DISCLAIMER: I do not own CCS or any of its characters. CLAMP does. This plot is a product of my imagination. Any similarities to other fan fictions are unintentional.
UNFULFILLED LOVEBy bishounen lovah a.k.a. touya-mou
Chapter 10: The Wedding Jitters
Setting: At the Mountain Lodge, four months later.
STAGE 1Symptoms: epileptic fidgeting, Oscar-the-Grouch attitude, and tennis ball movements.
"Mou! Would you stop squirming," Yashko yelled in exasperation. This was the third time he retied Yoshiyuki's black tie and his arms were getting tired. "If you ever touch this tie again I am going to personally cancel this wedding. So help me God, I will."
"Give the man a break, Yashko. All of us went through this kind of thing," Syaoran said, amusement evident in his voice. He sweatdropped when the best man started to slap the groom's hands off the tie. He sighed as he reached deep in his pants' pocket. It was a good thing he was prepared for this kind of emergency.
"Yoshiyuki, heads up!"
The groom did look up. He looked up in time to see a stress ball smacking right in the middle of his forehead before dropping to his upturned shaking hands.
"Gee. Thanks a lot. Just what I need…a bruise on my wedding day."
"Yare yare. Would you stop being a pain in the ass and just relax." Yashko tugged the man and pushed him down on a high stool in the middle of the room.
As soon as he stepped back, Yoshiyuki stood up and started pacing the room again. The others sweatdropped as their heads followed his movements back and forth. They sweatdropped some more when they noticed that the stress ball was no longer reinflating and was squeezed to a bloody pulp.
"God, I hate this waiting!" Yoshiyuki started to raise his hand to ruffle his hair in frustration but stopped himself halfway. He didn't want to mess his hair. He wanted to look good so Rika would see what a good catch he really was.
Looking at the full-length mirror, he scrutinized every inch of his body.
Shoes…shiny.
Pants…well ironed.
Coat…no dust or lint in sight.
Tie…a bit crooked. He adjusted it to perfection.
Hair…every strand in place.
Face…smooth and clear.
Then he noticed the worry lines on his forehead and at the corner of his eyes. He suddenly turned back to his new friends.
"What if…"
Yashko, Syaoran, Eriol and Takashi looked at each other knowingly.
STAGE 2Symptoms: begins all sentences with 'What If', tennis ball movements, and saucer-sized eyes.
Yoshiyuki started to pace around the room again.
"What if she changes her mind?"
"What if she realizes I'm too old for her?"
"What if she thinks I'm not good enough?"
"What if she thinks we're not meant for each other?"
"What if she has met another guy and is seriously having second thoughts about the wedding right now?"
He stopped pacing and looked at his friends expectantly. He sweatdropped when he saw that none of them were listening, well, except for Takashi who was writing his tirade down on a small notebook. Syaoran and Yashko were playing rock, paper, scissors while Eriol was holding out his hands as a scoreboard.
"Are you listening to me or not," Yoshiyuki yelled at them. He was at the brink of a nervous breakdown and the men who were supposed to calm him down were playing kiddy games.
"No need to shout. I'm listening," Takashi consoled the groom. "In fact, I listed down everything you said. Oy, minna-san, let's answer them. What if number one…what if she changes her mind?"
"Not going to happen. But if she does change her mind then you would probably be left at the makeshift altar in front of fifty people or so with a large bill," Yashko answered.
"Tsk tsk. Such a scary thought. But don't worry. You'll have the priest to accompany you. What if number two…what if she realizes that Yoshiyuki is too old for her?"
"You could buy her lovely old stuffs that way she could start collecting antiques," Eriol said with a straight face.
"Good one, Eriol. What if number three…what if she thinks that he's not good enough?"
"Mou. You shouldn't worry about that. All women are hard to satisfy." It was Syaoran's turn.
"True, true. What if number four…what if she thinks that they're not meant for each other?"
All four of them thought seriously. It was hard to find a funny answer to that because the couple was definitely meant for each other. Destiny had thrown them together twice in their lives and only an idiot (and a paranoid groom) would doubt their fate.
"That's a hard one but I'd say the answer is the same as the answer in 'what if number one'." Yashko said after a while and the other two agreed.
"This last one is mine. What if she has met another guy and is having second thoughts about marrying him," Takashi walked up to an angry yet sweatdropping Yoshiyuki and patted his back. "You don't have to worry about that right now. Usually that guy shows up well after you're married. That's when he'll steal her away from you."
Yoshiyuki looked at him with a murderous glare that could put Syaoran's patented glare to shame. Takashi sweatdropped and quickly backed away. "Hey, man, it was just a joke. We didn't mean any of it."
"He's right, Yoshiyuki. You should loosen up. Nothing bad is going to happen. Don't you trust in Rika? You're her first and only love. She wouldn't think those stuffs about you," Yashko came to Takashi's rescue.
Yoshiyuki sighed and sat down on the stool.
STAGE 3Symptoms: extreme weariness from initial agitation, puts bride on pedestal while groom sulks about his shortcomings.
