A/N: Thanks, guys! And, my fingers feel better now (except for my thumbs :)

Chapter 21. Support

Yumi racked her brains on how to contact Sachiko. Where was she going to contact her? Or the others?

She was getting desperate. She was contemplating on doing something drastic when she remembered something that happened a few days ago.

That woman looked familiar, Yumi thought, eyeing the blonde woman with the black-haired woman exiting the gate to their house.

'Wait!'

She shouted on her mind as she sped up walking towards their house while the two started walking towards the opposite direction she was currently located.

Yes.

She remembered now. The blonde one was at the door of the restroom that day that Sachiko called her Yumi.

"Wait!" She called once she was near enough. She let out a sigh of relief when the two stopped and turned to her direction. She saw as the black-haired woman held the blonde tightly as they both gazed at her.

As she reached the two, she smiled uncertainly for her split second decision to talk to the blonde woman, even if she didn't know what she should say to her yet.

"Um, excuse me, I just want to ask a question if you don't mind," she said to the blonde woman who smiled mischievously at her. She smiled more firmly this time as she felt familiar warmth from that smile. It was like she had seen that cheeky smile many times before, and knew that they were nothing but playful act.

"Certainly. I will answer any of your questions as long as it's not hard," the blonde said.

"Thank you," she said as her eyes settled on the black-haired woman whose penetrating eyes looked to be examining her whole. She felt a bit uncomfortable at that.

"Please excuse this woman's rudeness, Yumi-chan. Where do you want us to talk?" The blonde said, chuckling softly.

She wasn't surprised that the blonde knew her. Somehow, she had the feeling that she did, that she and the black-haired woman knew her.

"Is it alright if we take a walk around the corner? I can't stay out long," she said, briefly looking at their house then to the direction she came from. Yuuki would be there any moment. It was pure luck that he had to buy something at the nearby store and had let her go ahead on her own.

"Okay. We'll walk a little away from here."

Yumi walked with the two women in silence. She didn't know which question to ask first. Thankfully, the blonde spoke first.

"You want to ask about Sachiko, right?"

That name again. The sound of that name never failed to speed up her heart beat.

"I would love to tell you everything, but it would be better if you'll hear what you wanted to know directly from her."

The thought of her talking to the person named Sachiko made her feel excited and nervous.

"I would if I could. My parents, they won't…"

She stopped talking when an object was thrust in her hands.

"It's my mobile phone!" She exclaimed. It was the one she lost when she first met Sachiko. They had it all along?

"Use it when you have decided. The help that you will need, you will find it there."

Yumi looked at her mobile phone.

"What will help me here? I can't even access this phone. They had the password changed."

She had tried different passwords to access her phone on. Yana, Yumi, Fukuzawa, anything she could think of. Even the name Ogasawara Sachiko. And she didn't even know the name of that blond woman so she couldn't use it.

She glared at the device. Why was this thing making it harder for her?

She started typing randomly. While doing so, her eyes settled on a business magazine. She picked it up and gaze at the sophisticated, intimidating, and hauntingly beautiful person in the cover. Ogasawara Sachiko was the person in the cover. Yuuki gave it to her, saying it might help her understand why their parents were adamant to stop her from meeting Sachiko. It was an old issue, released a few months ago. Sachiko was featured in the magazine due to her success in the business. Young, talented, brilliant, intimidating, ruthless, famous, rich, beautiful, single, loveless, those were some of the adjectives that were tagged on her.

"Won't you help me find the answers, Sachiko? I tried calling the numbers of your company here but I couldn't get through. They wouldn't let me talk to you unless it's important. I'm worried to say my name to the people there. I don't know if I could trust them. Should I lie to them?"

She mumbled to herself. She gazed at Sachiko's photo intently, her heart felt a longing that she couldn't quite define. She was drawn into the photo. She couldn't stop staring at the stoic face staring back at her.

"I love you."

"Huh?"

Yumi looked around quizzically. Did she just hear someone say I love you? But she was alone in her room. Yana was playing outside with Yuuki.

Or was that a memory?

Trying to recall the memory, she unconsciously typed the words 'iloveyou' and press OK. She blinked when it was accepted.

Finally!

Why the password was 'iloveyou', she didn't understand. However, that wasn't important at the moment.

She smiled triumphantly and searched for Sachiko's name.

