STANDARD DISCLAIMERS APPLY: Rurouni Kenshin is not my property: need I say more? Also, any song that I make reference to in this chapter, or any other for that matter, does not, never has and never will belong to me.
Quick little message from author: Uh… let's see: updating didn't go as fast as I expected; sorry about that. Nonetheless, you guys will actually benefit from that because, the reason for the none-too-quick update is that Iram went into perfectionist mode! Sure enough, I read this chapter and decided it just wouldn't do the way it was, so I took the liberty of seriously rewriting it. In my opinion, the final product was well worth the delay; in my defense, I have the first awful draft to compare it to. Well, happy reading everyone and, please, feel free to review if you have any suggestions, if there is something you don't understand and wish clarified, if you feel you have anything to say, as silly as it might be, I will readily appreciate it, make good use of your advice and answer to whatever lies in my capabilities of response. ^_^
Chapter 5: Rise and Fall: the Death of a Party
(Drinking through the right of Partying – Part II)
"What Irishman lives in the town of Bedrock? Blarney Rubble, that's who!"
The loud rumble of drunken laughter could be heard as Kamiya Kaoru made lame jokes by the keg. Four tall glasses of beer and three or four jelly shots could do that to a person…
"Okay guys: where do ravens hang out?"
- Dramatic pause during which several overly happy people scratched their heads and really pulled on their thinking caps –
"At a crowbar!"
Roaring, giggling, snorting, slurping and madness ensued.
So far, Drunk-Kaoru was a real hit, and quite a change from the reserved young girl sulking in her chair that she had been less than an hour ago.
Tired of entertaining the masses and looking to be entertained instead, Kaoru left the spotlight and a promising career in stand-up comedy behind, intent on blowing minds at the dance floor- if a crammed area where bodies tightly slammed against each other for lack of space could be referred to as such.
Moving to the beat in an entirely offbeat and ungraceful manner, Kaoru was soon enough assaulted by several males. With a snicker here and a raunchy wink there, she warded few off and lured many others in: once a Siren's true song is brought to light, only wax and earplugs can seal the distance; otherwise, the spell is cast and irresistible attraction turns into an epidemic.
Furthermore, when drinking, one cannot lie, only feel and thus, through alcohol (definitely the wrong way to go about self-discovery) true natures are revealed, the unconsciousness' eternal song is harmonized- with minor behavioral alterations to be taken into account- and from the foamy seas, the Siren arises.
In this newfound Nereid-in-euphoria state, Kaoru pranced around, humming to upbeat tunes, swaying to and fro. It was during one particular sway that she twirled off into someone's inexpectant arms:
"Kaoru?"
"Hmm?" was all the sound that could slip from her lips as she drowned into sky blue seas… shouldn't they be purple?
Shaking her head in confusion, she cleared her mind and smiled dumbly at the boy holding her by the shoulders, at arm's length.
"I hadn't seen you for a while there…"
"Hmm… you're cute! In fact, I like you but, shhh… it's a secret!" she whispered loudly, bringing a finger to her lips, oblivious to that which she was confessing to, only able to feel the moment.
"I promise I won't tell." he responded to her declaration with a warm chuckle.
"Good to know you can keep secrets. Wanna dance?"
"Uh… Kaoru… we are dancing."
"Hunh? Oh…cool!" she responded, at first slightly taken aback by this discovery, then simply elated by it, as her wide silly grin hard proofed.
"Yeah…"
As they danced, Patrick steered her towards a quieter spot, namely a dark corner somewhere within the building.
"Kaoru, how drunk are you?" he asked, relatively distressed.
"I'm not sure…" she said sheepishly.
A frown marred his features and, on impulse, Kaoru planted a chaste kiss on his cheek: a desperate attempt at making him lighten up again, at being able to touch him, feel him, just once, ever so softly and chastely.
Suddenly and abruptly, she was pinned against the wall, Patrick's lips fiercely covering her own. Her heart pounded wildly inside her chest as dream mingled with fantastic, hazy truth gained life. Her mind went on override as his fingers slipped into her hair and his mouth trailed hot, wet kisses down her neck. Her eyes widened in misty discomfiture as his wandering hands roughly pressed her top up, hungrily searching for her bra clasp.
Kaoru was floating; nothing made sense anymore, everything seemed fictitious and overly false, as if only a scene taking place in a movie. When would the director yell "cut"? In fact, why didn't the director yell "cut" already? This was not going according to script, she was sure of it!
