Chapter 19
"Wake Up"
A defeated screech echoed across the burnt forest. All that heard the cry knew what it meant. The winner was decided and the loser has fallen.
The thick fog lightened until it became a thin layer of mist. Ash settled, the white specks of burnt remains falling from the sky like crisp snow. The disturbance died down, and it revealed a black tree split horizontally in half. Its agonized expression from when it was torn apart was frozen on its wooden face. Laying limp beside it was a headless Macabre Alphazard. The skeletal lizard's severed head made one final growl before the magenta lights in its eye sockets dimmed.
Lightning blue eyes eyed the defeated pile of splinters and bones. Lady Lisa snorted dismissively and stared in disgust at the remnants of the battle. Mario and Luigi sat down with a huff, exhausted. Starlow floated tiredly, her eyes drooping down sleepily.
"We won..." Luigi whispered, relief filling those two simple words. A small smile crept towards his face before he faced his brother. With a bright grin he repeated himself more cheerily. "We won!"
"Yeah, we did." Mario beamed at his brother. "Which of course, was expected", he added cockily.
Luigi gave a small breathless laugh before laying flat on his back. He sighed. "That was a pretty hard battle... I hope we won't ever have those fights again..."
Starlow settled herself on the ground to sit down, unable to float any longer. "Not to be a sour note, but... I doubt this is going to be the last battle like that."
"Well that's reassuring..." Luigi muttered.
Lady Lisa huffed tiredly before gingerly setting herself down. A prolonged sigh came out of her slightly parted jaws. She stared ahead blankly, trying to ignore the trio resting beside her as if they weren't there.
Mario eyed the massive reptile beside him. Her lightning blue eyes were still and hardened, glaring at the dead black tree and decapitated skeleton in front of her with utter distaste. 'She must really hate them so much... They're already dead, yet she's still hating them', Mario thought.
But Mario caught the uncertainty in her eyes. It made him wonder what was really going on in the Alphazard's mind. Maybe she was just waiting for a certain reaction from them?
He removed his red cap and played with it nervously. He shifted uncomfortably, as if there was an itch on his back. After a seemingly long moment of awkward silence, he finally gathered up the courage to talk. "Hey..." He began. Lady Lisa refused to face him, but she puffed air through her nose loudly, letting him know that she was listening. "Th-thanks for saving us back there... We wouldn't be alive now if it wasn't for you..."
Lady Lisa's electric blue eyes glanced at Mario briefly before returning back to staring blankly ahead of her. She snorted and rumbled acceptingly. The uncertain glint in her eyes grew.
Mario set his cap down on the dirt beside him before tracing lines on the ground with his good hand. "Really... We're very grateful that you saved us... So, uh, thank you..." He studied the Alphazard's neutral expression. "But just one question..." He paused, thinking his words out, unsure how to ask his question without provoking her. Lisa's eyes widened expectantly. "Why did you save us? We fought yesterday, right?... What made you think that we were worth saving?"
The Alphazard's eyes dimmed. For a moment, Mario was afraid that she would snap and gobble him up. But then he noticed her face down slightly. She shifted her eyes towards the ground. Mario sighed in relief when he realized she was just thinking.
"You shouldn't answer me if you don't want to... We owe you a debt, and that's what matters. No question about it." Mario added, not wanting the Alphazard anymore trouble. But Lady Lisa still thought about it. It was a good question for her part, and she was voluntarily trying her best to answer his question.
In truth, the Alphazard had no idea why she decided to save them. When the Macabre Alphazard revealed itself and claimed to be the ruler of this forest, she acted out of instinct: defending what was hers. She had just marked this part of the forest as her home. It was natural for the two giant lizards to fight for the territory. The Macabre Alphazard was her recognized rival. It was just incidental that Mario, Luigi, Starlow, and Scuro were saved from being killed.
Be it incidental, forced, or voluntarily, she still saved them, nonetheless. Was it out of impulse? If it was, what was the reason behind her sudden move? Why did she save them even though they had just fought? Yes, she had forgiven them and reconsidered from calling them enemies, but that doesn't mean that they were allies.
She narrowed her eyes as she thought deeper.
But she didn't see why having allies was wrong. She didn't see how having Mario, Luigi, Starlow, and Scuro as friends was bad. Yet she still refused to believe or even think that they were.
