Last Update: January 17, 2015
(I'll leave the author's notes for now since it's so close to when I originally posted.)
Finally! And right before the end of the day, too. No matter what you celebrate, just think of it as my end-of-year gift to all of you... Even though it's super overdue. Sorry 'bout that. Life happens. Plus, I've been working on 29 and the chapters that follow it.
Anyways, happy holidays, you guys. And since there's too few days for me to even hope to update within the amount of time until then: Happy New Years!
Note: I only half-edited this chapter, so if something isn't looking right, it's probably just because I accidentlay typed it funky the first time around and never caught it. If you didn't already know, I'm the only person who edits these (In other words: no beta). Not the best system but I've managed so far. If you see a bunch of mistakes, nag me about it, and I'll go fix them. Or at least try to.
Anyways, I've gotta go. After all, it is the 25th, so I've got stuff to do. Hope you all enjoy the chapter!
Sakura's POV
Boom!
At the sound of the explosion, I raise my head to the sky. Off in the distance, against a million stars, streams of light are cast in all directions in different shapes and sizes. Each one releases a boom that is heard miles around.
My mind draws forth that day in the art room with Syaoran when he compared my painting to fireworks. The same painting that I adulterated during my episode of anger and frustration. Now, staring up at the real thing, I see that they're far too bright to ever be smothered by a single person's emotions.
"They're beautiful." The words come out as a sigh of admiration. I find myself wanting reach out and pluck one from the sky.
The sound of Syaoran's voice pulls me back down to earth. "Yeah," he says so softly that I almost don't hear him. Somehow, something tells me he doesn't mean the fireworks. "Beautiful." The word sends my heart fluttering.
Something has changed. All of a sudden we aren't just two friends standing next to each other and watching the New Year begin with the sound of fireworks echoing around us.
Feeling the atmosphere change, I slowly turn my head to the side and am both puzzled and flustered to find Syaoran's piercing amber eyes already on me. He's different, though. The way he looks at me isn't like the way he was just looking at me a few minutes ago, or even the way he looks at me when we're laughing and just enjoying one another's presence. No, it's not like anything I can ever recall, yet it feels familiar in a way. This is far more affectionate than I've seen from Syaoran. It's almost... longing.
Then, before I know what's happening, there's an arm around my waist, and I have no choice but to allow my feet to clumsily shuffle forward as Syaoran pulls me towards him.
I open my mouth to ask or say something, but nothing comes out. My body becomes so tense, it's as if I've turned to stone.
There's a tiny part of me that knows what's coming next, but after years and years of telling myself it would never happen, the rest of me seems to reject the possibility.
But then it happens. Syaoran's hand reaches up and before I can fully process that his hand has somehow made its way to the back of my neck, I find myself being guided upwards. In the next second, time seems to slow and then finally come to a screeching halt as lips–Syaoran's lips–meet mine.
It all happens so fast that I'm not even sure whether to believe it's really happening or not. But it feels real. Everything from the human touch, to the Earth's harsh elements. The winter breeze seems to blow right through me, yet at the same time, my entire body feels as if it's being scorched. There's definitely a sturdy arm gripping me in place so that I can't move or fall. Definitely a hand curled around the inward curve of my waist, fingers pressed into my skin, but not to the point that it's painful. And the hand at the back of my neck, surely the tingles it's sending down my spine aren't just my imagination. But what's really undeniable is the the warm lips against my own. The sensation is nowhere near anything I could've envisioned.
This is real. This is actually happening. It's not just another one of my teenage day-dreams. Right here at a small pond behind Tsukimine Shrine, and right now, mere seconds after the New Year hit.
And as I realize that, all I want to do is kiss him back. I want to wrap my arms around his neck and never let him go. But my body won't move, and before I know it, he's pulling away. It's like I'm frozen in time, unable to do anything but gawk at him. I just watch, confused and bewildered, while his eyes slowly open, revealing dilated pupils surrounded by brilliant pools of amber.
For the briefest moment, all I can see in those eyes is content, but then he blinks and jerks away from me as if startled. And we just stand there, staring at each other, neither knowing what to say or do.
One word–one question–echoes through my mind, daunting and relentless.
Why? If he doesn't love me... then why?
