A/N: There was a question why I paired Yumi with Kobayashi. The simple reason is that in the OVA "Codename O.K. for Short (Provisional Title)," I saw some interest on his part. It may have been subtle, but I wanted a somewhat familiar character for Yumi's unloved husband. Also, this story is going to be longer than I had originally planned, so I will appreciate everyone's patience. Thank you and please enjoy!

Disclaimer: Konno Oyuki wrote the light novels that inspired this story. If I'd written the original Marimite, Yumi and Sachiko would be together already and planning their family.

Ten Years Later

Chapter 3: Darkness before Light

Sachiko

It had been a few days since Sachiko had given in to that stray impulse and tried to text Yumi. It wasn't returned as undeliverable, so Yumi had called on her cell phone. Sachiko had finally gotten word that the funeral for Ikegami-san was to be held in the Lillian chapel at 2 PM. She knew that she needed to call Yumi with the information, but the younger woman's icy response to her made her more nervous than she had been in years. It was not as if she was asking Yumi to go on a date with her. It was just a memorial service for a great woman. There was no guarantee that she would even see Yumi.

Once again, Sachiko wished that she had been able to convince her Grandfather that she needed to be with Yumi and not Suguru. It had been quite easy to persuade her parents, who genuinely wanted her to be happy. Her Grandfather was only concerned with the future of the business empire that the Ogasawara controlled. He had never loved his wife. She brought indispensable business connections as her dowry. Additionally, she had given him a son to carry on the name. He wanted the next generation secured through Sachiko's union with the Kashiwagi. He had seen Suguru's business acumen from an early age and he was old-fashioned enough to not want the conglomerate in the hands of a woman. Part of Sachiko's reticence in calling Yumi about the funeral stemmed from the cause of their break-up.

Flashback (Two days before the break-up)

Before school, a troubled Tooru called his daughter into the study. Seeing her father's anxiety made Sachiko nervous. Even though she resented her father's flagrant adultery, which helped cause her to be fearful of men, he always had a smile for his only daughter and tried to indulge her constantly. Taking command of the situation, the raven-haired teen asked, "Father, is there something wrong?"

Ogasawara Tooru was a confident and handsome man in his mid-forties. He had a commanding presence that closed many deals before he ever opened his mouth. For him to be this shaken meant only one thing, Grandfather had found out about her and Yumi being more than soeurs. "Sachiko-chan," he began. "Father wishes you to stop by his office after school. He has something important to discuss with you."

Sachiko's eyes narrowed, and she queried, "Did he find another groom for me because the deal with Kashiwagi fell apart due to Suguru-san's interests?"

"No, that's not it. I'll let Father tell you his will when you meet with him today. You have important duties as heir of the Ogasawara. One of which is securing the next heir from your body," her father explained.

Impatiently, Sachiko moved across the room. Stopping in front of the door, she shot back, "I'm not giving up Yumi no matter what Grandfather says. She's already better than any partner that he could conjure up for me."

"Sachiko-chan, do not take that tone with Father. You see him only as a friendly and charming grandpa, but he is the most ruthless person that I've ever met. Even American businessmen fear him," Tooru admonished.

Sachiko waved her hand dismissively, "I can handle Grandfather. Do not worry about me, Father."

Tooru shook his head sadly, "I pray you are right, for both Yumi-chan and your sakes." After his daughter had left the study he said to himself, "That poor girl has no idea what she is walking into. Father will chew her up and spit her out."

Later that afternoon, Sachiko's limousine pulled up in front of the massive building that housed the headquarters of the Ogasawara Conglomerate. To illustrate the size of the company, firms like Sony controlled entire industries, but the Ogasawara controlled firms like Sony. The Japanese Diet was filled with people who had sought and received the endorsement of Ogasawara Kentaro-sama. Those who did not usually were not elected.

With a bland look on her face, she was ushered into her Grandfather's office. Ogasawara Kentaro was in his late sixties, but still portrayed a vital force that made other men seem weak. "Come in Sachiko," he intoned. "I have wonderful news for you. Do you remember how you told me when you were little that your dream was to marry Suguru-kun? Well, I've arranged with Kashiwagi to have the two of you married a week after you graduate from high school, and then you both will begin the process of taking over the business as my heirs. Isn't that wonderful?"

Sachiko started, "Excuse me, Grandfather, but I thought that the betrothal was cancelled because neither Suguru-san nor I wanted to be married to each other."

"I know that the two of you are engaged in disgusting, immoral affairs. The adults in both families have agreed that you both need to grow up and this "phase" that you are both going through ends now. You and Suguru-kun will be a proper Japanese married couple," Kentaro ordered.

