Chapter 6: Plans and Affirmative Actions
Monday was supposed to be a boring work day…and for the most part it was…until she came back from her lunch break and began poking through the projects that required her attention.
It wasn't the said projects that made the day suddenly "exciting." At about 3:43 PM a noise erupted outside her door causing her to frown in confusion. The muffled shouts made her lean into her chair and lock eyes with the door, waiting for it to open forcibly.
After a few seconds the door finally burst open and a shouting Shou Hikaru appeared at the door. "You made me wait for two hours last Saturday fully knowing she wasn't in and now that she's actually in here I can't see her?!" she raved loudly.
The blonde's eyebrows stitched together at the interesting and rather random…event…that had just flown to her lap. Looking at her scowling secretary, she dismissed her with a wave and stared nonchalantly at Hikaru who sauntered to her.
Shou Hikaru stood at her shoulders—a little bit shorter than Michiru, with golden blonde hair that hung straight down past her shoulder blades. She wore a revealing tan long sleeve see-through with a tank top underneath and flair dark blue denims.
"You trying to impress some high schooler with your outfit?" Haruka asked in greeting, her eyes in an even, calm manner.
"If you're the high schooler," Hikaru said flirtatiously and sat down on the chair across the blonde.
"I'm busy. What do you want?"
The smaller woman gave a brazen smile before staring squarely at the young CEO. "You were so much friendlier the last time we met up," she stated with a fake pout.
The tomboy sighed audibly and pushed the completed paperwork on a bin to her right before looking at another packet of papers. She began reading them, fully knowing that the smaller woman was looking at her movements, but not really caring if she did anything other than say what she was here for.
"I met up with an old high school friend of mine when I got back a week ago," her guest began, toying with her hair as she continued to look at an obviously busy blonde. "You should really go to New York…of course for none work related issues. It's beautiful there. The buildings shine up at night, the streets are never empty…"
She trailed off as Haruka sighed again and added a noticeable roll of her eyes. She picked up her phone and dialed for her secretary who answered. "What time's my meeting with Kaioh-san?" she asked through the speakers.
"At four, Chairman."
She hung up without another word and glanced back at her paperwork.
Hikaru merely continued on as if she hadn't interrupted her at all. "There's an event he wants me to attend to talk about old times and flying solo for it would be a shame—
"And you really think that I have the time to just skip out on work and go with you?" the young CEO asked in a serious tone, eyeing the woman before her evenly. "Ask someone else…ask some guy—
"I don't want some guy," Hikaru cut her off loudly. "I want to take you…because we haven't spoken in a while either and I'm…rather horny—
"Get out…" Haruka said in exasperation. She pulled another set of paperwork to her in which the other girl impeded by suddenly grabbing it from her grip.
They stared evenly at each other, the blonde looking at her coolly. "I don't know what stupid things I said that night we had that…one night stand…but I take it back now…although it's kind of strange for you to be here anyway…seeing as it won't be a one night stand if we have sex again."
Hikaru only laughed. "God I missed you."
It was times like these that Haruka hated the fact that some people thought her arrogance and confidence were more of a turn on than a turn off… Frowning she motioned for her to give the paper back and stated, "Find someone else."
The smaller woman was the one to sigh this time. "I guess you didn't miss me that much—
"It's kind of hard to miss someone who kisses and tells so…masterfully."
Hikaru laughed. "Oh? Someone told you I told them about us having sex that one time? Who was it?"
"Check back to that long list of people and even then you'll probably never know…"
The smaller woman's laughter continued. "Okay Haruka, I'm sorry about that…okay? You're good at what you do! You should be thrilled…I got a lot of girls curious about you!"
And this last statement kind of opened a question in her that would fester until she asked about it. Was the reason Michiru came to her that night because of Hikaru? Did she become curious about her right after the blonde woman told her of their mini escapade? She didn't know why it mattered…just that it did somehow.
Haruka glanced away, a scowl gracing her toned features. "The answer's no. I have a previous engagement and I'd like it if you left before he comes."
The smaller woman smiled confidently at her and dropped the packet of papers, making a dull thud in the otherwise quiet room. She also dropped what looked to be her contact information. "If you change your mind…call me. The event's on Friday…try to make up your mind before then."
As she turned to leave, the door opened and appeared Kaioh Shinji. He gave a handsome smile at Hikaru as he greeted, "Shou-san… I didn't realize you were back."
The smaller woman smiled up at him. "I came back with my father last week Kaioh-san. Will you be at Michiru's gallery meet this Friday?"
Haruka inwardly groaned as her ears picked up where Hikaru must've wanted to take her…and the fact that she wanted to go now…
Shinji smirked. "I'll probably be too busy, but do tell your father I'd like to meet with him sometime this week…to catch up."
"Exactly what I came in to Haruka's office for." Hikaru smirked back at Haruka who looked at her disinterestedly. "I'll definitely tell my father."
They bowed to one another before the small, blonde woman left, closing the door behind her as she did so.
Shinji smirked at Haruka who had by now stood up and began cleaning the papers Hikaru dropped messily on her table as well as pocketing her contact information. "I didn't know you were friends with Shou-san," he started conversationally.
"Hardly," the blonde muttered and motioned for him to sit down. "On to more important matters though…how're you Kaioh-san?"
The short haired man scratched his hair, a guilty look spreading through his face. "I apologize for last week…"
Haruka smiled ruefully. "Nothing to apologize about," she shrugged off handedly. "Let's just not talk about it so we can bury it in the past where it should stay…"
Shinji laughed and nodded. "Yes, I definitely want to buy from you."
Haruka smiled as the older man sat down on the seat and crossed his legs in front of him. "Which one are you most interested in?"
