Testifiers of the Anomalous Love
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. This applies until the very end of this story. Enjoy!
Chapter 1 - The Moon, the Stars, and the Darkness
The cherry blossom petals fell, fluttering down. The cherry blossom petals fell, embracing every bit of my fluttering love
Vengeance, anger, hatred, power, bloodlust.
He was nothing but a vain shinobi. Naïve and gullible, despite all the abilities in his arsenal and the potential hovering a mere grasp away from him. A disgrace to his family, a disappointment to his village, but most of all, an ignominy in his own eyes.
That was why he'd chosen this path. Traveling around the world to open his mind, to let his gaze fall upon something even the two doujutsus he possessed couldn't give him. To seek answers, without anyone to delude nor deceive him. To atone to the sins that he had committed while being misled to all the fallacious beliefs. Something he should've done instead of dowsing within rage and hate years before.
The wind mussed up his jet black hair as his legs paced. Two years was a long time, that much was apparent from his changed appearance. He'd grown out his hair, that much was evident from a distance away. His bangs served to hide his left eye, while the rest of his hair grew to the nape of his neck while still maintaining its spiky nature that complimented his impeccable physiognomy. Compared to his genin days, the most striking part of his physique would be his eyes, a mismatched pair of two doujutsus. One a breathtaking onyx orb that glints mysteriously under just the slightest hint of light. One moment they were like that - murky raven black, and the next moment it was crimson with black lines - the reputable sharingan. The other he kept hidden to repel attention, the Samsara eye – the Rinnegan. He'd also resorted to wearing a cloak by means of concealing his absent left hand. He soughed, it took him days of a vicious battle, a wrecked valley, and an arm each to finally let his friend's words really sink in. An extortionate cost, one that bound him to that idiotic blonde forever – not that he minded, but should he be questioned, he'd undoubtedly deny such a thing.
Two years was a long time, and the last ordeals in Kirigakure and Kumogakure made his heart ache. Even in the aftermaths of war, in these peaceful days, many were still clouded with the need for revenge as he did years ago. He was best suited for the mission not just because of what he possessed, but also because he could relate to the raging fire ignited by the need for retribution.
He didn't regret answering to Kakashi's request for help, if anything he was glad of it. Chino and Nowaki questioned him two things he couldn't answer at the time. Now, though, he realized that just the knowledge of revenge would do no good, that exculpation to those who wronged you wasn't enough either. He was set for the last and paramount part of the atonement he sought, forgiving himself. He was done with drowning within hatred, within guilt, and it was about time for him to let himself to drown within joy. There's only one place where one could be filled to the brim with contentment.
Home.
Amidst the jumbled flurry, his train of thoughts would always lead back to that 4-letter word. And right now, with the letter in his clutch and its words etched into his heart, that's exactly where he's headed.
"Now, now, crying your eyes out would do you no good, Kimi-chan," Her viridian orbs softened as she patted the back of the blonde girl soothingly. The girl was no more than a 6 year-old, and losing her father in the midst of the war was something the pinkette wished wouldn't happen to anyone. Her clinic was bustling with kids as of always, all with sorrow and despondency behind their irises and steps loaded with heavy burdens. "Your father was a brave man; he must've wished you nothing but the best. Do you wish to be strong like him?"
The girl disentangled herself and wiped her eyes harshly. "Hai! I will train so that I can become strong like otou-san!" Gazing into her brown eyes that were filled with so much determination tugged on her heartstrings. She must not let the poor girl drown in sadness, for there would be no telling the worse things that could commence should these kids do.
"That's great, Kimi-chan!" She put her forefinger to her chin in a thinking gesture, "but strong girls don't cry, Kimi-chan. They held their head high, they wear a huge smile on their faces, and they spread love to everyone," her heart bloomed as she watched the little girl mimic her as she acted out her words. "Now, off you go, your mother's waiting for you," she lifted the girl with ease and put her on the ground.
"Okaa-san!" In no time, the girl set off running into her mother's awaiting arms.
"Oi, Forehead, your shift's long over, why are you still here?" She didn't need to turn around to figure out who that was. Only one person still calls her by that name.
"Kimi-chan wasn't picked up yet, I found her here crying," she watched longingly at the girl walking hand-in-hand with her mother.
"Now that she's gone home, what are you up to?" Green met blue, and cognizance sunk to her blonde best friend. "No, not again, your apartment surely misses you, Forehead," she was hot on her trails as the pinkette started to move. "What's in the border, anyways?"
