Prelude To Memories

"I fucked him. Twice." Shinji said without preamble, even before he sat in the chair across from the blond man.

Kisuke's eyebrows shot up into his hairline and his eyes grew large. They had decided to meet at Kisuke's office this week because of the weather, the torrential rain putting a bit of a damper on their otherwise scenic therapy sessions.

"Well, it's been quite a week for you I take it then." Was all the older man said.

Shinji sighed as he threw himself down into the plush chair and looked out the window to his left. "I'm an idiot." He said quietly, almost as if to himself.

Kisuke nodded his head and sighed, not specifically agreeing with Shinji's self assessment, but more trying to take the weight and the tone of the spoken words in as he thought about them.

"So, start from the beginning." He said, pushing Shinji a bit.

Shinji didn't look away from the window as he spoke but the older man watched him intently nonetheless. The moment Nnoitra's name had left his lips his entire frame tightened, his arms crossing over his stomach as if it pained him and his brows coming together in a frown. However, the older blond noticed that his lips shook slightly as he spoke about him, his eyes were soft and filled with longing and his voice, the largest tell of all, was quiet but tinged with hope. When Shinji was finished with his story, even telling about his brief conversation with Yumi in his office, the room went quiet as each man collected his thoughts.

"I…," Shinji started and then sighed, leaning back into the chair he hadn't realized he was so stiff in. "I don't know whether I'm ashamed of myself for letting it happen, or if I want to…." He swallowed and shook his head, still looking away. "Forget everything." He whispered.

Kisuke cleared his throat and sat forward in his own chair. "Explain to me why you want to feel ashamed."

Shinji snorted. "All these years of hate and pain and anger directed at him and after a couple weak moments on my part I'm about to forget all that? What's not to be ashamed about?"

"Do you want to forgive him just because the sex was good?"

"No!" Shinji said quickly, turning and for the first time meeting Kisuke's eyes. "I mean… I don't know. He's told me he missed me. That he thought about me all the time. He's been callin' me every night since the time at my office. He even called me last night and asked me to come over and hang out." A smirk tilted his lips. "Well, actually he said, 'Yo Blondie. C'm over fer a bit tanight. Don't gotta get naked this time if ya don't wanna.' That's Nnoi-speak for no sex." He clarified, his smirk shifting into a smile as he looked down at the carpeted floor.

"Have you two spoken of the past at all?"

He shook his head. "Not at all really." He shifted in his seat and brought his legs up to sit Indian Style. "I mean, the last two times we saw each other we were kinda preoccupied ya know. And when he calls me I don't let him talk long." He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "I don't know what to do or what to feel. I wanna hit him and hug him and kiss him and break one or more of his bones and scream how much he hurt me and whisper how much I missed him and want…." His eyes widened and he shook his head.

"Say it."

Shinji frowned and opened his eyes, focusing on a picture across the room. When he spoke his voice was so quiet Kisuke would have had to lean forward had he not been anticipating what he said. "How much I want him back."

The words echoed in his mind as if he had screamed them from the top of a mountain, repeating until finally slowly fading away. Those words scared him more than anything else he had said and brought about more emotions than he wanted to deal with.

"Did you go over last night?" He asked curiously.

Shinji shook his head. "I told him ta stop callin' me at work and fuck off."

Kisuke smiled. "Well that wasn't very nice of you."

His lips twitched at that and he sighed again. "Yer gonna tell me ta talk to 'im ain't ya?"

Kisuke nodded. "You learn so quickly."

He sat up and rested his elbows on his knees for a moment before standing. "Not sure I'm ready for talkin' yet." He said quietly.

Kisuke pursed his lips a moment before grinning. "No time like the present to get unpleasant business out of the way so that life can continue to flow onwards unhindered."

Shinji only shook his head and walked to the door, opening it and closing it behind him softly. He needed to think about things first. Really think.

