Hey guys! Sorry if I kept you waiting long. But here it is! I hope you enjoy x

EPILOGUE

Eight years later

I took in a huge breath before walking down the aisle. It was finally my turn to walk, and I literally felt like throwing up.

"Don't freaking trip, Mikan," I whispered to myself.

Suddenly I was signaled that I had to walk already, and I took my first step as the church doors opened.

Ruka and Hotaru's wedding was absolutely beautiful. It was a church wedding, which was decorated exquisitely. The flowers used were hyacinths which were Hotaru's favorite flowers, and had the exact color of her eyes. As her maid of honor, I was supposed to walk alone before she did, which would've been fine by me if Ruka and her eloped to Vegas. But I knew she would do the same for me, so I decided to just wing it.

My eyes immediately met his, and everything was perfect. Natsume winked at me, and I did the same. God, he looked so handsome. The tailored suit that he had to wear as best man looked so damn good on him, that I couldn't wait to get it off later. My facial expression must have given that thought too much away, because Natsume smirked at me, as if reading my mind. I rolled my eyes at him but also kept my eyes locked on him the entire time I walked. Finally I reached my spot in front of the bridesmaids, relieved I didn't trip on my dress (which was gorgeous by the way, my best friend sure had impeccable taste; the dress was strapless, and the top part, which reached my waist, was studded with gold sequins, and the bottom was a flowy, cream chiffon skirt that reached the floor).

Ruka grinned at me, but I could tell he was nervous. I winked at him, and noticed that Natsume was still staring at me, probably having the same thoughts I had earlier. As payback, I smirked right back at him.

God, it had been eight years and I was still very much in love with this man. Our relationship over the years hadn't been easy, but we managed to get through it. He was always so patient with me in those moments where I acted like a total idiot. And that made me love him more and more everyday. Now, he was a professional swimming athlete (and had grown quite famous too), and I finally became a licensed counseling psychologist for children and established my own clinic. Looking back, it was crazy to even think I'd come to this point in my life. I learned to finally live without fear, and no regrets. Because seriously, if I could change one thing I've done in the past, I would literally not be where I am right now. I was happy.

I tore my gaze away from Natsume when the band started to play the wedding march. My eyes immediately went to Hotaru, who was now starting to walk down the aisle. She looked absolutely ravishing, that it made me want to cry. Her dress was mermaid-shaped and made out of lace, which fit her perfectly and seemed to hug all her curves. She had on the brightest smile. She simply looked stunning. I know everyone at weddings would always say that the bride was always the most beautiful bride they had ever seen. And I understood it now. Hotaru was indeed the most beautiful bride I've ever seen. It was crazy to think that this point in our lives had come so soon. I literally felt tears sting my eyes, but I blinked them back because I knew Hotaru would kill me if I cried. I promised her I wouldn't, at least until the reception.

I was glad her dad could come, despite the fact that Hotaru's mom still hated his guts. But it made Hotaru happy to have her family complete on her wedding, and that was all it took for her parents to set aside their differences at least for a day. When Mr. Imai handed Hotaru's hand to Ruka, that was when I knew she was in good hands.

Seeing Hotaru this happy really made me want to cry. I guess it's true that weddings do make people emotional. We were all gathered at the reception, and the newlyweds arrived, with Hotaru in her new ensemble: a white cocktail dress, that had a sweetheart neckline, and a tulle high-low skirt. She was grinning widely at everyone, with her hand still locked with Ruka. Seriously, it was just so beautiful.

"Don't tell me you're about to cry again."

I looked up to the handsome voice, and rolled my eyes at him. "For your information, I haven't cried once today."

Natsume chuckled, and handed me a glass of water. "Here, just in case you do."

"How utterly sweet of you," I said, taking the glass.

He kissed the top of my head, and sat down on the chair beside me. "I never did tell you how absolutely stunning you look today."

"I think I got an idea when I walked down that aisle." I winked.

He laughed. "You did great by the way, not falling on your ass and all."

"Ha, ha. Aren't you the comedian."

He moved his chair closer to mine, and suddenly I felt his breath behind me, on the side of neck just below my ear. "But as much as I love that dress on you, I think you would look better without it."

I felt my breath hitch, and goosebumps rise on my skin. His lips started to lightly caress my neck, and I tilted my head a little to give him better access. Oh God, he just knew how to turn me on. And then it suddenly dawned on me that we were at a wedding reception with about a thousand of our relatives.

