The Betrayed Marionette

~.~.~

The isle before them was a sweltering, sun-baked land - a sudden rise amidst the sea so submerged under the strength of the midday sun that one could almost miss its shores as they passed it by if not for the palms, for the haze that danced about it was so all-consuming that at times the whole place appeared to blend into the very sea itself.

Amu had had to rub her eyes and shake her head before she even saw it, for the waves - they played tricks on her. The sand and the water were mingling. The distant palms were dancing. Amu was reminded of the descriptions she'd heard of mirages in the Far East - in deserts and arid countries she had only ever heard of in books or through the mouths of her father's dignitaries, gathered in the grand hall and indulging in dull, self-righteous conversation upon returning from their noble travels to transverse the world. One such man had written about the oases that riddled the desert. His account had sat fat and proud and gilded with gold atop the tallest bookshelf in the King's library and its pages were positively bursting with wild and exotic tales brought to life on parchment alongside illustrations in the finest inks Amu's parents could afford. He had told of Emperors and Sultans and awe-inspiring cities carved into the hills of the desert and in her dreams Amu had walked those same halls; felt the sun on her back; drank from the same springs and lost herself beneath the swaying fronds… And Amu finally thought she understood what they meant now as she and Yaya looked out across the water and saw the approaching island dancing in a fiery haze.

As they neared, the rock seemed to rise from the ocean. They saw the white of the waves crashing upon sun-bleached beaches and the subtle slopes of its back darkened with thick fronds and light grasses. It was perhaps the smallest island they had hoped to encounter on their journey, but it was still sizeable. The beach was wide and sloping, but even from here beyond the coast the pirates could see at its end that there lay a tropical jungle before them - could admire the lush, thick splashes of colour that dotted the isle's interior - and, though only visible from the western side, Amu remembered that there was marked on the map the presence of a long, low-lying spit connected to a barrier isle, complete with a closed-off, shallow lagoon. In fact, the isle was probably part of an atoll and, with that thought in mind, the princess found herself picturing something idyllic. Indeed, there was such vibrancy to be seen here already that it wasn't far-fetched to assume that this place could be considered a paradise, filled with lush flowers and shady groves, and they each then hoped that, if nothing else, there might be at least something in this jungle worth braving the heat for.

They arrived on-shore just before noon and almost immediately regretted it. The sand was ablaze beneath their feet. White stones sizzled in the morning sun. The haze completely swallowed them so that to their eyes the treetops from afar were little more than smears of colour against the blue of the sky. Amu wondered how anything could survive here or how indeed any pirate crew could be hardy enough to rest at its shores as their former Captain once did. To her, this truly was an isle out of those stories of old - more fitting to those countries to the east, inhospitable and impassable.

"Phew," Kukai muttered, swishing a hand about in the waves as they washed in about his boots. By now they were puffing as they dragged their longboats and jollys up onto a secure chain of rock. He withdrew his hand from the water as though scalded and discarded his jacket, throwing it carelessly into one of the nearby boats. "Don't fancy this much. Let's get this over with…" But then his eyes lit up. "'Ere! Maybe when the sun goes down we can grab a bottle o' grog an' kip on the beach!"

Utau passed him by then, rolling her eyes, but Amu wasn't sure that she didn't catch just a hint of amusement behind her impassable façade. The princess looked over at her enviously. Their quartermaster was usually dressed like one of the men these days, gladly forgoing her petticoats for more practical attire and beneath this sweltering sun Amu could have killed for a nice white shirt or a pair of clean breeches to keep out of the heat. She grimaced, roughly shaking out the wet hem of her skirt from the sea foam and pushing back the irritating lace that hung from her sleeves. There were still no trousers to fit her. Not yet - Souko was still tailoring her a pair. Maybe next time she would just say "To hell with it!" and just wear her chemise without a care in the world that it was basically the same as being undressed. So much for propriety.

