Butterflies

"Me? I'm nobody. I'm not skilled like Uchiha-san. I am not passionate like Haruno-san. I am not smart like Nara-san. I'm not as strong as Chouji-san. I'm not as collected as Aburame-san. Or as pretty as Yamanaka-san. I'm not as confident as Inuzuka-san. If anything, I'm like Hyuuga-san, socially awkward. Oh wait, no, she's just shy. The socially awkward one is me." OC! Team 7 remix!

Chapter 19 – Be there for me

8-8

"You're kidding me!" Naruto-nii is at it again. I can tell. I wonder what it's about this time though. "You're smiling! Around Kakashi! What gives!?" What, that!? Of all the things that you could complain about? Me covered in blood. Me carrying a five year old. Me walking into our camp with thirty females. Me sucking down a bar of chocolate in the middle o… wait, that's perfectly normal for me. Still! The other things count! And you go with: you're smiling around him!?

"Nii-san, really?"

"I think she's an adrenaline junkie."

…

"Captain, really?" I huff, taking another bite of my chocolate.

"Now that you mention it…" No. We're not going down this road. "And wait a minute!? You called him 'captain'!?" Well, not exactly an improvement. I roll my eyes, trying to enjoy my chocolate.

"Hnn. I think Kakashi's right. She's usually a lot happier after smacking someone around."

"U. Chi. Ha~aaaaa!" I kick a pebble off the ground right at his forehead. Stupid idiot dodges. "Sakiko-chan… I think it's time on your first lesson on how to deal with boys. You mind slapping the stupid looking one with black hair, please?" My hands are a bit full, or I'd do it myself!

"Aya-nee… is it really alright to hit him?" She asks, in her cutest widdle voice!

"Girls are hitting on him all the time and he never notices. I think he secretly likes it." I say, in a stage whisper. Sakiko and I share a giggle at Uchiha-san's expense – the look on his face is absolutely priceless! I mean, the whole annoyed eyebrow twitch? Kami-sama, I'm so doodling that when we get home!

"I change my mind. She's not an adrenaline junkie. She's a sadist." Captain Ecchi. That's what I'm calling you from now on.

"You do realise that I won't have chocolate in my hand forever, right?" I say, taking another bite.

"What about the blonde one? Should I try to hit him too?" Sakiko asks, trying to understand how I am with them.

"No. As Naruto-nii's little sister, it's my job to hit him. Uchiha-san doesn't have a little sister. That's why he's such an idiot, you see?" I ignore the three now sweatdropping idiots. Yes, I know that statement includes Captain Ecchi. That's why he's an idiot too.

We try to get everyone settled in as quickly as possible. Thankfully, I had asked all of them to carry the futons I'd… acquired back there, so they'll have somewhere to sleep. We just need to arrange something to keep them dry should it rain. It's not the rainy season yet, but you never know!

"Seriously though, Kakashi-sensei. I think you're onto something! The times sis is happiest is after a good fight and with enough chocolate in her system! She actually might be a chocolate addict AND an adrenaline junkie!"

"U. Zu. Ma. Ki~iiii!" I dash for him, chocolate in one hand, five-year-old in the next. I make sure to tuck her into my embrace as much as possible so she doesn't fall, and when I'm close enough I do a flying roundhouse kick –counter-clockwise to make sure she doesn't shift around too much with the shifting centre of gravity– and ram my left heel in Naruto-nii's forehead. He didn't even see it coming.

I don't hit him hard enough to kill him –necessarily– but definitely hard enough that his forehead will be red for the rest of the day. I'll even look at this as a surprise training in breaking your fall after an attack. That could save his life one day!

You're. Welcome!

8-8

"Sis is so mean!" Naruto-nii complains for the thousandth time. I already said I was sorry. Over and over again! Even though you three were teasing me, picking on me, and calling me a junkie. But I still apologized! Just because he didn't break his fall well enough and ended up bruising his back a little, doesn't mean this is My fault! Even though I still apologized.

"You take that back! Aya-nee is the most awesomest, most amzingest person in the whole world!" Ooh! I've got my own cheering squad! Go, Aya! Go, Aya! Go, go, go, Aya!

"Now, now, Sakiko! You shouldn't pick fights with our rescuers." I look to Yasu-san – she disowned her family name, so she just goes by Yasu. I marvel at her. Even covered in dirt, even after being sold into slavery, even after hating her family so thoroughly for what they did to her… she's still such a kind person. "Come, Naruto-san, let me have a look at your shoulder. You might be wounded and not know it."

