Author Note: Hello again, our lovely readers! CrazyAce'n'PokerFace proudly present Chapter 4 of Midnight Snow, which is dedicated specially to Sparanda, oOoHKoOo, and XX825N12319W.
We'd like to say thank you to all of you who are reading this story, especially to those who have also alerted, reviewed, or added this story to their favorites. The following is a list of these wonderful people, to whom we owe much gratitude: Spockie, anna1594, Turtle-chan in Blue, , Tharrow, ticking-clocks8, XX825N12319W, oOoHKoOo, Red-Haired-Jack, NarayaEdea, ichilover3, Revanent, Life is Full Of Regrets, Tasogare X, Gray Tasare, Ash-chan13, Shizuku700, lilithchild, Auditory Eden, irsistort, Soul-Searcher16, ScienceAngel, xkaleidoscopex, Sparanda, ReaperDuckling, Reiuko, BlueNekoChan, Thelanblossom, Maii04, lazyguy90, omnipotent Porunga, Switmikan74, WinterMission, louisewattis, and spinachmuncher. Thank you to them and to everyone who's stuck with us thus far. And now, on with the story!
WARNING: Upcoming warnings of RenRuki and IchiHime. Please feel free to criticize my writing, but not the pairings. Thank you.
Normal = prose, italics = thoughts or inner conversations
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any of its characters. They belong solely to Tite Kubo. However, if there was an alternate universe where I do own Bleach, I will promptly give my left arm to switch with my other self. I also do not own any of the chapter titles. Cookies for anyone who guesses which poems they're from. :)
Chapter Four: When All Aloud the Wind Doth Blow
i.
She walked once more in a black castle made of dreams and darkness, but this time silence did not stalk her steps. This time, the wind howled a wordless cry, blowing through the hallways until it found her and swept her along its fierce current. She was running, running, running to get away from it, from the roaring in her ears. She ran through countless rooms, down narrow passages, up flights of never-ending stairs, seeking refuge from the storm within the castle. But everywhere she turned, the wind followed her relentlessly, until soon she found herself running with it, not from it. It pushed her, pulled her, dragged her through the corridors and up into the west-most tower, so that she stood once more on that wide, exposed balcony.
And met the black eyes of a storm-dragon made of wind and clouds and boundless power.
"What do you want!" she screamed, struggling to make her voice louder than the tempest. "What do you want from me?"
She was walking into the storm now, shielding her face against the stinging wind, moving forward, forward, forward, until she reached the edge of the balcony, and climbed onto the railing. She pulled herself upright, standing thousands of feet above the ground, standing right before the dragon, trembling from cold, but not from fear. Even though she could fall to her death on the icy plain below, she was not afraid. Her dragon would not let her fall.
The roaring was louder now, louder than the crash of thunder, than the howl of hurricanes. But now she could hear the words within the wind, and they came as if from the eye of the storm, from its very heart. The voice sounded as soft as the whispers of a summer breeze, and it spoke, saying quietly, "Karin. Karin, will you listen? Will you hear me speak my name?"
And Karin opened her mouth to reply, only to have the wind push her from behind, causing her to slip and—she was falling! She was falling down, down, down, faster and faster! She could see the ground coming up to meet her, she could feel the air rushing by her, and she could hear the desperate beating of her heart, its rapid pulse nearly drowning out the dragon's words: "Karin, can you hear me?"
"KUROSAKI KARIN!"
And she bolted upright, bumping her elbow against the side of her desk, waking to find herself in the middle of her history class…with everyone staring at her and giggling. The teacher was glaring at her, clearly incensed that she had fallen asleep during his lecture. After she muttered a quick apology, he sighed, and simply said, "Since you're usually one of my most attentive students, I'll let it slide this time, Kurosaki-san. But don't let it happen again." And he turned once more to the blackboard as Karin breathed a sigh of relief, then proceeded to take notes while grumbling to herself. Really, these dreams were becoming a problem. At least today was a Friday, and she had the weekend to sleep in.
