Hardened Winds

Chapter XI

Summary: Two years ago, Aang was betrayed by Katara, who fell for Zuko and ultimately led to the avatar's failure to defeat Ozai before summer's end. Hardened, the young airbender is now back with a full army and is on the verge of defeating the Fire Nation once in for all. Yet despite his belief of being in full control, nightmares of the past still haunt him. What will happen when Katara returns and a series of misunderstandings and more betrayals unveil? Will Aang be able to handle it all?

………………………………………………………………………………………………

That night, when Zuko slipped into the Omashu castle once more, he found Katara's cell empty. Instead, his eyes fell on a small sheet of paper taped to the door, and when he grabbed it, the words lit by the flames of his free hand, this was what he read:

We have the waterbender girl.

We are holding her on the east side of the Fenrir Mountain.

You have two days to try to free her or else you'll never see the girl again.

Gritting his teeth in anger, the prince dropped the note and clenched his fist. Katara had been kidnapped. And right before he had come to rescue her. It was just his luck. Apparently, his goal had become much more complicated. He would have to climb the Fenrir Mountains and release her from her mysterious captors before she would be finally free. Swearing under his breath, he began to retrace his steps, determined to leave the caste as soon as possible to set off on his new journey.

----- ----- -----

The banished one wasn't the only one who had been angered.

Because ever since he had discovered that Katara hadn't returned to her cell like a good little girl, Sokka had been furious, certain that his sister had somehow managed to escape from him. From then on, he had been irritable, snapping at whoever was unlucky enough to cross his path and resolute to get his prisoner back, even if it meant dragging her by the throat. I give her a little trust and this is what she does to me. Now he would have to order another search party, especially for her.

He woke up the day after, changing into light, flexible clothes. After gulfing down a quick breakfast, he took his boomerang and several daggers, ready to summon a few others with him so that they could look for his sister. But before he gathered his party, Sokka marched back to the third floor to inspect Katara's cell one last time. He hoped he would see a clue that he had overlooked the last time he had come here. What he found was so much better and so much worse.

The note. He read it quickly, feeling his heart stop when he was done. His anger quickly dissipated as he let go of the message and slumped onto the wall, a disarray of emotions swirling inside him. The sheet of paper hadn't been there last night, and suddenly it had appeared to shatter Sokka's previous suspicions. Worry and fear were what he felt for Katara now, because who knew what she was going through right this moment? At least she hadn't betrayed you, a voice piped No, he thought, irritated, she just had to get herself kidnapped instead.

But why, he mused as he finally got up, why would someone bother to capture Katara? The only ones who could possibly want her were the avatar and Prince Zuko, and the South Pole native was rather sure that Zuko would not send a note like this if he had succeeded in freeing his sister. Were there other people out there, other enemies he should have taken note of before? The destroyed Fire Nation was the only potential foe out there, and Sokka shuddered when he thought about the possibility. It couldn't have… risen again so fast, could it? It couldn't have pulled it together enough to actually plan another strike against the avatar, right?

Because he didn't want to think about what it would mean if that was true.

There would be no new search parties. He knew exactly where Katara was and he had a deadline, too. He could handle this on his own. After all, she was his prisoner… his sister… his responsibility.

He just needed to make sure Aang knew where he was going… at least, more or less. Because he didn't really want to tell his friend everything since it wasn't that big of a matter, and perhaps the avatar would take it a little too seriously. Besides, Aang needed to relax a little after his exhausting victory over Ozai and his current goal. Sokka had a hunch that restoring the three remaining nations would be no piece of cake, the task perhaps even being harder than defeating the Fire Nation. Katara's kidnapping wouldn't do the young monk any good.

Still, Aang should at least know that he was going to go on a small 'trip,' and with that in mind, he headed to Gloria's room. He needed to reach her as soon as possible, because he didn't have all the time in the world to get to Katara, did he? Yet he was even more fortunate, because instead of having to reach the sixth floor, he bumped into her as he was climbing the spiral staircase to the fourth level, and the blond looked astonished when she saw Sokka's joyful expression.

"Gloria!" he gasped. "I need to tell you something!"

"About the prince?" the adult questioned him, bewildered.

"No," Sokka shook his head. "I need you to tell the avatar that I'm going to go away for a day or two. Is that okay?"

"Sure…" the woman said slowly, all the while looking at him quizzically. "But is that it? You sound a little too excited for just that."

