her father offered his arm to her and she hugged it happily.

#######

"Does it usually take so long?" Takumi whispered to Oishi. They were already in front of the priest. Eiji was sitting in the first row. There were a lot of people, friends and business partners of Haruka's family.

"Breathe, Takumi." He whispered gently. "Everything is okay."

Suddenly everyone stood up and looked at the entrance hall. Takumi's heart skipped a beat when finally seeing his wife to be.

Haruka was wearing a beautiful bridal kimono with multiple layers, the outer one being white with pink and purple morning glories all over the fabric. Her long silver hair was tight on a bun and arranged with white laces. There was a soft reddish gloss on her lips. She was completely stunning and even Shuichirou was overwhelmed.

"Take good care of her." Hatsu said when they were in front of Takumi. He was on the edge of tears.

"I will!" he responded sincerely. His nervousness had finally vanished completely. "I promise you!"

Haruka smiled. She looked at him and whispered "You're so handsome", before they faced the priest and the ceremony finally started.

##########

Shuichirou smiled, gently putting the covers over Eiji. He was dead asleep, his limbs all over the bed. It was almost 2 in the morning when they returned to their room and the party still continued. Oishi was happy the teenager had a lot of fun, he deserved it.

The young doctor was already on his pajamas and about to go to bed as well when there was a soft knock on his door. He found it a little strange, but smile after opening it.

"Haruka."

"Hello." She was still wearing her wedding outfit. "Can I come in?"

"Sure." he let her enter. They were talking in a low voice not to wake Eiji up. "Is everything okay?"

"Yes, I just wanted to talk to you properly, since it was crazy out there." She took a deep breath, before sitting down on his bed. "This thing is so heavy!"

"Beauty hurts." He sat by her side. "And you're absolutely lovely, Haruka."

"Thank you. You and Eiji-kun were very handsome as well. Did he enjoy himself?"

"Very much. He's totally in love with your sushi."

She giggled.

"You guys are traveling tomorrow morning to Hawaii, right?" her parents had given them the honeymoon trip as a wedding gift.

"Yes, we're not probably seeing each other anymore before we leave. But, you and Eiji-kun can stay as long as you like. My parents were very happy on seeing you. He didn't have a chance to go to the kitchen and meet our chef, right? He can do it tomorrow."

"I really appreciate it." He held her hand. "So, how does it feel? You're a wife now."

"It's terrifying." She smiled. "There are so many things that are expected. People were already asking about children, can you believe it? So invasive! Takumi almost died out of embarrassment."

Oishi chuckled.

"Do you guys want kids?"

"Not now. I was finally able to bring him back from the sea. I want to enjoy it." The golden eyes were filled with love. "But I definitely want to share this with him someday."

"You two are going to be excellent parents."

"Thank you, Shuichirou." She leaned on his shoulder and closed her eyes. "Can I stay here for a moment? I'm so tired and we still have to prepare our luggage. Tou-san is still drinking downstairs with some guests."

"Of course." He kissed her forehead.

############

Eiji stretched himself under the covers and scratched his belly with a big yawn.

"Good morning, sleepy head." Oishi smiled at him. Kikumaru sat down and looked at the doctor. There was a big breakfast tray on the room's table and he was sitting next to it, eating a little.

"Good morning, Oishi-san." He rubbed his eyes.

"Did you sleep well?"

He shook his head affirmatively.

"Hitomi-san came over to deliver the breakfast and she said if you want to meet the chef, you can stop by the kitchen.

"Really?!" his sleep disappeared instantly and he jumped from the bed. "Can I really go?!"

"Of course."

"Yeah!" he was already very excited.

"Come, let's have breakfast."

"Oishi-san, but what about you?" he sat down across from him. "I don't want to let you alone all day."

"I have a book I've planning to read for a while; I will do it on the beach. Don't worry. Enjoy yourself."

"Okay." He grinned happily.

##########

"Kikumaru-san, this is Takahiro-san." Hitomi introduced Eiji to a middle aged man. He was wearing a dark blue chef's outfit. He was very thin and tall with a gentle expression. "Takahiro-san, this is Kikumaru Eiji-kun. He was one of Haruka's guest and he is studying to be a chef. She said he's very talent, so would like you to spend the day with him here if it's possible."

"Is that so?" Takahiro-san said, with interest. "What kind of food are you passionate about?"

"Japanese food. My parents have an udon shop in Osaka."

"It's always good to see young people interested in traditional food. Most of them nowadays only mind about the sophisticated international stuff." He went to a small cabinet and took a white chef's jacket together with a black headwrap and gave it to him.

"What's this?"

"If Haruka-chan says you're talent, you must be." He smiled. "So I'm putting you to work. Come and help me with the buffet for lunch."

"Really?!" he smiled widely.

"Enjoy yourself, Kikumaru-san" Hitomi said, kindly, before living the place.

###########

Oishi returned to his room after spending the day at the beach reading. He only returned for lunch and was very surprise to see Eiji with the kitchen staff. He waved at him happily before returning to his chores and Shuichirou was glad he was able to enjoy himself.

They were going to return to Tokyo at night, around 8 p.m, so they could have some rest for Monday.

