[Arashi] [Sakumiya] Her Silver Lining

[radhaj]

Rating: NC-17
Disclaimer: Those people are not mine. Damn.
Warnings: Transgender character. Sexy stuffs later on. Nothing super kinky this time. Maybe
Summary: The job might not be the most prestigious and by far not something she had envisioned herself doing to support herself at this point of her life. But perhaps this whole thing was exactly what she needed to finally feel confident in who she was.
Note: Sorry for the far too long wait for this. Hopefully you'll enjoy this chapter :)
I've decided to separate this fic into parts, btw, and the ending of the first part will be in two more chapters after which I plan to get another fic of mine done.


Chapter 10

“Did everyone understand their duties for tonight?”

Shouko's voice joined the affirmative chorus of the other servants of the household as she nodded her head at the steward while nervously glancing at the stern-looking woman that was standing behind the elderly man, observing the happenings. It was the first time she was standing in front of the lady of the house, even though she was among all the other maids and not alone, and it made her nervousness spike even higher than it had been at before.

It was finally Monday, and all Shouko could do was be thankful for the fact that Fujita-san knew about her circumstances and was so understanding. Of course, it was never stated between them explicitly that it was Shouko's parents who were coming to visit, but the old steward had implied that he knew it. Which wasn't surprising since he was aware of her situation in general and, as Nino had pointed out, Shouko had never put much effort into changing her name a lot from the original.

This meant the elderly man made sure that Shouko's own duties for the evening were as sparse and far away from the main event as possible. Of course she would not be able to avoid meeting the guests completely, but the time she would have to spend in their presence was reduced to a bare minimum – greeting them and serving some of the meals, perhaps. After all, as Nino explained when they had discussed this evening between them, the whole reason Mrs. Ninomiya even demanded all the servants to be present in the first place was so she could show off the magnitude of her household to their visitors. The families might be allies in the political scene but that didn't mean they would want to miss a chance to compete in riches and prestige. Nino had shuddered in disgust as he said that, but Shouko was too preoccupied with thinking about what this meant for her to spend too much time on judging her employers or her ex-family for their vanity.

“You are the new girl, then?” Shouko was suddenly roused from her thoughts as Nino's mother approached her after everyone was dismissed to get ready for the arrival of the guests, although all preparations were already finished. So much for hoping that she wouldn't be singled out then. Shouko nodded as humbly as she could, trying not to panic and telling herself that there was no reason for the mistress of the house to suspect anything out of place unless Shouko herself started acting suspiciously.

“Yes Ma'am,” She curtseyed quickly, “I've been working here for a few weeks now. I'm very happy to have been given the opportunity to do so,” she tried for a little bit of flattery and it seemed to work as the older woman inclined her head in approval.

“I'm sure,” was the curt comment Shouko received before the woman lost interest in her and left the maid to sigh, silently, in relief. Some of the other girls that she got along with gave her a few small smiles, quietly congratulating her on passing the woman's inspection even though none of them were aware of the reasons why such a deed was much harder for Shouko than it had been for any of them. Still, Shouko was very touched by the support, considering she never really spent enough time socializing with them to earn such care. Perhaps, if she survived this evening, it would be a good idea to rectify that.

If.

There were only fifteen minutes left until the guests were expected to arrive, Shouko realized as she glanced at the clock. Some of the girls used the time to check on some things, especially their appearance, but Shouko didn't have to. She had spent an even bigger than usual amount of time on making sure she looked fine before already – despite being sure that her parents would not recognize her anyway, she had used even more make-up than was the norm for her just to make herself look even more different from the person that they had known as their son. Fortunately, no one thought it to be weird as they just assumed she was trying to look better for the important guests.

So, instead of worrying about her appearance any more, Shouko was preoccupied with observing the family she served. The kimono-wearing woman that had inspected her previously was now standing in front of her husband, saying something too quiet to hear as she straightened his tie with a dissatisfied frown on her face. The man, whom Shouko hadn't met before today either, looked a bit cowed and very compliant, leaving no doubt over who had the last word in the family.

The daughter was also already present, clad in a pretty, appropriate dress. But before Shouko could examine it more closely, her attention got completely overtaken by the last member of the family who chose that moment to join them.

She had agreed with Nino yesterday that it was better for them to not interact at all in front of his family or the other servants, so she was not surprised when he didn't as much as glance in her direction. He had made a point to assure her this was not because he was embarrassed by their relationship, but rather just to avoid having to deal with troublesome reactions and, as well, to not draw any extra attention to her that she wanted to avoid. Fortunately, after the evening in the club, she no longer even needed such reassurances. She knew he truly accepted her completely and didn't give a damn what others thought of it. So really, she would have suggested the same had he not brought it up first.

However, she was under lesser restrictions than him, so there was nothing stopping her from looking at him as much as she wanted to. Other maids were doing the same after all.

