Chapter Sixteen: Complication:

I paused when I heard two people talking outside. Curious, I pressed my ears against the door. I recognized who was talking.

That sounds like Akemi and Sakura-hime, I thought.

�What were you doing in my brother�s room?� Akemi asked.

�I couldn�t sleep,� Sakura-hime said.

�So you went to my brother�s room?! Isn�t Isaac enough for you?! You have to go after my brother too?!�

�I didn�t do anything to him.�

�Yeah, yet! I know how you are!�

�I won�t do anything to him, I swear!�

My sister snorted at her. �Liar!�

�I�m telling you the truth, I promise I won�t do anything to him.�

�No better not jerk him around! If you ruin him, I will kill you.�

�Fine, fine.�

�I�m fucking serious here!�

�Okay! Geez, calm down.�

I waited until I heard footsteps to open the bathroom door. Akemi looked up at me in the hallway.

�Oh, how long have you been in there?� she asked.

�Not long,� I said. I noticed her staring me down. �What?� I asked. Akemi grabbed me by the shoulders.

�Tell me right now!� she demanded. �Did Sakura-hime try to do anything to you? Anything at all?�

�No,� I said, shaking my head. Akemi breathed out a sigh as she let go of my shoulders.

�Good,� she said. �Listen, Sakura-hime isn�t exactly right in the head.�

�I kind of figured that,� I muttered to myself.

�No, I mean she�s really not well,� Akemi insisted. I looked at her with a puzzled look on my face.

�Okay�� I muttered. She grabbed onto my shoulder again.

�Look I know you are grown and all, so I won�t tell you not to be around Sakura-hime,� she said. �Just be careful around her, okay?�

�Alright,� I said.

�Thanks, bro,� Akemi said, letting go of my shoulders. She turned and walked back to her room. I tilted my head, puzzled at what just happened here. Sakura-hime says that she likes me and my sister is worried about her doing something to me. I don�t understand the whole concept about either one. I shook my head to myself. Maybe I�m over-thinking things here. I need to sleep. I walked back to my room.

The next morning, I wandered down to the dining room. Everyone sat at the table eating. At first, it didn�t look out of the ordinary. Soon, it donned on me that no one was saying a single word. In fact, they were all staring at me, all of them, except for Sakura-hime. She kept her eyes down in her bowl. I looked at all of them, trying to piece together what was going on.

�Good morning�� I said in a soft voice. Nobody spoke a single word of response to me. Okay then� I took a seat at the table. The others didn�t look at me at the table. Silence doesn�t work well with this bunch. My eyes trailed over to Akemi. She wasn�t much help as she gave me an �I warned you� look. I lowered my eyes towards the table. I need a way to fix this and fast. Right now, I got a bowl and chopsticks to eat breakfast. Maybe I can think of something while I eat this leftover fried rice Cassius made last night.