Well, this is another author's note. Except that we can't do that any more so I'll include a little scene. Again. Dontcha just love them?

First off, I'm not going to give this up, don't worry (if anyone is). I have finals and so I've been studying for a while and I apologize for seemingly abandoning this. I also was banned from the computer (because I used it a bit too much, apparently I should log off before 4 am) so I wasn't really able to do much updating on anything.

Second, thank you so much to everyone who has reviewed! Taltos, Crystal17, Valefor, Tasogare Ookami Konyo, Moonlight'sSpell, you're all very much appreciated. And everyone else who reviewed, thank you a million times! I'm very much grateful.

A special word of thanks to Shinji Ikari3: Your review was exceedingly helpful. .hackINFECTION has just come out here in Ireland; it's still 60 Euro. As a result, I have nary a clue as to what goes on in the games and I'm very much in debt to your kind and thoughtful review. Thanks so much for taking the time.

And now, without further ado, I give you A Pointless Humiliating Scene ™!

Petrified was not the word. Terrified, asphyxiating with horror, paralysed with pure shock and altogether not feeling too great were all good descriptions.

Mimiru giggled, leant over and brushed some floppy green hair out of his face.

'He looks like a rabbit, doesn't he?' she grinned, taking hold of his chin and shaking his inert face back and forth. 'I mean, like the really scared ones you see in documentaries, or those gazelle about to be mauled and eaten and stuff by lions. Poor little Sora, are you scared?'

An stifled a laugh at the unfortunate boy.

'I,' he managed to spit at Mimiru after a few minutes of face-contorting, 'hate you so much it is inestimable.'

'Don't scrunch your face up like that, dear. It'll wreck the mascara.'

At this, An's face turned a rather unappealing shade of red. She looked like she was going to have a coronary. Sora rather hoped she would.

'Now hold still,' Mimiru said, digging in her make-up bag.

'What?' Sora coughed. 'Get away from me, you horrible girl!'

'You agreed to the mascara!'

'I never agreed to mascara! I never agreed to anything! You threatened me with putting make-up on my in my sleep and taking black-mail photos if I didn't let you test out your new mascara!'

'Well, yeah,' Mimiru said, in the tone of someone quite reasonable who was dealing with a troublesome toddler, 'but you have the kind of eyes that just scream out for eyeliner. They're all big slanted and pretty,' she continued, matter-of-fact, 'and you have the kind of eyelashes I'd kill for!'

'Well, gee, thanks. That just makes me feel much better!' he snarled, wanting desperately to wipe his eyes but fearing blackmail.

'So hold still. Do I have to get An to hold you down again?'

'God, no.' The memory of An's surprising headlock was still fresh in his mind. Surprising in how strong she was, or in just how willing she seemed to do it. Mimiru, he reasoned, must have taught her, although where she learnt and why An wanted to learn was something possibly more disturbing.

'Then don't talk for the next few minutes,' Mimiru said, leaning down with a large black pencil in her hand.

'Um, Mimiru, what's the point of this?' An ventured, fearing to break the concentration of the girl.

'Well, to try it out, of course,' Mimiru said, partially muffled by her tongue sticking out. 'See if it'll look good on me.'

Oh, God, Sora thought. I have a girl who can't draw a line without her tongue sticking out armed with something pointy near my eye.

'Done!' she proclaimed, bending back. 'Oh, Sora, you look so sweet! And girly. You'd make a really pretty girl, you know,' she added, tilting her head to the side. 'Well, once you get older.'

Sora bared his teeth at her.

'I don't see why you're doing this,' he said, in a voice that sounded suspiciously like a whine.

'Well, I needed to try it out! I just said that! Sheez!'

'But…' Sora began. An – obligingly snapping out of the giggling fit she'd been having for the what seemed to be the last hour – finished his sentence.

'Mimiru, his eyes aren't at all like yours… If it looks good on him it probably won't look the same on you.'

'Well, that's completely irrelevant!' the brown haired girl said. 'Now, hold still. I have this lovely sparkly pink eyeshadow…'