The Chikamori Selfacy (A Reboot)
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-451kWfI6hzI/X8bPPtEyeVI/AAAAAAAAk54/KB3_SyRJ73IFG8EkSAmOkYAyCBOz1giwgCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/ChikamoriSelfacyReboot_banner.png Prologue: June 12, 1970; Sacred Spleen Hospital...
Forum Discussion
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-451kWfI6hzI/X8bPPtEyeVI/AAAAAAAAk54/KB3_SyRJ73IFG8EkSAmOkYAyCBOz1giwgCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/ChikamoriSelfacyReboot_banner.png
Generation One
Chapter Seven - "Haruo and River"
(Part Three)
Pinochle Pond
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lqd1P-ewNIQ/YA4lXVPes3I/AAAAAAAAmh4/iN8CZmaBqdYTzphR_JKIL6gArpbsPtQIQCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-4.jpg
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-g2_JXfn-H00/YA4lXT6zsJI/AAAAAAAAmh0/0WFbTPEYcI0LethrL4NN3MoGAPlQICQMACLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-7.jpg
It was remarkable to see how much Mayumi could vent; she just went on and on as if it was her that was being persecuted and not the other way around. As it was, their day was half over...before River and Haruo managed to escape the house. Pinochle Pond was a trudge up through rolling hills and eventually they came across a clearing where they could see a nice pond or more aptly described a small lake.When they finally found a place. River hung back a moment to see her boyfriend stand there looking out at the lake; his body tense; a dark shape in the spreading gloom of the late afternoon. He was silent. She hoped that he hadn't taken offence at the venom that she'd spewed at his mother. After all, Mayumi had deserved every bit of that vitriol directed at her. In fact, River had been surprised at just how much everyone else had vented at her which had provided the catalyst for her own venting. The silence just seemed oppressive and she had to fill the void with something.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cZJDWZvV1qY/YA4mti2hUCI/AAAAAAAAmiQ/o8KcNrmXKvYF_h1tVg_2qtMog1X9xPPbwCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-12.jpg
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WSzSiyjOmHA/YA4ml7PEOqI/AAAAAAAAmiM/e-uhCa5KzT0ijF_x2p0mHzxUtgQTxw-VwCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-19.jpg
River looked over at Haruo with a soft smile. "This has always been our place, hasn't it?" It was more a comment than a question.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EWronxOWx-4/YA4pP0wonnI/AAAAAAAAmig/yft76q78gpEIcUckM7vv2DKsw4T5O2MAACLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-11.jpg
"It has...", Haruo replied...causing River to sigh in relief. He wasn't giving her the silent treatment. They hadn’t discussed anything in the taxi on the way over to the pond. She wasn't sure just how Haruo would react when she'd unloaded on his mother all the vitriolic feelings that she’d been carrying around inside her at the way that Haruo was being treated by Mayumi. After a long moment, Haruo answered her, "We've been here a lot. And it seems so much more peaceful to me when we are here than at home." He looked out towards the lake, the air was still, not even a breeze to interrupt this moment as they stood contemplating the vista before them.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-knjPEn--_Vc/YA4pl7wObrI/AAAAAAAAmio/nKK1zEeiqyQUZRzv7FDHCugNY32-zuCJwCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-17.jpg
"I wish we could have this kind of feeling forever." River sighed wistfully.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Dgz04guU7lA/YA4p9qoDyXI/AAAAAAAAmiw/O2Ge0wYZtHACUZjWhnCLVVocsm6rN4pxQCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-19.jpg
"What you said today...to my mother..." Haruo said quietly; he didn't turn around. "You meant all of it." River wasn’t sure if the tone of his voice was flat, emotionless; all she could sense was a lot of pain coming from him. She wasn’t sure how to react to the statement. There was another long silence; a tense one as he stood there in the looming darkness, a silent figure in the gloom. She wondered if what she had said was too much but she felt that she’d needed to get it off her chest.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NLMiPzJWInA/YA4qinFAy_I/AAAAAAAAmi8/jhZkcfvNPPcP0SP3JsOGWMCTBfXPnMLhQCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-8.jpg
“Unless something happens to her...” he said all of a sudden startling River as it seemed that he had gone completely silent; a stone figure. “She’s always going to be around, sticking her fingers into everything that we do; trying to create havoc out of what little peace that we have. Do you really want to live like that?”
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5CSROTK4scQ/YA4smFyBNzI/AAAAAAAAmjI/relrQiKuhO8DrXEOLBUH_k5Oh0kgsIxZACLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-15.jpg
He turned to her and asked earnestly trying to convey the depth of his anguish at even getting River involved in the situation, "Can you think what your life would be if she decided to focus her anger out on you. She's tried to destroy me; and I can't sit by and watch her do that to you."
