The remainder of my pregnancy flew by like the months on the calendar, four months became, five, six, seven, and now Id reached eight, I only had a week to go until nine, a eight days until my due date, and I couldn't be happier. I'd gained about thirty eight pounds and I felt a little like a whale. I hadn't seen my feet in forever, I wasn't sure I wanted to because they hurt so badly. None of my cloths fit, and that was more than a little frustrating.
My husband had continued sending letters, and though he always said in them how much he hated his partner, it seemed like they were always saving each other's asses. I assumed he must be in pretty good health, no missing arms or legs to warrant sending him home.
Miku had taken to knitting. I guess she felt like she was going to be a grandma, so she'd better act like one. I'd refused to know the gender of my baby, I wanted a surprise, so she'd bought both blue and pink yarn and wove them both together into a chevron pattern. So far she'd only gotten half way though the blanket, and the part she had done was a little uh, screwed up with errors in the pattern, but it was the thought that counted.
It still amazed me how well pregnancy was accepted here. It was normal to have a child just after you'd married. Where I came from, I'd of been ostracized for my age and financial state while pregnant, but not here. Other women often smiled at me and friendly shop keepers sometimes asked to feel my baby kick.
After the war was over, my little family would have nothing to worry about. When my husband came home, we'd be safe to live in this world again, and I was happy to continue living here.
"May," my mother in law's voice snapped me out of my musing and called my attention back to the present.
"Hm?" I asked, turning to her.
"Did you hear that?" She asked, putting the blanket down. Before I could ask what, an explosion nearby rocked our house. I could see her eyes go wide, she'd been afraid of this for far longer than she'd let on.

"You've both been reassigned," my red headed commander droned, heavy bags under his eyes and his fingers on his left hand twisted in an unnatural way, broken for months with no one to fix it. That was how I found out the rebels had attacked the village. Tired, dirty, and feeling very hopeless, my partner and I were reassigned to be the personal body guards of the asshole that'd sent us to war. My commander tried to tell me that it was an honor, that I should be proud my skill level had earned me this position, but all I felt was dread, deep down in the pit of my stomach.
Daisuke and I left for the village soon after. He nursed a leg we thought to be fractured and some pretty bad burns on his hands, but he was refused a medic. I didn't say, but I didn't think there were any medics left. Our numbers were way down, and no matter how many times they told us we were winning, I knew it to be a lie.
My hair had grown out again, but the ends were singed and it was almost more annoying to keep it than it was to cut it. I kept my pride, and I'd kept the soot and smoke on my skin from all of the explosions.
"We goin' home," Daisuke muttered, being a bit more careful of his leg. I took up some clay and made us a bird to fly back on, using up the rest of my clay and flew us back, steering high up into the clouds to prevent us from being spotted. I wasn't sure what it mattered, the entire country was enemy territory now.
"Yeah, we're going home, but I'm not excited," I signed.
"It' almost ov'r," he tried to assure, "we doin' a good t'ing, if not fo' an'body else but us. We lived dis long."
"Yeah," I muttered, "I'm glad they stuck me with you."
"I 'm too lil man."
We arrived back home under fire. I maneuvered the bird while my partner counter attacked, finally landing us on the roof of our destination. I felt like a rat as we ran for cover.
The whole building was under locks, we hardly got in. After they'd checked our stories three or four times over they let us down to the basement of the building where the leader of our village was hidden.
We were only to address him as leader. Not lord Tsuchikage, not Sir, only as leader. I thought it was some kind of psychology trip, to remind people, to make them feel like he knew what he was doing when in reality he never called a single shot. We were introduced to him, and the first thing he did was insult us.
"You couldn't find anyone the same size? What! It'll look lopsided with a bigger one and a little one! And son of a bitch, haven't you two ever head of a shower? Or a shave?"
I felt my fists clench as if I had no control over them. Was he really that vain?
There was a mother fucking war happening right outside and he wasn't even worried about his people? His home?
"Of course sir, I'll have them cleaned up," another man came foreword and ushered us out of the room. We were given showers, but no soap, apparently they couldn't spare any for a pair of army boys like us. Daisuke was again refused medical attention, so I did it myself. I broke a chair leg and splintered it into pieces I could make a splint with. We hid it under his boot and pant leg, the injured ones were always targeted first. We took our spots after that, eighteen hours standing still in a room with only one other inhabitant besides ourselves.
