A/N: I'm sorry! It's been awhile, oh man has it been awhile D: ! thanksgiving xmas stuff on the weekends, finals, work and all that got in the way big time. Thankfully my finals are done now and I feel pretty good about them! Anyways that is what I've been up to, I also update my profile everyonce in awhile now with relevant things! Anyways this is the next chapter and it went a little further than I originally planned because I was falling into a place I am trying to get you did what out of right now. I hope this chapter isn't too confusing.
I want to point out that I use Italics for thoughts and or dreams in this story.
Continuation. . .
Sachiko wiped her eye one last time before looking to Rei who had brought her to a quiet empty room to vent a little. With a slight nod of her head she told Rei she was prepared to leave the room and head to their first class. Everyone had agreed that no one should know anything was wrong, the two girls were suffering and having the entire school asking questions was the last thing they needed. Unfortunately playing it off as though everything was alright was easier said than done for Sachiko. She was still heartbroken and confused about everything and the fact that Yumi was avoiding her so much felt like daggers in her heart. She just hoped Yoshino and Shimako could hopefully talk to her during their class. She really needed to talk with Yumi, she needed to fix what was wrong.
That would all have to wait until after her class though a moment that seemed far too long from now. Sachiko took a deep breath as Rei opened the door and held it for her. Rei tried hard not to talk about it and keep Sachiko's mind on other things, but it wasn't easy. She knew how her friend felt right now and she knew that the only thing that would fix it was in fact Yumi.
When they finally arrived at the classroom door Rei turned to Sachiko one last time to make sure she was still alright. Sachiko noticed this and gave Rei a slight nod telling her that she was ready, which she wasn't sure was true. One wrong thought of Yumi and her nothing-is-wrong act would come crashing down and she would expose her true feelings in the middle of class.
She would try hard to keep her mind off of Yumi while listening to her lecture, but it was hard when all the other girls were passing around chocolates to their friends and talking about boys. Though Sachiko had no interest in men at all it did make her think of Yumi. The exact thing she was trying to avoid doing because as soon as she thought of Yumi's name, she felt a stab at her heart. The only thing she could think of was seeing the rosary in Yoshino's hand. When she did she took a breath and glanced out the window to her left trying hard to think of something else.
Thankfully her mind would be taken off it only moments later when the teacher entered the room and quieted all the excited girls. For once Sachiko looked forward to class starting. Even then as the teacher approached the front of the classroom and set their things down on the desk Sachiko still found it hard not to think of Yumi. She wondered if she was ignoring Shimako and Yoshino right now, or if the two had even tried to talk with her yet. Her answer would come soon though when there was a knock and the classroom door which the teacher answered.
Sachiko could see that it was Yoshino in the doorway and she was glancing at her and what she assumed was Rei also. After a minute or so of talking the teacher turned to her and Rei and told them the girl at the door needed to speak with them.
Sachiko raised an eyebrow confused as she got up from her desk and made her way towards the door to speak with Yoshino. She had no idea why she was here right now, but she couldn't help but feel something wasn't right.
"Yoshino, what's wrong, you know you can't just interrupt a class like this. How did you even get out of your own class?" Rei asked as Yoshino seemingly ignored the question.
"That doesn't matter, Yumi is missing." Yoshino said in a concerned tone as Sachiko and Rei looked at each other for a moment.
"Missing?" Rei asked as Yoshino nodded.
"Yes, her mother says she came to school, but no one has seen her and she isn't in class. We have no idea where she is!" Yoshino said as Sachiko felt her heart sink to an all-time low.
"M-Missing. . .?" Sachiko muttered as both Rei and Yoshino went to her side quickly trying to calm to the emotion they felt coming from the older girl. "T-This is my fault isn't it. . .? Yumi is missing because of what I did to her, isn't she?" Sachiko asked, her voice raising a little bit as she felt tears start threatening her eyes.
"Shh, Sachiko this isn't your fault, we were the ones who told her to confess." Rei tried to argue though earlier it had annoyed Sachiko. She didn't care if Sachiko was mad at her now, she needed to get Sachiko's feeling under control.
"We have to find her, she can't be outside for long, she will freeze." Sachiko said as she tried hard to reason as to what to do at the moment.
"What about class?" Yoshino asked as Sachiko glanced to her and shook her head.
"I don't care about class, I have already screwed up once, I have to find her. It's obvious that I've hurt her deeply, I have to tell her how I feel." Sachiko explained as Rei gave her a nod.
"Then count me in, I'll go grab our coats."
"I'll start searching the school ground, you don't think she went to the rose mansion do you?" Yoshino asked as the girls made a plan.
"I'm not sure, but check anyways, I'll search by the statue and you can search the greenhouse Sachiko." Rei explained as the girls gave a nod and went their separate ways to grab their coats.
"We should get the principals help. I don't want to take any chances." Sachiko said as Rei and Yoshino looked at her with a reassuring smile and nodded.
