Promenade
by Apple-chan

Disclaimer: I'm sure you all know what this means.

Summary: Four couples, one perfect night...or is it? A 5-act tale on how four young men and four young women fall in love at the night of their Junior-Senior Prom. YXA, RXP, LXJ, and HXT.

Warnings: AU, PG-13, and the appearance of Hao.^_^



ACT II: Ready.


INTERLUDE: Obsessions, A Stalker, and Drowning.


"I am so totally, totally honest-to-goodnessly sorry, Anna-neechan!" Tamao told her cousin pleadingly for the tenth time as they entered the ladies' room. "It will never, ever happen again, I promise!"

"You BETTER believe it will never happen again," Anna muttered, tossing her hair and flashing her younger cousin a penetrating look as she threw her purse on top of the sink counters. "...Because I'm never going to allow you near that freaking fruitcake again unless you're with ME," she added, clearly referring to Horo-horo.

Tamao gave a small sniff, and lowered her eyes. "You didn't have to be so harsh on him," she murmured quietly, briefly recalling with a slight wince how her poor azure-haired sempai practically flew towards the rooftop of the gym just to escape Anna's wrath--to no avail, because the blonde (as she was quite used to chasing Yoh and Hao around the place for almost a decade now) was leagues faster than he was.

Coupled with her infamous trademark glare of doom, her terrifying slaps, and her foreboding voice--all of which were worse than being trapped in the lowest parts of Cocytus--Anna had grabbed Horo-horo by the shirt and proceeded to give him a thorough verbal and physical lashing that could have sent a million war soldiers running home to their mothers crying. In fact, if it weren't for Tamao, the azure-haired senior would have suffered a fate worse than the most painful disembowelment, burning at the stake, castration, stoning to death and goodness knows what else--all courtesy of Anna; but as mentioned, Tamao stopped her cousin before everything became all bloody. Which was just as well.

After that, Horo-horo had said a hasty goodbye to Tamao, and with the little strength he had left, he ran off, faster than lightning, without looking back, leaving the pink-haired junior wondering if she would ever see him again. Or if he would have enough courage to even so much as go ten feet near her. But then again, it wasn't the first time Anna had unleashed her hellish wrath on him...he was probably as used to it as the Asakura twins were. Or not.

The blonde in question snorted. "Serves him right," she muttered dryly, turning on the faucet and washing her hands, occasionally glancing at her reflection in the mirror. "He's never going to drag you into those...stupid schemes of his. I won't allow it."

"But Anna-neechan...it's for the school paper!" Tamao said desperately. "I told you we were doing a special issue for the prom, and Horo-sempai said that--"

"I don't CARE what he SAID." Anna interrupted firmly. "You are NEVER working with him and that's FINAL." She gave her cousin a look. "Understand?"

Tamao nodded miserably, wondering if she could maybe--just maybe--try to reason out with her cousin for once. Just this once. "Anna-neechan...I'm SIXTEEN," she said quietly, resting her elbows on top of the sink counters and gazing at Anna as she ran a comb through her hair. "You know that, right?"

The blonde raised an eyebrow. "Your point?"

The pink haired junior sighed with resignation. "Can't you even let me make my own decisions for once? I want to help him out. Can't I do that without having you breathing down his neck?" She wondered aloud.

Anna's face remained impassive. She placed her comb inside her purse and studied her cousin's sad, sad face thoughtfully.

Maybe she really was going overboard with this protectiveness. Hao often accused her of being too strict with Tamao, and of being too stern when it comes to Yoh, but it wasn't like she would ever listen to that walking menace. The way she was with Tamao was her business. She was the only one her cousin had left, and it was up to her to make sure Tamao was safe from any sort of harm...or bad influence.

