CHAPTER SEVEN

Another month went by since that night when Odd had accidentally brought back bad memories that no one wanted to remember. That night Odd and Yumi barely talked during their date and when a good conversation sparked, it only lasted for about five minutes and then they both stayed silent. There were a few times when Odd wanted to say something to Yumi but he figured it would only make her emotions erupt even more so he kept quiet and didn't speak his mind.

By the time the night ended, the tension between them had ended and they seemed to talk a bit more on the ride home than at dinner. Odd figured it was probably because Yumi didn't want to get into an argument out in public so he tried not to let it bother him too much although it did.

The night hadn't gone so well even after they got home. Yumi had just sat in the living room, told him 'goodnight', and didn't come up to the room till well past midnight.

Since then, they went on with their lives and didn't talk about it so they could get along and avoid any arguments about it.

Odd knew he fucked up and knew it wouldn't leave his conscience but he tried to ignore the feeling nonetheless.

Within the month, Odd had received calls about Ulrich looking for Yumi. He had talked to his friends and partner in the force and they all agreed to not tell Ulrich where Yumi was. A few had questioned why and he had explained how he knew Ulrich since middle school and how Yumi had come to him in the middle of the night with all kinds of scars, bruises, and gashes. All of them had been horrified at the realistic details Odd had shared with them.

They looked like Odd the night he had found Yumi on his front lawn.

After that gruesome picture in their minds, they promised to keep Yumi a secret. Although some of them had offered to take him into custody, Odd said no because they knew just as much as he did that no court would accept a trial like that with no former evidence and even if they did accept it right now, her wounds were all healed and there was no picture evidence of the horror done to Yumi.

No one would believe them now so they just stuck with hiding Yumi.

Ulrich had called into the police station but not once did he call Odd's house number.

One day Odd had called Yumi at home and told her to have a dress ready for tonight because he was working late and didn't have time to get ready before all the good places to eat had closed.

Yumi said OK and as soon as she got off the phone with him, she rushed upstairs and into the bedroom. She then made her way over to the big walk-in closet.

It was now organized so all of her clothes were hanging on the left side and all of Odd's clothes were hanging on the right side.

She walked to the far end of the closet where all of her dresses were hanging and began looking through them.

One by one she sorted through the different colors and textures of the fabrics, linens, and silks. She saw the recent midnight blue dress that she wore once to their last date and decided not to wear it. Instead, she focused her attention on the ones she hadn't worn yet.

She had found three dresses that she never wore yet and laid them out across the bed, examining each one carefully as if she was an art inspector looking for new pieces to her collection.

One was a red cotton dress that draped down to her ankles and had a two-shoulder strap. A red ribbon was in the middle of the hem at the top that was right above her cleavage. It wasn't very elegant but it was pretty all the same.

The second was a light purple cotton dress with little flower designs on it that was knee-length like her midnight blue one and had two shoulder straps. It had a light purple, silk band that was sewn to the front of it where he belly would be and tied behind her back in a bow.

The third one was a white silk dress that had no shoulder straps. Instead, it held in place on her breasts and went down. At about the middle of her right thigh it stopped and angled down to past her feet and dragged behind her for a little ways. There was also a white silk band but instead it was sewn to the left side, tied into a bow on her right side and draped down to her bare leg. This dress the most expensive one out of all the dresses she owned and Yumi wondered why she hadn't worn it yet.

So Yumi chose to wear the white one and put the other two back in their original places in the back of the closet.

She kept the dress on the bed and left the room to go and find the pair of shoes that Odd had bought to go along with the dress.

They were a pair of white sandals with peach-colored blotches on the tops of them where her feet would lie upon. The straps were a creamy color and had ripples carved into the tops of the rubber. The bottoms were a plain, flat surface that was also a creamy color.

Yumi searched the entire downstairs closet by the front door where they kept all of their shoes so they wouldn't get lost inside the house somewhere but it seemed to her that shoes were lost more inside this closet than they would have been lost in the entire house.

Some of the shoes in the closet still had price tags on them and were still sitting in their boxes so she was careful as to not ruin them or get them dirty while moving the other shoes around.

Finally she had found them and saw that they, too, were still brand new because of the floral price tag hanging off one of the rubber straps and the pink and white box that encased them.

Yumi brought them to the kitchen and found a pair of scissors with a black plastic handle and cut the price tag off before throwing it into the garbage and bringing the shoes upstairs to her awaiting dress. She laid them out on the bed next to the dress and merrily skipped into the bathroom and up to the big mirror.

