Chapter 13: The party
During the course of the next few days, Shohoku went on to play against Takamizawa from Hokkaido (100-88), Sansho from Aomori (98-90), and Rakuan from Kyoto (90-86) to reach the semi-finals of the National Tournament. The other 3 teams which had also made it into the semi-finals were Aiwa from Aichi, Sannoh from Akita and Meihou Kogyou also from Aichi.
6 days into the tournament, Shohoku found themselves presented with the opportunity to exact revenge on their old nemesis, Aiwa. And they weren't going to let the opportunity slip pass so easily.
---
"Nyahahahahaha! Now they know what we're really made of! Nyahahahahaha!"
"I can't believe it! Sakuragi-kun, we're in the finals! We're in the finals!" Haruko squealed.
"Nyahahahahaha! Yes, Haruko-san. The Tensai has led the team to the finals! Nyahahahahaha!" Sakuragi bragged loudly.
Behind him, Rukawa snorted, and less than half a minute later, a scuffle erupted between the two team-mates.
"Stop it you two!" Ayako scolded, waving her fan in the air threateningly.
"Aya-chan's right. Stop all this nonsense at once or I'll refuse to let you play tomorrow," Miyagi threatened.
Sakuragi and Rukawa stopped strangling each other and looked at Miyagi, before Rukawa snorted and Sakuragi started laughing.
"Nyahahahahaha! Ryochin, you can do that to the kitsune, but not me. You can't afford to lose the Tensai."
"He can, and if he can't, I can."
Sakuragi whirled around to find his sister looking at him. "Hana-chan, you don't mean that."
Hanayuki smiled sweetly at her brother. "You want to give it a try?"
"No!"
"Of course you don't. I'm sure Kaede doesn't either, do you Kaede?" Hanayuki asked, looking expectantly at Rukawa.
"Yuki-chan, aren't you supposed to go home and get yourself ready for something?" Ichiro asked.
"Oh yes. I'm about to get going now," Hanayuki replied.
"Get going for what, Hana-chan?" Sakuragi asked.
"I'm accompanying Kenji to his family company's 50th anniversary party. I told you about it the day before yesterday, when Kenji asked me," Hanayuki reminded.
Sakuragi looked at her incredulously. "You're actually going?"
Hanayuki raised an eyebrow. "Yes. And what's wrong with that?"
"I remember you telling me that he wanted you to pose as his girlfriend, to prevent his parents from finding him one, that's what's wrong."
"He needs help, and as a friend, I'm going to give it to him. There's nothing wrong with that," Hanayuki argued.
"But, what about Rukawa? You know how possessive he can be," asked Sakuragi, pointing a finger at Rukawa.
"Kaede knows about it like you do, and he has never objected to it. In fact, I don't hear him saying anything about it now," said Hanayuki, folding her arms.
Sakuragi opened his mouth, and closed them again. He turned to Rukawa. "Oi, Rukawa! Say something will you? Hana-chan's about to pose as Fujima's girlfriend and you're not going to do anything about it?"
Rukawa merely looked back at him nonchalantly and said, "No." Not in front of you or the others anyway, he added silently to himself.
"Nani?!"
"Remember what I said, oniichan. I can not let you play tomorrow, and I will if you don't stop making such a fuss over such a small thing," Hanayuki threatened.
Sakuragi sulked, but he kept quiet. Hanayuki regarded him for a moment before saying, "Go home and rest well, oniichan. You're right. We cannot afford not to let you play tomorrow." She smiled at him, before continuing, "You're too important."
Almost immediately, Sakuragi's demeanour changed and he laughed loudly. "Nyahahahahaha! I knew it! I'm the Tensai after all. Nyahahahahaha!"
While the rest sweatdropped or shook their heads, Hanayuki laughed along with Sakuragi, before finally taking her leave.
At the entrance, Rukawa caught up to her and pulled her aside.
"Kaede?"
"You're only pretending to be his girlfriend," he said. "Don't let him think it's for real."
Hanayuki refrained from rolling her eyes. "Yes, Kaede. I won't let him think it's real. There. Are you happy?"
Rukawa didn't answer, but he kissed her on the forehead, which he had been doing more frequently ever since that time during the game with Daiei Gakuen.
"Where is Aoi-chan?" he asked.
"At home with okaasan. Why do you ask?"
"How is she doing? Did she not ask why she isn't staying at Fujima's house anymore?"