He realized he had thought this before, many, many times before, but this job was killing him. It was only Wednesday and he was ready for the week to be over with so that he could just sit back and do nothing but sleep and pretend to watch television. He didn't hate the job, really, but for being such a lazy man Starrk was quite good at driving his men to exhaustion. When the whistle blew signaling the end of the day Nnoitra was tempted to shout out his glee, had he been a little less sore and tired. It still amazed him how out of shape he had gotten over the last two years. Before he had left jobs like this had been a piece of cake for him but now…. He quieted the little voice in his head that reminded him he wasn't twenty two anymore and headed to the bathhouse for a much needed wash. Living in the little shit hole he called home gave him money during the month that was most definitely needed. What with showering nearly every day and doing laundry twice a week it was nice to have the extra cash. As soon as he saved up enough though he was going to be looking for something a bit better. A place with it's own bathroom at least.

The scrub down felt amazing, the soak afterwards had turned his muscles to mush and with a fresh baked pizza with everything on it he was trotting almost happily home. He was going to eat himself into a coma and do it all over again tomorrow. Even the thought that at that very moment he was being looked in on didn't seem to bother him. Food, TV and sleep were about the only things on his mind at the moment. Oh yes, and Shinji of course. He hadn't really stopped thinking about the blond since he they had met and after finally getting the frigid bitch to open up a bit so that he could fuck him that had only intensified his thoughts. He'd stupidly enough caught himself daydreaming at lunch that day, the sight of something the same color as Shinji's long hair turning into sweet pictures of Shinji naked with his hair spread out around him like a fan. He had just been glad that no one could hear or see his thoughts because it had thoroughly embarrassed him and immediately set him in a bad mood.

Once his door was shut, the locks slid into place and the TV turned on, he pulled out the bed and tossed the box of pizza on it, not bothering to dirty a plate; he only had one of those anyway. He pulled his phone out of his back pocket and began his nightly ritual of annoying Shinji. He pressed and held the "one" button and waited for the ringing to begin; waited for that irritated voice to come over the line. Shinji seemed to know every time it was him and it almost made Nnoitra laugh.

"What now?" Shinji asked in his predictably irritable voice.

"Can't just call to say hi?"

"No, I said stop buggin' me at work, didn't I?"

Nnoitra chuckled. "Whatcha doin' Saturday?"

The line was quiet for a moment and Nnoitra wasn't sure if he had actually been hung up on or not until Shinji sighed.

"I'm busy."

"Doin' what?"

"Not that it's any of yer business but I'm goin' over ta okaachan's for a while."

Nnoitra nodded his head, a slow grin forming on his lips. "Yeah? So ditch out and come over."

"I'm not doin' that, 'specially fer you. And quit callin' me." Shinji snapped.

"Whatever. I'll see ya Saturday." He said before hanging up first. He had something he wanted to do that day and while he hoped it would lead to other things, it really wasn't necessary. But no matter what, he had to see Shinji that day.

He dropped his phone to the bed and had just pulled off his shirt, getting ready to unbutton his pants, when there was a knock at his door. He frowned at it but ultimately sighed and took the steps needed to answer it. Had he not been as tired as he was he would have thought to grab the rod he kept to deter late night visitors but the locks were already thrown before it crossed his mind. The door was barely open before a fist to his face caused him to fall backwards and hit his head on the edge of the pull out bed.

"You fucking bastard!"

Nnoitra grabbed the back on his head and glared up at the man who walked into his apartment and slammed the door behind him.

"The fuck?" He muttered when he noticed who it was.

"You stay the hell away from him! I won't stand by and let you fuck him all up again, you hear me?"

"The hell you talkin' about? That ain't any 'a yer business, Kitty Bitch." He retorted, pushing himself off the floor to glare menacingly down at the younger man.

