The Right Things

By saicho_18

July 8, 2002

Fuuko, after a few minutes of staring at the ceiling, got bored and stood up. She headed towards the door and picked up her bag. There was no homework given that day but she just took out her books and made a mess on top of her bed.

As she emptied her things, an unfamiliar light blue thing fell out. As she grabbed it, it became familiar to her sight. It was the invitation. She eagerly tore out the envelope and drew out the stiff paper inside. She was very curious of what the hell Kurei had written in the damn thing that Mikagami looked like he was scarred for life.

Fuuko's mouth promptly fell as she started to read its contents.

It read:

~*~

You are cordially invited to attend

Ms. Fuuko Kirisawa and Mr. Kurei Mori's

Grand engagement party

To be held at the 18th of the month of September, Sunday

At exactly 7:00 in the evening

~*~

All guests are expected to wear

Formal clothes

~*~

A limousine will meet you at your house at exactly

6:15 in the evening to transport you to

The Mori estate

~*~

The Right Things

By saicho_18

July 21, 2002

Just at that moment, one Kurei Mori entered her room, with out a polite knock whatsoever. Of course, that was fine with Fuuko, since courtesy is not one of the things Kurei will receive from her in this particular meeting.

"You!" Fuuko shouted angrily. "How the hell could you do this to me? I thought that this so-called engagement was only a front for your stupid experiment?! What the hell is this engagement party about?"

Kurei frowned at Fuuko's outburst but said nothing. He walked slowly to the bed, where Fuuko was half-lying down. Seeing that Kurei was headed for her, Fuuko quickly stood upright and glared at Kurei. "Well?!" she began angrily. "Say something, idiot!"

But Kurei would not give in to her request. He just stood there, looking at her, face impassive and wearing no emotions whatever. He walked toward her, until they were face-to-face and just stared at her intently.

Fuuko, through her anger, felt a little uncomfortable under his stare. She took a step backwards but Kurei just took a step forward. "What?" she asked, quite nervous of what Kurei might do to her, since it did look like Kurei had just lost his mind.

Finally, Kurei talked. "I've actually never seen you this angry before, you know that?" he asked calmly.

"Yeah, so?" Fuuko asked, in a somewhat brave voice, but her actions betrayed her true feelings because she unconsciously took another step backwards. Kurei took another step towards her. Unfortunately, Fuuko had run out of space to take a step back to, because she felt the edge of the soft mattress touch her lower hip. But, Kurei still kept walking towards her until their bodies were touching, with the exception of their faces. Fuuko did not want to sit down on the bed because right at instant, she did not want to have Kurei towering over her. "Um . . . Kurei? What are you doing?"

Kurei, even with Fuuko standing, was towering over her due to their heights. He was, after all, a head taller than she was. He just watched her with nothing on his face. No trademark smirk, no grin, no signs of bemusements, no nothing. He reached out his right hand and started to caress Fuuko's arm by moving his fingers delicately up and down her arm.

The weirdness of the situation finally registered on her mind, and that finally forced her to move out of Kurei's hold. The hair on her neck was standing on end and she definitely did not like that feeling. The strange thing is, she didn't know what exactly made her hair stand on end. Either it was Kurei himself, his queer silence or just his plain hand caressing her. Fuuko walked over to the window with her back towards Kurei.

Kurei did not move but just followed her movements with his gaze. "You're scared of me," he said. It wasn't a question.

Fuuko, being Fuuko, wanted to lighten up the situation by her usual sarcasm. "Uh, yeah. Who the hell wouldn't?" she retorted without even facing him.

"Why?" Kurei asked, his voice betraying no emotions.

Why? That must have been the stupidest question she ever heard in her life! How could you not be afraid of Kurei Mori? And yet, right at that moment, she couldn't find it in her voice to say all of her reasons for being afraid of him. It may have been because of his voice, his way of asking that had unnerved her.

A long silence overcame them. Since the windows weren't open, all she could hear was Kurei breathing.

"Never mind," Kurei said, breaking the silence once again. "Let's go. You have to get fitted for tomorrow."

Fuuko finally turned to look at him. He walked out of her room in a pretty fast pace, leaving the door open for her. She followed him out of the door out into the hallway, closing the door behind her.

