Seeing Truth

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Chapter 32: Calling

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The corridors in the castle were deserted as far as I knew as Kenny and I made our way down to Link's room. We walked with quick paces in silence, and as the urge to bathe grew stronger, we had reached Link's room. The place, as well, was deserted. We didn't have to knock; the door was already ajar. We stepped in quietly. If we were in the modern world, you would have probably seen yellow tape blocking the entrance way, and little numbers on papers that marked the crime scenes, but nothing of that type was to be seen. This was the Middle Ages, and everything in the room was left as it had been that fateful night.

Blood still stained the rugs, glass lay broken place to place, curtains were still torn, furniture still overturned. Nothing had changed except for one thing: the body of Ryuichi was gone and the only remnant of him ever existing was the pool of blood only a few feet away from the bed. Did this mean that his soul had moved on, or was it still lurking around? I instinctively folded my arms across my chest and stepped inside. After all this, I finally realized that Link would have never stayed in the same room after all that had happened.

Something from the corner of my eye quickly caught my attention. I turned my head to stare at the desk in the corner. It had been moved around and every item that had once sat on top had fallen on the ground in some way or another. It was hard to figure what seemed so out of place; something just didn't seem right about it, and I finally realized why. My eyes traveled down to the corner of the desktop. It had been broken apart, leaving a sharp, jagged edge where splinters were purely evident. I stepped back farther from the desk and continued walking a different direction while mentally making a note not to go near the hazardous object.

I was about halfway toward the end of the room, which would make me about in the middle, when I stopped dead in my tracks. My mind told me to go, but my feet just wouldn't budge. I could feel a tightening all over my body, and I forced myself to do something, but it was as if I had been frightened to the core without a reason. Sure, the room was creepy, but I've gone through too much to think a room creepy. It just had to be my mind playing tricks on me. I glanced over to where Kenny was examining the fireplace as he slowly moved closer and closer to the desk. I had to tell him to stay away from the jagged edge of the desk. No words came out. And yet, rather than keeping my mind straight, my eyes traveled upward, and to the ceiling. There, above me, hung a chandelier. It had to at least cover my entire bedroom ceiling from side to side. The stumps of wax that seemed to have enough wick to continue to keep burning for another hour or so flickered slightly from movement. I narrowed my eyes? Movement? It just had to simply be the wind. My eyes glanced to the balcony; the curtains didn't move.

I craned my neck upward again. My heart lapsed and caught in my throat, and I began to shake as I tried to form words. I could hear a groaning, metallic sound high above. Something cracked- stone cracked as it broke away. The sound of a chain clinking together, something groaning, and something swishing in the air came to me all too suddenly as the metal chandelier dropped five feet farther toward the ground. Why couldn't I move? Another groaning sound and it was eight feet closer. It was too close now. I heard Kenny calling me, but I couldn't seem to gather up my thoughts. Why the hell couldn't I move! God, help me! Everything flashed before me after that. I can't say my life flashed before my eyes. I don't think I could fit every memorable moment in only a few seconds. Besides, I've been in near death experiences too often and more than any human should ever have to be put through. Remember when I say human and not elf. Though, after entering this world I always thought I would die choking to death and not being crushed to death.

I shut my eyes tightly, ready for the blow to my head that would kill me off for good, but instead, I only felt the searing pain in my back after being pushed to the ground with extra weight on top of me. How was that so? Chandeliers aren't that light, and I swear I wasn't hallucinating. Something crashed only what seemed a foot away and I jumped and yelped from fright. I felt someone's arms around me and I instantly thought of Kado, but no. This wasn't Kado.

I heard Kenny whispering assurance into my ear as I felt the warm trickle of tears crawl down my face from the corners of my tightly shut eyes. I had never in my life ever been so scared. Those times that I had been alone to fight Ryuichi, or when I had been trapped in that room were nothing compared to how I felt now. The feeling of helplessness had overwhelmed me. The feeling that I couldn't move wanted to make me huddle in a corner and cower away from the real world. It was as if part of my dream had come true. Was I going to die in some horrible way like that? I didn't want that. I would have much rather died of old age, but wouldn't something be missing in my life if I had died of old age in my modern world that I had always seemed to call home? How could I go back? If I wasn't with Kado, or Link, or Kenny, how would I survive? How could I go to that drab world that I so eagerly needed at the moment? The place that I called "home" was a dream, but did I really want it anymore if I had to live without them?

