A/N - I hate to admit it, but these characters don't belong to me. :'(

Chapter 29

"So, let me get this straight. You made a dumb-ass comment to your highly sensitive, extremely ill girlfriend and now you want my guidance in how to repair the damage you've caused?" Sitting on the couch with an open can of beer in her hand, Sei summarized Sachiko's plight in one agonizingly accurate sentence.

Feeling her eye twitch in frustration, Sachiko took a deep breath to calm herself and took a moment to remind herself why she had chosen to approach Sei in the first place. "Yes, exactly. After all, you have more experience recovering from dumb-ass comments than anyone else I know."

"Touche." Sei raised her beer in a silent toast and guzzled a bit down. "Honestly, Sachiko, I'm shocked you weren't more sensitive to Yumi's feelings on this topic right now."

"I know." Sachiko bowed her head in shame. "She is so touchy about her strength right now. I know I shouldn't have said anything. I should probably warn the others not to say anything either."

"I don't think that will be needed." Sei responded, laying her head back against the couch and closing her eyes.

"Why do you say that? Am I the only one dense enough to say such a regretful thing?" Bitterness was clearly evident in her voice.

"Not at all. But you see, most anyone else could probably question her strength and she wouldn't bat an eyelash. The Ogasawara family, including you Sachiko, are the exception to that." Opening one eye, Sei stared at her unnervingly and added, "She wants to prove herself strong enough to stay by your side. If anyone in your family openly doubts her strength despite knowing the situation it would make Yumi feel unworthy."

"Unworthy?"

"Yes, unworthy, Sachiko-chan." Sei didn't fake her exasperation with the younger woman. "You're surprisingly thick for someone so smart. Statements like that will make her feel unworthy of being part of the Ogasawara family."

Confused by that manner of thinking, Sachiko shook her head. "Being an Ogasawara has nothing to do with physical strength. Why would Yumi care so much about this then?"

"Honestly, you really need to talk to her about this yourself." Sei growled, closing her eyes once more.

"Sei-sama, please." Head still bowed, she found herself nearly begging. "I want to understand."

"Fine, fine. That statement you made today, the one that hurt your precious Yumi, didn't just bring her physical strength into question. It implied an overall weakness." Straightening in her seat, Sei opened her eyes and leaned forward. "Her physical strength had become the physical embodiment of her confidence. As her physical strength grew so did her confidence level. Until finally she felt she could be a competent match for the princess of the Ogasawara group. With one statement, you could destroy Yumi's hope for the future."

"This is ridiculous! How could something like that be?" Sachiko felt a renewed sense of confusion coupled with shame. "I've never cared about her physical strength. I wish she would see that!"

"And I wish you could see that this has very little to do with how you individually see her!" Sei's retort came sharp and quick, silencing the fuming Sachiko. "Don't you see? It's how she perceives your family will see her. Whether or no her perception is accurate doesn't matter in the slightest. She needs to be able to coexist with you and your family. Being part of the family is one thing. Feeling part of the family, being able to stand shoulder to shoulder, is something completely separate."

Before Sachiko could respond, Yoko entered the room, phone in hand. Sei was instantly on her feet, knowing the look in Yoko's eyes better than anyone. "What is it?"

"It's Yumi."

Jumping off the sofa, Sachiko raced for the door. "Where is she? The hospital?"

"Thanks just it," With trepidation, Sachiko met her Onee-sama's eyes clouded with worry. "She's missing."

The campus was dark and cool wind blew mercilessly through the trees. But still, Sachiko ran. She and the other roses were checking everywhere they could think of while Yoko was calling the hospitals in the area. "What exactly did Yoshino-chan say?" She asked for the third time.

Being in far better physical condition than Sachiko, Rei had to stop her forward trek to wait for Sachiko to catch up. "All she said was Yumi still wasn't speaking when she left for club activities."

"Why did she let her leave by herself?" Her anger growing, Sachiko felt her nails dig into her palms as her hands instinctively balled into fists. Guilt nearly suffocated her when she had found out Yumi couldn't speak after their encounter before. Was this all her fault? She shouldn't have gotten Yumi so upset.

"Yumi-chan waved off her offer. It's not like Yoshino could force her." Rei, knowing the full story of what happened before Yumi's disappearance, turned an angry glare on her friend. "Be careful not to reflect your own feelings of guilt onto others."

Just as Sachiko was about to respond with anger all her own, Shimako approached quickly from the main school building. "Stop it, both of you! Is this really how Yumi would want either of you to act?" Her usually calm, patient demeanor was gone. Replaced with a fearful gaze and no small amount of anxiety written on her face. "Besides, if you use this same kind of logic, you could say it was any one of our faults. Looking into the past it's easy to say 'I should have done this or that.' The hard part is being able to accept what actually happened and move forward."

Braids bouncing as she ran, Yoshino rounded the bend and stopped a mere few feet from them. "No good. She's not in the clubrooms and I checked the mansion again. She's nowhere to be found!"

