.

(The Plight of the Selfless)

Kazuya watched as Devil pushed Jun against the window. He could hear her fast and shallow breathing, the glass cracking behind her, and for the first time since he was a child, he felt fear. There was a feeling of helplessness as he watched her struggle, as he saw images in front of him of what Devil intended to do with her. Devil felt threatened and frightened as he sensed Jun's power, she was someone who could end him...so he had to end her first. Kazuya focused all his energy and saw an image in his head, Devil opening his fist and the fabric of Jun's blouse slipping through his fingers. He tuned everything else out and focused on that image; fist opening, fabric slipping through, fist opening, fabric slipping through...

What are you doing? Devil's growl made the ground vibrate and Kazuya knew that it was working, he had gotten his attention...

The searing pain woke him up. Twice that night he'd had the same dream, he saw the same events from the day prior, but in the dream when Jun unleashed her light energy it hurt Kazuya instead of Devil. He sighed as he looked at the clock, almost four in the morning, he knew it would be impossible to fall back asleep. He turned to watch Jun sleeping quietly beside him.

Kazuya now realized that Devil had always been aware of Jun's sensitivity or psychic ability, whatever it was called. Just like that boy in Germany. This deeply troubled Kazuya, the fact that Devil could hear his thoughts, was in his thoughts, but Kazuya had no access to what Devil was thinking. That had been one of the reasons why he went to see Jun, he needed to show the demon that he could not control him.

Rein them in...beginning with you.

Kazuya's statement went unanswered, he could feel Devil somewhere in the recess of his mind, but he seemed dormant. Now that he was able to push the demon away, to render him inactive, he wondered if he could summon him as well, he assumed that he could, but it was not the time to test it, not with Jun in the same bed or even in the same building. What if he was unable to control Devil and he killed her right then and there? What if Jun was more powerful than either of them thought and she destroyed Devil? She had never said it but he suspected that Devil's demise was her goal. She seemed to value every type of life from ferns to kangaroos, but he doubted that demons were on her list of protected species.

He felt Jun stir then saw her roll onto her side. "You're awake?" She asked as she tried to stifle a yawn. "What time is it?"

"Almost four-thirty." He felt strange, almost awkward, he had never woken up next to someone before, he blamed it on how exhausted he had been after his ordeal with Devil.

"You're going back to sleep, right? I'm an early riser, but this is a bit early even for me."

"No, I need to go home, the tournament starts tomorrow and there's still too much to prepare."

She sat up and turned on the lamp, she held the bed sheet tightly over her chest. That, along with her mussed hair was oddly endearing. "Do you want something to eat before you go?" He furrowed his brow and looked at her not knowing what to say, she chuckled nervously and looked down at the sheets. "I know it's a strange thing to ask this early in the morning, but with everything that happened yesterday I'm sure you didn't have time to eat." She suddenly looked up and met his eyes, her lips curving into a warm smile. "I'm not much of a cook and I'm out of eggs, but I can make you the best pre-packaged miso soup you've ever had."

It was the first time that someone who wasn't getting paid offered to do something for him and he didn't know how to react. It made him feel somewhat uncomfortable. "No, I…"

"It's not an obligation," she smiled at him again, "I won't hold it against you."

Her words and demeanor seemed genuine, it baffled him and again, he didn't know what to say or how to act. In his experience women were pushy and needy, that was why he had never spent an entire night with one, but Jun was different. She wasn't afraid or intimidated by him, even after everything that she had seen, even after Devil had tried to kill her. He saw that moment in his mind when Devil's intent had been to push her through that window and send her plummeting to her death. He was suddenly overcome by something that he had never felt before...guilt.

He shouldn't be with someone like Jun, he should not even be near her, there was too much that could go wrong. If he wasn't able to control Devil there was no telling what could happen to her, if she discovered the types of experiments that his scientists were conducting in his secret laboratories she might turn on him and help Interpol build a case against him. But at the same time, he wanted her, wanted to be near her.

Kazuya Mishima was a selfish man, he had always been and now was not the time to change his ways. He pulled her close and held her tightly, he knew that a countdown had started, each minute he spent with her was one minute closer to the end and he had a feeling that things would end badly. He had a demon inside him, a demon that he needed if he wanted to attain true power, it was impossible for it to end any other way. Feeling confident in his ability to keep Devil at bay and knowing that they didn't have much time, he kissed her eagerly wanting to take advantage of every minute he had with her.

