A/N: Okay, so as the title indicates this story takes place eighteen years after the end of the manga series. It's told primarily through the point of views of the cast's children, however, there's plenty of interaction between the original Ranma 1/2 characters. Yes, I realize this plot line of "Ranma, the next generation" has been done to death, but please just give this story a chance and I promise you'll like it. That's all. Enjoy!
Chapter 1: Ayame - Walking in Shadows
"Now remember, we do NOT know each other, okay?"
"Fine by me."
"And don't come running to me if you get into any trouble, you got it?"
"Like I would in the first place. Considering all the trouble you got into last year I wouldn't be so stupid."
Ichiro glared down at me from the top of the fence he was walking on. Everyone always says we fight just like my parents used to. I don't see why. My parents hardly ever fight. True, they have the occasional disagreement, and when my mom cooks something that is slightly less than tolerable my dad usually makes some kind of stupid comment and she hits him with a frying pan, but nothing serious. They're the perfect, stereotypical happy couple. Well, then again the pet names of 'pervert' and 'tomboy' aren't exactly typical, but you get the main idea. They're happy.
But that's not important right now. What is important is me, Ayame Saotome. Or rather, I'm the person we're talking about at the moment. Not that I'm particularly important or significant or anything. In fact, I'm quite the opposite.
Anyway, like I said, my name's Ayame Saotome. I was named after my grandmother on my mother's side, who died almost thirty years before I was ever born. I'm the only daughter of Ranma and Akane Saotome. I'm fifteen years old, and as of today a first year student at Furinkan High School, the same school my parents attended when they were younger. Though I would never admit it, especially to Ichiro, I'm not looking forward to starting high school. It's too bad Ichiro's such a jerk or I could actually confide to him my worries. After all, he's a second year student at Furinkan. It would be nice to have someone to show me around the campus and tell me who I should and should not associate with. Especially someone like Ichiro. Everyone knows who he is. He's easily the most popular guy in school. All the girls adore him, and all the boys want to be just like him. At seventeen, he's incredibly strong, well built, absolutely gorgeous, and easily one of the best martial artists in all of Japan, maybe even the world. So why do I hate him so much? I'm his younger sister. It's my job.
But then we're off topic again. We were talking about me and how I'm so apprehensive about my first day of school. After everything I've just said you might understand why. See, its tough being me. I'm the daughter of the infamous Ranma and Akane Saotome, as well as the younger sister of the beloved Ichiro Saotome. I'm not gorgeous like Ichiro or my parents. For the daughter of Ranma and Akane Saotome, I'm surprisingly plain. My shoulder length hair is dark, not ebony like my father's, just a typical felt black. It's not bluish black like my mother's and Ichiro's, nor is it red like my father's female half. And my eyes aren't the same stunning blue of my father's. Then again, neither are Ichiro's. However, at least he inherited the rich chocolate brown color of our mother. My eyes are a simple drab brown, almost black. Ichiro is more like our mother than our father. He has her eyes, her hair color, and a temper that sometimes even rivals her own. The only way you could recognize him as my father's son is by the signature pigtail he wears and the similar builds they possess.
I, on the other hand, look more like a cross between my aunts, Kasumi and Nabiki. Not that either of them are particularly plain. They each possess their own type of stunning beauty. Kasumi has her feminine grace and Nabiki has her seductive allure. But take away those qualities and mix the two women together and you have me. Don't get me wrong, I'm above average in most aspects. Last year when I attended Hiroko Middle School, most of the girl's hated me because I got so much attention from the boys. After all, I was at the top of the class, I excelled at all sports, and I was cuter than most of the girls. So in comparison to everyone else, I'm above average. However, for a Saotome, I'm less than average.
Ever since I was young, my teachers would say, "Oh how adorable she is! I wonder who her parents are." And once they found out, their reaction was always the same. A surprised and confused, "Oh." I was no longer adorable in their eyes. Adorable was a word reserved for the gorgeous children of plain parents, not the plain children of gorgeous parents. It didn't help things that Ichiro was a year older than me. Everywhere I went his reputation preceded me. Last year when I was still in middle school and he was off in high school I had actually gotten accustomed to the attention being lavished upon me. I wasn't the little sister of Ichiro Saotome. I was simply Ayame Saotome, the smart, cute and athletic ninth grader of Hiroko Middle School. Unfortunately all that must change now.