Her hair was longer now, at least four inches past her shoulder. All of her bodily wounds were healed and either gone or still there but now marked by a thin, pale scar. Sometimes they were in blotches, but most of the time they appeared in the forms of scars.

Her face was more colorful and lifelike with a new, natural flush and her eyes were now a brighter color of hazel then ever before. Her body was no longer frail and skinny, but plumper and more filled but she wasn't fat yet although Odd made it seem like he was going to accidentally make her that way.

Yumi loved to look at herself in the mirror because she loved to gaze lovingly at the old Yumi; the Yumi that Odd knew before that faithful night that happened four months ago, the Yumi that Ulrich probably doesn't even remember existed, and the Yumi that she, herself, remembered before the treacherous few years. Come to think of it, Jeremy and Aelita never knew about the change in Ulrich and his behavior. It was probably better that they didn't know because she didn't want their lives in danger for knowing where she was.

She was already putting Odd's life at risk by remaining here but he said he wanted her here. No matter what happens.

So Yumi just followed along with it and tried not to complain too much about nothing.

Yumi turned her back on the mirror and sat down on the counter right next to the sink. Her face remained calmed and expressionless as her eyes scanned over the picturesque bathroom, a loving gaze taking place.

The bathroom, as Yumi found strange, was her safe spot; her sanctuary. It provided her with comfort and relaxation. It was almost like a painting or a book with discreet and distinct details. Many times when Odd wasn't home she had gone to sit inside the bathroom for hours and hours, just looking at the familiar display, and discovering something new as well. Whenever she found some new details that she never saw before, she felt a warm, wondrous glow warm her up inside.

Again she felt like a child and at times felt ashamed about it but soon lost her trail of thought on that subject and was replaced with a new discovery.

The only reason that Yumi could think of as to why she took a big liking to the bathroom was that it was angelic in a way unknown and oblivious to everyone else but her. Many times when she still belonged to Ulrich, she dreamed about a room like this but it wasn't a bathroom she imagined. It was a regular room with a big vanity table with a mirror in the very back center of the room. Around the vanity were different white and gold mixtures that spelled her name in Japanese. Light gold curtains stood parted at all the windows and pictures in white gold frames lined all the walls. The lighting would be just regular lighting but it would illuminate everything and make it come alive, dancing around the room with her.

Odd had walked in on her once but Yumi was unaware of it. He watched her eyes gaze longingly around the bathroom at every nook and cranny of the place as if chasing around an invisible friend. He would have left her be but he was curious about her fondness to his bathroom.

When he closed the door, he left the bedroom and waited for Yumi to come out so he could go in and see what she found in his bathroom so interesting.

While standing inside the bathroom, he looked around for something, anything, that made Yumi gaze longingly without a care for anything else but inside this one place, but Odd couldn't see anything so out of the ordinary. It was just an ordinary bathroom to his eyes but he knew that Yumi saw more. There had to be or he wouldn't have found her that one time.

Unless she had been fascinated by the color and was always mesmerized by that.

Odd figured it was the best guess he was ever going to come down to. So, happy and satisfied, he left the bathroom and began to plan.

When Odd wasn't around Yumi, or when she was sleeping, he began to design a room inside the house in a way that Yumi might like.

He visited three different places that did carpet, walls, and wallpaper, four different furniture stores searching for a wooden desk that Yumi could sit and draw at, two places sold him thirty wooden frames of all sizes, and finally he found the curtains and art supplies that she could use. Along with these items he bought glass figurines in shapes of children, dogs, cats, ducks, and other different shapes of humans and animals.

When Odd and Yumi went out for an evening or an afternoon, he would have carpenters come in to lay down the new, light gold carpet. Other days he would have painters come in and paint the bare, white walls with a new metallic gold paint mixture that Odd chose himself.

The trickier part of all this was getting all of the furniture and shelves in without Yumi noticing any of Odd's tools laying around. But finally Odd had it all done and another part about tonight was that he was finally going to introduce her to it and give her the only key to the room.

Yumi looked down at the bathroom floor and slid off the counter gracefully. She left the bathroom light on as she entered the bedroom again and walked over to the dress she had picked out for tonight.

Before she picked it up, she ran a hand across the velvet-soft silk and felt her mouth twist into a soft smile.

