-Tricked-
Chapter Summary - Will our team win or lose? *sigh* Are you serious? What happens after the tournament? Something is bound to happen. First of all, who set the trap? *sighs again* Yes, it is Karasu..
-------------------------------------------------
Chapter 22 - Last Battle
-------------------------------------------------
Kurama stepped into the ring. He could sense something around him. It was so familiar but he couldn't pinpoint it. His opponent stepped into the ring. He felt a chill when looking into those eyes of his. They were like a black lifeless void. He seemed to weaken. The others could sense something different about their team member. He staggered and felt himself weaken. He realized a little too late that he was being sucked dry of his energy. He couldn't look away for the life of him, though. He was trapped. Drawn. Transfixed.
"Kurama!" Botan called out. Hiei's eyes widened in surprise.
"Kitsune! Look away! Now!" Botan could see his eyes. He knew what to do, but he couldn't do it.
"Hiei, he can't." She searched around for some sort of sign.. a person. There had to be someone controlling those fighters.. "There!" She pointed and they all turned their heads. "He's gone.. Someone was over there."
"Probably the person who tricked us." Hiei said, using his Jagan. He cried out. "Whoever.. it is.. I can't track them with the Jagan."
"Who could it be? Someone who knows us.." Kurama heard Hiei scream and closed his eyes, panting. He looked over and saw Botan tending to him, supporting him. He then looked back at his opponent. He didn't make eye contact this time. He took out a rose and transformed it. He wouldn't be fooled a second time. He rushed forward, but he couldn't help himself.. he was falling victim again. He closed his eyes. He would have to fight blindly in order to avoid that situation. He could sense the strange aura around the fighter. That made it easier to find him and target him. He used the rose whip and wrapped it around the demon. He braced himself and used his strength to throw the demon outside the ring. He wouldn't risk opening his eyes. He heard the demon hit the ring first then hit the ground outside. He kept his eyes closed. His opponent wasn't meant to attack him and hurt him. He was meant to drain his life. He now thought he knew who it was. An image came to him. An image of Karasu.
"No.." He didn't want to fight Karasu again. He could sense his presence. He wasn't here to watch. This was his team. He opened his eyes when the ten count took place and succeeded.
"Kurama.." Botan looked at him worriedly. "I saw someone.." She pointed to the spot. "I don't know who it was.."
"It was Karasu. Remember from the Dark Tournament? He staged it all. This is his team." He looked darkly at the others. "One more fight should do it." The dice called for Yuusuke to step up. He looked at his team.
"He must be in league with someone." Hiei said, narrowing his eyes. "Someone with spirit energy that could turn the Jagan's gaze." Kurama knew what that meant. Hiei wasn't able to track him or identify him.
"What should we do?" Botan asked, her eyes going to the fight that was going on in the ring. "Yuusuke has to win. He won't give up until he does." She shuddered, remembering the battle between Kurama and Karasu.
"This time, we can all fight him." Kuwabara said. Kurama shook his head. His eyes were filled with hatred.
"That battle will be my own."
-------------------------------------------------
"We're set to pack our things." Botan said. "The boat will be leaving tomorrow morning." Kurama looked around.
"I'm not leaving until I've fought Karasu." She rested her hand on his shoulder.
"You men and your grudges." He left it alone. There was another reason why he was angry. Karasu had tried to break up their bond. He used Takuji. No real demon, honor or not, would willingly do something like that. It angered him enough to transform. Botan stood up and started to walk away. "I'll be in our room taking a nap." He nodded absently. He was going to end this here and now.
"Ah, hello." Botan stopped. In front of her was Karasu. Kurama stood up and whirled around angrily. "So, you must know about my little plan. Such a pity it didn't work. I will kill you yet, Kurama." Kurama pulled Botan back behind him.
"Our fight ends here and now. I'm through with you and your tricks. I've had enough of you trying to kill me and take Botan away." He returned to his calm stature. "I am going to--"
"Kurama.." He stopped, hearing her soft voice. She was scared. Not for herself. But for him. He could sense her fear. "Please.."
"Go back to the hotel and wait there for me. This battle is mine, Botan." She closed her eyes. "Go."
"No." She said defiantly. "I'm not going to leave you to battle this alone."
"Now."
