Chapter 29
Decisive Days
A light breeze blew through the destroyed streets of Junon as Rude opened his eyes. He could tell even within the confines of the tent that it was still dark. Sure enough, as he opened the flap, he could scarcely see the dark shapes of the other three tents. Rude lit a cigarette and mulled over the past two days.
Reno woke up just after they came back from the Lifestream, which was all well and good, except they still didn't have any idea where to go. Sachiko was going to the Temple, and Valda had no idea they were still alive. Sure, they could intercept their enemies, but there was no telling which route Valda was going to take. There was also the chance of them being found out if they got to the Temple before her. Even if they did manage to get there before the Hitomi, what could they do? There were sure to be guards, and Kadaj had forbidden Kali from letting Nanashi out unless they were in mortal danger with no other way out. Without Nanashi, they had no hope for survival.
After Reno woke up, the small band dug through the wreckage and managed to find a few tents and supplies. The next two days were filled with fierce debating and heated arguments. Rude glanced up at the sinking moon and could already tell that the next day was going to be no different. He threw the cigarette butt away and crawled back into his tent.
Why couldn't we have found some for three people and not just two? He thought. He wrapped up tightly in his sleeping bag again. Kali was sharing a tent with Kadaj, Reno was sleeping with Yuffie, and Cid and Rude switched off guarding Alim. Cid was 'babysitting' tonight, so Rude had been left alone for the night.
As Rude thought bitterly and tried to sleep, he froze and listened. Somebody was moving around outside of his tent. He closed his eyes, reached a hand under his pillow, and feigned sleep. He didn't even flinch when the person making the noise crept in and sat on his stomach. Under his pillow, his hand wrapped around the cold handle of a dagger he had found in the street. The figure laid a hand next to his head and he listened to the cocking of a pistol. The click had barely sounded when Rude pulled out the dagger and stabbed the figure in the side. He heard a feminine gasp and opened his eyes to see Tifa on top of him, her face scrunched in pain. Rude pulled the dagger out of her and sat up. He held her and watched the blood seep from her wound to stain his white shirt.
"I'm so sorry," he whispered. Tifa glanced up. The gun was still in her hand.
"No you're not," she gasped through gritted teeth, although she could clearly see the remorse in his face. He lifted her hand and pointed the gun at his head.
"Shoot me if you want to," he muttered. She shook and for a moment seemed about to pull the trigger. She finally let her hand and the gun fall to the ground.
"I don't have the strength," she replied weakly. Rude grabbed her side where he had stabbed her and the bleeding slowed very little. She grabbed the collar of his shirt and stared up at him. "You really are a bastard, you know."
"I know," Rude smiled. "But I'm a bastard that loves you."
"I know you do. You love that Kali girl, too, don't you?" she whispered accusingly. Rude's smile faded and he hesitated. "Don't bother lying. I can see the look in your eyes when I say her name. Kali."
"Yes, I do," he nodded. Tifa chuckled.
"She's going to die, you know. Someday, you're going to be holding her just like you are me, and she's going to be the one dying."
"I think you're wrong. Where's Marlene?"
"Not here. Tonight was going to be a solo mission of mine. We were going to come and kill you off, one by one, night after night starting now. If I don't return by dawn, she's leaving, so there's no use in trying to follow her."
"I wasn't going to. I wanted to know so that I knew what to expect when I walk out of here."
"What to expect?"
"I didn't know if I should expect to see her with a dagger wound in her, too," Rude muttered bluntly. Tifa closed her eyes and leaned her head against his chest.
"At least… I'm going to be with… Cloud again…" she muttered. Rude held her close.
"Tifa?"
"Hmm?"
"Before you die, I want you to kiss me," he said softly. Tifa nodded and he lifted her head to kiss her lips. He pulled away when her hand loosened its grasp on his shirt collar. Without a sound, he lifted her and walked out of his tent to lay her body by the remains of the fire.
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"Kali, get up!" Kadaj yelled happily. Kali moaned and opened her eyes. He was smiling broadly as sunlight seeped through the tent flap.
"What is it?"
"Tifa! She's dead!" he said.
