Carol of the Bells  * III *

By Nichole (Neko-chan) Johnson

Written: May 19 – 23, 2003

Rated: PG (may go up)

Pairings: Mainly Kurt/Kitty; canon pairings mentioned (Scott/Jean, Rogue/Remy)

Disclaimer: I don't own either the X-Men: Evolution series or the X-Men in general.  Each is the respective property of Warner Bros. and Marvel.

Author's Note: Yay!  Logan and Kurt make their appearances!  The quote below is from a recent episode of Buffy, and though it was meant more literally en context, I thought it captured the somewhat bitter sarcasm of Kitty's continued wanderings down memory lane in this chapter.  Um, if you guys just don't get what I mean by that, I'm really sorry.  I was really liking that line while I was writing this, okay?

*           *           *

"Hey, party in my eye socket and everyone's invited!"

- Xander Harris

*

The snowfall had grown steadily heavier as the night wore on, and Kitty found herself gazing almost hypnotically into the glittering maelstrom from her room's window; entranced by its beauty.  Despite the heavy downpour of snow, the night was still and silent in frozen splendor.  Nuit blanche¹, the very picture of serenity.

A serenity felt only on the surface, for her soul remained in turmoil.  She was becoming increasingly anxious, remembering once again her initial reasoning for making this trip; for reawakening the past.  She had not heard from Xavier since her arrival in the foyer, and though she sent many a mental request in hopes that he would hear her, she had received no reply.

The cold that emanated from the pane chilled her suddenly, and she turned at last from her reverie and moved into the room's heat, banishing her troubled thoughts to the back of her mind; her back on the night, the cold and the silence.  Blue eyes drifted distractedly about the room, glancing at the unfamiliar furnishings with a searching, lost expression.  Her eyes fell on the contents of her small duffel which lay spilled out over the bed's comforter where she had left them, only half-unpacked, and she crossed softly to the bedside; her hands moving idly over the belongings that lay there.

Her hand fell suddenly on the smooth, familiar surface of a snowglobe and her absent movements halted; errant memories clouding her eyes momentarily.  The skyline of Chicago lay still and untouched amidst a sea of synthetic flakes beneath a sphere of thick glass scuffed and fogged by time.  Kitty eyed it silently for sometime, cupped loosely in the palm of her hand and then she tilted it slowly on-end, watching the white flakes spill gently to the top of the glass.  She righted it once more, watching the semblance of snow billow out over the Chicago skyline like she had so many times before, an unusual expression in her blue eyes.

Content with the familiar ritual, she placed it solemnly on the empty dresser.  Then ignoring the rest of the articles that still lay spilled upon the bed's surface, she slipped out of the room without even a backward glance.

*           *           *

Nostalgia hit her once again as she stepped off the tiny elevator and onto the familiar floor, glancing up and down its length as if distrusting the guise of silence that befell the empty corridor.  It was pure whim that had brought her here; her mind ticking off the names of old housemates as she passed each closed door, a soft, secret sort of smile resting lightly on her lips.

This was Jean's old room; and there was the room Evan and Bobby had once shared.  Down the hall there had been Scott's room, and on the far opposite end was Kurt's; so forth and so forth on down the line.  Her smile warmed further at the phantom voices that called from her memory; remembrances of the early morning activity this hall had seen so many years ago, and most likely continued to see, though its length and rooms be filled with new and different faces.

She stopped just before the room she and Rogue had once shared, her conscience restraining her momentarily at the thought of intruding on what was now someone else's.  Steeling herself, feeling strangely rebellious or daring—whatever it may be—she slid her head slowly through the worn wood, glancing around the room beyond just to be certain of its emptiness.  When she was sure that it was uninhabited for the moment, she pulled herself the rest of the way through; glancing about the familiar room with a rush of nostalgic delight.

It had remained almost entirely the same as she remembered it, despite its new occupants.  Gone were the posters of divas and teen heartthrobs, warring with the dark trappings that had bedecked her roommate's half of the room, but the furniture still sat in its' usual pattern and the personal decorations of its new occupants still reflected the overall adolescent feel that the room had emulated even then.

Kitty stood for several heartbeats, recalling where things had once been; smiling softly at the memory of arguments she and Rogue had shared in this very room.  Then not wishing to intrude any further, she phased back through the worn, wooden door to stand once again in the familiar hallway.  The sudden, fleeting recollection of nearly colliding with Evan on his skateboard in this very spot brought an amused grin to her face.

