Well after gorging myself on 7 romance novels, cat snuggles, and a stupid amount of chocolate I finally finished writing this chapter. I forgot how difficult it is to write for a weekly deadline with so many work projects over my head. Next chapter will be up around next Thursday, but it may potentially have to be split into two depending on how the writing for it goes.
Amidstnow: I hope your classes are going well and midterms treat you nicely. Thanks for leaving a review even though you are busy! It sounds like you are worried that there will be a cliche leaving moment and though I guess by technical terms you are right, it's not quite what you are predicting. I am going to be looking forward to your review the most in two chapters. :)
Darkestflare1: Happy Valentine's day to you too! Your question is answered this chapter so I won't repeat it here. Enjoy and thanks for writing.
Cupcake20jenny:I saw your earlier review and wanted to reach out to you. I will happily read your story after I finish my own and would be happy to talk future projects in PM. I try to not read fanfics that are being written on the same subject material while I'm writing so I'm not influenced by anything I see. Best of luck with your writing!
Luin-fanel: Muchas gracias para tu palabras. Mi espanol es mal pero lo intento. The other characters are not forgotten, only coming into play in the next arc. When I go back to edit, I hope to fix the story so there is more holding her to the human world. Thank you for bringing the point up.
Trastuspies: Finally starting to get to the stuff that you haven't predicted ten chapters back. :P
Thanks to all of the reviews, messages, feedback, and support for this story. See you all next week!
Chapter 35:
Chihiro could feel the magic around them getting stronger as Hikaru drew closer. The sensation of it responding to each slow movement she made was breathtaking and exhilarating all at the same time. The smile on Hikaru's face told her that he was feeling it too. As their movements finally brought them together Chihiro let her eyes glance down to her hands. Water rippled and danced in the air in front of her palms almost seizing against the snow whipping about Hikaru. Returning her eyes to his, she began the last stances to send the magic out and close the circle. For some reason from that moment forward each movement Chihiro made towards finishing the dance, the elemental magic opposed her. It didn't want the circle to close or to release from their summoning. Chihiro pulled upon her inner strength to finish and as she did, the magic surged outward in a powerful blast. The effect on both her and Hikaru was instantaneous.
.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.
Haku picked himself off the floor from where he had been thrown when the ceremony completed. The forceful wind of the cleansing magic had shook him to his core and had undoubtedly tore through the Eastern countryside at an unprecedented rate. For the first time in the history of the Eastern Wetlands, snow was falling, blanketing their lands in a fresh purity. Walking shakily towards the garden, Haku could see tracks of a body crawling through the snow. Following them with his eyes, he spotted Hikaru clutching Chihiro to his chest. She looked ethereal, more akin to a porcelain doll than human. The cherry blossoms of her kimono stood out against the backdrop of snow. Her eyes were peacefully closed and her painted lips hung slightly open. Hikaru hurriedly pushed the fallen strands of hair from her face and Haku could hear him calling her name, begging her to wake up.
Putting one foot in front of the other, Haku began moving towards them. Moments before the blast he had feared for her, but now he was left with nothing. His fears had been realized and his plans were all for naught. Haku could feel the subtle heartbeat beside his own and knew there was no going back. The seal was most definitely broken. His mind grappled with the confusion of how this could have happened after he had been so careful to prevent it. He was brought to a near standstill when he realized the truth. A cleansing ceremony, even of that magnitude, shouldn't have been enough to break the seal unless it was damaged in some way prior. In fact, she shouldn't have been able to summon water to power it at all. The image of Haku taking her against the wall the night before jumped to mind and he realized what he had done. The force of his realization nearly brought him to his knees. In his drug-induced state and desperate desire for her, he must have cracked the seal…
Chihiro's chest shuddered to life and her eyes flew wide open. Taking several quick deep breaths, she focused in on the fox holding her. Hikaru squeezed her in a hug in his happiness.
"Oh kami, I was so scared. Never do that to me again Chihiro," Hikaru said as he held her body at arm's length to look at her. His jaw dropped in shock as he took in her eye color. Even from his position, Haku could see the strands of ice blue interrupting the usual brown color.
"Why am I sober," Chihiro exclaimed with disgust, but with a shake of her head turned her attention to Hikaru's confused expression, "Is something the matter?"
