[Arashi Fanfic] Blue - Chapter 10
Crash.
The sound of shattering glass sliced through the silence of the room, but did nothing to snap the equally fragile woman from her strange reverie. She continued with whatever she was doing, her hand cupped around an imaginary glass, her slippered feet walked straight over the pieces of broken glass. Her footsteps were soft enough to prevent cuts coming through the thin soles of the slippers. Not that she was aware of any of this: her mind, her eyes were blank; she resembled a walking corpse than a living human being. She sat down, gingerly, on the small suede sofa, a light grey brown which contrasted sharply with the apple green on the wall behind. A hand raised to place the imaginary glass to her lips: it was only then that she found that the glass she thought she held was nothing more than broken pieces on the crisp white marble floor. Robotically, she moved to the cleaning closet, and retrieved a broom and mop, and slowly cleaned up the mess she had created so mindlessly. There was no sigh, no sign of any self-berating, nothing, as she cleaned up the mess. Her face remained as expressionless and blank as ever. She didn't even notice that she was using the mop as a broom. Realising her mistake, Yuuki knelt down on the cold floor, and picked the pieces of glass from the strands of the mop. One stubborn piece refused to uncling, cutting her finger as she tried to pry it away. The blood dropped, ever so slowly, one by one, pooling on the clean marble: it contrasted as strongly as red lipstick on a white shirt collar.
Yet she didn't move a muscle; not even a blink. Yuuki froze, and watched the blood from her fingertip spill, drop by drop, onto the white marble. Her entire body was numb; only her heart was in pain, a relentless, shattering, tearing, searing kind of pain. She was aware of nothing else but her heartbreak: heartbreak over her grandmother, over the baby; but more than anything else, it was the heartbreak over Aiba.
Of course, there was no reason to expect that Aiba knew any of her current predicaments. If anything, she expected him to be as energetic and happy as always-that would make her feel at least a little better, to hear his cheerful voice on the phone, or an equally bright message in an email. But there was nothing. He didn't show up for their date, of course, with good reason; but to not contact her after that… Yuuki was unable to comprehend it. The only thing she knew, was that somehow, Hikari was involved.
Hikari. Just the thought of her made Yuuki lose all confidence in herself. Sure, Aiba had shown her, by his actions, that Hikari was his past; and to an extent, Yuuki had Hikari to thank for her relationship with Aiba. Yet somehow things didn't feel quite the same this time. She was suddenly afraid, terrified of losing him, yet she didn't know why.
The mean reds. Suddenly you're afraid and you don't know what you're afraid of.
Only Yuuki didn't have a cab to hop into, nor a quiet, proud Tiffany's to go to either. The only thing she could do was somehow battle on, channeling all her energy into an activity, to stop herself from drowning in her own thoughts. That was all fine, when she was at work, but once she was out of the office, things couldn't be more different.
She tried hard to block memories of Japan from reappearing, but every now and then her thoughts would drift to him, at random moments, usually triggered by something in her surroundings, like the smell of mabo tofu or the sight of a cute animal. It broke her spirit, so completely and utterly. There was no doubt that Yuuki was still in love with Aiba, only her pride, her ego wouldn’t let her admit it. Aiba had somehow transformed from being the man she loved, to being her hamartia- the cause of her downfall, the very thing that pushed her into an unending spiral of depression.
The pain in her heart reminded her of her physical injury. Gently, Yuuki clutched her finger, and tried to stop the bleeding. Picking herself up gingerly off the cold marble floor, she made her way slowly to the kitchen cabinet, and soaked up the blood on her finger as she reached for the first aid box. The phone rang, slicing into the silence.
"Hello?" Yuuki answered, fatigued, but with a hint of hope.
"This is Samuel Kirby, of Kirby and Shore." The voice on the other end answered. "I was your grandmother, Elizabeth Lee's legal representative in Australia. We've met on several occasions, while your grandmother was still with us."
"Oh." Disappointment filled Yuuki once more, as she continued, trying her best to hide her feelings. "Hello, Mr Kirby."
