Descendants

Misaki holds her hands up as she slowly steps back, observing the finished product. She beams and covers her mouth with one hand. “Kazu, you look absolutely stunning.” She mumbles. 

Kazumi frowns down at herself before slowly turning to check her reflection in the mirror. 

The dress Misaki made for her is a bright orange. The tight strapless top is covered in tiny gems leading into a sparkling band that signals the start of a huge flowy princess-style skirt. Kazumi’s usually so unruly hair is done up beautifully into a creative bun adorned with small flowers and gems to match the ones on her dress.

Kazumi’s eyes widen at the sight and she glances down briefly before observing herself in the mirror again. “Wow” 

Misaki bounces on her heels. “Do you like it?”

“You want my honest opinion?” Kazumi asks her with an evil grin. 

The white-haired girl nods, her locks bouncing around her head as she vibrates with anticipation. 

“Well, you know I usually hate dresses like this.” Kazumi starts as she carefully lifts the front of the dress to step off the small pedestal. “But…” She waves one hand through the air slowly, eventually dropping it on Misaki’s shoulder, making the other girl freeze and blink up at her in fear. “I love it.”

Misaki pretty much melts at that. “Really?”

“Really. It’s not too princess-y, you know? It’s got style. I love that it’s rather...plain.”

“You...you think it’s plain?”

“That’s a good thing!”

“It is?”

“Yes!”

Misaki lets out a deep breath and drops down in a chair nearby. “You have no idea how glad I am to hear that. I was so anxious.”

Kazumi glances at her own reflection again and whirls around to check the back of the dress. “Really? Why’s that?”

“I thought you’d kill me.”

The blonde lets out a chuckle at that and places her hands on her hips. “That’s the spirit. Never lose that fear.”

Misaki laughs and shakes her head to herself before getting up and stepping over to her own dress that’s waiting for her. It’s a soft mint green in color and the skirt isn’t as big as Kazumi’s. The material is the same though, so the few layers seem to flow down towards the floor softly. 

“If my brother really ends up proposing tonight, will you say yes?” She asks as she pulls the dress off the hanger. 

Kazumi raises her gaze and frowns. “What? Of course I’ll say yes! Why wouldn’t I?”

Misaki shrugs and holds the dress close with one arm while running her free hand through her shoulder-length hair. “I...I don’t have a good feeling about this, you know? It’s not my place to tell you what to do. We’re barely friends at all so…”

“Do you know what he’s got planned?” Kazumi asks suddenly. 

Misaki flinches and shakes her head. “No, I have no idea. Like I said, haven’t seen him much lately. I don’t know what’s going through his head.” She looks up at the other. “I mean, I wasn’t there when the two of you talked before you left but...from what I know, it wasn’t too great of a parting.”

“What? He told me we had something special and that he needed some time.”

Misaki looks away. “Kazu…”

A knock on the door interrupts them, followed by Raidon’s voice on the other side. “Girls, are you ready? The King wants us all to be there in like twenty minutes.”

Kazumi looks from the door to Misaki, who sends her a pleading gaze. “I’m coming.” The warrior Princess calls and checks her appearance one last time before stepping over to the door, only wobbling slightly in the heels she has to wear with her dress. “I take it you’ll be fine to put that on yourself.” She tells Misaki without sparing her another look. 

The door opens and shuts and Misaki flinches at the sound of it before frowning down at the dress in her hands again. 

“Alright, the great hall?” Kazumi asks once the door shuts behind her. She straightens her back and faces Raidon, who only smirks at her. 

“Looking good, Princess.” He says as he observes her. “Should I be jealous?”

She rolls her eyes and punches his shoulder jokingly as she takes in his appearance. “You don’t look too bad yourself.” 

In fact, Tamaki pretty much outdid himself with the seemingly black suit Raidon is wearing. It’s rather dark in the hallway but even without any direct light hitting it, it’s obvious that the fabric is going to shine just like his dragon scales do. 

