Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Prince of Tennis!
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"Parseltongue"
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The training camp was over, and it was only a day until the match. Hari couldn't believe how fast time had flown by and that it was already the day before the match, but at the same time, it had felt like forever since the day the match had been postponed. So much had happened…
She glanced over at Sirius who was watching her with sharp eyes but smiled when he saw her looking. He was waiting for her to say something, and she swallowed back the nerves. She knew she had to tell him before he saw her interacting with Nanjiro and Rinko. He would react if he heard her calling them 'Otou-chan' and 'Okaa-chan', and she knew she owed him an explanation before that.
So, instead of going directly home, she had stopped in a small park close by the river that was always empty. She had found it one day (she had not gotten lost, okay?) and had spent some time there when she needed to think.
"You okay, Hari?" Sirius asked.
She sighed.
"I need to tell you something," Hari said.
He nodded, "okay."
Why was it so difficult?
"You… you know I love my parents," Hari said noticing how Sirius' eyes widened and she supposed that was not what he had expected her to say.
"Of course I know," Sirius said. "And they love you too, Hari."
She smiled slightly and nodded. She liked how he said 'love' and not 'loved'.
"Yeah… I…" she swallowed again and turned so she faced him completely now. She inhaled and gathered the courage she seemed to fail at getting a hold of and started. "Well… I just wanted you to know that… I am proud to be their daughter, and… and I want to know more about them."
Sirius looked a little confused, but also sad and pleased at the same time.
"But…" Hari trained off.
"But?" Sirius asked, frowning.
She looked at him nervously.
"But they're gone," she whispered. "And… and… I…"
"Hari," Sirius stepped closer. "Just tell me, okay? What is it that's so difficult to say?"
Hari nodded.
"Ryoma'sparentsadoptedme," she said in one go and the words meshed together.
Sirius looked confused, "sorry, I didn't catch that."
Hari inhaled and looked down.
"Ryoma's parents adopted me," Hari said more slowly now and a rush of air left her as she said it. She felt relieved that she finally got the words out.
Silence. When he didn't say anything she looked up and saw Sirius standing frozen in front of her. His eyes were wider than normal and his mouth slightly open in shock (or so she supposed).
"Sirius?" she asked quietly when he didn't say anything for a little while.
He blinked and looked at her.
"They adopted you?" he asked, almost sounding strangled.
"Yes," Hari said.
"Like… legally?" he asked.
"Yes," Hari said again.
She wasn't sure she understood all the emotions that crossed his face as he stood there and she bit back the words wanting to escape her. She should let him have time to gather his thoughts, right? Or should she just explain right away and don't let him really think? What would be best?
"Why?" he asked suddenly.
He didn't sound angry. Not like she had expected, sadder maybe?
"Because they offered," Hari said. "Because… they wanted me."
Sirius frowned slightly, and she wondered if he was upset at her.
"Your aunt and uncle…" he said uncertainly.
"I told you about them," she said, looking away. It hurt to talk about it. Even now.
He sighed and paced back and forth as he pulled a hand through his hair and she waited. Words seemed to fail her, and she wasn't sure what to say or if she should say anything. She wanted to explain, but at the same time… she didn't. Why should she explain becoming a part of a family that wanted her and loved her?
...
Sirius felt like his mind would burst with all the thoughts going through it. He hadn't expected her to say something like this when she'd stopped at this park before going home. He wasn't sure what he had expected, really, but it hadn't been for her to tell him that she had been adopted.
Adopted.
Did that mean she didn't have the name Potter anymore?
No, that wasn't what was important.
They had adopted her.
But James…
Stop it, he told himself. Do not act rashly! Do not act rashly… He kept repeating that to himself until he calmed down enough to think again.
So, they had adopted her. Okay. He could think it. He pulled his hand through his hair again. So… adopted. Adopted… Someone had adopted her. Actually went out and brought her into their family legally.
That was huge.
A part of him felt resentment and hurt because she was James and Lily's girl. No one else deserved the right to call her daughter, to call her theirs. James and Lily should be the only ones who had that right.
He should have been there and raised her when they couldn't. He was the one who should have been there… James and Lily had trusted him with it and he failed them, failed her.
Hari should have been growing up with James and Lily, they should have been a family. They should have had that chance. It wasn't fair that they never got it.
