Chapter 9: Spring has come Home
Welcome back to Our Lives for Our Sisters! This chapter marks an "end" of a story that obviously hasn't ended. Maybe it's something like the conclusion of an arc? It's been fun to see how this AU unfolded and I hope you found it fun, even if it was a bit weird.
This chapter matches episode 6 of Marimite's second season (the graduation and departure of Youko, Eriko and Sei). The chapters after this will be devoted to the younger generation and make up Yumi's very own "arc," so to speak. After seeing what this dark world is like, it's finally time for her to shine. Thanks for reading up till now, and the next and last cycle will hopefully be ready in a few weeks! I hope you enjoyed the first half of the story and I hope you like this milestone of goodbyes in the lives of the Mafia souers.
With this melancholy "graduation," everything changes.
A bright spring morning
Only several months had passed since the dramatic battle that had shaken the Lily Mansion. Indeed, Yumi's time with Sachiko had barely brushed past one year. Yet it felt as if there had been no other life before this one. Holding a gun and shooting at protectors of the law was the only thing that felt familiar and correct. She had almost forgotten about her biological family – mum, dad, and Yuki. Dwelling on the souer relationship and its intricacies, she picked absently the clump of tulips that grew with many other species in the Lily Council's massive garden. In the centre of the precinct was a small gravestone carved in the shape of a cross. Yumi stared at it absently for several full minutes, before shaking herself out of her reverie.
She had been waiting for someone.
She rose to her feet, turning to greet the new arrival. Her face broke into a smile. "Good day, Rosa Gigantea," she called.
The freshly dressed Sei returned Yumi's smile with a gentle grin. Even with her now truly short hair, she looked ever beautiful. Wearing a white shirt and jeans, she seemed ever more authoritative – perhaps even majestic – even though she now sat in a wheelchair.
Europe's best surgeons never managed to save Sei's nervous system. Shiori's bullets had permanently damaged the muscles around her spinal chord, severing their connection with her lower body. A final insult: Shiori's blade had inflicted too much damage on Rosa Gigantea's legs for the doctors to salvage them. Along with all her other harrowing injuries, it was a miracle that Sei had held on to the rest of her body. With the death of her great love, perhaps the White Rose was destined to break in one way or another.
Never again would she dazzle the souers with her acrobatic gunplay.
"Sorry for keeping you, Yumi. I got Shimako to take me to the greenhouse," said Sei, glancing up at the girl who was pushing her wheelchair. "I just wanted to stay there awhile… to dig up some old memories. Shimako and I had a long chat, too. She cried for quite some time on my lap," she added.
"Onee-sama," chided Shimako, blushing. "You don't have to blurt out everything that passes between us."
"Good day to you, Shimako-san," said Yumi happily. "I'm really glad to see you're fine, that everything's okay."
Shimako's face was clearly tired from crying, but she had been incredibly brave and strong throughout the entire ordeal. "Good day, Yumi-san. And thank you for your support. You have no idea how much of a difference your presence has made to our lives."
"How do you feel, Rosa Gigantea?" asked Yumi cautiously.
"Never felt better," boasted Sei, with her usual swagger. She let out a chuckle as Shimako steered her towards the centre of the private grounds. "I love being chauffeured around like this. Next time, I'm getting Youko to do it."
Typical, cocky Sei. Yumi smiled in exasperation, although she couldn't help admiring her for making a joke out of everything, even this… tragedy. "I guess I got worried for nothing."
"No. I'm thankful that you'd keep me in mind." As the wheelchair came to a stop in front of Shiori's tombstone, Sei raised her dull-coloured eyes, looking at the bright, cloudless sky. "I'm really grateful to have Shimako tending to me after all the crap I've put her through. To have been honoured with so many experiences, both painful and joyful… words can't express my gratitude."
Shimako extended her hand, her fingers holding a plucked white rose with blossoming petals. The bouton's (still somewhat red) eyes shone with unfathomable emotion. "Onee-sama, for you."
Sei nodded as she took the flower, breathing in and smiling at the mild fragrance. She closed her eyes as Shimako put a warm hand on her shoulder, looking remarkably fragile. She gently released the flower's stalk, and it descended onto the plaque before the memorial.
