WELCOME! xD

This is chapter 35 of An Ace up my Sleeve!

I'm hyperventilating right now.

I know that doesn't sound good, but it is.

It's because I reached 500 reviews,

and I know what you all must be thinking.

"Wisty needs to calm down. She's going to kill herself if she keeps freaking out for every chapter."

But I can't help it you guys!

You make me this way and I love it! xD

Enjoy the chapter!

(Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note, but hey, at least I can say I own the greatest OC to ever exist.)

Alice Starts her Own Case

By the time Alice was ready for bed, she had almost forgotten that a rat used to occupy her room. She knew better then to sleep in a room where a dead rat used to be. So, she used L's room instead. That night when she got into bed after getting her nightgown on, she crawled under L's large queen size sheets and comforter, and made herself comfortable. It wasn't as if L was going to be sleeping anytime soon, so she made sure to spread out in the middle.

But as comforting as it was to be lying down on a fluffy mattress, the room wasn't exactly quiet. L was still at his computer with headphones over his ears so he could listen to some audio. Apparently he was reviewing phone conversations. Alice wasn't told much else. When Alice was getting ready for bed earlier, L offered to leave so she could sleep. But Alice didn't mind him in the room. L was usually in the dark anyway, so what good would it have been if he were by himself? Alice insisted he stay and continue his work.

Not being able to win that argument, L found himself trying to watch the screen while Alice was only just a few feet away asleep on his bed; and in a nightgown of all things! Since when did she wear nightgowns to bed? From what L knew, she usually had on some form of short or trouser. And even if the shorts were a bit revealing, they still had childish cartoons or crazy colorful patterns on them. What made it worse though was her unusual way of moving around in her sleep. L was certain there was some medical term for the way she moved, but he wasn't quite sure what that was. She didn't ever get up and walk around, but she did toss and turn as if she was at war with the bed itself. She would kick at the blankets and hug her pillow to her side for one movement, and then change her weird habit by literally tossing the pillow at the wall and then covering herself with the covers like a little turtle hiding in its shell. At times, L thought she might be awake and angry at him for typing too loud, but his worries would subside quickly when he heard the all too familiar short snore. Yes, Alice snored. But not in the loud obnoxious way like most would. Just like the way she snorted when she laughed, it almost sounded as if she were snorting in her sleep. L found that part of her the most amusing. But with her dressed the way she was, and not even too far out to reach, L found himself more concentrated on his work than ever before. Because if he didn't, he knew that his thoughts would lead him to his own grave. Especially around three in the morning when Alice ripped all the blankets of her and pushed them to the bottom of the bed, leaving her body exposed for all to see. L got the most work done then.

Luckily for L, the night seemed to go by quickly. With the extra boost of concentration he had, his work seemed to progress a lot more smoothly then it usually would. He made sure to keep note of how well he worked with her in the room. It seemed he would have to have her by his side more often if he wanted results like the ones before.

By morning when the sun reached the horizon and its glow left an orange hue in the sky, Alice awoke with a yawn and a stretch. She was of course oblivious to how much she had influenced L's work, so when she noticed L still working at his computer with his head phone's on, she wondered if maybe she had been a distraction for him. It looked as if he was still working on the same task he had the night before. When L become aware of Alice waking up, he slipped off his head phones to greet her for the morning.

"Good morning Ace. I take it since your night was…eventful…, you must have had a good night's rest."

Alice wasn't sure what L had meant by eventful until she noticed all the covers wrapped around her legs and hips. Her pillow was on the floor and her hair looked as if it went through a hurricane. She threw her hands through her hair to see if she could fix the damage, but all it seemed to do was make it deflate. None of the tangles got out. Hoping maybe she could pull of the dirty homeless girl look, she gathered the blankets around her and started to try and break herself free.

"It was a good night's rest," she answered L as she got her hips loose. All that was left was her legs. L was brought back to the memories of trying to pull her free from the entanglement of blankets the night they had worked on the importation drug case.

