Side by side the Mikage twins walked down the crowded aisle towards their first classes of the day. Usually both siblings would be chattering to each other while the other strained to understand the complex conversation that would often lose itself amongst the sea of students. Though today both Aki and Aya stayed deathly silent, the tension resting heavily upon Aya's shoulders. She turned her face slightly to the right, casting a single side-glace at the quiet male walking besides her. Pale face drawn into an emotionless mask, her brother seemed to suddenly turn into a complete stranger. What happened to the usually happy blond-haired male she was used to seeing in the morning? She hated to be a hypocrite now, but she'd prefer the cheerful Aki any day to the silent one. Averting her gaze back to the path ahead, Aya heard her brother utter a few sentences. Even if she had to strain her ears to hear him above the roar of pupil voices. "Do you intend to run out of class like yesterday?" His question came out completely unexpected and the fury written in his deep blue eyes frightened Aya. "No..Aki. I don't intend to leave class anymore..but I also do not intend to discuss my actions with you." She retorted coldly. Her icy voice seemed to both offend and surprise Aki for he quickly turned away from her. His shoulders went ridged and his jaw squared firmly into his jawline "Very well. Just don't come crying to me when the teacher assigns detention." He hissed, stepping into the classroom with his back to Aya the entire time. :: Why does it hurt? Why!?:: The blond-haired girl paused at the entrance, one hand resting against the wall for support. Since yesterday her emotions had been completely muddled, but could it really be her doing? Or was is her own guilt at Yuki's terrible predicament. Finally with her shaky composure glued together, Aya entered into the classroom already feeling the burden of finding Yuki's seat completely empty.


With the teacher absorbed in her lesson and time ticking slowly by, Aya dropped her pencil into her notebook. Finding that she couldn't even concentrate on what the teacher spoke much less place any real effort into taking vital notes. Lips curved into a worried line, the young woman stuck a peek towards her twin brother,envying the fact that he could keep his attention on the board despite his lingering concern for her. :: If he were in my shoes perhaps...then he'd know why I can not concentrate.:: The blond-haired girl mused quietly to herself, turning sapphire hues back towards the board. Almost an hour till lunch started, her concentration broke long enough to recognize two familiar figures slipping in through the classroom entrance. Aya gripped the edge of her desk with one hand while fighting the urge to walk out. "It's not their fault...it is mine." She reminded herself softly, but understood that her current situation was a precarious one. :: Wait...wasn't I looking for Haru this morning?:: Her mind questioned uncertainly, sending the young woman back in time. Indeed the words were true, yet she felt a deep discomfort in confronting Haru and telling him her real intentions. That was if she had any left to act upon. Aya swallowed back a lump in her throat, hardly aware of anything until a loud bell served to wake her out of an induced state. The students emptied the classroom leaving both siblings alone to deal with their problems. "Aya..are you coming?" Aki asked, grabbing his lunch box from beneath the table. "No..I'm skipping lunch today to run some important errands." She lied giving Aki one of her sweetest smiles to entice him away. "Eh..fine with me. Catch you later." He waved slightly before vanishing amid the crowds.


Aya blew out a soft sigh through her glossy lips as she watched her brother head to lunch alone. Deep-seated guilt stole its' way into her heart, nearly making it weak from shame. "I've become such a terrible sister." She whispered sadly to herself, making sure that no other student could hear her words for they would be quick to judge. Though without warning she felt a familiar stirring inside of her. Ceres had begun to shift restlessly inside of her, causing several tremors to run up and down Aya's spine. :: I sense a presence coming.:: The woman's smooth voice echoed in her mind, urging the blond-haired girl to cast her gaze towards Haru and Momiji. She cast a knowing glace at the two young men, but kept completely silent. What could she say to them? Especially if both knew what had occurred yesterday. :: They wouldn't know how to react..after all..Yuki is related to them.:: Biting her lower lip slightly, she lifted her eyes in time to see Haru meeting her eyes. Handing clenched into tight fists, the young woman watched him wonder away from the area. Her heart and mind knowing what to do while her body decided to stayed glued in one spot. "Dang it." She hissed, forcing herself to heed the hint he'd given her. Fueled by stubborn determination, Aya made her way from the lunch room towards the school grounds outside. Pausing slightly to catch her breath, Aya eyed Haru cautiously from a safe distance. Should she go or head back in? Should she act like a coward? :: I've never been one to back down from a challenge..nor am I going to start that habit now.:: Stumbling towards the white-haired Sohma, Aya planted herself beneath the outer-edge of the tree. Blue hues eying him uneasily while her mouth formed troubled sentences "I don't suppose...you now what happened to Yuki? Right?" She mumbled softly, dropping her gaze to the floor. :: I know he knows...but what else..can I say.:: "Perhaps..it would have been best for Yuki to have never met me in the first place." Aya commented, dropping down to the ground with legs crossed upon the soft grass.

"You should know you mean a great deal to him though..."


The blond-haired girl paused hesitantly behind the wooden door, one hand wrapped tentatively around the brass knob. Her facial expression changed into a stoic mask from which no emotion could escape, even if sapphire hues gave away their distinctive angry gleam. Aya shivered slightly, all of Hatori's words ringing in her mind and clouding her senses even further. :: Why did he have to tell me all of this?:: She mused remaining completely still for a few more minutes. "Heh..I suppose I did mean something to Yuki in the past...but not anymore." The words left her lips without her permission, yet what else could she say to the young man behind her. There were no other possibilities in which she would argue against Hatori, not when her own soul had been rubbed down to the very core. And she wished he would not have mentioned Yuki's feelings towards her for it struck home in the most painful of ways. Swallowing harshly, Aya decided the time had come to depart for home. :: Aki must be seriously worried..for school has ended.:: She clenched blue eyes shut, managing to force the door open by brute strength. Her body moved automatically into the dark hallway, the hellish gateway to the infirmary closing behind her. Blocking out the sight of both Hatori and Yuki behind a mass of steel and paint. The young woman stumbled heavily through the house, not knowing how she had been able to navigate to the outside world..towards freedom.


