Chapter 13: Meddlers

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

A few hours before Yumi woke up…

Kyouya's legs were beginning to numb before Yumi-san finally stopped crying. He waited for few more minutes before he asked, "Yumi-san, can you stand up?"

When she didn't respond, he peered into her face and saw that she was asleep, probably from exhaustion. Guilt washed over him as he remembered that it was his actions that brought pain to Yumi-san. She may have said that it wasn't his fault and that his intentions for going to see her earlier were good, but he still felt bad. In the short time he had been friends with her, he knew how beautiful she was inside. Despite what happened, she still chose to consider and understand his intent and to not blame him for anything. It just saddened him that a person with so much optimism and positive outlook in life like her was bearing so much weight in her heart.

He pulled her close to him, hoping that she would feel that he was supporting her through this ordeal. He then placed one arm under her knees and the other across her back, before proceeding to lift her up. He felt her snake her arms around his neck and snuggled closer. Kyouya flushed.

Kyouya brought her to the bedroom and laid her on the bed. He fixed her robe, willing his intensifying blush to disappear, as his fingers brushed on her bare skin from time to time, despite doing his best to touch only her robe. He covered her with a blanket, switched the lights off and was about to leave when the phone in his pocket vibrated. He fished it out and saw that it was from an unknown caller.

"Hello?"

"Nagisa Kyouya? This is Ogasawara Suguru. We spoke last night."

Kyouya sighed, "How is it that you Ogasawaras can speak to me so casually? I should probably change my number and not give it to Kinta." He lacked sleep and was irritated. He was not in the best mood to speak with strangers who did nothing but cause inconvenience for him and Yumi-san.

"I apologize for any trouble that my cousin and I have caused you since last night."

Cousin? Is he talking about Ogasawara Sachiko? I thought he was her husband? Kyouya thought.

"But I'm afraid I need to ask for another favour. Can you please give Yumi-chan's number to me?"

"I'm sorry but I can't do that. You won't be able to speak with her anyway, she's asleep." Kyouya mentally slapped himself at his blunder. He shouldn't have revealed that little detail.

"You're with her at the moment? How is she? Is she alright?" the man's voice sounded worried.

He chose to keep quiet and to not say anything. He then heard Ogasawara-san sigh before speaking, "I know you have no reason to trust a stranger like me, but I would like to assure you that I am Yumi-chan's friend and I care for her. She and Sachiko have a long history and I have been there to witness it from the start. We had a family emergency earlier, and I didn't have the chance to persuade Sachiko to tell me what happened. But judging by the look in her eyes, something went terribly wrong when she went there to speak with Yumi-chan. Either they argued about something or Yumi-chan rejected her, I am not sure. So I am now asking you to please share with me whatever it is that you know, so we can do something to fix the situation."

Kyouya was torn. He wanted to help Yumi-san out and it seems like sharing the little that he knew with this Ogasawara Suguru would help fix things. But another part of him wanted to be selfish and not let Yumi-san be involved with these Ogasawaras any longer.

"Are you her boyfriend?" Suguru-san suddenly asked. "Hagane-san said that you are dating Yumi-chan, but I have my doubts."

Kyouya wanted to say 'yes', that they were dating. The idea of being her boyfriend is a thought he would most definitely entertain. But a part of him knew that lying to this man will just make things worse. In the end he reluctantly answered "No."

"That's a relief" the man said, sounding genuinely relieved. "If you're at Yumi-chan's place now, then I'm guessing Sachiko saw you and got angry. If you must know, she is quite possessive of Yumi-chan and she easily gets jealous."

Kyouya felt a stabbing pain in his chest as he was once again reminded of his mistake.

"Yes, that woman saw me." He finally admitted. "She gave me a glare, refused to shake my hand and walked back inside Yumi-san's room without a word. I left soon after that. I was already in the lobby when I received a call from one of my officemates asking if I will be coming in for work since it was already late. While I was on the phone, I saw Ogasawara Sachiko exit the building with a man, probably her driver. By the look on her face, I immediately felt that something wrong had happened. I rushed back to see Yumi-san and was surprised to see her on the floor, crying. She was a mess, so I stayed until she calmed down."

