Disclaimer:  Don't own Shadow Hearts, y'know that.

**

Author's Note:  Welcome, ladies and gentlemen.  Please sit down.

::Zhuzhen and Keith and Halley sit::

First off, Alice is on vacation today, haunting Yuri again.  So please welcome the lovely Margarete as the new muse!

Zhuzhen&Keith&Halley:  Are you serious???

Margarete:  ::gets her gun::  Anyone have any problems with that?

I do…didn't want to say 'lovely'…

Margarete:  Tough.  It's in the contract.  I'm the muse, so I get introduced as either 'the lovely Margarete' or 'the lovely spy genius'.

  You are impossible…Anyway…since Alice isn't here, and Margarete didn't object, this chapter is rather R-ish.

Halley:  R-ish?

No comments from the peanut gallery.

Halley:  ::starts eating peanuts::

  Both you and Margarete are impossible…this is R because we got into a few dirty things.  Actually, it might still be PG-13, but I'm not sure.  Anyways, R for:  a kind of dirty comment by Halley, a nude Yuri, and suggested rape, although we did not actually get into details.  Oh yeah, and the usual language by Yuri.

Keith:  It's a good thing Alice is on vacation…or else she would've killed you.

^^;;  She probably would've.  So anyways, if you don't like that stuff, you have been warned.  It's not graphic, just…it's in there.  So, yeah.  There will also be two girls kissing.

Halley:  This I got to see.

::looks at Halley::

Halley:  What?

**

[Alice]

            "Fox Face!"  I stopped and collapsed, winded.  The kitsuune had vanished from sight a long time ago, and I knew I couldn't catch up, but I had tried.  Now I was too tired to do anything but sink down on the hard ground.

            I put my knees to my chest and tried to catch my breath, mentally chiding myself for being foolish.  Trying to catch Fox Face was impossible; I should have known, since Yuri was a faster runner than me…I wished he wouldn't run away, but then, Fox Face was only here to get Yuri to accept him.  Finally, I stood.

            I went a little further and then looked around.  Where was I?  There were small white flowers blooming from the trees here, and I knew I hadn't seen them the first time.  I made sure of where I'd come from before moving on.

            It was strange how silent this forest was.  Perhaps I'd never noticed before with Yuri and Fox Face, but alone, I seemed to be the only creature here.  There were insects, but only that.

            There was the sound of water gurgling, a stream running.  I followed that and as the trees cleared, saw Fox Face at the side of the stream.  He was already turned to me, but when I came closer, he turned away.  I hoped he'd say something.

            "Fox Face—"

            "Leave me alone."

            I bit my lip.  I was still tired from running, from following him.  Maybe he was only tired as well.  While thinking, my attention was drawn to the stream.  There was a wavering reflection of Fox Face and me.  I gazed at his image, wondering what he was thinking.  His dark brown eyes were just like Yuri's…sometimes it was hard to see the difference.  Suddenly he lashed out with one of his tails, destroying the image of himself.

            "Just go away!"

            Why am I even trying?  He hates me.

            "Are you going to leave?"

            He barked out an angry, "What do you think?"

            "Please don't.  You've been so helpful to us—I don't know what we would have done without you."  He did not show the slightest interest and I felt discouraged.  "Then again, why would you care?  Since Yuri won't accept you, you don't have a reason…"

            "That's not true," Fox Face said.  "And I was planning on coming with no matter what he said.  I kind of already knew what he'd say."

            I nodded.  "Thank you…sorry about Yuri."

            Fox Face snorted, swirling one tail in the stream.  "He just better not make it sixteen years or I'll go insane."

            "You don't…seem too bad off," I said.

            He gave me a look.  "I am stuck as a kitsuune.  How is that not bad?"

            "I mean, you don't seem that unhappy."

            "I have a body this time, that's why."

            But he had appeared in the physical world before…  "Didn't you have one last time?"

            Fox Face seemed puzzled, though it was hard to tell.  "Not until he met you."

            "Why not?"

