A/N: I've not much to say except that I'm wondering if people are still enjoying the story with the way that things have gone. I really hope that people are liking what they read…sigh. Anyway, chapter 14, allons-y!
Disclaimer: Standard pleas for no legal action being taken against this poor author for playing with Konno Oyuki-sensei's characters are still in effect. I get nothing but sadistic pleasure from this story.
Ten Years Later
Chapter 14: Show Me Love
Yumi
Yumi woke up and stretched with a feline grace that few of her high school friends would have thought possible. 'I just had the most wonderful dream that I had made love for the first time in my life,' she thought drowsily. 'Those were the most vivid erotic dreams that I ever had.' As she was finishing that thought, Shimako stirred on the other side of the bed, her honey gold hair covering her breasts. She was nude, and for that matter, so was Yumi. Panicking, she asked herself, 'We didn't do it last night, did we?' She smelled the room and sure enough, there was the strong odor of sex. She could feel the dried sweat and other excretions all over her body, including in her groin area, 'Yep, we did it,' she groaned inwardly. 'Well, that escalated quickly, didn't it?'
Further thought was forestalled as Shimako drew Yumi back into her embrace, "Go back to sleep, Yumi. It's Saturday. We can sleep in."
Yumi had every intention of following her girlfriend's request. That is until her bladder decided that it was full enough. "Damn," she growled. She put on her bathrobe in order to go to the bathroom quickly and get back to her nice warm bed. That task completed, she returned to her room. The young architect snuggled back in against her lover and was about to fall back to sleep when she heard, "Mommy, I'm hungry." She sighed, "So much for sleeping in."
Yuuichi already had turned on the television and was watching an old Doraemon rerun. He was wearing his favorite Tokyo Giants pajamas and his bed head reminded Yumi of her younger brother. She felt such a surge of love for her son that she walked over to him and gathered him in her arms. She kissed his cheek, asking, "Did you sleep well, Sweetie?"
He gave her a lopsided grin, and answered, "Yes Mommy, I slept a long time and I didn't wet my bed. I was a good boy, right Mommy?"
"Yes, Yuuichi-kun, you are a good boy. Do you know that Mommy loves you more than anything in this whole world?" Yumi asked. He smiled and nodded.
Yuuichi hugged her as tightly as he could. He paused hearing Shimako stir in the bedroom, and asked, "Did Daddy come home last night? Can I see him? I really missed Daddy. Why can't he live here anymore? Why is that girl hanging on him, isn't he your husband?" Yuuichi was in mile a minute mode and Yumi felt guilty. She understood that her young son would miss his father, but it hurt to hear how much.
Shaking her head, she patted his head before replying, "No, your Daddy is not here. Mommy had one of her friends stay the night. Your Daddy has a new home with his girlfriend. He and Mommy are not married anymore, but he still loves you lots. Do you want to go play with him today?" Her guilt was assuaged by the radiant look on Yuuichi's face as he nodded vigorously. "Let me call him while you are eating. Would you like Mommy to cook something or do you want cereal?" She asked, somewhat hoping that he would choose cereal.
Yuuichi smiled excitedly and said, "I want Cocoa Puffs with extra sugar!" He jumped up and down, showing her that he definitely did NOT need any extra sugar.
Yumi giggled at her son's antics, and announced, "Cocoa Puffs it is, but the only other thing that I'm putting into your cereal bowl is milk!" They were giggling together as Shimako padded out of the bedroom, wearing one of Yumi's pajama sets, half awake.
The young teacher's heart fluttered as she watched the mother and child enjoy each other's company. 'Oh yeah,' she thought to herself, 'I'm dating a woman with a kid. You know, I think I want one of my own. Definitely something to think about if Yumi and I have the future that I think we will.' She then began to worry that things were getting too serious too soon as they had only been official for a few days. 'God, I am acting more like a lovestruck teenaged schoolgirl than I have since college with Noriko. I'm just getting too excited because Yumi made love to me last night and I cannot remember the last time that Noriko did anything other than go through the motions just to make me happier. It never made me happy that she did that. I wonder when she stopped being in love with me.'
Yumi looked up just to see her lover's face cloud. She sent her now-fed and happy child into the living room to watch TV, and asked panicked, "Shimako is everything alright? Was what happened last night a mistake? Should I have waited? I just really needed to be held last night, you came through with flying colors, and I got too excited. It was the first time that I felt something like that in my life. I felt loved and not like a possession."
