~Wonders when hell is going to end...~

Here it is, Chapter 9.


Rukia hummed softly to herself as she lay on her stomach on the bedroom floor, reading her romance novel. A cookie stuck out from her mouth, and a glass of juice stood dangerously close to her right hand. The ends of her legs stuck out in the air behind her, and she kicked them enjoyably whenever she came across a particularly heartwarming paragraph.

Rukia had just declined Ichigo's invitation to go out for some late drinks with Keigo, preferring to opt for a drama-free Saturday evening. According to Ichigo, Keigo had had some run-in problems with a local gang over some debts, and both Ichigo and Rukia were concerned for their free-loving friend. Ichigo had promised to keep her up to date over the matter, and the orangehead had explicitly stated that he would beat the crap out of any mafia if they threatened his friend.

'Protective as always,' Rukia thought and smiled to herself as she munched slowly on her cookie.

The house was rather quiet right now, with all the Kurosakis absent. Ichigo was out with Keigo, and Isshin had taken both his daughters out for a "girls-only" family outing, an outing that Rukia hoped would not culminate with the eccentric doctor receiving a full blow in the face from his no-nonsense daughter, Karin.

Even Nii-sama was out.

Rukia did not know where he was. He had left rather early in the morning after breakfast, without any word or indication of where he was headed. It seemed that Nii-sama had taken a liking to exploring the neighbourhood on weekends in broad daylight, rather than his usual preferred nighttime walks.

Rukia continued munching, as she turned a page in the novel. She shifted slightly in her position, as the door slid open.

"Mhhmmm….mmm??" she mumbled with her mouth full, trusting Ichigo to understand her incoherent sounds.

When no one replied, she turned around with an annoyed expression.

Byakuya stared down at her.

A huge piece of cookie immediately lodged in Rukia's throat as she gasped. Coughing hard, she struggled clumsily to her feet. Her cheeks red, she smoothed out the wrinkled ends of her yellow dress.

Byakuya walked past her to the table.

"There is no need to get up, Rukia. Do what you want, there is no need to behave yourself all that formally in front of me."

Rukia nearly choked on the cookie a second time in shock.

"After all, I need to use the table anyway." He sat down easily, and took up some papers ("Does he ever run out of documents to read?" Rukia wondered curiously). Rukia stood behind him for a few moments before awkwardly lowering herself back to the floor. She kept herself in an appropriate sitting position ('lest Nii-sama turned around') and brought the novel back up to her eyes.

After near an hour of silence and the occasional ruffle of papers, Byakuya straightened up slightly in his seat. Rukia saw him shift his body rather awkwardly on his chair. She frowned.

"Nii-sama, why don't you try the bed?"

Byakuya turned to her, and Rukia blushed.

"I-I mean… you look rather uncomfortable on that chair."

Byakuya stared at her. "Beds are for sleeping," he stated simply, as Rukia flushed red.

"I-I mean… Actually, not really. Beds are used for other… purposes…" Rukia trailed off, turning red at her awkward choice of words. "In the real world, people often-

"QUITE RIGHT, Rukia-chan!!!"

Rukia jumped in fright and Byakuya's eyes widened slightly at the loud voice. A knock sounded against the door before an ecstatic Kurosaki Isshin practically waltzed into the room, a silver tray in his hands.

"I'm so sorry for disturbing your private bed conversation," Isshin winked slyly at Rukia, who blushed again. "But she's right, Byakuya-san!" He wagged a patronizing finger at a stony Byakuya. "You don't just sleep on beds, you have to stretch your imagination!!! Isshin's eyes were almost glittering with stars. "When you are sleepy, you sleep on it! When you are tired, you prop yourself up and rest on it! So many things!! And when you are in the mood, beds are especially good to encourage…" Isshin's smirk was devilish. "… pleasures of the flesh."

In that second, someone could have fried an egg on Rukia's face. She tried not to look at her Nii-sama. "A-ah, what is that?" She pointed to the silver tray in Isshin's hands that seemed to bear several slices of some fruit, in order to steer them away from this particular topic.

