[M.E.] My Lucky Number (Seven)

[James Everwood]

James found himself being dragged off by a bunch of random students, ones who seemed nicer than most since they hadn't been commenting on his eye patch, or his arm. But still they were dragging him off to what he could only assume was certain doom, "Ok, what's going on here..." James said to the kids as he was dragged off.

"You sir, are going to get married!" A girl said, pulling on his left (and only) arm, hooking hers with his as two guys pushed against his back.

"Yeah, you're gonna get yerself a wife an everythin!" Said guy number one.

"M-m-married? What in the world are you talking about?"

"Simmer down now," Guy number one said, as James began to try and struggle more to get free, "It's just pretend, one of them mock thingies, y'know? Like the mock trials and stuff, only in this one you're gettin hitched!"

"Oh...." James said as the finally stopped, "So... who am I paired up with?"

"The others should be showing up with her soon," The girl said, letting go of his arm finally, "Don't worry, you won't be the only confused one I'm sure. But don't worry, you look handsome!"

"Oh uh, thanks," James said.

"You'll look even better in a tux!" She said and skipped off. It was going to be a long day... especially if James had to get the tux on without any help.

[Seven]

Seven had been surprised upon entering the school to find that one of her bodyguards - Matthew, the only American one - had apprehended two of her female classmates and brought them before her. Immediately, the guards on either side of her tensed.

"What is the meaning of this?" she asked, her face bland - she couldn't afford to show emotion before possible attackers or instigators after all.

"They were speaking of you in the hallway ahead. There's quite a few of them," Matthew told her. "It seems like they want to kidnap you."

Seven raised an eyebrow at this. A kidnapping staged by classmates? That couldn't be it. Surely no one was that stupid.

She looked at the two girls that were petrified before her.

"Care to explain?" she asked.

"It's just a mock wedding," the first of them said, pouting a bit. She disliked being captured, it seemed.

The other girl nodded. "It was supposed to be a surprise, but he -" Here, she glared at Matthew. "ruined it!"

Seven frowned. "A mock wedding?" She was confused. Why would they want to hold a mock wedding?

"Yep - it was decided on by the whole class, and your name got pulled!" the first nodded enthusiastically.

Hiyami pondered this. They wanted her to participate in a class activity. Which meant that they were not worried about her status and whatnot. Which was a good thing. At her old school, she'd been something of a loner because of the fame and fortune behind her name. She was glad to see it wasn't lasting here.

"Okay. What do I do, then?" she asked the girls, both of whom squealed in glee.

[James Everwood]

"Well I reckon she'll be comin round before awful long," The first guy, who's name happened to be Johnny, said to James as he pulled him into an empty room, "Now this here is yer tuxedo. Best be puttin' it on if yeh want to look good for this."

"I uhh," James started to say, pointing at his missing arm, "I can get on some stuff but the tuxedo is a bit more-"

"Say no more! I got yeh partner," Johnny said, and began getting James undressed, and helping him get his tuxedo on. It didn't take much, but for a lot of the suspenders and all getting the cuff links on was difficult alone. However, with Johnny's help it didn't take long, and Johnny even knew how to tie a bow tie so that wasn't hard at all, "Now you just let me know if and when that gets a bit tight and I'll go on and loosen it fer yeh, okay partner?"

"Yeah, listen.... th-"

"Don' mention it, just remember this if I ever need yer help with anythin, what goes 'round comes 'round and whatnot. Got me Jimmy? Mind if I call you Jimmy?" Johnny asked.

"I uhh.... well yeah but, just you okay? I don't really like the name Jimmy too well..." James said, as Johnny finished tying his shoes and they headed out, "So where are we going?"

"Not too far from 'ere, we'll be meetin yer misses there as well!" Johnny said, leading James outside and to a cab which took him just down the road. Johnny got out and opened James door for him, James got out, the right arm of his jacket rolled up to show that he didn't have a right arm for that sleeve. He was now outside of the church, "Now we better get inside before this young lady shows up, ya hear? It's bad luck for the groom to be seein his bride before the weddin'."

"Yeah, yeah I suppose you're right," James said as he walked into the church, walking down the aisle he made his way to where he was supposed to stand, Johnny standing next to him. James didn't see a priest anywhere, "Where's the priest?"