"Hmm? Nah, it's okay Yasu-chan! Sis is a lot of things, but she wouldn't ever hurt me like that. Besides, she already checked. I'm just giving her a hard time." The blue haired, grey eyed Yasu smiles, but doesn't look convinced. She's been… really clingy with Naruto-nii ever since being introduced. She's almost twenty-two from my guess, so I doubt it's a crush, but there's something there.

"Hey, Yasu-san? If you don't mind me asking, does Naruto-nii remind you of someone?" I ask. It's the only thing I can come up with, really. That seems to have struck a chord with her, so I give her a moment. I start playing with Sakiko's hair. She has the prettiest red hair I've ever seen –almost like that redheaded Sarutobi, really– but her eyes are a gorgeous shade of green, like a dragon almost. And she has these cute widdle squishy cheeks that I can't get enough of!

"Yes… and no." Yasu-san begins. "Physically they look nothing alike. And I know I shouldn't really do this to myself… but Naruto-san reminds me of my little brother, Kotaro." The way she says the name, I can guess Kotaro's no longer with us.

"I understand." I assure her. "And don't worry, I'm willing to share." I wink at her, teasing her a bit. Why is Naruto-nii giggling pervertedly again? Great, now Captain Ecchi is giggling right along with him!

SLAP!

"Aya-nee is right… boys are silly!" I said idiots, morons and too stupid for words, but close enough, cutie pie! And I'm soooooo going to start working on my speed to make sure I can actually connect my hand to Captain Ecchi's face! Stupid, fast, dodging idiots are stupid!

Captain Ecchi clears his throat. "Anyway. Naruto. It's your turn. Let's go." I set Sakiko down, telling her to be good while I'm gone. She doesn't look too happy, but she doesn't fight it.

"Hey, sis. I got this." Naruto-nii announces. "Besides. Would you really trust an emo like Sasuke to take care of the girls while we're gone?"

"Why am I getting dragged into this?" Uchiha-san asks. I giggle, covering my mouth with my hand.

"Seriously. I know you've got my back." Naruto-nii completely ignores 'the emo'. "But this is my fight for now. Kakashi said we're doing one together later. Save your chakra for that. Okay?"

"Fine, fine. Just don't come back in pieces. It'll still take all my chakra to put you back together." I remind him, smiling at his 'I'm so cool' act. I roll my eyes anyway. I really need to step up my game with my medical jutsu... one day I might actually have to put that idiot back together, and I need to be able to when the time comes.

"Heh! Nothing to worry about! You know I'm not giving up until I become Hokage!" He claims. Yeah, we'll see about that whole 'Hokage thing'.

"Just so you know, I'm eating all your ramen if you make me worry too much!" Did he just body flicker? Nah, we don't know how to do that yet. I didn't know he was that fast.

8-8

They'll stake out the place for two to three hours. Studying the people, studying the surroundings, getting a feel for the lay of the land. Nothing's wrong. It's only been two hours. He's fine, Aya. He's just fine.

"Aya-san, would you mind if I asked you a question?" Yasu-san asks me. Kinda late for that, aren't we. You just did.

"Careful. She usually gets the most violent when people talk to her when she isn't in the mood."

"Aren't we being helpful, Emo-san." I drone, glaring at Uchi-san dully. I take out my scroll and unseal another bar of chocolate, putting back my scroll where it belongs. "Go ahead, Yasu-san."

"Naruto-san, he isn't your biological brother, is he." She asks me if she can ask me a question, then doesn't ask me a question? I guess it balances? I mean, she did only ask me one question.

"No." I still answer her though. "I don't have any family left and he doesn't even remember ever having one to begin with. So we… kind of just fell in together. We watch each other's back, you know?"

You see how grateful I am to you, Uchiha-san!? I'm not even blaming you! Not even a little! Well, I blame you in my head, but I'm grateful so I'm not actually blaming you… out loud!

"I understand." She smiles at me. I feel really bad that we can't find some decent clean water so they can clean themselves up. But really, I'm not going to be the one to suggest they jump in the river to get clean. And that's not even considering they have nothing clean to change into!

Still, they all seem happy enough that we freed them, so no one complains. It doesn't make me feel better, but I try not to complain either.

