Chapter 290: 282. The Wedding Ceremony Part-2
Chapter 290: 282. The Wedding Ceremony Part-2
Both Mei and Izuna walk out of the dressing room while holding hands.
Their wedding will be held in a Shinto Ceremony Fashion, according to the Uchiha tradition. Mei desired to hold the wedding in a Christian fashion, so they opted for two wedding ceremonies.
They will hold the Shinto wedding ceremony in the Uchiha clan and the Christian Wedding in the Kirigakure.
Both of them reach the venue for the wedding. They walk towards the wedding altar present in the center of the venue.
The pair of Itachi, Izumi and Shisui, Yugao are already waiting there.
"Looks like we are the last one to arrive." Izuna smiles as both of them stand beside the other couples.
An elderly Uchiha man in priest garbs is standing to the right of the altar.
Hmm...
Suddenly, Izuna senses an unfamiliar gaze on him. The gaze feels like someone is trying to peer through his secrets.
He turns around and notices a woman with long brown hair and light-colored eyes walks. The woman has pale skin and is dressed in a Shrine Maiden outfit.
The woman has the appearance and bearing of a standard Miko.
But what's peculiar is her eyes. She has violet, ornate pupils which are glowing with a purplish hue.
Hmm...
Izuna secretly activates his Sharingan and inspects her eyes.
'These are...'
His eyes widen in surprise as he notices various strange runes in her eyes.
'I have never seen these runes before.'
The woman's gaze lingers on him before she turns her head away.
Shoom...
Her eyes return to normal.
"Is there any problem, Miroku?" Kushina asks her.
"No. Everything is fine!" Miroku shakes her head as she throws a last glance at Izuna.
Kushina carefully leads the shrine maiden towards the wedding altar. The Miko stands on the left side of the wedding altar.
"She is?!"
Izuna questioningly turns to Kushina.
"Oh! I almost forgot to introduce her." Kushina shakes her head.
"She is Miroku, a high priestess from the Land of Demons."
Kushina introduces her to Izuna.
"The Uzumaki clan has friendly relations with the Land of Demons. A few centuries ago, the founder of our Uzumaki clan, Kenshiro-sama lent a helping hand to the Land of Demons to seal a very powerful demon."
She walks towards Izuna and murmurs.
"During my childhood, Miroku once visited our Uzumaki clan with her guardian. However, shortly after I moved to Konoha and Uzushiogakure was destroyed. I never got an opportunity to meet her again."
Kushina sighs in melancholy.
"Fortunately, this wedding ceremony provided me an excuse to unite with her and invite her as a Miko for the wedding." Kushina turns towards Miroku.
"It's nice to meet you, Miroku-san!" Izuna politely greets her.
"It's nice to meet you, too!" Miroku slightly nods her head.
After the introductions, Kushina returns to her place as the ceremony starts.
The ceremony starts with the rite of purification. The elderly Uchiha priest offers prayer and calls the attention of the benevolent spirits.
Next, the Miko prays to Kami to offer good luck, happiness, and protection to the couples.
The couples are standing in the center of the venue, right in front of the wedding altar.
The rest of the family members are standing right behind them as they offer their prayers to God for couples' happiness.
Next, the elderly priest announces the start of the san-san-Ku-do ceremony or the three-three-nin-times. It reflects the three oaths taken three times. In this ceremony where the bride and the groom share three nuptial cups of sake.
The sake is poured in three cups of increasing sizes. The elderly priest pours the sake into the smallest cup and offers it to Izuna.
Izuna takes a sip from the cup and passes it to Mei, who takes a sip of the remaining sake. Next, the priest pours the sake into the slightly bigger cup and offers it to Mei first.
Mei takes a sip of the sake and passes the rest to Izuna. Izuna down the remaining sake in one sip.
The priest pours the last cup of sake and offers it to Izuna, who empties half of it in one sip and offers the rest to Mei. This ritual symbolizes sharing joys and sorrows as a married couple.
Next up, the couple walks in front of the altar and faces each other as they vow to each other.
