A WARM HEART
Disclaimer: I don't own any Maid-sama!
CHAPTER 26
She was returning to the States with him and they were going to stay there for a month.
Misaki felt happy to return to the States, but her heart weight at the thought that she was only returning there because he commanded her to.
They were going to New York.
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Takumi had rented a large beautiful house overlooking the ocean for them to stay in. His comment was that he prefered to stay in a romantic place if he had a beautiful companion with him.
Even her heart was moved at his performances. He seem to make everything so perfect and beautiful, that she was flattered at his wealth.
On the first day in New York, Takumi had left to attend a meeting, leaving her alone in the big house. But he had promised to return in the evening to take her out for a candlelight dinner.
So Misaki stayed alone, waiting for him with all her heart. She sat out on the back porch, looking at the ocean waves and the many lovers out there walking. She knew she wished Takumi and her would shared the same relationship as those lovers out there on the beach. And that they would share the same intimated feelings for each other.
But only desire and possession were the two things she received from him. She wondered then what would happen to her life now that she had given everything to him? Including her heart.
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The restaurant glittered with candles and romance was in the air as Takumi led a beautifully dressed Misaki to a seat, following after a waiter in a formal suit.
When they sat down, he looked at her with a charming smile.
"Do you know how beautiful you look tonight?" He smiled tenderly. "Even the people here are looking at you."
Misaki blushed and looked away, just as the waiter came with their menu.
Takumi didn't take his eyes off her as she looked at the menu to avoid his eyes.
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A black limousine stopped at a beautiful lighted place that overlooked the river.
Takumi got out with Misaki, hugging her with his arms. Misaki looked in awe at the beauty of the place. It was decorated with flowers and the benches were covered with lovers that sat and held each other.
"This is so lovely," she breathe out, walking ahead of him to the rails and looked down to the river where a large, lighted boat stood filled with people.
"Do you like it?" He asked from behind.
She turned to look at him in complete happiness.
"I wish this was real," she began, as he came to hold her in his arms.
He kissed her hair.
"I want to take you to so many places, Misaki, that you would like," he said tenderly. "I want to see you smile like this all the time."
She hugged him back in return. Her heart was so complete.
"Just let me be with you, Takumi. Then I am happy," she whispered into the air as they held each other warmly, gazing out into the moonlight river.
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Misaki happily decorated the house with the flowers she bought at a market place outside. She wanted to make this house a warm one for them. She wanted to live here happily with him for that one month that they had together.
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Takumi stood and spoke with a young American businessman. There were many people gathering in the building, speaking about their business deals as well as their business plans.
A man came over to the young American businessman and greeted him. He was Asian and is in his middle-ages.
"Mr. Morrison, so good to see you here," he spoke in fluent English.
Mr. Morrison introduced the man to Takumi as Mr. Edward Sarine. Takumi gladly shook hands with him, glad to find another one of his country here.
"So you are Japanese too?" Mr. Sarine asked him.
"Yes. Your name seemed strange," Takumi remarked.
Mr. Sarine laughed.
"Yes, as you can see; it is not a Japanese name," he began. "I changed it thirty years ago, as I thought it would be easier to remember by my peers. I lived here."
Takumi nodded his head in acknowledgement.
"What is your name? I didn't catch it," Mr. Sarine asked again.
"Takumi Walker."
Mr. Sarine looked shock.
"Walker, you say?"
Takumi nodded his head, a little confused at Mr. Sarine action.
Mr. Sarine seemed to look surprise.
"Your father cannot be Yuu Walker, can he?"
"Yuu Walker is my father," Takumi said, looking at Mr. Sarine closely. "Do you know my father, Mr. Sarine?
Mr. Sarine frowned and looked away.
"I knew your father a long time ago when I was young. I remember seeing him again five years ago, but then I almost didn't recognize him," he stated.
Takumi was silent.
"Your father seemed like a changed man. He didn't seem like the one I used to know thirty years ago," Mr. Sarine began, then he looked toward Takumi. "Tell me, how is he?"
Takumi looked uneasy.
"My father...unfortunately have passed away."
Mr. Sarine looked in mute shocked.
"Your father, I remembered was only two years older than I am. Tell me, how he had died?"
