(This fiction is based on the characters and settings created by Oyuki Konno)

Yumi sighed sadly, as she looked at the empty spot next to her in the bed. 'Oh Sachiko,' the brown-haired girl said to herself, 'I want to trust you, but what will you do if you really get angry at me, or I get in your way. Would you hurt me too?' The young woman slowly got out of bed and mechanically went through her morning routine, then she left for school. She padded down the street woodenly, feeling as if she was missing an essential part of her.

All throughout the day, Yumi suffered from bouts of distraction, as thoughts of her love came to mind unannounced. One time, she was writing something on the blackboard then suddenly she felt Sachiko hugging her from behind. Another time it was a mirage of a smiling Sachiko walking through the door. The young teacher was very glad when the day was over, and she headed home.

Yumi was greeted by the lingering smell of cooking food as she walked into the small apartment. "Sachiko," she called hopefully. She sighed after hearing no response. She went into the kitchen, and saw the source of the pleasant aroma. A plate of food was sitting in the middle of the counter. Yumi read the note that was attached to it. I made you some dinner. I hope you like it. With Love, Sachiko. The young woman was touched that her love came and made her dinner. Her heart yearned for Sachiko's presence, while her body itched to embrace her black haired beauty. Yumi poured herself a drink and ate her meal standing at the counter.

Yumi heard a knock at the door, as she placed her dishes on the drying rack, next to the sink. "Coming," she said, drying her hands as she went to answer the door.

"Good afternoon, Yumi-sama," Aya-chan said as the door opened. She was wearing street clothes and had a gift bag in her right hand.

"Aya-chan, how nice to see you. Come in," Yumi offered as she moved out of the doorway.

Aya-chan stepped into the foyer, while Yumi shut the door behind her, and looked worriedly at the girl who just entered.

Aya-chan, noticing Yumi's concern, told the brown-haired girl, "Sachiko-sama is fine. Everything is OK." Yumi let out a relieved sigh as the maid continued. "Sachiko-sama told me all about your disagreement last night, and I am not taking sides between my friends. Please dont' worry that I'm on a super secret spying mission. I just want to show you something that may put things in perspective. Are you free now or should I come back another time?"

"I have some time now." Yumi answered.

"Then let's go," the maid stated. "Get your things, and I'll take you." Yumi got her things together and exited the flat after Aya-chan.

As the two girls were walking toward the bus stop, Yumi asked the other girl, "Where are we going?"

"To see my family," the maid replied.

A bus, a train, and a short walk later, the pair stood in front of a run down, two story apartment building. Aya-chan led them up a flight of stairs to a door on their left. The maid unlocked the door and entered, with the brown-haired girl following close behind.

"I'm home!" Aya-chan called out as she slipped out of her shoes. Yumi followed suit.

"I'm in the kitchen," a woman's voice called back.

Yumi followed Aya-chan, looking around the small two bedroom apartment. Despite it's run down appearance, the common living area was neat and free of clutter. There was and old TV in the corner, a low table in the middle of the room, much like the one in her own apartment. The walls were adorned with family pictures. The whole place made Yumi feel warm inside.

The kitchen area was off in the corner of the living area. A middle-aged woman was standing at the stove cooking. As they approached, the woman turned down the burners and faced the pair of girls. Her face reddened when she saw Yumi. "I wish you had told me you were bringing company. I would have prepared better." She scolded her daughter.

"I'm sorry for being so inconsiderate," Aya-chan said sheepishly. "Mom, this is Fukuzawa Yumi. She is a friend of Sachiko-sama."

The woman stiffened and replied formally, "I'm pleased to meet you, Fukuzawa-sama. I'm Natsume, Aya-chan's mother. Make yourself at home."

Yumi bowed, gave the woman a friendly smile and said, "Thank you for your hospitality Natusme-san. Please call me Yumi."

Natsume's eyes softened, "Yumi-san it is then."

"We actually came to see Kana-chan. How is she?" Aya-chan told her mother.

"She's playing in her room. It's been one of her better days," Natsume informed her daughter. Go on I'm sure she'll be happy to see you."

