As soon as she got home, Shizuma reached for her phone and called Amane.
"I went to see her. And her husband." she said after Amane had answered.
"Was it bad?"
"You bet it was." Shizuma sighed. "There isn't much of the Miyuki we knew left. She seems broken, like a wild bird kept in a too small cage. That bird won't sing, even if the cage is golden."
"Oh no…and her husband?"
"Asuna?" Shizuma laughed bitterly. "He is as possessive as a man can be. Didn't keep him from flirting with me, though. He keeps Miyuki as a pretty accessory. She said she only sits around all day, looking pretty, or accompanies Asuna to invitations and is patiently waiting to become pregnant. And the way she apologized when that idiot saw us hugging..."
"Poor girl." Amane sighed.
"I gave her my phone number. Let's hope she calls soon…"
On Friday, Shizuma's phone rang just as she left class. She checked the number: private.
"Hello?"
"Shizuma? It's Miyuki."
"Miyuki! Hi! Great to hear from you."
"It's good to hear you, too. Say, are you busy this afternoon?"
"No. Why?"
"I'd love to see you. How about getting some coffee? There's a nice café downtown."
"Sounds wonderful. I just got out of class, I could be there in about half an hour."
"Great. I'm already there, I'll get us a table."
Shizuma hurried to her car and quickly drove downtown, found a parking space and made her way to the café. She entered and saw Miyuki sitting at a table in the corner. Only a handful of tables was occupied. A smile spread across the former Etoile's face as she walked through the room.
"Miyuki!" Her friend jumped up and hugged her.
"Shizuma!"
Shizuma carefully looked at Miyuki. There was a smile on her friend's face, but it barely reached her eyes, which seemed tired. Her face was paler than usual and her body didn't have its usual poise. Her shoulders were slumped, she seemed…smaller. The silver haired woman sighed and sat down.
"I'm glad you called." she said sincerely.
"I only waited for the opportunity. Asuna is out of town for the weekend, on business."
A waiter came over, took their order and disappeared.
"I thought he didn't mind us meeting." Shizuma looked puzzled.
"I don't think he does. But…well…I'll tell him when he gets back. I mean I don't have to tell him ahead that I want to see you. The last two days I was busy. We had company yesterday, Asuna's business associates, and I had to prepare everything with Daiki."
"Oh, so you DO have more to do than sitting around, looking pretty, accompanying Asuna to invitations and…" Shizuma hesitated.
"And waiting to become pregnant. You can say it." Miyuki smiled grimly.
"Is it so bad?"
"Are you serious?" The blue haired woman gaped at her best friend incredulously.
"Yes, I am serious. I've never had sex with a man."
"Lucky you. I hate it. He comes to bed, pulls off my clothes, kisses me roughly and that's his idea of foreplay. Then he plows me, for about 5 minutes, kisses me once more, rolls off me and asks how he was."
Shizuma stared at her, open-mouthed. "And what do you answer him?"
"I usually mumble something. I mean, what am I supposed to say? It was incredible?"
"Miyuki, I have no idea how you can stand it. What about love, and passion, and lust?"
"Well, considering Asuna's the first person I've ever had sex with, I can't really compare it with anything."
The waiter returned with their coffees.
"Can I do anything else for you?" he asked politely.
"No, we're fine." Miyuki smiled.
He moved away from the table.
"Miyuki, are you serious?"
"Of course I am. There never was anyone. I mean, there were my feelings for you, I had a huge crush on Kaori…and there were a few others I felt something for. But nothing ever happened. Except for those kisses from you. I only had my own emotions, I never shared anything. Those kisses from you didn't mean anything…at least nothing beyond friendship."
"What do you feel when you're with Asuna? I mean not only in bed." Shizuma asked quietly, already dreading the answer.
"I feel nothing. He's nice, he can be sweet and attentive. But that's all. Truth is, I don't want him near me. But I have to fulfil my wifely duties and if he wants me, I have to comply."
Shizuma took a deep breath, trying to keep from starting to cry in the middle of a café.
"And that's what your parents wanted for you…" she whispered.
"Oh, my mother told me we'd learn to get along. Children would bring us closer together, and feelings could grow. She doesn't know anything else. She was promised to my dad at birth, tutored at home, always accompanied everywhere by someone and left her family's house on the day of her wedding. I mean, compared to her, I had a lavish amount of freedom, attending St. Miator."
"I never knew that."
Gloomily, the two women silently sipped their coffee. Shizuma feverishly racked her brain for something to shake Miyuki out of her mood.
Half a coffee later, Shizuma asked:" Asuna is gone all weekend?"
"Yes. Why?"
"Well, then we can go out tonight. Have some fun, you know?"
"I…I guess we could…but I have nothing to wear."
"Don't worry, we'll go by my place and get changed. I'm not going out like this."