"Oh! Yeah the others are on it, turns out he ain't here yet. Somethin about traffic. Most likely you'll get a chance to meet and talk to yer lady at the alter here before he even shows up for the ceremony. Give ya'll a chance to figure out each others names and whatnot." Johnny said, and James nodded, waiting for his bride to show up.

I really hope she doesn't feel shortchanged for being set up with a cripple....

[Seven]

Within minutes, they'd relocated. Seven had been taken to a car with four other girls and they'd headed for church. Several other cars were following them, including the one with her bodyguards, none of which were pleased to be dealing with the stereotypically squealing schoolgirls.

"What is required of me?" Seven asked curiously as the got closer to the church.

"Oh, not much," the girl in the passenger seat assured her. "We'll get you all dolled up - make up, jewelry, dress and all that jazz - and then we'll go through with the ceremony. We've got all the positions covered, but the priest is probably going to be late. There's quite a bit of traffic - apparently there was a crash."

"A really big one," another girl piped up.

"Oh, and don't worry about the rings. There's a ring bearer." At this, Seven raised an eyebrow. They'd really thought this out, hadn't they?

"How is this being paid for?" she asked, one eyebrow raised. "I was under the impression that the class was saving for a trip, not a wedding."

The girl to her left simply shrugged. "Oh, please. It's not like they'll notice that the funds are gone. Besides, we did this with the teacher's permission."

Seven was very amused by this. The teacher did seem to be a bit.... odd. Ah, well, it didn't matter to her anyways. And then she was struck by another thought.

"Who is to be my groom?" she asked, curious.

"Oh, you don't know him. His name's James. James Everwood."

Seven considered the name for a moment, wishing she had one of her bodyguards with her. They had copies of all of the files in regards to teachers and students. They'd be able to tell her who said male was. She considered asking one of the girls for a cell phone for a moment, but then stopped herself. It wouldn't do to do that. Besides, if she'd never met him, he certainly had never met her. It would be equally a surprise this way.

Once they arrived at the church, she'd been whisked into the bridal dressing room, a dress laid out with jewelry on a stand beside it, and a make up artists and hairdresser in the room.

"Have fun!" they'd tittered at her before filing into the main part of the church.

Seven nodded to the other two women in the room in anticipation, and the two females moved swiftly. Seven was promptly sat on a chair before a mirror and they began to work on her. One promptly began working on her hair, and the other began to apply make up to her face.

At last - no matter how many times she'd had to endure it, Seven hated to sit still as people did things to her - they finished. Seven had only a moment to admire her carefully prettied face and twisted up hair. She was hurried into the dress - it was of a beautiful French cut lace with a rather long train. The dress itself was fairly light - a surprising fact, if only because of all the fabric involved. She decided it was made of silk or something similar. It was soft enough to be, anyways.

The jewelry was placed on her - earrings, bracelet, choker, necklace - and then the veil and bonnet.

She stood up and was given a moment to look at herself in the mirror - she couldn't even recognize herself - and then they escorted her to the main room.

Seven supposed some sort of gesture had been made - she wasn't sure what it was - and then she was walking out, following a flower girl and enduring that slow stupid walk to the front.

As she'd been warned, there was no priest. Still, she took the time to observe her false groom. He was missing an arm - his right. And he wore an eye patch over his left eye.

He seemed a bit awkward - Seven wondered if she'd noticed because of the fact that it was mostly students in the large room or if it was because he was the only one in an over-the-top tuxedo with a rolled up sleeve. It didn't matter to her.

Seven had always thought that those that bore physical injuries probably bore even more mental ones.

She got to the front, and smiled at him, wondering if he could see past her veil.

"Hello."

[James Everwood]

As the girl made her way into James' view he noticed how tall she was, and what her frame was like. The veil stopped him from seeing her face from this distance, in fact he wondered if he'd be able to see her up close. But looks didn't matter to him, after all he wasn't exactly Fabio even before the loss of an arm. And sure the eye patch may have provided a little bit of handsomeness brought on with a pirate-esque feel..... or James so liked to think.

Ahhh it's time to face it, this thing just looks strange and awkward. Though I suppose it's not creepy, which beats the glass eye option.

"Hello." She said once she was there next to him. James went to speak but couldn't at first he looked down and put a stupid grin on his face for a second before looking up at her. He couldn't fully see through the veil, but he could tell that she was pretty, he just didn't know how pretty she really was.

