Two updates in one day! What a roll. It'll probably be a few days until my next update ... or maybe not! We will see. Anyway, as promised here is chapter three. It's about three times as long as my other chapters, with a lot more content, some drama seeds have been planted, and some lime juice has been squeezed in there.

As always, I hope you all enjoy! Let me know your thoughts and feed back, and I'll get to work on the next chapter. The next chapter or two will probably have a lot of emotional reconciliation and more dynamic character interactions!

Dont forget Ino's party is coming up soon too. I wonder what could possibly go wrong there? Keep reading to find out!

~Sweetsugarstand

Chapter 3

Sasuke couldn't believe his eyes. For a moment, he thought that he might be hallucinating until her small arms wrapped around his neck and he felt her soft curves press against his chest. His arms automatically slid around her waist, tugging her close. As unreal as it seemed, she was really there: her touch, her voice, her scent…it was all real. Slowly, Sasuke pulled back, holding her at arms length. His eyes drank up her appearance. She was every bit as beautiful as the last time he saw her, if not even more so.

It took a long moment for him to finally work out what to say. "What are you doing here?" Sasuke asked. His mind was numb with shock and his heart racing with excitement, which confused him even further. He had long ago convinced himself that he would probably never see her again, yet here she stood.

A slight crease formed along her brow. "What do you mean? Didn't Mikoto-san tell you? I called yesterday, but she said you were out with friends…" Sasuke's thoughts removed themselves from her kissable pink lips that pouted at him ever so slightly and his eyes widened in realization.

"No…but I think she meant to. She mentioned a call, but my father and brother came home before she could finish," Sasuke explained. That must have been what his mother wanted to tell him! Part of him wished she had so he could have better prepared himself for this moment. The other part of him wasn't sure he would have known what to do with the information if he did hear it anyway.

Her lips formed a small 'o' shape. "Oh, well in that case… Surprise!" Her giggle sounded like a sweet song he could listen to on repeat all day.

A ghost of a smile tugged at his lips, "Yeah," he breathed, unsure of what to say. He glanced toward the class listing. "Did you see what class you're in yet?" She shook her head and explained she was waiting for the crowd to thin out so she could get close enough to read it. Figuring that would take far too long, Sasuke extended his arm to her. "Here, I'll give you a boost so you can see."

Thanking him, Kokoro stepped forward and let him hoist her up high so she could see over the crowd and find her name amongst the postings. A light blush tinted Sasuke's cheeks as he realized her chest was now level with his face and his thoughts began to wander once again, She grew larger… he noted, then cleared his throat, "Did you find it?" he asked, averting his eyes. He really shouldn't be thinking about her breasts…or her sweet black cherry scent.

"I think so…" Kokoro steadied herself with one arm on his shoulder and leaned forward just slightly. Her eyes narrowed to see better. "Yes! I found it." She motioned for him to let her down. She adjusted her uniform once back on her feet and thanked him. "I'm in class 2-A."

2-A, huh? She'd be in the class beside his, then. It wasn't surprising though. Kokoro had always been an intelligent young girl. They often shared the same class and studied together throughout their early years in school. "I'm in 1-A. We'll be beside each other," he told her.

"Well, that's not too bad," but Sasuke could hear in her voice that she was a little disappointed. "Do you have plans tonight?"

Sasuke shook his head. No. "Why?"

A smile that rivaled the sun spread across her cheeks as the warning bells tolled and suddenly the crowd of students shifted to flock the halls of the school to make it to class on time. Naruto could be heard in the distance calling for Sasuke to hurry it up unless he wanted to be late.

"Tonight," Kokoro said quickly, gripping his hands. "Come over after school. I have something for you, and I have so much to tell you."

"Sasuke!" Naruto called.

Sasuke glanced back at Naruto who was waving and pointing toward the doors. He gave him the signal to go in ahead of him. The blonde could be seen shaking his head and shrugging before heading inside. "Sure," Sasuke agreed. "I'll meet you by the gates."

"Okay." Before he knew it, Kokoro leaned in and placed a soft kiss directly on his lips. It was a quick, chaste kiss, but it swelled his heart and left a warm tingle on his lips all the same. "I'll see you."

