Also, sorry it's like... The middle of the night right now. I ended up changing some things in the chapter last minute. Poor planning on my part...

Anyways, it's chapter 24. Shit's going down right now, you guys.

Haha, though! This chapter is pretty long. Also, lots of SxS. And I have a comment on that which will have to wait till the end. By the way, I did a really lame job with editing this time(even lamer than the usual), so try not to freak out too much when there are errors. My grammar skills aren't the best as it is.

For now: ENJOY!

Sakura's POV

I'm running. Feet pounding against the asphalt. Heart racing within my chest. Lungs gasping for air.

Running. Running.

Take me away.

I could say the same to you. My brother's words echo through my mind.

Take me far away.

I don't know how long I've been running when, both mentally and physically exhausted, I pull myself under the King Penguin and collapse onto the mulch. As I gasp for breath, strange and foreign sounds escape my lungs. The air around me seems to thin, as if all the oxygen is being sucked from the Earth's atmosphere.

Everything is going to be fine. I can get through this. Just keep breathing.

Pushing my back against the inside wall of the structure, I draw my knees up against my body and wrap my arms tightly around them, clutching them as closely to myself as possible.

I gasp for air, trying to slow my racing heart. Deep breaths. In. Out. In. Out.

After a few minutes, my heartbeat slows. Still breathing heavily, I crawl out from under the giant slide. Rising to my feet, it's as if the weight of the world has dropped down onto my shoulders.

What now? I wonder, looking around. The sun has already set, leaving only the erie glow of the lampposts to light up the sidewalk as I exit the park and make my way down the path.

I don't have anywhere to go.

Under normal circumstances, I would go to Tomoyo. Now, however, it's late at night and if I went over, I would have to face her mother. I don't think I could handle the things she would ask. The judgment. The pity. I don't want it. Any extended family would just be too hard to face right now.

With everything that's going on with Chiharu's family, I can't go there. She's supposed to be out on with Yamazaki, anyways.

I have no clue where Rika or Naoko's houses are, so they're out of the question.

Touya will probably either go to Yukito's house to spend the night, or it will be the first place he looks for me.

There's only one option.

Next thing I know, I'm standing in front of an indigo apartment door that I seem to be finding myself at more and more lately. I ring the bell.

There's a moment of silence and I begin to panic.

Could he be asleep? The sun has already gone down, so maybe he went to bed early. My heart pounds wildly out of control.

Before I get the chance to ring again, the door before me swings open to reveal a very confused amber-eyed boy. Upon seeing me, his eyes widen. Neither of us was expecting this. After all, it was just a few hours ago that we were parting ways saying that we would see each other again after the weekend was over. Yet, here I am.

"Sakura! What are you doing here? And–oh my–what happened to you?" I can tell he's too stunned to move.

Feeling exposed, I instinctively wrap my arms protectively around myself.

"U-um," I try to keep my voice low and steady, but it still comes out shaky and strained. "I-I'm-" What do I say now? "I'm sorry. I-I didn't know where to go-" I can't look him in the eyes. My gaze casts downward to the ground.

In front of me, I can tell Syaoran is panicked and confused. Alarmed, he manages a step forward, saying, "Ah–sorry; I didn't mean to upset you. Here," he moves aside to let me through, "come in."

I draw my arms closer to my body, stepping forward. "Thank you."

I enter slowly, and Syaoran quietly closes the door. I allow myself to fall to the floor just inside the door and try to pull off my shoes. Much to my dismay, they don't budge. It's as if all the energy has been drained from my body. Everything feels heavy and constricted.

"Damn it," I whisper helplessly. My fingers tremble, trying to undo the laces.

In front of me, Syaoran bends down and catches my hand. Looking up, I find him giving me a reassuring look. He doesn't say anything as he reaches down and carefully begins to untie the knot for me. With the knot is undone, he takes my ankle and gently lifts it up, removing the shoe from my foot. It slides off into his hand with ease far more ease than when I tired. He does the same for the other.

Once he's finished, he just sits there and waits for me. As I look up, he asks, "You good?"

I nod, not really sure if it's true or not. He rises to his feet and offers me his hand.

I take it, and this time the weight on my shoulders doesn't feel quite as heavy.

Everything is a blur. I'm numbly aware of Syaoran asking me if I've eaten, and me telling him that I'm not hungry. I just watch him from my place on the couch while he rushes around from room to room, pausing a few times to try asking me things, and then getting up and rushing off again. The entire time, he has this worried look on his face.

