Theme No. 58 (Ugly, Undesirable, Unattractive)
Title: The Dress
Author: Nyneve
Theme(s): No. 58; Ugly, Undesirable, Unattractive
Summary: A wedding gives Rei the chance to earn the respect of her boyfriend's family, but there's one little problem...
Pairing/Characters: Rei/Shuu Rei Fuan (Yoroiden Samurai Troopers) [Kento; Ronin Warriors]
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
The Dress
"I got a letter from my mom."
Rei didn't look at her boyfriend, only continued to chop up the carrots for the soup. News from the Fuan clan never turned out well for her. It wasn't enough that their only son had fallen head over heels for a Japanese girl from Tokyo and gone so far as to drop everything and move down there to be with her...
Oh wait.
Nope, that was enough right there.
Shuu's parents had disapproved of the relationship right from the start. He had been expected to date the cute little Chinese girl in Yokohama that his mother had found for him, but after spotting the miko while sightseeing at her temple, he'd lost all interest. He got a job at a dojo, moved in with Ryo (still studying at that fancy university of his), then forcefully wooed the girl until she finally cracked and agreed to go out with him. By the next year, he was living at the shrine with her.
And Rei had to admit, there was something exhilarating about being chased by a guy who looked like he could snap you in half with his thumb and forefinger. He'd known exactly how to respond with her hard-to-get routine, demonstrating stubbornness to match her own. Of course, that same stubbornness (along with an equally-quick temper) had been the cause of many of their fights , but these were usually just loud bouts of bickering easily ended with angry make-up sex.
But this was the one fight that had been going on since the beginning. The one neither one seemed able to win. Usually they ignored it, but when blue-haired man had first read the letter, he realized that would no longer be an option.
"Rinfei's getting married."
Rei still gave it no thought. "How nice," she replied absently. "When's the wedding?"
She heard him go to the refrigerator and take out a can. Beer most likely. Oh dear. That didn't bode well. Shuu didn't drink much, just at parties or when trying to avoid a fight with his girlfriend. "It's in six weeks, up in Yokohama. My mom sent train tickets."
This got her attention. Pausing her chop, Rei turned her head slightly and glanced over her shoulder. "TicketS? As in, more than one?" Shuu nodded. The dark haired girl frowned. "Why would she do that? Your mother hates me. Never mind that she's never even met me..."
"Rinfei wants you to be a bridesmaid," he cut in. Shuu steeled himself, expecting his girlfriend to bark out a refusal or laugh straight out at the thought. But instead, he was met only with an expression of pure, undiluted shock.
"She what?" Rei whirled around. "Shuu, I've never even met your sister! Why on Earth would she want me to be a bridesmaid in her wedding?"
"Because I've succeeded in disappointing my parents even more than my rebellious older brother," a calm voice replied.
A pretty young woman around Rei's own age stepped into the kitchen looking very apologetic. "I'm sorry, Miss Hino. I told Shuu that he should introduce us normally, didn't seem to think that was a good idea." Taking a step forward, the woman held out a hand to the priestess. "I'm Fuan Rinfei, pleasure to meet you."
As the shock slowly wore off, Rei gave the woman a rather stiff smile and shook her hand, all the time her dark eyes narrowed in a glare directed at Shuu, who was quickly finishing off his beer. "The pleasure's all mine, Miss Fuan. And please, don't worry about it. Shuu has the tendency to get stupid ideas in his head," she answered.
Rinfei laughed. "That's Shuu for you. And please, Rinfei is fine, especially if you accept my invitation."
Rei looked back at her guest, expression softening a great deal. It was a comfort to know that at least one member of Shuu's family wanted to make peace with her, sudden and unorthodox as the approach was. But still, such a huge request was daunting.
Looking hesitantly at the young woman, Rei folded her hands in front of her. "Rinfei...I'd be honored, really, but...why me? We've never even met before."
Now it was the other woman's turn to appear uncomfortable. "Well, um, you see, Rei, we're in similar situations, you and I. My mother doesn't approve of the relationship between you and my brother, and she outright hates my fiance. It's a miracle she's allowing this wedding at all."
You mean she doesn't outright hate me? Rei thought skeptically. She was about to offer words of condolence, but suddenly Shuu looked suspicious. "And why does she hate him, Rinfei? This guy isn't mean to you, is he? Does he hurt you? I swear to God if this bastard puts one hand on you I'll--"
"He doesn't!" Rinfei cried. "James is the sweetest, gentlest man I've ever met. He's very educated and he has his own business and he's more than able to support me and a family in the future."
"Wait...'James'?" Rei cut in.
Shuu's eyes widened, and he clapped a hand to his forehead. "You mean he's..."
"American," Rinfei nodded. "His full name's James Bailey. I met him when I was studying abroad three years ago. We fell in love and we've been writing ever since. When I visited him last spring he proposed, and he's just finished filing paperwork with immigration."
