A/N: My sincere apologies for taking so long to upload this chapter. Between life and my over-analyzing of words, it took me a couple of weeks to edit this to something I didn't think was complete rubbish!
Now, to me, Rei and Yoshino are amazing characters full of depth, but are usually ignored because their relationship, apart from the Yellow Rose Revolution, is quite stable compared to anyone else's. Nonetheless, since stability is something Noriko lacks -and perhaps, longs for- in this story, the life of these two Yellow Roses should be seen as important as looking into the life of someone like Sei for example.
Whatever it was - Chapter VIII
Rei had finally settled down in her office, three thirty had come quickly –the greatest downfall of Monday was Sunday. Tournaments at the dojo usually meant an excessive amount of paperwork to filter through the next day and with Monday practices going at full speed because of school break, not even Nana's help could keep Rei away from the office all morning and afternoon.
Yumi had dragged Yoshino to lunch claiming she hadn't had 'quality time' with her best friend in weeks. Using the excuse Nana's restaurant was closed on Mondays, Yumi's speech was quite persuasive, though what always got Rei were the eyes. Who, in their right mind could resist those large, pleading chocolate orbs?
And that's why Rei sat in front of her computer by herself, inputting individual match scores then totaling team results. She would usually make a pot of tea so Yoshino and Nana could help themselves when they happened to stop by; however, with Yoshino gone and Nana teaching, Rei had settled for a single cup of tea, which steeped at that moment and somehow annoyed the blonde to no end, or maybe it was the fact that she, selfishly, missed having Yoshino hovering over her computer.
The teabag had been dunked and pulled out of the steaming water multiple times as if the motion would somehow expedite the steeping process. Three to four minutes felt like an eternity and when the tea was finally brewed, Rei let go of the teabag and grabbed the mug, though before she could finally take a sip of the much-anticipated drink, her phone rang.
There were only a few people who would call Rei's cellphone, especially in the middle of the day, so when the blonde finally reached for the device and answered, her voice couldn't help but falter, "Y-Yumi?" If the initial silence on other side of the line didn't immediately confirm Rei's concerns, the following, "Ro… Rosa Foetida…" did. Rei couldn't remember when it was the last time anyone in their right mind had called her by her rose name. The headache was instant.
"…It's Yoshino."
Rei held her breath waiting for Yumi to continue. Yoshino had scared the woman so many times going in and out of the hospital before her heart surgery, Rei knew that freaking out would just make matters worse, especially when Yumi was already stuttering on the other side of the line, "The car ride… and we were waiting and there was a whole bottle of wine… Rei-sama…"
"Yumi…" Rei interrupted, "where?"
"S-Saint Mary's."
"15 minutes."
Rei had already picked up her keys and walked out of the office before dropping the call. The weakest of the winds showered the sidewalks with red and yellow leaves as Rei exited the dojo and headed to her car.
Autumn held a special place in the blonde's heart all because of Yoshino. The quiet draft that messed Rei's hair brought with it memories of a similar time not long ago, when a certain short woman with long twin-braids scare made Rei cry from worry. As the blonde entered her car, a wave of uncertainties hit her much harder than what she was expecting, bringing a sick feeling to her stomach and a knot to her throat.
Maybe it was bad; maybe Yoshino was indeed in trouble and Yumi was just trying her best to sound optimistic – Yumi had called Rei 'Rosa Foetida,' after all. The Freudian slips, often seen through Yumi's high school career were long gone, only to be brought up by her friends when tales of the Yamayurikai were being told. Hoping that Yumi had given her the name of the correct hospital, the blonde drove away, sending Maria-sama a quick prayer and asking for the situation to be just another one of Yoshino's uprisings.
Yoshino, please... there's so much I haven't told you yet. So many things I still want to do with you. Be strong for me!
Rei was an understanding sensei, a woman with a heart so big it could never run out love for her friends and family. She was a role model for many Lillian students, especially the ones who had the ability to know the real Rei, the one who knitted Yoshino scarves and gloves for Valentine's Day, the one who taught Shimako how to bake log cakes and Yumi how to make chocolates. Rei was the height of patience; yet, there was Yoshino, who somehow held this incredible ability to turn Rei's life upside down and inside out – not out of spite, of course, but out of the need to stand side-by-side with Rei.
