Mai-HiME Fan Fiction ❯ Tea Leaves, Coffee Beans, and a Touch of Mint. ❯ Chapter 6 ( Chapter 6 )

Yukino was delivered from her musings at the sound of the bathroom door opening, and Haruka's hushed footfalls on the plush carpeting approaching. The sounds soon faded, but Yukino, still worried about Shizuru's message, and quite comfortable on the bed, was not able to bring herself to open her eyes until she heard Haruka speak.

"Oh, Yukino looks nice."

"Thank you, Haruka-chan. You look lovely too." Yukino opened her eyes now, and smiled. Haruka bit the inside of her cheek. She looks nice, and she's awake! Wait, why does it matter? There's nothing wrong with a compliment, right? She banished the thought. Suzushiro Haruka just was not used to noticing things like that, even less to commenting on them.

Yukino cocked her head and gave the other woman a puzzled stare. Haruka had been staring off into space for a bit now… "Lovely" was not that strong a word, was it? Besides which, it was accurate to Yukino. She had not seen Haruka in such a casual getup since junior high, and it made for an interesting change of pace.

"Um, Haruka-chan?" Yukino inquired. The other quickly snapped back to the present and resumed her focus, much to the relief of her friend.

"Hmm? Oh, yes, Yukino. Are you ready to go then?"

"Yes, Haruka-chan, I'm ready."

"Good, we'll be heading out then. Oh, and... thank you for your... assessment Yukino." Yukino felt her heart warm at Haruka's words. As she had so often told others, that really was the only way Haruka could say it.

“Did you manage to partake of anything from our… courteously provided luncheon?” Haruka put on a forced smile, not wanting to trouble Yukino with her frustrations. It wasn’t Yukino’s fault that this operation had been going downhill from the beginning.... Really, having Yukino along is probably the only thing that's kept me sane through this travesty.

“Yes, Haruka-chan, I ate a bit of the fruit. It was actually very good, won’t you have some?” Yukino looked so concerned that Haruka couldn’t bring herself to refuse, and she picked a couple of things off the top of a fancifully bawdy little display, popping a cherry in her mouth and motioning for Yukino to follow her.

"We might as well turn into vegetarians at this rate, eh Yukino?" Haruka said with a slight laugh, thinking about their recent diet. "We're going to stop somewhere for a proper meal while we're out." They then proceeded to walk out of the room, make their way to the elevator, and exit into the lobby.

“Well then, Yukino, where to go? I suggest that we go by the front desk first, and pray that our guests do not have the same… accommodation that we were stuck with. It would set a good example if we were to be able to guide them without having to get assistance from the staff, and prudent to assure a certain level of appropriateness with their arrangements. What do you think?” Yukino blinked and tried to hide her bewilderment. Since when does Haruka even consider that she may not have the best plan for everything? Not a good sign…

“Yes, Haruka-chan, that sounds like the best thing to do.” Yukino put on her best supportive smile, it always seemed to cheer Haruka up to have support, whether she would admit it or not. It even seemed to work a little now, though Haruka still looked distracted and, to Yukino's trained eye, mildly distressed. She was going to have to figure out a way to prevent further “mistakes” from occurring. She sighed, I thought Shizuru-san knew Haruka-chan better than this… what could she be thinking this will accomplish?

Haruka might be the kind of person that could face down armies with an unblinking front, but her honesty and straightforwardness provided her little base from which she could defend herself against the duplicity she now unknowingly faced. If it were not so serious, Yukino might have laughed. Haruka had boldly braced herself and barreled through any and all obstacles she ever faced directly , but against these mundane, if unexpected, happenings, she was being slowly chipped away. Yukino looked ahead at her companion, and studied her stride. It looked the same: the same quick, strong steps, the same determined expression, but there was something wrong… for as long as she had known her dear friend, Haruka had always tackled everything at full speed, Yukino always running to try to keep up. But now I can't feel that same speed… I almost feel like I'm going to end up pushing her ahead, it's scary…

They came upon the main desk once again, and entered to see the same concierge sitting at the desk. As he observed the two come in, the older gentleman unconsciously found himself sitting up straighter, his superior's words running through his mind: “We have two guests by the names of Suzushiro Haruka and Kikukawa Yukino, I believe you’ve had contact with them? Well, as of now, know that you are to report nothing of their activities, nor even of their presence here, to any other party, no matter what you see or hear, at risk of your employment and possible legal action.” The concierge had never heard of such precautions being taken for any guests, no matter their circumstances or status, but who would argue with a statement like that? Except that poor bellhop...

