Chapter 18: Unconditional Love
The group entered the Sakuraba mansion for the official StuCS Reunion Retreat.
At the front door Miyabi Sakuraba had handed out maps of the layout of the house to each guest with their respective bedrooms circled. Each guest had their own bedroom, with Taichi and Inaba sharing the large master bedroom at the end of the upstairs hall, which Miyabi mentioned contained a beautiful antique four-poster bed. Iori got in a jibe about needing to install some stretched ropes around the bedposts to make a WWE wrestling ring, which confused Miyabi to no end and made Taichi's ears turn absolutely red. Inaba covered her mouth to hide her smirk.
While this was going on, Yui and her sister Anzu went downstairs with Aoki to inspect the basement gym, which was now set up as a physical therapy rehabilitation center for her three-times-a-day PT workout. The mansion had an old-style cage lift in the back, which facilitated Yui's access to the gym and the main floors of the house.
Inaba went to one of the sitting rooms to set up her home office. She installed her eight-core Xeon tower PC with four 20-inch flat panels and a secure L2TP/IPsec VPN link over a high speed broadband connection to the Nikkei trading floor. The server-class PC contained the full Orion-III TMSS software suite, which Inaba had customized with a dozen high-powered macros and Java software plug-in modules that she had written herself.
Upon their initial entrance into the house, Miyabi had volunteered to give everyone a tour of the estate, but only Iori and Taichi took her up on it. She showed the pair around the inside of the mansion. It was lavishly furnished in the grand western style, with a main living room, various sitting rooms, a dining room, a library, and a communal kitchen. The main dining room contained a magnificent mahagony dining table with 16 high backed chairs. Several of the rooms had reproductions of Renaissance paintings and engravings by Rembrandt, Raphael, Titian, and Donatello. Taichi particularly admired the seven foot high grandfather clock in the main hallway with its gold-plated pendulum and weights. He had never seen such a large clock before.
As they stood before the clock, Miyabi told Taichi of the time almost twelve years ago when Tina's white ferret, Uzume, had fallen behind the tall clock and had gotten itself thoroughly wedged between the clock and the wall. It took the combined effort of Tina, Taeko, Kaoru, Aoi, and Miyabi (who finally used a crowbar) to shift the heavy clock sufficiently to free the pinned ferret from behind it and save it*. After Miyabi finally freed it, Uzume basically adopted Miyabi as its mother and became her devoted mascot for life, although Miyabi never did become entirely comfortable with the ferret's penchant for bringing her dead bugs as gift food offerings. The rescue of dear little Uzume was the first of many events in that mansion that eventually bonded its residents as friends that became as close as family.
Iori boggled at the size of the kitchen with its 12-ring gas stove, well-stocked walk-in pantry, commercial-grade freezer (which was full of meats and vegetables), forced-air convection oven, and 10-quart KitchenAide stand mixer. Miyabi had earlier offered to hire a chef or a caterer to prepare the meals for the group during the retreat, but Iori would have none of it. She insisted on doing all of the cooking herself. She planned to ask (although 'draft' might be a better word) Aoki as her sous chef.
Iori stayed behind to further explore the big kitchen while Miyabi left with Taichi to finish the rest of the tour by themselves. They walked up the main staircase to the second floor where she showed him all the bedrooms. At the start of the hall was Yui's room, followed by the bedrooms for Aoki, Anzu, and Iori. The main bedroom was at the end of the hall. Taichi noted that Aoki's bedroom was next door to Yui's, and it was the only pair of bedrooms that featured a double-sided interconnecting door with a lock on both sides. He wondered about that. Inaba had planned the living arrangements with Miyabi, so he doubted that assigning Yui and Aoki these particular rooms was a coincidence.
Later that evening Iori had presented a wonderful dinner for the group that consisted of miso soup with mussels, grilled mackerel, tempura-battered shrimp and vegetables, brown rice, and a delightful yuzu crème brûlée for dessert. The group lavishly complimented Iori on her chef skills, which she simply waived off as she pointed out that her sous chef had done most of the actual work under her guidance.
After the meal the group moved to the living room and relaxed with tea while sitting in front of the fireplace. Aoki sat with Yui on one of the couches but stayed at least a meter away from her. After some general gabbing, the topic of discussion shifted to what each of them had been up to during the past several years. Mostly this was for Yui's benefit, of course, but it was also a good opportunity for each of them to bring the others up to date about the time during which they were apart.
Taichi and Inaba briefly described their college years, which they claimed were uneventful. Aoki explained that there wasn't much for him to tell since he was in prison during most of that time. Iori also claimed her life was mundane and that there wasn't much to tell.
Yui looked disappointed. "I would have thought your lives would have been more interesting. I guess I didn't miss much while I was gone?"
Inaba shrugged, "Nope, guess not."
But Iori knew better. We are all holding back. It's too soon to share our secrets with all of us present.
Inaba finally announced she was crashing for the night and went upstairs. And with that, the group broke up one by one. Each of them said their goodnights and went to bed.
Eventually only Taichi and Iori remained.
Taichi said aloud what Iori was thinking. "We're not yet ready to confide in each other. Not as a group anyway."
"No, we're not ready."
"We just need to give it time."
"Yep." And with that Iori stood up and prepared to leave.
Taichi stood up too. Then he said, "Iori, wait..."
She turned around. "Mmm?"
"Please, don't badger Inaba about her secret. I promised her I wouldn't ask her about it."
"Good. You did the right thing."
"I did? Thanks."
"Don't worry, when she's ready she'll volunteer to tell me it herself, I think."
"Really? You think so?"
"Yeah. But it might take some time. We'll see. I'm glad you and Inaban made this retreat open ended so there is no deadline pressure."
Taichi put he hands in his pockets. "We'll just let things develop and see what happens. Although I'm bummed I have to be gone working, so you will be with her yourself most of the time."
Iori shrugged. "Well, that can't be helped because of your new job. At least you'll be here with us on the weekends, right? Or will you be working overtime as well?"
"Nope. Kurosawa-sensei insisted I not work overtime during the retreat. He said I had to put priority on my family right now."
"Sweet. Most bosses wouldn't do that."
"I know. He's a great mentor."
Iori smiled. "I'm glad. You're a lucky guy. Inaba is lucky too. I wish I was in her shoes."
Iori immediately regretted saying that last sentence. It was an accident. She mentally kicked herself for it. An awkward silence followed.
Finally Taichi said, "Uh, well, goodnight I guess." He did a small wave. He did not approach.
Iori remained silent and did not move. She could say or do nothing to take back the implication. It was too late. And any mask that she might throw up now would be seen for what it was.
He hesitated, unsure of himself. Then he turned and went upstairs.
Iori sighed quietly and sat back down on the couch. She vowed not to let her guard down like that again.
Iori was now by herself. She continued to sit in front of the fireplace and watched the fire. She absently touched her left wrist with her good right hand as the flames danced in front of her eyes.
Then she stood up and poked the fire and sat back down again. She waited several minutes.
Nothing happened. She poked the fire again. No one shuffled back down the stairs to talk to her in a monotone voice.
