Sakura was so tired from running to the Teigeki that the other girls helped her into a chair and gave her a moment to catch her breath. After drinking a glass of water, she finally explained what happened.
"We were on our way back, when Kaede-san said something very strange... how she couldn't possibly get married. She then took off... I tried to catch her... but..."
Oogami sighed. "And Kayama's out of town for the next four days... we better get a hold of him and tell him that his fiancée has run away."
"At any rate, what are we going to do??" Kouran gasped, "Kaede-han doesn't want to get married - doesn't this mean there won't be a wedding?!"
Yoneda crossed his arms. "I don't really care about the wedding. What's important is finding Kaede-kun! She's like a daughter to me, and if anything happens to her, there'll be hell to pay!"
Airisu was in tears. "Where did Kaede-oneechan go?! Why did she run away??!" Reni silently patted her on the shoulder, but Airisu just pulled her into a hug, sobbing into Reni's shirt. "Doushite?! Someone tell Airisu!!"
But no one could give an explanation. Sakura dropped her head, her face full of regret. "Gomen nasai. I should've stopped her. I was right there and I couldn't do anything at all... I'm really sorry, minna."
'Sakura-kun...' Oogami gazed towards her sad expression, the taking of this burden on herself. He could comfort her as Reni was comforting Airisu, but he just couldn't. His hand dropped to his side and he slowly started to back away.
Silence had filled the room, with the exception of Airisu's crying. Just then, out of nowhere came a loud voice, "ARA!! I feel like doing something now, so please give me an assignment~!" Sumire chimed cheerfully as she walked down the stairs. Her appearance as glamorous as ever, her shiny hair tied back and a conservative blouse and skirt to boot. She had decided to sport the French fashion she had recently ordered in her international catalog and attempt some effort after enjoying herself the other day. Adjusting her maroon beret, she gazed around at everyone's glum faces. "Hmmm??? What's going on??"
"What do you care?" Kanna grumbled, "For someone who does barely anything all day but sleep and primp, you have awful timing for showing up."
Maria quickly restrained her friend. "Kanna, that's enough." She then shook the blond hair out her eyes and turned towards the unwounded Sumire. "Something terrible has happened. Kaede-san has disappeared and the wedding might be cancelled."
"Nan desutte?? But it can't be cancelled! I was looking forward to dressing up really nice!" Sumire pouted, "And what's this about Kaede-san disappearing? Nonsense! She's got to come back here and marry Kayama-shoui!"
"Demo," Orihime uttered, "Kaede-sa~n said 'She can't possibly marry Kayama-sa~n'..."
Sumire put a hand on her hip. "Absolute nonsense! I saw them together last night at the party - It's so obvious they love each other! And I'm not going to let this case of 'cold feet' ruin everything! The wedding is not cancelled yet! And there's still lots to do!"
"Do it yourself! I'm outta here!" Kanna muttered, breaking away from Maria and stomping away. She then disappeared into the kitchen.
'Kanna...' Maria frowned in her direction and saw that others were also upset. "Minna... I..." But she too didn't know what to do at the moment. She was so worried about Kaede. She knew that Kanna did too, but was too tough to admit it. 'Perhaps Sumire has a good idea, to keep going as if the wedding is still on... but, it might just bring about some false hope...'
She then turned to Oogami, who looked deep in thought. "Ore..." he uttered, taking his hands out of his pocket and staring towards the wall, "I'm going to go call Kayama and get him return as soon as possible. Maybe he can help bring Kaede-san back."
"That's the way to think, Chuui!" Sumire noted, "Now, who's going to help me finish making the table arrangements and flower orders?"
Airisu was still too upset to function, so Reni had to take her to her room. Kouran mumbled something about how she'd rather work on an invention and ran off to the hangar. Orihime looked like she might stay, but saw Takeshi arrive in the scene, looking bewildered at why everyone was upset. She quickly left in a hurry.
"Sakura, what's the matter?" Takeshi asked, putting his hand on her shoulder. Oogami was standing off to the side, seeing the actions that he would've done. "Hey, cheer up. Come on, let's go talk about it outside." She nodded slowly and took his arm, the two of them leaving.
