Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, or any properties in this work that I did not make myself.
Harold of Konoha
Chapter thirty: Father and son (AKA a man tries to be a Parental Substitute to his adopted son)
One early-to-mid January day in the village of Konohagakure, Inoichi and Michelle Yamanaka were called in to an office located somewhere in the business district of Konoha. The two older people were sitting in chairs in front of a desk, at which a mid-thirties secretary sat. "So then, I am going to assume that you two would like to know why we had called you in," the secretary said to the older Yamanakas; the secretary was a slim woman (not the kind of slim that was also healthy) with darkish-brown hair pulled up into a tight bun. She wore thick-framed glasses, a white long-sleeved dress blouse, a light grey skirt that reached her knees, and shinobi sandals; the fact that the secretary wore a Konoha shinobi headband showed that the woman was at one point a ninja, but the fact that she was now working this job meant something had happened.
"Ah yes," replied Inoichi, "My wife and I would appreciate an explanation. The last time that we had come to Konoha's local adoption office was when we tried to adopt that young boy thirty years ago."
"I really wish that our efforts hadn't ultimately failed," Michelle remarked sadly, "That boy seemed like such a nice child, it's a darn shame that he was an orphan in the first place. My husband here was looking forward to having a son, and we bet that our daughter Ino would have loved having a brother."
"Well, some of the people working in the Konoha adoption agency were going over some files in a recent clean-up," the secretary remarked, "During the clean-up, we came across some paperwork that I am certain the two of you will find interesting."
"Paperwork?" Inoichi replied in a tone that was three parts confused, seven parts curious.
Laying a folder on her desk, the secretary slid it carefully towards the older Yamanaka couple. "This is the file in question," the secretary began, "They are the adoption papers that the two of you submitted thirty some odd years ago"
Straightening somewhat, the secretary went on, "It's all of the necessary paperwork. And it's all been filled out properly. And APPROVED." Hearing the last part made both older Yamanakas go wide-eyed with shock. Continuing, the secretary said, "The two of you have, officially and legally, been the parents of the boy you were aiming to adopt thirty some odd years ago. The fact that the two of you had not been informed of this until just now, leading your adopted son to continue living without knowing he had a family to this day, is just more proof that the adoption agency of this village is in desperate need of a major overhaul."
"We…" Michelle said as she held her hands over her mouth as tears started running down the sides of her face, "…We actually have a son…"
"Yes Mr. and Mrs. Yamanaka," the secretary said as she typed away on the keyboard of her computer, "Just let me pull up the file on your son so that I can- Oh. Oh, you have got to be kidding me!"
"What's wrong?" Inoichi asked, his interest piqued.
Looking at the Yamanakas, the secretary said, "The two of you DO remember the name of the boy you adopted, right?"
"It was such a long time ago, and we were told that the adoption didn't go through," Inoichi replied, "So my wife and I…simply forgot about everything."
Turning her computer monitor around, the secretary pointed to the picture of an adult male that was on screen. "THIS is your adopted son all grown up," the secretary said as she pointed dramatically at the screen.
Seeing the picture, it made both older Yamanakas gasp in shock; that was followed immediately by Inoichi leaping out of his chair while going, "WOOHOO!"
…
Later that morning, Inoichi stood in front of someone's front door. He knocked quickly and loudly on the front door up until it was opened. Upon seeing who it was, Inoichi threw his arms around the shoulders of the individual while saying, "Good morning, my son!" As he was being hugged by the Yamanaka patriarch, Naruto Uzumaki, the sixth (and current) Hokage, leader of the village of Konohagakure, could only just stare ahead.
"…What?" the dumbfounded Hokage said, not even bothering to try and struggle out of the hug (which he normally would have done, given that it was Inoichi that was hugging him). (1)
Later that day, Naruto was in his office at the Hokage office building, sitting at his desk. Standing before Naruto's desk was Inoichi, along with his friends Harold Fisher and Tsume Inuzuka, plus Tsume's ninja dog Kuromaru. To the side stood Sasuke, Shikamaru and Shino, Naruto's three advisors. As he sat at his desk, Naruto was going over some papers from the local adoption agency. "…It's true," Naruto remarked as he sat the papers to the side, "Mr. and Mrs. Yamanaka are my parents now. Well, they have been my parents since I was six."
