Disclaimer - I do not own Naruto in any way shape or form. It's just there for me to mold and play with to my demented likings. :D
Author's Note - Its getting near the end. The next few chapters will be much longer than normal to make up for whatever else I might have missed. I have made a decision to make a second story, continuing this, which will be more AU than this. Should make for some interesting situations and weird crack pairings perhaps. It will be fun to write, and hopefully fun to read. This is turning out to become a series of odd stories, I can feel it.
Oh well, enjoy.
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Chapter Nine - The Beginning of the End
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"So, this story is coming to a close. Enjoy it so far?" The masked man said as he flipped the book around in his hands. "I know I have. Its been interesting seeing my little sister running around not being herself in the slightest." He paused for a moment and then continued.
"I bet its weird finding out that she's my little sister, eh? Who else would have known her name, and sent her that message online. I'm not some creepy cyber stalker. Just your not-so-average older brother that likes to screw with his sibling's lives tremendously. There's no reason to explain, or even enough time to explain how or why I would send her to this world. I'm just here to add something to the story, nothing more." He grinned and opened the book again.
The man looked up before disappearing.
"The name's Damon if you were wondering."
He smiled, disappeared and a frontal view of Kakashi's apartment could be seen as the smoke settled.
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Kakashi had left for the day. He had his plate full with training his students, and various activities that he didn't bother mentioning to anyone.
It was well after noon before Rica woke up, feeling groggy and headachy.
"Damn, what happened last night?" Rica said rubbing her forehead.
"I dunno." Luca said looking up from her book.
Rica jumped at the sound of Luca's voice.
"Shit, where'd you come from?" She said looking around the room.
"I haven't left this spot since last night, jesus, what'd you have to drink?" Luca said putting the book down for a minute.
"Half a bottle of sake at least." Rica said grumbling.
"Ohh…" Luca picked up her book and started to read again.
Rica groaned as she got out of bed. Her legs were still wobbly from drinking too much sake. She didn't care for showering, or even combing her hair, all she could think of was food. Rica made her way to the kitchen and opened the cupboards and took out a box of cereal.
"The man has been stingy." Rica mumbled as she poured herself a bowl.
Opening the fridge she was that there was no milk. It didn't matter, cereal was cereal regardless of milk. Rica just stuck her hand in the bowl and ate it as it was. She emptied the bowl in a matter of minutes and threw it in the sink to clean later.
"Might as well clean myself." She said as she hobbled to the bathroom to shower.
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Luca sighed happily as she finally finished the first volume of Icha Icha Paradise and set it on the bedstand. Hopping out of bed, she walked over to the bookcase to get the second one.
"Wha…where's the second one…and the others….hell, where are all the bleedin' books?" Luca said as she fumbled around the shelf looking for the lost volumes.
"I could have sworn I saw them a few days ago…dammit…where are they?"
Then it hit her like a lightning bolt to the brain.
Luca fell to her knees dramatically and started to yell.
"Goddamn you Kakashi you handsome devil you, I you will regret this!" Luca rolled around the floor teary-eyed and obviously on Icha Icha Paradise deprivation.
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Kakashi stopped dead in his tracks as he was walking down the street trying to find something to occupy his free time.
"I just got a weird feeling, just now…odd." He said as he felt a cold shiver down his spine.
Shrugging it off, he went back to what he was doing - nothing.
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After taking a shower, Rica felt a hundred times better. She was humming to herself happily as she cleaned the dishes in the sink and put them away. The effects of her hangover were pretty much gone.
"Not used tobeing stuck inside all day." She said to herself as she walked to the bedroom.
She opened the door to find a sullen Luca huddled in a corner.
"What the hell are you doing?" Rica said arching an eyebrow.
"He took the books…all the pretty books…away…they're gone….he's trying to mess with my poor moldable mind…that FIEND." Luca said.
"Eh?"
"KAKASHI took the bloody books. I wanted so desperately to read what happens in the second book." Luca threw up her hands and wailed.
"Oh chill out, get dressed. You'll feel better once you're out." Rica said throwing Luca her clothes.
Luca reluctantly took the clothes and went into the bathroom to change. Minutes later she appeared behind Rica.
"Lets go." She said slightly depressed.