After several more minutes she looked up at the ceiling and announced, "Heartseed, if you can hear me, I want to talk with you. I know you can read my mind."
Silence.
"I have a deal for you. An offer. I'm sure it will entertain you."
She turned to watch the staircase. No one shuffled down.
Finally she gave up and went to bed.
Iori left her bedroom door unlocked, but she had no secret visitors to her bedroom that night.
But someone else that night did have a secret visitor.
Aoki was blissfully dreaming. In his dream he and Yui were running along a sandy beach. She was laughing as she turned to look at him, with her long strawberry-blond hair blowing in the wind. They stopped at the ocean's edge as she continued to gaze at him lovingly with her bright emerald eyes. The warm gentle waves lapped their feet. She said, "Oh Yoshi.." Then she approached him as if she was going to kiss him.
He stepped back. "Yui.. don't.. this is dangerous."
She quickly drew up very close to him. "I don't care anymore. I love you too much." Her honey lips began to touch his.
"But Yui.. be careful.. you should stop.."
Then he felt a push on his shoulder.
He mumbled, "All right.. you can kiss me again.. but only because you insist.."
Someone kept pushing his shoulder. "Yoshi? Wake up."
Aoki gasped and sat bolt upright in bed. He grabbed the arm that was pushing his shoulder. Dang it, that dream was so nice, but the imagery was already slipping away from his mind.
He started to get angry at the person who had awakened him. He was getting tired of Iori's games. As he held her arm he said, "Iori, knock it off. You messed up a perfect dream."
The girl who was pushing his shoulder in the dark said, "I'm not Iori, silly. It's me."
He recognized the voice. Aoki released the arm as if it was made of molten lead. He yelled, "I'm sorry! Please don't panic!"
"Yoshi, shush. You'll wake up the whole floor. I'm sorry I surprised you. The interconnecting door wasn't locked on your side."
Aoki leaned over and fumbled for the bedside lamp switch. As his eyes adjusted to the lamp's glare, he saw that it was indeed Yui. She was sitting in her wheelchair at his bedside. She was wearing cotton pajamas that were embroidered with blue teddy bears, green frogs, and pink kittens. A warm blanket covered her lap.
Aoki was alarmed. "Yui, I'm so sorry I grabbed you! Please don't freak out! Breathe! Breathe!"
She tried to calm down the large panicky man. "Relax. If I'm flustered it's because your yelling is scaring me more than anything. Please, calm down."
He quickly lowered his voice. "Yui, what are you doing here? Are you okay? Is something wrong?"
"Yoshi, I'm fine. I just wanted to talk with you, that's all. In private."
"P-private?"
"I'm sorry if I scared you. It's just that I haven't had a chance to talk with you alone since the accident. There's always been somebody hovering nearby."
That was true. It seemed there was always somebody else with her, be it her sister Anzu, her parents, the PT staff, or other visiting friends. When Aoki had visited her the previous day, Iori and Anzu were both with them.
"But why?"
"Because I want to apologize. To you. Alone and in private."
"Whatever for?"
"For the horrible things I did to you. For putting you in prison. For ruining your life."
His face softened. "Yui, you did nothing wrong. I already told you there is nothing to forgive, but if you want me to forgive you again then I do. I meant that then, and I still do now."
"I know you do. But you're wrong. It was my fault. Iori, Inaba, and Taichi blamed themselves and each other for what happened, and you blamed yourself most of all. But the one at fault wasn't any of you, it was me. It was my own foolish act that put you in prison. I was the one who insisted on the bear hug, and I was the one who had planned and practiced that illegal head-butt martial-arts move, and I was the one who put myself into a coma because of it. You were completely innocent. You languished in prison for years because of me. It was all my fault."
Aoki said quietly, "I don't believe that. And even if I did, it doesn't matter. I love you. Nothing will ever change that. Even if you attacked me and stabbed me in the heart and killed me, I would still love you. And I always will."
She looked at him. "Yoshi, please, you need to listen to me. I don't know how to react when you say things like that. I don't know what to say.."
He smiled. "You could say 'Yes'."
"Yes to what?"
"To my proposal. Marry me."
She gave him a sad look. "Yoshi, please. Just stop. You're not listening."
"I love you."
"I said stop! Listen to me!"
He remained respectfully quiet and waited for her to continue.
She went on. "Don't you see? You keep putting on me this high pedestal like I'm some perfect Arthurian princess. You worship me as if you are Sir Lancelot and I'm Guinevere. But I'm not. I'm not some royal princess. I'm just a regular girl. There's nothing special about me."
"Of course you are special."
"No I'm not. I'm not a rich genius like Inaba, or a beautiful charmer like Iori, or a heroic rescuer like Taichi, or a knight in shining armor like you. I have no special abilities or qualities. I'm just an ordinary girl with a phobia hangup, and that's it. There's nothing special about me. Nothing at all."
"I don't believe that. Of course you're special. You're a fighter, a black-belt tournament champion, and you're beautiful, and a miraculous survivor - the recipient of what I believe to be a God-given miracle."
"Yoshi, please. I haven't fought in a tournament since middle-school, and I'm not beautiful, and I don't know why that miracle happened, but I didn't deserve that either."
Aoki got out of bed and knelt before her. "Yui, you are the most beautiful woman in the world to me."
Yui was getting exasperated. "Will you please just stop it. You're not listening. Don't you see? You're doing it again."
She leaned forward in her chair. "Yoshi, you really are a wonderful person, but I can't understand why such a wonderful man like you loves me so much. I'm not worthy of your adoration. I can't meet your impossibly high standards. I'm sorry, but you need to understand that I'm not the most beautiful woman in the world. You need to listen to me."
Aoki said quietly, "With respect, I think you are the one who is not listening."
That surprised her. "Yoshi, whatever do you mean?"
"I did not say, 'You are the most beautiful woman in the world.' What I said was, 'You are the most beautiful woman in the world to me.'"
"Oh.."
"And no, you did not deserve that miracle either."
"I didn't?"
"No, you didn't. Nobody deserves a miracle. That's why they are called miracles."
He took a deep breath. He then quietly said something that was completely unexpected. It shocked her.
"And, Yui Kiriyama, you don't deserve my unconditional love."
Yui had never heard those words before. She was stunned.
These were not the words of the Yoshifumi Aoki of four years ago. He was no longer the naïve puppy-eyed high school student of her youth.
For you see, his long purgatory inside of prison had done something that up to now was far beyond her realization.
He had grown up.
Those surprising words went to the crux of the problem in their relationship: That Aoki always went overboard in his undying proclamations of love for her.
It was why she had always rejected him. His love confessions were overwhelming. She had believed that he loved some ideal fantasy girl, a perfect Walt Disney princess, and that he had projected that fantasy image on to herself. This was why she couldn't love him in return. She was always worried that if she ever confessed to him, if she ever gave in to that overwhelming force of love, that surely his image of her would shatter like glass when he discovered the real Yui Kiriyama: an ordinary girl who was somewhat shy. She knew she was utterly unworthy of his perfect image of her.