After the school bell rang, signaling the end of the day, Karin pushed her way through the crowd, heading straight for the group's usual meeting place. Blinking in the sudden glare of the afternoon sun, she looked for her gang and found them standing around the tree in the front lawn. Jinta and Yuzu were exchanging gooey looks as Donny took pictures and Kazuya criticized Jinta's wardrobe choices, with Ryohei and Pinta laughing in agreement. Placing a hand on Jinta's arm to keep him from totally decimating the other four boys, Yuzu then turned around, looking for Karin. She started waving frantically once she caught sight of her twin, her smile threatening to break her face in two. Karin waved back and ran the last few steps, letting Yuzu give her a quick hug, then high-fiving the rest of her friends and exchanging nods of acknowledgment with Jinta.
"So, Kurosaki, heard you fell asleep in Mugiwara's class," the redhead said, raising his brows in a question.
"Yeah. Stupid of me, I know, but I pulled a late night working on a project, so it's no big deal," replied Karin, shrugging it off.
"Are you sure, Karin? You seem to be losing more and more sleep lately," Yuzu said worriedly. "That can't be good for your health."
"Come on, Yuzu-chan! Like Kurosaki would drop dead just because of an attack of insomnia. As if!" scoffed Ryohei. The others nodded in agreement.
Ryohei continued, "Now are we going to head over to Urahara Shoten or what? I don't know about you guys, but I'm starving!"
Karin was about to make a teasing remark about Ryohei's black hole of a stomach, when she sensed the reiatsu of a Hollow a kilometer or so to the south. She and Jinta exchanged knowing looks, before turning to the others and making their excuses.
Yuzu just said, "Stay safe, and don't be late."
Donny merely rolled his eyes in reply, and said, "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Now go off and do your thing, and meet up with us later. But don't expect us to save any of Tessai-san's food for you." The others grumbled in agreement and gave half-hearted waves, already walking towards their destination. After years of hanging out with Karin, they were used to her disappearing at odd times, usually when there was some commotion in the distance. They knew better than to ask questions.
And as they left, Ryohei shouted, "Tell Ururu-chan that I'll be waiting for her!"
Jinta just shook his head at that statement and muttered, "Doesn't he know it's hopeless? She's nicknamed him 'Stalker-san.'"
Running effortlessly in the direction of the Hollow, Karin grinned and replied, "He's too infatuated to care." Turning to more serious matters, she said, "This Hollow seems to be a bit stronger than usual, but I think we can still get there and take it down before the assigned shinigami shows up."
That said, she increased her speed, trusting Jinta to keep up with her. Catching sight of the Hollow in the distance, she recognized the familiar pigtails and reiatsu of a now nineteen-year-old Ururu, who was getting ready to take it on. She and Jinta arrived just as Ururu landed the first punch, then nimbly dodged the Hollow's angry swing, gracefully landing on the roof behind it. Jinta then attacked with his baseball bat, causing a resounding crack! to reverberate through the air as metal made contact with bone. No sooner had the Hollow's mask broken than three more Hollows appeared, all of them hungry for human souls. Jinta, Ururu, and Karin grinned at each other for a second before they split up, one person per Hollow, just the way they liked it.
Karin inhaled deeply, gathering her reiatsu in her arms and legs, forming a thin layer which she sharpened until the edges of her limbs were covered by knife-like reiatsu. She took a running jump at her Hollow, using her momentum to land a roundhouse kick on its arm, cleanly breaking it. The Hollow roared in pain, and swiftly tried to retaliate by squashing her with its other fist, but she'd already moved behind it, this time punching it right in the ankle. As the Hollow fell forward, Karin gathered her reiatsu for one last strike, letting the power build within her, until suddenly—
She heard her dragon roar.
Her reiatsu slipped out of her control.
Wind raged through the street, circling Karin and the Hollow like a miniature tornado. Karin could feel her reiatsu fighting her and feeding the winds, and she struggled desperately to get it back under control. But the storm just kept building and building, and the winds grew stronger and stronger, a maelstrom of air and spirit energy raging wildly around her. She fell to her knees and wrapped her arms around herself, trying frantically to contain her reiatsu. She was locked in a battle of opposing forces, caught between the winds and her own rogue spirit energy, until finally she reached out with her mind and managed to get a tenuous hold on her reiatsu, pulling it back towards her.
