Title: The Surprises of Life
Author: Hannah
Rating: PG13
Starring: Arashi, OCs
Genre: Romantic comedy
Disclaimer: same old same old... poor college student who owns nothing
Note: for my lovely lovely lovely Sayounara123 <3 I'm hope its not as bad as I think it is >.< anyway enjoy
The surprises of life
She took a deep breath as she looked out over the night sky. It was a beautiful night in Osaka where she was currently vacationing. She and several friends had decided to meet up and go to the hot springs for a few days. Anna had been staying in Japan for a few months with one of her friends Megumi, an American girl who had moved to Japan as an English teacher a few years ago. Despite her appearance she fit in well and was not nearly as quiet as she appeared. Anna was woken up early the first morning by Megumi running out the house with her two large dogs for a morning stroll. She leaned out the window and laughed as she watched the short little woman get dragged into the woods by her English Mastiff and Doberman Pincher. The two large breeds looked vicious but Anna had learned when she arrived that they could be the sweetest dogs in the world (if they so chose). Anna got up and stood in front of the mirror and looked over herself. She was a very pretty young woman. She had fair skin and medium length brown hair that was straight and the color of beautiful mahogany. Her big brown eyes she had been told were like looking into melted chocolate, a fact that Megumi teased her about due to the other girl’s chocolate allergy. The pair got along well and enjoyed many of the same things. Anna was sitting at the table when Megumi came back from her walk.
She was a little bit shorter than the other though she was the older of the two. Her curly blonde hair was thrown up into a bun at the back of her head which allowed her hazel eyes to shine from beneath her glasses. Her skin was lightly tanned and toned from the swimming she did every day. Megumi grinned at her friend but said nothing as she poured a cup of coffee. The pair sat in silence for a few minutes before Megumi grinned mischievously and ran off to wake the others. Anna chuckled to herself as she heard barking followed by screams and then laughter. One thing she had learned was that Megumi was a sadist however she only liked to play tricks every now and again. Soon everyone was gathered in the small kitchen watching Megumi make breakfast for them all. They ate quickly and ran off to the springs. It was an enjoyable couple of days but soon the girls had to get back to their normal lives. Megumi and Anna saw everyone off at the airport before heading back to the other girls’ home she had bought outside of Tokyo. It was a large place with several bedrooms since Megumi always seemed to have company. The next day Anna was supposed to go to work with her and she was supposed to get her an interview.
They entered the house and the two large dogs came scrambling around the corner to sit dutifully at their master’s feet. Megumi grinned and hugged them before reaching between them and picking up the small grey cat that was winding around her feet. She let the cat perch on her shoulder before grinning at the other young woman. Anna smiled and shook her head.
“I don’t think I’ll ever understand you Megumi… Anyway I think I’ll go to sleep early since we have to get up early to drive into town.”
Megumi smiled and bid her good night before going to her own room and starting on several stacks of paperwork she had neglected over the last couple of days. She finally finished around 2am and went to sleep after making sure her alarm was set for 5am. Three hours passed quickly and Megumi drug herself out of bed and towards the kitchen. Anna was already sitting at the table eating breakfast and drinking coffee. She smiled at the older girl and only received a grunt in reply. She knew better than to expect anything more when the other girl had probably not slept at all the night before. Megumi grabbed a banana and poured a cup of coffee and retreated back to her room to get dressed. A few minutes later she came back to the kitchen dressed in jeans, a top and jacket and held a briefcase in her hand. She threw the empty peel away and poured a second cup of coffee before yawning and motioning for the other girl to follow her. They left the house in comfortable silence and soon were on their way into Tokyo. They arrived where Megumi was working around 6. Anna starred up in awe at the large school and followed quickly behind the other girl to keep from getting lost. At the front gate a security guard was watching everyone who came in very closely. Anna thought he looked intimidating until he saw Megumi approaching. Upon seeing her he smiled goofily and waved the pair on through before going back to his job. Anna looked confused before turning back and catching up with Megumi.
