After a ridiculously long hiatus, I present to you the final chapter of Crimson Past. Please enjoy, and thank you thank you thank you for reading. It means to world to me.

Chapter 10: The Awakening

Asuma woke up to find his arms empty, and a bare spot next to him on the bed. He felt like cussing up a storm for allowing himself to imagine such a great night, until he noticed the little piece of paper lying on the empty pillow that still smelled like her hair.

Asuma,

Sorry to leave so early, but I had to meet my team for some morning training. If you're not busy maybe I'll see you later tonight.

- Kurenai

He fell back into the bed, a smile on his bearded face as he brought the simple note up to his eyes again. There were no hearts or words of endearment, but he would never expect something like that from her. The chance that she perhaps wanted to see him again tonight was enough. From her, such a half promise really meant something.

"Ino would love this," he said softly as he got out a cigarette and rolled out of bed. But he couldn't tell her, not until he was absolutely sure this was what Kurenai wanted. When he put the stick in his mouth, he swore he could still taste her lips.

-

Kurenai walked briskly through the town, enjoying the cool morning air on her skin. She had hurriedly changed out of Asuma's shirt and back into her clothes before scrawling her quick message and leaving it on the pillow. Then, on a whim, took his pack from the nightstand and shook out a cigarette. Only after she had her lips secured around it did she realize she didn't know where he kept his lighter, and didn't have one on her, and didn't even smoke, so she put it back, secured the top, leaned over to kiss his whiskered cheek, and made her way out of the apartment complex before the sun had fully risen. As much as she had loved being with Asuma, she wanted to get back home before too many people could guess where she was coming from.

She got into her apartment, closed the door, and spun around, kunai poised dangerously in front of her. Even though she had a good idea of who it was sitting in her darkened kitchen, until ten hours prior she hadn't been one to take any chances, and old habits die hard.

"And where were you all night, young lady?" A playful, unfazed voice called out to her. Kurenai relaxed her stance and tossed the kunai onto the coffee table.

"You could at least turn on a light if you're going to be sitting around my place this early," she said as she walked into the kitchen, flipping the switch for the overhead light. Anko grimaced as her pupils dialated too quickly and she shielded her eyes from the onslaught of light with her hand.

"I didn't want to waste your electricity."

"How long have you been here?" She asked, noticing the coffee cup on her right and the half-filled pot on the counter.

"Only about 20 minutes or so," she grinned as she watched Kurenai reaching into a cupboard, "I didn't think we'd both be doing the walk of shame."

"There was no walk of shame," her voice muffled as she spoke into the mostly empty cavern, her fingers grasping for the final mug banished to the back corner, "I just stayed the night at a friends."

"A tall, bearded, chain-smoking friend?" She asked, waggling her eyebrows up and down suggestively. Kurenai blushed as her fingers finally closed around the rim of the elusive mug.

"Yes, but not like that…" she smiled, her cheeks still tinged as she turned to face Anko, "We just, talked."

"You're coming home this late from 'just talking'?" Then, without warning she sprang up, grabbed Kurenai's shoulders and pulled her close until the were only centimeters apart, inhaling deeply.

"You've got man-smell all over you."

"What're you, an Inuzuka all of a sudden? Besides," she pulled back, "you probably just smell yourself."

Anko grinned, "No, I know what my men smell like. That was not one of my men. There was a touch of tobacco mixed with the manly musk. And you don't get that from 'just talking'."

"Fine, we kissed."

"And-"

"And cuddled.:

"And…" Anko drawled, waiting for the juicy part.

"And that's it."

"Man, Kurenai, that's lame…"

"Sorry my sex life isn't up to your standards-" she had started a little angrily until Anko cut her off by pulling her into a hug.

"Don't worry girl. I'm just so damn proud of you for putting yourself out there and taking a chance."

"Thanks Anko."

"But you will tell me the moment you guys do it, right?"

"…I have to get ready to meet my students."

"Oh come on!" She protested as Kurenai pushed her toward the door.

"Good-bye Anko, maybe I'll see you tonight at the bar." The assertive kunoichi visibly brightened up.

"Really?"

"Yeah, I think I deserve to have a little fun. See you later."

"You better not be lying to-" Kurenai shut the door, but they had both been smiling.