But here he had just told her he agreed with her own view of the situation. He just said she didn't deserve his love. Huh?
"Yoshi, I don't understand. You are agreeing with me that I don't deserve you? Then why do you keep saying that you love me?"
He smiled. "Again you didn't listen to me. I said you don't deserve my unconditional love. That's because nobody does. That's why it's unconditional: it is something that you receive whether you deserve it or not."
She looked down. No, she did not deserve him. It was the reason she continually rebuffed him. And yet here he had just said he had known that. It was why it was unconditional. She marvelled at him. Yoshifumi Aoki was showing a level of maturity that she had never seen from him before.
She said in a small voice. "But Yoshi, if you know I'm undeserving, why are you still so infatuated with me?"
"Well, love isn't something that can be explained logically. I fell in love with you the first moment I ever saw you, going back all the way to our freshman year in high school when I walked into the StuCS clubroom and saw you standing there. Call it intuition, call it instinct, but I knew right then you were the one for me. I know you realize you don't deserve it, and I certainly can't justify it, and yet it's always been there. And my love for you has never wavered. I honestly don't know why."
She remained silent. She had originally entered his bedroom that night with the intention of asking him to end his relationship with her. But now she changed her mind. It was because she now knew that he was no longer a hopelessly deluded teenage boy with stars in his eyes. Whatever feelings he had felt for her then, she now knew that it was not puppy love. Not any more. After the passage of years, after the purgatory of prison, after remaining faithful and true even when he was told she would never wake up again, she knew. His love was real.
Aoki went on. "Yui, it's okay. Thank you for telling me that I'm overwhelming you. No wonder you're so scared of me. I admit my feelings are inexplicable. If I was in your shoes I'd probably be scared of me too. I must look like a stalker. I'm sorry."
Yui reached out and held his hand. "Oh no, Yoshi. I've never been afraid of you. You're the sweetest man I've ever met. Look, I am holding your hand, see? I'm only a little bit nervous right now. That is because I know you're my dear friend. In fact, I consider you my best friend. "
"Yui, I'm so happy to hear you say that."
"You just have to remember that I have this little mental hangup. Just don't try to bowl me over so much, okay?"
"Right. I'll be more careful from now on."
The butterflies in her stomach grew a bit. Her feelings were in such conflict. She had come into the room with the intent of breaking up with him. But now she couldn't do that. How could she deny such genuine unconditional love?
After all he had gone through, there was no way she could hurt him like that. Originally she had planned to say, 'If you love me then let me go.' But not now. Not to the man that showed her such wisdom and growing maturity.
She would have to think things through again. She had much to consider. The retreat was open ended, so they would be together for several more days, possibly weeks. She knew that if she reciprocated that there would be no going back.
She needed time.
"Yoshi, if you can please help me kick this annoying phobia that I have, well then maybe.." She pulled back her hand and touched it with her other hand, feeling his warmth transfer with it.
"Yes?" He had that eager puppy-dog look on his face again.
She signed inwardly. Oh, my dear Yoshi, just when I think you've finally grown up, you lapse back into boyhood again. Do I love you? I could never love that teenage boy. It was too fast, too overwhelming, and we were both too immature. But now? I never dared even think of it before. But maybe, if you keep on maturing like this, if you continue to grow up, perhaps some day I can.
".. then maybe I can finally return your feelings."
He smiled. "I can wait. As long as it takes."
"I know, bless you."
"My philosophy is to take life as it comes, one day at a time. So I won't fret or worry about the future."
"Thank you."
Then he said, "It's getting late and you need your rest. Would you like me to push your chair back to your room?"
"No, that's all right. I want to do it myself. Goodnight, Yoshi."
He climbed back into bed and pulled the covers up. "Goodnight, my love."
He looked so adorable with the covers pulled up to his chin. She felt a warmth growing within her. If it wasn't for her annoying phobia she might have even kissed the forehead of her gallant knight goodnight.
But instead she put her hand into the pocket of her pajamas. She had an idea.
"Is it true, my good sir knight, that it is customary for a royal princess to give her champion a token to show him her favor?"
"Yes. Usually a veil or a handkerchief."
She searched her pocket. "Oh dear, all I have is a kleenex."
"That will do. I hope it's unused."
She laughed. "It's clean! I promise!" She carefully unfolded the white kleenex and held it out. "Here is my token of favor, good sir knight."
He gently took it. "Thank you, my royal princess. I will cherish it always."
"Just don't sneeze on it." They both laughed.
"Yui, it's late. You need your sleep."
"Goodnight, Yoshi." She left.
He stayed awake for several minutes as he studied the white kleenex. Yes, he would always love her. He would honor and cherish his princess forever. But he also resolved to work harder to see and understand their relationship from her point of view.
Eventually he carefully folded the kleenex on the side table.
He continued to look at it. Finally he went to sleep.
And he had a pleasant dream.
It was early morning and the sun was was just peeking over the horizon, still hidden in the trees. Yui and Aoki were already up and dressed and sitting on the L-shaped couch in the main living room.
Yui was drinking tea. Taichi came down and joined them, teacup in hand. "Good morning."
The pair responded, "Good morning!"
Taichi sat down with them. "Well, you two certainly look bright and cheerful for so early in the morning."
Taichi noticed that Aoki had something white peeking out of the top of his breast pocket, the way men sometimes inserted a folded cloth handkerchief into the pocket of a good dress suit - called a pocket square. To Taichi it seemed a bit overly formal for Aoki's plain tunic. And the handkerchief looked like paper.
Before Taichi could comment on it, Yui asked him about Aoki's employment situation. Taichi started to explain that he was going to see what he could do about that, but before he could finish the trio heard a ruckus upstairs. Inaba was yelling and sounded angry. Soon Iori was running downstairs in her bathrobe. At the bannister Inaba leaned over the side and yelled, "Hey, give me back my hairbrush!"
Iori giggled like a child and ran into the living room with the hairbrush in hand. She rushed past the trio and ducked into the library. Inaba was not far behind. She ran into the living room barefoot also wearing nothing but her bathrobe. She stopped in front of the trio.
"Did you see which way she went?"
All three pointed at the library.
"Thank you!" Inaba ran in that direction. "Iori, I'm gonna twist you into a pretzel!"
The trio could hear Inaba in the library. "Come out! Wait, where the heck did you go?"
There was silence. Then Inaba backtracked and again stood in front of the trio with her fists on her hips. "Okay, you wiseguys, she's not in there. Which way did she really go?"
Yui spoke up in their defense. "It's true. She went into the library. Honestly, she did."
Inaba looked at her. She knew that those two lunkheads might mess with her, but never Yui. Inaba knew that she was neither the playful nor mischievous type. She was telling the truth.
Inaba turned around and started to walk carefully towards the library doors. She muttered, "Oh, so help me, I'm gonna give that girl a pile driver followed by a body slam, and then..." She continued to mutter vile WWE oaths as she marched back into the library.
After she was out of earshot Taichi said dryly, "Secret passage." Inaba had skipped Miyabi's tour.