“What was that about M? He didn’t check your id or anything…”
“To tell you the truth I do a lot more than I told you before… After a year of teaching my company sent me to work here and the principal really took a liking to me and asked me to stay. I agreed and soon I was busier than ever. But I’ll tell you something I wouldn’t redo it for anything. Anyway when you told me you were coming I just knew I should introduce you because I think he’ll like you a lot.”
Anna looked at her friend confusedly before shaking her head and following the other girl to the stairs. They took the stairs up to the 2nd floor where Megumi led her into what she could only assume was the main office. The nurse was sitting at a desk filing paperwork when they came in. The older man looked up as they approached and scowled at the chipper looking woman and the meek looking one behind her. He sighed and motioned towards the principal’s office. Anna heard a chuckle and a grandfatherly voice told them to come in. Anna followed Megumi closely into the office. The door closed behind them and they approached a large desk in the middle of the room. An elderly looking man was sitting at the desk pouring over paperwork and Megumi simply plopped down on the couch in front of his desk. Anna sat on the couch and waited nervously. After a few minutes the man sighed and looked up at them.
“So Megumi-san… I assume you had a restful weekend. Did you happen to get anything done? Because I am desperately in need of…”
“Relax sir. The paperwork has been completed and I have it with me.”
She opened her briefcase and took out the large stack of paperwork she had spent 4 hours the previous night pouring over and finishing. The principal nodded over the papers in a satisfactory manner before looking up at Anna. She blushed slightly and wished that she might disappear under the man’s extreme stare. After a few minutes Megumi cleared her throat the man smiled warmly and Anna was surprised at how kind he looked.
“This is my friend Anna. She is staying with me. I figured she could help me out with them since it gets mighty difficult trying to keep up with everything.”
“If you truly think that is a good idea I will trust your judgment. Just keep in mind how skittish they are of new teachers.”
“You know that’s only because those…. Bitches were only after them, and didn’t give a rat’s ass about their careers…”
Anna stared in shock at Megumi. She knew the other girl had a temper but had never had to actually experience it. Apparently though the principal was used to the behavior because he simply raised an eyebrow and motioned for the two to leave. As they were leaving the man looked up once more and smiled at Anna.
“It is truly a pleasure to meet you Anna-san. I hope that they like you as much as Megumi and I do. And please just call me Ken.”
Anna was shocked as Megumi lead her out of the office and towards the stairs. They were halfway down to the 1st floor when Megumi sighed.
“I’m really sorry I haven’t told you much about my work. I am an English teacher but since many of the kids are Johnny’s we teachers are occasionally given the task of making sure the guys are to the Jimusho in the afternoon. Anyway there were a couple of teachers that were only trying to get close to some of the sempais. Anyway I found out because the kids told me… and let’s just say I kind of lost my temper. I hope you understand.”
Anna followed Megumi closely while taking in the scenes and sounds of the large high school. She saw several young men who at a glance from Megumi told her were the Johnny’s she had been talking about. They reached her classroom and Anna giggled at the utter chaos. Megumi entered the classroom and it was almost as if a drill sergeant had walked in. Everyone in the class sat quietly and listened to the young teacher. Anna smiled and bowed when she was introduced. All in all she was pleased by how smoothly the day went and was extremely pleased when the principal asked her if she was interested in taking over their computer science course. She quickly agreed and so that afternoon as they left Megumi took her to a small restaurant to celebrate. They arrived and Anna took note that the entire place seemed deserted. When she mentioned this Megumi grinned and led her inside. She was surprised to find many people inside of the small restaurant. The girls were led to a small corner table where they could enjoy their dinner. Anna thanked her friend over and over for the job opportunity but Megumi simply shrugged and told her to be prepared for hard work. The rest of the week went by quickly and true to her word Anna was exhausted by Saturday. She was thankful for the day off but wasn’t too keen on following her friend into town to apparently “meet someone”. Either way she followed obediently and was surprised when her friend parked at JE. Anna looked at Megumi strangely as they started towards the door. As they approached the elevators Megumi stopped and looked apprehensively towards her friend.
“Anna… can you trust me? Will you be patient and promise not to freak too much?”