"No," Sachiko argued. "I am in love with Yumi, and Suguru is in love with Arisagawa-san. Suguru-san told me that he could never be sexually attracted to women, and I think that I may only be attracted to girls."

Kentaro roared, "The perversions that the two of are doing will end, and they will end now!"

"Or what?" Retorted Sachiko. "You will disinherit me? I have enough connections that I can make my own way with Yumi if necessary. Therefore, I must decline this arrangement."

Instead of exploding with rage, like she expected, Kentaro smiled coldly and opened a file folder, "Let me see, Fukuzawa Yumi, 17 years old, second year student at Lillian's high school division. She was just elected to succeed you as Rosa Chinesis. The Matsudairas' Touko-chan is her new Petite Soeur. She has a younger brother, Yuuki, who succeeded Suguru-kun as President of the Hanadera Student Council. Her mother Fukuzawa Miki is a Lillian graduate that has chosen to be a homemaker," He paused, "Now this is interesting, Yumi-chan's father, Yuuichiro, is one of the architects that has put a bid in to design a new office for one of my subsidiary companies. Quite a remarkable family. Ah, even better, they have lived in the same house since Yumi-chan was 3. It is a distinctive house that Yuuichiro-san designed himself. It would be very easy for something really awful to happen to them because they are actually quite easy to find. It would be a tragedy if the wiring that's been frayed in the recent earthquakes should spark a leaky gas line in the middle of the night. I'm afraid that it would be quite difficult to get everyone out in time, especially Yumi-chan because her bedroom is upstairs, far away from the door."

Sachiko was horrified, "Are you threatening Yumi and her family? The other Fukuzawas have nothing to do with this!"

"Oh no, Sachiko-chan, I am merely informing you of the price for defying my will and continuing something that is an abomination to God. Do you wish to go to hell for this girl, this harlot? I can arrange that, but I promise you that she will be there long before you arrive. You will marry Kashiwagi Suguru as I have commanded, or the Fukuzawas will cease to exist. You have one day to decide."

Sachiko began to cry, "How can you be so cruel? I will never let you hurt her. I'll kill myself first!"

Kentaro's face was purple with rage, "Will you cease your God-damned defiance? If you run away with the Fukuzawa girl or commit suicide, there will be swift and merciless retribution against those who remain. Do you understand?" Sachiko nodded mutely. "Good girl, now to show me your sincerity, you must end your soeur relationship and your friendship with Fukuzawa Yumi immediately."

End Flashback

'I'm sure Suguru-san was threatened like I was, but he does what he wants with impunity. It can't be just because he is a man could it? Why can't I do the same? I want to take back what was mine. I want my life back. I want my friends back, but most of all, I want my Yumi back by my side. I'm no good without her, and it's the only way I could ever be happy again. I don't need family or wealth. I just need Yumi.'

As her rebellious thoughts began to build, Sachiko didn't notice her husband sneaking up behind her. He had noticed the defiant tilt of her chin and he whispered into her ear, "Are you finally over your cowardice, Sa-chan? It took you long enough. For fuck's sake, you could have been seeing Yumi-chan immediately after we were forced to consummate this sham of a marriage, and I would have cheered you on. Why do you think that I've acted like such an asshole all this time? I've been so pissed off at you for caving in to the old monster that I couldn't stand it. I told you during the rehearsal dinner that it was okay for you to be with Yumi-chan and that I was marrying you in name only because that old bastard threatened Alice and my family. The reason that I picked at you so much was to make you angry enough to fight back. I really miss my fiery cousin and the wonderful expressions that she made when she was with her Petite Soeur."

Overcome, Sachiko hugged him, "Thank you, Suguru. I wish that we could have talked like this more. I miss being friends with you. I'd rather be that than your wife." Suguru smiled and pat her head. Smirking, she decided to test this renewal of friendship so she teased, "You really did ruin me for other men. There is no way in hell a man is ever sticking that in me ever again!" They both shared a laugh that seemed to sooth ten years of constant warfare. As they were laughing, Suguru's cell phone chirped. Seeing who was on the phone, he excused himself, and Sachiko smiled after an interaction with her husband for the first time since before their wedding. 'This is just the first step,' she told herself. 'I can't rush things. Patience will be the key to regaining my friendships and fixing everything that I destroyed that day in the greenhouse.'

Picking up her cell phone, Sachiko dialed Rei's number. Rei was the only one of the former Roses that didn't desert her when she broke up with Yumi, although their conversations were frostier for a time after both the wedding and Yumi's fourth and final suicide attempt. "This is Ogasawara, is Hasekura Rei available?"

