I slowly woke up, the first thing I noticed was a piercing yet dull pain in my head. I sat up quickly and put my hands on my head.

I gasped and gritted my teeth. A hangover... I groaned and slowly staggered to my feet. I felt both dizzy and sick. I made my way to the bathroom and began to get washed up.

I made my way to the sitting room, fighting off my pains. I hadn't seen Hisui yet, so I was a little concerned but I dismissed it. I don't know how much alcohol she had, but in the past her tolerance had always been low, so I wouldn't be surprise if she was hung over.

I was still thinking about Hisui when I arrived in the sitting room to see Kohaku with breakfast prepared for me already. I noticed Kohaku looking at me in a strange, amused way.

".. Is something the matter Kohaku-san?" I manage to ask. I had a feeling I probably wouldn't like the answer.

"Shiki-san, I didn't know you were so bold." She said, suppressing her laughter.

What? Bold? I don't like where this is going, but I can't seem to stop myself from asking further.

"Bold? What do you mean?"

With those words, Kohaku burst into the laughter she had been trying to hard to suppress. Her face was soon red with laughter, she had to put her on a chair to keep herself balanced she was laughing so hard. I felt embarrassed for some reason.

Eventually, she controlled her laughter and smiled at me. "You and Hisui make a great duet. Although Hisui is a much better singer than you!"

Whaaaaat? Singer? Oh... I can already imagine me and Hisui with our arms around each other, singing like a couple of drunks. No wonder Kohaku laughed so hard.

"When I told Hisui-chan this morning, she was so mortified she went to her room and hasn't emerged since! I told her she was a very good singer for being intoxicated." Kohaku giggled again.

Poor Hisui.

I sat at the table, feeling very awkward. During breakfast, Kohaku told me what had happened that night.

I was wild last night, from what she told me. After I had nearly 12 glasses of rum (I only remember 5 and not much else) I began singing loudly and eventually Hisui joined me. Apparently, I was also quite the conversationalist while I was intoxicated, although she didn't go into specifics I had the general idea of what I did. I felt ashamed of myself.

Kohaku shot me a sly smile after I finished. "And Shiki-san... Next time you want to get indecent with me please don't do it in front of an audience."

"What?!" I exclaimed, nearly spitting out my orange juice as I finished the glass.

Kohaku blushed. "It's very rude to touch the servants breasts in front of the employer."

"... I'm going to school." That's all I could say. I couldn't take it anymore, I had to leave.

"Oh, and Akiha-sama wished me to tell you she wanted to have a word with you when you returned."

"I can see why." I muttered as I left the sitting room.

Trying to brush off the feeling of impending doom I had waiting for me when I returned, I made my way to school.

I made my way past the gates of the school just before they closed and continued walking until I heard a noise coming from the courtyard. For some reason, I felt impelled to investigate.

I came to a scene that gave me deja vu. A girl was sitting on the ground and hammer pickets into the ground, repairing the ones that had begun rotting away.

"Senpai?.." I say unconsciously, remebering this is where I had first actually met Ciel-senpai.

The girl turned, but it was not senpai. She just shot me an icy look. Her brown hair hair, which draped just beyond her shoulders, was parted to the sides of her face. Beside them, I saw her blue-green eyes. If I had to guess, I'd say she was only slightly smaller than me. Maybe a little taller than Ciel-senpai. She was wearing a second year uniform.

The girl then turned back to her work. Hammering the pickets back into the ground.

I just stood and watched her for some time.

"Why are you watching me?" She muttered, not turning away from her work.

"I'm sorry," I manage to say. "You just remind me of a good friend of mine, she was doing the exact same thing last year."

"Ah." Was all she said as she continued.

"My name is Shiki-"

"Tohno Shiki, I already know who are you, Senpai."

She cut me off as I was introducing myself. I was more popular than I thought, I was certain I had never met this girl before today.

"My name is Ruro Ume. Now if you're excuse me, I must be getting to class."

With that, the girl, Ume, walked by me and off into the distance. I heard the bell ringing.

"Damn, I'm late." I mutter to myself as I dashed off to class.

The morning classes flew by. Arihiko skipped class today and I wasn't very hungry so I wandered the school to kill time.

During my wandering, I caught something going on in the courtyard.

"Ruro-chan?" I muttered as I walked to the window to get a better look. It was her. She was back to fixing the pickets.

I don't know how long I stared at her, I just seemed entranced by her fixing the pickets.

I couldn't stop thinking about Ciel-senpai...

I sighed sadly, remembering those times.

Shortly, the bell rang again signaling the end of the lunch period and I made my way to class. Most of the class was boring and not too long before it ended, I saw a familiar girl walk by the door. I would recognize that blue hair anywhere...

I stood up and asked to be excused for a bathroom emergency, no teacher would logically question that, and ran into the hallway, as I ran into the hallway, I heard the footsteps echoing down the corridor, in another hallway.

Dashing toward them, I turned the corner.

"Senpai!" I yelled.

The brown-haired girl turned around. It wasn't Ciel, it was Ruro again...

The girl just gave me a cold stare. "I'm not your Senpai, Tohno-senpai. You seem to not understand proper titles very well."

There was no emotion in her voice, but her words wounded me. I felt embarrassed and idiotic.

"I'm sorry, I-"

"You're not sorry, if you were, it wouldn't have happened."

"What?"

This girl was hostile, one of the most hostile girls I've ever met.

"You obviously had to come out of class to catch up with me, that determines that you had intended from the beginning to meet with me. So, apologizing is simply a lie to cover up your intent." She says harshly. Her stare never left me and seemed to turn colder with every second.

