A/N - I don't own these characters.
Chapter 1 - On the Rocks
Together, Yoko and Sachiko exited the vehicle. It was Yoko's, a sleek, sporty, and sensible Toyota Supra. Gleaming silver with chrome accents, the perfect car for an up-and-coming lawyer.
Smiling politely at the valet attendant, Sachiko stepped onto the curb and turned to glance through the window. Not far from them she could see her friends already gathered around a long table, smiling and drinking cocktails. "They are already here? But aren't we early?" Sachiko asked curiously, glancing down at her watch as she stepped toward the door.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the door begin to open long before realization struck that it was opening toward her. She was about to walk face-first into the heavy metal framing, when it suddenly stopped, mere inches from her face. Startled, Sachiko took a long step backward and swayed on the uneven curve of the sidewalk. Feeling Yoko's hand come to her side to steady her, she breathed a sigh of relief and then turned back to the doorway.
A tall lanky man stood just beyond the door, looking stricken. "I apologize. I wasn't watching where I was going and didn't see you coming."
As he spoke, a small woman moved smoothly between them. Sachiko couldn't help but note the strong scent of the ocean and sandalwood that drifted to her in the breeze as she passed.
"It's quite alright." Sachiko breathed, silently urging her heart to settle back down.
"No, really. I'm so sorry. If it hadn't been for the quick reactions of this woman-" He turned and motioned to a person who was already moving away from the doorway. "Hey, wait, thank you for stopping that door before I hurt someone. Won't you come back so I can thank you properly?"
The woman was short, with hair cut into an attractive undercut with only a little length on top. Even from behind Sachiko could tell she wasn't exactly dressed for the atmosphere in this particular restaurant, but wouldn't deny that she filled out those ripped jeans in an epic way. Instead of turning back, the woman merely raised a hand in farewell and yelled her response without looking their way. "I'm afraid I need to go. I'm glad to have been a help though, to both you and Mrs. Ogasawara." With that, she continued into the flow of traffic and soon disappeared from sight. Sachiko turned to find Yoko staring after the woman, a look of… disappointment in her eyes?
It took Sachiko and Yoko a few moments to excuse themselves from the rattled gentleman, but they soon found themselves being ushered to a table where the rest of their Lillian friends sat waiting. They looked a tad bit flustered at their approach, Sei even going as far as to look behind them curiously.
Sensing something was up and not being one to let it go, Sachiko placed her clutch on the table and rested her hands on her hips. "Alright, you all look equally guilty. What is going on? Are we late? I thought we weren't supposed to be here for another fifteen minutes, but by all appearances, you lot have been here for a good long while already." Only then did Sachiko spot the half-empty glass and crumb-laden plate in front of the empty seat between Yoshino and Shimako. She glanced around, taking note of the crowd that had gathered. Toko, Nana, Rei, Sei, Eriko and even Shizuka all sat around the table, none of them save Sei and Shimako willingly meeting her gaze. "It seems that everyone is here, yet we have an empty chair that someone was obviously using. Am I missing someone?"
Shimako remained quiet, yet cocked her head to the side, staring at her curiously from behind the curve of her light brown bangs. Sei, however, did not remain quiet. Instead of speaking directly to Sachiko though, she turned narrowed eyes to Yoko. "You couldn't resist, could you?"
Confused, Sachiko turned between the two women, silently wondering what the odd exchange was about.
Yoko, without a hint of hesitation or chagrin, shrugged and took her seat. "It was time."
"Was it really your place to determine that?" Sei growled softly, though to Sachiko she did not appear to be mad, merely annoyed.
Again, Yoko shrugged. "None of you were brave enough to step up and God knows those two weren't going to do a blessed thing about this ridiculous situation."
Those two? Sachiko found herself sliding into her seat, near to Yoko, in a state of utter confusion. Taking a moment to think, Sachiko leaned in near Shimako and Noriko and whispered her congratulations. "Shimako-chan, Noriko-chan, congratulations! I pray you have countless years of joy together."
When Shimako merely continued staring at her, Noriko cleared her throat. "Thank you, Sachiko-sama. We echo your prayer."
Finally, when Shimako's gaze was too much to bear any longer, Sachiko questioned her. "Shimako-chan, what's wrong? Have I done something to offend you?"
