A/N: I do not own MSGM or its characters. All such honors belong to Oyuki Konno. I do, however, claim all rights to the storyline (for what its worth).
Sei-sama opened the door and led the way into the Rose Mansion.
The Rose Mansion was an old building with white wood siding on the grounds of Lillian. It had once been a residence, either for the Academy Director or the resident priest, Yumi was not sure which. For many years now it had been the home of the Yamayurikai, the student council of Lillian's high school division. Yumi tried not to seem overawed as she was shown up the creaky old stairs towards the second floor where the meeting room had been installed by tearing down a wall between two bedrooms. A stained glass window at the top of the landing showed a beautiful representation of three roses: Red for the Rosa Chinensis, White for the Rosa Gigantea, and Yellow for the Rosa Foetida, the three elected members of the Yamayurikai.
Sei opened the door to the meeting room and Shimako waved Yumi ahead and then followed her through. Yumi heard a slight gasp to her left and glanced over to see an absolutely beautiful girl with long, raven blue-black hair and sapphire blue eyes glaring at her. This girl was the Rosa Chinensis en Bouton, the next Rosa Chinensis, the idol of Lillian Academy, the "Ice Princess", and the heir to the Ogasawara Zaibatsu all rolled into probably one of the most famous people at Lillian: Ogasawara Sachiko-sama. Yumi cringed slightly before bowing her head and beginning to apologize for her intrusion.
"Pay Sachiko-chan no mind, Yumi-chan," Sei-sama chuckled, "she seems to be in one of her moods again. Please, come in. Everyone, I would like to introduce you to Fukuzawa Yumi-san."
Yumi looked around the room for the first time, tearing her gaze away from one of the most beautiful girls she had ever seen, and realized that there were a number of other girls in the room, each and every one of them a beauty. She recognized Mizuno Youko-sama, the current Rosa Chinensis and Sachiko-sama's grande soeur; Torii Eriko-sama, the Rosa Foetida, and Hasekura Rei-sama, Eriko-sama's petite soeur and Rosa Foetida en Bouton. There was also another girl, very slim with long dark brown braids and narrow brown eyes that seemed to bore into you. The girl was introduced as Shimazu Yoshino-san, a first-year student like Yumi and both cousin and petite soeur to Rei-sama.
Yumi bowed deeply to the ladies in the room. "My name is Fukuzawa Yumi, first-year, Peach class, number 35. It is an honor to meet you all."
"Now, now, no need to be so formal here, Yumi-chan," Sei-sama chuckled, "we're all friends. No one is going to eat you."
"Um, yes, Rosa Gigantea," Yumi stammered nervously.
"Yumi-san, can I get you a cup of tea?" Shimako asked her as she was putting her book bag against one of the walls.
"Oh, please, allow me," Yumi said, "You don't have to serve me."
"You are our guest today," Shimako smiled at her, "please, have a seat and relax. Would you like green tea? We also have some Earl Grey if that is more to your liking."
"Uh, green tea is fine. Thank you very much Shimako-san," Yumi said quietly, still unsure why she was here in the first place.
"Please, sit down, Yumi-chan," Youko-sama said kindly, indicating the chair across the table from where she was sitting with Eriko-sama seated in the chair to her right.
Yumi sat with another thank you as Shimako placed a cup of hot green tea in front of her. She demurred at the question of whether she wanted sugar or honey as she took a sip to try to get her bearings, but it didn't help much.
"Is this your first time in the Rose Mansion, Yumi-chan?" Youko-sama asked her.
"Um, yes, Rosa Chinensis," Yumi replied, almost choking on her tea in her effort to respond promptly.
"What do you think of our little home," Eriko-sama asked, trying hard to make the young girl feel secure and probably failing miserably.
"It, it's beautiful," Yumi replied, still intimidated by the Roses surrounding her.
"Thank you, Yumi-chan," Sei-sama said with a grin. "I have always liked it. I especially like the new painting that Shimako-chan brought to us just this morning," she said, indicating a medium sized painting on the wall across from the door and directly in front of Yumi's chair. It was a relatively simple still-life of a blue and white Wedgewood vase of flowers sitting on a table partially covered with a cream colored lace cloth. A cream and white Wedgewood teacup and saucer, half filled with a red tinged black tea, was sitting on the table to the left of the vase along with a matching plate that held a flakey, golden croissant. Although simple in display, the detail shown in the teacup and plate, in the lace of the table cloth, and even in the vase itself, showed an amazing talent. But the best part of the painting was the flowers themselves. The exquisitely portrayed bouquet held greens, baby's breath, and three clusters of red, white, and yellow roses; just like the roses of the Yamayurikai.
