~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Now was the time!
He had just seen Jian-wa walk outside to the refreshment table. He was no longer in her dressing room � it was the opportune time to take a servant entrance that would lead him to his goal.
It was so close that he could almost taste it. She would not, could not possibly suspect his intentions. Not as such a time as this wedding, nor such a person as him. The very concept would be nonexistent to her, to everyone, which would give him just the chance he needed.
Yes, now was the time.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Neko finished fastening her gold heart-shaped cuff links, wondering how much one really needed cuff links (she had had some difficulty), but now that she had completed the task, it didn�t seem that bad.
Mostly that was because there was only one more thing to do before she�d be completely ready.
�And then I can go get married to Tenshi,� she sang, dancing about in her stocking feet, utterly ignoring the extra hour or so she had before the ceremony actually started.
She made herself calm down, so that she could finish up. There would be plenty of time for dancing later. Now she needed to put on her boots.
The first high heeled black boot went on with no problem, but as Neko attempted to put on the second one, she ran into a problem. The zipper seemed to be stuck. She placed the shoe onto the chair Mi-chan had been using earlier and worked at the zipper, trying to figure out the problem.
Knock knock knock.
�Come in,� she called out, absent-mindedly, just as the zipper finally began to budge. She sighed in relief and was about to shove her foot in the boot, when she remembered that someone had just come in. Neko straightened up, ready to greet them, but before she could, she was grabbed from behind with something clapped over her mouth, muffling her screams.
She struggled only briefly before she felt her consciousness slip away.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Puroko seemed to come out of nowhere when she dashed directly into Mi-chan.
�Oof, Puroko-chan, what are you doing?�
The ten-year-old looked up at Mi-chan with wide, guilty eyes. �Gomen nasai�, Michiru-san,� she said, her eyes traveling over Mi-chan�s entire outfit and finally lighting upon her tattoo before choosing which twin to address. It was a practiced exercise she always went through for fear that she might inadvertently offend the Mizuno twin by calling her by her sister�s name, though Mi-chan and Neko were rarely upset by this. Today it seemed particularly amusing to Mi-chan since the twins had the same hairdo, but different outfits that should have given them away immediately.
The little girl continued to ramble her apology. �Papa said Tenshi had something to give me, like a present or something, and I was coming her way, but I couldn�t get through the crowd outside the hall, so I went another way, and I didn�t see you there�.� She pulled on Mi-chan�s sleeve until Mi-chan bent down towards her. �I�m not sure I was allowed that way,� she whispered guiltily. Her reaction to her guilty conscience reminded Mi-chan a bit of Neko�s when she thought she had done something wrong.
�I�m sure you�re fine,� Mi-chan said with a toothy grin.
�That�s good,� Puroko replied seriously.
Mi-chan patted Puroko in the direction of Tenshi�s dressing room, but she never reached it herself. Suddenly, she was seized by a wave of fear so great that she felt it reach out and pull her back from the doorway.
�Neko!� she gasped, immediately turning and leaving Puroko to see Tenshi alone.
Maid of honor duties be damned! Neko had just gone unconscious!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Tenshi was humming to herself as she brushed her soft blond hair. She noticed Puroko enter in the mirror, and jumped to her feet to give her little sister a hug. �Oh, I�m so glad you�re here! I have a present for you!�
�Ooh,� Puroko cooed. �Did you get a present for Michiru-san too? Did you, Tenshi?�
�Hai, Kiddo,� Tenshi chuckled, handing her the gift box.
�Did you hear that, Michi� Hey, where did Michiru-san go?� Puroko asked, turning a complete circle in search of Tenshi�s maid of honor.
�I don�t know,� Tenshi answered, still laughing lightly. �But I wouldn�t worry about her. I�m sure she just went back to check on her twin.� *�my soon-to-be wife!* she thought in exuberance.
*Must not squeal like Koneko. Must not squeal* she reminded herself, managing to hold on to her composure.
�Besides, I�ve already given her her present.� She took Puroko�s hand. �Come on, Kiddo, you can help me put on my tiara.�
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Jian-wa arrived at Neko�s door, balancing three glasses of lemonade in his hands. He was all set to wait for Mi-chan outside the room, but when he got there, he noticed that the door was ajar.
�Ne, Neko-chan?� he called, knocking a glass on the door. When she didn�t answer, he pushed the door open further and peeked in, blushing once again. �Neko-chan?�
The first thing he noticed was that one of the chairs was knocked over. But upon a deeper look at that side of the room, there were other clues that something was amiss � the lamp was askew, a box of jewelry had been knocked over and the jewelry scattered, a single boot lay on the floor near the overturned chair.
�Ta ma de!� he swore as he practically threw the lemonade down onto the nearest table. He turned to find Mi-chan, but she practically ran him over to get in the room.
�Where is Neko(-chan)?!� they both cried, hoping the other knew what had happened.
�I felt�. She�s uncon�scious�.� Mi-chan gasped for breath, obviously having run through the palace to get here.
�Well, she was gone when I got here. And it looks like she struggled a bit�.� He moved aside so she could investigate the room if she wanted.