Drunken stupor present, romantic expectations surpassed and let down, Kaoru sensed something was off. After having shut her eyes in discomfort, she reopened them to take a closer look at the boy greedily nuzzling her neck and seeking to unfasten her bra: something was off. Panting, she pushed his hands away, only to have him ignore her slant command.
Tenaciously and faintly spooked, she thrust his body away from hers, only to have him press down closer to her: something was wrong.
She swatted his hands away from her unsuccessfully for they kept coming back, set on their original intent: something was off.
Mustering up all of her strength and remaining bodily coordination, Kaoru delivered a powerful kick to his groin and watched him squirm in pain: something was off.
Awkwardly and absentmindedly, she stumbled, trudged and tumbled away from the pained individual leaning against the wall. Her head was spinning like a mad top and she knew she needed to rest and regain her focus.
In this half conscious condition, Kaoru swerved from side to side through a dimly lit corridor packed with couples until she made out a white door: exeunt Kaoru except all, or was it Hamlet? She just could not bring herself to think or reason coherently: what a perfect moment to pick for aphasia to nestle neatly inside her brain's functioning!
Barging into the isolated, empty room, Kaoru reached for the first chair available and lurched herself into a sitting position: something was off.
This place was nice: it was rather quiet and withdrawn from all the exterior mental alienation; the headache that had been gradually building up was likely to dissipate and abandon her.
Thus, in her current hazy perception of a world gone askew, Kaoru couldn't make head from tails, but something was off: of that she was certain.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
Fun. Define 'fun'. To any writer's dismay, synonyms of the word in question exist in spades, but antonyms… few of those make their way into the withered yellow page's of any self proclaimed author's bible-like supporting material: dictionaries.
However, one thing lies undeniable: if the word fun were to have a distinct opposite, Kenshin was, currently, very close to inventing a new, fully acceptable, term for it. Hence, all thesauruses beware: a new addition to their already jam-packed contents was right around the corner!
Wallowing in self pity and mentally bashing Sano for another one of his brilliant ideas gone wrong, the petite red haired man evacuated the area, leaving Sano to fend off for himself in a heated game of Twister.
"Frat parties…" Kenshin murmured with a snort as he made his way through the ecstatic multitude.
No doubt that half of the mob was made up by wannabe freshmen too eager to grow up to realize that they were just out to make fools of themselves.
Stopping dead in his tracks, he allowed himself a smile as he caught sight of something he thought he would never live to see: Aoshi, the tall, silent and cold philosophy student he had once roomed with while still living on-campus, was pulling and tugging a thin, fairly young girl, off some surfer's lap. In all honesty, this was, by far, the biggest display of emotions that he had ever seen from the stoic, meditative man in all the time they had known and come to respect each other.
Seemingly, everyone had a soft spot for someone these days. Everyone but him…
Kenshin winced; now was not the time to be thinking about her. The original purpose for his presence at this hullabaloo of a bash was to unwind and have a good time, something her memory was not going to deprive him of!
She had already taken so much of him with her that he refused to surrender the last remaining, incalculably minute, portion of his personality that was still able to appreciate the pleasure inspired by randomly enjoyable activities to recollections and still-frames of her serene demeanor. It just would not do for him to crawl back into that sour, dark pit of bitter hopelessness right about now.
He had to wake up somehow, he needed to breathe again. But handling and seeing daylight in everything was so hard with her gone…
Wasn't there something that could make it all better, that could soothe his soul?
* SPLOSH *
Kenshin closed his eyes and sighed.
"Srrydude!" some buzzed moron slurred.
Swallowing an angry growl and disinterested in stirring up any type of confrontation, the now soaked Kenshin strode away. As soon as he got home he would have to profusely wash his hair, unless he developed a sudden urge to smell like beer and road kill in the morning.
The problem with being slightly shorter than other males: tending to go unnoticed, if distracted and oblivious to one's surroundings, usually unfolded into a lamentable tale, as for instance, that of the aggressor, victim and amber brew just recounted.
Heaving another sigh, said victim walked off, purposefully avoiding the noisy group crowding the keg; one quick dunk in alcohol was more than enough!
Sauntering along calmly through a dark hallway full of smooching couplets, violet eyes began to smolder and relax; the music wasn't as loud here and, thankfully, no brimming paper cups were in the near vicinity to drench and spite him.
Easing up in the lax ambience encompassing him, Kenshin did not see the inebriated rag-tag company coming straight at him until they practically bulldozed him.
Leaping to the side out of immediate reflex and self preservation instinct, his body knocked a door open and he landed flat on his back against the hard wood floor.