The built-up energy struck her like a blow, and she gasped in pain as she directed its flow down to her hands, releasing it in a burst of power right at the Hollow's head. The Hollow died on impact, and dissipated into nothingness. Karin knelt there, shuddering, holding her arms around herself as if to keep her reiatsu within her. She could feel it begin to grow again, threatening to go rogue once more. In panic, she clamped down on it, extinguishing it completely for a moment. Afterwards she slowly released her hold on it, noting the intense pressure within her had subsided, and her power levels had gone back to normal. She breathed a sigh of relief before clutching her head as a sudden migraine hit her.
"Karin!" yelled Jinta. He ran over, panting heavily, a cut on his cheek from defeating his own Hollow. Ururu followed silently, not a bruise or a mark on her, but a look of worry on her face nonetheless.
"What's your problem, idiot?" Karin managed to get out, wincing as her head throbbed painfully. Slowly, she managed to stand up and glare at Jinta, taking up a belligerent stance to hide the fact that she was swaying on her feet.
"What's my problem? Don't give me that! What's your problem, Karin? Your reiatsu completely disappeared on us! We thought you died!" Jinta yelled furiously.
"Oh, really?" Karin responded sarcastically while frantically thinking up a decent excuse. "Did it never occur to you that I was trying to mask my reiatsu and approach the Hollow from behind? Kami help me, Jinta; I thought your reiatsu-sensing abilities were bad, but I never knew they were this terrible!"
Jinta furrowed his brow in confusion, while Ururu glanced at him before turning back to Karin with a probing look, saying, "Then you're alright, Karin-chan?"
Karin managed to give her a weak smile and said, "'Course I am Ururu. As if a measly Hollow could kill me." Hastily changing the subject, she turned back to a glowering Jinta, asking, "So how much did we get from the bounty on them? I'm running low on cash, and I'm betting that you've still got less than five hundred bucks in the Hanakiri Wedding Fund."
She smiled as her jab had intended result. Jinta's face turned the same shade as his hair, and he shouted, "And whose damn fault is that, Karin? You're the one who insisted on me getting a twenty percent share of all the bounties. Twenty freakin' percent! How is that fair?"
Ururu giggled at his reaction, and stated, "But Jinta-kun, Karin and I are the ones that kill the most Hollows, so of course it's right that we get a bigger cut."
Jinta crossed his arms and grumbled, "Still. At this rate, I'll be able to afford an engagement ring for Yuzu when we're sixty."
Karin grinned wickedly, and said, "Exactly."
And she ran down the street towards Urahara Shoten, laughingly sticking her tongue out at Jinta as he and Ururu followed close behind. By the time they got there, the other two had completely forgotten about her little "episode," and Karin was left to worry about it by herself.
What exactly had happened? She'd never lost control of her powers before. In fact, she had even better control than Ichi-nii. Shaking her head to dispel her confusion, she told herself that it was probably just a one-time thing, resulting from recent lack of sleep, and that she'd talk to Urahara-san about it if it happened again. Pushing it to the back of her mind, she pasted a smile on her face as Yuzu stepped out of the shop, holding out water bottles for her and Jinta. Ryohei was following right behind her, a lovesick look on his face as he raced towards Ururu.
"Ururu-chan! The light of my life! How long has it been since I've seen you? You're beauty is still as radiant as ev—"
"Hello, Stalker-san," said Ururu primly, planting her fist firmly in Ryohei's face before walking into the store and greeting the rest of Karin's gang, who were rolling around the floor and laughing.
"Ururu-chan, your strength astounds me! I am a lucky man to have found such a strong woman to spend the rest of my life with," Ryohei said, holding his now-bleeding nose while gazing at Ururu adoringly.
Karin snorted and rolled her eyes. Some things would never change, she supposed. Following Jinta and Yuzu into the store, she waved a hand at Tessai-san and elbowed her friends to get to the food spread out on the table. She was just about to take a bite when a man in a green and white hat stepped into the room, fanning himself and grinning.
"Why, hello there, Yuzu-chan, Karin-chan, and company," he said, nodding at each of them in greeting. "What brings you to my lovely store this day?"
Karin shrugged and said, "Yuzu had to buy some stuff, and the guys wanted to eat and get fat instead of playing soccer," she stated, ignoring her friends' protests. She continued, grinning, "Plus, you still have to pay up. For the part-time jobs and the bet."
Urahara sighed in feigned injury, saying, "Karin-chan! How could you? Swindling me out of my life's savings!" Fanning himself dramatically, he added, "But I suppose it's only fair. You did win the bet. But honestly, how could I have predicted that Rukia-chan would punch Renji-kun when he proposed?"
