A Wedding Surprise

An A&M fic by Celste/Evon--my first romantic one-shot!( I recommend reading this while listening to Rikki's 'Suteki Da Ne' from Final Fantasy X)

The characters are Watsuki-sensei's not mine!

Misao stared sadly at Aoshi's back. Her unrequited love made her heart ache all the more. Why does my love life have to be so painful? She had tried to bring him out of his guilt--it had hardly worked. He had loosened up a bit but was as icy as ever. Memories of his pained smiles surfaced in her mind.

"Misao...I'm sorry, I don't love you. Don't waste your time on me. You don't love me as you think you do. You'll grow out of it so leave me alone and stop disturbing me!" Those cold, biting words rushed back to her, returning like a stab to her heart. Why, Aoshi? Why? She had finally gathered enough guts to profess her feelings for him but--

The tears welled up again. Not bearing to look anymore, Misao turned her head away and rushed down the temple steps. If that's what you want, Aoshi-sama, then that's what I'll do.

Moments later, Misao stepped into the Aoiya, all traces of her earlier tears gone. She had vowed to herself never to cry in front of the others. After all, being a leader meant being strong in spirit, right? But whenever Aoshi's coldness got the better of her, she would lock herself up in the room and cry herself to sleep. She did not know if the others heard--if they did, strangely enough, they never teased her about it. Perhaps they felt that it was okay for a girl to cry but not for men to do the same. Whatever the case, Misao made sure that she never cried in front of the others.

"Tadaima!" She called, forcing a smile onto her face. The others didn't have to know what had happened. She walked into the main hall.

Okina sat there with a middle aged woman, who was  pleasantly plump and dressed in an overly bright colored kimono, with an equally over-bright smile. 

"Konnichiwa, you must be Misao. Sachiko dosu e, yoroshuu otanomoushimasu." The woman spoke in the Kyoto dialect. Misao's eyes narrowed. Who was she?

As if in answer to her question, Okina grinned and spoke up. "Misao, you can't wait forever for Aoshi. You're already almost twenty years old--any longer and you'd be an old maid! It's high time you got married. Sachiko-san here is a matchmaker."

A matchmaker. Misao never thought that she would ever need one. Her eyes narrowed more as the baishakunin scrutinized her from head to toe.

"Ei dosu e." Sachiko-san looked pleased. "Good looks, nice figure. It won't take much effort to find a good match. If you decide to use my services."

"Jiii-ya! When did you get the idea that I needed a husband into your head!" Misao glared at him.

Okon, who was mending clothes nearby, looked up. "Misao-chan, if you put this off any longer, it's going be very difficult to find a husband. You'd be alone your whole life. Just like me." Hearts filled her eyes. "Unless Hiko falls in love with me, of course. Besides, just treat it as a favour to Okina's aiji-- erm, friend," she corrected abruptly at Okina's glare.

"Think about it. You don't want to spend your life all alone do you?" Sachiko agreed. "There are many eligible bachelors around who will love to have a wife like you."

"You don't want to stay a virgin for the rest of your life ne my pretty," Okina grinned. Misao almost blew her top. Her face went red with embarrassment and anger

"JIYA! Stop that!" She was about to tell him off for meddling and being so hentai, and let them pretty much know and remember that Makimachi Misao did not need a matchmaker to find a husband when Sachiko's last sentence popped into her head. 

"There are many eligible bachelors around who will love to have a wife like you."

Well, why not? One try won't hurt. Aoshi-sama doesn't want you, he said so himself. It's his loss not yours if there's someone who wants you, her mind told her. She contemplated for a while before deciding.

"Well, okay. Just as a favour." She noticed the shell-shocked look on the faces of all those in the room--Sachiko, Okina, Okon and Shiro, who just happened to be passing by. Ha, I bet they never thought I would actually agree. Eat your heart out, Aoshi.

--------------------

A few days later...

Aoshi rushed down the temple steps worriedly. Misao had not been bringing his tea for the past few days. Was she ill?