Eventually, I lay down on my side and do my best to curl up. Everything feels cold. My mind keeps on telling me that it isn't; after all, there's no way Syaoran would keep the apartment any cooler than his idea of 'chilly', which is about twenty degrees warmer than most people's idea of the word. Still, there are bumps rising on my arms and they're not from when I was outside a few minutes ago.

When Syaoran re-enters the room and kneels down beside me, he seems to bring a wave of warmth with him.

"Sakura."

I lift my gaze from seam along the edge of the cushion to Syaoran's brilliant amber eyes, flecked with a deep shade of red.

"So tired," I whisper, my eyes drifting shut. Those two words alone are enough to leave me breathless. It's as if the second I passed through the doorway into the apartment, all of my energy depleted.

Syaoran frowns and looks down at my body, which is struggling to stay all the way on the couch with the position I'm in. He looks into my eyes again. My eyelids feel ridiculously heavy. It's a struggle just to keep them open.

"I'm going to move you into my room so that you have more space, okay?"

I simply let out a small hum. Next thing I know, I'm being lifted off the couch. The sudden feeling of being suspend in mid-air brings my eyes open again. Clutching Syaoran's shoulder, I look around and realize that he picked me up.

As I raise my gaze to his face, I find him already looking down at me. "Sorry. Did I startle you?"

All at once I wrap my arms around his neck and bury my face into his shoulder while shaking my head.

He remains silent. The only sound made is the sound of his feet carrying us out of the room and down a hallway.

I inhale deeply, allowing his scent to envelop me and bring warmth to my body. I can't remember a time when I last felt as relaxed as I am right now. It's strange considering everything that just happened, but I wouldn't mind staying like this.

This must be Utopia.

Then, before I know it, I'm being lowered onto something soft very comfortable. Not as comfortable as Syaoran, though, so as his arms around me disappear and he starts to pull away, I tighten my grip around his neck.

"Don't go."

His shoulders hunch a bit as he sighs. "Sakura, I need you to let go of me."

I shake my head, burying it into his shoulder. "Just until I fall asleep."

"Sakura..."

"Just until I fall asleep. Then you can go."

He heaves a sigh of defeat. Reluctantly, he lays down on his side, facing me. I pull my arms down from around his neck and clutch onto his t-shirt. He strokes my hair gently, but I can still feel how tense he is. I wish he weren't. His embrace always relaxes me, but he's completely rigid. My chest constricts at the thought of how uncomfortable I'm making him. Guilt tugs at me, but in the end it's nothing compared to the joy and utter pleasure of knowing that I'm falling asleep in his arms. The back of my mind taunts me for being so selfish.

Eyelids begin to feel heavier.

Fingers begin to lose their grip.

Syaoran's scent plus the pounding against my ear on the other side of his ribcage makes my mind gradually turn completely blank.

My last thought before drifting to sleep is: should his heart be beating that fast?

Syaoran's POV

"Get-" Slice. "Out of-" Slice "My-" Slice. "Head!" I swing the sword a little too harshly, leaving a gaping hole in the armchair. I curse under my breath, knowing that Wei will probably kill me later, and then I lay the sword down on the coffee table.

Clearly, I shouldn't be doing this right now. Not when my hormones are practically screaming at me, and the girl I'm in love with is sleeping less than fifty feet away. In my room. On my bed.

"Damn it, stop thinking about it!" I raise both hands to my head and grip my hair, trying to force the thoughts from my mind. Stepping back, I allow myself to fall onto the couch.

Ever since last night, my face has felt like it's on fire. My heart has been pounding, too. I hardly got any sleep last night. I'd blame the couch, but I know that's not the issue.

First, Sakura shows up out of the blue, crying and saying she doesn't have anywhere else to go. Then, she lays down on my couch and almost gives me a panic attack with that vacant look in her eyes. Soon after, she wraps her arms around my neck while I'm holding her–plus, she buries her face in my shoulder. Finally–as if that's not all enough–she makes me lay in bed–my bed–with her until she falls asleep. And she wasn't allowing me any breathing space whatsoever!

I'm trying to be considerate. Really, I am. Clearly something happened–most likely with her brother and father–that she's worked up about. Right now, she needs someone to lean on. A friend. One that I'm not so sure I can be if she keeps on clinging to me and making lay in the same bed as her. No, I do not plan on getting over that anytime soon. She is way too trusting. That, or she just gives me way too much credit. Frankly, I don't want that much credit.

