[A/N: Hooray for inappropriate chapter titles! *claps then slaps self* Hey give me a break, I've had a long hard week of exams and assignments- let me have this, at least! *laughs manically at the "dat ass" reference* (yeah I need some sleep).
Soooo yeahh I have no idea what is going to happen in this chapter, since for some reason I thought writing my author notes before writing the actual story would be a mighty intelligent idea :} hooray for intelligence! Don't you say a word Kyo! *points angrily at him*
I would just like to say you people *points lovingly* are my reasons for living (well the writing part of living anyway *sweatdrops*) I love how fast you guys review, I posted a chapter at 6:30pm Thursday, checked it at 9:00pm the same night and found four new beautiful sparkly reviews of loooovve! Haha yeah doesn't sound like much but it means the world to me!
If I could give you all a big bear, rib cage crushing, soul sucking hug I would in a heartbeat (well maybe minus the soul sucking, y'all might need that heh).
Now that I've officially creeped you all out, and most likely lost half of my readers; I give the rest of you brave souls the next chapter *gets popcorn because I have no idea what will happen either* haha ;w; ]
Chapter 12: Dat Dressmaker
It was a warm Sunday morning and the princess of the Kenshin kingdom was sleeping peacefully in her over-sized pink bed. She was smiling as her dreams danced across her unconscious mind.
It was a beautiful dream, one with flowers as white as snow and grass greener than she had ever thought possible. Tohru herself was wearing a long flowing white dress adorned with the same flowers that spread across the field. In her hair she could feel a chiffon veil slowly dancing in the warm breeze. She could feel her face frozen in a forever smile, as she made her way down the path of white lilies and baby's breath.
It wasn't the first time she had dreamt of her own wedding, many of her dreams had been filled with white dresses and bouquets. Yet something about this one seemed off, more mysterious perhaps? She had made it halfway down the isle, and had only just begun to realise the rows of empty chairs.
That was weird, usually her father would be crying melodramatically in the front row; and Momiji would be kneeling on his chair waving happily at Tohru. Hana would be wearing her trademark fashion (black on black) despite the occasion, making Tohru smile; Rin would be sitting upright in her chair, a hint of a smile twinkling in her eyes alongside all the other maids Tohru had befriended. Hatsuharu would be sitting behind her looking uncomfortable in his bow tie but happy nonetheless, and Hatori would be sitting next to Shigure handing him handkerchiefs from his pocket as he nodded to Tohru as she passed him.
No, none of her family and friends were present at this particular wedding, it was just her and the groom. Speaking of the groom Tohru noted that, as usual, he was shrouded in shadow making it impossible for her to make out who it was, even as she stood mere inches from him.
Although she couldn't see his face, she knew he was smiling just as much as she was. He opened his mouth seemingly saying something to her, but no sound came out.
'What?' She tried to say, but her voice wasn't working either.
"..." He placed a shadowy hand on her face, telling her things that she couldn't hear.
'I-I can't hear you,' she tried to say again, placing her hand on his as her eyebrows knitted together.
"...Tohru..." A faint voice drifted from the mysterious grooms mouth, a voice that she knew was not his, but seemed so familiar.
"Tohru," the silky, mature voice grew louder and her groom began to fade before her eyes.
"Tooohhruu~" Then quite suddenly, her dream dissipated and her sapphire eyes were greeted by a blurry smiling face.
"Wha-?" She mumbled as the face came more into focus, his golden eyes smiling along with his mouth.
"Now, now Tohru, today's a brand new day! The sun is shining, the birds are singing and I have so many dresses for you to try on!" The older man stood back from the edge of her bed and spun around the room making his long silver hair twirl around his body. He then proceeded to dance happily over to a small pile of beautiful dresses draped over her couch.
Tohru had sat up by this time and was smiling at her enthusiastic dressmaker who never seemed to stop talking- not that she minded. She draped her arms over her legs and drew them to her chest as she watched the man primp and preen his dresses. There didn't seem to be that many, so why did he say he had a lo...
Tohru's eyes widened as she took a better look around her room. She stood corrected. It would seem every surface of her room was occupied by piles of dresses, skirts, corsets, hair accessories and jewelry- no doubt all tailored by the diligent man before her.