“Good day, what can I do for you?”

“You can give me some information regarding room reservations you have placed for tomorrow. You should have a party of…” Haruka paused.

“Six, Haruka-chan.”

“Yes, a party of six arriving tomorrow, and I would like to know which rooms they will be staying in.”

“Ah, you see ma’am, that is a bit of a tricky matter. It is against our policy to give out information regarding guests or their reservations, unless there are special circumstances.”

“Of course, I would expect no less, but these are special circumstances. We are representatives of Fukka Academy, as I mentioned earlier, and we are here to meet the party I’m speaking of. So then, if you would give us the information now.” He was starting to look nervous now. He neither wanted to upset the potentially violent girl or do anything to jeopardize his employment, but he had been told nothing about this development. By my life, what more could she possibly want from me!?

“I’m do apologize, ma’am, but we have no information regarding any plans of that sort.” Seeing the look on the woman’s face, he decided it would be prudent to explain further, “I already explained when you checked in that we have no record of any school affiliated with your reservations, and we have no other information about the academy either. I apologize if this is a mistake, but I cannot do anything for you.” This didn’t seem to be helping, so the employee sighed slightly and tried taking a different tack. “Here, I’ll check the reservations if you wish, and see if any other parties scheduled to arrive tomorrow make a mention of this academy.”

Haruka waited, arms folded impatiently, as he checked the system. Yukino was getting that feeling again, she just knew that something else “unplanned” was about to happen. The expression that grew on the employee’s face verified her apprehension.

“I… ah, that is,, ma’am, there was a party of six scheduled to arrive tomorrow. However, their reservations were canceled. In addition, there is no mention of any academy in the record. I am truly sorry if there has been some kind of mistake, but there is nothing we can do for you.” He seemed to shrink back, bracing himself for whatever was to come, and for good reason. Haruka seemed to swell up, a volcano about to erupt, and Yukino started talking; saying anything she could come up with to defuse the situation.

“Haruka-chan, why don’t we… ah… go back up to our room and call the president? She… maybe she knows what happened? Perhaps they just changed their lodging plans, it's possible...” This sounded an especially weak possibility to Yukino with her inside knowledge, but the opportunity to let loose against the "Bubuzuke Woman" rather than a stranger proved motivation enough to shift Haruka's focus.

“Yes, Yukino, good thinking. She’s the one behind this disgrace after all, so she had better be able to explain this mess.” Haruka growled, and started back towards the door, picking up steam as she went. “Come, Yukino, there’s nothing more to be done here. Let’s get back up to our room and see if we can get a hold of the president. We’re done here.” Yukino let out a sigh of relief; she had managed to buy some time, at least.

She turned towards the employee, giving him a quick bow and a “thank you”, before hurriedly following her frazzled roommate. There probably never were any guests. Or students, for that matter. More than that, however, Yukino wondered how Haruka would take that kind of news, provided her suspicions proved correct. Haruka-chan's determination to complete her duty, despite the problems, had been the only thing keeping her afloat... what will happen now?

Entering the room, Haruka marched determinedly towards the bed, and stopped before it. Yukino looked quizzically at the stiff figure before her, before Haruka did the absolutely unexpected. With a most uncharacteristic sigh of resignation, she fell flatly upon the bed and lay there, face pushed down into the mattress.

“Haruka-chan. It’s okay, it looks like there was just some kind of misunderstanding. There's nothing you could have done about that.”

