(This fiction is based on the characters and settings created by Oyuki Konno)
Re-Humanizing Sachiko -Chapter 28
"It's not too late," Sister Misame told the younger girl. "We can call the police. They can grab Touko-chan, as soon as she's out of the car. We have the evidence of the pictures. Let the police handle it."
"What you suggest will get Touko back, without me being in danger. Just what do we have that proves Sayako's involvement," Yumi argued. "We have pictures sent from a phone that's probably not registered to her. All the police will have is hearsay. Any lawyer would be able to get her off in no time. Plus, she also has Sachiko to use against me. This has to end."
The older Sister put her hand on the brunette's shoulder. "But she'll torture you, possibly kill you," she said worriedly.
"I'm hoping it won't come to that," Yumi told the older nun. "The only thing we have in our favor is those papers in the briefcase. If there is a key, it has to be in the jewelry box I gave to Sachiko. Get it and get those papers. Sachiko's father will know what to do with them."
"There's a flaw in your plan," Sister Misame noted. "We need you, in order to open the case. Remember?"
"I'm sure you'll figure out something," the brunette said, as she walked out the front door. She plodded down the path to the gate, and waited for Touko to arrive. Yumi was terrified about what would happen to her. Her survival instinct was telling her to run, but her mind overrode it. 'I'm the only one who can put an end to this, and save my loved ones. It doesn't matter if I die, as long as I can keep the others safe.'
The brunette waited just a couple minutes inside the gate, when she saw a dark sedan pull up. The driver got out, and opened the rear door. He reached in and helped a hooded young girl out of the car. The driver took off the hood and released Touko. Yumi rushed through the gate, catching her friend just before she fell over. "It's alright Touko-chan," Yumi whispered as she held the girl up, waiting for Touko to get her legs back under her.
Touko pushed against Yumi, forcing the older girl to let go. She stood alone, swaying, the younger girl looked at Yumi and said, "I'm sorry, Yumi." She collapsed to the ground. When the brunette tried to rush over to the fallen girl, the driver grabbed her, placed the hood over her head, and forced Yumi into the back seat of the car. Once inside another man grabbed her wrists, put a loop around them and pulled them tight them together. She heard the car door slam and soon they were on their way.
As the car drove off Sisters Misame and Makoto ran to the girl laying on the sidewalk. They picked the younger girl up, and held her between them, as they went through the gate, and down the pathway to the house. Once inside they brought her to a couch, lay her down, and started treating her injuries.
XxX
Sachiko blushed when she saw her tattoo in the mirror, after her shower. 'I can't believe I did that,' she thought, then smiled. 'It does look rather pretty.' This was the first time she actually had the opportunity to study it. She didn't pay much attention to it as she washed it gently in the shower. She patted herself dry and put on the clothes Mio left her. She blushed even more when she saw herself in the low cut, scoop necked t-shirt. Yumi's name was clearly visible, over her left breast.
The heiress left the bathroom, and walked toward the low table where Sei and Mio were laughing over something the redhead must have said. She settled herself down and leaned over to pick up the teapot, to pour another cup for herself.
"What the hell is that, Sachiko," Sei exclaimed. "Did you get inked?"
Sachiko blushed, and Mio giggled, as the black haired beauty covered up her left breast. "Don't be embarrassed, Sachiko," Mio said pulling the girl's hand away, giving Sei a glimpse of the tattoo. "I think it's pretty. Much better than the heart I wanted you to get. You have good taste."
"Thank you," the heiress said, turning more red.
Sei shook her head. "I swear I have to bottle whatever Yumi has. I mean to turn the straight arrow ice princess, into a warm hearted, rebel. It has to be worth millions."
"I wasn't that bad, Sei," Sachiko argued, laughing.
"But seriously, Sachiko. The tattoo suits you," Sei said with a genuine smile.