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ffmolSDA6kg/YA4wBX1QKRI/AAAAAAAAmjo/0hAzmAJCAZYFKpxe0d5FxxdkQV1ctoTjwCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-36.jpg
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WfeRCPZfYGI/YA4uDjH_0sI/AAAAAAAAmjU/VI46CNduQQ8Kl8wszGAEnEzrKAAwwcOpQCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-27.jpg
"If she wants to do that, she's going to have to do a lot better than just taking verbal pot-shots at me. Because if she does try to come at me..." River left the rest unsaid...she wouldn't think twice about making sure that Mayumi couldn't do it to anyone else, “The best that she can throw at me, is that I’m a harlot that I’m sitting here taking your innocence...and that doesn’t bother me in the slightest.” River assured him as she narrowed her eyes, thinking just how she could make Mayumi pay for that comment. But she couldn’t think as evilly as Mayumi could. Her good nature prevented her from it.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-R05BszP9lyQ/YA4wUOasuqI/AAAAAAAAmjw/_gIEJtgXch4zMJnewwyuUwB9lTzcPpUJQCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-34.jpg
"So...you're saying you wouldn't run?" Haruo asked her. The fact that Mayumi had conditioned Haruo to the point that he was skeptical of everything so that he’d question if River would stand by him in his fight against being controlled, incensed River to depths of fury she didn’t know she had against Mayumi.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Og2DoRDipaw/YA4vUF4md6I/AAAAAAAAmjg/iQs81cIOOUMRTcr59SyYKd0X7LlNB4gzgCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-28.jpg
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lK0Cc_NytCw/YA43Pyv7S9I/AAAAAAAAmj8/KD1odSj0r5AiQqBtyE6_42SVf940G8REACLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-44.jpg
"Hell, no." River spat, "Why would I... Why would I abandon someone I love to her tender mercies just because she's a controlling bitch who can't understand the limitations that most civilized people live under...who doesn't know where proper boundaries are and shouldn't have been let out of the insane asylum? Why should I foresake the man that I love just because of some little bullshit like that?" River's emphasis on the word tender was absolute dripping sarcasm. "I'm no weak wall-flower, Haruo. If she wants a fight, she's got one on her hands..."
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0DkBSUv1aO0/YA431lQ6PzI/AAAAAAAAmkE/07uDBjzcWwoMeMFBYJ02ns7CJMy-w66mwCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-50.jpg
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BNKpP4ILORY/YA44FTjreaI/AAAAAAAAmkM/gRNTtR7kHAMWWvOzqn6QGVnf9_umjalmwCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-40.jpg
Haruo looked absolutely flabbergasted with a small hint of a smile playing about his lips; the lips that River wanted to kiss at that very moment, "Well, gee, um, River...why don't you tell me how you really feel?" he asked. They both snorted with laughter.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OYKIq3KO2LQ/YA455Me8blI/AAAAAAAAmkY/FmKOIzHRsO0aMPuJ8KFb1VeZ59EgkFxAACLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-54.jpg
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9Lpo4IPZIUM/YA455KFtgGI/AAAAAAAAmkc/8K6e6P6GCyEQ-uIV3B3v-ByC5IhchSomQCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-55.jpg
"Thanks for sticking up for me, after she hit me..." Haruo acknowledged River's role in the whole "dump on Mayumi" day that they'd had... "in answer to your statement earlier..." he did a deep dive back to the first statement that she'd made after they got there. I wish we could have this kind of feeling forever making River have to think hard to remember what had been said, "Me...too..." he whispered, his warm breath on her lashes, as River and he stepped into each other’s arms in a tender embrace, “I love you, River, sweetheart...”.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lqzv2L5o12M/YA495DgPL5I/AAAAAAAAmko/QM_NKZEuWn4bn-xjFOrHjPm_Mo0MNlM8QCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-62.jpg
"I love you too..." River said looking up at him. "...oh so much...". Their lips met in a tender kiss that seemed to make time stop for the both of them. River had her fingers running through Haruo's hair as they tightened their embrace. Their kiss deepened into a much more passionate one as River pressed her body into Haruo's as they hungered for each other's caress.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6p52Dte4qmg/YA4-j-aW7qI/AAAAAAAAmkw/ha_900w3weo6Ac8o3N8JW4rIX8fFxfp-gCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-67.jpg
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-h0u8_R8dJOQ/YA4-kLebzKI/AAAAAAAAmk0/EL1mc0xF9qsU-8R95GDll-Nx9QwTuy2_ACLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-68.jpg
...and upon release ended up scratching her arm...
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1zCkQfeGIYo/YA4--joFEgI/AAAAAAAAmlE/F7pQhL3v1gwXKac5XL7Mnv2fgUjYI4xhACLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-60.jpg
"Dammit...no-seeums." she muttered, "This is what happens after dark, the mosquitos and bugs eat you alive.” she swatted away a few more flying insects from a cloud of them. But a much more serious conversation ensued as their discussion turned towards the future. Their plans in the immediate future was to travel and see new places, but what sort of travels that the two of them planned and where they might go.
