CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Seeing You At Last
Sachiko let out another sigh for the past three minutes. Everyone around her couldn't help but to feel worry. She was constantly spacing out and, if she wasn't, then no one would dare approach her. As Yoshino would always hysterically say to the students, "She'll skin you alive. Never dare talk to the Rosa Chinensis at this moment!"
It had exactly been ten days since her Onee-sama's graduation, the day she last saw the love of her life. To say she missed the brunette so much would be the understatement of the century. The awful, empty feeling she felt inside was rapidly consuming her. She felt abandoned, lost and incomplete. But she didn't quite understand. She knew she was lonely and in pain, but it felt like the feeling wasn't hers. Later she realized she was feeling what Yumi must be feeling at the moment. Yumi was in so much pain. That thought alone hurt her so much.
So many times she badly wanted to break into the Sekamitomi palace, but something in her was forcing her to stay put. It was like her inner being were begging her not to go, that it would be better to wait for Yumi to go back to her. However as days went by, the yearning and the urge to see the girl multiplied. She couldn't wait any longer. She decided it was time to see Yumi now.
Before the Yamayurikai meeting even started, she excused herself, saying she had a very important arrangement to attend to. Her friends gave her a kind smile, truly knowing what her arrangement was, and nodded their approval. She did not waste a second of her time as she almost ran out of the Rose Mansion toward the ancient gate to her car. A grateful smile graced her lips at the sight of her chauffeur opening the car door for her in advance. But before she could reach the gate, a cheery voice made her freeze in her tracks.
"Onee-sama!"
Sachiko didn't have to turn to see who it was.
The girl walked past her and embraced her briefly. "Why are you in a hurry, Onee-sama?"
Sachiko was looking almost sternly at the girl with corkscrew pigtails. "Touko, I already told you not to address me that way. You know why it's inappropriate to call me Onee-sama at school." She sighed. "Only Yumi can call me that."
Touko fumed inwardly; jealously was now etched in every fiber of her body. "But where is she?" Her words sounded so sweet, but it tasted so bitter in her tongue. "It's been more than a week since the start of school year and I still have to meet your mysterious petite soeur."
Sachiko sighed deep down, calming herself not to snap at the girl. "She'll be here, Touko. Yumi is in a rough time. Her grandfather had recently died. You'll meet her soon enough." She forced a decent smile and continued walking until she was stopped by a firm hand on her arm.
"Are you going somewhere, Sachiko-sama?" Touko made sure to enunciate the word exaggeratedly. She did not wait for Sachiko to respond as she hastily added, "May I go with you?"
Sachiko's brow knitted together, regarding the girl skeptically. "I though Suguru—"
"He won't be here. I'll be going home alone." Touko said quickly, cutting her sentence short. "He has an important engagement he cannot postpone." She explained tersely.
There was a long pause before Sachiko spoke, "Then I guess you can go with me."
Sachiko decided there was no other way to deceive her utterly clever cousin. Touko was shrewd enough to sense her deceit. She tried to take her home—to the Matsudaira Manor—but the girl refused, emphasizing that she would rather stay at the Ogasawara Mansion with her. She couldn't just go and leave her there and hunt Yumi down afterwards. Her mother wouldn't permit her to leave once she's at home. She would be stuck with her cousin and mother having teas and boring conversations, a certainty she wouldn't allow herself get into. There were more significant things she terribly needed to do than to sit and idle around. She needed to see Yumi at once! She was so desperate that she was becoming more frustrated and ill-tempered by the second. And so, she realized she had no other choice.
"Touko," Sachiko called; her voice was frighteningly dangerous in Touko's ear. "We are going somewhere and I need you to keep this as a secret. You swear not to tell a single soul. This is just between you and me."
Touko felt the seriousness of her every word. She nodded, not sure what to respond. But the truth was, she was smirking deep inside. She had sensed something in her cousin the moment she descried her walking, or more likely, dashing toward the gate with an unusual smile on her face. She had a hunch that this had to do with Ogasawara Sachiko's lover. Now, all she needed to do was to patiently wait and know who this lucky man was. Oh, she's excited all right. She's excited to report it all to her uncle, Touro.
Sachiko was silent the entire ride. She was grateful Touko gave her the privacy she needed. The girl did not even ask her questions after she made her promise not to tell anyone about this little trip of theirs. She opened her eyes when she felt the car slowing down to a halt.
