MBP: Yeah, I know... it's been a while. I kind of went on hiatus because I literally had no ideas. Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, abandoned me. They're all in my friend's mind, and they have not given me ideas for MONTHS. However, I was inspired to write this chapter, so here it is.

Rini: Hey, it's back!

MBP: No thanks to you… Anyways, Rini visited and helped come up with ideas. Except they weren't to my liking (she wants me to write an M for these two. Please don't encourage her), so I went with my friend's suggestions and ran ideas off of her. So… Thanks Tima! You saved my sanity.

Rini: Hey!

MBP: Please enjoy, sorry about the wait, read and review please!


Chapter Two

There was going to be a dead Saiga by the time Megumi finished with this job. Yahiro might actually go back to being an only child if Chitose didn't stop being… well, stop being Chitose.

From the moment she'd walked through the doors in her uniform, Chitose had been tormenting her mercilessly. First off, she wasn't wearing her uniform properly, and Chitose had discovered it was "too big" for her. He pushed her the entire way to get her uniform changed, ignoring the glares she sent him. And once she was properly attired, to Chitose's approval of course, it all went downhill from there.

Reminded of the uniform, Megumi flashed back to the present, frowning slightly as Chitose argued with his tutor about homework. She didn't understand this child; his parents obviously wanted the best for him, which was why they hired the tutors in the first place. She had never argued with the tutors her parents hired, and neither had Jun.

Megumi touched over her heart gently as it clenched painfully. Shaking her head slightly, closing her emotions off from that part of her mind, she wrote on her sketchbook quickly. 'Master Chitose' she wrote irritably. She hated using the "Master", but Chitose demanded it and she wanted a job. 'If you do your homework now, your parents will let you go out on the boat without them.'

That was something else she'd been told about. The moment the Saiga parents had her alone, they told her a list of bribes for Chitose would be available daily, and not to be afraid to use them. Obviously, there was a reason Chitose and Yahiro turned out the way that they did.

But the bribe worked, even if Chitose did send her a strange look as he started writing down his work quickly. Curiously enough, he'd told her that he had been sick of the bribes and kept arguing because of them.

So, why does he accept it when it's me? Megumi wondered, tugging on the uniform's skirt with another frown. It really was too short, just barely reaching the middle of her thighs. Even if the boots he'd forced her in covered all the way to her knees, it was just uncomfortable. And she didn't even want to get started on the top…

Chitose looked at Megumi, finishing the work quickly. He passed it to the surprised tutor and walked up to the girl easily. "Grandma Megumi, I finished it!" He teased, waving at the poor man behind him. "You can ask him."

"H-he's done…" The man stammered, staring at the papers with shocked eyes. "I tried for hours before… and he finishes this quickly? He's a… he's…"

Chitose sent Megumi a mocking smile, reaching for the door. "I can go for that boat ride now, right? Let's go Grandma!"

'Don't call me Grandma!' Megumi protested, following her charge closely. 'I don't look even close to that old!'

Chitose paused, scanning Megumi with the strange look he'd been giving her multiple times. Something about her was… different. She seemed older, stronger, prettier… Chitose blushed slightly at the thought and turned away with a toss of the head. "Doesn't matter!" he called back. "Grandma!"

What was that about? Megumi wondered, preoccupied enough to ignore that he had called her grandma once again. She would eventually break him out of that annoying habit.

Chitose stopped in the kitchens, demanding a picnic basket be packed for him in the next ten minutes. He whispered something to one of the men, sitting at the table as he ran off. When he noticed Megumi standing by the door, he waved her over impatiently.

"Sit!" He ordered, much like he would do a dog. Eye twitching, Megumi obeyed, sitting silently.

Just remember the money. The money. That's what this is all about. Money, so you can take care of yourself and you won't have to worry about anyone else. It can just be you if you can earn the money.

The man returned, handing Chitose a small bottle that he promptly handed Megumi as well as a glass of water. She looked at him, confused, and he looked away with a frown and a slight blush on his face.