Sachiko returned the smile, "Thanks." Sachiko sat and sipped her tea. Mio and Sei were having a lively conversation, but the heiress didn't hear a word of it. She was too busy thinking about a brown haired pixie. Aside from the information that Sei was tutoring Yumi, the sandy headed girl didn't say anymore about it. 'Why would Yumi need a tutor,' she wondered. 'And why is Sei keeping her whereabouts secret. Doesn't she trust me?' The more she thought about the situation, the more frustrated she became, until she burst out, interrupting the conversation in front of her. "Alright already," she said in annoyance. "When are we going to see Yumi?"
"A little impatient, are we Sachiko," Sei said, causing the redhead at tnetqble to giggle. "I was quite surprised you lasted this long. I wasn't supposed to meet her until three, but I think we can go now."
"Why. You," Sachiko sputtered, giving her friend a death glare.
The sandy haired woman stood up, followed closely by Sachiko. Sei turned to Mio and said, "Are you coming?"
"No," Mio replied, giggling. "I don't think I'm the one Yumi really wants to see. And Sachiko, don't forget the spare key on the counter. I have to work tonight,and I wouldn't want you stranded."
Sachiko grabbed the key on the counter, then turned to the redhead. "Thanks for taking me in," she said, before following Sei out the door.
The two woman got into Sei's Yellow Beetle, and headed off. About a half hour later the sandy haired woman, pulled into a parking spot by a small chapel. Sachiko got out of the car and looked around, while Sei opened her trunk and took out a bag of books, and headed to a wrought iron gate on the side of the church.
The heiress followed the older girl down the path, through the well tended grove. Sachiko was amazed s she approached the Victorian house. She didn't expect to see something so elegant tucked behind the Gothic looking chapel. She climbed the four steps and stood next to her friend waiting by the door. When Sachiko arrived, Sei rand the doorbell. A middle aged nun answered the door, "Sei-chan," she said. "Come in, and your friend also."
"Thank you, Sister Makoto," the girl replied as she crossed the threshold.
"Pardon the intrusion," the heiress said bowing. As she walked in, she saw two nuns bending over a girl laid out on the couch. Fearing the worst, Sachiko rushed over. As she got nearer, a wave of relief washed over her, when she realized, the girl on the couch wasn't Yumi, though when she got there and realized it was her cousin, Touko, the heiress felt guilt over her relief.
Touko was laying there naked from the top down, as Sisters Misame and Izuma were bandaging her wrists and ankles. The fingers and thumb of her left hand were bandaged individually. Bruises were starting to appear on the girl's arms and torso. "What happened," Sachiko said with concern.
Just as Sister Misame turned to answer, Touko opened her eyes and shouted. "No Yumi! Don't go. I'm not worth it. She'll kill you!" She tried to get up, fighting Sister Izuma, who was trying to settle the girl down.
Sachiko knelt by the couch, grabbed Touko's face with both hands, and gazed into the younger girls eyes. "Shh, Touko-chan," she said soothingly. "It's me Sachiko. You're safe now. It's all right."
"Sachiko, is it really you," the wounded girl asked in disbelief. At the older girl's nod, she sat up and wrapped her arms around Sachiko, and cried. "I'm sorry, Sachiko. I couldn't protect her. It's all my fault. Whatever happens to Yumi, it's my fault." She wept some more.
"What's this about Yumi," the heiress asked, worried. "And why would it be your fault?"
"S-Sayako held me captive, and t-tortured me," the younger girl haltingly answered between sobs. "It was horrible. She b-beat me, and she r-r-ripped out my fingernails, then hung me b-by my arms. She w-wanted to know where Yumi was."
"Shhhh, Touko-chan," Sachiko said, calming the younger girl. "It's alright."
"But it's not," Touko argued. "Yumi traded herself for me."
"Get some rest. It'll be alright," the older girl said, leaving the younger in Sister Izuma's care.
'It's far from alright,' the heiress fumed. 'Mother has Yumi. God only knows what she'll do.' She paced the floor, like a lioness, trying to think of a way out of this. Sei tried to put an arm around her, but she shrugged it off. When she turned around, she almost bumped into Sister Misame.