Or maybe she just doesn't see the point anymore. Memories of the fateful day came rushing back...how she had thrown her arms around him and poured her heart out. His frosty reply. The tears streaming down her face.

She had gone and not come back.

He half wished he had not said what he had. Perhaps he had hurt her too much...his words had just been too blunt, spoken without thought. Maybe if he had gone after her...

Stop. He put the thought out of his mind. It was for the best...for her ...for them. She deserved someone who could give her happiness. Not him, who had made her weep so much at night. Misao, you never thought I knew, did you? Many times, he had been awakened by her sobbing, and his heart ached to know that he had been the cause...of all those tears that should have never run down her beautiful face in the first place. Those glistening streams that day had only determined his decision that she deserved someone better who would make her laugh--not cry.

But what if she really is ill? Or worse, injured? Misao would probably not want to see him but Aoshi decided to go to the Aoiya to appease himself anyway.

What greeted him there was not what he expected. There appeared to be a party of some sort going on. A party with many young men.

He was about to go inside and ask what was happening but something made him stop. Misao stood under a sakura tree, dressed in a blue furisode that brought out the dazzling azure of her eyes. It was usually difficult to get her into any kimono, and he wondered what made her suddenly wear one. But that was not the whole point.

The fact that Misao--his Misao was talking and laughing with a (good-looking, he grudgingly had to admit) young man was what stopped him in his tracks. Her eyes were shining, much like they had used to whenever she was with him. His eyes narrowed, and he stood there for a while, hoping that Misao would see, or at least sense, him and explain what was going on.

She was apparently so engrossed in conversation that she did not even turn in Aoshi's direction, which was strange as usually she would sense it whenever he was around. After all, he was (or had been) her object of affection. But now...

Aoshi wasted no time in going into the Aoiya to confront the person whom he thought to be behind all this--Okina. He slid open the shoji door to his mentor's room.

"Okina. I'd like to know what's going on with Misao." His words were as calm and neutral as always, but Okina detected a touch of worry, guilt and...jealousy? in his eyes. Could it be true that the former Okashira had feelings for the present one?

"Misao...is of marriageable age." Aoshi could see where the conversation was heading. "I have, with the help of a matchmaker friend, arranged a miai party, in the hope that she will find a suitable husband."

Aoshi nodded, looking down to the floor. When he looked up again, there was a slight tinge of sadness in his eyes. "Then there's nothing I can do. It's her own choice."

"Perhaps not, I don't know. But what I do know is that I will not want Misao to marry someone whom her heart does not belong to."

"Aaa...neither will I."

-----------------------------

The next day...

"Misao! Someone has asked for your hand in marriage!" Okina was grinning like a Cheshire cat as he walked into the kitchen where Omasu was trying to teach Misao how to cook. "He sends this as a betrothal gift." He handed her a tiny box, which Misao took gingerly from his hand.

"Who is it?" she asked, curious. I hope it's not Ryu. She had been happy in his company--until he let slip that he was actually already betrothed to a childhood sweetheart. I wonder if anyone mistook him for a pincushion on his way home.

"Secrets cannot be revealed. You'll find out on your wedding day." Okina's grin just grew wider

"Mou! Jiya, it's NOT FAIR! I have a right to know!" Misao sulked.

"Your prospective husband asked me to keep his identity a secret from you. What I can tell you is that I think he's a perfect match for you. He seems very strong and very energetic." His words caused Misao to blush a bright red.

"Come on, open the box!" Omasu  ordered excitedly. Misao unfastened the button that fastened the lid down, and gasped.

It was a hair pin, but not any common one. She could not help admiring the blue jewel set in the middle of a realistically carved, pale purple plum flower.

"He said he hoped that you would like it as the first thing he thought of when he saw it was you," Okina told her. A faint blush coloured Misao's cheeks.

"You must really have won his heart, lucky girl! It's going to look really great on you. Try it on!" Omasu sighed with jealousy. "Here, I'll help you." She took it gently from Misao and slipped it into her (loose) hair. "See? Kirei!" She dipped into her obi and brought out a mirror, blushing under the others' questioning gazes. "Just in case Hiko-sama drops in..."

