Part Four
Chapter Forty-Five
There's a part of me that still expects to wake up in my room with the mother of all premonition-induced headaches. Or maybe that disgusting device Kusuke gave me to seal my powers actually sent me into some sort of hallucinogenic coma. Either way, my life right now doesn't seem real. How could it be? My dad is dead, and yet there he is sitting in the front row at my wedding.
And that, right there—'my wedding'—does that seem like something I would say?
Yare, yare.
But if this is a dream or a nightmare or some combination of the two, I should have woken up long before now. So, I guess this is my life now: married at not-quite eighteen to the most beautiful girl in the world who is pregnant with my children on the eve of a battle against a league of Magical Girls bent on ripping the soul out of the small child I swore to protect in a previous life I can't remember.
Yep.
The perfectly ordinary life I wished for.
I'd say God is laughing at me, but He's too busy officiating my wedding.
Yare, yare.
Fools Rush In
Kusuo stood before Kuwabara at the makeshift altar with his four best friends lined up by height beside him. Natsuko probably decided the order based on which of Kokomi's friends (and acquaintances) would walk first, but the low-to-high angle they made was a nice touch regardless. At the front of the crowd, as promised, Kuniharu was in his designated chair beside Kurumi, not seeming to notice he'd sat on his memorial. It was oddly discomforting to see the framed photo resting carelessly in his father's translucent stomach. His mother, of course, didn't notice even though Kuniharu had his left hand resting atop both of hers. He tried to offer her a handkerchief for her tears, but she didn't notice that either; instead, it was Kusuke who came to her rescue.
Each of Kusuo's friends offered uneasy glances at Kuniharu—all knowing he was, without a doubt, dead as a doornail—with Nendou being the least affected and Shun needing to be kicked from behind by Hairo for all of his pale-faced, wide-eyed glances. Still, it was only a few seconds from the time Kuniharu took his seat and Kusuo his place on the stage before the music began and the dojo doors slid open. Her voice unexpectedly lyrical, Keiko began to sing.
Wise men say
Reiko and Yuuko stepped inside, scattering indigo wisteria petals as they walked down the aisle in their matching white dresses, indigo sashes, and short, lacy gloves.
Only fools rush in,
Natsuko came next, wearing a long indigo gown with long, full sleeves. She held a bouquet of white hydrangea with her orange hair swept up into an elegant bun.
But I can't help
Trailing behind Natsuko, Yamato wore the same dress, held the same flowers, and had a similar updo, but she looked remarkably less enthused about her place in line.
falling in love with you.
Regardless, they were both undeniably beautiful, though it seemed everyone in attendance was immune to their charm for one reason or another.
Shall I stay?
Shorter than Yamato, Kusuo's first glimpse of Mera was nothing more than a flash of brown hair pinned up in a decidedly un-Mera way, considering she always wore pigtails.
Would it be a sin
"Look at Mera, all done up like a regular girl," Kuboyasu whispered from his place in line. "Not bad."
If I can't help
Kusuo stifled a snort, casting Kuboyasu a fleeting glance as Mera came into view dressed the same as Natsuko and Yamato, who had already reached the end of the aisle.
Falling in love with you?
They flanked the wedding stage from the outside in, meaning Chiyo was, as expected, Kokomi's maid of honor.
Like a river flows
The only girl with shorter hair, Kusuo hadn't expected Chiyo to pull it up. She'd managed a respectable updo, though, with a few loose wisps falling girlishly around her cheeks.
Surely to the sea,
She beamed up at Kusuo as she reached the end of the aisle and winked before taking her position.
Darling, so it goes
To Kusuo's right, Shun let out a breathy huff that sounded shockingly like an unintended 'offu.'
Some things are meant to be.
The music paused, and Kusuo snapped to attention.
Everyone stood as two forms, backlit by the early evening sun, stepped into the open door. Kokomi took her brother's arm, and they started forward. The radiant sunlight faded as they stepped into the dojo, bringing her fully into view, and Kusuo's breath caught.
