A Pale Shadow by tsongmandude
Chapter 2: Carpe Diem
Haruko had taken a bath and was lying in bed waiting for Sakuragi to sms her that he got home safely. She truly worried for the fellow whom she thought was coming down with something. She was really tired for some reason and was about to fall asleep when her cellphone suddenly beeped after receiving an sms. She read the message.
Sakuragi: "hi haruko. m hme nw. l feel btr 2m. dnt wory abt me. tnx 4 oferng 2 tak me hme. gnyt slp tyt n dnt let d bed bugs byt! l c u 2m. :D (hi haruko. i'm home now. i'll feel better tomorrow. don't worry about me. thanks for offering to take me home. good night, sleep tight and don't let the bed bugs bite! l see you tomorrow! :D)."
Sakuragi went straight to his room when he got home. He flung his school bag and basket ball to the floor beside his bed and lay down. He immediately sent Haruko a text message saying he was home. She made him promise to tell her when he got home so that she wouldn't worry about him. He sent his message but was hoping that he wouldn't wake her up. He expected that she was fast asleep by now because she looked extremely tired when they were going home earlier that night.
He was just laying on his bed in the dark after sending his message to Haruko. He was wondering how lucky he was to have such a good friend like Akagi Haruko, so caring and thoughtful. He was amazed at his good fortune. She was the one who introduced him to basketball, the game which he had grown to love so much. At first, he played only because Haruko said that he looked like a basketball player and that he would be perfect for such a sport. She had been so enthusiastic about him. She had so much faith in him that it was horrifying for him to even think about letting her down. His progress was fast
though. With her to inspire him almost every step of the way, he had been able to pull down more boards than many of the other Kanagawa prefecture team centers. Through thick and thin she was there. She was able to find something positive in just about anything. He remembered the day that he cost the team the game against Kainan. She told him that even tensais made mistakes.
He was imagining the smiling face of Haruko who had always been there for him when his own cellphone suddenly sounded after
recieving an sms. He picked up the phone and read the message.
Haruko: "helo hanamichi. m glad tht ur hme safe. pls drnk lots f watr 2nyt b4 u slp. we dnt wnt tht fvr f urs getng
any wors. pls dnt stay up late. try 2 slp early 2nyt n drnk sme mdicne 2 help u slp ryt away. pls tak mor car f urslf.
tnx 4 walkng me hme 2nyt. u knw i always lyk ur cmpny. gnyt. :D (hello hanamichi. i'm glad that your home safe. please drink lots of water tonight before you sleep. we don't want that fever of yours to get any worse. please don't stay up late. try to sleep early tonight. you know i always like your company. good night. :D)"
He felt warm all over. He couldn't help but smile to himself. Everything Haruko did just made him fall deeper and deeper in love with her. She was totally unlike all those other girls he had known in the past. Sure some of them may have even been cuter than Haruko but none of them could even come close to what Haruko had come to mean to him. She was his pillar of strength. She was his muse. She was his inspiration for everything.
"Haruko-chan..." he whispered quietly to himself and fell asleep dreaming of her quietly smiling down on him.
At 700am the next morning, in Sakuragi Hanamichi's room:
"Dammit, i don't want to do it! Why don't you do it? How come I have to be the one?" a figure with blonde curly hair said to his plump friend.
"I already did it the other day! I don't want to do it today! How about you?" the plump figure with shades pointed to his companion with a moustache.
"Me? No way! I already woke him up yesterday..." The moustached boy said to his friend.
All three looked at each other when a brilliant idea suddenly hit them simultaneously. They slowly looked at their dark-haired companion who had been rather quiet, just peeking into the room from behind the door. The peeking boy's eyes suddenly reflected
worry. His forehead started to sweat.
"Oh, Yohei..." they almost sang.
"K'so.... this is gonna hurt."
He looked at the sleeping Hanamichi. He noticed that he was moaning something and smiling stupidly in his sleep.
"...Haruko-chan... I love you... " he mumbled.
When it saw that Hanamichi was dreaming about Haruko, Yohei almost cried, shaking his head, his eyes watering. Yes, this was certainly going to hurt.
He prepared for the worst and just to get it over with, took a deep breath and shouted into the sleeping Hanamichi's ear, "Hanamichi!!! Wake up already!!! We're gonna be late again!!!"
Hanamichi almost jumped off his bed, he was seeing blood. He looked around him to see who dared awaken him from the best dream he had ever had. When he saw his four friends surrounding his bed, he gave each a solid headbutt which resulted with lying on the floor of his room, smoking coming from an angry red bump that had suddenly grown on their foreheads. They were all semi-conscious.