"It's okay, Jade. You're safe, now." Kenny continued to whisper as I began to shake uncontrollably, and my breathing continuing to come in sharp gasps, "its okay…" He continued to sit there with me, unmoving as I tried to regain any form of calmness that could ever be recovered. A few seconds past before a strong gust of wind blew through from the balcony. The curtains moved violently in with the wind, and I began to shiver uncontrollably once more from the sudden cold. I felt Kenny tense next to me and I grew worried.

"Come on. Let's get out of here." I heard Kenny say as he helped me to my feet. I felt something wet press against the palm of my hand, and I quickly glanced down. From where Kenny held my hand that clutched my abdomen I noticed the familiar tinge of blood oozing from a cut wound on the back of his hand.

"W-what happened to your h-hand?" I whispered in a stutter as we practically ran out of the room. I turned to look at him as he glanced at me then to his hand and then to the door.

"It's nothing. It's just a scratch." He answered as we finally exited. I calmed down even more and actually stopped shivering. By this time, though, I was a bit aggravated.

"Just a scratch?" I repeated his words as he shut the door to Link's former room, "That's a friggin' cut."

"Jade, please. It'll heal, remember?" he replied as we walked down the corridor at a faster pace than before.

"But you could get an infection." I stated.

"It'll be fine." He remarked, irritated. I glanced up at him; a shiver ran down my spine. It had to be the cold. I turned away and concentrated on getting back to my room.

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I heard the door of my room close a little louder than I had hoped, causing me to jump a little in my step.

"Sorry…" I heard Kenny mutter.

"What do we do now?" I asked as I plopped onto my bed a bit reluctantly.

"I don't know." He answered with a shrug of his shoulders before leaning against the wall near the door.

"What do you mean?" I began as I furrowed my eyebrows, "Do you know where Link is staying? Do you know why there's absolutely no one in the hallways? Do you know why I almost got killed in that room?"

"No, yes, and no." he answered simply. I glanced up in confusion, trying to remember what I had asked and what order I had asked them in.

"I don't know where Link is staying, but we can ask Kado. I'm sure he'll know, but since I doubt the servants will let us into his room I don't think we can see him until later today. And no, I don't know what happened back there, but I have a pretty good feeling that wasn't an accident. Happy?" he replied before pushing himself off the wall to pace around the room. I glanced up over his head to where a chandelier hung precariously in the middle of the room. The candles were out, but I was positive I saw no movement. Kenny was right. What just happened in there was no accident. And it had obviously left me in tears. I may have recovered quickly, but I don't think I'd be standing under any chandeliers for awhile… I slid off the side of the bed and walked over to where Kenny paced and quickly stood in front of him. Luckily, I wasn't standing under the chandelier.

"Get out of my way, Jade." He said as he stopped in his tracks to stare down at me with bright red eyes. Odd, I always thought they were much darker…

"No." I answered firmly before grabbing his injured hand. He flinched slightly, and I hoped he had gotten my message simply by that feeling.

"You have to get this cleaned." I muttered, eyeing the blood before turning my attention to the actual wound… if there had ever been one. I narrowed my eyes. Where's the wound? I swore there had been a gash on the back of his hand that ran from the edge of his middle knuckle and all the way to the bone in his wrist. I grabbed his left hand then; it was clean. I grumbled as I peered closer, trying to ignore the nauseating smell of blood. Just when I found a slight trace that had the remnants of a scar, Kenny snatched both his hands back. I stomped my foot in aggravation.

"I told you Sheikans heal quicker." He retorted angrily.

"Fine then. Be a complete asshole." I muttered as he walked away to sit on a chair across the room. I turned away and plopped onto the bed. I was sore all over, and completely grossed out by all my griminess. I continued to think, though. I knew Sheikans healed quicker than humans, but not that fast. I glanced at Kenny through the corner of my eye. I looked away for good this time. Nothing felt right anymore. Why did everything have to change so quickly? Damn…

Minutes past and I continued to think. If a scar had already formed on the back of his hand in minutes from a shallow, but still large gash, then how long had it took for the wound in his abdomen to heal?

