A/N: Chapter 8 is finished thank god T.T I'm sorry in advance if there is going to be any mistakes related to punctuation, spelling or grammar, for I do not have a beta reader...Anyhow, please enjoy chapter 8 while I work on chapters 9-10 :D Leave a comment or two if you want, but I'm not going to persuade you guys to review or anything like that ^^ The engagement party will have 2 parts. Just informing you guys :) Oh and thank you to those who read and reviewed the previous chapter :D
Disclaimer: I don't own Marimite or any of its characters, except my OCs. All belongs to Oyuki Konno.
Chapter 8: The Engagement Party Part I
She looks like a goddess that descended from Mount. Olympus today.
She was always a goddess in my eyes, since the first time I laid my eyes on her...
Yumi knew that if she attended the party, her heart will be torn to shreds once more. But she didn't care, for as long as she can see Sachiko again, the pain will be worthwhile.
The pain turned to a dull ache; a never ending feeling of pain, but it was still worth it. She was being ignored by her goddess, but it's ok.
For there, chatting with people not too far away from where she was sitting was her beloved Sachiko. She was gorgeous. She was always beautiful, but today, she was exceptionally, captivatingly alluring; her hair was like the moonless night, and so was her expensive-looking strapless gown. Her posture screamed elegance and cultivated beauty.
Sachiko was talking with her guests. They were laughing, and people were congratulating her. Sensing that someone was looking at her, the bride-to-be turned around, and their eyes met. Yumi's mocha-colored eyes instantly locked with those lovely sapphire eyes.
Those lovely, yet anguish-filled sapphire eyes…
Yumi can read what those bewitching, azure eyes portray, for Sachiko's eyes show what she feels: Total damnation.
Yet the brunette could stare at them forever, for they are so unfathomable that she can simply drown in them, like how one can be engulfed easily by the Pacific Ocean.
Someone tapped the raven-haired girl's shoulder, so her eyes gazed into Yumi's no more. She was smiling once again, thanking one of the guests that congratulated her.
But Yumi knew that deep beneath those fake smiles and expressions of joy were feelings of sadness, despair and heartache.
Heartache: that 2 syllable word that describes a feeling so abominable that no one wants to feel it for themselves. They say that when people have broken hearts, they feel this so-called heartache. Well, when she got rejected by her lover, she just didn't feel pain in her heart.
She felt pain everywhere.
"Do you want to leave now Yumi-chan?" asked a regretful Yoshino all of a sudden. She was indeed regretful because honestly, she didn't really want to attend the occasion. She just came to support her best friend, like everyone else. The Yamayurikai was sitting at a table. Smiles were not adorning their faces, for this party for them wasn't a happy one. For them, this gathering is like a funeral.
For them, this occasion is like a funeral, where Yumi and Sachiko's love for each other was buried beneath 6 feet of undesired feelings of suffering, rejection, and torment.
All the Yamayurikai came to support Yumi. Both old and new members attended the party, including Sachiko's onee-sama Mizuno Youko and the onee-sama of the current Rosa Gigantea, Satou Sei.
"No thank you. I'd like to stay a little while longer." replied Yumi as she continued to gaze at the former Rosa Chinensis.
Sighing, Youko leaned to Yumi close enough so that Yumi can hear her said while touching the girl's shoulder.
"Yumi, I'm really sorry about Sachiko's stupidity. I thought I taught her well when it comes to emotions and right judgment, but I guess I was wrong."
"I swear-"Sei butted in, who at that time was seated next to the future lawyer, "-your petite souer is so foolish that I myself wonder how you guys coped with her through all this years."
"Sei would you ju-"the irritated-looking Youko started to retaliate but was stopped by Yumi.
"It's ok Youko-sama, Sei-sama. It's not Sachiko's fault that she was born with the last name Ogasawara." Yumi spoke back with a dry chuckle. She was finally looking around and not looking at her. She wanted to see what kind people Sachiko invited.
