Dear readers, we have been more productive than usual lately so you get to enjoy yet another chapter. It is slightly longer than what we usually post but we hope you´ll have the patience to read till the end. Don´t hate us for the cliffhanger!
Kriseis & Zaza
"Who can surprise well must conquer."
John Paul Jones
The moment they set foot in front of the Nishikado mansion, they had been greeted, of course, by the usual army of servants that had immediately rushed to take care of the luggage and welcome the most important guests. But what caught the attention of the crowd were not the servants, a usual sight by now, but the elder lady who had welcomed them with the cheeriest face and an energetic attitude and who, as soon as she saw her nephew, had jumped to greet him with a tight and warm embrace.
"Oh Soujiroh, I've missed you so much. If you hadn't come this week I would have gone back to Tokyo to see you …"
"Me too grandma … I've missed you too …" a squished Soujiroh managed to say, hoping that this rather embarrassing scene would end soon.
Tsukushi and Shigeru giggled, giving nudges to one another, while Tsukasa and Rui exchanged amused glances.
Akira and Yuki, who till then had busied themselves with uncountable shopping bags that the girls had inexplicably succeeded to gather in town, observed with astonishment and somewhat amusement the awkward (especially for Yuki who had never seen Soujiroh in that position before) and embarrassing situation a playboy like Soujiroh was in.
Leaning over to Yuki's ear, Akira whispered in a bemused tone: "I must go to my friend's rescue."
Yuki giggled and standing on her tiptoes in order to get closer to Akira´s right ear whispered to him: "Go … I think he is rather desperate …" Her words could not be truer because Soujiroh looked like was going to explode at any time.
"Mrs. Nishikado …" Akira called letting go of Yuki's waist " …long time no see. You look younger than the last time I saw you if that's possible. I must admit that I have missed your entertaining company. But what a marvelous house and the scenery is fantastic …"
"Oh thank you Mimasaka, gallant as always. And you have indeed a good eye. Isn't the view wonderful? Wait till you see the terrace …"
"I can't wait" Akira went along with the flatteries that were his trademark when it came to women. He really knew how to make a person feel special. "I understand the house is a gift from your husband"
"Oh yes, he's such a dear …"
Soujiroh sighed in relief, seeing that his grandmother's full attention was now focused on Akira's compliments.
As they entered the house they were welcomed by Soujiroh's grandfather who had just come in from a tea ceremony and was still wearing a kimono. The old man greeted the young crowd and putting an arm on his grandson's shoulder's guided him to the terrace.
"Glad you could come … one more day and your grandmother would …" he whispered to Soujiroh.
"What are you two talking about over there?" asked Mrs. Nishikado suspicious, and then turned smiling to the others: "They are always like this, keeping secrets from me" …"Oh look kids, isn't the view wonderful?" Mrs Nishikado changed the subject as soon as they stepped onto the terrace.
"It is!" the girls exclaimed in unison, squeaking amazed by the wonderful spectacle nature displayed in front of their eyes.
"Please make yourselves comfortable. In a while your rooms will be ready and you'll be able to have a well deserved rest." added Mr. Nishikado taking a seat next to his wife.
"Yes, my husband is right, you must rest, a trip is always tiring … Oh but where is my mind? I ordered five rooms to be prepared and you are seven. I will immediately remediate this …" said Mrs. Nishikado preparing to call a maid.
"Oh no, Mrs. Nishikado, Tsukushi and I already have a place to stay …" Yuki reacted quickly noticing the old woman's distress.
"Yes" confirmed Akira "Tsukasa could not bare to stay separated from his fiancée anymore so we had to sequestrate them." Pointing to the F4 leader who stayed retreated in one corner of the terrace, having Tsukushi by his side.
"Oh yes, I totally forgot to make the presentation" said Soujiroh, coming with a glass of iced tea which he handed to Yuki.
"Thank you Soujiroh" said Yuki, taking the glass and smiling at him.
"You're welcome." He smiled at her as well, which made Yuki's heart tumble for a second. And then got back to what he was saying. "I took for granted the fact that you already know the guys. So, the girl over there clinging to Rui's arm is Okawahara Shigeru, you must know her from the social pages, the girl that Tsukasa won´t let go of at the moment, as you must have guessed, is his fiancée, Makino Tsukushi, of which you've definitely heard … and Matsuoka Yuki" pointing to the girl seated next to Akira." … Tsukushi's best friend"
Oh so that was why Yuki's face seemed so familiar to Shigure. She was Takeshi's granddaughter. Now that he looked with more attention, he could spot some common traits. But no, the girl had more from her grandmother than from his crazy friend. Yes, definitely she was more Kinu than Takeshi, her character was definitely her grandmother's.
"Oh, so you are …" Shigure found himself addressing to Yuki, with a smile on his face that said now I get it, but he was abruptly interrupted by a fierce pain induced to his right foot. His wife should definitely give up wearing high heels; it was bad for her health and for his wellbeing too. He quickly looked at Madoka. She had that subtle smile that said: If you say one more word I will kill you, so he had one thing to do, turn the conversation in another direction: "Kagura Matsuoka's daughter or is it just a name coincidence?" Shigure tried to seem interested.
Yuki blinked twice, but nevertheless replied to the old man: "It is no coincidence. Kagura Matsuoka is indeed my mother" From where did Soujiroh's grandfather know her mother? Was it too impolite to ask?
