A/N: Welcome to the next chapter. Be warned! It's about to get dark. Let the suspense begin! ^_^

I shall start with the usual disclaimers: I own squat in regards to MSGM. This story concept however, is all mine.

Newest story groupies/followers: Welcome and welcome back to the following: nytestorms, PCrespi, sashikoxshizuma, Coot, FliryVorru, VolpineGrinz, and cassert. Thank you for your kind reviews and comments. They keep me going! (Well, that and coffee. Lots and lots of coffee...) ^_^

Now to back to our story...

End Game

Chapter 2 – Darkness Falls

Sachiko's misery and sadness had continued to build over the next few days. When she had been forced to break up with Yumi owing to her grandfather's threats, it had pained her greatly to do so. Her pain however, failed to come close to what she perceived Yumi had to be feeling at the moment.

Her grandfather had insisted upon being present when she ended things with Yumi. Because of that, Sachiko was not able to warn her of what was coming or why. As they stood in the Fukuzawa foyer, Sachiko had buried her emotions deep behind the mask she had so carefully created over the years. Remembering every cruel and hateful thing her grandfather had said about her relationship with Yumi, she had parroted it all back to her love seemingly with out remorse. There had been no hesitation as she had blatantly and cruelly lied to Yumi and her mother about her own true feelings. She had told Yumi that she was unworthy of any serious consideration for her affections because she was beneath Sachiko's station in life. Sachiko had even told her that she found Yumi's preference for women in general to be disgusting, of questionable moral value, and an aberration of acceptable behavior. She had compounded on that lie by telling Yumi that their relationship had simply been a temporary distraction for Sachiko's amusement while she waited for her grandfather's official announcement of the betrothal.

Now that it had been made, Yumi's presence was no longer desired and she was expected to gracefully bow and walk away without complaint. Sachiko made it clear, as her grandfather had insisted, that Yumi was never to speak of their prior relationship. Either in public or private, as there would be legal consequences if she did. Yumi was also not to ever contact Sachiko again. Any attempt to violate those rules would mean a disgraceful end to the Fukuzawa family and name in Japan.

The look on Yumi's face at those words had devastated Sachiko.

The coup de grace had come while riding in the car on the return home. Not content to just leave the matter as it was, her grandfather had gushed over the disgraceful manner in which she had treated Yumi. Complimenting her repeatedly on her 'killer instincts' as he had put it. He had then patted her on her knee telling her. "Yes, you really are an Ogasawara after all! If you were a man, you would be a force to be reckoned with as head of the companies." Nodding at her, he had added. "As a woman with that attitude, you will keep an efficiently run house that a man of your husband's position can be proud of. He will be the envy of all Japan!"

Sachiko's vision had tunneled down at this comment. In all her young years, Sachiko had never wanted to end someone's life as desperately as she did at the moment she heard those words. It had taken every bit of willpower on her part to not physically attack the man that called himself her grandfather. She had not reacted to his words. She had maintained her silence. She kept her mask in place the rest of the way home. She even held it in check all the way to her room. Only once she was safely inside behind a closed and locked door did she drop the facade. Only then did she let her anger and hatred of the man spew forth.

She didn't know if anyone heard what happened next, nor did she know if anyone ever even bothered to check on her. She certainly wasn't aware that she had had that kind of wrath inside her. At the time, she hadn't cared. All she knew was that she had to let it out. All of it. Her anger at him, at her father, even at herself for failing to fight for Yumi. Even her rage at the hateful things she had said to Yumi.

When she had finally worked it out of her system and stopped screaming sometime later, the carnage she had inflicted upon every thing inside her room rivaled that of a F5 hurricane. Nothing had escaped her destructive rage. Surveying the damage around her as she sat at the end of her bed, Sachiko smirked at her parents imagined reaction when they next saw her room. 'That will give them something to think about.' she thought grimly.

As she recovered from the exertion, Sachiko began thinking about all the things that were important to her. Certainly, there were memento's, pictures and other things she would like to keep from her relationship with Yumi. However, she knew she couldn't trust her father or grandfather to stay out of her belongings. She needed to get them out of their reach without their knowledge. A plan quickly formed in Sachiko's mind. 'First things first.' She thought. Standing, she walked into her closet and pulled out a white cardboard box from the back. Returning to the room, she had set about collecting the items she wanted.