—-

Never before had Sasuke looked forward to lunch as much as he did today. All morning his mind kept wandering away from the subjects he was supposed to be studying. Soft curves and warm lips, the smell of cherries and gentle caresses kept creeping into the back of his mind whenever he tried to focus on everything but that. Memories that he buried long ago resurfaced and nearly got him in trouble when his English teacher, Hatake Kakashi, called on him to answer a question that he hadn't heard a single word of.

When the bell tolled for lunch, Sasuke quickly left the classroom and shoved his books into his locker. He stiffened, feeling someone latch onto his arm before realizing it was only Sakura. She looked at him with a curious expression. "You seem awfully distracted today, Sasuke-kun," Sakura commented. She held two bento's in her hand, one of which was for him. "Something on your mind?"

"Not particularly…" Sasuke lied. He closed his locker door and took his bento from her. Naruto came up beside them with his own bento wrapped in an orange cloth. After learning that Naruto practically lived off ramen with his adopted father Iruka, Sakura had decided to bring both Sasuke and Naruto a bento every Monday.

A loud growl emitted from the blonde's stomach. "Come on, lets go! I'm starving," Naruto whined. Since it was a nice day, the three of them went outside to eat beneath the cherry blossom tree in the school yard. Ino and Hinata joined them, along with a disgruntled Shikamaru who was dragged against his will and Choji. Maybe some fresh air would help clear his mind…

It didn't. Sasuke ate his lunch almost robotically, catching random words of the conversation going on, but neither contributing or paying any attention at all. A sharp jab in the side drew Sasuke from his stupor. "Hm?" He grunted, glancing at Naruto.

"So?" Naruto asked. When Sasuke continued to stare at him blankly. Naruto rolled his eyes. "Where is your head today, man? You haven't heard a thing we've been talking about, have you?"

Sasuke shrugged. "I've just got some stuff on my mind…" From the corner of his eye, he could see a small frown tug on Sakura's lips since he told her earlier there wasn't. "It's nothing important." Just a lot of old memories he was trying to swallow down and even more unanswered questions and unresolved emotions.

Naruto hummed in thought. "Is it that girl?" He asked. People may have thought him an idiot, but he could be surprisingly perceptive at times. "You know, that one from this morning?" Earlier, Sasuke had been acting like his normal self. It wasn't until classes started that he started acting weird. It didn't take a genius to put two and two together. "What did she want? Did she blackmail you or something?"

Sasuke stared at Naruto with an unreadable expression. "What?" Where did blackmail come from?

It was enough to get Sakura and Ino's attention though. Hinata listened silently as usual while Choji probably only heard every other word between the crunching of his BBQ chips. "Blackmail?" Ino gasped. Sakura and her exchanged looks.

Oh great… Sasuke bit back a grimace. "No, I'm not being blackmailed," he said evenly. "You guys are making something out of nothing."

Sakura narrowed her eyes. "Then why are you dodging the question?" She asked, smart and perceptive as always. "What girl is Naruto talking about?"

Naruto nodded his head, wanting to know too. "I've never seen her before. Do you know her?"

Realizing they weren't going to let it go until they were satisfied, Sasuke caved and told them a little something to pacify their curiosity. "Yes," Sasuke sighed. "Our parents are good friends and we used to go to school together before I transferred here."

"So... you're friends?" Naruto simplified.

Sasuke shrugged his shoulders and didn't confirm or deny it. Yes, they were, but they were also more than that. He couldn't possibly explain the complicated nature of their relationship right now without having had a proper conversation with her first. Not to mention... The feeling of guilt festered in his gut. Sakura had no idea about Kokoro or that he had been in a serious relationship with her. More accurately, he had been in a serious relationship with her and never officially ended it before he started dating Sakura. He had just assumed after not hearing from her for several years she had probably moved on and he should do the same. It was a stupid, horribly thought out move driven by his bitterness with their situation. He was wrong. Kokoro had proved that to him this morning when she kissed him. And now he had himself two girls, neither of which knew anything about the other.

Curiosity bubbled within the group at the knowledge that Sasuke had a friend none of them had even once heard of or seen before. Not even Sakura or Naruto who frequented his house since they became friends. "Why haven't you ever introduced us before?" Sakura asked. If she was a close family friend she must have come around often.

"Yeah, why not? You never spoke about her," Naruto agreed.

