Force of Souls

by Kairomaru

Changes. A constant in all of existence. They affect the lives of those they're about, those that're close by, and even those that had nothing to do with them. Changes that took place before you were born. Changes in how you dealt with things in the past. Changes that took place after a life-changing event. They all interconnect altering the very Fate you once had, Kurosaki Ichigo.

20. My Name Is

Hey friends and fans, Kairomaru is bringing you another Force of Souls Chapter! Ichigo, Tatsuki, Orihime, and Chad are getting a ten day crash course in spiritual combat! They had all better improve if they want to survive, much less save Rukia. But how much can one improve in just ten days? Well, for Shinigami, there is a milestone in their development that will instantly boost their power and give them a new ability to use. The only problem is being able to hear it.

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Now that this fic has 20 Chapters, there's plenty of material to use... If someone wanted to make a TVTropes Page for it, that could be cool... *wink wink, nudge nudge* KEK!

Chapters 21, 22, 23, and 24 are Already Available for Patrons!

So, without further delay, please enjoy.

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Chapter 20 – My Name Is…

Yes, there is no Fate for us
Only those who are swallowed by
Ignorance and fear and miss a step
Fall into the rapid river called Fate

"Damn it!" Tatsuki cursed as Yoruichi once more slipped through her fingers. Almost a full day and she still couldn't get close to catching her new mentor.

"Frustration will only tense up your muscles and reduce your speed, little Tatsuki." Yoruichi advised, seeming all too amused by their one-sided game of tag.

"I'm going to get you." Tatsuki promised, even as she took heavy breaths. She'd probably done more Shunpo over the course of today than she'd done in all the time since she'd learned the technique.

"You'll have to do much better than you have been so far to keep that promise." Yoruichi yawned, tail flicking back and forth. "But if you don't hurry, we won't be able to move on to Hakuda or Zanjutsu." The cat's golden eyes gazed straight into Tatsuki. "You don't want to fall behind the others, do you?"

"Hell no!" Tatsuki vanished in a blur, but once again was left chasing shadows since Yoruichi was gone by the time she closed the distance.

"Predictable again." Yoruichi admonished the girl. "You let yourself be baited and went for a headlong charge again. Such actions will get you killed in the Soul Society."

"Damn…" Tatsuki bit out in frustration and self-recrimination.

"You're too tense." Yoruichi mentioned pointedly. "You'll never get anywhere if you don't relax. Your body is wound too tightly; that tension is straining your muscles and slowing your fighting speed."

"I'm just frustrated." Tatsuki breathed in deeply before slowly exhaling to try and center herself. "A lot has changed over the past few months and now Rukia has been taken away. I feel like I haven't really had time to process everything."

"Hmm," Yoruichi's ears flicked slightly. "I see, so you need to calm down and slowly come to terms with what's happened." The black cat actually looked thoughtful, by cat standards, before speaking again. "We don't have much time as it is. Would getting some alone time with Ichigo tonight help you out with the stress?"

"Hey!" Tatsuki blushed hotly at the blunt question from the cat. "What kind of question is that?!"

"A simple one." Yoruichi chuckled at the Martial Artist turned Shinigami. "If sex would help you relax, then you should try it, right? You need to make a lot of improvement in a very short time after all."

"A cat sensei is telling me to sleep with my boyfriend as part of my training…" Tatsuki sighed while shaking her head. A moment later and a small giggle escaped her as what she'd just said registered in her mind. That giggle quickly became laughter and Yoruichi joined in with Tatsuki's mirth. "Ah…life is weird sometimes, huh?"

"Very." Yoruichi agreed with the cat equivalent of a grin. "You're much faster now though…" The black cat faded away as Tatsuki's hands touched the afterimage. "See?" Yoruichi's amused observation from a different rock made Tatsuki chuckle.

"So, I am." Tatsuki was behind Yoruichi's new position and both of her hands closed around the black cat.

"Double…" Yoruichi was already gone.

"Triple." Tatsuki corrected with a wide grin, her fingertips almost touching Yoruichi's fur.

"Can you make it quadruple?" Yoruichi was behind Tatsuki again, sitting back on the first rock once more.

"Yep!" Tatsuki came at her cat sensei from the side.

