Memories (KojiYuu) -Part 7- [COMPLETE]

[Yuki88]

Might be just me lacking of imagination or this fic suddenly took drastic turn lol.
Never thought that Yuuko was an assassin of a black organization and she lost her memories because of the people taking revenge on her.

[anonymousstalker]

A/N: Just a short update be back for more




Part 5




Yuko's going home. And she panics. Home. There's no telling what kind of state her home is. No, wait. She knows about home. It is her house she isn't sure about. No, home is gone. So Yuko complies, and collects her belongings. She doesn't have much, just the ring, and the clothes she wore in, which she puts on, to wear out.




Once she’s in Atsuko's office, Yuko relaxes. But Atsuko notices that she's a bit sick.




"Yuko? You okay?" she asks, handing her a glass of water.




"Yes. It's just – this happened yesterday too. My head, my brain, knows that I can't remember the last few years. But deep down, there’s a part of me that knows I've been in that room for so long. And that part of me starts to panic.  But I'll be fine, I'm sure. Once I get used to this – "Yuko stops, because she doesn't know what to call it. New life? New state of being? New world? She’s not sure.




Atsuko frowns. "Maybe you should talk to someone."




"What, like another Doctor? No thanks, Acchan. I can handle this."




Atsuko gives her a knowing smile. "Thought you'd say something like that." Then she sorts through some papers on her desk. "These are you discharge papers. I – had them prepared last night, just in case. Sign wherever there's an 'X'. You have your things already. But your properties and financial holdings have been in Haruna's hands. They will be returned to you, effective immediately."




Yuko frowns. "Haruna?"




Atsuko looks concerned. "Yes. You – remember her, don't you?"




"Yes, of course," she says. "But why her?"




Atsuko shrugs. "After your accident she handled your company as well and the Board agreed, as long as they received a small handling fee."




Yuko smirks. "Right. Small."




"I'm sure she'll be happy to give you a report on what your company has been doing lately." Their eyes meet, and Atsuko looks away first.




"I'm sure," Yuko says, not at all wanting to hear a report on her company from Haruna.




"Is there anything else you need?" Atsuko asks quietly, once all the papers are signed.




"No," Yuko replies, frowning. There's everything she needs, though. Her whole life back, for starters. "I had a dream last night, only I don't think it was just a dream. It was of the night all this happened."




Atsuko perks up. "Oh? What did you see?"




"The whole thing, exactly as I remember it."




"Who – who did it?"




Yuko smiles a bitter smile. "My Aunt Megu. And two other members of the organization. Said it was only a matter of time before they found me and gave me my due for betraying them. I managed to fight back but the next thing I remember was waking up yesterday and seeing things all black and white."




"And you arrived here."




"That was my goal. I knew I was injured, badly. They wanted to properly beat me in remorse for my actions of course, then killed me afterwards."




"I figured they’d do that," Atsuko says, grimly. "Your Aunt is the only remaining member of the Organization that is still at large. The other two have been caught." Atsuko pauses and looks at Yuko. "Yuko, I – I'm sorry that all of this happened."




Yuko sighs. "Me too."




There's a moment of silence, then Atsuko says, "So what are you going to do now?"




"Try to get my life in order. Then I will hunt down my Aunt Megu. If the others were still free, I would hunt them too as well. But just Aunt Megu, then I'm not really sure what I'll do once I find her. And Acchan, rest assured, I will find her."




"If anyone could do it, Yuko, it's you. But I also want you to come back in a few weeks for a follow-up. Nothing big, just to make sure you're doing okay," Atsuko says. "And of course, come back if something happens before then, too."




Yuko mumbles her approval, and Atsuko writes the date on a slip of thin paper.




"Yuko, it – it's good to have you back."




It's clear that Atsuko really means it and Yuko tries really hard to smile, but her heart isn't in it. It's a cross between a smile and a frown and a twist of pain. But Atsuko gets it and nods anyways.




"And Yuko, if you need anything, Don't be a stranger and come by to my house ,okay."




Yuko hesitates, then nods and stands, ready to quit the hospital. "Right. Send me a message about it."




"And, I won't invite Haruna and Mari-chan."




Yuko stiffens and a wave of anger flashes through her. "That would be a good idea, I suppose, if you wish for me to visit. Tell Takamina, I said hi, will you?"




"Sure."




"Thank you, Acchan, for all you've done for me. And – if you see Haruna, tell her my thanks as well," she says, with a sad expression on her face.




Atsuko nods, then says, "Don't be so glum, Yuko. Home is right where you left it."




Yuko stops with her hand on the doorknob and says, very quietly, "My house is where I left it. Home is not." Then she turns the knob and leaves the room.








One hour later, Haruna arrives at the Hospital. She makes her way to Yuko's room, and when she arrives, she pushes open the door. Only to find someone cleaning, changing the bed, and fluffing the pillows of the room.




"What are you doing?" she asks, slight panic creeping into her voice.