"That's good to hear. I'm sure Watari has breakfast waiting for you downstairs if you like."

When Alice finally got her legs out, her stomach rumbled at the thought of breakfast.

"Breakfast sounds wonderful!" She hopped out of bed. L couldn't help his eyes glancing at the swing of her gown around her thighs. Of course the gown was short. Only Alice would wear something like that to bed and not feel any embarrassment. Not noticing the eye's behind her, she gave one last stretch that raised the hem of her gown just slightly, and proceeded out the room. L never felt so much pressure lifted off him when she left. The whole night he had been tense, and he never even noticed until he got the feeling of his body collapsing. This little pleasure didn't last long though before Alice's head popped back into the room. L felt his arms and legs stiffen once again. "I almost forgot, would you like me to bring you something to eat?" She innocently offered.

L brought himself back to his senses. "No need. I will follow you down shortly. But thank you for the offer."

Alice shrugged her shoulders and waved him off. She was too hungry to carry on with the conversation. Leaving L finally to himself, he turned off his computer and sighed. If Alice wasn't going to be there with him, then there was no longer any motive for him to work. He had gotten a lot done that night anyway, he could use a break, and cake sounded delightful.

When Alice reached the kitchen, she saw Watari scramble around the room with an apron on. Alice smiled at the sight. She liked it when he wore his apron. He looked as if he enjoyed himself more with the apron on when he cooked. Looking to the table next, she noticed Matt, Mello, and Near all staring at her as if she were glowing in the dark. Mello had his mouth open with food still in it. Near's emotionless face almost looked surprised. And Matt had on a smirk that Alice did not like one bit.

"What?" She mostly sneered at Matt. She decided last night that she was going to be angry at Matt and Mello. She wasn't going to believe their lies. L clearly was not keeping her at a distance with the case, and her task that day proved it. So her anger that morning was focused on the two boys, and she was determined to show them how angry she was.

"What are you wearing?" Mello spat out, his fork dropping to his plate. Alice placed her hands on her hips. Watari turned around to see what all the commotion was about and gasped when he saw her. He knew that she had just come from L's room, and her outfit wasn't a good sign. He was going to have to talk with L later about the sleeping arrangements. Otherwise he was afraid for L's health. Clearly Alice wasn't going to be good for his heart if she kept wearing gowns like those to bed.

Alice gave Watari a puzzled look, not sure why he sounded so surprised. It wasn't as if it was the first time she wore something revealing around him. But seeing his face contort into a frown, Alice started to feel a bit embarrassed.

"It's just a night gown." She tried to defend herself. It didn't work, since Watari still made the same face.

"Yes, I understand Miss Ace, but…" Watari tried to find the right words. She was right after all. He had seen her in clothes like that before. It would seem odd now to complain about it.

"I'm okay with it." Matt's smirk only got wider. Alice's cheeks flashed red.

"I'm going upstairs to change." She turned sharply. The last thing she wanted to do was make Matt happy. Watari was thrilled to hear that. He was relieved to know that he wouldn't have to fight her on the matter. Matt's smirk didn't leave his lips. Instead, he continued to eat his breakfast, savoring the salty taste of the eggs. Mello watched Alice leave the room, his mind at a standstill, still trying to process what he just witnessed. Near had gone back to eating a while ago, knowing he had to build up his energy for the day. Wasting time was not an option.

As L was descending the stairs, he noticed Alice coming back up looking flustered. Judging by the face she was making, he would be wise not to say anything to her. Keeping his eyes focused in front of him, he let her pass huffing and puffing all the way up the stairs. Under her breath she was mumbling something about someone being a pervert. He was curious to know who it was, but he would soon find out when he entered the kitchen. Seeing Matt's smile gave him the answer he needed. Again, he was going to rethink Matt being his third successor. If he was going to treat Alice that way, then surly he wasn't ready to be a detective.

