A/N: Chapter three! feedback pls! thank you!

Disclaimer: Nobuhiro Wastuki's and Asagiri's. (although it's modified quite a bit..)

Chapter III

Megumi and Misao eyed her, before Misao noticed something, and grabbed both of her friends' hands. "Quick, quick….I've got the bestest of the best seats today!", she said in a hushed tone, and pushed them to sit down…..

In front of Shinomori, Yukishiro, Sagara and the other guys.

"These seats aren't taken yet?", Megumi's composed voice filled the silence.

Shinomori nodded. "They're not". Soon, the guys were busily talking amongst themselves as the three girls discreetly admire them, well….except one.

Kaoru gulped as she frantically cast her eyes out to the windows, when suddenly Megumi's voice came to her.

"Kaoru, what do you bring from home?", she casually asked,looking at Kaoru'slunchbox.

Kaoru glanced at her, forced a smile, and was about to open the lunch box that her mother packed for her earlier this morning. Something made her froze in the middle.

'O my goodness….my lunchbox…is the same as…'

She remembered being curious at what her mom made her for lunch and peeked at it.

"Shoo..Kaoru…what are you doing here?", her mother scolded her, but she had seen three identical content of lunch boxes with different size boxes belonging to each one of the siblings.

"Kaoru-chan?", Megumi asked, worried.

Kaoru forced another smile at her. 'Oh...not today...of all day...'

"You're not eating?", she added.

"Er…yeah..yeah…I am…soon" she gulped.

'What should I do….?' There seems to be one and only way out… She held her breath. 'I hate this!'

She opened her lunch box with the speed of light…and slurped the content with all her willpower…all of it.

Megumi was beyond shock. Misao, who has been looking at Shinomori, turned and gawked at her friend. The guys apparently noticed it too.

The atmosphere around their table was silent as Kaoru's lunchbox was still on mid-air, only now it was almost empty. She dropped it off and as she did so, she fainted backwards.

"Aa…Kaoru-chan", Megumi's panicked voice sounded, her hands trying to grab her friend's body as it fell down.

Shinomori stood and was about to lend a hand, but the quiet Yukishiro was faster. He stood quickly and grabbed her body, as he carried her in his arms in record time.

"I'll take her to the sickroom", he offered cooly, his expression still as somber as usual.

The two girls just gaped at him and nodded dumbly.

When they were out of sight, with more than half of the students in the cafeteria looking intently at the twofigures,Sagara Sanosuke remarked dryly, "Don't worry, Enishi's usually quite immune toward girls", he winked as his friends laughed at it. Well, except Shinomori, because he was just too cool of an ice-block, that's why.

Within a few minutes, the silent that filled the air was broken with that one humorous remark. To think of Yukishiro to be anything but immune to girls was so true that itwas hilarious in itself. Everyone at school knows that Yukishiro put a considerable distance from fellow students, especially of the female gender. Well, really, most of the students don't even know him at all, aside from good looks and popularity.

Meanwhile, the said person was carrying out a ebony-haired, slender girl in his arms, and as they went through the hallways, fellow students threw a mixture of surprised and curious look at him. But as usual..he ignored them all.

Kaoru was in the realm of unconsciousness...'What is this feeling…light…nice…', she thought.

"So…like I was telling you….it was so cool…he carried you to the sickroom, and all the girls, including us, looked at you, green with envy", Megumi enthusiastically explained to her on the next day.

My goodness…I fainted…how mortifying…She blushed when reminded of that.

But….I suppose..he did care a little….She pondered.

"Hey, Tanuki….wake up! I asked you whether you did that on purpose or what?" Megumi asked slyly. Misao chuckled in the background.

"N…no way! You must be crazy to think of that", she gruffly said, pouting.

One fine day after school…

"Kaa-san…uh, what's for lunch? I'm starved, famished really….." Kaoru asked, opening the kitchen door, and was presented with an odd picture. Her Kaa-san fell asleep on the table as her..step brother…stroked her hair very, very gently.

"Tch….bad timing", he swore quietly.

She looked horrified, and swiftly ran out from the spacious kitchen.

They were at the second storey as he finally grabbed hold of her shoulder. "Wait..", he said.

"No, get away from me…you..you…mother complex..", she shouted, and hastily threw her bag toward him. He blocked it easily.

Unfortunately, the bag toppled and its content was scattered on the ground.

Including a little laminated piece of photo..

Kaoru was paralysed, and she was sucking her breath as he took the photo up.

"Hmm…looks like we make a fine family after all", he cooly replied.

"The son idolizes the mother and the sister idolizes the brother, eh?", a piercing turquoise gaze shot through her. He approached her and leaned his face closer toward hers.

"…"

"You'd be wise not to say anything about it…ne, imouto-chan?", he said with purposeful mocking tone.

"…"

"Keep it in a safe place..", he shoved the picture back to her hand and left her standing there, nailed to the floor.

'Blackmail…he's blackmailing me….'