Author's Note: No, this is not a figment of your imagination. I am still alive! But more importantly: still writing. I deeply apologize for the long wait; this was, hands down, the hardest chapter to write. So many loose ends to tie, and I didn't even get to all of them. The chapter is a huge 5000 words (well, huge to me!) so I hope it was semi-worth the wait. As always, enjoy!

Summary: Four heirs to vast fortunes disappear under mysterious circumstances. A year later, Mina Aino impulsively adopts four dogs, giving one to each of her single friends. After, each girl faces threats, mayhem, and drama while the mystery of the dogs unravels before them. SenGen, S/D


"I can resist everything except temptation."

--Oscar Wilde

CHAPTER 12; Explanations


Explanations were hard to achieve when seven different people were trying to shout over each other. They were made especially difficult when your level of patience falls into the negatives.

"But then—"

Jedrek interrupted. "It was your idea!"

"I can't believe you're placing the blame on me."

"If the leash fits…"

"Jed, that wasn't even grimace worthy."

"Shut-up!"

"Hey, guys, you aren't actually explaining what happened," Lita pointed out, artfully evading Neron's eyes.

"What I'd like to know," Kael interjected, "is why none of you are surprised by all of this."

"It does appear to be more complicated than even I anticipated," Zevin agreed.

"Well—" Jedrek began.

Rei slammed a fist down on the floor, where everyone was situated. "Enough!" she demanded. "This is completely disordered. I don't have enough time to sit here and try to piece together your incoherent babbling! One person at a time. Kael, since it was your uncle that was crazy, you start."

Jedrek looked like he wanted to protest (a.k.a. whine) about Kael going first, but one look from Rei forever silenced the issue.

"Well," Kael began, "first, I am CEO of Winter Writes, the largest publishing company in the world. One of the main duties of my job is to oversee where the corporate money is being spent and assure that is it a worthy cause. There have been a number of recent research projects that I sponsor and donate to. Zevin works at one of the larger centers that receives a donation," he paused.

Zevin jumped in, eager to share his work. "My main focus is on fighting viral diseases and curing modern-day epidemics. Before we had disappeared, my staff and I had a breakthrough that could literally save millions of lives…"

"He contacted me immediately and we quickly had to come to a conclusion. What we had to consider," Kael continued, "was, unfortunately, not only the lives we'd be saving. In the business world, you have political alliances to consider before launching a new product, or idea. In this case, we needed to consult with all the pharmaceutical companies we had relations with. Also, the cure had yet to be officially tested on humans and needed the International Department of Drug's approval, which could take months, or even years. Health laws, third-world countries, the effect on the economy; all these factors needed to be taken into consideration. So, we decided to have a private meeting between my company, our partners, and a few of the higher-ups. We went under the prevarication of a vacation to Lake Side Rivera…"

Jed couldn't keep his mouth closed any longer. "Actually," he burst in, "you're forgetting the fact that you have a strange obsession with hunting poor, defenseless animals. I cannot believe how callous you were the entire year uha bah bah." Rei firmly placed a hand over his mouth, nodding for Kael to finish his story.

Zevin leaned over to whisper softly in Ami's ear, "Jed's a vegetarian. He is always getting in a huff about animal's rights. It's funny, really, because you'd think he's the least likely one to care."

Ami ignored the tingling in her neck, and nodded in understanding. How interesting. Rei, too, refused to eat the flesh of any animal.

Ami banished those thoughts and turned her attention back to the speaker.

"The talks weren't going well, so we had decided to dismiss the session early and just do what was morally correct and quit worrying about the political ramifications. It was the last night of our stay when a woman appeared out of, literally, thin air. We were all stunned. After that, she explained a few things but it has become fuzzy in my memory. The most vivid thing she said to us was: one year is your punishment. All I recall after that is blackness and then intense feeling from all my senses. The first month was confusing; we wandered around the countryside for a while, hid in the back of trucks on occasion, and eventually made it to the suburbs of Tokyo. After that, we mainly kept together. Zevin found that, with certain noises, we were able to communicate. The rest of the time was certainly a learning experience about the rest of the world…" Kael trailed off, then: "I didn't realize how many sick and destitute people there were. It just makes me more determined…but anyway, we got caught last month by the humane society. Last week, you, Mina, took us away," he finished, unbidden memories of the past week flashing through his mind. It seemed to have gone by so fast and, while he'd never admit it aloud, he missed some of the natural craziness of living with Mina.

