Disclaimer: Gravitation and its characters are the property of Maki Murakami. I make no profit from this other than pleasure.

This is an AU, chapter one caveats still apply. :D

Warnings: Needles.

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Chapter Nine: Leeches
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One ring. Two.

Eiri tucked the phone between his ear and his shoulder and poured his second cup of coffee as the phone rang a third time. On the fourth:

"You have reached Seguchi Touma's private office phone. Please leave a message."

Perfect. He palmed the phone, relaxed his shoulder.

"Touma? Me." He took a sip of coffee. "Listen: Shindou's sick. I'm taking him in to see a doctor. My bet is nerves and stress. What do you expect? He's as dainty as your bunny-nibbler. Anyway, he won't be in. Two things you need to see to. One: Shindou's backpack. It has his notes for his lyrics. He left it in that American's love nest. Get it. Two: Those bastards didn't use condoms. It's part of the kid's agreement. They owe him. I want current full range STD tests. On both. Yester—"

The phone clicked. "Eiri? Eiri! Don't you dare hang up."

He grinned into the steam rising from his cup and sipped again.

"'Morning, Seguchi. Get my message?"

He could almost hear his brother-in-law gathering his wits. Oh, he'd gotten him, he had.

"Eiri, don't be ridiculous. I can't—"

"You get them, or the cops do, and it's all over the papers. Take your pick."

"You wouldn't."

"I damn sure would, and love every minute of it. They crossed the line, Seguchi. Big time."

There was a long, long silence on the far end of the line, but Touma knew damn well he would do it, if only to watch Touma sweat.

"You owe me." He twisted the knife, set down the coffee mug and reached for his cigarettes.

"The hell! How?" God, he loved it when that fucking control broke.

"Six years ago, brother-in-law. Six fucking long years. You whisked me out of New York. Remember? The height of the HIV scare and you didn't even stick around to demand my rapists' bodies get tested."

"It was for your sake—"

"The hell it was. It was so your fucking perfect pop-star image didn't get tarnished. You didn't want the mess. It was self-defense, brother-in-law. I was sixteen. No jury would have convicted me."

"You were a Japanese sixteen-year-old."

"Which only meant I looked even younger and dumber than most." He tapped out a cigarette, caught it with his lips, then removed it, unlit. "Three years, Seguchi. Three years I fucked anything and everything, and those who wouldn't fuck, I fought—not giving a damn, not daring to get tested because I knew I was going to die. Then I finally landed in hospital and got tested—no thanks to you. And retested, until the damned leeches declared me clean. But I was clean. I always was. And I finally had peace of mind enough to get on with my fucking life. No thanks to you."

Another, very long silence, while he lit a post coital cigarette. God, that had felt good. Theirs was a long and noble battle of wits. It kept them both sharp.

And he had Shindou to thank for one of his best ever offensive maneuvers. Good enough reason to cater to the brat's whims.

Finally, a near-silent, hissed: "Damn you, Eiri."

"I'll tell Shindou he'll know by tomorrow, then, shall I?" he said, around the cigarette.

"Bastard."

"Excellent. Have a nice day, brother." Oh, that would get him. He never acknowledged the legal link between them. It would drive Touma nuts trying to figure.

He took his coffee and cigarette and headed for the office. The kid was still sound asleep on the living room couch, curled on his side, face buried in his pillow. Lucky for him. If there'd been a single colored sparkle, or a hint of that irresistible mouth, he feared he wouldn't be able to resist waking him up.

For a moment, Eiri just stood there, shoulder to the wall, sipping his coffee, watching the morning sunlight shimmering in the mop of pink hair.

Funny, even as little more than a lump under a blanket, he was still . . . kinda cute.

He shrugged away from the wall and headed down the hallway toward his office.

✴✴✴

"You don't have to do this," Shuuichi mumbled into his t-shirt as he pulled it over his head. He'd surprised himself by going right back to sleep, there on the couch. He'd have thought guilt would keep him awake for certain. He owed Yuki...so much...and now here he was, asking for more.

Beyond the guilt, there'd been the little matter of a certain tension down around his groin...

But he had gone to sleep and when he'd waked up, Yuki had already called NG and done the research and picked the clinic they'd go to.

He had no doubt as to why Yuki was doing this. Pity. Yuki felt sorry for him. And yet... It's my bed and damned if you don't look fantastic in it...