"Well, no, because I told her that it's now my turn to stay with her. I can't tell her that she couldn't stay at Kenji's place anymore because his parents are back from America. She wouldn't understand why her... 'grandparents'... wouldn't like her or want to have her around."
Rukawa frowned at the word 'grandparents'. "Don't use that word."
Hanayuki sighed. "It is only a manner of speaking, Kaede. A way of putting it."
"I still don't like it."
"Fine," Hanayuki replied, giving up trying to argue. "I have to go now. I need to look my best for tonight. I'll see you tomorrow?"
Rukawa nodded his head slightly, and Hanayuki began to walk off.
"Yuki?"
Hanayuki turned around. "Yes?"
"Don't look too good."
---
That night, in a five-star hotel somewhere in Kanagawa...
I'm so bored...
Hanayuki stifled a yawn and tried to look as if she was having the time of her life at the party. All around her, people were milling around, dressed in their most expensive evening wear, talking and laughing at each other's corporate jokes, drinking from elegant-looking champagne glasses half-filled with the finest champagne available.
Hanayuki blinked and stifled yet another yawn. Why did I agree to come to this business party again?
She looked at Fujima, who was standing with his parents at one corner of the spacious ballroom, chatting with some of his father's business partners. Anyone, save the old and bald businessmen standing in front of him, could see that Fujima's smile was as fake as a statue's and as bland as steamed cabbage.
(A/n: Anou... if there is something that is blander than steamed cabbage, please drop me a line or something.)
The smile plastered on Fujima's face grew wider. And Hanayuki suddenly remembered why she was there in the first place.
-Flashback-
"Stop fidgeting, Yuki. You're making me nervous, moving around like that," said Fujima.
"I can't help it. I don't feel comfortable in this dress," Hanayuki replied, tugging at the white sleeveless gown she was wearing. "And I don't feel comfortable going to this... thing. Never mind that your parents had so graciously invited me to come along."
"Please Yuki. Just this once. You know very well that there could only be one reason why they had insisted that I follow them to this party," Fujima begged.
"So they're trying to find you a girlfriend. What's the big deal?" said Hanayuki, not looking up from her dress as she pulled at the straps.
"What's the big deal? The big deal is I don't want them to find a girlfriend for me. I want to find a girlfriend on my own," said Fujima indignantly.
Hanayuki looked up momentarily, before looking down at her dress again. "Well, I guess you have a point there."
"Of course I have a point. That is why you agreed to help me in the first place, isn't it?" When Hanayuki didn't answer the question, Fujima eyed her worriedly. "You're not going to back out on me now, are you?"
Hanayuki stopped fingering the straps of her dress and looked at Fujima. "Don't worry," she assured him. "I won't. In fact, I'm going to be so stuck on you tonight you'll be wishing that you hadn't asked me for this favour."
Fujima's face brightened up immediately. "Thank you, Yuki. I really appreciate it from the bottom of my heart."
"Don't mention it. It's the least I can do for you, after all that you've done for me." She playfully punched him on the shoulder and continued, "Come on then. Let's go and play boyfriend-girlfriend shall we?"
-End of flashback-
Right. I agreed to come as Kenji's partner so that his parents will stop introducing girls to him, she thought, as she watched one of the bald old men introduce his daughter to Fujima. Guess the plan's not really working...
Feeling another yawn coming up, she covered her mouth to stifle it. Then, she settled down on a nearby armchair and watched as some of the guests danced on the dance floor.
She smiled to herself. She had danced with Fujima earlier that night to the famous waltz 'The Beautiful Blue Danube', and although she wasn't as good as Fujima himself, she had reason to be proud of herself; not once did she stumble or make a mistake during the dance which had lasted for 10 minutes. (A/n: The Beautiful Blue Danube is composed by Johann Strauss.)
After all, Fujima didn't spend all those nights with Hanayuki in the music lounge, teaching her how to dance and suffer all those bruised and swollen toes, for nothing.
"Feeling bored, my dear?"
Hanayuki looked up, and felt her eyes widened to the size of saucers.
"Surprised to see me? Well, you should be. To tell you the truth, I'm not too surprised myself, since I think I know the reason why you're here, or rather, the person whom you're here with."
Feeling the dread which was quickly building up inside of her, Hanayuki curved her lips into a small smile. "Rukawa-san," she acknowledged.