Before either of them could speak, the air about them tensed with magic and a silencing shield surrounded them. Knowing who it was, Haku refused to look back at the approaching rabbit and wolf. There would be no stopping the Seer from taking them both to be executed. His mind raced in a flurry as he tried to think of a solution. If he could kill the wolf quickly, the barrier would drop and give him a chance to grab Chihiro and escape. Chihiro moved to get up and was surprised when Hikaru let out a loud growl. Looking up, she followed his gaze to Tsukiko and the wolf walking beside her. With his ears pinned back in warning, Hikaru moved in front of Chihiro in a defensive stance. Perhaps Haku could trust the fox to protect Chihiro from the rabbit while he tried to take down the wolf.
"Thank you Daisuke. I believe that this is a conversation best held without others' ears."
"Tsukiko," Chihiro asked as she tried to put the image of the joyous vibrant rabbit girl to the serious woman before her. Tsukiko's eyes shifted to stare at Chihiro's before she heaved a sigh and redirected her attention to Haku.
"You know I cannot turn a blind eye to this. There are too many witnesses," Tsukiko said motioning towards the recovering staff members that were returning to see the aftermath. Shaking her head in disappointment, the rabbit walked up to Haku and glared at him. "Did you really think you would get away with what you've done?"
"Seer," Hikaru remarked with hatred, bringing her attention back to him.
"I was wondering how long it would take for you to remember me. They say the North always remembers, but you seem just as ignorant this time around." Hikaru let out a hiss and bared his teeth in warning. Chihiro was still trying to grapple with the sudden changes in everyone's behavior. Haku was looking straight ahead as if all he had loved had died, Hikaru appeared as if he was about to tear the rabbit a new throat, and Tsukiko had a disdainful sneer twisting her pretty face. Chihiro half expected the grumpy wolf to break out in a smile!
"Tsk tsk Kohaku, no wonder you are so careful with the rules. Didn't want to bring any attention to yourself? I'll admit you had me fooled by leaving the fox beside her. I almost believed your little ruse."
"Who says it's a lie? I've claimed this woman under my protection." Tsukiko giggled at Hikaru and threw him a pitiful smirk.
"Come now, fox-kun. You can try to bind her any which way you like, but you will never have anything on what the dragon here has taken. Does she even know of the sin you've committed? Your pretty little dove?" Haku clenched his jaw but he kept silent as Tsukiko walked about him, savoring the moment. Daisuke stood at the ready with a hand on his blade, but nobody made a move. The rabbit laid her small hand carefully on his arm and playfully leaned against him as she looked back at Chihiro with an eager smile. "Taking a human for a wife. What scandal!"
"I believe you must be mistaken," Chihiro spoke up as she stood and brushed the snow off her kimono, "Haku and I haven't done anything of that sort."
Chihiro's confidence on the matter made Tsukiko laugh whole heartedly. Haku's eyes darted over to look at Chihiro despite his outwardly morose composure. Hikaru's shoulders slumped noticeably as he glanced back at Chihiro in disbelief. Even the fox knew that water didn't just come to anyone's summons and it most definitely did not come to a regular human woman.
"Oh Chihiro, you really are the sweetest. A little naïve, but your heart is in the right place. It's a shame you shacked up with this fellow. He isn't worth the pain he will bring you."
"I'm serious. I haven't slept with Haku, mated, bound or whatever it is you call it around here." Tsukiko's laughter was cut short as she looked at Chihiro's seriousness with pity. The rabbit sincerely liked Chihiro and it was becoming increasingly apparent that the dragon had led the girl blindly. She probably didn't even know the consequences of such actions here in their world.
"So that's how you were able to keep this hidden! Was she unconscious when you finally got blue balls and froze the process? Did you go so far as to erase her memory of your relations so she wouldn't be able to remind you of the disservice you had done her?" The growl that left Haku made Tsukiko back off, but Chihiro could feel the silence that followed. She felt her heart stop as Haku didn't bother to correct her.
"What is she talking about Haku," Chihiro asked as her voice got a little high at the end. She couldn't recall them ever being intimate past a kiss or two, and they sure as hell hadn't made any commitment to marriage. Her voice wavered as she called his name again. Looking away from her in shame, Haku looked at the snow covering the garden wall.
