Hi guys! Just when you had given up on us, we decided to post another chapter. Better late than never, right? Please comment, we would like to know what you think about it. Enjoy!
Kriseis and Zaza
As soon as the car stopped in front of the Nishikado mansion, not even waiting for the butler to open the car´s door for her to get out, (disregarding the one crucial detail that Kaede kept repeating - a lady never opens the door herself) Tsukushi almost jumped out of the car dashing by the poor confused butler, climbed the few steps to the front door of the mansion and entered the house. She stood there for a few seconds, in the middle of the hall, feeling somewhat at a loss for what to do and trying to remember the route to the terrace where they had all spent the afternoon together. In her now feverish and confused mind, she was sure she would still find her friends there. Tsukushi hadn´t yet decided which way to go, when she felt her body take control over her mind, her legs starting to move as by themselves, making her turn left, pass through a grand, dimly lit living room and finally, after opening the French doors, reaching the terrace. Contrary to what she had expected, the terrace offered a desolate image: it lay covered in darkness and silence, abandoned by the group of people she was searching for.
Disappointed by this discovery, Tsukushi turned around, passed again through the living room, ignoring the butler that was waiting for her by the door, and returned once more in the hall. She just now noticed the row of three distinct doors that stood in front of her, on the other side of the hall. Running again she opened them all, each time getting yet another disappointment: the laundry room, the servants' room and the kitchen, all places where none of the F4 would set foot.
She was beginning to feel a little irritated. "Why do these people need such huge houses? The bigger the house, the bigger the ego, or what?" she thought while taking the fourth and final route offered to her by the hall, the stairs. When she reached the first floor she realized that she was going to need some help if she wanted to find her friends that evening, since all that she could see were more doors, corridors and stairs, like a huge maze in which she would surely get lost forever. Fortunately though help was not far away and it came in the form of the tall, emotionless butler that had followed her in her odyssey throughout the mansion.
"Is miss in need of anything?" he softly uttered while calmly climbing the stairs towards her.
Noticing him for the first time, Tsukushi eagerly responded:
"The guests! Where are the guests?" Her gestures betrayed her impatience: her hands seemed to fly through the air, almost like she was trying to take off, while she nervously tapped her right foot.
The butler seemed not to take notice of her rudeness or the insane spectacle she was offering. He kept his slow rhythm of climbing the stairs and only when he was standing next to a very frantic Tsukushi, did he spoke again:
"If you will follow me, miss…" while extending his right arm to indicate the corridor that they will be taking and leading, Tsukushi only a few steps behind him.
They stopped in front of a heavy, dark wooden door and Tsukushi could hear voices and laughter coming from the other side. This calmed her down a bit and before bursting in the room, she addressed the butler with an apologetic look on her face:
"I'll manage from here. Thank you so much!"
The servant remained silent but bowed politely before leaving her alone in front the door. After watching the butler's departing figure for a few seconds, Tsukushi took a deep breath, ready to share her shocking discovery with everybody. Forgetting the knocking part of the procedure, she opened the door and seeing all her friends gathered there, she blurted:
"Yuki and Soujiroh are getting engaged…"
XXX
Tsukasa had been playing a very entertaining game of pool with Akira, which, for the record, he was winning, when the door suddenly opened and a very disheveled, panting Makino came in. Any loving fiancé would have been immediately concerned before such an image and Tsukasa was no exception. He threw the cue away at once, almost hitting Akira in the process and rushed to Tsukushi´s side. He did not have the chance to ask what was wrong because he heard her say:
"Yuki and Soujiroh are getting engaged…Their grandparents want them to marry!"
On hearing the news, Tsukasa sighed, relieved that nothing was wrong with his beloved future wife.
"Oh, just that…" he said, felling his muscles relax, and then, message finally reaching his brain cells, yelled so that even the dead could hear him: "WHAT?!" What was Tsukushi saying? It must surely be a joke.
He looked at his companions, but they all seemed to be as amazed as he was. Shigeru, who till then had chatted and giggled happily with the three of them, eating truffles, went speechless for the first time that night, looking from Tsukushi to Rui, a little lost, as if begging for further explanations but not knowing whom to ask. Rui, who was seated next to her with the New Yorker magazine on his lap, appeared to be suspended in time, his glass of Chardonnay lifted halfway to his mouth, eyes on Tsukushi, probably waiting for more details. And Akira, half seated on the margin of the pool table, reclining on the cue in his hands…Akira, who did not seem to be bothered at all by the news.
Tsukasa turned again to Makino, who was serving herself from his glass of wine:
"Are you insane woman? Where did you take these foolish ideas from?" he questioned while taking back his glass and drinking what was left, if any.
"Tsukushi is right…" Akira´s calm, half amused voice could be heard. He had lost interest in the cue and now he was playing with some of the balls on the table, not really looking at any of his friends. He continued: "…well, half right anyway. They are not getting engaged tonight…" he finally lifted his eyes, a big grin spread on his face, resembling a mad Cheshire cat. He had been wondering how long it would take before this whole thing would blow off. His amusement only intensified when he saw all eyes pointed at him, his friends' killer looks.
