Naruto: Kung Fu Guardian
Chapter 15: Confirmation
…o.0.O.0.o…
Disclaimer: I borrowed Narutoverse from Kishimoto and two techniques from Jin Yong. Everything else, including the explanation of how those techniques work, though, is mine.
…o.0.O.0.o…
A masked Jounin with spiky, silver hair walked toward the clan compound to check on his student. Sasuke, the only Genin left of his Team 7, had been missing their meeting for the past two days. The first day Kakashi thought it might have been the boy training too hard with Kiba and needing a day of rest. After all, Sasuke told him about that possibility. Granted Kakashi himself hadn't felt the same about Team 7 since Sakura died two months ago, but they had managed to hold to their meetings before.
Sometimes Kakashi pondered what his team could have been were he to have all three of his students as assigned. Perhaps with Naruto, the Number One Surprising Ninja on the team, things might have gone differently in the Waves. Perhaps Sakura wouldn't have died, perhaps there could have been more cohesion in the team, perhaps... nah, who was he fooling? He had Anko on the team for that trip. What could a Genin have done that a Jounin couldn't?
Perhaps, in the end, it was pointless to reflect on what could have been in an alternate universe. Pondering those things wasn't going to help him deal with the present. Right now, he needed to focus his attention on Sasuke until Naruto's return, or until a team restructure.
His musing stopped when he arrived at his destination, the Inuzuka compound. Glancing up from his infamous orange book he was surprised to see that Kurenai was there also.
"Hello, Kurenai. Is Kiba also missing team meetings?" Kakashi asked.
The genjutsu specialist cast her ruby eyes on the mask Jounin and replied, "Oh, it's you Kakashi. For a moment I didn't recognize you without your usual perverted giggles when reading that smut. Something wrong with Sasuke? Is he not showing up either?"
Instead of an answer, Kurenai saw Kakashi resume his reading, complete with a quiet giggle.
"Hm? Kurenai, did you say something?" Kakashi asked as he lifted his eye from the book.
A vein on Kurenai's forehead seemed to popped out as she furrowed her eyebrows and glared at the mask hiding Kakashi's perverted giggles. She was not in the best of moods at the moment. She had been worrying about Kiba for the past two days. Kiba had told her about training with Sasuke, and that had her worried a little. That Uchiha boy had not been himself since losing his dog and worse after losing Sakura. And, frankly, Kurenai worried for Kiba's safety whenever Sasuke was involved. She had already checked the training grounds yesterday and found no signs of them being used.
Had it been a few months ago when her roommate Anko had been more available for girl talk instead of being occupied with her fiance Asuma or being a complete mess herself on days she moped about her dead apprentice, Kurenai would have been less edgy than she was feeling now.
"You've asked for it!"
Kurenai made several hand seals, and the drawings of the two scantily dressed smooching ladies on the page that Kakashi had been staring at came alive. They winked at him, waving their hands to invite him into the book. As he used his free hand to hold back the gushing nose bleed, he started to giggle even more while he saw himself being pulled onto the page and transforming into a cartoon drawing.
As he was about to thank his good fortune and thank Kurenai, he remembered this was her genjutsu and that she cast it in anger. Staring around in the 2-D world as a cartoon caricature, Kakashi tried to look for a way out but was sidetracked by the two ladies that invited him. They had been kissing and now were waving at Kakashi to join them. Once they got their hands on him, the ladies peeled their faces off to reveal two men, one with the likeness of Gai, and the other, Kakashi.
The two Kakashis pointed at each other with dinner plate eyes and screamed.
"Oh goody, my eternal rival has a twin," cheered the Gai drawing. "Let me show you the power of my youth."
The two Kakashi drawings ran, with Gai hot on their trails.
The scream of the real Kakashi was so loud that it could be heard in Suna. He dropped his book and started to beat his head as if trying to knock what he was "seeing" out while pleading, "Urgh! Lady Kurenai, please make it stop."
At that moment the clan door opened, and out stepped a frantic mother who came running when she heard someone shouting the name "Kurenai."
Tsume greeted them out of formality and quickly asked, "Are Kiba and Sasuke with you?"
…o.0.O.0.o…
"Hokage-sama!" cried Tsume as she barged through the doors, ignoring the attending Chuunin receptionist. "I want to hire an A-rank mission to find my son."
