FOREVERMORE

~Part Three Of The Forever Trilogy~

Chapter 48

Eden

June 15, 5001.

(Topaz's POV)

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY TOPAZ!"

I jerked up in bed, startled awake. Raiden jumped, too, falling off the extra pillow he always slept on. I groaned, and flopped back down, rubbing my eyes. I shot my messenger a slightly irritated look. He did the same thing last year.

It was Rubin, of course. He was all ready for day, wearing a short-sleeved blue dress shirt, a black vest, and black slacks. He insisted on dressing up for the occasion, though I would have been fine with casual clothing. His white and blue hat was on his head, his black hair coming out from underneath—mainly his bangs. He looked amazing.

"Do you always have to do that?" I said wearily, looking up at him.

He smirked at me playfully. "Yes. And I made you breakfast, but you have to get up to get it."

I stuck my tongue out at him childishly, and he laughed again. I pushed myself back up, and brushed my bangs out of my eyes. I stifled a yawn.

"All right, all right, I'm up," I told him, running a hand through my hair. "I'll get ready as fast as I can."

Today was my eighteenth birthday. I was finally a legal adult. I could do anything I wanted, but the consequences would be severe. Rubin and I would be getting married—secretly. Then we would spend the whole day together, go to my party that Jade insisted on throwing, and then we would spend the night together.

"Okay, love," he said. "Meet me in the kitchen when you're ready."

I slid to the edge of the bed, and he came over to give me a quick kiss before leaving. I forced myself to get up, and trudged to the bathroom. I took the quickest shower I could, brushed my teeth, and then got dressed. Jade had made me a dress she wanted me to wear today. It was definitely a summer dress, being made of thin cotton. It was white, with spaghetti straps, and went down to my knees. It clung to my figure, showing off my curves. I decided to keep my hair down, and wore sandals.

I quickly organized my bag to make sure I had all my Poke Balls, wallet, and other things I would need for the day. I returned Raiden to his Poke Ball for the meantime, and then headed out of the room. I made my way towards the first floor, where the kitchen was.

Once I was in the vicinity of the kitchen, I could smell what was cooking, and it sure smelled good. My stomach growled as I stepped inside. I saw that my soon to be husband was not the only one in the room. Cerise was smacking Rubin with a spatula while Shirou laughed at the table.

"What's so funny?" I asked them, raising an eyebrow.

They all stopped what they were doing to look at me. My sister's eyes brightened up at the sight of me, and she ditched the spatula on the counter to run up to me and glomp me in a hug.

"Aaaah! Topaz! Happy birthday!" she squealed, squeezing me tight.

"Happy birthday!" Shirou echoed, giving me a friendly wave.

"Agh, thanks," I managed to get out before pushing my sister away so I could breathe properly.

"Rubes wouldn't share the food he made for you with us!" Cerise told me, pouting. "He's being mean!"

"I am not," Rubin said with a snort, returning his attention to the stove. "You're being silly."

Cerise huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "Fine, be that way."

She trudged back over to the table, and plopped down in the chair next to her boyfriend. He smiled at her playfully, and then leaned forward to give her a quick kiss on the lips, catching her by surprise. I walked over to the table, and sat down across from them, while Rubin began to prepare me a plate.

"Behave, you two," I teased lightly, shaking my finger at them.

Shirou chuckled, and Cerise giggled, blushing a little. I smiled at them; I was just so happy today. There was no reason for me not to be. Rubin pulled up a chair next to me, and sat down, setting my plate down before me. I picked up my fork and began to enjoy my meal.

"So where are you two going?" Shirou asked, a curious look on his face.

"Nimbasa," Rubin answered.

"Oooh, good choice," Shirou said with an approving nod. "Best place in Unova. Hell, best place in the whole world."

"Yeah!" Cerise exclaimed, nodding, making her curls bounce. "There's so much to do there!"

And we had plenty to do today.

...

Serenity carried both Rubin and me since if I flew with Zeus, people could possibly see up my dress. It slowed the Altaria down, but we still made it to Nimbasa early. Serenity landed outside of the city, and we walked in together.

