Conflicting Arrangements

Another Invidia Tale by AMI MEITSU

A/N: This story spans the timeline from December 2207 to June 2208, meaning Akira and Ryou are just four, and have only been living with Invidia and Arty for a few months.

A light snow coated the already-white city in the early morning hours of Christmas day. Inside her apartment, Invidia watched it fall while Arty made her some tea and the kids stared wide-eyed at the presents under the tree.

"Invidia-Mama, is it time yet?" Akira whined.

"You have to wait until your father and I settle down first," Invidia replied.

"Why?"

"Because I said so, alright?"

"Invidia don't be mean," Arty said as he approached her with a teacup. She took it and followed him into the living room and onto the couch. Once he was settled in comfortably Invidia climbed up to cuddle with him and watch the kids open presents.

"You can start now," Invidia told them.

Akira and Ryou smiled at her and each other, and then practically threw themselves into the pile. Naturally, they picked out the biggest boxes first, however, despite their similarities in choosing present size their unwrapping styles were completely different. While Akira gently opened the present, Ryou just ripped the paper off and threw it aside.

"Hey! Don't trash the apartment! Put it in the bag like I told you to," Invidia said, pointing to a large, black, trash bag near the table.

"Princess, relax, they're just little kids," Arty said as he ran a hand through her hair.

'Little kids who need to learn how to clean up after themselves! I used to do it all the time because Father thought it would make me responsible.'She thought, and, just as she finished that thought, the phone rang.

"Now, who in their right mind would call at eight thirty on Christmas?" Arty asked.

"I don't know, but I'll get it." Invidia then got up and answered. "Hello?" She asked.

"Invidia? Oh, I am so glad it's you!" Shamura said over the line.

"Shamura? Do you know what time it is?"

"Never mind that, I'm engaged!"

"Vhat?!"

"You heard me, he proposed at breakfast this morning in front of his whole family. It was so sweet!"

"Wait, so you're getting married?" Invidia asked.

"That's what I said," Shamura replied.

There was a brief silence as Invidia absorbed the information, then, on cue, both women screamed.

"Oh my goodness, I can't believe you're getting married! When's the wedding?" Invidia asked.

"June, I want to be a June bride, and I want you to be my maid of honor," Shamura told her.

"Really? Thank you, now what about a planner?"

"Actually, I was hoping you could do it. You're extremely good with details and you did plan your wedding by yourself."

"I would love to. Do you have any other plans in mind now?" Invidia asked as she got out a notebook and started to write.

Arty watched her and sighed, as did the kids. For both, it was an unhappy sigh, Arty had intended to spend some quiet time with the family, as, it was the kid's first Christmas with them. Akira and Ryou, on the other hand, just wanted to finish with their presents, but both Invidia and Arty had agreed that everyone would open them together.

'Invidia-Mama, hang up already!' Akira thought after ten minutes.

'It's not fair! I want my presents!' Ryou thought.

'Why did this happen today?' Arty thought. 'Christmas is supposed to be family time, not "listen to Invidia be girly" time.' He sighed again as Invidia went into an hour long discussion of flowers and wedding dresses, and groomsmen and bridal suites, and everything else that had to do with weddings. By that time, both kids had stomped off to their rooms and Arty was giving Invidia annoyed looks.

"And you'll have to choose a church and…" Invidia trailed off when she noticed Arty. "I'll have to call you back, Arty wants me for something."

"Oh, alright, I should probably get back to Seiji anyway, I told him I'd only be a minute and it's been over an hour."

"Alright then, I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Okay, bye."

"Bye," Invidia said, then she hung up and asked, "What?"

"Invidia you know what. It's Christmas. You're supposed to be focusing on the kids, not Shamura."

"But, she just got engaged and I'm her wedding planner and maid of honor!"

"Actually, it's matron of honor, since you're married and that's beside the point, I thought we agreed to make Akira and Ryou's first Christmas here special."

"Oh, right. Call them back out here and we'll start over, okay? And I promise, no more interruptions on my part."

"Okay," Arty nodded and called the kids back out. Invidia apologized and kept her word for most of the morning, she had to break it twice when first Arty's parents and then Derek and Nova called to wish them a "Merry Christmas."And, after all of the calls and presents were over, Invidia and Arty made a special dinner for the kids, put them to bed and later decided to tune in early themselves, but they didn't sleep.

When Arty came into the bedroom Invidia was waiting for him in candlelight in nothing but a strapless, lacey, black bra and black panties, they were both very, very brief, and showed quite a bit.

"And what is this?" He asked.

"Your last Christmas present," she said.

"I think this one is my favorite," he said as he came over and kissed her.

Invidia smiled lovingly at him and pulled him in for a hot, passionate kiss, while he slowly edged her down onto the bed. Then, he began to kiss her neck while slowly undressing her; he intended to savor every moment of this holiday tradition. She did the same with him, but since he had more clothes, she had to be quicker about undressing him. Either way, they were both naked in less than five minutes, kissing and touching and just loving each other. And, as Arty bent over her to take her… the phone rang again.

'You have got to be kidding me!' Arty thought. He started to get up, but Invidia stopped him.

"Don't stop, please don't, I'll take care of this and you can play with me for awhile, alright?"

Arty said nothing more and started kissing her neck again while she picked up the phone.

"Yes?" She asked, trying to sound as normal as possible, while holding back the moans and gasps she so desperately wanted to vocalize.

"Yes, Mrs. Savela? Sorry to call this late, but I just wanted to confirm you as our wedding planner," Seiji said.

"Yes, I am definitely going to…Oh, Darling," she gasped lovingly at Arty with her hand over the receiver as Arty's kisses ran down to her breasts. "Sorry, you were saying?"

"I just wanted to go over some brief things and…."

'Oh no, not tonight' Invidia thought, then she said, "Can we do this tomorrow I'm really tired and should probably get to bed, you can call me in the morning though."

"Alright then, I'll speak to you tomorrow."