Yoshino, wait for me…
Speeding up to cross a yellow light, Rei thought about Yoshino's fascinating talent to push her buttons. The woman didn't even have to be around to have such effect. Even so, she felt a tug on her lips while remembering how terrified she was when Yoshino decided to have heart surgery, how scared she felt when Yoshino decided to join the Kendo Club. Whether it was resilience or stubbornness, Yoshino's decisions somehow always ended up surprising Rei, even after so many years of friendship and deeper declarations. A raft of other memories flooded the blonde's mind, a roller coaster of emotions that ultimately culminated in a love that had touched every single inch of Rei's heart.
When yellow turned to red, Rei stopped – she was a safe driver, after all. From her window she saw trees lining up a park across the road; some leaves unusually still green, others already brown: an indecisiveness that made late October all the more beautiful in the former Rosa Foetida's eyes. All of that indecisiveness, the colors and the smells of autumn, made Rei reminisce about one of Yoshino's biggest feats:
An uneasy feeling had made Rei step out of her dad's office grabbing a broom as she headed toward the dojo's entrance. Sweeping at that time of the year was an impossible task; the leaves covered the sidewalks and the grass, spilling over onto the street. Her dad, for many years had used the leaves as a form of punishment at the dojo, "Take a broom, sweep that attitude away," he would say. Rei had lost count of how many dozen of bags she had filled as a child, but as if her dad had instructed her yet again to sweep, she started.
Something bothered the woman: whether it was the premature wintery chill that had taken over Tokyo that year, the added responsibilities she would be acquiring when the dojo became hers, Yoshino's sudden apathy, or maybe a mixture of everything… the weird feeling in her stomach wouldn't go away. Fighting with the stubborn leaves outside; a simple attempt aimed toward appeasing Rei's tumultuous thoughts, ended up making her all the more angry and insecure about her decisions in life.
The dojo was already a done deal, taking over the business for her father had always been a dream of hers, and when the offer was presented, Rei took it without hesitation. However, getting to learn the needy-greedy side of it made Rei's resolve a bit shaky. Theoretically speaking, the blonde had all of the knowledge she needed in order to succeed; still, in practical terms, being completely on her own while dealing with behind-the-scene issues made her anxious. Even Sachiko had offered to help several times; the woman was busy, but never too busy for Rei. The former Rosa Chinensis had much respect toward Rei and the feeling was mutual. Nevertheless, Sachiko knew that in order for Rei to be all-in, she needed a certain stubborn brunette to be all-in with her.
Sachiko didn't want to pry, but she had a hunch that Yoshino was yet again tinkering with Rei's ability to follow through with her plans – Sachiko wasn't wrong. An enigma of sorts, the feisty teacher was yet to show any sort of interest in making their relationship official. Rei, more than anyone, wanted to protect the brunette; adding her name to the Hasekura family's directory would make Yoshino co-owner of the dojo, which in turn would give Yoshino full-rights over the business if something were to happen to Rei. Yoshino saw no need in doing such a thing - there was no sense of emergency as far as making things 'official' went. Rei, not wanting to poke any bears and re-live another Yellow Rose Revolution incident, decided to let the idea marinate for several months; however, not hearing anything back from Yoshino up until that moment had started to eat her up inside.
The first pile of leaves had been successfully bagged by the blonde when one of Nana's students came running out of the dojo, "Sensei! Sensei!" she screamed out of breath.
"What's wrong?!" Rei answered, still holding on to the bag of leaves.
"It's Yoshino, Sensei!" the kid answered.
The blonde immediately threw the broom on the floor and tossed the bag to the side letting all of the leaves scatter across the sidewalk. She ran past the small student without uttering a word and didn't stop until she reached the classroom.
Crossing the door's threshold, Rei took small steps until she reached the center of the tatami where all students stood in a circle. Her heart racing, her head consumed by a ringing that deafened the woman. Nana called for Rei, but in a trance, the blonde didn't acknowledge the girl.
The hurdle of students cracked, allowing Rei to see what she had already imagined but didn't want to be true: lying on the floor was Yoshino, one of her twin braids across her neck, the other hidden behind her back. Rei noticed that Yoshino used both hands to hold her kendogi tightly above her heart. The blonde felt her stomach churn but pressed forward, kneeling down by the smaller girl who had her eyes shut while she tried to catch her breath, "Yoshino," Rei started, landing a hand on the brunette's face, "I'm going to pick you up so I can take you to the hospital, ok? Just hold on to me," she took a deep breath as the fear of losing the woman of her dreams started to get the best of her, "I'm right here," she finally broke down as she cradled Yoshino in her arms and lifted the small girl from the floor, "Please!"
"Rei, it's ok," Yoshino wrapped one of her arms around Rei's neck and whispered.