"Yes, it's very nice," Yumi commented in a quiet voice after giving the painting only a brief glance.
"Shimako-chan borrowed it from the Art class," Sei commented nonchalantly with a smile. "Supposedly it was painted by one of the students, but I noticed that it was unsigned. You wouldn't happen to know who painted it now, would you Yumi-chan?" she asked with a glint in her eyes.
Yumi saw no way around it. Sei-sama was obviously already aware of who had painted the picture.
"Um, I did, Sei-sama," Yumi said again in a quiet voice.
"You did, Yumi-chan? I'm surprised," Sei exclaimed. "You have quite the talent there. I especially liked the little withered flower that you can just barely see towards the back of the bouquet," she said, walking over and pointing out the particular flower. It looked like the tiny, curled, brown flower might at one time have been a small, white Forget-Me-Not.
Shimako gasped when she saw the flower that she had not noticed before and then stared at Yumi as the brown haired girl hung her head. "Yumi-san, i-is that supposed to represent you?"
"I guess I was feeling a little depressed that day," Yumi explained, still looking at her lap, "I'll try to do better next time."
The silence in the room was palpable as all but one of the girls gaped at the young girl in their midst.
"Well, that aside, Yumi-chan," Sei said, turning from the picture and taking her usual seat on the sill of one of the windows as Shimako handed her a cup of coffee. "Shimako-chan tells me that you and your friend Katsura-chan are having a little bit of difficulty with one of the girls in your class; an Asami Kamakura if I remember the name correctly. Is this true?"
"Oh, it's nothing you need to trouble yourself with, Sei-sama," Yumi tried to quickly explain, her face clearly showing her slight panic. "It's just a little bullying. I'm used to it. You don't have to do anything for someone like me."
"What do you mean when you say 'someone like me', Yumi-chan," Youko asked in a kind voice, but a voice that her friends would easily recognize as one that would brook no arguments.
"Oh, I just mean that you don't need to worry about it, Youko-sama," Yumi stammered. "It's nothing, really."
"No, you aren't getting out of it that easily, Yumi-chan," Youko said a little more sternly although the smile never left her lips, her hazel eyes now the color of hardened steel despite the desperate look that Sei gave her. "What exactly did you mean when you said 'someone like me'? Please explain it to me so that I can understand."
Yumi had been through this before too many times with the school or church counselors that stopped by the dorm every few months. She could get through it one more time, but she hated seeing the pity she was sure would appear in their eyes. Well, it wasn't like she would have to deal with them any more after this anyway. Sure, Shimako-san would still be in her class, but she would probably avoid Yumi from now on.
"Well, I meant," Yumi said quietly, looking down again into her lap, "I mean, someone like me . . . a nobody. I'm no one. I'm here at Lillian because the church was kind enough to take me in when I was little," she said, finally looking up to see all of the faces of the people around the table staring at her. Yes, she was getting used to it. She gave in with a resigned sigh.
"I don't know anything about myself from before I arrived here at Lillian nine years ago. I don't know who my parents are; I don't even know if 'Yumi Fukuzawa' is my real name. I don't remember anything. From what I have been told, when they found me at a local church I was wearing just a bunch of rags. The doctors said that I was catatonic . . . and I have some scars, mostly little ones that look like cigarette burns and cuts, and . . . well, let's just say that I won't be staining any bed sheets on my wedding night, assuming that I can ever find someone willing to marry me. So, yes, a nobody. What else would you say about someone like me?"
"Excuse me," Sachiko said with a gulp as she got up and hurried from the room with a hand over her mouth.
"Eh, don't mind her. It's her time of the month," Sei-sama quipped, trying to stay somewhat businesslike after Youko had taken Yumi to a place that she had not wanted to go yet. "Well, I'm not going to say I agree with you Yumi-chan. Anyway, Shimako-chan says your grades are the best in the class? Is that right?"
"I do alright," Yumi smiled shyly, happy to move on to any other subject. "I mean, it's the least I can do to show the school how much I appreciate the opportunity they've given me."
"And you live in the dorm behind the Chapel? Katsura-chan lives there too, right?"