Lamenting himself and rubbing his sore backside, Kenshin decided to make a mental note to self: he needed to practice on his landings; they were a bit rusty.
Once he was on his feet again, he decided to take a look around to determine just where exactly he had sprawled himself into.
To his surprise, there, by a long oak table, sat a worn down… angel?
Both the way her body shimmered and glistened and how her soft hair messily framed the smooth contours of her exotic face proved enthralling and perplexing beyond belief to the young man's thunderstruck stare.
Her skin exuded softness and entrancing pallor, the raven colored cascades flowing and dancing about her an alluring contrast to its porcelain-like quality, by far exceeding human comprehension.
Her delicate nose bestowed upon her an aura of ambrosial fragility and diaphaneity, but her set jaw and the weariness in her sapphire eyes conveyed and exposed an earthier feel to her. In fact, Kenshin sensed great strength of character radiating from her petite, misleading form.
The vision of her, with her chin daintily rested in her hands and her silent, piercing glare was surreal, aerial and almost celestial; did his eyes deceive him when she candidly and unmistakably shined and sparkled before him like some sort of distant star?
Afraid of breaking the spell, concerned about drinks spiked with certain mind altering substances and frightened by the possibility of this ethereal image before him vanishing into thin air, resulting in nothing more than a fanciful hallucination, Kenshin slowly and quietly ambled over to a nearby chair and sat across from her in silent, contemplative admiration.
For her part, she took to eyeing the stranger wearily: she didn't feel like striking up conversation with anyone at that particular moment; her stomach was twisting in and round itself and, for some odd reason, her ears were ringing. It was definitely not the best of times for Kaoru…
Eventually though, defeated and shaken by the warmth and tenderness reflected in the unknown boy's eyes, the tired out girl decided to make an effort and open up to communication:
"Mou! Something about tonight is off." she declared with a cute little pout.
"I would have to agree with that." he spoke in a hushed whisper.
Her voice, he discovered, also had the power to take him aback: not an ounce of feminine enticement permeated the childlike sugary drawl. Instead, the pure, satiny chiming of bells filled his ears, her vocalizations, melodious and mirthful in a playful manner, unintended to be seductive in any way. Unassuming perhaps; captivating nonetheless.
"When did things stop making sense?" she wondered aloud, facing him straight-on, as if intent on reading his soul; he seemed familiar somehow…
"I ask myself that same question every day." he announced distractedly, too engrossed in uncovering the mystery of her essence to pay any attention to the words that so carelessly coursed from within him, to the display of raw emotions that had been gnawing at him ever since, ever since… no, he would not think about her now, there was no reason to anymore.
"Well, then I'm sorry for you because, feeling this disoriented every single day, can't be good. Tonight, I feel so out of touch with reality…"
"Tonight does seem pretty… make-believe." he amended, before he could insert the word 'fairytale' into a dialogue he was currently involved in with a person of remarkably fairy-compatible features.
"Yup! So, why are you this confused every waking day?"
"It's a very long story." Kenshin brusquely replied, not really wanting to get into the gritty details of his failed love-life with a complete stranger, albeit a fascinatingly beautiful one.
"Tonight feels like the kind of night that could weave itself into tales and stories."
"I wouldn't be too thrown if you did happen to come straight out of a fairytale, that I would not! In a way, it would explain quite a lot." he reported, unable to restrain himself any longer from making the inevitable comparison.
"What about you, purple-eyed boy? Those eyes look pretty fairytalish to me! Where did you come straight out of?" she inquired well naturedly.
"You don't want to know." he said grimacing, shadows masking his face and one hell of a scar.
Kaoru frowned. She wasn't thinking straight, she wasn't in any condition to do so but, but… what could she say?! She had to say something because, something wasn't right. His face hadn't been as dim and dark seconds ago and, she might not have been thinking straight, but she wasn't completely insensitive; she knew she had to say something.
"Oh no, don't let my fried wires blow it! I swear I'll never drink again but please, don't let me screw this up!"
With amazing self-control, serenity and poise and as composed and sincerely austere as she had ever been in almost her entire life, Kamiya Kaoru found the answer that she was looking for in the recesses of her muddled mind and overly trusting heart:
"Alright, I won't bother you with your past then; let it stay buried for all I care! What about the present though? Why are you lost in the present? The rest can wait until you trust me…until you trust yourself."
"Okay, it had to be the right thing to say, that didn't exactly mean it had to make sense…"
Kenshin's pupils dilated and he unconsciously held his breath. Who exactly was this girl? Why did she seem to be pushing all the right buttons? How did she know just which words to say?