The blonde got no immediate reply since her friend was paying for an onigiri. Not that she was in a dire need of an answer, she just wished that her friend would have more sense than to keep inflating her hopes. "I don't know, Pig," she was rewarded with a snort, "I just have this feeling that the village's getting more and more cramped each day," she shrugged. "The border's the only place where the sky's more open, you know? Why are you still here anyways, didn't you tell me that you have a date with Sai any time now?"
Ino heaved a sigh at her best friend's antics. It's a public secret what she's up to. How one could wait that persistently for someone that may or may not make an appearance would forever stay a mystery for her. "What about tomorrow? We're still going to Suna, right?"
"Of course! Do you even have to ask? We've promised to check on the clinic regularly, besides I bet the third wheel in our trip is a little too eager for a regular check-up on the clinic," her eyes twinkled with mirth and Ino caught what she meant in an instant – Shikamaru.
"Just- take care, okay?"
"I will, Pig, don't worry about me! But that stray hair's gonna be quite a problem," she pointed at her friend's nonexistent hair problem. Her lips curved upwards at how her friend immediately rushed to the bathroom in a panicked state.
She strode with ease while munching idly on her onigiri. Two years was a long time, but not much had changed for her. She still donned a red qipao top, the diamond marking the strength of a hundred seals was still perched in the center of her billboard brow, and her pink locks were still kept short.
The borders of Konoha bore memories like none other for the pink-haired kunoichi. Undoubtedly memories regarding him, grim and fond alike. Two years was a long time, but it was as if there was a gravity that's pulling her towards him. All of her thoughts eventually flew back to him. 'Miss' would not be strong enough of a word to describe her feelings. Just a glimpse of him was enough to stoke the fires within her. When Kido kidnapped her, although she was faring well on her own, it elicited her hopes to know that he was actually within the vicinity of the crime scene.
She walked up the tree trunk near the border and sat on her usual branch. Gazing down towards the large trees covering the area, she reveled in how small she felt. The wind caressed her bare arms, the chill notifying her that evening was just around the corner. As the sun broke the blue sky with its descent, a sense of tranquility wrapped around her. Times like these, she wished she could freeze time, capture the moment to be savored eternally. But then again, what's life without a little spice here and there? With that thought, she eased herself off the tree and started to stroll under the setting sun back to her apartment.
When a feeling brushed past her out of a sudden, she pondered if she had indeed mastered the art of freezing time. Everything around her seemed to had been frozen in place. The hustling of the wind dwindled, the streak of tangerine lancing across the violaceous sky seemed to have met a stop, all stilled. All, save for her heart that was hammering in a frenzied beat inside her ribcage. This familiar chakra signature. It could only belong to one person. Her eyes widened, could it be?
Konohagakure. The village where he was born. The village where he watched as his whole clan was slaughtered by his beloved brother. The village where he carved memories that could never be quashed. His hometown. He's back.
His strides were slow but long and sure. He gave a curt nod of acknowledgement to the gate guards, Izumo and Kotetsu, as he passed them. Both seemed to be quite puzzled by the sight of him. Understandable, for he didn't leave so much as a message to notify anyone of his return.
The sight before him made him pause in his tracks. In fact, everything seemed to have paused as well. The rushing of the wind turned into a soft, lulling whisper in a distance and the sky in a plethora of vivid colors. But none as vivid as the sight before him.
There she stood, with nothing but five long steps to close the gap between them. She sure lived up to her namesake, what with that silly shade for her hair color. Her trademark red qipao still bore the white circle indicating her clan, but her figure, he had never had the chance to fully take into account how much time had passed and done her justice. She was a sight to behold, yet when she turned around and he caught glimpse of those vivid, vibrant emerald orbs, he began to question how he could hold himself at just a poke on her head that day. She closed her eyes then, hiding those fulgurating embers behind two curved slits, and opened her plump lips to utter out,
"Okaeri,"
And a second before she burst into a flurry of cherry blossom petals, he heard her voice once more, clear as day, cutting a straight a path into his ears, all the way to his temporal lobe.
"Sasuke-kun."
It was him. There was no denying it anymore. It was him. It was him. It was him. It had become some sort of a mantra chanted over and over again in her mind until those three perfectly natural words sounded utterly foreign to her.