"It was in a car accident."
Mr. Sarine seemed to sigh sadly.
"I am so sad to hear this news. How long has it been?"
"About four years ago," Takumi answered then looked at Mr. Sarine carefully, "Tell me, how do you know my father?"
Mr. Sarine sighed as if his energy had been drained and finally spoke, "Your father used to go to the same college as me and my brother back then. We had many dreams and ambitions. And we could have been friends but our ambitions broke us up."
Takumi listened carefully.
"Hearing about your father's death made me regret all the things I could have done better in my life. I regretted now that I chose to separate from those I could have spent my life enjoying with. I wished I had asked for your father's friendship five years ago when I had met him."
His speech was losing Takumi.
"Even now, I wondered how my brother is doing?" He suddenly questioned himself. "I haven't seen him for over thirty years."
Takumi suddenly looked suspicious at him.
"Who is your brother, Mr. Sarine?"
Mr. Sarine looked at Takumi sadly and replied, "Mr. Sakuya Ayuzawa."
There was mute horror on Takumi's face.
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Misaki lighted the candles on the table and watched how the fire danced on top of the waxed stick. The table was set with food and she was dress in a lovely dress. She wanted to impress him when he came back.
It was not until after a while when the door opened and Takumi came in. But to Misaki surprised, he looked tired and almost depressed.
"How is your day?" She asked as she came over to him and helped him took off his suit jacket.
He viewed her strangely. He didn't even notice what she had done to the place or that she had put on a lovely dress just to impressed him. He silently looked at her long and hard.
"What is wrong?" She asked after a moment, feeling uncomfortable with his silent treatment.
He seemed to catch on what he was doing and turned away.
"It's nothing."
She smiled and turned to put his jacket away. He looked back at her then with the same expression.
When she turned back to him, he gave her a smile and went to hold her around the waist.
"How was your day, Misaki?"
She smiled deeply at his caring words and turned to the table filled with food and lighted candles.
"I made you some food. Would you like some?"
He looked amazed at it and at her. He kissed her then.
"Do you know how much I missed you?" He asked, placing his chin on top of her head.
She backed away to look at him.
"When are your meetings over?"
"One more week then I will be able to take you away to other places," he replied.
She nodded her head and allowed him to take her hand as he led her to the table.
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After finishing dinner, Takumi laid on a beach chair holding onto Misaki, who laid beside him. They looked at the stars and listened to the ocean waves.
He held her closely as if afraid to lose her. The thoughts were deep on his mind that he didn't notice the look on Misaki's face as she placed her head on his chest.
"I want to spend my nights like this, Takumi, in your arms and gazing into the night sky," Misaki spoke softly.
He looked down and finally recognized her clinging to him.
He kissed her head.
"Misaki," he began strangely. "Do you know if your father have any other siblings?"
Misaki looked up to his face strangely.
"My father never spoke about any. I don't think there are."
Takumi breathed out uncomfortably.
"Would you be happy then if you found out that your father had a brother or a sister somewhere out there in this world?" He questioned her strangely.
She smiled, not understanding his message.
"I would be very happy."
He breathed again, hard. "Would that be all?"
Misaki thought about it carefully. Her facial expression turning dim and serious.
"If I had a relative out there, I would go and live with them...and be a part of their lives," she began.
His eyes darkened.
"You would leave everything I give you for them?" Takumi asked, unhappily.
Misaki raised up and looked at him.
"If I had relatives out there, I wouldn't be here," she remarked.
He rosed up and looked at her.
"And what if they didn't want you?" He voiced out, a bit unhappy.
Misaki looked away, a bit hurt.
"I would still go to them and claimed them as my relatives," she spoke silently.
He looked very unhappy.
"Will you be a burden to them then and leave everything I offered you just to claim them as your relatives?" He asked, a bit agitated.
Misaki looked at him hurtfully.
"How can you say that? You have a home and relatives to answer to. But I had never had any," she slowly began. "I would only be glad to find them and claims them as family. It would be the world to me to have some relatives who are closed to me that I can go to sometimes."
He looked at her frustratingly.
"Relatives are not everything in this world, if they don't want you," he remarked coldly.
She stared at him hurtfully.
"And giving me everything is not everything if I don't have my freedom and self-respect," she whispered.
