It's finally here! It's finally here! The new chapter/installment is here! Sorry for the long delay… as I've mentioned in the other fics, school's been a dictator lately. I've had absolutely no time. But now it's Christmas break, so my muse (hopefully) doesn't decide to go on a break!

Again, I'm terribly sorry. Forgive me please? :3 I even combined two prompts into one chapter! :D

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my computer, and even then that's doubtful, as my parents frequently remind me…

29. Old
As they go from twelve year olds to taller nineteen year olds, the seniors notice with amusement that despite their advancement in years, Ruby and Sapphire still bicker like children.

12. wedding
"We'll both get married someday, won't we?" Platina asks wistfully as Daisy and Bill walk down the aisle- Diamond chokes loudly on the rice balls he had been sneakily eating, and up from the altar, Green shoots him a death glare.

The day was sunny, the weather warm. Honestly, Yellow thought happily to herself as she played with Pichu and Red's Pikachu, Daisy and Bill couldn't have picked better weather to get married. She glanced over, to where the nervous groom was randomly hitting keys on his Pokedex just to soothe his frazzled nerves. She also noted with amusement how Professor Oak's eyes widened like saucers when he saw what Bill was doing to his precious invention, and how he began to start towards his future grandson-in law before visibly restraining himself and turning his back to talk to a startled Red about the weather in Sinnoh.

Yes, Yellow noted to herself, a perfect day, indeed.

…

"Would you please hurry the tempo?" Sapphire hissed into Ruby's ear, and while the Hoenn boy glared at her, his fingers did start moving quicker over the organ keys. "Bossy," he muttered, and Sapphire stuck her tongue out at him.

"Oh, real mature, Sapphire. You're nineteen and you still resort to sticking your tongue out at me-"

"Sapphire," Platina intervened diplomatically, having come up to see the Hoenn couple about to launch into another one of their famous fights. "Would you please give me a hand with the bouquet of flowers on the far east side of the garden? Misty doesn't do very well with flower arrangements."

Ruby's mouth dropped open, but when Sapphire moved out of earshot, Platina whispered to him, "Don't worry. Erika's on hand. She can handle Sapphire."

Ruby nodded approvingly and went back to his organ.

Platina surveyed her handiwork, smiling to herself, and was suddenly surprised when somebody patted her shoulder. Diamond stood there awkwardly, dressed in a suit that emphasized his cheekbones and dark eyes. "So, uh, Green sent me to tell you that you should probably get the guests seated," he murmured. "He's currently convincing Bill that getting married alone on the back of a Fearow would not be a good idea."

Platina allowed herself a laugh of surprise. "I thought we specifically told Pearl not to give Bill too much to drink."

"Oh, he swears up and down that he never gave Bill anything. Bill came up with this all on his own." Diamond smiled.

Platina raised her eyebrow. "Dare I ask?"

"No, let's just leave it at that…"

…

"…do you, Bill…" The short-sighted old priest blinked a couple times at his piece of paper before deciding to go on with the ceremony. "Um…do you vow to take care of Daisy, through sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, for better or worse?"

Bill had turned a pale white, and Platina feared that he would pitch forward and faint on top of Daisy. "He's not going to die, is he?" she whispered to Diamond, who looked unduly unconcerned about Bill's state of health.

Diamond shrugged. "He's nervous. Understandably so." He pulled out a plastic bag, and Platina stared at it. Diamond glanced over. "I'm hungry," he defended himself before offering the bag to her. "Want some?"

She shook her head and returned her gaze to the ceremony. Daisy too looked perfectly casual; evidently, she had seen this coming and was willing to wait. Bill opened his mouth, but nothing came out, and that was when Green cleared his throat meaningfully.

"I-I d-do," Bill stammered, and the priest nodded.

Over by her right, Platina heard Pearl mutter to himself, "I knew I should have given him something stronger to drink."

Daisy got through her vows with the composure of a stately queen at her coronation, and Platina couldn't help but admire how happy she was, even though she seemed to be very different from the goofy Bill. "They look so happy together," she whispered to Diamond.

"I think they are," Diamond murmured back. "When I was working with Professor Oak over the summer, I barely saw these two apart, they were so inseparable. Green wasn't very happy about it…but I mean, it's Green." He turned to smile at Platina, trying his best to squash the feeling of sudden longing that filled his heart. "I guess true love does funny things for you."

Ruby resumed his organ playing as the bride and groom kissed, and everyone leaped to their feet, roaring with approval as Bill and Daisy broke apart and waved at the audience. As they were descending from the altar, Daisy clutching tightly to Bill's arm, Platina cocked her head. "We'll get married someday, won't we?" she asked wistfully.

Diamond choked on the rice ball he was eating, and up from the altar, Green sent him a glare that would have withered the healthiest of trees. Diamond waved meekly at him before turning to Platina, his heart swelling with hope. "I'm sorry?" he got out, hardly daring to believe it.