"L, I have your breakfast right here." Watari called to L while placing a piece of coffee cake down by his chair. Next to the cake was his coffee as well, a perfect breakfast for somebody who had a sweet tooth. Letting go of his ill thoughts towards Matt, he sat down in his usual way of squatting and started to consume his treat. A glass of orange juice was sitting in front of the empty seat next to him. He assumed it was for Alice.

"How was your night L?" Matt questioned. L could hear in his voice how innocent Matt was trying to make the question sound. But L noticed the slight glare coming from Mello and couldn't help but wonder what the two were thinking about. He wondered if maybe Matt knew about his feelings towards Alice. It was obvious that he could have witnessed some of the looks he gave her. He tried so hard to keep his feelings neutral, but he wouldn't be surprised if his poker face slipped once in a while before. He was keeping a serene face now, but back when he was losing himself, he was a complete mess. He should have known the boys would see right through it all. They were his successors after all. If they hadn't known by now, then they wouldn't be worthy of succeeding him in the first place.

L had a plan though. He knew the two boys', or three depending on if Near knew or not, weren't going to just accuse him without the proof. And he wasn't going to confess any time soon. L was in the clear for now. All he had to do was make sure nothing could be used against him if the time ever came to be blamed for such feelings. He would just have to stick to the case and nothing else. This meant he was going to have to try and find a new place to sleep for the night. Alice in his room with him at night was a dangerous topic to bring up.

"It was quite successful really," He played it safe. Apparently it wasn't the answer Mello was expecting since his response was spit out some of the food in mouth with surprise. L gave Mello a questionable look. "Did I say something to offend you?"

"Successful?" Near spoke next, giving Mello time to swallow what was left in his mouth.

"Indeed. I reviewed the tapped phone conversations. I've retrieved some information that will be vital for our case. I've stored all the information in the evidence folder. I would like each of you to look it over and give me your opinions afterward."

"Splendid!" Watari praised L by putting another piece of cake in front of him. His last piece somehow was consumed in a matter of seconds. Watari was going to have to keep a better watch on him.

"Were these the conversation between the dealers or the thugs?" Mello seemed to calm down by that point.

"Both."

"Wow, you did accomplish a lot." Matt was truly surprised. He knew L was good at his job, but the audio was almost 48 hours worth of conversation. It would have been impossible to listen to it all in just twelve.

"Don't act so surprised. I expect the same amount of effort from all of you."

That got both Matt and Mello to shut up. Near merely nodded his head to agree.

"God I need something sweet. Where's my O-jay?" Alice walked in next. Her outfit of choice wasn't all that much better from her night gown. Her short shorts made her legs go on forever, her snake skin boots with the expensive brand name scaled in colors that were uncommon for a snake to have in the first place, and her spaghetti strand top with a silver sparkly vest showed off her shoulders and cleavage nicely. Watari sighed with defeat.

"Your orange juice is here." L pointed next to him, keeping his eyes focused on his cake. He had to remind himself that the boys were watching him. He couldn't risk giving anything more away, and that included eying Alice in a way that would not be appropriate. He was a grown man, how hard could it be to keep his thoughts clean?

Alice quickly made her way to the chair and sat down next to L. She grabbed the glass as if it were going to be her last, and chugged the liquid in a matter of seconds. Alice had almost missed the sweet sensation of the orange zest tingling down her throat. There was nothing like a glass of orange juice in the morning to make her feel whole again. When she slammed the cup on the table, she let out a sigh of content.

"Thirsty?" Matt couldn't resist.

"I refuse to acknowledge your existence," she huffed in return, turning her nose the other direction.

"That was a contradiction." Near set his fork down. "How could you refuse somebody who you believe to not exist?"

Alice gave Near a frown and glare. Near darted his eyes away awkwardly.

"I suppose I have diminished your insult by correcting you…"

"We need to start our work." L interrupted the tension in the room. Near was glad to see the glare come off him.