Mr Rukawa smiled at her, though the smile didn't quite reach his eyes. "I can see that you're bored out of your mind. Would you care to have a dance with me then? I saw you dancing with Fujima Kenji a while ago. You danced pretty well to 'The Beautiful Blue Danube', which, in my opinion, is a fairly difficult waltz to dance to. It would be an honour to be able to dance with you." He extended a hand to Hanayuki, his eyes trained on her as she struggled to come up with an answer.
After a long pause, Hanayuki hesitatingly took the extended hand and let him lead her to the dance floor. As if on cue, the orchestra began to play 'Voices of Spring'. (A/n: Voices of Spring is also composed by Johann Strauss.)
"Ah, this is an easy one. I should be able to keep up with your younger bones," said Mr Rukawa, as he began to swing Hanayuki around the dance floor in time with the song.
---
Fujima was about to fall asleep out of boredom when he caught sight of a lady in a white gown heading towards the dance floor with a man in black from the corner of his eyes.
What the-? Isn't that Hanayuki? And who is that man she's with? In fact, how OLD is he?! He can't be younger than 40, what with all that grey hair on his head!
---
Throughout the dance, Hanayuki avoided looking at Mr Rukawa in the eye. She had always felt uncomfortable whenever Mr Rukawa was around, and dancing with him wasn't helping things at all.
Meanwhile, Mr Rukawa kept on talking as they danced.
"You know, it hadn't been that long since the last time we met, and I see that you've grown taller," he said.
Hanayuki gave him a tiny smile in response.
"Kaede has grown taller too. Have you noticed?"
"It's hard not to, since we're studying in the same school and involved in the same sport," Hanayuki answered, still not looking at him in the eye.
"Indeed. I just thought that since you have found yourself a new target, perhaps you wouldn't have time to notice my Kaede anymore."
Hanayuki looked up at him. "What are you talking about, Rukawa-san?" she asked softly, the demanding tone in her voice unmistakable.
Mr Rukawa raised his eyebrows in mock surprise. "Why, I'm talking about you and your new friend of course, Hanayuki-san. Fujima Kenji, son of Fujima Shinji, CEO of the world-renowned Midori World Enterprise."
Hanayuki frowned at the statement. "Kenji is a ver-"
"Yes, he is very good-looking, isn't he? Not the tall, dark and handsome kind, but good-looking nevertheless, and taller than you, though not much. Oh, and not to mention that he's rich too."
"Rukawa-san-"
"I wonder if his parents know about little Aoi-chan? Hmm, she may serve as a problem, you know. After all, given the choice, I don't think that Fujima Shinji would want a daughter-in-law who gave birth to a daughter of her own at the tender age of 13."
Hanayuki tried to pull away, but Mr Rukawa wouldn't let her go and held on to her tighter than before. "I did not give birth to Aoi-chan by my own choice, Rukawa-san. Did your private investigators not tell you that?" she said coldly through gritted teeth.
"That doesn't erase the fact that you have a 3-year-old daughter at 16." His eyes narrowed, before he continued, "Nor does it change the fact that you're a gold-digger."
It took all of Hanayuki's inner strength to stop herself from slapping Mr Rukawa across the face. However, she did forcefully push him away, and said, "I'm not a gold-digger, Rukawa-san. But arguing with you about that will only waste my time, so I won't. I didn't enjoy the dance, so I won't thank you. In fact, I would appreciate it if you would just leave me alone for the rest of the night. No, for the rest of my life."
With that, she turned on her heels and walked off, leaving a slightly humiliated Mr Rukawa standing alone on the dance floor.
---
That man looks strangely familiar. Where have I seen his face before?Fujima wondered to himself.
When he saw Hanayuki pushing the man away and walking off, he was immediately concerned. Just as he was about to go after her, he realised that he didn't have to. She was already coming his way.
"Yuki? What's wrong? Who's that man you were dancing with just now?" asked Fujima, one question after another.
Instead of answering his questions, Hanayuki pulled at his hand and said, "I'm not feeling too well, Kenji. Can you please send me home now?"
"You're not feeling well? Shall I take you to a doctor then?"
"No, it's not necessary. I just want to go home, that's all. Please," Hanayuki said, her voice pleading.
"Ok. I'll just go tell my parents first alright?"
"Tell us what, Kenji?" came a voice from behind.
It was Mrs Fujima. She smiled at Hanayuki, whom Kenji had introduced to her and his father earlier. Hanayuki smiled back, albeit a little unnaturally.
