Chapter Eighty-Six

It was a long walk into the belly of the beast, and the chill in the air made the trip all the more uncomfortable. Adjusting her grip on the small luggage bag rolling behind her, Tomoe cinched the collar of her coat tighter against her throat and marched on. With back straight, head high, and her steps smooth, she appeared to be nothing short of a lady on an afternoon stroll. Even walking into darkness, her mother's direction on how to properly hold herself unconsciously molded her movements. She was glad for that brief training. It helped her to keep full control over her outward emotions and thoughts, which in turn allowed her to maintain a level head.

By leaving through the underground garage, Tomoe had avoided the two tengu guards Akira had left to protect her, just as she had done the day before when she had met up with Sōjirō. This time, she would not be coming back for a long time. Already she missed her daitengu, but instead of lamenting or dwelling on it now, she tucked that emotion into her heart for safekeeping. When they were reunited, they would not be separated again, and that was something she could use as an aspiration to get herself through this ordeal safely and calmly.

Since she wasn't sure where she was supposed to go, as Sōjirō had failed to indicate any type of meeting place, Tomoe headed back towards the alleyway Sōjirō had showed to her previously. Every fiber of her being screamed not to go near there again, but heading in that direction at least gave her a path to follow. Luckily, it seemed her decision had been correct, as Sōjirō appeared next to her on the sidewalk, much like he had the day before, out of nowhere. Keeping her coal black eyes forward, she leveled her chin and kept walking.

"I'm glad you came." His falsely pleasant voice made her stomach roll nauseously. Out of the corner of her field of vision, she could see the fake smile plastered across his face. "I figured you would, but I believe that is what others say in these kinds of situations, right?"

"I'm only here to help Kaoru." Soft and even, her response sounded almost patient despite her inner disgust.

"But you're helping me at the same time. Lovely, isn't it?" Suddenly, his hand lifted palm up in demand. "Give me your phone."

"My phone?" Confused, Tomoe slowed and glanced at him. "What for?"

"Give it to me."

Digging it from her pocket, Tomoe handed it over reluctantly. It wasn't so much that she had thought to use it, but not having it felt strange. With her phone in hand, Sōjirō set to work scrolling and keying in what she could not see. A minute later, he pulled another phone from his pocket. With hers in this left hand and the other in his right, he used his thumbs to type on both at the same time.

"Here you are. I've turned off your location and rerouted your signal. No one will be able to track you, and I've copied your phone onto mine. I will receive notifications of every message and call you receive. I'll be listening, so no telling, hmm?" His closed-eyed grin was slightly sinister as he handed the phone back, and Tomoe frowned.

"Why give it back at all? You could just toss it."

"But then someone would think you're missing." His head tilted at her. "That would only complicate things, and we're coming up on the endgame now. Everything must be perfect."

They had to change buses three times before they arrived closer to their destination. By that time, it was afternoon, but Tomoe felt little hunger after having to endure Sōjirō's presence for so long. The last leg of their journey was a twenty-minute walk into a run-down industrial district that made her skin crawl. It was an unkind area, but despite the open opportunities for free, though unsafe, shelter, the area was nearly barren of life. Even the lower demons that did not participate in their civilization were absent. Frankly, not even a stray cat lurked in the alleyways, although Tomoe did see a dead kitten rotting on the sidewalk.

The building Sōjirō led her to was just as delipidated and dirty as the surrounding buildings. Though shorter than some of the ones nearby, it was still decently tall with uniform windows and a concrete-on-steel structure. Many of the windows were boarded up. When he bypassed the front door for the back of the building, Tomoe was forced to circle a stain of old blood that looked sickeningly like a handprint. She wondered briefly if that was where Kaoru had landed after she was pushed from an upper window. Closing her eyes to fight off the image, she clenched her fingers and forced herself to remain calm.

Once inside, the smell hit her like a tangible wall, and she covered her nose automatically. There was an aroma of rot and death hanging in the air. It was such a potent smell, that despite knowing age and neglect were the most likely causes of the deplorable state of the structure, the peeling paint and crumbling walls appeared to be melting under the stench alone. Sōjirō continued on as if nothing were amiss, and she wondered if his lack of emotion had also killed his sense of smell. Pulling her scarf up over her mouth and nose, Tomoe picked up her luggage and descended the stairs with him to the first level basement. It did not escape her notice that the stairs went deeper than where he stepped off.

