Anna and Yoh curled up on the couch, each with a phone in hand.

"So you two want to go ahead and get married now?" Mikihisa said. "That's great! When? Next month?"

"Next month?" Keiko sputtered. "There's no way I- I mean, we- can plan a wedding in less than a month! I think it should be a winter wedding."

"What do you think, Anna?" Yoh said. "Can you wait that long?"

"I've waited six years already. Six months won't be too bad," she said.

"So it'll be a traditional Japanese wedding, right?" Keiko said. "That should be-"

"Wait, wait, Kaa'san," Yoh interrupted. "We need to find out what Anna wants first."

"Oh, it's fine," Anna said. "We can- yes, that'll be fine."

Yoh studied her carefully. "Kaa'san, Tou'san, can I talk to my future wife for a second?" he asked. He covered the mouthpiece. "Anna, what kind of wedding do you want?"

Anna blinked. "Oh, anything's fine," she said.

"Anna," he said. He cupped her chin in his hand. "What do you want? You're going to tell me right now, or I'm going to just sit here like this until you do."

"I want an American kind of wedding, with lots of flowers, and I want to wear a white wedding dress," Anna said promptly.

Yoh smoothed his thumb along her cheek. "See, that wasn't too hard, was it?" he smiled.

"But your parents-"

He picked up the phone. "Can I make a deal?" Yoh suggested. "I think we should have two different ceremonies. We can have a quiet little traditional one in the morning, with just family, and then have a bigger wedding in the afternoon."

"I like that idea," Keiko said. "I can work with that."

Yoh reached over and squeezed Anna's knee gently. "Next time you want something, tell me," he whispered.

"Okay," she whispered back.

-----

"This is basically everything I think we need to cover," Anna said, handing Keiko her notebook. Keiko opened it up and skimmed the list. It held about five items.

"Well," Keiko said. "Let me show you my list."

Anna's jaw dropped as Keiko pulled out a sheaf of papers. "We don't really need all of that, do we?" she gasped. "It's just going to be a little wedding!"

"Oh, dear, no," Keiko said. "It has to be at least medium sized."

The reluctant little bride sank down in a chair. "Crap," she muttered.

Tamao and Pilika poked their heads in. "Are we starting on wedding plans?" they chorused.

"We?" Anna repeated.

"We certainly are! Come in!" Keiko said. "We really need to find Anna a wedding dress."

Anna flopped over in the chair and let her legs dangle over the side. "It's July, Keiko-san. The wedding isn't until winter. We have time," she said.

"No, we don't," Keiko said. "You see, right now all the dresses that are supposed to be for winter weddings are on sale. We can get a great one right now!"

"Let's go today!" Pilika crowed.

"Please, Keiko-san?" Tamao pleaded.

"Of course!" Keiko said. "We can look for bridesmaid dresses too, while we're at it. Have you decided who you want yet, Anna?"

Anna nodded. "Tamao and Pilika, of course," she said. "And I'd like to have Jeanne come, too."

"Really?" Pilika gasped. "You want us?"

"Thank you, Anna!" Tamao cried, throwing her arms around the blonde girl.

"No hugs, please."

"Sorry."

"Don't mention it."

-----

Anna stared at the racks of white dresses. "And I have to pick one of these?" she sputtered.

"It won't be too hard," Pilika reassured her.

"Too hard?" Anna repeated. "It's like finding a needle in a haystack. How can I find the right dress?"

"Don't worry, we'll ask," Keiko said. "This is Rayame. She's going to help you!"

"I can't believe this," Anna said, shaking her head.

"Overwhelmed?" Rayame asked.

"Do you mean by the dresses, or by my mother-in-law?" Anna said, rolling her eyes.

"I see," Rayame said. "Um...Mrs. Asakura, would you like to look at bridesmaid dresses with the girls while I help her?"

"Certainly!" Keiko beamed. "Good luck, Anna!"

"Thank you," Anna sighed as she followed Rayame.

"We see mothers-in-law like that all the time," she said.

"Keiko means very well, but she's little too enthusiastic," Anna explained.

"So," Rayame said. "What kind of wedding dress are you looking for?"

Anna blinked. "I- I really don't know," she said. "I've never really been to a wedding."

Rayame tapped her chin. "Well, it's a winter wedding, so that narrows down some of our choices," she said. "What size do you wear?"

