A/N: I really have not abandoned my two other active fics, but the writer's block on them is terrible. So for you, I present this small offering. Please enjoy and let me know what you thought. Thank you!
Disclaimer: I am broke. I do not own Marimite. I'm making nothing from this, so please do not sue!
Ten Years Later
Chapter 12: Prostye Dvizhenia (Simple Moves)
Yumiko
Ogasawara Yumiko felt trapped. She was trapped in a strange restaurant. She was trapped into listening to the non-stop chatter of the happy, excited five year old boy sitting next to her. She wanted nothing more than to go back to the mansion and escape into the library that doubled as her bedroom. She wanted her books. She needed her books, but she was trapped, sitting in Cold Stone Creamery, being bombarded with desperate 'help me out' looks from her mother.
Yumiko was, if nothing else a precocious child. She knew how much this meeting with this woman meant to her mother. She knew that her mother wanted to be with this woman more than anything, to have what her father and Alice shared. She sighed heavily; her eyes letting Sachiko know that she expected HUGE compensation for this.
Yuuichi did not notice the mother-daughter byplay and asked, "Ogasawara-thama, do you go to Lillian? My mother went to Lillian and she was the Chinese Rose on the student council. Did your mother go to Lillian too?"
"Yes, Yuuichi-san, my mother also went to Lillian," Yumiko replied tiredly. "She was Rosa Chinesis before your mother. In fact, my mother helped you mother become Rosa Chinesis. Yuuichi-san, please call me by my name. It makes me feel old if you address me by my family name."
The young boy grinned, "Okay, Yumiko-thama, I will. Your mother is very pretty. She looks like a queen. That must make you a princess. Do you have a castle? Does it have a dragon guarding it? I'd beat that dragon up if it scared my friends."
Yumiko chuckled in spite of herself. She realized that in his artless way, he had helped her relax and to enjoy her ice cream. She took a taste of her dish of strawberry cheesecake. It was cold, creamy, sweet, tangy, and above all delicious. Her smile grew larger as she began to attack the frozen dessert with more intention.
Yuuichi had ordered a combination of sweet cream and chocolate ice creams with peanut butter cups and gummy bears stirred in. He was in heaven, but continued to chatter at an increasingly responsive Yumiko. He did felt that his mother had gotten upset earlier while staring on her cell phone, but he saw that his mother wasn't going to cry, so he went back talking Yumiko's ear off.
Yumi
The young architect stared at her phone, looked at her former Oneesama, and visually checked her son's behavior. He was in mile a minute speaking mode, firing questions at Sachiko's daughter without pausing to breathe. She asked herself, 'Could I really give Sachiko-sama a chance? I can see how intense she is, but could I trust her again? Hell no. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.' She sent a quick text to Shimako, "Bad news, I'm eating ice cream with Sachiko-sama. Good news, she's not making my heart beat anywhere near as fast as you did on our date."
To cover herself, she sent one to Sachiko, "I'll understand how serious you are, and I thank you for your feelings. However, I cannot consider you as a potential lover until I know that I KNOW that I could trust you with my heart, and right now, I cannot. I would be willing to be friends with you again. I'm sorry but that is all that I can do at this time."
Her former Oneesama's face lit with joy and she said happily, "Thank you, Yumi. I understand your feelings, and I will do my utmost to regain your trust."
A knot formed in Yumi's chest and warmth enveloped her heart. She dismissed it, and sent a text that read, "I hope that you don't think that you are back in my heart. I am strongly leaning towards dating Shimako. She is beautiful, kind, and I KNOW that I can trust her with my heart. Besides, she is one hell of a kisser and she is fun to be around."
"You haven't answered her confession yet, Yumi." Sachiko said with a knowing smile. "I was your first love and I intend to be your last as well. This is not my usual arrogance. That promise comes from the love that we had and will have again. I believe that you will fall in love with me again because I believe that we are destined to be together forever."
