CHAPTER NINE

Broken Hearts


"Yumi? Are you okay?" Yuuki asked with pure concern in his voice. He glanced at his right to witness Yumi dipping her head and sighed heavily the nth times since they started walking to the bus stop. "What are you thinking? You aren't still thinking of the kiss, are you?" He made a light chuckle when he marked his sister flushed immensely, beginning to blend with her ribbons' color.

Yumi could always deny her feelings, but her expressions claimed otherwise. She sometimes wished and preferred to be as impassive and thick-skinned as her Onee-sama so she would not be having a hard time explaining and defending herself. Yumi just sighed wearily as a reply at her brother's banter while they continued their walk onto the bus and seated comfortably at the end row.

Yumi opened and closed her mouth several times, she sighed loudly when there were no words coming out from her lips. She propped her chin on her palm, absent-mindedly staring at her own hazy reflection in the window. After a moment, she twisted her head to her side, looking intently at her brother. Her mind went back to the day where her dire straits had all started.

"Yumi-san." Shimako called softly yet sturdily, stirring the other girl from her trance.

Yumi was abstractedly staring at Shimako, taking her time containing herself from what had occurred moments ago. She was so sure her Onee-sama was nigh on professing her feelings, her genuine feelings for her, until Shimako startlingly came, killing the pith of the matter. Yumi eyed Shimako for a minute or so before opening her mouth, trying to utter a word, but apparently there was no sound coming out from her voice box. She forcefully cleared her excessively dry gullet and was about to question her friend when the other brunette caught her red-handed.

Yumi comprehended for what seemed to be a moment with no end, absorbing their strikingly conspicuous situation. Seconds before Yumi could utter a word or two, Shimako valiantly pushed herself towards the brunette with pigtails, impulsively pressing her lips into the other girl's. It was just a sweet and simple touching of the lips but the emotions conveyed within the kiss were expressly apparent.

Yumi was astounded and tongue-tied to the core. Her eyes magnified and her whole body quivered. She gawked at Shimako as though spotting a murder scene. Yumi gradually raised her right hand to cap her agape mouth, but Shimako grabbed her hand and gently twined her fingers into hers. "Sh-Shimako-san..."

Shimako affectionately smiled, taking a hold of Yumi's alluring face before briefly pressing her lips back to its mate. "I love you, Yumi-san." Shimako softly blurted as she passionately grazed Yumi's burning cheek with her free hand. She looked at Yumi with hefty affections and yearning visibly blazing in her eyes. "I am in love with you, Yumi." Shimako sweetly smiled after noting Yumi's dumbstricken face. "I'm sorry if I was too brash, but..." She paused, dropping her gaze on the floor and brazenly conceded, "I love nothing more than to tell you how I truly feel and...and to kiss you, Yumi."

"I. . ." Yumi rocked her head, clearing her daze. "I. . .d-don't know what to say." She stammered. She was clearly, utterly incoherent with downright stupefaction and incredulity. Yumi, in complete honesty, had always admired and esteemed Shimako ever since the latter spoke and introduced herself in front of the class on their first day of school. She even hugely adored and regarded her as the perfect girlfriend material, but never even in her worst nightmare could she ever imagine Shimako forthrightly spilling her feelings for her...or even boldly kissed her on the lips, twice.

Shimako smiled sheepishly at the overwhelmed brunette and brushed Yumi's slightly parted pink lips with her thumb. "You don't have to say anything, Yumi. Just being close to you means everything to me." She ensured her, smiling lovingly without pulling her hand on Yumi's cheek. "This truly means a lot to me."

For some inexplicable reason, her mind went completely blank. No matter how hard Yumi tried, no words seemed to form. She lost the ability to express her feelings; just like how lost she was in Shimako's touch and kisses.

Yuuki calmly seated beside his sister with his eyes closed, yet he could perfectly feel Yumi's uneasiness and worriment. He already perceived two eyes deeply staring at him for a while now and without even opening his eyes, of course, he knew who it was. "What is it, Yumi?" He asked with a smirk when he somehow picked out Yumi's already huge eyes intensified. "You should talk to her, you know." He opened his eyes and looked at his sister with empathy and tenderness. He cupped Yumi's cheek lightly and gave her a reassuring smile. "You'll be fine, Yumi. Just talk to her."