"I've always wanted to further my kung fu and eventually get my black belt." Haruo stated. "So I guess Shang Simla is also on the list." He grinned.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lVVj0q_NY8E/YA5EzZ8J6NI/AAAAAAAAmlk/h3JP9KvkwaY1Hic89HXcAziQsQnFcwvMgCPcBGAYYCw/s0/Screenshot-81.jpg
River nodded then gave him a poke, "And you...have to teach me kung fu too."...along with a sweet smile with each punctuated soft poke on you, teach, kung-fu and too.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a8Pg4CkR-HY/YA5EUJPH2zI/AAAAAAAAmlQ/ZmDSzNbg_CcH8JiVndkrKSylBm1yAOe5QCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-79.jpg
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zSs2CprIu80/YA5EZl_6n8I/AAAAAAAAmlU/hkMOQnBHtgA2Nynea9q7qwtQyjVeVj6EgCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-84.jpg
"Yes, Ma'am". Haruo stepped back and gave her a salute along with a straight face but a merry twinkle in his eyes while River laughed. But a cloud passed over his countenance as he looked away for a brief moment.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ltyy8I_U99A/YA5SKjoax1I/AAAAAAAAmls/vn3GOd3uWegfr94uICH_W1DQxu8snidgQCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-86.jpg
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-J6RbBCk8GCA/YA5SKuLo-_I/AAAAAAAAmlw/sU8hguTuKh0dD-1t9y9QfAB8hIj2vxBtQCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-87.jpg
"What is it? Love...". River asked. "Is there something wrong?"
Haruo sighed and for a long moment he gazed at the lake. Then startling River, he asked, "what do you think of my mother? He looked at her.
River was taken aback by the question.
"Just tell me the honest truth." He said.
"You really want to hear my honest opinion on her?" River asked.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bNo_BbfT1kQ/YA5S74N6FWI/AAAAAAAAml8/4zuK0og88tUeESs7-uAp-o5Eg8AzmnYWgCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-93.jpg
"Trust me," Haruo said, "Your opinion is probably not something you haven't heard me mutter under my breath about her myself." His gaze continued to look out towards the lake...not meeting her own.
River stood for a long minute trying to think of a diplomatic way to couch her opinion of that insane old bat that was Haruo's mother. She turned the problem of doing so around in her head in multiple directions: upside down, at various different angles and side ways...but ultimately she failed; a look of disgust on River's face told everything about in how much esteem she held Mayumi. Simple was best: "To tell you the god's honest truth, sweetheart, I think she's a total narcissistic self-important bitch who thinks that everyone in the entire world is at her beck and call." She paused for a moment. "I know that she doesn't think I'm good enough for you and frankly, she hates my guts." She said, a wry grin and a little bit of evil merriment in her eyes.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ejuXqGgoaTk/YA5TRIQWSPI/AAAAAAAAmmI/h7BcXc7tvi8ejFWmX3WJDdXFWnpaltLvgCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-94.jpg
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1WYwwP4_UDw/YA5Xatjc2GI/AAAAAAAAmmU/WVe0hPJz4usVF0fCJXE2Kj4WGIpQFApugCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-96.jpg
Haruo raised one eyebrow and nodded as if to tell her to continue.
"And frankly, as long as I can be a thorn in her side, by loving you, that'll give me absolute pleasure in putting one over on that hag." River stated, an malevolent smirk on her face as she just absolutely reveled in the idea. "Just watching her squirm, when I kiss you is the highlight of my day in pissing her off."
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oApAPtYTwmk/YA5XarRpuNI/AAAAAAAAmmY/h1ooAfAArgMU1Y4x3TOh_l1sRZAzrUscwCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-97.jpg
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D59hpGLT7eI/YA5XaoflpjI/AAAAAAAAmmc/NIAxTdHShFMiqgeXXlWVXjPIdAUKQk6igCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-98.jpg
That elicited a laugh out of Haruo; and it was a cue for him. He turned to her and said, "Well, I'm sure she's going to get one hell of a coronary out of this...then."
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vEaXK8vao0Y/YA5c-ZVxvfI/AAAAAAAAmms/2thjvXOUt-onoAo0Y3ZeOpszyMNqg6dBwCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-101.jpg
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bWsGPw-59gI/YA5dT44KeYI/AAAAAAAAmm0/lqWwTquyC-kn36_zM-3DtgzPin8RXok6gCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-133.jpg
Not expecting that response out of her frank disclosure of how much she hated Mayumi's guts, River looked at Haruo, jaw open. Haruo had dropped to one knee reaching into his pocket and said, "How would you like to go on pissing my mother off to no end for the rest of our lives?" He grinned up at her, a questioning look on his face, with an expectation of a reply.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-g25LfQub0Iw/YA5dl8ucKkI/AAAAAAAAmm8/g8mvOcu-FPMzd1tjuQEsW1k2f3uB9cjGgCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-134.jpg
"What?" River had a dawning realization of what was happening.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JtCGrCtTsks/YA5eAnkdALI/AAAAAAAAmnI/kRXqvjWz1vsfL12PU3NVKG4Xk-SXr-HMACLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-135.jpg
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yRaVXpBb2y4/YA5eAtJO43I/AAAAAAAAmnM/1LHtAQX9z08WWG-5O0aws2pH7xU9KB8iQCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-136.jpg
"River; you've been my friend; my best friend in the world for the past eighteen years. Through every stage of life we've been together. And I have had the most wonderful times in my whole life just being with you. You've made me more complete than I ever could have imagined." He said, reaching out to hold her right hand. We were friends all through high school, when I had tough times you were always there by my side. We found out that we cared about each other more than friends and that we wouldn't be complete without the other as we go into our lives as young adults trying to find our way and what our path in life is. We've confessed to each other that we love each other. Now, River Annette McIrish, will you do me the honor of joining your life with mine; to walk life's road together?" He lifted the box, opening it to expose the diamond engagement ring.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mlSIrB2Mpwg/YA5eV_OxhQI/AAAAAAAAmnY/wWS_QUxSZkkB9OgV2IRdlmNl7AXbgdI2ACLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-137.jpg
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VdDAwQwNjSg/YA5eV04pG2I/AAAAAAAAmnc/IHdbpAzM5UwkrBz_2JURX__0NnVIuTvfgCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-138.jpg
River held her hand to her mouth in shock; she hadn't expected this at all, at least not this quick. But in a split-second, she knew what all these years together meant and the future of her life was kneeling before her holding out what she had wanted in her life for all these years. Her companion of eighteen long years, her boyfriend and the love of her life had just asked her to marry him and to become his wife.
