Golden Roses

"Khameir!"

Khameir opened his eyes. Bright sunlight streamed in from the open blinds, casting shadows of the ships passing by the Coruscant sunrise on the bed.

"Khameir! Breakfast!" The horned man sat up. From the other room came the laughter of young children.

"Xarae?"

"Come on! Io, put that down. Breakfast everyone!" Khameir looked down at his hands, and then pressed them to his bare chest. Reluctantly, he swung his legs over the edge of the bed and yawned.

"Daddy, are we going to see Aunt Kairiku today?" Khameir looked towards the doorway. A small, dark-haired girl stood there, grasping a stuffed animal.

"Daddy? I'm not your daddy."

"Of course you are, silly!" He whirled around.

"Xarae? How did you get there? You were just..." He pointed towards the door and looked back to the young girl. His jaw dropped open. "And where did all these kids come from?" A dozen or so young faces were contorted with laughter.

"Why, us, silly! Have some pancakes!"

"But I...." She put one in his mouth.

"Daddy, wake up! Wake up!" The small girl with the animal jumped on his back. "Wake up!"

"Wake up!" Khameir's eyes snapped open. "You have to get ready!" The smiling face of Benjamin Skywalker came into focus.

"What? Where's Xarae? She was just..." He sat up and rubbed his face.

"You were really out of it, weren't you? Xarae's getting ready. In case you've forgotten, you're getting married in about, oh, an hour?"

"WHAT!?" He jumped to his feet, nearly knocking Ben over. "Oh boy..." He ran his hands over the black tuxedo he was wearing. Obi-Wan, who was standing nearby, put his hands on his hips in disapproval.

"You wrinkled it! What's wrong with you? Do you want to look like a slob on your own wedding day!? Next time YOU'RE ironing it!" Obi-Wan waved has hands over Khameir and used the Force to smooth out the wrinkles.

"I..." Before Khameir could mutter an incoherent word or two, Ippin burst in.

"The cake's here! Do you want to see it before they take it and put it away?"

"Cake?" Khameir rubbed his eyes.

"The wedding cake," Obi-Wan said with a sigh.

"Oh... yeah. That. You know, I really think I should go and...meditate." With a hand on his head, Khameir left.

Xarae took a deep breath. She wrung her hands out in front of her. Why am I nervous? This shouldn't be such a big deal...

"Xarae you look SOOOO beautiful!" Little Aisu walked up to Xarae and watched her in the mirror. "I'm honored that you're gonna let me carry your dress." She grinned. Xarae smiled broadly.

"Thank you very much, Aisu. You look very pretty too!" Aisu blushed and turned back to the mirror, watching Xarae fuss over herself. She adjusted her sparkling tiara that sat on her head.

"Are you nervous?" Xarae frowned and adjusted her dress a little before answering the little girl.

"I hate to admit it, but yes, I'm very, very nervous." Xarae sighed.

"Don't be nervous! Everything will be okay!"

"I know... I guess that I've been waiting for this for so long, I'm almost afraid of it. Do you know what I mean?" Aisu gave her a puzzled look.

"Not really." Xarae laughed at the response.

"You will in time." The two again turned to the mirror.

"I hate to interrupt, but I need to steal Aisu. She's needed in the other room." Xarae turned to find Yuki in the doorway.

"I'll talk to you later, Xarae! Everything will be alright!" The small girl gave Xarae a quick hug before running off, and Yuki followed. The woman in white remained in her room, and turned back to the mirror. She stared at herself. Her dress was beautiful, she had to admit. She especially liked the ten-foot train that Aisu and Kairiku would carry when the time came. The scooping neckline of the bodice was lined thickly with flowery lace that wound around her shoulders and came to an end far down her back. A large bow was also at the small of her back, its silken ribbons almost four feet long. She wore simple white gloves that also ended in the same lace high up her upper arm. But of course, her fingers were exposed from the gloves in a modification that Kyoko was able to make. She wore almost no jewelry, spare her first wedding ring (in case the Sith decided to crash her party) and ancient pearl drop earrings.

The fragrant smell of her bouquet of white roses calmed Xarae a little bit. She adjusted the long veil that hung from her tiara. I can't believe I'm finally going to do this...