All of this, and at the same time, I feel like a total prick because I'm mad at her. It's not like she was trying to. I highly doubt she even realized the effect she was having. She's so dense, that she probably has no idea what she was doing was like torture for me. Given, it also felt like what I would imagine holding an angel would feel like.

Leaning back, I let my head rest against the back of the sofa while I stare up at the ceiling.

I need to go take a nice, cold shower. Now.

Sakura's POV

So much color. So much life. Normally it would make me happy, but right now it's just taunting me. After my break down last night, all I feel right now is rage. Anger towards people and things that have nothing to do with my frustration. I know that it's not Touya's fault, but that just makes me even more mad.

I can't take it anymore. This stupid painting that symbolizes my momentarily beautiful and peaceful life. I'll never have that, so neither should this painting.

I'm not even aware of what I'm doing as my fingers wrap around the tub of vibrant red acrylic paint. Blinded by my anger, I tip the container over and let the red liquid pour out into my cupped hand. Even as it spills over my hand and onto the floor, I don't take notice. I just observe the way it looks as it streams from my hand down into a puddle on the floor that grows bigger and bigger, until I finally carelessly toss the jug onto the counter once more.

I lavish in the feeling of the cold paint against my skin as I rub my palms and fingers together, allowing even more of the paint to waterfall from my fingers onto the floor.

Fireworks, huh? Then let's go boom. With the image of my brother dragging me away from my life planted in my mind, I reach forward and slap my palm against the painting.

"'A new life,' you say." I drag my fingers against the paper until they reach the edge and then graze the wet paint with my fingernails. Four marks disrupt the otherwise perfect smear. Good, I think to myself. Nothing deserves to be perfect.

"You've never once listened to what I want!" Touya's face seems to come forth from the canvas and taunt me even further. Furious, I smear the paint from my other hand onto the picture.

Just as I'm about to go in for another blow, strong hands wrap around my wrists and force them still. A tall, sturdy figure blocks the painting from view.

"Stop!"

"Get out of my way!" I scream as I thrash violently against the person in front of me.

"No!" The person's grip tightens. "Calm down!"

"Let go of me!" I try stepping back, only to be forced in place by the person before me. Then, in my rage, my body moves of its own accord.

I manage to twist my wrist and pull my arm out of my assailant's reach. "Get off of me!" With a final cry, swing my hand back... And then forward again.

Slap!

The offensive sound echos through the room as my hand successfully lands its blow.

Before I even have time to register my own actions, the man in front of me catches my wrist once more and pulls me closer. "Stop." And I do.

Anger gives way to fear from the sound of the man's voice, booming with authority. Absolutely terrifying. My knees wobble and a whimper passes my lips. Wet liquid streaks down my face, and I know that I'm crying. They aren't because of my fear, though. There's no way in the world that the person holding me would ever try to harm me.

They're tears of frustration. Desperation. And more than anything, shame for what I've just done.

"Fireworks," I choke out. Beautiful and liberating. "You called them fireworks."

Finally, my knees give out and strong arms pull me against a sturdy body. I clutch desperately to the man's arms and I sob violently against him.

I know who it is. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I was perfectly aware of who the person standing in front of me was since the moment his hands wrapped around my wrists.

Very slowly, he lowers us to the ground then pulls me close and brushes his fingers through my hair, trying to calm me down.

"It's going to be alright, Sakura," he whispers into my ear. "You're going to be alright."

My fingers dig into his t-shirt. I imagine that it must be painful, but I can't let go or loosen my grip.

"I-I can't take this anymore." Everything seems to fall apart. "Please, just make it stop," I beg, heaving in air as sobs wrack my entire body. "It hurts so much. Make it end."

"I'm right here, Sakura." He shushes me quietly and rocks us back and forth for a while. "Everything is going to be alright."

I just stay clutching onto him as if he's my lifeline, until my throat dries and my muscles ache.

He's here, holding onto me. And, right now, that's all I need. Just to have him here, watching over me and making sure that everything is alright.

"How did you know I was here?" I ask as I slowly pick up the paper towels from the counter. It's a weekend, so–technically–no students should be here. Still, it's not impossible to get into the school when the gate is shut. Sure, we aren't supposed to, but it can still be done.

