A/N: You should thank Yash (my new notebook :) for this update. I'm so happy with him that I couldn't stop myself from using him even if I'm worn out from work (I think that's the reason why I'm always so sleepy at the office this week ;)

Chapter 29. Acceptance

Yumi woke up with Sachiko's arms around her. Her surprise was only for a moment. This wasn't the first time she woke up this way ever since Sachiko had a nightmare a couple of nights ago. She snuggled closer to Sachiko, reveling at her softness and warmth.

How come this felt so right?

Sachiko made her heart beat faster.

Her smile made her warm.

Her presence made her happy.

The thought of her made her long for her.

The feel of her stirred desire deep within her.

Maybe she really was gay. And if she was, she didn't mind anymore. Maybe it wasn't so bad to love a woman.

No.

Not just any woman but Sachiko.

Only Sachiko.

And maybe, maybe Sachiko loved her that way, too. Her gentle actions spoke volumes to her.

"Are you giving up already?" Sachiko teased, floating in the water a few meters away from Yumi.

"Never!" Yumi replied firmly. They had been in this race for half an hour and although she never once beat Sachiko, it didn't mean she would give up.

Sachiko laughed at Yumi's determination.

Yumi paused and marveled at the sound of Sachiko's laughter. It was a carefree laugh, freer than she had heard from her before. It brought laughter to her lips, too. She was glad that Sachiko acted freer and easygoing with her. Though sometimes she still caught her looking afar and sad, it wasn't frequent anymore.

"I want another round, Sachiko. This time, I'll beat you!"

Sachiko swam closer to Yumi and stopped when she was mere inches away from Yumi.

Yumi gazed at the amused and challenging look at Sachiko's face. Her eyes didn't miss the way the wet strands of hair were plastered on Sachiko's equally wet face. Gingerly, she raised her hand and pushed the strands of hair that partly covered Sachiko's left cheek. Afterwards, instead of pulling her hand away, she cupped Sachiko's cheek.

Sachiko leaned her cheek to Yumi's palm, reveling at the warmth that emanated from it despite the coldness of Yumi's skin. Her gaze, however, didn't left Yumi's.

Not breaking eye contact, Yumi leaned towards Sachiko, her eyes looking back and forth at Sachiko's eyes and lips. When her lips was about to touch Sachiko's, she made a detour and dropped a brief kiss to Sachiko's nose before she pulled and swam away, leaving Sachiko who was unable to react quickly.

After swimming a few meters away, Yumi looked back at Sachiko and said, "Race you to the rock over there! Catch me if you can!"

Sachiko's eyes widened as it followed Yumi's form moving away from her.

"You trickster!"

And then the race was on. Sachiko wouldn't let Yumi get away with that trick. However, Yumi had gained a lot of distance and thus, she lost the race.

"That was a cheap trick," Sachiko said breathlessly as soon as she reached Yumi.

"You should be alert all the time, Sachiko my dear," Yumi said with a chuckle, breathless, too.

Sachiko raised her eyebrows. Everything that was happening between them was becoming more and more like what happened before. Although at that time, she was the one who was teasing Yumi and not the other way around. Nevertheless, she enjoyed this change very much. She even forgot that Yumi still had amnesia. In fact, she believed that everything was changing for the better. Yumi was becoming more and more receptive to her affections, no matter how subtle they were.

"I'll make you pay for that, you know," Sachiko said, her eyes gleaming with mischief.

Before Yumi could react, she was attacked by tickles. Her eyes widened as she laughed and tried to squirm away from Sachiko, which was very difficult considering that they were in the water.

"No! Stop it! S-sachiko!"

Sachiko attacked Yumi mercilessly while Yumi laughed and complained, unable to do more as she was overcame with fits of laughter. Sachiko only stopped when she choked with water.

"Yumi, are you alright?"

Sachiko's mirth was replaced with concern, before she laughed and squirmed when Yumi opted for revenge.

Yumi couldn't help but smile at the memory of what happened yesterday. She couldn't remember being this happy before, even with Yana's presence.

Yana.

She felt guilty that she was so happy she hardly thought about Yana. She missed the little girl, too, but the pull to stay here with Sachiko longer was so strong. It would have been more perfect if Yana was with them. Maybe sometime, Sachiko would let her take Yana with her.

She remembered the kisses that she and Sachiko had shared, first at the lake and second was when Sachiko had nightmare. It almost seemed natural to do so, like she had done it before, like they had done it before. It was frightening, confusing and exhilarating. She realized that those kisses meant a lot of things to her. She felt that those were kisses of love and longing. And she felt that every minute that she spent with Sachiko, she was falling for her.

