Honoka awoke to a loud scream in the middle of the night. It caused her to jump and almost fall right out of her bed, "That scream… It came from next door!" she scrambled out to her feet and rushed down the stairs, almost tripping due to her haste. She jumped the last few steps and slid into her shoes. Honoka bursted through her front door and sprinted over to the restaurant, firmly pulling on the doors. They didn't budge no matter how hard Honoka pulled. "I'm stupid! Of course the restaurant doors would be locked," she quickly ran down the small alley between their houses to the back door.

She reached the back and noticed that the door was slightly open. The lock was broken and she could hear a faint crying coming from inside. Honoka approached the door and opened it slowly, carefully taking a peek inside. She spotted a small dark figure low to the ground, but couldn't make out exactly who it was. Honoka took a deep breath and swung the door open gently. She took a step inside and waited for her vision to adjust to the darkness. The moonlight began to illuminate the room.

Honoka inched closer to see that the small figure was actually Umi but something was wrong. She was crying and holding on to something tightly. Honoka waited until she could see and saw that Umi was holding onto Kotori. Her lower body was sprawled outwards and she was held tightly against Umi's chest. In the dark, Honoka could spot something in Umi's hand that was placed over Kotori's head. It was slightly white, but as she looked closer to the center, the white color had become somewhat blackened. Or at least that was what it looked like in the dark.

"U-Umi? What happened?" Honoka called out as she moved closer.

"Hono...ka?" she heard a faint reply.

"Yeah it's me, don't be afraid," she walked over to Umi slowly and got down on one knee. "What happened? Are you two okay?" she asked.

Umi shook her head furiously, "No, everything's not okay!" tears welled up in her eyes and rolled down her cheeks, "Look!" Umi removed the hand that was pressed against Kotori's head to show a bloodied cloth.

Honoka gasped and looked away in response, "H-How did…"

Umi cut her off, "Please… Call for an ambulance. There's a phone behind the counter. I have to stay here with Kotori…" she pleaded before placing the cloth back on the head injury.

"O-Okay!" Honoka got up quickly and went through the door to the restaurant, she flipped the switch to turn on the light but there was no response. She felt around the restaurant until she got her hands on the counter. She moved them carefully until they hit something that felt phone-like. She made sure to dial in the right emergency number, "1… 1… 9…" she brought the phone up to her ear and waited for a response. She waited for a few more moments and there was no answer.

"Crap, the power must have been cut off," Honoka cursed under her breath and reached into her pockets to check if she had her cell phone. She felt a lump in her right pocket and thanked herself under her breath that she remembered to grab it before she left.

"Okay, 119…" she pressed the call button and almost got a response immediately, "Hello?!"

"What's your emergency?" said a woman's voice.

"We need an ambulance right now!" Honoka responded quickly.

"Can I get a location?" the woman replied.

"We're at the Ocean Flight restaurant, please hurry!" she begged.

The woman responded calmly, "We will be there as soon as possible."

Honoka hung up and took a deep breath. She walked through the door to see that Umi hadn't moved an inch from Kotori's side, "They're on their way, Umi."

"Thank you, Honoka… Unlock the front entrance please..." she heard her request quietly.

"I'm going to call the others too, I'll be right back." Honoka went back to the restaurant to contact their friends and opened the front doors.

The ambulance arrived several minutes after and rushed into the building. They gathered around the couple, "Excuse me ma'am, we have to take her from you for a little bit," they said politely.

"Y-yeah…" Umi responded and let Kotori go unwillingly.

"She's got an open wound on the back of her head, bring the stretcher," one of the paramedics yelled.

A stretcher was soon brought through the doors and they carefully placed Kotori down on it. They lifted her up and lead her to the back of the ambulance, "Would you like to ride in the ambulance with us?" a paramedic asked Umi and Honoka.

The two nodded and got onto the ambulance with them.

The ride was silent.

Umi didn't say a word, all she did was keep an eye on Kotori and held her hand. Honoka was too afraid to bring up what had happened so she stayed quiet until they were in the hospital with everyone else. The hospital wasn't too far off and in about 10 minutes, the ambulance came to a stop. The back doors opened and the paramedics acted quickly to get Kotori into the hospital. Umi followed and ran along the side of the stretcher, unwilling to part with her lover.

"Please step aside ma'am, we need to get her into the emergency room," one of the paramedics gently pushed Umi back as they went through the doors.

Umi stood alone in the empty hallway. She heard gentle footsteps from behind her and turned to see Honoka wearing a worried expression.

"The others should be here soon," she said quietly.

"Who?" Umi asked.

"All of our friends pretty much. Eli, Nozomi, Nico, Rin…" Honoka listed off the names, "Oh! Hanayo is coming too, you haven't met her but she's Rin's wedding planner friend."

"You didn't have to call for all of them," Umi whispered.

Honoka picked up her barely audible words, "Umi we're your friends, of course we want to be here for you two."

Umi smiled a little, "Thanks, Honoka…"

"Let's sit down here and wait for everyone else." Honoka led Umi to a nearby seat. The two girls sat in silence in the dimly lit hallway. They waited until all of their friends showed up before Umi would speak about what happened. Honoka knew that if Umi had to retell the story every time someone showed up, it would take a toll on her and just worsen the damage.

The group gathered around Umi and offered their condolences. She received many pats on the back and reassuring words, but no amount of those would mean anything to her unless she knew that Kotori was alive and well.

"Ahem…" Nico cleared her throat among the crowd, "So… What happened?" The others looked at Nico with disapproving looks but Umi shook her head in response to dispel their responses to Nico.

"We closed up shop before heading up to our room. Arisa and Yukiho kind of got us… in the mood…" she said embarrassingly, "...after they had us talk about why we fell for each other." Umi smiled a bit, "We got to our room and Kotori decided that she wanted to freshen up while I changed from my work clothes to my pajamas." Umi took a deep breath before continuing.

"I was standing in front of our dressing room mirror to make myself look at least presentable to her and that's when the power was cut out."

"That would explain why I couldn't turn on the lights or call the police with the phone on the counter…" Honoka added. Umi nodded her head and continued,

"So I thought that maybe Kotori was playing a trick on me. I thought that she may be playfully attacking me in the dark to add some fun, but then I started hearing heavy footsteps from downstairs. I also heard Kotori yell out from the bathroom," she held her hands together tightly, "I knew then that someone had broken into our home, so I had to get over to Kotori as quickly as possible. She didn't even have time to change as you may have seen, Honoka."

She nodded her head in response.

"So I got Kotori and we went back to our room. Her phone was dead and I forgot mine in our office downstairs. We stepped down the stairs, turned the corner, and that's when Kotori was struck-" Umi choked on her words when she thought back to the horrible sight.

"There, there…" Eli patted Umi's back to help her calm down.

"I'm sure the doctors will do all they can to stop the bleeding, let's just hope that she doesn't have any damage to her brain." Nozomi added.

Umi nodded in response, still teary eyed.

"All we can do is wait, nya," Rin muttered before the hallway was filled with silence.

Hanayo took a seat next to Umi and scooched in closer, "Hello Umi. We haven't met but I'm Koizumi Hanayo, Rin's friend."

"Nice to meet you Hanayo," Umi wiped her tears and forced a laugh, "I'm sorry that we had to meet under these conditions."

Hanayo shook her head, "There's no need to be sorry, it's not your fault that this happened."

Umi remained silent.

An hour had passed before the group heard the large swinging doors open. Umi looked up to see a slender and slightly taller woman than her. She had shoulder length hair and it was of crimson color.

"Maki?!" Nico blurted out.

"Be quiet, we're in a hospital," she replied quickly. "I'm assuming you're all here for…" she brought up her clipboard to check the name, "Minami Kotori, correct?"

The group nodded simultaneously, "Are any of you part of her family or a spouse?"

Umi stood up and raised her hand, "That would be me, Doctor," She stepped closer to Maki and bowed, "Is she okay? Is Kotori going to be alright?" She couldn't help but keep asking questions.

"Just take it easy, one step at a time," Maki tried to calm Umi down, " is fine." The entire group let out a sigh of relief, "We've stitched the wound closed for now. However, there is some bone fracture from the blunt force that she received and if that isn't taken care of, it can cause bleeding in the brain."

"Well what are you waiting for Maki?! Do the operation!" Nico yelled.

"Would you be quiet?! We can't operate on her without consent from a guardian or spouse. That's why I'm here," Maki handed Umi the clipboard that had a wall of text pertaining to the consent of the operation.

She eagerly signed it and returned the clipboard, "Please, save her."

Maki nodded in response, "Don't you worry, she's in good hands. You can go see her if you want. The operation won't begin until tomorrow."

"I'm glad that I can see her but why can't you start the operation now?" Umi questioned.

"Well, has Type O blood. As you may know, Type O is the universal donor because it can be received by all other blood types for transfusions. However, the only downside to Type O blood is that it can only receive Type O. We're currently running low on the Type O blood supply and we don't have enough for the operation. Not until tomorrow at least." Maki answered all in one go.

"Oh, I see…" Umi hung her head.

"Don't worry, will be fine. I promise. Now go and see her, I'm sure she would be glad to see you." Maki pushed Umi's back gently towards the doors. She nodded in response and proceeded to get to Kotori. The group followed after Umi, "It was nice seeing you too, Nico," Maki added as she passed by. Nico blushed and sped up to catch up with the rest of the group.

Umi pushed against the doors to see a feeble looking Kotori lying in a hospital bed. Her eyes were closed and her chest would bob up and down slowly to a rhythmic pace. Umi inched closer to Kotori while the room slowly filled with one friend after another; the silence of the room was offsetting. All that could be heard was the faint breathing of everyone else in the room and the monitor that would beep every few moments to remind everyone that she was still alive.

Umi brought up a chair and placed herself at Kotori's bedside, gently grasping her hand. Kotori's hand was cold, but there was a slight heat radiating out. It didn't take too long until Umi's hand had warmed hers.

