Disclaimer: don't own any of the characters in this fic... except for
Kenji... and I killed him, so I suppose I don't own anyone anymore.
AN: I'm back from under my rock and I've brought a new chapter with me as a peace offering. Only one more chapter after this one I'm afraid. And by the way everyone - Stop nit-picking! The story isn't over yet and you're already going at me for making the prophesy wrong - I haven't - because I haven't finished yet... jeez...
Two Faced
Hateful Goodbyes
(do I come up with the cheeriest titles or what?)
Mr Higurashi looked up from his lap top as his daughter came stumbling into the hotel suit, dripping from head to toe in tomato juice and scratched up to hell with rose thorns. A strange feeling of déjà vu came over him as thirty or so more bodyguards filed in behind her.
"Dad!" Kagome whined. "I wanna go back to the Southern territory..."
"You weren't saying that two weeks ago." He told her.
"Two weeks ago everyone loved me!" Kagome snapped, though she was close to tears. "Because they all thought I was going to kill the demons - and I failed and now they all hate me! And those who hated me all love me now! It doesn't make any sense - I can't win no matter what I do!"
"Princess..." he just sighed.
"I thought you said all this would come to an end with the prophesy was over!" Kagome croaked. "It hasn't! How long is this supposed to continue?! How come this infallible prophecy failed, huh?!"
"Kagome, it didn't."
"What?" Kagome blinked. "Then where are all the dead demons?"
"It hasn't failed, because it hasn't happened yet." He took off his glasses as he looked at her. "Yesterday was a coincidence... the real deal is yet to come."
"But... but... I was dying... but Inuyasha saved me - he stopped the prophesy!" Kagome protested. "Everything that that script said would happen, happened yesterday! It's over!"
"Did you die? Did the demons die? Was the world cleansed?" he shook his head. "The prophesy didn't work out... it always works out so it can't have happened yet."
"But..." Kagome faltered. "When will it come then?"
"When you lead the world into light." He suddenly smiled and crooked his finger. "But I've just had a wonderful revelation..."
^_^
"Do you think he can hear us?" Sango asked idly as she plaited her hair.
"I hope not... otherwise he'll probably tell everyone that we were making out in the closet." Miroku said, tapping his fingers on his arm rest in time to the beeping of the heart monitor.
"Oh, you'd just hate that wouldn't you. Wouldn't want anyone to know you're being a legend again." Sango said sarcastically and glanced back at Inuyasha's pale, perfectly still face. "If he could hear... he'd probably tell you that you were an idiot for thinking he would even wake up to tell people that..."
"You're right... Mr Negative would say that wouldn't he?..." Miroku sighed and let his head loll back. "How long do we have to sit here?"
"Until Kagome gets here." Sango huffed angrily.
"Right, right." Miroku placated her quickly. "Just asking..."
They lapsed into silence again and Sango frowned with worry. "I can't get used to this... he looks like an entirely different person..."
"Yeah... his whole hair and ears..." Miroku cocked his head. "Check if his eyes have changed colour."
Sango leaned over and pulled at Inuyasha's eyelashes. "Yep... they're like yours."
"Cool."
"Mm... and without that perpetual scowl on his face he looks like..." Sango struggled for something. "Someone who Inuyasha might kick the crap out of..."
"He might kick the crap out of you for saying that when he wakes up." Miroku commented.
"Yeah right - I could take him even when he was a hanyou." Sango grunted. "He'd have no chance."
"Right..." Miroku rolled his eyes and was about to add something more when the door opened and Kagome slipped in.
"Hey..." she said quietly in greeting before turning quickly to shut the door before anyone else could enter... anyone like her bodyguards. "Will you just go mug some Mafia goons!" she snapped through the crack in the door. "I'm with my proper bodyguard now so beat it!"
"Is it raining outside?" Sango asked, noting that Kagome's hair hung in wet tresses around her shoulders.
"No - just had to take an emergency shower." Kagome explained and slid her gaze to the bed. She visibly swallowed and flexed her fingers. "Has anything happened?"
"No... he's still asleep..." Sango said. If there had been anything positive to tell Kagome she would have said so, but the doctors didn't think he would pull through in his present state... and that was something she didn't want to tell Kagome. But then again, she didn't really need to.