"Yes," Yumi smiled again at the thought of her first real friend. "She lives in the room across the hall from mine. She helps me cook dinner sometimes, and helps me wash dishes as well some nights. She's really good about keeping her room clean too."
"So you cook dinner most nights for, what, ten girls?"
"Eleven if you count Sister Agatha. I'm not very good, but they seem to like it. That makes me happy," Yumi grinned at the tall blonde girl.
Sachiko returned to the room wiping her mouth and face with a wet towel. She apologized for her hasty departure as she took her seat once again.
The group spoke for another ten minutes or so, alternating questions between Sei, Youko, and Eriko about Yumi's life at the school and the prank that had been pulled on her before Sei had finally had enough and called a halt to the proceedings.
"Well, Yumi-chan, we won't keep you any longer," Sei grinned, standing up once again. "I just wanted to meet you and find out a little more about you since Shimako-chan here seems to like you. I would appreciate it if you would continue to take care of my little Shimako-chan," she chuckled, putting her arms around her petite soeur's shoulders.
"O-of course, Sei-sama. I like her too. She has always been very kind to me," Yumi offered sweetly.
"Thank you, Yumi-chan. I would really appreciate it."
"Well, if you don't need me anymore I'll be on my way," Yumi said as she stood up and walked over to the small sink to quickly wash and rinse out her teacup, "I'll just get my things and head back to the dorm." She did as she said and quickly gathered her book bag. She turned at the door and bowed low from her waist to the girls in the room. "Thank you all for having me today. It was a very great honor," she said as she backed out of the room and pulled the door closed behind her.
There was total silence in the room for the space of thirty seconds or more after they had heard the front door close before Sei once again opened her mouth.
"Did you notice? Not once did she say a single positive thing about herself. Shimako-chan tells me that she is first to volunteer for the worst jobs, she is always ready to help someone that needs a hand, she is kind to a fault, sweet, intelligent, she paints and sketches with real talent and, based on my sources, she was a wonder at the piano until a few years ago when someone criticized her with some ill-mannered remark . . .
"And, she thinks that she is lower than the dog shit that you accidentally track in on the bottom of your shoes. Have I summed it up about right, Youko . . . Eriko?" Sei asked.
"That poor girl," Youko said, shaking her head. "Sei, how did you find out so much about this girl?"
"Oh, I have my sources," Sei replied cryptically. "I've known the Art teacher for a few years and Shimako had once told me that she thought one of the girls in her class had painted this picture along with some others," she explained, once again pointing to the still-life on the wall.
"I would not hesitate to hang that in any one of my family's galleries," Sachiko said quietly with a shake of her head.
"As for the rest, I have also known Sister Agatha for about a year. She was more than willing to help if she thought it might help Yumi-chan. And, as you could see, her posture and her face tell you everything you need to know. Mostly I just read her body language and expressions."
"Sachiko, is there anything you can do about this girl, Kamakura-san?" Youko asked her petite soeur.
"Oh, I think I can take care of that little issue, onee-sama," Sachiko replied with an icy smile that would have severely frightened anyone outside of that room. "Her father may own the largest chain of grocery stores in the country, but they get most of their products from Ogasawara owned companies and farms. Consider that problem already resolved."
"Thank you Sachiko-chan," Sei said with real feeling and a catch in her voice as her shoulders slumped. "Listen, I've never asked anything of you all, but this one just . . . I . . . I just . . . ," she couldn't finish as she finally broke down from everything she had learned about Yumi within the last twenty-four hours. Shimako quickly stood and took her onee-sama into her arms and let her cry on her shoulder. She knew how hard it had been for Sei to play the role she did in today's interview of Yumi, and she knew how much it meant to her that her friends were willing to help this child. She patted Sei's back and let her cry, something she did only on very rare occasions and never in public. That is, not until today.
"We'll do whatever you need us to," Eriko answered her friend with a comforting smile. "That child deserves so much better."
Sachiko sat quietly while the others discussed Yumi and what they could possibly do to help her. She wasn't sure what else she could do after taking care of the Kamakura bitch, but she knew she had to do something.
Because when Yumi walked into the room Sachiko found herself looking at a girl that was the spitting image of her adopted brother, Yuuki!
-oo-
Yumi still wasn't sure what that whole thing had been about, but she shrugged it off and headed over to the library. New books were delivered on Saturdays and if she was lucky she might be able to find a book on Japanese history that she had not already read.
A/N: As always, your comments and reviews are more than welcome.