"Kurama--"
"Then go and find Hiei." He knew the koorime would know what to do. "I can't protect anyone in this fight. It will cost both of us in the end." She knew what he meant. He wanted her to go and stay put. "I'll find you when this is over."
"Or I'll bring him to you when he loses." Karasu smirked. Kurama glared at him. Botan closed her eyes then started off around the two fighters.
"You better come back." She looked at Kurama with tears in her eyes. But they never fell. She then turned and ran back through the woods. She couldn't believe she was listening to him. She really couldn't believe it. She knew that he was right though. If she had stayed, Karasu could've taken advantage of it. She had a bad feeling about this. She slowed to a walk and wrapped her arms around herself. She went up to Yuusuke's room and knocked. Everyone was in there, as she had expected.
"Botan, where's.." Yuusuke's words failed him when he saw the look on her face. The silence was so deafening that they could hear sounds from down the hall.. and even those soon fell still. Hiei watched as Botan sat down slowly next to him. The next word would explain everything. It would also make them all fear for their fighter.
"Karasu." Her voice broke, so she didn't say anything else. She drew her knees up to her chest and rested her forehead on her arms. She knew something would happen. She only hoped that Kurama would survive this encounter.
-------------------------------------------------
Kurama transformed into Youko and stood calmly before Karasu.
"You and I both know that this will end one of our lives, Kurama." Karasu said, his eyes narrowing slightly. "I can assure you, it will not be mine."
"Oh, it will." Youko said coldly. "I won't let you kill me. I have more reasons to kill you than you do to kill me. You only want to take my life because you couldn't before. And that you want that nice empty feeling. I want to kill you to defend my life and because you tried to take my mate away from me. I know it was you. I just never realized it until the end."
"There is more, is there not?"
"Yes." He nodded. "One more thing." His golden eyes pierced through Karasu's defenses. "You want to use me. To kill the rest of my team. I realized that in the ring with your make-shift team. I realized it a second too late. Sucking my life energy. It wasn't meant to attack me, just to steal away with everything I am." Karasu smirked.
"Very clever, kitsune. I admire your thinking skills. It will take more than brains and brawn to beat me." He paused. "A lot more."
"Enough talking. Fight me." And so it began. The fight. The last battle of these two. The fight where one will leave with his life.. and the other will not. The last encounter. Youko knew he needed a plan.. and that he couldn't beat him like he did last time. Karasu probably played that battle in his mind too many times. That meant a change in strategy. He let Karasu get close enough so that he could hit him with his now transformed rose whip. Karasu vanished from his line of sight and he quickly moved to the side. They continued to evade each other for a while, trying not to get wounded. Youko knew he feared Karasu's touch. It would make him like a ticking bomb. He would be a ticking bomb. I must escape with my life. The continuation of this thought propelled him through the first part of his battle. He played a nice clever trick. He made his attack so that if Karasu dodged his attack, which he would, he would have to predict the way he would dodge. That was simple. He would dodge to the right. He could see how Karasu was trying to play with him. He attacked and used his plan. It worked well. The only problem: he needed time for it to work. It would work.. but if he died in the process, what good would it be? He had planted three deadly seeds inside of Karasu. The seeds would feed off his energy and would grow. Then they would feed off Karasu's energy. Then they would grow faster and take over his body. The would take root in his chest and grow every which way.
"What are you thinking?" Karasu sounded amused. "Are you worried? Frustrated?"
"No, I'm only thinking of what I will do with your dead body." He got back into the swing of evading every little attack. He couldn't let himself get touched. But he did. He got touched in the shoulder but Karasu made it so that he would feel the pain. He gripped his rose whip and almost started thinking that it was over. He tried to go on, but the continuous draining of his energy from those seeds weakened him. He could feel the draining start to lessen. He was on his knees now, panting. He had wounds on his legs, his arms, and his chest. He looked up and his eyes widened. He pushed himself up and jumped to the side, just avoiding bombs. He panted. His entire body hurt. He was spent. He knew he hadn't the energy to attack.
"It seems that you are afraid, Kurama." Kurama felt his power slip from him. He looked down. His hair was red.. he was back in his human form. He hid behind a tree, trying to catch his breath. He hadn't used those plants in a long time. He could see how much Karasu was beginning to struggle to keep on his feet.
"And you have barely the energy to attack me. We are in the same boat, Karasu." He stepped out from his hiding place. "I will finish you off.. even if it takes more than I have."
