Love Hurts 5 Ways (OUTDATED STORY) Chapter 38: LH5W Anniversary Special, Part 2, a Fushigi Yuugi + Ouran High School Host Club Crossover fanfic

ATTENTION READERS: This is the Beta version of LH5W, if you want to read the official, updated version of the story, you'll have to go over to DeviantArt. com and head on over to my page. My username is Aloubell. You can also get there by going to my fanfiction. net profile which provides a link over there.
In any case, this Beta version is basically the rough draft of LH5W, my first attempt at it. Much of the plot points from this version will be the same in the official version, but there are significant and consistent characterization changes, a few (but very important) plot differences, expansion of past ideas, and overall better quality in storytelling.

All of this will be done over on DeviantArt. I no longer will write the story in traditional prose nor submit/update it here to fanfiction. net. The Beta version will remain here, just know that it isn't the 100% official story.
The official version will be written in a lazy prose mixed with play-writing elements (you'll get what I mean when you see it).
This is the new format for the story from now on.
So please head on over there if you're interested in updates to the story! Thank you for stopping by =D

-Aloe

PLEASE NOTE: The official version is being written somewhat out of order. The official version will start on chapter 46, the place where the Beta version left off. The official version will go on to complete the last chapters of Season 2. Once those are done, I will redo the story over again from Chapter 1 which will be the official version.

Having said that, if you choose to continue on reading, I hope you enjoy the Beta version and look forward to the official!

~*SPECIAL OMAKE ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL PART TWO *~

"Huh," Haruhi began, "I never thought about it much before, but Senpai does resemble Buffy, doesn't she?"

You guys are all chumps! I wasn't trying to imitate Buffy! So I liked Buffy the Vampire Slayer—big deal! I thought she's awesome and I respected what she stood for. She's the exact opposite of those horrid "damsel in distress" fairy tales that I hated so much. I honestly thought that the only thing that could possibly make this whole thing worse would be if I wore a t-shirt designed with Buffy's face all over the front and back. Not like I owned such a thing….

Hotohori placed a hand on my shoulder and flashed a charming smile. "It's nothing to be ashamed of Akimoto—I think it's cute how you have someone you admire. "Almost instantly, I felt better. Hmm…a majorly hot guy thinks that my admiration is cute—this, I am okay with! It wasn't hard to ignore Nuriko's blazing anger in the background. In fact, I was sort of smirking in the back of my mind.

Before I had a chance to pretend that everything was alright, my arms were tugged by two separate arms leading me away from my comforting by Hotohori.

I was unfortunately being sucked into another Host Club charade. The two beings hooks around my arms were, of course, Hikaru and Kaoru. But they, and the other hosts, sans Haruhi, were each sporting white-powdered make-up and long, sharp fangs. To top it off, their whole vampire bit got cheesier with the addition of cloaks and, as a whole, looked like one of the most cliché-ish Halloween costumes, ever.

I didn't even need to say anything to get Tamaki to come into the picture, majestically whiffing a black rose. "If Aki is so fond of this Buffy, then we shall dedicate a day where we play the part for her!" After sighing, my scowl deepened. "I can see it now—the handsome male Hosts, Haruhi included, will play the part of the irresistible creatures of the night that girls now fancy so much." He opened his arms in welcoming. "The moment the ladies see us, their wildest fantasies will come to life and we will have put a smile on those beautiful faces. One by one, a smile will run across their faces the moment they get a sight of such charming vampires. And at the end of the day, we'll know that it was us who did the good deed!"

Quite flatly, I told him, "Okay, umm…if you're basing any of this on Buffy, like at all, then you do know that the kind of vamp you're sporting is dead wrong, right? Aside from the lack of cliché, outdated clothing, those vampires aren't exactly pleasant to look at once they go into their blood-sucking mode—"

Ignoring pretty much everything I said, the twins stood in front of me with an outfit on hangers in their hand, placed in such a way to where it looked like they were checking if it would work for me or not.

"Y'know, we decided that if we're going to play the vampires," Hikaru began.

"Then you can play 'Aki the Vampire Slayer'~!" Upon further inspection of the costume before me, I realized that it was a midriff-showing, tight, black leather, sleeveless top and to compliment it was a pair of skin-tight, red-colored, leather pants. That's when I immediately thought, Oh heeeellll no.

"You can just put your hair in a sexy high pony-tail with some stay hairs off to the side—you know, in that cute way—"

"And as an accessory, we thought that since you already have a kunai, you could use that as a stake. Pretty smart, huh?"

Those guys were really shooting for the stars if they honestly believed that I'd go along with this. As much fun as they were having, I felt that it was my job to put them down before their hopes got too high. "Bite me," I threatened in a somewhat irritated tone. Sometimes I really wished that these Hosts would go talk a long walk on the short pier. For Pete's sake, I wasn't even a Host anymore! They really needed to just drop it.

"Oh, we intend to!" Tamaki walked in close and put his finger under my chin, lifting my face up to his while his violet eyes seemed to sparkle. "With us as handsome vampires and you, our feisty slayer, perhaps we can create a little heat for the ladies, hmm?"

Riding on Takashi's back, Mitsukuni wore a similar costume as the others except his came with a pair of black, small, and cute bat wings that he wore on his back. To be honest, he was unbelievably adorable. Though, I couldn't show any hint of weakness at the present moment. "We came to suck your sweet blood Aki-chan! Promise that it won't hurt!" The huge smile that played on his face showed that he was having too much fun with this. Looking down at his cousin, Mitsukuni asked, "Don't you wanna join in on the fun Takashi?"

The only response we really got from him was, in monotone, "Boo—fear us." Oh Takashi…so enthusiastic.

Kaoru then moved into wrap his arms around my waist as Hikaru hung around my neck. Simultaneously and with a hint of playfulness, they whispered, "You know you can't resist us~"

A random flat-screen emerged on the scene unexpectedly, but instead of the picture, the first thing that came to my attention was the blood-curdling, yet excitingly happy squeals coming from the speakers. I could identify those sounds of swooning anywhere. It was the fan-girls of Ouran.

"Ooo the Hosts are all dressed up as hot vampires!"

"Look at Tamaki and Kyouya, they looks so cool!"

"Honey is just adorable!"

"Forbidden brotherly love among the undead—how touching!"

"Haruhi's fair complexion makes him the perfect vampire hottie!" Wow, they seriously still think she's a boy?

