The Prince And The Pauper
3 Years Later-
It wasn't as though she were lost.
On the contrary. She was just wandering the halls, searching for someone. She just looked stopped at a crossroad-like hallway, and turned around, glaring at a portrait she could have sworn she had already passed just a few minutes ago...
With a lazy shrug of her shoulders, she turned back around. Because she'd rather die than call Hikaru for directions of his house, so she sat off on her quest again, choosing to look for him the hard way.
What floor am I on? I don't remember taking the stairs...
Haruhi stepped away from the large window that out looked the courtyard, and from where she could see, she was on the second floor. At least it looked like she was, then looked to her left, thinking that it might bring some sort of clue.
However, it brought the exact opposite, and suddenly she was greeted by a corridor full of people dressed in fancy black clothes.
Their hushed whispers stopped when they saw her, and they immediate surrounded her like a swarm of bees.
"Miss Fujioka!" One of the older woman shrieked. "There you are. I've been looking for you all over."
Haruhi blinked. "...You have?"
Before she got a proper answer, the woman ripped something from the bag hanging at her waist and from another pocket, snagged out something fairly similar, before shoving them both near her face.
"For the napkins after the ceremony, should they be Pearl white, or eggshell white?" she asked.
Haruhi watched the crease between her eyebrows twitch, after just staring at the fabric samples without a word. The nameless woman started to shake, the longer she just stared at them. Was this really her decision? Did it honestly matter what color the napkins were? Wasn't there more important things to make a fuss about?
"Well..." she cleared her throat. "They're both white, so I guess the pearl one. It sounds more fancy. Is that what we're going for?"
"Well I don't know." The woman almost snapped.
"Then... the pearl one."
With that, the woman just shrugged, looking happy that at least someone decided on a color, but Haruhi didn't have enough time to escape before a man pushed people out of his way to get to her. He almost tripped over his own feet, carrying a large load in his arms.
"Miss Fujioka! The tables clothes! I don't know which one Mrs. Hitachiin chose and now I can't find her." He explained, red-faced and nearly breathless. "Oval Cotton, or Vintage?"
"I don't... know?"
"Well then pick for her! We're on a schedule! The Caters are coming this evening and god only knows when the artists will be here to discuss the ice sculpture!"
Haruhi took a step back. "I...I really don't know. If the sculpture is that big of a deal, I'll talk to, Hik-"
"No ice sculpture? Well then what will match the pink geese in the front yard then? Hmm?"
"So... Yes on the ice sculptures?"
"Well heavens, I don't know! The tables cloths!""
"What was the difference again?"
"Cotton." He raised one hand that had a table cloth throw on her arm. "Or... Vintage?" He raised his other arm.
Haruhi sighed, just pointing to her right hand was closest to. "That one."
He nodded, and without another word, word of approve of her choice, or even a goodbye, he ran off somewhere, fumbling with the cloths to answer his buzzing Bluetooth.
Her finger was still pointed to where the vintage tablecloth was positioned when she was tapped on the shoulder.
She turned around, and really shouldn't have been as surprised as she was to see a small woman holding three different types of plates. Her loose bun and the sweat on her face told her that the poor girl should step outside for some fresh air... and to maybe grab a mint.
"These cups. Mrs. Hitachiin said she... and, I... I don't know which- What do you think she'll like?"
"Um-"
"flowers or the rigged design?"
"Which ever looks best with the... theme. What is the theme anyway?"
"Mrs. Hitachiin has everything in her head. She said it's too fabulous to put into words. She said it would just happen as she gets into her muse. But the saucers! Which do you prefer solids or the stripes?"
"Saucers? Does it really matter? We don't need them. Who eats on them anyway? Just use the same big plate for everything. I really have to find, Hika-"
"Not use them?" Her eyes nearly bulged out of her head. "The very idea! What would the guests say? No saucers indeed. What sort of coordinator would Mrs. Hitachiin even suggest to make such a-"
"Well then which would you prefer?" Haruhi groaned.