"YOU'RE MOVING?!" Shuu roared. Rolling her eyes, Rei went to his side and put an arm around his broad shoulders.
"Easy, Mr. Protective Big Brother..." she murmured.
"No, Rei!" he snapped. "It's one thing if she wants to marry an American. Fine. Wonderful. But moving to another continent?!"
"She's a grown woman, Shuu!" Rei countered irritably, dropping her arm and putting her hands on her hips. "She can do whatever she wants!"
"Grown woman?!"
"She's my age, isn't she? I don't see you telling me what to do!"
"You're not moving to America!"
"Both of you stop it this instant!" Rinfei snapped, stepping between the two and pushing them apart. "You're nearly as bad as Mother and Father!"
The couple muttered apologies to each other, but continued to glare daggers out of the corners of their eyes as they relinquished attention to the bride-to-be.
"Now then, Shuu," Rinfei began, sounding like a teacher about to explain a lesson to her students. "I'm marrying James and going to live with him in America. That's that. What's more is we're having a Christian wedding to make him feel more comfortable here. We're getting married on July twenty-fifth in Yokohama." The guise dropped as Rinfei's wide brown eyes looked up into her brother's face. "Shuu...I really need you to be there. You're the only other family member who's ever dared to go against Mother's wishes. You and Rei are the only ones who'll understand."
Shuu's dark blue eyes looked over his sister's head to meet with Rei's dark purple ones. Although the woman still looked irritated, she gave him the nod to proceed. Smiling down at his sister, he put his arms around her and squeezed her tight to his chest. "Of course we'll be there, Rinfei."
"And I'd love to be your bridesmaid," Rei added, freeing her from Shuu's deathgrip and giving her a lighter embrace.
However, Rinfei quickly pulled free, excitement clear on her eyes. "Thank you so much, Rei! Wait here! I even brought your dress so you can see what it's like!"
"My...dress...?" Rei stammered, watching her soon-to-be more-or-less sister-in-law dart outside. Taking advantage of her absence, the priestess turned to her boyfriend with narrowed eyes. "Okay, WHERE is she going, and how does she even know what size I am?"
"One, I don't know. She's staying at a hotel, and I didn't see her bring anything in," Shuu answered with a shrug. "Two, I gave her your measurements."
"YOU WHAT?" Rei shrieked, picking up the cookbook from next to the cutting board and whacking him on the head with it. "You jerk!"
"Ow! Rei, jeez...what's the big deal? I love your body!"
"That's not the point!" she answered, hitting him again, then spinning around huffily and skimming through the pages to find her recipe again. "How did YOU even know what they were? Did you measure me when I was asleep or something?"
No answer.
The cookbook collided with Shuu's head a third time. "SHUU!"
"It's not my fault you're a heavy sleeper!"
"Hmph!" Rei crossed her arms over her chest. "I should make you sleep on the couch tonight..."
Although he didn't have a verbal to response to that, she soon felt Shuu's powerful arms encircle her from behind and pull her flush to his chest. A shiver ran down her back as she felt the hard muscles beneath his t-shirt, and again silently asked how someone who could be so difficult could be so appealing to her.
"I'm sorry, Rei. Really," Shuu said, pressing a light kiss to her neck. "But don't you see, this is an opportunity for us. Rinfei wants you there. And my parents aren't going to be nearly as hard on you if they know two of their children are standing behind you." She felt his lips on her again, at the sensitive spot near her ear. "And who knows? Maybe we won't need to stand up for you after all. I bet once they actually meet you, my family will love you as much as I do."
Rei closed her eyes. "All I have to do is show up and look pretty, right?"
"Mmhmm," he murmured. "And I know that second part will be a piece of cake for you."
Smiling, Rei turned around and opened her eyes, then slipped her arms around Shuu's neck. "All right, I'm in." Kissing his lips, she then stepped back and smoothed her hair. "You're right. This won't be a big deal. As long as the dress isn't..."
"Here it is!" Rinfei chirped, stepping back inside and displaying...something...on a hanger.
"...ugly." Rei finished weakly, eyes widening.
Ugly was the understatement of the century. It was what one would probably call a sheath dress, although sheaths were supposed to give a person a figure. This monstrosity had Rei already visualizing how much like a rectangle she would look. The straps were wide, the neck looked like the collar of Shuu's T-shirt, and the skirt was ridiculously long. As a finishing touch, who ever had designed the veritable piece of pottage couldn't seem to have decided on a pattern. While the top part was some sort of animal print (accentuated with pink flowers and a big green circle under the left armpit), gray and magenta diamonds ran down the sides, while the front and back featured multicolored horizontal stripes divided by a black zigzag right down the middle.
"Amazing, isn't it? My best friend designed it. She did both bridesmaid's dresses and my mom's dress, but they're all a little different. This one seemed perfect for you, from the pictures of you Shuu had sent me," Rinfei replied, handing Rei the dress.