"Hey look, it's Aki!" My whole body twitched. "She's going to be the slayer?"

"Awesome!" Out of everything at Ouran, I deeply believed that their constant fan-girlyness was something I really could have lived without. Honestly, every time they spazzed out like that, I felt as if a part of my sanity was being ripped away.

Not exactly having the patience to deal with them at the moment…

Shokyoku: Not to mention that they weren't invited,

I shook off all of the Hosts that were on me and took out my Hammer of Justice. Swinging it at the screen, I sent it soaring across the room towards Tasuki, who was still recovering from my last assault on him. Eyes growing comically wide, he shuffled out of the way before the flat-screen could crash into him.

Almost in the blink of an eye, the bandit ran up in my face and yelled, "What the hell you psycho? Tryin' ta kill me twice in a row?"

Scoffing, I turned my head and only glanced at him out of the corner of my eye. "Please, you wouldn't have died you big baby. I hit you with a toy and I knew you could avoid the TV."

"If yer bein' so damn nonchalant about it, why don't you be the one hit with the hammer fer once?"

Smirking, I faced him and winked. "Only I get to play with my toys Fang-boy." I knew I grabbed victory the moment I managed to get him to stutter foolishly and blush a bit.

Without warning, Miaka's voice broke the little back-and-forth between Tasuki and I, her perky voice adding on an extra bit of annoyance to the question I was sort of dreading. "Hey Onee-chan, if you like Buffy, then does that mean that you're a fan of Twilight too?" The very mentioning of the title of that awful story sent a shudder coursing throughout my entire body. No actually, I think it was more of the thought of her actually insinuating that I'd even consider liking that book/movie was what sent that shudder through me.

Seeing the falter in my demeanor, Tasuki's confidence returned. A mischievous gleam shone in his amber eyes. "Oh, ya know, ya do seem like the type o' chick who'd be into that gooey, sparkly vampire love crap. Tell me Aki, whose team are ya on?"

Team stick my foot up your ass. "You're treading on dangerous waters there Fang-boy," I threatened—narrowing my eyes at him, shooting daggers that I hope pierced him bad enough to match the aftermath of a game of darts.

Patting my head, Tamahome did a horrible job with trying to make the situation any better. "There's no shame in liking it Aki—we wouldn't think any less of you." If you don't want to lose that hand, you'll stop patting me like a puppy.

Tasuki chuckled. "I dunno, I think I would—" I shut him up abruptly with the demonic glare I sent his way, complimented with the Hammer of Justice hiding behind my back.

"Tasuki, stop making fun of Aki-nee-chan—plus you're making it seem like liking Twilight is a bad thing." Miaka slid up into his face in an accusing manner, wagging a finger in his face. "You're not saying that it's a bad thing…are you?"

He started to shrink from the pressure. "N-no?"

"You do not want to upset a Twilight fan-girl!" Rolling up her sleeves and cracking her knuckles to show that she meant business, Miaka stood over the cowering Tasuki as lightning flashed in back of her. Damn, she's serious about this. Twilight fans are scary! "Team Jacob all the way!" She announced.

In defense, the flame-headed bandit held up two hands to peacefully fend her off while he nervously chortled. "Okay, okay, it's all cool—we're cool here! Y-You can be whatever team ya want. It's all cool!"

Turning my back to them, I placed my hands on my hips and huffed, "Wuss."

Placing their elbows onto Tamahome's shoulders, the twins had a rather amused look in their golden eyes. "Sorry Tama."

"It looks like Jacob is your new competition!"

Without even giving a fight, Tamahome noticed Miaka's dedication to her Twilight cause. Not a moment later, the man retreaded to Tamaki's emo corner. But instead of crouching down in Tamaki's signature position, he just leaned his head up against a wall while his face became petrified with a soulless expression. "Why Miaka? Aren't I enough?"

Hikaru, Kaoru, and I all looked upon this sad spectacle with "oh brother" expressions. It was I who decided to go the extra mile and point out the obvious. "This would be a lot funnier if it wasn't so pitiful," I bluntly admitted.

They nodded in agreement. "Agreed."

Kaoru's answer varied a bit. "I dunno, I still think it's sort of funny."

Leaping over joyously, Nuriko talked sweetly to the sulking Tamahome. "Don't be so down in the dumps Tama-kins. Would you feel better if you got a hug from big sister Nuriko?"

Tamahome sighed, not having enough motivation to face his fellow warrior. "No, not really."

After sighing, it occurred to me just how out of hand this whole Twilight and vampire business was getting. Everyone in the room seemed to have caught some kind of fever for the supernatural—and that wasn't natural. With those bunch of people, it was expected for things to get crazy. I mean, come on! The Suzaku Warriors plus the Hosts of Ouran? That practically screamed mad house! I had enough control over myself to handle them separately, but at the same time? It was a complete wonder how I kept it together so well.

However, it was boiling down to the last straw with all of this talk about Twilight. 'Cause come on…IT'S TWILIGHT! Those vampires aren't even vampires! They're elves with pointy teeth and glitter glue on their skin. Buffy's vampires could wipe the floor with those Twilight pansies.

You know, sometimes I wondered if Bella was a Shadow Maiden. Seriously! She's emotionless and empty on the inside, and she seems pretty dark. So why not? But then I thought, no, that's impossible. Shadow Maidens have more style.

Shokyoku: For all of you Twilight fans giving Aki a nasty look right now—deal with it. She's entitled to her own opinion. And frankly, her opinion matters more than any human.

I shook my head. You know what? I'm not getting into this. The madness must stop.

Taking a deep breath, I projected my voice. "ENOUGH!" Just as my voice echoed off of the walls, everyone in the room turned their gazes towards me. Soooo many eyes were just staring at me as if they all had x-ray vision or something. An itching sensation kept eating at me and eating at me until I couldn't stand it anymore. Was it possible to feel so many eyes on you? Before I knew it, my face was starting to heat up from the pressure. To remedy my obvious discomfort, I turned my back to them and cleared my throat. "Ahem. I've delayed asking this long enough. Why the heck is everyone here anyway? I deserve to know why I was so rudely kidnapped from my own home."

They continued to blink at me in bewilderment as if I were speaking some foreign language or something. Finally, Chichiri broke the ice. "It's June 8, ya know?"

My eyebrow rose. "Yeah, so?" As far as I was concerned, it was just another day.

Mitsukuni jumped up and down. "It's Love Hurts 5 Ways' anniversary!"

