Author's Notes: Thank you again for all your support! I know I sound like a broken record but I promise you that I mean it every time. I really wasn't expecting this much success so I'm thrilled at how many of you have taken the time to read this! Enjoy this next chapter!
"Ramen!" Naruto exclaimed as Sakura and Sasuke returned with their arms full of food. "I knew it! You guys actually like me after all." He said with a wide grin as he reached to take the bags weighing Sakura down.
"Of course we like you dummy." Sakura teased as she handed out the different portions. As the four shinobi ate the rustling of sheets drew their attention back to the bed where their guests were laying.
Onchou sat up slowly and a low groan escaped her lips as she touched her temple lightly. "So loud." She muttered.
"I'm sorry. Did we wake you?" Sakura asked smacking the Uzamaki who was slurping his noodles loudly.
"No." the girl replied raking her fingers through her hair. "That damn spell of Ryuu's just wore off is all." She glanced down at the boy curled up against her side sleeping soundly and affectionately brushed his hair out of his face. "Little trouble maker." She muttered before sliding slowly out of the bed to the floor careful not to wake the child and covered him up laying a pillow down in the place where she had been. The boy immediately snuggled against the substitute and then settled down again.
"Come and eat." Sakura said standing up and offering her seat to the younger girl. "There's some for you."
"Thank you." The girl responded sitting down hesitantly in the spot that put her between the Sasuke and Sai.
"Don't worry, they don't bite." Sakura assured her. She walked forward and placed her hand on the girl's back and frowned. "Do you need help eating or anything? I'm amazed you're even awake right now. Your chakra network is still pretty banged up."
The girl shrugged. "I should be fine. I've been worse." She replied accepting the food that Sai pushed towards her.
After taking a few bites and a drink of tea she sighed. "You can start your interrogation Uchiha. I know you're itching to do it so just go ahead. I think I can answer your questions between bites."
Sasuke blinked and then scowled. He didn't like the way this girl talked to him. "Have we met before?" he asked.
The girl smirked. "Ah, so you finally remembered? Yes, I'm the girl that you saw with Orichimaru four years ago. The toddler I was holding was Ryuu and the man I was with is Takuma but you already figured that out didn't you?"
Sasuke nodded. "Is that why you don't like me?" he asked "Because of how I acted then?"
Onchou shrugged. "I guess that's part of it. You were so… angry and hateful then. It hurt my ears." She muttered.
"Ok, I'm really starting to get confused by all the sound analogies." Naruto groaned. "Ryuu said that you can hear things like songs that other people can't. What's up with that?"
Onchou sighed. "You're all familiar with how the Uchiha clan has special powers in their eyes that grant them abilities that others don't right including copying movements, casting genjutsu, controlling summoned beasts and so on?"
"Of course." Sasuke replied irritated.
"Calm down." The girl muttered. "Well the members of my clan were some of the only people that had a chance against them in a one on one fight."
"How is that possible?" Naruto replied. "I remember being told once that when facing an Uchiha 'If one against one abandon the field if two against one take the rear and they'll yield.' Does that not apply to you?"
"I hadn't heard that one." Sasuke admitted. "I kind of like it."
Sakura chuckled and Onchou rolled her eyes before she continued talking. "Not exactly. It's not like we're immune to their powers or anything, we're just as screwed as anyone else who makes the mistake of looking them in the eye during a fight. The only difference is that we can fight with our eyes closed."
The four shinobi stared at the girl dumbfounded. "You're joking right?" Naruto replied. "How can you fight with your eyes closed and stand a chance? He can still read and predict your movements."
The girl nodded. "That's just fine. I can predict his as well. Using these." She said tucking her hair behind her ear and motioning to it. Her ear didn't look very abnormal but you could tell that there was something different about it. Instead of being rounded it was pointed and black swirling tattoos dotted the curled shell of it. "My ears give me heightened hearing to the point that in a battle I can hear the slightest movement, a muscle releasing to throw a kunai for example or the intake of breath right before someone casts a fireball jutsu. I can hear the heartbeats of everyone around me so I can easily tell how many opponents I'm fighting and their exactly positions." she let her hair fall back over her ear as she continued. "I also have the ability to hear what my grandmother called a person's soul song. Every living creature has one and we're just able to hear it. It's a little difficult to explain so I'll show you." She walked over to where Ryuu had put her things while the four shinobi had been away and pulled what looked like a music box out of her bag. She walked back to them and put it on the table. "This is what I use to collect soul strings." She explained. "Soul strings are just like copies of a person's soul song I can pull from the wind. I guess you could say they're similar to chakra strings." She said as she opened the box.