"Amazing..." Rei repeated, glancing at Shuu who was turning bright red with the effort not to burst out laughing. A pointed glare from his fashion-victim girlfriend sobered him up right away. But not enough to prevent him from making the one suggestion that earned a sharp heel grinding down on his foot.
"Maybe you should go try it on?"
Rei could have killed him, but before she got the chance, Rinfei was nodding excitedly in agreement. Forcing a smile, she squeezed the dress to her. "Maybe I should. I'll be right back," she remarked, making sure to carefully aim her foot so as to land a direct hit on Shuu's toes. "I hate you," Rei growled before disappearing into the hall.
"Ow! Dammit Rei..."
Rinfei giggled. "I like her. You two are like an old married couple already."
"And just who are you calling old?!" her brother cried indignantly, throwing an arm about her neck and holding her in a headlock that only elicited more hysterical giggles.
But dead silence descended when Rei returned to the kitchen. The look on her face was not a happy one, and even Shuu had to gaze on her with sympathy at the mess that covered her body.
It looked like some kind of nightgown, albeit one that had been vomited upon by a mob of rainbow pixies. As Rei had feared, the cut had destroyed anything even remotely resembling a figure, making the garment as flattering as a hospital gown (though at least hospital gowns could be revealing). In addition, Shuu must have been off when measuring his unconscious paramour, since the skirt was trailing on the ground, completely concealing her feet. All in all she looked about a foot shorter, since the elimination of her waist and made it impossible to tell where her legs ended and torso began.
Her one hope had been that Rinfei would see how terrible the dress looked when actually on a human being, and would thus immediately begin searching for something much more suitable. But the look on the bride-to-be's face only sent Rei's heart sinking faster than the Titanic.
"Wow...Rei...you look so chic!" Rinfei cried, circling around her bridesmaid. "That pattern's doing wonders for your skin tone..."
Is than an insult? Rei asked silently as Shuu's sister continued to examine her like a predator does its prey, streaming off compliment after compliment that made the poor woman wonder if maybe the girl was blind and/or completely out of her mind.
Her eyes met Shuu's with a scathing 'Well?' look. He could only respond with a silent 'I'm sorry.' Rei was about to shoot back a 'You better be damn well sorry' glare when suddenly the electronic melody of a cell phone broke through the awkward silence.
Reaching into her jacket pocket, Rinfei checked the ID. "It's James," she explained, then flipped it open. "Hello Darling...Yes...I'm at Shuu and Rei's right now...Mmhmm, I have both bridesmaids now...You what? Really? Oh...oh my...Well, I'll need to call Mother and Father...No no Sweetheart, it's no trouble at all...We'll make it work, James, I promise...Yes...Yes...All right...Love you too..."
As she flipped the phone closed, Rinfei looked hesitantly at her brother, then flashed a sheepish smile. "Big Brother?" she began, voice sounding far too innocent for whatever news she had just received.
The man hesitated. "Yes...?"
"What are you doing in three weeks?"
"THREE WEEKS?!" Rei and Shuu cried in unison. Rinfei's face instantly fell.
"Of course. I'm sorry. I know, it's too short notice. I understand if you can't make it. It's just that James got offered a new job in California and he wants us to bump up the wedding so we can have a house picked out by the time he gets transferred. Oh God, what will Mother say...?"
"Oh come on Rinfei, it's not that bad," Shuu replied, instantly going to his sister's rescue. But all Rei could think about was that James Bailey had just gotten her out of one of the most humiliating experiences in her life. Three weeks was way too short notice. Shuu would never be able to get the time off of work, his mother wouldn't want to send them ANOTHER pair of train tickets...
But then Rei saw the tears in the young woman's eyes, and her heart softened. Bad as the dress was, Rinfei was the sister of the man she loved, and she dreamed of having her brother there with her. And she'd even gone so far as to include the woman who'd come between the family and the eldest son. How could she refuse?
"Don't worry, Rinfei," Rei said softly, putting an arm around her shoulders. "Shuu and I will be there. After all, you need your bridesmaid, don't you? And you're going to be busy enough in the next few weeks without having to worry about finding another one and getting the dress altered to fit."
Shuu looked at his girlfriend in surprise, then inclined his head slightly as he looked back at his sister. "See? Nothing to worry about. And don't you worry about Mother. Just tell her you're going to need lots of help organizing the wedding and she'll get so caught up in trying to make it perfect for you that she'll forget to be angry." Giving her the best reassuring-big-brother-grin he could, he kissed her forehead.
Rinfei wiped her eyes, then looked from Shuu to Rei. "Thank you, both of you..." she sniffed, smearing her eyeliner. After taking a few deep breaths, she got to her feet. "Well, I've got a lot of phone calls to make, so I'd better get going. Rei, it was wonderful to meet you, and I can't wait to see you at the wedding."
The women kissed each other's cheeks, then Shuu made sure to give his sister one more bone-crushing hug before walking her out of the house and down the hill to where her car was parked. "It'll all work out. You'll see," he promised, before she rolled up the window and pulled away from the curb.