Aya-chan led Yumi to one of the bedrooms. The door was open and Yumi saw a black-haired girl about sixteen years old, sitting on the floor, playing with dolls. When Aya-chan entered the room, the girl looked up and smiled. "Nee-san." she said in a little girl's voice as she rushed up and gave Aya-chan a big hug. Once she noticed Yumi, she moved away from her sister and looked around fearfully.

"Kana-chan, it's alright," Aya-chan said calmly. "This is a friend of mine Yumi, and she wanted to meet you."

Yumi looked at the girl fondly, with soft eyes, "Nice to meet you Kana-chan. I hope we can be friends."

Kana-chan looked at Yumi critically for a moment. "You're not like the others. You smell nice," the little girl voice told her.

Yumi blushed at the compliment. It seemed odd to her that the sixteen year old could sound like one of her students. "Thank you , Kana-chan, you have such a beautiful room," Yumi said as she looked around. The room was tidy, bit it also was decorated like a little girl's room, with badly drawn pictures tacked into the wall, children's books, and a shelving unit that held nothing but 'barbie' dolls.

Kana-chan's attention turned to Aya-chan when the older girl spoke. "Kana-chan, I got you a present," she said, extending the gift bag toward her sister.

The younger girl's eyes lit up when she grabbed the the bag out of her sister's grip, and looked inside. "Ooh, a princess," she said as she took out a doll with blond hair and a pink evening gown. "Thank you nee-san."

Yumi smiled over the young girl's excitement. She looked around the room again. As she looked over at the shelves of dolls, something odd caught her eye. She moved closer to investigate. Each doll seemed to be disfigured in some way. Most were scribbled on with magic marker, some dolls had their hair hacked off, but there was one doll in the center that was defaced more than the others. The doll's head was melted on one side with the hair burnt off. There were red marks all around the chest and between the doll's legs. Yumi reached up to bring it down for a better look, but when she got it, Kana-chan ran over and yanked it from Yumi's hands.

"That's mine! Don't touch it!" The young girl screamed.

Yumi bowed low and apologized. "I'm sorry Kana-chan. I should have asked permission before touching your things. I just wanted to have a closer look at such a lovely doll."

"It's not pretty. It is ugly, like me," Kana-chan shot back, clutching the broken doll to her chest as she flopped on the bed.

Yumi was rescued from the awkwardness by Natsume calling them to dinner. She followed Aya-chan out of the room and over to the low table in the living room. The two girls knelt at the table and Natsume placed plates in front of them before kneeling down to her's. The food smelled delicious to Yumi, who looked down at her plate and noticed it was more rice than anything else. 'Money must really be tight for them,' she thought.

"Itadakimasu." the three women said before starting in on the food. So as not to seem ungracious, Yumi ate the meal in front of her, even though she ate earlier. "This is delicious, Natusme-san," she said after finding it incredibly tasty.

"Thank you, Yumi-san," Aya-chan's mother replied, smiling. She was pleased that the brown-haired girl enjoyed the meager meal she provided.

"Is Dad working again tonight?" Aya-chan asked her mother.

The older woman nodded, saying, "He has to take the extra work when he can get it."

The three women soon finished eating. Natsume got up and cleared the table, leaving the other two girls to talk alone. As she sipped her tea, Aya-chan said, "You're not going to ask about Kana-chan?"

Yumi shook her head, "I didn't want to be nosy, but I take it she is what you wanted to show me."

Aya-chan nodded, "She didn't used to be like that. She used to be bright, friendly, and outgoing."

"What happened," Yumi asked.

Aya-chan took another sip of tea and started to explain. "She always wanted to be like me. After I got hired by the Ogasawaras, she waited until she was 15 and applied for a part time position. There are so many parties and functions at the mansion, that they hired extra servers to work them on an on-call basis. She came home from the interview so happy that they had chosen her. She was really looking forward to her first party. On the night of the party, I was called down to the servants wing by the head of staff. When I arrived, I found Kana-chan was in a condition similar to yours." The girl paused frowning.

"You mean ..." Yumi started.

