Disclaimer - I own nuts. Only nuts, not this.

Note - ! text ! indicates actions.

(Yumi's POV)

! Flashback !

"Sa-chan, are you done yet?"

"Soon, Suguru-san. I apologize for making you wait this long."

"It's my pleasure, Sa-chan. Hmm, I don't seem to see Touko-chan anywhere. I recalled her going into the store with you?"

"Oh, she still couldn't decide what she wanted to buy yet. Shall we go in and look for her?"

"Sure thing."

! End of flashback !

Onee-sama.

You still love him.

Even though you knew what would happen after you marry him, even though you knew he wasn't interested in girls.

You really loved him a lot, don't you?

It was your love for him that prevented you from insisting that the marriage should be annulled. Wasn't it?

Onee-sama, do you realize that you've set up a painful trap for yourself?

You're an idiot, Yumi. This is just what your pathetic self is thinking. You jolly well know that things are not as they seem to you. She will definitely be happy with Kashiwagi-san. Don't you remember? You stood there for such a long time, eavesdropping on them. Surely you recall how she reacted to him?

That…

Of course I remembered. The scene that I saw while standing hidden behind the wall. You were shopping with him and Touko. I had never expected to chance upon you at that store.

The gentle curvature of your lips always existed whenever you talked to him or Touko. The brightness in your eyes. The tone of your voice. The frown that was so you that was never existent with them.

Ah… How long since I saw you like that.

The gentle curve of your lips

I'm sorry, Onee-sama. It wasn't my place to have those thoughts.

Onee-sama.

You looked happy. Happier than anytime I saw you. For a long time now, I haven't seen you smile or look happy when you were with me. Does this mean that I make you troubled?

It must be. You will always have a slight frown whenever you were talking to me.

But then again, I guess you couldn't be glad. We were, after all, always talking about the council matters, and I'm sure that there's no laughing matter regarding school events.

Perhaps we should only talk about the Yamayurikai tasks, and leave it that way.

After all, you only need me to help you in organizing the school festival and other school events. You have a better person who could better understand and help you more in other aspects. Someone who is more accustomed to your way of life.

You are still the princess of Lillian after all.

Yup. Touko could definitely do a better job than a ignorant, pessimistic nobody like me.

Thinking about it, maybe I had known this unconsciously for a long time. Perhaps this was the reason for me avoiding spending private time with Onee-sama.

But, if I already knew it deep down, then why do I feel an ache whenever I think about her?

Why do I get the urge to see her smile, and hear her voice?

Why do I keep thinking about the times that I'm sure we enjoyed together?

Why then, do I even dream of her at night?

Even so, I know my limits. I know that a person like me never ever deserved a princess like Onee-sama. It was only chance that brought us together. If Tsutako-chan had been in her way instead of me, if she had been squashed under Sachiko-sama instead of me, I'll still be living my boring life as a nobody.

Under no terms will someone want to know a person like the true me. No one will bother to dirty their hands to help me. Not that I want them to anyway. Just let me sink down in the abyss of void slowly. Just let me run away from all that I need to run from. Just don't care about me. I'm not worth anything.

Relax, Yumi, maybe things aren't as dire as you see. God knows how many times you misinterpreted something.

Nonetheless, it has been nice knowing everyone. Sei-sama, Youko-sama, Eriko-sama, Rei-sama – Shimako and Yoshino-chan – all of them had been kind towards me. Everyone tried to help me along the way, when I was still adjusting to the Yamayurikai way of life till now.

However, Onee-sama was the special one. Her very presence made me want to use every single bit of myself to do my best, to show her that she didn't choose the wrong person. Ever since the first day I saw her, I thought of her as a piece of frosted glass. Strong, but brittle, with murky depths that tell volumes of her thoughts. A princess that enshrouds herself in the icy mist.

Ha! But I think it's more of you wanting to prove to yourself that YOU are worthy of being her sister! All the babble about her is just crap. It's all just an excuse to hide your weakness!

No. It's not like that! It's not!

No one knows you better than yourself, Yumi. Believe whatever you want to, it's what you think anyway.

"Erm.. Yumi-chan? Are you alright?"

"Huh? Oh, Yoshino-chan, it's you. I'm alright, I was just thinking of the ending of a show yesterday. It makes me itch when the story didn't have the happy ending that it deserved. I was crying when I saw that the guy got killed and left the girl in tears."

"Yumi, you're babbling again."

A shock rippled through my body at the sound of her voice.

"I'm sorry, Onee-sama."

"Er… Sachiko-sama, Yumi-chan, shall we go in the room? The corridor's getting warmer from the summer heat, and I really don't want to sweat that much today. I've got to catch a movie with Rei-chan later on."

"Of course, Yoshino-chan. Shall we, Yumi?"

"Yes of course!"

Onee-sama.

Just temporarily, I shall forget about that.

It's time to help Onee-sama, and she has no need of troubled assistants to add on to her burdens. I'd better make myself more useful to her here, since I can't help her in anyway else.

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(Youko's POV)

"Mizuno-san, may I take your order?"

"Perhaps later on, Tsuzuki-san. I'm waiting for a friend."

"Oh, okay. Please excuse me."