"Why…How come this hasn't surfaced until JUST NOW?!" Shikamaru exclaimed.
"The secretary lady at the place said that some major overhauls were in order," Inoichi pointed out.
"I'm having legal throw together an investigative team to solve this mess," Naruto said to all who were in the room, "The case of Ino's parents adopting me isn't the ONLY case where a kid who was adopted didn't know about it until years or even decades later. This is nothing short of a gross oversight on the part of multiple people."
"So then, Naruto," Sasuke began tentatively, "Now that we all know that Mr. Yamanaka is your dad, what are you going to do now? Will you change your last name to match that of your adoptive family, or will you stay as an Uzumaki?"
"The later, as sticking to it will cause nowhere near as many legal headaches in terms of filling out papers," Naruto explained.
With a shrug of his shoulders, Inoichi said, "Yeah, that sounds fair."
"So Inoichi, my man," Harold began, getting the Yamanaka patriarch's attention.
"Hmm? What's up, dude?" Inoichi replied.
"You have a son now," Harold pointed out, "You've got a LOT of catching up to do!"
"…Holy frigg'en balls! Harold, you're right!" Inoichi exclaimed.
Walking around the desk to stand next to Naruto, Inoichi threw an arm around Naruto's shoulders to hold him as Inoichi gave his adopted son a playful noogie. "We've got so much father-son bonding to catch up on, my boy!" Inoichi said, "We need to throw a baseball or football back and forth to each other, and build you a treehouse, and go fishing, and-"
"Umm, Mr. Yam- Err, I mean, dad," Naruto interrupted, getting Inoichi to let go. Standing fact to face with Inoichi, Naruto said, "I appreciate the thought. And trust me when I say that I really would have loved growing up with a father and a mother. The fact that I would have also had a sibling growing up would have been a nice bon-"
"Oh God, that's right," Shino remarked in a shocked and mildly worried tone, "Naruto would have grown up having INO as a sister!"
"BHUHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Sasuke laughed uproariously, slapping his right knee in the process. Even Shikamaru could not help but find humor at Naruto's situation. However, part-way through his laughing, Shikamaru stopped, a look of sudden realization on his face.
"Hang on," Shikamaru said, "I just realized something. Since Ino's parents adopted Naruto, and Ino and I are married, that means Naruto's my brother-in-law!"
"And Lord Sixth's wife is your sister-in-law, Shikamaru," Kuromaru pointed out to the younger Nara man, "Also, keep in mind that Lord Sixth's daughter is your niece."
"Holy snap!" Inoichi exclaimed upon hearing Kuromaru, the palms of both hands pressed against the sides of his head, "Michelle and I have another grandkid!" Immediately, Inoichi pulled out his cell phone and made a call to his wife. After a few seconds passed and Michelle answered the call, Inoichi said, "Michelle, dear, guess what I just realized! With Lord Sixth being our son, that means that his daughter is our granddaughter! We have another grandkid!" Even Sasuke, Shikamaru and Shino, who stood at least ten feet away, could hear Michelle scream in a happy, excited manner.
"…At least Mr. Yamanaka won't be as stern of a grandparent as Hinata's dad," Shino remarked to Naruto. (2)
Over at the Nara-Yamanaka residence, Ino was entertaining guests. Her friends Sakura and Hinata, to be precise. Although in light of recent revelations, it would be more accurate to say 'her friend Sakura and sister-in-law Hinata'. In fact, that last part was the topic of conversation that the three women were having.
"…So," Ino began in a tone showing that she was having some mild difficulty in accepting something, "Naruto is my brother. Apparently."
"When Naruto and I broke the news of what was found out to the Hyuga clan, the reactions were…mixed, if I'm to be honest," Hinata remarked.
A mildly curious look on her face, Sakura said, "Mixed? How so, Hinata?"
"Some of the men in the Hyuga clan, both main branch and cadet branch alike, looked like they were going to have seizures," Hinata began.
Sighing in an understanding tone, Ino replied, "Given the reputation of me and Naruto's dad, as well as that of Sakura's uncle and Kiba's mom, that's to be expected."
"Natsu was happy to learn that she has some cousins in her age group," Hinata went on, "…Well, one in her age group and a younger cousin. But you get the point."
"Ha! That reminds me of when Shikamaru and I broke the news to Shikaru and Inohime that Naruto is their uncle," Ino laughed in a good-natured tone, "It certainly got their attention to hear that Natsu is their cousin. Inohime was especially happy to hear that."