I can see it already. As soon as the other girls find out that I'm Ichiro's younger sister, they'll all buddy up to me so that they can get closer to him. Until they learn that we're not that close. Then they'll all drift away, treating me as if I didn't exist. And if Ichiro expresses an intense dislike for me things could get ugly. After all, girls do have a tendency of trying to do away with things that bother those that they love. I can easily handle myself on a physical level, and I doubt anyone would be stupid enough to challenge me to a fighting match, but gossip is a whole other story. Meanwhile the boys will avoid me like the plague. Despite the fact that they all look up to my brother, they also are greatly afraid of him. Even though my brother probably couldn't care less who I date, the boys my age don't know that. For all they know he could be an extremely overprotective big brother type that plans to beat up any boy that so much as looks at me. However, I don't really mind so much if the boys steer clear of me. After all, I grew up on stories from my mother about how perverted boys could be, and I don't envy the trials she went through, fighting them every morning because they thought defeating her was the only way they could possibly win her heart.
I guess I don't really mind that I won't be popular. I couldn't care less about such things. But it would be nice to at least have a friend or two. It wouldn't be so bad if my cousin Minami were here, but her stupid father had to insist on her going to that snotty St. Hebereke's School for Girls instead. Minami and I were practically inseparable back at Hiroko Middle School. She's not just my cousin, but my best friend. But now we're going to different schools. I don't know anyone anymore. I don't have a single friend.
And then of course there are the teachers. Unfortunately my brother developed the reputation of a troublemaker last year. He goofed off or slept in class and easily became known as a bully. That's not to say he ever actually got into a fight with another student. Quite the contrary actually. Everyone knows that Ichiro's trained in martial arts his whole life. They've heard horror stories of the fights Ichiro's had in the past. The one's he always won. The stories of course aren't entirely true, but then no one knows that. Needless to say, with Ichiro's reputation it's not necessary for him to go around fighting other students. They're all so afraid of him that they'd pretty much do whatever he wanted without putting up a fight. And of course my wonderful brother uses this fact to his advantage. Thus the teacher's now view Ichiro as somewhat of a bully, and rightfully so.
Plus, although Ichiro has looks, and talent, an academic thinker he is not. I'm very proud of the fact that I did inherit one thing from my mother, and that is her brain. I am an excellent student. I'm smart, responsible, and I rarely get in trouble. However, thanks to my stupid brother the teachers will be keeping a close eye on me, punishing me for even the slightest infraction of the rules and grading me all the more harshly.
Needless to say, I'm not too optimistic about the outcome of my time here at Furinkan. At least I'll have gym to look forward to. I'm better than your average girl at sports. I'm fairly strong, fast and well coordinated. I've studied martial arts since I was old enough to walk. I could probably defeat any girl at the school in a fight and I doubt there are many boys that could beat me either. Of course Ichiro is in a whole different level. Even on my best day he could beat me without the slightest effort.
I honestly do love the art with all my heart and soul. Yet I know in the back of my mind that I will never be one of the great martial artists of our time. True, I possess a fair amount of talent, but the majority of my skill is based on the intense training I've had my whole life. I don't have as great of an aptitude for martial arts as my brother has.
My parents know I'm no martial arts prodigy child. They don't really seem to care though. After all, they have all they could possibly want in Ichiro and my younger brother Akito. Dad continues to train me anyway, mostly to keep me happy. But it's not necessary. I don't even think they'd care if I were to quit.
But I really love martial arts. And I would give absolutely anything to get better…
"Yo, Ayame!" Ichiro jumped off of the fence and landed gracefully in front of me. He waved his hand in front of my face trying to get my attention. "You there?"
"Yeah, Ichiro, what do you want?" I responded in an annoyed voice.
"Geez, what's your problem today?"
"You're my problem! Why'd I have to get such an egotistical, insensitive jerk for an older brother?"
He raised his eyebrow at me. "Wow! Where the hell'd that come from?" he asked. "Must be that time of the month or something," he finished under his breath.
I decided to ignore the last half of his comment and sighed. "Never mind Ichiro. What do you want?"
"Just wanted to tell you that we're almost at school now, so I'm going to go on ahead of you."
"Oh of course. Can't afford to have anyone seeing us together now can we?"