Its just a fucking book…for crying out loud. Rica thought as she locked the door behind her.
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Kakashi wandered the village for a while. It occurred to him that he hadn't been assigned to any missions in the past few weeks.
"Hm…I wonder what the holdup is." He said to himself as stopped in the middle of the street. Turning around he went to go find Iruka to see if he knew anything.
Kakashi found Iruka sitting down watching the academy students taking their break outside.
"Hey." Kakashi said as he sat down next to Iruka.
"Haven't seen you in a while, what have you been up to?" Iruka said, his attention on two students rough housing.
"This and that. Nothing too interesting." He said lazily. "Any idea why I haven't been called for any missions lately?"
"No, no idea. The Hokage may know. Try talking to him."
"Hm. Thanks Iruka." Kakashi got up and started to walk off. "Talk to you more later."
Iruka waved and got up to separate the two children who were fighting.
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After sitting around for about an hour, Kakashi finally had a chance to talk to the Hokage.
"What brings you here, Kakashi?" The third Hokage said politely.
"Do you have any idea why I haven't been called for missions lately." He said sitting down.
"Ah, in fact I do. You see, it has come to my attention that you have been playing host to two young ladies and I thought it'd be best that you were around to see that they don't get themselves into trouble."
"Is that it?" Kakashi said arching an eyebrow.
Those damn girls somehow did it again… He frowned slightly.
"Yes, that is it. And from the looks of it, you've done well."
"How do you know that?" Kakashi said leaning toward the Hokage.
"I have my ways. Is that all you came here to talk to me about?"
"Yes sir."
"Then don't let me keep you. Go and have a good day." The Hokage smiled and waved Kakashi out.
"Hm…makes sense in a way…" Kakashi said as he went back out on the street. "Guess I should make the best out of my free time, seeing that as long as the girls are here, I won't be doing any missions." He said with a frown.
"I guess I could take Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura on a little trip to reward them for their excellent behavior as of late…" He said thinking to the times in which the team actually cooperated instead of Naruto and Sasuke fighting or competing against one another.
"Guess I could throw the other two along, seeing that I am a host." He said almost sarcastically.
Kakashi stopped walking and stared at an advertisement.
"Perfect." He said with a happy tune.
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"So where are we going?" Luca whined as she followed Rica a good ways behind.
"To a place Sasuke took me." Rica said as she quickened her pace.
"Could you at least slow down so I can catch up?" Luca said dispiritedly.
"Luca, lighten up. There's no reason to be so blue. Normally you're the one telling me these things." Rica said turning around to face her friend. "So slap on a smile and have a good day."
"Alright, alright." Luca said putting on a smile. It was a half hearted one since she really wanted to read the second book that badly.
Rica finally lead Luca to the place Sasuke showed her a few days ago. Everything was just they way it had been when she arrived. The stream was crystal clear, the grass green, trees lush with leaves and the sun was perfect.
Rica laid down in a patch of sunlight and sighed.
"Isn't it nice here?" She said basking.
"Its nice…" Luca said taking off her shoes and socks to stick her feet into the stream. "Water is a bit cold…though…"
"Aw, Luca c'mon stop being so down…I'll try to find where Kakashi hid the books, if you'd please feel better, for me." Rica said rolling over on her stomach, looking at Rica genuinely concerned.
"Alright. I just feel like he hates me, y'know. Everyone is so nice to you, yet when it comes to me they just brush me off as if I am nothing."
"Well, that's not true at all." Rica said still looking at her friend. She could not help and take what Luca was saying into account. It was true that she had been treated nicer than Luca has.
"Really?" Luca said with a hopeful smile.
"Yes, really." Rica said instantly. Inside she was kicking herself for lying to her friend. But if it'd make her feel better, then it was worth it. Even for a little while.
"You're right, this is a really nice place." Luca said eyeing some fish swimming around near some reeds.
"It is…really relaxing." Rica said with a yawn as she rolled back onto her back and shut her eyes. There was something about this place that was really relaxing. You could let your guard down and nothing would happen to you.
Luca sat at the stream bed for a little while thinking. She had a feeling that Rica was only saying those things just to make her feel better. She wasn't as dumb as she appeared to be, not in the slightest. She sighed and took her feet out of the water and looked around. The sun was moving towards the west and there were many patches of sunlight, but scattered due to the leaves.