Catching her queue, Mina folded her hands delicately on her lap and began her reiteration. "As the girls know, my parents have been pestering—cough blackmailing cough—me to employ some sort of protection since I've been living alone. Despite my passionate aversion to such ideas, I gave in to their pitiful attempts at trying to control my uncontrollable-ness. I went to the humane society, saw four adorable pups that I just couldn't overlook, and took you all home for my fantastic friends! I'm sort of an impulse buyer, you know?"

"Stop regressing," Lita chided, shifting her legs so they were stretched out in front of her. She leaned back on her hands and tried to inconspicuously look at the man seated next to her. He was already staring. Lita hastily moved her eyes back to Mina, and pretended to listen attentively (which is what most people did when Mina talked, if only to preserve their sanity).

"Anyway, y'all know what I did with you from there. Kael came with moi and we had a fabulous time, right JB?" Mina's eyes' twinkled merrily and something deep inside her resounded with laughter. Yes, yes, they'd had a fine time.

"You girls were ridiculous with your naming game," Jed dramatically sighed and turned to Rei. "Honestly, woman! Daisy? What kind of name, for any living creature, is that? And JB? What does that stand for? Jail bait? Wait a second—how old are you girls anyway?"

"Please focus," Ami softly pleaded from her seat in the corner. She was impressed at how much they had gone through so far, with limited questions and comments, and hoped to keep the explanations flowing. Usually it was impossible to get anything said or clarified without numerous interruptions and playful banter. It seemed as if the people in the room worked well together. Interesting, Ami thought.

"We're eighteen," Serena imparted.

"Thank you o' lord," Zevin muttered, feeling glad that at least he wouldn't have a legal problem with pursuing Little Miss Meek in the Corner. "Now, back to business."

"Right. So we hang out, get attached, blah blah blah, I get attacked, yada yada, same old routine, shit hits the fan with the villains. You guys somehow are transformed back, which Darien would do well to explain, no?"

"Freeze a second please. Back up to that part where you get attacked. Just one question: what?" Jed adopted a rather unattractive gaping face that Rei set right with a firm flick to the chin. He grinned at her, grabbed her finger, and gave it a gentle kiss that left the priestess struggling against a blush.

"Oh, that," Mina laughed nervously. "It was nothing."

"It was actually quite something," Kael contradicted calmly. "You fought with a great amount of practiced skill and restraint. All of you girls have. We have all been slightly skirting around the issue but I am very curious. Where did you learn to fight like that?"

"Defense lessons."

"The streets."

"Lita."

"Gym class."

"I can't remember."

Rei, Serena, Ami, Lita, and Mina all respectively answered at once.

"That's believable," Neron said with mock seriousness. He was smirking at Lita, who got the message loud and clear: I know what you did and I'm just waiting for the right time to bring it up.

"I think you should tell them," Darien spoke, for the first time in a long round, eyeing only the females of the room. "There is something strange going on with them, and I think it's related to you-know-what."

"Voldemort?" Lita weakly joked.

Darien fixed her with a princely look. "Serena told me about the Fire incident that Rei had the other day. Who is to say that they weren't a part of our past?"

"Excuse me for interrupting," Zevin said, unable to contain his curiosity any longer, "but what past? Does this have something to do with your power to change us back into our homo erectus form?"

Mina giggled. "That sounds so dirty," she whispered to Kael, clutching at his sleeve.

"Grow-up!" Rei snapped with the familiarity of having said it a thousand squared times.

Darien ignored them, also with practiced familiarity of quite a few times. "Yes, it does," he glanced around pointedly at the others. His gaze was asking them for their input on telling the men the story.

Serena took the initiative, supporting her husband's decision. "I say yes," she looked to Ami next.

Weighing the pro's and con's in her head took a moment but she finally reached a decision. "Yes," she nodded.

Lita shrugged. "Ditto."

"Alright," Mina agreed.

They all looked to Rei. "Why are we making this such a farce of a democracy?" she complained. "It's not like my voice will make a difference at this point."

"That would be a 'yes' in Rei lingo," Mina winked.

Lita took a deep breath. "Who wants to tell it?"

When no one immediately volunteered, Lita grumbled a bit and started. "A freakin' long time ago, there was life on more than just Earth…"


"That story sucked," Jed commented when Lita had finished.

"Way to dampen the mood," Neron added.

Kael shook his head. "You two are idiots," he muttered. "That was apparently not a story, you dunderheads."

