Hello again. I'm here with my fifth update, I hope you all like this chapter!

I want to thank Rinhearts for reviewing and love will always be there for following and favoriting my story. Your support means alot.

Now enough formalities, go ahead and read the chapter!

Today is Monday. After I had come back from Kyoya's house my parents sat me down and explained the situation. I had to fain surprise since I didn't want my parents to know that I had eavesdropped on them.

My dad finished our talk by saying that he was going to wait a few days and then ask one last time for business between our companies to be resumed. I'm hoping that Kyoya fulfilled my request and that my words had some sort of positive effect on his father.

School was boring today and filled with long irksome lectures. 'Why teachers insist on taking three times the necessary time to explain something is beyond me.'

I was in my last class of the day, literature. Class had fifteen minutes left but I had already finished reading and answering the questions on today's lesson so I was bored.

My desk is right next to a window so I kept glancing at the sunny sky wishing that I was not stuck in this stuffy classroom.

I sighed, then I felt something poke my back. I carefully reached behind my back, making sure the teacher didn't notice, and grabbed the note Kiyomi had given me.

I opened the note and this is what it said-

it's a beautiful day. Want to do something outside after school?

I quickly scrawled out-

sure. What did you have in mind?

Before slipping the note to Kiyomi.

I heard pencil scratching paper and then Kiyomi passed me another note-

I was thinking lemonade in the rose garden.

I turned my head, smiled at my friend, and gave her a slight nod to let her know that I agreed. Next thing I knew I heard the bell ring, signaling the end of class.

"I'll go get Yuka, you go get the lemonade," I said to Kiyomi as we exited the class room.

"Alright, see you in a little bit," Kiyomi responded as she headed to the cafeteria.

It took me about five minutes ti reach Yuka's class room. 'That's odd,' I thought. 'Yuka usually waits for either Kiyomi or I to pick her up. I wonder where she is?'

That's when I heard shouting down the hall. "What did you do this time?" I mumbled as I sprinted towards the voices.

When I reached the source of the noise, I wasn't surprised to find Yuka in a fighting stance, surrounded by some boys from class 2-B.

"Aren't you a spunky one," the boys jeered at my friend as they took turns yanking on her dress, hair, and limbs.

"Give me my bag back or you'll regret it!" Yuka demanded as she made a lunge for her bag.

"Uh-uh-u," the boy holding Yuka's bag said. "That's no way for a lady to speak. If you want your bag back then you'll have to give me a kiss."

"No way!" Yuka exclaimed, taking a few steps back while the boys laughed at her.

"If you won't give us a kiss then we'll just have to take it from you." As he said this, one of the boys grabbed Yuka on the shoulder.

'Bad idea.'

Yuka retaliated by grabbing his arm and twisting it into an arm-lock. This is when I stepped out of the shadows, deciding to intervene at last.

"Thanks for taking care of my friend," I said casually as I took Yuka's bag from the ringleader's hand

Then I grabbed Yuka by the shoulders and started pushing her down the hall way away from the group, calling over my shoulder, "we'll be leaving now."

"Not so fast," the ringleader said, causing me to freeze and cringe.

'Damn! I almost made it!'

"You two aren't going anywhere," the ringleader purred as he and his posse surrounded Yuka and me.

"I'm sorry, but we need to be going. Is that a problem?" I asked, my voice airy yet laced with malice.

"If you think that we're afraid of two little girls then bring it on," the ringleader whispered in my ear.

I opened my mouth to reply when I heard a cool voice say, "are you boys bothering Miss Yamada and Miss Sasaki?"

"Of course not, Ohtori!" The boys said hurriedly before scampering away down the hall.

"Uh, thank you, Kyoya." I said turning to him.

"You're welcome," Kyoya responded simply before walking away.

XXXXXXX

"What took you so long?" Kiyomi asked as we joined her on the terrace in the rose garden. "Did Yuka get into a fight again?"

"Hey! Why is it that every time I'm late you guys think that I got into a fight again?" Yuka cried indignantly.

"Because you usually are in a fight when you're late," Kiyomi and I deadpanned.

"Hmph!" Yuka said, crossing her arms and sitting down with her chin in the air. "For your information some jerks from 2-B stole my bag and they wouldn't give it back unless I kissed them. Luckily Kyoya showed up and scared them away."

"So you didn't break anyone's bones?" Kiyomi asked in disbelief.

"Nope," Yuka said proudly.

"Because I stopped you," I said butting in.

Yuka mumbled something incoherent while Kiyomi laughed at her. "I knew you didn't have enough self restraint to keep from breaking the bones of someone who's bothering you!"

Yuka Sasaki, daughter of Rei Sasaki, who is childhood friends with Yorihsa Haninozuka, is a die-heart when it comes to karate.

Mr. Sasaki is a close business partner with the Hannnozuka's, with Mr. Sasaki being one of the teachers at the Haninozuka's dojo. Due to the fact that her father lives and breathes karate, Yuka is very good at it.