"Oh Ayame! Oh no, no, no! T-this is too much! Oh, it must have taken you ages to make all this! Ahh!" Tohru leapt from her bed and started floundering around her room before hurrying over to Ayame with guilty eyes.
"Hahaha! Oh Tohru, you never cease to amaze me! Don't worry about it, I very much enjoy what I do, so won't you please let me spoil you?" He said with a bow, before straightening up with a flick of his fabulous hair.
"B-but," the princess stuttered, her resolve faltering.
The dressmaker flourished a manicured finger in front of the girls mouth, "Uh ah~ Noo buts, your highness. Now go put this one on before I go in there and put it on myself," he placed an emerald green chiffon dress in the stuttering girls arms before pushing her behind the room dividers.
"I want you ready in five minutes, dear! No dawdling~" he called to her from the other side of the dividers.
He heard a small sigh, "I-if you insist, Ayame," Tohru answered defeatedly as she struggled to pull her night gown over her head.
The silveret smiled, "That's a good girl."
...
"Oh Tohru, you look absolutely divine m'dear!" Ayame's silky compliment rang out for the fifth time that morning.
Tohru blushed and looked down at the ground in embarrassment. No matter how many dresses she put on and no matter how many compliments she got, she had never been able to get used to flattery. The dress she wore was indeed beautiful it's burgundy hue complementing her pale complexion perfectly. She admired how it shone brilliantly as she moved, reminding her of the simmering scales of the koi in the castle pond.
Ayame stood behind her looking at her through the mirror in front of them with his hand poised on his chin in a thoughtful expression.
"Yes you are indeed the perfect model for my clothes, much easier to work with than my little brother that's for sure," he chuckled lowly to himself, before spinning around to grab a few hair clips.
Tohru's eyes widened as she watched his reflection retreat before she turned abruptly with a shocked expression, "You never told me you had a younger brother!" She exclaimed.
Ayame's shoulders visibly stiffened and he paused for a moment before facing her again with a wide grin and two dark flower clips. "Oh, didn't I? So sorry, Miss Tohru, it must have completely slipped my mind. Now if you would be so kind as to turn around? I'm going to transform your hair, m'dear," he spoke so quickly, Tohru didn't have time to react other than to his wishes.
"But how could you forget someone as precious as your brother?" Tohru asked confused, as she watched her dressmaker's reflected expression momentarily contorted into one of anguish, whilst he expertly pinned her hair. She instantly pictured her own little brother and couldn't imagine what she would do without him, let alone if she forgot about him.
Ayame hummed, and gave a sad smile, "Oh no, that's not it, I do love my brother very much and I could never forget him, but I probably can't say the same for him I'm afraid," he drifted off to another table and collected a few more pins before returning to Tohru, putting all his emotion into his work, instead of the conversation at hand.
Tohru stiffened at hearing his words, such sad words. "Why would you think that? Don't you live with him? I'm sure he loves you just as much as you love him," she inquired worryingly.
The older man chuckled softly his working hands shaking slightly as he did so, "No, unfortunately my parents were not too thrilled with my dressmaking ambitions, so I had to leave and carve my own path. Sadly that also meant I had to leave my brother. That was 12 years ago now, he was so young the last time I saw him so I doubt he even knew I really existed," he had stopped fiddling with Tohru's hair and was looking into the distance. "To be truthful I'd rather prefer if he didn't remember me, it would be a lot less painful for everyone, especially him." Ayame's smile was so sad, and his eyes looked so empty, Tohru's heart couldn't help but ache.
She spun around with tears in her eyes and wrapped her arms around the man's middle.
"Don't say that, don't say that!" She cried as she shook her head and buried her face in his shirt. "There's no one in the world who could forget someone like you, you're an amazing person Ayame," she looked up at him, anxiety and determination battling each other in her cerulean orbs, "and I'm sure you are an amazing brother."
Ayame just stood there looking down incredulously at the girl clinging to him in such desperation. Eventually his amber eyes softened and he gave the girl a heartwarming smile as he softly pushed her back by her shoulders. He then leaned down slightly to match her height and gave her a serious and gratifying look.
"Thank you Tohru, you have no idea how much that means to me, you really don't," he whispered before giving her another small hug.
Tohru returned the hug, sniffling and trying not to spoil Ayame's silk shirt in the process. She hated seeing the bubbly dressmaker so solemn, it just wasn't right. So she hoped beyond hope that she really did make him feel better, and he wasn't just lying to spare her feelings.