Stroking his goatee, the elder Kaioh replied thoughtfully, "Well I've been doing a bit of soul searching…and I found that I like The Royal's Penthouse Suite A." The tomboy was clearly surprised at this interesting development at which Shinji just laughed at. "Oh I debated long and hard between The Courier's penthouse and this one…and although I really liked the golden motif up at Courier, it was a place, I figured, I could only take mistresses in to."
Haruka chuckled, but nevertheless nodded. "I see…Alright, let's get the paperwork settled and it'll be all yours."
O--O
That night, up in her own penthouse, Haruka stared down at the shear number of lights busily moving seventy stories away from her. Looking at her frowning face in the reflection of the glass, she thumbed Hikaru's contact information with one hand while flipping and unflipping her cell phone inattentively.
She didn't want to call her…because the other girl would think wrongly of her action. And she couldn't exactly say, "Yes, I'll go with you, but we're not having sex after" either…Not without pestering questions that she'd rather choke on than answer.
She tsked and pocketed both the piece of paper and her cell phone, making her way to the large windowsill and sitting on it. She leaned into the wooden support to the sides and looked at herself through the glass again, tipping her head towards it and hearing a dull thud as her forehead touched the cold glass.
She missed her…
She closed her eyes as she recalled the emptiness she felt Sunday morning…when she woke up from her slumber and didn't find Michiru present at her property any longer. It was always like that if they were to meet on Saturday nights—the smaller woman would leave way before the dawn broke. But she felt especially sad at feeling so lonely and knowing it was the norm, the moment she woke up and smelled the lingering scent of the other woman's perfume on her discarded t-shirt…a shirt she was wearing even now…
She opened her eyes and smiled sadly as she glanced at the nondescript shirt that peaked out from her unbuttoned dress shirt. If she concentrated hard enough she could still smell her through it…that smell that drove her wild and made her calm all at the same time. She wondered briefly what the other woman would say if she called her now…an action neither of them had ever done unless they both knew there was a reason for it. Would she question her state of mind? Would she tell her not to call again? Would she not answer at all?
Looking at the time of 9:45 in the evening, she figured the violinist was done with dinner, but wondered whether or not she was alone. Aside from their weekend meets she found that she knew nothing about the smaller woman's social life… Did she have a social life? Or was she like Haruka who worked, never socialized, had a casual weekend relationship, and went back to work the next week? The blonde shook her head. Michiru definitely had a social life…And she remembered that one of the things the smaller woman liked about her was that she was socially daft.
Does she have another relationship aside from the one she has with me?
This thought made her frown, her mind spinning around in circles, weaving pictures of the aqua haired woman having sex with her and then going home to a man.
She groaned loudly. So what if she did do that? It's not out of the question for their type of relationship. If anything, it was okay! That's why they were friends with benefits…So that uncouth things like having sex with two different people are more than okay…it was the norm.
Haruka gritted her teeth and in frustration pounded the glass window once. It reverberated with the dullest of thuds as she pushed herself off the windowsill, took out the piece of paper from her pocket and simultaneously dialed the personal number quickly on her cell phone. She had to see her on Friday.
"Well that was quick," was the greeting she found on the other line.
She suppressed an annoyed greeting herself and asked, "What time's the gathering?"
She could feel Hikaru grin at the other end. "It'll start at around five in the evening and it'll go on 'til everyone's satisfied I guess…although we can leave much sooner if that's what you wish."
"Be ready by four thirty." And with that she hung up. Gripping the phone in her hand, she stared coolly at her reflection again before dialing the number for her secretary's personal line.
"Yes, Tenoh-san?" she answered quickly, as if she was expecting this truly unexpected call.
"I need to take Friday off," the tomboy stated.
"I'm sorry Chairman, but your presence is required that day for the annual meet and greet with other prominent property developers all over Japan. We can't miss it."
Haruka groaned loudly. "That's…this Friday?"
"Yes, Chairman."
She grunted loudly and incomprehensively in frustration. "What time does it start and when can I leave?"
"It starts right at 12 and won't end until later in the evening."
The blonde swore loudly. "Alright…fine…tomorrow…what're my plans tomorrow?"
"You have a meeting with the board of directors early in the morning as well as a meeting with the executives from the Royal regarding Kaioh-san's purchase of Penthouse A."
"So…nothing important?"
"Tenoh-san…" Her secretary chided.
"Okay, good. I'm taking a day off tomorrow instead of Friday then," the tomboy replied resolutely.
"Chairman, I must remind you that the Board of Directors aren't the happiest bunch with your attendance recently…"
"Yeah, I'll remind them about it myself when I don't show up tomorrow…"
Yuki sighed audibly in the other line before stating, "I will be sure to tell them of your decision of a day off then."
"They can tell me all about how they feel about me when I get back on Wednesday," Haruka said easily, smirking at herself as she did so.
"Just know that you're treading on dangerous grounds Tenoh-san. Have a good night."
"You too Yuki."
She shut her phone off and walked to her bedroom, the morbid thoughts from earlier disappearing as her thoughts ran around randomly, forming what would be the plans of a very busy week—a busy week that had to be perfect in execution in everyway…just so she can see the aqua haired violinist at the end of it. Unbuttoning her dress shirt, she got ready for the night and walked into her spacious bedroom after, a pair of comfortable, loose shorts and the same white undershirt adorning her.
Turning everything off, she laid in the middle of her comfortable bed and stared up the ceiling, frowning immediately as she did so. A few seconds of this and she closed her eyes roughly, irritation setting in. Her stomach gave a funny lurch.
Stupid movie…
She grunted loudly and reached to a lamplight to her right. Snapping it on, she glanced uneasily around the room as her insides squirmed. She knew there was nothing there, but her mind wouldn't shut up. Reaching for the remote control as well, she turned the TV on and pressed the mute button before closing her eyes. Seeing the redness the lights made amidst the back of her eyelids, she fell into an easier slumber, smiling slightly as the smell of what could only be Michiru lingered from her shirt.
