Disclaimery thingy: Rurouni Kenshin and the Princess Bride aren't mine, no rights are mine, nothing is mine.
Author's note: I'M SO SORRY! I missed an entire week, and I want to cry at how lovely and supportive you've all been. Thank you so much.
My first exam went so badly, and I screwed it up big time, but at least it's over. And the writer's block isn't so bad as it was. I didn't enjoy writing this chapter as much as I usually do, though it really picked up towards the end. I hope you like it.
Massive apologies once again: I never meant for the time to go so fast, and to leave you guys hanging for so long. Thank you so much for your support. ^_^
Well, enjoy! We're up to Chapter Twenty! It's a landmark! *lets loose with a party popper* Yay!
The Princess Bride: Kenshin StyleTwenty
"Kaoru… How I've missed you…"
Kaoru felt tears start again in her eyes at Kenshin's whispered words. She pulled away to look into his face, gazing with a bottomless storm of love into his violet eyes, willing herself to fall into those gentle depths. To live in Kenshin's gaze, surrounded by his love… To leave the rest of the world behind…
So beautiful…
She dipped her head to kiss him again, a harder, possessive kiss, her eyes squeezed shut as if to hold back tears. Kenshin's fingers tightened in her hair as their lips met, sensing her feelings, and going through the same pattern of thought. Kaoru lifted her mouth from Kenshin's, but he pulled her down to kiss her forcefully again, before releasing her from him.
"I'm sorry, Kaoru, I just don't want to let you go…" he said apologetically. "After everything that's happened… I suppose I'm afraid that if I let you go, it'll all be over again," he murmured, gazing earnestly into her face.
She smiled at him. "It will never be over, Kenshin. We're together again: I'll never leave you. Never, never never never," she cried as they pulled each other close in a fierce, tight hug. The moment held for a slip of time.
Finally, Kenshin sighed. "We must go. We can't linger here- the Prince will be on our tail already."
"I know."
Kaoru held him close for a moment longer, breathing in the clean, wild scent of the man her heart had never forgotten. As she dropped her face to nuzzle against his black-clad shoulder, her nose caught the smell of soap and newly cleaned clothes. Kaoru laughed suddenly, tears in her eyes. He's never changed…
Kenshin laughed with her, unable to hold in the joy of hearing Kaoru's happiness once more. They stood, Kenshin briefly lending Kaoru a hand. She dusted off her slightly muddy, slightly ragged looking kimono. Kenshin just smiled at her.
"Come."
He offered his hand, and, smiling, Kaoru took it, twining her fingers between Kenshin's as they set off for freedom in the paling night.
The thundering of many hooves battered the ground as the Prince followed the trail of his fiancé's kidnappers.
They had passed the place where Sanosuke had fought Kenshin a moment before, only stopping long enough for the Prince to ascertain the necessary details. Now, galloping with the speed of the four winds, the party of rescuers sped across the landscape.
"Their direction tells me they are headed straight for the Fire Swamp," called the Prince in his deep, calm voice.
"But that's lunacy! They'll be killed in there, no matter the kidnapper's skill or strength!" shouted the Count in response, as he rode thunderously alongside his Prince.
"This man must be either an idiot or foolishly brave as it is to try to take what is mine," replied Shishio, an angry glint in his eyes.
The Count only switched his gaze forward, and speculated as to how much pain the kidnapper would be made to suffer when they caught him. He wondered if the Prince would let him use the kidnapper for the Machine…
"Kenshin?"
"Yes?"
"Er…"
"What is it, Kaoru?"
"This might sound strange, but… Isn't the Fire Swamp this way?"
"Yes."
"And we're going this way?"
"Yes."
"We're going into the Fire Swamp?"
"Yes."
Kaoru suddenly halted.
Kenshin felt the tug on his hand, and turned to look at Kaoru. He cocked his head at her, eyes puzzled. "What is it, Kaoru?"
Kaoru stared at him for a moment, then lost it. "What do you mean, 'what is it?'? Baka!" she cried. "The Fire Swamp, Kenshin! We may as well go back and give up now! You want me to go in there? Unarmed? Just us two? That's crazy!" She stamped her foot when Kenshin kept looking puzzled.
"I have my sword," he said in confusion.
"That's not the point! I don't even have my practice sword. And what about the R.O.U.S's?"
"I don't think they really exist."
"But what about the snow sand?"
"I'll be careful."