There was no way out of this was there? Naruto to his left, Sakura to his right. Ino leaned forward with her ears on high alert for hot gossip, Hinata twirling her thumbs nervously... the only two that didn't seem interested were Choji, who continued to munch on his chips, but a little quieter, and Shikamaru, who cracked an eye open to see what was going on, but quickly shut it afterwards.

"It's a long story," Sasuke decided that the super abbreviated version would be plenty to satisfy them. "Right before freshmen year of high school her family had to move away on..." he hesitated, knowing he couldn't tell them what her family actually did. He chose a safe word, "business. They were gone for about three years and I guess they just got back." Sasuke closed his half eaten lunch. "We weren't able to keep in touch, so this morning was the first I've spoken to her in a long time."

A chorus of "ooh" and "hmm" surrounded him. Good. That answered their questions then.

Ino nudged Sakura. "Hey, we should invite her for lunch with us. If she's been gone that long and she's brand new to the school she must need some friends."

As good a place as Ino's heart was in, Sasuke wished she hadn't just said that. Everyone except for him seemed to think it was a great idea. "Will you introduce us tomorrow?" Sakura asked. It was obvious she was curious about this mystery friend of his.

No… Sasuke thought, but knew there was only one appropriate answer, "…I guess I can ask her…" If he said no, they'd be suspicious as to why. He could only agree and hope for the best, but he knew there was no good way out of this. No matter what he did, shit was going to hit the fan and he was going to be covered in it.

The conversation shifted again. Sasuke lost his appetite and put his unfinished bento to the side. It was only noon and he felt exhausted already. He was ready to take a leaf out of Shikamaru's book and kick back for a short nap for the rest of break. Now that everyone's attention was off him, Sasuke decided to do just that. He leaned back and tucked his arms beneath his head, closing his eyes for the last fifteen minutes.

—-

The Kage estate hadn't changed tremendously since the last time he was there. They must have hired hands to maintain the property in their absence. Sasuke followed Kokoro and her little brother, Koi, inside. Sasuke was surprised by how much Koi had grown. He was five the last time he saw him and only came up to his mid thigh. Now Koi was almost as tall as his sister. The men in her family definitely inherited the height genes.

"Everyone is most likely still at work," Kokoro said upon entering the house to complete silence. Like his family, her parents and brother worked long hours sometimes and the occasional extended trip wasn't too uncommon either. "Koi," the boy stopped in his tracks on his way towards the living room. "Make sure you finish your homework before dinner. You can play your games after."

The boy's lips formed a disgruntled pout as he changed course to go toward his room instead.

"Come on," Kokoro motioned for Sasuke to follow her. "This place hasn't changed at all. To be honest, it's sort of weird. It's my home, but it's been so long I feel nostalgic being back."

Sasuke could relate. It was like a trip down memory lane, remembering how much time he spent here and all the trouble they used to get in. Old pictures still lined the wall of a younger family, and even he appeared in some pictures with Kokoro and her siblings. Despite how long it had been, he still knew where everything was. "It must feel weird to be back."

Kokoro nodded. "Sort of, it does. But I'm happy to finally be home. I missed this place. Abroad, we travelled so often I don't think I bothered unpacking my bags at all. We barely stayed in one place for more than three days before we were on the move again."

"That sucks." Sasuke wasn't a huge fan of change. He could deal with it gradually, but he'd hate to constantly be on the move. He followed her into her bedroom and was both amused and surprised to see that it hadn't changed a bit.

Kokoro closed the door behind them and put her school bag by the cherry wood desk next to the window. "I seriously need to redecorate," she laughed off her embarrassment at her pre-teenish decor. It wasn't all that bad. The walls were a light lilac purple. Her two large windows were framed by thick dark purple black-out curtains with silver accent ties to keep them open. Knowing how much she hated waking up, he guessed those stayed shut late into the morning on weekends. Her queen bed was pressed against the corner wall and dressed with white sheets and an embroidered comforter. The old white rug was graying and needed to be replaced. Her furniture was all constructed from dark cherry wood and held a variety of her personal items. A trunk sat open by her large walk in closet, half unpacked. His eyes caught sight of a worn white bunny plush that sat in the middle of her bed. He picked it up and looked it over.

"You still have this?" Sasuke felt a smirk tug on the corner of his lips, seeing her face turn red.