"Cleaning the room," says the man.




"But, why?"




"The patient is gone."




Then her panic starts to increase. The last time she saw Yuko, she was catatonic, curled into a ball. Surely she wasn't – dead; she couldn't be. Life wouldn't do that to her, would it?




"What happened?" Haruna asks, frantically.




The man shrugs. "You'll have to ask the Nurses. I just clean rooms."




Haruna runs out from the room and runs to Atsuko's office. She knocks six times before she hears her and tells her to come in.




"Where is she?" Haruna asks, only half-way in the room.




"Yuko?"




Haruna glares at her. "No. The patient in room 402. Of course, Yuko!" Haruna's voice started to rise. "Is she okay?"




"Haruna, calm down. Yes, she's fine. Here take a seat, have some juice," Atsuko says, motioning to the seat opposite to her and a glass of cold juice.




Haruna sits, but does not take the glass. "Where is she?" She asks, quietly now, as if all her energy was spent waiting to hear that Yuko was okay.




"By now, Yuko's probably at home. I let her go."




Haruna’s eyes bugs out. "You let her go?!"




"Yes. She woke up this morning with her entire memory intact. Except for the time she spent here, of course. I saw no reason to hold her. I asked her questions and do minor tests and let her go."




Haruna seemed to sink even lower in her chair. "I didn't even get to say goodbye."




Atsuko looks at her sharply. "I thought you said goodbye yesterday."




"I did, but…" she trails off, with nothing really to say.




"Haruna. You know that I love you and you’re my friend. And besides I know these past few days is a whirlwind of experienced. But you need to understand that she needs more time to adjust her things now. Her entire world has been pulled out from beneath her, and the last thing she remembers is saying goodnight to you one cold winter night and then getting attacked by the Organization."




Haruna gasps. "She remembers what happened to her?"




Atsuko nods. "Yes. Her Aunt, and a few others."




"Oh no, Yuu-chan. Is she okay?"




"She's strong. She will be. Like I said; she needs time, Haruna. Especially to digest the news about – you."




"What about me?" Haruna asks, angry.




"You and Mari-chan."




"Oh, can we forget about that just for today. Mariko and I had a huge fight last night."




"About Yuko?"




"Of course. But what does she expect? Yuu-chan was by far the most important thing in my life, and now she's okay."




"I think the question is, what is the most important thing in your life now? Is it Mari-chan? Is there anything at all? Do you want it to be Yuko?"




Haruna stutters, not ready to deal with these questions. "I – I don't know, Acchan."




"I think you need to figure it out, Haruna."


TBC

[shiruba_rein]

Nice!   

Yuko's out already but she isn't happy . . . . She needs Haruna


Haruna! . . . You must definitely choose Yuko!




Thanks for the update 

[Konoe]

MariHaru fighting made me happy.

[atsukojiyuu_C]

I agree with konoe-san!!!
Erase your hesitation nyannyan, yuko needs you and you know already that you belong to that certain squirrel! ><

Suffered yuko makes me in pain ;;____;;
Thankyou anon-san, can't wait for next~

[ptrd3009]

haruna you should figure it out

[abcari]

Haruna you should figure that Yuko is your past and future

[Zita]

This is so easy question!!
I will answer it for you, Haruna.
The answer is YUKO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[LukeMatsuda]

Very GOOD!!! 

Please continue 

[anonymousstalker]

Part 6


It’s been a month since Yuko left the hospital and it’s almost Christmas, two years since Yuko had her memory stolen from her. She hasn't dealt well with what happened to her; she's mostly angry and somewhat resigned. She gets a message from the Hospital with a reminder notice of her follow-up appointment, and its tomorrow.


Yuko actually smiles when she realizes Atsuko had made the appointment for Christmas Eve. Probably just to make sure she didn't do anything stupid, or stay in bed all day, or drink her brain cells into mush. Like a good friend would do. When Yuko's done smiling, she puts down her glass of wine and walks out from her condo.


Night falls, and she decides to visit the old man who'd made the ring. The ring, which she kept, tucked in her secret pocket. She waits until closing time, hoping to avoid… people, in general.


When she thinks the time is right, Yuko bundles up for the cold walk she's about to take. It's almost half-past ten, and she hopes that maybe, just maybe, the old man got a last-minute request from some other unfortunate fellow and would be hunched over his workbench. She will be surely asked how the young person liked his handiwork, and Yuko realizes she worries the answer to that question.


With one last check, Yuko makes sure she has everything – ring, coat, gloves, and a hat.


She arrives in the east side of Tokyo were she walks to the ring shop and finds to her dismay that it's now a coffee shop. The old man must have finally died, Yuko thinks. She stares in the window, trying to replace the bookshelves with glass counters, the cozy environment with a dusty workshop. She can almost see the ghost of the old man, working behind the counter, bent over.



Yuko had arrived a little early, and the ring was not quite finished.