"I can't see anything." Naruto complained. "Can you Sasuke?"
The Uchiha shook his head. "No."
The girl chuckled. "Of course you can't. I told you it was something unique to my clan didn't I?" she thought for a moment and then reached into the box. Sasuke was surprised to hear a tinkling sound similar to the sound of glass tubes bumping into one another. The girl smiled and wrapped her fingers around something and he watched as what looked like a yellow colored chakra string appeared in her fingers. "This is one I picked up when I was about nine years old." She said smiling. "I didn't know who's it was at the time but I really like it. I know who's it is now though." She took the string and closed the lid of the box and then threaded it through a small hole in back of it pressing it until it vanished and then softly blew into the same hole. A moment later music began to come from the box a soft, pretty but sad melody began to play and then a voice came from the box signing along with the music in a langue that none of the shinobi could understand. Sasuke glanced around and saw Naruto's eyes widened and then mist with tears as he listened.
"Onchou. Is that…" the blonde began.
Onchou nodded. "Yes. That's your soul's song Naruto. Your song from seven years ago anyway."
Sasuke, Sakura, and Sai glanced at the blonde boy noting how a tear slipped from his eye.
The song ended and the girl rubbed the box with her hand. "I heard that song around the same time that I learned that I wasn't like other children and never would be. I was lonely." She blushed at looked at the boy. "When I heard your song that day, I realized that I wasn't the only one feeling that way. I couldn't help but snatch it and tuck it away."
"So when you said that I had a beautiful soul, were you referring to my soul song?" Sakura asked.
The girl nodded. "I was. A person's soul song is one of the only things I've come across in this world that can't be manipulated or masked. It's a true manifestation of who they are as a person no matter how they may appear or act on the outside." She picked up the box and carried it back to her bag tucking it safely away before sitting down again.
"So how can a song be applied to fighting?" Naruto asked.
"Well, everybody's song changes when they're fighting." She explained. "And every song has a rhythm. It's quite easy to predict and anticipate your opponent's moves once you have their rhythm down. Not only that but I can hear chakra and can tell the different natures of it just by listening. Does that make sense?" she replied. "It's pretty difficult to explain honestly." She muttered rubbing her temples.
"It does at least a bit." Sakura replied putting her hand on the girl's shoulder.
"Those ears of yours, I bet Orochimaru wanted to get his hands on them. It makes sense that he would be interested in them given his closeness with the sound ninjas." Sasuke replied touching his chin.
The girl snorted. "Sound ninjas. My grandmother told me that they were founded by a member of our clan that was cast out long ago. Cheap copy cats." She muttered. Sasuke smirked. He'd found a tender spot. Onchou sighed. "But you're right. He wants my ears, even now but they're not like the eyes of the Uchiha. They can't be transplanted to anyone else."
"How do you know?" Sakura asked. "We have cochlear implants now after all."
"Many years ago, someone took one of my grandfather's ears. When he tried to transplant it onto himself, the ear burned away and killed the man in the process." She explained shuddering at the memory. "It wasn't pretty."
"I see." Sakura replied. "Well at least you don't have to worry about that."
The girl shook her head. "Not exactly." She shuddered. "When he learned about that, he and Takuma came up with another plan. That twisted plan is probably why being around you makes me uncomfortable. Besides how ugly your song used to be. I was tempted to take that discord of yours out myself it got so toxic." She replied looking at the Uchiha.
"What plan was that?" he asked curious. He had an idea of what it was knowing Orochimaru and how he could justify the killing of innocent children in the name of science nothing would really surprise him.
She folded her arms across her chest and stood up walking to the window glancing out at the growing darkness. "The only thing better than magic eyes or magic ears is having them both on the same body." She replied. "He wanted to combine our DNA and create a human that possessed your sight and my hearing." She balled her hands into fists. "Sick bastards, thinking they can treat us like livestock."
Sakura, Naruto, and Sai looked down disgust written on their faces while Sasuke gritted his teeth. He mentally kicked himself for not finishing the snake off after the Fourth War.
"Anyway, that can't be all the questions you had for me." Onchou said stepping away from the window clearly more relaxed.