"Okay, bye," Invidia then hung up, dropped the phone, and let out one of her many suppressed moans, just as Arty reached her stomach and ran his hot, passionate kisses all the way to her center. As soon as he did, she cried, "Arty, just take me, now!"

He smiled at her and immediately did so. She then cried out his name, and gasped. Right after her gasp Arty kissed her again, and just went wild, letting out everything that had to be toned down during that phone call. And, it wasn't long before they were both brought to a wonderful, hot climax that had Invidia crying.

She then fell spent in his arms and said, "I love you, you know that right?"

"Trust me, I know," he whispered back. "Now, about this wedding…"

"Not now, Darling. The only thing I want to think about now is you."

"Very well then my Princess," Arty said, then he gave her a deep kiss and moved her onto her back so that he was on top of her. He kissed her again and she whispered, "I love you."

"I know," he said.

And, at that, they started another hot session, this time with no interruptions. They were together two more times after that, not going to sleep until around three AM. But, just four hours later they woke up again, but instead of getting up, they started teasing each other again and were in the middle of a long, deep kiss when Akira came in and jumped on the bed.

"Invidia-Mama!" She said.

"What!?" Invidia snapped.

"Where's your clothes?"

"Never mind that, what do you want?"

"I'm hungry," She said.

"I'm thirsty," Ryou said from the door, just as Invidia's cell phone rang.

"And I'm annoyed. Vhat!?" Invidia snapped into the phone.

"Invidia, are you alright?" Shamura asked.

"Not really."

"Oh, well, sorry, but I was just wondering if you'd like to come to breakfast with me and Seiji this morning, to discuss basic plans."

"I'd love to, where?"

Shamura gave the details, which Invidia gave to Arty. And, after convincing Nova to look after Akira and Ryou, Invidia and Arty headed to breakfast at a small café in town where Shamura and Seiji were waiting.

"Over here," Shamura waved them over to the table, and they sat. "Sorry about this, but since the wedding is in June, I'd like to get a head start," Shamura said.

"It's fine," Invidia said as she took out a notebook. "Now, have you picked a church and reception hall?"

"We decided that we want to do the whole thing at the Maree Di Bellezza club, and that we want a garden wedding."

"I see," Invidia made a note of the name, which was Italian for "tides of beauty." She knew of the place, it was one of the most prestigious clubs in the whole city, and she had only been once, at an EDF reception. "But you understand that the Maree Di Bellezza is expensive right? Like real expensive and you really can't pay for it yourself," Invidia said to Shamura.

"Well, even though tradition says the bride's family pays, since I don't have a family any more Seiji's aunt said she'd help, and there are discount rates if we book both the wedding and reception there."

"But it's still a lot," Invidia pondered. "How would you feel if I helped? I can pay for the club and the dresses, but you have to buy or rent everything else."

"That sounds… wonderful…" Shamura said just as a waitress came up and took their order.

After she left, Arty looked at Invidia. "Are you sure?" He asked.

"Yes, you know I have more money than I need."

"But what will your Father say? It's really his money."

"I'll call him tomorrow through the Iscandarian Embassy; Starsha said she'd get me in when I talked to her at Nova's. I'm sure he won't mind, he loves Shamura, and he really liked her mother too, right?"

Shamura nodded.

"You would really do that for us?" Seiji asked.

"Of course, Shamura's my best friend, and you're pretty cool too."

"Um, thanks?" Seiji said.

At that, everyone laughed, and then Invidia asked, "Have you thought about caterers, florists, or dresses?"

"Not yet, we have to look at caterers and compare prices and such first, but we're probably going to get the club staff to cater it," Shamura said.

Invidia nodded and made some more notes. Shortly after she finished, the food arrived and the conversation was minimized until they all left.

"Thank you for inviting us," Invidia said to Seiji and Shamura.

"No problem, thank you for agreeing to plan our wedding," Seiji said.

"It's fine, I love doing things like this."

"Maybe a little too much," Arty said jokingly.

"Arty!" Invidia playfully hit him over the shoulder.

Shamura gave a small laugh, and then said, "We should get going; Seiji's aunt is expecting us."

"Alright then, see you," Invidia gave a small wave and grabbed onto Arty's arm. "Come on Darling," she said.

"Hey, Invidia?" Seiji said.

"Hm?"

"Do you call him "Darling" all the time, or just in private?"

Invidia blushed, remembering the phone call from the night before. "In private, I normally just call him by name."

"And last night?"

"We were sleeping, and when you woke me up, he put his arm around my waist and when I turned my head back, he kissed me. It was one of those sweet, deep ones, and I liked it, so I just…"

Seiji nodded, and turned away. As soon as he was out of earshot Shamura went up to Invidia and whispered, "You weren't really sleeping, were you?" She could tell Invidia had been lying, since she was blushing the whole time.

"No," Invidia whispered.

"I thought so, and it's nothing to worry about, we did the same thing after he hung up." Now, Shamura was blushing.

Both women giggled and headed off in separate directions, Shamura and Seiji heading to his aunt's and Invidia and Arty heading back to Derek and Nova's to pick up the kids.

"Do we have to go get the kids?" Invidia whined. "Can't we just go home and finish what we started this morning?"

"No, I told Nova it would only be two hours or so, and if we go do that we might just forget about them."

"I'm okay with that," Invidia said.

'Of course you are…' He thought as he drove.

Once they had Akira and Ryou with them, they headed home and Invidia got straight to work on the plans she had in her head.

'Now, she'll need to pick out her colors and a dress next,' Invidia thought while making more notes. 'Then the flowers and cake, hopefully we can do that within the next three months, and by next month we should have a basic layout, and by March we should…' Invidia then let her thoughts trail off as she realized something. 'January…March…my anniversary and birthday! How could I forget? I have to call her; I don't want my special days interrupted like last night!' She then picked up the phone and dialed Shamura's cell phone.

"Hello?" Shamura said when she answered.

"Yes, Shamura, I have a favor to ask you."

"Alright."

