a/n: Wow...it's been way way too long since my last post. _ My humblest apologies for that. Life is simply making it so that fan-fictions are a lower priority right now. I have to concentrate on other things. I will continue to try and work on this but posting will be erratic at best. Quality of work possibly may diminish as well, such as in this chapter. I'm not very confident with this one admittedly, but hopefully it isn't too terrible.

Chapter 7: Thinking of the Future

A soft yet echoing clap spread throughout the spacious wedding hall. The one who had clapped, the wedding officiator, used the moment in which he had grabbed everyone's' attention to speak to them.

"Well done everyone." he said, a warm smile upon his face. "That concludes this rehearsal. Make sure everyone is here on time for the real thing." With that said he turned, white robe and purple stole swishing gently, and exited through a nearby door. The instant the door was all the way closed the wedding hall was filled with reverent yet constant chatter. The topics conversed wildly, some commenting on how the rehearsal had gone, others talking about how lovely bride was. Some topics, especially those voiced by the young children, were much simpler in complaints of them being bored and or tired.

Kyou Fujibayshi, who had been standing near the front where the maid-of-honor should be, felt her skin crawl. She was not opposed to crowds or a party, quite the contrary. Many of her happy memories involved events that had many of her close friends and such. What it was that was bothering her was this family gathering. She dreaded when many distant relatives gathered together and she had to put on a facade of her being a prim, polite, and proper young woman. To be expected to be loving and kind to people she had barely, and in some cases never, even met. Family was wonderful, but this...this was a bit much.

'If only Kale was here.' she found herself thinking. 'Wait...what?' She was rather confused by her very own thoughts. Why had she specifically thought about Kale? Briefly pondering upon it she came up with the answer that she felt more comfortable around him since she could be herself. She had other people she could be herself around though, not just Kale. Why had she singled him out specifically? Why not one of her other friends who hadn't shown up for the rehearsal since they weren't part of the procession? She battled with herself, trying to come up with some form of rationalization, and yet she could not succeed.

Sighing in frustration, she turned her attention to retreat, both from the stifling atmosphere and from her own confusing thoughts. She glanced about almost desperately, trying to think of something. Her eyes then fell upon her answer: a door. To be more specific, the door which her sister Ryou and their mother had exited through shortly after the Wedding Officiator had left. Maybe she could see her sister one last time before she was a married woman.

Not even thinking far enough ahead as to what she would talk about with Ryou, Kyou swiftly made for the exit, nimbly avoiding any relative who might possibly capture her with boring and dull conversation. Thankfully she was successful and made it to the door without any relatives capturing her. Once she got through the door she was then in a hallway that had little more then multiple doors on the side opposite of Kyou, only two doors on her side, and a door at the very end of the hallway. Kyou looked at the doors opposite her, searching for where her sister and mother could have gone. One door was ever so slightly cracked open, lighting from within the room wafting out into the hallway. That being the only one seemingly occupied, Kyou went towards it. She placed her hand upon the handle, peeking in as she pressed the door open, ready to shut it in a hurry if the dressing room was occupied by someone other then her sister and mother.

Such was not the case, Ryou and their mother being the only occupants, though the atmosphere within prompted Kyou into remaining silent for the time being and to not enter further. Their mother was lowering Ryou's veil. It was a event with mixed feelings, it being the last thing a mother did for her child. Eventually Kyou's presence was realized. The mother of the Fujibayashi twins gave a warm smile to Kyou as she silently left the room.

After watching her mother leave Kyou turned her gaze back towards her beloved sister, both of their faces glowing with happiness. The elder of the twins went to the younger, sitting down so they were at eye level. Of course though Ryou's face was partially shrouded by the veil, making direct eye contact a little more difficult.

"You look beautiful." observed Kyou as she took in the sight of her sister adorned in a beautiful white wedding dress. It felt strange in a way to see her dressed up this way though the feeling joy she felt far overshadowed that. Bittersweet may be an appropriate word but the sweet far outweighed the bitter.

"Thank you." gracefully replied Ryou. The tone was tinted with a ever so slight sense of melancholy, accentuated more so by a sigh that wafted out from the bride-to-be. Kyou lifted a worried and puzzled eyebrow, gaze firmly fixated upon her sister.

