A/N: Lime right at the end. You have been warned.

---

thirteen
BROKEN

and now we're grown up orphans
that never knew their names
don't belong to no one- that's a shame
you could hide beside me
maybe for awhile

and I won't tell no one your name
I won't tell 'em your name

Name, Goo Goo Dolls

---

He woke up.

Afternoon sunlight pouring through the open window was what greeted him- the damn glare got in his eyes, and he wasn't exactly a fan of the heat. With an annoyed grumble he tried to burrow further into the nest he had made himself with the sheets, and it was awhile later before he realized his hands were gripping at nothing.

Sasuke was gone.

What had he expected? Of course Sasuke as gone. The guy never stayed. But he never talked either, never felt sad, never shared anything with anyone- and his touch had never felt so soft and gentle before.

Shikamaru's eyes shifted to the stalks of flowers on the beside table, wilted and neglected from that night when he finally went to sleep with their flowers in his grasp. The black rose, the corianders- the lavender was something he didn't remember choosing, but it's scent helped with sleep, conveniently enough, and it was something Ino added on.

Ino.

With a tired yawn he pulled himself upright, stretching and scratching at his arms wearily- he didn't feel particularly well rested, but then again he never did, and he wasn't exhausted and on the brink of insanity anymore. He could only assume it was a good sign. The troublesome woman… she was always so fierce, so angry, and subtlety was hardly her strong point. The only time when she was subtle, was when she was trying to show that she cared. He and Chouji had come to that understanding quickly enough- like that time she brought fruit to his beside with talks of dieting and things, but really it was an excuse to make sure Chouji was okay- and being the big-hearted guy that he was, Chouji let Ino make the excuse. Shikamaru experienced the phenomenon of Ino's subtlety through teasing, punches, threats, kicks- and flowers.

These flowers, he thought, picking up the rose and rolling it's dry stem between his fingers. Just what do they mean to you, eh, Shikamaru?

At first, they had meant troublesome work- but it didn't take long to realize that they were, in fact, about Sasuke. Messages of obsession and confusion and lust and desire were abundant in that first bouquet. And then while Ino found it a little creepy, she took it to mean that Shikamaru was in a bizarre I'm a genius, I'm bad at social things way expressing that he liked her, and that it was all part of his I'm a super genius, I'm really bad at social things plan involving an imaginary gay stalker. But then they came to represent Sasuke, yet again- but more importantly every time he looked at them he thought either of Sasuke or of the heart-wrenching guilt he felt at using his own friend.

As Neji had so aptly pointed out.

But they represented none of that now.

Last night… he wasn't sure what it meant, if anything at all. He wasn't about to put anything into it, wasn't about to hope- and wasn't about to admit that perhaps he already had. But it was different- and maybe, just maybe, he had meant something to Sasuke after all…

And somehow, that brought an ever-so-sickening warm fuzzy feeling to Shikamaru's gut, followed swiftly by a few loud hacks.

He walked to the bathroom, looked himself in the mirror- saw the light scars still etched across his skin. They were still there… but they would heal, with time. Slowly. Surely. He tried not to remind himself that these thoughts meant that he somehow hoped, somehow believed, that Sasuke would not give him any more scars.

The feel of warm water against his face- and in the shower, his bare skin- was something he missed. His skin was clammy and sticky from nights and days spent tossing and turning in bed. He was feeling much better now. Not well enough to not avoid work, of course, but better.

He was surprised, really. Surprised at his calmness.

Maybe because, now, he knew at least one of the things he had to do.

The flowers didn't represent any of those things now- not a dark obsession for Sasuke, not an annoying bit of work, not a strange confession from a shy and socially inept genius, not the guilt of using a friend. He stepped from the shower, a towel slung across his shoulders and another wrapped untidily around his waist, walking back to the room, leaving wet footprints across the wood floor- that his mother would kill him for later. He sat down on the bed and continued to dry himself off, glancing at the flowers periodically.

From the start, he realized- they had always represented his denial.

And the pawn that he knew was kept in a drawer… there was a lot of truth to Neji's words that day… and he had to think through things.

He fumbled around for his hair tie, and realized that once again it was missing. He pulled open one of the drawers from the chest under the windowsill- filled with spare hair ties, for he'd come to realize that he lost them quite often- it was troublesome to search for something that small, especially if lost outside. But he knew when he lost them- and he took some time to make a quick count of how many he had before grabbing one and tying his hair up. Nineteen were missing.

