Chapter Forty-Nine: Schemes

Tomura's face was pensive as he digested what Hisashi had told him and the League about the Eight Precept's disastrous attempt to take back Eri. They were holed up in a new base—an abandoned house that wouldn't serve as a hideout for longer than perhaps a week at the most, but it would suffice for now.

The young leader was seated at the old, worn-down kitchen table as he watched his allies. Reactions to the attempted attack were mixed, but there was an atmosphere of disapproval to the news.

Himiko was practically bristling from where she sat on the bar, expertly twirling a switchblade in agitation. "You should've let me stab him, Tomura."

"It was too dangerous at the time," he retorted quietly. "I didn't want us to lose anyone else after Magne was killed."

If anything, that made her even more furious than before. "You aren't still thinking about joining forces with this sonofabitch, are you?"

"I agree," Spinner spoke up, his reptilian face perilously close to a snarl. "Whatever Chisaki's motives are, he obviously doesn't follow Stain's teachings. I mean, seriously? All this shit about torturing a little girl and turning her body into bullets? Fuck this guy."

Dabi hadn't said a word yet, but his eyes were smoldering with the closest thing any of them had ever seen to anger from the quiet young man. He glanced at Shigaraki tensely. "If you choose to support Chisaki, Leader, you won't get my help. I refuse to work with that bastard. Personal reasons."

"I have no intention of supporting him," Tomura answered them all clearly, causing the tension to deflate just the slightest. "He attacked Izuku. As far as I'm concerned, that means he attacked one of our own, even if the kid doesn't want to join us yet. But we're not going to ignore him. This is personal now."

Kurogiri's yellow eyes widened. "You intend to go to war?"

"Damn straight," Tomura stood up walked to the window, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "Well, I say that, but we're short on supplies right now. A full-frontal assault will probably end with the heroes catching on. It's too risky."

"What do you suggest, then?"

Tomura was silent for a few more minutes. "He just failed a critical mission, so he's probably agitated and desperate for allies right now. There's no way Izuku won't report his ass to the heroes for trying to take the girl. Who knows if they'll react fast enough, though. Those fuckin' Yakuza are bastards, but they're rich bastards. They've got resources. I'd bet every dollar I've ever owned that they have more than one hideout to hole up in."

Compress cocked his head to one side. "You think they'll go underground?"

"…Maybe," Tomura said at last. "I'm not sure how many extra hideouts they've got, or if they spread enough resources to sustain themselves undercover. There's no way they counted on losing the girl, or failing this mission. Even if they had backup plans ready, they're probably rattled. One of their big-shots got caught, too. That's gonna hurt them bad. If they put most of their eggs in one basket, say, in their main base, they'll be scrambling to either relocate or hide it all before the heroes come knocking. It's possible that they'll evacuate their main base, lay low for a bit, and then return to it periodically to continue running things."

Dabi scowled. "We don't have the means or resources to try and dig up all their hiding holes."

"I could ask Giran, but it would take some doing on his part," Twice offered. "Plus he's a good guy, he won't backstab any of his clients. Fuck those guys!"

"I don't want Giran to compromise himself, he's too valuable to us," Tomura shot the offer down. "Besides, he's the one getting Compress' artificial arm made."

Spinner glanced at Himiko. "Can't we just ask whoever it is that's paying for your meetup place to loan us a bit of cash? It would make this a lot easier."

"Unfortunately, that particular contact of mine is operating undercover," Kurogiri explained. "He can't afford to make too many unusual moves, or it could attract attention. Moving all of us to that hideout is also not an option—Izuku might trust Himiko, but he's wary enough of my presence as it is, never mind the rest of us."

"We're survivors, Spinner," Tomura interjected. "We'll figure something out, don't worry. I have a few ideas, plus Kurogiri is already looking into a few options for us. All we gotta do is rough it for a bit longer. But as for the Yakuza, we don't actually need to go hunting for them."

Hisashi raised an eyebrow. He hadn't spoken since he'd finished explaining the situation to the League, but now he was curious about Tomura's thinking. "How so?"

"Chisaki is desperate for allies right now after his organization got dragged through the shitter," the young leader replied. "And he did offer to work with us."

