DISCLAIMER:
THIS equals WORK OF FICTION. CHARACTERS equal NOT MINE. ME equals POOR. (
Credit to: MayIFall – the coolest beta on the planet!
Why has the sky turned grey
Hard to my face and cold on my shoulder
And why has my life gone astray
Scarred by disgrace, I know that it's over
"Falling Down" by Duran Duran
Disenchanted
By
JD01 (Emerald Lies)
CHAPTER TWO:
Of Knowing and Not Telling
One. Month. Previous.
"Kazekage-sama," the stoic raven-haired man greeted through forcibly, clenched teeth, respectfully standing as the calm redhead entered the room. His three pupils mimicked his movements and synchronically rose from their seats in one solemn motion. It was quite a quintessential picture really, one that-much the Uchiha's dismay- had to rehearse several times. Honestly, how hard can it be to rise from your chair? But the task was far more arduous than it led on, for Naruto would either fall out of his chair or his timing would be off. Sakura would get violent, which would delay the whole affair and Sai just… smiled.
The Kazekage nonchalantly nodded in response, his emerald eyes sweeping the room in a calculating manner, almost like an animal on the lookout. An amalgamation of Leaf and Sand ninjas stood in the room, eyeing him wearily.
"Oi, Gaara!" A happy mop of blond waved eagerly. His face-splitting grin overwhelmed the Leaf ninja's face, making his eyes squint almost in a caricaturing fashion. The puerile teenager jittered, jumping up and down like a man having the misfortune of having his pants invaded by ants. By that point, most Sand shinobis were gaping at the exuberant presence with much disbelief, an expression akin to 'What the fuck? Is he for real?!' marring their faces, because after all, the lovable idiot was disrupting a primordial meeting to wave and -oh lord!- smile at the Kazekage.
And Sunagakure's elite ninjas nearly urinated in their underpants when they were greeted by the sight of their esteemed leader not only tolerate such ridiculous and unprofessional display but nod in response with almost a tinge of warm familiarity.
"Naruto, stop," hissed the pink-haired girl painfully jabbing her bony elbow in the blond figure beside her. Naruto winced, howling tactlessly in pain, causing more eyebrows to evanesce into the hairline.
"Sakuuuuuurraa-chan! That hurts!" the ninja whined annoyingly in all his juvenile boisterousness.
By that point, Uchiha Sasuke was gripping his temples, trying desperately to will away a colossal migraine.
"Kazekage-sama, I apologize for my squad's unprofessional behavior," gritted out the captain of ANBU through painfully clenched teeth, mentally stabbing his pupils in all gory glory. "They tend to catch stupid after a long voyage," he muttered acridly underneath his breath.
Unfortunately for him, this remark did not fall on deaf ears.
"Captain, I believe that insulting your own very competent squad is not only less than stellar behavior, but as a leader it is downright reprehensible," droned Gaara matter-of-factly with subtle emotion, his eyes fleeting towards a certain blond. Not that the Kage even cared about such trivial affairs, he just secretly, for what appeared to be some unbeknownst reason, enjoyed one-upping the arrogant captain. Yes, Gaara was a closet sadist. The Uchiha glared at the crimson haired Kazekage, biting his tongue to avoid unleashing a vicious verbal attack to Sunagakure's leader.
Sai continued smiling bemusedly, Sakura seemed vexed with having her precious sensei humiliated, and naturally, Naruto snickered audibly, not even bothering with discretion, relishing in having his pristine captain publicly reprimanded.
Fists tightly clenched, Sasuke was internally pondering how exactly would he evade Suna once he decapitated the Kazekage.
"Well then, let's proceed," Gaara announced peremptorily, successfully bringing everyone out of their reverie and killing all lingering laughter. He meant business.
XXX
"Waaah! Gaara is so cool!" crowed Naruto, flailing his arms in exuberant admiration as he collapsed on the couch.
"Yeah, well, personally I didn't like the fact that he blatantly disregarded sensei like that! And in front of everybody!" Sakura yelled indignantly, angrily sharpening her kunais.
"Pfft! The bastard deserved it! He is so prissy Sakura-chan! I don't know why you like him so much! He is such a dick and-" began the boy in a whiny tone.
"Really Naruto? Do you really want to finish that sentence?" asked the pink-haired lady, one of her peculiarly, honed kunai firmly gripped in her hand, her green specks blazing with unveiled emotion.
Naruto's eyes bulged comically and he began to back towards the couch, praying for it to swallow him whole. He shot his hands up defensively, while stuttering madly.
