Day 21: Unity

"You sure you want to do this now?" Gura put a hand on Amelia's giving her a patient smile. Even though Amelia doesn't really voice it, Gura knew that she was still going through a lot of stuff ever since she went back in time.

"Yeah," Amelia smiled and gave the little shark a peck on the forehead. "I want to live through these happy times before something else happens."

"Nothing will happen," Gura looked at her trident that was across the room. "I'll make sure of that."

"I'm sure you will, my little cup of tea," Amelia looking lovingly into Gura's eyes. "I need to go get dressed. I want to keep my outfit a surprise."

"I'm not little! I'm an Apex Predator," Gura pouted. "But I'll let you call me little. Just this once."

Amelia chuckled as she went for the doo. "Whatever you say."

-

"RYAN!" Ryan jumped awake as soon as Amelia shouted his name.

"How the hell did you get in here?" Ryan sat up only to be met with Amelia throwing a suit at him, the suit landing gently on his face.

"Don't ask, just get dressed," Amelia said as Ryan pulled the suit off his face to see Amelia wearing her own suit, topped off with a black beret.

"Huh, I didn't think you'd be the one wearing a suit," Ryan cracked his neck and got out of bed.

"I tried looking at wedding gowns, but it's just not my style," Amelia replied, turning for the door. "I sent you the address already. Don't be late."

"Wait-," Ryan was going to ask her when it started, but Amelia was gone by the time he opened his mouth. "I guess that's just how things are."

-

Ryan fixed his tie as he looked at the building. It wasn't a church at all. Instead, it was a building that had the world "HoloHQ" Plastered above the entrance in large, cyan letters. He looked down at his suit. "How the hell did she even get my measurements?" As soon as he said that an image of Suisei measuring him with a ruler while he slept flashed through is mind. "On second thought, I don't want to know."

"I'm surprised I made it here on time," Ryan turned as he heard the sound of a man behind him. The man behind him had dirty, white hair that was combed back. He wore a black dress shirt and a white tie which was covered by a dirty green trench coat. He sighed, taking a pair of glasses out of his pocket. When he put them on, his eyes instantly fixated towards Ryan. "Ah, so you're the Ryan I've heard so much about. Watson told me you were going to be the best man."

"Yeah, I've never been to a wedding, though so I have no idea what I'm doing," Ryan rubbed the back of his head. "It seems I'm at a disadvantage. You seem to know my name, but I don't know yours."

"People call me Arurandeisu," the man replied, fixing his tie. "If it's too long, you can call me Aruran or Aru-san."

"Nice to meet you, Aru-san," Ryan walked over and extended his hand. Aruran firmly grasped and shook his hand.

"Now, let's get going before Watson gets mad at us," Aruran smiled. Ryan took out his phone and looked at the time.

"I still have no idea when it starts," Ryan sighed.

"Ah, it starts in ten minutes," Aruran said.

"Ten minutes?!" Ryan exclaimed. "You're right. Let's go."

-

"Hello! Would you like doughnut to celebrate Devour Doughnut December?" As soon as Ryan and Aruran entered the building, they were greeted by a squirrel girl holding several boxes of doughnuts.

"Sure, I actually didn't eat yet," Ryan offered the girl a kind before taking a doughnut. "My name is Ryan Shade. It's nice to meet you."

"My name is Ayunda Risu," The squirrel girl bowed her head slightly, as not to aggravate the sacred doughnuts. "You may call me Risu."

"No cap?" Aruran asked, which Risu replied with a quick shake of her head. Aruran then took a doughnut, taking a large bite. "Thanks, Risu-chan."

"It is my pleasure, Aru-papa," Risu smiled brightly as the two men walked off.

-

"So, you're the best man, huh?" Ina walked up to Ryan. "I guess we'll be walking down the aisle together."

"Guess so, miss maid of honor," Ryan said. "It's weird that I haven't met any of either of their families yet."

"Neither of them came," Ina replied. "Gura's parents were hunted by the German Army during WWII and Ame's parents disowned her when she came out."

"That's…" Ryan shuffled uncomfortably, looking for the right words. "Kind of fucked up."

"Well, Ame decided to invite her step-sister," Ina said. "Apparently she's an angel or something. I wonder if Kanata-senpai knows her."

At the mention of Amelia's sister, a girl with long, white hair and small angel wings walked over. "Did you mention me?"

"Ah, we were just talking about the brides' families and why they weren't here," Ina said. "My name is Ninomae Ina'nis."

"Amatsuka Uto," The girl introduced herself, giving the two a heartwarming smile. "It's a shame that Ame-tan's parents were so cruel."

"Yeah, I don't know too much about them, but bigots are too common in this world," Ryan rubbed the back of his head. "My name is Ryan Shade. It's a pleasure to meet you, Amatsuka-san."

"Please, just called me Uto," Uto directed her smiled towards Ryan. "Ame-tan has told me a lot about you. I have to thank you for taking care of her this past week."