Take my hand
The dress he saw now was nothing he expected from the poofily-veiled mannequin. Instead of the expected drape of lace and tulle, the dress was simple, unembellished silk. Sleek in the front, the gown hugged Kokomi's full hips and caressed her legs as she walked but had a full, flowing train that practically floated behind her. Her shoulders were bare, her hair pulled up in a crown of curls and tiny diamond pins that sparkled like the lights nestled within the overhead wisteria. She had a veil made of the same creamy silk as her dress, but it was swept back to expose her face rather than pulled down to hide her away. Her eyes never left his as she walked.
Take my whole life, too
At the base of the short stairs, Kokomi and Makoto paused to bow. Makoto then pressed a gentle kiss to his sister's brow before passing her hand to Kusuo's with a warning scowl. Kusuo barely noticed the indigo shiner ringing Makoto's left eye, matching perfectly with the décor.
For I can't help
Kusuo pressed a kiss to Kokomi's knuckles, his eyes never leaving hers.
falling in love with you.
#
The ceremony was over in a flash; Kusuo barely remembered agreeing to love, honor, and cherish his new wife before signing and stamping (how did they get his stamp from home?) the registry that technically wouldn't take effect until tomorrow because Kusuo was still only seventeen until midnight. He gave his new wife a chaste kiss, Kokomi threw her bouquet of white hydrangeas and indigo wisteria (the dive-tackle Chiyo undertook for the catch was a sight to behold), and that was it. He was married.
Mostly.
From the ceremony, they went to a simple reception with the expected speeches and congratulations from friends and family. Guests were torn between amusement and annoyance when Kuniharu—still a ghost and invisible to half of the wedding guests, just in case you forgot—tried to give his speech at the same time as Akechi. The result was predictable enough with Akechi rambling ignorantly along while Kuniharu's yelling, tears, and threats fell on deaf (but certainly not dumb) ears.
The after-party was held in the compound garden, newly renovated and replanted by Kurama after the horrendous mess it had become during the battle against Akemi Homura and her army of Magical Girls and Reborn. The same white and indigo theme was carried over with the entire area exploding with every type of flower in both natural and unnatural shades of white or indigo. Kokomi seemed especially fascinated by the indigo roses.
As the night wound to a close, Kusuo found himself sitting on his own at a table for two in a far corner of the transformed garden. Kokomi was dancing with a nervous Shun—she'd made her way down the list of groomsmen at least twice—having already dragged Kusuo out onto the dance floor two or three times throughout the night. Kuboyasu and Mera were dancing again, their heads close together as they spoke far too seriously considering the festive mood that hung about. But then, Kusuo couldn't blame them. The longer the night stretched on, the less festive he felt himself.
With the wedding and reception officially behind him, Kokomi and the twins were now provided for should something happen to him, and knowing that only reminded him starkly of why, exactly, something might happen to him that would require a signed and stamped registry in the first place.
It also bothered him to see Yuuko and Reiko dancing together with Yukito, because Yuuta should be there too; dancing with one of the twins (probably Yuuko) and leaving Yukito to dance with the other. But Yuuta was gone; spirited away by a psychopath and probably scared out of his mind. Kusuo could only pray that whatever crazy ritual Akemi Homura had planned for removing Yuuta's soul required her to have full access to and control of her magic. Because if it didn't…
"Hey." A small hand appeared in front of Kusuo's face, making him jump. He looked up to find Chiyo smiling down at him. "Care to dance?"
"Not really." But, of course, he put his hand in hers anyway. Saying no would be even more of a pain than saying yes.
Rather than join the dance floor, Chiyo stayed in Kusuo's dim corner with her arms looped around his neck and his resting chastely on her waist. They swayed, barely lifting their feet, and Kusuo felt the oddest familial surge toward her, almost like a little sister. Which was ironic considering she was almost two months older.
"You know," a wry grin tugged at Chiyo's lips, "I never realized just how chatty you could be until you ended up in my head."
Kusuo's brow furrowed. Chatty?
She patted his shoulder as they continued to say. "I know it's not intentional, you don't have to say so."
What?
Don't ask me.
"But it's still weird, you know? I'm just glad you can't hear my thoughts. Could you imagine how embarrassing—well, I guess you were able to hear my thoughts before you got rid of your powers, but I didn't know about it back then, so it's kind of different, you know?"
