Standard Disclaimer Applies Here
Chapter Ten: Misao Progresses
Aoshi didn't know why he was doing this. He had no plans to spend time with her or take her around. The honeymoon was only a cover up. He thought it was a waste time at first, because he would rather finish his work then laze away at a beach resort, but changed his mind when he saw it as a rare time for relaxation, which was to him, meditating.
He knew Misao would be a bother. He knew from the short time they knew each other that she would try to drag him alone to explore the island. Aoshi was of course correct. He prepared for it well, and knew that without a doubt, her whines and pleads would do nothing to affect him. He would just simply send her away, and have the rest of the villa to himself.
Yet, here he was, standing in the water, in front of a long yellow floating water tube, or a "Banana Boat" as Misao had called it.
"Come on, Aoshi-sama!" Misao called out from her seat on the boat, waving enthusiastically. "We're about to start already! Come on!"
If Aoshi were more open at expressing his emotions, which he was not, he would have probably rolled his eyes. First of all, he didn't even want to go out with Misao in the first place. He didn't know what happened through him. All he remembered was her pleading and lonely expression, even though he was a little annoyed by her desire for money, and the next minute, his body started to move towards his luggage to take out his things. He only noticed his actions when Misao's question hit him, and when he felt the texture of his clothes on his hands, and then his mouth started to move subconsciously, telling Misao that he was agreeing to go out with her. Aside from that, he did not even like banana boats. He thought it was a silly thrill. He could not see what was so fun about riding a yellow banana shaped boat, bumping up and down the water.
"AOSHI-SAMA!" Misao called again, this time, successfully sending Aoshi away from his thoughts. "Are you riding or not? If you aren't going to sit here, I'm going to ride this myself."
Aoshi made a decision in his mind soon before Misao's call; he was not going to ride that silly boat.
But as he saw Misao's enthusiastic face, he felt his body move without his permission again, and soon he was sitting behind Misao on the boat.
"Wee!" She squealed. "Let's start!" she ordered in English to the man who was going to maneuver the boat that was going to pull the tube.
"Do you want to fall off the boat, Miss?" the man who had helped her sit earlier asked her. "The lifejackets will keep you floating."
As Aoshi was about to refuse the offer, Misao answered a yes.
"Misao," he whispered as the man moved away to give instructions to the man manning the boat. "Are you sure you want to fall off? You can always tell them that you changed your mind."
"Why would I do that?" she replied. "It's fun!" she added, before turning to him with a sly smile on her face. "Why are you asking? Are you scared of falling off?"
"No."
Misao shrugged. "Well, since you're not, we're going through it then!" she declared loudly, soon before the boat started moving, sending them bumping up and down on the boat.
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"Now, wasn't that fun?" Misao chirped as she got off the boat, this time soaking wet. "Where do you want to go next?"
Aoshi got off the boat and tried to shake the water off his hair as discreetly as possible. He hated getting wet. He had no idea why he trusted Misao to arrange their vacation. They could have gone to a cultural tour around Europe, but no, she just had to choose a beach, when there were already several beaches in Japan. He had told her that a few weeks earlier, but she insisted, saying that this was ranked as one of the best beaches in the world, and that it was time for them to discover a new paradise.
"Aoshi-sama!" Misao called Aoshi turned to her and saw her sitting on the powdery white sand, with a guidebook on her hand.
"Sit here!" she said, patting to a spot beside her. "Let's look for more water sports to try!"
Aoshi hesitatingly sat beside her as she flipped the pages of the guidebook eagerly.
"Why don't we try kayaking or sail boating?" She asked him. "According to the guidebook, Boracay plays host to the international sailboat race called the Paraw Regatta that makes uses of the native outrigger."
"I see." He replied.
Misao turned to him. "So what do you want to do now?"
He didn't reply. He knew his honest answer would not make her very happy.
"Hey, are you even listening to me?" she questioned, the emotions of annoyance slowly appearing in her voice. "Look, I'm trying to find some great activities for us, so we can learn how to get along for six months, and you're not even cooperating!"
"Meditation."
Misao blinked.
"What?"
"I believed I mentioned meditation."
Aoshi could see Misao tremble with anger. She stood up and glared down at him.
