To A White Rain from Sakanagi ♥
Title: Research
Author: sakanagi
Recipient: a_white_rain
Series: X
Characters/Pairing: Kamui/Kotori, Fuuma, Saya, Tohru
Rating: G
Author's Notes: Thanks to spiffyish for beta-reading.
"Since we'll be getting married, I've done some research," said Kotori proudly. "I watched a TV show yesterday."
"What'd it say?" Kamui asked, putting down the daisy chain he was threading in order to listen. TV had never lied to him yet; its knowledge was fathomless.
"Well," said Kotori, "there's a ceremony where the bride wears a pretty white dress and the groom wears a black thing that's a sort of special suit. And there are lots of foreign words."
"My English isn't very good," Kamui admitted.
"Oh. Never mind," said Kotori, curling her left hand into a determined fist. "There are years to learn in. We can do it!"
"Yeah!" said Kamui, grinning at her; Kotori grinned back.
Fuuma ran up and knelt down next to them on the grass with a thump. "Sorry I'm late."
"That's okay, Oniichan."
Suddenly, Fuuma's words came back to Kamui: Don't you ever make Kotori cry. I won't forgive you if you make her sad.
"Fuuma," Kamui said earnestly, turning to face him, "I'll work really hard!"
"That's great! What at?"
"Languages at school, of course."
"Oh."
***
Kamui and Kotori never walked slowly on their way home from school - after all, Fuuma was waiting, ready to meet up with them along the way - but they didn't always rush either.
Skipping on ahead for a few seconds, Kotori looked as if she was as light as a little hopping bird, with her hair fluffing up like feathers and her arms stretched out for balance.
Kamui knew there had been a time when there had been no-one to walk to school with, but that seemed a distant memory now.
Kotori turned to run back, but by then Kamui had caught up, a lot steadier on his skinny legs than many people tended to assume. "Kamui-chan," she said brightly, "I've remembered something else."
"What about?" Kamui said, curious.
"About the wedding programme on TV, silly! See, when they were going through the ceremony, near the end there was something the bride and groom have to do." Kotori's feet sped up excitedly as she talked, and slowed when she paused again.
"Um. So what's that?" Kamui said with a sigh. Probably it would mean learning an extra tricky language, or how to dance, or maybe even some difficult maths. Never mind, he resolved. If true happiness was being a bride, then a little sweat along the way wasn't going to stop him.
"They've got to have a biiig kiss," said Kotori, spreading her arms wide for emphasis. "On the lips."
"That doesn't sound too bad," Kamui said, relieved that no schoolwork was involved. "But...um, do people need to practice for that?"
"I suppose so," said Kotori contemplatively. "I don't know."
"I've got an idea," Kamui piped up. "We could ask our parents? They should know!"
"Huh?"
"They're grown-ups, right? So..."
Kotori looked doubtful. "I still don't know. Aunt Tohru said she never had a wedding, and I never see my parents kiss."
Kamui's face fell. "Oh. I saw Mother and Aunt Saya doing that once, but since they're not each other's brides..."
"Uh-huh. But maybe they know something anyway?" said Kotori.
***
"Weddings...No, the type of wedding you're describing is a Western style one, Kotori. Your father and I had a traditional wedding," said Saya, reaching to pull Kotori on to her lap. "I had a kimono, not a white dress."
"Oh." Kotori looked up at her mother and then turned to face Kamui. "But we're going to have a dress like that at our wedding, right, Kamui-chan?"
Tohru was drinking a cup of coffee. She lowered it with a small smile. "Don't you think that's a bit premature?"
Kamui shook his head vigorously. "Getting married and being a bride is a good thing. Only we can't yet 'cause we're too young."
"But what we really want to know," Kotori explained, "is about kisses at weddings."
"Kisses?" Saya repeated, and Tohru took another sip of coffee, but not before she and the other woman exchanged a sideways glance.
"Since you had a wedding, you know about that, right?" said Kotori. "Did you have to practice a lot?"
Saya laughed and shook her head. "I'm sorry, you two, but there wasn't a kiss at my wedding. Remember, it was a traditional ceremony."
"I doubt that anyone would practice kissing for that anyway," said Tohru firmly, with a smile still tugging at her lips.
Kotori and Kamui looked at each other and sighed.
"It's even more complicated than I thought!" Kamui said worriedly.
"Don't worry, Kamui-chan! We'll work it out."
***
In the hallway, Kotori crossed her arms and frowned. "I know they said practice isn't needed, but..."
"But they didn't know much about it after all," Kamui finished.
"Right! Just in case, then," Kotori decided, moving nearer. "Close your eyes."
"Huh?"
"To practice. Because it's the groom who kisses the bride, like on that TV show," said Kotori with a nod.
"Um, okay," said Kamui obediently, and a few seconds later, he felt a quick peck landing on his lips. He opened his eyes, and blinked. "That was it?"
"That's right," said Kotori, smiling. "Easy! So they were right about that."
A movement caught Kamui's eyes, and he turned to see Fuuma, standing on the stairs with his eyebrows raised in surprise. And then, wordlessly, Fuuma dashed back upstairs.
"Fuuma! What's wrong?" Kamui called after him.
Confused, he and Kotori had reached the top of the stairs themselves by the time that Fuuma came back, with something hanging from his left hand.
"Sorry, I had to fetch this," said Fuuma mildly, holding up a camera by its strap. "Could you do that again?"