He gave me a sardonic smile and slapped me on the back. "I'm so glad we understand each other." With that said, he turned and ran at full speed towards the schoolyard. "Catch you later," he shouted back at me over his shoulder.
I watched him dash off towards the school building and frowned. "I still don't understand what people mean when they say Ichiro and I sound just like my parents did when they were younger. After all, my parents never argue."
"ABSOLUTELY NOT!" Akane shouted as she vigorously began to chop up some defenseless vegetables. Ranma gulped as he saw the pieces of wood from the cutting board mixing in with the carrots. He had learned a long time ago not to get Akane aggravated when she was cooking. It only contributed to her… um… unique cooking style.
"But Akane…" he said trying to calm her down.
"No! No way!" she said waving the cutting knife around. "Have you gone completely nuts? There's no way I'm going to let you engage Ichiro to the daughter of that… that… man! And besides, an arranged marriage? Don't you remember how much trouble we went through with that?" Ranma flinched as she turned back to the… meal she was preparing, continuing her onslaught of the vegetables.
"But…"
"No buts! I said no!"
Ranma sighed. He and his wife rarely fought anymore unless it was about something crucial. Something crucial that they did not see eye to eye on. Their children's welfare was one such crucial topic. "Akane," he said as he walked up behind his annoyed wife and wrapped his arms around her. "You two used to be friends. What happened?"
"What happened!?" As she began to talk he carefully extracted the knife from her hands and placed it on the counter. "You dare to ask? He betrayed my trust! He took advantage of me. And to think I took his side against yours numerous times because I thought he was a nice guy and you were always picking on him. He kept us from getting closer," she closed her eyes, sighing as she leaned back against her husband. Ranma took the opportunity to begin picking the pieces of wood out of the vegetables.
Ranma chuckled lightly. "Kind of ironic, isn't it? Here Ryoga and I used to hate each other and you were the one that was always trying to get us to be friends. Now you and Ryoga hate each other and I'm the one trying to get you to be friends."
She laughed slightly. "Yeah, I guess you're right."
"Look, you know Ryoga's apologized for that whole P-chan incident. He only did it because he was madly in love with you. If anything, it's your fault for being too damn irresistible."
Akane rolled her eyes. The only time Ranma fed her lines like that was when he wanted something. "You didn't seem to think so," she sniffed.
"Yeah I did, I just didn't want to admit it." Akane smiled. Whether he wanted something or not, she still liked it when he flattered her. "So are you going to try and finally forgive Ryoga?"
She sighed. "It's not just about the P-chan thing…" she started.
"Then what is it?"
She shook her head. "I don't want to talk about it. It's nothing." She paused for a moment. "I can't promise you that I'll forgive him for… everything that happened, but I promise to be civil at dinner tonight."
"That's all I ask."
"But I still don't like this whole arranged marriage idea."
"Aw come on, it isn't that bad. After all, it worked out quite nicely for us in the long run didn't it?"
Akane smiled and turned around in his embrace. "Yeah," she said smiling up into his eyes. "I suppose it did." She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him on the lips. As the kiss elongated and turned into more than a simple peck, Akane's arms wrapped around her husband's neck, and Ranma's arms wrapped tightly around his wife's waist. Akane furrowed her brow and gently pulled back. Reaching behind her she grabbed his wrist where his fist had been balled up. She looked at him as he gulped and twisted his hand slightly causing it to open and allow many small pieces of wood to fall to the floor. She looked from the wood to the cutting board and sighed. Turning away from her husband she walked over to the cutting board and dumped the vegetables into the garbage. As an after thought she looked at the already boiling soup she had been making. After a moment of contemplation she took the pot and poured the contents into the trash as well. "I'd better start over again."
Completely forgetting her husband's presence she began the preparations for an entirely new meal. Ranma could still feel her kiss burning on his lips. He looked from left to right. It was quiet. It was still early. The kids wouldn't be home until the afternoon and he didn't have any classes for a few hours still. A silly grin spread across his face. He walked up behind Akane and wrapped his arms around her again, swaying back and forth as he whispered into her ear suggestively, "Hey Tomboy…"
Akane giggled. "Not now, you pervert, I have to start lunch all over now."
"Forget about lunch, we can just go out to eat."
"You know we can't afford that. Besides, Kasumi's coming over here later with the twins for lunch."