And then another whim claimed her, and she found herself walking purposefully toward the end of the hall; to another familiar room.  This time she didn't bother with caution as she phased fully through the door and into the room beyond.

It seemed hard to recall specific memories this time around, as she gazed about the familiar darkened room, forehead creased in thought with the struggle for these more difficult and somewhat intimate memories.

"What's wrong, Katzchen?" came a voice faint in the back of her mind after some prodding; disjointed pieces of conversation that no longer made sense. 

 "…didn't go very well.  I don't vant to talk about it…"

"…thought you'd heard—she's leaving.  Not that…"

"…hate to see you cry…"

She could see them in her mind so startlingly, those pale eyes; compassionate and filled with raw concern.  Why had she been crying again?  All she could recall now was the feeling of comfort she had felt in this room, and in his words; she could not remember what had made her upset.  But it had hurt with such ferocity at the time, as did most adolescent experiences.

There was no specific memory driving her, but the large French doors at the far end of the room seemed to beckon to her.  The curtains had been drawn and as she drew nearer, she pulled the drapery aside with hesitant movements to peer at the snowy scene outside.  The balcony lay covered in untouched drifts of glittering snow; inciting a sudden sense of loneliness in Kitty that she could not explain.  She could see his dark form in her mind, crouched intently on the stone balustrade like some lone gargoyle holding vigil; spade tail swinging lazily behind him like a content cat.  Could see the questioning glance he would throw at her over his shoulder; tail freezing momentarily in the comical expression that would arrest his features at her intrusion.  How many times had she found him that way, when she had sought him out for some reason or other; hoping to comfort him, or receive comfort, or simply share her thoughts?

And then it was only the snow that she saw gracing the balcony, and the cold ache of loneliness returned.  She smiled at it in assurance, letting the drapes fall back into place and turning from the view.  She would see him soon enough, would she not?  There was no need for such thoughts.

Still smiling lightly, the young woman drifted distractedly into the hallway once again, this time heading straight for the elevator without a backward glance.  She had been doing just what she had told herself she wouldn't do on this trip, which was dwell on the past, and it was time to snap herself back to her senses.

She was suddenly painfully aware of just how hungry she was as she took the elevator to the first floor.  Her stomach growled dully in protest, and she smiled wryly at its complaints.  It had been sometime since she'd last eaten; not since her flight's layover in Cleveland, to be exact.  And that had to have been almost sixteen hours ago.  It was obvious where her next destination would be in the immense house.

Nothing like a midnight snack, she thought wryly; and unbidden, another memory occurred to her at the thought, involving a certain blue elf and a half a gallon of milk.  Kitty stifled a groan of dismay, shaking the thought away and resolving not to incur further memories with her snacking.  She would definitely not be eating any pizza, then…

*           *           *

The kitchen had been another study in nostalgia, but Kitty had forced her thoughts to the more important task at hand; fixing herself a quick sandwich and a glass of juice.  It was odd, how easily things came back to her; where the bread was stored, which drawer held the utensils.  She had been away for six long years, and this kitchen felt as if it had never changed.

She was reflecting on this, perched at the kitchen's small island and munching idly at her vegan sprout and tofu sandwich—grateful for the fact that there obviously remained other vegans at the School for Gifted Individuals since her absence—when the sound of loud footsteps hit her ears.  Kitty straightened, bringing her eyes about to watch the door in curiosity.

To her great surprise and pleasure, it was the familiar, stout and grizzled figure of Logan that walked through the doorway.  He was wearing his signature heavy black leather jacket, having presumably been out on his motorcycle once again, just as she remembered him doing when she was a kid.  She remembered how shocked she had been as a girl when he would go out on the thing in weather such as this, but the elements had never seemed to bother the genetically altered man very much; and it was clear his ways hadn't changed any since then.

It was obvious he wasn't surprised by her presence, which wasn't unusual.  She was sure he had smelled her from some ways down the hall, which was why he didn't start or pause in surprise but instead strode purposely towards the large refrigerator, shooting her one of his ghost-of-a smiles as he did so.