"I was going to talk to you about it after everyone left tomorrow," Haku admitted quietly. The look of confusion and disbelief on Chihiro's face killed Tsukiko's smirk. The rabbit pitied the girl who was standing there shell shocked. Chihiro loved Haku, but they hadn't even talked about this. Hell, they hadn't even talked about his actions last night! Hikaru wanted to turn around and hug her, but there was too much of a risk with turning his back to the agents of the Capital. If what the seer implied was true and the dragon had started the mating bond, then both of their lives were already forfeit before the law.
"What do you mean you were going to tell me tomorrow?! This is something we should have talked about before you started!" Haku took her angry shouted words in silence. There was a sadness about his acceptance of her outrage. He recognized that there were many things he should have done differently from the moment he saw her again in front of the portal. Yet there was not a magic in the Spirit World that allowed someone to rewind time and fix it. Haku had to face the hole he had dug himself.
"I accept the Capital's offer," Haku said resolutely as he turned his empty gaze to look down at Tsukiko, "I will become the next Captain."
"WHAT?!" Chihiro's indignation matched Hikaru's silent surprise. Unlike Chihiro, Hikaru knew exactly what that decision meant.
"That's no longer acceptable. The Elders will need to deliberate with this change. You will have to stand trial," Tsukiko replied as she stood her ground before the dragon.
"I want to barter for the human's life. I have information about the situation up North that could change the warfront. Spare her life and I will tell you all that I know," Hikaru interjected. The seer looked at him anew with curiosity as he glared back at her. He was as unflinching as the cold breeze that rocked the mountains in the North.
"Who would trust any information you offer? You faked your own death and left your people to die! Seven brothers in charge of guarding the far Northern territories and not one of you protected the land from the Dark ones. You should be ashamed of yourself," Tsukiko retorted with anger. Sneering at him with disgust, she turned her attention back to Haku. "You will accept a contract with me to return to the Capital and stand trial."
Haku offered out his right hand to her in resignation as Chihiro shouted at him to stop. Hikaru held her back before she could rush towards them and put a hand over her mouth to keep her quiet. Tsukiko grasped Haku's arm and silver cords of magic spun between their arms leaving a large black stain in its wake. Haku hissed in pain as the contract sealed. Releasing him as if he were filth, Tsukiko nodded towards Daisuke. The barrier around them lifted and the rabbit haughtily addressed everyone present.
"Master Kohaku has been accused of initiating a mating bond with a human and will be returning to the Capital with me at first light to stand trial before the Elders." Several staff members gasped in surprise and whispers broke out amongst the crowd, but no one stepped forward to provide evidence of the claim. Even if their master had broken the law, they would stand by his decision in silence. Tsukiko turned to pointedly look at Hikaru and Chihiro as she continued. "Traditionally, the human would stand trial alongside their partner and be given the choice of death or sacrifice for the good of the worlds. However, I have yet to discern his partner amongst you."
The lie stood in stark contrast to the expected and Hikaru understood the implicit meaning that the seer was giving him. She was going to spare Chihiro, giving him the chance to get her out of there. Many staff members held their breath as the tension in the area skyrocketed. Any effect of alcohol had long been wiped from their system by the cleansing ceremony and a particular Tanuki found himself grasping for a bottle to drink from at the turn of events. The rabbit moved to address the still frozen dragon.
"You have until morning to get your affairs together. We leave at first light from the courtyard in front of the bathhouse. I suggest you use that time wisely.
.-.-.-.-.-…-.-.-.-
Haku felt himself sink down into his office chair as he began to mechanically go through the list of things that would need to be done in his absence. Lin in her pajamas sat in one of the office chairs before him, the foreman in the other, and Hikaru stood by the fireplace refusing to look at him. The fox had left Chihiro in the living room to wait her turn after Haku had asked him to join the meeting.
"It will be at least a three day flight to the Capitol and the trial could take up to two days to be completed. If I am proven not guilty, I plan to return to see to the successful transition of power before departing for my new position in the Capital. Lin, you will be taking over as bathhouse master as soon as I depart. When Yui returns please see that she becomes the next-in-line. You will need her power if the battles on the front get closer."
The weasel silently nodded as Haku continued going over the minute details that would need to be taken care over of the next few days and in the upcoming weeks, should he not return. As Haku finally finished saying what need to be said, they sat in silence for a few moments as he tried to collect his thoughts on the last subject he wanted to breach with them.
