As it turned out, Kiwa was right in saying that Otsu would allow Ren time off to care for Buttercup; every Sunday morning in fact, when the stablehand's took the horses out for a long ride in the forests surrounding the palace. And although Ren was yet to really ride Buttercup, she still spent as much time as she could with him, going down to the stables during her free time and helping Tasuku out; she visited almost every other day, and so she became a regular, friendly face to the stablehand's there.

As for how Otsu reacted when he heard Ren had tamed the beast which broke his arm… well, he simply smiled widely, his eyes squinting with glee as he rumbled out a loud, bellowing laugh, slapping Ren on the back as he held his belly and said:

"Well isn't this a cruel irony! That beast has prevented me from working, and now it takes my student! I'd be furious if it wasn't for the fact that the beast is now tamed! Well done my girl! Well done!"

Ren had released a surprised laugh at his reaction, but was pleased to know Otsu had no grudge against the horse and was allowing her time off to look after him.

As time went on, Buttercup became much more docile and approachable, though it was easy to see that he would always have a wild streak within him; it was just the stallion's personality. They had also discovered that Buttercup often mirrored Ren's emotions, meaning that he was calm around people Ren was calm or friendly towards, and that if Ren were upset or angry, the stallion would be more hostile towards others and quite protective of her; this they had discovered when Ren had received a letter one morning from her mother, and when the stablehand's tried to find out what she was mumbling so angrily about whilst feeding Buttercup, the horse had turned and snorted at them, blocking their path to Ren. She had quickly calmed the stallion, and passed off their concerns with a shrug and a laugh, saying she'd just got up on the wrong side of bed that morning.

Tasuku was still very jumpy around Buttercup, even though he pretended not to be, and despite the fact the horse was no longer hostile towards him, Tasuku being a friend of Ren's, and so one day Ren had taken matters into her own hands. She had dragged Tasuku by the arm to Buttercups stall, forced him to stand right before the great horse and placed his hand onto Buttercups snout, holding it there as the boy protested in panic. It took a while, but eventually he calmed down once Ren had pointed out nothing was happening to him and that Buttercup was simply standing there, watching Tasuku with disinterest. After that, Tasuku realised he no longer had to be frightened of the stallion, and he had rubbed his head in abashment, thanking Ren quietly.

Two months had passed since that first dramatic incident at the stables, and Ren and Tasuku had become good friends; though Ren still teased him about his height, and Tasuku still reminded her of his 'senior' status over her.

Ren had indeed gone to the communal kitchen that evening on Tasuku's request, and though she felt a little awkward and at first panicked by the close proximity to strangers, the warm and relaxed atmosphere soon lent itself to her, and she found that it was a lot easier than before for her to interact with others. She found she now greatly enjoyed people's company, even if she did not know them very well, and she did not mind so much when someone touched her shoulder or grabbed her hands in excitement. Touch was still special to her, and she gave it more sparingly than she received it, but she had become less reserved since coming to Wistal, and Ren found that she liked this change a lot.

She didn't even mind all that much that the Head Cook stayed in the room next to hers, seeing as she didn't bother her as long as Ren stayed quiet enough. The old hag acted like a matron of their building, claiming she had to "Keep all these young fools in check"; the 'young fools' (pretty much everyone under the age of 60) would just laugh together quietly once she had turned her back, putting on a façade of obedience in her presence only in an attempt to avoid one of her famous rants.

Ren received a letter from her parents each month, and in turn they received one from her every month, both telling the other of any goings on and asking how everything was. So far, her mother had reported that life was carrying on as usual in Tarrin, though there had been a large celebration in the local pub when they'd heard of Ren's success; of course her mother had written about the various arm wrestling competitions she had won that night, and of how the village was celebrating despite not knowing Ren that well, because not much excitement ever occurred there ('any excuse to drink themselves silly, really', Kaiya had written).

Ren kept all the letters in one of the draws in the desk in her room, stacked into a small but neat pile (currently there were only two letters, but they still made Ren smile whenever she read or even just looked at them).