After a few moments, Ayame cleared his throat and pulled away from the endearing hug, "Ah! Now what am I doing, creasing your dress like that," he exclaimed as he patted down the imperfections in her sleeves.
His hands slowed and and came to a stop on her shoulders, "I do hope you like the dresses Tohru. I made them especially with you in mind after all," he smiled warmly, amber meeting cerulean.
Tohru smiled as she wiped away the remnants of her tears, "Of course I love them, they're absolutely beautiful Ayame," she gave another experimental twirl causing her maroon petticoat to flair around her.
Ayame hummed, "Not as beautiful as you I'm afraid, m'dear," he commented, knowing full well how she would react.
"Oh, no, no, no. That can't possibly true! No way, absolutely not!" She blushed fiercely, shaking her head in utter-denial. Really, you'd think she'd be used to Ayame's teasing (yet sincere) comments by now, but nope you'd have to think again.
Ayame laughed at her modesty (something he had never quite grasped) and walked over to one of the many piles of clothes. He carefully plucked out a stunning gold petticoat dress with silver ivy crawling from the right shoulder and twirling around it's length.
"Now, lets see if you can outshine this little number, huh?" He announced before ushering the still beet-red girl behind the dividers again.
...
Kyo had been awake for a while now, ever since the sun began to peek sleepily over the mountains. He'd been lying on his new bed for a few hours just idly watching the golden sun light slowly crawl through his window, towards him.
'Day two, huh?' He mused silently as he looked out the foreign window with his arms resting behind his head. He wondered if anyone was missing him, probably not. Kagura might be sad for a while but she'd get over it. And he guessed Shishou would just feel disappointed in him, for running away like he did. A pang of guilt zapped his chest and the boy winced. Sighing he closed his eyes and rolled to his side, feeling sick of the guilt he constantly experienced.
When he opened his eyes again a moment later he was confronted by two large brown eyes staring just inches from his bed side. "SHIT!" Kyo jumped back in alarm at the inquisitive-looking intruder, his back slamming into the the window frame.
"Holy shitting hell! Are you trying to give me heart attack?! No better yet, who the hell are you and what the hell are you doing in my room!" The orange-haired boy screeched indignantly, ashamed that he had let such a small boy scare him so much.
Momiji held his hands to his mouth, barely stifling his laughter, "Y-you're pfft, hahaha you're funny!" He burst out as he nearly started rolling on the floor from laughing so hard at Kyo's reaction.
Kyo growled and flushed in embarrassment, "Shut the hell up!" He screamed, still not knowing who this kid was or why he seemed to think it was okay to come traipsing into other people's rooms. The Fudoushin prince pushed himself off the window frame and leapt off the his bed swiftly. He then walked around to the blonde boy (who
was still laughing by the way) so he could use their height difference to his advantage.
Momiji stopped laughing enough to look up at the other prince, who was towering over him with a glare. Unfortunately for Kyo, his red cheeks didn't help the intimidating image he was going for. In fact it only served to restart Momiji's giggle fit all over again.
The orange-haired man resisted the urge to bonk the annoying little kid right on the head, his clenched fists proof of that. Gritting his teeth, Kyo bit back his rage as best he could before asking what should have been answered ages ago.
"Let me ask again. Who. Are. You? And what are you doing in my bloody room!?" The older boy ground out through clenched teeth as a vein began to pop from his forehead.
Momiji drew in a much needed breath as he finally gained some sort of composure, "Aww, did Tohru really not mention me yet?" The blonde boy whined with a tilt of his head.
Something in Kyo's brain clicked, "Wait, you're her brother?" He reiterated, as he momentarily forgot his seething rage.
"Eyup! My name's Momiji! And your name is Kyo, am I right? Did I get it right? Huh? Huh?" The little boy began bouncing up and down like a bunny, his excitement seeping off him in waves.
Kyo sighed, he wasn't too great with kids. Kids required patience, and patience was one of the virtues he lacked... greatly lacked. "Yeah, whatever," he replied in exasperation, as he dragged his hand down his face. "Now are ya going to tell me why you're here, or can I just kick you out now?" See, told you- not the world's most patient person.
