I watched the sun drift behind the burned out and crumbling buildings as the evening approached. I tried to be patient and meditate, even meditating to control my spiritual pressure but eventually, I couldn't sit down anymore; I stood up, pacing impatiently. Every once and awhile a noise would sound in the woods, causing me to reflexively grip my blade at my back. After about twenty minutes of this, I sighed and sat next to Crystal. Ebony, Scarlet's black cat, walked up to me and sat down and began eating a small mouse that it had caught. Crystal was petting her wolf, Hunter contently; humming a strange tune. Oddly enough, it seemed to calm me down. It was kind of a warm homely tune, like something my mother would hum to me.
Crystal was strange and I also knew that she had a dark past, but I didn't want to pry. But the fact that she was friends with Scarlet was strange to think about, though. I often wondered how these two almost polar opposite girls became best friends. While Scarlet was strong willed, stubborn, moody, driven, and sometimes hard to understand while Crystal was lighthearted, kind, passive, and almost unreadable. Crystal had jet black hair while Scarlet's was bright red, or her Crystal blue eyes that seemed to see and say everything while Scarlet's were dark green that seemed to judge everything. But they acted like they had been together since birth, knowing exactly what the other was thinking. The only people who I knew that could do something like that where Renji and Rukia.
"You know it's rude to stare at people," Crystal said suddenly, not looking at to me. I blinked in surprise, not realizing that I had been staring at her. I looked away with embarrassment, mumbling an apology which she just waved off and continued to pet Hunter. The stretch of silence that followed made me feel a little uncomfortable.
"You know, the wolf could have fleas on him…" I commented, trying to stop the awkward silence. She blinked at turned her head, seemingly surprised at my observation.
"Yes, I know that. I made him swim in a stream while I used my spiritual pressure to crush anything smaller than a field mouse in his fur earlier. He should more or less be safe to touch now." She responded while nuzzling the wolf's furry neck.
"Are you scared he might snap at you? He is a wild animal." I said, wincing at how closely that sounded to what the villagers used to say about Shiro. She looked up at me with a sweet smile.
"He won't," she said frowning slightly. Given on the tone of her voice I had a feeling that I should take her word for it. I stared at her for a little while longer as I started to notice that she was so similar to Orihime. She had the same air of lightheartedness, a smile that would always charm anyone who looked at her. But she seemed sadder and lonelier than Orihime like she didn't have a friend or she lost more than just her family. Ebony's head perk up as her ears flew back flat against her skull; back arching and hair raising on her back. Hunter sensed something as well because he tore out of Crystal's grip and jumped in front of her protectively; teeth bared and snapping.
I jumped up and released my sword, ready for anything. Crystal just kept sitting on a log, twirling a tiny knife that glowed green softly. I sensed three spirited energies coming closer; I widened my stance and got ready to strike the second they came around his corner. When they did I recognized Scarlet and Renji. I relaxed with relief and started to lower my blade.
However, when the third person came around the corner and I immediately tense back up. He was dressed his a patched up shirt with a leather vest with dark pants with hard, well wore shoes. His grayish black hair had a few white highlights to it and his face was as pale as bone, but not as pale as Shiro's. He had a small pack on his back and looked slightly older than we did while he carried two small, single handed blades about the size of my palm on each hip. He walked like he owned everything he saw and had a nasty sickly smug looked on his face every time he looked at Scarlet.
"Ichigo! He's a friend." Scarlet said, looking tired.
"Not until I learn who he is and if we can trust him," I said back, standing between the Scarlet and stranger. Renji snorted and muttered something, angrily storming off to change out of his street rags. The strange boy smiled at me, but there was undeniable malice in that smile that sent shivers down my spine.
"Oh! You must be Ichigo, the poor sap that had to get hitched with Scarlet. My condolences," He said, smirking as he sat down on a rock. I gritted my teeth raised the tip of my blade right up to his throat. He looked up at me with a slightly surprised and bored expression, lifting up his leg and resting his arm on his knee.
"Thanks, but I don't need an apology for something good that has happened in my life. Right now I need answers." I growled as I glared at him. He just shrugged and leaned back against a tree; smirking up at me.
"Sure sugar, but I'm not the one you need to get the answers from," He said, looking at Scarlet.