Dabi swore under his breath. "I told you—"

"—So we call, accept his offer, and then jump his ass at the meeting place," Tomura went on, silencing his ally with a look. "I have no intention of working with him. He's killed one of our own, maimed another, and tried to attack a person of interest to us. Spinner said it: Fuck this guy. I want him dead or in a hole so goddamn deep he'll never crawl out again."

"He'll suspect a trap," Hisashi pointed out. "He might be rattled, but he's not stupid. He's managed to make an enemy out of me twice now. There's no way he won't suspect you're up to something; between allying yourself with him or me, the choice should be obvious. At best, he'll summon you to his base alone."

"Yep, and he's got that one peon who can compel you to tell him whatever he wants. Say, if I had any plans to stab him in the back," Tomura continued with a wide grin on his face. "No matter how you slice it, if I wanted to betray him, that would be the worst place possible. I'd be completely surrounded with no hope of backup."

There was a brief pause of complete silence in the room. Kurogiri blinked at his charge in confusion. "And this amuses you for what reason?"

Tomura's teeth were bared in a vicious grin, his eyes glowing. "I've got an idea, but we could use a few extra hands. Mind setting up a meeting for me, Kurogiri?"

Toshinori got protective arrangements set up for Inko and Eri by the next morning.

Everyone agreed that Eri, being the main target of the Yakuza, was safest at U.A, so her transfer to Izuku's room was unanimous. Inko was a bit different—she was reluctant to completely leave the apartment alone until the raid on the Eight Precepts took place and she wanted to keep working, so they decided to hire a small team of heroes to keep an eye on her and the house until the criminals were apprehended.

Chisaki's failed attempt to take Eri had set off alarm bells for the heroes, and it was what Nighteye needed to organize a full-scale meeting with the sole intention of raiding the Eight Precepts.

It was looking like the assault would take place within a week. Two at the very most with delays.

The meeting would take place tomorrow, on Sunday. Then it was just a matter of time.

To say Izuku was anxious was the understatement of the century, but his anxiety dropped substantially as soon as Eri was safely inside U.A's protective walls and his mother was escorted back home by Toshinori, Cementoss, and Ectoplasm.

Now he was focused. Chisaki was in his sights.

This was not the time to completely lose his cool, or Nighteye would make sure he had zero chance of being involved in the raid. Having Eri with him helped—it was always easier to concentrate and keep his mind positive when he was taking care of her.

That being said, to say she was still frightened from their encounter with her former captors the night before was an understatement. Izuku had more or less decided that his entire day would be dedicated to making Eri feel safe and happy again.

So here they were, in his room, with the only light being the sun filtering in through the windows. Izuku cradled Eri close to him where he sat on his bed, running his fingers through her hair absently as she just held onto his shirt. She hadn't eaten much today, but all she wanted was to cuddle. He'd encourage her to eat later, when she was feeling a little better.

After a couple of hours of just absorbing one another's presence, the pair were disturbed by a light knock on the door. Eri tensed, but Izuku lifted his head from her hair and eyed the door speculatively for a moment before he called softly. "It's unlocked."

There was a short pause, and then the knob turned and pushed the door open slowly. The familiar, big brown eyes of Ochako peeked through the small opening to peer inside. She offered a tiny smile and a wave. "Just wanted to check on you guys. Is it ok if I come in?"

Izuku glanced at Eri, who had relaxed just the slightest. She knew Ochacko, even if she was nowhere near as comfortable with her as she was with Izuku or Katsuki. He looked back at his friend and nodded. "Yes. Close the door behind you?"

"Sure," Ochako slipped inside and quietly closed the door, then made her way over to the bed to sit beside Izuku, though she kept enough distance so Eri wouldn't feel crowded. "How are you two doing?"

"A little better," he answered honestly.

Eri looked up at Ochako, who met the child's stare with a gentle smile. "Hi, Eri."

"…hi," was the response her tiny voice answered with. She remained tucked into Izuku's chest, but was willing to watch Ochako without fear. It was a relief to her guardian that she hadn't completely reverted to the way she was when he first rescued her.

Ochako looked back up at Izuku somewhat hesitantly. "Um…so I was talking with Katsuki and a few of the others downstairs. We thought it might be a good idea—you know, since Eri is gonna live here now—for her to get to know the rest of us better, so she feels safer?"

Izuku hesitated and glanced down at Eri, who seemed unsure of the idea. Ochako was quick to go on. "It doesn't have to be now, of course. We all want Eri to be comfortable first."