            "He didn't tell you?"  I tried to figure it out, wondering if Yuri had and I'd forgotten.  "He didn't tell you.  Should've known.  You were the one to give me a body."

            "Me—what?!"

            "He snickered.  "I'm not explaining, he should've."  I glared at him, seeing how much he was enjoying my confusion.  His tails curled around him as he said, "Don't do that.  You look like you're going to cast Advent on me."

            "There's a thought," I said drily, but I sat down beside him.  "So, you're not mad?"

            "Hmph.  Guess there's no point…even if he'd said yes, we can't join just yet."

            "Why not?" I wondered.

            "I have to watch you while he goes into the city."

            I felt a momentary panic.  "He's going alone?  But I…"

            "No arguments," Fox Face said firmly.  "Hyuga's been telling me just a bit—what little he can.  Any Light class who goes in there is dead meat.  They hate angels, always have and always will according to him.  There is no way in hell I'd let you go."

            "Why would you care?"  I said sullenly.

            "What?"  Fox Face asked.  I shook my head, wondering why I had blurted it out, and stood.  Fox Face caught me by the sleeve, gently, not hard enough to rip but enough to make me stop.  "What do you mean, why would I care?"

            "I thought you hated me," I whispered.

            "Where the hell did you get that idea?" he demanded.

            "The Graveyard."

            We had only been in the Graveyard twice together.  Fox Face quickly figured out which time I meant and let go of my sleeve.  "I…it's hard to explain," he sighed.  "But I don't hate you."

            I was not sure what to say.  If he didn't hate me, why had he hit me in the Graveyard?  Recently he had been kind, but…whenever I looked back on the Graveyard, I felt unsure.  "Maybe you could explain sometime."

            Fox Face sighed.  "Fine.  But let's find my other half now, he's probably getting jealous again."

            I followed as he walked in front of me, wondering just why Yuri had refused him.  They'd only separated again because Yuri had found out he was descended from monsters…

            But why was Yuri so worried?  There was nothing he could do about it.  And it had given him his fusion abilities, which he was often inordinately proud of…

            Then again, he had also once regarded them as a curse.

            "Hey.  Do you hear that?"

            Fox Face's ears were tilted forward.  I tried listening but was soon convinced that it was too quiet for me to hear.  "What is it?"

            "Sounds like my other half is pissed off."  His tails started wagging again and I wondered if the sadistic qualities of both halves made the whole Yuri a masochist.  It was a humorous idea and I smiled as we walked forward.  My smile only broadened when I saw what trouble Yuri had gotten himself into.

            He scowled at us while hanging upside down.  "What are you laughing about?"

            "You're all wrapped up," I pointed out.  There were four vines around each of his wrists and two around his ankles and waist, suspending him in the air.  His shirt was down around his armpits and his trench coat flapped freely in the wind.

            "Not exactly what I wanted," he growled, trying to break free.  The vines kept a hold of him, frustrating him.  "God damn it, what the hell is going on?!"

            I decided it was time to intervene and called out, "Blessed—"

            "Don't do that!" Yuri shouted.  I stopped and looked at him.  "Whenever I tried getting free, more vines came.  I don't think it'll work."

            "How many times did it take for you to figure it out?" Fox Face said.  Judging by the thick bundles of vine, I could guess he'd made a few attempts.

            "What did you try?" I called up.

            "Seravi, Lobos, Forron, Sandalphon.  I thought about Seraphic Radiance, but then I'd probably go psycho with how pissed off I am."

            "How did you manage to fuse into four…?"  Two of his accessories had fallen off, leaving only the belt.  I didn't see what could've helped him keep control over the greater souls…

            "The Flare Brooch," Fox Face said.  There was a faint reddish glow on Yuri's chest where the Flare Brooch was.  It scared me for some reason—perhaps because I hadn't thought of it for a long time.

            "Forget that," Yuri said impatiently.  "Do you guys have any ideas?"