Anna took a deep breath before nodding her head. Megumi smiled; genuinely happy again before the elevator came and carried them to the 15th floor, then she dragged the other girl down a hallway. As they approached a door Megumi slowed down before coming to a stop. Anna recognized the name beside the door and looked at her friend in surprise. The other simply shrugged before taking a deep breathe. She looked at her watch before knocking on the door. A few minutes passed before a strange sound came through the door. Megumi gave her a lopsided grin before opening the door. Anna was blown away by the sight in the room. The five members of her favorite group sat around doing meaningless tasks as the girls walked in and shut the door. Anna stood beside Megumi as they entered the room and took in the sights. Two men sat on the couch, one of them apparently asleep while the other rested his head in the other man’s lap while playing baby blue Nintendo ds. Another man sat in the corner reading a newspaper and taking down notes while a tall lanky youth bounced around the room apparently hopped up on caffeine. Finally she saw the final member of the group. He sat in an armchair reading a manga. Anna couldn’t help but chuckle at how cute he looked in glasses. Megumi noticed the draw and grinned alongside her. Finally Aiba stopped bouncing around Sho long enough to notice that they had guests. He saw their friend but was hesitant to run over when another person stood beside her. As if sensing his hesitance Megumi motioned for him to come over.
Aiba ran over and stopped in front of the pair of girls while the others remained oblivious.
“Megumi-chan!! How was your vacation? Did you relax and get some rest? You aren’t going to collapse again right? Cause that would make us all really upset if you did…”
Megumi chuckled and patted the older man on the head like she would a puppy.
“I’m well rested and quite ready to get back to work. Anyway I have someone I want you all to meet. This young woman’s name is Anna. She is a good friend of mine and will be working with me together from now on ok?”
Aiba grinned and held a hand out to Anna. Megumi let the two get acquainted while she snuck over to Sho who was still reading his newspaper. She crept up behind him and when she was close enough hugged him around the shoulders while burying her face in his neck. He jumped slightly but immediately recognized the young woman. He let out a strangled noise which caused everyone to come to their senses. Everyone turned in time to watch Sho drag the young woman onto his lap. They all chuckled to themselves and ignored the couple as they stood up to meet their new addition.
Anna was so busy talking with Aiba that she didn’t notice the other three approaching until suddenly she was surrounded by over half of the group. She looked around in shock expecting cautious glances. Instead she was received warmly and they all introduced themselves. Jun stood to her right and smiled coolly at her.
“If you are a friend of Megumi-chan then I am sure you are a great person. I look forward to getting to know you. You can call me Jun or Matsujun and you are?”
“Anna. It’s a pleasure to meet you Jun-san.”
“Please Jun is fine, or if you must Jun-kun works as well.”
Anna smiled at the youngest member of the group before turning to look at the inseparable pair known affectionately by all fans as Ohmiya. Nino held out a hand and introduced himself while Ohno simply stared off into space. After a few seconds Anna frowned thinking she had somehow offended the calm leader. Noticing her discomfort Nino elbowed Ohno who shook his head to clear it before looking at her and blushing.
“Ano.. uhm… Ohno.”
“… Anna”
Noticing the commotion Megumi looked over and bit her lip to keep from laughing. Sho noticed the star struck look on their captains’ face and wrapped a strong arm around his girlfriend’s waist. He whispered something into her ear which made the girl chuckle and give him a quick kiss on cheek before dragging the man over to where the other stood. Megumi smiled gently at her good friend before gently elbowing Ohno in the ribs.
“He’s usually more eloquent than that Anna. But as you can see they are Arashi. Your job is pretty simple really. All you have to do is play nice and try not to fan girl too much when they are around. Beside it will prevent me from running myself ragged…”
“Again!”
Megumi stuck her tongue out at the five men. She shrugged and looked at her friend as she waited for a response. Anna thought for a few minutes but her gaze wouldn’t stop returning to Ohno who was also staring back at her. Finally Megumi nudged her and the other girl blushed before staring at her hands.
“I’m fine with that as long as they are…”
Ohno’s eyes brightened and he looked around at the others with excitement. Nino and the others smiled amongst themselves and pushed Ohno towards the young woman.
“Ano… Anna-san… we... uh... w-would really appreciate it… i-if you would … stay.”
