Disclaimer: Takahashi Rumiko and VIZ own InuYasha. Not I. I do, however, borrow him for this story and would appreciate your not getting angry.

The Last Thing I Need

MyImaginaryInuYasha

Act II Scene 5

Sunday at 4:07 found Kagome running across campus in a pair of sweatpants and a heavy winter jacket. Her snow boots thunked on the snow-covered ground with each step. Her hair was still very damp because her hairdryer had broken, and she had just remembered that she had forgotten to bring a pair of real shoes along with her.

She hated winter.

Because she was running so late, Kagome had ignored the paths and just run across the snow-covered grass. Swearing every time she tripped over a hidden rock or branch, Kagome made her way towards the theatre, where the cast meeting was located.

Half way there, she felt something hit her back. Soon she was under attack by a bunch of students for running through their snowball fight. She swore again when one hit the back of her head and dripped down her jacket. Still, she did not stop running.

At 4:15, she skidded into the theater and slammed her way into the auditorium.

Every person in the room turned around to stare at her while Eri welcomed her, "Hello, Kagome! So nice of you to join us." Her tone was sarcastic, but her smile made Kagome feel a bit better at being late.

"Oi, wench!" A voice shot out, "what are you doing here so late? Maybe we should find a star who can be on time. Who knows, she might even be late to the performances!" Kagome directed a glare at the very obvious comments from InuYasha. She scowled and found a seat far away from the jerk.

"Now then," Eri attempted to regain control of the meeting. InuYasha grumbled but fell silent, so she continued. "Thank you all for coming to the meeting. I would first like to congratulate all of you for landing either a role or a understudy part. The competition was rough, but you all are the best."

A few murmurs echoed throughout the room accompanied by a snort from InuYasha. "I would also like to quash a few rumors that have been circulating," Eri continued. "It is not a joke that I have cast Higurashi Kagome and Nakamura InuYasha in the lead roles. I believe that they will both do an excellent job as actors. They had a realistic feeling of hate to contribute, and all of us believe that they can overcome their rivalry to create a spectacular show."

The whispers started up again, and Kagome tinted red at the embarrassment of being spoken about in such a way.

The girl next to Kagome leaned over and commented, "I wonder who these Higurashi and Nakamura people are. They sound rather interesting."

Kagome turned redder and turned towards the girl. "Don't you know?" She asked, "Our entire families are pretty well known around here, miss. . ?"

"Ayame," the girl replied, tucking a stray strand of violent red hair behind her ear. "Hibikua Ayame. I transferred here a week before the tryouts from America. I'm afraid I don't know anyone around here yet."

"Oh," Kagome smiled. "My name is Higurashi Kagome. You wouldn't be the Ayame who is my understudy, would you?"

Ayame beamed at being remembered; she had very few friends in Japan. "Yep!"

The two giggled and continued to get to know each other. Both were glad to have a friend in the play.

Meanwhile, Eri was talking about what she expected from her cast members, and informing everyone of basic dates and mandatory practices. She also told them that there would be a practice every Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday of every week. They were allowed to bring school work, but could only miss one practice every two weeks.

"Now!" Eri exclaimed, clapping her hands. "We are going to spend today getting better acquainted. To perform well as a unit, we need both trust and understanding. So, everyone, form a giant circle on the stage."

Much grumbling arose from the crowd as students dragged themselves up to the stage. Ayame bounded up to the stage with a limitless supply of energy. She proceeded to scout out the cutest boys and sit down next to one of them. Kagome joined her without looking who she had chosen.

Kagome did notice, however, when Ayame attempted to strike up a conversation with Kouga, the boy Ayame had chosen. Kouga was ignoring her in favor of talking to InuYasha on his other side. Who would prefer to talk to InuYasha then a cute girl, Kagome had no idea.

Ayame turned back to Kagome in defeat. "It's okay," Kagome consoled her new friend. "You see that idiot he's talking to? That's Nakamura InuYasha."

InuYasha looked over when he heard his name, but he scowled and turned his attention back to Kouga.

"I'm sorry, Kagome, I didn't know." Ayame looked genuinely fearful, as if she was afraid that Kagome would leave her because of her choice of men.

"It's okay, Ayame. He can't do anything while we're here. Besides, the guy you chose is Onaku Kouga- the son of famous actors and a very nice person. Unlike his friend."

