So hi guys, and thanks for tuning into the next chapter of NR! :3

Once again I start off with a huge thanks to my reviewers: GCFarron, Mylaervain, ziel101, and OscarMerrinoz96! You guys are amazing, and your love for this fic really inspires me to keep going.

I do apologize for the cliffhanger last chapter, ha, it was mean of me. But now you get to find out what happens, so I hope I'll be forgiven. *hides behind a rock* Long chapter ahead, and enjoy as always! (:

Chapter 23: Inner Storm

She was back in Cocoon. Only this time, she was looking at the outside world of Gran Pulse through the crystal shell that enveloped it. Touching the crystal felt nice... It was cold, and it erased the throbbing in her fingers. But she couldn't move, no matter how hard she tried. It was like she was part of the crystal structure itself - still and everlasting. The sounds were muted, and she saw the world through pastel lenses, not quite fully understanding or grasping the concepts of the world outside, but enough. She was losing her grip though; her fingers sliding down the smooth crystal, nails making no mark. No mark that she had ever been there. The world beyond the beautiful amaranthine shell awaited.

Darkness and pain.

It was cold, like she was lying on a field of ice. However... ice wasn't the word to truly describe it - there was a burning in her lower leg that was something akin to fire, not ice. And the more she thought about it, the more the burning licked away at her. She gritted her teeth - really, she had no idea why she felt so cold. And it was dark. For some reason, she'd always thought ice fields were bright... like the moon. Like the frost coated flowers Serah loved so much in the winter... Serah.

Darkness was eternal, wasn't it? She tried to remember what had happened, but for some reason, that part of her mind wasn't working. Like trying to grasp water in one's hands and having it drip through fingers that could never contain the liquid. Her grip on this reality felt as tight as the water drops she couldn't hold.

Snow tightened his light hold on Lightning - she was feverish, and they needed to reach the village whose lights were now flickering in the darkness; they were getting near. He cast a worried glance behind him; Serah was trailing behind him, hands clasped nervously together.

"Hey baby, you okay?" The pinkette nodded, but he could see her eyes linger on her sister. Oh baby, I know you're worried, but without Hope, we can't do anything for her at the moment. He kicked aside the tall fronds of grass in his way - he could have sworn he saw lurking shadows in the corners of his eyes, but nothing approached them. Snow shifted Lightning's weight in his arms uncomfortably - he was getting tired and he was afraid he was going to drop her. One look at her left leg and he shuddered; the one glance was enough to steel his resolve not to drop her.

Maker, I hope Sis is gonna be okay.

"Snow?" The soft, anxious voice came from beside his shoulder and he felt a weight lean against his shoulder gently. "We're almost there... Is Claire okay?" Her sky blue eyes were full of concern. "And Hope..."

Setting Lightning down against a rock for a moment, Snow lifted his tired arms around her shoulders, pulling her slender warmth against his body. "They'll be fine... I promise. Your hero will protect both of them." He felt her lips pull into a drawn smile, despite the current situation. Gently, he bent down and pressed his lips to her neck - the brief touch of their skin sent tingles down his spine. At first, she flinched against him, not sure how to respond to the sudden rush of affection from him. But her hands slowly wrapped around his neck, and their lips met.

He could feel her smile against his, and breaking away from the delicate contact, he pulled her to him again. "Everything will be okay. You'll see."

Picking up Lightning's limp body again, he felt her shallow breathing against his neck. Setting his eyes straight ahead of him again, Snow picked up the pace slightly - the village gate was less than a hundred yards away from them now, and he knew that he could use a good rest - it had been a long day.

And that's making a very long story short.

A poke in his back made Hope stumble. Scowling slightly at the fact that he was being treated like some pet puppy, Hope refused to touch the inner part of him that dealt with emotions, refused to entertain the thought that Lightning was... No! She's not. She would never...! Keeping his right hand over his left wrist, he resisted the urge to cast magic at the two guards poking him along on the moonlit, outdoor hallway.

I need to find out more before I attempt to escape. I don't even know where I am right now. Under the pretense of keeping his head straight, Hope cast a sideways glance at the outdoors revealed by the hallway. At first, he couldn't recognize anything: they were on some elevated platform in some sort of building that overlooked a wall that separated it from a village. He narrowed his emerald eyes - something wasn't right.

It wasn't that he didn't expect guards on the wall - he didn't expect so many. Like... they're trying to keep the villagers out of this building. And why... would anyone want that? It didn't make sense. His right hand itched, and he was painfully reminded that they'd relieved him of Nue.

