The bright light of the completed challenge brought the people from the castle back.
"Brother!" Zemin cried, as he ran towards Ryuu.
The two cried in each others embrace at the Palace door. Word quickly spread of the former King and Queen being killed due to a demonic possession of the crown Prince. The royal kinsmen quickly busied themselves in the reconstruction of the castle.
Though injured herself, Niu personally tended to Shirong as Ryuu and Zemin rested with their backs to the palace walls.
"Their love is so beautiful." Zakuro heard one of the hand maidens comment.
"It's refreshing to watch them." Another added, nodding. "Most couples fade in a year, two at the maximum. But they look at each other as though they are newlyweds."
The two bustled away, holding hot water and bandages.
Suzahara was pulled into council by Chichiri and Mitsukake, before entering the palace. Mei Lin attended to Bao Shou and Mei Fong, a frown on her face as she did so.
Zakuro quietly approached the basket of bandages and medicine near Niu.
"Protect me, my ass..." Zakuro heard Niu mumble darkly. "How dare you keep me in the dark? Worried sick... No spot in hell tortourous enough..."
Zakuro looked at Shirong with her eyebrows raised. But he was looking at Niu with soft expression on his face, flinching once or twice when Niu was being excessively rough.
"Ummm..." Zakuro said, hesitantly. "May I borrow those?"
"Putting Zakuro through such danger..." Niu continued muttering. "Unforgivable... After she agreed to deal with a difficult Ryuu..."
Shirong smiled and nodded. Zakuro bowed as she took a couple of rolls of bandage and a vial of medicine in a smaller basket. She went towards the courtyard, thinking of retracing Suzahara's steps.
She looked at a couple of children looking suspiciously towards the yard, whispering to each other. Zakuro followed their gaze to Tamahome, sitting on the wall of the koi pond, a book stuck to his face.
"You're not supposed to read in such poor lighting, you know." Zakuro called out, as she walked by.
The children squeeled as Zakuro approached them and a few ran away. Zakuro frowned at the running children.
"My eyes work differently than yours, Ojou-chan." Tamahome purred. "I can see very well in the dark."
Tamahome looked over the book and smiled at Zakuro. He then continued reading. Zakuro was about to continue, when Tamahome's wings shivered. Tamahome's hand tightened around the book.
Is he in pain? Zakuro thought, as she walked.
"You can go inside, you know." Zakuro called out. "It's cozy."
It was at that point that she observed the darker shadow of blood Tamahome was sitting on.
"You're hurt!" Zakuro exclaimed, rushing towards Tamahome and taking the book from his hand. "Go inside. They have doctors."
Tamahome took a patient sigh, the one which people take when they're dealing with naive children.
"I'm a demon, Ojou-chan." Tamahome said, without a hint of sadness in his voice. "I'm not welcome around humans. And besides, it's not that easy to kill me."
Zakuro frowned, opening her mouth as she tried to think of a retort. Zakuro didn't trust Tamahome, purely because of the way they had met. Kidnapping and almost raping didn't put him in the people Zakuro could count on. Though Zakuro logically knew that he was now bound to Suzahara and couldn't hurt her anymore, she couldn't get herself to trust him.
Demons can't be trusted. Zakuro thought, pushing away the recent misgivings she had when she encountered Zui Gao.
Tamahome's wings shivered again.
"Take off your shirt." Zakuro said, as she set the basket down and unfolded some bandages.
"My master loves you." Tamahome said, grinning. "It would be highly inappropriate for me to do so."
"Do you have any idea how old those types of jokes are?" Zakuro said, rolling her eyes. "Come on. Take it off."
"It's not fatal." Tamahome said, frowning a little.
"But it is painful." Zakuro said, as she started unbuttoning Tamahome's shirt. "These bandages are soaked in medicine. They should help relieve the pain. But I wonder if they work on demons..."
Zakuro paused at the second button as she mused that. Tamahome gently held her hand, wrapping talon like fingers around her's. She instinctively flinched back. Tamahome frowned in confusion for a second.
"Either case, it should stop the bleeding." Zakuro continued, her voice devoid of fear. "Not bleeding is always better than bleeding."
Tamahome rolled his eyes and took of his shirt. He seemed to have taken a bad beating from the demon as streams of blood raced down his back.
