Lance was awakened early the next morning by someone walking close by his head. Rubbing sleepy eyes the blonde angel managed to yawn, "Where do you think you're going?"

Pit stopped in his tracks, originally heading for the window. Slowly he turned around, clenching his toes beneath his socks and barely able to look his friend in the eye, "Home, Lance. I have to go back."

"Are you sure?" Lance replied, quickly standing up and stretching his white wings, "Don't you think there's any chance we could get the police? Even a small chance?"

"So fucking what, Lance? They'll just put me in foster care and I'll probably end up somewhere just as bad. Or an orphan home, or whatever! Nothing will work," Pit muttered, sitting down on the carpet, "Nothing at all."

Lance looked over at his clock; it was only five-fourteen in the morning, so nobody else in his house should be awake. "Sorry I mentioned it. I just hoped -"

"I know, I know. I wish there was an easy way out too. But with Emily in command, there just isn't. If I knew where Palutena was, I could run back to her, but she's gone underground because of all of the fighting."

"Will you join the army, then? That'll be a good escape."

"I don't think they're desperate enough to start drafting twelve-year-olds, Lance. It'll be years before I can do that."

Lance sighed and kicked his sleeping bag, "There's got to be a way, Pit. Maybe my family can adopt you. Or you can go stay with the Smashers."

"Tavor will never let me stay with you. If I get the invite to the Smashers, then I think I'll stand a chance."

"But doesn't Tavor need to give you permission first?"

"Probably. But since Master Hand is apparently really rich, maybe…" Pit whispered, a small smile forming on his face; his blue eyes gaining a touch of light, "Maybe he can bribe Tavor to let me go! That way he gets his money and I get my freedom - the treasure won't matter anymore!"

"Yes!" Lance cheered, clapping his hands together in excitement, "That's it! You just have to get in contact and ask him to help you out! I'm sure that will work!"

"I…I don't know if it will…" Pit said, slowly standing up again, "But I have to try."

"Hold on a sec, Pit. I can't let you go home like that." Lance pointed at Pit's socked feet, "You need shoes, and a jacket."

The younger angel shook his head, "I can't. Tavor will wonder where I got them from and I'll get in more trouble. It's not worth it."

"You can just dump them somewhere outside before you get in. And I'm giving you breakfast too."

"Well…" Pit looked outside at the cold morning, and then back at Lance, "Ok."

Less than five minutes later, Pit was ready to leave. Lance had taken an old jacket of his as well as a pair of sneakers; luckily the two were about the same size so Pit was able to fit. His hurt wings were kept tightly tucked underneath the warm jacket, with two slits in the back covered by the fabric so his wings could go in and out of the coat. He had filled his stomach with food, eating slowly as his body wasn't used to being full anymore, and had a small plastic bag with a few snacks for later.

"Are you going to be ok?" Lance asked as Pit began to open the window.

"Ok as I can be given the circumstances," Pit replied.

Lance grabbed Pit's arm just as the younger angel was about to let go, "Be careful, ok?"

"I will." With that, Pit flew down to the sidewalk and began to head back towards his current 'home', only daring to look back once to see Lance still watching him. The older angel's eyes never left his friend's back until Pit had rounded the corner and disappeared.

With a small sigh, Lance lay down on his bed and rubbed his eyes, knowing that he'd never get to sleep well again. Thank the goddess it was Saturday - he'd have time to get used to this weight on his shoulders.

XXXXXXXXX

Pikachu snuggled under his covers, refusing to acknowledge the fact that winter had come to the Kanto region. With the next tournament just on the horizon, Master Hand had cancelled the first one to fix up the Base, interview more new fighters and get everything set up without having the added pressure of new fights going on. That didn't bother the fans as much as the fact that the videogame was coming out before the actual tournament fights were aired. The actual dates were still being contested, but Master Hand said he'd let everyone know as soon as he could.

So everyone had said their goodbyes, knowing that they'd see each other soon, and headed back to their homeworlds. Pikachu and Jigglypuff had arrived back in Kanto late last night - just in time to enjoy the first snowstorm of the winter season. Pikachu lived just outside of Pallet Town, while Jigglypuff made her home by Mt. Moon. While they spoke with other Pokémon, they preferred speaking with each other - having the ability to learn human languages was an incredibly rare gift, and made things a little awkward.

Thinking about all of this while lying in bed with his eyes closed, Pikachu was startled when he heard the phone ring. Immediately Pikachu's hand reached out for the phone by his bed, hitting the white base and sending the device onto the floor.

"Hello?" the caller said, the 'Talk' button pressed when the phone hit the floor.

"Ugh…" Pikachu leaned out of bed, keeping his feet on the mattress while he stretched for the phone, refusing to get up. His muscles ached as he reached as far as he could, his fingertips barely touching the white phone.

"Hello? Pikachu, are you there? Are you ok?"

Finally managing to the brush the phone into his hand, Pikachu lifted the phone to his ear and replied, "Yes?"

"It's about time! What took you so long?" Master Hand spoke from the other end.

"Oh nothing," Pikachu replied, beginning to slide off of the bed, "What's up?"

"How long does it take you to get to Johto?"

"Johto?" Pikachu asked, confused for a moment, "Oh yeah! The closest way for me would be to take the path from Viridian, I guess…no; probably the Magnet Train in Saffron."

"Could you make it over to New Bark Town today?"

"Today?" Pikachu twisted slightly on his bed to check the time; 8:47. "Uh, maybe, if I hitch a ride. Why?"

"I've been getting reports that a Pichu can speak human over there. People have been requesting that she joins the next tournament."

"She? So it's a girl?"

"That's what's been said. Besides, the female population around the Base is quite small…"

"I get it," Pikachu interrupted, digging his toes into the mattress as the tips of his ears touched the carpet, "Where is she?"

"Somewhere in New Bark Town - I'm not sure of the exact location. You'll have to ask."

"'K. I'll go find her."

"When you do find her, challenge her to a battle. See how good she is. If she's not as good as you think she ought to be, take her under your wing for a little bit and she if she gets any better. Don't give up immediately, ok? She's technically…how do you say it? A 'baby Pokémon'."

"Got it," Pikachu replied, his ears starting to bend against the floor, "I'm on it."

"Thank you very much, Pikachu. I'll see you at the next tournament."