"Akira, prepare to get your arse kicked!" yelled yet again Tsukasa. "How could you keep such crucial information from your brothers?"
"You knew already and you haven't told us anything?" Tsukushi was ready to kill him, daggers flying from her eyes, while she rolled the sleeves of her shirt and began to lightly jump on her tiptoes, preparing for an imminent attack, a true Domyouji bride. In other circumstances Akira would have made a joke about that explosive temper of theirs, but this was not one of those. He hurried to give an explanation before experiencing one of her punches.
"I've just found out today. Mrs. Nishikado told me about the arranged marriage a few hours ago." His words had the desired effect, both Tsukasa and Makino calming down a little and going to seat themselves on the sofa across then one on which Rui and Shigeru were seated. Seeing that he wasn't in danger anymore, Akira took his unfinished glass of wine from the pool table and joined the rest of his friends, throwing himself on a nearby armchair and nonchalantly adding: "And I think it is a splendid idea."
"Akira, have you lost your mind? How could an arranged marriage ever be a good idea?" screamed Tsukasa concentrating on the part of the news that troubled him the most.
"Does Soujiroh know about all of this?" a calmer F4 member asked, followed by the exclamation of his now ecstatic fiancée:
"Eeek! This trip is really full of surprises!"
Witnessing this scene and feeling a headache coming up soon, Tsukushi crossed her legs and started massaging her forehead. Yeah, maybe it was just the wine that she drank too fast. Had the world gone insane? She herself hadn't fully digested the shocking discovery, maybe it hadn't been such a good idea coming here and spreading the news.
"I don't know if Soujiroh is aware of this. I doubt it. What is sure though is the fact that Yuki had no idea that her fiancé is in fact none other than Soujiroh." Tsukushi replied to Rui's earlier question, the only sane words uttered until then in her opinion.
This time it was again Akira´s turn to intervene and clarify a little the situation: "No, Soujiroh, according to his grandmother, doesn't know either. Tonight is the decisive moment, for both Yuki and him."
"Is Yuki insane? Why would she accept an arranged marriage?" Tsukasa thought out loud.
"I don't like this situation either. Nothing good will come out of tonight's meeting." Tsukushi mumbled, echoing most of her friends' fears.
"Stop taking things so pessimistically! Tsukushi, would you have preferred to see Yuki marry a total stranger? And Tsukasa, don't compare your past experience with what's happening now between Yuki and Soujiroh. They are clearly different situations, with more implications than you can fathom. And it's not like they're forced into anything. Mrs. Nishikado told me that the final decision is entirely Yuki and Soujiroh's."
"That may be true, Akira" Rui finally spoke again, closing the magazine and putting it on the coffee table that separated the two sofas, "but we both know that there is more than one way to convince a person to do something. The pressure on Yuki and Soujiroh to obey their families' wishes will play an important role in this whole mess."
Akira opened his mouth slightly, prepared to say more. He was determined to convince his friends that "The Impossible Couple" could actually become possible. But he didn't have the chance to present all his arguments because help came from an unexpected person:
"You are totally right, Akira-kun" said Shigeru, the subject getting her interest. "An arranged marriage isn't always a bad thing. Of course, in mine and Tsukasa's case it would have been a terrible mistake, because his heart belonged to Tsukushi-chan. But it had its good parts too because that's how I met darling for the first time." She giggled, looking at Rui and nudging him a little. "What I want to say is that if Yuki still loves Soujiroh she couldn't have married someone else. Maybe this is fate's way to tell Yuki not to give up on her love. They are given another chance this way. It would have been awful for Yuki to marry another man and still love Soujiroh."
Rui looked proudly at his girlfriend. Even though a little idealistic, Shigeru's speech had its share of reason. Though he had to admit that hearing about her and Tsukasa's previous engagement hadn't felt too comfortable.
Shigeru's words had in fact managed to leave everyone silent for a while. What she said made Tsukushi reflect some more on the situation. Would she have preferred to see Yuki marry another guy, knowing that she would have done it just to please her grandfather? She knew Yuki still had feelings for Soujiroh; in fact, her disappointment with him was one of the reasons she was blindly entering into an arranged marriage. It was insane! Now this was getting really complicated… She looked at Tsukasa who hadn't said a word in a while now. He appeared to be lost in thoughts as well.
"There is a thing that is bothering me…" Tsukasa finally spoke, still a little too lost in his thoughts for his normal self. "Why would Nishikado's grandparents want to marry Soujiroh to Yuki?" And then, turning his head towards Tsukushi: "Don't take it the wrong way Makino, but Yuki is a commoner."
Tsukasa's question was making perfect sense. The Nishikados were known for their way of following the old customs. They would have never accepted a spouse for their heir if she hadn't had her roots in an old Japanese family with respect for tradition. They had very high standards and very harsh criteria. Then, why Yuki?
"Here's where you are mistaking, my dear Tsukasa." intervened yet again Akira seeing that Tsukushi found it difficult to answer the question and was struggling for words. "Yuki is not our common commoner. She's Takashimizu's granddaughter."