This is what I'd fought seven months for? To be treated like no more than a guard dog? Taking that back, I suspected a dog might have actually been treated better. I wished I knew what Daisuke was thinking, I looked over the throne that the coward that called himself our leader sat on to look at my partner. The darker haired man gave me a helpless smile and mouthed,
"In due time."

We picked up broken glass long into the night after we dubbed it safe to return to our house. The initial explosion had us running out of our home for cover, and cover ended up being the basement of a home nearby, people Miku said she vaguely knew. Our village had been attacked by the rebels at nine, and the bombing ended at midnight. After emerging from hiding, we discovered that while our house and a few others were fine, the rest had been completely destroyed, almost leveled straight with the ground. Big pieces of ruble stuck out like white caps in the sea of broken homes and broken lives that lay out before me. It was noon before we actually got home, other people needed help too, but when the hospital was contacted, so few people had been dispatched many people died before they were even on a list to see a doctor.
My mother in law had seen enough, though she despised blood and as much as it hurt her to look at injuries, she also felt very strongly she should be helping. We eventually took a break and retreated home before her nerves got any worse.
"I'm glad we live somewhere that people will help other people, aren't you?" Miku asked me from over a bowl of white rice. It was gentle on both our stomachs.
"Yeah I am. That was pretty bad though, I mean, I'd never seen anything like that," I answered. I was probably still in shock, like the carnage hadn't set in, hadn't had a chance to get to me. I started bawling right away, like the flood gates had finally opened. Our village had barely faught off that attack, but we'd been assured not to worry about another one. I wasn't sure if I believed that.
Hours later in bed with a heavy feeling in my chest, she'd come to me, kiss my forehead and hug me, after she'd gotten over it herself. I felt a weight then, like it'd fallen from my chest to my hips. A pressure I couldn't place. For months Id had trouble getting up the stairs to our home, sometimes getting around was hard, but now it was like I could breathe again.
"Are you okay?" My mother in law asked, placing a hand over mine.
"Fine, just uh, not feeling so good is all," I told her, and passing it off seemed like the best thing to do.
The next day I got the worst cramps Id ever felt, sending me to see my old friend the bathroom again, throwing up after eating a nice meal I worked hard on. My mother in law was gone, so I was left to sit in silence, alone, to worry about what was happening to my body. My belly sat visibly lower on my hips I noticed, standing up to leave Id caught it in the mirror. Sure I'd browsed the pregnancy information books, but I'd always gave up at this point. My best guess was I was going into labor.
I figured I'd better not jump the gun, the hospital had its hands full and I knew I'd be waiting a while to actually have the kid, hours, maybe twelve, maybe less. I didn't want to cry because I knew it couldn't help me. Missing my mom, my mother in law, my husband couldn't help me either. If I had to do this myself, and I might have to, I needed to be prepared.
I sat around on a towel for hours, waiting for my water to break, but it didn't. At dusk I started to get a little concerned and after packing myself a bag, with cloths and baby blankets, went to sit at the window to watch the street as the sun set lower. The power had been out since the first attack, so no street lights came on, but a few bits of debris were proped up and lit on fire to light our streets. These people were determined and resourceful, and I commended them. I watched my mother in law appear down the street and watched her walk up the steps onto our platform our house sat on and stood up to great her at the door.
"Hey um, I think it's gonna be any time now," I just let the words spill out of my mouth, setting my jaw, folding my arms uncomfortably with tears brimming. I'd put on a brave face for myself, but I couldn't seem to keep it up anymore. She didn't mention my week early labor or my tears and she looked down at herself, biting her lip and then looked up at me.
"They won't take anyone that's not fighting or dying down at the hospital, I'll have to help you here," I noticed the blood on her clothing then, it was hard to see in the low lighting. This woman, this strong, happy woman was at her limit helping save lives when it wasn't even her job. She heaved a heavy sigh and went to change her cloths. After cleaning up and a pitch black shower in cold water, she brought me the rest of the clean towels and we camped out in out dim lit living room. We sat for hours and my water still hadn't broken. Miku had been passing in and out of sleep, restless and unable to get comfortable. Finally she got up and left, telling me she'd be back at sunrise to check on me.