It was essentially the same order of business as before. Ikuto gathered their men on the beach, leaving a select few to stay and keep the ship, and, looking at the points on his compass, sent them off in various directions - one group west (led by Utau); another east; and, as the opposite end of the isle looked to be impassable from the north, riddled shallow shoals, a third group went out in one of their boats to circumnavigate the island and scour it from the other side. The men were quick to work despite the dry and scorching conditions and off they went - as orderly as any could ever expect of a pirate crew, fuelled by their lust for both vengeance and adventure. Amu understood them perfectly well, for that space in her heart, once satisfied by the gleam of gold and crystal, was still as empty as ever and with every day that passed the loss of her mother's trinket only worsened. Yet sometimes she thought there was hope. Sometimes, Amu would pause and reflect and the steady cool of the Key against the skin of her chest would be a welcome comfort despite all that had happened, for she remembered still the way it glittered beneath the starlight, its majesty reflected in wells of darkest, dearest blue, and she would feel her heart swell with a giddy delight that remained unmatched save when he was beside her.

And, speaking of him, Amu saw their Captain now as he interacted with a few of the pirates who were to remain on the beach. There was another small group not too far off that she had been ready to follow off into the jungle in search of freshwater, her palm-clearing cutlass at the ready in its sheath over her shoulder (she had yet to find one tight enough to wrap about her waist), when a gap in the foliage caught in the corner of her vision. Hanging back, Amu squinted, shielding her eyes from the sun and scrutinised the line of the trees.

She looked around. Most of the others were heading off into the haze. But they evidently had not seen this. She knelt, peering through the half-dead grass which appeared trampled and damaged, though how recently she could not guess, until it seemed that she was looking on the remains of a beaten path overgrown by the jungle. A hesitancy overcame her. Again, the former princess looked back to the beach. Most of her fellows were gone by now. Those who had been left behind were busy securing the last of their jolly-boats.

She nearly scoffed at herself then. Honestly, what was she thinking? Just how many times had she proven herself now strong enough to boldly go forth in the face of peril? She didn't need to wait for any of them! And so Amu, unseen by her companions, slipped from the sight of the crew and stole away into the trees.

It was not hard to keep up with the path, moving cautiously further into the jungle, making little noise as she always did, yet it was faint enough that Amu would have been utterly lost if she had not been so focused. Once more, Amu found herself wondering that anything grew here at all, for the earth was dry and cracked beneath her feet, parched beneath the midday sun, and the long sea grasses that grew in abundance were pale and crisp to the touch. As she wandered, her feet found many ditches and shallow indents, indicating the presence of a body of water, but whatever river that had flowed through this island had long dried up. Now all that was left was a pitiful, choked tributary, full of dusty water and debris.

Or, at least, that's how it appeared at first, but soon she found herself fascinated as, the further she went, the stronger the water became. Soon the trickle became a stream and Amu, absently following, watched in awe as it widened and gurgled at her feet the further inland she crept. Not long after, the surrounding foliage began to burst into life, the greenery punctuated by bright pink flowers and the lush green leaves of the fronds, shadowed by the palms which soared up overhead. Thankfully it was much cooler beneath the trees, if still a bit sticky and sweaty. If not for the heat, Amu settled on the idea that this would definitely fall under her definition of a pirate's paradise. Thankfully it appeared that nothing sinister lurked here, unlike at their last unforgettable stop. She breathed a welcome sigh of relief at the thought. Nothing seemed to sneak in the shadows or watched from the undergrowth as it had back then-

"This is no place to go wandering off on your own."

Or not.

Amu rolled her eyes. In her reverie, she hadn't even realised he'd crept up behind her. Although, to be quite honest, she should probably have expected it.

"But I'm not on my own."

Ikuto stepped lightly across the stream, materialising from between the palms, and snuck up beside her, his lips twitching.

"Did you just want to catch me alone, Amu?"

There was a teasing look on his face - a light in his eyes that she knew oh too well. It made her heartbeat race - made her feel like grinning as she felt them fall back into their usual, playful pattern.

But instead she scoffed. "I could catch you alone any time I wanted." Amu said boldly. "Forgive me, Ikuto, but traipsing about on a desert island in the blazing heat isn't where I'd do it."

"Ah," Ikuto began with the wistful expression one has towards a fond memory or familiar face. "I am well aware." And even as he paced into the shade beside her his eyes were glowing of their own accord. "And I must admit… I'd be weak to resist."

A shiver ran up her spine. Ikuto bent down, his lips brushing lightly against her ear;

"You know… No one would see us…"

Amu's breath hitched in her throat. Oh, it was true and, for the life of her, it was truly a monumental effort to bring herself to show but the slightest of self-restraint…

'But why resist?' went a little voice in the back of her head - a little eager, goading voice that had her skin break out in goosebumps. That voice had grown bolder as of late, she'd noticed. Louder. Feistier. It's newfound tone had risen out of nowhere, unexpected and unpredictable. It had always been there, she thought, but never before had the words of her conscience ever urged her towards anything that would have brought any sort of impropriety upon her.

