Hi!!!

Ry here again. My sister's still in hospital (even though they have mobilized her a little and she's hopping around on her crutches), so it's me who gets stuck with this again. Hope you don't mind… Okay, here it goes. Her intro is below, and then comes the story. Bye for now. Ry

Ciao!!!

Yasai: Hi.

Wheee! I love being able to write!

Yasai: I... need... a... break!

*grins* I guess I'm overstressing my muse a little... since I have finally plotted out my second story and begun working on the third...then I got the notice I'm getting out of the hospital on Friday, so my normal update on Sunday is certain. Yay for me!

Yasai: *swirly-eyed mess on the floor next to Chibi's hospital bed* I wish they would not have allowed you your laptop!

Lazy little muse you are! Enjoy the fun while it lasts! *evilgrin* Anyways... this time we have some more characters showing up- including one eagerly awaited...

Yasai: Don't give everything away! Start the story, now!

All right! Enjoy reading!

Chapter 7 In too deep

Water. 1 gram of weight per cubic centimeter. The substance used for measuring the liter. Sustenance of life all over Earth depended on its abundance. It came in many forms, from many sources. Once unleashed it could be an unstoppable force of terror as well as a soothing relief for pain. It could be merciless and gentle, scalding and cooling, dark as the night and brighter than a spring day. Its voice could equal the roar of thunder and the sweet sound of music. Delighting and frightening... it was the one thing one could not be without.

Still, the girl mused, still it was unfair that she always had to ensure they had enough of it. Pulling up the rusted chains she could hear the full bucket's slapping ascent through the well. Humming lightly to herself she watched as the cool, clear liquid rose to the surface after only a short time. It must have rained somewhere nearby, the well was finally full again.

"Et voilà!" She grinned, hoisting the bucket over the circular brick wall of the well. The wall was crumbling in places, just as the chain used to pull up the water was rusted and the roof over the precious well was sagging.

What a run-down place this land is, she thought. Still, her smile won over everything else, and once the full bucket was secure in her hands she skipped back along the worn-out path to the house, kicking up dust shining red in the morning sun, her long braid flying behind her back.

"Here comes the waaater!" She called merrily ahead. The sleepy head of the old man she was living with poked out from the first story window behind which his bedroom lay.

"Misao! The sun hasn't even risen yet," he complained. The girl's turquoise eyes sparkled.

"Aw, Jiya, come on! I know you had a 'private party' last night, but..."

"Mi-sa-o! How can anyone be so energetic in the morning?" This was Omasu speaking, a tall, beautiful woman whose sharp black-brown eyes managed to scare the hell even out of the owner of the small farm they were residing at, a man they all knew only as 'Okina'- or 'Jiya', in Misao's case. His true name was Kashiwazaki Nenji, but few people even knew that. Though Omasu was not a relative of Okina's she was the daughter of the previous housekeeper, and as such had been living on the farm since she was a very small girl, adapting her mother's ways of, well, persuading the male population of the farm to do her bidding. Whenever she raised her voice it was better to dive for cover, but Misao only flashed a brilliant smile in Omasu's direction before skipping over to the other side of the old half-timbered house.

"Hey, Misao. Are you annoying everyone again?" Okon, the second daughter of Okina, grinned at the girl who was bouncing on the balls of her feet while balancing the bucket full of water in her hands. "Come on, wake Omime, Shiro and Kuro and then help me make breakfast!" She retracted her head from the second story window that connected her room with the outside world.

Misao nodded. Quickly disposing of her load in the oil barrel next to the house that served as their water tank she rushed inside, careful not to bang her head on the slanting beam that had drooped lower over the door the longer the house stood- and it had been standing there for a very long time, since before the war, since before the Regime- even since before Okina, though this was hard to believe for a girl as young as Misao.

