Chapter 20

Fun and Games

"Here they come again."

Tsukune nodded grimly, eyes narrowed as he focused on the shambling forms that were emerging from the shadows. Slipping back into a balanced stance, he raised his pistol and took careful aim at the leading attacker, the zombie snarling as it wobbled towards him, arms held out hungrily. Beside him, Kurumu chose her own target, aiming just to the left of the foremost undead.

"Now!"

The two unleashed a hail of bullets, scything through the horde of decaying bodies, but as one fetid corpse fell to the earth another zombie shambled out of the darkness to charge unsteadily towards them. As the press drew closer, the two teens shifted tactics, eschewing their precise aim for the zombies' rotting heads in favor of a more liberal application of lead, decimating the advancing bodies and then quickly reloading. They swiftly fell into a rhythm, Tsukune covering Kurumu while she paused to restock her ammo, her stepping up to protect him while he did the same.

It was on one such rotation that tragedy struck. While Tsukune moved to reload, one zombie, all but shredded by Kurumu's wild shots, slipped past her defenses. "Oh no!" she cried, before groaning and closing her eyes as the zombie fell upon her, its remaining arm clawing down at her. Growling, Tsukune turned a livid glare onto the beast before exacting fatal vengeance, his shot exploding the beast's skull. Retribution achieved, Tsukune turned his attention back to the closing swell of undead, gravely pointing his pistol forward and letting loose, sending the mangled corpses to the ground. Still, it was not enough, and as they closed to arm's reach his gun announced its untimely surrender, clicking loudly several times as Tsukune futilely squeezed the trigger. And then, it was finished.

GAME OVER. Continue? Insert 2 tokens.

Chuckling, Tsukune shrugged and turned to Kurumu, waving the bright orange pistol in his hand. "Who'd have thought, after all we've been through, that it would be zombies that got us?"

"It's just because we have to use these," the succubus suggested, replacing the laser pistol in its sheath at the side of the video game before beaming at Tsukune. "It we could have fought them for real, we would have won for sure!"

Tsukune laughed at that, but it warmed him somewhat to think that it might actually be true, in the right situation. Kurumu would certainly be able to wreak havoc against such weak opponents, and he knew that it would take a lot of them to stop his ghoul-empowered form. Still, remembering the movie he had watched with Mizore, he had to wonder what was with him and zombies recently…

So far, he mused as he quickly turned his thoughts in a different direction, the date had gone well. He and Kurumu had checked out only a couple of shops before they had spotted this arcade, and after a shared glance had made a beeline for it. Kurumu had quickly proven to be quite skilled at many of the games that the arcade had to offer, often more so than Tsukune; he remembered that she had a game system in her room at the Academy, which explained her experience with the more recent games. Others, however, had proven them to be evenly matched, and whether Tsukune played against or alongside his friend they tended to give the games a good workout before they moved to the next that caught their interest.

"Ooh! How about that one?" Kurumu cried, grabbing Tsukune's arm and tugging him towards another game. He didn't bother to feign resistance, smiling as she dragged him along. However, when they stood before the game's screen, watching as someone else finished up their turn, his eagerness quickly waned.

"I'll sit this one out, I think," he mumbled, watching as the person playing the game stomped rhythmically on the four tiles, one in each cardinal direction, in time with the arrows dropping down the screen. Tsukune had seen this sort of game before, when he had gone out to his hometown arcade with Kyoko, and that experience had been enough to prove that he had little skill, or patience, for it. It certainly didn't help that the boy before them looked to be an expert, gyrating and sweeping his arms along with his movements in a way that made it seem like real dancing instead of stomping to music, and his score underlined the point as he stepped from the game's low platform, a crude smirk on his lips.

"Aww!" Kurumu pouted at Tsukune, but quickly realized it was a lost cause. With Tsukune's assurance that he wouldn't mind watching, she took to the platform and inserted the fee, cycling through the songs and picking out an especially energetic tune, disregarding the increased difficulty. As the song started and Kurumu began hopping about, stabbing at each tile in turn, Tsukune suddenly realized that she, also, did not have the inherent talent for this game many people seemed to possess. What she lacked in skill, however, she definitely made up for in enthusiasm, grinning and laughing loudly as she faltered, showing off whenever she could, even sneaking a quick glance back to him during a brief break just to make sure he was watching.

"Damn, would you look at those? Yummy."