Underneath he’s wearing a white shirt with a yellow tie and vest. Kazumi points at his chest and raises an eyebrow. “What’s with the yellow?”

“Tamaki says it’s gonna bring out my eyes more. Don’t make fun of me!” He argues and quickly grabs her arm to pull her into the direction of the great hall. 

“Isn’t it a bit early?” She asks as they pass a set of windows. 

“I thought so too but apparently the King wants to have a smaller gathering before dinner. The real ball is going to start after that. That’s when everyone can join, you know?”

“Define a smaller gathering.” Kazumi mumbles with narrowed eyes. 

“For us it’s still going to be a crowd. The witches are going to be there, Tamaki, Mirio, Neijire, Tetsutetsu, old friends of the family, relatives, important people from other towns…”

“I get it. A lot.”

Raidon sighs and nods. “Yes, a lot.”

Kazumi glares at the floor as she’s concentrating on not stumbling over her own feet. Heels really are a nightmare. “Have you seen Takeo in the meantime?”

Raidon pauses briefly before shaking his head. “No, I’m sorry.”

Kazumi rolls her eyes and pouts out the window. “Where the hell is he?” She whispers to herself. 

Raidon still sends her a worried glance. “I bet he’ll show up eventually. Maybe he’s just trying to hide a surprise.” He hates himself so much for his words.

She shrugs and the rest of the way is spent in silence. 

When the huge set of double doors come into view, both of them pause and hesitate for a moment. 

“Kazu” Raidon starts quietly. 

She swallows nervously and looks up at him in question. 

“I…” He hesitates as he lowers his gaze to meet her eyes. “You...I just want to tell you that you look really beautiful in that dress and if Takeo doesn’t tell you the same, then he is an idiot.”

Her bottom lip quivers slightly as she nods. “Thank you, Rai”

He smiles and wraps one arm around her shoulders. “Ready?”

“As I’ll ever be.”

And so they push the doors open. 

The great hall is pretty much made of gold and marble while also covered in expensive-looking art. From statues to paintings and strange weapons, there’s some of everything in there. 

Even though they aren’t late by any means, the hall is filled with people already. In between, several members of the stuff are rushing through the crowd to serve drinks to the guests. In the background, soft music is playing. The source must be magic since there is no band to be seen. 

The hall ends in a huge staircase that leads to a few back rooms for the royals to get ready and retreat to. 

“You think he’s hiding up there?” Kazumi mumbles as she leans closer to Raidon. 

“Probably. He’s got to be somewhere, right?”

“Kazu-chan and Rai-Rai!” A high-pitched voice squeaks and soon they’re both pulled into a hug by no other than Neijire Hadou. 

“Oh my! You poor kids!” Mirio’s voice chimes in as he joins them. 

Neijire releases them but keeps them close to observe their appearance. “Ah! You look so handsome! A Princess and her dragon!”

Raidon blinks at her and steps back quickly as he feels the blush rush up into his cheeks. 

“Neijire, I think…” Mirio starts with raised hands but Kazumi interrupts them. 

“Hell yes, my dragon! And he’s freaking huge!”

Raidon quickly covers his face and turns away. “Kazu! Are you listening to yourself?!”

A shrill laugh escapes Neijire and Mirio can’t help but chuckle. Kazumi frowns at them before whirling around to face Raidon. “What the fuck is so funny? Rai!”

“If that isn’t our brave warrior Princess!” A new voice calls. 

Mina Ashido runs over to them and tackles Kazumi into a tight hug. “Ah! I haven’t seen you in forever! How are you? How are Katsu and Eiji?”

She rolls her eyes as she’s squeezed. “Alive” She breathes. 

“Wonderful!” Mina cheers and jumps back. “Hey, Rai! Why are you so red?”

Raidon drops his hands and sends her a glare. “Why are you pink?” He deadpans. 

“Touché!” 

Several other guests approach them after that, the subject of Raidon’s shame quickly forgotten. 

The witches keep hovering around them for a while until the King makes his way over to them. 