Once out of sight of everyone the girl let out a sigh, suddenly much more serious. To everyone on the farm she was but a young orphan, a girl wandering aimlessly and half-starved through Regime territory. They had been so quick to accept her, not even once questioning her on her past when she had made it clear that it was painful to her. Not that this was a lie. Her past was holding her in its strong grip, and until she met up with what she knew was her destiny she would always be swept away in its wake.

For however young she looked, she was older (if only a little), and even though she truly was an orphan she was not alone in the world. At least she had never been until that fateful event six months ago... 

Where are you, my friends? I never saw you again after Hannya had knocked me out in the little auberge we were using as our temporary base. It took me a whole month to find out Aoshi-sama went over to the Regime, and now... I'm still not closer to finding him than I was back then!  Misao fought the tears that threatened to well up in her beautiful indanthrene eyes. Thoughts of her crush- No, she fervently thought, thoughts of my true love!- tended to do that to the lively teenager.

"Misao! Do you want to spend the rest of your teenage years standing around in the hallway? Come on, you wanted to wake the others!" Okon shouted, waking her from her reverie.

Misao sighed. Pushing away her dark musings she smiled again. "I'm going, I'm going!" she shouted back.

*~*

Hiko Seijurou reclined into the big, imposing, black leather CEO armchair he had installed behind his desk at his private office. His right hand balanced two sake- cups while in his left the enormous jug spoke of the quantities of alcohol he and his guest planned on ingesting that evening. Across the desk, the slim, medium-height figure of Katsura Kogoro rose out of his armchair to take one of the cups.

"Thank you, Seijurou. It's been a long time since you and I had a nice drink of sake together."

Seijurou Hiko nodded at him, and they sat in silence watching the flickering flames in Hiko's fireplace cast their shadows on the walls. Despite the relaxed atmosphere both men were on guard, their gazes sharp and wits collected. Both knew that it was only under dire circumstances that Hiko Seijurou invited the Agency leader into the hunting cabin he had made his home. Katsura Kogoro respected the sharp-witted, cynical man, but sometimes a more direct approach would be preferable in his opinion. The ex-agent made too much of an effort to hide his true self from the world... but this had been an issue even back when they had both been employed by the Agency.

*~*

Hiko had disappeared from view on a mission to Regime territory.  His part-time partner and friend Katsura had been worried sick, of course- after all, it had been two months since they had heard of the agent. Then, one day, the missing one had just strolled into the Agency headquarters unannounced, white billowing trenchcoat around his shoulders as usual- and a small, red-haired shrimp of a boy at his side. This was indeed the first time Katsura had set eyes on who would later be Agent Himura. The child had clung to Hiko's side like a suckerfish. He was wide-eyed and quiet yet observant. While Katsura led Hiko through the building to their superior's office for a first report the child had taken in everything he had seen, his unusual mauve-colored eyes darting from one thing to the other yet he never said a word.

While Hiko was reporting the boy stayed outside the Agency leader's office with Katsura on order of his mentor. The agent had felt the child's uneasiness around him, and he also felt he was under close scrutiny. However, he never caught the boy looking at him until a shift in his body language occurred and delft-blue eyes met his brown ones on an equal level.

"Why no number thirteen is?" His voice was high-pitched and small, carrying an accent that showed he had only recently learned how to speak Katsura's mother tongue.

Katsura stared down at the boy in wonder. A child like him, perhaps eight years of age, being thrown into an unfamiliar environment and yet he found the one thing that was inconsistent in it.

"Thirteen is believed to be an unlucky number here," he had found himself answering.

"Four and nine is... my is from." the boy answered, struggling with the language but able to express himself. "Sorry that I not very good at talk. Shishou only teach this one words a week."

A week. And this little boy already talked to strangers. "You are very good," replied Katsura with a twinkle in his eyes and a smile on his lips. The boy shook his head.

"No. I not good. Not learn much. Shishou say 'baka deshi'. I not know every word he say." He was frowning, knowing the flow of his speech didn't sound right.

