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Aerith, Cloud thinks, would be thrilled.
Wutai doesn’t have the same wedding traditions as Nibelheim, but after she’d found out that that was where Cloud was from, Mira had done her homework and insisted on incorporating them. Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue, and a gil in your shoe, with all the symbolism required.
Something blue was the easiest, in the end. White in Wutai is a colour for mourning, not weddings, and blue is the colour of Leviathan and since Cloud has somehow – he’s still not quite sure how – earned the nickname of Leviathan’s Sword, it made sense for his wedding dress to be in shades of turquoise blue and royal purple. The top is heavy with iridescent beading and embroidery, the stitching on the bodice designed to look like scales and so thick that it could almost pass for armour, but the pleated silk sleeves and skirt are unadorned and flow like water, blue to purple at the hems. The sleeves are long enough that the ends trail on the ground, and his skirt is a mile long, and if Cloud doesn’t trip and fall on his face during the ceremony, it’s going to be a small miracle.
Mira had refused to let him wear his boots under the dress, too, even though no one would see them, but she conceded to simple, flat slippers. There’s a lot Cloud is willing to accommodate but trying to walk or, if he needs to, run in heels is where he drew a line. At least he can’t feel the gil that Mira sowed into the sole. He’s not even sure which shoe it’s in. It’s supposed to be for good luck and prosperity. Cloud hadn’t liked it at first, using a currency that had been forcibly imported into Wutai by Shinra’s occupation, but Mira had argued that Shinra’s defeat and withdrawal was going to require that they treat Wutai as an equal in trade, now, and that the gil would bring good fortune and prosperity in those tradings.
Something borrowed is supposed to transfer happiness and good luck from the person lending it, and Mira had insisted that she be the one to provide that piece in the form of an intricately engraved silver bracelet, a depiction of Leviathan curving around the metal band.
Technically the dress and shoes are both something new, but when Mira has explained to everyone that something new was meant to welcome Cloud into his new life, well. Cloud now has a set of three hairpins from Godo, shaped like silver waves and embedded with tiny purple and blue materia shards and pearls, with long dangling chains that chime gently whenever Cloud moves his head. Yuffie gave him a set of matching earring, so Cloud now has both of his earlobes pierced instead of just the one.
Loz, Yazoo and Kadaj all insisted they needed to participate in the tradition, too. So now Godo has a trident, set of engraved silver throwing knives, and a custom made bangle with two sets of linked materia slots. He’d laughed when they’d presented him with their choices, at least, saying he understood what they were saying and wholeheartedly accepted his new responsibility.
Rings aren’t traditional in Wutai, so they won’t be exchanging any at the ceremony, but when Cloud had explained that he wanted to give Godo one anyway, Mira had cried for days about the significance of gifting Godo a symbol of unity from his own culture. Godo’s attire is similar in colour to Cloud’s, but with the opposite emphasis: Deep purple, the emperor's colour, with turquoise embroidery and detailing, and gold instead of silver, so with Mira’s help, Cloud had found something to match. A thick band of polished charoite set in a simple gold ring. They’re marrying for a lot of reasons, but love isn’t really one of them, and they both know that. The marriage is symbolic and political, and Cloud is vowing himself to Wutai as much as he is to Godo, but that doesn’t mean Cloud hasn’t grown to respect Godo and even to appreciate his company. It seemed important to try and make sure he knew that, that Cloud is going to mean it when he says his vows.
Aerith’s ribbon, as far as Cloud is concerned, covers the something old. It’s meant to symbolise bringing the best of his past into his future, after all, and it’s all he really has left of it. He still doesn’t know for sure if Aerith had anything to do with his resurrecting in the past instead of dying in the future but Cloud thinks that, if she did, she’d be happy for him. And maybe also be laughing her ass off. He is about to become queen consort, after all, though the most bizarre part of everything is still that it’s going to make him, officially at least, Yuffie’s mother. Mostly she’s just excited that she’s going to officially have three younger brothers to boss around, though.
“Are you ready, dear?” Mira asks, and holds out her arm for Cloud to take. There’s a whole procession that’s about to happen, Cloud being lead through the streets of the capital that they’ve reclaimed from Shinra’s occupation on the way to the palace. He’s not great with crowds, and he’s glad he’s not going alone.
At the other end of the ride is his new family: His children, and the people who have accepted them as their own.
“I’m ready.”