Now he was absolutely positive that he had gotten himself drunk, had passed out somewhere and was currently caught in an inner turmoil session/conversation with his subconscious, courtesy of low grade beer and cheap vodka. Frat-parties…
"Why don't you tell me why I'm so lost?"
If this was his repressed psyche's way of telling him something, then he might as well diminish the cryptic factor and give it a little push in the direction to some answers, answers to questions that he didn't know he even had to begin with…
Meanwhile, the goddess in disguise across the table scrunched up her brow and stared at him for the longest time, seemingly measuring him up, hesitating with something, and then coming to terms with her final verdict.
"This might just be the alcohol talking- yes, a part of me recognizes I'm wasted- so, before I start slurring nonsensense rhymes together and loose what I think iz still some level of clearheadneness, I shh-ould say that, I think… you are the only one who knows the answer to that question.
Do you have any asprrin? My head is about to explode and you look rrreaaally blu-rry and that's one of my favorite songs and… do we know each other?"
"We do now." he said, gifting her with a small, honest smile.
She was beginning to loose thread of any coherent thought; it was all bubbling to the surface and swimming to her head again: talk about chemical imbalance!
Smiling gold, Kaoru reached across the table and took his hand in her own. With keen interest and fascination, Kenshin watched as she turned it over and gently stroked his palm with her delicate, teasing fingers, reveling in the silken softness of her skin making slight, shy contact with his own.
"That's right: you and me, we've always been, haven't we?"
Kenshin drank in her rosy cheeks, her tantalizing lips, the flowing black velveteen of her hair, her resplendent moonlit eyes, the whole of her and wished with all his might, that if they had not always been, they could, at least, always be.
"Yep, I'm definitely drunk and comatose somewhere…"
"How much did you have to drink?" he asked her condescendingly, trying to step away from the foolish thoughts that had invaded him unwillingly.
Kaoru furrowed her brow and started counting off on her fingers.
"Mou! I've never been good with numbers anyway!" she pouted, dismissing the lost track of alcohol ingestion with a wave of her hand.
Kenshin laughed heartily, surprising himself in the process; when was the last time he had actually felt like laughing?
Kaoru glared daggers at him and rolled her eyes- there was nothing funny about flunking Math with a big fat "F"!
Deciding to set aside building up grudges, our heroine conformed herself with proving capable of entertaining an audience, and talk of numbers made her think of some assuredly good jokes to tell. In spite of her prior irritation, she thought that the guy in front of her had a nice smile and she liked the sound of his laugh, even if it did make her head spin a little:
"Oh, I have a good one! What did the oprater say when she broke it off with her boyfriend?"
Kenshin couldn't hope to guess; the innocent sparkle in her eye made it hard for him to breathe, let alone think. What the hell was in that beer?!
"Sorry, wrong number!" she answered for him in a fake nasal tone.
A wave of laughter took over her and she was powerless to stop, even when tears prickled at the corner of her eyes. Kenshin, bemused by her hilarious reaction to her own pathetic attempt at a joke, was also having trouble holding chuckles, snickers, cackles and titters in.
"Honest to God, I have no idea where that came from! I try to stop myself but this stuff is like truth and goof serum all in one!"
"At least you can still pronounce things correctly, most of the time." he pointed out kindly.
"Just you wait! Soon, I won't be able to ev- OH!!! "Can't take my eyes off you" Lauryn Hill version! That song is AWE-SOME! Must dance around!!!" she blurted out, standing up hastily.
A fast rush of tampered blood to the head and Kaoru crashed ungraciously back into her seat.
"Are you okay?"
"What is wrong with the world?! Can't it for one lousy minute stop spinning so I can at least dance to one song?!! Is it too much to ask for my vizision to adjust one tiny second, just enough time so I can get my groove on?!!"
Suddenly, our young protagonist found himself peering at the frantic ranting female in an entirely different light; that of a clumsy schoolgirl in a pink shirt, to be more precise…
"Have we me-"
Unfortunately, he never got the chance to finish his sentence as, bursting through the door, a handsome boy with angry storms in his eyes, made his appearance.
Scowling and swearing, Patrick Lunn rushed up to the dark haired beauty, poised and positively smashed in her chair, ready to give her a piece of his mind, and then some:
"What the fuck do you think you were doing, getting me all riled up like that?! Did you think you could just walk away? And where the hell do you get off kicking me Kamiya?!!"