Kami-sama...had he...was there a chance...that he truly meant it? None of the others ever had. It had always been the stage image they wanted: make up, sweat, leather and straps.

"Idiot." A hand reached through the neck of the shirt and grabbed his damp hair, pulling his head up. "Listen, monkey-face, I want to, all right?"

Monkey-face. Guess that answered his question.

He sighed and pulled the shirt down...to his knees. It was one of Yuki's. Dark blue. Long-sleeves he had to roll up just to clear his hands. Combined with the pants from the sweatsuit, he probably looked like a clown.

"What's with the pout, brat?"

Pout? He looked up through his hair into the mirror, at the much taller reflected-Yuki, who was applying something to his hair, arranging it into that perfectly-tousled look, trying very hard to ignore the short, monkey-faced dork beside him.

"You said I was sexy."

"Huh?" Confusion. That was definitely confusion on Yuki's handsome face. Shuuichi sighed and explained.

"Last night. You said before I was just kinda cute. That Hiro was the sexy one. But last night, or rather, this morning, you said I was sexy."

A wicked twinkle appeared in the exotic golden eyes. "I said, as I recall, that those sparkly bits were sexy." A long finger left the blond hair to trace a delicate pattern along Shuuichi's chest. "Especially the reaction when I licked you, just about—" The fingertip brushed the hidden nipple, Shuuichi gasped, and Yuki grinned. "See what I mean?" Yuki turned back to the mirror, made a final adjustment to that perfect hair, and shoved Shuuichi toward the bathroom door. "Let's move, monkey-face."

"But—!" Shuuichi strained his head to try and see himself in the mirror. He'd had to use the shower second and was way behind Yuki. "My hair—"

Yuki pulled him around, away from the mirror and frowned down at him a moment, raised his hands to Shuuichi's head, as if he was going to coif it as carefully as he had his own, then just buried his fingers in the strands and tousled the mass wildly, grinned and declared the result, "Perfect."

"Yuki!" Shuuichi tried to push back to the mirror, but Yuki pulled him into his arms and kissed him, hard, then said against his lips:

"Touch a single strand, brat, and I'll kick you out."

Shuuichi sighed, his eyes drifted open, and he no longer cared what his hair looked like.

"Now that," Yuki murmured, brushing his lips a second time, "Is sexy."

✴✴✴

Damn ham-handed leeches.

Eiri pressed the cotton ball to his arm, controlling the urge to tell the nurse exactly what he thought of his skill with needles. He hated needles. Hated hospitals. Hated these little nooks in an open hallway where they surrounded you with a random sampling of the Marquis de Sade's toolkit. Where they forced you on display to every staff person and sicko that passed by, staring, waiting for you to scream or faint or perform some other—

"Yuki-san, I do apologize..." the fellow said, lifting the cotton ball and applying a new one, this time with tape to hold it in place.

"I've had worse," Eiri muttered irritably, sliding off the raised chair and rolling his sleeve down. He looked up at last, caught the worshipful look that said the man was a fa-a-an, a look that quickly shifted to dismay, and said, on a sigh. "Look. Relax, okay? It's not your fault my veins dive for cover the instant I encounter the stench of sterile."

A relieved smile followed him as he made good his escape.

Only to find Shuuichi still standing beside the counter, clipboard in hand.

"I–I thought it would b–be enough," he caught the soft voice, and stepped back into a corner where Shuuichi wouldn't see him. "P–please, it... it's all I've got right now, and I need to get the test. Next month—"

"I'm sorry, Shindou-san, but it's against clinic policy."

"Yuki-san?" The needle-wielding nurse came up, question in his eyes, but Eiri raised a silencing finger as the receptionist's voice continued:

"Besides, I fear the money isn't the only issue. We must have an address—"

"B–but I gave you my cell-phone—"

"An address, young man. Clinic—"

"Policy. Yes, I understand." A soft sigh.

"I'm truly sorry." And from her voice, she was. "There's a clinic downtown, that..."

"Yes. I know about it. Thanks." Embarrassment and resignation permeated the gentle murmur. Eiri could almost hear those slender shoulders slump. Dammit. He would not come all the way down here for nothing.

Eiri unbuttoned his cuff again and walked into the waiting room, adjusting the sleeve, as if he'd just finished.

"Next," he said cheerfully, walking up beside Shuuichi, standing at the desk, looking forlornly at the clipboard. "C'mon, brat, time's wasting."