"But you can understand what I am saying, right? And you could even read the signs on the doors, foreign numbers to you. And you noticed there was no number thirteen. I think that is very good, kid. By the way- I can't keep calling you 'kid' all the time- what's your name?"

"Shishou say name is Kenshin. Himura Kenshin."

"I am Katsura Kogoro."

The boy nodded. "I know. Shishou say name meet Mister Katsura."

At this Hiko came through the door and the boy returned to his silence. Still, he was more at ease and dared venture a bit further from the man he called 'Shishou'. And this was Katsura's first encounter with Himura Kenshin.

Later, when Kenshin started to become a regular in the Agency, he learned the boy was almost a child prodigy. Gifted- or cursed- with a 98% accurate audiovisual memory he was able to express himself fluently in the foreign tongue in a month's time; his accent was gone by the time he was nine. Hiko had taken it upon himself to train the child, so he didn't only learn what normal children did at school and normal agents for their work at the Agency but also Hiko's very own style of fighting. Kenshin was frighteningly strong for being such a small child, and what was even more astonishing was his speed. The boy was lucky to have found a mentor like Hiko Seijurou, who was on par with his mental and physical abilities and wiser in the ways of the world. He managed to keep the boy sweet and humble, by showing him there would always be someone better than him out there. Who knew how conceited and arrogant the kid might have gotten without his guidance... perhaps little Kenshin would have turned into a second Hiko Seijurou... well, he somehow had, seven years later, when he had escaped his master's grasp and stood at the gates of the Agency asking to be employed. Katsura still regretted ever giving the boy the job he had. However often he kept telling himself that he had had no choice, that with Hiko and himself out of the line of active duty the kid was the only person alive to do what was required, that he would be alright at the end and that nothing bad would come out of turning a gifted, shy, sweet and innocent yet powerful, cunning and strategic genius of a boy into an assassin he could not deny he had stolen the boy his youth and- almost- his sanity. But that had been in the far future back then when Agent Himura had not developed his particular amber eyes and had been nothing but a little boy in a big world...

A few days before Hiko had made his unexpected getaway Katsura had asked him where he had come across the boy and why he had taken him with him. Hiko had only smirked at his friend.

"The shrimp was sitting on the street when I walked past. He somehow stuck to me," he said, and that was all Hiko would ever say about the past of his baka deshi. Himura himself had only lifted a small part of the mystery... but that was not what his attention should be on right now.  

*~*

"So why am I here?" Katsura asked, pulling himself from his reflections on the past, "I don't assume this is about Himura?"

Hiko frowned. "Why would I call you here because of my baka deshi? No, this is important." He gulped down his sake and refilled his cup from the jug sitting comfortably in the middle of his desk, Katsura waiting patiently for him to continue. "Do you remember the informant we had?"

"Informant? We have many."

"This one was a Regime citizen- not a model citizen, though, since he was also an informant for us and one to show other Regime citizens how bad their leaders are. He was some sort of kendo instructor who had developed his own style. Baka deshi actually met him once."

"You mean that... Kamiya guy? I thought he was killed several weeks ago when the Regime caught onto his illegal activities and confiscated his dojo."

"He was killed, yes- but perhaps you find it interesting that his daughter was interned in the same Camp my baka deshi went into."

Katsura kept his cool while Hiko smirked annoyingly and refilled his sake-cup yet again. He knew his ex-partner was just teasing him with tidbits of information, waiting for him to explode and demand to know what this was all about so he could go on an indignant rave about how ungrateful the world was.

"Well, and not only do we have her, our missing agent and my baka deshi in there, but also one of our deep undercover people." Hiko finally continued after a pause stretching into eternity.

"What?" Katsura almost choked on his sake. So Hiko had managed it again. Katsura was almost jumping out of his skin. How could that annoying man know about his deep undercover agents? Heck, some of them had been hypnotized so that even they didn't know about their status!

