Chapter 17: The father
"Yuki?"
Hanayuki looked at the person beside her. "Yes, Kaede?"
Rukawa didn't look at her. He just kept on walking, pushing his bicycle along. Hanayuki waited for him to speak.
After a long moment of silence, he said, "I am planning to go to America."
Hanayuki frowned as she looked at him again. "America?"
Rukawa nodded his head. Hanayuki turned to face forward, before asking, "To further your studies?"
Again, he kept quiet for a moment before answering, "I am thinking that I would be able to have a better development in my basketball skills there."
It was Hanayuki's turn to keep quiet, and for the next 5 minutes or so, she didn't say anything. It was only when they were approaching the children's playground situated near the public basketball court did she finally speak. "Ne, Kaede, how about we go sit on the swings? It's been quite long since I'd sat on one."
Without waiting for his answer, she walked on to the playground and headed for the swings. She sat on one of them and immediately began to swing. As for Rukawa, he just stood aside and watched silently, wondering to himself why Hanayuki was suddenly acting so strange.
"Aren't you going to sit down, Kaede? It's a lot of fun you know," said Hanayuki, gesturing to the swing beside hers. Rukawa just stared at her.
"Guess not." She continued swinging.
"What are you doing?" asked Rukawa.
"Sitting on a swing?" answered Hanayuki. Seeing his stony silence, she sighed and said, "Why don't you sit down somewhere, Kaede? I would like to tell you a story."
Rukawa raised his eyebrows, but obliged nevertheless. He settled down in front of her on the ground, and she stopped swinging.
"You know, otousan used to be a basketball coach in college. That was ten years ago, before he adopted me. I knew about this all along, but it was only 2 nights ago, when he called to check on you guys, that he told me about the player who went to America to study basketball back then."
Rukawa's interest was piqued at this piece of information. Hanayuki continued, "Yazawa-san was a freshman then, standing at the height of 2 metres, and had a very good sense of basketball. Everyone believed that he would be a great player, including otousan."
She paused, and then asked, "Kaede, have you ever heard of the 'white-haired devil'?"
"You mean Anzai-sensei?"
Smiling a little, Hanayuki nodded her head. "Yes. Otousan was one of the best college basketball coaches in the country. Yazawa-san was in the college whose basketball team otousan was coaching. He quickly saw the potential in Yazawa-san, but being the 'white-haired devil' he was called back then, he didn't show it. Instead, he kept on reprimanding Yazawa-san, even on the slightest mistake made."
"Otousan especially reprimanded him for always playing as if the team existed for him alone, and not the other way round like it should be. Otousan knew that deep down inside, Yazawa-san was resenting him, but what he didn't count on was Yazawa-san's stubbornness, leading him to make a decision that would eventually ruin his life."
"Even the other players knew that otousan was stricter to Yazawa-san than to any of them because he wanted more from him, and knew that he could be better. He originally planned to give Yazawa-san a full basic training for a while, because without it, any talent can't improve itself."
"However, it wasn't long before Yazawa-san stopped coming to college and went to America. Since then, otousan became rather depressed. He had such big hopes for Yazawa-san; his departure came as quite a shock and disappointment to otousan."
"Otousan kept on asking the other players about him. Did he keep in touch with them? Did he write? Who is he staying with? Did he have any contact there? At first, Yazawa-san wrote to one of them regularly, but as time passed by, the letters stopped coming."
"Then, about a year later, one video cassette was sent from him; a basketball game was recorded in it, and Yazawa-san was playing in the game. Initially, otousan was happy to see him again, even though it was only through a video. But soon, the happiness gave way to worry, as he noticed that Yazawa-san hadn't improved any at all. He didn't seem to be communicating with his team-mates. Basically, they weren't a team. Everyone was playing for himself, and there was no team-work."
"Again, he asked for Yazawa-san's contact address, but the player whom he had kept in contact with said that his letters never reached Yazawa-san, and that maybe he had moved or something. Otousan was hoping to contact Yazawa-san himself and ask him to come back, so that otousan could make him the best player in Japan as his last work."
"In America, they were a lot of players who were much taller than Yazawa-san. Besides that, he lacked of the basic training, and could not expect improvement without a proper trainer or coach."
"Determined to make sure Yazawa-san's basketball career flourish, otousan never gave up trying to contact him. He even went to the extent of contacting the college Yazawa-san was studying in America, only to be told that he didn't even show up for basketball practice. It seemed that there was no hope in contacting him at all."