When Patrick's hand wrapped around Kaoru's arm, distress flashed through her eyes and Kenshin, instantaneously, decided to make his move. For some unknown unsung reason, a surge of uncontrollable rage and protectiveness stirred within him, a wave of potency so strong that it took all of his self-restraint and forbearance to keep his hands from curling around the intruder's neck. He was puzzled: this was terribly unlike him!
To the extent of his knowledge regarding himself, Kenshin was more of a peaceful nature rather than a rash, impulsive 'pounce and pummel first, ask questions later' kind of man. In effect, he would much rather avoid brawls like the plague than get involved in absurd clobbering and random acts of violence; he only acted out when strictly necessary. If so, then where was this maddening overly passionate anger and vexation coming from?
Trying to keep his cool and cursing a possibly spiked drink (that being the only logical explanation for his loss of control on everything this evening) Kenshin decided to let this rude, exasperating boy off with a warning:
"I do not wish to intrude, that I do not, but it seems to me that the lady here is not particularly pleased with your presence: I must ask that you leave her be and calmly withdraw yourself from the room at once."
The following sequence of events happened in a flash of light; the lightning speed with which they were executed rendering their recount practically impossible.
First came a loud snort, then a large hand gripped a shoulder, nails biting painfully into flesh. A young girl flinched, the trace of a lonesome tear abandoning the glassy look in her eye. Something like a thin balancing line holding everything in place snapped and a man got harshly slammed against a wall.
Kenshin's grip round Patrick's throat tightened as Kaoru stared on in mute confusion, curiosity, fascination, bewilderment and too many other adjectives to count.
"I did ask you nicely." Kenshin barked out in a low, guttural growl.
"I'm… so – orr - y ma - an…" the blond struggled to spit out in his current oxygen-free predicament.
"You're worthless… Just stay away from her or I'll guarantee there'll be hell to pay!"
He released the now terrified teen and walked toward the door without as much as a backward glance.
"Come on, let's go." he commanded a bit roughly without meeting her eyes.
In a daze, in a blur, in a swirling cup, Kaoru let him pull her up and drag her out.
Still paralyzed by full blown terror and unsure if he could refrain himself from wetting his pants, Patrick stared after the retreating couple, the vivid image of the small man's glowering eyes chilling him to the core.
"Those eyes… Something in those eyes wasn't right…" he whispered to himself.
Fazed and, all of a sudden dizzy, he slid down against the wall, eyes widened in shock and disbelief.
"Those eyes…"
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
Blundering through the crowd, Kaoru had to lean against her rescuer for support. Her world was spinning out of orbit and his hasty pace only made things worse.
Round and round goes the merry-go-round, executing perfect circles of chaotic nature. Round and round goes the merry-go-round, alcoholmeter and frazzled mind absolutely saturated. Round and round a stomach churns. Round and round the wheels turn. Round and run the whirlpool down to a stop, to a stop, to a stop:
"Stop!" she cried, gluing the soles of her shoes to one sole spot, willing the world to, basically, come to a stop.
Sadly, standing still was no longer an option; suffering from a severe case of incoordination and lack of balance, she braced herself for impact… impact that never came for, kindly enough, someone had taken it upon themselves to steady her, someone with long auburn hair…
"Wow that bright!" she remarked, as her eyes responded to the sudden red imagery invading her view by watering up.
"Come on; let's get you home." he stated softly, pulling her fully upright.
After helping her take a few wobbly steps, Kenshin placed one of his arms round her waist and raised one of her own over his shoulders: so this is how it felt like to be an improvised human crutch…
It was in this cumbersome position that they finally reached his jeep. Carefully setting her down on the passenger seat, he buckled her seatbelt for her safety, deaf to her protests. Heaving a sigh and wrinkling his nose at the stench of beer that impregnated his hair ad clothes, Kenshin slid onto the driver's seat and started the engine.
With a small, weak smile, he turned to the haggard girl beside him, intent on coaxing her address out of her and, with that valuable information's use, dropping her off at her home.
"Alright: where to?" he asked in the cheeriest tone he could muster.
"To infinity and beyond!" she screeched out among bubbly giggles.
"That's… nice. Miss, I'm going to need your address to take you home..."
"Don't tell straiiinge – ers where you live!"
"No, I'm not a stranger; I'm a friend… I mean, I helped you in there didn't I? You can trust me."
"Of course I can!"
"Good! So… where to then?"
"Start driving already!"
"I will start driving in a minute, but first, I would like to know where we're headed."
"Why, we're going to ride off into the sunset, silly!"