"Ok..." Kagome sighed and sat on the empty chair closest to Inuyasha's bedside and went still as she watched his face. Sango pursed her lips and looked at her watch.
"Let's go get some coffee, Miroku." She announced, standing up.
"Don't like coffee." He responded.
"Then let's get some Tea."
"Yuck..."
Sango clenched her fists. "Let's just go, alright?!" she snapped and all but shoved him out of the door. No point being subtle with Miroku around.
Kagome sighed when she was finally alone with Inuyasha and thought about what she was supposed to do now... She guessed she should probably talk to him.
"Um... Hi..." she said with a slight reply. What, did she expect him to reply? She shook her head at her own silliness and tried again. "Um... if you can here me... blink... or sneeze or something..."
Inuyasha remained completely still and unresponsive. But that didn't exactly mean he wouldn't hear her. Kagome sighed and decided she had nothing better to do... besides... it helped to talk things out of her system, even if the person she was talking to couldn't respond.
"I... I talked to dad... he wasn't happy about what you did... but I made him realise that you aren't that bad..." Kagome cringed. "But he still really doesn't like you anymore..."
She sighed and twined her fingers with his limp hand. "He talked to the other people... and you aren't going to be executed anymore..." Not that it made much difference anyway. Her head drooped and she brought his hand up against her chin. "If you could just wake up you could enjoy your freedom and-"
As if on a cue, Inuyasha suddenly sucked in a breath and the heart monitor skipped a beat or two. Kagome's heart also started to thunder in her chest as she watched him with rapt attention. He was waking up!
After almost a full minute Inuyasha found the will to force open his eyes and glanced at her blearily before closing his eyes to relax again. "K'gome..."
"Hey..." She smiled happily and squeezed his hand. "How do you feel?"
Inuyasha didn't answer. His head tossed to the side and stirred restlessly as if he was deliberately trying to wake up properly, but his mind was ahead of his body and he was still only semi-conscious. His movements caused his oxygen mask to slip off slightly, going askew. Kagome quickly righted it with her free hand. "Careful... you're not awake yet."
Inuyasha drifted off again as Kagome reset the mask and it took a few minutes before he began to rouse again. "Is it over?" he slurred, making her look up at him.
Kagome nodded and smiled. "Yeah... it's over... it's all ok now..."
Inuyasha's eyes were still closed as he sighed and tried to push himself up. Kagome deliberately forced him back down, worried at how easy it was to just push him back down. "Don't do that, you're injured badly, Inuyasha."
"How...?" he managed to rasp.
"How what?"
"How badly?"
For a moment Kagome contemplated on sugar coating it for him... avoid telling him the truth in case she might worry him and turn him to an early grave. But she knew Inuyasha wasn't a wimp... he could handle it...
"The doctor says... half your original volume of blood has gone... your demon blood. Mine's gone too... I'm normal again." Kagome swallowed. "And all the human blood you have left is halved as well because of all your internal bleeding and flesh wounds. You have serious blood loss..."
"No kidding..."
"Don't try and be funny right now, it's not working." She told him bluntly, but still with a smile. "The doctor honestly doesn't think you'll survive the night..."
Inuyasha blinked open his eyes for a moment, tried to focus on her, failed, and closed his eyes again with a slight frown.
"But you have to prove him wrong, right?" she chided, jiggling his hand slightly. "Right?"
Inuyasha turned his head away slightly, not wanting to face her anymore.
Kagome was about to go on when a muffled shout from outside stopped her. She glanced towards the door as a loud thud sounded, followed by a series of muffled curses and even more thuds. Kagome stood slowly and started towards the door, but started as it was thrown open before she could reach it. For a brief moment she froze, searching to recognise who had just entered, until she gasped in remembrance. It was Yura...
"It's not over - you'll still kill us." Yura stormed forward as Kagome quickly backstepped. "If I make you demon you won't do it - and you won't be able to purify yourself again!"
She screamed this as she tugged a vial of the black blood from within her shirt. Kagome spotted it at once and held her hands up. "No! Somebody! Help me!"
She wasn't even going to try and take on Yura, she wasn't a complete idiot, her best bet were her lame bodyguards. Just as Yura pulled her arm back to slosh the blood over Kagome, the bodyguards burst in the door and launched themselves at Yura.