Momiji's face dropped as he stopped bouncing around, "Aww Kyo, you're no fun," he whinged, before grabbing said fun-less boy's arm and proceeding to use it as a swing of some kind.
Kyo bristled at the little hands that latched onto his forearm, "What the hell?"
He began to pull away from the child, but only ended up becoming a self-swinging apparatus that made Momiji promptly yell out, "Wheeeee!"
Momiji giggled as he was swung around the room, much to Kyo's chagrin. It was getting increasingly harder to resist hitting him on that blonde little head of his. But he kept his cool (well not really cool, more like lukewarm verging boiling point), and stopped trying to get the little leech off him since it was merely making matters worse.
"Hee hee," the blonde giggled, "I take it back, you're super fun Kyo! Again, again!" Seriously did this kid ever stop moving? Or talking for that matter?
"Oi! Will ya stop bouncing around for a second and tell me why you're here?!" Kyo snapped as his arm was nearly pulled out of its socket by the bubbly child.
Much to Kyo's surprise, Momiji did stop moving (hallelujah) but still didn't release his death grip (not-so-hallelujah). Looking up at the ropable prince, Momiji mustered up his award-winning puppy-dog look, "I wanna play. Pleeease Kyo, I've never had a big brother before! Come on, say you'll play with me!" He pleaded as he tugged at Kyo's arm again.
"Brother? I'm not your brother! And besides, what about Tohru? She's actually related to you, why don't you go annoy her?" Kyo exclaimed with another glare.
"Aww but Tohru's busy! And I wanna play with yooouuu!" Seriously if the kid wasn't going to stop pulling on his arm like that he was going to have to chop it off (...or bonk him over the head... Yeah that would probably be a much better, less messy, idea). The Fudoushin prince closed his eyes to tap into the little control he had over his actions before speaking firmly.
"Hell. No. Now get the hell off of me, and get the hell out so I can change," is what he said, but what Momiji heard was, "~Sure thing, Momiji! I'll just go get changed and meet you out there~"
The blonde boy squealed in delight as he let go of the older prince's arm before running out of the room, leaving a confused Kyo in his wake. Why the hell was that so easy? The orange-haired boy sighed, whatever at least he was gone, he thought as he went over to his bag to pick out clothes.
...
Nope, he was wrong. The damn runt hadn't gone at all! Kyo's eye twitched as he stood in his bedroom doorway looking down at the little jumping bean waiting for him. "Oh for the love of... Give me a break will ya!" The orange-haired teen spat as he rubbed his face with his hand.
"Kyo you're dressed!" Thank you Captain Obvious. "Yay! Now we can go play, right?" Momiji's eyes twinkled and he gave the older boy a sickeningly gleeful grin. Ugh.
Instead of blowing up at him, Kyo tried another tactic. Ignore it and it will go away. Momiji watched as Kyo's face turned to stone and simply walked away without a word. Not taking the hint, the boy simply trotted off after him.
"So where we going, Kyo? I've got some great places to play, if you want me to show you," Momiji announced proudly as he jogged to keep up with the long-legged Kyo (who was beginning to realise that his ignoring tactic wasn't going to work with the kid... damn it all).
Kyo stopped in his tracks so abruptly that Momiji didn't have time to react, resulting in him bumping his nose into Kyo's back.
"Oof, ouch that hurt. Why'd you sto..." Momiji stopped rubbing his nose long enough to see what Kyo was staring at. They had stopped just outside Tohru's door where it had been left ajar. From where they stood you could just see Tohru twirling around in a stunning gold dress, looking absolutely beautiful herself.
"Ooh, Tohru looks so prett... Mmph!" Momiji was cut off by a tanned hand.
"Shh," Kyo commanded, as he checked to see if the girl and her companion had heard them. Apparently not. He sighed and let go of Momiji.
"Why do I have I be quiet?" Momiji pouted before gasping, "Oh IIII get it, you just wanna look at Tohru? You big pervert! ~Kyo's a pervert, Kyo's a per...mmph," for the second time, Momiji was silenced by the other, now red, prince.
Kyo glared at him and hissed, "Am not, and that's not why I... Oh forget it, just shut up will ya," he whispered angrily.
Momiji crossed his arms and huffed into Kyo's hand, but didn't say anything more. Kyo let him go and listened to what had grabbed his attention in the first place.