His expressive eyes remained hidden beneath lowered lids and long lashes.

"Um... I'm going to have to come back, Yuki-san. I... ate breakfast—"

"Not an issue with this test, baka. What did you tell them you were here for?"

Shuuichi nodded to the receptionist and headed for the door, but Eiri caught his arm before he could escape, pulled him around to trap him between himself and the counter, putting both arms around his shoulders to hold him firmly in place. "Just put it on my card," he said in a low voice to the receptionist, who looked from one to the other, then nodded knowingly, "and send the report to the same address."

"Yuki, you can't—" He stopped Shuuichi's protest with that highly effective method they'd discovered, the baffle-screen protecting them from the curious in the waiting room, if not from the open-mouthed leech waiting for his next victim.

"Do me a favor?" he said, gifting both the receptionist and the leech with his most enticing smile, "and take him right in? He's worse than I am about needles..."

That got him a flash of annoyed violet. "I'm not—"

"Oh, but you are." He got the nod from the leech, and gave Shuuichi a small shove toward the recessed chairs. "Go, baka. I want my lunch."

Shuuichi glanced toward the waiting room, tucked himself tighter into the privacy-shield and murmured: "I dunno. I feel a protest—"

Eiri chuckled and taking the hint, stopped the 'protest' before it began, then shoved the kid into the hallway.

"All right," Shuuichi said, as he rolled the black sleeve up, baring his slender arm. "But I'm paying you back."

"Damn right, you are."

The syringe appeared, and Eiri swallowed hard. "I'll...wait out there."

Shuuichi's giggle followed him out into the waiting room.

✴

What was it about that damned kid that had him breaking every rule in his carefully constructed Code of Intimacy? Kissing in a hospital waiting room? Worse, kissing another man? Gods, he must be going senile.

Senile. At twenty-two. He could see the reviews panning his next book already. Except he knew he wouldn't. Knew that book taking shape on his computer would be one of his finest.

Dammit.

Eiri threw himself into a chair to wait for the kid to emerge from the vampire's den, grabbed the first magazine that came to hand and when he found himself reading the same line five times, tossed the well-thumbed periodical back onto the stack, stretched out in the chair, crossed his ankles and closed his eyes.

All to savor the pink-topped image playing on the backside of his eyelids.

Damn, he was amazing on stage. Touma wouldn't regret the shift in status or the expense of remixing that CD.

Providing the brat didn't crack. Wasn't that the question? He needed ... something ... badly. Something he thought Yuki Eiri could provide. Something, it was just possible, only Yuki Eiri could provide. What surprised Yuki Eiri the most was the fact that he was actually considering the consequences of being that something.

Peace of mind? He supposed in a way they were working on that now, though he doubted it was quite what the kid had meant. Once they had the HIV results, damned if he wouldn't get his own GP to see the kid on an emergency basis for a complete physical. Make sure these trysts hadn't done anything else physical. He'd like to get Shuuichi to talk to his shrink as well, but the brat couldn't possibly afford it—yet—even if he could convince him to talk to her, and somehow he suspected he wouldn't be allowed to foot that bill either, not even temporarily.

And he was considering that altruistic gesture ... why? Damned if he knew. Yuki Eiri was not a nurturing sort, yet something about this kid roused the strangest instincts...

Of course, if he just kept the kid around for a while ... a week or two would probably do the trick, but he supposed he could stand him for a month ... he might be able to tell if he needed a shrink. God knew, he had plenty of personal experience with the whole panoply of psycho-social diseases.

Security? If he were honest, he'd admit he already gave the kid that small gift without even trying, felt it every time they touched. That sense of panic, of being lost, the simple fear that seemed to lurk behind every shift in his life, thanks to Sakano's machinations, melted the moment their lips met. Not that those kisses meant anything to him, other than a moment's pleasure.

And they were. Pleasurable. Extremely.

A moment of unconditional love? He supposed he could fake that, for all he personally considered it to be humanity's greatest self-delusion.

Hope that the past isn't all there is for me? That one was easy. Solved in a single night's unfettered coupling. He had absolute confidence in that.

A promise that the future might hold something better? That... was the scary one. Give the kid that night, give him even the mutually acknowledged pretense of his unconditional love, and would the disappointment when Yuki Eiri's determined independence reasserted itself undo any good he'd managed? Tonight was one thing, but what about tomorrow? The next day? How long before the kid got over needing him? Would a moment be enough? Would one night of pretend tenderness undo all those nights of being a piece of meat?

