Hello, Author here.
Please enjoy this next installment.
3 - Fold
When the day turned difficult, Yukino turned to tried-and-true methods of straightening herself out. She needed to talk to someone who had been through what she was feeling. There were very many books written on what she was feeling, but she had read through the volumes and still felt a desire to know more. The overall best thing, she reasoned, was to talk to someone who had firsthand experience. All experiences were unique, she knew this, but there was something more qualified in hearing from a person rather than reading from a book, especially on this particular topic.
Love was an interesting word. It was a noun, used to describe a collection of emotions that stood separately and yet were connected by some intangible string. It was also a verb. A doing word. Something that implied action, and reaction.
If Yukino chose to, she could sit anyone down and carefully explain the differences between the two uses of this particular word. The audience could walk away from this talk feeling much more informed, but Yukino knew it wouldn't help her particular situation. It was always good and well to talk about things, to communicate them through, but sometimes life was more than just a collection of flow charts. One could only go so far down the line before the hypothetical situations weren't even worth trying to consider. Too many steps laid between her and her goal, and visualizing it seemed more and more of a struggle.
She needed to be fearless.
Intelligence bred caution and in some unfortunate cases, trepidation. Love would not allow for either state of mind to come to play.
Yukino walked to her closet and opened the doors. She knew that one should be prepared for any event. A lone dress occupied the far corner, accompanied by a pair of high heels sitting underneath it. She shuffled through a few hangers and extracted the dress, carefully removing the plastic sleeve that surrounded it. The dress was in a simple but attractive cut, flexible enough to be used in a range of semi-formal events. It was in a pleasing shade of dark green, perfect for winter months and for accentuating her own green eyes. She gave the dress a cautious nod before setting it out on her bed. She looked into her closet once more and picked out a coat as well.
She turned and came face-to-face with the mirror that was placed on the inside of the closet door. She stared at her reflection for an untold amount of time before gently placing her fingertips against the mirror. A smile hesitantly formed, twitched for a moment, then settled into a decidedly flat line as she sighed.
What am I doing?
Yukino continued to stare at her reflection. For a wild, fleeting moment she wished that she wasn't in this world. Her mind traveled to a far-off plane of existence, a habit she found herself doing quite often these days. In this different world she was much more confident. She was able to lead. She could make decisions and deal with the consequences regardless of whether they were positive or negative.
Fearless.
And Haruka would be with her through thick and thin.
She closed her eyes. Her fingers curled into themselves, forming her hand into a soft fist.
Is that what I want?
She forced herself away from the mirror and turned to look at the dress. A curious twitch of her lips signaled her unease, but she steeled herself with a rare ounce of courage coupled with a healthy dose of logic.
If I don't go, I will never find out for certain.
The Fujino conglomerate owned a hotel several minutes away from Fuuka Academy. It was a minor base of operations from which the Fujino family could oversee operations in Fuuka, but it was also a site where the Suzushiro construction corporation could set up shop. Such was the partnership the two families had agreed to, and so far it worked marvelously for the families. Every winter there was a party held in the hotel's expansive lobby and bar. The party was invite-only, and most people clamored to grab a rare invitation.
Natsuki was feeling strangely calm as she stood outside the closed doors of a small conference room down the hall from the lobby. She idly smoothed the fabric of her black slacks before straightening the collar of the light blue shirt she chose to wear for the night. She opted to keep her suit jacket on for now. Despite her outward veneer of calm she was sure she was sweating quite a bit from unconscious anxiety, so showing off soaked armpits would probably be in poor taste. There was also no telling of whether or not she needed to bolt sooner rather than later, so she liked to be prepared. Natsuki took a moment to check her watch before putting her hand back in her pocket. She had very little patience for societal customs. In her opinion any sort of binding agreement should be the business of the individuals involved. But she supposed this was a sort of special case. It wasn't everyday that one could propose marriage to the scion of a rather influential company, so she accepted that there was an exception to her preferences.
She turned at the sound of footsteps and offered a small smile to the beauty in rich, dark crimson standing before her. Shizuru opted for a floor-length strapless gown that draped over her figure with an understated yet elegant touch. Her hair was styled up into a French twist, leaving her neck tantalizingly bare. To round out the dress she had chosen a silk shawl that hugged her arms for now.
