A/N: The night after I posted Chapter 15, I had a change of heart. The other main characters will make an appearance, but their role will be minor. Just want to show what have become of them in this story, so I'm sorry for getting your hopes up only to destroy it :( I'm really sorry, guys! Lilgumba had voiced out a portion of my reason for discarding the idea. If I wanted Yoshino as detective, I should have included her earlier, as the one who did the investigation. Anyway, what had become of Yoshino is still related to what I mentioned before but no, it's not as an investigative reporter haha ;)
Chapter 16. Surprises
Aya slumped on the couch ungracefully. She's tired. She hadn't slept well since…she couldn't remember.
She closed her eyes, the sound of the TV lulling her to sleep. However, before she could drift to sleep, a face of a person came into her mind, the face that had been bothering her for many nights. A tall woman with long black hair. A very beautiful woman.
'Why can't I stop thinking about you? Who are you?'
Was it only admiration because she's very beautiful, the most beautiful woman she had ever seen in her life.
"Kawaii!"
Aya's eyes snapped open at the squeal. Startled, she settled her gaze on the source of the interruption from her musing. A little girl sitting on the carpet holding a baby doll yet her attention was focused on the TV.
Her eyes softened, before she turned her attention to the reason of her little girl's excitement. A smile broke her lips as she saw what's on the TV, before she stood up and scooped Yana, bringing her to the couch with her.
"You aren't supposed to watch that. They are not for kids."
"Mou, I'm not a kid anymore, Mommy," came an indignant reply coupled with a pout.
Soft laughter echoed at the room.
"Tell me, how old are you?"
Four fingers rose in the air accompanied by an energetic voice saying, "Four!"
"Still a child."
"…"
Cute little protest was cut-off when a good-looking lady was shown on TV.
"It's her, Mommy! Touko!"
Matsuu Touko. The actress her daughter liked the instant she saw her in TV when they arrived in Japan. Why Yana liked her, she couldn't understand. True. She's a very young, talented and beautiful actress. But she was always serious. She had never seen her smile except when she's acting. She always looked serious and snobbish. She always portrayed as the villain in the shows and movies that she had seen. However, like her daughter, she also liked her the instant she saw her. She felt like she had known her before, though she always dismissed the idea. How a common and simple person like her could knew in person a well-known actress like her? It's impossible.
"You like her, don't you?"
"Love her! She's pretty like Mommy…She's second to Mommy."
"She's third."
"Because Yana is first and Mommy second?"
Aya laughed again as she hugged the little girl tighter. Whatever her problems were, she always forgot them once Yana started her endless chatter.
"You're so smart."
"Like Mommy?"
"Right. Don't let Daddy Ken hear you, though, he'll disagree."
"He won't, promise," Yana said firmly as she raised her little pinky finger as a promise.
Aya smiled at that. Right. Yana had everyone in this house wrapped around her little fingers.
Still smiling, she turned her gazed back on the TV.
---o---
"Sachiko, how long are you going to lock yourself in the four corners of your office? Isn't this what you've always wanted? To be with her? Then why aren't you doing anything?" Youko said once she had safely closed the door to Sachiko's office.
"I have important things to do, Onee-sama," Sachiko said, not meeting Youko's gaze.
"Something important? That's preposterous. What more is important than going to Yumi-chan?"
Youko was incredulous.
Was this Sachiko she's speaking to?
Didn't this woman cry a river when Yumi died?
Now that they found out that she didn't, why wasn't she doing any move?
Sachiko's expression turned cloudy. Certainly she wanted to see Yumi so badly that she couldn't sleep and eat. But her father's warning about being careful made her uneasy to met Yumi.
She couldn't just come to her recklessly. She needed a plan.
And as if she wasn't having enough worries about that already, she realized that her grandfather had started making his moves given the number of clients that backed out from her company, particularly clients from Osaka.
"What's holding you back?" Youko asked, seeing Sachiko's expression. She realized that there must be something, something that Sachiko hadn't told her yet.
Youko was a person that Sachiko trusted with her secrets so she explained everything to her.
Youko was visibly shaken at Sachiko's confession. The Ogasawara men certainly thought they were gods, playing with people's lives, with people's emotions, even of their own family.
As she looked at Sachiko's confused and worried expression, her brain worked overtime as to how she could help her.
"Won't it be easier if you just met Yumi-chan in secret?"
"But how? There are men watching her, and I'm sure there are others watching my every move, too."
"You said you have your father on your side and he has men watching over Yumi-chan. Then ask for their cooperation. Demand if you have to."
Sachiko was quiet for a moment as she digested what Youko just said.
Yes, why hadn't she thought about that? She was so scared for Yumi's sake that she's being so dumb.
What they needed was a diversion to make sure that her grandfather's men won't find out.
---o---
Everything was settled. Since she had an apartment on the next floor of her office, what Sachiko did was to sneak away from her office and Youko stayed inside as her cover, pretending that she, Sachiko, was staying at her apartment after work. Youko could handle anyone for several days that she would be gone.
In meeting Yumi, Sei and her loyal driver accompanied her.
"Nervous?" Sei asked as she noticed Sachiko's hands shaking. She, too, felt nervous about seeing her friend Yumi, though they had planned that she wouldn't interfere when Sachiko meets Yumi. She would just be there to keep an eye on Sachiko so as to help her if the need arise.
Sachiko nodded. She didn't think she could speak. She's so nervous she's shaking all over. She could also feel cold sweat on her back despite the cool air coming from the air condition of the car.
"Don't worry. I'll make sure no one would see once you started making a pass on Yumi," Sei joked, trying to distract Sachiko. When she received an angry glare, she chuckled.
