Naruto woke up warm but alone. A ragged green blanket was curled around his body, and he blinked at it confusedly. Before he could question it, shuffling leaves caught his attention, and he sat up alertly. Sasuke was stumbling toward him with the saddle bag from the horse in-hand.

"Good, you're up."

Naruto nodded as he stood, raising the blanket accusingly. "Where did this come from?"

"It was attached to the saddle. Neither of us thought to look for it," Sasuke said as he carefully planted himself on the ground by the stream. He opened the saddle bag to reveal bright red berries that he began to wash in the stream. He held one up to Naruto. "Berry?"

"Are they even safe to eat?"

Sasuke looked almost offended. "I've had some survival training. Iruka insisted they were important; I guess I kind of understand now."

The blonde took the offered food and popped it into his mouth. His face felt hot as the sudden thought that Sasuke had tucked him in with a blanket came to him. Lucky for him, the sudden explosion of juices when he bit down distracted him from this image and made his stomach growl for more. He sat opposite Sasuke and began to pick up a rhythm. Grab, wash, eat, repeat. Sasuke fell into rhythm with him so that they were in-sync with their movements. Their hands bumped and brushed in the saddle bag, and Naruto thought it seemed awfully cliché. After Naruto snatched the last berry, smiling mischievously at a scowling Sasuke, he asked, "So what else was on that horse?"

"A knife, some rope, and that blanket."

"No change of clothes? Food?" Sasuke shook his head. "Damn."

Sasuke looked around. "So since our plan is to run and hope for the best, which direction are we headed?"

"Wherever the wind takes us," Naruto replied, "as long as it's not back the way we came."

The Uchiha held up a leaf. "Basically, you want me to let go of this leaf and head in that direction?" Naruto shrugged at Sasuke's critical eyebrow. Sasuke sighed and waited a few minutes until a soft morning breeze swept through; he let go of the leaf. It drifted a few paces slowly towards the stream and plopped down in it, riding it lazily along. "Does that mean we head across the stream and head that way or follow the stream, oh wise sensei?"

Naruto rolled his eyes at the sarcasm. "We follow the stream," he decisively said. "Besides, settlements are based upon a source of water."

"I'll go ready the horse then," Sasuke struggled to his feet - Naruto probably couldn't have removed the worried look from his face if he'd tried - and approached the horse gazing at them curiously. Naruto followed suit and started to fold the discarded blanket.

"It'd be nice if we had a canteen to store water in for when we're thirsty," the blonde said absentmindedly as he brushed some stray leaves off.

"If we're following the stream, we won't need one."

Naruto felt ridiculous. "Good point."

"Come on then," Sasuke urged.

Naruto approached where Sasuke was leaning at the head of the horse. The food and rest had strengthened him, but he was still injured. Naruto squeezed the rolled blanket into the saddle bag. A sheath was hung beside it, obviously the home of the knife mentioned earlier. He pulled it halfway out, inspecting the designs and crests carved into it.

"It's a beautiful knife," Sasuke commented. "It looks to be a family Harlem. I feel partially bad for taking it from him."

Naruto sheathed it again. "Serves him right for being at a bar."

"As if you've never been," Sasuke scoffed, but Naruto stared at him. Sasuke raised an eyebrow questioningly, disbelievingly. "Seriously?"

"Orphaned at twelve, living poorly on the streets, captured and sold into slavery. Sorry, haven't really had the time."

"So you've never even had a sip?"

"Nope."

"When we get back, that's changing. Now, help me on this damn horse!"

Naruto smiled. At least he was asking for help instead of just putting himself in danger. "Kareshi is not damned. She is a fine horse," he defended as he steadied Sasuke and helped him swing his leg over.

"But I miss Kage," the raven grumbled as Naruto swung up. Naruto ignored him as he clicked and urged Kareshi forward at a light trot. With no immediate danger chasing after them, there was no need to gallop at tiresome speeds; instead, they could pace themselves and enjoy the scenery. They stopped every so often so that Kareshi could munch on scattered plants. Naruto would carefully help lower Sasuke to the ground so they could both drink. They ate food when they could find it and used the bathroom finely concealed by bushes and trees. They were both relieved to have some privacy again. By the time night started to fall, the landscape had hardly changed, a fact that left Sasuke grumpier than usual. "We haven't made it anywhere!"

"It's the forest," Naruto said, sounding exasperated. "It's vast. Besides, it's only been one day."