"This may sting a little..." Zakuro said as a courtesy having no real knowledge of the medicine in the bandage.
Tamahome's wings fluttered when she touched his back. She carefully cleaned the wounds.
That's not too bad. Zakuro thought. Or maybe demons heal faster than humans. As if the claws weren't advantage enough!
"Usually we put the medicine now..." Zakuro mumbled, as she soaked a bandage with medicine and cleaned Tamahome's wounds again.
Zakuro picked up one of the last rolls of bandage. Zakuro looked at the bandage and then Tamahome's back and then the bandage again. She unfurled the bandage and angled it around Tamahome's silhouette, trying to see how to wrap without trapping his wings.
"You've never done this before, have you?" Tamahome said, chuckling.
"Never on a being with large wings..." Zakuro said, reminding herself that she had never bandaged a human before either for major injuries.
Zakuro criss-crossed the bandage and wrapped Tamahome. Tamahome watched the entire process, highly amused. Zakuro used up most of the bandages she brought with her. She smiled at her handiwork.
"All better." Zakuro said, cheerfully. "Now, I think you should change them when you bleed. I may have an aspirin in my purse, if you're in a lot of pain. They're usually for headaches but they do numb the body."
"Aspirin?" Tamahome said, cocking his head to the right.
"Medicine from my world." Zakuro said, as she moved to dispose the bloody bandage. "But again, it's designed for humans... Are you cold?" Zakuro asked as Tamahome's wings fluttered again.
"Being shirtless in Hokkan is unwise." Tamahome said, as he started wearing his shirt again.
"You!" Zakuro barked. "Kid! Get a blanket!"
"Yes!" One of the kids, who was staring at Tamahome, said and scurried inside.
"Ojou-chan." Tamahome said, amused. "That's unnecessary."
"You give off this scary aura." Zakuro said, out of the blue.
She wanted to rationalize why it wasn't her first instinct to help an injured person shivering in the cold. She wanted to walk on to find Suzahara, even though she knew Tamahome was suffering.
"And plus you're a demon." Zakuro added. "It's natural for people to be afraid of you. You can't blame them. It's not their fault."
The kid hesitantly approached Zakuro with a warm quilt. Zakuro smiled as she took it and tossed it to Tamahome. Tamahome almost immediately wrapped himself in it.
"Are you?" He asked, as Zakuro was about to leave Tamahome to his book. "Are you afraid of me?"
Zakuro thought about the answer for a while.
"Not of the demon." Zakuro replied, as she left.
Tamahome cocked his head, unable to understand. Humans were frustratingly complex. Most of the times, he couldn't understand what the intentions of their words were. In hell, everything was too easy. On earth, everything too complex. But all his life, he thought he was better than being just a demon. He was more than just the loyal servant of the house Tengu. He was Tamahome and he was above demons.
Are you? A voice unlike his echoed in his mind. Do you not crave her blood? Are you happy on the fodder they feed you?
Tamahome looked east, a strong wind blowing towards him. He shivered once again in the cold, tightening the blanket around him.
-X-X-
Zakuro hunched over to cover the basket as the wind faded away. Zakuro walked along the courtyard. She spotted Suzahara and Mitsukake, deep in conversation near the palace walls. Zakuro hung back, waiting for them to finish.
"Hey." Chichiri greeted Zakuro.
His wounds were freshly bandaged and he seemed to be on his way to join Suzahara and Mitsukake.
"Hey." Zakuro said, smiling. "Glad you got yourself all fixed up."
"Can we talk?" Chichiri asked.
"Sure." Zakuro replied. "What's up?"
"Not here." Chichiri said, his eyes trailing to Suzahara and Mitsukake.
Zakuro frowned but she followed Chichiri to an adjoining room. Chichiri closed the door behind them as Zakuro lit a light. The two huddled around the warmth.
"This place is freezing!" Zakuro said, bitterly.
"Hokkan has always been mostly cold." Chichiri said, as he rubbed his hands over the fire.
"It gets cold back home too!" Zakuro complained. "But we manage to keep warm. This place is ridiculously cold!"
Chichiri was quiet.
"What's on your mind?" Zakuro asked.
"Do you believe that honesty is a virtue?" Chichiri asked, as though he was calculating his words.
Zakuro frowned, having a vague hunch as to where the conversation was heading.
"I guess..." She answered.
