(This fiction is based on the characters and settings created by Oyuki Konno)
A Woman Scorned - Chapter 10
It was just over two weeks since Mitsuki disappeared into the realm of Sachiko, and Yumi was getting tired of waiting. Her patience was stretched to it's limit, even with the regular reports she received from Sae-chan, whose help Yumi enlisted the evening of the day she last saw Mitsuki.
**** FLASHBACK ****
Yumi had just finished listening to Mitsuki's message, and hung up the phone. The waitress had delivered her cake, but the brunette just stared into space, too irritated to have much of an appetite. She didn't realize the someone came up and sat in the stool next to her, until they spoke.
"Ume-san," Sae-chan said hesitantly. "Are you alright?"
Yumi slowly turned to the young woman, who dragged her out of her thoughts. "I'm fine Sae-chan," she responded dully. "Thank you for your efforts earlier."
"It was nothing," the younger girl said shyly. "Can I ask a personal question? You don't have to answer if you don't want to."
"Ask away," the brunette said.
"The woman that came in earlier for the evaluation. Wasn't she the same woman you met here yesterday?"
Yumi nodded. "And the same woman who broke up with me here too," she added. "I still care about her though, and I fear she may have gotten in over her head. I'm worried Sae-chan."
"She sure looked like she didn't want to be there," the fresh faced woman agreed. "And that Ogasawara-sama can be pretty intimidating. I wonder if Ogasawara-sama bullied her into it."
"Knowing Sachiko," Yumi responded. "I'm sure it was like that. But I keep asking myself 'why would she do such a thing?'"
"You didn't read the lab report you had me fax?" When Yumi shook her head, Sae-chan went on to explain. "All of the harvested eggs were duds, they weren't able to be fertilized. She's barren. So if she wanted a child, she would either need an egg donor ..."
"Or a surrogate," the brunette interrupted, as the light bulb lit over her head. "And Sachiko, being the spoiled princess she is, wouldn't want to endure a messy thing like pregnancy. Thank you, Sae-chan."
Sae-chan smiled, relieved by seeing a hopeful expression on the brunette's face, rather than the troubled one earlier. "No problem," she responded. "I just wish I could do more for you."
"Why would you do that," Yumi questioned, unsure of the younger woman's motivations.
"Because I admire you," Sae-chan replied. "And I think what Ogasawara-sama is doing, is wrong. I don't think I can live with myself if I don't help out in some way."
"Okay then," the brunette agreed, her fears lessened. "Do you think you can keep an eye on things, and keep me informed of their progress?" At the young woman's nod, Yumi wrote down the drop box number and handed it to Sae-chan. "Call that number and leave a message with any information you have. That would be the greatest help you can give."
**** END FLASHBACK ****
Yumi wasn't a fan of the plan her and Arisu hammered out. She would have much preferred the direct method of breaking into Sachiko's house, and kidnapping Mitsuki back, but because the house was secured better than Fort Knox, they had to rely on a more sneakier method. The problem with sneaky is that the plan takes time, as various methods and pieces are put into place, then triggered at the proper time.
One of the pieces that fell into place was that, according to Arisu, Suguru no longer lived in the house with Sachiko. Apparently, after his Kyoto trip, the man got into an argument with Sachiko over Mitsuki's kidnapping. He didn't want to be involved in that kind of thing, so he left. He was now living in a posh hotel downtown. That would make things easier for Yumi when it was time to make her move.
Yumi's phone sounded an alarm. She took out a prescription bottle, opened it, popped a pill in her mouth and washed it down with a glass of water. 'They also serve that only stand and wait,' Yumi quoted Milton, sarcastically. It didn't help matters that a side effect of the course of medication she had been taking for the past thirteen days, turned the normally mild mannered girl into a hormonal bitch. She loaded the gun on the table in front of her. 'Just wait until tonight,' she thought, as she took aim. 'Then it will be my turn.' She pulled the trigger, and hit the target in the left shoulder, causing the brunette to smile.