I was uncomfortable to say the least. The pressure seemed to be steadily increasing and it was sort of hard for me to try to sleep. I was awake, worrying, into the small hours of the morning until I finally passed out.

I never knew it possible to sleep standing up until I was awoken by the sound of a bomb exploding above us. I watched the dust fall from a cracking ceiling through groggy eyes and after realizing just what had happened, I found myself reaching for my clay before Id even thought to.
"That's enough, they can't catch me down here, don't worry," the man I guarded spoke in a bored tone. I narrowed my eyes at this so called 'leader.' I made a quick decision just then, I needed to know if my family was okay.
"You want me to be ready if they do or you wanna die today? Let me do my job," I spat, pulling out a wad of wet earth, "I'm gonna go clear the hallway, if I'm not back in ten minutes, Daisuke come looking for me."
I didn't listen to the words of my leader, just left the room and stood outside the door for exactly ten minutes and thirty seconds before my partner joined me. We could both hear the bombs overhead, feel the earth shake, I knew the land scape out side was changing.
"You gon' go look fo' yo' lil wife, lil man?" Daisuke asked, his tone hushed. In the dimly lit underground I could see the bags under his eyes all too well and I knew he still nursed his leg. I couldn't leave him for long, he'd never last trying to fight off an assassination attempt by himself. I never admitted it, at least not until later, but I sort of felt for him. Sure he pressed all my buttons and annoyed me more often than not, but we were good together, probably the best partner Id ever had.
"I'm just gonna go make sure May is alright, il be right back."
"Take yo' time, lil man," Daisuke rumbled, a chuckle coming from deep in his chest, "yo' heard da 'boss,' ain't nob'dy getten' down here."
I took one more look at him and turned. I dashed down the halls past other guards with my long hair streaming behind me. I vaguely heard the words 'don't you die' before I burst though a door, climbing up a set of stairs. The building was a maze, and I knew every corner of it. I was outside in no time, my hand spitting out a bird as I leapt into the air.

When I heard the first bomb I thought I was dreaming, but then the second, third, fourth, until finally our house rocked harder than Id ever felt. I sat still another minute, the noise dying off until a blast shattered our windows and nearly blinded me. Our door was off the hinges, and out it I could see the city ablaze. I realized we lived on a raised platform built into a rock, at any moment it could probably fall, and I wasn't going to take any chances. I bolted upright, dashing to my room and ripping weapons and bandages and throwing them into my bag. I needed to get out of here, now, because I was fairly sure if they didn't level the village, they'd sure as hell try.
I was halfway down our steps when I felt something wet between my legs. I realized several more steps down that my water had just broke.
"Jesus Christ," I swore, looking left and right, and finally over me to see the sky's filled with clay birds, just like Deidara's. Another cramp hit me and I doubled over in pain, searing, aching, fist clenching, toe curling pain, and found myself leaning on our railing until it'd subsided enough I could move and open my eyes.
Thre atmosphere was clouded and the air thick with ash. Fires burned, raising the temperature and crippling buildings the longer I stood there. Bombs dropped all around me, I was surprised no more hit my street, but I knew for a fact my neighbors behind me were probably dead.
I didn't want to run into the city, but it was the only road not blocked completely. My insides churned again, and I realized I hadn't moved from my spot. I had once choice left, I'd never make it on foot.
I weaved signs quickly and pressed my hand to the ground, hoping to God my blood contract was still good, and prayed. I pressed my eyes shut as another bomb went off somewhere close by, sending a whirlwind of smoke, rubble and soot my way. I held my breathe but eventually ended up choking, but when the cloud cleared and I was silent, another set of lungs still coughed for clean air. My eyes snapped open, and there before me stood the new crowned king.
"Aki!" I shouted, taking the brute by surprise. My friend hadn't changed at all, save for growning taller, stronger and muscling out more than I would have ever expected. His single antler had grown with him, and I vaguely noticed my name carved into the inside tine before I was brought back to reality. I slung my bag over my shoulder and rushed towards him.
"What is the meaning of this?" He exclaimed, but I didn't have time to explain. I vaulted onto his back, and wrapped my arms around his neck as another cramp hit me.
