Mirrors, Manners, and Mind-set
Part IV, Chapter 1
Ami looked down the long, flower-strewn aisle, at the gaily-bedecked altar, and at the lurid pink bouquet grasped tightly between her hands and wondered how it had gone this far. A heavy chandelier hung over head, and she glanced up at its long, gold-plated branches dripping with crystal pendants. She saw the glittering, rainbow light refractions shooting here and there in dizzying brilliance and pressed her hand to her forehead, feeling a headache coming on.
A searing pain glazed across her temples, and when she yanked her hand away hurriedly, she saw bright drops of ruby-red blood upon the palm of her hand. The creamy white skin had been laid open in a nasty gash, and Ami glanced around helplessly as thick, fat drops splashed onto the ground. All of a sudden, a warm, comforting presence appeared at her side, and a tall figure crowned in dazzling light took her hand.
The pain subsided, but when Ami tried to thank the man who had come to her aid, he disappeared without her ever having gotten a clear glance at him. She was left with a fleeting memory of mint-green eyes.
"Ami, your dress!" Rei called in distress, attracting her attention. She was dressed in a strapless red gown and holding up a giant, rectangular mirror.
Ami saw that her dress, a silly, fluffed-up affair of peacock-blue satin, had been stained by her blood even though the cut had closed up. She frowned as she gazed at herself in the looking-glass that had suddenly appeared before her.
Clusters of icy diamonds winked at her throat, wrists, and ears. Every time she took a step in her ridiculous high heels, she stepped on her hem and nearly toppled head over heels. Of course, this could also be attributed to what felt and looked like the entire contents of a jewelry store draped about her person.
Somewhat dizzily, she glanced around–all the pews were filled. Instead of the wedding march, the latest Three Lights' pop hit was playing, and she ambled along to the beat along the deep red carpet. Taking the place of the traditional rose petals were big, fat pink tulips that squished under her now bare feet unpleasantly.
Suddenly, her cousin spoke again, having walked by Ami's side instead of behind upon the tulips, drawing her out of her reverie. Rei asked softly, her amethyst eyes boring into the depths of Ami's blue ones, "Are you happy, Ami?"
She looked back at her reflection, which wavered and changed. Her husband-to-be, now her husband, kissed her in the bedroom...she rocked a child in her arms...she laughed happily, throwing her arms around her parents and Rei, all of whom were beaming with unclouded joy.
The mirror rippled once more, and Ami held her breath in anticipation of what further images of bliss would be shown to her. Then she saw herself alone, the sadness that had not fled was lurking in her eyes and behind her smile.
There was no answer to Rei's question, and the mirror shattered into millions of sharp, coldly-glittering fragments among the squashy pink tulips.
Ami surfaced from the dream with a gasp, sucking in as much air as possible. The perfectly-heated room felt stifling to her; she pushed aside the down sheets with none of her usual care and ran to the bathroom to splash cold water on her face. Her pulse pounded rapidly, sounding loud and urgent in her head, and she was shaking.
When she felt more or less under control and as the remnants of the dream faded from her memory, she glanced up shakily at the gilded mirror above the sink, somewhat afraid that the same thing would happen, that the mirror would smash at her feet again. Ami shoved to the back of her mind the shattering of future happiness, the image of herself left alone with bitter sorrow.
She strode to the balcony determinedly, throwing open the French doors and taking deep breaths of the cool night air. She was chilled quickly, soaked in sweat from the nightmare, but she stayed outdoors for a while longer. Ami listened intently, but there was no sound issuing forth from within the house or the surrounding neighborhood: no voices, no odd night noises, not even the ever-present bustle of traffic...
With a quiet sigh, she leaned her elbows on the railing and looked out at the vast domain of the Kou mansion. How silly she was to think she could have heard any sound that would have disturbed their sleep. The perfectly-manicured lawns and profusion of carefully-cultivated flowers were nearly invisible in the dark of night; she could barely make out the spiral pattern of the dusky labyrinth of hedges far off in the distance.
