And here is the last chapter of Breathe. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own anything!
Breathe - Chapter 21: I do!
Tyson looked at the now empty space where Kai had stood not too long ago. Oh, how are they going to explain not only did Rei ran away… and now Kai as well? He was pretty sure that the rest of them would be thrown into the dungeons for not stopping them. He shuddered at the thought, and stole a piece of pie from his boyfriend's plate.
"What're we going to do?" Kenny continued on wailing right after Kai left. "We're going to be in so much TROUBLE! WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE!"
Bryan's left eye twitched unceremoniously and tried not to strangle his childhood friend. Wailing and panicking like that won't solve the problem! He rolled his eyes when Dizzi tried to calm the poor brunet. His lilac eyes watched Tala pacing back and forth, as if he was trying to think of something. "Any ideas?" he asked him.
The red-haired teen shook his head and stopped walking back and forth. In less than an hour, the parents/grandparent of the bride and the groom would come up to their rooms and collect them, and Tala was fairly sure that they would be really shock, if not enraged that Kai and Rei were missing. But then again, Kai wouldn't run away like that… maybe he's looking for Rei? His contemplating moment was disturbed when Max spoke.
"Rei's not the type to run away…" Max interjected, while tilting his head. "Maybe he just took a walk or something… you never know."
Kenny shook his head at the blond's theory and crossed his arms, finally stopping his babbling nonsense. "On the day of his wedding? Especially when he's told not to go out of his room?"
The only girl of the group sighed and looked out of the window. These boys were really clueless, she considered. She fully agreed at Max's idea that Rei probably only took a short walk, but what she didn't get is that why? Her violet-coloured eyes looked outside the window to see the sun shining brightly down by the fields. She can't see the decorative fields for the ceremony since it was on the other side.
She knows that Rei would never ever disobey his Mother's orders… he's too nice for that, granted he yelled at his cousin because he was pissed off, but that wasn't the point. "I'd have to agree with Maxie," she gave her opinion and turned to her boyfriend. "Rei would never go against the Lady's wishes…"
The brunet sighed and stopped pacing, making Bryan sigh with relief. He was really getting agitated at the pacing that he would actually make a hole and throw Kenny in it. "Do you think we should start looking for the both of them now?" Bryan flatly suggested whilst looking at his watch. "'Cause you know, in a few more hours the wedding's about to start…"
Tala, who sat on one of the armchairs after his pacing spree, suddenly stood up with his left fist up and his face full of determination. "We should! We have wasted countless of hours brainstorming ideas of getting them together and we are not going to let them ruin it now! They're so close to being together, damn it! I'll go insane!" he exclaimed and then glared at Dizzi, who muttered quite loudly that he already was, and dragged Bryan and Tyson ("Hey, I wasn't finished with that pie! LET ME GO, YOU LUNATIC!") and left the room, leaving the rest with the blank stares etched on their faces.
The red-haired boy strode fast as he clutched to Bryan and Tyson's arms like a vice grip, ignoring the colourful words that were coming out of the latter's mouth. He peered through to the other corridor checking to see if anyone was there. Fortunately for them, there was no one and Tala proceeded to drag his boyfriend and childhood friend until they got out of the castle.
"Would you MIND letting go of me now?" Tyson grumbled, as he shift his eyes from left to right to see if they were being followed. He grumbled even more when Tala ignored him again and sulked when Bryan threatened him that the older teen would be shoving bars of soap into his mouth if he keeps on swearing.
Poor Tyson… not only he didn't get to finish eating his pie, but he was being dragged like a rag doll and being threatened like… like a bratty little child who kicked their obnoxious aunt, who coos and pinches your cheeks really hard, in the shin.
Meanwhile, back in the room, Kenny, Max and Dizzi were still looking at the door where their friends had gone out.
So… what're we supposed to do now? The three of them thought.
If you walked towards further into the forest, you would notice a big lake sitting in the middle of it. And at the edge there was a small dock, and by the small dock sat a figure with ebony coloured hair braided with ribbons intertwining with the braid. Since the said figure wasn't wearing any fancy clothes, the pant-legs were pushed up to the knees so that the legs were dangling by the cool water.
Rei looked straight ahead as he leaned back a bit, his hands supporting him. He'd been there not too long ago - he was sitting by the edge of the cliff at first, but he realized that he could fall or someone might push him and left - and he enjoyed the quiet atmosphere surrounding him. It had been too stuffy back at the castle and the last time he checked, he'd been thinking about absurd thoughts and he thought he was being delirious with nervousness because of it.