Only a few more days.

After the tournament, he would ban her from his property if he had to, for her own good, not because he didn't want to be near her... And because he wanted power and revenge and he knew that someone like Jun would never stand for it. He didn't hold it against her, she had her principles, her moral code, and she knew how to stand her ground, she was a stubborn woman and he was a stubborn man, it was unfortunate that they had opposite goals and beliefs. He knew what he was doing was selfish and wrong, he knew that he shouldn't lead her on, but when all he saw as he closed his eyes was that clock counting down to zero, he knew that he had to make every second with her count.


Sayuri was unpleasantly surprised to see Lee sitting at the kitchen table. It was five-thirty in the morning and she thought he had left for the gym half an hour ago. He sat with his arms folded on the tabletop and wearing his workout gear. He didn't seem to notice her, his gaze was fixed on the clock above the kitchen door, though she could tell that he wasn't really seeing it.

"Are you all right?" She moved hesitantly toward the table wanting to make sure nothing was wrong but at the same time dreading the possibility of getting pulled into a conversation. She was on her way to meet Nina Williams and did not want to be late.

He looked at her, then up at the clock. "Will you go to the gym with me?" It was an odd request, it was the first time he had invited her along.

She shook her head. "I hate exercise."

"You go running every day."

"It's not the same."

"You'll be safe there."

She crossed her arms tightly and let a soft sigh escape her lips; she hoped that it wouldn't be the start of another argument. "I'm safe outside too." Lee nodded and stood from his seat. "What's bothering you?" She spoke before she was able to stop herself and instantly regretted it, not because she wasn't concerned, but because she did not want to be late.

Lee ran his hand through his hair as he looked down at the floor. "Kazuya is going to fire me."

Thinking that Lee somehow knew everything she was keeping from him made her heart drum in her chest and her stomach turn into knots. "Why do you think that?" Unsurprisingly she was able to keep her tone even, it had become a habit.

Lee seemed troubled as he looked at her. "He threw me out of the meeting yesterday, he's never done that before."

She shrugged. "He's probably just angry with you."

Lee sighed and shook his head, his brow furrowed. "I don't think so, something feels different."

She stood there knowing that she could tell him everything, that she should tell him everything. Everything from her infidelity, to Kazuya's plan to end Lee's career by publicly accusing him of larceny, to her involvement in a kidnapping and an assassination plot...but she couldn't do it. It wasn't because she was afraid it would end their relationship, it just seemed hard, exhausting, a feat that a mere human could not hope to accomplish. She made the only choice that seemed feasible, she chose to be the girlfriend who knew nothing, she chose to be the woman that she had been before he left for Hong Kong, the woman who would stand by him and support him. Because at this point, lying was easy, omitting was second nature.

She walked up to him and took his hand. "I want you to think about worst case scenario, what would that be?"

He looked down at her hand. "Kazuya fires me, I lose the tournament."

"Then what happens?"

He sighed deeply. "I move to Hong Kong and focus on my company."

I...

It hurt more than it should have. She knew that it probably meant nothing, that he was thinking from a logical, linear standpoint. But after everything she had done, after everything she had been through, she couldn't give up on their relationship, she needed to have something to show for her efforts, for her trouble.

She rested her head on his shoulder. "That's what you've always wanted, isn't it?" He nodded. "And maybe after a year or two, when you're well established and well known, you can expand here in Japan where you can wait for the opportunity to take over the Zaibatsu."

"I have thought about that…" He put his arm around her and his hand on her waist, she felt a chill as she remembered the way the Russian bodyguard had pulled her against him. She breathed in deeply and focused on what Lee was saying. "...Expanding here in Tokyo, maybe Osaka as well…"

"I can help you run it," she suggested, trying to gauge if he saw a future with her.

He was silent for a moment. "...It might look...strange if I hire you as my secretary."

She let go of his hand and took a step back so that she could look at him, his statement bothered her much more than she knew it should have. "Not as your secretary, I will never be anyone's secretary again for as long as I live. I can help you run your company, I know how business works."

He looked at the small window behind her and sighed softly. "I know that you have a degree in business, but that doesn't mean-"

She held up two fingers. "Two, degrees in business." He narrowed his eyes and looked as if he were about to shake his head but thought better of it. "You hired me, how can you not know this?"