"I know I'm your planner and I have to stay on top of things, but I do have a few dates where I really don't want to be contacted unless it's an emergency."

"And those would be…?"

"My birthday, my anniversary and Akira and Ryou's birthday. January fifteenth, March fifteenth and May twelfth, is that alright?"

"Sure, it's perfectly reasonable to want your "special" days off, let me just put it into my calendar and we'll be set."

"Okay, thank you, bye."

"Bye," Shamura said, then, she hung up.

Invidia sighed and then called the number of the club Shamura specified.

"Maree Di Bellezza, Natasha speaking, how may I help you?" The women on the line said.

"Yes, my name is Invidia Savela and I'm interested in booking your club for a wedding. I just wanted to know if there are any June dates available," Invidia told her.

"Hold on a moment please."

Invidia then tapped her fingers on the desk as Natasha went through some documents on the computer. "Thanks for waiting, according to our records, we have two slots; the last Saturday, starting at four PM and the second Friday, starting at two PM."

"Okay, let me talk with my friend and I'll get back to you."

"Alright, but you might want to do it quickly, spring dates fill up fast."

"I will, thank you." Invidia hung up and called Shamura again. She gave the details to both her and Seiji via speakerphone, and after half an hour of discussion they finally decided on the second Friday.

"Are you absolutely sure it's what you want?" Invidia asked.

"We're sure," Shamura and Seiji said together.

"Alright, I'll call them back and make the reservations."

"Remember to tell them we want it in the garden," Shamura said.

"I know, you've said that three times now. I'll take care of it, okay? Bye." At that, Invidia hung up and called the club back to confirm the date. 'Okay, now that the site is set the next thing is going to be Shamura's dress and flowers, and in a few weeks we're going to have to meet with the caterers over at the club and decide where we want the cake done. Then there's the process of selecting the wedding party, but that's not a big deal, really.' Invidia thought as she made some more notes, and a temporary calendar of events, but, while she was trying to outline the wedding week, Akira came up to her.

"Invidia-Mama?" She said as she pulled at Invidia's blue gown.

"What?" Invidia said, not looking up from her notes.

"Play with me," Akira held up a doll, in her other hand she held another.

"I can't. Why don't you play with Ryou?"

"Because he can't play right! And you make them look pretty. Please?" Akira begged.

Invidia sighed; she couldn't resist Akira's cuteness for long. "Alright, I'll play with you," she said as she gently took the doll Akira was holding up to her.

Akira smiled, grabbed Invidia's hand and led her into her bedroom, which was a mess, as, Akira had neglected to clean it up after Christmas.

"Akira, you didn't tell me your room was messy."

"Was I supposed to?"

"No, but you could have at least cleaned it up, how are you supposed to find your stuff if it's buried in all this mess?" Invidia asked.

Akira sighed, but she did start cleaning, and, immediately afterwards, she and Invidia started a game together. They were just starting to get into it when Arty came in with Invidia's cell phone.

"It's Shamura," he said.

"Yes, Shamura?" Invidia asked.

"I just wanted to know what you're working on."

"Well, I laid out a temporary calendar with dates for caterer meetings and bridal shops, florists, all of that. And I was hoping we could meet next week to discuss the wedding party."

"That's fine, how does next Friday work for you?"

"Just fine. And after that we're going to need to pick out your dress and colors and flowers. Then…" Invidia went on to list other arrangements while Akira pouted, she wanted to play with Invidia, not listen to her talk. She pulled on her sleeve.

"Invidia-Mama!" She whined.

"What, Akira?"Invidia asked with her hand over the receiver.

Akira held up Invidia's doll.

"Hold on one second," Invidia told her, then she left and the second turned into an hour. When she came back, Akira was coloring.

"What took you so long?"

"I'm sorry, honey, but you have to understand I'm going to be really busy for a few months with Shamura's wedding. Weddings are more then just putting on fancy clothes and sharing a kiss. They involve a lot of work, try and be patient, okay?"

"Okay," Akira nodded.

"Good girl." Invidia kissed her on the head. "Now I have to go."

"But we haven't finished the game yet!" Akira whined.

"Sorry Honey, but I have to run some errands with Shamura."

"Can I come?"

"No, but how about I make you a deal? If you're good, I'll ask Shamura if you can be in the wedding, alright?"

"Okay!" Akira smiled.

Invidia smiled back, left to grab her coat and boots and headed over to Shamura's apartment.

"Where are we going again?" Shamura asked as she got into the car.

"The caterer that did my wedding cake, I put in a call and they say that you can meet with the manager and look over cake designs and menu options, and if you don't like them I have four other bakeries on the list, then we're going to have to go check out florists and bridal shops," Invidia told her.

"Why? I just got engaged yesterday."

"The wedding is in June, and that doesn't give us a lot of time. So, I thought you might like to see what's available to you. Remember, you can go as far as you want with your dress and flowers since I'm paying, but the food is another story, unless you want me to take care of that too."

"I really appreciate you helping with the club payments and girly stuff, but I'm sure Seiji can cover the food and his groomsmen."

"And the cake?"

"Depends on the price."

Invidia nodded and continued driving; soon she stopped in front of an elegant looking restaurant.

"This is who catered your wedding? Invidia, do you know how expensive this place is?"

"Very, but maybe I can get you a discount, they took five-thousand off of mine because they thought I'd kill them."

"What?"

Invidia nodded. "They thought I was still a threat so they lowered the price and gave me everything I wanted, but, since then the manager has gotten to know me and knows I won't kill her. Though, I'm sure she'll be willing to negotiate," She continued as they headed in.

"Name?" The hostess said.

"Invidia Savela. We're here to meet with the manager."

The hostess checked her computer and led them to the manager's office.

"Ms. Tsaiyumi?" Invidia said when she entered.

"Oh, Mrs. Savela, come in," A woman behind a desk, Nakada Tsaiyumi said as she motioned them over. "How have you been? And how's your husband?" She asked when Invidia and Shamura had sat down.

"I'm fine, he's fine and we have children now."