They had sat and chatted while the old man worked, and the man told her about how he met his wife. They had a similar story to Yuko and Haruna's, though not as distinct. They were enemies in their school and thoroughly hated each other until in their final year they were paired in their English subject for a final project. Their fighting and hatred quickly turned into flirting and stolen glances, and they never looked back. The woman in the discussion then entered the work room, bringing Yuko and her husband a tea, which she shared with them.


She told Yuko stories of their famous fights, which sometimes resulted in broken walls, broken pictures, and broken chairs. Among other things. Then she asked about the person for whom the ring was intended.


Yuko told the old couple her story, and of course they knew about her, and her family, and their affiliation with all things about the Organization. They also knew that she'd been involved in the defeat of the said group. Yuko told them that she and Haruna were a lot like them, they were also enemies, constantly bickering, or at least, whenever Haruna felt like starting it. They truly hated each other, and that continued all through high school, and after. When Yuko made the decision to defect, they picked up right where they left off, only now their fights were mean, and vicious.


Haruna hated her for being the cause of deaths for many people, and nothing would ever change that. Until Yuko did something completely out-of-character in Haruna’s mind. Something only for her.


It’s the time when Haruna’s birthday was approaching and no one seemed to remember. Yuko could see that it was going to go completely forgotten—that she seemed to be the only person who remembered it. So, for some unknown reason to her, she didn't want to see Haruna as hurt as she knew she would be at her friends' memory lapse. After all she deserved this one day to feel special.


Yuko simply reminded Atsuko that her birthday was only three days away. Atsuko had turned bright red, and started stuttering, and fell all over herself thanking Yuko for reminding her. She told Takamina, and the rest of their friends, and Haruna had an absolutely huge surprise party waiting for her when she returned with Mariko from their work. Yuko thought they went a bit overboard, actually, probably out of the guilt they all felt at nearly missing her birthday completely. Yuko stayed back, sticking around for the festivities long enough to see Haruna open a few presents, and not even the one she gave her.


Then she returned to her duties as spy, and Haruna was nice to her and she realized Atsuko or Takamina must have told her what she did, or at least led Haruna to believe that she wasn't the hard, cold, pervert shell she wanted them to think.


From there, things tumbled, and spiraled, and they were together not long after. It surprised her, honestly, to find that she shivered whenever Haruna was near her. Yuko always thought it had to do with the radiant hate between them, but when that subsided, the shivering remained. When one day their hands had brushed and she felt it down to the tips of her hair that was it for her. Haruna, of course, took longer to convince, but then she'd kissed her, ostensibly to shut her up, but after that, Haruna was a believer too.


The old man finished the ring, and Yuko paid for it, smiling broadly, more on air than ever before. She tucked the ring in her coat and said goodnight to the couple.



Standing outside the shop, forcing her mind to remember every detail, every image, from that night, makes Yuko forget that it was December and below freezing. When the images fade, the bookshop returns, and Yuko's nose is nearly numb. She rubs it with a gloved hand and turns around to walk the sidewalks.


It's a very cold night, and it's quiet, the quiet of being on a snow-covered street with not a sound except the crunch of snow beneath her shoes as she walks. Yuko takes one step to the left and her heart is pounding. Two steps, and her hands are sweaty and she's gripping her coat that her knuckles are white and her fingernails are drawing blood from her palms. Three, and it's hard to breathe. Four, and her eyes are darting everywhere, and she's very nearly frozen with fear.


Then five steps, and Yuko feels her lungs contract and a wave of cold air hits them as she gulps in air. Six, and she lessens her grip on her coat, seven and she's breathing normally. Eight steps, and she turns around to look at the spot where her life had changed.


It looks like every other spot on the street – snow-dusted and cold. There isn't a single sign shouting 'this is it!', nothing to tell anyone who passes that here, Oshima Yuko was robbed of her life. Only a memory in her head as she glares at shadows of the Organization in her mind.


Yuko stares, breathing out puffs of air. A few streetlamps and the silver moon make the snow look silver too. It's late now, time had passed while she stood outside the coffee shop, and all the shops are closed. This night, no one is about.


It starts snowing, and the lights illuminate the flakes as they flutter toward the ground, drawing her gaze from the spot. She can only see a few feet of the snow in front of her, but it's beautiful, and her breath hitches, and she wishes she weren't alone to witness this miracle of nature. It's so quiet, Yuko can almost hear each snowflake hit the ground. She stands still, letting the snow fall on her, breathing the cold air, and she can't feel her nose at all now.


She listens to her shoes crunch in the snow, and leaves a track as she walks towards her condo.






The next day, Yuko wakes with a strange feeling of dread and peace all at once. It's Christmas Eve, the night which has been two years since the one on which Yuko intended to propose to Haruna. And instead of waking next to her, she is alone.


Yuko hasn't seen her since the day she was in the hospital, and she has mixed feelings about it. She is sad and angry because Haruna was supposed to be hers. But she's also relieved, because she is not hers, and she wasn't sure she could get through a pleasant conversation with her if she tried. Yuko was still angry with her situation, with what happened to her.