"I didn't have time to look through every applicant's credentials."

"Fine, but I'm not just an applicant, I'm the person, you personally hired. Most importantly, I'm the person who has been living with you for more than eight months, it's something you should know about me. And how did you decide to hire me without checking my credentials?"

He sighed impatiently. "The hiring manager verified the credentials and gave me the files of the top ten applicants.

She felt her jaw tighten as she spoke. "Was I the most qualified?"

Lee looked at the window behind her again. "She told me that you were one of the top five?

She felt her temperature rise when she remembered the rumors that had started at the Zaibatsu when she began working. That she had slept with Lee to get the job, that someone like her wouldn't last a week working for Kazuya. "Then why did you hire me?"

He chuckled slightly. "Because I had to choose between looking at a married forty-something all day or looking at you all day. But you were qualified," he added quickly, "if you hadn't been Kazuya would not have put up with you for more than a day."

She wished she had not stopped at the kitchen, another day ruined by another argument, by the truth that their relationship had not been nearly as strong as she had thought. "You should have hired someone with more experience, not someone you wanted to have sex with."

"That's not why I hired you."

"It never crossed your mind, didn't influence your decision in any way?"

"Did I hope it would happen? I'll admit that I did, but-"

"I'm going for my run, I have to stay pretty for you, otherwise, what good am I?" She didn't want to hear any more and glancing up at the clock she realized that she needed to hurry.

She left the kitchen and grabbed her running shoes not bothering to put them on before she stepped into the hallway. She put them on while she waited for the elevator then stepped inside when the doors opened. Once alone in the confined space, she felt angry tears well up in her eyes. She wasn't even supposed to be in Tokyo. If Lee had hired someone else, someone who deserved the position, she would be in Osaka with her father and her friends, but more importantly, with a clear conscience. Without Lee she had no reason to stay in Tokyo, her mother worked nearby but she had not spoken to her in years and the only people she knew were acquaintances from work.

Everything had been easy before he left, even though she suspected infidelity, their conversations had been pleasant and they had honestly enjoyed being around each other. She had thought everything would be better after his return, but so far it was difficult conversation after difficult conversation, argument after argument. She was trying to make things work, trying to make peace, but her resentment was becoming more and more difficult to bury.

The elevator doors chimed open and she entered the lobby, she walked up to the front desk and asked the attendant for the bag she had left in their care the evening before. It contained the blueprints of the Mishima Building. She thanked the attendant and quickly exited the apartment building. She had been apprehensive about asking someone from the security floor at the Zaibatsu for blueprints of the building, but she had quickly found out that being Kazuya's secretary and merely mentioning his name could get her anything she needed at a moment's notice without any questions being asked.

She jogged down her familiar street then turned into the park when it came into view and followed the walking trail. She saw the same Japanese man from the first meeting sitting on a bench smoking a cigarette while Nina Williams stood with her arms crossed. It had been quite a shock to see Nina's photograph along with the rest of the tournament participants, but it made sense, there was no better way to get close to Kazuya. And she was Anna Williams' sister. One sister protecting the target and the other attempting to murder him, it was almost like a Greek tragedy.

"You're two minutes late." A cloud of smoke escaped the Japanese man's lips as he spoke.

Sayuri bowed deeply to them. "I apologize." She wanted to explain that she'd been delayed at home but the look in Nina's eyes told her that if was best to get to the point. She pulled the blueprints out of her bag, she had folded them not wanting Lee to notice blueprints in her purse. She handed them to Nina. "I don't have the schedule, there-"

"You were given specific instructions." The man flicked his cigarette butt onto the grass.

"There isn't a written schedule."

The man relayed Sayuri's statement to Nina in English, then turned back to face her. "Then do a little digging and figure one out. What does Mr. Mishima's day look like today, surely you must know that."

"He'll arrive at the office at eight, meet with his security staff, then leave for the stadium, he's set to arrive at nine. He's overseeing the final preparations but he'll be back before noon because he has a TV interview at the Mishima Building at one p.m."

She watched as he translated for Nina, the blonde moved closer to him and whispered something in his ear. He nodded then turned to address Sayuri. "Find out everything you can about where he'll be and who he'll be with during the tournament, then bring that information to the banquet tonight. If there is no banquet this evening...if the tournament is canceled, consider this our last meeting and your business with Mr. Mullen done." They both turned their backs on her and made their way out of the park.