"But…"
"No buts. Now go away, you're going to make me ruin the soup again."
He sighed and ducked out of the kitchen only to return moments later as he realized they still hadn't settled their discussion. "Hey Akane, you still never agreed…"
"ABSOLUTELY NOT!" she shouted.
Ranma scrambled out of the kitchen again. Yep, they were back to square one.
I stared down at my lunch and let out a soft groan. "Mom must've been in one of her creative moods again," I muttered while picking at the oddly shaped rice ball with the soy sauce markings. It vaguely resembled a cat. No, maybe it was a bunny rabbit. Or a dog? I sighed and closed my bento. Mom's cooking isn't that bad for the most part. She doesn't cook like Aunt Kasumi or Grandmother Nodoka, but she can make a decent meal that's actually pretty good. However, every once in a while she gets it into her head that she needs to make something… special. For a special occasion. Apparently my first day of school appeared to be one such occasion. See, the thing is, when my mom tries to make something special she gets a little carried away. The rice balls were probably okay, despite their odd shape. However, the lemon-vinegar cookies were a different story.
I stood up and made my way for the door, smiling as I looked down at the money in my hand. Dad had given me some change on the way out the door that morning. He didn't say much, just gave me an all knowing look and said in a solemn voice, "Just in case." I didn't understand what he meant at the time, but now…
I walked to the lunch stand, hoping there would still be something good left to buy. I waited in the line patiently… Well, I waited patiently for about five seconds. Then I looked at all the people in front of me and groaned. "Honestly, by the time I get to the head of the line lunch will be over! If there's even anything left by then." A smile crossed my lips as an idea came to my mind. "Oh my gosh!" I shouted in a girlish voice. It wasn't that hard to mimic, I am a girl after all. "I just saw Saotome-san back that way!" I jumped up and down in an excited manner pointing down the hall. All the girls, and a few guys to my chagrin, looked at me for a moment and then squealed in excitement, stampeding down the hall in the direction I had indicated.
I began to chuckle to myself as I made my way towards the front of the line. I was stopped by the sound of someone applauding. I spun around to stare up into a pair of aqua blue eyes. The girl before me had long chestnut brown hair tied part way in the back, complete with a small braid along the left side of her face. She wore a Furinkan High School uniform that fit her well proportioned body perfectly and an amused grin.
"I was beginning to think I'd have to fight my way to the front of the line. Your way however was a lot less complicated." She paused. "Not as fun though."
I smiled. She was definitely an… interesting person. "Yeah well, I figure if girls are going to be pathetic and get so worked up over a guy they deserve to be cheated out of their lunches."
"I agree fully."
I looked her over more closely. Suddenly I realized I had seen her around campus earlier that day. She was a year ahead of me. All the guys in my class had seen her as well and had been whispering about how she was so… What was the word again? Oh yes. I shuddered. Gorgeous. I looked at her smiling face, her beautiful, shiny brown hair, those stunning blue eyes… Well, at least they were right. "Aren't you in Ichiro's class?" I asked, trying to make conversation.
She shuddered. "Yes, unfortunately," she groaned.
"Huh. Interesting. So why is it that you're not obsessed with him like all the other girls? You a lesbian or something?" I've never been one to beat around the bush. If I have an opinion or a question I tend to voice it without any hesitation. It's not one of my more endearing qualities, but it's who I am nonetheless.
The girl laughed lightly. She didn't appear to be the slightest bit offended by the boldness of my question. In fact, she seemed to find it refreshing. I liked that. "No, I'm perfectly straight." She shrugged. "In answer to your question about Ichiro-kun, let's just say I don't see what the big deal is. He's not that cute. Besides, between you and me I think it's the name that really makes him so attractive. After all, everyone knows about the infamous Saotomes." She rolled her eyes in emphasis. "Personally I don't think they're anything that spectacular. So they know some martial arts moves. It's probably all show and no force, you know what I mean? Take Ichiro for instance. He's supposed to be this great fighter and all, but has anyone ever actually seen him fight anyone? Sure, there are plenty of stories and all, but as far as I know they're nothing more than rumors. If we've never seen him fight anyone, how can we be sure he can fight at all? As far as I'm concerned, Ichiro's all talk. Whole families probably the same way."