8-8

After the sun sets, Captain Ecchi takes Uchiha-san for his turn. I don't understand why they're going in at night. It's not like it'd be better or worse than any other time, but he's been so careful to avoid doing anything after the sun sets. I don't understand.

Still, I make sure to check Naruto-nii over – see if he's still in one piece. Even with him constantly telling me he's fine, I still force him to sit so I can check him. I'm still not very good with the diagnostic jutsu, but I'm good enough to tell if he's bleeding, bruised or hiding some other injury though his clothes – I mostly just pay attention for some kind of disruption, I just can't identify what that disruption is yet.

"Well, you're not dead." I tease. Honestly, he's in perfect health, as far as I can tell, but I don't want his head to swell.

"Well, that's a relief." He drones, obviously being sarcastic. "I've got a present for you, by the way!"

"Oh?" Aww, that's so sweet! He reaches into his jacket, taking out some things. A stack of Fuma shuriken, two windmill shuriken, and a tanto about the same length as my kodachis. "Aw, Naruto-nii!" I don't even ask how he kept all this hidden in there.

"Yoshino-sensei said you had to master long distance right? Well, I figure the shurikens would help you there. And Kakashi-sensei knows a really cool trick with those shuriken and some ninja wire! And the tanto… well, I kind of figured you could use a back up, just in case. You know?"

I hug him, thanking him over and over again.

"I also got some money to help us out." He murmurs into my ear. "So we'll have a backup." I smile. Ever the big brother, eh Naruto-nii?

"So, we're doing this. Moving into my parents' house." I don't know why I'm so emotional about this.

"If… if you want…" He's nervous. Aww, my poor Nii-san thinks I want to back out? He thinks he's forcing this on me?

"I brought this up with Yoshino-sensei the day we went to check the house, Nii-san. That's the reason she insisted you come along." I say, smiling at his suddenly so unsure attitude.

"… why's that?"

"Because you needed a comfortable home so you can feel worthy of a certain somebody?" I push him back so I can look at him; yes, I enjoy long hugs. I want him to understand just how deep this goes for me. "I really want to help you achieve your goals, Nii-san… you know?"

He gets all teary-eyed on me.

"I wasn't planning on moving in before making chuunin though. But… we're going to need a lot more space to train now, won't we."

"Yeah." He hugs me again, tighter this time. "I've also got a bunch of other weapons too, so we can restock those caches. No strolls, I'm afraid… I guess we'll have to come up with something."

"…" I want to tell him not to worry, that those caches are already as good as full, that my parents have more scrolls that I can shake a stick at. But… "We'll figure it out…" I don't.

"Hey… you okay?" He asks, pushing me back a little.

"No?" I sniffle, wiping away my tears. "I… need to talk to you… privately." His eyes roam, taking in the girls we'd saved. No, he didn't bring back more, but I still see this as a team effort.

"Alright. Pakkun, you mind coming with us. Kakashi-sensei will get grouchy if we wander off alone."

8-8

So we wander a ways from camp. We climb up into a random tree, sitting down and listening to the crickets. I take a long moment, try to sort out my thoughts, what I need to tell him. He needs to know these things.

Deciding it's for the best, I unseal another bar of chocolate; my fourth for the day. After taking a bite, I start talking. I force myself to not hold anything back. My trust issues, my nightmares, my being uncomfortable showing any skin, the weapons I have sealed in a scroll, the money I'd found, my parents' bank accounts, the caches in their house I didn't show him (the ones that actually have weapons), the hidden library, the… unnatural lack of discomfort I have with killing. I tell it all.

The whole time, I keep petting Pakkun, trying to ease the rising panic. It helps, but not much. He needs to know though. I need to tell him.

"You know, I think you're right. You do have trust issues. Not that I'm any better." Naruto-nii says after I'm quiet for a while. "I keep wondering when you're going to 'snap out of it' and start treating me the way everyone else treats me." He admits, looking up at the stars. I lean into him.

"What a pair we make. Don't trust anyone, and we go and fall in love with clan heirs." I snort at my own words.

"Of two of the most prestigious clans too boot." He agrees with me. "…"

"What's up?" I ask, knowing he has something on his mind.

"We need to enter the next chuunin exams." He doesn't sound happy with that, but it's hard to disagree. "But I… I'm not strong enough yet."

"So train harder. Try figuring out a way to use your shadow clones to train, or to study, or whatever." That brings him up short. "I mean, they transfer memories to you, right? Try to test them and see exactly what the limits of it are. Try reading a book with one, seeing if you can remember what you read. Try doing the water walking thing, see if that helps you to learn to do it faster."