"Enough, Hunter. Ichigo, ignore him. We have to set up camp anyway." Scarlet commanded, green eyes looking almost dull and empty. Hunter sneered at her but kept quiet, stalking into the woods muttering something about camping on his own. I turned back to Scarlet to see she was setting up the tent with Crystal. They were whispering back and forth, arguing angrily. I gritted my teeth and turned away, hoping I might get some answers from Renji.
"Oi, Renji," I said, walking up behind him as he put on his normal shirt. He reattached his sword to his hip. He looked over his shoulder at me, mouth forming a hard frown.
"What is it, Ichigo?" He asked, turning around and leaning against a tree. I pursed my lips and shook head; sighing.
"What happened in the village?" Renji just looked away, shrugging like there wasn't anything to say. I glared and put my hand on his shoulder, making him look at me. "Something happened Renji. Scarlet doesn't just let someone walk over her and she never looked this agitated. What happened." I growled. He smacked my hand out of the way and shoved past me, picking up his bag and tent.
"Nothing you would understand. We just need to watch Scarlet's so she doesn't do something stupid." He said, rubbing his shoulder with a flash of discomfort on his face.
"Why?" Renji paused and sighed, sitting down heavily and facing me. He looked like he was hit by a rockslide, shoulders slumped and legs limp.
"Scarlet has been acting weird since we meet up with that Hunter creep. He said something to her and her eyes became distant and seemed to closed off. I tried to get her to talk but she just shrugged me off. When I asked her if we could trust the creep... do you want to know what she said to me?" Renji looked up anger roaring in his eyes. I placed my hand on the hilt of my sword, not sure if I wanted to hear what was coming next.
"She said 'Don't trust anyone is this life, Renji. Not even me. You never know where the knife is coming from until it's already buried into your back'." He looked at me, eyes full of concern and frustration. "She is hiding something, I can tell." I nodded and followed him back to camp, smelling food. Crystal, Hunter, and Scarlet were sitting around the small fire with the leftover stew. I sat next to Scarlet, who smiled cheerfully as I sat as if she was genuinely happy to see me. I was taken aback at the sudden mood change, but her eyes told me that that smile was just a mask.
"Sorry about earlier, Ichigo. I was a little tired from today."She then started to talk cheerfully with Crystal, who gave one-word answers and wore a scowl on her normally smiling face. Hunter stood in the background, eyes covered in shadows but his pale grin almost glowing in the firelight. I kept my eye on him but my attention was pulled away when we heard a hollow roar. We all froze when we heard more roars join the first. I unsheathed my blade along with Renji, but Scarlet was already running into the woods.
"Scarlet!" I yelled and started to run after her. Renji had already taken off after her with Crystal right on his heels. I would have followed if Hunter hadn't caught my arms in his strong grip.
"Let go of me!" I yelled, slashing at his face. He stopped my sword with his strange knives and his one hand, not letting go of my arms. For the first time, he didn't have his smirk plastered on his face, but he still had a malicious glint in his eyes.
"I think you should let her go." He muttered, letting go of my arm wrap his fingers around my neck and slamming me back against a tree.
"What… the hell!" I yelled, trying to get him off of me, but he just squeeze and cut off my air supply.
"Listen, Ichigo. Scarlet was the one person I trusted with my secrets and I fell in love with her before I met him. Then she became my little sister and we were happy." My vision began to dim; panicking, I slashed at him. He used his blade to block and kicked my sword out of my hand. "Then she killed my best friend who I had come to fall in love with and ran away like a coward. I will never forgive her for that but I still can't kill her because I still loved her. Slowly that loved turned to burning hatred as the years crept by. She never came back until now when she needed me to do something." He let me go, making me fall to the ground. I coughed and hacked, trying to get air back into my lungs so I could gut the bastard. Before I could move he placed his blade against my throat, the cold metal biting into the skin.
"Look, Ichigo. I really think you're a good guy for defending a woman, but she has already started a trail of betrayal, you are just too blind to see that you're her next victim." That made me freeze. Betrayal? I knew Scarlet was single-minded, but she was as loyal as anyone I had ever met before… He was lying; he had to be.
"Shut up," I growled, trying to get out of his grip. He growled and grabbed my hair, ripping my head back.