The room waited in silence until a slight groan came from Kotori. Her eyebrows furrowed and her eyes opened slowly. It took a little bit of time for her to regain her senses but Kotori eventually did, "Umi…? Honoka?" she felt a squeeze around her hand and looked down. She saw it entangled with Umi's and she smiled.

"Kotori are you okay? How are you feeling?" Umi asked promptly.

"I've had better days…" Kotori let out a dry laugh and sat up.

"D-Don't force yourself okay?" Umi rubbed Kotori's back gently.

"Don't worry, Umi. I'll be fine," she smiled and looked across the room, "Everyone is here too?"

Umi nodded and signaled the others to move in a bit closer.

"Oh this is um… I'm sorry, what was your name again? H-Hayane Kozumi?" Umi barely muttered the name knowing that she was probably way off the mark.

"It's Koizumi Hanayo" the girl laughed a in response before moving to the other side of Kotori's bed. She bowed and held her hand out for Kotori to shake, "I'm sorry that we had to meet under these circumstances."

Kotori shook her head slightly, "There's no need for you to be sorry, you did nothing wrong," she smiled back.

"I suppose you're correct… Anyways, I'm Rin's friend. I'm sure she mentioned me before?" she tilted her head to her own question.

"Of course I did, nya~" Rin popped out from behind Hanayo and wrapped her arms around her, "Did you think I would forget to mention someone as amazing as Hanayo? You're like my dearest friend and best wedding planner around, nya~" Rin rubbed her cheek against Hanayo's.

"Well it's nice to meet you, Hanayo. My name is Minami Kotori" she made a small bowing gesture in response. She started coughing and looked over to the side.

"Can I have some water?" she asked with a dry voice. Umi let go of her hand and looked around. There was a glass and a pitcher of water on a small table pushed up against the corner of the room. She got up and poured a glass for Kotori.

"Here," Umi held the glass carefully and brought it up to Kotori's mouth. Her lips wrapped around the edge of the glass cup and Umi tipped it slowly so Kotori could drink without going too fast or too slow.

Kotori finished the glass of water and let her lips go. Umi poured another glass and set it on the table next to the bed before grabbing a hold of Kotori's hands again, "Thank you, Umi."

"Anything for you, Kotori..." she gently massaged Kotori's hands and looked into her eyes. She made a sad face and Kotori picked up on it.

"What's wrong, Umi?" she asked.

"Well... I'm sure they haven't told you yet, but you're going to have an operation," Umi tried to say those words as calmly as she could. She made sure to sound neutral so that Kotori wouldn't panic.

"Operation? For what?" Kotori tilted her head in question.

"There are bone fractures in your brain from the head trauma, so they need to remove those or else your brain will bleed internally," Umi continued to explain this to her in a calm manner.

She surprisingly took it well, "I hope they can fix me up and get me back to normal soon," she smiled.

Umi couldn't help but smile back after seeing Kotori's. It was amazing how she could remain so calm under such a stressful situation. She could handle things like this much better than Umi could.

"Hey Umi, we're going to head out,"

Umi turned around to see Eli and Nozomi by the doorway, "Okay, thank you guys so much for coming out this late at night... it means a lot," She got up and bowed to them.

"We're your friends, we'll be here when you need the support," Nozomi said as she smiled.

Eli waved goodbye, "Get well soon, Kotori. The restaurant won't be the same without you until you get back."

Kotori waved back and the two disappeared into the darkness of the hallway.

"It's about time we get up and leave too," Rin & Hanayo stood up next.

"Okay then, thank you so much for coming too," Umi thanked the two and bowed.

"It's no biggie, nya," Rin tried to play the situation off more casually.

"I'll make sure to visit often," Hanayo added before they disappeared like Eli and Nozomi had a few moments ago.

Umi faced Nico and Honoka, "Are you two going to leave as well? It's really late."

Honoka looked over to Nico and they both nodded, "Yeah we should get going too, I wish you two the best of luck."

Honoka and Nico left together, leaving Kotori and Umi alone in the hospital room. Umi stood up and gently kissed Kotori, "I thought I lost you back there..."

Kotori held onto Umi's hand, "I'm not leaving you alone any time soon," she smiled.

Umi smiled back and leaned her head against her arm, "I'm just glad that you're still here with me, I don't know what I'd do without you."

Kotori brought up her hand and stroked Umi's long hair, "I'm glad too..."

She continued to brush Umi's hair until she heard a rhythmic breathing next to her. Umi had fallen asleep already, "I must have worried you sick..." Kotori leaned her head back against the pillow and drifted off to sleep.

Umi woke up the next morning and rubbed her eyes. She pushed herself up and sat straight, taking a hold of the extra blankets and covering Kotori. The door behind her opened and the same doctor from last night stood by the doorway, she motioned Umi to take a step out into the hallway.

Umi did as she was signaled to and quietly left the room, making sure she wouldn't wake up Kotori.

"Good morning, Doctor," Umi bowed.

"Good morning to you too," Maki shuffled through some papers on her clipboard and presented them to Umi, "So we need to see any form of health insurance that you have before we calculate the bill."

Umi patted herself down in search for her wallet but nothing came up. Now that she noticed, she was still in her pajamas from the night before. Her wallet was in her work pants back at home.

"Ahh, I left our insurance card at home..." Umi frowned.

"That's unfortunate, how far away is your residence from this hospital?" Maki asked.

"I think... maybe 10 minutes by car?" Umi made a rough estimate.

"Hmm..." Maki brought her pen up to her chin and thought, "I'm assuming you don't want to leave your spouse alone during this time, do you have anyone that could deliver the card for you?"

Umi thought for a moment, "I guess I can ask Honoka to get it for me..."

"There is a phone over at the end of the hallway, come back to me when you're finished," Maki clicked her pen and took a seat at a nearby bench.

Umi briskly jogged to the phone and dialed in Honoka's number.

"Mmm... Hellooo?" A sleepy voice picked up the phone.

"Honoka? Are you awake?" she asked.

"Umi...?" She heard the sound of bedsheets being shifted around, "I am now."

"Great, can you please do Kotori and I a favor?" Umi held the phone close to her ear, "Can you go into our home and up to our room, my work pants should be in there with my wallet, if you can bring that down here, that would be wonderful."

Honoka yawned and rubbed her eyes, "Yeah sure, give me like... 30 minutes or so and I'll be there."

"Thank you so much, Honoka," Umi unconsciously bowed as she thanked her friend. She hung up and placed the phone back where it belonged. She turned around and made her way back down the hallway to where Maki was waiting.

Umi sat next to her, "She'll be here in half an hour, she said."

"That's great, once we get your insurance information, we should be able to calculate how much they can cover and how much you have to pay," Maki explained.

Umi took a deep breath and calmed herself down, "Just hypothetically... if we didn't have insurance, how much would the medical bill cost?"

Maki thought for several seconds before answering, "Without insurance, it could run you around 260,000 - 1,500,000 yen."

"O-one and a half million?" Umi repeated the number in shock.

"That however is only in extreme cases such as brain tumor removal, in Kotori's case, it shouldn't reach that high of an amount," she addressed.

"And if our health insurance helps out?" Umi asked.

"They will have you copay anywhere between 10 to 50 percent of the total cost meaning that the lowest amount you would have to pay would be around... 26,000 yen"

Umi scratched her head in distress, if Kotori's medical bill was going to be this high, they would have to spend almost all of what they have saved up over the past few months. If it ends up being higher, Umi would have to work even harder to pay for the bills on time.

Umi waited with Maki outside of Kotori's room until Honoka arrived.

"I'm here!" Honoka speed walked herself down the hall and handed Umi her wallet.

"Thank you Honoka, I don't know what we would do without you," she smiled and grabbed the wallet from Honoka's hand.

She dug into it and pulled out a small insurance card that she handed over to Maki.

"I'll be back in a few minutes," she walked off with the card and left the two women alone in the hall.

"How is Kotori doing?" Honoka asked.

"She's still asleep, I think," Umi creaked the door open to check up on her. She was still asleep on the bed and Umi gently closed the door shut.

The two women took a seat on the nearby bench and waited for Maki to return. Shortly after, Maki came back to report how much had to be paid for Kotori's surgery.

"So good news is that your insurance will cover the cost of the surgery, however you will have to copay 20 percent of the total," she explained.

"Okay... How much are we going to end up paying?" Umi asked.

"The bill for her surgery adds up to 320,000 yen, so you will have to pay 64,000," Maki stated.

"S-sixty four thousand?" Umi muttered the amount to herself.

"Hey Umi, will you be able to pay for that?" Honoka whispered.

Umi swallowed and replied back, "Y-yeah, but that would completely drain our entire savings account and a good portion of the restaurant's funds..."

"Umi..." Honoka reached out to pat Umi's back.

She shook her head and slapped herself awake, "Give me a few days to transfer our funds from our savings to our checking account, please."

"Sure thing, we'll continue with the operation as planned then," Maki clicked her pen and put it in her pocket.

"Thank you for everything," she bowed and waited until Maki left the floor.

"I've got to head back to the store, I'll come visit later," Honoka said.

Umi waved her goodbye and made her way back into Kotori's room. She took a seat next to the bed, "I need to look at how much we have and how much we can take out of the restaurant's budget…" she thought to herself.

"...Umi?" Kotori called out, "Good morning."

Umi looked up and saw Kotori smiling at her, "Good morning, Kotori, how are you feeling?"

"My head hurts a little but I'm for the most part fine," she answered back.

Umi took a hold of Kotori's hand and massaged it like she always did to help comfort her little bird, "I have to head back home for a few hours."

Kotori nodded and smiled, "Okay."

"I'll be back before the surgery, I promise," Umi leaned in to kiss Kotori's cheek and got up. She waved back at Kotori as she left and closed the door behind her. She made her way out of the hospital and walked back home.

It was about a 30 minute walk and she reached the front of their restaurant. It took Umi a lot of willpower to walk through the back door and see Kotori's blood on the ground. Their back entrance hung wide open and Umi walked over to close it, only for it to swing back. The mechanism had broken so there way no way to keep the door closed.

