Fragment 2: Deliver Me Into Kind Hands-Part II

The most severe of his injuries dotted his chest area, which was easily accessed through the zipper on the front of his leather jacket. It was a rather strange, intricate-looking outfit she remarked, and wondered what purpose it served exactly. Surely these weren't your average street-clothes, at least, not that she had ever seen anyone wear something like this in public. She eventually abandoned the thought when no occupation seemed right, and she didn't want to delve into the more sillier ideas like assassin or something like that.

Hotaru moved onto dressing the large, bloody wound that adorned the crown of his head. This was obviously what had knocked the boy unconscious, and it would likely keep him out for a few days, she decided. Him waking up in the next few hours would be nothing short of a miracle. She carefully and skillfully wrapped the bandages after cleaning and salving the wound, using her own lap as leverage to get better access to his head. When she finished, she carefully lowered his head back onto the couch and managed to scoot out from beneath him. Now, she would need for good old-fashioned rest to do its job.

What to do with the motorcycle was next on her list. She lived in what she considered a trustworthy neighborhood, but she'd hate to have to explain to the boy that his only possession had been stolen out from under her very eyes while he slept...it definitely wouldn't go over well. Not to mention, the police might tow it away as it was blocking a good portion of the street. Heading outside, through the front door, she saw the rain had let up only a little bit. The harsh downpour would more than likely last through the night and possibly on into the morning; she could only hope it wouldn't turn disastrous and signal the coming of a typhoon. Her house was a good deal away from the ocean, but she definitely could not wait out a natural disaster with an injured person on hand, despite all of her medical training.

She spent no time in going over to the bike and trying to prop it up. Obviously, it was as heavy as it appeared and she had quite the time pulling it into the upright position. It was a bike of sorts after all, she figured, and wheeled it in the same manner one would do a regular bicycle towards the back yard of her house. The backyard was beginning to resemble a mini-lake due to the rainfall, so instead, she quickly pulled the bike back into the little shelter meant for a car. It had once housed a car when Haruka had given her one, but Hotaru found she had little use for it as everything she needed was within walking distance and happily returned the vehicle back to her "papa". It hadn't been that long since she'd started living on her own and obviously, her parents were just trying to help her out along the way.

Hotaru looked the bike over once more, looking for a prop or a kick stand, and when she found something similar, engaged it. She left it very close to the wall in case it did decide to tip over; the shelter was an open one and the wind could get quite fierce. Either way, she wouldn't have to worry about this for awhile.

Heading back inside, she quietly closed and bolted the locks that adorned the door; Haruka having added an extra two or three just for the purpose of safety measures. She abandoned her soaked shoes at the entryway, and walked to a nearby closet to retrieve a towel, effectively drying herself off before she tracked more water into the house than was already present. Now that she got a good look, the way the boy had been dragged in had made a near transparent trail from the door to the couch which was now currently getting soaked from his body. She would have been crazy to have thought herself done at this point.

She quickly grabbed another three more towels, using one to wipe up the watery trail on the floor; according to Haruka, water stains might warp the new wood flooring. The other towels she set aside for the boy...he'd definitely catch a cold on top of his injuries if he laid in those wet clothes any longer. Of course, this meant de-robing him to dry him off, a task which at first she assured herself she could do. The indifference nurses and doctors shared for their patients was something she had picked up quite well from her medical studies, but the boy was quite handsome...almost an inhuman quality to his features. His features were soft and his hair parted at an angle...the skinny build and pale skin...he did not look unlike a girl, himself.

However, getting him out of his strange outfit would be an adventure in of itself. She figured she should start with what appeared to be...leg belts. A fine strap of leather was wrapped around each knee cap, ultimately connecting them, but was obviously freeing enough to allow him the freedom of movement without stumbling. She loosened the clasp and pulled it from its loops, setting it aside for later on one of the towels. She had already loosened the leather-straps in the shape of an 'X' that adorned his chest when she doctored his injuries, and now finished the job by loosening the back straps and removing the giant shoulder pads from their perch. They were heavy, almost too heavy...they felt like some kind of armor almost. She moved them onto the towel as well. Hotaru returned to the zipper and finally pulled it all the way down and softly shrugged him out of his long jacket. Ah, now she understood. The straps of leather around his knees were meant to keep the long jacket ends from billowing in the wind or getting in the way. She folded his jacket, placed it on the towel, and headed for the final piece of clothing: his pants.