On hearing the news, Rui corrected his position, finally sitting himself properly on the couch and not slouching as he had for some time now and Shigeru put down on the table the truffle she had intended to eat. Surprise was clearly written on both their faces. The Takashimizus were a very powerful, influential family, known for their merciless way of doing business and they just couldn't connect Yuki's innocent and cheerful image with this family's reputation. Was it possible that she shared their genes?
"You lost me, Akira" replied Tsukasa with a bothered expression.
"You know, Takashimizu Takeshi, the coffee tycoon…" Shigeru began, trying to give Domyouji a clearer perspective o the situation.
"I know who Takashimizu is…" Tsukasa was getting impatient. This time he turned around his whole body so that he was facing Makino when he added: "Tsukushi, please explain! Akira's words don't make any sense. I thought Yuki's family name was Matsuoka…"
"That's her mother's maiden name. It's a long and complicated story and I know only half of it, but yes, Yuki is in fact a Takashimizu, more clearly Takashimizu Kazuo's daughter." she responded while also completing turning to face her fiancé.
They were now sitting face to face, only few centimeters separating them and the tension beginning to rise between them was felt by the others as well. Akira moved on the couch next to Shigeru and Rui so that he could have a better view of the show that will surely follow.
"That's something!" exclaimed Tsukasa. "I did not know Yuki was an illegitimate child. Who would have guessed that "Mr. Businessman of the Year" had actually walked on the wrong side of the lane and had an out of wedlock offspring! I wonder how he managed to keep that from the press!"
"What foolishness are you saying? Of course Yuki is legitimate!" an irritated Tsukushi replied.
"Well, how can she be legitimate when she's using her mother's maiden name?"
"She's using the Matsuoka name because her parents are divorced. She's as legitimate as her brother Shinichi is, only that he remained with their father while Yuki was taken by their mother…" yelled Tsukushi.
"If that is so, baka, then Yuki still has to use the name Takashimizu. It doesn't matter if the parents are divorced or not. I thought you went to law school all these years. Haven't you learnt things like that?" Tsukasa yelled back.
"Of course I know that. Who do you think I am? But that's not the point. What I wanted to say was that Yuki is in fact Takashimizu Kazuo's legitimate daughter. Ugh, Domyouji Tsukasa, sometimes you really succeed in making me lose my head…" she replied, getting her palms into small fists and stamping her feet.
The other three had been following the exchange of words between the couple as it if were a ping pong match, looking at Tsukushi as she spoke and then at Domyouji as he replied, and so on. Thus, now they were feeling slightly dizzy and it took a little while to gather their words and say something now that both their friends were silent. Akira was the quickest one:
"There, there, kids…" he intervened, getting up, going around the coffee table so that he was right in front of the "Trouble Couple", seating himself on the table and gently patting Tsukasa on the head and Makino on her left shoulder. "Why don't you kiss and make up? Calm down and let's get back on topic. If I'm not mistaken, we were all talking about why Soujiroh's grandparents have decided on this engagement…" he added, swiftly getting up and going to pour himself another glass of wine before any of the two had a chance to react.
Tsukushi and Tsukasa gave Akira a swift, threatening glance for interrupting their incontestably important discussion, but they both agreed that it was best to get back to the main subject. Tsukasa was curious to know more about this whole affair and Tsukushi had all the interest to clear things up, given the fact that she had been the one who had stirred the others' curiosity in the first place.
"From what I have learned from Yuki, this is one of her grandfather's dreams, to have her married to the grandson of his best friend and thus uniting their families." came Tsukushi´s simple explanation.
"Yes, this is what Mrs. Nishikado told me too." Confirmed Akira. "They are determined on getting those two together. In her opinion, it´s now or never. Mrs. Nishikado will not give up that easily, she really wants to make her husband´s dream come true…She´s a strong adversary if any of those two gets the idea of opposing the elders´plan."
"So…it's settled, right? They'll get married?" Shigeru's bubbly voice could be heard.
"Let's not jump to conclusions. Even if Yuki is willing to go through with it, I doubt Soujiroh will accept this."
"But darling, why would Soujiroh refuse to get married? From what I know he comes from a family with high regard for old customs. Do you think he'll go against his family's plans for him?"
"It's not that he's rebelling against his family's wishes, it's just that he may care too much about Yuki. After all, are we certain that this marriage is going to make her happy?" Even though his statement was meant as a reply to his girlfriend, Rui's gaze was unfocused, a sign that he had been more talking to himself that joining the conversation.
"So, what are you saying?" asked Tsukushi, lifting her head, intrigued. "That he refused to get into a relationship with her exactly because he loves her?"
"Well…" Rui stopped a while, trying to make sense of what he had said before. "I guess that's it…Sort of…I think…" Was that really what he had meant to say?
"Aww, how romantic! Sacrificing his own feelings for his loved one's sake!" interjected once again a romantic Shigeru.
"Let's not overdramatize this, Shigeru. These were just assumptions." was Tsukasa´s very realistic contribution to the discussion.