River rarely ever got emotional, but this was absolutely overwhelming. She knew that she loved Haruo and that he loved her but she wasn't expecting to find him moving from boyfriend/girlfriend status to engaged fiancé/ fiancée status that quickly. She was floored and happy and tearful at the same time; hell with happy; she was ecstatic.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mRjyhetjkXk/YA5yum829iI/AAAAAAAAmno/7SKycCJ1o0kD2uKG9MknX7PlrSUdoTldgCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-141.jpg
Haruo was waiting and starting to worry when River enthusiastically started repeating, "Yes, yes...yes, I will...". Haruo then removed the ring from the box and slid it on the fourth finger of her left hand giving it a brief tender squeeze when he was done. "Oh, my God, is this really happening...?". River exclaimed as she looked down at the ring on her finger. "Am I...?"
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hxUfGH36BG8/YA5zLbG26hI/AAAAAAAAmnw/HyRWufBfOd0wVmCblIatotOf4OJKFlObwCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-142.jpg
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Fcg5qTnNJy0/YA5zLe0DqoI/AAAAAAAAmn0/0nY6I-X9IMgeWmAkP550EyFHVFKGbqk6QCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-145.jpg
"No...you're not dreaming this..." Haruo reassured her, "it's one hundred percent real."
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0au2f2FRAyE/YA5zr5QUBTI/AAAAAAAAmn8/issZnVMAUts8QjnzEGM_Nir-qrqbbHI_wCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-152.jpg
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Mw7JVG0C3XY/YA5zr5ZBkNI/AAAAAAAAmoA/qjQttEpIVxASL5ebPxuTbTxCk1Q8Y5JZwCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-158.jpg
River threw her arms around Haruo and gave him the most passionate kiss to date that she could have ever given him. And they held that kiss for as long as they possibly could; as snugly as possible, just drinking in each other's presence.
"Tell me I'm not dreaming this..." River said, still emotional, with happy tears running down her face, "I'm engaged, I really am engaged." She stared at her left hand hoping that the ring wouldn't disappear off her finger if she blinked. It didn't.
She clung to Haruo just basically babbling anything that came to mind as he whispered sweet "I love you" repeatedly in her ear and they lip-locked repeatedly to reassure each other that they had just taken the most significant step in their relationship that they would ever take at least until the marriage bed and having children.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vLBawMkWNts/YA500KYY8yI/AAAAAAAAmoQ/1L9KMKtNJIspjT7RM7r-AwWNcviJxXZvwCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-161.jpg
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Cc8CT2uroGo/YA51D6iyaLI/AAAAAAAAmoc/vSB4Td7y9Bwx7bSErKJsM2qv-cJrP2cCACLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-163.jpg
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C4m8AjfFiSc/YA51D20M6mI/AAAAAAAAmoY/Y4rdz5PlR2cY-ekVIg4ljb5rM2r6QMprgCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-164.jpg
Haruo couldn't look at River without wanting to kiss her. And well River was quite willing to accommodate that desire since it fed directly into her own desires. Of course she cursed the fact that they were reliant on oxygenation via their nostrils as she felt nothing more than to want to stay in Haruo's arms forever and kiss for as long as possible. Well love was an addiction, so they said and River and Haruo couldn't get enough of it. Especially now that River had said yes and they were betrothed.
How long had it taken to get to boyfriend/girlfriend and now with a herculean leap they just went from that to engaged to be married in the space of a few months but deep down, River knew that Haruo loved deeply and didn't want to let a chance like this get away. She was also overjoyed at the fact that they were going to spend the rest of their lives together. As much as she hated to admit it, she felt that she wasn't as pretty as some of the other girls in school and to have her best friend who'd been with her for so long fall in love head over heels with her was just the icing on the cake.
He was silent about their relationship for so long over the years that she was afraid that she had been relegated to friend status only. Their heart to heart had really cemented their feelings for one another and opened up the both of them to this relationship and its possibilities and now the budding flowers had bloomed. River sighed as she snuggled into Haruo's embrace, 'Together, forever'; she thought. 'It would be everything' she dreamed of, '...and more'.