"Yuuki..." Yumi finally said a word this day. She was a bit relieved to see her brother regarded her with a warm and assuring smile on his look and a smile from her brother comforted her way beyond words possibly could. 'Arigato.' She mirrored her brother's smile before facing her reflection in the window once more, brooding about the one person that had bothered her the most. "Onee-sama." She whispered.


"Yumi-chan!" Sei exclaimed, grinning teasingly at Yumi just as the brunette deliberately opened the door and went inside the room to her seat next to the cold and indifferent Sachiko. "Always late as ever, eh?" She smirked when Yumi pouted and flashed her with an apologetic smile. Just as when she was about to josh again at the younger girl's constant tardiness, her petite soeur, Shimako, grabbed her attention.

"Onee-sama." She said in a hint of warning. Shimako glanced at Sei for a second before looking back at her hands on her lap. "Please. Stop it." She muttered sheepishly.

Sei casted her eyes on her petite soeur with heaviness of heart. 'Shimako.' She sadly smiled and touched Shimako's forearm which earned her a weak smile from the other girl. She tightened her grip before letting go and turned her attention back to Youko and Eriko.

The two Roses were at the brink of their discourse and endorsement of roles and responsibilities with their Boutons. The Roses, the graduands, had been emphatically busy preparing for the university entrance examination which would be the reason of their leave and the gist subject of their meeting. The third years' prime focus now was almost exclusively on preparations for the exam in hope to enter the most prestigious universities in the country which would be held in mid-January. That would be in three months' time. At this point, the Boutons were to accede the leadership in the council in the absence of their Onee-samas until the time that they would officially be taking over the position if they would be voted by the student body in late February.

After a short moment, the bell had finally ringed which signified the end of the meeting and delegation of duties and marked the flying start of the long, busy day ahead of the Lillian maidens. The young Yamayurikai leaders slowly yet gracefully stood from their seats and went out of the Rose Mansion to the Lillian grounds, ambling with elegance and Utopian etiquette.

"Shimako." Sei called discreetly. She was attentively eyeing Shimako with absolute compassion and ardent understanding. She suspired heavily when the girl halted and faced her with an addled look and a questioning stare. Sei stepped a few feet to meet Shimako's delicate face, endowing her a warm, caring smile and beamed her with a reassuring gaze. "You're a good person, Shimako."

"Onee-sama?" Shimako was clearly bewildered at her Onee-sama's bleary statement. She paused and waited for the older girl to continue, but the latter just softly smiled and touched her shoulder in response. "Onee-sama." Shimako said in a low, dreary inflection.

Shimako and Sei were, beyond any doubt, true sisters who were born and raised in two different families. They were sisters, not by genes and blood, but by bond. They had a deeper connection than any other pair in the planet. They would undoubtedly understand each other without words and vocal expressions, just a simple look at one another and they would know it all. They were the type of soeurs that didn't have to share their secrets, their life in and out of school, or plainly talk with each other to know and feel what the other half had felt. They had mastered each other's senses and feelings with no effort; nevertheless, they had always respected each other's solitude.

However this time, Sei could not take it anymore. She could not stand seeing her most cherished petite soeur quietly suffering deep down. She knew. She felt it despite the younger sister's apathetic demeanour. She needed to talk to Shimako, now. She needed to break her free from being silently confined in the four corners of misery and agony.

"You're always been the martyr one, Shimako." Sei uttered in a hurting tone. She blandly grabbed the brunette's arms and pulled her closer to her. "Wouldn't it be sad if you tried to ignore love only because you knew one day it would come to an end?"

Shimako wistfully smiled and looked at her Onee-sama steadily. "I guess when you love someone, you'll realize that it will never be about you and your heart and how you want your relationship to be. It will always be about the person inside your heart, Onee-sama." She sincerely smiled at the blonde with a brighter look on her face. "I'm not a martyr. I just love her."

