InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Then From Love until Forever ❯ Death is only the Beginning Part 1 ( Chapter 12 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of its characters. I do not own the song Bring to Life by Evanescence.

Please forgive any and all spelling/grammar errors.

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IMPORTANT AUTHOR NOTES PLEASE READ

-Yeah, besides the fact that this chapter was hard as hell to write, I have school, work, church, my friends, family and my boyfriend to attend to before I write anything. So I do apologize for the long wait but I do have priorities that come first.

-Since my extra time is steadily decreasing I have decided to finish one story at a time. So since this story is the more popular of the three I am working on then I will finish this one first before the others. I believe there is between 3-4 more chapters left, give or take.

So…until further notice:
Rivers of the Heart is on hold
Four Souls is on hold

Don't worry I will finish them with time. Then after all three stories are complete I have decided to write the story that will document Kagome and Inuyasha's two years together but that story will probably not be out till the fall.

-Thank so much for the reviews and your patience. I am not completely satisfied with this chapter, I could have done it better but I figured I have made you guys wait long enough so I went ahead and posted it.

-This chapter will be posted in two parts…i would have posted it all together but it would have take another two weeks to finish and this chapter would have been around 35 pages long in MS word. -Takes place an hour or so after the last chapter-

Then From Love Until Forever…
Chapter Twelve: Death is only the beginning…PART 1

Kikyou tapped her red-heeled shoes on the linoleum floor, her cell-phone over her ear as she waited quite impatiently for someone to answer her call. Her eyes scanned the airport; people of all sizes, shapes and nationalities bustled around her - many just passing by, some racing to their gates while other just simply stopped for one reason or another.

She had taken her father's advice and come home early. But she never would have expected the surprise she got when she arrived. It was blaring all over the news, which every television at the airport was tuned into. She could feel the steam rising off her head.

"What is it?" a very deep masculine voice finally picked up her father's cell.

"I want to speak with my farther now!" Kikyou loudly demanded.

"He's busy…" the voice coldly replied.

"I don't care if he is in the middle of a meeting with Satan. I will speak to my father now!" she screamed into the phone, glaring at the people who stopped to stare at her. The line was silent for a long moment before Naraku answered clearly angered.

"What the hell is going on? I did as you suggested and came home early, only to find out that there is a warrant out for you arrest!" Kikyou said, glaring angrily at the television to her right as it continued to flash images of her father.

"I have not the time to listen to your idle chat." Naraku responded coolly.

"What happened?" Kikyou demanded more sternly as she focused her eyes to see a picture of a female she recognized on the screen, the headline reading…

'Rin Tama was shot at 12:15 this morning'

"The Tama brothers had some of my files stolen, I am sure that you, my dear, can figure out the rest. Now if you will excuse me, I am in the mist of planning my response."

"Did you have Sesshoumaru's wife shot?" Kikyou whispered, not wanting any possible ease droppers to hear her.

"She was merely a victim of circumstance."

Kikyou smirked, 'priceless.' The look on Sesshoumaru face would have been worth a lot of money, "Where you now?"

"Somewhere, close by…"

"Why haven't you left the country yet?" Kikyou asked, a bit perplexed, her eyes glancing at the television screen again.

"There are matters I will attend, people to destroy before I leave. Nobody crosses me and lives to tell the tale." Naraku sneered, thinking back to just hours before when he discovered Kagome had escaped his valley.

Kikyou only have listened to her father's words. Her gray eyes grew with disbelief, her heart rate increasing at an unhealthy rate. 'What the fuck…' The news anchor was reporting on Inuyasha Tama's birthday party and the special birthday present he received before his sister-in-law had been shot. A flood of fury built up in her at the sight of the woman in Inuyasha's arms…Kagome…

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"Hi t me!" She looked at him with daring blue eyes, urging him to do as she commanded.

"Are you sure? You've got an awful lot already…" He stared back at her with worried amber hues, afraid that she might have asked for too much.

"Inuyasha, stop being a wimp and hit me!" She retorted, lowering her head to give him the look, which told him all he needed to know.

"Hfmph…it's your funeral." He responded pulling his hand back - to swipe the top card from the deck in his other hand before slamming it down just in front of her. The two of hearts…

"Ha!" Kagome cheered, mentally adding the value of her cards together in her head, "Twenty-one! I win again. What is that sixty dollars you owe me now?" she teased him, her eyes sparkling at his distorted pouting face.

Inuyasha did not answer, only discarded the deck of cards and folded his arms over his chest to wallow silently in his defeat. Kagome and he had talked and talked and talked until there was nothing else they could possible discuss. Since sleeping was out of the question with Rin in the hospital, they had decided to play a few card games to help keep their minds off their friend. Sango and Miroku had played a few rounds of Baseball with them but both had given up when Kagome kept kicking everyone's ass.

"Aw, what's wrong? Sore loser?" Kagome continued to tease, edging out of her seat and stifling a giggle when Inuyasha stubbornly turned away from her in his chair.