By the time he got back to the kitchen, Rei had already changed out of the hideous dress and was back in her jeans and camisole, chopping carrots as if nothing had happened. Moving beside her, Shuu picked up one of the chunks and popped it in his mouth.
"You're really gonna go through with it?" he asked, not looking at her.
Her attention never shifted. "What choice do I have, Shuu?"
The man shrugged. "You could've refused to come. You could've refused to be a bridesmaid. You could've refused to wear that dress. Why not?"
Rei paused, knife hovering over the carrot. "Because...this is important to her, Shuu. And Rinfei's important to you. So..."
Shuu smiled. "You're so awesome, Rei."
Smirking a little, she glanced at him from the corner of her eye. "Even when wearing a hideous dress?"
"Especially when wearing a hideous dress," he laughed, kissing her soundly.
But as the weeks went by, both began to doubt whether Shuu's words were actually true. While Rei dreaded having to appear in front of a large group of strangers in the garment, Shuu was panicking that it would give the wrong impression to his family about his lover. For a short time, he had even considered if it was possible his mother had put Rinfei up to giving Rei the dress, just to humiliate the poor girl. But his sister's sheer enthusiasm convinced him that wasn't the case, and besides, hadn't Rinfei said the other bridesmaid and their mother would have dresses made by the same person?
The night before their train to Yokohama, Shuu awoke to Rei gently shaking him. Rolling over, he blinked and blearily stared at her. "Rei? What is it?"
"I can't do this, Shuu. I can't go through with wearing that thing in front of your family," she answered.
He groaned. "Come on, Rei...you promised Rinfei..." Although he wasn't exactly thrilled about having Rei show up in the dress, he would rather have her there in that than not at all.
"I know I promised Rinfei!" Rei snapped. "But I'm not going to stand up there in it in front of a bunch of people that hate me! I've gotta have SOME pride!"
"You're just being stubborn!" Shuu argued. "Three weeks ago you were fine with wearing that dress, even though you had the chance to back out!"
"Three weeks ago wasn't the night before crossing into enemy lines!"
"Rei!" he growled. "That's my family you're talking about!"
She looked ready to retort back something with something even harsher, then caught herself. Taking a few deep breaths, Rei reached over and took Shuu's hands in her own. "I know, Shuu...I'm sorry. But you don't understand how this is for me. When you and I first got together, nobody here objected. Not my grandpa, not my friends, nobody. You were welcomed with open arms. I didn't get that treatment from your family."
Sighing a little, Shuu brushed a strand of hair from Rei's eyes. "I know. And I feel like a coward. I just ran away from them instead of defending you. It was easier for me to just come to Tokyo than to bring you to Yokohama and demand they accept you for the sole reason that I adore you." Gathering her to him, he buried his face in her long dark hair, inhaling her scent.
Rei was quiet for a few moments before she spoke. "This is about more than an ugly dress, isn't it?"
He let out a soft laugh. "Yeah, I think so." Raising his head, he looked into her eyes. "I love my family, Rei. Until I fell in love with you, it was always my priority to make sure that they were happy. But when I realized I couldn't make them happy being with you, I panicked."
Rei put a hand on the side of his face. "These past few years away from them have been hurting you, haven't they?"
Shuu nodded. "I miss them, Rei. But I'm not about to sacrifice you just to win back their approval. You're too important to me for that. You mean too much. What I want most now is to have you AND my family, at the same time."
She put her arms around him. "Okay then," Rei murmured.
Looking down at her, Shuu blinked, confused. "Okay what then?"
"I'll go. Together we can prove to your family that you're not about to turn your back on them, even if they did the same to you. And if you want them to take our relationship seriously, well...here's that chance to defend me. Though it's going to be pretty damn tough with me wearing that awful dress" she warned.
Shuu grinned, then pushed his girlfriend onto her back. "Think of the dress as adding to the challenge," he suggested, straddling her before leaning down to kiss her lips. There was a devilish gleam in his eyes when he pulled away. "After all, any guy who gets all over a girl in that dress would have to be really in love with her. Once they see how crazy I am about you, they'll have no choice but to accept us."
"Oh really?" Rei raised an eyebrow playfully, reaching up around his neck and pulling him down to her lips again. "You think PDA is the way to convince them we mean business?"
"If not, you can bitchslap anyone who laughs at you, and I'll just smile smugly."
"I love you, Shuu."
"I love you too, Rei."
AN: So, after a long enough break, I got another theme done, yay me. This turned out WAY longer than I intended (and there was even supposed to be another scene, but now that I think about it that would just be extraneous), but I still like it. And believe it or not, folks, I did not make up the description of that dress. You can see it here (it's the one on the left), courtesty of uglydress.com (great place to kill time, BTW). The lucky number comb. this time was 58-1-4, yielding one of the weirdest pairings I've ever done. But I actually kind of like Rei/Shuu now that I've played with it a bit. I think it definitely deserves revisiting in the future.
