Disclaimer: See previous chapters

Last Time:

"Jareth? Can I have a pet t-rex?"

"No."

"Why?"

"Because I said so." He turned a page in his book. "And because it would eat my goblins."

"I would train him not too!"

"No." When she didn't say anything else he looked up. She had her hands up like claws.

She blinked then clawed at him. "Rawr."

It took all of his willpower not to smile or burst into laughter like everyone else in the room did.

He inhaled and saw her eyes light up in 'oh! He's going to agree!'

"No."

"Damn it Jareth!"

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Chapter 23 (April 23rd)

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Jareth wondered when his life had sunk to this point. He once had a powerful and serious council… now…

He sighed and rubbed his forehead. The speaker hadn't noticed anything going on, droning on in his monotone voice. Jareth could literally feel his ears bleeding. He looked around his group of powerful council members and sighed.

Toroku was sneering, glowering at the High Council official, no doubt mentally picturing all of the gruesome things he could do to end the voice.

Honou was obviously day dreaming, a bit of drool escaping his partially open mouth, eyes glazed over.

Taka's head kept dipping, Washi watching her in amusement.

Kira was out cold, slumped over on Alan's shoulder, the man barely conscious.

Valdis had vanished five minutes in. A peek under the table found the panther curled up under her chair asleep. Haimon eyes were glazed over just like Honou's.

Ikkakujuu was the only one who looked like she was paying attention but Jareth spotted the book propped against her knees, the unconscious Kira hiding it from the speaker.

Lastly, Jason and Sarah were passing notes, acting covert and throwing a paper ball at the other when they thought no one was looking. Sarah kept refilling the plate of cookies between them and Jareth was sure one of them would burst out in song sooner or later.

"And that is what we believe to be the truth," the official said. "Do you have any suggestions?"

Dead silence ruled the room. The ending of the voice startled Kira awake and she sat up, blinking rapidly. Honou jerked and wiped away the drool. Toroku finally stopped the sneer and looked exhausted.

"Uhh…" Jason opened his mouth then shut it quickly, realizing if he said anything, it would prompt a long-winded response. Jareth rolled his eyes and began jotting down a note for the official to take to his father (so Glorificus could explain in simple terms what the hour long speech had been about).

Sarah's clap made them all jump. There was a thud from the table and Valdis climbed up, growling and rubbing at her head. "Well! I think we should all form teams, make colorful tee shirts and have a water gun fight on the lawns of Goblin City… in accordance with the prophesy."

There was a long moment of silence, everyone staring at her with 'what the…?' looks on their faces except Jareth who was still writing. A few seconds later, he looked up after he had finished and met her eyes. "Sarah?"

"Yes dearest?"

"Shut up."

She couldn't hide the grin and therefore couldn't pretend to burst into tears. "Yes dearest."

"Well I think it's time for lunch!" Kira said quickly, getting to her feet. "How about you darling?" she asked Alan who quickly shot up as well.

"Yes! Lunch sounds fantastic!"

"I shall report back to the High Council as of our success," the speaker said, gathered his things and vanished. Jareth looked between the speaker and the short letter he'd just written before mentally cursing and lighting the letter on fire.

"Thank the goddess above," Taka murmured, resting her head on the table.

Valdis climbed onto the table and padded over to Jareth, transforming and sitting in front of him. "Why did I need to be here for that?"

"You didn't."

The panther turned to glare at Sarah who laughed nervously. "I will kill you," Valdis grumbled. "Later…"

"Why not now?" Jason asked, stretching.

"Because it takes too much energy." She turned to Jareth. "Lunch now?"

He nodded and stood. "I'll meet you all in the dining room. I must take a quick detour." He vanished and all eyes turned to Sarah.

She stood and used her magic to create a microphone. "Hello everyone! Welcome to Goblin Castle Tours! I'm Sarah! I'll be your tour guide for this evening. Okay! And we're moving, and we're moving! This is the doorway to the hallway and we're moving…" Valdis let out a snarl and transformed, racing after Sarah who screamed.

"Why do we come here again?" Taka murmured.

Washi wrapped an arm around her waist. "Because at home we have two nestlings."