Sachiko instantly set her gaze in front after the chauffeur announced that there were a number of men blocking their way. One of them approached their car and knocked on the driver's window. The chauffeur glanced at her with uncertainty in his eyes. She nodded and told him it was fine. After eating up almost half an hour of their time interrogating them, the man-in-charge had finally let them go and granted them access further into the estate.
Touko was slowly grasping it all in silence. She was getting more intrigue of who this man might be. He seemed to be extremely wealthy. Of what she had seen so far, this man could be more powerful than the Ogasawaras. After what felt like hours, she leaned her head against the window and shut her eyes. This ride seems to be endless, she thought wearily.
"We're almost there."
Her eyes snapped open at hearing the excitement in Sachiko's voice. She straightened on her seat and considered her Onee-sama thoughtfully. She looks incredibly happy. I've never seen her like this. Touko noted Sachiko's expression attentively.
"We're here." Sachiko nearly exclaimed, smiling from ear to ear. She glanced at Touko briefly then at the magnificent palace before her. "I am going to see someone, Touko. She is very important to me."
Touko was too occupied at the glorious sight to ponder what Sachiko had said. The palace, to say the least, was remarkably beautiful and enormous. She had never seen anything like it. She was gawking at it until she felt a light touch on her cheek. Her gaze drifted to her Onee-sama, who had a warm smile on her lips. To see her smiling was definitely an unusual sight. She smiled wholeheartedly for the first time during the day, relishing Sachiko's rare affection for her.
"Let's go inside?" Sachiko said softly, still having that warm glow on her face.
Touko only nodded and followed her Onee-sama out of the car. As they were nearing the palace entrance, a middle-aged butler came out from the gigantic doors with a couple of maids hot on his heels.
They all bowed courteously at them then the butler looked at Sachiko with a tight smile. "Welcome back, Ogasawara-san. Sekamitomi-sama is waiting for you in the den." He ushered them inside to where Yumi instructed she would be.
Sekamitomi? Touko repeated in her head. Alarm took over her sane mind when realization hit her. She grabbed Sachiko forcefully by the arm, making her stop and face her. "What are we doing here?" She hissed; panic was evident in her voice. She was taught, not only once but a gazillion times, of how dangerous their enemies were.
Before Sachiko could respond, the butler cleared his throat loud enough to cut their conversation. Sachiko noticed he was already standing behind a heavy-looking double-door with his gloved hand gripping one of its ornate door handles. Her attention went back to Touko, who was clutching her arm tighter than before. "It's fine, Touko. You have to trust me." She said, looking at Touko in the eye. Touko's wary expression faded, but the confusion in her eyes was still there. She pulled her cousin gently toward the double-door, but the butler halted them.
"Only Ogasawara-san can go inside." The butler said firmly.
"I'll be back before you know it." Sachiko said with an apologetic smile. She leaned in to whisper in her ear. "I'm sorry, Touko. Please wait for me in the car."
"I'll wait for you. Please be careful, Onee-sama." Touko whispered back.
Sachiko pulled away from Touko's grasp and begrudgingly stepped forward. The butler opened the humongous doors and gestured Sachiko to enter. Sachiko took a deep breath and went inside the room.
Touko took the chance to take a peek inside before the butler would close the doors. Before her mind could process what was happening, her heart hammered so strong that all she could hear was her own erratic heartbeat. A familiar jolt of nervousness and excitement ran over her body as everything around her vanished. The only thing clear to her senses was the beautiful person sitting on a dark chair with a sad smile on her graceful face. The person seemed to perceive her presence for, at that very moment, two rich hazel eyes locked her gaze. Her world stopped. Her breath caught in her throat. The uncomfortable sensation in her stomach was getting out of control. She wasn't sure how long they held each other's eyes nor why she was feeling that way. She was noticeably out of herself as the butler had to squeeze her shoulder to snatch her out of her daze.
"Are you alright, Miss?" The butler asked without baring any sign of emotion.
Touko managed to respond with a curt nod. She glanced over his shoulder to see that the doors were already been closed.
The butler cleared his throat, once again, in an irritated manner. "Please follow me. I'll guide you to your car."
Sachiko bit her lip unconsciously at the sight of her precious fiancée. Her heart broke. She missed her so much, only if she could put it in words and tell Yumi how she felt. "Oh, Yumi." Her words came out in a shaky whisper.