Kyouya exhaled audibly, not knowing why he just shared that information.

"Are they…lovers?" he finally asked the nagging question since the moment he saw the state of Yumi-san's room.

There was a pause, before Ogasawara Suguru answered, "Yes. Or at least they used to be."

There was silence for a moment as they both processed the information they just heard.

"Thank you for sharing that with me Nagisa-san. I will think of something to help them out." Ogasawara-san said.

"Shouldn't we just let them fix the situation by themselves?"

"You don't know them Nagisa-san. Sachiko is stubborn and sometimes needs a little push to get things done, especially when it concerns Yumi-chan. She may look proud and sure of herself, but not when Yumi-chan is involved. Do you think Sachiko just happened to come by the information that Yumi-san was in Nara? Or that she met Hagane-san just by coincidence?"

Kyouya's eyes narrowed. The person on the other end of the line sounded like a cunning man to be able to influence a powerful woman like the Ogasawara Sachiko whom he just spoke to and met earlier.

"Why are you telling me this?" he asked.

"Consider it an exchange of information. But I trust you to keep this confidential."

"Of course."

Yoshino was in a café that afternoon, having a meal with a junior from Lillian. Their discussion was interrupted when her phone buzzed.

"Hello?"

"Any news?"

"No updates sempai. She is still waiting for the right time?"

"What right time? It's already been 6 months!"

"I told you, you should come back to Japan and help me fix the situation, but you keep putting it off. When you get back, we have an excuse to have a group vacation, lock them in a room together and force them to reconcile." Yoshino said heatedly.

"And you think it would be that easy?"

"Well, it's worth a try."

"I'm going home this summer anyway. Let's talk to the others and organize this plan of yours."

"Don't make it sound like this is just my plan. You were the one who told me that we should do something. And it's not some grand plan. We just need to give them a reason to be together, and a chance to sort out whatever it is between them." Yoshino huffed.

"Sure sure…" the other woman said dismissively. "I will call you as soon as I book my flight."

Yoshino pocketed her phone as soon as the call had ended. She took a sip of her orange juice and noticed the glare Touko-chan was giving her. "What is it?" she asked as she put down her drink.

"You're going to lock them in a room together until they reconcile?" Touko echoed.

Yoshino exhaled audibly. She is the ever protective little sister Yoshino remembered her to be. "It will be a last resort. Do you have any better ideas?"

"Why are we doing this again?" Touko-chan asked, clearly annoyed.

Yoshino invited Touko-chan for lunch that afternoon so they could think of a plan to help Yumi-san and Sachiko-sama to get back together.

She hadn't thought of interfering before, in fear that Yumi-san would get angry. There was a time in the past when she confronted her friend about her relationships. Yumi-san got so angry that she didn't speak to her for months. Yoshino thought it was the end of their friendship, until thankfully, Yumi came around and started talking to her again. Since then, she decided to respect Yumi-san's decision and just continue to observe and support her.

But when Yumi-san informed her about what happened in Nara, that she had a chance to talk with her former lover (Really, you just talked? Who would believe that? Yoshino thought), Yoshino realized that their relationship was not a lost cause. And she took this as her cue that her best friend was finally ready to open up her heart and get back together with Sachiko-sama.

Yumi-san promised her that she will eventually clear the misunderstanding with Sachiko-sama. But 6 months has already passed and Yumi-san still hasn't made her move. Because of this Yoshino felt like she needed to meddle to be able to speed up their reconciliation process. She knew she had no right to interfere in these issues, but Yumi-san is her best friend. That counts for something.

So when she learned that Sei-sama will be going back to Japan. She knew it was the opportunity she was waiting for.

"Why are you scheming with Sei-sama? Why not talk to your own onee-sama or Youko-sama instead?" the younger woman asked.

