Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy X or any of it's characters! Just think: It's been a whole year (and then some) since the game came out! Isn't that freaky?
Character thoughts are in "italics." Kore wa omae no monogatari da.
Oh yeah, and Happy New Year! *blows a party favor*
****************
When I close my eyes,
that's when the uncertainty comes.
But the future is bright,
for you will surely be there.
*****************
Final Fantasy X: Beginnings
Chapter Eleven: Uncertain Tomorrows
****************
Yuna woke with a start, her surroundings unfamiliar for a brief moment. She willed her eyes shut again, she knew from the darkness outside that the sun hadn't risen yet. Wrapping herself in her sheets, she attempted to go back to sleep, though she knew it probably wouldn't work.
She hadn't been sleeping well for the past week or so, because dreams... rather, nightmares of the assassination attempt at Luca plagued her mind. The only reason she could think of was that she had been working very much with the issue of the rebuilding of Zanarkand; the subject of her speech that day. Actually, there had been some progress with the whole thing since she first proposed it. There was a great backing in Spira, and with the help of Al Bhed machina, project Zanarkand was born.
She could feel a headache starting to form, signaled by a slight pounding at her temples. "I guess I was just too shocked to really think about it when it happened, I just pushed it out of my mind then, and it hasn't even been that long..." She grimaced, trying to stop the headache's onset by attempting to massage it away. " It's true that taking down Tromell was a bit too easy, and not all of the Guado were for Seymour, though it could be a possibility..." She sighed. "Or perhaps it has more to do with New Yevon? They're always pestering me to join their group, and I don't know why..."
She shook her head, trying to get all the thoughts out of her mind. Too bad it also exacerbated her small headache. "Ow... too much to think about! I might as well get up... can't sleep anyway..." Groggily, she turned her head to the side to glance at the clock on her nightstand. "Hopefully it's not too early this time..."
Problem was, there was a fluffy head of blonde hair right in her line of vision.
Yuna's eyes went wide, and she had to stifle her sharp intake of breath. "W-what's he doing here? Not that I don't want him here... but Wakka's going to give me a lecture if he finds out..!" She took a deep breath, pausing for a moment before settling back into her sheets. "Ok...calm down...you want him here, remember? Who cares what Wakka says? It's not like I have to go anywhere right away..." She hesitantly scooted closer to Tidus, not wanting to wake him, and gently wrapped her arms around him, enjoying his warmth. She nuzzled her head in the crook of his neck, tempted to go back to sleep.
She felt some movement under her arms, and in an instant, she was face to face with him. She laughed at him, just a little, since Tidus' bedhead was pretty funny looking with little blond hairs going every which way. "Good morning..." she said, in between her giggles.
"'Mornin'. And yeah, I know my head looks like a bird's nest, so laugh all you want," he said jokingly.
"Sorry, did I wake you up? I didn't mean to."
"It's ok, I'm not complaining. Especially if I get to wake up like this," He smiled, passing a hand through his mess of hair.
Yuna blushed a bit, hoping that that morning darkness hid her expression. "I was wondering... what are you doing here anyway?" Thinking it sounded too direct, she diverted her gaze. "Not that I mind..."
"Well, you seemed to be having some trouble sleeping last night, so I thought that maybe I could help, y'know?"
"Why did you think that?"
"For one thing, it helps that you were kinda saying my name in your sleep, not that I mind that either," he said, his distinctive grin returning.
Yuna instantly turned serious. The reason she had been saying his name in her sleep was only because she was calling out for him not to die back at Luca. She cast her eyes downward. "That's because...because..."
"Shhh..." Tidus wrapped his arms around her shoulders. "Sorry, I was just trying to cheer you up. You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. Though you did fall right asleep once I came in here, so that made me happy." He smiled down at her. "Too bad you wriggled away and had that nasty dream again, huh?"
"Hmm... so that explains it." She smiled, her headache was going away already. She looked over him to glance at the time, disturbing the sheets in the process, and finding that it really wasn't as early as she thought. She plopped back down on the bed. She made a face at him. "Heeey... does Lulu or Wakka know you're in here?"
He laughed a bit before saying, "Funny story actually, me and Lulu were going for a midnight snack at the same time and she sent me over here herself! Good thing she did, right?"
Yuna giggled. That Lulu. Always looking out for her. "I'll have to thank her later."
"Mhmm... so what's the deal? Wanna get up? Or ...sleep in?" He grinned mischievously, and his voice took on a deeper tone.