"Good. You're on yourself again."
Yet when the car stopped to the place where Sachiko's going to see Yumi, she thought she wouldn't be able to get out of the car. She was frozen with worry, nervousness, and excitement.
She's going to see Yumi. An alive and real Yumi.
---o---
Sachiko blinked away the tears that formed in the corner of her eyes as she watched Yumi talked animatedly to a couple that they had paid to pretend as a client to Yumi's family company.
She almost passed out when she saw Yumi came to the restaurant earlier. She had wanted to run after her, to hug her, to tell her how happy she was that she's alive, to tell her how much she missed her, but she was frozen at the sight of Yumi. She couldn't move. And Sei held her, making sure that she wouldn't make a scene lest their plan would be ruined.
And she waited for the right time to come, which didn't take long. She watched as the woman Yumi's talking to accidentally knock a glass of water which the content spilled on Yumi.
She took a deep breath.
It was time as Yumi stood to go to the rest room which was what they expected her to do.
"Go in there, Sachiko," Sei whispered to her.
---o---
Aya grimaced as she looked at her wet slacks. Luckily the glass didn't contain many water, otherwise she would be really wet. But still, she needed to dry it off.
She frowned when the door at the rest room closed by itself, which was unknown to her, was closed by Sei outside. She turned again to the mirror, only to let out a squeak as she put her hand in her chest.
She turned around to make sure that she wasn't imagining things, and her eyes met cold blue eyes.
For a moment, they just stared at each other, unmoving. She watched the beautiful woman, mesmerized. She had the most beautiful and arresting eyes she had ever seen, despite the loneliness and longing that she had read in there. And the lips, she had the most amazing lips she had seen.
She gasped softly as she felt a desire to feel those lips with hers.
She was perplexed at the feeling.
---o---
Sachiko's eyes raked through Yumi's face hungrily. Oh how she had missed those fine features, the loving eyes who always stared at her with admiration and love, the soft red lips that kissed hers tenderly and whispered loving words to her ears, and the long brown soft hairs that brushed her face whenever she kissed her.
Tears run down her cheeks at seeing Yumi this close.
---o---
Aya frowned when the woman in front of her cried, breaking her out of her frozen state.
"Are you alright, Miss?"
Sachiko closed her eyes at hearing Yumi's voice after so many years. It hadn't changed much, except for the slight accent.
She opened her eyes when she felt warm hand touched her arm.
"Are you feeling alright?" Aya asked worriedly. She remembered this woman. In fact, her image never left her ever since she bumped into her at the restaurant before. She had also felt longing for this woman ever since, which confused her so much.
She caught her breath when the woman moved and enfolded her in a hug. She was frozen once again. She didn't know what to do. She was so surprised by the act.
'Why in the world is this woman hugging her? Does she know her?'
"Yumi."
Aya's eyes gone impossibly big at the name she heard. She pushed the woman away in shock.
"I'm sorry. You were saying?" She asked, her heart beating so fast in her chest.
Sachiko frowned at the surprise and confusion in Yumi's face.
"Yumi?"
This time, Aya stepped back from the woman.
"I'm sorry but my name is Aya, not Yumi," she said with a shaky smile.
Sachiko's frown grew.
"No you're not. You're Yumi, Fukuzawa Yumi."
"No, I'm not Fukuzawa Yumi! I'm Houribe Aya!" Aya said in a loud voice, scared.
Before the woman in front of her could react, she turned towards the door and hurriedly left, half-running, ignoring the woman's calls or the blonde woman outside the rest room who were surprised by her act.
---o---
Aya ran as fast as she could.
"Hey, watch where you're going!"
She was so focused into getting away that she couldn't stopped herself from bumping on something when she turned to an alleyway. She fell on her butt with a loud thud.
"Ouch…that hurt…"
"Here, let me help you."
A hand was thrust in front of her. Smiling gratefully, she reached for the hand as she raised her head to thank the person.
"Thank…ouch!"
The person had let go of her hand and she fell back on the hard cement.
"What did you do that for?" She asked in confusion and a tinge of irritation. She forgot all about it, however, when she saw the person's frozen expression.
"Are you alright, Miss? Were you hurt?"
Ignoring the pain in her butt, Aya quickly stood and held the person's stiff shoulders and shook her gently.
"Miss? Are you alright? Did I hurt you?"
"Y-yumi-san? Is that you?"
Her eyes widened and she paled. Before the person could say another word, she bolted away from her as fast as her legs could carry her.
"Wait! Hey!"
The person wanted to run after Aya but she couldn't move with shock.
"Did something happen? What's wrong? Yoshino?"
A/N: I noticed that Yumi and Sachiko always met in the restroom. Don't worry, there will be a change of venue next time. Maybe next time they'll meet in a bedroom (just kidding haha ;)
I wanted to take a break from this story, because the chapters coming are still "a bit" sad. I wonder if you'll allow me…You'll probably tell me to hurry up and then I couldn't resist again and…sigh…
Anyway, how about these titles, chose which one you want to read as a break from this "serious" story – 1) Sexy and Dangerous; 2) Lady on Top; and 3) One Step at a Time. I'll revise and post which one you wanted to read. Warning though, these are excapades, so expect a "naughty" story. These titles belong to Excapade B (if you had read my previous Excapades, you'll remember that those are Excapade A), B because in this theme, both Sachiko and Yumi are adults and they are together already. Let's just say that in B are some naughty scenes between the two lovebirds haha. I can't promise that I will post it right away, but rather, sometime before we reached the end of Love Will Lead You Back, I'll post it, okay? ;)
---Arvendell---
28 October 2008
8:20 AM