"You are such a moron! Why do you think she has been acting strangely since they come back? Why do you think that the Renji has been distant from you?" Hunter raised his eyebrows, tilting his head to the side. I stopped struggling for a second as his words sunk in. What the hell was he talking about? How did he know about Scarlet's strange behavior? And Renji's…
"I heard from a few of my little says that they fell into their traps. You want to know how they baited the trap to get my spies to steal from Scarlet?" He leaned in and I could feel the sick grin form on his face. "They kissed. Deeply."
"I said shut up!" I screamed throwing him back into a tree. He groans and feel to the ground. My reshi was spilling into my blade as I slashed at him. "Getsuga Tensho!" I screamed, slashing down at Hunter. I saw his eyes widened and he used both blades to deflect most of the attack, but it still left a large gash on his right shoulder. Blood poured from the wound as he collapsed, holding his shoulder in pain. He stood up and glared at me, but there was s a look of respect in his eyes. I barely even registered that because I was so enraged. This snake was insulting and discrediting Scarlet's honor and I would defend it as my own. I yelled again and got ready to slash at him again.
"Ichigo!" Something tackled me so I fell to the right, a burst of reshi missing it's intended target and slicing a half a dozen trees in its way. I heard someone yell, but all I saw was a tree falling down on me. I reflexively wrapped my arms around whoever had tackled me; trying to shield their body. I closed my eyes and prepared myself for a burst of pain as I covered myself and the other person's body with reshi to create a strong barrier.
But the pain never came and there was a crash as the tree hit something else. I looked up and saw it leaning against another tree, centimeters from the tip of my nose. I sighed with relief and looked down to see who I tried to save. Scarlet was shaking in my arms, eyes closed tightly and curled into my chest. I felt her reshi spasm and waiver. I sighed with relief that she wasn't hurt and leaned back, patting her head.
"Hey, it's 're safe " I whispered, trying to get her to calm down. She opened her eyes shakily, breathing heavily with fear. She was still shaking with adrenaline and uncurled her arms from around me slowly.
"Y-You ok, Ichigo?" she asked, giving me a quick once-over to make sure I was unhurt. I nodded and thought I was until she moved, causing sharp pain in my back to explode in pain. I gasped and told her to stop; which she did. Her eyes narrowed as she looked at my body again, eyes widening when she looked at my back. She reached behind me and ran her hand along my back until she felt why I was in so much pain.
"Ichigo, listen very carefully. There's a something in your back and a branch stabbing both of our legs." I blinked in surprise, not feeling the a pain in my calf until she mentioned it. I started to feel the warm tingling sensation of blood leaking from that area.
"Ichigo! Scarlet! Are you two alright?" Renji called as he appeared in the crack of the tree and the ground, face pale and green. He breathed a sigh of relief.
"They are alive. But they are stuck!" He called over his shoulder. He tried to reach Scarlet to pull her out first but Scarlet shook her head.
"We are pinned by a branch in our calves and if you just try and pull us out we will get hurt. Ichigo and I are fine for now but I need you two to cut the tree so we can get out." She gave specific instruction on how to go about it.
"Damn, hold on you two and I'll see if we can't get you out. But it might take awhile," Renji consulted, Crystal started going through the packs to find the hatches and other tools that they would need. Their voices were muffled because it was like we were in an indent in the ground and the tree was like a roof of the cave. Scarlet laid back against the ground, closing her eyes in pain and slamming her fist on the ground.
"Damn that Hunter. He was only supposed to kill me." She hissed, covering her face with her other hand. I braced myself on my elbows so that I didn't crush her. for as smart as she was, I was surprised she hadn't figured it out yet.
"You know that if you have a target on your back it's likely that everyone else you love has a target as well, right?" I asked her, irritation filling my voice. She didn't move but her breathing paused for a second. She sighed and shook her head in defeat.
"I know. But I thought he would, at least, pretend to honor the agreement." She mumbled, a tear leaking out of the corner of her eyes. I sighed rested my forehead against hers.
"Just so where are clear, you think Hunter magically directed the path of the tree-"
"That's not a branch in your back, Ichigo." She interrupted, still not removing the hand from her eyes. She had a furious scowl on her face and fist clenched.
"That son of a bitch…" I remembered it now. When Scarlet tackled me, she jumped in between me and Hunter. He knew that the attack would miss him so he took the opportunity to try and kill Scarlet by throwing one of his daggers at her exposed back. But I must have instinctively twisted and caught the blade with her while we fell. I shifted and pressed down on her chest a little making her eyes snap open and a blush creep into her cheeks.
