Summary: The wedding ceremony commences, and a pianist performs what could be her final song in honor of two of her honorary siblings tying the knot. There is one more day before the eventual goodbye.


Here we go. The wedding. I'm gonna pull out as many stops as I can to do this.

The themes go as follows: (1) Joe Hisashi's Kaze no Torimichi, or The Path of the Wind from My Neighbor Totoro, which is actually played in-story; and (2) Aki Misato's Shoujo Meiro de Tsukamaete (Mellow Berry Ballad), the ending song from my first Shoujo Ai series of Strawberry Panic. As flawed as Strawberry Panic is, it's still a series that made a small place in my heart and I wanted to honor it for this chapter. Heck, it's what gave this chapter its title because the song is cute and it fits.

Please enjoy.

And, one last thing.

As of this chapter's publishing (2/17/2020), it is one day before Abalisk's birthday. Happy early birthday, Ali-nee. I hope you enjoy this too.


"So, Spoons—"

"Get to it, Thatch, or I will murder you."

"Yes, yes, thank you for not cursing in front of the Princess, my newest death threat aside." Thatch deadpanned, black book still in hand as Nee got up in his face with her bouquet. Welp. She still looked menacing with the veil and frilly bridal shorts. Or something. "Can I go on?"

"Please, Thatch," Captain Whitebeard added his five cents patiently, having decided to take one of the front seats near the stage set up in the apparent ballroom. Because somehow the Whitebeards had everything from a music room to a ballroom a la the Titanic's in terms of luxury. Or just another cruise ship that wouldn't sink. "Go ahead."

Thatch cleared his throat as I did my best to linger behind Ace-nii with my small basket of flowers (courtesy of Jackie-nee pulling it out from somewhere), trying not to bounce on the soles of my flats. Bridesmaids had to be "prim and proper," or at least that's how the stories said they'd be.

"Portgas D. Ace. Our First Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates. Do you take Spoons—"

"Thatch."

Ace-nii held back a chuckle as Leith-nee swiveled her head to glare at him.

"Excuse me, Leith's hand," Thatch hastily corrected with an overtly serious voice, contrasting the teasing smile on his lips as he adjusted his tie, "in marriage as your wife, now and forevermore?"

There was a large sniffle. It took a moment for me to realize who it came from and I glanced up to see Ace-nii's shoulders shake through his wedding tuxedo. "I do." He turned to Leith-nee, wiping at his eyes with his sleeves before grinning. "Leith, I'm… ugh, I'm still shitty at words."

Uh, Hisako said.

"Ahem," Thatch said suddenly, clearing his throat.

Ace-nii adequately paused before glancing at me to mouth a quick apology of, "Sorry, sweetheart. Didn't mean that."

Ah. The "no cursing" thing.

I could already hear someone whispering about whether to cover my ears in the crowd, so I shook my head and smiled anyways, gesturing with my basket back towards Nee. "Don't worry about me, Ace-nii," I said softly back. "It's your day. Go make it."

Leith-nee looked almost expectant with that smirk of hers as soon as Ace-nii nodded at me. "Thank you, Princess," he replied back, and that was it.

It did not take long for him to recompose himself, returning that very same smirk with a crooked smile. "Leith, we've gone through hell. I know you've been through hell, and there's been a lot of times where I've worried that you wouldn't get out. But I'd like to make sure that you stay out of the dark. I'll use whatever flames I have to light your way back, and keep you with me. I promise I won't leave your side for a single second, frustrations and nightmares and all." His smile widened to a grin. "I love you."

Every single pirate in the room "aww"ed in delight. There was even a loud "WOO!" from a certain Straw Hat in the back corner over loud munching on a piece of chicken. Or something.

My smile simply grew.

They're lucky, Hisako said softly. They really are lucky.

My thoughts went back to all the ninja in the room too. Aren't we lucky too?

Hisako didn't say anything, merely choosing to mentally press a small kiss to the top of my head.

Leith-nee's smirk dropped off her face as her eyes widened. The words must've hit harder than a train if the visible blush on her face through all the foundation and makeup was any indication. She then sniffled, holding her bouquet of sunflowers tighter to her chest as she nodded.