Natsuki let out a soft sigh.
"Well... you look beautiful."
"Ara... and my Natsuki looks quite dashing." Shizuru cocked her head slightly to the side. "Although I seem to recall your desire to wear a dress for tonight? I am not complaining in the least, however..."
"Oh." Natsuki offered an uneasy chuckle. "This is just in case I have to book it."
She offered the explanation as a small joke but Shizuru could see that Natsuki was starting to feel nervous.
"Natsuki."
"Hm?"
"Don't worry."
Natsuki blinked. Shizuru usually waved away concerns with a blank smile and some soothing words which made the conviction behind those two words even more sincere. She found herself nodding.
"Of course."
Shizuru walked forward and opened the door to the conference room. They walked in and were greeted with two middle-aged men in the middle of a quiet conversation over glasses of Scotch Whisky. One of the two Natsuki immediately recognized. Fujino Shigeru was getting a little older and the crow's feet were pretty prominent, but so were the laugh lines on his ruggedly handsome face. He was currently nodding to something his colleague was saying but it was clear he knew there were visitors in the room by his tensed shoulders and the barely visible twitch in his jaw. She narrowed her eyes and steeled herself. In the back of her mind she remembered an old saying her mother would tell her when she was younger: unless you enter the tiger's den, you cannot take the cubs.
"Good evening Otou-han, Suzushiro-han."
Natsuki blinked. Suzushiro?
Shigeru responded first with a ready smile.
"Good evening Shizuru."
The other man offered a curt nod. He had the appearance of a lion, Natsuki noted. Now she could see where Haruka got some of her looks from. This was an intense man with bright eyes and a stocky build that contrasted greatly with Shigeru's tall and lanky build. His hair had been cropped close, keeping trim and neat, but Natsuki suspected that if he let his hair grow out it could very well explode into quite the mane. Despite being a three-piece suit the man seemed more at home slapping on a construction helmet and work gloves.
"Good evening, Shizuru."
Natsuki remembered to bow. She gave a courteous, deep bow.
"Good evening."
She failed to see the smile on Shigeru's face grow a little wider.
"Ah, it's Kuga-han. Have I told you about her, Junpei-han?"
The other man shook his head.
"Oh, I see. Introductions are in order, then."
Natsuki straightened.
"Junpei-han, this is Kuga Natsuki, my daughter's girlfriend."
Junpei blinked but offered no comment. Instead he coughed into his hand and stood, offering Natsuki a short nod of his head.
"Pleased to meet you."
Natsuki echoed his greeting in response and he sat back down. She had the distinct feeling that the two of them had just walked into a rather terse conversation earlier, but she wisely decided to remain quiet.
"Was there something you wanted, Shizuru?" Shigeru asked with an inquisitive arch of his brow.
"Yes, but it can wait if you are busy with Suzushiro-han," Shizuru replied.
Shigeru looked over at Junpei who offered no response. Whatever unspoken debate cleared as Shigeru turned to face his daughter.
"It's okay, Shizuru. You may continue."
"I will excuse myself then." Junpei nodded towards Shigeru before facing the couple. "Good evening, Shizuru, Kuga-san."
The two bowed in response as Junpei walked over to the side exit of the conference room. When he left the room was bathed in silence once more until Shigeru poured out a new glass of Scotch for himself. He took a small sip and swallowed.
"Well then... what did you want to talk about?"
Natsuki felt her heart suddenly jump to her throat but Shizuru calmly squeezed her hand. She turned and looked at Shizuru who in turn gave a slight nod before facing her father.
Together.
"Otou-han, Natsuki has asked for my hand in marriage."
The silence that ensued hurt Natsuki's ears. Shigeru took this moment to absently have another sip of Scotch, if only to hide the sudden dumbfounded expression that almost cracked through his careful mask of neutrality. He cleared his throat.
"I suppose neither of you are pregnant, which would be impossible considering the circumstances."