"I think I'm falling in love with you already, Sachiko, whether I want to or not, whether it's wrong or right," she whispered as she watched Sachiko's even breathing.

"Stay with me forever…" Sachiko said softly, her eyes tender.

"Yes please," came the throaty reply.

"I love you so much, my love," Sachiko whispered.

…

Yumi's eyes widened at the flashed of memory. It was like before at the lake when she and Sachiko had shared their first kiss. Or was it really their first kiss?

And the person who said 'yes please', it sounded so much like her!

Yumi gasped, her heart beat erratically and her body started to tremble.

Did that really happened? Did Sachiko say that she loved her and asked her to stay with her forever and she had said yes? Was that the reason why she felt so many emotions for Sachiko? Was that why she felt desire, longing, happiness, and more, with Sachiko? Was that why she never fell in love with any of her admirers before she met Sachiko? Was that why she believed that she was in love with Sachiko already?

No. That was wrong.

She was in love with Sachiko already. She wasn't falling in love or believing in love or thinking that she was in love with Sachiko. She was in love with Sachiko. Any lingering doubt that she had, it was erased by that piece of memory.

Was the reason why she easily fell in love with Sachiko was because she was remembering her previous feelings?

Yes! That must be it!

Reeling with shocked, Yumi raised her head when she felt Sachiko moved. She watched Sachiko's eyes fluttered for a moment, before beautiful and sleepy blue eyes came into her view.

"Good morning, Sachiko," she greeted with a smile, forgetting the turmoil within her. Sachiko really looked so beautiful. And the warmth that spread within her at the thought of waking up everyday with Sachiko beside her made her heart swelled with excitement and pleasure.

Sachiko literally stopped breathing for a moment at the sight of Yumi's beautiful smiling face. Tears stung her eyes. Oh how she longed to wake up and find Yumi in her arms greeting her with that radiant smile of hers.

Sachiko caught Yumi's hand when the latter started wiping her unshed tears. She brought the hand to her lips and showered it with soft kisses.

Yumi gasped softly at the gentle act. It made her heart swell again with happiness.

"Sachiko, I love you," she blurted, then blushed prettily at her unexpected declaration.

Sachiko once again caught her breath. Yumi's words were music to her ears.

Sachiko, I love you.

Sachiko had longed to hear those words for a long time. Oh how beautiful they sounded, how happy she felt at hearing those words. She closed her eyes to enjoy the feeling. It didn't even crossed her mind that Yumi still had amnesia at the moment and that it was quite surprising to hear those words coming from her in her current state. All she could think at the moment were those three words coming from the lips of the person she loved the most.

"You don't have to say that you love me, too, Sachiko. I just want to let you know," Yumi explained in a hurry, taking Sachiko's silence as some form of rejection. Had she got it wrong? Were her assumptions about everything wrong?

Sachiko's eyes snapped open.

"I love you, too, Yumi. I have always loved you," she said softly, emotionally, as tears once again welled in her eyes.

Yumi's eyes widened. Sachiko's soft words entered her ears straight to her heart, making her happy and warm all over.

"You do?" Yumi asked softly, still not quite believing that Sachiko really loved her.

"Yes, Yumi. I love you so much, my love," Sachiko affirmed.

Yumi closed her eyes to savor the words. However, something distracted her as once again the continuation of a piece of memory came into her mind.

"I love you, too, my Sachiko!" Yumi said in a loud voice, startling Sachiko. "That's what I said when you said the same thing to me before," she added, quieter this time.

"Stay with me forever…" Sachiko said softly, her eyes tender.

"Yes please," came the throaty reply.

"I love you so much, my love," Sachiko whispered.

"I love you, too, my Sachiko."

Sachiko's eyes widened with disbelief.

"You remember? You can remember now?" She asked with anticipation, with anxiety.

Yumi shook her head then reached for Sachiko's hand when the latter's excitement slowly disappeared and was replaced by sadness which was also quickly schooled with a calm expression.

"I can only remember some, mostly about you. Won't you tell me everything now?" Yumi asked softly.

It was Sachiko's turn to shake her head.

"But Sachiko…" Yumi started, but Sachiko stopped her by placing a finger on her lips.

"Shh, Yumi. Not everything that happened between us was good. We had a lot of troubles before. It is better if you'll learn of them yourself rather than from another person's lips."