"Ah, this?" Isshin was still smirking. "I brought both of you some lemons… I mean, melons…" He winked, and Rukia closed her eyes a moment, willing herself to disappear from this humiliating position. "Yuzu and Karin wanted to go to a fruit orchard out of town, so we brought back some really fresh stuff." He went over and placed the silver tray on the table next to Byakuya. "How's everything, Byakuya-san? If you are in any way uncomfortable, do let me know, will you? And if you are in any way TOO comfortable…" He snapped his fingers smartly. "… I would also love to know." He winked. "Because I really-

"Thank you, Kurosaki Isshin. I believe I would be able to cope in this room, especially without… external nuisance." Byakuya looked up calmly from his seat at Isshin.

"Ah, and if you ever encounter that, let me know, alright? That's my boy!" He clapped Byakuya on the shoulder, causing Rukia's eyes to widen. He then winked at Rukia and went out of the room, closing the door happily behind him.

Rukia turned back to her Nii-sama as silence descended over the room.

"Err…"

"So a bed is not only for sleeping," Byakuya spoke in his deep voice.

Rukia looked down. "I-I meant… for sitting… a-and resting."

Byakuya stared at her for a while before rising up from his chair, his documents in his hand. Rukia looked at her Nii-sama curiously as he walked toward the bed. Byakuya got easily onto the bed and positioned his long body comfortably, his back against the bedframe. He took up his documents and started reading. He looked so young, like a university student cramming for an exam on his bed.

Rukia felt a smile lift the corners of her lips as she looked at him. To distract herself, she got up from the floor and headed to her closet. She would prefer reading inside, after all.

"Why do you like sleeping there so?" The displeasure in Byakuya's tone jolted her. She turned around and saw him staring at her from his bed. She felt her lips twitching and quickly turned back to her closet, trying to smother her laughter.

"It's actually quite nice, Nii-sama," Rukia replied easily, before she heard the sound of the mattress springs shifting and the sound of footsteps approaching. She turned to see Byakuya standing right next to her, looking calmly into her closet.

Rukia felt her cheeks burn slightly. She had never let anybody look into her closet if she could help it, not even Ichigo. It was like letting someone see her naked, or at least partially naked. But she couldn't tell Nii-sama that. She wanted to grab her blankets and throw them over everything in her closet, especially the smiling rabbit plushie that stood out like a sore thumb among the white linen and clothes.

Byakuya stayed silent, observing her sleeping place. Then he opened his mouth. "Doesn't the limited space leave a little more to be desired?"

Rukia shook her head as she looked up at him, trying to talk to distract him from looking at her closet. "It's really quite comfortable, once you get past the cramped place issue, which isn't really an issue because it's not really cramped. And I really like it because I like to feel safe… and in my own space."

"Safe?"

Rukia nodded. "I don't really know how to explain it." She shrugged. "I guess-

"Do you feel insecure in your bedroom back home?"

Rukia turned to Byakuya in surprise. He was not looking at her, his eyes taking in the interior of the closet.

"I…" Rukia trailed off. The truth was… she did sometimes. Her bedroom was huge and wide, and very pretty. It was a room many would die for, and for a lowly girl like her from the Rukongai, it was a street rat's dream come true. It was a very, very good room… but very little she would relate to. There were only minimal things placed in it. Her desk, on which she had scratched a Chappy on the underside in an attempt to brighten the dull wood panel. Her bed. Her wardrobe. That was it. Though it wasn't to say she did not like it. She loved sleeping in her enormous bed, the covers warm and completely obscuring her from view when the servants came in in the morning. She loved jumping around in her spacious room on occasional joyful moods. But sometimes she woke up in nightmares in her huge bed, and felt like she was drowning in those very covers. Sometimes, she felt really empty in her own vast room, the space deadening her.

"I…"

"You do."

Rukia looked up. Byakuya was now staring at her, her hesitant silence a dead giveaway to her answer.

"I…" Rukia took a deep breath. Nii-sama had been very accommodating to her. He, at least, deserved the truth. "I do." She nodded, before looking away.

