Calmer of the Storm: Okay! I have yet another fic….this is just a little one shot though.

Cody: little…….

Calmer of the Storm: Yes, little.

Cody: Why don’t you finish the other one first?

Calmer of the Storm: Because I’m having a serious case or writer’s block. Chapter five is up for ‘Secrets, Lies and Love’ by the way…I just replaced the author’s note.

Cody: Enough babbling…

Calmer of the Storm: But that’s what I do best!

Cody: Get a day job…

Calmer of the Storm: I’ve got school.

Cody: On with the fic already!!

I stood to the side, as I watched her. She was the most beautiful thing anyone had ever seen, at least, in my eyes. I couldn’t help but smile proudly as she walked down that isle. I could see the excitement in her eyes, though she only glanced my way for a fleeting second. She was fixed on the man at the front. When she did look my way, I smiled to her. Her smile only grew bigger, as she turned back to the man she was about to marry.

His name was Genki Hiroshi. He’s a good man, the perfect match for her. He was tall, and had flaming red hair. His aqua eyes held only the deepest of love and affection for her. I knew that they were meant for each other, right form the start.

Watching as she went to him, I also felt a sense of loss. I realized that she would no longer be that innocent little girl that I once knew. Never again would I be able to hold her in my arms, and kiss her head when she cried. I’d never hear her calling for me when she was sad, or at least, not as much as I would like her to. But, these are just some of the things that one must give up. People grow up, and they move on. Sometimes, you just have to learn that the hard way.

I had to wipe away a tear. Through the sense of loss, I was absolutely thrilled for her. This was the happiest day of her life, and I wasn’t about to ruin it.

She reached the front. Her father went to the opposite wide of the room, as was done in the rehearsal the day before. He caught my eye, and he smiled. He was wearing the same proud smile that I was. I’m sure there were a lot of glances that were glanced our ways, both mine and his. I’m sure that we both looked ridiculous, but one can only expect that from the parents of the bride.

From across the room, my husband gave me a knowing smile. This made me think of our own wedding. I remember it as if it were yesterday. One’s wedding isn’t something that can be forgotten easily.

I remember the pure bliss of standing at the front, and knowing that the man in front of me had eyes for me, and only me. I remember the day before, and how it had been the longest day in my entire life. I even remember the small things, like the scent of the church, and the cool breeze outside. Even the faces of the congregation that witnessed our union flooded my mind.

I smiled to myself as the memories became real to me once more.

Flashback

“Hikari!” someone yelled. It was most likely my brother, though I couldn’t be too sure. It was too early in the morning.

“Hikari! Get out of bed! We need to make the last few arrangements and things!” Yep, it was definitely Taichi, or Tai as he preferred to be called. I don’t even know why he was here this early. He’s got his own house, and his own family. Heck, he’s even got his own kid. Then again, Sora’s probably the one who kicked him out.

“Go away…I’m tired…I need my sleep…” I grunted.

“Tell that to your fiancé…” he mumbled, and then left.

That got my attention. Groggily, I sat up. Standing in the doorway, was Takeru.

My Takeru. He smiled at me. He had the smile of an angel, and he could bring me to my knees with it, and he knew it. I gave a lopsided grin. I sighed slightly, not one of frustration or boredom, but one of contempt. Takeru came over and sat at the end of my bed.

“’Morning sleepy head,” he greeted.

I only groaned in response.

“You sound cheerful.” he said, sarcasm evident in his voice.

I just gave him ‘the look’.

Takeru smiled again and ruffled my hair.

“You gonna let me get dressed?” I asked.

“Go ahead.” he told me.

I waited for him to leave, but after a few moments, I realized that he had no intention of doing so.

I scowled at him, pretending to be mad. “Get out!” I ordered. Takeru only laughed. I leaned forward and shoved him off the bed.

“Hey!” he protested jokingly.

“I’m sure you can hold off until tomorrow, love.” I said, as I gave him one final shove, and locked the door behind him.

That was the beginning of what seemed to be the longest day ever. I wasn’t bored or out of things to do, that’s for sure. My family and close friends were running all over the city, making last-minute preparations. I must have gotten a million phone calls from various people, asking me about what I wanted to have, and how I wanted them. The rest were from some of my friends and family wishing me good luck and asking me how I was doing. I even had to leave my phone off the hook, or else I wouldn’t have gotten anything done.

I was very frustrated and tired at the end of the day, and I had to keep telling myself what this was for. Takeru had left earlier on in the day, to do who-knows-what. He probably wasn’t doing anything at all. I had heard a rumour that he and some of the other guys had gone out for some sort of ‘outing’. I don’t think it would be very nice of me to mention it though. I had to admit that he’s worked very hard, and he needed that break.