He sat up suddenly, looking back at the bushy trees thinking that someone had yelled his name. Rei's face frowned softly, and then scolding himself for hallucinating and then returned back to staring at nothing. Unfortunately for him and his new found idea of being insane, a few minutes later he heard someone calling out his name again but this time much closer.
What's going on? The neko-jin wondered, as he stood up, not noticing the water slowly dripping down from his legs thus wetting the surface of the dock he's standing on. He ignored his shoes and started walking towards where he heard his name.
"Rei…!"
Rei froze; suddenly realizing whom the voice belonged to. What was Kai doing, screaming - err, okay… so maybe not scream; after all, an aloof person like Kai does not scream - his name out in the open? Doesn't he realize that the both of them would be in so much trouble right now?
The neko-jin, who was still surprised, kept on walking towards the voice until he saw his fiancé running towards him. His surprised look stayed when Kai suddenly clutched in by the arms and crushed him suddenly into his chest, giving him a backbreaking, rib-cracking hug. Rei was definitely sure that he was going to be paralysed for at least a week because of the hug.
"U-Umm, K-Kai? I can't breathe," the younger boy managed to choke out until Kai had finally released him.
Kai, who was frantically - even though he didn't look frantic - searching for his raven-haired fiancé, gave an adorable, little blush and avoided looking into Rei's hone-coloured eyes. It took him a few minutes to regain his composure; his cheeks turned back into a pale shade once more but he still looked everywhere but Rei's eyes.
"Where were you…?" he asked, this time not noticing the worried tone in his voice (did I mention that there was hint of anxiousness as well?). He suddenly noticed that Rei was also barefoot and raised his eyebrow in curiosity. "And why are you barefoot? Where'd your shoes go?"
Rei flushed in embarrassment and led Kai through the forest until they reached back to the dock where his ignored shoes were. "I was just sitting down there, staring at nothing," he explained while dipping his legs back into the water and watching Kai doing the same thing. "It was getting too stuffy back there, so I sneaked out."
Crossing his arms, Kai smirked at Rei as the raven-haired teen gave him a puzzled look. "You, sneak? I can't picture you sneaking out… you're too much of a goody-goody," he said, ignoring the other boy's scowl.
"Me? 'Goody-goody?' I don't think so… as I recall, a certain day you were covered in pink feathers…" he contradicted, silently sniggering at the memory.
Crimson eyes narrowed and glared at the laughing neko-jin. "So it was you who put those stupid feathers on me…" he murmured, making Rei stop laughing and look at him with nervous eyes because slowly but surely, Kai's own eyes were starting to have a familiar look in them…
"K-Kai…? Why are you looking at me like that…?" Rei asked, as he started to back away from the slate-haired youth. He didn't even realize as he started to lean back, he lost his balance, his head falling first into the water.
Oh crap! After all those countless hours of torture, wasted! I'm going to be in so much shit that I don't even know if I'm going to be at my own wedding! Here we go… hello dear water, are you prepared to make my life a living hell? … Huh? Where's the splashing? He reluctantly opened his eyes to see Kai pulling him back by his arms. Then he looked back and clutched his braided hair protectively and then glaring at the water as if he was daring it to splash him now.
"You should be a bit more careful… Dizzi and your Mother would have a fit when they see your pretty hair all messed up," Kai smirked as he watched Rei murmur some comforting words to his hair. Now it's making him wonder whether Rei cares about it more than him…
Rei on the other hand, gave him a half-hearted glare and then grinned cheekily at him, flinging his arms around Kai. "Thank you for saving me, Kai! I seriously don't know what I'd do without you…"
Just right after Rei had said that… Kai had an epiphany. What would happen to Rei if he weren't there? In fact, what if it was the other way around? As much as Kai hates to let on, he's really grown attached to Rei… sure at first he hated the neko-jin at first, but then again there is a thin line between hate and love, right? Of course, there is! He gave a genuine smile and he gathered the neko-jin into his arms and gently hugged him.
"I don't know what I'd do without you either…" he confessed softly as he heard the other teen gasp at the declaration.
Meanwhile, Tala, Tyson and Bryan looked at every nook and cranny for the soon-to-be-married couple. They also have to avoid suspicions, especially when one of the advisors - or worse, one of the couple's parents/grandparent and be questioned as to why they're acting like they did something appalling (which they might have done while searching for their friends… but you never know!).
"Okay… the coast is clear," Tala whispered, as he motioned the other two to follow him.
