Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.
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A/N: Heyas! I think I'm going to try a good one-shot for once. Don't worry... this one isn't very perverted. I think Miroku is rubbing off on me.. I wasn't very perverted before I watched Inuyasha but now that I have... I've changed... On to the story.
A short note about the story: (kinda like an extended summary)
Huzzah! The Inu-tachi finally defeat Naraku, once and for all. The Shikon Shard gets completed, Kikyo is put at rest, and Kohaku comes back to his senses. Oh yeah, we can't forget that other thing. Miroku finally gets his wish: His kazaana is gone. His kazaana sealed his fate. It would kill him one day. But who knew that not having it might kill him? What will Miroku do once he's found that he can't live with or without his kazaana? A romance/tragedy/action-ish (cuz I'm not that good at action)/AWESOME-NESS! I have to admit, this is one of the best things I've ever wrote. Don't worry, you picky people, I spell checked it more than once. I'm weird like that. And now for some thanks to people who are my fans.
Sinubi: Arigato, tomo-dachi, for always being there for me. You've provided me with ideas... Some of them are... odd... Let's just leave it at that. We're a great team... A little scary, but still good. I'm glad to have a best friend like you, you insane bitch, you. LOL.
Horsegal (becky): Ooohh I love ya. You are my jewish friend. I feel special that you have some of my stuff I wrote on your bio. Like draedel full of jewishness (even though that was Sinubi's..) and how Sango finds it sexy that Shippo is jewish. You know, 'cause he has that top thing? That's what Sinubi and I call a draedel. I LOVE your fics. They are awesome and you're a really talented writer. I wish I could make more big words... and detail... (has angry fit).
Unheard Screams: Wow I never thought you'd be a fan of me. I've always looked up to your great, gorey stories and I strived to make something like that, and now you're one of my fans! I feel so happy.
Hmmmm.... I can't think. All I keep thinking about is that my mom won't feed me turkey no more. Because its a day after Thanksgiving, and I'm sick of it already. That is like, all we have to eat. And so, for breakfast, I had turkey. And lunch, too. But for dinner I had some McDonalds. Cuz I love that place, even though the chicken nuggets ARE made out of saggly chicken boobs. (It's true. Watch "Supersize Me".)
Gomen nasai if I forgot you. I can't keep track of those things right now. YAY I like to write long author's notes so it makes my story seem longer. And that makes me feel prouder. So, yeah. Enjoy the fanfic up ahead. (And grab some kleenex, you'll need 'em... especially if you're a touchy person or if you're PMSing. Cuz this'll probably touch your heart.... and maybe squeeze some blood out of it for me to drink.... O.o)
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Kazaana
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Miroku's POV through the whole story
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My dark purple robes, which I didn't like that much (they made me seem too feminine...), flapped in the wind as we rode Kirara to an undecided destination. But we all knew what we were trying to look for on our random quest for anything. We were on our way to Naraku's fortress. Luckily while we were riding on our faithful companion, Kirara, we spotted Kagura riding on her giant feather.
I pointed this out to my beloved Sango, who was enthralled to hear it. I yelled to Inuyasha about it and he grunted and changed his direction towards her. Finally, I would be able to get this kazaana out of my hand.
A couple times, I've been afraid of my own hand. Touching it made me nervous. It felt weird to poke the middle of my hand, because I felt nothing. Nothing was there. Just a dark hole. A few times it had scared me to feel a sort of wind around my finger that was poking it. I quickly withdrew, of course.
I wondered what happened to the things I've sucked up. Where did they go to? I mean, it's sort of weird, you have to admit, that the saimyosho's poison went in me, even though the insects themself did not. I often wondered about this, because it made no sense to me. Were the beings inside the void alive? Or dead? I would find out one day.
We decided attacking right away wasn't a good idea. We could see the castle from where we were in the sky, but we didn't want to attack quite yet. It would be better if we rested for a night to gain energy and stamina. So we landed on a nearby mountain that could see over Naraku's place.