Sasuke grumbled angrily while he tied Kareshi to a tree close enough to the stream so she could drink if she got thirsty but said no more. Naruto grabbed the blanket and scouted for a place with no pebbles that would make things uncomfortable for sleeping. Sasuke followed. "Here's good," Naruto announced and helped a still grumbling Sasuke lay down without breaking anything. Then, Naruto laid down, putting a good twelve inches between them. "The blanket's big enough for us to have our own space," he felt the need to explain. Sasuke simply nodded and curled up with his portion of the blanket.

Damn it. Sasuke knew this would happen. He'd said it would, hadn't he? Or at least thought it. He knew that the blanket would put distance between them. He knew that he'd miss it and, fuck, he did. He missed the body heat, missed Naruto curled into his chest, missed Naruto's hair tickling his nose. He found himself hating that blanket, and he hated that he hated it. He hated that he missed his slave's closeness.

There had been too much hate of hating in his life as of late.

Though it took an awful while, he eventually fell asleep; his arms felt empty folded across his chest.

When Naruto woke up, he was warm. It was an unnatural warmth but definitely not unpleasant. He'd fallen asleep chilled even with the blanket. He snuggled closer in the direction of the heat. A grunt froze him. It was only then that he noticed the pale arms wrapped around his waist. He could feel a nose poking his neck and breath slightly moisturizing his skin. A foot not his own rested between his ankles.

"Uh, Sas-"

"Shut up," Sasuke grumbled against his skin but made no point of moving.

Naruto lay there, face bright red and ears on fire. This was his master. Master. He was being cuddled with by his master. The one who owned him, the one who forced him to do his work, the one who had the power to kill him and for no one to care. This was wrong. This was so very wrong. He shouldn't be enjoying this as much as he was. He shouldn't - he needed -

"Sasuke."

"What?" Sasuke growled. Actually growled. The vibration of it against his neck sent all kinds of shivers down his spine and throughout his body, and he stumbled over his next words.

"We-uh, we s-should get going," he somehow managed out.

For a few moments, Sasuke didn't move. Naruto continued to lie there, feeling his blush creep down his neck. Finally, Sasuke rolled over, and Naruto was able to breathe without a hitch in his breath. Sasuke sat up and stretched, wincing slightly. "I'll go see if I can find us some food." And he was gone. Naruto took a few moments to regain some much needed composure. Shit. This was going to be a problem.

Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, Sasuke's mind was chanting. He'd wanted the heat, so he'd taken it, and now Naruto knew - thought. Naruto doesn't know anything because there is nothing to be known. Naruto had seemed uncomfortable. That hurt Sasuke's chest more than his injuries. He shouldn't . . . fuck.

They munched quietly on the found roots, the stilled silence hanging over them overbearingly uncomfortable. They mounted Kareshi and headed off.

Naruto guided the horse through the trees, glancing back at Sasuke's slouching form behind him every so often. It shouldn't be this weird, right? They had cuddled the night before. But that was for warmth, his mind told him. This was simply for the hell of it. Because you wan-

And he was officially muting his brain.

When the sun was reaching its highest peak in the sky, they stopped to collect some blue berries. "You know," Sasuke broke the impending silence, "you should clean that before it gets infected." He gestured toward the cut across Naruto's arm. "I'm surprised it hasn't already."

Naruto looked at the slice from the dog terror and traced a finger around it. It was crusted where the blood had dried. He popped his most recent berry into his mouth and headed back toward the stream. The first trace of the icy water on his injury was like a sobering slap in the face, and he hissed at the pain. He kept cupping the water with one hand and rinsing until it was numb from the cold mountain water. He tore a dangling piece of cloth from his tattered garments and wet it. He began to scrub away some of the dirt and grime from around his cut. Though the ice water had numbed him, he still hissed from the occasional rub. Suddenly, Sasuke was plopped beside him and reaching for Naruto's arms. The grip he had around his injured arm was surprisingly gentle. He carefully pried the wet, bloody rag away from the Uzumaki and picked up his work. Sasuke was precise with his work, yet surprising slow and gentle, and Naruto was left to watch, dumbfounded. When the cut was clean, Sasuke rung out the rag and placed it in Naruto's limp hand. He started to stand, and for some reason, that hurt, so Naruto rushed out, "They look better." That caught the raven's attention. He stopped moving and looked at him, confused. "Your eyes, I mean. They were both black, and now they look . . . better. Your lip doesn't look too bad either."

