Warnings: Cross-dressing, possible slash/homosexuality.

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters/personas/people.

Authors: 0928soubi at .jp and AlienxLove, alternatively.

Rating: T (for now?)

Characters: So far, Uruha, Aoi, and Kai of GazettE. May include others later.

Setting: Victorian England (ish.)

(a/n) Hello, everyone! It has been quite some time! I'm afraid that amid declining health, writer's block, and classes, I have not had much time to write. However, I bring you this now—a collaboration between myself, and AlienxLove (formerly known as XxXMiyavisHeartXxX). The format shall go thusly: I shall write the first chapter, then she shall write the second, and I shall write the next, etc. This story can be read on my page, on her page, and (eventually) on my livejournal account ( no spaces) : tohru 3 4 . Feel free to leave reviews in all of these places! ; 3 Also, please forgive the bad pun of a title. I'd like to keep this short, so, thank you for reading, I hope you enjoy, and please stick around for the next part!

Sunlight filtered through dusty windows and crisp curtains, shining on a less-than-angelic face. Honey-blonde hair messily tossed over bleary eyes and gaping, drooling mouth, Uruha was not a pleasant sight to behold.

"Oh, get up, you lazy git," A tall brunette groused, as he tossed an armful of clean laundry onto a chair beside Sleeping Beauty's bed. He stalked over to the bed, throwing back the curtains with a flourish. "It's morning, your Majesty. Time to get up."

Uruha made a whiny noise in the back of his throat, lazily tossing his left arm around in an attempt to retrieve the covers. Aoi, anticipating this, held them up and out of the blonde's reach. Creaking open one rheum-crusted brown eye, Uruha gave the man servant a scathing glare through his hair. Haughtily blowing his hair out of his face, he muttered, "No."

"It really is difficult to take you seriously when you do that, you know." Aoi smirked, placing the bed covers into a basket of washings. Uruha gave a cute little huff, still not budging. Without pause, Aoi flipped the mattress onto the ground, taking Uruha with it. "Up."

The honey blonde gave him a mutinous look, but slowly got up. Aoi handed the blonde a fresh chemise and loose bloomers, giving the blonde an approving look. Uruha returned it with a glower, but took the underclothes. He stomped over to the Coromandel screen in the corner of his spacious room, still acting haughty. The blonde quickly stripped off his dressing gown, tossing it over the partition, trying to hit the brunette. Aoi caught it before it could hit his face, and chuckled under his breath. Uruha slipped on the cotton bloomers, closing the button to keep the fabric slit from opening. He then wriggled his way into the chemise before walking back to his servant. "Well?"

Aoi turned around, holding up an ornate cream corset embroidered in light blue thread, and interlaced with real gold. He blushed slightly and averted his eyes as he looked at the blonde, dressed only in thin cotton undergarments. The servant helped the blonde into the corset, and then began to do up the fastenings in the front. Aoi shoved an apple into Uruha's mouth rather unceremoniously, so that he could eat a little before he was laced into the ridiculously tight bodice. Uruha ate a few bites before tossing the core onto a bedside table. Aoi then turned the blonde around, starting to do up the laces on the corset from the middle out to give the appearance of both cleavage and a tiny waist. Aoi then began to yank the laces tight in well-practiced movements. Uruha's eyes began to bulge a little as the brunette wordlessly stole his breath away in a less-than-romantic fashion. The servant finished quickly, and tied the ribbons into perfect bows. Aoi then helped him into a large, white crinoline, followed by a thick, rather scratchy petticoat. Next came a lightly embroidered shirtwaist with lightly ruffled sleeves. Uruha held up his hair for Aoi, keeping it from getting caught. Over this came a splendid midnight blue skirt, heavily embroidered with gold, light blue, and cream-coloured threaded flowers and fleur-de-lis. The gorgeous skirt was covered rather gratuitously with pearls of varying sizes, as well as a number of large, delicate opals. After this magnificent piece came an equally wonderful vest, all made of silk. A few pieces remained, but Aoi decided to hold off on those for a bit. He sat Uruha down at his vanity, picking up an ornate imported comb. Uruha leaned his head back into his friend's chest, relaxing as the other man's surprisingly gentle hands groomed him. Aoi gently worked a lightly scented oil into the blonde's fair hair, letting the soothing aroma fill their senses. The servant then wove his hair into an intricate up-do, letting just a few locks fall down his neck. He wound a few pearls into the bun in a strategic pattern. The servant held out a few necklaces, allowing Uruha to choose his favourite. Delicately, Aoi fastened an expensive pearl-drop necklace around Uruha's pretty, pale neck. He handed Uruha a pair of matching earrings, allowing him to insert these himself.

"Tell me, what is the special occasion?" Uruha tilted his head to the side, putting his right earring easily. He then took a burned hair pin, which he carefully used to darken his long lashes. The blonde glanced up at the brunette in the mirror, eyes clearly demanding an answer.

Aoi gave him a sheepish look in return. "Well…that is to say…ah," noting the blonde's impatient look, he cut to the chase. "Your father has arranged a meeting with an esteemed Duke, as well as his son—" the servant's hands immediately went to the blonde's shoulders, keeping the now thrashing blonde from standing up. "Now, now—nothing has happened yet, you can quit your bellyaching—"
"Quit my bellyaching? Do you not recall the last time that old fool 'arranged a meeting' with someone? You would have those events repeated? Surely even you are not so foolish as to see this ending well!" The now blustering blonde kept struggling to get up, though he was significantly weaker than the man that had worked all of his life.