Sighing, she took a place next to Rica in the sun and laid down. Within minutes she was asleep.
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Kakashi met up with his students a few hours later to tell them of his little plan.
"Sasuke, Sakura, Naruto since you guys have been working hard I decided to take you all on a little trip."
"Really, where?" Sakura said not giving Kakashi a chance to finish.
"I was just getting to that." He said calmly. "I plan to take you three on a camping trip. No training like the last trips I took you three on, this is purely for relaxation. I plan to take advantage of the downtime I have now, and I want you three to take advantage of it too."
"Nice!" Naruto said with a wide grin.
"Ohh, I can't wait. When are we leaving?" Sakura said happily.
"Tomorrow."
The three exchanged hopeful expressions and smiled.
"Though I'm bringing the girls along, is that isn't much trouble. Supposedly it is my responsibility now to make sure nothing happens to them."
"Its no problem." Sasuke said calmly. The other two nodded in agreement.
"Okay, well get backing. We're leaving tomorrow morning." Kakashi said and disappeared.
"I hate when he does that." Naruto said slightly annoyed, but that annoyance quickly changed to that of anticipation. "Lets go pack." He said as he left the scene.
Sakura and Sasuke nodded to each other and left to their homes to get ready.
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Kakashi opened the door to his apartment and went inside.
"Girls, are you here?" He shouted, waiting for a reply. Seeing that no one was home, he searched the house to make sure.
"They're not here, and no note either…" He half expected them to at least let him know where they were going. He mentally slapped himself for thinking that way.
You sound like a parent…snap out of it. He cursed under his breath as he walked around the house one more time to find that they were not home.
"They'll be home soon." He said to himself as he pulled out a copy of Icha Icha Paradise and sat down on the couch.
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Three hours had passed and the girls were still no where to be seen. Kakashi looked out his window and saw that the sun was setting.
"That's it, I'm going out there." He didn't want them getting into the bad parts of the village after dark. Especially for two young girls like themselves.
He left the apartment and went out searching for them.
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Luca rolled over and opened her eyes. The sun they were laying in was no longer there and a light chill was in the air. The sun was almost completely hidden over the horizon and the forest they were in was looking gloomier and gloomier by the minute.
"Rica, get up. Its getting dark out." Luca said poking her friend.
"Er…just five more minutes…" Rica said muttering in her sleep.
Luca blinked and pushed her friend over on her stomach.
Rica opened her eyes and sat up.
"What was that for?" Rica said looking around. It was a shock to see that it was already dark out. "Wow, got dark fast." She said scanning the area.
"Yeah, it has. We should head back now."
"Nah, I'm good. You can head back, I'll hang out here for a little while longer."
"Are you sure Rica?" Luca said looking around.
"Pretty sure. Go back to the apartment, Kakashi might be worried. Though I don't see why he should." Rica said picking up a few leaves as she talked.
"Alright…" Luca said as she got up and dusted herself off.
"I'll be fine. Don't worry about me." Rica said in a reassuring tone.
Luca nodded and waved to her friend before she walked off into the direction of the village. By this time the sun had completely set and the first stars were shining brightly.
Rica laid back and watched the stars glowing brighter and brighter as it got darker out. Soon there were millions of stars twinkling in the sky, even the moon in its crescent stage was shining brilliantly, casting a bluish glow upon the ground.
This was the time Rica loved the most. She smiled contently as the sounds of the night got louder and louder.
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Kakashi wasn't panicking but he was starting to get worried as he saw no sign of Rica or Luca anywhere in the village. He made sure to check everywhere that was still open and the streets as well.
He stopped at the edge of a building and scanned the area again. Still there was no sign of the girls anywhere. Looking ahead of him he saw the great expanse of forest and sighed.
"I hope they're not in there." He said aloud as he kept looking in that direction.
Shrugging his shoulders he went in the direction of the forest. If they were not there, they could most likely be back at home.
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It didn't take long for Luca to make it back to Kakashi's home. She took the spare key she took from Rica out of her pocket and opened the door. It was obvious that no one was home as Luca turned on the light.