"You get seasick, right? Yahiro-nii-san told me," Chitose muttered, avoiding her eyes. "You can't work if you're sick. Idiot grandma."

He really was just like his brother. Megumi smiled, ignoring the insult at the end, and ripped a page out of her sketchbook, writing down two words and handing them to the boy.

'Thank you.'

She walked ahead of him, so she didn't see him fold the paper carefully and place it in his pocket. Chitose caught up to her easily, handing her the basket of food. "I might let you eat some of it… Grandma Megumi."

She might have actually done something violent with that heavy basket of food, but one of the maids stopped her. "H-he's… being nice to you!" the girl hissed with her eyes wide. Obviously, she had seen Chitose in action before. "The world's ending!"

Ranting about the end of the world, and something about hell freezing over, the girl ran away before Chitose or Megumi could identify her. Chitose laughed at the rant that they could still hear being yelled through the halls and continued walking, expecting Megumi to follow him.

That rant actually scared her. If Chitose was being nice to her… what did he do to his last personal maid?

Megumi promised herself that she would never ask. The minds of the Saiga family had confused her since she met Yahiro and Chitose was promising to have an even more twisted way of thinking.

Chitose noticed Megumi slowing down behind him and frowned. "Hurry up! You're walking like a grandma, Grandma Megumi!"

Do not kill the brat. Be calm. Do not waste your voice, and remember the money. It's just a job. REMEMBER THE MONEY!

Silently, the pair went to the front of the house, and Chitose did all the talking to get them to the boat. He also went into a mood where he looked like he was about to throw people off the boat and into the water because they insisted he wear a life-vest. Strangely enough, when Megumi raised her sketchbook, intending on letting him risk his life, Chitose coughed and agreed to put one on.

Weird kid… Megumi thought, taking the life-vest offered to her without a word. She'd never liked boats; her seasickness normally got in the way. Even when her parents pleaded with her, she'd preferred to wait on the docks for them to come back, sitting and "talking" with Ryuu while she waited.

Her expression froze, and she had to make a conscious effort to put her parents in the back of her mind. She didn't want to think about that; she didn't want to remember.

"Oi! Grandma!" Chitose called her over, standing on the bars by the edge of the boat, wearing the life-vest now. "Over here!"

Megumi walked over haphazardly, the medicine Chitose had given her starting to work. Chitose pointed as the boat moved, jumping and waving at people on the shore. Megumi smiled slightly until he poked her in the side.

"Grandma! I'm hungry! Set up the blanket!" The boy said impatiently, tugging on her arm. "I want to eat!"

Do NOT kill. Just smile and nod… just smile and set it up… Megumi eyed the food as she placed it out, her stomach growling. She'd been running around so much she hadn't even noticed how hungry she was getting… and this was only her first day!

Chitose piled food on one of the plates and put it to the side, ignoring Megumi as he started making a smaller plate of food that he put on his lap. "The other one's yours," he muttered, eating his food slowly. Megumi tilted her head, but started eating anyways.

'Master Chitose?' Megumi lifted her board when she noticed Chitose watching her. 'Is something wrong?'

"N-no! I'm just surprised; you eat like a pig, Grandma Megumi!" Chitose covered his stammering with the insult, diving into his food with a relish she wouldn't have expected out of any of the Saiga family.

Megumi forced herself to remember that killing the child you're supposed to be the personal maid of was not a good way to keep a job. She was lucky that she had this job, regardless of how demented Chitose was. In fact, she was more of a babysitter than maid, which was good for a girl who'd never had to work before in her life.

Actually, three weeks ago, it had looked like unless she got a producer and record deal, she wouldn't have to do any work outside of her singing. Funny how quickly life could change…

I wonder how Jun's doing at Sakura's… Megumi wondered, chewing on a cookie as Chitose finished his food. She was worried about her twin; Sakura could be a little… twisted. And now that Jun was her playmate… it was likely that Jun might be at risk for Inner Jun more often than usual.

