A/N: Welcome to 'The Free and the Enslaved'! This is the sequel to 'The Puppet and the Puppeteer', so if you have not read that story, I suggest you go do so, or you will not understand what is going on! :D
For those of you who are not new, I thank you for sticking with me until the sequel~! It took me a while, but I do hope you enjoy this introductory chapter. I apologize for the lack of anything really happening.
Please enjoy and leave feedback so that I may improve!
{Edit - 9/29/12 - I added more information; I hope this doesn't lessen the chapter's quality!}
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Sometimes when she looked into the mirror, her eyes would flash a blissful jade, but in the blink of an eye, her lenses would convert back to the typical snowy shade.
Other times, she would lift a strand of hair as she brushed it thoroughly and take note of the chestnut color, but before Akio and Aiko arrived, the tresses would've morphed back into the original hue.
It was exceptionally odd.
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Haru Rin Hatake was born seven months after Kotone's departure. Her hair was a magnificent silver color, similar to her father, and her eyes were a shocking sapphire, similar to Kakashi's mother. She took pleasure in riding atop of her dad's shoulders when he was able to spend time with her.
By the time she was able to speak in her squeaky and adorably light tone, she was the pride of Kakashi's life. Haru was definitely a daddy's girl. While she loved her mother just as much as any other two and a half year old, there was a special place in her heart for the Sharingan holder. Haru would climb about his lanky body and speak to him, leisurely explaining her day, using big girl words such as 'quiet', 'pretty' and 'stupid'.
Also, in her cute mind, she held a high authority for Sakura, meeting her days after being born and never once forgetting her name. She grabbed the pink-haired girl's hand on many occasions, asking her of Naruto (whom she thought to be the most heroic fellow, despite not meeting him quite yet) and Sasuke, whom she also had her own childish opinion about, even going as far as to say he was 'a big fat dummy'.
So, when Naruto arrived in the village, blonde hair and all, Haru leapt into his arms cheerfully, and the fair-haired idiot spoke to her with admiration, knowing immediately that she was Kakashi's daughter, considering he stood nearby and was referred to regularly as 'daddy' or sometimes 'Kaka'.
"Nawuto!" Haru cried out with a big grin.
"Hey there," the teen responded with his own smile, "how are you?"
"Gewd!" She responded, "Nawuto! I wuv you!"
Though she loved the idiotic lad with a passion, there was another blonde who simply stole her heart.
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Naruto had arrived home, after all these years. He had spoken to mostly everyone and was preparing to head home and rediscover his old apartment.
"Ah, Uzumaki-san!"
The blonde froze and looked around until his eyes fell upon a lovely figure with shining eyes, "Huh?"
"It's nice to see you again," she said sweetly, tucking a golden lock behind her ear.
Naruto stared for a moment before gasping, crying out, "Hiromi-chan!"
The damsel had grown a few inches taller, surprisingly. Her tresses had been cut below her shoulders, according to her loose braid, and her bangs brought out the light in her sparkling azure orbs. Her shocking beauty caused Naruto to do a double take. He could tell it was still Hiromi, with her awkward and shy self, but her new appearance was quite different.
"Yeah, it's me. I suppose it has been quite a while!" She laughed softly.
The dobe scratched the back of his head cheerfully, "Yeah, it has! Man, you sure have gotten good-looking!"
"H-huh?!" the young woman recoiled, shocked, "Y-you think so?"
"Yeah!"
"A-ah.. Well, thank you, Naruto. ."
"Oi! Hiromi!"
Rushing in, Kiba, atop of Akamaru, smirked.
"Hello," Hiromi greeted politely.
"Ah? Don't tell me you two are..?" Naruto lifted his pinkie, but his fellow blonde shook her head with a nervous smile.
"No, no. Kiba and I are just training together. I wouldn't want to bother Hanako. She's got missions for days on end and has a little girl to think about. Honestly, I would hate to get in her way."
"Haru-chan, huh?"
"Yeah.."
"Hey!" Kiba frowned, "Are we going or not?"
"Ah, yes," Hiromi turned and nodded a farewell to Naruto.
She walked patiently alongside Akamaru, telling Kiba that she did not wish to get white dog hairs on her training attire. Her slack plait swung like clockwork behind her.