Anna blushed brightly but nodded her assents which made Ohno grin brightly. He offered to show the girl around which she quickly accepted. The others watched as the couple walked out of the room and high fived each other. Sho twirled Megumi around before kissing her.
“You are a brilliant little thing, you do know that right?”
Megumi laughed and sat down on the couch with Sho while they went over scheduling. On top of her job at the school she had been hired as a part time scheduling consultant to the group because Johnny was short good hands. When he had heard what the young woman had done to help the juniors he had approached her with the offer. Meanwhile Ohno was showing Anna around the building. He showed her where all the dance studios were, recording studios, costumes, and business offices. He introduced her to several people and before they knew it, it was time for lunch. They walked slowly back to the room and walked in to find the others were sitting around with bentos. Anna looked at Megumi and Sho and smiled gently. Ohno noticed the smile and gave her an odd look. She explained to the man how happy she was that her friend had found someone who was not only kind and smart but who also had such amazing friends. Ohno bit his bottom lip and gently slipped a hand into hers. She leaned close to the older man and watched the rest of the group banter playfully. All too soon however Nino noticed the couple and called them over. Ohno led her to where the other sat and she took a seat on the floor. Megumi smiled at Anna who smiled shyly at her friend.
And so Anna found herself visiting often with Arashi. It was a very fast paced life but she found that after a few weeks she got the hang of things and really found everything enjoyable. She also found herself getting closer to Ohno who was just as awkward about relationships as she was. Either way they pushed forward and continued to get closer. She was also shocked to find that Sho and Megumi were planning their wedding soon. She asked how long the two had been together and she was surprised to learn that they had actually met before the girl had actually started working at the company. Ohno told her the story of how the young woman had run into the men at the airport when she had first come to the country two years ago. Sho had fallen hard for the young girl and had immediately begun researching about her. They had met again a few weeks later and before anyone knew it they were close. Sho brought her to meet everyone after about a month and was excited when she got along with them all famously. She had just finished her first year in Japan and was spending time with Sho in the green room when Kitagawa-san suddenly popped up from nowhere. The couple was shocked and didn’t move as the president of the company stood quietly in the doorway. He had apparently taken the couple up to his office and kept them there for several hours. At the end of that time they had come down to the green room and had announced that she was their new part time manager and that they had Kitagawa’s permission to continue on.
After learning about her friend’s relationship with the idol she found herself growing closer and closer to the leader. She continued to do her job but Megumi noticed the blossoming relationship. She continued working alongside her friend for the rest of the year while spending evenings with the “fab five” and before long she made it through their first concert tour. It was a difficult time since both girls were separated from their now close friends. Soon the tour ended and it was back to a slightly less hectic schedule. It was a few weeks after the end of the tour and Anna was busy confirming that the men were free for the weekend with Ohno and Nino. After a few hours of playful banter and arguing they let her know that their schedule was set and the boys had gained a week-long vacation at the end of the month. She was walking into the green room and was shocked by the chaos she experienced. Sho was sitting in a corner talking frantically into his phone while the others stared mournfully at him. Anna shut the door and Aiba ran over to them. She looked at him questioningly and he whispered to her what had happened. Ohno had to catch her as her knees gave out. She couldn’t believe that her friend was in the hospital. A few minutes of tense silence passed and finally Sho got off the phone.
“We have the day off. We are going to the hospital.”
The group ran quickly to the elevator and when they reached the ground floor found a company van waiting for them. They all jumped in and were soon off to the hospital. Anna asked exactly what happened but Sho was too distraught to talk. Jun sighed and explained what happened.
“Megumi was on her way into work this morning and apparently someone pulled in front of her. A bystander called the ambulance and when they arrived she was unconscious. They took her to the hospital but wouldn’t tell Sho where she was because he isn’t immediate family. It took him finally breaking down and calling Johnny before they would tell him. They told her where she was just not her condition.”