Yuna swiftly grabbed the pillow from under her head and smacked him with it.
"Hey!" Tidus sat up to try and fend off any following blows. He got caught totally off guard, and his face showed it.
"Silly...I'm getting up now," she said playfully, pausing to kiss him briefly on the lips. "But... thanks. For everything."
His hand came up to push a stray hair of her face. "No problem. That's what guardians are for."
**************
After slowly getting out of bed, Yuna made her way to the bathroom in order to take a morning shower. "Hey, if I have to wake up early, at least I could be clean about it..." Closing the door behind her, she took off her pj's, throwing them into the hamper with familiar accuracy, and grabbing a towel from the rack while she was at it. Pulling aside the shower curtain, she started the water running, and got in once the water got warm.
Elsewhere in the house, Tidus ran into Lulu once again, this time on a morning breakfast run.
Lulu laughed. "Seems we both get hungry at the same time." She held a toasted bagel and a glass of orange juice in her hands.
Tidus rubbed the back of his neck and grinned. "Heh. Guess so." He had a plate of pancakes ready to go.
Lulu started spreading the cream cheese on her bagel. "So, did she sleep better last night?"
Tidus grabbed the bottle of syrup and started pouring. " Yeah. Guess you could say that." He paused. "But the way she was acting this morning when I brought up her dream had me a little worried..."
Lulu looked up from her work for a moment. "Hopefully it will pass, she'll talk to us about it when she feels the time is right. That's just how she is."
"Yeah. She's a total open book," he said, chuckling a bit.
"Oh wait, I just remembered something," Lulu said suddenly. "I'll be right back." She walked away for a moment, making her way to her and Wakka's room, and coming back with a small stack of neatly folded clothes.
"Huh? What's that?" Tidus asked, curious.
"Yuna has an open forum today in the temple, and for once I'd like to see her dress down for once. She isn't a summoner anymore, so she shouldn't have to dress up like one. Besides, I just got finished with the clothes anyway."
"Ah, gotcha. But what do I have to do with all of this?"
"Just go and give these to her so she can wear them when she's done in the shower. I've got to get the preparations for the temple ready and get Chappu up too, so I appreciate the help. Oh, and tell her she's got extra time, since the forum will start late today."
It sounded easy enough. "Ok, will do." He stuffed a forkful of syrupy pancakes into his mouth shortly afterward.
Lulu smiled to herself, and busied herself with another bagel for Wakka. "Well, I figured he'd want to do that errand anyway."
*************
Yuna was still in the shower, just about to finish up. The warm water felt good, since it relaxed her tense muscles. "Who knew you could get sore from dreaming? Or maybe it's because I haven't been doing as much blitzball lately with all the Zanarkand stuff going on, I really should get back into that..."
Just then, she heard a soft knocking at the bathroom door.
Outside, Tidus was holding Yuna's change of clothes. "Hey Yuna! I've got some clothes for you from Lulu! And... take your time, the forum starts late today!"
"What?!" She shouted. Yuna couldn't really understand the muffled voice through the door due to the sound of running water filling her ears.
"I'll just leave the clothes here, ok? I'm coming in for just a little bit, so don't get out!" Tidus shouted.
"WHAT?" Still unable to hear him well, Yuna decided to just see what all the ruckus was about. "Just a moment, I'll be over there in a minute!" Yuna opened the curtain, and was about to grab her towel to check on the door, when she saw Tidus coming in with a pile of clothes.
She froze.
He froze.
The sound of shower running was the only sound in the little room for a brief moment.
Coming to her senses, Yuna quickly grabbed the towel from the rack and wrapped it around herself, her hair still dripping wet, and water getting everywhere. "Um... I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you too well..."
Tidus looked away, though his beet red blush was very apparent. "Uh... I'm sorry too, for barging in like that, I didn't mean to..."
Yuna felt very awkward, and very, very embarrassed. "So...uh... what was it you wanted to tell me?"
Tidus hesitantly looked back toward her general direction now that she had a towel on ...even if it still didn't do much to hide her figure. He offered the clothes he had in his hands. "These are from Lulu, and she just wanted me to tell you that you've got extra time since the forum starts late today."
Yuna thought back to the muffled stuff she had heard through the door just a second ago. "So that's what you were saying..."
Tidus looked down, and laughed nervously. "Yeah."
Yuna giggled, thinking of the whole situation. Trying to get rid of the tension, she joked, "So, did you like what you saw?" Her voice took on a tone very unlike her.
