Chapter 12: Forgiveness

Disclaimer: Maria-sama ga Miteru and its characters are not mine. Credits to the author.

Yumi

Kyouya saw Ogasawara Sachiko leave the hotel. Her face was stoic and emotionless, not the face of a person who had just been reunited with her long lost friend. He was on the phone with his colleague, telling him that he would miss work that day. As soon as the woman's car left, he ended the call, pocketed his phone and ran back up Yumi-san's hotel room. He knew something wrong had happened.

He knocked on the door, but there was no answer. After knocking for a few more minutes, he started to worry. That woman just left, it was impossible that Yumi-san was already asleep. He slowly turned the doorknob to check if it was locked, and he was not surprised that it wasn't. His worry intensified, thinking of a myriad of possibilities why Yumi-san didn't lock her door after her visitor left.

"Yumi-san, it's me. I'm coming in." He announced and waited for a few seconds before fully opening the door. And what he saw was a sight that broke his heart. There sitting on the floor, was his friend. Her robe had slipped off of one shoulder, her hair cascaded down her face and her body was trembling as soft sobs escaped her lips.

"Yumi-san" he called to her softly, but still there was no response.

He gently closed the door and approached her. He crouched down to the floor and reached out to lift her chin to see her face.

She was a mess. Her eyes were puffy and red, her hair was a tangled mess and her lips were quivering as she cried. Her eyes were downcast, not looking at him, as tears streamed down her face. He thought back to what happened before he left and remembered the piercing glare that Ogasawara Sachiko gave him when he was speaking with Yumi-san earlier.

He looked once again at the woman in front of him and saw she had two hickeys on the neck and swollen lips. He examined his surrounding and noticed that the bed was in disarray and Yumi-san's sleeping clothes and underwear were scattered on the floor.

He blushed as he put the pieces together. That woman was Yumi-san's lover and by the look of things, they just had...

Kyouya shook his head violently, still unbelieving at his conclusion. But no matter how he tried, he was sure that his deduction was correct. Then it made him realize. If Ogasawara Sachiko was Yumi-san's lover, and a few minutes after he showed up unannounced she left, gave him a hateful glare and Yumi-san ended up in this state, then everything was his fault.

"Yumi-san, I'm so sorry. It seems I caused you very big trouble by coming to see you. I never imagined that she was your…your…"

"It's okay Kyouya-san." Yumi said. Her voice sounded raw from crying. "It was not your fault. You didn't know about my circumstances. Your intentions were good." She sniffed and tears welled up in her eyes again.

Kyouya panicked at the sudden outburst of tears. He didn't know what to do. The realization that Yumi-san had relations with another woman surely surprised him. But it didn't change the fact that Yumi-san is his friend and that he cares for her.

"It was all my fault." Yumi continued. "If I didn't have such a history, Sachiko wouldn't be that mistrustful. If I didn't reject her the second time, then we would now be together and her seeing you wouldn't be a cause for a concern. I just wished, she gave me a chance to explain. Just a few moments would do, if she just listened to what I have to say, everything would have been fine. But she didn't."

After that, no other words were said. She just continued to sob. Kyouya felt useless. He was angry at himself for causing the situation to be this bad. And so, unable to think of anything that he can do for her, he pulled her into his arms. Yumi stiffened.

"It's okay Yumi-san. As I said, I am here for you. You can cry." He said with his voice filled with tenderness. He gently rubbed her back and soon enough, she relaxed and cried loudly in his arms. And he just held her tighter in response.

Sachiko

Sachiko arrived faster than Suguru had expected. He had been waiting outside the hospital when he spotted her car. She rushed out of the car and walked towards him, still in her dress and high heels from the previous night. But gone was the elegance and pride that she also wore when he last saw her. Before him now stood a woman with an empty look in her eyes. It seemed that things didn't go well with Yumi-chan, then again, it could have been because she was worried at her grandfather's condition. But whatever it was, Suguru knew that now was not the best time to ask about it.

"Where is he?" she asked as soon she saw him.

He led the way. They walked in hurried steps without exchanging words. He kept giving her sideward glances, feeling like there was something different about his cousin. He knew she would be scared about their grandfather's condition, but it was not even that. The feeling he got upon looking into her eyes, it was as if she was so distant and closed off that he felt like he couldn't reach the Sachiko he knew. And so, unable to suppress his concern any longer, he stopped walking and turned to face her.

"What's wrong Sachiko?"