It was numbingly cold in the lower portion of the building, but there was at least some semblance of order to the underground lab that she found herself standing inside of. Next to the door, like some demented sentry, stood Himura Takibi. Or at least, the doll Sōjirō had created of Himura Takibi. His imposing figure startled her at first, but like before, he did not react to her. His vermillion eyes stared straight ahead without an ounce of visible awareness that anyone had even entered. Regardless, Tomoe briefly bowed her head to him in respect before following Sōjirō all the way into the lab.

"Everything we have on Kaoru is on that computer. You can start immediately." Leaving her standing by an extremely filthy desk, Sōjirō walked out without any further direction. Absently, his hand waved to his right at a musty looking cot. "You can sleep there, and there's a bathroom in the back. I'll try to remember to bring you food." With his back to her, and without the visual of his phony smile, his voice betrayed his lack of interest. "Oh." He paused briefly at the door and cast his closed eyes upon the dragon doll. "Make sure she doesn't leave."

Himura Takibi's vacant expression didn't even twitch, but Tomoe had no desire to test if the order would be followed or not. Finally left somewhat alone, the coal demon looked around, and ignored what appeared to be body parts strewn across three worktables. Settling her luggage beside the cot, she picked up a nearby stool as there was no chair to accompany the desk.

"Let's get to work." Whispering the encouragement aloud, she glanced one last time at the statuesque vision of Kenshin's father, offered him a small smile, though she wasn't sure he would even recognize the expression, and then focused on the task at hand.

X

Kenshin stood near the peak of the mountain, alone. A long way off to his left, the crevice he had carved into the dirt and stone stood out starkly against the backdrop of snow-covered trees and rocks. Below him, far enough away to be safe but close enough for the wind to carry a hint of their voices, Kaoru trained with Hiko. It was a pairing he had never imagined, and one he still did not feel completely comfortable with. Kaoru was strong. He had no doubt about her abilities or strength of will. It was Hiko he didn't trust. Not because he seemed untrustworthy, but because Kenshin had trained with him and the experience had been harrowing.

Continually disturbed by his wandering thoughts and distracted by Kaoru's indistinct shouts, Kenshin finally and rather inadvertently overused the power of the Kagu-tsuchi. Flames pure and white shot outward in a ring around the crown of the summit, slicing the heads off the shorter trees and leaving the landscape barren in a perfect circle just inches below where his toes kept him upright on the incline. This time, at least, he didn't destroy the foundation of rock. Due to the higher altitude, though, the thin air required that he keep his breathing under strict control. Gasping in the wake of the burnout of oxygen, Kenshin dropped to his knees on the scorched rock and fought to regain command over his lungs. Worse, his head felt like it might split in two.

Shit.

Hiko had sent him all the way up the mountain just for this very safety measure, and Kenshin felt like a failure for having to rely upon it. Of course, the power of the Kagu-tsuchi was not to be underestimated. Even just the fraction he had accessed felt like he was trying to sear strips of meat with napalm. A small, practically miniscule, part of him had started to feel arrogant about the control he had finally achieved over his own powers. After all, though stunted, he was in the midst of his transition to the status of dragon, which confirmed that he had gained near to perfect control. That microscopic taint of pride was gone now, however, and in its place was only humility and aching pain. His strength was nothing compared to that of the Kagu-tsuchi. He felt it clearly now that he was being allowed to see what it was capable of.

The cold air of winter and high altitude stabbed the back of his throat sharply as he continued to greedily suck air into his body, and his lungs burned from the icy chill in a most uncomfortable way for a fire elemental. A frightening memory from the sub-zero temperatures of the Arctic Lab flashed through his mind, and he fisted his free hand into the hair between his horns in an attempt to stall the pounding that had started there. Kenshin hated the cold. He hated breathing it. He hated feeling it on his body. He hated the way it smelled and tasted. The world seemed darker when it was colder, and Kenshin hated the dark as well.

Even when he was little, he remembered being afraid of the dark. So afraid, that his father would lay in the futon next to him, and comfort his fears with small, harmless flames to fend off the shadows. At the time, his father had tried to assuage his fears with shadow puppets that he made with his hands, but seeing the shadows move had only frightened Kenshin more.

That fear was not the same in his now adult mind. He no longer feared the natural dark of the world, as there was beauty within it and a comfort that existed with that beauty. The darkness he now feared tasted of isolation and imprisonment. He feared being alone again. Because the absence of warmth was cold, and now that he knew what true warmth felt like, he feared more than ever its disappearance from his life.