Zevin was shocked. "That irrevocably changes the course of technology and science. To have had such an advanced society only a thousand years ago! There must be remnants, buried books, or something that we can find and replicate. The possibilities are astounding…"

Ami nearly jumped out of her seat in shared excitement. "I know!" she exclaimed. "I've frequently thought of that, too. According to my memories, we had so much more advanced medicine. Combining it with modern science would create an entirely new definition of progress."

"I don't know how you can keep the conversation going," Neron shook his head, "I'm still stuck on the fact that you fight the forces of evil on a regular basis wearing mini-skirts! Damn, but I wish I could thank the designer of those suits." His comment was thanked by several enthusiastic fists.

"Ow," he whined.

"Getting back on track," Darien tightened his arm around his blonde wife, "I think my being the King of Earth was paramount in my ability to undo the curse, or whatever you'd call it. Zevin was somehow able to shift on his own accord, any guesses?"

The man in question was a particularly fetching shade of pink. "I've formulated a few theories."

"And?" Darien probed.

"They're still theories!" Zevin snapped defensively. 'I'll get back to you when I know for certain."

Ami was racing through the possibilities in her mind, fitting puzzle pieces together, and when one fit when no others were found, she blushed. No one except Zevin noticed, and he groaned and muttered about the unfairness of life if any of the guys ever found out.

I wonder if the power of a kiss has any scientific meaning behind it, Ami mused.

"In any case, I was able to concentrate and force their bodies to reallocate, after which we met you at the Simmons Building," at this he glared at the dominant partner in their relationship, "and had the privilege of leaving with you."

"No need to be sarcastic, dear."

"So that's how you were able to 'catch' that bullet? With superpowers?" Neron directed at Lita, winking playfully at the brunette.

"I didn't exactly catch it," Lita hedged. "I was able to bend the electrons in the air and force them to, kind of, build a wall of electricity. They slowed the bullet down enough that it only caused a small cut, hey!" Neron had grabbed her hand and was examining it thoroughly.

"No cut," he stated.

"We heal really, really fast," Lita explained. "That's why I caught the bullet. I could easily shake it off, no worries."

"I owe you my life," he said seriously.

"No, no," the brunette countered, "not necessary."

"Forever," he promised softly.

And what could one reply to that?

"I'm opening the floor to questions," Mina used her announcing voice, which was more of a shriek than anything else.

"I swear," Rei swore, "she is the most annoying person to ever exist."

"I second that," Lita agreed.

"Third," Serena raised a hand.

"All in favor?" Rei asked.

"Aye."

"Yeah."

"Aye."

"Aye."

"Passed," Rei said with satisfaction.

"Hey, what were we 'aye-ing' about?" Mina wanted to know.

"Nothing," everyone replied.

"So, questions…did you know Callie Zikomo? How was she involved? And the librarian?" Serena was, remarkably, right on track.

Kael paled, an impressive feat with his already light-toned skin. "Callie was my secretary and kept a number of extremely important papers for me. I had only been working at the company for eleven months as CEO and most of the old staff was wary of someone so young taking over. She was the only person I completely trusted. What did the bastard do to her?"

"She was shot on Monday night but she's in stable condition right now, albeit in a coma. The police were waiting for her to wake up so they could talk to her," Ami gently replied, setting the fair man at ease.

"I'm not sure about the librarian," Kael went on.

Zevin raised a hand. "That would be my insurance," he announced.

At the confused glances, he continued, "I thought something might happen, so I constructed a back-up. All my work, at least all the key components, was given to the librarian. It worked, correct?" he directed to Ami.

Ami swallowed, her throat suddenly dry. She had checked earlier in the day and…"She died, last night, from complications because of her age." She had never felt another's pain as keenly as the moment Zevin's face fell into a telling mixture of shock, guilt, and sadness.

The bluenette could read his face, which was full of self-directed blame. She did her best to adopt a detached expression, one that her medical school training was working to develop, and clinically told him: "You couldn't have predicted this outcome. Mashi Winters was an evil man and someone was inevitably going to get in the way. It is horrible that the librarian suffered this fate, but you cannot settle yourself with the blame. You did all that you could to protect your research —something that is able to help millions of people. All you can do now is finish that work and honor her death by making that evil man serve justice." Her facial muscles may have been schooled but she was fervently hoping he believed her.

"Yes," was all he said, still not absolving his conscience of the sin.

The mood was now somber. Zevin was brooding, while Ami stole glances at him. Serena and Darien were having an eye-to-eye conversation, as Rei was muttering choice words to Mina about her silliness. The remaining men were deep in thought.

Lita was silently trying to remember what she had wanted to say…something important…that Winters had boasted…

Setsuna!