What Yumi saw was of expected. She saw other guests who were sophisticated looking. They were those people who were socially ambitious and they all want fame and power. They all want to become, or become close to the stature of the Ogasawara.
Looking around some more, a familiar-looking guy suddenly caught the brunette's attention.
Wait… is that the person who I think it is?
The familiar-looking guy Yumi was looking at was none other than Sakomoto Kaoru!
She stood up and was about to walk to the young man when someone grabbed her wrist. Turning around, Yumi saw Yoshino's questioning stare saying, "Where are you going?"
"I just saw a friend of mine. And don't ask if you know that person because you don't ok?"
Yoshino just answered back with an exaggerated sigh and let go of Yumi's wrist. Now free, she started walking to the soccer captain.
Kaoru was sipping champagne and swooning at the groom-to-be. Why won't he meet my gaze? Is he avoiding me? He invited me and now he's just ignoring me. God I shouldn't have gone to this stupid par-
His train of thoughts was interrupted when he felt a light tap on his shoulder.
"Kaoru-kun?"
That voice. The owner of that voice sounded so familiar. I can't put my finger on who the owner is though.
Turning his head, he saw the one who tapped his shoulder.
Fukuzawa Yumi.
"F-Fukuzawa-san? Wow, you look absolutely radiant with that crimson dress of yours." The young man commented approvingly.
"You don't look half-bad with that smart-looking tuxedo yourself" Yumi praised back.
Both looked gorgeous that evening. Yumi was wearing a rich, red evening gown, while the young man was wearing a 2 piece tuxedo suit complete with a black bowtie.
Wanting to have a private conversation with the girl, Kaoru dragged the pig-tail headed girl outside to the extremely large Ogasawara garden. Now all alone, both asked the same question simultaneously.
"What in the world are you doing here?"
Hearing that they both asked the same question at similar timing, the two started to laugh as they sat near a bench.
Laughter ceased down after a few seconds. After a while, Yumi asked Kaoru if he still remembered what happened that night last summer, in which he nodded. Yumi's gaze went up to
"You know why I was walking by myself that pouring night?"
Replying to the girl with a no, Yumi said with a sullen voice.
"It was because of what happened earlier that night. You know Sachiko-san? the one getting married to Suguru-san? Well, we were once lovers not too long ago."
Kaoru thought his ears deceived him. They were lovers? Then that means he's not the only one! Outside he looked calm and collected, but inside was a different story. In his mind, Kaoru was jumping like a man who swallowed a dog with rabies!
Taking the silence as a negative reaction to what she just said, Yumi was about to stand up and leave when Kaoru said something that made the girl stop with utter puzzlement.
"That's funny. I guess I'm not alone after all when it comes to unrequited or what you call unreturned love."
"What do you mean?" Yumi asked with a confused tone. She thought about it for awhile, and she was thinking hard. Like really hard.
For starters, she was Sachiko's lover. Meaning that Kaoru-kun's lover would be… wait.
No way.
'He was once in that kind of relationship with Kashiwagi Suguru-san?' Yumi thought disbelievingly.
"Wait, does that mean that you were once lovers with-"
Kaoru smiled back bitterly as he finished Yumi's crazy yet correct conclusion.
"I was once lovers with Suguru-san as well. I'm also gay."
A loud "EHH?" was suddenly heard across the place, making the birds flock away with surprise because of the sudden rise of loudness.
After absorbing the information, Yumi finally calm downed and sat on the bench again with Kaoru beside her, who at the time closed his eyes because of Yumi's loud screeches?
It was nighttime, and the stars were shining like lamps scattered across the cloudless sky. The two had their eyes shut, feeling the cool night breeze kissing their cheeks. All of a sudden, Kaoru's eyes snapped open because a brilliant just popped in his head. Shaking the young woman beside her, Kaoru can't help but grin with delight.
"What do you want Kaoru-kun? Are you cold? We should go back inside now since its chilly here outside."