My eyes snap open. Looking around, I find myself laying in my own bed in my own room, and fall back onto the pillows. Staring up at the ceiling, I raise my fingers to lightly touch my lips. It's been over forty-eight hours since Syaoran stole my first kiss without a single word of explanation, yet my lips are still tingling. I've spent the past two days wandering the house and wondering what to do next. Touya raises his eyebrows at me whenever I pass by, but keeps quiet. Good thing, too, because if he knew what happened, he'd probably try to murder Syaoran. As for my dad, he's given me a few worried looks, but when he tries to ask, I quickly redirect his attention.
The entire situation is just getting worse and worse as time passes. Normally we wouldn't be going back to school until after the weekend, but because of the school trip, third years will be going back in just a few days. It's absolutely terrifying me. I can't stop worrying about what I'll say to him. Or what he'll say to me. I need to talk to him, but I don't know what I would say.
"Syaoran... Why does everything you do make me so confused?"
Syaoran's POV
"Syaoran-kun."
"Syaoran-kun?"
"Syaoran-kun!"
"Is something the matter, Syaoran?"
"Dad took mom to the hospital today... Something's really wrong. I'm scared, Syaoran. I don't know why, but I have this really bad feeling."
"They said it's Leukemia... She's still at the hospital; they're running tests on her... Leukemia. My mom has Leukemia. She has cancer."
"Thank you, Syaoran. I'm glad you're here. I don't know what I would do if you weren't."
"You idiot! How could you? You were just going to leave without saying so much as goodbye? I thought we were friends!"
"You broke my heart that day, Syaoran! I loved you, and you broke my heart!"
"I want to make one thing perfectly clear... I don't still feel the same way I did back then."
"There's nothing you can do about it now. You missed your chance to do anything a long time ago. You can't turn back time, Li."
"Sakura!" I shoot up in bed, panting and covered in a cold sweat.
Sakura's words echo through my mind until I feel like I'm going to be sick. It's frustrating, but I've been having these dreams for about a week now. Ever since New Years, to be exact. I'll wake up, small beads of perspiration on my forehead and struggling for air. At first I didn't think too hard about it, but then it kept happening. As devastating as is sounds, I think it's because in the back of my mind, I know Sakura isn't ready to return the feelings I have for her, and maybe never will be. I've hurt her a lot, and she's suffered because of it. We both have.
The situation is absolutely infuriating. Every time I try to relax, something in my room will remind me of her. The green walls, that always manage to remind me of her eyes, even though the shade isn't quite right. The pink stuffed bear sitting on top of my desk on the opposite side of the room. Even laying in my own bed, I recall the time I held her until she fell asleep.
Shoving the sheets aside, I trudge to the bathroom and splash my face with cold water a few times, letting the excess droplets fall off the end of my nose while I watch the faucet continue to spew water.
I loved you, and you broke my heart.
With a harsh slap, the faucet turns off. I lean against the counter and allow Sakura's words to invade my mind.
You can't turn back time.
With a sigh, I lift my head to examine my reflection. I'm greeted by the face of a zombie. Dark circles rim my eyes, and my hair looks even more tussled than usual.
She's right; I can't turn back time. She'll probably never love me again because I already broke her heart one time around. Unknowingly, sure, but it doesn't change the fact that I betrayed her trust.
Exhausted, I push away from the counter and haul myself back to bed. If I keep getting the same amount of sleep I've been getting, I'll probably be walking around eating human brains by the end of the week.
Meiling's POV
"Alright, this is starting to creep me out. Is he always this... moody?"
From the corner of my eye, I can see the man beside me's face crinkle. "Sometimes the young master gets into a mood, but as of late, he's been much more cheerful."
"Do you think something happened?"
"I hope not. The change occurred shortly after one of Ms. Sakura's visits."
"What?" I demand, shifting my attention away from the moody teen in the other room who I've been spying on from around a corner at the end of the hall. "She's been here before? When? How many times? What did she do?"
Wei looks slightly taken aback. "My, my, young miss." He stands up straighter. "You don't seem too fond of Sakura-sama."
"That's because I'm not. I can't believe that after all of this time and after all the crap she put him through, he's allowing her to be his friend again." I fold my arms over my chest.
"Meiling-sama..." Wei sighs. "Those two should never have been separated in the first place. Sakura-sama is not to blame, and nor is Syaoran-sama."
"Right." I roll my eyes and lean back against the wall, the boy in the other room no longer visible.
In front of me, Wei frowns and gives me an almost saddened look. "Although you may not understand why, you must know that those two have been through much. Even if they won't say it aloud, they're very much in love."