"My wife loves her column. She made it a habit to read it out loud every week. Isn't that so sweetheart?"
"Oh yes, yes. It is true. Such good and powerful articles." Mrs. Nishikado played along.
After this, the conversation diverted from one subject to another, from women's magazines to social pages, from social pages to gossip, from there – nobody knew how – to the way Rui and Shigeru met, to life in Europe and down the memory lane again on the years Mrs. Nishikado spent with her husband in Paris.
"Aaah, those were the days!" Mrs. Nishikado sighed remembering her youthful past and smiling to her husband. And, as if awakening from her memories, she changed her melancholic mood with a more energetic one and exclaimed: "Look at the time, it passes so fast! We'll leave you kids alone. I am sure you have many things to discuss between yourselves. Come, dear!"
Not long after the grandparents left, the group divided. Rui and Shigeru mysteriously vanished, without the others noticing, while Tsukushi and Tsukasa retreated to a more private place to talk. The only ones left on the terrace were Yuki, Akira and Soujiroh. Good thing the birds in the trees were singing because the silence would have been overwhelming. Sensing that neither Yuki nor Soujiroh would start a conversation, Akira volunteered to break the silence. It was not in his nature to stay quiet for too long.
"So, Yuki … tell us more about your fiancé…"
Yuki, who was just taking a sip of tea, spilled it out immediately, choking upon hearing Akira's question.
Soujiroh, seeing the poor girl in distress, gave a quick "Are you insane?" glance to Akira and raised to help Yuki. Akira was nearer to Yuki though and rushed to give the poor girl the much needed help before suffocating:
"Woooh … Yuki-chan, take it easy, it's not like I've asked you about your sex life or anything." joked Akira patting Yuki on the back.
"It's okay, thanks Akira!" said Yuki regaining her breath but feeling the blood rush to her cheeks thanks to Akira's commentary. She wasn't supposed to, but she felt awkward talking about such things in front of Soujiroh. Though looking at him she observed that the topic seemed to arise no interest in him. He seemed as passive as the rocks nearby. "I gather he is fine" replied Yuki to Akira, who was still waiting for an answer.
"So, when will we get the chance to meet him? Is he here? Oh, you're so bad Yuki. How could you keep such big news from us?" continued Akira with the interrogation, looking from the corner of the eye at Soujiroh. He had seen the glance Soujiroh gave him when he asked about her fiancé; he knew it bothered him, even though he did not recognize it. How long will his passive I don't have a care in the world attitude last? Akira was really curious to find out.
Well, Akira was very inquisitive today. When she answered the first question, Yuki thought that that would satisfy him and that they would switch to another topic. But no, the interrogation seemed to carry on. "Yes, he is in Nikko. I guess I will introduce him to you soon."
"And who is he? Do we know him?"
Oh no, he kept going! This was getting hard to answer, not even she knew who her fiancé was, she didn't even know his name. "Oh Yuki, you should have asked grandpa at least this!" she scolded herself mentally. "No, I don't think you know him." she replied out loud. Luckily the answer was evasive enough. So far so good. She obviously could not tell Akira and the others that this was an arranged marriage; she had been scolded enough by Tsukushi.
As the questions continued, Yuki's answers became more and more evasive and Akira noticed. These were not the answers of an enthusiastic bride to be; in fact Yuki was not enthusiastic at all. Hmmm … something was rotten in the state of Denmark and he had to find out the source of the "stench". He was sure that Yuki still loved Soujiroh. Than why marry some other guy?
There was another person nearby with the same question in mind. As Soujiroh listened to Akira and Yuki's conversation, or better Akira's interrogation, he noticed Yuki's awkwardness. It was perfectly clear that Yuki was trying desperately to escape the subject. Was it because of his presence? But if Yuki was marrying another guy that meant that her feelings for him were already gone. Or weren't they? She did not seemed happy, not even a little bit enthusiastic. Why was she marrying this guy? Oh and why the hell Akira kept nagging Yuki? Wasn't it clear that she didn't want to talk about it?
Soujiroh rose from the couch and headed to pour himself something to drink. This situation had gotten to his nerves. Was he jealous? No, it must be the lack of sleep that made him cranky. Maybe he should retire for today. Anyway he had to accompany his grandparents to one of his grandfather's old friends. A good rest before that would be perfect. He had to get back to his charming mood.
"Guys, I think I'll retire to my room. Please feel at home. Bye Yuki-chan, it was nice to see you again!" He gave Yuki one of his charming smiles and Akira a pat on the shoulder and left the terrace.
On seeing him leave, Akira felt a little disappointed. When he had seen Soujiroh rising swiftly from the couch, he thought that he was finally going to say something; hell, he thought that he would come and kick his ass for tormenting Yuki. But no. Was his friend this insensitive? He sighed and turned his attention back to Yuki, who still had her glance focused on the terrace's exit.
"Yuki" said Akira turning more serious "are you sure you want to get married?'
She looked at him with amazed eyes. What was with Akira asking this so suddenly? He seemed serious now, he wasn't joking anymore. Yuki took a deep breath, put a brave smile on her face and answered: "Of course I am, don't be silly." And then lowered her head and looked at her wristwatch: "Look at the time. I'd better find Tsukushi."