"But what about your own happiness, Shimako?" Sei asked brusquely. She shook her head in annoyance and disbelief. She badly wanted to yell at Shimako. She wanted to tell her that she was wrong to just let the love of your life go without a good fight. For her, being with the one you love was always a choice, never a fate nor a destiny.

Shimako sweetly and genuinely smiled which ached Sei's heart. "She is my happiness, Onee-sama...And I want her to be happy."

Sei tried to put a smile at her petite soeur's words. She was somewhat amazed of how Shimako had flourished into a full-fledged woman boosted with exquisite beauty and remarkable intelligence in a very brief period of time. She always knew Shimako had always been the mature and superb one between the two of them, but she never expected her to be so lenient and benevolent towards others. Unlike her, Sei would always fight for the one she loved. She might not like the thought of Shimako abandoning her hopes and dreams for the one person in her heart, but the look on Shimako's eyes told her all she wanted and needed to see. It was about staying whole and unbroken and finding ways to make things alright even when after life showed her the worst of everything. Sei was proud of Shimako, she had always been. For Sei, Shimako was an outstanding woman with an incomparable beauty and impeccable soul, closest to an ethereal being. 'I'm proud of you, Shimako.


"Onee-sama?"

Sachiko slightly turned to get a glimpse of the dispirited brunette. She sighed inwardly, trying all her mastery to act cool and nonchalant. "You need anything, Yumi?" She said in a rather acerbic acknowledgment. They were walking towards the main school building with her Onee-sama, Youko, beside her and Yumi lagging behind.

"Can we talk?" Yumi answered back, but subsequently cringed at the piercing glower from the raven-haired beauty. She brushed-off the dire feeling and composed herself with a sheer fortitude to speak to her Onee-sama. "We need to talk, Onee-sama. Please." She entreatingly smiled at Sachiko which gained her a faint nod and a halt from the bewitching Rosa Chinensis en Bouton.

She eyed Yumi sharply for a while before lightly bobbing her head in agreement. "Yes. I think we should." Sachiko said casually. She continued her step to the school building, tailing a few feet from her Onee-sama when she unexpectedly stopped at the midway when she remembered about what was always in her mind and wanted to tell Yumi ever since the two were not in good terms. She briefly glanced at the brunette with a long-face, "Please, do not be late." With that, she graciously yet bitterly turned her back and sauntered towards the building, leaving the younger girl partially excited and heartsick.

"Onee-sama." Yumi mattered under her breath. "Forgive me."

Sachiko could never deny the utter fact that she badly missed her petite soeur and the love of her life. Albeit, she had been avoiding the brunette since the incident at the greenhouse with Shimako, Yumi had never slipped a millisecond from her mind. She was hurt and disturbed of the thought and the fact that Yumi opted to stay with Shimako than to go after her after she left the greenhouse. After all, she had just dauntlessly confessed her feelings for the girl and didn't even hear a single word or a call from Yumi later that day. She might not know what happened after she left, but she had a feeling of shrill jealousy that never stopped rankling her for days. She ached to talk to her and to the other younger Bouton, but she was more convinced to wait for Yumi to speak to her first. But Yumi appeared to be fending her off, averting her gazes and avoiding a long conversation with her for long, crucifying days.


"What do you want to talk about, Yumi?" Sachiko blurted after Yumi closed the door of the greenhouse and faced her with a remorseful profile. "Is this about you and Shimako?" Her voice trembled at mentioning the latter.

"Onee-sama." Yumi paced a few steps closer to the raven-haired beauty and could not help but admire the celestial fairness that aesthetically beamed in every element of her body. "You're so beautiful." She heedlessly said in a whisper, but it did not fail to slip in Sachiko's ears. She turned deep red and quickly dropped her gaze when she became conscious of what she had just said. 'Why am I always so stupid?'

Sachiko inwardly smiled, but she showed Yumi that she was bound and determined. She did not express any sign of amusement or any emotion, just her typical deadpan mask that she was always noted for. "Why are you always like that, Yumi?" She uttered in a flat and empty tone which was very hard for Yumi to tell if Sachiko was mad or hurt, or maybe both.