"What about you?" I snort.

I'm not going to be left behind. I'll figure out something. Besides, I have sound release, I have medical jutsu, I have my weapons, my taijustsu, and only Kami-sama knows what's actually in that hidden library. "I've got your back, you know that."

"Hey, you think we can start bugging sensei about elemental training when we get back? I mean, she did say we have to master chakra control exercises first, and we should have that done by then, right?"

"Sounds about right." I smile at him. He seems to have found that confidence of his again. I wish I could say the same.

"Something wrong, sis?"

"…" I don't want to put it into words. Please don't ask me to.

"I'm not going anywhere." I turn to him, shocked. "I'm not going to leave you behind. I'm not going to let you fall behind. I'm not going to go and get myself killed. And I certainly am not going to let you die either."

It takes a moment, but a smile eventually finds its way onto my features again – whether I want it to or not. "I can see why she likes you…" I look up at the moon, wondering what Hinata-san, Ino and… Chouji-kun are doing. "For someone with self confidence issues, you must seem like a drug."

8-8

Captain and Uchiha-san make it back to camp going on ten in the evening. Uchiha-san looks like he got into a fight. "Sit." I demand. He takes one look at me; he's too tired to argue.

I scan him from head to toe. Most of the problems are on his back, and I definitely smell blood. It's really dark though, and he's been facing me, soo… "Take off your shirt, I need to see your back." He hesitates. So I strip off his shirt for him. I thought so. He's bleeding, but not badly. Knicks and scrapes mostly. I reach into my hip pouch, taking out my first aid kit. I can do a diagnostic, but I can't do much else. I clean the wounds, carefully. I dress them. I check his heart rate, to see if there are any irregularities at all. Nothing special.

I go into his tent, taking out his bag and laying it next to him. "Grab a fresh shirt, or I'll do it for you." He reaches in, grabbing a shirt, but can't quite work his arms properly – the wounds are clotting and that sometimes makes it hard to move certain muscles. I help him into his shirt.

"You got in over your head." I don't ask. "You thought that if Naruto-nii could do it, if I could do it, then the almighty scion of the Uchiha clan most certainly can too. Didn't you."

He looks away from me.

"Moron. I didn't wipe out those bandits by being arrogant. Neither did Naruto-nii. We did it by planning, by thinking, by working with our strengths and covering our weaknesses."

"What do you think I was doing then? Twiddling my thumbs?" He's upset. Or he's pretending to be. That's mostly wounded pride, I see it in his eyes. Thanks for looking at me so I can see that.

"You were basing your strategy on 'I'm an Uchiha, an elite'." I take out my scroll, unseal a rations bar and a bottle of water, handing both to him. "After all, you were probably skilled enough to take on the Demon Brothers, so what are a few dozen bandits. Right?"

He takes the items from me, eating and drinking without a word. I leave him to it. My patient has been taken care of, after all. The rest isn't up to me.

"Ah, ah. Not so fast, Aya-chan." Captain stops me in my tracks. I turn to him, wondering what he needs. "I want to discuss today's results and I want to discuss what this will mean for the trainings I have in mind." I nod, taking a seat between Uchiha-san and Naruto-nii.

"Aya, I'll start with you. You assessed the situation well enough. You didn't take note of patrol routes and guard shifts, but that's better than I expected for a first-timer. You came up with a decent plan, and that genjutsu of yours is simply dangerous. Please don't use it unless you have to." I look at him, tilting my head to one side. It's just a D-rank genjutsu, what's so dangerous about that? "I couldn't break out of it. Or, perhaps I should say, it didn't matter how many times I broke out of it. I assume that you reapply the genjutsu with every sound wave?" I nod, unsure. I know that the book said that I'm in control so long as I have enough chakra and can continue making a sound that reaches my target(s).

"I thought so. I'd broken out so often that I'm not even sure what I was supposed to be seeing, but you kept placing me under it again. And to make it worse, because you sing so well, people who aren't in your effective range kept running closer to hear you sing. That is a dangerous combination. Frankly, you'd basically be finishing the fight solo. Please do not use that jutsu unless you absolutely have to." He explains. There's logic in that, so I nod. Still, my singing isn't that good!