And the way she handled Yoh--even though he was Hao's twin--was her business. Making sure he was all straightened out was her business...after all, she had vowed that to herself and to his grandparents around a decade ago, since obviously, Hao was too far along in his perversities to be straightened out. Hao was beyond saving...whereas Yoh still had hope--through her. She was the only one who can straighten him out. For that matter, she was the only one who had enough strength to do that.

And, she was the only one who was willing.

Which explains her obsession. It is an obsession, now that she thought about it.

But it's not like she could help it. "Tamao, you could have gotten badly hurt earlier today," she told her cousin in a low, quiet tone. "I don't want that to happen again. I'm trying to protect you. I'm sure you know that."

"I know...but I can protect myself," Tamao promised her cousin brightly. "And that thing about the wooden boxes...that was an accident. It wasn't Horo-sempai's fault. You know he'll never try to hurt me."

Anna frowned darkly. "I still don't want you hanging around him."

"Well if it would make you feel any better..." Tamao began, "Horo-sempai asked me to go somewhere later this afternoon...something about my prom dress," she explained. "Just so you can be reassured, why don't you come with us?" Her eyes were pleading. Give him a chance. Please.

"...Maybe I will." Anna said with a small sigh of resignation. Give the guy a break. Give the guy a chance. Right. "Just promise me one thing," she added suddenly.

"Hai?" Tamao smiled at her cousin as she fixed her hair.

This time, Anna's face went stern again. "Don't you EVER miss a committee meeting in favor of that GUY again." Her voice held a note of threat. "Understand?"

Tamao's face was eager as she nodded. "Understood!"


***


"One, two, three..." Pilica muttered under her breath as she stormed across the hallways of the school, extremely pissed off. And why wouldn't she be? People were ignoring her. Her guy friends, who used to flock around all over her every single time she passed them by, were all running away at the second that she approached. None of them would even so much as glance at her, not to mention even greet her a measly hello. She would have appreciated that.

Obviously she wasn't going to get any of it, though--and she knew why. They were avoiding her--ALL of them--and within reason.

Pausing abruptly, she turned around and flashed a dark, furious glare at the person behind her. At the person following her. The one and only reason she was losing all of her friends and admirers. And suitors. Him.

Said person crossed his arms over his chest and gave her his most arrogant grin.

Clenching her fists at her sides, she looked up to the ceiling and prayed for...self control. If she didn't watch herself, after the count of ten, her perfectly-manicured nails would be drawing the very, very obnoxious blood that flowed deep within Tao Ren's veins. And savoring it.

Aikido is nothing compared to my nails, she thought darkly. Nothing. You'd do well to remember that, Ren-niichan.

Shaking her head (and thanking God for that brief shower of self-control), she sighed, turned around and continued walking.

And so did the person behind her. The person who, as you've probably all surmised, was none other than the very rich, very famous, very strong, very handsome, very popular, and very, very, VERY arrogant Tao Ren.

Pilica gritted her teeth as she caught the very audible noises of his strutting. He was infuriating. "...Four, five, six..." her knuckles were probably dead-white as of now. If it wasn't a sin to skin him alive (not to mention disgusting), she would have done so more than an hour ago. Honestly, what is UP with him following me all throughout lunch? More correctly, what is the DEAL with him following me for the past two weeks? Is this some sort of a bet he cooked up with Oniichan?

Sighing once more, she paused again and whipped about.

He had stopped when she did. He still had his arms crossed over his chest. The white school uniform he was wearing was halfway unbuttoned, she realized. And his dark trousers...they fit him very well. His hair--even with that very conspicuous tongari--complemented the whole picture.

Handsome, that's what he was, and he obviously knew it, if that incredibly arrogant and obnoxious smirk on his face was any indication. All the girls who passed him by in the halls gave him admiring glances. By heck, some of them practically swooned and suffered through nosebleeds as they went by.

Disgusting.

At that point, he arched an eyebrow, and Pilica realized, much to her great horrification, that she had been staring at him for the past couple of minutes. Studying him. Admiring him, so to speak.

