"I still don't know what I'm doing here, Mom," Yumi complained with a pout.

"You've been getting overly tired lately so I just want to get you checked out," Miki explained patiently for the third time. "It's possible you picked up a bug or contracted mononucleosis, or something similar. Your college entrance exams are coming up in a few months so it's better to get it checked out now before it starts to affect your studying."

"Fine, fine, Mom," Yumi said with exasperation. "I think it's all the studying I've been doing that is making me tired, especially when you add in the extra work load the Yamayurikai has been having to do recently. It's no wonder that I'm tired all the time."

"Then the doctor will be able to tell us that and maybe give you something that will help," her father Yuichiro said.

"You know I don't like to depend on drugs, Dad. I'll listen to what he has to say and let him do his poking and prodding and testing," Yumi finally relented, "but I'm sure he'll just tell me to get more rest."

"Besides, you haven't had a physical checkup since your first year at Lillian so it will be good to get an updated baseline" her father said.

"Ok, ok."

She picked up a magazine and started leafing through it, not really reading, just not wanting to argue with her parents anymore.

"Fukuzawa Yumi," the nurse called with a patented smile pasted onto her face. The three stood up and started gathering their things.

"Dad, would you mind waiting here for a bit," Yumi asked, "at least until the doctor is finished with his examination," she added with a slight blush.

"Sure Yumi, just be sure to call me when he's done so I can be there for any discussion," he said with a smile.

"I will, Dad," she said gratefully.

"If you will please come with me," the nurse asked.

The two Fukuzawa women headed back to the examination room. The nurse had Yumi strip to her panties and put on an exam gown after checking her height and weight and then taking her temperature. Once Yumi had changed she checked Yumi's pulse and blood pressure, marked the results on her chart and then told them that the doctor would be with them shortly. They waited another ten minutes before the doctor knocked and entered.

"Ah, Yumi-chan, it's been a while. How have you been doing?" Dr. Watanabe asked with his typical cheerful countenance as he shut the door and sat on a short stool. He opened the chart he had taken off the front of the door before he entered and did a quick review of her stats while Yumi answered.

"I think I've been doing fine, Watanabe-sensei," she said with a bit of exasperation, "but Mom and Dad decided they wanted me to get checked out. They think I've been getting too tired here recently."

"Hmmm, college entrance exams are starting soon aren't they?" he commented, "have you been staying up late studying? Do you think you have been getting enough sleep?"

"I have been studying hard," she admitted, "and the student council work has been rough recently as well, but not much more than normal; but I've always been a hard studier and I've been a member of the Yamayurikai, our student council, for almost two years now; so not much has changed over that period."

"Mmm hmm," he mumbled an acknowledgment, "Ok, let's take a look at you then," he said as he took his stethoscope from around his neck and fit the earpieces. He stood up and walked around behind where she sat on the examination table and placed the chestpiece against her back asking her to take a few deep breaths. He then reached under her gown and did the same to her chest above her breasts. While there he also listened to her heart. He then checked her eyes, ears and throat before checking her reflexes.

"What about this cut Yumi?" he asked.

"Oh, that's just something that happened a while ago. I keep knocking the scab off so I keep some liquid bandage on it.

"Mmm hmm," he said while making a note on her chart.

He used a medical swab to take a throat culture and, with the assistance of his nurse, drew several (quite a few in Yumi's opinion) vials of blood for testing. Finally, he handed her a small cup with a lid attached to it by a small piece of plastic. "You know what to do with this?" he asked with a grin.

"Yes, Watanabe-sensei," Yumi replied with a giggle.

"That's good," he chuckled. "You can get dressed when you come back."

"Thank you sensei," Yumi said. The nurse showed her to the restroom and, within a few minutes, she returned to the examination room with a urine sample. "I'm real glad I drank some water before we came," she told her Mom with a smile. "Did you want to go get Dad now?"

"Sure," Miki grinned as she stood up, "I'll go get him and bring him back. You get dressed quickly."

Miki opened the door and quickly left while Yumi started getting dressed again. It didn't take her long and her parents returned shortly after she finished. They only had to wait another three minutes or so before the doctor returned. He shook Yumi's father's hand in greeting before taking his stool again and looking at Yumi.