            I looked at the vines, trying to see if they had a similar source.  But all the vines came from different trees.  I sat down, scattering fallen red blossoms.  There was no common source, but a common feeling.  The emotion was self-protection.  "They think you're a threat."

            "They who?"

            "The vines."

            Yuri stared at me, then gave a sharp tug on one of the bundles.  Despite his strength, they held.  "You mean these think?"

            I nodded.  "I know it sounds odd but I sense some kind of feeling."

            "Well, great.  So how do I tell them I 'm not a threat?"

            I shrugged.  "Stop struggling?"

            Yuri looked even crosser at this but he relaxed and made an attempt to keep calm.  He contemplated the blossoms, the wind, the sun, and then closed his eyes to meditate.

            "Three minutes.  I'm surprised he's lasted this long, "Fox Face said.

            Yuri opened an eye.  "How long do I have to do this for?"

            I shrugged again, having no idea.  "Until they put you down?"

            He looked very displeased at this.

**

[Zhuzhen]

            The fire was as hot as any in the hells.  It roared and hissed, spit flames up at me.  I smiled, then extended my hand over from the walkway.  The fire rose to my touch, gently, meekly, never burning.

            I cast my eyes about and perceived a tall woman standing ant the end of the walkway.  Her skin was tanned brown, her hair a rich cherry red.

            I accosted her and touched her shoulder, feeling the water element within her.  "Regina."

            She turned; it was Regina, with her eyes red like wine and dark blue earrings.  "Zhuzhen?" she placed her hands on my shoulders.  "Zhuzhen," she shook me gently.  "Zhuzhen, wake up."

            There was water splashing on my back and a woman's hands shaking me.  "Zhuzhen, come on, old man."  Margarete.  I groaned, realizing that I had fallen asleep, and pulled myself up from the mud.  My vision turned black for a few seconds and Keith steadied me.

            "So, you're back to normal?" I asked Margarete, who frowned.

            "That wasn't me," she said firmly.  "Whatever happened, it has nothing to do with me."

            I noticed my monocle had traces of mud and carefully wiped them off.  "Fine.  Then who was it?"

            "Aquila Rose," Keith said, "I'll explain it to you, but…are you alright?  It looked like you had collapsed."

            I shook my head, bending down to pick up my staff.  "I'm fine.  Just used a bit too much energy.  Is everyone alright?"  Behind Margarete, I noticed Halley picking up a still sleeping Sharon.  Her small frame trembled with cold as he wrapped her with his jacket.  "What's wrong with Sharon?"
            "She's just tired," Halley said.  "I think we should find shelter soon."

            Keith nodded and then put his hand on the boy's shoulders.  "I am sure she will be well quickly."

            "Of course!" Halley said sharply.  That was when I realized Sharon was far from being well.

**

[Alice]

            Yuri was growing more and more impatient.  The longer he dangled, the louder he complained.  Of course, anyone's nerves would be worn after trying to stay still for an hour and a half with no success.  "Can't you guys think?"

            "We are thinking, idiot, and I don't see you coming up with any brilliant ideas," Fox Face muttered.  His tails were curling up in an annoyed manner.  "The only think I can think of is maybe Hyuga would know something."

            "Fox Face says we should try talking to Hyuga."

            This was not a pleasing suggestion to the impatient Harmonixer above.  "Can't he come up with anything better?"

            "Well, if you cast Advent, it might destroy all the vines."

            "Fox Face said Advent…" I stopped and turned back to the dark-eyed kitsuune.  "Wouldn't that harm Yuri?"

            He did the equivalent of a shrug.  "Can't have everything you want."

            Yuri was silent for a minute as he realized how quickly Fox Face was losing his own patience.  "Well fine," he said, "but you guys better not take as long as last time."

            "Yes your majesty," Fox Face snapped back.

            I laid down and tried to focus on Yuri's graveyard.  But my mind kept wandering elsewhere, to a field where butterflies' corpses covering the grass.  A yard with seven dead…to a field with countless insects…I couldn't focus…and then I sat up, crying out, "Why can't I concentrate?!"