"Why do I get the feeling that you do not want to cooperate Touko-chan?" Yoshino pouted. "And to answer your question, I am not very comfortable with Youko-sama. While Rei-chan is just too nice. I told her about the plan and she got angry and told me not to intervene."

"Well, we probably shouldn't. Don't get me wrong, I do want my onee-sama to be happy. But I don't think we have to do anything, because someone's bound to do something about it sooner or later." Touko said calmly.

Yoshino furrowed her brow in confusion.

Yumi

Yumi stretched her arms over her head to loosen the knot forming in her shoulders, before sitting on her chair and turning on her PC. She arrived early that day and was enjoying her iced macchiato as she waited for her computer to boot. She then lazily flipped the papers dumped on her desk to see how much work she needed to accomplish for the day, when suddenly…

"Fukuzawa! Good thing you're early today. Get ready, you will be leaving in 15 minutes."

Yumi almost spilled her coffee in surprise as her boss came running towards her desk.

"Don't just sit there staring. Didn't you hear what I just said?"

"I'm sorry Tennoji-san, but I don't understand. Can you please explain it to me clearly?" Yumi said in reply, but still proceeded to put her stuff in her bag haphazardly despite having no clue as to where she needed to go and why she needed to leave.

"You will be accompanying Kiyonori-san at a client meeting."

Yumi almost dropped her bag to the floor, "K-K-Kiyonori-san?! Isn't he your boss?!"

"Yes he is. This is a big project for the company, so be sure not to screw it up."

Yumi felt her throat constrict and found it difficult to swallow due to her nervousness. Not screw up is a very difficult request to make, especially since she didn't know anything about the meeting that she was supposed to be attending in a few minutes.

Tennoji-san's phone buzzed and he immediately answered it. "Sir! Yes, she just left a few seconds ago and is probably on her way to the elevator now." His superior lied, as he gestured for Yumi to leave that instant.

"I thought I have 15 minutes" Yumi interjected. This earned her a glare from her immediate superior.

"Yes sir, I informed her to meet you in front of the building now." He said, giving her a pointed look.

At this, she scrambled out of their office and took hurried steps towards the elevator.

She ran out of the building and found a black SUV parked in front. Their company security guard opened the door for her and gestured for her to come in. She saw Kiyonori-san already seated in the back with an impatient look on his face. After taking a deep breath, she stepped in the car and sat beside the big boss. She immediately muttered an apology for making him wait.

The man looked at her from head to toe and she was not surprised at the displeased look he gave her. She knew her hair was dishevelled and her make-up might have been erased, undoubtedly from squeezing herself in an elevator full of people and from running around just to make it in time.

"Our clients are high profile people, so I would appreciate it if you make yourself more presentable. We will be arriving at their office a few minutes ahead of schedule. Take the time to fix your appearance Ms. Fukuzawa."

Yumi just bowed her head in response. She had a lot of questions in her head, but decided against voicing out any of it. Kiyonori-san was among the top executives of their company and was usually tasked with handling big projects that cost billions. She never had the chance to work with him before, which was fine by Yumi. The man intimidated her, and based on the rumours she heard, he was ruthless.

"Ms. Fukuzawa, have you worked for another company besides ours?" the man suddenly asked.

"No sir. This is my first job." Yumi answered, curious as to why he asked.

It was a short drive. It only took a few minutes before the car stopped at the entrance of a building parking lot. Yumi peered outside the window, trying to figure out where they were. The place felt familiar for some reason, but before she could figure it out, the car moved forward and entered the basement parking.

After going down one floor, the car pulled over in front of the elevator. Kiyonori-san stepped out and Yumi hastily followed to exit from the other door. Her boss pressed the elevator button, while Yumi proceeded to look around in an attempt to get a hint of which office building in the Tokyo CBD their meeting will be held. She then saw a white Porsche parked nearby…it looked familiar. Then a not so distant memory clicked in head, making her heartbeat quicken and her hands sweaty.

Yumi knew where they were. And probably, who they were going to meet.