O--O--O--O--O
It was only Monday and she already desperately wished the weekend was the following day. Thin aquamarine eyebrows stitched in a soft frown, marring Michiru's features a bit as she sat alone in the living area of the Kaioh Estate. It was a long day and she wanted to end it already, but this talk…the talk she's about to partake with her parents was too important to pass down.
She looked around and bit down an unladylike sigh at their nonexistent presence, her frown deepening in the process. The constant pressure around her forehead served to start the familiar pulsating pain around her temple as well. Sighing loudly this time, she got up from the plush sofa and curled her arms around herself—the half hour she's been waiting for the company of her parents had finally tested her patience.
"Ojou-sama, your mother has contacted me." She turned to a talking caretaker whose presence she hadn't discerned before and waited for the rest of her words to come out. "She said that they are on their way and to please wait for another ten or so minutes."
She pasted a warm, fake smile and nodded to the older woman, turned away from her, and walked to the capacious window to look out into the cold, dark garden.
It was only the beginning of the work week and she was already so tired… Immediately she wanted to go back to Haruka's beach house…into the taller woman's warm, inviting arms.
To say that she didn't want to leave when dawn broke on Sunday morning was an understatement. The comforting bed, the lulling sounds the waves made against the shore, the warm body beside her, the long arms surrounding her being…everything gave her a reason to stay. But even without these things she could already feel her resolve breaking just by looking at the serene face Haruka sported, the barest hint of a small, contented smile pasted on her striking features. Even if it was a cold, blustery day with not a hint of sunshine permeating the beach house…even if the sheets surrounding her were completely devoid of the warmth she felt, the blonde's face alone wanted her to break their routine and just…stay.
But it was abnormal…She couldn't even fathom what Haruka would say if she was still there when she woke up…because in the entirety of their relationship she had never overstayed her welcome. Sunday morning served to be the day she always departed before the blonde woke. She didn't even realize it became that way until she noticed the recurring pattern of her actions a few weeks into their relationship…and since then, she hadn't turned back. They needed to find a constant in their relationship…and her leaving on Sunday was as normal as her coming to see Haruka on Saturday night.
She wondered though, just what Haruka would think, if she stayed. Would the blonde give her an incredulous look? Maybe one of clear surprise…humor…confusion…joy… She figured she would never know…because since day one, she had already decided to never push their relationship enough to find out.
But she wasn't surprise at all to find that she's already begun wanting the taller woman in ways she shouldn't have…not with the sex and all its glories, but something more fruitful. Something with a deeper meaning. Something beyond all the physicality that's become the norm. She wanted to break it…the normality of their so-called relationship.
But I can't…
She gave a defeated smile as her eyes continued to look at the darkness before her, not really seeing what's in front, but staring nonetheless.
She had responsibilities to take care of, an image to uphold…relationships to mend. To be with Haruka…even if the blonde wanted her in the same way…would not fit anywhere in her life other than the area no one knew about…and with a feeling of finality in her mindset…that secret nook was where it would stay.
"Michiru-chan, I hope you didn't wait long."
She swallowed hard, feeling the coldness seep into her being as she wiped the frown on her beautiful face and turned around to her mother.
"Not at all," she said with an easy smile. She looked behind Shina at her father's presence and gave him a smile as well. "I trust we're ready to begin?"
Shinji gave a little sigh before nodding, a serious look upon his young face. Michiru sat down on one of the loveseats in the living area as her parents joined her, each sitting in separate sofas as well.
They sat in uncomfortable silence for a bit, staring at one another uneasily before the violinist gave an inward sigh and glanced at the expensive Persian rug on their floor.
"Are you sure you want to do this?"
Her father's voice broke the silence as she looked up at his same sapphire eyes.
"You matter. Not only as a physical presence like I was, but possibly as the only means to save your parents' marriage…if that's what you want to do."
Remembering the blonde's sage words on the second night they met, Michiru nodded softly at herself.
That is what she wanted to do…save it…or what's left of it…
"As long as you fill out your end of the bargain, I will as well," she stated softly and locked eyes with her parents' morose ones. She gave a sad, but strong smile herself. "It won't be the same outcome…I'm not weak like onee-san was."
Both elder Kaiohs hung their heads lowly, miserable, depressed frowns etching their faces.
"If you feel like backing out—
"I won't…Otou-san." Michiru stared evenly at her father before looking away again, finding herself hurting just from looking at his guilty face. "This family used to be perfect in my eyes…" She began to feel the wetness surrounding her eyes, her vision getting just a bit blurrier. "I remember a time when we all used to be so content with our lives…but things change and I can admit that. We grow older…sometimes closer, sometimes further apart, but I can't have you throw everything away without fully knowing it won't work. Counseling helped some couples…I hope it'll help you both as well. But if it won't, and you two can honestly tell me that you've tried, but failed, I won't push this matter any longer and still fill my end of the bargain."
Shinji gave a tired sigh and looked at his ex-wife who looked back at him as well. Licking his dry lips, he gave a small nod before stating lowly, "Okay."
Michiru looked at her mother as well, seeing the troubled pain in her grey-like eyes. "Okaa-san?"
She looked up at her asking glance and their eyes met, neither one taking action for a while before Shina nodded as well, the frown in her features deepening. "He's a nice man… I'm sure he'll make you happy."
Michiru almost laughed loudly at how sorry her mother sounded right then, but instead she opted to only nod outwardly. "Nh I know he is." Sighing loudly, Michiru stood up and gave her parents a once over before pasting a normal, seemingly happy smile. "So if that's it I'll be going then. I trust both of you can schedule the therapy meetings yourselves?"
The elder male Kaioh got up as well and nodded reassuringly. "Don't worry about it, Michiru-chan."