"Are you feeling alright, Hanayuki my dear? You look pale," noted Mrs Fujima.
"Thank you for your concern, Fujima-san. I'm feeling fine," Hanayuki replied.
"Are you sure?" asked Mrs Fujima.
Hanayuki nodded in answer.
"Is everything alright, Noriko?" asked Mr Fujima, who suddenly materialized beside his wife. Behind him, to Hanayuki's utter horror, was none other than Mr Rukawa himself.
"This is Mr Rukawa Aoshi, Kenji. He was an old school mate of mine, and we have been having some business connections with each other for many years now," introduced Mr Fujima.
Comprehension and apprehension dawned upon Fujima. So he's Rukawa's father. Man, can things get any worse than this?
"Anyway, as I was asking, is anything wrong?" Mr Fujima repeated his earlier question.
"Oh, it's nothing dear. It's just that Hanayuki here isn't feeling well and would like to go home," Mrs Fujima answered her husband.
"Not feeling well? It's nothing serious I hope," said Mr Fujima, concern displayed on his face.
"Of course it's nothing serious, Shinji my friend," Mr Rukawa cut in smoothly. "She's probably just feeling nervous that things will go wrong for her, aren't you, Hanayuki-san?"
"You know her, Aoshi?" Mr Fujima asked, surprised.
"Oh I know her alright. I know all about her and little Aoi-chan."
At the mention of Aoi-chan, Fujima knew that he had to do something quick before things get out of hand.
"Okaasan, otousan, if you'll excuse me, I'll send Hanayuki hom-"
"Now don't be hasty, Kenji my boy," Mr Rukawa interrupted. "I'm sure your father and mother would like to know more about dear little Aoi-chan."
"Aoi-chan? Who's Aoi-chan?" Mr Fujima asked.
"Mr Rukawa, you-"
"Kenji, don't be rude. Mr Rukawa is trying to talk here," Mrs Fujima reprimanded her son.
"It's alright, Fujima-san. He's still young. Young people tend to be very... hasty," said Mr Rukawa, looking at Fujima pointedly.
"Hasty or not, he shouldn't have been so rude," said Mrs Fujima, glancing at her son before continuing, "Anyway, Rukawa-san, who's this Aoi-chan you're talking about?"
"Ah, I think you had better ask Hanayuki-san about that one, Fujima-san. I'm sure she would be able to answer the question better than I do, right my dear?" said Mr Rukawa. He looked at Hanayuki, who, instead of avoiding his gaze, returned it squarely this time.
"Then watch me carefully, Rukawa-san, as I answer the question," she said softly.
"I certainly will," came the reply.
Hanayuki held his gaze for a little longer, before turning to face the Fujimas. Bracing herself for the worst, she took a deep breath and said, "Aoi-chan is my daughter."
A gasp escaped from Mrs Fujima's mouth, while Mr Fujima frowned deeply.
"I'm so sorry, Mr and Mrs Fujima, for not telling you about this," said Hanayuki, her face etched with sorrow and regret. "I didn't mean to hide it from you. It's just that... it's just that..."
Unable to go on, Hanayuki decided to skip the explaining and go straight to the important part. "You don't have to worry about anything, Mr and Mrs Fujima. I'm not Kenji's girlfriend, so you don't have to worry about me tarnishing the family name."
When neither Mr Fujima nor Mrs Fujima said anything, Hanayuki bowed again, and said, "I'm truly sorry for everything. I'll take my leave now."
"Yuki-" Fujima began.
Hanayuki shook her head to stop him. Then, smiling slightly, she said, "It's ok, Kenji. I'm fine. Thank you for everything, and I'm sorry that things turned out this way."
She wasn't even two steps away when Mr Fujima finally spoke. "Where do you think you're going, Hanayuki-san?"
Hanayuki stopped in her tracks and turned around. "I... I'm leaving the party, Fujima-san," she answered hesitatingly.
"Whatever for?"
Hanayuki was rendered speechless by the question.
Fujima tried to intervene. "Otousan-"
Mr Fujima looked at his son. "Keep quiet, Kenji. I'm very disappointed in you. How could you not tell us about this? We're your parents. We have the right to know everything about you."
"Your father's right, Kenji. You should have told us about Hanayuki and Aoi-chan," said Mrs Fujima.
"I'm sorry okaasan. It's just that..." Fujima trailed off.
"You didn't think that we would understand did you?" Mrs Fujima prompted gently.