She sighed and made her way upstairs to get a change of clothes, she was still wearing her sleepwear so she needed something nice for when she visits the bank. She put on her usual dress shirt and pants and made her way down the stairs, making sure to avoid Kotori's blood. She then made her way into the restaurant's office and grabbed the financing book from inside the desk.

When she was all ready, Umi made her way to the bank that the two used. When she arrived, the bank had just opened up and she was immediately given a representative to talk to, "Hi, I would like to check the funds on my account."

"Sure thing, ma'am, just give me a second to pull up your balance…" Umi waited and watched as the representative typed in Umi's information, "Your current balance in your checking account is 140,000 yen and the balance on your savings account is 50,000 yen."

"Okay… hmm…" Umi pulled out the financing book that she brought along and showed it to the representative, "I need to subtract our monthly maintenance and stocking from our checking account so how much would this leave me at?"

"A little over 6,000 yen," the representative replied.

"Can you transfer the funds in my savings account over to my checking account?" Umi asked politely.

"Sure thing, ma'am," the representative typed in a few commands, "It should be added to your checking account within 3 business days."

"Thank you," Umi got up and shook the representative's hand.

"It was a pleasure, have a great day ma'am," the representative shook Umi's hand in return.

"56,000 yen… That isn't enough for Kotori's surgery," Umi thought to herself, "Where am I going to get the last 8,000?" she continued her train of thought as she walked, "I could just keep the restaurant open but I don't have enough time... "

Umi thought hard but came to a conclusion that she really did not want to end up at, "I… guess I could ask Father…" she took a deep breath. Ever since she decided to pursue a career in business instead of inheriting the dojo, her father had been very "disappointed" with her.

Umi sighed and check the time on her wristwatch, if she could make it to the train station before 12pm, she would arrive at her parent's home by 2pm. Umi shook her head and braced herself, "It's for Kotori!"

Umi picked up her pace and headed for the train station. She got a ticket and was en route back to her hometown, the trip would take an hour and a half so Umi got comfortable while she could.

The train came to a stop and Umi made her way off and onto the platform. The station was quiet and wasn't as busy as the one earlier, she couldn't remember the last time she had been in a place so calm as this. Umi drew a mental map in her head and made her way to her parent's home.

Umi stood in front of a large home with the nameplate reading, "Sonoda Dojo" she gulped and pushed the buzzer. A motherly voice came out of the intercom, "I'm sorry, we're closed for today."

"M-Mother? It's me..." Umi replied awkwardly. She heard the intercom hang up and a door swinging wide open. When she looked towards the front door she saw her mother running at her.

"Umi! Is that really you?!" her mother rushed to the front gate and opened it up. She embraced Umi tightly and gave her a good look, "You've grown up so much since we last saw you."

Umi laughed awkwardly, "I missed you too, Mother."

Her mother hugged her even tighter, "What are you doing back home?"

"I have a favor to ask Father and you," Umi replied.

Her mother let go, "What is it?"

"Umm… Is Father still mad at me?" Umi asked shyly.

Her mother frowned, "He is a stubborn man…"

She took that answer as a yes and hung her head, "It's an emergency…"

Her mother took a hold of Umi's hand and guided her into the home. They walked into the living room to see Umi's father on the couch reading a newspaper.

"Your daughter came home," her mother called out.

Her father stayed silent for a few moments before speaking up, "I don't allow people who refuse to uphold the Sonoda name in this household."

"Don't be like that!" her mother yelled.

"Instead of inheriting the dojo, she decided to run away with her own selfish desires!" his voice was powerful and it struck fear across her mother's face.

"Father! Please hear me out!" Umi yelled.

Her father lowered the newspaper to see Umi on her knees bowing with her head practically touching the ground.

"At least you still remember how to show respect, what is it that you need?" her father set down the newspaper and gave his attention to her.

Umi kept her head down, she knew that if she were to get too comfortable in front of her father too quickly, it could end up backfiring on her.

"I came the borrow some money," Umi finally said.

"Borrow money? Why? Is your little "business" not working out for you?" her father mocked.

"Don't say such things to your daughter!" her mother protested.

Her father chuckled with a hint of disgust, "What is so important for you to come running back here to ask for money?"

"I need it to help pay for my wife's surgery," Umi announced.

"Ahh yes... that Minami girl..." his voice had a distasteful tone.

"Is Kotori okay?" her mother asked.

"She's okay, but she needs surgery or else she'll end up in worse shape," Umi explained.

"I refuse," her father stated.

"Father please!" Umi raised her voice.

"My answer is final! I will not help my daughter pay for the woman that corrupted her!" his voice was powerful, but Umi refused to give up.

"I met Kotori after I decided to pursue business, she did nothing wrong!" Umi yelled back.

"That still doesn't change the fact that she is keeping you away from becoming the heir to the Sonoda Dojo," he fought back.

Umi took a deep breath and yelled, "This is the last thing I will ask of you as a Sonoda!"

"What do you mean by that?" her father's voice became less aggressive.

"I will become a Minami if you hate me so much," Umi replied.

Her mother watched helplessly as the two fought, "Isn't this getting a little out of hand?"

"No, Mother. If father doesn't acknowledge me as his daughter, then why should I keep my name?!" Umi accidentally yelled at her mother.

"You have given it up in my eyes long ago," his voice echoed across the home.

Umi got up and turned around to leave, "Good luck getting an heir to the Sonoda name you stubborn excuse of a father..." she walked out of the home without looking back.

Umi's mother looked frantically between her husband and her daughter's back. This is bound to be the last time Umi would ever visit home again.

"Oh dear, I forgot to buy more cabbage for dinner," Umi's mother rushed up to grab her purse and a small envelope that she kept hidden underneath her jewelry box.

"I'll be back soon, darling," her mother quickly left the home and stumbled through the front gate in search of her daughter. She caught a glimpse of her walking quite a distance away and started jogging to catch up with her.

"Umi wait!" her mother called out.

She turned and noticed her mother running after her. She stood in place until her mother caught up.

"You really need to slow down, it's hard to keep up at my age..." her mother took a second to catch her breath.

"What is it now, Mother?" Umi's voice was still bitter after what had just happened. Her mother handed over the small envelope from earlier and Umi took a look at it, "What is this?"

"Take a look inside," her mother insisted.

Umi flipped open the envelope's flap to see a large amount of money inside of it, "M-Mother, why are you giving me this?"

"There's 10,000 yen in there," her mother replied.

"I can't take this, Father will get mad at you," Umi pushed the envelope back but her mother forced it into her hands.

"This is the money that I have been keeping away from your father, just in case of a family emergency," her mother explained.

Umi felt a warmness inside of her chest and her eyes started to tear up, "You still consider me family?" her voice started to crack.

Umi's mother embraced her and let her cry into her shoulder, "You'll always be my daughter that I love with all my heart, Umi."

"Thank you so much, Mother," Umi fought to get her words out and express her gratitude.

"I love you, honey. Hurry along now, don't keep your wife waiting," her mother used her arms to separate each other and beckoned Umi to return home.

"You're right, I've got to get going. I love you, mother, thank you so much," Umi hugged her mother tightly one last time, "I don't know when I'll visit again, but I promise that I will."

Her mother patted her back, "There, there, don't force yourself to visit us if you don't want to."

"I still want to visit you at least," Umi chuckled and wiped away the rest of her tears. She took a deep breath and turned around, "I'll you again, Mother."

Umi made her way to the bank once she got back and deposited the money that her mother gave her. She made sure to put it in her checkings account so that the funds would be there once the savings account was transferred over.

She took a deep breath and look up to the sky. If it hadn't have been for her mother, she wouldn't have known what to do. Her mother gave her more than she needed too, so if there is anything else they need to pay for they at least have some money to fall back on.

Umi made her way back to the hospital to be by her wife's side again. When she entered the room, Hanayo was in there and the two of them were talking about something. They shut up immediately and welcomed Umi back.

"You're back, just like you promised," Kotori smiled.

"I'm not one to break promises," Umi took a seat next to Kotori and held her hand. She looked over to Hanayo and bowed, "Thank you for taking the time to visit."

"Oh it's no big deal, I was passing by and thought I should drop in and say hello," Hanayo got up, "It's about time I started heading out anyways, I'll come visit again after the surgery. Good luck, Kotori."

The couple waved goodbye and Umi turned to face Kotori, "What did you two talk about?"

"Nothing much really, she just wanted to get to know me some more," Kotori replied.

Umi placed her head against her shoulder. Kotori leaned her head onto Umi's and took a deep breath, "I hope the operation goes well..."

"It will... will make sure of it," Umi reassured.

"We still have an hour before it begins," Kotori added.

"What do you want to do?" Umi asked.

Kotori shrugged, "Just talking is fine."

"Okay then."

"Where did you go all morning?" Kotori asked.

Umi swallowed before answering, "...I went to go visit my parents."

Kotori was shocked, "Your parents? Why?"

Kotori knew about the relationship between Umi and her father. If she had to go visit home, that meant that it was something serious.

"Don't worry about it, everything is going to be alright," Umi said coldly.

"Are you sure? Nothing serious happened right?" Kotori was worried.

"It's nothing, I'm starting to consider taking up your name once our marriage documents come through," Umi answered.

Kotori was confused, "I thought I was going to change to Sonoda?"

"I don't think that is the best decision anymore..." Umi replied sadly.

"Oh..." Kotori quieted down. Umi's mood had turned sour and she didn't want to say anything that could hurt or offend her.

The couple remained quiet, the only contact that they had was physical. Umi would routinely massage Kotori's hand when she felt that something was wrong.

"Are you nervous?" Umi asked.

"A little... who doesn't get nervous before a surgery?" Kotori joked.

"I guess you're right..." Umi continued to comfort her lover until the time came.

Maki stepped into the room with her clipboard like she always had and stood in front of the couple, "Are you ready to begin the operation?"

Kotori nodded, "As ready as I'll ever be..."