"Such strong words for someone who can't stay on their feet."
"You're one to talk. Look at yourself. I can see you straining to find the energy inside." Kurama smirked, feeling blood drip from the side of his mouth. "I know I have barely any energy left. I know. I do not deny it." Karasu scowled. "One of us will still fall.. This is the one time our doubts and fears surface and show themselves."
"Shut up!" Kurama could sense his anger and his fear. "You know nothing! You're merely blabbering and trying to waste time. I know your little game." He stumbled a bit as he ran toward Kurama. He never made it half way. His mouth was open in a silent scream as he collasped, holding his stomach. Blood flowed from cut wounds that were from the inside. More appeared. Soon, the sound of his ragged breathing and the rise and fall that indicated life, had both faded. Kurama took a rose from his hair and threw it on the ground, the petals blowing off in the wind. He saw the green of the plants start surfacing from the cuts. He closed his eyes.
"You, Karasu, are by far my greatest foe. You have my admiration for your strength and abilities as a person, but you lack the brains to outsmart me. Any real fighter would know when a trap has been laid. Any true fighter worthy of respect could have felt and sensed the weakening of their energy. And any person with a brain could have felt the plant growing and know death was inevitable." He turned away and started walking, limping and holding his stomach.
-------------------------------------------------
Hiei continuously glanced at the door and at Botan. Yuusuke and the others were thinking a lot about their moments with the kitsune. Botan had remained silent and had not said a word since she had spoken before. 'Karasu' was all that she had said. That one word. Nothing more. The hardest part to accept was that they knew they couldn't be there to protect and help him. Hiei knew the truth about it. He knew what could really happen. One would walk away. The other would die. He knew Kurama's limits and was far from doubting the cunning fox. He was sly, smart, and powerful. Karasu was.. well, they knew little about him. Other than his abilities, there was nothing really that they knew about him. Kurama had beaten him once.. he could do it again. But with that thought, more doubts and fears came to mind.
"I can't stand this waiting." Yuusuke said, shattering the silence like a rock shatters a painted glass window. "Its too much." They all silently agreed. There was too much waiting.. too many doubts.
"There is nothing we can do about it." Hiei said, closing his eyes and leaning back against the couch.
"Shut up, half-pint. You won't let us go and help him."
"That's right, moron." The koorime looked at him murderously. "This is his fight. No one else will interfere. He can't fight while protecting someone." Botan looked at the small demon. Kurama's words echoed in her mind. She hadn't cried. She was only thinking logically about the outcome. Karasu's words also echoed in her mind.
"Or I'll bring him to you when he loses."
She believed in Kurama's abilities and she believed in him.
"He won't need to defend us." Kuwabara was saying.
"Will you drop it? If you interfered in his fight, then you're asking for a fight from him as well."
"Will you two shut up?" Yuusuke asked, scowling. "We'll just have to wait for the results.. if he doesn't get here soon, I think we all know what happened then."
"Aren't they evenly matched?" Keiko asked, confused. No one answered. The silence settled again. Botan's heart was pounding in her ears. She was nervous and afraid. She needed to know. Suddenly, the door swung open and Kurama stood there, blood dripping on the carpet from his wounds. He was barely breathing. Botan's heart skipped a beat as he fell forward onto the floor, unconscious. She got up and raced to him, peering out the door and down both halls. She saw no one. Happiness filled her suddenly. She knew he would live. Relief flowed over all of them like a cool ocean wave on a hot summer day. Their fighter was alive.
-------------------------------------------------
End of chapter 22! This fic is sadly coming to a close soon. The next chapter will be long also. I hope you enjoyed. And I'll tell you what.. I'm giving you a scene from the next chapter! How nice does that sound?
Title - Forfeit
"B, you've been avoiding me." She sat there and looked the other way, her legs pulled up to her chest and her arms wrapped around them. She didn't respond. "Why are you doing this?" He asked softly. He turned her face to look into her eyes. He was surprised. They were emotionless and empty.
Hm. Let's see. You get a chapter summary, the chapter, and now a scene from the next one! How great is that? ^_^ I like it. And the only thing that I'm asking of you is that you read it and please review.. Oh, and one other thing.. I might be getting a new pen name. *sigh* One that may be less difficult to remember. Hopefully. I think I babbled long enough.
