Chapter 2: On nights like these

Heyyo again!

I'm back with the second chapter of 'Truth' and let me tell you guys this... YOU'RE FREAKING AMAZING! I mean seriously all your reviews are so heartwarming and adorable I really loved every single one of them thank you soooo much! I swear, I was screaming every time I received a new notification about someone following, reviewing or marking it as a favorite, it was insane! This honestly means a lot to me so thanks a million guys, you're the best!

With that said, let me present you the next chapter right here. Erina has some... issues to deal with this time, but let's see how it goes, shall we?

Please write me again, if you see mistakes or something you don't like, it really helps me a lot. I hope you'll enjoy reading, I couldn't wait to show this to you!

Take care guys.

After they got back inside, Erina decided to join them for one last round of Poker before heading to bed.

All of them were pretty persistent, literally throwing themselves at her, begging her to play, and she found, she didn't have the heart to reject them. That, and the uncomfortable feeling of being watched by two golden eyes almost nervously, didn't give her the rest, she so desperately desired.

Seriously, what was his problem?

He was behaving way to apprehensive and jumped out of fright every time someone touched his shoulder, asking him if he was okay.

He really needed to get it together or otherwise the rest of their friends might find out!

Although to be fair, she wasn't doing much better at this point herself. Her blush didn't die down as of yet- when pointed out by Alice, she said it was because of the warm temperature outside, way to quickly. This was sure to raise even more suspicion. Then there were her knees, which still felt a little wobbly.

But Erina tried her very best to overlook these circumstances and focus on their game for the time being. Thinking about it would make matters so much worse, than they needed to be. She didn't have the strength for that. At least not tonight. The events of today and the kiss just drained her energy completely.

"I win!"

"What, No fair! Come on Alice, you've been at the top three times in a row already, why won't you just tell us, how you do it?" Yuki seemed frustrated about the fact that the white haired Nakiri was the victor in all their rounds so far, which didn't really came as a surprise. She probably played a lot with her parents back in Denmark. Sometimes Erina wondered, if she ever felt lonely here without them.

What did surprise the blonde heiress however, was the lack of reaction from a certain someone. Didn't he realize that the game ended, with him loosing? Apparently not. How deep in thought was he?

"Nakiri, you with us?"

Confused, she turned her head towards an amused looking Isshki, who was waving a hand in front of her face.

"Ehh, come again...?"

He just laughed at her answer, which caused her to lower her head in embarrassment. That's what she got for spacing out so easily, she guessed. Stupid kiss. Stupid Yukihira. It wasn't her place to care, whether he was deep in thought or not anyway.

"Ahh, so that means you weren't. Well, we were talking about everyone's plans for summer break, now that this school year is officially over and everything. I was just asking you, if you had anything in mind yet."

What? Weren't they discussing her cousins impressive card game abilities just a moment ago? How long has she been paying them no mind?

'So, Yukihira and I are in the same boat then, huh?'

Neither of them acknowledged, what was going on around them. How embarrassing.

She couldn't afford to get distracted by him, thus Erina concentrated on giving her response instead.

Before answering however, she had to think about the question for a bit.

Summer break...

The time, where all students would indulge themselves in all kinds of fun activities and never even once think about school work. They would laugh together, play games like this, go to the beach or maybe just relax at home or something.

Well, everyone but her.

Erina had to fill out lot's and lot's of paperwork and meet important people to discuss the future of the academy. A tiring and uneventful summer break awaited her, no doubt.

At that moment she suddenly caught Yukihira eyes again, staring right at her from across the other end of the small room with an unreadable expression. It seemed, he gave up on trying to comprehend what had transpired between them, and was now completely devoted to her conversation with Isshki.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention. So far, the only thing I can think of doing, is taking care of all that paperwork, waiting for me in grandfathers office- I mean... my office..." It sounded so weird, she doubted, she would ever get used to this.

"Are you alright Miss Erina?"

With a small smile, she nodded her head towards Hisako, who was sitting to her left, also eyeing her with an somehow unreadable look on her face.

