Shiinahkz

Not sure if you know this but when we first met, I've got so nervous I couldn't speak. In that very moment I've found the one and my life has found its missing piece.

“Are you feeling sad?”

He looked in the direction of the voice and saw a girl with black hair, calmly swaying in the evening breeze. Her rubies were very enticing and made one to gaze in them. In that moment, he found himself entranced by her presence, as if she were a shimmering star amidst the dusk, pulling him out of his reverie.

“Oh, and nice to meet you, Kaoru. My name’s Shiina, but you can call me Shii. I hope next time we meet, it’ll be under better circumstances,” she added before disappearing from Kaoru’s sight.

So as long as I live I love you will have and hold you. You look so beautiful in white. And from now 'til my very last breath this day I'll cherish. You look so beautiful in white tonight.

“Kaoru. Hey,” he flinched slightly when Shii tapped his shoulder.

“What’s on your mind?” she asked, her round eyes studying him with a probing look.

“Ahaha, sorry, sorry, Shii-chan. I was just thinking about what to eat for dinner later.”

Shii shot him a sharp look.

“Since when did you turn into Niki, always thinking about food?” She asked.

Kaoru scratched the back of his neck—though it didn’t even itch—at Shii’s remark.

“Well… maybe because I only had onigiri earlier.”

“Yeah, five onigiri.”

Kaoru winced. She got him there.

What we have is timeless, my love is endless. And with this ring I, say to the world; You're my every reason, you're all that I believe in. With all my heart I mean every word.

“Shii-chan.” Kaoru tugged at the hem of Shii’s sleeve, his face flushed all the way to his ears.

“What is it? Why is your face so red?” Kaoru opened his mouth, but no words came out.

“Are you okay?” Shii watched him with slight concern, wondering if he was unwell and in need of help.

Kaoru took a deep breath, trying to calm himself.

Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a delicate pendant—its gem reflecting the deep blue of the ocean.

The necklace was a keepsake from his mother. His mother once told him that she had worn the pendant on her wedding day, never once parting with it since.

But in the final weeks before she drew her last breath, she gently unclasped it, placing it in Kaoru’s hands, telling him that one day, he should pass it on to someone he truly cherished.

“Kaoru, be a strong man, strong, but kind. And when you find someone who truly means something to you, give them this necklace.” Her fingers gently ran through young Kaoru’s hair, her voice soft like a lullaby carried on a sea breeze.

“Tell them this necklace is the symbol of your heart. It’s shaped like the waves of the ocean, a sign of sincerity, in both the calm and the storm.”

She gave him a faint smile, a fragile curve of her lips that held both love and farewell, as her hand rested on the head of the boy who looked up at her with eyes the color of sunlit sand, the same sand that lined their favorite stretch of beach.

And now, the time had come. He had found that person, someone he wanted to spend the rest of his days with. Someone who stood in front of him at that very moment.

“This necklace belonged to my mother.” He met Shii's gaze before adding, “She told me to give it to someone precious to me… and I believe that person is you, Shiina.”

“Will you accept it and marry me?”

And if a daughter is what our future holds; I hope she has your eyes, finds love like you and I did. Yeah, and if she falls in love, we'll let her go. I'll walk her down the aisle. She'll look so beautiful in white.

“Yes.”

A single word, yet it was enough to make Kaoru exhale in relief. Their eyes glistened with unshed tears, emotions swelling between them.

Kaoru stepped behind Shii, carefully fastening the pendant around her neck.

And then, he leaned in, his breath warm against her ear as he whispered, “I'm grateful to have you.”

Whether it was just his imagination or something more, Kaoru couldn’t tell, but when Shii wore the necklace, she looked just like his mother. With that gentle smile on her lips, Shii gazed down at the necklace Kaoru had given her. The way her eyes softened reminded him of how his mother used to look at him—with warmth, with love—and it made his chest tighten.

He missed his mother. But now, he had someone who could be there when the waves of longing crashed over him. He had found someone to walk along the beach with, just like he once did, collecting seashells with his mother, adoring the sky, and whispering their hope to the ocean.

He would protect Shii more than he ever had the chance to protect his mother because this time, he couldn’t bear to lose someone again.

So as long as I live I love you will have and hold you. You look so beautiful in white. And from now 'til my very last breath this day I'll cherish. You look so beautiful in white tonight.

Kaoru can barely contain the overwhelming emotions surging within him as he watches Shii walk down the aisle with grace. The flowing white gown drapes around her, its long tail sweeping elegantly across the path she walks.

'Mother, I’m getting married. I hope this brings me the perfect happiness I’ve been searching for.'

His eyes soften as he notices the pendant—the very same one he gave her when he proposed—adorning her neck. It rests beautifully against her skin.

'Mother, she’s absolutely beautiful.'

So beautiful in white, tonight.

“You may now kiss your bride.”

With determination, Kaoru steps forward, closing the distance between them. Their eyes meet, holding an unspoken love, deep and beautiful.

“I love you,” they whisper in unison, just moments before their lips finally meet, sealing their promise.