The Right Things

By saicho_18

July 22, 2002

Before following Kurei's black-clad body, she leaned against her door and heaved one big sigh. Whatever Kurei was talking about this 'fitting' thing must not be good since it did sound like something important. She walked towards the direction where Kurei had walked through and took a left in one corner.

While walking through the usual enormous hallways, she could not help but think, 'what the hell was that all about with Kurei?' Come to think of it, it was quite weird of him to just go in her room and act all weird. She wondered what all that was about.

"Fuuko," Kurei's voice said from inside of one room.

It seemed that Fuuko was so engrossed with her thoughts that she almost missed the room where she was supposed to be headed in the first place.

When she entered the room, she immediately noticed that this room was particularly smaller than the rest of the rooms in the Mori Estates. Of course, this room was three-fourths the size of her classroom, but since most of the rooms in that mansion is thrice that size, it was pretty small in comparison.

The Right Things

By saicho_18

August 2, 2002

When she entered the room in question, four faces awaited her. One was of course, Kurei, two petite women and one guy who looked -- well . . . gay. All three were dressed sharply and had this weird accent when they talked. One woman was holding a tape measure, one was holding a notebook and a pencil and the guy was talking to Kurei in that queer accent of his.

"Oh, I promise, Mr. Mori," the man said loudly, very. "Our agency is the best of the best out there! I promise that you wouldn't be disappointed in our services!"

"With the money I am paying you," murmured Kurei, who was leaning by the windowpanes, in his famous condescending stance. Boy that position of his still brought back memories to a certain night when a certain person gave Fuuko a certain kiss. "I should be anything but disappointed."

"Oh!" the woman in pink suddenly exclaimed in a high-pitched voice when she saw Fuuko enter the room. "And there's the fiancée! Oh, you are right! She is a beautiful woman! Her height is perfect, just as you had said, Mr. Mori! And her--"

Kurei suddenly cleared his throat, which cut off the woman talking. He did not, however, move from his pose "Francine, I am not paying you good money to flatter my Fuuko. I am paying you good money to sow her a dress." Fuuko noticed a hint of haste in his voice.

The woman, Francine, quickly shut up and walked over to where Fuuko was standing and started to get her measurements.

The Right Things

By saicho_18

October 29, 2002

"Stand up straight, dear," Francine said as the other girl and the gay guy went over and started measuring her arms, legs, and just every part of her body. She complied quietly, at the corner of her eyes, seeing that Kurei was watching.

"So, Monsieur Mori," started the gay guy, who Fuuko only noticed had his hair bleached almost white. "And the Mademoiselle's dress' color will be . . . an elegant black perhaps? Or maybe-- "

"Red, Francois," Kurei said bluntly. "The dress will be colored a blood red."

Francois, looking at the two girls, nodded and continued with the measurements.

After a few minutes of boredom, Fuuko was free from the giggly seamstresses. The trio then went to Kurei and started babbling about the dress. It seemed that the ever so weird Kurei was already fitted for his tux so all what they were talking about now was the payment. It also seemed that the bored little rich kid is burning a lot of cash for this party.

"Fuuko," said Kurei, snapping her out of her thoughts. "Please be kind enough to show Monsieur La Mec outside. I have some important thing to attend to."

She complied, seeing that Kurei was looking a little pale. She walked ahead of the three and led them out the door. Kurei shut the door behind them. Fuuko heard the door lock behind it. She pondered over it for a moment but soon discarded it as nothing. Besides, Francois was already talking to her as they walked around the mansion.

"You know, Mademoiselle Fuuko," he started. "Monsieur Mori had told us wonderful things about you."

The girls behind him just nodded earnestly. Right, like anything nice can ever come out of Kurei's mouth. She decided not to mind him since she figured that he was only sucking up to her to get a bonus or something.

They continued on with their walk, with the three French guys trying to flatter her. Surprisingly, they had made it to the main door, without getting lost. Pretty impressive feat for someone who had been getting lost in this mansion too many times.

"So, I guess this is au revoir, Mademoiselle Fuuko," said Francois, steeping out of the door. Fuuko could see a stretched limousine waiting outside. "And please tell your fiancé that your dress will be brought to you here tomorrow."

Fuuko nodded before closing the huge wooden door and made her way up to her room.