Yes, I know I've been gone forever and a day, but such is life. Okay… So I totally need to recap what's going on, huh?
So here's what we know so far: Sesshoumaru is unknowingly the victim of some plot devised by Naraku. Kagura is also involved as well, and her current job is to get close to Sesshoumaru. Kikyou's job in response to that is to stop whatever the heck Naraku is planning. Her method for doing that: Working indirectly through Kagome by sending out visions of what COULD happen and what they think will happen.
Yura, sick of her own job, meddled in Kikyou's and ended up killing Rin's parents to give Sesshoumaru a distraction when it looked like Kagura was getting too close. And after the series of events in the last chapter both Kikyou and Kagome meet and then in turn, Kikyou realizes something dastardly. She finds that Kagome's dreams have been corrupted by Naraku and have almost driven her off the edge do to the graphic murders and sleep deprivations! Dun dun duuuum!
Okay… We all set? (Thank you, btw for reviewing and for still reading this, even though I barely get a chance to update.)
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.
-
-
Truly Madly Deeply
(Tsuki)
Chapter Eleven
-
-
(Tsuki)
For the first the first time since she had become aware of Naraku's existence, Kikyou was worried. She was one of the finest Kaede had—all modesty aside. So if she was worried then there was definitely something wrong.
She gently cradled Kagome's head in her own arms and brushed her fingers across Kagome's skull.
He was dangerous and malicious and somehow, he knew of her interaction in this affair.
Kikyou suddenly shuddered, "Perhaps I should just make Inuyasha forget he ever met me." She sighed. 'That was probably impossible now though.'
She had engrained herself too deeply within his life. There had not been a day that she had not been in since she met him and erasing herself would practically be as if she had erased months from his life.
Erasing herself would completely mess things up for him…
Kikyou suddenly felt disgusted with herself.
That was s a lie.
She could easily adjust it so that she never existed and his life would continue regardless of what he didn't remember.
Hell she could even break things off in person…
But she was a coward. A selfish coward who had tasted a hint of what love was and did not want to go back to an empty existence without it. She did not want to know—or rather admit that she was irreplaceable in Inuyasha's life. That he could move on and forget her. That it was possible to erase in him what they had. That thought shook her to the core.
Because no matter what he forgot, she would remember. His—Their memories would always be alive in her and it killed her, the idea that they weren't something that was as a part of Inuyasha as they were for her. Not that she blamed him for that.
Or perhaps Yura had been correct and she needed to resign from this world. Kouga was moving along in ranks as well as Jakotsu… Perhaps they—
But there she was. Running again.
Kikyou suddenly took a look at Kagome. She sighed, "She looks so young."
I wish I hadn't dragged her into this mess…
That was probably why Kikyou couldn't give up this case. She had screwed up. Anyone with eyes could see that. Not only had she put her own personal feelings first, she had endangered the life of an innocent girl…
Kikyou's eyes glowed white for a moment and tendrils of black began to sift from Kagome's skull.
It had taken her almost ten minutes to correct the problem and when the artificial dream completely relinquished its hold on the raven haired girl in from of her, it emerged as a black translucent ball of spiking energy. The inky black mist inside the orb dissipated with a sizzle at her contact.
She was left with a clear orb that was tinged pink. Inside it played a simple scenario, that merely showed Kagura before it shifted to an image of Sesshoumaru. The dream was supposed to incite feelings of worry for the latter's safety and create unease about Kagura. Looking back on it now, she had half assed the original goal.
But at the time she had just wanted someone who could play back up when she was too preoccupied with existing
Kikyou sighed and looked away, ashamed at what she had done.
"To make such a foolish mistake." She let a scowl mar her normally tranquil expression.
Kikyou looked at the orb in her hand and touched her forehead to it. The content of the orb changed and it glowed a bright blue.
Surrounding the orb was a thin layer of yellow.
Naraku could just try and alter this. It would certainly be one hell of a challenge… She placed the orb in front of Kagome and relinquished her hold on it. It slowly drifted down until in had been absorbed into Kagome's torso. The girl stirred a bit, but did not wake up.
Kikyou smiled slightly, "A small token of apology for my carelessness."
She walked over to where Inuyasha stood and after a moment of berating herself, she lightly touched Inuyasha's forehead once again and he emerged from his suspended state as if he had never entered it in the first place.
