The next day, I awoke early to shower and get ready for another day of planning and breakfast. By the time I had come out of the bathroom, Viktor was still asleep.

"Psst! Maccachin…go wake Papa up!" I whispered to Maccachin, pointing at Viktor. Wagging his tail excitedly, Maccachin pounced on Viktor. I burst out laughing as Maccachin attacked Viktor with all his weight.

"Oi, Maccachin! Ah, so you're the one that's behind this sneak attack. Let me punish you!" he growled, looking up at me, pulling me onto the disheveled bed, kissing me passionately.

"As much as I want to lay here all day, we have planning to do!" I chuckled, leaning in to kiss him one last time before sliding out from under him. "Spoiled sport! So, what all do we have to do?" he asked, as he crawled from bed, wrapping his arms around me.

"I called everyone, so they are on their way here. I also took care of the rooms, the locations for the ceremony and reception. So all that's left is the arrangements: flowers, color scheme and music. But I think our sisters, my mom and Phichit-kun have been plotting that," I said, grinning.

"You work too much! Well then, it sounds like all we have to do is await their arrival, and enjoy this time that we have," he whispered in my ear, kissing my neck.

Before I could reply, Maccachin ran out the door, barking excitedly at a knock at the door. "Who could that be?" Viktor asked, looking up. We emerged from the bedroom and I took a seat on the couch with my notepad on my lap as Viktor answered the door.

"Ah, there he is! My soon-to-be son-in-law! Come here!" Mom squealed from the doorway, pulling Viktor towards her and wrapping him in her arms, squeezing the life out of him.

"It's good to see you as well, Katsuki-san," Viktor wheezed as he dislodged himself from Mom's arms to shake hands with my father.

"My boy! My little boy!" Mom whispered, her eyes welling with tears as she came to the couch and squeezed me.

"Mom! Save your tears for the wedding! We have so much to do!" I chuckled, as she and Dad sat down. Viktor took his place next to me, taking my hand in his.

"So, I have been going over everything with Katya and Mari-chan. You two don't need to do a thing!" Mom said, smiling. "Oh! You should also know also that we passed everyone coming in. They arrived shortly after we did this morning."

"That didn't take long," I chuckled. We sat and visited with my parents for quite a while, before there was another knock at the door. I got up to answer, and was immediately met with a squeal of joy. "My little brother! My, it's good to see you again!" Katya said, squeezing me.

"Katya! Don't squeeze the life out of him, now! You'll frighten him away!" Mr. Nikiforov laughed as Katya set me down.

"Mr. Nikiforov, it's good to see you again," I said, shaking his hand.

"Please, you are marrying my son. Call me Aleksei," he said, shaking my hand. We retreated back into the living room and sat, chatting. "Have you boys been out on the mountain yet? Hokkaido is famous for its skiing," Dad asked as he took a seat next to Mom.

"Not yet. We were actually going to do that this afternoon. Say, have you guys eaten yet?" Viktor asked as my stomach growled loudly.

"Let's go and grab breakfast and after we can hit the mountain," I said, jumping up as my stomach growled again. I grabbed the key from the desk and, after pulling my jacket over my head and double checking the room for hazards, left with the others.

We took the elevator down, and arrived at the lobby level. We headed to the restaurant, and, after following our host, were seated by the huge bay window overlooking the mountain. "Wow, what a view," Viktor said, as he squeezed my hand.

"So, you boys are going to go and enjoy your time on the mountain, while your sisters and I decorate the venue," Mom said, taking a sip of her tea. "We have everything planned out."

As I started to reply, our served came over. "What can I get started for you folks?" she asked, her notepad in hand. We went around the table, ordering breakfast. "I'll get that started right away," she said, smiling as she turned and left.

"So, the only thing that you haven't decided on is the music. Do you know what music you want to play?" Katya asked, taking a sip of her tea.

"I have some ideas. I have a bunch of potential songs that I will listen to this evening," I said, taking a sip of my coffee.

As my sister started to say something, our server appeared with a tray full of dishes. "Here we are folks. Is there anything else I can get for you?" she asked as she set the last dish down in front of Aleksei. "Nope, I think we are set. Thank you!" I said, smiling.

"Enjoy!" she said, smiling as she walked away.

