~(*o*)~(*o*)~(*o*)~
The Wedding
Five years. Three disastrous match-makes later. At least 10 hits from Hotaru's baka gun. Everyday whining from the Empress and Aoi. Countless snide remarks from the guys. And a 5-day plan to win her back in New York.
A proposal. A grand engagement party.
And then finally, this wedding.
That was all it took to take Mikan Yukihira back into his life.
Yep, that Mikan Yukihira – that air-headed, big-hearted, bubbly, idiotic, rainbow-spewing brunette who crash landed into his life – literally – and never stopped making a ruckus since then.
Mikan – his Mikan: the most beautiful girl he has ever laid his eyes on, the only idiot who never fails to make him smile and the girl he can never get his mind off.
He has tried. Oh gods knew that he tried so hard. Weren't the three failed match-makes enough proof of that? Given that they were arranged by Grandmother, who by the way, was only trying to cheer her grandson up. He never intended to be disloyal, unfaithful.
But when someone kisses you goodbye then vanishes from your life in the indefinite expanse of the years after that without even so much as a word, no one could possible expect him to wait forever, right?
And so he didn't. And so a month ago he flew across the world to her.
Damn it, if she wasn't going to come back to him then he guessed that he would have to go to her.
Five years of reflection on the barely single month that they spent together has made him realize a lot of things. One of them is how especially peculiar their circumstance had been. He was too damn lucky to have her fall in love with him after all that he has stupidly done to her, he realized. His matured mind has seen where he has gone wrong, what he could have done better.
Well, for starters, he could have courted her.
He snorted. Of course it would never possibly have crossed his 17-year-old mind then. But it did cross his mind now, even for just because he misses her, and it's driving him crazy.
And so he sent her the flowers – without a card, because Youichi said Natsume-nii-san doesn't have any balls either. But what does the brat know?
And then came the chocolates, because he remembered how much she loved them. That and because Aoi said one should never forget to give a lady chocolates for certainty of the sweetness of the relationship. Whatever. He was glad Subaru's litters were able to deliver the present successfully, though.
Then, because he remembered their last night in the amusement park, he had to buy her the bear. One must understand that it was all memories that he had of her now – and in those memories he reveled, remembering bits and pieces he otherwise would've long forgotten had it not been about her. But because it is, he never forgot. Imai snorted at him for that.
Damn woman. She had it easy. She talked to her every week.
"Then why don't you call her yourself, half-wit?" she asked him once. He glared at her and sulked in his room after that. Yeah, why didn't he? But then, why didn't she?
On the fourth day, because he was especially losing more of his screws, he whacked Tsubasa to trespass into the apartment and scatter the balloons all over the place. Well, he says trespass but really, Tsubasa had gone and called Shuu to let him know. He doesn't even want to remember what Ruka had called him then for his letters.
"Officially and desperately nuts." He snickered.
Finally, he had to get back to that retarded Scott that just wouldn't leave Mikan alone. He jacked his car, personally, to leave the parcel. Remembering that Mikan will be riding the same car home, was all he could do not to ruin the brakes.
Misaki had raised her eyebrows at the dress and shoes he bought for her. "Nice dress. You taking her to a nice dinner?"
"Central Park," he had told her.
And then he watched her pink eyes jump out of her sockets.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, was the story behind the 5-day fiasco, as Mikan and Shuu liked to call it. They called him an idiot afterwards, a goofball even, courtesy of Aoi.
But it was worth it.
Oh yes, it was.
He can see her now. She was walking down the aisle. The best part is?
He was the one at the other end of it.
~(*o*)~(*o*)~(*o*)~
He called her an idiot – countless times, she remembers; from the day they met until the day they met again.
And yet he was no better himself, Mikan rolled her eyes, remembering. They were a couple of idiots.
But for all that stupid circumstances was worth, they still ended up in a large cathedral adorned splendidly in the most lavish silver and blues of cloths and the large bundles of great white roses by the aisle.
Amidst the craziness of it all, the short engagement when she was seventeen, and the drama that came after that, here she was. Here she finally was in her dark cream colored silk gown, laced tightly on her torso, blossoming beautifully below. Here she was with her small bouquet of tulips as red as his eyes.
Here she finally was, back in Japan.
Back to him.
Finally, finally, waking towards him in a wedding.
~(*o*)~(*o*)~(*o*)~
A Month Ago, 12:05 PM
Central Park, NY City
"Natsume," she broke the silence. Of course, it had to be her to break the silence. She was always the noisy one, he mused. "What are you doing here?" she whispered.