They could hear Inaba in the other room. "I know you're in here.."
A moment later a hidden panel popped open in the living room, and the trio watched Iori creep out. She made a 'shush' sign with her raised index finger, then she went silently back upstairs to replace the hairbrush on Inaba's dresser.
Aoki and Taichi sniggered.
Yui tsk-tsked. "Those two girls are both acting like children."
Taichi drank his tea. "Yes, thanks to Iori. She's helping Inaba take her mind off things."
"I see."
Iori, bless you.
About an hour later Iori served breakfast out on the veranda. It was a cloudless day and the temperature was already getting warm with the morning sun. Iori received another round of praise for her culinary expertise with her exquisite salmon, mushroom, and rice omelettes. Iori pointed out that Aoki had cooked the eggs for the omelettes.
The breakfast was nearing its end. Inaba and Iori were seated next to each other, whispering back-and-forth animatedly. Inaba had apparently either forgiven or had forgotten the hairbrush incident.
Then they both turned and looked at Taichi. Inaba said thoughtfully, "Hmm.. that's a good question. What do you think, Iori?"
"Well, hmm. It would have to be a girl with moxie. A Type-A personality."
"Like you or me."
"Yeah."
Taichi put down his chopsticks. "Ladies, may I ask what it is you two are gossipping about?"
Iori smiled, "You."
"What, me?"
Inaba leaned forward. "We're trying to figure out which girl at Yamaboshi Academy would have scooped you up if neither Iori nor I went to school there."
Aoki put down his own chopsticks and leaned back thoughtfully. "Hmm, that is an interesting question. Let me think.."
Meanwhile Taichi exclaimed, "What? Hey!"
They all ignored him. Aoki thought for a moment. "I vote for Fujishima. She was the most Type-A girl in the school. She terrified me."
Iori and Inaba both shook their heads. Iori said, "Naw. She's not his type. If anything, she always thought of Taichi as a rival."
Aoki nodded. "That's true. She was totally into you."
"You too."
"Huh? Oh yeah." Aoki remembered the meeting in her office where she was practically drooling over his muscular physique. She never looked at Taichi that way. "I think we can cross Fujishima off the list."
Inaba thought aloud, "Hmm. What about Shino Enjouji? She was always obsessed with his voice."
Aoki thought about it. "Naw, she was too shy. And frankly she wasn't his type either."
Inaba asked Iori, "So who do you think would have ended up with him?"
Iori said, "Hard to say. There are a lot of choices. He was super eligible, and still would be if he was single."
Aoki rested his head on his hands and sighed. "Tell me about it. All you girls were always fawning over him; I basically got ignored. I think even his sister Rina would have grabbed him if she could."
Taichi yelled, "Hey! Not funny!"
Iori disregarded his comment. She looked at Inaba. "Hmm, I think even if it was just me attending the school, and not you, I still never would have ended up with him. I just wasn't ready. One of the other Type-A girls would have grabbed him before I matured enough to be ready to try again."
Yui asked, "How about Yukina Kurihara?" Kurihara became one of Yui's friends in high school starting in their second year.
Inaba piped up, "You know, I like that. She dated a lot, and she was pretty outgoing. Definitely a Type-A."
Iori considered it. "Possibly, but I doubt it. Yeah, she dated a lot, but that was because a lot of guys asked her out. She liked being chased. It pumped her ego. But Taichi is not a chaser, he's a chasee."
Taichi groused, "You do realize I'm sitting right here.."
Inaba ignored his protest and thought some more. She turned to face Iori. "Wait, I got an idea. How about your friend, Kaoru Setouchi?"
Iori's eyes lit up. "Oooh! She's got moxie. She hired those thugs from another school to trash our clubroom, then she kidnapped you for crying out loud**. She definitely takes the initiative. Very Type-A."
Inaba nodded. "Yep. And in many ways she was a lot like you. She was always trying to fit in with a false exterior. She even admitted it after you smacked her with that palm strike. That's why you two became such close friends after the attack."
Iori jumped up. "Yes! She would remind Taichi of me so they would start noticing each other. And she always takes whatever she wants, by hook or crook. She'd definitely grab him. Of course. Yes, Setouchi, for sure."
Inaba said, "Definitely. She would become Mrs. Kaoru Yaegashi. No doubt."
Iori nodded, "Agreed. It's settled then."
Meanwhile Taichi did a facepalm.
Aoki piped up. "But wait, there is still one girl you haven't considered yet. She's charming, beautiful, strong, intelligent, wonderful.."
Then Inaba, Iori, and Aoki all looked at Yui, who started to feel flustered.
Simultaneously Inaba and Iori said, "Naw.."
Yui felt a bit offended. "And why not me? I mean hypothetically, of course."
It was because she liked Taichi as soon as she met him in the StuCS. She had always considered Taichi to be a good friend***. Yui had remembered that night early in their freshman year in the deserted park when she was alone with Taichi. She felt no fear of being alone with him in that situation, as she already knew that she could trust him implicitly. Indeed, he had helped her enormously in her struggle with her clinical androphobia by showing her a special martial-arts finishing move that would leave any male attacker writhing on the ground in pain after just one blow. She marvelled that he would injure his own body that way just to help her.
And Taichi was probably her closest male friend after Aoki.
Inaba said, "Yui, no offense, but you're not.."
Yui interrupted her. "I already know. It's because I know I'm not very attractive."
The entire table erupted in response. "No!" "That's not true!" "Of course you're attractive!" "Yui, you're the most beautiful girl in the world to me."
She shook her head. "You're just saying that so you don't hurt my feelings."
The others protested again. Inaba then confessed, "Yui, you are a very pretty girl. Honestly, you are way prettier than me. I know I'm not that attractive myself."
Another uproar. Taichi was particularly agitated. Finally Iori jumped up on the table and yelled, "SILENCE!"
She pointed her chopsticks at each of them as she faced them accusingly while standing on the table. "These insults cannot stand! I demand a contest! Honor must be satisfied!"
Aoki asked, "What, like a duel or a joust?"
"No, dummy. We were planning to go the beach today, right?"
Aoki responded, "Yeah, sometime after breakfast. Yui wants to try to swim a bit for her rehab."
Iori crossed her chopsticks across her front like a majordomo leading a parade. "Right. So it's settled then!"
Taichi asked, "What is settled?"
"We will have the official StuCS Reunion Beach Beauty Contest!"
Inaba looked up at Iori. "What?"
Aoki jumped up from his chair. "Yes! And Yui will win!"
Iori was still standing on the table, She pointed her chopsticks at him like a short sword. "I wouldn't be so sure, bucko." Then Iori tucked the chopsticks into her cloth belt, unbuttoned the top buttons on her blouse, and did a modeling pose. "It will be a very close contest. I know that Yui and Dereban are gonna give me a run for my money, but I think I can just barely eek out a win." She did another modeling pose as both men stared at her figure. Inaba had to whack Taichi on the head with her chopsticks.
Iori jumped off the table. "But I don't know if I can beat those two hotties now that they've grown up. The competition's gonna be really tough."
Inaba said, "Oh come on.."