"What the hell are you-"
"Please that it out. I don't want it to get infected or if it's poisoned for it to spread." I responded monotoned, not looking at her. She narrowed her eyes but nodded, reaching back and gripping the small blade.
"Ready? You can't move when I do this…" She warned, looking at me with concern. I gripped the collar of my shirt between my teeth as a gag and dig my fingers into the dirt by her head. I was about to tell her to pull it out when I felt a white hot pain exploded in my back as she tore it out. It felt like she was tearing out every muscle in my back along with the knife; I groaned in pain and blacked out. When I opened my eyes Scarlet was healing my back, her heart beat very fast. I lifted my head and saw that all the cuts on my body were healed and her face looked thin and pale. I reached up and put my hand on her cheek.
"Stop. You're going to make yourself sick. I'm fine now." I whispered. She let her hand fall and closed her eyes in utter exhaustion. I moved so she would be more comfortable but then I remembered the branch through our leg and saw the pool of blood that had formed. She must have been trying to keep up our blood count. No wonder why she was so tired and looked so sick!
"Hey, are you two alright down there?" Renji asked, sticking his head into the small hole. I looked up and nodded.
""Yeah, Scarlet's sleeping. How much longer?" Renji pursed his lips and repeated the question to Crystal. I heard a creak and a groan along with a muffled response as Renji turned back to me.
"We are almost ready to push it off of you, but we need your help a bit to lift it straight up. It's about to get crowded." He warmed. I looked at him confused until Hunter the wolf wiggled his way into the gap and positioned himself to lift the tree. The whole space smelled like wet dog and dried blood, not helping my already rolling stomach; the dog fur in my mouth wasn't helping either.
"Ready, Ichigo? We need you to lift a little so we can be sure to get it out as cleanly as possible…" Renji shouted down.
"Just hurry up and life already!" I yelled through the fur. Renji counted off as I propped up my other leg and arms to lift using my back as a raise; this was going to hurt…
Renji gave the signal and I pressed up with all my strength and even used my reshi to force the log upward. It moved and I felt the branch slide more or less cleanly from my leg; that hurt like hell. When the log was off of us and I could see the moonlight I relaxed, collapsing on Scarlet. She was so tired she didn't wake up but kept breathing casually. I rolled off of her and onto my back, breathing heavily and wiping the sweat from my forehead. I saw Renji crouch off to my side, looking down at me with concern.
"Hey, you dead?" he asked, eyebrows knitted together. I groaned in pain and annoyance before I glared at him.
"Not yet, but I don't think I can walk right now," I said, looking down at the hole about the size of an apple in my calf. It hurt like hell but I tried to ignore the pains I looked at Scarlet's condition. Crystal was working to stitch up Scarlet's wound, an emotionless mask of concentration on her face. I tried to get up but the pain exploded in my leg, making me stop. Renji placed his hand on my shoulder stopping me before he threw my arm around his shoulder.
"Easy there, you really should take it easy since you nearly died twice in the last three days. That's gotta be tough even for you." He warned, lifting me up as gently as he could. I groaned in pain as the wound objected to any and every movement I made. "Come on, we need to get the camp back together. Your tent survived along with most of the supplies, luckily. I'll help Crystal carry Scarlet in when I'm done dragging your stubborn ass back." Renji said, trying to keep the mood light.
"About time, you became useful around here." I shot back tiredly, letting him practically drag me back to the tent. He made an indignant huff and started venting before he unceremoniously dropped me into the tent.
"OW! What the hell, Renji!" I screamed as the pain almost made me black out again.
"Oh, suck it up, Ichigo. It's not that bad; I'm getting Scarlet," he said as he left the tent; I propped up my leg and examined the wound. It didn't look infected but I still needed to wrap it. I tore my sleeves off my shirt and started to wrap it when Renji returned with Scarlet in his arms; who was now awake. Her eyes blinked lazily as they rested against Renji's chest. A small stab of jealousy hit me, but I was more worried about her health at that very moment. I moved over so Renji could put her down in the most comfortable part of the sleeping mat and held out my hands to take her. Renji set her down as gently as he could and walked out, casting one last worried look at Scarlet as he left.