"What's wrong?" asked Kyou. "You aren't having second thoughts are you?" The question was physically rejected by Ryou's actions, she jumping in surprise, shaking both her hands and her head almost frantically.

"Oh no no no." she firmly replied. "It's just..." The former frantic nature that had come upon Ryou died down, replaced again with the worry that was greater then the usual anxiety that accompanied her. He head lifted and he gaze was upon Kyou, though it was hard to tell for sure because of the veil.

"Well...It's just that I'm sorry." finally said Ryou. Again the initial emotion that the other Fujibayashi twin felt was one of confusion and uncertainty.

"Sorry? Sorry for what?" As far as Kyou recalled their wasn't anything that Ryou had done that warranted an apology. Kyou figured that in this case it was merely Ryou being her usual worried self, something that would always be a part of her. It had been quite apparent in their high school years and died out some when they grew older. It coming out again at this point in time was no big surprise. The stress of a big event such as a wedding did stranger things to people.

"Well...I just feel as if I am leaving you behind." admitted Ryou. An exasperated sigh escaped from Kyou. She leaned forward and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Listen Ryou." she said, an authoritative but comforting tone now in her voice."You aren't leaving me behind. We are on different paths in our lives, you simply reaching the point of marriage before me is no big deal. I'm happy for you, really. So be glad, this is your wedding day after all."

"You're right, as usual big sis." said Ryou, her tone already brightening considerably. "I guess when I think about it I'm not really leaving you behind anyways. Might not be long before you are in my position."

"Wha-" A blush had formed on Kyou's face as her words died in her through. He body movements became more jagged and much less calm. She was clearly flustered by what Ryou had said. "W-what are you talking about? Kale and I haven't even dated!"

"I never said anything about Kale." The chuckle from Ryou once she said that infuriated Kyou. It was rare but sometimes Ryou did get the upper-hand on Kyou in conversation. It was normally frustrating and embarrassing when it did happen and in this situation that feeling was compounded even more so.

"I didn't...W-well I..." Kyou's words were a jumble, not forming any coherent sentences at all. Her blush and embarrassment finally grew too much, causing Kyou to exclaim, "Oh just forget it!" The embarrassed young woman stormed out of the room, closing the door behind her as a chuckle continued to waft forth from the room.

It was so embarrassing to Kyou. Ryou was completely right, she had never mentioned Kale's name. So why was it that the name of that janitor had popped into her head so effortlessly that it felt so natural at the mention of her getting married? Why why why!?

Her own thoughts tormented her to the point of great embarrassment. She couldn't think very clearly about the matter, the more she did the more muddled her mind became. Desperate yet again for escape Kyou decided to go to the entrance area of the wedding hall. If she went back to the actual wedding hall she would be trapped by what she originally was escaping from and if she went back to Ryou her thoughts would most likely be jumbled yet again. So the entrance area was the only reasonable choice.

Walking down the hallway she soon reached the very door that would lead to her escape. It emptied out into the entrance area in the corner of it, out of the way and thus sure to not garner too much attention. That would allow her some time to calm down before she interacted with people. Sighing in exasperation at herself, Kyou grasped the doorknob, turning it and pushing the door open. The door didn't travel far before it bumped into something, garnering yet another sigh from Kyou. Well there went her quiet entrance.

"Oh, I'm sorry." said the voice from the other side, muffled somewhat by the material between the owner of the voice and Kyou.

"Well yeah you should be sorry for standing in front of a door." huffed Kyou, her mind not feeling gathered enough to deal with the normal social niceties. She pushed the door open again, more gently, in a test to see if the person had moved. They had indeed, the door opening with little effort.

"Again, I do apolo- Kyou?" The person on the other side of the door was someone Kyou did recognize, it being Kale. No verbal response came immediately from the stunned woman. There he was, the very person that her thoughts were so muddled over. The very person that her sister had gently teased her about. Finally Kyou was able to respond.

"Kyaaa!" she exclaimed. Instinct and automatic response driving her, since coherent thought was impossible at this time, Kyou spun on one foot, the other making contact with Kale's head. The target hit, Kyou slammed the door shut, her face a brilliant red.

"I am so sorry..." moaned Kyou, her hand grasping the ice pack as she placed it against Kale's cheek. She retracted her hand when Kale took hold of it himself, applying the pressure himself.