Kagome squeaked as the blood splashed towards her as Yura's arm jerked when she was tackled. She dived to the side and avoided being hit by the dark sticky substance by a matter of millimetres. It splattered against the floor, and Kagome stared at it a moment before glancing back up to where Yura was being dragged from the room.
"You fucking bitch! You deserve each other! Both of you - rot in hell!"
"Oh dear!" Kagome yelled after her as they dragged the screaming demoness from the room. When they were gone, and Kagome had sufficiently calmed down, she looked down at the stain of dark blood on the linoleum floor before moving to sit back down by Inuyasha. "Crazy cow..."
Inuyasha roused slightly as she sat down, and she noticed vaguely that his heart beat monitor was beeping a little fast. "You ok?" she asked with a smile, gripping his hand tightly which didn't respond.
Slowly Inuyasha shook his head and she frowned at him. "What's the matter?"
"I hate this..." he whispered, barely audible through his oxygen mask. His breath misted up the insides, obscuring her sight.
"Hate what...?" she cocked her head slightly.
"This... I'm weak... it's pathetic..." he managed, awake enough now to open his eyes to fix a gaze on her. "I used to look at you... and thank god... that I wasn't like you..."
Kagome's breath caught in her throat.
"I guess I still am..."
Kagome's mouth worked for something to say... but came up with nothing. When the silence stretched for quite some time, Inuyasha broke it. "The prophesy isn't over...?"
Kagome looked up at him guiltily. He'd obviously just heard Yura's outburst. "It was a coincidence... the day of darkness... it's tomorrow..."
Inuyasha closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, like he was having slight trouble breathing regularly. "I failed to protect you..."
"No." Kagome shook her head quickly. "You can still protect me."
Inuyasha just shook his head wordlessly. Kagome's eyes pricked with tears. "Why? Is it because you hate me? What I am?"
Inuyasha didn't even twitch, giving no indication that he had heard.
"You hate me because I'm human - like you are now?" she pressed, finding it hard to swallow past the lump in her throat. But she valiantly managed to suppress the wobble that threatened her voice.
"I hate... what I am..." he said in a whisper she didn't really catch. "I don't want to live like this..."
Kagome leaned forward slightly, gripping his hand to her cheek rather tightly. "What are you talking about?"
"I don't want..."
"To live?" Kagome gave up on her effort not cry, and her voice wavered as she spoke in a slightly shrill tones. "No - you said you wouldn't leave me - you promised!"
"Sorry..." he sighed, eyes still closed.
"Don't say that... I love you..." She kissed his hand, holding it tighter like if she did she might be able to hold him back with her.
"I know..."
His hand slipped from her grip the moment the heart monitor starting to flat line with a continuous, piercing sound. He sighed out his last breath and went limp.
"Inu..." she gave up half way through his name and ran towards the door. "Help! He's flat-lined!"
The response was instantaneous. Doctors and nurses suddenly scuttled from their business to run to their room and quickly pushed past Kagome on their way to the bed side. Kagome tried to follow but two of the nurses held her back firmly, restricting her.
"Inuyasha!"
"Get the defibrillator!" one of the doctors called, even as the machine was being wheeled in. once it was beside the bed he grabbed the two panels as a nurse tugged Inuyasha's hospital gown down to smear gel across his chest and slap down two defibrillator pads. "Charge at two hundred..."
A whining noise filled the pause of shuffled and hurried movement. Until the doctor placed the panels down onto the pads. "Clear!"
Everyone leaned back as Inuyasha's entire body bucked under the panels, his head lolling to the side as it settled back down.
"Charge at four hundred." The doctor ordered.
Kagome pressed a hand to her mouth as the orders were issued and another jolt convulsed Inuyasha's body. She was repeating a small chanted prayer under her breath as the charges increased.
"Six hundred." The doctor charged the machine. "Clear!"
Nothing happened.
"And again!"
Still nothing happened, and this time the doctor paused a moment before reaching back to switch off the defibrillator. Kagome held her breath.
The nurse suddenly flicked th heart monitor off and the room plunged into eerie silence. The doctor glanced down at his watch and sighed. "Time of death... thirteen twenty seven..."
Kagome suddenly choked on a rather violent sob and tore herself from the nurses' grip. The rest of the people in the room looked up as she fled and just sighed to themselves.
AN: Ok, this took ages to write, even though it's shorter than average. But anyway, I have two different ideas for the ending in the next chapter. Happy or Sad? Which do you think?