His first remark was met with an awkward cough on Shizuru's part and meaningless gibberish escaping Natsuki's stammering lips. He studied them for a moment.
"And Natsuki-han, it is no secret you are a delinquent and have no family to speak of." He crossed his arms over his chest and frowned. "Shizuru is my only heir. After I pass away the company and all of its assets will transfer over to her. Do you understand how much impact that will have on her life?"
Natsuki swallowed thickly.
"I... I do, Fujino-san." She took in a deep breath. "I may not have the greatest head for numbers or economics or how to run a business successfully, but I won't ever give up on myself or Shizuru."
Shigeru studied Natsuki for a long moment. He looked at his daughter and arched an eyebrow before his lips turned into a crooked smile. Shizuru let out the breath she wasn't aware she had been holding in. If there was anyone who could successfully rattle her, it would be her father, hands-down.
"Well... I am sure you said yes, then." He grinned to himself. "At least, I hope you have. It's not everyday one can pick up a dedicated beauty such as her."
Natsuki found her face curiously hot and Shizuru simply responded with extending her left hand out. Shigeru stood from his seat and reached into his jacket pocket for a set of glasses. After putting them on he smiled at the ring that shone from her hand.
"It's beautiful," he declared with a satisfied tone. He looked over at the two of them. "Congratulations, you two. I wish you many happy years together."
Natsuki let out a sigh, clapping a hand over her heart.
"I... I was almost sure you'd have something more to say, Fujino-san."
"It's 'Otou-han' now, Natsuki-han," Shigeru corrected with a click of his tongue. "And what do you mean, something more to say? Were you expecting me to rant and throw a chair in response?"
Natsuki offered a hesitant nod in response. Shigeru chuckled.
"Heavens, no! I harbor no illusions about my daughter and what will make her happy, Natsuki-han. I know on good faith that it would be unwise to force her to marry some other scion of some other company if her heart wasn't in it. Contrary to what anyone else might think, my company will not fall down and die if she chooses to spend the rest of her life with another woman."
He paused and went to the cabinet on the far wall of the conference room. After a few seconds of shuffling he extracted two more glasses and waved the two over. He poured out a shot's worth of Scotch into each glass.
"Tonight is a cause for celebration! After all, my lovely daughter is now engaged to the girl of her dreams, and it looks as if your story will be a happy one." He lifted his glass. "So, cheers!"
The two picked up their glasses. The crystal glasses resonated with a distinct bell-like tone while they raised their glasses and downed the celebratory drink.
Haruka very much preferred to sit in the background of large events, but her family name failed to give her any sort of privacy. She went through introduction after introduction, blandly catching up with other children whose parents were a part of her father's company. In all the hotel lobby held a pretty sizable crowd of people, eventually giving her a chance to get the hell out of the limelight when the party went into full swing. Her refuge for now was a bench located near the elevators. She sat down with a huff and crossed her arms, contenting herself with idly tapping out patterns with her fingers. Tonight she wore a violet dress with darker accents. She rarely paid attention to dressing herself for formal events, instead preferring to the rely on the suggestions of the butler the family kept under their employ. Tonight was a violet sort of night, he proposed, and here she was with her violet dress.
Her eyes scanned the room briefly before they narrowed. The bubuzuke-onna had arrived into the lobby accompanied by her puppy. The residual sounds of approval from the crowd fed a building ball of anger that boiled in her stomach.
Why couldn't anyone say it was unnatural?
I mean, it is, isn't it?
It was an awkward sort of friendship Haruka and Shizuru shared. Haruka had always thought that Shizuru was merely toying with the girls in their school until she would get swept away by some dashing young gentleman who would cause her to see the error in her ways. This idea entertained Haruka greatly, but as the years passed the possibility of it happening became ever so slim. It was destroyed completely with the events of the Carnival. After that it was Natsuki, Natsuki, and even more Natsuki. Haruka studied the girl in question. She cut a slim and intense figure in her black suit and light blue shirt. Despite not having any indication of matching, Natsuki and Shizuru looked most at ease when together.
Haruka took a second to ask herself a question that she found herself puzzling over for a while now.
Is it wrong because Kuga is a girl?
Or is it wrong because Fujino is happy?
