Chapter Text
Today was the big day, September 21st but to Asami it felt like any other. Lonely, busy, cold. She woke up early to an empty house. Brushed her teeth, styled her hair, washed her face, dabbed on perfume and carefully applied her signature red lipstick. She padded downstairs to make herself her usual tea, catching sight of the kitchen telephone through the corner of her eye. Her hands itched with the desire to call up a particular someone. To hear that voice again, to catch up, to just have someone she could talk to honestly. It was futile. Asami turned away, she knew the person on the other end would not pick up. She had tried before. She breathed in sharply, her tea that was hot just a moment ago was now ice to the touch. A tear fell into the cup and then another. She pretended not to notice and returned upstairs to reapply her makeup.
The rest of her day was spent sitting through tedious meetings, listening to investors drone on for what felt like forever. Reviewing budgets, supervising the Sato factories and sketching up plans for new buildings. She fidgeted with the pen in her hands and flipped through her sketchbook, realizing none of her ideas looked quite right. The scale was off, the layout wasn’t practical, where could she find the funding ? It was times like these when she missed her parents. Maybe her mother would have something encouraging to say or perhaps her father, the genius, would have a miraculous idea. To tell the truth she didn’t actually know what they would do. She hadn’t spoken to her father in years and she never really got the chance to know her mother. She glanced over her sketches again, sighed, gave up and returned home early.
To her surprise she found a large package on her doorstep. She brought it inside, sat it on her desk, and inspected it. The pink box had a large blue bow on it, and a piece of paper reading “To ‘Sami” in neat flowing script was tucked away neatly underneath the bow. Despite its size the package was light, and oddly enough smelled strangely familiar. The perfume scent was like an itch she couldn’t scratch. She knew she recognized it from somewhere but couldn’t recall exactly where. It was decidedly feminine, velvety, rich but not too heavy. Her curiosity got the better of her. She quickly reached out and unraveled the silk ribbons, eagerly lifting the lid off the box to uncover white tissue paper. She peeled back the delicate paper revealing a stunning floor length dress underneath. It was a snow white, silky affair. The fabric was fine and slightly sheer. She lifted it up in her arms and noticed the tiny jasmine flowers embroidered all over it in silver thread catching the light. The design snaked up the cuffs of the sleeves and the hem of the skirt. Forming an almost star like pattern. It was brilliant. The waist was cinched and emphasized by a silver ribbon. The skirt was voluminous. She sat the dress down and looked into the box to discover the accompanying slip. It was a soft pink and made of a more opaque silk, sleeveless and by the looks of it very form fitting. Cherry blossoms were concentrated along the bust in gold thread, and their petals descended down to the waist.
Asami could see the vision of the dress with the slip underneath in her mind. It was beautiful, the skirt just barely kissing the floor, the clever silhouette flattering her figure, “but why would anyone send me such an elaborate gift ?” she wondered. Then she realized it was her birthday. She forgot her own birthday. She looked at the tag of the dress, hoping it would give her a clue as to its origins. She was not prepared in the slightest for what she saw next. “Yasuko Tanaka” the tag read. Her heart skipped a beat at the familiar name. It couldn’t really be her mother’s, could it ? No, the last name was wrong. Unless…She didn’t know her mother’s maiden name. Could it really be ?