Yumi had picked this dress out herself and the reason why was because it was special in her eyes. It seemed to call out to her threw the display window the day they had purchased it. Ever since then, she kept it in the very back of the closet to keep it away from anything that could be messily thrown inside the closet. She swore only to wear it on special occasions and for some reason, this felt like one of them that were to come along.

Another smile appeared on her face as she lifted the dress carefully off the bed and drifted back to the bathroom with it. Once in the bathroom, she hung it on the hook outside of the shower door and began to undress hurriedly as if she couldn't wait to put the dress on and wait for tonight to happen.

Yumi was standing in front of the dress with no bra on and only her underwear. She hesitated a bit at taking the dress off the hanger as if she might ruin its delicacy and innocence. Finally she took it down and unzipped the back, her hand shaking at the zipper. She got it down and slid her left leg in and felt the longer end of the dress drape over it, then slide her right leg in and felt the cold and dullness of the air against it from her knees down.

She pulled the dress up over her naked breasts and reached back to try and zip it up but she couldn't quite get it zipped all the way up. As she struggled with it, someone came up behind her and grabbed her hands gently, whispering in her ear quietly.

"Let me help you with that."

Yumi's tense and worried look turned into a smile as Odd's voice broke the scared feeling she just got.

She let her hands drop to her sides and let Odd zip the dress up for her. She stood there looking at herself in the mirror with Odd standing behind her with a smile fixed on his face. Yumi kept her eyes on the dress and noticed how snuggly it fit and shaped her body. She then felt Odd's arms wrap around her waist so she was brought back against him to make it seem as if they were molded together as one.

Smiles spread even wider on both of their faces as Odd turned Yumi to face him and kissed her forehead. Yumi clung to him lightly with her arms wrapped around his neck.

"We should probably get going," Odd said, letting her drift away from him.

"Yes we should," Yumi agreed, nodding once and then noticing his attire.

He was already dressed in a blue, silk, button-up shirt and a pair of fine linen, black dress pants. It was a casual outfit as well as formal like Yumi's dress was.

As they were leaving the bathroom, Yumi grabbed the sandals and quickly slipped them on her feet.

Then as they were leaving the bedroom and walking down the spiral staircase, Yumi asked Odd, "When did you change your clothes?"

"I changed after I got off of work," Odd replied as they were walking out of the front door and as they reached his black mustang, he turned to Yumi and asked, "Can I blindfold you?"

Yumi's once cheerful expression turned into a look of dismay and asked, "Why? Why can't I see where we're going?"

Odd placed is right hand on her cheek and stared into her eyes with a sincerity that Yumi hadn't seen in a long time. He brought her a little closer to him and began to trace her cheek bones up to her hair.

"I would never think of doing that to you, Yumi," Odd started, knowing that she thought he was going to hand her right back to Ulrich, and then started again, "If I was in sides with him, I would have handed you back to him a long time ago. You're everything I could have ever asked for and I'm not about to lose you now."

Yumi didn't say anything, but continued to let him speak.

"I just hope you'll let me blindfold you so I don't have to cancel our date. Please, Yumi," Odd began. "Do you trust me?"

Yumi swallowed and nodded as Odd pulled a red velvet blindfold out of his pocket and turned Yumi so her back was facing him. He gently pulled it over her eyes and tied it behind her head loose enough but tight enough as well so she wouldn't be able to see where he was taking her.

Odd turned Yumi to face him again as he opened the passenger side door of the Mustang and helped Yumi seat herself down in the seat. Once Odd had closed her door, he hurried over to his side and got in as well, starting the car up and pulling out of the driveway.

They drove a long time in silence and Odd thought it was for the best because he didn't want to give the surprise away to Yumi.

Eventually Odd pulled up to the biggest restaurant in town and drove up to the young looking valet. Odd got out and went over to Yumi's side of the car and helped her out before tossing his keys to the valet and walking up to the double glass doors.

Once inside, the different aromas of food and drinks drifted up to Yumi and flooded her senses with hunger and thirst.

She smelt lobster and crab dishes, finely cooked steaks, steamed and buttered vegetables such as carrots, broccoli, green beans, and cauliflower. The scent of Red Wine drifted under her nose so she knew they had passed close to a waiter or waitress carrying it. They had to be passing the kitchen because Yumi could hear the clanging of pots and pans, the scraping of silverware, the clatter of plates, and the sizzling of different foods.

That didn't last long because within a few seconds, Yumi felt the soft, gentle wind caressing her skin. She was pulled onto the grass and up a slight hill before Odd stopped her and went behind her to take off the blindfold.