They spent several hours just drinking in the ambiance of Pinochle Pond and just enjoying each other's company; most of it being spent in each other's arms; nuzzling and just being as close to each other as long as possible
(End Part Three)
Generation One
Chapter Seven - "Haruo and River"
(Part Three)
Pinochle Pond
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lqd1P-ewNIQ/YA4lXVPes3I/AAAAAAAAmh4/iN8CZmaBqdYTzphR_JKIL6gArpbsPtQIQCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-4.jpg
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-g2_JXfn-H00/YA4lXT6zsJI/AAAAAAAAmh0/0WFbTPEYcI0LethrL4NN3MoGAPlQICQMACLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-7.jpg
It was remarkable to see how much Mayumi could vent; she just went on and on as if it was her that was being persecuted and not the other way around. As it was, their day was half over...before River and Haruo managed to escape the house. Pinochle Pond was a trudge up through rolling hills and eventually they came across a clearing where they could see a nice pond or more aptly described a small lake.When they finally found a place. River hung back a moment to see her boyfriend stand there looking out at the lake; his body tense; a dark shape in the spreading gloom of the late afternoon. He was silent. She hoped that he hadn't taken offence at the venom that she'd spewed at his mother. After all, Mayumi had deserved every bit of that vitriol directed at her. In fact, River had been surprised at just how much everyone else had vented at her which had provided the catalyst for her own venting. The silence just seemed oppressive and she had to fill the void with something.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cZJDWZvV1qY/YA4mti2hUCI/AAAAAAAAmiQ/o8KcNrmXKvYF_h1tVg_2qtMog1X9xPPbwCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-12.jpg
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WSzSiyjOmHA/YA4ml7PEOqI/AAAAAAAAmiM/e-uhCa5KzT0ijF_x2p0mHzxUtgQTxw-VwCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-19.jpg
River looked over at Haruo with a soft smile. "This has always been our place, hasn't it?" It was more a comment than a question.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EWronxOWx-4/YA4pP0wonnI/AAAAAAAAmig/yft76q78gpEIcUckM7vv2DKsw4T5O2MAACLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-11.jpg
"It has...", Haruo replied...causing River to sigh in relief. He wasn't giving her the silent treatment. They hadn’t discussed anything in the taxi on the way over to the pond. She wasn't sure just how Haruo would react when she'd unloaded on his mother all the vitriolic feelings that she’d been carrying around inside her at the way that Haruo was being treated by Mayumi. After a long moment, Haruo answered her, "We've been here a lot. And it seems so much more peaceful to me when we are here than at home." He looked out towards the lake, the air was still, not even a breeze to interrupt this moment as they stood contemplating the vista before them.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-knjPEn--_Vc/YA4pl7wObrI/AAAAAAAAmio/nKK1zEeiqyQUZRzv7FDHCugNY32-zuCJwCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-17.jpg
"I wish we could have this kind of feeling forever." River sighed wistfully.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Dgz04guU7lA/YA4p9qoDyXI/AAAAAAAAmiw/O2Ge0wYZtHACUZjWhnCLVVocsm6rN4pxQCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-19.jpg
"What you said today...to my mother..." Haruo said quietly; he didn't turn around. "You meant all of it." River wasn’t sure if the tone of his voice was flat, emotionless; all she could sense was a lot of pain coming from him. She wasn’t sure how to react to the statement. There was another long silence; a tense one as he stood there in the looming darkness, a silent figure in the gloom. She wondered if what she had said was too much but she felt that she’d needed to get it off her chest.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NLMiPzJWInA/YA4qinFAy_I/AAAAAAAAmi8/jhZkcfvNPPcP0SP3JsOGWMCTBfXPnMLhQCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-8.jpg
“Unless something happens to her...” he said all of a sudden startling River as it seemed that he had gone completely silent; a stone figure. “She’s always going to be around, sticking her fingers into everything that we do; trying to create havoc out of what little peace that we have. Do you really want to live like that?”
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5CSROTK4scQ/YA4smFyBNzI/AAAAAAAAmjI/relrQiKuhO8DrXEOLBUH_k5Oh0kgsIxZACLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-15.jpg
He turned to her and asked earnestly trying to convey the depth of his anguish at even getting River involved in the situation, "Can you think what your life would be if she decided to focus her anger out on you. She's tried to destroy me; and I can't sit by and watch her do that to you."