"I think the nestlings are calmer than Sarah and Jason," Ikkakujuu answered watching as Jason joined the battle, a foam sword in one hand, a cardboard shield in the other, Valdis swiping at him, Sarah hiding behind him and shouting nonsense.

"You're my hero Jason!"

"I do my best my lady!"

"Jason." He turned to Jareth who'd reappeared looking stressed. "Father needs to see us. Now."

The man frowned then nodded and bowed to Valdis. "Until next time lady panther." She dipped her head and sat beside Sarah. The two vanished a moment later and Sarah frowned in confusion.

"Glory probably needed to see them about the war effort," Alan said, patting her shoulder. "Don't worry. He'll be back soon. Now, about lunch…"

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"Ah. Jareth. Jason." Glorificus stood and Jareth spotted Jason tense beside him. Whenever they were younger and they got into trouble, Glorificus would stand up from behind his desk and glare them down. He wasn't glaring but he had the same effect on the amber-eyed man.

"Oh goddess. What happened?" Jason asked quickly. Glorificus didn't answer, just motioned to one of the chairs in front of his desk, walking around to sit against the front. Jareth took the other seat and frowned. "What happened?" Jason repeated.

"Nothing of… dire consequence." Glorificus shifted uneasily. "At least nothing I can see backfiring on us in the future."

"What. Happened."

"The Duke of Sunray was found dead last evening."

Jason swallowed. "How?"

"You do not-"

"How?'

"You don't want to know." Glorificus shifted uneasily. "I must admit that when I say dead, I mean his heart was not beating… but he was…" He shifted again. "He was still moving."

Jason looked confused then let out a chuckle. "Ha-ha. Zombies? Come now. Nice prank." Jareth didn't move and Glorificus grimaced. "Guys. It's not funny anymore."

"It never was," Glorificus said quietly.

Jason frowned. "How?"

"We believe they have a sorcerer in this midst. Either that or a voodoo man. We think that he was the final product of a trial test. Someone to hit close to home." He glanced up. "I know he was your uncle and I am sorry for your loss. But if zombies are now part of the play…"

"I will alert the authorities that anyone who goes missing is to be immediately reported. Upon their recovery if they are slobbering, moaning and have a taste for flesh, they should be beheaded immediately."

"Jason," Jareth began sharply.

"No. I know the risks and my people will not understand the immediate threat unless I throw in a few jokes." He stood. "Is there any way to prevent the infection once they are bitten?"

Glorificus sent him a crooked smiled. "This is not a sickness. It is a mind control. Once they die and the spell is placed upon them, they do their owner's bidding. They can bite you but they cannot spread the illness."

"Good thing," Jason murmured. "I will get right on it. Thank you for the alert." He quickly left and Jareth glanced at his father.

Glorificus rubbed his forehead. "That went rather well."

"You did not tell him of the spell," Jareth accused. "The one that will keep zombies from his lands."

"No zombie would dare enter the realm of sunshine for fear of instant death. There is a goodness there that wipes out all darkness." He rubbed his forehead again. "Unfortunately, we are not allowed the same peace. I must ask that you put the spell into effect as soon as possible."

Jareth nodded and stood, heading for the door. "I will start right away."

"Jareth-" He glanced back. "The strain of the spell almost isn't worth the end results. If you feel at all faint or in pain, drop the spell. You can pick it up with enough time to save everyone in thirty minutes."

"Thank you."

"And Jareth?" He grunted. "Do be careful." He turned to send Glorificus a startled look. The man smirked. "I can't have my only son dying on me, now can I? Who would take care of your insane mortal then?" With a roll of his eyes, Jareth quickly bid him good bye and headed home.

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Growling under his breath, Jareth glared at the paperwork before him. When he first thought about being king, he hadn't given a thought to the amount of paperwork he had to do. It almost wasn't worth it. And now with the war coming up, the spell he had to put in place, detectives to search out the sorcerer, the regular paperwork… he nearly tore through another sheet.

"Jareth?" He grunted, scowling at the paper in front of him. "Can we go out?"

He blinked. "…what?" He looked up and found Sarah before his desk, biting her lip and rubbing her arm.