Sayuri felt nauseous, short of breath. They were going to do it that very day, it was Kazuya Mishima's last day on Earth. She wondered how they would do it and instantly worried that someone else would be harmed in the process, maybe innocent bystanders or perhaps Bruce. What if Nina's own sister, Anna ended up dead? The thought made her feel dizzy and she thought she might faint. But Nina was a professional, she was young but there was something in her eyes that made her seem years older than she really was, that had to mean that she could eliminate Kazuya without putting anyone else in danger. That thought did nothing to ease the ill feeling or the bad taste in her mouth. She wanted to do something to atone for her sins, something that could ease the guilt, but what?

She took a few minutes to compose herself then turned around and began her jog home determined to do whatever she needed to do to fix her relationship. She had sold her soul, at the very least she should have something to show for it.


Heihachi Mishima had always been good at connecting the dots, at solving puzzles with missing pieces and finding the truth in rumors. Sometimes it was as easy as paying or bribing the right person, on different occasions, it was difficult and maddeningly time consuming, but he always stayed the course and always prevailed because failure was not an option. He had failed once in his life, two years prior, almost to the day. As he climbed back up that ravine with broken bones, humiliated and bruised and bloodied from injuries that would have killed a normal man, he swore to himself that he would never fail again, that he would take back with blood what had been taken from him. What he had taken with blood. But it wasn't the time for blood...not yet. Business came first, building alliances and strengthening friendships came first, setting up distractions was more important.

Heihachi rose from his bed, put on his black robe and walked through his luxurious apartment to the kitchen where his lovely secretary was waiting for him with breakfast on the table. Rei Nakano was already dressed for the day though it was only six in the morning. He eyed her appreciatively, the way the conservative, gray dress hugged her curves and how her beautiful, black hair cascaded behind her shoulders.

"Good morning," she smiled as she bowed her head, "shall we eat here or on the balcony?"

"Here is fine," Heihachi pulled out a chair from the circular table and took his seat. He immediately picked up a bowl full of steaming white rice topped with a fried egg from the center of the table and set it on his placemat.

Rei set a mug in front of him and poured tea from a blue, porcelain teapot then took her chair. "I like this cook," she spoke as she poured herself some tea. "She's very good and she makes something different every day, she's so quiet she's never once woken me up."

"Hmph," Heihachi grumbled as he broke the yolk of his fried egg with his chopsticks then began to mix it with his steamed rice. "I like that she's gone before I wake up. Don't give her too much credit, it's not hard to make steamed rice and fried eggs."

"Don't tell me her soup isn't amazing," Rei said as she added shredded cabbage to her miso soup.

"Why are we talking about food?"

Rei shrugged and smiled. "It's the little things that make me happy sometimes, and I'm excited, I get to wear a pretty dress to the banquet today and tomorrow I'll watch the strongest, most lethal and cunning man on Earth exact his revenge as the world cheers." She gave him an alluring smile. "And afterward I get to take him to bed."

"You'd better not behave like a smitten teenage girl when we're in public."

"Never." She sipped her tea. "What's on the agenda this morning?"

"We need to start looking into the Williams girls."

Rei stirred her soup. "Looking into what, exactly?"

"Why they're here, other than the tournament of course. They both appeared in Tokyo very suddenly."

She shrugged. "As did most fighters."

Heihachi shook his head. "Right after Lee's girlfriend practically signed a death warrant for Kazuya?" He pointed his chopsticks at Rei. "If you had known Richard Williams…"

Richard Williams had done a few jobs for Heihachi over the course of many years, Heihachi didn't know him on a personal level but he knew his methods. There were rumors that he had not only taught his eldest daughter Nina his style martial arts, but that he had also trained her to become an assassin, and that she was quite effective. As for the younger girl, it seemed that she had been taught her mother's fighting style but as far as anyone knew she enjoyed a life of traveling, spending her inheritance and being engaged to international music stars...when she wasn't involved with his sons. Romantically with Lee and as Kazuya's head of security, that alone meant that she was as lethal as her sister. He was almost certain that one of the two women was there to kill Kazuya. Most would bet on Nina, the trained assassin, but he was sure that Anna was an assassin too, and how could one best bring down a target if not by standing right next to it?

