PART I & II RECAP: Worried about the possibility of permanent
blindness, Chikane is reluctant to chain Himeko to her side. In an
effort to distance herself from her beloved, Chikane urges Himeko to go
away for the weekend to attend Souma and Makoto's wedding. Brooding at
home, Chikane is haunted by dreams of eternal solitude, and the
possibility of losing Himeko forever. She is mildly comforted by her
maid, Otoha-san's efforts, but somewhere, a line was crossed. In the
search for redemption, Otoha takes Chikane to the wedding, where
Chikane and Himeko's relationship enjoys a temporary respite.
CHAPTER SYNOPSIS: The night's indiscretion is finally revealed to
Chikane and Himeko. As they struggle with the aftermath, the mounting
pressures from Chikane's parents, an impending concert, and meddlesome
suitors threaten to be more than their weakened relationship can
handle.
Comments and Criticisms are greatly appreciated!
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Himeko had barely managed to open the front door to Chikane's home when
she heard a man's deep voice demand, "WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN!?"
She jumped back in surprise, bumping into Chikane-chan behind her and
almost sending the both of them sprawling on the doorstep. Luckily,
Chikane managed to hold onto Himeko's shoulders and steady the both of
them.
Chikane's mouth was turned down in a frown.
"Father?" She asked.
The front door was pulled fully open, and Himeko found herself face to
chest with a very angry man.
The lines on his face marked him as being an older gentleman, in his
fifties. Though he still had a full head of black hair, it was streaked
with grey and white. He was wearing a stern pinstripe suit, but his tie
and the top button of his was collared shirt was pulled loose. His
eyes, a beautiful marine blue - the same shade as Chikane-chan's - had
angry red veins in them, and deep bags under them. He was not a happy
man.
"Who the hell are you?" He barked as he gave Himeko an annoyed once-
over and sneered.
"I... I..." Her voice was humiliatingly squeaky. Himeko suddenly
realized just how ratty she looked, with unbrushed hair and a heavily
ripped, grass stained and water damaged dress. The feeling of sick
horror in her stomach grew. This was not the first impression she
wanted to make to Chikane's parents.
He promptly dismissed her, and looked over Himeko at Chikane. "Never
mind that. Just where the hell have you been, young lady??"
"Father." Himeko felt Chikane's hold on her shoulder tighten. Her
normally soothing voice was tension filled. "Please show some
restraint. This is Kurusugawa Himeko. My girlfriend. We just came back
from a wedding of some of her friends."
Chikane's father's eyes bulged with more anger. "What?!" He cried.
"What were you thinking?! Do you have any idea how serious your injury
is, Chikane? You could be BLIND! FOREVER! And instead of following
doctor's orders and resting at home, you were partying with one of your
girl friends?!"
"Himeko is NOT just one of my girl friends," Chikane replied so quickly
it was almost snappish. Her grip on Himeko grew tighter, and Himeko
realized the other woman was very quickly approaching the end of even
her tireless restraint. "Himeko is my girlfr-"
"Wait," the man interrupted. "Kurusugawa??" He turned his attention
back on Himeko. "YOU!" He balled his hands into fists. "You're the one
who caused this entire mess in the first place, aren't you?! You're the
one who blinded my little girl!! And then you had the audacity to drag
her to some party?!"
His voice, crescendoing with each word, made Himeko shrink into
herself, and the fear in her body only intensified when he reigned
himself in, and spoke his next words in quieter tones. His whole body
was trembling with barely controlled enraged.
"Be prepared, Miss. You are going to be hearing from my lawyers."
Himeko felt her face twist as she tried to contain tears of fear and
humiliation from spilling down her cheeks. Before she could respond
though, she felt Chikane pull her backwards, and then saw her lover
step in front of her. Chikane kept a very firm hold on Himeko's hand.
Himeko couldn't tell which one of them was shaking more.
"That's enough." Chikane wasn't shouting, but Himeko couldn't remember
ever hearing her lover's voice so intensely angry. "You've crossed a
line, Father. None of this was Himeko's fault at all. Apologize to her
_immediately_."
The man looked stunned for a moment and almost even took a step
backwards. He caught himself before he did however, and his face
twisted back into one of outrage. "How dare you talk to me like that,
Chikane?! I'm your FATHER!"
"Ichirou, please, calm down!! At least let them step into the house
first!"
A worried, but composed voice managed to throw some water before the
powder keg could go off.
Himeko looked over and saw that a slender woman, wearing a dark, solemn
kimono was pulling at the man's arm. She wore her blue-black hair - the
same shade as Chikane's - in a conservative bun, and her face was lined
with apprehension. She could only have been Chikane's mother.
"No, I will NOT calm down," Chikane's father replied, looking at
Chikane's mother with a look of incredulousness and hurt betrayal on
his face. "Nadeshiko, because of this girl, Fateful Night is
_cancelled_, all our years of sacrifice are _ruined_, and our only
daughter may never _see_ again! How can you expect me to calm down?!"
"Because Fateful Night is NOT cancelled, I may very well FULLY recover
my vision, and NOTHING has been ruined Father! Except, your character
in the eyes of your daughter, and the most important person in her
life!"
Himeko watched with horror as Chikane almost spat the words venomously
at her father. Too late, she pulled at Chikane's hand, silently begging
her lover to calm down. She loathed herself for being powerless to stop
the horrible situation.
Or could she?
It was plainly clear now that it was Chikane who was shaking more
intensely than she was now, and it was Himeko's own hand that was
supporting the other woman.
Himeko looked desperately at Chikane's mother, and a moment of wordless
understanding passed between them. The older woman gave the barest of
nods and moved out of the entrance of the door.
Quickly, Himeko took Chikane's elbow and ushered the furious woman into
the house while Chikane's mother kept her husband from following.
***
Himeko was still feeling sick and horrified. She hugged herself,
despite the summer heat. Why had Chikane-chan told her to go to the
guest room? Why hadn't her lover let her stay with her? Squeezing her
eyes tight, she desperately wished she could take back the entire
weekend, despite the beautiful memory it had been, despite the
beautiful memories it had invoked...
Presently, she heard a knock on the guest room door. She didn't really
want to see anyone except Chikane-chan, and her beloved would have
known to just enter anyway. There was second knock on the door and
reluctantly, she answered, "come in."
Chikane's mother, Miyahime Nadeshiko, walked in, a pained and tired
expression on her face. The resemblance between mother and daughter was
remarkable. Himeko quickly stood up and bowed respectfully to the other
woman. "Oba-sama..."
Nadeshiko bowed back, and Himeko was surprised that the older woman's
bow was so low. She moved to sit down in one of the arm chairs in the
guest room opposite of Himeko.
"I'm very sorry for what happened, Himeko-san." The words spilt quickly
from the woman's lips. "Please don't think too poorly of Ichirou. He is
actually very proud of Chikane and completely adores her. It's just
that he's under a lot of pressure right now..."
Seeing the older woman's discomfort, Himeko nodded dutifully. "It's
fine, Oba-sama. I understand..."
Nadeshiko shook her head. "No, I don't think you do. Please, let me try
to explain. For the longest time, Ichirou was the only child in the
Miyahime family. After his mother died, his father - Chikane's
grandfather - remarried, and had a second son. Jirou is far younger
than Ichirou is. Not much older than you or Chikane, actually. Jirou is
an ambitious man, but he lacks the experience and strategic mind that
Ichirou has. The brothers do not get along."
Himeko crinkled her brow as she listened to the woman's story
carefully. This was the first time she'd heard of the politics in
Chikane's family.
"Ichirou's father has not declared a successor yet. As the oldest son,
and with his character and experience, the zaibatsu should undoubtedly
go to him, but Father is reluctant for Ichirou to succeed, because he
does not have a son to succeed _him_." Nadeshiko's eyes fell slightly,
and Himeko realized that the woman still felt guilt to this day for not
bearing her husband a male heir. "It incensed Ichirou greatly that the
company will not be passed on through him to Chikane, simply because
she is a girl. It's especially unfair, because she is so very talented,
and the zaibatsu can only flourish under her direction.
"So, Ichirou has always tried to prove Chikane's worth to her
grandfather. He was very upset, the first time we sent her abroad for
schooling. It was difficult to send her away when we loved her so much,
but for her to get the very best, for her to _become_ the very best, it
was a sacrifice we were willing to make. And she's done nothing but
make us proud. Even Father was beginning to budge in his
steadfastness."
Chikane's mother sighed deeply. "Fateful Night was supposed to be a
showcase of Chikane's talents. Not only her musical ability, but she
had quite a large hand in the organizational and business aspects of
the production as well. All funding for the project came from the
zaibatsu. So, the successful conclusion of this concert, and the
profitable return of the zaibatsu's investments, was to be the final
testament to her candidacy.
"Unfortunately, Jirou's wife recently gave birth to a child. A baby
boy. Father is starting to favor Jirou once more, and it's been
crushing Ichirou's heart. He was still holding onto the hope that
Father would be so impressed with Fateful Night, that he'd still chose
Chikane to succeed."
Nadeshiko's eyes, which had fallen as she had spoken, now rose to
catch Himeko's own. There was so much earnest pleading them... "When we
heard about this accident, and the concert being cancelled... I'm
sorry. Ichirou doesn't deal with disappointment well. We've been
spoiled, we've never had to, you see. Chikane's never disappointed us
before. So please, find it in your heart to forgive him, to forgive us.
You... I can tell that you are very important to Chikane. I don't want
there to be a rift between us..."
