Hisoka had always known that Illumi was a very strange character. He had extremely abnormal tendencies, like blatantly refusing to sleep in the perfectly good guest bedroom Hisoka had offered him a day earlier, when he had arrived at Heaven's Arena. It wasn't that big of a deal. Hisoka figured the assassin would just crash on the couch or something. But he was completely and utterly wrong.

The next morning, when Hisoka woke up, he was surprised to find that Illumi was nowhere to be seen. He had vanished without a trace. The only indication that he'd been there in the first place was a single golden-headed needle sitting on the glass coffee table in front of the couch, undisturbed. The cold metal glimmered in the morning sunlight filtering in through the full-length window set into the right wall, which also succeeded in giving the thin, razor-sharp point of the needle a wicked gleam.

Why Illumi had left that there was entirely beyond Hisoka. He made a mental note to ask about it later, and set about gathering up a fresh pair of clothes so he could take a quick shower.

When he moved to his little towel closet near his room, he was startled to find a pair of beady black eyes staring back at him the moment he opened the door.

Hisoka barked a laugh. "Seriously? How the hell did you manage to fit in here?"

"It's not hard." Illumi blinked a couple times. The raven-haired assassin had somehow managed to wedge himself in one of the shelves about halfway between the floor and the ceiling, using the couple towels that were there as a thin cushion between him and the hard, white wood of the shelf itself. His knees were drawn up so far they covered the lower portion of his face, making it obvious he had curled himself into an extremely tight little ball for the sake of sleeping on the shelf. "I could probably fit in an even smaller space if I tried hard enough. This is nothing."

"If you say so, but what I wanna know is why you decided to sleep here, of all places. Wouldn't a bed be so much more comfortable than whatever you wanna call what you're doing right now?" Hisoka asked, placing one hand on his hip and giving the assassin an amused look.

"I like it in here. It's comfortable. But, because this is your living space, if my current placement is inconvenient for you, I'll be sure to find a better spot to sleep." Illumi replied, without skipping a beat.

"Awww, I knew you cared. You're fine, darling, you can sleep there if you really want to." the redheaded magician offered Illumi a playful smile, his pointed features giving him an almost fox-like appearance as he did. "Are you sure you won't hurt your back sleeping like that? It does look awfully uncomfortable to me, like your pretty little spine might snap at any second." Hisoka couldn't help but lick his lips at the deliciously gruesome thought of Illumi's spine snapping.

Illumi just stared at him incredulously for a moment before saying, "Not possible. I'm not some delicate flower, y'know..."

Hisoka snickered under his breath and grabbed a towel off the shelf directly beneath the one Illumi had inhabited, lingering just a moment longer for the sake of eyeing the assassin with an insatiable curiosity. "You're so silly sometimes, Illu-chan. It's endearing, really." he said, running his fingertips along the edge of the shelf Illumi was occupying.

"You mean to tell me you don't sleep on shelves and things every so often?" Illumi asked, raising one eyebrow curiously. "It's not normal around here?"

"Nope, I've never done anything like that before. It's not exactly socially acceptable anywhere on the continent that I know of. Not because there's anything wrong with it, though. It's just strange."

"Oh. I wasn't aware of that."

Hisoka shook his head, turning and making his way over to the large bathroom so he could take a shower. He was still marveling at Illumi's rare ability to cram himself in such tight spaces despite being fairly tall. He was slender in build, his lithe body capable of bending in horrible ways that were painful just to look at, but that still didn't make his flexibility any less entertaining for someone as sick and twisted as Hisoka.

Illumi remained curled up in his cabinet before eventually deciding it was time to get up. With practiced, inhuman elegance, he unfolded his legs and pulled himself out of the cabinet in one swift, fluid motion. He smoothed down the wrinkles that had formed in his shirt from the rather odd way he'd spent the night and dusted himself off modestly, doing his best to tidy up his appearance a bit before stepping out of the closet (Hisoka had been kind enough to leave the door to the closet open for Illumi before he left.)

Illumi had gotten up earlier for the sake of showering, and his waist-length, perfectly straight black hair was still slightly damp because of it. That was the one thing he hated about having such long hair. It took forever to dry upon getting it wet, and it could be quite challenging to brush out at times.