"I'm very sorry for your loss, Miss Lee, please accept my most sincere condolences. Your grandmother was a very memorable character." The man said, curtly. "This perhaps is not the best time, but I'd like to inform you that Mrs Lee's will has been filed in Hong Kong, and her executor has sent us a copy at her last request. There are a few technicalities which I'd like to inform you, could you possibly come into our office next Wednesday at 2pm?"
"I.. It shouldn't be a problem." Yuuki replied, as calm as possible.
"Excellent. I've mailed you a copy of the Mrs Lee's will, and a letter which outlines the processes we'll have to complete in order for you to receive your entitlements."
"I see. Thank you for taking the time to call, Mr Kirby."
"You're very welcome. See you Wednesday, Miss Lee."
Life, no matter what happens, always continues, without so much as stopping.
Yuuki's parents returned to Hong Kong, where her grandmother had spent most of her time, while she remained to Australia, and started her work. Yuuki was given a job offer by the Japanese company in their Australian subsidiary, a position which fully utilised both her degrees, and her language skills. Having an extra degree meant that she was given a higher position than many others who had entered the company around the same time, and worked with elite young bachelors who were managers in their departments, much to her female collegues' collective dismay. But she was much too pre-occupied to notice any of this, nor did she notice her male colleagues' approving and attracted looks. Every morning, she caught the bus to work, and every evening, she returned to the newly decorated, but otherwise empty house, to spend yet another night alone. She was punctual for everything: arriving at the office, meetings, lunch hours, even leaving the office; but after everything that had happened recently Yuuki rarely had the energy to talk to others. She said no more than what was absolutely necessary; her strict work habits, untalkative nature and lack of expression soon earned her a new nickname amongst her colleagues: the Ice Princess. Her superiors liked her, for her efficiency and work ethics, the men liked her for her looks and mystery, but the women hated her. Needless to say, when she made her way to her superior's office the next day to ask for a half day off, and given prompt approval, it annoyed her female workmates very much. In a way, it was fortunate that Yuuki was much too preoccupied to take any notice of her disapproving peers.
Wednesday came, and Yuuki found herself sitting in a large, open office, in front of a mahogany table and a serious, middle-aged man perched large leather chair. Mr Kirby, the lawyer, was busy explaining the technicalities of execution to Yuuki, not that she paid any attention. Being trained in law herself, she understood the things that were said. Since Yuuki didn't attend the funeral - she was told to rest at home, after being discharged from the hospital - this was the first, and also last opportunity for Yuuki to farewell the old lady. All she thought about was her grandmother's gentle nature, her warm smile, and wise words, and how she missed the second-most important woman in her life. Elizabeth was ahead of her time, with her open mind and incredible intelligence, though these aspects were not always appreciated by her family. However, it was precisely why Yuuki loved her so much: a talk with Elizabeth would make all her problems so much simpler, and the solutions clearer; there was no doubt that Elizabeth had great influence over Yuuki. Even in death, she was generous: a significant proportion of her assets had been bequeathed to Yuuki, and there was no doubt that her will would be contested by her cousins, aunts and uncles. For all she cared, if giving up the inheritance meant that she could get her grandmother back, Yuuki would do just that in a second. But the sentiment was not shared; and this was the old lady's last and final act. Yuuki wanted to cry, yet her tears ran out long ago. She was tired, tired of the technicalities of life and existence; it seemed that nothing mattered, and could ever matter anymore.
"That's the last of the assets in Hong Kong and Australia Mrs Lee has bequeathed to you. I'm sure you're aware of the procedures we'll be taking to transfer the assets to your name, Miss Lee."
Yuuki nodded.
"As part of the conditions, I'm afraid you will have to sign a confidentiality agreement. Mrs Lee has requested a confidentiality period of three years. You are not to revel any aspect of your inheritance to anyone but your parents, spouse and children during that time. Do you agree?"
All it took for what was once her grandmother's property to become hers was just one single signature. Quietly, Yuuki signed the white sheet of paper, after scanning the thick document.