"I know. I'm sorry, Onee-sama." Yumi stammered, her breath caught in her throat. She dipped her head practically touching her chin on her chest.

Sachiko felt how upset and sorry the younger girl truly was. She sighed heavily and gently grabbed Yumi's hand, steering her to seat beside her. "We're here to talk. Talk to me." She placed her hands on the brunette's cheeks and slowly lifted it up to meet her gaze. Sachiko felt a twinge of bleakness and yearning for the girl as she looked deeply into Yumi's hazel orbs. "Yumi."

"I love you, Onee-sama." Yumi declared thoughtlessly. "I'm always in love with you. Always." She failed to hold back her tears which swiftly ebbed down on Sachiko's hands.

Sachiko smiled longingly, her rich cerulean eyes revealed how happy she was at this very moment, but. . . "Why are you telling me this now?" She respired thickly with a trace of frustration and hurt. "You did not call me after that day, you've been avoiding me for days. . .on purpose. What happened to you?" Sachiko impulsively heightened her voice that revealed hundreds of emotions etched in every syllable.

Yumi's face fell on the ground and found her shoes more admirable than Sachiko's face. "I think that doesn't matter anymore. It doesn't concern you or any of us."

Sachiko's face puckered in annoyance and incredulity. 'How could Yumi become so immature and selfish?' "Yes, for you. But for me, it's a different story." She didn't mind her voice getting out of control. She knew she was selfish when it came to Yumi, but she would never ever regard her petite soeur as that. She never thought Yumi could say anything like that at her face. "Where's the Fukuzawa Yumi I knew and loved?" She said with a disheartened tone. She stood away from the brunette, only to be pulled back into a tight embrace. She fought to be locked by the younger girl, but her effort was bootless so she subsequently conceded and let her weak body being held by the warmth that she longed to feel and embrace. Sachiko cried hard, releasing all the days' stress and pain into Yumi's shoulder. "Please, Yumi. Please stop hurting me."

Yumi felt her heart dropped six feet under. "I'm-I'm so sorry, Onee-sama." She extremely hated seeing the one she loved crying, in pain, and much worse, she was the reason of it. "Please, don't cry." She said with a pang of affliction and regret. She whispered something in her Onee-sama's ear that caused Sachiko to stop crying and eyes widened in confusion.

Sachiko quickly pulled from the embrace and looked intently at Yumi's darkened hazel eyes. "What do you mean?"

Yumi generously smiled and shook her head as a vague response.

"Tell me, Yumi." Sachiko demanded sternly. She had no more patience in guessing and presuming. She had enough of it for the past days. What she wanted now was clear and detailed answers from the girl who caused her sleepless nights and an aching head and heart.

Yumi looked decisively at Sachiko's glittering eyes like there's no tomorrow. "I'm not worthy of your pain, Onee-sama." She sat back with face on the ground. "...nor of your love..." She gazed at Sachiko, displaying no hesitation or uneasiness. "...nor of your trust.." She slowly rose, advancing a few steps towards the door before she gently took hold of Sachiko's hand, smiling with deep remorse. "We should better get going. It's getting dark." She put the sweetest smile she could compose, but Sachiko could never be deceived by the innocence of her smile. She could always see right through her. She knew Yumi meant something and it hurt her to know that her petite soeur, the love of her life, her confidante was hiding something from her.

'Who are you? What have you done to my Yumi?'


Scribbler's Note:

WAAAH it's been 3 months since I last updated this. I really miss you, guys! I really miss writing and thinking of Yumi and Sachiko. This update has 4 chapters (Chapters 9, 10, 11, and 12) I warn you that the chapters are a bit melodramatic. I hope you're not mad at me or something. I had issues in my life and a carrier that needed to be solved first. Ha ha anyways, hope you still enjoy the updates.

Miracle79: I truly miss your comments. I hope you're still into this. I was a tad sad and I was really stressed-out thinking of leaving you hanging, so I left my work and turned on my computer and wrote these chapters to repay my debts of putting a smile on my serious face. Haha Please do enjoy.