It was nice and warm, not too hot yet since it was still early. It was already starting to bustle with activity, which made sense, with the amusement park and all. We were headed off to the county court building. It took us a few minutes to get there. It was a massive building made of marble, with pillars in the front, holding up the roof. There were carvings of Cobalion, Terrakion, Virizion, and Keldeo underneath the title of the structure—Nimbasa County Court. We walked up the stone step, and headed inside.

"I hope no one recognizes us," Rubin muttered, looking down at me.

I squeezed his hand, looking up at him and meeting his gaze. "They've only seen me with my hair up and you without your hat. We should be find unless they really look at us."

Inside, the court was bustling with activity. We headed off to find a clerk to get our marriage license. People stared at us, probably wondering what a couple of teenagers were doing here. I really hoped no one saw that I was Topaz Rosso, general of the Resistance, or that he was Rubin Senri, commander of the Resistance. I really wanted this to stay a secret.

Once we had gotten to a clerk, the woman gave us a friendly smile and asked, "How can I help you today?"

"We'd like to get a marriage license, please," Rubin told her.

The woman's—whose name was Marian according to her name tag—eyes grew wide. "But you're both so young..."

My response to that was, "So?"

Marian sighed. "I need to see your birth certificates, please."

I reached down to open my bag, and then pulled out the documents. We had gotten new ones in Unova to confirm what our real last names were, not our adopted ones. They were... kind of forged... in a way. We weren't exactly from this time, after all. I handed them to her.

She examined them, probably checking our dates of birth to see if we were legal adults or not. She gasped, which meant she saw our names. She looked up at us, her eyes wide.

"You're in the Resistance, aren't you?" she asked.

"Ahahaha... Yeah," Rubin said, sweatdropping.

"...I have no right to judge you, then," she said, pulling out some papers. "Here, all you need to do is sign this. Then you need to go to the Justice of Peace so he can marry you."

We each signed the document, and then thanked her, before heading off to find the Justice of Peace. I was starting to get excited—Rubin and I were moments away from being husband and wife. In secret, but it still mattered to me, and to him. I looked up at him as we reached the Justice of Peace's office, and grinned at him. He looked back down at me, and smiled back, making me feel warm inside. He opened the door for me, and we went inside.

We needed two witnesses, so the Justice of Peace's secretaries would serve as that. So we gathered in the office, and the short ceremony began. It was a simple version of Am and Diamonda's elaborate ceremony.

"We are gathered here today to bring this man and this woman together in matrimony."

So he really did say what the priest would after all. I had been wondering about that.

He turned to face the man I stood face to face with. "Rubin Senri, do you take Topaz Rosso as your wife and promise to stay by her side no matter what may happen, until death parts you?"

"I do," he said firmly, looking down straight into my eyes.

A smile formed on my lips, and the warmth throughout my body grew hotter. I knew he was going to say that, but it meant everything to me just to hear it coming from his lips, outloud.

He then turned to me. "Topaz Rosso, do you take Rubin Senri as your husband and promise to stay by his side no matter what may happen, until death parts you?"

"I do," I said steadily, and this time Rubin smiled at me.

"Now for the ring."

Rubin pulled a small velvet box out of his pocket, flipped it open, taking the ring out, and then shut it and put it back into his pocket. Then he took my hand into his and delicately slid the diamond ring onto my finger. We would get his ring later on today.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife," the Justice of Peace said. "You may kiss the bride."

I leaned forward, standing up on tips of my toes, and he leaned down, pulling me close. Our lips pressed together, sealing the marriage. Even though this was one of many kisses we had shared, it seemed magical, because of what it symbolized. I wished we could have kissed longer, but we weren't alone. We broke apart, and stood up straight. And now I couldn't erase the smile on my face.

I was no longer Topaz Rosso. Due to my decision to attach his last name to my maiden name, I was now Topaz Rosso-Senri.

I remembered the discussion I had with Rubin about my last name. I mean, it was a very important thing. I wanted to take his last name, but I didn't want my own maiden name to die out again once Crimson returned to the past.