Iori yelled, "Yahoo! Everyone get your beach gear. Yui, Dereban, I already picked out some swimsuits for you. C'mon, let's go!"
Aoki whooped, Yui blushed, Inaba frowned, and Taichi looked thoughtful.
Yui glared at Iori in the women's beach hut. "I am not wearing this." She was holding two white strips of fabric.
Iori pleaded, "Aw, c'mon. You'll look great in it."
"It's a.. a bikini!"
"That it is. I picked it out with Miss Sakuraba's help. I take it you've never worn one before?"
"No, of course not!"
Iori continued to encourage her. "Well, I can understand that. Back in high school you were pretty flat. But honey, you're 21 now, and Sleeping Beauty has awakened and she's all grown up. And you've filled out wonderfully. My word, Mother Nature has been very kind to you. Trust me, I swear to you that not only can you wear this and look amazing, but you will knock 'em out of the park."
"Are you.. sure?"
"Yes. Do it for Aoki. You will floor him."
That encouraged her. "You think it will?"
"Oh yeah."
Yui turned to her sister. "What do you think?"
Anzu smiled. "I think it will look lovely on you."
"Well, all right, if you both think so. Maybe it will help me get a better tan. I'm so pale I could blind someone at 50 paces."
Anzu said, "And after the contest you and I will work on your leg and arm exercises in the water. Swimming is an excellent form of PT for strength recovery. Let's go."
Anzu escorted Yui outside. Yui was now able to walk without her steel arm canes for short distances, but she still needed a spotter for safety. By unanimous consent she would be representing Team Kiriyama while laid out on a long beach chair.
Iori could see that Yui was taken care of. She turned and yelled, "Dereban! Hurry up!"
Inaba was still behind the curtain changing. She had waited until all the other girls had left before she quickly stripped and put on the yellow tube-top bikini that Iori had picked out for her. She turned and started to look at herself in the mirror. She wanted to make sure that her stomach wasn't showing.
But before she could check herself, Iori poked her head in. Iori was in a blue polka-dot bikini, and there was no longer a sling on her left arm. "Dereban, let's go!"
Then she caught sight of Inaba. She entered and stared at her figure. "Hey, did you get bigger?"
Inaba panicked. She grabbed her stomach. "Oh, ah, I've been eating too much lately. I know I need to lose a few pounds."
"No, dummy. I mean your boobs got bigger."
Inaba looked at herself in the mirror. She knew that pregnancy did that. But that didn't start to happen until the second trimester? Or was it the third? She couldn't remember.
Iori narrowed her eyes. "I gotta check this." Iori slid behind Inaba and grabbed her boobs from behind.
"Hey!"
"Wow, you really are bigger."
Inaba blushed. "Well, I, uh, drink a lot of milk."
"Apparently."
"Let go of me!"
Iori grinned as she released her hold. She looked at both of them in the mirror. "Dereban, look at yourself. You're gorgeous. I mean really, you are."
"Oh c'mon."
"Still, Yui's gonna whip us both. But I still got you beat by a whisker. So at least I won't be in last place."
That got Inaba's competitive hackles up. "You think? Hey, I can beat a scrawny girl like you. Good grief, your ribs are showing. You're as skinny as a rail."
"Exactly. Guys dig thin chicks. I'm just like a runway model in a catalog."
"Heroin-chic? Hah. You're scrawny."
"Thin."
"Scrawwny."
"Thiinn."
"Scraaawwwny!"
"Thhhhiiin!"
Miyabi Sakuraba re-entered the tent. "Are you two ladies ready yet? Everyone out here is waiting for you."
Iori taunted her. "C'mon, Dereban, let's go so I can whip your padded ass."
"Game on!"
The three of them were lined up. Iori was making poses. Inaba watched her like a hawk, then she matched all the poses move for move. Yui smiled at her competitors. She seemed oddly relaxed. She was wearing sunglasses and was laying on the beach chair getting her tan. She decided that she was simply going to let Mother Nature do all the work for her in winning the competition. She closed her eyes in the glare of the sun.
Taichi admired all three beauties. Then he sighed as he looked at Aoki's champion surfer physique, then at himself. He was glad that the contest was only for the women, otherwise he felt he would have been in last place.
Miyabi, who was wearing a tasteful one-piece bathing suit, then announced "Attention! This is the official StuCS Reunion Beach Beauty Contest. Each non-participant may cast one vote. The winner will be awarded the title of StuCS Beach Beauty Queen."
She looked at Taichi. "Mr. Yaegashi, may I have your vote please?"
He immediately said, "Inaba."
"Thank you. And Mr. Aoki, sir?"
The large man jumped up. "Yoshifumi Aoki votes for Yui Kiriyama!" Yui made a small smile with her eyes still closed.
"Thank you. I will vote for Iori Nagase."
"Yahoo!"
Inaba sighed, "And so the contest is tied 1-1-1. Of course. That's exactly what I figured."
Sakuraba spoke up. "Not so fast. There is still one more vote to tally."
"There is?"
Anzu Kiriyama spoke quietly. "I vote for Yui."
Miyabi said simply, "The winner is Yui Kiriyama. Congratulations."
Yui raised up her sunglasses. "Thank you."
Aoki went wild. "Yes! Yui wins! Yeeehah!"
He then caught himself and quickly bowed before Iori and Inaba, "I'm sorry about that."
Inaba harrumphed.
The Aoki put his foot in it. "Well, what can I say? Compared to perfection, you two just aren't in the same league. Not even close."
The two brunettes shot daggers at him. Iori yelled, "Dereban! Do a camel clutch hold! Pin him down!"
Before Aoki knew it he was spread-eagled on his back. Then Iori grabbed a bucket and started dumping sand on his chest. "How you like being buried alive, jerk-o?"
"Taichi! Save me!"
"Dude, you brought this on yourself. Inaba, that's really good wrestling form."
"Thank you."
The sand pile continued to build on Aoki's chest. He squirmed to no avail. Inaba held his limbs fast as Iori continued to dump buckets on him.
"Get these she-devils off me!"
Meanwhile Yui sat up. She was suppressing a laugh.
Anzu assisted Yui as she stood up. Yui's sister picked up a red flotation device next to the beach chair, and the pair slowly walked toward the water together for their PT swim session.
Aoki tried to raise his head towards the retreating pair. "Yui, help me! Tell them to stop burying me before I suffocate!"
Yui hesitated and turned. "Will Yoshi be okay?"
Inaba looked up at Yui and huffed, "Don't worry. We'll only smother him to within an inch of his life."
"Ah. See you later, Yoshi. You may join Anzu and I when you can extracate yourself."
"Arrghhh!"
The next day, Inaba used the heater on her laser printer to help Aoki laminate his 'token of favor' in clear plastic so it would not disintegrate. He wore it proudly in his breast pocket anywhere he went.
And so the days passed.
Iori continued to keep Inaba in high spirits. The others helped as well.