And he obviously knew it, if that slowly widening grin on his face was any indication.

Truth be told, he had been doing the exact same thing...to her. Staring. Admiring. Drooling, even.

Hmph. She could feel a smile breaking out of her face. Yes, I know. You think I'm beautiful. You think I'm gorgeous, you want to kiss m...

Pilica looked up to the ceiling again and mentally berated herself. Honestly, if I hear that song in my head ONE MORE TIME, I'll scream. She then turned around, hastily shook her head, and resumed walking.

Behind her, he continued to strut. She could hear his faint chuckle as she walked. He was probably laughing at her. The nerve.

"Seven, eight, nine..." She muttered under her breath. One more and she was going to explode.

Oohh, where the HECK is that BATHROOM?!?

...Glory Hallelujah. Upon spotting the sign on top of the door that said, "Ladies," Pilica stopped and heaved a sigh of relief.

A tall, hard form bumped into her, purposely knocking her back against the wall. It didn't take her long to guess who it was.

Her stalker. Him.

...Ten.

And she snapped.

"REN-NIICHAN, COULD YOU STOP FOLLOWING ME ALREADY?!?" She screamed in his face, unmindful of the curious glances that everyone was giving her.

Ren looked around, flashing everyone his most penetrating glare. At once, all the other students ran in each and every direction and minded their own business. If they even so much as piss off Tao Ren, for sure, there would be hell to pay. He then turned to Pilica. "Following you?" He raised an eyebrow and pointed to himself. "Who, me?"

"Yes, YOU." She stomped on his foot, poked him on the chest and glared at him. "You've been following me for the PAST TWO WEEKS. What is this, some sort of GAME you and Oniichan cooked up to infuriate me? Huh?" She placed her hands on her hips and raised a demanding eyebrow.

A warm blush crept up to her cheeks as the navy-haired junior looked her over from head to toe, appraising her. "You mean this?" Golden eyes locked with hers intently.

Fighting off the redness in her cheeks, she rolled her eyes to the ceiling. "STOP pretending like you don't know, and ANSWER ME!" She aimed a fist at his stomach.

...He caught her fist in his hands, patting it gently, a smile of amusement grazing his lips. "I wasn't following you," he said mildly.

Pilica's eyes widened in indignation as she struggled to get her fist out of his grasp. She didn't want him touching her. It was unnerving. "LIAR," she spat out.

"I was guarding you." he corrected with a haughty grin. He tentatively stroked her fist with his thumbs. "There is a difference, you know."

"Difference? It's the same darn THING!" She shouted incredulously. "If Oniichan's putting you up to this, I DEMAND that you stop it this INSTANT!" She continued to struggle out of his grasp, but he wouldn't let go of her fisted hand. Strangely enough, she was actually liking it... "LET MY HAND GO, DARN IT!"

He shrugged. "Fine." He dropped her hand to her side, much to her great relief...and disappointment. Disappointment?!? Then, he leaned against the wall beside the door of the ladies' room and gave her an expectant look.

"STOP following ME!" She snarled in a low, threatening tone, her dark blue eyes flashing.

"MAKE ME." He challenged.

"Ooohhh!" Pilica fought the urge to tear her hair out as she stormed inside the bathroom. "I hate him, I hate him, I HATE HIM!"

"I'll wait for you here!" He called loudly from outside. Laughter and amusement laced his voice.

Skinning. Strangulation. Castration. The three words echoed in her mind as she approached the sink and tossed her purse on counter. "He. Is. Infuriating!" She said viciously as she opened the faucet and washed her hands.

Anna and Tamao, who had paused from their conversation at the instant that they heard Pilica's shouting, turned to the sophomore girl.

"Who's infuriating, Pilica-chan?" Tamao asked Horo-horo's younger sister.

"HE is!" Tossing her head, Pilica inclined her head to the bathroom door.

"Who?" Anna arched an eyebrow and glanced at the door.

