DISCLAIMER: No matter how much I want it, I do not own Naruto. I am still only borrowing the characters and promise to return them in good condition – well, maybe slightly battered!

AN:

Thanks to Dark Serpent Cat, who inspired this chapter and gave me a few ideas! You rock.

Chapter Forty-Three:

The Road to Chunin: A Ninja Never Cheats

We are young and we are strong

Through strength in self we become

Something more than they can be

~Black Veil Brides~

They arrived early… very early. Team seven was the first to appear in the large meeting room for the first stage of the chunin exams. They set themselves in the corner of the room so that they could inspect everyone as they arrived. It wasn't long before genin from the hidden villages of Mist, Stone, Cloud, Rain, Sand, Grass, and Leaf appeared. It was the first time Naruto felt young. Everyone else was much older than he was.

He should have felt nervous…

He should have felt insecure…

He should have felt…

"Scared, little baby?" sneered a genin with the cloud insignia on his belt.

"Hell no, bring it on!" he shouted loudly.

The door slammed open and a tall one-eyed Mist shinobi entered the room, bringing with him a small retinue of chunin proctors. "Everyone sit down and shut up; I don't want to hear a word out of anyone!" he barked from the back of the room. "My name is Ao and I will be the proctor for the first test in the chunin exams; Infiltration and Information Gathering."

Every genin in the room had his or her eyes glued to the examiner. Naruto overheard one of the Mist genin whispered that he was a member of the elite Hunter-Nin corps.

He dismissed their mutterings with a roll of his eyes and instead, lit up with glee.

The man was old!

This test would be a cinch if he had to out-think some old guy! At least – that's what he thought. Sasuke and Sai were a little more concerned - any shinobi who made it past forty and that had fought in the third shinobi war meant that he was a very skilled veteran. They sat up straighter and listened carefully as he continued.

"One of the most important duties of any shinobi is the ability to secretly infiltrate a fortified location, successfully gather information, and to determine what is factual and what is not." He nodded to another proctor at the back of the room, who came forward carrying a burlap sack. "For this test," he said while reaching into the bag, "You need to find one of these in the village."

He held up a golden scroll for everyone to see and added, "Tomorrow at noon I will tell you where to begin your search. You will have until noon the next day to find one. Anyone caught will be immediately disqualified as well as the rest of the team. Also anyone who does not find a scroll will be disqualified."

A tall, black-haired genin from Suna raised her hand and asked, "What are the rest of the rules?"

Ao smirked, "You and your team are disqualified from participating any further. I said I did not want to hear a word out of any one." He looked around the room and asked, "Anybody else have any questions?" When no one raised his or her hand he added, "I didn't think so."

Ao spun on his heel and stalked out of the room. The noise level increased dramatically as the genin teams began to furiously whisper back and forth.

Sasuke rolled his eyes at their stupidity. "Tch," he muttered. Using hand signs, he told Sai, "Draw birds, follow target."

He and Naruto blocked the artist from everyone's view as he quickly drew. When Naruto felt the tap on his back, he jumped on top of one of the tables and began to shout, "Yeah - bring it on baby! I'm gonna get the shortest time because I'm the best ninja in all the lands!"

Sasuke snapped, "Shut up, dumb ass. I'm so sick of hearing your bragging. Everyone knows you're nothing but a useless daddy's boy. He's the only one reason why you even became a genin."

"Screw you Uchiha! You're nothing but a stuck up, elitist twerp! You suck the fun out of everything, you Teme!"

"I'll kick your ass."

"Go ahead and try it fun-sucker!" With a deep bellow, Naruto leapt off the table and launched himself at Sasuke, knocking several people down in the process. It wasn't long before most of the genin became involved in a full out brawl. No one noticed the fact that team seven was nowhere to be seen.

~o~O~o~

"Damn, Teme, do you have to punch me so hard?" asked Naruto as he pinched the bridge of his nose. The three of them were sitting on top of the roof of the building they had just vacated.

"Don't be such a girl." Sai shoved his hand away and touched it with glowing hands. "Do you think it worked?" he asked as the blood finally slowed. "And exactly why did we do that?"

"A distraction. We don't want anyone to know what we're up to."

"But what are we going to do with this information? The locations are bound to change by tomorrow."

"Who says we're doing this tomorrow?"

"But they said…"

"They said don't get caught."