I glanced out of the window, half expecting to see Sachiko approaching like always. We've always met here, at this very restaurant. She only reaches the place on the dot, while I preferred to be earlier. It was a commonplace then to just give her a call and meet her here. But now, ever since I've graduated from Lillian, our meetings became less and less frequent.

I sighed.

This was proof of how times have changed. My precious little porcelain doll has all grown up now, though she's still pretty brittle. There's no real need to worry about her, after all, I'm sure Yumi would help her as much as she could. As for me, the aspiring lawyer, going to the academy is needed only when I want to, even though it's usually because of the amount of information I could find in their library. The stage of me and Sachiko being soeurs is just a memory now, even though I would still think of her as my little sister for eternity.

Even so, some things still remain the same. Like the ambience of this place - the softly playing keys of the piano, the soothing smell of coffee – nothing has changed much for this cosy place. I remembered that I used to sit here for hours, either trying to relax and take a break, or bringing work that needed a more relaxed atmosphere to complete. But the times I remembered the best was when Eriko, Sei and I were lazing around the comfortable couches and just plain interacting.

Speaking of which, why is she so late today?

! glomp !

! twitch !

"Ara, ara. Youko, you're no fun to play with. Couldn't you at least humour me a little and pretend to be surprised?"

"Sei. How can I humour you when you do that every time?"

"Aww… Youko sounds irritated, that's too bad. And here I thought this would make you happier."

! peck !

Heat flared from within me and up my face, tainting my cheeks pink. She just had to do that, right in a place where we could be seen from any angle. Gods, what would I say if someone I know saw Sei kissing my cheek?

"I love you, Youko."

Sei… If only you knew.

"Nope, I think you love Yumi better."

"Eh? How can you tell that to someone who'd just declared her love for you? You're cruel, Youko. It's no wonder that you're still single now."

No, Sei, you are the one who's cruel.

"I see that you are the same as ever. Can't you at least act someone of your age?"

"But it would take all the fun out of life, won't it? Besides, the world has you in it. I'm sure that only one Youko is needed to keep the world running."

"And I guess that one Sei is enough to wreck havoc upon the world? It seems that I really do have to clean up after you, since you have just conferred the title of -one who keeps the world running- to me."

"Aww… still mean as ever, Youko. Big meanie!"

"Erm, excuse me. Mizuno-san, Satou-san, can I take your order?"

"Two sets of Teriyaki chicken set meal, Iced Mocha and a standard salad for me, and let's see… a cup of fruit punch and strawberry banana split for her."

"Ok, please enjoy your coffee in the meantime."

"Hey Youko, how'd you know I wanted to eat strawberry banana split?"

"A hunch, I'd say."

"A hunch? Seems like Youko's famous sixth sense has gotten sharper."

"Sei."

"Yes?"

"I'm not speaking to you anymore till you decide to talk sense."

"Yooouko!"

! cringe !

"………"

Finally. Peace at last. Has it always been this noisy when she's around? No, I don't think so. It must be the quiet background of the restaurant making her voice seem louder than usual.

"Here you go, Mizuno-san, Satou-san. Please enjoy your food. I shall excuse myself now, please call me if you need anything else."

"Thank you, Tsuzuki-san."

I wondered how long we sat there, silently consuming our food. It feels kind of weird not listening to Sei babbling about others, or even trying to poke fun of me with her words. When did this silence exist before?

Yea.. right. Since after that time… she avoided me like a plague for weeks.

But what's her purpose of inviting me out for dinner tonight?

----------------------------------------------

It's getting too silent in the restaurant.

I wonder what's bothering her so much that she's lost her usual cheer. Even though she tries to act like nothing's wrong, her actions are still not quite herself. Hmm… did something happen between her and Kei? I hope not.

! chew !

"Oya, Youko. Have you simmered down in your pot yet? Or are you still boiling happily away? It's getting too quiet for my tastes."

"Sei, when did I even start 'boiling happily away'? Soo… I don't think today's a social invitation is it? Tell me more about it."

"Ara, still as discerning as ever, must be a heritage trait."

I wonder indeed.

"Hey, Youko. Have you heard from Sachiko lately?"

Why is she suddenly asking about Sachiko? Come to think of it… she hasn't been calling me as often now. But that's probably

because she's busy with her schoolwork and council matters.

"Sachiko? Nope, not since two weeks ago. Why?"

"Oh, I was just curious. Yumi hasn't called me for a long time too. I wonder how they're both faring now."

"I think they should be alright. After all, there's nothing much that will trouble them. As far as I've heard, Sachiko's pretty much settled down and is leading the Yamayurikai with Rei and Shimako well."

"Hope all goes well for them eh, Youko."

"Yea."

Did you meet me just to ask me that? It's been such a long time since I last saw her. It must have been almost two months now.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder.

Do I want you? That's the question.

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A/N: Ehehehe… finally finished another chapter. Thanks to all reviewers, you gave me motivation to write more! ) Etto… just another note, school in Singapore is starting in a week or so, thus I won't be able to work on the fic much. But not to worry! I will continue writing until I finish my story (hopefully). Bleh… I'm dreading the time when I decide to write in Sei's POV. Youko's is already tough enough. Hmm… hands up for those who want Sei and Youko together! xD