Hello my dear readers! Finally, this is the finale everyone has been waiting for! Please enjoy!
Also, do listen to Futari Shizuka by Kana Hanazawa and Satoshi Hino as you're reading this chapter! It was a song that pulled me through this chapter and the singer's voices just makes you melt!
Chapter 36
358 days later, 7 days to the wedding
Mikan stared at the pile of documents that were sitting on her desk, if she could burn them with her glare, she would gladly do it, but not having a fire alice, she let out a frustrated sigh.
"Damn this paper work. They just keep on coming and coming. So much for finishing the mountain I had this morning. All I take is one short lunch break and another mountain appears. Can I kill something right now?!"
Swearing colourfully in her mind, Mikan sat in the rigid armchair behind her desk and took up the quill which was sitting in the inkpot. Lifting it up, she scanned through the first document before signing it. Taking another one from a different pile, she flipped the thick document through, editing the new policies if needed be and signed her name on the cover sheet.
After the death of Kunoji, the kingdom of Firenze was in a battered state. A day was issued to the entire kingdom to mourn the death of those who perished under the wrong influences of Kuonji and for those who sacrificed bravely to keep the city intact. On top of that, there were many who were injured as well, causing Misaki-sensei, Subaru Imai and Shiki-san to work round the clock to provide medical aid to them. Mikan's position of crowned-princess to Firenze was announced and celebrated but despite being highly anticipated, the news of the young couple's marriage being postponed was accepted with ease. Many agreed that it was a wise choice as they had to let the wounds of the kingdom heal before moving on into a joyous occasion.
Aoi, with her new alice, created a group which consisted of soldiers who kept the kingdom in check as repairs occurred. Youichi was assigned by his mistress to stay by the girl's side, to guide and to protect her since her brother had to deal with more pressing issues in the kingdom. No one dared to oppose the fire princess and her new bodyguard, as the rumors go; she was stricter with law breakers than her brother ever was and her bodyguard? He showed those who opposed the peace and tranquillity the princess was trying to establish with the sights of hell. Together, they made such a formidable team that unrest was quickly snuffed out along with that, the rumours of a budding romance.
Koko and Sumire returned to their respective kingdoms and within a few months, they held their own wedding. It was said that Koko pestered Sumire every day, for 2 months, in order to get her to agree to the marriage. He would serenade to her, buy her jewellery, paint dozens of portraits of her, attain the highest quality food for her palate, pay for the atrocious amount of gowns that she had made and even parade around town in nothing but his undergarments. However, those things paid off, as Sumire relented, seeing how much he loved her and she, in return.
At the wedding, after the vows had been exchanged, everyone was interested in what finally caused Sumire to agree to the marriage and she blushed 10 shades of red. In a whisper, Koko said, "I had to… get her… 5 of Madam Lerou's special edition designer's lingerie."
The group merely stared in shock, turning their gaze from Koko and then to Sumire, then back to Koko again. Mikan not knowing who the designer was, merely stared at Koko with a puzzled expression and Hotaru merely smirked, while the boys had to try their best to suppress the thought of Sumire in the famous lingerie designer's outfits. Annoyed with the stares, Sumire exploded.
"How was I to know he would go as far as to get them?! It was a joke! But this pea-brain of a lover went all the way to the other end of the world to get them. Seriously, it was a dream since puberty to own them as there were only 5 designs released each year by the woman and out of these 5, she would only create 2 extras sets. Expecting him to return empty handed, I merely scoffed at his attempts, but then he came riding up to the palace gates, waving the 5 lingerie sets around like some kind of flag, declaring that he had finally won the hand of the Catum's princess! How could anyone turn down such a declaration?! It was utterly embarrassing."
The group nodded in agreement. No one wanted their secret fetishes to be exposed to the entire kingdom and Koko used that to his advantage. That boy had no fear within him. Despite it being an unorthodox way of wining someone's hand in marriage, no one could deny the love between the quirky couple. Since Sumire was 3rd in line for the throne of her own kingdom and women were not allowed to succeed the throne, she was given another title, 'Crown Princess of Muni', as Koko was the only male heir.