Disquieted and slightly shaken, Kenshin grimaced as the pain in his head peaked and stabbed into the back of his eyes. Inside his core, the tension grew as he continued to struggle for air. Then he felt something tear, and a trickle of blood seeped from the crossed wound on his cheek. Cursing and miserable, he almost missed the moment when the sound below him changed from harsh shouts to coaxing comfort. Soft and soothing, the song drifted around him, like some spirit haunting the mountain. Though the words were indistinct, he felt the intention behind them. Even at a distance, he would always recognize Kaoru's warm voice. Wrapped in the ethereal embrace of her melody, the disordered and troubled path of his thoughts eased and the headache lessened. Breath finally caught, though his mouth remained open to allow a higher intake of oxygen, Kenshin dropped his forehead onto an upraised knee.

This isn't the time for fear. Fear causes doubt, and doubt will lose you everything.

Rubbing his chest as the sting of cold and pain lingered on his insides, Kenshin made a face and recalled the Kagu-tsuchi to its dormant state. Blood had started to drip from his nose, and he used his fingers to wipe it away.

I guess a break wouldn't hurt.

Besides, he had a phone call to make.

Digging his phone from his pocket, he was pleased to see that he had at least some service where he was. It was always hit or miss on the mountain. What was even more surprising, though, was that Megumi picked up after the third ring. He had feared she might not take his calls after their last encounter. It didn't help that he was also a wanted terrorist now.

"Ken-san. I was just thinking about you, but I never imagined you would be thinking of me, too." The teasing he was used to in her voice was the same as ever, and he had to visibly tighten every one of his muscles to stop them from twitching. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"It's about Miss Kaoru." Covering his cheek with one hand, he carefully burned the blood away as it was produced.

"Of course it is." There was an obvious smile in her patient coaxing. Glad that she was at least allowing him to cut right to it without filling up the conversation with pointless small talk, Kenshin ignored the way she attempted to get under his skin and continued quickly.

"She had another episode of chest pain, and she was coughing up soot yesterday. She also told me that she threw up ashes."

"Hmm." The calm hum was not the response he had expected or wanted in the face of the disturbing news he had just delivered. Scowling, he continued in order to hopefully express how dire the situation seemed to be.

"I felt a flame in her chest again, and suppressed it like last time. I know you said you can't do anything about something you haven't seen, but isn't there anything you can think of that would help her?"

"If you know that, then I'm not sure why you're calling me at all. You seem to have things handled quite well. Besides," her voice sighed in her first sign of impatience, "I looked into her symptoms after what you told me last time, and I'm a little disappointed in you, Ken-san. How could you not know what heartburn looks like for a fire elemental when you are one?"

"Wha…?" Frowning, because now it felt like she was making fun of him on top of not taking the situation seriously, Kenshin's voice lowered into anger. "Kaoru isn't a fire demon." The fact seemed blatantly, almost stupidly, obvious. "She's human. Puking ashes is not normal."

"It would be if she was pregnant." The simple statement punched Kenshin straight in the sternum, and the air stuck in his lungs like needles. "Morning sickness is apparently hell for the mother of a fire demon baby. It's no wonder you're the only one left." Another sigh rushed over the speakers. "Of course, that's the conundrum. Kaoru doesn't have a uterus, and you said you felt the flame in her chest, not her stomach. It would be impossible for her to be pregnant."

The air finally released from his throat in a long, slow exhale as Megumi's words confirmed what he already knew. Kaoru could not have children, because Kaoru was missing certain body parts that were essential for the creation of a child. Also…

"She was having these episodes before we even…" Trailing off as he realized he had allowed his own denial of what Megumi had said to rush his words and not process as thoughts first, Kenshin froze in embarrassment when the vixen picked up on what he was trying to say immediately.

"Before you eveeeen what?" Humor soaked every syllable. When he didn't respond, her amused chortle echoed over the phone. "For now, why don't we try treating her for heartburn and nausea, and see how she responds. She may not be a fire demon, but she does have onibi flames. Even if that's neither is what she has, it's not going to hurt her to try it out. Anyway, we'll have to treat her symptomatically until you can make it back to the lab for a more thorough study. Alright?"

It didn't appear there was any other choice.

"What kind of treatments are there for heartburn and… morning sickness?"

"I'll send you a list, but you can try citrus fruits like lemons as well as ginger or peppermint in her tea or the food you make. Bland foods in the morning are best to combat nausea and acid reflux." At certain times, Megumi almost sounded like a professional.

"Alright."

There was a short pause.