"At any rate. You seem to have some basic knowledge of interrogation." I snort; you try handing around Ino and not learn a thing or two. The girl's a natural. He notices the snort, but continues. "And I'm glad you didn't let personal feelings get in the way of the objective. I'd have to say you are quite impressive, all things considered. For a genin." I'd have to agree with him there. Against random bandits, I rock. Against skilled opponents? Would I fare nearly as well? I'm not sure.

"Naruto. You're planning is horrible, but you're sneaky and studied your targets incredibly well. You knew where they were going to be and when, and you used your clones to your advantage. I'm actually amazed you didn't let a single one make a noise. You'd be one hell of an assassin, if you wanted to go down that path. You didn't have any patience when asking the leader any questions though. And you got annoyed when he started toying with you. Don't let an opponent get you emotional, they'll make you sloppy. And that will get you and your team killed. Understood?" Nii-san grumbles, but I smack him on the arm and give him a meaningful look when he looks my way.

"Yeah, I got it." He says, grumpy.

"Sasuke. I'd have to say, overall you showed the most skilled. In theory you plan well, you studied the targets well, and you had a sold grasp of the objectives and time limitations to execute them. However, Aya was right, your ego got in the way and you got cocky. If I hadn't stepped in, you'd be dead."

"… n-nn…" He doesn't like his nose being rubbed in the facts. Wrong profession then, moron.

"Now. The next camp is not like the three that were taken out today. The next one is organized, well guarded, and has hundreds of bandits crawling over every inch of it. It will need a solid team to get in and out alive. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Captain." I answer. The boys answer in their own way too – one with 'dattebayo' at the end, the other with a noise.

"We'll need to give Sasuke a week to properly recover. I'll be making a map and coming up with a plan. However, we need to start your training. Your real training. Now that you know what you're going to be facing, I want to make sure you understand what it takes to survive it." The three of us nod.

"Now here's what you'll be focusing on. Naruto. You're the better close range. Between your clones and your improvements in your taijutsu, you're the best choice. I'll be showing you some tricks to help you coordinate with your clones and I'll be teaching you some simple jutsus to make you even more dangerous."

"I'm the guy for the job!" Naruto-nii, you're an idiot.

"Sasuke. You're better for mid range. It gives you the space to plan, and most of your skills are centred on this already. I'll be showing you two new fire jutsus that will help you, and I'll be helping you to hone your Sharingan usage as well. However, I will warn you that I will not tolerate your ego-trips any longer. Another outburst like in that camp, and you will regret it. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir." Ah, the strict drill sergeant thing does have its uses, just not with me.

"Aya. You're skilled in close range combat, but as the team's medic I cannot allow you to use those skills all the time. I will be helping you with your sound release, and I'll be showing you some other skills to make sure no one ever comes close to you. If they do, then you do what you need to in order to survive. Keep in mind if the medic dies, the team dies. Do you agree?"

"Yes, Captain."

"Good. I also have some more scrolls on medical jutsus for you. I know you're still working on the diagnostic jutsu, but it doesn't hurt to be prepared. I can also show you a few tricks. I've learned a few medical jutsus myself, after all." He eye-smiles at me. I look away though. Too many conflicting emotions towards him.

"Sasuke, you won't be taking watch tonight. You need to rest. Aya, you're the best rested right now, so you'll take first watch. Naruto goes after. I'll take the last shift."

8-8

We got up at five again, like we're used to in Konoha. Captain ran Naruto-nii and I through a far more demanding workout – something that even Yoshino-sensei's workouts couldn't compare to, and we were expected to do this workout walking on water!

After that, we were put through evasion training – bring on the pebbles! And yes, this too was while walking on water. The water walking skill isn't very taxing, but after three straight hours, I'm running on empty.

We were allowed to rest, mostly for my sake, but Naruto-nii was instructed to get some food for us – and the girls in our care. The blonde blunder dashes off, over the water, in a random direction. I grumble, totally jealous.

"Sasuke, please go check on the girls for me." Huh? Uchiha-san is here? He drops down from a branch nearby, heading back to camp. "Aya-chan. You're different today."

"Different?" I wonder about that. I don't feel different.

"You haven complained once. No back-chat. No grumbling. And you actually seem a bit jealous of Naruto, for some reason." Huh, oh that.