XxX
Over the last few weeks, Mitsuki had been poked and prodded and tested at the clinic repeatedly. Sachiko wanted to make sure she was the 'perfect,' baby factory. She wasn't allowed off the grounds of the estate except for her clinic visits, which became the high point of her day. She got to interact with real people, instead of grim faced butlers, stoic security guards, and anti social maids. She especially liked the young tech, Sae-chan, that always seemed to be with her during her examinations.
Sachiko still went off to work every day, leaving her home with the servants until late at night. Sometimes the heiress would be present for her clinic visits. Other times she was accompanied by a dark suited man, who stood guard outside the examination room. On those days she wished the visit wouldn't end, as she was able to relax and chat with Sae-chan, without being glared at by the black haired heiress.
But apart from those visits, the past two weeks were boring and lonely. At first, she took her meals in the elegant dining room, but after she learned that the best conversation she would have was,"Yes Ojousama" or "No Ojousama," she started taking her meals in her room. At least there she had the television for company. At no time did she see any sign of Kashewagi-sama, Sachiko's husband.
On nice days, Mitsuki would walk the grounds, enjoying what little freedom she was allowed. Other days she would explore the inside of the house. It was on one of these excursions that she found a narrow stairway on the third floor leading up to a wooden door. She opened the door, entered, and reached a hand out to flip the light switch. When the lights came on, she was amazed by what she saw. Instead of cobwebs and dusty, old furniture that one would expect to find in an attic, the room was empty except for a large makeshift altar across from her consisting of pictures and knickknacks arranged neatly on a large wooden crate.
At her first sight of the altar, Mitsuki felt and eerie chill run down her spine, causing her to shiver. As afraid as she was, she couldn't resist the pull from the macabre object ahead of her. When she was a couple of feet away, she could make out the figures in the photographs. They were predominately of a brown haired girl with pigtails, some were two shots of this girl and Sachiko. The brunette in the pictures looked familiar to Mitsuki, and she quickened her pace eager to see more detail.
Soon, she was in front of the shrine. Dead center was an 8 x 10 portrait of two girls facing each other, the taller one with black hair, who must have been Sachiko, was retying the neckerchief of the shorter brunette. She gasped with recognition as she focused on the brunette. It was Yumi, but not the Yumi she knew. This girl looked fresh faced, bright eyed, and happy, not the jaded flirtatious woman who saved her in that bar. 'What I wouldn't give to have seen those bright, clear eyes, and open expression. What pain she must have gone through to make her how she is today.' It was right then that she promised herself that if she ever met Yumi again, she would do her best to bring that expression back to the brunette's face.
XxX
"Suguru, you bastard," Sachiko exclaimed, as she read the legal document in front of her a second time. It was an injunction, preventing her from using the man's stored sperm without his written consent. She crumpled up the paper and threw it across the room. She banged her fists on the desk and growled. She threw herself back into her chair, and tried to figure out what went wrong.
**** FLASHBACK ****
"So, Sa-chan," Suguru said over the phone on his way back from Kyoto. "How did the last series of tests go?"
"None of the eggs taken were viable," she replied flatly.
"I'm sorry, Sa-chan," the man on the phone said compassionately. "You should have called me as soon as you found out. No sense going through the pain alone."
"I'm rather happy about it," the heiress stated. "Now I don't have to go through that nasty in vitro procedure, and a messy pregnancy. Plus, I already have a surrogate. In a couple months, Mitsuki will be carrying the next Ogasawara heir. She's going to be staying at our house until she gives birth."
"Why would she be staying with us," Suguru asked sounding confused.
"I want to make sure the are no problems during the process," she replied. "I also want to keep her from running away. She wasn't too thrilled with the idea."
"So you're keeping her prisoner, and forcing her to give get pregnant," the young man said, voice rising in irritation. "That's kidnapping and extortion. Possibly even rape. Are you out of your mind?"
"That's only if she presses charges, Suguru," Sachiko responded calmly. "It's not like she won't be repaid for her efforts."
"Just let her go, Sachiko," he pleaded. "We'll find another woman to act as a surrogate."
"I know Mitsu-chan,"she argued. "I feel comfortable with her. I don't want some sleazy stranger to give birth to our precious child. My decision is final."
"If that's the case, I don't want any part of it," Suguru bit back angrily. "I'll stay at a hotel until you come to your senses."