"Really?"

Invidia nodded. "We adopted twins a few months ago, they're adorable, but they drive me crazy sometimes."

"So do mine, and is this your friend?"

"Yes, I'm Shamura," Shamura said.

"Very nice to meet you, Shamura, I understand you're getting married?"

Shamura nodded. "That's why we're here actually; I wanted to look at some of your cakes and menu options."

"Very well then, here's our sample book." Nakada placed it in front of Shamura. "Now, remember the designs are changeable too, so if you want different flowers or piping, or even a custom design, we can do it."

"Well, I wanted something elegant but simple, and my colors are light blue and lavender."

"Do you know how many people you're inviting yet?"

"No, but we're going to figure that out over the next few weeks, I just wanted to get a feel for your designs."

"Well then, let's see what we can find," At that, Nakada, Shamura and Invidia began discussing flavors and designs. By the time they were done Shamura had decided that she definitely wanted them to do her cake, and had six different options to discuss with Seiji. She was still unsure on the menu itself, but decided to wait until later to figure it out. After they were done at the restaurant, they traveled to several different bridal shops and florists to get a brief look at those options. By the time they were done it was seven o'clock, and when they realized it, they made the decision to go out for dinner instead of going home right away.

"So, what do you think so far?" Invidia asked once they were settled in at a casual café.

"I think I'm overwhelmed, did you see all of those flowers? And I think the white dresses have blinded me."

"Well, we still have a bit of time to work on the little things, but we have to get together and choose your wedding party next week."

"I know, you told me that already, I talked to Seiji and he says that next Friday works for him too."

"That's fine, I'll be there," Invidia said, and she was. That Friday she sat at Seiji's dinning table with him and Shamura discussing who would serve as what during the ceremony.

"Well, you already know that you're the matron of honor, but for bridesmaids, I was thinking of asking my friends Noel and Hazuki from work and Nova."

Invidia wrote it down and said, "I know Nova will do it, she loves weddings, but hurry and get word from the other two. What about you, Seiji?"

"My oldest brother is going to be my best man, and my other brother, and my two best friends will be the groomsmen."

"How many brothers do you have?" Invidia asked.

"Just two and a younger sister."

"How did you choose between them for the best man?"

"Easy, I had my friend flip a coin, that way I couldn't be accused of cheating, since my friend doesn't know them."

"Uh huh…" Invidia said as she made more notes. "You're short a groomsmen."

"No I'm not, there's four in the bridal party and four in mine."

"Yes, but your brother has to walk Shamura down the aisle, since her father isn't around the best man has to give her away."

"Oh my gosh, I totally forgot about that!" Shamura said.

"Well, I don't know who to ask, my other friend is going out of town that week for a business meeting."

"How about Arty? Then he can walk me down the aisle and it covers everyone."

"That's a good idea, and I'm sure Arty would love to help out," Shamura said.

"I think so too, so go ahead and ask him."

Invidia smiled and then said, "And what do you think of having Akira as your flower girl?"

"That would be cute, and Ryou could be ring bearer!" Shamura exclaimed.

"One problem," Seiji said. "I already promised my niece that she could be flower girl."

"How old is she?"

"Four, the same age as Akira."

"But I already told Akira I'd ask! Now what?"

"What if they shared the position? We could have them hold one basket and scatter petals together," Shamura suggested.

"But what if they hate each other or something?" Invidia asked.

"I don't think that'll happen, Daisy's sweet and she loves making new friends, and they are the same age, so it's not like we're dealing with an "I'm older, so I get to do what I want" kind of thing," Seiji explained.

"I still don't know. But, I'll ask Akira what she thinks. Now about your invitations…" Invidia trailed off and they all went into a long discussion about guests, who the guest would bring, types of invitations, how much they wanted to spend on getting them printed, etc… And, after that Invidia and Shamura spent the next two months running around, planning and arguing.

"'I'm telling you, weddings are so much better with white roses!" Invidia snapped, on a cold March day at her apartment.

"But I don't want a lot of roses! I told you! My favorite flowers are lilies, and I want to use white calla lilies for my bouquet!"

"But roses are more elegant, and I already requested a sample bouquet!"

"I don't care! I don't want elegant! I want springy and airy, something calming, it is an outdoor wedding!"

"You just have no taste!"

"And you, Princess, have no manners! Can you stop being a bitch for ten seconds and listen!?"

Invidia gasped. "You did not just say that!"

"Maybe I did, and maybe I didn't."

"Get out!" Invidia snapped. "NOW!"

"Fine, I don't want to be here anyway!" Shamura snapped.

"Hold it!" Arty said as he came out. "What is going on here?!"

Invidia and Shamura began talking at once, causing Arty to put his hand up.

"One at a time," he said. Then, he pulled a coin out of his pocket. "Heads or tails?"

"What does this have to do with anything!?" Invidia snapped.

"Just pick one."

"Tails," Invidia huffed.

Arty flipped the coin, and said, "Heads, Shamura, tell me what happened."

Shamura drew in a breath and told her side; when she was finished Invidia told hers while Arty pondered.

"Okay, Invidia, Shamura's right, it's her wedding and she can do what she wants. But on the other hand, I'd listen to Invidia, Shamura, she's good with this kind of stuff. In other words, compromise, if you can't then I guess Shamura can hire another wedding planner," Arty said, then, he left Invidia and Shamura looking ashamed of themselves.

"He's right, I shouldn't be so judgmental," Invidia confessed.

"And, maybe you're right about the flowers. I guess I could use some roses for the centerpieces and the arbor," Shamura said.

"Still friends?"

"Of course, now why don't we do something else for a while?"

"Like what?"

"Well, I've been looking at dress designs, and I think I know what I want, so I was thinking that next Wednesday evening we could go dress shopping and…"

"We can't," Invidia interrupted. "That's my anniversary remember? Arty and I are planning to spend the night together in the penthouse suite of the Moonlight Dreams hotel."

