Finally I am back!!!! Phew, what a holiday!!! I was so busy with my sis wedding that I had no time even to log on!!!! Anyways, here I am already. Such a tragic thing happened end of last year 2004... my country didn't even celebrate New Year to show respect for the death of so many ppl in Tsunami ( I think that it is how its spelt) Anyways... its 2005 now... a new year and a new start. Gosh!!!! Let's get on with this chapter before I start feeling sorry and sad for those people again.

Before I start I wanna thank Yun Fei, MistressKC, Emma, XIII Black Cat and Kaede Rukawa-ice prince for reviewing and backing me up to update!!!! ;P Thank you so much, hope everyone enjoys this chapter.

Chapter 8

Yuiiko bowed as the audience applauded, the red curtains fall and she took a deep breath. Quickly she straightened up, left the stage and entered the changing room. After cleaning up her face and changed back to her uniform, she looked up the clock which showed her a quarter to one in the morning. Sighing inwardly she picked up her briefcase and left the café in a hurry.

"Where the hell is she?" Sakuragi whispered to himself and he paced the front gate of Yuiiko's home. "It's one in the morning and she is not home?"

Footsteps behind him made him whirled around in a hurry to see who had stalked up behind him. His eyes widened in surprised when he saw Yuiiko staring at him incredulously.

"What are you doing here Hanamichi?" Yuiiko asked tonelessly. "Do you know what time it is?"

"That is supposed to be my question!" Sakuragi shouted. "The hell, it's one in the morning and you just got home? Do you know how dangerous it is at night? What the hell were you thinking?"

"You have no right to say that." Yuiiko narrowed her eyes at her brother.

"I just don't want anything bad to happen to you Yuiiko." Sakuragi said desperately holding both Yuiiko's arms in his hands. "Try to understand, I am your older brother, I want the best for you."

"Right…" Yuiiko pulled away from his grasped and glared at him. "If you really cared, you would have turned up that day at the park! But you didn't!"

"I had something important to do!" Sakuragi explained lamely.

"Oh really, something important!" Yuiiko flared poking Sakuragi's shoulder with her finger. "So you are telling me that there is something more important than me?"

"No, it is…" Sakuragi protested, smacking his head inwardly at what he had said. "Yuiiko, you were an athlete before, you were a great swimmer. You know how important practices are. I have no idea why you stop swimming. You love to swim and I love to play basketball. Try to understand."

"Yeah, thanks to you I no longer can swim." Yuiiko shouted. "Now leave me alone. I want to go to bed. I still need to wake up early to do homework!"

With that she went into the house leaving Sakuragi bewildered at her words. No longer can swim? What does she mean by that?

Rukawa looked out his window groggily, cursing whoever making such racket outside. His eyebrows rose slightly when he saw Yuiiko shouting at her brother and poking him with her finger. First time in his life he saw, someone who dared to poke Sakuragi and got away with it. However, he didn't stay up for long as he flopped back on his bed and went back to sleep everything oblivion to him.

Next afternoon in school...

Rukawa walked passed the principle's office when he saw Yuiiko standing outside her head down and leaning on the wall next the principle's door. He inclined his head slightly and walked up to her. She didn't look up as he closed their distance. It took Rukawa a few seconds to realize that Yuiiko was dozing as she stood by the door.

"Teme Kensune get away from my sister!" Sakuragi shouted.

With a jolt Yuiiko looked up sleepily. Without knowing what she was actually doing, her right fist lashed out towards whoever was standing in front of her. Rukawa who saw it coming dodge away but Sakuragi who had walked up to Yuiiko got a full blast of her fist.

With the full blow Sakuragi fell back and landed hard on the floor. That was when Yuiiko woke up completely and stared at Sakuragi who looked like his eyes was turning purple. Her mouth dropped slightly.

"Hanamichi?"

"You never change…" Sakuragi mumbled.

"You know that I hate it when anyone wakes me up so why did you do it?"

"I didn't…" Sakuragi shouted and stood up. "This Kensune here was disturbing you again."

"…" Rukawa stared at Sakuragi expressionlessly.

"Leave me alone Hanamichi…" Yuiiko said and yawned widely. "I don't have time for this."

"What do you mean? You don't have time for this?" Sakuragi screamed. "You have time for this kensune?"

"No…" Yuiiko replied and yawn again. "Look the principle will be seeing me soon…"

Before she could finish her sentence, a very angry looking principle poked his head out of the office and glared at all of them. Yuiiko rolled her eyes. Looked like she was not going to get off so easily this time.

"So what was all that racket about?" The principle asked glaring at the three of them.

Sakuragi, Rukawa and Yuiiko stood quietly in front of the principle. Yuiiko unsuccessfully tried to stop her yawn from coming. Rukawa looking really bored as he stared at the principle in his ice prince expression and Sakuragi looking angry.

"Have you been fighting again Sakuragi?" He asked when no one answered. "Your eye is swollen. Someone hit you?"

Yuiiko stiffened and moved her eyes sideways to look at her brother. She saw her brother totally ignored and as he shrugged at the principle.

"I fell and hit my eye on the door when someone was coming out from the toilet."

Yuiiko let out a breath inwardly.

"I see…" The principled turned to Yuiiko then. "I heard you hadn't been handing in your homework."

"I did…" Yuiiko answered lamely.

"The teachers had complained you handed them in late."

"I did them didn't I?" Yuiiko nearly rolled her eyes at the principle.