"No. I am just berating myself. I should have given up and gone to bed when Sango and Miroku did but no, I had to go and get all testosterone and humiliate myself further.":

Kagome busted into laughter, and Inuyasha mentally celebrated. It felt so good to hear her laughter, to have her with him…to just be alive. His Kagome…his angel, his Density…his little princess, his family. He had truly been given the greatest gift of all…his life back.

Inuyasha was jolted back to reality when a soft, warm pair of lips melted against his, his arms instantly wrapped around Kagome's waist as she straddled his lap. God, he knew at that instant that he had died and gone straight to heaven. He felt her lips move against his and he responded full force, pressing her mouth apart with his tongue and deepening their kiss.

"Kagome…" he moaned against her lips when her arms wrapped around his neck, one of her hands caressing the back of his neck. Their kiss was short lived when Inuyasha's phone when off startling the pair from their intimate moment.

Inuyasha frowned when he recognized the caller ID. His heart fell into the pit of his stomach; if his mother was calling him then something must have happened. Silently praying that Rin and the baby was okay, he answered the singing device.

"What's going on mother?" Inuyasha asked immediately after accepting the call.

"Rin has gone back into surgery. The CGI flat lined, I don't think she is going to make it." Mrs. Tama's stricken voice echoed over the airways into Inuyasha's ear.

Inuyasha subconsciously tightened his grip on Kagome. Rin can't die…she too special of a person to just die like that. Sesshoumaru must be going out of his mind, "How is my brother?"

"I couldn't tell you. He hasn't left her room since he entered; he remained in the room even after they rushed her back into the operating room. But I can guarantee that whatever is going on in Sesshoumaru's head is not good and if Rin dies his beloved control will be shattered, I have no doubt about that."

"What's going on, Inuyasha?" Kagome asked, analyzing his facial expression and praying that she was reading his emotions wrong.

Inuyasha momentarily ignored his wife's question so he could finish the conversation with his mother, "Rin is not going to die. Kagome and I will be there in about an half and hour. Call me if anything changes."

"And Sesshoumaru?" Mrs. Tama asked worriedly.

"If my brother decides to retaliate then there is no one on this earth except for Rin that can persuade him otherwise. He knows that any decision he makes regarding the shooting will result in consequences. Sesshoumaru will not do something he is unable to handle."

"You're right, Inuyasha."

"I am. Kagome and I will be there shortly." Inuyasha responded, pushing up with his back to let Kagome know he was getting up.

"Alright, see you soon." Mrs. Tama said, disconnecting the phone call.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome asked again, taking a step back when he stood.

"Rin went back into surgery. Sesshoumaru apparently isn't doing so well and my mother needs us there."

Kagome closed her eyes, taking a deep breath to stop her quivering chin, "Okay. I will tell the maid to keep an eye on Destiny for us while we'll gone. She is worried enough about her aunt, and she needs her rest. What about Sango and Miroku?"

"They need to rest too. We'll call them immediately if anything drastic happens." Inuyasha answered, grabbing Kagome's hand and heading out of the living room.

"God I hope she is okay." Kagome whispered following her husband out of the room.

Inuyasha licked his lips, "So do I…"

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A fading shadow, a haunting memory…his princess…her beautiful image would be forever burned into his tormented mind.

He would never see her again…her smile, her eyes, her beauty. He would never hear the softness of her voice or the melodic sound of her laughter. He would never again get to watch her get excited over the smallest of things. He could never tell her how much she meant to him…he could never say goodbye.

The hospital room was pitch black, not a sound or a breath. Sesshoumaru stared into the darkness. His world had shattered like glass instantly destroying his foundations and his control. She had been the only reason he loved. He only felt pain because she was not near. He knew of happiness solely from her radiant smile. He had conquered the universe because she loved him.

Nothing…he felt absolutely nothing. Even as the nurse, with tear stricken eyes came into Rin's hospital room shaking her head, he felt empty. After another hour of surgery, Rin was gone. Gone from his life forever. She had been taken from him. She was his life, his only reason to put up with the retched world around him, and now…nothing.

A large part of him went with her, almost every piece of him that felt died with her. In her wake, Rin had taken his heart, mind and soul to the afterlife with her, leaving him with nothing but a desperately growing anger, rage, and need for revenge.

Never again would he hold her in his arms…listen to his name roll off her lips…say I love you. Someone had sought to bring him down using her, they took her life and his child's and for that that person and any other persons involved would pay with their meaningless lives.

Sesshoumaru's nails dug into his palm causing droplets of blood to race down his clenched fists. His heart closed up into a solid barrier of frozen thickness. His normal amber eyes glazed over almost solid red as he stared blankly out into the empty, dark room. Only an hour ago he had been staring down at her, helplessly watching her fight for her life. He had told her not to go, he demanded that she stayed with him but his Rin…his precious Rin had failed to adhere to his command. She had left him alone without a single hope of light.

The hall was adorned with the brightness of the fluorescent lights glued to the ceiling. Mrs. Tama paced back and forth as she waited impatiently for her son to finally emerge from his wife's room. He had not been seen since Rin was rushed back into the operating room. Tears stained her face; she could feel his pain, his sorrow and his fury. She knew…deep down inside to pits of her stomach that it was only a matter of time before Sesshoumaru cracked, neither heaven or hell could save Rin's murderer from her son's wrath.