-Jess
Chapter Summary - Will our team win or lose? *sigh* Are you serious? What happens after the tournament? Something is bound to happen. First of all, who set the trap? *sighs again* Yes, it is Karasu..
-------------------------------------------------
Chapter 22 - Last Battle
-------------------------------------------------
Kurama stepped into the ring. He could sense something around him. It was so familiar but he couldn't pinpoint it. His opponent stepped into the ring. He felt a chill when looking into those eyes of his. They were like a black lifeless void. He seemed to weaken. The others could sense something different about their team member. He staggered and felt himself weaken. He realized a little too late that he was being sucked dry of his energy. He couldn't look away for the life of him, though. He was trapped. Drawn. Transfixed.
"Kurama!" Botan called out. Hiei's eyes widened in surprise.
"Kitsune! Look away! Now!" Botan could see his eyes. He knew what to do, but he couldn't do it.
"Hiei, he can't." She searched around for some sort of sign.. a person. There had to be someone controlling those fighters.. "There!" She pointed and they all turned their heads. "He's gone.. Someone was over there."
"Probably the person who tricked us." Hiei said, using his Jagan. He cried out. "Whoever.. it is.. I can't track them with the Jagan."
"Who could it be? Someone who knows us.." Kurama heard Hiei scream and closed his eyes, panting. He looked over and saw Botan tending to him, supporting him. He then looked back at his opponent. He didn't make eye contact this time. He took out a rose and transformed it. He wouldn't be fooled a second time. He rushed forward, but he couldn't help himself.. he was falling victim again. He closed his eyes. He would have to fight blindly in order to avoid that situation. He could sense the strange aura around the fighter. That made it easier to find him and target him. He used the rose whip and wrapped it around the demon. He braced himself and used his strength to throw the demon outside the ring. He wouldn't risk opening his eyes. He heard the demon hit the ring first then hit the ground outside. He kept his eyes closed. His opponent wasn't meant to attack him and hurt him. He was meant to drain his life. He now thought he knew who it was. An image came to him. An image of Karasu.
"No.." He didn't want to fight Karasu again. He could sense his presence. He wasn't here to watch. This was his team. He opened his eyes when the ten count took place and succeeded.
"Kurama.." Botan looked at him worriedly. "I saw someone.." She pointed to the spot. "I don't know who it was.."
"It was Karasu. Remember from the Dark Tournament? He staged it all. This is his team." He looked darkly at the others. "One more fight should do it." The dice called for Yuusuke to step up. He looked at his team.
"He must be in league with someone." Hiei said, narrowing his eyes. "Someone with spirit energy that could turn the Jagan's gaze." Kurama knew what that meant. Hiei wasn't able to track him or identify him.
"What should we do?" Botan asked, her eyes going to the fight that was going on in the ring. "Yuusuke has to win. He won't give up until he does." She shuddered, remembering the battle between Kurama and Karasu.
"This time, we can all fight him." Kuwabara said. Kurama shook his head. His eyes were filled with hatred.
"That battle will be my own."
-------------------------------------------------
"We're set to pack our things." Botan said. "The boat will be leaving tomorrow morning." Kurama looked around.
"I'm not leaving until I've fought Karasu." She rested her hand on his shoulder.
"You men and your grudges." He left it alone. There was another reason why he was angry. Karasu had tried to break up their bond. He used Takuji. No real demon, honor or not, would willingly do something like that. It angered him enough to transform. Botan stood up and started to walk away. "I'll be in our room taking a nap." He nodded absently. He was going to end this here and now.
"Ah, hello." Botan stopped. In front of her was Karasu. Kurama stood up and whirled around angrily. "So, you must know about my little plan. Such a pity it didn't work. I will kill you yet, Kurama." Kurama pulled Botan back behind him.
"Our fight ends here and now. I'm through with you and your tricks. I've had enough of you trying to kill me and take Botan away." He returned to his calm stature. "I am going to--"
"Kurama.." He stopped, hearing her soft voice. She was scared. Not for herself. But for him. He could sense her fear. "Please.."
"Go back to the hotel and wait there for me. This battle is mine, Botan." She closed her eyes. "Go."
"No." She said defiantly. "I'm not going to leave you to battle this alone."
"Now."
