Thank you to those that have continued to read this story, and I am very sorry for the long periods of time between updates. I hope that you will continue reading, as I can assure you the story will begin to get a bit more interesting in time. Please enjoy!
Wedding Dress
Chapter 9: A Personal Tour
The sound of her phone ringing brought Maria back to the present. The cheerful tune seemed out of place considering the events that had occurred. Quickly locating the device, Maria answered- doing her best to sound as completely normal as she could under the circumstances- and was greeted by her grandfather.
"Maria, I just wanted to let you know that I'm on my way now. Yashiro-san and Kotonami-san are with me as well. We should be there before too long, assuming there are no delays."
"Okay, thank you for coming grandfather…"
"Of course… how are you holding up though?"
Silence.
"I'm doing okay… it's just difficult to accept, you know? I can't believe she's gone."
"I understand… just stay strong for a little while longer, I'll be there soon."
"I'll do my best grandfather…"
Maria hung up the phone and decided to take a look inside the house- to see if Kyoko had left any kind of message behind, or if her coming death was even unknown to her. Opening the door from the back porch into the house led to a sitting room of sorts. To her right was a bookshelf, with two chairs- fit for reading for long hours- on either side. To her left was a small couch that faced the brick fireplace on the far side of the room. A small table stood between her and the couch, and numerous pictures had been set up for viewing. Maria ran her eyes over the pictures, and immediately recognized one of herself and Kyoko from long ago.
The day was still clear in Maria's head; as if it had occurred but last week rather than… oh she didn't even know how many years ago. It was before the guests had started arriving, and Maria was in her dress suit and Kyoko had just finished donning her cook's outfit. Maria didn't even remember taking this picture, but she smiled at the memory… at all the memories. It was the night her dad had come to see her, it was the night she finally enjoyed her birthday again, it was the night of the "Thank You Party," and the night Ren had given Kyoko Princess Rosa. Maria felt like her tears would begin again if she didn't look away, the picture was just too much.
She had seen much of the house already, and quickly looked through the other rooms on the first story of the house. Kyoko's kitchen looked well stocked-Maria couldn't help but wondering if Kyoko didn't realize that she would be departing from the earth so soon- and the front room with the table for eating was set, as it always was. A small bedroom and a bathroom at the end of the hallway facing the north side of the house were all that was left of the first floor, and so Maria turned around to reach the bottom of the stairs that she had passed earlier.
Maria walked up the wooden staircase to the second story of the house. She had never been up here before- Kyoko has said there wasn't much to see- and so Maria had no idea what to expect. The stairs faced north, which meant that upon reaching the top, Maria was greeted by a window that looked out on the side of the house. Much like the rest of the outside of the property, it looked- in the fading light of the day- as though there were many flowers and plants enclosed by the tall trees of the forest that lined the entire house.
Similar to the first floor, the area by the stairs was part of a hallway of sorts. Rounding the banister of the steps, Maria began to head down the hallway. To her right (west) was a door that led out to what looked like a large covered deck. Most of the wooden floor appeared to be covered in leaves- Kyoko probably didn't use the balcony much. Further down the hallway, still on the right side of the house, was another door. Maria gently turned the handle and poked her head inside, only to be disappointed by finding a small bathroom. Directly across from the bathroom was a day room that faced the front of the house. It had an open doorway leading into the room, but before Maria ventured in there, she tried the handle on one of the double doors that lay facing the south side of the house. She could only guess that this was the master bedroom, and while she felt wrong for entering Kyoko's bedroom, she couldn't help her curiosity.
The handle turned easily, and Maria gently opened the wooden door that, despite her attempt to be careful, creaked upon movement. The sound caused her to jump slightly, but she quickly regained her senses and entered the bedroom. The room was dark, as the only window facing west was covered by a heavy a curtain, and Maria fumbled for a light switch. When she had finally managed to locate the elusive switch, Maria was shocked at the state of the room. It appeared as though no one had been in the room, let alone slept in it, for a while. A thin layer of dust covered most of the wooden furniture, and Maria was confused as to why Kyoko would have let even the slightest breach in cleanliness befall the room. The bed spread did not appear to have a single crease or wrinkle, and the only sign that anyone had been in the room within the past month was the picture on the bedside table. Unlike everything else in the room, the picture gleamed in the light proving that it had been cleaned quite recently.
