Wheeeee!! Mm-hmmmp, Chapter 15, comin' right up, with a side of angst and contemplation, and a tall glass of heartache!! (Yes, yes, I know that was really corny!) Well, here it is!

Masami Tsuda, where ARE those ownership papers? *Sigh* I STILL don't own these characters!!

Chapter 15: If Looks Could Kill

Yukino stumbled out of the bathroom and down the hallway, wiping her face on a fuzzy terry-cloth bath towel. She collapsed on the living room couch, exhausted from all of the excitement from the night before. It had been fun, and the day spent with her sisters and their friends, though uncomfortable at first, proved to be very therapeutic.

She slapped her forehead with sudden realization. She remembered the feeling of a hand placed under her elbow and another hand placed directly under chest. That was right---she had kissed Ryosuke last night! Oh goodness. Yukino's hand moved down to cover her mouth as her eyes widened slightly.

She MADE OUT with a boy that she had known for less than twenty-four hours. She never thought she would do such a thing. It seemed so—careless. But it didn't feel that way. That kiss was definitely meaningful; it had to serve SOME kind of purpose!

Now that she had not just met, but KISSED Ryosuke, did that mean she was over Arima? Exactly where did he stand?

*Arima...*

Yukino pictured his face in her mind. The gentle sway of his dark hair, swishing above his angelic eyes, his lightly tanned skin, his soft lips---but the flutter that flew just below her heart was absent. The tingle and warmth that usually formed in her stomach whenever she thought of him was gone.

Yukino was distraught. Was she? No. She couldn't be. It couldn't be true. Was she out of love with him?

Tsukino strolled past the living room, not even glancing at the couch where Yukino lay whispering frantically to herself. Her mind was moaning as it was racing, grabbing desperately for any type of emotion at the thought of her ex-boyfriend.

Tsuki grabbed a can of tomato juice and stalked back to the living room to give Yukino a look of utter disgust. Yukino caught this glare and sat up on the couch, cocking an eyebrow.

"What's up?" she asked.

Tsuki pursed her lips together, frowned, and shook her head. She stepped toward the front door, pulled it open, and dropped down the steps. Yukino stood and stuck her head out the window.

"Hey! Where are you going?" she called.

Tsukino sulked.

"I'm going out on a jog,"

Yukino pouted.

*What was that all about?" she thought, agitated.

She shrugged and flopped back onto the couch. She had her own predicament to bitch about! She pictured Soichiro in her mind again, but no heated feelings were instilled in her. She knitted her eyebrows together. This was so depressing! She felt like a helpless child, trying foolishly to grasp at a security blanket placed on the top shelf of a twenty-foot tall linen closet! If she was not in love with Soichiro Arima, who was she in love with? She never imagined being with anyone else before in her life! She felt so empty, even emptier than the morning before.

Where had her emotions gone?

Yukino closed her eyes and tried to think, but her thoughts flashed back to that kiss. A flush crept up her neck.

That kiss had been—she didn't know what it was, but it felt nice. She knew that much. Ryosuke wasn't Soichiro, but at least he wasn't like Koichi. No, Ryosuke was shy and sweet and nice, and---yes, he was all of those things that Koichi wasn't.

But was he better than Soichiro?

Yukino groaned and rolled over, falling face-down into the carpet. She whimpered and strummed at the fibers of the rug with her fingers.

"Whyyyyy?" she moaned woefully.

She whined and whimpered, whimpered and whined, until a clearly annoyed voice caused her to lift her face off of the floor.

Kano was standing in front of her, her hands on her hips. Her lips were lifted into a disapproving smirk.

"What the hell is wrong with you? You look like a dork."

Yukino's eyes looked up at her, puzzled. Kano always teased her, but she was never used to this tone of voice unless they were fighting. Did she miss something? Were they in an argument of some sort?

But Yukino just lay there, on her stomach, staring confused at her youngest sister. Kano rolled her eyes and stalked off.

"Whatever."

Yukino pursed her lips together. They were ignoring her. First Arima, and now her own sisters? What was going on?

A few minutes passed, and Yukino finally got up off of the living room floor and made some breakfast. Soon, her parents awoke and praised their eldest daughter for preparing their morning meal.

"Oh, wow, Yukino, this looks great!" her mother said warmly. "Thank you very much!"

Mr. Miyazawa nodded proudly and approvingly.

"So, Yuki, how was your outing last night?" her father asked cheerfully.

Yukino froze and plastered a fake smile on her face.

*Don't mention anything about school, Arima, OR Ryosuke," she commanded herself silently.

"It was fun. We ate a lot and saw a movie."

Her parents smiled warmly.

"Good, good. "

"Where is Tsuki this morning?" Her father asked.

"Out on a jog," Kano called from the living room. She was reading the morning paper at the dining room table.

Mrs. Miyazawa chuckled lightly.

"Wow, you girls sure are following your sister's footsteps. Yukino's an excellent runner."

Kano glued a sour look on her face Yukino could feel the tension through the wall that separated the living room and the kitchen. There was no laugh from Kano or even a sarcastic response of "Yeah, right."

The family grew silent and Mr. Miyazawa shivered mockingly.

"Wow, is it cold in here," he joked nervously, "Is there something wrong?" Yukino simply shook her head and poured more coffee for her parents. It wasn't going to be a joyful Sunday. There was a pause.