"Yes. He was a Regime officer who wanted to work for us after he saw his integrity endangered by the people he worked for. His strict moral code didn't allow for him to stay true to them, so we offered a little help... in return for his services to us. The man who opened his eyes to the true nature of the Regime was Kamiya, and I suppose that his moral standards demand he do something for the daughter of the man who helped him cover up his conversion. So there is a decent possibility he runs across her. She, however, is closely associated with our missing agent Takani, and thus, I guess, under the protection of my baka deshi. Now we have the conflict: The officer in question is, unfortunately, more acquainted with my baka deshi than I would like, and he bears some sort of grudge against him... after all, baka deshi managed to kill three of the subjects this guy was supposed to protect."

Katsura was miffed and astonished. Hiko Seijurou knew, as always, more than even he did- and he was the goddamn leader of the Agency! One day he would have to extort his information sources out of Hiko... but for now he would be grateful for every little bit of help the reclusive master agent offered.

"So you know about the 'Wolf'," he stated flatly.

"And that he wants to kill my baka deshi, yes."

"And what would you propose, Seijurou?"

"Send a team into Regime territory to meet Agent Takani and my baka deshi- if he hasn't gotten himself killed- halfway."

"I have already contemplated this option, however, I think Himura needs a little more time," Katsura said, slowly recovering from the shock of Hiko's revelations. 

"If you think something baka deshi does gets better in time... then again, even an idiot like him might do something right if he is not under time pressure," Hiko mumbled offhandedly. Katsura smiled.

"Three days from now the operation will start. Don't worry, we'll get Himura back."

Hiko snorted. "I don't care what you do. Have some more sake?"

That was Hiko Seijurou...

*~*

Aoshi stood silently in front of his commander. Since he had joined the Regime he had to learn to become a subordinate again, something that didn't come easily to the immensely talented fighter.

"So you say we should be on the lookout for subversive elements and that one of them might be dangerous, Shinomori?"

"Yes, Sir. And I recommend we find that man as soon as possible. He might be an infiltrator."

Leaving out some of the truth was not a problem. Sometimes, it was better if his superiors didn't know everything he knew- an old spy rule. Never tell everything you know but know everything you tell.

"I will send Saito Hajime to patrol the Camp today. He is a fighter trained the way you and I are, Shinomori. Not like this useless fool of a bureaucrat who was leader before me. Hoji will send a message to him. Now, leave."

"Yes, Sir." It wasn't easy to salutate and bow before someone, and thus his actions seemed even more stiff than usual. Once dismissed, Aoshi returned to his quarters, which were in the guard barrack that had survived the storm virtually intact.

Battousai. I hope Saito doesn't find you out... the only one to kill you is me!

Meanwhile, Kenshin surveyed the Camp from the corner of his eyes while he rolled up bandages for Megumi. The physician-agent had decreed he needed to rest still, especially to prepare for what had been decided the night before... Kenshin chuckled. That had been a good scare yesterday night, that it had... The scene was as vividly painted before his eyes as when it had taken place. Chuckling, he remembered the looks on everybody's faces...

*~*

"M... Megumi, don't scare us like this!" Kaoru stammered, ashen-faced and clutching at her throat.

"Yeah, Foxy, that was mean! Talking like some damn officer." Sano added weakly.

"I think my life just was shortened by ten years, that I do," Kenshin wheezed.

Megumi's eyes twinkled mirthfully. "The opportunity as just too good not to be taken," she apologized to her friends who had managed to collapse into a frenzied heap after the shock she had given them.  "Now tell me what you are planning to do the night after tomorrow."

Kenshin took a second to collect his thoughts before he started to speak. A shine of amber stole into his eyes when he calmly laid out the crude plan he had formulated.

"When the night falls tomorrow we will assemble at the edge of the Camp village. Then we will try to make it to the mine, where I have provided us with a means of escape; namely a hole in the fence. After we are through the fence and have unearthed my weapon, the food and what I have of clothing we will only have to get through the outer perimeter of guards and then across the land. Since I can't hope to get my hands on a map in the course of a single day when the main storage room has been destroyed we will have to rely on my memory to get us to the border. While we travel I hope to send word to my superiors at the Agency, meaning there will be most likely a team meeting us at the border and escorting all of us home.

