Ah, summer, what power you have to make us suffer and like it. ~Russel Baker

Chapter 9

This was ridiculous! He had come to Nikko with half a dozen frinds, and yet right now he wa all alone, bored like hell with nothing else to do but roam around the house like a damn ghost. Where ha they all gone? The mansion was as empty as one of thoe house from a cheap science fiction movies in which all the residents habeen abducted by aliens. From time to time he could hear the discrete footsteps of oneof the servants or the gardener's rattle. He knewfor a fact that his grandparents were at the club, but where were his friends? It had become a habbit for Rui andShigeru to vanish into thin had already a conquest and he hadn't yet gotten bored with it. And Tsukasa...most certainly with Tsukushi somewhere.

He could go to the club, follow Akira's example, find some entertainment. There were somepretty girls around Nikko as well. But he already imagined the scornful look he would get from his grandmother if he dared. No, it was not the time nor the place to amuse himself with local beauties. It would be like rubbing it in his grandparents' faces that theu did not succeed in setting up a marriage to Yuki. At least in his grandparents' presence he should restain himself.

But still, this hot summer day, this clamness, this lazyness in the air, was too much for him.

He felt like he could die of boredoom. Maybe he could go for a swimm, chill aut for a little while, till someone would decide to show up. And he would have plunged directly into the pool, taking a deep and refreshing dive if he had not notice the French doors that were connecting the pool aerea to the salon, open, the draperies dancing softly in the rhythm of a lukewarm breeze. A humming sound was heard from inside and upon lookin through the semitransparent material of the curtains, he could distinguish a slender figure sitting on the floor in the midle of the room, surrounded by patches of white.

Intrigued, Soujiroh decided to postpone his dive and with steady, silent footsteps, he walked confidently into the salon. He had been so concentrated on trying to identify the figure in front of his eyes, that he did not notice hen he stepped on one of the white patches. The short rustled sound alerted him to the fact that the white spots were in reality sheets of paper. And after bending a picking one up, he found that the papers were sketches of the very room they were residing in.

But not even the sound of his footsteps or the rustle of paper seemed to disrupt the drawing. Crounched over a clipboard that was laying on her lap, straight, brown hair falling like a silky drapery that was hidding her face and humming a soft tune,Yuki kept draing, oblivious of Soujiroh's presence. Taking a place next to her on the floor, he just watched, fascinated, how the charcoal pencil in her hand left traces of black on the whiteness of the paper.

„I think this one is the best" he found himself speaking while extending his right arm, holding one of the sketches aut to her.

Startled, Yuki lifted her eyes from the drawing, flipping her long hair over her shoulders.

„Soujiroh….I haven't heard you coming. I have the bad habbit of turning the volume of my iPod up while I'm drawing „ she said while taking off hear headphones. And then looking at eh sketch offered by Soujiroh, proud smile on her face, she added:

„Doesn't it give you a feeling of harmony? It's incredible how such little details can create such an astonishing effect. That's what I love about traditional celebrations. They have the power of bringing back magic into the real world. „

Soujiroh gave her an affirmative „Aha…" followed by a smile that also left to be understood that he totally agreed with what she said. It was like dicovering a new side of Yuki's personality. All these years he knew her and he had never seen her so radiating as she was right now, so immersed into something as she had been a few minutes ago. How was it that he had missed such an important detail about her? How come he had discovered it only now? Was it because every time they had met in the past the focus was more on him than on her? He never remembered talking so much about her passions or about her dreams. Soujiroh knew she studied to become an interior designer but until now he had seen it like a mere career path that Yuki wanted to undertake.

After making the finishing touches to the last sketch, Yuki started gathering her pencils and papers. A deep silence had fallen once again in the vast chamber. She felt Soujiroh's intense gaze directed upon her, lost in his own thoughts:

"Penny for your thoughts?" asked Yuki smiling.

"I don't know if my thoughts are worth a penny anymore. I am so bored I can't even think."

"If you're bored, why don't you come help my with my errands. At least, it would get you out of the house."

"What kind of errands?" asked Soujiroh.

"I need to go into town and order the decorations for the party. Nothing out of the ordinary. Think of it as a shopping trip." She explained, but she was almost certain that Soujiro would refuse the invitation. Shopping wasn't his hobby.