"Wei told me that you looked pretty out of it when you left, so I threw on some clothes then had him drive me here." As I kneel down on the floor and begin wiping up the paint, Syaoran walks towards me and also kneels down. "Here, let me." He takes the paper towel roll from my hand and tears a sheet off.

I open my mouth to protest, but Syaoran quickly silences me by placing his hand over mine, looking me in the eyes and saying ever-so gently, "You're still trembling."

My eyes break away from his to look at my hand in his. Sure enough, it's moving against his, and I realize that my entire body is shaking. Flabbergasted, I stutter, "I don't know why. I feel fine." I look up at him once more. "Really, I don't know why, because I'm fine now."

Syaoran shakes his head, looking concerned. "You might feel okay, but you need to take it easy; alright?"

He stares at me with such intensity and concern, that I have no choice but to simply nod in silent agreement.

Syaoran, looking relieved, holds my gaze for a few more seconds before looking down at my hand again and flipping it over, taking me by the wrist.

"What are you..." I trail off as he lifts the paper towel up and begins to wipe off the excess paint still on my hand. He doesn't look up at me, but I stare at his face the entire time. To be exact, my eyes remain fixated on the red handprint that's glistening with partially dried paint.

As he lets go of my hand, it falls limply onto my lap.

After wiping my other hand off, he finally seems to notice my stare.

Somewhat alarmed, he asks, "What's wrong?"

I raise my hand to his face, but stop just as my fingers are about to touch his skin. Guiltily, I draw back. My actions bring a frown to Syaoran's face. He lifts his hand to his cheek and lightly touch it. Looking down at his own hand, he finally seems to realize what I'm staring at.

"Oh." He catches my gaze. "I'm fine. It doesn't hurt or anything like that."

I look down. Of course it doesn't still hurt. Not physically, anyways. Still, I'm more mortified that I did it in the first place. At the time, I was so exasperated that I struck him. A moment was all it took. A moment in which I lost all control over my own body. It's so unlike me. Up until a few minutes ago, I never would have thought myself capable of raising my hand to someone–especially someone I hold so dear–yet, here I am. Sitting across from the person I love, staring at the evidence on his face, red-handed in more ways than one.

"Syaoran." I finally allowing my fingers to graze over his cheek. Turning my face away, I bite my quivering bottom lip. "I'm so sorry," I whisper.

Warmth shoots up my arm as Syaoran's hand wraps around mine. "I know you are, Sakura," he says, his voice equally low. "You didn't mean to; I know that, and I forgive you."

I face him again, this time meeting his eyes briefly. "You shouldn't be so forgiving." My lids drift shut and I lean forward until my forehead meets his shoulder. In the process, I bring his hand down to my lap.

"Now where have I heard that before?" he muses.

I can't help but smile, then, turning serious again, I pull back and say, "Thank you, Syaoran."

"Hm? What for?"

"Everything. Yesterday, and again today. You keep on helping me, and I really... I'm thankful for that." His eyes soften. "Also, I'm sorry. Not just for hitting you, but for constantly turning to you whenever I need something."

"You don't need to-"

I quickly cut him off, holding up my free hand. "No, please, let me finish."

Respecting my request, Syaoran closes his mouth and his eyes tell me to go on.

Taking a deep breath, I continue. "For the longest time, I was nothing but a total bitch whenever I saw you. Even after that, you still wanted to be my friend. That alone baffles me, but you've been so thoughtful... I just want you to know that it means a lot to me."

Syaoran smiles, opening his mouth to say something.

"Oh, and one more thing. About last night..." The smile immediately dissipates and I almost think he turns slightly pink. "I know that I made you uncomfortable, and that wasn't my intention at all. You were trying to help, and I totally crossed my boundaries. I'm sorry I made you so uncomfortable. I assure you that it won't-"

"Wait." This time, he's the one holding up his hand, waving me off. "Back up for a minute." I find myself leaning back, even though he doesn't mean it literally. "What makes you think I wasn't okay with it?"

Huh? "Because, you were all tense."

"Tense?"

"Yeah, your muscles were tense."

Syaoran just stares at me with a dumbfounded look on his face for a moment. It confuses me a bit as well, since he acts like this is all news to him. Shaking his head, he asks, "So, you thought I wasn't okay with it?"

"Why do you act so surprised."

Groaning, he slaps himself in the face with his palm, letting his hand slowly slide down his face. "Why do I even bother?"

"Huh?" I tilt my head to the side, confused, but Syaoran just shakes his head.