Haruka offered a noncommittal noise, muffled by the folds of red velvet covering, in response. Yukino frowned, and walked quietly over to her friend, tentatively sitting beside her on the bed. She couldn’t think of anything to say or do, so she just sat there. They remained like that for several minutes, until Haruka couldn’t stand the silence any more and pushed herself up, looking piercingly into the eyes of her partner.

“Yukino, everything that’s happened so far on this assignment has been a disaster. Why did I trust Fujino to do this right? Why didn’t I look at the plans? Why didn’t I check this out? This is my fault, I should have known better than to leave something delicate in her, or anybody else's, hands.. I was complacent, I let… her take some of my own responsibility, let something else take precedence over my duty as Director, and now you and I are paying for it.”

Yukino bit her lip. This is all my fault, and she thinks it’s hers. Yukino couldn’t help but wonder what “something else” had been, but that was beside the point. Yukino came to a depressing conclusion: this had no good end. It hurt to consider, but she had to make the truth known. All of it. So this is what it's like to put the one you love before all else. It...hurts. But, it was still the right thing to do. Yukino took a deep breath, preparing to make her confession, and--

"Yukino, I need you to get in touch with that… Bubuzuke Woman and try to figure out what's going on with this mess-- oh, sorry, were you going to say something?" Yukino expelled her breath.

"Ah... no, Haruka-chan, I wasn't. Just a moment while I check the e-mail first- perhaps she sent us something regarding this… development." Yukino didn't bother to hid the note of irritation she felt as she said this, and while she sat and opened the laptop to log into the executive account, Haruka dug for the motivation to sit up. I can't be a good friend for Yukino lazing about feeling sorry for myself, the least I can do to make this up to her is to stick it out. I let this get screwed up, but I'll do my best to fix it. That's it! For Yukino's sake, I need to make things right again.

Yukino scanned through the inbox with no real expectation of finding anything, brushing past the usual offers of money from Sudan and life-enhancing chemicals, but was surprised to see that there was indeed one relevant e-mail mixed in with it all:

Kikukawa-san, please have Suzushiro-san call me whenever it is convenient.

-Fujino Shizuru  

Yukino stared at the screen in complete disbelief at the woman’s audacity. Of all the… why would I even consider having Haruka-chan call her at this point? No, that won't be happening, Shizuru-san. After some quick thinking, she closed her laptop, pulled out her phone, and pretended to place a call. After a few seconds, she pulled her phone away from her ear

“Haruka-chan, there was an e-mail… For some reason my mobile service doesn't seem to be connecting whenever Fujino-san tries to call me; may I use your phone?”

Haruka wordlessly pulled it out of her pocket and lobbed it in the direction of Yukino's voice. Yukino snatched it from the foot of the bed where it had fallen and dialed, hoping that Shizuru would answer when the caller ID did not have her name attached to it. Honestly, were I to call, she would probably be mysteriously unavailable. The sneaky, low-down…

“Ah, hello Suzushiro-san, I’m glad I could reach you.”

“I’m glad you could reach us as well, President.” On the other end of the connection, Shizuru was genuinely surprised, Had I not requested that Suzushiro-san specifically call? How very bold of you, Kikukawa-san.

“Oh, hold on one moment Miss President, I’m not getting very good reception in the room, I think I’ll step out onto the balcony.” True to her words, she did so, making sure to close the door on her way out. Of course, she didn't think Haruka would even notice at this point.

“Shizuru-san, what’s going on?”

“Well, Kikukawa-san… I meant to speak with Suzushiro-san at this point, as you well kno--”

“No, Shizuru-san, I think you’ve done enough to Haruka-chan for now. I trusted you; what are you doing?” Yukino was trying to stay calm, but seeing Haruka's crumpled form on the sheets was enough to arouse her ire quite effectively. She continued to feel it was, at least in part, her fault, but still…

“Kikukawa-san, what ever do you mean? I thought I was doing well, too! I'm hurt; aren’t you getting that vacation now? I know, there is that pesky assignment, but you have a nice long day before--"

"Before we're supposed to discover that there are no students, no guests, and no assignment left to accomplish?" Yukino finished, an unusually chill air accompanying her words.