"Tsume-san, please calm down." Hiruzen said to the frantic mother. "Perhaps you're over ..."
He stopped himself from finishing the sentence, but he had already said too much.
"OVERreacting, you say?" Tsume wanted to scream and was doing her best not to.
'Oh how I wish I could forget the memories of my late wife doing that.' Taking a puff on his pipe, the Sandaime softened his wrinkled face, letting his age show as he sighed. He knew from experience that nothing he said next was going to help, but he had to try. "I'm sorry, Tsume. That's not what I meant."
"HOkage-SAma," again trying her best to show her place as she addressed her Commander-in-Chief, "perhaps you're misunderstanding my request. I'm willing to pay the A-rank fees for what would normally be a D-rank mission to whomever that find him safe and sound, and I don't care if they find him hiding under the kitchen cabinet of my own house. Neither Kurenai nor I have seen Kiba or Akamaru in two days."
"Two days?" repeated Hiruzen. 'Now, that's disconcerting.' He offered, "Have you asked Sasuke for his whereabouts? I've seen those boys often together training."
"I don't trust that boy. Since he came back from the Waves, he didn't feel right to me or the kennel anymore. Two days ago, I strictly told him 'No' when he asked if he and Kiba could train together. And apparently he took Kiba anyway because their senseis just told me that the boys went away training," said Tsume, nearly breaking down in tears as she finished her sentence. "I haven't seen either of them since."
'Danzou, what are you up to?' Hiruzen pulled out a glass globe from his drawer and said, "Don't worry, I'm sure he'll turn up soon. First, let's have a look-see in my crystal ball. Perhaps we'll be able to find Kiba and Akamaru this way."
Tsume quickly wiped off her tears and walked closer to the globe.
The globe pulsed several times and then projected complete darkness. A bead of sweat formed on Hiruzen's forehead as he thought of the possible implications - none of which good and none of which he looked forward to explaining. He repeated his hand seals and recast the jutsu again, desperately hoping he had made a mistake the first time. The crystal ball glowed again, this time longer, but the result was the same. Total blackness.
Seeing the blackness the second time, Tsume leaned into the globe, peering into it, hoping to see her son's face again, but came out with nothing. Thinking perhaps it was showing an image that only the Hokage could see, she looked to the man, tilted her head, and asked, "Well, where is he?"
"Er, heh, it must not be working for some reason," replied Hiruzen, emitting some stress hormones due to his nervousness, which he was almost positive Tsume would be able to pick up. 'Damn! Why does she have to be an Inuzuka?'
"What does the blackness mean?" Tsume asked again, this time the suspicion clearly visible on her face. "Is there something you're not telling me, Hokage-sama?"
Clearing his throat, the Sandaime calmly replied, "It could be many things" - none good - "and the only way to be sure is to find them alive" - or dead. He did not want to worry her further with bad news that he needed time to confirm. Approving her request would give him what he needed - time. "So, I'm going to approve this mission."
"Really?" she exclaimed. Hearing that the Hokage had just approved her mission request calmed her down somewhat, though something about that blackness continued to bother her. She put the disturbing thoughts away when she saw Sarutobi opening the master mission log.
"I'll be assigning Yamanaka Inoichi, Morino Ibiki, Hatake Kakashi, and Mitarashi Anko to this mission. They'll start as soon as they are gathered and debriefed. If that's all, you're dismissed."
"Wait," Tsume interjected, "don't get me wrong, Hokage-sama, they are all good ninjas, but shouldn't you send a team specialized in search and rescue for this mission?"
"Tsume-san, while I can understand your worries for Kiba and Akamaru and was tolerant of your behavior earlier, please do not question my judgment."
Seeing Tsume lowering her head in shame, the Sandaime continued in a much softer tone, "If you and the Inuzukas search parties you've no doubt sent looking already before coming me failed to find them, I doubt sending a team of such specialty would do any good. As for why these four, I have my reasons. I promise that you'll hear something by the end of the day. Right now, I suggest you leave me to my work if you want me to make good on my promise."
"Thank you, Hokage-sama."
Tsume bowed and left the office, feeling somewhat better, but still uneasy about that disturbing image of blackness out of her mind. The only solace was the Hokage's promise to have news for her before the day's end.
Few minutes after the Inuzuka Clan Head left, four ninjas assembled in front of the Hokage waiting for their orders.