"So," Kiba said, "How's training with Guy-sensei going?"
The golden-haired maiden chuckled, "It's very difficult, but thanks to him, Lee, Neji, and Tenten, I've learned a lot! I guess I'm more of a taijutsu ninja than a healer or a ninjutsu person.."
"Ehhh? Well let's see how it's all paid off!"
"Ha-ha-ha! Let's!"
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Kankuro was in pain. His whole body ached in excruciating agony. Sakura had healed him, sure, but that didn't mean he was perfectly healthy. His entire being was covered by a coat of sweat and he felt nauseous.
The puppeteer lifted his head and looked around to see if there were any nurses nearby to sedate him, but rested his crown back down on the pillow beneath him when he saw none.
Suddenly, a flash of white caught his eye and he peered around once more. He sighed and laid back down, not taking note of the curtain in front of him suddenly shifting.
"Sabaku no Kankuro."
The teen jolted in shock, lifting himself partially with pure willpower and stared in the curtain questionably.
Great. Now he was hallucinating.
"Would you care to tell me the situation?"
In a slow, graceful movement, a body left the snowy curtain and revealed itself to be a tall woman completely adorned in white.
Kankuro recognized her from somewhere, but his memory would not serve him a name, so he decided to keep silent.
His attention was drawn elsewhere as the bed on his left shuffled and two people threw the covers off of it, climbing out of it stealthily.
The puppeteer struggled to escape, but the pale lass laid a peaceful hand on his shoulder.
"Don't be alarmed. We are not here to harm you. I caught wind of the Kazekage's kidnapping and deciding to come to his aid."
"What relationship do you have with Gaara?" The protective brother asked.
The woman's voice was soft and seemingly quiet, as though she was used to listening instead of speaking, "I .. am an old friend."
And suddenly, the memories came rushing back and Kankuro leaned forward.
"You-!"
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Hanako held her daughter's hand tightly. Using her other hand, she combed her dark curls, sighing contently. The tresses were still very dark and luscious , but every once in a while, she would get nervous about grey hairs appearing at random.
"What's wong, mommy?" Haru asked politely.
"Nothing," the woman responded with a smile, "I'm just tired."
"You should take a nap, mommy."
"That sounds nice."
"Naps awe the wowst!"
"Ah, I thought you'd say that."
"Yo. What's up?" Kakashi asked, suddenly appearing from the shadows.
Haru released Hanako's hand and rushed to him, tripping in the process, but ended up being picked up by her father, who cradled her appropriately.
"We were good until you showed up!" teased the dark haired jounin, sticking out her tongue childishly.
Kakashi put a free hand to his heart, pretending to be injured, "Your words pierce me, darling."
"Oh," Hanako responded, "Is that so?"
The two fell into a peaceful silence, keeping their eyes upon their child, who had suddenly changed her belief about naps and had fallen straight to sleep in Kakashi's arms, her thumb innocently tucked in her mouth.
"I wish I knew how to do that" Hanako sighed, falling gracefully upon a nearby bench, followed by her lover.
"I suppose it's just because I'm her favorite" Kakashi responded, knowing it irritating his 'wife' that Haru appreciated him more than her.
The woman sighed, "Yeah, I guess you're right."
She leaned forward and pecked her lover on the lips (despite his mask it was still enjoyable) before tucking a stray hair behind Haru's ear.
The two sat like that for what felt like hours.
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Gaara was saved. His villagers cheered loudly at his return and he was greeted by thousands of his people, some grabbing his hands and others simply giving him nods of respect.
The attention was quite overwhelming for a person like Gaara, and he scanned the crowd nervously for his relatives, in hope of gaining assistance.
As his teal eyes skimmed the peoples' faces, he stopped at the sight of a hooded figure, guided by two others. It was a woman, judging by the soft-looking, pale, skin, and she seemed to be mouthing something.. to him.
He attempted to translate it, but was cut off by the swarming of his subordinates, and he was given one last glimpse of the woman's face before she seemingly blended into the others.
He knew who it was, and knew immediately that he would need to see her.
Soon.