One problem. We had to break the shield the next day. I knew that by doing that alone, Inuyasha would lose about 50 of his energy, so he wouldn't have enough to fight Naraku. And also, we couldn't break the barrier this day and then go in the next. By then, it would be back up. So we decided to get some companions.
We got Inuyasha and Kagome to go and fetch Kouga, Kikyo, Sesshoumaru, a few wolves from Kouga's pack, and some other random demons. We knew we could trust just about all of them. They were our enemies, but I was sure that once we teamed up, it would be okay... for now. And plus, this would be a perfect chance for Kagome and Inuyasha to have a "moment". Gomen. I'm weird like that.
Once they left, I felt a great opportunity was made. Shippo had gone with them, so I was alone with Sango. I sat down next to her and ate some of her stew. It wasn't as good as Kagome's from her era, but it was great, because I could tell she put her special ingredient in it for me: Love.
"Sango this stew is magnificent! I never knew you could cook so well," I said, smiling at her like I always do.
"Arigato, Houshi-sama. I had to cook for Otousan and Kohaku..." she paused, "...at home."
"You really miss that life, don't you?"
"Yes, I miss it a lot. I miss my little brother the most, I think. He was so great. I can't wait to kick Naraku's ass for all he's done to me."
This was even better than my dinner. I knew that once a woman feels sad, she wants to be loved. That's where I come in.
I slowly inched over towards Sango and gently put my arm around her shoulder. When she didn't move in a negative manner, I pulled her close to me. I was expecting a slap, but I felt nothing but the icy chill of the wind on my face. I looked down to see Sango with her eyes closed, absorbing my warmth.
I put my other arm around her and swayed in motion with the wind that wrapped around us. I burried my nose in her hair, inhaling its natural smell. This was nice. I guess when we're alone, Sango doesn't seem to be so stubborn.
"Sango? Why won't you let me do this in public?"
"Because I don't want to get wrapped up in love," she struggled under my grip and I released her. She looked me firmly in the eyes, "I am a taijiya, and I can't get preoccupied with love. Fighting is my number one priority."
"I see… Well, let's stay like this for a while. No one's here…" I said and beckoned her to come closer. She nodded and rested her head on my collar bone while sitting in my lap. I held her once again. "I love you, Sango. I want you to know that right now," I whispered in her ear, my warm breath and causing her cold neck to get goose bumps. "If we don't make it back alive tomorrow, I just want you to know that I love you, Sango."
She remained silent at first, but then responded, "I love you, too, Miroku. Knowing the battle ahead of us is a tough one, I also want to confess right here and right now. I hope we do stay alive. Miroku, if we survive, I promise you I won't be shy about the romance beginning to bloom between us. I'll show it; I know how much you want me to."
"Sango, why did you call me by my name?"
"I just don't like to in public because it seems like we're good friends then and I want it to seem more formal like we aren't here to hang out, we're here to fight, and that's all."
"Oh," was all I could come up with.
I leaned down to look into her eyes. I leaned closer, rubbing her hand as I did so. That's when we shared our first kiss.
I didn't make the first move. Sango was the one whose lips touched mine. Surprising, I know. This wasn't her first kiss… I could tell. She made her way around my mouth, and I was loving the taste of her. It just felt so right. I was getting tingles in my stomach, my heart was racing. I released her from the kiss, and we were both red-faced and panting.
Yes! Finally I was getting somewhere with Sango, my true love. I was exuberant.
There was an uncomfortable silence between us. I had to break it.
"So, how long have you been in love with me?" I questioned. She blushed. I loved the way she blushed when caught off guard.
"For a while now… I wasn't brave enough to admit it to you. I wasn't going to until we defeated Naraku, but now that I see that we might die in the process, I told you now."
"I believe I've been in love at first sight," I said, poking her playfully in the ribs causing her to giggle. It was a rare occasion for Sango to laugh. She was always so serious. Or daydreaming. Sometimes I wondered if those daydreams were about me.
She looked towards the gigantic castle before us and sorrow and horror filled her eyes. I snuck up behind her and put my hands on her waist and pulled her into me.