I frowned. "The Saotomes just believe you shouldn't bully the weak. That's the only reason that Ichiro and the rest of the Saotomes don't fight publicly that much. It's hard to find a worthy opponent. Besides, everyone here knows they wouldn't stand a chance against Ichiro."
"Whatever. Sorry, I thought we were on the same side here."
"In regards to Ichiro Saotome we are. Believe me, no one hates that jerk as much as I do."
She smiled. "Well good then. Nice to know not all the girls here are doomed to a pathetic existence of Saotome worship. By the way, I'm Karou Hibiki." She reached her hand out.
I took it and gave her a coarse smile. "My name's Ayame. Ayame Saotome."
Her smile disappeared completely. "Oops."
I wiped the sweat from my brow and looked over to my brother's class. By some unfortunate twist of fate his class had ended up having gym at the same time as my class. This normally wouldn't be a problem, but considering the fact that we were playing baseball and the other girls couldn't concentrate on the account that they were drooling over my brother, I was a tad frustrated.
Since no one else was actually paying attention to the game I allowed myself to look across the field to the male junior class. They were doing track practice, or more specifically the 100 yard dash. I watched two boys pair up and prepare to race down the track. A whistle was blown and they both dashed off down the strip as fast as their legs could carry them. I smiled with an approving glance. They were both pretty fast and finished with respectable times.
Suddenly there was a murmur through the crowd of boys and I watched as Ichiro made his way out of the crowd to take his place at the starting line. There was a sudden squeal from all the girls with me and the game of baseball was immediately forgotten. I sighed and settled to watch the promised race as well. Ichiro looked back towards the crowd, a smug look upon his face. "What?" I heard him shout. "No one wants to go up against me?"
The boys all chuckled. I frowned. Sure, Ichiro was faster than the other boys, but he didn't have to make such a big deal about it. Ichiro had a lot of strong points. Specifically his endurance, strength and ability to pick up almost any technique in no time. However, in comparison his speed was lacking. Of course he was quite a bit faster than me, but he was nowhere near my father's speed. Of all the techniques my dad had tried to teach Ichiro, the Kachu Tenshin Amagurinkan was the only one Ichiro had not been able to master. This was of course due to the fact that Ichiro, contrary to popular belief was not all that fast.
Ichiro had always been incredibly frustrated and disappointed that he had never been able to master the Kachu Tenshin Amagurinkan. However, he never realized the reason why. Dad had worked at finding all kinds of techniques to improve Ichiro's speed, but Ichiro never progressed. I don't believe he even realizes that he's slower than he should be. After all he's so much faster than everyone he's ever come across. And Dad would never be able to tell him the truth. I'm still surprised Ichiro hasn't realized it himself.
I frowned as I thought of what Karou Hibiki had said about him earlier. That he was probably all talk. Considering the way he was showing off at something that he wasn't strong at just because he was better than everyone else only proved her to be right.
I was jolted out of my thoughts as a gasp was heard beside me followed by a girl pointing and saying, "Look!"
Sure enough, a boy, almost half a foot shorter than my brother was making his way to the starting line. He carried himself in a strange manner that I couldn't quite place. Still, his walk conveyed confidence, strange considering he was about to go up against Ichiro. The boy had long brown hair that was pulled back into a ponytail and wore gym clothes that appeared to be several sizes too large. When he reached the starting line he bent down and rolled up his pant legs a few times so he wouldn't trip over them. When he was done he stood up and took his position. Ichiro chuckled and shook his head taking his position as well. "You're going down Shorty," he said.
The boy only smirked while looking straight ahead, never saying a word.
The whistle sounded and the two were off in a flash. In only a few seconds it was over, and when it was, silence fell over the whole field as everyone stared at the winner in shock. Even Ichiro couldn't stop himself from gaping. Meanwhile the boy held the exact same confident smirk as before.
It took only a few moments before Ichiro regained his wits. Unwilling to be out done he challenged the boy. "Heh, not bad Shorty. I guess I underestimated you. I didn't want to humiliate you so I didn't go all out. Care to try it again?"
The boy nodded once and they both made their way back to the starting line. The whistle sounded once again and they raced to the finish line, this time with the exact same result.
Ichiro growled. "Again!" he shouted.
I groaned and put my head in my hand not caring to watch as my stupid brother challenged the boy over and over again. "He's making a fool of himself!" I muttered.