Yumi stood thereupon and gave her a tight, fervent embrace. "I'm sorry it took me so long." She pulled away slightly when she felt tears wetting her shoulder. She kissed her tears away with such ardency that it made Sachiko smile. "I missed you so much." She whispered lovingly against the corner of her lips and lingered there for a fleeting moment.
Sachiko ran her fingers through Yumi's hair and smelt a whiff of sweet fragrance of her shampoo. "Your hair. You're wearing it down."
Yumi chuckled. "You noticed. I'm impressed. For that, you get a prize." She teasingly pecked Sachiko on the cheek. "There."
Sachiko giggled. "You owe me more than that, Yumi."
Yumi's smile widened. "Then I'll give you everything I have." She connected their lips and started with a slow rhythm until a euphonic moan reached her ears. She smoothly grabbed Sachiko's face and deepened the kiss. The two conveyed in the kiss what they couldn't express in words. They both felt the longing, the love, the desire, the ache, and everything in between. They reluctantly broke off for the need of air. Panting heavily, they rested their brows against each other with a satisfied smile on their face.
The couple had settled on the chaise longue after another three rounds of canoodling. Sachiko was burying her face in the crook of Yumi's neck, ravishing the moment she was in the brunette's protective yet loving arms. Her lips stretched into a wide smile when she felt Yumi's cool lips on her chin. Again, Yumi planted kisses almost everywhere so long as she had access to it. Sachiko had never felt so content, happy, and complete. She prayed these feelings would never end, that she would be in Yumi's arms forever.
"Who was that girl with you earlier?" Yumi said out of the blue. "She looks so familiar." She was more talking to herself than to Sachiko.
Sachiko detached herself from the embrace, which made Yumi frown at her. She was unconsciously pressing her lips with a guilty look on her face. Oh my, how could she forget about Touko.
"Are you okay, my love?" Yumi asked her, concern laced in her tone.
Sachiko nodded her head. "Yes, I'm fine." She checked her watch then looked at Yumi again. "But I don't think the girl with me is. She is already waiting for me for over an hour; Touko must be worried sick." She got to her feet and Yumi followed suit. "I got to go Yumi."
"But why? You can invite her in. You don't have to leave just yet. Let's have dinner together." Yumi pleaded.
Sachiko sighed. "If I won't go back to her now, she'll alert the whole family that I might be in danger. And I don't want that to happen."
Yumi's brow furrowed in a deep thought. "And why would you be in danger? You're here with me."
"That's the point." Sachiko replied right away. "She knows that this is a Sekamitomi estate. She knows I am seeing a Sekamitomi." explained Sachiko succinctly. "I don't want the family to know where I am and who I am seeing with. No, not just yet." She added the latter in an undertone. "I'm with Suguru-san and that's what I want them all to believe."
Yumi didn't know what to say. She just smiled, masking the pain in her eyes. "I understand. Then you should hurry. Nightfall is fast approaching."
Without saying another word, Sachiko gave Yumi a chaste kiss on the lips and went out the room by herself. Yumi slumped and sprawled on the chaise longue with her arm over her forehead. How long would she wait for Sachiko to realize and change? She closed her eyes tight, trying to push the painful thoughts away. After a short while, she exhaled loudly then said, "Megumi, I know you're there. Are you planning to hide there forever?"
Megumi smirked and showed herself from behind the huge, antiquated bookshelves. She walked over to the chaise longue and halted a respectable feet away. She bowed down, waiting for her Ojou-sama to speak up.
Yumi knew Megumi was already in front of her despite not hearing a single footfall from the core guard. Without opening her eyes, she spoke nonchalantly, "Why are you doing this?"
Megumi straightened on her spot, taken aback by the sudden confrontation. "Ojou-sama, what do you—"
"You know what I mean." Her voice was calm yet it still made her flesh shudder. Yumi finally opened her eyes. Megumi's heart skipped a beat. "I may not know what you're up to, but I could sense your hatred from where you were hiding." She sat effortlessly and looked at her intently in the eye. "I warn you, all of you, not to touch the woman I love. If anything happens to her, even as little as scratch, you will all going to pay for it. I'll make sure to crush your souls to oblivion . . . even if I consider you as my friend."
Megumi bit her tongue real hard until she felt a twinge of pain inside her mouth. She swallowed the blood in one gulp before saying, "Your message is clearly understood, Ojou-sama."