And that was the way it should be said a little something somewhere in the corners of her mind! That was the way she had been raised - to be proper and demure and altogether unswayed by the sort of sinful desire that led so many common people astray. Yet this was a weak voice, unlike the other. This was a voice drowned out by the clamour of the past six months - a remnant of royalty that just didn't hold up amongst the thrill and the excitement of her newfound freedom that dared her to go forth into dangers unknown, literal and metaphorical. It had been such a rapid transformation, she realised now, that she hadn't even realised it had even happened until recently. Sometimes she didn't even recognise herself anymore. Where was the silly little girl who had been besotted by the Commander's relatively chaste advances? Where was the maiden who had been so aghast when this pirate had inspected her for scurvy?

But, of course, Amu, as she inched ever closer to her Captain, knew the answer to this. Her Highness was long gone…

"Ikuto…"

A pirate stood in the monarch's place. And a pirate cared not for propriety.

The voice's call ringing in her mind, Amu reached up to close her fists around Ikuto's collar, bringing him gently down so that his lips were but inches from hers. It was enough to drive them wild - the soft press of his forehead on hers; the sound of their heartbeats, slow and sensual; the thrill of excitement as they savoured this stolen moment beneath the swaying palms. His lips twitched upwards into a cheeky smirk. A boldness overcame her as she brushed her fingertips behind his ear. His breath hitched. She could have grinned. 'As expected,' she thought deviously… And it dawned on her then that she knew exactly what to do - where to touch to drive him mad; to manipulate him utterly; to reduce this mischievous, oh-so audacious man to putty in her hands. She felt powerful. She felt daring. Deliberately, she let her breath fan lightly across his parted lips. Sure enough, Ikuto closed his eyes. She leaned in. Her lips brushed against his…

And then, with but the slightest ghost of a kiss, Amu smirked.

"Gotcha!"

And she was gone. Ikuto blinked; looked up, puzzled. He raised a hand to his head-

A distant burst of playful giggles rang out from the other side of the clearing. Amu was grinning. The blue-and-white diamond hat was firmly in her grasp, waved tauntingly from the other side of the stream and Ikuto realised…

He'd been played!

"You minx!"

And before either of them knew it he was chasing her into the jungle, tearing through the trees, following the joyous sound of her mischievous laughter. Amu ran, breathless and elated as a child engaged in a game of tag, pulse pounding as she heard his footsteps fall thudding behind her. Through the grass and brush she whipped; beneath the fronds of slender trees; along the course of the stream that fed the vegetation all around them so that the further they went the greener and healthier the plant life became. Fully-fledged grasses replaced the white and wiry brush; clusters of flowers burst into life; the earth was less cracked - darker and springier and saturated beside the water. But Amu was oblivious to all of this, or indeed where at all she was going, when another clearing opened up before them and, for a split-second, her pace slowed down-

"Got you!"

A shirek of surprise left Amu's mouth unbidden as Ikuto's arms, firm and strong, wrapped tight around her waist, lifting her up and spinning her round. He was chuckling, though his breath was ragged and his cheeks red from exertion, but he didn't care. Neither of them did. Amu laughed loudly, catching her own breath as Ikuto finally lowered her to the ground. She fanned herself with his hat.

For the first time, Amu properly looked around her. The sun was shining brightly down on the tropical glade, illuminating its rich bounty for all to gaze upon. The stream was trickling noisily here, glittering under the bright blue sky as the trees thinned out and gave way to ever-thicker patches of grass. Over on their right was a low-lying bush dotted with red and yellow fruits, the soil about its roots dark and full of much-needed moisture.

But, most oddly, it appeared that Ikuto had caught sight of something half-lodged in the dirt. He had only just crouched down to inspect it when Amu noticed - there were tens of them! Old and rusted and dull with disuse.

"Tools?"

Ikuto stood up with the remains of an old, weathered trowell in his hands, turning it over curiously between his fingertips. He just nodded, too absorbed in inspecting it for words. At his feet was the tip of a rust-ridden pickaxe, it's wooden handle splintered into many pieces, the majority of its head buried in the dirt. Absently, Amu followed the faint trail of debris towards the water.