When morning came, Sachiko had finished packing her "box of important things" as she had come to call it. 'Box would be a misnomer.' she decided, as there were several of them. Now that the business day was beginning, she had a few errands to run before the staff caught on that she was going out. She quickly showered and changed. Heading downstairs with the boxes, she grabbed the car keys from a surprised security officer and disappeared out the door. Less than two minutes later she was driving out the front gate. It was going to be a long day.

-0-0-

Sachiko returned late that afternoon from her expedition into town. Setting down the two brown cardboard boxes of things on the bed, she sat for a few minutes collecting herself. While she was exhausted from the additional effort, she had completed the tasks she had set out to accomplish. Now, all she to do was endure a dinner with her father before she could attempt to get some much needed rest. She had decided not to clean up the disaster in her room. From the look of things, the maids had not even attempted to move or clean anything. 'Probably out of fear for their lives.' Sachiko mused. She was sure her father was made aware of it and that the subject would come up during their meal together. Being honest with herself, she knew that she still didn't care what his thoughts on it were. She stood and left her room heading down to dinner.

-0-0-

Sachiko walked outside to the veranda and took a large gulp of wine before she flopped down on a chair. The dinner with her father had been grueling. What was supposed to be a simple evening meal had turned into an hour and a half lecture about the duties and responsibilities that she was now expected to religiously adhere to. Another reminder that drove home the fact that her nightmare was only beginning.

[Flashback]

"As a betrothed woman of noble lineage you are expected to behave accordingly." Her father had begun. "From now on missing social gatherings will not be tolerated nor will I accept any excuses for avoiding marriage meetings."

Sachiko looked at her father with disinterest. He was not impressed.

"Furthermore," he added. "the tutoring you escaped from completing during your time at Lillian High School will resume immediately. It isn't acceptable to embarrass your family and future husband because of poor etiquette. Considering your behavior of late, I am sure that you have forgotten some of the finer points of it. You will be setting the example Sachiko, and it is unacceptable to have you observed setting a bad example. Right?"

"Hai." Sachiko responded despondently. "As you wish."

"That's the correct answer." Tooru beamed. "And sit up straight!"

Sachiko snapped to rigid attention in her chair as her father continued. "That's better. Now, about your schooling, any further studies are simply unnecessary and a waste of money. Since Suguru will be handling all future family and business matters on your behalf after you are married, your presence at the stock holder and executive board meetings will no longer be needed. Therefore, the end of the current quarter would mark the end of your education."

"But father..." Sachiko began.

"Be quiet!" He shouted. "The answer is no. You have more important duties to attend to than goofing off with your friends at college. Speaking of which, I want this to be perfectly clear Sa-chan; it is in your best interest to be rid of those useless people from Lillian. You shall join the various womens society groups and attend charitable functions here in the prefecture. They will be your primary focus from now on. As the spouse of the future president of Ogasawara Zaibatsu, it is expected that you will portray the ever diligent and dedicated wife in public for his benefit. You will be expected to make and maintain contact with those people that Suguru deems necessary to expand our family's business and influence. Anything that is not directly connected to that goal is a waste of time and effort. This is your place from now on. Now is the time to be a grown up, the time for being a princess is over. It will not bode well for Suguru-san if your actions reflected badly upon him or bring shame upon our family. Your compliance with this request is not optional. You will be the dutiful and submissive wife a man of his position is expected to have. Am I clear?"

"Hai Ogasawara-sama." Sachiko replied. The venom in her voice obvious as she stared at the table top.

"That attitude will also be a thing of the past Sa-chan." Her father told her. "I mean it. Such petulance is unbecoming of a lady of your age and lineage. Lose it and behave as you should."

They sat in uncomfortable silence for several minutes before her father spoke again.

"Oh. Before I forget, you will be selling your grandmother's house as well. The sooner, the better."

Sachiko snapped her head up briefly. She so furious at the idea that she did not respond to him.

"It has been decided that Suguru will be transferred to Kyoto to head the branch offices there once you have married." Her father continued. "A suitable house has already been purchased there and is being prepared for the two of you."