"Would you?" Fujima asked.
Mr and Mrs Fujima exchanged a look between them, before Mr Fujima approached his son and smacked him lightly on the back of his head.
"What do you take me and your mother for? Conservative and unreasonable old folks? Of course we'd understand!"
Fujima couldn't believe what he was hearing. Neither could Hanayuki, least of all Mr Rukawa, who had been wearing a self-satisfied smile on his face all this while.
"Did I hear you wrongly, otousan?" Fujima asked in disbelief.
"No you didn't, Kenji darling," said Mrs Fujima, smiling. "And you didn't either, Hanayuki my dear."
"But... but..." Hanayuki stammered.
"So you have a three-year-old daughter. It's not common, I must admit, but it's not uncommon either. We should know, since we've stayed in the US for some time," said Mrs Fujima.
"That's right. You don't have to be ashamed of it, Hanayuki-san. I mean, I'm sure you didn't mean for things to happen this way. Even if you did, I'm sure you've repented," said Mr Fujima, before adding, "Have you?"
Hanayuki just stared at him, wondering if she should start crying or laughing.
Mr Fujima held up a hand. "No need to answer. I believe in you."
"Are you out of your mind, Shinji?!" Mr Rukawa burst out.
"Now, now, Aoshi. There's no need to be so worked up about it. Honestly, I don't see any reason to look down on the girl," said Mr Fujima.
"What the hell?!"
A few socialites and businessmen turned to look at him, having heard his rather loud outburst.
"Please, Rukawa-san. We're in the middle of a party right now. You don't want to attract any unfavourable attention to yourself, do you?" said Mrs Fujima.
Ignoring the angry look on Mr Rukawa's face, she walked up to Hanayuki and linked their arms together. "Now darling, tell me. What you said about your not being Kenji's girlfriend, is that true?"
Hanayuki blinked at her. "Um..."
"It's true, okaasan. Yuki's not my girlfriend. I asked her to pretend to be my girlfriend so that you and otousan wouldn't try to find me one," Fujima confessed.
"Oh. That's too bad. I really like her," said Mrs Fujima, looking rather disappointed.
"Me too," Mr Fujima agreed heartily.
"You do? Well, to tell you the truth, so do I," said Fujima, earning himself a glare from Hanayuki. "But I'm afraid there's nothing I can do about it. Yuki already has a boyfriend," he continued.
"Oh? Who is the lucky guy?" Mr Fujima asked.
Fujima glanced at Hanayuki, whose eyes pleaded with him not to tell them who it was. Unfortunately for her, Fujima decided to tell anyway.
"It's Rukawa Kaede, otousan." He looked at Mr Rukawa, and with a pointed look, added, "Mr Rukawa's son."
To Fujima's satisfaction, Mr Rukawa looked as if he had been slapped in the face.
"Well, what do you know, Aoshi? Hanayuki-san's your future daughter-in-law," Mr Fujima exclaimed, patting his friend on the shoulder.
Mr Rukawa recovered from the shock he was feeling and pushed the hand away. "No she isn't," he growled. "She will never be a member of the Rukawa family, not even over my dead body."
With one last look at Hanayuki, he stalked away from the four people and left the party.
"Hmm, after all this years, he is still haunted by his past," Mr Fujima mumbled to himself, shaking his head at the same time.
"What past, otousan?" Fujima asked.
At first, Mr Fujima was reluctant to say anything further, but after much pressuring from Fujima, he finally gave in and poured out the story.
"It concerns his wife, or more accurately, his ex-wife," he began. "You see, she already has a child of her own when she met Aoshi, a 2-year-old daughter from a previous boyfriend who dumped her as soon as she became pregnant. Despite that, Aoshi loved her very much, and a year later, they were married. The following year, she gave birth to their only child, a son."
"Rukawa Kaede?" Fujima queried, and was rewarded with a light smack on the head.
"Like I said, they only had one child together, a son, so of course I'm referring to Rukawa Kaede. Anyway, their marriage didn't last long as Aoshi soon found out that his wife didn't marry him because she loved him, but because he was rich."
"In other words, the woman was a gold-digger," Mrs Fujima pointed out.
"He filed for divorce, but the damage has been done. Aoshi started hating women, to the extent of not hiring them to work in his company."
"You can't be serious about that," said Fujima disbelievingly. He got himself another smack on the head.
"Do I look like I'm joking to you?"