"Almost 500 reviews, over 400,000 words, and 37 chapters!" Tamahome praised. "Not to mention a bunch of alerts and favs on as well as watches and such on Deviant Art! Who would've thought that the story would get this successful in a year?"

Shokyoku: Who would have thought that the author had enough patience to keep doing this story? If it were me, I'd get tired of working with so many of those monkeys. Or maybe I'd just have all of them jump off a cliff~

Taking out a calculator out of virtually nowhere, Tamahome began to calculate something. "According to these numbers, if this story weren't just a fanfiction, we'd be making…" His eyes lit up, becoming huge with sparkles and all. "Some serious cash!"

Keep dreamin' dude. Too many copyrights to deal with. All of those mangakas would have the author's hide if she even considered making an anime out of this. Too bad though, it would be pretty awesome.

But anyway…

"Well, that's nice and sounds like a blast," I noted with a hint of sarcasm. Making my way towards the door, I added in a passive way, "Congratulations to all for your hard work over the past year and I hope to see you all bright and early on Monday morning—" My legs halted suddenly as they were lassoed from some unidentified person. A slight tug from the rope and my legs were led in their backwards direction while my front slammed right into the ground.

Umm….ouch?

As if I were a fish being reeled in, my intense frown and increasing hatred for the whole situation was riddled on my face as my capturer proudly spoke. "We can't let you go now," Nuriko. Of course. "The party is just getting started!"

"You're the main character of this story, ya know?" Chichiri chimed in. "It wouldn't be any fun to celebrate without you!" Just as I was brought back in, I tried to tune out everyone's voices to avoid having my powers reflect on my emotions—though I was slightly unsuccessful at allowing a slight breeze to pass through.

"It's a good time to reflect on everything that's happened so far Senpai." Even Haruhi was supporting all of this. And usually she was on my side!

Sitting up and sporting an irritated expression, I focused on the rope. Almost instantly, a portion of it burst into bright flames—the straw popping and sizzling as the fire ate its way through. A second later, I was free.

Luckily for them.

Standing up in a huff, I chose to ignore that I was just man-handled against my will and that pretty much all of them deserved a good bop on the head by my hammer. Before I lost the control to be merciful, I took a deep breath and exhaled. "Look, I understand why you're all here and why you're so darn happy-go-lucky. But you can be just that without me around. Parties like this just aren't my thing." Never have been. Plus I always hated being the center of attention, so you could imagine how I highly disliked the events that were perspiring.

Shokyoku: Ready to play clips showing Aki's dislike for parties and being around crowds.

Clip-Set #2—"Party's over!"

Chapter 12: With Friends Like these

Being a Host meant having the attention of a bunch of fan-girls. Aki had trouble adjusting to her new role.

Remember that whole speech I gave a while ago where I mentioned that I was in no way shy and the mere look into my eyes sent people running? Yeah…you can just take that loud of crap and dump it in the nearest garbage can. Believe me, this was the case before coming to this world. I was avoided and intimidating. Now, people (girls) fuss over me and always want to talk to me. In the past, I couldn't even imagine a time that something like this would ever happen. I was so used to the idea of being alone that I had developed a tough shell that made me supposedly cold and independent. Since being isolated wasn't an issue here, all of my usual tendencies sort of just…fizzled out. Now it turned out that I might actually be a shy person by nature. When the hell did that happen?

"Aki? Would you like some of this tea?" One of the girls asked.

Blushing at the gesture, I quietly said, "No thanks."

"I don't think she likes tea very much. She almost never drinks it."

"What is it that you like to drink Aki?" A girl offered.

"Umm…" Thinking about it, I finally came to an answer. "Hot chocolate, I suppose…"

"That is soooo cute! She has a sweet tooth like Honey!"

That's not really true."No, I—sweets aren't really my…"

They started to squeal. "Look at how shy she is! It's so adorable!"

"The perfect modest bride!"

I couldn't help but blush some more. Being surrounded like this was so unnatural to me. Crowds weren't really my thing exactly for this reason.

Chapter 13: False Impressions

After managing to get Hikaru to herself for the day, Aki led him to a cheery festival. This sort of setting left Aki uncomfortable, so she just decided to stay away from the festivities.

The moment we bought our tickets and walked in, Hikaru wanted to go on and play pretty much everything. So I let him go off and be giddy while I found a place to sit and watch. Fun, social events like this were never really my thing. Whenever I actually decided to go to a party—that Saru dragged me to—all I did was sit in the corner watching everybody else have fun. The whole thing was so unnatural to me, so I never enjoyed myself. No one bothered to get me involved in the activities, and Saru usually saw a bunch of other friends and ditched me, leaving me alone during the whole thing. In the end, she would tell me how I needed to just let loose and relax, how she shouldn't have to stay with me the whole time in order for me to have a good time. Well, that would have been good and all, but isn't the point of social events to be social? It's just sad to be going on your own for hours pretending like you're actually having a good time. There wasn't any point in kidding myself.

I eventually lost sight of Hikaru in the crowd, and accepted the fact that he left me there, just like Saru used to do. This time, it was on my own free will, so I wasn't going to complain about it. I was already happy knowing that he was pretty much back to his old self. It was the least I could do for him after he made me feel better about being in this world.

"Hey Aki!" Hikaru ran up and grabbed my arm. "Let's go have some fun!"

"No, it's okay…"

He sat down next to me. "C'mon! You think that you can't have as much fun down here as you can in the sky?" I gave him a look. "Okay, maybe not. But we can come pretty close!"

"No, really. It's okay. These things aren't really my style."

"You invited me here."

"Yeah but…It's just not my thing."

Chapter 14: Emotional Depths

After a fight with Hikaru, Aki had yet another reason to avoid attending the huge birthday party for the twins. Instead of joining in on the party, she sat outside, alone.

Sounds of talking, music, and laughter filled the Hitachiin property on the night of the big party. The whole mansion seemed to be in a buzz for the celebration of the twins' seventeenth year of life. Except for family, there were very few guys attending the party as opposed to the many fan-girls who were invited to attend. It seemed like truck-loads of presents in the shape of a mountain were piled up inside—all from loved ones and close friends. Lights emitting from the area were so intense that barely any stars were even visible in the night sky. Nonetheless, there was definitely a cheery atmosphere in the air making anyone who even went near the celebration to feel instantly happy.

Except me.