            There was a woman with long white—blond hair and light blue eyes.  Smiling at my astonishment, she said, "It is because I called you here."

**

[Zhuzhen]

            After more walking, we discovered a small cave.  The five of us squeezed into what little room there was and set about making a fire.

            I held a small flame to the pile of leaves, twigs, and sticks.  It didn't take well, and I noticed Margarete frowning at my abysmally tiny attempt.  I doubled my efforts and nearly blacked out again before I had started the fire.

            "That's it," Margarete said.  "You've got to rest soon, Zhuzhen."

            "I'm fine!  Just used up on the spells right now."  It would've helped if Halley had given a hand, but …Halley was still sitting by Sharon.  He seemed so dejected that no one had bothered him.

            Keith spent his time feeding more sticks and leaves to our fire.  Once done, he spread his hands out, enjoying the warmth.  "Shall we have our supper now?"

            Margarete shook her head and started bringing the food out. "Come on Halley."

            "Hold on."

            Margarete rolled her eyes.  She seemed in a rather foul mood since waking up.  "Fine, but don't whine that you're starving later."  She handed out the food to Keith and me.  After a few minutes, Halley did join us, although reluctantly.

**

[Alice]

            "Sarah?"

            She took my hand and held it tightly.  "I want to talk to you.  I have a question."

            "But—"

            "Please?"

            I hesitated.  And yet, she was me, wasn't she?  Or at least linked to me.  "Alright."

            "Do you—" she stooped suddenly.  She opened her mouth but no sound came out until she suddenly said "Lethe."  She laughed, a miserable-sounding laugh.  Putting her hand on my chest, she asked, "Do you love him?"

            "Yuri?"  She nodded.  "That's a silly question.  Of course I love him."

            "Are you sure it's love?"

            "What else could it be?" I asked, pulling away.

            She looked at me with darkening blue eyes.  "It was lust, wasn't it?"

            "Lust—that's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard!" I protested.

            "Is it not more ridiculous to believe a monster could be human and a demon could love?"  She took her hand from my chest and placed it on her own.  "All the council ruled against me…even Remiel.  How could it not have been lust?"

            "They're wrong!"

            A strong wind blew through the field, picking up the broken butterflies.  One hit my cheek and then dropped into my hands.  I t had green wings, speckled with yellow.

            Sarah took it from me, crumpling it thoughtlessly before discarding the bent pair.  "Remiel would not have judged against me if he were not certain.  He would have shown mercy."

            "And why should I care what he thinks?"

            She seized my hands, gripping them painfully tight.  "Do you still not understand?  How great the matter is?  Because if it was lust, how much we have sinned…how far we have fallen…we must repent."  She looked at me pleadingly.  "Would you repent for me?"

            "And what if it was love?" I asked, turning aside her question.

            "If it was love…then the council was wrong.  And then, God was wrong."

            "Then you must have served a false god."

            Her voice was as sharp as a knife.  "I served the God who sees all and knows all, who created everything from nothing.  He is the alpha and the omega.  Does that sound like a 'false god'?"  When I did not answer, she continued, "Look around you.  This world is a testimony to his greatness."

            "There's only butterflies here," I said.  She smiled, seeming at once triumphant and pained.

            "And do you not know what these butterflies are?"  I shook my head.  "They are—" she stopped again and moaned.  "No, Mnemosyne, let me tell her."

            "And why are you so eager to tell her?  I thought you were ashamed of these."  The speaker was the same Asian woman I had seen the night before.  Broken silver chains followed her as she walked through the crowd of butterflies.

            "Why should I be ashamed of God's glory?"

            "You call this glory?"

            "This is his work and his glory, is it not?"

            Mnemosyne sighed, looking at the multitude of butterflies.  She sat don, the chains clinking.  "Sarah, would you let her go?  Hyuga's graft is worried.  Besides, you know there is no point—unless you are going to try breaking the bonds with force."  Mnemosyne shook her head.  "I cannot think of anything you would discuss that would not eventually be against the bonds."

