Perfection
I snip carefully at the ribbon, cutting it at the precise angle I want it to be cut at. I pick two pearls from a small box, and carefully sew them into the center of the bow. I pin a white cloth rose to the corset and step back to admire the effect. Perfect. Just what a young and lavish bride like Tohru-chan needs. The dress fits her perfectly; size, style, just the right amount of that little something that will make her stand out a mile without imposing herself too much. Exactly what she needs.
The wedding is tonight, but I don't hurry. There is nothing to hurry about; the dress is finished, and all I can do is make it better, and better, and still it will be perfect until it reaches a level of perfection such that it hurts the eyes, or I make a mistake and ruin it. I guess I'm a little afraid to touch the dress, to do anything else, in case it comes out badly, but I can't help it. And my little brother will be so happy…
Yuki. Finally, he found the love of his life, and now he'll fly away with his very own wings, break away from any dominion Akito could have exerted on him. Finally happy. He glowed when he announced the news, with an inner light that couldn't be dimmed. And Tohru, she looked so…overwhelmed, with emotion. And happy.
Now all I should do is wait. Wait for the wedding, the banquet, the celebrations. I start to imagine the hum of voices, clinking of glasses, the music, the colors. The appreciation of my dress, of course. But my thoughts rush back to the past, where they linger on Tohru's expression. The glimmer in her eyes. The soft wetness. Tears of joy or tears of pain?
I look at the dress again. Perfect. Yet the perfection is a flaw. Nobody's perfect. Nobody. And it's better that way. I walk up to the bow, and gently pull one of the pearls away. It's barely noticeable, and yet I feel like something has righted itself, settled back into what it should be.
Nobody's perfect, I think as I survey the gown one very last time.
Nobody.
But we try to hide it so much that sometimes we end up ruining each other.
