Well, another chapter up and ready to read, no thx to aol, who kicked me off and made me lose everything I had typed up 1 page from the end. Stupid storm. An hour and a 1/2 of my time wasted. Well, anyway. For those of you who have been anxiously awaiting the next chapter. And the next 2 chapters should be fairly soon updates because now that I am back from my trip to Scotland, I once again have access to my muses (Anica106 and Jocasta the Unseen-unseen because she's never around when we need her. Lazy bum. I bet she's sleeping while we're hard at work writing. ) !!!
Review Responses:
angelbird12241 Thank you. I did. see? enjoy. I had to type it twice.
Miliko01....thx...I think. Since I don't know if that was meant as a compliment or otherwise...I'll take it as a compliment. Hope you review more definitively in future. O.O
Hinote Kitsune Nikore YEA!! I'M GLAD YOU LIKE IT! THAT MAKES ME HAPPY! glomps I know what you mean...my family probably thought about committing me years ago and then decided it would be too torturous on the other loonies. lol. Hope you enjoy this chapter just as much. Review again, plz! makes kitty face
Oscar Hiei would make a cute Tybalt, but the way I have it planned out (and yes, I DO actually have something resembling a plot for this story-barely), it works better. Besides, can't you see it? This is probably the only time where Juliet is gonna be a foot taller than Romeo. And Hiei would look so cute in that cloak, don't you think? ==
Anica106 thank you so much for going through all my stuff and proof reading it all...there's no telling what kind of impression I would leave on all those English/grammar/punctuation nuts out there w/o ur help. I would review urs normally if my comp. wasn't so evil, but it is. So you're stuck w/ normal e-mail reviews. Scotland was awesome, I'm going to talk ur ears off a/b it when I see u a/g and don't have to type everything, b/c it hurts. Esp. a/f typing up this monster of a ch. (2x) XX Anyways, thx so much. hope u enjoy. Update urs soon.
((Anica106 here. You know the drill: Me proofread, you no flame. She doesn't own it.))
Chapter 3: Meeting Brittany(At Play Practice)
The director sighed helplessly. All he'd wanted was to produce an outstanding version of one of Shakespeare's plays. Any of them. He wanted to bring old literature to life and enchant an entire generation who thought real life was all video games and eating lots of ice cream, to show everyone that there was something better out there, that beyond all the commercialism and materialism of the modern day, there could be real passion, real meaning, people enduring unspeakable hardships and living on to see better days. That was his dream. And when he'd been offered the chance....if he could make this play work...if he could bring the theatre back to life...he sighed. It wasn't big, his dream. Many others before him had had it. Looking sourly at the script in his hands, he reflected that probably, if Shakespeare himself had had to deal with the cast he had...he very much doubted he would ever have picked up a quill.
The girl chosen to play Juliet was, quite honestly, horrible. There was just no way around it. Tall and blond and well proportioned, she was every bit the beauty Juliet must've been in order to capture poor Romeo's heart like she had. Unfortunately, Brittany also possessed a tin-whistle type laugh and a loud voice that carried out into the area backstage and into the halls out front. This would normally have been considered a plus, except that the director didn't find her voice all that pleasant to listen to. He would've gladly chosen another girl over this one, only there had been no other girl to choose. They had all been horrible. The only things Brittany had had going for her, were her distance-covering voice, because they could not afford any sort of microphone system, and the fact that her acting had been marginally better than the others'. But not by much, and it still wasn't saying anything worthwhile.
It shouldn't have been hard, the director mused, to find a tall, beautiful, graceful, and, above all, talented girl to play Juliet. However, they had somehow managed to end up with someone who nicely fulfilled all the requirements except the main one! She couldn't read or act worth a flip. The general consensus between him and the other directors was that hopefully she'd be able to pick it up as they went along. After all, hadn't they chosen a Tibetan monk to play the friar? One who barely spoke normal English, much less Shakespearean? Although, to his credit, he was doing much better on that. Reading lines wasn't his problem; English sentences were simply not structured in the same way of the ones in his native language, what ever that was.