"Alright young lady, it is probably just fatigue induced by anemia, but I'm going to run a few tests anyway to rule out anything else. I should be able to let you know something within twenty-four hours. In the mean time I want you to take the rest of the day off and go home and rest. Have your mom fix you a decent meal," he said with a smile for Miki knowing that the woman was actually a great cook if Yumi's and Yuuki's previous exams and discussions said anything, "and then go to bed. You can go to school as normal tomorrow, just be sure not to overdo it, alright?"

"Yes, Watanabe-sensei," Yumi agreed with a shy smile.

"Good. I or my nurse will call in the results of the lab tests sometime tomorrow."

"Thank you sensei," the three said as he stood up and shook their hands.

As they were leaving Yuichiro suddenly hit his forehead, "Please excuse me for a second," he told his wife and daughter, "I forgot to tell Watanabe-sensei about the charity golf tournament next weekend. He would probably be interested in playing. I'll meet you both at the car."

Yumi and her mother watched with smiles on their faces as he hurried away before turning to each other and saying at the same time, "Golf!", before they started laughing.

Yumi felt almost like her old self when she woke up the next morning and started getting ready for school. She greeted her brother Yuuki as he sat at the breakfast table with a piece of toast and a glass of orange juice while her mother was cooking up some eggs at the kitchen stove. Yumi gave her mother a quick kiss on the cheek and poured herself a glass of orange juice while breakfast was being prepared.

"How's everything going over at Hanadera, Yuuki," she asked her brother as she stole a piece of his toast and started munching.

Yuuki sighed in resignation and took another swig of his juice. "So far so good. Everything seems to be on track for the Lillian/Hanadera ball. Kashiwagi-san agreed to help us book the ballroom at one of the largest hotels in the area while Alice is lining up the orchestra."

"Orchestra? I thought we agreed on a band," Yumi exclaimed.

"We took a poll of the students and they all agreed that it should be a small orchestra versus a rock band," Yumi explained, "If you want to raise the question, I can bring it up again at today's meeting, but you might want to take the same poll at Lillian. I bet you get the same results we did. It was almost four to one for the orchestra. It seems 'ball' equals 'orchestra' in everyone's minds."

"Huh, I see what you mean," Yumi nodded, "I guess 'band' does sounds more like a dance or an American sock-hop rather than a formal ball. OK, I'll let them know at today's meeting and if they want to run the poll we can, but otherwise we'll go with the orchestra. I'll let you know what they say when I get home."

"Sounds good," Yuuki said around a forkful of eggs.

"Don't talk with your mouth full," Yumi admonished him. "What kind of manners are they teaching you over at Hanadera?"

"Obviously not the same level of manners as they are teaching you at Lillian," Yuuki grinned so that the eggs covered his teeth.

"Ugh. Just eat caveman," Yumi laughed.

Yumi finished up her breakfast quickly, thanking her mom before she headed out to the bus stop and the ride that would take her to school.

Walking down the cobbled path from the gates of Lillian to the statue of Maria-sama, Yumi greeted a number of students with a slight nod of her head in response to their calls of "Good day Rosa Chinensis". She had learned from her onee-sama that greeting everyone verbally had a tendency to lead to discussions which had a tendency to lead to her being late for class. So she limited herself to only a slight nod in response to each greeting. She said her brief prayer when she reached the statue of Maria-sama and continued on to her class room, still nodding left and right to the seemingly multitude of students that wanted to say "hi".

Her neck felt stiff by the time she sat (gracefully of course) at her desk and started to pull out her text books and notes.

"Good day, Yumi-san," she heard a cheerful voice say behind her. She turned around and noted the presence of her two good friends and fellow Yamayurikai member Yoshino Shimazu, the current Rosa Foetida, closely followed by the Rosa Gigantea, Shimako Todou, who also greeted Yumi with her usual serene smile but with a real twinkle of happiness in her eyes.