"Didn't Inohime invite Natsu to play with her, or something?" Sakura asked.
"Oh yes," Ino replied with a nod, "Inohime is playing tea party upstairs with Natsu and Natsu's cat."
Up on the second floor of the Nara-Yamanaka residence, in Inohime's room, Inohime was seated at a play table with Natsu, Pantherlily, Inohime's Elsa doll, Inohime's Judy Hopps plushy, and Inohime's Pinkie Pie plushy. Picking up the play tea pot, Inohime said to Pantherlily, "More tea for kitty?"
"Why yes, that sounds lovely, good miss," replied the self-proclaimed steward of house Uzumaki as he gestured at his 'empty' tea cup with his right front paw.
"You're awfully good at this, Pantherlily," Natsu remarked.
"Well it would never do for one of my position to be lacking in socialization know-how, Lady Natsu," replied the talking cat.
Over at the Hyuga clan estate, Harold, Inoichi, Tsume and Kuromaru were walking and talking with Hiashi Hyuga, the current leader of the Hyuga clan. "…So…" the Hyuga clan lord began saying to Inoichi with some trepidation, "…You and your wife are the adoptive parents of my son-in-law."
"Yes we are," Inoichi replied.
"…Which means that you and I are legally related," Hiashi continued.
"Yes indeed," continued the Yamanaka patriarch.
"…Does this mean that the Hyuga will have to open up open relations with the Yamanaka?" Hiashi asked, "It's not that I have anything against you personally. But due to that one stunt that was pulled eighteen years back…"
"That was the ice cream man and you know it!" Tsume exclaimed, pointing dramatically at the Hyuga clan lord.
"I know Tsume, I know," Hiashi replied to the Inuzuka matriarch, "But still, that mess left the Hyuga clan a little hesitant to open relations with other clans."
"Well Hiashi, given that you and I are related, that might help bridge the gap between the Yamanaka and the Hyuga," Inoichi replied, "Blood is thicker than water, and all that."
"Technically, we aren't related by blood," Hiashi pointed out.
"You know what I mean," Inoichi said, "Geez dude, don't be a smartass."
"Well if you, Tsume and Harold are always dumbasses, then why can't Hiashi be a smartass?" Kuromaru asked, drawing a bit of snickering from the Hyuga clan lord.
Later that evening, Inoichi was over at the Nara-Yamanaka residence, having dinner with Ino and her family on Ino's invitation; Inoichi's wife Michelle was handling some business with Omiyo, so it was just Inoichi. "Anyway kids, how was your day?" Inoichi asked as he picked up a can of Pape Konoha's Brand Lager.
"I'm trying to find a Mareanie in my game, and I'm at the right route to fish for it, but I'm coming up empty," Shikaru replied.
"If you fish up a Corsola, it will occasionally call for help," Inoichi said, "One of the Pokémon that it can call up is Mareanie."
"Really?" Shikaru replied to his grandfather, "Wow, I never even thought about Wait a minute how did you know that, grandpa?"
"Oh, your cousin caught one on her game when the boys and I visited the Uzumaki residence earlier," Inoichi explained, "She just lobbed a Quick Ball at it."
"So Natsu has one?" Shikaru asked.
Nodding in the affirmative, Inoichi said, "Your cousin also has this bipedal lizard thingy that's covered in scales. It's got this kickass headpiece made of scales going on."
"And Natsu also has a Kommo-o," Shikaru remarked in a knowing tone, "Of course she does. That girl sure has a thing for dragons."
"I bet that if you ask her, Natsu will have her Mareanie and Kommo-o make the beast with two backs with the Ditto she caught near the observatory," Inoichi replied.
"Yeah, knowing Natsu, she'll do that for me if I ask her politely," Shikaru remarked as he stabbed a bit of broccoli with his fork. After the exchange between Shikaru and Inoichi, Shikamaru and Ino both looked at the Yamanaka patriarch.
"Huh, I didn't know you knew so much about Pokémon, dad," Ino said.
"Well I have two grandchildren with an interest in it," Inoichi pointed out, "So I figured it'd be a good idea to learn more about it."
"Big cousin's dragon very pretty!" Inohime said, "Also, Inohime done with dinner."