"It's a matter concerning the prince," the second-in-command lied briskly. "And I have a deadline, too. And as a matter of fact… how's your search party coming along?"

Gloria looked uncomfortable.

"Not as good as I thought it would go," she informed him. "I have Misaki, and Asuka's still thinking about it, but these days, I can't get them to go to Kali with me. They're both busy with… something else, apparently."

"Really?" Sokka frowned. "Well, they shouldn't be that preoccupied. Try to get them both to come with you to Kali over the next few days, all right?"

"All right. I'll… deliver your message to the avatar now."

Giving the waterbender a smile, he thanked her swiftly before going to his room. He had to make preparations for his journey, after all; it would take at least a day to reach the east side of Fenrir Mountain, and exactly where Katara was been held at was still beyond him. He would probably need to camp there overnight. When Sokka entered his chamber, he swiftly took a big backpack and jammed it with provisions, making sure to also add a folded tent and a sleeping bag, too. When he was done, he slung the bag over his shoulder, checked his weapons once more, and made his way to the Entrance Hall. He was surprised when he saw Misaki there, sitting on one of chairs and looking extremely worried.

"What are you doing here?" Sokka inquired, bewildered.

"Hm?" the younger one looked up to him, and was it just him… or did the second-in-command see a look of panic flash across Misaki's face? "Oh, I'm just… waiting for someone."

"Who?"

This time, Sokka definitely saw the former pirate give him an annoyed look, but it quickly dissipated when he nonchalantly answered:

"Asuka."

"You're waiting for her? Personally, I wouldn't even bother."

Misaki gave him a tight smile.

"Usually, I wouldn't either," he agreed, looking into the distance, "but you know her. She threatened me to death. Said it was something really important."

Sokka nodded before leaving the boy with his own thoughts. However, he couldn't help being bothered by that stare Misaki had given him, because he knew all too well what it meant. The former pirate wasn't one to get angry or impatient the third time; he normally showed his uglier side the second time. And the seventeen-year-old unexpectedly recalled their meeting days ago, when he had just come back from Katara's cell. Had that been… the first time? He had wondered why Misaki had been heading towards the third floor, and perhaps… he hadn't wanted him to know in the first place.

Sokka sighed. Why was he worrying about this now? He had far more important matters to look after, and his focus once again on the goal, he resolutely made it to the castle's exit. By tomorrow night, he was sure he would bring his sister back.

----- ----- -----

Fenrir Mountain, located amidst untamed foliage miles away from the village of Kali, turned out to be a bigger obstacle than Sokka would have thought.

For one thing, it was a rather tall landmark, and for the seventeen-year-old, who had expected more of a hill, it meant more difficulties and more grumbling. Second of all, as the boy climbed higher, it obviously became colder, and sadly, he hadn't packed any extra clothing. Therefore, he had been forced to endure the cold winds since the moment he tackled the mountain, and by the time night fell and he set up camp, Sokka had returned to his snappish mood and hoped that Katara –wherever she was- was grateful for what he was doing for her.

The scenery of Fenrir Mountain consisted mainly of dark green pines and other coniferous trees, which was a vast contrast compared to the arid, treeless landscape of the Omashu city. The ground was darker and softer; that and its pleasant humidity was the only good factors of the mountain, which otherwise remained cold and hostile to its climbers. The idiots who had captured his sister obviously hadn't known what they had gotten themselves into when they had decided to hold her here, and that caused Sokka to smirk as he attempted to make a fire.

For a long time, nothing happened, and he began mumbling a string of curses as he kept rubbing his two dry sticks faster and faster. Minutes later, fire erupted from his hands, and he let out a cry of victory (which soon transformed into a shriek of pain as the fire mounted to his skin) before swiftly transferring the fire to the pile of logs in front of him. A fleeting smile crossed his face before he inspected his surroundings. He had mounted his small tent a while ago, tucking his backpack safely inside, and somehow he had managed to find a big log that he had turned into a place to sit. Besides his campsite, the land of the Fenrir Mountain seemed to be untouched by humans, and Sokka hadn't found anything that told him that Katara's kidnappers had passed by here.

This will probably take longer than I thought, he pondered, sighing.

And it didn't help that he didn't exactly have all the time in the world, either. Besides climbing as high as he could and looking everywhere for a trace of the sixteen-year-old, all Sokka could do was pray that he would reach Katara in time. Because what would happen if she remained in her captors' hands when his time was up? He could only guess that they would get rid of her.

