#and i really like how (because it's Yukari's pov) her self-depricating nature shines even as she's dying

[laugtherhyena]

Staring at you like this after this punch in the gut

Until Death Do Us Part

is anything truly safe from me and my angst?

Yukari bit back a soft laugh as she stared into Hikaru's eyes. They were wide with embarrassment, love, and shock-- as if he couldn't comprehend that they were married now. Even through her silken gloves, she could feel his heart beating from the palm of his hand; Ba-dump, ba-dump, ba-dump, ba-dump.

She was sure her heart was doing the same, as she could hear it drumming the exact same pattern in her own ears. How funny, they were so in-love that even their hearts matched up. With an affectionate sigh, Yukari leaned in to rest her head on his chest and allowed herself to close her eyes. She could hear and feel his heartbeat much better this way.

Hikaru's free hand, the one not clasped with her own, was on her side, guiding her movements in a practiced dance that she had forgotten in her state of bliss. Their feet moved together in a steady rhythm, allowing them to move around the floor in a circle. As they did so, she found herself nearly forgetting to breathe-- God, she was married! She, who had deemed herself unlovable and a failure for years, was married to an angel among men.

Despite all of her flaws, he loved her. He loved her enough to marry her, even when they both felt unprepared.

Their dance came to a pause, much to her surprise. Around them, others continued to move, with no eyes staring at them in their vulnerable moment. Hikaru removed his hand from her side, and soon freed the other from her grip, in favor of lifting her head away from his chest and into his hands.

"Yukari," He whispered as he stared at her with sparkling eyes, "I promise, in honor of each star in the neverending sky and each fish in the sea, I will stay by your side through everything. Through every hardship and every surprise, through every emotion and every fight. I love you, Yukari Ando-- I meant it when I said in sickness and in healtrh, I meant it when i said 'til death do us part."

Tears rose to her eyes as he began to speak, and only threatened to spill as he kept talking. The moment his mouth hung only slightly open, she dove in-- kissing him lightly with her arms wrapped around him, an action in which forced him to let go of her face.

"I love you!," Yukari said as she pulled away, fighting back the tears of joy, "I love you, so much. More than I can even say...!"

A smile tugged Hikaru's lips in such a way that made her heart skip a beat-- or five. One hand of his rose back up, this time pressed against the back of her head, and he pressed his forehead against hers with closed eyes. "I'm glad."

---

Oh, god. Dying hurt. She could feel the blood spilling out of her-- she didn't know how she was still holding on. Part of her could only wish the monokumas would return to put her out of her misery-- but Beni. Beni would be hurt if that happened.

The door creaked open, but it did not have a puhuhuhu! following it. Instead, she heard footsteps rushing towards her.

"Mom!" Oh. Oh, she knew that voice. her baby, her eldest, the one she was oh-so proud of. Hamato.

She could only whimper as he came into vision, dizzy from all the blood loss. He began trying to stop the bleeding messily, as he had seen his parents do for much smaller wounds many times before. It wasn't doing anything to help.

More footsteps soon followed. A despair...? Panicked, with only the love she held for her family fuelling her, she opened her mouth to tell Hamato to grab his sister and leave. Instead, she heard things being dropped to the floor and felt herself being gathered in arms she knew well.

"Yukari...!," her husband gasped as he pulled her close. "Yukari, what... I..."

She didn't know when she had last heard Hikaru sound so shaky. It hurt to hear. She was hurting him. She didn't like that-- She never wanted to hurt him. She tried to force the words out, tried to assure him that she'd be okay... but she was never one for lying so blatantly, was she?

"I'll-- It'll be okay. Hamato...! In my car, I have medical supplies. If I can just..." Tears blurred Hikaru's glasses as she weakly reached up to touch his face, smearing her own blood on his cheek by doing so. He knew as well as Yukari did that it was too late for her, and she was sure their son knew the same.

"B...Beni..." She gasped from pain as she forced herself to speak, "in... laundry.... room..."

From the corner of her now-fuzzy vision, she could see Hamato leaving the room. He was a good brother.

"Fff...ffind Kan...ata..." She continued as she stared into Hikaru's light brown eyes, "...please..."

Hikaru lifted one hand to brush the hair out of face, his touch trembling more than she had known it ever could. Still, she tried to lean into it. "I'll find her...! But, please, Yukari...! Stop talking, please, please...! We can get you help, we-- we--"

She pursed her lips and let her hand fall from his face, back onto her gashed stomach. As she did so, her head tilted to the side and rested against his forearm.

"Love... you... forever..." Yukari whispered as her heartbeat slowed in her chest. "...Hikaru..."

The last thing she heard after letting her eyes flutter close was a choked sob of agony, and the last thing she felt was his head pressed against her chest and his eyes dampening her clothes with tears.