AN: I'm back from under my rock and I've brought a new chapter with me as a peace offering. Only one more chapter after this one I'm afraid. And by the way everyone - Stop nit-picking! The story isn't over yet and you're already going at me for making the prophesy wrong - I haven't - because I haven't finished yet... jeez...
Two Faced
Hateful Goodbyes
(do I come up with the cheeriest titles or what?)
Mr Higurashi looked up from his lap top as his daughter came stumbling into the hotel suit, dripping from head to toe in tomato juice and scratched up to hell with rose thorns. A strange feeling of déjà vu came over him as thirty or so more bodyguards filed in behind her.
"Dad!" Kagome whined. "I wanna go back to the Southern territory..."
"You weren't saying that two weeks ago." He told her.
"Two weeks ago everyone loved me!" Kagome snapped, though she was close to tears. "Because they all thought I was going to kill the demons - and I failed and now they all hate me! And those who hated me all love me now! It doesn't make any sense - I can't win no matter what I do!"
"Princess..." he just sighed.
"I thought you said all this would come to an end with the prophesy was over!" Kagome croaked. "It hasn't! How long is this supposed to continue?! How come this infallible prophecy failed, huh?!"
"Kagome, it didn't."
"What?" Kagome blinked. "Then where are all the dead demons?"
"It hasn't failed, because it hasn't happened yet." He took off his glasses as he looked at her. "Yesterday was a coincidence... the real deal is yet to come."
"But... but... I was dying... but Inuyasha saved me - he stopped the prophesy!" Kagome protested. "Everything that that script said would happen, happened yesterday! It's over!"
"Did you die? Did the demons die? Was the world cleansed?" he shook his head. "The prophesy didn't work out... it always works out so it can't have happened yet."
"But..." Kagome faltered. "When will it come then?"
"When you lead the world into light." He suddenly smiled and crooked his finger. "But I've just had a wonderful revelation..."
^_^
"Do you think he can hear us?" Sango asked idly as she plaited her hair.
"I hope not... otherwise he'll probably tell everyone that we were making out in the closet." Miroku said, tapping his fingers on his arm rest in time to the beeping of the heart monitor.
"Oh, you'd just hate that wouldn't you. Wouldn't want anyone to know you're being a legend again." Sango said sarcastically and glanced back at Inuyasha's pale, perfectly still face. "If he could hear... he'd probably tell you that you were an idiot for thinking he would even wake up to tell people that..."
"You're right... Mr Negative would say that wouldn't he?..." Miroku sighed and let his head loll back. "How long do we have to sit here?"
"Until Kagome gets here." Sango huffed angrily.
"Right, right." Miroku placated her quickly. "Just asking..."
They lapsed into silence again and Sango frowned with worry. "I can't get used to this... he looks like an entirely different person..."
"Yeah... his whole hair and ears..." Miroku cocked his head. "Check if his eyes have changed colour."
Sango leaned over and pulled at Inuyasha's eyelashes. "Yep... they're like yours."
"Cool."
"Mm... and without that perpetual scowl on his face he looks like..." Sango struggled for something. "Someone who Inuyasha might kick the crap out of..."
"He might kick the crap out of you for saying that when he wakes up." Miroku commented.
"Yeah right - I could take him even when he was a hanyou." Sango grunted. "He'd have no chance."
"Right..." Miroku rolled his eyes and was about to add something more when the door opened and Kagome slipped in.
"Hey..." she said quietly in greeting before turning quickly to shut the door before anyone else could enter... anyone like her bodyguards. "Will you just go mug some Mafia goons!" she snapped through the crack in the door. "I'm with my proper bodyguard now so beat it!"
"Is it raining outside?" Sango asked, noting that Kagome's hair hung in wet tresses around her shoulders.
"No - just had to take an emergency shower." Kagome explained and slid her gaze to the bed. She visibly swallowed and flexed her fingers. "Has anything happened?"
"No... he's still asleep..." Sango said. If there had been anything positive to tell Kagome she would have said so, but the doctors didn't think he would pull through in his present state... and that was something she didn't want to tell Kagome. But then again, she didn't really need to.
"Ok..." Kagome sighed and sat on the empty chair closest to Inuyasha's bedside and went still as she watched his face. Sango pursed her lips and looked at her watch.