"Hey," James said, "I'm James... I guess we're going to get married. Well, not really but you know...."

Smooth move, way to show her your inner rambling idiot... come on, make a save....

"You look beautiful," James said sincerely, and it was true, "So, what's your name?" He asked, finding himself with nothing else to say at the moment. James could hear someone coming, it was most likely the priest, but he was much more interested in getting to know the girl. Of course, maybe after this thing they could go some place, or maybe there were other plans made by their classmates as to what they'd be doing after the wedding.

(OOC: Go ahead and RP the priest if you want, or if not I can, but I figured I'd let you decide what type of ceremony you want and how you want it to go as far as what the priest says and has us say. =P)

[Seven]

There was a brief pause before her 'groom' responded, but he did with a greeting of his own.

"Hey," he said, "I'm James... I guess we're going to get married. Well, not really, but you know..."

Seven grinned at him. How cute. He couldn't organize his thoughts properly. Besides, those that were cut and clean right away typically had to be watched. They were the prepared ones - which meant that something risky was going on, right?

"You look beautiful." he told her, and she blushed, suddenly relieved for the make up and the veil. She hadn't been expecting that, and, to be honest, she wasn't quite sure as to whether or not she should attribute it to the fact that he couldn't see her, or whether he was making an estimate of what he could see.

"It's only the dress," she protested bashfully.

"So what's your name?" he asked her, and she nodded at this - he'd already given his own. It had been rude of her to keep from introducing herself to him.

"My name is Seven." she told him, a bit embarrassed for the name. "My father translated my name into English when he sent me here. My real name is Nana... But it says Seven on the papers, so that's what I'm identified by here..." She stopped herself from continuing, already able to tell that she was going to make a fool of herself if she continued on, and that was something no self-respecting young lady should do. And besides that, she could hear someone coming. It was always bad to look silly at first meetings with anyone. Or stupid, anyways. Either way, she didn't want to embarrass herself any further.

So, instead, she changed the subject.

"I'm guessing they grabbed you, too?" she asked, curious. "The girls that were supposed to kidnap me got caught by my guards." She motioned to the back of the church, where several of her guards were. Some were sitting, some were standing, but all were standing in a way that no weapon was obvious - but the skill was.

[James Everwood]

"My name is Seven. My father translated my name into English when he sent me here. My real name is Nana... But it says Seven on the papers, so that's what I'm identified by here..." She said, and James remembered this, though he wasn't sure which one she preferred to be called by he'd go with Seven for now since that's the first one she told him, "I'm guessing they grabbed you, too? The girls that were supposed to kidnap me got caught by my guards."

Guards? Like Kate McHallin?

"Yeah, my best man here, Johnny," James said turning his head toward his side, looking over toward his best man, "And two others kidnapped me."

"Don't worry man, no need to thank us Jimbo," Johnny said, slapping James on the back.

"And uhh, other than that I just was told to get on a tux and that we'd be doing a mock wedding," He said as the priest made his way into the scene, "Oh uhh, I guess it's time." He said, turning his body toward Seven completely, holding out his hand for her to hold onto while the ceremony was taking place.

"Hello, I'll be your priest, my name is Father McDowell, before we start can I get your full names for the ceremony?" The priest asked, and James immediately replied.

"James Everwood," He said, "Spelled exactly how it sounds.... and this is Nana... uhm...." And he stopped since he didn't know her full name he'd let her say it.

[Seven]

He seemed a bit puzzled by her reference to her bodyguards, and all at once, Seven realized that he still didn't understand who she was. Then again, Japan was quite a ways away from California. Still, the companies her father owned were rather... popular. And widespread. So he might now know of her or her family, but he'd probably have some product or the other that was produced by a company under their family name.

And then he answered her question with a brief exchange with his friend and best man, Johnny. Soon enough, the priest appeared, following James' announcement, and he - James, not the priest, mind you - held out his hand. She took it, simply laying her hand lightly in it, and turned with him, so that she faced him.

"Hello, I'll be your priest. My name is Father MxDowell; before we start, can I get your full names for the ceremony?" the priest asked.

Seven giggled at Mr. James Everwood's confusion as to what he should say for her name. And then she rescued him, giving the name that had been placed on the US residency papers.