"Hmph." I fold my arms and tun away, avoiding his gaze. It's always been one of my flaws: the inability to admit when I'm wrong.
I've known Syaoran my entire life, so I can guess what's going on. Something must have happened with the Kinomoto girl when they went out on New Years. He came back an hour or two past midnight, and didn't even say anything to Wei and I when he came in, just slipped silently by. I probably wouldn't have even known he'd come in had I not spotted him on my way from the bathroom. And, contrary to his threatening promise before he left with Kinomoto, he hasn't so much as mentioned my behavior towards his so-called 'friend'.
He's kidding himself if he thinks that's all she wants to be to him. Or, as much as I hate to admit it, all he, himself wants to be to her.
They're infatuated with each other. Love, though, seems a bit extreme.
Even if what Wei says is true and they are in love with each other, I've only ever seen Syaoran in pain because of that girl. I know it's not my place to object, but I don't think she's good for him.
My thoughts are interrupted by the doorbell. "So help me, if it's her..." I shut my mouth when I see the look Wei is giving me.
Thankfully, when I open the door, it's not the green-eyed she-devil I'm faced with. Instead, I find wide violet eyes staring back at me.
"Can I help you?" Wow. I need to work on my people skills, because even I can tell that sounded harsh.
"Um..." The girl's eyebrows furrow, and she leans back a bit to reread the number above the doorbell. "This is he Li residence, correct?"
"It is. I'm Li Meiling. Just visiting."
"Oh!" Understanding registers in the girls eyes, and she visibly relaxes. "That's good, I'm actually looking for the other Li. Li Syaoran. I'm-"
"Daidouji." Syaoran stands behind me looking utterly shocked. "What are you doing here?" he asks, composing himself until his surprise turns to what I can only identify as shame. Not at the girl beyond the threshold, somehow it seems more directed at himself. Why, though, is beyond me.
"I thought maybe we should talk. About..." She looks at me briefly. "The other day."
"Of course," Syaoran says, not sounding resentful or frustrated, instead clearly understanding and accepting Daidouji's explanation. "Do you mind if we go somewhere else to talk, though?"
"Not at all. Over a cup of hot chocolate?"
Any other time, I would probably fall over from shock if Syaoran's eyes didn't light up at the mention of his favorite sweet, but now it just seems natural for him to nod in opinion-less agreement.
"I'll be back in an hour or so, Meiling. If Wei asks, tell him I have something I need to take care of and I'll be back soon."
I nod. After he's finished slipping on his shoes and coat and grabbing his wallet, Syaoran gives me a small goodbye and slips out the door.
Syaoran's POV
"You knew, didn't you?" In the quaint little coffee shop, my voice seems to travel around the entire inside of the building for everyone to hear. "About Sakura. You knew that I was in love with her."
Daidouji smiles slightly and shakes her head as she sets down her cup. "No, I know that you are in love with her, and that you have been ever since we were kids."
"Geez." I rest my elbows on the table and run my fingers through my hair. "Is it really that obvious?" I ask, looking over at her.
Daidouji giggles. "I've known the two of you since we were all just little kids. Even then it was clear how you two felt for each other. If you could've seen the way you looked at her..." Daidouji pauses only for a moment, but a heavy weight seems to fall as she says, "How she looked at you."
Stiffened by the memory, I force out, "She told me she used to be in love with me." I smile almost bitterly. "But you knew that, too, didn't you?"
She doesn't acknowledge that I've lashed out, keeping her voice steady and unwavering. "She was. So much so that I'm surprised you didn't realize it yourself. Although, what Sakura never realized was that her feelings were mutual. The both of you are so terribly dense." I can almost feel her smiling fondly. "Like two peas in a pod."
"In our case it doesn't make for such a great combo, though."
"Maybe." Not expecting her easy agreement, I lift my head again. She's just sitting there, looking down at me with a small smile playing at her lips as if I'm a child she's fondly guiding through life. "But the two of you aren't just any other couple. Take it from the third party observer: there's something special between both of you. She relies on you, Li, and don't even pretend you don't do the same."
I look away again, trying to hide my embarrassment. Daidouji is good at reading people, that much I've known for a while, but I never realized to just what extent her ability to read people reached. "But look at what became of us the last time that bond was tested. Seven years. I lost seven years with her all because of one stupid mistake."
