Disclaimer: Once again, I do not own Gakuen Alice. And I also don't own So Close by John Mclaughlin.

You nervously stand there, at the foot of the altar, your eyes darting from the floor, to the aisle, to the door, and back again. You tap your foot silently, producing a makeshift beat, as you wait impatiently for the bride to come.

Where is she? you think. Oh goodness, she's alright, isn't she? She's just late, right? Oh my. What if the car she was riding crashed? Or maybe, they were hijacked? Or… or the driver was actually drunk, and then he fell asleep while driving? Or like, they fell down a cliff? But that can't be possible, can it? I mean, there are no cliffs in Tokyo, right? Maybe the car fell in a manhole? But that's just too small. Maybe—

Suddenly, the front door opens, and you automatically look towards that direction.

You see the flower girls, bridesmaids, groomsmen—oh God, you don't care. Where the hell is she?

And then after a while, you see her, there at the end. You feel as though all the air has been knocked out of your lungs. She was just so, so breathtakingly beautiful.

Your hands fly to your hair unconsciously, and you smooth it. Then you fix your suit, making sure there are no folds or creases or anything. And then you smile, though it does not quite reach your eyes. But it's her special day, and you just can't ruin it. You cannot let your feelings get the best of you. The least you can do is be happy for her; well, on your case, pretend to be happy.

But whatever happens, you just have to look perfect, and maybe happy, too.

You look at her once again as she walks down the aisle, her arm on her father's. She wears an elegant white dress; a sleeveless one, that hugs her waist and flows down to the floor. It's pretty simple, with those little things - you don't know what to call them - that act as intricate designs. It is simple, yet elegant, and let's leave it at that. Well, nothing less than what you'd expect from Sumire Shouda, anyway.

Just when you expect that she can't get any more beautiful than she is, she smiles, and your previous comment goes down the drain. Well, obviously you're in the church, but surely there's got to be a drain somewhere? Oh well, yeah. Whatever.

You look at her again, and you wonder how it will feel to touch her hands, to hold her, to kiss her, to feel her, once again. You wonder how it feels to hear those two words "I do", coming from her mouth. You wonder how much more fulfilling it would feel, hearing those two words from her, instead of the usual "I love you".

She reaches the foot of the altar, and she smiles at you. You think you see something flash in her eyes as she smiles at you, but whatever it is, she quickly hides it. You are intrigued, and you wonder what it is, but you just shrug the feeling off. You convince yourself to think about it later. It is her wedding day, and you will not think of anything else. And so you smile back at her, feeling compelled to do so. It would be rude not to return her smile, right?

When she reaches the altar, you secretly look at her, as she stands there, so close to you. It's not you, however, who's beside her.

It's Mochiage, the groom.

She is Mochiage's to touch, to hold, to kiss, to feel. Those two precious words will be his to hear, and his to cherish. Sumire is his, forever.

Your chest tightens and your heart clenches as you hear her say those two words you've yearned to hear for so long.

Too bad, they're not for you.

You sigh, and you wonder why things turned out like this. It was always Koko and Sumire, was it not? Where, where did it all go wrong? You were so, so close, to that famous happy ending, weren't you? Why? God, why did this happen? And now you're here, and all you can do is stare. She's so close, and still so far away.

Because sadly, you're just Kokoro Yome, the best man…

…and it will forever be like that.

End

Author's Note:

Sadly, this is a one-shot. So yea, that's the end already.

I'm not sure where the best man is supposed to stand, so I just put Koko at the foot of the Altar. Sorry. -.-
And I just didn't describe the dress properly, because it didn't seem like a Koko thing to do.

This story is lightly based from the song So Close by John Mclaughlin. I only revised the two lines of the song, and had Koko say them. "So close to reaching that famous happy ending" and "So close, and still, so far". Just sayin'. :D

For May Madness, maybe? Because even though I'm new, I'm still a proud member of the AoGA. :D

-Athena :)