Maybe it was because she felt too tired to think about anything at all, but it slowly pissed her off, that she couldn't read her friends expressions right now. And just when she needed it the most, in order to choose the most fitting words. She settled for a classic reply, that was sure to have the desired effect.

"Yes Hisako, I'm perfectly fine. Just a little tired though..."

It wasn't a lie, she really did feel like she could pass out any second.

Her friend seemed satisfied with that answer, thus Erina tuned her attention back towards Isshki to pick up their conversation again. Only to find herself staring at Yukihira instead for what seemed like the millionth time at this point. His gaze was so intense- he didn't even make the effort to hide it in any way, that idiot-, she almost choked on her next words.

Why. Was. He. Staring. At. Her?

Better yet, why couldn't she just ignore it?

It was way too suspicious for gods sake, what was he- or they, for that matter- thinking? Then again he- they- probably wasn't at all, for all she knew.

And right when her rush was finally calming down too, it came back at full force. She felt her cheeks heating up and her pulse getting out of control again. Damn him!

"What's up with you Yukihira? Haven't you noticed who won the game again? Don't tell me, you're still reminiscing about your victory over Isshki here? Just you wait, next time it's gonna be you and me, and I swear I won't loose!"

"Oh come on Takumi, give him a break! Obviously that's not what he has on his mind right now so just back off!"

"What was that!?"

The next thing Erina knew, Ikumi and Takumi were in a heated argument while the redhead still hadn't turned his eyes away from her. Was he seriously that lost in thought again?

"Alright you two that's enough. Honestly, I'm starting to feel kind of sleepy as well, so how about we call it a night, guys, sound good?"

At that, she finally broke eye contact with the Chef sitting across the room, in order to gaze at their upperclassman in Thanks. Finally she would get some rest! Erina was more than grateful to him for freeing her from the diner boys excessive gaze. Even though he probably didn't even realize, he was staring at her.

While they were outside, he did say, it was obvious that something troubled her, and that she also wouldn't come around and tell them about it anytime soon- of course she wouldn't. Considering how much they all helped her already, she didn't want to burden them any more than she already had. So, if that was the case, could he be watching her as an attempt to figure it out on his own then?

Or was he simply just thinking about the kiss, like she was?

Erina didn't know, and to be honest, she couldn't care less right now.

The others agreed as well, leaving the room in a sudden hurry. Of course, right when the first ones rushed outside- that being Ryoko, Shun and Yuki-, Zenji started to throw a fit, complaining about them never cleaning up their messes before walking out. Tadokoro was the one, who promised to help out next time, and closed the door behind her, since she was the last person to step into the hallway.

Because they were living so close by, it was easy enough for Akira, Ikumi, and the Aldini-brothers to head to their respective homes on foot. And yet here they all were, standing in a half circle, still joking and arguing in harmless fun with one another as if not wanting to let the celebration come to an end, before eventually going their separate ways.

That left them with only Alice, Ryo and Hisako, who wished the rest of their group a good night as well, and made their way to the front door, saying that they already had a car waiting for them outside. The new headmaster followed close by behind them, wanting to see them off in private. She turned back one last time to risk a quick glance at Yukihira, who was now in a what appeared to be deep conversation with Tadokoro, while going back across the hall opposite from her. Not once had he looked her way after leaving Zenjis room, which was quite odd, considering how openly he seemed to stare while being inside there.

Why wasn't he meeting her gaze now?

This was not how things were supposed to turn out, right?

In her beloved shoujo Manga, the main protagonists instantly became a couple after they kissed. Yes, they were shy around each other and blushed whenever their eyes met, but they still talked or at least stayed together for the rest of the night.

Not that she wanted something of this sort with the redhead- of course not-, but him ignoring her like that admittedly stung a bit. She didn't think he would go so far as to avoid talking to her completely now.