"Man, what I wouldn't give to…"

Frowning, Tsukune glanced to his side, following the voices he could barely hear over the booming music. Leaning up against the side of two nearby games were two guys that looked to be his own age, dressed in sloppy jeans and baggy pullovers. It was obvious what had them so captivated from the leers they were directing in Kurumu's direction, one of them even bobbing his eyes in time to her movements, as if watching a vertical, rapid tennis match. Tsukune flushed as he felt a surge of anger, and barely kept himself from saying something blunt to them, his fists unconsciously curling.

"Woohoo! I finished!" Kurumu cheered, hopping from the platform and rounding the bar in its back, flinging her arms around Tsukune in a celebratory hug. His attention ripped from the two lustful spectators, Tsukune turned a smile towards Kurumu, and his arms curled around her in turn. He felt Kurumu start at the unexpected return of her embrace, but she didn't let go.

"Aww, man, she's with him."

"What a loser," the other sniffed, but together the paired turned to leave, perhaps registering the glare that Tsukune had been unintentionally directing towards them.

Tsukune loosed his arms, and Kurumu stepped back, her cheeks bright. After letting her mind start working again, Kurumu motioned towards another game, this time a fighting button-masher. "You were looking at that one earlier. Want to try it?"

"Sure." Tsukune followed her over to the game, happy for the distraction; he had started to analyze his reaction to the leers Kurumu had been receiving, and was troubled by what he was realizing. Moments later, however, he was deep in concentration, frantically pressing button combinations to the grunts and roars emanating from the screen in front of him, eyes narrowed as he tried his hardest to fend off and batter back Kurumu's character. So lost in the game was he that he didn't feel the broad grin spreading across his face, nor did he notice that he felt more relaxed than he had since he had first boarded the bus and left Yokai Academy behind. Instead, he let loose a whoop of victory as Kurumu's character fell to the ground, only to dig into his pockets in response to her demands for a rematch, eager for the game to continue.

"He's having too much fun."

Kyoko glared at her cousin from behind the safety of another gaming station, ducking her head down to keep from being noticed. She had trailed the two as they had shopped, and had been relieved when they had stepped into this cavernous area with plenty of boxy games to hide behind. Though one of the attendants had been staring at her for most of the time she had been there, she wasn't ready to give up her cover yet. Not until she was certain.

Even as she thought that, she knew what this was. It was a date. She had surrendered to that notion the moment Tsukune had hugged the girl, and nothing she had seen offered any contrary evidence. What she couldn't figure out was why her; after all, she had thought that the girl Tsukune was closest to, at school anyways, was Moka. She did remember this blue-haired girl, Kuru-something; she was the one that had worn the maid outfit at the school festival Kyoko had barely survived. However, she never would have figured that her cousin would be going out on a date with a girl like that; she wasn't his type!

Kyoko's eyes widened as she watched the two step away from the gaming console, laughing but obviously exhausted from their frenzied competition. Tsukune motioned towards the door, and the girl nodded. They were going back outside, Kyoko realized, and so she ducked down and followed after. Behind her, the bemused attendant watched, shaking his head, as she walked in a crouch out of the arcade.

As she trailed the two down the street, Kyoko understood that continuing to follow them would be far harder than she had hoped. All it would take is one random glance back in her direction and she would very likely be discovered, since there was almost no hiding places about and the crowd was not dense enough to conceal her. No, she needed a disguise, something that would keep her cousin from immediately recognizing her.

She glanced around her, and her eyes hovered on a stand that sold caps with the logo of the area's baseball team. Digging into her pocket for some of the money she had brought to buy clothes with her friends, she lunged for the stand, picking out one of the caps and thrusting the money towards the booth's owner, firing rapid glances towards Tsukune and the girl at his side as she prayed she wouldn't lose them. Waving off the clerk's offer of change, she threw on the cap and chased after the pair once again, rushing to catch up.

A cap wouldn't be enough, she mused; Tsukune would still recognize her. She needed something more- "Oof!"

She landed hard on her rear, wincing as the impact shot a wave of pain up her spine. She glanced through tightened eyes at the obstruction that had sent her tumbling to the ground, noticing that the man she had run into had likewise sprawled onto the ground. The collision had even knocked the sunglasses from his face, sending them clattering towards Kyoko.