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ffmolSDA6kg/YA4wBX1QKRI/AAAAAAAAmjo/0hAzmAJCAZYFKpxe0d5FxxdkQV1ctoTjwCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-36.jpg
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WfeRCPZfYGI/YA4uDjH_0sI/AAAAAAAAmjU/VI46CNduQQ8Kl8wszGAEnEzrKAAwwcOpQCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-27.jpg
"If she wants to do that, she's going to have to do a lot better than just taking verbal pot-shots at me. Because if she does try to come at me..." River left the rest unsaid...she wouldn't think twice about making sure that Mayumi couldn't do it to anyone else, “The best that she can throw at me, is that I’m a harlot that I’m sitting here taking your innocence...and that doesn’t bother me in the slightest.” River assured him as she narrowed her eyes, thinking just how she could make Mayumi pay for that comment. But she couldn’t think as evilly as Mayumi could. Her good nature prevented her from it.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-R05BszP9lyQ/YA4wUOasuqI/AAAAAAAAmjw/_gIEJtgXch4zMJnewwyuUwB9lTzcPpUJQCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-34.jpg
"So...you're saying you wouldn't run?" Haruo asked her. The fact that Mayumi had conditioned Haruo to the point that he was skeptical of everything so that he’d question if River would stand by him in his fight against being controlled, incensed River to depths of fury she didn’t know she had against Mayumi.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Og2DoRDipaw/YA4vUF4md6I/AAAAAAAAmjg/iQs81cIOOUMRTcr59SyYKd0X7LlNB4gzgCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-28.jpg
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lK0Cc_NytCw/YA43Pyv7S9I/AAAAAAAAmj8/KD1odSj0r5AiQqBtyE6_42SVf940G8REACLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-44.jpg
"Hell, no." River spat, "Why would I... Why would I abandon someone I love to her tender mercies just because she's a controlling bitch who can't understand the limitations that most civilized people live under...who doesn't know where proper boundaries are and shouldn't have been let out of the insane asylum? Why should I foresake the man that I love just because of some little bullshit like that?" River's emphasis on the word tender was absolute dripping sarcasm. "I'm no weak wall-flower, Haruo. If she wants a fight, she's got one on her hands..."
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0DkBSUv1aO0/YA431lQ6PzI/AAAAAAAAmkE/07uDBjzcWwoMeMFBYJ02ns7CJMy-w66mwCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-50.jpg
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BNKpP4ILORY/YA44FTjreaI/AAAAAAAAmkM/gRNTtR7kHAMWWvOzqn6QGVnf9_umjalmwCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-40.jpg
Haruo looked absolutely flabbergasted with a small hint of a smile playing about his lips; the lips that River wanted to kiss at that very moment, "Well, gee, um, River...why don't you tell me how you really feel?" he asked. They both snorted with laughter.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OYKIq3KO2LQ/YA455Me8blI/AAAAAAAAmkY/FmKOIzHRsO0aMPuJ8KFb1VeZ59EgkFxAACLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-54.jpg
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9Lpo4IPZIUM/YA455KFtgGI/AAAAAAAAmkc/8K6e6P6GCyEQ-uIV3B3v-ByC5IhchSomQCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-55.jpg
"Thanks for sticking up for me, after she hit me..." Haruo acknowledged River's role in the whole "dump on Mayumi" day that they'd had... "in answer to your statement earlier..." he did a deep dive back to the first statement that she'd made after they got there. I wish we could have this kind of feeling forever making River have to think hard to remember what had been said, "Me...too..." he whispered, his warm breath on her lashes, as River and he stepped into each other’s arms in a tender embrace, “I love you, River, sweetheart...”.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lqzv2L5o12M/YA495DgPL5I/AAAAAAAAmko/QM_NKZEuWn4bn-xjFOrHjPm_Mo0MNlM8QCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-62.jpg
"I love you too..." River said looking up at him. "...oh so much...". Their lips met in a tender kiss that seemed to make time stop for the both of them. River had her fingers running through Haruo's hair as they tightened their embrace. Their kiss deepened into a much more passionate one as River pressed her body into Haruo's as they hungered for each other's caress.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6p52Dte4qmg/YA4-j-aW7qI/AAAAAAAAmkw/ha_900w3weo6Ac8o3N8JW4rIX8fFxfp-gCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-67.jpg
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-h0u8_R8dJOQ/YA4-kLebzKI/AAAAAAAAmk0/EL1mc0xF9qsU-8R95GDll-Nx9QwTuy2_ACLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-68.jpg
...and upon release ended up scratching her arm...
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1zCkQfeGIYo/YA4--joFEgI/AAAAAAAAmlE/F7pQhL3v1gwXKac5XL7Mnv2fgUjYI4xhACLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-60.jpg
"Dammit...no-seeums." she muttered, "This is what happens after dark, the mosquitos and bugs eat you alive.” she swatted away a few more flying insects from a cloud of them. But a much more serious conversation ensued as their discussion turned towards the future. Their plans in the immediate future was to travel and see new places, but what sort of travels that the two of them planned and where they might go.