Gradually, the stars appeared in the sky. Cooking his supper, the boy took time to look up and admire the celestial bodies above. It was nothing compared to the aurora borealis, that was for sure, yet the minuscule lights were still stunning, all a different shade of burning white, brilliant yellow, and fiery crimson as they glimmered and twinkled proudly for all to see. They had been even more breathtaking a millennium ago, when the three of them had been traveling on Appa's back and he had admired the stars secretly almost every night. Of course, the skies had been closer to him then, yet it had been harder for him to enjoy his stargazing during those times. He always had had to make sure that Katara and Aang would never catch him staring into the sky. After all, to them, anything beyond his stomach was no interest to him, and he had hated to pop their naïve, little bubble.

After summer's end two years ago, that had changed, though. Almost everything had had. Sokka sighed and hungrily bit into his overcooked chunk of meat. The memory of his discussion with Aang when they had been in the South Pole came back to him… how he had somehow managed to comfort the younger one with the possibility of forming the Resistance. It had seemed on that night that he had said enough, because the avatar had regained his spirits enough to believe again. However, now that the seventeen-year-old was looking back, should he have said more? More so that… his friend would now be smiling more often than he was now?

"Katara, where are you?" he muttered to himself when he was done with his diner, and when he was greeted with no reply (of course), he sighed before slipping inside his tent, ready for a good night of sleep.

He presently didn't know where she was, but he was confident he would tomorrow.

----- ----- -----

The Fire Nation prince despised the mist that was swirling all around him.

Scowling, he waved at the foggy air, hoping to dispel it, yet when it proved to no avail, he groaned and continued to trudge his way up the cursed mountain, his ears strained for any human sound. Unfortunately, all he heard was his own quick footsteps and his occasional grunts of irritation. Because who wouldn't be annoyed by this kind of environment? He was surrounded by tall, verdant pines that always managed to poke him sharply in the sides every now and then, and the ground was too tender, making him unable to go as fast he could.

Plus, he was rather sore from last night. He had slept on the bare ground by a small fire, and he had thought then that he was tough enough to live through one night without any comfort. And true, he had expected pain when he had woken up, but he hadn't known that this mild agony would affect his progress. Indeed, his soreness now prevented him from moving as briskly and swiftly as he could, and he hated himself for that unwise decision he had made the other day. He should have known that any pain would have hindered his speed.

And so the spoiled prince learned the hard way that he wasn't always right.

The firebender hadn't spotted any signs of Katara or her captors either, which, without a doubt, made him very frustrated. In an area where humans avoided, one would have thought it would be easy to find clues that others had come by, but so far, Zuko hadn't had any luck. Either the girl's kidnappers were very smart… or the mist was beginning to affect his brain. He was very thankful that the fogs weren't a normal occurrence in the Fire Nation.

As time went by and his mind stopped focusing on his exasperation, he began thinking about what he would do. Katara would probably be tied up when he found her, and if he was particularly unlucky, the ropes would be fireproof. But the boy had a small knife with him just in case, and he figured that in any circumstances, he would be able to free the girl from her bounds. The main problem was… how would they escape from their captors? The landscape of Fenrir Mountain wasn't the best for running, and the kidnappers must know the surroundings pretty well. After all, why else would they choose this damn place to hold Katara? The best thing he could do was to knock the enemy unconscious with his firebending, he mused… yet that depended on how many he would have to face. It shouldn't be too hard, though, because it wasn't as if he would be alone in the fighting; he would have Katara by his side, and she knew enough waterbending to be a good fighter.

If he played his cards right, the prince would be able to set off for the Fire Nation with Katara tonight.

Just then, he saw something hanging from a tree. He rapidly snatched the object, immediately realizing that it was a piece of black cloth. It must have been a part of her captors' attire. When he inspected the new clue, he learned that it had been recently ripped. And he doubted that the piece of cloth belonged to a mere pedestrian who had just happened to think that taking a stroll in Fenrir Mountain was a good idea.

One step closer to her.

Feeling his confidence growing inside him, he quickened his pace, violently casting aside any branch that was in his way. However, he didn't find any other clues after that, and he let himself slow down slightly as his frustration returned. The mountain was huge, he had to admit, and who knew where Katara was. The east side. If that wasn't a vague location, he didn't know what was. It appeared as if the kidnappers did not want Zuko to find them, but then… why did they leave a note in the first place? However, now that he was thinking about it… how could one describe a specific location on a mountain…

His questions and confusion only fed his anger. When he finally did hear something, he clenched his fist, listening for more and prepared to attack whoever was out there. It was footsteps, he knew, and it seemed as if they were as quick and labored as his own. But… he listened closer… was it just him or was there only one pair of footsteps? Was the stranger carrying the waterbender? But it couldn't be, because Katara would have surely been able to handle one opponent. Still… his best option was to follow the newcomer, and taking more caution with his own steps, Zuko neared the source of the sound.