Instead of going inside and enjoying the party, I avoided everyone—after separating with Haruhi—by going into the extremely gigantic (darn rich people), yet beautiful garden in the back of the mansion. Getting far enough from everyone that I possible could, I finally ended up in front of an area with a large white gazebo.

Chapter 25: Siren's Song of the Suffering

After Tasuki, Aki, and Chichiri saved the people of a small village, the townspeople threw a whole celebration in their honor. Aki pretty much didn't participate in anything, only watched everyone else have fun. At one point, she ended up sitting on a roof with Tasuki (who at the time was known only as Genrou).

"Besides, I'm not an alcoholic. That stuff is a luxury that I don't get the pleasure of havin' all of the time, even if I wanted to. Plus, you gotta understand," Putting his hand on my shoulder, I turned to him in an alarmed state. His face seemed slightly flushed and his eyes a bit droopy, the apparent scent of alcohol rolling off of his breath. Yup…he's drunk."I hadn't eaten or drunken anything decent in weeks! Those damn jerks back at that inn sorta interrupted my meal, remember?" Nodding, I signified that I recalled that day quite well.Maybe not a heavy drunk, more like buzzed, tipsy at best.Without warning, he put his arm around my shoulders and started to chuckle. "Plus, you gotta lighten' up Aki! It is a party after all. Sometimes, one needs to have a good time!"

Taking my hand, I took his from around me, causing his arm to drop to his side. "No, I don't. Scene's like this aren't really my thing."

Chapter 31: When One Door Closes

Tasuki had taken Aki out to celebrate reaching their goal of finding the Sacred Blood Lily and making it out of the maze. The topic of Aki's near-death experience caused quite the stir with Tasuki—making everyone stare at them. Aki did not approve.

"Don't talk like that!" He yelled out, unintentionally knocking over his precious bottle of sake. It didn't even seem to matter to him at that moment. "Don't you ever feel regret fer choosing ta live! I don't know about you, but I'm happy that we brought'cha back—it wasn't time fer you ta go."

His feelings were strong, I could sense them from where I was sitting. And his concern was sort of making me…happy. "Genrou…" But he was starting to make another scene.

Scooting out of his seat, he gazed down at me with determination burning in his eyes in order to get me to see things his way. "Death is so far away, so it's not worth mentionin'. And if ya ever consider killin' yerself, I swear that I'll—"

"Genrou control yourself! Everyone is staring at us…" As I spoke, I absolutely refused to allow my peripheral vision to work. I didnot want to see those accusing eyes on me again.

"I don't care—I'm tryin' to make a point—"

"Point received." I spoke through clenched teeth. "Now sit down and shut up!"

"Alright so we're starting to show clips again?" Nuriko excitingly asked.

My eyes narrowed at him. "No, I was making a point—"

Giving her a forced side-hug, the Suzaku Warrior looked down at her with a peculiarly evil sparkle in his pink eyes. "There's a clip I've just been meaning to show and you simply have to see it Aki!" As I tried to escape the position I was in, it proved futile with his super strength holding me in place. "You see, I bought it from Kyouya over there and it was just an opportunity I couldn't pass up!" My stomach curled a bit at the mere mentioning of Kyouya Ootori's name. Whenever it came to selling any kind of merchandise, the guy could be as drastic and crafty as needed in order to make a profit off of it.

Clip-Set #3—Nuriko's secret files—REVENGE

Chapter 27: From Deception to Auras (Part 2)

The maze was putting Aki, Chichiri, and Genrou (Tasuki) through their first trial. Aki was forced to see Genrou as her ex-boyfriend, Hikaru, making things incredible awkward for the small group. To add to the awkwardness, Chichiri used a spell on the two of them, binding their hands together in order to help Aki learn how to see auras…it was a complicated situation. Somewhere along the way, Aki and Genrou were arguing and it ended up with the two of them falling into a mud puddle. That was when Chichiri suggested something…

"There's a hot spring not too far from here, ya know? You two can just go wash up over there!" Clapping his hands, he said, "We should just all go take a bath, ya know?"

Giving him a blank face, I shuffled through his words. "We should…all…take a…bath?" The light bulb finally came on. "What? You want us to do what?"

His eyebrow cocked up. "What's wrong?"

"What's wrong? Have you forgotten that Genrou and I are bound together? If we go into a hot spring, then we'll have no choice but to be right next to each other!" Not to mention that he looks exactly like someone I have feelings for—that, plus the fact that my hormones would pretty much explode would be a good enough reason to not go through with this."Bottom line is," I crossed my arms in an "X" shape, "I won't do it."

You all know that this didn't go exactly the way she wanted it. The two did end up going into the bath, but Aki conjured up a wall to separate the two (as separate as they could have been with their hands practically glued together).

Here was Aki's Letter to the Universe describing the situation:

Dear Universe,

What kind of f#&ing humor do you have? This is so f%&#ing messed up! Why the f%& are you making me do this? You did this on purpose you vast piece of shit! I can't believe this! Because of that damn mud, and that f&%$ing bond, I was backed into a stupid corner—forcing me to get into that damn hot spring…with Genrou. And what was the big idea with making him look like Hikaru? That's f&$ed up! I'm not even going to mention how the both of us managed to get our clothes off. That's a secret that I will take to the grave with me. I did what Chichiri said and made a wall using Earth between the two of us, but because of the physical bond, he and I were forced to sit near the edge in order for our connected arms to stay comfortable. But this whole f&%#ing situation is uncomfortable! I didn't understand why that damn monk couldn't just unbind us for this. I'm beginning to think that seeing auras isn't all that important. You've done some messed up things before: beating me up, sending me to different worlds without my consent, falling through the roof of a strangers house, making me wear one of the worse school uniforms ever—but this was really low…making me sit in a f#%$ing hot spring without clothes on next to a man! I loathe you so f&%ing much you f#$&ing bastard!

Love Always, with a HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGE amount of sarcasm,

Aki

P.S Did I mention that you suck? 'Cause you do.

As you can tell, she was upset.

It was a long, awkward situation.

Later that night, the group was attacked by three large, invisible snakes. The only way to beat them was for Aki to learn how to see auras. Having a sudden revelation, Aki was forced to get Genrou into a rather sensual position in order to achieve her new skill.

"Seoshi."Once again, the dome covered us in its protective essence. My plan consisted of not allowing those snakes to disturb us. I knew that he would start asking a bunch of questions, I so I moved fast. Positioning myself in front of him, I put my free hand on his shoulder, using my force to push him down to the ground, landing me directly on top of him.