"TAO REN!" Pilica answered impatiently. "You know what he's been doing for the past two weeks? Following me. STALKING ME. It's driving me NUTS!" She added furiously. "...And you know what ELSE?" With that, she proceeded to retelling the whole and the half of the tale of Tao Ren and her hatred for him in a monologue that could have filled all the shelves in the whole Library of Congress.


***


"So I'll see you later?" Lyserg asked, smiling at the freshman girl as they walked across the halls. "After class, at the music room?"

Jeanne nodded, shyly returning the smile. "...Hai."

"Good." He patted her head fondly. "Don't knock yourself out memorizing those pieces, alright?"

She nodded again, fighting off the hot blush that had crept up to her cheeks for the third time that day. Odd, it always seems to happen only during those times when she was with Lyserg...or when she catches the sight of him. Like early this morning, for instance. And then, right before class, when the two of them accidentally met on their way to Professor Silverberg.

And then, there was now...

"Oh, and Jeanne..." His voice broke through her thoughts. She looked up at him and noticed that there was a slight note of concern in his eyes. "Eat something, okay? You're losing weight," he added, eyeing her critically from head to toe, making her face flame full force. "You'll get sick if you start missing meals...and I don't want that to happen, ever," he proclaimed, raising his hand and stroking her cheek tenderly.

Jeanne wondered if she was ever going to stop blushing. She was probably going to die of blood loss any second now... "I...I will," she managed to say in a slightly shaky, breathless voice. "D...don't worry about me, Lyserg-niichan. I...I'll be fine."

"Are you sure?" Worry and doubt was reflected in his green eyes as he stared at her intently.

"Uh-huh." She smiled reassuringly, trying to break off the eye contact with him. They had stopped right in the middle of the hall, and he was still stroking her cheek. His touch felt so warm against her skin...and she knew that, had she been a block of ice, she would have melted right on the spot. As it is, it was bad enough that she was blushing like there was no tomorrow, but to make matters worse--her heart. From the onset that his hand brushed against her skin, her heart had started to go into overdrive mode, and she didn't even know why.

Either way, if she doesn't...get away from him now, or if she doesn't at least restrain herself from feeling whatever she was feeling, whatever you call it--no doubt she was going to die before it was all over--from blood loss, or heart attack, or both.

What a good way to die, though. Dying in front of Lyserg-niichan...dying in his arms...is the best way to die. A blissful death. A celestial death...Jeanne stopped. Fourteen years into the world and she was already thinking about dying. How horrid.

"Lyserg-niichan? I...have to go now..." she told him hesitantly, wondering why in the name of Saint Peter and Heaven couldn't she break away from his touch. It would have to take him pulling away from her for her to manage to break away from him.

Thankfully enough, he did. "Okay," he said with a nod. The two of them resumed walking. "I have to drop by the gym, anyway. I need to help out the prom committee before Anna-sempai decides to kick me out for good," he added, smiling ruefully.

As they passed by the ladies' room, Jeanne heaved a sigh of relief just as Lyserg stopped in his tracks, raising an eyebrow at the young man who was leaning against the wall beside the bathroom door, arms crossed.

"...Thank you," Jeanne whispered, hesitantly reaching for her sempai's hand and patting it with gratitude.

She shouldn't have.

Lyserg grinned at her, and squeezed her hand. "You're welcome," he told her, while at the same time, flashing a questioning look at his best friend.

Ren merely shrugged airily, and pointed his thumb inside the bathroom, all the while observing Lyserg and Jeanne at the corner of his eye. A slow grin was forming on his face.

"G...goodbye," Jeanne could feel her face flaming full force again as she stared at their joined hands. With the remaining amount of strength she possessed, she pulled away from him. Before he had a chance to react, she hastily rushed inside the bathroom, feeling as if her heart was going to explode from her chest.

And it was all because of him.

