Makoto and Ren are blessed.

Representing the World, Mary of Nazareth was a Jewish woman God chose to bear his son through the Holy Spirit. Known as the Virgin Mary, Mother of God, Queen of Heaven, and Mother of the Church, Mary is venerated as the holiest and greatest saint of the Catholic faith and is an important figure in many other religions. Through Catholic Mariology, Mary's Immaculate Conception frees her of the original sin.

[3 Years Later]

The whole gang reunited at the Okumura state to celebrate the birth of Haru and Yusuke's third child and second son, little Hiroyuki Okumura, as well as the fifth anniversary of The Confessional project. Ren, now the proud, official barista of Leblanc for the past two years and a half, happily came along to congratulate his friends and also support his wife in celebration of her good work.

It came as a surprise that Haru was pregnant at the same time as Ann a few years prior, and they ended up having their babies about three months apart from one another. Ann delivered her little girl Ryoko first, and then Haru had her son, Hajime. Now, barely two years after the birth of little Hajichan, the Okumuras were already welcoming another little boy for Reika to lord over.

"Dada! No!" A demanding, high-pitched voice whined in protest, crying her lungs out. The little girl, two-year-old Ryoko Sakamoto, was throwing a huge, scandalous fit in the arms of her dear old dad.

"RYUJI!" Ann Sakamoto hissed as she approached the duo, putting her hands on her hips. "What the hell did you do to annoy Ryo-tan now?"

"I didn't do anything! She's just cranky because I denied her a sip of my Monta!" He protested nervously.

Ren Amamiya grinned as he watched Ryuji struggle hard with the inconsolable toddler in his arms, his wife scolding him.

"Come on baby, let Mama soothe you first." Ann cooed as she took the baby away from her husband, who had a face of relief as soon as he was free of his baby. The blonde woman left them alone while grumbling about her husband under her breath.

Ryuji and Ann, despite bickering a little here and there, were amazing parents to little Ryoko. Motherhood did wonders for Ann's already caring personality, and Ryuji matured a lot with the birth of his daughter. Ren was grateful that his friend, alongside Boss, Yusuke, and Takuto, had been a huge support net for him when he first adapted to become a father to Akio, and later the joyful surprises that arrived in his and Makoto's life.

"Looks like you were struggling hard there, Ryuyu!" Ren teased him.

Turning to his friend, Ryuji glared at him. "Ha, ha! keep laughing, Renren. Just wait until your girls start causing trouble too!"

Ren grinned proudly, puffing his chest out as he held Miki, the youngest of his twin daughters, who watched everything curiously and gave Ren a gummy smile whenever her dada looked and cooed at her. "Nah. Miki-tan and Sacchan are cute angels! Isn't that right, son?"

Beside Ren, was his nine-year-old son, Akio Niijima. When Ren adopted him officially, Akio told his parents that while he loved Ren like a father, Makoto would always be his first Tou-chan and that he wanted to keep her name to honor her and his bio mom's promise.

Akio giggled with a mischievous look in his eyes. "They are, but they also scream a lot too, Dad. I think they only stay quiet when they're with me."

"That's because you're our blessed guardian angel, baby." The voice of his mother chimed in.

Ren's eyes lit up as his beautiful wife approached their group with their oldest twin, Saki, in her arms. Makoto smiled fondly at them and gently reached out to brush the hair off their son's face. Akio beamed at her and tenderly hugged his mother.

Almost two years ago, before he even got the chance to marry Makoto, they were surprised in the most pleasant way possible by the news of her pregnancy with the twins. Both he and Makoto were terrified and ecstatic at the prospect of having a baby. Unsurprisingly, it was Aki-kun who helped ground his scared parents with his gentleness and patient optimism, and he was extra sweet and protective of his mom. Ren was proud to now call the boy his son.

Ren himself moved earth and heavens for the sake of Makoto during the pregnancy, always ensuring her happiness and comfort. They even moved into a new place they could call their own in Yongen, both for a fresh start and also for practicality's sake. Sadly, there were a few stressful incidents with Makoto thanks to her depression being worsened for a short period during the nine months of the pregnancy. Fortunately, he had allies in Akechi, Sae, and Maruki, who were used to the worst of Makoto's crises and made sure to keep tabs on them, giving Ren and Akio some emotional support as well.

The girls - Miki and Saki - were finally born healthy and happy on June 19 last year, much to Makoto's chagrin and Ren and the gang's infinite amusement. Both babies were identical twins, and they inherited Ren's messy hair as well as the signature Niijima eyes.