"Hey, there, half-pint," he greeted with gruff warmth, snatching a beer from the depths of the fridge.  Closing the door roughly, he leaned back against the appliance, gazing at her with an assessing glance.  "Heard you got in earlier this evening.  Sorry I wasn't there to greet ya, kid."

Kitty chuckled good-naturedly, abandoning her seat to cross the room in eager strides.  Grinning, he stepped away from his post, allowing her to throw her arms about him in a loose hug.

"It's good to see you again, Logan," she said upon pulling away from their short embrace, brushing an errant strand of her reddish-brown hair from her eyes.  Her grin was threatening to split her features as she beamed up at him, amazed at how unchanged he was after all these years.

Logan, however, eyed her shrewdly; seeming amazed at the progress six years had had on the young woman.  Regaining himself, he returned her grin with a faint one of his own.  "Same here, kid," he replied in his familiar, gruff yet fond tones; squeezing her shoulder affectionately.  "You've sure grown up."

The young woman gave a small sigh, turning to glance around at the familiar kitchen with pensive eyes.  "Huh.  Sometimes it feels like I never left," she muttered, eyes distant.

He gave her shoulder another squeeze, moving past her into the room.  "Don't I know it, kid," he remarked wryly, taking a swig from his beer and taking a seat at the island where she had been perched only moments before.

"Seein' you 'n Red and Cyke here again—it's almost like none of you ever left."  He took another swig from his beer, expression growing considerably darker.  "But things have changed around here, half-pint."

Kitty watched him from where she still stood near the doorway, trying to read the dark expression in his gaze as he nursed his drink.  The man had always been the brooding sort, even when she was a girl.  But the darkness in his eyes seemed heavier somehow, and more pronounced than ever.  It seemed to enhance the feelings of dread she had had in coming here; the sense of growing fear and danger she had felt over the past few years, the stir of discord that had overcome the nation.

So she had not been the only one to sense these things.  The thought made her cold, and impulsively she drew her arms around herself tightly.

Her legs didn't seem to work right when she went to move once again; as she walked stiffly back towards the island where he sat, ignoring her former seat and the half-eaten sandwich that lay on the countertop and simply stood.  She glanced at his hands where they nursed his beer, watching the beads of condensation that dripped down the bottleneck with mindless fascination.

"So when did you get back?" she asked finally, changing the subject from their dark direction.

He didn't turn to her, but took another swig from his beer.  She caught the faint flash that registered in his eyes; knew he'd sensed her intentions in her voice.  "About an hour ago," was his reply; tone indifferent.  "I've been up talkin' to Charles since then, mostly.  Snow's pickin' up quite a bit out there; thought it might cause some problems in the morning."

Kitty felt herself stiffen, a thread of hope rising unbidden in her at the mention of the Professor.  "You've been to see the Professor, then?" she prodded carefully, trying to keep the note of hope from her voice.

Logan seemed to have caught it, however.  He shot her a pointed glance, one brow raised; the look smothering that faint breath of hope.  "Save it, half-pint.  The Professor's up to his ears in all sorts of messes right now.  He'll see ya when he's good 'n ready."

Kitty's response was decidedly bitter.  "And when is that, pray tell?" she remarked snidely, her temper beginning to get the better of her.  She pulled a deep breath, releasing it in a huff; trying to calm herself.  Dragging her fingers roughly through her long tangle of auburn hair, she took a seat at last beside him at the long island, her expression tried.

"It's just… I was so unsure about coming here," she admitted finally, her tone abject.  He was watching her intently, still nursing his drink, so she continued; fiddling idly with her plate.  "And it's been like he's completely avoiding me since I came here, Logan.  I need answers.  And he just calls me here and expects me to wait patiently."

The grizzled man grunted noncommittally, glancing away.  "Pun'kin, I know this drill better 'n any one around here.  Charles may seem like he ain't listenin', but that ain't true, kid.  If he won't see you just now, then there's a reason."

His gaze was penetrating when he turned to her again, holding her in place as if he knew everything she was about.  "I know why ya came back, kid; you've got that intense look all over ya, like you've been wound up on something fer months.  Don't know how many times I've come back here for just the same reasons, half-pint, but what I can tell ya is this: they're not here."

His gaze, if it were at all possible, had become even more intense; almost stern.  "Those answers you're lookin' for," he growled, gesturing with the hand still clutching his beer, "ain't no one can give 'em to ya but you.  You ask Charles all you want, kid—just keep that in mind.  Answers like the kind you're lookin' for can only come from time."