"Okay, see you tomorrow!" replied Akira retaking his casual mood in front of Yuki; but as soon as she left he fell on thoughts again. A frown could be seen on his forehead. Clearly there was more to it than Yuki told them and he will find out what.
xxx
In a quiet corner of the garden, under a willow tree, seated on two chaise-lounges were Makino and Domyouji. Tsukushi seemed pensative and struggling between mixed emotions. "It´s unfair!" she thought, " this was supposed to be my last vacation as a single woman, away from the hustle of the wedding planning, and, why not, Tsukasa. We´ll spend the rest of our lives together, is it too much to ask for a few weeks alone?"
" It´s unfair! Unbelievable!" she screamed just for the sake of old times, of those days at Eitoku Academy, when she used to yell the same thing from the spot on the emergency stairs.
" Makino!" retorted her future spouse, " I´m right next to you, there´s no need to scream. Do you want a deaf husband? I think my left ear has been permanently damaged!"
"Never mind that! What are you doing here, Tsukasa? And don´t you dare lie to me!"
"What do you mean? I´ve told you, I´m here on a trip with the guys!"
"Oh really?! From all the places in the world, you´ve chose Nikko. Where you knew I was. Do you think I´m stupid and that I wouldn´t have realised you were lieing?"
"And so what if I did? Aren´t you happy to see me?"
For his part, Tsukasa was extatic. After all he had been through, he was finally in Nikko. And what sheer luck to meet Makino just like that, on the street, so soon after arriving in town.
"That´s not the point, Tsukasa!" Makino appeared a little exasperated. As usual, they didn´t see things in the same manner. "We had a deal. I wanted you to respect it and me! And what do you do? A day and a half later you break the deal!"
"And way too long it was!" said Tsukasa giving her a nudge or two. "C´mon, Makino, there´s no need to hide it. I know you´ve missed me! And who can blame you? I am the most awsome man after all!"
Tsukushi didn´t answer, she just looked at her fiancé for a while, like this was actually the first time she saw him since he arrived in Nikko. From his curly hair, to the playful grin on his face, to his casual but highly expensive clothes, to his royal demeanour and his way to fill up any room with his presence, he was still very much the man she fell in love with. The man she had missed ever since leaving Tokyo, although she tried to hide it because she was Tsukushi, a tough weed and she did not behave like a love-sick puppy. But was she going to tell him that, so that he could gloat even more and become even more full of himself? No, not this time. She had a whole life ahead of her to do that. For now she would just tease him a little. A girl has to have some fun afterall. So she retorted:
"Miss you? Please, don´t make me laugh! You´re the one coming after me, so who´s missing who?"
"Ah, Makino! Is that any way to treat me? I rushed over precisely so you won´t fall ill of missing me so much." Domyouji said, getting up from the chaise-lounge and seating himself next to Tsukushi on her chair, one arm on her shoulders and his head resting on hers. They looked just like any normal couple, enjoying a sunny day after a quarrel, not like the famous "Trouble Couple". Her anger seemed to have melted away when he had touched her, and resting her head on his shoulder, she asked:
"Did you know about Rui and Shigeru?"
"Not until this morning. She just showed up on the plane and declared to be his girlfriend. And he agreed! I always thought he was visiting Shizuka in Europe. I didn´t expect he was seeing the Monkey!"
"Don´t call her that anymore! Remember how she helped us! And besides, respect your friend´s girlfriend!"
Just at that moment, Yuki appeared telling Tsukushi that it was time to head back home if she was to get ready for dinner. So the girls left, promising to all meet tomorrow and go in town.
xxx
Now that they were alone in the study room, Shigure had to ask his wife why she hadn´t let him tell Yuki that he and her grandfather were good old friends.
" So, tell me my sweetheart, what wrong has my foot done for you to inflict such pain to it?"
" I am sorry dear, but it was the only way to stop you from saying what you intended to say."
"Huh..." looking at his wife suspiciously he replied " What plan has that little head of yours come up with now?"
" None yet, but we couldn´t reveal to Yuki that we are Takeshi´s friends. She would have immediately realize that the one she is to be engaged with is none other than Soujiroh."
" You are right, darling, but the kids are going to find out about it anyway..."
" Yes, but if Soujiroh would have found out earlier, he would have hit the road back to Tokyo in an instant. It is better for them to get the news in a much more formal enviroment. And besides, darling..." Madoka paused, trying to find her words. Shigure waited patiently and anxiously for his wife to continue, it was not in her character to stop in the middle of a sentence. "...I am not sure about the meeting tonight. I think we should wait a little while longer."
" But why do such a thing? Now that I met Takeshi´s granddaughter I am more convinced than ever that those two should get married. Yuki would make a good wife for our Soujiroh." Now Shigure was worried. It couldn´t be that his own lovely wife was againt this long awaited for accomplishment of their dream.
" I know, Yuki is such a sweet girl, and she reminds so much of Kinu! I am absolutely certain that she would manage to get under Soujiroh´s skin."
"See, you agree with me...and besides, they already know each other. It is better, they are friends...
"That´s what worries me, sweetheart... that same friendship. Like you said, it is so hard to find good friends these days. Soujiroh is lucky to have so many friends around him..."
"Dear, I´m perplexed. What does friendship have to do with the kids getting married?" asked Shigure, more confused than ever.