'I wonder if Ohtori spoke with his father? And if he did, what does Mr. Ohtori think?'

"Madoka, Ma-do-ka!"

"Huh?" I said, snapping out of my thoughts to see Yuka waving her hand furiously in front of my face.

"Earth to Madoka, is anyone there?"

"What?" I said as I pushed Yuka's hand out of my face.

"Kiyomi asked if you liked the lemonade, she made it herself."

"Oh, it's very good Kiyomi," I said, guiltily taking a sip of the lemonade.

"Thanks," Kiyomi answered. "So what were you thinking about?"

I paused for a second before answering, "Kyoya. He seemed cool and curt when he passed us in the hallway; more so than usual."

"I didn't notice anything off about him," Yuka said, looking up from her lemonade.

"That's because you were to busy glaring at those boys. I bet you didn't even glance at Kyoya," I said accusingly.

"Not true," Yuka mumbled.

"Maybe he was thinking about something? Perhaps he saw something in the hallway that reminded him of something that was bothering him," Kiyomi suggested. "Anyways, it's probably not that important."

"Yeah, you're right," I said.

Then Yuka changed the subject to the ball and I forgot all about Kyoya as we talked about nails, make-up, hair, and the like.

XXXXXXX

"I'm home!" I called as I walked into my house after returning from school.

"Madoka? Is that you? Your father would like to speak with you," Kairi said, pocking her head into the entry.

"Okay. Is he in his office?" I asked as I handed Kairi my school bag.

"Yes."

"Tell him that I'll be there in five minutes. I want to change out of this mushroom first," I said, gesturing to my yellow monstrosity of a school uniform.

I ran up the stairs two at a time and quickly changed into a cream, rusty red, light and dark brown plaid dress that reached halfway to my knees and had criss-crossing straps in the back. I pulled my hair into a half ponytail and then I raced back down the stairs, pausing for a second in front of the double doors that lead to my dad's office.

I fixed my hair and straightened my dress before taking a deep breath and entering my dad's office.

"You wanted to see me?" I asked as I stood in front of my dad's desk with my hands clasped together behind my back.

"Yes," my dad said, looking up from a stack of papers that were on his desk. "This morning I went to see Mr. Ohtori and he said I could have my job back."

"Really? That's great!" I said smiling brightly at my dad.

"But..."

"But?"

"But there are some conditions," dad said slowly.

"Like what?" I asked, my smile vanishing.

"Ohtori's conditions are that I sell him my business, in return he'll make me vice-president and raise my salary by twenty percent. But in order to ensure good relations and out company's cooperation, Mr. Ohtori wants to put you and his youngest son, Kyoya, into an arranged marriage."

I stood stunned for a second, unable to speak. 'Me, marry Kyoya?' Was all that was racing through my mind as I asked, "what did you tell Mr. Ohtori?"

"I told him that I wanted to discuss the situation with you and your mother before making a decision. Both your mother and I think that we should decline the offer."

"Why?!" I shouted slamming my fists onto the desk.

"Because I don't want to force you into marriage."

"But I don't mind!"

"You don't?"

"No!"

"Well I mind," dad said gazing sternly at me.

"Why?!" I asked exasperated.

"Because I not only feel like I would be loosing a child but I also feel like I'm depriving you of the joys of your teenage years. You've never had a boyfriend, you've never gone on a date, and you've never even kissed a guy! If I accept this offer I will feel like I have failed as a father."

"But if you don't accept this Sakura will have to go away to live with Uncle Toma. No matter what you decide on doing you're going to loose a child. But if you accept Mr. Ohtori's offer, Sakura will be able to spend her childhood with her family. Besides, I'm going to get married eventually, this just guarantees it!"

"I don't care!" Dad shouted, slamming his hands down onto the desk. "I decided a long time ago that I would never force my children to into marriage. Thousands of people survive on the salary that I'll make with out the Ohtori's business-"

"But those people don't have a daughter that requires expensive medicine to live!"

"MADOKA! Don't speak to me like that! I'm in charge of this family, you need to learn your place. I make the decisions and I've decided that we'll survive without the Ohtori's and that you are grounded. Do you understand?"

"But!" I pleaded.

"No but's! I asked if you understood?"

I stayed silent.

"Well?" Dad asked, anger apparent in his voice.

"I understand," I mumbled.

"Good, Aki, please escort my daughter to her room."

"Yes sir," he answered as he placed a hand on my back and led me out of dad's office and into my room.

'That idiot!' I thought as I flopped helplessly onto my bed.

I hope you all liked this chapter. Here's a question for you: what would you have done if you were in Madoka's place? Would you have urged your dad to accept the deal or decline it?

I'll let you guys think about that as you wait for the next chapter: Taking Matters into My Own Hands.

See you next time.

-Karolyn Grace