"By the way, Misao, Sachiko-san recommends the ninth of next month as an auspicious day for the wedding. That's just two weeks away," Okina told her. Misao nodded shyly, but her thoughts drifted elsewhere. I have to tell Aoshi-sama...

Later that day, Misao made her way to the temple for the first time in many days, tea tray in her hands. She stepped into the temple, no more enthusiastically, but cautiously.

Aoshi sensed her ki the moment she came within 10 metres radius of him. He had not expected her to come, but whatever her reason was, he was sure it had to do with the wedding.

His back was turned to her as usual. For a while, Misao thought of chickening out and running, but she realised that he definitely already knew that she was there. She stepped up to him and placed the tea tray in front of him.

"Aoshi-sama..." she began nervously. Aoshi opened his eyes and looked at her. Was it an illusion or...that could not be sadness in his eyes could it? "This is the last time I'll be bringing you tea. I'll--"

"You'll be getting married," he finished for her. "Congratulations." Misao was slightly surprised that he knew, but then the others back at the Aoiya had probably wasted no time in telling him.

"I'd like to invite you to my wedding. It's on the ninth of next month."

"I'm sorry, I have other...engagements on that day."

"Like what?"

Aoshi's face was solemn as he replied, "I'll be marrying on that day, too." Misao's heart skipped a beat. Since when? To whom? But all she did was congratulate him and say she was sorry he was not able to attend.

I don't...still love him do I? she asked herself as she walked out of the temple. No, or you wouldn't be marrying another man instead, her mind told her. 

But if that's true, why does my heart feel so heavy? 

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The wedding day...

Misao looked into the mirror one last time. Her face had been powdered white, her lips colored like ripe cherries. She checked her wedding kimono one last time. Good, it was still straight. She never thought she would look so...good in her mother's kimono, but she did.

Did Okaasan look like this when she married Otousan too? she wondered. Another thought filled her mind. Is Aoshi-sama's bride getting ready too, just like I am? She felt her eyes fill with tears at the thought. Ever since she was little, she had always thought that she would marry her Aoshi-sama someday. Those childish dreams grew into what she hoped would become reality. Tears ran down her face as it sunk in that that hope was gone.

Omasu suddenly burst into the room. "The groom's here!" She stopped short when she saw the tears that had ruined Misao's makeup. 

"Misao? Are you okay?" She walked over to the girl, concerned. Misao wiped her eyes with a handkerchief that lay on the table.

"I'm okay, Omasu. It's just that the thought that I'll have to leave here where I grew up..." she lied.

"I understand, but you can come back to visit. I understand that your prospective husband lives very nearby," she grinned. "Mou! You'll have to redo your makeup, it's running all over your face!"

Reaching for the powder, Misao spotted the tiny box which lay near the mirror. Opening it and sliding the hairpin into her hair, she realised that it was true that the hairpin looked amazing on her, bringing out her best features.

Well, it's a pity Aoshi isn't here to see me. But today, Aoshi or not, I'm going to be happy, she vowed to herself.

"Do I have to wear this veil? I can't see a thing!" Misao complained a few minutes later. "Ow!" 

"You have to, your bridegroom requested not to let you see him until you have the privacy of the wedding chamber," Okon, who was holding on to Misao to make sure she did not fall or bump into anything, told her. Misao pouted. "Ow! Well, he must be really ugly then."

"You should really watch out for the chairs, Misao-chan," Omasu, who was just behind them, advised.

"How can I when I can't even see them? Oof!" She bumped into something else, but a person this time. Someone with very hard muscles.

"Yome-san, you should be more careful," a low, vaguely familiar male voice told her. Misao blushed. He could not be...

"Meet your groom, Misao."

The wedding ceremony passed in a flash. Still thinking about Aoshi and his wedding, Misao was barely aware of what was going on, her body moving mechanically through all the bowing, the vows... but she still blushed whenever she recalled that time during the san-san-kudo, when she and her groom were exchanging cups, their fingers brushed.