"Very good." Yoruichi praised from her new spot on Tatsuki's left shoulder. "Keep this up and we might be able to move onto Hakuda on the third day."

"Gotcha!" Tatsuki grabbed at Yoruichi, but the black cat was sitting in front of her again.

"You're running out of steam." Yoruichi mentioned of Tatsuki's current state. "Let's take a break. Proper rest is an important part of training."

"Yes, sensei…" Tatsuki wasn't sure she'd ever get used to calling a cat that, but her life hadn't made much sense for the last couple of months anyway.

-Chad and Kensei-

"Keep your damn guard up!" Kensei roared for what had to be the dozenth time as he drilled a right hook into Chad's left side. The large teen hit the ground from the force of the strike and hacked out a painful cough. "Are you fucking incapable of defending yourself?" The silver-haired man pointed at the downed Chad. "Your power only manifests on your right arm. That means you have to protect your left side even more!"

"I got it." Chad stood up, taking a second to steady his legs. "I'll focus more on defense." He took up his stance again, both arms held up similar to a boxer.

Kensei's response was to slap away the jab Chad threw at him and knee him in the stomach. "That's not what I said." He looked down at Chad, the teen on his knees and holding his stomach. "I said you need to protect your left side more. Not to focus on defense to the detriment of your offense."

"I…can do…better…" Chad breathed in and out heavily. He had to do better. For the sake of Ichigo and to save Rukia. He didn't want to let his friends get hurt if he could do anything to help them.

"Saying it and doing it are two different things." Kensei replied, his eyes never leaving Chad's face. "You barely have any control of your power, because you barely have any control over your Reiryoku. So, let's start fixing that, now that I've seen what a piss poor hand-to-hand fighter you are." The insult seemed to be Kensei's style of instruction. Similar to a drill sergeant, he pulled no punches and only offered any praise when it was earned.

"Right." Chad stood back up again, ready to learn more.

"Reiryoku begins in the Hakusui, or Soul Sleep, the source of a Shinigami's power. But it exists in any non-Hollow soul, so the principle is the same." Kensei explained, placing a hand on his abdomen to show the general location. "In Shinigami, the next place that Reiryoku travels is the Saketsu, or Binding Chain, which acts as a boost for spiritual power." He moved his hand upwards to his chest. "All of your Reiryoku is flowing into your right arm, leaving an imbalance in the rest of your body."

"How do I fix it?" Chad asked the obvious question. If he wanted to help his friends, then he needed to control this power and make the best use of it.

"You learn to control your Reiryoku, duh." Kensei looked at Chad like he'd asked the dumbest question he'd heard. "Do you know how to meditate?"

"No." Chad shook his head. He'd never had any reason to learn it after all.

"Alright…fine then…we don't have the time to get you started on it right now anyway." Kensei ran his hand through his short hair. "We'll just go with the brute force method." His body glowed with a white-blue aura that made Chad's eyes widen. "You think you can at least pull off a 'monkey see monkey do' and mimic what I'm doing?"

"I'll try." Chad nodded resolutely.

"Good. Then step one, trace the Reiryoku you feel in your arm back to your Hakusui." Kensei instructed his temporary pupil. "Once you find your Hakusui in your stomach area, you're going to consciously direct it on a path through your body. Start at the Hakusui, move up to the chest and then into your head. After that you're going to guide it down your right side: shoulder to arm, arm to hand, hand to arm, arm to shoulder, shoulder down your side and into your right leg. Once you've moved your Reiryoku into your leg, you pool it into your foot before sending it back up your leg and into your hips. From there you start moving it through your left side. Down the left leg, pool it into your left foot, then back up the leg again. The next path should be obvious, but it'll go up your left side and into your left shoulder, down through your arm, into the hand, back up the arm into the shoulder and then back into your head again."

"So, I'm just cycling it through my body?" Chad caught on easily enough.

"Exactly." Kensei nodded as a brighter part of his blue-white aura shone from his stomach area. Chad watched as that small spot of light traveled up Kensei's torso and into his head, before following the path that Kensei had laid out. "Once you can do this, you'll have control over your Reiryoku and will be able to keep your entire body in balance."

"Hmm." Chad focused inward to try and feel out his Reiryoku and trace it back to his Hakusui.