"The fuck it isn't." Ichigo said, not intimidated in the least and actually puffing out his chest a little as he continued. "He was doing good, getting better and I won't have you fuck that all up. You have no idea what you leaving did to him. How fucked up he was after you left. What he did to himself after that. I'm not going to watch my best friend do that to himself again." He rambled before stopping long enough to take a deep breath and give Nnoitra the most menacing look the older man had ever seen on him. "You stay away from him or so help me I'll make you wish you never met me."

With that he tore the door open and left, Nnoitra blinking after him as the weight of his words seemed to sink in.

"Tch." He snorted before shutting the door and relocking it, rubbing his now sore jaw. He still didn't hit as hard as Shinji did.

With a quick shake of his head he finished taking off his pants, not letting Ichigo's words get to him, crawled up in the bed and grabbed the remote in one and hand a slice of pizza with the other. He was too tired to think about what he had said anyway. But he'd be sure to remind Grimmjow to keep a tighter leash on his bitch.

Ichigo did his best not to speed home but it was rather hard to do with how angry he was. He couldn't believe that less than an hour ago he had been happy, excited even. He had stopped by Solid Gold to tell Shinji the good news and ended up sitting for a moment and talking with Yumi while Shinji finished up speaking with a client. He and the older man weren't exactly friends but they could be friendly to each other. It was an offhand comment that had caught his attention and began to shift his mood.

"I wonder if we'll get another show any time soon." A girl with long dark hair and glasses had said from behind the bar and Yumi had chuckled softly.

"Oh, come on. Shinji's being rather cautious nowadays because of the last time."

Ichigo had frowned. "What are you two talking about?"

Lisa, the girl behind the counter, perked up a bit at the idea of spreading gossip about her boss but stopped at the look on Yumi's face. She sighed dramatically and stepped away from the two men to assist a customer. Yumi swiveled in his seat, checking slyly around to make sure no one was listening to them. He loved to gossip and happily did so at every opportunity, but this was a different situation.

"It seems that Saturday was a rather eventful afternoon for Shinji. He had a… rambunctious visitor and ended up 'christening' his office with him."

Ichigo had blinked stupidly at the man for a moment as he tried to figure out what he was talking about. He'd never understand why people couldn't just say what they were thinking outright instead of running circles around the point.

"What?"

Yumi had sighed and rolled his eyes, managing to make the move look graceful. "Shinji's ex came to his office and they fucked on his desk. Loudly I might add."

He of course didn't believe what was told to him. He was sure that Yumi had some how gotten things wrong. Perhaps Shinji had just… no it had to be someone else. Shinji wasn't stupid enough to sleep with Nnoitra again. Not after everything that had happened. He was still reeling from the news when Shinji bounced happily up to him and led him back to his office. Ichigo's eyes went immediately to the desk, not really knowing what he was looking for but hoping to see something that would discount what he had been told.

"So, ya said ya had good news." Shinji said expectantly as he sat on the edge of his desk.

Ichigo nodded. "Yeah. As of next week I'll be part of the new surgical staff at the hospital." He said in a distracted tone.

Shinji's face lit up. "Oh my God! That's great, Ichi!" He hugged Ichigo tight but pulled away when Ichigo hadn't bothered to move.

"Ichi?"

"Shin, did… has Nnoitra been bugging you?"

He hadn't known what to expect but it wasn't the blush that crept up into Shinji's cheeks, nor the fact that he looked away when he spoke.

"Don't worry about it Ichi. It's nothin' I can't handle."

"Shinji." Ichigo had used his warning tone but had been cut off when honey eyes shot up and blazed into his own.

"Ichigo, I'm a big boy. I can take care of my own shit, alright? If I say don't worry about it I mean don't worry about it, okay?"

They hadn't said much after that and Ichigo had left with no definite plan on what to do next. He wasn't even sure how he knew where to find Nnoitra or what he would do when he got there but for some reason he was suddenly standing at his door, rage filling his every pore. The moment he saw the man his mind had gone blank and he had acted.

Now in the car he was practically shaking with the need to go back and finish the job. He took a deep breath to steady his nerves and drove straight home. Seeing Grimmjow and the kids would hopefully help calm him down.