"I'll head out as soon as I'm done eating," Alice answered him. She noticed Mello's and Matt's eyes on her. They looked as if they wanted to say something, but were holding themselves back.

"Excellent. You will be using Matt's truck once again."

"But isn't his truck damaged?"

"You don't have to worry about the dent in the hood," Matt answered her this time. "I've already checked the motor and the trucks frame. All you damaged was the hood, and a dented hood will not affect the quality of how she will drive."

"As long as you don't drive into ditches anymore, then you should be fine." Mello came next, sounding bitter as always. Alice didn't give them any indication that she heard a word they said. Instead she turned to Watari and held out her empty glass.

"Refill please." She smiled brightly.

Alice drummed her fingers over the gear shift with annoyance. She was parked off on the side of the road that led to the city. She estimated she was about two minutes away. She had left the house knowing what her objective was, but she couldn't help but wonder about the conversation she had with Matt and Mello. Sure she was still upset with them and believed them to be the biggest liars to ever walk among mankind, but that didn't leave out the seed that was implanted in her head. The seed of doubt; her subconscious picked at her brain to rethink their side of the story and maybe give them the benefit of the doubt. It was preposterous to image, but her thoughts were already there.

Grunting loudly, she unbuckled her seat belt. She needed fresh air. She was just glad to have been given the opportunity to get away from them. After her breakfast, she made sure to get out of the house as soon as she could. But not without listening to what L had to say first. Before she had left for her little journey, L had to give her the secret location of the jacket and the watch. Apparently Watari had slipped the two articles in the back of the truck under some tarps and ropes. So closing the door behind her, she decided the time had come to start her work.

Matt and Mello were wrong about L. He wasn't keeping her away. She was obviously helping.

"Hey Alice,"

Alice leaped back with fright when she saw Doug come around the truck.

"Sonofabitch!" she hissed as she held her heart. "Doug! What ever happen to our deal? You were supposed to warn me!"

"I'm sorry. I just got so excited when I saw you. After the crash, I sort of got lost and couldn't find you."

Alice rubbed her forehead. "I can't help you right now," she sighed; Doug casted his eyes to the ground. Alice had never seen him look so defeated. She hadn't meant to sound so angry, but the boys had upset her so much. She needed to try and control her angry. Otherwise she was just going to make things worse. "I'm sorry Doug." She changed her tone. "I just…need more time. I promise I will help you."

No matter how hopeful she tried to make herself sound, Doug wasn't buying it. He turned away from her and started to rub the back of his neck.

"I don't mind," he lied. Alice could see it in the way his body was hunched over. Running a hand through her hair, she pressed her lips together tightly and internally slapped herself. She hated herself for not being able to help him. But an idea came to her that she should have thought of before. How could she have been so stupid?

"No, I can help you now." A smiled played at her lips. "Well, I mean, after I finish with my work. Then I'll be free for like five hours."

Doug's optimism came rushing back. "You mean it?" He just had to ask.

"Of course," she laughed with a snort. To prove herself, she walked over to the back of the truck and pulled down the door. There sitting in the very back was the rolled up tarp. Pushing herself up, she climbed in to retrieve it. "In this tarp are two objects that I need to analyze." She started to explain while pulling the tarp with her. "When I'm through with them, I will be free to help you find your friend Bleek."

"Zeek," he corrected her. She waved it off and jumped out of the back. Pulling the tarp the rest of the way, she let it fall to the ground.

"There we go," she mostly said to herself with triumph.

"How long will it take for you to analyze?" he asked, as if the word was foreign to him.

"That depends," was all she could say. She wasn't even sure herself.

Doug watched her start to unravel the tarp with curiosity. She had to unhook the knots that kept the tarp wrapped tight together. By the third knot, both of them were getting restless.

"Man. It's like those Christmas presents that are all taped up."

"Doug, shush, trying to concentrate here."