"But if Soujiroh does indeed love Yuki, wouldn't it be easier for them to be together and accept this marriage?" mumbled Shigeru to herself, ignoring Tsukasa's input.
"Well, we are not dealing with a normal type of guy." joked Akira, who overheard Shigeru. "You know it´s not easy to give up the wonderful life of a bachelor. You monogamous individuals will never understand us."
"You said it!" jumped Tsukushi, pointing her index finger to him. "How can you support this relationship knowing very well Soujiroh's true nature? He just isn't marriage material. He wasn't able to have a steady relationship all these years and nobody can guarantee he'll change now. God knows Yuki tried! Even she lost all faith!"
"Speaking of which, Tsukushi what happened at that damned graduation party? I left them to talk, but neither of them spoke about that night ever again. You all must have noticed that. From then on their relationship got colder to say the least. Until today, they never met. Not even once. Ever since Soujiroh got back from Europe neither of them spoke to each other."
Akira's words seemed to make Tsukushi forget about her disapproval of a possible relationship between Yuki and Soujiroh. She sat down again, a little pensative, knowing very well that all he had said was true and that there must be a reason for it.
"I do not know what happened that night. What I do know is that since then Yuki gave up fighting for him. She just lost her will to and her hope."
"Well, who can blame her? Intervened Tsukasa. "I could have kicked his arse if I had been her."
"You did do that, remember?" the F4 plus Tsukushi reminded him in unison.
Feeling that his F4 leader image had been irremediably damaged, Tsukasa stood up and started to walk around the room. "Never mind that, it's not the point! Don't interrupt me, I'm not done yet. You never let me finish. What I wanted to say was that Soujiroh really cares about Yuki. He would never hurt her intentionally even though he screws up sometimes."
"Yes, he cares about her as a friend, Soujiroh said that himself. But from that to getting married…"
"Tsukushi, I care about Yuki as a friend too, but with Soujiroh it is much more than that. He once admitted that Yuki is the only girl who changed him and I really do believe that there's more to it than he lets us know. That's why I intend to help Mrs. Nishikado with their plans. Are you for or against it?"
None of them gave Akira an immediate answer because of the butler, the same tall, emotionless butler who had greeted Tsukushi first, who came in interrupting them and announcing dinner. They all agreed to think some more before deciding what to do.
XXX
In the other side of the town, the Takashimizu household was preparing for another important dinner. While the last preparations were carried out, in the master´s study, the Takashimizus and Nishikados were not exactly waiting patiently for dinner to be served.
It took Yuki a few minutes to realize that Soujiroh had in fact heard what his grandmother said, since nothing whatsoever changed in his countenance. He was still standing in front of her, motionless and silent, looking at her with blank eyes. She couldn´t help but stare at him. He was so handsome and elegant in his kimono, a combination of different dark shades of blue, looking like a valiant samurai. Yuki was so happy to see him again that for a moment she completely forgot the situation that brought them together that evening. All it took was a quick glance around the room to remember everything. For Yuki the discovery that he was the man her grandfather wished her to marry had been a true shock. Was it possible that Soujiroh was not in the least bit surprised? Or was he just better at masking his astonishment?
Mrs. Nishikado carried on:
"Both your grandfather" she stopped to give Soujiroh a meaningful look, "and Takeshi" she continued turning her gaze towards Yuki, "have wanted to unite our families for decades. But only now has this dream become possible. We do not wish to force you to do anything; it is entirely your decision. But we thought that you two should meet and this little trip seemed the perfect opportunity."
"These being said" intervened Takeshi, "we will leave you alone for a little while. Young people are always more at ease when there are no elders like us around, supervising them."
Looking at her grandfather, at the benevolent smile on his face, Yuki thought she was beginning to understand what her mother had meant when she had said that Takeshi didn't do anything without an ulterior motive.
"You are right as always Takeshi, my dear friend. So, you two," said Shigure pointing at Yuki and Soujiroh with a smirk on his face, "we will meet again at dinner time. Till then, play nice!"
And just like that the Nishikado couple and Takeshi got up and exited the room, though in fact they hadn't gone very far. If people thought that Madoka was a curious person, they hadn't met Shigure or Takeshi. Those two old men were even worse than Mrs. Nishikado. And together the three of them were unstoppable.
Under the same roof, on the same corridor, Hisoka was carrying a tray containing something for the guests to serve before dinner, his footsteps muffled by the thick, oriental carpeting. He came to a sudden stop when, in front of him appeared his master and the distinguished guests. All three of them were crouched, gathered in front of the door, ears glued to it. Hisoka had been a butler for many years, enough to know that his witnessing such a scene would prove to be a little embarrassing for his master and awkward for the both of them. He took a step back, ready to turn around and retire. But just at that moment Takeshi suddenly adverted his gaze in his direction. In the blink of an eye Takeshi was in an upright position, straightening his kimono with one hand and putting his index finger to his lips with the other, signaling to Hisoka to keep quiet. The butler understood perfectly what was required of him and bowed, smiling complicitly and then retiring. Takeshi got back to his position by the door, next to his friends who remained completely unaware of Hisoka's presence. It hadn't occurred at all to any of them how childishly they were behaving.