Several minutes passed when Sai spotted two birds flying towards him. "They are back," he said. He held open a scroll and the creatures flew at it, splashing the paper, ink forming into words. Sasuke opened a map of the village and showed it to Sai. "Where are they?" he asked.

And he studied the map carefully and pointed, "Here and here."

"They split them up?"

"Apparently so."

"Damn… that means we have to split up too."

~o~O~o~

A dozen frightened bats exploded from their roosts and frantically flew back and forth through the air, seeking safety but unwilling to leave the shadowy inner recesses for the bright daylight outside. Their small voices were shrill enough to be heard over the rising shriek of the wind outside. When they passed close enough, the leathery flap of wings and an air-cutting whoosh made Naruto flinch.

They had decided to check out the two locations together before making any final plans. It was obvious that because of Mist's recent civil war and its precarious situation they didn't want to risk genin invading one of their real buildings. The targeted building was an old abandoned Clan compound. They assumed the proctor wasn't expecting anyone to come looking for the scroll so early because there weren't any guards out yet. At least… Not outside.

As Naruto sidestepped a hidden trap on the floor, the wispy remnants of spider's web clung to his hair and tickled his brow. His mouth tasted bitter; like the time he and the others had snuck sake from their homes and drank it in their clubhouse. He caught a glimpse of Sai on the one side of the rafters. Sweat was really poring off him as a spider's web wrapped itself around his face. He pulled it off with no change in his expression and crept deeper.

A glance to the left showed more spiders lived there as well, evidenced by the webs that tangled in Sasuke's hair and stuck to his clothes. As he moved, he wiped the gossamer out of the way from his intended path. They looked at each other. Sasuke was cold, methodical; doing something he knew all to well. He silently communicated to Naruto to keep his eyes ahead.

The blonde genin turned his head too late and walked straight into another thick web. Wispy sections of it dissolved on his tongue and lips and his mouth flooded with saliva as nausea gripped him. Naruto chocked down his bile and spat out a wad of spittle and other gross spider stuff he didn't even want to consider.

The boys proceeded another few feet before Naruto held out his hand for them to stop. He turned his head from side to side, listening intently; afraid he would miss something because of the excited booming of his heart was so loud in his ears. He found it. He gave his brothers a wide grin.

"I can hear them; it's here!" he whispered. "Let's do this!"

"Not yet, Dickless; we should probably wait for the cover of night before roaming the halls. But I have a plan," answered Sai quietly.

~o~O~o~

"What if I screw this up? What if I'm too loud or make the wrong decisions? What if…?"

Taking a deep, steadying breath, Sai chased away all thoughts and feelings except for those directly concerning this operation. He considered the gloomy hallway ahead for a few precious seconds. A tiny shadow broke away and scuttled forward. He glanced to his right, barely making out the shadow of Naruto. He gave him the sign and then followed the mouse without looking back. He knew without a doubt that his brother would follow the plan.

As they got close to the end of the long hall, Sai halted, sank to one knee, and adjusted the gear on his body. Naruto sidled back to him and turned his head up, left, and right to look for any other prowlers or guards as he tried to steady his wildly beating heart. If he wasn't careful, his excitement would get the best of him.

Stretching his neck, Sai listened as intently as he could. The chill night had silenced the last crickets outside. Now there was not a sound; not even his from his teammate.

The large building was silent too, so they couldn't afford to make a single noise as they moved deeper into it. A cold breeze from an opened window cooled the sweat from their foreheads and the hollows around their eyes. With it, a smell of stale bean soup from the grounds tickled their noses. Naruto's nostrils flared and heart pounded. He signaled to his teammate.

Hearing only its thrumming in his chest, Sai shuffled noiselessly up to the twin sliding screens at the end of the corridor followed closely by Naruto.

The heart of the abandoned mansion was a string of chambers, their thick walls made up of stained oak planks. Huge, gnarled cedar beams crossed each chambers ceiling, and the rooms were connected by narrow corridors and sliding screens inlaid with squares of painted, oiled paper.

The minute whisper of rustling fabric was his only clue that another ninja was still beside him. Sai hesitated, letting his heart slow, as he examined the runners of the screens before him. Beyond this barrier lay the last two rooms, and the objective they were all so eager to reach. His stomach suddenly knotted. The scrolls would surely be guarded, perhaps by a team or just one, which would actually be worse. Any shinobi posted alone would be one their best – a very high ranked chunin in the least or a jonin.

