PART V
Doumyouji Kaede's morning routine was one to see.
A light breakfast over financial papers, and then she would glide like a queen into her dressing room, attended by several maids, who would bow graciously behind her as she emerged again in full business attire. By then, her right-hand man would have arrived by car - never so early that he would see her in her morning robe, but never too late to meet her in the upstairs hallway and read to her the day's schedule as she paraded down to her car.
"Madame President, good morning. This morning there is a stockholders' meeting in the upper level conference room at ten o'clock. Following that, you have a lunch date with Mister Gates at the Rainbow Room, and after your appointment with the heads of research and development at noon, the chairman of the O'okawahara Group has requested you meet her for tea."
Down the stairs she glided, pearly shoes on red velvet, into a gleaming marble lobby. At the front door, she paused briefly and, with a wave of her hand, cut off the reading of her schedule. Her secretary had learned the subtleties of her movement by now, and before her hand fully extended, the next section of the schedule had died, unvoiced, in his throat. Kaede, meanwhile, had focused her attention on the musclebound man who stood at the front door like a pillar.
"Tsukasa-san is at home today," she said briskly, crisply. "You are to make sure he has no visitors. I will not tolerate any mistakes. I would hate to have to fire any other members of your staff," she added sharply, her voice cutting the air like the point of a blade. The high heel of her shoe pivoted, and she went out the door.
The Tsukushi in the mirror looked decidedly nervous. As she reached out for the hairbrush lying just in front of the glass, she had an urge to reach out and touch the real Tsukushi, to make sure she knew which was her world and which was the other one. After all, the real Tsukushi was having some difficulty telling.
She ran the brush through her hair, her hand shaking slightly and whipping the chestnut strands into a slight froth, then patting it down again with nervous fingers. Never before had just brushing her hair been such a nerve-wracking activity. It occurred to Tsukushi that she was acting like a junior high schooler - all flighty and scatterbrained - but she was powerless against it. She was going to see Tsukasa today. And the knowledge of that had gathered like a lump of pressure on the back of her neck and taken control of her brain.
A bright-sounding knock sounded from the door behind her, and Shigeru's equally sunny face beamed at her from the peephole. She called Tsukushi's name in an enthusiastic voice, and when the door opened, flung her arms around her with a squeal. "I'm so excited!" she giggled, ruining all the careful brushing Tsukushi had done of her hair with one overenthusiastic motion. "Today's the day, today's the day!" she sang, then stopped as she saw the hesitation in Tsukushi's expression. "What's wrong?"
Tsukushi turned earnest eyes to her friend. "It's the funniest thing," she said. "I'm nervous."
"That's not so funny," Shigeru said. "It's going to be a pain to sneak you in. Even with the plans you made with that contact of yours last night."
"No, that's not it," Tsukushi said. Her eyes wavered and her lip trembled, as if not sure whether to laugh or cry. "I... I'm afraid that... no, it's not that I'm afraid he won't care anymore. But... I..."
"Oh, spit it out!" Shigeru said, patting Tsukushi's cheek lightly.
Tsukushi did the best she could. Wincing with all her might, she forced the words from behind her tongue and out into the air. "It's just that I'm going to see Doumyouji... and... it's been a while, and..." In one jumbled breath, it all came out. "........and I want to look good for him!!"
Shigeru doubled over laughing.
"Ack!" Tsukushi almost dug herself a hole in the hotel room carpet right there. "What am I saying!? I knew I shouldn't have said anything! Stop laughing, would you?" She scowled as hard as she could, trying to summon up the spirited anger she knew she had inside. "Shigeru-san!!"
"I'm sorry... Tsukushi..." Shigeru wiped tears from her eyes. "It's just... that's so cute...!"
"Cute?" Tsukushi's eyes registered huge question marks. She frowned again. "What are you implying?"
Shigeru took Tsukushi's face in her hands. She leaned forward and touched her forehead to Tsukushi's, blonde hair sifting into the rich brown of her bangs. Smiling, she said in a low voice, "It's normal to want to look good when you see the person you love. I may be from a different world than you, Tsukushi, but I'm sure it's the same no matter where you come from or who you are. Am I wrong?"