"It has, sweety. Have you seen Yuki and Akira? They seemed so close, like a couple. What if those two are together? Do you realize what that would mean? If we go ahead with our plans to marry our grandson to Yuki but she is in fact Akira´s girlfriend...We cannot let that happen again..."
"I see your point..." stated Mr. Nishikado, disappointment written on his face. "I haven´t thought of that. It is not my intention to cause any kind of trouble between Soujiroh and his friends. We should investigate first. And if those two really are together I´ll talk to Takeshi and give up on our plans..."
Mrs. Nishikado sighed. Her poor husband! He looked like a child whose favourite toy got broken. Such a sad sight! She went to him with a cheerful, encouraging smile and placed her hands on his: "Don´t worry, I shall find out the truth. There is still hope. If things turn out well, our grandson will have Yuki as his fiancée tonight, as planed. Leave it to me..."
xxx
Standing in front of her bedroom window overlooking the garden, Mrs. Nishikado was unusually silent and serious. To an outsider she would have appeared as a beautiful lady lost in her thoughts, but Shigure would have told the onlooker that actually his wife was up to no good. This was the calm before the storm for Madoka, and while looking at the young man totally absorbed in his book, she was just preparing a strategy and various plans of attack, just like any good general would have done before an important battle.
Oh, yes, Madoka Nishikado appeared as many things to many different people: a perfect wife, mother and grandmother; a higly educated lady, a sociable person, always up to date with the latest news in her circle of friends. And she was all those things, but there were aspect of her personality that she kept hidden from everyone except her husband. Shigure was the only one who knew about her stuborness, her perseverence - if people said that everything in her life was perfect, that was because she had worked countless hours planning every detail, taking care of things in order for them to be perfect - her possesiveness, her obsession of making sure her family was happy and sheltered from anything that could harm them. And she hid them not because she perceived these traits as faults, but because she knew they harsly contradicted the image people had of her. She was aware that some saw her as a frivolous old woman, proccupeid with gossip and a little detached from reality, but she didn´t care. The important people in her life knew the truth and that was enough for her.
Madoka smiled a little, eyes still fixed on the young man in the garden. She found herself in a bind. It had been a suspicion at first, but after confessing it to Shigure, after saying it out loud, it became too real for her to handle. It was possible that there was something between the Mimasaka young man and Takeshi´s lovely granddaughter, and that could prove to be an insurmontable obstacle. It could ruin their entire plan and Madoka could not stand the thought of failure. She would not bare to see Shigure´s disappointed look, his sadness and sorrow if they would have to abandon this dream of bringing the families together, especially since this was their last chance. This marriage between Yuki and Soujiroh had been entirely Takeshi and Shigure´s idea and she went along with the plan only because it made her husband happy. And his happiness was the most important thing in her life. It was true though that she also considered that her grandson needed to settle down. And if her husband wanted Yuki to be the person to whom Soujiroh should spend the rest of his life, she had nothing against it. From what she had seen that afternoon, Yuki was not only very pretty and polite but she seemed to have a cheerful attitude and an optimistic outlook.
Madoka knew that just because she was his grandmother that didn´t really gave her any right to control Soujiroh´s life, but she was sincerely worried about him. His lifestyle, the way he treated women, were not right. It seemed to Madoka that in each and every girl Soujiroh was searching for something, but he never had the patience to see if what he was looking for was actually there or not, since his relationships didn´t even last a few weeks. Oh, the young ones nowadays! They didn´t know how to appreciate thew slow blossoming of such an esquisite feeling as love! They´d rather believe in such things as love at first sight, a completely foolish notion in her opinion.
Mrs. Nishikado liked to consider herself as quite a good judge of characters and her belief was that she herself could not have picked a better wife for her dear Soujiroh. She could tell Yuki was different from the girls she usually met at social gatherings and there was certainly something special about her if she had succeeded in mantaining a friendship with such a playboy as Soujiroh. Maybe this young woman that came from a different background, that had different life experiences than the girls he usually met, would be the one in whom Soujiroh would find whatever he was looking for.
For how many minutes now has she been standing like that, looking through the window? Clearly, she was reticent about doing this, but if she wanted some answers, then she would have to do it. Besides, nothing could be worse than this uncertanty, not knowing where they stood. Her intuition told her that it was best if she didn´t approach Soujiroh, she couldn´t have explained her sudden curiosity about one of his friend´s personal life. Ah, the irony of life! She had blamed Akira on numerous occasions of corrupting her grandson and now so many things depended on the answers he would give her.
It was time, she couldn´t wait any longer. Slowly, confidently, she went across the room to the mirrror, she arranged a few strands of hair, and then, Madoka Nishikado exited the room, prepared for another battle. She walked calmly towards the garden, stopping from time to time to move some little object, to rearrange a bouquet of flowers or to admire the way in which the light of the sun changed the mood of the house. When she was finally outside, Akira was coming towards the mansion. They met halfway and Madoka was the first to speak:
"Akira-kun, how come you´re not resting like the rest of your friends?"
"Good-afternoon, Nishikado-san! I managed to rest my eyes for a while on the plane. I´m not really that tired."
"Really? How fortunate! Then you wouldn´t mind coming inside with me to have a cup of tea and some British biscuits, would you?"
"Not at all. But I thought you wanted to get out into the garden?"
"Yes, to get you. I saw you through the window and that´s how the idea came to me. I thought everyone was taking an afternoon nap."