"KENSHIN! I don't want to go in there! It's suicide! We'll never make it out of there!" I can be determined and positive when I need to be, but this is really too much… All the odds are against us. Kaoru chose to let irritation drown out the tug of worry and the fear of separation that pulled at the back of her mind.
Kenshin blinked once, twice. "We'll be okay. I promise, I'll protect you. Now come on, we don't have time to slow down."
Kaoru shook her head in annoyance. If only there were some other way, but I can't think of anything… I'll just trust Kenshin on this one, I suppose. I know I can trust him: he came back from the dead to save me... Shaking the sombre thought away for the time being, she set off again, ignoring Kenshin's comforting squeeze of her hand and his reassuring smile.
"We're going to die."
"We're not going to die."
"I'll be very annoyed at you if you let me get killed, or if you get killed!"
"No one's getting killed."
The pair jogged away down the narrowing path, and straight towards the dark, shady thicket that marked the entrance to the Fire Swamp.
"I mean it, Kenshin, if-"
"No one's getting killed, Kaoru."
Entering the Fire Swamp was like walking into another world. There was a distinct line that separated it from the rest of the universe: the moment you ducked, fought and squeezed through its thorny outer thickets, dim, brown-green light and close air greeted you with smothering arms.
The trees of the Fire Swamp were ancient, and most of them in a state of living death. Great gnarled, twisted roots broke the ground all over the place, forming bucking, helpless knots of flaking wood that seemed determined to break up any obvious pathway and trip any unwary traveller.
The air's closeness was partly due to the thickets, which effectively stopped any outside breezes dead in their tracks, denying fresh air and clean scents to the Swamp. The closeness was also due to the strange flecks of dust and pollen-like particles that floated about in the dim space beneath the dark canopy.
The Fire Swamp, however, was really rather dramatically named. The dampness of the ground was caused by the lack of sunlight to dry it out, and the fire was only due to sulphur that escaped the ground in sporadic bursts, creating little explosions of flame. So really, it was just a swamp, simple as that, very similar to many other swamps the world over. It was probably the colourful sound of the name that made it stick in people's minds: certainly, 'the Fire Swamp' sounds more shocking and horrendous than 'the Swamp'.
There were a few things about this particular swamp, however, that made it unique, and uniquely treacherous, to the unknowing passer-by…
Kenshin hacked another low branch out of their path.
Kaoru ducked away from a trailing spider web as she followed the guiding hold of her love's hand in her own.
They walked for some time without much conversation. Perhaps they were merely content to be together again. Perhaps they had questions that they didn't know how to phrase. Perhaps they knew that conversation would lead to talking about how hopeless their situation was.
Kaoru kept walking, deep in thought. I want to know… Why he left.
"Kenshin…"
"Yes?"
"I…"
Kenshin paused and turned only to hear a strange churning, popping sound and then a scream from Kaoru. She fell back against the tree behind her, still screaming, as an explosion of flames caught the hem of her kimono, and began spreading up her clothes.
Unbelievably calm, Kenshin knelt and quickly ripped the fiery section of Kaoru's kimono away, muffling it out with a few hard thuds against the ground.
Kaoru fell to her knees beside Kenshin with a sigh. "Now I know why it's called the Fire Swamp," she said.
Kenshin was about to point out how normal a swamp it really was, but then he decided that probably wasn't what she wanted to hear.
He took her hand again, and stood, pulling her carefully up with him.
"All right now?" he asked gently.
Kaoru nodded with a small smile.
"At least we know about the fire now: it came after that strange popping sound, so we can avoid it in future, if we listen out."
Nodding again, Kaoru set off once more with her red-haired love.
"Did they actually go in?"
The Prince did not turn to look at the Count as he thought on his question.
Finally, he shifted into a readied position in his saddle.
"Yes. But I have no intention of going in there and crawling about after them.
"We will meet them on the other side."
The Count blinked, his brows close. "It is too far, isn't it? To go all the way around?"
The Prince snorted scathingly. "Not on my whites. Come."
With that, his horse, at some invisible signal, sprang away, galloping along the edge of the hillside that looked down on the ravine's entrance to the Fire Swamp.
He was already a distant white blur as the Count spurred his own mount on, signalling the group of soldiers to follow.
Kenshin had taken a few vines and was busy twining them stoutly together as he walked.