"Stay away forever for all I care," Sachiko said coldly. "It's not like I need you for anything anyway. I have everything I need cryogenicly stored."
"Sachiko, please. I beg you. Don't do this. It's immoral."
"Since when did you grow a conscience, Suguru," Sachiko reviled. The line went silent as the connection closed.
**** END FLASHBACK ****
Sachiko stood up from the chair, strode across the room, and picked up the crumpled piece of paper. She smoothed it out the best she could, and picked up the phone to call the family lawyers. Just as she was about to dial, she noticed the name of the injunction's filing attorney, and hung up the phone. 'Why,' she thought as she picked up the phone again and dialed a number.
"Mizuno here," a woman's voice answered.
"Onee-sama, why are you doing this to me," Sachiko complained.
"I haven't heard from you in five years," Youko stated with disappointment. "And those are the first words out of your mouth. I'm ashamed to be your sister."
"I'm sorry Onee-sama," the heiress said softly. "The last time we spoke, you made it clear that you didn't want to hear anything from me about my misery or my marriage. Since I haven't had much else happen in my life aside from work, there was nothing I could share. But now you seem to want to get in the middle of it. And you're taking his side over mine, your sister."
"The only side I'm taking, is the side of that little girl your keeping prisoner," the older woman bit back. "It just so happens that Suguru is taking her side also. It also happens to be the ethical side. You know, I never really liked him when we first met, but he does have his good points. I was quite surprised when he came to me and asked me to talk some sense into you. And after seeing what you've become, I might just nominate him for sainthood."
"But why file for the injunction," Sachiko asked. "You could have just called and talked to me about it."
"And you would have just blown me off," Youko spat. "You had to be the one to come to me, or we'd have no constructive dialog. I'm sure if you turn Mitsuki over to me, Kashewagi-san would be more than happy to sign the release once you found a surrogate the proper way."
"I have to refuse," the heiress said viciously. "I'll fight you on this Onee-sama."
"That's your right, but kidnapping and assault are serious charges," Youko warned. "You'd better be aware of the consequences of your actions. I still can't believe what a monster you've become. You were nearly human when you were with Yumi. Goodbye Sachiko."
'Who the hell is this Yumi?' The black haired woman hung up the phone on dead air. A second later she picked it up again to get in touch with her lawyers.
XxX
Suguru sat and sipped his drink in the hotel's bar. 'Sachiko's gone way too far on this one,' he thought disgustedly. 'What she's doing is criminal.' He knew any charges filed would be dropped. All the heiress had to do was coerce the girl to sign a statement she was there of her own free will, and that would be the end of it. The injunction would be the key. If it didn't put a complete halt to the situation, it would at least delay things a while, and maybe Sachiko would come to her senses in the meantime.
Deep down he knew what his wife was doing was wrong. It didn't matter who was the target. He didn't know much about Mitsuki, aside from the fact that she was bright, diligent, and did her job well. She also reminded him of a certain fresh faced, brown haired girl, that pushed him down to the ground and said, "I'm sorry, but Kashewagi-san won't cut it" before running after Sachiko. It was that single thing that caused him to select the girl over the other applicants for the Fellowship that year. He also arranged things so that she would be lined up to be Sachiko's assistant, when she finished school. Essentially he was hoping lightning would strike twice, and bring back to him the kind, loving Sachiko from five years ago.
It didn't work as well as he'd hoped. Sometimes life gives only one opportunity, and once it's wasted, there are no more. The young man grimaced and finished his drink. He called the bartender over, and ordered another. Once it arrived, he picked it up and looked through the amber liquid, as if it held the secret to life.
'I'm not much to be proud of. Am I Yukiichi,' he thought as he brought the glass to his lips and took a large swallow. As always, the first drink was his, the second in memory of his lost love, and the subsequent ones were to dull the pain caused by the second. He put the glass down, and wondered, not for the first time, why he had listened to Sachiko in the first place.
**** FLASHBACK ****
Suguru entered the cafe, and walked to the table where Sachiko sat. He pulled out a chair and seated himself across from the heiress. "Good Afternoon, Sa-chan," he said smoothly. "To what do I owe the honor of your invitation?"
"I want to talk to you about the wedding, Suguru," she stated.
