Waking Dreams… Unconventional

Sure that he was asleep and waiting for the alarm clock to sound, he watched as she walked towards him, her steps slow and precise and in time to the music that played softly around them. Her dress was… stunning; it was unorthodox in its style, but it was breath-taking none-the-less, and couldn't be more perfect for her. He'd expected his own tuxedo to be starchy and uncomfortable; it was quite the opposite, actually. Still in a daze, he watched her hand the simple bouquet to Chiaki; automatically, just as they'd practiced over and over, he held out his hand to her and she took it, allowing him to guide her up to the podium where Ayako waited in full priestess regalia.

At any moment he was going to wake up, he decided as they went through the purification rite. Any minute now he'd hear the alarm signaling that soon he'd have to get ready to…get married. Ayako began the Norito-sojo and he and Mai exchanged the sake cups, drinking only from the third and final glass. Then it was his turn to say the vow—and she repeated it, although it wasn't strictly done. Then Ayako presented them with the Sakaki Branch. Taking it, they showed it off to their audience before exchanging rings. Then, their guests partook in more sake and the party began amidst their first kiss as husband and wife.

The daze ended abruptly at the feeling of Mai's lips on his. He wasn't waiting for the alarm to go off. This was his wedding day. He'd gone through the ceremony and was married, to Taniyama, no Lin Mai. It had a nice ring to it, no pun intended. Their marriage had been a fusion of the East and West—a semi-formal Shinto wedding with Western influences, the dress and tuxedo being the biggest influence followed by Ayako being the one to perform the ceremony instead of a priest. Leaning down, he kissed her again, slow and deep, enjoying the way she melted into him and kissed him back without abandon. He couldn't wait for the party to end so he and Mai could leave for their honeymoon—it was a surprise to her, the trip he'd planned.

An arm encircled his shoulders, further reminding him that he wasn't dreaming: this was real, he was at his actual, honest-to-God-wedding ceremony and Mai had just been carted off to dance with Chiaki, Masako, and Yuko. He turned to see Takigawa holding out a glass of sake.

"Game over," Takigawa said when Lin had taken the cup.

Actually, Lin thought, it had been game over the day he and Mai went to the local Ward Office and filled out the paper work with Naru and Chiaki as their witnesses.

"Or game start," Lin countered. "Single is overrated anyways."

Takigawa looked at his own band and smiled fondly. "Yeah. You're right about that. Tell me, have you woken up from your daze yet?"

Lin laughed. "Yes, I think I have. It went so smoothly that I was sure I was simply asleep."

Takigawa laughed and tapped another glass of sake to Lin's. "Congratulations, Lin."

"Thank you, Takigawa-san." He tipped the glass back and swallowed the liquor. Escaping the other man's hold, he approached his wife and led her into a dance: their first dance as husband and wife.

A/N: So… this is a rewrite of the original Thirty Kisses I posted on LiveJournal ages ago and found myself frustrated by the original work. Some of it was good, some of it, not so good; some of the original pieces will remain and be posted. As always, this will center Lin and Mai as the main couple because there needs to be more stories of them. Just a note on this one, for those of you who want to berate me by saying that there needs to be a priest to do the ceremony, yadda yadda, the ceremony is purely ceremonial. In Japanese law, Lin and Mai are already married because they filled out the proper paper work at the local Ward Office in their city and had two witnesses with them. The ceremony is simply icing on the cake. Thank you very much to JapanFactCheck for clarifying that for me! Anyhow, I thought you guys might enjoy 30 Kisses revamped.

Up next? Who knows!