Eri and Izuku exchanged a look with one another in silence, an unspoken question passing between them. Eventually, the child nodded slowly and then waited to see what her guardian's verdict would be.

"Alright," Izuku agreed after a few more moments of silence. He lifted a hand to touch Eri's shoulder gently. "But you tell me if it gets to be too much, ok? We can leave whenever you want."

Eri nodded again and then leaned forward to wrap her arms around Izuku's neck, keeping herself steady as he stood up with the child in his arms. Ochako followed suit and led them to the door, hoping that everything would go well.

Every member of Class 1-A was gathered in the lobby when Izuku and Ochako came down with Eri, hustling about to get various tasks done. Tenya, of course, was at the lead, organizing everything as best he could with constant hand-chopping motions.

Rikido was busy in the kitchen working on desserts while Katsuki and Tsuyu cooked up a hot pot of various meats and veggies for the entirety of the class. Denki and Kyoka were at the television messing around with some DVDs they'd procured, though it seemed like a movie had already been decided and Kyoka was just steadily refusing all the secondary choices Denki threw at her.

Toru had apparently enlisted the help of Mina to create a huge blanket fort around the couch and gotten Hanta to keep it together with his tape while Mezo and Mashirao helped get it into place. Kouda was in a corner of the room with a tiny rabbit, who seemed somewhat nervous about all the noise, though its master was calming it with soft words.

Yuga was frenching the place up with various comments and poses that might have been attempts to encourage everyone else. If nothing else, it was entertaining.

And Shoto was—

Izuku blinked with utter bewilderment as he took in the costume his bi-colored classmate was wearing. He got a blank stare in return while Momo, who had apparently created the outfit, looked rather proud of herself.

"I thought it would suit the movie we're watching," she explained when Izuku and Eri continued to stare at Shoto in confusion. "'My Neighbor Totoro.'"

Ochako tried to suppress a giggle and failed. "Don't you mean 'My Neighbor Totoroki?'"

Izuku snorted at that, though Eri still looked unsure. Shoto was unperturbed by his appearance. "I asked what I could do to help and Momo suggested this might be a good idea. What do you think?"

"It's surprisingly cute on you," Izuku admitted, grinning.

Shoto bobbed his head in agreement. "I might wear it for Halloween, too. Mom and I used to watch this movie a lot when I was small. I don't remember it much, though."

Eri finally couldn't repress her curiosity and looked at Izuku. "Izu? What's a Totoroki?"

"It's the costume he's wearing, Eri," Izuku explained. "He's dressed like a movie character called 'Totoro', and his last name is 'Todoroki', so they combined the two to make 'Totoroki'. Get it?"

She tilted her head. "Oh."

The reference clearly went over her head for the most part since she'd never seen that particular film, but Izuku didn't mind explaining it to her. Eri tended to prefer having a grasp on what was going on instead of being kept in the dark. It made her feel more comfortable.

"So what's the plan?" Izuku asked uncertainly. "Ochako mentioned you all wanted to spend time with Eri and I?"

Momo nodded. "We thought it might be good to let you two unwind…Give Eri a chance to settle into the dorms with the rest of us. And you need a night to just not be so wired. You've been so tense lately. Everyone's noticed."

He ducked his head guiltily. "Sorry. It's been…difficult."

"We understand," Ochako reassured him. "We just worry, you know?"

Speaking of which…

Izuku cast his gaze back towards the kitchen where his best friend was still furiously cooking the hot pot, and leaned closer to Momo and Ochako. "Umm, has anyone—"

"You let me worry about our explosive friend," Momo interrupted him with a reassuring pat on his shoulder. Her smile softened slightly. "I'll make sure he doesn't forget to rest."

The boy's shoulders slumped in relief. It was a load off his mind for someone else to share his worries—in this case, the worry that Katsuki would run himself into the ground while Izuku was just as stressed out. There was only so much good beating each other into oblivion could do for them.

"Alright, you guys!" Mina called to them from the living room, clapping her hands. "May the small horn princess and her two shining knights report to the pillow fortress for movie time!"

Katsuki yelled back. "I'm not done cooking!"

"I'll take over!" Rikido said.

"That ain't your call!"

Mina grinned devilishly. "We have a rogue! Bakusquad, you are called to duty!"