"Shigeru-san..." Tsukushi's irritation faded. Shigeru's breath was warm on her face, and Tsukushi felt treasured, cared for in that moment. It wasn't the same as a lover's warmth, but Shigeru's was that of a friend, and it was more comforting and encouraging than she'd imagined it could be. Her eyes lowered.
"Everything's going to be fine," Shigeru near-whispered. "Tsukasa loves you. He's going to be so happy. Ah, I almost wish I could be there to see it. It's so romantic!" Her voice nearly escalated to a squeal, but then calmed again. "I promise, Tsukushi. Everything will be all right."
"Thank you, Shigeru-san," Tsukushi answered warmly.
At one o'clock, the game began. The clock ticked its way into place, its gears turning smoothly, teeth just missing one another in the most delicate of dances, dragging time methodically into the future. At one o'clock, Tsukushi got into a car which led her out of the city and wheeled silently toward the Doumyouji mansion. Shigeru left the curb at one oh-two after seeing Tsukushi off, and returned to her room to change clothes at one oh-four. At one-seventeen, Doumyouji Kaede left her meeting and called her driver to be ready to take her to her appointment at one forty-five. At one thirty-four, Shigeru boarded a taxi and sped off towards a high-class tea room on the north side of town. At one thirty-seven, Tama left her station at the maids' house and went to the front gate to await Tsukushi's arrival. At the same exact time, one fifty-four and forty seconds, Tsukushi and Kaede both arrived at their destinations.
Kaede's entrance into the small, upscale cafe on Lexington Avenue did not go unnoticed. Filled as it was with businesspeople and celebrities, the cafe simply could not go on with its conversations and tea-sipping if a personage of such great importance had entered the vicinity. Clinks of porcelain and rustles of tablecloths ceased at her appearance; voices trailed off and waiters scrambled to stand at attention.
"O'okawahara." One word to the maitre'd, who silently (hiding a gulp) began to walk toward a table in the back of the restaurant. The figure seated there was perusing the menu, but at the hush that surrounded every click of Kaede's shoes, she put her menu down and rose in greeting. But this wasn't the executive Kaede had expected to meet.
Shigeru was wearing a smart, lavender blazer with a matching skirt of impeccable taste. Her hair was combed to perfection, and her lips shimmered with a touch of color. Two exquisite golden rings hung from each ear, and a single strand of pearls glittered at her throat. On the table at her side was a stack of business papers. She smiled disarmingly and curtsied in her best finishing school manner. "Doumyouji-obasama."
"Pardon me, Shigeru-san," Kaede said briskly, "but I have an appointment with your mother. Will she be returning soon?"
"Your appointment," Shigeru said smartly, "is with me."
Kaede turned to leave. "I haven't got the time for this," she snapped.
"Haven't you?" Shigeru mocked her tone. "What sort of president are you then, to walk out on a client who's made an appointment with you? How do you know I haven't got something important to say?"
"Nonsense," Kaede retorted, not even turning back to face her. She headed for the door.
"My goodness," Shigeru said in a slightly lighter voice, "I wonder how you might react if someone were to walk out on your son in this manner. Word HAS reached us of his training, you know."
She was nearly to the door, but somehow Kaede couldn't ignore this. She turned on her heel to probe Shigeru's face with hawklike eyes.
"In fact," Shigeru went on, "my mother was quite pleased with the idea. I do recall her saying something to the effect of 'It's so impressive to show that much faith in the young.' I'd hate to have to report to her that I'd encountered such a double standard in my first executive venture. Wouldn't that be a shame?"
Kaede paused a long moment. Her eyes flashed ice and fire at Shigeru, but the girl didn't budge an inch even under such a frightening glare. Instead, she continued to smile smartly at her, gesturing to the opposite chair in a pose of invitation. Finally, she begin to walk in slow, wary steps, back toward the table.
"That's more like it," Shigeru smiled. "I don't think we've ever talked together, you and I. I do believe we have a great deal to discuss. If you don't believe me, sit down and let me tell you more about it."