They were soon in the living room but the conversation didn´t resume until after the tea was served.
"Mrs. Nishikado, I hope we´re not too much of an inconvenience, showing up like this, all of us." Akira began taking his cup of tea from the table.
"Nonsense. Soujiroh´s friends are more than welcome in our home. And I´m quite hopefull that with all of you here, my grandson won´t get bored too quickly and extend his stay with us."
"You are very kind, thank you!"
"Tell me, Akira-kun, I´m curious. Have you known Shigeru-chan for a long time?"
"For a few years, but none of us knew she was Rui´s girlfriend until today. It was...unexpected, to say the least."
"Oh, so the two of them played a trick on you. That is funny." Madoka replied, laughing a little. "This doesn´t change the fact that they make a charming couple though, does it?"
Akira just smiled, and Madoka continued:
"Just like you and Yuki-chan." She took a sip of her tea, keeping her eyes fixed on Akira´s face.
For his part, Akira choked on the biscuit he had been munching, so he was a little out of breath when he asked: "Excuse me?"
"Oh, there´s no need to hide it Akira-kun. I saw you two kiss earlier!"
The young man just stared at Madoka. Granted, Mrs. Nishikado was not exactly young anymore, but was she really that old to see things that didn´t happen? Or confound her imagination with reality? And then, all of a sudden he understood what she was talking about. He remembered arriving at the mansion, the way he had his arm around Yuki-chan when they first saw Mrs. Nishikado, how he whispered in the young girl´s ear. From where Soujiroh´s grandmother was standing it must have looked like they were kissing. He smiled, amused and intrigued at the same time by the lady´s interest in his personal life.
"I don´t know what you are talking about, Mrs. Nishikado, but I can assure you Yuki-chan and I are just friends."
"Are you certain?" If Madoka felt relief in hearing the news, it did not show on her face. She was calm and charming as ever, a benevolent smile glued to her face.
"Yes, there is absolutely no way she and I could get together."
"Why not? I´m sure all the girls would give their right arm for a chance to become your girlfriend, Akira-kun!"
"Well, that is true, but not Yuki-chan. She is too much in love with your grandson."
It was Madoka´s turn to be surprised and this time she could not hide it. The spoon with which she was stirring her tea, dropped with a sudden click in the cup. Now, now, things just got a little better and more interesting.
"She has been" continued Akira, noticing the change in her attitude and starting to understand where Mrs. Nishikado was trying get to "for some years now and Soujiroh is aware of that but chose not to do anything about it. He admitted to me once that she changed him profoundly, but I´m beginning to lose hope that they will ever be a couple."
"So," Madoka thought, "the young man in front of me knows more than I thought."
"Did you think they would, Akira-kun?" she asked out loud.
"More like I hoped. I know it may sound absurd, Mrs. Nishikado, but I really believe that there is no better girl for Soujiroh."
"She is a charming girl, isn´t she?"
"Yes, and intelligent and talented - she is studying interior design, did you know?"
"No, I had no idea." This was a lie, obviously, Takeshi was very proud of his granddaughter and kept his friends informed with the changes in her life whether they wanted to know or not. Both Madoka and Shigure knew quite a bit about Yuki.
She was beginning to like the Mimasaka heir more and more by the minute. It was obvious he could help them. She would just have to risk and tell him the whole truth.
"It seems to me, Akira-kun, that at the beginning of our discussion both of us knew halves of the same story. And since you shared your half, I´ll tell you the other and you´ll decide afterwards if you accept my proposition. What you all don´t know about Yuki-chan is that she is the only granddaughter of Takashimizu Takeshi, the coffee tycoon. Said coffee tycoon happens to be my husband´s childhood friend and they both have desired for some time now to unite their families. But since both of them had sons, that was impossible. And now..."
"Now you want Yuki and Soujiroh to get married in order to fulfill that wish."
"Very good, Mimasaka. You are a clever young man." She smiled, genuinely impressed.
"Thank you. I like to think so. I understand you already got Yuki to agree and that now all you have to do is convince Soujiroh. Yuki already told Makino, her best friend, quite out of the blue, that she is getting married. I suspect that is not a coincidence."
"Not exactly. Takeshi persuaded Yuki to accept an arranged marriage, but she doesn´t know it is to Soujiroh."
"The problem is, Mrs. Nishikado, that things are more complex than that. For the past year their relationship hasn´t been the best. In fact, they didn´t communicate at all. I´m afraid Yuki-chan is fed up with the way Soujiroh has ignored her feelings and broken her heart. Every time Soujiroh is with another woman, he inadvertedly hurts Yuki."
"So do you think we have no chance of succeeding?"
"Not necessarily. I happen to think that Yuki still loves him, bless her heart, and that maybe Soujiroh just needs a little push."
"So my question is: will you help us get them together?"
Akira didn´t answer right away. He was still surprised to discover that what seemed to be an innocent trip to Soujiroh´s grandparents, had in fact a true spiderweb of intrigues and complicated plans behind it. He knew that if he accepted and things went wrong he could lose two of his best friends. On the other hand, if things succeeded then he would have contributed to two of his friends´happiness. Hoping that he would never have to regret this, Akira answered:
"As much as I can, yes."
xxx
"...but Hisoka, why do I have to wear a kimono?"