"You two are safe, I assume?"

Some of the ill-feelings Kenshin still held for Megumi eased, and he nodded even as he voiced his response.

"For now."

"Good. Stay that way."

The phone went silent as the call ended, but the concern in Megumi's voice had been obvious, if unexpected. He wondered how different she might have been towards the world if her husband was still beside her. Maybe someday soon he would be able to find out.

X

The wooden sword Hiko had carved for her was lighter than air but stronger than steel. Not only did it fit perfectly in her hands, but it also absorbed blows without numbing her fingers or forearms from the shock. It was the perfect weapon for a master of Kamiya Kasshin-ryu, and Kaoru was nearly giddy with happiness.

Even watching him carve it had been a wonder. The way Hiko manipulated water was fascinating and surprisingly versatile. Never would she have thought to use water to carve wood, but he did so expertly and with barely any lost movements or time. Before Kenshin had even disappeared up the mountain, the wooden sword had been placed between her palms. Then again, she was learning that the dragon of the mountain hated wasting time. Not a second later, he had created a wooden sword of his own, out of what looked like pure water, and then he had instructed her to attack him.

Sparring with Hiko proved that he was by far the most challenging opponent Kaoru had ever faced, while being a decent teacher at the same time. He pushed her, but not so hard that she felt defeated by his overwhelming strength. His words barked as well, but every word was informative or instructive in nature. She knew without much evidence that she would never be able to defeat him, but she felt so very lucky for the chance to learn from him while she could.

Despite the skill of her adversary, the hardest part, she had discovered, was that the mountain air was thin, which made it difficult to catch her breath at times. In a moment of clarity, she remembered Kenshin telling her about how he had chased Ayame-chan all over the mountain for months. No doubt, their game of 'tag' had been a test of endurance more than speed. Kenshin had gained something from the experience that Kaoru hadn't. Namely, a higher tolerance to the thin air.

"That's enough."

Relaxing her stance, Kaoru breathed heavily as her lungs strained for oxygen in order to replenish the blood pumping fast through her veins. Mist formed with each exhaled breath, and her body was uncomfortably warm under her layers of clothing. In spite of her discomforts, she grinned in open joy. Hiko was far beyond her level, but she didn't think she had done that bad against him.

"As I suspected, your father trained you well, Kamiya-san." Her grin widened to hear him compliment her father. "In my opinion, there is little else for you to learn related to your physical abilities. You lack only experience, and that is earned over time."

The smile melted from her face.

"Does that mean you won't spar with me again?"

A deep laugh that reminded Kaoru of heavy rain and thunder rumbled Hiko's chest.

"Not at all. I just believe you will benefit more from training your onibi powers rather than your physical body at the moment."

Her shoulders stiffened under his watchful eye, and he lifted his chin.

"This world is no longer the one you remember, Kamiya-san. You will not be able to handle a fight with our kind with simple physical skill alone. While it is unfortunate that a daughter of Kamiya Kasshin-ryu was given onibi powers, you are more than capable of handling them within the boundaries of your own beliefs."

"Did…" Kaoru looked away. "Did Kenshin explain… what I really am?"

The cold air whistled slightly with strengthening wind, and Hiko studied her protractedly before answering.

"You are who you are, Kamiya-san. Labels are meaningless and should not be adopted or allowed to define what you do or how you perceive yourself." Bright sapphire eyes glanced at him, like a spring lake reflecting the clear sky. "I am familiar with onibi. I have met a few in my lifetime. None of them were the same as the last. You least of all."

"I appreciate that." Inhaling deeply, Kaoru grasped her new wooden sword behind her with both hands and looked up. "I was terrified of these powers at first, but Kenshin was determined to make me learn how to control them. He said that fearing my powers would only make them more dangerous." She made a face and sighed. "He was right. I have a healthy respect for the damage my powers can inflict, but because of Kenshin I'm comfortable with my control now." She finally looked at him again, and her smile was small and pained. "But these flames I have are too dangerous to use against anyone else. So, I won't train them with anyone but Kenshin."

"I see." The serious acceptance of her explanation was a gentle reciprocation of the weight she had placed on her words. "You trust him completely."

The pain in her smile melted into red-tinged affection.

"With all that I am."

"Good." There was brief warmth in his tone before he returned to sounding gruff. "What about your other powers? Onibi sing to captivate their targets. Have you tried that yet?"

