Author's note: PLEASE REVIEW THIS STORY AND HELP ME WITH THE POLL I'M TAKING!!!!!!!!!!! Here's: the question: Have you always had the urge to feel Leon's ears? Please tell all of your friends and answer in your review. I'll post the results in chapter 3 author's note (maybe there will be another poll...) also: please pardon my Claude and Rena bashing.

Disclaimer: I couldn't pay them enough to own Star Ocean. So, I don't. If I did, Ernest's voice would be changed by now. Also, I would make Claude bashing an Olympic Sport.

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Part 1: Kentucky Fried Rena!!!

"OOOOONNNNNNIIIIIIII SSSAAAAMMMAAAA!!!!!!!!" Rena grabbed Dias' arm and led him into the shop. They had left from the camp roughly 2 days ago, and were now wandering around Lacour. Every shop they had come to was visited, every tavern avoided, and because Ashton came along with Rena and Dias, every barrel hugged and complimented.

Inside the shop, there were small chotchkies littering the floor, small wooden toys, and one large, colorful, antique, magnificent, wooden, barrel in the corner.

"BARREL!!!!!!!!" Ashton ran over to the barrel. " You are so colorful, but you looked best from the door." Then he ran to the door and admired it.

Rena bought several useless decorations and display items. Dias was bored shitless, and Ashton was awed by the barrel. After several hours, they emerged exhausted and broke.

"Shall we go back to the hotel? I want to see how these will look on me." Rena held up several gold-toned necklaces. Dias nodded agreement, and they checked into their room. Rena was occupied for the rest of the day trying on all of her jewelry. That night, they were all about to fall asleep when something happened.

Bowman burst through the door and ran over to Rena: "The love potion failed!!! I spent all day running from Celine! Quick, hide me!!!" He panicked and dove under the bed.

"What's this about a love potion? Who's it for? Who's Celine trying t- " she stopped abruptly and stood up. "Love potion... Celine... Claude.... it's all starting to piece together." She started out the room, furious at Celine's try at Claude. She suddenly found herself crispy.

"All right!!! That's it Bowman! Firebolt!!! Um....." Those were Celine's words as she also burst through the door and fried Rena.

Ashton stirred in his sleep. "Hmm.. Hum... barrels... Gyoro... stop that....".

Rena looked up at Celine, who was standing in the other side of the threshold. "Celine? Did you know that those were new necklaces?" she looked down at the molten puddle of gold on the floor. Rage distorted her disgustingly innocent looking face.

"Well, you see that I was... you weren't... Bowman, um, uh.... oh dear." Suddenly Celine found herself outside in the street at night, with a body shaped hole in the wall in front of her. "Darling Rena? What happened?" Rena stepped through the hole menacingly.

Then Dias came out the front door of the hotel. "Okay, break it up you two. Who's responsible?"

"She ruined my perfectly good new necklace, and fried me!!!"

"She punched me through the wall, and now I'm all dirty!!! It's her fault!"

"Celine was trying to take my Claude!!!" At this, there was a hurling of insults that if mentioned in the text, would bump up the rating one or two. It ended several minutes later when sparks flew. Rena flew backwards into the wall. Dias jumped in front of the fighting ladies and tried to stop the fight. Rena ran forward and kicked Celine. Celine fried Rena again.

"STOP!!!" Dias yelled. Someone across the street from a 3rd story window yelled "will y'all shut up? I've been tryin' to sleep, and there's all dis' cursin' and fightin' an' lightnen' I can't stand it anymore!"

Dias fell silent. Then Ashton came through the hole in the wall and started in a whisper:" Let's try to settle this diplomatically. Rena, you're mad because Celine tried to take Claude right? And also because she ruined you're necklace, right?" Rena nodded her agreement. "And Celine, you're angry because Rena... punched you, right?" Celine nodded as well. "Well then, how about we all apologize and get some sleep."

"Rena, I thought you were Bowman when I fried you. I'm very sorry about this. And the love potion was for... Chris. Yeah, Chris" yeah that's the ticket she thought.

"Rena said innocently, oh. I thought you were taking the love potion for Claude. I guess I overreacted. I'm very sorry." She turned scarlet and ran to Dias. "Oni-sama!" (author's note: this atmosphere is not from this Anime (with the running to the big brother and crying and all) if you can correctly answer which Anime this is from in your review, you'll have the pleasure of knowing that you got it right. Please be sure to leave your e- mail on your review so I can tell you whether or not you're right. Hint: think pink. Thank you!) Rena hugged him really long until Dias started turning purple.

"You-can - get off now." He could barely breathe. During the hug, everyone else had gone to bed, and the sun had begun to rise. They were all sleep-deprived and worn out, and Rena needed a shower badly to wash off all the ash.

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