"B-but Sakura-chan! Uchiha-bastard is so old. Way too old for you!" he cried out desperately.
"He is not!" cried out the young woman in indignation. "He is twenty-two! Six years is hardly noticeable! It's not like he is some old wrinkly geezer! He is handsome and muscular and, oh! His intelligence is direly attractive! And, dear lord, did you see the way his ass-"
"Please stop before I end up puking myself bone-dry," the flaxen-haired teenager said, glowering at the floor. He crossed his arms on his chest, a scowl full of repugnance blemishing his soft features.
"Mhmm, though I hate to admit it, dickless here is right. Uchiha-sensei is over eighteen. You know if he were to fuck you, it would be considered statutory rape and-" commenced Sai in a disinterested manner, as he lazily shoved a few choice weapons in his pouch.
"I-I w-wasn't talking a-about that! I said he's hot, that doesn't mean I want to…with h-him!" stuttered madly the young pink-haired ANBU, a tinge of pink furiously coloring her cheeks as she floundered about.
"Why, of course Sakura-chan. You're so pure and sweet like a delicate flower. It's not like you spend all your time staring at sensei's ass, or fantasizing about seeing him nak-" began the onyx-haired ninja, a bemused smirk placed on his lips.
"Sai, stop tormenting poor Sakura-chan! And hey! How many times do I have to tell you, moron? I am not dickless! Besides why would Sakura want to see the teme naked? Seriously, who would want that asshole's puny dick in them?!" Naruto grimaced, making exaggerated, retching sounds at the unholy, sacrilegious image of Sasuke donning the birthday suit and getting down and dirty with his sweet Sakura-chan. The thought alone of them even possibly uniting in such an abhorrent manner made the acrid bile burn his esophagus. Ewww. Naruto shuddered in utter disgust.
"Sensei's dick is not puny!" Sakura exclaimed in pure, unadulterated outrage, clutching her scything kunai with a homicidal grip.
A moment laden with silence passed, as both Naruto and Sai stopped their movements and stared at the young woman with the cherry-blossomed hair.
"Not that I have ever seen it though…" she mumbled weakly, her face scarlet as she diverted her attention back to honing her weapons.
The raven-haired ninja continued to smile in that perpetually creepy way of his, fingering a couple of weapons and weighing them.
"Oh, I am sure sensei's penis is bigger than yours, Naruto. Hell, even ants have bigger cocks," he said in that monotonous way of his, his dark eyes gleaming maliciously.
"Ants don't have penises," Sakura reprimanded, a frown marring her porcelain skin. "Besides, Sasuke is not only bigger than Naruto, he is huge!" she added absentmindedly, smiling dreamily as she pursued fervently sharpening her weapons.
"HEY!! My penis is gigantic, OK?! Sasuke's got nothing on me! You want to see?!" squeaked the passionate blond, as his nimble tan fingers hastily proceeded to unbuckled his belt.
"Please don't, Naruto!" shouted speedily the young kunoichi with bulged eyes. "We'd hate to be greeted with-"
"Absolutely nothing," Sai completed, snickering toothily like an imbecile.
The flaxen-haired ninja turned crimson with fury, as he huffed indignantly, crossing his arms over his chest like a child.
"And Sakura-chan, I thought you said you didn't peek on sensei?" Sai inquired in mock curiosity.
It was then Sakura's turn to turn a violent shade of vermillion.
"In fact I'm surprise that you, delicate and innocent Sakura, are even actively participating in a discussion on penises," he went on with pseudo innocence, his dark eyes glinting unwholesomely.
Naruto guffawed inelegantly, sticking out his tongue in pure mirth.
"Oh please, this is Sakura-chan we're talking about! There is nothing delicate about her. With her violent surges, she can go on a killing rampa-"
Though the hearty blond's laughter quickly died as he saw Sakura fingering her dangerously sharp kunai and a throbbing vein pulsating rapidly on her wide forehead. This in turn caused Sai to smirk amusedly as he anticipated the butchering of his fellow teammate.
But before the lady ninja could massacre a certain foul-mouthed blond, in a very unlady-like manner, mind you, the door was forcefully yanked open, a certain ebony-haired sensei came thundering in, a black cloud of doom hovering above his head.
"We are leaving. Immediately. Gather your things," stated Sasuke peremptorily.
The air was laden with the silent tension as their captain proceeded to glare viciously at them.