"Kitsune-san…," Haku started, but trailed off as he struggled to say the words on the tip of his tongue, "Hikaru."
Hikaru looked back at him with anger and hatred. There would be no forgiving the dragon for the pain he had brought Chihiro or for what he had started. The woman he had left sitting on the sofa in the other room deserved better than the games he was playing. How long had she carried on believing her feelings were one-sided?
"I don't know if what the Seer said was true, and frankly right now, I don't care. I am going to trust you with something far more important than this bathhouse or staff within it. If I don't return by nightfall on the eighth day, I want you to take Chihiro and make her cross back to the human world."
Hikaru and Lin both opened their mouths to protest, but Haku waved his hand cutting them off. The foreman silently looked at the dragon with an understanding pity. Though he was by nature a greedy and capricious man, he had a deep respect for the decision that the master of the bathhouse was about to make.
"If I haven't returned by that time, it means that the Elders have executed me for treason. There is a chance they will come back for her and I don't want to risk her life any more than I have. Chihiro will be nothing more than a human again if I die now and she could return to her human life in ignorance of all that has happened. Does she not deserve a life of happiness without the sorrowful memories I have given her?"
Silence followed his shaky confession and Haku had to take a few deep breaths to compose himself. He couldn't think of Chihiro in the other room right now. It was too hard. Every time he did, he could feel his throat close up just the tiniest bit and a pain in his chest ache. He would save that hard conversation for last.
"I will make sure that she is happy," Hikaru spoke softly as he looked back at the fire. Lin frowned as she rubbed her eyes. Of course she wasn't crying! She was simply studying the fringe on the carpet and some dust got into her eyes. Haku stood up and placed his hands on the desk as if to draw strength from it.
"It has been an honor to work with you both," Haku said with a deep bow to Lin and the foreman.
"No the honor has been ours Master Haku," the foreman said as he jumped up to return the bow. Lin quickly stood and bowed as well, but remained silence. As the foreman moved to the door with the intention of leaving, Lin stood looking at Haku with serious eyes. She wanted to tell him how much of an idiot he was and how stupid this whole situation was. He could have prevented so much of this! Yet the words she wanted to say would not come out of her mouth. He already knew what she would have said and he was already hurting more than he was letting on. Walking around his desk, Haku put his hands on her shoulders.
"You can do this Lin. You have taken on bigger challenges than this."
"I'm not worried about the bathhouse, you dope! I'm worried about you!" The emotional outburst from the weasel brought a small smile to Haku's lips. Their relationship was founded in sarcastic teasing towards each other, but right now there was a brutal honesty to her speech. Of course she always saw right through him and spoke her mind. Giving her a reassuring squeeze, he guided her towards the office door. As he nodded to the foreman to open it, he was surprised to see nearly all of the bathhouse staff crowded in the small space between the elevator and the flat door. A cacophony of voices rose up in greeting, shouting their well wishes and worried thoughts. Haku took a deep breath and addressed them with a calmness he was not feeling. Chihiro would have to wait a while longer.
.-.-.-..-.-..-.—
The last shadows of darkness were slipping away into sunshine as Aogaeru walked along the old side entrance into the bathhouse. As one of many paths in the interchanging mazes on either side of the bathhouse and not a preferred route for either staff or guests, he wasn't anticipating anyone to be around. Nobody ever expected the small frog of being anything more than his usual dull, clownish self, but soon that would change. He hadn't been scheduled to make another drop for a few more days, but the exciting events of the evening sent him running for his mistress. Her anger at his sudden appearance had frightened him, but she had warmed considerably with the news he brought. The bounty of his reward had made all of it worth the effort. The other staff members would no longer laugh at him when he was finally made their master. Aogaeru wiped off the remaining soot on his hands onto his handkerchief before attempting to slide it back into his pocket. The slip of fabric fell to the ground and as he bent down to pick it up, he felt the chills of someone watching him.
There was no time for him to act before a tendril of water appeared in front of him and surged forward. Trapping him against the bathhouse wall, the water sealed him there as its master floated closer. The koi fish was admittedly not at her best at the moment, but the drive to capture the spy had been strong enough to ignore her pride. Her earlier tears had ruined her makeup and the charcoal that had been about her eyes now made severe black lines down her face. She had lacked the confidence to return to the ball after visiting with Haku out on the balcony and had used her water to slip away unseen. It was only by fortune that she had stumbled to this particular path to cry in solitude, but now she was almost grateful. Funny how when she was at her worst, fate had deemed that now would be the best time to reveal whom she had been searching for. Glaring at the frog as he judged her rather shambled appearance, Hana bent down to retrieve his handkerchief.
