A/N: Hello everyone. I am sorry this took so long to get out. I think this is one of the longer chapters, but I redid parts of it a few times. I think I'm finally happy with it. I will go over a few of the issues at the bottom of this story because they talk about things that happen in this chapter. Thank you for the reviews and PM's, I hope you enjoy this chapter!
Yumi hit the green call button before putting the phone to her ear. Having Sachiko sitting next to her on her bed made this easier, but her nerves were running wild now. She wasn't sure how she was going to ask this without it getting awkward.
Her breath caught in her throat when her mother finally answered. "H-Hello," Yumi answered back to her mother before pausing awkwardly.
"Are you still there?" Yumi's mother asked when the phone went silent.
"Y-Yes, sorry mother. I was calling to ask you two questions," Yumi said before glancing to Sachiko who just gave her a reassuring smile. "First, I was hoping to join you for dinner tonight, and I would also like to invite Onee-sama. I don't' get to spend much time with her and it has been a long time since you've seen her."
"Oh, that sounds great, when did you want to come over?" Yumi's mother asked trying to think of when she should start dinner.
"Maybe around five?"
"That sounds great. Are you staying the night?" Yumi's mother asked curiously. "It might be easier so you don't have to get up early tomorrow."
"About that," Yumi said before going quiet. Sachiko took this as her queue to give her hand a squeeze and a reassuring look. "I was hoping Onee-sama could come with us this weekend and possibly stay the night."
"Come with us to the family get together? Wouldn't that be a little awkward?" Yumi's mother asked as Yumi closed her eyes trying to steady her racing heart.
"W-Well, I don't think so," Yumi replied before thinking quickly. "She has been a big part of my life and I usually just sit around and do nothing, it would be nice to have someone to talk with."
Yumi's mother tossed the idea around in her head, she didn't want Yumi to just be talking with Sachiko the entire time and avoid her family. It wouldn't hurt anything though, and she was certain that a few members of her family were interested in meeting Sachiko. Yumi had brought her up plenty of times before at these get togethers.
"Can I give you an answer after dinner?"
Yumi quickly nodded before speaking, "yes, that would be fine."
"Alright, then I will see you two at dinner."
"See you at dinner," Yumi replied before hearing the phone line go dead. She took a deep breath once it was over.
"So what did she say?" Sachiko asked curiously as Yumi looked to her and smiled.
"We are meeting her for dinner around five, and she is going to give me an answer about you coming with after dinner. She seemed a little confused as to why I wanted you to come with. I think it will make a lot more sense when I tell her what I need to," Yumi explained as Sachiko smiled briefly this time before leaning in and giving Yumi a kiss.
"Everything will be fine, even if she doesn't want me to go."
"If you don't go, then I'm not going. You are my girlfriend and it's my decision to introduce you to my family. I want them to know you're not my Onee-sama anymore."
Sachiko smiled, "then we will make sure they know regardless of how we have to do it."
Hours later. . .
"Remember the plan?" Yumi asked as Sachiko turned the car off and took the keys out of the ignition even though Yumi was driving.
"I hold these until your parents know about us," Sachiko replied dangling the keys in front of Yumi for a moment before putting them in her pocket.
Yumi took a deep breath trying to calm her beating heart. The realization of what she was planning on doing had fully sunk in now.
"You don't have to do this right now," Sachiko said a moment later breaking the silence. She could tell Yumi was nervous, and she feared what she had done was part of the reason. "We can wait until I tell my parents if you want."
"No," Yumi said immediately. "It's not that, it's just that this is really happening. I just don't even know how I'm going to bring it up to them."
Sachiko thought for a moment, they hadn't really discussed how they would tell her parents, just that they would at this dinner.
"Also, I said I trust you and that is still true now. I want my parents to know and these nerves I'm feeling have nothing to do with me worrying that you won't tell yours."
Sachiko looked over to Yumi for a moment before smiling, it always seemed Yumi was two steps ahead of her own thoughts. "Then let's just wait for the right moment and ask them to sit down and talk with us before I leave if that moment doesn't seem to present itself."
Yumi nodded, "if all goes well, you wont' have to leave. You will come with us tomorrow. To be sure they know though promise me that they will know before the night ends, even if it means you have to tell them."