"W-wh-WHAT?!" Tidus' blush got even redder and he started scooting back toward the door. "Um... y-yeah...wait! I mean..."
Yuna giggled at his reaction and grabbed an extra towel so she could dry off her hair. "Ok you, I'm going to get some clothes on, though to you it really doesn't make much of a difference anymore..."
Tidus, realizing what Yuna was trying to do, finally relaxed and did the best pouting expression he could. "Does to."
They both laughed a lot after that, mostly at themselves.
Yuna, still smiling, changed her tone of voice. "But really, I meant it. Get out, I have to change!"
Tidus stepped out, only to see a door close right in front of his face.
On both sides of the door, both were thinking the same thing.
"Well, that was interesting."
***************
A few minutes later, Yuna came out, wearing a pair of khaki capris and a light blue blouse with laces at the neck and the sleeves. Spotting Lulu sitting on the couch, she made her way towards her.
"Hi Lulu," Yuna said, taking a seat next to her.
Lulu had Chappu in her arms, and held a bottle to his hungry mouth. "Yuna... so you like it?" She said, referring to the outfit.
"This? Yeah. I does feel nice to get out of summoner's clothes, even if just for a little bit."
"Mhmm... so I heard you slept well last night also," she said, busying herself with Chappu once more.
"Yeah... and apparently I have you to thank for that," Yuna said, letting herself fall back into the comfy sofa.
"You're welcome." She added, "And I'm guessing you got the message from Tidus then?"
Yuna blushed a bit when she thought of what had just happened back at the bathroom. "Mhmm..."
Lulu, knowing Yuna like no one else, saw her slight change in tone and expression. "Say, Yuna. Did something happen...?"
Yuna opened her mouth to tell her, but right then Tidus came out from his shower, dressed casually, and his hair still wet, much like Yuna's.
Lulu gasped. "Don't tell me you two..."
Yuna instantly sat up from her position on the couch, and Tidus started making hand gestures like crazy.
"No, it's not what you think!"
"Nothing happened, I swear!"
Wakka chose this moment to come into the living room, a schedule book open in his hands. "Something happened between you two?" His face showed an unusual expression as he surveyed the current situation.
Both Yuna and Tidus buried their hands in their faces, and let out big sighs in unison.
Wakka shook his head. "Ok, I won't ask...for now," he said giving a look to both of them. "But the forum starts in about fifteen minutes, so we better get goin' down to the temple, ya?"
Yuna got up slowly and stretched out her arms. If things like this continued to happen in her daily life, she could probably get used to it. Something like this was much better than the days she had stayed depressed in bed for almost half the day; that was right after the time they had defeated Sin. It wasn't just Tidus that made her able to smile again, it was everyone. And she was thankful for that.
"Ok then, let's go!" She said cheerfully, walking out the door, a bounce in her step.
Wakka turned to Tidus. "Hey, brudda. You sure nothin' happened?"
"Yeah yeah, I'm sure, ok?!"
****************
Yuna stepped out to find Rikku sitting on the ground and tinkering with something by the side of one of the huts, with a pile of machina all around her. Seeing as no one had followed her out yet, she stopped to see what she was up to. "Hey, what are you working on this time?"
Rikku looked up upon hearing Yuna's voice. "Oh, hey Yunie! Just trying to work with this Dark Matter I've got here. Hopefully I can increase the power output of this machina so it'll become more useful. Exciting, huh?" Her voice bubbled with enthusiasm.
"Mhmm..." Yuna didn't understand much about Rikku's customizing techniques, but she was learning more about them day by day. "Oh yeah, by the way, you're still working those machina guns you found by Zanarkand, right?"
"Yup! Just give me a few days and those fiends will be biting the dust in no time!"
"Yeah, I remember Mom loving those machina guns with a passion," Yuna said, nostalgic.
"She was one of the best sharpshooters around, y'know?" Rikku said, smiling. "Maybe you've inherited some of her skill, you think?"
Yuna pondered the thought. "Hmm. I'll never know till I try..."
Seeing Wakka, Lulu, and Tidus finally exiting the hut, Yuna quickly said good-bye to her cousin. "Sorry, I've got to go. I'll see you after the forum, ok?"
"Ok, I'll probably still be here anyway," Rikku said grinning. She slid her green goggles over her eyes as she prepped to use the flame torch on her current project.
By that point, the rest of the group had caught up to her, and they all went off to the nearby temple with time to spare.