Kenshin groaned and let his head rest against the steering wheel; why did helping people always land him into trouble? What kind of person had he been in a past life to deserve such bad karma?
"Miss, please, I'm sure your parents will be worried about you…"
"There's no need; I'm at Misao's place, remember? Fake sleepovers are… sneaky… and wrong… but they're practical!"
"Miss, please, tell me where you live so I can take you home." he demanded pleadingly.
"I live… in a box of paints!"
"That's it, no more listening to the radio for you! Now, I need to take you home…" he said, turning the car radio off to avoid distracting her further.
"Home?" she asked, pausing thoughtfully.
"Yes, home!"
"Home… tadaima!"
"No, we still aren't home yet, but if you-"
"So? Start driving, then!"
"I can't drive unless I know where I'm going!"
There was only so much even a patient man could take!
"Home: drive home!"
"Where is 'home'?"
"Did you just get all phisisiosphical on me?
"No, I'm simply asking for directions…"
"You need directions to get home?" she inquired incredulously.
"To get to your humble dwelling, yes, I do."
"Humble? Hum… Humming bird… Bees hum, right?"
"This is pointless…" he grumbled to himself, letting his head drop against the steering wheel anew.
"Bzz bzz."
"Look: I know that you are drunk and I know that you aren't much more than a schoolgirl, but I need you to think with me here for a second; try to remember, at least your telephone number so I can, if not drop you off, have someone come pick you up. I'll wait with you and everything, so you won't be all alone out here in the dark! This conversation is getting us nowhere, but I can't just leave you here, all alone, all liquored up. So, please, work with me… at least tell me your name…"
"Zzz…"
"Miss?!!"
Kenshin turned sideways to find his damsel in distress all worn out and lightly snoring her ethyl induced fatuity away. Sighing in defeat, he focused on how delicate and frail she looked when she slept.
However, before he could continue with his pleasant musings, the thought struck him: she still hadn't told him where she lived and, now, she was in his car, out could!!!
Glowering and muttering obscenities under his breath, he gritted his teeth and drove off. If being the good Samaritan was, indeed, meant to be a good thing, then why, why did helping people never work out the way it was meant to?
Bad karma, definitely bad karma…
Cursed beer, damned vodka, blasted every single drink on the face of the planet. Stupid, stupid, frat parties!
= = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Reviewer Responses:
To Fangirl: Actually, I'm not a Misao lover. The general idea of this fic is to tell the story of Kaoru and Kenshin, whichever it might be. The other characters will make appearances to allow a plot's existence and to help carry the story along, hopefully making it more interesting. As you can see, Misao had little participation in this chapter. She will continue to appear later on in the story, considering that she is, in this fic, Kaoru's best friend, but she does not have a leading role. She will be more of a comic relief character and, again, someone to help carry the story along. My main interest, however, is K/K. Thank you for the suggestion, for the compliment and, hopefully, you will continue to read this and your name will appear on the review list more often? That would make me very happy ^_^
To Ocean Fish: You want more? You got it! Again, my mood lightens every time I find one of your reviews!!! I'm not slacking off; sometimes putting what I want into words is difficult and takes a LOT of time. Still, I know that's no excuse. I will try to update is often as I can, but maintaining a level of quality and rushing don't mix, trust me @_@ So… *fidgets around nervously* when will you be updating? Come on, you left me seriously intrigued!!! Also *resumes fidgeting nervously* was this chapter of your liking? Thank you for always encouraging me, it does wonders for this fic and for my self-esteem ^_~
To A.R Frederick: I am very grateful to the attention and interest that you have both given and taken in me and my writing. Those so-called ramblings of yours are quite helpful and thoroughly appreciated. Saving my life? It's a manner of speech for a teenager prone to melodrama: you know how us kids can be; always thinking it's the end of the world and making a lot out of nothing. Still, it helps when someone you don't even know shows up and says the right thing, even if they did it unknowingly. Warm and fuzzy? The accurate translation to that would probably be that your reviews always make me happy and please me a whole bunch. I agree: Misao should not put herself through so much trouble for someone's love, no one should. I don't want to give anything away, but I think that might be a subject worth broaching later on in the story. I hope this chapter was enjoyable enough; I certainly took my time with it, seeing as I wrote it parallel to chapter 4 and then succumbed to massive rewriting efforts to improve its original quality. Thank you for your kind offer; it's good to know that this world of ours never ceases to surprise. Till next chapter…
Thank you all for your reviews! Please keep your eyes open for a new chapter, coming soon to a computer near you!