Shortly after them, Hotaru and Ruka announced their wedding and the couple tied the knot with the declaration that the Kingdom's of Techno and Sol would be combined to form a larger newer Kingdom, Soltech. Luckily for them, the two kingdoms were side by side, so the boundaries never mattered much anyway. Hotaru walked down the aisle doing something she had never done in her entire 18 years of living, she smiled. Even for Mikan who was her best friend, it was the first for her. Ruka beamed with pride as he saw how beautiful his wife-to-be looked in her stunning mermaid styled bridal gown. To top it all off, she was smiling. However, that turned out to be a façade, as when the priest announced, "you may kiss the bride", Hotaru removed a mask only to reveal her usual stoic face. This caused the priest to faint and Ruka to shake his head in defeat. No one could ever make the ice princess smile. However she looked at her best friend and gave a 2 second genuine smile before smiling at Ruka and pulling him downwards, sealing their vow with a kiss.
That was Hotaru Imai for you.
So since then, the two couples had been off on their honeymoons and Mikan was in Nula clearing up the large mess which Luna, Kuonji and Persona had made. Speaking of Persona, he turned sides and helped Mikan build up a newer army. Initially, he was faced with much distrust and hatred from the people, but he held on, convincing people with his indestructible battle techniques and plans. Being placed in the position of general, the young man was ruthless in training, not accepting one wrong movement. Often he would threaten new recruits and those who slacked off with a display of his alice on an unfortunate shrub, and the short threat, "Thank you for signing up for the army. If any of you decide to slack off during training, you have two choice; either die on the battlefield with pride, or under my alice. Your choice." Then stalking off, each year's batch of recruits would shudder in fear while those who had thoughts of relaxing during training quickly slapped themselves sensible. Of course, the seniors who spent the most time with Persona knew that it was a front to get them serious, otherwise many would leave the camp and Nula would have a substandard army.
In between the weddings, Shiki-san, Misaki-sensei, Narumi-sensei and Yura Otanashi and gang tutored her in their respective fields. Shiki mostly taught Mikan to have a greater control over her Alices and tutored her in the different Alice types. Misaki-sensei taught Mikan about the medicinal world and the various plants around Nula which could potentially be used in potions. Off duty, Misaki-sensei would be Mikan's sparring partner, along with Tsubasa. Narumi-sensei advised the girl on diplomatic relations, fashion, mannerism and of course, how to blend with the crowd. Yura Otanashi tutored her in her sixth sense. Even though she could not see the spirits, her intuition was enhanced and she could easily predict someone's next move. Tono and Tsubasa, both took turns in being Mikan's elder brother, fending off potential suitors especially those that she met when trying to improve diplomatic relationships. They always warned her about the old geezers who would stoop to anything in order to wed the new princess.
Time seemed to zoom by as Mikan quickly cut the piles of documents down to half. Deciding to take a break, she got up and stared out of the window which faced the town. She looked down at her hand to see the simple ring that sat atop of her fourth finger. It glittered in the sunlight and her thoughts turned to Natsume.
It's been 100 days since she saw Natsume, yes she did keep track, and now it was only another week before she could see him again. However this time she would be wedded to him. She would not have to endure another separation for her soul mate; she would not have to bear the loneliness that ate away at her heart. Since the last time she saw him, Natsume had promised to take care of all the wedding and living preparations. Even though she very much wanted to be a planner in her own wedding, the amount of work that Nula needed rendered her prisoner to her own study. Sighing once again at the lack of participation in her wedding preparations, she was comforted at the thought that Natsume did send letters over, asking for her opinions, though on trivial matters like "Is chicken or pork better for the main entrée?", "What colour do you want our bedroom to be?", "Roses in red or orange?".
Her train of thoughts were however disrupted by the soft knocking on her study room door.
"Enter." She commanded.
In strode her uncle, Kazumi Yukihira. His light blonde hair covered the piercing blue eyes which scared most people, but to Mikan, this was the eyes which looked after her. It was the eyes which supported her.
"Good afternoon uncle." Mikan sat down behind her desk again and picked up another document to look through.
Kazumi, however was not just merely Mikan's uncle. Coming to a consensus, they both ruled Nula together. Hence even with Mikan's impending marriage, the throne would not be left empty as Kazumi had as much a right to the throne as did Mikan. She overrode the abdication which Kazumi had issued years before she was born and convinced the council that she needed him as a mentor and teacher in the art of ruling.
"Mikan," her uncle walked to the chair that sat in front of her desk and placed his hands on the cold wood, "I'm sorry."
The chestnut brown haired girl looked up from the document she was scrutinizing and placed the quill back in its inkpot. This was the first time her uncle had apologised. After almost a year under the guidance of her guardian, she had never seen the man look so tired.
"Why are you apologising?" Getting up from her seat, she ushered her uncle to the crimson sofa which was in the adjacent room.
"I apologise for leaving you in those 6 years. Apologise for not being able to do anything to prevent your parent's death. I apologise for being such a useless ruler." Kazumi looked down stricken.