            "A dream."

            Mnemosyne looked confused.  "A dream?"

            Sarah smiled at her, but was looking at me.  "I wish to share a dream of mine."

            "I'm not sure if that's—Sarah?"

            She walked quickly up to me.  Sarah grabbed around the lower jaw—and kissed me.

            My eyes widened as Mnemosyne began shouting—she had taken me completely by surprise.  Her tongue pried my lips open and she exhaled softly, sending everything to black.

**

[Zhuzhen]

            "Zhuzhen?"

            "I looked at Halley, who was stirring his food around aimlessly.  "What is it?"

            "You're a good exorcist, right?"

            "One of the best," I said with some pride.

            "Do you think Sharon is possessed?"

            I thought of this.  Judging from what Keith had told me earlier, it was difficult to say. There was certainly something else there, but it did not seem malicious.  "I'm not sure."

            The rain was finally beginning to slow.  The ground would still be muddy for a long time though.  "Mnemosyne seemed to think it was God," Keith said.

            I nodded.  The possibility was there and seemed to be the most likely to be correct.  The angels, Sharon, Mnemosyne…all of them said it was.

            Halley shook his head.  "I don't think so.  Isn't he supposed to be merciful?  He kept railing on Sarah."

            "But he also said she could repent," Keith pointed out.

            Margarete stood suddenly.  "This conversation's boring.  I'm going outside."  She stepped carefully over Halley and Keith's legs as she left, her boots squishing in the mud as she walked away.

            "Boring?" Halley said incredulously, "She wasn't even listening!"

            "I'll talk to her," Keith said.  As we watched, he put on his sword and walked outside.

            I shook my head.  "What's he need Tyrving for?  We haven't seen any monsters in awhile…"

            "Compensation."

            I looked askance at Halley, wondering if he meant what I thought he did.  I shrugged it off and then said, "So what do you think should be done?"

            "Well, if there is something messing with her, it'd be in her spirit world, right?"

            There was now way I could know, having only gone in Sharon's spirit world, but the theory seemed reasonable.  "I suppose."

            "So if we went there…"

            "Want to do it now?  Keith and Margarete are out, so there's nothing else we can do…"

            "Yeah."

            I put out the fire, feeling the chill enter the cave.  Halley laid on the ground while I rested against the cavern wall and closed my eyes.

**

[Alice]

            Instead of dreaming, I had woken up.  I stood, looking around.  Yuri still hung upside-down from the vines.  The bright full moon was directly behind him, making him only a dark silhouette.

            I noticed Fox Face had disappeared.  I tried to call for him, but no sound came, no matter how much I tried.  Was this a dream…?

            The trees with their red blossoms disappeared.  The moon turned into an eye without a pupil, having a red and blue and green and yellow iris.  The vines thickened and darkened, changing into a large metal cross.  It reminded me of Anne's cross.  The cross began to swing back and forth.  Yuri still hung on it, but it was only now that I noticed his nudity.  He had been stripped of all his clothing.  I felt embarrassed but at the same time, I continued to watch him—because he was watching me, with a piercing gaze that made me feel exposed.  Our eyes were locked constantly even as he swung in a pendulum motion.

            He was smirking, laughing softly as he watched me with that mocking gaze.  I felt suddenly a wave of revulsion and raised my hands.  The eye was watching from above, watching, recording, a spectator.

            Light gathered within my hands, feeding upon my sudden aversion.  I tried to fight it down, realizing this was Yuri, knowing I shouldn't cast Blessed Light or Advent—but I didn't cast either spell.  "Final Judgment!"

            The blast hit Yuri directly in the chest, breaking the cross behind him.  I felt the life depart and watched as his body fell to the ground.  What had I done?  Had I killed him?

            "No!" I screamed finally, breaking whatever had bound my voice before.  "I will not repent for you!"

            The eye shattered into billions of pieces that scattered throughout the sky.  Yuri rose from the ground, and as he did so, he changed, fusing into the Seraphic Radiance.  No, he hadn't fused.  Yuri wasn't in control.  It did not have his face, or any of his features.