"Pluto!" she burst out, now flooded once more with curiosities and inconsistencies.

Neron was puzzled. "Well, it used to be a planet, but isn't considered so any longer."

"No," Lita felt like giggling, of all inappropriate things, "Pluto is a she."

"What about her?" Serena interjected, sensing the importance of the exclamation.

"She did this to them!" Lita attempted to articulate, waving her arms. "Turned them into dogs!"

The announcement swung all the heads in the room her way.

"What?!" Rei screeched.

"Are you positive?" asked a gob smacked Ami.

"How do you know?" Serena posed, dumbfounded.

Mina was speechless and Darien swore. The others were, again, out of the loop. But, having learned from the past couple hours of explanations, if they waited for everyone to get their surprise out of the way, they would reveal all in due time.

"Let me explain," Lita yelled over the girl's voices. When they quieted down sufficiently, she said: "When I was in Mr. Dawson's office, trying to convince him to keep his half of the Riverside Bistro…"

"Wait!" Neron interrupted. "What about Dawson? Oh shit," he imprecated in realization, "Monique wanted the restaurants, didn't she? She would have received my half of the business but still needed Dawson's agreement on any changes. Easier to just buy the entire damn thing."

At all the confused countenances (boy, were they all getting used to that facial contortion) he quickly clarified. "Dawson was my partner in the business and Monique is my half-sister."

"You're Neron Cole? The Neron Cole of the three fanciest restaurants in Tokyo?!" the tall brunette woman squeaked in astonishment.

"I am," he said in amusement.

"But—but I kissed you! I work at the Riverside Bistro. That means...I made-out with my boss! No, worse," she added miserably, "the boss of my boss, times two."

Neron tried to be sensitive, really he did, but the bellow of laughter escaping was unstoppable.

Serena delicately prodded her friend. "Well," she poked, "get on with it. How is Setsuna involved?"

Lita squashed her current train of thoughts (which were driving straight into the realm of Neron's lips—stupid, stupid associations!) and took a deep breath. "Right. I was in Dawson's office and Winters was spewing drivel like all dumb villains do. I asked him the how of his plans and he stupidly explained the intricate workings, including who he hired to 'assassinate' you four. It was her name he told me."

Serena grasped her husband's hand in worry. "I don't know what to think about that," she said, "but it's obvious to me that there must be an explanation. Setsuna is loyal to us."

"You don't need to convince me of that," Lita huffed, "we fought along side the woman many times. I think we'd know."

"If she is like you," Jedrek drawled slowly, "then the whole appearing out of thin air thing is plausible, right?"

Because he was looking at Rei, she nodded in answer.

"She said it was a punishment," Kael voiced suddenly. "But what could she possibly have to punish us over?"

Serena looked troubled. "I don't have the foggiest."

"Do anything bad in a past life?" Mina joked.

Darien's head snapped up and he expelled a gasp. "Of course…but, how...that's why I was able to help them…no, no, that doesn't make sense…"

"You're not making sense," Mina pointed out.

Rei, too, was having some sort of epiphany. "They are Old Souls," she verbally reasoned, "which could stand to indicate a history with—"

"Us," Ami finished, having made the connection herself.

"And if Sets was punishing them about an action that happened during the Millennium, it narrows it down," said Rei.

"You could turn them back," Serena reminded Darien, having the clips of dialogue begin to arrange themselves in her mind.

"So it involves Darien, read: Earth," Rei continued, "and is important enough that Sets still wants revenge, after all this time…"

"No," Lita breathed in sudden understanding.

"What?" Jed asked in irritation, "could we possibly have done?"

Zevin shrugged. "Can't think of anything."

Neron tilted his head towards Lita in askance but she was rapidly turning whiter than a newly bought sheet.

"He has a sister!" she exploded in unspoken protest. "And Kael has an uncle who clearly spoke of his childhood, and parents, and this isn't even possible."

Ami opened her mouth with a theory but Serena raised a hand, and they all fell silent. "Let's not make assumptions," she reasoned. "There is not use in freaking out when we don't know if what we think I true or not."

Darien rubbed his head, observing the men who seemed to naturally fit with the group. He couldn't help but think of how nice it would be to have some male company to balance out the influx of so much estrogen.

"I know one way to get our answers," Rei stood with jerky motions. She threw her head back, and let out a stream of words in a very, very old language.

"I swear she just does that for show," Mina grumbled to Kael. "She is such a drama queen." Kael couldn't help but think this was a clear case of the pot calling the kettle black.