He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, feeling the silky strands slide between his digits. Satisfied to find there were no tangles, he wandered into the living room, as silent as a spirit haunting a graveyard. He made himself some tea before settling down on the couch, crisscrossing his legs and sitting up perfectly straight.

A few wisps of steam rising from the porcelain cup in his hand flitted past his face, briefly catching his attention. He watched those thin tendrils of steam until they dissipated into thin air, contemplating his current predicament. He knew he had to go home, but he was surprised to find that he really didn't want to. He found himself longing for the freedom Killua had found when he ran away from home.

Was Killua really intelligent enough to realize that he'd wind up just like me if he didn't make a break for it as quickly as possible?

But what's wrong with me? Have I been setting a bad example as his older brother? No, that can't be right, I've always been so careful with him. And I've only ever done what Mother and Father asked me to do. I don't like that they made me train him myself, but... I suppose it was necessary...

Illumi sighed softly, almost imperceptibly. He hated not knowing what he was doing wrong. Clearly something wasn't right here, and he had no idea what it was or how to fix it. Hell, he couldn't even tell if it was a problem with him or with his parents. He was tired of wondering, tired of having to spend so much time contemplating these things.

The Zoldycks are supposed to be cold. Impassive. Distant. One might even say they are a species entirely separate from society.

This is the way I was meant to be. So why does it feel so wrong? It shouldn't feel wrong. It should be normal.

The young assassin was so lost in thought that he didn't register Hisoka's footsteps entering the room. He startled when Hisoka called out, "Hello again, Illumi-chan!"

"That was fast." Illumi mumbled, drawing his knees up to his chest and taking a small sip of his tea. It scalded his tongue, but he didn't particularly care. "You were only gone for about seven minutes."

"I wanted to spend some more time with you before heading out for the day. I've got some things I want to get done around town before the day's over, but I figured I wouldn't have to leave right away if I took a fast shower." Hisoka replied, his usual smug grin spreading across his face. He sniffed the air thoughtfully, eyes zeroing in on the little cup in Illumi's hand. "Peppermint tea, I'm assuming? You have good tastes."

"Thank you." Illumi dipped his head politely in response, though he barely registered the magician's words because he was still contemplating his current predicament.

"Hmm." Hisoka tilted his head to one side, noticing that the ravenet looked a lot more blank and detached than usual. "You look like you've been thinking hard. Do you mind if I ask what about?"

Illumi was silent for a moment before looking the magician dead in the face and saying, "I think I was born wrong."

Hisoka blinked a couple times. "That isn't at all what I thought you were going to say. How interesting." he took a couple steps forward and dropped into the seat beside Illumi, propping his chin up on his fist as he did. "What makes you say that?"

"Well, I'm not supposed to be unhappy. I'm not supposed to want anything more than the life I've been given. And, most importantly, I'm not supposed to have questions. I should be used to being a Zoldyck by now. Should be used to the somewhat unorthodox, isolated manner of living. But... I'm not, so... maybe that means I was born the wrong way. Something must be wrong with me." Illumi explained, lightly tapping his fingertips against the warm glass in his hands. He didn't mind discussing these things with Hisoka, seeing as the redheaded magician was just as messed up as he was.

"I don't think there's a single thing wrong with you, darling. In fact, I'm glad you're finally starting to realize what we've all known from the very beginning." Hisoka reached over and began playing with a loose strand of Illumi's hair, twirling it around his finger. Illumi didn't seem to notice at first, so Hisoka repeated the action twice more.

"What do you mean?" Illumi asked, giving Hisoka a deadpan look.

"I mean that your parents don't give two shits about you, darling. They're just using you for your skill, which rivals no other in my opinion." Hisoka explained, running the unbelievably soft, silky strand of jet-black hair between his index and middle finger before decidedly tucking it behind Illumi's ear. The assassin visibly cringed and shrank away from the touch, swatting Hisoka's hand away. "Oh, goodness, I almost don't have the heart to tell you this, but... the only reason your parents are constantly invalidating you and telling you that you aren't good enough because they know you're loyal to them. Undyingly so. As such, they're turning you into the most horrific monster they possibly can because that'll benefit them and their business."

"Horrific?" Illumi raised one eyebrow curiously. "How is being an assassin horrific? And, more importantly, what reason would my parents have to use their own son like that?"