The older nun grabbed Sachiko's arm, when the black haired girl, moved to pass. "Come with me," she ordered, in a voice that had over forty years experience dealing with young girls. She guided the younger girl to her office. Once they were behind closed doors, she turned to Sachiko. "Your attitude is not helping any. Sachiko, is it?" When the young girl nodded she went on. "We all love Yumi, and want her back safe. But prowling around like a mama bear who lost her cub, is not going to get her back. Yumi had a plan, but it will do us no good, if we're all wrapped up in our own heads."
Sachiko stared at the old nun, with her arms crossed in front of her. "Well tell me Yumi's plan," she asked, coldly.
"If you'd calm down, I'd tell you. Now sit," Sister Misame ordered. The younger girl sat down petulantly, and pouted. After a stern glare from the older nun, Sachiko took a deep breath, and relaxed her shoulders.
Once the heiress was calm enough to listen, Sister Misame told Sachiko about the lawyer that came by earlier, the legacy left behind, and the requirements for the case to be opened. She also spoke of the missing key that may be in the jewelry box. When she heard this, Sachiko perked up. "You remember something, Sachiko?"
"No but when I ran away," the younger girl explained. "I didn't want to leave Yumi's belongings behind. I couldn't take the jewelry box, but I dumped the contents in my purse. I left it by the sofa. Let's see if I have it." She got up and rushed out of the office, Misame following behind her. Once out of the office, she ran over to the couch, picked up her purse, and upended it, emptying it out.
Sachiko quickly sifted through the items she just dumped out. If it wasn't a key, it went back in her hand bag. After a minute or so of searching, she came up with a small key, about one inch long. "I found a key," she said, as she put the rest of the stuff back in her purse.
"That's wonderful news, Sachiko," Sister Misame said. "But we can't use it. The requirements state that Yumi, or another member of her family, who have the proper key, is entitled to the contents of the case. So we have to get Yumi back to gain possession of the papers." The heiress frowned at the news.
Touko, who had become more alert during the older girl's search, listened to the conversation between Sachiko and the Sister. "There is someone else," she stated. "Me." Everyone in the room looked at Touko for an explanation. "The Matsudairas are not my real parents. While she held me captive, Sayako told me that I was born the night Fukuzawa Miki died from injuries sustained in the car crash. I'm Yumi's sister."
"Do you have any proof of that," Sister Misame asked. "I don't think the lawyer will just take our word for it."
"If you would pass me the phone," Touko said. "I'll call my grandfather in order to settle the issue."
The younger girl dialed the phone and got a hold of her grandfather. "Touko-chan,' the man answered happily. "How are you? I haven't talked to you in a while. Is everything alright?"
"I want to talk about my parents, grandfather," she stated.
"Are they OK? Is your mother sick again?"
"They're fine," Touko replied, easing the old man's mind. "I wanted to ask you about my biological ones."
Touko-chan," the man on the phone said. "I told you that I'd tell you about them when you're eighteen. You'll just have to wait."
"It can't wait," the younger girl argued. "I need to know if Fukuzawa Miki is my real mother. It's important."
"Fukuzawa. Where did you hear that name," the old doctor asked, annoyed.
"Aunt Sayako told me when she ..." Touko replied, turning red from shame over what the older woman did to her. She couldn't finish the sentence. Sachiko, seeing that the younger girl was having a hard time, grabbed the phone.
"Ojisama, this is Sachiko," she said flatly. "Is what my mother said true?"
"This is none of your business, Sachiko," the older man chided.
"It is, when your granddaughter gets tortured, and my girlfriend offers herself for trade," the heiress argued to the man on the phone, her eyes blazing with icy fire. "And this information can be used to secure her release. So tell me, is Touko the daughter of Fukuzawa?"
"Tortured," the old man said, shocked. "Is she OK? Who is responsible?"