"She a friend of yours?" He continued his questioning without missing a beat.
Kikyou shook her head and on the spot remarked, "I recognized her from H. I. Elementary. A friend of mine used to have a daughter in her class that used to always talk about her."
Inuyasha rubbed the back of his head and blinked, "Pretty young kid…Wish my teach' looked like that when I was back in grade school. I just had an old hag of a nun who beat us with freakin' rulers! Nun my ass—that lady's going straight to hell!" He exclaimed the last sentence in indignation.
Kikyou smiled and ran a hand through his hair, "How traumatizing for you…"
Inuyasha grinned, "Nah, I got over it cause every Mischief Night me and a couple of friends would get her back by egging and TP-ing her house."
She frowned, "Your tone implies that you that habit extends into the present…am I correct?"
Inuyasha pretended to whistle innocently. "Let me get these girls inside. They both look exhausted…"
Kikyou nodded, "If you take Kagome, I should be able to manage Rin."
Inuyasha nodded and soon he had hefted the raven haired girl into his arms. "Where do you want me to leave her?"
Kikyou spoke slowly, "Sesshoumaru's room is still pretty bare, right?" Inuyasha nodded, "Yeah he isn't really the decorating type. Why do you ask? Don't tell me…you want me…her? In his room?" He seemed a bit incredulous as Kikyou picked up Rin.
"She'll be waking up in a room that's not hers. The less in the room, color wise, the less there is to over-stimulate her senses and frighten her."
Although Kikyou had taken away the dreams, she did not have the time to completely ebb away all the traces of fear in the girl's thin frame. It would do her better to not see anything to cause her alarm when she woke up.
She wasn't completely certain how frayed the girl's nerves actually were and how much shock her poor body could handle.
Inuyasha nodded, "I suppose that makes sense." But he couldn't help but wonder if he should mention that she would be sharing his bed with twenty some odd stuffed animals he had purchased to give later to Rin. (Incidentally hadn't mentioned that tidbit to Sesshoumaru either…) He shrugged it off instead to ask, "You okay with carrying Rin?" Kikyou smoothly lifted up the younger girl with what Inuyasha could only deem as ease.
He snorted, "I'll take that as a 'yes'."
Kikyou smiled.
-
-
(Tsuki)
-
-
Sesshoumaru exited the hospital the keys to one of his intern's convertible in his hands. He probably would have been in a better mood because of that, if he had leaving an hour and a half later than he had anticipated, though.
It was hard for a doctor to step in an out of a hospital without expecting to get detained for some odd reason or another. And because of that, he hadn't the time to hunt down a resident to get a ride, so he was dealing with simply borrowing from an intern.
It was almost amusing having interns. They were very much like puppies…Or putty. He had yet to decide. At times, they seemed so spineless he almost felt remorse for his actions.
The man whose keys he was holding had bumped into him on the way to the elevator. He had turned almost purple when Sesshoumaru's manila envelope that contained a thick packet of paper, toppled to the floor. And seeing the see of what could only be important sheets—it was a wonder the man hadn't suffered a stroke then and there.
He had instantly swooped down and picked up every last scattered sheet before Sesshoumaru could even blink. He held out the folder, and apologized profusely.
Sesshoumaru had felt more amused by the incident than angered and a humored smirk nearly slipped onto his face. The slight movement of Sesshoumaru's jaw, though was not seen as his superior almost showing a sign of humanity, rather it was taken as a sign that Sesshoumaru was utterly and absolutely horrifyingly pissed.
The freckled man before had visible been shaking and after a few more apologies he said, "Look, if there's anything, anything at all, that I could do, I'd gladly—!"
Sesshoumaru had suddenly seen a lanyard hanging from his neck. Abruptly he asked, "What do you drive….?"
And that was why he was now riding in his intern's convertible.
Admittedly, he could have just asked the man to drop him off, however, Sesshoumaru was nearly certain that that red head would have spend the entire ride, groveling and begging to be forgiven.
When he parked in front of the house, not taking notice of the extra car in the driveway, he reached over onto the passenger seat and grabbed his folder.
Sesshoumaru exited the car and locked it before making his way up to the house. He ran a hand through his long locks. He had forgotten to secure his hair into a pony tail this morning, much to his annoyance, so it had been bothering him most of the day, even though he technically had had a day off.
