Disclaimer: Don't own SK…

Thanks: Thanks to everyone who took the time to read and review this story! I can't express my gratitude enough. I hope this chapter will at least meet some of your expectations. Also, thanks to everyone who thanked me in their fics. =)

Author Notes: Sorry for the long wait! Exams are now finally over and I can rest and relax all summer! (Uh... well for the most part… then I have high school to worry about. _)
Hmmm.. Can Japanese teenagers even marry at 18? I just remember that the age might have been at 20… whoops… -_-;

Warnings: OOC… gee.. Isn't that surprising? I really tried to stay in character.. but it's hard!! It's like trying to draw a straight line with a ruler. (Even with a ruler, it's crooked.. u_u)

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Endless Days, Ch. 3

~~~

"Why, your wedding of course!" Kino replied.

"…… WHAT?!"

The expression on Anna's face and tone both showed signs of unawareness and shock. The news had startled her so much, that she immediately rose in a standing position. Kino couldn't help resisting her smile to the young girl's stunned response.

"Wh-What… wedding? I mean.. how.. when? …What?" Even her articulation had left her when she failed to express what was on her mind about this sudden tremendous event. "…This is all out of the blue…"

"Oh... right... Yoh hasn't told you yet," Kino mumbled quietly.

Yoh's throat instantly tightened as he felt Anna's stare on him. He cleared his throat at an attempt to say something that would fit this indescribable picture. Slowly, he looked into the eyes of his fiancée and tried to say something, but his courage left him and he quickly averted away from her glance. He felt his cheeks heat up as he swallowed hard.

"Don't be too hard on the poor boy. After all, it was a very romantic gesture… if only his grandfather could have thought of something like that on my birthday," Kino smiled. Yohmei quickly turned his head, whistling a quick tune.

Anna nodded slowly, trying to process all the information that was given to her just less than 30 seconds ago. 'Yoh… planned.. it out… for us to be married? And on top of that… he wants to do it on my birthday…. Yoh…'

Yohmei stopped, looking at the awkwardness that had just set upon the two, "Well, we have come from a long way and we have made all the necessary arrangements for this memorable event. Are we going to get planning on this or what?"

Yoh stood up slowly, "Right… lets discuss this inside."

Kino and Yohmei turned towards the house entrance without noticing the couple's still movements.

"Are you ok, Anna?" Yoh tried to remain as calm as possible, trying not to let his pounding heart be heard.

"I.. can't believe you did this…" 

"I'm-I'm sorry! I didn't know if this was a good idea! I mean.. it felt so right for me at the time.. and I hoped that you were sure too.. I mean.. the way you feel for me.. and I for you.. It seemed like the right idea at the time. I should have talked about with you first-- but I wanted it to be a surprise sinc---"

Anna placed a finger on Yoh's lips, gradually closing the space between them. "It's okay.. really.. I just didn't expect it. Yoh.. what we have right now.. I love it... I love you."

"Which is why.. I think.. we should make it.. official..." He replied as he softly grasped her hands,   "I want this.. to be the day, you'll never.. ever forget."

"I haven't forgotten what you did on my last birthday…"

"I know... but… I want this day.. to be.. the most perfect day.. ever.. for the both of us… If I had known any better, it sounds like you're against this idea of getting married."

"It's not that.." 'It really isn't.. Yoh.. no one.. has ever cared about me enough. Marriage.. I've expected it in the future… But.. getting married.. isn't just having two people who just love each other signing away their lives on a piece of paper. Marriage… is a decision.. it's a way of showing the world that you and partner love each other unconditional and that you are ready to spend the rest of your life with them… regardless of anything and everything… Yoh.. are you really saying that you want to spend the rest of your life.. with me? Do.. you really love me.. that much?'

Answering her doubts, Yoh leaned forward and kissed her tenderly. Caressing her cheek, he spoke softly, "I want to be with you and I want to tell that to everyone. I can't live life knowing that you aren't there with me… by my side. I can't picture life with anyone else… There's only one girl out there that I want… and she's standing right in front me."

The gap between them began to close as their lips were about meet again when Yohmei interrupted, "I think you guys can hold it until after the wedding can't you? There will be closed doors… thank goodness."

The couple flushed in red, nodding slowly as they followed him into their house.

~~~

Sitting down eagerly in the living room, Kino revealed a large pile of books, reference articles, photo albums and pictures hoping that Anna would have an absolute perfect image of her ideal wedding after looking over what weddings could be like. Having known her past without the knowledge of love, Kino wanted to help Anna see and feel the love that she has never felt before. She wanted her to know that love… is far beyond an emotion. Having this purpose in mind, she smiled knowingly.

"First… we shall begin with attire…" Kino pushed a few books towards Anna's direction before walking over and sitting beside her. Together, they discussed which ones would be appropriate for the wedding.

"I think that's beautiful.." Anna commented pointing to one of the pictures in a magazine.

"Oh yes! That is a truly lovely dress! ..Oh! Look at that one! All of these wedding gowns would look splendid on you," Kino agreed.