But thinking about an escape strategy, channeling his rage distracted him well. Light... He didn't want to think about her, didn't want to know what had happened. Hope, just concentrate on what you have to do. You can worry about... that... later. Pushing any thoughts of her to the back of his mind, he struggled to calm the breathing that had become a little erratic - he couldn't panic and break down now.

"Walk faster, kid." The weapon poked his back, harder this time. "Yorun wants to discuss things with you... and a friend."

"Alright, alright, I get it..." he muttered under his breath. And who is this 'friend' they're talking about?

Hope tightened his gloved hands into fists.

I think I'm about to find out.

Too soon for her liking, dark faded to light, and Lightning was forced to open her eyes and leave the comfortable dreams of her unconsciousness. It took away the blissful feeling of painlessness with it, and she was forced to acknowledge the dull throbbing in her leg. And it was hot - too hot to feel comfortable. A moan escaped her lips as she opened her eyes to a soft orange light.

A rustle sounded close to her right ear, and the cool touch of smooth skin brushed her forehead. For a moment, she wanted to curl up and just live in that one heartbeat forever - it made her feel safe.

"Claire? Are you okay?" It was Serah. Turning her head and raising a hand to block the light that felt a little harsh after the blissful darkness, she was struck by the nausea and dizziness that the simple gestures created. Why the hell...

"Claire, don't move... you'll hurt yourself again." This time Serah's voice was close to a whimper, and she opened her mouth to argue back. A hand clamped itself over her mouth, and Lightning resisted the sore urge to bite it, instead curling fingers that felt like jelly around the wrist and moving it gingerly away from her. Her arm brushed something on her temple with the small movement. Stitches?

The hand was back on her shoulder, gently but firmly pressing her down. "I want you to be quiet and listen, okay?" Shifting her weight made her entire left side radiate with pain, and Lightning let out a hiss.

"I told you so." Serah's voice had a touch of smugness to it. "Claire... you had me really, really worried... There was so much blood, and you had a fever, and..." Her sister's voice trailed off.

"Serah... I get it." The words felt foreign in her mouth - just how long had she been out? From the jelly feeling in her limbs, she knew it had to be more than a few hours. What...? Right... I fell off a cliff, and- Hope! "Serah... where's Hope...? Is he okay...?"

She heard a sharp intake of breath, and even in her current mental state she knew something was wrong. Goddammit, please don't tell me... A shuffling next to her ear, and she risked the movement to turn to face her sister - instantly, dizziness made her want to squeeze her eyes shut. Serah was pale, and she was clasping her hands tightly in her lap. Snow's bulk was somewhere beyond her, fast asleep.

"Claire... You're not well..." Obviously an excuse. Lightning narrowed her eyes.

"Serah. I'm well enough to know that something is wrong." The force she'd put in the words made nausea rise in her chest again, and she fought it, determined not to show it. Digging through her mind to find the magic, she found it weak and unconcentrated. But hopefully it would be enough to..."Cure," she whispered, feeling the magic channel from her left hand down to her leg.

It was nowhere near enough - she'd known from before she even tried to find her magic she wasn't in the mental state to be casting complicated cure spells. But it completely wiped the pain in her leg, the dull throbbing that had ate at her even in her dream state. The rest of her left side wasn't as lucky, and she could still feel the throbbing in her head. Heck, better than nothing, though.

Feeling some strength return to her limbs, Lightning pulled herself into a sitting position, and even though her head spun at the movement; at least she was able to. Now eye to eye with her sister, she fixed her blue gaze into Serah's.

"Now, Serah, tell me." She looked into Serah's scared eyes, trying to make herself look more intimidating, even though she knew she probably looked like a mess at the moment. Her sister fumbled with her hands, casting a glance behind her at Snow, who, Lightning was glad to see, looked out for the count. I don't need that oaf bugging me with his antics right now.

"Claire... Hope's here... somewhere. We couldn't find him at the canyon... but we know where he is! Okay? So, don't get mad, please, we'll find him as soon as you're better..." Her voice trailed off. Lightning felt like tearing her hair out. Why... Fuck. Then you should have gone for him... Trying to control her breathing, she kept her voice even, fighting off the internal panic and the instinct to get up and look for him... now.

"What do you mean, you know where he is? Why haven't you gone to look for him?" She fought to keep the anger and frustration out of her voice, but it was getting harder by the second.