"5 years after he had left for America, otousan finally managed to obtain news about him. Unfortunately, it wasn't good news, for Yazawa-san had died. Broken-hearted as he was, otousan attended his funeral, where he was approached by Yazawa-san's mother. She gave otousan a letter, which was dated 4 years ago and was found in Yazawa-san's apartment. Apparently, he didn't mail it."
"In the letter, Yazawa-san wrote all about his regrets of not listening to otousan's words and advices. In that year itself, otousan left the world of college basketball, for he was so upset that he could not realise the dream he had for Yazawa-san. However, otousan couldn't end his life with basketball either, and so, he went on to coach high school teams, Shohoku being one of them," Hanayuki finished her story.
She waited to see if there was any response from Rukawa. When there was none, she continued, "Kaede, even though otousan had never met you or oniichan, and had only heard about all your skills and talent through me, somehow, he could sense that the both of you had the same potential as Yazawa-san. That was how he got to telling me about Yazawa-san; we were discussing about the team, and as usual, I was telling him about how much oniichan has progressed, and how you seemed so full of energy and spirit all of a sudden."
"He had sounded so happy on the phone. I knew what he was thinking. He was thinking that, perhaps you and oniichan would be able to finally realise the dream he initially had for Yazawa-san. Only this time, the dream included you and oniichan."
Hanayuki slid off the swing and knelt down in front of Rukawa. "Kaede, you know I watched the final game between you guys and Ryonan. And, to tell you the truth, you are still not up to Aki-, I mean, Sendoh-san's standards yet." She could see the slight change in his expression, but she knew she had to go on. It's for his own good. Looking straight into his eyes, she asked, "Tell me, Kaede, are you trying to run away by going to America?"
"No!" he blurted out, quick as lightning.
Hanayuki looked at him for a moment, before saying, "I'm not trying to bring you down here, Kaede. It's just that, I don't think you are ready for America. At least, not yet. In the upcoming National Championships, you may face even tougher opponents. Tougher than Sendoh-san, and even Maki-san. Therefore, I think that you should aim to be the number one high school player in Japan first, before entertaining any thoughts of going to America. When you have reached the goal, it wouldn't be too late for you to go, if you still want to."
Rukawa's eyes widened a little at Hanayuki's suggestion. They lapsed into a round of silence. As she watched, he lifted his head to look up at the sky. "Do you understand what I am trying to tell you here, Kaede?" asked Hanayuki.
He looked at her, and for a while, they were locked in each other's gaze. Then, taking her hand in his, he asked softly, "Do you want me to stay?"
Hanayuki was surprised at the question. She blinked a few times, before answering, "What do you mean?"
Rukawa opened his mouth to repeat the question, but before he could get the words out, another voice rang out through the silence of the night.
"He was asking if you would rather have him go to America, or stay here in Japan, by your side."
Both Hanayuki and Rukawa turned towards the owner of the voice. Slowly, they stood up.
"Otousan?"
---
Rukawa and Hanayuki sat quietly in the Mercedes as the older man went on talking. Somehow, with some clever manoeuvres on the man's part, Hanayuki ended up sitting at the back of the car with him, while Rukawa sat in front at the passenger seat.
"So, tell me, Hanayuki-san, would you like Kaede to stay or go?" asked the man.
Giving him the tiniest of smiles, Hanayuki answered, "It doesn't matter, Rukawa-sama. In the end, it's all up to him to decide."
"Sou. You have a point there. So, Kaede, are you going, or are you staying?"
When Rukawa didn't answer him, he chuckled to himself, before turning to Hanayuki and said, "That's my boy. Not even a word to his old dad. Not one single letter."
Hanayuki gave him another small smile, and concentrated on the road, despite the fact that she wasn't the one driving.
"I'm glad that you accepted my offer to send you home, Hanayuki-san. After all, we wouldn't want Kaede to get all worried about you walking home alone, now would we?" he continued.
As hearing-impaired as she may be (despite the fact that she was wearing hearing aids. Anyway, it's just an expression), Hanayuki could hear the hidden meaning behind those words. She looked at him and said, "No, we wouldn't want that at all."
As if on cue, the car stopped in front of her house. "Arigatou gozaimasu, Rukawa-sama, for the ride. Good night." Hanayuki got out of the car.
Rukawa also got down from the car and walked her to the gate. "Yuki..."