"Rubin, there's something we need to talk about," I told him one day after I had returned from the future.

We were outside, walking along as we headed to Victory Road together to do some training with our Pokemon. He looked over at me, a surprised look on his face. Then his expression turned to slightly confused. But then he sighed, his eyes flickering down to the ground.

"What did I do this time?" he asked quietly.

I blinked, startled. "Nothing! I just wanted to talk about the marriage thing."

Oh. Well..." He paused for a moment, and looked back at me. "You don't want to get married anymore?"

"What? No way!" I exclaimed, shocked. "Rubin, are you okay? Why the negative thoughts all of a sudden?"

He sighed, and just shrugged. "I don't know... Just wanted to make sure, I guess."

I stepped closer to him, and gave him a reassuring smile. "There's nothing to worry about. What I wanted to talk about it the whole last name deal..."

He looked down at me, raising an eyebrow. "What about it?"

"Well..." I paused. "I'd just... like to continue the Rosso name. Since Crimson will eventually go back to the past, and I highly doubt Cerise will keep her maiden name. So... I was thinking-"

"Wait," he said, interrupting me, stopping in his tracks. I halted, and turned back around to face him. "So you want to keep your maiden name?"

"Well, I was thinking that I could just add your last name to my own," I told him. "You know, hyphenate it."

He pursed his lips, and then shrugged. "Well, I suppose that's fine. Our kids will carry on the Rosso name that way... You know, I don't mind if you keep your maiden name. You don't have to hyphenate mine onto yours."

I smiled up at him. "But I want to. So I will."

...

After the rest of the paperwork was done, we were free to go off and enjoy the rest of the day. I felt light as a feather leaving the court. I felt like skipping around like a schoolgirl. I hadn't been this happy in ages, if ever.

Rubin and I were married.

First, we went to a jewelry store and bought a ring for Rubin, and then we set off to have fun, our hands entwined. No one could recognize us, and hopefully it would stay that way for the rest of the day. We were free to do whatever we wanted. We could act like the teenagers we were, though we were also legal adults. I was giddy with the joy and love I felt for Rubin... my husband.

"So what do you want to do?" he asked me as we started walking down the sidewalk along the street.

"I don't know," I confessed, looking around.

"Why don't we go see a musical first?" he suggested, and I looked back up at him. "There's a really good one Cerise told me about, the one she and Shirou went to see the other day. It's a romantic comedy, I believe."

"Oh yeah!" I exclaimed, remembering my sister mentioning it to me. "That's a good idea. Let's go see it!"

And so we did. That was probably the most I had laughed in one sitting for a very long time. The musical reminded me of the time when Rubin and I had first started dating, back when we were still a little awkward around each other. And when Rubin was innocent and Goldy acted more perverted.

"What are you talking about, Gold?" Rubin was asking our smirking friend as I walked into one of the rooms in the Mount Silver base with Sapph.

"You have got to be kidding me!" Gold exclaimed incredulously, giving him a look. "How are you male?"

"What's going on?" I asked slowly and suspiciously, and the two boys looked over at us.

"Are you trying to corrupt my brother, you perv?" Sapph shrieked, her hands clenching into fists.

Gold smirked devilishly at her, and then crossed his arms over his chest. "I am merely trying to educate him in the fine arts of-"

"PERVERT!" she screamed, before storming up to him and punching him, proceeding to beat him up like she always did.

Since our relationship was so young, I was horrified by what Gold was trying to do. I was frozen on the spot, my eyes wide with horror and my face hot as hell. I could barely breathe. I couldn't believe what Gold had been trying to do.

"Topaz? Are you okay?" Rubin was standing in front of me now, a concerned look on his face, still not realizing what our friend was talking about.

I started a little, but then nodded, unable to find my voice.

"I'm still confused," he noted, scratching his chin. "Maybe you know what Gold's talking about. Can I tell-"

"NO!" I exclaimed hastily, raising my hand. "I mean, no... Just drop it, okay?"