Khameir slowly opened his eyes as he sunk down to the ground. He uncrossed his legs and stood up. Stretching, he felt incredibly refreshed. Souru stuck his head into the meditation room, but Khameir didn't need to hear him to know what he was going to say.

"Ten minutes, I know." Without looking back at him, Khameir waved him away. Ten minutes... Nine minutes and fifty-nine seconds... Nine minutes and fifty-eight seconds... He felt his heart skip a beat, and he took a deep breath. Well, that meditation was useless... Beginning to pace, Khameir tried to clear his mind. I can't believe this is happening... I never would have imagined this would ever actually take place. In his mind, he thanked Master19. And he thanked Annika. And he thanked everyone else who had helped him. He thanked all the senshi, for taking him in like one of their own. He thanked the Jedi, for giving him a second chance. And, without reluctance, he thanked Destiny. Although cruel it had been, how bittersweet its cruelty was! And right now, all he was tasting was the sugar.

"Oh Xarae..." Annika put a hand over her mouth. "You look so beautiful!" Without warning, tears began to well up in her eyes.

"Oh Annika, don't make me cry now!" She let the princess come forward and hold her.

"Xarae, you're shaking! You're nervous, aren't you?" Annika took her friend by the shoulders and looked into her deep blue eyes. Xarae smiled slightly. "I'm not going to tell you not to be nervous, because I know you can't help it... but maybe it would help if you told me what you were nervous about."

"I... I think I'm just overly joyful. I never would have thought this day would come... I... I can't believe this is happening. I've been waiting for so long to see myself as Khameir's bride..." She clenched her hands around her bouquet of white roses. "And it's now that I'm so glad I fight for Destiny. Even though it was Destiny that separated us, it is Destiny that is bringing us together, and it is Destiny that let us meet in the first place. And I hope beyond all hopes that Destiny will keep us together." She paused. "Keep us ALL together."

"Xarae..." Anniika smiled sadly as a tear trickled down her cheek. Xarae managed a smile.

"I'm sorry. I am feeling too many things at once, I think..." Annika wiped a tear from Xarae's face, and tucked a stray piece of hair back into her tiara.

"No matter WHAT happens, we'll ALWAYS be here for you, Xarae." Xarae nodded. "If you ever need to tell me anything..." Annika was interrupted by Priire.

"I hate to interrupt this heartwarming moment, but there's a very impatient man in red and black outside." She grinned. "Everything's ready when you are."

Xarae took a deep breath.

"Let's get this show on the road."

"Calm down, you must!" Yoda, who was presiding over the ceremony, whispered to Khameir.

"Probably the hardest thing I will ever do in all my lives..." He sighed and straightened out his all-black tuxedo. Yoda chuckled.

"Lucky you are. Loves you, a very beautiful person does."

Khameir watched, smiling, as the wedding party made their way down the aisle. He really didn't care about Priire and Yuki and all the others, though. He just wanted to see the bride. He wanted to be married already.

When the wedding party had all arrived, all the senshi in the room came to a hushed silence. The doors in the back of the room opened.

The stillness in the air of the Room of a Thousand Waterfalls settled on everything like a dew. Even the white and red roses adorning the area held their breath. Khameir took a deep breath as he heard Annika and Josephine adjust their instruments. He had to force himself not to shake. Khameir's heart skipped a beat when he saw movement. The small Nijihoshi stepped out from the back room. She smiled broadly, and proceeded in blanketing the red carpeted aisle with white rose petals. Khameir smiled as he watched the tiny girl. The guests all held their breath again. He heard Annika's slender fingers gently touch upon the piano keys, and the Josie's bow jump on the strings once before the music began. One note, and everyone turned to the back of the room.

Khameir had always seen Xarae as an angel. Her long, flowing hair. The silky softness of her skin, the way she laughed... But now... Now, as she stepped gracefully onto the aisle, it was apparent just how angelic she really was. He took a deep breath. She was so beautiful... The rays of light glinted off her shiny hair, which was pulled back into a simple bun and topped with a tiara. She seemed to glow with a supernatural light. It made her eyes the most beautiful shade of blue, and he could see them sparkle from the end of the aisle. He watched as she walked in a slow time to the music he had written. Her dress swirled around her feet like water. Each step... Each slow, beautiful step. Each movement of her body. He realized how much he took for granted.