"Lots of reasons, hun. They make a lot of money off you and the jobs you take on for them. Assassination may be a dirty, inhumane business, but it does pay extremely well. I know that for a fact because I used to dabble in it myself before I made it to the top of Heaven's Arena." Hisoka explained. He paused for a moment before adding, "Your hair is extremely soft, you know. You should let me touch it more often."

"Creep." Illumi rolled his eyes and made a point to scoot as far away from the magician as the small couch would allow. "My parents love me, don't they? Or at least, they should. Assassins should only ever love their family. If they really are just using me for money, that would heavily imply they don't love me."

"That's what I'm trying to tell you." Hisoka nodded enthusiastically. "I know it might be a bit hard to wrap your head around, but there's really no point in going back to them. They'll just keep on using you."

"Well, what else do you propose I do? I can't just run away." Illumi sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger as a means to stop himself from facepalming. "If I did run away, they'd find me and I'd have no choice but to go back. If I don't run away, I'll return to them empty-handed and disappoint them. Neither are which are very good options."

"You know you can stay with me until you've got it figured out. Nobody's forcing you to decide right now. All I'm saying is that you'd be a lot better off if you stayed away from them. They really don't care about you like you think they do."

Illumi grimaced. Hisoka's words struck a little too close to home. The young assassin had been raised to think that his parents loved him simply because they had told him that assassins were only allowed to love their family and no-one else. It had never really occurred to him that he was never good enough for them because they actually didn't love him, that they were just trying to keep him under their control for their own benefit. It did make sense, but it was extremely difficult for him to wrap his head around.

"What if you're wrong?" he asked, after a long pause. "You don't know my family like I do, so you might have it all wrong."

"We went over this just last night, darling. I'm never wrong. Would you like to come with me when I go out today?" Hisoka decided to change the subject, seeing as his efforts to help Illumi seemed to be doing more harm than good.

"Come with you?" Illumi's head shot up and he gave the magician a thoroughly confused stare. "Why would I do that?"

"You just don't seem to be in a good enough mindset to be left by yourself all day. I worry about you sometimes, you know." Hisoka bent over and plucked the golden-headed needle off the coffee table, the one Illumi had left there for whatever reason. "Would you mind telling me why this is on the table and not stuck in your skin somewhere?"

"Oh, I left it there so I could find my way back here. I'm not familiar with this city, and I don't want to get lost, so I figured my own Nen could act as a sort of homing beacon. That way, I can always make it back to this building no matter how far away I manage to get." Illumi replied, without skipping a beat.

Hisoka nodded his understanding and returned the needle to its original position, deciding he'd let it stay there since it served a very important purpose. He couldn't imagine what it would be like, trying to find Illumi in such a huge city. Seeing as the Zoldyck was trained to conceal his presence at all times, not even Hisoka would be able to find him very easily in a place like this. The unnamed city Heaven's Arena was built in was both massive and designed to confuse people. Most of the streets were constructed in such a way that they intersected each other at several different points, making it easy to take a wrong turn or end up wandering in circles without realizing. It certainly didn't help that the vast majority of the buildings in the city were made of the same material, so there were little to no landmarks around that could be used to help someone navigate the place.

It was almost like the creators of Heaven's Arena intentionally based it in such a difficult, messy area as a means of testing potential competitors. If you wound up lost in the city and unable to find the arena, you were probably too weak and pathetic to fight competently. It was no wonder why absolutely no directionally challenged people showed up at the arena. You either found Heaven's Arena, or you gave up trying. There was no in-between.

After a long pause, Illumi realized for the first time that Hisoka expected him to say something else and startled a little. "Sorry, I completely forgot about your first question. I wouldn't mind coming with you, but only if I know where you're going and why."

"Ah, perfect. I was hoping you'd say that. I've just got some unfinished business to handle around town, nothing too serious." Hisoka clasped his hands together behind his head and leaned back into the couch, eyes half-lidded and wandering over Illumi's still form with a keen sense of observance, taking in everything from the shimmering black hair flowing down his back to the pale stripe of smooth, soft-looking skin just barely visible between the hem of his shirt – which had ridden up slightly – and the waist of his pants. "There is one guy I have to meet up with who might be a little difficult, but he's weaker than both of us on our own let alone grouped up, so we have nothing to worry about."

"I wouldn't worry anyway. It is considered a high honor to die by the hand of someone stronger than you." Illumi declared, and Hisoka scoffed.