He drew a small bamboo beaker from a hidden pocket in his black jacket. Easing the cork stopper from the tube, he hunched over one end of the floor slots that held the screens. He carefully poured water into its runner. As the liquid spread, he silently counted to five.

Tentatively, he moved the nearest screen about a hand's width. It glided with a mere whisper. The water had stopped the screen from grating noisily against the runners, just as he'd hoped. It was now up to Naruto.. He nodded to the blonde and stood up to guard the doorway.

Naruto gulped. Their goal was just within their grasp. He would not think about the consequences of failure. For clarity, for strength, he would try not to think at all. He set his jaw and tightened the dark head-wrap that hid his distinguishable face and equally unique hair color. Even though he was under a henge, he felt it was better to be safe than sorry. If they had to fight their way out, the guards wouldn't be able to figure out their identities. His heartbeat beat out a rhythm of the words his father had pounded into him; the Shinobi's Creed.

"I am a Konoha shinobi. I am a warrior and a member of a team. I serve the people of the Land of Fire and live the shinobi values."

Naruto wrestled his mind toward stillness and drew in the chilled pre-dawn air. Though veiled by cloth, his sensitive nostrils flared sharply. Inside a nearby room, perhaps just two walls away, someone was sweating hard. The scent was very clear to him; a young, fit man filled with tension. Most likely a guard…

Naruto smiled beneath his mask. A jonin would be calm and in control, and definitely not tense. Must be a chunin. While he knew that he probably wasn't stronger than most chunin, he felt confidant that he and Sai could easily handle him. Still, he had to be sure. Where was he? And was there really only one guard?

He cocked his head and listened carefully before taking another deep, calming breath. Definitely only one man. Naruto smiled as he smelled that well-known scent – Sai's ink – and not from the one that stood before them.

"Your other mouse," he signaled, "Find out what you can."

Sai nodded in understanding. He sank to his knees, and just to be prepared - pulled out his sword and rested it across his thighs. Staring into the darkness, he aimed his mind at his creation. His hands trembled momentarily. He had practiced this jutsu for a while, but wasn't always successful. Like Naruto, the Shinobi's Creed flitted through his mind, calming him. "I am disciplined, physically and mentally tough, trained and proficient in my warrior tasks and drills."

He took a deep breath, closing his eyes. He could hear through the mouse's ears; the faint gnawing sounds it made from behind the walls. As though it could sense its master, the gnawing stopped. There was a soft scraping sound. Sai grimaced and pinched his nose; the odors in the room were suddenly overpowering. Trying to ignore the smells, Sai willed his creature to come out of hiding and explore.

The mouse squeezed its way out of a tiny crack and cautiously crept out of the wall; whiskered nose twitching fast, tiny inky eyes flicking up at the doorway.

As if now seeing through a thin, quivering layer of water, Sai saw, as the mouse saw, his waiting nemesis, crouching to one side of the doorway. This was no ordinary guard. The fellow wore a dark cloak and hood. Black unmarked armor showed beneath it. His head turned sharply as if he heard or sensed the mouse's movement. Sai's heart began pounding louder than ever. Inside the enemy's hood glittered a mesh veil. A straight sword hung on his back, assassin-style, but he also carried a hardwood Bo staff. He was a big man too.

Sai reclaimed his sight from the rodent, forcing his own eyes to open. The usual fleeting moment of confusion jarred him for a second. "Just the one man," he signaled, "He's in the right farthermost corner."

Naruto gently opened both sliding doors. With his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he scanned the unfurnished room ahead.

It was rectangular with a high, beamed ceiling and plain side walls of dark-stained wood. Tatami floor… all reed matting. A single paper-covered sliding screen door broke the smoothness of the far wall. Still no sign of guards, but the scent of sweat was stronger now. It came from beyond that single door.

He carefully lifted one foot and moved as if to enter the room. A detail just a few paces away caught his eye. He froze, stifling a gasp. He studied the floor of the room ahead. Strange little shadows. His heartbeat grew loud again. That was close. "Watch it," he ordered himself, "There's no room for a screw up here. You almost walked into a trap."

He could feel the question in Sai's sudden, rigid posture. "Traps," signed Naruto, "Poisoned spikes, I think." He squatted down to get a closer look.