"I didn't do much, honestly," Ryan said. "She's a good friend."

"I've heard," Uto said thoughtfully. "Well, the ceremony is going to start soon. I guess I'll talk to you after the wedding."

"Sure," Ryan said, in a slight daze as she walked away. He then looked at Ina. "She's…"

"Pure? Nice? Clean?"

"Not what I was going to say, but let's go with that," Ryan sighed. "Let's just get this over with."

-

Instead of hiring an orchestra, apparently Amelia and Gura got famous idols Tokino Sora and AZKi to sing at their wedding. Why they decided to do that was beyond him, but it wasn't Ryan's wedding (AN: Like he's ever going to get one). As Ryan walked down the aisle, he noticed that all the bridesmaids and "groomsmen" were familiar. Korone and Okayu, Coco and Kanata, Kiara and Calli, and Noel and Flare. Ryan and Ina parted. Ryan joined Okayu, Coco, Flare, and Calli while Ina joined Korone, Kanata, Kiara, and Noel.

I feel out of place, Ryan sighed to himself as Fubuki put the rings on the altar before Uto added the flowers. Amelia was patiently waiting for Gura to show up. After a few seconds, time seemed to slow. Gura walked down the aisle in a wedding gown tinted bright blue next to YAGOO in a three-piece-suit. Ryan could physically see Amelia's eyes light up. After the two famous idols finished their songs and Amelia and Gura stood next to each other, Enma walked up, still in her casual dress shirt, hoodie tied to her waist, and katana. She took out a piece of paper.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today… fuck this," Enma gave a frustrated sigh before tossing the paper in the air and unsheathing her sword. Barely a second passed before she sheathed her sword again, the paper sliced to literal confetti. "Look, we all know why we're here today. Let's not waste time here and get on with it."

I'm so glad I decided not to fight her, Ryan thought to himself. Amelia smirked while Gura tried to suppress her laughter as he saw many nods of approval.

"Now let me invite our CEO and living joke YAGOO to the stage," Enma bowed, gesturing to YAGOO, who stepped up to the altar to speak.

"I wanted to make a group like AKB48. I know that people make fun of my prior dreams," YAGOO started. "But I feel like I ended up with something far better than what I hoped for. Thank you all for coming to this union of these two."

Ryan clapped with everyone else, not getting why Kiara was almost keeling over laughing. He mostly zoned out for the rest of the readings. Especially when he saw a familiar hooded figure facing him from the back of the room. Ryan and Storm spent a great deal of time staring each other down. Ryan only looked up when Enma started to address the couple.

"Alright, you know how serious this is right?" Enma asked. "I mean, you already do, but the paper told me I have to ask you this."

"Yeah, yeah, don't ground pound Pekora's mom anymore," Amelia chuckled.

"WHAT WAS THAT-PEKO?!" Ryan faintly heard Pekora's voice from the back of the room and forced down a laugh.

"Yeah, I understand," Gura shot Amelia a glare.

"This is the time of the ceremony when you two will exchange the vows," Enma said. "Which one of you would like to go first?"

"Ah, I would!" Gura raised her hand before turning to Amelia. "I first met you when you appeared in the middle of nowhere five thousand years ago. Those two years were the best years of my life. As long as I lived, out of all the people I've met, I never met someone quite like you. When YAGOO hired me and put me in a team, I didn't know what I was expecting, but then I saw you. At that time, I was the happiest shark (read: little shark) in the world. To be honest, I was a little scared when we got together. I thought to myself 'what if she's not the one?' But if you weren't the one, Ame, then who was? I never thought I would go through a human marriage, but by whatever gods may be out there, I don't regret doing it."

Ryan smiled as he noticed Amelia wipe a tear. He then turned back to Storm at the back of the room to see Reporter standing next to him. As per usual, Ryan couldn't see Reporter's face over his mask, but he could feel the smirk behind it.

"When I first laid eyes on you," Amelia's words startled his focus back to the couple. "I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you. At the time, I was studying under a certain deity. As much as I know he hates calling himself that, that's what he was," Ryan could feel the aura tense a little bit and looked over to see a man with messy hair and an eyepatch. He recognized from the trench coat that the man he was focusing on was Jack. "At first, I dreaded this little trip through time. I thought 'why do I have to go through the prehistoric ages?' Then I met you. At that time, I was still recovering after a particularly bad meeting with Merlin, bless his soul (AN: Imagine Ame shooting an old ass Merlin with a rocket launcher). When I opened my eyes, I saw your face. I still remember it like it was yesterday. After a few days with you, I never wanted to leave. When I had to go, I'd never thought I'd see you again. When we met each other again, I saw myself here on this altar, saying these exact words. As soon as I saw you again, I knew what I had to do. No, what I wanted to do, and here we are. I'm about to make the most important decision of my life, and I like to think I made the right one."