Sachiko thought for a moment before nodding, "I promise."
Yumi leaned forward and placed her lips against Sachiko's taking comfort in a long kiss before stepping out of the car and taking a deep breath. Sachiko gave her a reassuring smile before coming around the car taking her hand, and walking to the front door with her.
Sachiko stopped her once they were outside the door for one last moment alone. Even though it was darker out, she could still clearly see the nerves on Yumi's face. She smiled reassuringly as she cupped one of Yumi's cheeks, "I love you."
For a brief moment Yumi's facial expression softened, three simple words taking the edge off of her nerves. "I love you too," Yumi replied a moment later smiling now, it was just the thing she needed to hear at this moment.
Both girls stepped back from one another when the door suddenly flung open. Thankfully it was just Yuuki, but unfortunately he had a knowing look on his face. Yumi's brother was quite aware of their relationship but aside from minor teasing he had kept their secret.
"I thought I heard a car pull up. I thought maybe you got lost on your way to the door. Mom told me to come see if you two were actually here," Yuuki explained as Yumi smiled at him briefly. "If you two need a minute, I can think of an excuse for mom."
Yumi's smile turned to a frown causing her brother to laugh for a moment. Yumi just sighed in response, her brother loved teasing her, but she wasn't in the mood for it tonight.
He laughed at her frown before turning to walk back towards the kitchen, but Yumi grabbed his shoulder before he got too far. "Wait Yuuki, I need to ask you something," Yumi said as she entered the house with Sachiko and shut the door.
Yuuki raised an eyebrow at her as she felt her nerves come back. He already knew about them and she was nervous to tell him.
"I'm telling mom and dad about Sachiko," Yumi said as Yuuki looked from his sister to Sachiko who just simply nodded to solidify the point. "Could you please leave us alone tonight? I'm a nervous mess already."
Yuuki stared at Yumi for a moment before smiling, "I can do that, thanks for letting me know."
"Thank you," Sachiko said with a small bow towards Yumi's brother which he just waved a hand at. He loved teasing his sister about Sachiko, but he never meant any offense. He was actually happy that Sachiko was apart of his sisters life in the way she was. He had seen Yumi at some low points in her life revolving around her feelings for the older girl.
"Yumi, Sachiko, welcome!" Mr. Fukuzawa said as he walked out of the kitchen to see what was taking so long.
"D-Dad," Yumi stammered before taking a deep breath trying to calm herself. Sachiko knew she couldn't really do anything to calm her girlfriend right now without it seeming a little odd. She was just happy that Yumi seemed to snap out of it herself and give her father a hug. Yumi just hoped he wouldn't feel her heart beating like crazy, she was surprised it wasn't audible.
"It's good to see you both," her father said as he pulled away from the hug with his daughter. "Thank you for joining us, Sachiko."
"Thank you for having me," Sachiko simply responded with a warm smile, she was truly surprised she wasn't feeling nervous. She figured that part would come when Yumi was about to tell her parents.
"No need to thank us, you know you are practically family here," Yumi's father replied with a smile before hearing his wife call for him. "Why don't you two get settled in, dinner is just about ready."
"Thanks dad," Yumi said as he turned to head back into the kitchen. Yumi took a deep breath once he was gone. These nerves would be the end of her.
"I'll give you two a minute," Yuuki said towards Sachiko who just gave a thankful nod before turning to Yumi.
Without any words, Sachiko just simply wrapped her arms around Yumi pulling her into a hug. Yumi took a deep breath before leaning into the hug.
"You know you don't look as nervous as I know you feel," Sachiko pointed out as Yumi smiled.
". . .Thank you for always knowing what to say when I need to hear it."
"I don't always say the right thing," Sachiko replied thinking back on the morning she chose Suguru, something she never planned on doing again.
Yumi seemed to pick up on what she was saying though and pulled away from the hug, "we all make mistakes, but remember that I wouldn't be doing this tonight if I didn't love you and trust that you will tell your parents."
Sachiko just simply nodded as she looked down to the floor. She didn't know what to say, every time she thought of that morning she felt so guilty.
"Hey," Yumi said lifting Sachiko's head so that she could see her, "that is behind us. Right now, I only want to look ahead."
