Love Me Bitterly Loath Me Sweetly

Chapter 43 *Weddings - Vows - Kisses*

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Ichigo

Will you marry Orihime Inoue; will you love, comfort, honor, and keep her in sickness and in health, forsaking all others and remaining faithful to her for the rest of your lives? If you do, say I do."

I allowed my pulse rate to return to normal and said, "I do."

The minister shook his head, glancing over my shoulder, and I turned to see people admiring us. "Did everyone hear that?"

They shook their heads. "No." The smiles were huge on their faces, obviously playing along.

"Ichigo-San, I think it's going to have to be much louder I do." The Minister's voice was clear and reassuring.

Orihime stood beside me, wearing a white flowy dress that clanged against her body, showing her feminine curves. Her cheeks were stained with a pink hue, and her whole being glowed. I remember how she held my gaze head on when we'd signed the marriage papers, all pink-faced and embarrassed. At the sheer sight of her happiness, I had to leave at once. Would she be here if she knew this was all but a forced marriage for me?

"I do!" I glanced at the minister and then back at Orihime. She was so beautiful, outshining the dazzling chandeliers and everyone who was present in the church.

"Slow down, king." His voice was a warning. "Don't get too close."

The audience behind me kept exclaiming and cheering, but I didn't care.

Her eyes softened. "You have a lovely smile, Kurosaki-kun. It's very precious to me with several other things that I love about you."

I let myself gaze back at her for just a minute. This woman. I thought and swallowed the lump in my throat.

All of a sudden, my heart thumped inside my chest. Am I nervous? As the minister repeated the vows to her. "Do you, Orihime Inoue, take Ichigo Kurosaki to be your husband? Will you love him and comfort him? "

I gulped. Just breathe, Ichigo. Breathe. I reminded myself.

"Honor and keep him in sickness and in health, forsaking all others. Be faithful to him as long as you live. If you do, say I do."

"I do." She said, looking at the Minister.

And for no reason at all, other than that she didn't expect it, I said, "Louder."

Her head swirled toward mine, shocked. I raised an eyebrow and shugged.

At this, the crowd melted into "aww."

"I don't think you can get away from this." Said the minister.

I felt the mood shift. She shook her head, looked behind her at the audience, a smile playing around her eyes, as if telling me the challenge was accepted, and when she spoke, her voice came out in a happy musical note.

"I doo!"

The crowd clapped for a while. I felt thrilled. Our eyes locked again. Her skin was glowing, and I remembered the way it felt underneath me-soft and delicate.

As we stood facing each other again, suddenly I detected the wetness in her eyes, and that told me those were happy tears.

She put the mic under her veil. "Hi..." She took a breath and looked at the note, reading the words swiftly. "We met at a tender age and I fell in love with you without realizing when it had actually happened... with our ups and downs and seven years of not seeing each other, you came to my village in my tiny apartment, you asked me to marry you and that led to where we're now." She sniffed, her eyes wetting more, and she began when she found her voice, "We've had quite a rollercoaster. Wouldn't you agree? but I'm glad we found each other." She bit her lip. "My father wouldn't spare me a smile. It was you who showed me that I could be loved and that it was not my fault. I didn't know my mother, my father didn't want to know me, and my brother died so young... I didn't want to return to my empty house, all broken and then you came along, with the best," she thought of the better words. "With the best thing in the whole world that you could've offered me was, still is," she leaned in and continued, "Misaki-San, and I will always be indebted to you and your beautiful family." She took a slow breath, and I tried to not let her words bother me. "And now, you've given me the shared honor of being a part of your family. Our family." With her every word, my heart twisted and my core shook. I did, and I truly cherished you. Back then. "So, I didn't have to go to that treacherous, lonely house where every corner reminded me of my father's pitiful eyes, glaring down at the little me for losing his love. And trust me, I don't hate him. In fact, I understand him better. It hurts when the person you love the most isn't there anymore." I could hear her disappointed voice at how things worked out between us after that. "You've always encouraged me towards bringing out the best in me. . . " her voice breaking, it was harder to hold her gaze at this point. "Your love saved me, your friendship gave me a home, and your belief in me taught me that I have a place in this world where it's okay to be hurt, a-and it's okay to cry, and it's o-okay to start new again." She said, as if she was affirming herself to me. "Thank you for believing in me and choosing to spend the rest of your life with me." Her words were sad and intriguing, and in two particular cases, heartbreaking and dangerous. "I vow to you that if I can't be strong, it is that in your embrace I'll find the courage and comfort. Thank you for being my home, and I vow to love you whole under any circumstances," and smiled. "Even if there's a new world inside of you." I stilled. Every part of my being was focused on her words. "I vow to make you so happy that you will forget the rainy days. I vow to be your family, friend, and lover. Your smile is the greatest gift to me, and I vow to cherish it forever." Her lips curled up into a huge smile, as she dabbed a tissue under her eyes. I kept my gaze on her, and when she looked up at me, she said, "I love you."