"I just thought you were my friend again."

"That is highly unlikely, as you have made that mistake before. Unless you are stupid as rumors say, then you must been planning something devious to do with me."

"I'm not planning anything!"

"Then you're just that stupid."

I was getting angry, she just didn't seem to understand.

"Look! I just mistook you for one of my old Senpai! There is no reason to be so nasty about it?"

"Oh?" Her iciness turned even colder. She began to walk toward me.

"Nasty? You think I'm being nasty."

I began to get worried, but I didn't move.

"Yes, I never did anything to you and you're calling me stupid and accusing me of planning things!"

She kept getting closer, she was less than 5 feet away when she spoke up again.

"Did you want to rape me? I've heard the stories. That Tohno Shiki has a secret ambition within him, that is why he is trying to take over the school to try and kill his sister. Using any means to become powerful."

This girl says such ridiculous things with such a deadly serious look, she stood less than a foot away from me now.

"But..." Her hand came up and she rested it against my chest. "If I were to rape you? Would that purify your soul?"

I couldn't believe what she was saying, this girl is insane. Her face hasn't even changed, she kept her ice cold expression regardless of her words.

Before I could reply to her, her hand quickly rose up and gripped me by the collar of my uniform and slammed me against the wall with deceptive strength. I let out a small cry of pain.

"No, it wouldn't purify you." She continued. "You're an animal. A wild beast, and you should be put down like a stray animal. I'll just kill you."

She brought her free hand back and balled it into a fist. Still shocked from what has happened I just closed my eyes and waited for the hit. But the bell rang.

I kept my eyes closed, even after I had felt her let me go. I dropped onto the floor. Listening to her footsteps drown in with the emerging students.

Due to the situation, I kept quiet about what had happened and blamed it on my anemia. There's no telling what that crazy girl would do if I told everyone what had happened. That and I have a reputation to protect. I'd never live it down if this got out.

'Did you hear! The Fearless Tohno Shiki was beaten up by a second year student!'

I can hear it now, I'd leave school in disgrace. Dammit Arihiko, why did you have to start those rumors?!

Cursing my friend mentally as I exited the school, I began to walk home.

Hisui was waiting at the gate when I came back. I guess she had finally overcame her embarrassment from last night.

"Hey, Hisui."

She just bowed.

Guess she hasn't...

We both made our way into the mansion. Akiha wasn't back yet, so I simply pulled out some materials and began studying in the sitting room, I had an idea of what Akiha wanted to talk about and I just needed to get it out of the way as soon as possible.

Eventually, Akiha arrived, she had a detached look on her face. But I could tell she wasn't too happy.

She sat across from me and after a short silence she began talking.

"Nii-san... I forbid you from getting drunk in this house again."

"I never wanted to in the first place!"

It's true, Akiha basically forced my inebriation on me. I wouldn't have done what I did if she hadn't filled my stomach with alcohol.

Akiha coughed and shifted herself nervously. "Regardless, you are forbidden in the future to get drunk. It impedes Kohaku and Hisui's duties if they are unable to perform them adequately."

"What?"

I didn't understand, well, I could understand Hisui but Kohaku? I guess she felt violated.

I began to feel even more terrible.

"Yes, Hisui hadn't come of her room until recently, according to Kohaku. And Kohaku can barely work without breaking out into laughter whenever she sees you."

Oh... Kohaku didn't feel violated, she was endlessly amused...

I was curious as to why she always seemed to laugh whenever I asked for something.

But my thoughts drifted to earlier, Ruro, her threats and her insanity. I shivered when I thought about it.

Akiha coughed and stood up. "Nii-san, we're going to have dinner soon. So please be prepared."

I nodded.

During dinner, there was absolute silence except for the occasional noise from the utensils.

After Akiha finished and was getting ready to leave. I said something.

"What if someone threatened to kill me?"

Whatever compelled me to ask was lost to me right after the words left my mouth.

Akiha stopped dead in her tracks and Kohaku's eyes widened. I didn't see Hisui, since she didn't attend dinner.

"Shiki-san, have you been threatened?" Kohaku asked.

"Well, not exactly."

"Then don't say such things Nii-san!" Akiha said loudly. She looked worried.

"It's just..." I couldn't tell them.

"Do you not feel safe, Nii-san?" Akiha asked.

"It's not that. Some girl at school... Doesn't really like me and I've heard that she's said some rather harsh things."

Akiha's face went from worry to scary. Kohaku looked at Akiha, a little worried.

"Who, Nii-san?"

"..."

I stayed quiet. I shouldn't have said that, now I've just gone and made the situation worse.

"I can't tell you..."

Akiha's hand hit the table with a loud slam.

"Why not, Nii-san?! Someone has threatened you and you protect her!" Akiha was angry, I haven't seen her this angry in a long time.

"Because you will take it too far! I shouldn't even have told you!"

Akiha's face softened a little.

"Then I will simply transfer to your school."

"No!"

I couldn't believe her.

"Akiha, I can take of this myself!"

"Then why tell me?" She fired back coolly.

I don't know...

I really didn't...

It just seemed to come out my mouth and I couldn't explain why.

".. I don't know."

Akiha's face stiffened again as she stood up and walked out of the room silently.

"Shiki-san..." Kohaku softly said.

The rest of the week was uneventful, at least compared to earlier. Akiha was still a little angry at me the rest of the week with me but she became less angry as the days passed. And everything returned to normal.

But, everything changed after this week ended...