"I still see broccoli on your plate, young lady," Shikamaru said, pointing to his daughter's plate.
"But Inohime no like broccoli!" Inohime complained.
"Now come on, Inohime," Inoichi said, "You've got to eat your broccoli. Rainbow Dash eats her broccoli, you know."
As the four-year-old Nara girl began reluctantly eating her broccoli, Shikamaru said to his father-in-law, "Wow, Mr. Yamanaka. You've gotten Inohime to eat her vegetables way quicker than what I've managed so far."
"You've just got to know how to work with kids," Inoichi explained, "Once you've gotten that down, everything's a snap."
"Unlike catching Dhelmise," Shikaru muttered before popping a forkful of mashed potatoes into his mouth. After chewing and swallowing, Shikaru added, "Seriously! Dhelmise is being a real pain in the rear for me to find! I've spent no less than two hours at Sea Folk Village trying to fish up a Dhelmise and I've been having no luck and Natsu has one, doesn't she?"
"I'm sure she'll get you a Dhelmise egg if you ask her," Inoichi replied.
The following day, Inoichi was doing his weekly ritual with Inohime in regards to watching Ponies. Interestingly enough, Harold, Tsume and Kuromaru were also there, although that's mostly because they were going to head over with Inoichi to his place afterwards to play pool (they're currently at Shikamaru's place). "…So Inoichi," Tsume began when she pointed to the television, "What's up with that two-legged pony with the green mane?"
"That's Spike, and he's a baby dragon," Inoichi clarified.
"Wait, that dude's a dragon?" Harold said, "I thought he was a gay iguana." (3)
Cracking up, Inoichi said as he offered Harold a high five (Harold accepted), "Harold, dude, that's a good one. I'll have to call Kankuro later and tell him what you said."
"Wait a minute, there's critters on this show other than a bunch of baby horses on drugs?" Tsume asked, arching an eyebrow in confusion.
"Yes, there's a whole variety of sapient races in the show," Inoichi replied, "You'd be surprised who lives in the world of the show."
At that moment, there was a knock at the door. "Excuse me, dudes," Inoichi said as he excused himself to get up. Walking over to the front door, the Yamanaka patriarch opened the door, and was surprised to see Naruto standing there. "Naruto, my boy!" Inoichi exclaimed as he threw an arm around the Sixth Lord Hokage's shoulders to draw him into a hug. After a quick ruffling of Naruto's long golden spikes, Inoichi said, "What brings you by?"
"Ino and Hinata both think that the two of us should spend more time together," Naruto replied in a somewhat unsure tone, "Due to the fact that we're family and whatnot."
Once again, Inoichi threw an arm around his adopted son's shoulders. Pulling Naruto into another hug, Inoichi said as he then ruffled Naruto's hair again, "Well alright, Naruto!" Turning to face Harold and the others, Inoichi said, "Yo dudes, my son's going to join us for pool!"
"Woot!" Tsume cheered as she pumped both fists into the air.
"Top kek!" Harold added, giving a double-thumbs up.
"Uncle!" Inohime cheered, getting up and running over to Naruto. When she got close enough, the Nara-Yamanaka girl threw her arms around Naruto as high as she could reach to hug him. Smiling, Naruto ruffled the top of Inohime's head.
"It's nice to see you too, young lady," Naruto remarked.
Over at Inoichi's place later, Harold and company, along with Naruto, were in Inoichi's den, surrounding the pool table that was located approximately in the center of the room. "So Naruto, my boy," Inoichi began as he applied cue chalk to the tip of his pool cue, "Have you any experience playing pool before?"
"A true man's game for only the manliest of men," Harold remarked as he chalked up a pool cue of his own, "So it's natural that Tsume, Inoichi and I are the three best pool players in all of Konoha, if not all of the ninja world." (4)
"Right," Naruto replied in a mildly unsure tone. Looking at the pool table, Naruto said, "So what's the objective of this game?"
"The objective of the game is to hit the eight ball-that black ball right there-into one of the pockets after all the other balls have been pocketed," Inoichi explained as he pointed out the black eight ball. "If you sink the eight ball beforehand, even by accident, that will result in a loss," Tsume added. (5)
"There are different ways of playing pool, but this is the way that the boys and I are most used to," Harold commented.
Handing Naruto the pool cue that he was chalking up as he spoke, Harold said, "You want you should take the first shot, Lord Sixth?"