"I know, I know. It's just that she's perfect," he said as he gave in to the urge of running his nervous fingers through his hair. "I mean she's so beautiful, smart, sweet, funny, generous, kind, loving. And her voice…it's like…and her eyes are so…Her touch and smile always…"
The others rolled their eyes in exasperation. The man was so smitten with his wife-to-be that his vocabulary was starting to diminish. He's obviously suffering from the 'she's an angel and I'm a nobody' syndrome. They waited for the other symptom to appear.
It wasn't a long wait.
"What could she possibly want from me? I'm nothing compared to her. Well, look at me. I'm…"
"…old enough to be her otousan," Yashko supplied for him.
"Don't exaggerate, Yashko. I'm only ten years older than her. I don't think that's such a great age gap. Is it?"
"Uhuh," Syaoran said concomitantly. "Come to think of it, Yoshiyuki, you and Rika doesn't seem to fit physically. You're so largely built…probably three feet taller than her. A giant compared to her small, delicate figure."
"You're exaggerating too. I'm no more than a foot and half taller than her. And what does size have to do with this?" Yoshiyuki demanded with a bewildered expression.
"Oh but size does matter," Takashi replied with an evil grin, a pair of horny horns visibly emerging from his hair. He wasn't able to continue though because Syaoran smacked the back of his head.
"Not to mention that your interests are somewhat dissimilar. You're a writer, she's a chef. Even if you take the first letters of your jobs, they're still at the opposite ends of the alphabet."
Yashko, Syaoran and Takashi sweatdropped at Eriol. What he said did not make any sense. Nevertheless, their plan was working. Reverse psychology is really the way to cure this stage of pre-wedding jitters.
STAGE 4Symptoms: says the word 'love' in almost every sentence, declaration of a very mushy declamation piece, chin up high and chest held out.
"Okay, so maybe I am not good enough for her. But I love Rika with all of my heart and soul. My love will fill in my shortcomings and weaknesses. Even if she doesn't love me as I love her, I will not let that get in my way."
"Yosha! That's the spirit!" Eriol clapped him from behind. "You can breathe now."
Yoshiyuki let out the breath he was unconsciously holding. It felt good letting it all out. He believed every word he just said.
It doesn't matter if Rika's love for him was just one-sixteenth of his love for her. His was definitely more than enough to last them a lifetime. And that lifetime he will use to make her fall madly in love with him.
That is, a lifetime they will have if she doesn't back out.
STAGE 5Symptoms: involuntary twitching of right eye, ping pong ball movements, hyperventilation, and images of bachelorhood flashing before the groom's eyes.
There was a knock on the door. Yashko hurriedly opened it and talked to the usher who knocked.
"Five minutes," he announced to the groom and the groom's men.
Yoshiyuki instantly felt the blood drain from his face.
It's time!
He began pacing around the room in panic. Despite of his declamation of undying love earlier, he couldn't help feeling the fright of leaving his safe bachelor status.
"Hey slow down," Takashi warned. "Breathe slowly. You don't want to faint like Eriol did when he got married."
"You fainted?" Yoshiyuki asked incredulously at the blushing man even though he was still having breathing problems.
"Er…I did black out for a few seconds," Eriol said sheepishly as he slapped Takashi hard on his head. (AN: Tsk tsk. Poor Yamazaki-kun. He might need a CAT scan before the wedding is over.)
Not good. Calm down Yoshiyuki. What are you more frightened of…losing the freedom you had as a bachelor or losing the woman you love?
The thought instantly calmed him down. It took him three months to ask Rika to marry him. He had wanted to propose to her ever since that day they confessed their love for each other but knew it wasn't the right time. As days became weeks and weeks became months he found it harder and harder to propose not because he thought Rika wasn't ready yet but because he lacked the guts.
The months they spent together had helped her with her depression although she still takes those anti-depressant pills and sees Dr Morikawa. She no longer stares off in space nor does she have any more nightmares. He had made sure that she doesn't by always staying close to her even in her sleep.
Actually, it was more for his peace of mind rather than hers. He couldn't bear leaving her side even for just a minute.
He had waited all of his life for Rika and he wasn't about to let her go. Not now. Not ever.
After taking one last look at the mirror, he nodded at his friends to tell them that he was ready. One by one, they came up to him to either pat his back or shake his hand before leaving the room.
He took a single cleansing breath and said a silent thank you prayer to Kami-sama for letting him find happiness and true love at last.
STAGE 6Symptoms: serene look in reaction to surrounding, immense enthusiasm and anticipation.
Upon entering the hallway, he heard the crowd hush as beautiful violin music permeated the air. He and Rika wanted to break some wedding traditions and one of them was to scratch out the organ music. Instead they hired a pair of concert violinists to play romantic pieces.
Yoshiyuki sighed as he took in the wonderful view. The Mountain Lodge had a very beautiful clearing at the rear. With spring well underway, the area had an emerald carpet with the rows of guests in the middle. They didn't have to order flowers because the place was filled with it. Birds and butterflies were flying around, sharing the joyous atmosphere with the people.