"We can use this to tie us together once it's done, Kaoru. That way we won't lose sight or hold of each other in this place. To be honest, it isn't as bad in here as I thought it could be. What do you think?"
Kaoru would have said it was worse than she'd feared, considering her current state, but she couldn't speak, for the Snow Sand had her by then.
"Kaoru? KAORU!"
Seeing the fine, pale stuff on the ground near him settle smoothly back into place, he acted without a second thought.
Tying the vine around his waist, and securing it to a branch nearby, he dived in.
Kaoru had not had a chance against the Snow Sand. She had no idea what it looked like, so she'd been unable to see the danger before she was already under the ground: Snow Sand looked just like solid earth until you put foot your foot in it. And it was all downhill from there.
It's like falling through a cloud, Kaoru thought absently. She wondered if she'd already fallen a mile through the stuff: it was so light and fine, and she slipped so easily through it. Somehow, she didn't panic: not at first. Snow Sand is hardly unpleasant initially: it has hardly any bulk or weight to it, and is incredibly soft.
Kaoru thought about what the most sensible thing to do would be. Right. She managed to move into a lying position, and spread out her arms, legs and fingers, knowing that if she spread her weight she wouldn't fall as quickly.
It was at this moment that the Snow Sand's unpleasantness really set in.
Snow Sand, as has already been mentioned, is amazingly fine, clinging stuff. By this time, it was in Kaoru's ears, under her clothes, up her nose, and, though she'd been careful to keep her lips tightly closed, there was some in her mouth. There were even some grains that had managed to creep under her tightly shut eyelids.
It was horrible.
Kaoru wanted to scream, but that would have been the end of her: Snow Sand kills with suffocation more than anything. If she opened her mouth even the tiniest bit, her lungs would be full of Snow Sand in seconds, and it would be over.
And still she fell.
The weight was beginning to notice now: there was a growing ache in her back with it, and her shoulders hurt from keeping her arms outstretched all this time. The weight of the sand on top of her only pushed her harder down, and she wondered just how deep she was, and if there was even a bottom to the tunnel of feathery sand.
Her muscles were aching so much. If only I could stop, and rest… It's so heavy… Please, Kenshin!
She wanted to scream out his name, and everything was so dark and she was falling so fast, and she didn't even know where she was by then, and she wanted Kenshin.
She tried to shout his name, but all she managed was 'Keh', and that was it.
The Snow Sand had her.
Kenshin kept his eyes shut, and ignored the way the sand had rushed into his ears and nose.
He pushed himself down as fast as possible, kicking his legs and moving his arms as if he were swimming down through water.
Kaoru!
He kept going, and kept going, ignoring even the way his lungs were beginning to notice that they'd had the same breath of air in them for a while now, ignoring everything but the compulsion to get to Kaoru.
The vine pulled taught in his hand.
Its length had been exhausted. If Kenshin let go, he would sink forever, and he and Kaoru would both die. But then, if he let go and she were near enough below him, he might just be able to-
He'd already let go.
Kaoru, please be near, please hold on my love…
He reached, and reached, fingers straining as he groped through the softly giving Snow Sand for the woman he had worked so hard to save.
He must be lost by then. The vine must be gone, far above, never to be found again.
Kenshin felt a solid shape, the roundness of a shoulder, the length of an arm.
He grabbed and heaved, turning his position to the opposite of what it had been in the blink of an eye, and began the agonising fight to the vine, to the surface, to air.
Kaoru… Please stay with me…
His lungs screamed within him and the Snow Sand gave way to more Snow Sand, an endless space of softness, yielding and helpless. Kenshin's hands battled away, his legs worked, and the weight of Kaoru's limp body could not help him. There was no air, no direction, no way out…
Please!
Author's note: I come back with a cliffie! Man, I'm mean sometimes. But I got to this moment and thought, Wait a sec, this is a great cliffie, I should leave it here! ^_^ Sorry about that.
I'll be doing my best to update on time. Fingers crossed. My stupid exams are all spread out over a long time, about three/four weeks, feels like forever. But hey, once it's done, it's done. Can't wait til I do the last one! ^_^
Thank you all again for all your support. I don't have time to thank everyone properly, but here's the result anyway! I was gonna only write your names, but I couldn't, there were so many gorgeous comments I had to reply to. Here goes!