Maki wrote down a few things on her clipboard before continuing, "Now I must ask if you could vacate the room, ." Maki gestured her hand towards the door and Umi did as she was told. Her walk was a little hesitant, she didn't want to leave Kotori alone at a time like this. Of course, she knew that it would be impossible for her to be in the operating room with her, but she still had the feeling tug at her.

A few of the hospital staff members came passing by with a stretcher and entered Kotori's room. After a few minutes, they were back out and Umi could see that Kotori was on it now. The two exchanged a thumbs up and Umi followed them as far as she could.

She watched as her lover went through those large doors for the second time. She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned around to see that it was Maki, "Don't you worry, she's in good hands."

"Aren't you going in too?" Umi asked.

"I may be a doctor, but I'm no surgeon," Maki chuckled a little to help ease the tension, "Do you have somewhere you need to be?"

"Why do you ask?"

Maki looked at her papers, "Well, the operation can take anywhere between 3-8 hours."

"Oh... I can just sit here and wait..." Umi began walking towards a nearby bench but she was stopped by Maki.

"I'm not supposed to do this without special permission, but I can take you to the observatory room."

Umi raised her eyebrow in question, "Observatory room?"

"It's a room where we have surgeons and doctors in training watching the surgery from behind a two way glass window," Maki explained.

"But you said that you aren't supposed to do this, right?" she brought up what Maki had said a moment ago.

"I know, but I can see how much you love your wife. And I saw how hesitant you were to leave her alone. I can come up with some sort of excuse for you," Maki suggested.

Umi felt a warmness in her heart due to Maki's generosity, "Thank you, doctor."

"Please follow me, if we hurry we can make it to the room by the time they put her under anesthesia," Maki started walking off and Umi followed closely behind.

She wasn't able to be in the same room as her, but at least seeing Kotori helped ease the tension that Umi would have felt sitting alone in the hallway.

The two arrived in front of a door and Maki stepped in first. The dark room was illuminated by the hallway lights but as soon as Umi stepped in and the door shut, it became pitch black. Maki led her over to a seat and they waited until they got a visual on Kotori.

Curtains were pulled from the other side of the glass and Umi saw everything. Numerous doctors scrambling around, various kinds of machinery and tools, it all looked just like how she saw on TV.

In the middle she spotted Kotori who was strapped onto a vertical table surrounded by numerous lights. Kotori was looking around like a clueless animal, but it seemed that she was for the most part calm. A doctor approached her with a mask, "There's the anesthetic..." Maki whispered.

She observed as Kotori slowly closed her eyes and drift off into slumber, "We're using our strongest anesthetic which should keep her sleeping for a little over 12 hours. She also has a slim 10% chance of waking up during the surgery," she continued to explain.

Umi listened and watched intently, it could only get worse from here on out, "The first thing we have to do is shave off her hair so that it doesn't get in the way." The doctors did as Maki had said and they cut off all of Kotori's hair.

"The next step is to create an incision in the scalp and use forceps to keep the skin from pulling back into place," Maki's description was surprisingly vivid and it made Umi a little uncomfortable. The doctors proceeded to create small incisions and revealed the area where Kotori's skull fractured.

"Now comes a difficult part... opening up the skull so we can get a closer look and extract any of the bone fragments from her brain." Umi watched as the doctors brought in a choice of handsaws. She felt like she could wretch at any second, so she looked away.

"C-can you tell me when this part is done?" Umi asked hesitantly.

Maki placed a hand on her shoulder and shook her back and forth gently, "Sure, it'll take some time though so feel free to take a nap."

"No, I'll be alright, just tell me when they finish this..." Umi kept her eyes away from the viewing glass by fiddling with her fingers or looking into her lap.

An hour passed by and Umi felt a tap on her shoulder, "They're done opening up the skull." she sat up straight and slowly turned her eyes to see. She couldn't help but feel fairly uneasy after seeing the sight of her wife's brain. However, Umi was able to keep her composure and pushed herself to watch.

"We're two hours into the operation now, this will take another two or three to finish."

"Why is that?"

"This is the most important part, it requires absolute concentration and a steady pair of hands. One mistake could have Kotori end up with brain problems," Maki explained.

"What kind of problems?" Umi wanted to get an idea of what could happen. This was probably a bad idea, but at least it would occupy her time as the operation went on.

"Well, since she suffered damage to the rear part of her brain, something could go wrong with her vision. The reason being because that is where the occipital lobe is located. It's the part of the brain that governs your vision," Maki used complex terms but Umi was able to get the gist of it.

"She could also suffer damage in the parietal lobe which is in charge of our goal directed movements. If this area is damaged, she could suffer a loss in hand-eye coordination. She could also lose her ability to multi-task."

"That would be terrible..." she couldn't help but picture Kotori struggling to continue her job as a waitress in the restaurant. She shook her head to eliminate the thought and faced Maki again, "Is there anything else?"

"I guess there could be a possibility that she could suffer damage to the cerebellum," Maki answered with less confidence.

"What is that in charge of?"

"Our motor functions, if this gets damage, she can lose the ability to walk or have coordination at all," she replied.

That set Umi off more than she could have anticipated. If Kotori did have trouble in that area, it could mean the end of her days as a waitress... and more.

She watched as the surgeons removed each and every little fragment of bone from Kotori's brain. By the time they were done, three hours had passed and all of the fragments were placed on a small saucer.

"They're going to look to see if there may have been damage caused by the trauma now," Maki said.

Umi watched the doctors gather around and the head surgeon wrote down some information but Umi was way too far away to see it. She could only hope that "no damage" was written on it.

"Now they place the bone piece they cut out back where it belongs and secure it with small plates and screws," Maki further explained, "Then we stitch it up and we're done until she wakes up from the anesthesia."

The operation took a total of 7 hours and Kotori was wheeled out of the operating room. Maki got up and led Umi into the hallway, "She'll be taken to the recovery room where we will monitor her health until she wakes up."

"C-can I see her?" Umi asked hesitantly.

Maki nodded, "Yeah sure, follow me."

She followed Maki down the hallway and up to the third floor, they arrived in front of a door and Maki stepped in first before Umi, " has a visitor," she motioned Umi to come in. Maki did that so when Umi walked in, she wouldn't be yelled at for no reason.

She stepped inside and saw Kotori asleep on a bed next to a heart monitor. She had a breathing tube still attached to help her breathe until she wakes up. Maki motioned Umi to take a seat to the side and they waited until Kotori woke up.

3 more hours have passed and Kotori's eyebrows started to furrow. Umi saw it first and she pulled up closer to Kotori in her chair. Her eyes slowly opened and she looked around, when she saw Umi looking at her she smiled.

"Good morning, sunshine," Umi said playfully.

Maki stood up and made her way to the other side of the bed, "Turn this way please, ."

Kotori did as she was told and turned to face her. Maki brought her hands over to her face and slowly removed the breathing tube, "Are you having trouble breathing?"

Kotori shook her head so Maki put the breathing tube down and shut off the machine. She stood up and moved over to the foot of Kotori's bed, "Now I know that you two must really want to talk, but I have to make one more examination."

"O-oh, okay," Umi scooted her chair back from the bed and a stretcher was brought in. Kotori was placed on it and rolled out of the room.

Maki looked over at Umi, "Do you mind staying here until we return?" Umi nodded and she ran out to catch up with Kotori.

Kotori and Maki went through two large swinging doors that had "neuroscience intensive care unit" written above them. Kotori was lifted onto an examination table and Maki stood by her side. She pulled out a flashlight and shined it into Kotori's eyes to check her pupils, "What is your name?" she asked.

"Minami Kotori," she replied.

"Okay, good... How old are you?" Maki continued to question.

"24," Kotori answered.

"Good... good... Who is your spouse?" Maki asked again.

"Sonoda Umi," Kotori answered.

"Okay, it seems like the surgery did not damage any of your memories or thinking process, now I'm going to ask you to wiggle your fingers."

Kotori did as she was told and she wiggled them. Maki wrote down a few notes before continuing, "Now move your arms for me."

Kotori lifted up her arms in response and Maki wrote down more notes, "Now wiggle your toes."

Kotori wiggled them, but she noticed that she was having a little difficulty with it.

Maki took wrote the observation down, "Now lift up your legs."

Kotori tried to lift her legs up but could barely get them raised off of the examination table. She started to panic and kept trying to lift her legs up. Maki saw Kotori's panicked expression and she placed her hand on Kotori's legs, "Relax... We expected that something like this would happen..."

"W-why can't I move my legs?!" Kotori's voice was cracked.

"During the surgery, we found that some of the bone fragments cut into your spinocerebellum, the good news is that it wasn't a major cut which would have left you paraplegic."

"Are you sure, Doctor?" Kotori asked.

Maki nodded, "You are still able to move your toes and your legs even though it is very weak. With enough rehabilitation, you should be able to walk again, but it won't be an easy task."

Kotori let out a sigh of relief, but she still couldn't shake the shock from losing her ability to walk, even if it was temporary.

"It'll take a few weeks to a few months for your brain to regenerate that connection, until then you must stay in the hospital and attend rehabilitation," Maki explained.

Kotori frowned a little, "I understand, Doctor..."

"Let's head back to go see your wife now," Maki tried to sound positive but it seems like it worked for the most part. Kotori's frowned disappeared once she heard what Maki had suggested.

A team of nurses wheeled Kotori back to her room where she was lifted onto her bed once again. Umi took her bedside immediately and kissed Kotori's cheek, "How is everything? Nothing is wrong, right?"

Kotori's smile slowly faded into a frown and she looked into her lap, "Hey Kotori, what's wrong?"

"I don't know how to explain it bu-" Kotori was interrupted when the door opened, it was Maki again.

"Would you rather have me explain it to her?" she asked.

Kotori nodded and remained silent. Maki took a seat next to Umi and explained the situation. It was tougher on Umi than Kotori had anticipated.

"W-Will she be fine?! How soon can she walk?" Umi kept blurting out questions.

"Please remain calm, , I promise you that will be able to walk again. This isn't a spinal cord injury that leaves her paralysed, it is only temporary. But it will take some time, and even then she might need assistance in walking by the time she leaves this hospital."