Sei, who had opted to search the grounds, chose that time to reappear. "Nothing?" They all shook their heads. "Damn it! Yoko says she isn't in the hospitals near here either. She's checking with the bus terminals to make sure she didn't have an accident on her way home."

"Good idea," Rei responded, eyes upturned and studying the sky. "It's getting later and colder. Yoshino, did she have her coat?"

Yoshino thought hard for a moment before shaking her head. "I can't be certain, but I don't think so."

"If we don't find her soon and she's out in this weather…" Rei didn't finish the thought. There was no need to.

"We've checked everywhere, haven't we?" Shimako asked.

It was Sachiko and Sei that realized it at the same time. Their eyes met for the briefest of moments and then they were running.

"What is it?" Rei asked, easily keeping step with them. "Did you remember something?"

Sachiko nodded, almost certain they would find Yumi at their destination. "The greenhouse." Why didn't she think of it before?

"Yumi-chan is drawn toward that greenhouse when she's upset. You two had your misunderstanding right before she disappeared, right?" Sei clarified, sidestepping a branch that had fallen in the wind.

Sachiko, in her urgency, did the most unladylike thing her friends had ever witnessed her do. She jumped it. Landing at a dead run, Sachiko paid their gasps of surprise no mind as the greenhouse came into view.

Getting to the door first, Sachiko flung it open and barrelled inside. It was pitch black except for a faint glow from above. While the moon was half obscured by clouds, it still granted them just enough illumination to see by. Silhouettes of flowers and bushes lined the small greenhouse, but at first glance, no Yumi.

Not willing to give up, Sachiko stepped around the tree in the center and approached the back. When she had taken only a few steps, she saw a small form laying on the ground near the bench. "Yumi!" Sachiko cried, rushing forward to have her fears confirmed. It was, in fact, Yumi lying on the cold, hard ground.

Falling to her knees, Sachiko moved to pull the girl into her arms when she was inexplicably stopped by two strong hands. "Let me go!"

"Sachiko, no! Don't move her!" Rei yelled, shaking her slightly to encourage the flow of sense again.

"Rei-chan is right. Look at her head." Sei spoke from her side, concern evident in her voice. Taking her phone from her pocket, she handed it to Yoshino. "Call an ambulance and then Yoko." She didn't need to encourage the younger girl any further. With the phone in hand, she dashed outside.

Knowing they were right, Sachiko calmed slightly and said, "Can I at least check her out, please?"

"Yes, just be careful not to move her neck. We don't know what happened, so let's play it safe." Her time in kendo had prepared Rei to handle injuries such as this.

With trembling hands, Sachiko brushed Yumi's hair back, fully exposing the wound on the young girl's forehead. It must have happened some time ago, as the blood was already dried and crusted. As her fingers caressed Yumi's cheek, the coldness of her skin sent a jolt of fear straight through her. "She's like ice."

Rei instinctively reached out and checked her pulse in her wrist. "Slow, but it's there. Didn't they say the chemo could cause episodes of low blood pressure?" No one answered, because in truth none of them knew the full extent of the possible side effects Yumi could be facing.

Before she could do more, Sachiko's caress seemed to pull Yumi toward consciousness. "On- Onee-sama?" She mumbled while instinctively nuzzling into Sachiko's hand.

"Yumi?" Sachiko, relief evident on her face just from hearing the younger woman's voice.

Blood appeared to have run from the wound on Yumi's right temple down her face and into a small pool on the greenhouse floor. The sight was scary, but Yumi's stirring was helping to dissuade her fears. Yumi's eyes fluttered open and then immediately shut with a groan. "Onee-sama…" Visibly shivering with lips tinged slightly blue, Yumi blindly reached for Sachiko. "So cold."

"I know, Yumi. I know. We've called for help." Sachiko made a move to take her coat off, but both Rei and Sei beat her to it, layering their coats over the trembling Yumi at their feet.

"I'm s-sorry." Yumi's voice trembled along with her body. It was painful to see her struggling so much.

"I hate this! Can't we at least move her somewhere warmer?" Yoshino asked as she returned from making the calls.

"No, we can't risk it. Anyway, this greenhouse is probably one of the warmer places on campus right now." Rei responded, eyes never moving from the downed Yumi.

"I guess you're right. An ambulance should be here in just a few minutes, Yumi-chan. Hold on, we got you!" Yoshino cheered her friend on from the sidelines, almost afraid to get too close.

"I'm sorry," Yumi mumbled again, this time with tears seeping from the corners of her eyes.

Sachiko shook her head, continuing to caress Yumi's cheek. "There's no need to apologize, Yumi. It's not your fault. Okay?"

"It's not okay!" Much to everyone's surprise, it was Shimako who yelled in anger. Everyone turned to stare at her. There was a determination and fury there that none of them had ever seen before from the typically peaceful, gentle Shimako.

"Shimako?" Yumi's weak voice sounded as she opened her eyes, confused by Shimako's outrage.

Stepping forward, Shimako maneuvered her way between Sachiko and Sei and knelt next to the shivering Yumi. "What you did today was not okay, Yumi-san! You call this fighting? If we hadn't found you, what do you think would have happened?"