Thank you to MegumiFuu (Yes, I loved that part when Kenshin said 'Tadaima' and Kaoru said 'Okaeri'.. *tearful remembering it* ^_^), Shizuma the Night Vandel (*takes away the flame thrower with a maternal look* Not good to go on a killing rampage every day… ^_^), ZetaBee, Ela (Thanks for your wonderful enthusiasm! *happy dance* So greatly appreciated by me!), imaninz, awc (*big grin* Glad you love it so much, thank you for your energy, I need more of that myself!), Mewberries, Califpinay3001, Lil summoner yuna, Mary (Are you talking about the add-on little story, 'Buttercup's Baby', or the ending in the book or in the film? They're all different! @_@ Hee hee I haven't actually decided on my ending yet! How crazy is that? ^_^ But I'm open to your ideas of course! Though I won't tell of my plans, no spoilers y'know *wink*), WIERDkittyw/wingz, Anjali Sahra (Thank you so much! Your reviews were so supportive and I really appreciate what you said. I thank the Writing Muses, they rule! And I agree about the bit with Westley going to hit Kaoru- in the book he did actually hit her. *shakes head* No no no no NO! Not gonna happen with Kenshin, that it isn't. Hmph. Oh, and thank you for the banner! ^_^), Lost Love in the Atumum Wind, Night Rain (Nah, I hated the way the book just skipped that part! Private time? *raises an eyebrow* Not in Akari's world! MWAHAHAHA! *Kenshin and Kaoru run away* You can run but you can't hide!!!), Vash-chan AKA Makoto Almasy (*offers a new hanky* It's ok to be emotional- I am! ^_^ I cry at so many things, and so many things in books and anime in particular. But it's okay I think, cos it enhances our appreciation of things. Yeh. And thank you for the note about Sagara and Sano- that scene was special to me, so I'm very glad you liked it. ^_^), TenkunoMeiou (^_^), Rekka's Angel (*offers a pillow* Sleep is good and needed. Have some. ^_^), Demon Neko-Chan, Sailor Cosmos, Momentum, Serenity, insert catchy name here (*giggles for ten minutes* … *nope, still giggling* ^_^), EvilPrincessMelphis (*calls after her* Good luck with the kidnapping! Ganbatte ne!), pretty Luthien (Ah, well… That's a wait and see, for Sano and Sou! ^_^), Corran Nackatori, Mistress of time (I know, I own the DVD! *huge smile* Freeze-frame, FREEZE-FRAME!! Ohhh, look at that Westley-goodness…), Jessie_Rose_Berd576 (*giggle* Thank you ^_^), Alec Ikiiki (Ah, I love you so much! *glomp* You're so wonderful and supportive and lovely and I love you! *glomp glomp glomp* No, my exams STILL haven't finished… Man, they go on for so long! *wails* But at least once they're over I can look forward to 1. A summer of freedom followed by 2. University this September, studying creative writing! Woohoo! *dances around* I'm so excited! ^_^ I'm sure you won't be a nasty senior. I know what you mean about senioritis tho- in year eleven- last year of high school over here, when I was 16- there were osme who just turned snobby and horrible overnight. Though of course, it does go without saying that- *a year seven ie youngest year in school kid turns up* kid: where's the science department? Akari: Oh, right over there. *points towards the Language rooms* *kid skips off* Hehehehe ^_^ Has to be done. Oh, have fun with Sano! *wink* I'l give you a bit longer with him, don't worry. *big smile*), Ryou-Grrl (^_^ Sorry I kept you waiting), Dragonlass (*looks at Kurama who is developing something of a sweatdrop disorder* Survival tactics I guess. ^_^ hee hee), SS]_Viper5, Kitty Katana (*laughs at the crumpled Prince* Mwahaha!), dunkmoonX, faerie-chan ('sucker!' *giggles helplessly* I always find that word impossibly amusing…), Little Yahiko (*shuffles about* To be honest, I tend to finish off and then post these up in a whirl of one evening (I really am THAT disorganized), so having a beta reader isn't the best thing for me. But thank you so much for the offer! ^_^ I'm sorry your pouty face didn't work. I think it's cos I use that look on so many people myself… *sheepish* ^_^), Skipper, ParanoidNovice, Zeh Wulf (*laughing herself stupid* 'I'm just like "HA! Your favourite hobby is washing clothes!"' *falls over, still laughing* It's funny cos it's true! Hee hee hee *chortle chuckle snigger* So glad you had fun at the con- you got a Soujiro pin! You're SO lucky! I scoured the internet and couldn't find