Sasuke's finger lightly traced over his lip, rubbing slightly at the bust. "That's good, I suppose."

"Indeed," Naruto replied, lip twitching. "I don't think your mother would appreciate it if I returned you in such poor condition."

"My mother's not the one I'd be worried about," Sasuke warned. Though it sounded lighthearted, joking even, his eyes seemed dark. Naruto thought it best to change the subject.

"So, I suppose we should move on, cover as much ground as we can before sunset."

Sasuke nodded, and they stood in unison, though Sasuke was wobblier and more unstable on his feet. It wasn't completely necessary, but Naruto reached out a steadying hand on his arm which stayed there longer than needed, even after they'd started moving toward the horse.

They traveled until the sun had retreated completely. Though they both kept distance while attempting sleep, neither said a single word when they woke curled and tangled together. And if they both stayed there, unmoving, while they thought the other was asleep, well, who was there to witness? Kareshi wasn't going to tell anyone.

They continued on, neither bringing up their unconscious, nightly occurrences. The topic was widely averted as getting into it would mean that it would have to recognized and then they would have to end before suspicions arose. And that was not desired for either, no matter how much they tried to avoid that truth.

Sasuke was beginning to get grumpy again with the seemingly lack of their progress. He tried to hide it but Naruto could see it in his twitching muscles and the flexing of his arms around his waist as they bounced along.

Now this may have been because he was tired or Sasuke's anxiousness was transferring over to him, but Naruto was damn sure he'd seen that tree before. The strange, angular twists of its branches were like an old friend, and he could feel his fingers twitch in familiarity. Except that this is a foreign land and trees are as plentiful as the fish in the seas. He tried to shake the chill that overtook him as the tree faded from view. But just as he had chased it off as just some hunger illusion, they break through the trees into a clearing. Kareshi halts at the sudden stiffening of her blonde rider and Sasuke rouses from his doze against Naruto's back in confusion.

The clearing is not empty. A moderately-sized farmhouse is crumbling at its center; the windows have long since broken and been bordered up, and the roof above the porch has collapsed in on itself. On one side of the ruin is a small, enclosed area surrounded by a half shattered wooden fence. On the other side, a larger area is enclosed by a more stable looking fence, but it breaks off and leads to nowhere-that is, if nowhere meant a few black scraps of wood that looked like they hadn't been moved in years. And suddenly, Sasuke knows where they are.

Naruto had already slid off the horse and stumbled a few steps forward; Sasuke was after him in a second. "Naruto-" He'd planned on saying more, but he was interrupted by a strangled sob and the sudden failure of Naruto's knees. Sasuke reached out to catch him, but the dead weight caused them to slide into the grass. Sasuke sat there, a sobbing blonde curled in his lap, and tried to think of what to do or say. He thought back to the first night they officially met, in the stable, and the way Naruto calmed Kokoroiki. Raising a hesitant hand, Sasuke brought it gently into Naruto's hair and slid it slowly down his neck in a way that he hoped was soothing. It did something, apparently, since after he did it a second time, Naruto sat up a little, fingers digging into Sasuke's arms in the effort, and his head suddenly connected with the crook of Sasuke's neck; his body was now curled into Sasuke's side. The raven just brought a hand up to secure itself in the tangled blonde hair while his other began its insistent but gentle course up and down Naruto's back. Sasuke doesn't even know why he's doing this or how he knows how to do this. He'd never soothed another person before but holding Naruto so closely and running his hand along his back just seemed so natural and right so he just did what he could. He's not conscious of when he started but suddenly he's aware of the fact that he's mumbling comforts into Naruto's hair similar to the way the Uzumaki mumbled sweet nothings to Kokoroiki. The hysteric cries that rake his body noticeably lessened.

Neither really know how long they sat there, locked together, but they do so even after his sobs have ceased. "S-sorry," Naruto sniffled as he pulled away after seemingly forever, a blush adding to the general redness to his face. His blue eyes looked mistier, like the fog that drifts over the ocean in the early hours of morning, Sasuke couldn't help but notice. Naruto gently slid himself out of Sasuke's lap.

"Don't," Sasuke stopped him. He stored away how reluctant Naruto had seemed when pulling away for later analysis.