"No problem. See ya," Pikachu hung up just as he finally slipped off of the bed and hit his head on the ground, "Ow." Pikachu then rolled into a somersault and sat upright, tossing the phone back onto his bed, "Johto, huh? That's a whole new world for me! I'm pumped for this!"

XXXXXXXXX

Pit scrambled over the wooden fence at the back of the house and landed in a soft snow pile. Shivering once again, Pit pushed his way through the two-foot deep snow to the back glass door. With trembling hands, Pit pushed down on the latch, relieved to find out that it was open. The house was dark, with only a thin light from the bright snow outdoors illuminating the room. Pit's breathing was incredibly loud in the hushed building.

After carefully depositing the borrowed jacket and shoes in an empty box in the pantry, Pit slowly started up the stairs; the floorboards squeaked every few steps. He was trying very hard to be quiet but unfortunately Kara had better ears than a rabbit. Pit was right at the door leading to the stairs to the attic when the master bedroom's door opened, and Kara bustled out.

"Where were you?" the woman snapped, with pink curlers in her hair and wearing a ratty pink robe.

Pit sighed and turned around, carefully avoiding Kara's gaze, "I went to a friend's place. I was cold."

"Did you tell him anything?"

"No."

Kara strode forward, reaching Pit in seven large steps. She grabbed a handful of feathers and yanked down, removing two more from Pit's damaged wings, "Then how did you explain that?"

"I said I was attacked, and with no one at home here I went to him," Pit gasped, the stinging pain of the lost feathers adding to his weariness.

The woman was quiet and let go of Pit's wing. The younger angel tucked his wings back to protect them as Kara raised her arm up and struck Pit's left cheek, then his right, then his left again, all in complete silence. Pit didn't make a sound as she struck him again and again.

Kara was panting as she hit the younger angel, from the exertion and rage. Pit simply stood there with solemn blue eyes, accepting the punishment without a word of protest. She hated those eyes - hated every little thing about him, from his looks right down to the way he just kept quiet while he was beaten.

"I know you want me to cry out," Pit thought as Kara continued, "But I will not give in. I am stronger than you - I know for a fact that I can beat you! Every little bit I resist will help. I will not give up. I will beat all of you. I have help now. I will win!"

After one final strike, Kara let her hands drop to her sides. Still panting, she swiped a drop of sweat running down her forehead and pointed to the stairs, "Go."

Pit left without another word, and Kara stalked back to her room, quietly shutting the door behind her. Nobody disturbed Pit for the rest of the day.

XXXXXXXXX

Pikachu swung his feet from side to side, looking around the Magnet Train. After talking a Pidgeot into flying him to Saffron City, the Pokémon had caught the next train, which would arrive in Goldenrod City in the Johto region.

While on the train, Pikachu questioned why throughout his six years of life he had never bothered to check out other regions. It's not like he couldn't catch a boat and visit one whenever he wanted - he just didn't. Jigglypuff had never been anywhere but in Kanto either, but when Pikachu asked her to accompany him she had declined, saying that she had some business to do near Cerulean instead.

"Goldenrod! Goldenrod! The accent is on the 'o'!" The intercom blared over the noise of people and other Pokémon, and Pikachu rushed to the front of the train to disembark before some nutcase, hyperactive trainer attempted to capture him. Pikachu pouted when he saw the map in the train station, as New Bark Town was a long ways away. It would take some time to get all the way over there.

"Unless another bird who flies at Mach 2 is around…" Pikachu thought, walking absentmindedly around the city and nearly bumping into a trainer.

"Whoops! Sorry!" Pikachu said, backing away from the boy.

"Squirtle!" a Squirtle replied, which Pikachu easily translated as, "No harm done!"

"Hey, you're Pikachu!" The trainer said, kneeling down to Pikachu's height, "You can really talk, can't you?"

"Yep," Pikachu replied, inwardly glowing a little with the idea that his fame had spread this far, "Say, you wouldn't have a Pidgeot, would you? I need to get to New Bark Town today."

"Pidgeot was on our team back in Kanto, but since we got here we've been doing other things," Squirtle cut in before his trainer could reply.

"Never mind," Pikachu said before the trainer could speak up, "I mean, I would pay you and everything, but since you don't…"

"Don't worry!" the trainer said, letting Squirtle jump onto his back, "I've got something just as good." With a smile, he grabbed a Pokéball from his waist and called out, "Come on, Charizard!"

XXXXXXXXX

"It's got to be at least two in the afternoon," Pit said softly to himself as he checked his body, looking for any signs of frostbite. The afternoon sun was shining in, a few mouthfuls were left for Pit's lunch - but nobody had come and woken him up, whether to punish him or make him work or some other reason. Usually he was forced to wake at six or earlier, but he had been allowed to sleep for a long time today.

The trapdoor was locked, so Pit had nothing to do but pace around the attic or lie down on the mattress, bored and confused. Time passed slowly as Pit drifted in and out of consciousness, letting the hours slip by with few cares.

"Shouldn't I be in trouble?" Pit thought as he began to fall asleep again, "What's taking them so long to punish me?"

XXXXXXXXX

Link strolled through the castle gardens on Epona in the early evening, watching as the many servants tied ribbons and hung electric lights on the plant life in the garden. Lots of the technology Link had grown to really appreciate in the Base - such as running water and electricity - had only just arrived in Hyrule. Many places still didn't have it, but the castle did, and they were glad to show off their good fortune in time for the Christmas season.

"Interesting how worlds can be so close together yet but centuries away in technology," Link thought, watching the little lights begin to twinkle. Epona suddenly leaped forward and began to run along the snow-cleared path, and Link only slowed her down as Princess Zelda came into view.

She was dressed in a warm coat and furs, appropriate for the princess of Hyrule. The two armored guards at her side smiled as the Hero of Time came to a stop in front of them before dismounting. "My lady," Link said, half sincere and half jokingly, offering the princess a small bow.

Zelda let out a small laugh, appropriate for a princess, as she gently stroked Epona's nose with a white gloved hand, "Ah Epona, how do you manage with your master?" The horse whinnied as a response.

"We do very well together, thank you very much," Link said.

"I'm sure you do," Zelda replied, patting Epona softly and then looking at Link, motioning for him to follow. Normally Zelda would have to be protected by guards and wizards and whatever fighters happened to be around and available, but when Link appeared they all could disperse (after all, alone he was able to do what the entire army could not!)