"...i. think. my. forehead. just. split. guys..." Yohei muttered.
"...me. too..." the other three were able to reply in unison before succumbing to the welcoming darkness of unconsciousness.
After 30 minutes, all five of them were on their way to school. Hanamichi had forgotten about the whole incident that morning. The four of them had forgotten about the red bump they all had on their foreheads and were intently listening to Sakuragi.
"...What do you guys think is wrong? How come I'm never able to pop her the question? I know that I can talk to her about anything under the sun but whenever it comes to asking her if I could be her boyfriend, I always freeze up. I get so scared for some reason. I just can't explain it. I don't fear the rejection... okay, I'm still a little wary, but I just don't think that's what I'm really afraid of. I'm sure it's not. It's something else. Strange, bro. I suddenly become worried for Haruko. What the hell, right? I just don't get it..."
All four members of the Sakuragi Army walked quietly with Hanamichi. They were all lost in thought. Hanamichi's question hadn't come as a total surprise. They all knew that something was holding him back. He was never this way before. He was always a risk-taker. He never let an opportunity pass him by. He was a little too persistent at times but when he wanted something, he would stop at nothing to get it.
They all knew that Haruko was the one for Hanamichi. They were there when Hanamichi was dumped by the 50 girls he had liked before high school. They liked to tease him about it only because they knew that Hanamichi was only infatuated with these girls. Hanamichi never really loved any of them they knew. They were just pretty girls. It was really just some kind of intense infatuation. They could never imagine Hanamichi with any of them. Akagi Haruko, however, was a different story. The first time Hanamichi saw her started ordinarily enough. He had always reacted that the first time he saw each of his crushes. They were all able to get to know each of the 50 girls Hanamichi had liked.
None of the other girls were quite like Haruko, though. She was the only person who didn't cringe or think he was some freak when she saw him. She did not know his past when she got to know him in their first year of high school. She never judged him as
some good-for-nothing troublemaker. She knew him as somebody very nice and nothing anybody could say would change that. Of course, there was that one time when she got mad at him thinking he picked a fight with Rukawa on the rooftop of the school,
but Haruko apologized to Hanamichi for jumping to conclusions immediately after learning the truth. He would never be some stupid irritating punk ass troublemaker to her. She knew him as a caring, thoughtful, protective and loving person. She knew that Hanamichi was very shy sometimes and had many insecurities. In spite of these, she liked Hanamichi and would always defend him and stand up for him when anyone would say anything demeaning about Hanamichi behind his back. She knew of his by now, of course, Hanamichi was even the one who told her. She accepted him and never feared him even after such information was given to her. She was the one for Hanamichi they knew. She would be perfect. She was the kind of girl each one of them wanted for himself yet they knew Hanamichi was the one who needed her the most. He was the one who deserved her and she was the one who deserved him. The Hanamichi only they were aware existed. The Hanamichi that no one else in the school, save for some members of the basketball team, knew. The real Sakuragi Hanamichi that loved Akagi Haruko with all his heart.
They all had a little crush with Haruko but they never made any move for her. She was their friend and all but she responded to Hanamichi best and it was very clear that Haruko had gotten very close to him. Hanamichi had changed from the way he used to be from the time he met Haruko. He wasn't as hot-headed as before, less edgy. They were envied Hanamichi a little but were also happy for him. They wanted her for Hanamichi. They would do anything to see it happen. They just didn't know what.
They walked the streets of Kanagawa, the fallen autumn leaves rustling at their feet. Cars sped massed them along the thoroughfare. They were all lost in thought. The sun was beginning to shine brightly, evidence of a hot day coming. Hanamichi's friends began to organize their thoughts.
"You know," Yohei began, "we can't just tell you what to do. You know why, Hanamichi? It's because we're not you. We can put ourselves in your place all we want. We can tell you what we would do in your shoes but in the end, it's all really up to you. The real question to ask i what do you think you should do? What dio you feel in your heart is the path you just have to follow. We've been friends almost all our lives, Hanamichi. I won't even attempt to try to make you do something against you're natural instincts. I don't know what good it'll do you, but I'll answer your question. Isf I were you, I'd just ask her, bro. You guys have known each other so long. I'd even bet that you know Haruko more than she knows herself. Hanamichi, you have to realize that waiting too long is never a good idea. I f it happens the way you want, then good. If it doesn't, you just have to live with it. At least you'll have the answer to your questions from the girl you adore so much. None of us are really very experienced with this 'boy-girl-relationship' stuff. This is just what I think. How about you guys?" he addressed the rest of the Sakuragi Army.