"Hana-sama! Why are you out here alone," Aogaeru asked with an uncomfortable chuckle. He felt himself begin to sweat as the sun began to come over the wall and hit him. Tucking his head down so he could see her better, he saw the handkerchief clutched in her grasp. "Thank you for picking that up for me. I was just about to take care of that."
"Impure soot from a Tainted spirit," she said quietly as she looked from him to it and back, "Where did you get this?"
"I found it down by the Old Market earlier. I thought I would bring it back and show it to Master Haku," the frog lied nervously. He didn't handle pressure well and being trapped against the wall wasn't doing much for his mental state at the moment. Carefully folding the handkerchief, she slipped it within the obi of her kimono.
"I know you are the spy, frog. There is no point in lying," Hana said coldly as she watched him sweat under the sun's piercing early rays, "The question is if you were coming in from dropping off information or going out to do the deed?"
Aogaeru focused all of his energy and tried to jump free of the water. As he surged up and over, Hana grabbed him by the throat and shoved him back. His legs kicked into the air as she held him there. Ordering the water to bind him tighter, she watched his eyes pop slightly in fear.
"What Haku did to you was wrong," Aogaeru gasped as he tried to make more space for his crushed windpipe, "He made you a fool in front of all the others and left you weeping alone out here. What honor do you owe him? What loyalty?!"
Hana froze and considered his words for a second. The right thing to do was to keep the frog bound and bring him to Kohaku. Perhaps giving him his spy as a present would lessen his harsh punishment for her. However the anger at his treatment of her and the feeling of being manipulated rose up from the darkness within her. Hana hated Haku for scorning her attentions. She was the most beautiful spirit in all the land and he had turned his back on her. The desire for revenge was seeping up from the black impurities bubbling forward and taking root. As if sensing her weakness, the frog opened his mouth to speak, but she silenced him with a squeeze of her hand.
"If I let you go, will you take down the dragon? Can you crush everything he holds dear," Hana asked quietly. She lifted her averted eyes to stare at his in questioning. He smiled as he felt her grip slacken.
"I can and I will. You need only set me free and walk away. By the time you get back to the Lotus, Haku will have lost everything." Hana considered his words for a moment. This was a turning point. The darkness inside warred with her emotional mind. She could have her revenge, Haku would regret not accepting her. Releasing her hold, Aogaeru fell to the ground and he coughed harshly to clear his throat. He stood up and brushed the dirt off his slacks before smiling at her. "You made the right decision, Hana-sama."
As the words left his mouth, Aogaeru felt a force shove through his chest. Looking down, he was shocked to find Hana's fin embedded within him. His life blood was pounding out at a tremendously fast rate, coating her fin and the ground beneath him. Retracting her hand, Hana watched him collapse to the ground at her feet. Ordering her water to dispose of all the evidence, she handed it the handkerchief and let it take the blood off her fin. Turning her back on the scene, Hana floated towards the bathhouse side entrance with a serious expression on her face.
She might have taken care of Haku's little spy, but that didn't mean the info hadn't already been leaked. It could be the straw needed to break the camel's back. Rationalizing her decision to end his life and destroy the evidence, Hana decided her course of action. She could warn Haku of the potential information leak, but that wouldn't give her vengeance. Instead, she was going to walk away in silence. She wasn't going to tell Haku the crime she had committed or the potential danger to come. He already knew there was a spy, it would be up to him to figure out the rest in a reasonable fashion. Shaking her head of the smidgen of guilt pervading it, Hana looked down at the fast draining water beneath her. The usual blue green tide was nearly black and barely holding her an inch off the ground unlike its typical six inch swell. There were consequences for every action.
.-.-.-.-.-.-…-.-..