Yoshino was the current Rosa Foetida and had as her trademark a pair of long braids that hung down to her waist even as they draped over her shoulders. She had joined the kendo club after she had undergone heart surgery her first year at Lillian to repair a congenital heart defect, a hole in the walls of her heart. Her originally slender and weak body had become much more athletic since then and she also had much more energy.

Shimako, the current Rosa Gigantea, was the angel of Lillian. Her long wavy light-brown/dark-blonde hair was the envy of just about every student at Lillian (and not a few of the teachers and administrative personnel) while her angelic face always sported a serene and peaceful smile that seemed to bring joy and happiness to everyone that saw her. Her grande soeur, Sei Satou, had graduated two years ago. She was attending Lillian University just like Sachiko so it was not unusual to see her wandering around the high school campus some afternoons.

"Good day Yoshino-san, Shimako-san. I hope you are well. I believe we have a meeting scheduled for this afternoon, do we not?"

"You are correct Yumi-san," Shimako agreed.

"Could I please get you two to please do me a favor?" Yumi asked her dearest friends. "Yuuki informed me that the students at Hanadera have overwhelmingly voted to have a small orchestra provide the music for the ball rather than a rock band as we had originally thought."

"An orchestra?" Yoshino exclaimed, "How is an orchestra going to play the latest pop music?"

"Maybe they could find an orchestra that also has some electric guitars, drums and keyboards? Anyway, would you please think about it and give me your own thoughts on the matter before the meeting gets started. He said that we could poll of our own students if we wanted to, but anticipated that the results would most likely be the same."

"I think an orchestra would be wonderful," Shimako said, "but I understand what Yoshino is saying as well. Many of the students might want to dance to more modern music that an orchestra just would not be able to play properly. A combination orchestra might be the best bet."

"Yeah," Yoshino agreed vociferously, "what she said."

Yumi sighed. "Let's bring it up at the meeting then and see what Noriko-chan, Touko-chan, and Nana-can think. I just thought it would be a good idea if we already had our own thoughts ready or, maybe some solutions if questions are raised."

"No, it is a good idea Yumi-san," Yoshino agreed thoughtfully for once. "I have to agree that when I think of a formal ball, the first thing that pops into my mind is an orchestra, but maybe your idea for a combination orchestra would make everyone happy," she said nodding.

"Thank you both," Yumi replied, "I really appreciate it."

"No problem," Yoshino said while Shimako also agreed to consider the matter.

Throughout the discussion Yumi had been hearing the soft click of a camera shutter, so when Yoshino and Shimako went to take their own seats, Yumi turned around and greeted the "Ace" photographer of Lillian, Tsutako Takashima. The girl behind the camera lens had short dark hair and a pair of rimless glasses that covered her dark grey eyes. She was probably one of Yumi's absolutely best friends of anyone that was not a member of the Yamayurikai. She was one of the first to befriend Yumi when she arrived at Lillian's high school division and had stood by her throughout the ups and downs of her early relationship with Sachiko. Yumi had cried on her shoulder more than once her first year at school, but Tsutako had always remained by her side with a friendly smile and, usually, good advice.

"Good morning Tsutako-san," Yumi said with a big smile for the camera, "I hope that we were able to give you a couple of good photos for your collection," she giggled.

Tsutako, smiled at Yumi over the top of her camera as she pushed the shutter button again to capture that giggling face. "You always give me wonderful photo ops Yumi-san. You are still my favorite subject, especially now that Sachiko-sama has graduated."

"I am very happy that I am providing entertainment for at least one person at this school," Yumi laughed

"So, what's up Yumi-san? You seem to be more chipper today than you have been recently. Did you and Sachiko-sama 'get some' last night?" Tsutako asked with an evil grin.

"Tsutako-san!" Yumi squeaked, "I'll have you know that the only thing that I 'got' last night was a decent night's sleep for once. I guess it's been a while since that happened, because I am feeling very much better today, thank you."

"Very well," Tsutako smiled at her friend, "Just promise me not to overdo it. We don't need you collapsing from exhaustion like you did your first year, alright?"

"Yes ma'am," Yumi replied with a smile and a smart solute which, of course, Tsutako somehow captured on her camera.