"No, Yumi, last night made me happier than I have been in a long time," Shimako replied her face glowing. "I just let doubts and old hurts get into my head. It has been years since I've had someone make love to me and not just get me off to keep me from bitching at her. I do worry a bit that we are going too fast, but I would not change a thing from last night except I wanted the night to last forever."
Yumi slowly drew the teacher into her arms and kissed her with a gentle passion that soon had both women panting with excitement. They broke the kiss as the sound of Yuuichi's laughter rang through the house. "We should hold that thought for later, Love. Sorry, I need to go be a Mom for a bit, see what my kiddo is up to, and call his father to ask if he is free to take him for the weekend. There is instant coffee in the cupboard if you want or if you want to wait I can make some of the real stuff. Help yourself to what ever you want to eat. My house is your house!" The young mother turned and went into the living room.
Shimako nodded before realizing that Yumi had already left the room. That last phrase threw her for a loop. "If I was less intelligent, I would have taken that as an invitation to move in. No Shimako, slow down. She was just being hospitable," she admonished herself, not grasping that she speaking aloud until she heard a gasp and saw shock on her lover's face. She cried, 'Oh damn, when am I going to learn to not talk to myself?'
Yumi recovered quickly and smirked, "Well, I guess even the Angel of Lillian Jougakuen has some bad habits. Here I thought that she was perfect."
"Mou, Gian, please stop bullying me!" Shimako said in her best Nobita voice. They both laughed and Yuuichi came running into the room.
"Shimako-sensei, do you know about Doraemon? I really like Doraemon. His inventions are really cool. Gian and Suneo are so mean to Nobita, but Doraemon is always there to help him. They should be better friends and stop bullying people," Yuuichi said in one breath.
Yumi's smirk became wider, "Shimako-sensei, huh? Why didn't you call her Shimako-obasan or Shimako-nee-chan?"
The little boy thought for a moment, "It's because she is teacher and teachers are called sensei. Isn't that right, Shimako-sensei?"
Both women had tears rolling down their cheeks as they were trying to stifle their amusement with his serious answer. Shimako gained control first and answered, "Yes, Yuuichi-kun, I am teacher, and it is best to call teachers sensei." She smiled happily, 'I could get used to this kind of fun.'
Sachiko
"Now Ogasawara-sama," Tanuma Chisato intoned as she sat across from the heiress in Sachiko's office, holding a legal pad. "Have you had these hysteric attacks often in the past?"
Sachiko's jaw set. She did not like the question and she did not like that the therapist that her cousin hired to treat her was a kouhai two years behind her at Lillian. 'Why do I have to suffer this? I am just fine. Yumi acknowledged me as her friend and there is definitely a chance that I can be her Oneesama again or maybe even more if things fall apart with Shimako.'
She tossed her bangs back to show her annoyance with the whole situation and Chisato sighed, "I can see that you are not happy with this situation, Ogasawara-sama, but your cousin and your mother both felt that you needed this because that last fit frightened them. It will be better for you and your daughter if you can work through your issues and become stronger. I do not want to give you false hope but if you do get stronger, you might even be able to win Yumi-san back."
The heiress' mouth worked at the last comment. Ignoring a mental warning against arrogance, she asked, "Tanuma-sensei, what makes you think that I need help getting my Yumi back?"
"Isn't she now dating Toudou Shimako-san, the former Rosa Gigantea?" The young psychologist queried, fully knowing the answer. "It was this news that precipitated your break-down, was it not?"
Shooting an icy glare, Sachiko said, "Ogasawara do not have break downs. We become ill. Now if you are finished insulting me, let us get this session over with before my daughter gets home."
'This is an interesting parallel. Yumi-san has a son and Sachiko-sama has a daughter. Together, they would have a complete family. A topic for another time possibly,' Chisato mused to herself. "Well then, Ogasawara-sama let us start by discussing your family composition and your feelings about them." Seeing the stubborn set of her patient's jaw, she sighed, 'This is not going to be pleasant.'