"Right." Sasuke replied clearing his throat. "Do you know who's responsible for summoning the beasts that have been attacking in the land of fire?" he asked.
She sighed and shook her head. "No. I can hear their song shortly before each one is summoned but I've never been fast enough to catch them. From what I can tell, the person is a man but I can't tell much more than that."
"Do you know why they're being summoned?" he asked.
Again the girl shook her head no. "I'm sorry. I wish I knew."
Sakura motioned for the girl to sit again when she noticed the girl wobbling a little. "Are you alright?" she asked.
"I'll be fine. I'm just a little dizzy." The girl admitted. "Please continue."
"Alright then, why are you trying to go to The Village Hidden in the Sand?" Sasuke asked.
"I'm searching for my father." The girl replied simply. "My mother told me that he was a shinobi from that village. I don't have any other living relatives so I thought that would be the best place to go searching. I also want to learn more about the village where I was raised. It was destroyed but it was a village under that Village's protection. I'm hoping they have some additional information on it."
"Fair enough." Naruto remarked. "So, Ryuu told us about something called Dolls that Takuma has, do you want to explain a little more about those?"
"Why do you want to know about those things?" she asked wrinkling her nose in disgust.
"Well, they sounded weird and dangerous." Naruto responded.
She sighed. "Well, they're both of those things. I don't have a lot of information for you on them though." She admitted. "Takuma started developing them before I became one of his lab rats. They're human, at least in the basic things. They eat, sleep, and move like humans and look like them but they're… empty inside." She sighed raking her fingers through her hair. "Ugh! It's so hard to explain. They're mindless, I've never once heard any of them speak a single word."
"Maybe they don't understand." Sakura offered.
Onchou shook her head. "Oh, they understand just fine. They take orders no matter that they are. I once saw one rip his own arm off because he was ordered to." She shuddered at the memory. "I'm guessing that's the reason Takuma created them. A mindless army that does whatever he says. They're not stupid either, they can fight on par with most shinobi though they can't use any chakra. They're not afraid of anything and I don't think they can feel pain. If they can they don't show it. If you cut off their legs, they'll still crawl after you trying to fulfill their master's commands."
"That does sound alarming." Sakura agreed. "Do you know what his future plans are?"
The girl shook her head. "I have no idea. The last time I caught his song on the wind a few months ago he was still focused on getting Ryuu and I back."
Naruto thought for a moment. "Wait a second, so you can tell what a person is thinking through their song?"
"More or less." She replied, "Why?"
"You can also tell whose song it is from a distance?" he added.
She nodded. "If I've had a previous encounter with them I can."
"Hmm… That's a pretty useful gift. Anyway, it sounds like you're not really up to no good." He said scratching his chin. "What do you think we should do guys?" he asked.
"We were already instructed to go to The Village Hidden in the Sand." Sai replied. "We might as well take them along with us."
Sasuke nodded. "I agree. We can keep tabs on them that way."
Naruto smiled. "Yeah! And if your dad was a ninja from there then Garra might know who he is and he'll definitely be able to find out information on your village."
"Garra? Who is that?" Onchou replied.
"He's the Kazikage." The blonde haired man replied. "He's a good friend of mine."
"He's the leader over all of the Shinobi in The Land of Wind." Sakura explained.
"Oh. That sounds like a good idea." The girl replied.
"We should write a report to Kakashi Sensei about what we've discovered so far and let Garra know that we're on our way." Sakura said.
Sasuke nodded. "Of course. I volunteer Sai for the job since he has the neatest handwriting."
Sai sighed. "Of course." He muttered pulling out a brush and paper.
"So what's up with Ryuu and the Dragon?" Naruto asked.
Onchou looked over at the boy sleeping in the bed closest to the window and sighed. "Many years ago right after he captured me, Takuma summoned a dragon named Hisame. He and I battled the beast and it took everything I had to contain and tame that dragon and I was about to send him back when Takuma brought out Ryuu, a human that he had created in his laboratory and forced me to help him seal the dragon inside him." Her eyes watered at the memory. "It was awful, he was so little and Hisame's power is incredible. It nearly killed him." She threaded her hands through her hair and pulled her knees up to her chest. "Takuma brought him back to the lab and was forced to inject him with massive amounts of growth hormones and a slew of other drugs to strengthen him enough to survive the amount of energy Hisame had." She gritted her teeth as tears slid down her face. "I should've just sent that monster back! Ryuu…" she glanced over at the boy. "If he ever releases that monster inside him it'll tear him apart. It's all my fault he's like this."