The pace of the footsteps was uneven. Sometimes they were quick and rhythmic, and sometimes they were slow and sluggish. And as he approached, he began hearing panting, too. The person apparently wasn't used to the mountain's terrain. What should he do? It was very likely that they would cross path, now that they were this close. Should he attack the stranger… or should he just let him pass? After all, it now became evident that he wasn't the current enemy, but Zuko wasn't the most welcome person in this area… Being the prince of the Fire Nation did have its consequences, and hearing his uncle's words once more, he wondered whether the avatar had made posters of him already.

Perhaps a peek at the newcomer would help with his decision. The firebender came closer to the other by a few more feet before hiding behind a large coniferous tree. And when the stranger came into view, he immediately found the answer to his question.

----- ----- -----

Sokka had begun tiring from his walk, lazily batting away the misty air in front of him, when a savage beast attacked him.

He let out an angry shout as he was abruptly pushed to the ground. Before he knew it, a flamed fist was right in front of him, making him discover that he was being assaulted by something even worse than a feral animal. A firebender. Snarling, the boy dodged the opponent's punch and scrambled to his feet, and a second later, he was in a fighting stance, his boomerang drawn out and his face fierce. It took no time at all for him to recognize who had so suddenly jumped on him.

Well. What do you know… it's the damn prince himself. He smirked.

Zuko was scowling deeply at him, his body tense in a combat position while his fists blazed dangerously. Even though he was somehow not surprised that Zuko was here, he couldn't care less about the prince's motives. All that mattered now was that he took the nemesis down, because hadn't ordered a search party for Prince Zuko for nothing. With that in mind, he narrowed his eyes before viciously throwing his boomerang at the scarred one. Easily dodging his attack, Zuko rushed towards him, and Sokka gasped when he felt his foot dig into his stomach. Once again, he was on the floor, and anger began to mount inside as he forgot his boomerang (it was only useful for attacks from afar, anyway) and got out his dagger.

The prince threw a small fireball at him, and he swiftly avoided it before lashing out with his weapon, smiling to himself when the blade slashed the firebender's clothing. His smile soon vanished, though, when the enemy, glowering, pummeled him right in the face. For some lucky reason, Zuko's fist hadn't been on fire when it made contact with his nose, and when Sokka swore and stumbled back, he was thankful not to feel any burning agony. He had a feeling the fight would have been over if fire had eaten his flesh away…

This time, it was his turn to glare at Zuko, who allowed no change to show on his pale face before unleashing a series of quick attacks. The prince was a good warrior, Sokka had to admit as he dodged the other's strikes, and he felt his heart beat wildly, uncontrollably. It was taking every ounce of his concentration not to get beaten up by the firebender. As the fight went on, he did receive a few punches and kicks, but fortunately, they were the less harmful ones. He was using defense tactics that Gloria had taught him not too long ago, and for once, he was completely indebted to the blond, who clearly knew a lot more than he had given credit for.

And when Zuko's attacks became less frequent and brisk, Sokka took the opportunity to go on the offensive. This time, he was remembering Misaki's technique with daggers, and raising his own high above the air, he made sure it was at an angle towards the sun that would blind his adversary before rapidly striking it across Zuko's face. Since he hadn't put that much force into his blow, he knew that it would be a shallow cut; nevertheless, the prince gasped and took a step back. His fists, which had at one point ceased to hold fire, burst into flames once more, but Sokka didn't allow him to make any firebending attacks, because he then rushed forward, quick and precise. At a glance, he searched for every one of Zuko's weak points, and he took advantage of every one of them. In a mere few minutes, there were numerous gashes all over the firebender's body. Zuko did not stop fighting, yet Sokka knew that his gashes had made a difference, because the other's blows were becoming less fluent and more forced.

Sadly, the seventeen-year-old's success was feeding Zuko's anger, and when the prince became more furious, his assaults became more brutal. This, Sokka realized almost too late when he felt a painful burning spreading across his chest, and when he looked down and saw that his opponent had somehow punched him on the chest, Zuko took the chance to throw him head first onto the ground. It was a miracle he didn't pass out.