We sat and chatted animatedly, enjoying our food and the view of the mountain. One by one, we pushed our empty dishes away, sitting back in our chairs. "That was excellent!" Dad said, closing his eyes.

"I can get those out of your way. You folks are all set to go, enjoy the rest of your visit to Hokkaido!" she said as she gathered the empty dishes and took them away.

"You boys go and get ready for skiing. We are going to go put final touches on the rooms," Mom said as she, Mari-chan and Katya walked away. "Be safe out there on the mountain!"

"Are you up for skiing, or do you want to go over music?" Viktor asked as we walked down the hallway towards our room.

"I was going to go over music. As much as I love skiing, it makes me nervous. The last thing I want to do is fall and injure myself while we are on vacation," I said, as I unlocked the door.

"I completely understand, my zvyozdochka. I can stay with you if you want," Viktor said, wrapping his arms around my shoulders as I sat at the table with my notepad.

I shook my head. "No, you go and have fun with our fathers. It will give you time to relax and let loose," I said, turning to kiss him.

Squeezing me one last time, Viktor retreated to the back room to change and get ready. I moved from the table and settled on the couch next to Maccachin, everything I needed on the end table next to me.

"Are you sure you don't want me to stay?" Viktor asked as he came from the back room, his bag over his shoulder, bundled to his nose.

Smiling, I shook my head. "No, I'll be fine. I can go over music, maybe finally pick something and go over final plans. I'll try to keep the girls from going overboard," I said, grinning. He came over and chuckled Maccachin on the head, leaning in to whisper in my ear.

"Try not to have too much fun without me," he whispered, kissing me.

"You have fun and be safe!" I replied, grinning. "Yes, zolotse! I'll see you a little later," he said, winking as he grabbed the key from the desk and closed the door.

I grabbed my bag, slipped my jacket and sneakers on and headed down to the lounge, with Maccachin in tow. "Come on, let's go for a quick walk and go see what Mom and the girls are up to," I said as we headed towards the elevator.

We arrived at the lobby level, and, after some searching, found the girls, who had been fluttering about the room, placing center pieces and hanging photos. "Wow…this room is stunning," I whispered as my breath caught in my throat.

"Ah, Yuri-kun! Good, just the one we needed to see! What do you think?" Katya asked, looking up, as she put the last centerpiece on the table and stepped back.

"What can I say? It's stunning! You guys really outdid yourselves!" I said, hugging the three women that I loved most in this world, my eyes burning.

"It's going to be a beautiful ceremony. My little boy is getting married," Mom said as her eyes welled with tears. "Come now, Hiroko, save your tears for the ceremony!" Katya said, smiling.

We put the empty boxes, containers and bags in a corner and closed up the room. "So, have you chosen the music for the ceremony?" Mari-chan asked as we walked down the hallway.

"Not yet, but I've narrowed down the list a bit more," I replied, grinning.

Mom whispered to Katya, as Mari-chan said, "You have one more day to decide, so no rush. We are off to soak in the hot spring."

"See you!" I said, flopping down in a lounge chair as they walked away. Soon after, Issa had walked through the lounge towards the elevators, his bag slung over his shoulder. He turned when he heard my voice.

"Mambo, Yuri-kun! Habari gani?" Issa asked, as he came over and sat down across from me, petting Maccachin.

"Poa, Issa! Nzuri sana, it's good to see you!" I said. "I'm glad you're here! I actually really need your input."

"How can I be of service?" Issa asked, grinning as he flopped down next to me.

I groaned. "I'm trying to choose music for the ceremony, but I'm having no luck choosing from the list I have," I said, shaking my head. My notes, which had been flipped open to the music page, lay abandoned on the table.

Issa sat forward, sliding my notes over. "I have one you can listen to. It's a favorite of people who are engaged and people who are getting married," he said, pulling his phone from his pocket. He shuffled through his music until he found what he was looking for. "Give this a listen and tell me what you think."

I plugged my earbuds in and pressed play. By the end of the song, my eyes were burning as tears threatened to cascade down my face. "It's perfect," I whispered, looking up.

Translations:

"Habari gani?"-how's it going?

"Nzuri sana"-very well

Aleksei-defender of mankind (Russian)

Katya-pure (Russian)

Mambo?- What's up? (Swahili)

Poa!-Cool! (Swahili)

Zolotse-my gold (Russian)

zvyozdochka-little star (Russian)