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Wedding Bells
By RaistlinofMetallica
Usagi smiled happily as she leaned against Mamoru. "Aren't they so cute?"
"Yes, dear," he replied, trying to be quiet.
The blonde giggled and observed, "Maxwell looks so cute. No wonder Hotaru-chan loves him so much!"
"Usako, please keep it down," he chided, giving his wife a scolding glance. "The bride will kill you if you disrupt her wedding."
She bobbed her head and fidgeted. "I'm hungry," she whispered.
"Again?" he sighed. "Well, it's almost over. We'll eat at the reception, dear."
Not three pews over, Hotaru was keeping a tenuous hold on her two wild children. She held her son firmly by the braid and held her daughter by the collar of her dress, yet the little demons were still trying to escape their mother and get into trouble. Hotaru had the sneaking suspicion that she was going to need an aspirin - especially since she was sitting in between the Hino family and the Yuy family.
Rei's children, like their parents, were host to the fieriest of personalities and... Well, Hotaru's son loved to antagonize Rei's daughter, Haruhana, which in turn pissed off her older brother and resulted in a wrestling match or fistfight between the two boys. The Yuy children were no better. Gemma, Hotaru's darling daughter, absolutely adored clinging onto the Yuy boy. His little sister, about Gemma's age, would get infuriated and attack Gemma in an effort to defend her brother. This typically resulted in a chase and precious items being destroyed in the process. It was a vicious cycle. Fortunately, Heero and his wife had seated themselves in such a manner that they flanked their children. Chalk up a point for the Perfect Soldier and the Dove of Peace.
Hotaru sighed in relief as she heard her husband getting down to the exchange of vows. "Come on, Shinigami," she muttered. "Hurry up. Your kids are driving me nuts!"
Duo's son was another story. His son, Kage no Shinigami, was his miniature, for the most part, though it was clear Kage had gotten his hair and a good portion of his temperament from his mother. Duo couldn't remember how he'd tricked his wife into allowing the name for the life of him, although he presumed it had something to do with the fact that she'd been completely exhausted at the time and hadn't the strength to argue.
Duo's eyes flickered to the other side of his wife, noting the Hino family. He highly suspected that one of their two children might try to set the place on fire, pyromaniacs that they were. In the pew behind them sat the mother of the bride and Louis the wizard, who was as close to a sibling as the bride could have and happened to be probably one of the single oddest persons that Duo had ever met. The silver-haired wizard was sitting next to Quatre's family, unaware that one of the twin Winner girls was examining him closely. Dorothy hadn't seemed to notice her daughter's wandering attention, as she was daubing her eyes with a handkerchief and stifling a sniffle; it was a tradition of sorts, considering that Dorothy had wept at every wedding she'd been to, including her own.
Duo continued scanning the guests and smirked. The Mizuno family was having some trouble getting their two kids to look interested in the goings-on, but he hadn't expected any less of them. Usagi and Mamoru were looking cute as usual and Usagi had probably been needling her husband about food. Their infant daughter, also named Usagi, was sleeping soundly in her father's arms. Haruka and Michiru, ever the pair, just smiled happily. They were lucky, as neither of their children needed to be watched. The eldest of the two, Haruka's son, was very quiet, if not a little petulant, and Michiru's daughter was absently sucking her thumb as she looked up at the ceiling.
The next pew back held the Kino family, who were observing the wedding with interest. Their daughter, on the other hand, was fidgeting. Next to her, the Aino girl stared off into space, as her parents whispered discreetly to each other. Duo fervently hoped Minako and her husband could wait until they found a room before engaging in any of their typical antics. Setsuna and her eight-year old daughter sat next to them, and fortunately, there was no sign of the Time Guardian's ex. Good, Duo thought nastily.
His eyes turned to the neighboring pew and its occupants. The Constantine family was strange, if not interesting, and held the unique reputation of being even more secretive than Setsuna. The hub of their family was Gemma Constantine Masters, also known as 'Miss Nemesis-senshi-of-vengeance.' She was scary when she transformed or so Duo had been informed. Her young son, Jon, sulked in his seat and glowered; apparently, his mother had relieved him of several dozen prank items before the ceremony and well before he could put them to use. Gemma's uncle - also named John and also currently sulking - sat beside the boy. The chain-smoking master magus had been relieved of his lighter by his niece and summarily threatened into not lighting up again until the ceremony had finished.