Sadly, they were temperamental kids personality-wise: Miki was a bit of a daddy's girl who easily manipulated Ren, while Saki acted like a little princess and wanted nobody else but her mama or big brother to attend to her at all times, deeming her father a peasant at times, something which amused Futaba, Sae, and Sojiro to no end.

Still, he was the happiest man on earth, despite being scared out of his wits about becoming a parent. He was now a dad of three beautiful children. His dream came true, and it was so much better and so much more disastrous than even he could have imagined…

"What is on your mind, dear?" His wife asked with a little loving smile as Ren took a trip down memory lane.

His lips curled into a small smile. "What else, but you, and our wonderful kids, my Queen?"

Hearing his corny words, Ryuji shook his head and let out a loud snort, almost spitting out his Monta. Ren ignored him and made sure to be extra sweet to Makoto just to annoy his friend.

Makoto blushed but glared at Ren. "Flatterer. Now, let's switch babies, It's time for me to feed Miki-tan."

He obeyed his woman without question as she expertly took Miki and passed Saki to him. His eldest twin immediately fussed, already looking for her mama, but Aki-kun took her little hand in his to distract her. Ren smiled fondly as he watched his children interact.

Makoto kissed her husband on the cheek and went to join the other ladies, leaving Ren with a goofy smile on his face.

"You guys are so perfect together that's disgusting as hell, dude," Ryuji said with a teasing grin.

"Can you blame me? In three years I have been more happy than I was in the last decade alone. And it's all thanks to my wonderful little family."

"I can see that. I'm happy for you man… Though heh, I find it funny as shit that we all became girl dads, you know? You, me, Yusuke, Maruki, and even Boss if we count Futaba being his daughter and shit. Man, I can't wait to put the fear of god into Ryoko's suitors!"

"I'm pretty sure that it's gonna take a long time before you can do that, Ryuji," Ren said with a snicker. "I'm not worried for the twins, I'm more concerned with having to shoo all the girls or boys away from my doorstep when they inevitably come after Aki-kun to confess their crushes on him. He will be a heartthrob, I just know it."

Akio groaned, embarrassed with Ren's routine of teasing him about growing into a handsome boy. "I'm too young for this talk, Dad! I just wanna play video games and study!"

"God, study? You truly are Makoto's son, kiddo." Ryuji said horrified, shaking his head.

"You could take a few notes from him, Sakamoto, Akio is a smart boy for that." A semi-arrogant, bored voice spoke from behind them. It was Akechi, his sour face present.

"Uncle Goro!" Akio cried out happily.

Ryuji rolled his eyes and huffed, while Akechi ignored his response, and gave Akio a head pat.

"Hey there, little guy, Amamiya, Sakamoto." He greeted, then peered at the fussy baby in Ren's arms. "I see Saki wants to get out of here. Give me your child, Amamiya, you are awful at soothing her."

Ren playfully narrowed his eyes and assumed a Karen posture. "Now, hang on, this is my daughter, and-"

Saki started to scream furiously when her dada refused to let her 'unca Go' hold her. Akechi leveraged an eyebrow to him and Ren sighed in resignation, handing Saki to him.

The baby immediately calmed down, as if nothing had happened in the first place.

"Man… It would break my heart if Ryo-tan did that. At least Miki-tan likes you!" Ryuji said with a snicker.

Ren glared at Ryuji, but his annoyed looks softened as he saw Saki happily interact with the sour-faced Goro. Slowly, he smirked as he watched haughty Goro Akechi act so domestic with his kids. He decided to just let it be.

While Akechi wasn't always around the gang and didn't want to pretend that he was inseparable friends with them, they started to tolerate his presence due to how much the Amamiya-Niijima kids liked him. Sae and Maruki were mostly fine with Akechi, while Futaba hated his guts but was used to talking to him regularly since she liked to torture him via calls every Friday at The Confessional. Ann, Ryuji, and Sojiro - especially Sojiro - needed some time to adjust to Akechi's presence, but eventually, they learned to put up with him. Haru and Yusuke were his employers, so they already had some common ground, even though Haru was openly disdainful at times. Morgana thought he was a prick, but also didn't have a problem being around him any longer.

Speaking of the devil…

"I'm not jealous of you idiots." The cat commented out of nowhere.

Looking down, they saw Morgana sprawled on the ground, looking fat and smug. Ren rolled his eyes. Haru spoiled him!