"Okay. Just wait for me till I go and change and then we can get going."

He was already getting up and heading to the exit of the salon that let to the staircase. Yuki just gave an affirmative nod, somehow taken by surprise by his answer.

XXX

Before turning over yet another page of the book he had been reading for almost two hours now, Akira took a quick glance at the clock on the wall. Almost three o'clock. That meant that he still had a little more than half an hour before meeting Mrs. Kanzaki. Who was Mrs. Kanzaki I hear you asking? Well, she is not very important to the story, in fact this is the only chapter in which she gets mentioned so don't bother much about her. But just in case there are persons out there interested in minor, episodic characters, here are the most notable facts about her.

Mrs. Kanzaki was one of the most beautiful women in Nikko, with big, manga-like brown eyes, full lips, small waist, ample bosom and hips. In a nutshell, she was the typical trophy wife of one dwarf-like Mr. Kanzaki who, unfortunately, was more in love with exotic birds than his significant other which meant that he spent quite a great deal of his time traveling, from the Amazonian jungle to the deserts of Australia in search of the rarest species of birds. Which in turn meant that his lovely wife was left alone for a great deal of time and she, being a very rich woman with very little imagination, was bored most of the time. So that when she saw Akira that day in the restaurant, having lunch alone, she only saw a new possibility of entertainment. And since this is Akira we are speaking about, he pretty much saw the same thing in her, and he was not at all surprised when she invited herself to his table and then accompanied him to a hotel room.

That was more than a week ago and Mimasaka had already gotten bored with Mrs. Kanzaki. Her expiration date was getting nearer and nearer. She was lovely and beautiful but the novelty and excitement of their affair was gone and so was his interest. Truth be told he was in no mood to meet with her today but the alternative was not very appealing either. He had been left alone in the mansion. The grandparents were gone God knew where and the love birds were spying on Yuki and Soujiroh who were out shopping. Till now their plan had not been particularly successful but he liked to think it was only a matter of time.

He began reading again although in all honesty he should have started getting ready for his date. He had no intention of being there on time; Mrs. Kanzaki could wait for all he cared. So he returned to his novel, Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut without a trace of remorse. He hadn't gotten very far down the new page when his mobile phone began ringing. A little irritated, he extended his right arm and took the annoying device from the nightstand while still holding the book with the left, eyes glued to the lines he was reading. Deciding not to answer unless it was really important, he looked first at whose name was displayed. But he only saw an unknown number so Akira flipped his phone open and uttered a "Hello?"

„Hello? Akira-kun? Ah, finally somebody who actually answers the phone!"

The voice was very familiar but he couldn't be certain he was not mistaken. Thus, still confused, he managed just one word: „Tsubaki?" before the voice on the other end of the line could be heard again.

„Yes, it's me. Oh, I'm so happy I could reach you! I tried calling Tsukasa but his phone's turned off. And so is Makino's. I'm at the airport. Could you come and pick me up?"

He didn't even have to think about what to say. His response was automatic: „Yes, of course, I'm on my way." He was already on his feet, grabbing his car keys and getting out of the bedroom. It seems that Mrs. Kanzaki will not be seeing Akira after all. And while our young hero is driving in that reckless way of his, let us concern ourselves with Mrs. Kanzaki, now that her five minutes of fame are almost over. She understood perfectly what role she played in Akira's life and the efemerity of it and took his absence from their meeting for what it was: a sure sign that their affair was over. But if for Akira women were interchangeable, so were men for Mrs. Kanzaki. Thus, instead of crying her eyes out and going through depressions and suicidal periods like most women did when they realised they had been dumped by THE Akira Mimasaka, she just continued her search for new, inventive ways of getting rid of her perpetual boredom, without giving Akira another single thought.

