Whispers in the Winter Wind

The years passed, each one a little faster than the last, it felt like, and before anyone knew it, the wedding of Furuya and Catherine was on the horizon.

In the months leading up to this point, the soon-to-be-married couple, along with the help of their families and some friends, had been putting in the work to plan out their ceremony. It was never going to be some massive, over the top display of wealth, they wanted something more, they wanted a proper celebration of their love, not a showcase.

And even after they both accepted Yasushi's very generous offer to foot the bill for the venue and the other expenses, including their honeymoon, the decision was made that they were going to keep it normal, not anything outlandish.

As of right now, Yasushi and his people were still over in the UK, but they had their flights booked, and a week before the wedding, they were all scheduled to fly back to their home city of Ginsukimura in Japan, so they could all be there for the wedding ceremony.

Just in this moment, Yasushi was talking to Furuya on his phone, hashing out the final bits of the wedding plans. They'd been on the call for about fifteen minutes or so, when Furuya told Yasushi he had to cut it short, leaving Yasushi with his own thoughts.

He took a look around his office, in his workplace, a quiet sigh escaping his lips, the sudden silence a bit more noticeable than before.

His eyes drifted down to his phone, drawn to the lock screen picture — a group photo with him, his fiancée, Jingliu, Yinhaie, Nandini, and his two daughters, Yue and Advika. A genuine smile formed on Yasushi's lips as he saw the faces, each one a reminder of how much time had passed and how everyone had changed a little since the photograph was taken.

He was twenty-nine now, as was Jingliu. His girls, Yue and Advika, were now five years old, and Himari, his younger sister, was six.

However, he noticed Nandini and Yinhaie didn't seem to have aged at all. The company where he, Jingliu, and his parents all worked… they had finally completed the lifespan pills, after all the years spent researching it.

These pills, once ingested, would not only reverse aging, but also extend one's life considerably. The version Yasushi and his loved ones took was designed to extend their lifespans by a solid two hundred years.

They hadn't yet revealed this to the rest of the world, opting to wait a few years before making the announcement, they wanted to prepare for the fallout.

"…When should Jingliu and I actually get married?" He mumbled to himself, a curious thought taking form, his own love life and future suddenly coming into question as he thought about Furuya and Catherine, and the fact they were getting married.

He didn't have a good answer for his question. He and Jingliu had talked about marriage more than a few times, but she always gave the same response, "Whenever it feels right." Her answer was vague and didn't give him a solid timeframe, making his thoughts even more uncertain.

But Yasushi had decided to trust his gut, considering that Jingliu seemed to be doing the same thing, making this a very interesting situation.

So, for the moment, he was just going to focus on what he was doing here and now, instead of the "what-if" future that was stretching out in front of him. He found living in the present to be a better fit for him, especially since he was rather terrible at planning too far ahead when he was younger.

After staring at his phone for a bit longer than he needed to, Yasushi typed out a message to Yinhaie and Nandini, asking how their day had been and asking them to wish his girls well, even though he had already wished them well earlier that morning.

"Alright…time to just breeze through the next few hours here, then I get to go home," he mumbled under his breath, and with that, he dove back into his work, doing his best to try and focus on the tasks in front of him.

+-+

Later that evening, back at home, Yasushi was interrupted by some news from Xinyi that immediately caught his attention. They were all gathered in the living room, the two girls, Yue and Advika, were occupied with their toys, their homework all finished, while the others in the room were all occupied with their own things, either reading books, knitting, or just scrolling through their phones.

Xinyi's voice broke the quiet of the room, "It's officially on! Catherine sent out the wedding invitations and it's…it's in a month! And get this, it's going to be a Japanese-style wedding!"

Upon hearing this, all the adults in the room reacted with happy surprise. The wedding of those two had been in the works for a long time and the fact that it was now finally happening was quite the surprise for them all.

For Yasushi, it felt a little surreal. He had known that this was coming, but now that the date was set, the invitations sent out, it was all starting to feel a lot more real.

He couldn't help but feel a wave of nostalgia wash over him, but he couldn't stay in that mindset for too long, and he quickly tapped out a message to Furuya, his best friend, saying "Took you guys long enough." followed by a couple of laughing emojis, and then sat back and relaxed.

Advika and Yue glanced at each other, a silent understanding passing between them. They could tell that the adults were happy about the news, and their excitement became contagious, their little faces starting to reflect that energy.

"Uncle Fu-Fu is getting married?" Advika asked, looking up at her mother, Nandini.

Nandini smiled back at her daughter, giving her head a little nod. "Yes, he is. He's going to marry Aunt Catherine," she explained, setting down her knitting needles as she gave Advika's head a gentle rub.

"Really?" Yue asked, her eyes wide with excitement, as she looked at Nandini and then over to Yinhaie, her own mother.

"Yes, really. And we're all invited to the wedding, so you should both be looking forward to it!" Yinhaie said, giving a light chuckle before leaning down to kiss Yue on her forehead, the smile never leaving her face.

They were able to be this confident in speaking about it since they knew ahead of time that it wasn't going to be a child-free wedding. Catherine and Furuya made it clear that children were more than welcome to join, saying that it would be a crime to not let Advika, Yue, and Himari be a part of their special day.

The small family continued to discuss the wedding for the rest of the night, a buzz of anticipation filling the room, until it was time for everyone to go to bed.

They were all genuinely excited for the upcoming ceremony, and they started thinking about their outfits, planning to go shopping for the right dresses to wear for both the ceremony and reception.

Of course, it was also the responsibility of the adults to explain the rules of a wedding to Yue and Advika, making sure they understood how to behave appropriately. They explained that, even though it might be boring at times, they had to be quiet and follow along with the different parts of the ceremony.