"Looking forward to fighting at the Base again?" Zelda asked as the two Hylians and one horse walked through an unoccupied part of the garden. The princess' walk was the same as before, with small steps that made her look as though she was floating over the cobblestone path, but now her shoulders were relaxed and her voice had changed; in Link's presence Zelda didn't feel the need to act completely like a princess anymore.

Link nodded as Epona nuzzled his cheek, "It's good practice in case evil rears its head in Hyrule again. You can only train so much with wooden posts and wild creatures before it all becomes the same."

"But I thought you said the fights were becoming a little boring?" Zelda remarked, with an eyebrow slightly raised in confusion.

"Well, more fighters are coming in this time around, and there will be new items and stages. It'll be lots of fun. I'm anxious for the time to arrive."

"But don't you like the holidays?" Zelda asked, reaching into a pocket in her coat and bringing out a small silver bell on a red silk ribbon, "It's such a joyous time of year."

"Of course," Link replied, watching as the princess attached the bell to Epona's saddle, "And I will be spending Christmas in Hyrule - after all, the tournament doesn't begin for some time."

"Excellent," Zelda said briskly, taking a few steps away from Link, "That gives us plenty of time to practice."

"Practice for what?" Link asked, shaking the silver bell and listening to the soft chime before looking back at Zelda. Without any warning she sent a Din's Fire at him, and the Hero of Time had to duck to avoid being burned. "Hey!"

"Where do you think I was for the past few days?" Zelda laughed; louder than when she was surrounded by other people and had to keep her princess image shining, "I stand a chance of being accepted into the next Smash tournament too. We might as well practice a little against each other, don't you agree?"

"Well, I don't know," Link said, grinning at the princess, "I really don't want to be executed because I attacked her Royal Highness."

"Don't be silly, Link! You know that I won't let that happen." Zelda let the fire disappear from her hands before placing them on her hips and tilting her chin up, "You're just scared that I'll beat you."

"Oh, you're so on now!" Link replied, drawing the Master Sword and pointing it at Zelda, "Let's go!"

XXXXXXXXX

A loud bang startled Pit awake, and he quickly sat up and looked over at the trapdoor. It was incredibly dark now, with the sky covered by thick black clouds. The only light came from the trapdoor, with most of it being blocked by Tavor's thick skull. He motioned for Pit to follow, and slowly the young angel obeyed.

The hallway was lit up, but the rest of the house was dark. Tavor had roughly gripped Pit's right arm, digging his chipped nails into the pale skin and leaving half-moon imprints behind. After a short pause to allow Pit to put his shoes on, the two went outside to the car, and Pit was forced into the backseat. Tavor didn't even wait for Pit to buckle up before starting up the car and driving.

"Where are we going?" Pit asked, watching the blurs of the streetlights go quickly by. The car's clock only said it was ten at night, but Pit's stomach declared that days had gone by since he had last eaten.

"You'll see," Tavor said in a harsh voice, and then fell silent once again.

After twenty minutes, Tavor pulled down a side street with warehouses on either side. Seven minutes more, and Tavor drove into a parking lot with about fifty other cars and did just a sloppy parking job as any of the others. Tavor and Pit walked towards the dimly illuminated employee entrance, crunching snow beneath their feet and shaking off the big flakes of snow covering their shoulders. As they approached the building, Pit could hear loud shouts from within, but before he could pause and think about what was going on Tavor grabbed his arm and pulled him inside.

In the orange-lighted room a crowd of men and a few women were gathered around something in the center, yelling, laughing, drinking and betting. Beer bottles were being handed around and the contents swallowed like no tomorrow, and as the crowd got drunker the wilder they became. Tavor dragged Pit over to the side to a man behind a counter, ignoring Pit who was attempting to see what everyone was looking at. "I'm placing him in," Tavor muttered, shoving the young angel forward. Pit looked up at the man, who was about in his mid-forties, dressed simply in black and with a small pair of glasses.

"He's small," the man said in a high nasal voice, pushing his glasses up his nose.

"He's fast," Tavor corrected, "And he's trained."

"Trained for what?" Pit asked, but he was ignored.

"What would you like?" The man asked.

"The toughest thing you've got," Tavor replied, and he added when the man stared at him with a shock expression, "Yeah, that's it. Put him up against it."

The man simply nodded in understanding and scribbled something down on a notepad, gesturing for Tavor and Pit to enter a gray door behind him. Tavor placed a hand between Pit's wings and pushed hard, causing Pit to eventually stumble forward and go through the door.

XXXXXXXXX

Pikachu watched as a Cyndaquil, Totodile and Chikorita chased each other around Professor Elm's laboratory. The electric Pokémon yawned and scratched behind his ear; it was pretty late and Elm wasn't doing anything to calm the hyperactive Pokémon down.

"I can't wait for Kathleen to pick me up!" Cyndaquil giggled, rolling around the room, "We're gonna win the Johto League, ya know!"

"Well, Katie and I are going to become Pokémon Contest champions!" Chikorita cheered, skittering around the tiled floor in excitement, "I was born to perform!"

"Martin is going for the Johto League too - watch your back Cyndaquil, for we'll make a great team!" Totodile laughed and chased after Cyndaquil.

Pikachu stared at the young Pokémon, never really thinking before about what it would be like to be taken in by a trainer. As a talking Pokémon he was protected by law from capture, so he was free to go and do what he pleased (to an extent, of course). These three were so excited, having met their prospective trainers that day, which meant Elm was so busy helping the new partners out that he had no time to contact the talking Pichu.

"Well, at least I get to spend the night," Pikachu said, yawning and curling up on a window seat, attempting to ignore the loud starters. Two seconds later, however, Totodile pounced on Pikachu's biteable tail.

Five seconds later, Pikachu had to explain to an angry professor why, exactly, a crispy-fried Totodile was on the floor and why it was 'yes, very necessary to lock the other two Johto starters up'.

"Worth it," Pikachu thought as he was scolded, "Totally worth it."

XXXXXXXXX

Pit couldn't believe his eyes as he looked around the room. At least two dozen young angels, aged anywhere from about seven to nineteen, both boys and girls, were chained against the wall. All of them were dirty and wearing clothing in need of repair. The younger ones had tear streaks on their grimy cheeks - the only parts on their bodies that were clean. A few of the kids were crying, confused and hurt, with long red scratches and dark bruises marking their small frames. The teenagers were different - the older the angel, the bigger the change. The preteens still cried a little, although they seemed to be crying more because of the pain rather than their situation, while the older teens were completely silent with dead eyes, waiting for whatever was to come.