"Her injuries are being treated," Sachiko replied. "And as to your other question, my mother, Sayako is responsible. And right now, my Yumi is suffering the same treatment, if not worse. So answer the question, old man. Another girl's life depends on it."
The old man didn't have much of a choice. He took an oath to do no harm. "Yes," he answered. "Touko is the Fukazawa daughter."
Sachiko followed it up with the most important question, "Do you have documentation that verifies that fact? We are going to need it."
"I have the original birth certificate in my files," he replied. "I'll bring it when I come to check over Touko. Where are you now? The estate?"
"No, Ojisama. We are at St. Margaret's orphanage. Here is Sister Misame. She'll direct you." Sachiko handed the phone over to the older nun, then went over to comfort her cousin.
"He said he'd be here in a little over an hour," the Sister said returning a minute later. "I'll give that lawyer a call and have him come over also."
"Thank you Sister," Sachiko said.
'Just hang on, Yumi. Help is coming.'
XxX
Yumi breathed in the hot humid air, accumulating under the hood. It had been about fifteen minutes since she was hooded and dragged into the car. Her fingers were starting to tingle from the zip tie pulled tightly around her wrists, and her heart was racing from fear. 'I hope Touko-chan is alright,' she thought. She started humming 'Simple Gifts' in order to calm her and get her mind off the situation.
About ten minutes and a number of turns later, the brunette felt the car come to a stop, and heard the driver get out. The next thing she heard was the back door open and she was roughly pulled out of the vehicle, and dragged like a rag doll by her bound hands.
She couldn't see a thing, and the quick movement disoriented her. Her foot stumbled on a step, caught in her robes, and she fell flat on her face. Two sets of arms, helped her up and guided her down what she thought was a hallway. She heard a door open to her right, and she was pushed through it, while her hood was removed. She went sprawling across the floor. By the time she got up and turned around the door was slammed shut, and she heard a lock click. She ran to the door and tried the knob. She slammed her fists against the door, when it wouldn't turn. She turned around surveyed the room.
In the corner of the room was a metal chair, sitting next to a long table. Coming down from the ceiling was a cable, and at the end was a D-clip. She followed the cable, and noticed it was actually wrapped around a pully in the ceiling. She wondered what Sayako would do to her. She didn't see Touko's injuries, but from the ragged state the younger girl was in, Yumi surmised whatever Sayako was going to do, it wouldn't be good.
'Please God,' the brunette prayed. 'Watch over me and protect me during this trial. Give me the strength, to hold on while the others work to save me. Give me peace in my heart.'
The door opened and Sayako entered the room carrying a riding crop. Upon seeing the brunette wearing nun's robes, she said snidely, "Do you think an appearance of piety, will change my opinion of you? Well you're wrong. You are nothing but a dirty little slut. It must run in the family. It only took a video of you and Sachiko rutting like dogs, to get you sister, Touko-chan, off."
'Touko is my sister,' Yumi repeated in her mind. 'That means that she's ...'
The brunette's thoughts must have translated to her face. Sayako noticing the girl's expression, continued, "Yes, she was born from your poor dead mother body. Now let's get you undressed." At that, two guards, who were outside the room came in, and within minutes, the younger girl was only clad in her underwear. "That's better," Sayako said. "Now you look like the skank you are."
The older woman walked over to the brunette, grabbed the end of the cable, and attached it to Yumi's bonds using the D-clip. She walked over to the other end of the cord and pulled on it. Soon the younger girl was suspended about a foot off the ground. Sayako circled the suspended girl, striking her hand with the riding crop.
Once she was in front of Yumi, she displayed the stick. "This used to be my mother's. Since I was a young girl, I have felt it's corrective kiss, many times. Although she's been dead many years now, this is the first time I've used it. Consider it my special present to you, Yumi-chan." She brought the hand holding the riding crop up, and slashed the metal tipped end of the stick against Yumi's tender belly.