She slowly gets ready for her appointment. She woke at eight and the appointment is at ten, but Yuko's still rushing around last minute so as not to be late. She gets a taxi few blocks from the hospital and walks the rest of the way. Yuko's wearing all black, no coats, as she's not sure what exactly she's going to do. Sunglasses even, in the middle of December. That way she won't have to look when people look at her.


Yuko's across the street, staring at the run-down department store that serves as the front for the hospital. She just stands there and stares, and she doesn't know for how long. Yuko imagines that everywhere she looks, she sees her. Every man or woman who glances around them before darting under the cover of is Haruna.


Haruna’s in the hospital. She worked there before, she works there now. She worked there all the time she was there. It hadn't occurred to Yuko until now that she might see her inside while at her appointment with Atsuko. Even though she knows she's not her patient, she had been for two years, and she knows Haruna want to know how she was doing.


And so she can't. Yuko can't go in. She just stares. Hundreds of people pass her but not one of them touches her. She feels like a rock in a river.


Finally Yuko stops staring and turns her shoulders upstream. It's true it's barely passed lunch, but a drink sounds like a really good idea to her. What better way to spend this, most horrible day, than with an unyielding glass in one hand and a tall, promising bottle in the other?


Only Yuko was just here last night, and Madame Noro recognizes her and acts worried. Worried that maybe she's drinking too much. But Yuko flashes her dimpled smile and more importantly, her wallet, and Madame Noro just grumbles that it's 'not her business’ and gives Yuko the requested drink.


After three glasses, Yuko feels almost sick. She hasn't eaten anything all day, and it's nearly two in the afternoon. She wants to eat, but she thinks she will be sick for sure if she does. So she tucks the bottle in her pocket and heads back into the street. Yuko's not sure where she's less likely to see her, Akihabara or the park, but she thinks Haruna's probably working, so she chooses the park.


Yuko walks to the park, frozen and covered in a blanket of snow. She hates how she feels. Bitter, empty, and angry. In what had seemed to her like only a month before, she'd been happy. Deliriously so. Only, it had been two years, really. Yuko couldn't always wrap her mind around it. She'd gone to bed one night and woken up the next day with nothing. That mattered. Stripped away like old, peeling paint.


There are some kids running around and she thinks how she still wants a family. A real one, where the parents love each other and play in frozen parks with their kids. She wonders if she'll have to make some kind of deal with Haruna for who gets to keep the kids' names.


Yuko scolds herself harshly for thinking about her again. But as she trudges… onward, not paying any mind for where she's going, she can't help but think that she has the right to think about her. All she wants! And to sometimes want Haruna to knock on her door and just start talking – about anything. The weather, or the budget committee meeting she'd just left, or the price of their stocks.


Only Yuko's angry too. At life, at the world, at the system of the universe. She knows she's done awful things, but who hasn't? Why her? But she also thinks, why not her? Why should she get to have everything she ever wanted? Still. Haruna was all she ever wanted. To the world, Haruna was just a girl, but to Yuko, she was everything.


And she's angry at her; Yuko hates that too.


When she finally looks up, she's nowhere she recognizes, which isn't really all that surprising considering it’s a park. And she's on a bench next to the river, staring at the water as it meanders by her toward the sea.


Yuko decides it's time to stop being so self-absorbed. Time to stop thinking about Haruna so much. She's moved on and she should too. Yuko's given herself some time, and it's time to let it go. To try and start the process of letting Haruna go. Yuko sighs and leans back against the bench, hands thrust in her pockets and no longer needing the sunglasses because the sun is nearing the end of its circuit.


Something catches her attention, and she looks beside her to find a small girl, with dark brown hair. The girl looks up at her and gives her a smile full of missing teeth. Yuko smiles back, for the first time not feeling in the least bit bitter about it.


Then the girl stands up and hands her a piece of bread. Yuko accepts it with a curious look, but the girl has walked toward the edge of the river and she's throwing pieces of the bread into the water. Yuko approaches the girl, stopping beside her and looking down at the water. Ducks are gathering below them, attacking the pieces of floating bread. The girl looks up at Yuko again, smiles, and resumes her activity.


Yuko joins her, and silently they toss stale chunks of bread into a dirty river. And Yuko thinks again how she wants a family. Right now this girl is her family.


"Know what my mum says when she comes home from work and she's too tired to do anything but crash in front of the tv with a bottle of something that smells like grampa's aftershave?" the girl asks.


Yuko is surprised, and manages only a weak, "what?"


"This too shall pass."


Yuko nods; she gets it. She finishes with her pieces of bread and watches as the ducks fight over the big one. Shoving her hands back in her pockets, she waits until the girl is finished. Then she smirks and ruffles the kid's hair. "Thanks."






Night has already come and Yuko goes back to her condo, it’s already past eleven when a knock on her door forces herself to get up. "Who is it?" she asks.