Karin leaned back and replied, "Then you shouldn't have made the bet. Now hand my money over."
Urahara sighed once more, then retreated to one of the back rooms, returning with a wad of cash. Karin slapped her friends' hands away as they tried reaching for the money, and prolonged their torture by proceeding to count it in front of them. Satisfied she'd been given the right amount, she returned to her food, savoring Tessai-san's spicy cooking before being interrupted once more by a cough from Urahara.
"What is it now? Can't you see I'm busy?" she grumbled, as Yuzu and Ururu giggled at her exasperated tone.
"Oh, really? So you don't want these?" Urahara said, revealing a few envelopes that he'd kept hidden behind his back.
Karin immediately dropped her chopsticks, and her hands reached out to grab the letters and look them over. She flipped through the small stack, ignoring the ones addressed to Ichi-nii, tossing one from Momo to Yuzu, who squealed in delight, and finally reached the last one, written in neat, familiar handwriting.
Toushirou, Karin thought, eagerly opening and pulling it out to read…before she noticed the other occupants of the room, even Tessai-san, staring avidly at her.
"What?" she scowled, stuffing the letter in her pocket.
"Nothing, Kurosaki," said Pinta. "It's just funny seeing you smile like that. Must mean Toushirou sent a letter, huh?"
Karin rolled her eyes and said, "Of course it's from him. Who else can't send letters directly to my house like a normal person?"
The others grinned, and Kazuya said, "Hey, when's he coming to visit again? We haven't seen him for a while."
"Six months and a day," Karin said before she could stop herself. "Not that I'm counting," she muttered as her friends stared at her. "Anyway, I'm not sure when he's coming. I'll tell you after I read the letter."
"All right, then," said Ryohei, looking expectantly at her. When she just stared back, puzzled, he rolled his eyes and said, "Read it already, Kurosaki. Unless you guys have been secretly dating, and that's a love letter you're holding," he finished, his gaze turning sly.
The others started hooting and whistling, but stopped when Karin abruptly stood up and smacked the back of Ryohei's head.
"Idiots!" she exclaimed. "How many times do I have to tell you that we're not dating? Jeez, it's bad enough getting this sort of thing from my dad. I don't need you guys to start on me, too."
"Relax, Kurosaki," said Donny. "We were just joking around."
"Well, it's not funny," Karin muttered, scowling. "I'll read the letter after I get home, when I don't have a bunch of nosy gossip-mongers around, and you'll just have to wait for the news later."
She ignored their groans of protest and stuck her tongue out, then looked at the clock and continued, "Anyway, Yuzu and I have to get going. We promised we'd stop by Hime-nee's house, and then we have to go and pick my brother up from the airport."
Urahara spoke up then, asking them to deliver a letter to Orihime from Rukia. Yuzu happily agreed, and within five minutes they were waving goodbye to the hodgepodge group of exiles and humans dining at Urahara Shoten.
ii.
As they were walking, Yuzu spoke up: "Karin, I'll be the first person you tell when you and Toushirou-kun start dating, right?"
Spluttering, Karin stopped in her tracks. "Yuzu, I swear, we're just friends. I don't think of him that way. Dating him would be like dating Donny or Pinta or one of the other guys. It would be plain wrong."
Making a disbelieving sound, Yuzu countered, "But Karin-chan, he's different from all the other boys. Admit it, he's special to you. You guys are best friends, just like Rukia-nee and Renji-kun were, and look at them now! They're getting married in two weeks. I'm just saying that it could happen to you, too."
"I think hell would freeze over first," said Karin, hunching her shoulders. Seeing Orihime's house, she sped up until she reached the building's staircase, vaulting up the steps two at a time. Her twin followed close behind, getting there shortly afterwards, panting from the effort to keep up with Karin. Glaring at Karin, Yuzu then pressed twice on the doorbell. Within moments, Orihime was opening the door wide, smiling as she saw who her guests were.
"Yuzu-chan! Karin-chan! Come in, come in. I was just starting to make dinner. Here, you just go and sit down, make yourselves comfortable," their brother's girlfriend and almost-sister-in-law insisted, ushering them inside. Yuzu protested, of course, and soon she was joining the healer in the kitchen, and hopefully keeping the menu somewhat tamed. Not that Karin particularly minded Hime-nee's cooking; she knew how to make normal food from years of having Tatsuki over. It was just weird watching her eat the things she made for herself. Shrugging, Karin left them to it and flopped down on the couch, digging up the remote and turning the t.v. on.