It was around seven-thirty. I was sitting on the couch, just resting after a hectic day. I was beating myself up slightly for not getting everything done ahead of time, but then again, I was always one to procrastinate.

The doorbell rang. I sighed, as I didn’t want to be with anyone at the moment.

I got up, and answered it. However, I smiled when I saw ho was on the other side.

“Sorry, I’m not interested.” I teased, and closed the door. I ran upstairs, knowing full well that he wouldn’t wait for me to open it again.

Just as I had predicted, he came in. I noticed that he didn’t even bother to take his shoes off. He knew where I was, there was no hiding from him.

He came into my room. He pretended to look around for me. I was in the closet. Yes, I’m twenty-two (nearly twenty-three) but through the years, the two of us never really grew up. Sure, we grew up in some ways, but that childish nature that was trademark to both of us never really died. In a way, I guess that it was a good thing. I always feared that I would be one of those adults that were too serious to even smile. I remember when the two of us, Takeru and I, swore to each other that we would die before we became like that.

Slowly, he opened the door to the closet. It wasn’t a big one; it was one of those ones with the sliding doors. He was on the other side, hiding from my view.

After about ten seconds of waiting for him to attack, he suddenly pounced on me. He began to tickle me furiously, until I cried mercy. Only then did he stop. I think it was just this thing that he had, of being the one in power. Oh well, I’ll have my moments.

Tired and out of breath, I sat down on my bed. He joined me.

“What brings you here?” I asked.

He pretended to look offended. “Am I not allowed to visit my fiancée without a reason?” he said incredulously.

I giggled slightly, “No, I guess not.”

“Good. Let’s go for a walk.” He said, and stood up. Takeru didn’t even wait for my answer. I guess he expected me to come.

I could have played him a little and not moved, but I decided against it. Getting up, I followed him down the stairs.

He held out his arm, and I took it.

We went out onto the town. The sun had long since gone to sleep, and the night was out in its full brilliance. We walked over to the park, where we had spent our days as children. Many memories accompanied this park, and tomorrow, there would be one more. We had arranged to take the pictures here, for old time’s sake.

The absence of any street lights made the stars shine through the dark. They looked like diamonds that had been scattered out across a piece of black velvet.

We stopped at a familiar place. It was the small pond, where we used to chase the ducks. The full moon above us only made the scene more beautiful. A cool breeze blew passed, and I huddled closer to him out of reflex. Of course, he didn’t object.

Takeru pulled me closer, so that my back was to his chest.

“Can you believe it?” I asked, looking up at him.

He smiled in response, but didn’t look down at me. “That depends.”

“On what?”

He looked down at me, “Does it matter? Whether I believe that it’s happening or not, it’s still going to happen.”

“That’s true.”

We stood there like that for what seemed like hours, but that was just fine. After a little, I turned so that I was facing him. He wrapped his arms around me, and I placed mine around him. He placed his head on top of mine as he drew in a deep breath.

“You know, I’ve dreamed of the moment for a long time.” he said.

“Me too.” I replied. “Though, it’ll be a shame when it’s over. Mimi has the whole thing planned out, in terms of my dress and make-up and things. I don’t know if I’ll want to take it all off. The dress especially, because I mean, what else would I use it for?” I sighed. “Oh, never mind. It’s just a ‘me’ thing.”

He pulled away from me slightly, and looked at me. There was a smile on his face that almost made me afraid of what he was about to say next.

“Don’t worry about having to take the dress off, I’ll do that.”

I glared at him, and then rolled my eyes. I buried my face in his chest once more. “You’ve got a one-track mind, Takeru,” came my muffled response.

He chuckled lightly and hugged me tighter.

I yawned lightly, and he glanced at his watch. “We should get to bed. It’s gonna be a big day tomorrow.”

I nodded, and we began walking back.

Finally, we reached my house. We stopped outside, and a realization hit me. This would be the last night that I would be spending in my own house, alone. I was renting this place, and I would be moving in with Takeru. This was expected, of course. The house had been pre-bought. It was a gift from everyone, as they all pitched in. Of course, we paid some of it too. Takeru was currently living there by himself, but that would change.

“Goodnight.” I said.

“Yeah, you too. Try to get at least some sleep.”

“I will.”

With that, he leaned in and gave me a small kiss. It wasn’t anything elaborate, but it still made me weak at the knees. He almost had to hold me up, so that I wouldn’t collapse.

Much to my demur, we parted. I smiled, and went inside. It would be a long night.

Once again, I as brutally awakened. This time, it was by my sister-in-law, Sora. She was so much like my brother, it scared me. Then again, they were also completely opposite of each other.

“Come on, Ms. Kamiya. We can’t keep the others waiting. I’m sure Mimi’s already at the church. You know how she hates to be kept waiting.”

“Yeah I know, but it’s not like I slept like a baby or anything.”