She stopped dead in her tracks as she saw a familiar book sitting on the coffee table.
"The second book." She said to herself as she picked it up and sat on the couch. Nothing could make her look up from that book, not even God.
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Kakashi traveled from tree to tree at a relatively fast pace. He had covered a good portion of the surrounding forest before he came upon a small clearing near a stream. And with that clearing came a small dark figure staring up at the stars.
"Found one." He said as he advanced upon the figure to find that it was Rica.
As he got closer he heard her singing softly. He couldn't make out all the words, but from what he heard, it was a sad song.
So Naruto was right…she does have a nice voice. He said as he walked up behind her and touched her shoulder.
Rica jumped straight up and shot a fist right in Kakashi's direction. He quickly countered her fist as he spun her around and caught her in a bear hug with her arms folded over her chest.
"I wouldn't do that to someone you know." He said calmly.
"You scared the hell out of me!" Rica shouted out of breath.
"I'm sorry." He said as he let her go. "I've been looking for you and Luca for some time now."
"You didn't have to look for me, or for her. In fact she should be back at your home right now." Rica said annoyed. "If my father ever gave a damn about me, he'd be like you."
Kakashi frowned at the statement. Maybe she was right. He had been acting very much like a parent, even when he didn't mean to, much less want to be.
"I'm only six years older than you, so I don't see where you get the fatherly bit from." He said feeling slightly annoyed.
"Then don't come looking for me." She said still annoyed.
"I wouldn't have come looking for you, or Luca if I didn't care." He said simply.
This made Rica shut up for a minute. Her facial features softened at his words as she let out a long sigh.
"So youcare about us?"
"Yes, both of you."
"I don't know what to say…" Rica said feeling rather dumbfounded.
"You don't have to say anything." He smiled at her seeing that she was no longer angry.
Rica stared at him for a second. He looked much like a ghost in the moonlight. His hair and his light skin color gave a silvery look to him as he stood there. Rica smirked at the sight.
"You look like a ghost." She said smiling.
"What?"
"Oh, nothing. Lets go." Rica said as she walked past him in the direction of his home.
Kakashi smiled as Rica walked past him.
"I have a better idea." He said picking her up and throwing her over his shoulder and jumped onto a tree.
"This way is much faster than walking." He said as he jumped from tree to tree. In less than five minutes they were in front of his apartment.
"Looks like Luca made it home safely" Rica said as she opened the door.
Luca was sitting on the couch, all volumes of Icha Icha Paradise in front of her.
"Think you can hide 'em from me, you got another thing coming." Luca said happily as she looked up from her book.
Kakashi sighed as Rica groaned.
"Well, I'm off to shower." Kakashi said simply as he left the two girls alone in the living room.
Rica sat down next to Luca as she started reading again. She eyed the other books that lay on the table before her and picked one up. She flipped through one carelessly and set it down. She didn't see what was so interesting about the books, only Luca and Kakashi knew.
Luca yawned as she set the book down on her lap. She laid back and shut her eyes, quickly going to sleep. Rica turned to her friend and gave her a few sharp pokes, getting no response. Rica got up and brought a spare blanket from the bedroom and covered her friend with it.
Yawning, Rica headed off to the bedroom and got ready for bed.
Kakashi got out of the shower shortly after Rica went into the bedroom. He went into the living room to discover that Luca was sprawled out on his couch. Looking resigned and extremely tired he walked over to the bedroom and knocked on the door.
Being given the ok to enter he walked in and stood at the end of the bed yawning.
"Luca took your couch, and you're wondering if you could sleep here, yes?" Rica said without having to look up at a book she was reading. (Something not Icha Icha Paradise, imagine that)
"Yes…" He said sheepishly. He was too tired to give a damn. He just didn't want to sleep on the floor.
Rica got up and got another blanket from the closet and threw it at him.
"Alright, I don't mind. Its no big deal to me. Just keep to you end and I will keep to mine." She said as she got back into bed and opened up the book again.
Yawning again, Kakashi took the blanket and got into bed as well. He was happy that he finally got to sleep in his own bed for the first time in at least a week.