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Gaara was filing. The excitement of his kidnapping had died down, and he was finally returning to his usual, plain paperwork. The black ink seemed to run together, and the redhead ran his fingers through his mane with a silent sigh.
At one point, he had pictured being the Kazekage as not doing paperwork for the majority of his life.
The thought exited his mind as he felt something knock his window, which caused him to turn and look out of it.
When he saw nothing, the lights in his office suddenly turned off and he calmly spun back to face the door. It creaked open and a single figure walked it.
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"You haven't changed." Gaara commented calmly.
"The same statement could be applied to yourself."
"You came alone."
The young lady took a seat, and the Kazekage did the same, and the lights flickered inappropriately.
"Correct. I calculated that it would be more .. sufficient to arrive alone. My subordinates await me at the gates."
The two friends stared at one another for a long moment until Gaara responded.
"You were wrong."
"I do not understand."
"You.. you said that there was only a fifteen percent chance that we would ever see each other again. You were wrong."
"I see."
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"Why are you here?"
"I premeditated that this is something that .. friends do. Visit one another after a long period of time."
The Kazekage took note of her awkward show of emotion, thinking back to their embrace those long three years ago.
"We're friends then."
"Correct."
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"How long are you staying in Sunagakure?"
The woman avoided his gaze.
"I am leaving tomorrow at dawn. I believed it would be appropriate to stay a while so I could.. speak with you until I left.. to go to Konohagakure and see my teammates."
Gaara abruptly stood and walked to his visitor, who addressed him with her lifeless eyes. Her voice had gotten softer, he realized, as she stood. In a swift movement, he hugged her kindly, the embrace making the young maiden stiff and awkward, attempting to rest her head on Gaara's shoulder once more, but this time, wrapping her pale limbs around his neck instead.
"You should stay for a while longer," The Kazekage suggested, his voice muffled by his friend's hood, "as a friend."
"I am afraid I cannot. After these years.. I do believe it is time for me to see my team."
Gaara released her, and Kotone stepped back as well. The pair fell into silence until a stone pelted the window and the Kazekage watched in amusement as his usually emotionless friend flinched faintly in surprise.
"That is my signal.. to depart."
"I understand. I pray you visit some other time," The Kazekage nodded.
The teenage woman walked towards the window [A/N: Just pretend it's a little bigger, ne?] and opened it wide. The wind flew in, blowing her hair wildly. In the flurry of movement, Gaara caught a sparkling light in his eye and watched as a sand ornament dangled from Kotone's newly pierced earlobe.
He let a small smile grace his lips as she leapt out and landed without a sound.
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Her leg was grabbed and she screamed. She was pulled underneath the water. No matter how many times she cried out in pain, she could not escape. She looked up into eyes filled with hatred and a lust for power and slammed her hands on the casing around her.
No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No!No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! The memories! They were flooding back! Why now? Why now? Why now? Why now? The water became blood and filled her lungs, choking her and drowning her.
Save me! Save me! Save me! Save me! Save me! Save me! Save me. Save… me..
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Hiromi lazily sat by the river. She dangled her legs in the cold water, with her tight pants rolled up so that they would not suffer. She leaned down, cupped some of the water in her hands and splashed her face, attempting to avoid her bangs.
"Oi! How are you feeling?" Kiba asked considerably.
The golden-haired maiden smiled tenderly, "Perfect! After a nice session of training it's good for your body to rinse off your face with cold water."
The dog-lover dunked his face into the river for a moment, causing Hiromi to sweat-drop. When he emerged, he let out a gasp for air with a boyish grin.
Musical laughter left the mademoiselle's mouth and she beamed. When she calmed herself, she lay upon the lush grass and stared at the clouds in a Shikamaru-like fashion.
"Hey," she said quietly, "isn't the summer festival this week?"
Kiba shrugged, "Who knows? Do you have a date you're thinking of asking?"
"Well, yes, actually," Hiromi reddened.
Hiding his anticipation, the boy looked down towards her with a raised brow, "Who?"
"Well…" The blonde sat up and stuck her tongue out at her friend, "I shan't tell you!"
"That's not fair!" Kiba exclaimed, crossing his arms childishly.
Hiromi chuckled, "Okay, okay, I'll tell you. I'm not sure if he'll say 'yes', or if I'm brave enough to ask, but I'll tell you who I'm considering."
