A/N: Aw, I gotta say. This is my favorite chapter by far. It was fun to make and it was cute to read! :)
I had myself giggling in how happy Haruna and Aido are in here. Please, spread the love!
"Cursed"
"H-... How do I look?" She was afraid to even look in the mirror, terrified of what she might see. Her timid figure turned, vulnerable in the eyes of her soon-to-be husband. He clapped, nodding in approval with a smile. "I thought the groom wasn't supposed to see me wearing this."
Haruna looked down to see nothing but pure white beauty; she looked away, not wanting to see the beautiful wedding dress tainted by her. "I'm an exception to everything." Aido walked around her, already looking forward to their honeymoon. Oh how he was going to enjoy that day~.
"What's funny?" She held her breath, fearing that the dress would tear if she breathed too openly even though it fit her perfectly. Of course it did, Aido had measured her while she was sleeping. He surely couldn't have gotten his measurements wrong, especially the size of her bosoms; he was extra 'careful' when taking notes on them.
He shook his head, "Nothing. It's just that it seems like you glow every time after we sleep together," he held his head high, recalling the previous night. She puffed her face, hoping no one heard. "Won't you look at yourself to see how beautiful you are?"
She shook her head. "Let me help you," he stood on the platform with her, his hands guiding her and turning her to the mirror. "Open your eyes, Haruna." It wasn't a request, rather, a demand. She felt his hands grasp tightly onto her hands, assuring her that there was nothing to fear. "Even if you don't realize it, I'll do whatever I can to make you feel beautiful because that's what you are."
She couldn't lie; his words were almost convincing and sounded so good. It was as though they were standing thousands of feet above earth and he was whispering tempting promises to save her if she were to fall. Her eyes opened.
The simple and strapless gown embraced her body perfectly with its end trailing behind her. The veil on her head was like a silhouetted halo. She had never seen herself looking so elegant. Standing next to Aido looking like they were already getting married, she could already hear the church bells ringing. She felt... ashamed. "Maybe it'd be better to wear a dress with more coverage-"
"What? This is already covering everything from your chest and below - you'll look like my mother walking down the aisle if you wear something up to the neck," he gasped, gagging at the thought.
She laughed solemnly; something like that would be sort of depressing. He asked what was wrong and she didn't really have an answer. "Would it be weird to say that this dress is too good for me?" He instantly answered with a yes and asked why. She twiddled her thumbs, wishing she hadn't said anything. Would he laugh at her reason? "You can see the scars..."
Aido wasn't sure how to react. He hated to see her turn away with an embarrassed face; he wanted to destroy the world for letting his precious girl get hurt. He felt her tense up when he touched her. "I would be lying if I said that they are just remnants from the past. Make-up works magic and it can even make scars look invisible. But, if it still bothers you... We can pick another dress that covers up to the neck; you'll still look like a young bride in my eyes." He smiled, though struggled to hold a composed face. Make-up could hide the scars, but nothing could make them gone forever, including the one on her heart.
Aido panicked when he saw the tears forming in her brown eyes, "I-I'm sorry, did I say something wrong-"
He was stunned when she embraced him on her own free will. "Why are you so good to me? I'm so mean to you and I haven't truly returned the kindness you have given me, yet you treat me with so much love."
"Dumb girl," he held her close to his chest, not wanting to look at her tearful face in fear that he might become too vulnerable to that side of her, "what kind of man would I be if I treat you like trash just because you're a little cruel? And stop saying such nonsense just so that I can say sweet things to you, conceited girl."
He sighed in relief to hear a muffled laugh from her. "Hanabusa... thank you for making me feel beautiful."
"... My pleasure."
Later
"Lavender! There must be lavender flowers everywhere in our wedding!" Aido shouted, already able to smell the enchanting scent in the air. "Ah," he plunged beside Haruna on the bench, admiring the church's stained glass. "What are you thinking about, Mrs. Aido?"
Haruna stared at the huge church, watching the people pray for something good. "Just thinking about how you should stop calling me that. We haven't even wedded yet," she watched him sulk, depressed that the wedding was still about a month away.
"I'm being serious. You've been sighing from here to there; I hope you won't become a runaway bride." She shook her head at his wild imaginations. Though she'd never admit it, she was secretly looking forward to the day as well.
She didn't want to ruin his good mood, "It really is nothing-"
"You're worried about that other girl, right?"
Caught red handed. Was she that easy to read? "I'm flattered to know that you at least do care about me to some extent to become worried, but don't sweat it. It's just a story to cover up the fact that I'm marrying a human - not that I mind marrying you, it's just my father." She smiled, not too ecstatic about hearing her father-in-law's name. "Besides, it's already been a week without hearing news of her. Perhaps father was just trying to stress us out as some sick joke."
Oh, how she wished it was just some sick joke. Seeing Aido so confident with his theory, she nodded. "Right. I'm sorry for over-thinking the situation." He grinned.
"Here, let me help ease your mind." He slapped his hands on her shoulder, turning her attention towards the overall image of the church. "Close your eyes and imagine the sweet scent of lavender." She did as told, but without laughing at little.