No, he was not a problem...not much of one anyway. Brittany was the problem. She seemed to be having difficulties with her counterpart, Romeo. Specifically, she had lost all control of her salivary faculties at the sight of him and started drooling and crooning on the spot. And what's-his-name, Hiei?-wasn't helping any: namely, by refusing to come anywhere near her. The director groaned softly and rubbed his temples as he heard Romeo's understudy pleading with him once again. The red head would have been ideal for Romeo, ideal...apart from the fact that he looked like a girl. No amount of makeup was going to change that, he was sure. And unless he was willing to put on a drag version of Romeo and Juliet, there was just no way he would let him have that role. But what else was he supposed to do with the boy? He was too brilliant by far to simply throw out. It had seemed the only solution was to put him in as Romeo's understudy until he decided what on earth to do with him. Hopeless. The whole thing was hopeless.
"Hiei, please. You have to stay within ten feet of her. It's vital to the entire mood of the scene!" Kurama pleaded.
"Hn." Hiei was currently up in the rafters back stage with the lights, where he'd retreated when Brittany had tried to hug him. He had no intention of coming down anytime soon if she was still here.
"Hiei..." Kurama sighed, not wanting to admit defeat just yet, but knowing all the same that he had lost for the day. "Look, she's really nice looking. It could be worse, and holding hands isn't that bad. Much better than my pillow you were squeezing and kissing last night." This earned him only a death look and a further scooting up towards the ceiling. Any further and the Jaganshi's hair would practically be through the thin and leaking ceiling. "I'd even go so far as to say her hands won't be all sweaty. And even if they are, I have disinfectant."
"Well ,fox, I hope you have enough for me to drown in, otherwise I am not going out there."
Kurama rolled his eyes, slightly impressed that Brittany had inadvertently caused Hiei to utter his longest sentence so far today. After being caught kissing Kurama's pillow last night, the smaller demon had been even more quiet and moody than usual. It was actually quite cute that he'd been so embarrassed by it, Kurama thought. "I could go get enough," he offered. "Come on Hiei. You're in this; you have to finish it."
"Hn. I don't have to do anything, Youko Kurama."
"Hiei, if you don't, I promise I will see to it that you get no sweet snow until this play is completed and every last performance is over. In short, Hiei, you will be allowed no consumption and enjoyment of any and all flavors for months to come, up to and including Rocky road," Kurama threatened, knowing Hiei had developed a fondness for that one recently after finding a fly frozen in his strawberry surprise last week. It wasn't likely he'd try that particular flavor again anytime soon. Hiei glared at him.
"You wouldn't."
"I would, Hiei. I would do so without the slightest hint of hesitation or remorse. Do you care to test me on this?" he raised an eyebrow delicately at the fuming fire demon.
"...I can't believe you would do this to me,"Hiei muttered, dropping to the ground, scowling and folding his arms tightly into his cloak, missing Kurama's self-satisfied smile. "Fine. Let's go meet death."
"You wouldn't happen to be talking about me, would you?" an entirely too bright and cheerful voice sounded behind them.
"Hello, Botan."Kurama said pleasantly, discreetly rubbing his ears.
"Hn."
Botan sniffed at this."Humph. You don't always have to be such a sour-puss you know." She waggled a finger at Hiei. "You should try smiling every once in a while. You might find that you like it." Hiei merely continued to stare at her.
Botan blinked and gave a nervous little laugh. "Yes, well, anyway, the director said to tell you forget it. We're running lines on another scene, so you and Kurama aren't needed."
"Thank you Botan." Kurama hid a smile at the pair in front of him. Hiei could be very disconcerting when he looked at you like that without blinking.
"You're welcome." Botan seemed relieved to have an excuse to avoid looking at Hiei. "You wouldn't happen to know where Yusuke is, would you? I can't find him anywhere."
"He and Kuwabara are in the bathroom experimenting with the appropriate amount of soap one needs to put on toilet paper to make it stick exactly to the ceiling." Kurama did smile at this. "I believe they are making some rather interesting designs in there."
"Oh! That boy! I told him..." Botan turned and ran off to yell at Yusuke without bothering to say goodbye. Kurama watched her leave and then glanced down at the silent shadow by his side. He sighed. "Let's go, Hiei. He's given up on you for today." The two friends left, heading for the ice cream parlor, or sweet snow, as Hiei dubbed it.
(Next day)
"Hey shrimp!" Yusuke called cheerfully, he and Kuwabara running to catch up to where Hiei and Kurama stood at the corner waiting for the opportunity to cross the street. "Hey Kurama," he added, clapping him on the shoulder. Kurama smiled in welcome.