"We need to get out!" I screeched, fisting my fingers into his fur. I didn't have to say anymore. I shut my eyes as my cervine friend carried me over broken ground, leapt over shattered bits of building and across craters, though pillars of smoke and around more explosions than I could count. His gait steadied and he began moving faster. We'd officially left the village when I opened my eyes. Long legs dug cloven hooves into the earth, carrying us a little over a mile in an hour. He would have carried me further in I hadn't insisted on stopping. My cramps, I realized we're contractions, it was official now.
"What can I do to help you?" He asked. I shook my head.
"Nothing uh, nothing, just, I need to you um, I can't find my mother in law, you'll never miss her, she looks just like, uh, you remember him right?" I asked, trying to prop myself up and get myself comfortable. It wasn't happening.
"She looks like Deidara? Sure," he nodded, smirking cockily as he ran off, disappearing from sight long before I couldn't hear the underbrush crashing and crunching as he ran though. Another contraction hit me like a ton of bricks and I knew I had to do this myself, alone for the first time, no matter how much I hated it.

I didn't have time to look for my wife, I was far too busy fighting to save my own skin.
I tried to maneuver my bird left, but a blast of scalding water sent me right, clipping the wing off of my bird. It got damaged, so what, I moved on, catching myself on the way down by reforming the wing and taking off faster than I had before. A blast of lightning got my attention, calling me back to what had once been the office. May was resourceful, I reasoned, and my partner was impaired.
Standing in the place of the building was a tall, pillar like cylinder made of mud, one I was sure Daisuke had created. It crumbled within seconds, but another was erected in its place. Quickly, I dispatched a few of my smaller birds, taking out the attacking shinobi.
It didn't take long for more people to take their places though, it was as if the entire army was converging on this spot, and as I fell under fire, it seemed like I was fighting this war alone.
The only thing I could do after being bombarded by attacks was land, the mud spiral had crumbled yet again and I had enough time to access the damage.
Daisuke nursed a large, heavily bleeding wound on his right side and a chunk of his injured leg was missing too, the village leader, or should I say village idiot, covered in the ground at his feet.
"These lil ants ar' getten' annoyin'," Daisuke muttered, grunting as another blast destroyed what was left of his defense. Thinking fast, I crashed my bird into oncoming enemy's and detonated it, using the smoke it created as time allow my hand to swallow enough clay to puke back up my c2 dragon.
By far one of my favorite creations, the dragon was large and strong, and by using parts of itself, make smaller pieces to fight, not to mention fly. I threw the clay behind me and when the dust cleared, I proudly hopped onto the head of my creation.
"My art will be the death of any of you that choose to proceed," I announced, placing my hand on my hip. The dragon took up a part of its tail and opened its mouth, the smaller projectile ready to fly.
I pitied the brave soul the came after me first, he fired himself right at me, knife bared and blade thirsting for my blood, the the dragon spat out a miniature of itself. Once one of his comrades realized what was happening, she tried to tackle him out of the way, however the bomb fallowed them. The tiny dragons were heat seeking, the best thing Id added to them yet, and standing proud over the gut pile that used to be two people, I felt my ability was unmatched.
"Nothin' 's too flamboyant," Daisuke joked, limping over with the leader under his arm. I heard him mumble something else about my beautiful art as I scanned over the crowd of shinobi, waiting for them to move, but they never did. Something was up here.
Why was no one attacking?
I watched Daisuke heft the village leader up onto the back of the dragon, and he joined him. If I had to take off, they might be a problem.
The crowd parted suddenly and a man not much older than myself appeared, he wore a slashed head band like mine, and dressed in a dark grey cloak. Two large katana were strapped to his back and a ton of pouches took up all the space on his tool belt, no doubt holding more weapons than I had energy to deflect. I looked him up and down, I'd seen him before but where? He pulled the cloak's hood away from his head, letting light to his face, but it still didn't help me any.
"Hey, lil man! It' the ol' co-cap'ain! O' the first assignment squad!" Daisuke shouted behind me, and I narrowed my eyes. It sort of figured. I vaguely wondered if the red headed captain who'd been that platoons superior had been killed too.
"You little worm," the cloaked figure seethed, "I remembered all the trouble you caused back then and I tried to get you both killed in those special ops missions, damn it all, I should have done it myself then, but I'll do it now!"
He launched himself at me, and though my clay dragon rushed to my defense, a cloud of smoke came over the battle field, his own explosive colliding with mine seconds before. I was temporarily blinded, but it didn't matter, a fist collided with my face, knocking me from my creation. My opponent rushed me again and again, and I blocked him as best I could with my hands before a knife married my shoulder and sent me reeling back. He left me then, in favor of going head to head with Daisuke, who barely held him off.