For about two weeks now, Ami had been living in the home of her fiancee, Taiki Kou – or rather, the home of his parents which had belonged in the Kou family for a multitude of generations. Their courtship had been an extremely proper one; Ami and Taiki had been introduced at one of the season's numerous social galas by mutual friends, and after they had met on a few more occasions, begun seeing each other. When it had escalated into serious dating, Ami had no idea, but after three years, it had suddenly become known to her that among their friends and acquaintances, they were considered as good as engaged.
Ami had had mixed feelings upon that extraordinary pronouncement: some panic, great surprise, sudden fear, curious hope, and a sense of being cornered against her will. She felt that perhaps all along, there had been a sense of fate in their perfect relationship. He was intellectual, fairly considerate, and shared a number of interests with her. They got along well, although both were rather introverted, and Ami had plenty of reasons for why she should marry him. Their married life was predicted to be harmonious and peaceful, a happier union than many unfortunate couples of their class could expect.
The Kous – at least the older generation – were traditionalists. They had lived in the ancestral mansion since it had been built and not stirred to a different permanent residence since; they had winter ski lodges and summer homes in different countries, but they would never leave this fruit of ancient labors. Ami and Taiki's engagement had taken place in private, as was considered appropriate, and since she was no longer surprised, she had been able to accept with perfect grace and calm. They had then waited the precise number of months that had been expected after their engagement to set the wedding date, which was fast approaching. It was approaching much faster than Ami had ever dreamed it could, but she felt that she did not make a very expectant bride.
She was still somewhat hesitant about her welcome into the family. Mrs. Kou had accepted her graciously, but that was how she accepted everything: with cool aplomb, a careful smile, and glittering diamonds, a quality she had passed on to her eldest son. Mr. Kou, a kindly-looking gentleman, had greeted the news that he would be acquiring a daughter-by-marriage with no little excitement. It was mostly due to his prodding that their wedding was to be such a lavish celebration.
As for Taiki's younger brothers, Seiya and Yaten, Ami understood where she stood with them perfectly. Seiya was the favored child and had always been, but he was also the most rebellious. According to Taiki, his behavior had always been perfect, even during their childhood years. Their parents had long-expected Taiki to take over as head of the family, and although they indulged Seiya in his whims, they had made it clear that sooner or later, he would be taking over the major portion of the business.
Seiya, more reckless than his brother and equally intelligent, was surprisingly gentle with Ami. He had sensed that she was shy, and when reserved Taiki did not introduce her to people and places she was unfamiliar with, Seiya did it for him. She already felt like his older sister: he described his secret exploits to her, things he would never tells his parents or brothers, and she alternately scolded and laughed with him.
Yaten was the youngest son and, in Ami's opinion, slightly erratic. He was as handsome as Seiya and mercurial in his emotions, decidedly spoiled, and excessively kindhearted. Although they had never really had a serious conversation, Yaten and Ami got along fine after Taiki had impressed upon him that under no circumstances was he to be rude to his girlfriend and later fiancee. Ami had yet to figure out where Yaten fit in the well-planned future his parents appeared to have created.
When she had posed the question to Taiki about his own place in the hierarchy, he had replied, with a sardonic smile, "The bookkeeper, of course. I'll stay at home with my accounts in the dusty old study, and when they come across a problem even the brilliant Seiya can't solve, they'll remember there was a third brother after all."
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Zachary Coruni stifled an impressive yawn as he checked his watch. He removed it from his wrist and shook it cautiously, then harder, determined to prove that it had finally broken. It wasn't possible for time to tick by this slowly. At last, he heaved a great sigh as the minute hand inched over another step grudgingly after its thorough shaking.
From a seat across the aisle, his brother cast a cautious look at him but said nothing. Zach's most recent girlfriend, an aspiring starlet, had been almost as good at concealing the fact that she was a shallow gold digger as she was at acting. She was actually a fairly good actress – Jaden supposed, acidly, that was why she had been able to fool him, Zach, and the rest of the family for so long. It was those skills, her face, and her body that had landed her a role in an upcoming movie and a place as the consort of a filthily-rich director.
Personally, Jaden had a feeling that Zach had been more upset than he'd let on, but Zachary would never admit it to him. Jaden didn't think that broaching the subject in a plane full of passengers would be the wisest idea, either.