She gazed at him in silence for several heartbeats, digesting his words; appreciating the concern.  The sometimes surly and distant Wolverine had always seemed to keep a special eye out for her, holding her in uncharacteristically tender regards, but never had he shown such open concern and given such advice.  She couldn't help but feel touched; noting the uncharacteristic softness in Logan's hardened eyes as he regarded her pointedly.

Kitty smiled faintly at his advice.  "Even so, I need to talk to him," she replied finally, looking apologetic yet remaining stubborn.  "You understand, don't you, Logan?"  She picked up her abandoned sandwich at last, taking a small, hesitant bite.

She felt him clap a large hand to her shoulder in a supporting gesture as she turned back to her food.

"Wouldn't be much sense in coming if you didn't," was his gruff reply, but she could sense the warmth of humor just below the surface of his voice.  "We all do it at some time, kid.  Might as well be yours."

Kitty sighed into her sandwich, feeling the weight again on her shoulders even as he removed his hand.  "I just wish there didn't have to be this confusion," she bemoaned, raising her eyes towards the expansive windows in dismay.  "All of this distrust and hate in the world.  We can go about our lives like we're normal, but it's still there, just below the surface.  And it only seems to be growing."

Now it was Logan's turn to sigh hopelessly.  "Don't know what to say to that, pun'kin," was his murmured reply as he followed her gaze to the windows, taking in the swirl of snow that filled its view.  "But maybe that's why you kids are all comin' back here.  I got a feelin' Charles has been thinkin' the same thing, and he's maybe got some idea on how to handle it."

Kitty scrunched her face up in a sour yet wry expression.  "You mean, this isn't just a Christmas get-together?" she joked sardonically, shooting him a glance.  There was a sly twinkle in her blue eyes.

Logan snorted in reply, sounding disgusted.  "If it is, it couldn't've come at a worse time, kid," he muttered darkly, eyes shifting suddenly in the direction of the hall; distracted by something.  A peculiar expression overcame him, and Kitty turned to him in curiosity, wondering at the sudden change.

"What is it?"

He took a slow pull from his bottle, not bothering to glance at her as he climbed slowly to his feet.  "Got another visitor," he muttered finally, turning to leave.  "'S 'bout time, too."

Rising to follow him, her sandwich forgotten, Kitty felt a knot tighten in her stomach.  "Kurt?" she queried uncertainly, her legs locking momentarily in place.  She swallowed her apprehension and the knot of ill-defined emotions that rose in her throat, following him from the kitchen.

He didn't answer her for sometime, but when he did, his tone was overly gruff; belying an underlying eagerness.  "Damn certain.  No mistakin' 'wet Elf' stench…" he grumbled, sounding irritated.  But Kitty could sense the gruff affection in his voice and in his eyes, and a gentle smile touched her lips.

Logan turned suddenly just before the foyer, ducking into one of the alcoves that branched off into a small flight of stairs.  Kitty halted, slight panic arresting her features.

"Where are you going?" she said hastily, sounding apprehensive.

He turned, regarding her innocently, but she could have sworn there was a smirk twitching at the corners of his mouth.  "The others'll wanna' know.  They've been waitin' on him for more 'n a day now."

He smiled a bit in an assuring manner, but she caught a flash of mischief in his fierce eyes.  "You go on an' greet 'im, okay, kid?  The others 'n I will be along in a few."

With that, he disappeared swiftly into the alcove and up the stairs, leaving her frozen in the hall.  She shot a surly glare after him, willing her legs to move once again; to bring her into the foyer. 

Apprehension once again hit her hard; she didn't know what to expect.  How much could her best friend have changed in six years?  Would he be the same, exuberant elf she remembered?  Or would adulthood and the discrimination that heavily influenced their world have mellowed him into someone else entirely?

And she realized she didn't have time to worry about such things, as she noted where her legs had obediently taken her; that she stood suddenly in the open expanse of the foyer.

*           *           *

He was standing near the door, shaking the snow from his hair and brushing it idly from his clothes; and seemed not to have sensed her presence yet, much to her relief…for she found herself frozen once again, taking in the suddenness of his being there, after six years of absence.