Himeko felt a lost for words as she gazed at the older woman. It
bothered her that she had absolutely no idea about Chikane's family
situation, that her lover had never chosen to divulge that information
to her before...
She realized that the pause in the conversation was growing long, and
Chikane's mother's eye were growing ever more anxious. Finally, Himeko
smiled one of her best summer-time warm smiles. "Of course, Oba-sama. I
don't want there to be a rift between us either. Thank you for telling
me about this." Himeko looked down at the floor, trying to get her
heart to stop pulling her in seven different directions.
"I... I didn't know that Chikane-chan, and Oji-sama were under such
pressures... I want to do anything I can to help her."
Himeko felt something squeeze her hand and looked up to see that the
older woman had reached over to touch her. She was smiling gratefully.
Himeko thought, distractedly, that Chikane was going to age very
elegantly.
"You already are, Himeko-san. Thank you."
***
Chikane just finished making several important phone calls when she
heard the knocking at her study door. She only barely heard the sound
over the sound of the fury still pounding in her ears.
"Come in."
"It's me, Chikane."
Chikane felt the anger in her heart double as she heard her father's
voice, but she quickly quelled it down when she realized her father's
tone of voice was no longer moronic and unreasonable. "Father." She
acknowledged coolly.
She heard her father walk across the room and sit in the chair in front
of her desk. He sighed loudly.
"Listen, Chikane, about what I said earlier... I'm sorry. I was...
angry. I'm sorry."
"Thank you, Father." Chikane's voice was still terse. "But you're
apologizing to the wrong person."
She could hear her father shifting uncomfortably in his chair. "Yes...
I suppose you're right. I'll... I'll... get around to it..." He trailed
off in murmurs before his words got firmer. "But, I want to ask you
what you meant about Fateful Night not being cancelled anymore. Mori-
kun said that you'd cancelled the concert already."
Chikane shook her head. Though she was grateful for the concessions
that her father had given her, she still couldn't grant him her full
forgiveness just yet. "My agent was to contact the rest of the staff
about the cancellation on Monday - tomorrow. He hasn't done so yet. And
I have just called him to ask him to cancel the cancellation. Fateful
Night will go on as planned."
"What?" There was alarm in her father's voice. "But, Chikane, your
eyes!"
"Luckily, I do not need them to play the piano."
Chikane felt her desk shake as her father slammed his meaty hands onto
it. "No, Chikane! I can't sanction this. The doctor said that you were
to relax at home." Her father's voice was firm.
Chikane's voice was firmer. "No, the doctor said that I was to try to
avoid stress. And it would be far more stressful to cancel the concert
than to just go ahead with it." She realized her voice was a bit too
firm, and made an effort to soften it.
"Father... I won't lie to you. There's a chance that I will recover,
but there's also a chance that I won't. Those chances will not change,
whether or not the concert goes on. And if I don't regain my vision...
I refuse to let this disability chain me to my house like a prisoner. I
will continue to live my life to the fullest that I can.
"This includes building my career," Chikane clenched her fists as she
felt her heart tighten with determination, "and becoming a respectable
person worthy of Himeko's love."
The silence in the room that followed her soft but powerful declaration
was long but not wholly awkward.
Finally, she heard her father sigh again.
"Very well, Chikane. I... I trust your judgment." Chikane heard her
father get up off his leather chair. He remained standing there
silently for a while - Chikane couldn't hear him walk away.
"Yes?"
"Erm..." And now her father's voice was distinctly uncomfortable.
"This... this Kurusugawa... you were saying that... she's... your...
girlfriend?"
Chikane wasn't quite sure how to answer the question. Her father's
voice seemed so oddly vulnerable. Finally, she decided there was no way
to give him the sugar-coating his tone was begging from her. She nodded
simply. Her voice was soft. "Yes. I love her very much."
Her father made a gargling noise in the back of his throat. "Ah. Well
then. Erm... yes. Well." His footsteps were swift as he hurriedly left
the room.
After she heard the door close, Chikane allowed a small smile to come
onto her face. Never, in a thousand years, would she have guessed that
this was how she would tell her parents that she'd found the other half
of her soul... but... it went better than she thought it would have.
Standing up, she felt her way to a wall and used that to find her way
to her piano. She would have to rehearse doubly hard to make up for
lost time.
***
Otoha Keiko put her ear up to the door of Kurusugawa-sama's guest room
and couldn't hear anything on the other side. She spied left and right
down the hallway, before slipping into the room, closing the door
quietly. She clutched the set of newly washed and button-repaired
pajamas in her hands tightly and purposefully walked over to the
dresser to put them back.
Her heart was pounding in her head and she couldn't believe how long it
took to take several steps to cross a room.
If only Goshuujin-sama and Oku-sama hadn't returned today! She could
have easily had those damnable pajamas returned already...
Her worst fears came to pass when she heard the en suite bathroom door
open. Kurusugawa-sama's soft, high-pitch voice announced, "Oh! Otoha-
san! What are you doing?"
"Gah!" Jumping in surprise, Keiko let the pajamas fall to the floor.
She whirled around and saw her Ojou-sama's beloved standing by the
bathroom door with a fluffy towel wrapped around her body. "K-
Kurusugawa-sama! I didn't hear you!"
"Aah, my apologies, I didn't meant to startle you." The small blonde
blushed, embarrassed. "I was about to take a shower, but realized that
I was out of both shampoo and body wash." She put a finger up to her
chin confusedly. "It's funny. I could have sworn that I had quite a bit
left of both, but the bottles were completely empty. I was just going
to go borrow some of Chikane-chan's."
The maid felt a surge of panic. Idiot! How could she have forgotten to
replace the bottles she'd used?! "They're all empty?!"
Kurusugawa-sama was taken aback by the force of Keiko's exclamation.
"Y-yes..."
Keiko tried to reel her panic in, and succeeded in toning down her
voice at least. "I-Is that so? Well, um, why don't you wait here for me
to go fetch you some? After all, with Goshuujin-sama back, you really
shouldn't be walking around in just your towel..."
"Oh!" The small woman's cheeks colored. "I completely forgot about
that. Thanks, Otoha-san!"
Glad for the excuse to leave, Keiko quickly walked to the door. "Not at
all, Kurusugawa-sama, not at all..."
But before she could leave, the blonde photographer's voice stopped her
again. "Wait, Otoha-san! You dropped... my pajamas?"
Keiko felt her heart fall into her stomach like a stone. Slowly,
desperately willing what could only have happened to magically not
have, she turned around and saw that the other woman had crossed the
room and was holding onto the pink pajamas that Keiko had dropped
earlier. She gave Keiko a curious look.
"What were you doing with my pajamas?"
Keiko swallowed. "I... I was washing them?" That was, after all, the
truth...
Kurusugawa-sama colored. "Oh... oh! Did this end up with Chikane-chan's
things?" The small woman became flustered and tried to put her hands up
in apology without dropping her towel. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to
make you do my laundry! I'm not your employer so you really shouldn't
do my cleaning! It's already so much that you feed me everyday!" She
looked down at her pajamas again, brow still crinkled with puzzlement.
"It's funny though. I'm not sure how this ended up in Chikane-chan's
things. I hadn't worn this pair in a long time because there were a
couple buttons missing...!" Ojou-sama's beloved boggled as she looked
closer at the garment, and then looked back at Keiko with eyes wide
open. "You mended the buttons too?? Oh, Otoha-san, that's really going
too far!"
Keiko thought she was about to have a heart attack. "Aah... well...
it... it wasn't any trouble, so... please, don't mention it..."
Seeming to notice her discomfort, but undoubtedly misinterpreting the
cause of it, the small woman gave Keiko a warm, genuine smile. "But I
really must, Otoha-san. Thank you."
Keiko stared at that smile, and felt the need to claw at her body with
a wire sponge. Its purity made her feel so wrong. Dirty. Bowing
respectfully, she turned around once more to leave the room.
"No, really, thank you, Otoha-san."
Once more, her Ojou-sama's beloved's words halted Keiko's footsteps...
"I really appreciate everything that you do for Chikane-chan. It was
your idea to bring her to the wedding, wasn't it? Thank you so much. I
didn't want to leave her side, but I did anyway... I'm so clumsy and
stupid that I just... I just don't notice everything that I really need
to. I end up hurting her so much. I'm so glad that you're here to
support her. I'm not sure how she'd do without her most trusted Otoha-
san by her side."
... and then those words stabbed straight into Keiko's heart.
Keiko placed a hand onto the door, not to open it, but to support
herself. Her knees were going to give away on her at any moment.
You stupid, stupid woman. How could you say that? How could you stand
there, so vulnerable in only a towel, and speak so gratefully and
highly of someone who is little more than a monster... a horrible,
horrible, liar and deceiver...
Keiko collapsed onto the ground, shivering uncontrollably.
"O-Otoha-san?!" She felt the other woman run quickly over to her and
try to support her. "Otoha-san, what's wrong?? Are you alright?"
You fool... you stupid, stupid fool...
"No... no, Kurusugawa-sama. I am not alright. I... I have to tell you
something..."
***
The strains from the grand piano grew louder as Himeko opened the room
to Chikane's study, and quietly shut it again. They should have been
beautiful strains, but Himeko could barely make them out at all. She
felt like she was walking in a bubble.
The other woman didn't notice her entrance, absorbed as she was in her
element. Fingers flew purposefully and gracefully across ivory keys.
Himeko walked quietly over to the piano, the sounds of her footsteps
masked fully by the music. She stood patiently beside Chikane, waiting
for her to finish.