Maria felt uncomfortable in the room, and quickly retreated to the hallway. She closed the doors to the master bedroom, and turned her attention to the day room. It was a moderately sized room with doors on both sides, and a window facing east, to the front of the house. A comfortable looking chair was situated close to the window, and Maria assumed that Kyoko might have enjoyed sitting in the chair and watching anyone who passed by the house- or maybe she used it to look for her guests as they came in through the entry way. Other than the window, the room wasn't very interesting, and so Maria tried the door that faced the north end of the house. For the first time since she had embarked on her personal tour of the house, Maria was denied entry. She turned the knob again, to see if maybe the door would magically unlock itself, but, much to her dismay, she was granted no such luck. Curious to see if the other door would be locked as well, Maria turned around and attempted to open the door that lay opposite of the one she had just tried. The handle turned with ease, and Maria was greeted again with darkness. She had less trouble finding the light switch this time around, and was glad to see a room that looked like a study.
"Maybe she has left us a note…" Maria commented to herself as she stepped further into the room. The west wall was lined with books, which Maria found interesting. She had never thought Kyoko to be much of a reader, but perhaps she was? Glancing over the titles of the books, Maria began to understand better how Kyoko came across such a large collection of books. Fairytales. Countless versions and variations lined the bookshelf, ranging in age and interest. Maria smiled to herself, thinking of Kyoko reading the fairytales. Soon however, a frown returned to her face, thinking of Kyoko's own fairytale that had been denied- life just wasn't fair sometimes.
Letting a sigh escape her, Maria turned her attention to the desk that sat beneath a window facing the south end of the house. The desk was made of a dark mahogany and atop it laid several envelopes. Maria quickly picked up the bundle and shuffled through them, anxious to see if one was addressed to her. Her movements were stilled when her eyes finally rested on the one that belonged to her.
As if the letter would disappear if she did not open it that very second, Maria quickly removed the paper from the envelope and began to read.
Maria,
I hope that this letter finds you in good health, as one's health is very vital to a career in the entertainment and modeling industry. But what am I saying, you are obviously aware of this- you are no longer that little girl I used to know. Of course I knew you would grow up someday, and I must say, I am quite proud of what you have become- I know that Ren would have said the same had he lived to see you flourish as I have. I am sure that if you are reading this, I must have left this world, and I hope that if you are troubled by this, that you find solace in knowing that I am glad to know I will soon be reunited with Ren.
It is one of my greatest concerns that you will not forgive me for having held the status of my health from you. I hope that you understand that I did it in hopes that you would suffer less because of me. It troubles me knowing that my death my cause pain to those that I care about, but surely you must realize that as my death was inevitable and imminent, I wished not to be the cause of concern or treated differently than I had been prior.
But enough talk of depressing things such as sickness and death, I'd prefer to leave you with a happy recollection of me. Do you remember when we first met? I believe it was the day that I had come to LME for my first audition- you were quite troublesome back then, weren't you? Oh but we did manage to get along quite well, and I have always treasured our memories. I remember when you tried to scare those girls at the talent school, and when we followed Moko on our secret mission- those days seem so long ago…
I want you to have the dolls- I'm sure you remember which ones I am speaking of, although if you don't, you must remember once you have seen them. Most of them are upstairs, in my study. If you check the top drawer on the right, they should be there.
Maria's eyes stopped devouring the letter long enough to check the drawer that Kyoko had spoken of and, sure enough, within the drawer was a collection of some of the most well-made dolls Maria had ever seen. She pulled each one out- there were several different versions of Ren- and was surprised to see that Kyoko had made one of herself as well as Maria and a few others. Taking a few of them into her arms, Maria embraced the tiny dolls and let the tears she had been trying so desperately to hold back fall. Maria did not know how long that she stood there, but time seemed to stand still as memories flooded back of times long past.
Setting down the dolls, Maria picked up the letter and resumed her reading.
I've added a few more dolls to the collection, in hopes of somehow leaving a reminder to the world of the people that have influenced me so. I have spent many hours of working the details of each individual doll, and I know you will do your best to take care of them.
Maria, thank you for being the little sister that I never had. More than once you have brought a smile to my face, and warmth to my heart. Stay strong Maria, a bright future awaits you.
With love,
Kyoko
Maria suddenly felt extremely tired. All of the events of the day were finally catching up to her, and she was glad to take a seat in the surprisingly comfortable desk chair. Not wanting to fall asleep, Maria tried to keep her mind and body somewhat active my testing the other drawers on Kyoko's desk. It was in one of these said drawers that Maria found a diary.
"Oh, I really shouldn't look at this… Even if Kyoko is no longer with us, I cannot read something so personal as her diary." Maria spoke to herself. But despite her convincing dialogue about the wrong she would be committing by infringing on Kyoko's private diary, Maria could not hold back from taking a quick peek. Turning to a random page, Maria glanced at the steady writing of Kyoko's hand:
"…it was cold today; I am worried about the garden. I do hope that the plants survive this cold spell- I'd hate to lose all my hard work over a little bit of weather…"
Maria, a little disappointed at entry, closed her eyes and hoped that this entire day was just a horrible nightmare.
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-Tohru12