Ayame giggled. She was glad to hear that this boy was a nice one.

"Okay!" Eri shouted to gain the crowd's attention. Once they were quiet, she continued. "We're going to start with something easy. We will go clockwise around the circle, starting with Romeo, and will say your name, the character you play, and why you tried out. Go." She sat back down and looked at InuYasha.

"Um. . Nakamura InuYasha. . Romeo Montague. . Um. . Because Kouga made me try out." Looking relieved, InuYasha glanced at the person on his left.

They went around the circle, introducing cast and a few crew members until it was at last Kagome's turn. By then, she had it rehearsed perfectly. "Higurashi Kagome, Juliet Capulet, because Eri asked me to try out."

Kagome glanced at Ayame, who said, "Hibikua Ayame, Nurse and Understudy to Juliet, because I thought it would be a great way to meet people here in Japan." She gave a sighing glance to Kouga on her left, who ignored her.

"Onaku Kouga. I am the great Mercutio, Understudy to the hopeless Romeo," he made a gesture to InuYasha on his left, who glared back, "An I have graced you with my presence because my parents forced me." He ended with a flourish and a wink. Ayame gave a mournful sigh while Kagome giggled at Kouga's antics.

Eri gaped at Kouga. Maybe it was a mistake to cast him, she thought with a laugh. "This next time around, say your name, age, birth month and level in school. Starting with Juliet."

Caught unawares, Kagome paused. "Uh, Higurashi Kagome -you all can call me Kagome, no formalities needed, I'm eighteen, my birthday is in April, and I'm a Freshman." Grumbles arose from the upperclassmen Kagome had beaten, but were silenced by a glare from Eri.

"Erm. . My name is Hibikua Ayame, you may call me Ayame as well. . I am twenty years old, twenty-one next month, and I am a Sophomore." She gave Kouga another happy glance. He ignored her again.

"Onaku Kouga. You may call me Onaku," he smirked at his wisecrack and enjoyed the crowd's reaction. "I have turned nineteen this past September, and I am a Freshman." He looked over at InuYasha while Ayame gave a mournful sigh at the realization that Kouga was over a year and a half her junior.

InuYasha took a minute to register that it was his turn. "oh, um, Nakamura InuYasha. . Call me whatever you like, I don't give a rip. . I'm nineteen, my birthday was in November, and I'm a Freshman."

More grumbles erupted when the crowd learned that both of the stars were Freshman newbies. Eri silenced them with a cough. And so the circle ritual went on, covering everything from favorite color and food to major in school.

"I think that will do for today," Eri stated after the round on life goals. "We now have a basic knowledge of each other, so next we will work on trust. Everyone, divide into four groups, each having about ten people."

Eri paused as everyone arose and shuffled around to find a group. "First we will try large group trust falls. Pick one person to stand in the middle of your group's circle and, when you are ALL ready, the center person will fall backwards and remain rigid. Then the circle will pass the person around. A note to the center person- the effect is best when your eyes are closed. Begin whenever you are ready!" The groups began, and Eri disappeared to speak with her supervisor.

Kagome glanced around her group. It was full of people she didn't know, except for Ayame. Thankfully, InuYasha was in a different group.

And so the evening progressed. Kagome and InuYasha spent most of their time avoiding each other, and Ayame spent a lot of time trying to get Kouga's attention.

Eri finally dismissed them at eight o'clock to get supper. She didn't neglect to remind them that the first practice was the next day at six.

Outside, snow was falling again, making an even deeper obstacle for Kagome to forge through. She couldn't even forge through with a friend, because Ayame's apartment was in the opposite direction. Kagome set off on her own in the dark, keeping her eyes down so she wouldn't stumble over anything. All she wanted was to get back to her dorm, make a bowl of Ramen, and sleep.

Kagome's thoughts were interrupted when she ran into something hard. Her focus had been the ground, so she hadn't seen it there.

"Hey, watch where you're going!" It spoke in an irritated voice.

Kagome groaned as she realized whose voice it was. "I'm sorry, Nakamura, I didn't see you. I can only see three feet in front of my face, and I've been trying not to trip over anything."

He was silent for a moment. "Here," he said after much deliberation, "Take my hand. I can see a lot better then you can; I'll lead you. Which dorm are you in?"

Kagome, shocked at InuYasha's uncharacteristic niceness, forgot to answer.