But.
Another part of him understood. He understood the need for family, for someone to actually want you. He got it. His suspicions about her home life with her aunt and uncle were more than confirmed now, and the anger that filled him was on par with the anger that he felt against the rat. And that was saying something.
And he understood how it was to be in a home that was not loving, and not supportive. He got it. And he never wanted to see Hari in a home like that, so could he blame her for leaving that behind and grabbing her chance at a home that offered her belonging? That wanted her?
No, he couldn't.
He looked over at her and saw the nerves. He instantly felt bad for making her feel nervous like that. He must have slipped into thoughts for longer than he had expected.
"I see," he finally said.
Her eyes snapped to him, and she blinked.
"Yeah?" She asked.
He nodded and smiled slightly as he stopped pacing.
"Yeah."
...
Hari felt relieved. She could tell he still felt conflicted, but he didn't seem angry at her.
"You're not angry?" she asked having to know.
"No," he said. "I'm not angry at you, Hari."
She nodded slowly. "Okay."
"You thought I would be angry?" Sirius asked.
"Well… mum and dad were your friends," Hari mumbled. "I thought you might think I'm betraying them or something…"
She knew that it was something she feared. Deep down she couldn't help but wonder if she was betraying her parents by allowing Nanjiro and Rinko into her life in their place. They had, after all, died for her. They had given their everything to save her, and she feared they would think she betrayed them by being adopted and finding parents in someone else.
"Hari," Sirius said. "You're not betraying them, okay? Lily and James' would never think that. You're their daughter and always will be their daughter, being adopted won't change that."
He saw the surprise in her eyes and felt bad for having made her doubt it. She smiled and nodded, and he smiled back.
"I will need a little time to get used to the idea, though," Sirius said, and she nodded. "I'm not angry at you, okay?"
She looked at him for a moment before she nodded again.
"I've changed my name too," she said, and he inhaled deeply before nodding, trying to reassure himself that it didn't mean she wasn't their daughter anymore. "I thought it was a good idea to make a change and people would look for a Potter and not an Echizen."
"Okay," Sirius said. "Anything else?"
Hari bit down on her lower lip and he steeled himself. Clearly there was something more…
"I… I call them Otou-chan and Okaa-chan," Hari admitted. "They've become my parents, Sirius… but I still love my other parents too."
Sirius swallowed and was glad he managed to stop the rash words that wanted to escape. He reminded himself of everything he had just thought and reassured her as he forced a smile and nodded.
"Okay," he said slightly strained. "I think… I might need to think a bit now. I'm not upset with you, Hari, okay? I just… I need to think and sort it out in my mind."
"Okay," she said. "Will… will you stay close by or?"
Sirius looked at her and picked up on the hesitation in her and walked over and pulled her into a hug. It calmed him down a little.
"I'll be close," he promised. "I'm not leaving."
She nodded against his chest.
...
Hari walked back to the house with Sirius beside her (as Padfoot, of course) and she couldn't help but keep glancing down at him from time to time. Telling him about her adoption had gone better than she had feared, but could he really be okay with it? She had seen the sorrow in his eyes, but she guessed that should be expected. She supposed that this meant something different to him than it did to her.
She had just reached the house when the door flew open, and suddenly she was being hugged.
"Finally!" Nanjiro exclaimed. "You're back!"
Hari mumbled something against his chest, but it was lost, and she sighed.
"Dear," Rinko sighed from behind him. "Maybe you should allow her to breathe."
Nanjiro pulled back and Hari scowled at him exasperated.
"Otou-chan," she sighed.
"I missed you!" he said.
Hari smiled slightly. She couldn't help it, even as she rolled her eyes.
"It was only a few days," she said.
"It was forever," Nanjiro said. "And with you being all alone with all those boys…"
He shuddered.
"He's been fretting quite a bit," Rinko said amusedly stepping up and hugging Hari as well, but with more care and not as… um, fierce. "But I've missed you too, sweetie."
"Thanks," Hari said shyly.
She looked around and noticed the Sirius wasn't there anymore. She pushed back the worry she felt, realising that he had slipped away without her noticing. Where had he gone? She frowned slightly.
"Hari-chan?" Nanjiro looked at her.
"Nothing," she smiled. "Well, I should put my bag inside."