"Then let's go to her first, the more people looking the better."
Yumi. . .
Yumi blinked slowly as she wrapped her arms around herself and looked around the park. Everything was covered in snow and the wind was blowing which seemed to cool her down immensely every time it hit her lightly layered body. She shivered when the next big wind blew and took notice of her breath as she continued walking down the path of this deserted park.
This park held many memories for her or at least it was a place she wanted to hold many memories for her. She would contend with finding a bench not from off from a large fountain that was covered in snow and ice. Even though she was shivering she somehow managed to smile. She pictured her and Sachiko on this bench in summertime. Sharing a first kiss or even proposing, it didn't matter at this time, any thought of her and Sachiko together was warming.
It wasn't until the cruel reality of what was actually happening flooded her mind that even Yumi's dreams were dashed out of her mind. All she could do was open her eyes and see a desolate frozen tundra with no room for happiness. The only warmth was that of Yumi's tears which even now weren't feeling so war anymore. Yumi realized this and took a deep staggered breath, it wouldn't be long now. All she could do was close her eyes and try and feel the warmth of love through her thoughts.
The other end. . .
"Yumi is missing and you just expect me to stand here and wait?!" Sachiko said in frustration as the principal of Lillian looked her square in the eyes. Her plan of getting help wasn't exactly what she was hoping for.
"Yes, I expect you to stay put while the police search for Yumi. Her parents have been contacted and you still have a class to attend, so I suggest you drop this attitude miss Ogasawara and return to your classroom." The principal replied as Sachiko's eyes narrowed in to threatening slits. She did not like being talked to like this, especially when Yumi was in trouble and she was being not to help.
". . . .Fine. . . If you hear anything, I want to know right away." Sachiko responded slightly calm which surprised Yoshino and Rei who had been standing witness to the argument between the principal and Sachiko.
"We will notify your teacher if anything comes up." The principal responded as Sachiko stared at her for a second, she wasn't believing any of it.
As soon as they left her office Sachiko went and grabbed her coat while Rei and Yoshino did the same.
"Sachiko, you realize we could get suspended for this. You are sure you want to do this?" Rei asked as she buttoned up the front of her coat and Sachiko turned to her.
"I am sure, Yumi might possibly be out there right now freezing. I'm not just going to sit around while some lazy cop drives by the school in his warm car. This is all my fault anyways, I don't care if that woman gets angry, in the long run it means nothing. I am glad that you two are willing to help though knowing what it could possibly mean." Sachiko replied as Rei shrugged and Yoshino smiled.
"You may share a bond with her that we don't even come close to, but she is still our friend." Yoshino explained as Sachiko's cheeks turned a slight shade of pink.
"Then let's get going, keep your phones on and ready for any news." Rei said as the girls all nodded and headed out the double doors to the schools entrance.
Yoshino headed towards the rose mansion, Rei went to the statue, and Sachiko quickly headed towards the greenhouse. Unlike her two friends her mind was screaming at her. If she hadn't frozen up none of this would have happened and now on top of beating herself up over that she worried tremendously. The wind had a frosty chill to it which made her shiver every time it hit her.
Even with the freezing cold temperatures and the howling wind Sachiko somehow still found it in herself to keep searching. She just hoped that Yumi really wasn't out here, she wouldn't wish anyone to be out here in this cold. She also knew that the greenhouse she was approaching wouldn't do much to make things better. It would block the wind, but just like predicted when she entered it was still freezing cold.
"Yumi, are you in here?" Sachiko called out as she glanced around. The greenhouse was empty now so there wasn't much place to hide and Sachiko quickly realized she wasn't in there after making a small loop and never hearing anyone call back to her.
Before going back out into the frozen wasteland of Lillian's school grounds she pulled out her phone and quickly checked for any messages. She sighed when she saw nothing, but sent her message informing Rei and Yoshino that Yumi wasn't at the greenhouse. Even though she knew Yumi wouldn't respond she sent her a message too.
"Yumi, I know you probably won't respond to this and I understand why, but this is a misunderstanding. . . I screwed up, Yumi and now we can't find you. . . I love you Yumi, more than a sister. . . I am out searching for you with Rei and Yoshino, we are all worried sick about you.
-Love Sachiko
By the time Sachiko completed the message the other two had agreed to meet at the statue and form a new plan.
Yumi. . .
Yumi glanced up slowly at the fountain in front of her, she pictured how it would look in the summer. She imagined herself sitting on the bench wearing a light dress with scattered flowers across it, nothing fancy, but the perfect dress for spending a day at the park. All around the fountain were families walking. Husbands, wives, their children and young couples all around enjoying the beauty of the fountain.