The angels were thin and tired, chained by both ankles to the wall by thick metal chains. Pit was so shocked by the whole thing that he had no time to protect himself. He was quickly forced to the ground about a quarter ways through the room and tied up with the rest of young angels before Tavor smirked and walked away. Pit yanked at the chains, quickly finding out that it was useless and then began looking around for something to pick the lock with.

"Don't bother, kid." Pit looked to his left at another angel, who seemed to be about seventeen, "Even if you can break free, there's only one exit. You'll be caught, beaten and brought back here in no time."

Pit studied the other angel, noticing the thinning black hair, which once must have been raven-colored but had now faded to a soft charcoal. His gray eyes were tired and lonely, having given up on anything good in life years ago. Both his red shirt and black sweats were ripped and grimy, and a long red scratch marked his right cheek from the corner of his eye to his chin. Pit could see numerous other bruises and cuts along his arms, as well as his bare feet. The older angel's wings were heavily damaged, with patches of thin skin showing through the rows of dull gray feathers.

"What's going on here?" Pit asked, taking a chance with the only being in the cold room that seemed to acknowledge his presence. Some of the other kids had glanced up when the door opened, but most stayed in their own little worlds, acknowledging nothing.

"Fights, kid," the other angel said, chuckling sadly and pushing with his sore palms to a more upright position. Pit could see the scars that had developed due to years of wearing the cuffs around the boy's ankles.

"Fights? What kind?"

"Many kinds - either adult on adult or kid on kid. You just pound at each other empty-handed until one or the other gives up. That's why we're here," the black-haired angel said, gesturing to the chained children, "We're entertainment."

"What? What? That…it can't be!" Pit shook his head and looked around, his heart beating wildly in his chest, "How can such a thing happen?"

The other angel snorted, "The police are too busy looking for people who move plastic turtles than to give a shit about us."

"Excuse me?"

"That's how I got here. I moved a plastic turtle. Sure, my family's car was broken into, my bike was stolen and my friend was physically assaulted, but none of that overrides moving a plastic turtle that belongs to an elementary school. The police didn't even come out and check most of the time when something happened to me."

"What kind of punishment is this? Being forced to fight? That's crazy!"

"My parents didn't do this to me. The principal of the school did. Basically what happened is that my friend and I thought, as a joke, we'd move the plastic turtle the school crossing guards set up like, two feet. So we did, and although nobody and nothing was hurt everybody freaked out. My friend and I then had to go meet with a police officer and the principal to apologize, but once they saw we weren't sorry the officer held us at gunpoint and led us to the principal's car. Then the bastards sold us here."

"You're kidding me! Didn't anybody bother looking? Wasn't anyone suspicious?"

"I wish, kid. The officer and principal said that we never showed up and denied everything. That was almost three years ago, and here I am still. I've been forced to fight ever since."

"Where's your friend? Didn't you guys try to get away?"

"We did try, kid. And we almost made it. But some little fucker ratted our attempt out and we were caught again. We stood no chance against ten healthy men. After they beat the fuck outta us they took us to one of their houses and talked about what to do." The older angel's voice became choked, yet he still continued, "My friend…his name was Michael…he was hot, you know, and I mean that simply from an onlooker's viewpoint. Lots of girls wanted him, hell, even some guys - lucky them Mike was bi. Not that I cared, but I guess at some point that had gotten out and around, so while we huddled on that stinking carpet side by side, one of the men took out his dick and said, 'Let's have fun with the pretty one, shall we?' You can guess what happened then."

Pit slowly nodded, feeling the bile rising in his throat. He had been here perhaps five minutes, and that was five minutes too damn long. Why would Tavor bring him here in the first place anyways? For the money? That didn't make too much sense…

"Goddess, that was the worst thing I ever saw. They made me watch one of my best friends get fucked before my very eyes. He was screaming when the first guy fucked him; bawling by the third, and then fainted after the last. After they had finished, somebody picked Michael up and took him to a bedroom to rest. I was afraid they'd do me next, but instead they hustled me outside and drove me back to the fighting rings. That was the last I ever saw of him."

"Wow…" Pit whispered, "So…I don't mean to be rude, but is there a particular reason why you told me all of that? I mean…I'm eleven, you know."

The older angel chuckled, not letting one tear fall throughout the whole story, "In this place, nobody's innocent anymore. I just tell people the story because I want to know if Michael is ok."

"I'm sorry," Pit sighed, "I've never seen your friend."

"It's ok," the angel sighed as well, slumping against the wall, "I keep asking. Eventually somebody will know him. We get rotated and move a lot. If Michael's still around, I'll find out." The angel then looked at Pit, "So what about you, kid? What's your story? I'm guessing you haven't been here long, otherwise you'd be on it already. We pass around our stories, just in case if one of us manages to escape they can name the rest of us captives. So far though, that hasn't happened."

"I didn't even know this place existed until tonight," Pit said, "My uncle's fucking crazy, that's all."

"There's one in every family."

"By the way, what's your name?"

"Mine? It's Aaron, although most people call me Ace. Yours?"

"Pit."

"That's an odd name."

Pit rolled his eyes, "I get that a lot. It actually means, 'yellow or gold'; not 'a hole'."

"Alright then, chill kid. So, why are you here?"

"Honestly, I don't know. It's just that…it makes no sense."

"Lots of people's stories don't make much sense. Who'd ever guess that turtle-moving was the worst possible crime, for example?"

Pit let out a small laugh, "Point taken. You see…" Pit told Aaron his story; at the start nobody else was interested, but once Pit mentioned who his parents were ears perked in his direction. A flurry of questions came immediately afterwards.

"What were they like?" one boy asked.

"Does your treasure have lots of jewels and gold?" an eight-year-old female asked next.

"Why would Tavor take you here if he wants your money?" a teen girl put in.

Pit held up his hands, "Honestly, I can't answer a lot. My parents were just…my parents, you know. I didn't know too much about them as captains. And as for the treasure…" Pit shrugged, "I have no idea. No idea in hell."

XXXXXXXXX

Emily only had her bedside lamp on as she dug through the pile of papers on her desk, carefully searching every one to make sure she didn't miss her prize.