Author: Nyneve
Theme(s): No. 58; Ugly, Undesirable, Unattractive
Summary: A wedding gives Rei the chance to earn the respect of her boyfriend's family, but there's one little problem...
Pairing/Characters: Rei/Shuu Rei Fuan (Yoroiden Samurai Troopers) [Kento; Ronin Warriors]
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
The Dress
"I got a letter from my mom."
Rei didn't look at her boyfriend, only continued to chop up the carrots for the soup. News from the Fuan clan never turned out well for her. It wasn't enough that their only son had fallen head over heels for a Japanese girl from Tokyo and gone so far as to drop everything and move down there to be with her...
Oh wait.
Nope, that was enough right there.
Shuu's parents had disapproved of the relationship right from the start. He had been expected to date the cute little Chinese girl in Yokohama that his mother had found for him, but after spotting the miko while sightseeing at her temple, he'd lost all interest. He got a job at a dojo, moved in with Ryo (still studying at that fancy university of his), then forcefully wooed the girl until she finally cracked and agreed to go out with him. By the next year, he was living at the shrine with her.
And Rei had to admit, there was something exhilarating about being chased by a guy who looked like he could snap you in half with his thumb and forefinger. He'd known exactly how to respond with her hard-to-get routine, demonstrating stubbornness to match her own. Of course, that same stubbornness (along with an equally-quick temper) had been the cause of many of their fights , but these were usually just loud bouts of bickering easily ended with angry make-up sex.
But this was the one fight that had been going on since the beginning. The one neither one seemed able to win. Usually they ignored it, but when blue-haired man had first read the letter, he realized that would no longer be an option.
"Rinfei's getting married."
Rei still gave it no thought. "How nice," she replied absently. "When's the wedding?"
She heard him go to the refrigerator and take out a can. Beer most likely. Oh dear. That didn't bode well. Shuu didn't drink much, just at parties or when trying to avoid a fight with his girlfriend. "It's in six weeks, up in Yokohama. My mom sent train tickets."
This got her attention. Pausing her chop, Rei turned her head slightly and glanced over her shoulder. "TicketS? As in, more than one?" Shuu nodded. The dark haired girl frowned. "Why would she do that? Your mother hates me. Never mind that she's never even met me..."
"Rinfei wants you to be a bridesmaid," he cut in. Shuu steeled himself, expecting his girlfriend to bark out a refusal or laugh straight out at the thought. But instead, he was met only with an expression of pure, undiluted shock.
"She what?" Rei whirled around. "Shuu, I've never even met your sister! Why on Earth would she want me to be a bridesmaid in her wedding?"
"Because I've succeeded in disappointing my parents even more than my rebellious older brother," a calm voice replied.
A pretty young woman around Rei's own age stepped into the kitchen looking very apologetic. "I'm sorry, Miss Hino. I told Shuu that he should introduce us normally, didn't seem to think that was a good idea." Taking a step forward, the woman held out a hand to the priestess. "I'm Fuan Rinfei, pleasure to meet you."
As the shock slowly wore off, Rei gave the woman a rather stiff smile and shook her hand, all the time her dark eyes narrowed in a glare directed at Shuu, who was quickly finishing off his beer. "The pleasure's all mine, Miss Fuan. And please, don't worry about it. Shuu has the tendency to get stupid ideas in his head," she answered.
Rinfei laughed. "That's Shuu for you. And please, Rinfei is fine, especially if you accept my invitation."
Rei looked back at her guest, expression softening a great deal. It was a comfort to know that at least one member of Shuu's family wanted to make peace with her, sudden and unorthodox as the approach was. But still, such a huge request was daunting.
Looking hesitantly at the young woman, Rei folded her hands in front of her. "Rinfei...I'd be honored, really, but...why me? We've never even met before."
Now it was the other woman's turn to appear uncomfortable. "Well, um, you see, Rei, we're in similar situations, you and I. My mother doesn't approve of the relationship between you and my brother, and she outright hates my fiance. It's a miracle she's allowing this wedding at all."
You mean she doesn't outright hate me? Rei thought skeptically. She was about to offer words of condolence, but suddenly Shuu looked suspicious. "And why does she hate him, Rinfei? This guy isn't mean to you, is he? Does he hurt you? I swear to God if this bastard puts one hand on you I'll--"
"He doesn't!" Rinfei cried. "James is the sweetest, gentlest man I've ever met. He's very educated and he has his own business and he's more than able to support me and a family in the future."
"Wait...'James'?" Rei cut in.
Shuu's eyes widened, and he clapped a hand to his forehead. "You mean he's..."
"American," Rinfei nodded. "His full name's James Bailey. I met him when I was studying abroad three years ago. We fell in love and we've been writing ever since. When I visited him last spring he proposed, and he's just finished filing paperwork with immigration."
"YOU'RE MOVING?!" Shuu roared. Rolling her eyes, Rei went to his side and put an arm around his broad shoulders.