"Well, little miss, your fiancé comes from a traditional Japanese family with a high respect for customs. It will be a sign of respect from you and master to welcome them in such a manner, considering tonight´s important event."
"Ah, I understand."
"So which one of them would little miss prefer?" asked Hisoka making a slight sign to the maids to come and help their young mistress.
Yuki took a look at the richly embroidered kimonos, she touched their silky material and attempted to choose one. Although it took quite a while to decide, Yuki finally spotted a light blue kimono with a floral pattern. It seemed so familiar, she had seen it before, that´s why it had caught her attention. At one of her gestures a maid took it and placed it neatly on the bed, pleased to see that their young miss finally chose one.
"Ah! Right! in grandma´s album!" Yuki suddenly exclaimed, remembering where she had seen it before. There was a picture with her grandmother wearing the same kimono.
"Hisoka, was this grandmother´s kimono?"
"Yes little miss. In fact, it is one of Mrs. Takashimizu´s favourite pieces. All of these belonged to her. And now they are yours miss Yuki. Such precious things!"
"Mine?" asked Yuki in all amazement.
"Yes. These are master´s orders, only little miss is entitled to wear them. Little miss is Mr. Takashimizu´s sole female descendant. It cannot be otherwise."
Yuki felt speechless, or better said, lost again in her own thoughts. The kimonos were indeed wonderful, old luxury items that were probably worth a fortune, she was honoured to receive such things. She was very pleased to wear them. It also brought back good memories, faint pieces of memories of her grandmother gracefully and proudly wearing this traditional costume. But where could she wear them? And then Hisoka´s words came once again into her mind. Her future fiancé came from a traditional Japanese family. She will have plenty of opportunities to wear them. And then a strange sensation was felt, like butterflies in her stomach. Not that she did not like old Japanese customs. It was nothing like that. But was she ready to enter such a family? And why did this thing make her think of Soujiroh? How could she think of him when she was about to meet the man that would become her fiancé?
"Oh, Soujiroh, get out of my head!" Yuki whispered.
"Little miss, did you say something?" asked the butler.
"No Hisoka, just babbling to myself." replied Yuki embarassed, her cheeks tomato red.
"If little miss does not need me I shall go aid master...I shall leave you to get ready now."
After that Yuki got dressed with the help of her maids who clearly knew what they were doing. It took a lot of mastery in putting on a kimono. Yuki was enchanted by this fine custom. She had to learn everything about this fine art and maybe with time she would be able to master this unique custom herself. She did not put on too much make-up. The accessories were carefully chosen as well an at the suggestion of one maid she just combed her hair and left it loose on her shoulders.
"There! You are ready young miss." said the older maid while taking a little silver hair clip from her pocket and pinning nicely two little strands of her mistress´s hair.
Yuki smiled at them and then observed herself in the mirror. Oh, how the butterflies in her stomach multiplied! Was she really ready? Yes, she was. She was fully dressed, hair combed, make-up perfect, all was in perfect harmony. But was she really ready to face this moment? "Yuki, calm down, everything will be fine!" Oh, who was she trying to kid? She couldn´t even stand still from her nerves. She´ll just go to Tsukushi. Yes, that was a good plan. So off she went to her friend´s room...knock on her door, two, three. Her friend wasn´t in her room. Great, what now? She rushed down the stairs and off the door she went. She could her mother´s protest, Tsukushi´s words, Akira´s questions out of her mind; and Soujiroh...Why was he in her thoughts? It seemed that her legs had lead her to the place she needed the most, in a couple of minutes she was at the family shrine. At least here she could get some peace of mind. Yuki lighted some incense and stood in front of the shrine in absolute silence.
"I hope I´m taking the right decision..."
xxx
Tsukushi came out of the steam filled bathroom, tightening the white towel around her small frame. She took the nicely folded one that she had placed on her bed before entering the bathroom and started drying her hair. Taking a glance at the watch on her nightstand, she realised that she had spent almost two hours in the luxurious bathroom.
"Wow! That must be a new record, even for me." Tsukushi mused to herself while starting to get dressed. But really, she couldn´t be blamed. Time just passes differently when you´re soaking in warm water, filled with bubbles and exotic bath salts. It relaxed her and allowed her to think clearly on the events of the day. And certaintly today had been the kind of day when a good bath was a must, she had a lot to think about. Not only her relationship with Tsukasa or the newly discovered one between Shigeru and Rui, but also the reason why she came here in the first place, Yuki.
She couldn´t pretend anymore, she had to admit it, at least to herself, that she had been thrilled when she had heard Tsukasa´s voice this afternoon. She had missed him so, from the moment she had left Tokyo! Tsukushi stopped buttoning up her shirt for a moment and looked at her reflection in the mirror hanging on the wall in front of her. Had she really thought that? She, Makino Tsukushi, the tough weed, missing her fiancé after only a day and a half of being separated? Had it really come to that? She smiled to herself and finished buttoning her pink shirt. "Then love is indeed grand and capable of curious things!"
Tsukushi had kind of suspected that Domyouji was bound to visit her while she was in Nikko, but Makino didn´t expect it to be so soon or for him to spend his whole summer there just because she was in Nikko. This trip had cancelled their plans together and, judging by how furious Tsukasa had been when she had told him about it, Makino had believed her fiancé would need some time to blow off some steam and calm down a bit before he would look for her. But she had been wrong this time, it seemed Tsukasa was now mature enough to put aside all small triffles in order to be with her, to comprehend that Yuki needed her and to accept that for Makino helping her friend was more important that a trip to Europe. Yes, love is indeed grand and capable of curious things.