Before Odd let the blindfold drop away from her eyes, Odd whispered in her ear, "Close your eyes and when the blindfold is gone, open them."

Yumi did as she was told and closed her eyes, holding back a smile. She felt the blindfold fall away from her eyes and when she opened them again, her mouth dropped and her eyes widened in amazement.

The place Yumi was looking at was completely lit up in lights. A white blanket was sprawled out underneath a rounded table with a red tablecloth and two lightly polished wooden chairs with red cushioned seats on either side. A white, wooden arch with different spirals stood in four directions as if to close her and Odd off from the rest of the world. Along with the arches were golden decoration lights that illuminated the grass underneath them. Inside the four arches stood a pianist and a violinist that were playing soft, gentle music that lifted Yumi's heart right out of her chest. There was also their own personal waiter and chef that stood by the table, waiting for them. The waiter was a middle-aged man who had short, brown hair that was starting to gray and the chef was a female, around her early thirties. She had dirty blonde hair and a heart-warming smile.

Odd took Yumi by the hand and lead her up to their table where the waiter pulled back Yumi's chair and let her sit back down. Odd and Yumi ended up facing each other so Odd could stare directly into her eyes.

The waiter gave them both a menu and once they selected, the waiter took them both back and on his way back to the restaurant, he nudged Odd and smiled at him. Once he had left, Yumi stared incredulously at him.

"What?" Odd asked her sheepishly.

"What's this all about?" Yumi asked him, knowing there was something behind all of this.

"Absolutely nothing. Why do you ask?" he said to her, trying to hide a smile.

"No one has ever done this for me and I want to know why you went through all of the trouble just for me," she explained to him.

"Well, our waiter is Stephen. He owes me from a while back now because I saved his wife's life two years ago. You know the chef? That's his wife, Alex. One of the only few girls you'll ever meet that are sweet and kind and don't try to cheat anybody out of anything."

Yumi, looking skeptical, kept gazing at him and then asked, "So what's the real reason why you brought me hear tonight, Odd?"

Odd lowered his head and looked up at her, asking, "Do you really want to know?"

Yumi nodded and smiled, waiting. All Odd did was drop his head even further and then pointed up. Yumi, confused, stared blankly at him but then looked up above her.

There was a big, white banner with red words reading 'Yumi, will you marry me?' going across it. Yumi gasped and looked back at Odd who had a manila envelope and a small, blue, velvet box sitting next to him now.

"Odd," Yumi gasped, not sure of the right words to say, "But how can I?"

"By saying yes," Odd replied.

"But I'm still marred to Ulrich by law," she said.

"I've got the divorce papers right here," he said in return.

"What about the wedding ceremony?"

"No one knows but me, you, and my friends down at the station. And, of course, Jeremy and Aelita, who are thrilled, by the way. Yes, they know about the whole Ulrich deal and thanks to Aelita working in a court house, she got me the papers with no problem. There's only one condition."

"And what would that be?"

"Aelita's dying to be your maid of honor."

Yumi smiled and lowered her head. She then looked up and took in all of what she saw that surrounded her. Her attention focused once more on Odd and she hesitated but she already knew what her answer would be.

"Yes, Odd," Yumi started, "Yes I will marry you."

Odd smiled and started to open the small box he had next to him but Yumi stopped him before he opened it.

"Before you make this engagement final," she started, never taking her eyes off Odd. "You cannot, I repeat, cannot, let Ulrich get me to bring the divorce papers to him."

Odd shook his head and replied, "I'm not going to be that stupid enough to do that. The court will mail it all out to him after you sign all of the papers. After that, the judge will give Ulrich thirty days in which to sign and return the papers. If he doesn't do so, they'll arrest him and take him into custody."

Yumi smiled and said, "How did you do that? Normally divorce cases go into a courtroom in front of an official judge."

"Let's just say that the judge is a really good from of mine and he would do anything for me if I asked. He believes my story about you and he told me to get you to sign the papers and it's done."

Her smile got even bigger as she held out her hand. Odd opened the box and there was the ring.

It was a thin, gold band with a one caret diamond in the very center of it.

Odd placed the ring on Yumi's finger, holding her hand for a few seconds and then kissed the top of her hand before letting it slowly drop to the table.

Just as her hand was back on the table, the waiter was coming back with their food. He placed the plates in front of them and then moved away to let them eat.

Odd and Yumi ate, talked, and laughed while they listened to the blissfulness of the swaying music.