"I don't know what kind of power you've got, honestly." Kensei admitted as Chad worked to control his Reiryoku. "But since this is the first manifestation, you can expect it to grow and develop as you do. Being able to properly control your Reiryoku throughout your entire body in a balanced way might make your left arm change, or perhaps even your whole body will develop that armor-like covering. There's no way to really know, since this isn't like a Zanpakutō which is often somewhat predictable in the development it'll take based on its wielder."

"I'll figure it out." Chad declared as he felt his Reiryoku and began to mentally follow it back to its source. He would get better at this. He'd learn everything there was to know about this power of his. Chad would have Ichigo's back. He wouldn't let his friend go into danger without him.

-Orihime and Tessai-

"Control is important to Kidō." Tessai lectured as Orihime maintained two separate spheres of her orange Reiryoku, one above each of her hands. "Memorizing incantations, knowing the effects of each spell, and conversely being able to control the power and range of each spell, are all necessary for a person to master the Art."

"This is harder than I thought." Orihime admitted as she focused on keeping both of her spheres stable and equal in size. Sweat was forming on her forehead from the concentration this seemingly simple exercise required.

"Indeed, many outside of the Kidō Corps never learn this method of control." Tessai informed the girl while watching her carefully. "Kidō, as you know, can take on many varied forms and abilities depending on the spell. If you seek to improve, then you must be able to make your Reiryoku malleable. If your Reiryoku is rigid and your control is lacking, then your Kidō are just as likely to explode as they are to simply fizzle out."

"Once I can do this exercise, you'll teach me another spell, right?" Orihime asked, nearly failing as she shifted her focus and had to quickly pour some more of her Reiryoku into the left orb to stabilize it.

"Of course, Inoue-san, I believe in a system of rewards for my students." Tessai chuckled at the girl. "Each accomplishment and milestone in their training should get them something they desire. Once you can do this exercise easily, then you can choose between a Bakudō or a Hadō spell and I will teach it to you." He promised with a smile.

"Yay!" Orihime cheered, causing both of her Reiryoku spheres to disperse. "Oops…" She muttered sheepishly.

"Focus, Inoue-san." Tessai barely held himself back from facepalming.

-Ichigo and Urahara-

"Guh!" Ichigo staggered backwards as he blocked a swing from Urahara's sword cane.

"What's the matter, Kurosaki-san?" Urahara questioned the teen, his eyes shadowed by the brim of his hat. "A simple swing like that shouldn't have been an issue for you."

"Shut up, Hat n' Clogs!" Ichigo snapped back at the shopkeeper. He readjusted his grip on his Zanpakutō and vanished in a blur of Shunpo.

"You're thinking, that's good." Urahara casually blocked the swing from his left side. Ichigo's sword stopped dead against Urahara's blade, not even making it budge in the slightest.

"How the hell?" Ichigo narrowed his eyes at the simple-looking sword. "That's not even a Zanpakutō, so how the hell can it stop my sword?"

"Oh?" Urahara swung his blade and sent Ichigo tumbling across the ground. "What makes you think my sword isn't a Zanpakutō?" The blonde man walked towards the downed Ichigo. "Is it because it's not a katana? Or perhaps because you think you know more than you really do?"

"What?" Ichigo got to his feet and readied his Zanpakutō again.

"Your Zanpakutō is a katana, as is Kuchiki-san's…but both of your girlfriends have something different, don't they?" Urahara walked towards Ichigo as he explained. "A kodachi and a wakizashi, neither of which are the same as your sword. So, what makes you think my sword isn't a Zanpakutō?" He didn't wait for an answer and attacked.

"Damn it." Ichigo ground his teeth as he was sent skidding backwards even though he blocked the strike.

"You know that your Zanpakutō has a spirit, yes?" Urahara questioned as he brought his cane sword close to his chest, holding the blade horizontally.

"Yeah, Rukia taught us Jinzen, I've spoken to my Zanpakutō." Ichigo confirmed, briefly looking at his sword.

"Spoken to it, but still treating it as a stranger." Urahara mentioned as he rushed Ichigo.

Ichigo had been expecting the attack and even had a plan. There was a fairly large rock jutting out of the ground to his right. The Substitute Shinigami utilized the steps of Hohō to move behind the stone, placing it between himself and Urahara. The older man would have to go around the rock and that short time would let Ichigo make enough distance for a counter attack.