Should we encounter any guards I will be the one to take them on. You will run, protected by Sano and Miss Kaoru, who will have a bokken- like weapon. I think that should not be hard to obtain since there is so much debris lying around. You should look for a suitable piece of wood tomorrow.

I fear we will be up against guns. Again, I will be the one to take them out while you seek cover. our group is too big to do anything else. If anyone gets injured to the point he or she can't walk-" he swallowed, his eyes becoming more amber than before, "-the group will continue on leaving him or her behind. I hope it won't come to this, and I will do my best, as I am sure will you.

Miss Megumi, you will take as many first aid supplies as you dare and hide them somewhere. If we have some lighter injuries we will need them.

Since Miss Kaoru hasn't trained Yahiko yet he will have to be protected, as will Misses Megumi, Tsubame, Sae and Tae. Sano, I trust you will do this?"

The tall fighter shook his head. "No way. Kenshin, I will be where the action is. This time you will not fight without me!"

"Sanosuke, if you don't protect the rest of the group I can't make sure we get away." Kenshin's eyes were dangerously close to full-fledged amber.

"Don't be mad, Kenshin," Kaoru intervened, "I can protect them, you know."

Miraculously, her hand on his upper right arm had a calming effect. Breathing deeply, he settled down and after blinking once revealed blue-gray eyes, which retained a flinty touch but had lost the rage that had possessed him earlier.

"I believe you, Miss Kaoru, that I do," he said, and that had been the end of the argument.

*~*

Now Sano's role in the game was still left to be determined, Kenshin was uneasy and upset because he was once again confined to the makeshift hospital area, Kaoru was off helping Sano proving how strong she was and searching for a suitable ersatz bokken. Yahiko was helping Tsubame carry small chests of medicine from the real hospital to Megumi's, and Tae and Sae were over at the cooking area preparing lunch for the guards and officers.

And he was stuck watching what little he could see from his sitting position. Kenshin absolutely hated this. It took him a lot of control not to let his emotions take over and simply do what he wanted.

Shishou taught me better than this, that he did, he reprimanded himself for his restlessness, I know I have to gain what strength I can. If I were to fight against someone like Aoshi again...

His musings were cut short when his eyes caught sight of a lanky, dark-haired Regime officer patrolling the Camp in an impeccable dark-blue uniform. His sharp features, deep-set yellow-amber eyes and confident stride were telltale signs of danger to Kenshin. Add to this that he actually knew the man... well, as well as you can know someone you have only ever spoken to through your sword. The way the man orchestrated his movements to the activities flowing around him told Kenshin that he was on the hunt. On the hunt for an elusive prey he didn't want to startle. And he, Himura Kenshin, knew that prey better than anyone else.

His hands a flurry of movement he wrapped his head in the bandages he had so studiously rolled up before and lay down on his back, eyes closed, his left cheek obscured by his half- turned head. He tuned his ki down below the minimum, making him feel dizzy but also like a completely different person. The man who was on the hunt had an extraordinary sixth sense, and he was more attuned to his surroundings than anyone Kenshin had ever met. In fact, if he were to name his most dangerous opponent, this man would be him.

That I couldn't pick him out among those five riders immediately is another tribute to his abilities, the agent thought, shivering slightly when he thought of opposing the man now. Saito Hajime. Leader of the Regime Elite Soldier Platoon assigned to guarding their highest officials. Strong and predatory. Almost a chain smoker. Has a grudge against me for taking out three of his charges. Lives by a strict code: Kill Evil Instantly. Has never let anything or anyone soil his integrity. Allegedly involved in the Kamiya dojo incident. Unsolicitedly his mind recited every tidbit of information he had gleaned on the Regime officer. Kenshin grimaced, feeling helpless without his sixth sense and eyesight. His ears were only picking up the usual sounds. It became clear that the only sense he could rely on was his sense of smell. Saito was never caught far from a cigarette, and strolling around the Camp he was almost certain to...