She chuckled, “Neither did I. Between your brother snoring and the baby crying, I never really get a lot of sleep. You get used to it.”

“Let me shower…”

“Don’t wash your hair, Mimi insists on doing that. She’s got everything set up. Don’t worry about anything, we’ve got it all covered. Just put on some sweatpants and a sweater. That’ll be fine.”

I nodded, and dragged myself out of bed. I found some clothes, and plodded over to the shower.

Sora was very gracious to drive me to the Church, though I think that’s what she had come over to do in the first place.

We entered the room where we to get ready. The whole female side of the wedding party was already there. I was greeted by a chorus of squeals and cheers. On top of that, I was almost knocked to the ground when a good friend of mine Sakura (who also happens to be Daisuke’s girlfriend) tackled me. The others joined in.

When they finally backed off, I gave a tired smile, and then I made the mistake of yawing. This sent Mimi into a fit. Finally, we calmed her down, and started to get ready.

I have to admit, the preparations weren’t all that bad. Having all my friends there really made things great.

My mother was there, and I was surprised to find that she had acted just as childish as the rest of them. Sometimes, we even forgot that she was my Mom! Sora was to be my maid of honour, as she has always been a sister to me. Mimi, Yolie, and Sakura were the rest of the party. Takeru’s Mom was there too.

On Takeru’s side, Daisuke was the best man. Though the two of them had a rough start, they ended up becoming best friends. Yamato, Taichi, my Dad, his Dad, and Ken made up the rest of them. He felt bad for not having the rest of the chosen children with him, but they understood that we only had enough room for a certain amount of people. Still, they were considered our guests of honour.

The day went by all too fast. A couple of times, some of the guys had come to the door. Mimi only shooed them away. She even caught Takeru trying to sneak a peek. She almost hit him over the head with some random item that she found, but my mother and his insisted that the groom was an essential part of the wedding party.

After a few hours, they had finally finished their hair, nails and make-up, and were on to mine. All that was needed to do was my hair. My eyes had been dusted with a light shade of soft pink. A black eyeliner was put on the bottom part of my eyes, and a light coating of mascara was but on my lashes. They powdered my face, and blushed my cheeks only slightly. Mimi insisted that they only accent my features. I agreed, because I’d rather not look like clown. On my lips was a pastel pink colour, and they covered that with a clear gloss.

My hair was another thing. I had let it grow out, specifically for the purpose of my wedding. I had intended on cutting it later, but I found that I didn’t look half bad with long hair. Mimi took care of doing my hair as well. She pulled it up, and examined me. She then let it back down again. At the front, she crossed it into thick zigzags. She let two strands hang down behind my ears. She then curled them. Carefully, she pulled it back up, and trapped with and elastic.

In the end, my hair was in a sophisticated bun, complete with bubbles. Mimi had also wrapped the edges of it with some excess hair.

I looked in the mirror. It would take a lot for Takeru not to fall over when he saw me. This made me smile to myself.

When Mimi was finished, there were squeals of delight as to how pretty I looked.

Now came the challenging part, putting on the dress. Carefully, they put it over my head, careful not to ruin my make-up and hair. Finally, it was on.

I looked at the full length mirror. The dress was long. It had spaghetti straps, and criss-crossed at the back. There was a simple floral design on the upper part, basically the outlines of the flower. This was done with silver sparkles. The bottom flowed elegantly, and it also had a silver sparkle to it.

Around my neck was a simple silver chain, with a simple diamond pendant. Takeru had given it to me a long time ago. Miraculously, we had been able to find matching earrings.

On my feet, were simple white sandals. They were platforms, of course. This wouldn’t make me look so short, standing beside my husband-to-be.

The final touch was made, and they placed the veil over my face.

Finally, the time came. The sanctuary was filled with people, friends and family of the two of us. I began to tremble slightly as I realized that my dreams were finally coming true.

The girls went outside, but I was not allowed to. Takeru would be out there, and though I was dying to see him, he wasn’t allowed to see me just yet. My father was the only one who could. He came in, and smiled at me.

“You look beautiful, honey.”

“Thank you, Daddy.”

I was nervous, and he saw this.

“Don’t worry, Hikari. Everything will be alright. Takeru is just as nervous as you are. He also can’t wait to see you.”

I smiled at him.

There was a knock at the door. We were informed that it was time.

My father took my arm, and we waited outside the door. I took a deep breath, as they opened.

I couldn’t believe what was happening at that moment. I looked down the isle; it seemed to stretch for eternity. I looked up to the front, and saw the wedding party divided evenly and standing at their respected sides. Though we had done this during rehearsal, it was a new experience for me.

I looked up, and I saw him. He was standing at the front, obviously. I saw the look on his face, and had to refrain myself from laughing. He was doing his best to stay composed, but I knew he was having trouble. Had he not been holding himself back, he would be staring at me bug-eyed and slack-jawed.