"I... I beg your pardon?" she scoffed, appalled.
Haruhi snatched the plates from her hands and held them up where his eyes could see them both. "Which do you like best?"
"Oh well... It's not really my decision to make, but... I personally prefer the stripe."
"Then stripe it is." Haruhi then handed the plates back to him, and walked away, too soon to hear him mumble about how absurdity of being asked for his opinion. He was so taken aback, that he couldn't remember where he was supposed to go next, and started to wander aimlessly wondering if his opinion was even a good one. Or maybe... he should toss both and pick a new design? No, no, that would be another two weeks on the waiting list...
Haruhi looked over her shoulder, and when no one was following her, she cleared her throat and fixed her hair behind her ear. She just needed to find Hikaru. She hadn't seen him since breakfast and all she wanted was the keys to her car, (which he so rudely confiscated from her when he offered her a ride), so she could get away from this mansion as soon as possible.
All this ceremony talk was giving her a cold shoulder to it, but if she told Hikaru that she wanted to call off their own wedding because of a migraine, he might hit her in the head with the first object he could find, just to really give her a migraine to complain about.
She didn't even know what her own wedding dress looked like yet, like hell she actually care about napkins, or what kind of curtains matched the tablecloths, and if it were up to her, everyone would sit on the floor at the reception.
One more step and she would have made it around the corner, but-
""Miss Fujioka! what about these? Do you like my opinion, too? Mrs. Hitachiin requested the cream floral, but I think the silver floral would help make them stand out against the tables."
Before she could answer, her hand was tugged the opposite direction and a knife was almost pressed against her nose. "What about these, miss Fujioka? The left is the special signature Hitachiin crest silverware that's been in the family for generations. The right one is a new set just released from Mrs. Hitachiin's favorite manufacturer in Italy."
"Well if it's special-"
"Of course, we've only ever used the crested silverware during funerals... It might bring bad luck."
"...Oh-"
Then, someone else swung her around.
"Oh, miss! I need your approval on these napkin rings!"
Haruhi gasped. "I- I don't know-"
"Don't listen to that fool. He's brought the wrong ones! It's these ones that Miss Yazuha ordered for the reception at the private location, and the others are for the reception at the mansion. But she didn't say which was which. What do you think?"
"Well what do you think?"
"With all due respect, miss, I can't even remember to feed my own cat, so I cannot even trust my own judgement. I can't be in charge of such an important decision!"
"It's just napkin rings!"
"Thee napkin rings!"
"Miss Fujioka! Ma'am!" Another person call out. "I need your approval for these place cards!"
"What?"
"Mad'am! Double checking the guest list!"
"Oh lord, and the stamps! Gold or silver lining!?"
"Where has the centerpiece gone?!"
"Vous êtes tous fous ! Ce qui est tout cela ? Cher Dieu me donne la force. Il doit être parfait !"
"Ahh!"
Haruhi was far too much in a daze to notice a figure beside her, and barely reacted as that someone grabbed her hand and started to pull her off to the side, and away just in time before a couple of maids, that looked like twins, could ask her what kind of fruit should be placed at the tables in the dinning area.
Before she could see where she was going, or even who was pulling her, a door was thrown open and she was dragged inside. It was pitch black when she heard the door slam shut, that she was practically blind in the dark room, but her suspicion was overpowered her sense of vulnerability, as a very gutsy pair of hands started to explore the already explored curves of her shirt.
She let out an annoyed growl as she was backed against the wall and was practically smothered by the hungry lips that immediately started kissing along her throat. Their hair tickled her ear as they moved up, and she tried to push away, the circle of their arms tightened around her, their body pinning her.
Haruhi winced against a pattern of invisible kisses that was being marked on her jaw, but just before any sort of sensation could touch her lips, she struggled free, with an exaggerated 'huff'.
"Excuse me. Is that how you greet people?"
"Hm, it's how I greet you."
"Humph."