'Such an ingrate you are, Rukia!' she scolded herself. Slowly, she lifted her eyes to check on Nii-sama. Was he displeased?

"I see."

Silence.

Then the deep voice spoke again. "Though I cannot understand…" Byakuya turned to Rukia. "… why someone would give up something so much better for…" He stopped for a moment, seeming to be rephrase his words. "… a lesser-refined one?"

Rukia suddenly had a flashback of that painful moment so many weeks before.

I know probably a lot of people have asked you, but I do not know it. Rather, I prefer to hear from you yourself. Why, Rukia?"

"What does Kurosaki Ichigo offer you that I… and the Kuchiki family do not?"

She was so fearful and unprepared then. She was not any more ready now than she was at that time. But now… now she found it a lot less difficult to show more of her feelings, her thoughts to her Nii-sama.

"I… don't know. But it's easy for you to decide, Nii-sama, because you have yet to experience the other side of the coin. If you do, you might find it harder to decide as well, though everyone has their own personal preferences." Rukia smiled.

"Personal preferences?" Byakuya ran his hand slowly along the closet frame.

Rukia nodded, excitement bubbling inside her. Suddenly, she felt a little bit more courageous. A little more courage to show Nii-sama what she was talking about. A little more courage to let him a little into her world.

"Here." She pushed the closet door so it opened wide. Byakuya turned to stare at her. "You can try it if you want, Nii-sama."

Byakuya hesitated in front of the closet.

Sensing his uneasiness, Rukia walked forward and climbed up into her closet. She sat down inside and excitedly motioned to him, almost like coaxing an impossible child into her arms.

"Nii-sama," she smiled, before dropping her eyes and hands quickly at his piercing gaze.

Byakuya looked at her for a while before he moved. He stretched out his long leg and with a firm hand on the closet door, he easily lifted himself into the closet after her.

With both of them in the closet and especially with a man of Byakuya's size, it was a lot more cramped than usual. But Rukia grinned happily. She had moved deeper into the closet to make room for him and now she stretched her legs out in front of her before looking at him on her right.

"It's nice, isn't it?"

"It's really… enclosed," he said, looking up to the top of the closet and then to his right, where the closet door lay open next to him.

"Stretch out your legs, Nii-sama," Rukia offered, kicking her legs a little playfully in front of her.

Byakuya looked at her and she faltered. "I… I mean… it would be more comfortable if-

A pair of long legs straightened themselves out next to hers. She turned to smile at Byakuya.

"It's quite… different," Byakuya said as he looked about again, his previous expression of wariness replaced by curiosity… and interest.

Rukia nodded eagerly. "It's different than an open, big bed, isn't it? And it's really cozy and warm here when you do this…" She reached past Byakuya and slid the door close.

She realized her mistake as soon as they were plunged into complete darkness.


Byakuya's eyes widened as blackness enveloped them. Rukia had shut the closet door.

The closet was a rather reasonable place to sleep in after all, now that Byakuya came to think of it and was actually sitting in it. It was small for a person like him, but it would fit Rukia's petite frame comfortably. And it was true, it was cozy as she had said. Byakuya felt this was a good place to lie down and think over things. It was private and as Rukia said, one's own space. So she would usually lie down at night here and think through things?

Rukia did such strange things sometimes. She actually loved reading on the floor?? When Byakuya had entered the room, the first thing he had seen was the ends of two fair legs held up in the air. His eyes had widened then, not only because Rukia was practically spread out on the floor with her food and book, but also at how fair and smooth the skin on her leg seemed to be, glowing against the pale yellow of her dress. Byakuya had quickly averted his eyes.

He flashed on how Rukia had smiled and opened her arms wide to him moments ago, to get him to come to her in the closet. In that moment, something had jerk deep inside of Byakuya as he looked at her. He had smothered it quickly before joining her in the closet.

Now, Byakuya could feel Rukia's shoulder against his, just touching slightly. It wasn't just the closet, she was very warm herself.