Shaking his head with disagreement, Kaoru can't contain himself as he started to tell Yumi about his plan to get Suguru to cancel the wedding and get him and Sachiko to feel jealous, which will definitely benefit the both of them. By the time Kaoru finished explaining his brilliant scheme, Yumi couldn't help but smile and worry at the same time.
Yumi was happy that maybe this plan would make Sachiko jealous. But, there's the possibility that if they put the plan into action, it would backfire and hurt the four of them instead.
What's the point of getting her back? I'll be hurt if I tried. I don't want to feel the tight, crushing pain she caused me last summer. I don't want to feel pain anymore. It's time to move on.
Smiling, the brunette hugged Kaoru for being a genius, in which he returned back with the same enthusiasm.
Neither saw the mysterious figure hiding behind the shadows of the star-lit night. That person was watching their exchanges with surprise. And now, that person is confused. Like extremely confused.
Are they dating or something?
"Congratulations on your engagement Suguru-sempai. To celebrate this special event personally, why don't we go on a double date? You and Sachiko-san with me and my girlfriend?" Kaoru smirked as he asked the groom-to-be.
On his part, Suguru can't help but stutter with shock. How can he replace me so easily? And here I thought he only likes handsome men like me. Not to mention he looks so damn sexy with that tuxedo… Did the temperature here suddenly go up or what?
"O-Of course Kaoru-kun. When and where will we have this special double date?"
Kaoru remembered what he said to Yumi. 'I'll ask Suguru-sempai to a double date, and you'll pretend to be my cute girlfriend ok?'
He just chuckled at the last part when Yumi turned bright red and stuttered the word cute. Suguru saw the young man in front of him chuckle, and this aslo made him inwardly laugh.
"If it's ok, we can go to a local restaurant near my place at around noon for lunch. I believe you know where this restaurant is right?" Kaoru said after recovering from his chuckle.
'How could I not forget?' Suguru mused in his mind. 'It was that same restaurant where we had our first date. Now I really want to meet this 'girlfriend' of yours with much gusto.'
"I assure you. I know where that restaurant is Kaoru-kun." Suguru replied with a stoic expression.
"It is settled then. I'm looking forward to meeting your lovely fiancé Ogasawara-san personally."
"And I'm looking forward to meeting your girlfriend Kaoru-kun." The groom-to-be replied with sarcasm dripping in his mouth.
The younger of the two bowed then turned around and walked away, which left Suguru no choice but to stare at Kaoru's figure getting smaller and smaller; the boy's retreating image burnt in his eyelids.
I remember the first time I had him in my arms. That such a simple pleasure existed in this world. I didn't truly treasure his love, until he has that special someone, and now that someone isn't me…
It's true that we don't know what we've been missing until it arrives in our lives, but it's true that we don't know what we've got until we lose it.
Yumi can't believe that she actually agreed to the soccer captain's plan!
Did she do the right thing? To agree to a scheme where they will see pain and jealousy in his/her own lover. Isn't that going a little bit too far?
Should she tell Kaoru to not continue with the plan? or should she just go with it and see what awaits for the four of them? As Yumi was thinking those things in her head, she was walking down a corridor to the room where the party's being held.
All of a sudden, someone was right behind her and that person whispered in Yumi's ear. Unknown to Yumi, that person was the mysterious figure who saw them earlier that night outside the garden embracing each other.
"Who and what was your relationship with the guy you were with earlier Yu-mi-chan?" the person asked with curiosity and playfulness evident in his/her voice.
To Be Continued…
A/N: So what do you guys think? And who is that mysterious figure that saw Yumi and Kaoru? Read the next installment to find out! As I said before, you can review, comment or PM me if you have a question and stuff, but you don't have to click the "Review Button of Awesomeness" If you don't want to ^^
Hope to hear from you guys soon,
AsulNaRosa
(P.S. I know that the quote at the last end of this chapter is really cheesy that it kind of fits the ending but to me, it's actually quite true.)