Sunflowers. The same kind as the one Ace-nii used to make the engagement ring. And with the many yellow blossoms sitting in my basket, well. It was fitting.

Thatch smiled. "Well then. Leith, do you vow to take our First Division Commander's hand in marriage? To take Ace as your husband, now and forevermore?"

Nee sniffed, holding back what sounded like snot before beaming. "Of fucking course I do." She raised a hand from her flowers before Thatch could even protest the curse word, giving me a glance before adding, "I meant that. Whether in bed—"

"OI!" Jackie-nee yelped from the stands. "LANGUAGE!"

"BRAT, DON'T START WITH THAT! GURARARA!"

Uh.

Nearby, I could see Papa considerably wiggle his hand behind his suit jacket on the stage and so, I decided to pretend to go deaf for a moment.

Thankfully, it didn't take long because Nee decided to backtrack. "Fineeeeee." Kinda. "Or in a battle, I know you'll have my back. It took a long time to admit this, but you've been a cheesy ass that I just can't get enough of. You gave me a family, you gave me a way out, and you gave me a home." Leith-nee laughed, and this time there was a hitch in her voice. "I can't help but feel safe with you. So, with all my fuck-ups, I hope you'll keep being with me to the end." Another laugh. "I love you too."

Ace-nii stiffened and I found it the right time to gently tug at his suit. He looked at me, I offered him a flower, and I smiled.

"You deserve this," I said, and I didn't have to look up to see Thatch smile too. "Take it."

Ace-nii nodded and took my offering.

I held back a giggle once he nearly dropped the flower from the realization of what was in his hand.

What? It was a nice idea on Whitebeard-san's part to hide the wedding rings in my basket!

"Well then," Thatch said, an audible crack in his statement this time too, "with the vows said, you may exchange the rings."

Thatch then swiveled his head to meet my eyes, and a giggle left my lips. Trotting over to Nee's side was child's play, literally considering I was still a child physically, and she took the sunflower off my hands to expose the simple gold band hidden in the petals.

I stepped back just as Nee stepped forward, and Ace-nii took her hands in his. He gently slid his gold band onto Leith-nee's ring finger in unison with Leith-nee doing the same to him. It seemed almost… sacred to be watching it up close because this was it.

This was the moment where two separate people truly created a union with each other, to support each other, for as long as they wanted.

Vy's world saw a lot of divorces happen because people just don't mesh well sometimes. Or people had differences pop up after the vows were said, and it felt so simple to go to a court and declare it all null and void.

But there was something about watching a marriage live rather than on an old cassette tape that made all those bad thoughts, those bad ideas, go away.

I allowed myself a small glance behind me and found myself catching the eyes of Team Minato.

Kakashi blinked softly at me, Obito grinned, and Kei merely smiled.

They approved. Yay!

I smiled back at them and turned back to the happy couple, pulling the stalks of some flowers into my free hand.

"And now, with the rights invested in me, you may kiss." Thatch pretended to wipe a tear from his eye as Ace-nii held Leith-nee's hands tightly. "Anyone who wishes to voice their objections may do so now."

There were a few mutterings, but nothing else.

"That settles it." Leith-nee and Ace-nii were still staring at each other, so Thatch simply stepped to the side as I took a step back to toss the flowers in my hand around them like a good flower girl would. "I hereby pronounce you two husband and wife." He paused, considering, then added coarsely, "Go ahead and smooch, you fools."

Said as a true pirate would.

It was as if a limit had been broken. Leith-nee immediately tossed away the veil on her head, opting to let it fall to the ground unceremoniously in time to pull Ace-nii in by the hand. The resulting smooch was something out of a romance movie in reverse, more so with Nee actually swinging Ace-nii's full weight around in a carry-hug by herself before dipping in, so I couldn't help but politely look away while still tossing flowers. Everyone else could cheer loudly as much as they wanted.

Before you say anything, hey. I could still opt to be a kid. And this way, no one would have to cover my eyes!

Oh, everyone else?