By now, Akira's already at the airport (What? I've told you he drives recklessly!), looking for Tsubaki amid the hundreds of people, berating himself for not asking her precise location. He had gone directly to the arrival gates but even so he was surrounded by a great number of people running all over the place or waiting for their loved ones which made it difficult to spot Tsukasa's sister. How was he supposed to find Tsubaki in this confusion? He had just taken his phone out from one of his trouser's pokets, intending to call her and ask for more details, when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

The first thing he noticed when he turned around and was facing Tsubaki was that she appeared to have shrinked since the last time he had seen her. If before she was always at least as tall as him, now he could actually see the top of her head since she only reached the height of his shoulders. A swift glance at her feet revealed the reason for this change in height: she was not wearing highheels but a pair of flip-flops. In fact Tsubaki's whole outfit was strangely uncharacteristic. She was wearing some loose fitting jeans and a simple T-shirt, her hair gathered in a pony-tail. Who was this person and what had she done to the Tsubaki he knew? The one always elegant and on heels, the one who drove fast cars and did not need to be picked up at the airports?

„I'm on vacation." she informed him as if reading his mind. „In case you were wondering what the Hell am I doing here." she continued while indicating her leather suitcase that was placed at her feet.

Akira took the hint and grabbed the suitcase and while they were headed for the exit, he said: „I wasn't wondering what you were doing here. Mrs. Nishikado already told us you would be staying at the mansion for a few days, but we were not expecting you till next week."

„I know, but I found out some very interesting ...news, shall we say and I've been convinced to come earlier. It has been a bother to find a flight. I've had to change three planes in order to get here. And when I finally do arrive I can't get hold of my brother, or his fianceé or two of his friends. I was so glad when you answered."

Akira finished putting the suitcase in the trunk of the car, opened the door for Tsubaki to get in and only after he was seated behind the stairing wheel, did he reply: „Tsukasa, Makino and Rui are on a mission...sort of, that's why they keep their phones turned off. I was at the mansion."

He started the car and got out of the parking lot. It didn't even occur to him to change his way of driving although you could see on the faces of most girls who had went for a drive with him that they were nauseaous by the time they had reached their destination. But this was Tsubaki, she was not most girls, she wouldn't mind. On the contrary, she seemed to quite enjoy it, that big smile of hers never leaving her face, not even when Akira accelerated at the last moment in order to catch a green light or when he took a curb without slowing down.

"So…what interesting news?" he inquired after they were already on the highway.

"A little bird told me that you are planning to get Soujiroh and Yuki together. Not only that, but that their grandparents wish for them to get married. Is it not true, Akira-kun?"

The young man kept his eyes on the traffic and did not answer right away. He had been considering if he should tell everything to Tsubaki ever since he had found out about her imminent arrival, but it seemed there was nothing to tell. She was obviously as informed as she would have been if she were present since the beginning of the whole affair. Why bother deny it then?

"It's true, your source is very accurate. How did you find out?"

"That's for me to know and for you to wonder, Akira-kun. You're not the only one who has secret ways of finding things out. But haven't you guys had enough with Makino and Tsukasa?"

"Well…no. Apparently we're in a matchmaking mood."

"Who's next, then? You, Akira-kun?"

He briefly looked at the woman seated next to him. Tsubaki was still smiling but it was hard to tell if she was joking or not. He guessed she was.

"What do you mean?" he finally asked, returning his gaze to the windscreen.

"Well, Makino and my brother will be married soon and so will be Nishikado-kun and Yuki if your plan is successful. And Rui is dating Shigeru. You're the only one left. What you're waiting for, Akira-kun?"

"I was waiting for you to get divorced but I guess now there's nothing stopping me from tying the knot. "He joked, starting to laugh and Tsubaki seemed to think it was indeed a good one because she started laughing as well.

After a few minutes, when the laughter had subsided, she inquired:

"So…what's the big plan? What exactly are you doing to get the two of them together?"

"Till now we've figured the best solution was to make them spend as much time together as possible. They have a whole year to recuperate and the big idea was to make them comfortable with each other's presence."

"Just that?"

"Yes. Well, they're both charming, interesting people. They're bound to fall in love with each other if they spend enough time together. It should work, especially with Yuki. We're still thinking what to do with Soujiroh."

"I thought they were already in love."

"They are, it is just that Soujiroh is refusing to admit it. Ah…here we are…" he stated while carefully parking the car in front of the mansion. None of them made any attempts to get out of the car though. Instead, Tsubaki turned around a little and leaned more on the right side of her body so that she could see Akira better. He was still looking straight ahead.

"What is it, Akira-kun? What's bothering you?" she asked.

He was startled a little, as if awaken from a dream. He turned to look at her, serious expression on his face, he was not joking anymore when he asked:

"How do you know about the grandparents?"