The floor was covered with iron makibishi; sharp triple-spiked foot jacks that were probably flecked with poison. They were painted a straw color to make them blend in with the tatami mats.

Sai crouched down next to him and peered through the gloomy interior. He studied the ceiling and noticed the paper tags and ninja wire. He tapped Naruto on the shoulder and pointed them out. Walking on the ceiling was definitely out.

He slid the soft backpack from under the sword on his back and eased a bolt of rough, black cloth from it. With another nudge and a quick nod, he gave it to Naruto.

Thanking Sai's remarkable foresight for insisting that he pack it, Naruto lined up the length of the roll carefully with the distant screen door and, leaning into the room, flicked his wrists. The bolt quickly unwound in a straight line down the center of the tatami mats. Naruto watched it, breath held. It ran out three long strides short of the door. A complex potion smell, with hints of both seaweed and Devil's Helmet flower, escaped from the cloth. Though pungent, Naruto was glad of its presence. Any spike penetrating the cloth shield would be coated with the dried potion, an antidote for the Makibishi poison. Most shinobi coated their spikes in a formula that paralyzed, in order to capture their victim alive. It was no act of mercy. Only the living could be interrogated and forced to give up their secrets. Forced, it was said, with poisons that unhinged the mind, and methods more dreadful still, which every spy deeply feared.

Torture, by blade or fire. Relations between the two countries were tenuous at best. Naruto doubted that they would try something like that, but still…

He had made it this far, at least. He shook his head. Last room or not, neither he nor Sai could leap that far without making a sound. Not at that angle, anyway. Sai handed him the beaker of water.

Pocketing the water, Naruto got on his hands and knees. Moving on all fours, he padded slowly on the strip of cloth, spreading his weight evenly, testing each spot with light, probing cat steps. As he put more weight on the thick, dense weave of the fabric, it caught and held the points of the surrounding makibishi. He paused, staring down nervously at his black highway. What if just one of the drug-coated tips burst through the cloth without being properly neutralized? Naruto closed his eyes for only an instant, and then forced himself forward.

"I will always place the mission first. I will never accept defeat. I will never quit. I will never leave a fallen comrade."

He reached the end of the cloth and smoothly drew his sword from its scabbard on his back. Balancing on the edge of the tough weave, Naruto stretched forward. Using the flat of his sword, he gently swept left, then right. With a soft tinkling, makibishi were flicked aside. He stood slowly and then took a wary step onto the strip of floor he had cleared, sword held out before him, its tip hovering at throat height. Naruto squinted at the path ahead, took three quick steps, and launched himself at the door.

He cleared the last makibishi, landing without a sound in a crouch before the paper-covered screen. Naruto glanced around, sheathed his sword, and once again carefully poured water into the floor slot to silence the screen runners. Then he rose to his feet, counting slowly as he redrew his blade. With its tip, he gently slid the door open. His nostrils flared again. The final chamber. So much would depend on what happened next.

The room, also rectangular, was not completely empty like the last. Plain, dark wood walls, high ceilings with natural beams as before, but this final chamber also held a single piece of furniture. A squat writing desk stood at the far end under a small, open window; a desk of stained cedar, a pressed gold hexagram on one side. Just as Sai's little spy had promised – the scroll must be there. Naruto's mouth went dry.

As always, he studied the room as much as he could before entering. No sign of any traps. The sweat smell was so strong here - the guard, coiled and ready to attack, tucked into one of the closest corners.

"I am an expert and I am a professional. I stand ready to deploy, engage, and destroy the enemies of the Land of Fire in close combat."

Naruto heard a slight noise. His sharp vision located the mouse. It looked up, then twisted and fled under the desk. An instant later he saw a blur of movement through the doorway, heard the swish of a whirling Bo.

With blinding speed, the strange guard sprung into view. He bounded forward, filling the doorway, swinging one end of his staff at Naruto's head.

Naruto barely dodged the blow. A wave of displaced air struck his eyes and he flinched as the staff hit the sliding door beside him with a loud thwack, snapping the wooden edging, tearing through paper squares.

