Violets and Chrysanthemums

Chapter 6

 After two days of complete torcher, the wedding had finally arrived. And neither of the princes were very happy about it.

 From the minute he'd woken up Shinsou didn't leave his room once. He'd ordered his breakfast be brought to his room along with his suit so that he could get ready in seclusion. Of course, it was insisted that someone do his makeup so that he didn't look completely dead inside. Other than that he had a good amount of alone time to mentally prepare himself for this ceremony.

 So, Shinsou started out with a quick bath and then began to assemble his suit. His hair was next, getting gelled back and out of his face by shaky hands. By the time Hitoshi was done, a makeup artist with pink curly hair and dark skin practically bounced in with a box of makeup. She seemed to be abnormally energetic for any person awake at 8 am. Shinsou could never.

 "Hello! I'm Mina Ashido. I'll be our makeup artist for the next hour." The girl didn't hesitate to introduce herself, pulling one of my corner chairs out for me to sit on. "Hop along now, I've still got Prince Kaminari's hair to do. And he's never been the most patient." She laughed.

 Shinsou just stared for a moment, "Never? You know him? Personally."

 Mina cocked her head, "I mean yeah. Ever since we were littluns. My family does all sorts of cosmetic stuff for the Kaminaris."

 "Really. Well, how would you describe him?" Shinsou asked, trying to get to know the man at least a little before they get married. 

 "Well maybe if you sit down I could tell you while I cover up those monstrous eyebags." She smiled and patted the chair. 

 Shinso obliged with a shrug. "Okay," She huffed as she started with his concealer, "How would I describe Denks you say. Well for one he's bubbly like no other. Sometimes I'm afraid he'll just float away with how daft that one can get. OH, and he's very loving. He gets attached easy. I must say he's one of the most loving and kind people I've ever met. If not a bit air-headed."

 Shinsou nodded.

 "HEY! You can't move your head when I'm putting this stuff on your face. Unless you wanna look like some sort of sleepless ghost. Though I guess you sort of look like that anyway."

 "Hey," Shinsou said having been slightly offended by that comment. 

 "Oh relax, I was just joking... Sort of." She finished putting the concealer of Shinsou's face then pulled out the mascara and put just a smidge on his eyes, finishing off with a lip balm that she had Shinsou put on himself.

 "There we go. Much better." She put her hands on her hips and admired her handy work. 

 "Thank you." Shinsou forced out a sort of a grateful smile that made him look more in pain than anything.

 "No problem hon. Now I've gotta go and do..." Mina grabbed her makeup box but before she could continue, her eyes caught on the flower crowns resting on Shinsou's dresser. An unreadable look locks on her face as she freezes. "Um... sorry, weird question but where did you get those crowns?"

 Shinsou turned and looked at the flower crowns confused. "Oh, a uh... a friend made them for me, They're nearly expired, unfortunately." Shinsou frowned at the decaying flowers.

 Mina shook her head clearing her thoughts, "Yeah ok, I'm gonna go. Um, have a good time getting ready and stuff I guess." The strange girl made her way out of the room as quickly as she could.

"Um, okay?" Shinsou watched her leave curiously, "That was strange."

-<>-

 Kaminari was brought from the camp to the castle that morning to get ready. He'd been given a nice guest room to rally his thoughts and piece himself together before he walks down the aisle. But that was a lot easier said than done. 

 As he got ready he felt horrible and could barely stand to look at himself in the mirror. He didn't want to take in his own pitiful expression. 

 Of course one of his best friends came to save the day right on time after he'd gotten dressed. Mina Ashido was the closest thing Denki had ever had to a sister and she was exactly what he needed right now.

 The bubbly girl walked in with her box of makeup as she normally did, but something was off. She had a hard look of concentration that wasn't like her at all.

 "Mina, what's wrong with your face?" Kaminari asked immediately.

 Mina looked up, her expression morphing from concentration to shock. "Oh. Nothing it's just, um. That poet you were talking about did he happen to have purple hair and monstrous eye bags??"

 Denki froze. He couldn't make out any words so he just nodded.

 Mina pulled up a chair and told him to sit. "You're gonna need to sit down." She said as Denki sat and began to work on his hair. "Well, I think I may have just met him."

 Kaminari wished he'd heard her incorrectly. "What?" His heart was pounding in his ears, "No, I really wished he wasn't here. Oh, gods, he's going to see me get married. It's going to break his heart. No..." Denki felt tears slide down his face. "Gods I knew this would happen. I should have told him the truth when I had the chance. What have I d-."

 Mina ran around the chair and took his hands in hers, "No Denks, you don't get it. I think your 'poet' is Prince Shinsou. I was just in his chambers and he had your flower crowns on his dresser. I'd recognize that weaving anywhere. It didn't make any sense at all at first but then it clicked. He'd want to lie about his identity just as much as you did."

 Kaminari turned a confused look on her, "What? No that's impossible." He knew that couldn't be true, but then thought about all those times his poet expressed an odd deep-rooted knowledge of the castle and its history, and how Shin Hito was such an obvious alias. "Oh, my gods." Denki snapped out of his daze, "He's... I have to see him. I have to see him right now." He started out of his chair but Mina pushed him back down. "No," She had already finished doing the boy's hair and was now putting some light makeup on his face, "The wedding is just about to start and you'll see him when you walk down the isle. Just wait a little longer."

 "But Mina-" Kaminari tried and failed to lift out of the chair once more. 

 "Nope." She finished off the makeup and took his hands in hers again. "It's bad luck to see the groom before the wedding." She winked and left the room. 

 Denki was left there stuck in contemplation. Not at all knowing how to go about this situation. He was in a game of mental tug-of-war with his denial pulling from one end and his hope on the other. He wouldn't know which one to believe until he saw Shinsou.

 Someone knocked on Kaminari's door interrupting his thoughts, "Prince Kaminari, please be in the foyer in five minutes. The ceremony is about to begin." The stranger yelled.

"Okay... I'll be right down." Kaminari hesitated at the door then stepped out onto the path of his future. 

 This is going to be fun.