The principle sighed. "Sakuragi-san… you were a good student in your all your previous schools. I am giving you one more chance to prove yourself that you can study in Shohoku. If not I will send you back to…"

"I get it sensei!!!" Yuiiko quickly cut him off.

"Alright you all may go…" He said shaking his head warily.

The three of them left the office quietly. When they were far away from the principle's office Yuiiko turned to her brother.

"Arigatou…" Yuiiko mumbled.

"What for?" Sakuragi replied indifferently.

"For not telling the principle I hit you…"

"No problem…"

"I'll see you around." Yuiiko said and turned away.

Sakuragi smiled slightly as he watched Yuiiko walked away. She thanked him and said that she wants to see him again, one point up for him. However, he didn't smile for long when he remembered Rukawa was still with him. He turned to glare at Rukawa.

"You stay away from my sister…" Sakuragi said furiously. "Or else…"

Ignoring him, Rukawa turned away and walked off the same direction Yuiiko went.

"Do'aho…" Rukawa whispered.

Later in the evening….

"Oniichan, please hurry up…" Sito cried dragging Rukawa behind her.

"Oka and Oto will not be happy when they know about this." Rukawa said softly.

"They won't know if I don't tell, and you don't tell!"

Rukawa let his younger sister dragged him to the back of Sweet.

"Symphony you will on in another hour!" Someone shouted from outside the door.

"I will be ready by then." Yuiiko said without looking up from her homework. She can't risk being sent back to the rehabilitate centre. For once she wanted to live a life which no one laughs at her or treat her like an invalid.

"This way oniichan!" Sito said still pulling onto Rukawa's arm.

"Sito we are not supposed to be here!" Rukawa whispered back looking around messy interior of the back stage. He cursed himself for agreeing on coming to Sweet with his sister though now that it was too late to back off.

"Shhh…" Sito said.

Rukawa rolled his eyes. Around the corner, Sito let go of Rukawa's arm and disappeared leaving Rukawa stranded in the middle of the back stage. He looked all around him saw no one. Sito had deserted him.

"Damn… never knew she is so fast!"

Yuiiko looked up at the clock and sighed. She had to get ready soon or she will be late. Abandoning her homework she went to her costume which she hangs at the back of the door.

Rukawa walked down the narrow corridor alone with a slight frown on his face. He will give his sister a piece of his mind when he gets back, but first of all, he needs to find a way out of here before the security finds him.

He froze when he heard footsteps ahead of him. Looking left and right and realized that there was no where to hide except to enter the changing room on his right. He dove for the door and found the door locked and he cursed. Taking out a sharp object he had used as a keychain he poked used to unlock the door. When he heard the other side of the door click he opened the door and went inside.

Rukawa leaned back on the door and took a deep breath. That was when he realized that he wasn't alone. He found himself staring at a pair of very familiar clear brown eyes, who stared back at him in a state of shock.

"What are you doing here?" Yuiiko whispered staring wide eyed at Rukawa.

Rukawa void expression fell away, replacing it with astonishment when he saw Yuiiko only wearing her undergarments staring at him. He could feel himself turning red and he quickly turned away. He never blushed before and he had no intention to let anyone see him do so. Besides that, it was not right to see a girl change.

"I ask you a question." Yuiiko said sternly as she quickly dressed. "Why are you here?"

"My sister wanted to see Symphony…" Rukawa replied shortly, facing the door.

"Then where is she?" Yuiiko asked rather annoyed.

"I lost her on the way here…"

Rukawa remained facing the door as silence greeted him. He frowned slightly and turned around slightly to see whether Yuiiko was dressed. When his gaze fell on her, he whirled around completely his mouth slightly ajar. She was dressed the costume he first saw Symphony dressed in, a sleeveless mid-riff blue blouse, a black see through lace mini skirt and a pair of black shorts beneath it. Yuiiko was facing the mirror and did not see Rukawa's stunned expression and she tied her hair back into spikes leaving a few strands of hair in front for plaints. Studying from her bare foot to her top, Rukawa was amazed at the transformation before him.

"Symphony you will be on in fifteen!!!" A voice shouted outside.

"I will be right out." Yuiiko answered and turned to face Rukawa.

Rukawa quickly regained his posture and stared at Yuiiko indifferently.

"So you are Symphony…" Rukawa said softly.

"So what if I am…" Yuiiko answered pulling up her black boots with white lace.

"Is this the secret you are hiding from everyone?"

"Hai, I do not want popularity." Yuiiko replied not looking at him as she tied the laces of her boots. "Reporters will start coming. I will not be able to go to school. I still want to lead a normal teenager's life. I trust you won't tell anyone about this."

"I won't…"

Yuiiko looked up at him and smiled warily.

"Arigatou, I think you should be looking for your younger sister now."

"Damn…" Rukawa whispered.

"Don't worry…" Yuiiko walked up towards him and put a tag attached to a long blue string around his neck. "This a visitor's tag… go and look for you sister…"

"Arigatou…" Rukawa said softly and left the room.

Yuiiko watched Rukawa leaving the room sadly. If only she could hide this identity from everyone forever. She had no intention on letting anyone know about this identity and she expected the least that Rukawa was the first to find out.

Ches, I don't really like this chapter... though I updated it in a hurry... I wrote two stories in one night... I hope I didn't mix up both the girls names!!!! Anyways I hope everyone like this chapter even if I don't. Don't forget to drop a review neh! Domo arigatou!!!!

I will try to put the next chapter up asap! For now that I am quite free, I think I am able to... crossing my fingers... hopefully.