"Hokage-sama, you've called?" asked the silver-haired smut reader.
"Kakashi, secure the room first."
Putting his Icha Icha back into his pouch, he walked to the door, activated the privacy jutsu, and returned to his spot.
"I've assembled you for an A-rank search and rescue mission."
Anko licked her lips mirthfully and asked, "Where to?" She had been itching to get out of the village since their return from the Waves.
"Actually, it'll be in the village ..." Hiruzen began to explain.
"Isn't that normally a D-rank mission assigned to Genins?" interrupted Kakashi.
Ibiki chimed in with his own objection, "Hokage-sama, could you send someone else instead? I'm in the middle of a very important interrogation."
"I hope it won't take too long," added Inoichi. "Ino's been bugging me to train her since Sakura died, and I've promised to teach her some advanced mind walking techniques before the Chuunin Exam."
Sarutobi deadpanned. First Tsume; now these clowns. 'I wonder if Naruto-kun would still want this job once he finds out how little respect you get as the Hokage.'
After projecting a strong guttural noise as he cleared his throat, the aged leader cast each of them a glance, letting them know he was slightly annoyed for being interrupted, and continued, "As I was saying, this mission will be in the village. Officially, I'm sending you to search for Kiba and Akamaru."
"Er, isn't ...," interjected Kakashi, who got silenced by a glance from his leader. After a few seconds under his glaze, he smiled sheepishly under his mask and said, "Sorry. Please continue."
"Kiba and Akamaru have been missing for two days. I tried to locate them with my crystal ball, but I only got blackness concerning them, which means they are either being held in some very dark place or they are dead. Most likely the latter."
That got a gasp from Inoichi. While Kiba hadn't been close with Ino, Tsume was a close and loyal friend to the family. He asked, "Does Tsume know?"
The wizened leader shook his head while saying, "She's the one who commissioned an A-rank grading for this search mission; however, she doesn't know what I just revealed to you."
"So, Hokage-sama, what's the real purpose of this mission?" asked the ever-observant Ibiki.
Hiruzen narrowed his eyes and replied, "Under the cover of this search mission, you are to capture Sasuke alive for interrogation, but under these restrictions: People can think of him missing or dead, but not captured. And, no one alive must know of your involvement."
"Sorry, Hokage-sama," Kakashi began, slightly nervous after what had happened to his last attempt to say something. "Isn't this a little excessive? He's after all my student, and I don't think he's capable of what you're implying."
"What are you talking about Copy-Cat? You don't really think that ... " Anko allowed her voice to trail as she glanced at the solemn faces of Ibiki and Inoichi. Then it dawned on her. She looked at the Sandaime and asked, "You don't really think that ...?"
"Yes, Anko," Hiruzen replied, "I suspect his involvement in what happened to Kiba and Akamaru. The questions are how involved was he and was he under any orders."
"You mean from Danzou?" asked Kakashi.
Hiruzen sighed and nodded. "It was my mistake for not dealing with him sooner."
Inoichi asked, "And what are we supposed to do with him or his minions if we encounter them?"
"Danzou might be a tough one to handle, even for you four. He did compete with me for this office after all, so try not to engage him directly. But as for his foot-soldiers, do whatever it is necessary to complete your mission," Hiruzen authoritatively stated. "Remember no one alive must know of your involvement. Understood?"
"Hai," the team replied.
"Very well. Dismissed."
…o.0.O.0.o…
(Akatsuki hideout)
Madara paced back and forth in his hideout thinking about what Kabuto had said, his normal patience and the goofy Tobi persona gone. There were a lot of questions on his mind. Having received an incomplete report from Kabuto only added to kept replaying Kabuto's words in his mind.
"Naruto-kun went on a training trip with some foreign dignitary ....."
Who was this foreign dignitary? Was it who Madara thought it was? If so, why? Why would someone from WuXia be interested in the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki?
"It was through the patient records that I was able to confirm that it was indeed Naruto-kun that caused the energy spike."
There must have been a mistake. That energy spike had to be from Kyuubi.
"His patient record shows a severe physical exhaustion and nearly depleted of chakra. He was unconscious for three days. In fact, the report from the rounds made the morning he woke up states he couldn't even mold chakra."
If it had been a mistake, then why would Naruto be unconscious for three days and ended up not being able to mold chakra? And, what happened to his chakra? to Kyuubi?