Aoi rolled his eyes, knowing that Uruha's insult to him was far from heartfelt. "Come, now. There is no proof that anything negative will come of this meeting. As far as I have been able to discern, the Duke and your father have yet to reach any sort of an agreement. All is fine—"

"Easy for you to say! You can still breathe! You're not made up like a child's doll, and treated like a toy to be given to the first willing to pay the asker's price!" The honey blonde swatted Aoi's hands away, standing up with more than a little effort. Skirts a-swishing, the lithe man started heading for the door. However, Aoi had anticipated him trying to escape, and was far faster. The brunette pulled Uruha into his chest in a hug that was just a bit too intimate and familiar, but was soothing all the same. Leaning into the hug ever so slightly, Uruha tried to compose himself. When he had calmed himself enough to speak without his voice shaking, he added "I simply…I simply fear that I would be a toy easily broken."

Aoi laid his head atop Uruha's, careful not to muss his curls. "I know that this might be…hard. But it is what your father wishes. Would you disobey him?" The brunette pulled back, looking into the blonde's mahogany eyes.

Uruha lowered his head, breaking eye contact. "Sometimes, one must protest—"

Aoi cut him off, holding the blonde at arm's length. "Ludicrous! If your father heard you speak in such a way, he would—"

"You ask me a question, then when I answer your query truthfully—" indignant, Uruha pushed his servant's hands away, trying to flee. Before Aoi could respond, there came a soft rap at the door. The brunette looked down at Uruha, but found that he would not meet his eye. Aoi sighed, before moving to answer the door. "Yes, Kai?"

An excited brunette stood beyond the door, grinning up at the other man. "Aoi! Just the man I needed! The Duke has arrived, and his Lordship requires his children greet him. Between you and me," Kai leaned in towards Aoi, lowering his voice. "I noticed something odd upon tending to his horses."

Aoi arched an eyebrow, leaning in a little closer. Uruha impatiently rolled his eyes, slipping into an embroidered bolero as his man servant gossiped. "What did you find?"

Kai glanced over at Uruha before looking back to Aoi. "There's something rather…strange…going on with the Duke and his son. I—"

"Now, that is quite enough," a low voice murmured, sending chills down the spine of everyone in the room. Uruha looked up, finding a tall, creepy man standing in the doorway behind Kai. His lank, dark hair clung to his greasy face in a way that all found quite repulsive. His teeth were gnarled and yellowed, stained a nasty reddish-brown. And the way that he leered at Uruha—all began to feel quite, quite uncomfortable. Just as he opened his wide, split mouth to continue chiding the gossiping pair, Uruha held up a hand.

"Quite right. That is quite enough," Aoi and Kai shot the blonde confused looks. Uruha gave an almost imperceptible shake of his head, before continuing almost indignantly. "Here I stand, clearly not yet fully dressed, and there stand a multitude of men looking in on me!" Clearly not having expected such a response, the unsettling old man's yellow eyes widened a bit. "Have you forgotten your stations? The only man permitted in my quarters is my servant. Now, unless you wish to discuss your continued presence here with my father, I would suggest you move along." Aoi bowed his head to hide his smirk at the humorous, if still a little revolting look on the old man's face. Kai followed suit, though hid his grin a little less well. Uruha glared at the old man, waving him away. "Off, now! Off with you!"

The old man bowed, yellow eyes burning into the blonde all the while. Finally, he crept away. Uruha grimaced, feeling more than a little sickened by the way the creep had looked at him. Turning to the other two, he sighed. "You two must be far more careful when speaking ill of others—especially those of higher rank. I am surprised that I must tell you such things."

Kai laughed, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck. "My apologies!" He shot the others a lop-sided grin, beaming.

Aoi rolled his eyes yet again, shooing Kai out. "Go on—I must finish dressing her,"

Uruha blanched a little, as he always did when someone that didn't know of his real gender used a feminine pronoun to describe him. He had certainly had enough time to get used to it. He had been masquerading as a woman all of his life; not even Aoi and Kai, (the closest he had come to having friends) knew he was actually male. Of course, many thought it odd that a male servant was allowed to dress a female; however, no one dared question the motives of His Moste Honourable Lordshippe! And why would they? For Uruha certainly looked and acted the part of a cultured, respectable young woman. The only faults any seemed able to find were the facts that Uruha could be a bit of a day-dreamer (to the point that some erroneously thought him dim-witted), and that he had yet to find himself a husband. But even those that knew him so well still did not suspect the secret that he held.

Aoi turned back to Uruha after bidding Kai farewell. He led her back to her seat at the vanity, and resumed the dressing process. The brunette quickly touched up the blonde's hair, before helping him into a pair of ballet flats. (Though this was hardly a common style at the time, Uruha was too tall to wear anything with even a slight bit of a heel.) Once Uruha was finished, Aoi helped him up. "Are you ready to face your father?"

Uruha wrung his hands together, chewing on his lip. Finally, Aoi led the blonde from the room. The pair made their way down the long hallway, before quickly descending a grand staircase. Following the raucous noise easily heard even from Uruha's room, they found the blonde's family and guests.

(a/n) Hopefully a good enough stopping place as any! Hope you enjoyed this, despite the rather short length.

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