Yukina was a lot more despondent now that Shigure had left for the villa. She was so sad that she didn't recognize all the hints that Hisame tried to give her when he heard his older brother was coming. She knew one thing. She had one Knight in Shining Armor: Akira.

He would protect her, right? Like the Knight in her book that protected Ice Princess Lilia from the baron, right? He would always love her and her only, right?

Sighing, Yukina flipped her phone closed. She had 50 unread emails, all of them from her fans.

"I think it was too harsh when I said in my book that the baron left the princess due to a misunderstanding…" Yukina thought as she sweat-dropped and looked at the phone ringing over and over again. The battery was running low and she had to call her parents as well.

"But, my book is doing amazing," Yukina clenched her fists and an imaginary spark appeared.

At least I am better than Dolche!

Yukina happily nodded to herself. Then her cell phone buzzed differently, one that Yukina knew that meant she got a text. It was usually: her parents, Akira, Mami, or…Shigure. Then name left a thousand needles piercing her heart. She felt hurt when he wouldn't listen to her.

"Again with thinking about him? Mou…I have no life…" Yukina huffed.

Flipping open the phone, her eyes gleamed when she saw a text from her lover.

To: Himuro Yukina

From: Shimotsuki Akira

Message:

Yukina-chan,

I have something to tell you. Come to the park. I am waiting for you there.

From,

Akira

Options: delete-forward-reply-block

Yukina sighed. She flipped her phone shut. Somehow her heart didn't flip or beat faster when she got a text from her cousin. She knows that if she is in love with him, she would flush around him, and feel panicky or weak around him. She had to fix that because she is in love with him, right?

"I think I have to exercise so that I appear that way," Yukina mumbled.

"Oh well," Yukina mumbled, not even noticing there was a tall dark figure behind her, clenching his fists in jealousy.

But we all know he is way too jealous to just walk away, right? He confessed her love to her.

oOo

Yukina went to the park and spotted her lover sitting formally when other people shot him suggestive stares, normally the adolescent girls, who think dating a guy younger than them is totally fine.

"Akira?" Yukina asked.

"Oh! Yukina-chan! Sit here!" Akira awkwardly patted the spot next to him. Yukina raised an eyebrow to that but nevertheless complied with her cousin.

Noticing the stares, she wondered why she didn't feel so jealous of the attention her lover was getting. She felt so withdrawn from him, un-knowing, the kind of person to shrug the shoulders as if they do not care, though this is not what she meant by that.

"Why am I not jealous?" Yukina asked herself.

A girl with fluffy black hair ponytail and a cute pink dress came up and flittered her eyes suggestively

"You look like a model~!" the girl squealed, not noticing she had a boyfriend. Yukina made eye gestures to the girl from her, to the boy. She froze and tried to chase after her boyfriend who was storming away in pure anger, yelling over his shoulder that they were through.

The girl's painful cries radiated through the air and Yukina winced. She sure was loud. But it was what she called a heartbreak that she heard so much about? She had to experience it! It was related to love, and it could help her gain points over Dolche! This is a win-win situation!

Akira noticed Yukina's midway fantasizing. He mentally laughed but then felt saddened when he knew his cousin wasn't thinking about him. Just about research material for a book that will never come true.

"Yukina?" Akira asked.

She turned around surprised. Akira always added "-chan" endings to her first name only because of her close relationship with him in the past. When he dropped the friendly ending, it was serious.

"Yes, Akira?"

"Do you love me?"

"Wha-! Of course I-I do! We are lovers, aren't we?" Yukina sputtered out.

"Then will you kiss me?" Akira asked. Yukina shrugged.

"Okay, if you want one," Yukina said.

She promptly kissed his forehead and leaned back. Akira was disappointed so she kissed his cheek. When he was still disappointed, Yukina felt fed up.

"Well, how do you want me to kiss you?"

"On my lips. Like a true lover would do without hesitation."