The blade of Urahara's Zanpakutō slicing through the boulder was not in his plans! The shopkeeper seemed vaguely amused by the stunned look on Ichigo's face as the boulder fell to pieces. Without letting Ichigo regain his bearings, Urahara attacked again, nearly forcing Ichigo to his knees with an overhead swing.

"How the hell did you do that?" Ichigo demanded as he fought against the strength of Urahara's strike.

"Do what?" Urahara questioned, the force behind his sword disappearing suddenly. Ichigo nearly choked as the blonde man's foot slammed into his stomach and sent him across the ground. "Figure out your simple plan, or cut through the boulder?" He walked towards the teen with his sword at the ready.

"Swords don't cut through stone outside of the movies." Ichigo forced himself to roll and dodge the sudden stab from the cane sword. He skipped up onto his feet with a scowl on his face.

"Just because you can't do it, doesn't mean that it's impossible, Kurosaki-san." Urahara's tone was almost mocking and it made Ichigo's eyebrow twitch in annoyance. "Your sword can't do it, because it's weaker than mine."

"What do you mean weaker?" Ichigo blurred away to dodge a thrust aimed at his chest.

"You have a lot of Reiryoku, Kurosaki-san." Urahara was behind Ichigo before the teen had even seen him move. "But you only have a rudimentary grasp of what you can do with it." The swing of his sword knocked Ichigo off his feet and sent a shock of pain through the teen's arms. "As it is now, your sword is just a dull blade, barely useful against anything that's not already weaker than you."

"What?!" Ichigo was the one to launch an attack this time. His first strike was parried, as was the second; the third was blocked easily and Urahara barely had to try to knock him backwards again.

"You don't even know your Zanpakutō's name." Urahara looked Ichigo dead in the eye. "You can't even ward off my attacks, much less knock off my hat."

"My Zanpakutō's name…" Ichigo recalled the time he'd spoken to his Zanpakutō and how he couldn't hear its name.

"I'm sure Kuchiki-san told you, every Zanpakutō has a name." Urahara held up his sword horizontally, as if to show it to Ichigo. "Awaken, Benihime." The cane sword glowed a crimson color as its form changed. Ichigo could only stare at seeing the change take place.

Benihime now took the form of a sleek, medium-sized straight sword. The hilt's grip, which had a gentle black-decorative wrapping, bent forward at the end, with a pommel that had three segments, and a crimson tassel that dangled from its base. Instead of a tsuba, there was a U-shaped guard covering around seven centimeters of the blade, with a flower petal design. At the base of the guard was a red string that was wrapped thrice around the hilt, with a three-loop bow on the back side and a folded paper decoration on the front side. The blade was somewhat thicker than the cane-sealed state, with the tip ending in a slanted razor-like edge instead of tapering to a point.

"Shikai." Ichigo muttered out, looking over the Zanpakutō's new form.

"Correct, Kurosaki-san." Urahara grinned at the teen. "Now…are you ready, Benihime?" He looked at his sword before blurring forward.

Ichigo didn't even attempt to block this time. He blurred away into a Shunpo and when he came to a stop, he could only stare as Urahara's released Zanpakutō turned one of the large stone plateaus into rubble with a single swing. Urahara walked out of the dust without a care, his eyes locked onto Ichigo. This time it was Urahara that disappeared in a blur. Ichigo barely had time to leap backwards before the swing of Benihime passed through the space he'd just been in. The unexpected pressure wave launched Ichigo off his feet and sent him rolling through the dirt. Urahara came through the dust cloud kicked up by Ichigo with Benihime poised to strike. Ichigo barely got to his feet in time to block and had to grind his teeth at the power behind the blow. The sound of metal against metal was heard as Benihime applied more and more pressure to Ichigo's Zanpakutō.

"I applaud you for not giving up and even blocking me with your dull sword. Most courageous." Urahara had that annoying tone that Ichigo was coming to despise from the shopkeeper. "But Benihime is too fierce to be held back by such a weak blade. Urahara completed his swing, nearly wrenching Ichigo's arm out of socket in the process. The pain wasn't what really registered with Ichigo though. It was the chip in his Zanpakutō from where it had clashed with Urahara's.

'That's insane!' Ichigo blurred away with Shunpo, trying to make distance. 'He actually cut my Zanpakutō?!'