Naruto reached out and touched the girl on the shoulder. "It's alright. I have a fox named Kurama locked inside of me but he and I are friends now. He and I work together now. Ryuu and Hisame can be the same way."
"Is Kurama truly tamed?" Onchou asked softly. The girl looked up at the Uzamaki and then reached out placing her palm over the seal on his stomach that contained the beast her eyes closing. He stood frozen for a moment as the air changed and her hair moved revealing her ears. The black tattoos were now glowing silver as her brow furrowed in concentration. Naruto's eyes soon closed and Sasuke, Sakura and Sai all looked on nervously. After a few moments, a smile came to the blonde's face and as tears slipped down Onchou's face. Their eyes opened simultaneously and the Uzamaki wrapped his arms around the violet haired girl. "What did I tell you? Everything will work out just fine."
"Thank you Naruto." She replied with a smile pulling out of his arms. She swayed a little on her feet and Sakura reached out and steadied her.
"Are you ok?" she asked the girl.
Onchou touched her hand to her forehead while the other clutched at her chest. "Ugh! Not this again. Not now!" she murmured shutting her eyes tightly. She pulled out of the pink haired medic's grasp and staggered towards the window. "I don't have time for this!" she hissed as she threw it open "Watch Ryuu for me. I'll be back." She instructed gasping in obvious pain before leaping out the window.
"Wait!" Naruto called out. "Darn it all! Sai! Come with me!" he called out. "We're going after her."
Sai nodded and in a flash the two shinobi were gone leaving Sasuke, and Sakura to watch over Ryuu.
Sakura sighed and pulled up a chair next to the sleeping boy and Sasuke leaned against the bedside table beside her crossing his arms over his chest. After a few moments, Sakura spoke. "So, what do you think?" she asked.
"About what?" he replied.
"Onchou and her story." Sakura replied.
Sasuke shrugged. "Everything she said makes sense. That Takuma guy she was stuck with almost makes Orochimaru sound humane." Sakura cocked a brow at him and he chuckled. "I said almost."
"Her story is a lot like yours." Sakura remarked.
Sasuke nodded. "I suppose so."
Sakura was quiet for a moment before she spoke again. "Sasuke, I've always wondered, did you ever think about me while you were away?"
He glanced at her and she blushed. "I mean, it's glaringly obvious that Naruto and I thought about you almost constantly. I'm just curious." She stammered running her fingers through her hair nervously.
He took a deep breath and then let it out again looking at his feet before answering. "To be honest, back then I was only focused on my goal. Any thought that didn't have something to do with that, I pushed away." He glanced at her noting her nod and the little frown that touched her face and sighed. "Every time I saw cherry blossoms your face would come to my mind." He said softly. She turned to look at him her eyes widening. He glanced up at the ceiling. "It couldn't really be helped. Your name, and the color of your hair. It was impossible not to."
"I see." Sakura replied tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "This might seem selfish but I'm actually glad you did. I mean, I knew you thought about Naruto but I guess I thought for a while that you'd forgotten about me."
Sasuke smirked. "Oh believe me, I tried." Sakura turned to him her eyes blazing and he caught the fist he knew was coming and pulled her closer with it, "But I couldn't. I could never erase the memory of the little girl with pink hair and green eyes who was always chasing after me."
"You say that like it's a bad thing." Sakura said a little pout coming to her lips as she pulled her hand from his grip.
The Uchiha sighed. "At the time I thought it was annoying, just another distraction from my goal. I don't feel that way anymore though." When he really stopped to think about it, those moment were probably when his heart was probably trying to tell him what his mind was too stubborn to accept at the time. Telling him that he should've been where she and Naruto were instead of off chasing his vendetta. The room grew quiet and he became a little uncomfortable. He glanced over at where she'd settled back into her chair and she turned her face away from him as she checked on Ryuu. Her hair shifted exposing her neck and the same temptation to touch his lips to it entered his mind. His heart picked up its pace and his breathing quickened at the thought. He took a deep breath to try to calm himself and mentally cursed, she'd never affected him like this before. A small, wry smile touched his slips as he realized that this was probably how Sakura had always felt when around him and silently applauded her for her suffering. He knew she wouldn't reject him if he touched her or kissed her even but his heart wasn't ready for that even if his body was trying to convince him otherwise. Desperate for a distraction he glanced around the room and his eye fell on the note that Sai had been writing and his mind drifted to their mission and how they'd be going to The Village Hidden in the Sand. He remembered Leo saying something about her being well like and appreciated there and decided that was as good a conversation starter as any.