Inuyasha opened the door before he could even ring the door bell. His younger brother murmured, "I have to find that spare I made…" In a louder voice he explained, "Rin is upstairs sleeping and I didn't want you waking her with the doorbell."
"I see."
Inuyasha stretched until he heard a satisfying crack in his lower back, "Ummhh…longest two hours of my life." He threw the book he had been reading to pass the time onto a nearby couch.
Sesshoumaru snorted, "I could imagine…" He handed the folder to Inuyasha, "Place that in your office for me."
Inuyasha huffed, "You could add a 'please' you know!"
"When have I ever said please…?"
Amber eyes rolled in annoyance, "Yeah, yeah…touché smart ass. But just why can't you do it yourself?"
Sesshoumaru coolly glanced at his brother, "I'm going to change…"
Inuyasha dropped the folder, "In your room?!"
Sesshoumaru looked at the clutter on papers on the floor before glancing with narrowed eyes at his brother. Without the intensive groveling, there was no amusement to cancel out his irritation. "Would you rather I strip down, here, Inuyasha? I don't know what your customs were before—"
"Hey! I get dressed in my room too! I'm just saying you probably should wait a little while…" Inuyasha shuddered. Now that he was face to face with his emotionally crippled brother, it was getting harder to admit to him that he had let a complete stranger sleep in his bed.
And not only that…
The stuffed animals too.
He ran a hand through his hair and took a deep breath.
But he was saved from any explanation for the moment, for there was suddenly a shriek from the kitchen and Inuyasha's face was completely taken over with concern.
He rushed to the kitchen, calling over his shoulder "Stay there until I come back!" In a louder tone Sesshoumaru heard him call, "Kikyou? Are you alright?"
"Stay here?" Sesshoumaru murmured slowly to himself.
A command from his brother? He snorted. Now how exactly was he supposed to not do the opposite of that?
He trekked up the steps and entered his room. He wanted to change from his business casual wear, and into something more leisurely for the evening. He had seen Inuyasha's yard and it not only needed a good mowing, there were scattered weights, various exercise equipment, and patio furniture that needed moving as well. Knowing his brother would end up putting it off, until God knows when, he had planned to simply get it all over with that evening.
Sesshoumaru walked into his room. It was a simple room that was sparsely furnished. There were two large windows, both covered solely by thick cherry colored curtains. There were a couple of end tables on which sat two glossy pearl toned lamps. They had translucent vermillion shades and the foot of the lamp was also that color. There was a small metal and wood desk in one corner, and a thick red shag rug at the foot of the bed.
And speaking of his bed…. It was a queen sized bed with black framing, and black sheets which he had brought from his own home and placed on earlier that week. The comforter was an intricate design of white and black. But something was amiss.
Perhaps it was the fact that he needed to purchase new sheets as his King sized sheets were a size too large…
A finely chiseleled brow rose…
Hmm. Or perhaps it was the fact that his bed had become a zoo….
A two foot high pajama wearing stuffed bear stared back at him as he took a moment to take in the various, not to mention colorful display of dogs, rabbits, bears, cats, and whatever the hell else was in that mountain of toys…
With a twitch of that aforementioned eye brow, he headed straight for his closet. The room was dimly lit since it was only six o'clock and the sun had yet to set. So he had no trouble finding a pair of sweat pants which he swiftly slung over his arm. The pants he had worn that day went into a hamper Inuyasha had set up for him in the bathroom attached to his room. The belt he hung back in his closet before he closed it and unbuttoned his short sleeved tan polo.
The polo soon followed his pants into the hamper.
The silver haired man then walked over to his night stand, pointedly ignoring the toys as he dug through the top drawer for black wife-beater.
Suddenly there was a shift in the mountain of toys as there was movement on his bed. Yet again his brow rose.
A moderately tanned arm suddenly came into view….
Followed by a sea of raven hair…
And finally a very familiar face.
Her eyelids gently rose and her unusually tinted orbs greeted his.
His brow…if possible rose even higher.
And she screamed.
-
-
(Tsuki)
-
-
"Kikyou? Are you alright?" He quickly asked as he rushed into their large kitchen, only to see his fiancé and the majority of his ceramic tiled floor, completely drenched as water gushed from the faucet.
She blindly was searching to shut it off and Inuyasha hurriedly assisted her. "Hold on!"