He looked down at me, confusion still swimming in his eyes. "Oh, all right. Hey, there's some pudding I made earlier this morning! Let's go have some."

And he proceeded to drag me off.

"Dear Arceus," Rubin said after I recanted the story to him as we left the theater. "I was so girly back then."

I couldn't help but laugh, and gave his hand a quick squeeze. "You were cute."

"Humph," he snorted, rolling his eyes. "If you say so. But, Arceus, Gold was pretty bad back then. We'd only been together for three weeks, right?"

I nodded, tucking a stray strand of hair behind my ear. "Yeah, but I can't believe you didn't know whatever he was telling you."

"...I had a sheltered childhood, okay?"

I laughed, and squeezed his hand again. "That's a good thing, though. You had a innocent mind, and that's pretty hard to find nowadays."

"True," he agreed, nodding. "But my innocence has degraded. I don't know who to blame. Gold or growing up. Or both."

I laughed again, and poked him in the ribs. "Hey, it's okay now. We're married."

"Mmhm..." He looked around for a moment, and then back down at me. "Come on, let's go to the amusement park!"

He proceeded to drag me along, and then we approached the amusement park. Luckily there was no line or anything like that, so we could walk right in. But once we were inside, it was obvious it was bustling with activity, which was typical for summer. Though technically it wasn't summer until the twenty-first. We walked along, looking around, trying to find something to do. We passed a man who was giving away prizes to people who could solve his riddles correctly. A fairly large crowd was gathered.

"Oh, look what we have here!" he exclaimed as we were trying to pass. "Young love! Come on over, I have just the riddle for you!"

We froze right on the spot, knowing he was talking to us. We exchanged glances for a second, and then turned back around to walk over to the man. It wasn't like we had any other choice, not with so many people around. This was so embarrassing.

"So, kids, what're your names?" the man asked us, giving us a reassuring smile as he put on the show.

"Rubin."

"Topaz."

The man started, obviously surprised. We didn't even say our full names. "Oh! I knew you were familiar! What do you know, folks? We've got two rebels from the Resistance right here in Nimbasa! Not just any rebels either, two of the leaders! Give them a round of applause!"

The crowd erupted into applause, and I felt my face flush with embarrassment. Rubin rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. Was this really necessary? Yeah, we were some of the leaders of the Resistance, but still.

"So, Rubin, Topaz, how long have you been together?" he asked us.

"Two years," Rubin answered.

Well, two years if you ignored the month we were apart. Man, that had been awful. I had no idea how I had managed to get through that alone. I couldn't imagine life without him now.

The man's eyes grew wide with surprise. "Wow! That's really quite a long time for young people your age!" he exclaimed. "I'm really impressed. What has kept you together?"

Well, I supposed we owed them a answer. And, well, the world could always use a new point of view.

"There are a lot of things," I said. "We love each other. We go way back. We're in a war, so we take everything seriously. Especially since anyone could die any day."

He nodded, taking in my words. "I see, I see. Hm... Oh, what's that, little girl in the front? Oh! It's Topaz's birthday today! So that's why you're down here!"

I let out an embarrassed laugh, and Rubin gave my hand a squeeze. "Yeah, it is."

"Well, then, happy birthday, General Rosso!" he said, turning around to take a giant stuffed Pikachu off the shelf behind him that held prizes. "Take this! It's on the house!"

"Thank you," I said, taking the giant plushie that was probably twice the size of Raiden, smiling.

"No, no, thank you! It's only because of you that the Empire will be defeated and humans and Pokemon will be united everywhere once again!"

...

"Mmm, this funnel cake is the best," I said as I swallowed a bite of the treat.

He looked up at me, and flashed me a wonderful smile. I couldn't help but smile back. But then he picked up his napkin, and reached across the table to wipe something off the corner of my mouth. I frowned.

"Icing," he told me.

I laughed. "Thanks."

He cracked me another smile. "Mmhm."

I leaned back in my chair, and spread out my skirt. I looked back up at him. "Hey, remember that time we sneaked into the cake shop back in Twinleaf when we were down there?"

