Love in Fashion

Chapter Four

It was impressive the way they could mirror one another to intimidate. Lean arms folded over their chests, perfect devil smiles too reminiscent of a Cheshire cat for comfort, at times. It was as if just looking at them you knew you couldn't trust them. From the moment she'd met them they'd given her hell. If it wasn't teasing her about wearing too much makeup, it was their inane questions about how commoners live. Since she'd started going to school with them, she'd gotten to know them as individuals and the three of them were closer. And in truth, they were her only friends in this country. Not by choice, they just loved to monopolize her time. It's what they were best at. If it wasn't Kaoru teaching her French, then it was the three of them working on their group project. They were close friends, sort of. She couldn't really call them 'close' because she couldn't one-hundred percent trust them. It's not that she didn't want to trust them; they just made it difficult to do so. Especially Kaoru, lately, it seemed he was messing with her even more than usual, only it'd been escalating over the past couple of months. He would flirt with her using that devilish smile, so she knew it wasn't sincere, and the constant innuendo, it was maddening.

But He wasn't her type, right? She'd always gone for the more gentlemanly types in the past… or at least she aimed for that type… And really, it wasn't that Kaoru wasn't a gentleman. He was actually very kind and thoughtful. But that was beside's the point. The Hitachiins were pranksters and she knew it. Both from firsthand experience and from things Haruhi had mentioned in her offhanded way. No, she couldn't let them get too close. Keep them at arm's reach, it kept her from getting hurt. She wouldn't fall prey to his charms. She wasn't looking to get her heart broken.

That's what she'd like to tell herself; the truth was, the more time they spent together, the more they got under her skin, and not in an entirely bad way. They were learning ways to manipulate her, and she them, which brought her back to her point.

Mei sat in a high back chair, Hikaru to her right with the ash colored hair and Kaoru to the left -she was getting to the point where she could almost tell them apart without seeing their hair color. But the hair helped, a lot- Each of them was leaning over her, their hands folded over their chests identically, trying, and failing, to intimidate her.

"Hell no," Mei said firmly.

"Mei, you have to! We're down a model and the shows in an hour! We don't have time to find another one!" Kaoru explained patiently.

"I don't care! This is just as much my collection as yours! I want to be able to enjoy seeing it on the runway not be in it! Besides, it's not my fault he broke up with Jacquelyn this morning." Mei scowled in Hikaru's direction.

"It wasn't Jacquelyn I broke up with, that was last month. It was Marie." Hikaru said with an indifferent shrug.

"Are you sure it was Marie?" Kaoru remarked conversationally. "I thought her name was Renee."

"No, Renee was the week before last."

"Oh. Now I remember."

"Who gives a damn about your girlfriend of the week!" Mei snapped and both brothers returned their attention to her.

"Mei's right," Kaoru said in a would-be-firmly-tone, if he hadn't been smirking so broadly. "We need to solve this model issue. So, Mei, get into hair and makeup and stop complaining!"

"Why don't one of you put on a wig and walk down the aisle!" she pointed an accusatory finger between the two of them.

They shared a look and then turned that devilish smirk on her that they were famous for. After months of working on their project together however, Mei had become desensitized to it.

"Come now, Mei." Hikaru drawled, leaning in towards her.

"If you cooperate, we'll take you shopping." Kaoru finished, pushing a stray strand away from her face. Mei fought a blush and looked at the ground.

'Damn them, they know I can't turn down a shopping trip! But how can I walk in the show after all the work I've put into it!' Mei scowled at the inner workings of her monologue.

A few minutes passed. She was saved momentarily when Hikaru was approached by one of the models, a long legged brunette with green eyes. They chatted briefly before slipping away together, with Hikaru's arm wrapped around her shoulder and a forced host club smile on his face. Mei glanced up in time to see the pained expression flicker across Kaoru's features.

"Where the hell is he going?" Mei demanded.

Kaoru whipped back around to look at Mei.

"She needed some help with one of the outfits…" Kaoru glanced back to the space where his brother disappeared.

"He got over Jacquelyn-Marie… or Renee… whoever the hell he was dating." Mei grumbled. Secretly glad for the distraction from the modeling issue.

Kaoru dropped into a seat besides Mei, "He's not really into any of them." Kaoru shrugged helplessly, "It's his own diversion."

"From Haruhi." Mei added.

Kaoru nodded.

Silence stretched out for a moment. Mei watched Kaoru suspiciously from the corner of her eye. He looked so vulnerable with his auburn brows tilted towards his nose and his lips drawn thin.

'You can see he's thinking hard… He must really care about his brother…'

"He'll figure it out eventually." Mei said knowledgably.

Kaoru glanced over at Mei and a smile bloomed on his features, "I know he will."

'He's pretty handsome when he's not smiling like a little devil.' Mei conceded internally.