Doug covered his mouth and looked away. With the ghost distracted, Alice finally was able to get the last knot undone. Smiling with relief, she unfolded the tarp gleefully.

It didn't turn out to be as fascinating as she thought it would. It was just a plain grey jacket with some sort of logo Alice wasn't familiar with, probably the brand. The watch was a little fancier, but she wasn't impressed with the silver metal and black dials. She had seen more impressive watches on her father. Reaching down to touch the jacket first, she heard Doug gasp from behind her.

"Alice, wait!" He tried to stop her, but her hand already pressed down onto the fabric. The next thing she felt was a rush of cold air. She was tossed back to the ground and forced into a vision she had no control over. Through the eyes of the victim, she saw Joseph looking down at her. She felt so vulnerable and helpless. Like a pig in a slaughter house waiting to be hacked. She wanted to scream, but she found her lungs to be useless. Joseph's hands were curled around her throat tightly, forcing her to stop her breathing. She missed the taste of oxygen. She clawed at his hands to brake free, but he was too much for her. She tried to kick, but that was only wasting more of her precious energy. She was going to die, and there was nothing she could do to stop him. His eye's held a darkness behind them. She whimpered for him to stop, but that only seemed to please his appetite. She could already start to feel herself go. Beyond the pain she felt, she heard her name being called. Only it wasn't really hers. But she identified with the name as if it were her own. She wanted to call out to whoever was calling to her, but she had no voice.

"Alice!" Her vision started to blur. She needed to hear her name again. She pleaded out loud to call once more. The voice obliged and shouted her name again. She was sucked away from her vision like a vacuum. The next thing she knew, she was lying on the dirt with her hands around her throat, as if she had been trying to protect it. Tears formed around her eyes and she was shaking. Doug was kneeled down next to her, looking just as frazzled as she was. "Alice, are you okay?"

Her throat croaked when she tried to respond. Just seeing Doug in front of her made her vision all come together. It wasn't her that was being choked in the vision. It had been Doug. And the person who had been calling out to her had been his friend Zeek. Joseph was the one who had killed Doug. After his death, he took Doug's jacket and his identity. It was no wonder Alice had subconsciously said yes to L after he asked her if he knew who his victim was. She had been with his victim this whole time.

"What happened?" Doug pleaded with her. Alice could already feel his fear. The feeling was starting to make more sense as to why she had been so afraid of looking into Joseph's eyes. Unknowingly she had been picking up on Doug's fears while he was around. The uneasy feeling from the photo, the noise in the room that Jim had made, and the troubled emotional state that she had been on ever since she left for America, it was all starting to make sense to her.

"Joseph killed you," she finally managed to admit out loud. She hated the face Doug made next.

"I tried to warn you about the Jacket. It was mine."

"Why didn't you tell me you were killed by that man?" She sat up to reach Doug's eye level.

"I didn't know his name. He was just some thug who worked for the dealers."

Alice took a moment to look away from Doug and observe her surroundings. The road held no indication that there was going to be any traffic anytime soon. They were alone in the middle of nowhere. She ran a hand through her hair to try and get some of the dirt out.

"I heard Zeek calling out your name."

Doug seemed to cheer up after hearing his friend's name. "You saw him?"

"No, I only heard him."

"Is he okay?" Doug got more anxious. Alice desperately wanted to tell him that his friend was fine, but she didn't know. Nothing in the vision told her that he made it out alive. Just the fact that Zeek was there while Doug was being choked to death didn't give her much hope that he survived. If Doug was murdered, then it wouldn't be surprising to know that Zeek was too.

"I don't know." She gave the ground her full attention. Doug seemed to sync with her depression. They both sighed at the same time. Alice glanced up to see the jacket and watch still waiting on the tarp. After having a vision like the one before, Alice had to think twice about touching the watch. She didn't remember seeing the watch on Joseph's wrist or Doug's.

"Doug."

"Hmm?" was all Doug could say. He was too busy sulking to want to use full words.

"Whose watch is that?"