And in a mere heartbeat, all of the apprehension seemed to melt from her, an undeniable sense of relief and delight overcoming her.  A smile broke her features, an almost mischievous smile as a whim came to her and she darted silently into the nearby wall; all but her upper torso disappearing into the stone.  She watched him for a moment, careful that he hadn't seen her; then grinning widely, disappeared all of the way into the wall.

She slipped around the perimeter of the foyer, then, allowing the wall to conceal her; her phased presence preventing the tell-tale recourse of footsteps that would have given her away.  She came out slightly behind him, grinning wryly at her use of his own tricks; blue eyes twinkling.

"Sie schauen gut.²"

It was hard not to laugh outright at how startled he was by the sudden voice behind him.  Giving a small yelp of surprise, Kurt jumped, and then spun hastily about to find Kitty grinning almost smugly at him; still buried from the waist-down within the wall behind her.

The German put a hand to his heart as if to still its sudden pounding at the fright she had given him, pale eyes wide in surprise.  "Kitty?!  You sca—"

"Froh mich zu sehen?³" she cut him off, speaking his native tongue yet again; still smirking as she slipped all the way out of the wall to face him with arms crossed lazily.

He remained somewhat startled, even as a delighted grin split his features, his hand falling from his chest.  "Jawohl, Katzchen.  Sehr nettª—eh?"  He broke off suddenly, his eyes widening further in delight and surprise.  "Ach, vhere did you learn German, Katzchen?" he exclaimed, clearly impressed.

Kitty arched a brow at him, still grinning.  "Hey, what do you think college is for, Fuzzy?"  She chuckled, and shrugged her shoulders lightly.  "Anyway, I needed two language courses on my degree.  So why not pick one I'm going to use, right?"

"To scare the wits out of an old friend?" he remarked with a raised brow of his own, grinning broadly.

"Jawohl," she replied matter-of-factly.

Both laughed; relief and delight evident in their voices.  When they were through, they studied one another for several heartbeats in silence.

It was not an awkward silence, to Kitty's relief, but more of an overwhelmed one.  She couldn't help but look him over, surprised by both the changes in him, and the lack thereof.  It seemed like he was taller than she'd remembered, but then, she had always been a petite woman, so perhaps it was only her mind playing tricks on her.  His dark hair, which had always been rather long when they were teenagers, was short in comparison to what she remembered of it; untidy bangs falling in a split-part just above his pointed elven ears, and only slightly longer in the back where once it had fallen nearly to his shoulders.

He looked older, that was for sure, with his short, untidy hair; dressed quite comfortably in khaki slacks and a charcoal knit turtleneck underneath a black, wool jacket.  And more prepared for this weather than I was, she added wryly to herself, recalling regretfully the thin jacket she had arrived in.

It was at second-glance that he appeared to be the same Kurt she had always known; in the way he smiled—boyish as ever—and the carefree tone of his voice.  Underneath it all, it was clear he hadn't changed; at least, not in the ways that mattered.

She had missed him, she realized; now more than ever.  She could feel her throat clench up at the welling emotion.  She had missed him a lot.

He seemed to sense the slight change in her mood, his smile softening.  "Vermißten sie mich?ⁿ" he teased softly, but she could sense the sincerity in his voice despite his tone.

In response, Kitty threw her arms about him in a fierce embrace.  He seemed to freeze momentarily, thrown off by her reaction.  And then he wrapped his arms about her tightly and returned the hug, smiling softly.

It was several moments of contented bliss, and then her voice—muffled by his jacket—broke the silence; tone accusing.

"What's this about you not sending me a letter…?"

Kurt stiffened guiltily, smiling sheepishly at her as she pulled from their embrace to give him a pointed glare.  His eyes shifted away under her accusing gaze, seeming to study the expansive foyer and distant ceiling all of a sudden.

"Well?" she prompted, sounding impatient.  She couldn't help but grin inwardly at the discomfort she was causing him; in all honesty, she wasn't that mad about the letter.  But she wanted to see him sweat about it a little, just the same.

…Which he seemed to be doing quite a bit, at the moment.  Chuckling nervously, Kurt scratched absently at the back of his neck with one of his three-fingered hands; a pose she had seen him pull all-too-often back in high school.

"Ah…that…Ja, I can explain, Kitty…" he began hesitantly, one of his characteristic, uncertain grins splitting his furry blue face.