There was a lot of shouting, but I could hear a few select voices.

"Leith-chwaaaaaaaan! May you—" there was a snort somewhere, "—find happiness from now onnnnnnn!"

"Why are you crying, Sanji?" Munching. "The food's good!"

"THAT'S NOT THE POINT, LUFFY!"

Jackie-nee's cheering was obvious, of course. Wendy-nee was near her too, being awkward, but her being buff and strong helped get them along. At least, I think so. "Congrats, Leith!"

And there were a lot of camera flashes.

"Congratulations, Leith-san, Ace-san! But before the day ends, may I see your—" From the corner of my eye, I could see someone with bright orange hair kick what looked like an afro-wearing skeleton. I decided not to dwell on that for the sake of my own sanity.

Yet, strangely enough, once I looked back at my family, I found myself making eye contact with some of Team Minato again. Kakashi was looking close to being either awkward or constipated, Kei was doing her best to keep up a polite smile, and… huh?

Hisako paused, having noticed too. What is it?

I blinked. Did Obito always look like that?

Because from what I could tell from my vantage point at the podium, Obito was looking at me with a dark blush on his face. It was obvious through his stare that he wasn't fully there-there, so I inclined my head at him.

"Are you okay?" I mouthed.

He startled once it became obvious I was returning his gaze and he nodded. "D-Don't worry, I'm fine!" he put on a grin like it was an everyday thing. "Go be you, Tomo-chan!"

Um. Well then. "If you're nervous, I'll save a dance for you," I continued, smiling. "Just wait for me, please?"

Obito started. "S-Sure!" His grin turned clumsy, just like Ace-nii's from a few minutes ago. "It's a promise!"

I smiled and turned my head back to the happy couple once there was the smack that said the kiss had ended. Leith was grinning and Ace-nii had steam coming off him like a bubbling teapot, and the flower bouquet was still in her hand.

"Toss it! Toss it!" The nearby pirates started to rally with fist pumps, and I blinked. Toss what?

Wait for it, Hisako warned, teasing grin on her face as she pushed her hair back.

Wait for what?

Just wait, honey.

Almost immediately, Ace-nii pushed Leith-nee forward and her sunflower bouquet was still in her hands. "Whoever gets the flowers gets hitched next!" Nee crowed, and then she swung her arm in a circle like a baseball player. I could see petals flying off her hand with the motion and if I didn't know any better, it sounded like the flowers were close to choking with how tightly she was holding them.

It was a split-second moment. Nee let the flowers go, they proceeded to fly through the air and I could see everyone in the stands scramble with their hands raised. Oh.

So that was it.

"Luffy!" A man with a long nose and puffy black hair was shaking the still snacking Straw Hat. "Use your Gum Gum powers to catch that!"

Munch munch. "Huh? What was that, Usopp?"

"ARGH! STILL SO BLIND!"

My eyes followed the falling sunflower petals as the bouquet soared, and soared, and soared. It seemed like everyone was reaching out for it to try catching it. And then—

Oooooh! Hisako said loudly, sparkles in her eyes.

Huh?

Obito yelped as soon as the flowers landed neatly into his arms. He fumbled with the blooms for a solid minute, much to Kakashi's visible exasperation nearby, but he held the bouquet against his chest, breathing deeply.

I wasn't expecting Obito to look up at me. A crooked smile covered his cheeks and his eyes softened. It was almost like his black irises were reflecting the entire galaxy with how deep they were.

What was he trying to say?

There was a small snicker. What happens when someone catches the bride's bouquet, dear? Hisako dropped with a tap of my shoulder.

Don't tell me—

"WELL THEN!" Captain Whitebeard announced loudly, making me jump. "A ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR THE PREDICTED GROOM!"

Wait. What?

"Obi?" I said dully, barely audible in the face of all the sudden cheering coming up in the crowd. My ninja friend was immediately swarmed by pirates and my family alike, Papa laughing from what I could hear in the background. Along with Kei looking close to falling over from her own laughter and Kakashi being vaguely uncomfortable, it made for… something.