Nanjiro put an arm around her shoulder and lead her into the house.
"Come with me and play some tennis," he said.
Hari rolled her eyes, "you've been nagging Okaa-chan about not being able to play tennis, haven't you?"
"Of course not," Nanjiro pouted.
"Yes, he has," Rinko said at the same time.
Hari laughed lightly as she stepped into the house, stopping herself from looking behind her in order to check if she could spot Sirius.
...
Ryoma came back not too long after Hari had gone with Nanjiro to the shrine to play tennis. Ryoma shook his head, spotting them playing. Hari looked ready and more focused than she had been on the drive back from camp, he noticed. She didn't seem as nervous anymore.
He wasn't sure why she had been nervous in the first place, though. She refused to tell him, and it frustrated him. Why couldn't she just tell him? Something was going on, and he was curious and concerned.
"Hey," he said when she glanced at him.
"Hey," she said. "Not with Momo-chan anymore?"
"Obviously," Ryoma said, and she snorted. "He and An-san left for a date."
"Didn't want to crash this one, huh?" Hari asked with a smirk, but he noticed the sadness in her eyes. He knew she missed An, and it was part of the reason Ryoma had refused to go with them when Momoshiro had offered. He didn't like An for hurting his sister.
He rolled his eyes, "no."
"Well, we can work on your new move," Hari said. "Otou-chan should get back to work now, anyway."
"Eh?! Meany!" Nanjiro pouted.
Hari huffed. "Fine, you can help."
She hadn't meant to chase him away; it was just amusing to see him react to it. Nanjiro grinned and looked like a happy kid again, and Hari couldn't help but laugh. It felt good to laugh again now, and she enjoyed spending time with Nanjiro. Even if she complained.
Ryoma laughed and shook his head, "only you."
Hari blinked at him.
...
Sirius watched from the shadows. He felt like a stalker, come to think of it, but it was necessary. He just… he needed to see her interact with her new family. He kept what she had said in mind as he observed her first talk with the couple that had adopted her, and he noticed how much care they showed her. There was genuine warmth and care from them causing Sirius some relief, but also a wave of envy to go through him. Why couldn't she be like that with him?
He pushed the thought away as quickly as he could and followed Hari and her new dad (he mentally winced at that) to the shrine close by and was grateful for the trees that offered him some concealment.
They played tennis.
Hari lost and lost, but it only seemed to make her more determined. Sirius felt proud, seeing that she refused to give up and kept going. She was so much like James… He too refused to give up even if he kept losing; he would continue until he got it right and won. Not that he lost at much, Sirius thought fondly. James had a knack of winning all the time.
Lily was determined as well, but more in the way of wanting to find out what she didn't know. She wasn't competitive when it came to sports, she barely tolerated quidditch. Or, she would watch the school matches but have little patience of discussing the matches when they were over. When it came to figuring out something that caught her interest… well, she never let go and kept going until she found the answers she was looking for. She was nothing if not stubborn and determined.
He smiled a little, remembering them. It filled him with a sadness that was so deep that he doubted it would ever go away, but he didn't want to stop remembering them either. They were his family, and he missed them. What would they say about Hari being adopted?
Would they mind?
He knew he had said that they would always love her and that she would always be their daughter and he meant it. He really did, and he knew they would always love her. The love they had for Hari was unlike anything he had ever seen before. His own parents had barely looked at him, especially after he had been sorted into Gryffindor and was officially a lost cause. He still remembered the howler his mum had sent him… he shuddered.
He snorted to himself. His parents had been all for blood purity and that nonsense and when Sirius refused to follow along… well, let's just say that they didn't take it lightly.
They had not been pleased when he became best friends with James and Remus (or the rat). Bad influences, his mum called them. Sirius supposed that was a reason why he held onto them closer, but not really. They just fit together, and he thought he had found the place he belonged. Finally.
The time spent at James' house showed him that his own family really wasn't what other people would call normal or even healthy. The darkness and oppressiveness in that house… it was too much. Finally he had left. It had become too much and he just couldn't take it anymore.
He supposed that was what Hari had felt too when she left the Dursley's. It filled him with deep pain to think Hari would understand that feeling. He never wanted her to know what that felt like and she did… he really failed as her godfather.