"Natsume," I muttered.

"Hmmm?" he murmured.

"We're still at the reception."

He sighed, then kissed my cheek. "I know, love. I just can't seem to get enough of you."

"Same here, hot stuff. But seriously my parents are right across us." Thank God they were preoccupied chatting with other guests for the past few minutes. "Let's at least try to behave."

He put his arm around me and kissed the top of my head. "You got it."

Eventually, it was time to give my speech as the maid of honor, and I just knew I was going to get seriously emotional.

"Hey everyone, I'm Mikan, maid-of-honor and best friend of the bride." I winked at Hotaru and she grinned at me. "Now you might think that it's the same old story, two girls attached at the hip ever since they started wearing diapers. Well, it is, but at the same time quite different.

See, when Hotaru and I were eight years old, we made this pact that we wouldn't fall in love with boys. But of course we all know how that turned out." I earned a laugh from the audience. "Besides that, Hotaru and I have been through a lot over the past years. No friendship is perfect, and we've both made a lot of mistakes. But mostly me, because well, this is Hotaru we're talking about." Another laugh from the audience, and I grinned at Hotaru who I could tell was already close to tears.

"A good example of that would be years ago when my brother Tsubasa died. That was the most difficult time of my life and even if it's been ten years, I still miss him. We all do. But during that time I was a wreck, my family was a wreck, and we left home. So because of that I basically isolated myself from the world, but when I came back here, Hotaru was still there for me. Of course, she was pissed as hell at me, but then she never gave up. And neither did I. And that's all there is to a friendship, or any relationship, really. It's always being there for each other and not giving up through hard times. And as cheesy as that sounds, I can guarantee you it's all that matters. So, Hotaru thank for not giving up on me, and for being the sister I wished I could have. Congratulations, I am so incredibly proud of you. I love you." I raised my wine glass for a toast. "A toast, to Hotaru and Ruka. May you never give up on each other."

Glasses started clanking and several "Cheers" erupted throughout the room. I made my way to my newlywed best friend and hugged her tight.

"I kept my promise," I told her with a grin. "No tears."

She rolled her already tear-filed eyes at me. "I'm the bride. I'm supposed to cry, dummy."

"I know. But you can stop now, before I enjoy it too much."

"Oh look at you, being the cocky one. I taught you well."

I hugged her again. "I'm really going to miss you. Both of you."

"Relax, kiddo," Ruka chimed in. "We'll be gone for only a month. But trust me, I don't think you'd be lonely at all. Something tells me it's going to be a busy month ahead." He winked.

Hotaru nudged him on his rib, then Ruka let out an "Oomf." Normally, I would find this suspicious, because these two together keeping a secret was shady as hell, but I decided to let it go, because it was their day anyway.

"What Ruka was saying was," Hotaru said, "you'll hardly know we're gone. I mean you've got Natsume, and the kids at the clinic. You'll be fine."

I gazed at Natsume, who was watching me from time to time whilst mingling with other guests. He gave me that breathtaking smile, and my insides felt like melting. Yep, eight years together and it's still the same reaction. I smiled back at him and faced Hotaru. "Yeah, I know."

"That was a beautiful wedding, wasn't it?"

I smiled at Natsume as we walked hand-in-hand to his car. "Most beautiful wedding I've ever seen."

The reception was over now, and I was proud of myself for, a. Not crying and b. Not getting wasted. I only had like two glasses of wine, so I wasn't drunk at the slightest. Natsume had none since he was the designated driver. Fortunately, we didn't have any drunk guests to send home tonight.

"Hey, let's say we don't go home right away," Natsume said, once we started driving away from the venue.

I arched an eyebrow at him. "Aren't you tired? And I thought you were dying to take me home."

Natsume laughed nervously. "Just making a little stop somewhere."

What was that all about? Natsume never acted this way around me before. "Are you okay?"

He glanced at me. "Yeah, I'm fine." He then grabbed my hand, and kissed it. "I just missed this place so much."

"Yeah me too."