She took a breath, trying not to seem embarrassed. She knew it wasn't possible, but it was almost as if her mind believed he'd wake up the moment she touched the zipper resulting in a rather awkward moment she'd prefer not to go through. Hotaru put on her best stone face, just like she'd practiced during her classes and pulled him out of his pants. Her face still flushed as she tried not to look and quickly threw the third and final towel over his body. She carefully ran the rough-edged towel over his body, leaving his head for last which she daintily patted at. The wound couldn't risked being opened again when, after all, his hair could simply dry naturally. Leaving him covered with only the towel for a moment, she ran upstairs to grab an extra blanket.

Thanks to his skinny build, it was really no trouble to lift him from the wet couch and wrap him up in the blanket. And thanks to Haruka's training, lifting him up wasn't much of a problem either. He still couldn't walk, but slinging his arm over her shoulders, she cautiously ascended the steps, hoping the blanket would stay on for the duration of the trip.

Making it to the guest room seemed to take ages. She lowered him onto the bed, taking extra care to make sure his head was being supported in the right way as not to damage the wound or cause him pain. If he was in pain, then there would be no way of him telling her about it.

Finally taking a deep breath, Hotaru plopped down into a nearby chair. She'd never felt so worn out and exhausted, almost wishing she could go to sleep right then and there. However, there was still something she had to do. Her stomach had been making the most ugly growling sound and she sought to quench it as quick as possible. There should have been some kind of left-over stew in the fridge; a remnant from the family dinner the 4 members of her adopted family had shared last weekend. She slowly but surely made her way to the kitchen to warm up the stew. Absentmindedly, she found herself making two bowls. Biting her lip, she couldn't bring herself to pour it into her bowl or into the trash...he might just wake up and be really hungry. She set the stew on the counter, covering its top with a freshly pulled piece of plastic wrap.

Taking her dinner to her room, she ate quietly, perusing over some well-read books. She didn't risk turning on the t.v. as it might have disturbed him. Again, she felt silly for thinking this. She didn't bother returning the bowl to the kitchen, much preferring to turn in for the night. It had to be close to 2 or 3 am by now, and it had been a rather exhausting day. She giggled a little bit turning off the light...there was a man sleeping in her house just one room over, and to top it off, it was a complete stranger. Haruka would have had a fit, even with knowing there was no possible way the boy could have regained consciousness any time soon.

She wasn't sure what she was expecting when she descended the stairs the next morning, groggy-eyed with last night's dinner bowl in hand. Hotaru glanced at the counter as she passed by. The bowl hadn't been moved or even touched since last night when she'd set it there. It more than likely wouldn't be that good after having set out all night, not to mention it was a left-over meal, so she simply chucked the stew into the trash. When both bowls were washed and put away, she softly crept back up the stairs, much like a child trying to sneak up on Santa Claus while he was laying out their presents.

The door was cracked, same as she had left it, and she poked her head inside. The boy was asleep, dead to the world. He looked to have not even twitched during the night. Not a hair on his head was out place, really, though the low heaving of his chest told her he was still alive. Hotaru was almost disappointed to see him still sleeping. During the course of her dreams she had gathered so many questions she'd wanted to ask him. She really should make a list of all of them even though it seemed silly. Walking around, she pulled the room's chair over to his bedside and sat down in it. Leaning over him, she softly touched his head, brushing a lock of silver from his face; it was almost like a mother's touch on the head of her child. It was loving and caring, and had he been awake at the time, he might have found her odd for doing this. But she couldn't help being reminded of the child patients previously under her care. He seemed so...helpless. Something about him told her that he was lost, possibly alone in the world.

How could she know any of this, though? They had never met before and obviously never spoken to one another. His facial muscles were relaxed, keeping any worry lines or expressions from being seen. His eyes...she could only imagine what they would look like. Would they compliment his silver hair, or stand out completely like her own purple eyes? He was a mystery to her, infinitely wonderful in the unknown. Hotaru felt weird talking about a complete stranger like this, but at least she had something to blame these feelings on, she told herself. He reminded her of a child that needed protection and care. The clock on the wall, still ticking in rhythm, gave a soft chime to signal the hour which caused the petite girl to heave a small sigh.

