A/N: Well, just tell me if I should stop okay? Though I think, considering the reviews I've received for chapter 1, you will really hunt me down if I stop posting ;)

And spikesagitta, stop banging your head, otherwise you'll get yourself hurt. I don't want to lose a diligent reviewer due to bleeding head or whatsoever. Just calm down. I already said before, I hate sad endings, and since this is a fanfic, well…;) And you, KatouKei, don't go insane on me ;) I can assure you that I don't like unfinished business, as well, so I promise I will complete this ;)

Chapter 2. The Rejection

Yumi didn't know if she should come to Sachiko directly or find another way to talk to her. She decided to go to the bathroom first as she tried to think of a way to have Sachiko alone. She stayed at the guest bathroom for long, and yet didn't come up with an idea as she decided to go out. But probably she didn't have to think anymore, because there, outside, larger than life, stood Sachiko with an expressionless face.

Sachiko didn't talk. She just motioned for her to follow, and she did follow her. Sachiko led her to one of the rooms at their mansion. Once inside, they stood a couple of feet away from each other, unable to say anything for a while.

"Yumi, I'm sorry. I didn't know about the announcement. If I had known, I wouldn't have…" Sachiko trailed off. This was hard, hard for her, and for Yumi, too.

"You wouldn't have invited us, right?" She continued, and Sachiko looked away as she nodded. "But Onee-sama, you could just say no, right?"

"I can't," Sachiko said in a low voice. This would be just a repeat of her brief conversation with Youko earlier, and to Touko as well. However, this was harder, because Yumi was important to her in a different way in contrast to those two.

"Why not? If you don't really like the wedding to pursue, then you could just say to your parents that you don't want to. I'm sure they would understand," she said with a frown. Surely Sachiko's parents weren't that cruel so as to force their only daughter to do what she didn't like. No parents would, that was what she believed.

Sachiko shook her head.

"My family, my parents are different from yours, Yumi. This engagement, and the wedding that I'm sure would soon follow, it had been set long before, when Suguru and I were just children. I don't think my word would change that fact," Sachiko said sadly.

"But, but…" Yumi didn't know how to argue with that. "But I lo…"

Sachiko cut her words by placing a finger on her lips. Then in a tormented voice, she said, "Oh please, don't, Yumi, don't say it. It would only be harder for both of us."

"But Onee-sama, I want to say it, I want to say to you how I really feel," Yumi protested.

"I know, Yumi, I know. But let's leave it like that. It won't change anything. Nothing's going to change."

"How could you give up without even trying to fight, Onee-sama. Why don't you try it? After that, that's the only time you could say that nothing's going to change."

Yumi didn't want to give up, not when everything, her happiness, Sachiko's happiness, lay on this, on Sachiko doing something. Nonetheless, Sachiko only shook her head once more.

"Then if you don't want to, I'll do it for you," she said firmly. Why was Sachiko being so hard?

"Yumi, you will do no such thing. I'll get mad if you do that. Besides, it would be a futile attempt. Let's save ourselves from the trouble it may cause. My family wants this, wants me to marry Suguru, and I will do it, I will do what they want me to do. There's nothing you can do or say that would make me change my mind," Sachiko said firmly, sternly. She didn't want to. But she had to. She didn't want Yumi to be hurt more. She had been hurt enough now. What more if she tried to do things and realized later that it was all for naught? She wanted to save Yumi from that trouble. She knew that Yumi loved her, loved her more than a soeur should, more than a friend should. And she loved her the same, loved her very much. However, she couldn't let Yumi know that. The truth would only hurt her more, might make her do things she shouldn't do. It was better this way. She could love Yumi from afar, would always love her. Her marriage with Suguru wouldn't change how she felt for Yumi. It would always be in her heart. But that was the end of it. It would be only in her heart, and would never leave that for Yumi to know.

Yumi looked at Sachiko painfully.

"Y-you, you will get mad at me, you will hate me, if I tried to fight for what I feel?"

Sachiko looked away, unable to look at Yumi's hurt face.

"Yes, Yumi. I will hate you."

Yumi couldn't stop herself as she let out a cry, which made Sachiko to look her way. Sachiko was stricken, stricken to see Yumi hurting like that. She couldn't stop herself from moving, moving towards Yumi and engulfed her in a hug, a tight hug.

"Oh Yumi, please don't look like that," Sachiko said painfully as a tear or two made its way on her cheeks. She couldn't bear to see Yumi like this. It was breaking her heart.

Yumi cried in Sachiko's shoulder for some time. Afterwards, Sachiko gently pushed her away.

"Yumi, we need to go back to the party, I need to go back. My parents are probably looking for me now."

Sachiko wanted to hold Yumi in her arms forever, but it wouldn't be wise.

Yumi quietly composed herself, though she couldn't stop her hands from shaking.

"I'll go ahead, Yumi. You could follow later. But Yumi, please don't talk again about what we have just talked right now. Yumi…please…"

Yumi didn't want it to be the last time that they would talk about it. But for now, she nodded her head reluctantly. She would let Sachiko think about it. For now.

"Thank you, Yumi."

Sachiko let out a relieved sigh, then cupped Yumi's cheeks tenderly, before she made her way out of the room, leaving Yumi alone.

When finally Yumi was sure that she didn't look like a mess, she went out of the door with no sense of direction where she wwould go. She was surprised to find Yuuki standing at the hallway, waiting for her.

"Yumi."

She tried to smile, but it probably looked like a grimace.

"Let's go, Yuuki."

"Yumi," Yuuki stopped her with his hands and stared at her worriedly.

"Please, Yuuki. I don't want to break down here. Take me home, please," she said in a pained voice, trying to stop herself from crying again. Yuuki hugged her briefly, before he led her outside without having to pass by the party. She looked at her brother with surprise. How did he know about this way?

"Stay here. Your friends need to know that we're going. They will be worried if you don't show up."

She nodded. She forgot about the others who were waiting for her with worry.

A/N: Still with me? ;) It solved nothing, did it? Probably on the next chapters ;)

---Arvendell---

09 March 2008