"There's just one more item. Mrs Lee has also bequeathed to you her full 20% share holding in a Japanese corporation, a Johnnys and Associates, and its subsidiaries. This will be slightly more difficult to transfer, and I'm afraid you may need to fly to Japan in order to carry out the transfer. Of course, I understand that it may be a great inconvenience, but please be assured that we'll take care of the process as much as possible."
"I'm sorry?" Yuuki couldn't quite believe her ears.
"Because the shares are registered under her Japanese name, you may need to go to Japan to carry out the transfer. I believe her lawyers in Japan have the papers ready-"
"No, not that, Mr Kirby, I understand the travelling to Japan part completely." Yuuki frowned, before clarifying her question. "You said my grandmother had a 20% share in which company?"
"A Johnny and Associates." Mr Kirby replied. "Is there a problem?"
Yes, Yuuki thought. A very big one, too.
============================================
Around her was a sea of blue: blue seats, blue lights, and a blue sky outside. It wasn't the usual azure kind of blue you see on a clear day, though; it was an unnatural, an artificial, sharp blue that would hurt one's eyes if you looked at it too hard, or for too long. On a small drinks stand in front of her was a glass of what should be champagne, but it too was dyed blue by the LED mood lights. Yuuki noticed none of this: her mood was more blue than the blue environment she was in.
She was on yet another flight to Japan, this time the reasons could not have been more different to the purposes of her last trip. There was the inheritance, a sharp, painful reminder of the loss, and work also: she was travelling with a few of her colleagues to Japan for a training course at the head office. At least, it was called a training course: all of them understood that this would be the game which determines the next promotion. The former was not something she was anticipating: after everything, the last thing she wanted was more ties to Johnny and Associates, be it with their artists, or with the company itself. As for the latter, Yuuki didn't care much for it; as long as she had a job, a place where she can channel her energy and be distracted from the woes of her private life, that was all she wanted for the moment.
Yuuki sank into her seat, thankful for the relative emptiness of the cabin. Apart from the lawyers, everyone-including her parents-believed Yuuki was going to Japan for training purposes only, and Yuuki intended to keep it that way.
Ironically, Yuuki hated secrets. She hated being kept in the dark, and she hated keeping things from others. Yet now she was guarding secrets of her own, from the people who were the nearest and dearest to her…just like her grandmother had done. Sure, Yuuki knew the old lady had some property under her name, but didn't expect her share to be so large, considering the assets which were left to her other relatives-from what she understood, all her aunts, uncles, and cousins had received something of substantial value, be it shares, cash trust, or some kind of jewelry. Hers was a combination of all three, as well as real estate, loose gemstones, and that 20% share holding in Johnny and Associates. Only difference was, the items bequeathed to her relatives were mostly gifts from her father to her grandmother, or purchased with the money her parents gave the old lady over the years. Considering the circumstances of other family members, Yuuki was probably the last person who needed the money- she had a well-paying job with good career prospects, and her father had been a successful businessman, albeit on a small scale; whereas her relatives weren't quite as financially sound. Why her grandmother left her the majority of her estate was still beyond her comprehension. No one thought Elizabeth had anything else.
Considering the circumstances of other family members, Yuuki was probably the last person who needed the money- she had a well-paying job with good career prospects, and her father had been a successful businessman, albeit on a small scale; whereas her relatives weren't quite as financially sound. Why her grandmother left her the majority of her estate was still beyond her comprehension.
Then there was the share holding.
As far as the family was aware, Elizabeth was a mother and a homemaker. Sure, her family had their wealth, as did her husband's-but that explained nothing. All Yuuki could recall was the few stories she had heard from her mother, about grandma being a trendsetter, her active social life before her family went into financial ruin… but it did little to explain how Elizabeth came to hold shares in Johnny and Associates. There were no previous mentions of any connection to Japan; and it seemed implausible that Elizabeth and Johnny may have crossed paths sometime during their lives.
Well, they must have, considering how Grandma's a significant shareholder in his company.
Nothing in Yuuki's life made sense anymore. And it scared her. Very much.
All comments welcome.