Their kiss was way beyond the boundary of what could be called 'innocent', which was why she had no way of comparing it to her Manga in the first place. The kisses there were harmless and lasted only a few seconds. So far, nothing seemed to fit, and Erina began to lose hope that they would be able to avoid the awkwardness, that was sure to come eventually in the next couple of days. It was disappointing somehow, but she figured, she should start getting used to it. Being without a friend wasn't something new to her after all.

Throwing her long hair back over her shoulder, she simply walked down the stairs, annoyed with herself for even wasting her time to watch him leave. She didn't have time to feel sad.

"Why don't you come home with us Erina? Now that uncle Azami isn't around anymore, you have no reason to stay here, right? Come back already, I miss you."

"You mean, you miss to taunt me all day."

With that said, the heiress regarded her cousin with a blank expression, as if to say 'are you kidding me right now?'.

It was no secret that this she-devil before her loved to mess with the blonde most of the time. But, she supposed Alice had a point. It was indeed time to head back...

"Don't be like that Erina, I really mean it. Ryo! Tell her how much I miss her at home."

"Ehh..., Mistress Alice really misses you at... home Miss Erina, please come back."

"Most convincing, Ryo. I guess we still have to work on that, don't we?"

He gave no response, which Erina didn't blame him for. Sometimes it was better to just keep quiet and let Alice handle things herself.

"Miss Alice is right, Miss Erina. Please consider coming home."

Hisako gave her a pleading look, which made the heiress feel all the worse.

"Don't worry, I'll be back soon. In fact..., the day after tomorrow seems convenient, doesn't it? It's a Saturday and everyone else will be heading out for their vacation anyway. I want a proper chance to express my gratitude before leaving this dorm guys, they've done so much for me after all."

"I understand. Well..., Saturday it is then. Hisako and I will come help you packing, right?"

"Of course! Please let me know if there is anything you want me to bring you from the Estate Miss Erina, I'd be happy to provide you with anything you may need."

"Thank you Hisako, I'll be fine."

With that, they excused themselves with a smile and turned around to walk out, Ryo right behind them.

Erina closed the door with a tired sigh and made her way back up the stairs. It was time, she got some sleep in herself.

'So I'll be leaving on Saturday, huh? Well it was bound to happen eventually, I overstayed my welcome a long time ago anyway, I suppose.'

Entering her room, she quickly got under the warm covers of her bed and closed her eyes, already feeling herself drift off to sleep.

'You want to become a exquisite Chef, don't you Erina?'

'Yes father.'

'You will obey my orders, won't you?'

'Yes father.'

'Throw it away Erina, anything less than perfection has no place at a dining table.'

'But father, I don't want to throw this away. It doesn't taste awful, really.'

'It's garbage and therefore not worthy to be eaten. Do it now Erina, or you will have to face the consequences.'

'Please father you're hurting me, please stop! Let go!'

'Father! Father! Please don't lock me up in here, please! I'll be good, I swear! Look, I'm throwing the food away, you see? Please let me out, I'm scared father, please!'

'Father, I don't like the dark, please, please let me out. I will obey, I promise! Father I'm scared and it's cold in here, let me out! I want to go to Mama! I want Mama! Please!'

'Now Erina, what have you learned so far? Tell me everything you know.'

'All gourmet dishes need to be prepared in utmost perfection, meaning only ingredients with the highest quality are to be used. Everything less than pleasing is... i-is considered garbage, unworthy, trash and disposable. Therefore, the best way to spare the customers a headache is to... t-throw it away immediately.'

'Very good my daughter. Now, I want you to go to get some practice in, to make sure, you understood everything.'

'Yes father.'

'You're useless. I can't accept a daughter, who proves herself worthless to our ideals. Have you no shame? Stay in here and and repent your actions.'

'But father, it's dark and cold in here. And I don't have anywhere to sleep, there's nothing in here. Please don't lock me up in this place again, I don't like it here, please! Father don't go, please! Father let me out! I'm begging you, let me out!'

"Let me out!"

The piercing scream of Nakiri Erina filled the otherwise quiet room, as she sat up in her bed abruptly. She was drenched in cold sweat, shaking all over.