The morning classes seemed to fly by for Yumi since she was in such a good mood. When lunchtime arrived the three members of the Yamayurikai headed to the Rose Mansion to enjoy their lunches in relative peace. When they arrived it was to find their petite soeurs, Noriko, Touko, and Nana, along with an assistant to the Yamayurikai, Hiromi-san, preparing tea to go along with their lunches. Yumi had met Hiromi-san on the first day of school of her second year at Lillian when the beauty with waist length, strawberry blonde hair and the body and looks of a super model had arrived as a rare second-year transfer student. Hiromi-san had proven to be not only an indispensible aid to the council, but had become one of the best and most trustworthy friends the girls of the rose families had ever met.

"Good day Rosa Chinensis, Rosa Foetida, Rosa Gigantea. I hope that the day is finding you well?" Hiromi asked,

"Fairly well, Hiromi-san," Yumi answered with a smile, "and good day to you as well. Is everything progressing with the plans for the ball?"

"Of course, Yumi-san," Hiromi answered with a grin while pouring her a cup of black tea, "Alice-chan called earlier to let us know that Kashiwagi-san had booked the Tokyo Grand Hotel in Minato-ku for the event. Their ballroom is large enough to accommodate the number of attendees we are anticipating. There is also a banquet facility as well as a restaurant and a coffee shop, so food should not be an issue. Alice also mentioned that the tickets are going to be printed up next week – two per student as we agreed. The students will each get one for themselves as well as one for a guest. Since their names will be printed on both tickets, and the student themselves must be in attendance for the guest ticket to be used, there should be no chance for the usual trading of event tickets as typically happens at the school festival. This way there will be no chance for any unescorted outsiders to crash the ball."

Yumi nodded her thanks. "As usual, you are on top of everything Hiromi-san. I don't know what we would ever have done without you."

"I think I answered that question once before, Yumi-san," Hiromi answered with a cheeky grin, "I believe I said that you would fall apart at the first opportunity. You would be up a creek without a paddle. You would . . ."

"Alright, alright, I give," Yumi laughed, "thank you again for all that you do."

"It has always been my pleasure, Yumi-san," the blonde beauty replied with an exaggerated bow causing Yumi to giggle again.

While they ate their lunch, Yumi once told the petite soeurs about the Hanadera council's change in plans regarding the music for the ball. They discussed the options briefly and decided that Yumi's suggestion for a combination orchestra was best and that they would present their recommendation at the next opportunity. With this compromise, no polling of the Lillian students would be necessary and Yumi thought that Yuuki would easily go along with the change.

She was just finishing up her lunch when they heard a brief knock on the door and Sachiko entered the room.

"Onee-sama," she exclaimed with a big smile, "This is a wonderful surprise. What brings you here today?"

"I have come to pick you up, Yumi. Your parents called and they wanted to have me bring you home," Sachiko said with a slight frown.

"Is everything alright? No one's hurt?" Yumi asked with concern shining from her eyes.

"Your mother didn't say," Sachiko responded to her petite soeur in a calm and soothing voice, "but I heard your father in the background and Yuuki is waiting for us at the car, so I assume everyone is fine."

"And mom didn't say why?" Yumi asked as she gathered her things together.

"No more than just asking me to pick you up and bring you home. She did not sound upset, but she gave me no indications as to the reason," Sachiko told her.

"Alright onee-sama, I'm ready. Please excuse us everyone. Hiromi-san, could you please call Alice back and let her . . . I mean him, know the decision on the orchestra? And Yoshino-san, could I borrow your notes from this afternoon's classes?"

"Of course" they both answered.

"Is there anything else I can do for you Yumi-san?" Hiromi asked.

"Not that I can think of," Yumi replied with a soft smile, "I promise to let you know if I need anything."

"I'll hold you to that, Yumi-san," Hiromi said with a grin.

"Thanks everyone. I'll see you all tomorrow," Yumi said with a wave as she and Sachiko exited the meeting room.

SaraBeth is scared to death cause the doctor just told her the news

Between the red cells and white something's not right but we're going to take care of you

Six chances in ten it won't come back again with the therapy we're gonna try

It's just been approved, it's the strongest there is, and I think we caught it in time

SaraBeth closes her eyes