The violinist gave an easy smile. "This would be fruitless if I didn't worry Otou-san."
O--O--O--O--O
Making a very good breakfast was all Haruka could think of doing as she looked around at the spacious kitchen.
First off, would she be going for a more modern breakfast or traditional? It was a no brainer…of course traditional. Biting the insides of her cheeks she scowled at the fact that she would have to serve natto…Her mother loved natto…
Okay, so natto with raw quail egg, steamed rice, and fried fish…
She grimaced. She would have to eat too…She cringed at the prospect of eating natto, but after an audible sigh, started on her task nonetheless.
To say that the maids were surprised, to find the guard in front of the Tenohs' Estate opening the door to let her in at six thirty in the morning, would be an understatement. They greeted her with a bow and she greeted with a small nod and a question that made some rising of the brows.
"Can I use the kitchen?"
Regardless of how much every one of them wanted to ask why, all the main caretaker could do was nod obediently and lead her to the familiar, capacious kitchen.
"Don't make breakfast for my mother…I'll do it." And with a confident smile, she closed the door.
Even now, after forty minutes into her task, she could still hear them trying to listen in on her through the swinging doors that connected the huge dining room and kitchen.
"Kina-san," she called rather loudly in the midst of breaking a quail egg.
The caretaker appeared a nanosecond later, some maids peeking in on her as the doors swung in and out. "Yes, ojou-sama?"
She grimaced outwardly at the given honorific before wiping her hands with the apron she had on. "What time does my mother usually wake? The usual?"
The old maid nodded once. "At exactly eight, ojou-sama."
"Do you know what her plans are today?" she asked and scooped some rice into a small bowl.
"I'm pretty sure that whatever it is can wait due to your presence here today, ojou-sama."
Haruka nodded and clapped her hands, staring at the two place settings she had prepared for breakfast. They were identical with a bowl of rice, butterflied fried milkfish, a raw cracked quail egg, soy sauce, and natto at which she had to shudder at.
"Good," she stated and looked back at the caretaker. "Have someone follow me up to my mother's room with these."
The old woman nodded and bowed lowly before looking at the door and automatically, two young maids swung through it with sheepish smiles amidst their youthful faces. Haruka had to bite back a sigh as they literally stared hearts at her before nodding at the caretaker and setting off to her mother's bedroom, grabbing a kettle of hot water, ajirogi matcha that to her annoyance had the Kaioh insignia plated at the side of the container, one bamboo whisk, and two tea bowls.
Looking back once to see if the two maids were following her, she started up the stairs to her mother's room, careful to keep the hot kettle away from her legs. Getting up to the main master bedroom, she gave one little knock to acknowledge her presence and glanced at the huge grandfather clock that read 7:45 before opening the huge oak doors.
Similar emerald green eyes stared in shock at her as she gave a boyishly handsome smile. "Good morning Kaa-san."
"H-Haruka-chan…what're you doing here?"
Tenoh Yoshiko sounded clearly surprised as she tried to get out of her bed to greet her only daughter only for the tomboy to shake her head. "Don't get up. We're having breakfast in bed." And almost on cue, both of the maids following her appeared at the doorway and came in with the food Haruka prepared, standing off to the side to wait for further instructions.
The blonde walked good naturedly to her mother who was sitting on the bed and hugged her tightly after depositing the tea related items on the bed stand. "I decided to make you breakfast." Almost immediately, she saw the worried look grace her mother's face that she could only smile at. "Why are you giving me that?"
"You call, almost everyday, but I haven't seen you in over two months," Yoshiko stated evenly with a smile of her own. "But even without that, I can tell when my daughter's troubled, not because she came to see me and even cooked me breakfast, but because her eyes seem troubled."
Haruka chuckled as they broke their hug. "One of these days, I'm coming to cook you…dinner or something without something bothering me just to spite what you just said."
The long, blonde haired woman chuckled as well. "I'll be looking forward to it."
Haruka motioned for the two maids to come forward with the meals as her mother looked on at what she prepared appreciatively. The blonde handed one of the trays to her mother and took hers as well, smiling at the two maids gratefully. She could see them inwardly swooning as they left, leaving the mother and daughter finally to themselves.
As she settled down on the foot of the bed with her mother in front of her, the older woman gave a laugh as she looked fondly at the natto. "Trying to score points aka-chan?"
The tomboy rolled her eyes as she took the chopsticks from her tray and they both stated, "Itadakimasu."
She openly stared at the natto before kind of pushing it away, earning laughter from her observing mother. "I will eat it," she said in dismay and began with the fried fish instead.
They ate in relative silence, her mother praising her cooking every now and then for which she had to laugh at and tell her she learned it from her. Looking up at her mother made her smile fondly.
She wasn't joking when she told Michiru that her mother was all she ever wanted for a mother. They've been extremely close ever since she was small and she always gave her attention, unlike her father who had been the "cool, but at times absent" father. She was tall for a woman—only a couple inches shorter than her late father, which was the reason for the blonde's equally tall figure. Her hair was long and wavy, reaching way passed her shoulders and gave a nice golden color. She was thin—not exactly toned, but definitely not petite either, and only around Haruka and to those she was comfortable around did she not carry an air of sonorous and almost fearsome pride.
"Tuesday…is definitely not your day off," her mother started as they were nearing the end of their breakfast.
The tall blonde nodded and gave a sarcastic laugh. "Yeah, I bet the Board's giving Yuki a hard time right about now…"
She dispelled the feelings of guilt that were beginning to eat her up rather quickly by shoving a chopstick full of natto in her mouth.
"Chew before you swallow, dear," Yoshiko stated, eyeing her warily.