When the water was successfully turned off he quickly grabbed a near by hand towel and dapped at her face, "Jesus Kikyou…What happened?"
The sink was filled with shard of silver metal, and it only took one glance to see that it was from the faucet. His brows furrowed… There were several cooking utensil in the sink. A small saucer, a yellow ceramic tasting dish, and a nine inch black handled stainless steel dicing knife.
His sharp eyes instantly noted the light copper color that was mixed in with the water that pooled in the sink.
The raven haired woman cast him a wry smile as she wrung out her hair with one hand, "I had been rinsing something when the faucet spout suddenly burst."
Inuyasha suddenly grasped the arm she wasn't using. "Let me see your hand!"
There was a large slice across her thumb. Deep crimson gushed from the wound, mixing to become a lighter shade of red as it diluted with the tiny stream of water still dripping down her body.
Kikyou winced a bit, "I had been a little taken aback when the faucet shatter…"
Inuyasha quickly wrapped the towel against her palm, "I'm going to get the first aid kit. Keep applying pressure to this." He took her uninjured hand and had her press the towel against the wound.
He instantly bolted towards the pantry.
Kikyou felt her mind wander back to the occurrences of a moment ago. She had been cleaning up the excess cooking items she no longer needed while the rice was boiling and the tilapia was baking in the oven.
She had let her mind drift for a moment and her thoughts had instantly gone to Naraku. Even a mental image of Naraku had been enough to cause her to lose herself in her anger. And even if it had been but a second, the results had been quite unfavorable.
Half of the metal faucet had shattered, and she had slit her palm in surprise.
She sighed. She was letting her emotions get to volatile.
Inuyasha came back with the kit and in a few minutes had her hand wrapped up. Kikyou quietly thanked him.
The timer on the oven chose then to go off and Inuyasha held her back, "I'll take care of it. What had you planned to do?"
Kikyou cradled her hand to her chest, as she directed, "That bowl on the stove top," she indicated a bright yellow ceramic bowl that was filled with a chunky mixture of diced tomatoes, garlic, sour cream, and several other unidentifiable ingredients, "Needs to get poured over the tilapia and the timer needs to be reset for another ten minutes."
Inuyasha nodded and set to work, awkwardly grabbing and putting on oven mitts to handle the glass pan in the oven as he poured the mix onto the small fillets of fish.
He closed the oven and pulled off the mitts, just as…for the second time that night…another scream resounded in the house.
-
-
(Tsuki)
-
-
Kagome bolted up quickly, "Sesshoumaru?" Her eyes widened as she saw him only in a pair of slate gray and red boxers.
"So you really don't wear tighty-whities…." She murmured in surprise but shook her head almost immediately, "W-what are you doing in my room—And half naked at that!"
Sesshoumaru returned to the drawer before responding and plucked out the wife beater he had been so close to putting before she decided to make her presence known.
He leisurely placed it over his head as he originally be intending to. Before her muddle mind could come up with an absurd reason as to why he had clothes in her nightstand, his eyes flickered back to her, "I should be the one asking that question to you. Look around…this isn't your room…"
And look around she did and her eyes widened. She furrowed her brows as she took in the mountain of stuff animals, "Boxers and stuffed animals…I definitely got one helluva shocker today…"
Sesshoumaru scowled as he sat down on the bed to put on his sweat pants, "I, myself, don't know why those monstrosities are laying there. I am merely guessing my brother is responsible in some way for it."
Kagome rubbed her eyes and muttered unconvincingly, "Ummhmm…yeah, your brother…"
The door suddenly burst open and said brother rushed into the room, "What part of 'don't move' don't you understand?! I told you to wait for me to get back so I could explain all of this."
Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed, "And what exactly would you have said, I wonder?"
His brother flushed, "Okay…so I had still hadn't thought of what I could say then, but let me clear up things now."
He took in a deep breath and commenced to spew out his story. "So I was at the store the other day buying groceries and I heard this lady talking to the cashier about how her daughter had like a million of those stuff animal things, and how they were practically her best friends and I started thinking—Hey, Rin could use some thing like that, I mean she just lost her parents and all so maybe they could—"
Sesshoumaru scowled, "You truly are an idiot. Explain that," he pointed at Kagome who squeaked before indignantly smacked him across the back, asserting, "I'm not a 'that,' Sesshoumaru! Though, I am also looking for an explanation. All I remember is driving Rin home. I don't remember even closing my eyes, let alone falling asleep!"