Hanayuki smiled at him reassuringly and said, "I won't be going to school tomorrow, so you don't have to wait up for me. But, I'll be there for practice. I'll see you then, alright?" Nudging him towards the limousine, she glanced at Mr Rukawa in the car, who smiled and nodded his head a little in greeting. "Go. Your father's waiting."
Before she could go in, Rukawa pulled her back to face him and kissed her on the forehead. Caught off guard, Hanayuki stared at him in shock momentarily before regaining her composure. She smiled a little, before entering her house compound and closing the gate behind her.
As soon as she was gone from sight, Rukawa's features hardened, and with the same hardened features, he walked back to the Mercedes and got into the front passenger seat, ignoring the chauffeur who had held the back-seat door open for him. For the rest of the journey back to his house, he never spoke to his father, and he him.
(A/n: In case you were wondering, Mr Rukawa sent his bodyguard to ride on Rukawa's bike back home, since it wouldn't fit into the boot of the car.)
Reaching the house, he went in, followed by Mr Rukawa, who then sat on the sofa and watched as Rukawa walked into the kitchen, coming out and leaning against the door frame a while later, his eyes fixed on his father even as he drank from the milk carton he was holding in his hand.
After what seemed like forever, Rukawa broke the silence. "Why did you come back?"
Mr Rukawa eyed his son with an eyebrow raised. "I always come back once in a while to see you. Have you forgotten already, or is your mind only filled with thoughts of that girl?"
Rukawa ignored the sarcastic question, but his eyes never left his father's face. Sighing, Mr Rukawa went on. "Kaede, if you know what's good for you, don't get yourself mixed up with that girl. If you want to be friends, fine. But nothing more than that, do you hear me?"
As usual, Rukawa didn't answer or say anything, but to Mr Rukawa, he already did. He just had to look into his son's eyes, and everything which was left unsaid could be seen there, as clear as day. At that moment, the eyes were conveying to him one single question: What do you mean?
"I meant what I said, Kaede. You heard me," Mr Rukawa said. "She may look all sweet and innocent, but the truth is she's not. You think you know everything about her, but the fact is you don't even know a fraction of her life."
At this, Rukawa narrowed his eyes. "You checked up on her." It was more of a statement than a question.
"Yes, I did," Mr Rukawa admitted coolly.
"What gives you the right to check up on a friend of mine?" Rukawa demanded.
"The fact that I am your father gives me every right to do so."
"Well, the fact that you are my father doesn't give you the right to do anything that has got to do with my private life. Yuki is my friend. I will not stand to see her hurt or humiliated, or her private life violated, like mine was, by you."
"You think I care if that girl's hurt or humiliated? What I care about is-"
"Your life. Your reputation as one of the most prominent businessmen in Japan and the US." Rukawa smirked. "Why am I not surprised?"
"Don't you talk to me like that, Kaede! I am your father, and the least you could do is show me some of the respect I deserve for doing exactly what a father would do when faced with the prospect of his son's life being ruined."
"Doesn't seem like it to me," said Rukawa, folding his arms across his chest.
"No?" Mr Rukawa laughed sarcastically. "I was trying to save your life, your reputation, and you say that I'm not doing my job as a father. How ironic can things be?"
"I don't need you to save my life or reputation. Especially not if your way of doing it is by prying into my private affairs and that of my friend."
"Kaede! What do you want me to do to be able to get this through that unbelievably thick head of yours? That girl is going to hurt you. It is bad enough that you are already so cold and distant. I don't want you to withdraw completely from this world when she breaks your heart one day."
"Yuki will not hurt me intentionally."
"Kaede-"
"She won't," said Rukawa, with an air of finality. He made his way across the room towards the stairway, the empty milk carton left on the dining table. At the foot of the stairs, he turned around to face his father again.
"She won't." With that, he went up to his room. Mr Rukawa could only shake his head at his son's, in his opinion, naïve thought.
She will, my son... she will.
---
Meanwhile, at Hanayuki's home...
Hanayuki swung herself in the cocoon-like swing of hers at the balcony, gazing into the darkness. Closing her eyes, she was immediately transported back to the time when the unexpected meeting took place about a month ago.
-Flashback-
"Oh, shoot! I'm actually going to be late for school!"
Ring!
Hanayuki stopped in her tracks. "Huh?" She glanced at the clock on the wall. It's already 8.15 in the morning. Kaede should be in school already. She walked cautiously to the door and opened it a crack.