"And?" Kiba inquired, leaning forward automatically.
The blonde lass leaned in as well, cupping a hand around her mouth and inclining towards her companion, "Sai."
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Around thirteen and a half of age, Hiromi was over Neji in an instant. She still found him attractive, of course, but he never acknowledged her as anything other than a bothersome student, so she gradually gave up and moved on, though still admired the Hyuuga for his cool, calm demeanor.
When Sai was introduced, she presented herself before him with a bright smile and a kind welcome.
"You better not screw this up!" Sakura hissed, "Hiromi's a sweet girl and no one would ever forgive you if you hurt her feelings!"
Sai took the thought into consideration, eyeing the golden-haired lass before him, searching for a kind name for her. He could call her 'beautiful' just as he did Ino, but he felt as though Hiromi was on a whole different level.
"I'm Hiromi Sato!" The mademoiselle cheerfully announced in a voice that was neither flirtatious nor dull.
"You can call me Sai. It's nice to meet you, ahh," The pale boy paused, but then calmly added, "gorgeous."
Shino's glasses dropped a bit, Kiba's jaw fell a tad, and Choji dropped his bag of barbeque chips. Sure, Hiromi really was pretty, but this guy was definitely trying to win the maiden over!
The young lady reddened considerably, stuttering in response, "A-a-a-a-a-a-h-h, t-t-t-h-h-h-ank-k yo-you."
"Yo-you're g-g-g-g-gorg-gorgeous, too!" She added dumbly after a moment of silence.
And from then on, despite his rudeness and cluelessness, Hiromi revered Sai.
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Kiba didn't let his disappointment show on his expression. Once again, he was unable to invite the blonde to the summer festival. Each year, he watched her go with another fellow (one time even going with Shino. SHINO. That was the year Kiba was 'sick.') or alone, but never had quite the guts to intervene. Sometimes, his energy and enthusiasm weren't enough of a boost.
"He's been very kind to me lately," Hiromi added with an affectionate smile, "so I thought maybe I could invite him, if I have the courage."
Kiba smirked, "Just do it! I'm positive he'd say 'yes'!"
"Thanks, Kiba," the chunin responded.
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The summer festival was tomorrow. Hiromi and Hinata sat across from each other in the Hyuga's bedroom, gossiping cheerfully like the good friends they were.
"Are you excited?" asked the blonde eagerly.
She was unsure whether or not she wanted to sleep or stay awake the entire night.
Hinata nodded enthusiastically, "Yes. I'm hoping I will see Naruto there.."
Hiromi did not mention how the Hyuga should have invited Naruto. She knew it pained her inside that she was not brave enough, so mentioning it would simply rub salt in the wound.
Before her friend could respond, the Byakugan-wielder blurted out, "Are you happy you're going with Sai?"
Yes, it was true; Hiromi had gained enough courage to ask the boy to come with her. Sai had barely taken time to consider, saying it would help him learn more about social values and such. The blonde was in a magical daze when he bid her farewell.
"Yes," Hiromi responded softly, "I am."
The two had felt the jealousy radiating from Ino when they visited the flower shop earlier to browse. Hiromi had asked her mother if her invitation was the right thing to do. Mrs. Sato gave her a lecture on how she should believe in herself more often.
Hanabi suddenly threw the door open and the blonde in the room hid her appearance behind one of Hinata's pillows, thinking it was Neji. It still embarrassed her whenever he walked in and she was in her pajamas, with her long locks tied up in a lousy bun at the top of her head.
"Sis," she said, nearly ignoring the nervous wreck dubbed Hiromi, "Father says her (referring to the blonde with a flicker of her milky eyes) parents dropped off her kimono."
In a flurry of movement, the two older girls sped out of the room, giggles escaping their throats. Sometimes they needed a break from being shinobi. Hiromi was so busy running that she didn't notice Neji stare at her in slight shock as she scurried to the door in big pajama pants that seemed to swallow her small hips.
When Hinata and Hiromi reached Hiashi, he motioned to a bag with Hiromi's name on it. He let a ghost of a smile float on his face as his daughter and her friend sped out of the room with it in their arms, giggling and snickering all the while.