Yumi sighed. 'I give her half a loaf, and she's opening a bakery. What the hell goes through that aristocratic brain of hers?'
They finished their ice cream and parted ways: one woman ecstatic and the other bemused. Yumiko was able to read the atmosphere and was a little sad for her mother. 'Fukuzawa-san looks no where near as happy as Mother does. I think that Mother is misunderstanding something. I had hopes that Fukuzawa-san would make Mother smile, but this is such a brittle thread for Mother to build her joy. I'll have to report this to Father to see what he can do to help.'
Of course, Yuuichi felt his mother's mood, but he was so hyped out on ice cream that Yumi took him to a playground so that he could run it off. As hewas playing, he watched his mother stare at her cell phone as if she was expecting a call. She would push some buttons, listen a moment, and sigh. 'Must be a work problem,' he thought as he jumped into a convenient sandbox. Yumi decided to let her young son play for a bit more before collecting him and going home; her face troubled.
Shimako
After reading Yumi's text, Shimako had mixed feelings. She was anxious about her potential girlfriend meeting with Sachiko, Yumi's ex. She was, however, happy that she had more of an effect on Yumi than the Ogasawara-ojou-sama did. The kindergarten teacher was kicking herself because of the confession that she knew that she should have waited on. 'I just got so excited by Yumi's presence and kindness. Not to mention how sexy she is.' She wiped some drool that threatened to escape her mouth. To be honest, it wouldn't have taken much for Yumi to get her into bed. Shimako was actually aching for it. She had not felt such a craving for another person since before Noriko left for America.
Her petite soeur still occupied her mind. In the many hours that she now spent alone, she would often find herself daydreaming of making love to Noriko. It was strange and exciting for Shimako to realize that in recent days, Noriko's face and body were, more often than not, replaced by her former fellow Rosa, Yumi. She asked herself randomly, 'Would I take her back if she apologized as much as Sachiko-sama is doing to Yumi? It would be a hard decision. I know that I can trust Yumi. I know that if she accepts my confession that she wouldn't be looking at anyone else. That's the way that she was with Sachiko-sama, and I believe that is the way that she would be with me. Noriko, on the other hand, was always flirting with other people, especially toward the end."
Her cell phone rang, and Shimako muttered, "Speaking of the Devil" as she saw that it was her soeur. "Hello Noriko. How are you?"
"I am doing great Oneesama," replied the young professor. "I just wanted to hear your voice. How are you doing? Any luck snaring Yumi-sama yet?"
Shimako was taken aback at how natural it sounded for her ex-girlfriend to ask that question. 'Things must still be going well with her American boyfriend.' Biting her bottom lip, Shimako swallowed a little hurt before responding, "We've gone on an amazing date and that is about all there is to report; except that Sachiko-sama is back and trying to work her way into the picture. It galls me to admit it, but she really is doing her best. How is your love life, Noriko?"
"Michael is wonderful. We spent a week at Lake Tahoe with his parents. They LOVED me! Despite the ignorant American questions, they are great people. Michael, how do I describe him? I suppose I can tell you about him now that things are progressing between you and Yumi-sama. He is about 182 cm with brown hair and eyes as blue as Sachiko-sama's. He is handsome in an understated way in that I mean he has really nice features without being overblown like an Ashton Kutcher. He speaks fluent Japanese and he is a professional soccer player. I hate to say it, Oneesama, but I've never been so head over heels in love before. He is beyond sweet and considerate."
Shimako's jaws felt like someone was slicing them with a razor blade. 'I guess that I don't have to worry about taking her back, do I?' She cleared her throat, tasting blood for some reason, "It sounds like things are getting serious, don't they? I'm happy that you are happy, Noriko. I mean that."
Her soeur laughed lightheartedly, "Of course you are, Oneesama. That heart of yours is one of the things that I love most about you. Believe me when I say that I am praying that you and Yumi-sama get together because you would be an INCREDIBLE couple!"