His face started to turn a bright red as he noticed our position. "What are you doing?"

It was only natural that my face was flushed as well because ordinarily, I would never make such a bold move. "This isn't what you think it is—I promise you. But I do need you to trust me, okay?"

The color in his face didn't waiver. "We don't have time for whatever you're going to do Aki. Chichiri—"

"I already know about him. I'm doing this so that we can help him…as well as get out alive. So can you just be quiet? I…I need this…" Swinging my leg around for a better positioning, I slowly closed my eyes. If I just got a feel for his flow of energy—his as Genrou and not Hikaru—then I could break this illusion once and for all! With my free hand, I felt around his face, his chest, discerning the differences between the illusion and reality. The whole structure of his face was different that Hikaru's and their hair felt dissimilar—somehow, Genrou's was smoother and of course the parts were in different places altogether. I had kissed Hikaru, I've felt him in an embrace…there was no question that these two were different…

I just stood there with my mouth gaping open, a way too apparent blush smeared across my face as we all watched the clip end. Something told me that Tasuki's expression wasn't too different from mine. In fact, because of our bond, I knew he was just as dumbfounded as I was. No one was supposed to know about that. We swore that we'd never talk about it ever again—that it never happened! WHAT THE F# &KING HELL? It wasn't my fault that all of that happened. Chichiri bound Tasuki and I together—there was no choice but to do the things that had to be done! No one was supposed to know!

"Oh wow, who would have thought that Aki was that bold? It's kind of admirable." My whole body tensed the moment the murmuring began.

"Exactly how many bases do you think they've gone past?"

"Do any of you know if those two are going out?"

"I'm a little sorry that I missed that…the whole thing must have been hilarious!"

"It must have been so awkward…I kinda feel bad…"

Clenching a shaky fist, I breathed fire while roaring at Chichiri and the bandit. "WHO LEAKED THAT FOOTAGE? I WANTED THAT DESTROYED!"

Face as red as a tomato, Tasuki yelled back in retort. "What're you yellin' at me for? Why the hell would I want people seein' that? I promised that that day never happened just like you did, so don't blame this on me!"

In an instant, Tasuki and I immediately switched our attention to the blue-haired monk, who had shrunken into chibi form in fear of our wrath. "It wasn't me, ya know? I promised too!"

Remembering who it was that showed the clip in the first place, we ganged up on Nuriko, who looked just as content as ever—standing ever so smugly with a wide smile on his face. Pointing a finger at him, I hissed, "Prepare to die Nuriko."

Giggling, his expression seemed unfazed by my threat. "Oh, Little Aki, this is just payback for that tiny incident that happened back in Chapter 22."

Relaxing a bit, my curiosity took hold. "What incident?"

"You know…back when you took that iPad away from Miaka and practically announced to the whole world that I was a man by showing them that unnecessary clip~"

Searching my memories, I tried to remember what the heck he was talking about. Not much brain power was required in order for it to finally hit me. Trailing my eyes downward to the corner, I sweat-dropped and scratched my cheek sheepishly. "Oh…that…"

Shokyoku: A clip set isn't really needed here to show what happened. So I'll just tell you lazy bunch of humans who refuse to just go back to Chapter 22 and look it up.

You see, back then, everyone thought that Nuriko was a woman. Yup, he's a sad excuse for a man and lacks any hint of masculinity. But anyway, after Yuki and Aki found out, they decided to keep it a secret. However, through a situation that I don't feel like explaining since you could just access the chapter in the click of a button, everyone found out about Nuriko's secret.

The thing is that Aki wasn't there to see the big reveal so at the end of the chapter, she replayed the scene that she missed for the audience to see. Apparently, the non-sport Nuriko retained some bitterness from that. *scoffs* Leave it to a human to get worked up over something so futile.

"That isn't nearly as bad as you showing this clip to people!" I was pretty much near the point where I'd send a huge Dragon Slave a point-blank range, but the better part of my judgment instructed me otherwise. "That. Wasn't. Cool!"

Walking past me in a blasé manner, he began to shamelessly snicker, "What's done is done, can't take it back now!" Quite impressively, he was able to control himself well enough to tone down his amusement. "Let's just be adult about the situation. So no hard feelings, alright Little Aki?" Oh how I wanted to hurt that boy. My whole being was practically itching to get him back somehow.

3:45pm: Nuriko gets abducted by aliens and painfully dissected.

Yeah, I wish.

Okay, calm down Aki. Nuriko is not worth it—he's just trying to mess with you. Do not, give him the satisfaction of knowing that he can do that! It took a few reps of that in my brain to refrain me from going nuclear on the Suzaku Warrior.

Refusing to even address Nuriko, I calmly turned my attention to the business tycoon who sold the footage without remorse. "Kyouya, I don't even want to know how you got that footage. But what I do want to know is why in the right mind would you sell it to him?" My voice strained progressively at the same time my volume rose. Seriously, out of all the people in the world, WHY HIM?

Stay calm.

Clearly there were those who were immune to my natural-born ability to intimidate. Kyouya didn't even jump from my death-threat. Then again, he never really was one to freak out or show more than three emotions. So I probably shouldn't have taken it too much to heart. He explained himself. "Since we are unable to make a profit off of this fanfiction, I figured that selling this clip to our clients would earn a decent amount of money." You're selling me out? You big, two-faced, pale, glasses-wearing jerk!

Somehow, a new flat-screen TV popped up out of nowhere and displayed the many fan-girls of Ouran, all with DVD copies of what was just shown. A bunch of pink and red hearts pretty much flew around all of their heads in response to the phenomenon.

"I can't stop watching it! My heart flutters every time!"

"Aki gets to do so much on her journey and with good-looking guys too!"

"I definitely wouldn't have minded being bound to Tasuki."

"She's so lucky and cool—" Not giving them any more opportunities to swoon, I brought out the Hammer once again and swung at the TV hard enough to send it across the room with alongside its comrade I wrecked earlier. The Host Club is rich, they can afford new flat screens.

Now…

4:00pm: Kyouya Ootori falls over a waterfall with sharp rocks at the bottom.

Inching closer to Kyouya, Tamahome took a peek at the glasses-wearing Host's little black book that contained records of all of his Host Club sales and profits. "Hey, Kyouya. That's a lot of money you have there. How about you and I split this whole business fifty-fifty? What do ya say?" He asked hopefully.

Kyouya pushed his glasses up. "No, I don't think so."