Obito was getting lots of shoulder pats and side hugs from people all over, but it didn't change the fact that we had something earlier. The eye contact, the sunflowers—

He was still giving me a side-eye glance the entire time the stands were swarming him.

Lub-dub, lub-dub, lub-dub.

Huh?

My heart's pounding? I put a hand to my chest through the ribbons on my dress. This can't be… right?

"GURARARA! NOW THEN! WITH THE HAPPY COUPLE WEDDED," Whitebeard-san yelled out with a large mug suddenly in hand, "LET THE PARTY BEGIN!"

"YEAH! PARTY!" The pirates yelled in near unison, and I gulped.

A hand was suddenly on my shoulder and I looked up to see Papa, his trusty cello bow in his other hand. "C'mon, hime," he said softly, an encouraging smile on his face. "It's our turn now."

I pushed down my embarrassment to smile. "Aye, Papa."


Sitting down on the piano bench felt right for once. From the wedding ceremony to seeing the flowers land in Obito's arms of all places, I needed to get this anxiety out.

It was just Obito. One of my best friends in the whole wide world, and my heart was still beating hard at the thought of him holding those sunflowers.

What was going on with me?

Obito couldn't have been thinking of me to marry, was he? Wouldn't he look for Rin in that case?

Or… Was he?

"Hime?"

Papa's whisper was barely audible over the murmurings and shouts in the background from everyone having fun, but I could still hear him from our shared distance on the stage. I turned to him and his uncertain expression transformed into a loving smile. "Hey," he whispered over the noise, and in that moment, all I could do was focus on him. "You're with me, hime, back on the stage. We're about to play one of your songs together for the wedding cake cutting. Can you do that?"

I nodded, releasing a breath I didn't know I was holding. "I can, Papa." I took another breath, allowing myself a glance to the side before considering. Ace-nii and Leith-nee were already holding the ceremonial cake knife over the pretty impressive red velvet and white chocolate layered cake, looking at me for a start. I couldn't keep them waiting for too long. "Laugh off the fear and the bad things, right?"

Papa beamed, swishing his cello bow through the air.

That's a yes.

I turned back to the familiar black and white keys and exhaled. I wasn't exactly a child in mind anymore, despite my physical appearance. There were probably a lot of things I needed to talk to everyone about once we got home to Konoha. But right now, right here, I had a job to do.

I couldn't ruin a happy moment, and it was time to enjoy it for what it was. Two of my honorary siblings were essentially coming together on the best day of their lives. I had to be the best I could be for them.

Let the forest live again, right?

Aye. One more breath. I could do this. I was probably the only one that could. No one but Kei and I remembered, after all. And Kei was the ninja. I was…

Smile on the stage to the very end, in front of your own score, and you create your own beautiful lie.

Aye.

Hisako simply smiled.

I'm not Kaori, I'm not any kind of professional performer, but this is all I have…

Wish me luck, Totoro-san. Please bring these people happiness today.

I closed my eyes and played the keys. The memories were faded, a bit worn out compared to those Vy remembered of Spirited Away, but the emotions were the same. The messages were the same.

Treasure these times for what they are.

Nothing's truly difficult when you have loving people by your side.

It may be hard to wait, but everything will turn out alright.

Papa's cello was like a security blanket, the soft strings calming my heart. The noise in the background seemed almost invisible, not even consisting of an interruption as I continued playing the chords of the famous Forest Spirit.

The images flew by in my mind's eye — Satsuki and Mei, playing with a spirit that could have been a teddy bear. Mei trying to deliver that ear of corn to her mother in the hopes of her getting better. Totoro doing what he could to make the girls feel welcome and happy in a forest that would have otherwise been scary.

Maybe my situation could be likened to that of those two girls, finding comfort in places that otherwise would have been scary. From being with the pirates that Nee called family to working amongst the pirates' worst enemies in the Marines with helping Jackie-nee and Wendy-nee — it was all a blur. I was following others' paces, but they let me and I was safe, all things considered.

They were all here, they seemed happy, and that was enough. My family had come back, and this time, the song felt like it was one last hurrah before I could see my forests again at home.