My parter stumbled back, and I was quick to his aid. I pulled a knife from my weapons and slashed, Daisuke launching some sort of spike made of rock between us, stabbing for the other man's heart. He jumped back, and I vaulted back on top of my dragon's head onto to realize he only used the distance to build momentum. This last time he came at me, I swung the dragons tail around, hoping to pin him, but he used the appendage to kick off from, changing his direction at the last moment. Daisuke meet him, but he again deflected, and the leader was wide open.
His chest was wide open seconds later. Blood splattered onto the bleach white body of my dragon, staining it's perfect body. I could have cared less about my leader.
The cloaked man spread his arms out to his sides, the spatter covering his cloak and now his shoes as the pervious leader bleed out laying at his feet.
"Rejoice, my people! We have won the revolution!" He shouted, and a cheer erupted from the crowed. How could they possibly be happy when he'd defaced my creation this way?
"You think this is over just because you killed some piece of shit?" I growled, "your fight is with me!"
With the leader dead and my contract with this village void, I was once again a criminal and I was once again on my own agenda, and my agenda included revenge.
I pulled the knife from my shoulder and threw it at him, and it was quickly deflected.
"You've lost! Your side has lost, what part of that don't you understand?" The man shouted.
"You don't understand asshole, this is personal," I muttered. Thinking quickly, I shot chakra though my clay, and the cloaked man's feet sank into the clay like quick sand. Some soldier, hell bent on protecting his leader, acted alone and tried to attack, but Daisuke was faster, he appeared next to me, and litterally knocked his head off, with what I didn't see. My enemy was flinging insults like mud off of his tongue, but I'd moved on from words. He wouldn't get my goat because I wasn't going to fall into that trap, arguing got me no where.
"You indolent cockroach, I'll kill you! No one understood your shit taste in art in the academy, and no one understands it now! Your insane! Your nothing but a criminal! You have no gift without using what you stole!"
I jumped off of my creations head and turned around, my partner at my side, and the dragon lifted from the ground with a single flap of its expansive wings. With each cycle of its wings, it lifted higher and higher, and any resistance from the crowd was silenced by lightning.
"My art," I grinned, "is my own. I don't care if anyone else understands. Art is fleeting, you'll understand soon."
In a flash, he became my art. The dragon and his body exploding mid air with the light and sound fallowing it. The smoke clouded the sky in a mushroom shape, the boom echoing for miles. When the leaves were still and the bombs in the distance quieted, I realized it was all over.
Daisuke sighed, and brushed himself off. He examined his foot a little, and then the burns scaring on his hand, but I wasn't watching. My eyes were still upturned to the sky, and they remained there until he cleared his throat.
"Well uh, if we ain't got no more choices for leader, Im thinkin' you' make a pretty good on' lil man," he muttered, smiling at me sort of goofy.
"I needa second in command," I smirked, raising my hand to push my hair out of my face. Jesus, my poor, poor hair.
"The village hidd'n in rock got itself new managemen'," Daisuke declared, taking my wrist to lift my hand up for the army infront of us to see. The crowd didn't seem to care much, like they hadn't accepted it, but this war was over. Neither side wanted to continue.
"Ima thinkin' another pardonin' is in orda, for war crimes hm?" He asked, laughing whole heartedly, "hey uh, lil man, where's yo lil wife?"
"Oh shit!"

He was born five and a half pounds, covered in my blood, and screaming, but he was born. I dried him off myself, using a towel that had somehow remained clean, and held him close to me after. It was like I couldn't see anything else, hear anything else, feel anything else other than this baby boy. My son, my beautiful son. A tiny, thin patch of blond hair covered his head, his eyes, when they were open, shone a light, ice blue with hints of my green blended within. I gave him my finger to hold, his hand instinctively curling around it. My mouth had gone slack a long time ago, my skin had goose bumps, and I was in total awe.
This was my son.
My son.
The pain I'd felt so strongly, so intensely had long been forgotten, in just seconds it was as if it never happened.
I was holding my son.
I made him, I carried him, and now here he was, in my arms to hold forever.
My beautiful son.