Rei kept the rapid flow of words going for an endless minute before the others could clearly feel a change in the air. Warmth and static prickled their necks until, abruptly, Rei stopped.

Mina was impatient. "And?"

She was answered by the arrival of an imposing, black/green-haired woman. Like Kael had said, it seemed like she had emerged through thin air. She held her body tensely, appearing to anticipate a battle.

All the girls stood at once, Serena throwing her small body at the newest advent to hug her. Setsuna, Keeper of Time, the watcher of Pluto, relaxed under her liege's onslaught. "I don't know what is going on," Serena whispered in her ear, "but I trust you. Even if I won't agree with what you did, we've been through enough together for me to believe in your sincerity."

Setsuna didn't let her face show how much those words meant to her. She had planned on intervening a few hours ago, when the talking had began, but a small problem with the river had stolen her attention for a few vital seconds. It always fascinated Setsuna how the river could speed up or slow down at varying moments. She wondered, at times, if she actually affected events or if she was just a tool of Fate in that instance. When Rei had called, she had immediately realized the river had chosen then to go faster, and now it was time, as the saying went, to face the music.

Through the entire process, she had inwardly fretted about the reactions of the girls. She knew what she was doing was unethical and could have been worked out a year ago, when her attention had initially been cast to the situation. But she couldn't resist the temptation to try and keep the men away. All the evidence she needed could be cited of what had happened a thousand human years ago, and how they contributed to the downfall of her life. To her, it felt like a scant month ago. And maybe it was.

"Hello," Setsuna simply stated. She was a believer in observation before action

Serena stationed herself protectively by her side, and the other girls formed a semi-circle around her. All of them were brimming with queries.

Kael caught sight of Setsuna. "You," he spat icily, visually identifying the woman. "Yes, this is her."

Kael was clearly angry, as was Jedrek. Neron had his brows raised, waiting. Zevin was expressionless, reserving judgment. Not that Setsuna, or any of the others, owed them anything.

"What's going on?" Lita asked, with no accusations.

Rei didn't waste time asking questions. "Is it them?" she put forth. "Were they, are they, the Generals?"

Setsuna didn't hesitate, even though she was slightly impressed that they had drawn that correct conclusion on such limited knowledge. "Yes."

An eruption of outrage was the expected reaction Setsuna was looking forward too. Instead, they all remained silent. It was a sign of their maturity since it had all began.

"That explains nothing," Lita said flatly when no one else did.

Time for the hard part, Setsuna realized, as they had stared expectantly at her. "I admit," she said finally, "that I might have interfered more than necessary. Yes, it is true that these men are the reincarnated souls of the Terra Generals of the Silver Millennium."

"Pardon?" Zevin exclaimed.

Setsuna ignored him. "I was instructed to get involved when Mr. Winters called for an assassin. However, I freely confess my personal choice to change them into canines, as a lesson of sorts."

"A lesson!" Kael exploded in righteous fury. "We lost a year of our lives! And two people, maybe more, lost their entire lives."

"Let me get this straight," Jed sardonically intoned, "you felt the need to avenge a mistake we made a thousand years ago?"

"A mistake?" Setsuna rose to her full height, shaking with emotion. "You caused the ruin of an entire civilization! The downfall of the greatest era ever known! Because of your weak wills, billions of people died. A mistake is the largest understatement I've ever heard."

All the men, including Darien, seemed ready to disagree quite vocally.

Rei quickly interposed, "Are these the same men we fought a few years ago?" It was a very important question and distinction.

"Fought?" Zevin mouthed to Darien, who lipped back that he would tell him later.

Setsuna shook her head. "No, they aren't. Those were merely creations made in the image of them. These gentlemen," she sneered the words, making them an insult, "are solely the reincarnated Generals from the Silver Millennium."

A collective breath was expelled, and the girls held a quiet exchange of glances. Serena took Setsuna's hand in support but was giving her a disappointed stare. "This is a lot to take in," she sighed. "Why didn't you come to us?" She felt hurt.

"I was trying to protect you," Setsuna said in frustration, willing them to see that what she did was for their own good.

"We are not children," Lita snapped, control on her temper rapidly waning.

"You had no right," Mina agreed.

Serena saw the betrayal on her friends' faces and acted fast. "I think it would be best you left us to talk. We will summon you in a while. But, please, try to think about this situation as objectively as you can. How fair it is to punish, in essence, the son for the sins of his father?"