"Hello Yusuke. Do you have your script today? I heard the director almost exploded when he discovered you'd lost it,"Kurama replied.
"No," Kuwabara laughed. "He borrowed mine to make a copy of it last night." Yusuke groaned at this.
"Three hours of that stupid light going back and forth, back and forth. I thought I was gonna over expose my brain or something with all the flashes."
"Hn. That wouldn't be too hard," Hiei muttered under his breath.
"Whatsa matter, shrimp?" Kuwabara asked, surprised.
"You're standing here, breathing in all my good clean air. Move away from me," came the caustic reply.
"Never mind him; he was up late last night and he's cranky today." Kurama hurried to head off an argument that would last all day.
"Anyway, I have a copy of the script now, and it cost me a fortune to do it. That director guy better appreciate it."
"You could've simply kept up with your original," Kurama suggested lightly, knowing Yusuke would never do that. The boy hardly knew where his fists were when he was fighting. Kurama suspected the look on his face when it was over wasn't due to exhaustion from the fight so much as it was surprise that it was over and he was still standing. As expected, Yusuke shrugged it off.
"Why would I want to do that? Anyway, the guy almost went completely off the deep end when he found out I still had a hundred pages to go. Had the nerve to sit there and cuss me out. For doing what I was supposed to! Sheesh!" Yusuke stuck his hands in his pockets and slouched along with the rest of them, clearly resentful of the guy's attitude.
"No doubt you returned all you got and then some," Hiei commented dryly.
"Well, yeah! I wasn't about to take that!"
"So, what happened?" Kurama inquired, stopping on the sidewalk to wait for a figure running after them to catch up. The other's followed his lead.
"He got thrown out!" Kuwabara snickered.
"Yusuke! That's three copy places you aren't allowed into anymore! How many times have I told you--you need to be respectful to the employees in those stores?!" a highly indignant voice sounded.
"Hello Keiko."
"Hn."
"AH! Keiko! What's wrong with yo--I mean, where'd you come from?!"
(Slap) "Yusuke Urameshi! I do not have to take that from you! How dare you say that!"
"I didn't say anything,; I asked where you came from! I didn't see you run up!" Yusuke sounded equally indignant, and Keiko puffed up angrily.
"You were about to say I looked like a horrible mess, and what happened to me? How dare you even think that? It's not my fault that Botan and her boyfriend broke up and she came crying to me last night. I told her and told her he was no good, but she wouldn't listen, and now she's all heart broken. Honestly, she's always doing this. I never get any sleep when it happens either because she's so busy wailing about it." The boys sighed as one and quickly tuned the conversation out as they approached the doors of the play house. The director was waiting impatiently outside for them.
"Come on, come on, gotta get a move on, morning's half gone." He ushered them hurriedly inside and collared Yusuke. "You--I trust you have your script now? Good. Go over there and get ready. Scene I4, part 6. Left side curtain. Your counterpart's already there waiting. " He dragged Yusuke off to where they would be working. Botan and Koenma wandered over, Botan's eyes very red. She grabbed Keiko's hand and dragged her off to the bathroom. Koenma shook his head and wandered outside to soak up some sun. Kurama reached out and latched securely onto a certain fire demon's cloak as he tried to make a similar escape.
"Hiei, where might you be going?" Kurama inquired, sweetly. Hiei tried to pull away from the ungiving hold on his shirt.
"Out," he said, daring Kurama to argue. Perhaps if he sounded authoritative enough, he'd relent before realizing he had and then it'd be far to late to catch him. Kurama, however, took up the challenge.
"Oh,. I don't think so. We're going to go to practice. That's what we're here for, after all."
Hiei glared."We already practiced, kitsune. Last night, and this morning."
"Yes," Kurama said agreeably. "And now we're going to practice here with the other people."
"No!" Hiei yelled, trying to run as his feet slid helplessly on the slick play floor. It seemed to be a contest over which would give out first, the floor or his shirt.
"HEEEYYYYAAAAAY!!!!!" The screech came horrifically, carrying all the way across the room to freeze the panicked demon in his tracks. People looked up, wondering who the unfortunate person was, before pretending to be very busy, lest the siren turn her attentions on them. Hiei struggled harder.