"Hey…" I muttered the word half-heartedly and continued with complete embarrassment, "Lift up your shirt."

"Excuse me?" he asked confusingly as he raised an eyebrow.

"Your tunic- whatever. I want to see that scar from where Ryuichi cut you." I replied as I slid off the bed and walked over to him. He sighed and stood up. He unbuckled his belt and lifted the tunic up as far as where his ribcage just barely showed. I concentrated and searched for any trace of a scar while trying to ignore what began to look like a model's body... almost… just a little… he was a little thinner… shorter… and whiter… which was actually a surprise since when I met him he looked a little tanned… ah! We're getting off track. My eyes widened at the barely visible line that ran across the side of his stomach. It was lighter at least three times more than his natural skin color.

"What?" I heard him ask as I grabbed his right hand once more.

"Um, well…" I cleared my throat and glanced at the mark on his hand for a few seconds before returning to look at the scar on his stomach; "How long did it take for this to heal?"

"I don't know… A few days or so… Why?" he replied as he placed his tunic back down.

"Well…" I narrowed my eyes at the bluish bruise surrounding the scabby wound, "Um. How long does it take for something like this…" I raised his hand a bit, "to heal?"

He shrugged, "A day or so…"

"Not a minute or so?" I inquired.

"What are you getting at?" he asked.

I sighed, dropping his hand and turning my back to him to walk away, "Don't you see that bruise surrounding your cut? Is that even supposed to happen?" I heard him mutter something, but I ignored it, not wanting to know what he was ranting about.

"I don't know." I heard him say as I assumed him beginning to pace again. I gave up at that point. There was no point arguing anymore with him; it was useless.

"I'm gonna go take a bath." I mumbled, walking toward the bathroom. I didn't hear anything else and assumed that was the end of it.

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The warm water relaxed me completely, and made me clean in what seemed forever. I could finally rest my tense muscles, and maybe even sleep a bit. Nah, how was that ever going to happen with all that was on my mind?

I was out in twenty minutes and was surprised to see Kenny still in my room. I, surprisingly, hadn't minded. Though, I had forgotten to take with me some clothing, and the only thing covering me was a thin, pinkish-peach towel-like material. I yelped and ran back into the bathroom when I noticed him. I heard chuckling and peered into the room. Kenny had been sitting on the same chair with a look of amusement plastered on his face.

"Stop laughing." I muttered, my legs still a bit shaky.

"Sorry, sorry. It's just the look on your face…" he continued laughing. I pouted.

"What are you still doing here?" I asked while trying to ignore the cold stone tile under my feet.

He shrugged after controlling his laughter and answered, "I was just thinking."

"Oh…" It was silent for a few moments.

"You're going to get sick again if you just stand there with only a towel, you know?" I heard Kenny say as he walked over to the dresser nearby and began rummaging through the drawers.

"What are you-…?" I began to ask until I felt something soft hit my face.

"Here…" I heard Kenny mutter as he tried to hold back his laughter. I narrowed my eyes at him in irritation before grabbing the dress and stepping back inside the washroom.

I had to admit that Kenny had a pretty good taste when it came to clothing, but then again he could have just grabbed something by random. The dress was plain, but better than a dress half the weight of me. The color was blood red- surprising. The sleeves were three-quarters and the collar went off the shoulder and was lined in a small golden border. The lower half began around the hips and was lined in gold as well while the bottom- as well was bordered in gold- trailed along the floor. The lower half was two layers; the first was a transparent red, while the second was the same color and material as the top. See? It was plain. I quickly pulled my hair into a half ponytail and walked out.

"Wow, I have good taste." I heard Kenny say and I smiled sarcastically.

"Yeah. Sure. Sure." I said as I walked over to the vanity and tried to find some sort of make up to put on that I knew how to use. This would definitely take awhile. I needed conversation; "So, what are we going to do today?"

"Well, since our first plan didn't work, I was thinking we should…" he trailed off.

"What?" I muttered as I tried to apply something that looked a little like powder…er... maybe…

"I said we should go… find Link." I heard him reply.

"Sure…" I furrowed my eyebrows for a moment as I remembered something he had said earlier; "What did you mean by the servants in Kado's room not allowing us in to see him?"