Perhaps it was because she felt shame... She would feel shameful if she had puny characters as friends. It would destroy her reputation as a strict, powerful, and invulnerable alpha predator. She was supposed to eat them up, maul them to death, break their bones, tear them apart, etc. But...
She turned her head and looked at Mario, Luigi, and Starlow.
Luigi was lying on his back, a cheery smile on his face. Starlow was sitting beside him idly. They were talking to each other, probably about their experiences during the battle. Mario was tracing lines in the dirt, occasionally looking up and glancing at her.
If she really did think she was supposed to hurt them, why didn't she do it now? Why can't she even think of hurting them? Just looking at Luigi's relieved expression alone kept her morbid thoughts away. She couldn't bring herself to lay a hostile claw on them, despite already hurting them during their first encounter.
Admittedly, she regretted doing that. She regretted hurting them and thinking that they were nothing more than pests in her territory. She turned her head back towards the Macabre Alphazard's remains. She was sure the skeleton thought so of them, too.
She despised the skeleton, but at the same time respected it. It had once belonged to a proud and obviously powerful Alphazard. She knew that when it was still alive, it was the ruler of this side of the forest. But that was long ago... The forest and its king perished in a fire, and what was left was a gloomy forest and an undead skeleton.
She breathed air out from her nose slowly.
She didn't want to think like the skeleton. She wanted to think of Mario, Luigi, Starlow, and Scuro differently.
"Hey... Look, you really don't have to answer it. Well, mostly because you can't even talk in the first place, but... just don't think about it too much." Mario spoke up, sensing the Alphazard's troubled thoughts.
She didn't look at him, but she gave a knowing rumble, telling him that she heard him.
Knowing that thinking too much wasn't good for her, she decided to go by Mario's advice. She needed something to clear her head so she could think better.
She shifted her gaze towards the defeated Macabre Trees. She eyed their mangled and wrecked bodies, noting the faint boot prints and circular holes on the crushed wood.
She silently praised Mario, Luigi, Starlow, and Scuro for their handiwork. They were still puny to her... not in a sense that they were weak, but in a sense that they were vulnerable. It only took at least two hits from a Macabre Tree to hurt the brothers and star sprite. The only exception to that fact was Scuro, who had taken the numerous poundings of both the black tree and Macabre Alphazard and only gained some scratches. Speaking of which...
"Where's Scuro?" Starlow asked no one in particular.
Luigi sat up instantly, Mario stopped tracing lines in the dirt, and Lady Lisa stiffened up. They were all wide-eyed, realizing that they had just forgotten all about the Dark Star.
Luigi scratched the back of his neck. "Well... uh... I don't know..."
Mario pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and index finger. "Well... Now we have to get him... wherever he is."
Starlow frowned. "Do you guys think he ran away?... I mean, we still don't trust him enough to leave him alone. I'm pretty sure he doesn't really trust us either... I think he took the chance to leave us."
Mario sighed. "That's not at all farfetched..."
Just then, Lady Lisa stood up, causing the ash that had settled on her back to rain down on Mario, Luigi, and Starlow below, eliciting protested "hey"s from them. She ignored them and walked towards the decapitated Macabre Alphazard.
Mario, Luigi, and Starlow frowned in confusion. They looked at each other, silently asking what was going on. They shrugged, neither having any answers. So they stood up and followed Lady Lisa, curious about the Alphazard's plans.
Looking at the Alphazard lumbering towards the skeleton, they thought she had something to do with it. But that wasn't the case.
"What are you doing?" Starlow asked the giant lizard in confusion as they passed and ignored the decapitated remains of the Macabre Alphazard. Lady Lisa simply ignored the star sprite focusing more on her task... whatever it was.
The Alphazard stopped before a particularly bulging mound of soil. Mario, Luigi, and Starlow stopped too once they caught up with her. Wondering what was going on, they asked again. They were replied with a dismissive snort.
Lady Lisa placed her forefoot on the mound of soil before clawing it away. Mario, Luigi, and Starlow watched her in confusion as she repeated the action. She dug her claws on the ground and dragged the soil away, repeating the process again and again. That was until they realized she was digging.
"What are you digging for?" Luigi asked curiously. Lady Lisa snorted dismissively at his question, refusing to even pause from her digging.
"Okaaay... Well, mind giving us a clue on what you're looking for?" Starlow gave her question a try. She was also replied with a dismissive snort.