Katsuki turned to glare at her. "Baku-what?!"

While Mina had his attention, Eijirou and Hanta snuck up on the spiky-headed blonde and managed to wrap him up and restrain him in an instant. Their would-be victim immediately began to struggle furiously. "LEMME GO, JACKWAGONS!"

"No-can-do, mister knight!" Eijirou quipped with a cheeky grin. He was practically bear-hugging Katsuki from behind to keep him trapped in Hanta's tape. "Alien Queen's orders!"

"I'M GONNA COOK YOU NEXT!"

"Cannibalism is taboo in society, Katsuki," Momo walked over to the less-than-pleased captive and smiled at him somewhat teasingly. "Let Rikido handle the rest of the hot pot. You've done plenty."

"Why should I?" The blonde snapped, looking less-than-threatening given that he was wrapped up in tape and being held up by Eijirou.

"Because…" Momo leaned forward slightly to whisper something to the teenager, who blinked owlishly for a moment as he processed what she'd said. Eijirou, who had been close enough to hear, looked utterly lost. Momo patiently waited while Katsuki chewed on her words.

"…Ok, fine."

Mina whistled, impressed. "Momo, what sorcery are you practicing? I wish I could make him agreeable!"

"She probably bribed him with a grenade or something," Kyoka called to Mina with amusement in her voice.

"Shut it, Heart Throb," Katsuki muttered as he was unceremoniously carried over to the pillow fort and deposited in front of the TV. Ochako escorted Izuku and Eri to his side a moment later.

"Alright, start the movie!" Ochako cheered enthusiastically. "It's been ages since I saw Totoro!"

Eri looked up at Izuku. "What's it about?"

"You'll see," he told her, squeezing the little girl tight against his chest. She snuggled close to him, content with the comforting pressure of her guardian's embrace.

Katsuki glared down at his restraints. "Am I stuck like this for the whole thing?"

"I'll let you go when the food is ready," Momo promised.

"Why not earlier?!"

"Shh! It's starting!" Toru hushed him.

Twenty minutes into the movie, Rikido told everyone the hot pot was ready. Mezo and a couple of others went to the kitchen to get utensils and bowls for everyone, then brought over servings for each of the teenagers a few at a time.

Momo finally released Katsuki from his bindings. He retaliated by plopping his head on her lap and refusing to move—even when she had to eat.

To her credit, the girl took it all in stride.

Izuku watched as Eri took a bite of her food and leaned down to press a kiss to the crown of her head. She stilled and eagerly accepted the contact.

"Happy?" He murmured against her hair.

"Mmhm," she hummed, her mouth still full of food.

She felt a lot more relaxed, that was for sure—he could tell from the way she was lying slack against his chest. Izuku knew that her quiet spell was due, to some extent, because she wasn't totally comfortable yet, but she definitely seemed happier watching the movie and eating together with the rest of Class 1-A.

It was a start.

At some point, Katsuki reached over with his hand, not looking away from the TV, and found Eri's arm, then worked his way down until he could give her much-smaller hand a firm squeeze. It was probably meant to be a brief contact, but Eri decided to extend it by refusing to let go and holding the blonde's hand between both of hers.

Katsuki visibly turned an angry red from the way Toru and Mina cooed over the sight, but he was kept from exploding by Momo covertly sneaking a hand in to run her fingers through his hair. That got him to relax just enough to keep from jumping up and seeking fiery retribution for his perceived slight.

Izuku didn't dare give his best friend more than a brief glance for fear of somehow inciting his wrath, but he was pretty sure this was the most peaceful Katsuki had felt in a very long time. He was around the people he was closest with in such a…non-aggressive state. In fact, as the minutes ticked by, Katsuki's eyes began to flicker and slide shut, seemingly of their own accord.

It was a side of his best friend Izuku only saw very, very rarely, and he immediately made a mental note to have these little events more often. Somehow, he felt that Katsuki needed these moments more than he could possibly imagine.

The same could be said for Izuku.

He was warm and full and sleepy, and he felt happy. A lot of the tension had been pushed to the back of his mind, where it lay down as a dormant beast finally weary enough to just rest. Eri was content in her place in his lap as they watched the movie, Katsuki was drifting off into a state of half-sleep, and Izuku would've been lying if he said he wasn't being lulled by the warmth radiating off of Ochako, who was sitting so close to him that their shoulders were almost touching.