The final cords finally drifted into silence. Chikane sat up a little
straighter. She must have heard Himeko's breathing. "Who is it?" She
asked.
Himeko didn't answer with words. She opened her mouth and found that
she couldn't. Oh god, why couldn't she speak? Why couldn't she speak to
the woman she knew who loved her more than anything, more than life
itself?
'... I didn't mean for it to happen, Kurusugawa-sama. I... I didn't
mean to let it go so far...'
Shaking, she stepped up to the sitting woman, and impulsively pulled
Chikane's head against her chest, nuzzling against her beloved's blue-
black hair.
She saw Chikane's reflection smile in the highly polished black of the
piano.
"Himeko."
'... Ojou-sama... Ojou-sama's dreams... they haven't been so bad
since... since _that_ _time_. She was so... I just couldn't, I couldn't
bear to see her so...'
With Chikane held securely in her arms, Himeko squeezed her eyes tight
and begged for the strength to speak. Thankfully, the heavens heard
her, and she could hear words, squeaky, unsure, spill from her tongue.
"I'm sorry for interrupting your rehearsal. That... that was pretty."
"Your presence is never an interruption," Chikane replied fondly,
taking one of Himeko's hands, and kissing her fingers.
'... Ojou-sama... Ojou-sama wasn't even awake! She thought... she
thought I was you...'
The gesture should have sent a trail of giggles from her lips, but
Himeko couldn't feel the mirth. She couldn't feel anything besides
horrible, horrible confusion.
'... please! Please, Kurusugawa-sama! Don't tell Ojou-sama! I... I'm
sorry! I'm sorry! Oh, god, please! Punish me as you will, whatever you
want, but don't... don't tell Ojou-sama...! This burden... don't make
her bear this burden! She must already shoulder so much...'
Instead, she slipped her hand from Chikane's light grip, and moved to
sit beside the other woman. Chikane moved to one side to accommodate
her. "Otoha-san told me that you composed a new song while I was
away," Himeko heard herself say. The nonchalance in her voice sounded
so oddly foreign. "Do you think I could hear it?"
Chikane must have heard the oddness in her voice too, for she frowned,
perplexed. "I did compose a new one," she admitted delicately. "But,
I... I don't know if I should play it for you..."
The gentle refusal hit Himeko harder than it should have. Otoha-san's
shocking confession, echoing so cruelly in her mind, was quickly
silenced as Himeko snapped back to the present, and stared hurtfully at
Chikane. She hated herself for feeling so betrayed.
"Why not??" She asked, too quickly.
Chikane furrowed her brow prettily. "I... don't want to make you cry."
Himeko laughed, a slightly harsh sound, and instantly felt guilty for
finding her lover's earnest statement so absurd. "Silly Chikane-chan.
You would never do anything to make me cry." She leaned her head
against Chikane's shoulder, wrapped her arms around Chikane's waist.
She closed her eyes and wished she could stop spewing lies.
Himeko tightened her grip around her beloved, wondering how hard she'd
have to press herself against Chikane in order to leave her own body,
and all the doubts and fears contained in it.
"Yes... that's right... you would never do anything to make me cry..."
There was an awkward silence in the room. Himeko felt Chikane gently,
but firmly unclasp her hands, and hold onto them unsurely.
"Himeko... is something wrong?"
It took Himeko a long time to decide how to respond. "No, nothing's
wrong."
Everything was wrong.
Himeko sighed. "I'm just... I guess I'm just a little jealous that I
don't get to hear your new song, while Otoha-san did, is all..."
"Ahh. Is that it?" The worried expression on Chikane's face relaxed a
little, and she gave Himeko a smile. "I promise that my next song, and
every one after that, will debut to your ears alone."
"Do you promise?" Himeko asked timidly. "The next one? And every one
after that?"
From anyone else, the promise would have been empty; impossible to
fulfill. From her Chikane-chan, Himeko could believe that the other
woman was making a solemn vow. But instead of comforting her, it only
made the blonde woman feel that much more reprehensible about herself,
and the soiled, ugly doubts in her heart.
"I do."
Himeko forced herself to smile.
Every single one of Chikane's songs, composed by her heart, flowing
through her body, would belong first to Himeko. That should more than
make up for one song taken by Otoha-san...
One sad, little song...
... shouldn't it?
After all, it was only one song...
... only one night...
... only one tryst...
... no, it wasn't even a tryst. It was a mistake. A moment of
weakness. An embrace made of confusion...
... but still an embrace none the less...
... an embrace between her Chikane-chan and someone who was not her
Chikane-chan's Himeko...
... oh... god...!
"Himeko...?"
Chikane's hesitant words started Himeko from her nauseating spiral
downwards, and the blonde woman gazed at her lover, her most important
person, her Chikane-chan...
... Her Chikane-chan. Hers and nobody else's.
"Himek-?!"
Cutting off Chikane's words with a forceful kiss, Himeko desperately
needed to reaffirm her lover's fidelity. Chikane made a noise of
surprise, but didn't pull away as Himeko's kiss grew almost
frighteningly eager, demanding, insatiable. Himeko pulled at the
buttons that kept Chikane's shirt together, trying to undo them, and
quickly regressed to impatiently ripping the shirt apart.
Himeko pushed Chikane clean off the bench, causing the off balance
woman to flounder, almost crashing to the floor before she managed to
grab a hold of her instrument noisily. The piano loudly protested the
abuse as Himeko shoved Chikane onto the ivory keys. Nibbles against
her throat and ears turning quickly into painful bites and hickies.
Caresses became hard gropes, sure to leave bruises on snowy white skin.
"Himeko, please, wait-! Wait!! My parents are just-!"
Chikane's gasps sounded far more alarmed than aroused as Himeko hiked
up her skirt, yanked her panties down to her knees and ducked under the
piano.
Himeko ran her tongue across a sensitive spot and caused Chikane to
start thrashing wildly on the keys in response. The noise obliterated
all thought in the blonde woman's head and almost drove her deaf.
She could feel Chikane pulling at her shoulders, trying to lift her
head away, but she fought against the restraint.
"Himeko, no! Stop! STOP!!"
Somehow, despite the horrible racket, Himeko could hear her lover's
desperate command. She balled her hands into fists, wanting so very
badly to pretend she hadn't heard it...
... oh so very badly...
... but she complied.
Pulling back, resting her forehead against Chikane's thighs, Himeko
tried to make the pounding in her head and the ringing in her ears go
away. It took a while, but eventually, the assault ended. Relief
replaced overwhelming need, but that respite fled all too quickly,
leaving Himeko with an acute sense of hollow emptiness.
"H-Himeko..."
She felt Chikane pulling at her again, urging her to stand. But Himeko
couldn't face the cruel innocence in Chikane's tone, that confused,
non-understanding lilt in her angel's gentle voice.
... oh god... what was I doing? What have I done??
She felt so disgusted at herself, she wanted to throw up. Himeko pushed
herself out from under her lover's legs and fled.
She didn't get very far away.
Somehow, Chikane's blind flailing managed to catch one of Himeko's arms
as she ran, and the taller women held on tight. With a sharp pull,
Himeko felt herself yanked backwards. Their bodies collided and the
force of the impact knocked them onto the floor.
Lying on top of her lover, stunned, it took Himeko a few moments to
sort herself out, before she tried to push herself out of Chikane's
arms.
"Let go! Let goooo!!" Himeko cried, struggling.
But despite the pummeling, or maybe because of it, Chikane-chan refused
to let go.
Himeko continued to struggle until the strength left her body, and she
laid sobbing wildly against Chikane's chest.
It took an eternity of silent patience, but finally, the tears dried
from Himeko's eyes, and the sobs stopped racking her body.
***
"Come in."
Once upon a time, Keiko would have cringed at the toneless distance in
those words. But right now, she wasn't feeling much of anything at all.
Her body seemed to react of its own accord. It was almost fascinating
to watch her arm push the door open, and see her feet carry her body
into her beloved employer's room, without her ever having to command
them to do so.
Ojou-sama was sitting at one of the chairs in her room. Her face was
more pale than usual, her expression blank. Even if her eyes hadn't
been bandaged, Keiko got the distinct impression they wouldn't have
been gazing at anything at all. She didn't look over as Keiko walked up
to her.
Keiko realized Ojou-sama was wearing only a bathrobe. Although it was
pulled tightly shut, she could still see angry bruises on her Ojou-
sama's throat. Keiko's eyes widened.
It took her a moment, but she managed to bite back the query of concern
on her lips. She had no right to ask anymore.
"It's... me, Ojou-sama."
Her words finally prompted some sort of reaction. The beautiful woman's
body visibly stiffened. She turned to face Keiko's general direction.
"Otoha-san."
There was no tone in that voice. It was completely flat, and neutral in
its acknowledgement of Keiko's existence.
Though she thought that she'd already steeled herself and had lost all
feeling, none the less, Keiko felt her heart sink into her stomach. She
almost lost the grip she held on the letter in her hands.
She knew this would happen. Ever since that night, the moment she had
responded to those desperate, searching lips, Keiko had known that this
would be the only resolution. She had prepared for this. Really. But
still, she had to fight desperately with the wild careening of her
heart. A thousand different apologies tried to make their way to her
tongue, but she could spit none of them out - they all sounded so
trite.
Realizing that she had to do it fast, or she'd never be able to do it
properly at all, Keiko mustered up all the courage she could and put
the letter into her Ojou-sama's hands. She tried to ignore the burning
in her skin where she' brushed against Chikane's flesh.