"Oh, how could I forget?" he said with a laugh.

We had sneaked out to go on a date, to get away from everyone else. It was risky, considering that almost everyone in town knew who we were and would easily recognize us. We didn't want to draw attention to ourselves—which ended up happening anyway.

The cake shop had been our favorite place to hang out back in the day—Rubin, Jade, Plato, Viola, and me. It had been great. We'd eat and talk and have a fun time. Back in the day when we had no worries, when we could act like kids, and didn't know the truth.

We had an old friend there, the daughter of the baker who owned and ran the shop. I never really mentioned her much because her parents were very strict, she didn't seem interested in Pokemon like my other friends, and I only saw her at school and at the cake shop. Her name was Sarah.

Anyways, Rubin and I went to the cake shop for old times sake. Raiden was perched on my shoulder, as usual. When we stepped inside, we were met by a melody of aromas from all the baked goods. I loved cake.

"Welcome to—oh my Arceus!"

"Hey Sarah," Rubin greeted her with a friendly wave. "Long time no see!"

She hadn't changed much—same sandy brown hair and brown eyes. Her hairstyle was still twin braids. We, on the other hand, had changed so much it was insane.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, still shocked.

"To get cake, of course," I said with my own friendly smile. "And to see you."

She eyed Raiden on my shoulder. He was sniffing the air.

"If my father sees..."

"Don't worry about it," I told her. "He can't kick us out if we have a Pokemon anymore. Twinleaf follows the Resistance's rules now."

Sarah came out from behind the counter, and walked up to us. She fidgeted, looking a little nervous. "I was so worried about you guys, especially when you were on the news. Then the bombing..."

"It was too dangerous to contact anyone," Rubin said apologetically. "We're sorry."

"It's okay-"

Suddenly, Raiden leaped off my shoulder, and I turned around to see what he was doing. And right as I turned, he landed on a fancy, expensive looking cake. Icing flung everywhere, and I was covered in the white stuff.

"Raiden!" I exclaimed angrily.

His head popped of the hole in the cake, chewing on a piece of the dessert, icing stuck to him as well. I glared at him, my hands clenched into fists. I couldn't believe he just did that.

Rubin took out his handkerchief and began to dab at my face. "You got some on your face."

"I know," I said stiffly.

He laughed, and kissed me on the cheek. When he pulled back, I saw that his nose and mouth were covered in icing. I glanced over at Sarah to see her staring at us, a shocked look on her face.

"You're... together?" she asked slowly.

"Yep!" Rubin said cheerily. "For a while now."

"Wow," she said, sounding surprised. "That's great!"

"I wonder how Sarah is doing," I mused, breaking off another piece of funnel cake with my fork.

"Hopefully she graduated," he said, doing the same thing as I was, but on his last bite.

Graduation. That all seemed so far away, so useless to me now. But I had been worried about that just three years ago. That had been my main concern in life. But now it just seemed stupid and silly. My education was useless.

"Hurry up, love," he said to me. "We still have a lot to do."

...

Last, but not least, was the Ferris wheel. There was a relatively long line to wait in, but we managed to get on in twenty minutes or so. Rubin took my hand back once we were situated in the car. I leaned up against him, and rested my head on his shoulder.

I was so happy here, just being with him like this. I didn't want it to end.

"Hey," Rubin said, and I looked up at him. "Do you remember when we got back together?"

"How could I not?" I asked with a laugh. "That was one of the best days of my life."

He smiled, and leaned down to kiss me. I reached up to meet him, and pressed my lips to his. It was simple, but sweet. And then I found myself giggling through the kiss.

He pulled back, raising an eyebrow, though keeping our faces close. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing," I got out through my giggling. "I'm just so happy."

He pulled further away, scooting a bit away from me, which confused me. But then a mischievous grin formed on his lips.

"Then I'll give you a reason to laugh," he said devilishly, his eyes twinkling impishly.

"What-" I began.