"Oh, wow, it's beautiful!" Hinata admired with a lenient smile.
The gown was not nearly as extravagant as the Hyuga's. It was a pastel green, with intricate flowery designs. The obi was orange with red lining, and Mrs. Sato was sweet enough to let Hiromi borrow one of her flower pins to decorate her lightly colored mane, as well as the kimono itself.
"Should I try it on?" the young Sato girl whispered.
Hinata responded, "Probably not. Let's hang it up so it doesn't get any wrinkles."
After the girls hung the dress beside Hinata's (this was a royal indigo with dragon-like designs and a silky feel), they decided it would be a good idea to sleep, but ended up laying on the bed and speaking to each other in silent whispers.
They eventually fell into a sweet sleep, which could be easily broken by their eagerness for the next day.
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She clutched her head and screamed into her pillow. When would it end? When would it end? When would it end? It happened every night; she would hear his screams and she would bleed and she would cry and there was suddenly no warmth in her bed.
She would cry and there would be tears, but after she would calm down she would realize it was blood. Sometimes, someone might come in and tell her to be quiet. She did not obey and lashed out at him or her until they left. She was breaking. Her heart was broken, her mind was breaking, and her body stood strong.
Save me.
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Hiromi fanned her face in an etiquette fashion, with a fan of many colors, which she had won earlier in one of the gaming booths. Despite knowing some of them were complete rip offs, she asked Sai if it would be alright to check them out.
She nearly caught a goldfish, but it ended up swimming away. Feeling bad, her date painted her an ink fish, and she was more than satisfied.
Hinata lagged nearby, saying she did not want to bother the two, but had no one else to accompany her except for Neji, who seemed to be itching to leave the festival. Hiromi thought the two looked humorous standing beside each other in such an awkward fashion.
Hiromi and Sai were not as uncomfortable. The young gentleman held her arm politely, though his movements were stiff, and the blonde barely asked for anything, eyeing some items, but not asking for them.
At one point, Sai bought them both yakitori, and as they ate, they watched out for their friends. Hinata and Neji obviously greeted them, speaking leisurely for a while to kill time. Hiromi had to bite the inside of her mouth to stop from laughing. Shino and Kiba passed by with polite greetings, though something seemed to be bothering Kiba, so the two males left hurriedly.
As Sai and Hiromi conversed simply, Hanako appeared with a big grin.
"Why, good evening you two!"
Haru appeared from behind her mother's kimono and sent a smile to Hiromi as well. The blonde waved to her tenderly.
"Good evening, Hanako-sensei," Sai responded.
"Sai, I think there's a big event going on at the northern gates of the village!" Hanako explained, "Maybe you and Hiromi should check it out."
Haru tugged on her mother's kimono and the two were off. Sai rested his chin in hands. Odd. He had checked the gates for any spectacular events before meeting up with his friend. There had been nothing there. Perhaps it was some sort of surprise for Hiromi?
Sai stood, taking his date's arm.
"So are we heading to the northern gates?" Hiromi asked sweetly.
"We might as well check out the 'big event'," Sai responded, and the two were off, blending into the crowd in an instant.
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Hiromi and Sai arrived at the gates and were surprised by the lack of any big events. There were a couple of travelers entering the village in awe of the lit lanterns, but there was nothing else to note.
"I guess she was lying," the golden-haired girl sighed, beginning to turn around.
Her date stopped her and she raised a brow at him. He pointed behind her and she spun back to face the gates. She was not sure what she was looking for, so she faced Sai.
"What is it?" She asked.
"I think there was someone that Hanako-sensei wanted you to see."
Hiromi's imagination flew and she thought she knew who it was (she did not, really). She stood on the tips of her sandals, wishing to see the guest, but was unable to identify anyone in the incoming crowd. She saw a few cloaked figures, and others wearing traditional clothing and then it hit her.
There were three people in front of her. The one in the middle was a bit shorter than the others, but her or she seemed the most important for the other two suddenly knelt down, their left hands displayed over their hearts. They each wore black cloaks. Hiromi was confused and nervous.
The middle figure grabbed his or her cover.
"Greetings, Hiromi Sato."
And pulled the hood off.