one. Soujiro is so cute, it's really quite illegal. And it's true: dvd's and stuff you can get anywhere, it is certainly the little cute things that must be had from a con. I can't wait for the one in September over here! *excited* Thanks again for the support, love you! *glomp* *catches the Sou pin with a smile so big it's tearful*), Yuki, Thunderstorm (*looks at all the food with a watering mouth* It's chow time… ^_^), Silver Eyes Bright (The drinking thing was in the book- I pretty much ripped that one out untouched. ^_^ Hey, that's what a crossover is for! Man, the idea of a deformed Kenshin with a umbrella… *laughs to self with great amusement*), liteblossomyugilover, jbramx2 (Thank you! ^_^), MP (I will continue, I will fend off the evil exams and work hard! *makes the sign to ward off evil at the exams, which then burn up into a crisp* HA!), Dragonfly Angle (Thanks so much for your lovely review! ^_^), Darkelf (More fluff on the way! ^_^ *turns on the big red 'on' button on the fluff machine*), star0704 (Good thing you like drama, I'm full of drama! *Kenshin sweatdrops* Oh you know you love it, Ken-chan! ^_^ As for the Prince… That's a wait and see one ^_^), Lady Kino (Aha! We will come to that in good time not to worry! No spoilers, tho I will say he didn't have the scar before. It's part of why Kaoru didn't recognise him. Oh, and Kenshin can't hurt Sano cos Sano is just stupidly rock hard. *Sano looks like he thinks that's a weak explanation* *Akari sweatdrops* No, really it's just cos that's how it was in the book. Blame the book. *runs away* ^_^), incoherence (Oh thank you! *offers a kankie with a tiny embroidered Kenshin in the corner* ^_^ Man I'm pathetic.), Rachel (CHOCOLATE CAKE! *giggle* Kenshin in a Pikashu suit… *laughs* I don't know if I should be horrified or amused! And I can totally imagine Kenshin as an MIB agent, which is really weird… *Kenshin sweatdrops* ^_^), Jellybob 15 (*shields self* I don't have the freedom to make fluff last forever! I have to follow the Princess Bride! Sorry. *very repentant*), Dark Duelist (No no, it's okay! I'm terrible for not leaving reviews, I tend to either forget or be too tired and my brain is mush. I do most of my ff.net reading after midnight, you see. Very unhealthy. Thanks for the encouragement!), Queen of Shadows (*aims a shotgun at the evil report* HA! Evil! Go away! *churns out some more fluff instead*), Claryssa (Thank you! ^_^ Glad you like the Fire Swamp, cos hopefully that means you like this chapter! ^_^ It's certainly fun to write about. *gets a death-glare from Kaoru* Though not to walk around in, obviously… eheheh… heh…), bittersweetKandy (Yes, hot Sano! ^_^), Papaya! (Oh, Papaya, Papaya, Papaya, dear sweet Papaya… *laughs* I just wanted to say that. No reason. *glomp* THANK YOU! *glomp glomp glomp* I love you so much, you're just fantastic. You have a knack for writing reviews that make me feel like the best writer in the world (and that does take a lot of imagination) ^_^ And I'm still not gonna hit you, though your Buttercup quote made me giggle. ^_^ I was not plotting to make you think you'd done it again! *laughs* Not my intention at all. Though If I'd thought of it, that probably would've been my plan. Hee hee. And yes, Souzou is a hunk! I'm gonna go on about it AGAIN! *grin* I still don't get why there aren't more fansites for him. Glad my Sano-laughing bit worked. I deliberately built up to that in that way- I was writing it, and I actually wrote the 'Oh Gods!' bit and thought, wait a sec, this isn't really gonna hurt him… HA! That's it! And I started giggling like a crazed scientist with the idea, and I couldn't wait to put it in the next chapter. ^_^ It felt like such a typical anime moment… *grin* You know, I think comfy is the exact word for Sano's eyes. They're such a warm and safe colour. I don't think anyone could feel unsafe around him. Well, unless you're someone who's crossed him, and he's about to kick your butt of course… *snigger* Ah yes, the fluff! *does that thinkg you can do in snow where you move your arms and legs so you make an angel print in the fluff* Pretty! ^_^ *draws a halo with a finger* Fluff is fun! And this stuff is so pink and sparkly! Glad you liked the whites. I almost left them out, and then I was like, what am I thinking?! The whites are cool! And they play