"Look over there! Cherry blossoms are on it!" The blonde replied excitedly, finally realizing that the day is coming soon.

"Oh my! That's looks lovely!" Kino nodded affirmatively.

"There's so many choices… I don't know which one to choose… but they're all white.. I think there should be darker gowns."

"My child.. I cannot agree ever more!"

Yoh looked at Anna's emotional-filled face and grinned madly. Rarely had he ever seen her wore such a feeling on her face and he thanked the gods that he could be here to see it. 'She looks so... pretty… its entrancing… I hope she smiles like this during our wedding… I want to…'

Yoh began to rise to his feet. Their attention was not caught when he began to walk over there, slowly looking over their shoulder to see the commotion and a sneak-peek at what Anna could potentially be wearing. Hey.. if she's smiling like this for a reason, he definitely wanted to know what was going on.

"…Hmm… that one looks nice," he said his thoughts aloud.

Bad idea.

For 2 glaring faces slowly turned towards him, their faces identically painted in irritation.

"Uhh… looks like.. I'll be going.. back.. to that side.. now," Yoh pointed nervously to the other side of the room. The duo stood up, cornering the poor boy. Yohmei winced as he too, felt his grandson's pain. Kino raised her right hand and Anna raised her left. Yoh squeezed his eyes shut, trying to prepare himself for the worse. Anna delivered her infamous Legendary Left at the same time as Kino delivered Renowned Right.

"Wahh!!!" Yoh instantly fell to the floor.

"Yoh! You're not supposed to look at the wedding gowns or kimono until the wedding!" Anna yelled, her foot stopped on top of Yoh's back.

"She's right Yoh. As the groom, you are not to look at the dress until the wedding," Kino nodded.

"But... that's such a long time…. 2 weeks?" He whined.

"Better stop or it'll be 2 months," Anna replied, not really meaning what she said and was slightly amused as why Yoh wanted to know what she would be wearing.

When Yoh regained his strength he walked back to where his grandfather was sitting and plotted himself there. The males both wondered what they should be doing right now.

"At least there aren't too many choices for a tuxedo or a male kimono," Yoh sighed.

"And thank the gods for that!" Yohmei grumbled, "Why your grandmother would fuss all day long about which would be the 'proper' one we should wear."

"Yeah… Anna would do the same… She would make sure that every inch is the perfect size for me. If a trace of lint was on my tux, she would call the police, emergency, 911, the fire department... everyone."

The two men shared a laugh as they contently released a sigh of satisfaction. Their wives (or wives-to-be) were truly one-of-a-kind and they knew they were lucky to have such people to care for them as they do.

"Oh my god!" Anna gasped as she covered her mouth in disbelief, "That dress that's.. the one."

She pointed at a dress near the bottom of the page.

Kino's mouth widened in dismay, "It most certainly is. You… would put all other brides to shame if you wore that."

Anna smiled, "But… can I get it in time?"

"Of course, I can pull many strings when needed to, my dear. You will have this dress and wear it in this wedding or.." She paused, scanning around the room, "Or Yoh will sew the dress."

Yoh's eyes widened. He didn't know the first thing about sewing and was almost absolutely sure that the needle would develop an attachment on his hands and fingers. He didn't say he wouldn't do it as he knew -- when his grandmother made promises, the likelihood of breaking it was almost as likely as the end of the world due to an ant infestation. Hiding his amateur skills in sewing, he covered his doubts with a grin, "I'll sew it for sure, if she doesn't get the dress."

'No, you won't your lying. You'll be forced to.. But you won't do it!!'  His conscience screamed.

'Shut up.. shut up! She'll get the dress….. I hope... Unless she wants me to sew.. ,'  His mind began to imagine the possible needles that would soon await him.

"Well.. then I'll leave it to the care of you, Kino-sensei." Anna bowed her head in gratitude.

"Nothing less for my grand-daughter-in-law. You've already been apart of this family for a long time… I hope you've realized that."

The blonde haired girl knew it through actions but never in words. She wanted to say what a wonderful influence she had been on her… she wanted to tell her that she was the only mother that existed to raise her as her own… she wanted to express her endless appreciation for everything… for everyone... for Yoh. But she didn't. Instead, she responded, "Let's decide on the guest list."

Knowing her concealed feelings, Kino reached for a piece of paper and handed it to her with a pen. "Write all the guests here."

Anna nodded, looking at Yoh for some names to write down, "How many friends are you going to invite?"

"All of the ones who can make it in 2 weeks… Other than family members?"

"Ok.. so that would probably be Manta," she inferred, writing his name onto the paper.

"Possibly Horo Horo, Pirika and Ren and Jun. Hmm… Chocolove. Ooh! Tamao? Ryu, too… if we can reach him. Wait! Faust and Eliza… Hmmm.. no one from school I'm guessing?"

The girl stopped writing as she glared at her husband-to-be, "If you do, it'll be your wedding and your funeral at the same day."

"Okay... no one from school.." Yoh quickly concluded, "How about… Lyserg? Some of the people from the Patch Tribe? And all the spirits from the cemetery! And anyone else that wants to come I guess."