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Tears flew to Hiromi's eyes and she covered her mouth with her hand.
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"Kotone.."
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A/N: Thank you very much for reading! I apologize for the shortness of this chapter, but I just needed to get the first chapter done and start the new canvas :) Please do leave a review with any compliments, complaints, or suggestions :D
Thanks to..
(I will be thanking those who reviewed, faved, etc. the last chapter of The Puppet and the Puppeteer).
{Reviewers}
[bored411] - I'm sorry XD I just really wanted their goodbye's to be sad! It seemed appropriate :o Here is the sequel, my friend :D I hope you enjoyed the first chapter! I'm a little nervous about starting a new one, but I hope I can get everything from my mind to the computer :) Ahh, thank you XD I really hate it when I let myself make characters OOC. Thank you very much for your kindness - I hope you continue to read this story as well! :D
[Yamiroo Alice] - I already answered your review in a PM, but I'll answer it again c: Amaterasu is going back to Konoha :D I would love for you to draw her, just if you don't mind, could you post it somewhere where I can see it? I would love to use it as the cover for this story :D Thank you for the review :)
[Animefangirl95] - Thank you XD That's very sweet :D I want to do that again with this story, but ughh idk if I like the title or not D: I may change it along the way. I might do that for a bonus chapter :O if you'd like :) They'll be sure to pummel some :D Sorry about that :c I just didn't wanna rush things, ya know? Didn't wanna get them all mushy too soon. But I tried really hard to make it direct DX sorry! Akio is the boy c: I'm not pairing him up with Kotone XD He's just hanging around to make her look more attractive (JK. HE IS IMPORTANT.) Hahaha sorry ;D I just wanted him to be really hot~ The sequel is Shippuden time, yes. Gaara and Kotone interact in this chapter. Did that seem forced? Hanako's baby is introduced in this chapter - I hope you like her :D I tried to make Hiromi less shy in this. Did it work?
Ah, someone noticed ;) I wonder where Maiko is..?
Thank you for your review c: I hope you continue to read my stories! I love you!
[Eternal Cat Moon] - Thank you very much c: You're so kind to me v.v I really appreciate your support. RIGHT AFTER I SAW THIS REVIEW I CHANGED IT :3 Please do enjoy this chapter v: Feel free to criticize whatever is not right. I will gladly go back and edit it.
Thank you for the review V.V I hope you continue to read my stories, dear!
[a Wiccan] - Ah, you're too kind c: Here is the first chapter of the sequel. I hope it was not disappointing :D Thank you for the review, my friend :D
[MaoIsSleepy] - You're too sweet XD Here is the first chapter of the sequel! I hope you enjoy! Thank YOU for supporting me all this time c: (btws I've loved your profile pic for ages but kept forgetting to tell you. L is the bomb)
This occurs in Shippuden c: Kotone is involved v:
It is mainly going to revolve around the event of Shippuden and Maiko. I decided on this title, and may or may not change it in the future v.v
Ah, thank you c: I shall try and update more often now. Thank you for everything :3
[Fairytale-GhostPrincess] - Here is the sequel c: I shall PM you right away (typing this just before opening a tab and sending you a message XD) I shall try and fit her in without forcing it. Please do give me advice if I begin to do that v.v Thank your for your encouragement!
[Tannerdarko] - Really? Wow, thank you XD That's very kind of you to say! I'm glad it had that effect, because that's what I was aiming for. Thank you for your kindness c:
/Followers\
{bored411} - Thank you very much v.v
{a Wiccan} - Thanks c:
{tearlessnight} - Google Translate won't work right now. I apologize for the boring 'thank you's. Thank you for following c:
{janice185} - Hello v: Thanks for following!
{Tannerdarko} - Thank you for your kindness v.v
{spiritgem94} - Thanks for everything :D
[Favoritings]
/AzureShadowMoon\ - Thanks v.v
/janice185\ - Thank you... un v;
/Tannerdarko\ - Art is a bang, un!
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OTL what am i doing with my life.
/Kiriari\ - Your name reminds me of Kairi from Kingdom Hearts.
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OTL i should just get a bunch of cats and call it quits
Ahem, anyways! I hope you are looking forward to Chapter Two!