The hanging girl let out a yelp of pain, as the brunette felt the impact, and the subsequent sting from the strike. The older woman emitted a squeal of pleasure at the reaction. Sayako moved behind Yumi and the girl let out another cry when her buttocks were whipped. Another giggle came from the old woman's mouth.
'I mustn't react,' Yumi thought after another ten whacks of the crop against her skin. 'She's enjoying it too much. I have to tune it out somehow.' The brunette focused her mind and used the regular timing of the hits, as a metronome, to sing.
Maria-sama no kokoro whack sore wa aozora whack
Watashitachi wo tsu whack sumu hiroi aozora whack
Maria-sama no kokoro whack sore wa kashinoki whack
Watashitachi wo ma whack moru tsuyoi kashinoki whack
Maria-sama no kokoro whack sore wa uguisu whack
Watashitachi to ut whack au mori no uguisu whack
Maria-sama no kokoro whack sore wa yamayuri whack
Watashitachi mo ho whack shii shiroi yamayuri whack
Maria-sama no kokoro whack sore wa safaia whack
Watashitachi wo ka whack zoru hikaru safaia whack
Once she started singing, Yumi's heart became lighter, and the stinging of the welts became less. So she sang louder, offering the song up as a prayer of redemption. Soon thereafter her mind transcended the pain of her body. The effect was a little surreal to the brunette. She was fully aware of what was going on around her, yet her body was unaffected by it. She wasn't sure how long the whipping lasted, but after a while she felt herself being let down.
She pulled herself to her knees, and smiled beautifully upon her captor. "I forgive you, Sayako-sama," she said, tenderly.
Those words angered the older woman. She rushed over to the kneeling girl and back handed her prisoner to the ground. "Take that, bitch," Sayako yelled.
Yumi got herself to her knees again, blood trickling down the corner of her mouth. "Hit me again, if it makes you feel better, for I am beyond the pain. You will not get anything out of me, unless I wish it."
"We'll see about that, Yumi-chan," she said just before walking out the door. "I am only getting started. Let's see what pulling your fingernails out will do to your precious inner peace."
XxX
Mr Hann, the lawyer had already arrived at St. Margaret's, case in hand, when Touko's grandfather arrived. He had already been informed by Sachiko, that Touko had the key. All the lawyer needed to see was proper documentation that the younger girl was indeed of the Fukuzawa line, in order to fulfill his assignment.
The old man walked through the door and rushed over to his granddaughter. "Are you alright," he asked as he gave the girl a visual examination. Apart from the bruising around the face, and the bandaged wrists and hands, Touko looked well. He was a little unsure of what mental trauma she suffered during her ordeal.
"Thank you for coming grandfather," Touko said leaning in to give the old man a quick hug. "Did you bring the documentation?"
"Here it is," he replied handing the girl a manila envelope.
The young girl promptly took it from the old man and approached the lawyer. "This should prove I was born to Fukuzawa Miki, and a proper recipient of the contents of the case." She passed the envelope over to the man in the suit.
The man took the envelope and removed the papers from it. He looked through them carefully. "Dr Matsudaira," he said. "It says here you were the doctor who delivered Touko. It seems highly coincidental that you suddenly show up, bearing documentation signed by yourself, that proves this girl's heritage. I will have to research this, in order to properly determine if these are official or not."
"But they're witnessed," the old doctor argued.
"I'm sorry," the lawyer responded. "Before I turn over the case, I have to make sure the contents go to the person intended to receive them."
Hearing that, Sachiko approached the man and got into his face. "Listen you," she said, giving the man an icy stare. "This isn't some ordinary situation. This is a matter of life or death. While we are standing here arguing, Yumi, the girl you met earlier, is most likely being tortured, over the contents of that case. And will probably be killed if we don't get what's in that case. How would that sit on your conscience, knowing you could save her life. If she dies, I will hold you solely responsible for her death"
The lawyer pictured the wide-eyed girl with the beautiful voice, in his mind. Then the image changed, and the brunette was laying in a coffin. That thought sent shivers down his spine. He couldn't live with himself if anything like that happened to the young girl. He shook the depressing image out of his head, and placed the metal briefcase on the coffee table in front of him. He rotated the case so that the lock faced Touko, who was sitting on the couch, across from him.