"Do you think of me as a friend?" Chichiri continued. "A friend whom you can trust."
Zakuro slowly nodded.
"You're special to me, Zakuro." Chichiri said, looking at his hands. "Even when I thought I was an aberration, you treated me with normalcy. I understand that it may not have been much to you. But it was an act of kindness to me. Even after what I did... you stayed by me as I died. You shed tears for me."
Chichiri paused as he searched for words.
"It wasn't kindness." Zakuro replied, honestly, having thought over it several times before. "I know it may seem weird to you but from where I come, we are taught not to be judgmental. The divide that you see in this world... Maybe it exists in mine but my mom would kill me if I was mean to somebody just because everybody else was. Its a difference in upbringing, I guess. I stayed because you were good to those kids. I believe you're a good person."
Zakuro frowned.
"Maybe I shouldn't be doing too much of that in this world..." She said, sighing a little.
"Maybe that is true..." Chichiri said, his expression still unconvinced. "But I want you to know that I care about you. You're as special to me as each and every one of those kids are. But in return, all I ask is for your honesty. Zakuro, when you were talking to that demon earlier, you said stronger demons coveted you. You said the likes of that demon wouldn't be able to taint you. What did you mean?"
Zakuro smiled. She knew that it was coming. She had an answer ready. Plain and simple, it tied everything with a neat bow.
"Actually..." Zakuro said, the small smile still on her lips. "It was because of what you said. What you said about the Gods talking about me often... got me thinking. The demons would know that the Gods talk about me. That's why Zui Gao took me. He said I was unique. I knew that if the demon focused on me, you guys would be able to fight it. It never helps when a demon concentrates on a weak prize and forgets about the stronger opponents."
Zakuro chuckled a little. Everything she said was true. She knew how receptive Chichiri was. Chichiri frowned.
"Is that all?" He said, his voice surly.
Zakuro nodded.
"Well..." Chichiri said, after a few moments. "That's really stupid! Suzahara seems to think you're a lucky charm and you think you're bait!"
"You talked to Suzahara about this?" Zakuro asked..
"Yes." Chichiri said, getting to his feet. "I revealed the information I had. Suzahara wasn't able to complete a challenge in 9 months. Neither was Bao Shou able to locate his final challenge. You come and Suzahara completes one by following you. Though at the time he didn't know it was a challenge... but nevertheless, he thinks that's why the Gods talk about you."
Chichiri was frowning again, crossing his hands. He then shook his head.
"Mitsukake and Suzahara are done." Chichiri said, as he left the room.
Zakuro extinguished the fire and walked out.
-X-X-
Suzahara sat, leaning on the palace wall, observing the palace. He smiled as Zakuro approached him.
Zakuro could feel her heart rate rise. But she took deep breathes, trying to maintain her composure. She stopped a couple of steps from him and sat down, facing him. She put the basket of bandages and medicine next to her.
"Ummmm..." Zakuro started, finally wording her thoughts. "Are you hurt?"
She had used up most of the bandages on Tamahome. But she kept one roll safe.
"Just a little." Suzahara said, his voice as apprehensive as she felt.
"I have bandages..." Zakuro said, her voice trailing away.
Suzahara smiled a little and slid the sleeve of his shirt. He had a small wound on his arm. The wound was barely bleeding.
Zakuro's hands trembled as she reached for the medicine. She focused all her attention on the wound, trying her best to concentrate. Suzahara flinched when Zakuro touched his arm.
"Sorry!" Zakuro exclaimed, scrambling back and falling on her behind.
Suzahara chuckled.
"Your fingers are cold." He said, a small smile on his face.
"Oh.." Zakuro said.
She rubbed her hands to warm them a bit and slowly applied the medicine on Suzahara's wound. She could tell that Suzahara was looking at her. And that made her hands tremble more.
Niu made it look so easy! Zakuro groaned internally.
She frowned as she studied the wound, trying to think of the best angle of approach to tie the bandage. She wondered if she could run to her bag and get some band-aids. She tore a small piece and gently tied it around Suzahara's shoulder. She frowned at the size and shook her head. She untied and took another piece. That time, the piece was too big. Zakuro started getting flustered.
How can I not know this? Zakuro thought.
"First time?" Suzahara asked, barely suppressing his laughter.
"Second." Zakuro said, through gritted teeth. "Stay still."