"Any idea when we'll take off?" Zach reached across the foot of navy carpeting, splotched with coffee and some other substances he wasn't sure he wanted to identify, to prod his brother when he failed to respond.
"Huh? Oh...soon, I guess," he shrugged.
Zach settled back into his seat with a huff. "Oh, forget it."
"Sorry," Jaden said with a sheepish look. "Here, why don't you look at this...maybe it'll help pass the time," he offered meekly.
He looked at the brochure his brother had handed to him. "‘Proper exiting procedures...' You want me to read a packet on how to inflate a life vest? I appreciate the thought, but I already have one in the pocket in front of me. No need to divest you of your own engrossing emergency brochure."
Jaden glanced over quickly. "Oops. I meant to give you this magazine." He tossed over the glossy-covered periodical with an embarrassed look on his face.
Shaking his head, Zach tucked the pamphlet back into the seat pocket and took the magazine. He blinked when he saw the publish date – it was four years old. What was Jaden doing walking around with a four year old magazine? Zach glanced over at Jaden, who seemed to be absorbed in a medical thriller. Shrugging, he flipped through the thin pages absentmindedly. Jaden was messy enough; it wasn't much of a surprise that he didn't bother to throw out old magazines.
All the lights were dimmed in the cabin after a very unsatisfactory dinner. Zach thought Jaden had fallen asleep, but azure eyes pierced through the darkened cabin when he turned to address him. "Zach–about this wedding..."
"What about it?" he responded pleasantly, doing his best to ignore the voice that said had the slick movie director not come along, he would have been busy with his own wedding preparations. His past seemed to be full of shifting shadows, irreversible mistakes, and broken promises...
"Do you want me to promise that I'll be on my best behavior?" he drawled when Jaden did not seem inclined to speak again. "I won't eat with my fingers, I'll keep my elbows off the table, and I'll be seen and not heard, if that's what you want."
Jaden laughed shortly. "We're not six anymore. Besides, why would I be in charge of your table manners? Isn't that Mom's lookout?"
He laughed back. "Very true. Besides, my manners are much better than yours. You eat like a pig."
"Excuse me, but pigs are very clean creatures," he shot back in an affronted tone.
Cutting short their friendly bantering, Zach leaned his elbow on the armrest thoughtfully. "Who is Mizuno-Anderson marrying again? Some big Japanese tycoon with a strange name?"
Jaden rolled his eyes. "Don't be insulting. After the wedding, you won't be calling her ‘Mizuno-Anderson' anymore. Try using ‘Ami.'"
"Simple words for simple minds."
"Be quiet."
"His name?" Zach prodded.
"Taiki Kou. I met him last summer...seems like a nice guy. Quiet, a little frosty, but very polite. And, of course, very smart."
Zach laughed again. "Of course, seeing how he's going to marry Ami. Could you expect her to date someone with an I.Q. below one-thirty?"
With a wide smirk, Jaden replied, "Actually, seeing how she dated you five years ago..."
"It was six, and what are you implying?" he shot back. Then... "What did you say his name was?"
"Taiki Kou," Jaden repeated patiently. "How many more times will it take to get the name through your head?"
Without responding, Zach reached for the magazine he had shoved between two equally-boring newspapers. Perhaps the magazine was not so useless, after all. After a few minutes of flipping furiously through the pages, he came to the desired article.
"What are you looking for?"
"Nothing," Zach said calmly. After he had scanned the article again, he dog-eared the page and closed the magazine firmly. At Jaden's annoyed look, he said, "Well, if you must know, it's a recipe for souffle. I was just remembering how hungry I was. Will we be eating soon after the plane lands?"
Jaden shook his head. "You're impossible."
"I know," he replied, looking pleased. Inwardly, his mind was leaping ahead, his fingers itching to do a search on his laptop.
‘Just because you have rotten luck in the romance department doesn't mean that everyone else has to, Zach Coruni,' he chided himself. It was more likely that there was absolutely no mystery around Taiki Kou, Ami's fiancee. Knowing her, he would be an upstanding citizen, bookish, possessed of impeccable manners, and an incomparable bore. Nevertheless, he placed the periodical in his carry-on.