She tossed her purse on top of the sink counters, leaned against the sink, and rested her forehead against the wall mirror. Outside, she could faintly hear her Lyserg-niichan's voice as he spoke to Tao Ren. Inside the bathroom, all around her, she could hear a loud, high-pitched and familiar voice talking a mile a minute. One single solitary voice.

She gave a small sigh, staring at herself in the mirror as she opened the faucet. She splashed some cold water onto her face, hoping to at least alleviate some of her blushing--to no avail. As long as she continued to hear Lyserg's voice outside, her blushing was probably never going to subside. She took a couple of breaths, hoping, this time, to at least calm the beating of her thundering heart.

...There. She continued to splash the water onto her face, trying very hard to block out the voices from outside. She concentrated on the voices inside the bathroom instead.

"...He beat up ALL of my FRIENDS just because ONIICHAN asked him to do it and just because he KNEW they wouldn't be able to fight back because he was STRONGER than them PUT TOGETHER," Pilica was telling Anna and Tamao. "And he's been DRAGGING me out of CHEERLEADING practice each and EVERY single day because ONIICHAN asked him to do it and he even CALLS my friends AIRHEADS!" She tossed her head defiantly. "...And then just LAST WEEK, he dragged me out of SCHOOL without even telling me WHY when the only REASON was his MOTHER asked HIM to PICK me UP and take me to their ESTATE so that I can get myself MEASURED for my PROM DRESS! I mean, he could have just TOLD ME, but HE DIDN'T! And there I was THINKING that he'd suddenly LOST his MIND and DECIDED to KIDNAP me for his own PERVERTED purposes!" She added darkly. "I mean, the only reason I WAS KICKING and PROTESTING and SCREAMING was because I THOUGHT he was planning to MOLEST me! He could have just TOLD me that it was RAN-OBASAN who wanted ME to come! But it HAD to be a SECRET," she said with sarcasm. "HONESTLY, he may be HANDSOME, but as far as I'M CONCERNED, all of that is pretty USELESS since he's a MEAN, SELFISH, and ARROGANT JERK! I mean, WHY CAN'T he be MORE like Lyserg-sempai?"

At this note, Jeanne sputtered. She started coughing out all the water that she, for one reason or another, managed to swallow.

Rule number one, Maiden Jeanne Iron: never let yourself get distracted. Especially when there's water in front of you. Lots and lots of water.

Still coughing, she frantically fumbled for the faucet, mentally berating herself for her carelessness...and rudeness. It was very impolite to listen to other people's conversations--no matter how loud it happens to be. More importantly, it was unethical to get involved and immersed in them. Why, if her father finds out that she's been...eavesdropping, so to speak--he'd probably have something to say about it. More than that, he'd probably think she deserved to be punished for doing such a thing...and rightfully so. He'd probably say that drowning in a sink full of water wasn't enough karma to purge the sin of eavesdropping; or, horrors of all horrors--he'd probably wish to extract the punishment on her himself, just to ensure that she was completely pure and free of sin again. That was Jeanne's father--Sir Iron, businessman extraordinaire, lead soloist baritone of the London Westminster Choir, and self-righteous Evangelist of the Church of England.

Truth be told, when he was younger, Sir Iron never used to be this...uptight, but certain events in his life (his love life, specifically) and the relationships that he's gained--as well as lost--over the past two decades made him the man that he is now.

Certain events which, somehow or other, involved the father of a certain green-haired junior boy named...

"Lyserg?" Tamao's voice. "Pilica-chan, what does Lyserg have to do with this?"

An irritated sigh. "Tamao-sempai, Lyserg-sempai and Ren-niichan are BEST FRIENDS, aren't they?"