"Oh, and if one of you dunderheads even dare to think, let alone utter a single word about today's meeting, I will promptly skin you idiots alive. Never embarrass me again. Am I clear?" growled Sasuke in a tone that promised death to whomever was stupid enough to disobey.
Sakura nodded hastily, grabbing her pouch and scurried away from her angered teacher, followed by the perpetually serene Sai, the creepy smile intact on his lips as he leisurely walked away. Just when Naruto was about to do a mad dash out of the room, and most importantly, out of crazy (PMS-ing), violent teacher's sight, a thundering call of "Uzumaki!" resounded from his sensei's lips.
Naruto gulped audibly, slowly turning to face his captain's untamable wrath.
"Y-yes, sensei?" he stuttered hesitantly, a nervous smile on his plush lips as he scratched the back of his golden turf of hair.
Sasuke sneered at the boy in front of him, the closet sadist in him wanting to inflict misery upon him for his earlier mishap.
"The Kazekage wishes to speak to you," he stated, opting to torture the idiot once out of Suna and away from a certain maniacal Kage.
Naruto sighed of relief non-to-discreetly; his trademark blinding grin washing over his facial features, this caused the raven to frown. A happy Naruto was never a good thing. A grinning Naruto only meant one thing…
"Ok, I'm off then…and, oh, Sensei? About today's meeting… red really suits you. You should blush more often!"
That stupid would come out of his mouth.
Though fortunately for Naruto (and not quite fortunately for the captain of ANBU), he dodged a well-aimed lethal kunai hurled in his direction.
"Waaah! Sensei! You nearly murdered me! That certainly isn't appropriate behavior from the captain of ANBU!" he exclaimed dramatically, panting wildly as his heart beat impetuously from his close encounter with the Skeleton with the Scythe.
This time though, he was not prepared to receive a forceful punch on his jaw. Naruto staggered with wide eyes, and clumsily fell on his rear, his hand on his stinging maxillary.
"Oh, I am so telling Gaara!" he declared venomously, as he scurried away before his evil teacher could inflict him any more harm. Before disappearing out of sight, he childishly stuck out his tongue at the visibly fuming ebony-haired figure.
XXX
He entered the surprisingly, dimly, lit room and noticed right away that the curtains were drawn on the imposing windows that usually offered a beauteous scenery of the serene village and its magnificent architectural creations. He was about to greet the Kazekage with his usual zeal, but the lively words died at the tip of his tongue as a worrisome aura emanated from the stoic redhead.
"Gaara?" Naruto croaked uneasily.
His black-rimmed eyes carefully scanned, calculated, and penetrated him. It was a bit unsettling, the way his emerald eyes were scrutinizing him, as though internally debating some matter.
"Be careful," he murmured after a pregnant silence.
"Is something going on?" the young ninja questioned, furrowing his brows, the unsettling feeling only intensifying by the second.
"Just be careful."
Naruto frowned. Why the hell did Gaara always have to be so succinct?
"I-I will. Gaara?" he gulped nervously, noticing the fiery embers in those pearly green eyes.
"He lied," Gaara sighed, momentarily closing his eyes and clasping his hands together. "Kankouru. He lied. When he debriefed the mission."
And suddenly, Naruto knew this was no laughing matter. Endless green met sapphire blue. He knew that lives would be on the line. He knew he was going to regret opening his mouth.
"Tell me," Naruto asked in utmost seriousness. Suddenly it seemed like Naruto had grown, as though he was far wiser than his age gave him credit for. He was no longer a teenager, but a man. A man who has suffered, a man who has learned important life lessons, a man who was taught to kill.
"Are you familiar with Akatsuki?" he asked, secretly wondering why he was humoring the ninja.
Naruto scrunched up his face in thought. Akat…yes, it sounded familiar.
"Only that they are a troublesome faction of missing-nins…Wait, what do they have to do with the scroll we're supposed to-"
"They're after Shukaku," the young leader said bluntly, in no mood to stall or beat around the bushes.
The expression-filled boy's eyes bulged. This was bad. Bad, bad, very bad.
"A-are you certain? How do you know?" he asked, the seed of worry growing inside the pit of his stomach, churning his guts uncomfortably.
One look in Gaara's hardened eyes was enough to convince Naruto. Then, with the violence of a thundering light bolt it dawned upon his just why Gaara summoned his for this personal chat.
"Kyuubi. Y-you think they might be after me? After Kyuubi no Kitsune?" though it was a rhetorical question, really, Naruto had known for ages that this doomed day would come, the day he feared because of him, of who he was, or what he contained; he would put the lives of those he love most in peril's way.