"Li." Daidouji reaches across the table and wraps her hand around my wrist in a friendly gesture. Looking me dead in the eyes, she says, "What happened all those years ago to split you two apart wasn't because you weren't close enough to each other. It was because you were too close. Sakura has always been terrified of heartbreak and rejection, so she shut herself in."
"Then what do you propose I do?"
"Tell her, Li. Don't just sweep her off her feet and kiss her, you need to tell her. Anything else is going to confuse her. She's confused right now." Daidouji shakes her head briefly as if frustrated. "The girl simply refuses to see things for what they are. If you don't open your heart to her and tell her straight out you are in love with her, then she's always going to wonder, and she's never going to have anything but doubt."
Exasperated, I let out a dry laugh and raise my head to the unusually blue sky on the other side of the window. "I picked one hell of a girl to fall in love with, didn't I?"
Amused, she grins and leans back in the booth, lifting her cup to her lips and talking a sip. "That you did, but then again, this is Sakura we're talking about. She can be a handful at times-"
"But she's totally worth it," I finish. And suddenly it's like a weight has been lifted. All the stress from endless nights of being plagued with nightmares is gone. Yet I still find myself having to ask one last question to my seemingly omniscient violet-haired friend. Even if I'm going to tell Sakura either way, I still have to ask. "Do you think she'll ever accept me?"
Daidouji's lifts her eyes to gaze at me, silently taking in my posture, then, very gently, she says, "Li, I think she already has."
Sakura's POV
He's there when I leave the cafe just over a week after the incident. I walk out and nearly have a heart attack when I see him standing there, leaning against the side of the building. Syaoran, on the other hand, simply tuns his head at the sound of the door.
"Hey," he says, a hint of hesitation evident in his voice.
"Hi," I manage to reply, my voice small and unsure.
He studies me. "We need to talk."
Looking down, I mutter, "I know."
I lift my gaze enough to watch him heave a long exhale. The puffs of his hot breath disperse into the chilling winter air around him.
"Does the park work for you?"
I nod meekly and follow along when he pushes off the wall and takes the lead. We walk in silence, but every so often, I find myself anxiously glancing in his direction. A million questions race through my mind.
What is he thinking right now? Why did he come meet me after work? Is it serious? Should I be worried? Is he finally going to tell me what happened the other day?
Yes, I decide. There's no other reason, right? Even if there were, we couldn't go on much longer not talking about it. We can't pretend it didn't happen, and I don't want to. Because, in truth, when he kissed me, it sparked something inside me. An idea. A dangerous possibility. I've spent every moment since that time thinking about all the possible reasons for it, but in the end, they all ultimately lead back to one conclusion.
Syaoran wanted to. He did it of his own free will. It's not as if anyone told him to. I was too stunned to so much as move after he took me by the waist.
Regardless of whether it was an impulse that just suddenly came over him or if it's something he's wanted to do for a while, he still did it. Part of my brain keeps on arguing that maybe if it was just a sudden impulse, he doesn't have feelings for me, but then I think of the way he looked at me. Right before he leaned in, he paused to just stop and look at me. In that moment, I'm almost certain he knew what he was about to do. He didn't change his mind, realizing what he was doing, he went on with it.
I'm abruptly pulled from my thoughts by hands on my shoulders, steering me in another direction. I blink and look up, only to find myself nearly having run straight into the fencing that blocks off the sides of a small bridge by the park.
"You should really be more careful." I tense slightly, but relax when the hands on my shoulders vanish.
"Sorry," I mutter. "I wasn't paying attention."
"It's fine. Come on, we're almost there." He walks past me once more.
I just watch him at first, but when I'm finally unable to take it anymore, I call out to him. "Syaoran?"
He pauses and it takes a moment for him to turn around and face me. "What is it?"
Again, I hesitate, unsure if I should ask or wait until we reach the park to see what he has to say, but, eventually, I find myself unable to take it anymore. "Is this… Is it about what happened on New Years?"
Syaoran doesn't look surprised by my question in the slightest. "Yes," he says. "It is."
Looking down again, I step forward to cross the bridge and meet him on the other side, but stop when I see his hand extend and rest on the fencing as he, too, steps back onto the bridge.
In an instance, I look up and silently meet his gaze. His expression makes me short of breath. He looks almost sad, but, at the same time, needing to say something. After a long silence, he speaks. "You want to ask, don't you?"
Knowing exactly what he means, I cast my gaze aside.