Shizuru, unseen on the other line, winced. Well now, a slight miscalculation? They were not supposed to arrive at this point quite yet…

"So, ah, how is Suzushiro-san taking this news?"

"You say it as though you had not planned it yourself. Of course she isn't taking this well, it's been one mishap after another since you sent us off, and now she's supposed to just accept it when she realizes enduring all of it has been for nothing?"

Shizuru was struggling a bit mentally now. This was an unexpected, and highly unwanted, turn of events. Suzushiro-san was supposed to have at least one day of acclimation before this became evident. Her thoughts toward solution were interrupted by Yukino's speaking once more.

"I really do appreciate that you tried, Shizuru-san, but I do not want your 'help' any longer. How could you ever think that I would want to see Haruka-chan in this kind of state? She's only barely managed to speak again in the last few minutes, and I was beginning to fear she might lay in that bed the rest of the day. Unless there's some miraculous way that you can find a party of wealthy, interested parents in the next five minutes, get them plane tickets and hotel reservations, and somehow convince Haruka-chan that it was merely a clerical error on the part of the hotel, I don't think I'll be letting you speak to her."

As many things as Shizuru believed she could manage, five minutes was not a gracious period of time to do so in, and she really could not work in any more days for this venture than she already had had. I had certainly expected to disturb Suzushiro-san and assumed Kikukawa-san's protectiveness and displeasure, but to this extent this early… She sipped her tea thoughtfully. I simply cannot allow the situation to deteriorate so. Oh, she's yelling at me now! How very sweet of you, my dear, very cute, I must say- a side you should show more often! Well, I suppose there might very well be one way to solve this in some measure. If honesty worked so well for Suzushiro, perchance this was the situation to use it on her… in part.

“Kikukawa-san, I am terribly sorry to hear that my plan has caused so much more of a disturbance than I expected. I would like nothing more than to fix this situation, but to do so I simply must be allowed to speak to our Executive Director personally. If she is truly so disheartened as you say, I do feel that this bit of news would aid her recovery greatly." It actually feels rather nice to be somewhat honest on occasion, I suppose… why is Suzushiro-san so grumpy all of the time, then? Probably because there is one person with whom she is not entirely honest. She shrugged and turned her attention back to Yukino.

“What… what is it you need to talk to her about, Shizuru-san?”

“I'm merely going to be attempting to… smooth this small matter over with her. I would really like to patch this situation my carelessness has created, Kikukawa-san."

Yukino took her ear from the phone and stared at it for a long moment. Shizuru had sounded sincere not once, but twice in the same conversation, and Yukino wasn't sure what to make of it. Sure, the president had expressed such earnestness before, sincerity did not by itself mean that she would do what was best in this situation, but what else was there to do? What else to do but trust this woman just a little further… She exhaled heavily at this realization. What have I gotten myself into?

“Okay, Shizuru-san, you may speak with her, though I can assure you that she will likely not pleased to even hear your voice, let alone listen to what you have to say. Actually, I don't know how she'll react to you at this point, I've never dealt with her like this."

“Thank you for the warning, Kikukawa-san.” Shizuru listened to a bit of commotion, hushed voices and a bit more ruckus before a startlingly dull Haruka answered.

“Suzushiro speaking.” Haruka said flatly. She listened for a moment as Yukino looked on anxiously, and a spark seemed rekindle within her eyes, creating a decidedly pregnant silence. “You apologize? You apologize? With all due respect, President, this entire operation has been a complete misgrace thus far! Did you ev-" Haruka stopped speaking and listened intently before continuing in a slightly less caustic voice.

“Yes, I agree. I can personally assure you that it would be better if matters such as this were planned and carried out by the executive team in the future.” She stopped again.

“Canceled? After all this, they canceled the trip? And decided to enroll elsewhere. Yes, I understand that this was nobody’s fault, but what are we to do now? With that news my plan is to return to the academy as soon as possible.” Yukino wished she knew what Shizuru was saying on the other end of the line. She could grasp the gist of it, but wording was important as meaning when dealing with their crafty president. Haruka seemed to have snapped somewhat out of her funk, though, so Yukino felt fairly secure in Shizuru’s intentions. This time.