"Yes," Aya-chan said finishing the thought. "As she was crying, I managed to get the story out of her, before she shut herself off and regressed to the girl you met." Yumi reached over and placed her hand on the other girl's, providing comfort. "It seems that the old man and some other business partners decided to have some privacy. Kana-chan was selected to be on hand in case they needed anything. During the meeting, the old man took a fancy to her. After he was done with her, he offered her to the other men present." Aya-chan was opening sobbing at this point. Yumi, who wasn't in much better shape, took the crying girl into an embrace, and cried her own tears into Aya-chan's shoulder.

Once the initial onslaught of tears subsided, Aya-chan continued. "And that's not all, the old bastard probably had his way with most of the other female help at the mansion.

"Sachiko was right. Death is too good for him. The old monster must pay for the pain he's caused others." Yumi said, her anger fighting her tears.

Aya-chan sniffed. "I'd be happy if he was dead. But I just wanted you to know all this before you decide to throw your love away over this. Sachiko-sama loves you, and she did what she thought would be best for both of you. She'd never consciously hurt or betray you."

"I understand now. Thank you Aya-chan, you are a true friend to us. I'll make this right, somehow." Just as she voiced those words, Yumi's cell phone started ringing.

XXX

Sachiko was very pleased with herself, as she exited the apartment. She only had to remake the meal once. Knowing that a distracted Yumi wouldn't bother making anything for herself, the older girl decided this morning to make dinner and leave it for her brown-haired love. As she approached the car, the driver got out to open the rear door for her.

"What happened to my regular driver?" Sachiko asked.

"He got called out for a family emergency, and I was sent to replace him," the new driver informed his mistress.

As the black-haired woman was bending over to get into the backseat, a hand wrapped around her and placed a cloth across her nose and mouth. Sachiko passed out soon after she smelled the chemicals. The driver pushed the woman the rest of the way into the car, before he took off.

When Sachiko awoke, she was naked and sitting on a cold metal chair, with her hands tied behind her. She looked around and saw that she was located in a warehouse, by the boxes and crates around her, ready to be shipped out. The false driver that brought her here was sitting across from her, and when he noticed she was conscious, he stood up and left the area. She tried struggling against her bonds with very little success.

'I'm getting to complacent,' Sachiko remonstrated herself. 'I should have verified the change of drivers with the head of Ogasawara security.' She left it at that, vowing to be more careful in the future. Once she realized thre was no escape, she turned her mind back to more immediate concerns, like where was she, and who was behind her abduction.

The cardboard boxes stacked on the shelves were stamped with the various manufacturer's names. The ones she could read from her seat, indicated they were all companies her family did business with. 'I'm in a distribution center,' she thought. 'Assuming I am still in Tokyo, I should be in the industrial district. Since this is one of our distribution centers, the only person I can think of with the means and a grudge against me would be …'

Her deduction was confirmed before she could complete the thought. Her grandfather approached, saying, "Ah, Sachiko, how nice of you to finally join us. I hope you had a restful nap, because it will be a while before we allow you that luxury again."

"What do you want, old man?" Sachiko asked coldly.

The old man neared the black-haired girl and cupped her cheek. Sachiko cringed as his hand made contact with her skin. "I want any and all copies of that video, and I want my company back. Barring that, I want my revenge on you and your little strumpet, Yumi," he told his granddaughter.

"Go jump in a lake!" Sachiko responded angrily.

A sharp slap across her face prevented the black-haired beauty from saying anything more. The old man moved behind Sachiko and placed his hands on her shoulders, making her skin crawl. "I don't think you understand the position you are in," he said as he slowly moved his hands down the girl's front to caress Sachiko's bosom, causing her to writhe with disgust. "I am the one in control here. You are helpless and at my mercy," the old man finished as he took hold of Sachiko's nipples and pinched them hard, eliciting a cry of pain from his captive.

"You won't get away with this," Sachiko said bravely

The old man laughed at his granddaughter's bravado, "I don't really think that matters right now. Let's get down to business. Who has that video now?" He asked as he circled the chair once again.

"Go to Hell," Sachiko stated frimly.

"Wrong answer, my dear," the old man said as he drew his arm back and slapped the girl across the face. "Try again." When she didn't respond, he hit Sachiko again, harder this time, drawing blood from the corner of her mouth. He asked yet again and Sachiko, holding firm, refused to give him the information he wanted. The cycle went on until he looked at Sachiko's battered face and realized that he wasn't going to get the information by force.