"It'll be alright… We'll beat him."
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A little while later
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Our companions returned with our new allies. However, they failed to bring random demons. Maybe that was for the best. We didn't know. Random demons might turn on us. But then again, so could these enemies. But I had a good feeling. We were talking about Naraku. This was a serious matter, and I didn't think anyone would stoop so low as to think this was a trap, or to try and trap us. So, we were stuck with Kouga, Ginta and Hakkaku, Kikyo, and Sesshoumaru and his "gang". It was good enough.
Sango and I acted as if nothing had gone on between us, but my stomach was telling me otherwise. It kept flopping up and down and she was the only thing I could think of. I was sure this had to be love.
Kagome looked a little pissed off about Kikyo being there. She could tell there was some kind of connection between her and Inuyasha. So she squeezed in between them and clung onto Inuyasha's arm. I laughed. I never saw Kagome so desperate.
I couldn't wait to finish eating dinner so I could go and sleep, knowing that I could finally get my revenge on Naraku the next day.
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The next morning
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I woke up, smelling bacon. I loved it when Kagome brought these foreign foods. I woke up cheerfully and was surprised to find Sango sleeping oddly close to me. We weren't sharing the same blanket, but she was awfully close. A felt a small bit of heat rising to my cheeks. I said nothing, and tried not to pay much attention to it.
I grabbed my bathing supplies and headed off into the forest silently to find a spring so I could bathe.
I found one close by and I was grateful I didn't have to walk a long distance. I needed all the energy I could possibly get for this battle up ahead. I undressed and got into the steamy water. Kouga was already there.
I stared at him oddly. I never saw a naked youkai before. I've seen Inuyasha, but he is a hanyou. And Kouga has a tail. Which looked really weird. I couldn't bring myself to look away, either.
"Why don't you take a picture, houshi?" Kouga said in a pissy tone. I could tell he didn't have a very peaceful sleep. But neither would I, if I were him. He had to sleep beside that toad demon, Jaken, who was snoring all night. Even I was annoyed, and I wasn't very close to them.
"Sumimasen," I said politely and did what had to be done.
I got out and got back into my robes, which were a little dirty, but still good nevertheless.
I returned to the site and was greeted by Kagome, who handed me a plate of the bacon. I thanked her. "When are we departing?" I asked after eating one delicious slice.
"As soon as Inuyasha gets ready. He isn't even awake yet. And as soon as he wakes up, I know he'll want to bathe, and then eat, and then probably nap again or something. So it might take a while."
"I'm surprised Naraku hasn't noticed our large group," interrupted Kikyo.
"That's true," I agreed.
I heard a loud thump and turned my back to see what it was. It was Inuyasha, of course. He yawned and headed for the spring, just as a very relaxed Kouga was stepping out.
I sighed. It was going to be hours before we could get going.
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A few hours later
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Finally. I was so anxious to get going. Inuyasha finally finished his second nap and his lunch and we were all ready to go.
He took to Tetsusaiga out of the scabbard and thrust it down, screaming, "Bakuryuha!" The barrier was broken in a matter of seconds.
We all grabbed out weapons and headed for the large castle ahead of us. My heart was racing with fear and excitement. My adrenalin was pumping. I grasped Sango's hand to make sure she wasn't scared, but I might have been doing it because I was scared myself. I was scared I was going to die.
"Wait a second..." I wondered aloud.
"What is it, Miroku-sama?" Kagome was curious.
"Why are we walking when Inuyasha could carry two people, Kouga can run straight up cliffs, Shippo can fly, and so can Kirara? And Kikyo could have her soul skimmers carry her up there... also, Sesshoumaru pretty much glides across the land, so I'm sure it wouldn't be too much of a problem that he could glide up a cliff..."
Everyone was silent.
"That's a great idea, houshi-sama!" Sango exclaimed and signaled Kirara to transform. So we were off.