"Of course I knew Soujiroh's grandparents, just like you do. And do not forget Akira-kun that I went to school with his brother, Shouichiroh."

"I wasn't asking about his grandparents, of course I knew you were acquainted with them. I was referring to Yuki's. You already know she's a Takashimizu, don't you? When did you find out? From whom? "

"Ahh…Akira-kun, you're making me tell all my secrets…fine, if you really must know – and may I add that curiosity killed the cat – before the F4 there was another group quite famous within Eitoku Academy, although we did not terrorize the school like the four of you did. It was me, Shouichiroh and Shinichi-kun, Yuki's brother."

"So you knew about her background from the start?"

"No, not even close. I knew of course that Shinichi-kun had a sister whom he loved tremendously, but he didn't like to talk much about his family. At the time when I met him he was already quite independent, quite estranged from his family. I think I met his father only twice in all the years of high school and never his mother or his sister. So that when Makino introduced me to her best friend I had no idea she was my friend's sister. I only found out accidentally last year when I visited him in Brazil – he lives in Rio de Janeiro nowadays – and I saw a picture of Yuki-chan on his desk."

„Why didn't you say anythig?"

„It was hardly my place to do so. I decided you were going to find out only when Yuki-chan would decide to tell you."

Akira nodded and smiled a little. Tsubaki was right of course. And if Makino didn't tell them anything, why would she?

„Anything else you know and you're not sharing?" he asked.

„Oh, lots of things but today's session of divulging secrets is over. For me it is at least. Now's your turn." She was smiling again, deviously so, Akira noticed.

„My turn?" he feign innocence.

„Yes, your turn. You tell me one of you're secrets."

„What if I don't have any?"

„I don't believe that, everybody has secrets and you're no different. So, c'mon, spill the beans!"

He was silent or a few moments, but Tsubaki was a patient woman. Finally, those words were uttered:

„ Do you remember that day you slapped me? You were the first girl I had ever kissed."

Of course she remembered that day, the whole summer in fact was forever imprinted in her memory. The last summer before her marriage...

When her mother had told her about the family's plans for her, she put up little resistance. Thinking about it now, she was utterly ashamed of how she had acted. But she was young and did not know the way things worked and her mother was the figure of absolute authorithy, she scared her. If she was not showing her emotions, inside she was dying with so much frustration and rage.

She had no real recolection about the kiss itself, what brought it on, the look on his face or the feeling of his arms around her or if his lips had been soft or not.

When she thought about that day, what she could vividly see and feel, was how she slapped him and how good it felt doing it. She had been so mad at her mother for deciding her fate, at her family for not helping her, at the whole world for not saving her, that slapping him was like hurting everybody, like standing up to everybody. Hiting Akira had been her first feeble attempt at rebelling. She had learned much later that only she could save herself.

After it happend thought, things changed. They became really good at avoiding each other. Not that it was very difficult to do so, with her getting married and leaving for the States. But now, thinking about it, this was the first time since that day that they were alone together.

She briefly wondered what he remembered about that day, but judging by the fact that he had said the day you slapped me and not the day we kissed, it was pretty obvious.

What was she to reply to such a confession? It was thus only appropiate that Akira was still the one to speak:

„ How was that for a confession?"

He was still looking straight ahead but was smiling, so Tsubaki decided that it was okay to joke a little, even if the mood had become more serious:

„Good enough for a start, but I told much more than one secret. We're not even yet. I'm expecting a second part."

„Perhaps, but mine was much more personal, so I think we can call it even, don't you think so?"

What was it with this boy today? How come he had succeeded in leaving her speechless? Twice? In less than half an hour?

Akira smiled at her, took the keys out of the ignition, opened the door of the car from his side and was already with one leg out of the car when Tsubaki grabbed his left arm and said:

"Akira-kun, you should try closed spaces."

He turned around. "Huh?"

"Yes, for your plan. Think about it! It did wonders for Tsukushi and Tsukasa. The elevator, the cabana… " She had let go of his arm and he was free to get out of the car but not before smiling at Tsubaki and thanking her for the suggestion. Did that mean she was willing to help also?