"Dead?" Kali gasped. She sat up and followed him out. Sure enough, Tifa's body was lying by their fire pit, her arms crossed and blood forming a pool next to her. Kali looked her up and down. "Who did it?"
"Who cares? One less person to worry about," Reno smiled. He glanced at the camp. "Rude's going to be pissed. Where is he, anyway?"
"I don't know. He's not in his tent," Yuffie explained. She dipped her fingers in the wound and tasted the blood. "I taste metal. She was definitely stabbed, and I'd say she's been dead for at least three hours."
"Hey Kadaj?" Kali muttered. "I'm going to go find Rude. I might know where he is."
"Go ahead. We're going to burn her, so hurry back if you want to watch."
"I'll pass, and I think Rude will, too," she pointed out. Kadaj watched as she walked through the wreckage around their camp and made her way to the ocean.
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Kali walked down the steps and looked around. Just as she suspected, Rude was sitting on a rock overlooking the sea. He was so absorbed in the waves, he jumped a little when Kali laid a hand upon his shoulder.
"Hey," she smiled. Rude looked away and pulled off his glasses.
"Good morning," he replied, rubbing his eyes. Kali pulled his arm away from his face.
"I figured you'd be crying. I won't tell anybody."
"I know you won't. I'm mostly trying to stop for myself."
"You killed her, didn't you?" Kali asked. Rude nodded. It was then that the girl noticed the blood on his shirt. "Give me your shirt and I'll wash it for you."
"Don't bother. I can get more," he whispered. Kali laid her head on his shoulder and followed his gaze at the ocean. She tensed slightly when he wrapped an arm around her shoulder and grasped it in return.
"Thank you. I know you love her, but… she was trying to kill us, after all."
"I know, but I wasn't thinking about that. All I was thinking about was your safety."
"Hmm?" Kali glanced up at him, but he shook his head.
"Never mind."
"No, what is it?"
"Vincent made us promise to keep you safe. Now that I know what you're destined to do, I guess…" he trailed off and glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. "I won't let anything stop or hurt you."
"None of you will," she replied. Rude stared at the waves again, refusing to look at her. "Rude?"
"What?"
"What's wrong? Tifa's death isn't the only thing bugging you right now, is it?" Kali asked knowingly. She tried to look at him, but he stood and avoided her eyes. "What is it? Rude, I'm your friend. I want you to tell me anything."
"Here," he said softly. He pulled Tifa's gun from his pocket and handed it to Kali.
"What's this for?"
"I want you to shoot me."
"What? Of course not!" Kali snapped. Before Rude could stop her, Kali was throwing the weapon into the ocean.
"Kali, I want you to kill me."
"Why?" she cried. She wrapped her arms around him. "Why do you want to die?"
"You said you'd kill any of us that tried to leave."
"What? You haven't tried to leave us!" Kali snapped. She stared into his eyes and saw something in them that she hadn't before. Compassion? Love? She couldn't tell, but it gave her the creeps a little. It was like seeing Devin in that dream, only instead of turning from gentle to hard, Rude's went from cold to kind.
"I want to. I'm tired of all the killing," he muttered. He sat down again and watched the clouds on the horizon. "As a Turk, assassinations were a part of life. We killed at least one person a day it seems now. When Shinra fell nineteen years ago, Reno, Elena and I protected Rufus. We didn't kill as often, but we had to fight and do what was necessary to find out any information he wanted or keep him safe. Then he died. Valda's following his footsteps, so there's bound to be more death. Since you've been here, I've seen Vincent, Cloud, Barret, Nanaki, Reno, and now Tifa die. Out of all of them, only Reno's come back. I've watched you alone kill hundreds of men in her army. I just… I can't watch any more death. Enough is enough.
"I want to go back to Wutai. I want to help you, but I can't keep fighting."
"I understand," Kali whispered. Rude finally turned to face her. "I've had to grow up so much since Vincent brought me here. A couple of months ago, I was fifteen. Now I feel like I'm not much younger than you are."
"It wasn't fair of him to bring you here. It's not fair that the souls are calling on you to save the Planet. You're so young," Rude said gently. He brushed a hand against her face.
"The Planet is calling for me to save it, but Vincent didn't force me to come. I wanted to come and see where he and daddy were from. Being the savior of a planet I barely know isn't something I asked for. We can't control our destinies. We can only live them before we die."