"Be careful," was the litany that escaped the expressionless man.
"D-does Uchiha-sensei know?" the blond ninja asked, biting his lower-lip in effort to control his disarrayed thoughts.
Emerald, blithe eyes flitted to him at the mention of the captain's name, but no sound escaped his lips. Naruto, contrary to popular belief, wasn't as dense as people tended to perceive. He knew that Uchiha, for some unbeknownst reason, was a sore subject for the ladder, but this only made him furious.
"You realize that it is illegal to lie to the ANBU squad about the mission profile, right? If we are going to be confronted with the friggin' Akatsuki, we have to be prepared, damn it! You do realize that Captain is going to throw a fit?" he spewed with igniting wrath, his face turning red with anger as he clutched his fists tightly.
"It is not lying. The true nature of this mission is to remain enshrouded."
Had Gaara not heard a single word he said?!
"You lied," he spoke calmly, though the darkened hue of his usually sapphire eyes revealed the betrayal he felt. Gaara's betrayal. Gaara. His friend, the man he admired for becoming Kazekage at such a youthful age, lied to him and his squad. Now he had the galls to ask him to lie as well and potentially put his entire squad's lives at risk?! The anger consumed him, as he felt utterly disappointed and deceived.
"Naruto," the Kage spoke softly, a bit taken aback from the violence of Naruto's emotions. "Be that as it may, you have to understand we have to remain discreet. It's only a rumor, and we cannot afford to have such a rumor instigating fear among the villagers. If you are confronted with the Akatsuki, it will be perceived as a mere coincidence."
Naruto nodded solemnly, his wrath slowly evanescing as his friend's word sunk in. It did make sense though-why would the Kazekage summon the ANBU to deliver a simple scroll. He knew that the captain might have been something bigger going on as well. He frowned slightly, his flitting thoughts preoccupying him.
"Naruto…" the Kage repeated again in a soft timber, his green eyes calculating him, scrutinizing once more.
"Waah, Gaara! I kicked your ass, don't you remember? Ain't nobody gonna bring down the great Uzumaki!" he eagerly declared, though his mirth seemed a bit forced in Gaara's eyes. Something in his bright, green eyes softened, though it was only for a fleeting moment. Barely perceptible.
"Hold on to the scroll," he ordered in a demanding tone.
"What's in it?" Naruto asked, his curiosity piqued by the command.
"Something of utmost importance," was Gaara's laconic reply.
"You're being cryptic," Naruto accused, contorting his face juvenilely.
"You don't need to know what's in it, just-"
"Yes, 'hold on to the scroll' and 'be careful, Naruto'," he mimicked in an unflattering and uncharacteristic, shrilly timber. "After all, this time you still have no faith in the great Uzumaki?" he asked in mock indignation, puerilely sticking out his tongue and waving as he exited the Kazekage's chambers.
Guards stood beside the imposing doors, blocking a frowning Uchiha.
"What did he want?" grunted the captain suavely.
"Wouldn't you like to know?" Naruto simpered smugly, exposing all of his teeth… this of course got him promptly smacked on the back of his head by his easily infuriated sensei. Naruto winced in pain, clutching the back of his head as he glared at his smirking teacher.
"What? Are you jealous?"
Of course, some people never learned.
The Uchiha gnashed his teeth fervently. His eyes bled crimson as he viciously lunged forward, clutching his livid fists, until they turned utterly and sickly white.
"Captain," commanded the voice of the young Sand leader, who stood at the threshold of his chambers, eying the duo.
"We'll be going now," Sasuke hissed, the onyx tomoes spinning wildly as he threw a challenging sneer to the Kazekage. He hated the way his student made him lose complete control, causing him to forget himself, to forget his boundaries, and blatantly disregard the reputation he had worked so hard to build. It was downright insalubrious the control a mere student could have on his behavior. Sasuke was seething.
Gaara paid no heed to the fuming Uchiha, instead his eyes only riveted to a certain blond.
"Good luck," he stated, giving him a meaningful look before disappearing into his chambers once more.
Strangely enough, the Uchiha couldn't help but get annoyed by the attention his dunderhead of a student was getting.
XXX
The torrid sand whipped his whiskered face as he tried to muster up as much strength as possible. He had to get through. How hard could that be? But the scalding grains mercilessly slapping his face begged to differ. He internally cursed Mother Nature six ways to Sunday who had decided now of all times to PMS.