Although young in age, she had no college classes as it was the summer. And having finished her medical training, she had no further classes to attend for that. Hotaru had recently being trying to find herself a job, but couldn't decide just quite where she had wanted to work. She wanted to stay close to Haruka, Michiru, and Setsuna, but she did also want to branch out on her own and have some freedom. And not only that, she had gotten offers to work as well. One from the giant hospital in Tokyo where her father had previously stayed had come not too long ago. She had placed it beside the letter from a clinic in the beautiful countryside, and the open nurse position in the local mental health ward. Her favorite had been the clinic in the countryside.

This particular clinic was in a small village, one practically stuck in time. The houses that adorned the streets were large, old in nature, but quite sturdy as if the supports had recently been fixed up. The roads were nothing more than dirt paths, telling her the locals either walked or biked to get wherever they needed to go. The forests rose up around the town almost like a barrier, and the un-forested side of town gave way to a view of a small range of mountains. Of course, the village wasn't without help, wasn't stranded in the middle of nowhere; it was situated only a few miles from a rather large city. When she had visited, she instantly fell in love with the town. The only problem? It was so far away from the old family house that made visiting seem too much of a chore. Of course, the others had told her to do what she wanted to do...do what made her happy. But still...they had been such a huge part of her life and made such an impact that leaving them seemed almost impossible. The thought of being separated from them for many months at a time, possibly even years, made a small pain well up in her chest. If her family and friends were her powers, then no one was stronger.

She turned back to the boy, breaking off her train of thought. Once again, he hadn't moved at all. If he laid here for two or three more days, she'd be forced to take him to the hospital. His injuries weren't that severe, in the sense that he wouldn't bleed to death from them or have brain damage or memory loss from the one on his head. But if he kept sleeping...she didn't really want to think about it. After all, if he was comatose, she'd have her hands full trying to feed him and care for him in other areas. Hotaru was prepared for the worst although she was convinced it wouldn't come to that. He was simply asleep, and would wake up tomorrow...maybe tonight, she smiled, if things went well.

Pushing herself from the chair, she began to head for the door, but something pulled her back. She turned in the middle of the doorway, turning a glance over her shoulder. She didn't know quite what she was expecting to find when she did, nothing was out of place or unusual. With a click of the light switch, she left the boy in total darkness and silence to continue his rest.

Yazoo and Loz were bored, and not only that, confused as well. Kadaj had quite adamantly told them that he'd be coming back soon, claiming that he had some business to take care of and told them to stay put. Their "stay put" place was a little out of the way town, very much in contrast to the far-away city of Midgar. It had the necessary commodities to be inhabitable, but nothing much else. After all, they had just been passing through on their way to find "Mother" and of course, Cloud.

"Arrgh, we can't wait any longer!" growled Loz, jumping up with a slam of his powerful fists against the small, wooden table in front of him, "I-...We need to find "Mother"!" he exclaimed, anger practically seeping off of him like a battle aura. Yazoo rolled his eyes in response, delicately resting his chin in his hand. He was seated some distance apart from Loz, closest to the window. "Calm down Loz...before you start crying again." the long-haired Remnant tacked on playfully, knowing it would get his brother even hotter under the collar. Loz growled at him, "I am not crying! And I am not going to cry!" he said, his tone of voice trying to convince himself of what he was saying, tears beginning to brim at the corners of his eyes.

"If Kadaj says we must wait, then we must wait. It's just that simple." Yazoo informed, calm as as ever...at least on the surface. It was very unlike Kadaj to run off and do something without informing them of it. Loz would be more the type to rush ahead on some fool's errand or task on his own. It didn't really add up to him.

"You could at least try calling him again!" Loz had little patience for whatever stunt his brother was trying to pull here; this was setting back their plans immensely. Just sitting here and doing nothing...they were practically wasting their lives away. Besides, he hated being cooped up in this little hotel room. He wanted to go outside and play, uh, train, yeah that's what he meant. His skills were going to be rusty if he couldn't put them to good use. He cast his eyes down to where his own phone was charging then turned his eyes back to Yazoo.

Yazoo opened the phone with a graceful click, smoothing his long silver hair over his ear before dialing the number. He slowly brought it to his ear, not expecting much of anything. In the beginning, Loz had called nearly 20 times or so, and Yazoo had his own impressive number of calls by now. Kadaj wasn't answering for whatever reason...the only logical thing to discern was that something must have happened to him. But...something happen to Kadaj? It was nearly impossible. Kadaj could definitely hold his own in a fight, and even if he became overwhelmed or encountered too many enemies to fight off with a sword, he could just summon the Shadow Creepers.