"Come on dear, there must someone you've got your eye on, don't be shy I can keep a secret," a male and highly overzealous voice rang out from the room.
"Oh no, no, Ayame! No one like that," Tohru squeakily replied, embarrassment clearly evident in her high pitch.
"Come ooon, I know there's at least someone that interests you, call it a dressmaker's intuition," the so-called-Ayame persisted knowingly.
Tohru was silent for so long, that Kyo wouldn't have been surprised if she had disappeared into thin air. To be totally truthful, he wasn't even sure why he was eavesdropping in the first place. Kyo didn't eavesdrop. He minded his own business, that's what Kyo did. He shook his head and ran a hand through his mandarin hair, 'What the hell am I doing?' he chided himself.
"...Yuki," Unfortunately Kyo hadn't been paying attention, so he missed the extent of the girl's reply. Even more unfortunate, he managed to catch the name he hated most of all come from Tohru's timid response. Without a word, he pushed off against the wall and walked apathetically away from the scene, hands in his pockets as his strode.
"W-wait up Kyo! What'sa matter?" He heard Momiji call out behind him as the boy struggled to catch up.
If it was even possible, Kyo sped his speed-walk up even more, intent on leaving the little runt far behind him. He sighed, he just wasn't in the mood for this.
...
"Hmm, sho that'sh how it ish, huh?" Ayame mumbled through his pin-filled clenched teeth, as he re-sew the hem of the gold dress Tohru was still wearing.
"Ah, i-it's not like that," the girl refuted quickly, "I just find him interesting, umm uh, like you know how people idolise John Chester or Lawrence More, it's kind of the like that," she said as she struggled to explain how she felt about the Onwa prince in understandable words.
Ayame removed the last pin from between his teeth, "So you look up to him in a way? I guess I can understand that, he is a very well-together young man," the dressmaker nodded as he finished the last touches to the girl's dress.
"Oh I didn't know you knew him, Ayame?" Tohru said surprised, as she watched Ayame get up off the ground.
The silveret smiled astutely, "You could say that," before heading off to yet another pile of dresses. Tohru cocked her head to the side, but said nothing more. Although the same couldn't be said for her stomach, which decided to voice its emptiness loudly into the momentary silence. Clutching her middle and blushing she flicked her head at the older man hoping he hadn't heard it.
By the way he spun around with a shocked expression, she doubted it.
"Oh dear, that's right you haven't had breakfast yet! My, my you should have said something, dear," he fussed as he dropped the dress he held back on the pile.
"Ah no, it doesn't matter, really," Tohru began shaking her head, not wanting to trouble the man with her ridiculous stomach. Seriously, it picked the most inconvenient times.
But Ayame was already heading for the door, "Come dear, no princess of mine is going to starve on my watch," he waved the girl to follow before she could argue further.
Tohru looked down at the extravagant and highly formal gold dress she was still wearing, "W-wait Ayame, I'm still wearing the dress!" She called out hurriedly but he'd already gone. "A-Ayame!" She cried out again as she hesitantly ran off after him, picking up her skirts as she did. This was so embarrassing, she hoped her father didn't see her in such a dress. She'd never hear the end of it otherwise.
...
The clack of heels ricocheted off the walls as a flushed Tohru ran through the hallway, calling out her dressmaker's name as she did. Where on Earth did he go? There was only one path to the kitchen from her bedroom, so how come she hadn't caught up with him yet? Maybe he was already there, he did have much longer legs than her after all.
Her eyes flicked down every corridor as she made her way to the kitchen. Maybe he took a wrong turn? She was getting close to the kitchen and still saw no sign of hi...
"Ayame! You can't just keep running forever!" An angered yell reverberated through the hall that Tohru had just passed, making her jump in alarm. She knew that voice. But she had never heard it in such an angered and loud tone before. Concerned, she timidly crept back to the hall where the voice had originated from.
As she leant around the corner, she was instantaneously knocked back by a broad silk-laden chest. Stumbling slightly, Tohru gained her balance and looked to man she bumped into.
"A..." She began to say but was stopped abruptly as her dressmaker grabbed her by the shoulders.
"Ah Tohru, there you are. I was beginning to think I lost you. Let's go get you that breakfast shall we?" The man spoke so hastily that his words strung together in a scramble of letters, giving Tohru a hard time to register what he was saying. Blinking, she leaned her head so she could peek a glance over his shoulder but Ayame promptly spun her around before she could see anything.