"I will come to the room and knock four times if the mistress returns," Tama informed Tsukushi as she put on the old familiar maid's outfit. It felt strangely nostalgic... heart-pounding. Even the smell of the fabric, the feeling of it against her skin, was familiar. It made her think of days now long past, days of hard work and tension-filled nights, afraid of the stirring feelings in her soul every time he got too close to her.
And it made her think of one night in particular. The night rubies sparkled at her throat, and she could neither breathe nor move, but lay receiving... no.... opening herself to his kisses, as his thumb caressed her wrist and her forehead gently, cradling her like she was someone precious, someone he had to take care not to break. Yet his lips tasted of passion, and their touch whispered to her of possession... though who was the possessor that night she still wasn't sure. Had it been him, who'd silenced her every cry of protest? Had it been her, who'd encited him to such a passion? Or, perhaps, in that empty room, past midnight, with the sparkling ringed planet in the sky watching over them, they had been neither possessors nor possessions, but equals even in madness, holding hands as they fell through eternity. Just perhaps, they might have been lovers.
Tsukushi felt her face getting hot with the memory, and Tama clicked her tongue at her, trying desperately to suppress a smile. "Now, the room is monitored," she lectured to a red-faced Tsukushi as she led her down the hallways. "The young master should know where each of the cameras are hidden, but until he disables them, you mustn't do anything suspicious. Act like a maid until he lets you know it's safe. I realize you're eager to see the young master again," Tama added with a chuckle, "but do restrain yourself."
"Tama-senpai, thank you so much," Tsukushi said, smiling genuinely. "You've always been so kind to me..."
"Now, now," Tama reproached. "We have no time for this sort of sentimentality. Go on, now. See the young master." But Tsukushi couldn't help reaching over to embrace the old woman, who patted her shoulder gently in return. And holding in a breath, she turned to the impressive paneled door.
::Doumyouji.
I'm coming to see you now.::
She took a deep breath, placed her hand on the doorknob, and went in.
Doumyouji Kaede's morning routine was one to see.
A light breakfast over financial papers, and then she would glide like a queen into her dressing room, attended by several maids, who would bow graciously behind her as she emerged again in full business attire. By then, her right-hand man would have arrived by car - never so early that he would see her in her morning robe, but never too late to meet her in the upstairs hallway and read to her the day's schedule as she paraded down to her car.
"Madame President, good morning. This morning there is a stockholders' meeting in the upper level conference room at ten o'clock. Following that, you have a lunch date with Mister Gates at the Rainbow Room, and after your appointment with the heads of research and development at noon, the chairman of the O'okawahara Group has requested you meet her for tea."
Down the stairs she glided, pearly shoes on red velvet, into a gleaming marble lobby. At the front door, she paused briefly and, with a wave of her hand, cut off the reading of her schedule. Her secretary had learned the subtleties of her movement by now, and before her hand fully extended, the next section of the schedule had died, unvoiced, in his throat. Kaede, meanwhile, had focused her attention on the musclebound man who stood at the front door like a pillar.
"Tsukasa-san is at home today," she said briskly, crisply. "You are to make sure he has no visitors. I will not tolerate any mistakes. I would hate to have to fire any other members of your staff," she added sharply, her voice cutting the air like the point of a blade. The high heel of her shoe pivoted, and she went out the door.
The Tsukushi in the mirror looked decidedly nervous. As she reached out for the hairbrush lying just in front of the glass, she had an urge to reach out and touch the real Tsukushi, to make sure she knew which was her world and which was the other one. After all, the real Tsukushi was having some difficulty telling.
She ran the brush through her hair, her hand shaking slightly and whipping the chestnut strands into a slight froth, then patting it down again with nervous fingers. Never before had just brushing her hair been such a nerve-wracking activity. It occurred to Tsukushi that she was acting like a junior high schooler - all flighty and scatterbrained - but she was powerless against it. She was going to see Tsukasa today. And the knowledge of that had gathered like a lump of pressure on the back of her neck and taken control of her brain.