For now, though, she had to concentrate on her students. She would have to take a shower, Kiba would be able to pick up Asuma's scent on her before he even saw her, and then the floodgates would really open. She was surprised to find herself hesitating at the shower door, like she didn't want to wash away Asuma's lingering scent, laying gently on her like an invisible shield.

"Oh come on, you'll get another one," she promised herself before turning the water on, hanging up her kimono, and stepping in.

After drying off and slipping back into the simple kimono she caught sight of herself in the mirror, and actually took a step back, amazed to realize it was her reflection looking back at her. It was more like seeing a friend that had been missing for years. Her crimson eyes looked brighter, clearer, no longer haunted, her smile wasn't subdued, and she was filled with such a feeling of euphoria every muscle in her body quivered with the need to expel some energy. Yes, it was a glorious day to train.

She dressed quickly, not even bothering with make-up. There was really no need for it today, and for once she felt better without it.

As she neared the tree by the hill, their usual meeting place, she could already hear Akamaru barking excitedly. She had been surprised to find out how fond she'd become of that dog.

"Ohayo, minnasan!" She called out when she could see all three students and one puppy waiting patiently for her, well, all but the puppy, who was running around their legs, barking.

"Ohayo, Kurenai-sensei!" Kiba shouted back.

"Kurenai-sensei, you look beautiful!" Hinata breathed. She'd always thought her teacher was rather pretty, but today she looked exceptionally lovely. Shino nodded in agreement as Akamaru started running around her legs, yipping happily.

"Arigatou. I hope you're all ready for some intense training today."

"Hai!" they responded in unison, excited that their sensei was back to normal.

She worked them harder than she had all year, pushing them as far as she felt they were capable, and then a bit farther when they showed no signs of wanting to stop.

By the end of the day they were all out of breath, even Shino, as Kurenai stood above their slumped bodies and smiled. They'd worked so hard, normally she'd give them the next day off, but she knew that wasn't what they wanted.

"That's it for today. We'll meet tomorrow at 9 in the morning."

"Aw, why not earlier?" Kiba moaned as he stood, hands on his knees as he was still regaining his normal breathing pattern. His complaint probably would have shocked any other teacher, but Kurenai just smiled sweetly, her eyes shining in the late afternoon light.

"Because I said so."

"Fine," Kiba relented as he stood up and put his arms behind his head. As Kurenai turned she could hear him saying, "Hey Hinata, Shino, lets meet early anyways."

"Hai." came the sweet response before their sensei made her quick departure. She could only assume Shino had nodded stoically at the suggestion. God, she loved those kids.

By the time she got back to her place Anko was already there, dressed up for a night on the town.

"I wasn't gonna let you forget your promise. Come on, let's get you cleaned up," she said, pushing her into the bathroom before Kurenai could argue that she hadn't actually promised anything, but figured it was pointless to resist. Even covered in dirt and sweat the glow from that morning was still with her. As she took her second shower of the day she tried to think of which bar Asuma would be most likely to go to. She let the hot water pelt her fair skin as she remembered being held by him all night, waking up and seeing his face so beautifully close to hers, getting a full night's sleep for the first time in years…

BANG BANG BANG

"You drown in there or something?" Anko's voice carried through the wooden door and the barrage of water.

"Just finishing up!" she called back, rinsing her dark hair out one more time before twisting the handles back up.

When she walked out of the bathroom in her kimono, black hair untamed and still dripping, Anko couldn't help but stare.

"You could go out looking just like that, and every guy in the place would be lined up just to be near you."

"And I'm sure my wearing only a damp kimono would have nothing to do with it." She said as she toweled off the tips of her hair. But Anko wasn't listening. A quick glance up showed that she was no longer even in the room. She had run into Kurenai's bedroom and was rummaging through her sparse closet, grumbling that Genma had more clothes than she did, until her dark eyes landed on what she was looking for. The slinky red dress she had somehow convinced Kurenai to buy a few years ago. From the looks of it, she hadn't worn it since initially trying it on.

"This dress was fated for tonight," she said as she pulled it off the hanger and carried it proudly to Kurenai, draped over her outstretched arms like sacred ceremonial garb.

"Oh, where did you find this?" She asked, putting down her brush to finger the fine fabric.

"In the dark recesses in that excuse you call a closet. Now go dry your hair and put it on," she demanded. Kurenai nodded and carried the garment to her room, closing the door behind her.

Anko refreshed her makeup as she waited, and double-checked her quite revealing outfit. Mesh had always been her favorite means for clothing. It always seemed to get the job done, whatever job it may be.