            It grabbed me, pressing me to the ground.  With its claws, it tore down the front of my dress, scratching my stomach in the process.  Small compared to the fusion soul, unarmed, I could do little but pound against it as it pressed against me, filling me with pain…

            "Alice, stop hitting me!  I got enough bruises already!"  Now it was Yuri above me.  I hit him in the face, still half-dreaming and scared.  He quickly moved away, complaining, "What the hell did I do this time?"

            "Are you alright?" Fox Face asked.

            "The hell!  You think she's all right?  I just try waking her up and she slaps me."  Yuri rubbed the side of his face and then looked at me.  "Plus you kept hitting me.  Nightmare?  Though it's barely night…"

            I looked around; though the moon had risen, the sky was still a dark purple where the sun had set.  "Yeah," I said quietly.  "A nightmare."  I then realized something.  "You're down."

            "The idiot hurt a tree and made the whole forest pissed off," Fox Face said.  "Once the damage was healed, the vines let go of him."

            "I'm down, but they didn't do it too gently," Yuri said, unaware of what Fox Face had said.  "They just dropped me and I landed on him."

            "Yes, I just had to be your landing cushion," the kitsuune grumbled.  "Should we sleep here tonight?"

            I shook my head.  "Let's keep walking," I said.  "We're close to the city, aren't we?"

            "Late morning if we slept now," Fox Face said.  "We could probably reach it by midnight if we didn't."

            "It's just in and out, right?" I said.  "So you could probably keep going, right Yuri?"

            Yuri nodded, looking puzzled.  "Yeah, I guess."  I could tell he wanted to ask why, but with his face still red, probably figured he'd be better off not to.  I was glad for that.  I didn't want to tell him what had happened in the dream, or that Sarah's repentance would be his murder.

**

[Zhuzhen]

            We were back in the town full of corpses.  Halley and I both looked around.  It was very obvious there was something new here.

            "What the hell…?" Halley said, looking up into the sky.  Or the eye, which had replaced it.  "What is that thing?"

            "Must be what's affecting her," I said.  "Does that seem like God to you?"

            Halley shook his head.  "I never pictured a bloody eyeball, if that's what you mean."

            "Neither did I."

            We both stared up at the large eye for a while, aware that it was watching us too.  It was the same eye we had seen when crossing worlds, and still as horrible as it had been the first time.  It had no pupil, and an iris full of different colors.  Finally, Halley said, "I think we should wait until Sharon wakes up, because I have no clue what to do about that."

            I agreed, and we withdrew.

**

[Alice]

            I carefully checked my hair as I observed the city in front of me.  It was larger than the City of Air, but not nearly as beautiful.  Most of the buildings seemed of steel, ill designed and shoddily built.  Overall the feeling it gave off was one of decay and corruption.

            "Eh.  Wonderful city this is," Fox Face said off hand.  "Jeez, I'm a Dark class and I don't even like this place."

            "You'll be back soon, right Yuri?" I asked anxiously.  The thought of Yuri in this city alone worried me.  I'd rather go with him…

            He nodded.  He didn't even seem to mind the city's aura.  "Sure.  In, buy supplies, out, done.  Three hours, four hours top.  See you then."  He took off, his brown trench coat flapping behind him.

            I sighed, still feeling worried.  "I hope he comes back soon."

            Fox Face suddenly growled, then went to my skirt.  I shrieked at the sudden movement, and Yuri whirled around, shouting, "Fox Face--!"

            He then saw Fox Face laughing, and me joining in as I realized what the intent was.  Yuri frowned and stalked away, obviously fuming.  "See?"  Fox Face said.  "Too damn protective to stay away long.  He'll come running back as soon as he's done."  He chuckled.  "Oh, it's kind of fun being separate this time."

            "What, you didn't play tricks on him last time?" I asked, still giggling.

            Fox Face had stopped laughing though.  "I played tricks," he said, "but of an entirely different nature."