Duo mentally winced as he noticed the magus was sitting next to Wufei and his little family. This could be trouble, especially if either of them opened their mouths. Fortunately, Trowa and his family were sitting directly behind them. Undoubtedly, between Trowa, his demolition-expert wife, his knife-wielding sister, Sally and Constantine's niece, there was enough threat of bodily harm to prevent any trouble. Wufei's daughter had somehow managed to get out of her seat and was currently whispering with Trowa's two older children, her pigtails bobbing excitedly as she nodded.
It was at this juncture that the ring bearer viciously kicked Duo in the shin and glared at him with his odd, glowing steel-blue eyes. "Hurry up, stupid human!" the silver-haired teen hissed. "Don't make me use you for target practice!"
The bride shot the teen a scolding glance and smiled, whispering, "Bad Raist."
"Oh, yes! Here we are," Duo said with a wide grin as he turned to the groom. This young man had once been his student and was now a respected colleague. It was hard to believe that the young man before him had come from another world. "Do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?"
The groom nodded, "Yes, I do."
"And do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?" Duo continued, turning to the bride. She, too, had once been his student and had made one helluva Preventer.
She smiled at him and replied, "Yes, I do."
"The rings, please," Duo said, glaring viciously at the ring bearer. His shin still stung, dammit!
The ring bearer smirked lazily and handed him the rings. Honestly, how the bride managed to stand the impertinent brat was beyond him!
Quickly, Duo returned his attention to the task at hand and placed the rings into the appropriate hands. "Repeat after me: With this ring, I thee wed."
The groom slid the small ring onto his bride's finger. "With this ring, I thee wed."
Smirking, the bride slipped the larger ring onto the finger of her beloved. "With this ring, I thee wed."
"I now pronounce you man and wife," Duo smirked and tossed a wink to the groom. "You may kiss the bride."
And then her dear, darling husband gave the newlyweds a loud wolf whistle. Hotaru's eye twitched, even as the bride and groom began to laugh in amusement at the antics of their former teacher.
Duo, for his part, was now calling the charge to the reception: "Let's PARTY!"
Still laughing, the bride nodded and hiked up her long skirt. "Follow me to the reception!" she called out, running down the steps hand-in-hand with her new husband, who was laughing just as hard as she was, if not more so.
At that very moment, Kage and Gemma managed to finally wriggle out of their mother's grasp and, shrieking excitedly, the siblings pursued the bride and groom. The Hino children immediately followed them, as did the Yuy children. Wufei's daughter, cursing loudly and brandishing a spork, led Trowa's eldest children and the giggling Winner twins in hot pursuit. Setsuna's daughter casually traipsed along after the group, while the younger Aino and Kino girls merrily skipped along beside her. The Mizuno and Tenoh boys followed, each one leading his respective younger sister. Taking up the rear was the ring bearer, a cheeky fifteen-year old, and the younger, similarly tempered son of the enigmatic Nemesis senshi.
The adults began slowly filing out of the pews as a beaming Duo descended the steps of the altar. Hotaru glared at her abnormally perky husband and, slumping back into her seat, she shouted, "It's your turn to watch the kids!"
There was a massive shift in the temperature of the room as the rest of the women in the room turned their exhausted glares on the men in their lives. All of these men were fierce and dedicated defenders of humankind and every single one of them had proved themselves repeatedly in battle. Yet, still, they quailed in the faces of their no-less-equally experienced wives and, in Trowa's case, that of his knife-wielding sister as well. The Nemesis senshi, unable to find her uncle, excused herself for a moment and, picking up a bible from one of the pews, slipped behind one of the nearby support pillars. There was a resounding smack, accompanied by a yelp of pain, and a suitably chastised magus was herded towards the doors by his niece. Shortly, the rest of the men followed him and, as a group, they reluctantly proceeded out the doors after the screaming, giggling horde of children.
A moment later, Mamoru stiffened, returned to fetch the diaper bag from his wife and headed for the restrooms with his now-squalling daughter. The assembled women smothered giggles and snickers, not the least bit sorry about the future king's fate. As soon as he was gone, the women began chatting with each other, reveling in their collective brief respite from the chaos that came with raising children. Hotaru briefly wondered if her husband counted as a child, as he certainly behaved like one, and then went back to chatting with 'the girls' as they slowly made their way out of the church and to the party.
As for who got the garter and bouquet, well... It was Hilde and her girlfriend, Silver. They disappeared for some extended length of time. No one was sure where they went, but they were back for dinner.