"I wanted to save this for later, but I know how I can make you talk," he said as he took Sachiko's cell phone out of his pocket. "Let's see what Yumi-chan would do to save you?" He pressed the 'send' button to initiate the call.

After a few rings, a woman answered, "Sachiko, I'm sorry about last night. Can you come home tonight. We need to talk."

"I'm sorry, Yumi-chan, Sachiko is otherwise occupied right now, and probably won't be coming home." The old man told the girl on the other end of the line.

"YOU!" Yumi spat, "What have you done to her?"

"Nothing permanent, .. yet," he replied. "Whether I do or not entirely depends on you. If you can make it to Building D in the Tokyo Unlimited Industrial Complex within the hour. Otherwise ..."

Yumi cut the old man off before he could finish voicing his thought. "I'll be there, Just leave her alone!" Yumi said before cutting the connection.

XXX

"What's wrong?" Aya-chan asked, looking into the brown-haired girl's smoldering eyes.

"That old bastard has Sachiko," Yumi replied, then recapped her conversation with Sachiko's grandfather.

"What are you going to do?" the other girl inquired.

"What choice do I have?" Yumi responded, sighing as she stood up from the table. "I have to go, so that nothing happens to Sachiko."

"Why not call the authorities, or at the very least someone at the mansion." Aya-chan suggested.

"I am afraid of what he would do, if there was a commotion on his doorstep. He could kill her. I can't take that chance." Yumi said determinedly as she put her shoes on.

"Then I'm going with you," the black-haired girl stated.

"It could be dangerous," Yumi responded factually.

"Then I'll wait outside and be ready to call for help." Aya-chan offered helpfully.

Yumi knew she wasn't going to win the argument, so she gave in. "If you insist," she said and waited for the other girl to put on her shoes.

XXX

The two women stood in the shadows of another building, as they looked across the lot at Building D. Outside the entrance a man in a suit stood smoking a cigarette. Yumi handed her phone to Aya-chan. "If Sachiko is not out in 10 minutes, call the mansion for help," the brown-haired girl instructed.

"But what about you?" Aya-chan asked, sounding troubled.

"Don't worry about me. Sachiko is the main concern here." Yumi replied.

"But ..." the black-haired girl started.

"No buts. Once Sachiko walks through that door, get her out of here. Then call for help," Yumi insisted.

"OK. Good Luck," Aya-chan expressed as Yumi walked toward the building across from her. Once Yumi was out of earshot, Aya-chan made a call then followed her friend, keeping to the shadows. When the brown-haired girl neared the well dressed man, the two exchanged words. The man in the suit escorted Yumi inside the building. Aya-chan approached the door and waited a minute before entering.

Once her eyes adjusted to the dim light, Aya-chan was able to see rows and rows of shelves and packed pallets. One area in the back, off to one side was illuminated brightly. She made her way there, winding her way slowly through the aisles until she neared her destination. She crouched down in the shadows of a shelf and watched the meeting between Yumi and the old man.

After Yumi and her escort arrived, the old man turned to the suited man and said, "Wait outside and see that we are not disturbed." As the man walked back the way he came, the old man turned to the brown-haired girl and said jovially, "So Yumi-chan, we meet again,"

Yumi ignored the old man's greeting as she looked over at Sachiko. Noticing the black-haired girl's battered and bruised condition, she asked, "What did he do to you?"

"She refused to give me the information I required. I was going to take care of that pesky video before I dealt with you, but it looks like I'll have to take care of both at the same time," the old man explained. He turned to Sachiko, "Well, are you going to tell me now, or should I start working on Yumi next?"

Before Sachiko could answer, Yumi spoke up. "Don't tell him anything, Sachiko."

Sachiko kept silent, noting the resolve in her lover's voice. The old man, irritated by the stubbornness of the two girls, upped the ante and pulled a revolver from under his jacket. He pointed it at Yumi, "You have until the count of five to tell me, or I kill her. One ..."

At the start of the count, Aya-chan made her move. She bolted out of her hiding spot, and rushed the old man with the gun, screaming like a banshee. He turned toward his attacker and the gun fired just as Aya-chan's impact bowled him over.