“Two days!? Yes, President Fujino, I know that our room and travel reservations have already been placed, but surely--,” Haruka listened for a moment, “No? 'Neither refundable nor alterable,' you say? Let me speak to them, that's post humorous-”

Yukino smiled inwardly, for Haruka seemed to be making a recovery. For once, Shizuru was manipulating in the right direction, though she was starting to get concerned over the subject matter now. Two days? Here, in Osaka? I do hope I'm hearing that wrong. I can't imagine Haruka-chan spending two whole days away from the academy without adequate reason.

“Company policy? Clearly outlined in the contractions? Legally binding and irreversible… Yes, President, I understand: We have to wait until Tuesday morning before our train derives. Yes, President. No, don’t be concerned about us; we’ll be fine, even with the mistake room you provided us with. We‘ve dealt with much worse conditions before. No, we’ll catch up on any backlogged work when we return, we’re perfectly capable! There isn’t anybody else there I would trust with our duties anyway.” Haruka closed the phone, the conversation obviously over.

“Well at least our president lined up to her mistakes this time. It looks like our visitors canceled. Did you hear?” Yukino nodded, but was still somewhat worried. Her malapropisms are a little worse than normal… stress perhaps? “Well, they’re not coming, but we’re still stuck here until Tuesday. That Bubuzuke Woman's travel agency has strict rules and secretarian deals…"

"Ah, Haruka-chan…" she trailed off. Hmm… I just really don't know what she was going for…

"Yukino?"

"Ah, nothing, Haruka-chan. Sorry, please go on."

"As I was saying there are shady deals between the hotel, the trains, and the agency, so we're stuck here in a sort of Limbo state. Our reservations are set and unchangeable…" Yukino smiled. Haruka was indeed getting back on her track. Shizuru was able to say all the right things. Yukino had to hold back a chuckle, however, when she realized that considering how well-off the Suzushiro family was, a train ticket would be next to nothing. Years of somewhat leaner living, however, had conditioned her friend against "such wasteful spending!" and Yukino resigned herself to making sure Haruka didn't destroy anything expensive in a fit of Fujino-induced rage.

“It's okay, Haruka-chan. There are far worse things than spending a few days together without work, right?” Yukino’s cheeks tinged pink at having been so forthright, but it felt like the right thing to say. Haruka looked surprised for a moment, but then actually smiled; a little ruefully, perhaps, but a smile even so. Yukino is the patient one, isn't she? It sure is nice that she was able to come with me. If she can be so easily accepting of this situation, I can't do any less. She's right, too, there are certainly worse things. If she can be so easily accepting of this situation, I can't do any less.

"W-w-what was that, Haruka-chan?" Haruka looked over to her partner, whose face had taken on a more complete pink hue.

"Is it too hot in here, Yukino? Your face is flushed." Aaaah! I did it again! Haruka knew how much Yukino looked up to her, it wouldn't do to have Yukino think she was losing her grip on reality. They say that talking to yourself is the quickest way to unsanity too… "Anyway, that's good thinking, Yukino. Why should this be a bad thing? Even so, I don't want to spend any more time in this crooked building than we have to. Shall we go out for a little while, like we planned yesterday, before this fiasco started?"

“Well… That does sound nice, Haruka-chan, if you’re sure about it...”

“I’m sure.” Haruka quickly covered herself, “That is, because of that Bubuzuke Woman's foul-up, we have nothing better to be doing. I feel like I owe some leisure time to you anyway. You work far too hard sometimes, you deserve more credit for having to keep my pace." Haruka didn’t want Yukino to think she was losing her edge.

“Thank you, Haruka-chan, but you do so much, I feel like I’m just along for the ride most of the time.” Why is it so cute that she's embarrassed by wanting to enjoy herself? "This will be nice for both of us, after what we've been through." I guarantee it. Yukino gave Haruka a supportive smile again, and this time it appeared to have a much better effect.