She just stared at him with that blank blue eyes of hers, "Our grandfather is dying and I need to see him right away." After that, Sachiko walked ahead of him.

Sachiko knew that her cousin was perceptive. But she would not be sharing anything with him. It was her problem, and hers alone.

She saw her relatives at the far end of the hall and immediately realized that through that door must be her grandfather. When she arrived, her father immediately approached her. "Father has been waiting," he said with a sorrowful voice.

Sachiko just nodded and allowed her father to guide her inside the room.

It was a spacious room. Its four walls were painted white and the ceiling was lined with fluorescents illuminating the room, making it seem bigger. In the middle of the room was a hospital bed where her grandfather lay. Multiple tubes were attached to him and the machines' beeping were the only sounds that broke the eerie silence.

Her father gently touched her shoulder and gestured for her approach her grandfather, before he stepped out of the room to give them some privacy. Sachiko's steps were slow and light, not making any sound as she treaded across the room towards him. She proceeded to stand beside the bed and sadly looked down at her grandfather.

"Grandfather?" she whispered.

The old man gently opened his eyes and turned his head to the side. A smile grazed his lips as he saw her. A smile Sachiko thought seemed foreign on his face.

"Sachiko," his voice was soft and weak.

It broke Sachiko's heart to see a proud and commanding man like him to be in this state. "You shouldn't talk anymore. Please just rest so you can get better."

The old man shook his head and by the look in his eyes, he knew what is to come.

Sachiko opened her mouth, to say that he should not give up and that he should keep fighting to live. But the stern look he gave her, made her hold her tongue. It amazed her that even in his condition, her grandfather could deliver that glare.

"I'm sorry" he breathed.

The Ogasawara patriarch knew that he would not live long. His body felt tired and heavy, his eyesight was so poor making everything blurred and his throat felt raw making it difficult for him to speak. Despite all this, he knew he needed to have this conversation with Sachiko.

He has a very clear picture of how he had lived his life and how the people around him perceived him. He had not been the best father, husband or grandfather. As a superior and a businessman, he was ruthless. He had been building the legacy of his ancestors at whatever cost. He had also been selfish, bedding different women just because he knew he could, without even considering the effect of his promiscuity to his family.

His heart attack a few months ago had rendered half of his body paralyzed. It had been the turning point of his life. Despite being unable to move well, his head remained clear and his mind continued to be sharp. It just frustrated him that he had been reduced to that state. He hated his own powerlessness and immobility. In those months when he did nothing by lay in bed and be taken cared for, he had the time to think. Because for the first time in years, he had nothing to do. No business deals to close, no mergers and acquisitions to manage and no new projects to lead. During those days, he had no choice as he thought about his current pitiful condition and he got angry, he worried about how the company would fare without him and he got frustrated, and lastly, he contemplated about how he lived his life and felt sad.

The only person that ever visited him often was Sachiko. From time to time, she would tell him about new successful project launches and some effective marketing strategies that increased their market share. Through her words, everything about the company he loved so much sounded well and fine. But he knew that reality was far from that, judging by the tiredness etched on her face. And that was what he liked about her and why she was his favourite, Sachiko was perceptive, smart and does what was expected of her.

Sachiko's visits were brief, but he cherished them nonetheless. An appreciation that he would never tell her or anyone else. However, the more he got to see her, the more he remembered how Sachiko looked when she was younger and was still in school. He only got to see her during dinner time then, but in those few minutes where she shared stories about her life at school, he knew that she was happy. He noticed she was the happiest when she was talking about her petite seour, Fukuzawa Yumi. This made him curious about the girl, so he had Sachiko followed and observed. It was then that he found out how close his granddaughter's relationship was to the girl. During their time at the university, their relationship deepened into something that for him was unimaginable. He allowed Sachiko to do as she pleased, with the thought that she would eventually tire out of that Fukuzawa girl. But years went by and Sachiko's planned marriage to Suguru was fast approaching, yet they remained to be a couple. This worried him. So when Sachiko had an accident and he saw an opportunity to talk to the girl, he convinced her to leave her granddaughter. That girl with innocent hazel brown eyes looked vulnerable and easy to manipulate. So he ingrained in her the idea that what happened to Sachiko was her fault. He intensified the guilt that was already in her heart and the young girl seemed to have taken his bait, because she broke up with Sachiko soon after. However, after their separation, his granddaughter had never been the same. Once again, he thought that her loneliness would pass with time. But it didn't. It was then that he realized the graveness of what he had done. But with his pride, he never even once thought of owing up to his sins. He was the head of the Ogasawara family and would never bow down or apologize to anyone.

