A/N: Been off the grid for about three weeks due to my Alaska cruise and moving, but I'm back and ready to make some SachiYumi fans happier, but not necessarily happy, with this next installment. Yumako fans should not lose heart because this chapter will not decide the contest. I still consider Shimako in the lead to win Yumi, but Sachiko has desperation on her side. I really appreciate all the support that I've received for this story! Thanks, you all rock!
Disclaimer: Do I really need to repeat myself? I own nothing but this little scenario, my laptop, and my sick, twisted imagination.
Ten Years Later
Chapter 11: Friend or Foe?
Yumi
Yumi was able to get a couple of more hours of sleep after promising to meet with Sachiko. She took a long shower to try to shake the cobwebs and the effects of the hangover that she earned with Shimako the previous evening. 'Was that a date or just two old friends getting drunk, dancing, and making out? I don't know, but it sure was fun. I want to do it again without these damned after-effects,' she groaned.
By the time she had dressed, her cell was ringing. Yumi was relieved to see that it was her mother and not Sachiko. She answered the phone, and Miki immediately cut to the chase, "Yumi, it is time to come get your son. He had an accident and I do not have a change of clothes for him."
Yumi started, "Yuuichi wet himself? He hasn't done that for years!"
Her mother's voice was impatient as she responded, "I was actually expecting some behaviors from him." Hearing her daughter bristle, Miki pressed on, "In the last few weeks, he went from having both of his parents under the same roof and married to living in separate homes and divorced. This sort of thing is really hard on little kids. They do not understand adult issues and they feel powerless and hurt, so they act out. With all that is going on in your personal life, please do not forget to take into account how it will affect Yuuichi-kun."
Feeling the justification of her mother's admonishment, Yumi bashfully replied, "I will, Mom. Thank you for the reminder. I can be there in fifteen minutes. Is that alright?" Miki answered in affirmation and the call disconnected. As she was walking to her car, Yumi was deep in thought, 'It's fun to go out at night and flirt with Shimako but my son and my work are my priority. I should take him to play at Lillian Park after I'm done with Sachiko-sama's drama.'
Grabbing a change of clothes, Yumi was walking out to her Camry when her phone rang again. This time, it was Shimako. She pushed the talk button, "Good morning, Shimako-chan. How are YOU feeling? I have one hell of a hangover."
The young architect's heart palpitated when she heard Shimako's angelic giggle, "I'm doing quite well, Yumi-san. I would have been better if I hadn't woken up alone, but there will be a next time, won't there?" She asked flirtatiously.
"You know that there will be a next time already, don't you? I felt so…I'm not sure what I felt, but I definitely didn't hate anything that happened last night, except for all the alcohol. I'm NEVER drinking like that again! Next time that we go out, please stop me, Shimako-chan, for both our sakes!"
Shimako giggled again, "You are so cute, Yumi-san. Of all your wonderful expressions, I love your flustered face the most."
"Well, you are doing a damn good job of flustering me right now, Toudou Shimako! Mou!" Yumi pouted. Listening to Shimako's inevitable laughter made her feel better, and after a couple moments to calm herself down, Yumi continued, "Seriously though, something is happening between us, isn't it? My first thought this morning was of you. Before I even remembered that I had a son, I thought of you and it made me smile."
In a more reflective tone, the kindergarten teacher responded, "I feel the same. I wasn't kidding about wishing that I had awoken with you in my arms, Yumi-san. And yet, I know that we both have ghosts to lay aside before things could get serious between us. If we don't deal with them, we will not do justice to these feelings that are growing. I may be in love with you, but I need to be sure that I'm completely over Noriko just as you need to deal with Sachiko's place in your past. I pray that she stays in your past. The first reason is selfish because I want you for myself, but the second reason is that I remember that horrible time after she dumped you. In your place, I don't think that I could ever trust her again."
Yumi rubbed her head, "Yeah about that, I promised to meet her this afternoon for ice cream with our children. I should not have, but she called so early this morning after blowing up my phone last night. I just want to set her straight once and for all plus I would have promised to shave my head if it would have kept her from calling again."
