Chapter 7: I Do
Hikari was feeling tense. Katsuo was going to take her out for dinner, but she had a feeling something huge and important was going to happen that time. Or maybe she was just being hopeful they would take another step in their relationship. Either way, she was so excited and anxious to go out with him that she started getting ready about two hours earlier than she was supposed to. She put on a pop playlist to make her less nervous.

"Hikari…" Tailmon walked in her bedroom and stopped talking when Hikari was curling her hair. "Oh my God, you look so pretty!"
"You think so?" The woman looked at her with a large grin. "I thought I could try something new. Something different."
"I loved it! You should definitely do it more often."
"Maybe I will." Hikari curled another lock of her hair around the curling device and looked in the mirror.
"So, is there a special reason for this dinner?"
"Not really. He just wanted to go out with me. But if you ask me… I think there's something else in this."
"What?"
"I don't know. I just have this feeling."
"A good feeling?"
"Yeah… but it's probably nothing." Hikari shook her head and continued curling her brown hair. "I wish I could take you though."
"It's a romantic night for you and Katsuo, I shouldn't be there."
"I know." She simply pressed her lips together, trying her best to ignore the growing feeling on her chest that something huge was going to happen then. She tried to keep her complete focus on the task she was nearly finishing.
When she was done, she stood up and went to her wardrobe to pick up her most beautiful and fancy dress.
"Tailmon, what do you think?" Hikari held the black dress in front of her so her partner could see.
"I loved it. It isn't the kind of clothing you'd use normally, but it's still very beautiful."
"Yeah, I don't use it very often. It's a rather sexy dress, so I only wear it on special occasions. Katsuo loves it too, by the way."
"A very good reason for you to wear it then."
"Yes, it is." She said with a smile and then put the dress on.

.

The anxiety Hikari was feeling only grew stronger as she walked into the restaurant and saw Taichi and Akiko apparently waiting for her.
"What are you two doing here?" She asked surprised. "Is this a family dinner and I forgot about it?"
"No, we just happened to have the same idea and run into each other?" Taichi tried his very best not to laugh and give everything away. "That's a pretty nice dress. Is this an important date?"
"Not really. Katsuo and I just wanted to go out for dinner tonight."
"Where's he?"
"He said he's going to arrive a little late and told me to meet him here."
"Well, we're on our way out, but we can keep you some company until he arrives." Akiko offered.
"No, that's okay. He's probably arriving by now."
"Don't be silly, sis." Taichi put his arm over her shoulder. "Did you two book a table?"
"Yes, Katsuo is friends with the owner's son and he saves the best table for us whenever we come here. It's on the second floor."