"Easy, Mr. Protective Big Brother..." she murmured.
"No, Rei!" he snapped. "It's one thing if she wants to marry an American. Fine. Wonderful. But moving to another continent?!"
"She's a grown woman, Shuu!" Rei countered irritably, dropping her arm and putting her hands on her hips. "She can do whatever she wants!"
"Grown woman?!"
"She's my age, isn't she? I don't see you telling me what to do!"
"You're not moving to America!"
"Both of you stop it this instant!" Rinfei snapped, stepping between the two and pushing them apart. "You're nearly as bad as Mother and Father!"
The couple muttered apologies to each other, but continued to glare daggers out of the corners of their eyes as they relinquished attention to the bride-to-be.
"Now then, Shuu," Rinfei began, sounding like a teacher about to explain a lesson to her students. "I'm marrying James and going to live with him in America. That's that. What's more is we're having a Christian wedding to make him feel more comfortable here. We're getting married on July twenty-fifth in Yokohama." The guise dropped as Rinfei's wide brown eyes looked up into her brother's face. "Shuu...I really need you to be there. You're the only other family member who's ever dared to go against Mother's wishes. You and Rei are the only ones who'll understand."
Shuu's dark blue eyes looked over his sister's head to meet with Rei's dark purple ones. Although the woman still looked irritated, she gave him the nod to proceed. Smiling down at his sister, he put his arms around her and squeezed her tight to his chest. "Of course we'll be there, Rinfei."
"And I'd love to be your bridesmaid," Rei added, freeing her from Shuu's deathgrip and giving her a lighter embrace.
However, Rinfei quickly pulled free, excitement clear on her eyes. "Thank you so much, Rei! Wait here! I even brought your dress so you can see what it's like!"
"My...dress...?" Rei stammered, watching her soon-to-be more-or-less sister-in-law dart outside. Taking advantage of her absence, the priestess turned to her boyfriend with narrowed eyes. "Okay, WHERE is she going, and how does she even know what size I am?"
"One, I don't know. She's staying at a hotel, and I didn't see her bring anything in," Shuu answered with a shrug. "Two, I gave her your measurements."
"YOU WHAT?" Rei shrieked, picking up the cookbook from next to the cutting board and whacking him on the head with it. "You jerk!"
"Ow! Rei, jeez...what's the big deal? I love your body!"
"That's not the point!" she answered, hitting him again, then spinning around huffily and skimming through the pages to find her recipe again. "How did YOU even know what they were? Did you measure me when I was asleep or something?"
No answer.
The cookbook collided with Shuu's head a third time. "SHUU!"
"It's not my fault you're a heavy sleeper!"
"Hmph!" Rei crossed her arms over her chest. "I should make you sleep on the couch tonight..."
Although he didn't have a verbal to response to that, she soon felt Shuu's powerful arms encircle her from behind and pull her flush to his chest. A shiver ran down her back as she felt the hard muscles beneath his t-shirt, and again silently asked how someone who could be so difficult could be so appealing to her.
"I'm sorry, Rei. Really," Shuu said, pressing a light kiss to her neck. "But don't you see, this is an opportunity for us. Rinfei wants you there. And my parents aren't going to be nearly as hard on you if they know two of their children are standing behind you." She felt his lips on her again, at the sensitive spot near her ear. "And who knows? Maybe we won't need to stand up for you after all. I bet once they actually meet you, my family will love you as much as I do."
Rei closed her eyes. "All I have to do is show up and look pretty, right?"
"Mmhmm," he murmured. "And I know that second part will be a piece of cake for you."
Smiling, Rei turned around and opened her eyes, then slipped her arms around Shuu's neck. "All right, I'm in." Kissing his lips, she then stepped back and smoothed her hair. "You're right. This won't be a big deal. As long as the dress isn't..."
"Here it is!" Rinfei chirped, stepping back inside and displaying...something...on a hanger.
"...ugly." Rei finished weakly, eyes widening.
Ugly was the understatement of the century. It was what one would probably call a sheath dress, although sheaths were supposed to give a person a figure. This monstrosity had Rei already visualizing how much like a rectangle she would look. The straps were wide, the neck looked like the collar of Shuu's T-shirt, and the skirt was ridiculously long. As a finishing touch, who ever had designed the veritable piece of pottage couldn't seem to have decided on a pattern. While the top part was some sort of animal print (accentuated with pink flowers and a big green circle under the left armpit), gray and magenta diamonds ran down the sides, while the front and back featured multicolored horizontal stripes divided by a black zigzag right down the middle.
"Amazing, isn't it? My best friend designed it. She did both bridesmaid's dresses and my mom's dress, but they're all a little different. This one seemed perfect for you, from the pictures of you Shuu had sent me," Rinfei replied, handing Rei the dress.