He puffed out a fluffy breath and said nothing. His hands were tight inside his pockets and he couldn't bear to look at her. Would she disappear if he did?
It was making her all uneasy. He was here, but he wouldn't talk. Somehow, Mikan couldn't decide which was better – not seeing him at all, or having him beside her but never talking to her?
We had the right love at the wrong time
They both heard the music wafting through the air.
Mikan stiffened at the lyrics. Her face contorted to a disgusted frown. Natsume knew quite well that this was how she reacted to anything cheesy. It was not that she was disgusted, but the alternative to this ugly face was blushing. And he knew she doesn't want to be caught turning red around him.
He laughed at her.
For a moment, she was surprised. Had he just laughed? Wait, had he just laughed at her?
She frowned deeper, this time turning the shade of pink.
He smirked at her from his long lashes and caught her cold hands in his. And then he brushed her hair, all the while noting how absorbed she was of him – of how he was acting. He was weirding the hell out of her, he knew and he was enjoying every second of it.
And then the chorus came.
Natsume stroked her face, looking into her eyes deeply.
"But somewhere down the road," Natsume sang, grinning, to Mikan's utter mortification. She sat there, gaping like a fish at him, the wide expanse of snow around them.
She grudgingly noticed the corners of his lips tugging upward, a smirk on its way as he sang whole-heartedly to her. "Our roads are gonna cross again, it doesn't really matter when,"
"Who are you and what did you do to Natsume?" she shrieked, pinching both his cheeks.
He chuckled, watching her go from pink to beet red.
Natsume gave no reply. Instead, he sang, "But somewhere down the road, I know that heart of yours will come to see…that you belong with me,"
"Natsume, please." She begged. "Please stop. You're making me gag!" she laughed at him.
He raised perfect eyebrows at her, the familiar haughtiness alive in his being as it was five years ago. "Too chicken to sing with me?"
She scoffed at him with those pretty little pink lips of hers. "Oh please, you are such a baby,"
The lad started to raise his eyebrows again and Mikan knew that he was going to say a witty comeback. So before he could even kill her with a nasty punch line, she dove for the stanza.
"Sometimes good-byes are not forever. It doesn't matter if you're gone, I still believe in us together." Mikan grinned back at him.
For a while, he looked startled. But without Mikan knowing why, Natsume looked at her solemnly, without any traces of jokes. It was then that she realized that they had been holding each other's hands, and that hers has warmed comfortably.
He smiled quietly at her, his gaze firm and intent, understanding. "I understand more than you think I can," he sang. "You have to go out on your own, so you can find your way back home."
Mikan smiled, hearing the lyrics of the song. It was funny how much perfect it sounded for the both of them, now of all the moments it could have played. Why had it waited five years to be unleashed through the air?
"And somewhere down the road," they both sang, laughter on their faces. "Our roads are gonna cross again, it doesn't really matter when,"
Mikan laughed at him. "So that's why it took you 5 years, huh?" she asked him.
"Shh. You're ruining the moment." He whispered. "I know that heart of yours will come to see, that you belong with me."
Mikan smirked fondly at him. "Letting go is just another way to say I'll always love you so,"
It amazed her how easier it was explaining everything to him through this song. May it have been a coincidence or pure serendipity, she was glad for the notes that had rescued the words she might have been afraid to tell him – the explanation her rightfully deserves.
And yet here it was, this perfect song, doing everything for them.
"We had the right love at the wrong time," the song explained to both of them. "Maybe we've only just begun. Maybe the best is yet to come,"
"Cause somewhere down the road, our roads are gonna cross again, it doesn't really matter when," Mikan smiled at Natsume, getting warm each second from his gaze, despite the freezing winter.
"But somewhere down the road, I know that heart of yours will come to see – that you belong with me."
For a moment, everything fell silent. What was there to say after all that?
But Mikan sighed and smiled to herself, staring at the cold pavement. "I do, don't I?" she asked him.
"Yes." Natsume answered. "Yes, you do."
And by lords, Ruka and Aoi were right. He was a goofball and was officially and desperately nuts.
But it was all worth it.
It was always worth it when it came to Mikan Yukihira.
~(*o*)~(*o*)~(*o*)~
Many people have dreamed of this exact moment, Mikan knew.
It has long been awaited. It has long been overdue, in fact. How many years have people waited for this wedding?
Now, it's finally happening.
The music was wafting through the air, the guests – nobles and royals and family members alike – stood up for the procession of the bride. After all, everyone wanted a glimpse of what a woman looks like on the happiest day of her life.
She was radiant. She was beautiful. And by the end of the aisle, people knew that the groom would be stunned.