Yuko opens it;


And she's there, standing on her front porch, obviously cold, and looking nervous and hopeful.


Yuko can't speak at first, so she just stares.


"Hey," Haruna says, teeth chattering.


After Yuko blinks a few times, she responds, "Hi."


They stare at each other for a moment or two, then Haruna blurts, "Do you have anything to eat?"


Yuko almost laughs; almost. "Of course. Uh, come in."


And Haruna does, rubbing her arms to warm herself. Yuko's surprised that she's only wearing a light coat, long-sleeved shirt and jeans, and a hat. No scarf, no gloves.


Once in the foyer of the massive front hall, they look at each other. Yuko feels anger, like bile, rising in her gut. But Haruna looks so small, that she forces herself not to rail on her right there.


"The kitchen is this way," she says, and starts walking.


Haruna catches up to her, though Yuko's walking quickly, and falls into stride beside her. It takes them a few minutes to get to the kitchen, which they pass in strange silence.


Once there, Haruna immediately starts rummaging through Yuko’s cabinets, through her drawers, looking for food. Yuko's a little surprised Haruna is so familiar with everything, but then remembers that she probably visited her home a lot during her… absence. And Haruna's eating as though she hasn't eaten in weeks.


"When is the last time you ate?" Yuko asks.


Haruna looks at her. "A few days ago. Have you eaten dinner?" She's holding a box of crackers in her hand and she shakes it.


Yuko quirks an eyebrow. "It's nearly midnight; yes, I've had dinner." She didn't bother to mention that dinner had been those very crackers that Haruna is holding right now.


"Oh," Haruna says. Then she goes to the fridge and rummages through it for something to drink. And Yuko just can't allow her to drink from the carton, so she grabs the juice from her hand and returns it. Haruna looks at her questioningly.


"Sit. I will make you something to eat. I won't have you eating like a pig in my kitchen."


Haruna lowers her eyes, but sits in a chair that is next to a large island. Yuko busies herself with preparing a simple but delicious meal and Haruna pointedly looks anywhere but at her.


Yuko's actually quite quick about it, and sets a sandwich in front of her after only a few minutes. Haruna looks at it, then at her, then back at the sandwich.


"Why are you here?" Yuko asks more roughly than she'd intended, but she doesn't care.


Haruna looks at her before taking a bite. When she's halfway done, she looks back at her, and says, "You missed your appointment."


Yuko laughs and mutters to herself, "of course."


"I – we – were worried. It's very important for you to keep appointments."


"How terribly inconsiderate of me. To cause you worry," Yuko says, her fears of being unable to be civil to Haruna coming true.


Haruna looks hurt, but quickly masks it. "Would you like me to examine you? Then you won't have to bother with making another appointment."


Yuko shrugs.


"Acchan was looking forward to seeing you."


"Are all these formalities really necessary?" Yuko’s tone was curt.


Again, Haruna says nothing. She finishes her sandwich and then gets out a pen and a notebook. "So. How is your memory?"


"Great," Yuko mutters, sitting down across from her.


"Have you had any relapses? Flashes? Moments where you've forgotten anything?"


"No."


"Do you remember any of your time in the hospital?"


"No."


"Hmm," Haruna says, biting her lip and looking at her notebook curiously. "I have this theory," she starts, and before Yuko can tell her she couldn't care less about her theory, Haruna continues. "That you'll never remember your time at the hospital. That it will always be as if those years never happened."


"Well, isn't that too bad? I won't have two years' worth of pointless days mulling around inside my head."


Haruna looks at her, half out of concern and half curious. "Have you experienced any abnormalities? Unpleasant side effects? Anything at all?"


Yuko glares at her. "Nothing that isn't to be expected."


Haruna squirms in her seat and Yuko can tell she's hit home. Haruna's still the same and Yuko can still press all the right buttons to get a reaction, and somehow, this is comforting. "Okay. I just need you to answer a few simple questions. Who was the person that Sayaka has crush for a long time?"


Yuko signs loudly, impatiently. "Mariko."


"And what is the name of Acchan’s soon to be hus--…er…wife?"


"Takamina."


"Lastly, what did you plan to do with me on this date, two years ago?"


Yuko scowls. "That's low, Nyannyan. And off-limits."


Haruna sighs and puts away her pen. Yuko’s heart constricts painfully because it means Haruna’s done and she's not sure she's ready for Haruna to leave. Yuko's not sure she wants her to stay, either. Haruna takes a long time in adjusting her bag and finally gives up the pretense that she's leaving.


Instead, she asks, "How are you?"


Yuko almost laughs. "Is this a professional inquiry? Or are you really interested?"


Haruna looks at her, on the verge of being upset, but she doesn't explode. "I'm really interested."


"Well, I'm terrible, thank you for asking."


Haruna’s eyes widen. "What?"


Yuko waves her off. "But enough about me. How are you?" she asks, though it's hard to keep the bitter edge out of her tone.