While two servants were taking care of the suitcase and Akira was yet again opening the car's door for Tsubaki, holding it open with his right palm while giving the left to her to help her get out (which she accepted with a small "Thank you!"), Mrs. Nishikado appeared at the entrance.

"Tsubaki, my dear, welcome!" the old lady said while kissing Tsukasa's sister on both cheeks and giving her a hug. "We were not expecting you until next week."

"I know, but something came up and I decided to come earlier."

"My dear child you should have announced. Somebody would have been sent for you at the airport."

"I left in such a rush that I forgot, I'm afraid. And afterwards I had so much trouble with my flight that it totally slipped my mind. But everything turned out alright. Akira-kun didn't mind giving me a lift, did you?" Tsubaki asked turning, facing and winking at him.

"Of course not, it was entirely my pleasure" he replied.

"Yes, Mimasaka-kun is such a gentleman that I'm sure he didn't. But you must come at once to the study. My husband will be thrilled to see you and you must tell us all the news from New York." Mrs. Nishikado insisted before turning towards Akira and asking him if he will join them. He declined stating he had some business to attend to so the three of them parted ways in the corridor, with the ladies going left to the study and Akira climbing the stairs to his bedroom.

He was slightly annoyed with himself. Unlike Rui who just spoke whatever was on his mind, whoever cryptically it sounded out loud, and Tsukasa who just…spoke whatever, Akira was very careful with his words, even around his friends. So what brought that confession on, then? She was obviously joking and playing around and yet he had been very serious. Of all times he could have decided to be serious, he chose that one!

He rarely thought about that day – it was not pleasant after all for a Don Juan like him to remember that his first attempt at seducing a woman had been so totally disastrous – but today, seeing her again, spending some time with her alone, the memory of that sunny afternoon just popped into his mind. Today she smiled brighter than the sun and seemed genuinely happy, so different from back then…But then again she had been through a lot and she wasn't the same person anymore.

Before the news of her impending marriage was dropped on them like a bomb, he hadn't really paid attention to Tsukasa's sister. She was just that - his friend's sister, who loved to put her brother in place and was not afraid to use violence to do so. She was not a constant presence in their life, entire weeks could pass without seeing her, but when she was around, she was fun and got along well with all of them. She embarrassed Tsukasa, beat Akira and Soujiroh at Mahjong and chess and, amazingly Rui was not completely awkward around her. Well, most of the times he was not.

And then the marriage had been decided and all of a sudden the mood changed. Tsukasa became more violent and moody, taking out his rage and frustration anytime and on anyone. And Tsubaki…she became all quiet and emotionless.

It was around that time that Akira's perception of her changed. In his eyes she became a symbol of what the future held in store for all of them. He had hoped she would show some signs of rebellion, make some sort of attempt to break free, give them all hope that all was not yet decided and that they could still be in charge of their lives. But she did not. Never once did she raise her voice against her mother's decision, never did she try to sabotage the wedding plans.

Akira couldn't say he was surprised. For someone so young to stand up to someone so imposing and powerful as Tsukasa's mother was practically impossible. What bothered him was that Tsubaki seemed to become emotionless and he could not understand why. If he had been in her situation he would have made sure he enjoyed to the fullest his last days of freedom, but she just withdrew herself from the world. She would spend most days at home, alone. If they were there, she would not join them, he just could not get it: why waste the last few moments when she could have enjoyed herself?

When she met her that sunny Sunday afternoon, walking from the garden to the house, she gave him a small, feeble smile. He just stared for a few seconds, mind totally blank. Had he been thinking of kissing her? He could not remember, he was almost certain he had not. He was after all quite surprised on seeing his right arm extend and grab her neck, pulling her closer. And the next thing he knew, he was kissing her. It only lasted for a few seconds and he did not even have the time to experience surprise or acknowledge what had happened, what he had done, because her palm had already made painful contact with his left cheek. And looking at her after she had slapped him, he seemed to discover somewhere deep in her eyes the Tsubaki he had known and not the lifeless puppet her mother made her to be.

Watching her get married, it had become clear to him that one by one, they would all meet the same fate. It was just a matter of time. Love was not a luxury he could afford, no matter how rich and powerful and influential his family was. In that case, love would not be something he would desire, he was fully convinced people could live without it. But he would make damn sure that before he became one more victim of political alliances or family customs, he would have his share of fun.