Dammit! What exactly happened at that waterfall?
Just then, a overgrown weed erupted from the ground and out of its flower revealed a two-shaded man. It seemed as though the light and dark vertical split was more than mere face paint. The two shades represented two personas, as if he/it was a merge of separate halves of two alter egos.
Madara turned his orange-masked face toward the new arrival and said, "Zetsu, were you able to find that Kyuubi brat?"
"No, it's like he disappeared four months ago," answered the dark side of Zetsu.
"His chakra signature is gone. He didn't die, did he?" the light side added.
"Not possible," refuted Madara. His plan would be seriously jeopardized if that was the case. "Anyway, there's a change of plans."
Zetsu's two halves spoke simultaneously, "Oh?" - dark. "So, soon?" - light.
"Apparently our favorite missing Akatsuki is arranging for a showdown with Sarutobi," explained Madara with sarcasm heavily laced in his voice. "Let's see wait and see what happens."
"Ah, I see," the dark side said, followed with a menacing chuckle.
The light side pensively said, "What should we tell Pein?"
"Hm ... tell him we need to gather the other bijuus first," Madara said as he waved his hand dismissively. He really didn't care what Zetsu told that god-complex zealot. "Tell him we need time to find the other Jinchuurikis first."
"Very well," the plant variant's two sides said in unison before melting into the ground.
…o.0.O.0.o…
(Mt. WuDang)
"Trust myself ... let go ... surrender to Qi," Naruto repeated to himself as if he was trying to solve a puzzle.
Then he took out a piece of the goat that he had cooked last night, and after carefully unwrapping its packaging, he took his time chewing each bite appreciatively, savoring its juicy, gamey flavors, as if it was his last meal.
Once that was done, he rolled up the wrapping as compact as he could and, watching with great interest, dropped it off the edge of the narrow path into the oblivion below. He watched it bounced off the rocky slope several times until it was too small for him to see and too far for his Qi to detect.
He sat there for a few more minutes and finally reached the only conclusion possible.
"Oh, why the hell not?" mused Naruto to himself, as he put on his best bravado smirk and dived head first into the arms of Kami.
Once his feet left the cliff, he closed his eyes and allowed himself to be completely enveloped in the rushing bone-chilling air. It was then that he heard the voice again.
Trust yourself.
'Who are you?'
I am the personified spirit remnant of the past guardians.
'Huh?'
Each succession of guardianship for either manuscript Nine Lonesome Sword Stances or Nine Yangs of Qi infused a part of their Qi into the manuscript. In your case, as a candidate for the guardianship of both, I am the conglomerate of all the life forces of the past guardians of both manuscripts.
'Um, okay. I'm not sure I understand all that. All I got was you are made up of bunch of dead old guys.'
Er ... yeah, all you need to know is that I am your guide.
'Got it. So, why did you want me to jump? and what do you mean by trust myself? I mean how am I NOT trusting myself.'
You mean you didn't understand and you jumped?
'Yeah, heh heh, that's how I get things done sometimes. Besides, this is not the first time where I'm forced to make a decision without understanding much of what's going on. Actually, most of the decisions in my life were already made for me.'
You're talking about Kyuubi.
'Well, everything concerning her has been decided for me. She was sealed in me from birth, so I had no choice. Not that I could have made one as a baby if they did. Then, because of her, my parents died, so I had no choice to be put in an orphanage. My childhood wasn't that great; much of the villagers hated me, again, all because of things that were already decided for me. And then, Master Wu sealed her away, along with my chakra, and again, I had no say.'
What if I tell you that you can simply choose to not go along with those decisions? choose to do nothing, starting now?
'Yeah right ... and Kyuubi would run loose, Madara would use her to destroy Konoha, and he'll use the power from the manuscripts to dominate the world ... like I could let that happen! Don't you understand? I'm forced to protect everyone from Kyuubi, from Madara, from the evils that will come in the worst way if those manuscripts fall into wrong hands. I'm FORCED to do this. What choice do I have?'
Wrong, Naruto. You always have a choice. You can either DO or NOT DO. No one can "force" you to do anything because in the end you've made the choice to either cower under the pressure or to rise above it. Man feels "forced" when it's a decision he doesn't agree with or believe in. He may also doubt his own ability to carry it out. Viewing your life as one act of reluctant choice after another, the way you're looking at it now, is where you failed to trust yourself.