After Kyou had a few second to gather her senses after kicking Kale she came to his aid. They went into a empty dressing room so she could take care of him, at her insistence of course. Kale had initially refused treatment, saying he was alright. In the end he lost to Kyou's stubbornness and they thus found themselves in a unoccupied dressing room.

"No no, it's alright." quickly interjected the injured young man, he waving his free hand at her softly. "If anyone is to blame it would be me, I'm the one that surprised you." Kyou gave him in response a cold glare. She had grabbed a washcloth that was dampened with cool water and then began to use it to clean Kale's face.

"Idiot..." she quietly said. "Don't take the blame on yourself for this too...It was my fault." No matter how she thought about it it really was. She had acted out of embarrassment and on instinct and struck Kale merely because she saw him. He didn't jump out at her, hug her from behind or anything that could be considered a surprise. It was all her, that much was fact.

"Well...alright, if you insist." finally relented Kale, though by the tone of his voice and shifting of his eyes it was obvious he did such quite reluctantly. "I must ask though...why were you so jumpy?" Kyou shifted a little nervously upon hearing the question, her mind thinking on what she should say. A simple lie that the reason for her nervous state was that she was nervous about her sister's wedding could be told and probably believed quite easily. Kyou felt that Kale didn't deserve such though.

"Well...I had a conversation with Ryou." she said. "It...well it put me on edge." Despite Kyou's desire to tell Kale the truth there was no way she could say that it was because he was the subject that caused the embarrassment that put her on edge. She simply couldn't. Thankfully Kale seemed to accept what she said with no questions to be asked, at least not that he showed.

"Ah...I see." nodded Kale. "Well I'm fine now, you don't have to worry about me anymore." He gave her in vain a dismissive wave, trying to get her to stop fussing over him. It was indeed in vain, Kyou brushing it off.

"Just shut up..." she huffed, though not with as much venom in her voice as she had used to others before. She continued to clean his face and once that was done dust off his clothing. As she was in the middle of such a knock came at the door. The door creaked open upon verbal permission given by Kyou, a worker of the wedding hall sticking his head in.

"Fujibayashi-san, the ceremony is near ready to commence. Could you please come with me?" Kyou's brows knitted as she glanced in between Kale and the wedding hall worker, obviously wanting to continue taking care of him but also needing to depart as well. With a smile and a wave Kale once again spoke to her.

"I told you, I'm fine. Now go and hurry, you wouldn't want to miss your sister's wedding now would you?" Kyou's worry on her face lessened a bit but not entirely. She nodded to Kale, standing up and following the wedding hall worker out of the room.

The further she got from the room the more nervous she got. Never would she admit to anyone that she was nervous of course, they thought too strongly of her as a strong person. She didn't want to let them down. Oh but how nervous was she, the actual wedding almost already to begin. Her hands wrung each other, her worry becoming palpable. He body tensed up, her head turning back and forth for no particular reason. While in in this somewhat panicked state Kyou caught sight of something behind her. The door to the room she had recently exited open, Kale poking his head out and looking in her direction. He didn't react right away, he most certainly studying her and seeing that she was rather nervous. Upon seeing the obvious he gave a warm smile and a thumbs-up.

As simple as a action it was it had a immediate and noticeable effect. Kyou felt her nerves calm considerably, even to the point of a smile being able to creep onto her face. She gave a light wave towards Kale then turned back, following the wedding hall worker with a much more collected attitude. Everything would be alright, that much she now felt.

The music began to play, it's noise heard even through the walls and the thick closed doors of the wedding hall. The doors opened for a brief moment, allowing in the first people of the procession. Those who had not gone in yet were off to the side so the bride would not be glanced at were anyone to look at the doors as they opened for the first part of the procession. As the first few walked in Kyou glanced back behind her, seeing how her sister was doing.

Even with the veil concealing her facial features a good deal the elder of the Fujibayashi twins could tell that she was nervous. That mood must have been detected by their father who was currently standing my Ryou's side, whispering comforting words. Kyou smiled and looked back forward, making sure that it was not yet time for her to enter into the hall. As she waited Kyou's mind began to wander a little.