"Can you imagine it already Haruna?" He outstretched his arms, "You're swaying gently, eyes locked with mine. You're afraid of the attention, especially from Kaname who will be sitting in the front bench, but you only notice me," she rolled her eyes. "It's as though we're the only people in here. The pianist is playing Canon in D, the sun will complement that look in your eyes, and the doves will sing only for you."
The edges of her lips curved upward, "When you come to my side, I'll pull the veil back and hold your hands," he held onto her hands tightly, "And when the vows are over, I'll..."
Kiss? She opened her eyes to see him an inch away from her face, "I'll make the first attempt, because Haruna is always shy, and," he kissed her, lips tenderly moving against hers, leaving no space for air, "kiss you like this."
He pulled away after giving the simplest peck. He had her wanting more. She watched him grin with satisfaction, "Ahh~ I really can't stand waiting another month. I want to marry you now-"
"You're lovely."
Aido turned to see Haruna quite dazzled by his charms. "I'm... lovely?" She nodded, not denying what she just said. He didn't hear wrong, he knew that. "That's the first compliment you've ever given me." She frowned, suddenly thinking him strange when he was giggling in joy. "I'm lovely... I'm loved... I'm happy."
Later
"Did you know Antarctica is a desert?"
It was obvious that Aido was mind blown from the look on his face. "A genius and yet you don't know this?" Haruna was stunned to see discover this. "It's fine. I have a love for trivia so if we ever get trapped in a box, I can always entertain you."
"In more ways than one- I'm kidding," he laughed, seeing the dark looming shadow hovering her. Aido showed her around town even though she was born there. He wasn't too pleased when she told him that she was practically locked up inside back then, thus he wanted to give her a new life and experience.
"So who is coming to the wedding?"
"Kaname-sama," of course, Aido wouldn't leave him out of the guest list, "and other family relatives. And you're inviting..?"
Haruna became ill with the thought of bringing her family to a place surrounded with vampires. She hadn't even told them yet that her fiance was truly a vampire! "Don't worry. Because the Hunter Association are always cautious, there will be hunters there to see that nothing goes wrong."
She thank him, a little glad to know that he was such a good mind reader. Things were going better than she imagined. Almost a year ago, she was reluctant to marry him on their first meeting and now she felt like she was at her happiest.
"Well... Sit here while I go order something alright?" He seated her down at a local cafe. The instant he let go of her hand, girls came crawling out of the shadows and surrounding him. Haruna laughed, seeing him getting swarmed by a bunch of admirers.
If everyday was as bright as this one, she was sure she wouldn't mind being in love-
"You stupid whore! You thought you could escape?"
Everyone looked towards Haruna when they heard a loud crash; she dropped the glass of water she was drinking. A pounding raced in her heart, hearing that voice... it was as if a switch had clicked on. She stumbled backwards, bumping into people. "Sorry, I..."
She could hear where the voice came from and saw the same man who used to beat her back then, although this time, he was hitting a different woman. "In broad daylight too..." She recognized the woman who was being assaulted. She never spoke to her, but could recall of her as the shyest one in the pack. "Stop..."
The man raised his hand once more to the woman who could do nothing but stare on in fear. No passersby cared to glance for longer than a second, no one wanted to entangle themselves in such a mess.
"Stop!" The barbarian halted as told for he felt a heel smack him right across the face. Like an ogre without a brain, he wailed in pain, stumbling backwards. No one would really understand why Haruna would confront the same man who had once beat and rape her, but she understood how the girl felt - alone.
Who would even care to bat a lash at some disgusting woman - a nobody? "Can't you see you're hurting her! Don't touch her with your filthy hands!" Now people stared. She just didn't get it. When she was in rags, no one cared, but once she was laced in fanciness, people stared as though she was a someone.
She's still the same person, isn't she? "Haruna!" Her eyes finally turned away from the horrid scene when Aido tapped her shoulder. "What did you do-... Did he touch you?" Aido panicked when he saw the guy crouching over, still holding his eye in pain.
Her eyes looked away in guilt, tracing over the homeless girl. "He was hitting her... So I threw my shoe at him and it hit him in the eye."
Aido brushed her reasons aside, throwing his coat over the girl. "Call the ambulance Haruna." While she was doing so, she assumed he was angry. How could he not be? She threw herself at danger and he was clearly worried. "Ha ha... Is that you Haruna?"
She flinched. Aido glared, "Don't talk to her-"
"You're such a doll now... Makes me want to run my hand up your-"
A couple of his teeth scattered across the pavement, pure terror in his eyes at the face of the devil. "Do not look at her, do not speak to her, don't even think about her." Aido kneeled to his level, grabbing him by his bloody jaw and pinching his tongue. "So you tell me... What were you going to say? Try finishing your sentence."
It wasn't a request, it was a dare. Each whimper he made ran the risk of his tongue being completely torn out. "Very well." Ice ran down his tongue, freezing it stiff. Before Haruna could tell him to stop, the man was screaming as his tongue shattered to pieces when Aido kicked him in the face. "Quit wailing you eyesore."
'He's cold...' Haruna followed him behind, unsure if what he did was the right thing. "Are you afraid of me?" She cowered in fear when he looked over his shoulder, gazing at her with those icy eyes. "... I figured."
Haruna blamed herself. Maybe a bright future wasn't possible... 'I'm cursed.'