"Never-mind."

I shrug. He sure can be weird sometimes.

"You know, you never did tell me what happened yesterday."

I look up at Syaoran, who stands on the opposite me in front of the outdoor sink. We decided that we should probably clean up, and since I declared the girls bathroom off-limits to him, and there wasn't a chance in hell I was going into the guy's bathroom, it was decided that we would just use the outdoor sinks to clean ourselves. Syaoran pointed out that we could always just wait for each other to finish, but I told him that I didn't want to.

"I didn't?" I ask, trying to remember everything that's happened since last night up until just now when we were in the classroom.

"Nope. You showed up at my doorstep, then you crashed at my place, and, finally, you came here and relieved your pent up anger, but nowhere in the mix did you actually explain the situation."

"Oh." I frown, realizing he's got a point. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Doesn't make much sense now that I think about it. You must think I've lost my mind."

"No–not yet, anyways."

"Ah. Well, to put it simply, Touya went kinda berserk when I told him about how I've been talking to my dad and that he wants to go with us so see mom tomorrow. Kinda had a slight argument after that."

"Slight argument? You wound up spending the night at my apartment because of a slight argument?"

"Okay, it might have been slightly less slight, and slightly more major."

"Are you trying to confuse your way out of this?"

"Ugh, fine. We had a huge fight and I ran off. Happy?"

He runs a hand through his extra-messy locks and says, "No. How bad was it? I mean, clearly if you ran off it was pretty bad, but you're going to have to go back eventually."

"I know. It was bad. He said some things that just... He really scared me. It was like it wasn't even him anymore." I lean forward against the sink. "I don't think I've ever seen him like that before. Not to that extreme, anyways."

Syaoran studies me for a moment. "There's something else, isn't there?" I look down.

For all I know my dad could be laying unconscious in his study with an injured head right now. Who knows? I never went back in to check on him. Even after I said I wasn't going to leave him, I turn and ran off.

"Don't worry about it." I force a weak smile. "It's nothing."

"Don't do that, Sakura," Syaoran says softly.

The smile falters. "Do what?"

He meets my gaze. "Force yourself to smile. You don't have to pretend around me, Sakura. It's alright if it hurts. Don't feel like you have to hold it in. There's nothing wrong with letting it out."

Just like that, the smile drops from my face. "I'm sick of crying, Syaoran. I've spent far too long feeling sorry for myself. All I ever seem to do is complain about how horrible my life is." I push away from the sink, suddenly feeling much stronger than I did before. "I'm done felling sorry for myself. And I'm done sitting around and letting other people run my life. I think it's about time I take matters into my own hands. I'm sorry, Syaoran, but I have to go!"

With that, I turn and start to run back inside.

"Wait, Sakura! Where are you going?" Syaoran calls after me.

"There are a few things I need to take care of! I'll call you when I have everything sorted out!"

Not wasting any time waiting for his reply, I turn and race into the building, down the hall, and then out once more on the opposite side. Adrenaline pumps though my veins.

I need to speak to all of my family and sort this out once and for all.

I pause in front of my house, but only allow myself a brief second before shoving open the front gate and marching confidently up the front steps. Strangely, the when I try the front door, I find it unlocked. As if whatever is waiting for me on the other side is expecting me.

Very cautiously, I pull off my shoes and step into the house, silently closing the door behind me. There's not a single sound except for the sound of the floorboards creaking beneath my feet. Entering the family room, I see why.

My father lays, sprawled out on the couch with an empty bottle of liquor in his hand, secured between him and a cushion.

"Dad." I walk up next to the couch and reach down, gently slipping the bottle out of his hand and placing it on the table. "You were doing so well."

Lifting the blanket from the back of the couch, I lay it over him and head into the kitchen where I fill up a glass of water and pull the first-aid kit from under the sink.

As I kneel down next to my father again, he begins to frown. "Dad?" He pinches his eyes shut. "Wake up." This time, his eyelids slowly lift all the way.

"Sakura?"

"Hey, dad."

Groaning, he pushes himself upright, only to stop and clutch his head and moan.

"Here," I hand him the glass of water, "drink this. And, here, take these, too." He holds out his hand and I drop the pain-killers into his hand.

"Thank you." He gingerly places the Aspirin into his mouth and gulps it down with the water.

"Feel better?"

He nods.

"Do you mind if I look at the back of your head?"

As if having forgotten his injury, Fujitaka reaches back and touches his head. Wincing, he immediately pulls away.

