Sorry it took awhile, darn school keeps me busy.

But here's chapter three!

No, I do not own these characters, I just borrow them ;)

As soon as his daughter walked into the room, Kichida Hiroshi knew he was in trouble. She didn't just walk in; she practically kicked the door down. Emi didn't get angry easily, but obviously he'd done something that had really pissed her off.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she demanded of her father, slamming her hands on his desk.

"Tell you what?"

"He's back." She hissed at him.

Hiroshi leaned back in his chair, a concerned look on his face, "He's back?" he asked.

She curled her fists, "Don't play stupid father."

"I didn't tell you because you're worried enough. I was trying to protect you. Who told you?"

Her anger dissapated. She sat down in one of the chairs and put her head in her hands, "No one. He told me himself."

"You met him? You were at Kyouya's house."

"He wasn't home so I went for a walk." Partially true, "He was following me. He wanted to send a warning." She told her father of what had passed between them, leaving out a few parts involving her, Takashi and the manilla evelope.

"That's it, you're on lock down for awhile." He picked up the phone, "You're not going to school."

She hopped up, "No! I have to go to school!"

He looked up, "We can have your homework sent over."

"But, what about my tests?" she was grasping at straws to think of reasons for her to go to school.

"That's not a problem. You need to be safe. If you do need to go out, then you won't be alone."

"Dad, is that really necessary?" she wanted to be safe from Ichiro, but then she wouldn't be able to see Takashi.

"The man tried to kill you not four months ago, he back for revenge, and you think you don't need any protection?"

She lowered her eyes, "Your right dad." And she slumped out the door. She had a phone call to make.

He was sitting alone in his room, thinking about what his father had told him. Emi was involved, did she know? If she didn't, should he tell her? His father hadn't said her specifically that she knew, he had only said 'the Kichida boys', not Emi. His phone rang, it was Emi.

"Takashi, we're in trouble." Were the first words he heard when he answered the phone.

He listened as she told him what had happened. When she was done she asked, "You knew he was back already, didn't you?"

"He just told me."

"At least you weren't lying to me. My dad wasn't going to tell me. Kanaye and Ryou probably know too. They were going to keep me in the dark. Takashi, he knows."

"How?"

"Someone's been following us, he gave me pictures as proof. What are we going to do?"

"I don't know."

"I'm not going to be able to see you for awhile. My dad is going to keep me here for awhile."

"Hm." He didn't know what else to say. He knew that her staying home was best for her, but he didn't like that he wasn't going to see her.

"I'm going to miss you." She said quietly.

There were three words both of them had avoided saying for the last four months, and now seemed like the right time to say them, "Emi, I-" but she cut him off suddenly, "Bye mom, talk to you later." And hung up on him. He sighed, maybe that wasn't the right time.

"Who are you going to miss?" Kanaye asked.

'Damn.' She thought, "Bye mom, talk to you later." And she hung up on Takashi. "What do you want?"

"Came to see how you were doing." He sat down next to her on the window seat, "Dad told me."

"Thanks for the concern, but I'm going to be fine."

"He could have tried to kill you again, and Morinozuka Takashi wouldn't have been around to save you." Emi had been a little sketchy on the detail of what had actually happened four months ago, "That was luck you won't have again."

"Yeah." She wasn't sure about that, but she just agreed with him.

He stood up to leave, "By the way, we weren't the only ones keeping a secret." Then he walked away.

How much did her brother know? Kanaye could not keep secrets, at all. What would happen if he let slip to the wrong person? That is if he knew at all, he could be trying to guilt her into saying something. He might not even know what the secret was remotely about at all.

She flopped down on her bed, staring up at her ceiling. She was going to be here awhile, what was she going to do with all her free time?

It had been a long time since she had painted anything. . .

Back in the days of living in California with her mother, Emi had taken on the task of painting every room in the house. While her mother had questioned her color choices, she had done a good job at least. While she found enough peace in playing music, putting color on a wall was something more tangible to her. Right now, she felt like painting. But no one kept paint in the house, so there was only one person to call when she wanted painting supplies.

"Hello Grandma." She said into the phone, "I will owe you a favor if you do something for me."

Kichida Mira was an introverted woman, not interested in much outside of art, her seven grandchildren and her husband. When her three children had been young, her paintings had been much sought after. But by the time her first grandchild was born, arthritis had prevented her from painting anymore. She kept busy by being an art critic, if Kichida Mira didn't like your art, you were almost done for. She wasn't sure what to expect when her oldest granddaughter had called her and asked for some painting supplies. Emi was more suited for the musical arts, but when she heard the whole story she understood. Sometimes you needed something tangible to show that you had done something good. But she had doubts on her granddaughters color choice. Her ex-daughter-in-law (whom she still loved dearly) had mentioned that when Emi was trying to think things out she would often do odd things, like paint rooms.

If it would help her granddaughter, Mira would give Emi what she needed.

Someone knocked frantically at his door, and Kichida Hiroshi answered it. A maid was standing there, breathing heavy as if she had ran a long way, "Emi-chan has taken over one of the guest bedrooms and she's painting the walls."

"Which bedroom?" She told him and he laughed it off, "I never liked the color of that room anyway. Don't worry about it Kaede, she's working something out. No one ever uses that room anyway."

The maid went off in a huff from having to run to tell him, and him just blowing it off as if it was nothing.

It didn't surprise Hiroshi that his daughter had found something like this to occupy her time with.

A few hours later, Emi stepped back to look at her work. She had only gotten one wall done, but she had managed to get a cool design perfectly on the wall. It was a different take on Yin and Yang, her grandmother had given her the idea when she had dropped off the paint. Now she had to think of something to do with the other three walls.

"Impressive." A voice said. Kyouya was standing in the doorway with his clipboard.

"I see you've come to deliever my homework." She said, wipping her hands on her smock.

"I see you've destroyed a perfectly good wall."

Emi made an offended noise, "Thanks for your support."

"Emi-chan!" Mitsukuni cried running in to hug her.

"Whoa there Mitsukuni-sempai, I'm covered in paint."

He slowed down, "Sorry. Takashi's here though!"

"He is?" she looked around, forgetting to act neutral since Kyouya was around.

"Excitied?" Kyouya asked.

She stiffened, "Oh, no, not really." Then she caught Kyouya's look, "You know."

"It wasn't that hard to figure out."

Takashi walked in at that moment, "Then excuse me Kyouya, Mitsukuni-sempai." And she threw her arms around Takashi.

It felt good to hold her again, but somehow it was bittersweet. He had been contemplating those three words that he had wanted to say yesterday. He realized that now was not the moment to tell her now either. Would the right moment ever come?

"I did miss you." She whispered and gave him a quick peck on the lips and stood back. Her father could appear at any moment, or worse, her brother.

"Yin and Yang." He said, observing the wall.

"Right, Grandma Kichida gave me the idea."

The three boys stayed a little longer before a maid (sent by her father) summoned Emi elsewhere and they had to leave. She gave Takashi one last look before the maid dragged her off.

Why did the world have to intervene with their relationship at inconvient times?

Well, that's all for now folks!

Please, oh please, click the review button and tell me what you think. I enjoy review I get, good, bad or in between.

~Cloudy