Disclaimer: I (still) own nothing T_T

She checked herself in front of the mirror, for what felt like the hundredth time that day.

Her hair was impeccably styled; her make-up pristine; her dress, clinging to her like a second skin.

In other words, she looked picture perfect, and yet so much perfection was just making her want to scream.

"Hitomi! We have to go…Now!" Her brother shouted once more from the hallway. "Everyone is waiting already."

"I said, I'm going!!" She shouted back; her temper dangerously close to its boiling point.

"If I could just manage to put these bloody things on…" She grumbled to herself, in the midst of a loosing battle against the long sleeve gloves that went along with her dress. "God, I hate weddings!"

"Even if it is your best friend's wedding?" An amused voice was heard from the door.

Startled, Hitomi quickly turned around, only to be faced with a very familiar red-haired young woman, clad in very unfamiliar white garments.

As heavy as her friend's wedding gown seemed to be though, it still failed to conceal the effects she was facing by trying to contain her laughter, at the look of pure exasperation on the sandy-blond woman's face.

Aggravation forgotten for a moment, Hitomi managed to genuinely smile for the first time that day, all the while fighting the sudden urge to shed a tear at the sight of her soon-to-be married best-friend.

"You look beautiful, Yukari." She whispered softly.

"Why thank you, Miss Kanzaki." Her friend bowed in recognition.

"And I didn't mean what I said about hating weddings…"

"Oh, yes you did." Yukari said, while helping her adjust the treacherous gloves in place. "And if I dare add, above all, you hate being the maid of honor, don't you?"

Hitomi chuckled nervously. "It's not so much that, or all the duties I'm supposed to take on. It's not… But, did you really have to pair me off with my own brother? It's… depressing."

"Well, I didn't have much choice, did I? You refused to be paired off with any of Amano's groomsmen. I couldn't very well allow my maid of honor to walk down the aisle alone!"

As if on cue, Hitomi's appointed escort for the day, decided to pop his head through the door; a poorly concealed frown on his face.

"Damn it sis, not even grandma takes this long to get ready. Are you putting plaster on your face or something?"

"You baka! Get out of here. I said I'm going already." His sister yelled at him, making him quickly flee the premises, before she had time to grab anything potentially harmful to throw his way.

"Great, just great!" Hitomi finally complained in defeat. "I'm the maid of honor at my best-friend's wedding and my 'date' for the day is my obnoxious little brother… That says a lot about the state of my love life, doesn't it?"

"You know," Yukari mediated, trying hard to hide her smile. "it is said, that some people actually see the ones they are destined to be married to at weddings… Now I'm not saying it will happen to you today, but just in case, I think you should stay alert... Who knows? Maybe you'll see someone who'll take your breath away." She winked.

Hitomi rolled her eyes at her sudden dreamy expression. "You are a riot at times, Yukari. Did you know that?"

He picked at the edge of his collar for the fourth time in less than two minutes, before turning back to the mirror and grimacing.

For some odd reason he didn't quite recognize the image of the person being projected in it.

Sure, he was able to recognize his own face well enough, but his hair, however, was far too…tidy. He kept resisting the urge of just pulling his fingers through it and messing it all up back to its normal dishevelled state, but the last thing he wanted was for the royal barber to throw a fit over it.

After all, the poor man had nearly pleaded on his knees for his king to try to remain presentable (had been his chosen word) throughout the rest of that day.

Unconsciously, the young king picked at the tight collar again, while running a mental inspection of his far too regal attire. Sword. Check! Crown. Check! Overly ornate and unnecessary cape. Check!

"My, my, don't you look handsome, your highness!" Someone whispered from behind him. "I would advise you to hurry though. You'll miss out on the beginning of the ceremony if you keep admiring yourself in the mirror like that. Everyone's there already."

Van didn't bother looking around. He could very well imagine the grin plastered on his companion's face. "I'm going, Merle!" He retorted heatedly, trying his best not to curse out loud. "…As soon as I can get this damn thing to stop choking me."

Light steps approached him and soon enough his friend was right in front of him, expert hands pushing his clumsy ones aside, while she helped ease the pressure over his collarbone.

Van checked once again the foreign reflection frowning back at him from the mirror. "By the Gods, do I hate weddings!" He grumbled.

Merle tried hard not to laugh. "Well, it could be worse, Van… It could be your wedding."

"Aren't you funny today, young lady?" He replied sarcastically. "…Tell me again though, why exactly am I doing this?"

Merle huffed in exasperation. "Because Princess Eries is a royal member of an allied country… and besides, Allen is one of your best-friends. Wouldn't it be weird if you missed his wedding ceremony?"

"Yes,… I guess." Van sighed in defeat. "But I'm missing out on a damn good guymelef tournament, just so you know…"

Barely had the words left his mouth, when he felt a sharp pain on his upper arm. Her swift and effective slap would no doubt be leaving an imprint on his skin, he mused.