"Well, fine! Go meditate all you want you insensitive and self-centered bastard!" she yelled, before kicking his stomach throwing her guidebook on his face.
By the time Aoshi was able to take the guidebook, which he fortunately caught, and survey her injury to him, which was the hardest he received from a girl, Misao was already gone.
He almost groaned. Now he was obligated to find her or say goodbye to his clean image. But the girl couldn't have gone that far, Boracay was a very small island.
As he strode towards the direction where Misao had ran. He couldn't help but remember the words she told him earlier.
Look, I'm trying to find some great activities for us, so we can learn how to get along for six months, and you're not even cooperating!
Well, fine! Go meditate all you want you insensitive and self-centered bastard!
He almost cringed because he realized that Misao was right. He was acting insensitive and self-centered. Misao was trying hard so that they could get along in their period of marriage while he acted like a bastard because he couldn't marry someone he loved.
Kaoru, he remembered. Yes, he would have to forget about her. There was no chance to get her now, seeing as she was still desperately in love with Kenshin.
So Aoshi strode even faster, determined to forget his first love and look for Misao.
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Misao had always known she was impulsive, a trait which she wish she never had after seeing that all the effects it had on her were negative. One unforgettable event was when she ran away from home when she was six after a fight with her parents, to only find herself lost in her own neighborhood; fortunately her parents found her an hour later. She sighed, remembering that was the first time she got grounded, and she knew she deserved it.
Another event was in high school, where she called her History teacher a "fucked-up bitch" in front of the whole class after she made Megumi cry. She shrugged as the memory became vivid in her mind. The woman deserved it. The young teacher had always been jealous of Megumi's beauty and wit, when she found out that Megumi recently came from the rehab, and insulted her about in class. The incident got the teacher fired while Misao received a two day suspension.
Misao smiled at the memory. Megumi had gotten into drugs during high school, keeping it a secret from Misao and Sanosuke. Misao discovered the drugs in her room and told Sanosukes, who reported it, making Megumi furious at them. However she was grateful to them after she came out from the rehab, especially to Sanosuke, and this started their romance.
She had to admit, that those two experiences caused by her impulsiveness had good effects too. Her running away had brought her closer to her parents while cursing at her teacher had gotten the unfair bitch fired. However she wasn't sure about this one.
Misao felt anger fill her again as she remembered Sanosuke and Megumi. Those two traitors! They were one of the indirect causes for this problem. They sold her house then tricked her into marrying that evil actor! There was no chance for her to be able to reconcile with them again.
Misao closed her eyes as she leaned against a coconut tree, her knees tucked up against her while her arms hugged them. She silently cursed at herself. Why did she have to run away? Why did she have to leave her guidebook with the map? Now she was in some unknown part of the beach, the location of their villa unknown to her. Aside from that unfortunate fact, she also had no wallet or money with her.
"It's not all my fault." She muttered. "It's partly Aoshi-sama's fault too. If he wasn't so rude and insensitive, then this wouldn't have to happen!"
She idly played with the sand and rubbed it against her legs. It felt good and comforted her a little bit.
"He's such a bastard." She murmured. "Even though I have to admit that he's a hot one." She grudgingly added. Yet she couldn't deny the truth. She could see how finely chiseled his body was earlier when he first came out wearing his beach trunks and opened shirt.
She held her cheeks as shook her head violently.
"Stop thinking about that Misao! Hot or not, his attitude still sucks!" she told herself.
Misao looked up and stared at the beautiful view of the beach's azure blue waters and white sand. She'll start looking for the villa later; she wanted to enjoy her vacation for a while. She was glad that she had come here.
However, her beautiful view was blocked by a pair of legs. Misao grumbled and was about to tell the rude tourist to move, when she looked up and saw Aoshi's expressionless face staring down at her.
"A…Aoshi-sama." She spoke, most of her words lost from her shock. "H…How did you find me?"
"You weren't very difficult to find." He answered; his face still devoid of any emotion.
"Oh," she murmured. "I supposed you had to look for me so you could save your image. A lost and abandoned wife wouldn't do well for your popularity."
"Partly, yes." He replied and handed Misao her guidebook before she could retort.