Mario was becoming frustrated with the female Alphazard brushing away their questions. But he was careful to make himself sound polite, unless he wanted to anger the Alphazard. "Okay, Lady Lisa, you are making us really confused. What is going on? Please stop ignoring us..." His complaints were replied yet again with a dismissive snort.
"Can you please answer us?" Starlow huffed. "Well, you can't talk, but at least give us a clue with what you're doing!" Lady Lisa paused from her digging. Her lightning blue eyes dilated and stared dangerously at the star sprite. "Please?", Starlow added, sensing the Alphazard getting dangerously close to snapping at her.
Lady Lisa snorted and resumed digging.
They all gave up asking her, knowing that if they asked again, their questions would be ignored.
"Well... She isn't really being helpful." Luigi retorted. "So... What now?" He asked his two companions.
"We find the Dark Star." Starlow answered simply.
"Where to start looking, then?" Luigi asked again.
"Uh... Here? We could look for clues around here on where he went." Starlow suggested. "He couldn't have gone too far."
Mario rubbed his chin in thought. "But what kind of clues are we looking for exactly? He doesn't make any prints on the ground because he floats. We can't find traces of dark power to follow because, according to Scuro himself, he has little of it left. And if he didn't just fly away and leave us, it'd take us forever to search for him around and under these Macabre's. So basically..." Mario trailed off
"We can't find him." Starlow finished glumly.
Mario folded his arms. "Well, we still could but it'll take a really long time."
Luigi sat down. "But... Should we start looking for him, now?"
Starlow huffed in frustration.
She couldn't believe how lost they felt without the Dark Star with them. He pioneered this mission and made it possible, but that doesn't mean everything it depended on him. They could still continue without him, right?
The first time they planned the mission, Scuro wasn't part of the equation. Now that he had budged in - and actually fit in well - it felt like every move they make concerning their quest revolved around him.
It had only been 3 days into their quest, for goodness sake! Yet it felt like a whole week had gone by... Within those few days, they had done great progress. Including today, they had fought 3 battles- 2 of which almost got Mario and Luigi killed. They had crossed through at least a few dozen miles of forest and sea.
Starlow asked herself, 'could we have gone this far without Scuro?'
A defiant side of her screamed yes, but her uncertain side, the part that made her think twice, was stronger. It tried to reason that without the Dark Star, they wouldn't be here. If the Dark Star didn't save Mario and Luigi from the black tree in Dimble Wood, the mission would have all been over on day one.
They felt so lost... What are they going to do? What would happen to them, now? Should they return back to Toad Town empty-handed?
Starlow refused to give up, and she was sure that Mario and Luigi did, too. Their pride didn't allow them. They would search for the Dark Star, no matter what. But then...
Finding him would prove too much effort. Their mission had no schedule, but it would waste a lot of time. It didn't seem like it was worth it, despite the Dark Star being an important quest-mate.
Starlow's thoughts were interrupted by a soft thump. It wasn't loud, but in the deafening silence, it caught everyone's attention.
A purple orb, stained with dried mud, soil, and ash, rolled until it stopped by Luigi's feet.
Luigi picked the orb up and held it in front of his face. "Hey, isn't this... Hey!" A smile made its way on Luigi's face. "It's Scuro!"
Starlow felt light when the wave of relief hit her. It felt so refreshing compared to the worry, angst, and tiredness she just felt. With the light-hearted feeling fluttering in her chest, she was tempted to do a midair backflip, but she kept it in. Her cheeks acted on their own, and without herself knowing, she smiled.
Mario and Starlow gathered around Luigi to get a look on the Dark Star.
"Hey! It is him!" Mario confirmed.
"Yeah!" Luigi grinned widely.
"But where did he come from?" Mario creased his brows slightly.
Lady Lisa rumbled, and they all snapped their attention toward her. With her forefoot she gestured towards the hole she dug up.
Luigi tilted his head, as if it'll help him see at a better angle. "Is that... where you found Scuro? You buried him and dug him out?"
Lady Lisa snorted in affirmation. Her lightning blue eyes eyed the Dark Star with both relief and uncertainty. She crooned lowly, and stepped forward, as if wanting to nudge the Dark Star on Luigi's arms.
Starlow's smile died down and was replaced by a frown. She had no idea what was there to be uncertain about. Was there something wrong? Is it something about the Dark Star? She peered down onto the ancient relic.