"Oww…" the man moaned, indelicately rubbing his wounded backside. From Kyoko's brief glance, she could tell he was probably a decade her senior, with short blonde hair that seemed to make simultaneous half-hearted efforts for being curled and being wavy. He was clean-shaven, and moderately pale-skinned; he was obviously foreign, but he showed no sign of even an accent as he groused at her. "Geez, watch where you're going, eh? What's the rush?" Despite his words, he wore a goofy grin across his face, an expression that felt both disarming and irritating at the same time. His eyes widened as he noticed the sunglasses that had flown from his face, and in that brief moment Kyoko noticed that the color of those eyes was unusual, almost a shade of gold. Her own eyes followed his gaze, resting on the glasses before flicking to the money she held in her hand, that which she had taken out but hadn't spent on the cap.

"Sorry, I need to borrow these!" she blurted, snatching up the glasses and jumping to her feet as she flung the money towards the man. Before he could object, she sprinted forward, chasing after Tsukune as she raised the sunglasses to her face. With these, she knew, her disguise would be good enough. Now, she just had to find them again… It was only minutes later that she realized that she had taken too long. Tsukune and the girl were nowhere to be found.

As Kyoko searched, she didn't realize that she was in turn being followed. A short distance away, the man leaned against a building, blending into the surroundings with preternatural ease. Resisting the reoccurring urge to try to cover his eyes, he watched the girl as she hunted for his wards, a tight smile on his lips. Well, his plan hadn't worked quite the way he had planned, he admitted, but now he had the perfect excuse to get close to that girl. He had to know who she was, and if she was a danger to Tsukune.

After all, Gabriel admitted to himself, he would never live it down if that girl managed to harm Tsukune.

"Hmm… this one, and this one… no, not that one, it's too… something." Kurumu whirled, holding out an armload of clothing in Tsukune's direction. "I'm going to try these on. You sit right there, k?" She gave him a bright smile before disappearing into the changing room, leaving her date to swallow his discomfort and slump into the small chair nearby.

Inside the changing room, Kurumu allowed herself a moment to revel in her victory, clenching a fist and smiling darkly. The date was going wonderfully, but she couldn't afford to get complacent. This day was not just for having fun with Tsukune, though that had been the focus thus far; no, she needed to go further, so that the inevitable choice would end in her favor. And that meant they needed to get closer, and the best way to do that was… she glanced down at the outfits she had chosen and chortled, choking it off as she realized that Tsukune might be able to hear.

Outside, Tsukune was hearing, but other things stood out a bit more to his beleaguered attention, namely the sounds of zippers and buttons and clothes sinking to the floor. Scarlet painted across his cheeks, he stared resolutely at the floor, trying heroically not to think about what was happening inside that small booth, nor the fact that the curtain was short enough to reveal Kurumu's ankles and, more distressingly, the garments she discarded.

"So, what do you think?" Kurumu asked, stepping out to display the first outfit. It featured a yellow blouse that had been meant to be left partially unbuttoned, though he was forced to wonder if she had intentionally left out an extra button. She twirled, and the skirt flowed around her, drawing his eyes down to her legs despite himself. She did not fail to notice this, and cheered inside that her plan was working.

"It's nice!" Tsukune offered, utterly unable to specify further. He smiled weakly, scratching the back of his head. "I'm sorry, Kurumu, but I'm probably not the best at judging clothes."

"It's fine!" she insisted, desperate to reassure him. "Just your honest opinion. That's what's best, anyways!"

And so she stepped back into the booth, and again Tsukune fidgeted as the skirt and the yellow blouse were removed, his blush deepening as his imagination staged a rebellion inside his mind, one he frantically fought to subdue. He wondered how many outfits Kurumu had picked up, and how he would make it through the ordeal without his natural discomfort growing. Swallowing loudly, he stared directly forward, vowing to face this trial with the stoicism of stone, while clothes slipped from pale skin in the changing booth of his mind.

So focused was he that he didn't noticed the eyes piercing him from behind a tall rack of jeans. The small, hunched-over figure darted closer, taking succor behind another stand, peeking out from between the legs of a mannequin. When Tsukune did glance around, feeling uncomfortable for a separate reason than the one at the forefront of his mind, the head ducked down, the edge of the stand nearly knocking the baseball cap from the girl's head.

And so it continued for some time: Kurumu would step out to model the next selection, Tsukune would valiantly offer what feeble conclusions he could draw, and she would retreat back into the booth while Tsukune deliberately focused on not thinking about the visual and mental feast that was being offered to his seditious eyes and imagination, all the while Kyoko glared at them, the low growl pouring unnoticed from her throat steadily growing in volume. She knew her cousin better than he knew himself, she thought, and it was obvious that something was wrong here. Maybe Tsukune was being forced to go on this date, or maybe he had been expelled from his school and had to shack up with this girl in order to hide his shame, or maybe he was having an illicit affair – no, that was impossible, it was Tsukune, for goodness sake! As Kyoko watched, chaotic theories bred like rabbits in her mind, and with each disturbing notion her resolve to drag Tsukune away from the store rapidly swelled.