She gave an outward disgusted look at which her mother could only laugh at. Finally being able to shut her gag reflex off, she managed to bite a couple times and swallowed it, immediately reaching for the tea right after. With her mother's laughter ringing beside her, she poured some of the dried, grounded green matcha onto her tea bowl, poured some water inside it and whisked it quickly. Just as the foam began showing, she stopped whisking altogether, still with a disgusted look pasted in her face, and drank most of the concoction in one fell swoop.
With the same disgusted look still framed on her otherwise handsome face, she looked deliriously at her mother and cried, "How and why do you like that crap?" Yoshiko laughed louder as she continued in her tirade, "It's cold, it's pasty, it smells bad, it's…sticky…why?? Why would anyone want to eat that…crap?!"
Still laughing, her mother crawled to her and gave her a hug, kissing her cheek affectionately. "I miss you Haruka-chan."
Haruka smiled as they shared a comfortable silence, the tomboy joining her mother back on the bed, but not before whisking some tea for her as well. Seeing the Kaioh insignia on the tea container, she gave her mother the tea bowl as they shared a drink quietly.
After a few moments, she looked at the elder Tenoh before asking, "Do you know the Kaiohs well?"
Yoshiko looked at her thoughtfully, those same emerald green eyes staring back at her. "I've met them on occasion. Congratulations on selling Penthouse A by the way." The tomboy nodded, her mother noticing the comment not affecting her one bit. "Why your sudden interest in them?"
Haruka sighed as she stared up at the high ceilings, glancing particularly at the huge chandelier. "Do you know their daughter?"
Yoshiko smiled widely, chastising herself for not seeing the obviously love struck expression her daughter was currently wearing. "I've heard her play before. I gave you one of her CD's to listen to."
The young CEO nodded. "She's really good…"
"Are we talking about her violin skills or…something else?"
Haruka chuckled as an involuntary blush crept up her neck. "Both…I guess," she answered truthfully and looked at her mother who was evenly looking at her as well.
Yoshiko gave her a pat on the head before sipping the rest of her tea and getting out of the bed. "It's a beautiful day out Haruka-chan. Let's go somewhere and talk about whatever you need to talk about instead of holing ourselves here so early in the morning."
After a widened smile, the tomboy nodded in agreement. "Go ahead and freshen up. I'll be downstairs."
Her mother nodded as her daughter started cleaning up their mess and taking their food trays out. "And stop being so responsible and let the maids who are probably still waiting outside take care of that…"
Haruka laughed loudly, but nevertheless followed her mother's words with a soft, "Fine…"
She was never much of a tea drinker, but found this certain matcha to her liking which caused her to prepare one more tea bowl for her and decidedly left the room afterwards, noting the waiting maids beside the door as she exited. She waited in the expensively furnished living room, sipping her tea in silence until about thirty minutes passed and her mother walked down the stairs, adorned in a white fashionable business suit and her golden hair curling down to her shoulders.
"Sorry for the wait Haruka-chan. I may be old, but I'm not out for the count," her mother replied teasingly as the tomboy gave a playful look of repulsion. "Will you be driving us around today?"
Haruka nodded as she sipped the last of her already lukewarm tea and set it down on the wooden, coffee table in front of the sofa she resided. Getting up they both exited the mansion, Haruka's gray Ferrari 430 waiting for them at the bottom of the five steps going into the huge mansion itself.
"No driving like the crazy lunatic I know is itching to drive today okay?" Yoshiko stated with a mild warning at which the blonde only laughed at. "I'm serious Haruka-chan…"
"Don't worry Kaa-san…Tou-san made sure I won't be driving like that anytime soon," she stated almost bitterly. The elder Tenoh's smile slid off her face as Haruka waved her sad expression away. "It was a joke…"
Although neither of them said anything more about it, both knew it was far from being just a joke. Silently, they made their way down the stairs, a guard standing next to the blonde's car smiling up at them and opening the passenger's side for the elder female Tenoh.
As both of them got in, the young CEO glanced passively at her mother before asking, "Where to?"
"Let's go to…Ginza." Yoshiko trailed off with soft laughter as Haruka groaned next to her.
"I don't like shopping…" the tomboy grunted almost in a childish whine, but turned the car on nonetheless, pressing a button to take the top down.
"Fine, Shibuya—
"Kaa-san, there's no difference…" the young woman cut off and began driving out of the property.
"I haven't shopped with you for ages Haruka-chan…" her mother stated with an almost uncharacteristic pout on her elegant face. "Ginza or Shibuya. I promise I won't try to get you into any dresses."
Haruka sighed and with a roll of her eyes stated, "Ginza…I know you want to go there more than Shibuya…although I can't for the life of me see the difference…"
O--O
As promised, Yoshiko didn't try to shop for dresses for the blonde…she was more than willing to switch to nice, expensive suits. Glowering at the female clerks inside The Suits Company in the middle of Ginza, she crossed her arms over her chest and gave a loud sigh.
"You don't like this one Haruka-chan?" her mother asked, clearly enjoying this little shopping expedition.
If Haruka wasn't in such a foul mood, she actually would've liked the completely black power suit, but because of her irritated disposition, all she could do was shake her head.
"Well I like it," the elder Tenoh stated and held it up at her daughter's tall frame. "Try it on for me dear."
Sighing loudly, the tomboy begrudgingly ambled to the dressing room and kind of slammed the heavy door as she entered it. Looking at the suit in privacy and with a little more observance, she gave an overall nod of approval and undressed. Not in a million years would she tell her mother she was kind of liking this shopping idea, now that she got to try pretty nice looking suits.
Looking at herself in the mirror she gave a little smile and wondered what Michiru thought of when she looked at her with such expensive power suits on. The memory of last Friday when the violinist sultrily stated how much she wanted to take off her clothes immediately and involuntarily made her hot. Seeing the blush creep up to her cheeks, she gave a small laugh and got out, meeting her mother right outside as she did so. Next to her was probably a sales clerk or the manager. Whoever she was Haruka couldn't care less and gave a bored look at the elder Tenoh.