He grabbed at my sides, making me yelp in surprise, and then he started tickling me. And, well, I was ticklish there. I couldn't hold back my laughter, though I did try at first. I futilely tried to push him away, but I was laughing so hard I could barely put forth any effort. I got to the point where I was crying and could barely breathe.

"Stop," I choked out through my laughter. "Stop, you're killing me!"

He finally let me go, giving me a wicked grin, and I leaned back, panting, and wiped my eyes. Oh my Arceus. I looked up at him.

"Don't... do that," I breathed, trying to sound angry, but utterly failing.

He laughed at me. "Sorry, love. No can do."

...

It was evening, which meant it was time for my party. I decided to stay in my dress since Jade hadn't seen me in it yet, and I didn't want her to be mad at me. We all gathered in the main lounge on the first floor. Shirou had come as well, dragging Alan and Kate with him. Aqua, Hyacinth, and Cade were playing on the floor.

As soon as I stepped inside, there was a loud squeal, and the next thing I knew I was being squeezed to death by my good friend Jade. All the breath rushed out of my lungs.

"Oh my gosh! You look so pretty!" she gushed, pushing me back by my shoulders so she could get a better look at me. "It fits you perfectly!"

I blushed. "Thanks."

"Told you so!" Cerise appeared, and Jade let me go so my sister could give me another hug.

"Why are there guitars, drums, a keyboard, and a microphone and stand up there?" Rubin asked as he stepped up to us, pointing to the far right wall.

I looked over to where he was pointing. He was right. There was drum set, two electric guitars—one I recognized as Shirou's—a bass guitar, a keyboard, and a microphone stand with a mike attached. What were they for?

Cerise giggled, and winked at us. "It's a secret."

"Of course it is," Rubin deadpanned.

I looked around, seeing that everyone was here but two people. Just like the Valentine's Day party that they screwed up. Oh my Arceus, it didn't happen again, did it? Those two seriously needed to get their act together.

Moments later, Gold and Sapph walked in. They looked calm and perfectly fine, but still I felt a little suspicious. Gold spotted us, and a wicked grin came across his face. He grabbed Sapph's hand and pulled her towards where Rubin and I stood, and then let her go once they reached us. Jade and Cerise moved away.

"Happy birthday, T!" Goldy declared before squeezing me in yet another hug.

I let out a light laugh, and hugged him back, feeling dwarfed for a moment until he let me go. Man, I really wish everyone wasn't so tall.

"Thanks, Goldy," I said, giving him a smile.

Sapph snorted, and crossed her arms over her chest. "Yeah, happy birthday, Topaz."

"Thanks, Sapph," I said, taking note of her sour demeanor. Was something wrong? Hmm... Come to think of it, Sapph had been sour lately.

Fiori and Jasper left for a moment, and then they came back with all the food they had made for the party. We gathered on the couches to feast. We had a gourmet pizza, and then it was time for the cake—it was my favorite kind, marble, decked out with fancy vanilla icing and eighteen candles. It was a work of art in itself, just like last year.

"Hold up!" Gold exclaimed, raising his hand. "The birthday song needs music! C'mon, guys!"

So he dragged Am, Fiori, and Shirou up there with him. Goldy went to the drums. Shirou took up his guitar, while Am picked up the bass. Fiori sat down behind the keyboard. What was this?

"It's Goldy's idea," Cerise explained, seeing my confused expression. "He always wanted to form a band and name it Judgement. So he got everyone who knows how to play an instrument to work with him!"

I was surprised. I hadn't known the Kimus could play instruments. I looked back at my sister. "But who's singing?"

She blushed. "I am! I'm an alto..."

I was impressed. "Wow, Cer! That's awesome!"

She turned even redder. "Thanks."

"All right, everyone!" Gold exclaimed from behind the drums. "On a count to three! One! Two! Three!"

I was amazed.

Everyone sang Happy Birthday as they played. They sounded good. Who knew Am could play bass, or Fiori could play piano? Gold and the drums wasn't that surprising. The babies even stopped playing to listen, and Aqua started to squeal, like she was trying to sing along. When it was over, I couldn't find my voice.