Later that night, they returned home. Yumi turned to face Odd but before she could tell him goodnight, Odd placed a finger on her lips.

"Before you say anything, I want to show you one more thing," Odd said, taking her by the hand and leading her up the spiral staircase.

Odd look a left and went down all the way to the end of hall and stood in front of an oak door. Yumi looked at him as he pulled a key out of his pocket and placed it in the keyhole. He turned it to the left and twisted the bronze doorknob, looking at Yumi. Once he pushed the door open, Yumi almost fell back with astonishment and awe.

Behind the door was the room almost exactly how Yumi had pictured her dream room. The carpet, the curtains, the pictures, and the paint were all like she had imagined. The only thing missing was the big vanity. Instead, there was a wooden desk with drawing paper, sketch books, pencils, charcoal, watercolor paint, paint brushes, and canvases.

"Oh, Odd," Yumi exclaimed. "How did you know? How did you do all of this?"

"I just hired professionals to come in when we're on dates and set everything up. And I did this because I saw you gazing lovingly around in the bathroom so I thought you loved the warmth of gold and gave you your own little place here," Odd replied.

"Odd," she said. "I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything," he replied.

Yumi turned to him and looked up at his expression. It was different somehow and she didn't know what it was.

Before she could do or say anything else, their lips met for the very first time ever. Yumi kissed him back instantaneously and wrapped her arms around his neck to pull him closer to her. Her lips seemed to move with his simultaneously. For some reason, she needed him and longed for him. This was the feeling she was waiting so long for; to be wanted back. Odd was the only one who had done this for her and now she was sure that she should have picked Odd from the very beginning.

Odd ran his tongue across her lips, seeming to ask for her permission to enter her mouth so she opened her mouth in response and moved her tongue along side his in harmony. He grabbed her by her waist and lifted her in the air, her legs automatically wrapping around his waist. His hands grabbed her ass to keep her up as he began to carry her to the bedroom.

Yumi was already unbuttoning his shirt as he was opening the bedroom door. He walked her over to the bed and laid her on her back as he pulled off his shirt and pulled off his pants. Yumi was unzipping her dress, wriggling out of it until Odd pulled it off the rest of the way.

Odd was now only in a pair of white boxers and Yumi was now only in her pink underwear. He climbed on top of Yumi and began kissing her neck, nibbling her collar bone gently. She opened her mouth and let out a soft moan as one of his hands grasped one of her breasts, squeezing it gently and massaging it. His hand then moved down to her underwear, his finger tracing the hem of it slightly.

Yumi placed her hands on his boxers and pulled them down, feeling a shudder go up her spine as Odd pulled her underwear off and slide two of his fingers inside of her. She moaned softly while feeling his hard dick in her hand. He pulled his two fingers out of her and moved up closer to her face, kissing her while thrusting gently inside of her. She moaned through the kiss as he started to thrust back and forth into her gently and slowly.

A shiver shook Yumi's whole body as she felt Odd become a part of her and she knew this is what she always wanted. Odd took her hands and raised them above her head, her legs wrapping around his waist. He began to thrust harder and faster, his breathing turning just as heavy as Yumi's was. She was moaning softly, Odd still thrusting in and out of her.

Odd pulled out of her and laid down on his back, pulling Yumi on top of him. Yumi lowered herself on top of his dick, moving back and forth slowly, Odd's hands grasped her waist gently to hold her steady. He was groaning softly, his hot breath reaching Yumi's chest. Her head was held up in the air, her eyes closed as she moaned in pleasure and happiness.

Odd stopped her and flipped her on her back again, climbing on top of her and pushing himself inside of her once again. Her legs went back around his waist and her arms wrapped around his neck. She began to kiss his neck, running her hands along his shoulder blades and felt his muscles tense up with every thrust. Her heart raced at the exhilaration, his lips meeting hers again as he gave one last thrust as he came inside of her.

Yumi gave one last moan, feeling his warm semen enter her, giving her a warm sensation.

Odd stayed on top of her for a few minutes before pulling out of her and laying down beside her. Both of them laid down side by side, Yumi in Odd's arms. Their breathing returned back to normal as Odd leaned over to Yumi's ear.

"I love you, Yumi," Odd said to her. "So much."

"I love you, too, Odd," Yumi said back to him, closing her eyes.

Odd closed his eyes as well ad wrapped his arms around Yumi, both falling asleep under the blankets, their clothes strewn across the floor.