One day Rina showed up to visit and say hi to her dear onii-chan. At first Inaba freaked out, but then she quickly realized that it was the real Rina. Inaba freaked out a second time when Rina tried to give the newly wed woman some tips on how to please her man. Taichi prayed that it was because Rina liked to read Cosmopolitan a lot.
One night Iori was alone in her bedroom. It was about 9 PM. She had not undressed for bed yet.
She was laying on her stomach on her bed, reading a fashion magazine. Her bedroom door was open.
Inaba knocked on the doorframe. "Mind if I come in?"
"Inaban! Sure, c'mon in."
Inaba walked to a chair in front of the dresser and mirror. She rotated the chair to face Iori on the bed and sat on it.
"What's up?"
"I wanted to apologize for our big fight. I should never have said those words. I'm sorry."
"Pshaw. You still having a guilt trip about that? Water over the bridge. Don't worry about it."
"I'm sorry I called you a soulless freak."
Iori chuckled, "Yeah, that was kinda harsh. Of course I was pretty wound up too. I called you a timid mouse if you recall."
Then Inaba said, "I know what you've been doing lately. Keeping my spirits up."
Iori simply smiled at her friend. "Hey.."
"I bet Taichi has thanked you a dozen times by now."
"More like two dozen, heh."
"Well, I should thank you too."
Iori sat up. "You don't have to. We're friends for life. And that's what we do, we help each other with no expectation in return. You saved my life too, you know."
"Still I want to thank you. For everything." Inaba stood up. She was getting tearful. "I know I'm not the huggy, touchy-feely, type of person.."
Iori understood. She stood up and approached.
And then Inaba grabbed her and embraced her and held her as tightly as she could.
One afternoon Iori and Inaba were sharing the sauna together. Their sweat soaked into the white bathtowels that were wrapped around each of their torsos.
They had been relaxing for several minutes when Inaba spoke out of the blue, "I'm sorry."
Iori immediately knew what Inaba was referring to.
"Stop apologizing. I already told you I never would have ended up with him."
"But.."
"I told you. I was the one who rejected him. I was too young. I wasn't ready."
"I know that, but still, maybe if.."
"Stop. Dereban, you're perfect for him. You're exactly the girl he needed. You still are, and always will be."
"Feh."
"I'm serious. You two are perfect opposites. That's why you mesh so well."
"Okay, then explain it to me: Why do Taichi and I have so many fights all the time?"
"You don't have fights. He never fights you. You walk out on him. Why do you keep on doing that, anyway?"
"I dunno.. He just irritates me sometimes."
"No. It's you."
She sighed, "Yeah, you're right. It's not him, it's me."
"Inaban, you're a mess. You need help."
"Just like you, eh? Just like the help you're not getting for your screwed up life? You're doing an expert job hiding it, by the way."
"Mmm?"
"Keeping the attention off yourself, your rotten life. All this time together and it's never come up."
Iori was silent.
"You haven't told me or anyone else anything about your life after you left Reika. What happened between the time you left home and the time when you ended up with Goru?"
Iori shrugged, "Like I said on the first day here, there isn't much to tell."
"Bull[bleep]. Talk."
Iori crossed her arms. "Oh, now look who's expertly changing the subject. I ask you again, why do you keep walking out on Taichi?"
"Okay, fine. Fine! Let's keep the focus on me."
Inaba thought a moment. Then she took a deep breath.
"If you want my honest answer: I don't [bleeping] know."
"You don't know?"
"He's just so, well, nice, that it drives me up a wall sometimes. I know that makes no sense. Day in and day out, he's always Mr. Goody Goody Perfect. And he never changes. And I should be delighted right? And some days I am. I really am. I love him so much it's insane. And then other times his nicey-niceyness just, well, it gets to me. It's like I can never get through his thick skull that maybe sometimes I want to be unhappy, so just back off."
"Wait, you want to be unhappy?"
"Okay, that sounded stupid. Let me try again. I dunno, I guess I just want him to understand what it's like when I feel like crap. He tries, but he can't. He just doesn't get it. It's like it is beyond his comprehension. I think it's because he's never experienced that kind of pain. He's never been really hurt in his life. Hurt emotionally, I mean. He just doesn't know what it's like to feel the way I do sometimes. And so when I'm down in the dumps and he starts patronizing me, I just want to explode back at him and kick him into the next time zone."
"Dereban.."
"And so sometimes, maybe, I wonder. I just wonder what his life would have been like if he was with someone else. Some who wasn't so messed up. Someone who was more level-headed. More warm. More patient. More empathic."
Inaba looked up and said softly, "Someone like you."
"Hey.."
"Iori, what would have happened if I wasn't around back then? I mean, what if I didn't exist?"
Iori was surprised. "What kind of dumb stupid question is that?"
She looked down. "I dunno, I just think about it sometimes. I'm just saying.. hypothetically, do you think you would have ended up with him? I mean for real, not that silly stuff at the breakfast table."
Iori said quietly, "No."
"But why not? Are you sure? You'd be soooo much better for him than me. You could have.. saved him.."
Iori was alarmed. She hid her reaction. She began to think.
Inaban, you just said 'saved', past tense, like you had already lost him! What's going on?
Iori said carefully, "Well, then there's Heartseed too, you know. He's back again, throwing a wrench into the works, running his stupid tests again."
Inaba looked out into space. "Yeah.."
Now Iori's mind was spinning. Her alarm grew.
Whoa! Inaban, what is this?
Iori was shocked. It was because of Inaba's reaction to her mention of Heartseed's name, or rather her complete lack of a reaction. She remained impassive; she didn't explode and cuss Heartseed out. Iori knew that Inaba hated Heartseed with a passion, and that she hated him more than anyone else did in the Pentagon, and yet here she was sounding almost wistful in talking about their greatest shared enemy.
What in the world is going on here?
And then, Iori knew. She knew it instinctively from Inaba's lack of reaction.
She's not angry or bitter about Heartseed. So whoever has trapped her, it was not him. That has to be the reason.
She tried to work out the implications. Inaba had confessed to Taichi that the trap was related to Heartseed. She admitted it outright in the limo. So the trap had to have been laid by some other entity that was like Heartseed or related to him.
But which one?
Was it Number Two? Possibly, but she was one of Heartseed's underlings, or possibly just another manifestation of the same entity. In either case Iori knew that Heartseed and Number Two worked together, although sometimes they disagreed on their methods. Heartseed and Number Two did not always see eye to eye. So they had to be separate entities, then.
But wait, wasn't there a third entity? The so-called Number Three? Iori remembered that was the nasty one. And wasn't Heartseed afraid of her or something? They definitely were not working together. Could they be enemies? So assume she is Heartseed's opponent then.
And what if this Number Three made a secret deal with Inaba to join forces against Heartseed?
Iori again spoke carefully. "Heartseed really did a job on you."
"Yeah." Again impassive. It confirmed Iori's suspicion.
Iori pleaded with her friend. "Inaban, please tell me what happened. I can help. I promise I will never tell Taichi your secret unless you want me to."
Inaban gave her a sharp look. "No, you can't help. I know you want to help me, but you can't. This is my battle, and I have to fight it alone."