"Because... Claire, they took him... and-"

Lightning didn't let her sister finish before absolute fury and self blame hit her in the chest like a physical blow. "They have him? Then why haven't you gone to go get him? Do you know what they could be doing to him?" She struggled to get up, feeling glad that her left leg could support her weight without any problems now, but she didn't expect the vertigo to slam her in the face as she fought to remain standing, hands gripping her knees to fight the sick feeling that attacked her.

Strong hands forced her back down, forced her to lie down again, and she knew it was Snow. She must have woken him up with her shouting, and she felt the momentary strength her anger had lent her dissipate - she lay there, feeling too pathetic to fight back.

"Sis, I don't know what kind of personal agenda you have, but let me get some things straight with you. One. You're hurt. Don't deny it, I know you know it. Two. I didn't carry you here from that canyon only to have you shout like an ungrateful bitch for not saving Hope. We told you, we know who has him and where he is, so keep your hair on before you go about shouting things that you don't get. Three. Don't shout at my wife for decisions I made." He let go of her.

She lay there, feeling guilt and despair eat away at her. She knew Snow was right, she knew she shouldn't have shouted at Serah for not saving Hope, and she knew she had been unfair. But it's still my fault... and it's still... Hating herself, Lightning pulled herself into a fetal ball, clenching her hands together.

"Claire, please..." She wanted to cover her ears with her hands. Slender arms wrapped around her, and once again, she felt the familiar fuzziness of safety, but this time, it couldn't calm the inner storm that was threatening to rip her apart. She felt fingers brush away pink bangs that had fallen in her eyes.

"We know... We know you care, okay? So don't worry, Claire, we will get him back. Go to sleep, Claire... okay? I'll explain everything in the morning." Serah's soft words became dull murmurs in her ear, and she let herself be comforted by her sister, feeling the prickle of tears in the back of her eyes.

Hope... I'm sorry.

Serah didn't let go of her sister until she was sure Lightning was asleep again, before turning to Snow, who was watching them with a critical eye.

"You didn't need to shout at her like that," she remarked quietly. "She feels bad enough already." He let out a huff that strangely, reminded her of the way Claire responded to things she didn't like.

"She didn't need to shout at you like that," he retorted. Serah let out a sigh, trying not to hate Snow for yelling words that would no doubt make Claire feel worse, and trying not to hate her sister for being... her sister.

"I know, she overreacted. But think about how she probably feels at the moment... you didn't need to make it worse." She heard him let out a resigned sigh, before she got up and gently moved into his embrace.

"Yeah... I know. I'll apologize to her in the morning." He snorted. "If she doesn't punch me again before that." Serah smiled again, pressing her head against his chest.

"Thanks, Snow."

"Anything for you, baby."

She raised her head, pulling away slightly. "Snow? When Claire is better in the morning, how are we going to go get Hope?"

He laughed the confident laugh of his that she loved so much. "You just leave the details of the plan to your hero, baby, and we'll have the kid back in no time."

Whoever the "friend" Hope had been expecting, he hadn't been expecting Xue. The young woman didn't so much look like a guest as she did a prisoner. Like me. The man next to her in the room overlooking the Demonsoul Tower just beyond the village was also someone Hope had never met. The man didn't have crimson eyes, didn't have the cat eyes of whoever the hell the other man was. His eyes were a strange golden colour, and when he extended a cold hand to him, Hope noticed the long, spidery fingers. He hesitated before taking the hand, not wanting to make the man angry.

"Pleasure to meet you, Hope. Why don't you have a seat with our lovely friend Xue over there, and we'll have a chat?" He shuddered at the voice - strange and melodic, exactly like the predator who was about to sink deadly claws into its prey. He took a seat, moving right to the edge of the chair, ready to get up and bolt if need be. Noticing that Xue was giving him a scared look, Hope wondered exactly why she was here. She was a seeress, he knew that much, but what did she have to do with anything?

"So, I presume you two know why you're here... no? Demonsoul Tower can only be unlocked by the sacrifice of monsters, which our friends have so kindly provided. And when it does, do you know what we'll find?" So this is why there're no monsters around this area... How long have they been 'collecting'? The man looked expectantly at them, closing his fingers before him on the table.

"The first crystal needed to magnify the Eclipse, of course." The smile the man now wore gave Hope the shivers, and he avoided eye contact with the golden eyes. Now I know why it was circled... I have to stop them! A small chuckle made him flinch.