The song ended far too quickly before I knew it, and by the time the last key faded, I opened my eyes and found myself breathless. Papa was smiling from where he was sitting with his cello, clearly proud as he brushed a stray hair back. "Good job, hime," he whispered.

"Aye," I said quietly back, and just then it occurred to me that the background noise had stopped. Instead, there seemed to be an echoing of what sounded like an accordion in the air and the next thing I knew, something was gently pushing at me from behind to stand up from the piano bench. I tried not to yelp and looked behind me just to catch what looked like white flower petals fading into sparkles.

Those weren't sunflower petals. So then where…?

I blinked and tugged at the hairband sitting around my wrist.

All of a sudden, a hand was suddenly coming out of the piano bench seat with the same accompanying white petals and it took a moment to not yelp in surprise. The hand seemed to consider my reaction, twitching for a single moment before reaching out towards me. I was not expecting it to gently tug at my wrist with an almost ghostly-kind of touch.

"Um," I stumbled, trying not to resist as it grasped the top of my hair band with its fingers. "Did you want this?"

Honey, why are you talking to a hand—

"Yes, little Princess, give me a moment," said someone new right behind me and this time, there was no holding back the surprised yelp as the hand proceeded to retrieve the hair band for itself. The hand then did not take long to raise itself palm-up towards the someone in question, offering the hairband to them like some kind of trophy. I didn't have a chance to look behind me to see who it was, but it sounded like a woman as something soft brushed my hair. "How cute. But your veil is crooked again, little Princess. Let this young woman fix it for you."

There was rustling behind me as fingers were tugging at my hair, the touch merely confirming that they were real physical fingers. My veil was jostled too, tugged at ever so slightly to put it back into position, so I stayed as still as I could. The white petals from before were gone, but knowing the rules of this world when it came to physical abilities and the like, I didn't want to make a scene.

"I can definitely see how Sanji-kun found himself adoring you, little Princess," was the kind musing above my head and the tugging certainly felt like something safe, so I stayed quiet out of politeness. "To capture the hearts of so many from the Whitebeard Pirates with honesty and emotion, you certainly are something." A warm laugh echoed above my head as soon as she let go of what felt like a braid tying back some of my hair in a circle. I turned around just to see long black hair and dark blue eyes. The smile on her face seemed teasing, merely accentuated by the diamond earrings and her flowing flowery skirt. "Definitely a Princess."

"Th-thank you, but who are you, Miss?" I stammered, blush coming up to my face.

The woman blinked those dark blue eyes before taking on a softer smile. "Call me Robin, little Princess," she said, bending down to my height and reaching over to brush a stray strand of hair back behind my ear. "I'm a friend of Sanji's and Davy's, you see." She smiled again, gently poking my forehead before putting a hand around my shoulders. "But don't worry about me. You have a friend of your own waiting."

Eh?

Once she gripped my shoulders and promptly spun me around, I used the heels of my flats to balance myself as soon as the front of a suit came into view. In spite of my balancing act, though, I still found myself falling towards said suit with a yelp. "W-Wah!"

"Have fun, little Princess!" Robin called.

"H-Hey!" A familiar voice went above my head as soon as my face was buried into their dress shirt. "Tomo-chan, I know you promised me a dance, but this isn't what I meant!"

Wait. Wait.

I looked up and found myself blushing. "I-I'm sorry, Obi!"

Obito laughed nervously, clearly not up for the spectacle either considering pirates were starting to "aww" and jeer behind us. Still, it was definitely Obito as his arms kept me upright and steady on my feet, his own posture pretty solid all things considered. "It's fine. Hi, Tomo-chan. Are you—" he then coughed, tugging at the collar of his suit for a moment before putting me back on my own two feet, taking a step back to bow his head. "Are you willing to have this dance with me, my lady?"

He offered his arm to me slowly, almost like that of a gentleman and I blinked at it. "Are…" my heart was suddenly in my throat, not helped by nearby camera flashes and Leith-nee's obvious smirk in my direction past the wedding cake slice she was eating with Ace-nii. "A-Are you willing to have me, good sir?"