"Well?"

Finding her voice, Kagome replied, "I'm in your dorm, you idiot. I thought you'd remember."

He stiffened when she called him an idiot, but ignored it. There were very few times that he could be nice to her and not have someone notice. A snow storm that was fast becoming a blizzard was one of them.

"So. . ." Kagome tried to make conversation, "Why exactly are you helping me?"

He'd be damned if he told her the real reason, so he made something up on the spot. "I figured that we'd have to be nice to each other if we have to work together. Ergo, I decided to prevent you from walking into something a lot harder them me. Like a tree. Or a wall."

Kagome heard the smile in his voice and it put her at ease. She decided to venture a question, while he was in a good mood. "So, Nakamura," The idea of speaking to him like a normal person was very foreign to her. "What happened to Kouga-kun?"

"The wimpy wolf? He stayed behind to talk to the director -your friend, Eri. I think he still wants to see if he can be the star. I dunno if his parents will accept anything less then the lead role."

"You mean that the rumors are true? That he is the son of Kamikuri Rikawa and Onaku Jenji?" Kagome was startled. She hadn't put much faith in those old rumors.

"Mm-hm," InuYasha hummed affirmative. "He hates acting, but they make him. I think it's gone to his head- he's gotten used to having everything he wants."

Kagome giggled. That fit her image of Kouga perfectly.

"So," InuYasha prepared to pose a question of his own. "What happened to make you so late and in such a disheveled state for the meeting?"

Kagome had to overcome the sudden appearance of InuYasha's larger vocabulary before she could answer. "Oh, that was nothing. I just managed to break my hairdryer while I was getting ready. That's what made me late and why my hair was still soaked. I also forgot to bring normal shoes. That's why I went around in my socks all during the meeting."

She was going to continue, but a burst of laughter from InuYasha made her pause. She raised an eyebrow at him. "Are you okay, Nakamura? I don't think you've ever said anything civil to me before tonight, and now you're laughing at something I said? I think you need to go lay down."

"Very funny, Higurashi. I just had this image of you Higurashis being flawless, and tonight you were anything but."

Kagome grumbled, and they walked in silence for a moment. "so, Nakamura, why were you all bruised the other day? When you looked at the tryout papers, you were covered in purple and black blotches. Though, they've faded somewhat since then. . ." She trailed off, leaving the conversation open for him to answer.

"My brother," he said after a pause. "We fight and argue a lot. He locked me in my wing of our mansion for all of Winter Break. So I made as much noise as possible, so I'd piss him off a lot. I succeeded, so he didn't give me a ride back to school. I paid an arm and leg for a taxi instead. We fought later, and he won. I was left with the bruises."

Kagome smiled at how he was being so open. She tucked her face farther into her scarf to hide the smile and to keep warm as the wind picked up. "I'm glad my brother and I don't fight. We get along very well, considering our family situation."

After that, both fell silent and finished the path to their dorm in companionable silence.

InuYasha stopped just outside the circle of light from the entrance's spotlight. "You go in first. We can't go in together, I have appearances to keep up, after all."

He stuck his nose in the air and Kagome giggled at the comic nature of his action. She waved goodbye as she entered the building.

InuYasha felt a smile creep onto his face despite how he tried to keep up a tough façade. Maybe this wouldn't be too bad after all, he thought as he strode towards the building.

The next day, Kagome decided to make sure that she was not the last person to practice. Instead, she went to the theater directly from her last class of the day. She arrived just as Eri's advisor unlocked the door, so she was able to get the best seat in the house: the far back corner, away from anyone else.

Five minutes later, Eri came puffing in, sliding her boots off and carrying a load of boxes. Kagome went to help with the boxes. No way she was getting near Eri's feet.

"Thanks," Eri said in reply. "The last of the scripts arrived this afternoon. I had to drag them all here."

Kagome chuckled as they set the boxes on the table in front of the stage. "Is there anything else?"

Eri looked thoughtful for a moment. "No. . I don't think so. We're only reading over the play tonight, nothing too special."

"So," Eri tried to continue the conversation, "how did you get back to the dorm last night? If you walked by yourself, you're lucky to not be a popsicle."

Kagome blushed, debating if she should tell the truth or not. "I walked back with Ayame," she lied. "She lives in the next building over."

Eri raised an eyebrow. She would have sworn that Ayame lived in an apartment on the third floor of her building. So what was Kagome hiding?