"Ikuto," Amu beckoned him over, pointing to the dusty bed. At the bottom of the stream was half of a curved, but broken pan. And then they realised.

"There must have been gold here once." Ikuto said.

Amu paused, glancing around to take in this place in a whole new light. Now that she thought about it, it made sense. Why else would Kazuomi of all people think to venture here - to this tiny isle where, despite its beauty, little could withstand the blazing sun? But evidently there had been no prospecting here in a while. As it was, these tools had been laying here half-dug into the dirt for many years. It dawned on her that this waterway must have been the source of the gold rush here many moons ago when it was full and flowing - an unlikely source of wealth for all who ventured here - but it had since dried up, choked under the strength of the sun, and now there would be no far-fetched pipe dream of riches for any who stumbled across this place. It was almost tragic. But, more to the point, it dampened their hopes, for they remembered then that they had their own objective in finding this place. After all, if there was no money to be made, would their former Captain dare to tread here again? Kazuomi was not one who took risks without any prospect of payment and, in consequence, this isle had been utterly abandoned. Evidently, Ikuto was thinking this too because he idly let the trowell fall back down into the dust and sighed.

"Fitting that Kazuomi would come here."

Quietly, Amu agreed. But she uttered nothing more. Instead, she took in her surroundings curiously as he gestured for her to follow.

They were back to investigating again. He led her alongside the water, their hands instinctively finding each other despite their curiosity in their surroundings. Further into the interior they went, breaths held, peering between the palm trunks for any sign of a beaten path or old storehouse or something of the like. And then their eyes fell upon something extraordinary. Something was glittering from between the trees ahead of them. They looked around, pushing further into the palm grove, when Amu's face lit up in delight, for there, shining blindingly beneath the open sky, they found the source of the stream.

It was blocked by debris - bits of twisted metal and broken rock disturbed by past excavations - but it was there nonetheless. It was a pool. Water was trickling out from the ground, bubbling away between the rocks without abandon, and around it grew leafy green shrubs, bursting into life with tropical wildflowers. Amu's heart was utterly moved. A breath of blissful laughter escaped her lips as she gently extracted her hand from his and crossed over to the water's edge. Ikuto was not far behind her. He watched fondly as she crouched, submerging her hands in the crystal clear water. Gentle, bright pink petals and pure, white plumerias were glowing all around her, the colours dancing about her porcelain cheeks. He was so entranced, that he didn't even realise the faint glitters of gold all about them - not until she drew a minute flake from the sediment and proffered it to him.

"Good to know they didn't pick the place clean."

Ikuto couldn't find the words to answer. His breath was caught in his chest. It was as if all the world had shifted - as if they were suddenly existing within their own little reality, far from all else, until the world was limited to the sun, the spring and the two of them together side-by-side, the reflections shimmering in their eyes. Whilst he was locked in this reverie, Amu reached out towards the cluster of little flowers and picked one. She held the delicate little bloom between her fingertips and beamed so brightly that it was as if the sun itself had descended down into their little clearing;

"An oasis amidst a desert."

Ikuto's expression softened. But it was not for the relief of a refuge at sea, nor fondness for the pretty white plumeria swaying slightly in the breeze that his heart seemed to swell; that his breath seemed to be taken swiftly from the depths of his chest. He was as a man who had never before seen the light of the sun; who had reached nirvana; refreshed as by the sweetest draught on a mercilessly parched day. Ikuto knelt beside her then and, not for the first time, his pulse quickened, for the tranquility of that moment struck him to the core.

"Truly…"

And he found he could say no more. Rather, he merely took the bloom from her grasp and as gently as could be he tucked it behind her ear, his fingertips trailing down her cheek, tracing the line of her jaw until he could angle her chin towards him and there he drank in the sight of the sun dancing in golden eyes, illuminating platinum skin and pastel hair. Amu's lips were parted and oh-so tempting, her gaze clouding with something not unlike some deep desire…

But, of course, it was at this point that Ikuto felt some form of payback was overdue.

"Quit staring at me You Royal Pervert."

And, before she could answer, he bopped her on the forehead.

Her cheeks flushed. "I-Ikuto-!"

"Unbelievable." He stood up, still smirking. "So indecent."