Instead of answering her question, Shimako shook her head and posed one of her own. "You really didn't recognize her? After all this time, she really was able to just walk right by you like a total stranger." The disappointment in her voice was undeniable. Her tone stabbed at Sachiko's gut while her words threw her heart into overdrive.
"What do you mean?" She swallowed nervously, slowly rising from her seat and glancing around the restaurant. "Is- Is Yumi here?"
Again, Shimako shook her head and then motioned to the empty chair at her side. "Not any longer."
"What?!" Then it came to her. The woman at the door. Looking around her gathered friends she asked frantically, "The woman in ripped jeans with the short haircut… that was her, wasn't it?" Without waiting for a response, Sachiko made to leave, as if she could step outside and instantly find Yumi in the milling throng of people on the streets beyond. It was only Yoko's firm hand around her wrist that kept her by the table.
"You're not going to find her, Sachiko." Yoko's pitying eyes pleaded with her to sit back down. And though every bone and muscle in her body screamed at her to follow Yumi, Sachiko sat. Despite that, Yoko's grip on her wrist did not slacken.
Suddenly remembering the look on Yoko's face at the entrance, Sachiko forcefully pulled her wrist back. "You knew it was her, didn't you?"
With a nod of her head, Yoko confirmed Sachiko's fears.
Turning to look around at the table, Sachiko spoke in a quiet voice. "How-" She swallowed back the emotion suddenly thickening at the back of her throat and blinked the stinging tears from her eyes as she forced herself to continue. "How many times have you all seen her?"
They were all quiet for a moment before Yoshino spoke up. "Until today most of us haven't. Though, I will admit that I have seen her." Most of the table turned to her in shock, including Rei, who knew nearly everything about her cousin and girlfriend. Waving off the barrage of questions she knew was headed her way, Yoshino continued, "I have visited her a couple of times since she left and she came to stay with me for a short time while Rei-chan was out of town last year."
Before questions could be asked, Shimako also confessed. "Yoshino-chan, I was there as well. There is no need to take the full blame for our silence on your shoulders."
Yoshino smiled though and shook her head. "If this group of hormonal women wants to rag on me for following the expressed wishes of one of my best friends, then they can be my guest." She turned her eyes on Sachiko and added, "Not when she left for a good reason."
Despite the fact that Yoshino didn't speak the words with spite, Sachiko flinched at the comment, not being able to deny the validity of the statement.
"On that note," Yoko spoke up, yet kept her voice low. "I tried to catch Yumi out with the group because today Sachiko finalized the divorce. She's finally free."
This signaled an onslaught of congratulations and smiles from around the table.
"Finally! It's about damn time." Sei grinned at Sachiko from across the table. "I understand why you did it, but it doesn't make the repercussions for you and Yumi suck any less."
Sachiko was silent for a time, staring at her hands and thinking about how Yumi looked the last time she had seen her. That day seven years ago when she had told Yumi that she had to marry Suguru. Yumi had cried and opened her mouth to speak, but no words had come out. For what felt like hours they had both stood staring at one another, each in tears and unable to speak. When Sachiko had felt her last iota of control beginning to slip, Yumi had stepped to her side, kissed her on the cheek, and said one single, lonely word. Goodbye. It had not been until the next day that Sachiko had realized what kind of farewell Yumi had intended that to be. Her final farewell.
If she closed her eyes, Sachiko could feel the cool touch of Yumi's lips against her flushed cheek and the gentle touch of her hands against her arm. The sadness in her brown eyes still lived behind Sachiko's eyelids every time she dreamed of Yumi. The time had come for this agony to end. "Where is she?"
"Tell your petite soeur to sit down already." Sei growled from her seat across the room. Ever since they had returned to the flat Yoko and Sei shared, Sachiko had not stopped pacing the floor.
"Leave her be, Sei." Walking into the living area with teacups and a kettle on a tray, Yoko shot Sei a warning look. "She is trying to process all of this."
"You both can stop talking about me as if I'm not here." Without looking in their direction, Sachiko waved her hands around her head, almost as if she were having a fight with herself, with her own raging mind. "I'm trying to figure out what I need to do next."
Yoko, as calm as she ever was, poured tea for herself, Sei, and Sachiko. "If you need to talk it out, go ahead."