"You mean you can't keep her in here until she fully recovers?" Umi kept the questions coming.

"Your insurance will only pay for so much, ," Maki answered.

"W-what? How much will it cost in total for Kotori to stay here until she can walk normally again?"

"180,000 to 350,000 yen a month,"

Umi almost choked on her own saliva from hearing the number, "It really costs that much?!"

Maki nodded, "Your insurance agreed to cover the first month, but after that you have to make the payments on your own."

Umi held her words back and looked to Kotori, "What do you think?"

"If we can't make the payments then I think I should come home after the first month," Kotori answered.

Umi held her hand, "Are you sure? Shouldn't we keep giving you the proper help?"

"I'll be fine Umi, how hard can it be to walk again?" Kotori chuckled sadly.

"Kotori, I'm serious here... I'm willing to work my butt off so that you can walk again," she looked straight into Kotori's eyes.

Kotori looked away, "But 180,000 yen... we can't make that much a month even with how well the restaurant is running."

"I'll get a second job, I'll do anything," Umi persisted.

"Umi... Even if you get a second job, paying for my rehab will bankrupt the restaurant," Kotori gripped her hands.

"I don't care! I just want you to be safe and happy again!" Umi denied any sense of reason.

She patted Umi's head to help her calm down, "Umi... our hopes and dreams are placed in that restaurant. I would much rather have a difficult time walking than giving that up..."

"But Kotori..."

"Umi... That restaurant is our entire life, if we give it up then what do we have left?" Kotori asked.

Umi remained silent, no matter how romantic it would have sounded for her to say that they would still have each other, she knew that Kotori was right. The cost of maintaining and restocking the restaurant every month plus paying Arisa and Yukiho would leave them with 6,000 yen every month. Even if she took a second job, she wouldn't be able to come up with at least 174,000 more yen.

Umi sighed and held Kotori's hands, "You're right, Kotori..." she brought her hand up and cupped her cheek, "Thank you for being my voice of reason."

Kotori smiled and leaned over to give Umi a kiss.

"Alright, now that that's settled, I suggest the two of you to get some sleep, it's been a long day," Maki exited the room and left the two women alone.

Umi massaged Kotori's hand, "You should get some sleep."

"What about you?" Kotori asked.

"I'm going to head home for a few things and come back," Umi got up and gave Kotori a quick kiss.

"Okay, I'll wait for you," she waved.

Umi shook her head in response, "If you want to sleep then just go ahead," she closed the door gently behind her.

She felt a vibration from her pocket and she pulled out her phone, the caller ID read "Honoka" and she pressed on the green button, "Hello?"

"Umi?! You're going to want to come back right now!" Honoka yelled into her ear.

"Why? What's wrong?!"

"I heard some noises in the restaurant, I think I saw someone sneak in. It has to be the one who broke in the other night," Honoka explained.

Umi's heart began to race and something came over her, "Honoka, call the police and keep a lookout in case the person runs." Umi hung up the phone and broke into a run, if she was quick enough she could get back to the restaurant and confront the person that took away Kotori's ability to walk.

Umi didn't stop for one second and sprinted her way back home. What was normally a 30 minute walk turned into a 15 minute run, when she was nearing the restaurant, she pulled out her phone to call Honoka, "Honoka! Is the intruder still there?"

"I haven't seen anyone leave yet, what are you planning to do?" Honoka asked.

"I'm going to have a chat, have you called the police?"

"Yeah they should be here in 10 minutes," Honoka replied.

"Perfect," Umi hung up when she reached the front of the restaurant. She carefully snuck around to the back which hung wide open. She could hear rustling and things falling down from inside and she loosed up her dress shirt.

Umi walked in with her guard up, she peered around the corner to see a large figure at the cash register. Umi smirked because there was no money in it since she deposits every day's earnings the morning after.

"Looking for something?" Umi called out.

The figure turned around and reached for the kendo stick that Umi had hidden behind the counter.

"How odd that you knew that was there..." Umi moved into a defensive stance, "I would think twice before attacking me with my own weapon."

The intruder swung the kendo stick down and Umi quickly disarmed him, "Did you think a weapon would give you an upper hand?"

The intruder took a step back, "Now let me offer a thought, if you may," Umi paced herself back and forth slightly, "Why did you attack my wife?"

The intruder remained silent and something snapped inside of Umi. She lunged forward and grabbed them by the collar, "Do you know what you did to her?!" she slammed the intruder against the counter, "You took away her freedom to walk!" she pulled the person up and tossed them to the side, "Do you understand what that feels like?!"

Umi stepped on the intruder's leg and listened to his scream, "I'm not a vengeful person at all, but since you hurt the girl I love..." her foot started to crush the man's knee, "I should let you experience her pain."

Umi raised her foot and stomped the ground instead, "But I'm not the same as you, get up!" Umi grabbed the man's collar and pulled him to the front, "Sit."

Umi kicked the man down to the ground and removed his hood, it was the same man from the other day that caused trouble in the restaurant. That would explain why he knew where Umi's kendo stick was hidden.

She knelt down next to the man and looked into his eyes, "Why did you do it? Was it to make you feel like you had power? Did it make you feel like someone actually cares about you?"

"You don't know nothing about me..." the man spat out.

"Oh, but I do. You see, no one would resort to such violence if they are surrounded by people that love them," Umi began monologuing.

"Do you have anyone that you love? Friends? Family? A girl?" Umi asked.

The man looked away as Umi talked.

"Because you see, love is a two way relationship. If you do something terrible, it affects the other person. I could have broken your legs back there, but I knew that my wife would never have wanted me to do that for her sake," Umi continued.

"Did you ever think about how your actions here would affect anyone who loved you? Your family? What do you think they would feel knowing that you are a lowly piece of trash that turns to violence when he doesn't get what he wants?" Umi did not ease up.

She stood and looked down on him, "By the way, that waitress, Yukiho. She is under age you sick pervert. You should be ashamed of yourself."

By the time Umi had finished talking, the police had arrived and taken him into custody. Honoka came out of her house and stood next to her, "That's the guy?"

Umi nodded and Honoka rushed towards him with a shoe in her hand, "You jerk! How dare you hit on my underage sister, you're like 30 something!" she tossed her shoe and it hit his head, "And that's for Kotori as well!"

The man was led into the back of a police car and Honoka walked over to get her shoe back, she used Umi as support while she put it back on, "So how did the surgery go? Is Kotori alright?"

Umi frowned and nodded, "Yeah, she's okay for now."

"Umi, what's wrong?" Honoka saw the look on her face and showed her concern.

Umi began to explain, "... Kotori can't walk…"

"W-What? No way!" Honoka expressed her shock, "Are you saying she can't walk ever again?"

Umi shook her head, "She'll be able to walk again, but she has to go to rehab if she wants to."

"Ohh… Well I wish for her speedy recovery then."

Umi sighed, "Anyways, I'm going to grab a few things and head back to stay with her."

"Oh, goodnight then! Tell Kotori I said hello," Honoka waved at Umi's back as she made her way back home.

Umi rushed upstairs to get a change of clothes, two chargers, Kotori's phone, and made her way downstairs to grab a few snacks and drinks from the kitchen. She packed them all into a small duffle bag and made her way back to the hospital.

Umi peeked inside of Kotori's room, it was dark and the only thing lighting the room was the lamp over Kotori's head. She snuck in quietly and set the bag down next to Kotori, she leaned over and kissed Kotori on the forehead before grabbing a chair from the corner. She propped herself up against Kotori's bedside and held her hand. She rested her head against her shoulder and listened as the frail girl whimpered and whispered Umi's name constantly in her sleep.

Umi awoke the next morning to see Kotori staring at her, it caused her to jump back slightly but she recovered, "K-Kotori! Good morning!"

The girl smiled and giggled, "Good morning, Umi~"

Umi rubbed her eyes to wake herself up and reached down into the duffle bag, "I uhh… I brought some snacks and some water if you want anything."

"Some water would be nice," Kotori stated.

Umi shuffled through the duffle bag and pulled out a small bottle of water. She unscrewed the cap and held it up to Kotori's mouth, "Umi, I can drink on my own."

Umi shook her head and insisted on doing it for her, "Don't worry, I'll take care of you."

Kotori gave up and let Umi help her drink the water. Kotori raised her hand to signal Umi to stop and she gulped the water, the water felt great against her dry throat and she smiled, "Thank you, Umi!"

She nodded, "What about something to snack on?"

"Sure, what did you bring?" Kotori asked.

"Umm… Some jello, a few sandwiches and some cookies," Umi brought out a cooler from the duffle bag and showed Kotori.

She pulled out a sandwich, "Did you make these sandwiches?"

Umi nodded and Kotori smiled, "Hehe, I get to eat more of Umi's cooking."

Her commentary caused Umi to blush and look away, "I made your favorite."

"Really?!" Kotori opened the ziplock and pulled out the sandwich. It was a chicken cutlet sandwich that was grilled instead of fried, Umi made these special sandwiches only for Kotori. The grilled chicken had a glaze of honey ranch with garlic sprinkled on it, one side of the bread had a light amount of mayo while the other half had some lettuce and no tomato.

Kotori's eyes lit up and she took a big bite of the sandwich, she chewed on it thoroughly and made a satisfied face. She brought her hand up to her cheek while she chewed and savored the taste with all of it's greatness and glory.

Umi couldn't help but smile at the animated reaction of Kotori eating the sandwich she made. She had always enjoyed making people smile through her food, but Kotori's reactions were always something special to her.

Maki walked into the room, "Good morning you two, I see you already have breakfast out of the way."

Kotori smiled and nodded with her cheeks stuffed, "Mhmm!"

"That's good, you're going to need to eat a lot to keep your strength up for the rehab sessions," Maki added.

Kotori swallowed the food in her mouth before speaking, "When do I start?"

"Usually we wait for two to three days in the case of something coming up, but your health seems to check out and we can start today if you wish," Maki explained.