"How did you get home, Eri? You don't drive and you live a little far away from here." Kagome attempted to shift the attention on to the other girl.

"Kouga took me home," she answered plainly. "I think he's still trying to bribe me into giving him the lead. That boy cannot take rejection. But he has a really cool car. One of those new ones, just came out in December. Probably got it for Christmas. What some people can afford. . ." Eri trailed off, thinking about things that she would buy if she had the money.

She thought until Kagome beat her over the head. "You twit, your family is just as rich as his," Kagome smiled. "You can get any car you want; you just don't want to drive."

"Guilty," Eri admitted with a sheepish glance.

Kagome laughed again as more people started entering the room.

"Hey, Kagome, do you want to help me hand out the scripts? I don't think my advisor is going to be much help," she gestured towards the woman, who was tucked away into a corner reading some essays. Kagome nodded in reply. "Okay. Take these," she deposited a stack of thick scripts in Kagome's hands, "and this," a sheet of paper was set on top, "and pass them out."

The first thing Kagome did was set the whole pile down on the stage. Her list belonged to the main characters. She decided that she'd deliver scripts to the people she knew then go from there.

Higurashi Kagome. That one was easy enough. Kagome took the top script and set it aside.

Nakamura InuYasha. She looked around but didn't see him anywhere.

Hibikua Ayame. She found Ayame sitting back in the corner that Kagome had claimed earlier. "Hi, Ayame," she chirped as she handed the script over.

"Hey," Ayame replied, "How are you today?" Not waiting for an answer, Ayame plowed on. "Kagome, would you do me a favor? Give this to Onaku when you see him."

Kagome observed Ayame's bright red cheeks as she accepted the small white paper. A smirk bloomed across her face. "Okay. Good luck!" With that, Kagome returned to the stage to look at her list.

She glanced at Eri, who was calling out the names of the regular cast members. Kagome thought her method of delivery was much simpler.

Kagome didn't know the next three people on the list, so she skipped them.

Onaku Kouga. Strangely enough, he was there without InuYasha. Kagome picked up a script and headed over to where Kouga was sitting. Handing him the script and the paper Ayame had given her, she asked, "Kouga-kun, where is Nakamura? Doesn't he come with you?"

"Naw, he was busy today. I think he'll be here before quarter past, though." This was when Kouga noticed the paper. Unfolding it carefully, he read its contents. Kagome glimpsed a phone number and a doodle of Ayame (a self portrait, obviously) before Kouga slid it into his script. "Thanks," he said with a smile, Kagome's cue to leave.

Kagome worked her way to the bottom of her list before she returned to the top and InuYasha's name. This time, she saw him sliding along the row of seats to reach Kouga. He failed to be discrete, because he left a row of people complaining of crushed toes and backpacks in his wake. She smiled as she picked up the last script and headed over.

"Here, Nakamura." She said as she held the book out to him. He snatched it with a glare. Not words, no thanks, and the only indication of his noticing her presence was the glare.

Kagome returned to the stage, bewildered as to why he was so nasty now. He had been so nice the night before. Still wondering what brought on the change, Kagome picked up her script and retreated into her corner with Ayame.

"ATTENTION!" Kagome jumped when Eri bellowed to catch everyone's concentration and end all extra conversation. "Now then," Eri continued. "I expect everyone here at five o'clock on the dot every day we have practice -Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, for those who forgot- with no exceptions. Tardys will be recorded and have negative consequences." She glared at the crowd in intimidation.

"Today will be a lose practice compared to the rest. I plan to do a rough run through of the script, just to see how everyone works together. There will be more notes at the end. Now, I want the chorus up on the stage. Begin!"

And so the night moved on. People stumbled over lines in a dialect they were unused to, nobody was in any sort of proper location, and many people forget who their co-stars were. InuYasha flat out refused to look at Kagome, and Kagome was angry enough that at the end, when she was 'dead', she tripped him. During their kiss scenes, he had ignored her completely in favor of sticking his nose in the air.

Eri was so frustrated that she stopped paying attention after Act Three. How she was supposed to work with these idiots, she didn't know.

"AUGH!!!!!!!!" She cried as the chorus stumbled out for the ending, tripping over Kagome's body. "That's it! Enough! Everyone, back to your seats!"