He didn't give up. "But I—" Before Tama had a chance to attempt to convince his acquaintance, I blasted him out of the way using a gust of Wind so that I may intercept and convey my disapproving feelings towards Kyouya.

"Seriously though, you had no right to do that." I explained with as much restraint as I could manage.

Tamahome rushed up to me in a huff. "I was right in the middle of a potential business contract and you got in the way! Just because you're sore about this whole thing doesn't mean that the rest of us have to be—"

"Tough." Stomping my foot on the ground, I made a pillar of Earth rise up and launch him out of his spot, sending him flying back towards that unfortunate side of the room that had been so brutally abused all day long. Really, there was a TV graveyard, not to mention a bunch of craters in the walls…

Shokyoku: Let's call that the Wall of Despair…or maybe…the Wall of Dejection…I don't know—right next to the famous Emo Corner~

"Akimoto," My attention was once again turned to Kyouya. "Perhaps you wouldn't be so high-strong about this if you had nothing to hide. That's the only reason why you're being so irrationally defensive." Irrationally? I'll show him something that's irrational!

Right as I was about to beat the living daylights out of Four-Eyes, Mitsukuni's voice projected a pretty surprising statement. "You know…Aki-chan isn't as innocent when it comes to guys as we initially thought." The short and adorable Host giggled while playing with Usa-chan. "She may not be completely risky or aware of her popularity, but I saw what was going on~"

"Huh?" My face shifted into a staggered expression. Never would I have expected him to say anything like that. "What do you mean my 'popularity'? I'm not popular—with anyone." Didn't mean for that to sound depressing or anything, it was just fact. Because of certain circumstances, I was never really voted into "fan favorites".

Shokyoku: You're my favorite! I'm your number 1 fan! The rest of the monkeys…can die for all I care.

"Oh contraire ma soeur!" Tamaki elated—a huge smile on his face as sparkles just seemed to follow him. "Not only are you popular amongst the ladies of Ouran, but your charm escalates further than that!" See? This is why I didn't want to be here today. I hate being the center of attention like this. I could not possibly be the most exciting thing in their lives. "I have a feeling that you don't believe me…" Well, you wouldn't be wrong. "But don't fret! I shall provide evidence by showing these clips in high hopes that they will enlighten you!"

I sighed. Great.

Shokyoku: Showing clips of some of the times Aki connected with men throughout the series so far. Ugh.

Clip-Set #4—"Y-You really like me?"

Chapter 4: Rough Feelings? The Fire Within

Being only a Witchling at the time, Aki was still learning how to use her powers. They were so unstable and unreliable that her friends in the Feudal Japan world, especially Inuyasha, didn't want her to fight. Aki, being who she was, didn't accept that. On the night of the new moon, when Inuyasha was temporarily turned into human, Aki decided to go off and face Naraku to prove herself. The over-protective Inuyasha woke up and tried to intercept.

"You aren't going out there alone!" He roared. If it were up to you, I wouldn't be going anywhere at all during any time.

"Well, you sure as hell aren't gonna go," I stepped closer. "Out of my way."

"No!"

"I can do this!" Inuyasha extended an arm out and grabbed mine, using enough force to keep me me from going off. He may have been a human, but he was still a guy and my muscles and everything were weaker than his, putting me at a disadvantage when it came to brute strength. All I could do was stand there, wand lowered but still glowing. His notion was so unexpected that i was stunned. A part of me wanted to be mad at him for holding me in such a way, but i knew he was only doing it out of concern. Every inch of me wanted to just drop my guard right there—and my wand.

But I just couldn't do it.

There wasn't any time to be feeling mushy stuff now.

Chapter 9: Us Against the World

Living with the Sohma's, Aki immediately developed a crush on Kyo, but she had always been too shy to act on feelings like those. It wasn't until he decided to trust her that the two finally started to click in the way that she wanted.

The cat has never truly been a part of the Zodiac, that's why no one really knows about it. Most of the family doesn't even want to acknowledge me. My father hates me and my mother…" On an uncharacteristic impulse, I really wanted to reach out for his hand. But out of fear of what his reaction would be, I restrained myself. "probably killed herself because of the freak I am." I knew that those with the curse had it bad, but…I didn't know that Kyo was in this much pain. He knows what it's like to be alone. He also knows…what it's like to lose someone because of who you are.

My hand twitched a little, and then my arm moved on it's own to gently place my palm over the back of his hand. The notion made us both blush a little, but it was understandable. I was just relieved that he didn't pull back. We're kindred spirits, he and I. It was hard to tell on what level his pain and suffering was to mine, but, for the most part, he actually seemed to get where I was coming from. And he knew that I wasn't looking for sympathy, just like I knew he wasn't. "Kyo," Was all I could say.

Before there was any progression to what seemed like the beginning of something, a rather loud voice came rushing in. "AKIIII!" A blond hurricane came dashing in and knocked me down to the ground. A poof of smoke later, and low and behold, a bunny was there.

Dammit Momiji. You're sweet and all, but you have the worst timing EVER.

Chapter 14: Emotional Depths

During an argument, Hikaru confesses to Aki that the only reason he did the things that he did was because he wanted her to stay with them, but he's convinced that she didn't really like them—that she wouldn't care if she left them behind. She tried to prove to him that her life there was one of the best experiences in her life. He got the message loud and clear.

"This whole time, you've been acting like you hated being with us. Is it true? "

Starting to snap out of the trance, I shook my head feverishly. "No…I don't hate being with you guys. I…I don't hate being here." I can't believe it...He had done all of that just to get me to stay. I can't believe how wrong I was about him. And yet...all of this could be lie... Still thinking, I looked back on the day I woke up in the bed in the mansion. Since that day, I've been made to think that I had friends for life and I didn't even realize it. My mind kept telling me that I'd just end up hurt again, that I couldn't trust anyone. Believing that completely clouded my judgement and my heart. The truth is that I'll probably still keep thinking in that manner...it's how I grew up after all, but maybe I could take a chance on this whole "trusting others" thing. You know, just to see what it's like...It'll take time, but...I'll work on it, little by little.

"Look, after all that, I wouldn't be surprised if you did want to leave. Just…go." He turned to walk away. In an instant, I ran up to him and grabbed his hand.

"I'm not going anywhere!"

"What reason do you have to stay?"