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A half hour of so later
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We finally reached the fortress that Naraku was residing. I used my spiritual powers to be sure that Naraku was indeed here. Also, Kagura. I assumed Kanna was in there too, since both of the other ones were. I couldn't be sure though, since she doesn't produce a demonic aura.
"Okay, here's the plan," Inuyasha instructed, "Sesshoumaru, Kagome, Kikyo, and I will take down Naraku. Miroku and Sango can work on Kanna while Kouga and his wolves can try out Kagura."
"What about us?" Shippo said, hopping up and down. He was awfully happy for this occasion, or maybe he was just nervous.
"You stay here and protect them, alright Jaken? Protect Rin and Shippo!" Sesshoumaru ordered.
"Hai, Sesshoumaru-sama," Jaken said, gripping his two headed staff.
I mouthed "I love you," to Sango before entering. She needed to know. She smiled at me warmly, but then her expression went back to a fierce one.
We barged in and surprisingly, the three of them were waiting for us. We split up into our teams. Kanna was going to be a problem. I couldn't use my wind tunnel because of her mirror. It would backfire, causing Sango and I fall into eternal darkness, a midnight colored oblivion.
I had to think: What can cause the mirror to shatter? I finally found a way. If we knocked Kanna down, she would lose balance, and probably drop the mirror.
"Sango! Make Kanna lose her balance!" I yelled to the taijiya.
She sort of paused, thinking of a way to do this, and then she got an idea. It was a brilliant one. Every idea she had was brilliant. She came over to me and whispered quickly, "When I attack, move behind her..."
I nodded and ran away. This was a dangerous maneuver because if Sango didn't dodge in time, her Hiraikotsu would be flung back at her, and that can cause sever injuries.
She threw it and Kanna smirked at her fake stupidity. I ran as fast as I could behind Kanna and whacked the girl with my staff. Just as I thought, she fell over and dropped the mirror, making it shatter.
Souls flew out all sorts of places, and Kanna was weakened. I used my wind tunnel to suck her up, so the poor girl wouldn't feel any pain... I don't think so, anyway...
I hugged Sango quickly and I felt her tense up. I whispered, "It's okay, everyone is too busy fighting to notice..." I let her go, and she was blushing.
"Let's go help Kouga!" she said, and we ran over to help with the battle. Things so far were looking pretty good. All three wolf youkai were attack with great speed, and Kagura wasn't getting much of a chance to attack. Sango threw in her Hiraikotsu and got close enough to throw a poison bomb at her.
As Kagura was coughing, I sucked her up, too.
"Time to help my woman!" Kouga yelled, and looked over towards Kagome who was shooting arrows like mad and Kikyo was, too. Sesshoumaru was healing them whenever they got hurt, which was rare because Kikyo and Kagome used their miko powers combined to create a strong barrier around all four of them. Sesshoumaru was also using the Tokijin to cut Naraku up, when he had the chance. Inuyasha was using all these attacks: Sankon Tessou, Kaze no Kizu, Bakuryuha...
Something told me to just sit back and watch. I thought they could handle this on their own. Naraku screamed a couple seconds before he exploded into millions of demons, going each and every direction.
All that was left of Naraku was some bandages. "Onigumo.." Kikyo said, picking them up and looking at the blood stains.
At first I didn't really take much notice in this. I was so used to winning all these battles, it just didn't seem like that big of a hassle. It was too easy, I thought. But I felt absolutely no demonic presence. I looked at my hand.
I touched the middle, and actually felt flesh instead of a gaping black hole. I fought back the urge to cry. "M-my.. hand...." I was choking on my own tears, this time letting them flow freely.
Sango peered over to see my shoulders shaking. "Miroku," everyone gasped at my name being spoken, "what's wrong?"
I couldn't say anything but I showed her my face, tear stains down my cheeks, eyes glimmering. My palm faced her and I took off the rosary beads and the cloth restraining the kazaana that was once there.
She gazed at my hand. "Your kazaana--!" she said before coming at me, arms wide. She held me tight and I wrapped my arms around her, too. She looked me in the eyes and pulled me into a touch of the lips, which grew into something more.