While he had found sanctuary with James and his parents, she had found it here with the boy she proudly called her little brother and his parents. He couldn't begrudge her that, even if he felt conflicted about it too. He just… couldn't let go of her being James and Lily's girl.
But watching her with her brother and new dad settled something in him. She looked happy.
And James and Lily would want her to be happy. Happy and safe, he thought. He just had to get over his own issues. He didn't want to fail her again.
...
Hari glanced to the trees and thought she spotted Sirius in between some trees, watching her. Was he really there, watching?
"So, where's your guard dog?" Ryoma asked.
"Eh? Guard dog?" Nanjiro blinked.
Ryoma arched a brow, "didn't he follow you home?"
Hari rubbed the back of her neck, "well… he's around, I'm sure. He left before I came home."
"He… left?" Ryoma frowned. "Strange."
Hari shrugged. She wasn't sure why she didn't tell them now, but wouldn't it be easier if Sirius was there and could answer questions right away? Would they react to him being a fugitive? She wasn't sure… Rinko was a lawyer, after all, but… This was so complicated!
She had finally told Sirius about being adopted, but she hadn't found an answer for what to do with everything else.
Did she want to introduce Sirius to Ryoma and the others?
"Guard dog?" Nanjiro asked again.
"A dog that took a liking to Hari at the camp and she brought it back with her," Ryoma said looking at Hari. "So, I thought he would be here…"
Hari shrugged, "I'm sure he'll show up."
"You got a pet?" Nanjiro asked.
"Not exactly," Hari said. "I know I can't keep him."
She didn't look at them as she picked up a tennis ball again.
"I didn't say you couldn't keep him," Nanjiro said. "But… what if someone owns him?"
"He didn't have a collar," Hari said with a shrug. "I doubt anyone owns him."
"Well, we'll see if he shows up again," Nanjiro said.
Hari nodded. She felt a heavy feeling settle in her stomach; she didn't like these half-truths. She would have to tell them soon, but what if..? Would it be better for her to keep it from them? Would it place them in danger to let them know about Sirius? Would it place Sirius in danger?
...
"Good luck today, Seiichi," Sora said.
"Thank you," Seiichi smiled at his mum.
"Playing against your girlfriend, eh?" Kouki grinned teasingly.
Seiichi rolled his eyes, "yeah."
"Like she'll win," Hana huffed.
Seiichi frowned at his little sister, "Hari-chan is very good, Hana-chan."
Hana sniffed and looked away.
"She'll come around," Sora reassured Seiichi, "she's just jealous."
Seiichi nodded but still frowned a little. He didn't like that Hana seemed to be so against Hari. He wished they would get along. He sighed.
"Well, you should probably get going," Kouki said. "We'll see you there, son."
Seiichi nodded and left the house, waving at Minoru as he passed him.
"Good luck!" Minoru called after him.
Seiichi saw his team as soon as he stepped out of the house and smiled. They looked a little tense but mostly determined and ready. They had all worked very hard this last week and done everything they could to prepare for the match.
"Ready?" Sanada asked.
"Always," Seiichi nodded.
Seiichi couldn't help but feel disappointed that he wouldn't be able to play, but at least he could be there and watch. To be able to play against Seigaku and Hari… it made him smile. He was curious to see what they could do.
He knew that Seigaku was not expected to win. Everyone expected Rikkai Dai to win, and maybe they had better players on paper. Seiichi knew this, and he heard the talks around the school. It seemed like most were taking the victory as a given. He didn't like that.
Tennis was a sport.
Everything could happen, and while he was confident and knew that they were stronger than most he didn't like taking anything for granted. Besides… he'd seen enough from Seigaku to know that they were full of surprises.
But they missed Tezuka. That wasn't an easy loss to cover up for.
But with Ryoma… Seiichi would admit that he was curious to see what he could do. The way Hari talked about him had Seiichi's expectation of the other boy higher than normal, but that also came from what he had seen himself too. He grew so quickly and he was sure he had taken steps just during this last week.
...
Hari glanced down at Sirius. He had shown up again this morning as Padfoot and Nanjiro had given him a look before grinning.
"You will look out for her," Nanjiro had said. "Be sure to keep that boyfriend of hers away!"
"Otou-chan!" Hari groaned. "Stop that! Sei-chan is good and you know that!"