In front of the chairs was a gazebo where he could see the priest waiting for the ceremony to begin. And beyond the gazebo was a small spring flowing gently down the mountain. Its sound plus the chirping songs of the birds and the violin music were truly mesmerizing.
It was a beautiful day for a wedding…for their wedding.
The change in music signaled the start of the walk down the middle aisle. Takashi and Chiharu's twins marched first with the girl (AN: yes their fraternal) throwing petals to the ground followed by Eriol and Tomoyo's daughter escorted by Yukino's son. The guests cooed at how cute the children looked then cooed some more as their parents plus Sakura, Syaoran, Naoko and Yashko followed behind. Pair by pair their friends made their way down the aisle and soon it was their turn.
Yoshiyuki and Rika wanted to break another tradition by walking down the aisle together. But the others protested about it so they compromised.
He stepped out of the hallway and slowly strode to the right side of the guests. He wanted to look behind him to see Rika walking to the left side but was worried that he might trip and fall flat on his face. When he reached the outer aisle he gave in to the temptation and looked at her across the sea of heads.
STAGE 7Symptoms: slow motion of movements and heartbeats, angels singing Halleluiah inside the head, metal to magnet reaction, anticipation leading to satisfaction and later on fulfillment.
An angel. Definitely an angel and soon she would be his angel.
Yoshiyuki forced the lump in his throat to go down. Her beauty had always stunned him and today was definitely no exception.
She had refused to wear a veil saying that she wanted to see everything clearly. And now he was thanking her for making that decision because he could see her clearly.
Her dark brown curls were piled on top of her head in a messy yet chic way. Three small rose buds held the bun in place, the same white flower inserted in his black tuxedo lapel only his was slightly bigger and open.
As if sensing his eyes on her, Rika looked up and slowly glanced over to him. Yoshiyuki held his breath in anticipation as he watched several loose locks of her hair graze her bare shoulder. His knees weakened as she gave him that gentle smile of hers, which he knew was full of love and joy.
Snapping out of his trance when he heard the music change again, he slowly walked forward matching Rika's steps. He didn't mind that all of the guests' attentions were focused on her and not one of them was looking at him. He didn't mind at all for he was as captivated of her beauty as they were.
He didn't take his eyes off her nor did he blink. He watched as the late afternoon sun illuminated her smooth skin and strapless white gown. Each of her steps caused different crystal sequins to sparkle. He had to admit that Tomoyo-chan outdid herself for she made the perfect wedding gown for Rika…simple yet elegant. It suited her personality very well.
The satin number hugged her upper body like second skin whereas the skirt was full-bodied and flowing to the ground, leaving a trail behind her as she walked on. Her hands were as bare as her shoulder, her slim fingers gently clasping the stem of her rose bouquet.
They reached the front and were greeted by their parents, blocking his view of her for a couple of minutes. In what seemed like hours he saw her again, this time accompanied by her father.
Yoshiyuki immediately moved to meet them. He went through the motions of shaking Rika's otousan's hand but all the while his attention was at the beautiful bride. He raised his left hand, beckoning her to join him. Electricity coursed throughout his body as her fingers grazed his upturned palm before intertwining them with his.
Raising their joined hands, he kissed the back of her hand. He loved holding her hand and he knew that she does too. It were always the simple things they enjoy like holding hands, hugging, sitting close to each other, staring deep into each other's eyes, and butterfly kisses on the forehead, tip of the nose and lips.
Simple gestures bursting with love.
"Hime," he whispered to her.
"Koi," she whispered back.
How he wanted to kiss her right now but that wouldn't do. So he just squeezed her hand and she squeezed his in return while beaming up at him. Together they walked towards the gazebo where their future awaits them.
At last their lives will cease being empty as they vow everlasting union of their hearts as well as completion of their souls.
Twice Destiny has thrown them together. This time Fate made sure they wouldn't miss their chance in fulfilling the love that took years to be realized.
To be concluded…
bishlov: Ohohohohoho. I do believe I outdid myself.
Yukino-chan: *sniff* such a beautiful wedding although I can't believe you stopped at that.
bishlov: Stop complaining. I think it is more romantic if I end it that way. Besides aren't you happy that I have more time now to change you back into Yukito?
Yukino-chan: So you're going to turn me back *starry eyes*?
bishlov: Er…I don't know. Maybe we should ask Eriol-kun if he found something in his library. Why don't you go on ahead? I'll follow you.
Yukino-chan: Fat chance! You just want to catch Rika-chan's bouquet so you're eliminating the competition. Ha! I'll get that bouquet if it's the last thing I do. *Runs towards the crowd of single females*
bishlov: ^_^0 and here I thought she doesn't want to be a girl. *faces the readers* Oy, minna-san! I changed my mind. This won't be the last PG13 chapter. There's one more to go (chapter 11) and that would really be the last PG13 chap. Those who want the lemon don't worry. I'm making a separate story for it. Just hold on to your seats.
DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW!!! c',) c',) c',)