"You can't keep avoiding this, you know. You'll have to deal with it sooner or later." The smiling fox demon appeared to be very smug about all this, although a slightly pained look told Hiei his sensitive ears were burning under the abuse. "And I intend to see to it that it is sooner rather than later." Hiei froze, unable to move as the noise grew louder and more definite. "Come now, Hiei. A great fire demon such as yourself surely isn't intimidated by one silly love-struck ningen girl," Kurama chided slightly. Hiei closed his eyes and started muttering prayers and curses under his breath to Kurama and Koenma and anyone else who might be listening. Kurama watched this, amused. He blinked, and looked down, surprised slightly to find Hiei had been flattened by the shrieking siren, Brittany.
"OH My GOSH, Hiei! I'm sooooo glad to see you!" she yelled, squeezing him so his eyes bugged out. "Oh, my sweet, cute, adorable little Romeo! You're just so handsome! I could just eat you up!" She babbled on while Hiei struggled to breathe. He sent a desperate thought out to Kurama.
((Get. Me. Out. Of. Here.))
((I couldn't possibly do that.)) Kurama's thought was suspiciously smug and filled with supposed innocence.
((You planned this, didn't you, fox?)) came the furious reply.
((Of course. I figured you two just had to get to know each other better. And she agreed completely, and simply KNEW you'd be thrilled.)) He smiled innocently.
((She called me "cute"!))
((Well, you are.))
((...))
((In a completely serious and non-suggestive way, of course,)) Kurama added, and waited patiently while Hiei struggled to comprehend all this. The best way to calm him down was to give him something he didn't expect. He didn't expect Kurama to admit he had set this up, and he didn't expect him to agree with her that he was cute. So now his body went more or less still while his mind tried process all this and figure out what it had missed.
((She's going to die,)) Hiei thought flatly.
((You can't. Koenma would have your head if you killed a ningen, especially around other ningens, and even more especially with him in the same room.))
((I don't care.))
((Yes, you do, or you would've done it already.)) Hiei sulked at this; the kitsune was right.
((What exactly did you tell this parasite?))
((Hiei, that's not very nice.))
((death look))
((Only that you were eager to see her and wanted to get to know her better and were looking forward to working with her,))Kurama thought blandly, watching, amused, as Hiei tried to get out of Brittany's death grip. At first it appeared he was making progress, but then she tightened her grip. She WAS like a parasite, Kurama reflected, and suddenly felt very glad it was Hiei, not him, whom she had in her clutches.
((You're dead, fox.)) Kurama stepped back unobtrusively. It sounded like he might actually be willing to try that. Just then, they heard the director yelling in exasperation at his "actors."
"NO! How many times have we gone through this? Stage left! Stage left! That means your right! Come on out and try again. Out stage left, cross to stage center, deliver your dialogue, THEN you duel. NOT come up behind him and knock him unconscious or anything ELSE you've tried!"
"But my way I'd win! It's always better to sneak up behind them and then beat them up. None of this sissy poke-and-jab stuff."
"And I suppose you'd know," the director snapped sarcastically.
"Yeah, I would! How do you think I always win--"
"You cheat. My team leader cheats," Koenma muttered loud enough for Yusuke to hear.
"No more than Kurama or Hiei. You don't think that super speed thing is cheating?!"
"My actors are in a gang?!" shouted the director, outraged.
"No, no, no, we're all members of the Junior police force, sir," Boton interrupted soothingly.
"Sir? I'm not doing this anymore if he's going to keep doing this," the dude opposite Yusuke in his duel spoke up.
"Great. Just great," the director snapped.
"So what? We don't need you," Yusuke sneered, folding his arms indifferently. "That's how real men fight, and we can take it!"
"I didn't sign up to fight; I sighed up to do Shakespeare!" The dude shouted at him.
"Too late, he's dead." Yusuke smirked.
"Look, you!" the director cut in, angrily. "You can't chase everyone off; we have to have him in the play."
"I'll play his part. I could do it better anyway," Yusuke said, unconcernedly.
"You idiot! You can't duel yourself!" the boy yelled. Yusuke paused.
"Maybe now would be a good time to let Hiei and Brittany practice one of their scenes together, since we didn't exactly get through them yesterday," Botan suggested helpfully. Hiei glared daggers at her and she "eeped' and hide behind Kurama.
"OOO! Yes! Yesyesyesyes!" Brittany trilled, clapping her hands as she bounced up and down. At everyone's odd looks, she paused and added, "I love Shake-pear!" as though this explained everything. Perhaps it did. The others shook their heads, Hiei more violently than everyone else.