All who was left was Sumire, and Yoneda. Maria had gone to the kitchen to check on Kanna. Sumire turned to the old man and tilted her head to the side. "So, I guess you're the only one who wants to me, Shihainin?"
"Are you kidding?! I've got to find Kaede-kun!! Or hunt down that bastard, Kayama! He probably did something last night that offended her and made her do such a willful action!! I knew it was a mistake to let anyone near my daughters! ARG!" he growled and ran off to his office to find his rifle.
Sumire crossed her arms. "Hmp! What is with everyone! Maa~! I guess it's up to me then!"
* * *
"Yo! Oogami!" Kayama exclaimed on the kinematron, "I'm so happy you called me! This proves you are a great friend! Don't worry, we're about to land in Kyuushu, all is going well~!"
"Actually, Kayama, all isn't well." Oogami replied, sitting at his desk and looking at the happy-go-lucky ensign in front of him, "Kaede-san... she's..."
"A beauty, isn't she?! Aahahah~! I know, I keep her bromide with me always!" Kayama laughed, taking it out of his pocket, "Oogami, did you really call me all of a sudden just to talk about my Kaede-chan??"
"No - YES!! Stop trying to change the subject and listen to me, you big idiot!" Oogami cried, getting impatient, "Kaede-san said she didn't want to marry you and has run away!"
At these words, the smile faded. "Hah?" Kayama was dumbstruck, "Did Kaede really...!?"
"And I want to get her back as soon as possible... yet, I have to know what happened. What did you say to her last night??"
"I-I didn't say anything... everything was fine!"
"Everything was obviously NOT fine." Oogami countered, "Otherwise she wouldn't have left! Now, Kayama, think hard and be serious for once!!"
Kayama slowly nodded and lowered his eyes. "Gomen na. Kaede was feeling this way and I didn't sense anything at all..." He then turned his head slightly and sighed, "Maa, the ocean is very beautiful~!"
"KAYAMA!!" Oogami exclaimed, "Look, I refuse to be a Best Man for a fruitcake who doesn't care if his fiancée has run off! And why she ran off, I'm sure she had good reasons! You and your stupid ocean can just have each other!!"
With that he disconnected and threw the kinematron aside. He didn't know why he was so angry. Right now an emotional mess, Oogami couldn't think straight at all. Sighing, he gazing into the mirror at his weary face. He then caught view of Sakura's bromide slid in the corner. He quickly snatched it and threw it in the trash.
* * *
Downstairs, Sumire was going over the returned invitations and checking who was actually coming. She had made a diagram of the seating arrangements and started to count how many tables, centerpieces, and paperweights they needed. She also had the Sannin Musume on the phones, calling for priests, photographers, florists, and bakers.
"Aaaan, I feel like I'm planning for my own wedding!" Sumire uttered with an added sly grin. "I never get to work on this type of stuff, even though my family usually have me engaged three times a year."
"I'm dying to know how you avoid all of those situations." Yuri asked curiously, "Ne, Sumire-san??"
"Ohohohohoh! It's a secret!" She then noticed that someone had entered the business office, where they were working, "Ara, care to join us, Orihime-san?"
Orihime stepped forward, shaking her finger in her face. "Da~tte! The only reason I'm going to help is because if we left it all to you the night would be filled with tasteless music like ma~mbo and ta~ngo! This is a wedding, there should be a lot of roma~ntic music played!"
"Sou desu wa. Then I leave you in that department. But you've got to help me in the other places too, that is until Kaede-san comes back." Sumire replied, "Even if there isn't a wedding, wouldn't it be a great party, ne~??"
Orihime sighed and dropped her head. "All you care about is having fun, Sumire-sa~n..."
Sumire just laughed her oh ho ho's and turned back to her work. But as the others were looking away, her face became very stern. 'Assume as you like. I have my reasons...'
* * *
Takeshi and Sakura had walked about two blocks from the Gekijou, but Sakura still hadn't said anything. The two of them sat down on a bench and watched the people walk by and the birds peck around their feet. Takeshi finally decided to strike up a conversation.