"You really have grown up a lot," Rude said. Kali looked up at him before smiling and standing.
"I'm sure they've begun burning Tifa's body by now. We'd better get up there and tell them to get ready to go to Wutai."
"Huh?" Rude gasped. He leapt up and walked with her.
"We're going to take you home. Rude, you're my friend. I'm not letting you go quickly. I'm going to spend as much time with you as I can," Kali said in a final tone. She walked ahead while Rude took slow strides.
"Thank you, Kali," he muttered. "I want to stay with you, but thank you for understanding. I love you, kid."
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Sachiko sat silently on the deck of the airship, feeling the breeze rush past her face. She finally wiped her eyes with her tissue and threw it over the edge. She had scarcely stopped crying since they left.
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"Fire the missiles at will," Valda said into the radio. Sachiko stood a few feet away and listened fearfully. She trembled in the silence that followed. It lasted for nearly five minutes, though they felt more like years. When the pilot came back on the radio, Skylar laid a hand on Sachiko's shoulder.
"Bahamut One to Hitomi HQ. Target destroyed. Repeat: Target destroyed. No survivors."
"Thank you," Valda replied. "Return to base."
"NO!" Sachiko screamed. She dropped to her knees and pounded the ground with her fist. "No! Kadaj isn't dead! You can't kill them! He's hiding, he must be!"
"Sachiko, calm down. You mustn't act this way, what with-" Valda began, but Sachiko screamed at her.
"You're a murderer! How could you? All of this violence is what got your father killed! Do you really want to be like him? You murdered my friends! You killed Kadaj!" she screeched between sobs. She buried her face in her hands and sobbed.
"Skylar, take her to the airship. You will take off upon my arrival," Valda commanded. The doctor bowed and pulled Sachiko up.
"I'm not going! You can't make me!"
"Yes, you are," Skylar replied gently. She tried to take her, but Sachiko swung her staff and managed to hit her head. Several guards walked in and dragged the woman away as she screamed curses at Valda. She stopped as she alone heard a light 'ping!' noise on the ground. Nobody noticed the black ball roll under Valda's desk and out her open window.
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"Kadaj," she whispered. She shuddered and let a few tears drip from her eyes. "You're not dead. I don't believe her. You can't be gone."
"You might as well accept it," Skylar called. She walked up through the doorway across the deck and knelt next to the woman.
"I cannot until I speak with the Planet."
"Why don't you speak with it now?"
"I am in too much distress. Everything's happening so fast," she whispered. Skylar sighed and began walking away.
"Even if he was alive, what help do you think he would be? What do you think he would do if he knew?"
"He would be thrilled," Sachiko whispered immediately.
"Kadaj? Thrilled? I suppose you would know better than I, but I will tell you this. There is no love in his black heart. His father is the only person he ever cared about, and the only one he ever will care for. Nothing can change that. Nothing," Skylar called back. Sachiko turned her face towards the direction of the doctor's voice. When the door closed, Sachiko turned to the wind again and laid her hand on her stomach. She smiled softly.
"He's not dead, and he doesn't have a heart of ice. I just know he'll be thrilled when I tell him that I am pregnant."
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"Wutai?" Yuffie repeated. Rude nodded. "Why there?"
"It's home to me now," he replied. Yuffie glanced at the ground while Kadaj shook his head.
"No. We don't have the time. If you want to go, then go. I'm going after Sachiko," Kadaj said in a final tone.
"All we know is that they're going to the Temple," Kali said softly.
"Yeah, so what's the problem?"
"We don't know how they're going to get there," Cid answered. "They could be going by ship, train and then ship, armored trucks, hell, they could even be riding Chocobos! They have my Highwind, they could be taking that. We need to find out. Wait…"
"What?" Reno piped up. Cid thought for a moment and smiled.
"I think we should go to Wutai."
"What?" Kadaj snapped.
"We can go to Wutai, drop Rude off, spend a night, and then go to Rocket Town."
"Another stop?" Kadaj groaned. Cid held up a hand to silence him.
"Let me finish. I have something there that might help us go to both Wutai and the Temple before anything happens to Sachiko," Cid explained.
"What is it?" Kali inquired.