But Domyouji´s arrival thrilled Tsukushi also because now she could stop feeling so bad about canceling their trip together. Although completely aware that they had a lifetime to take as many trips as they wanted, Makino couldn´t stop feeling guilty about ruining their plans. She knew how much effort Tsukasa had put into taking care of every single detail. But at the same time, she felt she couldn´t leave Yuki alone this summer. Not because she believed her incapable of taking care of herself, Tsukushi knew her friend was a strong and brave girl, but because she sensed somehow that after becoming a married woman they wouldn´t be able to spend so much time together. Their days of careless fun and hanging around together would be over. And also because it didn´t feel right to her to leave her best friend alone when she would probably have to make the most important decision of her life. So, with Tsukasa in Nikko, everything was settled for the best and her inner turmoil was over.
Now fully clothed, Tsukushi opened the French windows of her room and went to the balcony. There was a beautiful wooden rocking chair waiting for her and she moved it a little further into the right corner of the balcony so that she could see the driveway entrance better. "What luck! I can see whoever arrives right from my own balcony!" Tsukushi thought. There were no other guest expected except Yuki´s future fiancé and his grandparents so chances were that whoever arrived that evening was the mysterious man. And she would be the first one to see him! Makino was probably more curious about this man than Yuki was.
But as she started to slowly rock back and forth in her chair, her thoughts reverted to the events of the day. The other guys´presence had been like the icing on the cake for her, but she wondered if Yuki felt the same. She seemed determined to go through with this engagement, but now that Soujiroh was here, was she still that willing to fulfill her grandfather´s wish? Tsukushi was curious and worried about what effect will that playboy have on her friend this time: will Yuki refuse to get engaged to a stranger now that she had seen Soujiroh after such a long time, or on the contrary, will she be even more determined to do it just because she wanted to prove to him that she was over him? Both options were equally bad in Makino´s opinion and now more than ever she realised that this was not going to be pleasant, carefree holiday she thought and wished it to be. They hadn´t spent a holiday all together like this since that time Domyouji had lost his memory and they all went to the mountains. She just wanted them to have a good time, enjoying everyone´s presence, but chances were that was not going to happen with this possible conflict between her friend and Soujiroh.
Tsukushi sighed while playing with the engagement ring on her finger. "There´s no point in worrying. It doesn´t solve anything. I just have to support Yuki and counsel her as best as I can if she asks for advice." Great, now she was beginning to talk to herself! All of this was going to drive her insane. Thank God there were still good, pleasant surprises! Like the one Rui and Shigeru gave her when they announced their relationship. A pleasant but really hard to believe surprise. It was only normal she didn´t know how to react when she had first found out. Even now, just saying out loud: "Rui and Shigeru are in love." still left her speechless. Not that she had thought for one second that Rui really had an European affair with Shizuka, now a happily married woman. No, Rui was not capable of that, he was too profoundly moral to do such things. But never in a million years would she have guessed that the person whom Rui was seeing in Europe was Shigeru. From what she had observed in the short time spent with the couple in the afternoon, they were certainly in love and happy. And obviously serious about the relationship since it lasted for so long. Tsukushi wondered for an instant if the second wedding in their group would be Shigeru and Rui´s. She wouldn´t put it pass them to be presently hiding an engagement if they were capable of keeping their relationship a secret for almost three years.
Makino´s musings were suddenly interrupted by a burst of laughter coming from the direction of the front door of the mansion. "They´re here!" she said opening her eyes and standing up just in time to see Mr. Nishikado entering the mansion, followed by his wife holding Soujoroh´s arm. For a moment it seemed to her that her brain had stopped functioning. Soujiroh was the man whom Yuki had to marry? No, that was too much for her to comprehend! What was happening? After all, this was not a manga nor a drama. "What´s with all these coincidences?" she muttered to herself.
It suddenly became imperative that she find Yuki and warn her. Tsukushi left the balcony, ran across to the other side of the room and in an instant she was out in the corridor. She ran to its other end where she knew Yuki´s room was. Only after a few seconds of banging on the door and calling her friend´s name, Makino realised that Yuki was obviously not in it. She stopped the commotion and just stood defeated in front of the white door. She could faintly hear voices coming from somewhere on the ground floor. "No need to rush anymore." Tsukushi thought. In just a few minutes Yuki would discover for herself what she wanted to tell her. Now she was really beginning to worry. In an instant, all the fears that she had been trying to appease minutes before, resurfaced now stronger than ever. She just couldn´t stay in her room and wonder what was happening, she would go insane. The only solution that crossed her mind was to go and see the guys and Shigeru, tell them the news. She had no idea how to get to the Nishikado mansion but fortunately she knew just the person who could help her. And, as faith had it, she met said person while she was descending the stairs.
"Hisoka, I wonder if you could help me."
The buttler stopped a few steps bellow her and bowed politely.
"I will do my best, miss. How can I be of service?"
"I want to go to the Nishikado mansion but I do not know how to get there."
"Do not worry, miss. I will ask one of the chauffers to escort you. If you will follow me, please!"