The past day or so had been a whirlwind of activity, but things looked like they were starting to settle a bit, and Haruka's priorities were coming back into order, except for one detail… So then, what is my top priority? No more assignment, no way to get back to the academy, what's left? She felt her eyes drawn back over to the sweet, bright face still looking expectantly at her, waiting patiently as always. Yukino… if anything deserves top priority, it's her. She could not forget her tousle-haired friend, her faithful partner who had been by her side, aiding her through so many situations. That would be unfair to both Yukino and herself, and Haruka was not the sort of person to let such a thing happen.

"Well then, what are we waiting for? We're already dressed to go out, got any suggestions?" Haruka was glad to see a sparkle in her friend's hazel eyes as they prepared to leave.

"I think I saw a tourist kiosk in the lobby, Haruka-chan. Should we spare the money for a city guide?"

"Good idea, that would be helpful Let's go, Yukino." Haruka strode purposefully towards the door, a cheery Yukino falling into step at her heels. As usual…

Igari Shintarou hadn't known, to be sure. People wanted to know and he had thought he could score some points with those higher on the totem by sharing some juicy gossip about the those guests. But such a heavy price he had paid, his eye swollen half-shut- a mark of shame impressed upon him by a very large gentleman who had said that he should keep his nose out of the meat grinder. His musings were cut short as the elevator door slid silently open and he froze, half a smile falling dead on his lips. It was them! He shrank back as the busty blonde looked at him quizzically. He was choking on air, wanting to hide, but unable to even move from her presence. He felt as though he were looking up at his bastard father's cold impassive gaze. The elevator door slid shut and Igari clenched his fists, kicking himself for his cowardice.

“What was that?”

“I don't know Haruka-chan. He seemed awfully afraid.” After a pause, “Why, wasn't that the bellhop from before?”

“Oh, I suppose it was. I wonder what happened to his face.”

The pair exited the elevator and out into the lobby yet again. Yukino continued to watch Haruka closely. Her companion's quick and drastic mood changes had been a little worrisome, but maybe that’s just how Haruka was. She really can’t do anything half-way, can she? Plus, being that stressed for that long couldn't be good for stability. Yukino was a little surprised to find that she had unconsciously quickened her pace with those thoughts. She drew abreast of Haruka, who was poring over a guide they had acquired for free as a “courtesy to our esteemed guests.” These nice hotels really do have all the amenities. Blonde locks swung through the air as Haruka turned her head to face Yukino.

“How about the Kaiyukan aquarium, Yukino? Or over towards Minami, and the entertainment district perhaps?”

“Let’s head towards Minami, Haruka-chan, and we’ll see what we come across on the way. I think we’ve both had enough of plans by now.” Another time Yukino might have demurred any type of decision-making, another time Yukino might have formed some kind of agenda for her order-minded Haruka, but she really did feel sick of plans by now. If there were no plans, there was no chance for those plans to go wrong. Haruka looked thoughtful for a moment, and Yukino wondered if similar thoughts were running through her mind.

“Okay then. Let’s go.” And Haruka set off, easy as that. Even with no idea what she was doing or where she was going, Haruka wasn’t about to let it show. I’m tired of being out of control. Nothing is going to stop Yukino and I now; I’ll have fun if it kills me. Yukino stepped up after her once more, and matched her modest steps with Haruka, hooking her arm through her companion’s elbow.

“I don’t want to get lost in the crowd, Haruka-chan.” Yukino replied to Haruka’s questioning glance. Haruka nodded satisfied, and pulled Yukino closer. That was a good idea, Haruka remembered how the crowds were earlier, and they were closing in on the edge of the hotel complex. Sure enough, the mob of people in the city proper was just as bad as before, if not worse. Yukino had to try quite hard to keep from pulling even closer, though the crowd had little to do with that wish. The pair exchanged glances, and Haruka put on a fearless grin before tugging her partner into the flow of people.

“Ah, no, Haruka-chan! Minami is this way!”