Tapping her cheek thoughtfully, Mikan placed her small hands on her uncle's and gave him a smile.
"Don't apologise uncle. I don't deny that those 6 years weren't the best of my life due to the number of deaths that I saw happening, the amount of suffering that occurred. But, if you hadn't come back, I think Nula wouldn't be where it is today. If you hadn't come back, I wouldn't be able to marry Natsume." She blushed upon uttering the last sentence.
Seeing how his niece was trying to cheer him up, he pondered on her words.
It was true that Mikan lacked the experience and wisdom that was required when governing a large population due to her absence in the political scenes. Though Mikan was the heir to the throne and her word was always the final verdict, she was always willing to listen to other opinions during court sessions. Without her insisting to actually visit each and every household in the kingdom, she would have never passed the many laws and bills which would in turn help the people live more comfortably. When he first stepped into Nula, he noted the rundown state of the kingdom, but what shocked him was the amount of food in the palace kitchens and how the palace was kept neat and tidy.
The first step which Mikan did once she was back in her own Kingdom was to order half of the food in the kitchen to be cooked so that she could feed the starving people. Within a month, with the help of Hotaru's inventions, fields which were once barren were now green with the next harvest. She strengthened diplomatic ties by inviting diplomatic guest and trading with them. However, Kazumi had to admit, if it were not for his cool headedness and quick thinking, his blur niece would have traded away more than what the people were capable of producing.
With him around, Mikan managed to spot loopholes in the bills which people in court wanted to pass. He taught Mikan the political language and how to aggressively argue her point without being desperate. He taught Mikan that the government needed to be more than a council of people sitting on chairs, passing laws which benefited them. Not being one for long boring court meetings, Mikan soon saw the importance and somewhat fun in them, once she was able to shut the annoying old councillors who were so set in their ways.
"Another thing uncle," Kazumi snapped out of his trance, "about the wedding…" Mikan muttered silently.
He had a feeling that his niece was having some pre-nuptial jitters; he knew how she felt irresponsible because after a year, she would be leaving the throne under his care. He knew, because his younger brother was in the exact same position as Mikan when he decided to marry Yuka Azumi.
"I know it was selfish of me to promise Natsume, especially in a time like this…"
"No it's not."
Mikan was shocked at her uncle's words. He was the person who taught her the importance of the royal family. Now he was saying that she running off to get married to Natsume and leaving the throne empty was fine?
"You should think of your own happiness. You've been working for the people for the last 6 years and I think you deserve it. I'm sure they would want that too, knowing how much you've already done for them."
Looking fondly at her guardian, Mikan gave him a hug and he told her to take a break while he sorted out the rest of the documents which were sitting on her desk. Getting up from her seat, Mikan bowed to her uncle and left for her room, wanting all but a warm bubble bath but she had other plans.
"Ruka, what do you think?" the crimson eye boy asked his best friend for the millionth time. He had to get this right, for all the things that he had done wrong, this was something he could not afford to be doing wrongly.
"Frankly, it sounds… perfect to me." His blonde hair friend gave him a curt reply.
"That's it?" Perturbed by the short reply, Natsume knew there was something wrong. "Ok tell me what's wrong this time. Is it the bridge? Or is it the ending? Or the whole thing is a wreck?"
"Natsume, if you worry anymore, you'll turn bald and I don't think Mikan wants to be marrying a balding man." The ice queen cold retorted. Sitting with her legs propped up on the table, she was munching on the biscuits that she had bought from her honeymoon.
Apparently once they reached their own palace, they were whisked away again to Firenze to settle the nervous groom.
"Seriously, I think Ruka has memorised the song you've composed and he's been singing it, in HIS SLEEP Hyuuga. Some people would think that after your honeymoon you get some rest, but no, I have to put up with him, humming your little composition. There is nothing wrong, so stop worrying so much! Go focus on some other aspect of your wedding." Hotaru's eyes threatened the stubborn prince, but as she said, he could find no flaws in this composition of his.
It was something he was planning to play, while she walked down the aisle. Not one to conform to traditions, Natsume waved away the idea of string instruments playing some boring song which would put the congregation to sleep before Mikan actually walked down the aisle. So he took matters into his own hands, if Mikan could complete 'Enigma Sonata' for his 18th birthday, he could compose a song for her. It was the perfect plan, but he never knew how hard composing a song on the piano could be.
"Natsume…," his blonde friend broke the tension, "You need a break man. You're doing a dozen things at one go, either composing this song, looking through documents, running around burning suitors that are courting Aoi or riding to and fro from here to the other palace."