Yumi
As she predicted, Masamune was agreeable to spending the day with his son. While she dropped him off, Yumi tried to ignore the speculative looks that she was getting from Michie. 'It is like she knows that I had sex last night.' She cringed inwardly, 'How embarrassing!' The brunette tried to channel her former Oneesama and keep her face inscrutable, but her cheeks were pink.
Michie winked at her, and asked slyly, "Well Yumi-sama, do you have any plans for the day or are you going to stay in?" She finished the question with a pointed look at Shimako.
Yumi's carefully guarded composure shattered in a florid crimson blush. Shimako snickered and her girlfriend shot her an arch look, which made the honey-haired woman laugh louder. "My friend and I were planning on going shopping and then go out to lunch," the architect managed.
Michie could not resist one more barb. This wasn't from a malicious motive because the Lillian U student had what she wanted, Yumi's now ex-husband. The motivation came from a desire to test their evolving relationship and because Yumi made such entertaining faces, so she couldn't help teasing her. "So you will be eating out today, eh Yumi-sama?" She was rewarded by both Shimako and Yumi's faces turning bright scarlet.
Masamune had heard the whole exchange and got a kick out of his ex-wife's reactions. If he was honest, he would say that he still loved the mother of his child, but he was no longer in love with her. The reason that he was able to laugh at Yumi being teased about her girlfriend was because of the woman doing the teasing. Every morning that he woke up, he looked over, and thanked God that he was sent such a loving person to mend his broken heart. With Michie, he had everything that he wished he had with Yumi. She was generous, caring, and she put his needs ahead of her own. They had discussed their future and were shocked that they were both thinking of making their relationship permanent and legal.
The young professor's happy thoughts were interrupted by a forty pound ball of energetic 5 year-old boy glomping him, "Hi Daddy," he began breathlessly. "I am so happy that I get to see you today. I wish that I could see you every day. I know that you have a new apartment with Komura-san, but I wish that you and Mommy could live together again." Because he talking a mile a minute as Yuuichi did when he was excited, he missed the blanching of his parents' faces. They knew that the divorce was hard on their son, but this was mpre concrete evidence. Their new happiness came at a price, and there was an unspoken vow from both to not let their new lovers detract from the love that they gave their child.
Yumi kissed her son and admonished him to be good for his father. The little boy nodded solemnly, promising to behave. "Masamune-san, I packed an overnight bag if you decide to keep Yuuichi-kun for the night. Otherwise, I will be here to pick him at eight tonight. Text me and let me know, okay?" She asked with a smile.
Masamune grunted in affirmation, and then suggested, "Why don't you just come get him tomorrow morning? I will be fine with having our son all night. I need to make up for the lack of time that I spent with him even when we were all living together." Yumi's smile grew as that had been one of her grievances during their marriage. He looked over and was further rewarded with a radiant smile from his son. As Yumi and Shimako drove away in her Camry, he looked at Yuuichi, and asked, "Well Champ, what would you like to do first?"
Sachiko
It had not been a great day for Sachiko. She did not like her therapist because Chisato was too pushy with personal things in the heiress' opinion. Then, she got the news, finally, that her grandfather was in a coma. While that should have been happy news, looking at her cousin's face, she could see the extra weight that had been put on his shoulders now that the old monster was out of commission. Yumiko was moody, and the staff was avoiding her.
The one bright spot was that in looking over the proposals for a new office building of a subsidiary company that she was managing, there was a familiar name. The plan that caught her eye was marked "Fukuzawa Architecture." 'It couldn't be,' she thought to herself hopefully as she searched the proposal for the lead designer's name. Her heart began to beat rapidly as she found the name of her former soeur. The young noblewoman immediately grabbed her cell phone and quickly dialed a number, reaching Takeuchi, her assistant, "Set up a dinner meeting for Monday night with the lead architect from Fukuzawa concerning their proposal," She ordered. "Please specify that I wish to meet with Fukuzawa Yumi-san and not Fukuzawa Yuuichiro. Am I clear? I want confirmation of the meeting within twenty-four hours. I realize that it is a weekend, but I want you to do whatever you need to do. Do not use my name but let the Fukuzawa know that I will hire them only if I can get this dinner meeting. That is all. Get on it, please." A satisfied smile played on Sachiko's ruby red lips. She exulted, "Yumi, it's a date!"
To be continued…
A/N: Thank you for your patience. I do hope that this chapter at least met expectations. If it did not, please let me know how to improve. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!