Having her brother and sister-in-law over seemed to ease some of Hikari's tension and anxiety and she oddly began to feel happy. She reached for her phone and called Katsuo. When she placed her phone on her ear and looked up again, she came across all the Chosen Children group plus both of hers and Katsuo's families on the opposite side of the floor, all dressed up in fancy clothes.
"What's going on here?" She asked confused. "Why is everyone here?"
"I wanted to make a surprise for you." Katsuo came out from the center of the crowd. "And looks like I succeeded."
"A surprise?" She could feel her anxiety coming back.
"That's right." He walked to her while shoving his hand into the pocket in his black suit and taking out a small blue velvet box.
"Oh God." She covered her mouth with her hand when she noticed the object in his hand.
"Hikari." Katsuo grabbed her other hand gently and their eyes met. "It's been quite a journey for us, hasn't it?"
"Almost five years." Her voice completely failed, but she didn't seem to mind it at all.
"Who knew that girl who came asking for a tutor session would soon become my girlfriend and the love of my life? When I look back now, I know how lucky I was to be there and meet you."
"I'm just as lucky." Hikari removed her hand from her mouth and stroked his black hair and cheek with the tips of her fingers.
"So…" He looked down at the small box and flung it open, revealing a very delicate silver ring with a small crystal on the top of it. He grabbed it carefully and shoved the empty box back into his pocket. "I've been doing a lot of thinking lately and eventually came to this decision. It feels so right to me, so…" He got in one knee and looked up at her. "Hikari, will you give me the honor of becoming your husband?"
Hikari quickly glanced up to the crowd behind them; her cheeks blushing rather heavily with the audience. Mimi was bawling her eyes out and squealing. Sora was right beside her and handed her a handkerchief to dry her tears before resting her head on Yamato's chest. Yuuko was crying silently much to Hikari's surprise, because she basically had made a scene when Taichi proposed to Akiko. Then she looked back down at Katsuo with a wide smile.
"Yes, yes, of course I will!" She watched him put the beautiful engagement ring in her right hand and then helped him stand on his feet, pulling him into a tight hug. Then she pulled away and looked right into his black eyes, holding his face in her hands. Behind them, everyone started cheering and whistling with joy. "I love you so much."
"I love you too. You make me the happiest man alive."
"You make me the happiest woman alive." Hikari slid her hand to the back of his neck and pulled his head down towards her for a small sweet kiss. "I can't believe you planned all of this behind my back."
"I wanted it to be a surprise. Trust me, it was very hard to keep Taichi from opening his mouth and ruining everything."
"He knew about this?!"
"Yeah, or did you actually think he was here by coincidence?"
"To be honest, I…"
"My little sister is going to get married!" Taichi said overly dramatically as he and Akiko approached the newly engaged couple, as well as Yuuko and Susumu Yagami.
"Taichi, could you be less dramatic? You sound like you've never seen anyone get engaged before."
"Not my sister." He cried and then approached her. "Jokes aside, I'm really happy for you, Hikari. Katsuo is a very nice guy."
"Thank you, brother." She reached up and hugged him tight. "It means the world to me."
"I have no doubt you two will be very happy together."
"Me neither."
"You better take care of my sister. She's a very special and precious woman."
"Oh God, the overprotective brother is here." Hikari hid her face in her hands, completely embarrassed.
"Taichi, you're way past the age of acting like that." Sora intervened. "You're not a teenager anymore."
"Relax, I was just joking with my future brother-in-law." He turned to Katsuo. "I know you will take good care of Hikari."
"I will."
"He does that already." She said with a warm smile as she wrapped her arms around her fiancé and looked up at him. "And greatly."
"I say the same about you." Katsuo lifted her chin gently and kissed her passionately.
"My little girl is getting married!" Yuuko threw her arms around Hikari and started crying.
"Oh mom, not you too." She smiled and hugged her mother back.
"I'm the mother, I'm allowed to."
"Alright, you have a good reason. I love you."
"I love you too, darling."

.

Hikari took one last look at the beautiful white dress under the transparent plastic. In a matter of minutes, it would be on her body and she would be about to take one of the biggest steps in her life. She felt her heart pounding so strong in her chest she thought it would come out of her mouth. She was sure it would be impossible, but she was also feeling a hundred times more anxious and nervous than she was when she got engaged and she thought she was going to throw up because of it.
"Hey." Mimi said in her usual cheerful tone while she walked in carrying a very large silver and black make-up box. "Ready?"
"No. I don't think I'll be ready for this. I can't believe it's my wedding day already. I'm freaking out."
"You're freaking out? You seem so calm."
"You should see me in the inside."
"Don't worry. If there's anyone who can pull this off, it's you."
"You wouldn't?"
"Oh no, I would be making you and Sora's jobs as bridesmaids a living hell. You should be prepared."
"Thanks for the warning."
"You're welcome." Mimi smiled. "So shall we start?"
"Sure. Where's Sora?"
"She will be here when we finish making the final adjustments in your dress."
"Okay." She looked at Mimi through the mirror. "Are there many people outside already?"
"They are starting to arrive, so there aren't many of them yet."
"Can I come in?" Yuuko peeked in after gently knocking on the door.
"Of course." Hikari replied with a gentle smile.
"I came to see how the bride is doing."
"Mom, I'm so nervous. Actually, I'm feeling so many things I didn't think it was possible at the same time."
"That's perfect normal, sweetheart. You're about to get married."
"Did you feel that too?"
"I did." Yuuko grabbed her daughter's hands and looked at her. "I was a nervous wreck. It's a surprise your father didn't change his mind."
"He would be stupid if he did so. He would be letting go of the most amazing I've ever known."
"I can say the same about you and Katsuo. He's a very lucky man, that's for sure."
"I agree." Mimi said while taking a look at Hikari's face from above to see if both sides looked the same with blush on her cheeks.
"Well, I consider myself very lucky too. Not in a million years would I expect to find love in that tutoring session."
"Love can happen in crazy ways sometimes."
"That's what happened with you, isn't it?" Hikari looked up at her brunette friend.
"Close your eyes and keep looking up, please Yeah. We met through a dating app and bumped into each other on the street without meeting in person. You can imagine our shock and surprise when we did."
"That's crazy indeed. But it wouldn't be like you if it didn't."
"Geez, thanks a lot." Mimi said with a laugh and then stepped back a little to take a better look at Hikari's face. "That's actually really good. Okay, you can open your eyes now."
"Can I?"
"Sure."
"Wow, Mimi." Sora exclaimed when she walked in and saw Hikari checking her make-up. "You should really work with this because you're so amazing and talented at it."
"Nah, it's just a hobby really. I love what I do currently."
"Well, you are certainly doing my wedding make-up."
"So does that mean you and Yamato set a date already?"
"No, but maybe after Hikari's wedding we'll get to choose one."
"Let's hope so, you guys have been engaged for ages."
"It hasn't been that long." Sora removed the plastic from the wedding dress. "Besides, we both agreed to wait until we could afford one without running out of money."
"You will be the last of us to get married."
"We really don't care about that."
"I think it's a wise thing to do."
"Thanks, Hikari." She smiled. "Are you done? Cause I need to make the final adjustments on the dress."
"Yes, she's all yours now."
"You ready, bride? It's almost time for you to shine."
"Please, don't say that. I will get more nervous than I already am."