His friends were here, as well as two of the people who were closest to him in life, and they were all comfortable and relaxed. It was a rare peace in their lives as heroes in-training.

He desperately wished that peace would last…

Almost as if to interrupt that train of thought, his phone decided to start vibrating insistently in his pocket.

Eijirou shot him a disapproving pout. "Bro…"

"Sorry," he mumbled back sheepishly, fumbling to extract his phone from his pocket. He glanced at the caller ID and stilled for a moment.

"…Katsuki, can you take Eri for a minute?"

Eri looked up at Izuku with worry as Katsuki opened a single eye to give his friend a sharp look. His voice took on a low, dangerous undercurrent. "Why?"

"I have to take this," he murmured, returning Katsuki's glare with a meaningful expression. The blonde rolled his eyes and sighed, then reluctantly reached over.

"C'mere, Eri," he carefully tugged the girl from Izuku's lap and over to himself and Momo. "I'm more comfy to lay on, anyways."

Izuku rolled his eyes in amusement. Trust Katsuki to find a way to make everything a competition.

He gave Eri a quick kiss on the head. "I'll be just a second."

"Ok…" she replied hesitantly. She was clearly nervous about him leaving, but tucked herself into Katsuki's side and returned to watching the movie.

Izuku got up and slipped outside, answering the phone as soon as the door closed. "Hello?"

"Izuku, hey," Himiko's voice answered from the other end of the call. "Is this a bad time? You took a while to answer."

"No, we were just watching a movie," he reassured her.

"Sorry I dragged you from it. Which one?"

"'My Neighbor Totoro'."

"Aww, I loved that one when I was a kid!"

"It's a great movie," he agreed, fidgeting slightly in place.

Himiko went quiet for a second before letting out a sigh. "So…um, look. I called just to let you know that Tomura is calling in a group of villains for a meeting."

Izuku went still. "Chisaki?"

"No," she refuted, causing him to relax slightly.

That all went out the door a moment later.

"He declared war on the Eight Precepts."

Izuku's blood froze. "He did what?"

"He's going to set the League against Chisaki," she told him. "The attack on you the other night was the last straw for him. The rest of us too, for that matter. Tomura wants Overhaul and the rest of the Yakuza dead or gone. These new villains are old allies of All for One he's trying to recruit so we can fight them."

He felt his heart lurch as he realized what she was saying. "No. It's too dangerous! You know what they can do!"

And really, wouldn't it be better if the League and the Eight Precepts destroyed each other? Two of Japan's most sinister criminal organizations perishing in a territorial dispute? There wouldn't be any hero or civilian casualties, probably. The problem would, essentially, solve itself…

Except she would be there in the thick of it and it made Izuku sick to his stomach.

"Overhaul could've killed you," Himiko retorted. "He could've taken Eri. I was pissed as hell when your dad showed up and told us what happened. Chisaki could've killed you just like—like Magne."

"If it's too dangerous for me, it's too dangerous for you," he shot back, referring to their last meeting in person.

She was silent for a moment. "That won't stop Tomura."

Of course it wouldn't, but still—

"When?"

"I don't know. Soon. He knows the heroes are on the Eight Precepts' trail, so I figure he'd want to hit them sooner than later."

Izuku squeezed his eyes shut, trying hard not to envision the bloody battle he knew would take place as soon as the League and Eight Precepts started to fight. Himiko's voice on the other end of the line managed to pull him from the dreadful idea. "I know how to fight, Izuku. I'll be ok."

She was right. Her status as a Chimera aside, he knew full well that Himiko wouldn't go down without a fight. She was skilled and perfectly capable of taking care of herself.

But all he could think of was that it would take just one lucky shot from the Eight Precepts with those Quirk Erasing bullets and she would be—

"I'll be careful," she was saying. "I always am—"

"Promise me," he blurted out.

Her voice faltered. It was unfair of him to ask such a thing of her—unfair of him to ask it of anyone involved in the conflict, be they hero or villain. That was just the state of their circumstances.

"Promise me you won't get hurt."

It was completely unfair but he…

"I promise."

Her tone was quiet, softer than he was used to, with the slightest bit of trepidation. This was crossing a line for both of them, leaving behind any sort of professionalism and making things more personal.