They were probably lying around his room somewhere, he knew, simply because all nineteen were lost from Sasuke grabbing at his hair and sliding the band off. Sasuke seemed to like running fingers through his hair, and he didn't mind. Sasuke's hair was silken in sheen- but also to touch. Probably used the same brand of conditioner as Neji.

Maybe he should get one of those... but he always found it troublesome to wash his hair, let alone condition it.

Maybe he should get one for Ino.

He pulled on the fishnet shirt, his black pants, the baggy jacket, and searched around for his chuunin vest. The flowers were wilted- and the lie he told was lying in pieces, broken and punctured by five days spent without carefully maintaining the little day-to-day actions that kept it upright.

But lying even more broken than his lies was the truth- and while everything was broken, not everything needed to mend.

He pulled on the chuunin vest he finally found stashed in a random corner in his closet (clothes hangers were troublesome), habitually slipped his hands in his pockets- paused before leaving the room, turning back to pick up the dead and wilting flowers.

The flowers were either dying or dead, and had to be disposed of.

He walked slowly down the stairs- it felt odd, as he hadn't done that in a few days. Familiar, yet not. He was surprised at himself, again… but well, he did have things to do. People to talk to. Things to fix. He'd probably mess it up somewhere along the way, but yeah.

Whatever last night meant, it'd forced him to realize that he cared at least arbitrarily about Sasuke- and that denying that Sasuke had an effect on his life had nearly cost him his friends, and maybe even his sanity. He was sure that if Sasuke hadn't come back (and he was still wondering why he did), he would have gone mad.

The broken pieces of his denial and his lies were either dying or dead, and had to be disposed of.

He paused before he opened the main door, and tossed the flowers into the nearby bin.

---

Ino fumbled through the flowers, but her mind was on anything but them.

Neji had explained it- or at least, he had explained what he knew, what he guessed, and what he believed. Ino wasn't as good as he was at analyzing things, but as far as she could tell- providing that everything Neji said he had seen was in fact true, the Hyuuga was right about everything. And really, what reason did he have to lie?

It didn't stop her from wondering- no, hoping he lied, simply because the truth was… bizarre. Unexpected. And rather painful.

Of all people- Uchiha Sasuke.

Neji had no idea what Sasuke wanted with Shikamaru, and neither did Ino. She'd always thought that Sasuke was incredible. Intelligent, attractive, and the epitome of the average teenage girl's opinion of "cool" during their years at the academy (She'd never made much of a secret of her opinion, after all). Cold, distant, focused on his one purpose in life. It took her a long time to finally give up on her endless pursuit of Sasuke (and she hated to lose), but she'd just reasoned that someone like Sasuke just wouldn't let something as petty as love distract him from his singular obsession- that there was simply no room for anyone or anything else in his life. And now?

Sasuke had stalked Shikamaru. Harassed him. Chased him down. Rape him. Break him- and not be around to take care of the pieces.

Neji's judgement was harsh. As far as he was concerned, for whatever motives the Uchiha had, Sasuke was still a cold manipulative bastard and all this probably fit into some grand scheme of his to achieve his ultimate goal. He was using Shikamaru without hesitation, and he knew it. Shikamaru knew this, but yet let it affect him- Shikamaru had nearly driven himself mad over Sasuke, and Neji had little doubt that it all probably fit in with whatever twisted plan Sasuke had formed in his mind. Shikamaru, Neji said, was consumed with confusion and bitterness, and dealt with it through the simple mechanism of denial- and that was when she came in. Shikamaru, knowing fully well what he was doing, had used her as a distraction.

It all made sense, but Ino didn't want to believe it.

She wanted to believe that there was still hope for Sasuke- that he was trying to save himself, and that maybe even if it began as part of some greater plan or nothing more than a random burst of lust, he had second thoughts. She wanted to believe in him- ah, Sakura had gotten to her, over the years.

But most of all she wanted to believe that Shikamaru didn't use her.

Partially because during the time when she believed that Shikamaru was in love with her, she was actually happy.

And even if he's turning out to be bizarrely infatuated with Sasuke instead, she liked to think that he didn't mean to use her. Shikamaru was a genius, true, but all those genius types always thought so differently, and when it came to person to person, honest communication- they weren't geniuses any more, so to speak. Shikamaru was a perfect example of it- and Neji, and even Sasuke. Ino liked to believe that Shikamaru was looking for help- but didn't know how.