"Happy birthday Shin-chan!"

Shinji blinked up at his mother's face and frowned before looking over at his clock. It was three-forty-eight in the morning, the exact time of his birth and his mother never failed to remind him of that.

"Thanks, okaachan. Can I go back to sleep now?"

"'Course not!" Etta said, jumping on the bed beside her son and kissing his cheek. "The celebration starts now, ya know that!"

Shinji groaned and tried to roll away from her. He was too tired to celebrate his birthday at the moment. He'd just crawled into bed at midnight for fuck's sake.

"Okaachan, pleeeease." He whined. "Let me get some sleep. 'M tired."

Etta kissed Shinji's cheek and smoothed his hair back from his forehead. "If I let ya sleep fer a bit ya gotta help me decorate fer the party."

"Fine. Whatever. Sleep." He said in a grouchy tone that caused his mother to laugh quietly at him.

He didn't hear her leave, was already back to sleep by then, but it seemed mere minutes before his phone was ringing. It may have been the lack of sleep helping his sour mood but he was going to blame everything on Nnoitra. He had last called Shinji on Wednesday and Shinji, having already gotten used to him calling every night had struggled with his apparent disappointment at receiving no further calls after that. Which would have been irritating enough as it was but to have Nnoitra forget that Saturday was his birthday made his mood even fouler. And that was really all his wanting to hang out on Saturday meant to Shinji, why the man didn't get that he would be at his mother's that day. He had forgotten Shinji's birthday but still wanted to fool around.

Shinji grumbled out a few curses and reached for his phone before grunting in reply.

"Shinji?" At another grunt from the blond man, Ichigo chuckled. "Happy birthday grump."

"Shinji's not here right now. Call back next year." He muttered as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

Ichigo chuckled again and sighed. "I'm surprised okaachan hasn't forced you out of bed yet. It's almost ten."

"I told her I'd help decorate for my own party if she left me alone for a while." He yawned and sat up out of bed. If it was already ten in the morning he wouldn't be left alone very much longer anyway.

"What time do you want us over there?" Depending on Shinji's answer they might have to start packing up soon, a task that usually took up to and mostly over an hour to accomplish.

"Okaachan wants everyone there by noon I think. I'm half surprised she hasn't ordered a clown and shit." He yawned again and stood to stretch.

"Don't count that out. You remember when you turned fifteen and she insisted we all play pin the tail on the unicorn?"

"Oh God. Don't remind me of stupid shit." Shinji groaned and laughed at the same time.

"Alright then, we'll see ya around noon."

Luckily for Shinji his mother hadn't gone completely overboard, though the balloons and streamers did seem a bit much for a twenty fifth birthday party; or gathering as she insisted on calling it. If it was a gathering Shinji didn't understand why they needed to dress up the backyard, especially with the threatening clouds overhead.

"Okaachan, it's gonna rain ya know."

"No it ain't." Etta cheerfully smiled as she placed a tray on finger foods on a table set up just inside the door to the backyard.

"'Kay, but when everythin' gets ruined don't cry."

Etta stood up on her tip toes and kissed Shinji's cheek. "Quit bein' a grump. It's yer birthday!"

"Yay." Shinji said rather unenthusiastically, raising his arms to do a small, weak happy dance. He was pissed off for three reasons today, four if you counted the fact that the reasons themselves pissed him off. Nnoitra hadn't called two nights in a row, had apparently forgotten his birthday and he felt like he had gotten zero sleep because of it. And it pissed him off.

Etta smacked Shinji in the back of the head and skipped away from him. "Cheer up or ya ain't gettin' yer present!" She called back to him in a sing song voice from the house.

"What? Now way!" He cried out indignantly as he followed her back inside. Okaachan's presents were always the best.