"You don't need to be coy about it. I'll answer anything you want to know. And, if you don't ask, there's something I need to tell you once you're done." He says it so earnestly, that I have no choice but to look at him again.
Before I can fully think the question through, my lips are moving to form the words. "Why did you do it?"
Leaning farther against the post, he turns his head to the side and meets my gaze. I jump a little, and find myself looking down at my feet, unable to look directly into his eyes. I wait anxiously for him to say something, shifting my weight from one foot to the other.
"You really are hopeless."
My attention snaps upward to find a fond smile and soft eyes adorning Syaoran's features.
"Do you remember what it was like before your mom was ever diagnosed with cancer? Back when we were just getting to know each other?"
Puzzled, I nod slowly.
"I thought you were crazy when we first met. You were always so chipper and bubbly that I thought it must be fake." He looks away, off to the running water below us. "So I figured that if I just ignored you for long enough, you'd go away." I hear him chuckle as he says, "Of course, that plan backfired."
I smile slightly at the memory, but frown and begin, "Syaoran…"
"I know. After a while, though, you started to grow on me more and more." His fists clench and unclench. "I just didn't realize how much until it was too late."
Suddenly everything feels surreal. The world seems to spin as my brain tries to make sense of his words.
"I don't know what you're thinking, Sakura. For all I know, you've already figured out what I want to say," he pauses, "but either way, I need to tell you, so listen, alright?"
He watches me expectantly, but I can't move. Every part of my body feels like it's on fire. My breaths are short and shallow, while my heart is beating like the wings of a butterfly.
"Sakura," he calls gently, awaiting my reply. As he fully turns to face me, I force myself to look down. Even as he approaches me, I don't look up.
"Please, look at me." He stops in front of me, and reaches out to lift my chin.
Reluctantly, I look up to meet his gaze. Drowning in the pool of amber, so close and so caring, I suddenly feel my body becoming weak. For the briefest moment, I recall back to the events of a few days ago. The way he looked at me. The way he leaned forward. The way he kissed me. That moment when I was both the most confused and content person in the world.
Once I've met his gaze, I feel his fingers vanish from against my skin.
"This is important, okay?"
A meek nod is the best response I can manage.
At first Syaoran doesn't say anything. He just stands there, looking at me so intensely that I almost give in to my body's pleas and pass out right there. It feels like forever before he finally looks down and reaches out to take my hands in his. I let him carry all of their weight as he pulls our hands up between us. I let out a strangled gasp as his lashes fall and he plants a single lingering kiss on the knuckles of my left hand. The action sends the most welcoming jolt of electricity through my body that I've ever felt. When he looks back up again, his eyes seem to possess more of the beautiful molten red than ever before. And then he says the three words that are racing through my mind. The three words that every girl dreams of hearing.
"I love you."
Yes, I find myself silently agreeing, I do love him. I love him more than I've ever loved anyone else.
It takes me a good while to finally realize that the words didn't come from my imagination. Then it takes another moment after that for me to realize that the boy in front of me is the one who spoke them. But when I do stumble upon the realization, I don't question it in the slightest, for fear that if I think or move, the illusion before me will shatter, and I'll wake up in my bedroom, never having been kissed, and never having heard the one thing I've always wished Syaoran would tell me.
"You love me," I mime.
In front of me, Syaoran nods, his beautiful chestnut locks falling farther around his face. "Yes, Sakura. I love you. And not just as a friend." He looks at my hands in his again, and squeezes them softly. "I've been in love with you for a while now, Sakura." He scoffs, and adds, "Well, more like a really, really long while." He looks up at me again, this time his face serious and apologetic. "The other day... All those things you were saying about us drifting apart and never having met, they're things I never want to have to think about, because they terrify me. The thought of you not being in my life is..." The blood circulating through my hands is cut off as Syaoran's grip tightens. "It's too painful for me to stand." His grip loosens a bit, and he gently strokes the back of my hand with his thumb. "So when you asked me how I could promise not to let something like that ever happen, my only thought was to tell you. I almost did, but then the fireworks went off, and–as you know–I never finished telling you."
As he explains, I have to wonder if he's talking about the same events I'm thinking of. Did Syaoran really try to tell me he was in love with me? I could tell what I was saying was having an effect him, but I never realized to just what extent.