She had flitted away the moment she could get a hold of her bearings, and placed a clone in replacement of her immediately while she herself ran as fast as she could. Ran until her feet was numb, until her heart felt like it was rock-climbing into the base of her throat, until her breath came out in choked gasps. Rudderless, she knew not of where she was supposed to go. Should she go to Kakashi? After all, he was the Rokudaime, but then again that meant he must've known something already. Should she go to Ino? She was her best friend, but she didn't have the heart to disrupt her date with Sai. That left her with one last person she could go to. She sent out every prayer that he's not having a day out with Shikamaru to acquire his jounin rank, nor was he too occupied his upcoming wedding.
A memory embedded itself into her mind, indicating that her clone had burst away. She saw him, that tall, dark pococurante. If this was the 'next time' he had bespoken of, what would ensue after? Then she heard it, a whisper amidst the leaves' susurrates,
"Tadaima,"
And as one corner of his lips curled upwards in his wonted smirk, the small whisper that made her question if she was in fact imagining it had failed to escape her ears.
"Sakura."
A small part of him wished that another villain would emerge and wage another war. He was, after all, better in learning by experience than by these antediluvian scrolls and archaic archives. But naah, he was downright lying if he claimed he didn't relish this peace. Ramen in one hand and a glass of milk in his prosthetic hand, he was quite at peace despite the many readings that were due.
Just then, a loud banging ruptured what small sense of peace he had.
"Matte!" He sulked, he hadn't finished slurping his ramen! The banging didn't recede, if anything it increased. "Don't break down my door, dattebayo!" He swung his door open to reveal his flustered female teammate. And she looked worse for wear, her face a shade lighter than her qipao, consternation etched into her furrowed eyebrows. She controlled her ragged breath, but before Naruto could ask her what the matter at hand was, she beat him to it.
"He's here, Naruto. Sasuke-kun's here," she spoke breathlessly. Her expression though, was unreadable. He could then tell how vacillated her friend was upon the Uchiha's return.
"Doushita, Sakura-chan?" He sidestepped to let her into his messy apartment, littered with empty instant ramen cups and study materials.
"I... I guess I just don't know," she made for the couch, carefully avoiding the mines he left on the floor. It was a rarity, how she didn't fuss over the mess in an instant. Not that he minded, he wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth, after all. "I shouldn't even care!" she soughed in aggravation.
Naruto wouldn't mind of the agitated girl that had been banging on his front door. He wouldn't have minded if said girl broke down and bawl her eyes out on his couch. But this fuming girl before his line of sight, he sure as hell minded. No one would want to be the receiving end of her wrath in times like these.
"S-Sakura-chan," he chuckled nervously, "K-Kakashi-sensei might-"
"He must've known something!" She jolted upright from the couch.
"Or he might not!" He immediately regretted bringing up that name. If the girl before him didn't kill him, then the Rokudaime would.
A slight ruckus by the windowsill captured the attention of both ninjas. An ANBU had appeared, granting the interjection he had been desirous of.
"Your presence has been requested by the Hokage," he added after spotting her just a second after, "both of you," and then the masked godsend took flight, but it didn't miss his notice that she had befallen into a much calmer state. And for that, he was grateful. In spite of any portents to the contrary, it would appear that he did prefer peace.
If his slanted eyes weren't enough of an indicator that he lacked sleep as much as he lacked tranquility, he didn't know what would. Kakashi was grateful that he inherited his father's silver-colored hair, that way his graying hair wouldn't be so apparent. He pinched the bridge of his nose. He was hoping that he'd cleared the mounting paperwork before Shikamaru would leave the day after, but looks like it would start to pile up even more.
"Sasuke."
"Kakashi," the dark haired boy, no, man before him greeted him. His lips twitched behind his mask, such a greeting for the Hokage, "sensei." He added. So the great Uchiha still thinks of him as his sensei. He couldn't deny the pride that bloomed in his chest.
"Now, now, we both know I can no longer teach you anything you're not already capable of," he snatched a piece of paper, glimpse-read it, and signed it by the bottom. One down, infinity to go.
"And we both know that one doesn't necessarily have to share knowledge, but wisdom as well," the man's lips quirked upwards, and Kakashi found his lips acted on its own to mimic his. Huh, once a copy ninja, always a copy ninja.
"I haven't had the chance to thank you, Sasuke, for lending a hand," he grimaced for his choice of words," or, more like eyes, for that unpleasantries with, what was that? Dark Thunder Group?"