Chiyo?
What?
"I mean, not that I blame you, of course. It's not like you could help it or anything."
Say 'duplicitous' out loud.
…Why?
"What with your psychic powers being something you were born with and everything."
Because it's the first thing I thought of. Just say it.
Please.
Fine, fine, Mr. Bossy.
"It's just, you know, weird."
"Chiyo."
She paused, and her darting eyes settled somewhere between his jaw and shoulder blade. "Yes, Kusuo?"
"I'm not talking to you."
Chiyo blinked, and her nervous gaze slid instinctively to meet his steady one. "Then why did you say my name?"
"In your head," Kusuo said. "Whoever it is you're hearing, it isn't me."
"Eh? But…" She frowned. "But he sounds just like you."
"I hear your voice in my head too, but you didn't respond to our conversation just now."
Her eyes widened. "Do you think it could be Akemi? Like, did she get into my head somehow and pretend to be you? I mean, that's kind of duplicitous to an unnecessary level."
Kusuo's response died on his tongue at that last sentence. There's no way it could be Akemi Homura, not with Chiyo using duplicitous like that. She didn't even seem to realize she'd done it.
Stopping their sway, Kusuo pressed a hand to his heart where he felt the insubstantial weight and warmth of the soul shards he carried. How many times had it seemed like he was hearing or sensing what Kokomi was thinking even after his powers were gone? Not to mention, they'd spent that whole night learning how to tap into the empathetic sensations it generated on purpose.
So maybe what he was hearing wasn't Chiyo, exactly, but more of an echo from her soul? Almost as if, just by thinking, he was sending words into her soul shard that bounced back with what she would have said if he'd spoken to her aloud.
Like a subconscious auto-reply text message.
Bingo.
Relief flooded Kusuo from head to foot so suddenly and intensely that his knees actually went weak for a moment. Ever since he realized Chiyo had become a prominent presence in his head, he'd been distancing himself physically from Kokomi. Admittedly, that had only been since morning, but he'd had an unexpectedly difficult time with it due to the tactile empathy they'd engaged in the night before.
You realize I would have left you alone if you'd just said you wanted privacy?
Yare, yare.
"Kusuo?"
Shaking his head, Kusuo repositioned his hands on Chiyo's waist from where they'd drifted to her hips while he was lost in thought. He resumed their swaying and tried to think of how he could explain his realizations in a way she'd understand. Not that Chiyo was stupid—not at all—but analytical processing was not her strongest skill.
"Internal resonance."
"Eh?"
"The voices aren't really us," Kusuo explained, "it's the soul shards we carry resonating with our thoughts."
"So…"
"So," Kusuo continued, "I can't hear what you're saying to me, and you can't hear what I'm saying to you. Instead, the voices are echoes of what we would say if we could hear each other."
"That's…kind of confusing? But I guess I understand." More than just understanding, she looked profoundly relieved. What sorts of thoughts had his soul-self been responding to?
His inner-Chiyo blushed. None of your business.
Kusuo quirked an eyebrow at the real Chiyo but otherwise let it go.
"So, does that mean you're not actually nervous? Because that's really why I asked you to dance just now, because from our soul-echo…conversation thing…I thought you were nervous. You know, about tomorrow. But then the whole reading each other's thoughts thing came up, and I just kind of lost track of what I was trying to say."
"I'm not nervous."
Liar.
I'm not.
"I'm just…" Kusuo continued out loud, his eyes drifting back to the dance floor where Kokomi laughed at something Shun had said. "I don't know what to expect tomorrow. I don't like not knowing what to expect."
"You can't honestly tell me that you always knew what would happen even before you lost your powers." Chiyo tugged at his neck with her laced fingers until he looked back down at her. "Unless you're saying you knew we would end up ship-wrecked on that island. Or that Nendou would pull out your limiter on sports day. Or that Kokomi would pull out your limiter in Okinawa. Or—"
"I get it, okay?" Kusuo butted her forehead lightly with his own to stop her rattling since his hands were still occupied at her waist. Their gentle swaying had slowed even more; they'd basically stopped moving all together. "And, of course, I didn't know everything. But I at least had a general idea of what to expect. Honestly, the only time I can remember feeling genuinely blind-sided was during that clinical trial I did over the summer with Nendou and Mera."