Instead of laughing, Shimako's heart clenched and she asked, "Do you have to meet her, Yumi-san?" 'Damn,' Shimako cursed inwardly, 'I didn't want to sound like a jealous girlfriend.'
"I'm hoping that this is the last time that I ever have to see her," Yumi said evenly. "Shimako-chan, you yourself said that we have to get beyond our past in order to move forward. That is all that I'm doing. Besides, I'm not going to date a married woman."
Shimako squeaked into the phone, "Am I dating a married woman?"
Yumi laughed and asked, "Are we actually dating or are we just seeing each other as friends? Besides, I've already filed for divorce from Masamune-san, so technically I am not a married woman, so you can rest assured Shimako-san that you were not involved in an adulterous act."
Now it was Shimako's turn to pout, "Mou, Yumi-san! Please don't tease so much!" She took a breath, "I will be bluntly honest here. I know that I want to date you, and I think that you want to date me. I was hoping that last night would have made things more official."
"I would love to date you, Shimako-san, but there are things that I need to deal with first like my son and picking him from my parents' house and I need to free myself from Sachiko-sama, so please be patient with me. I will make it worth your while," Yumi finished with a lecherous tone.
Shimako knew that she had better retreat and not push Yumi at this point, "Fair enough, Yumi-san, we've known each other twelve years, I can wait a bit longer. I just get insecure when I know that you will be seeing Sachiko-sama. I think that I really am falling for you." She finished, sounding like she was about to cry
Wishing that she could hug her friend, Yumi said softly, "I wish that I could commit to you now, but this is all I can offer you. I like you a lot, but I just need a little more time. Okay?"
"I understand," Shimako sniffed. "Well, my students are almost here. I have to go. Can I see you tomorrow?"
Yumi smiled, "Absolutely, I hope that you don't mind a third-wheel. I will not have a sitter for Yuuichi."
Brightening at the prospect, Shimako replied, "Bring him over to the Shrine, my father loves kids. Don't worry; he won't try to convert him. My father knows that we are both Catholics. It will give us some time to flirt. Flirting with you is the best!" Both women laughed, said their goodbyes, and hung up.
When Yumi arrived at her parents' house, she was fifteen minutes later than she had quoted and her mother was not happy. 'Oh well,' Yumi thought. 'At least Mom's not as scary as Sachiko-sama.'
Sachiko
"Yumiko, you don't mind coming along to play with Fukuzawa-san's son, do you? I will get you whatever kind of ice cream that you wish," Sachiko asked her daughter nervously. In her mind, everything rode on the meeting this afternoon. She knew that she needed to make a move to counter the lead that Shimako had on her. There was no doubt that the love that she felt for her former soeur was true and real. It was simply a matter of earning Yumi's trust and rekindling their romance.
Yumiko, seeing the plea in her mother's eyes, sighed and replied, "Yes, Mother, I'll keep him company while you and Fukuzawa-sama talk. I want you to be as happy as Father is with Alice-san."
Startled once again by Yumiko's precocity, the raven-haired beauty hugged her and asked, "Do you know how much I love you? You are the most important person in my life and will be so even if Mommy and Yumi get back together. If everything goes well today, you will have a little brother."
"I love you too, Mother," Yumiko said softy, retreating behind her own noble mask. Sachiko's eyes became troubled as she regarded the little old woman in a nine year old body. She thought to herself, 'I need to get her some interaction with the Fukuzawas and the other Rosas. She needs to live a little.'
As the hours until ice cream date passed, Sachiko's nerves became more and more raw. She snapped at the staff. She drank cup after cup of coffee. If there had been any in the house, she probably would have smoked a cigarette. She changed her outfit five times. Finally, around 12:30, she called Youko. "Oneesama," she said on the edge of hysteria, "Yumi agreed to meet with me in an hour and a half. This might be my last chance to make the case for her to accept me back, and Shimako is getting too close. Oneesama, what am I going to do?"