Anna swallowed a lump in her throat and leaned into Ohno’s side as they traveled in relative silence to the hospital. They made it there relatively quickly and the six ran inside to find the girl. Anna approached the desk first and asked for the room number. The nurse attendant told her the number and she thanked them. She led the men up to the second floor and they found her room. They entered quietly and found Megumi sitting up and staring out a window. Sho approached and she turned sharply. The words died on her tongue as she recognized her friends and not the blasted doctors who refused to let her call her friends. Sho approached her and sat on the side of her bed. She hugged him and soon her shoulders shook in silent tears. The doctors came in a few minutes later and asked Ohno and Anna to step outside. He explained to them that she was free to go since she had someone to take her home now. Anna sighed in relief and went back in to give the good news. They found her being smothered by the others, in particular, Aiba who was currently sobbing about how worried they had all been. Anna gripped Ohno’s hand and smiled at him.
“We are an interesting group aren’t we?”
Ohno pulled her close and kissed her.
“We are indeed. And I hope we don’t change.”
A short cough caught both their attention and the blushing couple turned to find Megumi grinning slyly while leaning against Sho’s side. Anna felt her face flush but Ohno’s hand in hers steadied her so that she could simply shrug and smile at her good friend. How could anyone be mad really since Ohno had been trying to meet the little girl since Megumi had told him about her months ago; of course Anna wasn’t aware of it when they had first met but Ohno was already in love with her. After the couple had been together for a few weeks Megumi had finally told her the secret but Anna couldn’t bring herself to be mad at the other girl. After all she had managed to meet the perfect guy because of her friends’ sly nature, however t really through everyone through a loop when the announcement came the following week. Anna made it to the company building before Megumi since the other girl had to stay after school for an important meeting. She took the elevator to the now familiar green room. On her way she greeted Kitagawa who merely smiled and went on with his business. When she entered the room she was shocked to find it dark and no one around.
No sooner than she turned on the lights however did she find out that Ohno was there. He was standing in the middle of the room almost as if he had been waiting for her. She looked at him confusedly as he grinned that sleepy grin she had grown so fond of. He motioned for her to come in so she did shutting the door behind her. As she took a few steps into the center of the room Ohno went down to one knee and held out his hand with a shy smile. Anna gently placed her hand in his and was rewarded by a smile that would have made the sun jealous with its brightness. She felt a small ring slip onto her hand and she looked up shocked.
“What about Megumi and Sho?”
Ohno shrugged and laughed as he told her the reason.
“Kitagawa-san asked them to please wait until Sho was at least 30 since he didn’t want any of the juniors to know that he gave them special treatment.”
She stared incredulously at the man who simply shrugged again and swept her off her feet.
“Now my dear, shall we go see the others and tell them the happy news?”
Anna shook her head at his crazy antics before letting him lead the way. She was thinking back to a year ago when she had first come to Japan and realized that she would have never imagined that something like this would happen to a common girl such as her. As she followed Ohno down the hallway she was playing with the ring currently on her finger and so she wasn’t paying attention to what was going on around her. All of the sudden there was uproar of noise and she glanced up to find the lobby filled with people clapping and cheering for the pair while her friends waited in the corner beside Kitagawa. She felt her face flush under her pale continence as she looked at Ohno who was grinning sheepishly. The man had known how shy she was so had failed to mention just how many people they would be announcing the happy news to. She gripped him arm frantically as he led her through the crowd. They stopped in front of Kitagawa and the rest of her friends and she finally noticed Megumi grinning from behind Sho and the president. Anna sighed and finally smiled brightly. Kitagawa gave his assent right there in front of God and everyone before sending everyone back to work so that the pair and their friends could go relax.
Megumi gave Ohno an address and told him to get the young woman and himself there in about an hour. Before they left Megumi winked at her friend. Anna chuckled to herself before following Ohno out to the parking garage where her car was parked. Meanwhile Megumi was busy planning the best surprise she could think of. She had rented a small restaurant out with the help of the rest of Arashi and they had invited the couples closest friends as well as family. Anna didn’t know but her aunt and uncle would be coming to meet her new fiancé. Finally once everything was settled, or as ready as Sho would let her obsess over, they waited for the couple. When Ohno led her up to a pretty little restaurant she had to wonder what sort of surprise was coming her way.