Touko slowly placed the key into the lock of the case in front of her. It slid in without any resistance. She turned it gently counter-clockwise. It stuck halfway through it's rotation. Touko used a little more force, and the key turned the rest of the way, making a loud click. The clasps released and the metal briefcase was unlocked. The young girl took a deep breath, placed a hand on each side of the lid, and slowly opened it. Inside of the case was a lone legal sized manila envelope.
With trembling hands, Touko reached into the case and pulled out the envelope. She fiddled with the clasp until it opened, and then she reached in and pulled out the thin stack of papers inside. It was anti-climatic. All this angst and drama over a dozen or so pieces of paper. She rifled through the stack of papers, the certificates were very pretty, bordered in a fine filigree pattern, and the style of text on the page was very imposing.
On top of the certificates was a single unadorned sheet of paper, written in a clear, bold hand. The note read:
My dear child,
If you are reading this then your mother and I are dead. Unfortunately, instead of a proper legacy, all I have to leave you is a family obligation. These certificates need to be returned a dear friend of mine, Ogasawara Tooru, or his direct descendant, if he is no longer living. I wish I was there to see how you turned out. Keep yourself well.
With love,
Fukuzawa Yuchiiro
Touko traced the signature with her index finger, as her eyes started to water. 'Yumi has turned out great Father,' she thought. 'Much better than I could hope to be.' She wiped her eyes and handed the stack of certificates to Sachiko, keeping the note to herself.
Sachiko quickly looked at the stack of paper, then called her Father from Touko's cell. When Tooru answered, she only said three words, "We have them."
"Understood," the man replied. "I'll get things in motion, then contact you."
The business man hung up his cell, then picked up the phone on his desk, and dialed a number. A woman picked up, and said politely, "Audit Services, how may I help you Ogasawara-sama"
XxX
Sayako looked with frustration at the brown haired girl, now hanging by the wrists, in front of her. 'Will anything reach her,' she wondered, spooked by the eerie smile on the girl's face. She had already removed the nails on Yumi's left hand, without much success in producing any type of reaction in the girl aside from the singing of children's songs. Right now the brunette was singing "Simple gifts" for the nth time. She reached into her pocket and felt the cool metal of the gun she had inside and wondered if she should just kill the girl and be done with her misery. 'I'll let her hang a bit more, then start on her other hand.' She turned around and left the room to get relief from the incessant singing.
But, Sayako couldn't get away from the song. Deep down in her mind, the words of the song echoed, as Hina-chan sang them in her little girl voice:
'Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free
'Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be,
And when we find ourselves in the place just right,
'Twill be in the valley of love and delight.
"Stop that Hina-chan," the older woman ordered.
The little voice inside her responded with a petulant "No, Its pretty. It reminds me of the song that was sung to me when I had trouble sleeping, before I went to the bad place." She began the next verse.
When true simplicity is gain'd,
To bow and to bend we shan't be asham'd,
To turn, turn will be our delight,
Till by turning, turning we come 'round right.
"Stop it right now," Sayako screamed in her head. "If you don't, I'll go in there right now, and have you watch me gut the bitch."
"You're a meanie," the voice screamed back, however the song wasn't picked up again.
The older woman breathed a sigh of relief, turned around and re entered the room where Yumi was restrained. 'Now let's see if the right hand is any better,' she thought smiling wickedly.
XxX
Tooru was sitting, going over some reports on his desk, when his office door opened. "Tooru," his father said upon entering. "What's up with this stock audit you ordered? Are you trying to ruin the company, or just me?"
