Ch26: Here Come the Brides

Kassi was pacing her dressing room.
"Eiko! Where is she?"
"I don't know." Eiko sighed. "She's not at your appartment. Ishiin checked."
Kassi groaned. "One of these days, I'm going to kill that girl!"
"You know her, she's as free as her will which is like a bird."
"A sparrow," Kassi corrected.
Eiko nodded.
"She was supposed to be here twenty minutes ago." Kassi continued fretting.
There was a knock on the door.
"Who is it?" Eiko asked, watching Kassi pace the room.
"Me." Ishiin's voice came from the other side of the door.
"Did you find her yet?" Kassi asked hopefully.
"Not yet. Do you have any idea where she might be?" Ishiin asked.
"No! Eiko, if your husband doesn't find her, I will gut him."
Eiko sighed.

"Wait... Ishiin. I know where you an check."

Ishiin walked through the graveyard, scanning it for Kessi.
Her found her right where her sister had placed her.
Their mother's grave.
"Kessi!" He hurried over to her.
Kessi looked over at him. "Ishiin. What is it?"
"Your late."
Kessi checked her watch and cursed under her breath.
"C'mon, I brought my car." He smiled.
Kessi nodded and stood.
It feels wrong. Mom should be here for our wedding, but she's not. She should be here.
Kessi followed Ishiin in a slight daze.

"Kessi." Kassi hugged her sister as soon as she entered the room.
"Hey, Kas. Sorry I'm late." Kessi hugged her sister back.
"What gave you the damn idea to be late for your own wedding?"
Kessi shrugged. "I wanted to make sure Mom would be here with us."
Kassi smiled sadly.
"Alright ladies. Now that both of you are here, it's time to get dressed."
"Time to play barbie," both girls said sourly.
Eiko nodded. "And since you were late, Kessi, you get to go first."
Kessi groaned.

"Come on." Eiko walked into an adjacent room with Kessi following.
Kassi laughed at her sisters sullen look then sat down in a chair right as Katrina, their father's wife, came in.
"Hi. You can do my hair," Kassi informed her, seeing as she would be doing their hair. "Kessi is getting her hair done."
Katrina nodded, set her things down, and began to work on Kassi's hair.
In the end, Kassi's wait length hair was in a bun that held most of her hair. The rest of her hair was falling down her back in elegant curls.
"Thank you, Katrina," Kassi said when Katrina was done with her hair. "I know how much you don't like us."
Katrina sighed. "I know how important this is for you two and for Sosuke as well. Since you two are his only daughters."

Kessi walked into the room, she had little make-up on, but it still made her looke even more beautiful than normal.
"Your turn, Kassi." She smiled. "I love your hair, it looks great."
Kassi smiled. "Thanks, sis. You look great with that make-up on." Kassi got up and the girls switched spot.
Katrina began working on Kessi's hair as soon as Kessi got comfortable.
"Thank you, Katrina. This means a lot to me," Kessi said, looking out the window.
"Why's that?" Katrina asked curiously.
"Because, our mom is gone, and you're currently stepping into her shoes along with Eiko. Thank you."

Katrina smiled. "Even if I don't really like you, I can't deny the kind of person you are. I hope that this will make you a happy woman. Your mother seems to have taught you very well while she was alive."
"She did. And heartbreak taught me the rest."
Katrina smiled slightly. "It tends to do that."
Kessi smiled.
"Done."
Kessi looked in a mirror.
Her mid-back hair was now styled in a way that it was laying at the center of her back,curled, and her bangs were pulled back and braided.

"Thank you."
Katrina nodded.
"Wow, Kes. You look..." Kassi said upon entering the room.
Kessi smiled. "Same to you too, Kas."
"Okay," Eiko said, walking in. "Now it's time to put on your dresses."
The girls smiled at each other, knowing what the other's dress looked like but not their own.
Katrina brought out Kassi's dress and went into the other room with her to help her get it on while Eiko stayed with Kessi to help her.

Katrina pulled Kassi's dress out of it's bag.
The dress was simple and elegant.
The top half was half-sleeve and had a v-neck. The cloth was taupe with sage colored swirls on it. The skirt was the color of metallic bronze and fell listlessly.
Kassi smiled. "Simple."
"Easy to remember!" Kessi called from the other room, quoting Pirates of the Caribbean.
Kassi laughed. "Okay, let's get this thing on."

Kessi smiled after her quote and looked at Eiko. "So, what does it look like?" She looked at the dress bag.
Eiko pulled out the dress and showed it to her.
The top half was a corset and it was black with dusty rose laces. The skirt was taupe with a crimson floral design. The front of the skirt ended at Kessi's knees while the rest of the skirt went down to her ankles.
"She knows my taste," Kessi muttered. "M'kay. Let's put this dress on!"

Sosuke walked into the room to see his daughters all dressed and ready.
"Kassi. Kessi." He smiled sadly. "You girls are beautiful."
Both grinned. "Thanks, Dad."
"You two look just like your mother."
Katrina looked out a window at this point.
They smiled sadly.
"She would be proud of you," Katrina said. "Regardless of the fact that I didn't know her. I know she would be proud to call you her daughters."
Kessi smiled while Kassi looked at Katrina in slight amazement.
"You two have grown so much from those eight year old girls I used to know." Eiko said from her spot by a window. "Ten minutes 'til show time. Are you ready, girls?"

Kassi nodded.
Kessi took a deep breath. "No. But I can't change why I'm not ready. So, in essance, yes. I'm ready."
"Still wanting Mom?" Kassi asked.
Kessi nodded. "She should be here."
"And according to doctors, you aren't. You were told that you would most likely die at ten. Yet, you're still here. Life goes on."
Kessi smiled. "True."
"Well," Eiko stood, "come on Katrina. "We should take our places."
Katrina nodded and the two left.

"Are you ready, Dad?" The girls asked.
"Well... Shouldn't you two wait a few years before making this decision?"
They smiled and shook their heads.
"I've been with Kaoru for years," Kassi said.
"I love Hikaru enough to make stupid decision." Kessi laughed.
Sosuke sighed. "You won't change you're minds, will you?"
They shook their heads.
He sighed. "Oh well. Let's get ready."
The girls nodded and stood.

Here we go.