Looking at the enraged director with a mixture of fear and amusement, the cast shuffled back to their seats. Dead silence fell over the auditorium.

"I want all of you to spend your spare time looking over your lines. This is an easy translation- it shouldn't be that hard. Wednesday, bring homework and other things to do, because I will be working with specific groups. Next week, I will post a schedule telling which practices you must attend. I will see you all Wednesday at five- exactly!" Without a good-bye or good-night, Eri stormed down the isle and out of the auditorium.

Kagome glanced at her watch and commented to Ayame, "I hope practice doesn't go this late every night."

Ayame looked at the clock, telling that it was after eleven, and giggled. This broke the stunned silence in the room, and people began leaving. "See ya later, Kagome!" Ayame called as she shouldered her bag and joined the crowd.

Kagome picked up her bag as well, and slowly followed the crowd. It wasn't snowing tonight, and the air was clear. The lights were also lit, so Kagome could see her way back to the dorm. She looked around for InuYasha, hoping that he would have waited again. He hadn't. Sighing, she began her trek back to the building. Maybe she should take a day off tomorrow. .

The next morning, Kagome hit her snooze button until the alarm stopped ringing at all. Sango voiced how proud she was of li'l Kagome, who had decided to sleep in and skip classes for the day.

Kagome ignored her room mate and bundled herself into her favorite Christmas present- a small car from her mother and the clan. After a quick stop at the Painappuru for hot chocolate and a doughnut, Kagome headed back to the shrine.

Two hours later, Kagome reclined on the couch in the shrine's living room. Souta was sitting on the floor in front of her, watching a TV show about ghost stories.

"You know, Souta, this show is complete bull," Kagome commented in an off-hand sort of way. "It's not possible for a house to be haunted by anything other then kami, and they would have had to restage the event to film it anyway."

Souta turned around with jerky motions and Kagome was amused and shocked to see that his face was chalk white. "K-k-Kagome, its real, I can f-feel it." He stuttered. Kagome laughed.

"Souta, what you can 'feel' is Buyo's tail swishing against your feet. There are no such things as ghosts."

Her brother grunted indignantly and turned around to watch the show. The actors were performing some sort of séance, and the angry spirits were attacking the psychic's mind. Kagome laughed at the ridiculousness of the program.

Souta watched, enraptured, as the spirits tried to murder a boy. His face turned paler and he got up and fled before the show got worse. Kagome laughed even more, because her 'tough' fourteen year old brother ran from a scary TV show. Her laughter died down when it was obvious that he wasn't returning, and she paid more attention to the show.

Kagome didn't hear the footsteps sneaking up behind her, but she did notice when a goblin head dropped from the air in front of her. She shrieked and scooted back until she hit the back of the couch. The head floated towards her, and with a final yell, Kagome dove over the back of the couch and right into her brother. A clatter and a plop followed, as Souta dropped the pole and the mask in surprise.

He burst into laughter at the terrified look Kagome gave him. "'No such things as ghosts', huh, Kag!" He choked out between roars of laughter. Kagome glared and wrapped one arm around her unsuspecting brother's neck. She proceeded to give him a noogie after she strangled him for the prank.

"You, Souta, are the worst person ever!" Kagome shouted as he broke free and fled again. She ignored his retreating back, figuring that he would be hiding for a while.

After a few minutes, Kagome found herself wandering into the kitchen, where her mother was making lunch and removing a batch of cookies from the oven. "You know, mama," she commented, "We could move back with dad's family and you could have a cook to do this for you."

"Kagome," her mother began a much-repeated speech, "I didn't like living with them, and you know it. They put too much pressure on you and Souta as heirs, and everyone was so bunched together in that mansion complex. I prefer the open spaces of the shrine. Besides, cooking calms me."

"Okay, mama, if you say so," Kagome conceded while swiping a cookie from the cooling tray on the table. "But I still like all the benefits of the mansion. Indoor pool. . Arcade. . Massive televisions. . Lots of people to talk to. . A staff of cooks and servants. ." She counted each of these off on her fingers as she spoke. "Gee, I can see why you hated it." Kagome finished with a roll of her eyes.

"Very funny, Kagome. Now put that cookie back; it's lunch time. Call your brother and grandfather, please."