****************
The temple in Besaid had been turned into a temporary conference hall for Yuna's open forum, with chairs set out in a circular fashion following the circular design at the center. With this design, Yuna wouldn't feel too nervous, and the people wouldn't be too nervous to ask her questions. Yuna took a seat next to Kimahri, who had arrived early to 'greet' early comers.
Tidus took a seat next to Yuna, as Wakka and Lulu stayed at the doors to welcome the people coming in. He turned to Yuna and leaned in towards her to whisper in her ear. "So... what's this you're about to do here again?"
"It's an open forum that happens every month. Anyone in Spira can come and discuss issues they'd like to see work on, comment on things, and other general things like that," she replied, her voice as soft as his.
He sat back in his chair. "Ah, gotcha. Sounds pretty cool of you to do this."
Yuna smiled at him. "I guess you could say that."
The chairs around them had filled up considerably in the few minutes they had been here. She looked up too see some familiar faces from the village, and some others she almost recognized, not being able to quite place where she had seen them before. They were together with Yeivel though, so she assumed they must come from New Yevon. "And I was just thinking about them... how strange. Yeivel always comes to the forums, but he's never brought others with him before..."
Yuna could tell the others (besides Tidus) shared her train of thought. Wakka looked especially tense on his way over to sit down with Lulu, taking the two seats next to Kimahri.
Yeivel, sensing the growing tension, spoke up. "Uh... Lady Yuna! You look well."
"Thank you, as do you."
"I-it is really good to see you m'lady..." he said nervously. "Umm... we're just sitting in here, so please, don't mind us."
Yuna cast a wary look over them. "They're going to try and get me to join their group like they always do, it's just that this time, Yeivel's got a lot more backup." Glancing at her machina watch, she decided that it was time to begin. She spoke up from her chair.
"Hello everyone, and welcome to this month's forum. I hope you all have been doing well, and I hope that I can continue to do good work for all of Spira. Now, the floor is open to any topic you wish to discuss."
An old man sitting next to Tidus spoke up. "Lady Yuna, I just want to tell you you've done a great job managing the peace in Spira, and life here in Besaid has never been better. Why, Lord Braska would be proud of you." He smiled a toothy grin, with many of his teeth missing.
Yuna took the compliment gracefully. "Thank you sir, I do try my best."
A young woman in a Crusader's outfit spoke up next. "Lady Yuna, with the rebuilding of Zanarkand, what are you planning to do? We have been surviving for years without the machina city. What good will it bring?"
"Well, besides personal reasons..." Yuna glanced at Tidus next to her for a brief moment. "The rebuilding of Zanarkand is a great endeavor, I know, but I believe that it will do only good for Spira. We don't need a reminder of Sin's past destruction, so we don't need to leave it in ruins. I also believe that it will make a good home for the Al Bhed, who haven't had a real home for a long time." Motioning with her hands, she continued. "And with the rebuilding the blitzball stadium there will ensure more games that can be played and watched, as opposed to having just one blitzball stadium in Luca."
"I see. You raise good points m'lady. Do you know approximately when the project will be finished?"
"No, unfortunately, I do not. The Al Bhed technology is evolving day by day though, so I see it being finished within a few years time. Of course, certain areas will be completed before others; like the blitzball stadium, which I see happening within the next year."
Everyone in the circle was fixed on Yuna, as she spoke of the things to come. At first, the rebuilding of Zanarkand was considered taboo due to Yevonites, but now that the Eternal Calm had come, anything was possible. She glanced briefly at Yeivel and his group. "Anything is possible... like if those New Yevonites really *are* just sitting in on today's forum and won't say anything about me joining them..."
Yuna was right... for most of the forum anyway. All of her guardians became visibly relaxed about the whole situation as Yuna took more questions from the people and answered them with her usual grace. After taking a question from a warrior monk from Bevelle, Yuna glanced down at her left wrist to see that it was just about time to end the forum. She stood up slowly, and was about to declare it over, but...
A man stood up suddenly within the circular chairs. "Lady Yuna! One more issue!" It was one of the New Yevonites Yeivel had brought along. Dressed in elaborate robes, reminiscent of those Yuna had seen in her wedding with Seymour, he stood out among the people in the once holy temple. His booming voice gave her an uneasy feeling.
"Yes?" She knew what was coming. She was hoping she would be able to avoid it, at least for one month...