"Well?" Loz questioned impatiently, much like a child would do. Yazoo shook his head as the phone continued to ring. Neither of the brothers had any sort of voice mail hooked up to their phones, always apt to answer as they were the only ones who ever spoke on these phones and to their respective numbers.

"He's still not answering. Told you, Loz." Yazoo clicked the phone closed with another graceful maneuver, carefully tucking it back into a pocket situated on his long coat. "I think...something bad might have happened to him." The long-haired Remnant began, standing up from his seat by the window. Loz squinted his eyes and gave him a cock-eyed glare, "Like what?" he questioned, sounding like a suspicious child, feeling like his brothers might be pulling a mean trick on him or something.

"We should go look for him." Yazoo announced calmly, but Loz was quite different. He jumped up with his teeth gritted into an almost cocky smile. The brothers seemed to speak with their eyes before Yazoo heaved a heavy sigh, "Fine Loz, you can go play with the townspeople...but be quick about it. We have to find Kadaj, then "Mother" and "Big Brother"." Loz nodded eagerly, literally kicking the door down as he left, haphazardly re-attaching his gauntlet, Dual Hound, as he pounded down the stairs and outside. Yazoo couldn't help but wonder if it was because of his childish nature that Loz didn't understand he was hurting people, or perhaps, maybe he just enjoyed it. Not that Yazoo cared though...he only cared about "Mother".

Hotaru came back home late that evening, arms full with groceries. Luckily, the rain had not given a repeat performance and the evening was just as clear and fresh as any summer day could be. It was quite relaxing and refreshing to walk home cast in the orange shade of the sunset, her shadow growing unbelievably long in the disappearing light. She emptied the contents of the two giant, paper brown sacks and began to put the various items in their rightful place. She saved the contents that belonged on the highest shelf of her cabinet last. Hotaru truly hated this part of shopping because she always required a stepping stool to reach the top shelf of her cabinet. Luckily she lived alone or she might have found it quite embarrassing if other people knew this fact, and of course, the other Senshi didn't count.

With a trudge up the stairs, she quietly slipped out of her day clothes and into a small shift she used for a night gown. It was a simple white dress Setsuna had sewn for her many years ago; Hotaru never threw away anything made by her Setsuna-mama. Even though the dress was faded now from old age, and many of the adorning features had either come off in the wash or fallen off themselves, she continued to wear it to bed.

Almost as if she had forgotten, she giggled to herself before venturing into the hallway, eyes locked on the guest room door. Was he awake? Would he wake up tonight? Or...would he actually turn out to be comatose? It had now been a full 3 days since the boy had been in her care. She prayed that he would, or else bright and early, she would be forced to seek more medical help and send him to the hospital.

She crept over to the door and peeked through the crack. She hadn't wanted to frighten him if he was awake. However, the room was pitch black, not a single ray of light to be seen as the sun had now fully set and the darkness of night had settled in. Hotaru pursued her lips, a side-effect of trying to be quiet, and went inside. Luckily, the door didn't creak a bit and she continued onward until she found the light switch.

With a flick, the lights came on. It took a minute for her eyes to adjust, but...the bed was empty. Before another thought could be formed, something grabbed her from behind and thrust into some kind of strangle-hold position. Naturally, with instinct kicking in, she tried to fight back but whoever had gotten a hold of her was no amateur in combat. If she didn't comply, her neck would crack like a twig in this position. And her attacker made sure she knew that all too well.

"Tell me who you are and where the hell we are before I snap your neck in two. Tell me!" he demanded, with a jerk, forcing her neck into a position it wasn't meant to turn and she cried out in pain at the pressure. "I can't...I can't breathe..." she gasped out, her tiny hands reaching up to cover his bare arms. With an impressive show of strength, he released her and flung her tiny form onto the bed in front of them. With impressive speed of her own, Hotaru turned to look at her assailant. It wasn't like she had been expecting anyone different than the silver-haired boy, but for him to act so defiantly, so inhumanly strong, was truly a surprise to her.