The night started and ended on high notes. Anna was extremely happy yet she still had a nagging feeling she wanted to talk with Megumi about. So after they said goodbye for the evening and the two women had made it to Megumi’s home Anna finally asked if she could talk for a few minutes. Megumi led the way into the living room and sat waiting for the other girl to start talking. Anna took a deep breath and sat down next to Megumi.
“Are you ok with this whole thing? I mean you and Sho have been together longer that we have and…”
She was cut off by Megumi’s pealing laughter as the other girl wiped away tears from her face. After a few minutes she finally had calmed down enough and her laughter had lowered to simple giggles.
“I told them that you would be worried about something like this… ha ha ha…. Honestly as I told Sho I am not even ready to think about getting married yet. I have things I still want to do so feel free to get married without feeling bad dear. If I had really wanted to I would have told Kitagawa as such. So are your fears all taken care of now?”
Anna blushed slightly and nodded as the other girl continued to laugh. Soon both girls had erupted into a fit of giggles that couldn’t be contained. The next day word of Ohno’s engagement was big news. There was an expected uproar from the fans however Anna was pleasantly surprised to learn that most people were very accepting of the leaders’ relationship. Anna couldn’t help but grin and give a little happy dance that morning. Of course it would be another six months to a year before the wedding but she was still happy with how things had worked out. Actually she had asked Megumi to plan the wedding so that she would be free to work hard and continue with her normal life. And so that was what she did. Besides the occasional date with Ohno her life was exactly as it used to be, or so it seemed. What she was unaware of was that on top of planning the wedding in her free time, Megumi was also continuing with her teaching and now tutoring certain nights as well as being a manager. Anna had noticed how tired her friend was a couple weeks after the announcement but talking to the girl earned her nothing but silence and promises that she really was getting enough sleep. Knowing she could do nothing herself she even attempted to ask the members of Arashi for help in watching the young woman’s safety.
Six months had passed and it seemed like life was back to normal so Anna had finally stopped fretting about the other woman and went back to her normal life. The other woman had given her plans for the wedding that were fully made and set for three months’ time and had left for work early that morning. Anna hadn’t seen the girl throughout the school day but that wasn’t too odd at the beginning of the week. As she made her way to the entertainment building that afternoon she received a text. As she looked down to check she nearly dropped her phone. The message read: If you want to find her break it off…
Anna felt tears prick her eyes and was thankful that it was her stop. She ran into the building and nearly smacked into Kitagawa and the members of Arashi. One look at the young woman’s frantic appearance had Kitagawa ushering the group up to his office. Once there Anna showed the message to the group and was told that Ohno had received a similar email. The couple looked at Sho who was sitting calmly and quietly in the corner of room while the others tried to figure out what the next move was. Anna, as much as she hated the idea was the first to bring up the possibility of publically denouncing the engagement which only earned her Sho’s anger. He asked her if she really thought that Megumi would be accepting of all the hard work she had spent six months on gone down the drain. Anna teared up and Sho immediately felt guilty. He apologized to both the young woman and his leader. He then swore to the couple that he would do whatever it took to figure this thing out.
The group worked hard to figure out who might have planned something so devious while Kitagawa used his own connections to find any clues he could. A few days passed and still they had no word. Ohno had moved in to stay at the home with her while they searched for the girl. They searched in their free time and never gave a second thought that they wouldn’t find the girl. A week had passed when Anna was woken up to a phone call. She answered the phone and was told by a strange voice to come to a certain address if she cared. As the phone hung up the doorbell rang and she ran to find Ohno, Nino and Jun all standing outside; she knew he had received the same call and now the couple and friends were determined to find their friend.
As they approached the address they found themselves out in the countryside in a small town. The address they had been given appeared to be a small run down abandoned hospital. They parked Jun’s car outside and made their way up to the building. The front door was open and they walked in quietly. As they entered there was a note at the front desk directing them to a room at the back. Anna felt her heart in her throat as she gripped Ohno’s hand tightly. As they approached the back of the building noise was heard. They approached the room and were shocked to hear familiar voices. Finally they couldn’t take the suspense any longer and so they burst into the room. Anna couldn’t decide whether to laugh or cry at the scene in front of her. In front of the group sat Sho who was holding a sleeping Megumi in his lap protectively while a few older men looked confused. Noting the new arrivals a younger man stood up and decided to explain.