Surprisingly, the fat one began to speak up. "Hanamichi. We all want what's best for you. I think I speak for the group that Haruko is truly someone that really matters to you. Do you even remember what you were like before you met her? We were all street thugs. Nobody expected anything from us. When "Haruko came into your life, the changes she brought about in you -- it's just amazing. I think that you should do everything to get her. She's the one Hanamichi. She's the one."
Ookusa and Noma just stared and their friend. They couldn't believe such eloquent and profound thoughts coming from their usually crazy and thoughtless friend.
The two remaining friends also gave Hanamichi their thoughts on the whole thing.
Sakuragi listened intently to what his friends were saying. He knew that each one of his friends were speaking from the heart. These were his truest friends talking. These people were the ones that cared most about him. He knew enough to listen well. He weighed each of his friend's thoughts. Each one of them said the same thing -- in their own way: Go for it.
After the 'pep talk' from his friends, Sakuragi began to see the direction he had to take. He saw it more clearly than ever before. He chided himself for not acting upon it himself. He would ask Haruko the big question. It was now or never. He was at the crossroads -- where the friends are separated from the boyfriends. If he took more time, he would soon pass the said crossroads. There would be no turning back of time. Sieze the Day! something seemed to be shouting from inside him. Everything that he has in mind, everything he feels must be confessed to Haruko. He would be hers. He was willing to dedicate his whole life to her so early in his own life. She was the one. she was the only one.
They made their trek to school relatively quiet, each of them with the same thought in their own minds.
Sakuragi entered his classroom 15 minutes late. He got the usual scolding from the teacher and was allowed to attend the remaining minutes of the session. Sakuragi stared at the blackboard, neither seeing nor hearing anything, lost in thought. He snapped out it and focused his eyes on Haruko who was seated near the front but at the other side of the room.
Haruko felt that she was being watched. She looked around and saw Hanamichi just staring at her. She smiled at him, saw him blush until he smiled awkwardly at her. There was no mistaking it. He really was in love with her. It was a wonder that she hadn't immediately become aware of it. In retrospect, she saw signs of his affection for her displayed in numerous instances during the height of her pointless obsession with Rukawa. However, she had since learnt her lesson. It was painful but she knew there was no denying the fact that Rukawa knew and loved only basketball. She respected him for that and wished him the best. With that thought, she resumed her life and began to notice Hanamichi. She never really wanted Sakuragi the way she wanted Rukawa but she thought she would be a fool for letting such a good person as Sakuragi Hanamichi get away.
One of Haruko's closest friends, shy Fujii, saw Haruko smile at Hanamichi. The petite short-haired girl was thinking about what Haruko told her on one of their telephone conversations that week. Something she said bothered her. She knew that she had to figure out fast, whatever it was. Just the same, the way the two people acted, especially Haruko, made her uncomfortable – disturbed even. There was something that Matsui and her missed, something important.
At the back corner of the room, Hanamichi steeled himself. she was definitely the love of his life. He made up his mind. He couldn't live without her any longer. It was time.
********************************************************************************
jeksjakolero - what an intriguing name! ehehehe :D anyway, thanks bro (obviously). i'll think about it.
fourteen - thanks a lot! hope this new chapter is to your liking as well.
chi the hopeless romantic - well, here's the next installment :D it's good to hear that people are liking my very 1st fanfic. don't worry. this won't have any yaoi content.
diwata - i'm glad you liked my little story here. thanks for the tips. i'll keep them in mind. i'm not sure i pulled it off this chapter though. i'll work on it :D
rook - glad that you liked it. i feel the same way, too. :D i'm planning on something like that but i'm still unsure how to pull it off. i'll figure something out sooner or later, i suppose.
eliar swiftfire - i actually didn't notice until you pointed it out. i've made some changes since. thanks for bringing it to my attention. probably got carried away, this being my first fanfic and all. you know how it can be... :D
chillax - thanks! :D
********************************************************************************
damn that was bad. anyway…
i'm not sure how long this fic is gonna be so I'll finish when i finish, i guess. I've a feeling it'll be a 5-part but, again, i really don't know yet. I just have this feeling, y'know :D
this chapter might not make too much sense. i'm not very sure, but i'll think of a way to piece everything together. i'll definitely edit this. i just don't like the feel of it is all.
anyway, here's the draft and thanks to you all! happy new year!