Inuyasha looked between the two, "Stop shitting me…Do you two know each other?"
Kagome's eyes suddenly lit with realization as she took in the platinum locks and amber eyes. She then exclaimed, more to herself than the others present, "You must be his brother then…"
Sesshoumaru answered Inuyasha's question with a scoff of, "We met on the flight back here. It was because of her that I was not late due to your incompetence."
Inuyasha scratched his head, "Yeah, well back to why she's in your room, Sesshoumaru. Apparently you did fall asleep, hun." He addressed Kagome with a laughed, "You were knocked out when Kik and I came home. You and Rin both. So we didn't want to wake you guys up." He sheepishly shifted his gaze back to Sesshoumaru. "But since Kikyou didn't think that she should wake up in an over-stimulating environment so she wouldn't freak out when she woke up, we put her here. I failed to mention the toys so she had thought your room was the better option."
He peeked back out into the hall and lowered his tone, "I mean how could I tell her I bought stuffed animals…Even if they're not for me…It's still pretty emasculating to my male ego."
Kagome brought up a hand to her mouth to stifle her laughter and suddenly she understood why Sesshoumaru had not felt like discussing his younger brother.
Not that she disliked him or anything—he seemed like a nice person, but Sesshoumaru looked as if he were seriously considering harming his younger brother. That thought alone made her laugh even harder.
Sesshoumaru glared at her, then Inuyasha, before rising. Inuyasha recoiled a bit as he came closer. But his older brother walked past him without a word and left the room.
The blood drained from Inuyasha's face, "Holy shit! He's pissed!"
Kagome sweat dropped, "He didn't say anything though. Maybe that's a good sign…?"
Inuyasha shook his head slowly and stared out the door, "That's the worst possible sign ever! I'm probably going to find a decapitated stuffed animal at the foot of my bed tomorrow morning!"
The raven haired girl laughed nervously, "Surely he wouldn't—"
Actually…yes he would. He definitely would…
That guy had major anger issues. She didn't need to know him for long to know that… Plus he was a doctor, so part of him had to have a sadistic side if he spent all day cutting people up and stabbing needles through arms.
Inuyasha suddenly walked over to Kagome a bit sheepishly, "I probably should formally introduce myself, though. Knowing Sesshoumaru, if he mentioned me at all, he probably just referred to me as a 'vulgar and uncouth' idiot.'" Kagome nodded a bit with a wry smile. Although Sesshoumaru had used, 'crude and unrefined' that day, it was the same thing basically and she had gotten the point…
Inuyasha rolled his eyes, "But contrary to that, I do have a name and I'm not that bad. You're Kagome, right? Well I'm Inuyasha."
He extended his hand which Kagome promptly shook. She smiled, "Don't worry, I knew he was just exaggerating. It's nice to meet you, though."
"I guess I should apologize for throwing you in with these creepy little things," he picked up a pastel yellow rabbit that was holding a carrot, a third the size of its body. Inuyasha shuddered and threw it back.
Kagome laughed, "I don't mind… I think they're cute. Plus, I used to sleep with stuffed animals when I was a kid."
She moved to get off the bed, stifling a yawn.
"No kidding…" he said in an amused tone. "Oh yeah. Before I forget, you're welcome to join us for dinner, if you want, by the way. My fiancé cooked, so it's actually edible."
Suddenly the events of that afternoon came crashing back. She smiled softly but declined the offer, "Thank you but I probably should get going though. I didn't tell anyone that I was dropping Rin home, so my family's most likely worried sick."
Any response in Inuyasha's throat died therein as the room was suddenly filled with a sudden symphony from Kagome's stomach. "Ggggguuuhhhhrrrrrrruggnnnn."
Kagome's cheeks turned scarlet in color.
Inuyasha took her arm, "Like I'd let someone leave my house on an empty stomach! Borrow our phone, make a call. Whatever you need to do, do it, 'cause you're eating here."
-
-
(Tsuki)
-
-
It felt strange sitting, getting ready to eat dinner across from a man that she had honestly thought she was never going to see again. They had had such an awkward good bye that it actually felt relieving to see him.
Inuyasha, Sesshoumaru, and Kagome were currently in the dinning room. It was a moderately sized room with off white, wheat, and white textured wallpaper. The framing of the room had been painted with a rich magenta that matched the table cloth that covered the six person wooden table. The place settings were an off white color.