He looked at her unhappily.
She slowly gave him a half-smile.
"You forget that I am able to take care of myself, Takumi, even if my relatives don't want me; and if you didn't keep me here."
His lips thinned out angrily as she turned away toward the ocean.
"If I had an uncle or an aunt, even if they didn't care for me, I know I would be happy and relieved. And I know, that through them, I would get some respectability."
He didn't understand her message.
"You would be in a worse home if they didn't want you," he said, coming to embraced her possessively.
Pain was written all over her face as she felt his arms tighten possessively around her waist.
"Do you know that it may be your luck to not have any relatives, Misaki. There are families who treated their orphan nieces or nephews as their servants, or worst sell them for money."
She looked pained.
"In fact, you are lucky that I gave you a home, food and servants to filled your needs."
He caressed her hair with his lips.
"I am your only salvation, Misaki. I am giving you the whole world. All I ask is that you stay with me."
She closed her eyes deeply in pain.
"And when you no longer want me? What then?" She asked, too painful to know the answer.
"That would be impossible," he remarked. "I would always want you."
He kissed her cheek as the night grew warmer. She wished with all her heart that there was an aunt or uncle out there who she didn't know about, for then perhaps she would be able to win a little respect from him with some family to help back her and give her respectability.
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Takumi looked out of the large glass window from a business building. He looked grim and unhappy.
Mr. Ayuzawa had a younger brother. Even he didn't know. That meant that Misaki had an uncle she didn't know about. A rich uncle who would gladly took her in as his ward and gave her every rights to leave him.
He couldn't let that happen. He couldn't let her leave him now that he had had her. He had been so alone and hopeless. And now, he had felt alive again thanks to her.
Now, he wanted to go home and see her every living hours of his life. He wanted to go home and see her's smile and those looks she gave him with those tender eyes of hers.
He couldn't let her go to her uncle and live like a queen. Which perhaps, she would looked down on him and take other suitors; those whom he had fought off from her because she had had no name, no family, and no prospect to fight to keep them because she thought she owed him.
And now, she had a rich uncle who could pay him the debts and demanded him to leave her alone. He won't let that happen. He couldn't let her see him so unimportant to her that she would chose other suitors over him. He would be alone again then.
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Mr. Sarine looked out of the window of his car and looked at the address on the sheet of paper in his hand. He motioned for his chauffeur to pulled in on the driveway.
He got out and walked up to the front in a business suit. He looked at the address again in his hand and nodded his head. He got up to the front door and rang the bell.
Just at that moment, another car pulled up to the driveway. Takumi got out quickly. He looked anxious as he came up to Mr. Sarine.
"Hello, Mr. Sarine, how nice to see you." He greeted, quickly glancing to the front door.
"Takumi," Mr. Sarine greeted back, shaking his hand joyfully. "I wanted to visit you and ask you something. I thought you would be home by now."
Takumi smiled uneasily.
"What can I do for you?"
Mr. Sarine looked at him strangely, "Won't you invite me in?"
Takumi looked nervously at the door but then quickly nodded his head in respect and apologies.
"Please," he nodded, motioning Mr. Sarine to the door.
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Takumi motioned Mr. Sarine to sit down in the living room as his eyes wandered around the house, looking for Misaki.
He excused himself and walked into the back rooms. Just when he came back into the living room, Misaki came down from the stairs, dressed in a soft-color flowy pant and had on a comfortable shirt.
She smiled as she saw him and Mr. Sarine. Mr. Sarine saw her and smiled. Takumi quickly took her by the waist as they walked toward Mr. Sarine.
"Mr. Sarine, I would like to introduce my fiancee, Misaki Walker," Takumi quickly introduced, holding tightly onto her.
She looked startled at him but he only smiled at her. So she returned the smile and looked at Mr. Sarine.
Mr. Sarine stood up and extended his hand out to her. There was a look of surprised on his face as he finally took a good look at her.
Takumi hesitated, for even Misaki looked a bit surprise at seeing Mr. Sarine, her unknown uncle.
"You look a bit familiar, Misaki," Mr. Sarine began.
Takumi quickly interrupted.
"How is dinner, darling?" He asked her.