"Kurama--"
"Then go and find Hiei." He knew the koorime would know what to do. "I can't protect anyone in this fight. It will cost both of us in the end." She knew what he meant. He wanted her to go and stay put. "I'll find you when this is over."
"Or I'll bring him to you when he loses." Karasu smirked. Kurama glared at him. Botan closed her eyes then started off around the two fighters.
"You better come back." She looked at Kurama with tears in her eyes. But they never fell. She then turned and ran back through the woods. She couldn't believe she was listening to him. She really couldn't believe it. She knew that he was right though. If she had stayed, Karasu could've taken advantage of it. She had a bad feeling about this. She slowed to a walk and wrapped her arms around herself. She went up to Yuusuke's room and knocked. Everyone was in there, as she had expected.
"Botan, where's.." Yuusuke's words failed him when he saw the look on her face. The silence was so deafening that they could hear sounds from down the hall.. and even those soon fell still. Hiei watched as Botan sat down slowly next to him. The next word would explain everything. It would also make them all fear for their fighter.
"Karasu." Her voice broke, so she didn't say anything else. She drew her knees up to her chest and rested her forehead on her arms. She knew something would happen. She only hoped that Kurama would survive this encounter.
-------------------------------------------------
Kurama transformed into Youko and stood calmly before Karasu.
"You and I both know that this will end one of our lives, Kurama." Karasu said, his eyes narrowing slightly. "I can assure you, it will not be mine."
"Oh, it will." Youko said coldly. "I won't let you kill me. I have more reasons to kill you than you do to kill me. You only want to take my life because you couldn't before. And that you want that nice empty feeling. I want to kill you to defend my life and because you tried to take my mate away from me. I know it was you. I just never realized it until the end."
"There is more, is there not?"
"Yes." He nodded. "One more thing." His golden eyes pierced through Karasu's defenses. "You want to use me. To kill the rest of my team. I realized that in the ring with your make-shift team. I realized it a second too late. Sucking my life energy. It wasn't meant to attack me, just to steal away with everything I am." Karasu smirked.
"Very clever, kitsune. I admire your thinking skills. It will take more than brains and brawn to beat me." He paused. "A lot more."
"Enough talking. Fight me." And so it began. The fight. The last battle of these two. The fight where one will leave with his life.. and the other will not. The last encounter. Youko knew he needed a plan.. and that he couldn't beat him like he did last time. Karasu probably played that battle in his mind too many times. That meant a change in strategy. He let Karasu get close enough so that he could hit him with his now transformed rose whip. Karasu vanished from his line of sight and he quickly moved to the side. They continued to evade each other for a while, trying not to get wounded. Youko knew he feared Karasu's touch. It would make him like a ticking bomb. He would be a ticking bomb. I must escape with my life. The continuation of this thought propelled him through the first part of his battle. He played a nice clever trick. He made his attack so that if Karasu dodged his attack, which he would, he would have to predict the way he would dodge. That was simple. He would dodge to the right. He could see how Karasu was trying to play with him. He attacked and used his plan. It worked well. The only problem: he needed time for it to work. It would work.. but if he died in the process, what good would it be? He had planted three deadly seeds inside of Karasu. The seeds would feed off his energy and would grow. Then they would feed off Karasu's energy. Then they would grow faster and take over his body. The would take root in his chest and grow every which way.
"What are you thinking?" Karasu sounded amused. "Are you worried? Frustrated?"
"No, I'm only thinking of what I will do with your dead body." He got back into the swing of evading every little attack. He couldn't let himself get touched. But he did. He got touched in the shoulder but Karasu made it so that he would feel the pain. He gripped his rose whip and almost started thinking that it was over. He tried to go on, but the continuous draining of his energy from those seeds weakened him. He could feel the draining start to lessen. He was on his knees now, panting. He had wounds on his legs, his arms, and his chest. He looked up and his eyes widened. He pushed himself up and jumped to the side, just avoiding bombs. He panted. His entire body hurt. He was spent. He knew he hadn't the energy to attack.
"It seems that you are afraid, Kurama." Kurama felt his power slip from him. He looked down. His hair was red.. he was back in his human form. He hid behind a tree, trying to catch his breath. He hadn't used those plants in a long time. He could see how much Karasu was beginning to struggle to keep on his feet.
"And you have barely the energy to attack me. We are in the same boat, Karasu." He stepped out from his hiding place. "I will finish you off.. even if it takes more than I have."