She now stood in the wedding chamber next to him, her eyes lowered. She did not remember ever feeling so shy in her life. She did not even know exactly whom she had married!

He reached out his hand to lift the veil off her head. A slight gust of wind as it was swept off. Misao's face flushed lightly again. Slowly, she lifted her head and...

"Aoshi-sama!" she could not have been more surprised. Taking a step back, her mouth gaped open. He only...smiled? at her.

"It should be 'danna-sama' shouldn't it? But I'd prefer you to call me 'Aoshi', or better still, 'anata'," he replied

"B-but..." she could not get any words out of her mouth. He smiled, stepped closer, tilted her face up and kissed her lovingly on the lips.

"You said you were getting married today...."

"I did, but I didn't say to whom."

Reality sunk in suddenly as Misao's surprised turned into anger. "The nerve of Jiya, keeping it from me! And you too--why did you do that? It could have saved me alot of worrying and fretting!" she fumed. "You'd better tell me what's going on or I'll--mmph!" Aoshi had kissed her to silence her.

"I can't if you keep yelling," he murmured, pushing her onto the futon. Her face grew redder. Misao quietened and looked at him inquisitively.

"Well, it all started during the miai party..."

-----------

Flashback to that day...

"Perhaps not, I don't know. But what I do know is that I will not want Misao to marry someone whom her heart does not belong to."

"Aaa...neither will I." Aoshi turned back, his eyes filled with renewed hope. Okina smiled--Aoshi had not become as insensitive as he thought he had. For a moment, he almost thought that his former Okashira had not seen through the hidden meaning of his last statement.

"Before anyone else does so, I would like to ask for Misao's hand." Okina's face broke into a grin. So you've finally realised your love for her...

"I'm sure Misao will be overjoyed to hear that..."

"Another thing." Aoshi's face turned serious. "I'd like you to keep this a secret from her. I want this to be a pleasant surprise........."

End of flashback

------------------

"So you two ganged up on me!" Misao pouted cutely. Aoshi smiled.

"Have it your way, yome-san." He looked at her hair and ran his fingers through it. "But I'm glad...the hairpin does look good on you."

"After talking to Okina, I decided to go to town to find a suitable gift for my lovely fiancee. This was the first thing I saw that reminded me of you, and I thought you'd look lovely in it. Besides, I thought that it's color would give you a clue to my identity. Guess I overestimated you..."

Misao took the hairpin out of her hair. "Aoshi...pale purple. Misao no baka, why didn't I think of that sooner?" she bemoaned her slow wit. Aoshi wrapped his arms around her and tilted her head up, again. "That doesn't matter. What matters is that we're together now and will always be, koibito."

Misao smiled, realising it was true. "But don't you dare try tricking me like that again!" She didn't get any reply as Aoshi um...wanted the marriage to be consummated.

And so they lived happily ever after!

The End. Owari. Zhong1. Gu4 shi4 xie3 hao3 le4, arigatou minna-san! Pls R&R!

I had fun writing this and I hope you had fun reading it!

Glossary(words which less people are likely to know explained first)

Sachiko dosu e, yoroshuu otanomoushimasu: I'm Sachiko, pleased to meet you(loose translation)/ Sachiko desu yo, dozo yoroshiku

Baishakunin: matchmaker, go-between

Ei dosu e: It's good/ ii desu yo

furisode: swinging sleeve kimono, the most formal for unmarried women

yome-san: here, it means bride/wife but may also mean daughter-in-law

danna: husband/master

miai: a meeting with a view to marriage.

san-san kudo: exchanging of sake cups 3 times 3 times to signify a bond. Traditional marriage ritual.

Tadaima: I'm home

Aijin: ai4 ren2, in other words, lover.

Kirei: pretty

The kanji characters for "Aoshi" mean "pale" and 'purple"--that's the clue of the pale purple hairpin!

Guess it's back to "Fate Beckons"......