Chapter 2 - Only the Beginning
It was the day before Cale and Akima's wedding. They were all finished with their plans for the marriage. This day they mostly spent in the Phoenix just lounging around. Cale was living on a different deck below Akima. This way, he was with her but was not technically living with her. He respected her privacy and called her on the intercom before he came up due to when he accidentally walked in on her while on the Valkyrie. He had sort of made his own little bedroom out of a small niche in the engine room.
"Hey, Akima," Cale buzzed on the intercom to speak to his fiancee. It was a short while where dead-air was all that was heard before her voice faintly spoke up. It had obviously taken her some time to reach her respective intercom.
"Yeah," she replied in a sort of monotonous tone. Cale leaned against the wall with his elbow so he could speak more clearly into the com. "Can I come up, I want to talk to you about something."
"Why can't you just talk right here?" she asked. He sensed that Akima was disheartened about something by the way she spoke. This caused him to have a greater concern. "I think it'd be easier if I were there," Cale stated as a conclusion to looking for a reason to go to her.
"All right. Cale, I want to show you something," she said as she was now accepting his company. He immediately went out of his quarters and climbed a system of ladders in order to reach her position. She was staying on the deck that was directly under the cockpit. Cale lifted the panel that was in the floor and arose from it. He saw Akima sitting on her bed looking at a sheet of paper. Cale saw her troubled countenance and gently shut the panel as to not make a lot of noise. Normally, he would just let it fall and clang against the metal floor.
"What is that?" he asked as he walked over to where she was sitting and sat down beside her left. He leaned closer to Akima as he scanned the photograph she was holding of a woman who was holding Akima as a child. "Who is she?" he asked.
Akima gathered her words and then started her account. "Her name is Miwa Kunimoto. She was my grandmother. I thought she would be with me always, but now I see how far I've come without her. I learned everything from her. Everything from earth to martial arts,"
"You know martial arts?" Cale interrupted.
"A little bit, she taught me some hand-to-hand fighting as well as some fencing. My hair was styled as a promise to her. You see how my hair was long and black?" Cale nodded, "She brushed my hair every night before I went to bed. We talked like sisters while she brushed my hair." Akima's head then tilted down as a tear came out of her eye and ran down her cheek. "When she died, I cut my hair short and laid it in her grave. I made a vow to keep it short in memory of her. I just wish she was here, now. We often talked about our wedding days. She told me of hers and I told her of my dream wedding. I only wish she was here to see it." she finished as she turned to Cale and looked into his eyes. She found comfort there and rested her head on his shoulder. Cale embraced her so as to soothe her pain.
"Ya know, I wish my father was here," Cale said as he patted her pack. She was still lightly sobbing. "Then, I realized something, Akima," he consoled as he looked down at her, "my dad left a piece of himself here by giving us this planet. I always thought he had left me because he didn't care, but then I see that he gave me more than any other father has."
"I have a piece of my grandmother with my hair," Akima said, now feeling better and releasing her grasp on Cale. "She is with me as long as I keep a memory of her."
Akima wiped the tears from her eyes with her sleeve and stayed with Cale for the rest of the day.
The Andali sun shone with an orange brightness and was nearly setting. The rolling waves crashed upon the sand that was the beach. This place and this day had been chosen by Cale and Akima to be their wedding day. A myriad of people had joined to be the witnesses because there weren't that many marriages on drifter colonies. However, Cale was lucky to find a preacher to perform the wedding. The witnesses were sitting in chairs on either side of the aisle, which was just sand and newly grown grass.
Stith and Gune were there. Gune was sitting in the second row in his usual brown lab coat. Stith was a bride's maid and was wearing a white suit with black lapels. She stood in the back consoling Akima who was overjoyed, but still nervous. She was in a low cutoff white wedding gown with a veil that had three purple roses on the right side. Akima had thought and dreamed about this day since she was a little girl, but now, the day was here.
"I have always wanted this to happen in my life, Stith, but I never thought this would happen to me now." Akima whispered while standing behind the witnesses with Stith, who was fixing Akima's veil.