Caught up in her thoughts, she didn't notice Chitose leave the picnic area and start climbing the railing at the side of the boat. By the time she noticed how quiet it was, he was sitting with his feet dangling off towards the water. As quickly as she could, she stood and dashed over, writing on her board quickly about how it was dangerous, and that he should get down.

Chitose rolled his eyes and pretended to fall, laughing when she panicked, only to glare furiously at him. "Jeez Grandma, you're too easy to trick. One day, you'll…"

Chitose's voice cut off as the boat suddenly rocked and he fell forward, slipping off the railing. He barely caught the bar before he fell completely off the boat, the life-vest he had sloppily shoved on slipping off in the process.

His fingers started to slip and Megumi grabbed at his arm, managing to get a grip. Her wide eyes met Chitose's, his eyes betraying how scared he was.

There was no way for Megumi to pull him back onto the boat, and there was no way for her to write. Right now, there was no choice but for her to talk. Quietly but quickly, she explained to Chitose.

"You have to go into the water," Megumi said quickly, tightening her grip when the fear shot into his eyes even more. "I'll jump in right after you; my vest should keep us both up." She hoped.

"Once we're in the water, you start yelling. The crew will hear and get us, okay?" Chitose nodded, squeaking when he slipped slightly. "Okay, on three, push away from the boat. One… two… three!"

Chitose pushed away, and the moment he was out of her grasp, Megumi climbed the railing and jumped in the water. Sputtering as the vest pulled her up, she reached out for the struggling boy, holding him as he yelled. She noticed that the vest wasn't helping much, and they weren't floating as much as they would if they weren't sharing at the same time Chitose did. The way he freaked out about it made Megumi realize something.

He doesn't know how to swim, does he? Unconsciously, Megumi tightened her hold on Chitose, holding him above water as much as she could. When she was still learning, Ryuu had done the same thing, helping her get over her fear of drowning sooner than she would have by herself.

Megumi breathed a sigh of relief when the boat turned around and tried to hand Chitose to the crew member who'd jumped in the water to get them first. The boy refused to leave, holding Megumi's arm tightly, forcing the crew to pull them both up at the same time.

The crew scolded them both lightly, but backed off when Chitose looked like he was about to cry, handing Megumi the towels they had found. She had expected it to be a trick to get rid of them, but Chitose truly did look panicked and he clung to Megumi's side for the rest of the trip.

Was he really that scared?

The boy was still clutching Megumi's arm as they arrived back at the Saiga home, refusing anyone else's help. Putting her board on the table, she scribbled one-handed, holding it up awkwardly.

'Where are Chitose's parents?'

The other servants looked around awkwardly, looking at Chitose to Megumi, and then each other. By some unspoken agreement, they all started to disappear before Megumi could stop them.

Chitose read the note and tugged Megumi's arm. "They had a flight to London today," Chitose explained, pointing at the clock. "They should have taken off an hour ago."

The crew had called the home to warn them about what had happened before the plane had taken off. Megumi's shock must have been evident on her face, because Chitose shrugged.

"They never check up on us," Chitose shrugged. It wasn't new to him; it was just normal for his family to go this way. "Not unless it ruins the family reputation. I mean, I got run over and broke my arm last year, and they never came around. They completely forgot about it."

Megumi's parents had been absent, always travelling for their careers, but they'd always shown how much they cared, calling regularly and always as soon as they heard something had happened to them. The idea that parents could so easily just leave their children behind was almost unbelievable.

It did explain why the Saiga boys were so twisted and despicable at times. Had either of them ever had someone just be there to make sure they were okay?

Megumi scribbled something on her board quickly. 'I'm staying with you tonight.' Ryuu wouldn't care. Megumi thought for a moment. She was staying at Yahiro's house overnight, regardless of the fact it was for Chitose and not the older Saiga.

