The autumn wind blows lightly through the trees, dropping leaves of bright crimson, burnt orange, and faded yellow on the hilltop. It only adds to the beauty of the ceremony taking place. Mixed in among the fall colors are a redhead and a blonde, both dressed to the nines in sharp, black tuxedos. Among them are their closest friends and relatives, and most importantly, a minister who could marry them. Standing underneath the nature made altar, Axel waits for the love of his life to walk down the "aisle" and join him. To his side, as his best man, is Demyx, and as ring bearer, stands Reno. Opposite them are the maid of honor, Naminé*, and her cousin Kairi as the flower girl.
As a piano lets out the instrumentals of the song Come Home, one of Axel's favorites, all guests rise, and turn to watch Mrs. Day walk her son, Roxas, to his waiting husband-to-be. When they reach the altar, the minister, Yen Sid, addresses the teary-eyed mother, "Who gives this groom away?"
She replies, "His mother, Aurora Day." At this, she gives her son a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek, and then turns to take her seat next to her husband, Philip.
Speaking to everyone, the minister announces, "You may be seated."
A beat of silence as the guests take their seats is then softly broken by the official start of the ceremony.
"Ladies and gentlemen, friends and family, we are here today to unite two people, who are the very definition of love, into marriage. These two, whose souls are entwined, have asked you to witness their entrance into holy matrimony on this day of August thirteenth, of the year two-thousand and eleven. Let us take a moment to pray…
"Father in heaven, You ordained marriage for Your children, and You gave us love. We present to You Roxas and Axel, who come this day to be married. May the covenant of love they make be blessed with true devotion and spiritual commitment. We ask that You, Lord, will give them the ability to keep the covenant they have made. When selfishness shows itself, grant generosity; when mistrust is a temptation, give moral strength; when there is misunderstanding, give patience and gentleness; if suffering becomes a part of their lives, give them a strong faith and an abiding love. Amen."
After the resounding 'Amen' from their guests, the grooms look to each other, hands clasped between them, and whispering 'I love you.'
Yen Sid speaks once more, "The grooms have written their own vows, which they wish to share. Axel, if you please?"
Audibly clearing his throat, Axel takes a deep breath before starting. "Roxas, all the years you've spent by my side have made me realize that I could never love anyone as much as I love you. You complete me, and you give me strength to look forward to the future. You gave me light and hope in the darkest period of my life, and helped me get back on the right track. Your love fills me, and I very much look forward to spending all my life with you, from this day forward. I love you so much, and I could never ask for anyone else. I hope you know that I am always grateful that you were brought into my life, and I sincerely hope I never do anything to make you leave, ever again. So please, stay by my side, forever."
A few tears escape eyes of blue, and are wiped away by the redhead. Roxas smiles, reciprocating his vows.
"Axel, you taught me what it means to love with all my heart, and I can only ever hope that I taught you the same. To me, forever couldn't be enough time to spend with you. Sometimes, I wish time could stop so that we'd never spend a moment apart. You probably don't know how much courage it took me to even walk up to you the day we met. You tell me that I gave you light in that year you spent in depression, but truthfully, I feel like you did the same for me. All my friends left when they found out about me being gay, and they started mocking me soon after. If I hadn't met you when I did, I doubt I would even be here with you today," his voice cracks a little. "But what matters now is this moment, and how much I love you. Your love for me is what keeps me going, and I'm more than happy to promise that I will always be here, and I'll never leave."
"Reno, may I have the rings, please?" asks the old minister. Wordlessly, Reno hands them over to the gray-haired minister, allowing them to be blessed before the grooms present them to each other.
"Axel, Roxas, these rings are a symbol of your love and commitment to each other. They represent a continuous love and support, no matter the circumstances. These rings are a promise, in the eyes of the Lord, and in front of all your friends and family that you will never leave each other. I present them to you so that you may fulfill your vows to each other." Each groom takes the others' ring, to exchange.
"And now, by the power vested in me by Kingdom Hearts, I pronounce you husband, and husband. You may kiss, gentlemen."
They didn't need to be told a second time. With the purest, truest love one could ever imagine showing in bright green eyes, repeated in blue, they lean in for a long-awaited kiss, one that would represent their new status as married, and just as in love as ever.
~fin~
A/N: Well guys, this is the end. I hope you enjoyed reading it, despite the wait I put you through. And a few disclaimers need to be added. For one, the title was taken from the song of the same name, by Train. The song Come Home is owned by OneRepublic. The prayer came from http : / / www . documentsanddesigns . com / verse / marriage _ prayers .htm#t2 (minus the spaces of course), and the idea for the venue was inspired by this photo: http : / / ohshcroxmysoxoff . deviantart . com / favourites / # / d140uqn (again, minus the spaces). Lastly, I would like to dedicate this epilogue to my dear friend Carlee (who frequently cosplays Axel), because she lost her boyfriend Trevor (who would cosplay Roxas), in a freak accident. I feel intense sadness about the whole situation, but I know he is watching over her, and that gives me peace.
*This is not explained, but Roxas and Nami become close friends between the last chapter and this one. This epilogue is meant to be a few years in the future. However, I forgot to mention that when I was writing it... Hope you can forgive me for that...
I love you guys for sticking it out, and would love you even more if you reviewed, one last time for me. Until next time.