Amu scoffed. "Speak for yourself, ruffian!" And she reached up, swaying on her tip-toes to wave the blue hat back onto his head, but her outwardly unimpressed demeanour was betrayed by the comfortingly domestic manner in which she brushed the collar of his coat. "Here. Take your damn hat."

Ikuto grinned cheekily, puffing out his chest. "Do I look dashing?" He teased.

Amu rolled her golden eyes. "Dashingly stupid."

He just laughed openly, evidently thinking himself the winner of their little game. She was avoiding his gaze now, inspecting the workings of this newfound spring, when Ikuto's mind travelled back to their little gallivant off into the jungle. His Amu was a better actor than she gave herself credit for. As if the world had all at once come back to him, he sauntered up til he was close beside her and whispered playfully;

"You owe me a kiss."

Amu hadn't even noticed he'd been beside her until he spoke. She placed her hand delicately on her chest in surprise before finding her composure. Secretly, Amu thought that by now she probably owed him a lot of things.

Soon though they grew distracted, examining the old equipment left behind by their former Captain, though they could not tell just how long ago these artefacts had been brought there. Whilst Ikuto followed a trail of broken pottery towards the edge of the clearing, Amu knelt back down briefly to cool off her hands in the water. She exhaled blissfully. The breeze lifted oh-so gradually and the palm fronds above shifted so that the shadows played about her face. Any relief in this sweltering heat was undeniably welcome. It was all she could do to restrain herself from rolling about in the pool.

Meanwhile, Ikuto was peering between the trees, searching for any sign of continuation of the path they had followed. He edged towards the side of the pool where the treeline grew thicker, brushing over shrubs and abandoned metal, stepping over a thick thicket of long, green grass…

And he was astounded, for when he lowered his foot he was met with the sound of something hollow. He paused. Attention grabbed, Amu caught his eye and shared with him a perplexed sort of look. Ikuto frowned and swept the dry brush aside with his boot. Sure enough, a glimmer of brass and the dull shine of dried wood beneath the sun caught his eye.

Amu stood, shaking her wet hands off against her skirt.

"Oh…" she shook her head in disbelief. "Oh no…"

Their eyes met. Ikuto's were gleaming, his lips twitching; "Oh, yes."

He dove to the ground, burying his knees in the upturned earth and tore away at the grass and vines and scraggly roots until the two were both looking at a hatchway, half-covered in sand and dirt and wide enough for more than one person to clamber in at once. Ikuto grinned up at her triumphantly.

"Elaborate." He commented and, with effort, he took his blade from its hilt, rammed it into the brass handle and pried the thing open.

For a moment their vision was obscured by the trickling of sand and dust. Amu stared, dumbfounded, the heat of the sun and their seclusion forgotten. But the hatch wouldn't open all the way. Its hinges were jammed by tangled roots and dried-up creepers and the metal was old and stiff with decay, but it creaked apart almost halfway nonetheless. They stared down into the darkness for a moment, caught up in the revelation of this new mystery; in the thrill of discovery, for this was it - surely! This was what they were looking for all along… And the urge to push further onward into the unknown was almost too much to bear.

"Well," Ikuto huffed eventually, straining against the thick, wooden door as he propped it precariously open with his shoulder; "ladies first."

Amu was aghast.

"I'm sorry?" For a good moment, Amu, mortified, didn't have the words to reply any further. At last, however, she was brought back to Earth. "Ikuto! Absolutely not!"

"Come on," Ikuto said coaxingly. "I'll be right behind you. There's no chance I'd let my dear Amu venture forth alone, after all." And, when she couldn't find a decent response, he smirked cheekily. "Think of it as punishment for stealing my hat."

"But-!"

"And," he leaned in close, his voice low so that only she could have heard it, though there was no one around to eavesdrop; "perhaps a forfeit for the kiss."

Again, Amu had no words. He'd stolen them right from her lips, as usual. Her cheeks flushed.

What ensued was a particularly intense staring contest in which both claimed equal authority over the other, but it was a battle short-lived, for, though the princess was a woman of determination, it was little when faced with a pirate on the edge of discovery. Finally she conceded, hitching up her skirts and resigning herself to a humiliating descent below the surface and to whatever awaited them.

"Fine," Amu grumbled. "But don't think for one moment that I'm forgetting about this."