But he asked for help, didn't he? That first day, back weeks ago, when Shikamaru told her about an apparent gay stalker. Stupid, she scolded herself, snapping the scissors shut with surprising force as she pruned the roses. You shouldn't have dismissed it so fast! Even if she hadn't, she probably wouldn't have helped anyway, but she liked to believe that she had influence over this.

And now she didn't know what to do. She was probably going to drop by Shikamaru's house again, maybe with Neji- Chouji had come with her once or twice. Chouji had thought that Shikamaru probably just needed time to deal with things, and Chouji trusted Shikamaru to ask for help when he needed it- but he wanted to say goodbye, Chouji had just left for a mission with his father that would probably last weeks. Chouji had a big heart, and Ino was sometimes almost jealous of the way he had such faith in people- especially such faith in Shikamaru. But even as she was threatening to bring the door down, Ino had no idea what to say if Shikamaru answered the door.

She wondered if he had guessed that she knew. Of course he does, she thought with a small laugh, pruning off a few more leaves. He hasn't guessed, he's logically deduced it by now. But she wondered if he thought she was angry- that she was upset.

Well, okay, she couldn't blame him. When she first found out, Ino was completely bewildered and disbelieving, and when it started to sink in that Shikamaru didn't really feel much for her after all, she became furious. But when it sank in further- when she realized just what Shikamaru was going through- she calmed down rather quickly. She may have had quite the temper, but it didn't mean she couldn't tell when anger wasn't called for.

Ino groaned loudly, finding her way back behind the counter and burying her head in her arms. Really, how the hell did Shikamaru deal with all this? Her head hurt.

"…Ino?"

---

Neji sipped politely from his tea.

After yet another tiring training session, there was nothing quite like sharing tea with your sparring partner to relax yourself. Lee could scarcely appreciate this, though- he would usually press on and insist and train. Neji never exactly minded, and so their spars would stretch on and on- Hinata, however, was different.

"Neji nii-san…" she said quietly- as she always did.

In the times before, Neji always couldn't help but twitch slightly whenever he heard her call him that. Being an elder brother implied so many things- like a bond of caring, of concern, of protection. Now, though- now he was different. He had never wanted a younger sister- but that was what Hinata had eventually become. "What is it, Hinata-sama?"

He took another sip, watching as Hinata glanced down nervously. The bond between them was stronger than it used to be, but it was simply in her nature to be shy and reserved. It had taken her plenty of courage to first ask her to spar with him all that time ago- now it was something they did often. Family bonding? The term felt odd. It used to be something of Neji simply overshadowing Hinata during their training sessions, and at first Neji had willingly held back a little. She hadn't caught up with him yet, of course- Neji no longer held himself back. He was almost… proud. There were many things that she could learn from him, that he'd always known- but of late he seemed to realize there were things to learn from her, as well. He waited patiently for her to overcome her nerves.

"Ah… it's just that…" she paused again. "Neji nii-san, I've just noticed that… Y-you've had something on your mind, l-lately."

Neji's eyes widened slightly- he lowered the cup from his lips, watching his own reflection ripple within it. Hinata was always caring, always kind, but it still unnerved him whenever anyone- especially Hinata- showed any concern for him whatsoever. After all he'd done to her, he always expected much worse.

"I-I'm sorry, if I'm intruding on y-your personal life," she said, placing her cup down on the table. "B-but if there's anyway I could h-help…" she looked away again.

Neji blinked, raising his eyes to look at his cousin as he put down his tea- she did not raise her eyes to meet his gaze. To care for someone who did so much to you. Neji had never exactly been anti-social, but he had never exactly had… friends. His first friend, awkwardly enough, might have been Lee- Lee was the first one he ever paid attention to. And how could he not, as loud and colourful and boastful of their rivalry as he was? But even then his awkward feelings of half-comradeship were limited to his team alone- it was only after Naruto quite literally beat sense into him, when he was able to find peace within himself, that he had begun to open more- and since then he'd made quite a few…friends. People he cared about. But even before then, when he was so shamelessly direct in his hatred of the head family- of Hinata- she hadn't hated him. She sympathized. She cared. And whenever he thought of it, he wasn't sure what to feel.