What would she be like on her wedding day? Would she be just a nervous as her younger sister was now? At first she denied that, thinking she would be strong and bold about the thing. But reluctantly she admitted to herself that she would be nervous. Probably a wreck, more so then Ryou. Her sister may be more reserved then her but she was calmer and more in control of her emotions. After all Kyou had given in to her emotions on multiple occasions and smashed in the face of whoever or whatever was frustrating her with a dictionary.

Maybe, would her emotions and personality would result in attack a wedding hall worker out of frustration? The idea did certainly seem plausible, even to Kyou. She couldn't help but imagine it. The picture came to her mind so easily. She adorned in a pure white dress, attacking a wedding hall worker while the procession began, the music of the event looming over her.

A gentle hand on the shoulder brought Kyou out of her imagination. It was a wedding worker, gently informing her that she was to exit out into the hall now. The flower girl and ring-bearer were both very young children and so they needed Kyou, the Maid-of-honor to come out right behind them, making sure that they didn't wander too far off course. Kyou's breath caught in her chest upon entering the hall, seeing all of the people turn to look. Having so many eyes on her was rather unnerving so she concentrated on the children. Them seem rather well-coached as they never really varied from the plan considerably. Being given considerable room for free thinking Kyou's mind did begin to wander again. She imagined herself walking down the aisle not as a maid-of-honor but as the bride.

Kyou could see herself walking down the aisle, heart aflutter but happy for the day. Everyone's eyes would be on her for then it would be her day. No, her husband-to-be's day as well. In her imagination she looked up to gaze through her veil to look upon that man. A image instantly came to her. A man with brown hair, his gentle smile accompanying his kind eyes. She...she knew that man. Though she wouldn't admit that she had instantly imagined that person. It...there...there was just no way. It was impossible? Kyou shook her head a little, trying to shake the thoughts from her head. She had good timing, she reaching the area that was raised a little. No longer having to guide the little children Kyou took her place right next to where the bride would be. Her dear sister...she would soon be married. Even now it still felt strange and almost unbelievable.

Then the music changed, the tune all too familiar to those who had seen weddings before in life or on television. Everyone's head turned again, this time Kyou looking as well. It was time for the bride's entrance. Ryou, her arm around her father's arm, came into view. Everyone who was seated stood, their gaze still upon Ryou. She slowly went down the aisle, passing by the guests who had come to see her on this special day. Kyou's face beamed, she was so happy for her sister. She had found love, such a wonderful and precious thing.

Once Ryou was at the altar the Fujibayashi father untangled his arm from her, turning towards the groom. Since the groom was a orphan another individual acted as a stand-in for him. That individual was Yusuke Yoshino. Yusuke and Kappei knew each other due to events in their pasts, ones that had been explained to Kyou before. The Fujibayashi father bowed to Yusuke as he did the same in return. With that settled the wedding officiator began to speak.

The exact words that were spoken at that time were drowned out by Kyou. She had heard them plenty of times during the rehearsal. Her job, walking down the aisle, was finished. Now all she had to do was stand there and smile like a idiot. As much as Kyou loved her sister she wasn't entirely thrilled about being on display for everyone. Of course not much attention was focused on her since it wasn't her wedding day.

That mere thought sent her into her personal fantasy once again. The elder Fujibayashi twin saw herself at the alter, that all too familiar man at her side. Of course she had still not changed her stance, she would not at all admit who that person was. No matter how she tried she could not insert the image of another person in that place in her imaginations. That man was firmly within, entrenched and never to be removed.

Forcibly Kyou snapped herself back into reality, looking upon Ryou. Now she and her to-be-husband were exchanging their vows. They were simple and short but so incredibly sweet. The love Kappei and Ryou felt for each other was so very easily seen and felt. Then as quick as a flash the wedding officiator said those words that united them as man and wife.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife." he said, face smiling as he looked upon the couple he had united. "You may kiss the bride." Kappei obliged of course, lifting the veil and his lips meeting with Ryou's. The room exploded into a blast of noise and excitement, cheers and laughter filling the room. Tears too were quite abundant amongst the people in the room. Even the mighty Kyou felt drips of happiness leaking out of her eyes.

Her sister was now married. How truly wonderful a day it was.