When Sachiko got into the car, Touko was trapped in a daydream to notice her. Sachiko called the brunette a couple of times before she was snapped out of it. "Touko, is there something wrong?"
Touko stared at her blankly. "Huh? Are you saying something, Onee-sama?"
Sachiko's brows raised worriedly. "Are you okay, Touko?"
Touko faked a smile. "Yes, of course, Onee-sama. Why do you ask? Oh, by the way, how's meeting with your friend?" She tried to change the subject directly to her. In truth, Touko didn't care if Sachiko had truly met with her lover or someone else nor did she want to know the reason why she was at the Sekamitomi estate. That didn't matter to her at the moment. What bothered her greatly now was the person inside that room. She wanted to know who that girl was and why she was feeling all weird at seeing her. Who is she? She questioned herself again, not be able to get her off her mind. "Why does she look so familiar?" She heedlessly voiced her thoughts out loud.
"Who looks familiar?" Sachiko questioned her after instructing the chauffeur to drive to the Matsudaira Manor first.
Touko shook her head. "Nobody. I thought I saw someone I know." Her smile reached to her ears as she thought of something. "You still haven't answered my question, Onee-sama. How was your friend? Did you have a great time together?"
Sachiko blinked twice. "Ah, yes, we did." She soon averted her gaze, looking out the window.
Touko found her change of demeanor interesting. "Onee-sama, if you don't mind me asking . . ." She started, feigning hesitation. "Is your friend a Sekamitomi?"
She took a moment to carefully ponder her predicament. Would she tell Touko about Yumi, her petite soeur, being a Sekamitomi? Would she even tell her that she was seeing Yumi or would she lie, telling her that she was meeting someone else and that someone else was a Sekamitomi? So many things to consider, but there seemed to be a few options left for her. She looked at Touko with a tender smile and nodded. "Yes, she is a Sekamitomi. But she is not as awful as everybody thinks. She is the kindest person I have ever met."
She. "She's a girl?" Touko blurted. She hurriedly bit her lip, but hadn't had the chance to regret her action as her mind stopped at hearing the carefree laughter of her Onee-sama. Sachiko-Onee-sama is laughing? She thought incredulously.
"Touko, did you think I was seeing a man, perhaps my secret lover?" Sachiko said after her laughter had died down.
Touko blushed at being caught. "I thought—well, because you looked so excited at seeing this person so I thought you were seeing a rather special friend." She lowered her gaze to her hands. "I know about you and Suguru-kun, about the engagement. He told me."
Sachiko lifted her chin up to meet her gaze. "She is special." She said, smiling at her reassuringly. "Actually, Suguru-san knows her, too. I'm sure you two will get along with each other. You will like her, Touko. I'm so sure of it."
Touko mirrored her Onee-sama's smile, but at the back of her mind, she doubted it.
Monday came and, as usual, the Rosa Chinensis arrived very early in the morning. With eyes closed, she enjoyed the air of spring while walking down the long Lillian ground toward the marvelous statue that she adored greatly. She took her time praying for better days ahead. She ended her prayer with a bow and a sweet smile on her face. When she was about to turn left, two slender arms encircled her waist.
"Gokigenyou, Sachiko-sama!"
Sachiko turned around to look at girl behind her. "Gokigenyou, Touko." She greeted her with a smile.
"How was your weekend, Sachiko-Onee-sama?" Touko asked her cheerily.
Sachiko frowned. "Touko, what did I say about calling me that at school?" She chided gently.
"But we're the only ones here." Touko reasoned with a pout.
"You still have to address me properly if we are in school premises." Sachiko lectured. "That's Sachiko-sama for you or please call me Rosa Chinensis."
"But Onee-sama," Touko whined childishly. "I don't think your petite soeur will be coming back."
They heard a chuckle. "I beg to differ."
The two cousins immediately turned their heads to the familiar voice. A pair of blue and brown eyes went wide. Both of them were speechless. The other was from too much joy while the other was from sheer astonishment.
"Yumi!"
(to be continued. . . )
I'm sorry if I didn't put too much detail on the graduation. In the anime, I remembered crying my heart out. It pained me a lot so I deliberately skipped the part where your heart would shatter into pieces. In my story, the Roses will be back. That's for sure. They're family after all. Families stick together FOREVER. ;)
This one's short but the next chapter will be long.
And yey Touko's here and so the other characters! Another drama is bound to happen again. Please review. I want to know what you guys think. Till next time! :D