"You say that, but we know for a fact Rei-chan won't stop talking your ears off. Maybe you should work for The Confessional too, at this rate." Ren quipped.

"No way! I already have to live with the Okumura madness, I don't want to deal with other people's problems! Besides, nobody understands me other than you guys and the kids, anyways!"

Hilariously, Makoto helped Akio, Yukino, and Reika learn Morse code for the sake of allowing them to better interact with Morgana. It was a well-meaning idea, but it ended up bringing a lot of trouble for Morgana as Reika wouldn't stop demanding opinions about the most random of things from the poor cat.

"Not to worry, Morgana, you shall have to deal with Haji as soon as he speaks more coherently, and soon Hiro too." Yusuke declared proudly as he arrived with two-year-old Hajime happily settled in his arms. "My children are curious and creative little creatures, and I take pride in that fact very much. Reika recently displayed an interest in painting, much to my jubilation. Her art is quite avant-garde and niche."

In other words, Reika's paintings were ugly, but Yusuke always praised her work, gently corrected her, and encouraged her to keep going even if he was too, secretly horrified with her 'masterpieces'.

"I'm not sure if Okumura would like to hear you call your offspring creatures," Akechi said dryly.

"Fret not Akechi, she fondly calls them much worse things, such as 'fiends', 'demons', and 'mama's cute little monsters'. They seem to enjoy the nicknames as well."

"... Is Akio the only well-behaved child from this god-forsaken group?" Akechi asked unimpressed. In truth, he was probably asking if Akio was the only normal child in the first place.

"That, he is. Just look over there." Yusuke said, calmly pointing to the ladies mingling not too far away from them.

They looked in the direction of the girls and saw that Sae was rubbing her temples while she openly argued with a thirteen, almost fourteen-year-old Yukino, who outgrew the carefree and mischievous child she once was, and quickly became a moody teenager instead.

She seemed to take more and more of her own mother's haughty mannerisms each day, always talking back to Sae, with Ren and Makoto often intervening as the only people Yunchan gracefully listened to, besides her father Maruki.

Ren grimaced. "I think Makoto and I will have to smooth things over again."

"Eh, it's just the Niijima temper, nothing new." Chimed in a new voice. They turned around and saw Futaba approaching the group with a small smirk while dorkily adjusting her glasses. "Hey guys, Aki-kun… And Akechi, I suppose."

"Hi, Auntie Taba!" The little boy greeted happily. Futaba messed up his hair and tried to pick him up, but since she didn't have much muscle mass and Akio was growing taller, she failed. Ren and Ryuji snickered at her epic fail attempt, while Akechi and Yusuke shook their heads at her sheer ridiculousness.

Futaba both matured and stayed the same these days. He knew his little sister was busy with her Cognitive Psience research paper, as well as still having trouble with her disastrous dating life. Her crush on Sumire was still a weird subject for Ren, however, he eventually adapted to the idea somewhat.

It didn't help that his ex-wife was here today as well, and was busy talking with the girls and congratulating Haru just across from them. Thankfully, while she and Makoto kept their distance throughout these years, Sumire didn't seem to harbor any hostilities towards her or their children, something which Ren was glad for.

Futaba put her nephew down and wheezed, then turned to stare at a certain someone.

Akechi had a poker face while Futaba narrowed her eyes at him, hands on her hips. "It's Friday tomorrow. Don't you dare try to escape your weekly punishment like you did two weeks in a row now, do you hear me!?"

Akechi let out a deep breath through his nose but nodded. "Noted, Sakura."

Akio watched their exchange with a worried glance, but Futaba smiled for the boy's benefit, then motioned with her hands for Akechi to hand over her niece.

"Now gimme my Sacchan here, auntie missed her!"

He complied, and the baby fussed but settled again as soon as she recognized Futaba, going as far as giving her a gummy smile.

"I swear to god my child likes everyone else here but me," Ren grumbled.

Futaba rolled her eyes, "Don't be a drama queen, It's not that she doesn't like you, it's just that she is a very moody baby, aren't you Sacchan!? Try to spend a whole ass day away from her sight, I guarantee she'll scream her lungs out wanting her missing dada to come to pick her up."

Ren pouted, but he knew Futaba was right. Saki was a little picky but deep down he knew she would miss him, it was just that Miki was far more clingier to him.

"I guess you're right." He said with a small smile.

Ryuji left to pick up a refill and Yusuke went to check in on Reika, with Morgana in tow. Akechi also moved on, going to a corner of his own, and Akio kindly followed him so he wouldn't feel alone and out of place in the cozy event.