"Karin," called Yuzu a few minutes later. She sounded really enthusiastic about something.
"What, Yuzu?" asked Karin absentmindedly.
"We're wondering if we should invite Otou-san over, too. What do you think?" Yuzu asked.
"Sure, Yuzu," replied Karin, not really paying attention, as she was absorbed in watching an episode of Don Kanonji's show. She wondered what the old geezer was up to. Well, she'd probably find out when he dropped in for his yearly visit. Speaking of visits…
Karin pulled out Toushirou's letter and opened it. A few seconds later, she was laughing hysterically as she read his irate message. Exasperatedly, he related the tale of how he'd been conned into chaperoning the Women's Association here in the Real World. He'd get there in a week, and would be staying for just as long. Sitting up, Karin grinned in anticipation. It was rare for him to stay for so long, and she was looking forward to challenging herself and taking him on in a few soccer games. Leaning back on the couch, she tensed when she heard shouts from the kitchen.
"Karin, Rukia-nee and the others are coming to visit!" Yuzu squealed excitedly.
"I know," said Karin, relaxing. "Just read Toushirou's letter. Seems a bit weird though, having her bachelorette party here."
"Karin, it's not just that! They'll get to do do some last-minute shopping and things, take care of a few personal needs, things like that. And it's also just to relax a bit right before the wedding. Besides, since we're her bridesmaids and Hime-nee's her maid of honor, it's our duty to throw her a bachelorette party!" continued her twin, waving Momo's letter around. Orihime was doing the same with Rukia's.
"Let me guess: Matsumoto already has a few suggestions for where to hold it," Karin said suspiciously.
"Yes! How did you know?" replied Yuzu, impressed.
"This scheme has her name written all over it," Karin retorted, walking over to the kitchen to join the other two. "But at least she has a valid reason this time around for visiting. It'll be nice to see everyone else, too."
Hime-nee smiled brightly at her and spoke, "I'm so happy Rukia-chan is coming! I've missed her so much! She wants all of us to go shopping for bridesmaids' dresses, and I know just the store for that."
"Oh, yeah. We need the same style of dresses as bridesmaids," said Karin. It looked like that black dress would have to wait for another occasion. Looking over at her older "sister," Karin continued, "Hime-nee, how is your 'project' going?"
"It's going great!" Orihime exclaimed. "Do you want to see?" Leaving the kitchen, she came back a few minutes later, bringing a scrapbook.
Opening it, she showed them pictures of Renji and Rukia throughout the years: Renji in hippie clothes, his ear being pulled by an irate Rukia. The two of them laughing at the camera, in the middle of a group of friends. A solemn photo, both dressed in shinigami regalia. Rukia, sitting by a sleeping Renji's bedside, holding his bandaged hand. Renji bashfully holding out a bouquet of crushed flowers to Rukia. The two of them staring at each other from across the room, the photo taken without either of them noticing. There were also drawings of Chappy bunny, border patterns resembling Renji's tattoos, excerpts from Rukia's letters to Orihime, their wedding invitation, and other assorted mementos. On the last page was a drawing of a dark-haired girl stepping down from a star, her hand reaching out to a wolf with red fur standing upon a crescent moon. Below it were the words "Love can always reach the stars."
"This is perfect, Hime-nee! Rukia-nee'll love it!" Yuzu gushed.
"Ehehe," giggled Orihime, scratching the back of her head. "You really think so?"
"'Course she will. You're an awesome artist, according to those fancy critics. I mean, you've even got that gallery show coming up. This is the perfect gift for her," Karin stated.
"I sure hope so. It's not finished yet, of course. Ichigo-kun is supposed to bring some more photos with him tonight, and Matsumoto is delivering a few from Kuchiki-taichou," Orihime continued. "Oh, that reminds me! Here, you guys should eat up," she said, placing plates in front of them. "Isshin-san should be coming soon, and we'll leave as soon as he arrives."
"Wait, you invited Otou-san over?" asked Karin incredulously.