Finally locating the rumpled piece of paper, Emily sat on the edge of her bed and read the few translated lines again,

For when the light and sky come together

Come forth from the heavens divine

Will be a child; hope lies inside

Treasure and power will always be with him

For when sixteen years have fled

Then it shall arrive

And all the bells will

"All the bells will what?" Emily thought, tossing the paper onto the ground in disgust. The translator had said that it was a rough translation and not entirely finished, and when translated there could be key information missing from the poem. Nevertheless, he had done all the he could currently do and gave the translation to Emily, who struggled in vain to understand the cryptic lines. There were parts other than this one; many mentioned an unseen dark force that could - and would - destroy much of the world, but that wasn't what interested Emily. What got her attention were the parts about the hero in the tale becoming fabulously rich - correction; always being fabulously rich.

And she had, what she thought, to be undeniable proof that the hero in the poem was Sora's child, Pit.

It seemed almost too coincidental that Sora, after months of trying, would finally become pregnant on the night of a lightning storm, as mentioned in the tale. Pit was born on the first of January, also written down in the poem. He had developed perfectly and easily learned things, just like the little hero in the tale as well. Many events that happened in the story happened to Pit as well - breaking an arm and not shedding a tear, easily being able to fly, the war, his parents both being captains and then killed…

"There's no doubt. It's him."

But where was the wealth? One section in particular Emily practically drooled over was the one about a cavern filled with riches beyond one's wildest imagination; gold and silver and precious gems of all sorts, a king's ransom a million times over. The one problem was that it was all Pit's. Only he could get to the riches.

Emily growled at the thought, wishing she could trick the little angel into shutting himself into the cavern, and that no genie would be there to set him free. With her translator hastily scribbling down phrases with her stalking in the background, it was possible that he made a mistake. But Emily wasn't going to think about that; after all, the poem mentioned that the child would always know of his destiny - and his treasure.

"So why doesn't the little fuck hand it over?" Emily snarled, gnashing her teeth and stomping around the room. She kicked the paper over to the wall before getting into bed and roughly pulling the chain on the lamp to turn it off.

A few minutes later, once Emily's breathing became soft with sleep, Star quietly moved to the window, having sat on the roof of Emily's house and listened to the centurion's mutterings. Carefully opening the lock, Star slipped inside Emily's bedroom and made her way across the floor.

Emily muttered in her sleep, but did not awaken as Star slowly opened the bedside drawer and removed a small object. After carefully depositing it into her cloak, Star left the room and shut the window behind her, leaving no traces of her presence.

XXXXXXXXX

Only a half-hour had passed since Pit had been brought into the chained room, and two muscled and tattooed man came to fetch him. His feet were unchained but a strong grip was kept on his shoulders, preventing him from running.

Pit was hustled back into the main building of the warehouse, and shoved through the crowd into the center. There a small pit had been constructed of hastily set up five-foot high metal fences, and Pit shuddered to see many were stained with blood. A chain link roof in the shape of a dome gave the prison an extra five feet of height. A small gate on one side was opened and Pit was pushed in. The gate was shut and locked, and Pit was trapped inside.

Tavor stalked over to the shaking young angel and hissed, "Your prize tonight is you might be able to live."

"What?" Pit managed to squeak out before Tavor turned back into the crowd, "Wait!"

Some words were shouted by an announcer, but Pit didn't hear a thing. Instead on the other side a wooden box was carried in by a man. The box was jumping and hissing, and whatever was inside was not in the least bit happy.

"What do I do?" Pit asked out loud, watching the box shudder and rattle. The man quickly dropped it and ran out of the cage, making sure to lock the door behind him. Catcalls and bets began coming in, for both Pit and the creature in the box.

"Kill it!" one man called out.

"Before it kills you!" a woman added.

"What's in there?" Pit gasped, noticing the wood on the box beginning to break.

"A Reapette," a cloaked woman said, coming to stand behind Pit.

X

Star could feel the stone she had taken from Emily begin to shudder. Pit was panicking, she knew - and the stone could sense it. It was small and clear, with a tiny bow and arrow in the center done in blue and gold. It was only a few inches wide, so it was quite easy to hide.

"Stay calm, little one," Star thought as she watched Pit back away from the hissing and spitting caged Reapette, "You can do this. You are meant to."

X

The wooden crate shattered, and the Reapette rose up to float about a foot off the concrete floor. It looked like a Grim Reaper, but a dark blue instead of black and smaller; about the size of a five-year-old child. The creature looked around the room and hissed at the crowd, holding up its short scythe.

"I - I - h-have t-t-to f-f-f-i-ight t-that?" Pit stuttered, completely terrified. He had been trained a long time ago to fight a few demons, but here he was completely unarmed and weak right at the start. He didn't stand a chance against that thing.

"You can beat it, Pit. Just relax." The woman behind Pit had spoken again.

"Relax? How the fuck can I relax when I have to take on that thing?" Pit pointed at the Reapette, which was currently trying to jam its scythe through the bars to attack the crowd gathered around.

"Patience, little one. You'll understand in a moment."

Pit didn't get a chance to ask, as the Reapette had given up in frustration, but now noticed a small and vulnerable angel trapped inside with it. With a hiss, it lifted its scythe up and lunged at Pit.

The young angel jumped to the side, barely avoiding having the scythe slam straight into his heart. Pit ran to the other side of the small arena as the Reapette struggled to free the scythe from between the bars. Once it managed to do so, the Reapette turned around and came at Pit again, who squirmed out of the way. The scene repeated itself about four times, and the crowd was getting rowdy. This was boring! With nearly the entire crowd completely wasted, they were too drunk to realize a real child and real demon were in the same cage - they thought it was all faked leaving Pit at the mercy of the monster.

"Goddess, help me!" Pit thought as he dodged for a fifth time, his heart beating wildly in his chest, "If there's anyone there that can help me, please! Anyone at all! Give me a sign - or better yet, give me a weapon!"

X

The stone began to glow brightly and heat up - although not too hot as to make touching it uncomfortable. The stone then began to vibrate, and Star could feel the power coursing through the small rock.

"Good idea, little one. I believe your wish will be granted."

X

A bright light appeared in front of Pit, stunning everyone in the area. The Reapette hissed and backed away, while the drunks covered their eyes as the light was too much to take. Pit shielded his eyes a little but still watched, while the mysterious woman behind him didn't even much as flinch.

Two golden rings suddenly appeared on his left arm, just below his elbow. Pit was only able to glance at them for a second before the light caught his attention once again; it began to take shape, morphing and twisting into a beautiful weapon. It seemed to be two swords fitted together, but Pit knew without a doubt that it was a bow. The bow was perfect for his size, with sharpened golden edges and a blue and gold pattern in the center.

