Disclaimer: Nothing's mine but the plot! Enjoy and Review, por favor!

A/N: Sorry it took so long to get the next chapter up! Sometimes I get stuck with writer's block and when I do it takes forever to get my juju back again! xP

Chapter Five

"So, Yumi-chaan," Yamato began the next morning once her little sister had emerged from her room along with a half-dead Ogasawara Sachiko. "I don't suppose you remember Hideo-kun?" She smirked as Yumi instantly blushed crimson and raised her eyebrows at Touko- they had formed an alliance the night before, both having agreed that the two Chinesis were too oblivious for their own good.

"A-actually I do, onee-chan," Yumi murmured quietly, just loud enough for Yamato to hear and just low enough to cause Sachiko to frown slightly. "Why do you ask?" She was staring down at her hands.

Yamato grinned. "He remembers you too, Yumi-chan," she said happily. "We attended the same school in America- part of the same exchange program, actually, and he asked about you quite a bit."

"Part of the...is he back, then, too?" Yumi asked, her mocha eyes widening.

Yamato nodded slowly, her eyes on Yumi with a smile that was aimed at Sachiko. Yamato didn't seem to have any fear for her own life- either that, or she simply hadn't become acquainted with Sachiko's 'danger zone' by this point. Either way, there was obviously something off in her head.

"Hideo-kun?" Rosa Chinesis finally found her voice, though when she did it was strained and cool.

"Ano...yes, onee-sama," Yumi stated, not meeting Sachiko's poisonous gaze. "Hideo-kun attended elementary and middle school with onee-chan and I. He was my best friend until he entered the exchange program along with onee-chan and..." She broke off, blushing more heavily than before.

Smirking, Yamato picked up where Yumi had left off. "And Yumi-chan had a little crush on him," she finished. "He was her first love- it's terribly romantic, really."

Sei, having picked up on Yamato's game by this point, flashed her a wide grin and two thumbs up.

Sachiko, on the other hand, had gone from icy to melting within the space of those words. Yumi-chan was in love?

The rest of the Yamayurikai was in shock too, though the major thought going through their heads was: With someone else? Because Yumi was so obviously in love with her onee-sama that she and Sachiko were the only ones who hadn't noticed yet.

"Yamato's good," Noriko murmured under her breath as she watched Sachiko's face- it was obvious to every other member of the Yamayurikai that Yumi would do anything for her onee-sama. Yamato had brought up Yumi's first crush only for the sake of pushing Sachiko just a little bit further- it didn't really matter at all, but the temperamental heiress hadn't disappointed.

Beside Noriko, Shimako's gaze wandered over to the older girl, evaluating her with those kind eyes, having completely misinterpreted her petite soeur's statement. She wasn't used to feeling threatened, and she'd never really had to before now. So she did the only thing she could think of and weaved her fingers through Noriko's, her gaze fluttering to Yamato. It was mild, and someone else might have mistaken it for a coincidental stare, but Yamato saw right through all the tensing and coolness.

Noriko stiffened, but Shimako stubbornly tightened her grip on her petite soeur's hand- she was tired of Noriko's evasiveness and after what had happened last night, she was determined to uncover the truth, no matter how much it hurt her.

Across the room, Sachiko hadn't said a word since her question to Yumi as her mind was racing to the beat of her heart. Yumi- her Yumi, in love with someone else. The mere thought was enough to make her want to curl up into a ball and cry. A passerby might have mistaken Sachiko's silence for disinterest, but Youko saw the pain in her ex petite soeur's eyes and knew that Sachiko wasn't going to challenge Yumi's feelings as she had challenged those with feelings for Yumi. She would never interfere with Yumi's heart, no matter how much it hurt her.

"Onee-chaaan," Yumi whined in a very unladylike voice. "That was years ago- I barely even remember him now!"

"But he's back," Yamato pointed out. "Who knows? Maybe you'll fall in love all over again."

"I won't."

Yumi's definitive statement shocked everyone except Yamato- even Touko didn't think that Yumi could ever feel so strongly about any one thing.

"Perhaps my little sister has found someone else, then." Yamato's reply was quiet, no more than a whisper, but the entire room had heard. "Eh, Yumi-chan?"

Unable to think of a good retort (mainly because Yamato's accusation was, in fact, true), Yumi merely blushed even deeper, not meeting anyone's eyes. There had been various reactions to Yamato's soft-spoken words:

Noriko was biting her lip, her gaze flitting over to Shimako periodically, never staying still for more than a moment at a time. If Yumi's secret came out now, it was the perfect opportunity to gauge what her onee-sama's reaction would be like if Noriko ever confessed the truth. Beside her, Shimako was also weary, but only because of Noriko's rather extreme reaction to her friend's situation.

Yoshino was leaning forward, her gaze was volleying from Sachiko to Yamato as if she were watching a tennis match. Rei simply leaned back against the chair, waiting patiently.

Youko and Sei both watched with mild amusement, and if one looked closely, one could see that Sei had her hand clasped around Youko's upper arm to prevent the previous Rosa Chinesis from following her interfering instincts.

Touko was glaring at Yamato, thinking that she had gone one step too far, but didn't say anything for once.

When Sachiko finally spoke, it was in an icy voice that sent shivers down the spines of the Yamayurikai. "You are obviously making Yumi uncomfortable," she said quietly. "I would appreciate it if you would stop interfering in my petite soeur's private life." Her words were mild, but her sapphire eyes were flashing angrily.

Yamato rolled her eyes. "You really wear on a person's nerves, Sachiko-san," she said in a bored voice, and the entire room seemed to halt its' breathing. "Why scold me for asking a question that you want the answer to more than any of us? Isn't that a bit...hypocritical of you, Rosa Chinesis?"

Sachiko's eyes widened in shock- how dare this...this...how dare she tell her how she felt? How dare she see...right...through...her. "You...," she began quietly. Suddenly, she felt a tugging at her sleeve and looked down to find her Yumi gazing up at her worriedly and she melted instantly. "You...you might want to practice a little respect, Himeya-san," she finally continued before turning and walking out of the sitting room, leaving the shocked Yamayurikai, who had never seen Sachiko give up on a battle, behind.

Yamato grinned- the heiress was falling head-first for her baby sister and it was becoming more obvious by the second. However, somewhere deep inside, something sank.

She's going to break her heart, Yamato realized with a start. She knew of Sachiko's engagement to Kashiwagi Suguru and her loyalty to her family. Sachiko had grown up with the knowledge that her family came before love- she could be in love with Yumi and her heart could break every night but she would never run after her and she was going to break Yumi's heart.

Slowly, she turned away from the stunned audience and trailed up the stairs after Sachiko.

What am I doing?