"I should go," she told him suddenly. "The meeting is gonna start soon."

"Ok," he nodded to himself. "Um…text me when you're done?"

"Sure," she replied, sounding a bit more amused. "Shouldn't take long."

"Right. Well…see you."

"See you…"

Himiko hung up and stared at her phone for a moment in silence at Izuku's contact info.

She shouldn't have done that. It was practically an unspoken rule in their line of work that you should never make promises, especially given her current position. There was every chance that, despite her skills in combat, she could get herself killed in this upcoming battle. That was just a fact of life.

It would've been easy to just flippantly promise Izuku that she'd be fine. To dismiss his worries—and that was what it was, wasn't it? He was worried about her…

That knowledge made something in her throat become tight.

She hadn't half-assed this promise to him, though.

Everything in her experiences told her she was getting too close to him. Had already gotten too close. There were too many promises between them, promises that were very rapidly blurring the boundaries of their already complicated relationship.

Do you remember why you cannot get close to anyone, girl?

Himiko shivered in place as she tried and failed to push that particular memory aside—a memory of a teacher she couldn't remember and the open threat that she somehow knew would be followed through should she break the rules.

You remember what you do to any person you grow to care for, don't you?

She remembered.

But she wanted to forget. Because surely…surely that history of hers was done ghosting her every move.

…Right?

A/N: Happy birthday to me! This chapter was rude to write!

I honestly don't know why, but this particular chapter just did NOT want to cooperate, which is why it's so much smaller than I originally intended it to be! Between that and work, which during the holiday season has just been...horrifying. I haven't gotten to spend as much time writing as I'd wanted. I'll be trying to update with the anime again before too long, though. I hope to have chapter fifty out by the time New Years' rolls around. Anyways, this is way shorter than I wanted it to be and I know it's not what everyone was hoping for, but it's a build-up chapter.

As always, the discord is still open for newcomers! Leave a review (can't do it for guest reviews, though) or PM me if you want to join in!

I keep forgetting to mention this, but Viridescent also has a TV Tropes Page! Please check it out and, if you know your way around it, (which I don't, btw) feel free to add to the collection of tropes!

Now, onto the review responses for chapter forty-eight!

uchihaNaruto247: Ugh I sympathize so much for hisashi, but I don't remember much but are inko and toshinori together or something or are they just friends?

-Hisashi's had it rough, but a good bit of that is kind of his own fault. Inko and Toshinori aren't together, though they've reconnected and are close friends again. Who knows what might happen in the future?

Deku321: So Endeavor, who's only ruined the life of 1 family, is worse than Heat Viper, who's ruined the lives of thousands of families?

-Not necessarily. In terms of who is a better person, I'd argue it's probably Endeavor due to his hero work. In terms of who is the better father, however...I'd say it's probably Hisashi. Hisashi loves his son- Endeavor always saw Shoto as a means to an end and little more until recent events. That doesn't change the fact that Hisashi is a villain and Endeavor a hero, but in terms of parenting, I think Hisashi just slightly edges him out here. Not that that's much to go off, but you get the point.

Mazongian: This felt like it was super needed, some kind of sit down between the family and some kind of closure for Inko and Hisashi. I also love the added depth to Hisashi. He feels like such a genuinely interesting character, loving and imperfect. And I have to ask something. Do you have set in stone who Izuku is ending up with, or are you just writing and seeing where the characters take you?

-Yeah, the family has needed to have a sit-down and talk to one another for a very long time. Hisashi was always going to be one of those characters that I had to write more in-depth because he's so integral to the storyline. His relationship with Inko and Izuku especially is one of the most important aspects of his character, and that's really where his true self comes to light is when he's with them.

I have yet to completely decide on who Izuku will end up with romantically. For now anyways, I'm just letting the story carry me along. I have some ideas, but I'm not telling~

TheGreatBubbaJ: Perhaps it was Nighteye that betrayed them, because he was worried about how such an interaction would affect All Might's image.

-Assuming Nighteye betrayed them (and I will neither confirm nor deny anything), he'd have definitely consulted All Might about the matter first. He's always been a lot better at approaching things practically when All Might sometimes lets matters get a little too personal. If anything, he would've been good for helping All Might keep his cool.

That's all for now, guys. Sorry the chapter was so short, but the next one will be longer, I promise! As ever, please review and thanks for reading!