A TALE FROM THE PAST
by Kittymui
CHAPTER XX
'I'm so bo-ored...' he yawned inaudibly. Reluctantly, he lifted his heavy eyelids and blinked several times to adapt to the bright sunlight.
With a cocked eyebrow, he let his gold-amber orbs fall to the ground below him. Through the branches and leaves, he could see some human children gathering around the tree and whispering things to each other.
"Hey...do you think it's safe to play out here?"
"Geez, what are you so afraid of? You know that monster only moves at night."
"That's true...but still...we might bump into his resting place or something, or worse, we could be right under his nose right now..."
'You got that right.' he thought amused. A smirk formed on his lips as he saw them trying to look up, but averted their gazes to protect them from the sun.
"Don't be silly! If the monster were here, it should have attacked us right now."
"Hmm...I guess you're right."
"All right! Let's play then! What do you want to do?"
"Uhm...how about hide-and-seek?"
"Okay! You're it!"
An uninterested expression appeared on the hanyou's face again as he listened to the kid's countdown. It somehow reminded him of how many days had passed since he was stationed here.
In the beginning, the pestering of travelers and villagers at night was actually quite entertaining, but as time passed, the humans began to expect him and the fun of surprising them wore off. Nevertheless, they were still scared of him and since he wasn't here merely to 'have fun' it was all that mattered.
He just wished the guardian would arrive soon.
FLASHBACK
"So...how does this 'guardian' look like?" he asked his brother, who was walking beside him.
"Her name is Sango, you would probably recognize her by the huge bone boomerang, which she carries behind her back," Sesshoumaru replied. "If you meant her facial features, I can only recall her dark brown eyes and long black hair, tied in a high ponytail."
A hush fell between them as they looked at the forest beyond the gates of the fortress.
"Aniue..." he began. "...do you think the plan will work?"
"I don't think...I know it will work," the dog demon replied dully. "If you succeed in not getting yourself caught before the guardian arrives, that is.
He smirked. "That wouldn't be a problem. I just hope I wouldn't have to wait too long for her. It's not like we have a lot of time left until autumn."
"Don't let the fun drive away your duty," Sesshoumaru grumbled with a frown.
"Don't worry, I won't lay a finger on the villagers," he assured him. "I guess I'll go now."
Just when he had passed the gate, his brother's voice called out to him.
"Inuyasha."
The hanyou looked over his shoulder to the tall dog demon.
"Don't dishonor us."
A smirk formed on his young features. "I won't."
END FLASHBACK
There he was, lying lazily on one of the highest branches of an old tree. He had been waiting for more than a week now and there was still no sign of the guardian. From his current position, he had a perfect view of the village, but so far, he had only seen monks and priests.
He snorted inwardly as he recalled a certain group of monks that decided to lend the villagers a hand several days ago. After he had made an appearance before them at night, they were convinced that he was the restless spirit of a deceased demonic child. Without time to lose, they immediately prepared and carried out one of their rituals at the same night, which, of course, didn't have a single effect on him.
He did feel a bit guilty when he saw the disappointment on their faces as they realized the ritual didn't work, but the feeling vanished as soon as he thought of it being part of a more important mission. After all, he was only aiming for a happy family reunion; it wasn't like he had harmed anyone to reach that goal.
Sudden movements and busy voices coming from the village made him snap out of his thoughts and the laziness on his face made way for a dead-serious expression. He jumped up to stand on the branch and concentrated on what was being said.
"You must have traveled a long way." He heard someone say. It was the voice of the village chief. A crowd appeared from behind a house and moved into the small open area at the center of the village.
Inuyasha narrowed his eyes. There was someone at the center of the mass of people but a lot of heads were blocking the sight of the face. The talking and whispering camouflaged the voice of the stranger, but suddenly he caught a sentence from an old villager.
"Please help us Sango-sama."
At the same time, some of the villagers' heads moved aside, which gave him a perfect view of the person who stood next to the village chief. It turned out to be a woman.
Excitement shot through his body as he took a good look at her. Huge bone boomerang...black ponytail...brown eyes. 'It's her! The plan worked! The guardian is here!' he concluded wide-eyed. Apparently, the taijiya was quite well-known among the villagers since they attached the '-sama' suffix to her name.