"Well?" Gold asked with a grin. "What do ya think?"

"You're... This is... It's... Ah, nevermind!"

Everyone laughed.

"She loves it," Rubin said with a chuckle, giving me an amused look.

Gold grinned wider. "This always was my dream. And I was trying to think of what to give you. Something special, something you'd actually like. And I thought of this!"

"And he asked Shiu and me to help him!" Cerise said, her eyes bright. "Then Fiori volunteered to help, and Am eventually agreed after Diamonda said it was a good idea."

"Thanks guys," I said, looking at all of them. "This means a lot to me. It really does."

"Most memorable birthday present?" Gold asked med.

"Definitely," I said before letting out a laugh. "Though last year's is pretty hard to forget."

Gold started laughing again, and everyone else who knew either snickered or facepalmed.

"What did he give you last year?" Cerise asked, turning to me with a confused look on her face.

"Oh dear Arceus," Rubin groaned, rubbing his forehead. "Do not talk about that."

"Ahahaha," I laughed, sweatdropping. "I'd prefer not to say."

"Baha, that was one of my best!" Gold exclaimed with a snicker. "You know, I could always get you more if you want."

Rubin rubbed his eyes, and I blushed a little, thinking of how ironic this conversation was considering what Rubin and I were planning on doing later tonight.

"No thanks," I told him. "Maybe later."

Jade gasped, covering her hand with her mouth, and Viola gave me a sharp look. Rubin facepalmed again, and I could tell he really wanted this to end. Everyone else was shocked by my statement.

"What?" I asked defensively. "We're... getting married."

Cue more gasps and squeals, and then, once again, I was being squeezed to death by my friends.

"Oh my Arceus, why didn't you tell me?"

"We have to start planning right now!"

"You're going to have amazing babies!"

"Whoa whoa whoa," said Rubin. "Back off, you're suffocating her!"

I gasped for air once Cerise and Jade released me. I almost regretted telling them that little lie, that we were already married. But I wanted them to know at least that much. It would be cruel to keep the total truth from them.

Goldy wooted. "Yeaaah! 'Bout time, I was wondering what was taking you so long! Heh. This is great!"

I smiled at them. "Thanks. ...Can we have the cake now?"

"Oh, yeah!"

So we feasted on the cake, and chatted, and then it was time for the presents.

"My present first!" Goldy declared, hopping up from his seat. "Judgement assemble!"

But Gold stayed with us while the others got ready. A mischievous grin formed on his face. Oh no, he was up to something. He smirked playfully at Rubin and me.

"You know what would be the best present you could give to Topaz, Rubes?" he asked, still smirking.

"What?" Rubin asked suspiciously, raising an eyebrow.

He crossed his arms over his chest. "You should have sex!"

Wait, what?

Now that caught everyone's attention, especially Crimson's, and he had been pretty calm so far today. I didn't want to ruin the peace.

"I mean, you're both legal now, you're engaged, it's T's birthday," he continued. "Perfect scenario! I've got protection locked up in the infirmary for some people not to be stupid." Something told me that was directed at someone. "Bro, you can't tell me you don't want to."

Rubin and I were frozen, mainly since that was exactly what we were going to do later tonight. How the hell did he know these things?

"Gold," Rubin said, his voice slightly shaky, but icy. "Shut up."

"Dude, seriously, what if you mysteriously die tomorrow? You don't want to die a virgin, do you?"

"Gold. Shut. Up."

He snickered. "Oooh, you want to, don't you? Ahahaha! Do it, bro, it'll be like a rite of passage or something."

I slapped my forehead. "Gold, please-"

"Come on, T, you can't tell me you don't want it," he said to me. "It's not like you'll get knocked up the first time. Are you scared or something?"

"No," I said with a sigh. "But you're being creepy and now Rubin's angry."

"Naw, he's just turned on."

"GOLD KIMU JUNIOR, WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?" Fiori stormed up to him, and smacked him upside his head. "Don't you dare encourage them!"

"But-" he began.

"Just shut up and get your ass over here so we can play!" she snapped, glaring at him. "We're waiting for you!"