And was it really worth all this head work? Hell, yes, he wanted into the kid's pants. Badly. But a frustrated libido was hell and away easier to deal with than what he might be getting into, if he followed through with this—

Something was tickling his nose. Dammit. He thought his stylist had gotten rid of those too-long hairs. He swiped absently, and the tickle disappeared, only to return almost immediately. This time, he cursed softly and scrubbed his hand across his face.

A giggle happened beyond the dark. A singularly melodious giggle.

He scowled and opened his eyes to meet Shindou's upside down and slightly cross-eyed gaze...and a cotton ball held in a two-fingered grip, poised above his nose, ready for a third attack.

"You were snoring," the pink-haired pest murmured.

"Was not."

"Were."

"Not."

"How would you know?" This time, it was pink hair, not a cotton ball tickling his face.

"Shit, brat, have you no sense of public display?"

"None. I'm a stage performer, remember?" The words were a whisper against his forehead. He hated, he sincerely hated to admit the little chill of (glug!) delight that rippled down his spine.

"Yeah, well, get out of my face."

The kid immediately sobered and straightened. "Somebody wants to talk to us."

Good god. The internet search had said immediate results. Could they be in already?

Eiri stood up and, found nothing but acceptance in the eyes of those in the waiting room, those awaiting similar life-changing results. Acceptance, and appreciation of his sexy, sparkly little gnome. Acceptance. Appreciation...and concern.

He glanced at his little gnome, who tried to grin, even as he swallowed visibly and shuddered, and found himself, wittingly or not, sharing their audience's concern. He reached for Shuuichi's hand, felt his fingers squeezed in a terrified death grip. He pulled the brat around the chair, wrapped an arm around his shivering shoulders, and led him toward the waiting nurse.

"Nishi Kana. Nurse-practitioner." She bowed slightly, then asked, in a low voice: "I assumed you'd want to come in together?"

Eiri nodded.

"This way, please."

She led them to a back room, where the warm reds and deep browns of the upholstery offered welcome relief from the Sterile outside the door, gestured toward a pair of comfortable-looking chairs, and settled herself in a third, legs crossed, a chart opened on her lap.

Funny, she didn't look like the grim reaper.

Eiri threw himself down into one chair, stretched his legs out comfortably, crossed his ankles and arms.

Shuuichi perched nervously on the edge of his seat, his pink hair decidedly at odds with the red.

"Shindou-san?" the NP said, gently, and Shuuichi looked up from his tightly clasped hands, his eyes like saucers. Eiri reached over, freed a hand from that lap tangle and let it grip his instead. "Your tests were clean. All of them. You appear, in fact, to be in excellent health." The tension didn't leave that small hand gripping his: the 'but' was too evident in her tone. "Unfortunately, you said your last possible exposure was less than forty-eight hours ago. That's too soon for the antibodies to be showing. Two weeks. Six weeks. Even six months. Please, Shindou-san, be very careful. We'll want to test again in three months."

Shuuichi's eyes dropped to their hands, and Eiri felt a cold spot on his knuckles, followed by a second and a third.

"Yuki-san?" He glanced up under his brows. "I'm going to be very frank with you. Are you his possible exposure?"

It took a moment for the question to register. "Hell, no."

"Was he... forgive me, Shindou-san. Was he raped, Yuki-san?"

Shuuichi's head flew up, shaking in brain-rattling denial, but Eiri squeezed his hand and answered: "Perhaps not in the legal sense, sensei. Was he given any choice in the method of intercourse? No, he was not."

She studied them both for a time as if they posed a puzzle she couldn't parse. "Forgive me again, but while you both appear to have been remarkably frank in the history questionnaires, I'm honestly confused. Shindou-san claims to use condoms religiously, but for that one time. You, sir, say you've never used one in your life. From all appearances, the two of you are a well-established couple, yet—"

"We only met a few days ago. And we've never had sex." He curbed his crude tendencies, not out of respect to the nurse, but out of concern for the young man suddenly radiating the desire to escape this room.

Another of those measuring stares. "But you want to."

"Yes." It was a tiny, embarrassed squeak, and Shuuichi's anguished eyes flashed up to meet Eiri's.