"What do you think Maki-san?" Yoshiko asked the girl beside her while maintaining eye contact with her daughter who gave a roll of her eyes.
"I-it's…perfect," the woman next to her gushed.
Yoshiko laughed and got up to a clearly not amused blonde, patting the suit as she got close enough and straightening the collar as well. "I'll take it…along with those." Haruka glanced at about five more suits hanging on a rack separate from the other suits on the main floor and ogled at her mother. "If they're not to your liking Haruka-chan, just send them back to me and I'll take care about bringing them back. Either way I'll send for an alteration specialist at your condo in Royal whenever you want him."
Haruka chuckled, smiled handsomely at her mother's antics, and nodded. "Thank you Kaa-san."
Paying for the suits, Yoshiko looked at her again with scrutinizing eyes. "When was the last time you wore…a normal shirt and jeans?"
The tomboy gave an exasperated sigh. She knew where her mother was going. "Never…college…yeah, college," she answered shortly.
The golden haired woman nodded as she had already made up her mind up. "We are going to shop for those next then."
Although Haruka wished it was a request…it wasn't which made her hang her head just a tiny bit from exasperation. Leaving The Suits Company store, her mother looked at her evenly before stating, "Didn't I tell you I missed you this morning?"
Haruka shook her head in dismay, but a wide grin was nonetheless glued on her face.
O--O
Their shopping adventure took a little more than five hours by which time Haruka was already kind of limping because of the popped blisters on her feet.
Michiru will not be happy… she thought wryly and slung five large paper bags full of clothes behind her back.
"Haruka-chan, is something wrong with your feet?" her mother inquired as they got to the car and she gave a little hiss of pain.
She nodded and said simply, "I ran without shoes…" Yoshiko gave her a stern look as she laughed it off. "Yeah…Michiru didn't like it when I said that either…"
The firm look from the elder Tenoh's face disappeared as Haruka started the car, a small smile replacing it instead. "You two are on a first name basis?"
The tomboy nodded and made towards Regency Restaurant; she was starving. "I think you'd like her if you met her."
"When can I meet her?"
"If we ever get out of our friends with benefits relationship and actually become girlfriends." Yoshiko's smile immediately fell, a look of shock replacing it instead. Haruka only smirked. "It's not as bad as it sounds…"
"Yes it is," her mother stated easily and sighed. The tomboy looked ahead of her and only glanced at the elder Tenoh through her peripherals.
"Why do you say that?"
"Because you love her…and I can only guess that she doesn't feel the same way."
Her mother had the knack of hitting the nail right on the head. Haruka sighed. "Am I that…see-through?"
"I'm your mother," Yoshiko said with a smile. "I would be ashamed if I couldn't see through you. You're a very hard person to read though Haruka-chan, don't get me wrong. But as I said before, I am your mother."
And this little statement was all Haruka needed to know exactly what she meant.
"Tell me about her."
The young CEO frowned a little as her thoughts surrounded the being of the violinist.
"She's beautiful," she started. "But not in a superficial kind of way. She's rich and she knows it, but also realizes that there should be more to it than the glamour and easy lifestyle. She'll always show a confident persona, even though she's cracking inside. When she's stopped caring about how she looks in front of you is when you know she's either reached her breaking point or appreciates your company.
"Her parents don't get along and it's killing her inside, but she doesn't know how to relieve the situation. I fear that she may try too hard and fall in the end, and I don't want to see that. I want to tell her that it's okay to tell me about how she feels about them, so I can try my best to comfort her and help her regarding the situation, but she pushes me away every time I mention it.
"We both agreed to this casual relationship ever since the first night we decided to push the envelope, and only recently have I realized that I've grown fond of having her near me…not in a sexual way as I've only thought of her before, but someone who I actually cared about in and out of our relationship. We've met outside our comfort zone in the presence of others not knowing about us and it felt funny to play the part of a stranger to her then…but it only hurts my heart when I think about having to do it again now if given the chance. If given the choice, I don't want to have to play the stranger part anymore…"
Haruka stopped the car at a parking spot in the side of Regency Restaurant and swallowed hard, her eyes feeling a bit painful and teary from her too insightful answer to a short question. She didn't realize she had that much to say about the violinist and surprised herself even more at the fact that she knew she could talk more about her…all day if she truly wanted…And the mere thought she could say so much about a person that could only regard her as a friend with benefits…twisted her insides painfully.
She looked at her mother with a hurt expression she couldn't hide and the elder Tenoh could only release herself from the seatbelt and gather her daughter in her arms.
The blonde clenched her jaw as she forcibly stopped the hot tears from coming out of her eyes, damming them in for the sake of looking stronger. Her heart throbbed so painfully in her ribcage that she had to reach up to it and clutch her dress shirt, crumpling the spot where the beating organ should've been.
They stayed that way in silent agony until Haruka decidedly broke off the hug, pressing her digits against her stinging eyes as she did so. Looking up at her mother's worried expression, she gave a sad smile along with a half hearted shrug.
"You've grown up to be so mature Haruka-chan," Yoshiko said softly and brushed her cheeks fondly.
Haruka laughed, her voice cracking a bit. "Nah, I just talk that way when I'm hungry…"
Her mother smiled sadly at her and kissed her on the forehead. "We should go eat then."
The blonde nodded in agreement as they both got out of the car and into the warm, sunny day, the sounds of the pumping water from the restaurant reaching their ears effectively.
Per usual, the gondola coordinator, another new employee Haruka didn't know this time, looked up at them in surprise and gave a low bow as they neared. "Good afternoon Tenoh-san, Tenoh-san," he said and bowed to each of them.