"Aa. Really, Hokage-sama," he smirked and said Hokage rewarded him with a deadpan. So much for his earlier remark," it was my pleasure, actually. If anything, it opened my eyes."
"Ja, let's cut to the chase, here, Sasuke. What brings you here?"
He didn't answer outright. His only visible eye seemed to be in deep calculation, mulling over his next words carefully.
"Is the Uchiha manor still habitable?"
Kakashi paused mid-signature. Well shoot, that ain't good, he frowned. His signature came out a little scribbly and messy in the end. The Rokudaime sighed, he regretted not paying full attention on his ex-student's words to begin with.
"Well, yes, it's been untouched since the day," he paused, "you know," a nod cued him to continue. "Are you staying, then, Sasuke?"
The Uchiha closed his eyes. "Aa."
Kakashi suppressed the urge to rub his temples, he shouldn't be putting his lassitude on public display. "Sasuke Uchiha, you've just subjected me to even more paperwork." According to his calculations, added with gut feeling, any moment now he would have to deal with even more troublesome matters. Now, that was that Nara kid rubbing off on him.
Sasuke smirked at his former sensei and the current Rokudaime, shaking his head at him with fatigue written all over his face. "Aa. Arigatou, Kakashi-sensei. What about-"
He was about to ask for the keys, Kakashi could tell, but the door creaked open behind him, cutting him short. Ah, so his messengers had done their deed.
"SASUKE-TEME!" Said person, who was renowned for his speed, couldn't turn around fast enough before a flash of yellow and orange and everything bright obscured his view. Hence, he found himself tackled into the position he was in, sprawled on the floor with a grinning blonde idiot on top of him.
"Get off me, dobe," he growled, shoving the blonde off of him before standing up, brushing off the dirt that had clung unto him.
The opened doors had apparently give way to all of his academy friends, all with the same expressions, disbelief added with a pinch of delight. The subject of those expression threw an accusing glare to the Hokage.
"Surely, I would know when a familiar chakra pranced into my village, Sasuke," Kakashi's eyes gleamed with mirth.
"Yosh! Ichiraku it is!" And soon after a chorus of resigned sighs and jaded 'Naruto's filled the Hokage's office, all surfeited with the blonde's addiction to ramen, especially Teuchi's Ichiraku.
Yet that evening, should an enemy have targeted said ramen stand, all of Konoha's top jounin would be vanquished in a blink of an eye. The stand was piling, barely accommodating the eleven people with only six stools available. No stances, no nothing, just jovial remarks thrown back and forth, save for one sat the corner, the last Uchiha. He'd never realized the veracity of the familiar sentence, how one are more prone to loneliness among the most packed crowd. His charcoal eyes had scanned the whole room that evening, and found that nobody had changed one bit. Although, one thing had been bothering him.
She didn't make eye-contact with him at all. Her head hung low, pink tresses covering her iridescent jade orbs from his sight. If what Naruto had said was true, then why wouldn't she do so much as acknowledge him? If she had smiled at him so sweetly under the lilac sky, then why was it apathy and a cold shoulder that she gave him? If she had voiced a welcome for him, then why wouldn't she act welcoming to him?
It didn't go past his notice when she slipped out from her stool. She only had a bowl of buta ramen and some Chinese tea. Not a drop of liquor was ingested by her. He downed the last of his drink in one big gulp. He needed to see the manor quickly, before it gets any later. Seeing the others laughed and chatted a little too loudly, he decided to leave them be.
This had always been the route for him, the gray asphalt leading to his house at the edge of Konoha. He would go past many shops and stores, until finally he would go by the training grounds. A few more miles after and the Uchiha complex would come into view.
The training ground was unoccupied that night. Its vacancy seemed to be calling for him somehow. One, two, three steps and his feet were no longer touching the gray asphalt but the green grass. Well, a few punches wouldn't hurt, would it?
Everything was packed, she told herself. There weren't any dispatched team that would be returning that night, so no imminent emergency. Her friends were sharing jokes and stories over some drinks and ramen by the cozy Ichiraku. Yet there she was. On her own, in the middle of a street nowhere near her home. Slow and unsure steps taking her to no certain spot.
Deep down, she knew why she left early. It was him. She couldn't figure out why out of all time he decided to return that day. What was her to him? She wasn't sure she could face him after all her confessions. What a cheap girl he would've deemed her to be!