Natsume's plan was the get married in the small chapel of the palace which he and Mikan had planned, Mikan on a more subtle note. It was built in between their kingdoms, right smack on the border line. This meant that if they were needed urgently back in their respective Kingdoms, they could ride half a day and reach there. Of course it took lots of convincing on his part to his friends and Mikan's uncle to keep it a secret from her. Building a palace on the border of your kingdom was not the most discreet thing to do. After a year of building and lots of money going into Hotaru's pocket for the supply of the much required machines, the palace was completed, 2 weeks before the wedding date. In the following weeks, Natsume rushed to fill their new home with furniture and what not. Invitations were sent out a month ago and they received an overwhelming response from everyone.
All that was left was the one week before the wedding; the one week which would eat away at his nerves. He was this close to getting married to the woman he loves and that one week seemed like an eternity.
BAKA
A shot fired from Hotaru's baka gun but Natsume's quick reflexes enabled him to doge the rubber bullet and he gave her a glare. Sighing, he got up from the piano chair and stared into the setting sun.
6 more days to go. He needed something to take him off the edge.
The next day, Mikan was sitting at the dining table munching on her cereal absent-mindedly when a high pitched voice rang through the great hall.
"MIKAN HONEY~!"
Mikan jumped at the voice and as the metal spoon clanked on the ground, she looked up only to be engulfed in a tight hug and her mouth filled with green curly hair.
"Did you miss me?" Sumire asked as she took a good look at the brown haired girl.
Spitting out the hair that was threatening to suffocate her, Mikan replied, "Er… I thought you're supposed to be on your honeymoon?" staring at Sumire as if there were horns growing out of her head.
"We were. But we decided to cut it short." Koko replied while taking a piece of toast and chewing it. Once swallowing, he continued, "besides, your wedding is in a week's time and Sumire wanted to help you with the fitting of the bridal gown and…" he raised his eyebrows up and down, "pick out your lingerie for your wedding night."
Sumire just stared at Mikan with big earnest eyes.
"Trust Sumire to want to do something like that."
"Erm… ok? Thanks?" Was all Mikan could say.
"Come now, we have a lot of work to do. We need to find you something that would accentuate your womanly curves for Natsume. We also need to choose the designs and the materials and of course the colours."
The green haired girl then proceeded to drag her all the way to town, giving directions to the dressmaker's shop. Mikan had requested Suni, the seamstress from the bridal selection test, to have the honour of designing her bride gown. Having a thousand other things to worry about, Mikan did not suspect how Sumire knew the directions to the new shop because she did not mention anything about having Suni design her dress; even Hotaru did not know of it.
"We're here!" Sumire jumped about excitedly.
If one did not know who was getting married, one would assume Sumire was having her second marriage ceremony.
Mikan worried about how the dress would turn out since she left Suni and her talented mind to design the dress, specifying only that it had to be a heart shape bodice. Her mind was all over the place; sometimes it was wondering what Natsume was doing, sometimes on the dress, sometimes even on those dreaded paperwork that she had to do once she got back to the palace.
Through the rumbling of her thoughts, Koko, who tagged along for amusement's sake, read the thoughts of his good friend and chuckled silently to himself. Before visiting Mikan, he and Sumire stopped over at Natsume's just to check up on his mate. However, they were faced with a Natsume in a state which they had never seen in before.
He was running all over the place and worrying about things as minute as the colours of the seats which were to be placed in the chapel. For the first time, Sumire and Koko were faced with a Natsume who had lost his cool.
"Jeez, this is what planning a wedding does to a man. Thank the heavens Sumire didn't allow me anywhere near her wedding plans."
The thought of Mikan being all lost in her own upcoming wedding amused Koko because he knew that on the other end, Natsume was going to fry his brains out. Deciding between telling her that Natsume was worrying about more things than her and missed her at the same time played on his mind, but he decided against it as Mikan was snapped out of her thoughts with Sumire pulling her into the humble shop.
"Welcome to Madam Suri's." The workers within the shop greeted cheerfully.
The elder seamstress, upon seeing Mikan, dropped whatever she was doing and came to greet the princess.
"Madam Suri, it's been a while!" Mikan greeted cheerfully, taking the woman's hand and walking into the shop.
Suri patted Mikan's hand and smiled warmly at her, "Mikan-sama, you've arrived just in time! I've finished your gown yesterday and was on my way to send a courier to you, asking for your presence in my humble shop for your fitting."