This, together with the thought that she had been protecting his sister for the past ten years stirred a strong admiration inside him. His lips formed a grin as he pulled a hooded black robe from his long red sleeve. 'Well then guardian...' He swung the attire around his shoulders and pulled the hood over his silvery white hair and dog ears. '...let's see if you're really that strong as the villagers say you are.'
'If you are forced to move by day, use the robe mother gave you.' he remembered Sesshoumaru's words. 'If not, move by night.'
'I can't wait until nightfall, aniue,' he apologized inwardly to his brother and tied up the sash of the hood around his neck.
He set off with his bare feet and leaped from branch to branch in the direction of the village. The final jump brought him to the wooden roof of one of the houses and within seconds, one of the villagers noticed his presence.
"Woah! D-demon...it's the demon child...o-on the roof of the chief's house!"
Everybody turned their attention to him. With the horrified expression on their faces, Inuyasha really began to feel like he was evil and he folded his arms together. "Fear me humans! I'm no spirit of a dead demon! I can harass this village by day as well!" he cried, trying to sound like an authentic wicked being.
A villager turned to the taijiya and pleaded while pointing at Inuyasha. "S-Sango-sama! That's the demon! P-please help us!"
'Time to go now.' Inuyasha thought and made a high jump into the air towards the trees again. "Catch me if you can!" he yelled before disappearing into the green.
As soon as he landed on the ground, he darted through the trees, deeper into the forest. 'Can you catch up with me guardian?' he asked inwardly.
"Hiraikotsu!"
His dog ears twitched at the cry that sounded from behind him and he peeked over his shoulder. His eyes widened at the large boomerang that was pursuing him. With its great speed, it was leaving a deep trail behind in the earth as it flew vertically into his direction.
He widened his eyes as he saw the drastic decrease in the distance between them. 'It's fast!' Just when it was about to hit him, he quickly made a somersault in the air and successfully dodged the boomerang. When he set foot on the ground again, he found the taijiya standing right in front of him, holding the boomerang behind her back.
'She's good.' he smirked inwardly.
"Tell me demon, why are you attacking the village?" she demanded.
"For your information, I wasn't attacking the village. I was just scaring the villagers," Inuyasha argued as he straightened his black robe. "And I have a pretty good reason to do it too."
The taijiya narrowed her eyes. "What reason?"
"To lure you out of the crowd."
Inuyasha noticed her widened eyes and knew what she was thinking. "Don't worry about the villagers, they're fine," he told her. "I came alone."
"Why should I trust a demon?" she snarled and turned around.
Inuyasha knew she was about to dash back to the villagers again if he didn't say anything soon and he quickly parted his lips again. "Guardian!" he cried.
The taijiya froze in her movements and slowly turned to him again. "H-how did you-"
"I've come to deliver a message," he said and pulled back the hood that was hiding his features.
.-.-.-.
To say that Kagome was surprised to find Bankotsu's lips pressed against hers, was truly an understatement. Her widened eyes never left his hazy ones as they floated in the middle of the dark water tunnel. The lack of air inside her body was making her more nervous by the second and the sudden 'kiss' had only made it worse.
Through the perplexity, she suddenly felt Bankotsu's lips move apart. When a bit of air entering her mouth through their joined lips, she finally understood what he was trying to do and carefully parted her lips as well. With an additional portion of oxygen entering her breathing system, her body seemed to have calmed down again.
As soon as she stopped trembling, Bankotsu quickly pulled away and took hold of her hand again. When he placed her hand on one of his shoulders and turned around, Kagome knew he was telling her to hold onto him from behind and quickly wrapped her other arm around his neck as well.
After making sure she wouldn't fall off, Bankotsu began to swim again. He quickened his pace and started swimming using both arms with Kagome on his back.
In the meantime, Kagome kept thinking about what happened seconds ago. 'Don't get any silly thoughts Kagome...he only did it to save you...' she told herself as she desperately tried to ignore the feeling that still lingered on her lips.
Her train of thoughts crashed when they suddenly broke through the water surface.
Both Bankotsu and Kagome inhaled deeply to fill their lungs with fresh air, while creating some breathing distance between them.
"You okay?" he asked her as he wiped the water from his face.
"I-I guess," she coughed lightly. After squeezing most part of the water out of her eyes, Kagome was finally able to look around.
Her lips formed an inaudible 'wow' when she looked at the size of the place they were in.