During her moment of relief, she had failed to notice that Scuro wasn't in very good shape. He had nicks and scratches everywhere. Obvious claw marks scarred his face. There was a relatively large dent on his side. Dried mud stuck out on a small crack on his hull, and Starlow was tempted to wipe it off.
"He... doesn't look so well..." Starlow muttered apprehensively.
"He isn't awake either..." Luigi's grin subsided and his brows creased in worry.
Lady Lisa tilted her head. What was wrong with the Dark Star? She thinks the Dark Star was just asleep, but now that she saw the many scratches on his hull, she began to become paranoid.
"Is...", Luigi began shakily. "Is he dead?"
Lady Lisa's blood ran cold at the thought.
Luigi almost dropped Scuro when Lady Lisa's gargantuan snout nudged the Dark Star. She crooned at the ancient relic, wanting his glowing red eyes to flash to life. She nudged him harder- hard enough for Luigi to fall on his butt.
Mario hissed in pain when his broken arm was grazed by Lady Lisa's head. He jerked back and cradled his arm, muttering something about broken arms and careless people always hitting them.
"Uh... I don't think so." Starlow answered. "He did rant how immortal and oh-so powerful he was when we kept him from acting too recklessly..."
"Yeah... He's just resting... The battle must've tired him out." Mario added as he tended to the splint on his broken arm, which had been misaligned when it got hit by Lady Lisa.
Faint orange rays of light filtered through the light mist and trees. Lady Lisa stopped poking Luigi and Scuro. Mario looked up from his splint. Starlow floated higher to get a better view from the branches. They all faced the horizon, which was now tainted yellow. The ground was now colored yellow, reflecting the sky's tint. Shadows of the trees began creeping up towards them like grotesque hands slowly clawing up.
"It's going to be dark soon..." Mario noted.
"We gotta find somewhere to stay..." Luigi got up while holding Scuro under his armpit.
"But there are just bare and burnt trees here. We cant find or make shelter here," Mario reminded.
"No, we can't," Starlow agreed. "But we could still gather wood or coal to create a fire on the way. We'll continue our trip, until it becomes dark. We stop when we can't move on, and we just set up a bonfire and make camp."
"Why don't we just gather wood when we get wherever we stop?" Mario quirked an eyebrow up.
"We don't know if there will ever be wood where we wood stop. I mean, it would be dark soon, but that doesn't mean we would have little time to get far. By nighttime, we would be somewhere out of this forest, I guess. Better gather supplies now that there still are around."
"Yeah... okay." Mario nodded approvingly.
Mario moved towards a pile of Macabre Tree remains. With his good arm, he snapped some of the branches that poked out from the splintered wood. During the battle, some of the burnt trees wave been knocked and splintered, leaving coal scattered across the disturbed ground. He picked those up, too, cradling the branches he collected earlier under his good arm's armpit. He cursed silently, forgetting to remove his gloves and staining them with coal.
Starlow couldn't do much. She can't picked coal and dirty branches with her mouth— that was just too disgusting for her part. So, she asked Luigi if she can guard and watch over the Dark Star while he helped Mario pick wood and coal for their fire. That way, at least she could help, albeit only a little.
"Okay!" Luigi placed Scuro down on the ground in front of Starlow. She watched as Luigi ran off to help his older brother. She silently observed them working with each other, getting things done, and preparing to resume their journey.
She sighed disheartened.
Starlow didn't want being the vulnerable and unhelpful teammate. She hated being so useless and weak. She can't even help pick up twigs to light a fire! Although she had good reasons not to, seeing how she doesn't have hands to grab with, she felt useless being unable to do something so breezily simple.
Yes, she could help Mario and Luigi by spouting tutorials and guiding them through their quests, or fly them across ledges and over barriers when she's not tired. But... thinking deeper into it... Her efforts were either too inefficient or just plainly unnecessary. Whatever the case, she felt her confidence dwindle every moment of their quest.
What was her role in this quest? Other than a companion, what was her purpose? Is she someone that gives out tutorials and explains what she knows? She is, but she feels like what she's saying isn't even necessary... Is she some kind of person that brings everyone together? No, she doesn't think so. That's not her role.
Then who is?
Starlow looked towards the unresponsive Dark Star, sitting idly on the ground before her. The black star that made up his front was facing her directly, and even without those unnerving red eyes open, Starlow found herself having trouble looking directly at him.