Her eyes were wide open yet completely unfocused, while tears ran down her face uncontrollably. Panting heavily, she felt her heart getting out of control and Panic starting to fill her mind.

Where was she?

Suddenly the door to her room burst wide open, revealing a couple of people standing there in what seemed like complete shock.

The next thing she knew, the lights were turned on, and she was held in someones arms, while surrounded by all these people. Her face was pressed against a small yet warm chest. She didn't understand what was going on, her mind still unable to comprehend the situation before her.

"Erina! Do you hear me? Hey Erina! What happened? Are you okay? Everything's fine, it was just a dream! Please stop crying!"

A Girl.

Who again?

She gave no response, her tears seemed endless at this point.

"Yuki, can you go get her a glass of water ?"

A boy this time.

Who?

What was wrong with his voice? It sounded so... concerned.

"I'm on it!"

"She is shaking terribly. Erina please talk to me! Why did you scream like that? What happened?"

This came from the person holding her again. It was like she was begging the heiress to give some kind of response. But no matter how much she pleaded, Erina couldn't answer, her mind being blank at the moment.

"Is she okay?"

"I think Megumi got this guys. From what I can tell, it was just a bad dream. Everything's alright, so we should go back to bed now. I'm sure Erina wouldn't like to have an audience this big. Soma, Megumi, we leave the rest to you then."

"Got it. Thanks Isshki."

"Are you sure, she's gonna be fine? She looks pretty traumatized to me! I don't want to go to bed knowing she's still in bad shape."

"Yeah, me neither."

While talking, these two other girls had tears forming in their eyes, being effected by all this as well, it seemed.

"I'm confident Soma and Megumi can take good care of her. And besides, I don't think we would be of much help anyway. Only blocking the room isn't going to solve anything, don't you think? Come on everyone, let's go."

With that, the door was closed behind them, leaving only two other people with the still trembling blonde.

"Erina please listen, we're here! You hear me? We are with you- your friends-, you don't need to be scared anymore. Please stop crying. Whatever it was that frightened you, it's gone now."

Friends...?

It- or in this case, he was gone now...?

She was... save?

Slowly her vision began to clear out, and she was finally able to see the familiar faces of her friends.

That's right, she was here at the Polar Star dormitory, with all of them close by.

It was just a dream...

The one pressing Erina so tightly against her chest was Tadokoro Megumi, the one bringing her the water was Yoshino Yuki. Isshki told everyone to leave the room- which she was very grateful for-, and the one thanking their upperclassman for his effort and sending Yuki downstairs for a refreshment to begin with was...

With her eyes focused again, she immediately found Yukihira staring at her in... disbelief? It was hard to make out from the distance. His voice had been shaking, clearly betraying his emotional state at the moment- almost like he had the nightmare and not her.

How come? Was he scared about what he might see when entering her room? Had her scream been that frightening?

Finally calming down a bit, Erina slowly pushed herself away from Tadokoro, who loosened her hold on the heiress a bit, as if not sure whether or not she should release her completely yet.

"T-thanks you guys, I'm... I'm fine now, really. I'm s-sorry for causing such a c-commotion this... this late at night."

Her stuttering didn't help her sound convincing at all.

She felt ashamed of herself for troubling them so much. It really was time leave this dorm already, so no one would be inconvenienced by her anymore.

"Don't say that Erina, it's okay, trust me. You mean a lot to us, so of course we get worried and want to make sure, you're alright."

She send a small smile Tadokoros way, appreciating all the girls efforts. This was just one more point to add to her list of things, she owed this girl. Erina had no idea how to repay her, and she hated her brain for that.

"She's right, Nakiri. Don't worry about stuff like that, it's fine."

All Erina could do was turn her head towards him and nod mechanically. Now he decided to talk to her again?

"Do-do you, maybe... want to talk about it"

"Thanks Tadokoro, but I think I'll pass. There is no need to bring it up now that I feel better. Besides I've already forgotten most of it anyway."