A middle-aged man was standing outside the gate. Curiosity getting the better of her, Hanayuki approached him. "Ohayo gozaimas. Can I help you with something, sir?" she asked from inside.
"Are you Anzai Hanayuki?"
Hanayuki was surprised and shocked at the same time. She had never used that name before, not since she entered high school. How did he know about it?
"Do I know you, sir?" she asked.
"I don't believe so. But," he lowered his voice as he moved closer to the gate, "I know all about you."
As Hanayuki began to pale, he continued, "I know what you are hiding."
-End of flashback-
Her eyes flew opened as she recalled the statement. Her body began to tremble, but not from the cold of the night. There was no stopping it now; all the memories of that particular day came flying back to her, even as she tried to block them out of her mind.
-Flashback-
"Who are you?" asked Hanayuki, her voice in a whisper.
The man smiled at her, before answering, "I'm Kaede's father, Rukawa Aoshi."
-End of flashback-
A lone tear made its way down her cheek. Using the back of her hand, she wiped it away and blinked furiously to keep the others at bay.
-Flashback-
"I hope that you can understand a father's feelings. I don't mean to hurt or humiliate you in any way. I only want the best for my son."
Hanayuki nodded her head mutedly. With an extremely heavy heart, she said, "I understand."
-End of flashback-
The phone began to ring. Slowly, Hanayuki stood up and went to her study table where she had placed her handphone. She waited for the call to be transferred to the handphone, so that she could see who the caller was.
It was Rukawa.
-Flashback-
"Kaede, there's something I would like to tell you."
Rukawa looked at her, his face devoid of any expression. There was a moment of silence.
"Remember when I told you that I like you? Well, I don't know what kind of um... impact it had on our um... friendship, but I just wanted to tell you this. I hope that we can continue being... um..." Hanayuki hesitated, before continuing, "... good friends."
From the look on his face, Hanayuki knew that Rukawa thought he had heard her wrongly. Then, she saw him narrowing his eyes in response.
"I am not saying that I was lying when I said I like you. I really do, but... but I've been thinking about it for a while now, and I don't think that my liking towards you is anything further than... than friendship. I... I'm sorry. I guess I wasn't thinking properly at that time. I mean, I was sporting an injury on the head. Perhaps that was why I've said things which I shouldn't have." She looked down on the floor, avoiding his intense gaze on her.
"What are you trying to say?"
The icy-cold monotones of his voice made Hanayuki lift up her head and look at him straight in the eye. Say it!
"I would like to be friends."
She watched as Rukawa looked away, and waited for him to respond, although she knew that he probably wouldn't. Meanwhile, it was starting to rain outside.
"Kaede?"
No response.
"Kaede?"
"It's Rukawa."
He looked at her, and continued, "Not Kaede."
She looked back at him, her own face devoid of any expression. He stood up to leave. When he was about to step out of the door, she said, in barely a whisper, "I'm sorry, Rukawa-kun." It was raining rather heavily outside, but he stepped out anyway, and she didn't stop him.
-End of flashback-
Hanayuki stood still, looking at the phone which was ringing so loudly, her head felt like it was going to burst from the impact of the sound. Her hands were itching to grab the phone and answer it, but her mind was telling her to do otherwise.
It took her a while, but in the end, Hanayuki decided to listen to her mind, walked to her bed, grabbed a pillow and buried her head underneath to drown out the ringing.
---
The next day...
Hanayuki was on her way to the gym when she bumped into Rukawa. Their eyes met, and almost immediately, his hand reached out to touch her face, a frown etched on his face.
"What happened to your eyes?" he asked.
Hanayuki's hand instinctively reached up to touch them. They couldn't feel anything wrong with her eyes, but she knew what he was talking about.
"Nothing. I just couldn't sleep, that's all." That was true. She had tossed and turned in bed all night, and when morning came, she gave up trying to sleep and just lay in bed staring at the ceiling. "It's nothing."
Rukawa withdrew his hand, his gaze still fixed on her. "Why didn't you answer the phone yesterday?" he asked.
Hanayuki rounded her eyes as best and as innocent as she could. "Oh, you called? I'm so sorry. I went to bed early yesterday, and must've taken out my hearing aids when the phone rang. Gomen."
Steering away from the subject, she asked him, "So, Kaede, have you been thinking about what I've told you yesterday?"
He shrugged. "I'm not going."
"I see... I understand how you feel, Kaede. But for the time being, just aim to become the number one high school player in Japan, alright?"