"Please? It's been so tense around here lately what with the war preparations… let's just… go."

"Go where?"

"Anywhere. Aboveground. Just… go."

He blinked at her, then at his work before he turned back to his papers. She sighed heavily, turning and walking towards the door. Arms wrapped around her waist just as she touched the handle. "You've no patience. I didn't say no." She turned quickly, face lighting up. He grinned, already wearing a black shirt and jeans. "Shall we?"

"Yes!"

"Where to?" he asked.

"Dinner and the beach?"

"Dinner on the beach?"

She laughed. "Sure."

"Anything for you love." He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and they vanished.

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Walking along the beach, shoes dangling from one hand, Sarah smiled. "Thanks for today Jareth."

"No problem. It was getting quite tedious today…"

"It's been tedious for awhile now."

"Well… yes." He rubbed his face. "The war preparations are taking too long. Things are so disorganized. It's difficult to figure out who and what goes where in order to defend each nation as a whole."

"So ask for help."

"Each country must defend itself according to law and reason. It's hard to reason for each country."

"So ask for help."

He sighed irritably. "There is no more help."

"I can help. Just tell me what to do."

"No. I don't want you-"

She stopped dead, face growing angry. "Don't want me what? Fighting? Protecting? The Underground is my home, Jareth, and I will do anything to protect it! I'm as worthy as a natural born so start treating me like one!" She turned and stomped off angrily. He glanced around making sure the beach was deserted before reappearing in front of her.

"Sarah… it's not that I don't think of you as unworthy. I just don't want you to get hurt!"

She threw her arms in the air. "I've already gotten hurt! That part is over! Now I want to help!"

He stared at her then sighed. "You can't-"

"Augh! You stupid fae!" She spun on her heel, running away. Water splashed around her feet, reminding her of the temperature drop and night time chill. Once she got far enough away she stopped, panting and blinking back angry tears.

"Done?" She looked up sharply and found him standing in front of her, arms crossed. She looked away quickly but nodded. "Good. I was going to say, before you so rudely interrupted, you can't read the documents… because they're written in only a language the lord of the land knows. But you can help me figure out what to do. Would that be enough to help right now?"

She blinked at him, then flushed. "Stupid fae…"

He chuckled and pulled her into a hug, walking her back to where she'd thrown her shoes down. "Silly human."

She made a face and tugged her shoes on. "Jareth?"

"Yes?"

"I…" She smiled. "Never mind." He lifted an eyebrow. "Nothing. I was going to say something that would inflate your ego."

He grinned. "Well then, by all means, please share with the class." She punched him in the ribs and he winced. "Ok. Never mind. Keep your silence."

"That's what I thought." Grabbing his arm, she wrapped it around her shoulders and tugged him back down the beach towards the lights.

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Lounging on the couch in her room, Sarah felt her worries melting as her brain fell into a state of sleepiness. A soft noise alerted Sarah's half awake mind and she turned in time to see a blue cat face jut itself into her own. With a shriek, she toppled over the arm of the couch and collapsed in a pile on the ground. Laughter echoed in her ears and she looked up to find Valdis stretched across the top of the couch, smirking at her. "Hello Sarah."

"Lo Val." She stood and rubbed her hip. "How are you?"

"Bored."

"Why are you here?"

The panther wrinkled her nose. "Azrael. He wanted to meet the council and inform them of his support. Haimon and I are his bodyguards."

"A very good bodyguard you make."

She purred. "I know."

Sarah chuckled and flopped onto the other couch. "So what's up?" The panther's eyes flickered to the ceiling then back to her in confusion. "I mean what's going on? What's happening?"

She shrugged then looked up cautiously. "Are you… still interested in going to the festival?"

"Festival?" Sarah asked owlishly.

"Yes. We panthers have a festival this weekend. Are you interested?"

"Sure!" She grinned. "What's it for?"

"Just to celebrate the spring. Every year two realms celebrate the seasons. This year it's the Northern tribe gets spring and the Southern tribe gets fall. Next year it will be winter in the East and summer in the West. The following year every tribe celebrates the seasons on its own. Following that West gets spring and East gets fall then South gets winter and we get summer."