She pursed her lips.
What is wrong with me?
She used to entertain fantasies of finally one-upping Fujino Shizuru. Most of them involved embarrassing her in front of the entire school, maybe to paint her as a creepy rapist/stalker who couldn't keep her hands to herself. When she and Yukino had observed Shizuru nearly having her way with a sleeping Natsuki, she couldn't believe that fortune could smile at her so favorably. Finally, she would have her revenge, and she had a most wonderful rant lined up to deliver to the seemingly perfect Kaichou.
Thinking back on it, Haruka noted that she wouldn't have regretted if not for one small detail.
Fujino had thrown Yukino a look, a knowing look. Whatever it implied, it caused Yukino to panic that night, leading to her defeat within the Carnival. The implications of such a look had bothered Haruka to no end, but no matter how many times she asked Yukino the smaller girl would refuse to answer. What first started out as a bunch of shrugs turned into a stubborn evasiveness and eventually a stony silence. Something about that look had effected Yukino so deeply that she refused to even revisit that night. The silence had admittedly driven a wedge between the two childhood friends, causing Haruka to throw her ire towards a person who was no stranger to it. Haruka would almost feel sorry for Fujino, who probably had no concrete idea why Haruka felt so bitter, but even this rare feeling would melt away in favor of anger.
It was a slightly laughable matter, playing card games with Fujino Shizuru. In everything else Haruka hated her with the passion of a thousand burning suns. There was simply no other way to describe it. But there was something about playing a gambling game with Fujino that Haruka could very simply tolerate. After all, gambling was based off of luck and a varying amount of skill. Fujino was probably just very lucky. Haruka understood that luck was something one could not necessarily get better at, so she gave Fujino this little concession. This also allowed her to find an activity that was pleasing for the both of them to partake in, if only to cement a future alliance between their respective organizations.
She didn't have to like Fujino ever in order to work with her, she reasoned.
The hours passed and soon guests began to brave the Winter chill to hop into waiting cabs for the ride home. The host of the party graciously thanked his many guests in the process, and soon the lobby was mostly emptied save a few guests including the Fujinos, Kuga, and her father. She stood from her bench and made her way over towards her father who in turn greeted her.
"Haruka, I'm glad you're here. Apparently Shigeru-san has an announcement to make to us."
Haruka gave her father a curious frown before facing Shigeru. It was then that she also noticed another guest who she hadn't seen in the entirety of being at the party. Yukino offered a shy smile but said nothing to Haruka who in turn offered a small nod. She felt her mouth go dry.
That dress really fits her well.
That would have been an understatement, but Haruka honestly couldn't find the words to mentally evaluate the dress Yukino was wearing. It seemed the dress was cut for her figure and her figure alone. There was something in her smile that made Haruka's knees curiously weak and her brow furrowed as she finally noticed this sensation.
Shigeru waved towards Haruka, breaking her stare.
"Hello, Haruka. Did you have a good time?"
Haruka nodded stiffly.
"Father said you had an announcement?"
Shigeru offered a small smile.
"Always concise... Well, you are correct Haruka."
Shigeru motioned towards his own daughter who walked over with Natsuki in tow. It was then that Haruka saw the ring on Shizuru's finger. She felt something cold trickle down her spine as she saw it.
"My Shizuru is engaged!" Shigeru announced happily.
Suzushiro Junpei offered a polite smile at the exclamation, but Haruka started to visibly shake. It was Natsuki who noticed it first but Shizuru's hand on her arm tightened in warning.
"Congratulations, you two—"
"NO!"
Junpei turned in shock as his daughter vehemently interrupted his sentence. Shizuru blinked.
"... No?" she echoed in slight confusion.
Haruka stamped a foot down in front of her. Vaguely she was aware of Yukino's eyes widening but she couldn't pay attention to anything else but her own anger.
"NO! This is wrong! This cannot go through!"
She stood in a threatening stance and glared at Shizuru, but at this point Natsuki had stepped forward.
"That's enough, Suzushiro! I don't think this is something you can interfere with," Natsuki growled.
"This is unnatural, I cannot believe all of you agree to this!" Haruka roared in response.