Just as it didn't occur to Yuki what to say in order to end the uncomfortable silence that had settled between her and Soujiroh since their grandparents left. He seemed calm and composed, but she could tell that in reality he was upset. She knew him well enough to be aware of that, but it was as if he didn't see her as if his mind was somewhere else. Without realizing, Soujiroh was clenching his jaws and lifting his left eyebrow from time to time, clear signs for Yuki that what would follow would not be a pleasant conversation about the weather.
"What a bizarre situation!" She finally managed.
"For me certainly … I don't know about you though." Soujiroh's voice was cold and harsh, something was definitely wrong.
She didn't get it at first, the hidden accusation of his words. Slowly it became clear to her though.
"What is that supposed to mean?"
She couldn't believe that he thought her capable of something like that, of using his and her family in order to get him. Did he really think she was so shrewd? After all these years, even if he did not love her she imagined that at least he would know her just as well as she knew him.
"Oh, come on Yuki, don't act like this was a surprise for you! You knew all along that it was me! Why else would you have agreed to marry a man your grandfather chose for you?"
"What!?" Yuki could not believe her ears. She knew Soujiroh had a very good opinion of himself, all of the F4 had, but this was too much, even for him. She continued, trying to keep calm, feeling anger risings inside her and replacing the surprise, joy and whatever she might have felt when she first saw him entering the study: "for your information, the only thing I knew and you didn't is that tonight I was going to meet the man my grandfather wished me to marry. I knew only what this dinner was about, not who this fiancé was. The world does not revolve around you!"
"Are you sure?" asked Soujiroh with a sly smile on his face. The big bad wolf must have looked like that when he first met Little Red Riding Hood. "Yours did, if I remember correctly, for more than four years!"
"And what a monumental mistake that was!"
That erased his confident smile from his face but Soujiroh chose to ignore her last remark, she couldn't be serious. And even if she was, he would tackle that subject later. "Till one day when you completely disappeared and I haven't heard anything from you for more than one year." he continued.
"Did you ever stop to wonder why? After the stunt you pulled at you graduation party, is it really any wonder that I was upset? … you know what? I don't want to have this conversation right now. Let's just sit here quietly until dinner time."
"Why not? Since we have nothing better to do and there are a lot of things I don't know, let's put everything out in the open. Starting with that bloody party of which I remember just bits and pieces."
"No wonder. You were so wasted it's a miracle you remember even those bits and pieces. You want to know? Fine, I'll tell you all about the party I've gone through a lot of trouble and worked so hard for. Me and your friends waited all night like fools for you and when you finally show up you're drunk and with a wh- …" she stopped just in time, remembering that she was a young lady, one that had to be in charge of her language. Yuki took a little pause, breathed in deeply, flipped her hair off her left shoulder, arranged her kimono and then continued taking a lady like position - straight back, hands on her lap - : "… woman on your arm. Do you have any idea how I felt? There was I, imagining the worst, that maybe you were hurt or injured or in need of help, when in fact you were having the time of your life."
The confession had been exhausting for Yuki. She sighed and got up from her chair, going to look at the landscape through the window.
On the other side of the door, it seemed that Takeshi too had heard enough, he only wanted to get away from there.
"Takeshi, where are you going?" whispered Mrs. Nishikado, noticing their friend was heading for the library.
"Away. It's enough."
Mrs. Nishikado looked at her husband, silently agreeing to follow him. Takeshi was right; this was not what they had in mind when they thought of bringing their granddaughter and grandson together. They too had had enough.
The same could not be said about Yuki and Soujiroh. In fact, they had only begun.
"You knew very well who and what I was before that party."
"Yes I did and I do." she responded, not turning back to look at him.
But Soujiroh didn't seem to hear her: "I never lied to you about my reputation or the way I treated women, I haven't kept anything hidden. I've been completely honest from the start. If you chose to create this idealized image of me and believe in it, it's your own fault. In fact are you even sure you're in love with me and not this perfect guy in your mind who just happens to look like me?"
This question didn't seem to infuriate Yuki as much as Soujiroh thought it might. Actually, it didn't infuriate her at all. That was because, though Soujiroh didn't know it, Yuki asked herself the same question on more than one occasion. Every time the answer had been the same: she loved the Soujiroh who had comforted her when her first boyfriend whose name she didn't even remember now treated her so badly, the Soujiroh who thought her that sometimes in order to feel better you just need some bitterness, the one who helped and encouraged her best friend through The Teen of Japan contest, the one who as capable of trying to make Shigeru fall in love with him so that the Trouble Couple could get together again. There was no need for an idealized Soujiroh when he himself was such an amazing person if sometimes he did everything in his power to make you think just the contrary. But was he ever going to realize that? Sometimes she felt that he refused to acknowledge her feelings, to take them into consideration. What she felt was not just a teenage infatuation, it went deeper than that and she believed that years of devotion and abnegation of her own feelings in order to be his friend, proved that. But maybe it wasn't enough for him. Yuki feared that if she said more there would be no going back. She turned her head and looked at the antique clock on her grandfather's desk:
"Dinner should be ready by now. I'll go see what is taking Maurice so long." Her voice was just above a whisper.