They were running late. The kids were screaming in the car, Grimmjow was working through the noise on a report that hadn't gotten done the day before, and Ichigo already had a headache. As soon as he was able the five of them were going on vacation with a tag along babysitter… or three. He was ticking off names of potential victims when he knocked once on the door to his childhood home, opening it before his knuckles even met wood. He had to pick up Karin for the party, Yuzu was getting a ride from a study partner and would meet them there. He didn't mind going out of the way to do this but he still wanted to hurry up a bit.

"Karin!" He called out once he was in the kitchen and sighed when he heard no response.

He sighed and headed up the stairs to his old bedroom which Karin had taken over five minutes after he had moved out. He was about to tap on the door when he heard voices and instantly gave in to the urge to listen in.

"I think it would be disrespectful, that's why." A low voice said quietly and Ichigo frowned when in the same instant he realized it was a guy and he was in Karin's room… and the door was shut.

"Quit being such a prude." Was Karin's quick reply.

There was a sigh and Ichigo scowled. "Karin, perhaps I should go…."

"God, you idiot!" Karin cried out and there was a thud followed by and "oof", before the unmistakable sounds of kissing could be heard. Ichigo's eyes widened and before he could stop himself he flung to door wide open.

The young man was on top of his sister, body pressed too close for someone who had apparently just been ready to leave. Wide turquoise eyes met his with a genuinely shocked expression, but Ichigo wasn't looking there. No, his eyes were focused on the hand cupping his sister's breast, her own hand covering it as if to hold it in place.

"What the hell, can't you knock first?" Karin bit out, pushing the young man back as she sat up.

"You… what the hell are you doing in here? With him?"

Karin rolled her eyes and adjusted her shirt, tossing the young man still kneeling stiffly on the bed a look. "Well, I was going to make out with my boyfriend but you screwed that up."

"B-boyfriend?" His voice had cracked ever so slightly on the word but if anyone noticed nothing was said.

"Yes, Ichi-nii. Boyfriend. I am twenty years old now you know."

Suddenly the young man was bowing before him and it was all Ichigo could do not to hit him as hard as he could over the head.

"Please forgive me, sir. It was not my intension to be in this kind of situation with your sister."

"Shiro, stop it."

"Have you told dad about this?" Ichigo asked, still trying to resist those evil urges.

"Yeah, I did. And he freaked out just like you're doing. Why can't any of the men in this house be normal and say, 'Hello, nice to meet you.'?"

When the young man righted himself again Ichigo was struck rather violently by the realization that he knew this kid.

"You… you lived next door to me. You're the blonde lady's kid, T-T…."

"Toushiro Hitsugaya." He nodded and frowned down at Toushiro.

"The hell is taking… so…." Grimmjow said, stopping in the doorway and letting his sentence trail off as he took in the situation.

"Yo, Grimm." Karin said, tipping her head in a typical male greeting.

Grimmjow took a few more seconds to look at everyone in the room before a grin stretched his lips and he threw his head back to bark laughter at the ceiling.

"Fuckin' rich man." He crowed.

"This isn't funny!" Ichigo called out after Grimmjow as he turned and headed back downstairs.

"Just hurry up and get in the car. We're already late." He thought it was great Karin was seeing someone; about time actually.

"You wouldn't feel this way if it were Tomo."

Grimmjow froze in his steps and looked back over his shoulder in time to see Karin kick out her brother's knee. Ichigo was right though, just the thought of Tomoe with some guy…. He bit back the urge to kill and sent a glare at the young man that clearly displayed his dislike. Toushiro gulped once but otherwise made no display of emotion.

"Get your shoes, Shiro. And grab the bag from the kitchen table." Karin called out as soon as they were at the bottom of the steps. At her brother's strange looks she smiled sweetly. "Shinji said I could bring a date if I wanted to."

Grimmjow and Ichigo both sent glares at Toushiro as he followed Karin out the door, eyeing the hand the drifted close to the small of her back. This was going to be a very long car ride.