"No, it's not okay! It's all my fault! Your heart and the dojo…"
"Rei!" Yoshino's voice was much louder the second time, making Rei halt her steps.
"Put me down," Yoshino asked.
"Yoshino!"
"Put me down!" She squirmed.
"But…"
"Now!"
Rei slowly brought Yoshino down to her feet and watched her stand and take a deep breath before grabbing the blonde by the hand and bringing her back into the circle of kendo students.
"Yoshino… your heart!"
Once inside the circle Yoshino answered Rei, "My heart, Rei… is strong today because of you."
"Yos–"
Before Yoshino continued, a very faded melody could be heard from across the dojo and the music became louder and louder as the violins approached the circle while Yoshino continued to explain, "It's because of the way you have treasured my heart all of these years that I am able to stand here in front of our students, in front of our friends today!" Because of your love, my heart is able to beat stronger. Each time you walk side-by-side with me is a time my heart rejoices and it longs for more days when you will hold my hand while we are out shopping, or that you'll tell me that you love me without a given reason."
Rei's blush had deepened with each word Yoshino said and as Yoshino took Rei by the hand once again, the blonde realized she wasn't the only nervous one; clammy hands ran in the family, after all. Rei smiled when Yoshino's eyes went front the hands she held to beautiful blue orbs that glimmered with each word uttered by the petite brunette. The blonde had finally spotted where the music was coming from when she looked to her side and saw Sachiko and Yumi playing the beautiful melody that echoed through the dojo. Rei wondered for a split second about who had come up with the violin idea, but then went back to looking into her favorite brown-eyes and as those brown eyes lowered with Yoshino's motion that got the young brunette to one knee, Rei's legs began to tremble.
"I love you because you are you, Rei. You are such an amazing woman with a heart so big that I sometimes have trouble trying to grasp this ability you have to love unconditionally. That's why, Hasekura Rei-chan, I want nothing more than for you to marry me. Please, baka, say yes?"
The light turned green and Rei press forward trying to shake the thought that something terrible had happened to the woman who had complete ownership of her heart.
As Rei stepped out of her car and ran toward the automatic doors, a colder wind blew reminding the woman that she couldn't wait any longer to start carrying a jacket for the temperature was dropping noticeably by nighttime. Her lungs, deprived of air, complained to the woman when she opened her mouth in order to address a nurse, "I'm-"
"Rei," a calm Sachiko interrupted from a coffee machine to the side of the reception desk, "this way," she continued, grabbing Rei's hand and guiding her toward the elevators across the way.
Rei didn't utter a word. She didn't have to. She let Sachiko walk her to the elevator, press the button and when the doors opened, they both stepped in, in complete and comfortable silence. Rei's tight grip on Sachiko's hand and the dark-haired woman's tighter hold spoke more than anything either friend could have said.
When the doors closed and Sachiko pressed the button leading to the fifth floor, Rei looked up at the Ogasawara heiress and finally stuttered, "Is she…"
"You worry too much, Rei," Sachiko answered.
"She wants to do a million things at the same time, and she kno– "
"She knows what?"
"Sachiko…"
"How many times have you been to the hospital after her surgery back in high school?" Sachiko asked, and hearing silence as an answer, she then continued, "Why are you assuming things? Yoshino's heart is as healthy as any of our hearts. Maybe even stronger than some of ours, because the woman she loves never broke hers."
Silence once again reigned between the friends as they walked through a maze of corridors until Sachiko halted her steps in front of room 514. Sachiko looked up and Rei questioned: "Then… what are we all doing here, Sachiko?"
"That's an answer you should get from your wife, not me."
Yoshino sat atop of the bed between Yumi and Noriko. The two women laughed at a story being told by Yoshino, who at seeing Rei and Sachiko enter the room, stopped in the middle of her sentence. The last giggle from Yumi still rang in the air as Rei approached the bed and stood in front of Yoshino.
"Yoshino, I thought y–"
"I'm sorry to make you worry, Rei-chan, I just had a spell and," Yoshino jumped off the bed and stood tall in front of Rei, before continuing, "I..I am sorry. I didn't want to worry you. I even told Yumi not to call you…"
Rei looked around. Her friends stood silently watching the interaction between the couple. So many years of friendship gave the women the unspoken permission to stay in the room. Yoshino reached for Rei's hand and looked deep into the loving blue eyes staring back at her before she explained to Rei that her collapsing had nothing to do with her heart and a bit more to do with her lack of sleep.
"I've been researching for the past month… I wanted to be sure before I told you…"
"Researching? Told me what?" Rei questioned.
"That I'm healthy enough to… have a baby with you!"