During my second year in college, Natsume and I decided to get a place of our own. Since we were both studying at UCLA, it only made sense to get a place in Los Angeles. So we rented an apartment near school. And a few years later after I graduated, and Natsume was already starting his swimming career, we got a bigger apartment but still in LA. And we've been living there since. Hotaru and Ruka didn't stay in Malibu too after they graduated. Hotaru actually didnt continue Medicine because she said it wasn't her but she got her law degree and is currently finishing up graduate school at (surprise, surprise) Harvard. Ruka didn't pursue swimming, but he became a professor at UCLA and is now one of the Heads. And as for my parents, they were now working here in California, having established their own law firm. I have to say, these past few years have been surreal.

As for my family's house, it was renovated, and we stayed there every summer. It was important for me to always come back where I grew up and make the most out of those moments. So I was glad when Ruka and Hotaru decided to have their wedding here in Malibu, even if it was November. I still missed Tsubasa everyday, and I know there won't a day when I wouldn't. But I was happy now, and I knew that's all what my brother wanted for me.

A few moments later, we pulled over at a very familiar place.

I looked at Nastume questioningly. "What are we doing here?"

"Don't worry, I'm not going to attempt to push you off the cliff this time," he replied.

"Ha, ha," I said, rolling my eyes. We were at the cliff where we had our first date. You know, when I had an emotional breakdown, and I threw up on him when he drove me home. It was strange that he brought me here, and at the same time really sweet. I had to admit, I missed this place the most.

"Come on," Natsume said, getting out of the car.

"Um, hello? Can't you see I'm wearing a floor length dress with heals? You should have at least warned me about this trip. Not to mention it's freezing out—"

I was suddenly cut off when Natsume literally took me from the passenger seat and in one swift motion, and threw me over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. I let out a surprised shriek. "Oh my God, seriously you're doing this again?"

He chuckled, then placed his right arm on my back sliding it to my waist, while his left arm slowly shifted so it was under my knees. Now he was carrying me bridal-style. "Better?"

I cleared my throat. "Much."

Natsume literally carried me all the way up to our little hill like I weighed nothing, then put me down slowly when we were on top. It was a full moon tonight, and I felt like I could see all the stars. I completely forgot how breathtakingly beautiful it is up here. The wind was cold, so I shivered involuntarily. I felt Natsume's jacket from his suit drape over me then pulled me closer to him.

"You know," Natsume said, "if it was any time of the year, I would definitely challenge you to jump from here. We never did get to, the first time."

"You will never stop bringing that up, won't you?"

"So many fond memories here," he said, rubbing my arm.

"Natsume? Why'd you really bring me here?"

"Like I said, I just missed this place. From here you could basically see everything. The pier, even our old houses. It's like you're away from the world, you know? Like your watching. That's why Tsubasa and I loved it here so much. And I feel like whenever I'm here with you, we're in our own little world. Just the two of us, completely lost in time. Those are definitely my favorite moments with you. And also, because I wanted to do this."

He suddenly pulled away from me, and for a second there I thought he was really going to push me off the cliff. But what he did next surprised the living daylights out of me. He took something small from his pocket, then he knelt down on one knee. I gasped and clamped my mouth. Oh my God. Was this really happening? When he opened the box and there resting was the most gorgeous ring I ever saw, that was it. I was already in tears.

"Mikan," he continued, "I want to spend those moments with you for the rest of my life. You are the best thing that's ever happened to me, and if I hadn't hit you with that Frisbee, then I wouldn't know that I'd been missing out on the most wonderful person ever. I couldn't be any more happier than being where we are now. And I'd be truly honored if you want to spend the rest of your life in our own little world. Mikan Sakura, will you marry me?"

"Yes," I sobbed. "Oh God, yes."

Natsume let out a sigh of relief, then quickly slipped the ring on my finger, and kissed me. I kissed him back with the same passion, and he tightened his hold on me slightly lifting me off the ground.

"I love you so much, Mikan," he said, between kisses.

"I love you too," I breathed. "Did you rehearse that speech?"

He pulled away, laughing. "Believe it or not, I didn't. I just thought of that right on the spot. I think I nailed it though."

"Hm, if I've said no, would you have thrown me over the cliff?"

"That was the plan," he chuckled. "But we will jump over that together someday."

"Don't worry, we have a long time for that."

AHH IT'S OFFICIALLY DONE! Again thank you guys for being to patient with me. I love youuus. And also, I think this is the cheesiest chapter I've ever written. But I can't help it I just had to lol. Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed this story! Let me know in your reviews which was your favorite scene in the whole story :)

That's all for now! I'll talk to you guys soon! I might make another story though. Let me know if you want me to. Bye! x