"I suspected that was the case." Kaoru half-laughed nervously. "It's not with everyone, but I've noticed that intense emotions translate into songs inside of me. Not really in my mind, but just… kind of out of nowhere. I don't really like singing the songs I feel, though. At first, I would sing them because I didn't know any better. I was just compelled to sing them by something I didn't understand, but I… I think it drove him mad."

A passing vacancy dulled her usually bright irises, and she was reminded of Shishio's screams within that building Sōjirō had imprisoned her in. Coming back to herself, her shoulders lifted and her lips twitched on a forlorn smile.

"I don't think it's really a skill, but I've started feeling not just the song I think would attract my target the most, but also the song I think they need to hear in order to heal. A friend of mine said that onibi typically lead people astray on purpose, but that I lead people to their intended goal." A blush once more darkened her skin, and she closed her eyes even as she shook her head in denial. "I don't know if I believe all that, but I would rather help someone than harm them."

Patiently, Hiko had listened to her longwinded description of her singing power. When she was finished, he nodded his head slowly.

"Despite your claim otherwise, it sounds to me like you have developed a skill. Natural onibi are bitter souls. They want only revenge or death for those they meet. From what you have told me, you have defied that natural urge and turned it into something helpful instead." Waving a hand, Hiko grunted. "Sing a song for me. I want to judge this for myself."

Chewing her lip in embarrassment, Kaoru cracked an abashed grin.

"Actually… I've been having a hard time pinning down your song since we got here. You and the komainu."

Dismissing the wooden sword he had conjured to spar with her, Hiko crossed his arms and smirked.

"Is that right? That's good to know."

He didn't elaborate, and she frowned suspiciously at his curious response. A moment later, white-hot flames appeared on the mountain for the second time that day, but this time they did not roar so much as ring like a high, clear bell. Twisting to look up at the peak, Kaoru backed her way towards Hiko and stared in awe at the ring of flames as the decapitated every unfortunate tree in its path.

"What the hell is that boy doing to my mountain now?"

Indignation soaked the water dragon's growling voice, and Kaoru fought hard to bite back laughter. That amusement faded like a wilting flower in a drought, however, when she picked up on Kenshin's conflicted and distressed emotions. Without having to try, she knew what she needed to sing for him. It was an intense sensation that she had almost unconsciously learned to activate or ignore, for her own sanity. When it came to Kenshin, though, she ignored nothing.

Jet black eyes swung slowly from the peak of the mountain and down to focus on the young woman next to him. The song was different than that of a true onibi. It wasn't enticing or malicious, but warm and comforting. There was an otherworldly tone to her voice that made it mesmerizing, like that of an onibi, but there was also a strength that demanded attention. This and this alone was similar to that of a natural onibi, as her intention was clearly honest.

When the last echo drifted away with the wind, her saturated blue eyes of glowing flame turned on him, and for a moment time seemed to stop. Not one muscle obeyed his command to move. Not until she blinked.

"I'm worried about Kenshin."

"I'll check on him." He accepted the unspoken instruction instantly, quite without meaning to, and his brow line creased deeply as she smiled.

"Oh, good. Let's go."

She started heading towards the same path Kenshin had followed earlier, and he scowled even as he blinked at her incredulously.

"No. You stay here where it's safe. There's no telling what that fool will be doing when I get there. Practice your flame alone while I'm gone."

"But…" His back was already to her when she protested, but his stern tone floated back down to her as he marched through the snow.

"Your sword is made from a special wood. It will allow you to infuse it with your power. Do what you can with it and I'll test you when I come back down."

Kaoru lifted her wooden sword in surprise, and then saluted at the water dragon's back.

"Yes, sir! Make sure you tell Kenshin I'll be stronger than him soon!"

Chuckling under his breath, Hiko found he really liked this little human the boy had brought with him.

At the peak of the mountain, he found the boy twiddling his thumbs and scrolling through his phone instead of training. Feeling his age and ready to give him a lecture about his lack of discipline and focus, he held his tongue when Kenshin turned and revealed the blood dripping from his chin. A hand was pressed over the crossed wound on his cheek, and each drop sizzled on the bare rock below.

"You alright?"

Looking very much annoyed, Kenshin nodded.

"It's not as bad as it could be." Standing to pocket his phone, Kenshin's next input was strangely off-topic in the current situation. "Do you have any lemons or ginger?"

Lifting a brow at him curiously, Hiko frowned.

"You'd have to ask the komainu. They do the shopping." Realizing that Kenshin had been searching food recipes on his phone when he arrived, Hiko grunted. "Are you seriously already thinking about supper?"