The sharp stench of burning tobacco assaulted Kenshin's nostrils. French, were is thoughts on the brand as he coughed weakly. His hands twitched at his side, longing for a weapon so he could defend himself. He forced his body to become limp and still while more and more of the noxious fumes drifted down to him.

"Only weak and injured ones here... not one noteworthy."

The grumbled assessment almost made Kenshin exhale in relief. Now if the officer would just move along... His prayers were answered. Something must have caught Saito's interest since his steps were decidedly a little more hurried than usual when he left the mock hospital. Slowly blinking Kenshin assured that the hunter was out of sight before sitting up and removing the bandages. Megumi came over to his side.

"What happened, Ken-san? Who was this guy?"

Trust the sharp eyes of Takani Megumi to catch his uneasiness. "He is someone we don't want to run into, that he is. I have fought against him more than once, that I have, and he is very, very dangerous, that he is. If we want to escape we have to avoid him, that we have."

"Then we will avoid him," Megumi replied, her face determined. This was Agent Takani speaking. Kenshin smiled at her.

"I am sure everything will be alright, that it will- oro? Sano?" Once Saito had vanished from sight he had extended his senses a little again, thus catching onto the presence of his friend with practiced ease.

"Oi, Foxy, I need your help!" The tall man was pretty pale underneath his brown hair and light tan.

"What did you do to yourself, rooster-head? Find out that stupidity hurts?" asked Megumi teasingly, though not without concern.

"No... I think something's wrong with my hand. Got caught between two pieces of barrack." Sano held his right hand cradled to his chest.

"Let me see," Megumi sighed. He extended his arm towards her. "There ya go, Foxy," he said, winking at her.

Megumi gasped. 'Something wrong' in Sano's case meant that at least three fingers were broken, with the possibility of the metacarpals being smashed as well.

"Idiot rooster-head! That must have been a whole barrack collapsing on your hand!"

"It wasn't a whole barrack, only half of one... Well, you see... I was the only one there at the time, and there was a boy half trapped in it... so I held it up long enough for him to get out but... my hand couldn't get out fast enough," he finished lamely while Megumi was busy cleaning the blood from his injured limb.

"Stupid!" The doctor muttered, but treated him more tenderly than before. Before long she was finished wrapping the hand in stiff bandages and ordered Sano not to use it anymore.

"If you do more stupid things,  how do you want to help Ken-san?" she reasoned. Sano winked at her again.

"Don't worry, Foxy. Oh- and this is my thanks!"

Agent Takani had no chance to react as her lips were captured in a quick, yet ardent, kiss. Before she regained her senses Sano had sprinted off, throwing her a grin over his shoulder. Megumi blushed, one hand involuntarily reaching up to touch her lips.

"Stupid rooster-head..." She had never sounded so utterly unconvincing before.

*~*

The chickens were hungry, as always. They gobbled up about anything, even burnt leftovers from a breakfast Misao had prepared with Aoshi in mind. As she threw the ruined food into the yard the young girl's mind once again wandered to the happy days of training under her Aoshi-sama. How patient had he been, watching when Hannya taught her how to throw a kunai with enough accuracy to hit a spot a centimeter in diameter twenty-five feet away. How calm and collected he had been when giving instructions to the Oniwabanshu. How beautiful when fighting. And, last but not least, how he had made their group into the most dangerous freelance agents in the world. He had been the center of her world, a world that had collapsed around the happy-go-lucky fledgling agent six months ago in a town called Paris.