"You! I care about you too much to even think about leaving." Realizing what I said, I ignored the intense beating of my heart and extended my arm up and around his neck, closing the distance between us while bringing his face down to mine. Without another word, our lips met. Relaxing into it a bit, he managed to return the kiss and wrap his arms around my waist, lifting me up to match his height better on the steps. Parting our lips, the kiss deepened as he brought our bodies even closer together. My whole body tingled at how amazingly soft his lips were. When we finally broke, his eyes opened followed by a wide smile.

Chapter 16: What Lies Beneath (Part 1)

Emiko Niwa had set up a date between Dark and Aki in order to get her mind off of leaving Ouran. Being the huge playboy that he was, Dark used little effort to but a lot of natural charm and charisma to throw her for a loop.

"You don't have to be with me out here Dark."

"I know I don't have to. But I want to. You're a very attractive woman." When I finally looked at him, I saw that he was intently looking at me.

Feeling slightly intimidated, I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. "No I'm not."

"Ah, I see. You're just like Riku: so modest about your good qualities." He knows Riku?After thinking for a second, I realized that it made sense considering he was a huge flirt. "It's actually quite cute when some girls deny things like that."

…

Dark smiled at me softly while leaning his head on his hand with his elbow in the table. "Try it. I guarantee it's the best cake you've ever had."

"I'm not really into many sweets."

"It's delicious, I promise."

Looking down, I scooped up a small piece and put it into my mouth. My whole body felt pleasantly warm the moment it touched my taste buds—it was like, fluffy, chocolaty heaven.

"Oh my God this stuff is amazing!"

Dark saw my reaction and closed his eyes while he smiled genuinely. "Told you."

"How did you know about this cake?"

"The recipe had been passed down in the family and I was tempted to try it some years back. Never regretted the decision." He opened one eye. "You have some frosting on the side of your mouth."

I blushed. "I do?" Grabbing for my napkin, I lifted it to wipe it away. Putting his hand on mine, he said, "No, let me get it." Scooting his chair closer to mine, he grabbed my chin and lifted my face to his. A second later, he lightly licked the frosting off causing me to instinctually fall out of my chair—shuffling to get back up and away from him, face fully red.

"What the hell?"

He snickered. "You're just too cute when you get worked up."

Chapter 19: Twist of Events

Aki was just sitting there casually thinking about her life in general and how things were going when Hotohori decided to come over and chat with her. Being one of the most attractive men that Aki had ever seen, she was a bit uneasy around him. But he was more than happy to spend some time with his new, fascinating companion. Without any hesitancy, he would flatter her in a way that she wasn't used to.

"You're not married?"

"Of course not! I'm only seventeen (or eighteen) but that's a different story! Me, married?" I laughed nervously. "Yeah, right." Hikaru and I never had a chance anyway. The universe simply wouldn't allow it…

"Huh, it puzzles me. Such an exotic and rather attractive woman such as you is not married yet. Well, it's a loss to those men out there—especially the fool who gave you that bracelet and had the indecency to let you go." My face remained red and warm. Exotic? Attractive? Is the emperor flirting with me?My brain came up with a rationalization.Okay, he's an emperor, so he probably flatters everyone he meets. It's all a part of being diplomatic. It's in his blood—he's been learning to do that for years.He continued to watch me and I tried my best to not look away. "You know, I don't think that I've ever met someone with eyes like yours. You truly are from a different world."

Chapter 22: Hearts of Purity, Because I Care

At Mt Taikyoku, Nuriko and Aki watched as Hotohori and Tamahome gave blood to Miaka. During the time, Nuriko actually apologized to her for being a jerk. Believe it or not, but this was their first attempt at bonding. He makes her a promise.

"I know that I'm the one that made your dark ring or whatever stronger." My face fell. "It happened that same day I called you those things. It probably had something to do with that awful, awful feeling Tama and I had after I made you mad." He sighed. "I have significantly more class than to lose my cool like that, so I really do wish to apologize. You're going to suffer more because of me…"

Waving my hands in front of his face, I talked frantically. "Damn Nuriko, you're bumming me out with all of this. You're not usually so easy to break—it's kind of disappointing. And about my dark ring, it's no big, really! I've had this thing nearly my whole life and it used to be even stronger. I could take it then and I can take it now. If I have anything to blame, it's my temper." And over-sensitivity.I hit him on the back. "So, come on, perk up!"

After blinking a few times, he beamed. "You know…you're alright Aki! However…" He grinned deviously. "You'll never be quite the lady I am. I mean, I outrank you completely!"

Giving him a sly look, I asked, "Oh really?"

"Yup! You're a complete lost case when it comes to being lady-like. I mean, you're etiquette and poise isn't all that great and your looks are dull at the very best—"

Making that fireball appear in my hand again, I said, "You're pushing it Nuriko."

He laughed before putting my arm down and extinguishing the fire. "You didn't let me finish! Since you're pretty much a lost cause, I've decided to keep my promise to you."

"What promise?"

"Don't you remember? I promised you last night that I would get you a man! I'll make it a special project of mine."

Chapter 27: From Deception to Auras (Part 2)

Aki and Tasuki (called Genrou then) had a real rough start in their friendship. They didn't trust each other and always thought that the other was getting in the way. There were points on the both of them that the other didn't approve of. But after the universe-formulated maze put them through their first trial, the two softened up to each other and decided to make peace.

"Truth is, you were an' still are kind of a distraction." I narrowed my eyes at him right before he added, "But as far as distractions go, you aren't all that bad. You [and Chichiri] are actually entertainin' company to have around." I found myself smiling a bit and looking away with a slight blush—pretending as if his words weren't affecting me in any way. Never did I think that he'd be so sincere about anything.

"Genrou…I—"

"We should just be friends already."What?"And not just that, instead of ya doin' somethin' stupid and reckless when you fight, we should just be partners in battle—ya know…fight together as equals…I guess…Watchin' each other's backs."

…

"You two do know that things you're saying is sort of in violation of the 'forgetting everything' agreement we just had, right?"

"Oh come on!" Genrou walked up to me and put his fingers on the side of my lips, manually stretching them into a smile. "Lighten' up! You're gonna permanently be a wet blanket if ya go around actin' so damn nonchalant all the time." He gave a toothy smile that showed off his fangs.

Slapping his hand away I attempted at keeping my tough exterior. But knowing fully well that the atmosphere between the three of us had changed for the better, I gave a deep, seemingly exasperated sigh. Looking at them out of the corner of my eye, I gave a sideways smile. "Alright then, we can start over. I accept your friendship."