She gave them the best reassuring smile she could muster, feeling like she wouldn't be able to keep this facade up for much longer. She needed to think.

Alone.

"Anyway, you two should probably go back to bed too, it's almost... five in the morning, I'd say."

"A-are you sure, you will be okay on your own now?" Tadokoro seemed unconvinced, which didn't surprise the blonde at all.

'Considerate and gentle as always.'

"Yeah, I'll be just fine. In fact, I think I need to change my clothes as well, so..."

"Alright then, we'll leave you to it. Come on Tadokoro, let's go."

His eyes found hers one more time before turning to leave.

"Sleep well Erina, if you need anything, please tell us alright? Don't hesitate."

"Thank you. And good night to you too." Should she wish him a pleasant night as well? Oh, who was she kidding? They weren't that close, so there was no need to do things like that. And yet, something within her wanted to get there, wanted to be closer to him, wanted to tell him to have sweet dreams- not like herself. But... right now wasn't the best time for that. They still needed to solve this issue between them before it drove them even further apart. And that was the last thing she wanted.

She first heard Tadokoro make a small sound of confusion- why she would do that, Erina had no idea-, before the lights were turned off and the door closed behind them.

Sighing in exhaustion, she let herself fall backwards on the bed.

Why did she have to remember this now?

The days she had to spend inside that dark, cold basement inside her fathers villa while getting her 'education' were part of a distant past now. She hadn't had a nightmare for so long, so why was this happening now? Well actually, it made a lot of sense, if she thought about it. He came back, trying to run over everything her grandfather had build here, and trying to corrupt her mind again as well. Remembering an incident from almost ten years ago clearly showed her something though. Erina would definitely find out, what happened to him before he went psycho. She wanted- needed to understand where his ideals and believes originally came from, and what she had to do with it all. She needed answers, preferably sooner rather than later. There was no way, she could possibly let this go after what happened tonight.

No way!

Several parts of her dream started to come back to mind now that she was laying on her back, trying to prevent fresh tears from falling silently on the pillow.

That time was horrible, and she didn't want to remember any of it. Thus Erina shut her eyes tight, in an attempt to get rid of them as soon as possible. To no avail though, she was already crying again.

'No tears, please no tears...'

"You're doing it again Nakiri. Stop it, will ya."

Her eyes snapped wide open once more, leaving her mind blank and her face dumbfounded.

He was still here...?

How could this be?

It didn't make any sense, she clearly heard them both leave her room a few moments ago.

'The weird squeal just now...'

"What are you still doing here Yukihira? Didn't I told you to go back to sleep?"

"Yeah, guess you did."

"Then why haven't you left the room yet?"

"...you're crying."

She was shocked beyond words after hearing his response.

He knew?

How?

There was no way he could have seen her tears in the darkness, so how did he know, she was crying?

"W-what... what are you talking about, I-I'm not crying, why should I?"

"You tell me."

With that, he simply turned the lights back on, and made his way towards her bed, getting a closer look at her now.

She flinched from the sudden movement, not able to hide the trail of tears still streaming down her face in time.

Why did he care?

She wanted to calm herself in private, was that to much to ask? Crying in front of someone just wasn't her thing. She hated feeling vulnerable, or weak for that matter. In these moments, she didn't look like the strong, confident girl she usually was, which caused her to turn her head away from the Chef before her in shame to begin with. He was the last person she wanted to show this side of her to. He shouldn't have a reason to lose the respect, he had for her after all.

Sitting down cross-legged on the floor, right in front of her bed, he sighed and rubbed the back back of his neck with one hand.

"Look at me Nakiri."

She refused.

"Come on. I can sit here all night if I have to, y'know?"

At that, she had no choice but to turn her gaze back towards him. There was no way she would allow him to stay here all night.

"That's better!"

His words were followed by an easy grin, that made her insides twist and turn in adoration. Even though she was scowling at him, he just smiled encouragingly back at her.

'So annoying.' she thought to herself before letting out a frustrated sigh herself. There was just no getting rid of this guy.