“We’re sorry for the trouble that has been caused for you. I am afraid my father is not very good at using his cell phone and what he had meant to say call here now not break it off… Unfortunately I didn’t notice the mistake until it was too late and then he decided to fix the mistake by calling today. Of course once I figured out this mistake I called the man here for help.”
Anna nodded and noticed the three older men who smiled sheepishly at the younger people. She opened her mouth to question the absence but was surprised to find that her throat was locked in an overflow of emotion. Ohno hugged the girl and looked towards Sho.
“Apparently she fainted in the farmer’s market and they were just trying to be helpful. Since they didn’t know what else to do they brought her here and have been treating her for exhaustion. I talked to her a little bit and apparently she had a few issues that I thought she had already sorted out. SO technically I am as much to blame as anyone…”
Before he could go on everyone heard a muttered groan and a soft whisper of “baka”. The girl looked sleepily up at her friends and smiled a lopsided smile. She apologized for the problems she had caused and was received by laughter and a few teary replies. Anna breathed a sigh of relief and realized that her biggest fear had just been resolved. She had been so worried recently that someone would object to her upcoming marriage that somehow that fear had manifested into something real. As if sensing her realization Megumi smiled secretly and simply said to no one in particular.
“I told you so…”
Anna chuckled and nodded her head leaving the men to figure out what sort of unspoken message the girls’ had exchanged. Later that evening the group returned to Megumi’s home where the girl pulled out her plans for the wedding. After showing the plans to her friends she was shooed off to her bedroom with Sho to guarantee that she get proper rest. Anna was exhausted from all the excitement but still felt the need to explain her fears to Ohno. She cautiously told him and was surprised when he chuckled and told her that he had similar fears. Suddenly realizing that it was simple wedding jitters the couple laughed together and decided that they were finally ready for the next big step.
Three months later…
“Do you Satoshi take Anna as your lawful wedded wife”
“I do…”
“And do you Anna take Satoshi as your lawful wedded husband?”
“I do…”
“Then if there are no objections as to why these two should not be wed… I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss your bride now Ohno-san.”
Cheers rang out as the couple kissed passionately there in front of everyone. Even though the wedding was small the group was so intimate that they were just as noisy as if it had been a large crowd. The four other members of Arashi waited at the front of the chapel besides the limo which would take the couple to the airport for their short honeymoon. Anna saw their friends waiting as they finally made their way through all the well-wishers. The first thing she did was hug and thank Megumi for her wonderful planning and hard work. The other girl simply smiled shyly and whispered something about thanking her AFTER the honeymoon. As she blushed Ohno grinned widely and promised he would do that. As the newlyweds climbed into the limo and drove off Megumi leaned against Sho and looked up at the man she loved.
“Did I ever tell you how freaking wonderful you are?”
“… Hrm? I think I should be telling you that sweetheart. After all it was you who introduced them…”
“… But you are the one who found me… So really it’s all your fault.”
“ha ha ha…. I guess I am guilty as charged.”
Megumi grinned and nodded before leading Sho back to their car. They knew that their friends would have a wonderful, though short break that was well needed. As they drove back into the city Megumi received a text that made her laugh. It read:
The greatest thing you'll ever learn is to love and be loved in return.
She smiled at the truth in those words and smiled at the one man who had taught her that. Yup… Life really was just a bundle of surprises and she was slowing figuring out that she didn’t mind it as much as she had in the past. In fact surprises could be fun.
Anna snuggled up to Ohno as she sent the message to Megumi and grinned at her husbands’ chuckle. She looked up to the man she loved and shrugged.
“She’ll get what I’m trying to say…”
“But I know from experience she likes to move at her own pace… Until she met him I guess now its more like their pace huh?”
Anna smiled and leaned closer to him. She smiled to herself as she look back on the last two years of her life and all that had happened. She realized now that she not only wouldn’t change a thing but looked forward to what sort of crazy surprises life would throw at them next.
“We’ll be ready for whatever life throws at us right?”
“No… we’ll be more than ready cause if there’s anything I know about all of us is that as long as we are together we can make it!”