Ogasawara Sachiko.

Her heart started to race.

Here's a complete and private contact of that person.

Hands trembling as sweat started to trickle in her temple, she made sure that her room was locked and then she dialled the number.

---o---

Yumi quietly made her way downstairs. She didn't want to alert anyone that she was still awake. It was a good thing that Yana decided to sleep with her parents tonight. It made her plan easier to execute. However, as long as she was inside the house, she couldn't really do more.

Slowly and quietly, she made her way to the front door, then to the gate. Once she had the gate safely closed behind her, she sighed with relief.

Two obstacles perfectly overcame.

She walked briskly but quietly towards where she could ride a taxi without arousing suspicion from their house.

"Going somewhere?"

Yumi's skin practically jumped with surprise. It was a good thing that she had quickly covered her mouth or she would have screamed and thus, making her presence outside the house known.

"Y-yuuki," she whispered harshly in surprise, in reprimand for startling her, in fear that she had actually failed to leave the house undetected. She looked worriedly at her brother leaning at a post near their house.

"I know you'd try something like this."

"Yuuki? How did you find out?" She asked, her mind furiously thinking about how to make Yuuki let her leave. He had been avoiding her lately after giving her the magazine, probably scolded by their parents for their last talk.

"The house wasn't designed by me and Dad for nothing. We installed security facilities within and around the house. I know it was only a matter of time before you'd try something like this so I was keeping an eye on the monitor."

She bit her lip, not knowing what to do now that she had been caught.

"I want to talk to her, to Sachiko," she said pleadingly.

"I know. Let's go."

"Huh?"

She was confused. Did she just hear a yes from Yuuki?

"What are you waiting for? We can't wait till morning here or we'll be caught."

"You'll go with me?" She asked in surprised and yet thankful that Yuuki understood her need to see Sachiko. His understanding and support meant a lot to her. It would be a great help to her.

"Yes," Yuuki said as he rode his motorbike.

"You'll take me there?"

"Better than allowing you to wander the streets all alone in the night."

She smiled in appreciation as she rode behind Yuuki.

"You're the best brother ever," she teased as she put her arms around Yuuki's stomach.

"Of course," Yuuki replied with a chuckle.

---o---

Yumi eyed the door nervously. This was it. She would finally see and talk to Sachiko without interruption.

However, she couldn't seem to move. Her arms couldn't move to reach for the door. She had been eagerly waiting for this time but now that only a door separated her from what could be the key to her past, she couldn't move forward.

Yuuki smiled inwardly at the sight of her sister nervous yet also excited. It warmed his heart to see her like that. It had been so long since he saw that kind of expression from her. And the light in her eyes, it made him want to tease her to tears. He hoped that everything would start falling into its place now.

"The door won't open by itself unless you do something," he teased, breaking the trance that seemed had engulfed his sister.

Yumi managed to pout but still unable to will herself to knock at the door.

Chuckling, Yuuki reached for the door and knocked softly.

"There you go. I'll wait for you downstairs. Don't take until morning or Mom and Dad will find out," he said, patting his sister's shoulder before he headed to the elevator.

Yumi nodded, relaxing a bit, only to tense again when she saw the door opened.

A/N: Who else would support Yumi but her beloved brother…

Next is "Reunited?"

Know what, I'll probably have a part-time job sooner so that would mean my time for having fun will be shortened, lesser time to devote on writing/posting stories. I'm working full-time now (8:00AM-5:00PM, Monday-Friday), and once the part-time job started, after 5:00 PM I would still be working, not to mention during the weekends. I hope Sunday isn't included :(

It will be more research work for me. More documents to read. More stuffs to think about. More reports to write. Less time to laze around. More money to receive. To sum it up: I will gain two things: knowledge and money. It wouldn't be so bad for a trade :)

Why did I agree to the job again? I wonder. I wasn't expecting it to happen really. But if it will pushed through, I will do it ;)

What more, I will be attending a graduate class every Friday, starting this coming Friday. I'm just a sit-in so I hope I don't have to take exams and do assignments, too, or else my hands would be too full! My gain: knowledge. The cost: lesser time to play around.

The cost for you guys of these developments: lesser stories to read from me and longer interval between chapters/stories. I will surely miss the reviews.

---Arvendell---

17 November 2008

4:20 PM