I'm really sorry for the lag in updates

I'm really sorry for the lag in updates. My laptop died, and dragged everything down to the Failed System Underworld with it. It took me some time to find it and drag my stuff back up. I hope to have some updates ready soon, if not today. I have 2 betas reading this, so it may take some time. I'm probably going to upload the next chapter before they can beta-read it, just so that people can read it. I'll upload the beta'd version ASAP.

Once again, I'm sorry for the lag. Without further ado, here's the next chapter:

Othello watched impassively as air hissed out of Mitsume's open mouth. The kid was staring up at him his eyes wide and glazed over like a deer in the headlights, but there was some strange twist to his features. It was almost as though he was trying to suppress something. Soon, he started to look more like a fish out of water, with his eyes nearly bulging out of his head. Othello grimaced.

"Hey, are you even breathing?" Othello saw Mitsume's mouth twitch and straighten out. He dragged in scant air, and then within an instant it issued forth again. He was hyperventilating. Othello was unmoved.

Mitsume shrank away from him, crawling backwards until his back was against a tree.

"What's the matter with you? Calm the fuck down." As Othello approached him, Mitsume forced the air out of his lungs in little quaking cries. With each step Othello took, the cries grew louder until they were screams. Othello stopped and looked down at the boy in annoyance. "Shut the fuck up, you whiny little pansy bitch," he growled. Still, the screams continued. Othello glared and shouted in his frustration, but nothing seemed to affect Mitsume, who had his hand drawn up to his chest.

Quickly growing tired of the noise, Othello grabbed Mitsume's face in both hands. Mitsume shut his eyes tightly and struggled to free his head. "Mitsume, look at me!" Othello commanded harshly. Mitsume's eyes fluttered open. He had never heard the ass-clown say his name before. "Calm down, you crazy little fucker! Look, it's not that big a deal. Here- I'll pull the splinter out…"

Mitsume wrenched himself free of Othello's grip. "Get away from me!" he shrieked. He turned away from Othello, and curled his body in on itself, cradling his single hand to his chest. He had stopped hyperventilating, but his breath still came in pants. He ground his teeth in anxiety as he stared down at the fragment of wood impaling the heel of his palm.

Othello sighed and seized Mitsume's shoulder, swinging his body around in one swift motion. Before Mitsume had time to react, Othello had grasped his hand and yanked the splinter from it. Almost before Mitsume could even blink, Othello had released him and stepped back. He stared down at his hand again, and watched as a tiny bead of blood formed in the hole previously occupied by the splinter.

"Are you sane again?" Othello questioned drily. Mitsume didn't even spare him a glance. He gathered his legs under himself to stand. "I don't think I've ever heard anyone shriek like that, not even a woman," Othello prodded, sniggering to himself.

"Yeah, I'll bet you haven't. I can't say I'm surprised," Mitsume commented bitterly as he stood. He started to walk away, but Othello caught his arm. "Get. The. Fuck. Off," Mitsume bit out.

"Why so sulky, sourpuss? Are you embarrassed that I saw your little hissyfit?" Othello spoke lazily, with supreme confidence. "Besides, you're not going anywhere unless I say you can. The fun hasn't even begun."