Sachiko glanced at the caller ID on her cell phone and smiled. The first time that she realized that she had been fully accepted into the Fukuzawa family was when she had received a call from Miki asking her if she could stop by the grocery store and pick up a package of rice for the evening meal. Ever since that day she had gotten a little smile every time Miki called her.
"Miki-okaasan, how are you this morning," she answered the phone, completely foregoing her usual phone etiquette. Miki was family after all and would feel uncomfortable if she had to try to match the heavy etiquette that Sachiko had been raised under. "Is there anything I can do for you?"
"Sachiko-chan, can you come home? Yumi needs you," Miki asked in a tremulous voice.
"I-is Y-Yumi alright," Sachiko stammered.
"Physically, she's fine dear; but she needs you right now Sa-chi."
"I'll be there in twenty minutes," Sachiko answered and hung up the phone before turning and running for her car.
It actually took less than fifteen minutes for her to come screeching into the Fukuzawa's driveway. The car had barely stopped moving before Sachiko had the door open and she was running towards the door. Yuichiro opened the door before she got there and stopped her before she could just rush up the stairs.
"She's fine Sachiko-san, so slow down, please. It will do us absolutely no good if you injure yourself or go running into that room in your current condition," he said calmly as he watched her kick off her shoes and put on her slippers. He took her by the arm and led her into the living room and forced her to sit on the couch. Miki came out of the kitchen with a cup of chamomile tea and put it into Sachiko's hand.
"Yumi," Sachiko asked.
"The one thing that she most feared has happened," Miki said calmly, taking a seat on the couch and taking Sachiko's hand into her own.
"Oh, no!" Sachiko gasped. "I didn't notice anything before I left this morning!"
"Neither did Yumi," Miki explained quietly, "until she ran a hand through her hair and ended up with a handful of brown locks. She saw more on her pillow after she sat up. By the time I found her she had used a brush and all of the rest had followed. Needless to say, she's pretty upset. She's refusing to go to her chemo therapy treatments this afternoon. We were hoping you might be able to talk some sense into her. All she keeps talking about is the ball tomorrow night."
Sachiko sighed. "I understand," she said nodding, thinking of the young girl upstairs. The loss of her hair had probably been one of Yumi's greatest fears. She hated the idea of having to wear a wig or having her friends see her like that. "I'll head upstairs in a moment and see what I can do. Is there anything else I should know?"
"Sachiko, Yumi has been looking forward to going to this ball with you for almost nine months," Miki said with a smile, "ever since Yuuki originally asked her to raise the possibility with the members of the Yamayurikai last April. It would absolutely kill her if she wasn't able to go with you. Is there any way that you can talk her into going? I know she would always regret it if she didn't."
"I'll try Miki-okaasan. I'll try. I think I have an idea, but it will require some help from you and Yuichiro-otousan," she said with a slight smile. "I also may have to resort to some 'tough love', and I will need you to back me up on it as well. Can you do that?"
"You know we'll do anything for our daughter, Sa-chi," Yuichiro answered for the both of them.
Sachiko was still getting used to the new diminutive form of her name, but from the lips of these people, it was like a cup of hot cocoa on a cold winter night. It was further proof of their love for her, and it warmed her heart like nothing else could. "Thank you. I'd better head up to see Yumi now," she said as she put her tea cup down on the low table in front of the couch, making sure that she put it on a coaster. Old habits die hard.
She knocked softly on the door to their bedroom. "Yumi, I'm coming in," she called.
"NO! DON'T! I DON'T WANT YOU TO SEE ME LIKE THIS!" Yumi screamed through the closed door. Sachiko checked the knob and found it locked. She frowned but simply reached above the door frame to grab the small piece of metal that would allow her to pop the push-button style lock.
"Yumi, you can't keep me out and you know that I will see you eventually, so it's not like you are doing anything but delaying the inevitable," she called through the door.
"And," she added quietly as she unlocked the door and turned the knob, "you know I will love you whether you have hair or not. It's not your hair that I love, dummy, it's you" she said as she entered the room and saw Yumi curled up on their bed, her arms covering her head. Sachiko closed the bedroom door and walked slowly over to the bed. She sat and took her lover into her arms while Yumi threw her arms around her and started to sob. She let Yumi cry, stroking her now bare head and whispering into her ear. "So soft. So soft and beautiful."
"Eeehhh?"
"I mean it, Yumi. Your head feels so soft, and it is beautiful," Sachiko whispered as she continued to stroke the curve of her beloved's bald skull.
"You're lying Sachiko! I'm ugly and there's nothing you can say differently," Yumi cried into her breast.
"Yumi, even during our worst times I have never in my life lied to you," Sachiko said sternly, "and I am not lying now. Hair or no hair, you are beautiful."
"Maybe to you, but what about everyone else? How can I dare to show my face . . . my head . . . in front of my friends," she wailed.
"Oh for God's sake, Yumi!" Sachiko said with a raised voice, "What about them? Your friends will love you no matter what you look like. I love you no matter what you look like. Why the hell would you care about what anyone else thinks?"