She was right- something was on his mind, of late. One of the first "friends" he made- had been Shikamaru. It was an odd thing- Neji had always enjoyed shougi, only he never really had anyone to play with, and Shikamaru sometimes grew tired of playing with Asuma. A few games and some conversation later, they had found they had a lot in common- and there were simply some things that they could talk about that they couldn't with anyone else. A level of understanding between two minds that thought too differently from the rest of the world. Neither ever claimed to fully understand the other, of course- who could fully comprehend Shikamaru?

The feeling that came to him whenever he thought about Shikamaru now was also alien to him. It was not entirely strange- Neji felt it in the battlefield, whenever Lee was injured or being particularly headstrong, whenever Tenten missed her mark or was hit- even whenever Gai was in danger. But he had never really felt concern or worry outside of battle- but there was no avoiding it. Shikamaru worried him, now. Shikamaru was letting that damn Uchiha use him- and that could simply not turn out well for anyone. Especially since Shikamaru had taken the path of denial and avoidance- always the easiest choice, but never the right one. He had even tried to use Ino, to cement his self-crafted illusion. Neji had recently told Ino of the truth- and what surprised him was that she continued to worry for him. Concern was never simple for Ino, of course- like everything else she expressed it mostly through yelling- but it was there. Regardless of what he did to him. Rather… rather like Hinata.

Honestly, Neji never thought he'd compare Ino, of all people, to Hinata.

Hinata. He realized that he'd been silent for some time, and she must've been waiting for an answer. "You're not intruding, Hinata-sama," he said curtly. "But it is difficult to explain, and I'm not sure if you could help."

"M-maybe I could t-try?"

She looked back at him- Neji paused at the concern written across her eyes. "I think it's best not for you to get involved, Hinata-sama," he said. And it was true- he didn't want her to be involved in this mess. She cared too much. She was fragile. He didn't want her to be hurt. He… he was protective. But the way he talked was always so direct and blunt- even though most of the time he really never meant it that way. And he realized that he must've sounded dismissive. "But thank you for the offer, Hinata-sama." And that sounded far too formal.

"Y-your welcome, Neji nii-san," she said, with a small, slightly nervous smile. "But I-I'm sorry I can't h-help."

Neji nodded, not knowing what to say, and took another sip of tea.

And several minutes past of an awkward but comfortable silence between them. Neji, having finished his tea, looked up towards the sky to see birds riding the wind and darting through the treetops that reached above the Hyuuga compound. "Hinata-sama," he found himself saying. "Can I ask you something?"

"O-of course," she replied, with surprise in her voice.

"After everything I've done to you," he began, looking back at her eyes- the question even slightly surprising himself. "During the chuunin exams. Before then. Everything I said about the head family- and you. Even then, you cared about me- and you still do. …Why, Hinata-sama?"

"W-why?" Hinata blinked.

Neji waited for her to reply, but she looked down uneasily again, fidgeting with her fingers. He didn't understand how she could possibly still care- he'd come very close to killing her, after all. Dangerously close. It made him sick to think that only a few years ago there was a moment in time when he would've done anything to brutally slaughter the gentle person in front of him now.

Damn, he had been a monster.

"B-but why do y-you ask, Neji nii-san?" He stiffened- not sure how to reply, only to find that Hinata had never expected him to as she continued. "I j-just thought… w-what I said then, at the c-chuunin exams. I m-meant it…"

I can see that you are suffering more than me. He remembered it well. He'd almost killed her for it, after all.

"And d-despite everything… I d-don't think you h-hated me, Neji nii-san," she said quietly, looking up to meet his surprised eyes. "Y-you were just a-alone and confused and h-hurt… and you're r-really talented, nii-san. Y-you think differently… I-I… just t-thought that…" she took a deep breath. "I t-thought that you did c-care for me. Y-you warned me, instead of j-just killing me- and you c-could have. Y-you warned me not to t-test you- b-because I w-would be h-hurt. I-I… I thought you c-cared for me, Neji nii-san. J-just that you… d-didn't know how to s-show it."

This time, it was Neji that looked away.

Somehow, what Hinata said was both entirely unexpected… and true. He felt it- they had struck him, shaken him at least a little- and a ghost of a smile hovered on his lips. That despite everything he'd done- how he always felt doubtful of earning forgiveness- Hinata had already forgiven him, long before.