The bow slowly floated towards Pit, and he reached out to grab it. The polished wood in the center fitted smoothly into his scarred right palm, as if the bow was made just for him. Pit couldn't help but stare at the magnificent bow, a shining weapon full of amazing power.

"Wow…" Pit whispered, having forgotten about the Reapette and the crowd around him, "Just…wow…" He had never seen a better weapon than this bow. It was absolutely incredible…and he was holding it!

"Pit! Watch yourself!"

"Huh?" Pit snapped out of his wonder and noticed that the Reapette was heading for him again. As if he had done so all his life, Pit stepped back with his left foot so his feet were almost parallel and raised the bow up so the top of the wooden handle was in line with his eye. With his left hand he reached forward to draw back the seemingly non-existent string - but the golden rings moved from his arm to the bow, allowing him to pull back a thin magical thread. The rings shone for a moment and an arrow made of blue light appeared which Pit held back and carefully aimed. The rings kept the arrow perfectly straight, allowing Pit to get a good shot.

All of this had taken less than a second, while the Reapette moved towards him. Pit no longer felt tired or hungry while he stared down the Reapette - the bow held so much power and was lending its power to him. Light and goodness flowed through his veins, as well as justice - the urge to wipe out all of the darkness in the world. The passion in his heart was so strong there was no possible way he could lose. Pit felt no fear. He would continue to fight until he won.

The Reapette was almost upon him before Pit decided to let loose the arrow. The brilliant bolt of light shot through the small ghostly demon and disintegrated into its body. The Reapette stopped in mid-charge and let out a shrieking wail of pain, and not anger. It tried desperately to regain focus, but the power of light was just too strong. It staggered above the ground, dipping down and muttering demonic words under its breath.

Pit decided to finish it all off, and armed another arrow. This one again shone brilliant blue, its light stunning the crowd with the magic going on before their eyes. Pit felt quite content knowing that the Reapette was going to die and everything was going to be alright now. He carefully aimed the arrow and let it fly.

It was another perfect shot, landing exactly where the first one had. The Reapette gasped, arching its back with the pain. The light was now too strong for it to take, and it let out another small cry before disappearing in a small puff of smoke, once again banished to the Underworld.

The crowd suddenly became quiet, now speaking in hushed tones, whispering and taking small glances at the young angel. Pit held the bow out in front of him, still amazed by its appearance, but let out a startled cry when it began to glow again, just as when it had appeared. "Wait…" Pit gasped as the bow began to disappear, "Why was this given to me?" Pit didn't receive an answer, and the bow vanished in a ball of light.

With the power of light and his adrenaline gone, Pit felt exhausted. He sank to his knees, gasping for air. His wings shivered with forgotten fear as he now acknowledged what he had faced. "Why…why did this happen?" Pit whispered to himself. He looked behind him, but the cloaked woman had vanished.

A rough hand grabbed his shoulder and Pit was yanked to his feet by the same two men who had brought him here. Tavor was staring at Pit as they lead him back to the other young angels, muttering under his breath about how it couldn't possibly be true.

XXXXXXXXX

Fox simply couldn't sleep. He wasn't quite sure why - after a long day of chasing the remains of Venom's army and shooting ship after ship down, he had been going for sixteen hours straight. He was exhausted, but not sleepy. After a wasted hour of tossing and turning Fox finally got up and headed to the bridge of the Great Fox.

He stayed there for a few minutes, quietly watching the many stars and planets of the Lylat system twinkle in the darkness of space. Often weeks would go by before Fox would go home and visit from the Base, other than when there was a crisis - one, for his teammates, and two, because he missed the solemn, peaceful view of space, and flying through it.

"Couldn't sleep, huh Foxy?" Fox turned around, and a small smile formed on his face when he saw the familiar grumpy falcon that he called one of his best friends.

"Yeah…same with you?" Fox asked as Falco walked towards him. The falcon nodded, coming to stand beside Fox at the bridge.

"I'm just thinking about the next tournament, I guess," Fox said after a minute of silence, "As much as I love piloting, I love the fights and other Smashers too. Gives me something to do in dead periods like the one. You guys don't need me to take on these army remains. They're too easy to defeat."

Falco snorted, "There are just thousands of 'em left, that's all. Might as well be swatting flies - it's worth just as much time as this."

"Except that these ships can rally together and attack other places, while flies just buzz around your head."

"Flies can spread diseases too."

"Not as fast as mosquitoes."

Falco sighed, "You know what I mean, Fox. It's getting old."

"I know, I know. But there's nothing else going on."

"Except the next tournament…which is when?"

"Not sure. It hasn't been decided yet. I'll know for certain when my papers arrive."

"Do you…" Falco looked back at the vast, sprawling space around them, each twinkling star sending its light from millions of light-years away, the planets either teeming with life or intent on destroying everything. "Do you think I stand a chance of getting in?"

"I would think so," Fox quickly answered, not wanting Falco to dwell too much on the thought, "I mean, you're really good and you did a good job at the tryout."

"Still, we share pretty similar fighting styles. Don't you think that will matter?"

"Dunno. We're not entirely the same, though. I move faster than you and your blaster stuns while I do rapid fire instead. I think Master Hand is more focused on getting more fighters than caring whether or not they're too similar. You should be ok."

"So when will we find out if I get in or not?"

"Late December or early January would be my guess. We won't know the whole cast until we get to the Base, though."

Falco let out a yawn and stretched, letting his arms slowly fall back to his sides, "Lucky you. You're guaranteed a spot in the next tournament. You don't have to bear this wait."

"Yes I do! After all, you keep complaining about it!" Fox jumped back to avoid being hit by Falco.

"If you're going to act this way, maybe I should just stay here," Falco growled as Fox twisted out of his reach.

"I'm not gonna let myself be beat up just so you feel better," Fox replied, blocking one of Falco's punches. Falco used his other free hand to reach around and pinch Fox's arm. "Ouch!"

"I wasn't going to strike you, ya know," Falco said, stepping back before Fox could counter.

"That still hurt!" Fox said, mockingly rubbing the tender spot.

"You will never last in a fight if you complain about a small pinch."

Fox rolled his eyes and grinned, crossing his arms, "I do very well for myself in Smash Brothers, thank you very much. And I know you can too."

"Aw, thanks Foxy," Falco said with a healthy dose of sarcasm, looking back at the dark matter around them, "Say, do you have any other idea of the new fighters?"