"But then how on earth did the company manage to survive?" asked Fujima. This time, he managed to avoid the oncoming smack, having tasted two in a row before that.
"I didn't say it did. It didn't, and Aoshi was forced to hire women again. He was forced to admit that there are some jobs which can only be done most efficiently by women, like secretarial jobs, for example."
"Ok. So basically he hates Yuki because he hates women?"
"Yes, but I think he hates Hanayuki-san more for having a child before marriage. It probably reminded him of his ex-wife, which is why I'm not at all surprised at the intense hatred he has for her."
"It isn't fair that he compares Yuki with his ex-wife," said Fujima, springing to Hanayuki's defense. "They're not the same person, but two very different people."
"It's going to very hard to make him see that, Kenji. The fact that his wife had never loved him must have been a very big and bad blow. Especially since he had loved her with all his heart and soul, accepting her as his wife even though she had a child with another man," Mrs Fujima reasoned.
Meanwhile, Hanayuki had remained silent throughout the whole conversation, and it didn't escape from Mr Fujima's notice. Knowing that she was probably feeling uncomfortable with the subject at hand, he changed it, asking about Aoi-chan instead.
"Hanayuki-san, I would very much like to see Aoi-chan one day. She must be a very cute and adorable child," he said, smiling at Hanayuki.
"Oh she is, otousan. The cutest you've ever seen," Fujima exclaimed excitedly.
"I can't wait to see her then," said Mrs Fujima, just as excitedly. Her arm still looped with Hanayuki's, she began to half-drag, half-steer the younger girl towards the refreshment table. "Come dear, let's go get something to drink, and then you can tell me all about Aoi-chan."
---
In another part of Kanagawa...
CRASH!
Kuso...
Rukawa picked himself up from amongst the dustbins he had just crashed into a moment ago, before reaching for his bicycle lying not too far away on the pavement. Without another look at the mess he had created, Rukawa climbed onto his bicycle and cycled away.
As he cycled, his thoughts wandered off, as it always did whenever he was cycling, to Hanayuki.
I wonder how the meeting between Yuki and the Fujimas went. I wonder if they will like her. I hope they won't. I mean, I hope they willlike Yuki. Just not like her enough to want her as their daughter-in-law. That way, they'll go on with their plan to find Fujima a girlfriend, thus eliminating him from my list of people to watch out for.
CRASH!
Kuso...
Picking himself up from the ground, Rukawa reached for his bicycle, and without another look at the rather badly damaged boot of the car he had just rammed into, he got on the bicycle and cycled off.
Hopefully Sendoh's parents will do the same thing to him, and then, with both of them out of the picture, I don't have to worry my head off anymore. Not that I have anything to worry about in the first place, but still... Anyway, with them gone, Yuki and I and Aoi-chan, we can be together alone, forever.
CRASH!
Yeah. Just the three of us.
A few more crashes later, Rukawa managed to reach home, miraculously, in one piece and uninjured. After chucking his horribly deformed but somehow still usable bicycle to the ground, he unlocked the door and walked into the house, and would've gone straight to his room upstairs had his nose not caught the heavy scent of alcohol hanging in the air as he passed by the living room, and his ears not heard the soft strains of the song 'Smoke Gets In Your Eyes' playing in the background.
(A/n: Had wanted to write down the lyrics at the end of this chapter, but thought that it would be too unnecessary. Do look up the lyrics, though, and you would be able to understand why I implicated the song here.)
Instinctively, Rukawa turned on the lights, and all thoughts of sleep flew away from his mind as he took in the scene before him; the few empty bottles of wine on the table; the half-filled wine glass; and his father sitting on the sofa and looking at him with a deadly look on his hardened face.
---
Author's notes: Finally! Chapter 13, done. I'm so dead. I've started a couple of fics at the same time, and now none of them seems to be progressing. It's my own fault, I know. Sigh… Updates won't be as frequent as before, or should I say, not as quick as before. Why? Well, it's not just because I have other fics to attend to. This fic will always be my first priority. It's because I'll be flying off to NZ on the 9th of February and will be starting my first semester in the University of Otago on the 20th. Once I start studying, I don't think I will have the same amount of free time as I had before to write this fic. I won't stop though, rest assured. I didn't write so much just to stop writing now. Thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed the last chapter. I need more feedback, as I'm not sure how people are reacting to my fic so far, so please drop me a review or two or three. Thanks again.