Story: Wedlock
Author: Ms Trick
Summary: The Seven Deadly Sins work with Heaven and decideto create peace on Earth by marrying the Queen of Hell to the Princess of Heaven. Unfortunately, there are some quirky consequences.
Pairings: 1x2 3x4 RxD 11x13
Disclaimer: Oh don'tI wish.
Warnings: yaoi, yuri, bad language
Wedlock
Lucrezia Noin eyed herself in the mirror.
"I'm not saying the council was wrong...Turn to me and close your eyes," Sally instructed in the middle of stating her opinion.
Noin twisted in her chair to face the other woman. Sally held her tongue between her teeth as she carefully smeared black onto one of Noin's eyelids with a small brush.
"I just think that the wedding's a bad idea," Sally said as she moved onto painting the other eyelid white.
"It makes sense politically, what with Lady Une being the widowed ruler of Hell and Relena being heir to--"
"I know the politics," Sally said shortly before shushing her friend so as to paint her lips red. "My friend Wufei's an archangel on the HHC. Y'know, the Heaven High Council?"
"I know," Noin said as Sally pulled back for a minute.
"Better scrap the lipstick. You look better without it."
Noin sighed and tilted her chin up as Sally wiped away the rouge.
"Anyway, I just can't see the two of them being compatible. Come on? Heaven's princess and Hell's queen?" Sally commented as Noin stood.
"I have to do my job," Noin said tiredly. She had obviously had enough of this conversation.
Sally nodded and screwed the caps back onto several make-up containers. "All right, Ms Priestess. Go do your thing."
As Noin turned to leave the little room, Sally added, "At least the wedding's on Earth...neutral ground, huh?"
Noin paused in the doorway and looked back at the angel for a second before exiting the antechamber.
She found herself in the hotel's large reception room and was greeted with the sight of the expansive white wings of an aged angel bobbing around the large wooden table in the front of the room.
The Archangel Noventa was making absolutely sure that the altar was as plain as possible. The only decorations on it were several thick candles. He interrupted his fifth inspection to look up as Noin entered.
"Ah, Miss Noin. You look lovely. And very neutral." He commented warmly, and a bit relieved, as he took in her priestess robes, which had been customized for the ceremony.
The left half of her robes were swirling black while the right half were brilliant white. Not Noin's first choice of outfit. But as she watched the way Noventa's wings ruffled anxiously as he made the final inspection of the room, Noin knew that they were the only outfit guaranteed to please both sides of the family.
The doors were opened by a member of the hotel's prim staff and Noventa jumped at the noise. Noin glanced over casually and noticed her bodyguard, Heero, leaning against the back wall. His face was impassive, his arms were crossed, and his white wings were relaxed. Noin hoped Heero would enjoy himself. She knew big parties weren't his thing.
"You're sure you know what you need to say and do? It took forever to find a ritual that wouldn't start a revolt," Noventa said as he wrung his hands and stared at the open doors.
"Yes, Archangel. And we did bewitch the hotel, remember? Don't worry too much about the humans."
"Of course, you're right. But I can't help it. It's been a long time since I've conducted business on Earth personally. But of course, with my granddaughter part of the programme, I wouldn't miss it for the world."
It looked as though the thought of his granddaughter had calmed his twitchy nerves. Noin relaxed slightly and she took her place behind the altar. But then the first group of guests entered the room and the archangel's worries sprang to life again. He gave them a brief, harried smile as they sat on the side of the hall designated for guests of Hell.
"You're sure, Miss Noin? I know you're the mediator between the three realms and this is an out of the ordinary job for you..."
Noin was quickly losing her patience. "Archangel! I assure you, I have it under control. I am well-trained to take on the role of priestess. Why don't you take your seat?"
Her tone implied that she wasn't making a suggestion. He paused and then nodded briskly.
Noin closed her eyes and breathed out slowly. Then she looked down at the plain altar and the few materials on it. She glanced up as a noisy group of angels entered. It was going to be a long and tedious day. Noin could already feel the headache coming on.
The priestess took in the scene before her.
Relena appeared confident as she stood rigidly in her extravagant white gown. It was offset by a red sash sweeping down from her shoulder and tying at her hip. Her hair was pinned up and her glittering tiara was perched regally on her head. Nothing but the best for Heaven's only princess. The sparkling dress seemed to positively glow on Relena in comparison to the woman next to her.
Lady Une stood tall in a red military uniform. With her tight-fitting white pants, laced black boots, her hair twisted up into her traditional braided buns, and her glasses glinting in the candlelight, she looked like the Colonel of Hell's Army. Which she was. She also appeared resigned.
As Noin led the ceremony with ease, she noticed the identical looks of determination in Relena and Lady Une's eyes. Both of them were too caught up in the politics of the marriage to consider their own desires. They knew their betrothal could mean peace for centuries. Neither was going to let the opportunity pass.