"Is there an open island?" The blonde knew she should've reserved for a spot for them, but hoped that it being a Tuesday and she being the one who built the restaurant would earn her a freebie.
"There is always an island open for you, Tenoh-san," the coordinator said with full confidence as an oarsman waited patiently for them.
Haruka gave an appreciative nod of the head and helped her mother in the gondola. As she settled down as well, she shared a look with the elder Tenoh and rested her head on Yoshiko's shoulder. Her mother smiled affectionately at her and patted her arm.
The gondola ride was a short one as they stepped into the sandy shore of the first island. The young CEO good naturedly pulled the chair back to let her mother sit and joined her after, a surprised chef walking to them from the middle island's kitchen.
"Well this certainly is a pleasure," he greeted with a low bow and smiled at the two Tenohs.
"The pleasure will be all ours I'm sure," Yoshiko stated and smiled at him as well.
Haruka only gave a passive look as he passed both of them the menu.
"I must insist that you try the calamari for your appetizers. It comes with a tangy sweet and sour orange sauce, glazed with a bit of soy. The calamari has been previously dipped into a tempura batter and fried to perfection…"
The blonde kind of tuned him out after a while and just read the menu.
"We'll be sure to address you when we're ready. Thank you chef," her mother kindly stated and he gave another low bow before leaving surreptitiously. "Anything catch your attention Haruka-chan?"
Haruka read the scrumptious descriptions under the food titles and shook her head. "Everything sounds nice though…"
Yoshiko laughed. "I'm leaning on the Kobe beef."
The tomboy's mouth watered effectively as she eyed the lobster menu. "I think I'll have that with a lobster…"
Her mother gave her a fond look and a chuckle. "Let's get that chef back here then."
After they ordered and the chef had gone back to the kitchen to prepare their food, Haruka looked around her at the other filled islands and leaned back into her chair. Locking eyes with her mother, she found the familiar worried look gracing them again causing her to smile.
"Watch your blood pressure," she warned playfully.
The golden haired woman gave a chastising smile before looking at her seriously again. "Did you come to me to today only talk about Michiru-chan or is there something else in your mind."
Haruka sometimes thought that her mother would've made an excellent mind reader. Smirking, she approached the subject rather slowly and rested her cheek on her propped right arm.
"She's partially the reason," she stated and looked away.
"What's the other?"
"She has a gallery show this Friday and I want to attend it…but the annual meet and greet with the other property developer companies is this Friday as well…both are going to happen technically at the same time…" The blonde looked down at her dress shirt now and picked at a nonexistent lint. "I was wondering if you could spot me…"
Yoshiko smiled sadly at her daughter. The request was not big…not at all, but the fact that she was making it seem like it broke the elder female Tenoh's heart. She had been away for too long…
Leaning forward on the table she looked at her daughter quietly until Haruka's eyes stopped dancing around and locked with hers again. "How long has my hiatus been for Aka-chan?"
Haruka bit her bottom lip as she tried to calculate it in her mind. "I pulled you out…less than three years ago…" she answered and hated herself for asking this much from her mother.
She remembered her beaten form three years ago…four years after her father passed. She worked herself to tears and Haruka vowed to keep that job just so she wouldn't see her like that again. But she was surprised to see not a hurt or tired expression from her mother today, but a kind of fiery disposition.
"It has been three years hasn't it?" Yoshiko asked, but nodded in affirmation to her question. Sipping on a cold beverage of peach iced tea, she looked at the sparkling waters before locking eyes again with those same green orbs. "I think…it's passed due for me to make my reappearance."
Green orbs widened in surprise as Yoshiko only gave a smile. "I'm done mourning. You've helped me by pulling my own weight in my company and I'm taking it back. I'll still need you of course…but I'll be there from now on, okay?"
Haruka blinked in shock. She was aiming for getting her mother to spot her for a day…not come back permanently. "Are you sure? I-I didn't mean to pull a guilt trip or anything—
She cut herself off as her mother reached across the table and stroked her cheek affectionately. "You didn't pull a guilt trip," she said assuredly. "I've been thinking about it for a while now and I'm tired of feeling as if I'm not doing anything. As I said…I'm passed my mourning stage and the other day I asked myself what your father would say if he saw me in this wrecked stage for too long…and I didn't like the answer I supplied myself so since then, I've begun thinking about coming back."
The blonde still couldn't believe her ears, but an unsure smile was definitely starting to creep up her face.
"I'll need you to debrief me of everything that's been going on as well as current projects that were dropped, canceled, forgotten, or forsook. I've been doing my bit of research of course and you don't have to tell me anything about Lantern or any of the other major companies coming to the meet and greet, but I will need a list of our current affiliates as well the past projects concerning these partnerships."
This business talk definitely woke her up to the reality of her situation at which she could only dumbly nod her head.
"Inform me with all I need to know these next few days and you may have Friday off to do whatever you want to do."
The young CEO grinned and laughed at this sudden development. Yoshiko stood up and gave her a hug, one she returned with utmost love.
"Thank you so much Kaa-san!" she stated gleefully as the elder Tenoh brushed some of her sandy blonde hair behind her ear.
She stood over her daughter and clasped her cheeks with her hands. "I'm sorry for what your father and I have put you through. But I'm so glad you turned into such a wonderful woman in spite of it."
Haruka saw the hurt and apology coming out of her mother's eyes and smiled a genuinely happy smile. Yoshiko saw this and kissed her only daughter in the forehead, gathering her in her arms again for another hug.
They stayed in this comfortable silence until a polite clearing of the throat caused them to look up to a smiling, albeit awkward feeling chef.
"Lunch has arrived," the elder Tenoh only stated and leaned into Haruka one more time for only a second before going back to her spot on the table.
O--O
A noise erupted from the board room causing Haruka and Yoshiko to stop from entering, choosing to eavesdrop first instead.