Grumbling, Kagome turned and walked to the stairs. "Souta! Come down here, lunch is ready!" Not waiting for a reply, she went to the front door and stepped outside. "Jii-chan!" Kagome shouted, "Lunch is ready!" This time she waited until she saw the old man wandering over. His hearing was questionable, so she had to make sure he had heard.

As Kagome sat down at the table, she realized what her mother had been cooking. It was oden, her favorite food. Stars sprang to her eyes as she waited for the rest of the family to sit down.

After eating silently for most of the meal, Kagome broke the silence. "Hey, Souta, how come you're not in school today?"

"The teachers are on strike for some reason." He looked very smug. "I love not having to go in. Video games and television all day!"

Their mother gave him a disapproving look. "The teachers are on strike because they want a pay raise. I think they deserve it. And you have a lot of homework to make up for missed time, so I suggest you work on it."

Looking angry at being chastised, Souta went back to eating and ignoring everyone else.

As Kagome finished, the gate bell rang. Everyone else was still eating, so she got up to answer it. I hate that stupid gate, thought Kagome as she put on her jacket. Why can't people see that it's closed and just come back later? Why bother ringing a bell and disturbing us? It's probably an exorcism though, so I can't ignore it.

Her grumbling continued in this vein until she reached the gate at the top of the shrine steps. She wondered who it was. All family knew to use the side entrance that led directly to the house, so it had to be a stranger.

"Hi, Higurashi!" A voice piped up as she went to unlock the gate. Her eyes shot off the ground and on to the person in front of her. Only one person had a voice like that.

"Hello, Hojo. What brings you here?" More like, Shouldn't you be safely in Okinawa, far away from me? Kagome let him in the grounds anyway and they began the hike back to the house through the snow.

"My grandma is sick, so I came home."

Kagome paused. This was why he had come to visit her?

"Your aunt called," he continued, "And said that you skipped school and went home today. She suggested that I visit. So, here I am."

Does my family have a spy watching me? Kagome continued her internal monologue. "Well, Hojo, thanks for visiting. We just finished lunch, but my mama made cookies, if you'd like to try one."

Smiling in reply, Hojo continued walking. Once he was far enough ahead of her, Kagome rolled her eyes. This was why she had dumped him back in Senior High. The boy had no back bone, and his only passion was herbs. No excitement or adventure whatsoever.

"So, Hojo, how's school going for you?"

"Oh, it's okay," Hojo, the king of non-committals, replied. "I am enjoying my classes, but my roommate is rather. . Interesting."

"Interesting how?"

"He's very out-going. He's in a fraternity and he is on the college football team."

Kagome smiled back, but inside she was amused that Hojo had his polar opposite for a roommate.

"How is college going for you, Higurashi?"

For a moment, Kagome debated whether or not to tell the truth. If he was in contact with her family, the truth was a bad idea. A lie it was. "My year is going great! I have the lead in the club play, and I'm on top of all my classes."

"That's good, Higurashi."

Kagome sighed. She hoped that the rest of the afternoon was better then this conversation. She also hoped that Hojo would leave soon.

No such luck. Hojo stayed and scattered pleasantries until Mrs. Higurashi shooed him out so the rest of the family could eat supper. Kagome could not have been happier to see him leave.

"To think I put up with him for three years in Senior High. What was I thinking?" Kagome asked her mother, who just shrugged. "And I can't get away from him, because Daddy's family keeps setting him up with me."

"Kagome, dear, I'm sorry. He's gone, so why don't you forget him and just eat?"

Sighing again, Kagome agreed and continued eating. Maybe she'd stay and old maid and never have to worry about men. Or maybe she'd move to America and never have to worry about her family. One or the other; both were good.

First off, sorry for making Ayame older then Kouga. I know that's not cannon, but I wanted to try it this way. Anything else that I may have gotten wrong or not-cannon, let me know. And to the adventurous of you, there was a bit of foreshadowing in this chapter. Any guesses what it was?

Another author pointed this out in a story: Souta and Kagome rarely get bonding time. So I tried to work that in too. Plus, it kept the story from being too focused on college and the play. (Unfortunately this won't work for Inu-kun, because his family hates him and won't want him visiting)

I would like to dedicate this extra-long chapter and the pseudo-fluff within it to my uncle and his fiancée, who are getting married at the end of the month. Due to that and school starting, I may not be able to get an update out for a while. Sorry 'bout that too.

Oooooo- only one more chapter left in Act 2!!