"Oh, well then how about Thursday? Seiji's going to take the guys to get fitted for their tuxes then anyway, so maybe he can convince his brother to bring Daisy so we can get her and Akira's dresses." "That's fine," Invidia said. "And remember, we have to select a menu this week and…" she ran off all the details she could, which they spent the next week, until Wednesday going over. That night, Invidia sat in the living room of a luxurious and elegant suite, sharing a candlelight dinner with Arty.

"So, how are the plans going?" he asked.

"Not tonight Arty, tonight I just want to focus on us, alright?"

"Well then, I have something for you," Arty said as he handed her a neatly wrapped box.

"And I for you," Invidia said, handing over a box of her own.

They nodded at each other and opened the gifts. In her box, Invidia found a beautiful, fake violet hair clip; and, in his box Arty found a new leather wallet.

"Arty, it's beautiful, but the traditional gift is leather."

"Since when have we ever followed tradition?"

"True." Invidia paused, then she said. "Wait here; I have something else for you too." She then got up, grabbed her bag and headed into the bedroom area. After ten minutes, she called him in and watched his eyes go wide.

"Princess, you…you are…you look…wow…" Arty said as he stepped into candlelight. However, it was not the candlelight that made him stop, but the figure it illuminated. Invidia lay before him completely naked with a sexy 'come hither' look on her face.

"Happy anniversary, Darling," she said.

'Happy anniversary indeed…' Arty thought as he went over and gave her a deep, passionate kiss. During so, Invidia slipped his shirt off of him and began to kiss his chest, but, he stopped her and kissed her again, gently edging her down onto the bed while doing so. Then, he ran his hands up her legs, making her moan, she then worked to get his pants off, and when she did they looked directly into each other's eyes and shared the same loving look. It was one of hot passion and true love…And, while they stared at each other, Shamura and Seiji sat staring at price lists.

"Three-hundred dollars for flowers, seriously?" Seiji asked.

"Don't worry about it, Invidia is covering the flowers, remember?"

"Are you sure? Did she ask her Father?"

Shamura nodded. "She talked to him last month, and he said it was fine and that he's glad she offered to help. He said that he loves me and would probably do the same thing."

"Well that's good, so it covers the flowers and club reservations, right?"

"And the dresses. What we have to look at is food and groomsmen outfits."

"Right," Seiji nodded and picked up the menu, next to each item was the number of orders and a price. "Uh…Shamura, I don't think we can afford this and the cake. This here is already eight-hundred dollars and the cake is two hundred and fifty, and then the outfits will probably add another thousand."

"I think we can work it out, if not I'm sure Invidia would be happy to help."

"Are you sure? Maybe we should call her," Seiji reached for the phone but Shamura stopped him.

"Don't, it's her anniversary and I promised I wouldn't bug her, besides, she's probably too busy with Arty to answer the phone anyway," Shamura said. "And I'm going to talk to her tomorrow anyway. We're going dress shopping remember?"

"Oh yeah, when? My brothers aren't going to arrive until four PM."

"In the evening, around six. So tell him to drop Daisy off at my place around five."

"Will do," Seiji said, and he did. His brother, Kenji dropped her off right before Invidia arrived. When she did, she introduced her to Akira.

"Akira, this is Daisy, you're going to be flower girls together," Invidia said.

"Nice to meet you," Akira bowed.

"I like your hair," Daisy replied.

"Thanks!" Akira smiled. Invidia had put her hair into pigtails, and left her long bangs down, tying the ends of them with fake, violet barrettes that matched her skirt.

'They like each other, good,' Invidia thought, then, she turned to the other women and said, "Should we get going?"

Shamura nodded and they left with Shamura, Hazuki and Noel traveling in Hazuki's car and Nova and the kids in Invidia's.

The shop they had decided on was a small but elegant bridal boutique that Nova suggested, saying that it was where they had bought both her and Trelania's wedding dresses.

"All I see is white…" Invidia said when she entered. "It's kind of blinding…"

Shamura rolled her eyes and said. "Why don't we start with the little girls, since they'll be easiest, then we'll get the bridesmaid gowns."

"And with that out of the way you're free to choose yours without worry about time," Nova said.

"Exactly, come on Daisy," Shamura said as she took the little girl by the hand.

"You too Akira," Invidia motioned her over and they walked over to where the little girls’ dresses were.

"Okay, so since your colors are light blue and lavender do you want to have them in separate color dresses, or white ones with flowers?" Invidia asked.

"I like the idea of them in separate colors; it's cute and gives them more of a choice."

"But who gets what color?" Invidia asked.

Shamura looked at the girls' hair and eye colors, Akira was black haired and brown-eyed, while Daisy was honey-blonde and green-eyed."Akira in lavender and Daisy in blue. And that way you and Akira can match," She teased Invidia.

Invidia blushed slightly. When she and Shamura made the bridesmaid arrangements it was decided that Nova, Hazuki and Noel would wear blue and that she would wear lavender, since she was the matron of honor.

"Alright then, let's get started!" Noel said.

The women nodded and headed in different directions, coming back with four different dresses each. Shamura and Invidia carefully studied the styles and managed to narrow it down to two. A tank-top dress with a double layered skirt and a front bow sash, and an off-the-shoulder dress with elbow length sleeves.

"I like this one better," Invidia held up the tank top dress she had picked. "It's cute, and since it's an outdoor wedding this is perfect. And for added effect we could even add flowers to their sashes."

"It is cute, and I guess this one is a little too warm for a summer wedding," Shamura put hers back and they both turned to the girls.

"Okay, what do you think?" Invidia held up Akira's dress.

"It's pretty!" Akira said.

Daisy nodded in agreement, and Shamura sent them off to try them on.

"Perfect!" She said when they came out.

Invidia nodded, "this one?" she asked.

"Definitely," Shamura agreed.

They then had the girls take them off and went to go search for bridesmaid dresses.

"Remember, they have to be the same style!" Shamura told them.

The girls nodded, and soon came back with three different styles each; they then looked at each other.