"Talk it out?" With a look of irritation, she glared across the room at her sister. "You want me to talk it out?"
With a sarcastic chuckle, Sei pushed herself out of her chair and made her way to the bar nearby. "This should be good."
"Good?!" Throwing her hands into the air in frustration, Sachiko growled her response. "You want me to talk it out? Fine then! It turns out that the woman I have loved since high school has not actually fallen off the face of the earth. No, she just goes out of her way to avoid me. On top of that, after seven agonizing years, she happens to show up on the day my divorce is finalized. I walk by her, even hear her voice, and yet I don't recognize her. To make that moment even more golden, my dear sister, the person I trust the most in this world, simply let me miss that opportunity."
"Now, Sachiko," Yoko started, but stopped when Sei returned to plop onto the cushion next to her.
"Shhhh, Yoko. It's just getting good." Sei winked, unscrewed the lid on her bottle of Vodka. But when she went to pour a bit in each of their cups, Yoko's hand stopped her.
"Sei, dear, this is black tea." She shook her head.
Sei responded with a sharp nod. "Right. I'll get the Rum." A moment later she returned from the bar, the correct bottle in hand, and motioned for Sachiko to continue.
With a mock bow, Sachiko rolled her eyes at her dearest friends. "As I was saying, I then discovered that every single one of my friends knew she was coming, even met with her prior to my arrival. All except, Yoko, of course."
Sei concentrated as she poured a moderate amount of Rum into each of their cups. "Oh, Yoko met with her early this morning." She looked up to see Sachiko's mounting anger and Yoko's increasing annoyance. Without a word, she decided a heavier hand might be warranted and poured a tad more Rum in each of their cups.
With a sigh, Yoko turned to Sachiko and nodded. "I did. I met with her to try and convince her it was time to see you again."
Momentarily speechless, Sachiko found herself torn between getting angry and being curious about Yumi's reaction. The latter soon won out. "And? What did she say?"
In answer Yoko looked down into her tea momentarily, before meeting her gaze once more.
A stab of pain pulsed in her chest at the realization that Yumi refused to see her. "So she's yet to forgive me, huh?" Sachiko leaned back and unceremoniously plopped onto the love seat across from her friends. "I should have known a divorce after seven years wasn't going to magically fix everything."
Sei, who was midway through a bowl of mixed nuts, shook her head and mumbled, "Oh, she doesn't know about the divorce."
Again, Yoko sat staring at her tea while Sachiko sat up straight in perplexed shock. "What? You haven't told her?"
Sei merely shook her head, as if this were the only logical conclusion.
Sighing in resignation, Yoko set her tea down and then stared Sachiko straight in the eye. "Seven years ago, on the day she disappeared, Yumi sent all of us, excluding you, a message. She didn't tell us where she was going, only that by the time we got the message she would be gone. Her only request was that if any of us spoke with her again we would not try to force any updates about you on her." Seeing Sachiko's obvious confusion, Yoko stood and crossed to her side. Taking her hand, she sat beside her. "Little sister, don't you see? You knew how she felt about you."
Sachiko's first instinct was to deny any and all knowledge of Yumi's feelings but found she couldn't. Not with Yoko's knowing gray gaze only inches from her own. Nodding, she reluctantly mumbled, "Yes, I knew."
Nodding as if to say that this was common knowledge, Yoko squeezed her hand and continued, "She couldn't go about healing without moving on. And how was she supposed to do that if we all were trying to keep her involved in your life?" Shaking her head, Yoko truly looked sad as she explained Yumi's hurtful request. And though it really did pain her to know that Yumi had wanted such complete separation, Sachiko couldn't deny that she understood. During these past years, she had avoided all news of Yumi merely to avoid the pain of loss that still thrummed behind her ribs with each thought of her dear… friend? What else could she have called her at the time? What's more, what did she have the right to call her now? Were they now less than friends? Mere acquaintances? Strangers?
Nodding her understanding, Sachiko looked down at her hands and then glanced back up at her friends. She felt guilty for the question on the tip of her tongue, but couldn't keep her curiosity at bay any longer. For years she had deprived herself of anything Yumi-related. Now, free of the shackles she had willingly subjected herself to for the sake of her family, she wanted to immerse herself in all things Yumi. "Tell me about her." They both looked at each other, uncertainty written on every inch of their faces. "Please, I…" A tear threatened to escape her eye as she pleaded with them. "I miss her."