Kotori looked at Umi, "Should I?"

"If you think you're ready for it," Umi answered.

"Hmm…" Kotori thought to herself, "If you bring me one of these every day then I would be fine with starting today~" Kotori giggled before she bit into the sandwich again.

She looked at Kotori and smiled as if she were looking at a child, "Okay, I promise."

"Yaaay~" Kotori turned to face Maki, "When do I have to be ready?"

"Your rehab sessions will start everyday at noon and end at 5 in the evening," Maki replied.

"Just in time for lunch and dinner," Kotori added. She looked over to the clock and saw that it was 11:30am, "It's almost time for it to start!"

"That's why I'm here, I'll let you finish up your food."

Kotori scarfed down the rest of the sandwich and Umi wiped her face clean for her, "I'm ready, Doc."

Maki held the door open and a nurse came in with a wheelchair. She lifted Kotori onto it and rolled her out of the room, "May I talk to you for a second, ?"

Umi put away the cooler into the duffle bag and got up, "What is it doctor?"

"About how you're going to pay for the surgery…"

"Oh yes, I have the money, I'm just waiting on the bank to transfer the funds from our savings account to our checking account," Umi replied.

"Excellent, now that all the financial things have been taken care of, you can rest easy now," Maki pat Umi on the back and left to catch up with Kotori.

She watched their backs and waited until they disappeared from her sight before leaving the hospital and returning home.

Kotori looked around as she was being pushed in her wheelchair, she looked up at Maki who was focused on the paperwork on her clipboard. She turned to face forward and saw the words, "Rehabilitation Center" above the doors. Maki walked forward and held the door open for Kotori and the nurse, she observed the room and saw numerous other patients just like her doing physical activity to regain their abilities to function.

Kotori was wheeled over to a woman that was standing between two railings, "Hello , I'll be your physical trainer for the next month."

"Nice to meet you, miss," Kotori bowed and held out her hand for a shake. The woman shook her hand and smiled, "Let's work hard so you can go back home to your wife!"

Kotori smiled and blushed, "I'll give it my all!" the nurse and Maki left Kotori alone with the woman so they could get their work done.

"Okay, the first step is to get you on your feet," the woman reached for Kotori's hands, "Try to pull yourself up."

Kotori did as she was told, when she pulled on the woman's arms, she felt a dead weight from the lower half of her body. She looked down to see her legs dangling like they had no life in them.

"Good, good, take it slow, I'll hold you up," the woman instructed.

Kotori tried with every fiber in her being to get her legs straight, she began to sweat as she made no progress at all. Her arms began to feel weak and she started to feel a shortness in breath, "C-Can we take a small break?"

The woman let Kotori down gently, "You're doing fine, just take it slowly. We have a month together so you have plenty of time."

Kotori sat in her wheelchair until she caught her breath, "Okay… I'm ready."

The woman grabbed Kotori's hands again and she lifted herself up. The dead weight was back and Kotori struggled helplessly to move her legs, "Come on… start working!" She yelled at herself in attempts to motivate her legs. She tried all she could but she was getting nowhere, she cursed herself under her breath.

"Hey, don't beat yourself up over this, it's still your first day," the trainer said.

Kotori calmed down, "I know… I just… Want to get back home as soon as I can."

"I admire your determination, but if you don't stay calm, you'll get nowhere," the woman placed her hands on Kotori's shoulders.

She sighed, "You're right… I'm sorry."

"Come on, let's keep trying," the woman suggested.

Kotori nodded and continued to try her best. The first day didn't end too well for Kotori, she still couldn't move any part of her lower body except for her toes. She sat in her bed and stared at her legs, she watched her toes wiggle around and she had a sour look on her face.

"Dumb legs… Why won't you work like my toes? This makes no sense," she threw her hands to the side and noticed the dufflebag that Umi had brought earlier. She reached down to pick it up and scavenged through it, she found the cooler and pulled it out.

She opened it and smiled, "There's still a sandwich and some cookies in here."

She picked up one of the cookies and stuffed it into her mouth, "I'll wait until Umi comes to visit."

She nibbled on the cookie and waited for her Umi to arrive. Kotori sat alone in her room and turned on the TV to pass the time. There was a news story going on that caught her attention, "Man arrested for breaking and entering a local restaurant."

"Hmm? Is that Umi?!" Kotori saw the familiar blue hair on TV.

"As the owner of this establishment, how did you react to this man breaking into your home?" the spokesperson asked.

"Well… I wouldn't be lying if I said I wasn't furious, he hurt someone very special to me," Umi answered.

"Where is this special person?" the microphone was brought back and forth between the two.

"She's recovering at the hospital right now."

"Ahh, well we all wish for her a speedy recovery."

"Thank you."

"Can you go over how you caught the man?" the spokesperson asked.

"I got a call from our next door neighbor and I came running to confront him," Umi answered.

"Why didn't you wait for police to come?"

"If I didn't, he might have gotten away, and I couldn't allow for that to happen."

"And what stopped you from hurting the man like how he hurt your wife?"

Umi looked down and blushed, "Because I knew that if I did, she wouldn't forgive me for my behavior."

"It sounds like you have an amazing wife."

"Thank you, she is," Umi replied.

"We will now move on to some words from the chief of police on this matter."

Kotori's attention was broken when the door to her room opened, Umi walked in and she gasped, "Umi! I just saw you on TV!"

"Hmm? Oh yeah, they interviewed me earlier today," Umi walked in and placed a bag on the nightstand next to the bed, "I brought dinner."

"Ooo~ What did you make me?" Kotori reached for the bag and opened it.

"Some chicken curry and rice," Umi answered.

"Ooo~ Yummy, thanks for the meal, Umi!" Kotori opened up the styrofoam container and grabbed the disposable utensils from the bag. She began eating down the food with much vigor.

"You're hungrier than usual," Umi chuckled.

Kotori looked up at Umi before swallowing her food, letting out a satisfying sigh, "I worked really hard today!"

Umi patted her head and smiled, "I'm proud of you." Umi wasn't used to petting Kotori's head now that it had little hair on it. She was used to patting the small little brush of hair that she always had.

Kotori smiled and continued to eat her dinner, "Aren't you going to eat too?"

Umi shook her head, "I'm not very hungry."

"Boo... At least eat dinner with me," Kotori used her spoon to pick up some of the food and held it over to Umi, "Just have one bite."

Umi gave up and ate whenever Kotori would present food to her, "Your cooking is always amazing, Umi."

"I put a lot of love in it for you," she said unconsciously.

"Pfft- Umi that was surprisingly cute," Kotori began giggling to herself.

Umi blushed, "I said that out loud?"

Kotori nodded and continued to laugh. Soon enough, Kotori finished her dinner and Umi helped clean up, "Thank you for the food," Kotori said.

"Anything for you," Umi poked Kotori's nose and took a seat next to her, "Do you want me to sleep here with you tonight?"

Kotori shook her head, "No that's okay, I think you should open up the restaurant again. If we leave it closed any longer we might end up in trouble."

Umi reached for her phone, "Oh yeah, that's right... I totally forgot. Let me call Arisa and Yukiho and tell them that we're opening up again."

Umi made the call and Kotori waited for her to finish up, "You should head home, Umi."

"I don't like sleeping without you..." she muttered.

"Hang in, for me," Kotori held her hand, "just for a month."

Umi looked down at their locked hands and nodded, "I can do it if it's for you..."

"Hehe, good girl," Kotori leaned in and kissed her, "Now go home and get some sleep, the restaurant needs you."

Umi reluctantly got up, "I'll visit every day during lunch and dinner, I promise."

"Okay, but if it's a really busy day at the restaurant, don't come see me," Kotori demanded.

"B-but..."

"No buts! The restaurant will fail without it's only cook," Kotori's words hit Umi hard and she had nothing else to say.

"Y-You're right, I'll work my best for you," Umi took a step out of the door, "I love you."

"I love you too," Kotori waved and the door slowly shut. She took a deep breath and leaned back, "Umi sure has been very lovey-dovey lately," Kotori giggled to herself, "Not that I don't mind."

Kotori closed her eyes and imagined herself back at the restaurant with Umi and the others. She smiled and slowly drifted off to sleep.

"Kotori? Kotori?"

Kotori heard a voice calling out to her, she slowly opened her eyes to see Hanayo in front of her. She rubbed her eyes and sat up, "Hanayo...?"

"Good morning," she replied happily.

"Umm... Good morning," Kotori was expecting to see Umi, not that Hanayo was bad or anything, "Why are you here?"

"I heard from Rin that you were looking to have a wedding?" Hanayo asked.

"... oh right! I did mention that when we first met..." Kotori thought back to the first time she met Rin, "Why do you ask?"

"I wanted to offer my services to you, free of charge," Hanayo stated.

Kotori almost choked on her own saliva, "You're offering to plan our wedding?!"

"Yes, everything will be paid for by my company."

"N-no way! Are you sure?" she asked again to make sure, "I'm not dreaming right?"

Hanayo giggled and got down to business, "Yes, and no you aren't dreaming. I know how much it costs to go through brain surgery and I know that you two want to hold a proper wedding. Since you two just paid for your medical bill, I'm certain that you have little money leftover."

Kotori pulled Hanayo's hands and brought her in for a hug, "Thank you so much Hanayo," Kotori sniffled as she was on the verge of tears, "You don't know how much this means to us."

Hanayo patted Kotori's back until she let go of her, "Starting today, I'm going to be here every morning to help you plan the wedding."

Kotori nodded but then raised her eyebrow, "Did you tell Umi about this?"

Hanayo shook her head, "I think it would be more exciting if we kept it a secret from her."

"This looks like the beginning of a beautiful friendship..." Kotori muttered.

"So I'm thinking that we keep this a secret from Umi and we throw the wedding on the day of your dismissal from the hospital," Hanayo proposed.

"T-that sounds like a good idea, but I don't know if I'll be able to walk by then," Kotori replied.

Hanayo frowned, "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know about that..."