"So, stop worrying about him all the time. Don't you ever worry about yourself? What do you want Kaoru? Have you ever stopped to think about that? Why don't you date, huh?" Mei launched into a tirade finishing by jabbing him lightly in the chest.

Kaoru's smile turned wistful. "I guess I'm just waiting for the right girl." He glanced at her from the corner of his eye beneath his dark lashes. Mei looked away fighting another blush.

'Don't let him play with you.'

"So, are you going to walk the runway or not?" Kaoru said breaking the tension.

Mei's mouth opened in an 'O' then turned to scowl at the ground which had recently become of intense interest. Really, she didn't have a choice from the start…

"I guess, I'll walk… but you're bringing me out at the end! I will not let you two take all the credit. Not after all the nights I stayed up late sewing!"

"Of course, of course." Kaoru waved his hand dismissively then glanced at his watch. "Oh, we better hurry and get you into makeup!"

He grabbed Mei by the wrist before she had a chance to change her mind. In the makeup tent, they found Hikaru leaning against a vanity mirror, directing the makeup artist who was preparing one of their models. Kaoru led Mei over to a chair and sat her down. Glancing at the clock, he turned back to her.

"We're running out of time. I'll have to do your makeup myself."

Mei scowled, "I can do my own damn makeup, thank you!"

"Not in a way that we have styled for the show." Kaoru countered already setting out brushes and facial cleanser for the thick layer of makeup already Mei's face.

Mei bit her lip, glancing at the other models as the makeup artist applied their makeup. She wasn't sure if she was willing to stand in front of a crowd with less makeup on than she had…

"Seriously, Kaoru, I can do it myself-"

Kaoru halted her inevitable tirade with a gentle finger to her lips. "Just let me do it." He said in his gentle way. Mei quieted reverting to scowling.

Kaoru tilted a bottle of makeup remover, filling a cotton ball. Mei cringed as he brought the astringent smelling liquid to her face. Though his touch was gentle, she could almost feel the layers of makeup peeling off. Leaving her feeling exposed. Her eyes flickered over towards Hikaru who was openly flirting with the model from earlier. Inevitable her eyes travelled up to Kaoru's face. His brows were tilted together as he concentrated. He noticed her staring and smiled. Mei's stomach flopped in response.

"I don't like people seeing me without makeup on," she mumbled.

Kaoru laughed lightly, "But I've seen you without make up on, remember?"

Mei dropped her gaze back to her feet. She couldn't meet his gaze. It was just like him to bring up something embarrassing at a time like this. When all her makeup was removed, Kaoru moved on to applying foundation, thick but not as thick as she liked it.

"I feel naked." She grumbled.

"You're not." Kaoru replied.

"Put more on!" Mei glanced at her own reflection, "The overhead lights will wash me out."

"You'll look fine."

Kaoru turned her away from the mirror so she couldn't watch her reflection. Hikaru, the model and the makeup artist exited the tent. Mei fidgeted more.

"Kaoru, make sure the eye shadow is on thick and use a dark rose to accent the colors…"

"Mei," he pressed his thumb against her cheek and forced her to look up at him. "I know what I'm doing. Okay?"

She nodded mutely, struck by how moist and inviting his lips looked and so close to hers. They were even parted ever so slightly. Kaoru must have been thinking the same thing because he leaned in and his lips brushed hers gently. Electricity shot through her body, leaving her weak limbed in the chair. Kaoru pulled away with a silly smirk.

"Don't worry, you're beautiful," He said gently.

He kissed her? She was too shocked and embarrassed to form a reply. Blushing crimson she stared at her feet.

Kaoru applied the rest of her makeup in silence. What more was there to say? He pulled away and Mei couldn't meet his gaze.

Mei jumped out her seat and walked a few paces before she turned around but couldn't meet Kaoru's eyes, "You shouldn't mess with people's emotions, Kaoru. You might really hurt someone someday." She said softly before walking away to wardrobe without another word.

How could he kiss her and say she was beautiful? When it was so obviously a lie? How could he have known she was starting to fall for him? It wasn't fair.

The show was an absolute success. Mei had been a power house on the catwalk, all her fiery passion for life had shown through on the stage. Mei was the image of a fashion goddess, as she strutted down the catwalk in one of her own creations, an a-line cocktail dressed inspired by a traditional kimono complete with obi sash and falling cherry blossoms on the skirt. They'd styled her hair reminiscent of a geisha with tumble of blond curls cascade loose down her back. A few other models had gone after and before, but Mei stole the show. When the three of them had taken the stage for their bow, Mei looked stunning in a long sleeved empire waist dress, with the pattern of falling maple leaves –another Mei design- Kaoru was on an absolute high. Everything was perfect, except for the fact that Mei wouldn't meet his gaze.