As my father walked me down, I was oblivious to the things around me. I smiled the whole way, but that smile was for Takeru, and only Takeru. I kept my eyes locked with his, and he kept his with mine.

At last, we reached the front. My father lifted the veil, and I walked over to the alter. He smiled at me. It was the biggest smile I’d ever seen him give.

The minister went through everything. It all seemed a blur. We exchanged rings and vows, and then said our ‘I do’s’.

Finally, they came. Those six words that change a person’s life forever. They were words that would close one chapter of my life, and open a new one.

“You may now kiss the bride.”

Takeru turned to me. He placed a finger underneath my chin, and he leaned in. I felt his lips touch mine. His hands moved down to my waist.

And once again, I had my first kiss. This time, it was our first as a married couple. When we parted, he grabbed my wrist, and we ran back up the isle. I couldn’t have been happier. There was clapping and cheering as we ran by, and we both had the biggest of smiles on our faces.

Outside, there was a chauffer waiting for us. He smiled as we both entered the limousine, and then he closed the door.

Once inside, Takeru leaned in and kissed me again. This time, it was deeper, and more passionate. I think we stayed like that most of the ride, but no one was there to tell us to stop or to ‘get a room’. It was out wedding day, we were allowed to do things like that.

We reached the reception hall, and once again the door was opened for us. Takeru was out first, and he took my hand and led me in. I was surprised that everyone was already here. I guess the limo driver took a detour to allow them the time to arrive.

We opened the door, and there was a line of people. We stopped, as Tai announced, “Ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to introduce for the first time, Mister and Missus Takaishi!” there were more cheers as Takeru led me down to the room. Confetti was thrown at us as we walked by, and all I could do was laugh.

The reception went just like I had wanted it too. The room was practically made out of windows, and there were huge skylights. I’d like to say that the day was perfect and sunny, but unfortunately just as we got into the room, the rain came down in torrents. This made Takeru and I laugh even harder.

As always, all good things must come to an end. However, I wanted to prolong this as long as possible.

Yamato and his band had graciously accepted to play a few numbers for us. We were thrilled by this. Things were winding down, but the band insisted on one more song. No one was about to object. Takeru took me in his arms, and I laid my head on his shoulder. He held me close to him. It was a wonderful feeling. We danced like this for what seemed to be hours. I had closed my eyes, and could have fallen asleep there. Obviously Takeru had his closed too, for he told me to open mine. I looked around, and realized that the others had formed a ring around us, and they were all watching us dance. I blushed and buried myself into his suit jacket. This only brought about a couple of laughs.

That night, Takeru carried me upstairs to our room. That felt weird and almost foreign to me, yet it had a nice ring to it. He smiled and placed me down on the bed. He sat down beside me, and just looked at me. He brushed my face with the back of his hand.

For a few moments, he just sat there, gazing into my eyes. Slowly, he leaned in and kissed me again. His kisses started at my lips, then travelled down to my neck. I closed my eyes and I felt him lay himself down beside me. His arms snaked around me as he pulled me closer to him.

That had been the best night of my life.

End Flashback

Those six words once again flooded my mind. I looked over, and saw the same gleam in her eye that I’m sure that I had carried in mine when the minister said that to Takeru.

I watched as the two of them made their way up the isle, together. I had to wipe more tears from my eyes.

When the newlyweds had disappeared behind the doors, the congregation broke apart. Some mingled slightly, and some left right away. We had to hurry, though, because we had to make it to the reception hall be fore they did.

I didn’t realize that I had entered the dream world until Takeru walked over to me. The man hadn’t aged a day, and many said the same about me.

“Brings back some memories, huh.” he remarked.

I smiled, “It certainly does.”

“We should get over to the reception hall. It’d be quite a shame if the parents of the bride were late.” Takeru said with a smile.

I smiled in return, and we walked to our car.

“Can you believe it? Our little Serena, married…” Takeru said on the way over.

I grinned. “Does it matter? Whether I believe that it’s happened or not, it’s still happened.”

I watched as the smile broke across his face. We both looked ahead. We had arrived. We exited the car, and Takeru opened the hall door for me. We joined the line of people, and waited for the bride and groom to come in.

Our son, who was two years younger than Serena, had the same job that Tai had at our wedding reception.

At last, the two of them came through the door. They had the same expressions on their faces that we had had.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to introduce for the first time, Mister and Missus Hiroshi!” Lance announced.

The two of them raced towards the room, and there was much cheering.

Takeru placed and arm around me, and whispered into my ear. “I love you.”

THE END

Calmer of the Storm: Okay...I know that was maybe a little long and sappy…but…it was a spur-of-the-moment thing…ya…Okay. So what did you think about it? Feedback is really nice…lol…I’ll stop now.