"You're so strange sometimes, darling. Anyway, we should be back here before the day is over, so we shouldn't be too terribly worn out by the time we return."

"Alright. I suppose I'll come with you, then. You've got me curious now anyway, this difficult guy sounds interesting."

"I like the way you think."

Once Illumi finished his tea, the two unlikely companions made their way out of Heaven's Arena and into the massive, maze-like city that had yet to be named.

Hisoka stole another quick glance at Illumi as they walked side-by-side. The ravenet was walking with his hands clasped behind his back modestly, his head held high in a show of dignified, eerie calmness. Because the Zoldycks had been trained to express absolutely no emotion at any given time, they often appeared calm on an unsettling level, never reacting to anything they observed around them. Illumi was no exception to this rule. His dull, seemingly infinite black eyes scanned over his surroundings at a slow, almost languid pace, taking in and memorizing everything he saw within an instant. It was both fascinating and incredibly sad.

Even in a relaxed, carefree environment, he still feels the need to analyze everything he sees as if this were some sort of crucial survival mission. There's always a hidden sense of urgency within him. He never relaxes, not even for a second. Hisoka thought, returning his attention to the cluttered city around him before Illumi realized he was being watched. He sees everything yet feels nothing. How empty and lonely his life must be.

Off to their right, a middle-aged woman dressed in expensive leather clothes began shouting furiously at the young man she'd been having a hushed conversation with mere moments ago. Illumi paused for a split second, regarding the dispute with curiosity in those abysmal eyes of his. He immediately started moving again before anyone could register the fact that he'd stopped in the first place, taking a couple large, rapid steps in order to keep pace with Hisoka.

"They're fighting because that woman there believes she is entitled to something the man owns. Sounded like a divorced couple to me, which is no surprise because of the age gap. My guess is that the man married her out of his desire for money, and when she refused to lend him her wealth, he started stealing from her." Illumi explained, as the woman's shrill, angry voice faded into the background.

Hisoka's eyes widened slightly. "How on earth did you figure all that out so fast?"

"I was trained to analyze potentially dangerous situations in which aggression may become a problem as quickly and subtly as possible, then to pass on my analysis to anyone else I'm currently traveling with." Illumi responded, flipping his hair over his shoulder and blinking at the magician as if absolutely nothing were wrong. "I was told that it might very well be valuable information, in the odd event that a situation turns hostile."

"Huh. That's interesting." Hisoka blinked a couple times, eyeing Illumi with newfound interest. "So, it's basically passing along potentially crucial information to your team in case something goes wrong. Like an early warning system."

"Yes, exactly."

They continued walking along in companionable silence, Hisoka mulling over what he'd just learned and Illumi quietly observing the crowd impassively like he had been before. He had already reckoned from the fairly simple way the townspeople were dressed that this city, large though it was, was not rich by any means. There also seemed to be an ever-present tension in the air, as if everyone was ready for a fight. It certainly wasn't a very friendly environment, so Illumi had to admit he was grateful to be travelling with someone else, even if that someone else happened to be Hisoka.

This nameless city was not the kind of place Illumi cared to get lost in, though he was fully capable of handling himself.

"The guy we're about to meet up with is pretty questionable, just letting you know. I'm pretty sure he's a suspect in at least three different first-degree murder cases, though I don't think the local authorities have ever found cause to actually arrest and charge him." Hisoka explained, glancing over his shoulder at the assassin, who had his hands clasped in of him rather than behind him like before. Hisoka took note of the subtle change in posture.

"How on earth do you end up dealing business with these kinds of people? Classic murderers are the lowest of the low, seeing as they usually do it as a means of seeking out vengeance. It's really quite petty." Illumi scoffed, giving the magician a look that implied he was not amused.

"He was interesting to me at the time we first started working together. Now, he thinks I owe him money which I obviously don't because I hate borrowing money from people, so my intention is to find him and figure out why he thinks I'm indebted to him." Hisoka explained, spreading his hands in a helpless gesture and shooting an apologetic look in Illumi's general direction. "You don't have to say anything if you don't want to, darling. You can just let me do the talking and we'll be out of there before you know it."

"You're mistaking my disgust for uneasiness. I don't like dealing with street rats like that, but not out of fear. It's more of a general contempt for people who think killing is an adequate way to get revenge." Illumi replied, evenly. He turned up his chin ever so slightly and added, "I will probably stay quiet because this is your business, not mine. You got yourself in this mess, and I believe you are more than capable of getting yourself out of it."