Futaba then cocked her head to the side, toward Boss' direction. Their father was watching both of them with a knowing look while he talked to Maruki.

Sojiro was getting old, but it seemed that despite getting tired easily and having his health declining a little, their father seemed very content with the gaggle of children running around in their lives, happily welcoming Aki-kun as his new grandson, much to the happiness of the young boy, and melting completely for the twins. He was very fond of Makoto and seemed to banter with her easily, both of them often joining up to tease Ren, especially in the early days of his and Makoto's dating, before the twins had arrived.

Futaba whispered something so that only he could hear. "Sojiro asked about Sumire again today. I swear to god, whoever told him about that, I'm gonna troll them so hard they'll regret the day they were born! I have a hunch Makoto wouldn't do this to me, so I wonder if a certain guy with ridiculous fluffy hair had anything to do with it, at all?!"

"I don't know what you're talking about." He told her, furrowing his eyebrows. His sister glared at him, and Ren shook his head. "I'm serious. I think he just put two and two together, just like he did with mine and Makoto's situation back in the day. Boss is sharp as hell, come on."

Futaba huffed but kept bouncing Saki on her arms with a contemplative face. "Eh, makes sense. But honestly, it's been annoying as hell, now he won't shut up and I'm afraid he might throw a few quips at Sumire and make things awkward for me."

"That's kinda own fault for not asking her out already." He said with a shrug.

"Shush, it's not that easy! I don't have enough rizz!"

He felt completely clueless. "Enough what now?"

"You know? Rizz? Charisma? Godammit, do you live in a cave!?" Futaba asked with indignation.

"I'm not chronically online like you are. That sounds like something youngsters these days say to each other online." He spoke dryly.

"Hah, youngsters!? Don't play the old fart now… We're both Gen Z! I hope you realize that!?"

"I am old fashioned, my dear." He said in a silly tone, impersonating Igor from the Velvet Room. Futaba snorted, and even baby Saki giggled in her auntie's arms, her mood finally improved as she reached out to him, finally wanting to be held by her dada.

Ren happily indulged in his daughter's wishes as he picked her up from Futaba. His baby started to play with his ear.

"You're an idiot, more like it," Futaba grumbled.

"You wish you had half my rizz, gremlin." He said, continuing to make silly Igor impersonations to amuse Saki, who giggled. "You do not have enough strength of heart to fuse the gigachad persona. Try again after leveling up!"

"Shut up, you don't have any more rizz left either! The only person your shitty charm works on nowadays is Makoto."

"That's all I need, really. She loves it. You should see how I get her fired up at night… Even after we had the twins, when we find the time we always get up to some kinky sh-"

"NO! I don't wanna hear about you doing the nasty!" Futaba growled, both embarrassed and irritated with her brother. Ren started laughing, happily bouncing his Sacchan.

Life was good.

Makoto, Yusuke, Akechi, and Mishima reunited early in the morning in the Church in Kanda the next day. The Confessional grew significantly in the past three years or so, with more people joining the permanent roster of priests and priestesses. Yusuke personally met and gauged the candidates until he was sure of their sincerity.

Today, they were going to induct two new members. Akechi had joked that they acted like a bizarre cult with all the secrecy and ceremonies they were performing just to hire new people, and Makoto hated that she agreed with him. But, she also understood that the ceremony was important to make the new members feel welcome, with all the veterans there to share their experiences.

Of course, it was just the "inner circle" in the church that early morning. The problem was that Mike was late. Akechi was growing impatient and Mishima was anxious to meet with their mutual friend.

"Before we start, we must wait for Mike. So, why don't you introduce yourselves to the new members?"

"Of course! You already know me, Suzui-san, and is a pleasure to meet you, Togo-san. I am Yuuki Mishima. My pseudonym is Matt, for Saint Matthew the Apostle." Mishima said with enthusiasm, bowing a little.

Shiho nodded, and Hifumi mumbled her greetings politely.

Shiho had found her calling as a middle school teacher. While she never returned to her sports career, she found her passion in passing her knowledge and discovered that supporting her students gave her a channel to heal properly while also making sure they had someone to rely on, something she didn't have back in Shujin when she needed the most. She and Ann were still as inseparable as ever.

Hifumi became a professional Shogi player and was now a member of the association. Her idol career was set aside and she slowly carved a place for herself in the Japan Shogi Association, helping and inspiring other girls to become players as well. She was passionate as ever, but she had confided in Ren and Makoto that she found the idea of hearing others out appealing and that she would do her best to be someone they could count on.