Shimako's brain was on overload. She couldn't help but admit that a small part of her was hoping that Noriko and her boyfriend had separated and now wanted to renew their romance. After all, they had been together for over ten years. There were scars that had not yet healed. What Noriko was saying now cut her to the quick. There was a finality in her soeur's words that even someone as delusional as Sachiko or Masamune could not deny. It was over between them, and it was not likely to ever start again.
The honey-haired woman took a cleansing breath and replied, "I think so as well. You've got a bit of lead on me now, but the first one to altar wins." Shimako found that she could manage a playful tone if she remembered her date with Yumi.
Noriko laughed, "Since same-sex marriage is illegal in Japan, I think that you are at a disadvantage, Oneesama! You would have to go to Canada like the other Roses did to get married. If Michael and I were to want to marry, it's just a few hours drive from Los Angeles here to Las Vegas. We're not there yet, and neither are you. We should not rush, but I will take that bet, Oneesama!"
"Don't regret challenging your Oneesama, Noriko," Shimako warned mischievously. "You of all people know how stubborn I can be!"
Chuckling, Noriko agreed. "I am so happy that you are able to joke with me. Sei-sama told me how upset you were when I told you that I was going out with Michael. Maybe I should call Yumi-sama and thank her for bringing your smile back."
"I wouldn't go that far, young lady," quipped Shimako. Her phone beeped. It was Yumi. "Noriko, Yumi is on the other line. Can I call you later?" Her soeur agreed, and Shimako switched to Yumi. 'I wonder if this is good news…"
Yumi
"Damn, that woman can get me to do just about anything," Yumi fumed as her son was playing on the playground. "I need to talk to Shimako." She dialed her friend's number and pondered what she would say to her. 'I'll confess that I agreed to be friends with Sachiko-sama again, but I think that I'm going to accept Shimako's confession.'
After what to Yumi seemed like an eternity, the kindergarten teacher answered, "Good afternoon, Yumi-san. How did your meeting with Sachiko-sama go?" There was a note of apprehension in her voice that Shimako could not quite hide.
"Well," Yumi began. "I'll give you the bad news first. Sachiko-sama is tentatively on my 'Friends' list again. We have too much history for me not to give her a chance to be my friend once more."
Shimako was not surprised by that news, but asked anyway, "Are you sure, Yumi-san? If you are, I will support that. If, however, you've decided to go out with her again, don't expect any of us to be happy about that."
"You don't have to worry your lovely head about that. It will be a long time, if ever, that she would get that kind of trust from me," the architect retorted. "The meeting with Sachiko-sama did convince me of one thing."
Not trusting her voice Shimako whispered, "And what is that?"
Smiling broadly, Yumi replied, "It convinced me that I should accept your confession. I cannot think of anyone who would be a better girlfriend than you. You are beautiful, romantic, kind, funny, and you know my moods and like me anyway. I do really like you, Shimako, but I'm not ready to say that I'm in love with you. Would you be willing to date me in my condition?"
There was silence on the other line. Yumi waited for a bit, and then she began to get nervous and to fret. 'Maria-sama, did I wait too long to respond? Did Noriko come back and want to start things again?' The silence continued. She looked to see if the phone was connected, and her eyes began to fill with tears and the remembered pain of rejection started to fill her chest.
Just as she was about to hang up and retrieve her son, Yumi heard Shimako crying on the other side. A small voice said, "Of course, I'd accept you on those conditions, baka. I'm the one who confessed first. I'm just so happy right now," Shimako sniffed. "I need to see you. Could you stay in the park for a bit? I'll be right there."
Yumi giggled, "That will be fine. Besides, I think that it would take a decree from the Emperor to get Yuuichi-kun out this playground in less than two hours after the ice cream that he's eaten." Shimako laughed with her, said that she'd be there momentarily, and then hung up. Yumi felt a sense of peace. Enough to get on facebook on her phone and accept Sachiko's friend request. She giggled when she saw a relationship request from Shimako, which she also accepted.