The three of them have been searching high and low, left and right, front and back, so on and so forth. They looked at the couple's shared bedroom, the kitchen (in which the cooks were giving them odd looks because they were looking under the table, inside cupboards, and behind sacks of potatoes), the dining hall (they checked under the tables, ignoring the curious looks of Rei and Kai's relatives whom were drinking tea), and heck, even the dungeons (they looked at each cell, ignoring the torture devices and such)! But to no avail, they haven't had any luck.
Tyson huffed while trying to not smack Tala in the head. "You know, this is so STUPID! How about if we could just split up? It'll be easier that way, right?" he howled, making a few servants look at them with curious expressions.
Tala and Bryan turned around to see the blue-haired teen's suggestion with stunned looks. "That's the smartest thing you've ever said in your whole entire life," the red head replied, while the other just shook his head.
"Hah, of course that was a smart - HEY, WHAT DO YOU MEAN IN MY WHOLE ENTIRE LIFE?"
Tala ignored him and turned to Bryan, but the latter already took off the other way. His icy blue eyes rolled in annoyance and called out, "We're meeting in front of the courtyard in half an hour!" Hearing his boyfriend's 'Yes' he turned to Tyson who also took off in a different direction.
"What is this, 'Ignore-Tala-Day'?" he sulked and crossed his arms. With a shake of his head, he headed towards the forest and continued searching.
"D-Did you just say what I think you just said?" Rei asked Kai while he was still in the older one's protective embrace. He wasn't hallucinating, right? Of course, not! But then again… he didn't eat lunch yet, he wasn't even sure if he had some breakfast; so there was a possibility of him hallucinating…
Kai gave a small smirk and reluctantly let go of Rei. He really didn't know why he said that, but it seemed like a perfectly good idea at the time. When Kai heard Kenny's wailing on how Rei ran away from the wedding, he had made a decision that it was time to suck up his nonexistent pride and whatever dignity he has left and look for his fiancé even if he receives weird, odd looks from passers-by.
When he had reached Rei sooner than he thought, Kai's mind went completely blank. Sure, he looked composed and basically the Kai we all knew and love, but he didn't know how to confess now. He wasn't even supposed to see his bride until the ceremony starts. The crimson-eyed youth blames it all on Rei though, no matter how mean that sounded.
Right after he found the neko-jin, what Kai saw was an angel. An ethereal beauty with long braided hair and even if his clothes were casual clothes, he was still considered to be the most beautiful thing in Kai's eyes - and possibly the whole entire kingdom.
"I may be a bastard at times, but I'd never tell a single lie…" he retorted softly - which was getting a bit foreign to him because Kai never does anything soft unless him and Rei were performing some exciting activities… but that's hush-hush until after their wedding - and ignored the desire to kiss the blushing teen in front of him.
"Yes, I guess I can't argue with you there," Rei replied.
Okay… it's now or never, Hiwatari…"Rei…?"
Rei looked at the crimson eyes with a questioning look and tried to avoid them when he realized how passionate they looked. Why was Kai looking at him like that? It looks like Kai was going to do something to him. He knows that it's not bad, but it was quite unsettling because Kai's pretty unpredictable. "Y-Yes?" he managed to say.
"I know that we're only marrying each other because it's arranged and the fact that both of our kingdoms would be strong…" Rei's eyes lowered a bit at the thought. So this is where it's going. Kai would tell him that it has always been that way and nothing changed… "But, now I want to ask you…"
Kai swallowed his pending, once-in-a-lifetime coward-ness and asked, "Will you marry me?" He waited for a few seconds… then minutes, until he couldn't take it anymore. He held Rei's chin and lifted it up only to see honey-coloured orbs glazed with unshed tears. Kai was confused… very confused. Why did it look like Rei was about cry any second?
"You Jerk!" Rei slapped him in the arm and wiped his eyes really quickly, ignoring Kai's yelp and glared right back at him. "You got me almost crying for nothing!"
Now, Kai was just plain confused. He really wasn't expecting Rei to cry and then get mad at him. Now that really makes him look like girl, he mused silently as he kept on watching the neko-jin ranting on and on. He didn't even realize that the younger one stopped rambling and just decided to glare at him - the glare was hardly intimidating and it only made Rei look way cuter.
"So… why am I exactly a jerk?"
"Because…"
"Because…?"
Rei twiddled his thumbs and bit his lip. "I thought you were going to say that nothing changed between us…" he mumbled to quietly that Kai had to lean in closer. "I mean, I know I'm just being stupid and stuff because with all the things that our friends have been doing - What the hell are you doing?" His eyes suddenly had a look of disbelief in them when Kai suddenly laughed out of the blue.