"They may mock me, but I'm really, at this moment, the happiest girl alive," murmured the disabled crime lady pensively.
You and I are done, angel. This world doesn't want us. But I guess we never wanted anything in it either, except for us to be together. I will never forget you. I will never forget that it was I who killed you. I will never forget our last moments spent together.
I'm a better woman than I was when we first parted. Despite all my failures, now I can finally say to you welcome home – and farewell, with the full dignity you deserve.
"Oh, by the way, Yumi-chan." Sei signalled for Shimako to turn her around, and Yumi looked at Sei's beaming face in surprise. "Don't call me Rosa Gigantea anymore. I'm no longer the White Rose."
"Wh… what?" cried Yumi. "Then – "
She… she's resigned…?
Yumi stared into the knowing eyes of the sweet girl who held the handles of Sei's wheelchair. "I know it must feel a bit disappointing," smiled Shimako. "I don't strike others as crime dame material, after all."
"No, of course it's not like that," said Yumi hastily. "But for Shimako-san to become the White Rose? Why, Sei-sama?"
"Look at me, Yumi. I'm a cripple. The only helpful thing I can do is to step down. You see before you a has-been who's as helpless as the orphans Shiori loved. I suppose this is Kashiwagi's victory. I sure hope the prick's happy."
Sei suddenly grinned. "But the Lily Council is far greater than me. Where one souer drops her gun, another will be there to pick it up. That is the genius of our empire. The future of the Gigantea family rests with my petite souer," she declared, looking up proudly at Shimako. "It's been almost a year, anyway. Eriko and Youko intend to pass on their mantles as well. We have no regrets about our 'graduation.' And we rest easy in the assurance that the Lily Council is in safe hands, as long as you, Shimako, and Yoshino stick together like glue."
"Sei-sama…" whispered Yumi, blinking away tears.
"What's with you?" cried Sei, pointing at her wheels. "You think I'm going anywhere like this? I'm getting my free lodging and food right here, thank you very much. I intend to spend the rest of my useless retirement scrounging off you guys and being fat and lazy."
"I'm so glad to hear that," cried Yumi.
"So you want me like this?" grumbled Sei, brow raised and eyes flashing dangerously.
"No, no, that's not what I meant," stuttered the flustered Yumi, and Sei laughed gleefully. Yumi looked away, for it was heartbreaking. That's right. She was always the tease. But that was just to reassure me she wouldn't be leaving. I forget that she must be feeling so powerless. After all this, Shiori is gone, along with Shizuka-sama…
Sei-sama really has lost more than any of us can imagine.
Sei smiled, as if reading her thoughts (it was never too hard with Yumi). "Enough of feeling sorry for ourselves. Don't worry about Shiori. She's right here with us, isn't she? So snap out of it, Yumi-chan. Come here so I can give you a kiss. The living always come before the dead."
Those were harsh words, perhaps forcibly spoken to bring closure, but they were none truer. Yumi walked over to stand before Sei. She slowly went on her knees. She felt the dew from the grass dampening her skirt.
"Don't tell onee-sama about this."
"Are you kidding? She's going to be the first person to know." Leaning down, Sei reached for Yumi's face. She stroked her cheeks fondly. She drew closer, placing her soft lips on Yumi's forehead and bangs. "When we first met, you kissed my hand. Let me return your loyalty," she whispered quietly, her mouth tickling Yumi's skin. "I'm so glad you chose to stay with us unsavoury gangsters. Not that you had much choice, with a gun pointed at you and all," she added. "I can only watch from here. I know you'll grow into a cool gunfighter like me. Take care of Shimako. Carry the new Roses forward. And pay back Kashiwagi a billionfold for his arrogance."
"Somehow I don't feel special, because so many others have loved you." Still, Yumi reached up, giving a surprised Sei her own little peck beside the mouth.
The sun was shining brightly on Shiori's tombstone. For all the heartache, regret, loss, and bittersweet feelings that remained, the past had somehow been laid to rest along with Shiori's body. With Sei's kiss, the baton was passed from the old generation to the young… to Yumi, the soon-to-be bouton of a new Rosa Chinensis.
It was spring. A new cycle of partings and meetings had begun.
