MBP: Okay, so I didn't have time to do this before… but now I do!

Rini: And…

MBP: I'm still taking requests for Christmas/Holiday presents. I've had one request that I'm working on (its slow progress for this one XD), so I still have room!

Kio: A-anyway, hope you enjoy…

MBP: Here it is!

Chapter Two: Yahiro

Resisting the urge to let his fingers tap out an irritated rhythm on the steering wheel, Yahiro gritted his teeth in the silence. When he found Megumi, he was going to…

What? Yell at her? Call her an idiot? Tell her that you've been a nervous wreck since she left and you can't focus on anything but her? Yahiro nearly growled, stopping only when he remembered who was sitting in his passenger seat.

Aoi. Honestly, Yahiro hadn't really had a big problem with the man; he was quiet and didn't bother him. But for some reason, Megumi had decided to follow Hikari's example and tried being nice to Aoi… and he'd responded.

Needless to say, that irritated Yahiro… a lot. And while Aoi had absolutely no reason to hate Yahiro (after all, those very subtle pranks and blackmail material wasn't part of Yahiro's game), the feelings were mutual between the two.

So this car ride was very… tense.

Yahiro shifted, turning up the volume of the radio. When Aoi didn't respond, Yahiro scowled. The silence from Aoi wasn't making the fact that they were kind of stalking the two girls at the cabin any better.

Truthfully, Yahiro didn't think it was stalking. He was just… making sure she was okay! After all, Megumi was an idiot, and she'd probably hurt herself or something if she was with someone who couldn't take care of her!

And the only one who could protect Megumi from herself was Yahiro. Obviously.

Aoi was the stalker, always following Alisa around despite the fact he wasn't being paid to be her caretaker anymore! He was the one being creepy; Yahiro was just being… protective.

"This is the cabin." The first words Aoi had said since arriving at the Saiga Mansion that morning. With a scowl, Yahiro parked and got out of the car.

"So where are they?" Everything was turned off. Since Megumi was a freak and absolutely had to have noise in every room she was in, the silence was more than enough to tell Yahiro they weren't there.

Aoi merely started walking through the trees without him. With a glare, Yahiro caught up, following with a deadly aura around him. In his fury, he didn't notice the branches under his feet cracking loudly, announcing their presence.

At the edge of the trees, both men paused, barely remembering the other's existence. If Yahiro weren't so irritated at the entire situation, he might have found the expressions on Megumi's face funny. The confusion on her face made way for terror very quickly, and for a moment he was stuck when Megumi made a dash for the water while Aoi followed Alisa into the trees.

Moving towards the water, Yahiro stopped, crossing his arms. She was the most bothersome, idiotic girl… making him chase her all this way, only to flee into the water when she first sees him.

And he had to ride with Aoi of all people… Yahiro's face darkened into a scowl. Megumi Yamamoto certainly had a talking-to coming at her, and she'd think twice before running off without telling him again.

"Get out of the damn water!" He called out, barely stopping the demand from turning into a full-blown screamed out lecture. Megumi seemed to hesitate a moment before shaking her head.

"I'm fine here!" Hearing her voice, while it was calming and he loved it, bothered him. She shouldn't waste her voice on someone like him.

"Don't talk!" The order was out of his mouth, almost instinctively. He certainly said it enough when they were together. When she talked, every time she spoke, it threatened to snap the control he had on his feelings.

He needed that control to survive, to stay sane, to manage himself after everything with Akira. Except… he didn't think of Akira in the same way anymore… or as often as he used to. In fact, it was…

Yahiro's mood darkened as he continued to think, barely registering Megumi muttering to herself. He didn't want to think about the idiot girl as anything more than the idiot girl. He absolutely didn't want to think that he could possibly… love her.

But it was too late, and Yahiro was still fighting what he already knew was true. And maybe Megumi was starting to give up on him…

Fighting an uncharacteristic rush of panic, Yahiro's hands turned into fists. "I will come in after you!"

From the way Megumi reacted, she didn't believe him. Before he could think about how much of an idiot she was, and how much of a bigger idiot he was being, Yahiro pulled off his shirt and dove into the water.