"Karin! You said we could! Besides, his van's the only car big enough to fit everyone when we pick Ichigo and the others up at the train station," Yuzu said.
"Ugh. I forgot about that. I can't believe we'll be stuck driving with that group of morons for hours," Karin muttered, digging into her plate.
"Karin! He's our brother! You should act a little more enthusiastic," Yuzu admonished.
"Please. Who wants to have that idiot hanging around? Honestly, Hime-nee, I don't know what you see in him," grumbled Karin.
Orihime only laughed, and the meal passed in pleasant conversation as she and Yuzu planned for the upcoming visit. After they finished eating and started cleaning up, the door swung open, revealing the biggest idiot of them all.
"My lovely daughters! I am here to act as your noble steed! Let us—oof!" he gasped as Karin kicked him.
"Whatever, old man. Let's just get into the van already. C'mon Yuzu, Hime-nee. I'll drive," Karin stated, handily plucking the keys from her father's hand.
"My Karin-chan is so strong and yet so violent! Oh, Masaki, at this rate we'll never have raven-haired grandchildren," her father lamented as Yuzu and Orihime tried to comfort him.
"Don't worry, Isshin-san, Toushirou-kun is coming to visit," Orihime said, patting his back as they climbed into the backseat of the van.
"What! My future son-in-law is coming! Karin, you must invite him to stay over!" crowed Isshin.
"No way, Otou-san! And what do you mean, 'don't worry,' Hime-nee? Don't tell me you're on his side now. Why doesn't anyone believe me when I say that there's nothing even remotely romantic between us?" said Karin through gritted teeth.
"Say that in twenty years, Karin, and we'll believe you," said her twin cheekily.
Groaning, Karin stared resolutely ahead, deciding to ignore her family. This was going to be one long car ride.
iii.
An hour later, they were at the train station, sitting by the luggage area, waiting for her brother and his friends to appear…and there they were. Really, with Ichigo's height and hair and loud voice, spotting him was way too easy. Of course, he was trading insults with Ishida, who was as cool and collected as ever. Chad observed them both in amused silence.
"Ichi-nii! Ichi-nii! Over here!" shouted Yuzu, waving happily.
"Hey!" Ichigo said as he reached them, easily blocking their father's attack and punching him aside, then giving Yuzu a hug and Karin a high five. When he got to Orihime, the substitute shinigami merely smiled and said, "Missed me?"
The healer beamed up at him and replied, "Nope. Not even a little bit."
Frowning, Ichigo tilted his head to the side and said, "Why not? I missed you."
"Silly! How can I miss you when you're always with me?" said Orihime, placing a hand over her heart. His eyes softening, Ichigo reached out to take her other hand. Just as he did so, a loud noise startled them both.
"Oh, Masaki! Another one of our daughters will be getting married soon!" shouted Isshin.
Scowling, Ichigo moved to kick him, yelling, "Damn it, old man! We're only twenty-two! Wait until we graduate from college first before you start making your weird plans!"
Everyone else started laughing, and they followed the rapidly moving Kurosakis out into the parking lot, watching Isshin nimbly dodge his son's attacks, and Ichigo chasing wildly after his father.
"They look happy, ne, Karin-chan?" Orihime said, looking at the girl she considered her younger sister. Karin smiled back at her, but Orihime noted a troubled look in her eyes. "Karin-chan—?" she started to ask. But Karin had already moved ahead, asking Chad about life at Tokyo University and grilling Uryuu about their pre-med program. Sighing, the troubled healer could only watch her go, turning to Yuzu. The youngest Kurosaki looked up at her, and the two exchanged the same worried glance.
"Karin's been out of it lately," Yuzu said. "I'm sure it's probably no big deal, but…"
"It will be fine, Yuzu-chan. Don't worry. I'll look into it," Orihime stated. Looking at Karin once more, she privately admitted to the sense of unease she'd felt ever since the young girl had walked into her apartment that evening.
There's something…different about Karin-chan's reiatsu. And I'm not certain if the change is good, Orihime thought to herself.
I'll have to keep an eye on her.
Endnote: And that's chapter four. Coming up in chapter five: Toushirou and Karin finally meet face to face! ^^
The last chapter title was taken from "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" by Robert Frost, and a special mention to Sparanda and Auditory Eden for guessing correctly! *applause, applause*
Please review! :D