"When you little friends get here, they'll help us kill all the monsters, and that will leave our forces free to take the crystal in the tower. And that's where you come in, my dears. You'll be the bait." Hope narrowed his eyes at the golden gaze, trying to read the expression in them. The only thing he could find in them were amusement and greed, before he was being led away again by the red eyed guards. And we are just bait... but that doesn't mean I won't fight back against his plan.

And though he didn't want to admit it, Hope knew it was a good plan on their part; Snow was sure to come running for him, and if he was being attacked by monsters, he knew the big man wouldn't hesitate to take them all out. And once he does... Hope realized his hands were shaking. Trying not to think of that fact, Hope forced his mind to wander elsewhere. Anything to get his head away from the sick plan.

But the problem was, once he let his mind go, it instantly went back to Lightning. He didn't know if she was okay, if the cat eyed man had told the truth when he'd said she wasn't coming for him. That can't be true... can it? Light would never give up so easily... But how could he be sure? Hope had to admit the fact that he didn't know, that if she was alive or not was... Light, please tell me you're okay... Clenching his hands into fists, Hope fixed his eyes on the moon outside the hallway he was being prodded down.

I have to believe you're okay, Light. Please tell me it's true...

Chirping and sunshine.

The damn birdsong forced its way into her head, and Lightning pulled the blanket over her ears. Shut up... It was too bright, and the blanket didn't block the sound of the annoying birds. Pulling herself into a sitting position, she noticed that Serah and Snow were gone. For the first time, she took in her surroundings - she was in a room with two beds and a small bathroom off to the left. Her head felt better - at least the world didn't spin every time she moved it, but even she had to hold back a gasp at the discolouring on her left side. Oh well. Gingerly fingering the bruises down her left leg, she looked at it closely for the first time since she'd fallen.

The break in the bone, or whatever the hell it was, was gone, thanks to her weak cure spell the night before. But the skin behind her lower calf still looked red and inflamed, and she felt drained of magic - it would be at least a few hours before she would be able to muster even a small Thunder, let alone a Cura that would get rid of it. At least it didn't hurt to walk on it, and she made her way over to the bathroom to splash water on her face.

One look in the mirror and she knew she looked like she'd been dragged to hell and back. Lightning raked her hands through her messy pink hair, before she flicked her cape over her shoulder again, and quietly opened the door of the room. The storm of emotions from last night wasn't yet gone, and she took a moment to calm herself and internalize her feelings before taking a step out. Hope... I will save you. Snow was standing outside, arms crossed - obviously waiting for her.

"Morning Sis." His tone was cool, and she narrowed her eyes. She hadn't forgotten what he'd shouted at her last night, and she doubted he had either. She rested one hand on her hip, wincing when it brushed one of the bruises, and waited. "Look, Sis... I'm sorry for what I yelled at you the night before. I know you went through a lot of shit yesterday, and..." She sighed, cutting him off.

"Snow... I know I..." Urgh. Why was it so hard to apologize to him? "I'm sorry too. I didn't know-" He clapped a hand on her shoulder, making her rocky head spin a little again, but she appreciated the gesture.

"So, square then, Sis?" She brushed him off impatiently, following him as he made for the stairs at the end of the hallway.

"Whatever. Where's Serah?" He offered a hand to her to help her down the stairs, and Lightning hesitated. On one hand, she didn't mind the help, and on the other, it was Snow. She sighed again, knowing it would probably be worse if she fell in the process of going down, and accepted the support.

"She's downstairs, waiting for you to wake up. Oh, and you owe her an apology too, by the way." She wanted to slap his enormous smug grin right off his stupid face. He's lucky I'm not in the physical condition to do it... today.

Serah was sitting by a table downstairs, picking at what looked to Lightning like an undercooked fish. But she was the cook in the house, and if she thought it was safe to consume, then, well, she wasn't going to argue. Making her way over to her sister, Lightning gingerly lowered herself onto a chair, wincing when one of its legs brushed a bruise.

"Claire!" She watched her sister scrutinize her. "You're okay now... right?" Sighing, she forced herself to look directly at Serah.

"Yeah... Serah, look, I'm sorry... about last night." Slim arms enveloped her.

"I know, Claire... I would have been upset too, if I were in your place."

