"That's the thing about magic; you've got to know it's still here, all around us, or it just stays invisible for you." - Charles de Lint
The huge garden planted with white flowers only, decorated with magnificent marble statues, fountains and benches, labyrinths made from lively green bushes neatly following a plan of a mastermind, leading every guest to the mansion's back entrance where a dozen of servants in breathtaking costumes of paintings waited them, showing them their seats, instructing that the show will only start after sunset. Until then they are free to discover the mansion and the garden, talk with each other, eat, drink or dance as they wish.
Asumi, the youngest maid of the Kuroba mansion had a water lily based dress with a matching mask and hat, placed sideways on the top of her bun. She was both happy and curious about these costumes as each of them were made just for this occasion, and precisely for them, servants. As she started her work about a year ago and wasn't familiar with the traditions at all, thus her nervousness was greater than anyone's. 'What if's and humiliating scenarios run around in her pretty head, but she managed to keep her composer just well. And after an hour she was more than confident in her job.
Until she saw the master of this mansion on the side of a beautiful lady she had seen before but was told it was only a dream. Both of them wore deep red elegant but simple clothes, the lady's hair combed into a lovely loose bun, leaving some of her flocks framing her face, her gloved hands resting comfortably in the man's next to her while she chuckles on who knows what was said to her by her other company lady with strawberry blond shorter hair, dressed in equally magnificent yet simple dress, red as blood. Only this third person makes Ayumi doublethink about them, as she had never seen her before, no matter how beautiful and probably famous she is. When the trio reaches the patio luckily were greeted by another servant standing closer to them, so Ayumi is free to observe them from behind her mask a little longer. The man who is suspiciously similar to the master has his hair neatly combed, the one and only difference between the two Ayumi could point out. His mask is black as well the brunette lady's while the blonde's eyes are covered behind a bright red one. Then man wears a suit matching his partner's style red and a little black, just enough to draw out his perfect shape of body. At this point Ayumi can't help but stare at them. It has to be a dream, or a beautiful illusion, hallucination, something this wonderful can't be real. Not just the man. The trio seems like a surreal beauty painted by something not human. The way they smile at each other, the way they talk and joke, they way they show little hidden decorations so everyone of them can enjoy the party and it's marvels equally. Ayumi is jealous. And she forgot to hide it.
She probably stared at them so long they noticed it, because a minute later the blonde walks up to her smiling kindly and looks deep into her eyes.
" Did something catch your eyes?" she asked with some mischief glinting in her words.
" N-no, Ma'am." She blurts out and feels so stupid.
" That's a pity." she pouts playfully. " I hoped maybe I can take you home." She bend forward, carefully observing her as a masterpiece. " What do you think? Would your master lend you to me?" Ayumi lost her common sense.
" I'm not in the knowledge of that Ma'am." And yet is was so easy to humiliate herself even more. She could smack her own head. The blonde chuckled.
" Then tell your maser that Miyano Shiho wants to borrow you for a little while." She leant back leaving some air to the young girl, then looked at her once again with an unreadable stare. "What are you waiting for? Go. " Her voice was kind, well sort of, but Ayumi couldn't help the feel she was just talking with a queen. A breathtakingly beautiful and majestic one.
" What did you just told to that poor girl, Haibara?" Shinichi stepped closer to the lady in red.
" Nothing that concerns you." She instantly changed to a colder tone, turning on her heels. " Anyway, where are the others?"
" You mean Hattori? I guess they are late. As always."
" I hope they didn't lost themselves as last time." Ran joined the conversation. Shinichi snorted at the memory, and Shiho smiled. " What's more strange I couldn't find Sonoko at all. I am sure she's here. "
" Darling have you seen the place? It's huge. Like beyond normal. She can be in the other end of the patio and we still wouldn't see her." Kudo pointed out the obvious fact.
" Yeah, yeah. I don't know about you but these mask just feel so strange." Ran decided it was time to change the topic.
" You don't find them comfortable?" Shiho asked curiously.
" Yeah-no, I mean they are comfortable just… I like it better when I can see your eyes clearly. It's harder to tell what are you thinking."
" I'm amused. I could never tell what's in Haibara's mind without mask, not to mention with them on. Just look at her, she made that water-lily maid run away by merely smiling to her. Yet you won't believe me when I say she is danger itself." Shinichi smirked smugly, clearly enjoying irking the blonde's nerves.
" And you expect me to response what exactly?" however Shiho remained cool and collected.
" Don't pay attention to him, he's still upset about our honeymoon."
" To be honest I'm amused you could convince him to join the party." Shiho smiled back at Shinichi with pure malice, yet Ran saw it as friendly joke.
" I have some ultimate reason he can't decline." She smiled proudly.