The young doctor smiled to the beautiful landscape, before texting Eiji and told him to call him in the room for dinner before they leave.

He returned from the shower and put on some clothes, before laying down again. His book was good and he wanted to continue to read it, until Eiji was back.

############

"The weather changed so quickly." Takahiro said, looking through the windows. The skies were very dark and it had started to rain. The trees outside were shook by the powerful winds.

They had finished cooking the menu for dinner and the staff was getting the food ready for the night buffet. Eiji was helping with some beef that would be grilled shortly, cutting it into steaks.

"It sure has." He said, trying to hide his nervousness. He avoided looking outside and was trying his best to concentrate on his task. He silently was trying to breath like his therapist had taught him. "I will be okay if there are no thunders. I will be okay."

"Kikumaru-kun, you're free to go after finishing with that meat." Takahiro said, with a gentle smile. "You're very talented indeed and you already know your way around a professional kitchen well. Everyone liked to work with you. If you come by again, please, help us one more time."

He was overwhelmed by his words.

"Thank you so much, Takahiro-san!" he made a quick reverence. He wanted to return to his room as soon as possible to tell it to Oishi.

Suddenly, a lightning bolt crossed the skies and Eiji's whole body trembled. The power at the hotel was off in the same second the thunder crashed, but it returned almost immediately.

"Wow, that was a big one, right?" Takahiro-san said, but his expression changed completely when seeing the blood coming from his hand. He had cut three of his fingers. "Kikumaru-kun, you're hurt!"

Eiji looked at his wound, feeling unplugged from the reality. He saw the chef coming close with a towel, pressing it to his hand, but everything was moving so slow. The only thing he could feel was his heart and breathing falling on him while his hand was throbbing.

##########

"Eiji-kun!" Oishi entered the medical room in a rush. Someone from the front desk had called his room. He had fallen asleep while reading his book. Eiji was sitting on a bench and Hitomi was just finishing bandaging his injured hand. His head was down and the red bangs were over his face. "What happened?!"

"Sorry for scaring you, Oishi-sensei." Hitomi said, calmly. "Kikumaru-san hurt himself while in the kitchen. Fortunately no stitches are going to be needed and the bleeding is controlled already." besides her job as the inn's manager, Haruka's older sister was also a certified nurse.

"Eiji-kun, how did this happen?" he asked, worried, coming close to him.

"I'm sorry." Eiji whispered sadly, not being able to face Oishi.

"The power was off because of the rain for a second, the knife probably slip."

"I'm sorry." He repeated and Hitomi looked at him kindly.

"It was not your fault, Kikumaru-san. Please, do not apologize." She looked at Shuichirou. "Takahiro-san gave him the first aid, unfortunately he had to solve some things regarding dinner time, but he will apologize for you as soon as possible, Oishi-sensei, since he was under our care."

"There's no need. I know Eiji-kun was having fun with the opportunity. I'm the one who needs to say thank you for your care towards him."

"I'm sorry." He finally looked up to Hitomi and his face was filled with sorrow.

"You should go to rest now, Kikumaru-san." She stood up and said, gently. "I put some ointment for the pain and the dressing doesn't need to be changed until tomorrow."

"We were planning to return to Tokyo tonight." Oishi said.

"unfortunately this will not be possible. Some trees had fallen on the road because of the winds, many people will have to spend the night as well."

"I understand."

"Thank you very much, Kono-san." Eiji said, with a reverence.

"I need to go now, if you need anything, please, contact us at the front desk." She showed them a small smile. " At anytime."

##########

Oishi was bothered by Eiji's deep silence while they crossed the hallways and entered their room. He was holding his bandaged hand close. Only one bed side table lamp was lit.

"Eiji-kun…"

Another lighting glistering on the stormy landscape and when the thunder fell, Oishi noticed how his narrow shoulders were trembling.

Kikumaru sat on his bed and remained there quietly. Shuichirou sat by his side.

"Eiji-kun, are you in pain? Can you tell me what happened?"

"A thunder crashed and my mind shut down for a second." He finally looked at him and the dark blue eyes were filled with tears. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"You don't have to apologize." Shuichirou said, gently. "It was an accident. It was not your fault."

"I'm really trying my best." a big, serious tear ran down his face. "I'm really trying to be okay."

"Eiji-kun…"

"I… don't want to give…Oshi-san any more problems, but… I…" more tears started to fall and he sobbed, unable to find more words. He couldn't hide his fear anymore.

Another thunder echoed on the room and he grabbed his shirt, like it was painful to try to breathe over his fear.

Oishi felt terribly sorry for him and hugged him tightly.

"It's okay, Eiji-kun. It's too soon already. You don't have to deal with this by yourself. It's okay."

Eiji grabbed his shirt with his free hand and his forehead was on Shuichirou's chest. His whole body was shaking.

"I'm here with you." His voice was extremely kind and he rubbed his smaller back, just like he used to do with his young patients when they were afraid. "You're not alone."

The storm continued for a couple of hours and Shuichirou never let go of Eiji during all the thunders that had fallen. On that stormy night, Oishi's kind words and warmth were able to sooth his heart and Eiji fell asleep hugging the young doctor close.