"Inaban, can't you hear yourself? You know that never works! Let me help! Don't you trust me?"
"I.. I just can't.."
Tears flowed from Inaba's eyes. Those tears overwhelmed even the sweat that was already streaming down her cheeks in salty rivulets. "Don't you think I want to? Think about it. Assume I confide in you, but that you had ended up with Taichi because of it."
"Dereban, I told you, that never would have happened."
"Shut up! I don't mean the past, I mean the future!"
Iori was stunned into silence.
I don't get it. What is she talking about?
"Iori, you and I are more alike than either of us ever realized. There is a very good reason why I cannot tell you. Think. Think! You know how guilty I can feel sometimes."
"Heh, yeah, tell me about it. You are practically the queen of guilt. Dereban, are you sure you aren't Catholic?"
"Shut up, I'm not joking here! What I am trying to say is, work it out. Think. Imagine what would happen if I told you my secret, and you tried to help, but I end up.. going away.. Then what happens next? What kind of guilt would you feel afterwards if it was just you and Taichi? If you had a hand in it? Even unwittingly?"
Iori again remained silent.
Inaba went on. "Think about it. I'm gone, and there he is, lost and alone. After his heart gets ripped out he will need someone to help him heal. Someone to confide in. Someone who understands. Someone who understands him, and me, and Heartseed, and all the battles we fought. Someone who really cares for him."
Inaba looked Iori straight in the eye. "Someone who loves him."
"Iori, it's inevitable. I don't want you to feel guilty when it happens."
"Dereban.."
"And that is why it is better that you don't know. That way you will bear no responsibility for what will happen. Therefore no guilt will fall on your head. And then maybe.. possibly after a lot of years, I don't know, but maybe.. you can heal him."
"Dereban! Just stop! Listen to me!"
"I'm sorry. You can't help. I can't take that risk. I can't let you ruin yourself, and him, with any feelings of guilt on your part."
"No! You're doing it again. You're trying to take the whole world on your shoulders all by yourself. Do you think so little of me? Let me help you!"
"You're the one who isn't listening. I'm sorry."
Inaba got up and left the sauna.
Iori jumped up and nearly ran after her, but she stopped herself.
She sat back down. She needed time to think.
Inaba's words shocked her, more than she realized. She looked her at hands. They were trembling. Her heart was pounding.
She closed her eyes and forced herself to tamp down her own emotions. She needed to find her inner core. She needed to find that cynical, dour, center of her being that was so cool and analytical.
She found it. She used that part of herself to mentally review the conversation that she just had. She realized that whoever had done this to her dear Dereban was a pure sadist. It was an all-out attack against Inaba, against Taichi, and against herself. It was a plot, a plan, to destroy all of them.
It had to be Number Three.
She opened her eyes. The analytical part of herself had come to a conclusion.
I refuse to let Inaba sacrifice herself like this. I need to contact Heartseed and let him know there is another option.
But Heartseed worked on his own schedule. It could be days or weeks before she might have the opportunity to talk with him.
And so first she had to deal with the girl who just admitted that she was a mess. Inaba had problems that went beyond Heartseed. And those problems had to be taken care of first, to clear away the brush before the real battle begins.
Iori in her heart knew what needed to be done. She loved Inaba unconditionally, and so she had to save Inaba no matter the cost to herself.
But before that, she would need to confront Inaba and straighten out her dysfunctional relationship with Taichi.
And soon.
Two days later, Iori had manuvered Inaba into one of the sitting rooms. Aoki then slammed the door shut and guarded it on the outside. Inaba tried to wrest the door open, but Aoki was too strong.
Iori was ready to begin her long-planned private confrontation with Inaba. She figured it would take about 30-40 minutes. But Inaba simply refused to listen to her hard words. She managed to open a window and escape before Iori could even begin.
After that incident, Inaba avoided situations where she would be alone with Iori. And she would no longer confide in her.
More days passed.
Inaba was slowly becoming more distant with Taichi and with everyone else.
Her behavior was casting a pall over the entire group.
One day Inaba picked a fight with Taichi in their bedroom. He was trying to gamely calm her down as he always did, which just drove her to greater heights of fury. Finally she yelled that he would be better off without her and that she was just 'a screwed up bitch'.
Iori heard the yelling behind the closed doors of the master bedroom. She wisely did not get involved and stayed in her own room.
Yui and Aoki unwisely tried to intervene, and Inaba exploded at them as well.
Taichi continued to work Monday through Friday at the JRCS. Meanwhile, Inaba commuted between her bedroom and the sitting room that contained her computer setup. She spent the weekdays doing Steve Anderson's market trades. She still took part in group activities in the evenings and on weekends, but she did not participate actively much.
Miyabi Sakuraba finally said farewell and returned to her badly neglected duties as Hanabishi-Sakuraba's CEO.
Anzu continued to do the three-times-per-day PT exercises with Yui. Aoki acted as the secondary spotter. He was surprised to learn that Anzu was a certified physical and occupational therapist. She had taken the training in the hope that her sister would wake up one day.
Thanks to her grit and determination, combined with Anzu and Aoki's cheering support, Yui was progressing way ahead of schedule on her rehabilitation. She was now able to walk a hundred feet before getting tired.
One day while doing her PT in the basement gym, Yui stumbled and fell right into Aoki's arms. He quickly set her on her feet again, then jumped away. Anzu checked Yui's vitals and noted the high heart rate and elevated blood pressure. Yui insisted she was fine, but Anzu decided to cancel the rest of Yui's PT sessions for that day.
That night Yui secretly visited Aoki in his bedroom for the second time. She apologized for the fall, and she told him that she wasn't afraid of him, and that the high blood pressure was merely because she was startled by the fall. Aoki suspected she was just trying to reassure him. He said it was okay.
She apologized again to him for hurting him and sending him to prison. He waived it off. She repeated her vow to rid herself of her androphobia. For him. He again said he could wait.
Aoki then repeated his declaration of unconditional love for his princess. Then he reminded her that he loved her even though, from the her own viewpoint, she was undeserving of that love.
Yui looked at the man who cared for her so dearly. She smiled. He was maturing almost day by day.
She knew she had to do something for him in return. She owed him that.
She asked Aoki if she could have back her 'token of favor', the laminated piece of plastic that held her white handkerchief. He gave it to her.
She kissed it, then put it back into his hand.
Aoki laid back down in bed with the laminated card clasped between his hands.
"Goodnight, Yoshi."
"Goodnight, my love."
She returned to her own bedroom and sat on her bed. She didn't bother to re-lock the interconnecting door. She decided that from now on she would leave it unlocked.
Her dear Yoshi was growing up. And how did she feel about that? Was she falling in love with him? She still wasn't sure.
She searched her heart. She realized that she was now developing real feelings for him. But was it love? Could she love him as unconditionally as he did her? She didn't know. But she envied Aoki for being able to love her that way.
She searched her heart again. Yes, the feelings were there, and they were real. But she knew that if she ever told him about those feelings that there would be no going back. She could never bear to hurt him by breaking up with him after making such a confession.
She would be committed for life. And that scared her.