"What's so funny?" an indignant question was asked, making Kai stop laughing (although he would chuckle for a second and then stopping again).
"You."
"May I ask why?"
Kai smirked and tucked in a piece of Rei's hair by the neko-jin's ear, enjoying the blush appearing on Rei's cheeks. "Because you're funny that's what. Now… you still haven't answered my question."
Rei smiled and was about to answer until…
"AHA! THERE YOU TWO ARE!"
…Until Tala decided to intervene and ruin the romantic mood, thus making Kai and Rei look at him with staggered looks. Man, what a party-pooper, ne?
"Did you know that the both of you are in serious trouble? Did you ever think about that?" Tala scolded the both of them, not noticing that the both of them were in a heated - romantic - conversation. "The both of you can make out later. Later as in when the advisors, your parents and grandparent aren't breathing down your necks! Now let's go!" The red head grabbed both of their arms and helped them up, walking ahead of them, giving them a bit of privacy albeit that he was in a hearing range.
Rei walked beside Kai slowly and until Tala was far enough - he was walking really fast - the neko-jin grabbed Kai's arms and walked in front of him. He didn't even stop and listen to what Kai has to say but instead pulled him down by his shirt and kissed him fiercely.
He then pulled back from the kiss reluctantly and leaned on Kai's forehead. "You want my answer?" he asked while feeling Kai's arms circling his waist.
Kai grunted as he tried to stop the smile that was appearing on his lips.
Rei smiled sweetly and chastely kissed Kai on the mouth again. "Yes." And with that he pulled away from the crimson-eyed youth, only holding his hand now and dragged him towards the still-walking fast Tala, looking as cheerful as ever.
To the neko-jin, it wasn't the full 'I love you and I will cherish you for ever and ever' phrase, but that 'Will you marry me?' sentence was close enough to make it one.
And he would never have it in any other way.
"GET A MOVE ON, WOULD YOU?"
Tala really is an adorable pessimistic.
While all of those things were happening, Dizzi, Max and Kenny looked cautiously between the advisors. It seems that the three of them decided to visit their parents, and check if the robes have arrived yet; but much to their chagrins, fate was laughing in their faces that their schedule's really behind. To make things worse, there was still no sign from Kai and Rei, and the three of them were too anxious of telling the advisors that the most important people for the ceremony had disappeared (they were afraid of being thrown in the dungeons for telling the older people that the bride and groom had gone missing).
"This is an outrage! How could we go on with the ceremony without the ceremonial clothing?" Sir Ivanov said while pacing back and forth.
"Relax, I'm sure it'll be here," the only female advisor, Judy replied calmly as she took a sip from her tea. She may look calm on the outside, but on the inside there was rage, lots of blinding rage. "After all, I don't think they would want to be the blame for their tardiness."
Dizzi watched Max and her boyfriend gulp slightly at Max's mother's calm tone with an amused look. She even wondered if she's able to do that, once she became an advisor much like her father… that would be so much fun! The violet-eyed girl smiled sweetly when she and Judy shared knowing looks, indicating that the elder woman has seen the gulps that her son and Kenny had done. Oh yes… so much fun…
"How can you be so sure?"
"Call it woman's intuition," was the reply.
Max looked on curiously at the advisors. Since they were having troubles with the clothing and such, can't they just ignore that? As in, Kai and Rei wouldn't have to wear fancy clothes? After all, the most important thing is the ceremony, not what they wear! Besides, they'll have less problems to deal with, and not only that they'll be right on track with their schedule! It's perfect!
Seeing the blond's contemplative expression, Kenny and Dizzi's eyes widened. If they were thinking what Max's thinking… that wouldn't be good, at all. They'd be mutilated into nauseating carcasses by the time Tyson and the others find Kai and Rei. When they saw Max started to open his mouth, they signalled him quietly to shut it back up; unfortunately… fate just wasn't on their side today.
"Mother…"
Oh no… Dizzi and Kenny thought.
"Yes, Maxie…?"
"Would it be possible if Kai and Rei could just wear what they're wearing now?"
Silence overtook the whole room as everyone gawked at the blue-eyed youth, who in return, pouted a little when all of the advisors kept on staring at him. Finally, Judy regained her composure and looked at her son warily.
"What do you mean, dear?"
"Well - "
"Eheheh… Maxie, that's enough sugar for you!" Dizzi interrupted, while she and Kenny clamped their hands over Max's mouth. The advisors looked at them with confused looks as the other two dragged the blond out the door. "We'll see you later at the ceremony then, Father… everyone!" she exclaimed, slamming the door shut, making the advisors blink away their confused expressions.