Chapter 28: Real Confidence, True Strength

Being without their powers, Aki and Chichiri had to fend for themselves in an underground cavern. Not being used to not having something to defend herself with, Aki became irritable and frightened. Luckily, Chichiri was there to comfort her, even if she didn't want to accept the gesture at first.

I didn't expect it when Chichiri's arm unexpectedly wrapped around my shoulders, causing me to instantly tense up with his touch. "Everything will be okay, ya know? I'll keep you safe, and I'm sure that if Genrou were here, he'd do the same thing, ya know? So don't worry!"But! I don't need you to keep me safe...I shouldn't need anyone... He flashed me a cheery smile, and with that mask, the atmosphere could have easily lightened up. But…

It doesn't feel right having to depend on someone other than Kajou.

"I can imagine how weird it feels to become the one who has to depend on others. But you have to realize that sometimes it's necessary and accepting it is just fine, ya know? There are those out there who care about you and want to keep you safe."

…

Chichiri appeared from behind, and placed a hand on my shoulder (somehow, his mask was already back on his face. Sneaky one, isn't he?). "You did good Aki."

Talking through short bursts of breath, I told him, "Yeah, well...you did better." Then, with a slight blush on my cheeks, I said in almost a whisper, "Thank you for being my rock Chichiri..." Of course, with that mask, he couldn't help but look cheerful from what I told him. But I knew, almost for a fact, that Chichiri's real lips were smiling as well.

...

I really appreciated the comfort that he gave me back in the cave—even if I didn't accept it for the majority of the time. He really was a kind person and a really great friend. If I had a big brother, would he be just like Chichiri? Was that what it was like to have an older male sibling? Well that was how he was starting to look to me…like an older brother who actually wanted to look out for me and guide me in the right direction.

Did it even matter that I was blushing beyond all reason? No. Wanna know why? It's because I finally knew and accepted the fact that this stupid clip-show idea was going to keep going whether I wanted it to or not. And I really didn't. But we all know by now that the universe is messed up.

"Dammit people! Couldn't any of you see that those moments were private?" Jeez! There was a reason why me and the other person weren't in public during those times. Gazing over at Hikaru and Tasuki, those two had suddenly lost their somewhat hyper-drive from before and ended up with flushed faces, avoiding eye contact from anyone. Crossing my arms, there was another point I wanted to address. "There's another reason why seeing those clips were bad…" My sentence trailed off. The next part I didn't exactly want them to hear me say.

I was never really proud of how I kept jumping from world to world falling for whatever guy was good-looking and who gave me the time of day. In a way, I had to thank Taiitsukun for taking me away—otherwise, I could have made some huge mistakes.

Inuyasha…

Kyo…

Hikaru…

And Dark…

It wouldn't have worked out—there was nothing there to really base a relationship on.

Besides that…

I really wasn't as popular as they made me seem. As a person, I'm completely socially inept. I both understood people, and yet they baffled me. I had always been the observer and never included.

But I was used to that.

This whole journey had quite literally turned my whole world upside down. Suddenly, I get thrown into groups that didn't repel me on an instant. But…um…I don't know…when you see all the nice moments all pressed together like that last clip-showing, then yeah, it would seem like my life is all rainbows, sunshine, and cute guys. Please. If my life were really like that, do you honestly think that I'd be trying so hard? Get real.

I'm just a player in the grand scheme of the universe—

"Hey Aki, if you're done monologue-ing, we've got an important revelation to share with the readers!" Nuriko pointed out, completely throwing off my groove.

Giving a look of confusion, I wondered what exactly was going on. "Wait…what?" Right as I turned around, I found that everyone was bunched up together almost as if they just had a team huddle during a football game or something.

I smell conspiracy.

"Yeah, once the clips were over and you started thinking about part of your life story and trying to get the sympathy vote, the rest of us got kind of bored and decided to hold a small meeting!" Gasping slightly, I was taken aback. Wha-What? Bored? In my mind I began to cry a little from the hurtful blow they just caused. But…it's important for character development…

Shokyoku: Aki isn't boring! You guys are lucky that I'm not allowed to hurt you!

This time, it was my turn to go into the emo corner and drown in my misery. But instead of crouching down like Tamaki, I just leaned my side against the wall with my back towards the merged groups. Holding up my arms, a soft-ball sized fire-ball instantaneously combusted in my palm while I played a continuous record in my mind, I…am going to kill them ALL.

"C'mon Aki-nee-chan don't be like that. It's supposed to be a happy day, remember?" Easy for you to say. People won't gang up on Little Miss Priestess of Suzaku. Who exactly was supposed to be having fun here? 'Cause it definitely isn't me.

Feeling a hand on my shoulder, I looked over to see that it was Haruhi who had come to comfort me. "It's not that big a deal Senpai—we're all just trying to make the best out of this anniversary. And you're a huge part of the story, and I'm sorry to say this but…as the main protagonist, you're going to get a lot of attention. A lot—like so much you're probably going to drown in it." My whole body completely turned to stone the moment she said that to me. I don't want to be the center of attention! Not being able to detect my distress, she kept going. "You should see all of the pictures of you up on Deviant Art! Not to mention that those get transferred to Google and other search engines. And when you think about it, people all around the world are watching you and know who you are—"

Tamahome came up from behind her and put his hand over Haruhi's mouth. Smiling nervously, he told her, "I'm pretty sure that you've said more than enough."

All that attention…

So many eyes on me…

"Onee-chan?"

Pictures all over the internet…

"You think Aki's broken?"

Why…

WHY? The Fireball in my palm began to grow and violently dance around as Wind assisted in its power.

"Oh no! She's finally lost it!"

"Put that fire out!"

Not a second later, a shower of chilled water showered down onto me, completely drenching everything and extinguishing the flames. Soaking wet and clothes clinging to my skin, I dropped my arms and turned around. Looking past my wet bangs, I discovered that it was Chichiri who had a huge bucket it his hands.

"Sorry, but I kind of had to, ya know?"

Once again, everyone was staring at the soaked spectacle before them. Not favoring the idea of catching a cold, I disregarded both the fact that I was once again in everyone's sights, and that someone actually had the nerve to pour a bucket of freezing-cold water onto me.

Feeling the heat return to my face, I meekly asked, "Anyone have a change of clothes?"

-Aloe

Having said that, if you choose to continue on reading, I hope you enjoy the Beta version and look forward to the official!