He didn't answer, but she smiled at him anyway. Then, she caught sight of her brother coming out of the locker room. "Oniichan!" she called out to him.
"Ah, Hana-chan!" Sakuragi stopped to wait for Hanayuki as she walked towards him. "Going to the gym?" he asked.
"Hai! Shall we go together?"
"Of course. The Tensai and the coach should enter the gym together. Nyahahahahahaha!" Sakuragi laughed while striking his Tensai pose.
"Do'aho."
"Teme!!!"
Seeing the tension between the two guys, Hanayuki quickly intervened. "Ok, ok! Let's go, oniichan." She tugged at Sakuragi's arm, pulling him along with her as he continued to glare at Rukawa.
"I'll see you at the gym, Kaede!" Hanayuki called over her shoulder.
Rukawa just stood there. He knew that something was different with Hanayuki, and he suspected that it had something to do with the meeting with his father the night before. But, he also knew that she wouldn't tell him anything, even if he asked. Sighing a little, he made his way after them.
---
Later, after practice...
"Ja, minna!" Hanayuki bid the team goodbye. She was about to leave the gym when Rukawa caught up with her.
"Yuki."
"Hai, Kaede?" asked Hanayuki, although she knew very well what he was about to say.
"Wait for me," he said, before turning around and headed for the locker room.
Hanayuki watched his retreating back and sighed. Then, she proceeded to wait for him outside the gate. To her surprise, there was a black Mercedes parked there, and the occupant in the back seat was none other than Mr Rukawa.
Upon seeing her, Mr Rukawa nodded his greeting, and Hanayuki returned it. Mitsui, who was passing by at that moment, asked, "You know that guy, Hana-chan?"
"Yeah. He's Kaede's father," she replied.
"I didn't know that Rukawa's Dad was rich. I mean, who would've thought that someone who rides a worn-out pink bike to school actually has a lot of money," remarked Miyagi, who stopped to stand beside them.
Hanayuki didn't answer. She turned to Mitsui. "Ne, Hisashi-niichan, do you mind walking me home tonight?"
Mitsui looked slightly surprised. "Eh? Of course not. But, I thought Rukawa is going to walk you home?"
"I don't think he would be able to today." She nudged her head towards the Mercedes.
"Oh, right. Very well, then. Today, I will assume his responsibility and walk you home." Mitsui flashed her a smile, and she smiled back.
"Didn't Rukawa ask you to wait for h-" asked Miyagi.
"Ah, Miyagi-sempai, would you mind waiting for Kaede and telling him that Hisashi-niichan is walking me home today?" Hanayuki cut him off. She smiled at him apologetically, hoping that he wouldn't ask anymore.
To her relief, Miyagi just shrugged and said, "Fine. I don't mind. Aya-chan is not out yet anyway."
"Thanks a lot, Miyagi-sempai. I owe you one." To Mitsui, she said, "Let's go, Hisashi-niichan."
"Hai, hai." Mitsui jogged a little to catch up to Hanayuki, who was already walking away from the gate.
Being born with not only a keen sense of basketball, but also a keen sense of everything, he thought that there was something wrong with Hanayuki, what with the way she seemed to be in a hurry of leaving, which had never happened before. He glanced back towards the black Mercedes. Perhaps she's just feeling shy of seeing Rukawa's father.
At that thought, a small smile tugged at his mouth. Of course, who wouldn't be? Although it's a bit too early to say that she is meeting her future father-in-law, I guess it's only a matter of time before it really turns out that way. Hmm... I wonder how she got around to meeting him for the first time.
Beside him, Hanayuki couldn't stop thinking about the message that had been sent to her by the older Rukawa through his eyes when he nodded his head in greeting a while ago. It had been plainly and painfully clear, and the fact that she had gotten the same message a couple of times before was enough to dispel any doubts in her mind that it was a different message.
Stay away from my son.
---
Back at the school gate...
If Rukawa had been surprised to see his father waiting for him, he didn't show it. And it amazed Miyagi how he had managed to conceal it so well. Remembering Hanayuki's request, he stepped forward to pass on the message.
"Hey, Rukawa. If you are looking for Hanayuki, she's already gone home. Since your father is here, she thought that perhaps it would be best not to take your time away from him." He stopped, searching Rukawa's face for any signs of expression, other than the non-expression one on his face. When there was none, he continued, "You don't have to worry about her walking home alone. Mitsui-san is with her, and given his past experience as a gangster, I think she'll be able to arrive home safely in one piece." Once again, he tried to search Rukawa's face for any signs of expression.
