School Girls' Stories - Year 2

Chapter 44 – A Walk Home

Yuki waited outside of the cram school for Fuji. It had been a long time since she had spent a good amount of time with her friend, and the other girl needed the support, and quite frankly Yuki needed a friend herself. Shai was too busy with Shu lately to even remember she had friends. Despite the nanny, whom Shinji was now dating on a regular basis, Shai preferred to be the one to take care of her baby. Yuki could not blame her, but at the same time she missed the three of them just spending time together. Next year, if Fuji was accepted, she would be in Tokyo going to college. Shinwa would be in London filming a movie or television show or something with Ririka… With Shai spending so much time with Shu Yuki was surprised she would still have any friends at the beginning of next year.

No, she could not look at it that way. Shinwa would be getting the opportunity of a lifetime. In England he would make far more money on movies, and receive more recognition, than he would here in Japan. Fuji was on her way to becoming a corporate business woman, hopefully not as close to her mother as she sometimes leans, and Shai was happy with her life. So why could Yuki not find any happiness in any of this?

“I’ve finally found you!” Yuki heard a voice shout. At first she did not even look up, not even fathoming that the person could be speaking to her. She did not recognize that masculine voice that floated over to her, she did not recognize the lilt in the accent that gave off an accent she did not know, and when the person was grabbing her gently by the arms and forcing her to look up at him she definitely did not recognize those violet eyes, that were reminiscent of Shinwa’s eyes. This man was a specimen to behold, almost unreal in his beauty. He had definite feminine qualities about him, but he was also definitely all male. His hair was silver with black roots, definitely bleached to that silver sheen, but oh-so-cool. He wore black and red, that went well with the tanned skin that almost looked unnatural with such light eyes and hair.

“I’m… I’m sorry,” Yuki stuttered, looking up into that face and falling into a spiral of amazement that something so perfect existed.

“Oh,” he said, looking very disappointed as he stepped away, looking down at the girl with a tilt to his head. “I’m sorry,” he apologized, “it’s just that you looked very much like someone I knew. I did not mean to frighten you.”
“No, it’s all right,” Yuki told him. “I’m sorry to have gotten you so falsely excited,” she laughed, then thought of how wrong that sounded and flushed a bit. “Sorry,” she apologized again.

The man stepped back, eyeing Yuki for a moment, then bowed his head. “I apologize again,” he told her, then turned around and began to walk away. Yuki was more shocked when he threw one last glance over his shoulder to look at her before disappearing.

“I can not believe you did not even ask him who you reminded him of.” Yuki jumped a mile out of her skin at the sound of Fuji’s voice right behind her. Yuki turned to face her friend and boggled at the sight of her. It had been a long time since she had seen Fuji looking so… dressed down. She still wore expensive designer clothes that fit her perfectly, but she had placed the cover-up makeup all over her face to hide her natural rosy cheeks, pulled her hair back into a short pony-tail, and put her glasses on, something she rarely did any longer. “He probably thought you were Kaori,” Fuji said, ignoring Yuki’s star and wide-gaped mouth.

“No one could possibly mistake me for Kaori,” Yuki pointed out, and pointed to her breasts at the same time she spoke.

“With your head down he may have only seen the long black hair, and Kaori was the only person I ever saw with that long of hair, and your faces do look a lot alike.”

Yuki just shook her head, breaking from her shock of seeing Fuji dressed down again. “Nah,” she said. “Let’s not worry about it, I’ll never see him again. How is cram school going? Are you a shoo in for Tokyo University?”

“Absolutely not,” Fuji laughed, both her and Yuki beginning to walk down the dark streets. “There are so many people in these schools that have been working harder than me, and I really let myself slip in the last year. I do not know if I can even compete.”

“Come on,” Yuki cried, “with that attitude you can’t win!”

“You sound like your mother,” Fuji pointed out as they continued to walk down the streets. Both of them slowed at this mention and Fuji quickly apologized. “I’m sorry,” she said, “I did not mean to bring up any…”

Yuki was shaking her head. “I’m going home tonight,” she announced. “I already have my bags packed. I packed while Shinwa was out at his agents. I left my bags with Shai for now, until I see how my parents react. They may not even want me back; Gods know they certainly have not tried to fight for me to come home.”

“Sometimes people reach a point where they can not fight any longer,” Fuji said. “Your parents held on to you so tightly they lost the line of reality and fantasy. Your mom saw you as Kaori, and at the same time I am sure she saw you as Yuki. She was trying to have both of her daughters in you. When you left the house to go live with Shinwa they were probably less than surprised, after all, two of their other children have already run away. The Oshidoris’ were ideal parents, and their children failed, so in turn they believe they failed, and they broke.”

“Why don’t you become a psychologist?” Yuki suggested.

Fuji gave off a kind laugh. “My mother would disown me forever,” she admitted.

“Sooo…” Yuki began, unable to help herself, “has Devilin seen you like this?”

“Get over it,” Fuji laughed, giving Yuki a light shove. “It is easier to study when guys aren’t ogling your every move.”

“Speaking of ogling,” Yuki said, ignoring the fact that Fuji was blind if she did not notice that men still glanced her way every three steps, “how is Danko doing?”

Fuji raised her eyebrow, the two of them swiftly making their way back into town and coming up to the Taiikuka household. “I thought you hated her.”

“I’m not thrilled with her,” Yuki admitted, “but, to be honest, blaming her would not do me any good. It is Kaori and Nakago’s choice to be gone, and when Nakago left, Kaori probably would have fled with him anyway, even if she had not gone to America. Lucky, Kaori’s only good subject was English.”

“You’re right,” Fuji admitted.

“You still have not answered my question,” Yuki pointed out.

Fuji just shrugged her shoulders. She did not look like she was going to say anything about the subject, her eyes straight forward, the wheels in her brain turning, then she sighed. “Danko dropped out of school,” Fuji finally admitted. “It took a few weeks, but she did it. She slowly just started tapering off. She told me she appreciated the few moments we had as friends, and wrote a letter to Devilin telling him she would miss him. He went to her apartment, but it appears no one is there.”

“Do you think she is going to try killing herself?” Yuki asked, shifting slightly from foot to foot.

Fuji shook her head. “No,” she admitted, “Danko is too strong for that, but I do not think she can face us now that we all know what she has been trying to hide all along.”

“Are you upset you may never see her again?” Yuki asked.

Fuji shrugged, which was the closest thing to an honest answer she could come to. She waited a few heartbeats, and then said with honesty, “I’m not sure. She and I were not best friends, if anything we were fly-by acquaintances, and could you imagine us being friends under normal circumstances? It would ever work.” Fuji left out the whole incident when Devilin and she had first made love, which she had left out to Yuki all together though the girl seemed to have guessed that Fuji and Devilin were sharing a much more intimate relationship now.

At the Taiikuka household Yuki turned to Fuji and looked up at her, worry in her grey eyes. “I’m frightened,” she said honestly.

“If things go badly, call me, I’ll come running,” Fuji told her.

Yuki nodded. “Thank you,” she said quietly.

Fuji reached forward and gave Yuki a warm hug, the first time she had ever made contact first in all of the years she had known her. Yuki hugged her back and listened to Fuji’s strong, “Good luck,” before closing her eyes and praying for that good luck to stick.