"I told you, didn't I?" Urahara was right behind Ichigo instantly. "Your sword is weak." Ichigo spun into a swing aimed for the bucket hat on Urahara's head, but the man dodged it easily with a simple turn of his body. "It's not filled with Reiryoku. It's just a dull sword that can't cut anybody stronger than you. That's why it's useless against me." He swung Benihime and knocked Ichigo's Zanpakutō aside, putting another chip in the blade as Ichigo felt the jarring pain in his hands and arms. "Another few swings like that and your blade will break."

"Damn it…" Ichigo grimaced at the pain and the damage to his Zanpakutō.

"What will you do now?" Urahara asked plainly, no amusement in his voice. "The goal is just to knock my hat off my head. You might be able to do that with your dull blade." The Soul Society exile held up his Zanpakutō. "I warn you now, this isn't about your courage. If you continue to come at me with that weak sword…I will kill you." The massive spike in Reiatsu crashing down on Ichigo activated the teen's fight or flight response.

And he chose flight.

'Damn it!' Ichigo blurred through the large training area. 'I'm dead!' He juked to the left as Urahara appeared behind him and slashed at his back. 'He's really going to kill me!' Ichigo ducked behind a pillar of rock, only for it to be destroyed in the next instant. 'How pathetic.' He insulted himself as he ran. 'What am I doing?' He ducked under another swing of Benihime before vanishing into his fastest Shunpo. 'Why am I running away?' Ichigo threw himself to the side to avoid another slash. The teen rolled through the dirt to avoid a stab. 'Is this all the resolve I've got?' He got to his feet and ran again, barely avoiding Urahara's hand that reached out to grab him. 'Pathetic. Pathetic. Pathetic.' Ichigo's internal tirade continued with every barely avoided slash from Urahara that sent him running away again. 'Shameful.' Ichigo felt his fear war with his pride. 'A coward beyond all redemption…that's what I am.'

Ichigo suddenly saw his Zanpakutō Spirit in front of him. A second later and he realized that time had seemingly stopped. "Old man?"

"Why do you run, Ichigo?" The blindfolded older man in the navy blue shihakushō with the golden obi around his waist questioned. "You still haven't called me."

Ichigo didn't know what to say to that. He couldn't call his Zanpakutō, because he couldn't hear his name.

"Face forward, Ichigo." The blindfolded man instructed. "You should be able to hear it now. What's blocking your ears is only fear."

Urahara raised an eyebrow as Ichigo suddenly came to a dead stop. The Substitute Shinigami was just standing there, not moving at all.

"There is only one enemy, and one of you. What is there to fear?" The Zanpakutō asked while standing behind Ichigo. "Abandon your fear. Face forward. Advance. Don't give an inch." The man's voice rose into a bellowing battle cry. "Retreat and you will age! Be afraid and you will die!" He placed his hand on Ichigo's shoulder firmly. "My name is…"

Ichigo suddenly turned to face Urahara, his Reiatsu multiplying at least fivefold as the shopkeeper watched on. The resolve was back in Ichigo's eyes, all traces of fear had vanished entirely. He raised his damaged sword and faced Urahara directly.

"Bring down the empty heavens, SHINGETSU!" Ichigo roared as his Reiryoku exploded off of him. Massive clouds of dust were blasted across the training area as Ichigo's Zanpakutō changed slightly. The chips in the blade vanished, restoring the blade to wholeness; this was followed by the blade turning pitch-black. The tsuba didn't change shape, but it had gone from a dull bronze color to a bright silver and the stylized arrows were now as black as the blade.

-Orihime and Tessai-

"Is that Ichigo?!" Orihime knew the feeling of Ichigo's Reiatsu well. But she'd never felt it this powerful before.

"Hmm, rather impressive." Tessai already had a barrier up to block the massive cloud of dust that blasted through the area.

-Tatsuki and Yoruichi-

"Holy fuck, Ichigo!" Tatsuki was behind a large boulder as the wind kicked up by her lover howled.

"My, my, to think he'd have this much power." Yoruichi remarked nonchalantly from beside Tatsuki. 'I guess it's to be expected from the Shiba Clan.' She thought to herself privately.