Laughter seemed to be the most prominent noise now. The wedding was officially over, at least the ceremony was. Now it was on to the reception. Even though it was basically talking with relatives, laughing at their corny jokes during their speeches and congratulations spoken over the microphone, Kyou still found herself infected by the joviality of the situation. That was the case only for some of the time, at other times she felt bored, tired even since she had to sit at the family table, easily seen by all and thus a smile necessary at all times. Stupid social niceties, they added more stress to the party, not aiding the joy. This was a happy day though, one meant to be enjoyed. Kyou thus suffered through it, wanting dearly to make this day of her little sister the best possible.

Finally it came to be her turn to make a speech. Her mother and father had already done such so she was the last direct family member. Standing from her seat, she took the microphone handed to her. In that brief moment she took the chance to scan the crowd. Amongst the distant relatives she didn't much care about she did see her own family. Not her blood related direct family that was seated next to her. She saw her closest friends, most if not all of which she considered to be family. Dear friends such as Kotomi, Sunohara, Tomoya and Nagisa...She hadn't even begun her speech and already she felt tears beginning to well up within her eyes. It was at that moment she caught sight of one person who had lately become more and more important. There he was seated with the Okazaki family, Kale Saunders.

That very man was look back straight at her, smiling at her with that signature warm smile of his. Instantly its warmth began to fill her soul, washing away the tears of sentiment for the time being, allowing Kyou the chance to begin her speech. She was astounded though how much it easily effected her.

"My dear sister..." she said at first, voice still wavering slightly from the recovery from almost crying tears of sentiment. "What more can I say? Already many words of wisdom have been given to you by those experienced in marriage..." Each word to Kyou was a monumental struggle to fully say with great meaning. These were fancy words, ones that weren't naturally spoken by her. Kyou knew though that her natural self wouldn't fit well in this environment, what with her being brash and unafraid to say that which was normally left unsaid. Despite the difficulty she faced, censoring herself to fit social standards, she pressed onwards, each words so truly and sincerely meant for her dear sister.

"I would be lying if I said I wasn't envious." she continued, noting that despite her best efforts to be socially 'correct' her true side still shone through. "I do hope to follow in your footsteps, find someone who I love and loves me." A image briefly flashed through her mind but she dismissed it as quickly as it came, not even bothering to see what it was. "But for today, I just want to say this to you my dear dear sister...I love you, and I am so happy for you. Congratulations." Again holding back tears of sentiment she moved to sit down, the booming sound of applause filling the room in approval of her short, sweet, and simple message that was nonetheless very heartfelt and moving.

The noise of applause wasn't filled with silence afterwords but was instead substituted with the din of the conversations occurring between the many guests. The main course was served, only appetizers and the like being served before the final speech. Kyou mindlessly consumed it, wishing that she could go down from the main table and join with her friends. No one right now was talking to her, her sister was deep in conversation with her new husband and the only words Kyou briefly got from her parents were praises for her speech. She didn't resent them at all for the few words, it was their duties as parents of the bride to chat with the other people at the main table. Kyou though still felt a bit lonely in this crowd. If only she could join with her friends...If only she could go sit with Kale.

For what felt like ages she was stuck in the crowd, doomed to continue to bear the heavy burden of social niceties and appearances. The only thing that saved her from having to constantly participate in the small talk was the food in front of her, picking at it with the claim that she was hungry. Finally though people began to leave the tables, it time for dancing. Eagerly Kyou took the chance to get up from the table, almost everyone else having left to dance. Without even actively planning it beforehand, Kyou made her destination the table at which the small family of Okazaki sat. While Tomoya, Nagisa, and little Ushio were all well loved by her, Kyou wanted to chat with the other person there: Kale.

Not having any family in the country nor anyone wanting him to sit by himself he had been seated with the Okazakis, he knowing them at least a little, which was more then he could claim about anyone else here, except Kyou of course.

As she made her way over Kyou realized something, frustration at this delayed realization bubbling within her. People had just started to dance, so her approaching him would make it seem as if she intended to request a dance. She couldn't ask such a thing! Heck, she was the type of person to respond to any such requests to her with the insult of 'idiot' or if the person had ill intentions, with physical violence. Plus she was still a bit confounded by her earlier imaginations about him. It...She couldn't ask him! She couldn't turn away from him either now, she had already closed half of the distance between them. It would look odd and quite possibly rude if she did abort her approach. Oh what to do, what to do?!