Kaoru had assumed, when he kissed her, she would have understood his feelings. But apparently something had gotten lost in translation. It had been rather impulsive and not the ideal place to confess his feelings to Mei. Considering the shows time constraints there wasn't time to talk. It had just sort of happened. Now, Kaoru was starting to realize, maybe he hadn't made himself clear. Mei was a little too much like Hikaru; you had to practically spell it out to her. Now all he had to do was find her and explain.

It was the after exhibition party. The school had rented out the banquet hall of a local hotel and the entire school was gathered. Kaoru weaved his way through the crowd of exited fellow students. A few stopped him to congratulate him on the show. He smiled politely, lingering to talk for as briefly as possible before moving on. Hikaru he had lost somewhere in the crowd. Maybe he had his arm wrapped around some model, trying and failing to forget the one that got away. For once Kaoru didn't care. Mei was right, Hikaru would figure it out. And Kaoru, for once he should try and do something for himself. But where the hell was Mei?

He found her at the far end of the room, chatting with her dorm-mate and a few other girls from school. As she talked she smiled broadly and her eyes lit up with her smile, her blond hair was pulled back slightly with a few discreet bobby-pins, her hair falling in waves down her shoulders. Her bronze skin was both foreign and beautiful next to the pale French girls. Mei hadn't changed her makeup after the show, which was surprising. The muted, natural colors suited her and enhanced her natural beauty. She was beautiful. Now if only he could get close to her to explain himself! Their eyes met across the room and he saw her scowl. Even that didn't diminish her beauty.

He reached the group and gave them his best host club smile. "Sorry, ladies, May I borrow Mei for a moment?"

They all fluttered their eyelashes at him, all of them except Mei. She just rolled her eyes. Without waiting for her to protest, he grabbed her by the wrist and dragged her away.

"Can we talk?" he asked once they were wading through the crowd.

She glared but didn't protest. "Yeah, I guess so."

He smiled at her in return, it only deepened her scowl. At the back of the room there was a balcony, overlooking Paris. That's where he led her. Creeping vines crawled over the stone pillars of the balcony and blooming jasmine filled the air with intoxicating fragrance. Wrenching herself free of Kaoru's grip, Mei walked over to the edge of the patio and stared out over the city.

"What do you want?" she asked bluntly turning to face him with her arms folded over her chest in a most un-lady like fashion.

He bit his lip to keep him from laughing out loud. Maybe that's why he'd fallen for her, because she was so different from anyone he'd ever known.

"I need to explain about the kiss."

"Are you actually apologizing for teasing me?" she lifted her brow.

Kaoru shook his head, "I haven't been teasing you." he took a step closer and Mei glared at him warily.

"Sure you have, that's all you and Hikaru have done from the moment I met you…"

Kaoru shrugged, "Well yeah. That's what we do, this is different though…"

"Different how?'

Kaoru smiled and closed the distance between them. He took Mei's hand in his. "Different because I like you."

Mei's mouth opened but no words came out.

He could see that obstinate defiance rising in her. Before she could get her half formed words out, he pulled her to his chest and tilted her head back then kissed her, leaving no room for arguments. They pulled away panting a few moments later.

Mei pressed her fingers to her lips. "You mean it?" she said incredulously.

"Every word. I told you I wouldn't lie to you."

She didn't remove her fingers from her lips but he could see the understanding settling behind her eyes. "Well, do you want to be my boyfriend or something now?" she asked brashly.

Kaoru barked and laughed. "That's the idea…"

Mei's brows furrowed. "Alright." She nodded, "But I'm not going to make it easy on you! You have to take me shopping whenever I want!"

He smiled, "Of course."

"And I'm not going to let you dump all the work on me either…"

"Mei." She halted and he pulled her close again. "You talk too much." He kissed her again and this time his hands wound around her waist and into that beautiful blond hair. They pulled away after a few breathless minutes, "This is the part where you tell me how you feel, Mei." He chided.

Mei stared at him with a 'no shit' expression. "You'd have to be dense to not realize it…"

"It's nice to hear the words." he smirked.

"I like you too," she mumbled.

"That's what I thought," he replied

Mei's expression was one of perfect indignation. He smirked, which only fueled her agitation, Mei was sputtering working up into a good tirade, when Kaoru pulled her to his chest. Mei halted half scowling half smiling. "You know what; I love it when you rant." He smiled and Mei opened her mouth then closed it.

She settled on a smile, "I love it when you smirk, I guess."

Kaoru laughed and Mei scowled again. And in that moment he knew, she'd been the girl he'd been waiting for all this time. He just hadn't known it till now.

A/N: thank you so very much to everyone whos read and reviewed. I never knew when I wrote this little five-shot it would have the overwhelming response its had. All that remains is the epilogue in which I'll thank you all proper. For now I give you my sincerest thanks.