The two brides faced the raised altar as Noin conducted the rite from behind it, making the appropriate symbols with her hands.
Behind them the bridesmaids stood in their semi-circle. Two angels and two of the Seven Deadly Sins had been selected by the brides. In the back of her mind, Noin marvelled at how all four bridesmaids could make one dress look so different. The backs of the angels' dresses were altered slightly to make way for the wings but that was the only difference.
The dark-haired Hilde, Relena's secretary, still managed to look tomboyish, even with flowers crowning her wings and the long blue gown highlighting her curves. The golden-haired and bright-eyed Sylvia still gave off an air of modesty and innocence; the flowers on her wings accentuating the little-girl image.
Dorothy, who was standing on Sylvia's left, was her antithesis. As the Deadly Sin Lust, Dorothy still looked like sex on legs. While Sylvia's blue gown fell about her in chaste pleats, Dorothy's had seemed to shrink, hugging every curve her body had to offer until it was positively...well, sinful. On Hilde's other side, stood Cathy, another Deadly Sin. She was Wrath and she looked it. She held the bouquet of blue and purple flowers as one would hold a knife. Even the pretty dress didn't hide the fact that she could do considerable damage if she wanted to.
Noin instructed the two brides to turn and face their families and friends. The bridesmaids separated into two groups and Dorothy made a show of "accidentally" dropping her bouquet. As she stood up languorously, she leered at the archangels in the front row. Cathy gave her a swift kick to the shins and Dorothy pouted, but stopped her attempts to simultaneously seduce everyone in the room.
In the front row on the other side of the aisle, Old Man Greed--more commonly known as J--and his lifelong buddy and rival, Sloth, kept a running commentary under their breaths; their stream of talk only broken by their gruff chuckles.
On the other side of Sloth, whom everyone called Howard, sat his young heir, Quatre, who was offering Relena a kind smile. Noin smiled between sections of the ritual. If anyone would make Relena feel comfortable in Hell, it would be Quatre.
Noin's eyes slid to the green-eyed boy next to Quatre and, as expected, he didn't look too happy. But what can you expect from Envy? Realising there were eyes on him, Quatre turned to the boy after a second.
"Oh, Trowa. Don't get like that. I was just smiling, not getting engaged," he whispered with an accompanying roll of the eyes. Trowa gave him a small, sheepish smile. Quatre returned it with a beaming one of his own.
Next to Quatre was Gluttony, looking highly refined in his own blue military uniform. Better know to his friends as Treize, the man sipped a glass of fine red wine, using the crystal goblet to salute Noin, who had been staring at him. She wondered if it was proper etiquette to drink during a marriage rite.
As always, Noin's eyes couldn't help but linger on the face of the Deadly Sin next to Gluttony. Vanity wouldn't be Vanity if he didn't look like a sex god. Currently, he had taken off the silver helmet he usually wore ("So as to deter common folk from approaching him to get his phone number," he said) and was studying his reflection in it. He tilted his head and pushed his long blond hair behind his shoulder.
Noin smirked slightly and came around to the front of the altar so as to present the new couple to the entire crowd as one. The audience clapped, some enthusiastically, some reluctantly. As she began to lead the procession of brides and bridesmaids down the aisle, she glanced at her bodyguard and noticed that he wasn't looking at her.
Heero's eyes were focused on a demon who was also leaning against the back wall, but on Hell's side. The boy looked about Heero's age and was wearing mostly black with some red. His long hair was wound into a braid that hung over his shoulder.
As Noin got closer, she realised that the demon who had enthralled her defender's attention was Duo. He was a young messenger for Hell royalty, their fastest messenger. If he had permission to travel to Heaven, she'd be out of the job as mediator, that's for sure.
Noin passed through the doorway to the hall and, out of the corner of her eye, she saw Heero look down at the floor and frown. One of his hands flew down to his stomach for a moment before resuming their crossed position.
Duo had been watching the handsome angel through sidelong glances all throughout the ceremony. Duo moaned quietly to himself. Why did angels have to look so goddamn sexy when they weren't allowed have sex? It's not like they didn't have the equipment, they just didn't understand the concept of lust. Angels understood sex for reproducing but lust didn't even exist in their minds. And since sex wasn't necessary for reproduction in this day and age, angels pretty much stopped caring about it. Not so for demons.
Duo sighed and spared a glance at the procession. It had blocked his view of the angel. His long, black, devil tail twitched in irritation.
Besides, Duo thought to himself. Even if angels did do the whole wanton-desire thing, angels and demons aren't allowed fuck. Except for the beloved Colonel and her new child-bride, that is.
Duo shook his head of that unwanted mental image and joined the crowd in its mass exodus to the bar. He needed a beer.