"Oh, no, you don't." Soujiroh said, grabbing her by the wrist, while she passed by him. " You left me once without answers, you're not going to do it again."
Yuki stopped and pulled her arm out of his as if his touch burned her. Her face was flushed, her cheeks red with anger but her eyes were void of tears. This was not the Yuki he knew and she didn't sound like his Yuki when she said: "Do what Soujiroh? Wasn't it obvious that I was an annoyance for you? It became clear to me after the party and I think that was just your unconscious way to make me leave you alone. I did what you wanted me to do."
Through all of this Soujiroh kept his gaze lowered, his hands being the object of his fascination. The touch of her skin only lasted for a few seconds, but now he was inexplicably longing for it. He felt that it could be dangerous to take this argument any further. The feelings stirred in him by that simple touch only made him more conscious of what he wanted to keep hidden. From Yuki, his family, his friends, himself included.
"Leave the psychotherapy for another time Yuki. I had had a drink top many that's all. And since we're on that topic, I wanted to apologize. I'm truly sorry, Yuki. Please forgive me."
Yuki was never one to hold a grudge and staying mad at Soujiroh was even more difficult to her. She had been upset and mad at him for the entire past year and she had had enough of anger and bitterness. It was time to let all those negative emotions go. A new start was what her relationship with Soujiroh needed and if he was offering a sincere apology she could not deny him forgiveness. She could not deny him anything, truth be told. A small sad smile appeared on her face while she told him: "Your loss. It could have been a great party."
In another corner of the house, in the main library of the mansion Takeshi, Madoka and Shigure were still waiting for dinner to be announced. The atmosphere of the room couldn't be better suited for a library, for each of the three were lost in their own thoughts.
Madoka as the only one standing up, holding a glass of sherry with her left hand while she observed the multitude of photographs placed on the mantelpiece of the fireplace. Three generations of Takashimizus were cheerfully smiling at her: there was one of Kinu and Takeshi that had been taken not long after their marriage, a few of Kazuo as a baby, a teenager and then a fully grown man, some of Yuki and Shinichi when they were little. Her attention was drawn by a particular picture, one representing Kinu and her two grandchildren. Yuki was just a baby, peacefully sleeping in her grandmother's arms while Shinichi, all dressed up in a sailor's suit, cap included, was standing next to her chair.
Madoka picked it up, bringing it closer so that she could get a better look. If only Kinu were here! Only she could get Takeshi out of his brooding state. She turned around and smiled warmly at her husband. He too seemed preoccupied by the turn the events had taken. But Takeshi was another, entirely different, story. Could practically feel the dark aura surrounding him and threatening to engulf them all.
But something caught his attention. It was the same picture, the one that Madoka still held in her hand. He smiled slightly at seeing his beautiful wife's face but knew very well that there was nothing to smile about. He had suspected from the beginning that Kinu would have never approved of this foolish plan of theirs – if she were alive she probably would have smacked him over the back of his head and told him to grow up, you can't force people what you want them to – but he tried to escape this nagging feeling by thinking only about how happy the success of their plan would make him. After "accidentally" overhearing the young ones' discussion it seemed to him that the success would elope them. And what did he have left then? And more importantly, was Soujiroh the right man for his granddaughter? He was willing to ignore that boy's reputation, foolishly believing that his Yuki-can's loveliness and innocence would surely make him change his ways. And because...well, he remembered very well how it felt to be young and have the world at your feet. He just thought that his and Kinu's story would repeat itself.
Now he was uncertain if he should be so indulgent with the boy, even if he as Shigure's grandson. From what he had overheard, those two not only knew each other but Soujiroh had repeatedly hurt Yuki-chan. Takeshi took another sip of his wine and smiled bitterly at the irony of life. What were the chances that he would ant Yuki to marry exactly the man she had been in love with and who wanted nothing to do with her?
The wine the men were drinking was an exceptional one. A port wine from a good year, 1979, with a strong buquet and a pleasant sweeteness that charmed the senses. Neither Takeshi nor Shigure seemed to acknowledge this though. While Takeshi was still brooding, seated across from him, Shigure was also lost in thoughts. Like his friend, he was also questioning the fulfillment of their dream. When Madoka first told him what she had learned from the young Mimasaka he had been thrilled. He thought that since Yuki was in love with his grandson this would only mean that they would accept this plan more easily and the chances of it succeeding would increase, but after tonight… Guilt was tormenting him. He should have told Takeshi, shared all his information with him, warn him about the kind of history those two had. Maybe then his friend wouldn't have been so upset right now. He could find no excuses for Soujiroh since he didn't understand his behavior towards Yuki and he felt that if right now Takeshi would want to give up on their plan he would have no objections.
With the three thinking the same things but none of them expressing them out loud, the mood was dull and cheerless, when, after properly knocking Yuki entered the room. With a light attitude and a smile on her face she announced that dinner was ready to be served. Takeshi was dumbfounded. He had imagined that a bitter quarrel would break between Yuki and Soujiroh after they'd stopped eavesdropping, he had imagined his granddaughter crying and suffering. And now she was standing in front of him, calm and serene, not a trace of sadness on her face. What had happened between those two?