But now, as he felt his life slowly slip away with the passing of each second, he knew this is the one task he needed done. For the first and last time, he will swallow his pride. It may be the long hours of solitude that let him reach this decision. Whatever it was, he knew this is one burden he needed to take off his shoulder before everything ends.

"I'm sorry" he croaked again.

Sachiko looked confused, "Grandfather, what are you apologizing for?"

"I knew about you and that Fukuzawa Yumi."

Sachiko froze. What did he know? Or rather, how much did he know? And why is he saying this now?

The old man continued, but his voice was so soft that Sachiko had to lean closer just so she could understand what he was saying. "I told her that your accident was her fault."

What accident? Sachiko was really confused, but decided not to interject with her grandfather's ever weakening speech.

"I couldn't do it, command you to separate from her. You are strong-willed, so much like me, and I knew you would disobey me. While that girl, she was vulnerable. By the look in her eyes that night, I already saw guilt. So convincing her that it was her fault that you almost died had not been difficult."

Sachiko finally understood what he was talking about. She was speechless. Her heart, that just a moment ago she thought was dead, started beating wildly against her chest.

Her grandfather touched her hand lightly and she involuntary looked down at their joined hands. She was still finding it difficult to process her grandfather's confession.

The old man tightened his hold on Sachiko's hand, or at least tried to, with the remaining strength he had.

"My granddaughter", he whispered, "do you hate me?"

She wanted to be angry at what he did…but she couldn't. Not with a proud man like him looking this weak and vulnerable. A man, who was once strong, confident and commanding, that have never apologized for anything in his life, just swallowed his pride and sincerely asked for her forgiveness. No, she could not have the heart to hate him, not now, especially as he looked at her with bleary eyes filled with hope as his remaining strength slowly diminished.

"Do you forgive me?" he breathed.

In the end, he still is her grandfather.

"Yes grandfather, I forgive you."

And with that, the old man closed his eyes and a gentle smile grazed his lips. His face relaxed, lessening the lines on his face and making him look younger. It was then that a ray of light shone through the window and rested on his peaceful face.

Then the machine beeped, a long steady sound that echoed across the silent room. A few seconds later, the door burst open as men and women in white uniforms rushed into the room. She was shoved aside as they rushed to the patient, opened his shirt and administered CPR. The hospital staff were soon followed by her relatives and there was chaos all around. Everything was a blur, with her grandfather's words still echoing in her head. She then felt exhaustion and fatigue wash over her, making her nauseated.

"Yumi…" she whispered weakly before everything went dark and she lost consciousness.

Yumi

Yumi was awoken by the buzzing of her phone. She sluggishly reached for it on her bedside table and looked who it was. It was her superior. With a sigh, she reluctantly sat up and took the call. She was not surprised that not even a second after she said "hello", her superior started scolding her. Apparently, the client contacted their head office 30 minutes after their scheduled meeting was supposed to start and informed them that their architect hasn't showed up yet. After his long lecture, she was finally able to explain that she was not feeling well, so she missed her morning alarm. She promised to visit the client in the afternoon to offer her apologies, should her health condition improve.

After ending the call, she looked around her room. Nothing looked out of the ordinary, momentarily making her feel like the event that transpired the night before was just a dream. But it wasn't. She closed her eyes and buried her face in her hands as the memories of the previous night rushed back to her, once again filling her heart with loneliness and brimming her eyes with tears.

Her phone once again vibrated and she saw a message from Kyouya-san, asking how she was feeling. She typed a short message "I'm ok, thanks." And pressed the send button. He probably was the one who carried her to bed and tucked her in, having no recollection of going to bed herself after she tired herself from crying.

She swallowed hard, pushing down the impending sob and squared her shoulders. She will not allow this depression to bring her down, she is stronger than this. She will clear things up with Sachiko, but not now. She has more pressing concerns at the moment and she didn't want to add to her burden by forcing her to listen to what she has to say. No, the conversation will have to wait for the right time. She just hoped, that when she finally finds the courage to face Sachiko again, her old lover will find it in her heart to accept her and be with her once more.

A/N: I believe the chapters 11 & 12 may be saddest chapters I will write for this story.

At least Sachiko knows what her grandfather did, right?! Until the next update dear readers. Magandang gabi and let me know your thoughts.