"Kaoru's been… nauseous lately. A friend suggested I try adjusting her diet."

"Hmm." Standing next to him, Hiko turned to face the horizon and the landscape below. It stretched for miles, but was not as clear as it could have been with the heavy clouds piling in. "You planning on destroying my mountain, or what?"

"That… was not my intention. The Kagu-tsuchi is… intense."

"Then you must be calm." The barked words sounded almost helpful.

Violet eyes darted a sideways look at him, then lowered slowly.

"That's easier said than done."

"Maybe for a hot-head like you."

They shared a rare chuckle. Afterwards, Hiko crossed his arms with a left-over amused grumble.

"The girl said she'll be stronger than you."

Kenshin grinned. "Did she?" Red lashes lowered to mask the extent of his affection. "We'll see about that."

"She also said that she won't train her onibi flame with anyone but you." The dragon's voice grunted in offense. "This may be the first time anyone assumed I wasn't strong enough to handle a puny fire."

"You know there is only one way to defend against onibi flames, Hiko-sama. Don't be upset with her simply because she doesn't wish to harm anyone." There was something smug about Kenshin's voice that demanded Hiko burst his bubble.

"Ha! Just because your fire demon father told you that there's only one flame that can combat the onibi doesn't mean that's the only way to stop it." Kenshin frowned, but Hiko smacked him hard enough on the back to nearly upend him down the mountain.

"I would rather you didn't pressure her." Stumbling as he caught his balance, Kenshin hounded Hiko into hearing what he was saying. "Even if you can counter it, she shouldn't use it without me present, especially in this weather. Her body isn't compatible, and onibi flames are cold. She may get frostbite."

An almost guilty expression ghosted over Hiko's features, and he cleared his throat.

"Well, if you're fine, then I've got more training to do with that woman of yours." Somehow, Hiko seemed a bit rushed to leave now, but was able to keep his cool enough to cover up his discomfort with an indifferent quip. "Honestly speaking, she's better at hand-to-hand combat than you. Give me a year or so, and I might really make her stronger."

Unaware that Kaoru was currently in the process of training to use her flame in conjunction with her new wooden sword, Kenshin laughed.

"Go ahead. Just don't let her be too hard on you." Grinning as he discovered at last how to tease the water dragon, Kenshin chuckled silently when Hiko huffed and turned to walk away. Taking his hand carefully away from his face, Kenshin burned the blood off his fingers and then grimaced as the horns on his head ached. "Wait." Dark eyes glanced back at him. "Would you mind helping me hide these horns? They're becoming a bit bothersome, and I can't seem to figure out how to suppress them."

"And here I thought you were keeping them exposed just to be impertinent." Grumbling, as if doing him this favor was nearly too much to ask, Hiko reluctantly agreed. "Alright, boy, but I'll only show you once. I've got better things to do than hold your hand."

X

A/N: So, I decided, after much deliberation, that I wanted to proceed with the remainder of the story differently. Posting weekly is no longer a good option. I've started to feel a bit pressed for time, and then I'm frustrated because the chapters don't seem to be as well put together or as long as I would like. Now that we're coming to the end of the story, I've realized that I need to make my posts longer, but at the same time I can't start making the chapters thirty plus pages without it appearing strange. Especially since we're now past chapter eighty and I've wrote the entire story with the chapters under or around ten pages a piece. My solution was to simply write three or four chapters and then post them all at the same time. It makes me happy, because now I have a bit more time to think things through, and I get to more of the story as well. Hopefully, it also makes you as the reader happy because you get to read more all at once.

That being said, I wanted to have these three chapters ready to post on New Year's Day. However, now that we're living back home near family, I forgot how much time holidays take up, lol. Christmas ended up being a three-part endeavor trying to divide time between my husband's family and my quite large family. I am so very happy, though, to be able to spend more time with my family again. I've really missed what might be considered boring interactions. I was also very ecstatic to finally get to go to one of my niece's orchestra concerts. It was silly and not too serious, but still wonderful for a band geek like me. (I may or may not have cried.) Now that I've gotten way off topic… I ended up with a bit less time to write than usual. I also ended up playing a new computer game with my husband all weekend, which helped us commit to some much needed together time. All that to say, I apologize these chapters are late. I also hope my absence did not appear to mean abandonment, as I have no intention of any such thing. XP

Merry Late Christmas. Happy Late New Year. Much love. Much thanks. On with the story!

Love Song #3

Tomoe: Gonna Love Ya - Avicii