"As you know, ladies, I am Yusuke Kitagawa, the founder of the venture. My pseudonym is Joe, for Saint Joseph, the earthly father of Jesus."

Akechi had a grumpy face. "...Goro Akechi. My pseudonym is Tom, for Saint Thomas Aquinas."

Makoto smiled at both girls. "And you know me as well. Makoto Amamiya, formerly Niijima. My pseudonym is Hanna, for Saint Joan of Arc."

Just then, the double doors of the church opened, and from them, came a gentleman in a three-piece black suit with a red waistcoat and black shirt, wearing a red rose in the lapel of his suit, a confident smile on his face. In his hand, he carried a bouquet of pink and dark red carnations, that he offered to his wife.

"Sorry for the lateness, everyone." He said as he sat down beside Makoto after he kissed her hand.

Makoto gaped at his choice of attire and ridiculous, dramatic entrance. She was under the impression he was just busy checking in on the kids at Sis, but it seems he had other plans all along. She admired the flowers he brought her and leveraged a confused eyebrow at him.

Ren just winked at her.

Looking at their audience, she noticed that Yusuke smiled with a mysterious glint in his eyes, Yuuki had a mischievous look, the recruits also had little amused smiles on their faces, and even Akechi, the bastard, had a look of evil glee at her increasing confusion.

Makoto narrowed her eyes. Just what the devil were they plotting this time?

"It's quite alright, friend. We were just introducing ourselves and our pseudonyms to our recruits here." Their boss and former fellow Phantom Thief explained.

Ren's eyes lit up and he grinned. "Well. I'm Ren Amamiya, as you both know me… My pseudonym is Mike, for Saint Michael the Archangel."

"Yes, the Angel of Death. So very dramatic." Akechi muttered.

Ren ignored him and drew her closer, shamelessly uncaring of openly doing public displays of affection, which had Makoto blushing like a teenager.

Wait... Was he wearing cologne!?

"Yes, but I don't work full time, I just step in for Hanna when she can't do her job, is all." Her husband spoke.

"One of us all the same, dear friend," Yusuke replied good-naturedly, then turned with a serious face to the small crowd. "Today we are here to induct Shiho Suzui and Hifumi Togo as new members of The Confessional. Have you picked your pseudonyms, my dears?"

Shiho nodded, her face full of determination. "I have… I'd like to go for Cathy, for Saint Catherine of Sienna."

"A fine choice. And you, Togo-san?"

"Marie, for Saint Mary Magdalene." She responded with a serene smile.

"Very good as well. I now welcome Marie and Cathy to The Confessional."

Ren and Makoto shared a look, then smiled happily at the ladies.

After the well wishes, however, the atmosphere suddenly changed and Makoto once more felt like there was more to this whole setup today than she had anticipated. Suddenly, Ren got up and winked at her, going to stand by Yusuke at the altar.

"Makoto, if you may? There is one more thing we need to do today." Yusuke prompted her gently.

She got up, confusion, suspicion, and a little bit of anxiety filling up her body. She walked towards Yusuke and he smiled at her. Ren approached her and got on one knee.

"W-What are you doing!?" She asked in alarm.

But her husband just smiled lovingly at her. "Well, I know we are already married, with three beautiful children and a dog, but… I'd like to renew our vows. Filling up papers and having a small gathering was not enough for me. I'd like to marry you before God, as well."

"But Ren, we aren't even proper Christians!" She protested. But in response, he just chuckled and smiled at her as if she hung the moon.

"Well love, that might be true. But after all the things we went through, apart and together, maybe there is a force out there looking out for us both."

She sighed and a couple of tears filled her eyes. Makoto let out a watery chuckle. "You are incorrigible."

"Only for you. Say yes?"

"Of course. There is nothing else I'd like to do more in my life right now. Though, I'm afraid I'm not properly dressed for the occasion." She said with some embarrassment, pointing out her casual outfit of a blouse and jeans.

"It doesn't matter to me." He said. "I only want you."

In response, she squeezed his hand and released it. Turning back to the bench she was previously seated at, she picked up the bouquet of pink and dark red carnations that Ren gave her, shaking her head at Ren's choice of flowers. He was silly, but God, she loves him so damn much it hurt.

The double doors of the church opened again, and one by one, her beloved friends and family entered, little smiles on their faces. Akio, her precious son, mirrored his father by wearing a dark blue suit. He walked towards her and offered his arm to her.

