A/N - I do not own these characters.

Prologue

"And that is that." Her laptop closed with a resounding click of finality. Seven years. That's how long she had striven for this exact day. Having turned thirty the previous month, it felt like she was only just getting started in life. A far cry from the hopes she had during her high school years or the plans she had dared to dream of during college.

"I'm proud of you, Sachiko."

Sachiko looked up into the warm gray eyes of her Onee-sama, Yoko, her favorite person in the world. At least, her favorite person since that fateful day she had decided to forgo the desires of her heart and instead embrace the demands of her family. Both she and Surguru had come to the same conclusion when they agreed to the wedding. Their loyalty to their families couldn't have been quantified or questioned once they joined hands.

Their happiness though certainly could have been. It was never a true marriage, but rather a partnership designed to prepare the Ogasawara company and family to be led by Suguru. While they had never told anyone of their plans, they themselves had been clear with each other. But only after Suguru had found Sachiko in tears, having hidden from the world in her room for nearly two weeks. That had been the darkest time in Sachiko's life.

While Sachiko had encouraged Suguru to follow his own heart and desires during their years of marriage, Sachiko wouldn't allow herself the same joy. It rang too close to the tone to which her parents and grandparents lived her entire life. She would never subject anyone to that kind of life. She would never have a mistress. Even if that decision meant she would lose the one she loved most of all.

Sachiko smiled at Yoko, a warmth spreading in her chest at her sister's words. "Thank you, Onee-sama. Finally stepping away like this wasn't easy."

Yoko shook her head. "No, Sachiko, I am talking about all of it. You knew the future of your family's company depended on you and you set your own desires aside to ensure their future." Yoko shook her head, her shoulder-length hair swaying gently with the motion. "Not many would be as self-sacrificing as you. I'm proud to have you as the sister of my heart."

Feeling warmth trickle down her cheeks at the praise, Sachiko hurriedly wiped the tears from her cheeks and gifted Yoko with a soft grin. "Thank you. Though something tells me that if I had truly followed my own heart's desires you would have said the same thing." Yoko's grin was answer enough.

"What now?" Yoko, never one to waste time, sat back in her chair, a quizzical look in her eyes as she waited for Sachiko's answer.

"What do you mean, what now?" With a nervous chuckle, Sachiko rose from the table and moved to the liquor cart tucked into the corner of the room. Withdrawing the whiskey, she poured herself a generous knuckle of the potent beverage before turning and silently offering some to Yoko, who waved the offer off without a word.

"I mean, now that you graduated college, spent seven years in a business-partner marriage, and have finally secured your freedom from the family establishment - What. Are. You. Going. To. Do." She accentuated her words, making each one its own sentence. When Sachiko didn't readily answer, she added in a hushed tone, "Will you search for her?"

With a soft huff on her lips, Sachiko shook her head and downed the drink in one gulp. Taking a moment to enjoy the burn of the alcohol down her throat, she breathed deeply, closing her eyes and remembering that day over seven years prior. "She left, Yoko. You know that I haven't heard from her or seen her since then. If she wanted to have anything to do with me then she would have told me by now. I wasn't the one who left Tokyo and dropped off the face of the earth. She knows where to find me, so if she wanted to I'm sure she would have by now."

"Sachiko, you were married. Why would she have reason to reach out? Now you can at least explain things properly." Creaking from behind her indicated Yoko was rising from her seat at the table.

Once more shaking her head, Sachiko raised the bottle to pour herself another whiskey, but a gentle yet firm hand was there, pushing the crystal decanter back down to rest on the tray. "If we are going to make the dinner on time, we'll need to leave soon. I doubt you want to go to Shimako-chan and Noriko-chan's anniversary dinner smelling of whiskey." Yoko smiled understandingly as she capped the bottle of amber liquid and guided Sachiko out of the room. "Besides that, this is a day you should celebrate as well. The day you are finally free to do whatever you wish, go wherever you want, and throw off the demands of your family." Yoko grinned at her sister and tightened her hold on Sachiko's hand.

She knew Yoko was right, that this day should be a joyful one for her, but the mere mention of Yumi… Fukuzawa Yumi… had her head reeling. If Sachiko were being honest, she would admit that she had dreamt of finding Yumi again ever since she had disappeared. Though she didn't know if her heart would be able to withstand the reunion. Surely, Yumi would have moved on with her life, right? Possibly even have fallen in love and started her very own family. For years Sachiko had asked after Yumi's whereabouts and safety by reaching out to Yuki, her brother. At first, Yuki had staunchly refused to provide information. Until finally, with tears in his eyes, Yuki had shaken his head and admitted that he knew nothing of her whereabouts. He finally admitted that she only communicated with him to let him know she was safe, but never revealed where she was or what she was doing. For months afterward, Yuki would message to let her know Yumi was at least safe, but before long even those updates about Yumi grew less frequent. It had been two years since they had stopped altogether. At least, as far as Sachiko knew.

A big decision lay ahead of her. One she had been contemplating for seven years. Did she have the right to seek Yumi out or not?

A/N - Hey my friends, looking forward to your thoughts on this one. There is no set plan for when updates will be posted for this one, but hopefully, you won't be waiting too long. Rising is still my main project, I just needed something else to help me cope with life right now. :) Thanks for the suggestion, H.