It didn't help matters with the last minute, imminent threat of S-class, missing nins, who topped the Bingo book, were chasing them. Yet again, the ever-optimistic ninja swore grimly. His vision was entirely blurred by the fiery barrier of sand. He tightly clutched the scroll to his chest, the emerald eyes burnt in his head. There was something so utterly troubling about having Sabaku no Gaara worried, despite the conflagrating heat, a shiver ran up his spine to his nape.
People often say eyes never lie and how right they were. Naruto could decipher the amalgamation of worry and something akin to guilt residing in those pools of greenness. There was something definitely wrong with this mission and for the first time, Naruto was truly, undeniably terrified. Maybe he should inform the bastard what this mission exactly entailed, but every step he took knocked the wind right out of his chest. It felt like gravity was exerting additional force for every breath made him feel at least four hundred pounds heavy. His larynx was in a state of complete draught and the stupid sandstorm was blinding him, rendering all senses futile.
It was stupid. He should have told his captain, no matter how much he loathed him. Now his teammates were nowhere in sight and only Kami-sama knows in what type of calamitous situation they were in. It was all his fault. He fisted the scroll with his sweaty palms. He didn't even know if he was heading in the right direction. The sound of the wind whisked noisily, saturating the air like a screeching banshee.
No, they were ANBU. They were trained for dire conditions. The bastard was captain! They were the captain's squad, for crying out loud! A measly sandstorm in enemy territory was not going to defeat them! Everyone, despite Uchiha-teme's relentless rants of how inept they were, was apt enough to take care of themselves. He had no reason whatsoever to worry. Yes, he nodded in zealous determination. He clasped his eyes shut, repeating the mantra of arguments, desperately trying to convince himself.
Then it happened. The blood-curling high-pitched scream abruptly erupted from the midst of the booming clouds of sand. Naruto froze. The scream made Naruto's insides lurch painfully, literally splitting his intestines. The familiar stridulating inhuman octave resounded sickly in his ear, causing Naruto's heart to pound impetuously, threatening to break free of his ribcage.
No. No. Naruto's breath hitched. He couldn't breathe. The goose bumps erupted along his arms, the hair on the back of his neck stood. No. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't move. He couldn't think for he was completely paralyzed with dread. The scream. Sakura. Sakura. No. Sakura. In trouble. Because of him. Because of him.
Now wasn't the opportune moment to wallow in self-pity. Not here. Not now. He couldn't afford to wallow in apathy. So Naruto, hanging on to the scroll with dear life, ran. He ran with his very last iota of strength. It didn't matter that the faster he ran, the more forcefully the scorching sand lashed at his face. He contorted his face in utter agony, dragging his heavy legs. He could barely stand, aching to the marrow, but he had to keep moving, he had to find Sakura. Save her.
Suddenly a figure appeared before his very eyed. A figure adorned with silky black hair.
"S-sensei?" he croaked wistfully, his voice terribly hoarse.
Naruto realized a little too late that the figure before him wasn't the graceful captain of ANBU, for this person was forming hand seals. This person was attacking him. The fingers moved with a blurring speed. The hand seals were formed at an exponential velocity. No. It couldn't be, but it was. Black cloak. Crimson clouds decorating the silky ebony-colored tissue like a sinister omen. Akatsuki.
Before his brain could even register to react, the jutsu hit him. Hard. The impact burnt a hole in his chest. Yet again, he was unable to breathe, the oxygen becoming rare. Suddenly, he was falling.
The scroll. His moist fingers were now coldly numb. Empty. The scroll. Where was it? It had been in his hands mere seconds ago, but it wasn't anymore.
His surroundings were spinning at a dizzying pace. The desultory thoughts bombarded him like a train wreck. His bleary vision captured scarlet eyes with spinning tomoes staring down at him. Strong arms clutched him with certain despair and eagerness. The plush lips of his savior moved but he couldn't decipher the words for the howling wind was echoing deafly in his ears. Somewhere from the back of his mind, he remembered crisply the harrowing scream.
"S-Sakura, the scroll. Gaara said Akat-" he whispered with difficulty, his sore throat making him incapable of forming words.
Then he was falling again as obscurity blanketed his vision like a handicapping blindfold.