Youko had weathered many of Sachiko's hysteria storms over the years and she dealt with them better than anyone with the exception of Yumi. She paused a moment and spoke with a firm tone, "Sachiko, calm down. Let's look at this rationally. First, are you meeting for lunch or just tea?"
"We are actually meeting for ice cream with our children," replied a subdued heiress.
All business, Youko proceed, "Okay, that is good news because she cannot brush you so easily with her son and her namesake watching. Ice cream puts you almost at the friend level again." She paused and in a softer voice, continued, "Do you know what kind of a miracle that is for her to agree to meet with you? You royally fucked her up ten years ago. She nearly died when you broke up with her. She sleepwalked through her year as Rosa Chinesis, and married the first person to show her love. What do you think would have happened if Shimako had been single back then? They might be married and you would have absolutely NO chance to get her back. Maria-sama has answered your prayers in that she has opened the door for Yumi-chan to forgive you, but that doesn't mean that you will get back together. Just be yourself and give thanks to God and to Maria-sama that she agreed to meet with you and give you a chance to make your case. Does that sound good?"
Floored, Sachiko meekly answered, "Yes, Oneesama. By the way, I think that you are picking up on Sei-sama's bad habits because I've never heard you curse like you just did before."
"After twelve years of being together, it is logical that she would rub off on me…" the attorney was interrupted by her soeur's raucous laughter. Youko thought a moment, flushed crimson, and snapped, "Get your mind out of the gutter, smart ass! Sachiko, I am due in court momentarily; is there anything else that you need?"
Wiping the tears of mirth from her eyes, Sachiko responded, "No Oneesama, thank you. You have given me plenty to think about and you've calmed me down. Good luck in court today."
Sachiko could hear the smirk in the former Rosa's voice, "My dear Sachiko, I don't need luck because I prepare enough to make my own. Besides, the lawyer for the other side has a crush on my Sei. She flirts with her constantly. And Sei just eats it up just to make me angry. She likes to make me mad and seduce me while I'm still mad. It will be my pleasure to show her that she isn't in my class in either the courtroom or in the bedroom. Gokigenyou." Youko hung up embarrassed that she disclosed something so personal to her petite soeur.
A chill went down Sachiko's spine, and she thought, 'Note to self, do not make an enemy of Oneesama. She's scary! Okay, it's time to get Yumiko ready to go to the café!' Sachiko wound up choosing to wear an outfit consisting of blue-jean Capris and white silk short-sleeve blouse. She thought that it looked casual without being sloppy. She wanted to set a relaxed tone to hide her desperation. Yumiko chose a simple one piece dress that had a wide, shiny black leather belt to keep from looking like a tunic. The mother did appear a bit underdressed compared to her daughter, but she thought, 'It can't be helped.'
Sachiko did not trust herself to drive to the Cold Stone Creamery shop near Lillian, so she had her personal chauffeur take them in her favorite black Lincoln MKS. They arrived before Yumi and Yuuichi, which made Sachiko even more nervous as the doubts began to roll like ocean waves, 'What if she doesn't show? She was half-asleep when I called. What if Shimako got to her? What if standing us up is part of her revenge?' Her dithering ended when Yumi pulled up in her Silver 2011 Camry. Angels sang hymns of joy in the heiress' heart as she saw Yumi and Yuuichi walking toward the ice cream shop. "Harada-san, please help my daughter get out of the car," she commanded as she leapt out of the car to meet her love. It was all that she could do to be patient enough to wait for Yumiko. Reining herself in, she grabbed Yumiko's hand and smiled.
Yumi
While she was unbuckling Yuuichi from his booster seat, Yumi felt the dread increase. She was scared that she would give Sachiko more hope that they could be together again. She was scared that she would fall in love with Sachiko's daughter. She was scared that she would hurt Shimako. 'We aren't even official and I'm worried about being faithful to her. Is that weird?'