She seemed to have frozen the second she had closed the door, and was now keeping very still and silent next to him. Byakuya did not know if she was savouring the coziness of her closet or if it was something else.

This dark, enclosed space…



Rukia could not see a thing, it was all blackness in front of her eyes. She wouldn't have minded it any normal sleeping day, but this time it was different.

She suddenly became so much more aware of her Nii-sama next to her, their shoulders touching. She wanted to reach out and push open the door but she could not really see much in front of her, and she didn't want to risk touching him in mistake.

Instead, she clasped her hands awkwardly in her lap and tried not to move so much.

"So you like this?" The deep voice vibrated in the darkness.

Rukia felt her cheeks heat up and was suddenly grateful for the cover of blackness around her. It was a perfectly normal question, but she could not explain why she was so flustered by it.

"I… Yes, I do," she squeaked.

Silence.

Rukia could hear her heart thumping ever so loud and fast as they sat together in the darkness. Neither one moved or said anything for a while. Finally-

"I see."

Then she heard the rustle of fabric as Byakuya moved. And Rukia was suddenly hit by bright light as he opened the closet door. As her eyes adjusted to the light, Byakuya stepped down from the closet and checked the clock on the wall.

"Thank you for showing me this, Rukia." He nodded and went over to his desk where he picked up his coat. "I have to go over to Urahara's for the weekly report from Soul Society and won't be returning for dinner."

"H-Hai, Nii-sama." Rukia nodded dumbly. Byakuya lifted his eyes to her for a second before throwing the coat elegantly over himself and made his way to the bedroom door. He walked out and closed the door behind him.

Rukia sat in the closet, trying hard to steady the galloping rhythm of her fast beating heart.

What is wrong with me?


Rukia propped her chin on her right hand in her bedroom, staring up at the ceiling.

What do I do?

It was Sunday morning but that was not what was bothering her.

It was Nii-sama's birthday tomorrow.

Rukia wondered why she was so frustrated over it. Usually, she would just give him a formal birthday greeting, as was the same every year. It was always a bow, a "Happy birthday, Nii-sama", a responding nod from him, another bow, and then she would scurry away as fast and proper as she could. But this year… this year…

She wanted it to be a little different.

She knew Nii-sama did not like people making a fuss over his birthday, preferring to spend his time with… well, himself. Rukia did not want to encroach on that. She just wanted to… make a little more effort this year. She wanted to give him something.

But what do you give a man who was completely and flawlessly perfect in every way imaginable? She could not even consider clothes, Byakuya was already a male fashion designer and model all rolled into one. She giggled slightly as she thought of giving him a Chappy T-shirt to wear.

'Nii-sama would probably shred it into a thousand pieces with Senbonzakura.'

She really did not know what to give him. He already had everything he could have. Rukia reached over and hugged her rabbit plushie close, trying to brainstorm. She pulled slightly on the fur, trying hard to think.

And stopped as something struck her.

She looked down at the rabbit plushie. It smiled back up at her, adorable as always.

It wasn't the best, but she was running out of ideas, and time.

Quickly, she got up from the chair and picked up her bag, tucking the plushie into it. She raced down to the living room and grabbed the telephone in the hall. She dialed the number and waited.

"Hello."

"Ishida! It's me, Rukia. I was wondering… if could you do me this really huge favour?"


Byakuya walked slowly back home. It had been an uneventful day at school. He had managed to keep his birthday a secret from the staff at school, having written a fake birthdate for his submission form as a teacher. After all, his stated birthyear was already a few hundred years way off the real one.

So no one knew it was his birthday today. And it was nothing to Byakuya. Everyday he was growing older, it wasn't just today. Birthdays were a trivial matter to him, he usually treated them much the same as other normal days. He did not price his birthday all that much, though members of his clan and of the other three noble families would dispense with magnificent gifts (all of which Byakuya would order to be placed in the storerooms, left to dust) on that day. He did not hold celebrations, preferring only to let Kazumasa arrange for his favourite food and extra dishes to be placed on the dinner table that night. Then later, he would take an extra long walk around the mansion just to reflect on… anything. Here, in the real world, there was even less to do.

