Author's Note: Thank you everyone for reading, and for leaving all your reviews. I know I'm not writing as quickly as I used to, with work taking up so much more of my time and energy, but I do hope that what I do manage to write is still as enjoyable as ever.

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For Us, Forever

Rating: K+

Chapter 4: I Vow to You

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Then...

Haruka Armitage's mission was clear. It wasn't simple, but it was clear: Ensure Takeshi Kruger made it to his daughter's wedding, preferably while making it look like it was his own idea and without starting a war. So, no kidnapping, most likely. Or at least, if she had to kidnap him, put him in a situation where he'd have to claim he went voluntarily so he wouldn't lost face. Shouldn't be too hard. It would be a harder sell to claim he wasn't planning to attend Natsuki's wedding over some argument with Saeko than to simply go along with it. That is, assuming Haruka could find him and get him to the wedding first.

Time was short, and so Haruka spent only a bit of time scanning the forest in Aries for signs of Kruger before she headed off toward his residence at full speed. This gave her only a fraction of a second to dodge the helicopter that appeared right in front of her, coming the opposite direction. Of course, a maneuver like that was nothing to the great Haruka Armitage. She could have done it in half the time.

It wasn't until she arrived to find the Duke Kruger's residence completely empty that it occurred to Haruka that it was just possible that he was aboard that helicopter. If that was the case, he really should have signalled her to save her all of this wasted time. She'd have to give him a stern lecture about proper interflight communication once she got back to the wedding.

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Now...

Shizuru smiled widely at Natsuki, meeting her love's gaze. She reached out to take Natsuki's hands in hers as she began to speak. "Natsuki… my love. I've spent many hours trying to find the absolute perfect words to say to you in this moment, but nothing I thought of could properly express everything you mean to me. In the end, I realized that nothing I could say would ever do you justice, and so I don't dare hope to reach that lofty goal in my vows alone. Rather, I plan to show you just what you mean to me every day for the rest of our lives together. With every stray glance, every touch, every kiss, and everything else, I'll show you my love. This, I vow to you, Natsuki."

"But of course," Shizuru continued, glancing briefly over at the gathered friends and family, "I can't simply leave it there today. I want everyone here to know how much you've touched me, how much you've changed my life. In truth, I was quite a different person before we met, and I regret that I didn't live up to your vision of me when I first selected you as my room attendant back in our training days at Garderobe. But you made me want to be a better person, so that I could live up to your image of me and truly be worthy of your admiration and affection. The person I am today is thanks to you, Natsuki."

Shizuru gave Natsuki's hands a squeeze. "It didn't take long from our meeting though, before I found myself admiring you just as much as you'd admired me. I knew you were one of the most incredible Otome to ever pass through Garderobe, and to this day I find myself thinking back to our battle to mark my graduation from Garderobe. To hold out as long as you and Mai did against myself and Haruka, both of us with twice the training of you, was nothing short of marvelous. There isn't the slightest doubt in my mind that you more than earned the role of Second Column the following year, and the position of Gakuenchou of Garderobe soon after. You've earned nothing less, Natsuki."

Shizuru could see how her words were touching Natsuki now. Her love had learned from long practice how to hide her emotions from others, but Shizuru had long since figured out how to see through her. And right now, Natsuki was close to melting. Shizuru just had one more thing to say, which she hoped didn't quite make Natsuki melt completely. "Finally, I admit that it feels like so much of my life has been leading up to this moment. It feels like a climax to our relationship. But while I'm perfectly fine with that, I want to promise you that this in no way means I see it as anything like an ending. Most of our lives are still yet to come, and so I want you to know that I see this truly as a new beginning. I vow to you, Natsuki, that I will never let the romance go away. I'll work to make you fall in love with me again every day, to make our marriage a series of new stories, new adventures, and new affection. Until the end of days, Natsuki - and past it if I can manage - I vow to you to never let our story end."