"I'm not trying to ruin anything," Tooru stated, looking up into his father's eyes. "I'm trying to save myself and your granddaughter."
"What are you talking about, boy," the elder Ogasawara asked.
"I'm talking about Sayako, the bitch you forced me to marry," the man sitting at the desk spat.
"She's the best thing that ever happened to us," the old man chided. "She has more business sense, and balls than you ever did."
Tooru took out his phone and tapped the screen a couple of times, before tossing it on the desk in front of his father. "Look at those pictures. You call that the 'best.'"
The old man picked up the phone and looked at the pictures Sachiko had sent from Touko's phone. His face paled visibly, seeing the condition of the petite girl.
"In case you don't recognize her," the younger Ogasawara said. "That's the Matsudaira child. She was 'lucky' enough to stand in the way of something Sayako wanted, that damned stock you're so worried about. I also believe she may have committed murder also."
"That's appalling," the old man said. "But why ruin the company over it?"
Tooru, wounded by his fathers cold words, jumped out of his chair, and got in the old man's face. "Is that all you care about," he seethed. "The company? What about all the people she's destroyed, killed, or hurt. You want the damn company. You can have it. I can get my hands on the missing stock, but I want some concessions first."
"What are your terms," the older Ogasawara asked.
"First, I want Sachiko's wedding and engagement canceled," Tooru told his father. "She can be free to love and marry whoever she wants. Second, I want my cold hearted, psychotic, bitch of a wife put away for good. And finally I want a divorce. Once all that is done, I will turn over the missing stock to you."
"Agreed," the old man said, and picked up Tooru's phone. He dialed some numbers. A second later he spoke, "Kashewagi, the wedding is off, the engagement canceled. Inform your son and take care of the details." The elder Ogasawara hung up the phone, then turned to his son. "That's done. Now where is your wife?"
"I don't know," Tooru answered. "She said she was at a charity function, but I doubt that, since she tortured Touko and returned the girl some time today. Is there any place you are aware of, that she could be."
The older man thought for a bit. "She did ask me to use one of our unused warehouses, as a donation center for one of her charities. It's in the industrial park. I'll send someone to check it out."
Tooru walked out from behind his desk, and grabbed the old man's arm, guiding him to the door. "Why don't we check it out ourselves."
XxX
Three people exited the black limousine, when it stopped in front of the warehouse, two men and a woman. When Tooru and his father left the Ogasawara Group offices, the younger man had them swing by St. Margaret's to pick up Sachiko, and the papers. As the three Ogasawaras approached the door, a guard in a suit reached inside his coat. Before the man could pull out his gun, the older man spoke. "You might want to rethink that action, and where your loyalty lies."
The guard dropped his hand back to his side, and bowed low. He knew when his position was not winnable, and acted accordingly.
"Take me to Sayako," the old man ordered.
The guard opened the door and guided them down a stark white corridor, with doors on either side. At the end of it, on the left, stood another guard. As the visitors approached the man at the end of the hall started to reach for his weapon, and stopped at the shake of his partner's head.
"Open it."
The second guard unlocked the door and opened it. The trio of visitors walked through. Sayako was bending over, affixing a clamp to Yumi's right index finger. Sachiko's breath caught in her throat when she saw the battered condition of her love.
"It's over Sayako," Tooru said to the woman bending over the metal and wood contraption.
Startled, Sayako turned around and pulled the gun from her pocket, and pointed it at the head of the young girl sitting in the chair. "Stay where you are or I'll kill her."
Everyone froze. "You won't gain anything from this," Tooru stated. "Father already has the stock certificates. Give it up, before you get hurt."
The older woman reached over and released the young girls hand from the strap securing it to the device on the table. She pulled Yumi to her feet, and supported the girl placing her free arm around the brunette's shoulder. "Now, all of you are going to move away from the door, and let me leave here unmolested, or Yumi is dead. Got it."