"So are you looking forward to visiting The Village Hidden in the Sand?" he asked.
Sakura turned her attention back to him and nodded. "I am. I'm looking forward to visiting Lady Chiyo's grave."
Sasuke nodded. "She's the old woman who helped you defeat Sasori right?"
Sakura nodded. "Yeah. She saved my life. She was actually Sasori's grandmother."
The Uchiha raised an eyebrow and inclined his head slightly. "I see. She must have been a great puppet master."
The pink haired medic nodded. "Oh she was. I was one of her puppets for a few rounds during the battle. She was very talented not only in that but medical ninjutsu. She saved my life and then brought Garra back from the dead." She smiled. "If I could be half the woman she was, I'd be satisfied."
Sasuke glanced at her and smiled. "I bet she's proud of you."
She glanced at him her eyes widening and then softening. "You really think so?"
He nodded. "You're part of the new Sannin, have the 100's healing mark, and helped save the world at least twice and you're not even twenty. How could she not be?"
She smiled at him blush coloring her cheeks. "Thanks Sasuke. I hope you're right."
"How did you manage to beat Sasori anyway?" he asked. "He wasn't just a puppet master but his talent for creating poisons was almost on par with Ororchimaru."
"Well, I created an antidote for his poison before I entered the fight. I used it to heal Kankuro. I actually ended up using my fists for the most part. Those wooden puppets are nothing against them." She chuckled.
Sasuke shook his head. He wished he could go back in time to watch what he knew must have been an epic battle. He frowned for a moment. "Wait, why was it just you and Lady Chiyo fighting him? Weren't Naruto and Kakashi with you? I even heard that team Gui was on that mission."
Sakura thought for a moment. "Well, team Gui had left to take care of the seals put on the boulder barrier. After getting inside we found Sasori and Diedara waiting for us. Garra was lying dead on the cave floor and Diedara was sitting on him." She clenched her fists at the memory. "Obviously Naruto got angry and took off after them when he made one of those giant clay birds of him and flew off. Kakashi sensei followed because Naruto was already starting to lose control of Kurama. I think he was hoping team Gui would finish quickly and come help us but they had their own problems to deal with so the two of us just dealt with him on our own."
"I see." Sasuke replied, he reached over and placed his hand on her head rubbing it affectionately.
She blushed and looked up at him when he removed his hand. "What was that for?" she asked.
He shrugged. "I was just thinking about how you became a fierce warrior while I was away. It's surprising, in a good way of course. There are only a handful of people in the world that have faced down a member of the Akatsuki and lived to tell about it." He smiled down at her. "I'm proud of you."
Sakura blushed the deepest shade of pink he'd ever seen and he smiled wider. His gaze fell to her mouth and he felt the same feeling from before. The desire to kiss her stronger than it had ever been before. Cautiously he reached out and tapped her in the middle of her forehead. She smiled sweetly at him spurring him onward and he trailed his fingers down from her forehead to her jaw tipping her face upward with the slight pressure of his fingers. He heard her breath catch in her throat as he leaned towards her his heart pounding in his chest. "Sakura." He breathed as he brought his lips towards hers. Just as he was about to close his eyes and close the distance, their blonde haired teammate appeared in the window carrying Onchou's limp body. Sasuke immediately dropped his hand and straightened up cursing himself for not sensing his best friend sooner. He looked banged up with his hair a mess and dirt smeared across his cheeks as he stepped in and laid the unconscious girl next to Ryuu. Sai quickly followed also looking a little ruffled with a few scratches on his torso and cheek.
"What happened?" Sakura demanded jumping to her feet and shaking her hair, claearly trying to clear her head. She quickly approached her teammates her hands glowing green as she checked them over for serious injuries.
Naruto stilled her hands and pushed them away. "Check on her first. She's the one that needs you." He responded motioning to the unconscious girl.
"Seriously, what happened?" Sasuke demanded irritated that his moment with Sakura had been ruined even if he was questioning himself now.