It turned out to be a cavern, but strangely enough, it wasn't as dark as she thought it would be. The walls refracted light from an unknown direction, which ended up illuminating the entire hollow.
"Amazing huh?" Bankotsu's voice echoed in the cavern.
"Yeah, I never thought were would be a cavern inside the mountain," she responded.
"But we aren't there yet," he added with a smile. He swam to the edge and got out of the water.
Kagome, curious as always, followed suit.
At first, she had expected to shiver as soon as she left the water, but to her surprise, the air was warmer than she thought.
"Surprisingly warm, isn't it? I think it's because of the humidity," the assassin reasoned as he wrung out the water from his white outfit. He waited until Kagome had finished doing the same with her yukata and offered her his hand.
She took it with pleasure and the two of them started walking away from the water.
It was a pretty long cavern and while they strode over the stone floor, Kagome couldn't help but feel relieved that she had decided to wear a thicker yukata today. Had she worn something less opaque, the water would surely have exposed some curves of her body, which she'd rather have kept hidden. Even though Bankotsu was blind, she wasn't quite used to walking around half-naked.
Curiously, her eyes drifted sideward to peek at the assassin. Although his attire was just as opaque as hers, they seemed to be clinging more firmly to his body than her yukata. His haori was perfectly aligned with his chest, revealing the contours of his torso.
A deep blush colored her cheeks when she noticed the firmness of his muscles and darted her eyes back to the path, only to realize that they were slowly entering a tunnel that's taking a small turn to the left.
After taking the turn, she was forced to shield her eyes from the bright light that shone into their direction. When she was finally able to see again, she found herself facing the exit of the tunnel. From the amount of light that entered though it, she concluded that it leaded to an open area, where the sun could reach them. It would also explain why it wasn't pitch black inside the hollow.
A couple of steps later, they finally left the humid tunnel and, just like Kagome predicted, they entered a small circular area. It was surrounded by dark-gray walls and an opening in the ceiling with the same size as the area allowed the sun to fill the place with light. Because of this, all sorts of plants and flowers were able to grow in the cracks in the stone.
"Kagome?" Bankotsu suddenly called to her.
Kagome turned to him. "Hm?"
"How is it?"
"It's very nice," she smiled. "Too bad you can't see it."
The assassin returned a smile. "You're my pair of eyes remember? Can't you describe what you see?"
Kagome blushed. "Uhm...well...it's mainly stone, but there are quite a number of plants and flowers filling the cracks in the walls and floor. From the diversity, I think this place has existed for quite some time now," she explained. "There's also a shallow pond in the middle of the place, which is probably created by the heavy downpour back then, but I'm surprised it hasn't dried up yet under the direct sun. The sunlight is glistening on the water surface just like little fireflies in the middle of the day."
"Probably because of its nearness to the creek," Bankotsu reasoned aloud.
"Probably," she nodded. "How was my description? Can you picture the place in your mind?"
Bankotsu turned to face her. "It's heavenly...thank you," he smiled warmly.
The smile on his face made Kagome blush. "Y-you're welcome." As she said that, she dropped her gaze to their joined hands.
"...and I'm sorry..." he added.
Kagome gazed up at him again. "For what?"
"Back there...in the tunnel under water...I didn't mean to startle you."
The image of Bankotsu pressing his lips against hers appeared in Kagome's mind and she started to blush like a tomato. "I-it's okay...you did it to save me...right? I would probably have drowned if you hadn't k-"
She was just about to say 'kiss', but halted herself just in time. Fortunately her voice faltered at the end, which made it less noticeable that there were still words following.
That moment, a breeze got intercepted by the tall walls and entered the small area. As it brushed pass Kagome, the wetness of her clothes made it seem like an arctic wind and she shivered.
When another icy breath came, she stepped closer to Bankotsu for protection, hoping that the winds would die down soon.
To her surprise, Bankotsu suddenly placed himself in front of her and embraced her.
"Forgive me," he said as he refrained himself from holding her too close. "I just thought you might need some protection against the cold wind."
Kagome smiled at his thoughtfulness. "Thank you."
"You're trembling again," he said. "Do you want to go back into the cavern?"
She shook her head in his chest. "I want to stay like this for a little while longer..." she murmured as she snuggled closer.