"For an evil ancient relic that we had extreme difficulty in defeating years ago, you got pretty beaten up by those Macabres." She spoke, as if the Dark Star was listening to her.
Lady Lisa tilted her head curiously, wondering why the star sprite was talking to herself. She gently lay herself on the ground, not wanting to leave just yet. For some reason, she wanted to be by Mario, Luigi, Starlow, and Scuro to escort them through her forest. She'll only leave once the trees open up into grasslands, and end the forest. With her mind set up, she continued staring interestingly at the scene unfolding before her.
Starlow stared at the ground. "And it's kinda ironic that you're the one that brought us together, despite being the one that tried to tear us apart back then... literally." The Dark Star didn't respond.
"I mean, yeah, you started all this and such... But... You're the one that kept us on our toes by being something to keep watch of. You're the one that made us work as a team by making us extra cautious. You're the one that made us watch our backs and be more careful, since we didn't know if you'll betray us... All the while I always thought of your sudden but inevitable betrayal. But it never came..."
Starlow finally worked up the courage to look straight into the Dark Star's blank stare. "Why?"
The Dark Star didn't move or respond, but Starlow could imagine him frown in thought.
"Why didn't you?" Starlow repeated. "Why didn't you turn your back on us when you had many chances? Is it because of the Shade Crystal? Is it because you need us to get the power for you, and you're just tagging along to make sure everything goes as planned?"
The Dark Star still did not reply. He rolled slightly when a small pebble under him shifted under his weight. The movement eerily reminded Starlow of Scuro tilting his head in question.
Starlow frowned when the Dark Star still did not respond. "Why aren't you talking to me? Oh yeah, you're asleep... But could you hear me? Could you listen to me, Scuro?... If you can, please wake up. We need to talk things out..."
Still no response.
Starlow looked down on the ground and chuckled unhumorously. "I'm going crazy. I'm talking to you, even if you're unconscious. It feels like I'm talking to a brick wall... or an unconscious ancient relic."he
Starlow looked back up to glare at the Dark Star's unresponsive body. "I can't help but think you're evil, you know? You have some redeeming traits even though they were vague, but I can't take my mind off of thinking you're evil... You practically engulfed the world in darkness all those years ago! I'm pretty sure you want to do it again! So this is what this quest is all for, huh? To gain our trust and get us out of the way of your plan for destruction?!"
Lady Lisa tilted her head to the other side. She was starting to worry that Starlow was becoming insane. It was obvious that the Dark Star wouldn't be talking or doing anything for the matter soon. But Lady Lisa didn't think Starlow knew of that.
The Alphazard grunted questioningly, making Starlow snap her attention towards her.
"What is it, Lady Lisa?" Starlow asked as politely as possible.
Lady Lisa snorted, and nodded her head towards Scuro. Starlow gave a confused frown before floating up and twirling around to face what Lady Lisa was pointing at. Her beady eyes caught Mario snapping and picking branches and coal up before handing them to Luigi, who dropped them inside a sac that came out of nowhere.
"Oh... Mario and Luigi are just gathering wood while we still can for our fire," Starlow explained.
Lady Lisa shook her head side to side, trying her best to imitate a 'no'. She nodded her head again towards Scuro.
Starlow frowned. Her eyes drifted down towards the limp figure of the Dark Star. "Oh, Scuro? He'll be fine... I think. But don't worry about it. He's immortal. He'll survive."
Lady Lisa felt a bad heat rising in head. She was becoming frustrated not being able to communicate. She shook her head exasperatingly and growled lowly, and Starlow could've sworn it sounded a lot like a grumble.
Starlow frowned harder. "Did I do something wrong?"
Lady Lisa snorted as she thought of a new approach. She lifted herself up onto her feet and stepped forward to poke Scuro with her snout softly. Then, she turned her head and tapped Starlow. She rumbled questioningly.
Starlow quirked an eyebrow up as she pondered Lady Lisa's body language. Lady Lisa rumbled and puffed air through her nose, sensing Starlow coming close to decrypting her question. "You mean..." Starlow began. Lady Lisa's lightning blue eyes brightened expectantly. "You mean what's going on between him and me?"
Lady Lisa did her best imitation of an affirming nod, bobbing her head up and down.