A bright-sounding knock sounded from the door behind her, and Shigeru's equally sunny face beamed at her from the peephole. She called Tsukushi's name in an enthusiastic voice, and when the door opened, flung her arms around her with a squeal. "I'm so excited!" she giggled, ruining all the careful brushing Tsukushi had done of her hair with one overenthusiastic motion. "Today's the day, today's the day!" she sang, then stopped as she saw the hesitation in Tsukushi's expression. "What's wrong?"
Tsukushi turned earnest eyes to her friend. "It's the funniest thing," she said. "I'm nervous."
"That's not so funny," Shigeru said. "It's going to be a pain to sneak you in. Even with the plans you made with that contact of yours last night."
"No, that's not it," Tsukushi said. Her eyes wavered and her lip trembled, as if not sure whether to laugh or cry. "I... I'm afraid that... no, it's not that I'm afraid he won't care anymore. But... I..."
"Oh, spit it out!" Shigeru said, patting Tsukushi's cheek lightly.
Tsukushi did the best she could. Wincing with all her might, she forced the words from behind her tongue and out into the air. "It's just that I'm going to see Doumyouji... and... it's been a while, and..." In one jumbled breath, it all came out. "........and I want to look good for him!!"
Shigeru doubled over laughing.
"Ack!" Tsukushi almost dug herself a hole in the hotel room carpet right there. "What am I saying!? I knew I shouldn't have said anything! Stop laughing, would you?" She scowled as hard as she could, trying to summon up the spirited anger she knew she had inside. "Shigeru-san!!"
"I'm sorry... Tsukushi..." Shigeru wiped tears from her eyes. "It's just... that's so cute...!"
"Cute?" Tsukushi's eyes registered huge question marks. She frowned again. "What are you implying?"
Shigeru took Tsukushi's face in her hands. She leaned forward and touched her forehead to Tsukushi's, blonde hair sifting into the rich brown of her bangs. Smiling, she said in a low voice, "It's normal to want to look good when you see the person you love. I may be from a different world than you, Tsukushi, but I'm sure it's the same no matter where you come from or who you are. Am I wrong?"
"Shigeru-san..." Tsukushi's irritation faded. Shigeru's breath was warm on her face, and Tsukushi felt treasured, cared for in that moment. It wasn't the same as a lover's warmth, but Shigeru's was that of a friend, and it was more comforting and encouraging than she'd imagined it could be. Her eyes lowered.
"Everything's going to be fine," Shigeru near-whispered. "Tsukasa loves you. He's going to be so happy. Ah, I almost wish I could be there to see it. It's so romantic!" Her voice nearly escalated to a squeal, but then calmed again. "I promise, Tsukushi. Everything will be all right."
"Thank you, Shigeru-san," Tsukushi answered warmly.
At one o'clock, the game began. The clock ticked its way into place, its gears turning smoothly, teeth just missing one another in the most delicate of dances, dragging time methodically into the future. At one o'clock, Tsukushi got into a car which led her out of the city and wheeled silently toward the Doumyouji mansion. Shigeru left the curb at one oh-two after seeing Tsukushi off, and returned to her room to change clothes at one oh-four. At one-seventeen, Doumyouji Kaede left her meeting and called her driver to be ready to take her to her appointment at one forty-five. At one thirty-four, Shigeru boarded a taxi and sped off towards a high-class tea room on the north side of town. At one thirty-seven, Tama left her station at the maids' house and went to the front gate to await Tsukushi's arrival. At the same exact time, one fifty-four and forty seconds, Tsukushi and Kaede both arrived at their destinations.
Kaede's entrance into the small, upscale cafe on Lexington Avenue did not go unnoticed. Filled as it was with businesspeople and celebrities, the cafe simply could not go on with its conversations and tea-sipping if a personage of such great importance had entered the vicinity. Clinks of porcelain and rustles of tablecloths ceased at her appearance; voices trailed off and waiters scrambled to stand at attention.