Hisoka snickered. "So bratty. But that's fine with me. I wouldn't encourage taking part in this discussion anyway. I neglected to mention that this guy's a bit of a creep, too."

"Even more so than you?" Illumi raised one eyebrow and Hisoka rolled his eyes.

"Yes, even more so than me. Damn brat."

Illumi flashed the magician what was most likely supposed to be a playful grin, but it never reached his cold, dead eyes. There was something about the insincerity of the smile that was particularly ominous, like a bad omen. Hisoka felt a shiver of excitement run down his spine and licked his lips. Really, he ought to kill Illumi one of these days.

A few moments passed before Hisoka located the alleyway he was looking for. It was near the outskirts of town, where only a few poorly dressed people were clustered, obviously up to no good. They didn't seem to care much when they noticed Hisoka and Illumi's presence, though their beady, hazy eyes lingered on the glittering, golden-headed needles protruding from various spots on Illumi's dark crimson vest. It quickly became obvious they were contemplating all the ways they could steal the precious, Nen-infused metal. Illumi walked past them without giving them so much as a second glance.

The moment the two males ducked into the alleyway Hisoka had indicated, they were met with a low, gravelly voice. "Ah, Hisoka. I thought you'd never come."

From the shadows stepped a tall, beefy man with coffee-colored skin, slanted, almond-shaped green eyes, and greasy, short-cropped black hair. He was clad in a thin white tank top and cargo pants, his massive arms folded across his chest and his round, heavily scarred face twisted into a sneer of distaste. He was taller than Hisoka by at least three inches, and if it weren't for the densely packed buildings rising up around them, he probably would've seemed intimidatingly large.

"Good to see you again, Ryoko!" Hisoka waved a hand in the air, smiling charismatically. "I heard you've been stirring up some trouble around here these days."

"The same could be said about you. How you've managed to maintain your status as Floor Master is entirely beyond me." Ryoko uncrossed his arms and tilted his head to one side as his eyes landed on Illumi. "That's quite the beautiful young lady you've got there. Is she one of your goofy little friends from Meteor City?"

Illumi couldn't help but bristle a little. "I'm a male."

"Yes, he is very pretty, but I regret to inform you that he isn't exactly a lady." Hisoka said, at the exact same time. "And no, he isn't from Meteor City."

"Oh, really?" Ryoko took a couple steps closer and leaned over, examining Illumi closely. The young assassin couldn't help but lean back a little, completely repulsed by the man's overpowering scent. Dead fish. He was obviously a fisherman or a butcher of some sort. Either that, or he just didn't bother with personal hygiene. "You're much too good-looking to be a male."

"He's starting to remind me of you." Illumi said to Hisoka, making a point to ignore the disgusting brute of a man standing in front of him.

Hisoka barked a laugh and moved to stand between the two. "His name is Illumi and he's tagging along because he had nothing better to do, obviously. Now, can we focus on the issue at hand?"

Ryoko eyed Illumi for a moment longer before nodding and taking a step back. "What's the problem?"

"You've been starting rumors that I owe you money, Ryo. Ridiculously large sums of money, at that. Pray, tell me: why would a highly successful Floor Master such as myself stoop so low and borrow money from the likes of you?" Hisoka cocked his head like a bird, still grinning from ear to ear as if this were a perfectly normal, casual discussion.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Ryoko shook his head stubbornly. "People start and spread gossip all the time around these parts. It could be literally anybody. But I can tell you right now that I'm not the guy you're looking for."

"Oh, really? That's funny, because you're the only person who could've done it. I'm used to being talked about in both negative and positive ways, but this kind of thing is something that could only come from someone who's very jealous of my success and wants to bait me into sharing said success with him, preferably in the form of money." Hisoka planted one fist on his hip, shifting his weight onto his right foot. He was obviously enjoying this. "You're an envious and bitter man, of that I'm sure. I know you did this because you just so happen to be the guy I caught trying to steal from me a few months back."

Illumi blinked. He was honestly surprised there were people out there who were actually stupid enough to try and mess with Hisoka.

Ryoko blanched, which immediately incriminated him as the perpetrator of these rumors. His body language was no longer lax and unconcerned. "I would not stoop so low as to start such petty rumors, you know. It's highly offensive that you think I would."