"Of course I do!" She exclaimed. He had won it for her forever ago at the first festival they went to as boyfriend and girlfriend when they were twelve. "I took it with me when we left, too." Judging by how ruffled it was, she must have slept with it close every night. Placing the bunny back down, Sasuke took a seat on the side of her bed.

She never let go, Sasuke realized. He felt disappointed in himself for ever thinking otherwise and guilty for betraying her faith in him. As much as he didn't want to, he had to tell her the truth and take the consequences as they came. Clasping his hands in his lap, Sasuke took a deep breath and -

"I'm sorry," Kokoro said suddenly, stopping him in his tracks. She sat down beside him and placed her hand on top of his.

Why was she apologizing?! Sasuke was confused. "For what? You don't have to apologize for anything." If anyone needed to apologize it was him.

"Yes I do. When I left, I promised you I would come back soon and I would try to keep in touch somehow..." Kokoro bit her bottom lip and looked crestfallen at her lap. "I did try - but I didn't realize at the time how difficult that would be. The mission my parents were on was extremely difficult and highly confidential. My phone was confiscated, so I couldn't use that. Computer use was limited to homework only. Emails could be too easily hacked and traced. I thought of sending normal mail, but I couldn't do that either... if it got intercepted it could have been bad and put you and your family at risk as well."

So that's why... in the back of his head he had known there was a good explanation for everything, but he had ignored it and chose to sulk and assume the worst instead. He didn't blame her for what she couldn't control. "That's not your fault," Sasuke reassured her.

"But for three years...?" He could hear the unsteadiness in her voice and felt the slight tremble of her fingers. "A small part of me thought for sure that you'd forgotten me by now."

Sasuke cupped his hand over her's and gently squeezed her hand to comfort her. "Don't be ridiculous. I could never forget you." Believe him, he tried and failed miserably. "I told you," Sasuke repeated, "it's not your fault."

There. A small smile tugged on the corners of her lips. She pulled her hands from his and gave him a tight hug. Sasuke wrapped an arm around her slim waist and held her close. They stayed like that for several moments, and afterwards rather than pulling back, Kokoro moved closer. She threw one of her toned thighs over his hips and slid into his lap. Her hands trailed from around his neck to cup his face and pulled him into a soft kiss.

Alarms went off in Sasuke's head; he was supposed to be explaining his situation to her, not kissing her. But the way her lips caressed his own and her sweet intoxicating taste muffled all warnings. Her tongue pressed against his lips and despite himself, Sasuke granted her access. It was a lot easier to indulge in desire than it was to break her heart. The kiss quickly became more passionate than either of them intended as three years of desire came crashing to the surface. Kokoro tangled her fingers in his dark hair. Hot breaths mingled in between kisses and light nips. Sasuke grabbed her hips and slid one hand beneath the hem of her shirt. Her abdomen flexed at his touch and he felt her thighs squeeze his hips.

One of her delicate hands slid down his shoulder, over the expanse of his chest, and grabbed the collar of his school uniform. Quick, nimble fingers pulled his tie loose, unfastened his buttons, and pushed his shirt open. Kokoro raked her nails along his pictorials. The pads of her fingers traced his abs dangerously close to the hem of his pants, which were beginning to feel incredibly tight. Sasuke broke their kiss and dropped his head. He felt her shudder in his lap as his breath fanned over her neck. Licking his lips, Sasuke dove in and attacked her neck with kisses and soft bites. He pressed his tongue against her pearly white skin and sucked on the pressure point in her neck.

"Aah-mmmah..."

Oh how he missed that sound! Sasuke raked his teeth along her collar bone, groaning as she rubbed her heat against the straining bulge between his legs. He led a trail of kisses down to the soft flesh of her breasts, both hands grasped her bra-clad mounds, and... Sasuke paused, pulling back. "When did you...?" He had been so distracted by her moans and wiggling hips that he completely failed to notice when she unbuttoned her own shirt, revealing her lacy white bra. He hadn't been imagining things earlier; they really were at least twice the size they were the last time he saw her.