She never did fully approach Kale's seat. The man had seemed to fight against his own somewhat reserved nature, standing up and walking towards Kyou, not even waiting for her to finish her approach. What Kyou hadn't noticed was that before Kale had stood that Tomoya had leaned over and whispered something to Kale, the prompt being what helped prompted Kale. As he came even closer Kyou stopped, her flustered mind not wanting to approach any closer but not wanting to depart either. So she stood there, like a deer caught in headlights, widened eyes taking in all visual information. One thing that stood out to her was that as Kale got closer he began to rub the back of his head, a physical habit he resorted to when embarrassed. Knowing that he was embarrassed about approaching her somehow made Kyou even more flustered.

"Hey...um..." began Kale, his voice barely able to be heard above the playing music. Kale brought his head up, looking at her with hands now both down at his sides, fingers fidgeting as he struggled to say what he wanted to say. "Would you like to dance?"

Such a simple request and yet Kyou's face reddened incredibly so. She made a strange almost strangled-like noise, unable to initially form words. "Wha-" she first stammered, even that being barely intelligible. "What makes you think I can even dance?" Although she didn't call him a idiot outright she did have a harsh tone in her voice, as if it was truly a ridiculous idea that shouldn't have even entered his mind. Yet it did not seem to deter Kale. In fact the response of her's was met with a amused smile. Kale knew her far too well by now to know she didn't mean to sound negative of him, she was just a bit...defensive.

"Well, even if you can't, I wouldn't mind." he replied patiently. Holding out a hand to her he continued speaking. "I'm not that great of a dancer, but I am willing to try."

This admittance seemed to calm Kyou down quite a bit. Looking at him, she gingerly placed her hand in his, nodding while blushing. Embarrassed still though, she looked down at the floor and to the side as they walked to a good spot to dance. When they stopped walking and instead began to dance, she turned his attention on him. At first it was an awkward gaze for both of them. Slowly overtime they became more relaxed, smile replacing nervous blushes, laughter and happiness replacing embarrassment. Without them even saying anything to decide on it, they both danced to every song played, energy filling them as they did so instead of the usual fatigue that accompanied such activities. It was both a small moment and something that felt like a eternity, everything simply felt right.

The happiness displayed by them didn't go unnoticed. Two particular people in fact were watching them, not even hiding their curious gazes since they were so lost in their own world. Nagisa, one of the two onlookers, turned to her husband. Tomoya was looking upon Kyou and Kale as well, but he did his best to maintain a air of disinterest, a habit all the way back from his teenage years, always acting disinterested and yet always helping out.

"I think they make each other happy...Don't you?" inquired Nagisa. This did garner a response, though not a immediate answer to her question was given.

"Huh?" was all Tomoya said at first, his mind still catching up with her words. "Oh uh...I guess so." No more did he add to the conversation, just watching Kyou and Kale in both boredom and a reserved interest. Nagisa didn't let the conversation die though, deciding to add more words.

"It would be nice if they could both be happy, wouldn't it?" said Nagisa, her gaze now firmly fixated upon the topic of the conversation. This time Nagisa's words did garner more attention and reaction from Tomoya. His head lifted from his hand, it having been propping up his head before. Although he was looking at Nagisa his eyes didn't speak much emotion, only a slightly upraised eyebrow betraying what he might be feeling.

It wasn't curiosity as one might initially think though. It was more akin to awareness, a realization of what was happening inside the head of his wife. For a brief moment Tomoya played with the idea of calling Nagisa out on the center of her thoughts, though quickly realized such would be futile. Nagisa would deny the idea of being a matchmaker, she would merely say she was helping them out, or some other frantic denial of the quite obvious. No, Tomoya just let it slide, resting his head in his hand once more as he looked back at the dancing pair.

"Yeah, I guess it would be nice." he replied, a small smile forming at the corners of his mouth.

a/n: Yeah...Not my greatest chapter...I may have not so bad ideas, I just can't execute them properly for some reason. *shrughs* Yeah, so if someone (there is one person in particular who offered in a review) is interested in being a beta reader/editor/whatever you wanna call it, and maybe help give me a motivational kick in the rear, feel free to send a pm or a email directly to my email account. Thank you so much for putting up with this...'chapter'. Hopefully the next one won't be so bad. _