"Oh, do you mind behaving like a king for a few hours? Your Allen's best-man, so don't even think about trying to escape your duties today." She threatened. "And don't give me that look. It can't be that bad…"

"Of course not…" Van shrugged. "I'll just have to pretend to be nice and sociable all afternoon. Try to strike up polite conversation with every excuse for a ruler who secretly wishes to see Fanelia reduced to ashes. Not to mention be agreeable to all those princesses just waiting for the chance to get a piece of my crown… I apologize, Merle. You are absolutely correct. I'm in for the time of my life!"

It took Merle every ounce of restrain not to burst into a fit of laughter at the expense of the sheer look of desperation in Van's face. It was clear to her now, that her king could only see doom ahead of him that day.

"Well, you know," She started carefully, while making her way out of the room. "I've heard that there is this Asturian saying that mentions that unmarried people are far more likely to see the ones they are destined to marry at weddings than in any other sort of event…"

Van frowned once more. "And what is that supposed to mean?"

Merle shrugged; a grin on her lips. "I'm just saying, that maybe today, you'll loose your heart to someone."

Thirty minutes into the ceremony and Hitomi was ready to call it a day.

Her heels were killing her feet; her head hurt from all the pins strategically placed to keep her elaborate hairdo intact, and to top it all off, her annoying excuse for a sibling wouldn't stop fidgeting right beside her.

Would it not be for the fact that it were her two best-friends in front of the altar getting married, and Hitomi would had already bailed out of the place long ago.

For all it was worth, she was actually convinced that it were their happy faces the only things between her and fit of insanity at the time.

But oh, did they seem happy. Hitomi could not recall a time when her friends' smiles had seemed more radiant than they did at that moment, while they stared deep into each others' eyes; no words or oaths needed to seal the deep feelings they shared for one another.

It almost made one feel a little jealous. True love is not an easy thing to find. Hitomi was well aware of that.

And being able to be with the person you're in love with, is sometimes even harder.

Hitomi was well aware of that too…

Perhaps that was part of the reason why she wasn't too fond of weddings. She would always find herself thinking, if someday she too would be as fortunate as her friends now were. If she too would get the chance one day to exchange vows with the person she really loved.

The one that was always on her mind and yet so far from her reach…

Hitomi was so caught up in her thoughts, that the unexplainable warmth she suddenly felt going through her, completely caught her of guard, making her feel almost light-headed. A strange feeling that she was being watched instantly went over her and as a result, her heart skipped a bear.

She slowly turned toward the source of that strange warmth and suddenly felt as if the world had come to a halt around her.

Above the altar stood a man who she knew was invisible to everyone around her, except to herself.

Enveloped in a heavenly light, it was as though he had step out from some gifted artist's dream. Dark hair and tanned skin, framed the most perfect features she mused would ever grace another human being. He was, and would always remain to her, the epitome of male beauty and it didn't matter how often he had appeared to her already, she would still get butterflies in her stomach every single time.

She felt entranced by his sight, and if his own captivated expression was any indication of it, she mused his feelings at the time might not be that different from her owns. Perhaps his heart was even beating as fast as hers…

She blushed profusely as his eyes roamed her body in a not so discreet way. So much so, that she was forced to avert her own eyes from his prying ones for a moment, albeit not managing to conceal a smile from him.

For the first time that day, Hitomi was actually glad for her exquisite taffeta dress, her high heels and perfectly styled hair. He was not used to seeing her in such a way, after all and she couldn't help wondering what was going through his mind at that moment.

As always, Hitomi was unable to keep track of time. If someone were to ask her how long that moment had lasted, she couldn't tell. Mere seconds? The whole of eternity? It didn't only knew that he stood there, staring at her in bewilderment, until a wave of cheers erupted around her and the light surrounding him started to subside.

Though before he disappeared into the air, they were still able to share that one last look they always did at the end of their fleeting encounters. The silent, promising one that always seemed to mean, 'Until next time…'.

"What's up, sis? You look strange." Her brother asked with suspicion soon after, as they made their way trough the throng of guests, to congratulate the wedded couple.

"Nothing…" She replied, smiling. "I just lost my breath for awhile, that's all!".

"Van...Van? Are you alright?"

A crystalline voice brought him back from his reverie. He turned to face Eries again, noticing the deep concern in her eyes, as Allen beside her, came to place a steady hand over his shoulder.

"Are you feeling well, my friend? You seemed dazed for a few moments."

Van turned his gaze from the newlywed couple in front of him back to the clearing, where just a few seconds ago she had appeared to him, in all her ethereal glory.

He suddenly found himself smiling. "I'm fine… Though I think I might just have lost something …"

FIN