Rica kept reading silently for at least 30 minutes after he got in. Kakashi covered his head to keep the light from bothering him, but it didn't work Pulling his head from under the covers he rolled on top of Rica, pulled the book out of her hands, and set it on the bed stand.
Rica blinked confusedly for a few seconds as he looked at her. He smiled and shut off the light and went back to his own end of the bed.
"Goodnight." He said cheerfully as he pulled the covers over his shoulder.
"G-goodnight." She said quickly as she too pulled her covers close.
Rica rolled over to her side and laid there frozen for a while. Her heart couldn't stop racing.
What in the fucking hell is wrong with me. She thought fiercely to herself.
She couldn't get his smiling image out of her head, no matter how many times she mentally beat herself up. She didn't think anything of him, but she felt weird nonetheless. She grit her teeth as she laid there for a little while longer. Kakashi was already asleep by the time Rica let out a small yawn. Within ten minutes Rica fell asleep soundly.
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Luca woke up early to find that she fell asleep on the couch. She pulled the blanket off and set it on the couch as she headed to the bedroom to check on Rica. Opening the door, Luca gasped as she found Rica and Kakashi in bed, together. Not to mention the position both were in.
Kakashi was hugging Rica as if she was some sort of stuffed animal. Luca's shocked expression suddenly turned to that of amusement.
"Now what in the world do we have here?" She shouted in a jocular tone.
Rica opened her eyes at the shouting, suddenly realizing that she was being held and screamed.
"What in the bloody hell do you think you're doing man?" Rica shouted causing Kakashi to wake up.
"Huh…what…what's going on?" He said groggily.
"Look!" She said using her free hand to point at the arm that was holding her tightly. "I thought I told you to keep to your side of the bed?"
Kakashi released his arm and blinked.
"Well how am I to know what I am doing when I am asleep?"
Rica inwardly agreed with him, but outwardly gave a stern look. Kakashi mumbled an apology and got up to get dressed.
Rica sat there dumbfounded as Luca got out of the way so he could get through the door.
"W-what the hell was that?" Luca said turning her head at Rica and to where Kakashi was several times fast.
"I-I don't know." Rica stammered, still dumbfounded.
"You two were in bed together…" She said, a wide grin spreading across her face.
"It wasn't like that at all. You fell asleep on the couch, he didn't want to sleep on the floor again so I let him have half the bed…" Rica stopped and thought for a while.
"Though he did look at me last night, it was different than the other times…perhaps it was my mind fucking with me, I was pretty tired last night." Rica said nodding.
"You never know." Luca said, grinning.
"Well, I can tell you that its nothing like that, and he'd agree. Like I told you, my feelings are still the same - I have none." Rica nodded again, this time smiling. It was true, she had none, but he still confused her regardless.
Luca nodded, deciding not to broach the subject anymore. Just as the girls stopped talking, Kakashi entered the room, dressed and completely awake.
"What are you two still doing not ready…" He paused for a second. "Oh yeah…I haven't told you two yet. We're going on a little trip. You two, Sasuke, Sakura, Naruto and myself. I need a little relaxation and I know exactly where to go." He said as he saw the expressions of the girls change.
"Where are we going?" Luca asked happily.
"You'll find out when you get there." Kakashi smiled.
"Aww, but can't you tell us now? Please?" Luca pleaded.
"Nope, not till we get there. You two need to get some supplies for the trip. I can supply extra towels, blankets, clothing, and sleeping bags. But I need you two to get some other things. So we're going to make a quick trip to the store before we leave." Kakashi said walking to the closet to get the stuff down from the upper self.
"Okay." Both girls said at once and went to go get dressed. It didn't take long for them to get dressed and ready to go. When they returned to the bedroom small piles of towels, blankets, clothes and sleeping bags were already set up.
"Aright. We need to get backpacks for you two then we can go. Leave the stuff there, we'll worry about it when we get back." Kakashi said leaving the room. The girls followed him out of the apartment and down the street to a small supply store on the corner.
A little bell jingled as the three entered the store. Various supplies hung from the walls for camping, hiking, and various outdoor activities. Even some ninja gear in various displays.
"Oooooh…pretty…" Luca said as she went to go and pick up a kunai knife. Kakashi took it from her hand and set it down.