His screams had gone from ear splitting, newborn to quieter, calmer whining before he started screaming again and I realized I needed to quiet him. Quickly I found a dry portion of some towel and tried my best to get any fluid out of his nose and mouth, the next thing I did was twist the umbilical cord to stop the blood from flowing, and then clipped it briskly. I fed him after and held him close to me, he no longer fussed or cried, seemingly satisfied with himself. As he slept I found time to get up and get dressed, trying my best to clean the blood up. Back in my pants and shirt, I felt a lot better, more mobile and prepared. I settled in next to bush under a large tree for cover with my son clutched in my arms and decided to wait it out. Not too far away I heard a tump and the fluttering of wings. I hadn't heard a sound since Id gotten here, besides my own screaming, and with the bombs going off there shouldn't be any birds here.
I pulled a knife out of my bag and hid my son under the brush cover. If I died here, maybe they'd still find him.
"May?" I heaved a heavy sigh of relief.
"I'm here," I answered, putting down the knife in favor of using that hand to grab my son from his hiding spot and then getting up, I wrapped him a little tighter. Deidara was here to get me, but more importantly, he could see his child.
My husband emerged from the under brush and he looked me over in the afternoon sunlight. I was sure I looked pretty bad covered in sweat, blood, tears and dirt, but then again, he was the same.
Wordlessly, he made his way across the space between us and hugged me gently, careful of the sleeping baby in my arms. He looked down, then back up at me as he licked his thumb to rub some of the dirt off of my face.
"It's it a boy or a girl?"
"A boy," I beamed, my fingers grazing his now clotted shoulder wound. He smiled gently and sighed, and I handed the baby over for him to hold.
"He's so small," deidara muttered, taking him from me carefully, making sure he supported his head, "why?"
I could only shrug. My husband looked down at his son, offering him a finger just as I had hours ago. His smilie spread until it was a mile wide, and his eyes conveyed his joy too.
"What's his name?" My husband asked, looking up at me. He shifted our baby to hold him in the crook of his arm snd wrapped the other around me, pulling me so close, so quickly and with enough force to push the air out of my lungs, but I didn't mind. I was just as excited.
"He doesn't have one," I returned, smiling too. I'd wanted to wait until his father had seen him before I gave him a name.
"What should we call him then?" My husband asked. I was still crushed up against him, and very awkwardly he sort of bounced out baby. Our son's tiny eyes opened, and he gazed up at us. For a moment I thought he might cry, but he never did, thankfully.
"Can we make a name?" I asked, Deidara shrugged.
"Like what?"
"Well, I dunno, can't we use a part of your name?" I asked again, trying not to get too excited.
"May, my name means mud, like, a clay mud, you want to name our son mud?" He answered, a certain humor undertoned in his voice.
"No, no, uh.. I dunno, can't we use it?" I rolled my eyes, it was the principal of the thing and he knew it.
"Let's use Dei, we need another piece," he looked at me like I had any idea of what was happening, and sighed with a tired look on his faceon his face."deiichi?"
"After you and…?" I asked, unsure of the names meaning or implications. He shook his head.
"It's just a name, it doesn't mean anything,"
Hooves pounding on the ground caught our attention then, Aki emerged from the forest, slowing down to a stop when he reached us. He inhaled sharply and exhaled though his nose, quickly catching his breathe, I could see his muscles still twitching with adrenaline.
"Oh no, not another human to yank my chain," he smirked, a half hearted joke, but I rolled my eyes as my mother in law bailed off of his back. She didn't look too banged up, a few bruises and cuts here and there, and her blonde hair was nearly black with dirt, ash and soot, but she was also okay.
"My turn to hold her!"
"Him," I corrected, and she muttered something about not caring as long as she got to hold him. Deidara handed our son over to him and repeated our sons name to his grand mother.
"I'll get started on a blanket as soon as we get home, you liked purple for him, right?" She asked, bouncing him as he started to whine and fuss in her arms. She seemed more excited for him that my husband and I were.
"So, happy family is back together!" Miku exclaimed, bouncing my son a little harder than I liked, but I knew better than to try and tell her anything, "I think they're gonna give me a job at the hospital, so, we've got something if we don't have a house."
Deidara got sort of a blank look on his face and laughed nervously.
"Well uh, mom, we don't really need to worry about a house."

one more chapter people! its almost over!