"Being jealous of Naruto-nii is nothing new. I used to be much better than him, faster than him, more skilled than him. Now I'm not so sure. He's… not the dead last he used to be." That boy is growing so strong so quickly it's almost scary. All he needed was someone to guide him properly, someone he could trust. I feel… small standing next to him these days. Not because he tries to, but because I know he'll outgrow what little I can teach him in a month, maybe two. What took me six years of blood sweat and tears (mostly from frustration), he's soaking up in mere months. That boy is… amazing.

"You should have seen his parents then." He eye-smiles at me. I tilt my head at that. Captain knew Naruto-nii's parents? "I'll tell him in time. It's up to him if he tells you though." I smile at that. He told me about the Nine-tails, I won't worry about silly things like his heritage. "And about that other thing?"

"You're finally training me. Why would I complain?"

"Ah. That's what that irritation was about." I don't comment. "I'll keep that in mind. Your chakra reserves are going to need some serious work, by the way. I think this workout will help you." I nod. Can we please stop standing on water now? It's not really draining, but I'm just tired of it! I've been on this water for four hours!

"You're not going to like my afternoon workout." He warns me. I shrug; we'll see. "The only way to increase your chakra reserves is to work you down to almost empty, then let them refill. That's what we're going to be doing, while working on your sound release to empty it. Genjutsus take too little chakra for this, so I'll be teaching you another far more taxing jutsu. And it just so happens to build on the exercise you were working on the other day too."

I nod. What else is there to do?

"I'll also be teaching you some more focused genjutsus to help your teammates during a fight. We'll work on that while your resting to maximise your time." I nod again. "And at night, you'll be working on your medical jutsu."

I nod for a third time.

"I'll be helping you with your weapons when we get back to Konoha. For now, I believe you have enough on your plate. And I don't believe you need too much help with your physique. I won't let you slack off during morning workouts, of course, but it just won't be as big a deal for the rest of the day. Is this agreeable?"

"It is, Captain."

"Good. Then we'll begin with your training. We'll take a break when Naruto returns with the food. Let's start with something really simple. Please snap with your fingers." I do so, wondering if we'll be using the sound waves from that for a jutsu. "What I want you to focus on, instead of just focusing your chakra into your vocal chords to infuse any sound you make with a genjutsu sequence, focus that chakra into the two fingers you just used and the spot on your palm that was hit. I want you to try place me under a simple genjutsu using this so we have a good place to start."

Well that sounds… simple enough. I suppose.

Snap-MREEEEEEEW!

"Okay, try to keep in mind that you're no longer working on complex muscles like your vocal chords. Just the three points, roughly a centimetre in diameter. And please stop trying to enhance those sound waves. Let it be natural. We'll work on range and amplification another time." I nod.

Snap.

Captain's one visible eye goes glassy for a fraction of a second. He shakes his head and looks at me again. "You know. I'm starting to think you're getting good at genjutsus."

I glare at him dully. "'Genjutsu made easy'. I know the theory behind thirty different genjutsus, though only D and C-ranked."

"Then why haven't you practiced with them?" He asks, curious.

"Because I already have too much to do? How many hours do you think a day has, exactly?" He shrugs.

"Well. No more reading for you then. I'm going to be keeping you way too busy for that." I role my eyes at his words. I happen to like my reading, thanks. "Aya. Let me let you in on a little secret. Your Naruto-nii? He's going to need a strong Anbu guard when he becomes Hokage."

My eyes bug out. Hearing Naruto-nii talk like that… that's one thing. Hearing an ex-Anbu captain talk like that…? This is a whole other box of chocolates.

"Be honest, Aya. Who in this world would Naruto want watching his back?" He asks. He pretends to think about that, but I'm not an idiot. He knows. I know.

"What's the next step?" I ask, my fingers already poised to snap again.

8-8

End Chapter 19

8-8

A/N: Well, well. Looks like Kakashi found an in with Aya. And it might almost seem as if Aya's warming up to Sasuke as well. What could this mean? What's the deal? But more importantly... what effect could this have on the future? I wonder...

By the way, for all my Broken readers, if you're reading this... my PC crapped out on me. So I have to restart that chapter from scratch. TT_TT Luckily I keep Butterflies on my laptop, but... still, it's kind of annoying to plan and plot and do all the writing, only for it to be lost. *Le sigh* Anyhoo, enough melodrama!

For those wondering, no Setokaiva isn't stopping with beta'ing for me, or this story. He's just busy. The chapters will get cleaned up once he has the time again. And he's still helping me plan and plot like he always does. So fret not! More juicy goodness is on the way!