It was on a warm summer's day that Ren and Tasuku could be found at the back of the stables, relaxing on a huge pile of hay as streams of sunlight filtered in and illuminated the dust motes floating in the air. They had finished their morning tasks and were relaxing in a comfortable silence, the humid air making their limbs and eyelids heavy.

Tasuku could often be found atop the hay, snoozing away with a hay stalk between his teeth, hands behind his head and oblivious to the world around him. As a result of these naps he often had hay tangled within his messy hair, though he didn't really seem to care and never bothered to take them out; there were times when the shaggy mop was more hay than hair.

As they lounged on the hay the muted sounds of the busy palace could just about be heard by the two, and those duties seemed so far away, like a distant dream. This place was quiet and warm, and it was no surprise to Ren that Tasuku often came here to relax and escape it all.

Ren remembered a conversation they had had the other day about their families; they had been lying on this very hay, and the conversation had been very relaxed and calm, the two simply stating facts, nothing more, nothing less.

Tasuku spoke of how his mother had died of a fever when he was three, and so his father had to bring him in to the stables in order to look after him; he had lived on the palace grounds ever since, having no other family except for his father.

Ren spoke of how her grandparents on her mother's side had passed away a few years ago, the green waistcoat she wore their last gift to her, and of how her father's family lived in the north of Clarines but were not on speaking terms with their son; for what reason Ren didn't know, but it was always a touchy subject that her father never talked about.

It was by no means a happy subject for either friends to talk about, but they found it was a relief to be able to talk to someone about it without receiving pity; they did not want nor need it.

Tasuku was a very down to earth and care free person, and Ren found it quite refreshing as she'd never met someone like that before; his attitude was one of the reasons she found it easier to talk with others in the communal areas of their building.

Coming back to the present Ren saw something disturb the dust motes from the corner of her eye, and turned to see Kiwa walking towards them, a small smile on his face and hands on his hips as he stopped in front of them.

"Hello Ren, how are you today? I didn't see you come in." he said.

"I'm good thank you, I must have come in when you were busy. How are you?" Ren replied, sitting up and nudging Tasuku, who appeared to have dozed off.

"I'm well, thank you." Kiwa said, nodding his head, "Though if you've got some spare time on your hands then how about giving riding Buttercup another shot?"

Ren held in a groan as she cringed and rubbed the bruises on her lower back; they were still sore from the last time she'd attempted to ride Buttercup, as they had yet to tame the stallion when it came to riding him and Ren had gained more than a few bruises from being thrown off his back. When she even managed to get on it, that is.

Fortunately for them, Buttercup didn't seem to mind having a saddle or halter being put on him, so at least they weren't struggling with that as well.

"Alright…" Ren said a little reluctantly, getting down off the hay, "I'll go saddle him up. Is the training arena free?"

"Mhmm," Kiwa hummed, "It should be free for the rest of the day."

"Oh. Right. Excellent…" Ren said, trying to remain positive about how the training would go.

"Though I'm afraid I'm busy at the moment, so I won't be able to help you out today." Kiwa said.

"Oh, that's okay, I should be alright on my own." Ren said, gesturing slightly with her hands and feeling a little relieved.

At least no one will see me fall on my backside this time… She thought.

"I'll go too." Tasuku said, having suddenly woken up very quickly and now jumping down from the hay pile, "I'll watch from the fencing and be on standby in case anything goes wrong."

"Thank you Tasuku, that's very kind of you." Kiwa said with a smile, oblivious to the glare Ren was sending the boy from the corner of her eyes; Tasuku was just grinning widely, the hay stalk still between his teeth. "I'll leave you two to it then. Good luck!" With that Kiwa turned and went back to work, Ren and Tasuku soon walking towards Buttercups stall; the boy seemed to be in high spirits, and Ren knew why.