But when Kurenai emerged from her room, she realized it didn't matter what she was wearing if she walked in next to the crimson eyes woman standing awkwardly in front of her.

"Oh my God," she breathed out, causing a worried look to come over Kurenai's face.

"I could always change clothes and wash some of this off-" she said as she turned back to her room, but Anko grabbed her wrist.

"No, you look amazing. God, I could walk in naked next to you, and still no one would look at me."

"Please don't." she said, knowing it wasn't wise to put anything past her friend. Anko grinned.

"Those boys are gonna go crazy when they see you! I'll have to be your body guard. Only guys I deem worthy will be allowed to bask in your beauty."

"Ugh, you sound like Gai. And who exactly do you deem worthy?"

"Guess you'll find out soon enough." She said as she ushered the kunoichi out the door.

-

If Konoha had traffic, Kurenai would have stopped it. The combined effects of the dress and her ethereal glow caused everyone they passed to just gaze at her. She quickly grew uncomfortable with the gaping looks, and began to think this was a really bad idea. By the time they reached the bar Anko had decided upon, she was sure this was a bad idea. After years of eluding any kind of romantic intricacies she had no right to wear a dress like this into a bar full of overworked, over hormonal shinobi, when she only wanted to really see one in particular.

"You'll be fine. I'll help you fend them off." Anko whispered, squeezing her arm reassuringly as she walking in ahead of her.

As she closely followed Anko's heels she was keenly aware of all the eyes on her. Most of them just gawked as she passed, a few let out low whistles, and a couple of brave souls got up and followed her to the bar stools Anko had brought them to.

"Hey Kurenai-san, can I get you a drink?" a young chuunin asked her, but before she could respond he was pushed aside.

"Outa the way short-stuff, I got this one. Hey Kurenai-san! You're looking hot! What're you drinking?" Now, where she would have had a hard time turning down a drink from the sweet faced shinobi whose name she didn't know, she had no qualms turning down Aoba.

"Thanks, but Anko and I just got here, I think I'll wait a little while before drinking." He looked a little crushed, but nodded, surprisingly able to read between the lines for once.

"Okay, maybe later then," he said as he got up and walked dejectedly back to his table. Aoba was a good guy, he just desperately needed to learn some tact.

A few more shinobi tried their luck, each one being kindly turned down. It was a almost like a game, a raffle. They knew she wouldn't have come here, dressed like that, if she didn't want attention from somebody. More than a few of the rejected boys floated over to Anko, who elevated their self-esteem a bit as she accepted their drink offers. It wasn't long before she was tipsy, and well on her way to being full blown smashed as Kurenai sipped her water, red eyes unconsciously searching the smoky room for one man in particular.

Even though she was nowhere near the entrance of the bar, she was the first thing he saw when he walked through the familiar doors. She seemed to shine, calling him to her. And, evidently, calling every other male to her as well.

He was almost nervous to approach her. Sure, they'd confessed their feelings the other night and shared a romantic kiss as well as his bed, but that was in the privacy of his own home, without scrutinizing eyes watching their every move. It was completely possible she didn't want anyone to know about their relationship.

But, on the other hand, she was here, she was gorgeous, and as far as anyone knew, she was single. He'd be a damn fool to pass up the opportunity to buy her a drink. Besides, it wouldn't be out of place to see them together. Even Kakashi had once commented that they seemed like a couple, they were together so much.

"HEY! Ashuma'sh here!" A very drunk Anko shouted shouted as she waved her arm wildly, causing her to fall back off her stool and be caught by the shinobi sitting next to her, who looked only too happy with the predicament. Kurenai had turned with the Anko's outburst, and he could have sworn his heart stopped. She was absolutely stunning. Everything about her radiated beauty. Did she know how good she looked? Did she have any idea how badly he wanted her? Their eyes locked, and to his great relief she smiled invitingly. He could feel the eyes on his back as he strode up and sat next to the goddess at the bar.

"Hey, you're looking nice. New dress?" He asked as he motioned for the tender to bring him a beer, casual as always.

"Actually, no, I've had it for awhile, just, never got any use out of it."

"Well, looks good on you."

"Thanks, you're not looking too bad yourself."

"Eh, I do what I can to please the masses," he said, pulling out a fresh cigarette and lighting the tip, "You drinking tonight?"