The best way to get past this, or so Kei seemed to hint at when we were at home, was making a joke to go with the flow. Or that's how it was supposed to go.

It did not stop Hisako from busting her gut from laughter. Hahahahaha!

Obito raised his head to make eye-contact, his black eyes wide before a smile stretched his cheeks. "Always."

Heat flooded my cheeks, my heart starting its pounding all over again in my chest. When did he start to look radiant? Uh…

"A-Aye aye, then," I squeaked, and that was basically it. I did promise him earlier. There was nothing I could do but put my hand on his arm, and Obito beamed as soon as we started walking together off the steps of the stage and onto the dance floor. The accordion went on and on in its almost ballad-like serenade, and once Obito took my other hand in his, I blinked. "Wh-When did you learn how to dance, Obi?"

He grinned, adjusting his other arm so that it could encircle my waist. Was he actually setting up for a waltz? "Let's just say I had a lot of time in-between missions, Tomo-chan." The grip from his other hand was tight on my fingers as he shrugged. "Kei wasn't kidding when she said we all missed you."

Oh. Of course.

Hisako put her five cents in with a quieter, Six to seven months is a long time, dear. At least it wasn't a year or more.

Yeah.

I still leaned in and rested my head against his shoulder. Even through the suit, I could smell the usual woody scent that was my Uchiha friend. I shouldn't have left. "I missed you too, Obi," I confessed, feeling warm, happy and cared for. "I missed you too."

There was a small noise above my head, something like a gurgle before there was a jerky nod against the top of my head. "M-Milady, we still need to dance." I lifted my head and found myself looking into dark black eyes as Obito smiled. "We promised, didn't we?"

"Yes," I said over a small hitch in my voice, "Yes, we did. I'll just have to ask you to avoid my second left foot, good sir."

Obito laughed softly. "I'm the ninja, Tomo-chan. I can handle any kind of feet."

"Aye."

He then tugged at my hand and I could do nothing but follow him along. The loud and obnoxious "aww"s in the crowd didn't even matter anymore. Right now, it felt like it was just us on the dance floor, enjoying the lights and the atmosphere while twirling.

I could've fooled myself into thinking it was just Kei and Kakashi watching from the punch table while the rest of the world could disappear for Nagareboshi Cafe. It felt that warm. Cozy enough to be home.

It did not stop Jackie-nee from snapping a picture, breaking the moment. And judging by the nearby rough-housing from the married couple, though…

"Oi, you lovebirds, leave the PDA for the bedroom!"

"Shush you, this is my wedding, so put a sock on it!"

"Brat! Gurararara, keep it to a minimum in front of the children!"

The hand on my waist paused as Obito sighed. "And here I thought we were bad hijacking a ship to get here. Kei was glaring the entire time." Obito shook his head enough to jostle some of his well-combed back bangs while keeping up the dance. "I could've sworn she looked like Kakashi. That's saying something."

Well then. "You still found me," I pointed out to him while smiling. "And this is a nice way to pass the time, isn't it?"

Obito turned back to return my stare, apparently not noticing the red tips of his own ears as he smiled back. "It is nice," he agreed, stepping back just enough to let me twirl around on my flats. "Missions can go without kidnapping, though."

"Ehehehe…" Whoops. "I'll try not to get taken up by others' paces?"

Obito rolled his eyes but pulled me into a hug anyways, and that was the end of the conversation.


"This is painful to watch," said Kakashi, snorting through his nose. "Why doesn't he say anything?"

Kei considered, glancing over the goofball couple on the dance floor before agreeing halfway. "At least you're not the one who caught the bouquet?"

Kakashi furrowed his eyebrows at her.

"I would've preferred to catch it," Minato-sensei cut in, a teasing smile on his lips. "Kushina might've liked the sunflowers."

"Good for you, Sensei, good for you," Kei said finally. "We'll celebrate once we get Tomo back home."

"That sounds like a good idea."

Kakashi snorted again, turning his head away and promptly grabbing a cup of punch.

Weddings could be a spectacle.


*curtsies and slowly leaves, preparing the ideas for the next chapter*