'I think I understand. So, what do you think I should do to trust myself?'
By believing in your choices.
'What does that mean? I mean, what am I supposed to do with the decisions that were already made for me, like having Kyuubi sealed in me?'
Back to her again? Fine, I'll give you a choice right now: Do you want the seal removed from you? Just so you won't feel forced into keeping Kyuubi to protect everyone, I'll seal her into someone else so she will not be let lose. And, you won't die.
'But then ... wait, you can remove the seal?'
Yes, it's within my power.
'Who are you going to seal her into?'
Does it matter? Let that be someone else's problem. I promise it won't be anyone you know at the present. So, now that you have a say on the matter, what will be your unforced choice?
'But how will I know what's going to happen to that person? to Kyuubi? And what if things turn out for the worst?'
You can't, and that's the point. If you choose to let someone else take care of the problem, you choose to give up the right to shape its outcome as well.
'Then ... urgh! ... I ... I choose to have Kyuubi sealed in me.'
Are you sure that's your choice? and not something I'm forcing you to do?
'I ... Yes. It's my choice. I don't think ... in the end, I don't think I can put this burden on anyone else or trust the person to bare it well. Also, I want to be the one to be responsible for its outcome.'
Good. That's what it means to trust yourself.
'So, what now?'
It's time to choose your future.
'My future?'
Your future as Guardian of the Two Nines. In the same way that your Hokage is chosen, he or she can choose to accept or decline the position. I've chosen you as the next Guardian, but nothing is confirmed until you choose to accept.
'What will happen if I say no? Would I die from this jump?'
No, nothing bad will happen to you, and you will not die. In fact, I'll even remove the Qi suppression on Kyuubi, and you can go back to being the shinobi you were.
'Really?'
That's right. All you have to do is surrender the two manuscripts so they can be given to the next guardian that shows up ten thousand moons from now.
'What? No way! Madara will find them the moment I take them out, and who knows what will happen to the manuscripts before the next guardian shows up.'
That may or may not happen, but it'll no longer be your concern. Remember, the moment you choose to let someone else take care of the problem, you choose to give up the right to shape its outcome.
'Urgh! Fine, what will happen if I say yes?'
You'll have to suffer pains greater than anyone else and battle enemies far more powerful than you, but if you succeed, you'll be granted abilities to do extraordinary things.
'You mean like bringing peace to the world?'
If that's what you want. I however have no say on the matter.
'But I thought all guardians of the past were good guys?'
Most were, but some chose to wield their power to serve their selfish interests.
'Then, I guess I've made my decision. I choose ... '
Very glad to hear that Naruto. It seems like I've made the right choice after all. Your appointment has been confirmed. You may open your eyes now. Have a soft landing!
"What? Wait ... I'm not done with you yet! I didn't even state my decision yet. And just how am I supposed to survive this?"
Naruto was shouting and screaming. Unfortunately, most of it got scrambled by the freezing air rushing into his mouth. And, the voice didn't answer.
Naruto opened his eyes and found that his body hasn't really fallen much at all, if any, from the time he closed his eyes. He could still see the end of the narrow pathway from which he'd jumped. It seemed as if time stood still when he was conversing with the Spirit of the Old Masters.
He realized, however, that in the real world, his fall would pick up speed fast. And it did.
He started to panic, so he closed his eyes again, trying to connect with that voice to get some answers. Anything that would help.
Having no success, the thirteen-year-old reluctant skydiver reopened his eyes, realizing he was going to have to do this on his own.
'I was the one who chose to jump, so why should I expect someone else to help me?' thought Naruto as he analyzed his situation.
He could feel the air pressure rushing through his hair, combing it backward. He could feel the freezing wind gust tunneling through all the openings on his clothing, already quite fragile from the amateur patch jobs he had done to extend their use through the growth his body had undergone these past four months.
'I am the Guardian of the Two Nines now.'
Most of the patches on his clothing were already torn off, leaving his already compromised clothing unable to withstand the air rush.
'I can't rely on others to bail me out anymore.'
His shirt was shredded and torn off, leaving his chiseled body exposed to the freezing elements, but he didn't feel cold. His skin didn't feel any wind burn. His Qi was shielding him.
'I can't use chakra. Kyuubi is basically nonexistent. Wait! Why am I still hung up on chakra and Kyuubi? I've got Qi now.'