Shamura sighed and studied the dresses, eventually narrowing it down to two, one Noel had found and another one that Invidia liked. Noel's choice was a simple, spaghetti strap dress with a long skirt that stopped just above the girls' feet, and Invidia's was a spaghetti-strap dress, with a double-layer skirt and a slit that separated the skirts and gave it a flow-y look.

"That one's too boring," Invidia said of Noel's. "But this one is stylish."

"But hers is a more traditional style, which is what I was going for."

"But…but this one looks better!"

"But that one doesn't come in blue!"

"Yes it does, you just have to place a specialty order."

"I'm not doing that," Shamura said. "Besides, I like this one, guys?" She turned to the girls.

They all nodded and Invidia pouted. "Fine, but I'm still getting this one."

"Why?" Nova asked.

"I'll wear it as an evening gown."

"Okay, now got try those on so we can start on my dress," Shamura said.

Upon trying them on, the girls found that some adjustments would have to be made, but other than that, they were perfect.

"I guess it looks okay…" Invidia said.

"It's perfect, now take it off so we can pay for it," Shamura said.

Invidia did as she was told and left to go pay for the dresses they had, coming back with them in protective covers and an associate to help with Shamura's dress. She led the women to a small lounge with a couch and a dressing mirror, then she took Shamura back into the dressing room.

"Is there anything specific that you're looking for?" she asked Shamura.

"Something stylish but traditional, and it has to be light enough for a June wedding."

The women nodded and had her try on a strapless dress with a mermaid skirt, when she came out all of the girls' eyes lit up, all except Invidia's.

"I hate it," she said.

"What? It's beautiful," Shamura said.

"I've always hated mermaid-style skirts they're clingy and they look stupid."

Shamura sighed, and said, "Can we try something else?"

"Alright," The associate said while glancing hard at Invidia.

Invidia gave her a death stare, and she slowly backed away.

The next dress was more princess-y, and had a spaghetti strap top, and a triple-layer skirt. But, again, Invidia didn't like it, and if she didn't like it she wasn't paying for it.

"It's too frilly, besides that's a lot of weight for a summer wedding dress. And that top doesn't do you justice, I'd go for something with a sweetheart neckline, it'll show you off better."

"She's right about that," Nova said. "You have pretty breasts; why not show off a little bit?"

Invidia nodded in agreement, while she thought, 'Of course they can't hold a candle to mine, even in a sweetheart dress…'

Shamura glanced in the mirror again and nodded, "they're right, what do you have with a sweetheart neckline?"

The associate smiled and took her back, they then went through four more dresses (and four more arguments) before setting on a satin, off-the shoulder gown with a sweetheart neckline and a double-layered skirt with a pair of silken, open toed slippers. Invidia then placed the order for the dress, which needed just a few modifications and then they separated and Invidia, Shamura, Akira and Daisy went to see Shamura's florist to see bouquet and décor samples. Shamura loved them all and even decided to take some of the sample flowers home to use for décor, After that, the next two months flew by, with all of the big details out of the way Invidia focused on the small ones, such as table décor and flower girl baskets, which she discussed with Shamura while moving around the stuff in her apartment one warm, May afternoon. She and Seiji agreed that it would be best to move into his small house rather than cram everything into Shamura's apartment.

"I can't believe you're going to be leaving here," Invidia said as she carefully put some albums into a box.

"I can't either, but sometimes you just have to move on, now about the flower girl arrangements…?"

"The basket is white with lavender and blue ribbons, and as you've seen in our rehearsals Akira and Daisy will walk holding the basket together and spread white rose and violet petals down the aisle. Ryou will go before them as the ring bearer and then you'll walk down the aisle with Kenji."

"Right," Shamura said.

"And don't forget we have the rehearsal dinner next week, and then you'll be getting married just two weeks later."

"I still can't believe it, I mean, me, married?"

"You were married once before, remember?"

"Yes, but I never thought it would happen again."

"Then just think of yourself as blessed. I mean, how many people get to have two weddings and wedding nights?" Invidia teased with a wink.

"Stop it!" Shamura threw a small throw pillow at her.

Invidia laughed and threw it back. Shamura then threw it aside, jumped Invidia and started tickling her.

"Shamura! Stop it! You know I hate this!" Invidia laughed.

"I know," Shamura teased.

Invidia then pushed her off and sat up, still laughing as she looked over at Shamura.

"Don't do that!" She snapped.

"Why? It's funny and I haven't heard you laugh in a while."

"I can laugh when I want to, now can we please get back to planning? The rehearsal dinner is just a week away."

Shamura nodded, and they started laying out some things for the dinner, which went off without a hitch, as did Shamura's "party" the night before the wedding. Instead of spending the money for a huge, useless party the women did what they had done for Invidia on her pre-wedding night and taken Shamura out for a girls' night, taking her to dinner and doing some window shopping. And, during dinner they had somehow gotten into a conversation about bad dating experiences.

"Okay, the worst date I've ever been on," Invidia said, "was the night after Arty proposed to me."

"What?" Noel said. "That can't be possible; you should have been still floating on air from the previous night's proposal."

"I was, and so was he, but it had nothing to do with him or the proposal. While we were walking through the park, some dog ran past us and I tripped backwards into a fountain."

"I remember that!" Nova said. "Arty told me that he took you back to his place crying."

"He did, and he was really nice about it. He let me take a bath and then we fell asleep in his bed. But falling in was still horrible."

"Well the worst I've had," Shamura said, "was with this carpenter, Tsugumi. I got all dressed up to go out somewhere special and we ended up going a casual outdoor café."

"That actually sounds nice," Nova said.

"Not when your date won't let you order what you want because he's paying with coupons."

"Seriously?" Invidia gave her a look. "If Arty ever did that to me I'd slap him."

"I did, after he tried to run his hand up my skirt."

"Well, at least Seiji's ten times better," Hazuki said.

"Why do you think I'm marrying him?"

"Because he's good in bed," Invidia teased.

