In Sickness And Health ~Shikamaru~

Chapter 49

It's finally come. Choji and Alsono are all set to get married today. After changing the freaking date three times, it's finally here. I stood in the entry way of the chapel, leaned against the wall as Choji doubled over and took a ton of deep breaths. He is freaking the hell out. It's a major pain, but he's my best friend and I'm his best man today, so I should be here to keep him from having a panic attack.

It's not that he's having doubts. It's more that he can't believe it's finally happening and he's worried about everything that could go wrong. And when I say things that could wrong, he's covering things like alien invasions. "Would you breath already?" I asked with a sigh.

"What's wrong?" The lithic voice of my girlfriend sounded from the doorway. Wow. Her bridesmaid dress is fantastic and she looks... my face is hot. Is the autumn air warm today or something?

I cleared my throat and explained the situation. "Big man is having an anxiety attack. Is Alsono almost ready?"

"Well..." She rolled her eyes to the side in a 'kind of need to talk to you about that' way. I took her hand and we stepped outside the chapel for a moment. The air is cool, so why is my face still warm as I admire Reira in her dress and hair done up? It's not very often I get to see her hair up, she always just leaves it down. It looks good.

"Okay, Alsono is having... problems too."

"What? Why?"

"Same reason. She's thinking about every last detail... and thinking about everything that could go wrong. And she can't cover her scars with make-up... so she's a little depressed about that."

"But Choji loves her scars."

"That's what I said. She won't listen." Great. Go time is in ten minutes and both the bride and groom are freaking out about nothing. If I ever get married and start acting like that... someone please slap me.

.... If I ever get married... my eyes rolled to look Reira over from the corner of my eye. We've been together for almost a year... When would be an appropriate time to start thinking about marrying her I wonder. Watching her face as she tried to think of something to do, I smiled to myself. I'll ask her someday. It might be awhile, but I'll do it.

"Okay, here's the plan. I'll trade you."

Her face scrunched up to a confused expression. But as I explained the plan , a smile crept up. "Ooh, I love you."

A small kiss on the cheek was my reward for being smart. She ran off back into the chapel and I followed after her, but instead of going to where we had left Choji, I made my away around the corner to the room the girls were using to dress in. Alsono and Ino were inside, both looking very admirably nice. Alsono was continuously adding more make-up to the right side of her face and looked on the verge of tears with every swipe of her sponge.

With a small sigh, I let out a sound and the two turned to me. "Shika? Is something the matter?" Wow, Al sounds rough.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's my line." I took a rag and dipped it in a glass of water and began to clear off the make-up. She didn't try to push me away, she didn't even complain. "Shouldn't you be smiling on your wedding day?" Once her face was clean, she looked down at her knotted hands.

"I can't..."

"Why not?" Ino handed me a make-up sponge and I started working on her make-up for her. Sometimes, Reira can't keep her hands steady, a side effect from her previous problems. So on those days, I apply her make-up for her. I've gotten pretty good at it.

"Look at me Shika! I couldn't sleep last night, my eyes are all puffy, I'm pale, and the paleness is making my scars stand out! I can't face Choji like this..." Al was on the verge of tears.

But as I continued to work with her face, I thought of something similar Reira had once said to me. "You sound like Rei." She gave me a confused look. "She told me she didn't think anyone would like her because of the fact she was brain damaged. She even went as far one time to ask me why I had stayed with her during the time she couldn't even remember me! You want to know what I old her?" Al nodded slightly. "I told her it's because I love her. And that I would always love her no matter what happened to her."

Alsono gave me a sad look, but I mearly turned her to have her look in the mirror. Those burgundy eyes grew wide at the sight of my quick work. Reira would be proud. "Those scars are a reminder to Choji of a great hurdle you both over came. He told me about it. You guys almost broke up because of your low self-esteem after the fire and learning what it did to you. Every line traced on your face and arm and side is like a stroke of a masters paint brush. His words, not mine." Like I could be that poetic...

Alsono stood, grabbed her flowers and walked to the door. "Let's go guys! I wanna get married already!"

Yes. I love it when a plan works.

The wedding was great. It seemed everything went good on Reira's end too, seeing as Choji was almost as gun hoe as Al. We sat next to each other during the ceremony. I almost can't believe they're finally getting married. It seems like it's been such a short time. But when I really think about it... it's been two years. As they exchanged their vows and finally became man and wife, I took Reira's hand in mine.

She peered over at me with red dusted cheeks and I smiled back. Yeah... maybe someday.