A gentle smile touched the middle-aged woman's mouth. "Good. From what I've seen of those who come through here, you could be very good for one another."

Shuuichi's gaze retreated again to their clasped hands and Eiri curbed the protest that rose to his lips. The nurse continued, oblivious—or indifferent—to his rising irritation.

"Please, Shindou-san, rest easy. I doubt very much you've been infected. It would be better to get the man responsible for that rape—yes, dear, rape, don't you dare take karma for that event—but it would be best to get him—"

"Them," Eiri snapped, not even trying to contain his contempt, refusing to let that tortured violet gaze move him from the track. "And damn right they'll be tested—the lot of them. Touma will see to it." That, to Shindou. "Already seen to."

Shindou's brows tweaked into a tiny frown of confusion, then rose in wonder as his marvelous mouth moved in a silent thank you.

"Very good." She gave a quick nod of approval. "One final thing, Shindou-san, I would recommend a full examination, for other injuries." She looked pointedly at the tiny gemstones affixed to his face, but didn't ask, making Eiri wonder what types of self-mutilated individuals passed through her doors. Mutilation in the name of fashion, kicks...and sex.

"I'm okay," Shindou mumbled.

"I'm certain you are," she said, in that gentle voice she used for Shindou. "While they were at it, I had the lab run a few standard tests, white count and such, and those tests would indicate you are, indeed, okay, however . . . " She chewed her lip a moment, as if still unsatisfied, then, in an even gentler voice: "Still, my dear, we truly should get samples, for identification purposes, you know, just in case you change your mind about prosecuting these individuals."

Shindou just shook his head miserably. Eiri frowned and squeezed his hand. "Don't be an idiot, Shindou. I didn't see them in the act, and you might need—"

"I don't want to prosecute anyone," Shindou said softly.

"Well, that's certainly your choice," the NP said, but the look she gave Eiri past Shuuichi's bent head recommended he do something to change the brat's mind.

Fuck.

"Now, for you, Yuki-san."

Double fuck. He'd totally forgotten his own fate.

"You're very lucky, sir." All the gentleness had disappeared from the nurse's voice. She was all business now. "Far more lucky than you deserve, though I must commend your honesty in your answers. A vasectomy only solves the least of your worries. You've played Russian Roulette with your life, young sir, and I suggest you emulate this young man's attitude in the future. Get yourselves a clean bill of health, remain faithful to one another, and do as you please. With each other. If you, either of you, stray, for your own sakes, be honest with one another. This is not a day and age to be careless. Do we understand one another?"

He frowned. Hard. Not liking this assumption that they were a couple, past, present and future. The NP just lifted an eyebrow.

"I think we do," she said calmly. "Now, pending the results of the tests your Touma will be getting, I'm going to recommend you both, just to be on the safe side, begin a four week course of AZT. It's been shown to be very effective in preventing the development of HIV if taken immediately after exposure. Shindou-san should be quite safe, especially if the individuals responsible for his presence here prove to be infection-free. You, Yuki-san, have a much more difficult situation. Considering your most recent encounters have been with women who all claimed to be clean, you're probably safe, but I'd recommend you both take the precautionary treatment."

"Side effects?" Yuki asked, not liking the sound of this at all. He'd much rather take his chances.

"Nothing terrible. No hair loss or anything of that sort. Dosages and the drugs themselves have become quite refined. Many people have no reaction whatsoever. Mild nausea, possibly. Fatigue. Headache. That sort of thing."

"I–is it expensive?" Shindou asked, his voice barely above a whisper, and before the nurse could answer, Eiri said firmly, "NG will damnwell foot the bill, if Touma has to get it out of Sakano's hide."

Shindou shook his head slowly. "My fault. I..."

"Shindou-san," the NP said gently, "unless those people can produce a stellar bill of health, you aren't in a position to argue. Neither is it fair that you run any risk having been victimized by these lowlifes. Either way, for a month, it's not that much. We'll work something out, all right?"

Shuuichi said nothing.

"Say 'yes,' baka," Eiri hissed.

Staring down at his hands, Shuuichi asked softly, "If we're both on the pills, will it be safe to... um... you know?"

The nurse frowned. "Is that you asking, Shindou-san, or Yuki-san?"

Shuuichi looked up, slowly, and met Eiri's gaze. His eyes were calm, at peace. Eiri felt his heart stop, wondering if he'd ever seen such trust, wondering what in hell he'd done to deserve it.