Chikane looked down unseeingly at the item in her hands, and then
looked back up in Keiko's general direction. "This is...?"
"My letter of resignation." Keiko replied hoarsely.
"... I see."
Again, the words had absolutely no inflection in them. Nothing to hint
at Ojou-sama's heart.
Keiko swallowed. She was shaking so hard, she found it difficult to
stand. "Ojou-sama... words... words cannot properly express how sorry I
am. I... I..." Keiko's voice cracked. Tears spilled silently down her
cheeks. "I'm so sorry, Ojou-sama. I... I'm so sorry... I..."
Her voice was a whisper. She balled her hands into fists so tight, she
drew blood. She could barely speak anymore.
...I love you, Chikane-sama, I love you so much...
"... I didn't mean to betray your trust..."
Keiko bowed her head, weeping softly.
Ojou-sama didn't respond immediately, remaining seated in her chair,
running her hands wordlessly over the envelope. The non-reaction was a
crueler punishment that Keiko thought possible.
Finally, Chikane stood up, and walked the few steps towards her maid,
hands reached out to guide her. She found the side of Keiko's face.
For a moment, Keiko was sure her Ojou-sama would reach back and slap
her. Instead, the woman enveloped her into a hug. A cold, tired hug,
but a hug none the less, which was more than Keiko deserved.
Keiko's eyes widened in shock. "O-Ojou-sama...?"
"I can't accept your resignation, Otoha-san." Ojou-sama whispered. Her
voice was still mostly monotone. Keiko suddenly realized that what
she'd mistaken for tightly restraint, cold fury, wasn't fury at all,
but a very pointed, intense feeling of... nothing. Her Ojou-sama was in
shock. The mechanics of the conversation were registering, but the
impact of the words weren't hitting anything.
"Not like this. I can't... I'm sorry, I can't... I can't... properly...
understand... anything right now. But please know this. Neither Himeko
nor I are angry with you. In fact, both of us are very grateful to you,
for your devotion. I... I was at my darkest hour, you were there for
me. You've given me everything you have. So I can't... how can I let
you go?"
Keiko stared up at her Ojou-sama's unseeing gaze, and felt the tears
streaming down her cheeks grow stronger, flowing freely now from a
different source.
Chikane-sama's words were everything she could have asked to hear. The
one in one million chance that the only good outcome would come to
pass... had occurred...
... and Keiko knew it was the only outcome she couldn't accept.
She knew what she had to do.
A smile came to her face. Words she didn't have the courage to speak
earlier, suddenly became so very easy. She squeezed Ojou-sama... she
squeezed Chikane-sama's body tightly, bringing warmth into the embrace
from her side for three... two... one beautiful seconds, that would be
forever engraved into her memory, before stepping out of the embrace.
"I love you, Ojou-sama. I love you very, very much. You are the
kindest, most beautifully hearted person I have ever known. That's why
I know that you _will_ let me go, because that is the greatest kindness
that you could bestow upon me."
Chikane-sama didn't respond to the words. Her face didn't change.
Finally, an eternity later, she spoke. There was something in her voice
this time. A small tremor of emotion. "Is that what you really want?"
Keiko nodded, a feeling of tranquil finality washing over her. "Yes,
Ojou-sama. Please."
"... I... won't deny you..."
Keiko smiled. At last, she would be at peace. "Thank you, Ojou-sama.
Thank you."
***
She felt numb. Very, very numb. If someone were to prick her with a
needle now, she wouldn't feel it at all. She'd walked into several
different walls and doors today, and hadn't felt anything at all...
So when night finally came, and she found her way to her bedroom, and
pangs of agonizing, searing, unbearable torment in the middle of her
chest began to wrack her, Chikane actually smiled.
Yes, this torment. This stabbing. This feeling of ancient steel
plunging deep into her chest. This was what she should be feeling. It
was almost comforting in its familiarity.
The guilt, the horror, the stomach emptying disgust... it was all
coming back to her now. She was finally reaping the seeds of evil she'd
purposely sown...
... only this time, it wasn't on purpose.
... only this time, it wasn't a necessity.
... only this time, she didn't have a right to hope against hope for
forgiveness. For a miracle.
And then suddenly, everything became fuzzy and numb again. The clarity
with which she understood her sins faded back into half understood
images and dreams, leaving Chikane dizzy and nauseated. She clutched
her head before silently entering her bedroom.
"...Himeko?"
Her lover didn't answer her, but Chikane knew Himeko was there. She
could hear the blonde woman's soft breathing. And the breathing was too
steady and purposeful for Himeko to be asleep. Chikane took a deep
breath and tried to stop the fluttering despair in her heart from
crushing her. She padded softly to the bed, and quietly climbed into
her side of it.
Chikane laid facing Himeko's direction, silently wishing that her
beloved with say something, anything, wanting desperately to reach out
and touch her, and hold her, but knowing that the gulf between them was
far, far wider than just the middle of the mattress.
Just when Chikane was about to give up hope, her beloved finally
relented, and deigned to grace her with words.
"Chikane-chan..." Himeko's voice was soft, but Chikane had no problem
hearing it anyway. "Are you... are you going to be at home very much
from now to the concert? Won't you be very busy with rehearsals and
last minute changes?"
She instantly knew what her beloved was trying to get at. Her heart
tightened unbearably. She didn't want to give Himeko what she knew her
lover wanted... needed... she really didn't want to... but, of course,
she could never deny Himeko of anything she wanted...
"Yes." Chikane whispered, even as her heart wrenched tighter. "Yes,
it's going to be a very busy time. I don't even know if I'll be home at
all. Perhaps it would be best if you went back to work..."
Which of course, meant that Himeko would have to move back to her own
apartment, the daily commute being otherwise impossible.
Himeko was very silent. Chikane couldn't even hear her breathing.
Finally, she heard Himeko shift in the bed. Chikane felt a light hand
touch her cheek, caressing her sadly.
"Thank you, Chikane-chan."
Chikane swallowed, and tried to memorize every line, every cell of
Himeko's hand upon her cheek. She didn't know when she'd be able to
feel it upon her again. "Will you... will you come to the concert
though?"
"Of course!" Himeko replied quickly. Almost too quickly.
There was another awkward pause.
"It's just for the next couple of days, Chikane-chan." Himeko finally
said, voice soft, and quavering. "Just until the concert... I'll be
back after that..." She trailed off.
Chikane didn't try to stop the tears she felt in her eyes from falling.
The bandages would catch them anyway. "I understand, Himeko. I... I'll
wait for you. I'd wait forever for you."
"I know, Chikane-chan." Himeko's voice was high, squeaky. Chikane
realized she was crying too. "I know."
***
Mercifully, the next days passed by quickly and blurrily. Chikane
rehearsed like a woman possessed, familiarizing herself with all
aspects of the production, planning out every possible contingency,
and ensuring that all changes that needed to be made to accommodate
her disability was implemented to her satisfaction. Throwing herself
into her work was the only thing she could do to stop herself from
drowning.
Nighttime, once her haven, became unbearable again, with ear-piercing
eight headed demons screaming at her every time she laid down.
Chikane had to do away with sleep all together. She knew her staff, and
her parents were worrying endlessly for her, but no one was able to
approach her with their concerns for her health. They seemed to realize
that she would not stop until the concert was complete, and the only
thing they could pray for, was that that day would come quickly.
Chikane prayed for the day as well. For that was when Himeko would
return to her.
***
It seemed like everyone who was anyone had turned out for Fateful
Night. Himeko had felt annoyed when her superiors at the magazine had
forced her to take a camera and a press badge with her to the concert,
but with so many of the fabulously rich and famous out and about, she
could understand why her bosses had implored for her cooperation so.
Besides, having not arrived with anyone else, at least taking pictures
would give her something to do. Sighing, she pulled her camera out of
her purse and got to work.
Her mind was only half at her task. She knew she should be seeking out
Chikane-chan before the show, and so much of her heart desperately
wanted her to. The last several days had been unbearable. She had
drifted listlessly through her days, barely speaking, barely eating.
Her apartment, despite its miniscule size, had felt alien, large and
lonely during the nights.
Her coworkers had gone out of their way to try to cheer her up. They
had only succeeded in having her crack a smile when she had brought in
her bright red bridesmaid's dress from Mako-chan's wedding, wondering
if someone could help her with repairs. Not only had the seamstresses
in the fashion department managed to repair it. They had decided they
were appalled by the boat neck style, and had altered it into a more
form-fitting, classically chic, spaghetti strapped style affair.
"Kurusugawa-sama?"
Hearing her name snapped Himeko out of her work and she looked up to
see Otoha-san standing tepidly in front of her. The woman had twisted
her trademark dark blonde curls into a series of smaller French curls
around her head. She was wearing a golden brown, Chinese-style dress.
Her hands were clasped nervously in front of her.
The genuine smile that had eluded her for so long finally returned to
her, and Himeko smiled kindly at the other woman. "Otoha-san. Please,
my name is Himeko. You look fabulous."
Otoha-san smiled shyly. "Thank you, Kurusu... I mean, Himeko-san.
Please, my name is Keiko. You look very well yourself too."
Himeko blushed. "Thank you, Keiko-san. Shall we head in together?"
The former maid nodded. "Yes, I would enjoy that very much."
They were escorted into the main auditorium shortly by personal ushers,
and both Himeko and Keiko were pleasantly surprised to note that they
had seats in the first row, as close as they could possibly get to the
performance, to Chikane-chan.