"I've always wanted to further my kung fu and eventually get my black belt." Haruo stated. "So I guess Shang Simla is also on the list." He grinned.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lVVj0q_NY8E/YA5EzZ8J6NI/AAAAAAAAmlk/h3JP9KvkwaY1Hic89HXcAziQsQnFcwvMgCPcBGAYYCw/s0/Screenshot-81.jpg
River nodded then gave him a poke, "And you...have to teach me kung fu too."...along with a sweet smile with each punctuated soft poke on you, teach, kung-fu and too.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a8Pg4CkR-HY/YA5EUJPH2zI/AAAAAAAAmlQ/ZmDSzNbg_CcH8JiVndkrKSylBm1yAOe5QCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-79.jpg
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zSs2CprIu80/YA5EZl_6n8I/AAAAAAAAmlU/hkMOQnBHtgA2Nynea9q7qwtQyjVeVj6EgCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-84.jpg
"Yes, Ma'am". Haruo stepped back and gave her a salute along with a straight face but a merry twinkle in his eyes while River laughed. But a cloud passed over his countenance as he looked away for a brief moment.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ltyy8I_U99A/YA5SKjoax1I/AAAAAAAAmls/vn3GOd3uWegfr94uICH_W1DQxu8snidgQCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-86.jpg
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-J6RbBCk8GCA/YA5SKuLo-_I/AAAAAAAAmlw/sU8hguTuKh0dD-1t9y9QfAB8hIj2vxBtQCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-87.jpg
"What is it? Love...". River asked. "Is there something wrong?"
Haruo sighed and for a long moment he gazed at the lake. Then startling River, he asked, "what do you think of my mother? He looked at her.
River was taken aback by the question.
"Just tell me the honest truth." He said.
"You really want to hear my honest opinion on her?" River asked.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bNo_BbfT1kQ/YA5S74N6FWI/AAAAAAAAml8/4zuK0og88tUeESs7-uAp-o5Eg8AzmnYWgCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-93.jpg
"Trust me," Haruo said, "Your opinion is probably not something you haven't heard me mutter under my breath about her myself." His gaze continued to look out towards the lake...not meeting her own.
River stood for a long minute trying to think of a diplomatic way to couch her opinion of that insane old bat that was Haruo's mother. She turned the problem of doing so around in her head in multiple directions: upside down, at various different angles and side ways...but ultimately she failed; a look of disgust on River's face told everything about in how much esteem she held Mayumi. Simple was best: "To tell you the god's honest truth, sweetheart, I think she's a total narcissistic self-important bitch who thinks that everyone in the entire world is at her beck and call." She paused for a moment. "I know that she doesn't think I'm good enough for you and frankly, she hates my guts." She said, a wry grin and a little bit of evil merriment in her eyes.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ejuXqGgoaTk/YA5TRIQWSPI/AAAAAAAAmmI/h7BcXc7tvi8ejFWmX3WJDdXFWnpaltLvgCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-94.jpg
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1WYwwP4_UDw/YA5Xatjc2GI/AAAAAAAAmmU/WVe0hPJz4usVF0fCJXE2Kj4WGIpQFApugCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-96.jpg
Haruo raised one eyebrow and nodded as if to tell her to continue.
"And frankly, as long as I can be a thorn in her side, by loving you, that'll give me absolute pleasure in putting one over on that hag." River stated, an malevolent smirk on her face as she just absolutely reveled in the idea. "Just watching her squirm, when I kiss you is the highlight of my day in pissing her off."
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oApAPtYTwmk/YA5XarRpuNI/AAAAAAAAmmY/h1ooAfAArgMU1Y4x3TOh_l1sRZAzrUscwCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-97.jpg
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D59hpGLT7eI/YA5XaoflpjI/AAAAAAAAmmc/NIAxTdHShFMiqgeXXlWVXjPIdAUKQk6igCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-98.jpg
That elicited a laugh out of Haruo; and it was a cue for him. He turned to her and said, "Well, I'm sure she's going to get one hell of a coronary out of this...then."
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vEaXK8vao0Y/YA5c-ZVxvfI/AAAAAAAAmms/2thjvXOUt-onoAo0Y3ZeOpszyMNqg6dBwCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-101.jpg
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bWsGPw-59gI/YA5dT44KeYI/AAAAAAAAmm0/lqWwTquyC-kn36_zM-3DtgzPin8RXok6gCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-133.jpg
Not expecting that response out of her frank disclosure of how much she hated Mayumi's guts, River looked at Haruo, jaw open. Haruo had dropped to one knee reaching into his pocket and said, "How would you like to go on pissing my mother off to no end for the rest of our lives?" He grinned up at her, a questioning look on his face, with an expectation of a reply.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-g25LfQub0Iw/YA5dl8ucKkI/AAAAAAAAmm8/g8mvOcu-FPMzd1tjuQEsW1k2f3uB9cjGgCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-134.jpg
"What?" River had a dawning realization of what was happening.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JtCGrCtTsks/YA5eAnkdALI/AAAAAAAAmnI/kRXqvjWz1vsfL12PU3NVKG4Xk-SXr-HMACLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-135.jpg
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yRaVXpBb2y4/YA5eAtJO43I/AAAAAAAAmnM/1LHtAQX9z08WWG-5O0aws2pH7xU9KB8iQCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-136.jpg
"River; you've been my friend; my best friend in the world for the past eighteen years. Through every stage of life we've been together. And I have had the most wonderful times in my whole life just being with you. You've made me more complete than I ever could have imagined." He said, reaching out to hold her right hand. We were friends all through high school, when I had tough times you were always there by my side. We found out that we cared about each other more than friends and that we wouldn't be complete without the other as we go into our lives as young adults trying to find our way and what our path in life is. We've confessed to each other that we love each other. Now, River Annette McIrish, will you do me the honor of joining your life with mine; to walk life's road together?" He lifted the box, opening it to expose the diamond engagement ring.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mlSIrB2Mpwg/YA5eV_OxhQI/AAAAAAAAmnY/wWS_QUxSZkkB9OgV2IRdlmNl7AXbgdI2ACLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-137.jpg
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VdDAwQwNjSg/YA5eV04pG2I/AAAAAAAAmnc/IHdbpAzM5UwkrBz_2JURX__0NnVIuTvfgCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-138.jpg
River held her hand to her mouth in shock; she hadn't expected this at all, at least not this quick. But in a split-second, she knew what all these years together meant and the future of her life was kneeling before her holding out what she had wanted in her life for all these years. Her companion of eighteen long years, her boyfriend and the love of her life had just asked her to marry him and to become his wife.