"Auntie Sae was supposed to walk you to the altar, but she told me I should do that instead, Mama. Is that alright for you?"

She bit her lip to not cry. Looking in her sister's direction, she saw Sae and Takkun holding the twins, with her sister mouthing a heartfelt 'I love you' to her.

Makoto cried happily as she mouthed the words back, then turned back to her son.

"That's alright, baby. Thank you." She whispered to her little son, and like the remnants of Eiko's sunshine, he smiled at her, filling her heart with hope and love.

Turning to face her husband and Yusuke, who stepped down and took place as the best man, Makoto observed as the parish priest walked in and settled in his proper position to officiate their marriage. It was a real wedding and not just some silly setup. Her heart immediately grew ten times its size, and she felt as if she were transcending.

Slowly, she and Akio started to march forward, each step marking her walk toward true contentment. These three years have been nothing but happiness and fulfillment, but Makoto found that even though it felt like the end of a story, in truth, a new chapter in their lives was just about to begin.

Stopping just before the priest, Akio graciously took the bouquet from her hands as he handed his mother to his father. Ren grinned at their son and took her hand in his. The parish priest smiled at them both and gladly started the ceremony.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today in the sight of God to join together this man and this woman in Holy Matrimony. Marriage is a sacred and joyous covenant, which should be entered into reverently. Husband and wife should give to each other companionship, comfort, and support in times of prosperity as well as in times of adversity…"

As the priest continued to recite the rites, Makoto couldn't tear her eyes away from Ren's, focusing on capturing every single flicker of emotion fluctuating in his grey irises. She would cherish these emotions for all eternity.

"Ren Amamiya and Makoto Niijima, have you come here to enter into Marriage without coercion, freely and wholeheartedly?"

"I have," Ren said without hesitation.

She did the same. "I have."

"Are you prepared, as you follow the path of Marriage, to love and honor each other for as long as you both shall live?"

"I am."

"I am." She echoed with conviction.

Makoto's heart skipped a beat. It was time.

"Please, face one another." The priest kindly instructed. "Ren Amamiya, repeat the vows after me."

Ren had a concentrated look on his face. "I, Ren Amamiya, take you, Makoto Niijima, to be my wife. I promise to be faithful to you, in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, to love you and to honor you all the days of my life. This is my solemn vow."

It was her turn. The priest asked her to repeat after him.

"I, Makoto Niijima, take you, Ren Amamiya, to be my husband. I promise to be faithful to you, in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, to love you and to honor you all the days of my life. This is my solemn vow."

The priest invited all present to bless the Lord, but Makoto was lost in the emotion of the moment, barely paying attention to her surroundings. Before she knew it, it was time to exchange the rings. Little Reika Okumura approached them with a happy little grin, offering the rings. Makoto smiled at her little surrogate niece with a mix of appreciation and amusement, especially since her parents somewhat schemed to finally get her and Ren together as a couple.

Soon, they exchanged the rings, and the priest finalized the ceremony.

"You have pronounced yourselves husband and wife, but remember to always be each other's best friend. What therefore God has joined together, let no man put asunder. And so, by the power vested in me by the Almighty God and the Holy Church, I now pronounce you man and wife. May your days be good and long upon the earth."

And staring at his handsome face and seeing only honesty, and the open vulnerability of his eyes, Makoto Amamiya knew that this time, they would be together forever. Nothing could tear them apart anymore, maybe not even death.

The parish priest nodded with a gentle smile. "You may now kiss the bride."

Ren gently cupped her cheeks and kissed her lips. It was chaste and sweet, but for Makoto, it meant the world. The lost chances of yesterday and the possibilities of tomorrow no longer mattered, because now, in the present, in the here and now, they were in eternity itself.

"I love you." She whispered only so he could hear it when they parted for air. "More than you could ever fully grasp."

"Not as much as I love you. And I'll show you, every day, that you and our kids mean the world to me."He replied, caressing her face.

They hugged one another, and then, finally let go of their embrace and faced a happy crowd. Makoto met the soulful eyes of their son, and in her heart, she imagined that her mother, father, and Eiko were there beside little Akio, watching over her and blessing her on this lovely day.

"Be happy, mama." The boy whispered as they approached him in their walk away from the alter, a couple of tears in the corner of his eyes.

She crouched down to his level and hugged him with all she had. "I already am, Aki-kun. I already am."

Makoto Amamiya had all she ever needed right there with her, after all.

The End