" The jungle?" Haibara raised her eyebrow clearly enjoying Kudo's humiliation. Ran nodded with the purest and greatest smile. Both ladies burst out laughing after a moment.
" Yeah, yeah I know it was my fault and all…" Shinichi decided to show his grumpiness with a pout which only made his wife giggle more, then peck him on the cheek.
" When it's over I make it up to you. That's a promise. "
" There ya are!" a loud and heavily accented voice rang across the garden and the trio turned around to be greeted by the little crazy couple.
" So you didn't get lost this time."
" Idiot! Like we would ever do that." The tanned man in light cream suit, black shirt and a dark green mask exclaimed with a huge grin, while Kazuha who held her head in her palms in resignation, trailed after him. Her dress matching Heiji's in the color and style only it was a light green, and black with a dark cream mask, her hair again tied in an elegant way decorated with matching light green silk ribbons.
" I assume it wasn't that easy." Shiho smirked in sympathy towards her.
" You could tell. We had ta ask around for directions. Can you believe it? Only because this idiot lost the invitation." She sighed then changed her worn out expression to a far much better lively and happy one, a habit that scared the others a little. " So? What did you do up ta this point? Did we miss anything?"
" Nothing much. Haibara scared a maid and we half expected to run into Sonoko but she's nowhere to be found."
" So the show hasn't started yet? I told ya!"
" Yeah, yeah whatever. Why won't we go inside? She's probably there anyway." When everyone looked at her with wide questioning eyes Kazuha sighed again. " The girl we are searching for?"
A massive ' Oooh' escaped everyone and they looked around.
" Maybe we should wait. " Shinichi muttered.
" Don't you dare start it again. We're finally here and if we miss the chance to find her just because it's too dark to see anything I swear I'll…"
" Yes, Hattori? Do continue."
" I'll make sure you won't go jumping off cliffs in a year. " he ended his threat noticeably calmer.
" Okay, so you all want to march in there and just look around for a girl that probably looks like my wife. Great plan."
" You have any better?" Shiho asked back in an instant and Kudo lost his train of thoughts. Actually, he had no plan at all.
" If you think it's too suspicious to go in a group of five we can always slip up." Kazuha said nonchalantly. The two men looked at her in shock just as if she revealed the atomic formula of the sun. "What?" She stared back at them.
" Okay then maybe ladies and gentlemen. " Shiho decided to act before this staring contest got them to a different topic.
" And we meet again for the show. " Ran added right after, when she saw the upcoming complains of her husband. " It's not that much, only half an hour. I'm sure you two will be fine. And if you meet Sonoko tell her I'm here as well. "
With that the three ladies left to discover the secrets of this mansion as much as it was allowed. Or maybe a little more.
A quiet knock on the door then a high, little startled voice asking for the permission of entering.
Kaito massaged his temple, a headache already throbbing in his skull, but asked Ayumi, he could tell who was it as clearly as he could see through the door, to come in anyway. The young maid with the water-lily costume stumbled inside still in some kind of trance, not looking at him at all. This caught Kaito's attention. Just as if she was hypnotized. Something interesting yet dangerous.
" Master, Miyano Shiho is asking wheter you would lend me to her for a little while. " She was clearly bemused and amused.
The name had shake Kaito up even more. Miyano Shiho, famous designer, not just clothes and rooms but events and ceremonies, was actually here asking for one of his servants probably to create a new design yet style.
Also her appearance meant that she finally accepted his invitation, which indicated that maybe other problematic people did the same, let alone the Kudos.
And she was playing with him. Or not.
Kaito remembered the Miyano family well. A bunch of strange people connected by blood. The only normal seemed to be the elder sister, smiling, laughing as every normal child should. The little girl, Shiho, just about his age was quite and uninterested in everything he suggested to play. Yet when her sister asked the same she agreed. He envied them. He wanted a sibling, being it a brother or a sister didn't mattered to him. Any sibling. Yet he couldn't have. Until Aoko arrived in his life. But she was a different story.
Yes, he remembered Miyano Shiho very well, and even better her sister. He was sure Shiho knew about his family business, and his job in the kingdom, an unpleasant job which was so necessary only his family took it.
" Master? " Ayumi's voice brought him back. " What is your answer?"
" I will tell that to her personally." He looked at the young girl, dazed and caught in her confused thoughts and pitied her. " You should take a rest. Go drink something. You're free from duty for the night being."
" Thank you, Master." She answered, bowed and left a room like a robot. He wanted to say doll for a moment but deiced against it. The only perfect doll in the mansion was Aoko.
Ayumi entered the kitchen and found some unfamiliar faces sitting and chatting, probably butlers and coachmen of the guests. She slumped down on a chair and took a deep sigh, closing her eyes.