Sachiko nodded, Yumi was right, she shouldn't be worried about what happened right now anyways. She was given a chance to fix her mistake, she just had to keep looking forward to a future with Yumi and fix what she had done.
Yumi smiled as she saw Sachiko's expression soften, she knew her words had gotten through to her. "We should probably head into the kitchen, I'm sure my mom is waiting."
Sachiko grabbed Yumi's wrist just as she was about to start heading towards the kitchen. "I love you and thank you for everything."
"I love you too," Yumi smiled before taking Sachiko's hand in her own and leading her towards the kitchen where her family was.
"Hey mom," Yumi said as she mother looked up from what she was doing and instantly smiled.
"You two are just in time. Dinner will be ready shortly," her mother replied before going over and giving them both a quick hug. "I'm glad you could join us Sachiko, it's been awhile since we've seen you."
"Thank you for having me," Sachiko replied as Yumi glanced over to the table that had already been set.
"Take a seat," her father said noticing Yumi looking over at the table.
"You don't need any help?" Yumi asked knowing that if she sat down the questions were coming.
"Everything is pretty much done, Yumi. We were just waiting for you two to arrive," her mother responded. Yumi nodded before leading Sachiko over to the table and grabbing a chair while Sachiko took the one next to her.
"So how is school going? I hope you two are able to visit one another more often now that you both are back in the same school?"
"School is good," Yumi said with a nod as she thought about Sachiko basically living with her in her dorm now, a fact she was rather happy about. "Sachiko comes to my dorm room pretty much every day she is at school."
"Well, I hope that is enough reason to keep your dorm clean. I remember how you used to scramble to clean up your bedroom when she was coming over," her father laughed as Yumi's face turned red.
"You did that for me?" Sachiko asked as Yumi's head hung lower if possible.
"I-I. . ."
"It was the only reliable way we could get her to clean that room," her mother added as she walked over and set a dish down on the table.
Sachiko smiled, partially because she thought it was funny and partially because even though Yumi was embarrassed. Whether Yumi realized it or not, her nerves weren't present at the time because of this.
"My room was never that messy," she pointed out though it only caused her mother to chuckle as she grabbed the last of the meal and brought it to the table before calling Yuuki.
"Not when she was coming around. Yumi has always been so... particular, about you though," her mother said as she took her seat.
"It's not every day she got to come over, her family keeps her very busy," Yumi tried to argue, but Sachiko knew the real reason and she thought it was cute that Yumi tried to always make things perfect for her.
"Speaking of which, your wedding is coming soon after college, isn't it?" Yumi's father asked curiously.
Sachiko glanced to Yumi quickly who was frozen with close to a million thoughts per second running through her mind. It might be a good opportunity to tell them, but they had just got there.
Taking note of Yumi's body language, Sachiko looked to Yumi's father, "It isn't happening anymore."
"Really? What happened?" Yumi's mother asked as Sachiko remained silent for a moment. She wasn't sure what to say, this was definitely a good opportunity to tell them, but she wasn't sure if Yumi was ready.
"S-she met someone," Yumi answered with a racing heart.
"Oh, when did this happen?"
"Awhile ago," Yumi answered again, she could feel the hole she was digging, she knew her mother was all too curious about things like this.
Yumi's mother raised an eyebrow, Yumi's answers were rather short which wasn't typical of her daughter. "How long is awhile?"
"Since high school."
"You have been dating this boy since Yumi was in high school and I hadn't heard about it yet?" Yumi's mother asked Sachiko this time. Yumi didn't' seem to want to talk about it very much.
Sachiko's cheeks reddened a little which didn't go unnoticed by Yumi's mother, "Y-yes, we've been dating for that long. We've been pretty quiet about our relationship."
"I can't believe you didn't tell me," Yumi's mother said looking at Yumi who just gave a quick smile to acknowledge she heard her mother before looking back down at her food.
"So, tell me all about him. Where did you meet him? Is he in college? How serious is your relationship?" Yumi's mother asked in rapid succession. Sachiko was comfortable enough with Yumi's family that this was acceptable and more so normal at this point.
"Dear, one question at a time," Yumi's father said as Yumi's mother apologized.