The blonde looked away in an embarrassed manner and wiped at his face. It reminded Sasuke of a young child. "It's just that . . . I mean, I thought I'd gotten over this. It was six years ago."

"I said don't," Sasuke said a little more forcibly. His fingers twitched so he distracted them with wiping at the wetness of Naruto's tears that still resided on his neck. He blushed further at the sight. "A traumatic experience is never easily countered and the fact that you ran instead of facing it didn't help. You've never been able to deal with it properly. It's only logical that the reopening of an improperly healed wound results in an overflow."

"Logical, right," Naruto mumbled, still refusing to return his gaze to Sasuke's.

Sasuke gave him a few more minutes to regain his composure. The silence was comfortable enough. Naruto concentrated on his dirt-crusted fingers, trying ever so hard not to yearn the warmth of Sasuke's comforts. When he'd seemed to have stopped his hyperventilating body, Sasuke reached a hand to lightly touch Naruto's arm. He was struck with ocean fog as Naruto finally looked at him again. "We need to go into town." This new information caused Naruto to stiffen and freeze, looking at Sasuke with large eyes. "We were looking for a town to regain our bearings, weren't we? Well, here's a town. We need to go into town and get directions back to the Estate," he tried to explain.

Naruto began to breathe again but he looked at Sasuke pleadingly. "I can't go. What if I see someone I know?"

"It's either go into town or stay here," even while he said it, Sasuke felt like the biggest dick for giving him such cruel choices.

The Uzumaki seemed to take this in, breathing for a few moments. "I guess I'll get Kareshi," he announced solemnly. He stood, wobbly on his feet. He didn't seem overly thrilled or confident of this decision but he put on a brave face. He left Sasuke's presence to retrieve the wandering mare.

Sasuke offered to ride in front, trying to make this as easy for Naruto as possible which he should have been questioning - why should he care about the personal feelings of a slave? - but the thought of not caring just seemed too horrible. This was Naruto. But what did that even mean? He didn't have a chance to further this as Naruto firmly declined and helped him on the horse.

The ride into town was quiet, as was to be expected, save for the normal sounds of the forests. Naruto guided Kareshi down the gravel paths with practiced ease. He was gazing at every detail of the area, details that had somehow managed not to change. The lopsided boulder was still lopsided, the ditch in which he would catch toads with Jiraiya when it rained still hadn't been filled in, the large branch that had fallen and landed in the branches of opposite trees forming a much used bridge was still offering its services to adventurous children. All these resurfaced memories had numbed Naruto, and he took it all in with slow regards to it. Then, the town came into view, and he was suddenly fully alert.

It hadn't changed much either. There was a new building in the empty lot where he used to play tag and the old, shaky fabric shop had finally been torn down but other than that, it was exactly as the nightmares that haunted him. The people out in the brightness of the day hardly glanced at them - some did look as if they began to recognize his face but he hurriedly rushed off if that appeared to be happening. He turned his head slightly to Sasuke, "So who do you want to ask for directions?"

Sasuke seemed startled out of his deep examination of Naruto's hometown. "Huh? Oh, I don't know. Anyone, I guess."

And Naruto had been planning on doing just that. He'd slowed Kareshi down, had picked out a nice looking man to ask when a half-yelled, half-breathed statement dried his throat. "I don't believe it!"

That voice. Naruto knew that voice well and, though he cared for that voice, he wished he hadn't heard it. He could feel Sasuke's curious gaze as he turned his head in the direction it had come. A gray-haired man in baggy clothing was stopped mid-stride in the middle of the sidewalk, his wide eyes gazing at them. He stumbled across the nearly empty road and stopped beside the horse. "Naruto . . ."

He could feel his eyes glistening over. He slid off the horse and simply stood in front of the man. "Jiraiya."

A large, calloused hand came to gently grip the side of his neck and part of his jaw. Memories flashed before Naruto's eyes again, of tearful nights and the awful pain that gripped his stomach as he paused in a doorway before closing it and running away. Jiraiya's eyes sparkled with wetness. "Come here, boy," and then he was being pulled into a bone-crushing hug. He gripped back just as tight.

"I'm sorry," he was suddenly saying. "I'm so sorry."

Jiraiya pulled back, wiping a stray tear, and said, "We will be having none of that now. What we will be having is some soothing herbal tea back at my house. It appears we have much to catch up on," he added with a glance at Sasuke.

"No, no we shouldn't-"

"I insist."