Chapter 2: Carpe Diem
Haruko had taken a bath and was lying in bed waiting for Sakuragi to sms her that he got home safely. She truly worried for the fellow whom she thought was coming down with something. She was really tired for some reason and was about to fall asleep when her cellphone suddenly beeped after receiving an sms. She read the message.
Sakuragi: "hi haruko. m hme nw. l feel btr 2m. dnt wory abt me. tnx 4 oferng 2 tak me hme. gnyt slp tyt n dnt let d bed bugs byt! l c u 2m. :D (hi haruko. i'm home now. i'll feel better tomorrow. don't worry about me. thanks for offering to take me home. good night, sleep tight and don't let the bed bugs bite! l see you tomorrow! :D)."
Sakuragi went straight to his room when he got home. He flung his school bag and basket ball to the floor beside his bed and lay down. He immediately sent Haruko a text message saying he was home. She made him promise to tell her when he got home so that she wouldn't worry about him. He sent his message but was hoping that he wouldn't wake her up. He expected that she was fast asleep by now because she looked extremely tired when they were going home earlier that night.
He was just laying on his bed in the dark after sending his message to Haruko. He was wondering how lucky he was to have such a good friend like Akagi Haruko, so caring and thoughtful. He was amazed at his good fortune. She was the one who introduced him to basketball, the game which he had grown to love so much. At first, he played only because Haruko said that he looked like a basketball player and that he would be perfect for such a sport. She had been so enthusiastic about him. She had so much faith in him that it was horrifying for him to even think about letting her down. His progress was fast
though. With her to inspire him almost every step of the way, he had been able to pull down more boards than many of the other Kanagawa prefecture team centers. Through thick and thin she was there. She was able to find something positive in just about anything. He remembered the day that he cost the team the game against Kainan. She told him that even tensais made mistakes.
He was imagining the smiling face of Haruko who had always been there for him when his own cellphone suddenly sounded after
recieving an sms. He picked up the phone and read the message.
Haruko: "helo hanamichi. m glad tht ur hme safe. pls drnk lots f watr 2nyt b4 u slp. we dnt wnt tht fvr f urs getng
any wors. pls dnt stay up late. try 2 slp early 2nyt n drnk sme mdicne 2 help u slp ryt away. pls tak mor car f urslf.
tnx 4 walkng me hme 2nyt. u knw i always lyk ur cmpny. gnyt. :D (hello hanamichi. i'm glad that your home safe. please drink lots of water tonight before you sleep. we don't want that fever of yours to get any worse. please don't stay up late. try to sleep early tonight. you know i always like your company. good night. :D)"
He felt warm all over. He couldn't help but smile to himself. Everything Haruko did just made him fall deeper and deeper in love with her. She was totally unlike all those other girls he had known in the past. Sure some of them may have even been cuter than Haruko but none of them could even come close to what Haruko had come to mean to him. She was his pillar of strength. She was his muse. She was his inspiration for everything.
"Haruko-chan..." he whispered quietly to himself and fell asleep dreaming of her quietly smiling down on him.
At 700am the next morning, in Sakuragi Hanamichi's room:
"Dammit, i don't want to do it! Why don't you do it? How come I have to be the one?" a figure with blonde curly hair said to his plump friend.
"I already did it the other day! I don't want to do it today! How about you?" the plump figure with shades pointed to his companion with a moustache.
"Me? No way! I already woke him up yesterday..." The moustached boy said to his friend.
All three looked at each other when a brilliant idea suddenly hit them simultaneously. They slowly looked at their dark-haired companion who had been rather quiet, just peeking into the room from behind the door. The peeking boy's eyes suddenly reflected
worry. His forehead started to sweat.
"Oh, Yohei..." they almost sang.
"K'so.... this is gonna hurt."
He looked at the sleeping Hanamichi. He noticed that he was moaning something and smiling stupidly in his sleep.
"...Haruko-chan... I love you... " he mumbled.
When it saw that Hanamichi was dreaming about Haruko, Yohei almost cried, shaking his head, his eyes watering. Yes, this was certainly going to hurt.
He prepared for the worst and just to get it over with, took a deep breath and shouted into the sleeping Hanamichi's ear, "Hanamichi!!! Wake up already!!! We're gonna be late again!!!"
Hanamichi almost jumped off his bed, he was seeing blood. He looked around him to see who dared awaken him from the best dream he had ever had. When he saw his four friends surrounding his bed, he gave each a solid headbutt which resulted with lying on the floor of his room, smoking coming from an angry red bump that had suddenly grown on their foreheads. They were all semi-conscious.