"Not as of yet," she said, a smile playing on her painted lips.

Before Asuma could offer to get her anything, they heard a very slurred, "Joo wanna take me home, Big Boy?" from Kurenai's right. Anko was in the arms of a chuunin who couldn't have been more than 19, and looked far too eager to comply with her suggestion for Kurenai's comfort. She threw one look at Asuma, who nodded and said, "I'm on it."

"Hey Ashuma, you dun hafta do worry bout me." Anko drunkenly protested as he took her from the younger man and situated her onto his back.

"I always worry about you, Anko-chan," he countered as he began walking out of the bar with Kurenai trailing behind them.

Her arms dangled on either side of his neck, her head lying heavily on his shoulder as she squinted her eyes in an attempt to focus on the passing scenery.

"Where're we goin?"

"Hm, good question," he said, looking over at Kurenai.

"Lets get her back to my place. It's closer, and I don't really trust letting her be alone right now."

Asuma noddedand began on the familiar route toward Kurenai's. Within a few minutes they could hear the soft, drunken snores of the sleeping Anko.

Kurenai was a bit surprised to realize that after all the times Asuma had been by her place, he'd never once been to her bedroom. Not that there was much to see; a double bed, closet, dresser with a mirror, hairbrush, and framed photo of her team, which stood out proudly as her prized possession. Asuma carefully set Anko down onto the bed, then excused himself so Kurenai could change her into some of her sleepwear. After getting her dressed (with no help from Anko, she was out cold) she got her under the covers and maternally brushed the indigo hair out of her face before leaving the room.

"I'm really sorry about making you leave the bar right after you got there. You can go back if you want."

"Do you want me to leave?" He asked very openly, not demanding anything from her. She almost gave her normal, nonchalant response she'd been using for years, but thought back on all the times she had wished she'd asked him to stay just a little bit longer.

"No," she said honestly, feeling vulnerable as her cheeks grew warm. Asuma smiled.

"Then I'll stay. Besides, I've heard all their stories before. And, the truth is, that was the fourth place I went to trying to find you." His eyes lingered over her body a moment, fully taking in her figure in that dress. He ran his right hand down the back of his head to the nape of his neck as he grinned, "Damn, Kakashi's gonna be pissed he missed seeing you like this."

"Like what?"

"Don't tell me you didn't notice that every guy in that bar wanted you." Her face reddened again as he continued, "You're at a whole other level of beautiful."

Beautiful. For some reason, when he said that word to her she got goosebumps. It was so much more powerful then either 'hot' or 'sexy,' and in his voice it was enough to make her shiver with a sense of anticipation. She was suddenly very sad Anko was currently taking up her bed.

"Is she asleep?" He asked, nodding toward the closed door. Kurenai nodded, wondering if he had been thinking along the same lines she had.

"Think it'd disturb her if we played some music?" She shook her head, a small smile gracing her still flushed face.

"We could throw an Inuzuka party and she'd stay asleep," she assured.

"Okay, do you mind if I?" he asked, jerking his thumb toward her humble collection of music.

"Go ahead, I'll go fix us some drinks," she said as she headed for the kitchen. Although she generally lived with the bare minimum, she was always fully stocked with sake. While she was by no means a drunk, it couldn't be said that she didn't enjoy the occasional drink. Or nightly drink, as it was.

As she brought their sake into the living room a familiar melody drifted softly out of the speakers. It was her song, their song. She remembered being held by comfortably large hands, the way he had nervously looked around before accepting her request, and then didn't hold her too close.

Seven years later he was the one to extend his hand to her, no longer nervous or uncertain, and held her as close as he could with those same, comfortably large hands.

All her inhibitions were wafting away with the song, and she could feel herself falling deeper into her previously tentative state of happiness. And while the thought of love still frightened her a bit, she was not closed off to the idea.

"Kurenai?"

"Yes?"

"Are you comfortable?" She lifted her head from its resting spot on his chest to give him a slightly confused look.

"right now?"

"Well, yeah, right now, and, if we were to go out later, and I was to put my arm around you, and maybe lean in a little bit…" he drawled as he lowered his head closer to hers, "Would you be comfortable with that?"

This was something altogether new to her. For most of her life she had been 'untouchable' for one reason or another. She'd never really been asked for consent for someone to be close to her.

Her hesitation made him inwardly nervous. Had he overstepped his boundaries? Was he rushing things? Was it too late to take it back?