With her panicked squeak, Yahiro deduced that she really hadn't expected that, no more than she expected to get dragged under the water when he caught her arm. She began clinging to him tightly, breathing heavily as she tried to calm down. Keeping her in his grip, he gave into the irritation. "Idiot!"

She tried to pull away the insult, glaring pitifully at him. She hissed at him when he refused to let go of her, becoming annoyed quickly. "You're the one who nearly drowned me!"

The fact that she was very scantily clothed was crossing Yahiro's mind quickly, trying to drown out everything else that could be popping up. As a result, his next words came out choppier than he wanted them to. "Shut. Up."

"I was just trying to have a relaxing vacation with a friend, think of things, write songs, and then you…" Yahiro rolled his eyes, dunking Megumi's head under the water. She just wouldn't listen, and there wasn't any other way that he could stop her from talking.

Well, there was, but he had a feeling if he actually kissed her now, something… it wouldn't be bad, but Megumi was… she'd have a fun reaction.

Amused at imagining her reaction, he raised his eyebrows when she glared at him for the dunk. "I told you to shut up."

Pulling her closer to him, he smirked when she turned bright red and started squirming. "Let… go!"

It was always nice to know that she did think of him as a man, and not just as a best friend, or someone she was obligated to be around. When she reacted to him, and only him, it… made him relax, knowing he was the one that could get her this embarrassed, this confused.

He was enjoying this, now that she was in his arms, now that he could see that she didn't forget him for someone better. "I'll let you go when you stop talking."

She squirmed for another few seconds, her glare easing away in her determination. Finally, she went limp, making Yahiro's heart skip when she nearly escape.

Covering it quickly, he pulled her back to him. "Did you think that would work?"

Yahiro sensed, rather than felt, her trying to kick him under the water. Rolling his eyes at her, he quickly dunked her under the water, bringing her up before she could panic. "It's not nice to kick your beloved Megumi-chan."

"Let me go!" Megumi had spat the water out, struggling to push him away. She wasn't in any mood to do anything but get away from him, like he'd always told her to do.

Instead of obeying, which was the smart move, Yahiro pulled her closer, resting his head on top of hers, taking comfort in holding her. For one moment, he remembered when he'd first gone to pick her up as a "spontaneous" visit from him, only to find out she was gone… and the fear that she'd left him for good.

"You disappeared," He murmured, keeping them above water as he held her close to him. He didn't fully notice that the words were coming out. "I didn't like it."

He did, however, notice when she tensed in his arms, and the words that she spoke in return. "Not everything I do is for you."

Yahiro flinched, almost recoiling away from the words. The Megumi he'd first met wouldn't have said something like that… and it was him that had made it happen. He wasn't good for her, taking away that innocence that charmed so many around her. The regrets came flooding back, almost forcing him to let go, to let her run and never look back, until her voice broke through the haze.

"Yahiro?"

"I don't want you to do everything for me." Yahiro wrapped his arms around Megumi tighter, pressing her small frame against his almost desperately. He didn't want her to do anything but be really didn't… he just… I want you to be everything for me.

He felt Megumi shake her head against his shoulder, barely hearing her whisper. "Why are you here?"

His voice felt hoarse as the truth came out against his will, burying his face in her hair to take in the slight scent of vanilla and strawberries she always had. "I don't know." He didn't have the answer, even for himself. "I just know I didn't like you being gone. I don't like you away from me."

Megumi forced herself far enough back to look him in the eyes, shaking her head furiously. "You don't even like me. You think I'm an idiot, and…"

"You are an idiot," Yahiro interrupted her protests as he let her back away slightly, sensing that if she got started, she'd never stop. She might even realize that all he'd done so far was practically emotional abuse and wonder why she even liked him. "You shouldn't have ever tried talking to me."

She didn't even realize her glare was weak, and her attempt at anger was as endearing as her persistence. Yahiro chuckled, taking her hands in his. He smiled at her gently, the way only she could make him smile, watching as she relaxed and started to listen.