Xarae couldn't help but stare at him. It was as if she couldn't control it. How many times she had gazed at him, watched him watch her... Somehow, though, this was all that mattered. Each inch closer she got, all the more she wanted to stare. Her knuckles turned alabaster white as she clutched her bouquet.

Before either of them knew it, Xarae was before him. Without thinking, he took her hands in his. She was shaking. Her hands were ice cold, and shivering. He choked down foreign tears as he warmed her.

"Dearly beloved, gathered here today we are..." Yoda's raspy voice was confident as he began. But the center of attention was not on him. Everyone was watching the pair of immortals stare into each other's eyes.

Xarae wasn't paying attention to the words coming out of her mouth. She had said them so many times in her mind, it didn't really matter anyway. She hardly felt the ring slip onto her finger. She was staring into his eyes. Deep, golden eyes. The eyes of a lover, a warrior, someone who had been forgiven... The eyes of a husband, a father, a teacher, a loyal apprentice. He was everything to her. He was her angel. Every touch was silken, every word was a breath of feathers in the wind. He was her wings.

When she was with him, she soared.

Xarae tried not to cry. She took a deep breath of the rose-scented air.

Khameir didn't know what he was saying. He didn't care. He had rehearsed it so many times to himself, his mouth almost moved on its own. He was staring into her eyes. Her eyes... so deep and mysterious. He thought back to the first time he had looked into those eyes... to the first time he had awoken to those beautiful eyes... They were the eyes of a magical woman. The eyes of a lover, a brave soldier, an eternal angel... His eternal angel. So was so beautiful. Such a beautiful person... How he deserved her, he didn't know.

"The bride, you may now kiss!" The crowd erupted in cheers (although Annika was drowning almost all of them out) as Khameir scooped Xarae into his arms. Their lips met in a long, deep kiss.

"YAAAAYYY!" Nijihoshi threw the rest of the rose petals into the air and danced in a circle as they fell around her. The two newlyweds turned around and began to walk back down the aisle. From her hidden place in the shadows of the room, Master19 smiled broadly.

"Khameir, I love you so much." Xarae buried her face in his shoulder.

"I love you too." He kissed the top of her head gently and smoothed over her hair. He laid a kiss gently on her lips. She giggled.

"You still taste like cake," Xarae said. Khameir smiled at her.

"I'm so glad the reception went so well."

"I am too." Smiling again, Xarae put her hand to Khameir's tattooed face. "Promise me you'll never leave me alone again, Khameir."

"I promise. With all my heart." He leaned in to kiss Xarae again. After the gentle kiss, she reached up and undid her hair. It tumbled like a silken waterfall over her shoulders. Khameir smiled, and as they kissed again, his hands found their way to the zipper of her dress.

"WAIT! Not so fast." The two lovers looked up to see a very happy-looking Master19 hovering at the foot of their bed.

"What are you doing here? This is my WEDDING NIGHT..." Xarae said, making a gesture towards the door.

"I'll leave you alone in a minute. Just hold on. I just want to tell you something that I think I have hidden from you two for long enough."

"Make it quick, okay?" Xarae gave her a pleading look.

"It's about Antimone." Silence filled the room. "About how she came to be. She wasn't conceived. She was created. It would have been tonight." Master19 stopped and waited for one of them to say something. They didn't, but instead stared with interest at the silvery woman. "She was... a product of your love. It was by no natural means, but by spiritual ones that she was created. Antimone was the result of the love in your hearts finally being united."

"So... she..." Khameir began.

"She was made from love," Master19 ended. Xarae was too shocked to speak. Silence once again settled over the surroundings. "I'm sorry about this... I didn't mean to put a damper on your evening... But I thought that it was time you knew."

"Thank you for telling us," Khameir said. Master19 smiled.

"I'll leave you two alone now." With that, the goddess disappeared.

Khameir looked at his wife.

"Xarae... Don't feel badly... please..."

"Khameir, I'm okay." She smiled.

"Really?"

"Yes. I've... gotten over Antimone. I know that what happened was meant to be. And I'm glad that we know now." Khameir smiled as well.

"So am I."