"Sort of," Fox said, a little surprised at the sudden change of topic, "Villains are allowed to join this time around, as long both them and the hero promise not to attack or scheme against each other at the Base. I know Bowser and Princess Peach of the Mushroom Kingdom are going to be in, and I'm sure Zelda from Hyrule will be too. Another Pokémon probably will join, and Master Hand wants some of the lesser known fighters from around the entire universe to come in as well. Then there's you, and Pit, and Marth and Roy…"

"Whoa! Who are the last three?" Falco asked.

"Huh? Oh, Pit's an angel from Sky World, and the other two are swordsmen from…some place they didn't know the answer in English and I will fail to pronounce in Japanese."

"An angel? So Pit's dead?"

"He's not dead! His species is just called angels because of their wings and they live in the clouds. Like I am a fox and you are an 'ahiru'. He's a great kid, really. He's not much older than Ness, so I don't see why he can't join."

"Well that's good…hey, wait a second - what did you call me?" Falco asked glaring at Fox as the canine quickly left the room before the falcon got the bright idea to try out a translator.

XXXXXXXXX

Quietly the two muscled men sat Pit back down in his original spot, chaining his feet together again. Pit tried again and again to summon the magical bow, but he just couldn't do it. The power was beyond his reach now.

Pit slumped against the cold wall, tears threatening to fall from his eyes. He had felt so…so free when he held that bow in his hands. All it had taken was two beautiful shots to destroy that monster…the whole weapon was a masterpiece, and Pit had lost it.

"You aren't hurt at all!" one kid said, staring at Pit with wide eyes.

"I thought you were going to fight a Reapette!" another added.

"I did," Pit said simply, "And I won."

Everyone was shocked, looking at one another with stares of disbelief. "They were saving that thing for a rare occasion," a teen boy said, "How did you manage to beat it empty-handed?"

"I didn't. I had a bow. Two shots and it was dead," Pit replied, clenching his fingers together, wishing he could feel the polished wood between them again.

"They gave you a bow?"

"No, it just…appeared. It's complicated," Pit sighed, "And I don't want to talk about it." Somehow the bow was just too important to him…it was a vital part of his heart and soul that he wanted to keep safe, even though it currently wasn't with him.

Aaron sitting beside Pit shook his head, "Man kid, I never guessed that could ever happen. Looks like you've got quite a bit of luck on your side. Maybe you'll get out of here."

"Maybe you will too," Pit replied, trying to be a bit cheerful.

Aaron shook his head as the door opened, and three people entered. The two men who had fetched Pit went to collect two other children and lead them outside while a woman in her late forties moved to stand in front of Aaron. She was holding a key in her right hand. She placed her left hand on her hip and smiled down on Aaron, "Feel like getting warm in my bed, Ace?"

Pit glanced over at Aaron as the older angel shrugged in response. "Whatever you'd like, mistress," he solemnly replied, tucking in his wings as she said she'd be back in a minute once the car was warmed up.

"That's who I was sold to," Aaron said calmly, "My third owner, actually. The first two were guys and they hit me a lot. She hits me too, but not as often…instead I get to double as a sex toy for her."

Pit sighed deeply and clutched his hands to his head, trying to call back the feeling he had when he held the bow. "Why does it have to be this way, Aaron? Somebody has to do something!"

"We move around too much for anyone to find out, and the few police officers who know are paid to look away. Forget it, kid," Aaron said as Tavor entered to collect Pit, "No police force or army could stop this kind of slavery. What we need is a real hero."

XXXXXXXXX

It was nearly two in the morning when Tavor and Pit made it back to the house. Kara and Boris were fast asleep and didn't awaken as they came inside. After stamping the snow off his shoes, Tavor kicked them off and dumped his jacket on the floor, leaving it all in a pile for Pit to clean up.

Pit sighed and quickly set everything straight, hungry and wanting to go to bed. Tavor simply went to the kitchen and said nothing to Pit, so the young angel hurried upstairs to get some precious rest before morning.

X

Tavor sat silently in the kitchen, drinking a cup of instant coffee. The bow had come to Pit. It had to be true. It had to be.

After a few minutes, Tavor rose from his seat to call Emily. After two minutes, the centurion answered.

"What the fuck? It's two in the morning!" she screeched, her voice off due to being half-asleep.

"It's true, Emily," Tavor said simply, still in awe by what he had seen, "The bow appeared. I saw it with my very own eyes."

Emily snapped awake then, her voice slightly stuttering as she rushed with excitement, "Did you get it? Did you get the Sacred Bow?"

"It disappeared after Pit fired two shots. I didn't get a chance. But it was there - I saw it!"

The centurion growled in frustration, her fingers digging into table the phone was set on, "He has to be in true danger for it to appear. That Reapette made him panic, so it came to his aid - do you know how difficult it will be for that to happen again? Reapettes are next to impossible to capture!"

"It doesn't matter whether or not we get it tonight! I saw it - it's true; he's the one mentioned in that translated crap you have. If it came to him once, it'll come to him again - all we have to do is be patient."

Emily grumbled, "Alright then. Keep him in your sights and keep making him afraid. It will come again. I know it will."

"Of course," Tavor replied, "I will watch him. We will get that bow sooner or later."

"Sooner rather than later," Emily finished.

XXXXXXXXX

It was Sunday morning in Sun City, and true to its name the sun was shining brightly down on the glittery snow, making the whole city look like a winter wonderland. Children were already playing outside with their parents sitting inside, watching their children run and shout but happy to stay indoors with the warmth. A few stronger souls went out to ski or snowboard or skate, planning to spend the day outdoors and only coming in at the end, panting and breathless, stomping snow from their shoes and asking for hot cocoa.

The Greystones did not like winter. It was cold and made travel difficult, so Tavor, Kara and Boris was perfectly content to stay inside and watch television, making Pit do all the work again.

The television was very loud, and from across the house it blared in Pit's ears as he dried all of the dishes in the sink and put them away. Some game announcer was yelling and screaming about some question or whatever (honestly, it was so loud it was impossible to figure out one word of what the guy was saying) and there were bells and sirens and whistles. For once Pit was glad to be able to work, as long as he was far away from that horrid noise.

"Pit!" Pit winced as Kara's scratchy voice overpowered the loud noise from the game show, "What time is it?"

"Eleven!" Pit yelled back, trying to avoid entering that loud room.