"Come, come Tohru, the kitchen's this way dear," the silveret's tone was rushed, and his face loosely hid his uneasiness behind a weak smile.
Tohru took the hint and allowed Ayame to escort her back towards the kitchen. She glanced up at the man whose mouth was still contorted in that anxious/upset smile. The sight caused a pang of guilt to course through her so she quickly lowered her gaze again.
"I'm sorry," she whispered while she stared down at the silver ivy twisting around her golden dress.
Without warning, Ayame halted his steps and turned to face the girl, slightly taken aback by her apology. "For what, my dear? As far as I'm aware, you've done nothing wrong," he assured her calmly.
Tohru continued to stare at her skirts, "I-I should have minded my own business, I'm sorry," she continued seemingly unaware of Ayame's words. "B-but I don't understand, why was..."
"Ah look, dear we've made it to the kitchen!" The older man turned around in a flourish, interrupting her. Sure enough, they had indeed already arrived at the kitchen.
Tohru looked crestfallen at the man who was so obviously dodging her questions. Letting a small sigh escape her lips, she straightened up and followed the silveret into the kitchen.
If Ayame wasn't going to tell her, she was going to have to respect his privacy. Still she couldn't help but worry. She thought back to the raw frustration and anger she heard in that familiar voice. Not once had she ever heard that voice sounding so hurt and animosity. Not once...
'...Yuki'.
[A/N: 0_o ... Man that was long... Hope y'all didn't mind that haha. Anyway, how'd you like it? I liked it, I've been planning on adding Ayame in for a while now, so yay he gets his moment in the spotlight!
Ayame: *stands on stage with flowers* I'd like to thank all my adoring fans, you're all lovely! But most of all I'd like to thank my beauty *caresses his own face*, I wouldn't have made it if it wasn't for these beautiful features and luscious locks!
DestinyFlame: *kills the fantasy* Woah woah calm down buddy, that's not why you're in this story. But I do agree with you about the hair *drools over lovely silver hair* Do want~
Ayame: Holy mother of pearl! Donttouchmybeautifulhairyoucreten! *leaps gracefully away*
Kyo: Bahaha! I'll give you $50 bucks if you chop it off!
DestinyFlame: *pauses pursuit*
Turn that $50 bucks into a marriage proposal and you've got a done deal!
Kyo: Pfft sure whatever *crosses fingers behind back*
DestinyFlame: *is oblivious* Oh happy days! Wheeee! Come 'ere Aya, Mummy Destiny has someone for you to meet!
Ayame: *peaks around corner* W-who? *fears for life*
DestinyFlame: *pulls scissors from behind back* mwahaha, meet Mrs Scissors~ *lunges*
Ayame: *girly scream* Nooo, not Mrs Scissors! I hate that b*tch! *flails and runs away*
DestinyFlame: I'm sorry Ayame, it had to be done hehe *smiles creepily at Kyo*
Kyo: Woah, now back the hell up! I had my fingers crossed! You're not gonna find no husband over here! *pokes out tongue*
DestinyFlame: *cries* I was so close *sniffles*. Here Ayame, you can have your hair back *gives hair to defeated Ayame*
Ayame: *whimpers* I don't want to be in this story anymore.
DestinyFlame: Oh for the love of- First Kyo, then Haru and now Ayame!? Why do the ones I love the most always want to leave meee!?
Ahem on another note, I noticed that someone didn't really like how I made Kyo use umm colourful language in chapter 10...
Kyo: In other words, they don't like me saying fu**. Hey! Why'd you censor it?! Fu**! Fu**! FU**! You suck.
DestinyFlame: Soorry, but I'm only gonna let you say shit and hell from now on *oh the power*
But yeah I only made him say that because the situation called for it, but I do understand what you mean. Should I be putting language warnings in front of these chappies? I hope no one's getting offended by Kyo's potty mouth o_o"
Kyo: *rolls eyes* I do what I want!
DestinyFlame: No! Bad, bad Kyo! *smacks with fly swatter*
Ermm, so yeah tell me if you want me to shut Kyo up and I'll censor the naughty words, haha.
Anyway, I gotta go get off mah bus, ta ta for now! *screams at bus driver to stooop* ]