"Well...they are, but what does that have to do with--"

"What I mean to SAY WAS," Pilica interrupted, "...that maybe, just maybe, if Ren-niichan was more like Lyserg-sempai, then I wouldn't be having THIS problem!" She paused. "I wouldn't be STALKED, I wouldn't be ANNOYED, I wouldn't be as ANGRY as I am now, and MAYBE I would even LIKE him a little. But NOO, he just had to be an ARROGANT, RUDE, SELFISH, OBNOXIOUS and MEAN BASTARD!"

"Do you really hate him that much?" This was Anna.

"Of course I do!" Pilica said impatiently. "Why do you think I'm telling you all THIS?"

"Well...it sure seems like you don't," the blonde observed thoughtfully. "I mean, you can't stop talking about him--"

The azure-haired girl glared at her brother's classmate. "Anna-sempai, WHOSE side are you ON?"

Anna shrugged. "I'm just saying that--" She broke off abruptly upon noticing the silvery-blue haired freshman girl, with her head leaning on the sink across from the three of them. She seemed to be struggling with the faucet, which was flowing freely and in full force. "Hey...excuse me," she took a couple of steps and nudged the younger girl. "...Jeanne, right? Freshman class representative?" Her tone was low, and firm.

Jeanne nodded without looking up. She continued to fumble for the faucet, all the while sputtering, hacking, and coughing.

Anna frowned, reached over and turned off the faucet. "Are you trying to drown yourself?"

Jeanne shook her head vigorously, fumbling around her pocket for something to dry herself with.

Pilica reached into her purse, produced an azure-blue hand towel, and handed it to the girl. "Here you go."

"...Thank you," Jeanne whispered, finally raising her head from the sink and daintily wiping her whole face--and her hair--with the towel. She smiled gratefully at the three girls, recognizing each and every one of them.

Tamao returned her smile. "Were we too noisy?" The pink-haired junior recognized her as one of the occasional news staffers for The Quill.

Jeanne shook her head again. "Iie. I was just..." she paused for a moment, listening in to the voices outside. She breathed a sigh of relief upon realizing that she couldn't hear Lyserg's voice anymore. He probably left for the gym already. Thank God. "It's nothing."

"Hey," Pilica spoke up suddenly, "...you're going with Lyserg-sempai to the prom, right?"

Jeanne could feel herself blushing again. "I'm not. I mean...it's not like that at all! I'll just be singing, and he'll be playing the piano--"

"In other words, it's a DATE," Pilica concluded with a bright smile.

Tamao gave her a puzzled look. "How did you know about that?"

Pilica shrugged. "I'm third string soloist," she said matter-of-factly. "And..." her face darkened, and she glared at the door, "Ren-niichan mentioned something about it last week." She hissed a breath. "...When he kidnapped me," she ended in a mutter.

"It's not a date." Jeanne said quietly.

Anna, who had stayed silently appraising the freshman all this time, spoke up. "Was Lyserg outside before you got here?"

Jeanne nodded serenely. "But I think he left some time ago."

Anna continued to gaze at her intently. "Were you trying to avoid him?"

"N...no!" Jeanne shook her head vehemently. "I was just..." Trying to calm the beating of my heart. Trying to prevent myself from dying of blood loss and heart attack. Trying to stop whatever it is I seem to be feeling every single time I'm around him. Every single time he's touching me, and every single time he's looking at me, and talking to me, and... "I needed to wash my face," she finished lamely.

The blonde raised an amused eyebrow. "Really."

Jeanne nodded, meeting the older girl's eyes squarely, without flinching. Silently, though, she was wishing that something would happen so that she can be freed from this...cross-examination courtesy of her Anna-sempai. She was well aware of how...scary the blonde can be, and although it didn't frighten her one bit, it did unnerve her, the way the senior can practically read a person just by a mere glance.

The most terrifying thing about it was...Jeanne was as transparent as a clear glass window. Which made it all worse.

TING, TING, TING!

"Uh-oh. Warning bell," Tamao announced with slight alarm, flashing a meaningful look at the three girls. "We'd better go. Anna-neechan, we still have to look for Yoh-niisan. We have two minutes to do that," she added with a nudge at her cousin.