As we made out, I heard the coo of Kagome behind my closed lids. It caused me to laugh on the inside. My heart was soaring. I was finally free of the spell, Naraku was beaten, I was alive with my Sango, and she would be mine.
"Oneechan...?" a little boy's voice could barely be heard from behind us. Sango let go of me and looked over there.
"Kohaku!!" she screamed through her own tears. She embraced him tightly and he smiled.
Kagome glanced down at the Shikon shards. All of them formed together as one. "Inuyasha, do you want your wish?" she asked.
"Yes," he said and turned towards Kikyo.
I wasn't sure if he was going to go for being a human. Or maybe he was acting weird and choosing to go full demon. I couldn't tell. He was thinking, I was sure. He finally made up his mind.
"Kikyo, I need you to rest in peace."
"I want to rest in peace... I don't want to steal souls from innocent girls anymore. Grant me that wish, Inuyasha," she said, a longing for death in her eyes.
"I wish Kikyo would rest in peace," Inuyasha said and Kikyo slowly started to fade away. I could tell Inuyasha was going to be a bit depressed, but he would still have Kikyo, for Kagome's soul came back to her, along with hundreds of other souls soaring the sky to return to their owners. The Shikon no Tama faded away. Finally, it was gone.
Inuyasha kissed Kagome (Surprising for me... I would've thought Kagome would be making the move...) and I smiled, feeling all the love in the room. Kouga and Sesshoumaru were even smiling.
This was by far the best day of our lives.
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Later that night
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Sango and I were all over each other that night. She couldn't help herself from kissing me, and I couldn't help myself from feeling her up.
She agreed to sleep with me, and I agreed that we wouldn't have sex. It was nice just being under the same blanket with the one you love.
Kouga and his wolves along with Sesshoumaru and his family had departed. I wrapped my arms around Sango and was comfortable with the fire's crackle every few seconds. Sleep overtook me.
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The next morning
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"What do we do now?" I questioned Inuyasha. Our quest was over... We really had nothing else to do.
"Don't ask me!"
"I think we should go around and just help people!" said Kagome.
"And fight demons on the way!" said Shippo. I don't know why he said that...
I nodded.
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A few days later
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My life was going great. Sango was always by my side, playing with my ponytail, or clinging to my arm. She was the best girlfriend any guy could ever ask for.
We were heading towards Lady Kaede's village. We weren't in any hurry, so we just walked. We didn't encounter many demons on our way, but there was one.
This was a bear demon. It was humongous. Inuyasha tackled it with his Tetsusaiga, not any particular attack, just a swing. But since this demon had a hard rock covering, it took a while to break through to it.
"Kazaana!" I yelled and thrust my hand at it. I forgot that it was gone. I had lived with my kazaana all my life. It was my life. And it would end my life. Nothing happened and I got a paw slammed towards me, and I went flying across the firm ground, my robes tearing as I skid.
"Miroku!" Sango cried and came to care for me. "You're losing your ability to fight," she said while helping me up.
She was right. I was becoming weak. My staff wasn't enough to protect me, and neither were my spiritual powers. I hated to admit it, but maybe fighting wasn't a good idea anymore.
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Village of Kaede
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After dealing with that bear demon, we headed towards Kaede's to get me healed up. I had a broken arm.
Sango told me to remove my robes, which I was not embarrassed at. I wanted her to feel turned on by me. She stared at my bare chest and blushed slightly. She wrapped a cool, tight bandage around my arm so it would hold until my arm healed. Whenever that would be.
"Arigato, Sango," I said, wincing at the pressure she put on the wound on my back. I had a large skid mark.
She put some medicine on it that Kagome brought.
I quickly kissed her and put my robes back on.
I hated feeling like I was incapable. Like I wasn't able to fight. Fighting was a major aspect of my life. It was one of my favorite hobbies. I didn't have time to learn a new way, either. I didn't even want to learn a new way. The way I fought told people who I was. And I didn't want to change that.