"I'm… okay," Haruna says.


Since Yuko finds she's longer able to keep herself from asking, she says, "What are you really doing here? Acchan could have come by herself to ask that list of questions, no need to involve you."


Haruna finishes her glass of juice before answering. "I wanted to see how you were."


"I repeat: it's nearly midnight."


"I stopped by earlier, but you haven't been home."


"Ah. Yes. I had a full day."


Haruna frowns. "What's wrong, Yuu-chan? You sound – very angry."


Now Yuko laughs. "Me? What in the world would I have to be angry about?"


"Stop. Please, just tell me how you've been since you left the hospital. Acchan said you have yet to accept an invitation for dinner."


"I keep very busy."


Haruna’s features turn from concerned to angry in an instant. "Look, Yuu-chan. I get that you're upset with me, and I can accept that. So, I accept it. Now can we move on? I want to hear how – "


"I'm doing. Yes, yes, fine. I told you already: terrible. I've been spending all of my time going over everything that I've missed." Yuko sounds so bitter, even to her own ears, that she flinches. "News, my company, friends, everything." She pauses and looks at her. "I must say, though, that you handled my family's business even better than I imagined. You not only kept it running smoothly, but you actually made money. For that, I must thank you." Yuko smirks. "I can't tell you how many meetings I've sat through where everyone is thrilled beyond belief that I'm back, and then they tell me I should hire you, that you did such a wonderful job in my stead and I would be so lucky to have you on my team."


Then Yuko returns to angry. "Oh, but then there's also the part about dealing with losing you. That's been a lot of fun."


"Yuu-chan – " Haruna starts.


"No, you asked. And now you get to hear the answer." Yuko stares at her, her mind whirling with what to say next, but she deflates a little when she sees how small Haruna looks. "Actually, I'm done. Now. Your turn."


Haruna takes deep breath and stands up to make a tea out of Yuko’s teabags and say. "Ok, Would you like to hear about the last month? Or the last two years for me then?"


Yuko shrugs. "Fine, let's hear it," she says, like she doesn't care.



TBC

[Senelcar]

Need the end, it's mean to keep us hanging like that anonymousstalker-san !
This fic is really fun to read, i hope you will be able to write and post the next chapter soon

[Zita]

  what now? It is going to be bad.

[ptrd3009]

pleas continued it 

[atsukojiyuu_C]

Aww they spending christmas eve together in the end >w<
You'll finish this story before christmas, rite?
So I'm waiting then
Curiosity kills me!
Thankyou~

[Tam_atsu]

christmas is near so im expecting of happy ending for this please 

[shiruba_rein]

So Haruna is going to explain herself. . . . . I hope she could convince Yuko so she wouldn't be so bitter and get over what happened so that they could start anew. . . .


That could only happen when Haruna tells Yuko that she's leaving Mariko . . . . well, hopefully she does
And Yuko should have just told Haruna that she intended to propose to her!! . . . .




Thanks for the update! 

[Konoe]

The two finally got the chance to talk seriously.

I can't stand imagining Yuko being bitter so Kojiharu's explanation better be good.

[anonymousstalker]

A/N: Yey!!! I finished it before deadline and sorry for hanging you guys on the previous post my bad ok... here we go...






Part 7



Yuko shrugs. "Fine, let's hear it," she says, like she doesn't care.



"Alright, then. You were largely correct when you guessed how I passed my first year after your attack. Acchan and Mari-chan convinced me to slow down a bit, and I did. Mari-chan had to ask me out ten times before I said yes—"



Yuko holds up a hand, fire running through her eyes. "We are not at point in – us – where I wish to hear about you and Mariko. Is that clear?"



Haruna glares at her. "Oh, grow up, Yuu-chan. I finally said yes, but then I backed out – "



Now Yuko's livid. "Grow UP? Grow UP? Are you serious? Did you just say that to me?" And she's yelling.



Only, Haruna's yelling too. " – and then, after two more tries, I actually went out with her, and it was awful! I was crying the entire time – "



"Good! You should have been! Your girlfriend was on the nut-floor of the hospital where you worked, and you were off dating someone else!"



" – I felt awful, because it felt like I was cheating on you – "



"You were!"



" – and Mari-chan was really understanding – "



Yuko growls. "What did I told you? I don't want to hear about – "



"No, You asked, and now you get to hear the answer!"



"I was just being polite! Sheesh...You know what I don't really care!" Only both Yuko and Haruna knew that wasn't true, and then Haruna stops yelling, and Yuko sees her eyes water, and that part of her that is still madly in love with Haruna clenches, and tries to force her bodily nearer to her to comfort her.



Yuko however is very glad that the other part of her, the angry part, is currently much stronger than that part.



Yuko refuses to acknowledge Haruna’s tears, and Haruna continues quietly. "I came here to talk to you about – everything. The least you can do is listen."



Yuko doesn't say anything, so Haruna continues.