Since then, she had been fighting for her happiness. All alone, she had retained her innocence through every obstacle thrown in her way. And she had forged new alliances, found new friends. Still, it had been hard not to give up, and more than once she had wanted to do so. Only the thought of the love of her life had held her on course, only the hope of seeing his arctic blue eyes again had kept her going. And by now I'm in too deep... too deep to ever get out except through the other side. Aoshi... I will find you, no matter how long it takes! Don't worry, your Misao is on her way!

Her smile broke through like the sun coming forth from behind the clouds. "All done!" she cried, emptying the bowl of breakfast leftovers to the cackling poultry.

"Then come, Misao. We have work to do in the cornfield today!"

It was not unmerited that happiness was approaching Makimachi Misao again after it had been absent for quite some time. What was astonishing was that it would come from a place one would least expect it to be, and that it came accompanied by danger and suffering. Life works in strange ways, not in vain is Fate its twin sister. Strands in the big fabric of destiny were coming together, ready to form a new, colorful picture. Until then, happiness lay patiently in wait.

... to be continued...

Yippieh! There's another chapter!!! And the next story is coming along smoothly… perhaps I will even be able to post the first chapter this week. Its title? Romancing the King. *grins* What it's about? Of course a king, a knight, a mystery and love. *evilgrin* Just let me say this: the king is probably not who you expect…

Okee... Ry has brought me some of my e-mail so I can at least answer the questions asked there... which are quite a lot *gasps*

Brenna: Why am I not using 'de gozaru yo' or other Japanese terms popular in fanfiction? It's simple. I don't know much about Japanese grammar, but what little I know tells me you have to use an appropriate particle to finish your sentence. And since I really don't know any Japanese I of course don't know which particle (ga, ka, yo...) to use. So, instead of making mistakes which will make the skin of anyone who actually knows Japanese crawling (I know that feeling. It hits me every time someone who doesn't know German tries to use it...) I just stick to what I can employ- the English language. Sorry for being a perfectionist in that aspect, but I really love languages, and slaughtering one of them just to appear sophisticated isn't my way of acting. Sorry again!

Jack-the-Ripper: Creepy alias you've got there! Anyways, as you can see I have introduced Misao to the story. As for it going slow- well, I don't like haste. I rather work a little on a certain situation before moving on, and I don't believe in true love on first sight (beware, I am a killer of romance in real life!), so the romance will take its sweet time coming... and no, I don't write Yaoi. Read, yes, but not write. Why? Simply because I think I'm the least qualified person on the planet to understand the feelings two males have for each other. I am a fifteen-year-old, straight girl with a twin brother whose feelings are a mystery to me when it comes to love. So there. I just know my limits. Hiko and Kogoro are just friends *starts thinking about getting Ikumatsu into the picture*.

Darkening: How long will the story be? Well, I have estimated roughly fifteen to twenty chapters. I have an outline and a draft written, but I decide on where to start and end a chapter while writing so sorry, I can't give you the exact number!

Dragowolf: And here we have little Misao jumping around… sorry it takes me so long to integrate all the characters, but as I pointed out above I am someone who rather likes taking things slowly and in detail… and I had to establish the others' situation first before I could introduce someone new. Sorry!!!

Moomoo: Actually, I have to finish school first before I can study law, which will take another year… but I am supposed to be on an internship right now *glares at cast on right ankle* which I decided to do to get to know the profession. It's really cool! Sorry about the cliffhanger!!!

Lebleuphenix: Humor? That comes as a surprise to me- I don't usually write humor… I guess I'm much too serious (even though some of my classmates got some humor out of me- involuntarily, of course…) *grins* Was the interruptor (uh, spellcheck says that's not a word… but then spellcheck says spellcheck' not a word as well…) a surprise???

All who read this story: I thank you!!! And I promise the next update will be on Sunday!!! I get out of the hospital on Friday or Saturday *wants to dance* and thus my bio will get updated as well…

Yasai: About time. The 'status report' is still set on what happened three weeks ago!

Okay, this is it! Cya!!!

Chibi-chan

Well, she sure talks a lot. And to think Chi's my sister… bye now.

Ry