"That's really interesting." Sarah rubbed her chin. "That way each tribe gets every season in a decade, has the chance to go to every tribe for every season and celebrate its own seasons within its own home."

Valdis nodded eyes flickering to the side of her face and back. "It's… fun to see how each realm celebrates differently."

"So the Northern tribe gets spring this year? That'll be cool. What usually hap-"

"SARAH!" Sarah let out a shrill scream, flying out of her seat and back onto the floor. She turned to glare at Jason who burst into laughter, collapsing in her abandoned chair.

"I hate you Jason!" she shouted and glared at Valdis who was smirking wickedly. "And you too! You saw him coming!" Valdis shrugged and yawned.

Jason grinned. "That's for all the times you've scared me!"

"It hasn't been that much," Sarah protested weakly, remembering just the other day she'd frightened him seven times.

"Yeah. And watermelon doesn't grow from trees."

Valdis and Sarah shared a glance. "But it doesn't," Sarah said slowly.

"Oh… well everyone's in the library and they wanted me to drag you two there, with force, if necessary."

"It's not," Valdis said quickly. Sarah laughed and disagreed.

"Ok." Jason grabbed her and threw her over his shoulder, letting out a bellow and running out of the room.

"Jason!" she shrieked, laughter taking over. "What the hell?" She spotted Valdis running after them in panther form, looking completely gob smacked.

Jason ran into the library and shouted, "I'VE BROUGHT THE CAPTIVE!"

Sarah stretched, and turned to find Kira and Kara looking confused, Samra rolling her eyes, Evie stifling laughter and Rica grinning from ear to ear. Sarah frowned. "A Kira, a Samra, an Evie and a Rica… that must mean Alan, Toroku, Ryuu and Honou are in a meeting." She turned to regard Jason. "They why aren't you?"

"Glory told him earlier," Jareth said as he entered the room and flopped onto the couch. Alan sat beside Kira, Ryuu next to Evie and Honou beside Rica. Jason tossed Sarah onto the couch Jareth sat on and flopped next to Kara who grimaced.

A loud shriek made them all jump and turn quickly, just in time to see Alan fall over the side of the couch. Kira blinked in confusion and worry. "Alan?" she asked quickly. "Are you alright?"

"HOLY HELL KIRA!" he shouted. "WHAT THE HELL?"

She blinked again. "What?"

"What was that for?"

"What was what for?"

"You know I hate that!"

"Hate what?"

"I saw the charm, Kira," Kara spoke up from behind her book. Kira's lips twitched traitorously for a fraction of a second but everyone saw it, including Alan who let out a roar of anger and tried to tackle her. She shrieked and leapt off the couch, racing around the couches.

Sarah turned to Jareth. "What just happened?" He shrugged.

"Kira's recently found out how to turn her hand ice cold and will randomly apply said magic when Alan is least expecting it," Kara explained. Sarah burst into giggles and Jareth shot her a glare that said 'try it and die. Viciously.'

"When's the war meeting that boring old guy was talking about?" Kira asked Jareth to distract Alan who was still trying to tackle her.

"War meeting?" Sarah asked. "Sounds interesting. When are we going?"

Jareth scoffed. "You're not going, Sarah."

"Excuse me?" Everyone in the room froze then quickly made themselves scarce. Even Valdis who usually found their arguments hilarious was gone in a flash.

"You're excused," Jareth said back.

Sarah crossed her arms. "What the hell do you mean I'm not going? I'm part of this war!"

"Well you're not a council member, therefore, you're not going."

"Jareth, I will be going whether you like it or not. I've been a part of this the entire time! I won't be kept out!"

He growled, fisting his hands at his sides. "This isn't some club, Sarah! This is a war meeting! You're not going!"

"Like hell I'm not! Get over yourself and just accept the fact that I will be going!"

"Sarah! If you don't knock it off I'm gonna-"

"What? Send me to my room? Make me run the Labyrinth? Wish me away? You can't touch me Goblin King!"

"You were wished away to me if you recall!" he shouted. "That means you're one of my inhabitants which means I own you! I could send you to an obelisk and leave you there should I so choose!"