"First, you will tell me who you are. Then, you will tell me where you have taken me, girl, and if I don't like either of those answers, I'll kill you with my bare hands." Hotaru stared back in him in disbelief, unable to believe anyone could be so hateful and angry towards someone that had saved their life. True, he probably didn't know or remember that she had helped him and so she told him.

"My-...my name is Hotaru Tomoe, and you're in my house. We're in the Azabu Juuban district right now...you crashed your motorcycle in front of my house and fell unconscious." Hotaru tried her best to supply him with the information he sought, all the while, unable to stop staring at the intensity of his eyes. Not to mention, his only form of clothing was the blanket she has previously wrapped him up which was now tied around his waist. His upper half was bare, an impressive sight she had to admit with a blush...she hadn't expected someone so skinny to be so muscular.

"Woman, you'd better not be lying to me. I may not have my sword right now, but...augh!" he screamed in pain, grasping at the injury on his head.

"Please, you have to sit down and calm down." she urged, trying to lead him over back to the bed. He surprisingly complied with her demand, but she reasoned it was only because he'd been so distracted by the pain. Laying his head down on the pillows, he cast those eyes back up at her.

"I've never heard of a place called Juuban. Is that...truly where I am?" she nodded, assuming he must be from out of town or possibly even the country. The boy acted like he was from a different planet entirely. Hotaru couldn't help but wonder if this was a side-effect of the injury.

"How...how many fingers am I holding up?" she gulped, trying to muster her courage as she held up three petite fingers in front of his face. He gave her an incredulous look, but when he realized she was serious, rolled his eyes and barked out, "Three."

"Okay," she gave a small smile, happy that he was compliant at the moment and not so gung-ho about murdering her, "do you know what planet we're on?" She had learned this tactic from one of her classes. Simple questions like these got the brain working at a slow pace so as to not cause any kind of shock, and it had the potential of slowly returning one's memories before the accident. It especially worked well with child patients, she noted mentally.

"Gaea?" he questioned with a small shake of his head, laying a bare arm over his eyes, the light being almost painful. Hell, everything on him was painful at the moment, the injuries feeling like the least of his worried. He hadn't moved in what felt like weeks and his body felt stiff, like it was trying to atrophy. Dammit, he couldn't be bed-ridden! Due to the arm cast over his eyes, he failed to see the expression of the girl's face turn to concern. Hotaru pursued her lips at the response...true, the Earth was known as Gaea, but would anyone actually call it that in this day and age? She decided to move on, requesting information on this "Gaea" he spoke of could wait for a later date.

"Where are you from?"

"Is there a reason you're asking me these stupid questions? I don't see what it is you're trying to accomplish."

"Okay, if you feel like you can...can you tell me what happened to you before you lost control of your bike? Did you just...lose control? Or...were you running from something?" Hotaru was careful to space out the questions as to not confuse him or disorient him. The boy seemed to take pause for a moment, Hotaru fearing he might have fallen back asleep on her.

Kadaj was far from sleep though, wondering if he should indeed tell her what happened. It wasn't any business of hers, not to mention he could kill her without batting an eye. She looked terribly weak...the thought of killing her actually made him smile of little. Maybe if he killed her he could end up back with his brothers and resume his search for "Mother".

"...I was being chased." he mumbled slowly, eyes still hidden beneath his arm although the grin on his face could clearly be seen. It unsettled Hotaru as she wondered what it was he could be thinking about, and a hand flew to her heart almost as if it were an attempt to keep it from flying out of her chest. Something...something was just not right about him. Those eyes...that smirk...he no longer held any allure of mystery and her earlier decisions concerning his child-like appearance were now completely gone. That smirk...it was terrifying. It scared her.

"What's your name?" she blurted out, unable to sit there in silence and fear at the same time. Fears were sometimes irrational, and if you could make sense of that fear, then you could overcome it. If she knew more about this boy, perhaps he wouldn't terrify her so. She felt horrible for judging him before knowing more about him, but the shiver that ran up and down her spine in a constant ring told her otherwise.

Finally, he removed the arm over his eyes and sat up in the process which surprised her and caused her to lean back. "My name...is Kadaj." he gave a muffled laughter that came out sounding something like, "Fuh fuh fuh...".

"Do you know where "Mother" is?" he asked rather calmly but with malicious intent.

"M-mother?" Hotaru squeaked out, his face unbelievably close to hers as they sat opposite each other on the side of the bed. Any closer and she might have felt his breath on her face. "I...I don't...why don't you tell me more about Gaea?"