Shamura tapped her on the head, "no, who marries for that reason anyway?"

"Idiots," Noel clarified.

"Which you certainly are not," Invidia told Shamura.

"Thank you," Shamura smiled at them and they all laughed.

The rest of the night continued on a good note, so much so that Invidia was still laughing when she came home.

"What are you laughing about?" Arty, who was sitting on the couch reading, asked.

"Shouldn't you be in bed? It's after eleven."

"I was waiting up for you."

"Aw, aren't you sweet?" Invidia teased as she went over and kissed him. "Now come on, we should get to bed."

"Aren't you going to take a shower first?"

Invidia shook her head. "I took a bath before I went out, and I'm going to take one tomorrow morning to, so don't worry about it. Just come on, you know I get lonely without you…" She teased.

Arty smiled and then he quickly picked her up and carried her into the bedroom. Invidia said nothing as he did so, she thought it was really sweet, and she found him very comfortable to lean against. Once they were in the bedroom Arty set her down and she ran off to get changed and get ready for bed, when she came back out Arty was waiting for her.

"I like your outfit," he said, looking at the lacey, light blue slip she wore.

"Well, it's warm and I don't feel like wearing much," Invidia said with a blush.

"Come here," Arty patted her spot on the bed. She came over and lay down while he gently covered her with the blanket; he then kissed her head and settled in himself.

"Good night, my Princess," he whispered.

"Good night Arty," She said, then they kissed and Invidia cuddled up to him. It wasn't long before they were both sound asleep; unfortunately, it only lasted until seven o'clock, when Invidia got up.

"Princess, what are you doing? You don't have to be at Shamura's until eleven," Arty said as he held onto her wrist.

"I want to get some things done first, okay?"

"No, stay with me, if you leave then I won't get to see you all day."

"Yes you will, you're walking me down the aisle, remember?"

"Yes, but I won't get to be alone with you," he said with a sly smile.

"Arty, what are you…?"

She was cut off when Arty pulled her towards him and gave her a deep, loving kiss.

"Arty…I…I mean, you…you can't…" She stuttered and he kissed her again and again while she tried to push him off. "Stop it, I don't…I can't…"

"Yes, you can," Arty teased as he ran a hand up her leg and teased her breasts with the other.

"Arty, no! Stop it…I…I…" She tried to escape, but all she managed to do was make Arty want her more. He then slid the straps of the slip down and started to kiss her neck, her shoulders, and then finally her breasts. At that, she snapped and gave into him, just letting him have his way with her. They then spent the next hour and a half making sweet, passionate love to each other. But, instead of cuddling when it was over Invidia sat up and looked at the clock with wide eyes.

"Thanks a lot Arty! Now I'm going to be late!" she whined.

"But you don't have to be there until eleven."

"No, I have to show up before then to help Shamura load our stuff into the limo so we can be at the club by eleven thirty to get ready. So I'm going to go take a bath and you stay here and make the bed," Invidia said as she got up with the blanket wrapped around her body. She then pulled the slip back on and headed into the bathroom. She came out into the kitchen forty-five minutes later dressed in a dark red sundress.

"Is that all you're wearing today?" Arty asked.

"Yes, why?"

"Well, you normally add more to your outfits."

"Well, since I'm going to be changing later, I didn't find it any use to wear anything more than this, where's Akira?"

"In her room, she said something about 'playing wedding'," Arty replied. "Don't worry about her right now, just settle down and eat some breakfast, I made your favorite," he said as he set down a plate of blueberry pancakes covered with kren.

Invidia's eyes went wide, then she went over and sat down.

"Good girl," Arty teased.

Invidia shot him a look and started to eat; when she was done she immediately grabbed Akira and headed over to Shamura's. When she arrived it was a little after ten thirty and Nova had already arrived, she was keeping Daisy busy while Shamura loaded several jewelry and garment boxes into the trunk of the limo.

"Sorry I'm late," Invidia said as she went over and took the boxes out of Shamura's hands. "I got caught up with some things this morning."

"Who cares? At least you're here," Shamura said. "There are four more boxes upstairs, along with Daisy's dress."

"Then I'll…" Invidia tried to walk but Shamura stopped her.

"No, I'll bring them downstairs, you just stay here," she said.

Invidia just looked at her, then she went over and sat with Nova, who said,"You're late."

"I know that. I slept in this morning."

"But you just told Shamura you got 'caught up with things'," Nova said.

"I did. I slept in and then got busy doing some things," Invidia said, trying to hide the nervousness in her voice.

"Uh- huh, what were you really doing?" Nova said with a wink.

"I just told you!"

"You're lying; I can hear it in your voice."

"I am not!" Invidia snapped. She immediately regretted it, knowing all too well that jumping to the defense like that gave away her cover.

"Yes, you are, now spill. Tell me what you were doing this morning?"

"Stuff, okay! Just stuff…." Invidia stammered.

"What kind of stuff?" Nova teased. She had a good idea what Invidia had probably been doing, since she had been down the same road before with Derek.

"I was…I…I mean…I…" She stopped when she saw Shamura coming back out. 'Thank goodness!' She thought as she went over to help her. As soon as they were done Noel and Hazuki arrived and they all headed off to the club. Inside the limo Shamura popped open a bottle of sparkling water, causing everyone to laugh as it fizzed over them.

"This is wonderful! I haven't been in a limo since my wedding day," Invidia said as she held out a glass. "Of course, mine was black."

"That was because you had a funeral, not a wedding," Nova teased.

"Hey! You liked it and so did Arty, though I think he enjoyed the wedding night a little more," Invidia said with a blush.

"Oooooooooh…" Noel teased.

"Stop it!" Invidia shoved Noel over and they all laughed. After that, the rest of the ride was nothing but fun. They arrived at the club shortly after eleven thirty and were immediately led into the bride's suite. Inside the elegant dressing room was a huge vanity table, two couches, three small tables and a small closet where they hung their dresses.

"Let's get the little girls done first," Shamura said "The won't take long."