"Huh?"
Tyson gave a frustrated grunt and paced back and forth at the cobblestone floor of the courtyard. For once he paid attention to what Tala was saying, and for once he was actually early after searching high and low for his childhood friend and his childhood friend's fiancé. When he arrived at the courtyard, he was happy that he was first, seeing as he really hates it that he's always late (it's not like its his fault! Lots of things distract him!).
"Seen Tala yet?" He turned to see Bryan walking towards him, looking aggravated.
Bryan had been looking back at the stables and even got an encounter with Rei's little cousins, bugging him to tell them a story. Needless to say, making up a story with a mushy ending is worse than being stuck in hell and getting your ass spanked by a devil.
"What do you think…?" Tyson grumbled and sat down at one of the benches. "You don't think that he already found them, did you?"
The older one shrugged and crossed his arms. "Wouldn't pass him to doing that…"
"Wow… way to go on boosting my self-esteem," a dry voice said making Bryan and Tyson look that way.
"Tala, you're here! And Kai and Rei are here too!" Tyson exclaimed. "FINALLY! Now, let's go to the kitchen and get some food… all that searching made me as hungry as a horse!" He patted his stomach and turned towards where the kitchen is located.
Tala rolled his eyes and kissed Bryan on the cheek. "Believe me, the last thing I want to do is eat… we have to get the lovebirds here," he jerked his head towards the hand-in-hand Kai and Rei. "Back to their respective rooms before their ass gets kicked!"
"Uhh… Kai… Rei… what happened to your shoes?"
The aforementioned couple gave Tyson an odd glance and looked down at their feet and realized that they left their shoes by the lake.
"Oops."
"Oh crap."
By the time Rei got to his room and put on a pair of shoes, and made sure that his hair wasn't messed up or anything, Lady Leila came into the room with a smile - although her eyes looked a bit disappointed and thus the neko-jin wondered if she found out that he went out on a little stroll - and saw him holding the book (which was upside down).
"Is there anything wrong, Mother?" he asked, quickly turning the book right side up, hoping that his mother didn't notice.
Lady Leila shook her head and sat beside him with both her hands on her lap. "No, nothing's wrong… It's just…"
Rei curiously leaned his head to the side and closed the book he was pretending to read and place it on the side table. Did she really found out that I went out for a walk? He thought, silently praying that he was wrong.
Again, his mother shook her head and encircled Rei with a hug. "I'm sorry, dear but I'm afraid I have bad news…"
He felt something cold drop down on his stomach. Was Kai bailing the wedding or something? But… what about the incident by the lake earlier? Didn't that mean anything to Kai?
Feeling her son stiffened, Lady Leila suddenly petted Rei's raven hair and laughed softly. "No… not that bad news. Kai's not going to leave the wedding…" she continued to laugh inwardly when Rei sighed loudly in relief - it seems like he was holding his breath - and hugged him tighter. "It's just that… the ceremonial robes aren't here yet, and I'm afraid that you'd have to go with the most fancy clothes you have now."
"Does this mean that you guys would have to redo my hair so that it would match my clothing?"
"Of course, not!" an indignant reply was heard. "It would take at least half a day again… no, that would simply not do. Besides, you have enough fancy clothes in your closet that would perfectly match your beautiful hair. We'll just go through your closet and see what we can find, ne?"
Rei smiled at his mother, hoping that it wasn't too strained. He really didn't mean to say that… his closet's huge that it's considered to be a labyrinth, and it would really take a long time to find the perfect outfit. Why did his mother have to get him clothes once a week?
"Shall we get start looking for it then?"
A huge smile was shown his mother's beautiful face. "I thought you'd never ask!" she exclaimed as she help him stand up and drag him towards the huge closet doors.
Ah… the things he does for his mother.
The melodious sounds of the organ filled the area as every member from either Rei's or Kai's family sat in the seats, either waiting patiently or crying their eyes out on how their nephews/cousins have grown so much that it seemed like it was only yesterday that their heads were stuck on the banister, or how they were kicked in the bum by horses, etc. Suffice to say that there was enough embarrassing moments for anyone to just write it in a piece of paper and store it for blackmail.