"Amazing..." Rei repeated, glancing at Shuu who was turning bright red with the effort not to burst out laughing. A pointed glare from his fashion-victim girlfriend sobered him up right away. But not enough to prevent him from making the one suggestion that earned a sharp heel grinding down on his foot.
"Maybe you should go try it on?"
Rei could have killed him, but before she got the chance, Rinfei was nodding excitedly in agreement. Forcing a smile, she squeezed the dress to her. "Maybe I should. I'll be right back," she remarked, making sure to carefully aim her foot so as to land a direct hit on Shuu's toes. "I hate you," Rei growled before disappearing into the hall.
"Ow! Dammit Rei..."
Rinfei giggled. "I like her. You two are like an old married couple already."
"And just who are you calling old?!" her brother cried indignantly, throwing an arm about her neck and holding her in a headlock that only elicited more hysterical giggles.
But dead silence descended when Rei returned to the kitchen. The look on her face was not a happy one, and even Shuu had to gaze on her with sympathy at the mess that covered her body.
It looked like some kind of nightgown, albeit one that had been vomited upon by a mob of rainbow pixies. As Rei had feared, the cut had destroyed anything even remotely resembling a figure, making the garment as flattering as a hospital gown (though at least hospital gowns could be revealing). In addition, Shuu must have been off when measuring his unconscious paramour, since the skirt was trailing on the ground, completely concealing her feet. All in all she looked about a foot shorter, since the elimination of her waist and made it impossible to tell where her legs ended and torso began.
Her one hope had been that Rinfei would see how terrible the dress looked when actually on a human being, and would thus immediately begin searching for something much more suitable. But the look on the bride-to-be's face only sent Rei's heart sinking faster than the Titanic.
"Wow...Rei...you look so chic!" Rinfei cried, circling around her bridesmaid. "That pattern's doing wonders for your skin tone..."
Is than an insult? Rei asked silently as Shuu's sister continued to examine her like a predator does its prey, streaming off compliment after compliment that made the poor woman wonder if maybe the girl was blind and/or completely out of her mind.
Her eyes met Shuu's with a scathing 'Well?' look. He could only respond with a silent 'I'm sorry.' Rei was about to shoot back a 'You better be damn well sorry' glare when suddenly the electronic melody of a cell phone broke through the awkward silence.
Reaching into her jacket pocket, Rinfei checked the ID. "It's James," she explained, then flipped it open. "Hello Darling...Yes...I'm at Shuu and Rei's right now...Mmhmm, I have both bridesmaids now...You what? Really? Oh...oh my...Well, I'll need to call Mother and Father...No no Sweetheart, it's no trouble at all...We'll make it work, James, I promise...Yes...Yes...All right...Love you too..."
As she flipped the phone closed, Rinfei looked hesitantly at her brother, then flashed a sheepish smile. "Big Brother?" she began, voice sounding far too innocent for whatever news she had just received.
The man hesitated. "Yes...?"
"What are you doing in three weeks?"
"THREE WEEKS?!" Rei and Shuu cried in unison. Rinfei's face instantly fell.
"Of course. I'm sorry. I know, it's too short notice. I understand if you can't make it. It's just that James got offered a new job in California and he wants us to bump up the wedding so we can have a house picked out by the time he gets transferred. Oh God, what will Mother say...?"
"Oh come on Rinfei, it's not that bad," Shuu replied, instantly going to his sister's rescue. But all Rei could think about was that James Bailey had just gotten her out of one of the most humiliating experiences in her life. Three weeks was way too short notice. Shuu would never be able to get the time off of work, his mother wouldn't want to send them ANOTHER pair of train tickets...
But then Rei saw the tears in the young woman's eyes, and her heart softened. Bad as the dress was, Rinfei was the sister of the man she loved, and she dreamed of having her brother there with her. And she'd even gone so far as to include the woman who'd come between the family and the eldest son. How could she refuse?
"Don't worry, Rinfei," Rei said softly, putting an arm around her shoulders. "Shuu and I will be there. After all, you need your bridesmaid, don't you? And you're going to be busy enough in the next few weeks without having to worry about finding another one and getting the dress altered to fit."
Shuu looked at his girlfriend in surprise, then inclined his head slightly as he looked back at his sister. "See? Nothing to worry about. And don't you worry about Mother. Just tell her you're going to need lots of help organizing the wedding and she'll get so caught up in trying to make it perfect for you that she'll forget to be angry." Giving her the best reassuring-big-brother-grin he could, he kissed her forehead.
Rinfei wiped her eyes, then looked from Shuu to Rei. "Thank you, both of you..." she sniffed, smearing her eyeliner. After taking a few deep breaths, she got to her feet. "Well, I've got a lot of phone calls to make, so I'd better get going. Rei, it was wonderful to meet you, and I can't wait to see you at the wedding."
The women kissed each other's cheeks, then Shuu made sure to give his sister one more bone-crushing hug before walking her out of the house and down the hill to where her car was parked. "It'll all work out. You'll see," he promised, before she rolled up the window and pulled away from the curb.