"Uh, well…" Kenny stammered as I watched him through the mirror. He rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

"What?" I urged, turning around.

"See, they're getting Kado ready…" he began in a low, unsure voice.

"Ready for what?" I asked as I gripped the side of the vanity.

"For the… wedding…" he mumbled as he folded his arms over his chest. I glanced at his hand instinctively; it was clean. So he had left.

I stared down and furrowed my eyebrows even more, "They're getting married… today?" He nodded.

"Kado took the potion again this morning; Isabella didn't want to wait any longer." He replied.

"I have to see him at least one more time…" I mumbled, trying to hold in the tears.

"I can see what we can do." He said as he stepped a bit closer, as if unsure to comfort me or not. I sniffled and walked toward the door.

"Yeah…" I muttered, opening the door.

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"Jade!" Kado exclaimed in surprise as we stormed through the door to his quarters. I could hear the guards following us close by. I wasn't sure how we had planned on just bursting in, but it just seemed to form in both of our minds.

"My apologies, Your Highness. I'll remove them immediately." I heard one of the guards say as one grabbed my arms.

"Get off me!" I said angrily as I tried to wrestle away from his grip. His hand moved over to the wound on my arm and tightened his grip. I winced and almost lost my footing.

"Let them go!" I heard Kado say not too far away. They obeyed. Before the guard could release me completely, I yanked my arms away angrily and fixed my dress. I waited until they left the room to speak even with the servants eavesdropping in the other room.

"Why the hell are you going through with this?" I asked, folding my arms across my chest to avoid the awkward feeling I was getting. Kado furrowed his eyebrows and glanced at the direction of his room. He walked and shut the door before returning to walk even closer to me. I glanced over to where Kenny leaned against the wall. He glanced at us for a moment before widening his eyes. He sighed and pushed himself off the wall.

"Fine. Fine. If you need me, I'll be outside." He muttered and walked out.

"Now…" Kado began as he stepped closer to me. I tried to ignore the scent that emanated from him and to do so; I had to back away…unfortunately.

"Why, Kado?" I asked again.

"Why?" he repeated then continued, "Because you didn't want to get married… So, really, it was your fault." I took in a sharp breath and closed my eyes.

"Then… I'm sorry…" I muttered, not sure of what else I could really to say to the truth. I walked toward the door.

"Jade! Wait." I turned around to stare at Kado and for the first time that morning I noticed how he looked. The way he was dressed showed completely his position in the kingdom and the look on his face was like a model's. Literally. Damn. Why did everyone I meet look like they could be on the cover of… of… well, I can't think of any magazine, but they could be walking down a catwalk. And me, I was the complete opposite. I wrinkled my nose as my eyes traveled up to his hair. It had been combed neatly down. Stupid maids, I thought.

"I wanted to give you something the night before, but you fainted…" he began.

"-Passed out." I corrected.

"Here…" he pulled something from the folds of his clothing. I waited.

"What is it?" I finally asked as he walked toward me.

"It's not much, but I think you'll like it. You liked it when I bought it for you." He replied as he grasped my left hand. Oh…

"Kado…" I mumbled as he slipped the silver ring on my finger, "You kept this?"

"Of course." He replied, "I always knew you would come back." I couldn't help but smile at that gesture. I barely noticed him glance around him suspiciously before reaching once again through the folds of his clothing. He pulled out two neatly folded parchments of paper and handed it to me. He stepped closer now, which made us only a few inches apart.

"It's your choice, Jade." He whispered into my ear as he placed the papers into my hand; "I want you to decide. The ceremony will be at three this afternoon. You can stop this if you want." A chill ran up my spine at his words. It was my choice?

I closed my eyes for a few seconds as he lightly kissed my neck. I could feel him wrap his arms around my waist as he began to kiss my collarbone. The parchments had basically been crushed by now, but he didn't seem to care. And I had lost all sense of time then. When he began to kiss my lips, I took in a sharp breath. My heart was pounding, and I didn't think I'd be able to stand upright anymore. His hands traveled to my arms and then my shoulders as he slowly began to deepen the kiss. For the first time, I actually let him continue, and I actually kissed him back more than before. And for this reason, I didn't want us to part, but no one seemed to care about that.