Kotori brought her hands up and shook them to dismiss Hanayo's worry, "No, it's okay! I'm trying my best so don't worry."

"I still want to help you with the wedding," Hanayo said.

Kotori nodded and Hanayo reached into her bag for an album book, "Okay so where do we start..."

Kotori spent the next two weeks working with Hanayo every morning and trying her best with her physical trainer. She was able to finally stand up on her own, but walking was still a challenge.

"Alright try to walk over to me, ," the woman instructed.

Kotori slowly lifted one leg up and pushed it forward.

"You're doing good, keep it up," the woman cheered Kotori on.

She lifted her other leg up and pushed it past the other. It was very slow and sluggish, but Kotori was slowly gaining her ability to walk again. She fell over many times, but no matter the pain or embarrassment she felt, she fought on.

Another week passed by and Kotori was finally able to walk her way down with the help of the hand railings.

"You're recovering exceptionally quick, . You must really love your wife to push yourself like this," the woman commented.

Kotori smiled and nodded, "I really do, and I miss her so much."

The day came to an end and Kotori was wheeled back to her room, when she arrived, she saw that Umi was waiting for her, "Umi?"

The girl turned around, "Hey Kotori! It's been awhile, I'm sorry I haven't visited in the past 3 weeks..."

Kotori dismissed the nurse and wheeled herself towards Umi, "Here, help me," Kotori slowly stood up and Umi quickly supported her onto the bed.

"You can finally stand on your own! And your hair has started growing back, I can see that little tuft is back too," Umi congratulated.

"Mhmm!" Kotori smiled back.

"The restaurant has been so busy ever since it was on the news, I'm so sorry that I haven't had the time to visit you..." Umi explained.

"It's okay, how are Arisa and Yukiho holding up?" Kotori asked.

"They've been doing fine, Yukiho showed Arisa the ropes so we're managing well," Umi answered.

"That's great!"

Umi remained silent before she suddenly hugged onto Kotori, "... I missed you so much..."

Kotori was surprised for a moment but she wrapped her arms around Umi in response, "I've missed you a lot too..."

"It's so lonely sleeping without you..." Umi added.

"I know... I miss sleeping next to you too, but just one more week, okay?" Kotori gently massaged Umi's arm and she rested her head against Kotori's shoulder.

The two sat in silence until Umi started dozing off, "She must be exhausted from work..." Kotori shook she awake, "Umi, if you're tired, you should go home and sleep."

Umi rubbed her eyes, "I didn't even notice that I was falling asleep..." she yawned and got up.

"I'll visit again when I can, I love you," Umi rubbed her eyes some more to wake herself up.

"I love you too, Umi," Kotori waved the girl goodbye. She had one week left to regain her walking ability and finalize the wedding plan.

Kotori woke up the next morning to see Hanayo again, "Good morning, Hanayo."

"Good morning Kotori, I have great news!"

Kotori rubbed her eyes and sat up, "What is it?"

She took a deep breath and started explaining, "Everything is coming along as planned, we have the wedding hall booked out and everything is getting prepared. I did as you asked and went with a classic black and white wedding theme and everything should be ready before you are dismissed from the hospital."

"That's wonderful, thank you so much Hanayo!" Kotori bowed to show her gratitude.

"We also have your wedding dress all done and ready for the occasion as well," Hanayo said.

Kotori took a deep breath and released a sigh of relief, "Thank you for everything, Hanayo."

"Don't thank me just yet, wait until the wedding is over," Hanayo winked and pulled out a small sheet of paper, "I wrote down what you need to do from your end until the day you leave, make sure to do them."

Kotori nodded and looked at her list of stuff to do. Hanayo got up and left, "See you when you get out!"

Kotori attended her rehab sessions for the rest of the week and made a considerable amount of recovery. Her walking wasn't exactly perfect and she needed a cane to help her get around. This was the best she could do with the time she had.

She made a call home to Umi the day before and requested that she come pick her up after she finished her last rehab session.

She made her way down the stairs and waited until a car pulled up in front of her. The door opened and Hanayo was inside, "Hurry and get in!" she yelled.

Kotori got in the car and it sped off.

Umi woke up and quickly got dressed. According to Kotori's instructions last night, she wanted Umi to pick her up while wearing a black suit. It was a weird request, but perhaps it was just to celebrate Kotori's recovery. She straightened her tie and fixed up her hair to make herself look as dashing as possible for Kotori.

Umi yelled to herself, "Okay, I'm on my way Kotori!" and made her way out of their home. She reached the hospital thirty minutes later and opened up Kotori's door. Instead of Kotori, she saw Maki, "Hello, ,"

"Dr. Nishikino, umm... where's Kotori?" Umi looked around.

"I thought she already left with you?" Maki answered back with a question.

"N-No, she told me to come pick her up at this time," Umi started to panic, what if someone snatched Kotori while she was waiting for her?

"She did mention that she wanted to go somewhere with you, maybe she left to go there?" Maki tossed a question back.

"Do you know where she went?" Umi wanted to find Kotori as quickly as she could.

"I think she wrote it down around here somewhere..." Maki looked around and saw the piece of paper on the nightstand, "Ah yes, here it is." Maki handed the piece of paper to Umi.

She was unfamiliar with the address but it was definitely Kotori's handwriting, "Thank you, Doctor. I'll be on my way now." She turned around and ran down the hallway.

Maki sat silently in Kotori's room.

"Well done, Maki," a voice called out.

Maki looked over to the corner and a small head pop out from behind the curtain, "How was I, Nico?"

"You did great! She totally believed you, now hurry up and get ready, we'll be late," Nico stepped out from behind the curtain to show that she was wearing a white dress.

Maki unbuttoned her doctor's coat and revealed her own black dress that she was already wearing, "I'm ready to go."

Nico smiled and grabbed Maki's hand. The two ran down the hospital and into the parking lot. They got inside of Maki's car and drove off to where the wedding was being held.

Umi ran down the street and constantly checked where this address was. It was nearly 30 minutes away in the opposite direction of their home, "Where did you go, Kotori?!"

Umi arrived in front of the building that Kotori had written down, she ran inside and went to the front desk, "Hi, do you know where this room is?" Umi scrambled in her pockets for the scrap of paper and slammed it on the counter.

The man looked at the room number and pointed down the hallway, "It's the third from the left."

Umi grabbed the piece of paper and stuffed it into her pocket, "Thank you," she lightly jogged down the hallway and opened the door. It was dark and there was a single light that lit up the end of the room. Umi squinted her eyes and saw Honoka standing in the light, "Honoka?! Is that you?!"

The orange haired girl turned to face Umi, "Oh, Umi!" She made her way across the dark room to meet up with her.

"Hey Honoka, have you seen Kotori?" Umi asked.

Honoka shook her head, "No, isn't she in the hospital?"

"No when I went to pick her up sh-" Umi was interrupted when Honoka's phone went off.

"Can you give me a second?" Honoka walked over to the side and let out a small gasp. She ran over to her, "Umi could you hold on to this for me?" she set a small box in Umi's hands, "Yukiho just called and I have to go back home."

"U-umm... okay, sure?" she took the small box and stuffed it into her suit pocket.

"Thank you, I'll come back for it later," Honoka ran off before Umi could say goodbye.

She sighed and opened up the door to the room again. She took a step in and the door behind her closed. She carefully made her way through the darkness and called out, "Kotori? Are you in here?"

When she reached the spotlight, the room was suddenly lit up and it blinded Umi for a few seconds. She removed her hands and slowly opened her eyes to see that she was surrounded by numerous amounts of people that she knew.

"W-what's going on?" Umi looked around confused like a deer in headlights. All of her friends were here and everyone was wearing either black or white.

In the distance, she spotted Maki who she had just seen earlier today. She was wearing a black dress and she stood next to Nico who was wearing white. Next to them she saw that Nozomi was also wearing white and Eli wore black. Next to them stood Hanayo and Rin who followed the same color scheme as the other two.

The door that Umi had just walked through moments ago slammed open and Honoka walked in. She motioned for someone behind her to come in and Umi's eyes widened.

Kotori walked through the doors with a beautiful wedding dress on. She was using a cane to help herself walk while her other hand was holding a bouquet of flowers.

Umi was completely shocked and stood in place until Kotori caught up to her.

"K-Kotori?" Umi finally muttered.

"Hey Umi!" she smiled back.

"W-what is all of this?" Umi looked around as numerous eyes were on the two.

"How do I look?" she changed the subject.

"Y-you look beautiful, I mean... where did you get this dress? And your hair has grown back a bit," Umi was silenced by Kotori's finger.

"The wedding is about to begin..." just as Kotori spoke those words, music began to play and the crowd of people started clapping.

"Wedding...? Is this our..." Umi looked down and saw that Kotori who was on the verge of tears, "Kotori, how did you...?"

"Would the bride and groom please step forth!" Umi jumped when she heard a powerful voice yelling behind her. She turned around to face a large man dressed as a priest.

Kotori stepped to the side and pulled on Umi to stand next to her.

The priest took a deep breath before continuing,

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here on this beautiful day to witness the union of Kotori and Umi. This is a day of great celebration and reverence, on which we come together to recognize and commemorate the sacred love and dedication shared between these two people. It is wonderful to have family and friends here to join us today. The bride and groom would like to thank their guests for being here, and would like you to know that each of you were invited here on this day because you have played an integral part in their intertwining lives.

Nothing happens without a cause. The union of these women have not come about accidentally but is the foreordained result of many past lives. This tie can therefore not be broken or dissolved.

In the future, happy occasions will come as surely as the morning. Difficult times will come as surely as night.

To say the words love and compassion is easy. But to accept that love and compassion are built upon patience and perseverance is not.

In the time that Umi and Kotori have spent together, they've built the sturdy foundation for a lifelong relationship. After a great deal of thoughtful consideration, they have decided to bind themselves to one another for the rest of their lives.

May you all remember and cherish this sacred ceremony, for on this day, with love, we will forever bind Umi and Kotori together."

The crowd clapped and cheered as the priest finished his opening statement. Umi stood dumbfounded and look to Kotori who seemed to be completely calm.