Kara screeched again, "We're going to be late! Let's go!" Kara ran up the stairs as Tavor appeared in the kitchen to speak to Pit, "Finish up the laundry, clean all of the bedrooms and make sure dinner is ready before we get back. Have you shoveled the walk?"

"Yes I have, and I will. Go," Pit replied, placing the last dish away and shutting the cupboard doors. All morning he was thinking about the fighting arena, and all Tavor had said when he asked about it was that they weren't going back to it and to shut the hell up. Left confused and with no leads on the strange place, Pit kept thinking about it as Kara and Tavor left to some movie they wanted to see. Boris stayed behind and changed the channels; to Pit's relief he lowered the volume as well.

"Pit, make me popcorn and bring me a Coke, will ya?" Boris called out.

"Yes, your majesty," Pit grumbled under his breath, digging through the fridge for a soda. The sight of the food made Pit's mouth water, but if he took even a little bit Kara would know; she'd tell Tavor and then Tavor's fists would tell Pit. It was better to wait until he was offered food…or he had to be really sneaky about it.

"The first letters have been sent out, and more are to come!" an announcer said as Pit entered the room a few minutes later carrying the bag of popcorn and the can of soda. Pit handed the snacks over as the report continued, "Yes folks, you heard it right from us! Due to popularity, the next Smash Brothers tournament has been moved to the end of January, with the first fights being shown at the beginning of March. The letters asking each Smasher to send in their confirmation of attending are currently being received by the lucky fighters who've been invited to participate. And as each new Smasher replies with a 'yes', we'll be right here to tell you the news!" Pit stopped to watch as the camera zoomed back from the angel reporter dressed in an orange snow parka and panned over to two small humans, one wearing a blue parka and another wearing a pink parka, surrounded by at least eight other reporters of different races. "The Ice Climbers here have just been accepted into Super Smash Brothers Melee! Can you please give us your comments on this life-changing experience?"

"Well," the one in the pink parka started, "Popo and I are very excited for this. We'll be the first team to ever fight together consistently, but that means we'll have a major disadvantage when we're apart to make it fair."

"Nana's right," Popo continued, "We're going to try our hardest to do well in the tournament, and have lots of fun. We also hope to gain a couple more fans while there. We're not well known outside of our homeland!"

"And how will you guys be played in the videogame?"

"A player will be using both of us, but depending on your color pallet you'll only be able to control me or Popo. The other Ice Climber will be controlled by the game, but it'll often do what you tell it to," Nana said.

"Basically the computer takes over whenever the two of us get separated," Popo added.

"Very nice!" The reporter turned back to the camera, "From icy mountains back to the clouds; I hope everyone in Sky World will support the Ice Climbers in the next tournament! Good luck to Popo and Nana!"

"They're already being sent out?" Pit whispered as the show cut to commercials, "Will I end up getting one after all?"

"Pit! Get back to work! I don't want you here!" Boris snapped, wiping his runny nose with the back of his hand.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm leaving," Pit growled, heading towards the basement.

A few minutes passed. Boris grabbed another handful of popcorn and stuffed it into his mouth as the doorbell chimed. "Pit!" Boris yelled, "Door!" Pit didn't respond. Boris swallowed as the doorbell rang again, "Pit! Answer that!"

But Pit was down in the basement, and with both the washer and dryer running he couldn't hear a thing. Boris grumbled and stood up, muttering as he answered the door. "What?" Boris snapped as soon as he slammed the door open.

The postman jumped at the rude tone, but resisted the urge to say something rude back. "Pardon me, but is Pit here?"

"Why does it matter?" Boris grumbled.

"I have a very important letter for him," the postman said, holding out a thick letter with a shiny symbol stamped on it. "It's essential that he gets this immediately."

Boris knew that symbol. He was quiet while he thought of his cousin, the pretty angel that everyone loved. He was too trusting, though. Pit actually believed that Tavor used to hit him - Tavor had never slapped Boris in his life, but it was a good lie to get the younger angel's sympathy. But that letter contained the hopes and dreams of so many kids in the universe…and Pit, of all people, with fate having already decided to give him glory, honor and light, was going to get this too.

Not if Boris had anything to do about it.

"He lives here, but he's not home right now," Boris quickly answered.

The postman smiled, "Ah, then I shall return later today."

"No!" Boris called out as the postman was about to leave, "He's gone to a boarding school and won't be home for months!"

"Really?" the postman said eyes wide with confusion, "That's not what I was told!"

"Dad didn't really mention it to anyone, but the place won't take packages from outside sources - only from the family."

"Oh dear! But Pit must get this letter! It's very crucial he reads it as soon as possible!"

"No worries!" Boris said, smiling, "I'll mail it for you. He'll get in a couple of days, no problem. That wouldn't be too late, would it?"

"Well, no…"

"Good! So…" Boris reached a hand out, "It's cold standing in the doorway."

The postman looked at Boris, and then down at the letter, "Well…I suppose…"

"Look, he's my cousin, ok? I'll make sure he gets it!"

"Alright then," the postman decided, handing the thick letter over to Boris, "Send it as soon as you can!"

"I will," Boris replied, smiling sweetly and waving as the postman left. He then slammed the door shut and dashed upstairs. The letter was very heavy and made of an expensive paper, with the special symbol stamped on shining brightly in the morning sun.

Pit was now vacuuming the master bedroom and didn't see Boris chuckle as he lifted his mattress and placed the letter underneath. "Let's see how much it'll take before you give in, Pit! How will you feel when you miss this?"

Boris then let the mattress drop, leaving the letter unopened, unlikely to ever be seen by its true owner. The shining rainbow Smash Brothers symbol, the symbol of strength, freedom and friendship was going to be kept in complete darkness from the one fighter who needed it the most.

That turtle story is true, actually. My car was broken into, a bike was stolen from my place, I was threatened with a knife, my friend's house was broken into and she was physically assaulted before, but what do the police care about? Us attempting to move a plastic turtle two feet. No joke (except neither of us got sold into slavery). Damn turtle movers are the cause of everything wrong with society - capital punishment should be introduced everywhere just to destroy them!

Believe it or not, I had finished this weeks ago. "Why didn't you post then?" you ask? Because the stupid computer went ahead and deleted my files before I had a chance to post or back them up. FFFFFFF-!

Since then I haven't been able to get myself to type out everything all over again, but finally I told myself to suck it up, sat down and wrote. Well, it's done! Again! Yippee!