"So you're finally going to tell the old man to cancel our engagement," the young man asked.
"Quite the opposite actually," Sachiko replied. "I'm thinking of going through with it."
Suguru looked at his cousin in disbelief. "But what about Yumi-chan? I thought she was your heart's desire?"
"She is," the heiress agreed. "But we can't keep living in a fantasy world. Where we all get what we want. We also have responsibilities. To the Family, To the Company."
"Screw them," the black haired man exclaimed. "All that business has ever done is bring misery to anyone associated with it. When was the last time your father spent a whole holiday at home? Have you ever seen your mother look at him with love in her eyes? It chews people up and spits them out."
"If it wasn't for that company, you wouldn't have that red sports car, or those flashy clothes you're wearing. Remember that, Cousin," Sachiko responded coldly. "There's one other thing you should keep in mind also. The Family has been very indulgent with us. What do you think they'd do to Yukki, Yumi, or their family, when they aren't so gracious?"
Suguru paled at the thought. With the amount of money, power, and influence the Ogasawara Group could throw around, anything was possible. The old man was very unforgiving and unmerciful to those that opposed him. He'd likely destroy the whole Fukuzawa family, if he felt they were a threat to his company.
"Do you see it now," the heiress said. "We are essentially on parole. Wouldn't you rather get married on our terms, than be coerced into it?"
"But Yukki and Yumi, have made us into better people," the young man argued. "What will happen, when we no longer have their support?"
"I guess we'll have to learn to lean on each other," Sachiko suggested.
"They won't let go easily," Suguru reminded his cousin. "They'll fight us."
"That's why we'll have to make them despise us," Sachiko stated sadly.
**** END FLASHBACK ****
'Ahh, Yukki, it's all my fault,' he said to himself, finishing his drink and ordering a third. 'I should have tried to explain things, rather than say all those things to make you hate me. You were the only one back then. If only you were here right now, I'd tell you properly.'
His third drink came, and he swallowed half of it at once. He was starting to feel warm and numb at the same time. He pinched the bridge of his nose to keep the tears in, as he pined for his lost love. When he downed the last of his drink, the bartender came over with another, and set it down, along with a key card wrapped in a note. "Complements of the gentleman at the end of the bar," the man said indicating a brown haired, young man sitting at the end, watching the lounge singer.
'Nah,' Suguru shook his head denying his first impression of the young man. 'He's been dead for five years.' The man finished his drink, turned and put the empty glass on the bar. Suguru couldn't make out his features, because of the smoke and dim light in the bar, but as he looked at the man's profile a shiver shot down his spine. He watched as the man walked to the doors and left.
The black haired man picked up the note, opened it, and turn white as he read the recognizable handwriting:
Sugar-san,
Long time no see. I hear things aren't going well with the Princess. If you want to meet up, I'm staying in the hotel across the street, Room 128. Just use the key when you get there. I'm heading back to the States tomorrow, so we won't be able to meet again. Hope to see you soon.
Yukiichi
Suguru couldn't believe his eyes. The note was definitely written in his ex-lover's hand. 'But I went to his funeral,' he thought, bewildered, but he never actually saw the body. He finished the last drink in a quick swallow, stood up and staggered out of the bar, key in hand. He then walked across the street, his head clouded by booze and hope.
Son the handsome man was standing outside Room 128. He slid the card into the slot of the door. When he didn't hear the lock click open, he looked down. He removed the key, turned it around the correct way, and repeated the process. Hearing the click this time he opened the door, and walked into the dim room. He let the door close behind him, and regarded the silhouetted figure sitting in an armchair across from him. "Yukiichi?"
Just then, the figure moved quickly, pointed a gun at him, and fired. The shot was muffled, but its power was not. He felt a sharp pain in his left shoulder, where the projectile hit home. Suguru's back slammed hard against the door, and slid down to the floor. The figure got up out of the armchair, walked over to the still body and checked for a pulse. Then it stood, looking down. "Not Yukiichi, but Yumi," the brunette said with an evil smile.
Author's Notes:
Didn't think Yumi had it in her. Did you?
Thanks for reading another chapter. And thanks for all the reviews and comments. You guys are really fantastic. I love you all.