Invidia nodded in agreement, picked Akira up and sat her in one of the two vanity chairs. Nova did the same with Daisy and they got to work on the girls' hair. Akira ended up with her hair tied in pigtails with her long bangs left hanging down and a crown of violets and mini white calla lilies around her head. Daisy's hair was pulled back with a bow that had a white rose in the middle, but, despite that, she still wore the same flower crown as Akira. Noel and Nova then gently helped them into their dresses and Invidia pinned white roses onto the bows on their sashes.

"You two look so cute!" Nova said. "Stay still so I can get a picture!" She then dug a digital camera out of her purse and snapped a shot of them standing together with their hands behind their backs.

"Okay, enough of that, we have to get you guys ready," Shamura said.

The girls nodded and split up into teams, with Hazuki doing Noel's hair and Nova doing Invidia's. Invidia and Nova were easy, as, they were both leaving their hair down, the only difference was that Invidia's only hair accessory was a single violet, and Nova's was a bigger version of the crowns the flower girls wore. Hazuki and Noel on the other hand, were getting up-dos with flower crowns, and they weren't done until Invidia and Nova were dressed.

"Okay, your turn Shamura…" Invidia said as she and Nova turned to her.

Shamura nodded, sat down and let the two women go to work. And after her hair and make up were done, Invidia helped her into her dress and turned her to the mirror. As soon as she looked into it, her eyes lit up. The dress fit perfectly and Invidia and Nova had done such a wonderful job on her hair, which was left down, but given a slight wave, and on top of her head she wore a silver tiara and a long, silken, white veil.

"You look wonderful," Invidia complimented just as a knock came at the door, which Nova answered.

"The photographer wants to know if we're ready for formal shots," Nova told them.

The women nodded and made their way out into the lounge where the photographer was waiting. She took several group and individual shots there, then moved them out into the garden for more, including one of Shamura and Invidia standing together. They finished just as Nova's mother, Natsumi, came in and told them to get into position.

"Thanks again for helping," Invidia said. Nova had suggested calling her mother to handle all of the in-wedding details since Invidia had to be in it, rather than behind it today.

"It's no big deal, all I have to do is cue people, like you, go take your position with Arty!" Natsumi handed her a bouquet. It was a smaller version of the bridal bouquet and was a mix of big, white roses and mini blue calla lilies, the only thing missing was the few violets that had been placed into Shamura's bouquet, but they weren't needed anyway.

Invidia nodded and did as she was told, when she reached him, Arty whispered. "You look beautiful, my Princess."

Invidia blushed for a minute, but quickly shook it off when the music started. First the pastor and Seiji walked around from the side of the yard up to the arbor, then down the aisle walked Hazuki and Seiji's brother, Hiro, followed by Nova and one of his friends, Noel and the other friend and finally Invidia and Arty. After them came Ryou as the ring bearer and Akira and Daisy as flower girls, they held the basket in between them and carefully covered the aisle with white rose and violet petals. And finally, came Kenji and Shamura. Invidia smiled as she watched Shamura walk up the aisle and silently prayed, 'Nadeshiko, Katsua, and even you, Stephen,' She thought, thinking of Shamura's last husband. 'I know you're watching, and all I can hope is that you're as happy as I am about this. For her to find love again is something special, especially after what happened to all of you, but I guess that's just who Shamura is, someone always looking forward, and never back…' She finished her thought as Shamura reached the altar and the ceremony began. And after thirty minutes of prayers and vows, the pastor finally asked, "Do you, Seiji Amahara agree to take Shamura Shirogane, as your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, to honor, love, and cherish, and to wed in union, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, in happiness and in pain, until death do you both part?"

Artwork: “Wedding Formal” © 2010 by AMI MEITSU

'So that's what Shamura's last name is…' Invidia thought as Seiji said, "I do."

"And do you…" The pastor repeated the statement for Shamura.

"I do," she said.

"Bearer, the rings please," the pastor said as he looked at Ryou, who stepped forward and presented them. Seiji and Shamura took their respective rings and slipped them onto each other's fingers.

The pastor then said, "By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife, Mr. Amahara, you may now kiss your bride."

Shamura and Seiji then looked into each others eyes before exchanging a long, deep kiss as everyone applauded. They then joined hands and headed back down the aisle with the bridal party following as they made their way to the south courtyard for the reception. The courtyard was set up with several tents, under each was something different, and everything was there, everything but the food.

"Shamura, where's the dining tables?" Noel asked.

"We're going to move into the dining room for dinner, I felt that doing it outdoors wasn't really worth it, especially with the bugs."

Invidia nodded. "Good choice," she whispered.

"Well, it was your idea to begin with," Shamura said.

"True," Invidia shrugged just as a photographer came over and pushed Shamura into a quick, posed shot with Seiji. Invidia rolled her eyes, remembering how she had to go through the same thing at her wedding. It had annoyed her, but she had to admit, she really liked the attention. She smiled as she watched and Arty came over and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Hi, Princess," he said.

"Hi," she said as she held his hand for a minute.

"I haven't seen you since this morning and I'm starting to miss you," he teased.

"I know," Invidia paused, then she said. "They look really happy, don't you think?"

"Of course they're happy, it's their wedding day, remember how happy we were on ours?"

Invidia nodded. "It kind of makes me miss it."

"Well, think about it this way. If we never had the wedding, then we wouldn't be where we are today."

"Held down by two kindergarteners who are always hungry?"

"No, happy, completely in love, and going to a hotel tonight."

"You didn't!" Invidia looked at him.

"I did. All of this wedding talk got me thinking to how much fun we had during ours, so I decided to book us a hotel room so that we could play newlyweds for the night."

"Oh, I love it when you get romantic," Invidia said with a dreamy sigh as she leaned against him.

"I know," Arty spun her around and gave her a quick kiss.

She smiled, and quickly looked into his eyes before casting her glance to Shamura and Seiji while thinking, 'After all of this work, you finally got your fairytale. Congratulations Shamura, may love be with you always…'