"I don't see why you're returning this to me." She grumbled and threw the guidebook aside. "I doubt we're going to do anything on this beach anyway."
"What made you say that?" Aoshi said. "I'm returning the guidebook to you so you can choose where to go and what activity to do."
Aoshi's words received their desired effect. Misao looked up and blinked with a mixed look of glee and doubt slowly appearing on her face.
"Wait, am I hearing all of this right?" she asked him as she stood up, this time with the guidebook held by her left hand. "Are you really offering to have fun with me?"
"Aa," he replied, before turning around.
Misao suddenly jumped, her cranky mood disappearing in an instant. She ran after Aoshi, who already had a head start on walking.
"I want to go kayaking next! After that, I want to go snorkeling, and…"
So this is how it went for the rest of the day, this time the two parties were quite happy.
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"TADAIMA!" Misao hollered as she and Aoshi returned to the Full House after their four day vacation.
Misao peeked at the hall mirror as they entered. "Look, Aoshi-sama! I got tanned! This is the first time I've ever got tanned in my whole life!"
"Perhaps the first time you remembered it." Aoshi replied as he set down his luggage. He went over his answering machine to check any messages.
"I suppose it is back to job for me too!" Misao chirped. It seemed like nothing could destroy her good mood after a fun trip. She had enjoyed kayaking, swimming, party hopping and other more activities. It was also hilarious to see Aoshi being recognized by his non-Japanese fans, who were also tourists. They had to run all the way to the villa.
Misao skipped towards the computer room and quickly turned on the computer on. She spun around her computer chair as she waited for it to load while remembering the new plot she remembered in her mind. She had to start this new story now, since she already had sent her first manuscript to several publishers.
"Hmm…two Japanese tourists would meet in a beautiful island paradise. They meet when he saves the woman for drowning and they have a fling. When they go back to Japan, they discover the woman is engaged to the man's favorite cousin!"
Misao giggled as she thought up her plotline. "I'm sure this novel would become a hit!" she squealed before she opened a blank document.
A knock on the door prevented her from starting and Aoshi entered, his usual expressionless face meeting Misao's.
"I have a shooting for a drama in three days." He told her. "Hannya requests for you to visit in the afternoon."
"Eh? Why?" Misao asked.
"Apparently, some tabloid is making up some gossip about me having an affair with a local during our trip. Some journalists would be in the shooting and your presence might silence the gossip."
Misao shrugged. "Sure, why not." She answered before seeing five white envelopes flung towards her.
"It came in the mail for you." He told her before leaving.
Misao caught it and squealed with glee.
"It's from the publishers!" Misao chirped. "They've sent me their letters of decision about A Love That Thrills!" she ripped open the envelopes at the same time.
The first two letters were thank you and apology letters, telling her that they regret that they would not be able to publish her novel. Misao shrug them off and threw those letters in the trash.
"There are still three more letters left, and those first two publishers aren't that known anyway."
By the third rejection letter, she still hadn't lost any hope, when she reached the fourth one, half of her hope had disappeared and she looked at the last one, with a look of determination on her face.
"This has to be the one that accepted my novel. I don't think it's possible that every publisher I sent my manuscript too could reject it." She said as she slowly opened it.
"It's going to accept it; I know it's going to accept it." She muttered as she unfolded the letter inside the envelope.
Her hands trembled as she read the last letter and slowly, tears came out of her eyes as she read it:
Dear Writer:
We regret to inform you that we cannot publish your novel. Although it has potential for success, we find its content and certain flaws improper for publishing by our company. Thank you for your interest.
Very Sincerely,
Harada Mamoru
Consulting Editor
Kyon Publishers
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"Would you like coffee or tea, Miss?" a flight stewardess on a flight to California asked the lady passenger she was currently serving.
"Tea please," Kaoru replied before turning to look at the window.
A slightly satisfied smile crept over her face. Having connections was very beneficial. She was able to get the visa she wanted, and here she was flying to the United States.
"Kenshin would see just how much I love him." She mumbled. "He would see that and decide to take me back again."
The stewardess poured her tea, which she quickly sipped.
"We'll be seeing each other Kenshin."
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"I hate him! I really hate him!" Misao screamed as she practically threw her homemade onigiri inside a picnic basket.