"Ah, then it's a good thing my dear friend here decided to drag me out. You remember Sumire from the selection test?" Mikan introduced her friend.
"Yes I do, please to meet you Shouda-hime."The seamstress bowed slightly and looked pointedly at Mikan. "Come come, we mustn't waste any more time. Your fitting is of the utmost importance. Oh by the way, thank you for your invitation to the wedding. I am so honoured that you invited me."
The elderly lady led Mikan to a cloth bag which was being hung on its hanger. "Do you want me to open it, or do you want to do the honours?" Suri looked at the young princess.
Taking a deep breath, Mikan prepared herself and told the lady she would do it herself. Walking forward to the bag, Mikan placed her fingers in the zip and drew it downwards. In the simple bag, it revealed the most stunning gown Mikan had seen. It was a heart shaped bodiced which she mentioned and the lower part flared out slightly below the hips. To accentuate Mikan's small endowments, Suri had designed the bodice in a complex design, weaving pearls, beads and diamonds into the flowery design. The hem of the gown had the sakura flower embroided all round, with little pearls for the middle.
"You should try it on. I think you'll like the materials I've chosen." The proud seamstress beamed as she took the dress of its hanger and gently passed it to Mikan.
The first touch of the gown had Mikan surprised, even though the design looked a little stiff since it was interlaced with lace, the material of the gown was as soft as a kitten's breath. Walking into the dressing room, Sumire closed the door behind her and helped Mikan in to the dress. Lacing the back which was made of satin, Sumire tucked the loose ends into the bodice and ensured that the dress fit snugly onto Mikan's petite frame.
Koko, who was happening to be looking around the shop, saw Mikan as she exited from the changing room. His eyes bulged as he saw Mikan in her gown; she was absolutely beautiful. Not only did she look stunning in the gown, she was radiating and she looked like a woman, rather than the girl he always had in his head.
"Damn… Natsume, you are one lucky bloke."
Twirling in her dress, Mikan asked for Koko's opinion and he gave her two thumbs up. The other seamstress' in the shop stopped their work and complimented on Mikan's appearance. Looking into the full length mirror, Mikan saw how beautiful she was in the gown which was created by Suri. Turning to the seamstress, she gave her a hug and thanked her profusely. Suri smiled at the girl whom she has adopted as daughter and started altering so that the dress would fit the girl like a glove on her wedding day. Promising to deliver the dress the day before the wedding, Mikan paid Suri despite much protest and was dragged off by Sumire for the second part of their outing, lingerie shopping.
"This should be fun." Mikan thought.
364 days late, 1 day to the wedding
"Our wedding is tomorrow."
"The wedding is tomorrow."
"Dammit I need to be sleeping now."
"Sighs, I can't seem to fall asleep."
"Maybe I should look through the plans again."
"I should really be checking to see if all the documents have been signed."
"Geez this is ridiculous! Is this what they call pre-nuptial jitters? Wait, why am I having them?!"
"Wonder if Natsume is already sleeping…"
"Oh that's right, I finally get to marry the woman who was supposed to be dead then she goes prancing up to me 6 years later and tomorrow, she's going to be pronounced my wife."
"He's been so busy with the preparations. If Ruka didn't send that letter, I would be left clueless about the wedding location until I exited the carriage. Wonder if Natsume knows I know."
"Come to think of it… Ruka said he was going to send a letter to her, knowing him, he probably told her that we're getting married in the palace I was building. Tch, must have been blackmailed by that ice queen."
"I miss Hotaru, I really need to talk to someone right now. My feelings are all over the place! Despite my uncle's reassuring, I still feel guilty. Maybe I should sneak into her room now…"
"Wonder if Mikan is asleep now… She should be, since tomorrow is the big day and we'll be up all day running around, greeting people."
"Ok I think I'd better not. Don't want to get three lumps on my face before the wedding by that stupid Baka gun of hers."
"Wedding…"
"Wedding…"
Then the thought hit the both of them of the same time.
"After the wedding…"
"At night…"
"Hm… this will be interesting."
"No one ever talks about what happens on the night of their wedding…"
"Tch, Ruka just blushed like some tomato and refused to say anything and that damn Koko, couldn't wait for that question to be popped. If I didn't burn that sorry ass that he had, he'd be going into details about his and Sumire's romp."
"Wondering if that's a good reason to go wake Hotaru. She just smirked evilly at me when I asked her and Sumire just said 'you'll know when it comes, little girl'."
"Finally I can see Mikan in… rather without…"
"RAH! I can't take this anticipation! What happens?!"