I heard the sound of the door banging open. We quickly pushed each other away and I tried to look as innocent as possible. Four soldiers rushed in and surrounded us. Behind them followed Isabella; a scowl seemed to be set in stone on her face. I was surprised to see Kenny rushing in after them, his eyes wide and anxious.

"Seize her!" I heard Isabella practically scream, and the first thought that came to mind was to beat the crap out of her. That b-…! The soldiers grabbed my arms and pulled me toward the door. I heard Kado arguing to let me go.

"You can't do this!" I yelled at her as I struggled angrily. She walked over to me with smirk.

"Of course I can, peasant." She spat out the last word as she flipped her hair back. I wrinkled my nose at her; the way she was dressed, the jewelry that adorned her, and the make-up that caked her face almost made her look like a harlot. "What's this?" I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion before realizing what she was talking about. I glanced over to my left hand that held the folded contracts. She snatched them from my hand and unfolded them quickly. Her body tensed as her eyes traveled over the documents.

"You were hiding these." She said as she turned to me angrily. She stepped toward me and leaned forward. Before I could brace myself, I had just been honored with a sharp slap on the face that pretty much numbed me. I gasped.

"Stop it, Isabella!" I heard Kado exclaim as he stepped forward.

"And are you going to try and defend her, dear Kado?" she said in a sickly sweet voice. Kado stayed silent as he tried to find the right words. She beat him to it; "Once she is gone we can live our lives in peace. She has done nothing but be in our way."

"I love her!" I heard him say angrily. I watched as she cringed at his words. She cocked her head as she glanced at one of the documents.

"Everything will go according to plan as long we have our treaty." She smiled as she placed both her hands on the side of one of the documents. A ripping sound reached my ears. I shut my eyes and turned my head away.

"You're wrong, Isabella." Kado said a bit calmly. I opened my eyes and looked at him.

"How so?" she asked as the two pieces that had once been the treaty between Meyenn and Hyrule glided to the stone floor.

"You can't force me to do anything against my will. I can back out of this." He replied.

"That's where you're wrong!" she snapped, "If you don't sign this treaty, then she will die. I have the power to do that. Do not underestimate me." That was when I felt the sharp edge of a sword being held against my neck. How typical, I thought.

"Just do what she says." I sighed. God be with me while I try to get out of this one, I thought as I rolled my eyes to add to the annoyance I was trying to conjure for my little act that was forming in my head.

"See? Even she agrees with me." I heard Isabella scoff.

I sighed loudly and continued, "Goddesses know she'll be crying herself to sleep if you don't. Give the pathetic girl a chance."

"Excuse me? What right do you have to talk about me in such a way? Do you not know who I am, peasant?" she scowled as she stepped toward me. Now how many times have I been asked those questions?

"I do know who you are, actually." I glanced at Kenny from the corner of my eye. He narrowed his eyes for a second before relaxing; "I also know that you've cried at night because they didn't serve your favorite pastry."

"You're lying!" she said as she stepped even closer. I glanced toward Kado this time; he furrowed his eyebrows, but soon stepped forward in the very slightest movement.

"Now why would I lie?" I asked as I formed a sickly sweet smile. She groaned angrily and bent forward, her hand raised. Before she could even touch me, I had sent my knee flying into her abdomen. She doubled over and fell to the ground, moaning in pain. I felt the blade of the sword against my neck press hard against my skin. The warm trickle of blood followed next, but it wasn't long before I had been released. I fell backward onto my back in near agony. I watched as Kenny fought the two soldiers with blinding speed. My attention turned to Kado who was now dragging Isabella by her collar before wrapping his arm around her neck. A soldier ran past him in hopes of helping his fellow soldiers, and apparently too blind to notice the prince unsheathe his sword from his belt. I watched with horror as the blade penetrated below the soldier's shoulder bone. He crumpled to the floor just after Kado had pulled the blade out. I backed into the wall absentmindedly as my eyes traveled back to Kenny. His attention turned to me for a split second.

"Run, Jade!" I heard him yell to me as he sent his blade into one of the soldiers. My eyes were wide and full of fear at the fact at what I had just begun. I didn't want anyone else to be killed, but it was too late for that now, wasn't it?

"Jade! Run!" I heard Kenny say once again. I swallowed spit and turned on my hands and knees and crawled halfway toward the door. I stumbled onto my feet and continued running.