Suzahara chuckled as he took the bandage from her hand and tied it himself, closing the knot with his teeth.
"Thank you." He said, as he threw the remaining bandage into the basket.
Zakuro rolled her eyes.
"You seem better." Zakuro said, as she rose and turned to leave.
Damn it! Zakuro thought, thinking of the smug grin on Suzahara's face. Damn it! Damn it! DAMN IT!
Suzahara caught her hand and pulled her back. Zakuro yelped in surprise as she fell, her back towards Suzahara's chest. In her surprise, she cocked her head up violently, hitting Suzahara square on the nose. Suzahara cried in pain.
"What the hell are you doing?" Zakuro asked, as she tried to turn around.
But Suzahara had wrapped his arm around her waist, preventing her from turning.
"You were supposed to fall gently!" Suzahara muttered, his breathe warm on her head.
Zakuro could tell that Suzahara was rubbing his nose.
"Did I break it?!" Zakuro asked, still struggling to face Suzahara.
"God!" Suzahara exclaimed. "I hope not! I can't possibly bandage my own nose and you can't even bandage a broken nail, from the looks of it."
Suzahara and Zakuro were quiet for a moment. Zakuro was the first to break the silence as she burst into laughter. Suzahara laughed too, pulling Zakuro closer to himself, his hands on her stomach and his head on her shoulder. Zakuro took a few calming breathes as she rested her elbows on his raised knees and put her hand gently on his. She leaned back a little.
They sat in silence for a while, just listening to their heartbeats. Zakuro felt warm.
"I missed you." Suzahara said, after a while.
Zakuro's hand tightened around Suzahara's.
"I'm sorry I left." Zakuro said, finally trying to quell her guilt. "But I couldn't... I missed..."
Zakuro took a deep breath.
"I came back because I missed you so much." Zakuro said, glad that she wasn't looking him in the face.
"It wasn't even the big things." Zakuro continued. "I missed every little detail about you, so much so that even the monsters didn't seem scary anymore. I just wanted to be with you."
"I know." Suzahara answered. "I understand why you left. A small part of me was even relieved that you were safe from all this madness. But I just couldn't..."
Zakuro raised her hands and stroked his cheeks.
"I'm so glad you're back." Suzahara said softly.
He held Zakuro's hand which stroked his cheek and kissed it.
"I promise to protect these hands for as long as I live." Suzahara murmured.
Zakuro turned her head to face him. She could tell she was blushing furiously, but she didn't care. She was in a world where monsters were real. The only thing that was more powerful than that was her love for him.
Suzahara leaned in closer. Zakuro could feel her heart thump wildly in her chest. Even in the dull evening light, Zakuro could make out the green flecks in Suzahara's emerald eyes. She noticed each and every strand of his hair, as it fell carelessly on his face. She saw the small curl in his lips and felt the warmth as he pulled her closer. She smiled at the red tinge of nervousness that highlighted his cheeks.
Zakuro closed her eyes. A part of her was afraid of all of it being a dream and that she would wake up in her room. That was around the time in a dream that alarm clocks went off. It was when she felt the soft brush of his lips on hers, did the world stop spinning. Everything was clear in that moment when her heart skipped a beat. She waited for the feeling to intensify. But Suzahara was pulling back.
Zakuro frowned and opened her eyes. But Suzahara was looking away from her, towards the palace. She slowly followed his gaze and looked at Bao Shou, who had an apologetic look on his face, and Mei Lin, who looked venomously at Zakuro, standing a little further from them.
Zakuro quickly scrambled away from Suzahara, accidentally poking his eyes as she did so.
"I'm so sorry!" She squealed, as she turned around and cradled Suzahara's head in her arms. "Are you OK?"
Suzahara was bent over, his hand over his eyes.
"Save some for the demons, will you?" He said, shaking his head a little as he blinked.
Zakuro chuckled softly, the feeling of a few moments ago still flowing strongly in her veins.
"Eye poking is a good skill to have." She heard Bao Shou say from close by.
Mei Lin was standing quietly, her expression unreadable.
"The Prince wanted to speak with you." Bao Shou addressed Zakuro.
Zakuro nodded, still holding Suzahara. She stroked his head, before she rose. She really wished she could say something sarcastic and leave with some dignity instead of leaving like a blushing school girl. But she reckoned that the stereotype had to exist for a reason. Suzahara rose too.