She jumped as the finger tapped against her shoulder, and couldn't restrain the squeak that burst from her lips. She glanced back at the man who had tapped her; it was the man she had taken the sunglasses from, and he was offering her a wide smile and a friendly nod, a question forming on his lips. She hastily raised a finger to hush him, and cautiously peered back towards Tsukune, making certain that she had not been heard. When she saw that he was preoccupied by the other girl's latest display, she finally turned back to the man, scowling helplessly.

"I'm sorry!" she apologized harshly, her voice a raspy whisper. "But I had to borrow these. Was the money not enough, or-?"

"No, no!" the man said quickly, kindly dropping his own voice to a murmur as he waved his hands before him. "I'm just kinda attached to them… but, hey, it looks like you really need them for now." He nodded in the direction of Tsukune. "He take something from you, or something? A cheating boyfriend, maybe?"

"No!" Kyoko blurted, barely managing to control her volume as she blushed. "He's just… an important person."

"I… see." For just a moment, Kyoko thought she could see something dangerous flash through the man's eyes, but it was gone too fast to be anything but a figment of her imagination. "But, y'know, I love this cloak-and-dagger stuff. Why don't I tag along? That way I can get those shades back, and I can always distract them if they come close to finding you."

Kyoko grimaced, shaking her head. "No, you stand out too much; they'll notice you right off."

"I'm pretty sneaky, if I say so myself." The man paused, suddenly thoughtful. "Or… I could go ask them where they're intending to go next, so I could meet you there to get the glasses…" His grin emphasized the threat.

"Okay, okay!" Kyoko surrendered. "Just keep up, and- oh, there they go!"

"Roger that," the man whispered, skulking around the stand, Kyoko creeping after him just in time as Tsukune and his date walked past, moving towards the counter. Kyoko tracked them from the shadows, but a sudden motion at her side drew her attention to the hand that the man was holding in her direction. "The name's Gabe," he whispered cheerfully, the imbalanced smile back on his face. Frowning dubiously, Kyoko shook his hand and nodded, offering her own name in return.

A couple of minutes later, Tsukune and Kurumu left the store, the bag of accepted choices on one of Tsukune's arms while Kurumu held to the other. Behind them trailed the newly-forged partnership of Gabe and Kyoko, the two slipping through the crowd with far greater ease than Kyoko had expected, always keeping their prey just in sight. And so they walked down the street, from store to store, as the day wore on.

"It's so cute!"

Tsukune turned, belatedly realizing that Kurumu was no longer at his side. Instead, she had wandered over to another storefront, tapping at the glass with an uncontrolled smile on her face. Trotting over to her, he discovered that the shop that had attracted her attention was a pet store, and the tall windows at its front displayed some of its most heart-melting inhabitants. Before Kurumu, a trio of kittens romped, pouncing on each other with clumsy swings, gnawing on whatever limb happened to draw too close, a saccharine display of martial skill in the making.

"That one reminds me of someone," Tsukune pointed out, motioning towards a fourth kitten, a tan one with a splotched pelt that was laying off to the side and regaling them with a gaping yawn. Kurumu turned a mischievous grin in his direction, instantly catching his reference to their homeroom teacher. Together, they made their way into the store, smiling over many of the pets for sale, flinching away from others, such as the languid iguana that brought back unpleasant memories for Tsukune.

"What about that one?" Tsukune asked, pointing to a Siberian Husky that stood watching the succubus intently, tongue hanging out.

"No thanks," Kurumu responded, wrinkling her nose. "We don't need another one like that."

Tsukune blinked at her, not understanding until he glanced back to the dog, which had lifted one leg and had begun to lick itself. "Oh, Gin!" he exclaimed. The dog glanced at him disinterestedly before resuming its previous activities.

Soon after, the two exited the store, continuing their walk down the street. Kurumu had fallen silent, Tsukune noticed, and he started to ask her if something was wrong when she suddenly turned to him, a bright smile on her lips. "So, Tsukune," she started, her tone exceptionally disarming now that she had mustered her courage, "when you do settle down, do you want a pet?"