By the time he got back to the kitchen, Rei had already changed out of the hideous dress and was back in her jeans and camisole, chopping carrots as if nothing had happened. Moving beside her, Shuu picked up one of the chunks and popped it in his mouth.
"You're really gonna go through with it?" he asked, not looking at her.
Her attention never shifted. "What choice do I have, Shuu?"
The man shrugged. "You could've refused to come. You could've refused to be a bridesmaid. You could've refused to wear that dress. Why not?"
Rei paused, knife hovering over the carrot. "Because...this is important to her, Shuu. And Rinfei's important to you. So..."
Shuu smiled. "You're so awesome, Rei."
Smirking a little, she glanced at him from the corner of her eye. "Even when wearing a hideous dress?"
"Especially when wearing a hideous dress," he laughed, kissing her soundly.
But as the weeks went by, both began to doubt whether Shuu's words were actually true. While Rei dreaded having to appear in front of a large group of strangers in the garment, Shuu was panicking that it would give the wrong impression to his family about his lover. For a short time, he had even considered if it was possible his mother had put Rinfei up to giving Rei the dress, just to humiliate the poor girl. But his sister's sheer enthusiasm convinced him that wasn't the case, and besides, hadn't Rinfei said the other bridesmaid and their mother would have dresses made by the same person?
The night before their train to Yokohama, Shuu awoke to Rei gently shaking him. Rolling over, he blinked and blearily stared at her. "Rei? What is it?"
"I can't do this, Shuu. I can't go through with wearing that thing in front of your family," she answered.
He groaned. "Come on, Rei...you promised Rinfei..." Although he wasn't exactly thrilled about having Rei show up in the dress, he would rather have her there in that than not at all.
"I know I promised Rinfei!" Rei snapped. "But I'm not going to stand up there in it in front of a bunch of people that hate me! I've gotta have SOME pride!"
"You're just being stubborn!" Shuu argued. "Three weeks ago you were fine with wearing that dress, even though you had the chance to back out!"
"Three weeks ago wasn't the night before crossing into enemy lines!"
"Rei!" he growled. "That's my family you're talking about!"
She looked ready to retort back something with something even harsher, then caught herself. Taking a few deep breaths, Rei reached over and took Shuu's hands in her own. "I know, Shuu...I'm sorry. But you don't understand how this is for me. When you and I first got together, nobody here objected. Not my grandpa, not my friends, nobody. You were welcomed with open arms. I didn't get that treatment from your family."
Sighing a little, Shuu brushed a strand of hair from Rei's eyes. "I know. And I feel like a coward. I just ran away from them instead of defending you. It was easier for me to just come to Tokyo than to bring you to Yokohama and demand they accept you for the sole reason that I adore you." Gathering her to him, he buried his face in her long dark hair, inhaling her scent.
Rei was quiet for a few moments before she spoke. "This is about more than an ugly dress, isn't it?"
He let out a soft laugh. "Yeah, I think so." Raising his head, he looked into her eyes. "I love my family, Rei. Until I fell in love with you, it was always my priority to make sure that they were happy. But when I realized I couldn't make them happy being with you, I panicked."
Rei put a hand on the side of his face. "These past few years away from them have been hurting you, haven't they?"
Shuu nodded. "I miss them, Rei. But I'm not about to sacrifice you just to win back their approval. You're too important to me for that. You mean too much. What I want most now is to have you AND my family, at the same time."
She put her arms around him. "Okay then," Rei murmured.
Looking down at her, Shuu blinked, confused. "Okay what then?"
"I'll go. Together we can prove to your family that you're not about to turn your back on them, even if they did the same to you. And if you want them to take our relationship seriously, well...here's that chance to defend me. Though it's going to be pretty damn tough with me wearing that awful dress" she warned.
Shuu grinned, then pushed his girlfriend onto her back. "Think of the dress as adding to the challenge," he suggested, straddling her before leaning down to kiss her lips. There was a devilish gleam in his eyes when he pulled away. "After all, any guy who gets all over a girl in that dress would have to be really in love with her. Once they see how crazy I am about you, they'll have no choice but to accept us."
"Oh really?" Rei raised an eyebrow playfully, reaching up around his neck and pulling him down to her lips again. "You think PDA is the way to convince them we mean business?"
"If not, you can bitchslap anyone who laughs at you, and I'll just smile smugly."
"I love you, Shuu."
"I love you too, Rei."
AN: So, after a long enough break, I got another theme done, yay me. This turned out WAY longer than I intended (and there was even supposed to be another scene, but now that I think about it that would just be extraneous), but I still like it. And believe it or not, folks, I did not make up the description of that dress. You can see it here (it's the one on the left), courtesty of uglydress.com (great place to kill time, BTW). The lucky number comb. this time was 58-1-4, yielding one of the weirdest pairings I've ever done. But I actually kind of like Rei/Shuu now that I've played with it a bit. I think it definitely deserves revisiting in the future.