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A week later
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Things were good and bad. The good things: Sango had sex with me and agreed to bear my children. Also, she was already pregnant. But we didn't tell Kagome or Inuyasha. They'd freak. Bad things: I was getting weaker day by day.
Inuyasha just about had enough of me, "Dammit, houshi! If you don't start to fucking improve, you and your fucking mate won't be traveling with us anymore!! You got that?!"
I nodded. I really didn't like to be on Inuyasha's bad side.
But I had to agree with him. I would have done that if I were in his position also.
Another demon attacked this day, this time it was in a hot spring.
Lucky me, I got to see both Sango and Kagome naked when it attacked. And they weren't mad. It deserves to be a national holiday.
It was a giant squid demon and it was poisonous. It sprayed me first with its toxic spray. Just my luck. I coughed a bit, but I didn't give up.
I tried using a spiritual attack I had learned from Mushin-sama, but it didn't work. A huge tentacle wrapped around my body, crushing a few ribs. Sango screamed my name, but I had been knocked unconscious from its massive talon impaling me.
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I awoke to Sango's tears on my face.
"Oh, thank Kami-sama!" she exclaimed when she saw me open my eyes. I was laying down in a hut somewhere close by. My body was heavy and it was hard to move. It was hard to even breathe.
"Sango..." I managed. My voice was rough and scratchy. She kissed my forehead gently. "Sango... how long have I been staying here?"
"You've been out for two days, I'm afraid..."
My eyes widened. Two days was a long time. I felt horrible, making my friends stick around just because I had grown weak.
Sango's tears fell on my face like rain. She wiped them off, and whispered a "sumimasen".
"Sango, I'm sorry..."
"No... Don't be! It's not your fault the demon attack and you got hurt."
I didn't know what else to say. I had a feeling this was my death bed.
"Sango, have you taken care of the poison?"
"Nani?"
"The poison from the squid. I was poisoned. Did you take care of it?"
"Oh, god..." she started to cry even more. I knew what this meant. "I didn't even know you got poisoned, Miroku. I didn't treat it, I'm so sorry... I'll get the supplies."
I used all my strength to grab her hand as she turned around. "No, Sango..."
"What?" she said, and sniffled.
"Don't do it, Sango. I can feel the poison all throughout my body. There's no point in doing it. I know that I'm going to die here, today."
She gasped. "Don't speak like that!!"
"It's true. There is no hope... I knew that I wouldn't be able to live with or without my kazaana. It is just a curse bestowed upon me, that no matter how hard I try, it will never go away. Sango, I want you to raise our child to be strong and teach him to fight strong."
She started crying and shaking her head. "I can't do it without you, Miroku!"
"You're going to have to. Sango, I love you with all my heart and I don't want you to forget that. I won't be with you physically, but I'll always be watching over you from the other realm." I used all my strength to cup her cheek, "I'll visit you every night and watch you sleep. I'll embrace you when you're cold and give you warmth. I'll dance with you when you're happy, and cry with you when you're sad. I won't ever leave you."
"I love you, Miroku, don't go!!"
I didn't listen to her pleas. They wouldn't do either of us any good. "And when I'm reincarnated, I'll be sure to come to you and see our child fight like the taijiya his mother was. I love you, Sango. And I'll always be there..." I said, letting go of her tear stained face and I began to silently weep myself. It wasn't like I wanted to leave, but I had to. It was my time and fate was taking me in.
More tears hit my face as I felt myself fade away, Sango's cries to me became muffled and hard to hear and, finally, my lids would open no longer.
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End
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A/N: OMFG I AM CRYING MYSELF THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST FICS I'VE EVER WRITTEN OMG!!! OMG!!! AHHHH I AM SO PROUD IM CHOKING ON MY TEARS!! GOD HELP ME!! AHHHHH REVIEW PLEASEEEEEEEEEE!!!!
I LOVE IT I LOVE IT I LOVE ITTTTTTTTTTT! Eeee I am so proud. So very proud. OMG Please review if you don't, I'll cry. And tell all your friends to read it, too. Because this rocks. And I rock. I love me. Review or die!!!!!