Yes, she knew where she headed now. She needed to go somewhere to vent her pent-up frustrations.
Just her luck that the training ground was occupied though. By the very person she was evading, too. Gritting her teeth, she masked her chakra and hid by a tall, sturdy tree nearby.
She just watched him as he was demolishing the training ground as if his life depended on it. She was perplexed at his extraordinaire. She had to squint her eyes to follow his every movement; she, who is the best kunoichi in Konoha of their generation. Lamentably for her, one-handed or not he was undeniably skilled – even more so with that Rinnegan he obtained since the Lord of the Six Paths blessed him.
"Who's there?"
She cursed under her breath. In her astonishment, she'd mistakenly let her guard down and forgot to keep her chakra masked completely. Stepping out, she was greeted with a kunai on the hollow of her throat. Her reflex kicked in as she gathered her chakra in her right hand and punched as hard as she could. The moment she realized who it was, it was too late. She should've known anyways, who else could be there save for the two of them? She couldn't stop her flying fist to connect with his body moving towards her and hit him square on the chest; she was sure she cracked several ribs on the process. Both were taken aback of the incident. An awkward moment of silence enveloped them - one too stunned that she had hit the infamous prodigy and the other too stunned that he had let a girl much less with pink hair hit him.
When realization hit her like buckets of cold water, she expeditiously rushed towards him. "Oh my god! I-I'm so sorry! I thought- "She didn't know what she was thinking, that's the truth. His reply saved her from stammering, or dealing with awkward silence due to stopping mid-sentence though.
"It's alright." He waved his hand and tried to stand up using his hand as a cantilever. He winced as pain shot up his chest and fell back to the ground.
"I-" she reached his side and he eyed her skeptically. "Let me heal you," She held out her arms and let her hands glow green with her chakra for a slight moment. The last time she used her healing chakra was to stop the bleeding after he and Naruto had exchanged their last blows and costed both an arm.
"Hn. Fine." She didn't expect him to actually let her and for the second time for the day, she was aghast. Deep inside the injured boy was equally astonished with his own answer.
"Okay. Take off your cloak." Her medic side kicked in.
He glared at her.
But of course, she was one of his fangirls in the past, what else should she expect out of him? She let out a sigh. "Trust me just this once, I've surpassed even Tsunade-sama," Inwardly, she scolded herself. Sasuke was known for nothing but his trust issues. And what was she doing? Priding herself?
His gaze lingered on her face for a second before he let it fall and unclasped his cloak.
She sighed. "Your shirt, too."
His stoic face faced her the whole time he unbuttoned his shirt, rendering helpless to stop the heat creeping up her cheeks. His muscles rippled as he discarded the shirt, and she could clearly see the nasty bruise that was forming where she had punched him. Flowers bloomed in her chest as she felt pride surging within her. With deep and sincere guilt along to it as well. It's not like every day you could scrape a prodigy like him, let alone punch him – which she just did. She released the breath she didn't even realize she was holding as his shirt fell down on the grassy ground. She jerked her eyes from the sight of his chiseled chest as she remembered what she was about to do on the first place. Her hands glowed green with her healing chakra. He flinched when her hands came in contact with his chest both because of the pain and the ineffable feeling her touch gave him. Her hands felt smooth and small against his chiseled chest and he could feel the warm, soothing feeling it gave him. He let her lids closed over his onyx orbs. He missed her punch. He let his guard down. He blamed it on his tiredness after training. She's not one to be taken lightly, after all her solid punch at Kaguya contributed quite greatly in sealing the Rabbit Goddess.
She'd changed, she's different. The air of professionalism that she exuded was undeniable. However, it's more than just her skills that had matured. In this close proximity, he couldn't deny how mesmerizing her aventurine orbs had become, and how enamoring her cherry blossom colored hair was. And mostly, the feeling of her hands on his chest, added with her chakra. He knew instantly she wasn't lying when she said she's surpassed even the legendary Sannin and the Godaime, Tsunade, herself.
"There. All fixed." She stopped the flow of her chakra and let her hands fall unto her lap. She took a breath, "I'm really sorry-"
"Don't be." He buttoned his shirt back on and pushed himself up as he gathered his cloak in his hold. She followed suit and stood awkwardly before him. A pregnant silence enveloped the air surrounding them before the apathetic boy spoke, "Spar with me tomorrow." It was like an order, a question, and a statement mixed into one. How he managed to do that, she'd never know.