Doug took what little energy he could muster to look at the watch. His breath was taken away the second his eyes met with the ticking metal. He scrambled off the ground and ran over to the tarp. He fell to his hands and knees and tried to grab the watch. To his dismay, his hand went right through it. That didn't stop him from trying again though.

"It's Zeek's watch!" He got excited. Alice jumped off the ground to help him. Seeing Doug try and grab the watch concerned her, so she picked it up for him. The cold metal slid into her palm. Doug looked at the watch as if it were a god. "He's alive, right? Just use your special powers to find him!"

"Doug, I don't know if I will be able to."

"Please try!" He pleaded once more. Alice swabbed her thumb over the glass and tried to clear her mind. She really did want to help Doug, but the fear she went through before was still replaying in her mind. She swayed on her feet and closed her eyes. She rubbed the glass harder in hopes it would create something for her to feel. Nothing seemed to work. The watch felt empty, as if it had never been worn before.

"There's nothing Doug."

"Keep trying. There has to be."

"Did he ever even wear this?"

Doug was silent for a moment, rethinking his past of how Zeek dressed. His frowned deepened when he couldn't come up with images of Zeek wearing the watch.

"I don't know if he ever did…" The realization hit him. Alice groaned and dropped the watch to the ground. If Zeek never wore it, then it was no use to her.

"Then you're just going to have to tell me where to find him."

"But I don't know where he is."

"Do you remember the last place you both were?"

She didn't get an answer from him. He paced back and forth with a look that showed he was angry with himself. Alice could tell he was struggling with the memory. She had already felt his death, and never in the vision did his location ever come about. She assumed that's what Doug was thinking about as well.

While she waited for him, a subtle buzzing noise came from her pocket. Knowing her phone was ringing, she had to contemplate whether or not she should answer it. There was a possibility it was the boys she did not want to talk to. Or it was L checking up on her. She couldn't very well ignore L, so with a bit of effort to reach into her pocket, she pulled out her cell phone and flipped the receiver open.

"If this is either Matt or Mello, then I don't want to hear it. If this is L, then a happy hello to you."

There was a pause on the other end, as if the person had to think about how they were going to answer her. That gave her the answer she needed.

"I'm hanging up."

"Ace wait!" Matt finally used his voice. Just as she was about to shut her phone, Mello started to talk next.

"You're going to be gone for five hours, right?"

She stopped herself before the phone shut.

"How do you know?"

"L told you to be gone for five hours, right?"

"You eavesdropped on our conversation, didn't you?"

"No Ace, I didn't have to. That's the same amount of time it's going to take to interrogate Joseph."

"What are you saying?" Alice didn't like where the conversation was going. Mello wasn't using his angry-at-the-world voice. He sounded normal for once, which meant that he was being serious.

"I'm saying L has sent you away so we could interrogate the bad guy. He's keeping you away from the case."

"God, shut up!" Her voice cracked.

"He doesn't want you around while we work!" Mello's voice got louder. Alice threw her phone to the ground and watched the screen crack. The battery popped out causing the phone to shut down immediately. Judging by how hard she tossed the thing, she assumed she broke it. The thought made her feel better, but not enough to stop her from kicking the dirt with her boot. She refused to believe Mello. She wanted to kick him in the nuts for telling her lies.

But were they?

Should she really just dismiss the thought? If Alice just took a moment to look back at all the conversations she had with L about the case, then she would not find much. In fact, her so called objectives seemed pointless by that point. And how come she wasn't told about the interrogation? Why wasn't L telling her anything? Did he not trust her? Is he the one lying to her?

Rubbing her hands together violently, she turned her attention to Doug who was no longer walking back and forth. Instead, he was sitting on the ground with his head between his legs. Deciding on her own not to believe anyone of them, she walked over to Doug and coughed to get his attention.

"Let's go find your friend."

Doug wasn't sure what had happened to make her so determined, but he was happy to agree none the less.