"It's fine," Sachiko reassured him. "We met at school, kind of on accident," Sachiko said remembering how she had absent mindedly fixed Yumi's scarf all that time ago. "We became friends very quickly after that, and our relationship stayed like that for awhile. Our friends seemed to notice there was something more and kind of gave us a push to explore that."
"Smart friends, I hope Yumi was as much a part of your happiness as the rest of them."
Sachiko's smile brightened a little more as she glanced to Yumi who seemed to be listening intently to what she was saying. "She was the biggest part of it, actually. If it wasn't for her I wouldn't be in this relationship."
"I can't believe this was happening and Yumi didn't even mention it."
"It was because of the marriage," Sachiko quickly replied trying to take the focus off of Yumi. "We weren't sure what would come us because of the marriage."
"So what did you do?"
"I did what I should have done a long time ago. I confronted my parents about the marriage and told them about the person I was really in love with," Sachiko explained as she thought about that dinner date with Yumi coming up. This may have been a lie right now, but it would all be coming true here soon. "It took them time, but I wasn't giving up. Eventually they gave in and called off the wedding."
"If the wedding is called off does that mean you can marry whoever you want now. . .? Are you even thinking marriage is a possibility here?" Yumi's mother asked curiously.
Sachiko thought about it for a moment, she knew anything said here could be brought up again when they knew the truth. "I think it is a very big possibility, we just have to get through college first."
Yumi stared at Sachiko for a moment, she wasn't sure what she was feeling. She was nervous but at the same time, hearing Sachiko speak of their relationship like this was making her fall in love with her even more.
"Oh, that is so exciting. When do we get to meet him?" Yumi's mother asked as Sachiko paused trying to think her way out of this one.
"You already have," Yumi answered as she felt her heart stop. She couldn't believe what she had just said, but hearing Sachiko mention marriage was making her feel and think things she didn't' think she possibly could with her nerves where they were right now.
Sachiko's breath caught in her throat as she heard the words leave Yumi's mouth.
"It's me," Yumi continued as she looked down at her plate.
"It's you?" Yumi's mother asked a moment later as Yumi nodded her head.
There was a long silence at the table. Yumi was unsure of what she should think, she was a little frightened right now. Sachiko on the other hand felt like she had all of the sudden overstayed her welcome.
"So," Yumi's father said breaking the tension in the air, "is all of what you just said true?"
Sachiko swallowed the lump in her throat before looking up at Yumi's father and nodding. "Yes, sir; Everything I said was true and it was all about, Yumi."
Yumi's father just nodded as he looked to his wife who looked almost confused.
"So you two are dating. . .?" Yumi's mother finally asked not really sure what she should say at this time.
"We've been dating," Yumi answered before looking up at her parents. She was still nervous, but now that the idea of them together was out there, it was easier to speak. "Sachiko is my girlfriend, she has been for a long time now, that is why I didn't tell you she was seeing someone."
"I don't know what to say," Yumi's mother responded a minute later.
Yumi just remained silent not sure what to say either. She didn't think he mother was upset, she still looked a little confused, but Yumi guessed she was just deep in thought.
"Perhaps, it's best if we finish dinner, then we can talk about this?" Yumi's father suggested with a quick smile towards his daughter.
It was a small gesture but it relaxed both girls immensely. Yumi's father didn't seem bothered by the fact. If he was, he was hiding it well, but Yumi was certain that wasn't the case.
"I think that is a good idea," Yumi's mother said as both girls nodded.
Dinner went by relatively silent, Yumi's father tried to make small conversation to lighten the mood a little, but it didn't really work. The only answers he was greeted with were very short and to the point. When he noticed Sachiko and Yumi just kind of poking at their food he decided maybe it was time to talk. There was no point sitting here waiting if they couldn't eat due to nerves, which he figured was the case.
"Are you done eating?" Yumi's father asked his wife as she glanced to her food and nodded. "Alright, why don't we head into the living room and talk then."
Yumi looked up at her father for a moment before turning to Sachiko. The look in her eyes was one Sachiko hadn't seen before and she hoped she never have to again, Yumi was terrified. All Sachiko wanted to do was hug her, but she knew right now might not be the best time with her parents at the table.
All she could do was give Yumi a reassuring smile as best she could, deep down she was also quite nervous about how this would go. Yumi's father seemed to be taking it well, but Yumi's mother had barely said a word.