"Just, when I was about to think that he actually had feelings, then he acts all sensitive like that!" she grumbled as she shut the basket's cover with a strong fist, that it almost fell off the table.
It had been three days since the arrivals of Misao's rejection letter. Misao spent the first passing day by wallowing in her depression and self-pity. The next day, she decided to change her attitude and became even more determined to finish her second novel and find another publisher for her first one. Today was a mixture of both.
Aoshi was oblivious to her mood the first two days because he was rarely around to see it. He only happened to notice it when their rare moments of eating breakfast together happened this morning.
"You seem troubled." He spoke after finishing his tea.
"I am troubled. Did it take you three days to notice?" she asked him sarcastically.
"I have rarely seen you during the few days after we've returned." Aoshi had replied.
Misao ignored him and started muttering.
"Five rejections, how bad is their taste in literature. I'll find a new one."
"So you've been rejected." Aoshi had suddenly spoken.
"Eh? How did you know?" Misao had blinked. Was he a mind reader or had he seen her rejection letters? The latter was immediately crossed out. To see the letters would require Aoshi to dig through the trash, something she doubted he'd do.
"I could hear your mutterings."
"Oh," she replied, feeling a little embarrassed.
"Which novel was rejected? The one about the fisherman's daughter?" he inquired.
"No, it was something even better than that! It's about a scholarship college student Miki and tells how she ascends in life!"
"Was that the story you told Soujirou? The one with the girl whose lover's name is Aki?"
"You're correct!" Misao had exclaimed in surprise. "How did you know?"
"Soujiro told me about it at the wedding reception, he seemed to find it very amusing."
"He did?" Misao almost squealed. She knew it! Yes, there were people who enjoyed her story!
"What did you think about it Aoshi-sama?" she asked him eagerly.
"It was mediocre."
Misao trembled with anger as she remembered the incident. How dare he call her story mediocre? Was he a literary expert like Seta-san? So what right did he have to criticize her story only from its summary?
She had told him all that and received no reply, so she threw her mug at him, causing him to duck and the mug to break against the wall. Aoshi wasn't pleased and added the broken mug to her debt, and took away one of her day-offs the next day.
"Now I'm using my day-off to bring him snacks so I can save his image!" she muttered angrily as she grabbed the memo where the studio's address was written.
"Unlimited Publishing and Scenarios." She read aloud. "Oh, I remember Seta-san telling me that Unlimited also handles Aoshi-sama's acting agency and drama sets."
Suddenly, a flash from her early argument with Aoshi came into her mind.
"Soujiro told me about it at the wedding reception, he seemed to find it very amusing."
"Seta-san, found my story amusing and it's possible that he could be in the set today…" she mumbled before jumping up from her seat.
"I can talk him into publishing my work!"
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Misao stood before a large gray door with a large red number three painted over it. Behind it, were Aoshi and the rest of the people working for his drama.
She took a look at her memo. "Studio three." She read aloud. "I suppose this is the studio where they're shooting his drama." She mumbled before pushing the heavy doors open, not noticing that it hit an actress standing nearby.
"Ouch!" a woman, who Misao recognized from several dramas and movies, had yelped when Misao hit her with the door. She glared at her.
"Didn't you see the Please Pull sign outside?" the woman asked her snottily as she rubbed the mark in her arm, where Misao hit her.
Misao blushed at her foolishness. "I'm sorry, Miss." She said as she bowed in front of the woman.
The actress sniffed. "Whatever, what are you doing here anyway? You don't look a journalist or someone who works here?" she took a look at Misao's picnic basket. "Are you restaurant delivery woman?"
A voice answered the actress before Misao could reply.
"No, she's Aoshi-san's wife."
Misao and the woman both gasped when they saw who had spoken. It was Soujiro, Misao could have recognized his brown hair and the smile that was forever plastered on his face. They bowed at him at the same time.
"Seta-san," the actress had spoken. "Do you mean she is Aoshi-san's wife?"
Soujiro nodded at her and smiled at Misao before answering. "Yes, she is, and it looks like she has brought an afternoon snack for everyone."