"You'll have to wait and see."
"I'm for it," Rude agreed. Reno and Yuffie both nodded.
"I say we should try anything," Kali nodded. Kadaj hesitated, but nodded his own agreement.
"I'm outnumbered, so why not?"
"Then it's settled. We go to Wutai in the morning," Kali said. Yuffie looked at the sky.
I'm going home. What will daddy say when he finds out I'm a vampire now? What if we get there during the Leviathan Festival? I can't bear to attend it without Vincent.
"Where should we go to get there?" Reno asked.
"There should be a shipyard just south of here. There's a ship that goes straight to Wutai. We can take that," Yuffie explained. "It's still early. We could go now if you all wanted to."
"How about it?" Reno asked.
"The sooner we get there, the sooner we can get to Sachiko," Kadaj pointed out. "I say we head out now."
"Let's go then!" Kali smiled. She began packing the camp, her friends helping within seconds.
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"I'm surprised you actually accepted my invitation," a sixteen-year-old Yuffie smiled. Vincent glanced at her before turning back to Cloud. Her smile faded.
"I cannot stay for a terribly long time. I promised Lucrecia I would visit on her birthday. It's two days after tomorrow."
"I'm sure Cid can give you a ride," Cloud pointed out. Yuffie walked away dejectedly. A few hours later, she walked up to Vincent with a bundle of clothes in her arms.
"What are those?" he asked. Yuffie smiled and dropped them in his lap.
"It's your kimono for the celebrations tonight," she explained. He held up the nagajuban and a zori.
"I refuse to wear it," he said. Had Vincent not been immortal and looks could kill, he would have died of the look Yuffie gave him.
"Everybody has to wear it, and that's final. If you need any help putting it on, call me. Oh, and there's a tie-back for your hair, too."
When Vincent walked into the streets in his kimono an hour later, Yuffie and the rest of AVALANCHE scarcely recognized him.
"Hey, is that Vincent?" Cloud asked jokingly. He grabbed his gauntlet. "His gauntlet looks like Vincent's. His eyes are Vincent's.
"Get off me before I unleash Chaos on you," Vincent threatened.
"He even makes threats like Vincent! Ah!" Cloud gasped. Vincent lowered his knee from Cloud's nether regions and turned to Yuffie. She giggled as Cloud gasped for breath.
"Yuffie, may I speak with you after the party?" he whispered. She glanced up at him in surprise and nodded. A few hours later, she walked with him to the edge of town and stood under a cherry tree whose blossoms were falling in the wind.
"What's up?" Yuffie inquired. Vincent stared up at the tree.
"That tree is beautiful with those flowers," he whispered. Yuffie put her hands on her hips.
"Is that all you brought me here for? To tell me how pretty a tree is?" she complained. When he still stared at it, she followed his gaze and dropped her hands. "You know, it really is pretty."
"Here," Vincent muttered. He reached up and pulled a flower from a branch. Yuffie shuddered as he brushed her hair back and placed the flower behind her ear. "You know, there are only two things I can think of that are more beautiful than that tree."
"What?" Yuffie asked. Vincent sat on a bench and watched her. "Are you going to tell me or do I have to beat it out of you?"
"Never mind. It's silly," he replied. Yuffie sat next to him and laid a hand on his shoulder. To her surprise, he didn't brush her hand away like he usually did.
"Hey, Vincent? I'm sorry," she whispered. "You know, for everything I've said to get you angry or put you down."
"I know you didn't mean any of it," he muttered. "Yuffie?"
"Hmm?"
"One thing I think is more beautiful than that tree is Lucrecia."
"Of course," Yuffie sighed disappointedly. "Vincent, I know it sounds weird but…" she looked up at him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "I love you. I always have. I know you don't like me, but that doesn't stop my feeling for you."
"Might I finish what I was saying before you jump to conclusions? There's only one other thing I think is more beautiful than a cherry tree," he said softly. Yuffie closed her eyes as he stroked her face. "You."
"Huh?" she gasped. When the ninja opened her eyes, the vampire leaned towards her and kissed her. When the shock wore off, she closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around his neck.