"Such strong words for someone who can't stay on their feet."
"You're one to talk. Look at yourself. I can see you straining to find the energy inside." Kurama smirked, feeling blood drip from the side of his mouth. "I know I have barely any energy left. I know. I do not deny it." Karasu scowled. "One of us will still fall.. This is the one time our doubts and fears surface and show themselves."
"Shut up!" Kurama could sense his anger and his fear. "You know nothing! You're merely blabbering and trying to waste time. I know your little game." He stumbled a bit as he ran toward Kurama. He never made it half way. His mouth was open in a silent scream as he collasped, holding his stomach. Blood flowed from cut wounds that were from the inside. More appeared. Soon, the sound of his ragged breathing and the rise and fall that indicated life, had both faded. Kurama took a rose from his hair and threw it on the ground, the petals blowing off in the wind. He saw the green of the plants start surfacing from the cuts. He closed his eyes.
"You, Karasu, are by far my greatest foe. You have my admiration for your strength and abilities as a person, but you lack the brains to outsmart me. Any real fighter would know when a trap has been laid. Any true fighter worthy of respect could have felt and sensed the weakening of their energy. And any person with a brain could have felt the plant growing and know death was inevitable." He turned away and started walking, limping and holding his stomach.
-------------------------------------------------
Hiei continuously glanced at the door and at Botan. Yuusuke and the others were thinking a lot about their moments with the kitsune. Botan had remained silent and had not said a word since she had spoken before. 'Karasu' was all that she had said. That one word. Nothing more. The hardest part to accept was that they knew they couldn't be there to protect and help him. Hiei knew the truth about it. He knew what could really happen. One would walk away. The other would die. He knew Kurama's limits and was far from doubting the cunning fox. He was sly, smart, and powerful. Karasu was.. well, they knew little about him. Other than his abilities, there was nothing really that they knew about him. Kurama had beaten him once.. he could do it again. But with that thought, more doubts and fears came to mind.
"I can't stand this waiting." Yuusuke said, shattering the silence like a rock shatters a painted glass window. "Its too much." They all silently agreed. There was too much waiting.. too many doubts.
"There is nothing we can do about it." Hiei said, closing his eyes and leaning back against the couch.
"Shut up, half-pint. You won't let us go and help him."
"That's right, moron." The koorime looked at him murderously. "This is his fight. No one else will interfere. He can't fight while protecting someone." Botan looked at the small demon. Kurama's words echoed in her mind. She hadn't cried. She was only thinking logically about the outcome. Karasu's words also echoed in her mind.
"Or I'll bring him to you when he loses."
She believed in Kurama's abilities and she believed in him.
"He won't need to defend us." Kuwabara was saying.
"Will you drop it? If you interfered in his fight, then you're asking for a fight from him as well."
"Will you two shut up?" Yuusuke asked, scowling. "We'll just have to wait for the results.. if he doesn't get here soon, I think we all know what happened then."
"Aren't they evenly matched?" Keiko asked, confused. No one answered. The silence settled again. Botan's heart was pounding in her ears. She was nervous and afraid. She needed to know. Suddenly, the door swung open and Kurama stood there, blood dripping on the carpet from his wounds. He was barely breathing. Botan's heart skipped a beat as he fell forward onto the floor, unconscious. She got up and raced to him, peering out the door and down both halls. She saw no one. Happiness filled her suddenly. She knew he would live. Relief flowed over all of them like a cool ocean wave on a hot summer day. Their fighter was alive.
-------------------------------------------------
End of chapter 22! This fic is sadly coming to a close soon. The next chapter will be long also. I hope you enjoyed. And I'll tell you what.. I'm giving you a scene from the next chapter! How nice does that sound?
Title - Forfeit
"B, you've been avoiding me." She sat there and looked the other way, her legs pulled up to her chest and her arms wrapped around them. She didn't respond. "Why are you doing this?" He asked softly. He turned her face to look into her eyes. He was surprised. They were emotionless and empty.
Hm. Let's see. You get a chapter summary, the chapter, and now a scene from the next one! How great is that? ^_^ I like it. And the only thing that I'm asking of you is that you read it and please review.. Oh, and one other thing.. I might be getting a new pen name. *sigh* One that may be less difficult to remember. Hopefully. I think I babbled long enough.
-Jess