"Seven Kingston," she said to the priest, wondering if they'd pick up on who she was. If he did, it would explain the bodyguards. If not, she'd probably explain later if he asked. Assuming he didn't get nervous or whatever as some people did. If he was one of the easily nervous people, she'd probably withhold the information and hope he didn't figure it out. After all, no one wanted others to be uncomfortable with them, right?

[James Everwood]

"Alright then. Let's get started shall we?" The priest asked, clapping his hands together and looking out into the church at the kids who had helped with the wedding. It was mostly empty given the circumstances. "Dearly Beloveds and Honored Guests: We are gathered here this day in the sight of God and the company assembled to witness the giving and receiving of the marriage vows. Marriage is an institution ordained of God and is not to be entered into lightly or in jest and only after much consideration"

James was blushing because of the contact he had with Seven, holding her hand in his, looking through the veil and trying to get a better glimpse at the beautiful girl behind it. He could tell she was gorgeous, and did not know why she needed body guards, even after hearing her name. After all, he didn't focus much on the world or who it's rich and powerful were. All he knew was the president, and maybe a few company owners like Bill Gates and.... well alright he only knew Bill Gates. He smiled at her, wondering about her. He hoped he'd get to know here a bit more after all this...

"Do you James Everwood take Seven Kingston to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, in sickness and in heath, to love, honor and obey, in good times and woe, for richer or poorer, keeping your solely unto her for as long as you both shall live?"

"I do," James said, noticing someone walking up the aisle, it was the ring bearer, holding a pillow with two rings on it. One for James, and one for Seven.

"Do you Seven Kingston take James Everwood to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, in sickness and health, to love, honor and obey, in good times and woe, for richer or poorer, keeping yourself solely unto him for as long as you both shall live?"

[Seven]

"Alright then. Let's get started shall we? Dearly Beloveds and Honored Guests: We are gathered here this day in the sight of God and the company assembled to witness the giving and receiving of the marriage vows. Marriage is an institution ordained of God and is not to be entered into lightly or in jest and only after much consideration." the priest started out. Seven merely stared at him through the veil, knowing that it wasn't as though anyone could see her eyes. Besides, she was still technically facing James. Had the priest not been told it was a mock wedding? Then again, most anything was false if it didn't have the necessary papers to back it up.

And then the priest asked James as to whether he would take Seven as his wife - and James agreed with the two customary words - "I do." She'd known he would, but that didn't stop the blush from spreading across her face. For the first time, she was thankful that she was wearing the clothe over her head. She still thought it made her look weird, but whatever. It was hiding the blush and that was good enough.

Admittedly, it was her own fault. As the daughter of someone important, she should be able to hide her emotions. Seven, though fairly decent as an actress, was certainly not the best. And if she blushed, she blushed - she couldn't help it!

And suddenly, all too soon, it was her turn.

"Do you, Seven Kingston, take James Everwood to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have to hold in sickness and health, to love, honor, and obey, in good times and woe, for richer or poorer, keeping yourself solely unto him for as long as you both shall live?"

At this, Hiyami frowned. She'd heard it used with James, but hadn't really thought much about it. This time, though, she paused when she heard it. The thought of obeying anyone that wasn't her father - mock marriage or not - was a bit appalling. She'd always been given the space to spread her wings.

"So long as we are not required to obey each other," she said, nodding, "I do."

She hoped that she hadn't ruined anything by speaking up, but she would never promise to obey someone for a mock marriage. Or even an actual marriage, now that she thought about it.

[James Everwood]

James laughed a little at what she said, he supposed that was incredibly old fashioned of the priest. Of course, it could have been worse. He could have said it for her and not him, and then he'd really be getting some hell right now. James short laugh turned into a large smile as Seven said, "I do."

If there be anyone present who may show just and lawful cause why this couple may not be legally wed, let them speak now or forever hold their peace," The priest stated, giving a short period of silence for someone to speak if they wanted to interrupt. Nobody did, however, and the priest went on to finish the ceremony. "James, take her ring in your hand, and place it on her ring finger. While doing so say, 'With this ring, I thee wed'."

James picked up the ring from the ring bearer, the ring which was obviously intended for Seven, "Could you hold up your hand?" He asked, "I uhh, I would take it in my other one but uhh, I seem to have forgotten it somewhere," He joked, making a reference to his missing arm. Once she got her left hand up for him to put the ring on he would place the ring onto her ring finger and say, "With this ring, I thee wed."