The funny feeling in her stomach rose when Bankotsu wrapped his arms around her more tightly and she had to suppress herself from giggling.
His body was surprisingly warm compared to hers and soon, she realized that her shivering had stopped.
"Actually," the assassin suddenly began after a while. "there is another reason why I decided to bring you here."
Kagome pulled away again to look at him.
Bankotsu hesitated but ultimately parted his lips again. "I have been thinking about what you said some time ago, about what you felt when I left that day." He took a deep breath. "I want you to know that I felt the same too," he confessed. "The thought of you not being by my side left a deep sadness inside of me and it felt as though someone had ripped out my heart. That's what made me stay that day. I waited for you. I wanted you to tell me that you wanted me to stay...and you came..."
"Why..." Kagome interrupted. "Why did you leave if you wanted to stay?"
Bankotsu dropped his face. "I'm an assassin. Countless people have died by my hands. Even if part of me wanted to live a normal life, I couldn't possibly wish for someone to appear who would forgive and love the killer inside me." A small smile formed on his lips as he moved his hand from her waist to search for her face.
Kagome saw that and brought his warm hand to her cheek.
"And then you appeared..." he continued and caressed her soft cheek. "The thought of living a normal life with you did cross my mind once, but that was until I nearly got you killed. Your sister was right. I am a dangerous person and being with you will only get you injured. It pains me to see you hurt when you're with me, but..." He swallowed hard. "...it pains me even more when you're not here by my side."
Bankotsu didn't know what to say anymore after that. The various emotions that rushed through his mind made him wonder what kind of face he was showing the girl that moment. If only he could see her reaction right now.
Her hands, tightly clasped onto his damp haori, suddenly pulled at the fabric and forced him to bent forward with his head.
Bankotsu, whose vision was completely black, was oblivious to what Kagome was trying to do until a pair of soft lips suddenly touched his.
His eyes widened as he realized that Kagome was kissing him. 'Kagome...' he thought as his heart began to beat faster than usual. Slowly, he closed his eyes and leaned down to kiss her back while wrapping his arms around her body.
.-.-.-.
"Who are you and how do you know I'm a guardian?"
Inuyasha pulled out the remaining strands of hair from beneath his black robe. "I guess I can't blame you for not recognizing me," he sighed. "I was still a baby when you guided aneue out of the fortress."
The taijiya gave him a skeptical look but it didn't last very long. Her eyes became wide and her jaw almost dropped when realizations struck her. "I-Inuyasha-sama?" she gasped.
"Shhhh!" he shushed her with a finger before his lips.
Sango quickly covered her mouth. "Forgive me," she said with a lower volume. "But...why are you here, outside the fortress?"
"Like I said, I came to deliver a message," he replied as he took out a rectangular paper envelop with two characters forming the name 'Sango' written on it. "Here."
He handed the letter over to the guardian. "My mission was to cause havoc around the village and stay low profile until you arrive," he told her. "This letter was given to me by my brother and it's for your eyes only so I don't really know what's written inside. However, you must let aneue know about this okay?"
"Kagome?" Sango raised a brow. "Is she being called back to the fortress? Can she finally go back?"
"Yes and no," Inuyasha replied sadly, which only created more question marks on the taijiya's face. "It is indeed about summoning back aneue but it's only for a short reunion. You'll know what I'm talking about once you've read the letter."
He pulled the hood back over his head and turned around. "I guess I'm done with my part. I'm counting on you from here on," he said. "Please say hi to aneue for me. Tell her I'll be waiting at the fortress, together with aniue, chichi-ue and haha-ue."
"Wai-" Sango called but when she looked up from the paper envelope in her hand, the hanyou had already disappeared, leaving only a small movements in the grass behind.
.-.-.-.
A small breeze blew pass them again, but to Kagome and Bankotsu, it didn't feel chilly at all. After a while, their lips parted again due to the lack of air. Dreamily, she buried her head in his chest and he responded by drawing her closer and leaning his head against hers.
Seconds went by with the two silently sinking into their own thoughts.
Two different world and secrets that cannot be disclosed to one another, but they didn't care. From this moment on, they had sealed something between them, a promise. One that could travel across centuries...probably.
"Can you not stay?" Kagome broke the silence. "I don't want any more blood staining your hands."