"Now tell me what you dreamed about."

"You have got to be kidding, why would I do that? Besides, I already told you, I forgot most of it, remember?"

"Man..., and here everyone says I'm a terrible liar."

"Excuse me?"

"Look, just... tell me what your nightmare was about. You saw how worried everyone else was, me included. I know, you wouldn't be crying over a forgotten dream either, so... you might as well drop the act. It will make you feel better, trust me."

Damn him and his stupid observation skills! Since when did Yukihira turn into an psychologist? She didn't need to tell him- or rather, she didn't want to tell him, why couldn't he accept that and leave the room already? She just wanted to avoid thinking about this. At least for now. Maybe one day, she would be able to tell him- or anyone for that matter, but for now her only wish was for him to give it a rest. She couldn't bring herself to tell him about such a unpleasant memory...

So instead, she decided to address another subject they needed to solve first. This was far more important anyway, and since they were alone now, it would be the perfect opportunity to discuss the matter. Hopefully he wouldn't pester her about her nightmare after that. It couldn't hurt to give it a shot, could it?

"What happened back there Yukihira?"

He seemed confused, most likely because that wasn't the response he'd expected of course.

"What do you mean?"

"At the balcony. We talked, a-and then...w-well..."

Realization finally hit him, based on his eyes widening slowly and his mouth hanging open immaturely. He looked funny in that moment, causing Erina to try her best to hold back a small laugh. She secretly appreciated that, seeing as it successfully distracted her from her thoughts. However she also knew that the hard part of their conversation was yet to come, which was why Erina tried to savor the feeling of wanting to laugh at the bewildered expression on his face. Who knew when she would have that feeling again? One thing was for sure, the heiress didn't expect it to come anytime soon after this.

"I... y-you mean when..."

Now it was impossible to not see the tiny hint of a blush gracing his attractive face. He knew exactly what she was talking about.

"Yeah, t-that... Why did we... I-I mean, w-what had you in mind when... when it happened?"

"I... w-why are you bringing this up now? That's not why I stayed here, y'know! Don't change the subject!"

"I'm not! I just... need answers, Yukihira. We haven't had a proper chance to talk about this, and it felt... strange somehow. I can't really explain it, but I... had the feeling, you were... ignoring me for the rest of the night. I didn't... I-I didn't like it, okay? So tell me what you were thinking when... you kissed me?"

She didn't bother telling him that there was the possibility of it being the other way around of course, that she could be the one who initiated their kiss. It was mortifying enough as it is without them wanting to find out who the first move belonged to. Her deeply flushed cheeks and her unhealthy heartbeat were the perfect indication of her embarrassment already.

"I didn't ignore you! Like you said, there was just no opportunity to talk to you back there. I was trying to figure out all that stuff myself when we were playing cards, but... I don't know."

His hand found the way back to his neck automatically while he let out a long sigh of exhaustion. He seemed lost in thought for a moment before continuing.

"Sorry Nakiri, guess I can't tell you what happened. The truth is... I don't have a freakin' clue either. It was like my head moved on it's own, y'know?"

That wasn't what she had expected to hear. Not at all.

Erina didn't know, what she wanted to hear for that matter, but the tiniest tingle of disappointment told her that this definitely wasn't it. Another comparison with her shoujo Manga proved itself utterly useless at this point yet again. It didn't help, that Yukihira also sat on the floor instead of her bed, right next to her...

He was keeping his distance for a reason, she was sure of that.

Feeling her cheeks heating up even further, she cursed herself for having such indecent thoughts. He was doing perfectly fine where he was!

Nevertheless, she had the distant feeling that this wasn't the whole story. It seemed like there was more to his behavior back at the balcony than what he just told her. As honest as he was- she had no doubt about that-, he didn't tell her everything, which was quite surprising yet frustrating at the same time.

Why would he hide something in the first place?

Try as she might, she couldn't imagine Yukihira of all people having secrets like all the rest of them did. He was always like an open book to her, so why would he feel the need to hide something now?