"You've stooped lower than that before, don't flatter yourself. If I were you, I'd think before opening my mouth. In fact, I probably wouldn't open it at all because you've demonstrated time and time again that nothing good ever comes out of it."

"You're the one who baited me into meeting with you! And let's not forget you dragged your little boyfriend into this." Ryoko snapped, gesturing wildly to Illumi, who was eyeing him with obvious disgust.

"I'm not his boyfriend." Illumi stated, calmly. "I'm afraid all your brash assumptions of me have been completely and utterly wrong thus far."

Hisoka shot the assassin an amused look before returning his attention to the massive brute of a man before him. "Yeah, what he said. This ties into my previous point that you really should keep your mouth shut, Ryoko. If you find yourself in a hole, stop digging. And, to put this in a simple way that you will understand, if I ever hear anything like this ever again, I'm going to kill you and feed your corpse to the pigs." though Hisoka's expression was calm and fun-loving, his glittering amber eyes told a different story. One of hatred and the promise of a slow, painful death.

Ryoko's face turned so pale he looked sickly. "U-Understood. You have my most sincere apologies."

"Good! Then I think we're done here. Come on, darling, let's go." Hisoka took hold of Illumi's arm and led him out of the alleyway.

Illumi grimaced, his entire figure tensing up. For the sake of his own dignity, he waited until he and Hisoka were a safe distance away from other people before yanking his arm out of the magician's grasp, mumbling a soft, terse "Don't touch me." under his breath.

"So? What did you think?" Hisoka asked, ignoring the spiteful look on the assassin's face.

"I think you should be more careful who you do business with. Although I don't doubt your skill, if that man had gotten close enough, he probably would've ripped you to shreds. He was much bigger than you in more ways than one." Illumi replied, folding his arms across his narrow chest and glaring at the magician indignantly.

"Noted. I haven't had to do business with... what was it you called him earlier? A street rat?" Hisoka waited for Illumi's nod of agreement before continuing, "Well, I haven't had anything to do with street rats since I first started out in Heaven's Arena. Once I achieved Floor Master status, I was financially competent enough to advance by social standards as well. Now, I'm working with people like you."

"Hmm, interesting. So I take it that Ryoko is a very old business partner of yours, then? When we first met, you'd been a Floor Master for two years running." Illumi tapped his chin thoughtfully as he and Hisoka made his way down one of the narrower, less crowded streets.

"Yes, precisely. I've known Ryo for at least seven years. Unfortunately, I wouldn't call us friends. Quite the opposite, in fact. Although he was a major help at first, he's not the kind of person you'd want to have a positive relationship of any kind with." Hisoka replied, voice adopting a bemused tone. He almost sounded exasperated, as if he'd been trying to get rid of Ryoko for years and years. Based off his facial expression, that was most likely the case. "He was good to me at first, but once I made it to the top of Heaven's Arena, he got envious. He's been trying to either kill me, steal from me, or damage my success in some way, shape or form ever since."

"Huh." Illumi blinked a couple times, processing this new information. "But surely he isn't stupid enough to try and kill you himself. Based on the fear he showed earlier, he's seen how dangerous you are firsthand." he added, after a brief pause.

"Precisely. He's a coward, he keeps hiring other people to do his dirty work for him. The victims of the three murder cases I told you about were weak. Pathetic. He's really one of the lowest slugs in this city."

Illumi grimaced. "I never really thought of it that way, if I'm being completely honest. I don't see some people as more righteous than others, or on a higher plane of existence. I mostly just categorize them as people I can do business with, and people I can't." he said, glancing around the quiet streets. There was nobody else present. He and Hisoka were completely and utterly alone. It was almost like the rest of humanity had vanished.

"Social class plays an important role in how people function, darling. It would do you some good to learn how all that works."

Illumi considered that for a moment. "Well, maybe you could teach me." the words were out of his mouth before he had a chance to think about them.

He realized he'd most likely made a huge mistake when Hisoka grinned at him and said, "Gladly."

A/N: I don't really have a lot to say about this one, other than the fact it is definitely one of the sloppiest chapters in this story and I desperately wish I could find a way to fix it. It was a lot of fun to write though, because it set the stage perfectly for events that will happen in the very near future.

I really hope you're enjoying this story so far! A review would be much appreciated, I'd love to hear from you!

-UltimatexAdmin