"Hm… sleep should come easily now. Sighs, a few more hours. Good night world."
"Forget it, I'm going to sleep before I get some dark rings under my eyes. In a few more hours… night world, singlehood, my innocence."
365 days later, the wedding
"SUMIRE! If you stop screeching like a manic and help me contain this problem we will be able to proceed on time. Chill that frizzy brain of yours." Hotaru icily told the green haired princess who was fretting over the fact that Mikan's eyes are slightly swollen due to the lack of sleep.
Sumire ignored Hotaru's comments and continued on her lecture, "HOW COULD YOU NOT SLEEP?! You had strict orders to be asleep! We even put you to bed at 9pm!"
Mikan just laughed nervously and looked at her two best friends, "you know… it's not easy to go to sleep if you're going to get married to the man you love and waited for for 6 years."
"STILL?!"
BAKA BAKA BAKA
Blowing the smoke from the nozzle of her baka gun, Hotaru twirled it a few times before returning it to the holster attached to her thigh beneath her bridesmaid's dress.
"Finally silence. Where's Misaki-senpai and the ice I told her to go get?" The amethyst princess stared at the door, ignoring the protest erupting from Sumire's mouth.
There was a quiet knock and Misaki-senpai entered; she and her full 8 months.
"Gomen gomen, it's a little hard to walk around with this bulge in front of me…" Misaki laughed and patted her full blown tummy. Tsubasa then waltz in behind her and thrust the small cup of ice into Hotaru's hands.
"Sheesh Hotaru-hime… can you leave my poor wife alone? You know she could easily loose that life growing within her." Tsubasa tried reasoning with the stoic girl.
"Andou, if I hear another squeak from you, the Baka gun would be aimed straight for your unborn child. Now get out of here and attend to Natsume who is probably chewing up my husband."
Leaving the room with a frustrated groan, Tsubasa closed the door and walked to the other wing of the newly built castle. He must say, he was impressed with the design upon arriving here in the morning. Not only was it built with taste, it encompassed some very cheerful colours, something Tsubasa never knew Natsume was capable of choosing.
Grabbing the ice with new found revenge, Sumire began rubbing them over Mikan's eyes, ignoring the bride-to-be's protest of the cold. Misaki immediately returned to the half-done hairdo which she was doing before Hotaru asked her to get some ice. Before long, her legs began to ache. Her child was really giving her a lot of problems she never knew existed. If she could, Misaki would have used her Alice to speed up the preparations but Hotaru commented that a room filled with a dozen pregnant women would just be a hindrance. However, as Misaki reached down to massage her aching legs, a very comfortable chair was shoved under her.
"Sit." Hotaru commanded.
Misaki sat, wondering how she was going to reach the top of Mikan's head now that she was lowered but Hotaru placed a helmet over her head.
"If you want to go up, the chair will read your thoughts and it will move up. It can move in any direction so don't strain that body of yours and let's get Mikan all dolled up. We have an hour, let's move it people."
Smiling to the still stoic princess, Misaki continued with Mikan's elaborate hairdo while Sumire started applying her make up.
"Mikan-chan, you'll be looking like an angel today."
Over on the other wing…
Natsume fumbled irritably with the piece of cloth which people call a bowtie.
"Why do men have to wear such a stupid piece of cloth round their necks?! If they really wanted something, I'm going to change this fashion so that they walk around with a noose rather than this cloth!"
"Now now Natsume… violent tendencies will not be tolerated before the wedding. Please hold all of that for the bedroom." Koko smirked at the raven haired prince.
"Koko…" Ruka tried feebly to defuse the situation, "don't agitate Natsume anymore. He's already nervous as you can see."
"I don't have to see it to know it Ruka, his mind is plague with so many thoughts that my opinion of him is decreasing by the second! Who knew that the great Natsume Hyuuga could be scared."
THWACK!
Tsubasa entered the room and hit Koko in the head with the scores that Natsume asked him to pick up.
"You know, hitting a prince is an offense punishable by death Andou," Koko glared at the bodyguard, "but I have other ways of torturing you. So Misaki-senpai made you sleep on the floor because you wouldn't let her eat ice cream to soothe her cravings. Poor you, you must be aching."
"KOKO! SHUT UP!" The three men in the room turned and yelled at him.
"All right all right, no need to gang up on me. Just tell me nicely, now here, let me help you with that Natsume, before you really go strangle yourself." Koko walked up to Natsume before attempting to make the cloth look like a bowtie. Never having actually done it before, he actually tied it too tight, so focused on getting it correct that he forgot that Natsume was turning blue in front of him.