Bankotsu's eyes hardened as he pulled back a little to face her. "I can't...I'm sorry."
"Why?" she asked, not wanting to lose all hope.
"It's complicated...but there's still a mission that I have to accomplish no matter what," he replied, hoping that Kagome would accept it as an adequate answer.
Kagome's face saddened. "It's going to be dangerous...isn't it?"
"Probably..." he said. "But I'm not going to die."
"How can you be so sure of that?" she frowned.
He took hold of her hand and squeezed it gently. "All these years, and even after becoming an assassin, I've never feared death," he told her. "But now, I do. Do you know why?"
Kagome remained silent.
"Because if I do," he continued. "I'll never be able to find out how you look like. You're my reason to live Kagome, that's why I won't allow myself to die."
"But you're going to leave for the mission once you have regained your sight, right?" she argued. "Then your reason to survive wouldn't-"
Bankotsu interrupted her by placing his other hand on her cheek. "I will leave eventually," he said. "...but once I've completed the mission...I will come back for you."
Kagome blinked in puzzlement. "What are you saying?"
"I'm saying that I will quite being an assassin," he explained as he placed his forehead against hers. "I want to spend the rest of my life with you Kagome. Will you...allow this sinner to protect you for the rest of your life?"
Kagome's eyes widened and at the same time she desperately tried to find deceit in his hazy eyes, which she couldn't. Tears began to sting her eyes, as she understood the meaning behind his words.
When Bankotsu heard her sob, he quickly pulled back. Had he scared her with his words? Was it too soon? Didn't she feel for him as much as he felt for her? If she did...why was she crying?
The questions that filled his mind suddenly faded away when Kagome flung her arms around his neck and hugged him.
"Y-you'll come back...won't you?" she sniffed.
"Yes."
"Really? You promise?"
Bankotsu hugged her close and placed his head on her shoulder. "I promise."
.-.-.-. that evening .-.-.-.
"Kagome!"
Kagome snapped back into reality when she heard her name being called and raised her gaze. Her guardian was standing in front of their small house and it looked like she was waiting for her on purpose.
"S-Sango!" she gasped surprised. Almost instantly, she separated her hand from Bankotsu's as unnoticeable as possible and ran to the taijiya's side.
"What happened to you? You're soaked!" Sango cried worriedly as she darted her eyes from Kagome to Bankotsu. "And Bankotsu's soaked as well!"
"W-we just fell into the creek while taking a walk! It's nothing...really!" Kagome sweatdropped, trying to suppress a deep blush. "H-how about you? Did you manage to kill the demon?"
"Now that you ask...I'm exhausted and there's this terrible stain on my outfit. I had considered going to the creek to wash it myself, but on second thought, you might be the best person to do it since you've managed to get rid of every single stain until now," she told her.
Kagome took a quick glance at Bankotsu, who had tensed up a little just like her and turned back to Sango. "I-I'm glad you waited for me to wash it. You know that you're definitely not the type for washing or cleaning stuff," she smiled awkwardly. Actually, she couldn't be more relieved. Had her guardian gone to the creek earlier, she would most likely have bumped onto her and Bankotsu, plastered against each other next to the creek. Not that it would lead to a death sentence, but with an overprotective guardian like Sango, she would definitely hold a heavy trail against her and Bankotsu for the rest of the evening and probably the entire night.
"Well then, if you have a minute, I'll be right back with the soap and brush," she decided and quickly dashed inside, leaving the taijiya and the assassin behind.
"I guess you two won't be needing my presence at the creek, so I'll just take a nap inside until you two return," Bankotsu excused himself and followed Kagome into the house.
As soon as he entered, he closed the door behind him and turned to Kagome, who was searching for the soap. "That was scary, wasn't it?" he whispered.
"Shh, she might hear us in here!" she shushed him.
"Do you want to keep this from her forever?" he asked with a raised brow.
Kagome paused for a moment. "No of course not. It's just...now it's not the time...that's all..." she whispered back. "She's too-"
Bankotsu chuckled. "I know...sensitive...right?"
"It's not funny! I was really sca-"
Her voice got cut off when he suddenly hugged her from behind. "Now you are raising your voice," he breathed in her ear.
Kagome relaxed in his embrace and placed a hand on his arm. "I'm sorry...I really want to tell her, but I can't. Not right now," she told him.