Rei stood from the table and took a pen and notebook from the counter then took her seat, set it next to her bowl of rice, and began to write. "Anna recently went through a personal tragedy, she lost her fiance."

"Personal tragedy?" Heihachi scoffed. "She probably killed him." Rei sighed softly as she wrote but didn't say anything. "It could be one of the Williams girls, but it could also be someone else…" He mused.

Rei looked up from her notebook. "Wouldn't we have heard something by now?"

"Not if they're good at their job." They ate quietly for a moment.

As much as Heihachi wanted to finish Kazuya himself, if someone got to him first, it wouldn't be the end of the world. What he wanted was the Zaibatsu. If someone was able to take care of Kazuya before or during the tournament Lee would move quickly to take over, he was on the inside already, and that would become problematic, not impossible to deal with, but a nuisance nonetheless. If Heihachi took over by force it could mean bad press and that was something that he could not afford. If Kazuya was killed before the tournament he needed to be prepared, he needed the board of directors on his side ready vote Lee out and to ensure an easy transition.

That was why he needed his sons distracted, watching each other instead of watching him. He had paid someone at the hotel in Hong Kong to deliver the note to Lee so that he would either be too preoccupied with his thoughts or tell Kazuya that someone was out to kill him, both options worked in Heihachi's favor as both would have the brothers looking elsewhere. Heihachi was also responsible for framing Lee of stealing company funds. That had not been easy. He was fortunate that his highest level infiltrator was in the accounting department. He was sure that Kazuya knew by now, and again, no matter the outcome, it would keep both him and Lee occupied as Heihachi worked behind the scenes. He had recently found a different distraction. Jun Kazama, a woman who he was sure was close to Kazuya in some way.

"When will they contact you about Jun Kazama?" Heihachi asked Rei.

She looked at her watch. "About half an hour."

Heihachi had known who Jun was as soon as he saw her. He had not known that she had connections to Kazuya but he was familiar with everyone who had signed up for the tournament. He knew that a tournament participant showing up at his base of operations out of pure coincidence was anything but a coincidence. He had immediately looked into who she was and found that she had worked for the WWWC, a treehugger agency that did nothing but get in the way of progress, he made a mental note to give them an extremely generous donation after the tournament. Jun Kazama had then stopped working for the agency, entered the tournament and later been seen with Kazuya on more than a few occasions before finding her way to his dojo. At first, he had thought that Kazuya had sent her to spy on him, but it was unlikely, he was sure that Kazuya wouldn't have sent someone who was such a terrible liar. Still, terrible liar or not, she could prove to be a valuable distraction. All he had done was connect the dots that his low-level infiltrators had been able to provide. He was sure someone like Jun Kazama would not have forsaken her morals from one day to the next, by all accounts, she had been very passionate about her job, most importantly about the welfare of animals.

He stood up from his chair. "I'll be in the shower, you can interrupt me if Mrs. Nakajima has something important to say."

Rei raised her teacup to her lips. "Very well."

In less than one weak the tournament would be over and the Zaibatsu would be his once more. He would take what was his by force or submission, by deception or blood.


After Kazuya left Jun sat on the sofa trying to think about breakfast, though she wasn't really hungry. She was disappointed to sense the doubt that plagued him, the guilt that had somehow wormed itself into him. She worried that he thought she was some naive girl who didn't know what she was getting herself into when it was quite the opposite. Jun was an adult woman making her own decisions, she was well aware that there was a very high probability that when everything was said and done she would end up with a broken heart. She didn't want that to happen, but it was something that men and women went through every day, if they could get through it, so could she. And if it resulted in Kazuya being free, of him willingly letting go of that demon, then it was worth it. Her phone began to ring and she looked up at the clock above her kitchen door, it was minutes after six a.m. and she had no idea who could be calling her so early.

She reached for the telephone on the end table and answered. "Yes?"

"Miss Kazama?" It was the voice of an older woman that she didn't recognize.

"Speaking."

"This is Mrs. Nakajima from WWWC Headquarters. I'm sorry to bother you so early and on a Sunday morning but certain information has come to my attention and I was hoping for a few minutes of your time."

"I'm no longer employed by the WWWC and therefore not legally obligated to speak to you or anyone-"

"Miss Kazama, please, your supervisor, Miss Tagawa, was too eager to bring the Mishima Zaibatsu down, she has...illusions of grandeur. She should not have let you go so easily, she should have assigned you to a different case."