To her slight disappointment, as she had wanted to see him in a suit, unlike his father he wasn’t wearing one. Neither was he wearing some traditional form of formal garb like his mother. Instead, his wear was more casual, although still very sharp and respectable and, as he descended the grand stairs into the lobby, Shouko couldn't help but think he looked almost prince-like. He certainly was handsome enough to have her heart start beating faster just at the sight of him.

Only not everyone around was as charmed by his appearance as she was. Some hushed whispers started among the maids. Perhaps just some oohing and sighing over the mesmerizing man who, they thought, was so beyond a reach of a mere maid like them. But most likely the silent conversations were caused by the rather sour expression that appeared on the family's matron's face when she saw her son.

“Kazunari, what is the meaning of this?” her voice and discontentment in it was loud and clear for everyone to hear, “Where is the suit that I bought for you for this very occasion?”

Nino casually went down the last few steps, looking relaxed as if he didn't have his mother's dangerous ire about to blow up at him.

“I don't like suits, mother, you know that,” he answered dismissively, visibly further deepening the woman's displeasure at his attitude, “It's not like we're hosting a reception for the emperor. It's just a couple of your conservative, old-fashioned associates with their heads up their asses. My clothes are just fine.“

The temperature in the house seemingly suddenly lowered by at least ten degrees as all blood drained from the face of the mistress of the house. Even her husband backed away from her side by a step as if trying to get out of the path of the crossfire, and Nino's sister's lips thinned as she seemed to disapprove of her brother provoking their mother, even if the younger female from the Ninomiya family didn't really disagree with Nino's sentiments per se. The person that caused the entire commotion, however, didn't as much as glance at the angered woman and simply strolled closer to others.

“How dare you talk in such a way about!-” she started furiously, but Nino didn't let her finish.

“Mother,” he intoned abruptly, finally raising his eyes to pin her down with his unwavering gaze, “May I remind you that I told you clearly that I have no wish to be here. But you asked me to, insistingly, so here I am. But if you are determined to raise a fuss over my attire which, I must note, is perfectly appropriate anyway, then I can just leave.”

Uncomfortable silence fell at Nino's ultimatum and one could practically see the battle raging inside the mother. She obviously felt insulted that he would challenge her authority in such a way, whether he was right about his clothes or not, but she also clearly wanted to present her family as a whole to her guests. But if Shouko could read her boyfriend in any way, then he obviously believed that he already knew what would be more important to her.

“Fine, you ungrateful child,” she near-spat at him before swirling around to face the door, demonstratively turning her back on him. Shouko let out the breath she hadn't noticed she had been holding. Although she knew that the relationship between the two was strained even at the best of times, she hated having to witness it. Especially when she felt partially at fault for it. Not only was it her parents that were visiting, but she and Nino had spoken about this as well. He had mentioned that he usually just wouldn't show up to things like this, no matter how much his mother would order it. But this time he had wanted to be there. For her. Just in case.

The heavy atmosphere only thickened as seconds ticked by, the only people seemingly not getting strangled by it being Nino and his sister who was now standing next to him although Shouko hadn't even noticed her approaching. The girl pinched him under the elbow in an apparent expression of how “grateful” she was that Nino put their mother in a foul mood before the evening had even begun. This actually caused the corners of Shouko's lips to twitch a bit in amusement at the interaction, especially when the glare her boyfriend threw at Ms. Ninomiya for it was easily countered by one of the older girl's own. Nino then rolled his eyes at his sister and the exchange was over, the understanding between the siblings visible even at this distance.

Shouko was also apparently the only one who had observed this. Mrs. Ninomiya was still purposefully looking away and, with the last minutes ticking by fast, the maids were already taking their places on either side of the entrance. Shouko only just hurried to join theim when Fujita-san returned from wherever it was he had gone off to to already announce the arriving guests.

“Mr. and Mrs. Sakurazawa,” he stated, opening the double door gallantly and letting the couple through.

Shouko's heart skipped a beat.

She was almost afraid to look, but her gaze still traveled upwards with some curiosity. They had not changed at all. Her father's hands were the same as the time when he had patted her on the back for getting into the most prestigious high-school at the top of the list. Her mother's face was the same as when it had been twisted in shame when Shouko threw one last look behind her as she left their house, knowing she would never come back.

Shouko was so consumed with her thoughts and with trying to deal away with the onslaught of memories she had naively thought she was ready for that she completely missed the exchange of greetings between the families. By the time she got a grip on herself again, the guests had already given away their coats and were walking into the house whilst chatting with their hosts about the usual pleasantries while all the maids bowed to them politely as they passed. Shouko, still feeling a bit shaken, did so herself only to have the procession of people halt right in front of her. She froze, afraid to lift her face back up. Did they, after all, recognize...?

“Ah, silly me, I forgot to take off my shawl,” she heard her mother's voice once she actually realized she should pay attention, “You, be a dear and put it away for me, would you?”

A blur of plum-colored material was suddenly thrust into her view and Shouko numbly reached out to take it.

“Yes ma'am,” she bowed further, her own voice sounding distant to her ears.