Jaden watched him with tired eyes. "Zach..."
"Yes? Is it about my tuxedo this time? I promise you I will not be wearing puce, mauve, or puke-green," he said with a straight-face. "In fact, I believe it's black. I would switch to white if you want, but I think it would make me look fat."
"Zach," Jaden admonished in an uncharacteristically stern tone, "this is serious."
"All right, what's up? I'm all ears. Is Ami not actually getting married after all, or are we here to bail this Taiki fellow out of his illegal drug-running activities, or–"
"Oh, shut up," his brother moaned, burying his face in his flimsy little pillow. "Never mind. You never listen to me anyway; what's the point?"
An orange juice drink sailed over to hit him in the head. Before he could squawk a complaint, Zach muttered, "Come on, don't take me so seriously. I listen, and I'm listening, and I do listen, all right?"
Smoothing ruffled blond curls, Jaden blinked at him. "Right. I don't think that's the correct way to conjugate ‘listen,' though...at least, you don't do it three times in one sentence."
"Can you just spit it out?" he griped, all twinges of guilt vanishing.
"Okay, okay. So–why are you coming for the wedding, anyway?"
Zach stared at him. "Excuse me? All the ‘You never listen to me anyway; what's the point?' and ‘this is serious' guilt-trip, and you ask me why I'm going to this wedding? I just thought you'd like some moral support.
You're planning on proposing to Rei as soon as Ami's happily married and off to her fairytale life, right? If you do it well, I'll get good and drunk, and if she slaps you across the face, then we'll get smashed together."
Despite his annoyance, Jaden laughed. "Great, thanks. Well, now that I know you're just along for the booze–"
"And the bachelor party," he interjected.
"–right, then there's no reason to worry."
"Worry about what?" Zach asked in confusion.
"I was getting to that...I mean..I was just surprised you decided to come with me. You haven't seen Ami for years, and it's not like you kept in touch."
He groaned. "If this is another chance to hear Zach-the-idiot episodes, I'll pass, thanks."
Jaden punched him lightly in the shoulder. "Listen up. I'm trying to be serious here."
"I didn't know that was possible."
"Shut up. So–you're completely okay with the wedding, right?"
Zach shrugged nonchalantly, putting his feet on the footrest. "Yeah, sure. Why wouldn't I be?"
"Well–because you and Ami dated a while back, and I just wanted to be extra sure..." Jaden, in all his goodwill, ended his expression of concerned brotherly sentiments when Zach burst out laughing.
"Let me get this straight: I dated Ami for about five days six years ago, and you're worried about us? Do you think I'm planning to fall madly in love with her again, seduce her, and run away with her? Don't answer that," he said quickly when Jaden opened his mouth. "Trust me. I solemnly swear," he said in a mock-virtuous tone, "that I will do nothing of the sort. No evil intentions towards Miss Ami – soon to be Mrs. Kou – whatsoever."
Jaden rubbed his temples tiredly. "Yeah, next time Rei thinks she has a good idea, I'm not coming along for the ride."
He smirked. "She just makes you do the dirty work for her. Although I think if Rei had asked me herself, it might have gone over better. She wouldn't have beaten around the bush for half of the in-flight movie. It would just have been ‘Hey, Zach, are you an obsessive, deranged ex-boyfriend, by any chance? No? Good, thanks, catch you later.'"
Since Jaden was looking annoyed, Zach sighed and added, "Look, I am fine, I am perfect, and I'm looking forward to the wedding. The bride will be beautiful, the groom a bore, and the pews full of hypocrites. Are you satisfied?"
"Are you sure?"
"It's all in the past, Jaden. Forget about it – I already have."
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AN: I'm sorry it's taken me so long to continue LAFS...I think the smarter thing to do would have been to have it Love at Third Sight, but that wouldn't have been quite so catchy ^.~
Thank you, everyone, for reading and reviewing. I can't express how much I appreciate the encouragement and praise, but I am very honored. Thank you so much,
~Ice
Mainpage: Love at Fifth Sight