There was only thing that mattered though and that was the girl leaning on the edge of the fountain wearing blue jeans and a loose fitting, very casual black t-shirt with an ice blue scarf that was for looks over warmth. The sight of this very girl the way she leaned over the edge of the fountain and tossed a coin in to the way she turned back and smiled back, everything about her was utter perfection.
Yumi liked to imagine that it was late in the afternoon and the sun was beginning to set so the sky was a glowing orange, but it was summertime so the weather was still beautiful. The girl that her eyes had been set on had brought a smile to her face, especially when said girl stood up and started approaching Yumi.
When she approached though she started acting differently. She was worried, she looked frightened. "Yumi, you have to wake up, you have to stay awake! You're stronger than this, Yumi."
Yumi jumped and took a deep breath as she looked around realizing she was still in the freezing cold and the girl that was just in front of her was all in a dream. Her dream was right though, she couldn't fall asleep, her hands and toes were starting to hurt from becoming cold.
You wanted this, this was your decision. You're doing a great service to everyone. Yumi thought as rested her head on her knees and felt another painful surge through her body. Only the Sachiko in your dreams cares about you, she has to, she is apart of your imagination.
The search. . .
Sachiko looked around confused as she approached the statue and found no sign of Rei or Yoshino. She figured they would be here before her, especially Rei since this is the place she had searched.
"Sachiko, over here, quick!" A voice called out as Sachiko glanced towards a few trees and saw Yoshino jumping and waving her hands around. "We found her coat!" Yoshino yelled as Sachiko's eyes widened and her feet started moving until she was running towards Yoshino.
When she arrived, she felt her heart sink at the sight of Yumi's coat and her phone laying on the ground. "S-She is out here without a coat on!?" Sachiko said in a panic as she looked to Rei who seriously thought she might pass out.
"Calm down, calm down, we cannot afford to have you panicking, this is a serious situation." Rei explained as Sachiko took a deep breath and swallowed the lump in her throat before grabbing Yumi's coat and her phone. "Yoshino, go back to the school and tell them what we found, Yumi is in danger, we need more than a few police searching for her now."
Yoshino just simply nodded before turning to Sachiko and smiling. "Everything will be fine, don't worry." She said even though she was worried sick herself. "I'll come find you when I get word back."
"Thank you." Rei said as Yoshino turned and started running back towards the school. Rei looked to Sachiko who was hugging Yumi's jacket with tears forming in her eyes. "Come on Sachiko, this isn't over yet. Thankfully we can follow her tracks in the snow." Rei said as Sachiko glanced down to the ground and saw footprints going towards the park. It was the glimmer of hope Sachiko needed to keep her sanity in check.
However now she feared what she would see at the end of the tracks. "Let's go, we don't have time to waste." Sachiko said as Rei smiled and gave a nod.
Yumi. . .
Yumi sat with her head still resting on her knees, she seemed to be aware of everything at this time. The slow somewhat steady breaths she was taking, the fact that her once warm sweater was now doing nothing to protect her from the cold, and the lingering feeling that this was it, this is how she was going to go.
She couldn't help but laugh a little to herself before closing her eyes. It was the only comfort she could find at a time like this where she felt as though life was slowly leaving her behind on this bench, where she dreamed of so many happy memories.
"There she is!" A voice called out as Yumi blinked a few times and glanced up and saw Sachiko running towards her. Probably telling her to wake up again, when she was her petite soeur Sachiko was always looking out for her.
"Sachiko, what are you doing, it's cold out here. . ." Yumi responded with a smile as she laughed to herself a little. "You know, I always imagined being on a date with you here. That will never be though, thank you for keeping me awake, but I don't think I can stay awake any longer."
"Yumi, Yumi, you have to stay awake!" Sachiko cried as she placed her arms on Yumi's arms. "Yumi, you have to stay awake!"
Yumi just smiled a little as she put her head back down on her knees.
". . .This isn't a dream!" Sachiko cried out again as Yumi's head jerked a little and she blinked a few times seeing the frozen fountain obstructed by that girl. The very same girl who had sacrificed her own coat along with Yumi's to try and keep her warm. The same girl who was giving her every extra piece of clothing she could spare and hugging her so tightly to try and keep her warm.
"Yumi, you can't fall asleep, you have to stay awake, you are going to be alright. Everything is going to be alright." Sachiko explained as Yumi chuckled a little."
"Why did you come for me?" Yumi asked in a very weak distant voice as she struggled to keep her eyes open.
"I love you, Yumi, I love you more than anything in this world. That's why you have to stay awake, you can't leave me now. . ."
A/N: There it is, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I really hope it wasn't too confusing towards the end, confusion was supposed to be part of it though. I hope it worked the way I think it is. Anyways terribly sorry about the huge delays in stories and such, this is a busy time of year for everyone. From thanksgiving till about xmas I am busy almost all weekends. Lot's of family the finals from school and my bday thrown in there (Yesterday Dec 18th for the curious one). Anyways, I hope everyone enjoyed this, have a merry christmas.