-

Shouko had quite some time to compose herself again after the guests had arrived. The order had been for all of the maids to take turns serving the guests and the Ninomiya family at the table, but Fujita-san, with his usual fore-thought, had given her the task of bringing the tea and dessert, which made sure she didn't have to face her parents again until the near end of the evening.

By the time she stepped into the dining room, bringing the trays together with another maid, the atmosphere in the room was a little strained. Shouko had already heard the other maids whispering that the mistress must by now regret insisting that her son attended the dinner, as Nino took every opportunity he could to twist the conversation so he cold deliver thinly veiled insults and sarcastic comments to the couple visiting. Some, who had been serving the family for longer, had revealed that this wasn't at all unusual for the young man. But even they noted that this time he was unusually into it, and wondered about the reason for it.

Shouko had stayed quiet, even though she was sure she could provide the gossiping women with an answer.

“Ah, here we go,” Mrs. Ninomiya exclaimed when the maids walked in, seemingly glad for the distraction, “You'll love this, Yoko-san. The cherry pie is our cook's specialty and I asked him to make it especially on this occasion,” she explained as Shouko placed the small plates with generous slices of the dessert in front of each person at the table, relieved to see that her hands didn't tremble too obviously even as she did it for her own parents. She was incredibly tense, however, and at least for Nino it was apparently quite obvious. He comfortingly brushed his hand against her side obscurely when she was next to him.

“I am sure I will, Kazuko-san,” Shouko's mother answered, playing along, “The food so far was marvelous. All of your servants seem to be really good at what they do,” she further complimented the household, giving its mistress an opportunity to explore and brag about the subject.

“Yes, we are careful to hire only the best. Even our maids have to meet high requirements before they are considered,” she spoke up, and Shouko immediately tensed up with a bad feeling starting to well up in her gut. And she was right to feel that way as, in a moment, her employer's attention fixated on her, “This girl, for example, is even a student at Keio, isn't that right?” Nino's mother said, gesturing at her and Shouko was forced into the center of attention, trying to keep her face as low as possibly while still remaining polite.

“Yes, ma'am,” she answered weakly, trying to rush with her duty now as she just wanted to leave the room as fast as possible.

“Is that so?” Shouko's mother now showed some interest too, “Our son is hoping to get into Keio when he graduates high-school as well. We have very high hopes for him.”

Shouko couldn't even appreciate the small amount of information she got about her brother before Nino suddenly joined the conversation.

“You sure sound proud of him,” he commented innocently and Shouko's father's chest immediately puffed out.

“Of course. He is a very clever young man with an assured, bright future ahead of him,” he said pridefully and, judging from Nino's small smile, walking right into Shouko's boyfriend's trap.

“I understand. After all, what else would normal, good parents even want for their children other than to be happy and successful?” he asked rhetorically, but very pointedly. Shouko's parents weren't getting it yet, though, nodding agreeably, “What else could be important? Even more, one could say that as long as their children are following their hearts and living the life they chose for themselves, then any decent parents should be happy for them, isn't that true?”

The smiles on the faces of the Sakurazawa couple froze at that point, no doubt the words clicking in their minds and making them realize that Nino's animosity towards them hadn't just suddenly decreased. In fact, Shouko was sure that the two were now wondering if Nino knew the exact nature of their shameful secret, and if he did, then how?

“Kazunari, what are you trying to get at?” Mrs. Ninomiya intervened then, obviously recognizing her guests' distress even though she didn't know the reason for it, “If you don't have anything of-”

“It's nothing, mother,” Nino interrupted without missing a beat, “Nothing at all.”

But his eyes were still drilling into the guest couple knowingly.

At least the attention was definitely off of Shouko by then. She almost ran out of the dining room as soon as she saw the opportunity, trying to find a place out of everyone's sight instead of rejoining the other maids as she was supposed to. She did not wish to know how the conversation continued, or if it did at all. She wanted to forget any of it ever happened.

She understood that in a way, she should be thankful to Nino. For the fact that he apparently cared about her so much that he simply couldn't stay quiet and not confront her parents for what they had done to her in his own way. But it hurt. Even being in their presence hurt. And having her own presence brought to their attention especially... She just wanted to go home, and yet she was afraid she was too shaky, too upset to brave the journey through the dark city alone tonight.

There were already tears prickling at the corners of her eyes.

Aware of just how much potential for a mess there was if she cried with how much make-up she was wearing, Shouko scrambled in her pockets for a tissue or a napkin but came up with nothing but a folded piece of paper that she could not remember putting into them. Feeling a bit confused and distracted as she took it out, she suddenly had a flash of memory of Nino's hands brushing against her side earlier.

She unfolded it with slightly trembling hands and was not really surprised anymore to see a note. And even just seeing his writing, so obviously filled with care and worry for her, made her calm down and smile serenely.

Come to my room after it's over. I'll drive you home.

Nino

They say that people can tell you they love you in a multitude of different ways. Shouko felt like she had just been confessed to.