Soujiro turned away from them to face the cast including Aoshi, who were taking a break. "Hey, everyone, Aoshi-san's wife came to bring snacks for us!" he yelled as Misao felt herself slowly shrink from embarrassment.
"Really?" One of the actors had exclaimed. "How kind of her! Come sit with us Misao-san!"
She nodded awkwardly. "Yes, thank you." She replied as she walked over to a chair that was as far from Aoshi as possible.
"Don't sit away from your husband, Misao-san!" the actor sitting beside Aoshi had said and stood up and pointed toward his now empty chair. "Please sit with him! You haven't even greeted each other properly yet!"
Misao felt her polite smile slowly fade. "Oh yes, thank you. I would love to sit beside him." She lied through gritted teeth.
She took the seat beside Aoshi, who gave her a slight nod. She returned it before passing the picnic basket around the workers.
"Is that how you greet your wife, Aoshi-san?" the actor who offered Misao a seat had called out. "Don't be shy! Give her a kiss!"
Misao froze at the man's comment, and pulled out all of her self-control to keep from hitting him. She held up her hands.
"Oh no, it's alright. I'm just happy to sit beside him. Having the one I love beside me, is enough to make me happy." She answered, cringing, disgusted at her own words.
She felt Aoshi choke on the onigiri he was eating and started coughing. Misao grinned inwardly. At least, what she said had good effects too.
"That is so sweet!" a woman with a notepad and pen, who had suddenly appeared in front of them with a man holding a camera. They grabbed two stools and sat in front of the two. Misao cringed again. She could see where this was going, and there was no way she could avoid it.
"I was wondering if we could take some photos of the two of you, and an interview?" the woman had asked. "I work for Unlimited's celebrity magazine and a feature on the two of you would be great! Do you mind?"
Aoshi only nodded because he was still coughing. Misao sighed and grabbed a cold can of green tea, which he had specifically requested her to bring, and handed it to him.
"Here, take this."
He took it and nodded at her gratefully before taking his first sip.
"How cute!" the journalist squealed. She turned to the photographer. "Please take a photograph of that sweet act of kindness!"
A flash that almost blinded Misao appeared, making her squint. She was sure that she would have her eyes closed on the photo, and everyone in Japan was going to see it. Wonderful.
"You seem to know your husband's taste well, Misao-san." The woman said. "Does he know your tastes well too?"
Aoshi nodded. "Misao is fond of Japanese food, onigiri happens to be her favorite snack."
"Oh, is that why you served that for a snack, Misao-san?"
"I served it because it is also my husband's favorite snack."
The woman seemed to turn giddier at her words. "You both have the same favorite food! It seems like fate! Take another photo of them Eto!" she ordered and started scribbling furiously on her notepad.
The next fifteen minutes were spent in that manner. The woman hurled them with questions about their relationship, which they calmly answered, even though it was taking Misao all her self-control to keep herself from throttling the woman, whose giddiness and squeals was irritating.
"One last question." The woman said, almost making Misao sigh from relief. The journalist's face grew serious.
"There has been a rumor circulating that Aoshi-san had an affair with a fellow Japanese tourist, who happens to be his fan, during your trip. What can you comment about this."
"It is untrue." Aoshi replied. "The only woman and Japanese I have been with during the trip is Misao. I will never betray her by having an affair."
"That's right." Misao suddenly said. "But there were a lot of his fans in the beach, which caused quite a commotion."
"Oh really, what happened?"
"We were swimming, when a Japanese tourist had recognized him and screamed his name. The other tourists heard and recognized him and started running him." Misao smiled at the hilarious memory. "We had to run all the way back to the villa and call for security."
The woman giggled. "It only means that Aoshi is not only famous in Japan but in other countries too." She stood up together with the photographer.
"Thank you for letting us interview you two, now if you would give us one last shot, perhaps the two of you kissing on the lips."
Misao froze again. She nudged Aoshi. He wasn't planning to agree to this, right? Kissing would be a violation of their contract!
"Misao and I are against extreme public displays of affection." He spoke. "Would an embrace do for you?"
The journalist nodded. "Alright, I would hate to have you violate your views."
Misao gave Aoshi a look of shock. He couldn't be serious? Embracing was more bearable than kissing but, having to embrace Aoshi was still awkward and cringing for her!