"What do you have to be worried about? I wish this had happened to me. You don't know how lucky you are," Stith whispered back with a reassuring tone.
"I love Cale," Akima said while looking at Cale who was standing in the front in his black tux with his hands behind him. He saw her look at him and he smiled back, "I guess I'm worried about the change: being 'Mrs. Tucker,'" Akima told. "This is all too new to me." She then peered back at Stith who just finished straightening Akima's veil.
"Akima, don't think of this as an end of a stage in your life. Nothing is ending," Stith said while holding Akima's chin, "your life with Cale is beginning. That's all that's changing." Akima's eyebrows raised for she now saw Stith's point. This is just a beginning. Akima looked back at Cale who was talking to the preacher telling him he wanted to start the procession. Suddenly, a feeling of peace came over her and she put on a tender smile to show it.
Cale wasn't worried about this thing one bit. He looked forward to this from the day he proposed to her with patience. Now his patience grew short, and he wanted Akima all to himself. Then the preacher announced that they were going to start. Everyone became silent. Stith directed the flower girls to start walking. There were six flower girls and they walked two by two down the aisle. They sprinkled the sand with pedals from wildflowers since flowers were scarce.
"Okay, Akima, get ready, you're coming up," Stith said as she guided Akima to the start of the back of the aisle. Everyone seemed to turn to look behind them at Akima while she started to walk down the aisle. Cale stood in the front patiently watching her come to him, step by step. She held her bouquet with both hands and she still had that same tender smile.
It seemed like an eternity to Cale; Akima appeared to move in slow motion to him. His face was in awe as he observed his bride. Even though there wasn't any music playing, there was in his mind. He almost didn't even blink.
She reached the front where Cale was and stood on his left side. He looked at her and she him. She silently mouthed out the words, 'I love you' and Cale copied her by doing the same. The preacher smiled and opened his book.
"We are gathered here today in the sight of God," the preacher started, "to join Cale Tucker and Akima Kunimoto in holy matrimony." Cale and Akima kept their attention on each other and just gazed into each other's eyes. "If anyone has good reason why these two should not wed, speak now or forever hold your peace," the preacher paused.
"No. No reason, all fine!" Gune squawked in a loud tone so everybody could hear. This made mostly everybody laugh, including Cale and Akima. Stith shook her head and smiled. The preacher gave a little giggle before he started again. Everybody quickly became quiet again waiting for the next words from the preacher's mouth. He had his finger on the part where he left off.
"Do you, Cale, take Akima to be your wife? Do you promise to love, honor, cherish and protect her, forsaking all others and holding only unto her?" the pastor asked. "I do," Cale said while turning his head to look tenderly at Akima.
"And do you, Akima," the pastor began, "take Cale to be your husband? Do you promise to love, honor, cherish and protect him, forsaking all others and holding only unto him?" Akima very clearly turned to Cale and vowed, "I will."
The pastor began the next segment by asking, "Cale, please repeat after me." Cale then repeated everything he said, "I ,Cale, take thee Akima, to be my wife. To have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, and I promise my love to you.." When he was done emulating the pastor he added, "I love you, Akima." Stith was in the back of the ceremony balling her eyes out. She didn't cry much, and this was a new concept to her.
The pastor then turned to Akima and asked her to repeat what he said. "I, Akima, take thee Cale, to be my husband. To have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, and I promise my love to you." she ended as she repeated he had said. Now, most everyone had a large smile on their face including Stith and Gune. Then, the pastor began the next section. "Do you have the ring?" he asked.
Cale pulled a small black box out of his pocket and opened it. Inside was a thin gold ring. It had a small, triangle shaped sapphire in it. She was already wearing the ring his father had given him. Cale took the ring out of the case, closed the case and stuffed it back in his pocket. Cale gave a large smile as he held the ring in front of Akima. As he slipped it on her finger, he recited his vow, "With this ring, I thee wed; all my love, I do thee give." He laughed a little, silently, because saying all the 'thee' s' made him feel a little funny. Cale and Akima had decided on a totally traditional wedding and this included all the funny words.