"…Done," Anna placed the pen down on the piece of paper and slid it forward for Yoh to see.

"Looks good," He replied with a smile, "I take it location is next?"

"That's easy. It'll be in Izumo. In the Asakura shrine… the large one of course. It can fit over 100 people… if it is necessary. If not, we can use a part of it as a… dancing area," Yohmei answered.

The couple nodded agreeing with his decision. Everything seemed to have been prepared since the subject was brought up.

"How about the songs and food?" Yoh asked.

"Well.. Yoh.. Why don't you choose the music and your grandmother and I will worry about the food served during your wedding."

Yoh swallowed. Choosing easy-listening music was too easy, but choosing music to actually dance to and music that Anna would enjoy … definitely be a challenge. And since it would be their first dance together as bride and groom it was especially meaningful.

"Sure... I suppose I could take care of it."

The members of the room nodded once again. Yoh was partly disappointed that someone didn't try and take his role as the music chooser. But then again, shouldn't it make sense for the groom to choose the music that he would dance to with his wife for the first time? It would be much more of a special moment as to have someone actually getting married to choose it, rather than have an outsider just randomly pick a song that was sounded well enough to dance to.

"Now… let's move on to our last planning activity… the honeymoon," Kino grinned, anticipating and already expecting the couple's expressions.

Yoh looked at the wall right next to him, pretending to be deeply intrigued in the patterns imprinted on it. His face was overcome with a sudden tint of red. He swallowed hard, not wanting to look his family in the eye.

Anna on the other hand, had taken a sudden interest with the floor padding in front of her. Her fingers began playing with the smooth surface of the floor and like Yoh, her face was deeply covered in the shade of crimson.

Kino laughed and soon Yohmei joined her as Yoh and Anna were suffering from severe embarrassment and blushing syndrome. Anna slowly looked up towards Yoh just as he was starting to turn his head to face her. As quickly as they caught a glimpse of each other, their heads turned to their previous positions. Laughter filled the air as the shades of their faces reddened.

Even though it wasn't seen… the couple was secretly smiling to themselves.

~~~

"So we'll see you at the wedding?" Yoh asked as he and Anna were meeting his grandparents to the entrance gate.

"Indeed, we will. Come in the morning so we can get you two properly fitted. My my, that will be certainly a grand day. I am eager for the day to arrive," Kino rubbed her hands together in excitement, "In the meantime, do take care of yourselves."

"Likewise," Yoh replied as he wrapped his arm around Anna's shoulder.

"We'll do fine. Well then. We'll be going now."

"Have a safe trip home," Anna said as she absent-mindedly wrapped her arms around Yoh's waist. The couple waved goodbye to their family and walked back inside the house, never once letting go their of their grip of each other.

Night was rapidly approaching and Yoh began to prepare dinner. He reached for the apron, feeling a sense of déjà vu from this morning. As he wore it over him, he noticed that the second apron was missing from the rack. He turned to his side and saw Anna -- wearing the pink apron.

"Hope you don't mind if I help cook dinner tonight," she said as she washed her hands.

"Mind? You? Never," Yoh shook his head.

Working side by side, Anna cooked the rice and worked on the soup while Yoh set up his ingredients for a usual stir-fry dish and set up the table. When the food was ready, the couple ate, talking about friends and family but never once about the big event that was just less than 2 weeks away.

After dinner, Yoh washed up all the dishes as Anna watched a TV show. She was thankful that soap operas only appeared in the afternoon because if she sat through another show much like the one she saw earlier -- there'd be murder.

A little while later, Anna and Yoh brushed their teeth and headed for their room upstairs, getting ready to turn in to their fatigue. The lights were already turned off so the pair slowly crept into bed, even though they were the only ones in the house.

Yoh pulled Anna's body towards him so that her back would meet his chest. His arms securely wrapped around her waist as he felt the warmth of her body speed the beating of his heart. The itako didn't seem to mind his hold and her hands lowered to caress his fingers around her. Pulling her up gradually, the boy spoke softly into her ear, "Are you scared?" 

Realizing the true meaning of the question, she replied firmly, "No. I've… waited for this for a long time. Even though I didn't expect it so soon."

"Are you excited?"

"…Yes.. but even then.. I think 'being excited' is an understatement. I'm so excited.. that I don't think I'll get much sleep for these next weeks."

Yoh kissed her cheekbone and planted a few more kisses trailing down from her neck, "Me too," he added after that. Silence filled the air but they both knew they could not sleep just yet, despite their tiredness from the day's event.

The stars above them shone brightly, almost dancing across the skies. The gestures made it seem as if the gods above knew about the upcoming occasion and were celebrating with them. In less than 2 weeks… the world would know how much the couple loved each other.

In less than 2 weeks… the world would see the Asakura's for the first time as man and wife.

"… Yoh…"

"What is it?"

"Thank you."

And these words were the last to be exchanged on this eventful day.

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Okay.. I apologize greatly if I rushed in some parts. Uhh… but anyways.. I hoped you like it.. and expect a new chapter… soon.