The only reason Tasuku would end his nap, other than his father telling him to get his ass moving and back to work, was to laugh at Ren falling on her butt repeatedly whilst trying to ride a damn horse. He found it greatly amusing and would always watch when she tried to ride Buttercup, so she'd gotten into the habit of not telling him when she was going to do so. Unfortunately Kiwa hadn't pegged onto this, so Ren was stuck with him and his mirth for the rest of the day.

Ren sighed and shook her head as Tasuku continued to grin, taking off her cloak and hanging it over the stall door, buckling a saddle onto Buttercup without a problem and then leading him out to the arena via the reins.

She supposed that it was a good thing Tasuku was coming along, despite his annoying laughter, as she didn't want to accidentally get crushed by Buttercup; it was good to have someone on standby in case it all went horribly wrong.


Mitsuhide couldn't find Zen anywhere.

He'd looked all over the palace and its grounds, and of course his first port of call had been Shirayuki at the Court Herbalists, but she hadn't seen him either. Kiki and Obi were also out looking for him, but they'd split up to cover more ground.

Yet they'd been searching for a good hour now, and with still no sign of the prince.

Mitsuhide let out an exasperated sigh as he walked along the fence of the horse training arena, just about ready to give up on his search; he was worried senseless, but clearly Zen didn't want to be found, so he'd just have to wait awhile. Besides, for all he knew, Zen could have gone to see Shirayuki after he had left her at the Court Herbalist's.

The sound of a horse whinnying and snorting brought Mitsuhide's attention to the training arena next to him. He saw a young woman struggling to stay on a wildly bucking stallion in the centre, a young man on the other side of the arena leaning over the fence and shouting encouragement to her; though he said it with a slight smirk and a teasing, sarcastic lilt.

"Come on Ren! You can do it!" The boy shouted, cupping a hand around his mouth as though to amplify his voice.

The girl, Ren, didn't seem to hear him, her full concentration being on staying on the horse. She was only just managing to hold on, gripping the horse with her thighs and clutching the reins tightly as she gritted her teeth. Her whole body was tensed up and her ponytail was flying wildly around her head as the horse bucked and kicked, doing everything it could to dislodge its passenger.

Mitsuhide paused to watch her progress, and it was only when she eventually fell off that he noticed the green ends of her hair.

Ren had managed to stay on the horse for a good amount of time, though the stallion was completely calm now that no one was on its back. It even went over to Ren, who was still on the floor, putting its head down and nickering at her gently as though in apology; either or that or because it couldn't understand why she was suddenly lying on the dirty ground.

Ren patted the horse's snout as she stood up, and the boy at the fence called out to her with a laugh:

"What happened to that strength you were telling me about, huh? You know, the one you earnt from the forge?"

"Oh ha ha." Ren shouted back, "I'd like to see you do better, beansprout!"

For Mitsuhide the pieces suddenly clicked into place. He remembered hearing some of the servants gossiping about a girl with green dipped hair finally taming a horse they'd had for years, and how she wasn't even a stablehand. And he could also remember the guards stationed at the Poet's Gate talking about the new Apprentice Court Blacksmith with green hair ends as he walked by one morning.

He concluded that this was said girl.

But for some reason Mitsuhide felt like he recognised her, though he wasn't sure why exactly and couldn't place any memories to her specifically.

He continued to watch as she got back on the horse, this strange and annoying feeling of recognition making him all the more curious about her. Mitsuhide could see her skill from the very way she held herself and the way in which she tried to calm the horse, who was already moving about erratically. Mitsuhide remembered when this horse was first brought to the palace and the chaos it had caused at the stables; this blacksmith truly had a talent if she could do what some of the best handlers in the country could not, as they had gotten nowhere near this stage.

This time Ren managed to stay seated on the stallion, stopping him from bucking but unable to completely calm him as he snorted heavily, stomping his hooves and moving about from side to side unhappily.

The boy leaning lazily on the fence called out to her in a more sincere tone, "Hey… you did it! You actually managed to stay on this time! I think we're starting to get somewhere, you know?"