"I'm not sure." Naruto admitted. "It was like she was fighting with something inside of her. She had her arms wrapped around herself like she was trying to hold herself together and then she screamed at us to get back. I felt a huge amount of chakra coming from her and she lifted her head towards the sky and a ball of energy exploded from her and flew into the air. She collapsed after that. All of this," he said gesturing to the dirt on his clothes and scratches on his face "was caused by us getting knocked back by the shock wave."
"Well that's alarming." Sasuke replied looking down at the girl. "I imagine that this is what Ryuu was talking about when he said that it was dangerous for her to use any more chakra today."
Naruto nodded. "That's what I was thinking. The question now is, what's happening to her?"
Sasuke rubbed the back of his neck. "Who knows? It could be one of Takuma's experiments on her backfiring or something." He glanced at the girl that Sakura was hovering over. "What's her status?" he asked.
"She's unconscious and her chakra network is totally shot." She bit her lip and glanced down at the girl. "I think we need to get her to a hospital. She's going to be out of it for a while and although I could easily take care of her, I don't have the supplies I need." She brushed some hair out of the girl's face. "I also want to run some tests on her."
Naruto nodded. "What do you suggest Sakura?" he asked. "Should we take her back to The Leaf?"
Sakura sighed. "I'd like to because I know the staff and the equipment there better but it's a three day trip back there from where we are now if we move at top speed which would be next to impossible carrying her along with us." She pressed her fingers to her temples. "I think our best option is probably going to be taking her to The Hidden Sand instead. The medics there respect me so I think that it won't be a problem. It's where we were headed anyway."
"Good plan." Naruto agreed. "Does that sound good to everyone else?" the rest of the Leaf ninja nodded and he smirked. "Alright. First thing tomorrow morning, we'll head for the Hidden Sand. Sai, have you finished those notes?" he asked.
The pale ninja nodded. "I have. Would you like me to add a second one informing the Kazikage that we'll be arriving tomorrow?"
Naruto nodded and then turned to Sasuke. "I know." The Uchiha replied biting his thumb. He slammed it to the table and two birds appeared. A hawk and a bald eagle. Sai handed him the note to addressed to Kakashi and he attached it to the Eagle who immediately soared out the open window. He then attached the remaining note to the hawk who followed suit vanishing into the night on its way to the Village Hidden in the Sand.
"Now that that's over with, let's figure out who is going to sleep with who." Naruto said glancing at the two remaining beds.
"Damn! Not this again." Sasuke hissed pinching the bridge of his nose. After nearly kissing Sakura, sleeping next to her was going to be awkward as Hell.
"Why don't you sleep with Naruto?" Sakura suggested seeming to sense his hesitation. He cocked a brow at her. Did she really want to sleep with the painter or was she just afraid of sleeping with him now? "I mean, that way you don't end up on the floor. I kicked you out by accident the last time." She lied.
He sighed, she was being considerate of course. She must have thought that he'd actually stay in the bed with Naruto. No way, that idiot would end up wrapped around him in his sleep and he knew it. As close as they were, that was just too close for him. "The same arrangements as last time are fine." He replied.
"Are you sure?" she asked.
"Positive, now let's get to bed. Everyone is exhausted." He said shortly.
Less than an hour later, he was lying next to the pink haired medic on top of the blankets while she snuggled under them. Sakura sighed and turned towards him. "You really don't have to sleep with me if you don't want to." She told him. "I can sleep on the floor."
"If anyone sleeps on the floor it'll be me." He retorted.
She shook his head. "Stubborn as always. I don't bite you know."
He sighed. "I know that. I'm just not used to this."
She chuckled. "You'll never get used to it if you never try it." She replied.
"True enough." He acknowledged. "Fine, I'll stay in bed the entire night."
"Good." Sakura replied with a sleepy smile. "I'm glad to hear it."
He settled down beside her and smirked when once again she turned to curl against him in her sleep. His own eyes became heavy and as he drifted off to sleep it occurred to him that sleeping next to her wasn't that bad at all.
P.S. I wasn't expecting this chapter to come as quickly or easily as it did but I'm happy with how it turned out. I apologize to everyone on the verge of pulling their hair out over the almost kiss I just couldn't resist. ;) Anyway, I'm going out of town tomorrow so I won't be able to update for at least three days. The back to back chapters are my way of apologizing and I might write a little one shot before the end of the day too if I get a chance.