"But we don't know where he is." He got up from the ground.

"Doesn't matter. I've got plenty of time to help you now, so let's go."

The moment felt like the time she ran away to take care of the ship with the diamonds. She was going to do what she wanted, and she wasn't going to take crap from anybody. But this time, the only help she was going to have was a dead druggy. She was just going to have to use what she had, and hope for the best. At least she had a vehicle; and even though she didn't know where Zeek was, that didn't mean she wouldn't be able to find him. He had to be somewhere in Texas, right?

Walking over to the truck, she pulled open the driver door and got herself ready. She was excited to be back doing what she pleased. It was a rush to be disobeying L and the others. Turning the key in the ignition, she was expecting the motor to roar to life. Nothing roared. The motor didn't even purr. Turning the key again, she hoped maybe it was a fluke. But the motor stayed silent. She was about to question the odd phenomenon until she noticed the little arrow on the gas meter to be on the letter E. She slammed her hands down on the steering wheel, cursing each time her hands made contact with the leather. Doug was sitting next to her watching the scene with dismay.

"Stupid truck!"

As she was attacking the wheel and cursing Matt's name, an idea came to her. She still had one other friend. She used to have his number until she destroyed her phone, but that didn't matter. They had still made a plan to meet each other again in town. The town was small enough, so she wasn't worried about finding him. Smiling to herself, she jumped out of the car. She was only two minutes away from the abandoned store, and the place where she was supposed to meet him. She thanked her lucky stars that she was a good flirt; otherwise she wouldn't have Eric to help her out.

THANK YOU ALL FOR READING!

Stormygio, mrs-sora-sparrow, XBloodMageRikaX, Itty Bitty Panda Committee, Yumeno, Me, VerityEldrich, Saber Amane, Bree Renee, HybridRebellion, KarinaAme666, J.J, MyNameIsReallyLong, KiyUzumaki, Echo coz thats my Wammy name, xGrellSutcliffx, and Bebbingtoe. (I'm so happy to hear from all of you! I literally danced while I was reading them all. It wasn't pretty. I'm not a good dancer. In fact, dancing should be illegal for me, that's how bad I am. Thank you all! I heart you!)

KanrasLittleSerpent: Oh good, your walls have been spared. I promise you all your questions will be answered in the future. Just keep reading to find out. =D

Cassiopeja87: Oh my, in one day? That's incredible! I have a lot written. Thank you for reading! I hope my story didn't keep you away from anything important...

Sakura Ichigo Morihiko: This one was hard, but I think I know the answer. Did the third brother buy a candle and some matches? Because I know light would fill the room.

freaksforever: 1,000 reviews is my goal for the story! So I'm crossing my fingers. I did have a KICKASS thanksgiving, thank you. =D

Smiling Rainbow: (Chapter 12) I like your name, it makes me smile. Watari would have been perfect for the caterpillar, I agree. Thank you for the recommendation! I hope your friends enjoy the story as well.

Bow Down To Gir: As long as you promise to squeal and twitch when you read my story, then I'm okay with your delayed reviews. In fact, I require all of those who read my story to squeal and twitch. And the romance will come. I'm building up the drama first. =D

AraCookie: I've never read that book, but it sounds interesting. I adore history. I hope this bed scene lives up to your expectations. =)

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Fluffy Chocolate Pie: Good god I love you...(Did that come off too strong?). Well I don't care. I meant every word. You seriously took up two pages of the reviews. I must say, I especially enjoyed your short story about the bumble bee named Charky. He entertained me. I also enjoyed your last review. I'm not quite sure what the message was, but I felt the love. Whoever that HAMana was, he or she really did have a way with words. My heart went all a flutter. I can't wait to hear from you again! Judging by all the reviews you've written already, I just know its going to be as epic as the rest. You know, its weird. After reading all your reviews, I feel as if I know you on a personal level. freaky...xD (P.S. love the name Hun. Classic)