After several minutes Ichiro was breathing heavily. Meanwhile the boy had barely broken a sweat and was still wearing the same confident smirk he had started with. Ichiro glared at the boy. "Who the hell are you anyway?" he asked.
The boy's grin grew and he pulled the ponytail holder out of his hair, allowing long tresses of chestnut brown to cascade down his back. Next off came his sweatshirt revealing a very well proportioned female body in a girl's gym uniform underneath. "Aww," the girl pouted. "Don't tell me you don't recognize me Ichiro-chan," she said with a coy smile on her beautiful lips.
"Karou Hibiki," he murmured in an astonished voice.
"Bingo!" Her triumphant look could not be mistaken. Ichiro did what all the other boys did. He simply stared and gaped at the beautiful girl before him. The beautiful girl that had just defeated him at a track match.
I smiled as well. "Oh this is good." Finally someone had put Ichiro in his place. I suddenly had a newfound respect for the Hibiki girl.
I skipped into the house humming and slipped my shoes off my feet, replacing them with a pair of slippers. "I'm home!" I called.
Mom met me in the entryway with a wide grin. "Hey Honey. How was school?"
"School was terrific," I grinned.
"Oh really?" She smiled wider at my announcement, relief flooding her face. "I'm so glad! And how was your lunch?"
"Oh. I loved it! The kangaroo shaped rice balls were adorable."
Her smile turned upside down. "They were dolphins."
"Oh… Right… I was just kidding you Mom."
I quickly dashed past her and into the tea room. As I entered the room and plopped down at the table I noticed my father already there sipping a cup of tea and reading over a letter. "Hey Daddy," I said kissing him on the cheek.
"Hey Ayame. School was good?"
"Uh huh!" I said as I poured myself a cup of tea.
"What was so great about your day, Honey?" Mom asked as she entered the room behind me.
"Oh not much," I said as I took a sip of the tea. "Just Ichiro getting beaten at a track race by a girl."
My dad's tea cup slammed down onto the table and he turned his full attention to me, a look of horror on his face.
"H-He let her win, right? Because she was a girl, right?"
"Nope. He didn't know she was a girl until after the match."
"Then it must've been a fluke," My mom said as she shakily made her way to sit at the table with us.
"That's what I thought at first." Another sip of my tea. "But after the first five matches I changed my mind."
"He raced her five times and still never won?"
"Nope. Fifteen times. It just started to get obvious the girl was better by the fifth race. Well, at least to everyone but Ichiro."
"S-So he didn't lose on purpose, and it wasn't a fluke?" My dad asked glancing at my mom nervously.
"Nope."
My mom and dad shared a meaningful long glance. "This is not good." My mom finally said.
My dad shook his head. "Ichiro's going to be…"
He trailed off as we all heard the front door slam and they both winced.
"DDAAAAAAAAAAAAADDDDDDDDDD!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Yelled an angry voice from the entryway.
My two parents immediately jumped to their feet and rushed to meet their irate son. Meanwhile I merely smiled. It had turned out to be a pretty good day after all. And it was all thanks to one, Karou Hibiki. "Yep, things can't get any better than this," I thought.
I was wrong.
Author Notes:
Apologies - Yes, I realize the "Ranma cast has children" storyline has been done before. However, considering the vast number of Ranma 1/2 stories out there, it's hard to come up with something original every time. I'm sorry that this isn't anything new, but before you pass up this story completely, give it a chance. I think there's just enough twists in here to make it worth your while.
Character Issues - Would Ranma really try and arrange the marriage of his son after all he went through with his father? I'm not really sure. Personally I think you could argue it either way. See, obviously in the manga and anime we see Ranma protesting the engagement a lot, but at the same time there are rare occasions where he seems willing to go along with it, and I don't believe this is just because he's secretly in love with Akane. Ranma believes a great deal in honor. As it is I've seen quite a few stories where Ranma marries Akane just because it's the honorable thing to do. Basically all I'm saying is I don't think it's that unlikely that Ranma would want to arrange the marriage of one of his children.
Conclusion - Anyway, thanks for reading my story. Please review and let me know what you think! Ja ne!
Coming Soon - Chapter 2: Ayame - A Reason to Hate. Originally chapter one and two were just one chapter, but it got way too long so I decided to break it up. However, now the good news is that chapter two is almost complete! So look forward to that in the next few days.