Anna took one last look at Jeanne and nodded at her cousin. "...Yeah, I forgot." She frowned darkly. "If I find out that he's been sleeping on his job AGAIN, there's going to be HELL to pay. We'll see you," she arched an eyebrow and nodded at both Pilica and Jeanne.

"See you around, Pilica-chan, Jeanne-san!" Tamao gave them both a brief wave as she followed her cousin out the door.

"Yeah, see you." Pilica waved at them absently. And then, unmindful of the warning bell, she peeked cautiously out the door...and gave a low hiss of frustration. "Darn IT," she muttered. "Ooh, why can't he leave me ALONE?" With a loud, infuriated sigh, she grabbed her purse from the sink counter and flashed Jeanne a small apologetic look before heading out the door.

She could hear the azure-haired sophomore shouting her head off at someone outside. Ren-niichan, she guessed. Ren-niichan, her Lyserg-niichan's best friend. Amidst Pilica's screams and shrieks, she could hear him laughing his head off. After some time, though, the laughter and the shrieking gradually faded.

The second warning bell rang.

Jeanne leaned against the wall of the bathroom, feeling as if she had lost all of her strength. She wondered if she would even make it to rehearsals later this afternoon. Rehearsals with Lyserg. Again.

If you survived the first two weeks, you'll survive this last two weeks, Jeanne Iron. All you need to do is focus. Focus on the music sheets and the songs, not on Lyserg-niichan.

But first, there's something you need to tell him and Professor Silverberg...something very important.

She felt her stomach growl. Looking up to the ceiling, she gave a small sigh.

I'm hungry.



TSUZUKU.



Review Replies: Mendori-chan, glad you think so. Saikoro, syaoranz gurl, GoddessLD, AnG3L1c*diVa-chan, cherri-chan, bOw-doWn-tO-KeiKO, caro, chibi, got oranges, here's the update! Fe-chan, don'tcha worry, everyone makes mistakes. Thanks for the review! Lafine, he would have, but Tamao was there, so...*laughs* keiko, thanks a lot! KristiexxNguyen, for the sake of peace, let's just say Hao's ours, and leave it at that. Ne?^^ Itako No Anna Asakura, belated Happy Birthday to you, then.^^ Trinity, you and me both. No fluff just yet...not much, anyway.^^ Kira, don't worry about it. Concentrate on school, that's good. Thanks, and here's the update!^^ flitter bug, glad you were glad.^^ Thank you, but the plot was actually an idea from a mailing list, so I can't take all the credit. Keitorin Asthore, thanks for reading, and glad you liked my writing style. Review your fics? Sure, why not?^^ SkyDancerHawk, sorry, my bad.=) Watch out for SoF here in Act II! Opacho? Weeelll...I'll think about it.^^ Dragon Pearl1, I'll leave the guessing up to you.^^ Hao looks good in formal wear...or at least, in a polo shirt. He wore one during his coffee date with Yoh in the manga.^^ Eikou, oh yes, everyone loves Anna's patented glare.^^ Fluff Inc, yep, it will get fixed...at least, I hope so.*wink* Miko-chan, I won't tell what...pero I have an idea for Luc and Sarah here already. Watch out for it.^^ Sheo Darren, but of course, Jeanne's still the best!^^ yuri-chan, I told you to finish it, not to add just 5 sentences.*pouts* Finish it finish it FINISH IT! Oh, and I miss you.^^ Rian Dark Angel, you and me both.^^ FungiFungusRayne, thanks. Glad you think so.^^ TN4, don't worry, you'll see Hao again...soon.*wink* Takari-san, here ya go.^^ Summer Raindrop, thanks.^^ Why don't you try and write? Writing is the key to improvement. Heck, I sound like a textbook.^^;;; gatita, oh yes. First, you have to find a guy...^_^