He couldn't let her go. If he did, it would be infinitely worse than it had been with Akira. He was hers, completely, and in turn…

"You're mine," Yahiro decided the best way to do this, without losing all his dignity, was to put the mask Megumi was used to back on. "So if you disappear again, I'm coming after you."

He let her go, moving back to the edge of the water, amused by the shock coming off the girl. Yahiro knew the sudden change would surprise her, but if he'd gone with full honesty and told her the truth, she might have been scared out of her mind. And… he wasn't sure if he was ready to say the truth out loud just yet.

Stopping in his path, Yahiro turned to reach out to the still stunned girl. "Come on idiot; we'll catch a cold if we stay in any longer."

Megumi smiled at him, moving to take his hand, squeezing it tightly. Unconsciously, he tightened his fingers around hers, wanting her near him. Once out of the water however, he let go of her hand, grabbing the jacket he'd been carrying and handing it to the soaked girl.

As he pulled on his discarded shirt, he looked down to see 'thank you' written in the dirt, bringing out an embarrassed blush as Megumi smiled sincerely at him.

The walk back was quiet, and Yahiro didn't feel the need to break the silence except to warn Megumi about things she might trip over. Unlike the silence in the car, this was comfortable. Being with Megumi at all was just… comforting.

During the walk, Yahiro had every intention of taking her to the cabin, waiting with her for Aoi and Alisa to return. He'd had every intention of leaving again, letting her have the rest of the vacation she'd wanted in peace.

At the door, he changed his mind. Yahiro didn't think he'd make it through the rest of Megumi's vacation without dashing back up here with some lame excuse when he just wanted to see her. He crossed his arms, hoping not to just throw her in the car and drive. "Pack. We're going home."

He waited in the front while Megumi packed quickly. Smiling, he noticed it sounded like Megumi was just shoving everything into her bags, not caring about how neat it was or not. His smile only grew when Aoi walked into the cabin, Alisa being carted over his shoulder, her indignant yells ringing through the cabin.

From the looks of things, Megumi was about to drop her now-packed bags and go help her friend free herself from the rock man. Yahiro took preventive measures, going to Megumi's side quickly, moving her to the car.

"She can take care of herself," Yahiro muttered, opening the door for Megumi. "And the robot could use some confrontation."

Really, Aoi could use some conflict in his life. His completely bland life had one spice in it, and he only had that because of his stalker-ish tendencies.

Since Megumi was frowning, and he didn't want her thinking about his dislike of the older man, Yahiro wrapped his arm around her waist, getting close again. When she looked up at him, he bent down, kissing her gently like he'd always wanted to.

He knew he'd likely just claimed Megumi's first kiss, especially since she turned red when he drew away, smirking when he realized she tasted like the strawberries she was obsessed with.

In fact, she should know that. "You taste like strawberries," he murmured, making her stammer incomprehensible sentences. He pulled away slowly, taking in the sensation of her until he nudged her into the passenger seat. "Stop talking."

He went to the driver's seat, leaning over when Megumi looked like she was going to start asking him questions. "Just stop using your voice…" His voice lowered unconsciously as he tucked a stray piece of hair behind Megumi's ear. "…And just enjoy the ride."

Her face turned even redder, something Yahiro thought wasn't possible, and her head snapped to look out the window. She'd probably start asking questions the moment they arrived home…

Smiling to himself, Yahiro took one hand off the steering wheel and touched the fingers to his lips. Yes, he'd probably just taken Megumi's first kiss, which she'd had such romantic dreams about. He knew that. But what Megumi didn't know was that she had just had his first kiss.

He was looking forward to answering Megumi's questions now, knowing that he'd claim her as his again, kissing her in front of the world if he had too… and it would be even better if she stayed in her swimsuit and wet tee-shirt for their entire conversation!

MBP: So, I hope you liked it! (Rini ran after Kio… I'm alone T.T) Anyways, please review and tell me what you think, and if you think I should do the AoixAlisa portion of this! I might anyway, but if you want to know, telling me would inspire me to get off my lazy butt on my days off and actually write it instead of think of it! ANYWAY! Have a wonderful awesome holiday season!