Looking at the pool cue as he held it, Naruto remarked, "You know, I think that this is a game that commonly played at bars, taverns and other such places."
"And yet the local bar doesn't have a pool table," Kuromaru remarked, "Which is a bit weird, if you think about it."
"…Maybe I should talk with the owner of the local bar and discuss why his bar lacks a pool table," Naruto suggested, "Maybe even offer to buy his bar a pool table if it comes down to it."
"Woah dude, seriously?!" Harold exclaimed. Throwing his left arm around Naruto's shoulders to get him into a headlock, Harold proceeded to give Naruto a noogie. "You're certainly Inoichi's son, alright!" Harold proclaimed. Turning to face his best friend, Harold said, "Inoichi, you've got yourself one hell of a son right here!"
Wiping a tear of joy from his eye, Inoichi said, "Yeah, that boy of mine does me proud, he does."
"Well at least they're appreciative," Naruto thought as the Fisher patriarch continued to noogie him.
Later over at Konoha's local bar, as Naruto talked to the bar's owner in the bar owner's office, Harold and company were sitting at the counter, each of them nursing a large, frothy mug of Pape Konoha's Brand Lager (As per usual, Kuromaru sat on the floor next to the stool that Tsume occupied). "Hey Inoichi, there's something I've been wondering about," Harold said.
"What's up, dude?" Inoichi asked.
"Well shortly after Tsume, Kuromaru and I returned from using the Well of Time to keep Sakura from getting that vaccine," Harold began, "And I noticed that a number of dudes that were dead in the original time are alive in this time, I decided to do some checking up."
"Go on," Inoichi prodded.
"I've ran into Kurenai and Gai a few times," Harold said, "And I've learned from Kiba and Neji that Asuma died a while ago, and in the same manner that he died in the timeline that Tsume, Kuromaru and I remember."
"Your point, my good man?" Inoichi asked.
"What the hell happened to Kakashi?" Harold asked, "I've yet to run into the dude."
"Hey, Harold's got a point," Tsume added, "I haven't seen that guy at all."
"Oh, Kakashi's on extended leave," Inoichi explained, "He's taking the opportunity with all of the time off he has to see various sights all over the ninja world."
"…He's on vacation, then?" Harold asked for clarification.
Taking a quick gulp from his mug, Inoichi said after swallowing a mouthful of lager, "Ino tells me that Sakura and Sasuke received a letter from Kakashi, saying that he regrets not being around to wish their kid a happy birthday. Ino also told me that Naruto and Hinata received a similar such letter from Kakashi a few weeks back."
"Well at least Kakashi is alright," Harold remarked before taking a long gulp from his mug. After Harold sat the mug back down, Naruto and the bar's owner came walking out from the bar owner's office, shaking hands.
"You are certainly very generous, Lord Sixth," the bar owner said, "After those two Akimichi clan women got into a bar fight with that Puppeteer Ninja Brony from Suna a few months back, breaking the old pool table and both pinball machines I had in here in the process, I've been seeing a noticeable dip in customers. Only my most loyal of customers, such as those three older ninja and that older kunoichi's dog that are over at the counter right now, continue to come in. With a new pool table, I'm sure to see more customers again."
"You had pinball machines in here too?" Naruto asked, arching an eyebrow out of curiosity.
Nodding solemnly, the bar owner replied, "One of the two aforementioned Akimichi clan women picked up one of the machines and chucked it overhead-style at the ninja from Suna. She missed, and broke several bar stools as a result."
"What happened to the other pinball machine?" Naruto asked.
"The first Akimichi clan women was thrown against it when the Suna ninja kicked her in the stomach, making her stumble backwards and crash into the remaining pinball machine," the bar owner explained.
"Hmm…" Naruto hummed as he looked over in an empty area of the bar where he figured the pinball machines used to stand, "I'll look into replacing the pinball machines as well. I don't know much about pool, but I can certainly play pinball."
"Oh, there's no need to do that, Lord Sixth," the bar owner said, "Offering to replace the pool table is more than enough."
"There's a little extra money left in the budget from clean-up and repair efforts after Konoha was attacked by those powerful ninjas during the chunnin exams a while ago and damn, why does that sound so familiar?" Naruto replied.
"It really is quite weird that the events of the recent chunnin exams brings about quite a strong sense of déjà vu," Harold remarked as he raised his mug to his lips.