Byakuya pushed his bedroom door open. The room was empty. Rukia was not at home.

Rukia…

He had not seen her at all today. He briefly wondered if she knew it was his birthday. Though it would be no big deal if she did not.

Every year on his birthday, she would remain at the table for breakfast in the morning, waiting for him. When he arrived, she would bow low (so low until the only thing he could see of her was the top of her head) and wish him a good morning and a happy birthday. And if he had already left before her, she would make her way first to his division to perform the same greeting. It was the same every year. She got excited when the cooks placed more food on the table on his birthday, though she was quick to smother her enthusiasm upon sensing his gaze on her.

Sometimes, she even had to rely on the extraordinary amount of culinary delights to remember that it was his birthday. That one year, she had forgotten about it and the minute the marvelous variety of food was placed on the table, she had jumped out of her seat as if it was on fire. She had then bowed to him and stuttered through a very, very flustered apology followed by her routine greeting. Byakuya had never seen a shade redder than the one on her face that year.

He had brushed it off though. It was not important whether or not she remembered. And it was going to be the same this year.

Byakuya closed the door and made his way to his desk. He started to put his office bag down on the table but stopped when he noticed the rather foreign thing sitting on his table.

'I've seen this before.'

He stared down at the white fluffy rabbit plushie, which now looked rather different with a black robe and white overcoat fitted on it. His eyes widened when he realized what it was.

Shinigami robes. And a Captain haori.

He reached out and tentatively touched the fur before gingerly lifting the plushie up carefully to his eyes. The bunny had such a silly smile and he felt awkward holding it. He turned the soft toy around and saw the character 'Six' written on the back of the miniature haori.

Sixth Division. His division.

He caught sight of the note on the table, and put the bunny down to pick it up.

'Nii-sama,

I didn't know what to get you so I just gave you this. This is my most favourite possession that I revamped with a little help from Ishida. Hope you like it. You're the best taichou, best Shunpo master, best swordsman, best-looking Shinigami, best everything!!! Happy birthday!!

Rukia.

p/s: Please don't throw the bunny away even if you don't like it. I really like it a lot.'

His grey eyes widened. Best taichou… best swordsman… best-looking? She thought he, Byakuya, was the best-looking of all Shinigamis? Byakuya suddenly felt a tiny hint of warmth pass over his face as he looked at the note, and he suddenly felt his lips twitch slightly.

The note. It was an entirely different greeting from the ones she had given him all these years. He suddenly wondered if she had given a birthday note to the wrong person. Perhaps someone in her class had the same birthday as well. But no, there it was. Taichou… Shinigami… Shunpo… Nii-sama.

He looked back down at the rabbit plushie.

It was so silly… this present… the bunny was of no use to him…

And yet…

Yet


Rukia rushed back home. She had changed her mind, she had really changed her mind. It was a stupid idea, to give her cool and classy Nii-sama a soft toy. It was better not to give him anything at all than that stupid excuse of a gift. Though she had to practically beg Ishida to help her design the replica Shinigami Captain robes for the soft toy. The artistic Quincy did not want to have anything to do with Shinigamis, let alone design a birthday gift for one (and a Captain at that). Usually if Ichigo was there, he would have pulled Ishida's ego strings to get him to do the job. Rukia tried a different tack, one that worked just as efficiently. She had gone all teary-eyed and went down on her knees, utilizing on the chivalrous gentleman in Ishida. He had grudgingly agreed then. And though she really liked the end result…

She had placed the soft toy on his table before she went to school. Byakuya had already left, so he wouldn't see it till he got home. Now, she was just praying he had not reached home yet.

She flung open the door breathlessly and dashed up the stairs. Stopping at the bedroom door, she grabbed the doorframe and stopped for breath, listening for any sounds indicative of someone inside.

Silence.

Rukia slid the door open apprehensively. There was no one in.

Good! Now to go get the rabb-

Rukia gasped. The plushie and note was gone from where she had left them on the table.

Oh no. Oh no. He saw it! He must be furious at me for acting like an immature kid!