.

Yuuko was barely able to keep her tears from falling when she saw Hikari in her wedding dress. It was one of the most beautiful dresses she had seen in her life and she couldn't help but think Sora had really captured Hikari's essence and put it into the dress. The upper part was completely filled with pearls and a lot more small jewels. The inferior part was a rather puff skirt that fell perfectly on Hikari's body. Mimi was astonished by it and really thought the youngest female Chosen Child looked like a princess.
"Wow, Sora. I'm speechless. Are you sure this is really the first wedding dress you've made?"
"Pretty sure." Sora replied proud of her own work. "I was afraid it would turn out awful, but I'm so happy and relieved it didn't. I'm glad all my studying and effort paid off."
"That's it. You're making my wedding dress."
"Mimi, I'm not sure I can make a full princess dress for you."
"I'm not taking no for an answer."
"Alright. We can discuss this in the future."
"You did an amazing job sewing the bridesmaids dresses, Sora. They look great."
"Thanks Mrs. Yagami. I really like how they turned out."
"You're welcome." Yuuko turned to Hikari. "Are you ready? It's almost time."
"No, but let's do it."

.

"So, it's time. Are you ready?" Susumu walked to Hikari and offered her his arm.
"Surprisingly, no. I think I was more nervous while I was getting ready. Now I'm just… anxious."
"It will be over before you know it."
"Is he nervous?"
"He's almost biting his nails. That's how nervous he is."
Hikari couldn't help but laugh. "Yeah, he can get like that sometimes. If I had to bet, I'd say he will cry more than me."
"He wouldn't beat Taichi, that's for sure."
"No one can beat Taichi, so that's something."
Mimi and Sora walked into the small hall, both dressed formal and ready to walk down the aisle.
"Alright, the time has come." Mimi announced with a large grin. "Our little girl is the first of us to get married."
"You'll all treat me like the baby of the group, no matter how much I ask to drop it."
"Oh you know it."

The doors in the back of the saloon opened and Sora and Mimi walked in first, both dropping some multi-colored rose petals on the aisle as they walked to either their boyfriends or fiancés. After a minute or two, the nuptial march started echoing all over the place and all the guests stood up and looked towards the large wooden doors. Hikari and her father stood on the opposite side of the improvised altar and slowly began to walk towards where Katsuo and the others were standing.
Katsuo could barely hold his smile as she approached him, and neither could she.
"You look so beautiful." He walked to her and grabbed her hand, kissing it softly.
"So do you." She touched his cheek before they turned to the priest.

All the guests stood up, cheering and clapping after the couple got officially married. They turned around and Hikari raised her flower bouquet Sora had handed back to her in the air and the cheering and clapping increased. Some whistling could be heard too.
"Thank you all for coming here and sharing this special moment with us. It means a lot to both of us. Now who's ready to party? So let's get the party started and hit the dance floor."