"Do you remember what happened last night?"

Looking down, he nods. "Yes, but what are you doing here? Where is your brother?"

"I came back to make sure you were alright. I'm sorry I left last night without making sure you were okay. I don't know where Touya is, either. We had a bit of a disagreement last night and I ran off. My best guess would be that if he's not here, he's at Yukito."

My father shakes his head and his eyes lock on the empty bottle of alcohol sitting on the coffee table. Hanging his head in shame, he says, "I'm sorry, Sakura. I was trying to be better, I really was, but after you and your brother left, I just..."

"I know, dad. I know you're trying."

For a while, we simply sit there in silence. A certain understanding passes between us.

"You don't have to go through it alone. Touya may not understand, but I'm going to be here to help you through this. If you're willing to put in the effort to stop, I'll stand by you."

He sits there, wide-eyed in total astonishment. It's as if he's trying to gauge how serious I am. "Why? After everything I've put you and your brother through, why do you still care?"

I smile earnestly. "Because, no matter what, I'll never forget what you were like before mom died. I hope that one day you can be as happy as you were back then."

Tears brim my father eyes and before I know it, I'm being pulled into a tight embrace. At first I'm to shocked to move. Then, I lift my arms and return my father's embrace, allowing my eyes to drift shut.

"Thank you, Sakura."

"You're going out?"

"Yeah." I sigh. "Figure I should probably go have a word with that brother of mine."

"So you're going out to look for him?"

"Pretty much. Like I said, he's probably over with Yukito at his place."

"Does he still live with his grandparents?"

"No, he got an internship and is going to college now. He lives in the next town over."

"How will you get there? Do you want me to call you a cab?"

"No, I'm good. I can take the train."

"Alright, just be careful. Don't stay out too long, either. If the sun is going down and you're still there, just call me. I can come walk you back."

"I'll be fine, dad. Look, if it starts to get too late and I don't feel comfortable walking home on my own, I'll just call a friend of mine. He's got a car."

"He? You have a male friend who can drive a car?" Concern is written all over his face. If Touya were here, all hell would break loose.

"No, my friend can't drive, he's the same age as me. His butler-slash-legal guardian can drive, though."

"Hm." My father nods. "Butler, you say? This friend of yours must be very wealthy."

I frown. "You could say that." More like he's the heir to one of the most successful business corporations in all of Hong Kong- maybe even all of China.

"This friend of yours," my father begins skeptically, "he wouldn't by any chance happen to go by the name 'Li Syaoran' would he?"

"You caught me," I confess.

"I thought you and that boy had a falling out many years ago."

"We did," I agree. "It was just over seven years ago, just before mom passed away."

My father silently nods. "So you two made amends?"

"In a manner of speaking. We agreed to move on from the past and try being friends again."

"Just friends?" It's clear what he's implying.

"Yes. Just friends. Nothing more, nothing less."

"Ah, I see. I simply thought that- since you used to have feelings for the boy- maybe it had developed into something more."

"No." I try not to show how disappointed I truly am. "Syaoran and I are just friends. He doesn't see me like that, anyways."

There's a glint in my fathers eye. "Oh, I wouldn't be so certain about that."

I raise an eyebrow quizzically.

"It's nothing." He shrugs it off. Quick to change the subject, he turns to the clock and says, "You should probably head out, then. Even if you do have an alternative way home, I'd feel more comfortable knowing you weren't out too late."

I giggle. "Alright, dad. I'll try not to be too long."

MUAHAHAHAHAHA. Yeah, so I did it. You all know what I'm talking about... Hopefully. The part where she spends the night at Syaoran's apartment.

I will have you all know that I really hesitated putting that part in. I mean, it's totally cliché... But then I realized something... IT'S THE SIGNATURE FANFIC MOVE! I can't even begin to count the number of times I have seen that one used in a fanfiction (I read a lot of them when I get in the right mood).

Anyways, I was basically like, "Okay, screw reason, I'm doin' it." And so, as you can see, I've done it. And hopefully didn't just totally make you all hate me for it... Although, why would you?

Point is: don't hate me for being unoriginal. It's still adorable, right? (...Please just agree with me here)

Ha. It's almost midnight. Sorry to those of you who read the authors notes. Actually, I've got an important announcement to make next chapter, so if your reading them now, be sure to read them next time.

Goodnight, and I hope to see you all again next time. *Salutes*