"I think I will be," he heard her say softly.

"I'll only go as far as you want me to, Kurenai." Even though he had fallen in love with her, he was first and foremost her friend, "I just want to see you happy."

In an act of boldness she reached her hands up, cupping the base of his head and pulling his face close to hers.

"You make me happy." She said before kissing him sweetly. They stood there and kissed, then moved to the couch and kissed, getting a little more physical than before, though nothing to write to Jiraiya about.

"So," he asked as he held her to his bare chest, the more cumbersome clothing articles removed and lying in a pile on the floor, "when do we tell our students?" Kurenai thought about it for a moment, snuggling closer to him.

"10 minutes before we tell Kakashi," she figured the embarrassment level would probably be the same, though they'd get more ribbing and blush-inducing comments from their masked comrade.

"I'm gonna confess, I'm a little anxious about your team finding out about us."

"What? Why?"

"They may not think I'm good enough for their sensei. Those kids think the world of you, and I get the feeling Kiba's a bit on the 'over-protective' side, as well as Shino, if the situation calls for it." Kurenai smiled, unapologetically proud of her students and their ability to make a would-be suitor nervous.

"I'm sure they won't care, so long as our relationship doesn't get in the way of their training. And what about your team?"

"Are you kidding? Ino's been hounding me to ask you out since she saw us walking together once and decided I 'desperately need a woman in my life.' And Chouji and Shikamaru would love for you to distract me from their training. My team's been all but waiting for this."

"So this," she pointed from her to him, "is not a new development in your mind?"

"Honestly?" Asuma went slightly pink in the cheeks, a look not commonly found on him, "I've had a crush on you since the academy." Her crimson eyes went wide, that was over 20 years ago! "And," he continued, "as time went on it never diminished, just kind of laid dormant, since there was absolutely no way I could even approach you. So now," he brushed a wave of hair off her shoulder, causing goosebumps to run down her arm, "this moment is literally a dream come true."

She'd never in her wildest notions think someone had been pining for her all those years. But as she through back, it made sense. He had always been there for her, through big and small, and she knew there would never come a time when she couldn't count on him.

"Sorry I had to keep you waiting for so long," she murmured while burying her face in his shoulder.

"Don't be, you're worth the wait. As long as it takes," he said, enclosing her in a comforting bear hug. How had she lived for so long without this kind of interaction, without this feeling of pure, unequivocal bliss?

"Stay with me tonight." Whether it was a question or a demand, he couldn't tell, but he readily conceded. They slept embraced on the couch, waking up when the suns rays streamed through the partially opened window blinds.

They lied entwined with each other for several minutes, comparing heartbeats, until they heard a pitiful moan come from the bedroom.

"Damn, I forgot she was here…" Asuma said with an air of disappointment in his voice, releasing his hold on Kurenai.

"A best friend's duty," she explained with an apologetic smile, knowing she more than owed it to Ankoto take care of her in her time of need. Without her pestering, the past two nights might have never happened. In fact, without Anko in her life, there was a good chance she wouldn't even be there right then.

She got up and slipped on Asuma's shirt before going into the kitchen to fix a pot of coffee. However, upon opening the can of coffee grounds she let out a low curse.

"What's wrong?" he asked, standing up and fetching his pants from the other side of the room.

"That Anko, there's barely enough for two cups here." Asuma pulled his pants on and padded into the kitchen, wrapping his strong arms around Kurenai.

"Don't worry about it. I should get going anyway, I think I told Shikaku I'd work with Shikamaru today. Besides," another moan came from the bedroom, "I think she might need more coffee than we have in this village."

"Yeah, she's never been good on limiting herself…"

"Everybody's gotta learn sometime."

"Mmm. I'll see you later then?" She asked, craning her neck to see him out of the corner of her eye. He smiled and kissed her cheek.

"Sure thing." He took his arms from around her wais and went back to the living room to collect his things. "I'll probably be in the lounge most of the day. Damn paperwork," he grumbled as he found his belt and Kurenai started up her simple coffee maker before joining him in the living room.

"You know," she said, stopping him as he was half out the door, "I think the village might figure out there's a little something more between us before we get the chance to tell them."

"And it's about DAMN time!" They looked across the street to Genma grinning, ever present senbon dangling from his lips. At the same time the most pathetic of all whimpers came from the bedroom. Without saying anything the couple nodded to each other and separated, each going to deal with a member of the special jounin force.