Giggling, Kokoro pressed her palms to his chest and pushed him into his back before he could burry his face in her prominent cleavage. Sasuke stared up at the young woman straddling his lap with lust in his eyes and desire burning in his loins. By the gods, if she wasn't the most beautiful creature he had ever seen... her sweet face was flushed red, framed by tousled dark purple hair that cascaded over her shoulder. Her unbuttoned blouse draped off her shoulders, while her tie hung loosely around her neck, resting against her cleavage. Her breasts moved with each deep breath she took, and he imagined fondling them, perky and swollen, with his hands and mouth. Her skirt was bunched at her hips giving him a glimpse of her lavender panties and thigh highs. Sasuke cupped her cheek, staring into her eyes. Her irises were darker than normal, glazed over with excitement and passion. Her swollen lips curled into a voluptuous smile.

Sasuke grasped her around the waist and in one swift motion, reversed their positions so he was on top of her. Kokoro looped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer. "Sasuke..." she breathed against his lips. Their tongues met in oral combat, tasting and tangling with one another while their hands continued to relearn every nook and cranny of their matured bodies.

This was it, Sasuke thought. This was what he had been missing all along to finally fill the empty hole in his chest that nothing seemed to fix. He wanted her; he needed her soft touches and warm caress, her intoxicating scent, and tantalizing sounds. He had missed her; missed her so much he could hardly admit it to even himself.

Sasuke pressed his body flush against hers, feeling every curve trapped beneath him. Kokoro wound her arms around his neck and shoulders. One of her legs hooked around his waist and the other locked around one of his thighs. Sasuke felt her core, hot and wet, through his slacks and rocked his hips against the sensitive juncture between her thighs. Kokoro threw her head back, arching her back as she ground her hips against his. Her fingers fisted the back of his shirt and began tugging the fabric from his shoulders. Sasuke shrugged his shirt off and cast it aside, enjoying the feeling of her nails raking against his skin as she bit and sucked at his ears while writhing and mewling beneath him.

He wasn't going to be able to wait much longer. Fire burned in his cock begging to be released from its clothed confines. He wanted to tear off her remaining articles of clothing and plunge deep into her pleasurable abyss. He needed to be inside her now! Just as he began slipping a hand beneath her skirt to remove her panties, something began to vibrate in his pocket. His phone. Sasuke stopped, the haze that had taken over his mind slowly dissipating. Kokoro unlatched her lips from the nape of his neck and glanced at him curiously. "Do you need to get that?"

Her gentle, patient smile killed him.

The buzzing stopped, but that momentary distraction was enough to remind him exactly where and when he was. For a moment it had felt as though he was fifteen again, about to make love to the girl of his dreams. But he wasn't. He was eighteen and about to sleep with the woman he loved, by ultimately lying to her about cheating on her by cheating on his current girlfriend. How the hell did things get messed up so quickly? He wasn't the type for drama, and yet here he was about ready to get caught in the ultimate shit show.

Regaining his self control, Sasuke slowly untangled himself from between Kokoro's arms and legs and sat a couple feet away. He needed to tell her now, before things continued to escalate too far. As badly as he wanted her, he couldn't allow himself to betray anymore of her trust by taking advantage of her like this. He couldn't do that to Sakura either. He may not love her, but he did care for her plenty. "No…but I need to talk to you about something."

Noticing how serious he suddenly was, Kokoro sat up. "What is it?" Worry reflected in her eyes, wondering what could possibly be wrong. "Is everything alright?"

The words stuck in his throat. It hurt to even try and say them. With no good way to come out with it, Sasuke decided to make it quick, like ripping off a bandaid. "Kokoro...I need to be upfront with you. I... can't do this with you anymore. I have a girlfriend."

There was a long, uncomfortable silence between them. Sasuke tried to avoid looking at Kokoro's confused and bewildered expression. "...What...?" she finally spoke, her voice barely above a whisper. "What are you talking about? I thought..."

He couldn't blame her for being confused. It wasn't her fault; it was his. He hadn't been able to communicate with her once until today, and when he made the decision to give dating Sakura a chance, he had no way of telling her. Honestly, he didn't expect the relationship to go anywhere, and if Kokoro had been able to communicate with him even once to tell him her situation he probably never would have said 'yes' to Sakura, but he did and the principal of the matter was that Sakura was now his girlfriend and he couldn't justify lying to or betraying either one of them.

