My Angel | A Gyomei x Oc Fanfic

13. 𝓙𝓸𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓼 𝓓𝓪𝔂

3rd Person's POV

At last, it was the day of the wedding. Riza was sat down as professional makeup artists did work on her face. She felt the woman gently stroke the brush onto her lips, leaving the prominent red-pigmented colour. Once the woman was finished, she stepped back to admire her work and nodded in approval.

"You're so beautiful Riza-san. Himejima-sama is a lucky man." Then another woman came in and prompted the young nurse to stand so she could've finishing dressing her in the shiromuku and the uchikake that was beautifully embroidered with plants, animals and treasures, then pinned the wataboshi onto her head. Then it was time for the ceremony to begin. She took her place beside Gyomei on the streets and he immediately intertwined his fingers with hers. Riza glanced to the man's side as she admired how handsome he looked in his Mon-Tsuki haori hakama. The Sanshin-no-gi began and they were escorted to the pavilion by the shrine masters and maidens. Once arriving at their destination, they stood before a table for a short while as they waited for everyone to get seated so the Sankon-No-Gi ceremony could begin. A man with a woman at his left side carrying the San-san-kudo, settled the items on the table, then gave Gyomei a small flat sake cup; Ichi-no-sakazuki, then the woman poured sake into it after he took 3 sips of the drink before the man took the cup from him and gave it to Riza who did the same thing. The first cup represented that they were grateful for their ancestors who raised them and for the past they had. The second cup; Ni-no-sakazuki was medium in size and the couple did the same thing again, taking 3 sips from it. The meaning of this was that they wanted to marry each other and would work together. The last cup; San-no-sakazuke, also the largest, was a wish to build a happy family and pledge eternal love. The last cup was taken from Riza and a ring was given to Gyomei who slipped it onto his lover's fingers, followed by Riza who took the man's large hands into hers and placed the silver ring onto him. Tears filled the giant's eyes and he began reciting the vow he had learnt a couple of days prior. When he was done, they were given a sakaki-tree branch decorated in strips of silk and the tamagushi offering was done. Everyone stood up and clapped two times before bowing, then the Kannushi announced that they were now husband and wife, after they were escorted out of the shrine.

The reception was held at HQ with over 100 persons present. Riza and Gyomei sat elevated from everyone and right below them were the seats of all the Pillars and the master followed by friends and the rest of the demon slayer corps and nurses who could make it. Riza's parents, who sat closer to the exit looked at their daughter and son-in-law wearing a gentle smile. There were speeches to the guests, then to the couple before toasting to the bride and groom then everyone ate. Gyomei sat back in his seat and spoke softly so that only his wife could hear

"Are you okay?"

"Hmm, my shoulders and back are aching." The man moved his hand that rested on his lap to the small of her back before gently squeezing it
"It's okay! I'll be changing into something lighter soon!" But the stone pillar didn't remove his hand until a maid came to fetch the young nurse to help her change into her other outfit. Once she was gone, the giant felt eyes on him, which was understandable, he was one of the main stars of the night, but these eyes burnt through his skin. It belonged to his co-workers, the Pillars. They didn't know that the strongest Hashira was getting married until the week before the wedding and were all shocked, all except for the insect hashira who watched the chaos unfold when the others got their invitations. Riza came back wearing a red westernized dress that hugged her waist and flared out below her hips. Her hair was released and slightly curled and was beautifully decorated with expensive ornaments that her husband insisted on buying for her. When she returned to her seat the reception continued. The master gave his words then the couple thanked everyone for coming before there was the final dance, then everyone began gathering their things to leave. The remainders were the master, the hashiras and Riza's parents. Gyomei excused himself to go speak to his fellow Pillars and Riza made her way to her parents and give them a loving hug.

"You look beautiful." The father as his eyes began turning glossy
"You're finally married...my girl..." He took her into his embrace once more, feeling a mix of emotions as his wife rubbed his back.

"I'm so proud of you Riza..."

"Hi, there!" A sudden voice spoke, it belonged to the love pillar and next to her stood the others

"Hello!"

"It's good to finally meet you. The woman who stole the stone heart of Gyomei Himejima— Oh where are my manners? I'm Mitsuri Kanroji and these are Obanai Iguro, Giyuu Tomioka, Sanemi Shinazugawa, Muichiro Tokito and you know Shinobu."

"Thank you for coming!" Riza bowed her head then looked up in confusion.
"Where's Gyomei?"

"Himejima wanted to talk to Uzui about something."

"RIZA-SAN!" I loud voice boomed, followed by a young boy with a yellow haori along with two others. The nurse greeted them and they all talked for a bit before it the giant came back with the sound pillar who wore a wide smirk as he glanced back and forth between the newly wedded couple. Then before they knew it, it was time for everyone to return home. Since Riza's parents lived farther away, they'd be staying at the master's mansion for the night then would leave for home the next day.

-

She sat on her knees in bed nervously, as she waited for her husband to finish his bath. In all honesty, Riza wanted their night to be perfect and full of love and passion but she didn't feel confident. Her grip on her underclothes tightened when she heard his footsteps approaching the door.

"Can I come in..?" The man said with hesitation laced in his voice. When the woman give her approval, he entered the room with his face bright red as he awkwardly made his way to the side of the bed before sitting down beside the woman.

——

Wataboshi-  Big white cotton hat

Uchikake- A thick silk coat

Shiro-muku- A special white kimono

Mon-Tsuki Haori Hakama- The most formal type of kimono with the family crests

Sanshin-no-gi- The bride and groom are escorted to the shrine with the shrine masters and maidens

Sankon-no-gi- A ritual to strengthen the bond where the bride and groom drink sake from three flat sake cups

Tamagushi- Carries their thoughts at the end of the stick to the gods