Sachiko's bedroom
"You will spend at least six hours each day honing your skills under me. I know you've improved dramatically, but you must not fall behind Yoshino. Rei's training schedule is second to none," said Sachiko aloofly, as she sat on the side of her canopied bed and stared arrogantly down at her new bouton. Yumi was grinning awkwardly as she realized she was in exactly the same situation she found herself in during the morning: kneeling before someone, but this time on a sumptuous Persian carpet. But this time, she was like a warrior before her liege, the queen. "As the new Red Rose, I will not tolerate any slackness. You will break yourself in the same way I broke myself for Youko-sama. Only then will you be worthy to take the seat of Rosa Chinensis, when it is my turn to step aside."
Yumi nodded in submissive silence.
Sachiko stared down at her petite souer. "Your wound," she said softly.
"I'm sorry?" blinked Yumi.
"Your wound! You never remember to tell me whether its healed or not," cried Sachiko, looking as if she would slap Yumi. "Are you so forgetful, clueless little child?"
"Oh! I mean – " Yumi nodded happily, meeting Sachiko's eyes. "I'm fine. I really am. Honestly, you looked more worried than I was when I was stabbed by Shiori-sama." She smiled, catching Sachiko off-guard. "Thank you."
"How – how dare you," scolded Sachiko indignantly. "This is the duty and joy of a souer. Don't be so petty as to thank me for the little things. Are you trying to humiliate me?"
"Humiliate you? I'd never dare." Yumi slowly reached for Sachiko's face, and to her relief Sachiko did not resist. On the contrary, she sighed, as if relieved that Yumi did not snap back at her harsh and condescending language, which were so often used to cover up her own insecurity and self-doubt.
It mattered not. Yumi loved it. She loved her. "Your orders please, Rosa Chinensis," she proposed slowly, a somewhat sly smile lighting up her expressive face.
Have I been slowly changing? she wondered to herself. Since when did I smile about death and blood so easily?
"Excellent. I only need you to come with me, Yumi," whispered the new Red Rose in reply.
She reached out and stroked Yumi's cheek gently. "We have sweet, delicious revenge to plot."
Shimako had left Sei for now. Now that the latter could no longer manage the day-to-day affairs of the Gigantea family, the tasks of a crime boss – business ventures, secret meetings, and more – had fallen onto the former bouton. Sei felt a guilty relief to be free from it all. Something had changed inside her when the surgeons admitted she was a lost cause. It wasn't sadness, nor was it even anger or vengeance against Kashiwagi. It was just plain tiredness; the fatigue one feels when a good thing has become a horrible one, when an adventure has become a nightmare. All she wanted to do now was to spend her days quietly watching over the younger souers as they prepared themselves for ascendancy.
Sei stared out at the setting sun, on a horizon of bright union of orange, crimson and yellow. The gentle whispers of the waves stroked at the wood of the docks, where she had first met and fought Shiori. Seagulls above squawked, singing of the coming eventide and the descent of night's blanket. She stared at the swishing, singing sea, the shimmering, multihued waters. The warmth of spring reminded her of the pleasant humidity of Hokkaido. How she missed the country landscapes and rice fields there.
She never noticed how beautiful Lillian was. Yes, it was a cesspool of crime. Yes, it was a town created by extortion and corruption. But it was her town, her second home away from the skyscrapers of Tokyo.
Things made their own warped sense here.
She felt two hands pressing on her shoulders gently from behind. "You're also going to step down, aren't you?" she said, not looking around.
Dressed in her crisp business outfit, Youko nodded, her eyes on the same sunset Sei was watching. "I would have kept my seat of office, but I've chosen to tend to your needs instead. You cannot expect Shimako-chan to be by your side every day. Me, however – I know you can't get enough of seeing me. Of touching me."
"You're demoting yourself to become my butler? How noble of you."
"I thought long and hard about it, but I have no pressing reason to retain command. Sachiko has everything under control. The Chinensis family will endure. And if I know my petite souer at all, she's quite enthusiastic about her promotion. I imagine Eriko feels the same about Rei. "
The pair fell silent for a few minutes, enjoying the sight of the emerging stars and the sounds of the waves.
This was their private moment together, perhaps even more private than their adventures in the bedroom.