"You and me. We'll marry someone someday, right? And be as happy as Bill and Daisy?" Platina watched the couple proceed down the aisle, evidently unaware of the near-death experience she had given Diamond.

Oh. That.

"Yeah, I guess." Diamond tried not to look disappointed. "Course you'll get married. Who wouldn't want to marry you?"

Platina blushed, but Diamond felt his heart sink even further than it usually did.

…

"Well, as usual, you went overboard with the decorations," Ruby overheard Green remark dryly to Blue as they slow danced out on the dance floor. Green had a pinched look on his face; no doubt Blue had tricked him somehow into doing this. Not that he minds, Ruby thought in amusement, though he didn't dare say it aloud. His Pokemon still had traumatizing memories of Green's Charizard looming over them.

Blue, for her part, shrugged casually. "Erika didn't complain."

"Erika was busy saving her Gloom from the clutches of your Blastoise."

"It's not my fault Gloom sprayed that weird perfume all over Blasty…"

"Why am I marrying you again?"

"I don't know, Green dear, but you're not backing out now."

"There you are." Sapphire dropped into the seat next to Ruby, and the red eyed boy jerked out of his observations, clearly startled. "I've been looking all over for you."

"I'm sure you have, between your busy dances with Pearl and Diamond and Emerald and Red and who knows who else," Ruby grumbled, trying not to look at his girlfriend. He had to admit, Sapphire did look beautiful tonight. The dress she had chosen to wear- chosen? More like forced to- was a striking choice of teal, embroidered with white flowers at the bottom. His finest work, Ruby congratulated himself; then promptly remembered that he was supposed to be mad at Sapphire, not thinking about how amazing she looked in that thing.

"It's not my fault that you've been sitting here," Sapphire snapped, and still Ruby refused to look at her. "You couldn't have moved to come find me?"

"Why couldn't you have come to find me?"

"Who's the gentleman here?"

"Well, it's not like you're very much of a lady either."

Crystal approached them just then, but when she saw how quickly Ruby's fingers were tapping the table and how Sapphire's hands were tightening into fists, she grabbed a surprised Gold and Silver and dragged them off to the far end of the dance floor.

"After seven years, and you're still saying I'm not a lady?"

"That's right. Last week, you ate more than five plates of my mom's food!"

"EXCUSE ME? I was hungry!"

"That's another thing, Sapphire- you never ask to be excused!"

"Neither do you!"

"But I'm not a lady!"

"Ya know what, Ruby? That can be debated."

"That was such a cheap shot."

Red had joined Green and Blue by the side of the room, amusedly sipping his cup of punch as Yellow sidled over, innocently tugging her ponytail. Opposite them, Pearl and Diamond were half-listening to the conversation as they practiced their stand-up comedy routine; Platina leaned against the wall as she diplomatically tried to engage a disinterested Sabrina in conversation. In short, the whole room was paying some degree of attention to the bickering Hoenn couple.

The argument raged on. "Hey, if I'm not a lady, you're a slob."

"You take that back, Sapphire Birch."

"Make me."

"You're insufferable!"

Over by the bride and groom's table, both Professor Oak and Professor Elm were making bets on how long the argument would last. Professor Birch, on the other hand, was wearily discussing with Gym Leader Norman how long it would take before their children would marry each other and quit threatening to break up.

"Oh, REAL MATURE, Sapphire. Is sticking your tongue out the best way to retort?"

"Wouldn't you like to know!"

"Fine. See if I ever have my Pokemon spar with you ever again."

"They were getting weak anyway."

"Nyeh nyeh nyeh, I can't hear you!"

At this, Crystal dropped her face into her hands as Gold and Silver joined the betting pool. Neither Professors protested.

Green glanced over to where his sister and Bill were sitting, oddly the only two people in the room who were not paying attention to the fighting couple. "Think we should stop those two yet?" he drawled.

Blue shook her head, a Cheshire cat smile lighting up her face. "Nah. The guests need some degree of entertainment."

Red took another sip of his punch before remarking, "You think that they would have learned to get along by now…"

The seniors observed their juniors with a degree of amusement. "I don't know," Blue observed. "They're obviously in love." She poked Green, who raised an eyebrow in response. "Hey, maybe they'll be the next couple to get married, hmm?"

Green snorted as he watched both Ruby and Sapphire, who looked about to murder each other with their glasses of water. "Oh, that will be a fun wedding to go to, alright."

Well? Like it? Love it? Hate it? Hopefully not the last one. But let me know :] Read and review, please please please? And again I am begging for forgiveness! You can't see it but I'm making a puppy dog pout :[

Oh, and also, I'll be heading off to vacation for a couple weeks, and won't be back till January. I doubt I'll get Internet, so no fics for a while :/ And then once I get back, school starts, so be forewarned! BEWARE THE PERILS OF SCHOOL.