At the same time, little thoughts of doubt linger in the corners of my mind. Does he really mean everything he's saying? More than anything I want to say yes, and not question it. He seems sincere, but if he's really loved me for a 'long while' as he puts it, then why would he have never told me?
It's not as if I don't believe him, but 1it all just seems too good to be true. I want to let myself drown in his words and throw my arms around him. It's like when he kissed me. I want to respond and tell him I feel the same way, but everything feels so surreal. My brain is too busy trying to process all of this that it doesn't have the ability to tell my body what to do or say, so I'm forced to stand and watch as Syaoran continues to pour out his heart in front of me. I've never felt as out of control as this moment. Listening to the one I love most tell me that he feels the same way, and not being able to tell him I feel the same. That I've always felt the same. And that right now, it feels like I always will.
"At the time, I kept on thinking over and over again that, 'Hey, this is the girl I'm in love with.' And then I was leaning forward... and I didn't try to stop myself."
Syaoran reaches down and releases my hands. He stares off into the space between us, and when he looks up again, I suddenly feel exposed without his grip to protect me.
"I'm sorry, Sakura. For putting you through all of this. For springing this all on you at once. Most of all, though, I'm sorry it took me so long to tell you. After how I hurt you all those years ago, I don't expect you to ever let me in again. But... After everything that has happened, you deserve to know. Everything I do... Everything I have done... It's all because I love you."
He lets the words settle for a moment, then a playful grin spreads across his face, and he rests his hand atop my head. "Anyways, enough of the sappy stuff. It's getting late, so I should probably keep my promise and get you home." His hand vanishes from my head, and I stand silently as he turns around and starts across the bridge once more.
Watching his retreating back, I finally manage to find my voice. "Syaoran!" He turns around and when he's looking at me again, I realize that I don't know what to say. "Um, I... I just..."
"Sakura," he calls softly. I jump a little at my name. "Don't push yourself. You don't need to say anything now if you don't want to. No matter what, I'll always be your friend, so don't say anything unless it's from you." Syaoran leaves a moment of silence before saying in a less serious voice, "Now, seriously, we should get going. Come on." He motions for me to follow, and at that very moment, I finally manage to pry my feet from the bridge.
A short time later, when we've already passed the park, I somehow manage to speak. "Thank you, Syaoran." The words are small, and they don't truly portray just how much everything he's just said has moved me, but they're some of the most sincere words I've ever spoken. The only way I know that he's heard me is that he looks over at me and smiles softly before turning forward again.
"Anything for you, Sakura."
Anything for you.
The words baffle me. For some reason, they leave me completely mystified. Anything for me? Syaoran will do anything for me. He'll wait for me when I need time. He'll comfort me when I feel like the entire world is crumbling around me. He'll watch over me when I'm sick. When I need a friend, he'll be there to make me laugh. And if I just need someone to talk to, he'll still be at my side listening to my every word.
But that's not quite right. He will? Who am I kidding? He is. Syaoran is always there when I need him, no matter what for. He's done more for me in the past two months than I could've asked for in all my years of knowing him.
As I realize this, I find my gaze drifting to him, only this time I'm not looking at his physical features. While it's impossible, I suddenly feel as if I'm staring at a completely different person. We walk in silence, but the entire time, I replay different faces I've seen Syaoran make, and all of the different emotions he's held in those beautiful amber eyes of his. I recall all of the things he's ever done for me, and then I think back to the words he's just said. I know it's true. Everything.
And I love him even more because of it.
(Note: This isn't the last chapter)
Yay. I think the end is cute. Bias? Psht, naw. Not at all. I–the person who wrote it to the best of her ability–can look at this story from a completely and totally objective standpoint.
I can be a very sarcastic person, in case you were wondering. Isn't getting to know little quirks about the author just the best?
...Alright, that's enough out of me.
So I guess I'll see you all whenever I see you all. Hopefully not too far from now. I'm not doing anything (except maybe video games) next week, so hopefully I manage to stay focused and get that next chapter finished up. Cross your fingers and review. Believe me, it helps. Seriously, I check the number of reviews at least once a day. Sometimes more depending on how bored I am, and how long it's been since the chapter was posted. It's sitting at 136 right now. I've read all of them, just for the record. Even though I don't tell you guys, I do. Ask me a serious question, and I'll give you a serious answer. Probably through PM, though.
Enough of that. I seriously have stuff to do. Like eat dinner. So, happy holidays and New Years to all of you wonderful people, and I will see you–hopefully–soon.