"I-Ichigo?" I turned to Scarlet, who was holding something tightly in her right hand. I shifted so I could face her as she held up what she was holding. It was a knife, but it looked like it had spikes coming out of the blade.
"I've seen that before…" I muttered, taking it gently. She nodded and laid her head back against the makeshift pillow.
"It's a special weapon made by the Soul City to kill Hollows. I don't remember the name but it works by looking for a normal knife until it stabs something; that releases the tiny spikes so it's hard to remove and causes more damage. It's almost like a reusable hand grenade." She said whispered, breathing softly.
"But is it Hunter's?" I asked, looking. She shook her head.
"I have no idea who's it is but I can't exactly think straight right now. But Hunter would never use that kind of weapon, trust me. " She breathed, eyes closing again. I turned away and got as comfortable as I could; taking off my shirt so I wouldn't wrinkle or dirty anything else. Scarlet reached up and pulled me back on the ground next to her, surprising me at her sudden show of affection. She nuzzled my bare chest closed her eyes tightly.
"I'm sorry, Ichigo. I'm failing every person I want to protect and getting them hurt. I never want you to get hurt because of me." She whispered, a tear streaming from her eye. I touched her face with my hand gently; knowing how it felt to be completely helpless. I wrapped my arms around her tiny frame; hugging her close. I could feel her warm breath against my bare chest as I did so. She stiffened for a moment before she relaxed and accepted my touch of comfort.
"You only have two hands. Stop trying to fight so many battles and just fight the one you need to fight," she frowned in confusion, lips pursed. I sighed and rubbed her back, chin resting on top of her head.
"If you pick up a sword to fight, then you can never truly embrace anyone. But if you don't wield that sword, how can you protect them? Choose which road you want to follow; I'll help you with of the other." I kissed the top of her head as her breathing slowly became more even and growing deeper. I closed my eyes as well, letting the darkness take over. Or at least, I tried to before he showed up again.
"So, are you going to ask her about Renji or are going to ignore the problem like you did for me?" Shiro's voice echoed in my head. His voice echoed and taunted in my sleep; over and over he taunted me, showing me images of Scarlet and Renji. All night he tormented me with our twin soul link. Would I ever be rid of him?
I woke up feeling the cold air brush against my sweaty chest and something warm and tingly at my leg. I opened my eyes, blinking a few times before I sat up and tried to clear the sleep from my eyes. I saw Scarlet healing my wounded leg, hair tied back in it's normal braid and still wearing her clothes from the day before. She looked a little better with some sleep, but she seemed to have lost a lot of weight. She had a look of unrelenting concentration on her face as she healed my leg.
"Hey," I said, voice hoarse from the mistreatment of the night before. She looked up at me and gave me a small smile before returning her concentration to my leg. I groaned my way up to a sitting position, muscles stiff from sleeping on the hard ground again. When she finished healing my leg she looked at my face, eyes hooded with fatigue but sharp with concern.
"Are you hurt anywhere else?" She asked emotionlessly; like a nurse would. Her eyes did a quick scan of my body, noticing I was without a shirt. She blushed but looked like she was fighting it down, reaching her hand to my forehead. I blushed as well but shook me head and reached up to take hold of her wrist and remove her hand from my forehead.
"I'm fine, but you need to worry about yourself; you look half dead." I reach back into my pack and brought out my rationed food and brought it out. She looked at the food hungrily but shook her head, pushing it back into my hand.
"No, I have my own-" She tried to say, but I wasn't going to let her suffer after healing me. Her health was just as important as mine to me; if not more.
"You have been pushing your body and abilities to the limit with barely any food or rest. At this rate you will collapse if you don't think about yourself for once," I said, shoving the food back into her hand; not taking no for an answer. She opened her mouth to say something but I shot her a glare to shut her up. I hated glaring at anyone like that but she needed to eat. She closed her mouth in defeat and began to nibble on the food, slowly tearing into it as hunger took over. As I watched her, the memory of my dreams slowly crept back into my mind. Now would be the best time to ask…
"Scarlet, what really happened in the village?" I asked tightly, fist clenched as it rested on my raised knee. She paused, eyes were not meeting mine. She shifted uncomfortably as she swallowed the last of her food and drank down with water, avoiding eyes contact with me.
"I told you, I just had-" I huffed in agitation, sitting up completely. I never got angry or raised my voice if I could help it, but I hated lies and betrayal. I reached out and gripped her arm, anger getting the best of me.