Suddenly her phone rang; it was Yoshino and she was obviously happy because she was doing her best Yuuichi mile-a-minute speaking impression. "That's my girl! It's about time that you two got together! Everyone was making bets about how long it would take you both to come to your senses. Oh my god, I'm so happy for you both! Maria-sama, wait until I tell Rei-chan! I'm so glad that you didn't start dating that Ogasawara bitch! Shimako is SO much better than that rich skank! Oh my god, I'm so happy for you! Oh my god. Oh my god!"
By this point, Yumi was laughing hysterically at her best friend's antics. "Gracious Yoshino, take a breath!"
"I can't help it. I'm so damn happy for you," Yoshino breathed. "Shimako is the one woman that I can trust you with because she is real and kind unlike Ogasawara. She's an earth-bound princess instead of the hell-born princess that nearly killed you ten years ago."
Yumi sighed. Yoshino's hatred of Sachiko bordered on pathological. 'I can't say that I blame her. At one point, I hated Sachiko-sama just as much.' Sighing again, Yumi confessed that she had agreed to becoming friends with her former Oneesama. "She was so desperate, Yoshino, I couldn't say no to her," she reasoned.
"Fuck her desperation and fuck her," Yoshino said coldly. "If she had really loved you in the first place, we wouldn't be having this conversation. You would still be together. You loved Ogasawara more than life itself and a love like that would survive anything except for what she did to you. It pisses me off that she guilted you into letting her back in your life. I just hope that she doesn't think that she can guilt you into dumping Shimako for her."
Yumi was stunned. Had she really opened herself that much to Sachiko's charms and machinations to get her back? To Yoshino, she replied, "That is not going to happen. A friend is all that Ogasawara Sachiko will ever be to me. I gave her my heart twice, and she broke it both times. I haven't completely fallen for Shimako yet, but I'm close. I can feel it. I can promise you that I won't be as crazy as I was with my ex. It doesn't mean that I will love Shimako less, it just means that I have someone else to live for."
"Good girl," Yoshino said approvingly. "Have fun with your new girlfriend, but please don't hurt her. She is not as delicate as she looks, but she would fall apart if you dump her for the despicable debutante. Give Yuuichi and Shimako a hug for, ne? Goodnight, Yumi," She finished.
Yumi smiled, "I will. Yoshino, you are my best friend and I thank God and Maria-sama for you. Thank you for always being there for me."
"What are friends for, baka?" The high school teacher laughed. "I love you too. If you need anything, call me or Rei-chan. We'll be there in a flash."
The women hung up and Yumi packed up her son to meet with Shimako before going home. 'What would I do without that foul-mouthed girl? I hope that I never have to find out,' she smiled to herself. As she was waiting for her girlfriend to arrive, Yumi had a stray thought, 'I wonder how Sachiko-sama will see today?'
Suguru
Suguru was nervous. He just had a call from Alice directing him to Yumi's facebook page. He was dismayed to see the notification that Yumi had changed her relationship status from single to "In a relationship with Toudou Shimako." He went to Sachiko's page and she was gushing about how happy she was to be friends with her former petite soeur once again.
"Sa-chan is going to be crushed when she sees this," he said aloud to himself. "How do I minimize the damage from this? I need her to be strong because her role with the company is going to change now that the old monster is out of commission. Fuck! Why couldn't I just be in Okinawa with Alice until the coming shit storm passes? Screw it, we're going." He opened his cell and called his lover. No way was he going to be around when the Queen of Hysterics found out that Yumi and Shimako were now dating.
To be continued…
A/N: Thanks for being patient, and thanks for reading. In case I don't say it enough, I just want to thank everyone who reviews. I know that some will be angry that I had Yumi accept Shimako's confession so early. This does not mean that things are over. They aren't over by a long shot. Shimako has a long road ahead of her. Cheers until next time! Don't forget to let me know what you thought. Thank you!