"All boys are the enemies," Nanjiro said stubbornly.
Hari rolled his eyes and ignored the amused and curious look from Sirius, and she realised that she had forgotten to tell him about Seiichi. She had been too preoccupied about telling him about the adoption that she had forgotten that she hadn't told him about Seiichi.
"Well, you know you can just give up trying to get Oyaji to admit something like that," Ryoga said as he stepped out of the house.
"Fine," Hari muttered. "But Snuffles won't be there to chase him away."
"Snuffles?" Ryoga asked and looked down at the dog. "Huh, strange name."
Sirius whined, and Hari felt her lips twitch. She reached out to pat his head, and he pouted.
"I like it," she said. "He looks like a Snuffles."
"Hm," Ryoga said, eying him curiously. "Well, I guess."
"He showed up again," Ryoma said coming outside as well having finished getting dressed for the match and his tennis bag was thrown over his shoulder.
"Yeah," Hari said. "Looks like it."
"You take care of my girl," Nanjiro ordered Sirius, who nodded like he understood.
Ryoga got a strange look in his eyes as he looked at Sirius before he shook his head.
"Whatever," Hari muttered and walked away. "Let's go, Ryo-chan."
"Good luck! I'll see you there!" Ryoga called after her.
"Thank you!" Hari and Ryoma waved.
"Don't get lost!" Ryoga added with a smirk that Hari caught as she turned to glare at him.
"Idiot," she muttered.
Ryoma laughed.
...
Hari frowned. She had gotten separated from Ryoma. Somehow. She wasn't sure how, but she had and now he had moved to where she couldn't find him. Why did he have to move all the time?
"Lost?" Sirius asked.
Hari turned and frowned as she realised that Sirius had changed back to his human self (obviously since he spoke).
"Sirius! You shouldn't do that!" Hari scolded, looking around. "What if someone sees you?!"
"No one knows who I am here," Sirius said. "Besides, it's not for long."
Hari frowned. "Well, why did you change back?"
"Just curious…" Sirius said, looking at her. "About my order to keep your boyfriend away from you."
Hari groaned and closed her eyes.
"Stupid Otou-chan," she muttered.
"Well?" Sirius asked.
"What?" Hari looked at him and folded her arms over her chest. "So, I have a boyfriend. What's the big deal?"
"Echizen doesn't like him?" Sirius asked.
Hari rolled her eyes, "he doesn't like any boy that's close to me. He's just being overprotective and a fool. He's not that serious about it, really. He just likes to complain."
Sirius hummed, "well, I guess I will have to wait and see. Who is this boy?"
Hari eyed him. "I don't think I'll tell you."
Sirius narrowed his eyes, "I'll figure it out, you know. I knew you had a boyfriend, the others talked about him before but I just forgot to ask. Until now."
"Then you'll figure it out," Hari said. "He's a good guy, Sirius. I… I really like him."
Sirius looked at her and noticed the blush in her cheek and the way she smiled.
"Fine," he said. "But why can't you just tell me?"
The last part came out as a whine.
"Where's the fun in that?" Hari asked innocently.
Sirius huffed and shook his head, "well, you should probably try to find your brother again. You do realise that you are indeed lost?"
Hari glared at him and turned around. She was grateful that there weren't people around, and she huffed at his recklessness. Did he really have to take the chance to change back and talk to her just to ask about her boyfriend? Seriously… he was such an idiot.
...
"Ah, our mascot!" Kikumaru cried, bouncing over and grinning down at Sirius who looked horrified back at Kikumaru. Hari bit back a laugh. "You be sure to cheer for us, boy! Okay?"
Hari shook her head as Sirius barked.
"I made this," Tomoka said stepping forward and held up a Seigaku scarf.
"For Snuffles?" Hari asked, a smile stretching on her face.
Tomoka nodded.
"Then we should put it on him," Hari said.
Sirius backed up warily and whined as he looked to Hari, who just grinned. This was just too amusing, she thought.
Tomoka rushed over to Sirius who eyed her before trying to squirm away, but Tomoka was determined and Hari would admit that the younger girl rarely backed off when she had an idea. She saw that it was a home-knitted scarf that was white and blue and they stitched the name Seigaku on it. It was actually rather nice.
"You made that?" Hari asked.