"That's not what we are here for today. I have enough at my place so you can see one later." He said going back to looking for suitable equipment.
Kakashi arched an eyebrow at a small display in the corner of the store. "Everything on sale, today only!" It read in large red letters. Curious, he walked over to the display and shuffled through its contents.
As Kakashi was looking around the bargain bin, Rica was looking through a newspaper and was staring at a page for some time.
Luca walked over to her friend and peeked over her shoulder to see what she was looking at. She too stopped and looked at the page.
"What…what is this?" Rica said turning her head to her friend.
"That looks like…us." Luca said pointing to two girls in a comic strip.
"But we're here, and what we're looking at is our lives back home…that can't be possible." Rica said, looking even more confused.
"I know…but it…looks so goddamn COOL." Luca blurted out as she took the paper from Rica's hands.
"It makes sense in a weird way you know." Rica said pulled down the paper from Luca's face. "This place is a comic, and our lives are a comic to them. So we entertain them, as they entertain us. Though what I don't understand is why haven't any people recognized us yet if we are a comic here." Rica said looking at the comic closely.
"We do look different here." Luca said pointing to a mirror.
She was right. Their appearances in the comic strip varied from what they look like in Konoha. Luca's hair was shorter in the comic, while in Konoha her hair reached her middle back. Also her clothing, Luca rarely wore her track uniform. But in the comic it seems that she always wore it. Rica had extremely long hair in the comic, while in Konoha her hair reached her shoulder blades.
"I guess the differences were made to hide who we were." Rica said aloud.
"Maybe. Doubt it though." Luca said still looking at the comic.
"I wonder if anyone knows about this." Rica said looking around.
"Who knows. It doesn't really look like it matters anyway, look." Luca pointed to a small blurb on the last panel.
"Rica and Luca's days are numbered. Will they find their way back home, or be stuck where they are forever?"
"I don't know what that means, but it seems like we don't have a lot of time left here. Maybe that guy will come back for us and bring us back to our old lives…" Luca said frowning.
"Believe it or not, I actually do miss my home. This place is too surreal for me, and if we stay, we can easily complicate things and that would really suck…"
"Complicate what things? This bloody comic has been planned and written already, I don't see what we can do to alter anything."
"One can never be too careful." Rica said in a low voice.
Kakashi had found two bags for the girls, large enough to fit what they needed, and cheap enough so that he didn't spend more than he wanted to. In fact he had a lot left over. He paid for his purchases at the front and saw the girls huddled in a corner of the store with a newspaper and walked over to them.
"Done. Ready to go?" He said from a short distance.
"Yeah, yeah. Ready." Rica said hurriedly as she folded up the newspaper and stuck it in her pocket.
The three left the store quickly and went back to the apartment to pack.
As Rica was packing her bag, she couldn't stop thinking about that comic strip.
Why would anyone write a comic strip about our lives…or are our lives just a figment of some artists imagination…just like the world we are in. But what if this world is real and our world is fake? So many questions…not enough time to find the answers to them all…what about that last part of the comic…will we be trapped here forever…I hope not. We don't belong here…I want to go home, but I don't want to leave right now.
Rica sighed heavily as she packed the last of her stuff into her already bulging bag and walked out into the living room. She had at least 3 days of fun and adventure in front of her. Or at least she hoped.
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End of Chapter Nine
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Sorry for the delay. Took me a while to find the time to write more. I should be finishing the story within one to two weeks, depending on how much time I get to write.
Reviewer Responses -
Krows Scared - Thank you very much, a sequel is already in the works and should be up sometime in September or October.
Roi du Ballet - Hehehe, thank you. I was thinking of putting that in. Almost did in pervious chapters. Its something I want to put in in a future story, perhaps a third part to this one, if things work out well enough.
Taskei - I tried to make this different than other fics I've read. I'm glad someone noticed that. I really have no intention of having any romantic encounters with any of the characters. Maybe hinting at it, or light romance but nothing heavy. Just something to complicate things or move the story along if need be. For character POV's I've been experimenting with different things as I progress. I noticed that I used the same POV in almost every chapter. But that is okay too, depending. Thank you for reading, I really appreciate it.
Millenia7 - Heheh, thank you again. I really appreciate it. I will keep writing. bows