" Why is this happening to me?" She muttered to herself, before a cook came up to her.
" You okay?"
" Wouldn't say so."
" Did you see her again?" the cook sat next to her, curiosity in his eyes.
" No, not today." She sighed again, but a little lighter this time. At least that was a topic she could understand. Sort of.
" Then what happened? Did a drunk guest molest you?"
" No, not at all. I just… I was asked a strange question from a beautiful lady and I have answered so stupidly I'm ashamed." She hid her face into her palms desperately.
" What did she ask?"
" That if I saw something interesting. And she was so majestic and breathtaking and I was so stupid and…"
" Do you know her name by any chance?" the cook seemed to lost interest in the story but continued it anyway.
" Miyano Shiho. "
Now that caught the attention of the whole room. Everyone stopped dead and silent looking at Ayumi who felt herself even more embarrassed. Then a young, spindly, not quite a man, but not a boy either, with a partly well combed dark hair, light skin and freckles across his cheeks approached her with curiosity in his eyes as he spoke.
" How do you know Miss Miyano?"
Ayumi observed him a little, trying to get her mind to focus on something else than her continuous humiliation. He was probably the lady's servant. Although she couldn't figure out how could a young one like him travel with their master to a party like this but who was she to ask things like this?
" She asked me some questions before." She replied simply, fearing any more specification would case her to turn bright red or ghost pale.
" And?" the guy leaned closer, making feel her uncomfortable again. " She's beautiful isn't she?" he asked with the most enthusiastic smile on earth.
Ayumi blinked. And blinked again.
" What?" Again a very clever question.
" You saw her, you should know what I'm talking about." The boy exclaimed overjoyed, in some kind of trance and slowly Ayumi put the things together. First she couldn't blame him at all, she experienced the effect as well. Then she understood that this guy was helplessly in love with his master. Poor thing. He was younger and a servant, leaving no much hope for him. But he seemed happy with what he had.
" I couldn't catch your name…" she said after a long minute.
" Oh, I'm sorry, Tsuburaya Mitsuhiko. And you would be?"
" Yoshida Ayumi." She lends her hand for a handshake and is genuinely surprised when the young man with freckles kisses the back of her hand instead.
" It's a pleasure to meet you Ayumi-san." He says without a flinch, and with eyes so serious Ayumi finds herself speechless. Isn't he in love with Shiho-san? Yet…
" The same." She finally mutters and decides she needs to clear her head out a little. "If you excuse me, I have to go now." She manages to speak clearly enough and leaves the kitchen more confused than before.
Kaito checks everything for the last time, and when he's sure he did all the preparations, he opens the door to Aoko's room. The lady wearing her usual black and blue dress sat on her bed humming a sad tune for herself, barely above whisper. She looks at him when the door opens, a huge smile on her pretty face.
" You came." She points out the obvious.
" I promised."
" Aoko doesn't know what to say."
" You know I don't have too much time. "
" Aoko knows it very well. Just like that she has to remain in her room."
" I'll be back as soon as possible."
" Aoko's happy you visited her now." She beams at him as usal.
" If anything happens, you can call me."
" Aoko's not sure how." She tilts her head in confusion.
" Come to the garden to the magical mirror. I will come instantly." He smiles at her, as warmly as he can yet he feels it cold as ice.
" Now Aoko remembers." She laughs, and he can tell she's frightened. Horrified to be left alone in this room while hundreds of people come and go in the mansion. Frightened to stay here where the moon's light will reach her. Scared to remain in this room where nobody else is there for here, only the silver light and the nightmares it brings, scared to the point she will cry, afraid to the point she wants to scream and yet she smiles and laughs. Just for him.
It's a beautiful feeling he decides.
" I have to go." He says. Aoko stares at him with huge fearful eyes, silently begging him to stay. He steps closer to her, bends down to rest his forehead against hers, giving a tiny comfort this ways.
" I'll hurry as much as I can." He whispers to her ears and debates in his mind if he wants to take a risk or note. He knows he shouldn't. Oh how well he knows. Yet the urge is desperate, and when he looks at her in this frightened state he wants to try it.
So he leans down a little closer and kisses her lightly on her lips. She didn't respond. Maybe from shock, maybe from the horror she has in her mind. He doesn't care. One little kiss was enough for now, and if she would react, move or do anything in response that would break his little illusion of this perfect doll he has.
A.N.
So the party is officially on, let's hope it caught your attention :)
Yet again thank you for your quick responds and I hope I was fast enough to write this chapter and it helped with the clothes. (BlackBlue1 may I suggest to look around on pinterest or tumblr for long classic dresses for inspiration, otherwise you have free hand at designing their clothes :) )
So I hope you liked it, and have a nice and beautiful day :)