“Kazumi. Raidon.” Shouto greets them in his usual monotone. While most of the adults in their life simply refuse to age, Shouto certainly did. 

He doesn’t look old, but definitely more wise. His hair is longer and the top is pulled back into a small ponytail. He tried growing a beard for a while but quickly abandoned that idea since Misaki kept laughing whenever she saw him. A few wrinkles appeared on his face with time. 

Let’s say he grew into his position gracefully. 

“It’s good to see you again. Both of you.” He adds. 

“Yes, same. Uh, do you know where Takeo is?” Kazumi asks quickly. 

Raidon rolls his eyes at how easily she talks to the King. 

Shouto glances around and folds his hands behind his back. “I’m afraid I’m rarely able to keep up with my son’s business so, no, I don’t know where he is. I did tell him to show up in time though so he should be here soon.”

Kazumi sighs but nods. “Okay, thanks”

The King nods again and pats both their shoulders before approaching the next group. 

Raidon glances at his best friend, unsure of what to say when the doors open and Misaki stumbles in. 

“Guys! I’m here. I’m sorry. My hair wouldn’t cooperate.” She breathes as she joins them. “What did I miss?”

“Nothing, your father just greeted us.” Raidon tells her as he takes in her appearance. “You look great. Love the dress.”

Misaki halts and beams up at him. “Thank you! Love the suit.”

“Thank you”

Kazumi frowns, her gaze wandering from Misaki to Raidon. “Whatever you’re doing, stop.”

“May I have your attention?” The King’s voice echoes through the room and all heads turn to look up at Shouto who is standing at the bottom of the stairs, a glass of champagne in his hand. 

“Wait, why don’t we have drinks?” Kazumi mumbles as she looks around. “Where’s the staff?”

“Don’t be rude.” Raidon sighs. 

“They retreat when the King is about to speak.” Misaki tells her. 

“Thank you for sharing this evening with us once again.” Shouto continues. “As most of you might already know, this ball is an old family tradition that I’m still refusing to drop even though the original reason for it was lost over the years. We are using it to gather together once a year and just have a good time. No political discussions, no problems concerning the town and their people. We are not ignoring these things, we are simply laying them down for one evening to enjoy ourselves.”

“I think he hasn’t changed that speech in five years.” Misaki mumbles and Kazumi hides a laugh. 

“Now, I don’t want to bore you for too long.” Shouto tells the crowd. “Also, my son asked me for permission to make an announcement tonight.” He steps aside and raises his glass towards the top of the stairs. 

Kazumi freezes in shock, her eyes going wide as she stares at Takeo, who at some point must’ve sneaked out to wait at the railing. He is wearing a dark red and black suit, his hair neatly brushed back, revealing his handsome face. 

“He really went with that suit?” Misaki snickers quietly and Raidon forces himself to laugh with her as he tries to ignore his best friend melting at the sight. 

Takeo gives the crowd a small smile as he starts his descent down the stairs. A few people start clapping while others are patiently waiting for the news to get dropped. 

When he reaches the bottom, his father pats him on the back and steps back. 

“Good evening” Takeo greets the crowd. “I don’t want to take too much of your time for this but this is an announcement I can’t keep to myself any longer.” His eyes wander and eventually land on Kazumi. The moment their eyes lock, his usually so grounded expression drops for a moment and his eyes widen. 

Raidon frowns at the sudden change and exchanges worried glances with Misaki, who shakes her head weakly. 

“I…” Takeo starts again, trying to get back on track and cover his sudden nervousness. “I want to introduce someone.” He pulls his eyes away from Kazumi and a frown covers her face as Takeo turns to look up the stairs. 

Everyone follows his gaze to see a young woman standing there, one hand on the railing as she takes in the crowd nervously. Her long brown hair is pulled up into a wavy ponytail, her purple eyes framed by soft makeup as she forces a smile, her free hand holding onto her dark purple dress.

“I want you all to meet Sumi, daughter of witchblood and my girlfriend.”