While her world broke down just a little more Christina surprised herself by honestly feeling happy for Ulf . Bitter, yes, angry, yes, hurting yes, but happy still . She hurt him so much, and whenever he was in pain it hurt her as well .

She stared at Noriko . No, the midget didn't gloat, but in Noriko's eyes Christina saw a determined flame . The girl was ready to take even her on if she tried to get Ulf back .

'I like you Noriko . I like your guts . You'll be good for him . '

But still it hurt .

"I'm happy you found someone to love," she said . Then the words registered in her mind . 'What am I saying? I broke up with him . How petty a human have I become?'

"I'm not . Not him . I'll never agree to it . "

Christina looked at Ryu in surprise . She knew how he felt about his little sister's crush on Ulf . She hadn't expected him to come clean about it though .

"Ryu?"

'And why is Yukio getting involved?'

"Yes Yukio?"

"Shut the h.e.l.l up! Good thing Noriko's your sister and not your property . Agreeing with it, blah! s.h.i.+thead!"

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"Look, she's my . . . "

"Shut up you moron!" Ko-chan said all of a sudden . "Agreeing with it? Are you stupid . None of us care if you agree with anything or not . "

"You don't have the right to . . . "

"And neither do you, idiot bro . "

"If you don't break up with him immediately I'll . . . "

"Tell mom? Please do . Or dad? That would, if possible, be even more stupid . "

"Noriko, I'm you're brother . You have to . . . "

"How tainted did you become . How much of Red Rose is part of you?"

Christina didn't have to look twice at Yukio and Ko-chan to see the open disgust in their faces . That Noriko shared it stunned her, but what scared her the most was the burning contempt in Ulf's eyes .

'I expected more of you . ' Ryu's disapproval was more understandable than what the rest of them believed . "Ryu, I'm also over fifty," Christina said .

She searched his eyes and received a nod of understanding .

"I know, but that's different . "

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"Is it? How?"

"Well, I'm a guy and . . . "

"You really don't want to go there," Christina said . "Especially not with me . " She probably sounded more irritated than she was . j.a.panese gender values were very different from those in Sweden, but at least she hoped her friends understood there wasn't a trace of racism in Ryu's anger .

He backed down, just as she had expected .

"I still don't like it," he said and entered the spa .

She waited for him to make it halfway to her .

"You don't have to like it . I disagree with you, but no one can force you to like it . "

Ryu smiled at her and Christina saw exactly the wrong kind of hope in his eyes .

"That still doesn't give you the right to control your sister," she added to shoot him down as firmly as possible . Everyone was ent.i.tled to their opinions, but acting on them was a different thing .

"She's still my . . . "

"She's not your anything . " Christina glared at her boyfriend . "While she's a minor your parents have the right and responsibility to make decisions for her . You, none at all . "

He pouted . Ryu actually pouted . "You're just taking his side as always," he said and glanced at Ulf .

'd.a.m.n, sometimes he's just a kid . ' Christina was too angry to feel uncomfortable around Ulf and Noriko despite what she had done just days earlier .

"No, I'm taking Noriko's side . "

"Tell us when you're done . Listening to the two of you makes me sick," Yukio suddenly blurted out and stepped out of the pool .

Ko-chan kept her silence but followed him . Christina was sure she saw her shoulders rise in frustrated rage .

Noriko stretched uncomfortably from where she had nestled under Urufu's arm as if to seek shelter from the verbal onslaught . The discomfort however, Christina noticed, had nothing to do with being naked so close to someone else . If anything Ulf was Noriko's only safety here, and that hurt in more than one way .

"Look," Ulf said, "we'll let you and Ryu talk things over . " He gave Noriko enough room to sit up properly . "I'd like some tea anyway . "

"Ulf, please . . . "

"Christina, you did nothing wrong, but sometimes you're dumb as a post . "

Christina thought for a moment if she would get angry or not . Ulf verbally insulting her was so unusual she didn't have the luxury of an instinctive reaction, and in the end she was glad she didn't .

"Explain," she said .

Ulf was halfway to the doors, and Noriko had already gone inside . "They're still kids . I see what you tried to do, but it was too little too late . "

"Ulf?"

"Until he apologises," Ulf pointed his index finger at Ryu who by now sat beside her, "they'll never understand that you only tried to partially cover for him . " Ulf shot a glare at Ryu . "You're an a.r.s.e kiddo . Grow the h.e.l.l up!"

Ryu half rose . "You don't have the right . . . "

"As your friend I can only wonder if you're a moron or not . " Ulf suddenly grinned and shook his head . "Telling Christina and Noriko what is right or wrong for a woman . How b.l.o.o.d.y stupid can you get?"

"This is j.a.pan . . . "

"And I'm trying my best to get the h.e.l.l out of here, but they refuse to hand me a pa.s.sport . Don't ever try that s.h.i.+t on me again!"

Christina shuddered despite steam rising from the spa . Rapidly becoming infatuated by the boy by her side didn't lessen the fear of Ulf suddenly deserting her at all .

"Ryu, he said he wanted some tea," she said in an attempt to defuse the situation .

"I am . Have a nice chat . " Ulf turned and headed for the doors . Almost there he turned once again . "Don't forget homework . Summer's almost over . "