After all the emotions, anxieties and hopes, the dinner had been as normal as it could get. The conversation started out slowly, from the usual topics, such as the weather and the problems of travelling but by the half of it, Takeshi and Shigure were already telling stories of their eventful youths. The words marriage or engagement hadn't been uttered even once though, everybody purposely avoiding that particular topic.
XXX
By the time Tsukushi arrived at the Takashimizu residence, the guests were already leaving. She was stepping out of the car just as the Nishikado family was coming out of the house. Tsukushi bowed politely to the elders and took a good look at Soujiroh who just smiled back at her. This wasn't exactly what she had expected, this tranquility and normality. From the various scenarios she had imagined during the drive back home, this was the least possible. Had her two friends complied with the elders´ wishes so peacefully? She was still thinking about this as she climbed the stairs to the first floor of the mansion and reached her bedroom.
As she was about to open the door of her room she noticed that the French doors to the first floor terrace were open so she decided that the fresh air of the night would help her clear her mind. Thus she went on the terrace and while observing the dimly lit garden she caught eye of a figure slowly moving towards a bench. At first she thought her mind was playing tricks on her but as the figure was stepping more and more into the light of a garden lamp she realized that it was just Yuki. Instinctively she knew that irrespective of how things had turned out that night Yuki still needed a friend to talk to.
She went to her room, grabbed a shawl from her closet and went down to the garden. In getting there she still found her friend on the bench, starring aimlessly at the night sky. Tsukushi placed the shawl around Yuki´s shoulders and sat next to her.
"Aren't the stars beautiful tonight?" asked Yuki in a melancholic voice.
Tsukushi just smiled and nodded at her friend. But the stars were not the topic of the conversation she wanted to have with Yuki and her curiosity could not be repressed any longer. She got up and walked over to a rose bush, bending down to smell the beautiful flowers. Afterwards, she turned around and seeing that she had caught Yuki´s attention, finally asked what she wanted to know:
"…And how was dinner tonight?"
Yuki looked at her friend, smiling tenderly. From the tone in which she had asked the question, it became clear to her that Tsukushi knew everything. Aware of her friend's curious nature and wanting to change the topic as soon as possible, Yuki replied:
"Soujiroh and I have decided to be just friends…Because friendship is the most important thing, right Tsukushi?"
Even though she felt a great relief at hearing the news, Tsukushi realized that the brave smile on Yuki´s face was just a part of the role she was playing, a mask that she was wearing to hide her sadness. Makino didn't know what else to do but smile encouragingly and silently nodd at her friend. She went back to sit on the bench and cuddled beside Yuki, wrapping herself in the shawl also.
Even though it sounded crazy her friend was happier when she was pursuing Soujiroh. Now Yuki seemed to her to be broken and defeated, like all the plans she had made for herself were crumbling at her feet. It never ceased to amaze her how was it possible that Yuki was fuller of life when she had been bewitched by Soujiroh than now when she had finally released herself from his spell. Why couldn't she just let go? Was it true that the marriage would make Yuki happy? Could it be that Akira was right?
XXX
Not long after Tsukushi's departure, Shigeru excused herself as well and retreated to her room. She was beat. The first thing she did when she entered the cozy guest room was to lay on the bed and rest her head on a soft, silky pillow, pushing with one of her hands the magazine opened at the article suggestively entitled Now that the Mystery Is Over, Will Your Relationship Last? out of the bed. The long trip had finally taken its toll.
Truth was she had given up resting in the afternoon in favor of some extra moments with her darling. Their relationship hadn't been a conventional one. Despite Rui's often visits to Europe, the miles that set them apart every time he had to return to Japan were always a source of frustration for Shigeru. She missed him so much when he wasn't there by her side! She needed the appeasing influence he had on her, his calm nature and carefree style. Now that she had come to Japan as well she wanted to make the most of every moment that she had with him. Distance was no longer a problem because she no longer needed to return to Europe. She was here to stay and she would never leave her darling's side again. Thinking about this she started giggling and hugging the pillow while rolling from one side to the other of the bed.
"Ah, it´s so nice to have the one you love by your side!" she thought when she finally had to stop moving before she got dizzy. Being by Rui's side again was not the only reason for her excitement. This day had been a really full one. Ever since she set foot on Nipon land she hadn't had a second of boredom: meeting again the F4 gang, Tsukushi, Yuki, getting to know Soujiroh's grandparents, her and Rui's little afternoon escapade and on top of that the surprising news of Soujiroh and Yuki's marriage.
This marriage seemed to be the topic of the evening and Shigeru could not fully comprehend why everybody was so bothered about it. While she didn't approve of relatives choosing a spouse for a young man or woman, she thought Akira had a point and his intentions were good. Yuki and Soujiroh's relationship had lasted for so long and, though friendship between men and women, without any romantic development, was certainly possible and it existed, her feminine intuition told her that the relationship those two had was more than that. Somewhere along the way, without them realizing, especially Soujiroh, it had started to change, to transform itself. What was wrong with a little push in the right direction? We all need an epiphany from time to time.