"KOKO! UNHAND HIM NOW!" A high pitched shout erupted in the room.
Koko jumped back in shock and saw Aoi standing in the room with Youichi behind her.
"Everyone out out out! The wedding is going to commence in another 10 minutes! Get your butts out to the chapel before I burn you all here myself. Youichi, make sure dear Yome-san here doesn't try anything funky on Onii-san and Mikan-chan's wedding day. You have permission to send him to hell if he does."
The yapping prince shut his mouth, truly afraid of the fire princess, he followed the rest out of the room.
Hearing the door click shut, Aoi walked to her brother who was staring back at the full length mirror fumbling with his necktie.
"Let me." Brushing her brother's large hands away from his neck, she expertly twisted and turned that the bow was done.
"Thanks Aoi." Natsume's crimson eyes looked at the image staring back at him. He was decked out in a full white suit, something very different from the traditional black suit. His hair was slicked back but a few stands had already come loose due to him running his hands through them for the umpteen time.
"Don't worry onii-san, everything will go according to plan. Sumire and the rest are putting the final touches on Mikan and she'll be there in 5 minutes. You should head over to the chapel soon since you're playing the song that Mikan will be walking in with." His younger sister had this strange ability to calm people down. Looking down at her, he gave her a hug.
"I'm sorry for all the nasty things that I said and did to you in those 6 years where Mikan was gone Aoi. I shouldn't have taken out my anger on you, I'm really sorry. Despite all that, you stuck by my side and here you are, helping me in ways only you can."
Aoi smiled at her brother who had grown so much in the last year. Having her alice back was one thing to be happy about, but having a brother who was going to leave her was another.
"Will she be a runaway bride Aoi?" Natsume broke the silence with his question.
Looking at her brother with amusement in her eyes, she laughed and hit him in the arm, "I don't know who's more worried about who's going to run away. She will be there nii-chan, walking down the aisle, holding that bouquet of flowers which you had painstakingly chosen. She will be standing beside you as you both recite your vows, and she will always be there beside you, even when you grow old, have no teeth and are bald."
"Oi…"
"She loves you nii-chan, and you love her as well. You two have anticipated this day for so long, so just enjoy it. Besides, you only get married once right?" Aoi smiled and took her brother's hands, leading him to the door.
"Thank you." Natsume whispered before kissing his sister on her forehead.
"You're welcome onii-chan. Now let's go before Mikan's fear of you being a runaway groom becomes real."
It was finally the wedding.
Seeing Hotaru giving him a nod, Natsume got up from the white piano chair and addressed the congregation.
"Thank you all for coming today. We are about to begin now, this is the song that I composed for my wife to be, 'Ange Sourire', or in other words, 'Angel's Smile'.
Natume walked back to the white grand piano, sat down and took in a deep breath before placing his hands on the white ivory keys. Gently transfering the weights to his fingers, he began playing the song which he had composed for his soul mate. Walking down the aisle first was 5 year old Kira whom Natsume had personally asked to be the flower girl. She was accompanied by 5 year old Len who was trying to act all tough as Kira was littering the ground with red rose petals. The congregation cooed at the cute couple as they walked down the aisle. Next was Sumire dressed in a tube top rose pink gown that flowed to the ground, escorted by Koko who just smirked at him in a respectful way.
Following them were Kora and Lin who were dressed in a matching bright yellow gown and suit. Kora was gently throwing yellow rose petals on the ground while Lin grasped the ceremonial sword hanging off his 11 year old frame. Hotaru and Ruka, both in similar rose pink gown and suit, entered the small chapel next and this garnered some excitement from his fan club as Ruka waved. However, upon seeing Hotaru reaching for her thigh, the girls zip their mouth as they saw the outline of her Baka gun.
"Tch, ice princess is actually jealous of Ruka's fan girls."
Shortly after, 13 year old twins Hena and Nani dressed in orange gown and suit entered the chapel which was buzzing with excitement. Gently flicking the white rose petals along with the music Natsume was playing, the twins turned the walk down the aisle into a mini performance. Smiling at the success of his planning, Natsume reached the climax of the song.
This is where Mikan was to walk in.
All eyes turned to the look at the white arches and there stood Mikan in her glorious wedding gown. Having heard the song which was playing before she walked out, her heart swelled with joy somehow. Natsume did tell her that he was composing something for her, but she never expected it to be so beautiful. Taking a deep breathe, she took her place, standing to the left of her uncle, then grabbing his arm to stable herself as she was not used to walking in front of so many people. Her uncle patted her hand reassuringly before taking a step out onto the rose laid carpet.