"We have to get back-"

"A slight delay is of no problem," Sasuke piped in, quite unhelpfully, from the horse. Jiraiya looked satisfied as he retrieved his horse; Naruto's expression couldn't decide among annoyed, relieved, or frightful as he was pulled back onto Kareshi.

Jiraiya led the way to the cabin, though Naruto knew the way by heart. It looked even shakier and unsafe than it had before but Naruto knew even if he commented on it, it would do no good. Jiraiya wouldn't lay a finger on it.

"So who's he?" Jiraiya asked as he mixed some tea together.

From his mat on the floor, Naruto looked worriedly over at Sasuke. What was he supposed to tell him? He couldn't just come out and say that he was a slave and Sasuke was his master. He didn't even want to think about the outcome of that.

"I am Sasuke Uchiha," Sasuke introduced himself.

"An Uchiha, huh?" was the response tossed over a shoulder. "That's nice to know an' all, but I want a little more back story than that. Are you guys friends or just traveling companions?"

Sasuke was looking Naruto dead in the eye, unwavering. "We are friends. I had some business for my father that needed tending and Naruto offered to come with me. We got a little lost on the way back and ended up here. We actually need directions."

"Directions, eh?" Jiraiya placed the tea over the fire and turned to the pair with a large grin on his face. "Well then, I'm your man! Where ya headed?"

"Back to Konohagakure," Sasuke replied, breaking his gaze to look at the older man.

A finger was placed thoughtfully on a chin. "Konoha, is it? Well that's not too far. A day or so travel going straight out of the south east gate. But don't be off just yet, the tea's ready."

After the beverage had been distributed, Naruto asked, "So, how have you been? What have you been up to since I, well-"

"Ran off?" Jiraiya finished for him. "Same as usual, I suppose. Making my toad jam, writing, and research. Though you did have me fretting over you quite a bit. I didn't know whether you were alive or what. After six years, I guess I just proclaimed ya dead."

The blonde's eyebrows squished in grief, and he looked down at his drink. "I know. I'm so sorry. I should have written or something."

"Said yourself, you haven't really had the time," Sasuke butted in from across the table, sending him a pointed look.

"You know who you really had tossing and turning?" Jiraiya continued. "Sakura. That girl came up with the craziest stories of what had happened but at the same time, she seemed to have the most faith in your survival. And return, for that matter. We should visit her."

"Sakura?" Sasuke asked. The weight of the name on his tongue was wrong and tasted like bile, for reasons unknown to him.

"She was my childhood friend," Naruto explained.

"Oh, more than that, I'd say," Jiraiya laughed. "You drooled over her since the day you popped out of your mother. You nearly fainted at the mention of her name."

Naruto had turned bright red and couldn't meet Sasuke's eyes. This new knowledge settled sourly in the raven's stomach, and he found himself resenting this Sakura girl. Which was completely absurd. He'd never even met her. Granted, he normally did not like most people he met but just the mention of her seemed to turn him away. That wasn't how you were supposed to react to the mention of childhood friends.

"Did . . . did she follow through with her dreams?" Naruto suddenly asked. "Did she become a doctor like she wanted?"

"Yep," Jiraiya replied after a sip. "She replaced Dr. Kitsuni."

"Kitsuni's dead?"

"No, no. Just retired."

The conversation continued like this for a little while. Names meaningless to Sasuke were bounced from one to the other in what seemed to be summaries of the citizens' entire lives. Gentle teasing about Jiraiya's "research" was tossed with laughing ease. He felt like an outsider, and he began to feel restless in his seat. Naruto, thankfully, noticed. "Jiraiya, we really should be going."

The old man's face fell. "But . . . you've been missing for six years! You can't just drop in for a cup of tea and then bolt."

The blonde was straining, Sasuke could tell. "I know, I know. I feel awful for leaving, for not sending word, for everything. But we really need to get back. His father will worry." Sasuke hid a scoff.

"It's getting late, why don't you stay the night?"

It took everything to say, "No, no we really should be off."

They made it to the door before Jiraiya was gripping his godson's arm. "Just don't - don't be a stranger, Naruto. Konoha isn't that far." Sasuke left for the horse so they could have their privacy.