Setsuna nodded stiffly. "Fine," she emotionlessly toned, stepping forward and twirling in place. She was gone in the blink of an eye.

"I need a drink," Jed tiredly spoke. "This is all so crazy."

"I don't know what to say," Rei spoke, astounded at the audacity Pluto had shown. How unfair it was.

"Not your fault," Jed murmured softly, moving to stand next to the girl and wrap an arm around her.

If anyone found it strange that she didn't protest, they didn't say so.

"Are you all right, honey?" Serena touched a hand Darien's face. His forehead was scrunched up in unmistakable aggravation.

"I should have known," he told her tightly.

"No," his wife spoke, "we are not going to play that game. You know how ridiculous that sounds? We are all different people now, with different circumstances, and entirely different futures. And we have yet to touch the surface of our past memories. So, no, you shouldn't have known."

Darien gave her a half-hearted smile. "When did you get to be so wise?"

"Didn't you know," she airily waved, "I'm the Queen of the Universe."

Darien laughed, for the statement was probably the truest definition of the amazing woman before him.

"Here is what I think we should do," Serena commanded the attention of the room. "A lot has happened today—a bit of an understatement—and there is still a lot to do. You four," she pointed to the men, "have to reestablish your identities and all that jazz. You have family to go back to and business to attend. Think of a plausible explanation for everything that has happened and go take a nap. Trust me, you'll probably need it."

Ami nodded, smiling proudly at the way her Princess had thought the details through. She had come a long way from the teenager Ami had first met. A long, tedious way.

"You can still at our place," Serena added, "if you'd like."

Kael nodded, knowing how much he'd been be in demand once he went back to the office. There was so much to do…

"Neron can stay with me," Lita blurted, making the others blink in surprise. "You don't have that much room," she hurriedly explained, trying to tame the deep blush on her cheeks.

Darien attempted to correct her but Serena poked him hard in the side. "Good idea," she smiled. "But I think it best they stay together. There is a lot to discuss."

"Oh," Lita frowned, hiding her disappointment poorly. "True."

Neron couldn't quite hide the enormous grin on his face. "Rain check?" he winked.

Lita reddened.

Serena pushed Darien towards the door. "Take them," she ordered.

For such a powerful man, and such a small, unimposing woman, Darien was fast to do his her bidding.

"We will talk," Zevin promised Ami on his way out, staring at her with an endearing half-smile.

Mina took the initiative and gave the stiff Kael a hug. "I'm so sorry, about everything."

"Don't be," he said softly. "It led me to you, didn't it?" and he departed, leaving a drooling Mina behind.

Rei, who had heard the romantic nonsense, slapped the blonde cliché on the arm. "That is seriously disgusting. Do those lines work on you, Mina?"

Drool drool drool.

"Figures," she rolled her eyes.

The other guys said something equally heart-wrenching (and vomit inducing), except Jed, who left without a word. Although Rei was happy she didn't have to do him any physical violence, a part of her was slightly irritated. She didn't let herself think too much on why she felt so irritated.

When they had all left and were completely out of sight, Serena turned to them with a knowing smirk.

"Time to talk!" she squealed.

They eagerly, and familiarly, clambered down in a tight-knit circle and began to all talk at the same time.


End Note: I did the best I could to give each character a chance to talk and shine, without confusing everyone else. It is so hard to keep track of that many people! And they were all so vocal in their opinions and side comments, that I was practically forced to digress from the explanations every other second. Luckily, like Ami commented, they truly work well together, and compliment their opposites.

Anyway, there are a couple of reviewers I would like to thank:

Dazja (drm20341?): Your enthusiasm really boosted me to finish this chapter. I hope it lives up to your expectations! Thanks for the wonderful review. It seriously made my day:-)

ooSuperBatGirloo: I also hate when Serena is portrayed as a compliant twit. She is going to be Queen of the World, I sincerely hope she has a backbone. Thanks for sticking with the story.

Shadowglen: Your review made me laugh! I didn't even realize until then how the summary could be construed to mean dogs with humans…ew, bad mental images. Yeah, there are so many really weird HP fanfiction out there. And, I am desperately trying to bring as much humor as possible to the story, but there is so much drama drama drama waiting to befall the guys. Haha.

ZOey89: I'm guilty of what so many other authors are: long periods between updates. An incomplete story is the worst kind; I'll try harder from now on, promise. Thanks for the review!

And, to all the others: THANKS! There are no words to explain how happy an author feels when she/he gets a review. If you have any questions, comments, random words of wisdom, or plot ideas for future stories, don't hesitate to tell me!