The two women sat down and began to converse quietly as the auditorium
began to fill up. Himeko learned that the other woman had taken the
last few days to return to her ancestral home in the countryside. The
place had not felt like home at all for the other woman, since she had
grown up as a maid of the Himemiya family, her former employer, in
Mahoroba. But of course, she couldn't return there. Himeko felt more
than a twinge of pity for the former maid. Otoha Keiko had never really
known a home that actually felt like _home_ until she'd come to
Miyahime Chikane's side.
As start time drew nearer and nearer, their conversation grew sparser
and sparser, both of them eager to take in the performance of the woman
they loved.
Then, a scant five minutes before the show was to begin, an extremely
mortified and sorry looking usher stopped in front of them, leading two
young attractive men with him.
"Excuse me, I'm so very sorry," the young man said, looking at Himeko
and Keiko with an expression of apology. "I'm sorry, but it seems that
there's been a slight problem with the tickets. Somehow, it looks like
these two seats have actually been reserved for these two gentlemen
here..."
Himeko stared at the usher, then looked over at the two young men. They
both looked extremely embarrassed as well. "E-Excuse me?"
The usher looked acutely uncomfortable. "Yes, I'm so very sorry. But we
do have a couple more available seats up on the second balcony..."
Himeko felt butterflies dancing forebodingly in her stomach. "I'm
sorry, but I don't understand... how can this be?" She looked over at
Keiko, who was equally perplexed. "Chikane-chan gave us these tickets
herself..."
Now the usher really looked embarrassed. "But, the ticket office is
telling me that it is these two gentlemen here who..."
"Oh, that's quite enough," one of the men interrupted. He was the
taller of the two, more classically handsome where his companion was
probably more cute than handsome. He ran a hand through his fine, jet-
black hair. His crystal clear eyes flashed angrily. "I can't believe
Father would try to pull this. I'm very sorry Miss, but please have
these seats. Yumitarou and I will simply sit in the second balcony."
The shorter of the two men, Yumitarou, turned worried brown eyes onto
his taller companion. "But, Sachisuke-sempai, won't Ogasawara-Oji-sama
be angry if you don't sit here?"
"Perhaps, but he should have ensured there would be enough seats then.
Forgive us, Miss, but in truth, only one of these seats truly belongs
to us. I am disgusted that we would try to strong arm and deceive you
into giving up both of them." The young man turned to go, despite the
protests of the usher.
"Did you say Ogasawara-sama?"
Everyone turned to look at Keiko, whom had spoken.
The taller man, Sachisuke looked at her appraisingly. "And what of it?"
Keiko swallowed, and bowed hastily. "Forgive me, but, up until
recently, I was employed as a servant of the Miyahime family. I
understand that Goshuujin-sama had invited the Ogasawara family to
attend Ojou-sama's performance. We left room for three, but were told
that only Ogasawara-sama and his wife would be attending. Originally, I
was supposed to be helping Ojou-sama back stage, but because of the
changes in my employment, I was given this seat instead, since it was
to be free..."
Sachisuke nodded darkly. "Yes, he is my father. Originally, I was not
supposed to come at all, but late last week, he insisted that I did,
even going so far as to use Yumitarou to bait me here. When I found out
that Yumitarou did not actually have a seat, I told him I was leaving,
but he insisted that we would be able to find Yumitarou a seat. Since
that does not appear to be the case, we will leave."
"Please, a moment." Keiko continued. "Since it is Ogasawara-sama's wish
that you sit here, and thus, Goshuujin-sama and Ojou-sama's wish as
well, and since this seat was originally meant for you, then it would
not be right for me to take it. Please, I insist, and I can go up to
the second balcony with Yumitarou-sama."
Sachisuke furrowed his brow and looked like he would object, but
Yumitarou gave Keiko a relieved smile and put out his elbow. "Yes, I
think that's a marvelous solution! Come, my lady, shall we go?"
The two started off when Himeko jumped to her feet. "Keiko-san, wait!"
She called, running up to the older woman and grabbing her hand.
"Keiko-san, that's a lie!" She said softly. "You know you know Chikane-
chan wouldn't wish for you to give up your seat! You don't have to do
this!"
Keiko gave Himeko a kind smile. "Perhaps, but I really want to. Please,
let me do one final deed for Ojou-sama." She gave Himeko's hand a
tight, thankful squeeze, and then continued away.
Himeko stared after the departing woman, and felt tears come to her
eyes. Wiping at them, she sat down again, and tried to get her heart to
stop squeezing so terribly.
Sachisuke sighed and pulled out a handkerchief, handing it to Himeko.
"I'm very sorry for all this trouble, Miss...?"
"Kurusugawa." Himeko replied, taking the handkerchief.
"Kurusugawa-san. Yes, I'm very sorry for this." The handsome man sat
back in his chair, muttering under his breath. "Both of them are
exactly alike, meddlers."
Before Himeko could decide whether the statement was directed at her or
not, another usher directed four people to the remaining for seats in
the front row. She recognized Chikane's mother and father, both of them
looking very relieved to see her there, as well as another older
couple, whom she assumed to be Sachisuke's parents. They looked pleased
to see her there as well. Himeko only had time to bow respectfully to
them in acknowledgement, before the curtain began to rise, and the
audience began to clap.
***
Chikane felt acutely nervous as she sat in her dressing room, waiting
for the show to begin. It wasn't the performance that had her heart
racing - it was, of course, seeing Himeko.
There was a knock on her door, and for a brief moment, Chikane dared to
hope that it was her beloved, here to see her before the show, but that
hope was dashed when she recognized the sound of her father's voice.
"It's me, Chikane, and your mother." He said. "I want to introduce you
to two very important people. Toshirou-san, Youko-san, I'd like you to
meet my daughter, Chikane. Chikane, Ogasawara Toshirou-san and his wife
really wanted to meet you."
Chikane stifled the urge to sigh. Of course her father would have used
this occasion to network. She stood up and faced the direction of her
father's voice, bowing respectfully. "It's very nice to meet you,
Ogasawara-Oji-san, Oba-san," she said respectfully. "Please excuse my
clumsiness."
"It's great to finally meet you, Chikane-san." Came a gruff voice with
a hint of nasal. Chikane imagined that Ogasawara Toshirou must be a bit
portly. "Ichirou-kun speaks of you all the time. I'm very sorry to hear
of your injury, and I just wanted to tell you that your dedication is
very heartwarming. There aren't very many young people these days with
your guts."
"You're too kind, Oji-san," Chikane politely deterred.
"Not at all, not at all. Erm, listen, I told my son, Sachisuke, about
you. He's a very fine lad and he's very interested in meeting your
acquaintance. He was just begging to come to your concert today, and
he'll be in the front row. Please try to remember to look for him after
the show."
"Yes, of course." Chikane was glad he wouldn't be able to see the way
her eyes were rolling. So this wasn't just *any* networking. Still,
something that the man said bothered her. "Front row, you say? I wasn't
aware there was anymore room there."
"Yes, well," The gruff voice trailed off for a moment, and Chikane
could make out the nervous exchange of conversation, before the man
spoke again. His voice was very pleased. "Aaah, I've just been informed
that there was in fact, room. Very fortunately, a blonde woman agreed
to give up her seat to him."
Chikane felt her heart skip. A blonde woman? Himeko??
"Anyway, I just want to wish you the best of luck in your performance
today, Chikane. We won't disturb you anymore."
"Wait just a moment," Chikane said, her voice terse. "Could you please
tell me the name of the woman who gave up her seat?"
"Huh? Um, no, sorry, I can't."
Chikane felt her hands ball into fists at her side.
No, Himeko wouldn't just give up her seat like that... would she?
... unless she was strong armed into it...
... unless she thought she was helping Chikane with the sacrifice...
... unless, oh god, unless she... really just... didn't want...
anything to do with her anymore...
... oh no. Oh, please, god, no, no no no no...
Chikane tried to will her tongue into working again, to clarify the
situation some more, but by the time she could form words again, she
found that she had already been left alone.
***
A hush fell over the audience as the main curtain lifted. Gorgeous
eggshell colored backdrops and banners decorated the stage. The
hardwood floor has a light beech. Several large candles on tall stands
dotted the edge of the stage, blood red rose petals scattered between
then, providing the most romantic of atmospheres. In the centre of the
stage, in contrast to the elegant whites and creams, was a single black
grand piano, polished finely.
Himeko craned her neck, trying to spot her beloved.
And there she was.
Chikane-chan stood at stage left. The gentle lights from the candle
flames upon her pale skin made her almost glow with inhuman serenity.
She was wearing a beautiful, strapless, jeweled black gown that
shimmered like the milky way. It clung to her in all the right places.
Her hair was left natural, flowing down her back unimpeded. The large
blindfold tied loosely across her upper face eyes was made of the same
material as her dress.
Himeko could hear the audience around her respond to her Chikane-chan's
breathe-taking beauty.
She should have looked majestic.
But Himeko could only see how hollow her beloved had become.
Chikane had become emaciated. Not through shocking skinniness -
although Himeko could tell her Chikane-chan had lost weight - but by
the way the woman was carrying herself...
... as though she'd lost everything in the world...
... as though the last candle of hope in her heart had been snuffed...
... as though she wasn't there at all...
Himeko felt her throat constrict and her heart try to split in two and
her hands clench and her soul scream all at once as she gazed in horror
at the other woman. She wanted to run up on stage and throw her arms
around her Chikane-chan and hold her and kiss her and cry with her and
tell her how much she loved her and...