The priest opened his mouth wide to speak again,

"Who gives this bride today?"

A man stood up, "I do."

Umi turned around to see her father who walked up in front of them. Something wasn't right, shouldn't it be Kotori's mother who gives the blessing?

Umi's father cleared his throat,

"I am here today to witness the marriage of my daughter, Sonoda Umi. And I am here on behalf of my daughter to give her the absolute support and love that she always deserved. I was not the best father to you, in fact, all I ever did was push against you whenever you would lash out, and for that I apologize.

I know that the things I have said would drive any daughter to turn her back on her father, but I have realized the error of my ways and wish to mend them from here on out.

To the lucky woman who is marrying my daughter, Minami Kotori. I know that you and I have never seen eye to eye, and I have placed much of the blame on you for many years. I want to apologize for my behavior and I wish for your happy and healthy future."

Umi felt tears starting to well up in her eyes as her father bowed to the crowd and made his way back to his seat. She felt a hand brush against her cheek and wipe away her tears.

Umi smiled through them, "Kotori..."

The priest held up his hands to speak again,

"If there is anyone in attendance who has cause to believe that this couple should not be joined in marriage, you may speak now or forever hold your peace."

The room was filled with silence and there was not one hand that rose among the crowd.

The priest continued on,

"Marriage is a sacred ceremony. Today we observe the union of these two people with the respect the occasion warrants. What we honor with reverence, however, we also celebrate with great joy! For married life – a shared life – is a tremendous blessing. Now, as Umi and Kotori embark on this journey together, they will be able to nurture a love that makes each of them better versions of themselves. Marriage is, indeed, the perfect garden from which to sow and harvest personal growth."

He turned his attention towards the two women,

"Umi and Kotori, learn to work together, to laugh together, and to love together. Don't get caught up in worldly things that will draw you apart. Instead, focus on your shared devotion and turn inward. As your relationship strengthens you will find that you come to share a remarkable love; a love that is both abundantly given and freely accepted.

The joy you'll find as you pursue your shared lives will fuel you to face head-on the challenges you'll encounter on this Earth. On your journeys together, keep your spouse in the space of highest priority in your heart. The love you share must be guarded and cherished, it is your most valuable treasure."

He smiled at the two and continued,

"Umi and Kotori, the sacred vows that you make to one another today present you with the opportunity to express your love in your own words. I would at this time invite you to publically declare these vows:

Umi, you may begin."

Umi stood frozen, she had no idea that she had to write or rehearse a vow. She was speechless until Kotori pressed a piece of paper against her chest. She grabbed it and started reading it aloud.

"I, Umi, take you, Kotori, for my lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or worse, for richer or poorer. I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I will love you and honor you all the days of my life, until death do us part. This is my solemn vow."

She took a deep breath and relaxed her shoulders.

"Kotori, you may now make your promise," the priest announced.

Kotori calmly opened her eyes and looked into Umi's, "I, Kotori, take you, Umi, for my lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or worse, for richer or poorer. I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I will love you and honor you all the days of my life, until death do us part. This is my solemn vow."

The man raised his hands towards the two women,

"Kotori and Umi please face one another and join hands."

The two did as they were told and intertwined their hands together.

"Kotori, do you take Umi to be your lawfully wedded wife? By making this commitment, you are joining in the sacred covenant of marriage.

Do you promise to honor her in love, to be sensitive to her needs, to comfort her in difficulty, and to put your full and complete trust in her, so long as you both shall live?"

Kotori smiled as tears began to roll down her cheeks, "I do."

"Umi, do you take Kotori to be your lawfully wedded wife? By making this commitment, you are joining in the covenant of marriage.

Do you promise to honor her in love, to be sensitive to her needs, to comfort her in difficulty, and to put your full and complete trust in her, so long as you both shall live?"

Umi held her tears back and struggled to get the words out, "I do."

"To commemorate this union, you may now exchange rings. The circle formed by each ring symbolizes your eternal love and commitment to one another. Let these rings remind you always of that love, and of the promises you have made here on this day.

Will each of you please repeat after me as you place the ring on your loved one's hand?"

The priest stepped over to Kotori and began whispering the words into her ear, she repeated after him,

"I, Kotori, give you Umi this ring as a symbol of my love and commitment. With this ring, I thee wed."

She slid the ring onto Umi's finger and smiled.

The priest then stepped over and patted Umi's suit pocket. She pulled out the small box that Honoka had given her at the door and she opened it to reveal a beautiful ring. The priest whispered Umi's line and she repeated after him,

"I, Umi, give you Kotori this ring as a symbol of my love and commitment. With this ring, I thee wed."

Umi fought to hold her tears back, but they came pouring out little by little as she slid the ring onto Kotori's finger. The two looked each other in the eyes and smiled brightly.

"By the power vested in me, I pronounce you, Kotori and Umi spouses for life. Umi, you may now kiss the bride, forever sealing your union."

Umi embraced Kotori and pressed their lips together. The crowd cheered as the two shared a loving kiss that bound them together even tighter.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it is my pleasure to present to you Mrs. Sonoda Umi & Kotori!"

The crowd cheered as the couple turned around to bow to their guests. The amount of joy that the two of them were feeling were completely incomparable to any joy that they had ever felt in their lives. At long last, the two have finally been legally wedded and the two gazed at each other lovingly.

"Now we shall begin the wedding reception!" the priest announced and guided the newly wedded couple to their table. They sat at a long table where their closest friends and family joined them. Kotori's side of the table sat her Mother, Hanayo, Nico, Honoka, Nozomi and Yukiho. On Umi's side sat her Mother, Father, Eli, Rin, Maki and Arisa.

Umi turned towards Kotori, "Kotori, how did you plan all of this?"

She smiled, "Hanayo offered to help."

"Where did you get the money to pay for everything?" Umi showed a bit of concern.

Kotori placed her hand over Umi's and held it gently to ease her concern, "Hanayo's company paid for everything, free of charge."

"No way! I have to thank her later for everything," Umi leaned over to get a glimpse of Hanayo and she waved back at her. Umi smiled and nodded her head in response to Hanayo's wave.

She placed her hand on Kotori's shoulder, "Hey, I'm going to talk to my father for a second."

Kotori nodded and Umi got up to make way towards her father. She knelt down between her parents, "I'm surprised that you two are here."

"I wouldn't miss my daughter's marriage for the world," her mother replied.

Her father remained silent and avoided eye contact, "You really surprised me today, father… Thank you," Umi reached up and kissed her father's cheek, "I'm sorry for disobeying you all these years."

Her father cleared his throat, "I'm sorry for always being so strict on you… I meant you no harm and that is no excuse for a father."

"Awww!" Umi's mother wrapped her arms around her daughter and husband. The family shared a lovely group hug and chuckled over how idiotic their bouts were over the years.

Kotori looked over and smiled, this was the first time that she had seen Umi getting along with her father and it made her happy that he approves of their marriage. Umi gave another kiss to her parents' cheeks and moved over to the other girls on her side of the table.

"Thank you guys so much for coming," Umi bowed and looked at Maki, "You tricked me didn't you, Doctor?"

Maki raised her eyebrow and played stupid, "Whatever could you mean by that ?"

They both giggled and Umi turned her attention to Eli, Arisa, and Rin, "Thank you again, it means a lot that you three are here for us."

"We're here to celebrate Kotori's recovery and your marriage, we wouldn't miss it for anything else," Eli replied.

"I helped a lot with the decorations so I hope you like them, nya," Rin added.

Umi looked around and took note of the decorations around the wedding hall, "I love them, Rin. Thank you for working so hard for our sake," Umi smiled and bowed.

She got up and walked past Kotori to greet her side of the table, "Hello, Mrs. Minami, thank you for attending our wedding."

"There's no way I would miss my precious daughter's wedding, and you can call me Mom now," Kotori's mother teased Umi and poked her cheek.

Umi scratched where she was poked and laughed, "You're right, give me some time to get used to it alright?"

Kotori's mother leaned forward and motioned her daughter over, "Hey Kotori, why don't you go talk with your new mother and father in law?"

Kotori did as her mother suggested and she got up to talk to them. Umi watched Kotori walk off and she continued down the line towards Hanayo.

"Hey Hanayo, we haven't known each other that long, but you have my eternal gratitude for putting together this wedding for us," Umi bowed.

Hanayo brought her hands up and shook them, "It is no problem at all, my company specializes in planning weddings for those that can't afford them. It was just luck that brought us together."

Umi smiled and took a hold of Hanayo's hand, "I still want to thank you for everything, this is a dream come true for Kotori and I."

She bowed and Umi moved on to the others, "Hey guys, thanks for helping with everything."

"You're always providing us with delicious food, it's the least we can do," Nozomi replied.

"I'll be performing for you guys later, so look forward to it," Nico announced.

"I'm so happy for you two," Honoka added.

Umi bowed and returned to her seat, she spotted Kotori still talking to her parents and waited for her to finish. Kotori returned shortly after and they smiled at each other. They picked up their wine glasses and toasted to their long future together.

Halfway through the night Nico did a sort of half time show and put on an extravagant performance in honor of their marriage. It was kind of strange, but they decided to keep their mouths shut for Nico's sake.

The wedding slowly made its way towards the end and Umi helped Kotori walk around the room to thank all of the guests for coming out to their wedding. By the time they finished, most of the guests have left and the music started to die down. The only people left in the wedding hall were the lovely couple, their family and their close friends. Umi and Kotori turned to face their beloved ones and bowed, "Thank you guys for giving us the most wonderful wedding we could ask for."

The group came together and hugged each other. Each of them offered the couple their best wishes before leaving the the wedding hall. Their parent's were the last ones to leave and the two looked at each other. Umi hugged Kotori in her arms and she snuggled back in response. Their hearts filled with a tingling warmness that they have never felt before. They were now officially married, Umi's relationship with her parents returned to normal, and best of all Kotori was able to walk once again.

Umi lifted her up into a princess carry, "Let's get back home, Kotori."