Hikaru snickered, swiping his tongue across his bottom lip. "You looked distressed so I was distracting you."
She sighed, shrugging his fingers of her collarbone, and started to fix her ruffled bangs. "Could have been more civilized. I've been looking for you for over an hour."
"It's only because I missed you so much," he half pouted, casually plucking a piece of string from her hair. "Grandmother had me stuck in a stuff room all afternoon, designing the flower arrangements. You'd think I'd get it right the first time, but I think she just wanted to torture me."
"You don't say..."
With a flick of his wrist, the lights turned on and he grinned. "Considering that I just stuffed you into a broom closet, hows' about we forget the rest of our noble duties and you join me in my bedchambers so we can continue what you just heartlessly interrupted?"
Haruhi looked around her with an eye-roll. Within the tiny standing space, she had to push him against the door just to breathe. "The first part of that sounds appealing, but it's almost dinner time, and," she pressed her finger to his chest, where his buttoned shirt ended, "I'd much rather you take me somewhere far, far away from here."
"Oh yeah?"
She moved her hands to fix a mysterious wrinkle in his collar. "Particularly somewhere that... sells sushi."
He leaned further against the door, watching her fingers lace around the long chain around her neck. "Haru..."
"And someplace... without any wedding coordinators or..." she walked her finger up along his collarbone. "Crazy relatives."
He grabbed her hand just before her fingertips grazed the back of his neck. "You know," he whispered. "I didn't come find you so you could tease me."
She hummed, looking into his eyes as he kissed each other her knuckles. "That wasn't a suggestion... I really am hungry."
"You're naughty talk is really turning me on. Keep doing it."
"Only if you actually give me food."
"I might just be able to arrange that. If you give me a kiss."
She looked up past her lashes. One of his hands snaked its way around her waist while his other snuck behind her, tangling through her hair at the base of her neck. She stood on her tiptoes just to reach his eyelevel, and slyly slipped her hand through the opening of hi shirt, caressing smooth skin. He shivered under her cold touch, but pulled her even closer anyway.
His lips kissed her nose, and fathered down her cheek. Her breath staggered as he lifted her chin, but a strange metallic sound made him stop.
They stared at each other, frozen, waiting for the footsteps they heard, to pass, when suddenly, the door behind them disappeared. Their feet were so tangled, they immediately lost their footing, and shrieked, seconds before hitting the floor.
With the doorknob in hand, Kaoru looked down at them both, roped up in awkward, scrambling limbs as he shook his head.
"Again? Do you two have nothing better to do? five hundred people are planning your wedding and you're fondling in the utility closet? Really?"
"..."
"..."
"..."
"Well we were, until you ruined it."
"Your fly's showing.."
It was passed dinner when Yazuha finally arrived back home from her conference meeting. It was truly thee more boring one she had been all year, and she was ready to call for a maid to have her bring a tall glass of tea, and to sit back in her chair to go over bridesmaid dresses. Maybe she could have someone find her pretty little future daughter-in-law so she could have a casual chat with her. Maybe ask her what on earth attracted her to her oldest son in the first place.
Coordinators were still bustling about, some yelling at each other, some complaining to themselves, One crying over a plate that broke, and a strange foreigner woman who was crying in the corner. It was so lively all she could do wad grin.
Until she saw the rehearsal decorations.
She dropped her purse, gawking at the tablecloths that clashed with the napkins. Hideous plates that didn't match their saucers, cakes that weren't on the menu, ugly tarnished silverware... Nothing in that room complimented a thing.
Yazuha was about to call out to one of her sons, mainly Kaoru, for doing a horrible job supervising, when there was a strange 'honk'. A maid screamed, and when she turned around, her eyes landed on a runaway goose, that was flapping its wings and cried out as an exhausted maid and the chef's assistant chased it into the other hall.
"Well this looks absolutely dreadful..."
Then, something glass shattered in the kitchen, and a man started screaming in Italian.
"I think I'll go back to my car...
The End