"Oh?" Chiyo's eyes widened in interest. "I don't know about that one."
Kusuo shook his head; it really wasn't worth telling. "But now? I can't read Akemi's thoughts, so I have no idea what she has planned for Yuuta. She said she wants to remove his soul, but what does that actually entail? Does she plan to kill him? And if she does, will it hurt? Kuwabara-sensei was ripped to pieces so Dark Reunion could get at his soul."
Kusuo shuddered, and Chiyo's arms tightened around his neck in a silent offer of comfort.
"You can't think like that." Chiyo dropped one hand from around his neck so she could prod his chest with her neatly manicured finger. "Dwelling on the worst-case scenarios will only make you go crazy. What we need to focus on is what we can do with what we know right now. Everything else will come later."
Kusuo knew she was right, but he also couldn't shake the image of Yuuta's mangled, tortured body.
Please, God, he begged. Just…please.
"Kusuo? Chiyo?"
The pair looked up to find Kokomi and Shun watching them—Kokomi looked amused and Shun, borderline murderous. Kusuo followed Shun's angry gaze to see his hands had once again drifted to Chiyo's hips in absentminded laziness while her left arm was still slung around his neck and her fisted right pressed against his chest after she'd folded in her finger but hadn't bothered to drop her hand.
Still on the same wavelength, Kusuo and Chiyo leaped apart at the same moment—though Kusuo with much less fanfare.
"No, no, no, no, no!" Chiyo pin-wheeled her arms, thoroughly cured of channeling Kusuo's personality. "This isn't what it looks like! We're just talking, I swear!"
"You were talking, sure, but his hands were all over you!" Shun rounded on Kusuo with a growl. "You just got married, Saiki!" He thrust a hand at Kokomi, almost smacking her in the face by accident. "Teruhashi is standing right here!"
"Actually, Kaidoh-kun," Kokomi pointed at her cheerily grinning face, "I'm Saiki now too."
That was apparently enough to derail Shun's tirade because he sputtered on his next attempt at words, his gesticulating hand wilting from disrupted confidence. "O-oh, right. Um, sorry S-Saiki-san…"
Kokomi giggled. "You know, Kaidoh-kun, we've known each other for a while now and you're Kusuo's best friend. You're more than welcome to call me Kokomi."
Shun's eyes nearly fell out of his head. "I-I-I'm Kusuo's b-b-b—?"
"Kaidoh-kun!" Chiyo latched onto his arm as he listed dangerously on his feet. She slipped a hand into the pocket of her pink after-party dress and pulled out a lacy handkerchief to fan his face. "Are you okay?"
"Ah…I…um…"
"Careful, Chiyo," Kokomi teased, "Shun looks like he's about to boil over."
The lobster-red burning up Shun's face evaporated to milk white as his wide-eyed attention shot her way. "Sh-Shun?!"
"Kokomi," Kusuo scolded, but Kokomi just giggled.
"Yes, yes." She snagged Chiyo's arm and tugged. "Come on, Chiyo. Us girls haven't danced together even once tonight!"
"Eh? But, Kokomi—uwah!"
Left alone with Shun, Kusuo took the chihuahua boy by the elbow and led him to a chair before he lost what little strength remained in his legs. As expected, Shun collapsed the second the backs of his knees hit the lip of the chair. Hunched over, he cradled his face in both hands and let out an enormous groan.
Yare, yare.
"Kusuo…" Shun peeked up between his fingers with teary red eyes. "I don't know how to do this."
"This?" As if he really didn't know, but this was something Shun needed to say out loud.
"I mean, it must be pretty easy for you considering you're married now and all, but me? I don't even know how to talk to girls! How am I supposed to l-li-li—"
"Like one?"
"Gah!" Blushing like an erupting volcano, Shun hid his face again and doubled over.
It's about damn time.
No kidding!
Because of the whole Dark Reunion fiasco breaking out, Kusuo never had the chance to make it up to Chiyo for ruining her love confession twice now. He'd had some vague notion of doing something once Yuuta was safe and Akemi Homura was six feet below "I'm done." But if Shun was going to initiate the whole thing on his own, then who was Kusuo to argue?
