A/N: To be honest, the last chapter took a lot out of me. It hurt my heart to do it, but I understand why Shimako made that choice. Anyway, thanks to everyone who reviewed: rijaja.77, meylahalfrenza, enzor, RWBYGuy2015, Wittmann the Tiger Ace, Pure5u6a, Fyrwarrior, heimdal7, and VolpineGrinz. You really encourage me to keep going. Now, it is time to get on with the show.

Disclaimer: Maria-sama ga Miteru is the intellectual property of Konno Oyuki. I merely torture the characters for my and hopefully for your pleasure.

Ten Years Later

Chapter 24: Waste Management

Yumi

"Come on save, you piece of shit," Yumi yelled at the computer. She was attempting to save her work on the Fukuoka Heritage Center that she had won the bid for prior to Shimako breaking up with her. She tried to think about the break up as little as possible because every time that she did, she remembered how badly she had failed. It was good that Shimako was still able to be her friend, but Yumi still felt the ache and her bed was far too big and lonely for her to sleep in alone any more.

Just before his daughter destroyed company property, that is the computer, Yuuichiro put a hand on her shoulders, "Yumi, trashing that computer might be satisfying, but replacement costs will come from your bonuses."

"I would gladly forego a bonus to get a drafting computer that freaking works," replied Yumi in exasperation. "I've spent fifty hours on this design, and I will be damned if I lose it because I cannot get it saved on this dinosaur."

Yuuichiro gently drew his daughter into an embrace, "It is okay to mourn the end of your relationship. You cannot hide the pain by working yourself to death. You have Yuuichi to think about and if you die, I can't retire and live off your labor." This won him a small smile from the girl in his arms. Even though he never understood his daughter's sexual orientation, he loved his daughter and tried to support Yumi the best that he could. As he held her, he felt her begin to cry. "Let it out, Sweetheart. Daddy is here for you."

"Kami, I am nearly thirty years old and I am crying on my Dad's shoulder over a breakup. Aren't I a bit old for that?" Yumi chuckled sadly.

"Nah," Yuuichiro answered. "We're just making up for you not doing it when you were a teenager." They both laughed. "You better?" Yumi nodded. "Okay, get your ass back to work and make me rich, child!" He commanded in amusement.

Yumi bowed, "Yes Lord, your servant obeys." She ignored her father mumble, "Smart ass." She returned to her drafting computer and regarded it with ill favor. Saying a quick prayer to Maria-sama, she clicked "Save" one more time. The disk icon lit up and she breathed a sigh of relief. 'So it took tears for you to work, Kami, I hate you. I will replace you with my next check. Count on it,' she thought spitefully at the nemesis on her desk.

After finishing that task, Yumi took a swig from a bottle of water that she didn't remember buying or even opening. 'That's the state of my existence, senile at 29.' She chuckled softly and checked her mobile. Sachiko had been diligently texting her daily, alternating between offering support and apologizing for that night in Sendai. Yumi was in no mind to give her former Oneesama any hope, but she was beginning to feel that the more mature thing to do would be to meet her in person and make things clear. There was no need for her to rush about it though as the architect was still hoping for Shimako to forgive her and to take her back. 'All I can do for the now is to work hard and hope that good things happen. Everything else cannot be helped.' Placing her phone back in her purse, Yumi cracked her knuckles and got back to work.

Sachiko

Sachiko was also hard at work. She had found equilibrium between the demands of running her family's conglomerate and trying to shower her daughter, Yumiko, with the affection that she was denied as a child and that she wished to shower on Yumi. The expansion into the oil business was going smoothly thanks to Suguru's guidance. Their relationship had also settled into a comfortable place as co-parents and cousins. There no longer was any need to pretend that they were married in anything save name. Suguru had long ago moved out and was openly living with Alice. 'Both boards are going to have be content that Yumiko is the only heir they are going to get,' she thought spitefully. 'At least Yumiko is smiling more. Oneesama was right to encourage me with Yumi all those years ago. I will never force my daughter to sacrifice her happiness for business.'

The thought brought memories of an uncomfortable confrontation with her father after they took over the company. She had made two things abundantly clear. One, she was going to be in charge, not him. He was not a strong enough negotiator to do what was necessary. Second, Yumiko would not be subject to any attempts at an arranged marriage. This farce with Suguru had brought so much damage and pain. There was no way she would put her daughter through that.

Tooru was not happy that he had been shuffled aside, but he recognized the same ruthlessness from his daughter that his father had been so expert at using. She was the heir anyway, and he was tired of working the hours that a CEO was expected to work. He agreed that Sachiko should be the head. The biggest sticking point was that Yumiko was not going to be presented any advantageous matches. The right person could help his granddaughter properly operate the two conglomerates that she would later inherit. Sachiko refused to move from her stance, and they let it be.

Closing her laptop, Sachiko picked up the latest Architecture+Urbanism (a leading architecture magazine, also called A+U). On the cover was the completed Tenmei Corporation building that Yumi designed. The heiress allowed herself a moment to remember that night in Sendai. She had experienced passion of which she always dreamed and even better, she experienced it with her Yumi. 'How can she deny that what we felt was real? Now that I have felt real love, how can I give her up? I can't.'