The halls were filled with screaming servants and confused soldiers. They had no idea what was going on, which meant I only had a matter of time before they turned around and went after me. I turned left sharply onto another corridor. I was already lost. I had no idea which way to go to get to my room, which was worse than you would think since my katana was in there. I felt the front of my dress stretch out, and when I finally tipped over, I realized I had just tripped over my own dress. I fell face flat on the stone floor. For a moment, I just lay there, allowing my heart to calm down, and my breathing to catch up. It wasn't until I begin to hear the sounds of footsteps drawing nearer and nearer that I finally began to panic. My plan had backfired. I was going to die. Kenny was going to die. Kado was going to die. I had to go back, but the sudden grabbing of my arms brought me to the realization that I had failed. I had failed everyone. It was then that I wished I could press the restart button and try again.

"Jade…" a familiar voice whispered my name. I opened my eyes; other than the dim light from the candles, I recognized a figure- a familiar figure to be exact, one I had been searching for in a while. I wanted to explain everything to him right then, but I didn't think it was much use anymore, and besides that we were running out of time.

"Jade." He said my name louder this time as he helped me to stand; "We have to get out of here. Come on."

"What about Kenny and Kado?" I asked as we stumbled through the corridors.

"We'll come back for them, but right now, we have to leave this place." Link replied as he glanced at me from the corner of his eye.

"But…" I tried to begin, but I stopped short when I saw the pale gray sky above us. The air smelled of fresh fallen rain, and I quickly inhaled. The earth was still damp, the air still slightly humid, and the sky full of angry clouds that were ready to pour out their frustrations on the world soon enough.

"This way…" I heard Link say as he pulled me along. Before I realized it, we were in the forest. How? I wasn't sure. But we were there in the damp and dark woods where everywhere you looked there was life. The sound of waves crashing on the shore brought my attention to the path we were taking. At first, I didn't realize what I was looking at until I saw the familiar clear sky once again.

I turned my head for a split second to recognize myself with the surroundings, but instead, I realized I already had. I had slowed my pace at this point, but not because I was gasping for breath, but because that cliff- where the earth ended, where dirt turned to rocks, and then in place of rocks there was water; this was where I had been only last night. Maybe it had been in my dreams, but I had had the dream for a reason, hadn't I?

"Come on!" Link urged, pulling my arm harder. I pulled away from him angrily. I didn't know why, and I still don't know why, but I did. I had to; for some reason, it seemed more of an escape to me than anything else.

"Jade!" he exclaimed as he reached for my arm. I backed away, my hand holding onto my wrist against my chest. "We have to go! They'll come after you!" I shook my head as I walked slowly backward toward my destination. He furrowed his eyebrows, his hand still stretched forward.

"I can't leave." I muttered, though not sure what it meant. I didn't have a clue what I was doing. If I couldn't return to help them, and I couldn't go with Link, where was I to go?

"Jade!" he called my name over and over again as I turned my back on him and ran. I ran to the edge of the cliff and peered forward. The winds now gusting tilted me forward, not giving me a chance to think. I glanced behind me quickly; I saw Link reaching out for me only a few inches away, and behind him were Kenny and Kado, there eyes wide and their expressions sorrowful as they stood in helplessness with their clothes spotted and stained with blood. I turned back around and closed my eyes. I stretched my arms forward and continued my descent off the rocky cliff.

I had dived in. Wind rushed past me for what seemed in hours, but in reality it had only been seconds. Then there was the water- the ice-cold water that encased me. I didn't bother to open my eyes. I didn't bother to break the water. I didn't bother to swim for shore. It seemed that the ocean was just taking me, enveloping me, taking me home. But where was that? I didn't know, but did that mean that the ocean did? But how would the ocean know? I wouldn't know how to answer that, and I didn't ask. I just listened, and I waited…

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Well, how did everyone like this chapter? It was extra long, and I hope you all enjoyed it. I'm sorry about Link not being in this chapter much, but it didn't seem right to fit him in just yet since after all he was sleeping. :-D I'll hopefully have the next and last chapter up soon. :-D

Thanks to all those peeps who reviewed my chapter. I hope all of you enjoyed this one. :-)

xbluxmoonx