Yumi gazed at Sachiko intently. Seeing the seriousness in Sachiko's demeanor, she conceded.

"Alright. But will you help me remember?"

"Yes, Yumi. In fact, I already have a plan."

---o---

"So this is where we studied high school?" Yumi asked as her eyes raked the grounds, the buildings, and the students of Lillian Girls Academy.

"Yes, Yumi."

"And this, in this place, this is where we first met?" Yumi asked again, looking at the statue of Mary in front of her. There were some things that want to come in her mind, which she thought must be other forgotten memories, but she couldn't make out any of them. Everything seemed blurred.

"Yes."

Sachiko took Yumi to every place in Lillian Girls Academy that held many memories of them together. The Rose Mansion, the auditorium where they performed Cinderella, everywhere. But nothing happened. Yumi still couldn't remember. By the time they left Lillian, Yumi was frustrated already.

"My memory wouldn't probably come back anymore, Sachiko," Yumi said sadly.

"No. Don't give up yet, Yumi. I don't want you to give up. When I thought that you were dead, I was, I am…" Sachiko was unable to finish what she wanted to say as she remembered her pain, the pain she felt of losing Yumi forever, of the suffering she had when Yumi wasn't by her side, of her ache to be with Yumi, of wanting to die just to be with her. Everything came rushing to her, trying to overwhelm her.

Yumi gently put her arms around Sachiko as the latter cried in her shoulders.

"I'm sorry, Sachiko. I promise I will do everything to remember our times together. Everything. Both good and bad," she said softly. For Sachiko, she would do everything.

Later, Sachiko brought Yumi to the Fukuzawas' former home. The house was still there, but Yumi still couldn't remember anything.

"Come, let's get in," Sachiko said as she held a key.

"You have a key to our former house?" Yumi asked in confusion.

"Yes."

"But Mom and Dad said that it was sold when we left."

"Certainly they did. And I bought it back," Sachiko said to Yumi's surprised.

"Sachiko, you…" Yumi didn't know what to say anymore. Sachiko was really something, she thought.

They toured around the house, ending at her bedroom. Staring at her bed, which Sachiko said was hers when she lived there, there were some visions that she couldn't quite recognized at first, before they became a bit clearer.

Two girls…

Two women…

In the bed…

Making love...

She didn't need a clearer view or memory to realize that what she saw was she and Sachiko. She felt her cheeks burn. She had accepted already that she loved Sachiko. She had realized and was sure that her feelings right now were the feelings that her mind had forgotten but her heart had not.

Why else would she dream about Sachiko continuously? Why did she felt too many emotions for Sachiko? Why did she fell in love with Sachiko that easily amidst the confusions in her life and just by being with her for a very short time? Why did all of memories flashing in her mind were of her and Sachiko in somewhat romantic way?

Those reasons were enough for her to be certain about her belief and feelings. If the others and Sachiko would tell her otherwise in the future, then she must not have only amnesia but probably losing her mind, too.

However, the real question now that she was itching to know was just how deep was their relationship before? How far they had gone through? Physically. If what she felt at this room was an indication, then they were really involved in each other before.

"I…I'm…let's go, Sachiko," she stammered in embarrassment. She didn't know what to say. It was really embarrassing that she couldn't remember the things that she and Sachiko had shared together before. And to think she was really embarrassed when she couldn't take her eyes off Sachiko when she came out fresh from bath the morning after her first night at Sachiko's house. If they had been very intimate before, then she shouldn't be embarrassed anymore! But then, she had amnesia so she should be excused.

Shaking her head, Yumi started to the door ahead of Sachiko.

Now what?

A/N: The more I read a chapter, the longer it gets. I just changed and added a lot of things in this chapter, which meant that I had to integrate that changes into the next chapters or else every one of us will get confused haha ;)

You know, most of the time, I got ideas for addition on a story when I'm sending my response to reviews. Mostly the words you said trigger something in my mind and then I was already thinking of this and that. The most prominent was during my story The Kiss and the Bites. If you were with me that time, you know that I ended the story at chapter two. However, when someone mentioned about continuing the story, I said I won't anymore but then as I typed that refusal, ideas were coming into my head and before I knew it, I had shaped up an idea for two more chapters ;)

Well, that's the benefit of giving me reviews as well as making me smile ;) When I'm happy (and not busy), I'm encouraged to write ;)

Next time, it's "A Repeat?"

What will be repeated, you'll just have to find out next time ;)

---Arvendell---

11 December 2008

8:33 AM