"You know," Mrs. Miyazawa said sternly, "If you girls are fighting, you should let us know."

Yukino shrugged.

"We aren't fighting," she said quietly, though she doubted her own words for some reason. Her sisters seemed rather hostile this morning.

"Then what's wrong?" her father voiced with concerned curiosity.

Yukino shrugged again and said nothing.

The front door closed as quickly and loudly as it had opened. Tsuki stomped to her room. Clearly, her jog hadn't released any of the tension she had been feeling when she awoke.

Nope, this wasn't going to be a joyful Sunday at ALL.

To Yukino, breakfast seemed to drag on and on as her parents tried and failed to provide the family with decent, attention-grabbing conversation. Tsuki still hadn't left her room, and everyone got the hint to leave her alone. She would eventually slide out of her bedroom for a hot meal.

Yukino amused herself by seeing how many cups of coffee she could stand without running full-bladdered to the bathroom.

By noon, she was bouncing off the walls.

Since she hadn't done a morning jog in what felt like ages, she ran around the living room in her old jogging suit. She was too amused at the fact that the ankles now came halfway up her shins, and the jacket pinched around the bosom. She kicked her knees high up into the air.

*What a great release of tension,* she thought exuberantly, *Coffee's even better than alcohol!*

She stopped in the middle of the room to stretch. Her eyes stared blankly down the hallway.

*Tsuki and Kano haven't come out of their room yet,* she realized.

She stretched her arms out over her head, frowning.

*Why won't they talk to me?*

Yukino shook her head, auburn hair flying about her face in clean, straight lines. Oh well. If they didn't want to talk to her, she just wouldn't speak to them, either!

Yukino bent over to touch her toes, thinking wryly how appealing she would look to Ryosuke right then, stretching her body in small, tight- fitting gym clothes. She giggled and felt the heat fill her cheeks.

She stood up and leapt gracefully onto the couch again, placing a hand over her forehead.

Maybe it was time to take a break.

Yes, she still needed to think out last night's kiss! She had already come to the conclusion that she needed that kiss, but the questions still lingered. WHY did she need that kiss? How could she let this happen? How dare she do such a thing? She closed her eyes and sighed. Was she a terrible person? She shook her head. She just didn't know anymore.

Yukino sat up, startled from the sound of a door opening in the hallway. She turned her head to see Kano and Tsuki turn into the kitchen together, whispering. Yukino narrowed her eyes.

*They seem just a bit too chummy,* she thought suspiciously. Yes, her sisters were always, and without a doubt, best friends, but their today their friendship seemed a little more conspiratorial.

They had been very secretive, and had a sort of negative energy around them. An uneasy sensation settled into the pit of her stomach. She felt that all that negative energy was directed at her, for whatever reason.

Suddenly, anger filled every nook and cranny of her being. She couldn't take this anymore. She couldn't stand another loved one ignoring her.

She crossed her arms over her chest, stood up, and stalked into the kitchen. Kano and Tsuki stood over the sink, getting ready to wash dishes together.

Yukino opened her mouth.

"I don't know what your problem is, guys," she said loudly, "but if you have a bone to pick with me, you'd better come out with it—now."

The duo looked at each other and turned around to face their older sister. They stepped toward her, took an arm into each had, and dragged Yukino into their bedroom. They remembered to shut the door, so their parents wouldn't hear them.

Tsuki whirled around, placing her hands on her hips. She leaned toward Yukino and glowered at her.

"We saw you kissing Ryosuke," she hissed.

Yukino winced. "O-oh," she croaked.

Tsuki bit her lip, looking genuinely upset.

"Now I'll never be with Tomohiko!" she wailed.

Yukino frowned, confused.

"What are you talking about?" She had never seen Tsuki so riled up before. Love sure did strange things to people.

Tsuki sighed. "If you and Ryosuke started dating, wouldn't it be weird for Tomohiko and me to go out?" she snapped.

Yukino nervously ran a hand through her hair.

"Yes."

"You see?" Tsuki threw her hand up into the air. "Now we'll never get married!"

Yukino smirked a little. "Excuse me?"

Tsuki's cheeks turned red. Yukino couldn't tell if it was because she was angry or embarrassed.

"W-well," Tsukino stammered, "Wouldn't it be odd if we got married, and our older siblings were seeing each other?" She offered feebly.

"Tsuki," Yukino said calmly, "You're being irrational."

"I am NOT being irrational!" Tsuki fumed. "Why did you have to kiss him anyway, huh?"

"Yeah!" Kano chimed in. She had been pacing behind Tsuki for a little while. Yukino had been wondering why she chose to remain silent for so long.

"I mean, we wanted you to cheer up and all, Yukino, but jeez! It's way too soon! You just met him!"

All of a sudden, Yukino was no longer calm. It was time for her to turn on the defense.

"You guys don't understand!" her voice was rising frantically, "You don't know what I'm going through! You don't know how lonely and vulnerable I felt!"

She paused before saying the first thing that came to her mind. Tsuki and Kano stood expectantly in front of her. She looked at the floor.

"I didn't know what I was doing," she said.

Hmm, Hmm, Hmm. Yup! That was chapter 15!! Thanks again for the comments, everybody!! You don't know how much I appreciate it!! Get ready for Chapter 16!!