a part at the end, too. And yes, as I wrote about Kaoru realising it was the Dread H B, the description of her reaction just came out, and only as I read it again did I realise, wait a sec, this shoulda been in the book too, Buttercup must have felt awful to suddenly know she'd been caught by her love's killer! *watches the 'WHOOSH' movement of Kaoru* Yes, very well deserved I say. ^_^ Rolling.. yes… *giggle* Loved your re enaction of the story- especially the pivot and crash. *laughs for a few minutes* Ah, you baka, I love ya. Love your reviews and your general personality that just overflows from what you say. ^_^ *hugest glomp ever* WAH, I just recalled that you're moving round about now, aren't you? WAAAH! *frighteningly big tears start cascading from Akari's big round sparkling chibi eyes* I'll miss you! I miss you already! I hope the move goes through nice and smoothly though- I moved about a year ago now, and it was the only time in my life I've ever moved and I never want to again. *shudder* But I love my new house. I hope your new place is lovely too! I look forward to seeing you whenever you're next around. Oh, and I have a present for you. *hands over a tiny jar filled with the most perfect fluff ever, the kind of pink that is pastel and almost crimson all at once, and filled with tiny sparkles like stars* This is the fluff that came from Kaoru and Kenshin's first kiss. You can have it, it's yours now. ^_^ And you never bug me. *dances a random mixture of the happy dance and the rain dance* Hasn't rained in sooo long here… Well… See you when I see you!), Shadowfax (Yay, cuteness! ^_^ Glad you enjoyed it- waffiness is the food of life), InuYasha fan (Um, no he drank it in the film and in the book- he said to Buttercup the same explanation of building up an immunity to iocane.), FirePhoenix, silver-garcia, Akai Kitsune (Actually, I happen to agree with you. *throws a trout at Kaoru's head* She can do and say some really silly or annoying things sometimes… But mostly she's cool, so I forgive her. ^_^ Glad you liked the reunion!), Vixie (Oh man, I was laughing so hard at your story- it's so true! I've been through that EXACT scenario so many times… I have so many elderly/snobby/haven't seen in ages relatives who do that every time. *shakes head with a rueful grin* Glad you liked the PB book- it is an excellent read. ^_^), Wishful Thinking (Don't worry, R.O.U.S.'s on the way! MWAHAHA! *Kenshin and Kaoru look worried* ^_^), Celeste Rose (No, apple pie is great, mor than enough! *munch munch* I'm actually quite hungry at this moment… Mmm, apple pie… *drool* ^_^ Glad you liked the fluff! It's all good! ^_^), Kenshin-Kaoru-Forever, Kaos (*offers a bucket* Sorry, I left a pile of them in the corner last time this happened… I won't forget again! *sweeps the fluff away from Kaos to create a island of safety* There we go. ^_^), can't-get-enough-anime, Fullmoon (I let them have their kiss this time… The PB storyline does throw a spanner or two in the works soon though, so be prepared! ^_^ It's all rather exciting tho, and fun to write! Yay! *happy dance*), Calger459 (You said putzing! I love that word. *laughs* Anyhoo! I'm glad you decided to read it after all- and very glad you liked it. I have to say, I thought I'd bitten off more than I could chew at first, but it's worked out okay, so I'm happy. ^_^ Thanks for the note on the ougi twist, too- I had to think for a while to come up with that one! *Akari's brain sighs at its own lack of endurance* Too true, too true… *grin* Thank you for your lovely review, anyway!), punky, Elf Fanatic Lark (Thank you! *offers a hanky* Hankies are nicer than tissues. ^_^), Redhead Samurai (*concernedly offers a hanky with ice cubes wrapped in it* I got burned the other day too- on my tongue! Ouch. I couldn't eat properly for two days. *Sano laughs* Don't be mean! ^_^), ElvenRanger (Thank you ^_^ Kenshin is incredibly cool- it's hard to not make him cool. ^_^), TrekandJedimaster (Baka Emmsie. *laugh*), CherrySakuraGirl, and Ela (*repentant* Sorry I took so long. But here it is! Hope you liked it!).
I love you all, thank you everyone! *happy dance* Over 800 reviews- I'm just unbelievably happy. Here's to more chapters and more adventures to come for the RK crew! Hurrah! *downs a cup of tea in true English style* Hee hee! Cookies!