She smiled, still in a dazed and replied, "I was just getting to it. Let me bring you two some water before I prepare dinner."
"No. No. No," Takumi answered quickly. "I will go and get the water, while you prepare dinner."
He then excused them both from Mr. Sarine and brought Misaki away as quickly as he could.
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"I would like to know," Mr. Sarine began as he sat calmly looking at Takumi in the opposite seat. "If you know how my brother is? And where he is at the moment?"
Takumi cleared his throat, looking uncomfortably.
He slowly began, "Mr. Sarine, I am baffled that you were not informed about your own brother's welfare."
Mr. Sarine looked guilty.
"It is a long story, my boy. My brother and I had sworn never to see each other again anymore," he explained, looking sad.
"Why is that?" Takumi asked in curiosity, wanting to know the story.
Mr. Sarine sighed.
"Though we were brothers, there were many things we competed over, like every normal siblings. And then there comes a point when the competition we were in was so important that one winning would meant the other one swearing never to be brothers again."
Mr. Sarine looked regretful.
"We were young then and short-tempered. I guess I never thought that I would come to a day when I needed a brother again."
Takumi looked uneasy.
"What did you compete over, Mr. Sarine?"
Mr. Sarine looked at him sadly.
"Fortune...fame...a woman," he named. "Your father and we competed in the same field. But we all lost in the end, for neither of us became friends again."
Takumi looked thoughtful.
"Who was this woman that you, Mr. Ayuzawa, and my father were fighting over?" Takumi asked.
Mr. Sarine looked deeply in thought.
"It was so long ago, I can't even remember why we loved her so."
Mr. Sarine sighed deeply as if remembering the long past.
"She was new to the college and every guys were trying to get her to go out with them. Your father, my brother, and I wanted to see who she was and why she was so popular," he replied and then smiled as if remembering something, "We ditched class one day just to catch her in her class. Your father was there first. He was the first one to see her, for he took the seat next to her."
Mr. Sarine chuckled lightly and continued.
"I remember we all looked bedazzled for she was so lovely."
Takumi smiled almost to himself, thinking of Misaki.
"She looked at your father and smiled the sweetest smile that we all fell in love with her."
Takumi thought carefully and voiced out.
"But she fell in love with your brother, was that not correct?" He asked.
Mr. Sarine sighed again, almost regretfully.
"The truth was she was not in love with me or my brother. Deep down in my heart, I knew she liked and was in love with your father, Yuu Walker."
Takumi looked in shock.
"Then why-? Why did she marry your brother?"
Mr. Sarine shooked his head.
"Only your father and my brother know," Mr. Sarine answered. "For when I found out I had lost her to them, I came here to continued on with my career. My relationship with them was already tense then, and it worsened when I found out that I had only inherited a forth of my parent's wealth and that my brother had inherited it all."
"I swore that I would never see him again and will make the best that I could with my life. I hated him then for getting everything. I had hated him so much that we even had a physical fight over what I knew was unfair and the fact that I was the loser of everything."
He shook his head shamefully.
"How selfish I had been back then. For, who knew that one could be so alone with all these wealth if they had no one to share it with."
He looked desperately to Takumi.
"Tell me if you know where my brother is now?"
Takumi took a deep breath, not knowing how he was going to approach the question.
"Your brother, Mr. Sarine," he slowly began, slowly choosing his words, "passed away two years ago."
Mr. Sarine looked at him in disbelief. His face paled as he saw the seriousness on Takumi's face.
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Misaki happily set out the table and was about to go back into the kitchen to get the plates when Takumi came and wrapped his arms around her. He kissed her.
"Where is your guest?" She asked him.
"He left," he replied as if in no concern.
Misaki looked confuse.
"But he just came."
Takumi nodded and kissed her again.
"He said he had something important to do, love. He said he'll join us next time."
Misaki sighed and looked disturbed.
"He looked so familiar to me, Takumi," she began. She didn't see the look on his face and continued.
"I know if I looked deep into my past, I would know his face," she said, thinking deeply.
He quickly kissed her lips.
"He's probably someone you don't know, Misaki. After all, he did say that he has been in America for thirty years now, so you probably wouldn't know him."
Misaki nodded her head unsurely and looked at him with a happy smile.