"Your mom was pretty worried when you didn't come home last New Years. She thought something had happened to you on your way to Sendai. When I was leaving, she asked me to check on you for her. Even though you say you're fine in your letters, we all sense something is wrong."
Sakura's shoulders caved. She had even lied to her own mother; how ashamed she was. And to tell her mother that it was over with Oogami would break the woman's heart. Shinguji Wakana had her hopes set that her daughter would marry this respectable military man some day and all her worries would be over. 'I've let her down...'
"Sakura, talk to me." he tried again, "We've been through a lot together and although we haven't been close for these past years while you've been an actress and I've been in medical school... I'm here for you. I'll always be."
"Takeshi-kun..." she uttered tearfully. Oogami had once said that to her. The word 'always' echoed in her ears. But all of it was lies. She had been deceived and hurting, not really knowing what to do. Tears falling, she stammered, "I can't... Oogami-san... I just can't..."
"What is it, Sakura? What's happened with Oogami?"
"I can't go on like this. I have to forget about him and make him forget too. Takeshi-kun, you have to help me." she said, drying her eyes and turning to him, "Please... pretend to be my boyfriend."
"EEEEEEEH?!" Takeshi exclaimed so loudly that all the birds flew away and the people turned and looked at them.
* * *
Sumire was in the storeroom looking for a box that was filled with the nice dishes. She was wondering if there was enough or if they need to order some more. Suddenly an explosion shook the floor. "Kiiii!" she exclaimed, falling on her face. "What's that Kouran trying to do?!"
She then heard the sound of tapping and clicking. Turning her head, she saw a door to the side. 'Ara? What's that??' She walked over to it and read the sign that said never to open this door. Wondering why, she reached for the knob that was moving on its own. 'Someone is trapped in there... I have to help!'
Opening the door, the room filled with a pink smoke. Coughing, Sumire moved to the side cautiously. But then there were three shadows suddenly standing in the center of the room. "Kyaaaa! We're finally out of the closet!!" chimed a happy, deep voice.
A red rose was tossed in the air and the trio did a pose with the mysterious spotlight, "The butai of love and beauty - the Baragumi is here!" chimed Kotone, Yokohiko, and Kikunojou.
Sumire grinned. "Perfect! You girls, er, guys, er whatever... can help me!!"
* * *
Kanna had moved herself into the central garden, punching at a tree. She hadn't said a word no matter what Maria tried. Maria sighed and watched after her from the bench. At her feet, Shiro was nipping at some grass. His master hadn't come to play with him today.
"Kanna, what's wrong? Why are you acting like this?"
But not a word came. Maria frowned a little and looked up to Airisu's room. The girl was at her window, squeezing Jean-Paul. 'Everyone is upset Kaede-san is gone... is it because they're afraid that she's gone for good? Now that I think of it, when Ayame-san left us... everyone including myself were miserable. It was the same when Taichou left...'
Maria gazed into her hands. She was powerless. If people left and chose not to return, she couldn't do anything. 'So, that's my weakness as a leader... I'm such a failure...'
"Wan wan?" Shiro asked, now playfully biting at her pant-leg. She was wearing one of her favorite dark, striped suits she bought in New York. She really didn't want the dog to pull out some threads, so she lifted him on the bench with her. "Wan wan!" he barked happily.
'Maybe Kanna is right... what's the point...?'
* * *
Sumire pounded on the Taichou's door. "Ne! Chuui!! Open up!!" Oogami, sitting on his bed, looking despondent, ignored her. "I'm coming in then!"
With that, the door flew open. "What do you want?" he snapped. Sumire examined the mess he had made. There was a heap of stuff in the middle of the room. From the looks of it, there were Sakura bromides, letters, photographs, a large red muffler and some dried flowers.
"Am I interrupting?" she asked sharply, "You know, after all that effort that country girl put in cleaning your room while you were gone, you could at least be a bit more respectful to her. And it's not right for an officer of your stature to not show a respectful presentation of himself."
"Leave me alone." he sighed, falling backwards and gazing at the ceiling, "I was about to throw all that stuff out the window..."
Sumire chuckled, "So, it really is over between you two. I should've guess since Sakura-san and that man came in together. They looked very good."