Right at the end by the altar was Kai, wearing his substitute wedding attire. He'd been rather pleasant when he heard from his grandfather that the ceremonial robes were indeed tardy and he wouldn't have to wear some uncomfortable suit that he'd have to waddle like the duck wearing it. So instead, he's wearing loose fitting clothes in which the outer robe has long flannel sleeves that were a bit fitting from the shoulder to his biceps, stopping by the elbow. By the elbow, the rest of the sleeves were a bit wider. He has a turtleneck for an inside shirt with a very, very thin fabric that the material's not itchy, and not that tight either. For bottoms, he's wearing dark coloured trousers with combat boots; a cape-like material was placed on his waist and went down to his ankles, covering his backside. It wasn't anything too fancy, but it was formal enough.
He still couldn't believe that his wedding was starting right now. In fact… he'd never pictured that he was going to spend someone in his entire life… ever. The crimson-eyed youth was so lost in thought that he didn't even realize that Tala was tapping his shoulder until the red head smacked him hard.
"Oof!"
Tala ignored the irritated glare and smirked as he crossed his arms. "You weren't answering!" he defended himself, putting his arms up.
"What do you want, now?"
"Just asking if you're ready is all… I heard that you actually proposed to Rei… not that it was necessary or anything…"
Kai gaped at him - which was highly unlikely - and kept on glaring. "Who told you that?"
Icy blue eyes averted the glare and laughed uneasily. "Uhh… actually, I eavesdropped your conversation… I found you guys right before you Rei almost fell on the water, then I hid by the bushes and listened to you guys were saying…"
When Kai was about to punch the living daylights out of Tala, a stern cough was heard and both looked to see one of the advisors looking at them strictly saying as if they caused havoc just before the people started walking down the aisle, they would experience very harsh punishments. Both winced inaudibly at the gaze and stopped talking to avoid severe maiming.
Suddenly, small children started walking down the walkway with the girls wearing dresses and the boys wearing suits - much to their chagrin - and sat at the seats right behind where the advisors, Lady Leila, Lord Rai and Lord Hiwatari were supposed to sit.
Right after the children walked down, Kai would see his friends and Mariah walking next, ignoring the building anticipation of what would Kai see after they have taken their seats and watch his beloved bride walk down the aisle. Finally, after Dizzi sat on her seat, what Kai saw literally took his breath away.
Walking down the aisle with Lord Rai and Lady Leila was Rei, who was wearing dark baggy pants with a light-coloured cloth embroidered with golden strips on the side slit of the said cloth. His top was also light-coloured and considered to be two things: an outer shirt and an inner shirt (just like Kai's). The inner shirt's sleeves are loose and long that it covers Rei's hands. The outer shirt has dark, short sleeves covering the shoulders with a flat square-ish collar in front and a black bordering of the said collar and with two small ribbons at the bottom corners. It didn't take much time as Rei had expected when they were looking for the clothes he was supposed to wear. Just right after Lady Leila had opened the closet, the outfit made itself known.
Everybody, including Kai of course, gasped at the blushing Rei. They've never seen such a beautiful creature! When the three of them walked down all the way to the altar, Lady Leila both kissed Kai and Rei on the cheek, giving them a watery smile, and Lord Rai shook the crimson-eyed youth's hand and hugged his son and then the couple went to take a seat, watching a small moment between their son and son-in-law.
"Y-You look…"
Rei blushed further when Kai started talking. In his opinion, Kai looked Amazing… with a capital 'A'. He looked just perfect! He's speechless and even if he weren't, he would probably stutter out incoherent words and make a fool of himself.
"Beautiful," Kai finally breathed out, choosing a random word out of the many words he'd describe his neko-jin.
"T-Thank you…"
A cough was heard and both head turned to see the priest looking at them with a smile and a twinkle in his eye. "If the both of you would like to start… shall we?" he whispered.
Both blushed - Kai's blush was only light, but Rei's was getting darker - and nodded. "Sorry, sir."
The priest smiled again and cleared his throat. "We are all gathered here today…"
Rei smiled as he leaned on the balcony, looking at the starry night sky. Today… had been an awesome day, and that's an understatement. During the wedding, nothing had disrupted them… well, at least not seriously…
-- Flashback --
"We are gathered here today to watch and celebrate the holy matrimonial of Hiwatari Kai and Kon Rei. If anyone chooses that these two should not be wed, speak now or forever hold your peace."
"I OBJECT - OWW, DIZZI! IT WAS A JOKE!"
"THEN SHUT UP, TYSON! GO BACK TO YOUR SEAT!"
"Haha… Tyson, you're such an idiot! I wasn't being serious, y'know!"