They also made sure to tell them that after the wedding, that was when they could eat a lot of delicious food and play around.

Both Advika and Yue were quite intelligent, so they didn't mind the rules too much. They were also very excited to attend their first wedding ceremony, wondering what the whole thing would look like and what would happen.

+-+

Before heading to sleep, Yasushi and Jingliu were cuddling in their bed, but this time, Yue and Advika wanted to join in on the cuddles, and so they did, though both of them were already fast asleep when they laid down beside them.

They both idly played with the sleeping girls' hair, their minds drifting through their own private thoughts.

Yasushi had already created some detailed plans, and talked to everyone about their plans for Advika and Yue when they were older, especially considering the unique and complicated circumstances of their family.

However, because his daughters were smart and quick to learn, he believed that they would come to terms with everything as they got older, and they would all work through whatever issues may arise.

Even if they were born due to special circumstances, their mothers and Yasushi still loved them regardless, and they would all make sure to give the girls an equal opportunity in life.

"Hey," Jingliu suddenly whispered, her voice low, as she looked up to meet his gaze.

"Hmm?" Yasushi hummed in response, turning his head to look at her.

"I think… our time is getting closer too," Jingliu whispered back, a hint of meaning in her words, which confused him slightly.

After carefully considering Jingliu's words, his eyes widened slightly as understanding washed over him. Yasushi gave a silent nod, agreeing with her subtle point.

He knew to leave the decision up to her; when the time was right, they would start planning their own wedding. But both of them knew it would be in bad taste to do it while their friends were having their own wedding, that was just disrespectful.

"I see…Do you happen to know the exact date yet?" he asked, his voice soft and gentle, but Jingliu just shook her head in response. "Okay, well just tell me when you do," he added, reaching out to gently cup her cheek with his hand, and she returned the gesture by leaning into his touch.

The two of them continued to quietly talk about their future, what they expected from it, and even some not-so-serious, silly plans for their own wedding before they eventually settled in for the night, drifting off to sleep in each other's arms.

+-+

"It's getting close now, huh? Next week you guys are heading back to Japan again, right?" Jamie asked, his voice carrying a relaxed tone, as he sat in Yasushi's office, the two of them having lunch together and catching up a bit.

"Yeah, that's the plan, but it's like a week before the wedding actually starts, so we basically have a week to just do whatever before all of that starts. I'm guessing that will mostly be talking with the couple, checking in on last-minute preparations, and doing whatever else needs to be done," Yasushi replied, leaning back in his chair with a soft sigh.

He then turned to Jamie, adding, "Don't forget you're invited too, so try and make sure you are there before that week. Me, Jingliu, Xinyi, and our parents will all be gone for that week."

"We know, we've already adjusted our schedules for it, no need to worry. We're taking the time off as well, so we can be there in time. All that's really left for us is to make a couple of quality-of-life adjustments to some of the software our quantum tech and agi is running on," Jamie responded, taking a bite of his lunch.

The two of them continued chatting, talking about their work projects and Furuya's upcoming wedding. Even though Jamie had only met Furuya a handful of times over the years, including his two visits to Japan for work-related reasons, they still managed to get along quite well.

Jamie himself was a little surprised that Furuya had decided to invite him to the wedding, because as far as he was concerned, they were barely more than acquaintances, but he wasn't complaining. He was also happy that his girlfriend, Avani, had received an invitation as well, so they didn't need to do anything to change their plans.

Eventually, after they finished their lunch, they headed back to their work, both of them now focused on the tasks that were in front of them. Yasushi, however, was still a bit preoccupied, his thoughts still lingering on Jingliu's words from the night before.

Also, the memory of Shiva speaking with the couple during their reunion a few years ago kept replaying in his mind, a strange sensation washing over him as he tried to figure out their words.

His guess back then had been wrong because no announcement came out, but if his initial assumption was incorrect, then that meant it had to happen a different way, and he expected that announcement to come during the wedding reception. After all, Shiva could see the future, so it had to be something big, or so he thought to himself.

Yasushi let out a sigh, scratching the back of his head as he did so. "Thinking about it won't help me figure it out, but... if my guess is still right, then..." he mumbled under his breath, his sentence trailing off without any ending.

He didn't want to jinx himself, so he stopped his train of thought there, deciding that it was best to leave it for now. For the rest of his workday, Yasushi focused on his work, trying his best to not let his mind wander, and once it was time for him to clock out, he decided to stay for an extra hour before he left.

While he was still working, he received a text from Xinyi, asking if he could pick up some snacks and soda drinks for their girls. Apparently, both mothers wanted to reward them for getting 100% on a test they just took at school, and they all agreed they would celebrate a little when they got back home for the night.

+-+

It was the day of their departure.

Everyone who was scheduled to fly to Japan was ready to go, their bags packed, their travel documents secured. All that was left was to fuel up their private jet, and they could finally take off. Unlike their previous trips, their group was much larger this time around, so they had to use a different jet, one that was much bigger, so everyone could fit without any problems.

Also, this private jet was special, meaning they wouldn't have to make any layovers. They could just fly straight from the United Kingdom all the way to Japan without stopping, a feature that everyone was grateful for.

"Well, let's try and make this a fun one," Yasushi remarked, a hint of excitement in his voice, and his family chuckled in response, some of them giving him a knowing smile.

"Fun!" both Advika and Yue exclaimed, their eyes bright as they repeated their father's words back to him, mimicking his tone and making the adults laugh even more.

A wedding and reception they wouldn't forget, this was going to be a very special day that his daughters and younger sister would never forget, the same with the rest of them, a memory to always look back at.