And, as she counted, this was the third time she was taken aback for today. "I- uh, what the hell, I'd stand no chance!" she scowled at him, something that surprised her as well.
"Hn. Tomorrow, same time." She could feel the lingering question in his compelling sentence and forced down the emerging smile.
"Matte-" A frown passed on her forehead as she growled. What right did he possess to command her to spar with him if the outcome's already fixed? Besides, tomorrow's not possible – she's going to Suna. "Next Tuesday," that's the day she'll be back. Inwardly, she questioned herself. She would be exhausted by the time she just got back. He stayed silent, but unmoving, so she took it as a sign to elaborate, "I'm going to Suna tomorrow."
"Hn. No kekkei genkai," it sounded to her like they had a deal.
Her face softened. "No seal as well, then," she tapped the purple diamond resting on her forehead and threw him a reluctant smile.
He turned around then. His long, full strides further distancing the two people in a short period of time.
Her eyes stayed plastered on the Uchiha crest seamed to the back of his shirt and as he neared the end of the street she called out, "Mata ashita ne!" He paused for a second and gave a small nod of acknowledgement which didn't go unnoticed by her. She smiled again as she, too, turned around.
Eventide had long since gone by; the sun had long since made its descent, and it was growing later by the minute. As both made their way back home, the moon, the stars, and the darkness became the first testifiers of their ever-anomalous love. Just as they were the first testifiers when she cried her eyes out the night he first left her and when he felt guilt surrounding his heart the night he first left her.
Even now, I'm dreaming the dream I prayed for with you that spring. The cherry blossom petals scatter.
- End Chapter 1 -
GLOSSARY
So after a nice review (thanks!) and some mulling overs, I decided to add this ^^
Arigatou : thank you
Doushita : what's the matter?
Mata ashita (ne) : see you tomorrow (ne is just like... kay? or smth like that)
Matte : wait!
Okaeri : welcome home (or back)
Tadaima : I'm home (or back)
I think that's about it...? The honorifics are pretty common, I presume? Moving on the author's notes then~
A/N: Hi! Whew 5K words? Horizontal lines sure are a pain in the arse huft
Sooo... I think this can stand on its own as a one-shot, don't you think? I mayyyy update, I mean the title is pretty self-explanatory: Testifiers. But, I suck (super duper very very) at time management and thus, I can't promise anything... So yeah, just assume that this is a one-shot story :') gomengomengomen
It's been quite some time since I last opened fanfiction… I'm thinking about deleting I ? You, since I really don't know where else to go from there :/ I am not dead :'D It's just I have soo many things on my plate to be concerned of. Lately, I have gained an interest in writing again, and so this is one of the drafts I've been keeping for.. about 3 years, untouched (darnit the more I reread the more I cringe). When I first started writing this story, Naruto hasn't ended soo now I have to alter a lot of things – and changed the plot entirely soo there might be clashing parts that escaped my editing. Also, this takes place after all the extras, like Sakura Hiden and Sasuke Shinden, kaykaykayy~ (But seriously, I'm squealing internally with the ending, especially with the bonus chapters, Naruto Gaiden – it's a field of Kya! moments strewn all over like, aaaaawhh 3)
So I've been questioning myself lately: why bother writing and uploading? I guess I still haven't found the ultimate answer, but this is what I've been telling myself: writing is sharing. Here's something about me and my pieces: I write what I've experienced, what I wish I'd experience, and what I'd probably never experience (read: pure imagination). Of course I wouldn't want to keep all these to myself for a lifetime, I'd rather morph them into a story and let my tale live on in the form of fictional characters that might (or probably won't) entertain you wonderful readers. This is a piece of my mind, so don't hesitate to share yours! ^^
Okay, just fyi, 'I ? You' still has some occasional readers, which is… beyond mind-blowing :o Thank youuu sooo much for that, but really, it's so embarrassingly crappy :') You guys just never cease to amaze me :')
I'd like to end this awfully long AN with a little reminder: if today's a bad day for you, pleasepleasekeep in mind that life is a never-ending cycle of ups and downs. Even if the day after tomorrow might be a bad day too, at least tomorrow might be a great day :) Make wise choices today, tomorrow, and always! Stay awesome, peeps!
Love eternally,
DarkLight08