Sokka's goal was to knock the other unconscious so that he would be able to drag the prince to the avatar's castle and safely lock him up. After saving Katara, of course. However, daggers weren't made to knock people out; their functions served only to wound or to kill. He therefore knew that he would eventually have to give up his blade if he wanted to truly conquer the firebender, because if he kept on fighting like this, he would either tire out and get burned alive (most likely and highly unpleasant)… or end up assassinating Zuko by accident (highly unlikely but a rather blithe thought). And sadly, Katara wouldn't like that.

The firebender was as vicious as ever, and while Sokka had gone back to his defensive maneuver, he was finding that it was becoming harder and harder to avoid Zuko's blows. And finally, as he was dodging one of the other's worst attacks, he lost his balance and fell onto the ground, his dagger flying from his hand and landing a few yards away from him. His hand automatically softened the fall, and one of them felt his boomerang that had so far lain forgotten on the ground. Slowly looked up, Sokka came face to face with Zuko, who was staring at him murderously from above with his flaming fist merely a few inches from his visage.

And unless he thought fast, he would have a very screwed-up face very soon.

So, like in every tough situation, Sokka turned to his instincts. And at this moment, Sokka's instincts were screaming at him to pick up his boomerang and throw it at the prince's face, at the tiny possibility that it would actually get a result. And to the South Pole native's immense good fortune, Zuko had no time to think before the boomerang struck him right in the forehead, and it was his turn to tumble onto the ground as he lost all balance. Sokka acted fast, and a moment later, he had pined the firebender to the ground. With the firebender on his stomach, the seventeen-year-old had easily gotten his arms together behind his back, neutralizing the prince's dangerous firebending hands. Sokka didn't bother to keep his hands away from Zuko's, and contrary to popular belief, it wasn't because he was being the forgetful idiot that he sometimes was. On his hands were a pair of thick, fireproof gloves, which refused to light up when the prince's hands erupted in flames.

And to end the fight, Sokka was rather strong. Especially when gravity was on his side now. It was all because of dumb luck.

Seeing his adversary struggle uselessly, the seventeen-year-old smiled.

Checkmate.

----- ----- -----

This was so degrading.

A second before, he had had the South Pole brat at his mercy. Where was he now, though? Defenseless and on the ground, about to lose everything. And all because of some stupid boomerang that only luck had given to his adversary just on time. After all, it was obvious that the other had been no match for him since the very beginning; his techniques were pathetically simple and he wasn't even a bender. Yet the scrawny teen had somehow managed to stand his ground for a rather long time, and maybe… if Zuko had knocked him out sooner… he would be with Katara now, safe and sound.

But… no. He was about to get killed by a sad excuse of an opponent. Gritting his teeth in fury and glowering at the other boy, he again tried to free himself, to stand up and teach the moron a fatal lesson. However, despite his skinny figure, the South Pole brat was powerful, even sturdy enough to keep the Fire Nation prince himself on the ground… although it was clear that the effort was taking a lot from him.

Now that Zuko thought about it… how would his adversary kill him anyway? The other couldn't use his arms at all, or else he would free the prince. And the moment Zuko's hands came in contact with anything besides those damn fireproof gloves, he would make sure that the boy would never rise up again. Yet Katara's brother could use his legs, therefore he would be able to kick him in the face and crack his skull. His opponent was deep in thought, Zuko could tell, and it was just a matter of time when he would figure out that he could just kick him and end it all.

But until the idiot decided his fate, the firebender could at least do something to entertain himself, right? The eighteen-year-old smirked at the thought before opening his mouth and unleashing a burst of fire onto the South Pole native. Again, it was only luck that made sure that the latter dodged his assault while keeping his hold on the prince, and when he regained his composure, he glared murderously at Zuko.

"I should just kill you now," he hissed, his eyes brimming with hatred.

"Why don't you then?" the firebender whispered smoothly.

The moron's hold on his forearms tightened.

"I won't," he then informed Zuko, making the banished one looked at him in surprise.

"Well, if you don't kill me," the prince pointed out, "I'll kill you."

"I doubt that."

"You think I'm not capable of murder?"

"No. I think you just can't afford to lose any more time, that's all."

And the South Pole brat was right. Zuko glared at him even harder.

"What are you saying?" he asked.