Hikaru closed the door to the office silently as he spotted Chihiro sitting out on the railing of the balcony. Her shoulders were slumped with her hands folded neatly on her lap and she stared at the sun transforming the land. The tents and the river were being hidden by the portal magic and the green sloping fields that replaced them moved with the breeze. Walking up beside her, Hikaru leaned against the rail and looked out with her. The weight of his returned memories and the situation at hand left him feeling rather quiet as well. Chihiro took a deep breath of the crisp chilled air. The snow had only stopped a few minutes ago, but everything around them seemed to be eagerly sucking it in leaving nothing behind.
"The land here has been properly cleansed thanks to you," Hikaru said quietly. Chihiro glanced over at him, but held her silence as she looked back again. The landscape appeared nearly the same as it had when she had crossed the first time in ignorance. "I wish I had known you before all of this…perhaps things would have turned out differently."
"Have your memories come back?"
"I wish they hadn't." Hikaru's face became nostalgic and sad as he seemed to look past the view in front of them to see the past. Whatever it was that was haunting him had placed the world's weight back on his shoulders. "I have to return to the North, Chihiro. If the Capital won't fix what has happened, then I must try myself."
"What happened to you," she asked quietly. The words sounded almost like a thoughtful whisper in the silence surrounding them. "How did you get from the North to lying in the river before the bathhouse?"
"I'd rather not tell you, but I won't have secrets between us. I want you to trust me, Chihiro." Turning to face her, Hikaru pulled himself together and gave a most eloquent bow. "My name is Hikaru Yukiyama and I am the youngest son in a long line of Northern royal Foxes. My brothers and I were tasked with protecting the different providences of the far North shortly before the war broke out. All was well at home and on the war fronts until several weeks ago. My eldest brother announced a gathering to honor his upcoming engagement to the snow woman Nomi and so our family drifted out of the snow dunes to come together. Nomi however had set up the engagement party as a trap. It was a trick to get us all into one place so we would be easily disposed of by the Tainted. As the party was about to begin, I slipped upstairs to my room to put away my sketch book and I overheard her placing a mock distress call to the Northern bathhouse. She told them baseless tales of how our family's greed for power had brought us all into darkness and that she was fleeing for her life at the moment. Realizing her plans, I ran to warn my brothers of the impending attack, but I was too late. Everyone was consumed by the Tainted and only I remained. I don't remember how I escaped that battle, but the last thing I recall is falling from the fifth story balcony."
"That's terrible!"
"I believe Nomi is at the Northern bathhouse trying to take it down from the inside out. With the Far North taken, it would only take the fall of that bathhouse to capture the rest of the land and obtain a strategic high ground over the Capital."
"You have to tell Tsukiko and Haku. They can relay that information to the Elders and send reinforcements for you."
"As you heard earlier, why would they believe me? It's my word against hers and the proof is framed in her favor."
"I believe you and I'm sure Haku would as well." A moment of silence followed as Hikaru bit his lip in disbelief and averted his eyes.
"Chihiro, when the time comes, will you return with me to the North? I know it is probably too late to save most of my people, but if we performed a cleansing ceremony of the same magnitude that we did here…" Hikaru trailed off with his intention obvious.
"I can do that," she replied certainly, "but I'm not leaving here until Haku is back safe and sound. Let's get these problems dealt first and then we can discuss heading North. Besides, there is no guarantee that the Master of the Northern bathhouse hasn't seen right through her and taken care of the issue already."
The sound of the office door opening captured both of their attentions, though only Hikaru looked back at the worn out dragon. Giving him a nod, Haku watched the fox say goodnight to Chihiro and leave them. The door slammed shut behind him and the two were left in silence. Chihiro continued to look out over the fields unwilling to turn around and face him for the moment.
"Would you come inside," Haku asked gently, "There is much we need to discuss."
Chihiro considered her options carefully before swinging her legs back over the railing and walking inside. Motioning for her to take a seat on the sofa, Haku closed the door behind her and then proceeded to shut every window in the room. Ignoring him to stare into the fire, she was surprised when he tossed a small pouch into the flames. When Chihiro looked up at him in question, Haku gave her a halfhearted smile.
"I hope you don't mind if I burn some incense while we talk. Care for anything to drink- tea, coffee, whiskey?"
"Water please," Chihiro replied. Giving her a nod, he retrieved a glass of water for her and a mug of tea for himself. He set them down upon the table before the sofa and sat down opposite her. Pulling her eyes away from the smoking fire, she felt the incense begin to fill the room as she gave her attention over to Haku. There would be no turning back now.