"YOU SHUT UP TOO, TALA! I knew that…"
-- End Flashback --
I wonder what possessed Tyson to believe Tala… Rei mused, as he watched his guests still celebrating by the fields. A small group of people were playing music whilst his and Kai's relatives would dance to it. A great long table, full of delicious food was placed on the side; the neko-jin saw Tyson sitting at the said table with his plate loaded with food eating and Max was by his side, laughing at the dancing Kenny and Dizzi.
He wandered his eyes more until he saw his parents sitting underneath the tree, sharing a small moment between them. When he had seen the romantic gestures, he remembered the vows that he and his fian - oops, he meant husband - recited to one another. A tear of happiness flowed down his cheek.
-- Flashback --
"I, Hiwatari Kai, promise to protect Rei, keeping him safe from many evil and corrupt entities that may threaten our kingdom. He's my confidante and even though we started off at a bad pace, I was glad to have met him because I've never seen a person with a kind heart and a stubborn personality. I'm glad that I'd spend the rest of my life with him instead of someone else, because I know that there are not many people like him
"If I would have to choose between dieing for him or sparing my own life, I would choose dieing for him anytime."
Kai finished saying his vow, looking at Rei with an intense gaze and genuinely smiled at the neko-jin, who was really taken aback by his vow. He didn't notice the audience who were also watching intently, some were wiping their tears and others were just smiling contently.
Rei, who was still dazed after hearing that vow, prayed to the gods that he won't have to stutter his vow out. Fortunately, the deities decided to be nice to him. "I, Kon Rei, promise to be loyal to Kai for the rest of my life. I would always be there for him, supporting him in any way I can. I will help him protect and make wise decisions for our kingdom, and I would make sure that he doesn't overwork himself to death," he paused slightly after hearing some of the guests laugh at the comment. "I trust him with all of my heart and I know that he would never hurt me…
"And for that, I would be gladly married to him because he is my most precious person to me."
He finished, looking at the ground, not trusting himself to become lost into those crimson depths…
-- End Flashback --
"There you are… I was looking all over for you," a voice said, startling Rei out of his reverie. He turned around to see Kai looking at him with his eyes shining brightly with happiness and love towards him.
Kai walked towards his kitten and gently wrapping his arms around the lithe waist, putting his chin on Rei's shoulder, "How come you're not with the festivities?" he asked.
Rei shook his head and yawned softly, leaning at Kai's chest. "It's getting a bit too loud, and we've had a hectic day… I'm getting drowsy…" he mumbled whilst yawning again.
"Too drowsy for some… festivities of our own?"
"I'm not that tired, you idiot!"
Kai laughed deeply as he followed a blushing Rei inside their room, and then suddenly noticing the chest sitting at the foot of their bed. He then remembered the first time they shared the bed and reading the note that came from his mother-in-law and father-in-law. He was going to go and open it to see what was inside, but he didn't let his unusual curiosity get the better of him and instead, he paid attention to his kitten and proceeded on to a much more exciting activity.
Meanwhile, down at the celebrations, Dizzi sat beside Max and peered through the crowd to see if she could spot the newlywed couple. She thought she spotted Rei, but it turned out it was one of his cousins. The violet-eyed girl sulked, while grudgingly accepted the apple when Max offered her one.
"Have you guys seen Kai and Rei?" she asked Tala and Bryan who arrived and sat down across from her.
"Nope, in fact I haven't seen them since… dinner," Tala said, plucking a couple of grapes from the fruit basket.
Bryan just sat down, trying to ignore the noises Tyson's making while eating. "I've seen them… but… I don't think you want to disturb them."
"What do you - Oh, OH! Yeah, I think you're right…" Dizzi mysteriously giggled, while Max looked totally confused.
"What do you guys mean by that?"
"Nothing Maxie…"
Tyson swallowed the food he was chewing and took a huge gulp of water, patting his stomach indicating that he was finished eating for now and said, "I wonder…"
Tala rolled his eyes and smirk. "Oh no, you guys… Tyson's thinking of something… do you think hell's covered with ice now?" he asked, making the others laugh and the one insulted glare at him.
"Not funny, Tala! Anyway as I was saying… now that Kai and Rei are married… who do you think should be married next?"
Everybody froze at the question and gawked at Tyson. Where the hell did that come from? Dizzi dropped the apple that she was eating and kept on giving the blue-haired teen an odd look. Max tilted his head a little, looking thoughtful all of a sudden, while Tala almost choked on the grapes he was eating and Bryan looking at him astonishingly. Where was Kenny? He's probably somewhere… actually; he's behind where Dizzi, Max and Tyson were sitting passed away because he drank too much wine.
Tyson tried to ignore the unnerved glances that were thrown in his way.