"Yeah... Thanks Tasuku! But I think we've still got a long way to goOOOOOoooooOOOO!" Ren's reply was abruptly interrupted as the stallion bolted across the arena, jolting Ren and forcing her to hold on to the reins tightly as they sped towards the fencing at the end.

Tasuku leaned over the fence hurriedly, prepared to jump into the arena but unsure of what he could do. He had a concerned and slightly panicked expression on his face as he called out to the receding figure:

"Ren! Are you alright?!"

"Yep…!" Came the slightly strained reply as Ren tugged with all her might on the reins, just about managing to turn the stallion before they both collided with the wooden fence. Unfortunately this did not stop the horse, and the two went racing down the opposite side of the arena at full speed.

The world around Ren was nothing but a passing blur of browns and greens, though she could still make out when they were coming to the end of the arena and could still just about manage to turn the horse to avoid collision; hopefully he would wear himself out soon, but strangely enough this seemed to be helping their progress.

If Ren hadn't been so focused on not crashing, she may have noticed the briefest blur of blue in her surroundings as she raced past one side of the arena.

Mitsuhide chuckled, amazed at her skill and relieved that it had prevented her and the horse from sustaining any injuries from a possible nasty crash into a fence. He decided it was probably about time he restarted his search for Prince Zen, as he may have returned to his study by now, however unlikely that may seem…

As he walked away from the training arena, Mitsuhide couldn't help but think about how the new Apprentice Blacksmith had more than one skill, and it made him laugh to wonder whether she had gone into the wrong profession or not; he had also decided to ignore the twinge of recognition for now, thinking it must simply be from seeing her working around the palace.


It was a few days later, on a pleasantly warm evening, that Ren could be found in the forests within the palace walls practising her archery.

She'd managed to convince Tasuku to give her apples from the stables to use as targets, telling him it was a way of repaying her for saving his life when they first met (he had rolled his eyes at her clear emphasis on that fact and her attempts at guilt tripping him, shoving a few apples into her hands before turning his back on her and going back to work.). Ren knew she didn't have to say that to get the apples, but she just wanted to see his reaction. Which had been quite amusing.

Ren would sneak into the forest next to her staff lodgings, just as the sun was beginning to set and the trees were casting long shadows over everything, carrying her bow and apples, her quiver on her cloaked back. She'd been going into the forest to practice her archery for about a month now, as her first two weeks at the palace had been full of hard, strenuous work, leaving behind sore muscles which needed rest and not the strain of pulling back a bow.

The initial rumours that had been spread about her were due to the night runs she had gone on in the forests on her first nights at the palace; the trees reminded her of home and helped calm her nerves, and she had decided to scout the whole forest out in order to avoid all the people in her building.

Ren still did this every now and again, though the rumours had now ceased because of her more regular appearances in the staff communal areas (they figured she was just a normal girl who enjoyed the outdoors, so they left it at that).

A month away from her bow had left Ren a little rusty, but she found she couldn't get out all that often to practice; she was busy in the forge or at the stables most of the time, and her own fears of being caught by someone held her back. She wasn't a guard or anything like that, so she wasn't entirely sure she was supposed to be using a weapon unauthorised like this. And even though she knew hiding it would only look worse if she were caught, she decided it was better than going to the guards at the barracks and asking if she could practice with them.

Besides, Ren reminded herself, they'll just be standing up straight and shooting at round targets in the open. It's better if I practice in the forest with lots of leaves in my way, it's much more realistic and it tests your skill more.

Ren was almost back on form now, though that didn't mean she could stop practising of course.

At this moment in time Ren was crouching in a slight dip she had found just off of one of the forests pathways, peering through many branches and leaves in the undergrowth at an apple she had placed on top of a tree stump. The bright red fruit had a small 'x' cut into its flesh, which Ren had made using her small dagger.

It also happened to be that at this time Kiki was out on an evening run; it was a pleasant evening and the others were all busy, Zen having gone off to see Shirayuki with an annoyed Mitsuhide secretly keeping watch close by (he still hadn't let go of the fact Zen had snuck off two days ago, and hadn't let the prince out of his sight since) and Kiki didn't know where Obi was or what he was up to. And so she had decided to get a little peace and quiet and make the most of this time alone, before Zen discovered his shadow.