"...i. think. my. forehead. just. split. guys..." Yohei muttered.
"...me. too..." the other three were able to reply in unison before succumbing to the welcoming darkness of unconsciousness.
After 30 minutes, all five of them were on their way to school. Hanamichi had forgotten about the whole incident that morning. The four of them had forgotten about the red bump they all had on their foreheads and were intently listening to Sakuragi.
"...What do you guys think is wrong? How come I'm never able to pop her the question? I know that I can talk to her about anything under the sun but whenever it comes to asking her if I could be her boyfriend, I always freeze up. I get so scared for some reason. I just can't explain it. I don't fear the rejection... okay, I'm still a little wary, but I just don't think that's what I'm really afraid of. I'm sure it's not. It's something else. Strange, bro. I suddenly become worried for Haruko. What the hell, right? I just don't get it..."
All four members of the Sakuragi Army walked quietly with Hanamichi. They were all lost in thought. Hanamichi's question hadn't come as a total surprise. They all knew that something was holding him back. He was never this way before. He was always a risk-taker. He never let an opportunity pass him by. He was a little too persistent at times but when he wanted something, he would stop at nothing to get it.
They all knew that Haruko was the one for Hanamichi. They were there when Hanamichi was dumped by the 50 girls he had liked before high school. They liked to tease him about it only because they knew that Hanamichi was only infatuated with these girls. Hanamichi never really loved any of them they knew. They were just pretty girls. It was really just some kind of intense infatuation. They could never imagine Hanamichi with any of them. Akagi Haruko, however, was a different story. The first time Hanamichi saw her started ordinarily enough. He had always reacted that the first time he saw each of his crushes. They were all able to get to know each of the 50 girls Hanamichi had liked.
None of the other girls were quite like Haruko, though. She was the only person who didn't cringe or think he was some freak when she saw him. She did not know his past when she got to know him in their first year of high school. She never judged him as
some good-for-nothing troublemaker. She knew him as somebody very nice and nothing anybody could say would change that. Of course, there was that one time when she got mad at him thinking he picked a fight with Rukawa on the rooftop of the school,
but Haruko apologized to Hanamichi for jumping to conclusions immediately after learning the truth. He would never be some stupid irritating punk ass troublemaker to her. She knew him as a caring, thoughtful, protective and loving person. She knew that Hanamichi was very shy sometimes and had many insecurities. In spite of these, she liked Hanamichi and would always defend him and stand up for him when anyone would say anything demeaning about Hanamichi behind his back. She knew of his by now, of course, Hanamichi was even the one who told her. She accepted him and never feared him even after such information was given to her. She was the one for Hanamichi they knew. She would be perfect. She was the kind of girl each one of them wanted for himself yet they knew Hanamichi was the one who needed her the most. He was the one who deserved her and she was the one who deserved him. The Hanamichi only they were aware existed. The Hanamichi that no one else in the school, save for some members of the basketball team, knew. The real Sakuragi Hanamichi that loved Akagi Haruko with all his heart.
They all had a little crush with Haruko but they never made any move for her. She was their friend and all but she responded to Hanamichi best and it was very clear that Haruko had gotten very close to him. Hanamichi had changed from the way he used to be from the time he met Haruko. He wasn't as hot-headed as before, less edgy. They were envied Hanamichi a little but were also happy for him. They wanted her for Hanamichi. They would do anything to see it happen. They just didn't know what.
They walked the streets of Kanagawa, the fallen autumn leaves rustling at their feet. Cars sped massed them along the thoroughfare. They were all lost in thought. The sun was beginning to shine brightly, evidence of a hot day coming. Hanamichi's friends began to organize their thoughts.
"You know," Yohei began, "we can't just tell you what to do. You know why, Hanamichi? It's because we're not you. We can put ourselves in your place all we want. We can tell you what we would do in your shoes but in the end, it's all really up to you. The real question to ask i what do you think you should do? What dio you feel in your heart is the path you just have to follow. We've been friends almost all our lives, Hanamichi. I won't even attempt to try to make you do something against you're natural instincts. I don't know what good it'll do you, but I'll answer your question. Isf I were you, I'd just ask her, bro. You guys have known each other so long. I'd even bet that you know Haruko more than she knows herself. Hanamichi, you have to realize that waiting too long is never a good idea. I f it happens the way you want, then good. If it doesn't, you just have to live with it. At least you'll have the answer to your questions from the girl you adore so much. None of us are really very experienced with this 'boy-girl-relationship' stuff. This is just what I think. How about you guys?" he addressed the rest of the Sakuragi Army.