Akima continued to hold her hand out, backside up, and very thoroughly looked over the ring. It meant more to her now than the ring Cale had given to Akima that held the map. She pulled off a separate gold ring that she was to give to him and held it in her right hand. "With this ring," she started, looking from the ring into his hazel eyes, "I thee wed; all my love, I do thee give." She held his right hand and slid the ring on to his left ring finger. He eagerly watched her as she did this. After she made sure it was fixed firmly on his finger, she returned her gaze to Cale.
"You know what's next," he quietly whispered with a wink. She gave out a little silent giggle as he said this and very ambiguously nodded her head. The pastor's deep, theological voice interrupted the moment by saying, "I now pronounce you husband and wife. Cale, you may kiss the bride." Cale put his left hand on her right cheek and removed a purple strand from her face as he tilted his head down to hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck and tilted her head slightly to the left. They met in a long, dreamy kiss as the sun was setting in an orange hemisphere behind them. The light pierced through the small openings between their bodies and made the witnesses see them as two silhouettes. Occasionally, a whoop or a holler was heard. They pulled their faces apart, but still near, and turned toward the witnesses not withholding their large smiles. Cale held her left hand gently in his right.
"I present to you," the pastor said while closing his black book, "Mr. and Mrs. Cale Tucker." Cale continued to hold Akima's hand as he quickly walked her back up the aisle and behind the witnesses. The witnesses stood up from their chairs and followed them to the reception area. Gune found Stith who had stayed and waited until everybody had left the procession. "Cale and Akima are wed," Gune chirped as he held his stubby hands in the air, "This is cause for happiness!" He began to dance and click his heels as Stith just nudged him in the back to lead him to where the reception was being held.
Several spotlights were attached to the tops of ships to provide light as the sky was quickly waning. Several tables were set up so they could all sit down when cake was to be served. Cale and Akima sat at a separate round table which faced the others. On the opposite end of the table sat a large wedding cake; about two and a half feet tall. On top were two bride and groom figurines standing hand-in-hand underneath an ornate, white gazebo.
"Hey, that's not me!" Cale said jokingly while looking over the brown haired groom figurine. This made Akima smile and giggle. "And you think I have blonde, curly hair!" she said as she pointed to the bride figurine. "You're too beautiful to be blonde," he said. He laughed back and noticed Stith lumbering with her kangaroo-like legs toward the two of them.
"I think people want cake," Stith said while handing Cale the cake-cutter. Cale lightly grabbed the handle to the cutter and asked Stith if she could get everybody's attention. "You have a loud, attention-getting voice." Cale explained. Stith then reared up on her legs to improve her height.
"Hey, everybody, attention up here!" She shouted as everybody turned to see where the stern, scratchy voice was coming from. Cale and Akima stood up, her arm around his elbow, and Cale began the announcement.
"I would like to thank everybody for coming tonight. The Mrs. and I appreciate it," he said as he turned his head to smile at Akima who also returned a smile, "so, let's just get y'all some cake!" Everybody cheered as he held up the cutter and sliced off a piece. He handed it to Akima with the cutter and she put it on a plate. Stith helped disperse the cake to the waiting crowd.
When it came time for them to eat their piece, they both fed each other as people commented and laughed occasionally made a remark or two. When they were both finished, Cale grabbed Akima's arm and led her out into the middle of the tables. "Cale, what are you doing?" Akima feverishly asked.
"You'll see," he said as he motioned to Stith to turn on a boombox that was hooked up to several large speakers. Some slow music began playing and Akima began to get the picture. "Now, I'm gonna warn you. I have two left feet." he said as he held out her left hand in his right and held her waist with his left. They slowly swayed back and forth to the music.
"I love you," Akima said softly while Cale slowly led. "I-you," he replied in the same tone. Cale didn't know how to dance and was embarrassed when he did. This time was different. In that night, the greatest feeling came over both of them. In that moment, they realized just how much they loved each other. In that, it was only the beginning.