Yukina's eyes flew wide open in shock. Her normally flustered cousin, who had hid his hair until Mami asked him to cut it, was asking her an unreasonable demand!

Her head started pounding. She moved her face forward with guilt, anger, frustration, and most of all, a feeling built up when peer-pressured.

Akira noticed this and took a dip back and Yukina stumbled a bit, as she didn't hold onto the bench when leaning forward.

"I knew it," Akira mumbled, dipping his head down. He scooted away from Yukina. The girl's eyes widened.

"W-What?"

"I knew you didn't love me."

"What are you talking about…?"

"You hesitated."

"Of course I would hesitate! I can't believe you did, as well! This would have been my very first kiss! I wanted it to be special instead of something demanded of me!" Yukina cried.

"But I thought we were together long enough that you would readily give it up to me," Akira said.

"Why are you being forceful all of a sudden?" Yukina asked.

"Because I think all the time, that the reason for you not loving me is because you are on a writer's block, but no! You don't love me! I can't make you love me after the incident! You never loved me and then just told me to be your lover a while back! Yukina, I can't work this way!" Akira cried out.

Yukina's heart shattered.

"I'm sorry. I can't be your lover anymore. Goodbye," Akira turned around on his heels and he went to his home or what Yukina could guess, to Mami's arms. Lately those two had been growing too close as Hisame had stated it a hundred times, not that she felt jealous all the time.

She felt so broken, though. She hurt her cousin. For the first time in years, little diamonds slipped from her eyes. She felt miraculously sapped of her energy all of a sudden.

Picking herself up from the bench, she hobbled home, weakly crying as she did so.

And the figure behind the tree felt like he needed a reason to pummel the guy who forced something that would be precious to anyone, to him.

oOo

Her summer homework was finished. She couldn't believe it.

She just dabbed her tears away more.

"First…Shigure…now Akira?" Yukina's heart felt like lead when Akira and Mami came to her house to check up on her when she came home crying, three days ago.

They had announced they were a couple, so quickly. Akira just wanted to see if Yukina loved him. If she didn't, he could really confess to Mami and they could happily be together.

She had sent a text to Akira saying: You are the worst to think if I am double sided. I heard you were using me, to see if I loved you then you would have a lover. If I didn't then you could go to Mami. Who is the manipulative person now?

And Akira responded to her by that by ignoring her. He would glare at her and never look at her, and continuously dragging Mami away when the two girls would nearly reconcile.

Yukina told her mother about Akira's forceful attempt to kiss her and how his plan was, and she and Yukina's dad agreed simultaneously that Akira is not welcome to come anymore. They were about to shut Mami out but Yukina persuaded them to let her come, because she kept apologizing for Akira's sudden rash decision and she had made it a mission to stay Yukina's strong friend.

"Now what?" Yukina murmured, sprawled onto her bed.

"Kya!" her mother squealed, "Yukina you have a handsome boy at the door! Come in!"

"Thank you, Yukina's sister."

Yukina's heart skipped a beat. It was Shigure. He came to her house out of x number of days at the villa.

"N-No! You got it wrong! I am her mother, not her sister!" her mom flustered.

"Oh," Shigure showed a slight disappointment, "I swear you looked so young I mistook you for her pretty sister I never knew she had. For one minute I thought she was lying when she was an only child."

"W-What a nice young man! Surely you won't be as mean as Akira! Go on! Yukina's door has Sakura petals on it!"

"Thank you."

Footsteps padded up the stairs and the sound grew even louder. Yukina gasped and tried to make it look like she was doing something on her phone, which she wasn't. She was just staring at the home screen which told her that as of that moment, it was 1341.

"Yukina, I know you aren't doing anything on your phone. You can quit pretending," a voice behind her sighed. Yukina sighed as well and snapped her phone shut as well.

"So?" Yukina pushed up her glasses, "What brings you here?"

"Um, your mom said you were feeling down," Shigure tried not to blurt out that he saw the whole thing.

"Something happened three days ago," Yukina blushed, "It was terrible."