Before Naruto could respond, the attacker pulled his weapon clear then deftly drove it into a fearsome, humming spin. The Bo's tip became a blur, closing with Naruto's temple! Naruto ducked under the whistling tip of the hardwood staff, and then tumbled forward into a tight roll, brushing past the guard's leg and into the last room. Staying low, he turned and swung a cut at the guard's legs, but he had already stopped turning the Bo staff and dropped it hard and fast to block the blade, which bit deeply into its wood. Wrenching his sword free, Naruto rose, skipping backward to the writing desk, eyes wide at his enemy.

This man was both skilled and ferocious. That Bo gave him too much added reach. It had to be neutralized! But how?

"I am a guardian of freedom and the ninja way of life."

The attacker heaved a breath, and then dashed across the room, spinning his staff again, moving quickly for one so large. Naruto shuddered and braced for impact. His opponent bore down on him. The hardwood staff sang through the air, closing horizontally with Naruto's neck. His heart thundering now like a drum, he parried upward with the flat of his sword, darted in closer, and aimed a powerful angular cut at the staff itself.

There was a dense splitting-tearing sound, and then the Bo clunked to the floor as two midget staffs. The large guard spun away in a circle as he drew the sword from his back with startling fluidity. Raising it in a two-handed grip, he started closing the distance between himself and his target at alarming speed, sword whistling as it arced in the air above him, tip poised to fly like lightning at Naruto's forehead.

The smell of his own sweat filled Naruto's nostrils as he prepared for the response he knew best of all. A crafty set of moves, taught to him by Hayate and practiced a thousand times until they had become part of him. Now, his best hope of completing the trial.

Turning one shoulder to the oncoming threat, Naruto took up a low stance and faced an empty spot off to his opponent's side, daring the foe to take advantage of his awkward position. Only his eyes remained on course, locked straight ahead, judging the scant moments left before the attacker was close enough to strike.

Suddenly he was.

"I am a Konoha shinobi."

With desperate control, Naruto rose fast, turning to face his opponent head-on and pouncing forward. The sudden turn and the change in both height and distance all combined to ruin the guard's timing. Before the man could slice downward, Naruto's sword glided up into a fast, hard cut aimed at his raised forearms.

The blade bit home, folded steel grinding against concealed gauntlets. Focusing his balance and energy, Naruto pushed with a muted grunt, forcing his opponent one step back. One step would be enough, if he could only make it count. He gulped in air, a little worried and unsure of making the smallest error. Keeping pressure on the enemy's gauntlets until the last second, Naruto whipped his blade back, and then drove a powerful vertical cut down at the man's cloaked shoulder. A riskier target than his head, but this was the chunin exams. He was not here to take a life.

The guard hoisted his sword into a strong block, but was a shade too slow to meet the incoming slice. There was a muffled clang, a sound of tearing cloth. Naruto's blade glanced off the man's shoulder. The sword sliced open the guard's cloak, revealing the armor underneath, before flailing off to one side. Seizing his scant chance, the guard turned his own sword and lunged, blade leading the stretch of his long arms.

Suddenly the cold flat of its steel pressed at Naruto's sweaty neck. He froze, lowering his sword. The guard had him!

"Surrender and remove your mask," ordered the guard.

Naruto raised his hands and gave a cheeky smile that went unseen behind the disguise. He slowly unwound the fabric from his head and face. The cloud hitai-ate was the first thing he exposed, followed by a shock of white hair.

"You," said the guard smugly. "You have been caught, Tajiki of Kumo and are now disqualified." He sheathed his sword and began to take a step forward when he heard a slight noise at the window. He flicked his eyes over and froze at the sight of two red, spinning orbs. His face took on a blank, dreamy expression.

"About damn time, Teme!" hissed Naruto. "I was afraid if he looked closer, he would see through my henge. You said that your mission would be over before I made it this far." He skirted around the huge guard and opened the drawer in the desk. The bag of scrolls was lying within. He picked one up and pocketed it. "Mission accomplished," he whispered. He made a soft cricket's chirp to alert Sai and followed Sasuke out the window and onto the roof. As soon as Sai appeared, they flew across the rooftops and back to their room at the inn.

~o~O~o~

The three boys stood clustered around the small table where two scrolls lay. Kakashi and Genma walked in as they were all staring at them in contemplation. The copy-nin asked, "What are you three doing?"

"Nothing," Naruto and Sasuke replied innocently.

"We are cheating," said Sai with honest forthrightness.

Naruto elbowed him and said, "How many times do I have to tell you… a ninja never cheats. We simply take advantage of everything around us."