"What kind of idiot doesn't know about Gaea?" The question seemed to snap him back to reality, almost, as he drew back from her and scoffed in disbelief. "Are there really people so idiotic that they don't even know the planet they live on?" Hotaru frowned with a blush, he was quite rude and insulting, not to mention...if there was anyone who knew anything about planets, it was a Senshi.

"This planet is called Earth, not Gaea. At least, not anymore. Why do you call it Gaea?"

He glared at her, "What is wrong with you, woman? Exactly how stupid are you?"

Hotaru huffed, a growl stuck in her throat, "I'm not stupid or an idiot! This is planet Earth! Not Gaea!" she breathed out long puffs of air, a stain of red adorning her cheeks. She hadn't meant to blow up like that, but...

"So...Gaea is no more? Or maybe..." his eyes widened as if in remembrance, his mind and body recalling the moments before and after the accident. "I get it now..." he mumbled, a hand coming up to rest over his face, "Those damn Shadow Creepers...I've been teleported to another world?"

"You're...from another world?" Hotaru questioned, interested. This certainly explained a few things. She couldn't make much else out from his mumbling, "Gaea...Gaea..." she repeated over and over again, wondering if the name would strike of a cord of remembrance within her. When it didn't, she wondered if Pluto might have an idea...or at least make sense of it if it were truly just blather. He didn't seem to be lying though and the severity of his injury wasn't strong enough to make him hallucinate.

"You, woman." Kadaj spoke up, "Tell me how to get back right now."

"I'm sorry but...I don't know how to do that. I'm not even sure how you got here. And my name is Hotaru." she repeated with emphasis but whether he noticed or not was indiscernible. "But...I might know a way to find something out. But it'll take a day or two and you need rest."

"No way in hell! I'm not staying in bed. And where the hell did you put my clothes?" the tone of his voice was so cruel and hateful...was this the only way he could act around someone?

"I put them up because they were soaked with rain. You can take a shower first before you get dressed if you're that adamant about getting up. I can't stop you if you choose to run around on your own...if you want to stay hurt, that's fine by me. The shower's right across the hall." she explained before heading out into the hallway. She'd had quite enough of his horrible company for the night. She was quite surprised however when he opened the door.

"How dare you walk out on me? Bring me my clothes so I don't have to walk through this house naked. And bring me my sword as well." Kadaj demanded, holding onto the door-frame with one hand for support, and the other around the blanket's knot around his waist. He didn't really have much shame, but fighting naked was not one of favorite things to do and he'd be damned if got caught off guard. "Listen to me woman, I don't have time to sit around this place. I have to get back and find "Mother"! I have to!" he exclaimed, Hotaru quite clearly noting the anger, passion, and drive in his tone. Whoever this "Mother" happened to be, Hotaru was certain she'd be quite happy to send him along back to her. Without waiting for her to respond, he slammed the door and went off to do who knows what.

She narrowed her eyes at the door, almost tempting to kick it before realizing how silly that would be. Hotaru would do as she was told, only because she was a nice person and didn't think it proper to have a naked boy walking around her house, day or nighttime. And had he said sword? Hotaru couldn't recall retrieving something like that.

Going downstairs, she retrieved his leathery attire from the closet she'd put them in and going back upstairs, set them just inside the guest room on the floor. She'd done enough favors for him she decided. Walking to his crash site was her next destination and once outside, began to look around for something that resembled a sword. Nothing even remotely resembled one appeared. If there had been one laying here, then someone was liable to have taken. Honestly, she didn't care so much anymore. She had saved his life which was her main priority. He definitely wasn't thankful for it and seemingly not happy about it, she noted, so why she should try to get on his good side or convince him of anything? Hotaru was almost sorry she'd taken his motorcycle out of the streets.

The sooner he left here, the better. Good riddance to bad rubbish.

A new name and a fresh chapter. I've had some time on my hands recently so I thought I'd give writing a try. It's amazing how when you creep people's profiles on here, you can see just how many of your favorite authors are making a come-back.

Thanks to all who reviewed and any who might review for this chapter. I honestly hadn't intended to update this one, possibly even discontinue the thing, but I started writing as a way to cheer myself up and this chapter just sort of happened. It was pretty easy to write, actually.