"Tell me something I don't know. Your face is telling me you are scarred right now," Shigure sat next to Yukina on her bed, "Spill."

"Akira."

"Okay, what did he do?"

"He tried to kiss me. He couldn't wait or anything. He, the way he stated the words, sure I felt bad about pushing him away all the time, but stealing my first kiss…?" Yukina trailed off.

"I thought you would've kissed him on the lips when I was gone," Shigure said, surprised.

"Well you must be jealous then," Yukina smirked, pushing her glasses up all high and mighty before slumping down, dejected.

"Oh, who am I kidding?" Yukina sighed miserably.

"Everyone except me."

"You know, you might want to warn Mami to stay away from him," Yukina said, nervously.

"Why?" Shigure asked.

"They are dating."

"That quickly?!" Shigure panicked.

"Yeah. I am not worried about my cousin, but what could he do to your friend? I am worried about her. She said she will stay strong as my friend, but I am so scared…if Akira hurts her…" Yukina murmured.

"I should go tell her…" Shigure tried to get up and leave but then a hand clasped his right one.

"Please…" Yukina's brown doe eyes filled to the brim with tears, "Your next mission is to comfort me."

Shigure sighed. Even though he knew that Yukina wasn't using their bond as a profit for some sort, he knew they would never get out of the 'mission' mode that they have. It is still there, faintly.

"Are you asking me to play nurse or something? Because I am not dressing up," Shigure teased.

"Just staying here makes me happy," Yukina smiled.

Shigure froze, but then smiled a little as he sat next to her on the bed. They laid down next to each other, with Yukina's head on his chest, and his arms encircled around her waist.

"Thank you, Shigure, for being here for me," Yukina murmured as she nodded off into sleep.

"Dummy," Shigure lightly hit her head, though it went unnoticed, "I do these things for you because I love you."

"I…love…you Shigure…" she murmured in her sleep, nestling into his touches.

Shigure smiled.

"Yeah, I knew that for a long time," Shigure scowled, "I can't believe he hurt you."

oOo

Yukina and Shigure decided to just go on an outing, for the fun of it. They decided that Yukina needed some fresh air from locking herself up for three days in a row.

Yukina was wearing a pale mint green summer floral dress with a white blazer and flip-flops and her hair held up in a huge Dutch braid that was twisted into a bun on the side of her head and held there with bobby pins and decorated with butterfly pins.

Shigure was in his casual wear but got annoyed when people said his 'girlfriend' was too pretty to be with such a 'delinquent boy'.

When he looked at Yukina with a plea on his face, she nodded and sent a glare to fix them to their places where they belonged.

"Thank you," Shigure breathed.

"Just don't look at them like I am. I do not like anyone of them but you. It also helps if you think of irrelevant things to block out their words," Yukina bluntly said.

Shigure was happy that she wasn't paying any attention to the guys. Dejected, the men left them alone.

"Okay. But wouldn't I want to think about you instead of irrelevant things? That helps me calm down more," Shigure teased her, but meant it.

"I am glad your smiles aren't fake anymore," Yukina smiled, "Thank you."

Shigure blushed at her sincerity level right now.

"You never have to say thank you," Shigure breathed, "I owe you."

oOo

"Hah?" Hisame drawled.

Apparently Shigure sent Yukina to look at some stuffed animals at some shop and ask him if she likes any, not that she likes cute stuff.

"Whaddya mean you don't have enough balls to confess to Onee-san, Onii-chan?" Hisame growled.

"I-I don't know! She was traumatized four days ago!" Shigure defended himself.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know. The KISS, right?" Hisame air-quoted the word.

"Shh you dummy!" Shigure put a finger to his lips when he saw Yukina slightly move her head.

"You know I can't see you," Hisame mused.

"But you CAN picture how much I wanna murder you."

"Too bad. I am too cute to kill. And I am a monkey. Your ancestor."

"What the heck…"

"Anyways, you can't confess, why can't you? I don't give a second glance to the point that she had a rejection four days ago. To be honest, her cousin doesn't deserve her."