That gaze shifted to the nurse. "Me, sensei. Completely."

I want to know...

Dear Buddha in heaven, what was he getting himself into?

TBC

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A/N: Regarding the HIV tests and recommended treatment: My "research" was confined to internet medical sources. According to them they now have tests that take only fifteen minutes for results. Amazing. And the month of HIV following exposure is, according to the same sources, a fairly standard treatment for medical professionals who have been exposed. I see no evidence that they currently recommend it for rape victims, but it seems to me it would be smart, and only fair. (As for recommending it for Eiri...I'm doing that mostly to torture him. :D) Also, if anyone knows the answer to Shu's question, I'd love to know as well:D

I'm guessing here at the NP's style, basing it on how I imagine the NPs I've known might handle it as human beings. I wanted to impart a major difference in her handling of Shu, who has taken responsibility, and her handling of Yuki, who has blatantly disregarded it. I seriously doubt Japanese even has an equivalent of "my dear" for use in a situation such as this, but that mode of address was one convenient way to impart that difference.

If someone reading this is a practicing medical professional and takes real exception to the nurse/patient interaction or the medical details, please contact me, privately or in a review, and let me know so I can fix it, either in the story itself or the author's notes. I don't like misrepresenting something this significant.

Next: Little Bird, Little Bird: Eiri and Shu are OtL.

Reviews: You guys just make my day. Honestly.

Scorch: I think humor is an absolute necessity in a story like this. Stories that dive headfirst into angst and never come up for air remind me of a version I saw ... well walked out on...of MacBeth where Lady MacBeth makes her first entrance oh-woeing at the top of her lungs. There was no place for her to go:D You need the emotional roller-coaster, so the angst doesn't become ho-hum, but also, the way the characters maintain their balance is through a little chuckle now and then. Shu had another cute one here, I think.

Dragonlance: Hey, no problemo. :D Thanks for the recommendation. As for style, hey, I'm just glad somebody likes it! Some people love tons of description and thank goodness there are writers out there who like to write it:D The whole rape thing is interesting, because it is an inherent part of the Gravi story. Shu's a strong little cookie...in part because he's got Yuki and some good experience to balance the rape, but he's fundamentally a survivor. It's very important to me not to overdue the angst and to pay proper...homage, I guess, to that strength.

B-May: Isn't that fun? That little bit with Eiri at the end was actually a last minute addition as I read through it and wanted a better bridge to the next chapter. Now...I can't imagine the story without it! It's strange...some of the most sweetly innocent people I've ever met are people who have been through something like this, child abuse, rape...I'm constantly amazed at their strength of spirit.

DIA101: Heh heh...thanks for asking. I found it interesting as well.

A-E: As you can see...so far, so good. (Re: their tests) Another "bloody" expletive! Yayayayayay. I've always wanted one and now I've had TWO!

Gravichick, Misydidi, Vixyfox, Bellehime, Pinkrose, Zoe: big Shu hugs!

KyoHana: Hey, congrats on your first post! Loved it. Oh, I like that line, too. And as you can see, it's the line that's going to give Yuki nightmares! Or at least headaches. Actually, the line that kinda floored me when Shu "gave" it to me was: To mourn what might have been, if what was had never happened. Don't know why. Just gave me chills when I wrote it.

Alaine: Yeah, he is. Heh heh. I love making Eiri sweat. He so deserves it.

Bakayasha: Shu didn't want it to stop, either. He REALLY didn't want it to stop, poor baby. I'm happy it makes you smile, but I hope your list (of reasons) gets longer real soon! Recycled airplane air! Eeeewww. This story's almost over. (Two more chaps) But I'm already started on that sequel. Real works kinda getting in the way, but I can't complain. It does, after all, feed the cat:D

Grunhilda: It looks to me like you'll make a great English teacher. So...which is your first language? English or Swedish? For the record, if my VP ever slips over into Omnipotent, I'm not doing my job:D Each scene s/b clearly in a given VP. I (try at least to) write what CJ Cherryh calls intense third. I love it because it gives all the intimacy of first with the flexibility of multiple VP. I'm...not a fan of the fluctuating first person. I find it clumsy at best. Yuki is one of the coolest characters I've ever worked with. I just love him to death.

Supershu-chan: It's probably my favorite chapter as well, for what it depicts about the characters. Enjoy the manga!

Thanks again to all the readers. —Vin