She had just run round a curve in the dirt track when she heard a frustrated shout come from up ahead, just off of the pathway and from within the undergrowth between the trees.

Kiki slowed her pace, stepping quietly with ease as she cautiously approached the area the sound had come from, spotting a bright red apple on a tree stump as she reached the edge of the path. As she looked more closely at it she saw that it had an 'x' cut into its centre, and she paused, wondering why it was there.

Just as she was about to step off of the path and into the trees to get a closer look, an arrow thudded into the tree stump, just inches below the apple. It was only now that Kiki noticed the other half a dozen arrows dotted around the apple, their dark wood shafts and speckled feather fletching's easily blending into the undergrowth in the fading light.

Another frustrated cry rang out from the undergrowth, and Kiki quickly pressed her back against the nearest tree to hide from the now nearby stranger; they were armed, and so she did not wish to take them by surprise and cause any untoward injuries for either of them.

Turning her head to look out beyond the tree, Kiki saw a figure cloaked in dark green, a hood casting deep shadows across the young woman's face as she knelt by the tree stump, using a small dagger to dig her arrows out of the wood. She had a look of frustration and intense concentration on her face, but as she collected all her arrows she looked down, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, holding it for a few moments before releasing it slowly and standing back up, placing the arrows back in her quiver.

Kiki turned to look around the other side of the tree as she followed the girl's movement, watching as she walked back to her position in the undergrowth, which Kiki thought to be about 50 metres away from the apple.

Kiki could barely see her crouching there through all the foliage, the woman's cloak aiding her by merging with the greens of the surrounding forest; this was a hunter, and Kiki was sure of that, as the woman's footfalls had been silent even with all the debris covering the forest floor as she had walked back.

This time though, Kiki could see a more serene expression on the woman's face; she appeared completely calm, breathing deeply and slowly, and she felt the soft breeze and the last rays of sunlight on her skin as she became one with her environment, her breath matching the rustle of the trees above her. As she drew her bow back, she focused on the 'x' and only the 'x' of her target, thinking only of hitting it, not how she would or why.

She loosed the arrow, her body locked into position and unwavering as it was sent towards its target. With a soft thud and a squelch, the arrow pierced the apple, straight through the centre of the 'x' and almost passing straight through it as the apple was knocked back off its perch and onto the ground behind the stump.

Kiki had watched the arrow find its mark, and she was quite impressed; it took not only skill but many years of practice to hit such a small target from so far away, and the woman had managed to quell her frustration in order to achieve success.

There was a loud rustle as the girl quickly emerged from the bushes she had been crouching in, bouncing on her toes and grabbing the air with her fist in glee before rushing over to get a closer look at her handiwork. As she did this her hood caught on a branch, the cloth falling down as the girl continued forward, ignoring the slight resistance.

Without the shadows to obscure her features or the hood to cover her hair, Kiki finally recognised the girl as the one they had met on Open Castle Day; she now knew how she had managed to blend into the crowd so easily in her embarrassment, having had plenty of practice whilst she hunted in forests.

Kiki, like Mitsuhide, had heard the guards and servants talking about the new Apprentice Court Blacksmith with green hair ends, and the silly rumour of the strange figure going into the woods at sunset. The rumours had almost been as numerous as when Shirayuki had first arrived, though for the apprentice blacksmith they had been less common as she had no relation to Prince Zen; it was less exciting gossip if the royalty weren't involved.

Seeing no threat Kiki turned to leave, however the small smile that had been on her face quickly disappeared as she accidentally stepped on a twig with a loud SNAP!

The woman spun towards the sound as Kiki froze, calling out in a slightly panicked voice, "Who's there?"

Kiki kept her back to the blacksmith, though she realised with a quick glance behind her that the tree she had been hiding behind still stood between them, blocking the others view of her; the woman looked around her, searching for the source of the snap but not moving from her spot by the stump.