To care, but not know how to show it. Yes, that suited him quite well. And… it suited other people, didn't it? They were shinobi, after all. Tools. Killers. Trained to murder with efficiency and speed- caring wasn't something that came instinctively to most of them. And the most gifted shinobi- the most skilled at killing- would probably suffer this more. Geniuses, they were called- himself among them- and they deserved the name. They simply thought on a different level than most people- but for most of them, when it came to the delicate intricacies and balances on the social level, they failed miserably.

...and it wasn't only him. Shikamaru. …Sasuke.

"I was harsh," Neji said quietly.

"Y-you always s-sound it, Neji," she said timidly- the lack of a suffix to his name drew his attention instantly. Did she really feel comfortable enough to do that? "B-but you never m-mean it…"

He usually never meant it. And suddenly he remembered what he had said weeks ago to Shikamaru- the pawn and the using and… Shikamaru was just like him, too. Confused and angry. Perhaps Neji shouldn't have been quite so harsh. Perhaps Neji shouldn't have left him alone.

Heh… he thought quietly to himself, standing up from the table. I'm sorry I'm such a horrible friend, Shikamaru- but I'm new to it all.

"N-Neji nii-san?" Hinata stuttered, glancing upwards nervously- as though afraid she had said something to offend him. The title had returned to his name, Neji noticed- maybe she thought she offended him that way. "G-gomen… I'm s-sorry."

To care for someone who did that much to you. Rather like… rather like how Shikamaru cared for Sasuke, as much as the lazy chuunin would admit it.

I shouldn't have thrown you everything and left you to deal with it on your own.

Neji looked down- and smiled. Truly, genuinely, smiled. Hinata blinked- the sight was… unfamiliar, to say the least.

I should've let you know you wouldn't face it alone.

"I have to go find someone now," he said. "But you helped me. Thank you, Hinata-sa-" he paused for a moment. "Thank you, Hinata."

Hinata blushed slightly- but nodded quietly. "Y-your welcome, Neji," she said timidly, and watched as he walked off after a nod. She wasn't sure what she just did… except tell the truth. But whatever it was, she was glad that she had been able to help her cousin.

---

Ino sat at the counter, completely bewildered.

"Shikamaru? Is that you?"

She hadn't expected that. At all.

"Of course it's me. Tch, troublesome woman. Can't you even recognize your own boyfriend?"

She had kind of forgotten what Neji had told her when she first saw him. Especially when she said your boyfriend. Since when had Shikamaru ever called himself that?

"Damn you, Shikamaru, where the hell have you be- boyfriend? What? You're actually going to call me your girlfriend now? Shikamaru!"

She'd been caught up. To say the least.

"H-hey, get off me! I didn't say that!"

And happy.

"Yes you di-id!"

...Okay, she practically had hearts flying around her head, but yeah.

"So what if I- get your hair out of my face, woman!"

But it was still entirely unexpected to even so much as see him again. She leaned her weight back against the wall, staring up at the ceiling.

"I didn't see you for ages.Did you at least get sleep? I could buy you some chocolate or something…"

She blinked, placing a hand to her chest. Somehow, she felt dizzy- and even now she wasn't exactly sure what had happened.

"I hate chocolate… I thought you knew that."

She'd been thinking about it ever since Neji told her. That if she saw him, the first thing she did would be- to beat the living crap out of him.

"So what happened? Are you okay? Why are you here?"

And then to say that it was okay. That she'd help him through it. …but only after beating the living crap out of him.

"I came here because I had something to say to you, Ino."

She'd done none of that. Caught up in the moment, probably. But she was going to...

"So what is it?"

…and then she didn't.

"You're right. We've been going to dinner and such for so long now. There's no way I'd put up with a woman like you for that long unless you were my girlfriend or something."

She saw someone walk through the door, but was… preoccupied.

"Hah, I knew it-"

She placed her hands on the counter and pushed herself upright. She had remembered right. That was what happened, after all. And that person- it didn't take long for her to recognize him, even if she was in shock. The robes and the long hair- unmistakable.

"I can't go on like this, Ino."

"Ino? Are you alright?" Neji said with a slight frown, walking towards her.

"Eh?"

"I'm alright, Neji," she said. "It's… just that…"

"Everything… what I created. What I made. After that… it's all broken, now. Broken to pieces."

What had Shikamaru meant? Ino still wasn't sure. But she had assumed it meant their relationship or something.