"Yes I know that," Shigure spat through the phone, becoming nervous when Yukina moved closer, looking at a stuffed panda.

"Is she getting near?"

"Yes."

"Well, I do know that Onee-san is mostly rational and she will accept you for whatever you try to ask her, onii-chan. Good luck. Bye."

"Hey!"

"Um, I have to meet up with my friends. Bye."

"It's because of Mami, isn't it?"

"Look, she said she didn't know and cried the last time I confessed to her. I am tired of chasing her tail and then she becomes jealous when some girl gets close to me. I am tired of doing that, okay?" Hisame's voice came out as cracked, tired, and annoyed.

"Okay," Shigure shrugged.

Then the phone went dead.

Yukina came up to him and had a panda bear in her hand. When Shigure became angry she looked at it and then at him and said, "I bought it."

"Why?!"

"What do you mean, why? I liked it. I never had cute stuff like this," Yukina shrugged.

"I had to buy that for you!" Shigure blurted out.

"It's fine," Yukina smiled, "But thank you for worrying so much."

Shigure then paused and Yukina looked at him questioningly.

"So do you have a reply?" Shigure asked.

"You know," Yukina said, tapping her chin, "I didn't tell you something that happened when I met up with Akira."

Shigure listened.

"When Akira texted me, I didn't feel excited. When I met up with him a girl tried to seduce him in and I didn't feel so hurt or jealous or possessive. I didn't feel it in me to be that way, and ironically we were supposed to be lovers," Yukina air quoted the last word.

"I then asked, do I love him? Or am I just forcing myself on him because Mami was so attached to you? It was confirmed that I will only care as a close cousin when he forced me to kiss him," Yukina sighed.

They stood silent.

"So who do you love?" Shigure asked.

"You," Yukina said so simply.

"You probably see me as a third wheel, don't you?"

"No."

"Then why?"

"After you left for the villa without listening to me, I felt terrible, like vomiting and I couldn't. I felt like jumping off a cliff and hurting myself, Shigure, I felt terrible," Yukina's voice was wavering and tears were pricking at her eyes, hurt that Shigure would think like that. But then again, knowing that he loved her, made him prone to quick jealousy and big misunderstandings in less than a minute.

Shigure knew he went too far and he brought the girl in a hug.

"What if I told you I loved you?"

"I," Yukina thought about it and knew it in her heart it was time, "Would say I love you too. Very, very much."

Shigure couldn't explain his happiness.

His actions were so bold that he ended up bringing her face to his and they both had their first kiss on the spot.

Then they turned red at the thought and quickly separated.

"If I think about it…" Shigure started.

"All of our previous attempts were ruined by something or someone getting in the way," Yukina blushed hard, "But I am happy it was you."

Shigure felt like something was lifted off of his chest.

"Let's go home."

"I do not know how my mom and dad is going to take it?"

"How?"

"My mom would go fan girl and my dad's face would drain out of blood. He would probably pass out of lack of blood going to the oxygen, right?" Yukina asked.

"Yes," Shigure chuckled, "He would."

They walked home, hand in hand, not noticing the pair behind the trees.

oOo

"Ah, Mami thinks they make a good pair together!" Mami squealed.

"But I love her," Akira sputtered.

"No you don't! You just want to possess her! Mami knew that from the beginning from your fake relationship with her, she would eventually end up with Shigure-kun!" Mami yelled.

"But…"

"Mami can't deal with it! Mami will not let you destroy their relationship! If you do, then I will never talk to you! Mami says she is done with this!" And with that, Mami stomped off to her house, with Hisame popping out of nowhere and walking her home. Somehow despite the fact she found out about the pins, she still wore them, and smiled at him.

And Akira was left to forever repent on the dent he made: On Yukina first, and then Mami.

oOo

A/N: Yes this is an alternate ending to how Shigure came back from the summer villa. He just pops out of nowhere and sees the scene.