"Your place? Great, I'm curious to see how you live."
After finishing their coffees and paying, the two women found themselves in Shizuma's Mercedes. During the drive home, Shizuma thought about where to take Miyuki. Since starting university, she had frequented several clubs. Finally, she settled on the Monsoon.
Miyuki didn't talk much during their drive, she was busy looking out the window, having never been in this part of Tokyo before. She seemed startled when Shizuma parked the car and turned off the motor.
"We're here." She smiled at Miyuki. "Come on."
Both women climbed out of the car and went up to Shizuma's apartment.
The green eyed woman disappeared into her bedroom to check her wardrobe, while Miyuki roamed through the apartment.
The kitchen was light, airy, with several large windows, and didn't look as if it had been used very much. The expensive stove was meticulously clean, the cupboards' light wood was unblemished. Curious, Miyuki opened the modern fridge. It was filled with fruit, vegetables, mineral water, diet coke and alcohol. The freezer was stuffed with frozen pizzas. 'Shizuma the master chef', the former school council president mused and giggled to herself.
The next room she entered was the living room. The walls were painted a pastel orange, the curtains and the carpet on the wooden floorboards were a warmer shade of the same color. The main piece of furniture was a huge mocha suede sofa. In front of it stood a coffee table, made of cherry wood, with a glass table top.
Next to the window was a large, fuzzy plant. Throw pillows in several shades of orange were scattered on the floor and different sized candlesticks were placed throughout the room. Shizuma's desk with her modern laptop computer stood in a corner, next to the numerous large bookcases, which were brimming with books and folders.
On the wall above the desk were many pictures, showing Shizuma, her family and friends. Miyuki recognized several of the photos taken at Astrea Hill.
"Miyuki? Where are you?" Shizuma's voice came from the hallway.
"I'm in the living room. "
"Are you ready to get dresses yet?"
"No, I haven't seen your bathroom yet."
Shizuma sighed. "Okay, come here when you've seen everything."
Miyuki continued her investigations.
The bathroom was blue and turquoise. The big sunken bath tub was the first thing Miyuki's eyes settled on, a dark blue crater in a sea of turquoise marble. The walls were also turquoise, a slightly lighter shade than the floor.
Next to the bathtub was a big shower stall, enclosed by glass panes, with a blue floor. It could easily hold three people at once, just like the bath tub. The sink was a blue and turquoise glass bowl, with a blue cabinet for storage standing beside it and a big mirror above. The blue toilet was hidden behind a wall.
Illumination was provided by several lamps on the walls, with blue bulbs, causing an underwater feeling. Miyuki's mind was busily contemplating all the possible uses of the shower and bathtub, and wondering why there was a large mirror on the ceiling above the tub when Shizuma's voice called again, sounding slightly impatient.
"I'm coming." Miyuki left the bathroom and crossed the hallway, stepping into the bedroom.
She stood rooted in the doorway. Shizuma's bedroom was done entirely in black and red. The carpet was pitch-black, the walls were a vivid red. The centerpiece of the room was a huge canopy bed, made of black metal, with red drapes and black silk bedcovers and pillow cases. A black armoire with red ornaments stood next to the door.
The lamp was absolutely amazing: above the bed was a black piece of something, with lots of small holes, which were filled with tiny red bulbs. It looked like a beautiful variation of the nightly sky. On a small black table next to the bed stood several red candles and a small vase filled with sticks of fragrant incense. The window was positioned across from the door, hung with heavy red velvet drapes, the same vivid shade as the wall.
Miyuki entered the room, to look at the pictures hanging on the wall between the bed and the armoire: extremely tasteful nude pictures of a woman.
The blue haired woman swallowed. She had never seen a room that was so…erotic. There was no other word for it. She cleared her throat.
"Do…do you know her?"
Shizuma's voice came out of the armoire, sounding muffled. "Who?" She turned around. "Oh, her. Yeah, that's Yumi. I met her at university. We're in the same business law class."
"Why did she give you those photos?"
"They were a birthday present. She models…but not nude."
Miyuki continued to look at the pictures while Shizuma kept talking.
"There's also one of both of us." she said, just as Miyuki saw the photo. She gasped. The beautiful black haired woman from the other pictures lay draped in Shizuma's arms, not quite covering the silver haired beauty's naked body. The two women were looking at each other, gazing into each other's eyes.
"Does she have pictures of you?"
"No. Only the one with both of us. I didn't have any others taken." Shizuma smiled. "When you're done looking, you can help me find an outfit for you."
Miyuki tore herself away from the pictures and focused on her friend and the content of the armoire.
Two hours later, both women were dressed, styled and ready to go. They had killed one bottle of champagne from Shizuma's fridge during their preparations and were a little bit tipsy.
"I'll call us a taxi." Shizuma reached for her phone.