"You just don't understand Sachiko! You can't! You just can't!" Yumi sobbed.
"I can understand one thing young lady," Sachiko said coldly, "You have therapy this afternoon and you will be going. And we have a date to go to a ball tomorrow evening. I'm going to go to the estate and pick up your gown and bring it back here tonight. I will then be going back to the estate so that I may finish up my own preparations and I will be back here to pick you up tomorrow evening. If you are not dressed and ready by the time I get here . . .". She left the remainder unsaid. She never had lied to Yumi and she didn't intend to start now.
She left Yumi still crying on her bed. She looked back one last time and once again gathered her courage to close the door behind her. Leaving her lover in that condition was one of the hardest things she had ever done.
It didn't take long. Sachiko delivered Yumi's gown to the Fukuzawa home and spoke briefly to Miki, Yuichiro, and Yuuki before Yuuki hugged her tightly with tears in his eyes before she once again left the house that had, over the past few months, become more of a home to her than her parents estate had ever been.
Once she got back to the estate, she called in her maid and explained exactly what she needed. She handed her the piece of material that had been cut from the hem of Yumi's gown. The maid took the material and left the room with a short curtsy. Getting the seamstress to make what her mistress wanted was probably going to take all night and require the calling in of a few favors from fabric stores for making them open up again after already closing.
Sachiko then called for her mother and explained the situation. Sayako cried with her daughter for the sake of the child that she had come to so dearly love. When Sachiko then explained her plan Sayako was shocked but, with only a little thought smiled and agreed to help. She called her own hairdresser who agreed to meet them at the estate at nine o'clock the next morning. She didn't bother to tell her father any of her plans. He would only have tried to argue with her and she was in no mood for that. She had made her decision and that was that.
Sachiko pulled out her own gown and hung it on a stand that had been brought in for the purpose. She stood there looking at the gown before she tried it on one more time. It was not quite a duplicate of Yumi's although it shared the same silky material and basic clingy design. Where Yumi's was a light sky-blue, hers was a deep amethyst. The straps for her gown were thinner at the shoulder and flared out until they attached to the material covering the bust. The back was nowhere near as low as the one on Yumi's gown but the skirt sported a slit from the base of the hem to just above her knee. She added an amethyst necklace and earrings and then remembered to pull out a similar, matching necklace and earring set in deep blue tanzanite for Yumi to wear. Holding the jewelry in her hand it seemed to sparkle with its own inner fire.
She brushed her hair and then stood in front of the tri-fold mirror to gauge the effect. She smiled as she saw in the mirror that Sayako had returned and had been standing still behind her, marveling at the beauty that was her daughter. Sayako stepped forward and placed a gentle hand on Sachiko's shoulder.
"You look very beautiful Sa-chi," she whispered. She had at first laughed at her daughter's new diminutive, but she quickly found herself using it when the two of them were alone. It was just one more way that Sayako felt closer not only to her own daughter, but to Yumi and her family as well. Now, on the eve of her daughter's true debut as Yumi's partner, she was so proud that she could hardly believe that the young woman standing in front of her was the same girl that had cried as a child until scolded that it was not "ladylike". Sachiko had had a very strict and rough upbringing in the Ogasawara household. Sayako had tried to shield her from the worst of it, but she had not been able to effectively change the too strong conservative nature of the Ogasawara men.
Now though, she looked upon not a child, not a girl, but a young woman that had finally taken control of her own life and, in one of her finest moments, had taken for herself another young woman to be by her side, both as her petite soeur and as her life partner.
"I'm very proud of you Sa-chi, you know that. But tonight . . . tonight you have surpassed all of my expectations. You truly are an amazing woman and I am very proud to have you as my daughter."
"Thank you mother," Sachiko replied with a soft smile, laying her hand on top of her mother's where it sat on her shoulder. "You don't know how much that means to me."
"Now, hang that up and go and get some sleep. Tomorrow is going to be a big day for both you and Yumi," Sayako admonished her daughter.
"Yes mother, and thank you again," Sachiko said before placing a soft kiss on her mother's cheek. "Get some sleep yourself. I'm going to need you to help me be strong for Yumi's sake."
Sayako just nodded and helped Sachiko unzip the gown before she took her leave.
Sachiko sighed as she hung the gown up on its hanger and smoothed out the material. Yes, tomorrow was going to be a difficult day all around.
When Sachiko arrived back at the Fukuzawa residence Miki had already called her to let her know that, after much crying and grousing, Yumi had finally been talked into putting her gown on. She walked up the sidewalk to the door and knocked. She had gotten in the habit of simply letting herself in, but tonight was special and she wanted to be sure that she made the right impression.
When Yuuki, already dressed in his tux and just about ready to head out to pick up Touko, opened the front door it was to see an absolutely ravishing sight. Sachiko stood in the doorway in an amazing ball gown with a matching shawl draped over her head and shoulders and wrapped around her to keep the chill off.