"Yeah, come on. It's your turn, Shorty," Yusuke said cheerfully, good humor returned now that no one was telling him to fight fair. "Romeo's, like, the man. He's the only one in the play who gets some."
"Hn," Hiei said, clearly indicating he didn't consider this a plus.
"I don't think that's quite what Shakespeare had in mind when he wrote this play..."Kurama said slowly.
The director held his head. Only twenty minutes into practice and already he'd be pulling out the Motrin. He probably should've taken some before starting, but he'd entertained the vague hope that today would go decently..."Fine. Romeo and Juliet's love scene it is. You two follow me." He walked off, leaving everyone staring. Hiei started shaking.
((He didn't just say what I thought he said?))
((Yes. This is the scene where Romeo comes to visit Juliet in the night, sleeps with her, and then leaves in the morning when her parents come. We practiced it last night. Nothing to it. Almost no dialogue.))
((With her?))
((Well, yes, Hiei; she is playing Juliet,)) Kurama thought, looking at Hiei as one might a difficult child.
((No.))
((Please?))
((...))
((Sweet snow?)) Kurama tried, hoping to bribe him into it gracefully.
((...))
((Don't make me make you.))
((silence)) His head was quieter now with Hiei glaring viciously at his mind than it ever was.
((I will use the rose, Hiei,)) Kurama thought sternly.
"Hiei! Hey, you lazy bum, over here and do the scene!" The director fairly shouted. Hiei's eye twitched with the effort of keeping quiet, but he walked over and stopped a good ten feet away from Brittany. Kurama and the director sighed in unison.
"Oh, Romeo, Romeo where hast thou been? I have forever been waiting!" Brittany gushed, batting over mascara-ed eyes at him. Hiei stood, wooden. Kurama nudged him.
"Oh, Juliet, how I have longed for you, to feel your sweet arms and touch thy face." he spat, sounding resentful and sullen. Botan and Keiko, watching from seats in the audience, covered their hands with their mouths so no one would hear their giggles.
"Cut, cut, cut!" the director screamed. He was turning red now as he waved his arms wildly at Hiei. "What's the matter with you? Give me some of that sweet sugar I saw at auditions! Mean the words, become the words, let the words move you..." He trailed off and let his arms fall to his sides. "Not all this wimpy, wishy-washy stuff." Hiei opened his mouth to reply, but Kurama had anticipated this and stepped firmly on his toes.
"Hey!" Kuwabara had been unusually quiet this whole time and they'd quite forgotten he was there, including the director. "Maybe Shorty would do better if he read lines with Kurama." All eyes looked on him and he continued earnestly. "I mean, I've seen them practice together, and it makes me cry it's so beautiful." Hiei, Yusuke, and the dude snorted. Kurama looked uncomfortable. "And Kurama looks like a girl anyways," Kuwabara finished. Everyone looked at Kurama, who blushed.
"I promise you, Kuwabara, I am a guy," he said dryly.
"Got a point though, hasn't he?" Dude asked, looking Kurama up and down speculatively. He shifted uncomfortably.
"Kurama's always looked like a girl. Gives him an advantage in a fight; everyone's always to busy drooling over him when they tear his shirt off to notice when he slices them open." Kurama was starting to look slightly offended now.
"You do realize most of these people were guys, Yusuke?" he asked.
"Like who?" Dude asked eagerly.
"Karasu was the main. Liked to blow things up, especially if he thought they were pretty." Yusuke leered at Kurama and laughed. "Very determined guy." Dude laughed, too.
"That's enough, Yusuke," Koenma ordered. "You have no reason to tell anyone of your cases." He glared a warning at him, which as usual was completely ignored. Yusuke rolled his eyes.
"Sure thing, Diaper boy; top secret. I'll say no more." He smirked.
"Diaper boy??" Dude stared at Koenma's stunning teenager form.
"Well, if it means we might actually get through practice, we'll try that." The director sighed. "Let's let Hiei and Kurama run through their love scene and see how it goes." Everyone quieted down and got off the stage where they'd congregated. Hiei and Kurama stood alone, looking embarrassed and uncomfortable.
((How dare you get me into this,)) Hiei thought angrily.
((shrugYou enjoy practicing with me in my room. Just do the same thing here.))
(But now there are people watching.))
((So?))