"Mari-chan is – my friend. And I think she was trying to help me move on – "



"Great. How kind of her, really!" Yuko spits.



" – because she wanted what was best for me. She – "



"What was best for you? No, she wanted you. She always has. And you fell for her little act."



Haruna clears her throat and glares at her. "She was understanding and considerate at a time when I felt all alone. You have no idea what it was like, to see you every day, and know that you had no idea who I was. I have never felt so small—so helpless—in all my life. You would look at me with blank eyes, and answer my questions, and all the while I wanted to scream at you, to kiss you, to make you remember me! But I couldn't; my colleagues told me that was the worst thing I could do—to try and force you into something your mind wasn't ready for. So I waited, and hurt, and cried."



She looks at Yuko, expecting her to interrupt, but Yuko's only staring at her with a cold expression and fiery eyes.



Trembling, Haruna fixes herself a cup of tea, trying to keep herself from crying. It's almost over, now. "It took nearly two years, but Acchan and Mari-chan convinced me to just leave, to let you go as a patient. And – "



"You let me go, in a whole lot of ways, didn't you? After all, you were perfectly happy with her." Haruna opens her mouth, but Yuko stops her. "I don't get it, Nyannyan." Her name feels like dirt in Yuko’s mouth, and Yuko wishes she hadn't said it. "You told me that you never, ever, had any feelings for her. That she was the last person on earth you would – "Yuko can't finish, because it's too much.



Haruna looks at her hands, folded in her lap. "She was – comforting – when there was so much in my life that was upended. She was familiar, and it was nice. She was also afraid you might suddenly snap out of it, though."



"Mariko knew I'd beat her out doing something like that."



"Yes, something like that," Haruna says, with a tiny smile. And that makes Yuko falter a little. Haruna then looks at her. "I missed you every single day, every single moment. There are so many times I thought I would die because surely it couldn't be possible to be in such pain and still live through it. But I did, and slowly the pain decreased. And I believed I was ready to move on with my life." Now Haruna can only whisper. "I never thought you'd get better. I gave up hope, Yuu-chan. For that, I am sorry."



"It’s your fault. How could you do that?" Yuko says, anger dancing on the edges of her words. "I would have waited for you. I never would have thought for one second that things wouldn't turn out okay. I would have waited for you Nyannyan."



Haruna lets a tear fall, and says, in a pained whisper, "I know that. I know that now, and I know that's what I should have done."



Yuko loses the bitter edge, and it's replaced with regret and longing, and sadness. "Of all the things I had—money, fame, my name—all of it, I could have lost all of those things, so long as I still had you. And I wouldn't think twice about them. But instead, now, I keep everything else, but I lose you." Yuko shakes her head and turns away from her, putting the dishes in the sink.



Silence stretches as Yuko washes the plate and fork, and she tries to make it take a long time, but it's one of those things that just can't take forever.



Yuko looks at her, and Haruna's thinking, she can tell.



"What did you do today?" Haruna asks.



Yuko shrugs. "Nothing really." Then she decides there's no harm in telling her the truth. "I went to the hospital, but I couldn't go in. Then I went to the Pub and got to know the bottom of a glass personally. Next I wandered around the park, ending up by the river." Yuko thinks she feels the ring shift in her pocket and she's so conflicted she wants to scream. "Why?"



Haruna shrugs. "Just curious. If you thought about… well, us, at all."



Yuko chuckles sadly. "Did I think about us, you ask? My God, honestly, what do you think? How could I not think about us? Considering I even..." Yuko’s voice trails off and she regrets even that one word. Yuko knows Haruna won't let it lie.



Haruna whips her head up to meet Yuko’s eyes. "What? Considering you even what?"



Yuko shrugs. "What?"



"What did you mean by that?"



Yuko struggles with whether she should tell her. If she does, what will happen? Will it hurt Haruna? Will she care? Yuko shakes her head; of course Haruna will care. Yuko wants to put it all behind her, and maybe telling Haruna is the way to do it. "Considering that I even... planned for us on this date two years ago."



"For Christmas?" Haruna asks, incredulous, and Yuko half smiles.



"Yes."



"But Christmas--."



"I know that. It just happened to fall on that special day, that's all."



Fresh tears fill Haruna eyes. "I started to hate this holiday. I was fond of it before, but after you were hurt, it was the day they told me you were in a coma, with brain damage. Every year, I cry myself out on this day. I wanted to see you today to try and alleviate some of that. This whole month… since you woke up, I've been torn in every possible way. I've wanted to see you, but I wanted to let you heal, let you find your place, too.



"And there was the matter of figuring out what was going on in my own head, which took some time – too long, really, no question, but you know me, I have to be sure. Then this day arrives, and the pain is still fresh, and raw, and I dread December for this day, and I dread the sun rising on this day, because it's like salt, rubbed into my heart, reminding me that the world keeps going, even though it stopped for me this day, years ago."