It took Aya-chan a moment to realize she had been shot. She managed to grab the revolver and toss it in Yumi's general direction, before collapsing on top of the old man.

"Aya-chan!" Yumi exclaimed as she rushed over to the fallen girl, picking the gun off the floor, after nearly tripping over it. She knelt down in the expanding pool of blood, next to the black-haired girl. "Why?" she asked putting her hand on her friend's back.

"To .. save .. you.." Aya-chan said, struggling to get the words out. "Please .. watch .. over .. Kana .. chan," the dying girl added.

"I promise Aya-chan," Yumi vowed, tears forming, as she gazed into Aya-chan's lifeless orbs. Yumi stood up focusing her rage on the old man trying to get out from under Aya-chan's dead weight. Noticing the heavy weight in her right hand, she slowly raised the gun and pointed it at Sachiko's grandfather. "Stop right there," she said as the old man knelt, finally extricating himself.

"You won't shoot me, Yumi-chan. You don't have it in you to be a killer," he said as he slowly rose to his feet.

The brown-haired girl backed away from the man as he approached, "I said stay!" Yumi raged and stuck out her arm, jabbing the point of the revolver toward him.

A shot rang out and the old man staggered back, just as he was about to spring toward Yumi. The latter dropped the pistol she was holding, shocked by the red stain that was expanding across the old man's chest. "I didn't pull the trigger," she said confused, as she watched the man in front of her collapse and fall to the floor.

"No, I did," a man's voice said from behind her. "I'm sorry father," Tooru sighed as he walked across the room to the old man.

"Why son?" The old man asked, coughing up blood.

"Because I have to protect those I love." Sachiko's father answered.

"I see," the old man said before closing his eyes and taking his last breath.

"Goodbye Father," Tooru said sadly, letting his tears flow.

Yumi looked at the pair with sad eyes, leaving the man to his tears. She went over and untied Sachiko. Once she was free, the older girl wrapped her arms around Yumi, pulling her into a tight embrace, which the younger girl returned. The two girls stayed there for a long while, weeping on each others shoulders.

XXX

The next morning Sachiko and Yumi stayed home recovering. The media lamented the sad loss of one of Japan's most successful businessmen, who had died from a heart attack. The whole country joined them in mourning. In an apartment on the poorer side of Tokyo, two parents also mourned the loss of their daughter, who had died protecting her friend from an armed attacker. True to her word, Yumi, with the backing of Sachiko, set up an account to handle Kana-chan's treatment and counseling. Yumi visited the younger girl once a week, and was surprised at Kana-chan's progress under proper care.

Sachiko soon recovered from her wounds, the only reminder being a small scar at the corner of her mouth. Things settled down for them, with Yumi continuing to teach, and Sachiko playing 'Susie Homemaker'. With the elder Fukuzawa's help, the two women designed and began construction on a four bedroom, two story house.

Sometime during the construction, the Ogasawara household had a surprise visit from the stork. Tooru was ecstatic at Sayako's news, and after 9 months of a carefully monitored pregnancy, the middle-aged woman gave birth to a beautiful, healthy baby boy. They decided to name him Hikaru, meaning 'to shine'.

The birth of baby Hikaru caused a stir in the Fukuzawa-Ogasawara house, as Yumi and Sachiko debated on whether or not to start their own family. It was finally decided that Sachiko would carry the baby and Yumi's brother Yukki readily agreed to donate his sperm for the insemination. The resulting baby girl was born healthy. The two women decided to name her Ayane, after the girl who sacrificed so much for them. The three girls lived happily together in the elegant four bedroom house.

The End

A/N: Thank you for reading. An even bigger appreciation to all those who have left their comments and input on the story. I am by no means a natural writer, but I want to share the stories that abound in my head. Sometimes the words effortlessly flow off the tip of the pen, and other times I struggle for each and every word. It is in those times, I look at the comments, and check out my story statistics. By so doing I realize that people care about my ideas, and my visions. I thank you all from the bottom of my heart.

I also want to get better at expressing my ideas here. With that in mind, if any of you see things that I consistently get wrong, please PM me and let me know how I can correct it in the future.