She brushed that thought away and led her excited son to the store. Yuuichi loved ice cream in general and Cold Stone Creamery in particular. He loved that you could mix different flavors and even though they only went their once or twice a month, he had tried most of the conventional combinations and was now starting on some more experimental ones. Nevertheless, he was already bouncing off the walls before he even got a taste.
As they reached the door, she heard a breathless voice say, "Yumi." How many times had that voice made her heart beat faster? How many times did that voice make her fall in love? Now it just made her annoyed. She wheeled around to confront her ex-girlfriend and saw a miniature Sachiko holding her mother's hand. Sachiko smiled brightly, "Yumi, this is my daughter Ogasawara Yumiko. Yumiko, this is my friend, Fukuzawa Yumi."
Yumi started, 'Did she just say Yumiko? She named her child after me?' Despite her moment of surprise, she recovered and introduced her son to Sachiko, "Sachiko-sama, this is my son, Fukuzawa Yuuichi. Yuuichi, say hello to Ogasawara-sama and Yumiko-san."
Yuuichi bowed at waist, and said, "It's nice to meet you, Ogasawara-thama." Both women chuckled at the little boy's attempt at a polite greeting and thought that his slight speech impediment was cute. Yumiko was unfazed by the interaction.
Sachiko nudged her daughter, and Yumiko curtseyed, "Thank you for inviting us out, Fukuzawa-sama."
Yumi smiled, "You are quite welcome, Yumiko-chan." To Sachiko, "She is so much like you, it isn't funny."
"Yuuichi-kun looks just like his uncle, doesn't he?" Sachiko returned.
Yumi chuckled, "He acts like a combination of my little brother and my ex-husband."
Sachiko's jaw dropped, "I'm sorry, Yumi-san, did you say 'ex-husband' in reference to Kobayashi-san?"
"Yes, well that would require a discussion to explain that is unsuitable for young ears," Yumi said in obvious discomfort. "Shall we order?"
After sitting Yumiko next to Yuuichi, Sachiko suggested that they use text messaging to carry on the more adult parts of the conversation so as to not upset Yuuichi. Yumi agreed that was wise and while watching Yuuichi slowly draw Yumiko from behind her wall, they chatted about innocuous things aloud and Yumi explained that she was only into women and she needed to leave Masamune to find love.
"So you are a lesbian, Yumi?" Sachiko asked in a text. "Yes," Yumi replied.
Feeling bold, Sachiko texted back, "Well, I am a woman and I am in love with you. Is there anything stopping us from getting back together? I would love nothing more than to shower so much love on you that the world would envy us." A flash of anger shot from the architect's eyes, and Sachiko thought, 'Shit, I pushed too far.'
Yumi responded aloud, "Yes, there is." She continued in next text, "Ten fucking years that I cannot let go of. That is what is stopping me from giving you a chance. Ten years of loneliness and pain that has kept me from replying to Shimako's confession. Ten years of thinking that I was not good enough for you."
Sachiko was gobsmacked, "Shimako confessed? She is a wonderful woman, but I never stopped loving you. I've never stopped wanting you. I wish that I could have died instead of hurting you like I did, but other than my daughter, YOU are the most important thing to me. More than the Ogasawara name or empire. I would live in a shack with you."
"Okay, Sachiko-sama, I get it," Yumi texted back. "You remembered that you love me after all these years. What if I told you that I was falling for Shimako? Are you still confident that you could get me to love you back then?"
Sachiko looked sad, and replied, "No, I'm not. All that I have is Yumiko and my hope. I hope that you could give me a chance to compete on an even playing field with Shimako. Do you hate me so much that it is impossible?"
Yumi paused a moment, looked in her former soeur's eyes, saw the hope, fear, and love in them, and asked herself, 'Is it?'
To be continued…
A/N: Sorry for the long delay. I went on a cruise to Alaska on the Celebrity Solstice. It was AWESOME! We also moved and I'm now looking for work. If my now 3 year old daughter will cooperate, I should be able to write more often until I find a job. I hope that this was worth the wait. Please let me know what you thought. Peace!