She began her descent. There was a rickety, old ladder made of brittle drywood going down into the abyss below that creaked and groaned horrifically as she placed her first tentative step upon it. Then all of a sudden she hesitated. Amu eyed her captain (who was watching her expectantly) suspiciously.

"This isn't some sort of ploy to look down my bodice, is it?"

Caught off-guard, Ikuto bit back a genuine burst of laughter. "O, your opinion of me is glittering."

"Well is it, you dirty scoundrel?"

"Well," he mused; "I must say that I'd quite enjoy the view."

Amu's cheeks were suddenly ablaze. "In your dreams, ruffian."

"Oh, and what wondrous dreams they are."

Her stomach flipped then, for her mind unexpectedly took her back to that night in the tavern when his advances had reduced her to incoherence. A blush rose to her face at the thought. She tried to switch her attention to the ladder before her if only to hide the redness of her cheeks. Ikuto went on;

"Remember, Your Highness, you were the one who lured me away and caught me alone in the bushes."

Amu muttered drily in response as she focused again on the task before her, making it down into the darkness until soon Ikuto's features became dark and undefined against the glow of the sky, his silhouette casting an eerie shadow across her face.

"When I make it back up this ladder I swear to God, Ikuto–"

"Can you see anything?" Even from above, Ikuto's voice echoed lightly.

"Let me get to the bottom! Honestly!"

She almost didn't hear herself over the heart-stopping screeching of ancient wood beneath her, but Ikuto was silent. Up at the top of the hatchway he knelt with bated breath, propping up the half-open doorway with his upper half. In fact, he was about to pipe up again after a moment of silence when there was an almighty 'crack!'. As Amu lowered her foot an old step had snapped beneath her weight. There was a shudder that vibrated up the length of the ladder; a gasp of surprise; and a cry as she fell down, down, down all the way into the darkness.

All Amu heard was a sickening crunch as she slammed into the bottom of the pit. Winded, she tried to scream, but nothing came out but a rush of air. She'd landed on what she could only suppose were rocks - boulders jabbing up painfully into her back - and was blinded by a moment of panic until it dawned upon her that, though bruised, she was in no true agony and that she could still move everything if she tried to. She let out a breath of relief at the realisation that nothing was broken.

"Amu!"

Words failed her for a moment.

"Amu!"

"I'm alright!" She propped herself up on her arms at last. "I'm alright."

But Ikuto was down and after her in a second, hauling the doorway open wide enough to let him pass and landing heavily with a thud on his feet beside her.

'God damn his cat-like agility,' she thought.

His hands found her shoulders. She felt his grasp - firm, but gentle and tender - reaching for her arm and the small of her back as he sat her up.

"Amu, Amu, slowly,"

Somewhat dazed, Amu complied. She ran a hand through her hair briefly to check for blood or bumps, but she was fortunate to find nothing.

"Ah, I'm okay, I'm okay. Thank you…"

She brushed him off, thankful for his delicate concern, and stood up slowly, coughing in the ungodly amount of dust kicked up from her fall. Visibility was poor through the heavy cloud and all they could see was shadowed despite the blinding sun which down here was faint and filtered through the trees. Amu idly kicked at one of the stones she had fallen on. It echoed and rolled away into the darkness.

"How big is this place?" She wondered aloud, somewhat in awe, for it must have taken many man hours to dig.

Ikuto felt his way along the wall. There were obstacles in his way and, from what he could make out, there were crates or something of the like dotted about them. The tell-tale chinking of metal against his boots spoke of more excavation equipment much like they had seen above the ground. The air was musty; the temperature cool; and the smell of damp was rising from somewhere deep within the pit, though how far away they could not say, for it was impossible to gauge its depth in this impenetrable blackness.

Ikuto opened his mouth intending to relay all this to his partner when all of a sudden there was a God-awful 'snap!' followed by an unbelievable groan.

His heart dropped.

The brass above was glinting in the sun. He saw a trickle of debris sift down from the soil…

"Wait-!"

And before he could lunge back for the ladder, the hinges failed, the door to the hatchway snapping shut tight and leaving trapped them inside, alone, submerged in the dark.

~.~.~

A/N: What's this? An update in under a month? An update in which things are actually happening? Unbelievable.

Thoughts? Predictions? Criticisms? As always, I'd love to hear them and, as always, thank you oh so-much for reading! I've been grinning like an idiot after checking my stats page, so thank you all!

Til next time~!