Yumi glanced around, looking for an exit, as if she had a choice to escape the dreaded presentation meeting. She did plan to see her soon to clear things between them. But not now, not like this. It was too sudden.

She did try to see her a month after the incident in Nara. But she had not been allowed to enter the building since she was not an employee and did not have an ID. She could have lied and told security that she had a meeting with Sachiko, but she didn't. She was afraid that Sachiko's anger had not yet abated, and thus, would refuse to meet with her.

A month after, she finally found the resolve to brave a second attempt at entering the Ogasawara's main office to speak with Sachiko, only to be informed that she had left the country and will only be back after a few weeks.

But Yumi didn't stop. She went back again for the third time, hopeful that she would finally be able to see Sachiko. However, she was not able to reach the entrance when she got cold feet, because standing on the lobby were Ogasawara Sayako and Ogasawara Tooru. While it may be true that Yumi was finally able to forgive herself, and she was able to accept that what happened to Sachiko back then was an accident, she was not certain it was also how Sachiko's parents viewed the incident. She knew that they were nice people and would not blame her for what happened to their daughter, especially Sayako Obaa-sama. But she still felt scared. Add to that, Sachiko's grandfather knew about the true status of their relationship back then, how sure was she that Sachiko's parents hadn't been informed about it? Her fear of facing Sachiko's parents was also the reason why she hadn't considered going to Sachiko's house.

She had thought of asking for Youko-sama or Rei-sama's help, but eventually decided against soliciting for anybody's help. It was her problem and she didn't want to bother anyone else.

"Ms. Fukuzawa" Kiyonori-san's irritated voice broke her out of her stupor.

Her mind drifted off unconsciously due to anxiety that she didn't notice that her boss was already inside the elevator waiting for her. She hurriedly scrambled inside the lift and bowed in apology.

She was lucky no one else boarded the elevator as her boss scolded her. "I need you to be at your best Ms. Fukuzawa. I know you were only informed about this meeting just a few minutes ago and did not have the time to prepare. But I need you to pull your act together and appear confident and professional in front of our clients. I still do not understand why they requested for you specifically to be in this meeting. Despite that, the two of us are representatives of our company and we should make sure to bag this project before some other firm snatches it away from our hands. Is that clear?"

"Yes sir." Yumi replied.

I think I have an idea as to why I am here? She thought.

The door soon opened to a familiar hall. Yumi paled, dreading that her intuition about this meeting had been correct. But as her boss requested, she needed to pull her act together. Her boss stepped out and went ahead of her to the conference room, while she proceeded to the restroom to make herself more presentable.

Once inside the ladies room, she let out the breath she was holding since the moment she walked in the elevator. Yumi leaned forward on the counter and closed her eyes, as she tried to convince herself that the people they'll be presenting to may just be managers. She is too important to be attending a meeting such as this.

Yumi knew it is impossible for her to have planned all this because Yumi knew she was still angry with her. So that leaves only one possibility, her cousin…

When Sachiko told her that nothing ever happened between her and Suguru-san, Yumi stopped being jealous of the man. And looking back, she realized that Suguru-san had done nothing but support their relationship from the very start. He obviously loved Sachiko as family, and because of that, he always looked out for her well-being and happiness making him a meddler most of the time.

Just like now, Yumi thought.

After another deep breath, she proceeded to put on some make-up, coated her lips with pink lipstick, brushed her hair and smoothen the wrinkles of her business suit. She also applied lotion on her hands, in case she needed to shake the hands of their clients.

She took one good look at her reflection and forced a smile. After deciding that it was the best she could do at the moment, she proceeded to the designated room.

A/N: As promised, there won't be too much sadness and angst from this chapter onwards. I wanted to include a part about Youko since she is too much of a meddler based on the anime. But I guess having Suguru-san intervene would be enough. As for Yoshino and Sei, do they still need to meddle for Sachiko and Yumi to fix things between them? You will soon find out. See you next chapter. Let me know your thoughts.