"It's alright," Kiki said, "Your secrets safe with me."

With that final line Kiki dashed off, back down the path and round the bend, disappearing behind the trees as though she were never there. She had not wanted to unnerve the poor girl in case she recognised Kiki as one of the Imperial Guards or as one of Zen's aides, having already sounded quite panicked at the prospect of being discovered (Kiki supposed no one else knew about her practice in the forest) but Kiki hadn't wished to stay to chat either.

The Apprentice Blacksmith seemed harmless, and though her skill did interest Kiki slightly, it wasn't something she needed to look into urgently. Besides, it was probably about time she got back to the others; no doubt Zen had discovered Mitsuhide unsuccessfully spying on him, and the fallout of that would be… interesting, though not unusual.

Ren, meanwhile, was once again left alone in the forest, blinking confusedly after hearing that statement in a calm and flat female voice, and having seen the back of a receding figure running into the forest, a blond ponytail swaying lightly behind them.

She wasn't really sure what had just happened, though she did feel relieved that they didn't think she was some criminal or wasn't supposed to be there; whoever they were, that is…


It was a few weeks later on a bright Sunday morning that Zen, Kiki, Mitsuhide, Obi and Shirayuki could be found on a relaxing walk through the forests of the palace grounds, strolling along one of the main pathways and happily chatting away with one another.

Birds were singing, the sun was shining, and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Everything was perfect.

At first, only Obi felt the slight vibrations running through the ground beneath his feet, but soon enough the rest of the group could hear the distant pounding of hooves. Assuming it was just the stablehand's on their morning ride, the group continued on carelessly; they knew the stablehand's route never took them down this path, so they would be fine here and not in anyone's way.

Just as the pounding of hooves became louder (much too loud to be the riders going down their usual route) the group heard a panicked cry of "LOOK OUT!"

They turned only to see a huge horse powering towards them, dust erupting at his hooves as they pounded the earth beneath them, every muscle straining as it came towards them at full gallop.

They dived out the way, off of the path and into the undergrowth next to it, Obi shielding Shirayuki from the fall on the right side of the path as Mitsuhide did the same to Zen on the left, the prince and his aides diving to the opposite side.

They all managed to do so just in time, another horse speeding by and close on the heels of the first, its riders yell just about heard by the group over the thunderous pounding of hooves:

"Slow down Ren!"

"What do you think I'm trying to do Tasuku?! This is his first time in the forest!" The first rider called out.

The group looked up to see the pair vanishing into the distance, spotting a girl with a green cloak and green hair ends atop a golden stallion, and a boy with shaggy black hair atop a midnight mare. Their shouting voices also faded as the distance between them increased evermore, until they were out of sight completely.

All Ren had seen of this encounter had been a blur of red, blue, white, yellow and black amongst the green undergrowth as she had sped by, having paid no attention to detail when she first saw the group of five because of the panic and possibility that she might run them over. Which she fortunately hadn't.

Zen was the first to recover from the peacefulness of their walk being shattered completely, standing up as he asked everyone if they were alright and crossing the pathway to help Shirayuki up, holding out his hand to her politely; she took it with a slight blush, and everyone dusted themselves off as they confirmed they were all fine apart from maybe a few bruises here and there.

"They should watch where they're going..." Mitsuhide said a little grouchily as he picked a stray leave off of his arm.

"It was his first time in the forest," Obi said with a laugh, repeating what the cloaked rider had shouted to her companion, "He was probably just excited or something."

Shirayuki hummed as she recalled the names shouted by the riders, and looked at Obi as she asked him, "The Apprentice Blacksmith is called Ren, isn't she? And she has dipped dyed green hair, just like that first rider…"

"Mhm," Obi nodded, "I think that was her, Miss. There's no mistaking her hair." He finished with a chuckle.

"I wonder why she was on a horse… and a… boisterous one at that." Shirayuki said with a laugh, looking to her companions with a smile.