... Himeko felt tears streaming silent down her cheeks.
Oh, Chikane-chan! What have you done to yourself?
Gradually, Chikane began to walk to her piano. Her steps were slow, but
not deliberate. Himeko wondered if she was going to collapse before she
made it halfway, but somehow, Chikane managed to. She sat down at her
bench, but with none of her characteristic grace; she almost seemed to
fall down on it.
Chikane sat at her piano, and slowly positioned her fingers onto the
keys. She remained statue still that way for the longest time, causing
the audience to get antsy.
Himeko stared up at her beloved. The first piece was entitled 'Found'.
It was the first song Chikane-chan had composed after they'd first met.
It was a beautiful song of triumph and completeness.
Himeko couldn't see how her Chikane-chan could possibly muster up the
strength and energy the piece commanded.
It seemed like Chikane herself couldn't see a way either, for, after a
full minute of inactivity, Himeko saw Chikane switch her hands into
another configuration, to begin another song.
A single melancholy chord boomed throughout the theatre, silencing
everyone, reaching deep into the bodies of every patron in the building
and clutching cruelly at their hearts.
And as Chikane continued to play, a song of lament, a song of sorrow,
the constrictive hold she held on their hearts grew tighter, and
tighter.
It was a song Himeko had never heard before. A song, she realized, that
only Otoha-san had. And as those notes continued to sound, each more
powerfully heartrending than the last, Himeko could understand what the
former maid was feeling that night, what had caused her to assume
Himeko's identity, to try to destroy the gaping maw of Chikane's
despair that was the source of this song.
The song was comparatively short, only a few minutes, but it felt like
an eternity, and it left not a single soul in the audience unshaken to
the core.
A long silence followed the song, during which no one spoke a word. No
one questioned the silence. They realized it was needed to staunch the
bleeding in their souls, a time for them to recover.
But Himeko could see that her Chikane-chan was not recovering.
Chikane's posture was slightly bent, and she was having difficulty
breathing. Her thin frame was visibly shaking with every breath she
managed.
And as Himeko watched, a foreboding, purple glow lighted on Chikane's
back, bathing her in ugly, frightening, and oh so hauntingly familiar
despair.
A deep, cruel laughter, resounded across the theatre as an insidious
voice hissed, "you are mine, Lunar Miko, you are forever mine..."
No.
No she wasn't.
Not if Himeko had anything to say about it.
She stood up, and felt a burning in her chest, one that culminated into
a golden light bursting forth into a triumphant glow from her.
Wordlessly, Himeko walked up to the stairs of the stage and mounted
them.
The light from herself warred with the dark, malevolent glare from
Chikane-chan's back. Himeko relentlessly drove it back as she
approached her beloved.
Standing behind her Chikane-chan, Himeko could see a familiar crescent
shaped symbol engraved into her beloved's back, pulsating with dark,
black violence.
Himeko stepped up to Chikane and embraced her lover fiercely, hugging
Chikane dearly as she pressed the golden light from the sun on her
chest against the moon on her beloved's back.
***
Chikane wasn't sure when the roiling, swirling madness that had
engulfed her had finally stopped. She wasn't sure when the cruel voice
that had always haunted the back of her mind was finally silenced. She
wasn't sure when the unending darkness in her heart had finally been
replaced by unending light.
She was only aware, that somehow, someway, Himeko had found her, had
embraced her, had saved her.
The gentle, unconditional love pressed against her back, draped over
her shoulders and wrapped around her head was, perhaps, the warmest,
most secure phenomenon she could remember ever feeling. It was more
than just a bodily sensation. It punctured through to every part of her
being, her soul.
She felt Himeko grasp her chin, and tilt her head up and back, and even
though they were covered by layers of cloth and gauze, Chikane could
tell that Himeko's lovely, violet eyes were gazing intently but gently
into her own.
"I'm right here, Chikane-chan," Himeko whispered. "In the front row.
You are not alone, okay? You will never be alone. Remember the rose
garden? I have always been with you, as you have always been with I.
And I will always be with you too. Forever."
Chikane felt Himeko's soft lips touch gently against her own, feathery
light, but resounding with unbreakable promise.
They kissed. And kissed. And kissed.
"Himeko..." Chikane whispered softly, when her beloved finally broke
away.
She felt Himeko give her one last embrace, before pulling away. In the
deathly quiet auditorium, she could hear Himeko's shoes tap against the
floor as she walked off the stage.
And though Himeko was already back in her seat, Chikane could still
feel her beloved's warm presence all around her.
Chikane smiled as she straightened up. Putting her fingers to the
ivories, she confidently sounded the opening notes to the most
triumphant and brilliant rendition of 'Found' she'd ever played.
***
No less than 97% of the audience, and everyone who had a hand in the
production, came up to talk to Chikane-chan at the after party, which
was held more than three hours after the end of the concert. The
gathering was originally to have been held in only one of the
conference rooms of the auditorium, but had to be enlarged to encompass
the entire building, as so many had stayed.
By the end of the night, the hundreds upon hundreds of different people
all dressed in the finest of eveningwear had blurred into one, and if
it hadn't been for Himeko physically supporting her beloved - carrying
Chikane at some points, Himeko was sure her beloved would have
collapsed onto the floor.
Her Chikane-chan refused to go. They waited until the end of the night
for the one they most wanted to see, but Otoha-san never showed up. She
was possibly the only person in the audience who hadn't gone to the
after party. Himeko felt a great sadness about this, and vowed that
they would meet once again.
It was curious, Himeko decided, but it seemed like no one else had seen
the lights that had emitted from her and Chikane's bodies, and no one
seemed to have heard the dark, cruel voice that had had tormented the
both of them so. Himeko decided that it was probably for the best. She
didn't know if she wanted all of Japan to understand what had actually
happened tonight, especially when she didn't completely understand it
herself.
She wanted to do nothing more than to sweep her beloved into bed and
demand that she sleep for a week, but the stubborn woman continued to
hold on, dutifully entertaining until the wee hours of the night.
Finally, it seemed like most people had cleared out. So when Chikane-
chan's parents came up to them with the Ogasawara's, their son
Sachisuke, and his guest, Yumitarou in tow, Himeko almost couldn't stop
herself from glaring at them.
"Chikane," Ichirou said softly, more than just a hint of guilt in his
eyes as he gazed at his daughter, then over at Himeko, before going
back to his daughter. "I know you must be exhausted, but Toshirou-san
insisted upon introducing his son to you."
Himeko watched as the handsome man whom she'd sat beside all evening
stepped up and politely give Chikane's hand a kiss. He was charming and
attentive but Himeko knew she had absolutely nothing to feel uneasy
above.
"Good evening, Chikane-san. My name is Ogasawara Sachisuke. I wanted to
tell you that your performance was absolutely breathtaking, and I shant
expect to ever hear anything ever quite like it again. The emotions
evoked by your ballads were just... exquisite." Sachisuke's words were
captivating, and he had nothing but sincerity in his eyes.
"Your words are far too kind, Sachisuke-san." Chikane's polite tones
betrayed none of her body's obvious weariness. She politely reclaimed
her hand, and used it to introduce Himeko. "Have you had the
opportunity to meet my lover, Kurusugawa Himeko?"
The easy confidence with which Chikane had disclosed their relationship
caused Himeko to widen her eyes in surprise. She looked quickly over at
Chikane, who was still smiling politely, then at Chikane's parents, who
held amused expressions, while their important guest, Ogasawara
Toshirou, was staring at Chikane, eyes bulging while he opened and
closed his mouth like a goldfish.
Sachisuke smiled dazzlingly. "Yes, I have in fact had the pleasure of
being seated next to her this evening." Sachisuke inclined his head
politely at Himeko as well, causing her to blush at the attention. "And
may I say that your bold declarations, Himeko-san, were as equally
inspiring to me, as the song that your kiss birthed."
Himeko felt her cheeks color. Hundreds of people had come up to
Chikane-chan all evening, and more than a few had also spoken kindly to
her, for her role. Sachisuke, however, was the very first to implicitly
remark that hers had not been a scripted performance...
Sachisuke reached back and grabbed Yumitarou's hand, bringing the
surprised boy forward. "Chikane-san, I would like to introduce my lover
to you as well. This is Fukuzawa Yumitarou."
Yumitarou blushed cutely. He looked up at Sachisuke like he thought the
taller man was mad, before he quickly composed himself and bowed lowly
to Chikane. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Miyahime-sama," he said
quickly. "My name is Fukuzawa Yumitarou. I had the pleasure of sitting
next to Otoha Keiko-san tonight. Your performance was absolutely
mesmerizing..."
"The pleasure is mine, Yumitarou-san." Chikane replied warmly. "And
please, call me Chikane. You had a chance to sit with Otoha=san, you
said? Could you please tell us where she is now?"
"My apologies," Yumitarou replied regretfully. "But unfortunately, I
believe she has already left..."
"Ah." There was disappointment in Chikane's voice, and Himeko felt it
in her heart as well. "Did she... say anything?"
"Actually, yes." Yumitarou replied, eyebrows quirking. He smiled over
at Himeko, before turning back to look at Chikane. "She wanted me to
tell you that she wishes you and Himeko-san nothing but the greatest of
happiness together."
"That's enough!"
Himeko turned to look at the source of the harsh words, and saw that
Sachisuke's father had gotten very red in the face. He was glaring at
his son, and his son's lover with almost murderous intent in his eyes.
The younger Ogasawara held his father's gaze coolly.