The only pieces of clothing on his body were what remained of his boxers and pants. His fallen speed continued to increase, approaching terminal velocity.
'But I can't use Qi well. That accident back there in the caves left me knocked out cold for a day. What if ...? No, I'm doubting myself again.'
Terminal velocity.
Naruto went through the last cloud layer and could see objects on the ground now and was somewhat glad that they still looked like little specks of dust; however, he knew such relief would be short lived.
'Trust myself. Surrender to Qi. Remember, you're the Guardian now, knucklehead, and guardians don't have problems channelling Qi.'
Drawing Yuutou from the sheath securely fastened to his back, his two hands laboriously pushed it through the ungodly pressure in front of him. It soon sliced apart the air resistance, creating a serene air sac behind it, enveloping him. Inside the air sac, Naruto began to channel Qi and felt the painful explosions inside him when Qi expanded, imploded, and divided into nine wild energy streams. As if he was meant to do this, he started chanting what he remembered from reading the Nine Yangs of Qi manuscript.
Surprisingly, the Nine Yangs manuscript did not contain some secret Kung Fu moves or some deadly art or palm strikes. It contained mostly of prayer chants and mantras written by a monk of long ago after he had reached the Nirvana stage of Enlightenment. The chants were mainly Zen principles of simple truths he'd observed in nature and the breathing patterns of himself in the state of Nirvana.
Simply put, the Nine Yangs of Qi was a much-coveted book on prayer and breathing. In some mystical way, however, those simple principles when applied to Kung Fu could make any novice into an expert.
Chants such as "A tender sprout bows to the wind, while a stiff branch bends and snaps" didn't seem to be of any use in Kung Fu, especially when most foolishly believed that strength and speed reined supreme. But, using that simple principle, the Founder of WuDang invented Tai Chi, a form of Kung Fu that did not counter opponent's attacks head on or deflect it elsewhere. Instead, Tai Chi practitioners were taught to redirect the opponent's power against him or herself. Many times the power returned to their opponents two or three times stronger. Thus, in this way, a seventy-pound second-rate Tai Chi apprentice could defeat a hundred-fifty-pound world-class Goken master.
The main application of the chants in Nine Yangs, however, was to harness the nine positive energy streams, or the yangs, of Qi. Having already read and studied the manuscript a few years ago was the reason that there were nine streams of energy whenever Naruto channeled Qi.
This time around, instead of trying to control, or tame, those energy streams - as he had in the cave - he surrendered himself to their seemingly random movements, allowing his own body to accommodate and adjust to their motion.
"URGH!" Naruto screamed in agony, swallowing a healthy serving of air rushing into his stomach. As was expected when he channeled Qi, the pressure within him and the pain increased exponentially. Finally, he gave out and completely succumb to what come may. With the very last bit of his strength, he held on to his sword for dear life as the ground approached ever faster.
In spite of all this, Naruto continued chanting the Nine Yangs in his mind. And, surprisingly, his pains started to lessen. He gradually felt the soothing and healing sensation as the nine energy streams traveled fluidly throughout his body.
He also noticed a surprising change in his breathing pattern. If he was to hold his breath, it was like he could hold it forever, as if he was beyond the need for breathing. When he inhaled, he noticed that his lungs exchanged oxygen and carbon dioxide instantaneously, without him needing to exhale. It felt as though he could breathe in forever, as if his lungs could never reach their intake limit. The respiration gas exchange was the same when he exhaled. This time, it felt as though he could breathe out forever, as if his lungs could never be deflated.
It felt good. It felt very exhilarating. And, for that brief moment, he forgot all his worries, including his free fall and what the voice told him about the trials he had just signed up for as the Guardian of the Two Nines.
His mirth disappeared once he realized he was seconds from crashing into the ground.
KABOOM!
The rumble and decimation spread all around the point of impact, clearing away vegetation along the path of its ripples. A cloud of dust mushroomed into the air that could be seen for miles. The booming sound could even be heard further than that.
The dust cloud slowly lifted, gradually revealing an enormous crater.
In the center of the crater crouched Naruto, unscathed.
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A/N: Hi, I was able to get this chapter out sooner than before. Yay! I originally planned to end the chapter at KABOOM, but didn't want to be mean and leave you another cliffhanger. Please leave me a review to let me know what you think. As always, my thanks to KyLewin for betaing.