At that moment, Ayako walked out of the gate, and Miyagi immediately trotted towards her like the love-sick puppy he was, leaving Rukawa to his thoughts, to which Rukawa was glad. With Miyagi out of the way, he could scowl at his father all he liked without being criticized, not that he cared anyway. He knew the real reason why Hanayuki didn't wait for him like he asked her to, and that reason was sitting at the back of the black Mercedes a few meters away from him.
Mr Rukawa looked back at his son with a nonchalant expression on his face. He didn't try to stop Rukawa when he went to retrieve his bike and rode off, and only commanded his driver to follow him at a safe distance from behind, all the way home.
---
Haruka na hoshizora ni yume wa mada miemasu ka? (Translation: Can you still see your dreams in the distant, starry sky?)
Hanayuki closed her eyes and let the soft strains of the song soothe and calm her very tired and jumbled-up mind.
It's the only the soft and slow song that I like.
Her eyes snapped open, and she sat up quickly. After scanning the whole room and confirming that she was alone, she closed her eyes again, and her hands reached up to hold her head. Forget... forget about him. Forget about everything. That's what I do best. Forget. Forget...
Ring, ring!
The phone started ringing. After a few more rings, Hanayuki, still with her eyes closed, blindly reached out for the phone (it was on the side table). "Moshi moshi."
Silence.
Hanayuki opened her eyes and frowned a little. "Hello?"
More silence.
I should have known, thought Hanayuki, stifling a sigh. "Kaede, can't you at least say hello? Just to let me know that I'm not talking to thin air."
Even more silence.
Hanayuki shook her head. "You called me to say something, didn't you?"
"Gomen."
Hanayuki raised her eyebrows. This was something she didn't expect. "Whatever are you apologising for?"
"My father."
Oh, that.
"It's ok, he only wanted what's best for you, which I am not."
Ok, so she didn't eally say that. What she really said was this: "Why are you apologising about your father?"
"..."
"Kaede?"
"He checked up on you."
I knew that already, long before you did. "Oh."
"..."
"Um... how did you know? I mean, there's always the possibility that you made a mistake."
"... He told me himself."
Somehow I'm not surprised. "Oh. Well, I'm sure he didn't mean any harm. He's your father after all. It's natural that he did what he did, to make sure that you're alright and that your friends are decent people and not some messed-up people with messed-up lives." Like me...
"Why didn't you wait for me just now?"
Because your father clearly wanted me to leave. "I thought that maybe your father wanted to discuss some private family matter with you or something, since he came personally to pick you up. I didn't want to stand in the way, so I asked Hisashi-niichan to walk me home."
"..."
"I'm sorry. I know I should have waited for you and told you myself, but I didn't want Hisashi-niichan to be walking back home alone too late at night. His house is not exactly near mine, you know." And I couldn't stand getting another message from your father to stay away from you.
"..."
"Er, Kaede. You were the one who called me. Why am I doing all the talking?"
On the other side of the line, Rukawa shrugged.
"In case you forgot, we are now talking on the phone. I wouldn't be able to see if you are shrugging, and knowing you, that's exactly what you did, isn't it?"
"..."
"If you aren't going to talk, I'm going to hang up," threatened Hanayuki.
"Wait for me tomorrow."
"Huh?"
"I'm walking you home tomorrow."
"Oh. Ok. But, what if-"
"Good night."
Click.
Tu... (dial tone)
Hanayuki sighed. What if your father shows up again?
---
Author's notes: Thank you for reading!!! Thank you for reviewing!!! Thank you!!! Many thanks to those who had reviewed: chalce, teh tarik, Hikaru Itsuko, chris, Jen, Eliar Swiftfire, rj-chan the nutty imp, Rokawa, tze, cools, animegurl-05, Imaginator, ayu, kiku and devil-gurl. I'm so sorry I couldn't thank you all one by one. Gomen!!! Thanks for all your kind words; they keep me going. Nala, Your Story Sux, Nakkie and karen goddess: thank you for actually reading and reviewing... I must say that some of your comments really shocked me, but they keep me going too. I'm so sorry you didn't like my story. Thanks again!!! Oh yeah... before I forget, I'm now very, I mean very, free. So, if anybody wants me to email them whenever my story's updated, feel free to do so. It's the only thing I can do to thank those who read my story.