After several seconds of deadlock, the older man stormed off.
His wife gave a long suffering sigh and politely thanked their hosts.
"Well, thank you very much, Ichirou-kun, Nadeshiko-san. Please forgive
my husband's rudeness. I'll make sure he gives you a call in the
morning regarding the pipeline project." The woman gave her son a
pointed look that blatantly asked, 'was that really necessary?' before
walking with an air of dignity after her husband.
Sachisuke and Yumitarou traded amused glances, before they too bid
their hosts good night.
Himeko stared after the retreating men, before she turned her glance to
look at her beloved. Chikane had a tired smile on her face. She heard
Chikane's mother and father chuckle softly.
"Is there anyone else you want me to meet tonight, Mother? Father?"
Chikane asked.
"None at all, Chikane, none at all." Chikane's father said. His voice
was proud. "That was very well handled. I'm sorry that your grandfather
and uncle didn't come tonight, but, I'm sure they will feel more sorry
than I after reading the morning paper."
"Then will it be alright if I retired for the evening?"
"Of course," Chikane's mother replied. She gave Himeko an appreciative
smile. "Please take care of her, Himeko-san."
Himeko nodded. "Of course." She looked over Chikane-chan. Her Chikane-
chan. Her exhausted, teetering, drained, but still beautiful, Chikane-
chan.
"Shall we go home, Chikane-chan?"
The taller woman looked over at her, and used what must have been her
last ounce of energy to crack a dazzling smile. "Please."
***
Chikane was pretty sure she'd fallen asleep before her head had even
hit the pillow. So she was a bit confused as to when or how she'd come
back to the land of the waken, although she was distinctly aware of
_why_ she was awake.
She could feel a tender hand resting lightly on her obliques, the swell
of breasts and the hardened point of nipples under her shoulder blades.
Just along the base of her neck, she felt the warmth of her lover's
cheek, and could feel the exhale of Himeko's breath tickling her
gently. She listened to Himeko's breathing carefully, and noticed that
the pattern was too steady and strong for her beloved to actually be
asleep as well.
They were sleeping completely bare, Himeko and herself. Skin against
glorious skin, flesh pressed against tantalizing flesh. There was
nothing between them, nothing to keep them apart, nothing to block them
from savoring the other's presence.
Himeko remained still however, and Chikane realized it was because the
small woman wanted to enjoy the quiet tranquility; to partake in
Chikane's peace while she slept. She felt a pang of regret then, at
having woken up. She hadn't wanted to disturb Himeko's enjoyment.
Presently, she heard Himeko give a deep sigh, and felt the bed shift
under the blonde woman's movements. She could feel Himeko slightly
above her; her lover must have propped herself up on an elbow. She felt
the hand resting on her side lift, and then could feel Himeko tenderly
brushing away her hair from her face.
Unable to control her body's reaction, Chikane felt a smile come onto
her face, delighting in the loving attention, and yet still feeling
unsure; she didn't know how best to let her lover know she was awake
without startling the both of them out of the beautiful, quiet moment.
As always, Himeko unknowingly gave Chikane the guidance she needed when
the blonde woman bent down and brushed her lips against Chikane's ear,
before gently taking the lobe into her mouth and giving it the barest
of nibbles.
Chikane took a deep intake of breath; her lover was very obviously
trying to rouse her.
She tried not to show too obvious a sign of her wakefulness, enjoying
too much in her lover's careful attention, and this kept Himeko's
wonderful ministrations going.
Himeko continued to play with Chikane's ear, nuzzling gently along
Chikane's neck. She let her hand slide down Chikane's shoulder again,
and ran it down the supposedly sleeping woman's side and back up again,
causing ripples of sensation in the wake of her dancing fingertips. Her
hand trailed over Chikane's tight tummy, did a couple of languid
circles around the perfect belly button, before she slipped even
further down into the quickly moistening area between Chikane's legs,
and gently, teasingly, stroked.
By now, Chikane was sure her lover was fully aware she was awake; her
breathing was long and deep and the tense anticipation in each breath
exhaled echoed pleadingly with need in the quiet room.
Still, Himeko continued to caress and fan Chikane's heady pleasure,
even as she put her own trembling lips to Chikane's ear.
There was a maddeningly long pause. Chikane could almost hear Himeko's
unspoken words. She could tell that a thousand different words were
competing to leave Himeko's lips.
... I'm sorry. I missed you. I forgive you. I'm here for you. I want
you. I need you. I'll always be with you...
So many, many words...
Himeko took her time to choose them. And she whispered them in a low,
hoarse barely-there voice.
"I love you, Chikane-chan."
The warmth that Chikane was feeling in the lower part of her stomach
doubly intensified, and spread throughout the rest of her body. Her
entire being started to shake, and she could barely contain the emotion
she felt running in her heart, in her body, everywhere. She was so
happy, she wanted to cry.
Himeko continued to arouse her, brushing her legs against the back of
Chikane's thighs, and Chikane could tell from the slickness of the
other woman's lower body, pressed up so closely against her, that
Himeko was thrumming with desire, and close to completion as well.
Realizing that the time was nearing, Chikane reached a tremulous hand
under her pillow, and pulled out a small velvet box. Opening it, she
pulled out a diamond ring - the one her father had given her mother,
the one her grandfather had given her grandmother. She gently put her
hand over Himeko's own, and urged it away from its intoxicating task.
Carefully, she slipped the ring onto Himeko's fourth finger.
Chikane heard Himeko give a small cry as she realized what she'd been
given. The sound, so small, so vulnerable, so very, very happy, sent
shivers up and down Chikane's spine, and almost tipped her over the
edge.
She turned around to face her lover, nuzzling against Himeko's
beautiful neck, and running her hands across Himeko's soft breasts.
Gently, carefully, Chikane laid down on top of her lover, intertwining
their smooth legs together into a serpentine, locking their bodies -
oh! - in perfect union.
"I love you, Himeko."
Chikane pressed her lips against Himeko's own, and the blonde woman
responded gently in turn in one soft, sweet, perfect, kiss.
Their bodies moved as though joined, hips rocking in unison. They
climbed, waves of passion sending them higher, and higher, until they
reached the peak and leapt from the top together as one.
***
End
***
Epilogue
***
Himeko tried not to let the nervousness she felt in her body show, but
no matter how she tried, she couldn't get her body to stop shaking. In
an effort to dispel the nervous energy, she kept playing with the
diamond - the _ridiculously_ _massive_ diamond - ring on her left hand.
The moment of truth and judgment was upon Chikane-chan. In a few short
moments, they'd know whether Chikane's vision had healed, or whether
she'd be blind for the rest of her life.
Her beloved was sitting on the doctor's examination table, her face a
mask of detached neutrality. But Himeko could tell Chikane-chan was
more nervous than even herself; Chikane's fists were clamped so tight,
her fingernails were cutting into the flesh of her palms and drawing
blood.
Himeko wished she could hold onto her lover as she went through this
moment, but the doctor had firmly ordered her to sit in the chair on
the other side of the small room, while he carefully unwrapped the
gauze from Chikane's head.
It was probably for the best then, that she was the only one who had
come to the hospital with Chikane today. After her grandfather had
officially announced his successor, Chikane's mother and father had
been very busy handling the multi-billion dollar project between the
Miyahime and Ogasawara zaibatsu, which were starting underway.
Soon after the concert, Chikane's father had summoned his granddaughter
and Himeko to his home. While the old man was definitely formidable,
he hadn't seemed to unduly unreasonable. He was actually rather
pleased with his granddaughter's choice in a mate - Himeko hadn't
understood the reasoning for this, although she did realize it had
something to do with Chikane eventually having to declare her infant
nephew to be her heir, in order to allow control of the Miyahime
fortune, with the family's bloodline.
Otoha-san had had to fly with them to New York, even though she had
bitterly wished to be present to support her former Ojou-sama. But as
the new executive assistant to Chikane's father, and one of the best
the business world had ever seen, there was no way she could have
remained. Apparently, the woman had been more than just the head
maid for her previous employer - she had acted in the capacity of
major domo with the Himemiya family for several years, despite her
youth. Once Chikane's father had learned of this, he had actively
headhunted her for the position, with Chikane's blessings. Himeko was
very glad that Otoha-san would still be able to remain a part of their
lives.
"Alright, Miyahime-san. I'm going to be removing the last layer of
coverings now," the doctor said. "It's going to seem very bright for a
moment, even though the room is pretty dim right now. Make sure you
take time to let your eyes adjust, before you try to open them, okay?"
Chikane gave a murmur of understanding.
Himeko felt her heart leap into her throat and cut off her ability to
breath as the last of the bandages and covers came off, allowing her to
see her beloved's closed eyes for the first time in a very long time.
Chikane wrinkled her brow, keeping her eyelids firmly shut. Her face
twisted slightly into a grimace of discomfort. Then, finally, slowly,
the muscles in her face relaxed, and very carefully, she opened her
eyelids.
Himeko's heart stopped beating as Chikane opened her eyes and blinked
once, twice, three times. Slowly, she turned her line of sight up and
looked directly into Himeko's own worried violet one.
Chikane's gaze was a flat, unseeing stare. Her once beautifully marine
blue irises had a slight discoloration around the edges, fading from
brilliant blue into lighter green and ending in a thin, damaged ring of
yellow at edge of the outer rim where the iris met the cornea.
Himeko put a trembling hand up to her mouth, and felt silent tears
gather at the corner of her own eyes.
... oh god... no...