Tsukune didn't answer for a long moment, struggling to find the right way of explaining his feelings. "Well, I don't know. I mean, I've not really thought about it." He chuckled in self-deprecation, shrugging helplessly. "Life at the academy is hectic enough that I can't plan that far ahead; I'm just happy to survive another day of classes!"

Kurumu laughed at that, but when she spoke again her voice was insistent. "But, surely you've thought some about the future, right? What you want to do for a job, or where you want to live, or how many children you'd like to have…" At the last, she blushed scarlet, and his cheeks warmed as well.

"I… I don't know," he responded weakly, and decided to shift the conversation to his favor. "What about you? Have you thought about that stuff?"

"Well… I wouldn't mind a pet, and I'm still thinking about work, and I would like to have kids, of course; Mom would kill me otherwise. Two sounds like a good number," she said, nodding to herself.

"Well, what about where you want to live? Will you stay in the monster world, or will you try living in the human world?"

She hesitated at this, her head lowered enough to hide her face. When she turned to him, Tsukune was surprised at the intensity in her violet eyes. "That depends," she said, her voice husky as she stared at him, her expression unreadable. "I guess… wherever you live."

Tsukune blushed at her startling frankness, scratching his head and looking away. "Say, are you hungry, or do you want to go to the pool next?" he asked, changing the subject to hide his embarrassment. "I mean, I'm still full from all of that food from last night, but-" he paused, wincing at the unintentional rebuke in those words. "I mean-"

"I could go for a snack," Kurumu admitted, her voice and expression bright once again, seeming only a tad forced. "How about over there?" she motioned towards a corner-store with outdoor tables, where several couples sat sharing parfaits. Tsukune watched her eye those desserts for a second before nodding, laughing to himself.

"Sure, let's do it."

"Oooh, did you hear that? They're going to a pool!"

Kyoko scowled, partially from the hurdles that would pose to her observation of her cousin's date, and partially due to the childish glee in the voice of her unwanted companion. Sure enough, Gabe wore a broad grin, and he nodded to her energetically. "What luck, I was going to go swimming today anyways!" He reached behind him, and with a flourish drew out the pair of swimming trunks he had apparently kept tucked at the waistband of his pants. He waggled his eyebrows at Kyoko, who glowered in response. "How about you?"

Kyoko grunted, her face locked in a grimace. She didn't have anything to wear to go swimming in, and it would be next to impossible to hide herself like that anyways. Still, she wasn't willing to give up her pursuit just yet. She peered around, finally spotting a store that would probably sell swimwear. "Stay here and watch them; I'll be right back!" she ordered, scuttling towards her destination as Tsukune and the blue-haired girl stepped into the restaurant.

"Roger that!" Gabe responded, offering her a sharp salute that she chose to ignore. As Kyoko made for the store, however, his face darkened as he watched her closely. The girl didn't feel like Fairy Tale, but he couldn't be sure just yet. Observing her was the only way to be sure, and if that meant taking a trip to a swimming pool, he was ready to make that sacrifice.

A shouted complaint from the street behind him drew his attention away from Kyoko, and as he turned to see what was wrong his face plummeted. A short distance away, a familiar trio was making their way down the street: three thugs, each sporting swollen faces and a plethora of bruises. As if to compensate for the visible proof of their failings, they rudely jostled the other pedestrians, crudely leering at any woman that passed close enough and sneering at any man that made eye contact. Clearly they had not learned their lesson when they had last tangled with Tsukune, Gabe surmised, but his mirth wilted as he realized that they were walking straight towards the restaurant where, a quick glance confirmed, Tsukune and Kurumu were stepping out to take a seat at one of the tables along the sidewalk. Gabriel clapped a hand to his forehead with a groan before shaking his head and stepping forward, timing his advance to meet the thugs just as they neared a convenient alleyway.

"Excuse me, gentlemen…"

The parfait had stood no chance. Even now, Kurumu ran a finger around the edge of the glass before popping it into her mouth to savor the last vestiges of flavor with a contented moan. Tsukune leaned back slightly, folding his hands over his stomach; his own exertions at helping Kurumu with the larger-than-expected treat had left him completely sated. It hadn't helped that Kurumu had taken great pleasure in feeding him bites of the dessert in addition to those he claimed himself, though he admitted quietly to himself that he hadn't really minded all that much.

