here's chapter 9! prepare for some stuff... yeah... aha... thank my friend xbamsod for the update today XD

please enjoy!

Yuuki sighed softly as she slowly packed her bag.

"How did I get wrapped up in this again?" She wondered as she packed beach friendly clothes, giving her swimsuit a particularly annoyed glance before throwing it in carelessly with everything else.

It had been a couple days after the tropical water park incident when Tamaki had mentioned to her about a beach trip. Yuuki had initially refused to go, but after some convincing from Honey-senpai mixed with subtle blackmail from Kyouya-senpai, she had finally agreed.

"Well… at least Haruhi is going as well, I can just stick it out with her." Yuuki told herself as she finished packing up.

"I wonder what everyone is doing today…" She wondered aloud to herself as she lay on the floor, her thoughts wandering. Maybe she'd swing by Haruhi's to see how she was doing…

With that thought, she sat up and changed lazily out of her pajamas. It was a challenge when she was so used to spending all Sunday in them.

Finally ready to leave, she ran her fingers through her long, messy hair once to make it just barely presentable and left her apartment. She walked slowly, observing everything in her path as she made her way to Haruhi's. It didn't even take her half an hour to get to Haruhi's apartment complex.

Yuuki had just barely gone up the stairs when she spotted Haruhi's father leaving for work. "Late morning Ranka-san?" She asked, catching the door to stop it from closing.

Ranka gave her a worried smile as he hurried off. "Just a smidge, you better be here when I get back Yuuki! I'll see you tonight!" He called as he rushed off.

Yuuki couldn't help but giggle as she watched Ranka rush off, "I'll take that as I'll be here a while…"

"You know he gets excited when you make visits. If you leave before he comes home again, then that leaves me to deal with his depression." A certain shorthaired girl said from behind her.

At that, Yuuki couldn't help but smile a little at that. "Sorry, but you don't know how entertained I get by your expression when I have to leave earlier than planned." She told Haruhi as she walked in. "Pardon the intrusion…"

Haruhi closed the door and looked at her friend curiously. "So I take it you've finished packing for the Okinawa trip in two days."

"And I take it that your dad was trying to help you pack when he found out you were going yesterday." Yuuki rebutted as she kneeled in front of Haruhi's mothers shrine and greeted her.

"How did you-?"

"I've known you for how long Haruhi?" Yuuki asked before shooting her a knowing smile and getting up. "Sorry, is me being here cutting into your study time?"

Haruhi shook her head. "I actually just finished my chores and was going to head to the supermarket."

"Shall I hold down the fort or go with you?" Yuuki asked with a mischievous grin, making her friend sweat drop.

"I think I would prefer it if you stayed here and kept an eye on things…"

Yuuki giggled a little before giving a mock salute as Haruhi went out. It didn't really matter whether Yuuki wanted to go or not, once Haruhi made up her mind, that was it.

Taking in the silence of the Fujioka house, she lay down on the floor by the table and stared up at the ceiling.

"I hope she brings back some ingredients for oden…" the longhaired girl sighed as she slowly closed her eyes and allowed herself to doze off.

"Yuuki-chan, come here." A young woman extends a hand to a small girl with long hair pulled back by a ribbon.

"You know mama and papa love you very much, right Yuuki-chan?" the woman said sweetly as she held the young girl close. "If anything were to happen to you…"

"Mama… why are you looking at me that way, I just have to be a good girl and you'll be happy right…?"

So then why…?

Shattered glass litters the floor, screams of panic and despair ring out. Deep red rose petals shower the young girl sprawled on the floor, staring blankly above her.

A young man drops more petals on her. "It's all alright Yuuki… you just have to do exactly as I say… Everything will get better then. I promise."

A fake smile, so obviously full of other intentions and yet… There was nothing left for the girl but to agree and be led by him.

"You don't have to do anything. Just stay my cute little doll…"

Shadows close in… suffocating an older girl now.

"No…I can't be that…I'm more than that!"

A desperate scream woke Yuuki, and it took a moment to recognize that the voice was none other than her own. She sat upright, panting softly before shakily placing a hand to her forehead.

"Yuuki?"

The blue-eyed girl quickly looked up to see Haruhi, already back from the supermarket with a worried expression on her face.

"Are you alright..?" the short haired girl asked, moving to go to her side.

Yuuki held up a hand to stop her. "I'm fine… just…. Just a bad dream." She admitted, smiling bitterly, her dominant hand still rested on her own forehead. "What's for dinner?"

The question caught Haruhi somewhat off-guard before smiling a bit sadly. Yuuki never was one to divulge much, just saying it was a bad dream was saying a lot for her…

"Oden, I'll start now." She announced softly as she stood up. "You should relax more."

"And leave all the cooking to you? At least let me make tea." Yuuki teased as she got to her feet and made her way to the kitchen, already knowing where all the things she would need would be.

Haruhi sighed softly and allowed her to do what she pleased, smiling a bit as she began preparing dinner.

Neither exchanged a word for the rest of the time until Ranka came back home, ecstatic that Yuuki had come over for dinner and fawned over the both of them.

"You don't come over often enough anymore Yuuki! I wish you would visit more often." Ranka exclaimed as he stirred his udon.

Yuuki just smiled and slurped her noodles for a moment, thinking. "Well, I do have a lot of school work to get done, and I think my visits are more special that way right?"

She smiled as innocently as she could towards Ranka, who was immediately captivated and began hugging her. "Oh you're so adorable! I wish you would just live here with us so you wouldn't be alone two blocks away!"

Haruhi sweat-dropped and reached out. "Dad…you're smothering her again…"

Ranka waved off Haruhi's half-hearted attempts and kept hugging the amused Yuuki. "Leave me be! I miss my second daughter!" he exclaimed.

"Second daughter? Don't get too carried away Ranka-san." The longhaired girl teased lightly. "I'm only a regular guest."

At this Ranka hugged both girls tightly, crying out about how they were both going to leave him to get married one day and that they were growing up too fast. Haruhi only looked at Yuuki and sighed,

"Look at what you started."

and so...ready...? ^^ Hope you all enjoyed this chapter! look forward to the next one! (when it appears...)

~Tokala