"We'll be waiting, don't take too long," her father said as he left the kitchen with his wife. He made sure that Yuuki had gone up to his room too, he could tell the two girls were scared.
Once her parents were out of the kitchen, Yumi took a deep breath to try and calm her nerves, but it didn't work at all. "I can't believe I said it."
"You did wonderful," Sachiko commented before turning in her seat to face Yumi better. "I've never done this before, but I think the way this is going is good so far. "
"I just wish my mother would say something," Yumi sighed, "I'm so worried about what she will eventually say."
Sachiko nodded, "I think maybe she is just a little overwhelmed. You're mother is incredibly kind, Yumi."
"I know, but it doesn't make it less scary," Yumi frowned before feeling Sachiko's lips on her forehead as she was pulled in for a hug.
"Everything will be fine," Sachiko whispered as she rested her head on Yumi's. "Just remember that no matter what happens in there, I will still be here and just as in love with you as I am now."
Yumi took a deep breath before pulling away from the hug and looking at Sachiko for a moment before nodding her head. It was all the queue Sachiko needed as she stood from her chair with Yumi before offering her hand. Yumi took it quickly, it was small, but oddly comforting. A small reminder that what she was about to do was completely worth it.
When she walked into the living room she found her parents sitting on the couch talking. Unfortunately for her nerves, that talking seemed to stop the instant they were noticed entering the room. Yumi led Sachiko to a seat across from her parents before sitting down herself.
"So you're in love?" Her mother asked as a way to get the conversation started.
Both girls just simply nodded, the question was simple, but they decided treading carefully may be best until they knew her mood.
"It sounds like you have been together for some time now. When did it happen?" Yumi's father asked curiously as the Yumi glanced to Sachiko for a moment before looking back at her father.
"I think it happened right away," Yumi said remembering back on that day that Sachiko had fixed her scarf. "I think I always knew I liked her, but when we first met, I wasn't sure what it meant. I didn't really start to realize that I liked her a lot more than a friend until after I had known her for a little bit. Yoshino-san seemed to noticed though and made me seriously think about my feelings. . . I was and still am in love with Sachiko."
Sachiko smiled as she glanced to Yumi before surprising Yumi's parents and speaking, "I was a little different. I had always realized I was little different then most girls with my general distaste in men. I didn't give it much thought though, until I met Yumi. Fixing her scarf that day was...I don't know. I remember thinking how weird it was, that whoever that girl was must think I'm crazy. She found her way back to me though and once I started getting to know her my world turned upside down. It was like all these pieces of a puzzle I didn't even know existed started falling into place. I learned a lot about myself and fell in love."
"It has indeed been a long time if you were both still in high school," her father commented as both girls nodded again. "It's a little hard to wrap my head around, but I have to ask it. Were you serious about wanting to marry my daughter?"
Sachiko glanced to Yumi briefly before looking at Yumi's father and nodding. "Yes, everything I said was mostly true."
"Mostly true? Which part wasn't?" Yumi's father asked curiously.
"I'm... I'm still to be married to Suguru," Sachiko answered in a small voice. She was scared of what Yumi's parents would think of that. Would they take their relationship seriously if Sachiko was to be married off still?
"Oh."
Sachiko's heart sank at Yumi's mothers response. She was already thinking of all the ways she could talk her way out of this spot. She needed to convince them that this wasn't a problem.
"We are telling her parents in the next few weeks," Yumi said in defense of Sachiko.
"What if they don't cancel the wedding?" Yumi's father asked curiously as Yumi looked to Sachiko. She could tell Sachiko was bouncing around all of this in her head right now.
"They will have to," Yumi said putting on a small smile. It was all she could muster, because truthfully she knew they may not call it off. "It will be kind off odd marrying their lesbian daughter to a man."
There was a silence as Yumi's parents shared a look that expressed the same concern. For now, they would let this go.
"I see; Is that what you consider yourself?" Yumi's father asked as Yumi raised an eyebrow momentarily before realizing what he was asking.
"A lesbian?" Yumi asked before looking anywhere but at her parents and nodding, "yes... I am a lesbian."
Yumi's mother looked away, but said nothing. Perhaps hearing the truth said out loud was hard for her to handle. Unfortunately, her silence would only leave Yumi wondering what she really felt. There were very few things on this planet that would leave her mother speechless.