"O'okawahara." One word to the maitre'd, who silently (hiding a gulp) began to walk toward a table in the back of the restaurant. The figure seated there was perusing the menu, but at the hush that surrounded every click of Kaede's shoes, she put her menu down and rose in greeting. But this wasn't the executive Kaede had expected to meet.
Shigeru was wearing a smart, lavender blazer with a matching skirt of impeccable taste. Her hair was combed to perfection, and her lips shimmered with a touch of color. Two exquisite golden rings hung from each ear, and a single strand of pearls glittered at her throat. On the table at her side was a stack of business papers. She smiled disarmingly and curtsied in her best finishing school manner. "Doumyouji-obasama."
"Pardon me, Shigeru-san," Kaede said briskly, "but I have an appointment with your mother. Will she be returning soon?"
"Your appointment," Shigeru said smartly, "is with me."
Kaede turned to leave. "I haven't got the time for this," she snapped.
"Haven't you?" Shigeru mocked her tone. "What sort of president are you then, to walk out on a client who's made an appointment with you? How do you know I haven't got something important to say?"
"Nonsense," Kaede retorted, not even turning back to face her. She headed for the door.
"My goodness," Shigeru said in a slightly lighter voice, "I wonder how you might react if someone were to walk out on your son in this manner. Word HAS reached us of his training, you know."
She was nearly to the door, but somehow Kaede couldn't ignore this. She turned on her heel to probe Shigeru's face with hawklike eyes.
"In fact," Shigeru went on, "my mother was quite pleased with the idea. I do recall her saying something to the effect of 'It's so impressive to show that much faith in the young.' I'd hate to have to report to her that I'd encountered such a double standard in my first executive venture. Wouldn't that be a shame?"
Kaede paused a long moment. Her eyes flashed ice and fire at Shigeru, but the girl didn't budge an inch even under such a frightening glare. Instead, she continued to smile smartly at her, gesturing to the opposite chair in a pose of invitation. Finally, she begin to walk in slow, wary steps, back toward the table.
"That's more like it," Shigeru smiled. "I don't think we've ever talked together, you and I. I do believe we have a great deal to discuss. If you don't believe me, sit down and let me tell you more about it."
"I will come to the room and knock four times if the mistress returns," Tama informed Tsukushi as she put on the old familiar maid's outfit. It felt strangely nostalgic... heart-pounding. Even the smell of the fabric, the feeling of it against her skin, was familiar. It made her think of days now long past, days of hard work and tension-filled nights, afraid of the stirring feelings in her soul every time he got too close to her.
And it made her think of one night in particular. The night rubies sparkled at her throat, and she could neither breathe nor move, but lay receiving... no.... opening herself to his kisses, as his thumb caressed her wrist and her forehead gently, cradling her like she was someone precious, someone he had to take care not to break. Yet his lips tasted of passion, and their touch whispered to her of possession... though who was the possessor that night she still wasn't sure. Had it been him, who'd silenced her every cry of protest? Had it been her, who'd encited him to such a passion? Or, perhaps, in that empty room, past midnight, with the sparkling ringed planet in the sky watching over them, they had been neither possessors nor possessions, but equals even in madness, holding hands as they fell through eternity. Just perhaps, they might have been lovers.
Tsukushi felt her face getting hot with the memory, and Tama clicked her tongue at her, trying desperately to suppress a smile. "Now, the room is monitored," she lectured to a red-faced Tsukushi as she led her down the hallways. "The young master should know where each of the cameras are hidden, but until he disables them, you mustn't do anything suspicious. Act like a maid until he lets you know it's safe. I realize you're eager to see the young master again," Tama added with a chuckle, "but do restrain yourself."
"Tama-senpai, thank you so much," Tsukushi said, smiling genuinely. "You've always been so kind to me..."
"Now, now," Tama reproached. "We have no time for this sort of sentimentality. Go on, now. See the young master." But Tsukushi couldn't help reaching over to embrace the old woman, who patted her shoulder gently in return. And holding in a breath, she turned to the impressive paneled door.
::Doumyouji.
I'm coming to see you now.::
She took a deep breath, placed her hand on the doorknob, and went in.