No. Megumi went with her earlier thinking. Ryuu wouldn't care… much.

Chitose shook his head at her. "We're not paying you to stay with me. I know you want to go home."

Megumi shook her head stubbornly, tugging on Chitose to take him to his room. 'I'm staying. I don't care about the money.'

Considering her mantra for most of the day was "Don't forget the money", the thought was almost funny. However, this was more important than money. This was about a little boy who didn't have someone to care for him, and who was still holding onto her arm as if she was a lifeline.

Chitose stared for a moment, his face reddening slightly before he tugged on Megumi's arm, leading the way to his room. "I… I don't need help changing!" He stammered, dashing into his closet as soon as they were in.

I never thought he did… Megumi thought, shivering slightly. They had both dried off on the boat and car as much as possible, but her uniform was still damp and being in an air-conditioned home wasn't helping her temperature. Sitting gingerly on the chair by Chitose's desk, she wrapped her arms around herself, trying to get warmer without getting anything wet.

Suddenly, the bedroom door opened slightly and a voice called out. "Chitose, you in there?" Megumi didn't even have time to move before the door opened all the way and Yahiro walked in as if he owned the place.

Well, technically he did own it, but this was his brother's room! He could at least have waited for a reply.

Both teenagers stared at each other with wide eyes.

What is he doing here? Megumi panicked, even if his gaze wasn't making her turn interesting colors or her heart race anymore. I know he lives here, but I haven't seen him all day, and no one mentioned him so I assumed he was somewhere else, and why? I thought he would never know! Stupid Megumi! Stop thinking! You work here; you're not here as the idiot girl who won't stop talking! You're his brother's maid!

Yahiro stared at the sight in front of him. If it weren't so… so wrong he would assume that this was just one of his crazy, stress-induced dreams that were involving the small singer-to-be more often than they should. However, none of the previous dreams had gone past anything past a G rating where she would sing for him, and they were never in his house, so this had to be reality.

Megumi was sitting on the chair Chitose often spent his time in, wearing what looked like one of the maid's uniforms… except it was missing a few pieces of fabric that would have preserved more of her modesty. Yahiro noticed, in his suddenly foggy mind, that the skirt was about half a foot too short, her neckline shouldn't be low enough to show that Megumi did have breasts, and that her shoulders were bare. It didn't help that the entire uniform was still damp, clinging to her body everywhere it could.

This was just… awkward.

Megumi picked up her sketchbook and wrote quickly. 'Master Chitose's getting changed into dry clothes. If you'd like to wait, you can have the chair?'

Yahiro's trademark smirk came quickly, and he thanked his lucky stars that it had become habit. "What, so your beloved can get wet like you? Do you want that Megumi-chan?"

Megumi shook her head slowly, wondering vaguely why what he was saying wasn't bothering her anymore. Maybe… when her parents died, something had changed?

Maybe I just realized… life's too short to waste it chasing someone who'll never care? Megumi thought, jumping when she realized Yahiro had stopped right in front of her. She brought her board up to her face and stepped back one step. 'Master Yahiro?'

For some reason, adding that 'master' part to his name made his face flush. Megumi tilted her head to the side, still holding the board in front of her face. Yahiro disguised the break in his smug mask quickly, smirking and leaning in since Megumi had nowhere to go but onto the bed.

"Is this a new tactic to make me love you Megumi-chan?" For once, Megumi stood her ground and shook her head. Looking down, she scribbled on the board and brought it back up.

'I'm Master Chitose's personal maid. I started today.' Yahiro had just finished reading it when Chitose reappeared out of his closet, wearing a pair of jeans and a normal tee-shirt.

"Yahiro-nii-san?" Chitose asked, noticing the way Yahiro was looking at Megumi, first with confusion, and then a frown. "Why aren't you at work?"

"I heard you fell off the boat. Guess those swimming lessons wouldn't have been a waste of time, right?" Yahiro started teasing his brother, stealing glances at the girl next to him. She wasn't responding to anything he did, and that was bothering him. She wasn't acting like the idiot girl.