"Alright! Let's get this party on the road, baby. Why don't we fill Sis in?" Snow exuberant voice made her flinch slightly - why was he always so loud? She fidgeted; she wanted to be out there, going to Hope, but she knew she had to be informed. Those bastards are going to really regret messing with him... and me. She waited, drumming her slim fingers on the tabletop, while Snow spread the map he must have swiped from her pack sometime yesterday on the table. She shot him a scowl. Thief.

He ignored her, jauntily wiggling his fingers before jabbing them at a place on the map just next to the red circle.

"So, here we are. Teh Rya, Village of Demons. It doesn't house any specific fal'Cie or l'Cie or anything, but obviously the people here know about the War of Transgression. Its main point is that it's next to the Demonspiral Tower. We went to gather some info after we got someone to patch you up, Sis, so, here's the gist of it: the reason we haven't seen any monsters in this area is well, because of a certain group of people came here a few months back, and started gathering monsters."

"Them?" Snow nodded, lowering his voice before he continued, casting a glance around the room. There was no one there but them and the innkeeper, and the innkeeper was busy with cleaning.

"Here's the thing. According to legend, the Demonspiral Tower houses a crystal, and I think we all know what that is all too well. Now, the thing about the tower is that its doors only open with the appropriate amount of monsters have been slain at its foot."

Lightning let out a hiss - she knew exactly where this was going. Snow noted her expression, and nodded. Should have known...

"And now the thing about Hope. The local people told us the leader of the village has locked himself up with the newcomers, and refuses to see anyone anymore. I'm pretty sure they've got Hope holed up in the leader's palace... thing. Sis, I'm pretty sure they're not up to any of the "l'Cie" business this time - there is no patron fal'Cie for Teh Rya."

She narrowed her eyes. Snow's story made sense so far, except... "So why do they need him?" She felt Serah rest her hand on her right arm.

"We're not sure..." Her sister's voice was hesitant. "Why would they need him? They mentioned last time they were after you."

Pressing her fingers to her temples, careful not to disturb the stitches on her left temple, Lightning racked her brain. They would have known the first thing she was going to do was to go after Hope. If there was no fal'Cie, then they couldn't do anything else to him. Right...? So why were they after him? Unless...

"Wait, Snow. You said... they started 'collecting' monsters?" When he nodded, she furrowed her brows, ignoring the building throbbing in her head. Monsters were needed to open the door, and she knew they probably didn't want to sacrifice so much of their strength in fighting monsters. But if Hope was there... and he was getting attacked...

"Fuck." The curse escaped her lips, and she abruptly stood up, ignoring her protesting body. Suddenly desperate to run out into the morning sunlight, Lightning had to stop her hands from trembling. She reached for her weapon, only to find it wasn't there.

"Claire?" Serah sounded scared.

"We have to get to him... fast. They're using him as bait." Shit, shit, shit... Why did I let this happen?

She glanced outside at the brightening morning, tightening her slender fingers into fists.

I have to get to you... before you get hurt.

Hope looked outside at the sun that was beginning to rise above the mountain ranges. Sitting awkwardly on the side of the bed, he held his hands clasped tightly together. He'd cast Cure on himself several times already, ridding his body of pain, and he searched for anything, anything that would serve as a weapon. Not surprised he hadn't found one, he supposed his magic would have to do.

Low murmurs came from the corner Xue was huddled in - she hadn't done anything but pray, or whatever she was doing, since they'd been pushed into the room, and he hadn't made an effort to speak to her. He cast a sideways glance at her now; she was still kneeling at the closed window, eyes closed. Hope sighed, pushing a hand through his silver hair.

He needed to get out. Before they set him on a silver platter as monster food, that much was for certain. But he was still unsure as to why Xue was here. Isn't she the l'Cie? Who else can they want from her? The only person he could think of was her brother, but that didn't make sense. What was needed from him? Yangt'zu was certainly not a l'Cie and as far as Hope could see, utterly useless to them. So absorbed was he in his thoughts, that he didn't hear the soft footsteps of Xue behind him.

"They'll be here for us soon." Her voice was calm. "But your friends will come for you... correct?"

He nodded blankly, not sure why that had to do with anything.

"But my brother... what will he try? What will he do?" Hope didn't know how to answer her question, nor did he want to begin to even try. For the Maker's sake, he was just a kid. How was he supposed to know?

"Make sure... your friends will not do anything they will regret."

What does that mean? What is she trying to say?

Lightning gripped the omega weapon Snow had given back to her until her fingers were turning white. The morning sun felt good on her back, though, and she could barely feel the abuse her body went through yesterday... if she walked. Her side ached painfully when she ran, and... Maker, I don't think I can even take on one monster right now.