Naruto silently joined him moments later, clicking Kareshi forward at a slow trot through the trees back to town. Even without Sasuke's keen eyes, the constant glances backward were impossible to miss. His stomach churned. What Naruto must have been going through was treacherous. Having to deal with a deep, reopened emotional wound and the sudden sight of a relative you have not seen in six years and then being forced to leave said relative all in one day was difficult. The churning of his stomach got worse until, when they were near town, he finally reached around Naruto and pulled back on the reins, making Kareshi stop. He slid off the horse, ignoring the pain of his side and the way it was beginning to hurt when he breathed. Confused, Naruto came down beside him.

"Sasuke?"

"I need to return to the Estate," he stated.

"Yeah, I kind of thought that's what we were doing." Naruto was looking at him as if he'd lost it completely.

"You didn't let me finish. I need to return to the Estate, but you don't. You can stay here. I can just tell everyone you escaped or got taken to a different town."

Naruto gaped at him for a few moments. Did he just offer to let him be free? And he'd said they were friends earlier but this was - this was freedom. And that's when Naruto knew that their situation was definitely fucked. "No, I'm coming with you."

"What?" Sasuke exclaimed. "This is your home; this is where you were raised."

"This isn't my home anymore," Naruto stated sadly. "It is simply a town which holds too many memories and too much pain. The Estate, that is my home now." With you, his brain echoed.

"But there's pain there as well. You'd come back and be a slave? You'd return to the less-than-decent meals and the punishments?"

"It's my life. I might as well live it."

"I don't understand." Sasuke looked truly lost. No, I guess you don't.

"There are people there that I love and are worth it. I have made friends, family there. Besides, who else will care for Kokoroiki? She may trust you, but it is not your work to care for her. I worry even now for her."

"Naruto," Sasuke said forcibly, looking terribly confused, "you have a chance at a new life away from the miseries and memories and slavery! Take it while it is in your grasp!"

"Being a slave is my life now; without that, I am nothing."

"You are so much more than a slave! How can you say there is nothing when you are so much more?"

Sasuke was looked exasperated now, truly frustrated but Naruto simply turned back to the horse. "If we don't leave now, we'll never make it out of town and to a suitable spot in the woods for the night." He stood by Kareshi expectantly, waiting to help Sasuke up.

He didn't move. Those onyx eyes were digging through his being, seemingly down to his very soul. Sasuke was looking at him as if he was some great puzzle of wonder; a mystery to the world. Maybe he was.

"You coming or what?"

Sasuke hesitated a little longer before accepting the help and settling comfortably against Naruto's back before they set off. Naruto kept their pace brisk through town, fearing that he would see another that he knew and another part of him would be ripped apart. He thought he caught a glimpse of pink hair once and his heart leaped but he quickly shook that feeling. He knew he wouldn't be able to handle seeing Sakura again. His chest still ached from Jiraiya. They galloped straight through the gate heading straight just as Jiraiya had directed and into the familiar terrain of the forest, once again surrounded by trees. They were silent as night fell, and they found a place to sleep on the forest floor. They were covered in the green blanket, a good distance put between them though both knew how they'd wake up.

Naruto was borderline asleep when a hesitant hand gently brushed his scalp and traipsed down his neck just as it had down earlier in the clearing. This action was repeated three times, lulling Naruto back into the sleep it had shocked him out of, before the hand stilled against his neck. It twitched there for a few seconds before it continued down his spine, stopping at his stomach to wrap itself around and pull him back against a warm body. Now that they were spooning, Sasuke's mouth so close to Naruto's ear that he could feel him breathing against it. Neither said a word about it, just curled in silence. That is, until Sasuke moved his mouth even closer to Naruto's ear and breathed, "I don't understand you."

"I know," was all he could think to say, his thoughts going all over the place. "I don't really understand myself either. I'm not entirely sure I want to."

"I do," was what Sasuke breathed so quietly that for a while, Naruto questioned its very existence. And then he fell asleep, content and not giving a damn about it.

A/N: Wow I updated this much later than I meant to. Like, as I was writing it, I was thinking about how quickly I would have this up and how happy it'd make you guys and then I saw the date I last published and wow. Sorry. But, alas, you shall have to wait again, me dearies. I will be going away on a band trip on the 27th and returning on the 3rd. Not only will I not have the time to do any writing in that time, I won't even have access to the internet (that I know of). Free time will probably be spent sleeping because I expect to be exhausted. Therefore, you shouldn't expect the next chapter until at least the 10th. That way, I have time to get my school shit together for when we return and also time to write it.

So yeah, Happy Holidays!