"So anyway, yeah," Naruto said to the bar owner, "All of the necessary repairs and clean-up has been taken care of, and there's still some left-over cash in that budget. Just think of it as replacing lost and/or damaged equipment."
Nodding in agreement, the bar owner said, "Very well. Thank you once again for your kindness, Lord Sixth."
As the bar owner went back into his office, Inoichi said, "Heh, you're certainly one hell of a guy, my boy."
"Yeah, Lord Sixth!" Harold exclaimed, "In fact, why don't you join us over here? You're doing so much for the bar that someone HAS to buy you a beer!"
"…Oh, what the hell," Naruto remarked as he walked over to sit on the stool next to Inoichi (Harold sat on the stool between Inoichi and Tsume), "It's probably about time I see what all the fuss is about."
"What all the fuss is…MIGHTY FRIG!" Harold exclaimed. Looking over to Inoichi, Harold said, "Inoichi, bro, dude! Your son has never had any Pape Konoha's Brand Lager before!"
"I've never actually had any alcohol before, really," Naruto admitted.
"AIEEEEEEEEEEE!" Tsume exclaimed in shock, "Inoichi, your son needs a Pape Konoha's, STAT!"
"Bartender! One mug of Pape Konoha's!" Inoichi ordered in a somewhat panicked tone, "And hurry!"
With as much speed as there was style, the bartender quickly filled a large glass mug with Pape Konoha's from the tap, and slid it over to Inoichi. Handing the mug over to Naruto, Inoichi said, "Here, drink this." Tilting his head slightly to the left, Naruto regarded the drink as he grabbed the mug by its handle. Inoichi starred as Naruto slowly lifted the mug; Harold and Tsume both leaned over the counter so that they could see as well.
"Geez, you guys are freaking out more than the time that Sakura, Sasuke and Kiba all admitted that they've never had Pape Konoha's before," Kuromaru remarked, "Chill the frig out, why don't you?" (6)
That evening over at the Uzumaki residence, after Natsu had gone to bed, Naruto and Hinata were sitting at the dining room table talking. "So, Naruto," Hinata began as she traced the rim of her tea mug with her right fingertip, "How was spending the day with your father and his friends?"
"When I said that I never had any sort of alcohol before, they instantly freaked out," Naruto explained, "Dad even ordered me a mug of Pape Konoha's Brand Lager while we were at the local bar."
"That…does sound like them, if what Sakura and Ino told me about them is true," Hinata remarked, a look of confusion mixed with mild shock on her face.
"Still, I have to admit," Naruto continued as he picked up the glass of soda that he was drinking from. After taking a gulp, Naruto said, "Today wasn't nowhere near as crazy as I feared it would have been. Sure, dad and his friends dragged me into headlocks so they could noogie me quite a lot, but I can tell they did it as a sign of affection."
Nodding in understanding, Hinata replied, "That sounds right in line with their respective personalities."
"Oh Hinata," Naruto began suddenly, "My mom said that she was interested in visiting us sometime this week. She wants to get to know you, me and Natsu a bit more. Are there any days this week that would be good to set up for that visit?"
"Oh, tomorrow's perfect for that," Hinata replied as she picked up her tea mug, "And Natsu has expressed interest in getting to know her new grandparents some more."
Smiling, Naruto said before he took another gulp of his soda, "Well, at least we're all on the same page here."
END, CHAPTER THIRTY
Author's notes:
(1) Unless the hugger properly explained themselves as to why they're hugging him, Naruto is uncomfortable accepting random hugs from anyone other than his wife and daughter.
(2) It was at that moment Naruto began to wonder how long it would take for Inoichi to learn the names of all 800+ Pokémon.
(3) Keep in mind that Harold and company (aside from Kuromaru) are morons.
(4) It helps that Harold, Inoichi and Tsume often forget that Tsume's a woman.
(5) Inoichi and Tsume are describing eight-ball pool.
(6) They kind of can't, as Pape Konoha's Brand Lager is serious business as far as they're concerned.
Well, there's chapter thirty. Due to a mix of new story ideas I'd like to work on and a lack of ideas for chapters for this story, I'm going to be putting Harold and company on the back burner for the time being. I'm also wanting to try and work on my editing skills a bit, especially before I try to set up another story.
Guess who's back?