"She has gone too far! She shows blatant disrespect for us and it's clear she doesn't care about this company! She takes more days off than all of us combined and when she is here nothing gets done!"
"I completely agree with Tatsu-san. I mean, how many times has she bad mouthed us in our face? How many times has she…threatened…to fire us? I would rather her fire me, than forcing myself to keep working for her!"
"No…no! She will not impede this company. I say, we get all the executives together from the Royal, Courier, and Renaissance and oust her. It's unheard of…it might not even be doable, but if we show them exactly what kind of a leader she is, they'll be willing to side with us and—
"And what Shizu-san?" Haruka cut off while pushing the door open only enough to reveal her presence. A foreboding silence engulfed the room as every one of the Board members looked up at her with huge, shocked eyes. "Oh, please don't stop at my account," she stated clearly and entered the room, pulling her chair as she did so and sitting on it. "Go on, let's get everything out in the open."
The elder female Tenoh only stood outside and laughed silently, her ears still pressed tightly against the crack of the door.
"Y-." Haruka eyed the stuttering man seriously as he continued, "Y-you missed, another important meeting today. Yuki-san told us y-you were more than aware of it and did it on purpose. What do you want us to say to that Chairman?"
Steeping her fingers in front of her, the blonde stared up at the talking, fat figure of Shizu Miike and stated seriously and evenly, "I'd say…I want to hear you talk about me as if I'm not in the room again."
Shizu swallowed loudly and audibly, beads of sweat beginning to formulate around his forehead. Looking away, he sat down along with the other board members causing the blonde to stand up from her seat.
She casually put her hands in her pockets as she stared evenly at all of them. "You all say I don't care about this company…that I take more days off than all of you." The young CEO shrugged. "The last sentence may be right, but I'll tell all of you…how much I don't care for this company." She began walking around the table, stopping every now and then between or behind the board members' seats, knowing full well she was making all of them very, very nervous. "This month alone, I single handedly sold a fifty billion yen penthouse…that basically trumps what all of you had done within the past six months…easily. In the year since my mother left me with full confidence as the main hand of her company, I was in charge of the rebuilding and remodeling of more than two hundred projects, more than half of them being multi million yen deals—none of which has fallen into catastrophic numbers.
"I worked day and night during the first year from keeping the Renaissance from falling into bankruptcy while all of you sat on your asses and pointed fingers, managing to do so with the rebuilding and selling of the Regency Restaurant. In the second year, the media scrutinized me for partnering with a half assed company that made a building without the proper codes and violations taken care of…a project all of you assured me that had all the matters properly attended to because it was a project all of your making. And this year…you still haven't learned from your past mistakes and still want me to partner with another half assed company that in a matter of a couple months will have the media scrutinizing my skills regarding this practice yet again.
"So tell me…do I care about this company?" Haruka seethed angrily at them, her figure looming over their sitting bodies and her eyes locking with each of theirs separately and effectively. "Because gentlemen…if I didn't care about my mother and father's company, I would've buried it in the first year, when my mother left, all of you became worthless, and the Renaissance began deteriorating."
A deathly silence permeated through the room as Haruka's angry, yet truthful words stopped anymore useless blabber from coming out of the otherwise frozen Board members. And it was also this time that Yoshiko finally made her entrance as well, earning her a lot more surprised looks from the already hyperventilating Board of Directors.
The blonde shared a quick, tired, and angry look with her mother and sat down on her seat again, feeling the familiar and friendly weight of her mother's left palm resting on her right shoulder. Everyone immediately straightened up in their seats and gave their undivided attention to the obviously still powerful woman.
"I'm highly disappointed at everything I've seen and heard today," she started and the fact that she said this with an even smile earned the mother and daughter the outward looks of real fear from all the Board members. Her smile not wavering, Yoshiko continued, "When I left for my nonpermanent hiatus, I commanded…strictly commanded…every one of you to teach Haruka-chan all she needed to know—to answer all the questions she needed answering, and then guide her if she ever were to be lost. And the fact that she learned so quickly and forgot the exact reason why she needed Board of Directors in the first place is what, I think, catalyzed this entire conflict.
"She may have rubbed all of you the wrong way with her all too knowing persona or gotten some of you annoyed with her all too confident approach. Be that as it may, she is your boss. The same as I am your boss. And if I were to come to work, just as she did today, with my coworkers yelling, fighting, and conspiring against me…" Audible hard swallows repeatedly echoed through the room as the elder female Tenoh paused momentarily. She eyed each of them, just as Haruka did earlier, with the same sparkling, emotionally charged emerald orbs. "If I were to come to work hearing what all of you yelled so proudly about, I wouldn't have been able to stay at the doorway and listen as my daughter had done. I would've barged in and fired…every single one of you for insubordination without batting an eyelash."
Haruka looked at the faces of everyone in that entire room and almost sighed at the pathetic looks all the gentlemen sported.
"I expect," her mother continued. "For all of you to remember who you are in this company from this day forth. This is your 'get out of jail free card'. It will not come again. Any muttering, any complaining, any bashing regarding my child…regardless of what she's done or is doing will not be tolerated by me…just as none of you will tolerate it if I spoke ill of your children.
"I will be honest that my long time impressions of all of you have dwindled to an all time low, but I will also say honestly that this company needs you…especially now. If you haven't started lunch already do so, because in an hour Haruka-chan and I will come back with all the things we need to finish and take care of by the end of this week…so let's get it done."
She received obedient and enthusiastic nods as Haruka stood up from her sitting position and smiled furtively at her mother's protective lioness speech.
"It's good to have you back, Chairman," Tatsu bowed lowly and pushed his glasses up to his eyes after doing so.
"You may not think so Tatsu-san, but even if I left it all up to Haruka-chan, everything would've been just fine," Yoshiko stated and smiled at her proudly smiling daughter.