Rei was in the middle of directing the kendo club's practice for an upcoming tournament. "Hello, Sachiko, to what do I owe the occasion of this call?"

"Rei, could you help me repair some of the damage that I've done to precious friendships?" Sachiko asked.

The former kendo champion smiled, 'Finally, she is waking up. It took the moron long enough.' To Sachiko she replied, "Absolutely, I would because I'm getting tired of lying to Yoshino when she asks if you've called. When I do tell her that you've called, she uses every dirty word in the book to curse you. It's surprising how angry she still is at you after all the time that's passed."

"Excellent!" Sachiko said happily. "Rei, I don't say this enough, but thank you for sticking by me all these years. As for Yoshino-chan, I have deserved everything that she has thought about me over the years, well, maybe not everything."

They both laughed and continued to talk until the team captain got Rei's attention to ask her when she was planning to end practice. To Sachiko, she said, "I need to go. Let's get some coffee tonight and discuss your rehabilitation."

Yumi

Much later that evening, lying in bed, Yumi felt gross. She had just acquiesced to having sex with her husband, and as usual it was disaster, and as usual it was her fault. Bitterly, she thought, 'Why can't I be more receptive toward him? He is my husband. I owe him better than this for all that he's done for me. Even if I can never love him, I do care for Masa-kun, and wish that I wasn't so cold to him.'

Yumi was quite aware, especially after the first time sleeping with him, that she was only sexually attracted to women. She had endured his attempts at lovemaking by thinking of Sei-sama, who she had always been attracted to, or Shimako, or some super-cute talent on TV. She knew that Masamune was all too aware of her inability to find any satisfaction in their intercourse sessions. There was little that she could do about it. Yumi had accepted that she was a lesbian, and nothing was going to change that. 'Poor Masa-kun,' she sighed to herself.

Her husband was pretending to sleep after his exertions. 'I love her so much. Why can't it be me? Damn that aristocratic bitch to hell!' He thought hotly. 'She's always here even though we haven't seen her in ten years.' Self-delusion was not one of Masamune's defects. He had hoped that Yumi was bisexual and could eventually fall in love with him. He knew that she still was trying to get over her former soeur when they married. His hopes were raised when they discovered that she was pregnant with Yuuichi. That was the only occasion in which she had ever kissed him with any affection. More often than not, Yumi was passive as he tried to stoke her flames so that he could make love to her instead of feeling like he was raping a corpse. An Alaskan winter day couldn't have been colder than the woman in his arms. It hurt a lot, but he put all of his love and affection into every word or moment that he shared with her. His heart clenched at those memories. He swallowed the hurt and encouraged himself, 'I can't give up. I cannot lose to Ogasawara-san. I will keep trying. That's what marriage is, isn't it? Trying hard to live with another person and make them happy? That's just what I'll do for her sake and for the sake of our son.'

Yumi was lost in her own world, trying to not to feel the waves of pain radiating from her husband. 'I cannot live half a life anymore. I shouldn't have snapped at Sachiko-sama when she tried to catch up with me after all this time. I need to talk this over with her so I can get on with my life. I cannot remain emotionally stuck at 17 forever.' Feeling stronger from making that decision, Yumi got of bed and went into her home office. She needed to talk to Yoshino, but it was after 11, and even though Yoshino was in bed, she definitely wasn't in bed alone, and Yumi didn't wish to disturb them. She opened her email and composed a message to her best friend requesting that she ask her partner, Rei, for Sachiko's email address.

She didn't have to wait long for Yoshino to respond. To say that Yoshino was surprised by Yumi's request was an understatement. The first line of the instant message that Yoshino sent was, "Are you fucking kidding me?" After wading through Yoshino's histrionics, the email address was indeed relayed. Yumi thanked her friend for her help. 'It's time to exorcise my ghosts so I can find another woman to love. I will never be a proper wife to Masa-kun, but I need Sachiko-sama to let me go so I can love again!'

To be continued

A/N: I know that the evil grandfather gimmick has been used, and I apologize to everyone for resorting to it. I named Sachiko's grandfather Kentaro because that is the name of Keitaro's male nemesis in Love Hina. I always hoped that Kentaro and Naru would get together so Keitaro could be with a girl that actually cared about and trusted him. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed: EJ Daniels, CelticX, Honulicious, Witchgar, maldytah, Wittman the Tiger Ace, and jkl27. I really appreciate it more than you know! To everyone else who is reading, I would like to thank you as well. Please enjoy!