Seeing the confused looks on the rest of her friend's faces though, Shirayuki explained to them how Ren was the one at Open Castle Day and how the three of them had met when Obi had brought her to the herbalists, Shirayuki healing Ren's burn and talking to her for a while about herbs.

"Huh," Mitsuhide said, "You know, I think I remember seeing her a few weeks ago at the stables. I was looking for you," He pointedly looked at Zen, who was a little sheepish, "when I saw her trying to ride that stallion in the training arena. Looks like she's made a little progress since then… At the time I thought I recognised her from somewhere…"

"And now you know where." Kiki said, "That stallion was a lot of trouble for the stablehand's. Apparently this blacksmith saved someone's life when she turned up; the horse was loose and would've kicked someone if it wasn't for her intervention. Perhaps they asked her to help them out."

"It is possible they did that if he was so much trouble…" Zen said, nodding his head slowly.

"That sounds so heroic though!" Shirayuki exclaimed, "It was frightening enough for that horse to be running towards us, I couldn't even imagine confronting it!"

"Still…" Zen grumbled, crossing his arms, "She should watch where she's going. Dangerous horse or no."

But Shirayuki just giggled at him, saying, "I'm sure she means no harm. Besides, they're long gone by now, so let's just carry on with our walk."

Zen's foul mood now quelled by Shirayuki and the fact they were all okay, the group all smiled and once again continued on their walk, peace restored to the forest as the birds sung brightly and the sun shone.

Kiki didn't mention the time she saw Ren shooting in the forest, nor did Obi tell them about the time he met her in alehouse. The group didn't talk about her, though sometimes a thought would cross their minds; how it was strange this girl kept popping up in their lives, though none of them dwelled on it for long, as it was merely coincidence (they were in the same palace, after all).

The rest of the day was peaceful and without incident, although all members of that group were keeping an ear out for any more pounding of hooves or the panicked shouts of riders, just in case.


A/N: Oh boy... It's been what... 4 months? I'm SO SO SO SO SO SO sorry. There really isn't enough time to tell you how much I'm sorry, but thank you so much for sticking with me, it means a lot. I had a bit a depressive episode where I got NOTHING done, and art has been consuming me. However, I think I'm more on top of it now, but I'm afraid I cant make any promises on when I'll next update. Think of it as a surprise! Everyone likes surprises, right?
Anyway, Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you enjoyed your belated Christmas prezzy, and I hope you all have a great New Year. I really can't tell you how much your support helps me, so thank you so much if you favourited, followed or reviewed in the past four months.

Review Replies:

Thank you to jonica77, lalabye and the Guests for your reviews, sorry I took so long and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

Cait: Erm... sorry but Ren's heart doesn't need breaking right now... I like to build up to those things ;) there will be a little about it next chapter, but Ren already knows about their relationship.

Kana nishizono: There will be more zenyuki when there is more of Zen and Shirayuki in the fic, however I cant make too many promises, as I have mentioned before... I'm not great at writing romance and it may be cliched or cheesy, unfortunately... again, I'm really sorry.

musicisalifestyle: Thank you SO MUCH for your review. Its reviews like yours which really motivate me the most and make me smile the most. It brings me great joy to know that you enjoy reading this fic, and you have no need to worry: I don't plan on EVER abandoning this fic, no matter how long it may take me to update it. I simply enjoy it to much, though time is often against me. Really, four months went so fast...

Idk if everyone reads my authors notes or my review replies, but the reason I do it is because I think your opinions are important and deserve answers, and I want to show my gratitude because your reviews mean everything to me. I know I say this a lot but its true! I reply to reviews here because sometimes there are parts of my answer I think everyone should know, like how I wont abandon this fic. So I hope you read them.
If you dont want me to reply to your review publicly or even privately, then just let me know, its not a problem.

So, as always, thank you so much for reading, and we broke the average of reviews for each chapter! Though that may be because I took so long to update... Anyways, whether you liked what you read or not...

PLEASE REVIEW!

-Limegreenarcher