Kiss the Bride
By Dan'yu
He was nervous. He was not sure why.
He, Yusuke Urameshi, had faced countless youkai more powerful than the ningen imagination could even begin to fathom. He had risked his life again and again, countless times, and even lost that same life twice. And yet he had never been more petrified, struck more terrified than he was on this day. It was a wedding that left him bumbling and struggling at his wit's end.
He supposed it was not so much the idea of the ceremony that got to him as it was the significance of the day. This was not just an ordinary wedding.
The ceremony was to be held in a small and modest, but tasteful little church not far from the neighborhood he and Keiko had grown up in. He had been initially hesitant about the idea, seeing as how he had never really practiced any real religion, but Keiko's parents were Christians, and a western-style wedding in a traditional Christian church was decided upon. Seeing how much it meant to the Yukimura family, Yusuke had let himself grow accustomed to the idea.
He fiddled fretfully with the sleeve of his tuxedo jacket, letting his eyes wander over the assembled crowd in hopes of distracting himself from his agitation.
A warm smile alit his features despite himself, as he took in the assembly of old and familiar faces. In the front rows, places of honor, Kazuma Kuwabara sat in a ridiculous blue tuxedo, his hand entwined with that of the koorime Yukina, beautiful in her modest dress made to match the shade of her fiancée's suit. Beside them, Kurama was impressive and impeccable as ever, and along with his wife, Botan, they made a handsome pair. In Botan's lap, their two-year-old son Kaemon dozed fitfully, mussing boyishly untameable flame-red hair as he nestled deeper in his mother's arms.
To their right Yusuke found his former employer and Kaemon's proud godfather, Koenma, in his teenage form. At his side sat Genkai, his aging master and teacher, who frowned strangely in thought as her eyes gazed in his direction.
And then, the crowd went quiet, and Yusuke followed their gaze toward the back doorway. There she was, a vision in white, beautiful and breathtaking in ways no mortal should have a right to be. His mouth went dry, his heart thundered his chest, and the blood roared in his ears as Yukimura-jiisan walked her slowly down the aisle, pulling back her veil to reveal the face of an angel.
The ceremony flew by quickly. He doubted he heard or understood a single word escaping the priest's mouth, for his attention was focused solely on the woman beside him. The "I do's" were said with breathless enthusiasm, her smile radiant, face flushed prettily as the priest pronounced groom and bride man and wife.
His heart in his throat at the priest's final words, the applause of the crowd dulling to a low drum as he stood before her, he laid a hand gently against her cheek, and leaned in.
The kiss was soft, fragile, and barely tangible if not for the way his heart soared with elation, leaving him drowning and grappling for a lifeline as his lips gently brushed over hers, light as a whisper.
Keiko Yukimura-Onimashi gasped, her eyes widening as she touched her fingers to her lips. A fleeting brush of contact, no more palpable than a soft breeze of air, and yet she had felt him.
Beside her, her husband frowned in concern, holding a hand to her forehead. "Darling, are you alright? Are you feeling ill?"
Keiko shook her head, brushing his hand away. "No, anata, I'm fine. I was just thinking about an old friend."
Yusuke…thank you…
Yusuke smiled sadly, as he raised his hand in an attempt to touch her once again, but to no avail, as his fingers ghosted through her flesh. "Congratulations, Keiko."
Yusuke Urameshi, dead for nearly five years, had fulfilled a childhood promise, and kissed the bride on her wedding day.
Aishiteru…