"Then do it! It would be better than staying here with you!"

There was a long moment of tense silence after this remark, Jareth and Sarah glowering at each other before Jason's voice echoed from the hallway. "Sarah, one. Jay-Jay zip."

"Shhh!" Kara and Valdis hissed together.

Jareth snarled and vanished. A moment later Sarah knew where he was as Valdis shot into the library, hiding behind Sarah, Kara and Jason flying past the doorway, Jason screaming as butterflies attacked his head. Sarah's hands fisted and she let out a scream of anger, storming to her bedroom. She grabbed a pillow off her bed and screamed into it. When she pulled the pillow away, she was surprised to see Valdis standing hesitantly in the doorway. "What?" she snapped furiously.

Valdis flinched, unused to the angry Sarah. "I… I just wanted to see if you needed anything…"

Sarah ran a hand over her face, trying to calm down. "No. No I'm fine."

"Sarah…" Valdis walked over and sat beside her, hands twisting in her lap. "I… you've always helped me. I want to help you. If you need anything, please just ask." Sarah smiled weakly and held out her arms for a hug. Valdis transformed into her panther form and allowed her to squeeze the big cat.

"Thank you," Sarah murmured. "But I'm fine. I just need to cool down." The panther nodded and purred, rubbing her face against Sarah's shoulder. "But should I need you, I shall call…" Her words trailed off as she remembered her friends saying the same thing. She sighed and rubbed Valdis' head once more. "Thank you, Valdis, for checking on me." She stood. "I think I'm gonna go to bed now. Sleep on it."

Valdis transformed and sent her an uneasy look. "My father always said sleeping on an angry mind was bad for the soul…" Sarah shrugged. "Sit on your balcony. Relax. Don't think about anything." Valdis stood and headed for the door. "Good night Sarah."

"Night…" Sarah glanced between her bed and her balcony before grumbling and flopping onto the cooling stone. She stared at the sky, furious at the world before the stars distracted her and calmed her down. She went to bed feeling much better even though in the back of her mind she knew it wouldn't last.

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The silence between them was stifling.

Sarah knew that it was making everyone else uneasy but she couldn't bring herself to try and end their 'no speaking to each other' policy. She hadn't even seen Jareth in three days. Jason had told her he'd holed himself in his office to try and get work done but Sarah knew he was just avoiding her. Valdis had been sticking around her more often, Kara too, to make her feel better.

At breakfast, her fury had been so tangible she thought she was going to choke everyone with it. Alan had opened his mouth to say something and Kira had elbowed him quickly, effectively silencing him. Sarah felt her ball of fury grow as her potential innocent target had been taken away.

They hadn't gone this long without speaking in a very long time. As the time between them grew, she felt herself becoming more and more irritable, getting angry over things she had no real use getting angry over.

After nearly taking off Rica's head for having too brightly colored hair, the girl had kicked her out of the castle and told her to go take a walk and calm down. She had stomped to her hill and scowled for an hour before Carmen knocked her over and ordered a rant. Afterwards he shoved her towards the castle and ordered her to fix the problem. She called him a nasty name then bolted for the front door.

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She paced in front of his door for what seemed like years but was probably in fact only several minutes. Finally working up the courage, she swung open the door and stepped inside. He was sitting at his desk and didn't even look up at the interruption signaling he was completely absorbed in his work or ignoring her still. She winced. "Jareth?"

"Hm?" He finished his sentence then looked up. His expression went from surprised that she sought him out, curious as to why she was breaking their 'no speaking' policy, and suspicious as to why she was breaking their 'no speaking' policy. "What?"

She shifted uneasily, holding back the urge to throw herself at him and beg for him to speak with her again. "We… need to talk."

He stared at her for a long time before shutting his eyes and leaning back into his chair. "Are you sure you won't start yelling?" She bristled angrily and he winced, pinching the bridge of his nose. "No. I didn't mean that."

"Well you said it-"

"Stop. I'm sorry for that. I did not mean it." He stood and walked around, holding out a gloved hand. She looked at it carefully then gently lay her palm against his.