"I know Kagome. Just take your time, okay?" he said with a gentle voice.
"Thank you," she smiled. "But I need to go now or Sango will get suspicious."
He opened his embrace and let her go. "Be careful okay?" he said protectively. "If something goes wrong. Call out for me, I'll come running."
Before Kagome opened the door to leave, she turned over her shoulder to Bankotsu. "I know you will," she said happily and left the house.
.-.-.
Upon arriving at the creek, Kagome cheerfully made her way to the water with a bucket in her hands, containing a bottle of soap and a brush. "All right! Show me the stain and I'll get rid of it in a minute!" she said confidently.
When no response was given, she turned around, only to find the taijiya approaching her with a serious expression on her face.
"There is something I need to tell you," Sango said as she stopped in front of her and pulled out a paper envelope from underneath her black garb.
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Pfew...I managed to post this chapter before the weekend ends. Things are getting really hectic from tomorrow on, because I've only got two weeks to write a nice report to conclude my research project. That can only mean one thing...I won't be able to update within a short time (i.e. 10 days). I'll try to post the next chapter before I go on holiday, but I can't promise anything, sorry! Hope you liked the chapter though!
Greets,
Kittymui
.-.-.-.
'Italic': thoughts
"...": spoken words
.-.-.-.-.: time gap
-CAPSLOCKED WORDS-: noises
.-.-.-.
Next chapter: Chapter XXI
.-.-.
I guess I won't have to tell you what's going to happen in the next chapter. But...in case you're wondering :), Sango's going to tell Kagome about her encounter with Inuyasha and then about the content of the letter that Sesshoumaru wrote. Kagome's going to tell Bankotsu about this too (of course without revealing her true identity) and Bankotsu will say that he'll wait for her...
.-.-.
Vocabulary:
Hiraikotsu: the large bone boomerang that Sango carries around.
aniue, aneue, chichi-ue, haha-ue: a very respectful way to refer to your
brother, sister, father and mother respectively.
hanyou: half demon (mix blood)
-sama: a suffix added to someone's name who you respect very much
yukata: a traditional Japanese outfit worn by women during summer
haori: a traditional Japanese piece of garment worn around the upper
body by men
.-.-.-.
REPLIES ON REVIEWS:
killerkitty1106: Sorry about the cliffy! I hope you liked this chapter (with...another cliffy...ooops) hehehe :). Thanks for reviewing, I'm glad you like the story so far!
shadows-insanity: Thanks, I'll try!
sessywuver: Thank you! I'll try to update as soon as possible!
Sirayme: Thank you very much :)! I'm glad you liked it! Hope you liked this chapter as well!
MadMood: I always respond to reviews :) but you're very welcome! Thanks for reviewing!
fallen-anqel: Yeah ...sigh...I wonder if that'll happen to me someday...
Wake-Robin: I'm happy to hear you liked that scene. Actually I had a hard time writing it, I'm glad it turned out well :). Thanks for your review!
Fluffy'sbabe: Hahaha he's sly...but still very handsome! Thanks for telling me your name. I'll try to update asap!
KaIkO-tHe-ShElL-dAuGhTeR: He will in about 2 chapter :) don't worry! Thanks for reviewing!
AnimeMoonlightGoddess: I wish I could take Kagome's place :)!
lady-joker: Welcome back! Sorry that you didn't get to read two chapters, but I hope I've cheered you up with this fluffy one :)!
Riyo-chan: Thanks! I wish I could update more often but time is really slipping through my fingers lately...sigh...
Yami Viper: Wow thank you very much! I'm so happy to hear that! Hope you will continue reading this story to its end!
Inukamisashi: Yup! I'm looking forward to it, but before that I still have to write a huge report :). Thanks for reviewing! Hope you liked the chapter!
Kyia: Thanks for reviewing! Thanks for telling me that, I'll be sure to remember it for future stories :)!
TatteredWings: Pfew...I would have felt terribly guilty if my cliffy got you a heart attack...I sure hope the cliffy of this chapter wasn't capable of doing that. Thanks for reviewing!
Posted: 27 June 2005
Last Edited: 27 June 2005
Spelling check: YES
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Inuyasha or any characters of it. And I do not own whatever elements of this story that seem familiar and had already been used by other creative individuals before. But... I do own the idea of mixing all of these elements together into a new story!