"And now you Seven, place the ring on James finger and say, 'With this ring, I thee wed'."

[Seven]

The priest asked if anyone thought that the two should not be falsely married - well, he hadn't included the false part, but it was true nonetheless - but there was no objections. Not that any one of them had expected anything different.

And then it was time for the exchange of rings. She grinned when he joked about his arm, but nonetheless, she obligingly held her arm up. She had nothing against the missing arm - besides, maneuverability became a bit more interesting. It would probably suck if he fell from being off balance though.

And suddenly there was a ring on her finger - her left ring finger - and her hand felt just a bit heavier, and not just in a physical way. She herself felt a bit heavier, too. Then again, that might have just been the weight of a false marriage. It didn't matter, though. She was having too much fun to care much about that.

"And now you, Seven, place the ring on James' finger and say, 'With this ring, I thee wed.'"

And Seven, mischievous as ever, spoke in her own manner.

"With this ring, I wed thee." Admittedly, it wasn't that much of a deviance from the original words - just word order, really - but her grammatically correct mind refused to allow her to betray it and all the laws behind it. After all, the training and classes she'd been put through as a child were still hammered into her head. Constantly. Especially because a couple of her servants doubled as tutors.

[James Everwood]

"With this ring, I wed thee." Seven said, and James now had a ring on his finger. He felt the balance shift even more to the left but at the same time kept himself balanced as always. He fell all the time, but that was something he was used to because of the missing left eye as well. In any case, he was now the proud owner of this ring, and it was time for the next part of the ceremony.

"By the authority vested in me by the State of California, I pronounce you man and wife and what God hath joined together, let no man nor woman put asunder. You may now kiss your mock bride," The priest said with a smile. And James' heart just about stopped. He had forgotten about that part, in fact... he didn't even think about it until just this moment, and as he looked at Seven he grinned sheepishly, his hand raised up to pick up the hanging veil with his fingers and bring it back over her head so that he could see her face.

And if his heart hadn't stopped before, it surely stopped at the sight of the girl. She was beautiful, more so than James ever imagined. His left hand would stop at the back of her head, resting softly against the back of her hair after placing the veil back. He pulled her in slowly and would go in for a kiss, going in toward the right. She might have stopped him, she might not have, but that's what he was aiming for.

Here goes nothing......

[Seven]

"By the authority vested in me by the State of California, I pronounce you man and wife and what God hath joined together, let no man nor woman put asunder. You may now kiss your mock bride," the priest said with a smile, and Seven swore that her heart stopped. She'd completely forgotten about that part of any marriage. She hadn't kissed anyone but her mother, father, and sister, and though she'd never really put much thought or value into her first kiss, this was still surprising to her - she hadn't even considered it, and for a flash, she regretted it - but then didn't give a damn. A kiss was a kiss - a press of lips and that was it, right?

He lifted the veil, and there he'd see her - likely he'd think her very pretty, but Seven didn't particularly think herself to be beautiful. And she had a light blush on her cheeks.

She blinked at him - her first good look at him. He really was, quite handsome. Not in the fancy underwear model way, but in a way that showed that he'd dealt with shit, and he'd probably end up dealing with it again - and still come out on top. A dependable way, even.

And then he moved in, his left hand against the back of her head, just behind her twist of hair. He drew her towards him, and she went, simple as that. He tilted his head just the slightest, but she herself wasn't quite sure what she was supposed to do. So she kinda froze, unsure, but he still connected, nonetheless. She was surprised - the press of lips against her own felt... Well, for one thing, it was far softer than she'd imagined.

[James Everwood]

She didn't fight back or interrupt so James went through with it. He wasn't going to try and go much further with the kiss other than a soft press of the lips. After a moment he pulled away slowly, pulling his hand away from her and dropping it to his side. After pulling away he looked at her for awhile, smiling as he tried to gauge her reaction. He slowly turned to the front to look at the people who had decided to hook them up for this mock marriage. The wedding march was being played as he turned over to look once more at Seven.

"So, shall we?" He said nodding toward the front of the church. He didn't know what they would be doing but first things first was walking away from the alter. He started to lead the way away hoping she would follow. As he walked if she came with he'd turn over and ask her, "So are you doing anything after this? I mean, if you want... we can go somewhere and talk... get to know each other a bit since we've already gone through a wedding and all..."