All in all it had been a great party. Kids screaming, Karin and Grimmjow doing their best to kick the other's ass on Shinji's vintage Street Fighter on his like-new SNES, watching Ichigo dance awkwardly with a four year old girl demanding his every speck of attention. Even catching his mother sneaking a kiss from Ichigo's dad hadn't been that bad. Okay, it had been bad, but he had just pretended that it never happened anyway. He had gotten some really great presents, eaten really good home cooked food, and spent time with people he cared about. He couldn't have asked for much better.

Grimmjow was out at the car, putting the kid's things inside it so that they could go home when he was greeted by a voice he hadn't expected to hear that day.

"Yo." Nnoitra said as he walked up to him, his hands deep in his pockets and a grin on his face.

"The fuck you doin' here? Blondie know yer comin'?"

Nnoitra shook his head. "Nah, thought I'd pop in and snag some free food."

Grimmjow chuckled and went back to putting things in the car, wondering how they had come there in the first place with so much stuff. Nnoitra walked slowly up to the front door, rapping against it harshly. He had originally planned to try and meet up with Shinji at his house after this party but it was getting late and Nnoitra had grown impatient. And there was a very real possibility that Shinji would stay over at his mother's that night. When the door opened and wide blue eyes stared up at him for a moment before turning slightly somber he rolled his eye.

"He here?" He gruffed out, causing the small woman to grin at him and nod her head.

"In tha back." She knew these two needed some time to hash things out and she would be happy to referee that scene for them.

Nnoitra scowled at her and pushed his way inside, his stride carrying him to the backyard. He saw him instantly, reaching up to pull a string connected to a neon pink balloon. Shinji popped it with a chopstick and grinned, causing a sympathetic reaction in Nnoitra. He stepped out into the backyard, the setting sun casting shadows every which way, and waited a second to be noticed. Shinji's mouth predictably fell open and his eyes grew wide, snapping back behind Nnoitra as he voiced his displeasure at his mother.

"Why'd ya let him in?"

"'Cause ya two need ta talk." Etta said simply before closing the back door almost all the way and seemingly walking away from the door. Of course she didn't leave completely, staying just out of sight and hoping that she hadn't shut the door far enough so she couldn't hear what was being said.

Shinji sneered, crossing his arms over his chest defensively and sticking his nose in the air. "I toldja I was busy today."

"What, you afraid to let everyone know ya like me again?" Nnoitra taunted.

"I do not! And we have nothin' to talk about so go the hell away. Sorry ya wasted yer time." Shinji turned his back and pretended to busy himself with the plant behind him.

"What's goin' on?" Grimmjow whispered from behind Etta and she jumped, covering her mouth with her small hand.

"Jus' talkin' so far." She whispered and the both of them began to watch.

"I ain't leavin' till I give ya yer present, bitch."

Shinji paused and frowned over his shoulder. "Present? What for?" He asked with a pout to see what the other man would say.

"Yer fuckin' birthday, idiot." Nnoitra cocked a hip and let his eyes rake over Shinji.

Off in the distance the low rumble of thunder could be heard and Shinji's frown faltered just a little.

"So ya did remember it." He said quietly, turning his body to once again face Nnoitra.

"'Course I did. Why would I ferget it?" He asked, looking every bit confused at the thought.

"Well ya were gone fer two years. I thought…."

Nnoitra was suddenly in front of him, leaning over and grinning down at him. "Yer actin' like a fuckin' bitch. You gonna cry too." He teased cruelly and Shinji's softening look hardened.

"I ain't ever cried over you."

Nnoitra laughed softly and sneered. "Such a fuckin' liar."

"Oh yeah? Well then I guess yer not the only one." Shinji snapped and Nnoitra leaned back a bit, his eye narrowing.

"What?" He asked, his voice suddenly dangerously quiet.

His mouth moved without thought. "What was that last night together to you? Just a good fuck before ya took off? Was anythin' you said or did that night not a lie?"

"You fuckin'…." Nnoitra shook his head and licked his lips before curling his upper lip and speaking again. "Ya know what? Fine. Ya wanna know why I was so eager ta leave, is that it?"