But the feelings were there.
Finally, she went asleep.
And she had a pleasant dream.
One day there was a knock on Inaba's bedroom door. It was late afternoon, and Taichi had not yet returned from work. Inaba had quit her PC trading early that day and was moping in bed.
Inaba raised her head from her pillow, "Go away."
She heard Iori's voice. "It is me. I would like to enter."
"Iori, I said go away."
There was a pause. Inaba heard Iori's voice speak in a low monotone.
"I am not Nagase. Please let me in."
Inaba sat up. She carefully opened the door.
She saw that Iori was standing before her with a slumped posture. Her eyes were droopy, and her face had a dead expression.
"You're Heartseed."
"Yes. May I enter?"
Inaba said nothing. She simply walked back to her bed and sat on it and waited. Heartseed decided that was as much of a welcoming gesture as he would ever get from her, so he shuffled in and closed the door behind him.
She was tired physically, mentally, and spiritually. "What do you want?"
"You seem to be in a bit of a pickle."
She was irritable as well. "No [bleep], Sherlock."
"If you recall, I did warn you not to trust her. I told you that she would mislead you and deceive you."
Inaba remained seated on her bed, stewing in her own juices.
Then he said, "I must say that - except for that unfortunate complication - this experiment has been most satisfactory so far."
Inaba spat out, "Satisfactory?"
"Yes. It is a pity that the experiment will be ending fairly soon."
Inaba was sarcastic. "Well, I am so sorry to hear that."
"As am I. Your little, ah, gift, is the problem. It sets a hard deadline, as I am sure you understand."
Inaba decided to get to the point. "Look, why are you here?"
He said simply, "Why do you think I am here?"
"To gloat. To brag. To say, 'See I told you so'. Fine. You were right. Happy now?"
"No."
"You're not happy?"
"No, I mean that is not why I am here."
"Well?"
Heartseed remained silent.
Inaba understood. "Oh, I get it now."
Then Inaba said something that did not come naturally to her. It was particularly difficult given the person to whom she was addressing.
"So.. ugh.. I can't believe I'm asking this."
"Mmm?"
"Can you.. help me?"
Heartseed made a small grin. "Very good. You are learning to ask for help from others."
"Well, I am so glad to know that you are happy that I am being forced to act according to your wishes."
Heartseed ignored her retort. Instead he said, "How specifically do you wish me to help you?"
"Can you tear up my contract for me?"
"No."
"Can you stop her?"
"No."
"Can you save Taichi?"
"No."
He explained his last response. "Inaba, I cannot interfere with Taichi's fate, nor can she. Neither of us has any authority over him."
That surprised her. "Wait, she cannot protect Taichi?"
"No, she cannot."
"But she promised me she would!"
"If she claimed or implied to you that she could protect or save Taichi from his fate, then she was deceiving you. She cannot."
Inaba clenched her fists. "That.. that.. bitch. But what about Taichi? How can I save him?"
"You cannot save him."
"But is he going to die? Tell me!"
"Everyone dies."
"Gah! You're as bad as Rina!"
"Rina is the proxy? I did not know that."
"Who cares? Tell me!"
"I told you. I cannot change his fate."
"But what is it?"
"That would be telling."
"You are no help at all."
"What is important is that you asked someone else for help. That is very good and I am pleased. May I ask how Rina plans to destroy me?"
Inaba recrossed her arms. She said tersely, "That would be telling."
"I see. So you have no idea. Interesting."
"I didn't say that!"
"I don't have to be a mindreader to be able to read between the lines. You have been most helpful."
Inaba clammed up. She decided she wasn't going to talk to him anymore. He was useless, and she did not want to trigger the penalty clause in her contract in case she inadvertently disclosed any further information to him.
Finally he said, "Goodbye, Himeko Yaegashi."
He turned and left.
It was late afternoon on a Thursday. Iori was sitting on a chair at the dining room table. Her head was down on a placemat, dejected. Aoki and Yui walked in and sat next to her. Taichi would be home soon, and Iori would need to start working on dinner.
Yui asked her softly, "Iori, are you okay?"
She kept her head down. "Just thinking about Dereban."
Aoki said quietly, "Iori, we're all worried about Inaba too."
"I need to confront her, but she's such a runner. If she suspects that I want to tell her something she doesn't want to hear, she'll scoot. And the less she wants to hear it, the stronger she tries to flee."
She lifted her head. "I need to find a place where I can keep her still for about a half hour."
"A place?"
"It has to be a place that Inaban cannot possibly escape from. Even by force if she tried as hard as she could. Even if she threatened to hurt me."
Aoki asked, "Could we tie her up maybe?"
"You wish. If she spotted you coming at her with a rope, Missus Wrestling Champion would have you flipped flat on your back and hog tied in 10 seconds."
Aoki remembered how she expertly pinned him at the beach. No, something like that would never work.
Then he remembered how Setouchi's three thugs had tied up Inaba and covered her mouth with duct tape. Then they threatened her with a knife to the throat as they debated among themselves whether or not to rape her.
That had to have been an incredibly traumatic experience. He wondered if she learned all those defensive moves to prevent anyone from ever threatening her like that ever again.
Iori said, "Then we need to coax her to go into a room that she cannot escape from. It has to be locked from the outside."
Yui said, "But Inaba will smell a trap. She's not stupid. And she might even threaten you with violence, Iori, to try to force whoever is outside to open the door for her."
"Yeah, I know. Or she'll jump out the window again. Maybe even smash it to get out."
Aoki was thoughtful. "Hmm. We need a place she won't suspect, that she cannot escape from no matter what, and that she cannot force her way out even with threats."
Iori sighed, "I'm stumped. Maybe Taichi might have an idea.."
Aoki continued to think. Then his eyes lit up.
"Wait, I have an idea. I got it! I know the perfect place. You'll have all the time you'll need, and no amount of threats of violence will let her escape. Oh, it's so simple. She's seen it hundreds of times. And it's soooo obvious that she will miss it. She'll absolutely miss it."
"Miss what? Where?"
"It's right by Yamaboshi Academy. We'll simply make up an excuse to go visit the school. We'll pretend that, I dunno, that you happened to run into Mr. Gotou or something. Or you got a phone call from him. Say that he invited us all to have lunch with him at the school. You know, to see how his former pupils are doing now. She'd never guess it was a trap like that. It'll be easy."
Then Yui's eyes lit up too. "Oh, I see it! Yoshi, you are absolutely brilliant!"
The large man blushed.
Then Iori caught on. "Ah, I see it too. Hey, that's pretty clever. Wow, Aoki, I had no idea you had so many brain cells up there."
Yui defended her man. "Shush. He's smarter than you think."
Iori said, "Aoki, it's a good plan, but I'm gonna need your help on this one."
"You got it."
And so the three conspirators began to put their plan into motion.
A/N:
Challenge to readers: Can you guess the location that Aoki is talking about? It has appeared prominently in several episodes of the anime.
* See Ai Yori Aoshi episode 8, 'Cherished Treasure'.
** See Episodes 16-17.
*** See Episode 5.