Mikan saw how Natsume looked at her, as if he was in shock. Blushing consciously, she tried concentrating on her feet so that they would not tangle up with the long gown. She noted how dashing he looked with his hair swept back, unlike his usual mess. The white suit made his piercing red eyes stand out even more as they bore into her. It was perfect, everything was perfect.
Natsume's breath caught in his throat as he saw how angelic Mikan looked in her wedding gown. Despite the lace veil, he could see how Misaki-senpai had incorporated small white flowers and pearls into her chestnut locks. All of Mikan's hair was swept back into a simple yet elaborate bun and held together on top by the veil. On her forehead hung the crown which his mother had passed down to her and the tiny jewels reflected the sun's rays. The gown fitted her like a glove and the intricate designs made the various ladies in court swoon and fawn over the workmanship. Not only did the gown make Mikan look even more beautiful, it somehow made Mikan look as if she was radiating. Had Natsume not practiced the song numerous times, the song would have just stopped there, but his fingers remembered their motion and he continued playing until she just reached the altar.
Getting up from his seat, Natsume walked over to Kazumi Yukihira and he handed Mikan over to Natsume.
"She's in your hands now. Take good care of her." Kazumi said his blessings and walked to his seat.
From beneath the veil, Natsume could see Mikan blushing and he helped her up the last few steps so they could stand in front of the priest.
"We have come here today to witness this joyous occasion where Natsume Hyuuga of the Firenze Kingdom is wedded to Mikan Yukihira of the Nula Kingdom. God has created the both of you and placed you in your specific roles to carry out his work, but he also created the both of you so that you may find, love and cherish each other. Do not forget your duties that you have to your respective kingdoms, but above all, do not forget this day in which you two are bound in holy matrimony. Bring out the rings." The priest preached and ordered the ring bearer to bring forth the rings.
Blessing them, he looked to Natsume and nodded.
"I, Natsume Hyuuga, crown prince of Firenze, give you, Mikan Yukihira, crown princess of Firenze and Nula, this ring as a symbol of my eternal love and everlasting vow." Natsume slipped the delicate gold ring onto Mikan's fourth finger. "From this day onwards, I promise to look after you in sickness and in health, for richer or for poor, in good times and in bad, till the day I breathe my last. To you I pledge my faithfulness."
The priest then looked at Mikan and nooded.
"I, Mikan Yukihira, crown princess of Firenze and Nula, give you, Natsume Hyuuga, crown prince of Firenze, this ring as a symbol of my eternal love and everlasting vow." Mikan slipped the broader gold ring onto Natsume's fourth finger. "From this day onwards, I promise to look after you in sickness and in health, for richer or for poor, in good times and in bad, till the day I breathe my last. To you I pledge my faithfulness."
Looking up into Natsume eyes, she saw how much he loved her and she smiled warmly at him while gently gripping his hands.
"If anyone opposes this marriage, speak now or forever hold your peace."
There was silence and the priest continued, "Do you Natsume Hyuuga take Mikan Yukihira to be your lawful wedded wife?"
Natsume looked at the petite girl and confidently said, "I do."
"Do you Mikan Yukihira take Natsume Hyuuga to be your lawful wedded husband?"
Mikan glanced around the room, smiling at her uncle and her friends before looking back at Natsume, "I do."
"Then in God's name, I pronounce you… Husband and Wife. You may now kiss the bride."
Lifting the thin lace veil over Mikan's head, Natsume took a good look at his wife and felt that he was the luckiest man to be alive. Bending down slightly, he captured Mikan's lips in a sweet and gently kiss.
The whole room erupted into cheers and as soon as the couple broke the kiss, Natsume glanced at Mikan and smirked, and she smirked back as he grabbed her hand and walked out of the chapel towards the small balcony. The congregation had by then, walked out of the chapel and were standing in the courtyard. Leaning out, Mikan thanked her friends and threw the bouquet of flowers only to have it being caught by the 5 year old Len.
The crowd cheered once more and watched as the couple disappear into the palace in order to join them on the ground floor. Music played and surrounded the air, food of the highest quality was being served all round and many people came to pay their respect to the newlyweds.
As soon as the sun began to set, Natsume and Mikan both entered a carriage which would take them to their honeymoon destination. Waving goodbye and thanking their friends and family, they rode off into the horizon and everyone waited for the return of the fated couple.
I know I said this was the last chapter, but I couldn't help writing an epilogue! :) Please R&R