The five young women sat in an unmoving challenge of supremacy. The dark brown of Ying Sun's eyes appeared almost black in the dim light of the formal parlor they were seated in; a contrast to the blazing blue, purple, green, and hazel of her silent opponents.

"So," Ying Sun began in a tone of utter distaste of her company, "what is it that you want?" All carefully placed poise had been dropped. She didn't feel the need to continue the good girl act, when obviously these four were here in opposition to her.

"We want to warn you," said the curly haired Miri, "that if you try to mess with Kiri again…you're messing with all of us." The other three nodded in assent. Akemi was the next to speak, her green eyes boring into Ying Sun's brown.

"She's like a sister, and we will always protect a sister. We're not afraid to get our hands dirty for her sake."

"Kiri-chan is happy with Kaoru. Happier than we've seen her before, and if you mess with that happiness…we will cut you down." Even Mizuki looked fierce, a stark contrast to her usual calm demeanor.

"So consider this little…visit…your first, and only, warning," Kizumi finished. With that, all four stood and filed out of the parlor, with Miri exiting last. She glared at Ying Sun, still seated on the couch, with a withering look of distaste.

"You won't hurt my sister, because I will make sure you won't be able to do so again." With the vague threat hanging in the air, Miri snapped the door shut, lengthening her stride to catch up with her friends.

KIRI'S POV

I leaned against the pillows on my bed, looking without seeing the words and images on my walls and ceiling. My mind was still feverish, and my body ached all over, but that didn't stop me from planning. If I couldn't do something physically at the moment to protect those close to me, I could at least begin to do so mentally. They had all gone home to check in, and Miri said something about music practice as school, so I was left to my thoughts in peace and quiet.

There was no doubt in my mind that Ying Sun wouldn't give up until she had driven a wall between Kaoru and I, or until I could no longer pursue Kaoru. I shivered at the latter thought. If things remained as they were, I was putting Miri in danger. What if Ying Sun tried something but thought that Miri was me? From Hikaru, I had learned that Ying Sun couldn't distinguish twins apart.

And so, I was left at a stalemate: give up someone who had come to mean so much to me, who made me so happy? Or should I protect my sister, who had always been there for me? I was positive I couldn't have both, so it was one or the other. If I was to protect Miri, it would mean separating myself from her if I wanted to remain Kaoru's girlfriend, so when Ying Sun attempted to go after me, it would only be me. That left me one option: I had to move out to be with the one I had come to be hopelessly in love with.

I looked around my room, which I had decorated from the time I was able to walk. My entire life was contained within these walls. To an outsider, it appeared sporadic, but I knew the chronology of my artwork and writing. Was I ready to give up the life I knew all for one guy? Even before I walked downstairs to look up any available apartments, clutching the handrail for support so I wouldn't tumble down, I knew the answer was yes.

KAORU'S POV

I yawned, and felt my joints pop as I stretched from my long nap. My thoughts went immediately to Kiri. How was she? I felt guilty leaving her in such distress; what if she had gotten even worse?

A tentative knock came from my closed door. "Kaoru?" I smiled at Ying Sun's soft voice.

"Come in, Sunny." She peeked around the edge of the doorway, as innocent as ever. It struck me again how alike-and yet how different-she was from Kiri-chan. They both possessed an endearingly-innocent radiance, and their smiles both seemed to brighten the atmosphere with their light. However, Kiri possessed a fiery obstinacy. She couldn't be moved once she had made up her mind, and I loved that about her.

"You slept for a long time Kao-kun." She smiled sweetly and attempted to straighten my tousled hair. I smiled at the memory of the hands who had stroked my hair just hours earlier. Or maybe my smile was directed to the owner of the hands…

"I didn't get much sleep last night, that's why."

"It's awfully rude of that commoner to presume to use up your precious time. She obviously thinks she's better than she is."

I caught her hands in mine gently, and pulled her down to meet my eyes. "Don't talk about Kiri-chan that way. Never refer to her as a commoner." My voice was as hard as stone, and I saw something-anger?-flash through Ying Sun's eyes before she returned to her usual cheerful self.

"Okay Kao-kun! Whatever you want!" She skipped towards the door, and in spite of myself I noted the lack of natural grace that seemed such a part of Kiri. "Aunty said to get dressed and come down to dinner." My stomach grumbled.

"Wow. I really did sleep a long time. Thanks Sunny-chan." As she shut the door, I stepped over to my closet and looked for something to wear. Getting dressed, I thought about Kiri again. Would it be too presumptuous of me to go to her house again? Her sister and friends had displayed a grudging acceptance of me, but I didn't want to risk our unspoken treaty visiting too late at night. It wasn't so much for their sake, but I didn't want to worry Kiri and make her sicker.

I dreaded the coming week as I walked down the stairs, knowing that Kiri wouldn't be present. She added a light and vibrancy to my life, understanding and amusing all at once. I smiled as I sat down to dinner.

YING SUN'S POV

Ugh! He was positively love-sick with that common dog! Didn't he see that I was far superior to her in every way? That coarse, unrefined trollop was fine as a toy, but Kaoru was devoting far too much time to the little bumpkin.

And the trollop in question was particularly vexing. No matter what threat I sent at her, no matter what attempt I made to kill her, I couldn't get rid of the minx! This had never happened before! Whenever a little manipulator tried to get close to him, I got rid of them, and Kaoru was never the wiser.

His brother was a problem as well. As identical twins, they were impossible to tell apart, and there was no way I was going to risk disenchanting the simple Kaoru. Really…he was too naïve for his own good…

Flopping backwards onto my giant bed, my thoughts turned to the first time I had ever met Kaoru.

I had been 7 and a half, and my mother had taken me to the park for a sakura petal picnic for daddy's work. I wasn't allowed to play with the other children. We had daddy's career to think of. "You can't go running around like a little gypsy girl and disgrace daddy," my mother had always said. When Kaoru found me, sitting dejected and bored, he invited me to play a game with him and Hikaru; the first true kindness anyone had ever shown me. He continued to let me be around him, despite Hikaru's utter dislike of me. When mother yelled at me, it was Kaoru who told her to shut up, and who protected me from mother's spite.

I rolled my eyes when I thought of the woman I called mother. She was a stepmom really. My real mom had died in a crash with my big brother, and most thought it had been a tragic accident.

I, however, knew better. After my real mother's death when I was six, I found incriminating documents in daddy's office. Daddy had arranged my mom's death. He had hired thugs to kill her, and when my brother found out, to kill him too. The car was then put in a crash, with a depressed driver as a suicidal escort, to make it seem like an accident.

When daddy found out I knew, he hit me…hard. He locked me in a small room with rats scurrying around until I begged to be let out. He told me the only reason he didn't kill me was that it would look suspicious, and so I promised to be a good girl in exchange for my life. And why had my father killed his wife and the mother of his children? To shack up with his blue-eyed, curly brown-haired mistress I now called mother…the spitting grown-up image of Zyong Kirimay. I had to protect Kaoru, my first and only love, from women like her. That was my one and only mission, and I would achieve it, no matter the cost…

Domo Arigato everyone! Please comment with any improvements! ^-^