Sachiko did not respond. 'Suitable?' she thought. 'That just means it will be easier for them to keep control of Suguru-san and I. Probably had camera's and microphones installed everywhere.' Her father's voice had interrupted any further thought on the subject.

"Additionally, this house will also be sold." He said as he looked around. "As I am moving my headquarters to Osaka at father's request. It will be a nice change of pace for all of us I think."

[End of Flashback]

Sachiko couldn't care less about their family home. Aside from Yumi's visits, it held no special memories for her, unlike her grandmother's house. However, her father's message was made very clear. Once she and Suguru-san departed for their honeymoon, there would be no reason for Sachiko to return to Tokyo. Ever.

While the meal wore on, he had made no mention of her room. However, he had questioned her repeatedly about where she had gone that morning and what she had been doing. More than once he had reproached her about having any contact with "That Fukuzawa girl." No doubt, he had had the car's general location at any given time. More than likely, he knew Yumi's location at any given time as well. The worst part was when he had stated that he had men stationed outside Yumi's house to prevent either of them from getting anywhere near each other.

Sitting outside, she reflected upon the events of the last several days. Sachiko had thought that by giving in to her grandfather's demands that Yumi would be safe from further harassment by her family. The conversation with her father at dinner that night had dispelled that notion. Yumi would be hounded by the family's security teams for the rest of her life to prevent any possible contact between them. Sachiko realized that as long as she still loved Yumi, the love of her life would always be in danger from her family. Depressed by the prison that she knew was irrevocably closing in around her, Sachiko sighed in resignation as she slowly reached down to the brown box beside her and picked up the first item she touched.

-0-0-

Tooru stood surreptitiously watching his daughter from his study window. He could see Sachiko sitting by the fire pit on the veranda. He surmised that the box setting beside his daughter contained things related to 'that girl'. It was obvious to him that Sachiko was going to burn anything related to her. He gave a smirk in satisfaction. 'This is a good sign.' He thought. 'Sa-chan has finally faced reality and accepted her fate.' His father had been right in telling him that she only needed the proper motivation to face her duty and responsibility to the family. She had to learn that the family's needs were paramount to everything else. Their family had followed these traditions for thousands of years, and they would continue to do so. It was simply the way of things. With that knowledge in her mind, and his continued reinforcement of it; her immoral liaison's with the Fukuzawa girl, not to mention her other troublesome behaviors, would cease and not disgrace his family any further. He would see to that. His honor and his family's integrity would be upheld. Father would be proud of him again.

His father had come to him the week prior. He had decided that it was time for the engaged couple to enter into marriage. It was the last step that would finalize the decades old business merger his father had worked on for so long. He had told Tooru that he was depending on him to make it happen. Failure to do so would be a disgrace to the family. Tooru had accepted the challenge. To preserve family honor it had to move forward, and move forward it would.

Yes, father will finally be proud of him.

Tooru smiled at that thought.

-0-0-

The first things to go into the fire were her Lillian year books. They were followed by her journals. Sachiko sat slowly tearing the pages out of each book, dropping them in one by one. She then tossed in their play scripts, her copies of Tsutako-san's photo's, their notes and gifts, almost everything that she had ever received from Yumi. When she had emptied the box, she took out her cell phone. She sent two last text messages before she began deleting her contact lists.

As she thought back on her father's words, Sachiko deleted her voice and e-mails next. She didn't even bother to read or listen to them. None of it really mattered anymore she realized. She was a non-entity as far as he was concerned. She was nothing but a shiny bobble for her family and Suguru to show off in public when needed. Her once bright life and future had been reduced to this: obey, look pretty, breed, raise obedient successful children, stay in the back ground, speak only when spoken to directly and then only say what you are told you can say. This was the 'perfect' life her father and grandfather had envisioned and planned out for her. Sachiko could feel herself slipping away, but there was nothing she could do about it.

Finishing with the phone, she removed the SIM card from the phone and added it to the fire. She turned and tossed her phone into a nearby pond just as it started to ring. The pleasant tune from her and Yumi's favorite song faded abruptly when the phone sank and shorted out. The service provider would automatically send whomever was calling to voice mail, to leave a message that would never be heard.