However, Aoshi gave her no more time to think as he placed his arms around her. Misao shivered. How could he do this so easily? She thought. Maybe it was because of his profession, she was sure he had to embrace a lot of people he disliked because of his career.
Still, the feeling of disgust that she expected to appear didn't come. Instead, she felt his warmth. Slowly, she wrapped her arms around him and too and realized, that maybe embracing wasn't that bad.
The camera's flash sent her flying out of her thoughts. She immediately released him, feeling slightly embarrassed.
"Now, that was such a great shot!" the journalist said happily. "Thank you for giving us your time!"
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"Are you staying until the shooting ends? I can drive you home if you do." Aoshi told Misao as she cleaned up.
"Nah, I'm going ahead. Besides, I need to talk to someone." Misao replied, feeling a little awkward at what had happened to them earlier.
"I see," he said before turning away. "See you at home."
Misao shrugged as he left. "As expressionless as always." She muttered as she grabbed her picnic basket. "Now I need to find Seta-san."
She didn't have to look for long, because Soujiro happened to be leaving the studio the same time as her.
"Ah, Misao-san, are you leaving too? Do you want me to drive you home?" he asked her cheerfully with his trademark smile.
"Thank you for the offer, but I can't because I have to pass by the grocery. Oh yes, I also have something to ask you Seta-san." She said shyly. "I want you to look at my novel."
Soujiro blinked as he tried to remember. "You mean A Love That Thrills? The one about the girl named Miki?"
Misao nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, that one!"
He scratched his chin. "I'm not sure about that, because Unlimited Publishing focuses on magazines not books, but I think I can read it, and if I like it well enough, it can be published as a novel or a movie. Do you have the manuscript with you?"
"Yes!" Misao chirped, her eyes growing large with happiness as she scurried for the manuscript in her bag. She found it and handed it to him energetically.
"It will take me about a week to finish and evaluate this, and then I'll call you so we can meet up. Would you agree to that?"
"Sure! I hope you like it, Seta-san!" she said before looking at her watch. "Ah! It's already four o'clock! I still need to buy some food for dinner!" she waved at him.
"Thank you for doing for me Seta-san! I'll meet you in a week!" she chirped before she ran outside to catch a cab.
Soujiro laughed as he watched her run. "She's so energetic. Aoshi is lucky to have her as a wife." He remarked.
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The wind blew hard during October in San Francisco. Most of its residents were quite used to it, but certainly most newcomers and visitors weren't.
One of them was a tall man in his forties with long rugged gray hair and a muscular body. He wore a white trench coat, which he pulled tightly against his chiseled body as he watched the red haired man in front of him take out his things out of his boxes.
Hiko Seijurou clicked his tongued. "It seems to me that you still haven't changed; you're still a baka deshi. How many days does it have to take you to start unpacking?"
Kenshin cringed. "The only reason it took me so long because you keep dragging me to the dojo to help out. How am I supposed to have time to unpack?"
His master shook his head. "Sometimes it's hard to believe that you're already an adult the way you blame your problems on others."
Kenshin decided to give up. There was no way going around with his master.
The doorbell's ringing interrupted their conversation. Hiko eyed Kenshin sharply.
Kenshin got the message. He sighed and got off his seat. "Of course I'll be the one getting it." He muttered as he started walking towards the doorway.
Kenshin tiptoed to peek in the peep hole, which was unfortunately inches above him. He almost stumbled backwards when he saw the person waiting outside.
He opened the door quickly and was met by the last person he thought would be standing outside. The visitor looked down shyly and blushed.
"Hi, Kenshin." She greeted shyly.
Kenshin was at lost for words. It took him a while before he was finally able to say the name of the person in front of him.
"Kaoru."
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A/N: Hey guys! Sorry that took so long! I've been very busy, until now, since my summer vacation is already here. So I made the chapter longer than the usual to make up for it. I'm also sorry for some of the errors in the story because my beta reader is busy and there was no time to edit it. Hopefully, the next chapter won't take this long to get out, but might be out only at May or June, because my summer will be busy and I'll be leaving for the U.S. on Saturday so I won't have my laptop for a month.
Till the next chapter!