They both descended and Tsukushi only had to wait in the parlour for a few minutes before the car meant to take her to her friends was parked in the front alley of the house. While she waited she sharpened her hearing, listening for any noises that could tell her what was happening with her friend, but the house was as silent as usual. "I hope you´re okay, Yuki!" Makino whispered before leaving the house.
xxx
While her friend was enjoying the relaxing swing of the rocking chair and the cool breeze of the evening, Yuki was spending a few minutes alone with her grandfather before the arrival of their guests. They were in Takeshi´s study on the ground floor, seated, each of them in one of those lush, leather armchairs that her grandfather loved so much and that made Yuki feel smaller and younger than ever. It was like she was twelve again, telling him stories about her friends, her brother and school. Actually, not much had changed. She had just finished talking about Tsukasa´s arrival and Makino´s reaction and Takeshi´s powerful laugh resonated in the spacious study.
"You know, grandfather, Tsukushi appeared to be upset but I belive she was actually happy to see him."
"I think so too, my dear. When you´re young and in love a day can seem like an eternity without your loved one. I´m certain that Tsukushi-chan missed the young Domyouji as much as he missed her."
"Were you the same when you were young?"
"Oh yes, even worse. I remember that once I spent a whole week without seeing your grandmother - we were not yet married then. So, one night I couldn´t stand it anymore. I sneaked out of the house, ran to Kinu´s place and woke her up just so that I could hear her voice."
"Oh, who knew you are the romantic type, grandfather!" teased Yuki, smilling and winking at him. She took another cookie from the tray placed it on the coffee table between their chairs, took a small bite and after finninshing chewing, she asked:
"What about grandmother? Was she happy to seee you?"
"Not at first, no. Actually, it´s a funny story. When I got there I tried waking her up by throwing small pebbles at her window. But your grandmother was a very deep sleeper. So I took another approach and changed the size of the pebble. I was a real fool! I threw a medium sized rock at he window which, of course, broke it. Luckily for me, her parents were not at home. Although Kinu´s speech was enough. She hated being waken up in the middle of the night and when she saw me, instead of the smiles and words of endearment I was expecting, I got insults and rage. "You complete fool" she said "what do you think you´re doing, waking people up in the middle of the night?" And when I explained that I did it because I couldn´t wait for the moment when I would see her again, she just responded: "You are a bigger fool than I thought! Don´t you know patience is a virtue?" And then she went back to sleep, but that had been enough for me." finished Takeshi, taking the last sip from his drink.
He had a small smile on his face and was looking somewhere above her head, but Yuki knew that he was not seeing the shelves full of books that adorned the four walls of the study. No, he had travelled back in time to that particular night and now in front of his eyes there was only Kinu´s face, a little puffy and dishivelled from sleep, yelling at him. It was not often that Takeshi spoke about his wife, maybe because it was still painfull to him to accept that she was gone and Yuki realised he did it now because he wanted to reassure her, to calm her down and to make her feel moreat ease. Or maybe it was just the effects of the kimono she was wearing.
"Grandfather, do you want another drink?"
She didn´t know what else to say but she felt she had to do something to thank him somehow. But maybe she should have chosen something else.
"I would like one very much, thank you dear!" he answered, extending his arm and giving her his empty glass.
Yuki took it, got up and headed to the bar placed at a small distance behind their armchairs, turning her back to her grandfather and the study´s door. A lot of decanters filled with different types of liquor were neatly placed on the mahogany bar and she was trying to decide from which one to pour another glass for her grandfather, when she thought she heard a muffled voice say:
"There´s no need for formalities, Hisoka, we´re old friends Takeshi and I, he won´t mind if we enter without being announced by you."
The voice was getting clearer as the person to whom it belonged to got closer to the study, and, when the door finally opened, a loud, powerful, masculine voice could be heard:
"Takeshi, my dear friend, we´re finally here!"
It was then that Yuki realised the guests had arrived. Feeling very nervous all of a sudden, she poured a glass of a randomly chosen liquor in a hurry. It was not polite of her to greet the guests with her back turned to them. If she wouldn´t have been so concentrated on not spilling the drink, maybe she would have realised that the voice was a familiar one and she wouldn´t have been so shocked to see the Nishikado family when she turned around. Mr. Nishikado and her grandfather were shaking hands warmly and Mrs. Nishikado was smiling while graciously taking off her gloves. Shigure was the first one to notice her:
"Yuki-chan, how wonderful to see you again! I trust you remember my wife" he said while gesturing to Madoka who now turned her gaze from Takeshi to her, " and I don´t think I need to introduce you to my grandson, Soujiroh."
There was indeed no need to signal Soujiroh´s presence. From the instant she became aware of the fact that he was there, she was unable to take her eyes off of him, standing there, next to his grandmother, calm and composed, invading her space and her life. Yuki noticed that everybody was waiting for her to reply, even Takeshi had moved so that he was now facing herm, and she managed a meak:
"How do you do?" before she was interrupted by Madoka who spared her talking some more - Yuki was unsure that she could keep her voice from trembling longer than it took to utter the previous four words - by saying:
"We know you two are already acquainted with each other and we know that you are friends. But now, Jiroh dear" she said as she was moving slightly so that she could take his left hand into hers and look at his somewhat confused countenance, "we would like to present you to your future wife, if you agree with our little plan, that is."