This was probably going to be about as hard for him to explain as it was for her to hear, but he needed to. "I…Ko, I waited for over two years and when I never heard a word from you or your family, I thought maybe you had moved on. I had no way to contact you or anything and I had no idea when you'd ever be back…" or if she'd even be back, but that was no excuse for what he had done. Sasuke swallowed the lump in his throat. "Over the spring semester, Sakura confessed that she had feelings for me and I agreed to go out with her," Sasuke said. "I should have told you sooner, but I kept hesitating…I didn't mean to hide it from you."

After another long pause, Sasuke glanced at her and instantly wished he hadn't. Kokoro had turned her face away so he could only see her profile, but it was still enough for him to see how hurt she was. Kokoro was normally very good at putting on a happy-go-lucky front even on the worst of days. She was the type of girl that was optimistic and never let challenges stand in the way of what she wanted. Throughout all the time he had known her, he had only seen her upset enough to cry a handful of times. The fact that her eyes now welled with unshed tears was a testament to how bad he fucked up.

If only he could go back and time and stop himself from ever being so stupid in the first place...

There was more he wanted to say; he wanted to reassure her that his feelings for her never faded and he would do whatever it took to make things right between them, but as soon as he opened his mouth she held up a hand to stop him before he could say more than, "Ko..."

Her face was tight as she took several deep breaths to compose herself. Finally, she softly said, "Don't. Don't apologize." Her lips trembled with every word. "I'm going to need some time to process this. Just...give me a few days." Despite the softness of her voice, Sasuke noticed her fingers curled into tight fists in her lap. As much as he wanted to do something for her, he knew she was bottling up all her pain and confusion, and she'd continue to do so until he left. Even though he had more to say, he understood that she wanted to be of clear mind when they spoke.

"Okay," Sasuke agreed. If that's what she needed, then he could respect that.

Kokoro quickly wiped her eyes and took a deep breath. She held her hand out to him. "Let me see your phone," she requested. Curious, Sasuke pulled his phone out. He quickly glanced to see that the missed call was from his mother. He'd call her back on his way home. He put in the password and handed it to her. Kokoro poked at the screen a bit before handing it back. It was her phone number. "I got a new phone when we got back," She told him. "Text me later so I can have yours?"

Well. She didn't hate him, Sasuke determined. He nodded. "Sure. I'll do that." He stood up to let her have some time to herself to work out her thoughts. Sasuke grabbed his discarded shirt off the floor and slipped it back on. Before he left, Kokoro grabbed a small box off from her bed side table and held it out to him.

"This is for you," She told him.

That's right. She said she had something for him earlier this morning. "Thank you," he said, accepting it from her. Inside the box was a beaded onyx bracelet with a red and orange fire gem between two dragon heads. "That's cool, thanks," Sasuke said again, slipping it on. He glanced up at her to see a half smile on her lips despite the fact that she looked she was still fighting the urge to resist breaking down in front of him. "I can show myself out...you should get some rest," Sasuke finally said. He hesitated, looking over her rosy cheeks and glossy eyes. He wanted to give her a hug and tell her things would work out, but he didn't want to push it. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah, see you."

As he left, Sasuke heard her breath hitch as soon as the door closed behind him. He gritted his teeth and forced himself to leave, pausing by Koi's room to make sure the kid was doing what he was supposed to and didn't need anything. It was the least he could do after what he just dropped on her. He had a feeling Kokoro wouldn't want to be bothered any time soon.

"Hey," Sasuke greeted at the bedroom door. "I'm heading out. Do you need anything? Ko's not feeling too good so try to let her rest if you can."

Koi jumped up from whatever homework he was doing and ran over to give him a hug before he left. He wasn't a super gullible kid though and instantly picked up on his semi-lie. "What's wrong with nee-Chan? She seemed fine earlier."

Sasuke placed a hand in his head and and ruffled his deep purple hair. "Nothing serious. She's just got a headache. Let her take a nap and she'll feel better."

Not completely convinced, Koi gave Sasuke a scrutinizing looking before shrugging his shoulders and nodding. "Okay," he said. "When will you be back? Next time can you play some games with me?"

"I'm not sure, but I'll try to soon." He wasn't about to go making promises, but hopefully he'd be back soon. "I have to go now. Be good," Sasuke told him with a little wave as he went to leave.

Nodding, Koi let him go. "See ya, Sasuke-nii." As he left, Koi headed back over to his desk to finish his work.

Sasuke showed himself out and headed home with a heavy and unresolved heart.

Chapter 3 end!