"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today in the sight of God to join this man and this woman in holy matrimony." The traditional words set a thrill up Anna's spine. Yoh's hand was strong and warm around her small one. Mikihisa beamed at the two of them. "If anyone wishes to speak against this marriage, let them speak now, or forever hold their peace."
There was a pause.
"Let's just keep going," Hao suggested quietly. Yoh grinned at his brother.
"Who gives this young woman in marriage to this man?" Mikihisa asked.
Anna started. I thought this wasn't going to be in the ceremony, she thought. I don't have a family to-
Ren, HoroHoro, Lyserg, Jeanne, Pilika, and Tamao all said in unison, "We do."
Yoh squeezed Anna's hand tightly, smiling widely. Anna stared up at him. He nodded, as if to say, There is your family.
"Yoh and Anna," Mikihisa said. "These two separate candles symbolize your separate lives, your separate families, and your separate pasts. I ask that each of you take a lit candle, and that together you light the center candle."
Yoh put his arm around Anna's waist as they picked up the pure white candles. The tips of the tapers met as the flames lit the wick of the center candle. Anna smiled up at Yoh.
"The individual candles represent your lives before today," Mikihisa continued. "Lighting the center candle shows that your two lives are now joined to one light, and to one life together." He paused. "And now Yoh has something special for his bride."
Yoh let go of Anna as Ren handed him the guitar. "I originally planned on playing this to Anna when I proposed to her," he said. He put the strap around his shoulder and strummed a chord. "But I suppose it'll work just as well for our wedding." He began the introduction of the song, and then started to sing.
"Take a look at the mountain stretching a mile high. Take a look at the ocean far as your eyes can see, and think of me," Yoh sang. "Take a look at the desert, do you feel like a grain of sand? I'm with you wherever; where you go is where I am." He looked up at Anna. She was watching him, wide-eyed and breathless. "And I'm always think of you. Take a look around you. I'm spelling it out one by one." He smiled. "I love you more than the sun, and the stars that you taught how to shine, you are mine, and you shine for me too. I love you yesterday, and today, and tomorrow. I'll say it again, and again. I love you more."
Anna was beginning to cry, but she was smiling more than she had ever smiled in her entire life. She was just barely starting to realize the depth of Yoh's love for her. It was amazing.
"Just a face in the city, just a tear on a crowded street, but you are one in a million, and you belong to me. And I want you to know that I'm not letting go, even when you come undone. I love you more than the sun, and the stars that you taught how to shine, you are mine, and you shine for me too. I love you yesterday, and today, and tomorrow. I'll say it again and again. I love you more."
The key changed, and Yoh was no longer singing for an audience. He was singing straight to Anna. She was the only one he cared about.
" I love you more than the sun, and the stars that you taught how to shine, you are mine, and you shine for me too. I love you yesterday, and today, through the joy and the pain, I'll say it again and again. I love you more."
He leaned in closer to the microphone, closer to Anna, and looked in her eyes. The words he sang were only meant for her; she was the only who understood exactly what he meant.
"And I see you. And I need you. And I love you more than you can imagine, more than you can fathom. I love you more than the sun, and you shine for me."
The crowd burst into applause, but for Yoh, the best reward was the soft sweet arms that twined around his neck, and the gentle kiss that was pressed on his cheek. "I love you," Anna murmured. Yoh kissed her softly on the forehead, and took her hand again.
"Do you, Yoh Mehki Asakura, take this young woman to be your lawfully wedded wife, to love, honor, cherish, and protect, forsaking all others as long as you both shall live?"
"I do."
"Do you, Annabelle Rose Kyoyama, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband, to love, honor, cherish, and protect, forsaking all others as long as you both shall live?"
"I do."
Jeanne and Lyserg stepped up with the rings. "Wedding rings are an outward and visible sign of an inward spiritual grace and the unbroken circle of love, signifying to all the union of this man and this woman in marriage," Mikihisa said. Yoh took the delicate gold band from Lyserg.
"I, Yoh Mehki Asakura, take thee, Annabelle Rose, to be my wife." Yoh's voice was strong, but infinitely gentle. "You are my purpose in life. I am here to be your comforter. Come to me with your tears and hurts, and I will take them away. I am your protector. I will die for you, but more importantly, I will live for you. I am your best friend. I will always listen to you, and I will always love you. This ring is a symbol of how much you will be cherished in my life." He reverently kissed the small gold ring and slipped it onto Anna's delicate finger.
"I, Annabelle Rose Kyoyama, take thee, Yoh Mehki, to be my husband." Anna's voice was sweet and quiet, full of the inner strength she was famous for. "You are the one I look to, the one I listen to, the one I love. You are the only one I will ever trust with my hopes, my dreams, and my fears. I will rely on you, and you will rely on me. Our hearts are united by our deep love for each other. We will always be together, in life and in death." Yoh felt a thrill go up his spine as Anna slid the ring around his finger. He caught her hands softly in his.
"You now have what remains the most honorable title which may exist between a man and a woman - the title of "husband" and "wife." In some ways it seems like you have not done anything at all. Just a moment ago you were holding one ring - and now you are holding one ring. In some ways, a marriage ceremony is like this. In some ways, tomorrow is going to seem no different than yesterday. But in fact today, just now, you both have given and received one of the most valuable and precious gifts of life - one I hope you always remember - the gift of true and abiding love within the devotion of marriage. In every marriage there are times where it is difficult to find the right words. It is easiest to hurt who we most love. It is easiest to be most hurt by who we most love. It might be difficult some time to words to say "I am sorry" or "I forgive you"; "I need you" or "I am hurting." But you must be able to find a way to show the other that you truly, deeply, love them. If there is anything you remember of this marriage ceremony, it is that it was love that brought you here today, it is only love which can make it a glorious union, and it is by love which your marriage shall endure." Mikihisa smiled at them. "I now pronounce you husband and wife."
There was a pause.
"So?" Mikihisa said. "Kiss her already, Yoh!"
Yoh cupped Anna's face in his hands. "Are you ready, Nan-chan?" he murmured.
She nodded, unable to speak as she stared up at his dark eyes.
Yoh bent his head, twining his fingers in Anna's soft blonde curls, and softly and sweetly stole her first kiss.
-
-
-
Author's Note: Ah…how fluffy is that?! So fluffy!! --sighs--
Some of the wedding material was taken from actual wedding ceremonies, but I wrote Anna and Yoh's vows myself.
The next chapter should be up a littlefaster than this one. Gomen nasai...
Be on the lookout for my Harry Potter fics. Yay!!
And please enter my fanfiction contests! No one has entered yet, so you're bound to win one of the prizes!! There are prizes, I just haven't written that on the site…guess I should have…
And now…
I'm going to go read Harry Potter!! Yummy!!