His mind returned to real world, and he glanced across the table to find Kurumu oddly focused on the bottom of the emptied bowl, her expression tense. He watched her for a moment, trying to deduce what was troubling her, until she finally spoke up. "Say, Tsukune," she started cautiously, not meeting his inquisitive gaze, "are you… having fun today? I mean, I could tell you liked the arcade, but…"

"Of course!" Tsukune exclaimed, but the doubt lingered on the succubus' face. "I've had a great time!"

"I was just worried… like, the clothes shopping, that wasn't too…?"

"No, it was fine," Tsukune said resolutely, and finally Kurumu's expression began to warm with signs of relief. "I was glad to help."

"Thanks." Kurumu blushed slightly, compelled to explain herself. "I just thought that, if you helped me pick some clothes out, then…" She hesitated, struggling to put her thoughts into words. "Well, this way, when I wear those, you will remember today, and I'll know that you liked those in particular, so they can mean something to both of us."

Tsukune smiled warmly at that thought, and Kurumu warily glanced at his expression before breaking into a smile herself. It had been fun, Tsukune declared to himself. He had enjoyed this date just as he had the previous ones, but this one was as different from those dates just as Mizore's had been from Moka's. With Kurumu, he had almost felt at times like he was with a male friend, relaxed and laughing without restraint. At other times, there was no such chance to not notice her gender, and he fought to keep himself from remembering the changing room too vividly.

Kurumu had always been one of the members of his group that he had been closest to, her open emotions and unwavering determination making her easy to relate to. She cared deeply for all of the members of the Newspaper Club, he knew, and while her relentless pursuit of his love kept him on edge he still admired the way she was willing to put others before herself. And then there was the undeniable fact that he was physically attracted to her; while Mizore had at times a cold beauty, and Moka felt almost perfect, Kurumu had a less subtle charm that was also had a strong effect on him. At times, she tempted him to consider what it would be like… but the looming shadow of the word CHOICE interposed itself into his thoughts, and Tsukune blanched, wincing as if gut-struck.

"Shall we start walking towards the pool?" Kurumu suggested, as if sensing his change of mood. Nodding, Tsukune stood up from the table, and Kurumu followed suit. Together they left the restaurant behind, walking off their sugary meal as they prepared to enjoy their next destination.

"They're leaving, come on!" Kyoko yelled as she returned to the place where she had left Gabe, glaring at him as he walked down the street to meet her, dusting off his clothes while he came. "Where did you go?" she asked, upset that he had not been watching the couple like he had said he would.

"Sorry," he drawled, a smirk curling on his lips. "There was some trash on the street, so I wanted to make sure it ended up in the right place." Kyoko stared at him in confusion, not certain what to make of the odd apology, but nodded when he pointed towards the couple that would soon be lost in the distance. Together, the two of them resumed their chase, while in the shadows of the alley three thugs slept peacefully among the garbage, heaped atop each other like discarded garments.

After all, Gabe thought with a smile, he couldn't afford another screw-up. His eyes shifted to the girl running beside him as the grin vanished, replaced by a tight grim line. His orders were to not intrude unless Fairy Tale showed up, but after what had happened last time he intended to err on the side of caution. He would be ready, this time.

And so the chase continued.

Author's Note: This chapter break was a tough call for me. After all, the date still has one more component, but I fear that it will prove to be the longest of the scenes in this section, and since I'm already breaking into the nineteenth page I figured it'd be best to not overwhelm you, nor leave this chapter even more unbalanced among the recent installments. I may, after a while, restructure the break a bit, but for now I think it works.

I'm pleased to say that I had a much easier time writing this section than I did its predecessor, and hope that shows in the writing. This date is structured much differently than the others, but I think that is more refreshing than it is unfair. While, considering it will spill into the next chapter, it may feel longer than the others, I think Kyoko and Gabe have a lot to do with that… but, feel free to let me know what you think.

Alright, next chapter: conclusion of the date, and a few more important events leading into the next crucial day, which I've come to consider the midpoint crescendo (there will be a much larger climax later, of course.) Exactly what form that will take, you will have to return next time to discover! I'll offer my typical 3-7 day release projection, though I fear that my artist will kill me if I don't get her the next section for Project Toren; I'm a week late. ^_^;

Pointless banter: Changed a tire myself for the first time recently. It would have been a better experience if it weren't for the fact that it was bitterly cold, and my warm apartment was only a teasing quarter-mile away. You can thank that for this chapter being released a day later, since I grumbled my way into bed instead of staying up writing as I had intended.

Speaking of my ever-cozy bed… that sounds tempting. Time to post, and then… to sleep.

~Wynn Pendragon