Tidus was about to stand up to defend her, but Yuna put her hand on his shoulder, keeping him down. Wakka, Lulu, and Kimahri all had expressions on their faces that screamed *I knew it!*.
"Lady Yuna, we wish you to join our group. Please. We need a leader for our new religion."
Yuna shook her head. "I decline. Haven't you taken the hint with all of the rejections you've gotten from me?" Her voice let on a bit of her annoyance.
"Yes, but we hope that our persistence pays off one day."
Yeivel interjected. "But we'd still like you to join us of your free will, you know that."
The other New Yevonites there rallied behind their leader's comments.
"You know... you used to serve Yevon. It doesn't matter if he is gone, or if the religion was fake, we strive to make something better than what we had before."
"Spira needs an organized religion to unify it's people, and with your support, we can make that happen."
Before another New Yevonite could speak, Yuna retorted, her annoyance growing. "Do not talk to me about unity, sir. Spira is already united through the people's strength and desire to rebuild their world. Has nothing about the defeat of Sin ever occur to you? Also, it shouldn't even matter whether or not I join you! People should choose to participate in your religion of their own free will, just like you say it is my free will that decides if I join you. I decline. And I do not want anyone asking me to join from today onward. Understand?"
Yuna's anger was a silent one, and was a side she rarely (if ever) showed. The Yevonites seemed to get the point, and promptly became silent. It really wasn't in their best interest to get on the bad side of Spira's Grand Maestress. Well, they were already at that point, but it really wouldn't be smart to push her any further.
Yuna let out a big sigh. "Well, that's it for today's forum, everyone. I thank you for coming, and we'll have another open forum in a month."
Everyone stood up, and began exiting the temple, mumbling about the New Yevonite outburst at the end.
Lulu came up to Yuna once all of the people had dispersed, and patted her on the head. "You did well. Now what do you say to going home, and I'll fix everyone something to eat?"
"Sounds good..." Yuna said happily.
On the way out of the temple, Tidus tried to cheer Yuna up. "If it'll make you feel better, I'll let you walk in on my shower tomorrow..." he whispered in her ear jokingly.
Yuna smirked. "I don't know Tidus, maybe I'll take you up on that," she laughed, unable to keep up her serious tone. She could hear Tidus gulp.
"You really mean that?"
"No silly, I'd only do that if you asked me to... wait. You just did!" She started giggling.
"Yuna... are you serious?" Tidus had a bewildered look on his face.
"What are you two kids talking about back there?" Wakka said. They had already arrived at the entrance to their hut.
"Nothing..." Yuna said innocently. Tidus nodded, agreeing with her comment.
Wakka raised an eyebrow. "You two are weird, ya?!" He brushed aside the curtain, and stepped inside. Lulu followed him in, and headed toward the kitchen.
Yuna, seeing Rikku sitting where she saw her last, walked over to her, Tidus in tow. "Hey there, how's it going?"
Rikku looked up and slid her green goggles down from her eyes and around her neck. "Oh, hi Yunie! I should be asking you the same thing, you look beat."
"Those forums do look tiring, especially having to deal with New Yevon and stuff too... she's really something, huh?" Tidus said, referring to the girl standing next to him. "I swear. All these politics make my head hurt." He grinned bashfully.
"Yeah, that Yunie. She always works too hard," she said, agreeing with him. "Oooh. Tidus, on the topic of New Yevon, I have something I want you guys to see. I'll be right back, ok?" Rikku got up, dusted off her shorts, and walked around to the back of the hut where more of her machina projects were kept.
She came back with the machina she had been working before the forum. "There's something up with this Dark Matter here... it's really weird." Rikku turned around to look for her blowtorch, but decided against it. "Let's see if Lulu's lessons have been paying off!" Her hand crackled with energy, and a bright flame shot through the Dark Matter for a brief moment.
The unusual thing was that for this brief moment, the jet black blob turned into a spider-like blob very reminiscent of Yu Yevon.
Yuna gasped. "Maybe my hunch about New Yevon wasn't a fluke..."
Tidus spoke up. "Rikku, isn't that what you stole from Tromell when you knocked him out?"
"Yup. Seems like it. Looks like the Guado back there had some connections to Yevon somehow, it's really confusing!" She said, resting her now free hand on her hip. Seeing Yuna's worried expression, Rikku tried to console her. "You know, it could be a coincidence, it *has* only been two years since he was defeated, so don't get too worried, ok?"
Yuna nodded. "I'll try. But we should look further into it, just in case."