The book waited for him where he had thrown it and this time turned his phone off before laying on the bed and continuing his reading. But there were many thoughts swarming in his mind that did not let him concentrate on the novel. He had known Tsubaki for half of his life but he had no idea she and Soujiroh's brother were such close friends. Did that mean she knew his whereabouts? Where those the news from New York Mrs. Nishikado was so anxious to hear? One thing was certain: Tsubaki was indeed a woman of many mysteries. And, on top if it all, there was this Shinichi guy, Yuki's brother to whom Tsubaki was obviously quite close to. If she had visited him last year that meant that she had done so shortly after the separation from her husband and Akira couldn't help but wonder if maybe this guy wasn't the reason for the divorce. Mrs. Kanzaki had completely slipped his mind.

XXX

Downstairs, in the study, Shigure had been thrilled indeed to see Tsubaki. He had hugged her warmly and after fixing her a drink and urging her to take a seat, he asked:

"How are things in New York? Is everyone okay?"

But Tsubaki knew what the couple in front of her really wanted to know. They were of course, interested in her welfare and had been worried about her, but for some time now, since she had moved to New York in fact, she had been their only source of news – any news – about their oldest grandson. It had been her the one who started this, first telling them she found him and that Shouichiroh was alright. Madoka had been so happy and moved by that simple phone conversation they had had, that soon it had become a sort of habit for Tsubaki to convey all sort of information: that he had started photographing and was quite good at it, that he received this and that award, that he started smoking and grew his hair. Sometimes it was something silly, like that he needed to replace his glasses because he had lost the first pair. And the second. And the third.

She was aware of the fact that she was in a way betraying her friend. If he chose to stop all communication with his family, maybe she should have done the same as Shinichi and respect that decision. (Come to think of it, what was the deal with her friends and their isolation from their respective families? Not that hers was perfect, but at least she was on speaking terms with everybody) But she just couldn't for the life of her understand what reasons could he have to punish those two sweet people. If her telling them not to worry, that their ingrate bastard of a grandson is okay, was such a big betrayal, she was willing to risk it. Sometimes she could just slap him. Maybe that would wake him up.

She decided to mention it first:

"I've spoke to Shouichiroh before leaving New York. He is alright, just very busy, preparing for his new exhibition."

"Really? Is he healthy? Eating well?" Madoka moved closer to the edge of her chair, anxiously waiting for the girl's reply.

But it was not Tsubaki's voice the one to be heard next. Shigure was the one to speak:

"Sweetheart, he's a 27 year old grown man. I think he knows when to eat or not by now."

"Yes, but he's always been so skinny. I just worry for him."

"He's still skinny as a stick. No wonder he cannot get a girlfriend. Of course, his personality does not help either."

There were a few moments of silence after Tsubaki's words, but soon Shigure started to laugh, nodding his approval and he was soon followed by the one uttering those words in the first place.

Only Madoka was still serious. And only she decided to defend him:

"It's just that most girls cannot properly appreciate his wonderful personality and sensibility."

But her words did not have the desired effect. The other two just started to laugh louder.

After a few moments, Tsubaki spoke again:

"He is well, does not even smoke that much anymore. Too busy, that is all. I've talked to him about Soujiroh's situation, but he refused to get involved."

"So you know?"

"Well, I think I was the second person Shinichi called after finding out. The first was Shouichiroh of course, who refused to help him stop this madness. So he decided to ask for my help. I suppose I should be the last person who would support an arranged marriage."

"So that's why you are here? To try and stop us?"

"I don't really know. From what I've understood from Mimasaka-kun, this seems to be a team effort. And so many persons cannot all be wrong, can they?"

XXX

The deal with books is that they are effective as means of entertainment only while one is concentrating on what one is reading. Otherwise they won't work. This was what Akira discovered after spending more than one hour trying to make sense of the same page of his novel while his thoughts kept slipping to other more interesting subjects. Frustrated he got up and went to enjoy the summer sun for a while on his bedroom's large balcony. It did not take long till he spotted the disheveled quartet approaching the mansion in a slow broken rhythm. They faintly resembled his best friends but could not fathom what in the world could reduce them to such a pitiful sight. Well, there was only one way to find out, he thought while heading once again to the exit.

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