Then she noticed it.

The rabbit plushie, still dressed in its cute Shinigami Taichou garb stood upright in a corner of Byakuya's bed. Rukia quickly made her way over and picked it up, turning it over for anything unusual. Nothing.

She sighed.

He must be mad but chose not to throw it away, after what I foolishly wrote in the note.

She turned dejectedly to her closet and gasped. A bright yellow note was stuck on the white door. Rukia hurriedly went over to it. And saw the two short words in elegant, bold lettering.

'Thank you.'



Rukia sat nervously in her closet that night, trying to read her romance novel. It was hard though, the words were swimming in front of her eyes. She looked across the room at the Shinigami Captain rabbit plushie and felt her stomach twist itself into knots. It was all she could do not to run over and grab the toy, hide it away and then hide herself in a hole and not come out for a few years.

It was so humiliating.

Why did I get the idea to give Nii-sama a soft toy in the first place? And my secondhand, favourite soft toy?

All too soon, she heard the bedroom door open. She gripped her novel hard, trying to stop her hands trembling. She heard the steady footsteps approaching and looked up tentatively.

Byakuya stepped into the room and looked at her, his expression calm and smooth. Rukia hurriedly got out from the closet and bowed low.

As usual.

"H-Happy birthday, N-Nii-sama."

Byakuya nodded, and his glance ticked momentarily to the bunny sitting at the corner of his bed.

Rukia had rehearsed a complete apology about her stupid gift but that one small gesture from Byakuya made everything jumble themselves up in her mind.

"N-Nii-sama, I… forgive me! I shouldn't have given you such a worthless gift! It was really… really foolish of me."

Byakuya turned to look at her, his expression unmoved. Rukia felt herself shrink in size before him.

"I… I wanted to get you something this y-year, Nii-sama. I mean, for your birthday! I didn't know what though, because you already have everything. I-I can't get you clothes, because you already look very good in those of your choice! I-I mean…" Rukia felt like she was losing her head. "And I didn't want to get you food, because you could just go out and buy them anytime. I… I considered a fragrance, since you don't seem to own one. But… y-you already smell like sakura, and you smell really good so…" Rukia clapped her hand to her mouth, as she felt her face turn tomato red.

You smell really good!!!???? Stop it! Stop talking, Rukia! It's getting worse!

"So… So I just thought I…" Rukia gestured weakly to the rabbit plushie and trailed off in her words.

Awkward silence descended in the bedroom.

Slowly, Rukia lifted her eyes to Byakuya. He was looking at her. She saw something pass in the depths of his eyes a second before they disappeared, and his grey eyes were unreadable once more.

"There is no need to worry about the gift, Rukia. I really appreciate it." He walked to his desk and produced a stack of papers, before settling down to tackle them. "You should probably go to sleep now."

Rukia nodded, feeling numb and foolish. She climbed into the closet and got ready to slide the door close.

"Rukia."

Rukia yelped softly in surprise and looked at her Nii-sama. He had put the papers down and had turned to her.

His grey eyes met her violet ones.

"Thank you."

He turned back to his work as she nodded slightly and slid the door close.


Byakuya watched as Rukia started to lose her head in front of him. He always wondered why she got so nervous and uptight around him like this. But this time, she was talking a lot more than usual. A lot of things were coming out of her mouth.

Is there anything that can stop her when she starts going off like this?

Somehow, he felt a little amused watching her in her little twitchy world. She looked so… stupid… and so… so…

adorable.

She was apologizing profusely for the gift. Byakuya started to intervene before she started having a mental breakdown right in front of him but he stopped when she recklessly ploughed on.

"I… I wanted to get you something this y-year…

"… because you already have everything…

"… can't get you clothes, because you already look very good in those of your choice…"

"I… I considered a fragrance…"

"But… y-you already smell like sakura, and you smell really good so…"

Byakuya's eyes widened at the exclamation, as Rukia clapped her hand to her mouth in shock.

I smell like sakura and I smell… really good?