Or... maybe she was overthinking this again. He was probably just as confused as she was.

"I see..."

"What had you in mind back there?"

"W-what?"

Suddenly she felt herself panicking again.

"Well, you asked me, so it's only fair if I do it too now, right?"

"I-I..."

She couldn't possibly tell him how she felt while they kissed, let alone what she was thinking at that time. Her embarrassment would kill her right then and there. So she settled on simply following his example: be honest without revealing too much.

'Should be easy enough.'

"I... well to tell you the truth I have no idea either. I felt confused but there was something else that forced my mind to go blank the entire time."

He looked like he didn't quite believe her at first- probably finding her explanation way too vague-, but then sighed in defeat, as he slowly stood up again. His eyes lingered on her for a second longer, and in that moment Erina had the feeling, she disappointed him with her answer as well. He looked... sad somehow. Of course she could have been seeing things, considering how fast this expression came and went, but she was sure to have seen something...

By now, he was facing the door, leaving her staring disapprovingly at his back. Why did he want to leave all of a sudden?

"Alright..., what d'ya say we just forget about it then? If no one had a clear mind back there, it would be pointless to dwell on it any longer anyway, don't ya think?"

His voice betrayed no emotion whatsoever, but when he turned his head to the side in order to get another look at her, she instantly knew he was for a fact 'disappointed'.

Her heart broke at seeing this unfitting expression on his face. The smile he gave her was fake to no end, she could effortlessly tell. If Yukihira Soma was disappointed, it had to have a meaning of some sort. He wasn't usually the one to feel displeased with the actions- or words in her case- of his friends so easily. What did that mean now?

"Well, I think I'm gonna go to bed now, since you probably won't tell me about your dream after all. But don't forget Nakiri, if you need to talk, you know where to find me, just like last time. Sleep tight!"

"Yeah..., you too..."

And with that, he gave her one last smile before shutting the door behind him. She stared at it a few minutes longer with a blank expression on her face, then got up to quickly change her clothes- her wet ones sticking to her skin uncomfortably by now.

In her mind, she repeated Yukihiras words over and over again.

'So we should just forget about the kiss, huh? That's not what happens in my Manga either. Why? Why should we forget it? This was my...'

She blushed just thinking about it being her first kiss. Wasn't it supposed to be special? That's what she read. That's what everyone said. Why couldn't it be special for her as well?

'I don't want to forget, but... he just... whatever.'

They were still friends so she should be grateful for that. Fact was however, she was... dissatisfied with the turn of events- they both were for whatever reason, she could see it in his eyes and he most likely in hers too. But it was like a silent agreement between them while smiling to one another to let it rest until the time was right to bring it up again.

For now she would try and keep her mind at ease, with a little luck, she would hopefully come to understand what all of this meant. Yukihira was her friend- her ally now but other than that, he was still his obnoxious, crazy, infuriating, cocky self, so she honestly couldn't get why she had these crazy sensations whenever he was around. It literally didn't make any sense at all.

But... dealing with this wasn't her top priority at the moment anyway. She had to speak with her grandfather as soon as she would get back to the Estate on Saturday. Maybe it wouldn't even be necessary to visit Jouchirou Saiba after all. Maybe she could get the answers she seeked from her grandfather too.

Here was hoping at least.

Now wearing a new nightgown, she crawled back under the covers, pleading to god that she would get some sleep for the rest of the night- or morning.

Night terrors like these wouldn't come twice in a row anyway, and her strange conversation with Yukihira was not gone from her memory either.

'It will be solved in due time,... right?'

Hey guys,

I'm really sorry for changing stuff all the time everyone, I guess I have to get used to this properly first. Anyway, this time I didn't really change anything plotwise but more profilewise. My username is different now, so don't woorry about a thing, I'm still here. It was just that I was a little unoriginal with, since it was the same one I use for everything else, it got kind of confusing for a moment, so... new username but that's it! Thanks so much for reading again, and see you next time! Take care guys!