She reached for her cell phone, and dialed Yumi's number. She knew that the younger woman was at work, and would not answer. Undeterred, Sachiko waited for the voicemail to pick up, "Yumi? It's Ogasawara Sachiko. I was wondering if I could see you again. You have no idea how much I want to see you, to see myself reflected in your eyes. I have said this a lot in the last few months, but it is truer now than ever, I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life making you feel as special as you truly are. I want to be by your side as your support and to be someone that you can rely upon. May God himself smite me if I even think of violating our love. Please call me, Yumi." Beginning to cry, Sachiko ended the call, and rested her head on her arms as she sobbed, "Oh Yumi, please come back to me!"

Shimako

"Oneesama, what do I owe the pleasure of this call? I only have a few minutes before my students arrive." The tone of Shimako's voice showed that she knew exactly why Sei was calling. She wanted to hear the former Rosa Gigantea say before she acted on the spiteful remark she was storing up.

The teacher heard her soeur chuckle, "I'm not calling to ask you to give Yumi another chance. That's for damn sure. That is between the two of you. Your big sister just wants to know how you are doing because I really do care about you too even though it seems that I pay too much attention to Yumi-chan."

"Oh Oneesama," Shimako began. "I want to see her so badly. I know that she had no intention of betraying me when she went to Sendai, and that she didn't remember how she got so drunk. I want to forgive her and to get back together, but we will always have Sachiko-sama in our relationship. I'm not sure that I am strong enough to fight her."

Sei was silent for a moment, and then replied, "After all the shit that Noriko-chan put you though, I can understand why you would be slow to trust Yumi-chan again. And you are right about Sachiko, she will never stop now." The author thought a moment, and asked cheekily, "Is Yumi-chan really that addictive? I wish I could find out for myself…"

"Oneesama!" Shimako exclaimed indignantly. "You are married, and I don't kiss and tell. Youko-sama would kick your butt if she heard that!"

Sei's chuckle became a full-fledged giggle, "Gotcha, Shimako-chan! You still consider Yumi-chan yours. What are you going to do if you wait too long, and a lonely Yumi-chan gives Sachiko a third chance? It's time to shit or get off the pot!"

"I want to, Oneesama, more than anything. I'm scared that I will never truly be able to trust her again. I can say that I trust her, and I believe in her, but in the back of my mind, I might be waiting for the next time she leaves herself vulnerable to Sachiko-sama. I love her, Oneesama, but she can be quite defenseless. She has no immunity to that icy witch regardless of how many times she says the opposite."

Sei sighed in exasperation, "Jesus, Shimako-chan. You are better off moving on then, and letting Yumi-chan move on. If you can't trust her, then your relationship will never go anywhere."

"I know that," the younger woman cried. "It would be more fair of me to let her go, but I'm not fair. I want to be with her, but I am not sure that I can give her what she needs."

The silence on the other line was deafening. Shimako could hear the wheels in her soeur's head grinding away. After a few beats, Sei exhaled loudly, "I am so sorry, Shimako, that I helped push the two of you together so quickly. You both had too much baggage to make it work. Between your trust issues and Yumi-chan's unresolved feelings for Sachiko, this is the outcome I should have seen. I am so sorry. Someday, I hope you and Yumi-chan can forgive me because I don't think I can forgive myself for hurting the two of you this way."

Shimako heard the anguish in the normally happy woman's voice, "No Oneesama, you did nothing wrong. Yumi and I are good together when we are together. It is like the world melts away and all that's left is our love. It is in the moments that we apart when my demons attack." She paused and a very un-Shimako-like smirk crossed her lips, "Even though we all know that you consider yourself a goddess, Oneesama, you can't know everything."

"Now I know that you've hung out with Yumi-chan too much. You have become a smart ass just like her," Sei chuckled. "Thanks for easing my guilt even though I should be cheering you up."

"'It is the duty of the petite soeur to support the elder soeur.' I remember Youko-sama quoting that to Yumi, Yoshino, and I constantly our first year," replied Shimako with a smile in her voice. "It's so nostalgic, but comforting at the time."

"You-chan has always had a bad habit of preaching. She learned it from her Oneesama, Haruko-sama*. No one liked to lecture more than Haruko-sama. It's no wonder she became a school guidance counselor." Sei was rewarded by her soeur's giggle on the other line.

As they ended the call, Shimako wondered to herself, 'Do I give Yumi another chance or leave things as they are? Am I really not strong enough to fight off Sachiko-sama? Would it really be so bad to trust Yumi again?' Just then, the warning bell chimed alerting her that it was time to go greet her students and begin the day.

Yumi

Staring at her phone and seeing a voicemail notification from Sachiko, Yumi wavered. 'On one hand, I am single so I wouldn't be hurting anyone else if I responded to Sachiko-sama's feelings, would I? It is more than obvious that she loves me and she doesn't have to worry about her grandfather any longer. On another hand, can I really trust that she would choose me if she was under pressure to let me go again? What if Shimako gives me another chance? I need to get of my head and get back to work.' Putting her mobile down, she answered her office phone, "Fukuzawa Architecture, Fukuzawa Yumi speaking. How may I help you?"