Jun sighed. "Are you trying to offer me my job back?"

"No, I would like to offer you a job in the field. We have a couple of openings in Kenya at a wild reserve park, a couple in South America at an animal sanctuary and we even have one in Antarctica, those are difficult to come by."

Jun leaned back on the couch and rolled her eyes. "And you want me to do what?"

"Drop out of the tournament of course."

Jun chuckled softly. "Why?"

"It's bad press."

"How?"

"We can't have one of our own participating in a tournament sponsored by a company that performs cruel and illegal experiments on defenseless animals."

Jun felt her face grow hot and her heart begin to race, it had to be the Interpol agent, he must have somehow built his case or at least found some evidence. "That is all speculation as far as I'm aware."

"So far, but with your help, we may be able to find solid evidence."

"What makes you think I would accept your offer when I already told Miss Tagawa that I wanted off the case?"

"You wouldn't have to work on any case."

"I don't understand what you want from me."

"The laboratories at the Mishima Zaibatsu currently hold a kangaroo captive. What we want is to have you back in our employment today, then we will need you to give a short TV interview, today also, stating that you have dropped out of the tournament because you couldn't in good conscience, and as a WWWC employee, participate in a tournament sponsored by a company rumored to smuggle endangered and protected animals with the intent to perform cruel experiments on said animals."

"Rumored." Jun wanted to slam the receiver down but somehow resisted. "You want me to appear on a platform that will reach all corners of the world to malign the Mishima Zaibatsu based on rumors?"

"They aren't rumors, the information came from a credible source, an employee at the Mishima Zaibatsu."

"Then that is evidence enough to acquire a warrant, or make an arrest or go on television yourselves with those accusations. A lie from me, especially one told in a TV interview, harms your case and goes completely against my morals."

The woman sighed. "You're right, Miss Kazama, they are nothing but rumors, but we are desperate. The Interpol agent isn't having any luck and-"

"Are you supposed to tell me that?"

"You don't understand how powerful a statement coming from you would be. A former WWWC wildlife officer resigning her position then beginning a relationship with Kazuya Mishima himself and entering the tournament he sponsors only to discover that he is committing illegal activities, then withdrawing from the tournament as well as rejoining the WWWC on the same day to warn the world of his misdeeds would garner an incredible amount of attention. Other agencies, organizations, companies, individuals will potentially come forward and help us finally build our case against the Mishima Zaibatsu."

Jun straightened in her seat. "Who says I started a relationship with him?"

"...Well, your former coworkers speculated that-"

"Mrs. Nakajima, I suggest that from this day forward you and everyone involved with the WWWC begin to familiarize yourselves with investigation, lawful procedures and the gathering of facts rather than spreading rumors and using hearsay and speculation to build cases. Please, do not contact me again." Jun set the receiver down and remained immobile for a few moments.

Rumors, speculation, lies. But what if there was truth to it? What if Kazuya had lied and his scientists were indeed experimenting on animals? It was entirely possible. All in all, her morning was not going well, she wasn't one to dwell on negative feelings or events but it was difficult to remain positive. First, there was Kazuya with all his doubt and guilt, it was bothering her much more than she had thought it would and now the WWWC was attempting to use her to further their own agenda. They didn't care about her job performance or dedication, they didn't need her to work in the field or in the tiny, pathetic office or anywhere. They wanted to exploit her for her ties to Kazuya.

Her thoughts circled back to him. What would she do if she found out that the rumors were true? What if he was, in fact, experimenting on animals? Was that why he felt guilty? Because he was lying to her? And if he was lying to her about something as serious as that, could she ever forgive him? Could she forgive herself for becoming involved with him? She sighed as she leaned back on her couch. Whatever happened, whatever she found out she had to continue to help him, she had to stay until the demon was gone, then Kazuya would be a reasonable man who would find his morals, who could learn to trust and to think of others. It was going to be a long and difficult road and she was willing to stay by his side... But how much was she willing to overlook?


A/N: I had this chapter done a couple of weeks ago but as I was editing it felt like something was missing even though it was turning out quite long. I tried to split but it still felt weird, so I decided to add a couple of extra scenes and was finally able to split at a place where it made sense. The good news is, the next chapter is already done and only needs some (or a lot) of editing.

Thank you all for reading and thank you so much for reviewing, following and favoriting!