"It's pretty obvious why we're both here," the other told him. "You're looking for Katara, aren't you?"

"Yes." The firebender saw no point in denying this.

"Well, I'm looking for her, too. And I guessed that you read the note, too. So you know we have a deadline."

Zuko nodded slowly. The scrawny adolescent bit his lip, and uncertainty flashed across his face for a moment. Finally he opened his mouth, and each word awkwardly tumbled out, as if it was taking a tremendous effort for the idiot to let them out.

"I have no idea where Katara is exactly. I'm sure you have no idea where she is, either. And we're running out of time. If we want to find her at all… we'll have to stop this fight and even… work together."

He grimaced, and the prince could perfectly understand why. He himself snorted.

"Why do you think I'll work with you?" he retorted, almost laughing. "The moment you lessen your grip on me, I'll attack. And I doubt you'll survive for long."

"You think I'm that easy to beat?" the South Pole brat stared at him incredulously. "Then why am I still alive?" His tone, much to Zuko's annoyance, turned mocking. "For your information, we have been fighting for half an hour, and you didn't even do any real damage to me. And who has the advantage now?"

The firebender hated how that true that was, but he believed that there was a likely explanation for what had happened in the last half away. Katara's dumb brother was clearly a favorite of Lady Luck. The moron was right, though; he had survived the fiery prince for quite a long time, and he was still on his guard. Zuko doubted Lady Luck would leave the idiot soon, and it would take too long for him to actually win the battle. And when he did, it could be too late for Katara. And he couldn't afford that.

"What do you suggest?" he asked his adversary, just a little sarcastic.

"Simple. We stop fighting, we make a truce, and we use our brains together to find out where Katara is. We fight together to free her, and then we'll deal on who gets to have her in the end."

And by then, Zuko was convinced that he would be able to take the other down. Plus, if Katara would be free by then, he would have nothing whatsoever to restrain him. The deal was sounding quite nice now.

"Okay then," he sighed, albeit still a little reluctant, and the idiot nodded before at last letting him go.

"I'm watching you, though," the South Pole native said, narrowing his eyes. "If you try something behind my back, I'll…" Yet, to Zuko's bemusement, he could not finish his sentence.

"What's wrong?" the prince taunted him, raising an eyebrow. "Cat got your tongue?" He allowed a smirk before continuing on a more solemn note: "And if you try something behind my back, I'll definitely show you no mercy."

"You're going to kill me?" the brat asked, and a moment later, he burst out laughing. "You forget who I am… your girlfriend's brother! I doubt Katara would be happy if she found out you killed her own kin and blood."

Damn. Zuko hadn't thought about that. And in response to the enemy's previous statement, he swore at him.

"Wash that filthy mouth of yours," the other coolly said. "Besides, I have a name, you know. It's Sokka, by the way."

As if he would ever call the South Pole brat by his name.

"Let's go then," Zuko declared instead, "we have to get to Katara before night falls."

"Yes. We should."

And exchanging another glare, the avatar's second-in-command and the deceased Fire Lord's son set off once again to look for Katara. And if anyone had been there to see the sight, they would have concluded that the two were the strangest pair they had ever seen.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

A/N: Very eventful chapter, although not the best. Sigh. To make this chapter the best it could be, I would need to do some major editing. I think my writing is deteriorating… Not that I have time to do any. Editing, I mean. I'm so sorry. And I am extremely sorry that I haven't updated for four (or even five!) weeks! I can go on and on about the lame excuses that prevented me from updating for my faithful readers, but that'll just bore you and make you hate me. So to make it short: I'm sorry. I'm busy. And I might still be. If you're lucky, though, a chapter will be posted next week. If you're not lucky…

Brace yourself for another month. Ahahahahahaha.

Hopefully this chapter is acceptable. I love reviews, by the way (as if this is news to you). Speaking of reviews, I made it to 90! I am so ecstatic! Ninety is such a lovely number, and the fantastic reviews I got… I can summarize my emotions in one powerful word. YAY. It won't be long until I get 100 reviews, even surpassing my old record…. Moving on.

If the number of reviews I got for a story is 10 or more, I won't do reviewer responses. I'm sorry. Maybe I'll do a few in my later chapters… if I feel like it. Anyway…

I love the binomial theorem. I hate Pascal's Triangle. Why aren't the combination and permutation formulas the solution for every single problem in the world? Argh. Just an idea of what I'm going through. Attempting to cram a year of math in a week. Wish me luck.

Review if you're nice.