"What about you, Sachiko?" Yumi's father asked.
Sachiko turned to him and nodded, "I am and I love your daughter very much. I will get out of this marriage no matter what it takes," she said in a somewhat desperate voice still hung up on the marriage thing.
Yumi's father just simply smiled, it was the first time he had seen and heard any emotion from Sachiko. It only helped him accept the idea that they really were in love, not that he doubted it. It just wasn't easy to hear that your daughter has been living a secret life for the past few years. Simple words just didn't seem to do it justice, at least not now.
"I'm sorry if you're upset," Yumi said after a moments silence. She wanted to reinforce what Sachiko said a little. "I love Sachiko and I don't want to have to hide it anymore. She has been my girlfriend for so long and it hurts every time I have to ignore that fact to keep our secret. We've discussed the next step in our relationship and decided that is telling our families. If our families know, then the wedding can be called off and we can start deciding how we want to live our life together."
Yumi's father nodded, "I think that is a good start."
". . .Is that why you asked if Sachiko could come with us this weekend?" Yumi's mother asked as her mind connected the dots.
Yumi nodded, "I want to introduce her as my girlfriend to the rest of the family."
"That is a big step," her father commented as Yumi nodded again. "I suppose if you two are really serious about possibly marrying in the future though, it is a necessary step."
Yumi just blinked a few times in response to her fathers response. He spoke about their relationship so naturally, as if he had known for years.
"We are serious," Yumi finally managed to say. "That is why we need to tell everyone and get this marriage cancelled."
There was another long silence before Yumi's father cleared his throat. "Well, I think I've heard enough for tonight. We need to finish up our packing and get to bed. We will be leaving early tomorrow morning, so don't stay up too late."
"Thank you for talking with us," Yumi's mother said before standing from her seat and leaving the room to head to her bedroom.
"As I said, we will be leaving early in the morning, so if you need to go back to your dorm and get clothes that is fine. Just be here around seven in the morning. We will be needing to take two cars since Sachiko is coming though."
Yumi couldn't hide the smile on her face at the mention of Sachiko coming with them. "We already packed for the trip... Just in case this went well enough for her to come with."
Yumi's father looked at her confused for a moment, "to put your mind at rest, I am perfectly alright with it. I just want you to be happy Yumi. I know your mother didn't say much, but she is dealing with this in her own way. We both want you and Yuuki to live your lives the way you want to. If you two are happy together, then I have no problems. This just may take awhile to kind of sink in, I hope you two can forgive me for any awkwardness."
Yumi stood from her seat to go over and give her father a long hug, "thank you, dad. You have no idea how scared I was."
He smiled and patted her back a little, "thank you for telling us. I think I should probably head to bed though, I need to finish packing. You two are welcome to stay here if you like."
"Thank you," Sachiko said standing from her seat to bow a little in appreciation.
He just simply gave a nod before leaving the room.
Yumi waited until she heard his bedroom door shut before turning to Sachiko and pulling her into a kiss. She knew this was a bad place to do it, especially after what had just happened, but this was her small celebration.
When the kiss finally broke only a smile remained on Yumi's face as she grabbed Sachiko's hand. "Let's go grab our stuff from the car and bring it up to my room. Tonight, I just want to hold you."
A/N: Alright so I have a few things I want to talk about. Mainly the ending is different. I originally had the conversation a lot shorter which I didn't like. I run into an issue where I will type it and it took a while because of deleting and rephrasing and when I'm done, I see a page written and I'm like yea, that seems like a good length. I think a conversation about this type of thing would be longer myself. Then when I read it, I realized how incredibly short it was. I went through and extended it. Yumi's parents originally didn't ask too much or say too much. It left Yumi lost and not sure what she should think, the original ending had Sachiko holding her as they fell asleep.
I felt throughout the chapter that Yumi's father was giving off a vibe that everything was alright, and that is where I wanted it to be. Her mother is still the mystery, but I wanted it apparent that her father seemed to be taking this news rather...Okay.
I also realized towards the end of this that Youko has completely dropped off the face of the planet. It has to do with the sudden story switch I kind of did, which I explained in a previous chapter. Anyways, I wanted this chapter to be completely focused around them, she will return.