Yuko doesn't know why, but she wants to tell her. Everything. Now. "Would you like to know what it was like for me?" Yuko asks, not sure if wants to hurt her more or just tell her, because Haruna knows her, and she's always got her. "I know that you know that it was only a month ago for me."



Haruna nods.



"One month isn't a very long time, especially compared to two years." Yuko pauses again and Haruna sets her teacup down, holding her gaze. Yuko nods. "Follow me. And bring your coat." And Yuko turns and leaves the room. Haruna has to rush to catch and keep up with her as Yuko strides through the house, and out the back door, into the garden.



Yuko leads her to the place where she had planned to ask her. Yuko stands, staring at a bush, her mother's favorite.



"What?" Haruna asks, her eyes darting around.



Yuko looks at her and decides, finally, that she has to, Haruna has to know what she'd meant to her, all she'd meant. If Yuko has to moves on, she moves on. If not… she will eventually. Yuko reaches for her pocket. Still keeping her eyes locked on Haruna, she pulls the box from its stronghold and, after giving it a light squeeze, Yuko holds it out to her. Haruna takes it, gingerly, never breaking contact with Yuko’s eyes.



"That was one month ago for me. One. That – that's what I felt like today. For this whole month since I woke up."



Haruna opens the box, and lets the tears fall. Then she ends up on the ground, crying, holding the box, and not even shivering. Yuko notices she hadn't put on her coat, so she puts her coat around her as Haruna sits on the ground and cries.



Haruna stops crying, and can't stop looking at the ring. "Yuu-chan, it's – it's – beautiful."



"Do you really like it?" Yuko asks, kindly now.



Haruna nods, and she wants to put it on, because it still feels like yesterday to her.



"I hoped you would. I thought you would, because you're not the traditional kind of girl, but sometimes you surprised me, and you were the traditional kind of girl, so I wasn't sure."



"I – really like it." Haruna wants to say she loves it, but that particular 'L-word' feels awkward right now. "Yuu-chan, I'm not with Mariko." Haruna isn't sure why she says that, and right then, but it is the main thing she's come to tell her.



It's Yuko’s turn to feel sucker-punched. Yuko thinks her heart is going to pump right through her chest, it's beating so hard, but it's also so light, and the combination can't be good; but in a good way.



"I wanted to tell you, but I didn't know how. It happened the night you got better, and it's the best thing that could have happened. And it was inevitable anyway, because you were right; Mari-chan wasn't being my friend all the time. She just wanted me to forget you. I realized that weeks before you got better, but I was still so raw that I put off doing anything about it. And it was supposed to be we and Acchan that went out to dinner, but Mari-chan had coerced Acchan into not coming, and then you were better, and Acchan had to stay, and – "



Yuko hushes her with a finger to her lips. Her whole body remembers what it's like to kiss Haruna, and she has to suppress the urge to do just that, because it isn't the right time for that, and maybe Haruna wasn't done telling her things she had to tell Yuko.



"Nyannyan," she says, and now it feels like honey. "I understand." Haruna nods, and Yuko crouches next to her, and she thinks she might float away at the way Haruna's looking at her.



"Remember how you said all that stuff about losing me?"



Yuko nods.



"About your money, and your name, and everything else, but then me?"



Yuko nods again.



"Yuu-chan, you haven't lost me. You never did. I just – got confused, and things got so distorted, and – I'm sorry."



Yuko hushes her, and wipes the tears from her cheeks. "You know where I am, don't you?"



Haruna nods.



"It's been only a month, and I wanted to marry you. You must know I'm still in love with you. But it's been two years for you; there's no way you can feel the same way you once did."



"Well...pretty close," Haruna says, with a little smile. "But you're right, things are different now. I'm probably different. You might find you don't care so much for me anymore."



"Impossible," Yuko says, full of conviction. Yuko takes the ring box from her. "I'm going to just hold this, and keep it safe." Yuko tucks it back into her pants and secures it.



Haruna nods. "It really is perfect, Yuu-chan, for me. I love it," she says, looking into her eyes, hoping Yuko understands that she means Haruna loves her too. Yuko’s eyes flash, and Haruna thinks Yuko finally got it.



"Well, I'm not going to ask you to marry me tonight," Yuko says, standing and holding out a hand to help her stand as well. "But would you like to stay at least for the night?"



Haruna throws her arms around her and says, "I was hoping you’re gonna say that".



Then Yuko finally kisses her because she can't wait any longer, and Haruna kisses her back and Yuko’s world is righted. If only two years late.



END


A/N: You guys already know what happens next...right?!  Merry Christmas

[shiruba_rein]

aawwwwww . . .. Man! That was great! 


I wish you would make an epilogue where the two of them finally get married . . . or at least Yuko would propose to Haruna . . ..


It's good the they finally reconciled and made-up . . . . 

Thank you so much for this awesomefic!

[Zita]

 
You can not imagine how much tension I felt.
But everything is OK now.
Thank you.