XXX
The machines echoed in the same droning fashion. The nameless and faceless nurses and medic-nins occasionally waltzed by, offering weak encouraging smiles or pitiful looks. Others avalanched him in 'hopeful' medical jargon to somehow prove to him that 'everything was alright'. They didn't speak though. They did at first, but promptly stopped after many failed attempts of coercing the boy to leave. The polite but insistent "maybe you could get some rest…?" morphed into violent thwacks on his mop of flaxen hair and blatant curt orders of "Naruto, leave!" courtesy of Tsunade, naturally.
He didn't budge. Like a statue, he remained docilely stationary. His body rigid, his sapphire eyes never once left the sight of the sickly pallor before him. Hoping, wishing, praying to be greeted with angry emeralds once more.
Hinata, face flustered, cheeks rosy and speech stuttering, handed him a lush pillow, her lavender pupil-less eyes fascinated by the whiteness of the floor.
"I-I-it's n-not v-v-very c-comfy-"
"Thank you, Hinata-chan," he interrupted tiredly, a genuine look of gratitude washing over his exhausted and sleep-deprived features.
The young medic-nin turned scarlet before bolting out the room while mumbling incoherently. Naruto lazily propped the pillow on a rather uncomfortable looking armchair, and slouched with much sloth. He stared at the figure before him, lying immobile in all her angelic innocence. Her lips had a bluish taint, her face was ghastly livid, and yet a certain disturbing beauty emanated from her calm figure.
Naruto's mind traveled, his thoughts laden with guilt. The scroll was gone. They had miserably failed the mission. And Sakura. Sakura was injured, was lying in the hospital, and fighting for her life because of him. He stared down miserably at his own bandaged chest. The wound was healing rapidly, though for some reason it was searing him. It was all because of him. Because he was an idiot, a loser, a…
"Dobe."
Naruto looked up and was greeted with the sight of a slightly disheveled Uchiha, who seemed to have gotten about as much sleep as he did. Something was terribly wrong, that much he could sense. His onyx eyes were uncharacteristically frigid. His dark eyes flitted to watch his unconscious student. The machines buzzed peacefully as he surveyed his blond pupil with a calculating gaze.
"You knew," he accused, his acrid voice dripping with venom. He furrowed his brow in unadulterated fury, grinding his teeth audibly.
"Eh?" Naruto whispered, completely bewildered as he proceeded to blink at his teacher. He had no idea whatsoever what his teacher was referring to.
"Your last words. I read your lips, 'Gaara said Akat-'. Akatsuki? What a coincidence that we were attacked by none other than Akatsuki, but you see Uzumaki, I have a hunch that it wasn't quite a coincidence judging by your last words. Am I correct?" the Uchiha interrogated in a pseudo calm manner, which sent shivers of consternation of the flaxen-haired ninja's back. Naruto gulped, attempting to formulate words, but as he opened his mouth, they refused to budge.
"I am right, aren't I?" Sasuke continued, his onyx eyes blazing with deadly furor. "You fucking knew. You stupidly chose to hide such important information from me and now one of my squad member is in the hospital in critical condition, you fucking retard!" he vehemently boomed, fisting his young subordinate's collar and painfully shoving him against the white-washed walls with a harrowing crack resounding throughout the hospital.
Naruto limply washed like an outside spectator as his sensei's eyes turned a dangerous shade of crimson. Why fight back? He deserved everything he got.
"You fucking retard!" Sasuke bellowed once more, his porcelain knuckles crashing violently against Naruto's whiskered face, again, and again, and again… until scarlet tainted his once livid fist. The hand on the collar was released the piece of clothing, and the teenager slid against the wall like a pathetic rag doll.
XXX
End.Of.Chapter.2
Ahh, the plot thickens!
First of all, millions apologies for being so retarded! I was supposed to be updating chapter four of Disenchanted! Not chapter two! I'm sorry, but it's terribly hard to find the time to breathe let alone update. I hope you can all understand.
Second of all, a colossal thanks to everyone who bothered reviewing! Wow. 56 reviews! 56 for one chapter- that is amazing. I am dumbfounded, flabbergasted, over the moon with joy! I am so humbled. Lol, as my darling Avy says "it can only go down hill from here". I know I wasn't able to express my thanks individually to everyone who reviewed, so please don't feel offended- it still means a lot to me.
Finally, as MayIFall puts it- this story is "bipolar" (though she meant it as a compliment) for the angst. Technically the story is categorized as "angst/humor" and the title doesn't really inspire happiness, eh? Bah, don't worry it's not going to be a intensively dramatic story.
Spot errors that my beta failed to notice? Let me know, loves!
Praise/Slander/Constructive criticism all welcomed.
Peace, Love & Empathy
L-word you all.
JD!