"HARUKA!"
If there was one person who could ever drown out Haruka, it would be her own father. She stared at her father in disbelief before narrowing her eyes. She turned on her heel and stormed out of the hotel lobby. Yukino gave a fleeting glance towards Junpei before running off after her. Junpei rubbed his jaw and sighed wearily.
"I am sorry, you two..."
"No. There is no need to apologize," Shizuru replied with a neutral tone, but there was a distinct weariness that stilted her voice.
"Are we just going to let her run out like that?" Natsuki asked with a sullen growl.
Shizuru responded by simply putting a hand on Natsuki's arm, squeezing the tense muscles.
"I'm afraid so," Shigeru replied after a brief lull.
"She will calm down," Junpei added. "Yukino has gone after her. She will calm down."
They weren't sure if Junpei had meant to repeat himself for their benefit, or for his own reassurance.
"H-Haruka-chan!"
"Wrong! This is all wrong!"
Haruka had stopped marching in favor of standing out in the hotel's private courtyard with Yukino panting behind her.
"That sick bubuzuke-onna turns everyone towards her! It's like she can't do anything wrong, and I can't do anything light!"
"Right, Haruka-chan."
Haruka roughly shook her head.
"Why can't anyone else see how wrong this is?"
Yukino's eyes started to water and she never quite knew why, exactly. Her lips quivered and began to move.
"W-Why is it wrong?"
Haruka stopped and looked at Yukino with an outraged expression on her face.
"W-What? Of course it's wrong! There doesn't need to be a reason!"
"That doesn't make sense, Haruka-chan!" Yukino licked her dry lips. "If you don't have a good reason then why are you so angry all the time? Why?"
"This is ridiculous, Yukino! That bubuzuke-onna partakes in sick habits—"
"Who cares?" Yukino shrieked in the darkness.
Haruka was shocked silent by Yukino's question.
"W-Well, I obviously do..."
"Why?" Yukino pressed, further shocking Haruka, but she wasn't done. "Why do you care? She isn't doing anything wrong to you. She isn't trying to brainwash you or make you do something you don't want to do like you think! She just wants to be happy, Haruka-chan."
It was now her turn to stamp her foot.
"She just wants to be happy!"
Haruka blinked and suddenly furrowed her brow as a thought occurred to her.
"... Why are you protecting her?"
Yukino paused.
"W-What?"
"Yes. Why are you protecting her?" Haruka bared her teeth in a snarl. "Unless you're like her."
The poison that emanated from Haruka's lips almost brought Yukino to her knees. This was her childhood friend. Memories of sweets and after school walks flooded Yukino's mind as she tried not to sob in front of Haruka who had now become strangely calm.
"It makes sense. You wouldn't protect her so much if you weren't like her."
Yukino bit her lip. Unconsciously she was aware that blood was starting to dribble as her teeth punctured the soft skin.
Unnatural.
Wrong.
Her eyes flashed with unshed tears.
"So, did she convert you?" Haruka pressed, the disgust clearly evident in her voice. "If so—"
They were only separated by two steps. Yukino took them purposefully, at the same time reaching out. She leaned up on her toes and wrapped her hand around the back of Haruka's head.
Their first kiss tasted coppery, bitter.
Haruka yanked herself free and took several steps back. Shaky fingers touched her lips. Yukino glared at her through the tears that now fell freely.
"It was always you," Yukino hissed even as her heart heaved and her lips bled. "I only ever had eyes for you."
Haruka opened her mouth to say something but at this point Yukino had turned. She ran, leaving behind her childhood friend.
Haruka let her arms dangle freely by her sides. Something white drifted from the sky, landing on her shoulder before being joined by several more of its brethren. She belatedly acknowledged the snow as it started to flutter down in greater numbers. But she stood in the stillness, her mind blank.
A/N
I'm pretty sure Kuga is underaged, probably nineteen in this story due to her being a year older than the rest of the kids in her class, so please excuse her having a small drink. But I suppose she had a good reason to, after all.
The first hand dealt to Suzushiro has now been discarded. Hopefully she will play a better hand next round.
Cheers.