"Yeah actually." Shinji said, raising his voice a little, his body unconsciously leaning forward in anticipation.

Nnoitra leaned forward again and grit out between clenched teeth, "Do you have any fuckin' idea how fuckin' humiliated I was."

Shinji blinked at him stupidly for a moment before a not so amused grin stretched his lips.

"The fuck'd you have ta be humiliated for?"

Thin, steel like fingers gripped the front of his shirt and lifted him, forcing him back into the high fence, his toes barely skimming the ground. Shinji's hands shot up to pull at the vise-like grip on his shirt, but it was of course in vain. Nnoitra leaned down close to him, his warm breath wafting over Shinji's cheek and a dark gleam in his eye. Shinji shrank a little at the anger radiating off Nnoitra.

"I have never said that to anyone in my life. And you fuckin' walked away from me."

He dropped Shinji then and took a step back, watching with a sense of detachment the way Shinji's face went slack and his eyes grew almost abnormally large. Nnoitra reached inside his pocket and pulled out a small package, tossing it at Shinji's feet.

"Happy fuckin' birthday, Blondie."

Shinji stared ahead of him for a long time, his legs and arms going numb as a single thought spun around in his head over and over again. So it had been his fault that Nnoitra had left after all. His chest clenched tightly and he placed his hand over the sore spot, rubbing at it. That sudden realization hit him harder than the thought of it all having been a lie. And it was all his fault. He let out a shuddering breath to hide a choking sob and looked down at the tiny package on the ground at his feet. His eyes fell closed and he let out another shaky breath.

"Shit."

A/N So I've been DEATHLY ill... well not deathly maybe, but still. Super, uber sicky sick. So I apologize that it has taken me so long to get this chapter out. I realize a lot happened in this chapter, and don't worry we ALL get to find out what exactly went done between Nnoitra and Shinji two years ago in the next chapter. I might even be able to dedicate the entire chapter to the "flashback" :D But yeah, I hope this one was worth the wait and I'll try really hard to get the next one out ASAP!

TWO POINTS OF INTEREST!

Firstly, there is a REALLY fantastic new GrimmIchi out there that some of you may have already seen called Chrysalis by dishrag-chan here on FFN. Now, I don't usually wax poetic about other people's work, especially here in MY author note, but this story is FUCKING FANTASTIC! It's well worth the read and the build up, the background and character building chapters are amazing and they don't take away from the story in the least like some do. The plot is well thought out and the writing style, while a bit unique, is easy to understand and flows like silk. EVERYONE should go check it out and review her and tell her what you think. She has two chapters out already, but being her beta (which I am) I have the perks of knowing that it just keeps getting better. Anyway, you can find her in my favorite authors section on my profile page, so please, please go check her out. :D

Secondly, I started to read aloud my stories. It all started with my best friend wanting to read my work, but she's a horrible reader and takes days to read one chapter so I usually ended up reading them to her out loud anyway. But since she works nine months out of the year out of town it makes that a little harder. So I got the idea from someone over at y!gallery to record the stories in my own voice and share them with her that way. Then I got to thinking, "Well this seems a bit of a waste to only share with one person." So, basically all of my works will, hopefully by the end of the summer, be available on audio. I've got two chapters of Dirty Me done already and out for the public. Two things though, I am reading smut and so I try and keep things, "Real". So yes, I moan and pant certain spoken phrases and it can get a little intense. If you can't handle something like that, by all means, don't listen. Second, it will only be available to people over eighteen. Since I'm vocalizing the graphic sex, among other things, I think that would be a bit more appropriate.

So, I yer interested in getting a hold of a recording all you have to do is sign up for a free account and y!gallery and message me, either here or there (same name both places) and I'll direct you to where you need to be. If not, well then disregard like everything I just said, ;p

Anyway Duckie's! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I look forward to hearing what you all think!

~Penny