"I knew all of you would find me." Yumi voiced softly.

"That's beside the point, Yumi-san!" Shimako spoke with passion and tears in her eyes.

Sei looked on, being the only one not shocked by Shimako's outburst. It was evident to Sei that Shimako had been struggling with Yumi's diagnosis, but had kept it bottled up in her heart. Now Sei's petite soeur, pushed to her emotional limit, was unloading her fear and frustration on the careless Yumi. Sei smirked and sat back, unadulterated pride in her little sister giving her a moment of joy even as the girl chewed out Yumi. That's my girl.

Reaching down, Shimako took Yumi's hand in hers and drew it to her chest. "Yumi-sa… Yumi-chan, you are precious to us all. Your feelings do matter, but damn your pride!"

Sachiko couldn't help but gasp at Shimako's choice of language. Never before had she heard the pious woman speak a foul word. It merely served to prove exactly how serious Shimako was about this situation.

"Shimako? What-" Confusion was the only thing Yumi could communicate, her eyes frantically searching Shimako's face for a clue to what she meant. "My pride?"

"Yes, your damn pride!" Shimako was fuming now. "It was your pride that allowed yourself to take a true statement from Sachiko and let it hurt you. It was your pride that turned away the offer of help from Yoshino when she wanted to escort you to the mansion. And I'll bet it was your damn pride that brought you here when you should have come to any one of us instead."

Shimako took a moment to wipe the tears from her eyes. "None of us question your strength. None of us think any less of you now that you have cancer and need help! None of us except you, Yumi-chan!"

Yumi's eyes grew wider with every word Shimako spoke. "Shimako…" Yumi squeezed Shimako's hand and pulled her down with what little strength she had left.

Shimako, not one for a lot of physical contact, let out a yelp of surprise as she was pulled down on top of her friend. "Yumi!"

Yumi didn't let her go though and, out of fear of hurting Yumi, Shimako didn't struggle or pull away. "Shimako," Voice trembling, Yumi whispered. "Thank you."

The atmosphere changed as they all watched the two friends embrace on the greenhouse floor. Sei's eyes were the only ones dry and she was also the only one to have noticed the sound of sirens headed their way. Leaning down over the two, Sei patted Yumi's head affectionately. When Yumi looked at her, Sei chuckled, "You heard the woman, Yumi-chan. This has to change. We are here for a reason."

"Lean on us, Yumi-chan. We will be your strength!" Yoshino's voice cracked with emotion, but her strength was more than evident in her words.

"You are never a burden and you're a dear friend. Let us be of service to our dear friend." Rei added, putting her arm around Yoshino's trembling shoulders.

Yumi's eyes gravitated to Sachiko who was sitting smiling at her from beside the prone Shimako. Sachiko's eyes glowed in the faint moonlight, her beauty being accentuated by the emotion in her eyes. "Okay," Yumi closed her eyes and took a steadying breath. Was Shimako right? It was her pride that was the problem? How could she change though?

With shaking hands, she reached into the pocket of her skirt and withdrew a keychain with a small panda doll attached. Eyes never leaving Sachiko's, Yumi extended her hand out and delivered the solitary key and keychain into Sachiko's waiting hand.

Slightly confused, Sachiko studied the key by moonlight for a moment before realizing what it belonged to. "Your motorcycle key, Yumi?"

Having released Shimako from her hold, Yumi smiled weakly at her lover. "My pride is the problem, right? I don't know h-how to change exactly, but this is a st-start, right?"

"Wow, Yumi-chan gave up her motorcycle, this is big." Sei teased from the sidelines, walking to the greenhouse entrance.

Yumi's eyes flashed a moment of regret before she visibly muscled the emotion back down. "Just until I recover from this, okay?" Her eyes studied Sachiko, seriousness evident in every line of her young face.

Nodding once, Sachiko tucked the key into her coat pocket and gripped Yumi's hand in hers. "I'll keep the key safe until you can safely ride again, love. Does this mean you'll accept my offer for a driver to shuttle you from home to hospital and school?"

Her groan was loud enough that it reached Sei's ears at the door. Yoshino and Rei were laughing while Shimako merely smiled, having returned to her normally calm demeanor after her outburst.

"Watch it, Sachiko, we wouldn't wanna shock Yumi's system too much in one night." Rei giggled as she cautioned her friend.

"Well, the arrangement only makes sense, doesn't it?" Sachiko asked, looking for support from her friends.

Once again, it was Shimako to the rescue. "Sachiko-sama is correct Yumi. Take the leap and let it go. Just let Sachiko take care of you for a time, okay?"

Still trembling uncontrollably, Yumi sighed in defeat. "Sachiko, fair warning, I might get used to you spoiling me."

As flashing lights glimmered off the glass panes of the greenhouse, Sachiko smiled. "I think I can handle that."

A/N - I had to take the opportunity to give Shimako some teeth right there. She seems like the type of girl that would be passionate about something like this, no? Love to hear your thoughts!