((I don't want HER to see me acting all soft,)) Hiei sulked.
((Trust me, Hiei. No one is ever really going to think you're soft, and anyway, she'll think what she wants. So go, everyone's waiting.))
((You go first fox, look.)) Kurama looked down at his script, surprised.
((Oh, I do have the first line. I apologize.)) He cleared his throat and began.
Once Kurama's voice started, all else faded away and Hiei had no trouble falling into character like they now did every night at Kurama's house. The director was shocked at the change, and wondered if perhaps there was really something going on between the two. It was worth looking into. This, however, was incredible. Everything he wanted, hoped, DREAMED of achieving with this play, to bring it to life, these two boys were doing. Without any props or costumes, they transported their audience back into a time in this world long past, and each word spoken carried with it the emotional catastrophe in which the play would end. The single thought they all shared rang out loud and clear: "If only Kurama were a girl."
Only one person was not thrilled at this, and that was Brittany. Watching the two boys, and the way Hiei opened up so easily to Kurama and not to her, she was filled with bitter jealously and decided to walk outside. "How could he do this? Am I not good enough? Or pretty enough? Or tall and red haired and MALE enough??" she raged silently.
Unfortunately for her, no one had mentioned that they had gotten some roofers to fix the leaks in the ceiling before they ruined the props, and, most unfortunately, one of the workers lost hold of a large bag of shingles, which rolled swiftly down the roof and fell, just as Brittany passed through the doorway. She never even got the chance to scream.
Back on stage, Kurama and Hiei came out of an almost trance-like state to find them selves in a half embrace with one another. Hiei quickly put a six-foot gap between them, closer than the on he put between himself and Brittany out of respect for their deep friendship that they never spoke of. Kurama looked around vaguely as everyone else followed the hysterical roofer out of the building.
((That was close,)) he remarked casually. ((We might have to modify that a little bit for practice.))
((I wonder what the problem out there is. I hear sirens.)) Hiei's voice was carefully neutral.
((Don't know. Shall we investigate?))
((Must we?)) Hiei wrinkled his nose, almost causing Kurama to laugh out loud at the sight. Restraining himself, he nodded.
((Yes.))
((Hn.))
They arrived in time to see an ambulance screech off in the distance, sounding like it might be a distant relative of Brittany's, and the words "broken neck" flitted to their ears. The director hung his head. second practice only, and already a main character lost. Admittedly, she hadn't been that good, but she was still necessary. You couldn't very well have Romeo and Juliet with no Juliet. Or a Juliet in a neck brace. This proved it:. he was obviously cursed. The whole production was.
"Hn. No more Brittany," Hiei smirked.
"Whoa, dude. What're the chances of that happening?" Dude was clearly thrilled at his near presence to fate.
"I wonder if she'll be ok..." Keiko wondered. The rest of them shrugged. No one had been terribly fond of her. It still left the problem of no Juliet, but Yusuke readily solved that.
"Guess you're stuck bein' Juliet 'til Britt gets back," he said cheerfully, clapping Kurama on the back. The director stared. This was it; he knew it. The perfect solution, and so obvious. Kurama looked like a girl, and played the part very well, as they had seen already...and there was definitely something going on between him and Hiei, which took care of the uncomfortable factor between guys....
"Yes, I think that will do nicely," he decided aloud. He looked meaningfully at first Kurama, and then at Hiei. "I trust this will present no problems? No objections, I hope."
Kurama's eyes widened as he caught onto what the director must be thinking. Hiei was calculating the chance of such an incident occurring again, should he need that particular convenience in future.
"I think that's a good place to stop for the day," Botan said loudly.
"Before some one ELSE gets hurt," Keiko added dryly as the director winced.
"Yes, that might be best. I doubt we'd get much more done today anyway."
"Cool!" said Dude. "I'm going to go get some ice cream! You guys wanna come?"
"Sweet snow?" Hiei asked hungrily, hopeful eyes on Dude, who looked uncomfortably at Kurama, who gave him a small smile. He thought "sweet snow" was an adorable name.
"Yeah, man, I guess so," he answered. Yusuke cheered.
=============================
((Anica106: She didn't give me an author's note to put here, so I'll just say that I'll try to get her to update soon. Give her good review--she really tried hard to make my job easier this time. Hope she's still in such an industrious mood next time...it shouldn't be too long between posts. See you.))