And then Chikane blinked. And blinked again. And that flat, unseeing
stare transformed into a warm, wondrous gaze.
A wonderful, beautiful smile appeared on Chikane's face.
"You cut your hair." Chikane said softly. "I like it."
Himeko touched her bangs. She had only gotten a very small, tidying
trim that morning.
Of course Chikane-chan would have noticed.
With a cry of happy relief, Himeko stood up and rushed to throw her
arms around Chikane's neck. "Oh thank god, Chikane-chan! Thank god!!"
Himeko heard Chikane laugh joyously, and felt relieved arms wrap
themselves around her waist.
**********************************************************************
AUTHOR'S NOTE AND OMAKE!
I know I raised a huge stink at the beginning of this fic (actually,
even before this fic began), about how I would have to move all the
lemony bits to a separate 0.5 chapter, in order to keep a lime/teen
rating for Blinded... but the final scene (before the epilogue) just
refused to restrain itself to a PG-13 rating. I thought that if I moved
it to the separate 0.5 chapter, then my story as a whole was worse off
for it, because the scene immediately preceding it just wasn't strong
enough to end on.
So, *sigh* there you have it. In the battle against the rating boards,
I tripped and smashed my head into a bosomy woman's cleavage at the
finish line. I apologize to those of you who began this story on the
strict promise that this one would not contain explicit material.
Hopefully, there aren't too many of you in this boat...
This story began after I'd finished its "prequel" of sorts - "Finally
Healing", when the image of Chikane in a sexy dress and a blindfold
popped into my head (yup - the wedding scene). A reason for why she may
be wearing this blindfold quickly came to me (as inspired by a certain
Korean music video called "Because I'm a Girl"), and then my muse
started assaulting me with ideas for all sorts of fun trouble I could
put her and Himeko through. At the time, I was greatly saddened that
the last volume of Kannazuki no Miko was soon to be released, with the
whole series then becoming officially over. I was really looking to
give C&H some more adventures, some more stories, some more
dokidokiness...
The result was this fic, and I hope it was an entertaining one for you.
As I'm writing this now, the third DVD is sitting in front of me and
cruelly taunting me. It arrived in the mail yesterday, and I told
myself I wouldn't open it until I got this part out to pre-readers. So,
it's been a difficult 24 hours. =P
Many thanks for Naolin for beta-work, and Eimii for story building
advice, and to the good folks of the shoujoai.com fanfiction forums,
and the FFML for providing feedback and "hurry! faster! write more!"
type comments. This story probably definitely wouldn't have been
written so quickly without you!
I think that's about it! I'm not sure when I'll get the lemon extract
out - it doesn't seem so pressing to me, now that the story's been
told, but it shouldn't be too long.
Thank you for reading!!
Cheers,
Jen-chan...
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... Oh, right. You want omake, don't you? ^_^
***
OMAKE I: Oi... Your Disclaimers are Longer than Your Fic...
So I realize that the amount of header information I tend to include in
my fics are bordering on the ridiculous. Let's try to streamline all
that information, shall we?
BLINDED - A KANNZUKI NO MIKO FANFIC
DISCLAIMER: Don't sue me!
SPOILER WARNING: Yes, I'm ruining the ending for you!
LIME/LEMON WARNING: Sex ahead!
STORY SYNOPSIS: Sex sex sex SEX seX sEx SEx SeX sEX seX sEx sEX sex SEX
sEX SeX SEx sEX food seX seX SEX SEX sex SeX!
PART I SYNOPSIS: Confused-sex!
PART II SYNOPSIS: Outdoor-sex!
PART III SYNOPSIS: Angry-piano-sex and highly-inappropriate-way-of-
asking-you-to-marry-me-sex!
PART III.5 EXTRA LEMON SCENE SYNOPSIS: ... Hmm... well, I haven't
written it yet, but seeing as how it's an extra lemon scene, the chance
of sex happening is pretty darn high...
***
OMAKE II: Despair! Despaaaaair!!
CHIKANE: Himeko, Himeko! Can we have McDonald's for dinner tonight?
HIMEKO: No, Chikane-chan. We're going to have vegetables.
CHIKANE: Oh. <Unhappy voice> Despair... <little gloomy Orochi swirls
pop out of her head and start dancing all over the floor>
HIMEKO: Gah!! <Picks up a broom and squashes the little Orochis> Okay,
okay! We can have McDonald's!
CHIKANE: Yay! <Orochi swirls disappear> Himeko, Himeko! Can I have
soda to go with dinner?
HIMEKO: No, Chikane-chan. You really should have milk or juice.
CHIKANE: Oh. <Unhappy voice> Despair... <more little gloomy Orochi
swirls pop out of her head and start dancing all over the floor>
HIMEKO: Gah!! <Picks up a broom and squashes the little Orochis> Dammit
all, Chikane-chan, you can't keep spawning Orochis every time something
doesn't go your way! That's not 'despair'! It's brattiness!
CHIKANE: Gloom... <still more little gloomy Orochi swirls pop out of
her head and start dancing all over the floor>
HIMEKO: Aargh! <Swatting away> Aright, alright! You can have soda pop!
CHIKANE: Yay! <Orochi swirls disappear> Himeko, Himeko! Can you wear
this to bed tonight?
HIMEKO: What?! <looks at the 'nightwear' made entirely of buckles and
suspenders> No!
CHIKANE: Oh. <Unhappy voice> Despair...
<Before she can summon more Orochi swirls, HIMEKO throws the broom in
CHIKANE'S face>
HIMEKO: Enough already!
***
OMAKE III: You cut your hair...
Chikane's gaze was a flat, unseeing stare. Her once beautifully marine
blue irises had a slight discoloration around the edges, fading from
brilliant blue into lighter green and ending in a thin, damaged ring of
yellow at edge of the outer rim where the iris met the cornea.
Himeko put a trembling hand up to her mouth, and felt silent tears
gather at the corner of her own eyes.
... oh god... no...
And then Chikane blinked. And blinked again. And that flat, unseeing
stare transformed into an incredulous, disbelieving gawk.
"You shaved your head?!"
Himeko rubbed her scalp. "Well, the girls at work said this is the most
fashionable look right now! Why? You don't like it?"
Chikane continued to stare at Himeko. Then she calmly grabbed the
doctor's pens and stabbed them into her eyes.
***
OMAKE IV: What do Roses, Pianos and Engagement Rings have in Common?!
SOUMA: Makoto, why do you always insist on embarrassing Himeko?
MAKOTO: Because it's so fun, it should be a national pastime!
SOUMA: *sigh* Just... take it easy, will you?
MAKOTO: No promises!
<They arrive with YUKIHITO and OTOHA at HIMEKO and CHIKANE'S house>
SOUMA & MAKOTO & OTOHA & YUKIHITO: Happy Birthday, Himeko!
HIMEKO: Thank you, everyone!
MAKOTO: Open my present first, Himeko!
YUKIHITO: Erm, maybe you should open mine first, Himeko-chan. <Gives
Himeko a bouquet> A dozen roses for the birthday girl!
HIMEKO: <Stares at the roses. A wicked blush stretches across her
cheeks as she accepts them> T-Thank you, Yukihito-san. <Gives CHIKANE a
sideways look.>
CHIKANE: ... <blushes>
SOUMA & MAKOTO & OTOHA & YUKIHITO: ? <collective thought> What's so
embarrassing about roses?
MAKOTO: Okay, open mine next, Himeko!
SOUMA: Aaaah! Maybe mine should go next! <Gives Himeko a box>
HIMEKO: <opens the box and sees a piano shaped music box. Stares at the
piano. The blush across her cheeks grows to cover her entire face> T-
Thank you, Souma-kun. <Gives CHIKANE another pointed look.>
CHIKANE: ... ... <entire face is red too>
SOUMA & MAKOTO & OTOHA & YUKIHITO: ?? <collective thought> What's so
embarrassing about pianos??
MAKOTO: Okay, my turn, my turn!
OTOHA: Aaah, perhaps mine would be more appropriate... <Gives Himeko
another box> It's the latest design from the accessory sub-division of
Miyahime's Fashion company!
HIMEKO: <opens the box and sees a pair of small golden
wedding/engagement rings. The blush on her face turns into a full body
flush> Aaah... T-Thank you, Otoha-san... <Gives CHIKANE yet another
pronounced look.>
CHIKANE: ... ... ... <full body blushing power!>
SOUMA & MAKOTO & OTOHA & YUKIHITO: ??? <collective thought> What's so
embarrassing about rings?!?
MAKOTO: Hah! No one left, right? Alright, save the best for last! Here
you go, Himeko! I think you and Chikane-chan can really appreciate this
one! <Gives Himeko a box>
HIMEKO: ... <apprehensively opens the box. Peeks inside and looks
relieved> Oh. Thanks, Mako-chan! This will come in really handy! <Pulls
out the bottle of Cherry flavored Carpet Cleaner>
MAKOTO: ... you have no idea what that is, do you?
HIMEKO: Eh? We use this to clean our floors, right?
MAKOTO: ... um, no. <gets excited> You see, this is-!
SOUMA: That's enough! <clamps hands down on MAKOTO'S mouth> Well,
thanks for having us, Himeko! We'll show ourselves out!
<SOUMA, MAKOTO, OTOHA and YUKIHITO leave>
CHIKANE: ... <looks at HIMEKO'S gifts. Sweatdropping profusely> ...
HIMEKO: ... <looks at CHIKANE'S expression. looks at her gifts.
sweatdrops> Erm... at least no one brought a flute?
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