Starlow pouted her bottom lip out in thought. "Hmmm... Well, we aren't very good towards each other... He's sorta like a frienemy, you know? Like... How do I say this? He's like an enemy that I try my best to be friends with, but something always keeps me from even thinking of him that way. I mean, I feel like I need to befriend him, but my hate towards him is just too much..."
Lady Lisa tilted her head, asking a silent question. Surprisingly enough, Starlow understood.
"Why do I hate him? Well... Not necessarily hate, but more in the likes of disliking him. I just don't feel comfortable around him. Who would be comfortable around a thousand-year old relic that once threatened to destroy their home by drowning it in darkness? I'm pretty sure no one does... He may not be evil now, but I still have a hunch that he's still formulating dastardly plans. I know he's at least trying to be the good guy, but he's still evil at heart... I think," Starlow explained.
Lady Lisa shook her head. She snorted at Starlow before she gestured towards Scuro with a prodding nod. Starlow quirked an eyebrow up.
"What? You want me to talk to him? But he's asleep!"
Lady Lisa gave Starlow the best deadpan look she could muster. But being a lizard that could only do so much facial expressions, it looked like a blank stare. But Starlow knew what the Alphazard meant. She sighed. "Right... I was already talking to him, ahem... myself, anyway."
Before Lady Lisa could make another prodding nod, Mario and Luigi came back with a sack of coal and wood. Twigs stuck out and soot stained it; the same could be used to describe Mario and Luigi, who looked like they came out of a factory's chimney.
Starlow floated up to greet them. "Is this enough?" Luigi asked as he held up the sack.
Starlow cracked a grin. "Oh, this is more than enough!"
Mario stared towards the horizon, noting how the sky had grown red during their brief time of gathering supplies and resting. "We need to move now if we want to get out of this forest before dark."
No one could argue with that. Mario led the way, cradling his broken arm. Luigi followed suit, carrying their sack of coal and wood in one hand and lifting Scuro with the other. Starlow floated after them, not before sneaking a glance back at Lady Lisa.
The Alphazard was following them.
Starlow frowned at this. Although it was expected, since the huge lizard had decided to stay with them even after the battle. She could have left, but she didn't. That would only mean Lady Lisa planned to tag along with them.
Starlow thought Lady Lisa, being the stealthy ambush alpha predator she was despite her immense size, would tail them under the cover of what remained of the fog and trees; away from their sight. What Starlow didn't expect was the Alphazard to follow them like an obedient guard dog.
A humongous, scaly, powerful, royally respectable, and dangerous guard dog— or guard lizard, if you may.
But Starlow didn't mind. It was a good thing right? Nothing would dare attack them when this forest's mistress was escorting them through her domain. It was weird, thinking deeper into it.
Why would she even care to guard them? Is it to keep an eye on them? The Dark Star was with them and it was only natural its suspicious aura would also apply to huge lizards. But why bother? They'd get out sooner if not now, anyway.
Starlow didn't question it, though. It was a good thing, and good things shouldn't be questioned, no matter how questionable it is. Good things are blessings. Blessings aren't supposed to be suspicious about. Although there was also the phrase "too good to be true", just go with the flow. There was no need to rack a head trying to figure out something that could very well make your day?
If the Alphazard wanted to tag along, so be it.
With that in mind, Starlow turned back towards the setting horizon. The group resumed their quest, ready for what was to come next. They earned a lot. Good things.
They earned a new reptilian friend, experience, lots of coins and supplies (Mario and Luigi RPG logic: you earn coins, items, and gear after every battle), some small wounds, a lot of scratches, a lot of bruises, Mario earned a broken arm, Scuro got knocked unconscious and earned a crack on his hull, Starlow got a nasty bump on her head...
Well, never mind.
Author's Notes: Sorry for the late update. I just temporarily lost inspiration to write this... what with all the somewhat disappointing feedback. I work hard on this... I stayed awake for many nights... I worked the hours... I was the team player... I gave the 110% percents... (lol jk. Reference.) But seriously, I try my best to entertain you guys with this story. It's kinda upsetting I don't get very much reviews (P.S. this doesn't include you, Madz!) Please just give me some reviews, guys. I'm still planning to write, don't worry. But reviews could make me go faster and better, ya know? Just saying.
Now enough with the self-pity stuff! I hope you have a nice time reading! Oh, and uh... Check out my other story: Even Monsters can Feel. It's a Pacific Rim fanfic, so for all you Jaeger and Kaiju fans out there, I politely recommend you to read it. Please?