-Chad and Kensei-

"Is that…Ichigo?" Chad held up his transformed arm to protect his face from the wind and dust.

"Looks like your friend pulled his head out of his ass." Kensei shrugged as the wild winds calmed down suddenly.

-Ichigo and Urahara-

"Huh?" Urahara's knees buckled slightly as a heavy force settled on him. 'This isn't just his Reiatsu…it's like gravity suddenly increased.'

Indeed, the dust in the air suddenly fell to the ground like water and didn't move as it was pressed into the dirt. Ichigo stood tall amidst the crushing force, seemingly not affected by it at all. The Substitute Shinigami looked over his transformed Zanpakutō for a moment. The air seemed to groan as he raised the blade and held it with both hands. The black blade caught Urahara's attention as his intelligent mind rapidly started putting together a hypothesis.

"Hmm…" Ichigo's eyes narrowed as he looked at Urahara. The orange-haired teen seemed like he was getting used to the change in his sword. The feel of it was different, not in the sense of physical weight, but more of an all-encompassing force that affected everything around the blade.

"Well then, now that you've managed to draw your Zanpakutō. We can really begin this test." Urahara had a bright joking smile on his face now.

"Sorry…Urahara-san." Ichigo not using his nickname for the shopkeeper caught his opponent's attention. "You'll evade it as best as you can, right?"

"What?" Urahara blinked at Ichigo's words.

"I don't think I can restrain it." Ichigo warned the man as he raised his sword and the air once more sounded like it was groaning. The sheer pressure and crushing force emitted by Ichigo's Zanpakutō was enormous. Urahara's eyes widened beneath the brim of his hat when he saw the dark navy blue and indigo tinted glow of Reiryoku around the blade.

"Scream, Benihime!" Urahara quickly placed his Zanpakutō in front of him as a bright crimson red barrier was formed between himself and Ichigo.

Ichigo brought his blade down with an overhead swing. The air roared as it was suddenly displaced in a wave of the dark navy and indigo energy. This pressure wave lasted for a long moment before dying down, but it was more than enough. The outpouring of power from Ichigo and his Shikai was actually more than even Urahara's intelligent mind could've predicted.

"Phew…" Urahara whistled even as his hat fell to the ground. The half of it that hadn't been shredded at any rate. The green and white striped bucket hat looked like someone or something had roughly torn it in two with brute force. "If not for the Chikasumi no Tate (Blood Mist Shield), I might've lost an arm." He looked at the shattered edge of the crimson red barrier in front of him. "Boy oh boy…you really killed my hat." Urahara picked up the remaining half of his hat off the ground, dusted it off, and then put it on his head. The Soul Society exile looked at the results of Ichigo's attack. "All of this, just from one slash." He turned to look at Ichigo again, noticing that the teen was asleep and leaning against his Zanpakutō for support. "You're one scary kid, Kurosaki-san. You definitely passed this lesson." He looked back at the results of Ichigo's slash.

Everything that hadn't been behind Urahara's barrier was gone. Not blown to pieces or reduced to fragments, just gone. In fact, the entire area was completely flat, as if the ground had been sanded to a smooth finish. All of the towering rocks, dead trees, boulders and anything else were now all the way on the back wall. What would normally have been debris from such a strike had been compressed against the back wall. The wall being made partially of Sekiseki was the only reason that it wasn't broken too.

"Shingetsu (New Moon), huh?" Urahara had a slight grin on his face at the name of Ichigo's Zanpakutō. "You're definitely your father's son." He briefly thought back to Isshin's Zanpakutō. "But I believe this is the first Gravity-Type Zanpakutō in history." The scientist in Urahara couldn't wait to see how Ichigo would continue to grow and develop.

But he wasn't the only one.

-End Chapter-

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With overwhelming force, Ichigo's Shikai has been unleashed!

Shingetsu is a Gravity-Type Zanpakutō that manipulates gravitational forces within a certain range of the sword. A single strike, using up enough of Ichigo's Reiryoku to put him out, altered gravity and stripped the land in front of him into a flat and smooth surface. All of what used to be on that land was flattened onto the back wall from the sheer pressure it was put under.

This was also only the first day of training! With another nine days to go, just how much further will Ichigo progress? What about Orihime, Tatsuki, and Chad?

Keep reading to find out!

Until I get your reviews, later!