"Broken things can be mended."

She'd meant it. She knew that Neji had said, of course, but that didn't mean that they couldn't try.

"Yeah, but… maybe some things should stay broken."

"What happened, Ino?" Neji asked, bringing her back to the present as the last of the memory from moments before played through her mind.

"…Shikamaru?"

"I think Shikamaru broke up with me," Ino told Neji simply.

"It's over."

---

And he sat on the bed, and he waited.

It was almost eleven- and Shikamaru was sure that Sasuke had to come this time. Sasuke couldn't just leave him again- not after last night.

After finally being able to get some rest- after finally getting some perspective on things- Shikamaru had realized just how much Sasuke was affecting him. Just how much he was denying. Just how much of a downward spiral he had been willingly casting himself into, day after day. And in the morning, he had made the resolution- the denial was over.

No more lies. No more pretending.

He had to face this for himself.

And so- he'd dumped Ino. He probably could've done it better, but- whatever. Shikamaru was pretty sure he'd already screwed up their friendship beyond repair anyway, and he might as well let Ino hate him as "that bastard ex of mine" so she could go on with her life. And Neji? Neji probably still hated him.

He had to face this alone.

…he had to face him alone.

And Sasuke came.

They stared at each other, for a moment. Shikamaru waited for him to say something- to cement what had happened the night before. That this was something more than just a simple outlet of lust.

But it never came.

It wasn't long before the smirk returned to Sasuke's lips- before he found his bare chest against the bed, his legs spread wide by pale, slender hands, his throat rasping with ragged breaths and bitten back groans and whispers of a name. It was so familiar.

But it wasn't what they had, the night before.

And even as he heard their mingled moans, his own heart pounding in his ears, the sound of flesh against flesh and an ever-quickening rhythm- he felt the strange mixture of hope and confusion in his heart fade into anger and hatred- that gave way to desire. So that was it? It was a lie? Sasuke had mocked him. That was it. Sasuke knew that Shikamaru wanted more- and mocked him. Gave him a taste of it, then tore it all away. Let him know that- no, Shikamaru, you're being used, and you know what? You fucking love it. You're letting me.

God- Fuck, he thought, full of bitterness and hate- and found those same words escaping him in sinful pleasure.

It was back to the exact same thing again- the way he had been so brutally used every damn night. Last night was different. Last night had felt so different. But it was as if it never happened. It was just… gone. So what- he'd torn down his walls for nothing?

Even as he savoured the feeling- of each thrust hitting that oh-so-pleasurable spot, of nails digging into his skin, of a tongue on his- almost devouring him possessively, lustfully, as he felt one final shiver ripple through their bodies and a cry escape his lips- confusion and hatred and anger.

And then Sasuke had stayed only to put on his clothes- and he had paused before the window, and looked back. Shikamaru didn't need to see his eyes or the smirk on his lips to know that he was waiting- daring Shikamaru to say something. To speak out. But no- he wouldn't give the bastard the knowledge that his plot had worked. Wouldn't give him the pleasure.

Shikamaru ignored that he'd pleasured him just moments before.

And Sasuke had left, without a single word.

So that was all it was? Just a lie? If Shikamaru wasn't so damn tired, he would've been looking at yet another restless night. But damnit- he had wanted to confront Sasuke, wanted to know what that night was about. And now he wanted to strangle him.

He fell asleep.

He ignored that the only reason why he could sleep was the thought of Sasuke returning.

---

A/N: This chapter took awhile, but it's here. Yooosh! And a long one, too. Yay.

As for more pairings- well, I can't reply to you since that was an anonymous comment, but no, there will not be, not in this story at least. The stories I'm planning on writing after this, in terms of the fic challenge things you can see on my profile, will involve various pairings and friendship fics and random crack, and I think I might even take in requests via reviews for those- it'd be fun, anyway, since I'm one of those who doesn't really have a pairing preference. Writing more pairings would be interesting.

In Reason, as you notice, it focuses mainly on SasuShika, but there are hints of many, many other pairings- ShikaIno, NejiShika and even NejiHina to name a few. Meaning, if it ends up being written, will be in a similar light. I'll be able to talk more about Meaning once I wrap this up, as I fear spoilers. Spoilers are evil things.

Once again, thank you readers and reviewers alike! I hope that you've enjoyed this chapter. The next is on the way!