Life Always Changes
Chapter 4: Reunion Pt.1
Yuki felt all eyes on her as she began to descend the staircase. As she looked around taking in all the guests she spotted him. He was staring at her as though he had seen a ghost. She began to calm herself as she felt her heart beat a mile a minute.
"Ichiro." she said quietly to herself. All she needed to do was to get to him and everything would be fine. She began to quicken her pace a little towards him until she finally reached him. Salvation she thought, he always made her feel safe in any setting.
She remembered back on when they had first met. It was only her second year in America working for the Sakura bakery, when the owners of the bakery threw a party to celebrate the honor of their youngest sons return. She as well as every other worker had been invited.
Her friend Hana had talked her into going with her, but was now at home with the flu.
So Yuki was there alone and she really didn't know anyone there. She decided to take a step outside to get some air. She began strolling through the gardens when her heel got stuck in a crack and she slipped and twisted her ankle. Before she could notice him he was right by her side.
"Are you OK?" he asked.
"I - I'm fine, I think I just sprained my ankle." She winced a little as he gently removed her shoe from the crack, and picked her up to carry her to one of the benches.
She looked over at her foot and grimmaced as it was beginning to swell.
"Its OK honestly" she whispered as she tried to stand. She was a little embarrassed at having such a handsome complete stranger take care of her.
"No" he said as he gently sat her back down. "You will stay right here until I get you some ice." Before she could protest he was gone.
The next morning she took a couple of aspirin to ease the slight pain in her ankle.
"Yuki do you have any idea who that was?!" Her friend Hana asked her as Yuki told her about what happened last night. "That was Mishima Ichiro, the owner's youngest son, was he as gorgeous as everyone described?!"
Great that was all she needed. Not only had she kept the man from the party, but it had been the guest of honor himself! she thought to her self as she began to prepare on her task for the day.
"Hello" the man said as he stood before her. "It seems due to last nights circumstances I forgot to introduce myself, Mishima Ichiro." he said as he slightly bowed his head.
Yuki was a little surprised to see the man standing before her, as she thought she would never see him again. "I am so sorry for keeping you from your party last night." She told him with an apologetic look on her face.
"No need to apologize." he said. "I had more fun talking with you last night than I have at any of those parties combined. But I still don't know your name." He smiled at her
A blush began to rise on her face as she spoke. "Matsuoka Yuki".
Since that day little by little they had begun to become inseparable. He had become her knight in shining armor. She felt at ease in his presence, as though nothing could go wrong.
"You look stunning." Ichiro told her as he took her hand and pulled her by his side.
She gave him a small smile in thank,s as the guests began to approach them. She could still feel Soujiro's eyes on her though she could not bring herself to look.
The music began to play as she and Ichiro made their way to the dance floor.
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Soujiro did not know what to feel. He felt betrayed that the rest of the F3 had kept this from him.
Kept that the woman he loved more than anything in the world was not only in the same country as him, but right under his nose!
But more than anything he felt hollow. There she was the woman that meant everything to him, that held his heart in her hands. There she was right before him and she was engaged to another man! He couldn't believe it, he had to be in a dream, something like this couldn't be possible. The world couldn't do something this cruel to him.
It hurt him to just look at her in an the others mans arms. It wasn't possible, he couldnt accept it.
This had to be another joke his mind was playing on him.
"Soujiro are you alright?" Akira asked from beside him with concern in voice.
"Did you know?!" was all he could mange to say. "Did you know that she was here, and engaged to another man!
"No Soujiro, Rui and I had no idea." Akira said as he looked at his best friend who looked like someone had dragged him through hell and back again, as Soujiro downed his second glass of scotch.
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As the song ended Yuki walked over to talk to Tsuksuhi.
"You look amazing Yuki-chan." Tsukushi said as she beamed a smile at her best friend.
She was about to say thank you but she was interrupted by two familiar faces came up to hug her.
"Shigeru-chan, Sakurako-chan when did you two get her?" Yuki asked as she hugged Shigeru. They had all become close friends during the planning of Tsukushi's wedding to Tsukasa.
"We wanted to surprise you!" Shigeru shouted out enthusiasticly.
"Yuki-chan you look fantastic. Its been too long since we've last seen you." Sakurako said pulling her into a tight hug.
"Yes it has." She said hugging her back just as tightly.
"Yuki-chan." Rui said as he welcomed her back. "How was America?"
"It was wonderful, thank you Hanazawa-san." Yuki said.
"Yuki-chan, long time no see." Akira said playfully as he hugged his friend.
"Akira-kun!" Yuki squealed as she tightly hugged her dear friend. "Its been to long."
She told him.
They stood there for a few moments longer catching up on the changes in their lives. When Yuki noticed everyone suddenly go quiet and slightly stiffen. She noticed as Tsukishi stared intently behind her with anger radiating from her body. As Yuki turned around she was face to face with the man she had done everything possible to leave behind.
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He didn't know how it was that he had gotten there, but here he was standing right before here.
She looked incredible , he thought as he looked a the magnificent creature before him. How the red silk dress went perfectly with her complexion. How it tied to the back in a halter revealing her slender shoulders and delicate neck but not to revealing . The dress went to the floor but was built to fit her like a second skin, which left little to the imagination.
She looked like a goddess, how could he have been so stupid as to not really notice her before. Her hair was done up in an elegant french twist. And her make-up was done perfectly to enhance her beautiful features. God she was so beautiful, he thought as something clicked in his brain.
She was here. Yuki the woman he loved more than life it's self was here. This meant that he had been granted a second chance. That someone somewhere in the world had decided to give him another chance. One more chance was all he needed, all he wanted. This time there was no way in the world he would let her get time he wasn't giving up until she was his and he would never let her go