"Megumi-chan will go with me for lessons!" Chitose finally said, crossing his arms and looking at his maid. He noticed her shaking slightly and went to tug her arm. "Later, right Megumi-chan?"

Megumi didn't know when the 'Grandma' title had been dropped, but this was certainly better, even if she didn't quite understand why Chitose was suddenly pulling her away from his brother.

Yahiro looked at the two, an unfamiliar feeling churning in his stomach. What he wanted to do was pull Megumi away from Chitose, get her far away, and then start interrogating her for answers. He hadn't seen or heard from her in almost a month, the rest of the S.A. didn't tell him about her personal life, and even Sakura was being surprisingly secretive about it. And now…

Now she shows up at his house as his younger brother's personal maid, wearing what looked like it came out of some random anime with big breasted females and clothing randomly exploding, and she doesn't even react like normal? Something was wrong, and he wanted to know what it was.

Megumi looked down as Chitose squeezed her hand to get her attention. "Your clothes are wet too; we should get you changed before you catch a cold," he said, tugging on her arm quickly. "We can get you in a shower too."

So he had noticed her shivering. Megumi scribbled a quick 'thank you' and followed Chitose out of the room, leaving Yahiro behind. She looked back over her shoulder when she heard something behind her, looking at the boy questionably.

Yahiro looked like he was about to say something, but Chitose stopped him. "Megumi-chan, let's go! You have to come back tomorrow, so we should get your uniform ready!"

The boy had her out of the room before Yahiro could open his mouth, and Megumi found herself getting fussed over about clothes for the second time that day.

()~~()~~()~~()~~()

Yahiro stood in his brother's room, finding himself unable to move. There was just something so completely and utterly wrong about this whole thing. He could handle the fact that Megumi was working here; it was strange and he wanted to know her reasoning for why, but he could survive the idea that she was working as his brother's maid.

Never mind the fact that if she was going to work as a maid, he'd always imagined it would be as his maid, and he'd be able to tease her even more than he already did.

No, what was bothering him was that when he did tease her… she didn't even react. Did she really not care anymore? Was she over that crush she'd had?

Yahiro shook his head, trying to get the thoughts out. He shouldn't care. In fact, he didn't care if she finally got over him like he'd been telling her to do from the beginning. But if she was going to fight him and continue liking him for so long, the least she could do is tell him she was getting over him, right?

Unfortunately, his mind kept telling him, No Yahiro, that's not the right answer. Now, what's really bothering you about it?

Yahiro shook his head even more, growling under his breath. He didn't care if Megumi still loved him; he told her he didn't want her love! It was just that he'd seen more of her, quite literally, than he'd ever expected, and it was messing with his brain because he was tired, stressed, and hormonal.

For the moment, that explanation was enough to get him moving and heading to his room for some relaxation. If Megumi's image popped into his head, it would only be natural after seeing that revealing uniform clinging to the curves Yahiro had always doubted she'd possessed. For the rest of the equation, and the ability to make her react to his teasing again, he'd just have to wait until tomorrow.


MBP: I love tormenting Yahiro. He is the only tormentable guy in this show.

Rini: You know that's not a word, right?

MBP: Who cares? Anyways, so I was looking over at Letters for Yahiro the other day, and I saw a suggestion that I write more of Megumi's thoughts and stuff. Now, back then, I was like, "No way can I do that! My brain's on overload!" But now that I'm not getting ideas, I saw that and the ideas came flowing. But, I don't want to do it if a lot of people don't like the idea of it. So… send in a review saying "Hey, I wanna see what Megumi was thinking!" or "Ew! No, don't do it!" if you have an opinion. If not, send in a review anyways, and tell me what you think about how Wounded Love is going, and that you'll kill me if I wait to update so long again.

Rini: You're lame. You know that, right?

MBP: I don't care! Please send in a review telling me what you think!