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Yuffie opened her eyes and began crying lightly. She hated those dreams of Vincent. Ever since he died, she dreamed about him. The first was the one she just had, about when he told her he loved her. Then came more dreams, night after night, each one a different event she had experienced with him. After she dreamt about when they broke up and she became engaged to Reno, the cycle started again. Nobody else knew about them. Yuffie shook the grogginess from her head and glanced at Reno lying next to her. He was fast asleep. The woman slid out of bed, pulled a robe over her nightgown, and walked up to the deck. She stared at the stars.
"I miss you Vinny," she muttered. She smiled. "I know you hate that name, but I can't help it. I still love you."
She glanced down at the waves rushing at the sides of the ship. They would arrive in Wutai the day after tomorrow. She closed her eyes and sighed. Her seasickness had finally been outgrown, but she still didn't like ships. She preferred walking or even motorcycles whenever possible. Yuffie jumped at a hand on her shoulder.
"Can't sleep?" Reno whispered. Yuffie glared at him.
"You should be in bed. You're still not completely healed," she urged. She laid a hand on his sliced wrist.
"I'll be fine. I just can't fight if anything happens, that's all," he replied. He closed his eyes. "You have no idea what it was like, having the poison. I was aware of everything around me, but… I couldn't do anything. If I tried to move my arm to hug you, it just twitched if it did anything at all. If I tried to look at something, my eyes went the other way or closed. All these memories came up into my mind. I could see more than that. I actually saw the jets shooting the missiles at us. I sensed that Valda was going to come after us, or Tifa if not her. I don't know which is worse: not knowing something, or knowing something and being unable to tell you."
"Reno," Yuffie muttered. She wrapped her arms around him. "You know, I never left your side. The longest I left you was to take a shower. And you know what? Rude actually cried when Alim told us what you had."
"He did?" Reno gasped in surprised. Yuffie nodded.
"He really cares about you. You're his best friend."
"He's my friend, but… he cried? As in, tears actually came out of his eyes?"
"Yeah. I didn't actually see it, but Kali did. When I saw him afterwards, his eyes were red. We were all so worried about you," Yuffie muttered. She wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his chest. Reno gently held her.
"I know you were. I swear, I'll never try to do anything like that again," he said softly. "I'll live my life to the fullest now. Having one foot in the Lifestream was enough. I don't want the rest of me there yet."
"I don't ever want you there," Yuffie replied. "I want you to live forever with me."
"But… despite my love for you… I don't want to live forever."
"Really?"
"The way I see it, nobody is immortal. Look at Vincent. He was supposed to be alive for all time. Besides, the world is so fucked up, I don't want to see it destroyed," he explained.
"Kali won't let it be destroyed," Yuffie pointed out.
"I'm not talking about Zurine," Reno shook his head. "If people like Valda keep controlling the world, we're going to destroy it ourselves. If Zurine were to wait long enough, she could watch us destroy the world on our own and she wouldn't have to lift a finger."
"Don't say that," she shuddered. "I'm going to live forever. That's not something I want to think about."
"I'm sorry," Reno whispered. He kissed her gently. "I think it's time to head back to bed. It's late."
"You're right," she nodded. They walked across the deck and crawled back into bed, but Yuffie didn't sleep.
"Vincent," she muttered when Reno was asleep. She clutched the cross she had taken from his grave. "I love you. But… I love Reno, too. I wish you were here. If you were, I would be with you, but… You're not here. Not anymore. I'm sorry," she said softly as a tear rolled down her cheek.NINJAMAGEGAMAJNIN
"Vincent!" Sephiroth yelled. Vincent looked up from the pool he was staring into. Yuffie's face faded away as Sephiroth approached him.
"What?"
"You were watching her again, weren't you?"
"You used to watch Michiko every chance you got," Vincent retaliated.
"That was when we weren't in the middle of a war," Sephiroth groaned. "We need to get into Kali's dream. Sachiko lost the Black Materia. Aeris just found out."
"She what?"
"In Midgar. They dragged her to the Airship and the Black Materia fell off and rolled out the window. We have to tell Kali," Sephiroth pressed.
"I'll go."
"We'll both go, but we can't tonight."
"Why not?" Vincent asked. Sephiroth rubbed the back of his neck.
"She's sleeping uneasily tonight. We must wait until she gets a good night's sleep."