Besides, he needed the distraction.
The real question was, how much was too much information? Because Kusuo didn't doubt that if he pushed Shun too far passed his tolerance-levels, he'd back down like a trembling chihuahua and leave Chiyo heartbroken.
Hell to the no on that one.
Awe, you're such a sweetie 3
Yare, yare.
"Shun," Kusuo warned, "you can't keep running away forever. Sooner or later, she'll disappear."
His head shooting up, Shun glared. "You think I don't know that?" Electric blue lightning crackled between the folds of ofuda-sealed bandage still wrapping his right arm. "Or did you miss that she almost died yesterday? Hell, going off what Yamato-san said, she was dead."
Death actually wasn't what Kusuo had in mind—he just figured she'd just get tired of chasing him at some point and set her sights on an easier target—but if that thought lit a fire beneath Shun's ass, Kusuo would take it and roll with it.
Pulling up a chair, Kusuo sat so he and Shun were eye-to-eye if not quite knee-to-knee. He waited for Shun to reign in his wildly sparking spirit energy before saying, "Tomorrow is going to be dangerous. There's no way to know what will happen."
Shun deflated, his shoulders slumping inward and his hands hanging boneless between his parted knees. "I know. I even begged her earlier, but she says she has to go no matter what."
Groaning, Shun grasped his hair with both hands. "How do you do it?" He looked up, hands still to his head, and begged. "How do you like someone this much?"
Kusuo's stomach flipped at that question and could only shake his head. "I don't know."
"You have to know something. Why else would you get married?"
"Because…" Ugh, this was literally the worst conversation ever. How was he supposed to say what Shun needed to hear when he already had a hard enough time just thinking the words to himself?
Oh, Kusuo, you're such a kid.
Yare, yare.
"Because," Kusuo managed, his eyes focused unblinkingly on the sliver of moon hanging lazily in the cloudless sky, "being without her would be worse."
"But, if something were to happen—"
"Don't." Kusuo spoke through clenched teeth, his head snapping in Shun's direction. "I understand the risks, okay? Probably more than you do. But what do you expect?"
"Well, I mean, I can't do anything about Yumehara-san but you and Teru—erm, K-Kokomi-san are married. Can't you just…tell her to stay? Because you're her husband?"
Kusuo's expression went flat; the sensation of incredulous disbelief was too much for his face to handle. "You really don't know anything about girls, do you?"
Shun blushed and dipped his head again, his hands still fisted in his hair. "I know it was stupid to say, but I just…kind of hoped…"
"You can't be serious."
Shun said nothing; he just shifted his hands to the back of his neck and ducked lower.
"Shun, marriage isn't something you go into just because you want to tell someone else what to do. And even if it was"—Which it absolutely is not—"you're not eighteen until October."
"I know all that, okay? I just don't know what else to do. These Dark Reunion people aren't playing around; that Akemi chick already almost killed her! And when I saw her like that, covered in blood and…and…" Shun shuddered.
"…Someone attacked Kokomi on the train to Universal Studios Japan."
Shun's head shot up. "Huh?"
Kusuo crossed his arms and looked toward the dance floor where Kokomi, Chiyo, and Mera were dancing to their hearts' content.
"I was able to save her, but that's what really started it." Kusuo clenched his fists as Kokomi threw her head back and laughed as Chiyo twirled her until her sapphire party dress flared to her knees. "That's when I realized I couldn't live without her."
"O-oh…" Shun followed Kusuo's gaze, but his eyes lighted on a very different target. "Yeah. I guess I get that."
Standing, Kusuo clapped a hand on Shun's shoulder. "Whatever you decide, Shun, hold onto that feeling. Because the only way you'll be able to keep her safe from now on is to keep her close."
"Y-yeah…"
With nothing else to say, Kusuo left Shun to his thoughts and stepped onto the dance floor to reclaim his bride. It was time they had a talk of their own.
Kaliea: Not even gonna lie: I totally wrote this chapter after watching Crazy Rich Asians for the zillionth time... ^^;