After a moment, Sei nodded to Yoko, then stood and exited the room without a word. Sachiko watched her curiously for a moment before her attention was drawn back to her sister.
"I saw her this morning and she looked good." Yoko's smile appeared cautious as she visibly worked out what she wanted to reveal to Sachiko. "Far better than she did when she said goodbye to me seven years ago."
Sachiko narrowed her eyes as her mind tried to piece together what Yoko had just admitted to her. Finally, everything clicked into place with painfully, sharp clarity. "Are you saying that you saw her before she… before Yumi left?"
Yoko nodded, her eyes never leaving Sachiko's. When they were both silent for a time, Yoko continued, her voice soft but steady. "She was torn apart with guilt back then about choosing to leave without saying anything to you. She came to me, I think seeking absolution for the decision."
"What did you say to her?" Sachiko didn't know if she wanted to know the answer, yet found herself asking anyway.
Shaking her head, Yoko's sigh was heavy and sounded thick with guilt. "I was confused at the time, consumed with my own thoughts of the unbelievable sacrifice you were making. I…" She covered her eyes. "I was not kind on that day."
A throbbing pain took hold in Sachiko's heart at the confession. What had her dear Onee-sama said to Yumi in her defense that would still be racking her body with such guilt seven long years later? "Whu-What happened?" She asked quietly.
"Nothing good." Yoko admitted, her jaw clenching. "I look back and I can think of only one word to describe my reaction, my words that day. Cruel." She covered her face and added, "What makes it worse is today… Today, Yumi forgave me for my cruelty." Her eyes glistened with emotion and tears when she looked back up. "I went claiming that all I wanted was to convince her to try again with your relationship and she saw straight through the lies I had told myself. In truth, I wanted forgiveness. I wanted to see if she hated me for that day."
"She didn't?"
"No, not at all." Yoko giggled in obvious relief. "She saw me and do you know what the first thing she did was?"
Sachiko shook her head.
"She hugged me and even kissed my cheek." A strangled sob escaped Yoko's lips at that. "Apparently she could see the guilt on my face." She laughed through a sob and wiped at her tears "Oh, Sachiko, she has grown into such a beautiful person, calm, confident and self-assured. You wouldn't recognize her in some ways."
Casting her gaze to the ground, Sachiko shook her head. She wanted to say she would recognize her no matter what, just as she had claimed all those years ago, but after having let her pass by on the sidewalk how could she ever make that claim again? "Is she happy?"
When Yoko didn't respond after a good long while, Sachiko looked up and saw sadness in her sister's eyes. "What?"
Again, Yoko shook her head. "It was the first time I had seen her in a long while. She smiled and laughed, yet… yet her smile never reached her eyes as it did before. That's really all I can say, Sachiko. You'd need to see her yourself to draw your own conclusions."
Sachiko was about to open her mouth to respond that that would never happen when Sei stepped back into the room with her cell phone against her ear. "Hold off just a few hours." She paused, her eyes searching Sachiko's and Yoko's faces as she obviously listened to whoever was on the other line. "Why? I mean, being able to see me in person again after so long isn't a good enough reason?"
Sachiko's stomach did flips as she suddenly realized who was on the phone with Sei. Yumi…
Another pause and then a chuckle. "You hold out and I'll bring you anything you'd like." Her eyes met Sachiko's with a wink. "I'll bring you a freakin' care package, alright? Just don't go anywhere until I get there." A few moments later she stood with her phone in her hand, the call having been disconnected.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Sachiko asked nervously, her heart rate accelerating as she anticipated Sei's response.
Without turning her gaze away from Sachiko, Sei spoke to Yoko. "Darling, kindly get your sister prepared for a trip."
"A trip?" Sachiko asked even as a smile broke across Yoko's face. "Where am I going exactly?"
Sei shrugged. "The hell if I know." She turned to walk away before stopping and turning back with a curious look in her eyes. "By the way, Sachiko-chan, how are you with boats?"
A/N - What do you think? I'd love to hear y'all's thoughts on this one. Happy New Year!