Izuna stares into Mei's deep green eyes as various emotions erupt in his heart as he slowly parts his lips.
"Mei Terumi, the woman I love,
I am about to marry,
No matter what your health situation is,
No matter the circumstances,
I will forever love you,
Respect you,
Console you,
Look after you,
Protect you,
Until death do us part,
This, I swear to you,
With Kami as my witness."
Mei's eyes turn watery as she quickly wipes them.
'Mother! I will finally marry the person I love.'
Next up, Mei turns towards Izuna as she stares into his deep black eyes. Her lips slowly parts as he vows.
"Izuna Uchiha, the man I love,
The man I am about to marry,
Be it in the peaceful times,
Or during Sickness,
I will forever love you,
Respect you,
Comfort you,
Look after you,
I will forever stand by your side,
Until death do us apart,
This, I swear to you,
With Kami as my witness."
Mei closes her eyes as various memories of her time spent with Izuna flash through her mind.
She lovingly gazes at Izuna, who returns her gaze with a charming smile.
Sniff... sniff...
"Can you see this, Miko! Our Mei has finally found her soulmate." Fuji wipes his tears as he dotingly stares at Mei.
Akira and Aiko have smiles on their faces as they witness Izuna and Mei holding hands.
"This idiot son of mine has finally fulfilled his promise!" Aiko tears up.
"Here, Mom!" Ayaka passes a handkerchief to her.
Aiko wipes her tears and turns to Ayaka.
"Someday, I will have to see you marry off someone else!" she sighs to herself.
"No! I won't leave Onii-chan's side. He is the only person I love!" Ayaka tightly clenches her fists.
"Silly girl!"
Aiko shakes her head.
For this wedding, Minato acted as the 'Best-Man' for Izuna, while Kushina acted as the 'Bridesmaid' for Mei.
Izuna holds Mei's hand as they walk towards their family members to receive their blessings.
Both of them leave shortly, to get changed for the celebratory meal.
"Cheers!"
Various clan leaders offer their congratulations to Fugaku, Akira, and Yagami for the occasion.
They have a cup of sake in their hand as they occasionally burst into laughter.
The environment is full of happiness, colorfulness, and festivity.
A group of Anbus dressed as performers walk to the front of people. Each of them holds a violin in their hand as they play a melodious tune.
"Wonderful!"
The clan leaders and even Onoki and A are surprised to hear the harmonious tone as it perfectly fits the cheerful environment.
Izuna and Mei have changed into a more casual attire as they return.
"Congratulation, brat!" Tsunade walks towards him with a cup of sake in her hand.
"Thank you, Tsunade!" Izuna scratches in slight embarrassment.
"Look at you acting all shy!" Tsunade rolls her eyes.
Tiing... tiing...
The notes of music flow in their air and pull the attention of Mei and Tsunade.
La la la la la la
You call out to me from somewhere within my fragile soul
Your voice like fantasy, telling me to keep on dreaming
I can't stop these tears from flowing, or the ache inside my heart
But on the other side of sadness, I know I'll find you waiting there
La la la la la la
Mei and Tsunade hum to the tune as Tsunade feels nostalgic.
"What's this song?"
Mei turns to Izuna in excitement.
Last time, he proposed to her with a similar song and now again during their wedding.
"It's Itsumo Nando Demo (Always with Me). It's a love song. I wrote it especially for this occasion."
Izuna shamelessly takes the credit.
'I won't get sued in this word for taking the song.' (A/N:- Please don't sue me.)
La la la la la la
Mei and Tsunade hum the song as Kushina also joins them.
"What a pleasant song! Izuna, are you the one who wrote this?" She asks him.
"Yes!" Izuna nods his thick face.
"Alright!" More and more ladies join them, even Yugao, and Izumi also join the group.
Feeling slightly awkward, Izuna slightly leaves the group. He grabs a cup of sake and walks to a corner and silently stares at the sky.
A pair of white dove takes flight in the sky.
"What a lovely pair of doves? They symbolize peace, love, feminity, hope, and..."
A feminine voice falls in Izuna's ears.
"DEATH!"