"Let's go get some coffee, Miroku." She announced, standing up.
"Don't like coffee." He responded.
"Then let's get some Tea."
"Yuck..."
Sango clenched her fists. "Let's just go, alright?!" she snapped and all but shoved him out of the door. No point being subtle with Miroku around.
Kagome sighed when she was finally alone with Inuyasha and thought about what she was supposed to do now... She guessed she should probably talk to him.
"Um... Hi..." she said with a slight reply. What, did she expect him to reply? She shook her head at her own silliness and tried again. "Um... if you can here me... blink... or sneeze or something..."
Inuyasha remained completely still and unresponsive. But that didn't exactly mean he wouldn't hear her. Kagome sighed and decided she had nothing better to do... besides... it helped to talk things out of her system, even if the person she was talking to couldn't respond.
"I... I talked to dad... he wasn't happy about what you did... but I made him realise that you aren't that bad..." Kagome cringed. "But he still really doesn't like you anymore..."
She sighed and twined her fingers with his limp hand. "He talked to the other people... and you aren't going to be executed anymore..." Not that it made much difference anyway. Her head drooped and she brought his hand up against her chin. "If you could just wake up you could enjoy your freedom and-"
As if on a cue, Inuyasha suddenly sucked in a breath and the heart monitor skipped a beat or two. Kagome's heart also started to thunder in her chest as she watched him with rapt attention. He was waking up!
After almost a full minute Inuyasha found the will to force open his eyes and glanced at her blearily before closing his eyes to relax again. "K'gome..."
"Hey..." She smiled happily and squeezed his hand. "How do you feel?"
Inuyasha didn't answer. His head tossed to the side and stirred restlessly as if he was deliberately trying to wake up properly, but his mind was ahead of his body and he was still only semi-conscious. His movements caused his oxygen mask to slip off slightly, going askew. Kagome quickly righted it with her free hand. "Careful... you're not awake yet."
Inuyasha drifted off again as Kagome reset the mask and it took a few minutes before he began to rouse again. "Is it over?" he slurred, making her look up at him.
Kagome nodded and smiled. "Yeah... it's over... it's all ok now..."
Inuyasha's eyes were still closed as he sighed and tried to push himself up. Kagome deliberately forced him back down, worried at how easy it was to just push him back down. "Don't do that, you're injured badly, Inuyasha."
"How...?" he managed to rasp.
"How what?"
"How badly?"
For a moment Kagome contemplated on sugar coating it for him... avoid telling him the truth in case she might worry him and turn him to an early grave. But she knew Inuyasha wasn't a wimp... he could handle it...
"The doctor says... half your original volume of blood has gone... your demon blood. Mine's gone too... I'm normal again." Kagome swallowed. "And all the human blood you have left is halved as well because of all your internal bleeding and flesh wounds. You have serious blood loss..."
"No kidding..."
"Don't try and be funny right now, it's not working." She told him bluntly, but still with a smile. "The doctor honestly doesn't think you'll survive the night..."
Inuyasha blinked open his eyes for a moment, tried to focus on her, failed, and closed his eyes again with a slight frown.
"But you have to prove him wrong, right?" she chided, jiggling his hand slightly. "Right?"
Inuyasha turned his head away slightly, not wanting to face her anymore.
Kagome was about to go on when a muffled shout from outside stopped her. She glanced towards the door as a loud thud sounded, followed by a series of muffled curses and even more thuds. Kagome stood slowly and started towards the door, but started as it was thrown open before she could reach it. For a brief moment she froze, searching to recognise who had just entered, until she gasped in remembrance. It was Yura...
"It's not over - you'll still kill us." Yura stormed forward as Kagome quickly backstepped. "If I make you demon you won't do it - and you won't be able to purify yourself again!"
She screamed this as she tugged a vial of the black blood from within her shirt. Kagome spotted it at once and held her hands up. "No! Somebody! Help me!"
She wasn't even going to try and take on Yura, she wasn't a complete idiot, her best bet were her lame bodyguards. Just as Yura pulled her arm back to slosh the blood over Kagome, the bodyguards burst in the door and launched themselves at Yura.
Kagome squeaked as the blood splashed towards her as Yura's arm jerked when she was tackled. She dived to the side and avoided being hit by the dark sticky substance by a matter of millimetres. It splattered against the floor, and Kagome stared at it a moment before glancing back up to where Yura was being dragged from the room.