**

Reviewers:

Arreat's Hymn:  Oh, okay.  Secret.

Think of what other character is associated with kitsuunes.  Draw your own conclusions.  ^^

Loki:  You liked her?  I thought she was kind of annoying, kind of glad to kill her off but…if you liked her, that's good too.

Araschid:  Shadow soul is basically the persona formed during a previous life from the soul.  Um.  If that helped any.  Oh yes.  All shadow souls have gone through Lethe.  Shadow souls do not actually have their soul, because it is currently making a new persona.  To sum it all up.

There are a few more things, but they haven't come up in the story yet.

MikoNoNyte:  Maggie was Sarah's bodyguard.  I cannot say anything else.  Asher's element is hinted at in the (kind of) battle, but, to be fair, is not obvious.  Light class actually are angels—even the other classes call them that, although they might also call them 'bastards' and other things.

Nope, no virtual cookies for you.

^^  Yes, you can take the piccies idea.  I thought Yuri would be an artist, because, besides being an excellent fighter, he's not really given any other talents.  Since logical intelligence is probably suffering in him (I dunno, he just doesn't have the patience for that either), I thought about creative intelligence.  Language, drawing, or music.  You could say he has a talent for languages (he'd have to, or he'd be totally lost) but then, everyone else does too.  So either drawing or music.  I don't…see him being much of a singer, and I didn't see how to suddenly invent whatever instrument he would play.  (Maybe a recorder.)  So he's an artist.

He might draw Keith and Zhuzhen, but he would definitely draw the ladies first.  I'm surprised no one was upset that he had nudies of other ladies, especially of Margarete.  The scene was first actually that Alice discovered the notebook while both Yuri and Fox Face were looking at a nudie of Alice.  She then proceeds to find every nude pic in the notebook and rip it up in a morally indignant rage.  It was actually kind of funny, but then I realized Yuri's last-minute departure meant he probably wouldn't have the notebook with him.  So the notebook was left with the others, and Aquila Rose's personality was actually centered around the fact that she would give Keith a nude pic of herself.  …which is a great way to make up a character's personality, at least for me.  Funny, too.

I loved the family portrait one—I thought it would be something he would actually draw.  The sunset is important to him, in memory at least.  The ravens eating at him were from his art picture, with ravens—his posture always makes me think he's tied back.  Alice's 'butterfly' one is also her art picture.  The nudies are for the sole reason that he's a pervert.  The monsters are because of the library—who else would (and could) keep a whole record of every single monster?  Alice's masked one would have been drawn shortly after Fox Face told him she was opening the door—he wants to keep an eye on her.

And of course he shows all the earmarks, he is a very disturbed young man!

Actually, I think Yuri hitting Fox Face might be partly reflex.  I might not have been too clear, but Fox Face starts licking Yuri to annoy him into waking up.  My reflex is to push the dog down.  Yuri is a lot more annoyed and lashes out.

Without Fox Face, I think Yuri could survive—but Fox Face is totally dependent on Yuri.  However, Fox Face does serve an important purpose.  I should get to that next chapter.  (Are you tired of me saying that?)

"Yeah for Alice's undies" is definitely weird.  But what do you think we're in the SH category for?

Yes.  Thank you!  That was what I was trying to get across with Yuri's introspection.  If it was just him, all by himself and friendless, he probably would've accepted the fox again by now.  In fact, they might not have separated again in the first place.

Why would you trust a bunch of tricksters to be your messengers?  Ah, but in this world all monsters are looked down upon, which will be explained IF I EVER GET TO IT—::bangs her head against the monitor::

o.o  That made you even more confused?  That was supposed to be clarification.

Margarete:  Only you could confuse while clarifying, only you, aegis.

Thanks about the descriptions; my fanfics are always lacking in them (why, I'm not sure) and I was trying to work more on them in the last chapter.

Hyuga's description?  I did use that in chapter 11 or 12 I think…or were you talking about something else?

P.S.  Gah.  Long review=longer response.  And my fingers are pooped.