They were standing outside the walled gate to the inner Teh Rya village, where the guards had refused to let them in. Serah had pulled her back by the cape when she had been about to pull out her weapon on one of them, and pushed her into the shadows.

"Claire... we can't walk up to them like that. They'll know..." She rolled her eyes, shooting a venomous look at Snow for not stopping her sister.

"How else are we going to get in, Serah? They'll notice either way."

Footsteps behind them made Lightning spin around, ignoring her protesting side. She raised her weapon. I might not be in shape to fight a monster, but a human enemy I can take. She froze at the sight of a hunched figure walking towards them, trying to make out whether it was a trap or just not an enemy. The splashes of the dank puddles in the alleyway made her less sure it was an enemy, but there was no way she was lowering her omega weapon.

"You're here... to fight Yorun, aren't you." It wasn't a question, and in the dim light of the shadows, Lightning could make out the figure of an older woman with lank brown hair. Her face was covered with a cloak, and she couldn't see the her features.

"So what if we are?" Snow's words voiced her own suspicions.

The woman shrugged off the hood of her cape, revealing a scarred face that instantly made Lightning want to back away. Because the scars weren't just ones anyone would get from any single battle, but ones someone would get by being mauled. An inward shudder passed through her. Just what... attacked her?

"Come with me. I know a back way into the village leader's home." She hesitated, not sure if it was a trap or not. For all she knew, it very well could be. And Maker knows there's no way in hell I'm walking into another one.

"Why... are you helping us?" Serah's quiet, timid voice came from beside her, and Lightning felt the warm presence of her sister next to her right side. The woman, who had turned away to walk, turned back, an unreadable expression in her eyes.

"Because Yorun needs to come home. I will help you... if it means that will happen."

For some reason, the explanation hit her as the truth; the woman spoke with the same heavy despondency she had felt when Serah had been taken from her by the fal'Cie. She saw Snow flinch just a few steps ahead of her - he took in more than he let on. However, every soldier instinct she owned told her not to trust someone who had come to them in the shadows and offered them a convenient shortcut - Lightning narrowed her eyes, trying to think. There was no reason why the woman shouldn't be helping them, the villagers of Teh Rya had been affected by them as well. But in the shadows, she couldn't read the woman's body language, couldn't see the features the darkness concealed.

"Thanks. Lead the way." Snow's gruff, appreciative voice replied to the statement before Lightning could make up her mind. Damn it, he'd made the decision before she'd thought it through, and now it looked like they couldn't back out without... You stupid idiot. What have you gotten us into this time?

A hand closed on her arm, steadying the weapon she didn't realize was shaking.

"Claire?" Serah.

"Uh huh?" She really wasn't in the mood to listen - Lightning was still angry at the fact that Snow had gone ahead and trusted the woman, without bothering to think about the consequences. Does he ever learn?

"Promise me... you won't do anything stupid this time, okay?" She shot a glance at Serah, taking in the apprehensive look in her sky blue eyes.

She hesitated for a few moments before replying; Serah wasn't dumb - her sister had to know that she would do whatever it took to get Hope back... safe. And yet, being cared for by someone else, even if it was a little sister trying to order her not to do exactly what she intended to do, 'something stupid' to save him, felt nice, in a way. Her mother's words played back to her.

"And Serah, she can help you too."

Lightning pulled her lips into a tight smile. "Right."

Okay, seriously, this chapter was long. I chose to end off with Lightning's classic "Right" - I was watching an interview with Ali Hillis the other day, and she mentioned that's her favourite line of Lightning's because it's the phrase she uses (quote Ali Hillis) "whenever she sees something new, and it's a big monster, or something totally over her head that she has to deal with, she says 'Right.'" And it's so true, now that I think about it, ha!

That middle section there with Light and Snow... man, that was hard to write. The only scene I had to base "angry Snow" off of was the birthday scene in Bodhum - hope he was believable. And I hope the way Light reacted was okay - like I said, that part was difficult, but it needed to happen.

So anyways, hm, the plot thickens. And I'll say this straight off - the next few chapters are for sure going to be awesomely packed with action. I have work tomorrow after school until late in the evening, so the next update is not likely going to be up before Saturday evening. I do apologize, but on the other hand, you guys now have more time to speculate. *cackles*

Leave love in reviews as always, and I'll see you guys next time!

Hearts!