XXX
In one of the rooms across the hall from Shigeru's, Tsukasa's to be more precise, the boys were having a typical F4 reunion but without Soujiroh. Calling it a reunion would be a stretch though since both Akira and Rui had barged in Tsukasa's room while he, in his royal blue silk pajamas was making an effort to look over some company papers. He didn't want to be caught off guard in case it would cross Kaede's mind to call and reproach him about leaving the company matters on her shoulders for a whole summer. So he was just analyzing a report sent by his faithful assistant, innocently minding his own business when first Akira and then Rui and his violin suddenly invated his territory.
The mastermind behind all this was in fact Akira, because Rui had also been interrupted while he was practicing a new piece on his violin and had been dragged to Tsukasa's room for reasons unknown to him. He still didn't see the point of this little gathering since Tsukasa was not paying any attention whatsoever to either him or Akira. Rui had retired into a corner of the room and continued to softly play the tune and Akira was continually making short trips to the window while looking dejectedly from Rui to Tsukasa to the window again. All this commotion had its effects though: Akira's incessant moving was not allowing Rui to concentrate and in change he would skip notes and would have to start all over again. And both of them were driving Tsukasa insane.
"Useless! It's useless to try and get some work done with both of you on my head!" he finally broke, putting his papers away and closing his laptop.
"Yes, I cannot finish the song either. Akira, what's so important outside? Just leave the window alone. And why did you dragged me over here?"
"Isn't it obvious that we need to talk?" Akira innocently asked. Looking at them he wondered sometimes about his friends' inability to sense a crisis when it was happening.
"But haven't we talked enough before dinner? And we still haven't reached a conclusion and personally, I haven't made up my mind to help you yet." Rui stated.
"This matter is more complex than it appears at first sight. We can't make a hasty decision. In one way or the other what's going to happen affects us all." In saying this Tsukasa was mostly reffering to Yuki and Tsukushi's friendship and both Rui and Akira understood that.
In the now quiet house, it was easy for the three of them to hear the approaching footsteps on the corridor. Suspecting it might be Soujiroh returning from the controversial dinner, Akira turned his back on the window, walked over to the other side of the room and slightly opened the door, just enough to stick his head out on the corridor and spy on whomever would arrive. But in the F4 group, curiosity spread faster than a highly contagious disease so it wasn't long till Tsukasa got up from his bed too and joined his friend by the door, Rui knew that more self control would be expected from him in such a situation but the truth was that the temptation was too great. So that after the last member of the party joined them, the F3 had formed a small pyramid of heads in the semi opened door, starting with Akira and finishing with Rui's.
Their expectations were confirmed. There were Soujiroh's footsteps the ones they had heard. He was walking slowly and, when he came closer, they could see he appeared tired and worn out. But he still had enough energy left to notice his friends and amuse himself at the image they were presenting.
"Hi guys! Hasn't the Sandman caught up with you yet?" asked Soujiroh in his usual casual tone.
"Are you kidding? At this hour … is the perfect time for a night cap. Care to join us?" replied the party starter of the group.
Soujiroh seemed to think about this proposal for an instant while placing his right hand on the doorknob and slightly opening the door of his room before finally declining Akira's offer:
"Maybe some other time. I'm beat tonight Akira. 'Night boys!"
And just like that he got into his room and closed the door behind him. Dejected that they were not going to get more details about the precious night, the three young men also got back to Tsukasa's room and resumed their previous positions. Domiouji on the couch in front of his laptop, Rui sat on a chair next to the window and Akira just jumped onto the bed.
"Well obviously nothing important happened or Soujiroh would have told us, right?" Tsukasa stated looking at his friends as if asking for their approval.
"I don't know. He looked kind of down to me." Akira observed.
"Maybe, or it could as well be that he hasn't made a decision yet." Said Rui in Reply to Tsukasa's first statement.
Surprised Akira turned his head towards Rui: "Are you still sticking to your idea that staying away from Yuki is his way of showing his affection for her?"
"I don't know but from the moment the idea came, it seemed pretty plausible to me. Don't you think so Akira? You're the one who knows Soujiroh best."
"Could be … I'm not certain. All I know is that Soujiroh is not indifferent to Yuki."
"Even so, what are we doing here guys? Why are we meddling in his private affairs?"
Rui's words had the power to make Tsukasa look up from the screen of his laptop and animated all of a sudden interjected:
"We're not meddling, we're helping. Just like you guys did with my relationship with Makino."
"Helping, as in you're willing to get involved in Mrs. Nishikado's plan?"
"Hell yeah! If Soujiroh needs help it's our duty to intervene. Right Rui?" Tsukasa said while getting to Rui's chair and slapping him over the back. "You're with us aren't you?"
"Are you sure you want to do this Tsukasa? Tsukushi didn't seem too keen on the plan this evening …"
"Of course I'm certain! I'm the Domyouji heir I don't fear any woman. Makino or no Makino!"