"Yuuuuna! Tiiiidussss! Riiikkuuuuuu! The food's ready, YAAAA???!!!!"
All three of them laughed. There was no mistaking Wakka's way of saying things. Forgetting the problem at hand for a bit, they headed back to the hut to relax.
**************
After enjoying the afternoon snack, Yuna went back into her room to get her notebook. She didn't want to forget the issues people brought up in the forum, though she did want to forget the fact that New Yevon apparently crashed the whole thing. She grabbed a pen along with the worn looking pad of paper off her desk, walked over to her bed, and started to jot down everything she could remember.
"Let's see... the issue of Zanarkand, the Blitzball admission tax, a compliment..." Absorbed in her thoughts, she almost didn't notice the door crack open, and a certain blitzball player walk in, and quietly walk right up to her. She still concentrated her attention on jotting down her notes. " You know, life was a lot simpler just yesterday."
Tidus smiled and let out a sigh. He wasn't as stealthy as he thought he was, apparently. He took a seat next to Yuna on her already disheveled bed (it seemed she didn't make it this morning) and glanced over to see what she was doing. "You know Yuna, it's normal to freak out when things get a little unpredictable."
She looked up. "Hey... who said I was freaking out?" Yuna said, freaking out, just a bit.
Tidus grinned, making Yuna realize her mistake. He patted her on the back playfully. "Take it easy!"
"..." Yuna said nothing as she looked up at him then back down at her work. "What? Is he making fun of me now?"
Yuna continued jotting down her notes and Tidus continued to sit there, giving her some time to think.
"A new predicament, a new problem to solve. It's a little unsettling to think about, though something inside me yearns for some adventure, and it's a little weird not having my life all planned out like it was before..."
A few moments of silence passed between them before Tidus turned toward her.
"Yuna? Can I ask you something?"
"..." Yuna said nothing and nodded, not really taking notice of him, the case being she was consciously trying to ignore him to aid her memory.
"I've been thinking about this a lot since I came back, and I know this might not be the right time, but Yuna... will you marry me? We could walk in on each others' showers all we want, and sleep in the same bed and..." He rambled on, nervous. Noticing that Yuna hadn't budged, he got even more nervous. "...Yuna?" He took her left hand in his own. "I..."
Yuna's eyes widened in realization, dropping her notebook on the floor in the process. "Wait, did he just say what I think he said?" She turned slowly toward him from her position on the bed. "Tidus? Did you... just propose to me?"
He nodded, and looking into his eyes, she could sense his anticipation for her answer.
She smiled up at him and kissed him on the lips. "Yes," She whispered breathlessly. "Yes."
"Perhaps the fact that I don't know what tomorrow brings... is a good thing."
*****************
Author's notes:
Look! Look! It's the end! I know there are a lot of loose ends, but the thing is, I don't have any more creative energy left to think of a resolution! Yeah. Though, if I get enough cries of "MORE!" from reviews (hint, hint) I might consider an epilogue, or perhaps *GASP!* continuing it. Hopefully this chapter was super-sized enough for ya. :-)
The Japanese at the top? It's Auron's saying from the beginning of the game! "This is your story." Also, the intro italics come from the Jpop group Dream and their song, "Yourself." The walk-in shower scene came from one of my reviews on Fire Rules' "A Time for Reflection," (haha, told you I'd use it!) and the machina gun reference comes from (of course) FFX-2.
People to thank! Yeah, YOU! First of all for reading this! I'm happy that you gave a fic like this a chance. Really, I was making this up as I went, so hopefully it turned out ok. It's a pleasure to write for all you (reviewing) people. :-) Extra kudos to everyone who's been with me from beginning to end!
Th' Lady Shadow: Writer extraordinaire! Breaker of Writer's Blocks! It's SHAD! Seriously, without her, this update would've taken two months more to complete. Also, she's a great person just to chat with about random stuff! Go read her fics! *plugplug*
Fire Rules: I know I haven't talked much to ya lately, but I remember all of the reviews you've left me over the course of the story. Your handy dandy nitpicks always help me improve chapter to chapter, so thanks! I appreciate it! I don't get too busy there with... life. Yeah. I have that problem too. ;-)
Wings of Stars: Just because I've been reading your fics lately, I decided to work on this thing here again. I love your writing style! :-D
That's it! Thanks for reading, and I'll be seeing ya around! I've got another fic in the works in my head, so look forward to it!
~Noelle
January 1, 2003