They both walked towards the Palace. Zakuro knocked at Ryuu's door.
One of the attendants opened the door. Ryuu smiled as Zakuro entered the room.
Zakuro froze on the spot, finally able to place the picture of the kind, pond blue eyes. The images of the day at the park came flooding back.
Why must I always be the villain? Zakuro pictured the man, who sent her to this world, say as his finger with the blue scales extended towards her.
"Zakuro?" Suzahara called out from near the head of the bed.
Nuriko sat at the other end, bandage covering half her face, looking determinedly at her knees.
"Is everything OK?" The younger version of the man who sent Zakuro to the book world, Ryuu, asked concerned.
Zakuro nodded. But she went towards Nuriko, instead to Suzahara, wanting to stay out of arm reach of Ryuu. Suzahara's gaze followed Zakuro, an odd frown on his face.
"Aunt Niu tells me of your kindness." Ryuu said, a smile on his face. "Though I remember bits and pieces... the extent of your kindness is overwhelming. I don't think I can every repay you. I must have been horrible and yet, you stuck by my side."
Zakuro smiled sheepishly.
"I can't really say no to Nuriko." Zakuro said, clutching Nuriko's shoulder.
"Nuriko's kindness is at par with yours." Ryuu said, bowing his head to Nuriko. "It is of the highest honor that she agreed to teach Zemin and I the ancient art of Jiao Di full-time."
"Full-time?" Zakuro murmured, confused. "You must be mistaken, Ryuu. Nuriko is coming with us. We're going to continue on the journey to make that guy a God."
Zakuro looked at Suzahara, who was avoiding Zakuro's gaze. Ryuu looked at Nuriko, confused.
"Nuriko..." Ryuu started.
"I'm not coming with you, Zakuro." Nuriko said, clutching her knees. "I don't want to be a General."
-X-X-
Tomoko watched the afternoon shoppers laugh as they passed by Cafe Gordo, the Italian style coffee house close to Yotsubadai High School. The book lay close to Tomoko, a Hello Kitty book mark sticking out. The faded title was hard to read.
Tomoko impatiently looked up the street and then at her watch. She took out her phone and read the message from Keisuke.
Miaka is in labour. Meet me at Cafe Gordo. We need to talk. -Yuuki Keisuke.
"Tomoko-chan?" Keisuke said, as he took the seat opposite Tomoko.
Tomoko looked up from her phone.
"How is Miaka-san?" Tomoko asked, her voice anxious.
"She's fine." Keisuke said, running his hand through his hair. "The doctors say that Miaka is a little anemic. So the process may take a while. But she is doing well."
Tomoko rapidly rose to her feet and bowed.
"I'm so sorry for causing you trouble at a time like this." Tomoko said.
Keisuke sighed.
"It's OK." Keisuke said, as he signaled for the waiter. "Miaka is tough. She is going to be absolutely fine. But she kept worrying about you. So I thought I should put her at ease a little. The last couple of days have been tough..."
Tomoko slowly got to her seat.
"Oni-chan was trying to give this thing to Taka-san." Tomoko said, in a low voice. "He wasn't able to reach any of you. All your phones were switched off. Taka-san wasn't coming into school. I think he wanted to stop by before the party and give it to you. If only he had given it back, Zakuro-ne..."
"He wouldn't have been able to meet us." Keisuke said, clasping his hands under his chin. "We were locked in, unable to get out."
Tomoko frowned.
"I think it's time for a full disclosure." Keisuke said. "Tetsuya wanted to keep you kids safe from too much information. But Miaka was around your age when she was pulled in. So were Mayo and Yui. Takiko and Suzano too. The Gods choose girls that young to save countries and yet we treat you like children... Let me tell you the story of the priestess of Suzaku, my kid sister Miaka."
Tomoko quietly listened to Miaka's and Yui's tale.
She was quiet when Keisuke recounted the conflict between Konan and Kutou.
She was quiet when Keisuke talked about Miaka's search for the Shichi Seishi.
She was quiet when Keisuke elaborated Nakago's intentions and his plans.
She was quiet when Keisuke spoke about the seishi dying, one after the other.
She was quiet when Keisuke explained that Seiryuu consumed Yui when she summoned him and Miaka used her first wish to bring her back, the final battle that took place a few blocks from Cafe Gordo.