Kurenai filled a glass of water, sought out some aspirin, and walked into her bedroom. Anko looked as pitiful as she sounded, clutching her head while her legs were tucked up in the fetal position, all the blankets kicked off, with her pajama's askew.

"Come on kiddo," Kurenai said softly, coaxing her to sit up and take the medicine. Eventually she complied, downing the water and pills, then falling miserably back onto the bed.

"Gad, what did I drink last night?" She asked, still rubbing her temples.

"I think a little bit of everything. But, I think a little more than half the bar is in love with you now."

"No no," she sat up again, "I'm not so gone that I don't remember what a knockout you were last night. Waiting around for mister Righ- Oh my GOD!"

"What? Are you ok?"

"Oh man, I ruined your romantic evening, didn't I?" Anko asked, hands over her face as she fell back onto the bed again. "Damn it, Asuma didn't even get to see how hot you were!"

"Easy Anko, Asuma showed up, you were the one who called him over to us."

"I was?"

"Yes. And he's the one that brought you back here, rather than let you be molested by barely legal chuunins."

"Hm, that other part could have been fun. So wait, he brought me back here, then, left?"

Kurenai blushed a little, "Not until about ten minutes ago."

Anko sat straight up, all signs of a hangover forgotten as she stared openly at the kunoichi sitting on the edge of the bed, and for the first time realized the shirt she was wearing was about five sizes too big.

"Please don't tell me you did it while I was passed out cold." She groaned, "That's so unfair! A monumentous event happens just yards away, and I wasn't even conscious for it!"

"Anko! Are were you expecting to look in on us or something?"

"Well, no, but if I'm around I'd like to at least hear something." By now Kurenai's face was almost entirely red.

"Well, regardless, nothing like that happened."

"But you said I didn't ruin your romantic evening!"

"Evidently you and I have vastly different perceptions of 'romance'."

"Hey, I know what 'romance' is, I just expect a good romp to follow it." She crawled over to sit next to her friend. "So, what utterly romantic event took place while I was sleeping like a drunken baby?" Kurenai dropped her head, her eyes focused on her hands playing absently with a frayed string from the bottom of Asuma's shirt.

"It's not just any one thing he did. He just, I don't know, makes me feel good."

"Ok, you say that, and I can only get dirty visuals in my head of what guys do to me to make me feel good…" Anko said honestly, causing Kurenai's blush to flare up again.

"Fine, we danced, we drank, we kissed, we kissed a lot, and I fell asleep in his arms. He held me all night, so I wouldn't fall off the couch."

Anko nudged her shoulder against Kurenai's.

"That, is pretty damn romantic."

-Epilogue-

By noon that day pretty much everyone in the village knew about Kurenai and Asuma's tryst due to the combined efforts of Genma, Anko, a few random passerbys, and Asuma 'accidentally' letting it slip to his team why he was late to training (turned out he had not only promised Shikaku, but the other original members of InoShikaCho that he'd hold an extra practice with their kids), and within the week they were recognized as an official couple, thus ending the dreams of a handful of Shinobi who once again missed their slim chance with the sable haired kunoichi. Kiba jokingly (or, perhaps not so jokingly) threatened Asuma that if he ever hurt his sensei, he'd be after him with full Inuzuka force. Ino and Hinata giggled and fawned over their sensei's new relationship, and Shino, Shikamaru, and Chouji were quite impassive about the whole thing, although Chouji did manage out a "Congratulations" between mouthfuls.

At their one month anniversary, after everyone had gotten used to them being an item and they were no longer the "hot couple" (Kotetsu and Izumo had finally gotten together, and the fangirls rejoiced), Kurenai woke up one morning, and looking into the sleeping face of the man she loved, realized she was living the life she had always dreamed of. And as she looked at her team photo after kissing his surprisingly soft lips, she couldn't imagine life getting any better than this, but deep in her heart knew that it would.

A/N: Wow, I finished something. I actually finished a story. This is incredible.

About the story, I truly hope you enjoyed it. It's now my shining glory, as my one complex, finished piece. Please please review, let me know how it was, what you liked, all that jazz. Any feedback is much appreciated.

And a special thank you goes out to Dragonzair, for being there through the whole thing. If not for her fabulous persistence, I may never have finished. She rocks so hardcore.

And many thanks to all who have reviewed up to this point, I love all of you. I truly do.