She grabbed him by the arm, and dragged him back over to the instruments. Am smacked him upside his head, too. Everyone up there got back into position. Gold led everyone into song. And then Cerise began to sing, her smooth voice good enough to be professional, on the higher end of the alto spectrum.

It fit perfectly together, sounding so amazing. It was catchy, and I found myself swaying to the beat. Then Rubin snagged my hand, and pulled me onto my feet. And then we started to dance. Jade dragged Plato up to join us. I had a blast.

This really was the best day of my life.

...

It was a little past midnight when I got back to my room. I pulled off my sandals, and headed to the bathroom. I brushed my hair and teeth, and put on some of the lotion I had just gotten from Jade. Once I was done with everything in there, I went back out. I fixed the bedsheets and covers, and fluffed up the pillows. I checked the drawer in my nightstand to make sure I still had protection in there.

The door opened, and I turned around. Rubin stepped inside, a bag full of things he would need for the next morning so he wouldn't have to go back to his room.

"Hey," he greeted me, smiling. "Where can I put my things?"

"Bathroom," I told him, sitting down on the bed.

It only took a moment for him to do that. He came back out, and sat down next to me. We sat in silence for a moment. I pursed my lips, and then reached out to poke him playfully in the ribs, before scooting away, down to the pillows. He went after me, and started tickling me again. I swatted at him uselessly, laughing, and trying to push him away. He laughed at me, and then leaned down to kiss me. I laughed through the kiss, and wrapped my arms around his neck.

He pulled me back up so that I was sitting, and pulled me closer, onto his lap, my knees brushing up against his hips. I laughed again as he kissed the tip of my nose, running his hands up my arms to my shoulders.

"I love you," I said, leaning forward to press my forehead to his. "I love you, Rubin."

He started pushing down the straps of my dress, sliding them down my shoulders. "I love you, too, Topaz."

It was time. I was ready. This was right. He was my husband, and I was his wife. We belonged to each other.

He slid the rest of the dress down carefully, moving back to pull it all the way off, leaving me in nothing but my underwear. He pulled me back, kissing me gently, and I moved my hands to start unbuttoning his shirt.

Once all the buttons were undone, I broke the kiss to push it off of him, running my hands up his smooth chest. The scar on his stomach glared up at me, but I ignored it, falling down on my back, pulling him down with me. He kept himself up off of me with his arms.

I reached down to undo his pants, and then he pulled them off, leaving him in nothing but blue boxes. We were close, so close.

He kissed me again, but it was different this time. He put everything into it. It was pure passion, with no restraint at all. There was no more holding back. Every single touch sent shivers through my body, set my skin aflame, and made me want more. I ran my fingers through his hair as I lifted my legs to hook onto his hips.

He kissed my lips, then my jaw, trailed kisses now my neck, to press his lips against my collarbone, and then on my breastbone. He pulled back to look at me, his blue eyes full of an emotion I could not recognize.

"I love you," he told me again, lifting his hand to brush my bangs away from my eyes.

I smiled up at him. "And I love you."

He pressed his lips to mine.

OKAY I AM SERIOUSLY QUESTIONING MY SANITY RIGHT NOW

The lime was really longer, and, er, a bit more detailed, but as I was rereading it from my notebook I was like WHAT THE HELL DID I WRITE IS THIS PUSHING THE RATING LIMIT I DON'T KNOW ANYMORE

I don't think it was, BUT I THINK THIS SHORTER VERSION IS GOOD ENOUGH YAY and I was getting lazy from typing it all out SO HERE YOU GO ENJOY

*cough*

Sooooooo.

Kummern's married! YAY

And this chapter was full of fluff, and probably will be the last fluffy chapter for a while. THE CESSA ARC IS DRAWING NEAR.

As for the next chapter... Unless you've been following my blog, you have NO IDEA ABOUT. And let's keep it that way.

Let's just say the next chapter will leave you stunned and surprised.

BUT YEAH KUMMERN AHAHAHAHAHA

GO AND REVIEW