"Taka is a reincarnation of Tamahome, the man my sister met and fell in love with in the book." Keisuke said, as his food arrived. "Suzaku reunited the lovers. Taka isn't even supposed to have any celestial powers. But when he tried to stop Seiryuu from send Zakuro the first time around, the mark of the demon appeared on his forehead. Tetsuya thinks that Suzaku broke a rule of some kind, because of which we were locked in our house, unable to contact the outside world. Everything that happened as a direct result of Miaka's and Yui's journey were disappearing slowly. But when Zakuro went back and everything reset itself. The question is why and how did she go back?"
Keisuke gave Tomoko time to process the overload of information. He puffed the hot steam rising from the coffee and took a small sip.
"It's because she loves him." Tomoko said, after a while. "She went back because she is in love with Suzahara."
Keisuke frowned and then slowly nodded.
"But it's so unlike her." Tomoko said, still looking at the table. "Zakuro-ne has always been so focused, so determined. She always thinks things through and is not the impulsive kind. She is cautious and intelligent. It doesn't make sense that she would go back just for a guy."
"That world..." Keisuke said, a while later. "It changes people. You and I haven't seen suffering first hand. When I tried to warn my sister about the dangers of that world back then, she chose to burn the connection we had, rather than finding a way back home."
Tomoko shook her head.
"Zakuro-ne isn't like that." Tomoko said, adamantly. "She was in love with Oni-chan. And when he rejected her, she just decided to move on with her life. She doesn't get stupid in love."
"Tomoko-chan..." Keisuke murmured.
"She studied for 3 days straight for her English final in the second year of Junior High." Tomoko said, tears dropping on the table. "She missed her friend's birthday party because of that. Her friend never spoke to her again. Zakuro-ne simply smiled and said that if they were really friends, she would know how important it was to Zakuro-ne to top that exam. But that never happened. She was never able to come in first. She wrote seven different High School entrances and came in second in all of them, to seven different people. Zakuro-ne works hard and has her head in the right place. She sets a goal in her head and works herself raw till she achieves it. Her priorities are different. She wouldn't go back for just a guy!"
"We don't even know if she went back willingly..." Keisuke muttered.
"She begged Genbu." Tomoko said, clutching the helm of her skit and finally looking at Keiksuke. "She begged Genbu to send her back, like she had met him before... like he was the one who sent her home in the first place... but there is no mention of them meeting in the book. How did she know Genbu? Why is only that meeting omitted? It can only mean that they discussed something that nobody can know of. I'm so scared that the only reason she went back is because she knows she is capable of doing something that nobody else can. I'm scared because if she went back after rationally thinking it over, there is no way to bring her back until the story is over. I'm scared because all of the girls you had talked about... Takiko-san, Suzano-san, Yui-san and Miaka-san were supposed to die summoning the Gods."
Tomoko couldn't get the picture of Zakuro out of her head from earlier that day, when she spoke of all the suffering and misery she had encountered in that world. The picture of Zakuro, who should have been looking sad, looking like she felt guilt instead.
AN:
Translation- Shichi Seishi: Seven Star Warriors
-X-X-
zZhell-butterflyZz- I'm really glad you likes the chapter! Good luck on your exams!
LunaLupus16- Thank you so much for the kind review. Sorry about the mix up! I remember seeing the update clearly last night and laughing at the really long chapter. I'm not really sure what happened because the word count seemed right! Thank you so much for pointing it out because I was being too lazy to check the preview and was postponing it to later today!
-X-X-
Of all the chapters that I have posted so far, this is my favorite. I know to most it might just seem like a filler chapter. But it works well with a RL theory that I have. My theory is that if all the people you ever met were collected in a room and asked to talk about you, the types of answers that you would get would equal the number of people in that room. And it is possible that each and every one of them would be right. Truth is very different from perception. Zakuro expected Tamahome to be evil. Chichiri expected his reading of Zakuro to be accurate. Suzahara expected that he knew why Zakuro left and why she came back. Tomoko was sure that her role-model-older-sister-figure wouldn't be a silly teenager and expected something more sinister at play. All of them can be right and wrong at the same time.
Anyway, enough with my blabbing. Sorry for the mix up about the post. Let me know what you guys thinking about the chapter.
As always, keep reading!