Kakashi gave his friend a smug look and replied, "Oh, okay then… carry on." Naruto heard him whisper as they walked out, "And what has your team done?"

Genma sighed, "Hopefully they're not still fighting over the beds."

At the door softly clicked shut, Sai stood up and walked around the table. He pursed his lips, deep in thought. "Do you think it's safe to open it? What if it's booby-trapped?"

"I've got it," said Naruto, snapping his finger, "We'll get a clone to open it." He quickly summoned one and gave him its orders.

The cloned jumped back in pointed an accusing finger at the blonde. "What do you think I am?" he yelled, "A sacrificial lamb?"

"No, you're a clone. Now stop crying like a baby and just do what I told you to do."

"Oh yeah, well I'm a copy of you so if I'm a baby than that makes you one too."

Sasuke and Sai began to laugh as the blonde argued back and forth with the copy of himself. Once Naruto realized what he was doing, he blushed, somehow resisted the urge to throttle the clone, and shouted impatiently, "Just do it already!"

The clone hesitantly approached the scroll and carefully opened it. When nothing happened the boys whooped and read it.

"It's instructions and a map for the second task," said Sai.

"Wait this says that at tomorrow, we are supposed to go here," said Naruto, pointing at the map in confusion. "I thought that we are officially supposed to back to the building for the first task and try to get these scrolls."

Sai looked at Sasuke and said, "Perhaps the purpose is to reduce the number of teams or to give us a head start."

"Hn, I agree."

"Yeah, but what if it isn't?" asked Naruto. "As my dad always says, 'look underneath the underneath."

Sasuke furrowed his brow as he considered Naruto's warning. He imperiously ordered, "You – clone, open the other scroll."

"Gee, looks like someone is wearing his grumpy pants today," sniffed the Naruto copy, ignoring Sasuke's thunderous glare. He grabbed the other scroll and wedged his fingernail in the seal. He looked up at them and added cheerfully, "Well, I started out with nothing, and I still have most of it."

Again, nothing happened as the scroll unfurled.

Again, the trio gathered around it and read. It was a mission briefing. It indicated that proctors would be giving false information and that the real operation would be a prisoner escort. It did not give a time or location to meet.

"Well, what do you guys think?" asked Naruto.

"This confirms my original assumption," said Sai. "If we went back to the first location tomorrow, the proctors would give us misleading information."

"So in order to complete the second test, we would have had to get both of these scrolls." Naruto gave Sai a smug look. "See… I told you that there is no such thing as cheating, Aho. That proctor, Ao, said that we only had to get one scroll tomorrow. If we would have obeyed him, we would have failed."

Sai nodded in agreement while Naruto frowned thoughtfully. "Hey, you know I was thinking…"

"Always a dangerous activity…"

"You're not funny Teme. Anyways, what about Genma Sensei's team?"

"What about them?" asked Sasuke.

"I don't know… shouldn't we help them or something?"

"Why?"

Naruto huffed in annoyance at Sasuke's uncaring tone. "Oh come on, I mean I really don't like Shēn and all, but Kiba and Ino are our friends. As fellow shinobi of Konoha, shouldn't we help them?"

"No."

"No? Well why not?"

Sasuke ignored the angry look Naruto gave him and explained, "This is the chunin exams, Baka."

"I'm not stupid. What does that have to do with anything?"

Before Naruto could work himself up, Sai surprised him by siding with Sasuke. "He is correct, Dickless. Helping them will only harm them in the long run. Chunin is not just a title; it is a responsibility. They have proven their leadership skills and tactical prowess and can lead missions. So if Genma Sensei's team cannot handle the exam by themselves than they are not worthy of becoming chunin."

"So – even Ino?"

"Especially Ino."

Naruto's face fell in disappointment. It just didn't sit right with him – not helping his fellow shinobi. Maybe later that night…

Correctly guessing his intentions, Sasuke grunted, "Don't even think about it."

Naruto rolled his eyes and fell back on the bed. "Fine," he mumbled.

AN:

Well, hopefully this chapter made sense to everyone. I wanted it to be very different from the Konoha exams and all the others I have read. I'm not sure if I got it quite right or not. The next chapter - stage 2 is still a work in progress. It may take a while before it's finished so have patience! And as usual - Thanks to everyone that followed/favorited/commented on the last chapter!

Ja Ne,

AZFAERYDUST