Everyone moved out of the doorway and into the hall, giving the woman with the gun a clear path to the door. When Sayako tried to move, her leg was rooted to the ground. "Let me go, Hina-chan," the older woman said, while trying to lift her leg. "I'll kill her."
"That's what you were planning to do all along. Wasn't it Saya-chan," the eerie little girl spoke aloud. "Why do you have to be so evil?" The woman released Yumi, who fell to the floor.
Sachiko ran over to the fallen girl, and propped her up on her lap in a tender embrace. She looked up at her mother, as the older woman slowly turned the gun in her hand until it pointed at the older woman's chest. Suddenly the dazed Yumi came to her senses, and pleaded. "No, Hina-chan, don't do that."
"But I have to, Onee-san," the little girl's voice argued. "I'm not strong enough to keep Saya-chan down forever. If I don't do this now, I'll never get another chance, and she'll do evil things again. Hina-chan will make everything better." After the last word was uttered, the gun in Sayako's chest went off. The woman slumped to the ground next to Sachiko and Yumi. The woman's face turned to the brunette and said softly, "Did I do good?"
Yumi pushed away from Sachiko, and knelt next to the bleeding Hina-chan. "Hina-chan is a very good girl," she said holding back tears.
"Can Onee-san sing with me," the little girl in the woman's body asked. When Yumi nodded, Hina-chan started, "'Tis a gift to be simple..."
Yumi's beautiful, tearful voice, joined in, "'Tis a gift to be free..."
The two voices blended together, throughout most of the rest of the song. Hina-chan's voice silenced before the last line, which Yumi sang alone. "'Til by turning, turning we come 'round right." When she finished, Yumi looked down and wept, looking upon the woman's cold, dead eyes.
XxX
The small chapel at St. Margaret's was filled to bursting with the people wanting to pay their respects to the deceased Ogasawara Sayako. Most attended not out of respect but out of fear. It was a nice funerary mass, and many people came up to say nice things about the woman, again out of fear. At the end of the service, before the recessional, a brown haired girl, her left hand bandaged, came up to the front of the church. She stopped behind and to the left of the casket, crossed her hands in front of herself, and started singing "Amazing Grace."
While Yumi was singing, the priest and the acolytes gathered themselves together and proceeded down the center aisle. The six pall bearers, lined up after them and escorted the casket down the aisle also. As she started the last verse, Yumi looked up and through her tears, she could make out a ghostly little girl following the casket. The little girl turned to Yumi, smiled sweetly, waved, then vanished. 'I hope you find peace, Hina-chan,' the prayed.
After the service Sachiko turned to her girlfriend. "You sang wonderfully," she told the younger girl. "There wasn't a dry eye in the house."
"I'm glad," the brunette said. "But as long as Hina-chan was pleased, I'm happy. She wound up saving us all." Yumi snuggled next to Sachiko. "Hold me." When the older girl's arm wrapped around her, Yumi lay her head against Sachiko's chest, and cried silent tears.
The heiress kissed the top of the brunette's head and whispered, "For as long as you let me, my Love."
Author's Notes:
For those who may be confused about the Touko/Miki revelation.. Please see Touko's flashback in Chapter 19 for more information.
11/10/2012:
I decided to modify this story, since it didn't sit right with me. I had the last two sections and an epilogue in what was Chapter 29. I moved the sections to this chapter and I killed the epilogue. I think it stands better this way.
Reviewer Responses:
veamgee: Your words warm my heart... It's always nice to be needed... Just like you need to work on your own story.. eh :)
Rasta Lioness: I think you left some brain behind. Here's what I found left on the floor. Hope this chapter treated you better...
mine29: It would be out of character for my psychotic, sadistic version of Sayako, not to torture. I apologize if you were offended.
Honulicious: I think Tooru felt himself beaten, and powerless by his father and Sayako. Now that he has something to fight with, he may rise to the challenge. And you were right,... I couldn't wrap it up in just one chapter.
Spikesagitta: A lot of things happened.. that's why I said to fasten your seat belts :)