"Don't give me that, Scarlet! Hunter talked with me while you were fighting and told me about you kissing Renji!" She froze, eyes wide with shock and fear. My rage started to grow as she glared back at me in defiance and almost challenged me to do anything about it. She ripped her arm out of my hand and turned away.
"So, you and Hunter are friends now, huh? Maybe you to should go out and have a little more boy time and gossip like old maids." She snapped, angrily packing her things into a bag taking out another shirt. In her anger she seemed to forget about decency and ripped off her shirt, only wearing a bra and wrappings around her chest. She reached for another shirt as a tic mark formed on my forehead; fist clenched at my sides.
"What has gotten into you? You used to be strong, honest and caring. You use to yell at the village girls for cheating and laugh whenever you saw someone trying to flirt with you. Now you're keeping secrets, kissing other guys behind my back, lying to my face-" I stopped, seeing something on the side of her neck. It looked like a half-healed yellow and green bruise on the crook of her neck that I never noticed before, but could now see clearly without her shirt. I froze as a disturbing thought hit me, eyes widening. No, he wouldn't. Renji wouldn't try and mark her like that…
Scarlet seemed to notice my change in mode, turning around to look at me. My eyes never looked away from the bruise from the large bruise extended from the top of her shoulder up her neck. It must have been very painful for her to receive. Her eyes widened in realization and covered as much as she could with her hand and put on her shirt, turning away.
"It's nothing Ichigo-" I turned away and dove for the tent entrance; rage, and bitterness controlling my actions. Renji… he did his! He kissed her and marked her; like she was something that he could just take for himself. I was so angry that I wasn't seeing straight and couldn't open the tent flap fast enough. Before I could open the door I felt something wrap around my chest and a pressure at my back. I stopped, surprised as I looked down to see Scarlet's arms wrapped around my chest, feeling her cheek pressed against my back. I went to turn around but she pinned my arm painfully behind my back, pressing my face into the ground with her other hand and sitting on my lower back.
"Scarlet-" I mumbled as loudly as I could with my face pressed roughly against the ground. She pushed my arm up farther up my back and hissed at me.
"I said it's nothing! Why can't you just let it go?" She loosened her grip on my arm enough so I could buck her off my back and twist around to face her. She screamed as she fell back and I pinned both her arms to her side and sat on her legs so she couldn't move. She struggled for a few seconds before she gave up and slammed her head back, groaning in frustration. I was breathing heavily from the sudden workout and glared down at her, looking at the bruise. The shirt had moved during our wrestling match and exposed the whole bruise; even the dark purple spots now.
"Who did that," I growled slowly through clenched. She glared up at me and tried to hide the mark. Once sh realized that it was futile she turned hr head away, not looking at me.
"It's nothing. Just a bruise I got from the village. Metal pipe feel and I weren't fast enough." She lied; still not looking me in the eyes. I took both of her hand in one of mine and leaned in close, glaring deeply into her eyes so she couldn't look away.
"Do you really think I'm an idiot? I know a hickey when I see one. Who did it?" She turned her head away again, blushing and squeezing her eyes shut. I knew I was being unfair drilling her like this but I had to know. She started struggling again and I grunted in frustration, pulling her hands above her head and putting my face right in front of hers.
"Damn it, Scarlet! I'll let you go if you would just-"
"Shiro! Shiro did it, damn it! He gave me the damn hickey when he fought me at the river. Happy?" She yelled, body going limp under me and face turning into a look of utter defeat and regret. Her eyes prickled with angry tears as I pulled back, blinking in shock and horror. Shiro did this… that was almost three day's ago and it was still that bad…
"Hehehe! Like my gift, king?" I heard his voice in my head, insane cackle mockingly echoing through my head.
Author's Note: Oh jeez I feel as if I failed to capture the true heart of Ichigo! I'm kinda thinking of not doing this again but thanks to the people who have been reviewing I'm having the confidence to continue. I'm not sure if I'm going to go back to the main character, but I'm open for suggestions or opinions. I also have most of the plot for when they get to City to rescue Chris, but Hunter is going to be a strange twist to the story. Tell me what you think and if I should add anything to more adventure, romance, suspense, etc. Rate, Review, Read, vent, criticize; whatever you want, I'm a pretty easy-going person. Read on, Otakus (^-^)