Five of the settings had cloth napkins, silverware, and glasses of water set on them.
Kagome had actually entered the room, not too long ago. Inuyasha had shown her the house phone (her cell phone was currently in her car), and she had called Sango.
The brunette had agreed with uncertainty that Kagome should stay there for dinner and had also been somewhat comforted that the reason Kagome had disappeared was because she was sleeping.
But Kagome wasn't even sure now if she would be able to keep anything down. She was so nervous that her stomach felt like it was in her throat.
Rin walked into the room, then. She had changed from her uniform into an oversized sweatshirt, which she only had poke her good arm out of the sleeve, the other was probably still in the sling and a pair of pajama shorts. She had left her hair completely down.
She softly greeted the room.
Inuyasha greeted her with a grin. "Finally you're awake! I was starting to think you had gone comatose on us."
Rin allowed a smile to flitter onto her features briefly which shocked the younger Taisho a bit as she took a seat next to Kagome, much to the surprise of Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru. But her next statement was even more of a shocker. "That was truly the first time I slept since the funeral. I feel a lot better now though."
She turned to Kagome, her cheeks tinged pink, "So I want to sincerely apologize for this week and for everything I said! If I could take it back I honestly would do that in a heartbeat!"
Sesshoumaru looked at the exchange.
How odd that not only were the two of them acquainted in a fashion that seemed very personal… there was also this sudden change in Rin's demeanor.
Kagome smiled softly, "Hey! Don't worry about it! I'll admit, you did get to me at first, but I forgave the second I knew why you had been acting that way."
Inuyasha looked between the girls, "Are we missing something, here? I thought you taught elementary school? Unless you're older then you look and you somehow had Rin in your class—which I doubt—"
Kagome flushed and cut him off to explain, "I'm temporarily assisting the H.I.'s high school division of archers during club hours."
Rin hung her head, "And I've been unforgivably cruel to her and took out losing my parents on her."
Inuyasha opened his mouth to ask another question but Sesshoumaru stood and pulled him from his seat, murmuring, "We are going to assist Kikyou in the kitchen."
Kagome took Rin's hand, "Hey…Look. I understand. I couldn't be mad at you if I tried. I honestly mean that."
She let out a sigh and idly fiddled with a lock of her hair, "When my own father passed away, I felt nothing but anger and guilt. But my family and friends helped me through it. So don't be afraid to end up depending on them. They'll be able to empathize more than you think."
Rin looked at her, "When you stood up for me…Thank you… For a moment I really believed that they wanted to leave me…"
Kagome stroked her hair, "Rin, you were probably a wonderful child—I can tell from looking at you that you must have given them a countless number of days were they were simply thankful just to have had you. Your parents loved you! If they would regret anything, it would never be having you; it would be not having you longer in their lives."
Rin covered her eyes with her sweatshirt covered arm and let the material soak up the tears she had no desire to stop.
"They'll never stop watching over you, even if you can't see them."
Someone gently rapped on the swinging door connecting the kitchen and the dinning room. A woman, Kikyou, called out, "May we enter?"
Rin nodded her head and wiped her eyes as she responded, "Yeah…Please come in."
Kagome smiled, "Feel better?"
Kikyou exited the kitchen first, with a large plate of the garlic and tomato covered Tilapia. She was followed shortly by Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha who both carried trays with plates of jasmine rice.
"Tons…"
"No more attitude, I hope?" Kagome teased gently in a low whisper.
The girl laughed and closed her eyes, "No more. I promise. You said that my parents are watching…" She paused and looked at her placemat. "If that's true—and I really think it is…Then it would probably make them sad to see me acting this way. So no more attitude. For sure."
Sesshoumaru stared at Kagome…
Mystified.
Was it odd that he suddenly felt this desire to get close to her? To know what secrets she held…?
She seemed to emit an aura that invited a person in. And once you were enticed, it was as if you could never cease to be engrossed.
-
-
(Tsuki)
-
A.N. All my other chapters were thirteen to nineteen Word pages long, lol and while I was tempted to end this around the eighth or ninth page at the same time (and end at a cliffie), I couldn't break the streak. No chapter I dished out today is under four thousand words now so I am extremely proud of myself haha.
Enjoy the rest of summer!
R&R