Surprisingly, the fat one began to speak up. "Hanamichi. We all want what's best for you. I think I speak for the group that Haruko is truly someone that really matters to you. Do you even remember what you were like before you met her? We were all street thugs. Nobody expected anything from us. When "Haruko came into your life, the changes she brought about in you -- it's just amazing. I think that you should do everything to get her. She's the one Hanamichi. She's the one."
Ookusa and Noma just stared and their friend. They couldn't believe such eloquent and profound thoughts coming from their usually crazy and thoughtless friend.
The two remaining friends also gave Hanamichi their thoughts on the whole thing.
Sakuragi listened intently to what his friends were saying. He knew that each one of his friends were speaking from the heart. These were his truest friends talking. These people were the ones that cared most about him. He knew enough to listen well. He weighed each of his friend's thoughts. Each one of them said the same thing -- in their own way: Go for it.
After the 'pep talk' from his friends, Sakuragi began to see the direction he had to take. He saw it more clearly than ever before. He chided himself for not acting upon it himself. He would ask Haruko the big question. It was now or never. He was at the crossroads -- where the friends are separated from the boyfriends. If he took more time, he would soon pass the said crossroads. There would be no turning back of time. Sieze the Day! something seemed to be shouting from inside him. Everything that he has in mind, everything he feels must be confessed to Haruko. He would be hers. He was willing to dedicate his whole life to her so early in his own life. She was the one. she was the only one.
They made their trek to school relatively quiet, each of them with the same thought in their own minds.
Sakuragi entered his classroom 15 minutes late. He got the usual scolding from the teacher and was allowed to attend the remaining minutes of the session. Sakuragi stared at the blackboard, neither seeing nor hearing anything, lost in thought. He snapped out it and focused his eyes on Haruko who was seated near the front but at the other side of the room.
Haruko felt that she was being watched. She looked around and saw Hanamichi just staring at her. She smiled at him, saw him blush until he smiled awkwardly at her. There was no mistaking it. He really was in love with her. It was a wonder that she hadn't immediately become aware of it. In retrospect, she saw signs of his affection for her displayed in numerous instances during the height of her pointless obsession with Rukawa. However, she had since learnt her lesson. It was painful but she knew there was no denying the fact that Rukawa knew and loved only basketball. She respected him for that and wished him the best. With that thought, she resumed her life and began to notice Hanamichi. She never really wanted Sakuragi the way she wanted Rukawa but she thought she would be a fool for letting such a good person as Sakuragi Hanamichi get away.
One of Haruko's closest friends, shy Fujii, saw Haruko smile at Hanamichi. The petite short-haired girl was thinking about what Haruko told her on one of their telephone conversations that week. Something she said bothered her. She knew that she had to figure out fast, whatever it was. Just the same, the way the two people acted, especially Haruko, made her uncomfortable – disturbed even. There was something that Matsui and her missed, something important.
At the back corner of the room, Hanamichi steeled himself. she was definitely the love of his life. He made up his mind. He couldn't live without her any longer. It was time.
********************************************************************************
jeksjakolero - what an intriguing name! ehehehe :D anyway, thanks bro (obviously). i'll think about it.
fourteen - thanks a lot! hope this new chapter is to your liking as well.
chi the hopeless romantic - well, here's the next installment :D it's good to hear that people are liking my very 1st fanfic. don't worry. this won't have any yaoi content.
diwata - i'm glad you liked my little story here. thanks for the tips. i'll keep them in mind. i'm not sure i pulled it off this chapter though. i'll work on it :D
rook - glad that you liked it. i feel the same way, too. :D i'm planning on something like that but i'm still unsure how to pull it off. i'll figure something out sooner or later, i suppose.
eliar swiftfire - i actually didn't notice until you pointed it out. i've made some changes since. thanks for bringing it to my attention. probably got carried away, this being my first fanfic and all. you know how it can be... :D
chillax - thanks! :D
********************************************************************************
damn that was bad. anyway…
i'm not sure how long this fic is gonna be so I'll finish when i finish, i guess. I've a feeling it'll be a 5-part but, again, i really don't know yet. I just have this feeling, y'know :D
this chapter might not make too much sense. i'm not very sure, but i'll think of a way to piece everything together. i'll definitely edit this. i just don't like the feel of it is all.
anyway, here's the draft and thanks to you all! happy new year!