"Sa-chi, you look beautiful," he said in a quiet voice, "but you know you didn't have to knock. You could have just come in," he finished more normally as she knelt down and unbuckled the straps to her high heeled sandals. "Can I take your wrap? Yumi should be down in just a moment."
"No thank you Yuuki," she replied with a smile, "I'll keep it on a bit longer if you do not mind."
Yuuki shrugged and went to call up the stairs, "Yumi, Sa-chi's here."
"I'm coming," Yumi yelled down to her brother as Miki and Yuichiro came out of the kitchen, cameras in hand, to see their two girls before they headed out to the ball.
Yumi came to the top of the stairs and stared down at Sachiko with a pout. "Your being mean onee-sama," she complained as she slowly descended.
"Come on down Yumi and quit complaining," Sachiko chuckled as she took in the amazing sight of Yumi in her ball gown. Despite the recent hair loss, Yumi looked both sexy and adorable in the form-fitting gown. When Yumi lifted the hem to make sure she didn't trip on her way down, she caught a glimpse of slender ankles and tiny feet clad in stylish heels. The sight of her lover slowly descending the stairs like a delicate child brought a lump to her throat.
"I have a couple of gifts for you," Sachiko said with a gentle smile.
"Gifts?" Yumi asked as she finally reached the bottom step.
"Yes, gifts. First, here are the pieces of jewelry I promised you could use for tonight. In fact, I am giving them to you since," she giggled, "I know that I can borrow them back at any time if I ever need to."
Yumi's eyes widened as she looked in the now open display box at the tanzanite necklace and earrings, "Their beautiful! Are you sure that you don't mind letting me use them?"
"As I said, they are yours to keep," Sachiko said slightly exasperated, "and I don't want to hear any complaints.
"Secondly," she said as she pulled a large piece of gently folded fabric from her purse, "here is a shawl for your use. It exactly matches the color of your gown and you can wear it over your head to stay warm just like I am," she said quietly.
"Sachiko," Yumi said as her eyes began to tear, "thank you. You didn't have to do this."
"Actually, Yumi, yes I did. I wanted to be sure that we matched perfectly," she said as she reached up and removed the shawl that was covering her head.
Gasps could be heard throughout the room before all four of the Fukuzawa's started to gently cry.
Yumi slowly, tentatively reached out a trembling hand and gently touched Sachiko's head; her perfectly beautiful, soft, shaved head.
It's a quarter to seven that boy's at the door
Her daddy ushers him in
And when he takes of his cap they all start to cry
Cause this morning where his hair had been
Softly she touches just skin
"S-Sachiko . . . your hair . . . ," Yumi stammered.
"Well, you didn't think I could allow you to go to the ball making such a bold fashion statement by yourself do you?" Sachiko replied with a huff, "I do have my reputation in high society to uphold."
"But-but-but . . ."
"But what, Yumi? Please speak plainly," Sachiko softly chided her.
"I-it's just that . . ."
"I think what my scatterbrained and tongue-tied older sister is trying to ask Sa-chi," Yuuki tried to explain with a chuckle, "is 'what the heck do you think you're doing?' I, however, could care less since I know that you did it solely for her and," he took her in his arms and gave her a tight hug, "I love you for it."
"We all do," Miki echoed Yuuki's sentiments.
"Well I for one," Yuichiro said with a big grin and another hug for Sachiko while Yuuki ran his hand of Sachiko's bald pate, "think you look absolutely amazing."
If she had been hugged or touched like this by almost any other men in the world, Sachiko would have immediately frozen up in shock. But from these two men all she felt was the warmth of their love and caring. She smiled and hugged Yuichiro back as she had almost never hugged any other man in her life . . . and it felt good!
"Soft," Yuuki said with a smirk that nearly earned him a nose flick from Sachiko; except that she could figure out his intentions.
"He's right," Yumi said in wonder as she too ran her fingers over the tender skin of her lover's head, "and you were right Sachiko, it is very soft . . . a-and very b-beautiful."
"I thought told you, Yumi," Sachiko said turning to Yumi with a sweet smile, "I never have and I never will lie to you. You are the most beautiful and desirable woman I have ever met – with or without hair. And I love you so very, very much" she finished in a whisper as she bent over slightly and placed a tender kiss on Yumi's head.
"I love you too Sa-chi," Yumi replied softly before taking her into a brief, tight embrace that said everything that her words could not. A tear started to form in Sachiko's eye before she wiped it away and gave Yumi a heart stopping grin.
"So, Yumi, are you ready to go? We don't want to be late." Sachiko asked as she held out her arm for Yumi to take.
"Yes, Sa-chi," Yumi replied with a giggle as she fixed her new shawl over her head and slid her arm in to clasp Sachiko's, "let's get going. I want to dance with you all night long."
"And I you, Yumi. And I you."
They go dancing, around and around without any cares
And her very first true love is holding her close
And for a moment she isn't scared.
Notes: Any errors in the description of the medical processes depicted above are solely my own.
For those that are not familiar with it, the song is "Skin" performed by Rascal Flatts and written by Doug Johnson and Joe Henry.