The voice on the other line had a familiar cocky smirk to it, "Yes, Fukuzawa-san, this is Kashiwagi. Might I have a moment of your time about a business proposition?"

Not wanting to engage Suguru any more than absolutely necessary because he was as a big a tease as Sei was, Yumi answered in a professional manner, "Certainly Kashiwagi-sama, how may I be of assistance?"

"Well, I saw the job that you did on my cousin's building and I was wondering if you would be willing to bid on a project that I want built. I am building a mansion for Alice and I to live in after we get back from the U.S. We are getting married there even though it is not recognized in Japan. I should have done this a long time ago. He deserves better than what I've been able to give him."

Yumi thought for a moment, her personal crisis vanishing instantly as ideas swirled around her brain. "Kashiwagi-sama, I haven't designed a house since university, but if you think that I am good enough, I am honored that you would consider me."

"To be honest, I would like to just hire you for the job," Suguru admitted. "We are old friends, Yumi-chan, despite that farce of a marriage that I was forced to endure with my cousin. I have complete faith that you will come up with something perfectly wonderful."

Yumi blushed. The former playboy still knew how to push her buttons. "I have a few questions, Suguru-san. How are large a mansion are you wanting? What is the timeline that you are looking at? Once I know that I can give you when I can bring you some sketches and estimates."

'She is so impressive when she is in architect-mode. She's always been like this. Maybe that's why she was the only girl that I have ever considered to be in my strike zone. Well, that and the fact that her and Yukichi look so much alike. Too bad he's straight, just kidding…maybe' Suguru chuckled to himself.

Back to Yumi, he responded, "I want something modest with no more than six bedrooms. It needs to fit on a 2 acre lot that we bought just outside of Kamakura in Kanagawa Prefecture. It should be convenient, comfortable, but cute like Alice. In short, we are looking for something that is just big enough for the two of us and for the occasional visits from my daughter or any other guests. I want a place that we can call our home. As far as a time-frame, it's what July now? Hmm, would asking for your proposals by the end of August be unreasonable? He doesn't know it yet, but I've arranged for us to be married on Valentine's Day in San Francisco. Doesn't that sound romantic?"

"Yes, it does," Yumi smiled. "I certainly can have a couple ideas and estimates together by the end of August. We would have to start building shortly after that to get the foundations set and the general framing done before the weather gets too ugly. I never thought that you had such romantic inclinations, Suguru-san!"

"Who do you think I am? I am the King of Romance, Yumi-chan! Just ask the boys whose hearts I broke in high school and university." He laughed, prompting Yumi to join him. He stopped laughing and changed the subject. "Is there anything that I can do to help you with Toudou-chan? As much as I want you and Sa-chan to get back together, I want you to be happy, and when you were with Toudou-chan, I had not seen you so happy since before the old monster ripped Sa-chan from you."

Yumi allowed herself a small smile, "I appreciate the offer Suguru-san, but I am sure that Sei-sama has been in Shimako's ear ever since the break up. No, I have to focus on raising my son. If, and I do mean if, I give Sachiko-sama another chance, it will only be if I am sure that it will not affect him. I still hope that Shi-chan will forgive me, but I don't have the luxury to wait for her. My life is Yuuichi first, my family second, my career third, my friends fourth, and romance last. If you ask your cousin, I'd be willing to bet that she has the same list of priorities."

"I just fell in love with you again, Yumi-chan," Suguru laughed. "You really have gotten strong."

Looking at her cell phone, Yumi sighed, "You could advise your ex-wife that blowing up my phone is not the best way to win my heart."

Taking a breath, Suguru stifled a groan, "Is Sa-chan overdoing it? I warned her to give you space. You know how stubborn that woman is when she wants something. You should be flattered that the great Ogasawara Sachiko is desperately pursuing you. It's the opposite of Lillian. You were like a cute puppy following her with hearts in your eyes."

"I will never be like that again," Yumi said with determination. "If I have a relationship, it will be as equals or not at all. I gave her too much power over my life. No one, not even Sachiko-sama will have that ability again. I need to get working on your love nest, Suguru-san. I know that you and Alice will be happy."

Suguru knew that his chance to push was over. "Thank you for your time, Yumi-chan. You really are the little sister that I always wanted. That's why I was so jealous of Sa-chan when you were together. I will be looking forward to your proposals."

'I have a new job,' Yumi exulted. 'Even if my love life has gone to hell, my career is rocking! My future can still be bright!'

Yumi's cell phone vibrated again. She deliberately picked it up and her heart started pounding as she saw the name on the display.

To be continued…

A/N: I am so sorry that I have not updated in forever. I have frankly have not had the mental energy to write or do much of anything. I have made some changes in my diet that have helped. I pray that I can get the next chapter of Idols finished so I can resolve this small cliffhanger. Thank you for all the messages of support. I have the end planned. It's just a matter of going from here to there. Please enjoy. Peace!

*I could not find the name of the Rosa Chinesis before Youko, so I made up a name. If anyone knows, please gently correct me. Thanks!