"Damn it," Vincent shook his head as Sephiroth smiled.
"So, how is Yuffie?"
"She's finally moved on," he muttered. He closed his eyes. "She offered to make Reno a vampire, but he refused. She just apologized for turning to him because I'm not there anymore."
"I'm sorry," Sephiroth said softly. He began walking away, but Vincent stopped him.
"You know what? I think they might have a chance at beating her."
"Why is that?"
"The future has already been changed."
"Huh?" Sephiroth replied. He and Vincent walked towards the tree where Reno had slept.
"I did some studying. Each time Kali comes back and kills her, something changes subtly. This time, there have been drastic changes. Every other time, she has been forced to let Reno die. Kadaj never fell in love with Sachiko. They never even met, come to think of it. Pradipa was never there. And," Vincent smiled slightly, "Rude never fell in love with your daughter."
"He's what?" Sephiroth snapped.
"You didn't know?" Vincent asked in surprise. When Sephiroth shook his head, Vincent replied, "Oh, he's very much in love with her. In fact… I took a little glimpse at the future. I didn't see exactly whether it will happen or not, but in Wutai, they're going to sit outside and I think he might try to kiss her."
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NM: Tifa's dead! Yay! Sorry, I don't like her too much. And poor Rude, having to kill the woman he loves… well, loved longer. Yeah, I know, he's almost 50 years old in this fic and Kali's 15 but… I don't care. I'm just sick like that. And how about Sachiko's pregnancy? That's the only thing stopping Kali from being pregnant… I was gonna have Kal have her kid in the fic, but Sachiko wasn't going to so the timeframes would conflict and… yeah. Not that anyone cares… Reviews:
Sayahiei: Yeah, I think it's even more confusing to type her speech forward, but have the others hear it backwards. Have you remembered what you wanted to say? And I'm glad you enjoyed it.
Foamy: Aw, happy belated birthday! I'm glad you liked it, and I'm especially glad that I made your birthday a happy one.
Mediciner: I swear it's a rule that all English teachers do that… Keep practicing with the wings. Try looking at other peoples drawings for inspiration. Oh, I know. Go to deviantart and check out 'nellylover' and 'infernofoxx.' They draw really good chibi style, which will eventually help with realistic. Or you can study pics of birds. And to get Photoshop, I have some advice: Go to Best Buy and get a Wacom Tablet for the computer. I got mine for one hundred dollars plus tax, and it came with Photoshop Elements, Corel Paint, and another program (can't remember what), all of which are in the box and free (except the part where you pay for the tablet). Believe me, if you want to draw good pics on the comp, GET. A. WACOM. TABLET. It will make life SO much easier (mouse drawing/coloring is fucking hard and damn near impossible to begin with). Just like using a pen and paper, except you don't bend/lean over the paper.
Mike Chere: I'm glad you think this is so good. As for Kadaj being a terra elemental… I'm assuming you're talking about in FF7 (I don't know of terra elementals in the game, but then I don't pay attention to elements). I haven't gotten through the Ancient Forest, so I honestly don't know for sure, but I did look up a bestiary of the game and I never saw Kadaj's name. The Kadaj I'm talking about is the man in black with shoulder-length silver hair from Advent Children. Better? Like I said, I haven't gotten through the Forest, so I'm not one hundred percent sure and there could very well be a monster by that name. As for watching a bloody movie… That doesn't help me much. A friend already suggested it, and it didn't really help. But thanks for the advice. To be honest, I like to be able to write battles well, but at the same time I like to leave the battle moves up to the reader's imagination. Actually, I was going to have Vincent die even later on, but I made them go to Midgar too soon (in my opinion). And it's okay about liking violence and stuff like best friends killing each other; I like it too. I just can't write about it. To me, writing out a battle makes it seem too rehearsed and clichéd so to speak.
NM: Yay, 29 chapters and one hundred five reviews! Thanks people! Oh, and the pics should be done within a week or two (2 are completely done except color and ink, one's halfway, and I haven't started the other 2 yet). I'll let you know when they're up. Um… can't think of anything else, so…
REVIEW PLEASE!
Signed,
Master of the Physical and Mystical,
NINJA MAGE