"Why?..Why did he have to tell me!? Why did I involve myself in this mess!?" Aya cried out in frustration, her trembling hands burying themselves into the tangled mass of brownish-blond hair. Sapphire hues finally opened to reveal not the dark house from which she'd escape hell, but another scenery. Trees and bushes appeared in front to taunt her for several meters away a medium-sized gap appeared between the brush. Whispy strands of blond-tresses clung to the branches, lazily swaying on the wind as if to remind her that this territory was forbidden. :: How dare you mock me.:: She growled softly, bolting towards the opening in the foliage, the clumsy trip back to the city sidewalk brought on flashbacks of her desperate race towards the Sohma House. Only a few hours ago had she been on the other side of the barrier, yelling and threatening Akito with empty words, Empty promises that she wouldn't keep. "Don't forget...the blood.." Aya trailed of unable to continue her sentence. Such negativity coming from her mouth served to dampen an already soggy spirit even more. The young woman did not know how long she could keep up with her burden and still deal with Aki at the same time. Yet she knew he must never find out about the incident or all would come loose. Smoothing down a wrinkled blue skirt, Aya padded easily towards school grounds barely avoiding getting lost in the rapid rush of eager students on her way to the gates. Her brother came out from within the alabaster building, his body doing 360's to locate his missing sibling.

"Aya!?" He called out solemnly, strong hands cupped around his mouth to amplify his voice above the multitudes. The young man stopped calling as his throat began to burn painfully, lips thinning in disappointment..he wondered what had become of Aya Mikage. Why had his once responsible sibling become such a wretched mess? Why had her high scores gone down to almost nothing? Why the sudden change? He suspected it had to do with her dislike of school coming back. What else could trigger the change? Or it could be lack of parental guidance? Aki shook his head, not wishing to burden himself with anymore worries. "Over here!" He perked up instantly, spinning around at the sound of his sister's familar voice. A tiny smile touched his lips only to disappear upon seeing his sister appear before him with such a ragged disposition. Azure hues scoured her face endlessly, recognizing red-rimmed eyes and disheveled hair. Had she been in a fight after school? "Aya..have any of our classmates...threatened or.." He paused as the blond-haired girl raised a hand to stop him. "Please.." She begged him desperately "Please..I wish not to talk about my problems today...I do not wish to deal with more burdens at the moment..can we just head home?" Aya whispered, averting her gaze to the floor. "A..alright." Aki muttered, spinning around to head home with Aya tagging behind him.

:: I feel bad for lying to him.::


:: Revenge:: The words flowed from Ceres' mind into Aya's, prompting the young woman to stumble on blindly ahead while fighting alien feelings again. She opened glossy lips to scream in pain, but stopped herself from doing so. Aya couldn't do it. The young girl could not involve her innocent brother in such insidious plots. :: Don't you want to teach that Akito Sohma a lesson?:: That smooth and cunning voice rose again to haunt her, until the blond-haired girl caved in. "Revenge...I want revenge.." She whispered softly, knowing the murderous feelings would follow her all through the night and all through school tomorrow. :: I'm thinking about hurting Akito...when I have other burdens to think about.:: Aya shook her head, wanting to tell Aki about missing school on purpose tomorrow. She could end up telling the teacher that the stomach flu had gotten a hold of her or perhaps Aya should just appear to talk with her last hope Haru. :: He is the only one...who can keep me from disappearing completely from Yuki's life...:: She muttered mentally as vengeance became another part of her subconscious mind.

------

Morning dawned clear for both young siblings as they struggled to rise from tangled bedsheets. Though for one of them, waking up for school had become such a strenuous burden. "I want to stay home.." Aya muttered slipping into a fresh school uniform that had been carefully laid out the previous night. Her eyelids felt slightly heavy, but the blond-haired girl knew it was from crying and lack of sleep. Or perhaps her overly active imagination. "Aya! Let's go before the school bell rings!" Aki's cheerful voice interrupted her muddled thoughts. "Thanks." She whispered in gratitude, glad that he had broken her negative spell at least for a while. "I'm coming in a minute!" Aya yelled from atop the stairs, her hands grabbing the backpack from the counter..she raced out into the cool morning. Even with the heavens shimmering a dull blue shade above them, Aya felt her spirit falling again. Yesterday's events had not left her mind nor had it vanished from thought. Every step she took brought on a different flash back from her conversation with Hatori to Yuki's pleas. ::Gah..:: Aya whimpered slightly, feeling quite reluctant to enter the alabaster building once again. Yet she had no choice, but to follow closely behind her brother all the while flickering blue hues for any sight of Haru. :: I wonder if he has news...of yesterday's..events?:: She questioned biting her lower lip nervously :: I just wonder..if he will even listen to me..much less help me again like last time.::


occ: Sorry again for the late post x-x. Alright skipped ahead to a morning scene in school and such..but I do remember we talked about Aya wanting to take revenge on Akito and something about appeasing Akito if I recall correctly...o_O