His eyes darted suddenly to the staircase where voices could be heard; and after a moment, Jean and Scott could be seen at the top of the steps.  They turned from their conversation, spotting the two down in the foyer and smiling in greeting; Jean tossing them a careless wave.

Kitty watched in secret amusement as Kurt's face lit up thankfully at the sight of the two scapegoats.

"Oh, look!  Zhere's Scott and Jean!" he exclaimed suddenly with obvious relief, straightening up hastily and throwing the older couple a jaunty wave.  "I'd better go say 'hello'."

Kitty raised her brows at him in a knowing expression, hiding a smile.  "Of course," she replied tersely, enjoying his grimace at her tone.  She canted her head loftily, giving him a warning glance.  "Don't think you're getting out of this so easily, though…" she added as a parting threat, glaring at him meaningfully.

He smiled uncomfortably at her, and with a soft BAMF! was gone, reappearing suddenly at the top of the staircase, where she could see him greet Scott and Jean with cheerful exuberance.  Ignoring the faint stench of brimstone he left in his wake, Kitty finally allowed herself to smile softly at his antics.  Suddenly, she felt terribly grateful that she had chosen to return to the Institute.  It really did feel good to be "home".

Still smiling softly to herself, Kitty strode purposefully across the room and began to ascend the steps in the more conventional manner, eager to join her friends.

~          *           ~

~ Glossary ~

Nuit blanche¹  -  white night; sleepless night (French)

Sie schauen gut.²  - (Ger.) You look well.

Froh mich zu sehen?³  -  (Ger.) Happy to see me?

Sehr nettª  - very cute/nice (meant in sarcasm)

Vermißten sie mich?ⁿ  -  Did you miss me?

Jawohl  -  unconventional or crude way of saying a firm 'yes'; affirmative

…and I'm sure you all know the rest.  (If not, just e-mail me.)

But let it be known that all of the German in this fic is subject to mistakes, seeing as I don't really know much and most of the phrases were translated by AltaVista, which is a poor excuse for a translator, really.  I tried my best to get them as accurate as possible, but if anyone who knows anything about German notices any major mistakes, please let me know and I'll try to fix it.  Butcher someone else's language, I do not want to do!  So some aid in that department would be greatly appreciated!

~

Anyway, I apologize for the long wait on this chapter, but I found it quite a bit more difficult to write than I had hoped.  Even now I'm still not completely satisfied with it.  Oh well.  It remains heading in the same direction, so there's naught much I can do to remedy it.  I guess I'm rather satisfied with Logan and Kitty's scene—I hope to write for those two some more in this, because they're 'big brother' relationship intrigues me (which is more so apparent in the original comics.)  And don't worry—there will definitely be more Kurt/Kitty action going on in further chapters!  Yes, he's finally here!  It took me awhile, but I wanted to build up to it.  Things needed to be said, yadda yadda.  I also didn't want it to be too emotional, so tell me what you guys think.  I was going for a nice balance between emotional and teasingly cheerful, but I'm not so sure if I achieved that…

Oh, before I forget, a couple notes on references made:

"… another memory occurred to her at the thought, involving a certain blue elf and a half a gallon of milk. "  -  this is a reference to Episode 33, (season 3) "Mainstream" when Kurt catches Kitty drinking straight from the milk jug at the beginning of the episode and scolds her for it.  When she tells him she was going to finish it, he replies cheekily, (and I paraphrase here) "Alright.  There's only about a half a gallon left…"  I thought this was one of the cutest Kurt/Kitty moments, and it just came to me as soon as Kitty remarked on having a midnight snack.

-  Logan grabbing a beer from the fridge was in slight homage of the kitchen scene from X2, where Logan goes looking for a beer and Bobby points out that "this is a school".  So I thought, 'what the hey!', I'm gonna' give Logan his frickin' beer!  Hey, it could be stashed in there somewhere; or maybe Xavier thought they should stock up over the holidays while the children were away.  Logan deserves his beer, verdammt!

If I missed any others, I'll try to post them later.  I'm tired, and my face is beginning to hurt from squinting at the screen.  I just want to get this thing posted, and I'm sure you all just don't care about this petty stuff anyway.  Why am I so long-winded, for crying out loud?

Thanks again to all of you who reviewed!  Again, I received such great reviews and I hope you'll all continue to read and comment in the future!

~Neko-chan