Oogami clenched his eyes close. 'Dammit all!!' He didn't want to even see them or imagine it. Covering his face, he exclaimed, "It's not my fault! She's the one who...! Arg, I can't believe this is happening! Anyway, I don't care!"
"Just as I thought." she replied, a hand on her hip. She eyed the kinematron that was lying on the floor as well. "Did you get a hold of Kayama-shoui before you hurled that thing?"
"Yeah... the idiot reacted like... well, an idiot. I don't care anymore. I'm not going be to his best man either! I wish I was back in Paris!!"
"Chuui," Sumire uttered, walking towards him, "You don't mean that. I know you too well to know you don't mean that. You do care. That's the kind of man you are, Chuui."
"No! You're wrong!" he snapped, sitting up to be face to face, "I'm not the man you thought I was! I've changed! I don't give a damn about anything anymore...!"
Sumire's face became stern. She suddenly slapped him. The sound was sharp and the pain was numbing. Oogami sat, stunned and speechless for a minute as Sumire remained in the ending pose. She slowly lowered her hand and looked him in the eye.
"Chuui, do you really want it to end this way?" she asked, eyes watering, "Just because Sakura-san stopped loving you - it doesn't mean the rest of us..." Her voice trailed off and she lowered her head that became a bow. "Gomen nasai."
'Sumire-kun...?' Oogami blinked as she turned away and went for the door. She stopped and turned back towards him, smiling slightly.
"Chuui, you don't have to help me. Demo... I'm going to find Kaede-san and there will be a wedding. You can count on me." With that, she left and closed the door.
* * *
Meanwhile downstairs, Sakura and Takeshi had joined the help committee. Orihime watched them with slanted eyes. 'So! It's true!! He was really Sakura-sa~n's boyfriend this whole time and I was fooled!! I knew I couldn't trust a Japanese man!! HMP!!'
"A-Ano... Orihime-san..." Tsubaki stammered, noticing that she had been crumbling some important papers. "D-Dame yo!!"
"Yoshi! Takeshi-kun and I are finished here!" Sakura chimed, handing over the pile of papers. Tsubaki quickly moved them away from Orihime. "What's wrong, Orihime-san? You don't look so well."
Orihime just yelled inside. 'HMP! How could Cherry-san be such a braggart about her relationship! Bringing men over to the Teigeki while we're still on duty! How irresponsible!! I should report her to Shihainin!' She then moved away, cursing quietly in Italian.
Sumire came walking in. "I think after we finished a bit more of these papers, we should probably go out looking for Kaede-san for a bit."
"Understood!" Yuri noted, "Demo I already saw Shihainin leaving to look for Kaede-san. He had a rifle with him for some reason..."
Sakura grinned happily. "This is good timing, because I also can give Takeshi-kun that tour of Ginza as I promised before." She latched onto Takeshi's arm. "Ne, what about a walk in Ueno Park?? Ueno's not too far from here. Just a street car away."
"E-to... ano... Sakura..." he stammered, looking past her towards Orihime, who had the 'look of death'.
Sumire crossed her arms. "Now's not the time to go on a date, Sakura-san..."
Orihime pointed at her, "Since when have you gotten responsible, Sumire-sa~n??" She then made a face, "And why did you allow the Bara~gumi out of the storeroom?? They were locked in there for a reason~!"
"They can help us out." Kasumi explained, blushing, "Plus, Kotone-san is so hunky!!" Everyone else just gagged. "It's the truth!!"
* * *
Meanwhile, Oogami sat at the window, gazing out at the street. His face still stung from Sumire's slap and his thoughts were getting back to order. Still, his heart was heavy and he didn't really know what to do.
'Should I just forget...?' Closing his eyes, he leaned his head against the glass and sighed. 'Sakura...'
* * *
Preview!
Kaede: There comes a time when you have to make a choice. Ayame-neesan, you chose to give your life in order to protect Teito. This is the destiny of the Fujieda family. But I...
"The Beautiful Ocean" next time on Sakura Taisen. A storm of Romance in Taishou sakura.
To walk away from what you love most...