Byakuya felt that familiar tinge of warmth pass over his face again. So she had wanted to get him something this year and nearly tore her hair out over it. And she thought he looked really good in clothes of the real world. She also thought he was the best-looking Shinigami in Soul Society… And she liked his scent.

He wondered on which occasion did Rukia actually… smelled him?

Byakuya felt something grow warm deep inside him. He looked at Rukia. She was staring at him, with a shade of red to beat the one he saw on her face the other year she forgot his birthday.

What is this I am feeling?



Rukia had closed her closet door but she had left a tiny gap so light from the room could pass through. And from here, she could see her Nii-sama sitting straight and reading at his desk.

Rukia felt herself smile slightly. If he was mad about the gift, he wouldn't have left a note to her, would he? And he had told her personally that he appreciated it. A sudden hope flared in her heart. Did he like the present? She picked up the note, which she had put up in her closet, and smiled again. Just two words but it meant a lot more.

Thank you.

"You're welcome, Nii-sama," she whispered softly though the gap in the door.


And that's it! I hope it wasn't too boring for you! If you read my first ByaRuki fic before "Teach me How to Love", it also had a birthday chapter in it, which was much lengthier. I didn't develop it much here (because this is just a progression chapter) but I did borrow the idea from that fic of mine. But I made it Rukia's gift now, instead of Byakuya's! :) Here in this chapter, it highlights again the development of ByaRuki relationship, as Rukia is much more ready to be open to Byakuya now, and openness is always the first step to... er, other things, lol. I had to make a few chapters like this first, boring as they may be, to allow some development as it would seem weird to jump into intense feelings all of a sudden. So hope it's alright. And as I said before, this is also a progression chapter, as was the previous one... before Chapter 10 looms! I haven't really written it out but I've the chapter plot bunny outlined and I really like it so hope you would when it comes out (if ever). And after Chapter 10 is when things start getting a little more serious and heavy. :)

THANKS to all my reviewers (especially for the previous chapter!!), you guys were so motivating!! I appreciate and love reading each review.(YuzurihaNoRyuu, yours was so CUTE!!! :D I dedicate Isshin in this chapter and the paragraph below to your "dangerous chapter" lol)

I would also like to state here that the lemon (if there's anyone waiting for it, though I feel there would be because I've received some "hints"...lol) won't be coming for a few chapters on so I hope you can bear with me. Though I hope all the fluff is compensating for the absent smut, which I assure you, will arrive finally. So hope you would wait for it. ;)

And speaking about lemon, man this is really bad, but when I was conducting experiments of lung analysis on mice on my laptop, I would open a Word doc and start working on more of this fic. *slaps hand to forehead* Seriously, I've been doing it this past week, writing up on the... to be honest, the lemon actually... lol... which is why I keep glancing back over my shoulder to make sure the animal house staff did not peer over my shoulder and get cardiac arrest. But who knows, they might be one of my readers. Lol :D

I'm having a really hectic 2 past weeks, and they are only guaranteed to get worse as they come. I made a HUGE mistake in my experiments (stupid, stupid me!!), causing 40 mice I'm currently working on to be a sort of "useless" data batch... it was so excruciating when I discovered I had made the mistake (for the first time, I really felt how it was to have your heart drop out of your body... seriously... the WORST...) I can only hope I straighten this out and fast. And that I can submit an excellent literature review for evaluation in 2 weeks *runs off to work on it* Sorry for lamenting on my problems here... I just feel really stressed out and frustrated these days. :(

I don't know when I will be able to update the next chapter, could be next week, could be the week after, could be never (*dodges daggers, tomatoes, death threats*). But I will do my best, and hope you guys can bear with me. I will try to make it not a never, because *whispers* I have already built up a plotline for a... *drumroll*... SEQUEL to this fic!!!! I really did! It was last two days ago, that I had the inspiration and drew out a plotline for a sequel, which was really unexpected. It's a long way to go for this fic, and even a longer one if I decide to go on with the sequel. :) I just hope I can continue this.

Damn, long author's note. Apart from that, hope you would review this chapter for me (and tell me what you think!), would really really appreciate that. :)