He hair was done intricately up, delicate veil shielding her beautiful face and a small tiara rested atop her head.
The bride walked patiently across the plush red of the aisle, inch by inch closer to her other half. Weddings, Mikan decided, was not for the impatient. How could anyone calmly walk so slowly when all the bride would rather do is to run to the love of her life and be done with it, no taking back? How can happiness be kept waiting?
And yet she, of all people, must know. Hadn't they waited, after all? What is a few more time waiting going to cost the both of them?
Chocolate brown eyes locked to ruby ones. An exchange of smiles. A chaste peck on the cheeks.
And then Mikan walked away, the bride of the wedding just behind her.
After all, who ever said that the wedding was for them?
~(*o*)~(*o*)~(*o*)~
"Congratulations, dear brother, for ending the seven-year-long engagement." Subaru clamped Tsubasa's shoulder in a brotherly way, although his words were no less sarcastic.
Tsubasa laughed heartily at the comment. "The wait was worth it," he grinned, resting his arm over Misaki's shoulders, who whacked him with her bridal fan anyway.
The guests laughed at their antic, knowing the couple too well. In fact, they had watched the couple fondly as their story unraveled and captivated many to loyalty. There was no other best love story ever made.
Well, none. Except for one, maybe.
"And now, ladies and gentlemen," the host's voice boomed through the reception. "We invite the bride and the bridesmaids to please come in front for the throwing of the bouquet." He announced.
Mikan might've choked on her beef. She quickly grabbed the wine and took a healthy swig. Giggles and snickers rang all around their table.
"Ever the pig," Hotaru commented coldly beside her before the brunette could even give her a pout.
Nonoko and Anna, meanwhile, both laughed at Mikan amicably and lifted her by her arms.
"Come on, Mikan-chan," Nonoko chirped happily, dragging the poor brunette after them.
Anna turned back to look at Mikan. "It's the most exciting part of the program! Even Hotaru's joining!"
A flash of camera went off before the trio. "Only to take pictures," the purple-eyed lady cleared, flashing another picture. "I have a feeling this will be quite exciting," she smiled.
The three of them shivered.
"It's not that bad," Aoi tugged Mikan's dress. "Come on! I'm so excited!" she said.
The brunette smiled at her fondly. The little princess is no longer a child. She is now a very gorgeous 19 year old woman who has been attracting the hands of princes and noblemen alike all over the world. There was only so much the Emperor and Natsume could fend off.
Before Mikan knew it, they were already by the stage and Misaki's back was already on them, ready to throw the bridal bouquet.
"Ready?" she called.
Mikan swallowed thickly.
Between catching it and not catching it, she doesn't know which one is worse.
~(*o*)~(*o*)~(*o*)~
"Natsume-nii," Youichi nudged the prince, his silver eyes trained at the stage where the commotion is. "It's starting."
The ruby-eyed prince simply grunted, staring into his wine.
"Hey Natsume, are you okay?" Ruka asked worriedly beside him. He has grown to quite the Prince Charming with his perfect blond hair and his startling blue eyes.
Behind them, a guffaw was heard. "Let them be lads," Tsubasa gave a wolfish grin. "That's how men are when they are about to propose. They need to down a lot of wine first,"
"Says you. I remember no wine when you shouted your proposal right after you received your high school diploma." Youichi told him. "It was a wonder Misaki-nee even agreed to marry you."
"Shut up,"
They all laughed, except for Natsume who continued brooding.
"Ready?" all of them heard, all their heads whipped to the scene in front, with Misaki pitching in to throw the bouquet backwards. The girls all looked ready to prance on the thing, even Mikan who just a while ago looked awfully uncertain.
There was a loud scraping of noise just as the bouquet sailed overhead.
Within a second, it was over. And there stood Mikan Yukihira gaping, a pristine bundle of white roses in her arms.
And in front of her was Natsume Hyuga, Imperial Prince of Japan, kneeling with a ring on hand.
~(*o*)~(*o*)~(*o*)~
"Damn the kid," Tsubasa murmured happily. "He never fails to take the spotlight from me. On my wedding day, even." He chuckled.
Misaki grinned contentedly beside him, nuzzling his neck, now that the attention's away from them. "Oh let them be. We've also waited for this." She smiled.
"Oh, well all have." Tsubasa agreed, the smile never leaving off his face just as Mikan answered with a big resounding 'yes'.
And Tsubasa swear it was the loudest clapping and cheering they had heard all night.
~(*o*)~(*o*)~(*o*)~
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One more epilogue left and then we are really, truly and officially marking this story COMPLETED.
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