"You've sacrificed much just to take care of someone who's fallen so low," muttered Sei.
Youko bent down, tenderly cupping Sei's cheek. She turned her head around and kissed her on the soft lips. "Sei. Don't ever leave us," she urged, her voice muted. "Don't leave me, the fussy, bossy, bitchy girl who has chased after you for so long. How spiteful of Heaven, that I can catch you only after you can't walk! Did the price need to be so steep? If I knew, perhaps I wouldn't have pined for your love. Perhaps I would have insisted that you make Shiori your souer. Then, perhaps, many misfortunes could have been averted. Maybe she would have enjoyed her time here and become an inspiring mobster, fighting alongside us."
"There's no point in wondering what could have been. And besides… it wasn't nice watching you look so lovesick, anyway."
Sei avoided her counterpart's gaze even though they held each other's hands. "My… my sexy legs aren't going to be what they used to be. Give me a few months, or a few years, but sooner or later they're going to go all icky and thin. Bony. Ugly.
"Can you… take that?" she asked fearfully, her voice suddenly unsteady from the weight of her new burden. "You won't look away in disgust? Because… if you ever do that to me…" She felt her sudden, terrified tears being tenderly licked away by the one she treasured as an equal. "I don't know what I'll do!"
"Hush, dammit. Don't even think about such evil. Those legs, however they look, belong to Satou Sei. That's why they'll always be beautiful." The former Rosa Chinensis stayed put, refusing to stop kissing her. Sei's eyes remained tightly shut as she savoured Youko's kind warmth. "Bawl not. I will take care of you. And I promise to be gentler in bed. Let me know if I go too far with the spanking."
An ashamed, blushing Sei averted her watery eyes as Youko nibbled her eyebrows, her eyelashes – everywhere. "Dummy," rasped the disabled girl gratefully.
"For what?" tutted Youko.
"For doing so much for me… all these years. For watching over me despite how I pushed you away. I was an idiot, but now I can finally say it. Thank you."
"Arigatou? From you? What soppiness is this?" snickered Youko, nudging her forehead on Sei's. Black and blonde locks embraced as they nuzzled lovingly. They looked at each other, before closing their eyes in a rare, mutual confession of shyness. They giggled, and for some strange reason they felt younger again. "I've… always been like this… always looking out for you. Why are you trying to catch me off-guard now? Is this revenge for your red bum?"
"Behind every great woman is another woman who's pretty damn good too." Sei sighed, her hand clasping Youko's fingers. "You taught me that."
Truly, there was no shame, and every honour, to give gratitude where it was due.
"So, my wilted White Rose, will you settle down with me? Are we an item?"
Sei nodded slowly.
"Took you long enough," whispered Youko, suppressing her own tears of relief and happiness. "You had to lose Shiori, Shizuka, and your legs before you could muster the courage to say 'yes.' Was getting maimed beyond belief that much preferable to my wooing?"
Her voice hoarse, Sei laughed, and the retired crime dames hugged each other. "Don't take it the wrong way, Youko. I once thought you were stubborn, but I was just weak. Well, I'm still weak, but at least… now I'm a bit braver to admit who I need the most."
"Like Shizuka-san, I'm fond of your weaknesses, at least more so than my strong attitude," reassured Youko. She was just glad that the woman in her arms was still alive and well, and at long last – hers. They held one another as the sun finally said goodbye and dipped down the horizon. "But on this day, I will indulge my pride."
Old generations passed, but the Law of the Souers would continue to bloom. Youko gazed into her partner's eager eyes. "Let Sachiko handle everything from hereon. Sit back, relax, and watch as she burns away Kashiwagi's world."
Thanks for checking out Our Lives for Our Sisters!
Next chapter: Sachiko, Rei, and Shimako rise to assume control as Rosa Chinensis, Rosa Foetida, and Rosa Gigantea. New boutons Yumi and Yoshino will spill blood, and no pardon will be given.
Whom will Shimako choose to be the Gigantea heir? Enter a feisty new gangstress with a fetish for Buddhist statues. It's the Yakuza debut of a staple Marimite pairing!
The Law of the Souers: sealed with a kiss and toasted to with blood.