Reaching up to her neck, she took off the last item and held it out. It was their rosary, one half of a matching pair. She kissed it lovingly before dropping it into the flames. 'There's no need for that now.' She thought as she sat back in depression and watched as everything was consumed. 'It's all gone now. No proof of anything. Our friendship never existed. Our relationship never existed. Almost like we didn't even know each other.' She thought miserably. 'Only the Lillian and Yamayurikai records are left to prove otherwise.' No doubt her family would find a way to even make those records 'accidentally' disappear if they ever came to light, she mused.

As she sat drinking the glass of wine, her sixth of the night, her only comforting thought was the knowledge that there was now nothing left that her father could use against those she loved.

-0-0-

Grunting in satisfaction as he watched her toss in the last item, Tooru thought. 'Now that THAT distraction has ended, it's time to bring Suguru-san back in line as well.' He turned towards his desk. Tomorrow morning he would set up a meeting with his nephew. Suguru-san would be given the same message as Sa-chan. His own disgraceful liasons would cease as his immediate compliance to his family obligations was expected. There will be no other choice.

As Tooru walked away from the window, he pondered a recent discussion that he had overheard between Suguru and Sachiko. 'They can alter the agreement? Or simply ignore it if no one asks? They should be able to decide their own futures? All at the expense of disrespecting their elders, throwing away family honor, and ignoring established tradition? What nonsense were the schools teaching these days?' He shook his head in disbelief as he sat down at his desk.

-0-0-

Early the next afternoon, Sachiko sat writing at her desk, she had been there most of the previous night and morning. Despite her exhaustion, she had not slept at all as the realization of the future that she was now confined to overwhelmed her emotions.

She had finished writing the last of three letters. Placing them all into a single envelope, she addressed it. Standing, she walked over to her piano, placing the envelope on top. Looking at a photo frame sitting on top, she gave a small smile. It held the last remaining picture of her and Yumi together. Taken in profile, it showed the two of them kissing. A single tear streamed down her face as she gazed longingly at it.

Turning, she walked over to her dresser. Opening a drawer, she picked up the item she had taken from her father's study earlier in the week. Returning to the piano, she sat down as she flipped a lever before pushing it into her chest. Looking at the photo one last time, she kissed the fingers of her free hand before touching them to the picture as she quietly said. "Goodbye love." Taking a deep breath, she quickly squeezed her index finger. She felt the intense pain in her torso briefly before slumping to the floor as darkness blissfully enveloped her.

Yumi's face in the photo was the last thing she saw.

-0-0-

Downstairs, a tired Sayako Ogasawara was returning from a several day visit with relatives. She had entered her home and placed her hand bag in her study. She came back into the hallway in time to hear a loud bang coming from her daughter's room. Concerned about what it could have been, she began calling Sachiko's name as she went upstairs to see what it was.

-0-0-

Touko Matsudaira had also arrived at the Ogasawara estate a couple of minutes behind Sayako. Annoyed after having spent several hours that morning with a largely lethargic and depressed Yumi, Touko stomped into the residence. She had expected better from her great-grand-soeur and cousin. Part of her consternation was whether she should even be mad at Sachiko in the first place.

'It's not her fault, she is a product of her environment. Her family has pushed her into this. Right?' She asked herself. 'No.' she thought after a moments reflection. 'I should be pissed off at Sachiko. It was her decision to make and she ran away from it. After all they have been through together, she dumps Yumi the second her grandfather disapproves and acts like she has no choice in the matter. Baka. The Ice Princess is going to get a taste of the Matsudaira anger when I find her.'

Standing in the foyer, she started to yell for her cousin, but her call was cut off midway by a horrific scream coming from upstairs. Startled, Touko ran towards the sound. As she topped the stairs, she found her aunt on the hall floor outside Sachiko's room. Weeping inconsolably, she kept saying "No, no, no." repeatedly, as she stared into Sachiko's room. Concerned, Touko turned to look inside. Her eyes popped open in shock as the room yielded a horrible sight that would haunt her dreams for the rest of her life.

-0-0-

A/N: No throwing things at the writer! T_T Anyone who reads my stories knows I abhor sad endings, so relax! Get comfortable because this one will be a long one. Until next time!

End Chapter 2 – Darkness Falls (Posted 10/18/2015 )