With a gesture of her hand, Enma prompted Fubuki to bring the two rings. After a short talk with Ryan, Amelia decided that she would rather have rings than wedding bands. "With these rings, I wed my two best friends," Fubuki gently slipped a ring on each of their left ring fingers.

"I now officially pronounce you two wife and wife," Enma shot Fubuki a glare, causing the couple to chuckle slightly. "You may now kiss the bride."

Ryan noticed the small jets of water spout from the bottom of Gura's feet as she leaped into Amelia's arms, uniting their lips. The thirteen-year-old in Ryan's brain wanted to look away, but he didn't out of respect. He's watched enough anime to stomach this. A soft smile formed on Ryan's face. At least someone got their happy ending.

-

"You know," Ina walked up to Ryan, tako shaped tacos on her plate. "Since Ame and Gura are married now and Calli's definitely hiding a ring somewhere, maybe we should get together."

"Not a chance in hell," Ryan stared off at the crowd mingling amongst each other before putting a finger to his temple. "Nothing against you, but I have too much going on here to go through with a marriage."

"Hey Ina-chan!" A man with dark blue hair with yellow streaks walked up to the two. "Have you seen Roberu anywhere?"

"I haven't, actually. That's weird," Ina put a finger to her chin, her flaps wiggling as she thought. After a couple seconds of her flaps going back and forth, she shook her head, turning towards Ryan. "By the way, Leda-kun. This is Ryan Shade. He's been working at Kiara's joint recently."

"Ah, so you're the famous best man," The man gave Ryan a polite smile. "I've heard your gunplay gives Ame-chan a run for her money. I'm Astel Leda. Nice to meet you."

"I'm new to this whole weapons thing, but I try my best," Ryan returned the polite smile as he shook his hand, trying his best to be modest. As the two detached hands, time froze, the scenery going gray.

"You know, I'm in the middle of something," Ryan turned to meet Storm. "I don't need your monotone vibes killing this wedding."

"Come outside," Storm turned for the exit. "This is of upmost importance."

"Whatever you say," Ryan grumbled, following the cloaked man out.

-

As the two men finished introducing each other, Ryan suddenly vanished into thin air. "I thought he was human," Ina said as she looked around.

"You mean Ame-chan's best man doesn't even have magic?" Leda asked. Though a lot of the Hololive and Holostars talents were born humans, they were mostly referred to as mages.

"He's a special one," Ina smiled to him. "Now, let's tako bout something else. I was hoping to see Nene-chan somewhere."

-

"Now, what the hell do you want?" Ryan shoved his hands into the pockets of his dress pants. He knew he shouldn't be hostile, but this Storm guy was popping up in the most inconvenient of times.

"It's time," Storm turned to him, pausing for what Ryan assumed was dramatic effect. "The time has come for you to receive your memories."

"So, someone was hiding my memories from me," Ryan sighed. He thought back on the past year. Sure, it was bad, but did he want his memories back? What would happen? What would he gain? What would he lose? There was a very real chance that if he received his memories, then working at KFP would get significantly harder, if not impossible. He sighed.

Screw it.

"You know what? Fuck it," Ryan's gaze hardened. "I don't want those memories. People have been intentionally hiding my memories for a reason, and honestly, I would rather just live in ignorance. I'm happy with the life I got. I don't need no damn memories."

"You've matured," Storm said. For some reason, Ryan felt Storm smile, much like he did with Reporter. "If you don't your memories, that's fine, but I must return your magic."

"My magic?" Ryan asked. He had magic?! Now that was a surprise.

"Yes, you will need it in the near future," Storm replied.

"Well, let's get on with this," Ryan said. "If I can use it to protect my friends, then I'll take anything I need. Plus, it'll be fun to learn some new tricks. I can't have guns on me all the time."

"Alright, I'll implant some basic memories along with your abilities," Storm said. "All I need to do is void the barriers that are in your system."

Void? Barrier? Something clicked in Ryan's head, creating the most farfetched conspiracy theory in his head.

"You were the one who destroyed YAGOO's barrier, weren't you?" Ryan asked. He honestly didn't expect the things coming out of his mouth to say, but it was worth a shot.

"If I didn't, many more would have died," Storm replied, shocking Ryan to the core. "It was the will of the void, and its will is my command."

"Well fuck you too then," Ryan sneered. He didn't care about some stupid void. This man killed his friends. "Get me out of here. I don't want to see you ever again."

"I understand how you feel," Storm held out his hand, a glowing ball forming above his palm. "However, I have one last gift for you."

The ball suddenly shot itself into Ryan's chest, creating an unbearable pain. Ryan screamed as his vision filled with a bright flash. And then, nothing.

-

"That was fun," Botan sighed as she unlocked the door to her apartment, taking off her Adidas jacket. She then threw it with a soft "poi", the jacket landing neatly on a coat hanger.

As she walked into a kitchen, she jumped when she saw a gray bento box with white flowers etched onto the top of the box. She opened it curiously and smiled. This was Aloe's cooking. No doubt about it. "It's good to see you're around, old friend."