The room vanished, the beach from before reappearing before her eyes. She looked around for any people walking the deserted beach line then turned to him as he walked towards the surf, waiting for her to pull her shoes off and roll her pants up so she could walk in the cold waters. They were silent for a long time, Jareth waiting for her to speak and Sarah trying to calm herself enough to do so.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you," she finally said slowly. "Even if you totally deserved it." He scowled. "Well you did. I'm not a child, Jareth, and you can't order me around like one of your little servants. I have a right to know what's going on as I am a part of Goblin Castle."

"You're an inhabitant of Goblin Castle. You've no standing in its matters."

She fisted her hands. "I do too! You allowed me to accompany you to a High Council Meeting-"

"Because no one else would!"

"-and you've allowed me into Council Meetings!"

"Council meetings! Not war meetings!"

"It makes no difference!"

"Yes it does! If someone at the meeting is a potential enemy, I can't let them know who you are by sight! They could kill you!" He shut his eyes with a sigh and when he reopened them she was staring at him in confusion. "Sarah… these meetings aren't just with my council. They are with several councils. All of the people in the other councils could be potential enemies. We are trying to sort out who believes in what so that we may sort out the traitors. Everyone knows the rulers' faces but not many know yours. I do not wish to give them that advantage."

She rubbed her face. "Why couldn't you have just told me this? I thought you wouldn't let me just because you didn't want me there to make a mess of things."

"Well that too." She scowled at his smirk. It fell a second later and he sighed. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you but… I knew you've just get defensive and wouldn't listen. Can we restart?"

She sighed as well and nodded. "I guess I should start looking at the outside picture rather than just what's happening in Goblin Castle, huh?"

He swung an arm around her neck and dragged her into a hug. "Yes. One might find that to be a brilliant idea." She scowled and punched his side. He grunted and tugged on a strand of hair. They walked down the beach a bit, Sarah watching the water swirl around her ankles. It was silent except for the soft noises beyond the boardwalk of mortal life.

"I'm sorry." She looked at Jareth who frowned. "I am. I should have told you."

"I'm sorry too. I should have listened instead of just storming off."

His arms tightened and he smiled. "Okay. So we're both sorry. Are we… good again?" She nodded and hugged him tight. "Wanna go out to eat?"

"Sure." They were quiet as they walked to the restaurant. Just before they reached the lights of the boardwalk, Sarah tightened her arms around his waist. "Jareth?... I missed you."

"I missed you too."

"Don't leave me, kay?" He paused and looked down at her. She frowned. "I mean… you can leave for a few days but… don't ever leave forever."

"I'll won't."

"Do you promise?"

"I promise."

"Good." She squeezed him once more before pulling away and grinning. "Onward! To food!"

He rolled his eyes. "Can we be angry at one another again so I don't have to be seen in your insane presence?"

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"Did the world implode?" Valdis asked in amazement as Sarah and Jareth walked through the door, Sarah grinning from ear to ear as she spoke, Jareth rolling his eyes though the smirk on his face betrayed him.

"I think so." Jason held out his arm. "Kara, pinch me and see if I'm still alive." She smacked him upside the head. "Yeowch! Yup. I'm still alive. Ow! Okay I'm-Ack! Kara! I – stop it!"

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To all Heal Me, Hurt Me Readers and Reviewers,

Presenting chapter 23 in which author totally loses track of what she's writing and throws something together to sound good. This chapter was written… rewritten… former writing brought back… rewritten again… god I HATE THIS CHAPTER! Hopefully I've finally done it some justice for you folk.

You know what. Just ignore this chapter and jump to the next one. It's much better. MUCH BETTER. Who cares if you might get confused along the way. Ignore this chapter's existence.

Oh and the zombie thing? A total last minute add. I'm reading Jane Slayre by Sherri Browning Erwin. It's basically a remake of Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë where Jane battles vampires, zombies and I think werewolves but I'm not sure yet. Dudez, it is fantastic! Even if you didn't like Jane Eyre (which I did), you'll love this book. READ IT!

Kadasa Mori

Next Chapter Preview: Chapter 24 (really 74)

No need for a preview as I'm posting it along with this one :D yay