"I don't know," Anna shrugged. "I always make my clothes."

"Well, you're very tiny," Rayame said. "Maybe a four or so? I'll be right back; I have a few ideas of what to get for you."

The first dress Anna tried on was a no-go at the start. "It's strapless," Anna said. "I don't think this will work." The dress was designed to be a low strapless gown, with a tight bodice and a full flowing skirt.

"It kind of overshadows you," Rayame said. "It has a life of its own! Oh, anyway, you can take it off now. I have another one."

The second dress was a little better. "I think this one is nice," Anna said, smoothing out the skirt. It was a spaghetti-strap dress, with an embroidered empire waist and slim skirt.

"I don't know," Rayame said. "It makes you look like a toothpick with a head on top."

Anna made a rueful face at the mirror. "It does," she admitted. "Anything else?"

It was several hours later when Anna collapsed into a chair, her hair staticky and her black dress rumpled. "I'll never find a wedding dress!" she wailed.

"Yes, you will," Rayame said. "There's one in the back. It's too big, but I think that if it was altered, it would be perfect for you."

As soon as she put the dress on, Anna knew instantly that it was the right one. The neckline was gently scooped with a tiny bow and was wide enough to show off a little bit of her shoulders. The sleeves were tiny little puffs. The back of the dress was low and laced from her midback to her waist, where it met a little sash. The skirt was full but not too full, and was gathered slightly in the back.

"It's perfect," Anna murmured. She closed her eyes for a moment, wondering what Yoh would say if he saw her in the dress.

"It needs to be altered a little, on the waist and the hem, but it really does suit you," Rayame said. "At least it doesn't have one of those humongous trains."

Anna smiled. "I want this dress," she said, stroking the white satin skirt. "I actually feel pretty when I wear it."

"That's always a good thing," Rayame grinned. "Great! I'll take care of it for you."

-----

"We were at that store for two hours, and we didn't find a dress!" Pilika moaned.

"Well, at least Anna did," Tamao reminded her.

"Yeah, but I wanted to find a pretty bridesmaid dress!" Pilika wailed. "We can't find anything that looks good on all three of us! Jeanne is average height with silver hair, I'm tall with blue hair, and you're short with pink hair! Nothing looks good on all of us! Nothing!"

Anna cleared her throat. "If you're done bemoaning your awful fate, I have something to show you," she said. She handed them a little sketchbook. "I was wondering if you wouldn't mind if I made the bridesmaid dresses."

"Anna, these are gorgeous!" Tamao breathed. "You drew these?"

"They'd be a dark red color," Anna said, blushing a little at the unexpected praise. "The fabric would be satin with lace over it."

"They're perfect," Pilika declared.

"What's perfect? My bride?" Yoh asked as he snuck up behind Anna and grabbed her.

"Yoh!" she squealed in shock. "What are you doing?"
"Trying to hug you," Yoh explained. "See, it works like this. You put your arms around the other person-"

"I know what it is," Anna snapped.

"We're going to leave you two alone," Pilika said. "Thanks for the dresses, Anna."

Yoh tugged Anna over to the windowseat. "Can we talk for a second?" he asked.

"Is this bad?" she ventured.

"No, no, of course not," he reassured her. "It's just...I've noticed you're not exactly a touchy-feely kind of girl. So I was wondering about kisses."

"Oh," Anna said. She glanced away.

Yoh took her hand. "Anna, if you're shy around me, that's all right," he said. "I'm going to force you into anything you don't want." He smiled and tipped her chin so she had to look at him. "How about we share our first kiss on our wedding day?"

Anna smiled. "All right," she agreed.

"In the meantime..." Yoh said. "I'll content myself with this." He kissed her lightly on the forehead. "Is that all right?"

"Perfect," she said.

Author's Note: Yay!! More Yohna wedding goodness!!

No one ever reviews my artwork!! I have an account on Fanart Central, and I've gotten about three reviews, and two of them were kind of mean. I do admit that right now I haven't gotten any of my good pictures up yet, but still...I don't even have ANY reviews on my 3-D model of the Funbari Onsen!! cries Will you, my dear sweet friends, traverse to the site and review? Or at least look? chibisparkleeyes Click ?aidKeitorinAsthore

(If that link doesn't work, go to and search for KeitorinAsthore)

if I don't get any art reviews, I won't upload the next chapter of Wedding Bells...mwahaha...