Author: sakanagi
Recipient: a_white_rain
Series: X
Characters/Pairing: Kamui/Kotori, Fuuma, Saya, Tohru
Rating: G
Author's Notes: Thanks to spiffyish for beta-reading.
"Since we'll be getting married, I've done some research," said Kotori proudly. "I watched a TV show yesterday."
"What'd it say?" Kamui asked, putting down the daisy chain he was threading in order to listen. TV had never lied to him yet; its knowledge was fathomless.
"Well," said Kotori, "there's a ceremony where the bride wears a pretty white dress and the groom wears a black thing that's a sort of special suit. And there are lots of foreign words."
"My English isn't very good," Kamui admitted.
"Oh. Never mind," said Kotori, curling her left hand into a determined fist. "There are years to learn in. We can do it!"
"Yeah!" said Kamui, grinning at her; Kotori grinned back.
Fuuma ran up and knelt down next to them on the grass with a thump. "Sorry I'm late."
"That's okay, Oniichan."
Suddenly, Fuuma's words came back to Kamui: Don't you ever make Kotori cry. I won't forgive you if you make her sad.
"Fuuma," Kamui said earnestly, turning to face him, "I'll work really hard!"
"That's great! What at?"
"Languages at school, of course."
"Oh."
***
Kamui and Kotori never walked slowly on their way home from school - after all, Fuuma was waiting, ready to meet up with them along the way - but they didn't always rush either.
Skipping on ahead for a few seconds, Kotori looked as if she was as light as a little hopping bird, with her hair fluffing up like feathers and her arms stretched out for balance.
Kamui knew there had been a time when there had been no-one to walk to school with, but that seemed a distant memory now.
Kotori turned to run back, but by then Kamui had caught up, a lot steadier on his skinny legs than many people tended to assume. "Kamui-chan," she said brightly, "I've remembered something else."
"What about?" Kamui said, curious.
"About the wedding programme on TV, silly! See, when they were going through the ceremony, near the end there was something the bride and groom have to do." Kotori's feet sped up excitedly as she talked, and slowed when she paused again.
"Um. So what's that?" Kamui said with a sigh. Probably it would mean learning an extra tricky language, or how to dance, or maybe even some difficult maths. Never mind, he resolved. If true happiness was being a bride, then a little sweat along the way wasn't going to stop him.
"They've got to have a biiig kiss," said Kotori, spreading her arms wide for emphasis. "On the lips."
"That doesn't sound too bad," Kamui said, relieved that no schoolwork was involved. "But...um, do people need to practice for that?"
"I suppose so," said Kotori contemplatively. "I don't know."
"I've got an idea," Kamui piped up. "We could ask our parents? They should know!"
"Huh?"
"They're grown-ups, right? So..."
Kotori looked doubtful. "I still don't know. Aunt Tohru said she never had a wedding, and I never see my parents kiss."
Kamui's face fell. "Oh. I saw Mother and Aunt Saya doing that once, but since they're not each other's brides..."
"Uh-huh. But maybe they know something anyway?" said Kotori.
***
"Weddings...No, the type of wedding you're describing is a Western style one, Kotori. Your father and I had a traditional wedding," said Saya, reaching to pull Kotori on to her lap. "I had a kimono, not a white dress."
"Oh." Kotori looked up at her mother and then turned to face Kamui. "But we're going to have a dress like that at our wedding, right, Kamui-chan?"
Tohru was drinking a cup of coffee. She lowered it with a small smile. "Don't you think that's a bit premature?"
Kamui shook his head vigorously. "Getting married and being a bride is a good thing. Only we can't yet 'cause we're too young."
"But what we really want to know," Kotori explained, "is about kisses at weddings."
"Kisses?" Saya repeated, and Tohru took another sip of coffee, but not before she and the other woman exchanged a sideways glance.
"Since you had a wedding, you know about that, right?" said Kotori. "Did you have to practice a lot?"
Saya laughed and shook her head. "I'm sorry, you two, but there wasn't a kiss at my wedding. Remember, it was a traditional ceremony."
"I doubt that anyone would practice kissing for that anyway," said Tohru firmly, with a smile still tugging at her lips.
Kotori and Kamui looked at each other and sighed.
"It's even more complicated than I thought!" Kamui said worriedly.
"Don't worry, Kamui-chan! We'll work it out."
***
In the hallway, Kotori crossed her arms and frowned. "I know they said practice isn't needed, but..."
"But they didn't know much about it after all," Kamui finished.
"Right! Just in case, then," Kotori decided, moving nearer. "Close your eyes."
"Huh?"
"To practice. Because it's the groom who kisses the bride, like on that TV show," said Kotori with a nod.
"Um, okay," said Kamui obediently, and a few seconds later, he felt a quick peck landing on his lips. He opened his eyes, and blinked. "That was it?"
"That's right," said Kotori, smiling. "Easy! So they were right about that."
A movement caught Kamui's eyes, and he turned to see Fuuma, standing on the stairs with his eyebrows raised in surprise. And then, wordlessly, Fuuma dashed back upstairs.
"Fuuma! What's wrong?" Kamui called after him.
Confused, he and Kotori had reached the top of the stairs themselves by the time that Fuuma came back, with something hanging from his left hand.
"Sorry, I had to fetch this," said Fuuma mildly, holding up a camera by its strap. "Could you do that again?"