River rarely ever got emotional, but this was absolutely overwhelming. She knew that she loved Haruo and that he loved her but she wasn't expecting to find him moving from boyfriend/girlfriend status to engaged fiancé/ fiancée status that quickly. She was floored and happy and tearful at the same time; hell with happy; she was ecstatic.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mRjyhetjkXk/YA5yum829iI/AAAAAAAAmno/7SKycCJ1o0kD2uKG9MknX7PlrSUdoTldgCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-141.jpg
Haruo was waiting and starting to worry when River enthusiastically started repeating, "Yes, yes...yes, I will...". Haruo then removed the ring from the box and slid it on the fourth finger of her left hand giving it a brief tender squeeze when he was done. "Oh, my God, is this really happening...?". River exclaimed as she looked down at the ring on her finger. "Am I...?"
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hxUfGH36BG8/YA5zLbG26hI/AAAAAAAAmnw/HyRWufBfOd0wVmCblIatotOf4OJKFlObwCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-142.jpg
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Fcg5qTnNJy0/YA5zLe0DqoI/AAAAAAAAmn0/0nY6I-X9IMgeWmAkP550EyFHVFKGbqk6QCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-145.jpg
"No...you're not dreaming this..." Haruo reassured her, "it's one hundred percent real."
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0au2f2FRAyE/YA5zr5QUBTI/AAAAAAAAmn8/issZnVMAUts8QjnzEGM_Nir-qrqbbHI_wCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-152.jpg
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Mw7JVG0C3XY/YA5zr5ZBkNI/AAAAAAAAmoA/qjQttEpIVxASL5ebPxuTbTxCk1Q8Y5JZwCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-158.jpg
River threw her arms around Haruo and gave him the most passionate kiss to date that she could have ever given him. And they held that kiss for as long as they possibly could; as snugly as possible, just drinking in each other's presence.
"Tell me I'm not dreaming this..." River said, still emotional, with happy tears running down her face, "I'm engaged, I really am engaged." She stared at her left hand hoping that the ring wouldn't disappear off her finger if she blinked. It didn't.
She clung to Haruo just basically babbling anything that came to mind as he whispered sweet "I love you" repeatedly in her ear and they lip-locked repeatedly to reassure each other that they had just taken the most significant step in their relationship that they would ever take at least until the marriage bed and having children.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vLBawMkWNts/YA500KYY8yI/AAAAAAAAmoQ/1L9KMKtNJIspjT7RM7r-AwWNcviJxXZvwCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-161.jpg
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Cc8CT2uroGo/YA51D6iyaLI/AAAAAAAAmoc/vSB4Td7y9Bwx7bSErKJsM2qv-cJrP2cCACLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-163.jpg
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C4m8AjfFiSc/YA51D20M6mI/AAAAAAAAmoY/Y4rdz5PlR2cY-ekVIg4ljb5rM2r6QMprgCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Screenshot-164.jpg
Haruo couldn't look at River without wanting to kiss her. And well River was quite willing to accommodate that desire since it fed directly into her own desires. Of course she cursed the fact that they were reliant on oxygenation via their nostrils as she felt nothing more than to want to stay in Haruo's arms forever and kiss for as long as possible. Well love was an addiction, so they said and River and Haruo couldn't get enough of it. Especially now that River had said yes and they were betrothed.
How long had it taken to get to boyfriend/girlfriend and now with a herculean leap they just went from that to engaged to be married in the space of a few months but deep down, River knew that Haruo loved deeply and didn't want to let a chance like this get away. She was also overjoyed at the fact that they were going to spend the rest of their lives together. As much as she hated to admit it, she felt that she wasn't as pretty as some of the other girls in school and to have her best friend who'd been with her for so long fall in love head over heels with her was just the icing on the cake.
He was silent about their relationship for so long over the years that she was afraid that she had been relegated to friend status only. Their heart to heart had really cemented their feelings for one another and opened up the both of them to this relationship and its possibilities and now the budding flowers had bloomed. River sighed as she snuggled into Haruo's embrace, 'Together, forever'; she thought. 'It would be everything' she dreamed of, '...and more'.
They spent several hours just drinking in the ambiance of Pinochle Pond and just enjoying each other's company; most of it being spent in each other's arms; nuzzling and just being as close to each other as long as possible
(End Part Three)
