Why am I scared?

The tiny beach house was filled with people, all of them chattering excitedly. The orphan children ran about playing, all dressed in their best. Lacus and Miriallia stood in the kitchen preparing food, already clad in pale pastel silk bridesmaid dresses, flowers garlanding their hair. Everyone was prepared for the autumn wedding taking place that day...except for the bride. In contrast to the noise and bustle of the rest of the house, the spare room was silent, empty apart from a young woman staring at her reflection in a full-length mirror. Her expression was worried, sombre...when it should be the exact opposite. This is supposed to be the happiest day of my life. So why...am I scared?

The wedding was due to take place in just a few hours, but she still wasn't ready. She wore no make-up, her chestnut hair still hung around her shoulders, and she wore only a lacy slip. The thin silk wedding gown hung on the back of the door, and the woman rubbed the material between her fingers with a faint smile. Everything was ready, the chapel, the food, the dress and veil, the guests. Everyone but her. It was ridiculous. They'd been engaged for three months - plenty of time for either of them to back out if they wanted. But she didn't. She loved him, more than anyone, and wanted to spend the rest of her life with him. But marriage...there was something so...final about it. If it all went wrong, you couldn't just walk away.

Murrue sighed, sitting down on the bed and staring at her bare feet. I wish I could see him. Talk to him...and find out how he feels. But she couldn't. She was sure Mwu was somewhere around, but they were forbidden from seeing each other due to the old superstition about 'bad luck'. But still, I want to see him...I wish I hadn't taken that superstition so seriously...

He was walking along the beach, staring out at the ocean. The sea breeze whipped strands of his long blonde hair across his face, but he never noticed. He had come out here a little while earlier hoping that the peaceful setting would help calm his nerves, but to no avail. In fact, he just felt more nervous as the minutes ticked by..closer to the wedding. Wandering closer to the small wooden house, Mwu idly peeked in one of the windows, stomach clenching with worry as he saw the pink princess already dressed up, adding iced flowers to the chocolate wedding cake. Moving to another window, his scarred face brightened into a smile. Because there she was. His fiancee was sitting on the simple bed, wearing just a lacy nightdress-like outfit. She looked...well, Murrue looked scared as hell, which made the man's smile widen. So, you feel the same way, huh?

Gently, Mwu tapped on the window, causing Murrue to jump, startled. Her amber eyes widened in surprise when she saw him there, but she smiled. Tip-toeing over to the window, she pushed it open, leaning on the sill. "You're not supposed to be here!" she hissed, trying to stifle her giggles. "But I'm glad you are..." The man beamed, moving to plant a light kiss on her lips. "You scared?" he whispered, and Murrue nodded. "Me too," he replied. The two gazed at each other for a while, each gaining some sort of comfort from the other's presence. Then Mwu grinned. "Here, c'mon," He extended a hand to her. His fiancee blinked, surprised. "Huh?"

In reply, Mwu pulled the window open further. "C'mon. Let's go for a walk, okay?" She hesitated for a split second, then smiled, taking his offered hand and climbing through the window, he wrapping his arms around her waist and lifting her gently to the sand.

The couple ran down the beach to the water's edge, laughing all the way. "Lacus-san and Miriallia-san..they're gonna be so mad when they find out I'm gone..." Murrue observed, but Mwu just shrugged. "Let them. You looked like you needed someone to talk to.."

Hand-in-hand, the two of them walked together in the surf, not speaking at first. Finally, as always, Mwu broke the silence. "So, you are scared?" Murrue nodded mutely, her hand tightening in his. "Yes..." she muttered. "And I don't know why. I want this..." Her fiance sighed, tilting his head up to look at the sky. "So do I. It's a big decision...you think we're ready?"

"As we'll ever be.." she replied. "What I don't get is...why we're worried now.." Her brown eyes met his blue ones, and suddenly, she smiled. "We've had three whole months to think about this, so why now?" Mwu paused to consider this. "I think it's 'cause it's the big day. Ya know, no turning back. I think anyone'd be scared, don't you? I mean, I wasn't worried at all till last night.."

"Me neither.." said Murrue softly. "But then I started thinking, 'will this all work out?' 'What if things go wrong?' And then...I got scared..." The rueful grin on her fiance's face told her that he'd been thinking the exact same things. "What do we do?" she asked, moving around to face him. Gently, she brushed the long hair from his face, gazing right into his eyes. "I mean, I want this, to marry you. To be with you. So I think..." She broke off at the sight of his sunny smile, and Mwu finished the sentence for her.

"That we'll be all right."

The couple stood there together for several more moments, then he held out his hand to her. "Let's go back, okay?"

As they walked over the white sand back to the house, Mwu looked down, studying his bride-to-be. "There is one good thing I can think of right now about us being married.." he said thoughtfully. Murrue raised an eyebrow at the innocent-sounding question. "Oh? And what would that be?"

The blonde man gestured to the lacy slip she wore, the hemline of which was rather high up on her thighs. "The fact that I'll be the only one who'll get to see you in something like that after today.." The woman looked down at herself, and flushed crimson at the realisation of what exactly she was (or rather wasn't) wearing. "Why didn't you tell me?" she squeaked, futilely attempting to tug down the hem of the dress. Mwu chuckled at her embarrassment, forgetting to lower his voice. The door to the little wooden house opened, and Lacus peeked out. Her surprised expression melted into one of mixed relief and anger. "Murrue-san! There you are! We looked in your room...but you weren't there, and no-one could find you! We were worried that..." She sighed, then glared at Mwu. "You kidnapped her?" she accused. "Don't you know it's bad luck to see the bride before the wedding?"

The scarred man shrugged, not at all apologetic. "We had stuff to work out. Besides," he said, wrapping an arm around his fiancee's slender waist, "me and her, we already have all the luck we'll ever need..." Murrue smiled, leaning into his embrace, and Lacus sighed. "I guess you're right. But still, there's only an hour to go, and you both need to finish getting ready. Come on.."

Mwu let Murrue go, giving her one last kiss. "Next time," he whispered in her ear, "it'll be forever.." She blushed, but nodded. "See you in a little while.."

Things really would be all right...

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( That was a random idea, ne? But I just wondered whether they'd be nervous at all about being married, even though they'd be happy about it..

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