Tomoka nodded, "I did! I had already started it, though, but I thought Snuffles could have it if you brought him!"
"Nice," Hari said. "He looks good like that."
Tomoka grinned at her and stepped back as the scarf was tied around his neck. Sirius looked resigned but didn't look too upset.
"Perfect!" Tomoka said.
"Very nice," Sakuno agreed shyly. "He's a rather big dog, isn't he?"
"Mm," Hari nodded.
"There you are!" Ryoma said. "You got lost!"
"I didn't," Hari denied. "You're the one who wandered off, and I had to look for you!"
"No way!" Ryoma protested. "That was you! I walked straight here and suddenly you were gone."
Hari pouted as the others laughed.
"Always getting lost before matches, eh, Hari-chan?" Fuji smiled.
"Meany, Shu-chan," Hari said.
"Well, Echizen was late too," Fuji pointed out and Ryoma looked away with a huff.
Hari rolled her eyes as she looked over at Kaido, who was… wet?
"Um, Ka-chan?" she asked. "You okay?"
"Don't be a rude brat," he hissed as he looked at her with a small flush to his cheeks. "Fine."
She nodded but still felt a little worried. She handed him another towel.
"You should be careful to get dried up," she said. "Don't want you to get sick."
He smiled a little and nodded.
...
"Looks like they had some trouble again," Seiichi said amusedly as he glanced over at where all of Seigaku was now gathered.
"Chaotic," Nio said.
"Hari-chan's back," Kirihara said. "Good."
Seiichi glanced over at him before looking back at Hari, who was standing with Kaido and seemed to fret over him. He also noticed the dog that was close by her with a Seigaku scarf around his neck. Was that the dog she had talked about? The one who had saved her from that man?
Well, they sure looked like their normal selves. Not too nervous about the match. Good.
"The match means just as much to them," Jackal pointed out to Nio who had said something.
"Of course it does," Yanagi said. His face was turned toward Inui, and Seiichi was sure he was observing his childhood friend.
"Looks like they're ready," Sanada said glancing at Ryoma. "Curious."
Seiichi arched a brow at Sanada, who ignored him. Seemed like Sanada was curious about Ryoma… hm, he wondered.
"Let's go," Seiichi said.
"You're not going to go over and say hey?" Kirihara asked.
"Now's not the time," Seiichi said. "We'll see her later."
Kirihara looked a little disappointed, but Jackal dragged him with them toward the court.
Seiichi cast one more look over at Hari, who turned her head just then and met his eyes. She smiled, and he felt his own smile stretch in return. He felt real anticipation for this match now.
...
"Okay," Ryuzaki said looking a little frustrated still and Hari couldn't blame her with so many of them being late. Hari felt bad about her part in it. "Now that you're all finally here we can go over the matches and the setup."
Hari straightened and wondered if she would play or not. She noticed the others too, turning more serious as they turned to the older woman.
"Doubles 2; Momoshiro and Fuji," Ryuzaki read off her list. "You will play Marui Bunta and Jackal Kuwahara."
Momoshiro and Fuji exchanged a look and nodded.
"Doubles 1: Oishi and Kikumaru, will play Nio Masaharu and Yagyu Hiroshi," Ryuzaki continued. "Singles 3: Inui, against Yanagi Renji."
"Singles 2: Echizen Hari," Ryuzaki said. Hari blinked. She was playing a singles match. "Against Kirihara Akaya."
Hari noticed Momoshiro tense, but she ignored him as she smiled a little.
"Finally, singles 1: Echizen Ryoma," Ryuzaki said looking up, "you're against Sanada Genichiro."
...
...
AN: What do you think? XD
It's a little shorter than normal, but it felt natural to end it there. It also focuses mostly on Sirius and his processing (or starting to process) Hari's adoption. Hope you liked it. There's still more to come, and he will spend some time getting used to the idea. He does want her to be happy and safe and sees that she has that here. And like a reviewer pointed out; he did do something similar himself so he would understand Hari leaving and turning to a friend.
Next chapter will be the matches! XD Hope you like Hari being put up against Kirihara Akaya. I can't wait to explore that match! :) On the other matches... it's so difficult to decide who should play... I feel like I'm picking teams in real life and spends ridiculous amount of time trying to make up my mind for some fictional matches. XD
Thank you for reading! XD