"What? What did I say?"
OWARI
Crystal: And I'm done! After a year and some months of writing… procrastinating… more writing… and more procrastinating, I'm done with Breathe! I'm so sad… I really had fun writing this, and I really appreciated the people who reviewed and supported me all throughout this fic!
Thanks to: Sarcasmcat, StarryNightObsession, Bluumberry, Keisan, Legolas19, Shaka Dragomir Noctornus, Coco-bee, Judgement of Tears, C0tt0n Kand3e, Sexy Felton, Your favourtitest cousin (insert smiley face), Raluca, Tenshi-Tara, .At least I know I'm a sinner., La perfectionieste, Demdova, Addictive to Five Alive, White Tiger Kitten, Neko-jin-orange, Aacura, Devlinn Reiko-sama, Tariki Rania, Forfirith The Dark Angel, Keisan, Raven Deathstar, Driger&Dragoon, Rena Star, Reki Onizuka, Readhair Gal Gin, SilverNCold1, Mourir, Platinum Rei, Enelya Aldarion, Danica Loy, SoulSister, Dragon's Ice Chick, Kai-lovr, Iversons Babe, Mix Yaw, Idunno, HimekoSukie, Devilburns, Animegirl8, Lokisash, Saber-hiwatari, Prayers of the Fallen, Sweet-sorrows, Kodoku Wolf, Lone Wolf a.k.a Loner, Siver-eyes Magician Girl, Jirachi, Shadow Phoenix 666, Cocoa Cupcake, Raku Ozzarian Princess, Azn-Hiwatari, Game-kid17, BloodMistress, KilluaBakura, Keri Arishima, saFire flamE, Wolf whirl, Akari Angel, Luana Hime, Lady Snowblossom, IndigoDeath666, Kai-cutie-angel, Amethyst Dust, Pyro, Kuroneko Hikage, Tntiggris, Shirogane Ayumi Asagi Kiyoshi, ManHattaN, Saber Kon, Kat, Adi, Ruriko L Minamino, Zoe, Koneko no Rei, UlTiMaTe KaI LuVa, Shirohikari, Adorable Death Angel Shayde, o Bubbles o, Cat in the web, Ren, Prozacfairy, Silver Kitsune, Moon Bind, Lady AA-chan, Emiz, Kiko cat, Amethyst Tiger Tears, Curtis Zidane Ziraa, Akira J. S., Shadow Tigress a.k.a Kit, Danya, mOoNliTe-rApHsOdy, Blazing Phoenix L, Alex Hiwatari, Shanna, EternalElement, Luminous Carte, GGJ, Phoenixflame 905, Vampyre Neko, Chibi Drigger, Foxdemon, SorrowWolf, ChibiNekoSakura, Neko Phoenix Girl, Neko Jin, XxMaster-ExX, LaDyFiCtIoN, Hyper Breeze from the East, Renanimeangel, LostSoul013, SnowIce, Yukio, Duct Tape Kitten, Kat5, Angel of Pure Darkness, Mizurazame, Neko-jin-2004, Dragon-girl 02, Daaku Hisaki, Kissybear, ChineseKawaiiKitten, Magic and Sparkle, Hatsumi Narita, Mandy Pants, Lei-chi Kon, Natasha, Rei Kai, Chinese Fairy, Tsunami, Hellfire Phoenix, ..., Fluffys-sidekick, Oceana Princess Of Pain, Omili, Probladergirl, Macey muse, Yoko-obssessor, Mimay, Wingedsoldier, Avampiresdilemma, Starvingartist24601, Sophy, Sandra, Kitsune, Dark kai1, AnimeBando33, Ashley, Kura, Yami Pandora, WildChipmunkofYonder, Kizna1200, Shadow Vampiress, Tsunami-girl, BloodyShadows, LonelyTombRobber, Little Myy, NF, '-Lexis Sears-', and Stephanie for reading and reviewing the whole fic!
You don't know how happy you guys made me for sending me reviews and such! I also got to know some of you and for that I'm very glad! -tackle glomps everybody- Anyway… some of you are asking for a sequel, and my answer is… no. It would be really nice for a sequel, really it is, but… I want to focus on my other fics right now (currently I'm working on two chaptered fics and a one-shot) and massive ideas are forming onto my head for new ones. I'm also trying on writing fanfictions from different categories… and okay, I'll stop rambling now. But - I'm really, really, REALLY sorry - there would be no sequels. I hope you will understand that.
And this is I, Crystal, saying thank you and good-bye for the last time on Breathe! Ja ne!