"You fucking bitch! You deserve each other! Both of you - rot in hell!"
"Oh dear!" Kagome yelled after her as they dragged the screaming demoness from the room. When they were gone, and Kagome had sufficiently calmed down, she looked down at the stain of dark blood on the linoleum floor before moving to sit back down by Inuyasha. "Crazy cow..."
Inuyasha roused slightly as she sat down, and she noticed vaguely that his heart beat monitor was beeping a little fast. "You ok?" she asked with a smile, gripping his hand tightly which didn't respond.
Slowly Inuyasha shook his head and she frowned at him. "What's the matter?"
"I hate this..." he whispered, barely audible through his oxygen mask. His breath misted up the insides, obscuring her sight.
"Hate what...?" she cocked her head slightly.
"This... I'm weak... it's pathetic..." he managed, awake enough now to open his eyes to fix a gaze on her. "I used to look at you... and thank god... that I wasn't like you..."
Kagome's breath caught in her throat.
"I guess I still am..."
Kagome's mouth worked for something to say... but came up with nothing. When the silence stretched for quite some time, Inuyasha broke it. "The prophesy isn't over...?"
Kagome looked up at him guiltily. He'd obviously just heard Yura's outburst. "It was a coincidence... the day of darkness... it's tomorrow..."
Inuyasha closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, like he was having slight trouble breathing regularly. "I failed to protect you..."
"No." Kagome shook her head quickly. "You can still protect me."
Inuyasha just shook his head wordlessly. Kagome's eyes pricked with tears. "Why? Is it because you hate me? What I am?"
Inuyasha didn't even twitch, giving no indication that he had heard.
"You hate me because I'm human - like you are now?" she pressed, finding it hard to swallow past the lump in her throat. But she valiantly managed to suppress the wobble that threatened her voice.
"I hate... what I am..." he said in a whisper she didn't really catch. "I don't want to live like this..."
Kagome leaned forward slightly, gripping his hand to her cheek rather tightly. "What are you talking about?"
"I don't want..."
"To live?" Kagome gave up on her effort not cry, and her voice wavered as she spoke in a slightly shrill tones. "No - you said you wouldn't leave me - you promised!"
"Sorry..." he sighed, eyes still closed.
"Don't say that... I love you..." She kissed his hand, holding it tighter like if she did she might be able to hold him back with her.
"I know..."
His hand slipped from her grip the moment the heart monitor starting to flat line with a continuous, piercing sound. He sighed out his last breath and went limp.
"Inu..." she gave up half way through his name and ran towards the door. "Help! He's flat-lined!"
The response was instantaneous. Doctors and nurses suddenly scuttled from their business to run to their room and quickly pushed past Kagome on their way to the bed side. Kagome tried to follow but two of the nurses held her back firmly, restricting her.
"Inuyasha!"
"Get the defibrillator!" one of the doctors called, even as the machine was being wheeled in. once it was beside the bed he grabbed the two panels as a nurse tugged Inuyasha's hospital gown down to smear gel across his chest and slap down two defibrillator pads. "Charge at two hundred..."
A whining noise filled the pause of shuffled and hurried movement. Until the doctor placed the panels down onto the pads. "Clear!"
Everyone leaned back as Inuyasha's entire body bucked under the panels, his head lolling to the side as it settled back down.
"Charge at four hundred." The doctor ordered.
Kagome pressed a hand to her mouth as the orders were issued and another jolt convulsed Inuyasha's body. She was repeating a small chanted prayer under her breath as the charges increased.
"Six hundred." The doctor charged the machine. "Clear!"
Nothing happened.
"And again!"
Still nothing happened, and this time the doctor paused a moment before reaching back to switch off the defibrillator. Kagome held her breath.
The nurse suddenly flicked th heart monitor off and the room plunged into eerie silence. The doctor glanced down at his watch and sighed. "Time of death... thirteen twenty seven..."
Kagome suddenly choked on a rather violent sob and tore herself from the nurses' grip. The rest of the people in the room looked up as she fled and just sighed to themselves.
AN: Ok, this took ages to write, even though it's shorter than average. But anyway, I have two different ideas for the ending in the next chapter. Happy or Sad? Which do you think?