She had called Inuyasha; she couldn't bear to tell him over the phone that Rin did not make it. It was gong to hard on him enough, the phone didn't seem like the proper way to break the news to him. Her eyes shot to the officer standing a few yards away, Totosai had to attend to some matters down at the station so he sent an officer to speak with Sesshoumaru about the incident.

A dry laugh escaped her lips, talking was the last thing on Sesshoumaru's mind. If she knew her son, he wanted an eye for an eye…he wanted lives for the lives of his wife and baby. Sesshoumaru was a ticking bomb and it was only a matter of time before the end of the world as Naraku and his minions knew it.

Her spine tingled, sending a cold chill to sweep over her aging body. The hall became almost deadly quite. Not even a second later, her eldest son emerged from the confinements he had entered over an hour before. Fire burned in his eyes, she had never seen any emotion evident on his face…and now for the first time in his life he held one out for everybody to see. And all seven hells were about to break lose…

She wanted out of here. All around her it was gloomy and black. Wherever she was…she didn't like it a damn bit. This place, this strange place she woke up in was cold, dark, and lonely. Her mind was fuzzy, clouded almost as if a fog had crept upon her and devoured her brain. Where was she? Why was she here and not where she belonged? What had happened?

There had been a party…Inuyasha's birthday. Yes, and Kagome came in, he saw her…they finally were together again. Sesshoumaru was holding around her waist as she wept happily for her friends. Then here memories ended, she could remember nothing but a piercing pain before she woke up in this desolate place.

Eventually she had concluded that she was dreaming, stuck in some weird nightmare but every time she tried to wake up, a sharp jolting ache raced through her chest and deep into her heart. Everything in this place was different…depressing, haunting and utterly creepy. She did not even think she was breathing. It was a strange sensation, she felt like she was floating…in this sinister, god-forsaken place that she wanted out of right now.

"You are not allowed to leave me, Rin…"

"Where am I going?" she cried out, recognizing Sesshoumaru's voice and cringing when her voice thundered out an echo in response.

"Do you hear me?

"Yes. But I can't get out…its so cold and it hurts. I am trying, I don't want to be here…"

"I forbid it."

"I promise I will never leave you…I promise but I can't get out."

He stormed through the crowded labyrinth of the station, his long silver hair whipped behind him. Sesshoumaru ignored the stares and remarks made as he walked heavily towards his destination. The officer back at the hospital told him they had captured a possible accomplice to his wife's murder. His eyes darkened, he would find out what that imprisoned culprit knew then he would find Naraku and the gunner. Mercy was the last thing on his mind.

Sesshoumaru neared the cell where they held the man Totosai had arrested. He spoke with the old detective briefly so he could get permission to question the prisoner. However, even if permission had not been granted, he would have still questioned the accomplice. He would get his information by any means necessary.

He hated this sensation in his chest, in his head, it made him feel vulnerable, weak, and hurt. And it all had started the moment his Rin was shot and intensified as he watched her die right before his eyes. His blood boiled in his veins as he neared the room where the suspect was being held. Sesshoumaru could feel the throbbing of his head like a knife. He would grieve after he avenged Rin's death.

Kouga Shard. That name sounded vaguely familiar but now was not the time for reminiscing. He needed information and he would get what he wanted…at all costs. His eyes did not blink as he entered the brightly lit room. He took a moment's time to scan the confined area before allowing his cold eyes to fall to the man sitting at the end of a large brown table. Kouga's head was down cast and his dark bangs hid his eyes from view.

"Tell me…" Kouga's voice cracked as he spoke, not looking at the silver haired man that entered the room, "Did she survive?"

Sesshoumaru's mood darkened, "No," he snapped sharply back, fighting back a new wave of pain for the verbal acknowledgement. This man dared to inquire about his wife as if he cared if she lived or not?

Kouga's head dropped lower, his hands came up to brace the table, "I am…" he couldn't say the words to apologize. If only he had acted sooner then maybe Rin would not be dead now and Kagome would again be with her husband. But he had failed to make up for his past transgressions he failed Rin…and Kagome. He did not have to look up to see who had come into the room. Kouga knew it would be only a matter of time before Sesshoumaru came…he knew the older man would come whether or not Rin lived.

His mind went temporarily blank when a strong hand wrapped around his neck and lifted him out of his chair only to slam him forcefully into the wall shortly afterwards. The chair was knocked backward in the quick movement. Sesshoumaru's grip on him was tight, purposing cutting off his air circulation. The fact that the air was knocked from his lungs upon impact with the wall did not help his situation. In a feeble attempt to breath, Kouga's hand shot up and tried to pry the hand away from his throat.

"Do not assume you can offer a apology to pacify me. You will tell me everything I want to know…"

Inuyasha ran down the hallway of the hospital. He held Kagome's hand tight in his as he moved quickly toward Rin's room. Something didn't settle right with him, almost like a dark cloud hung high above them just waiting to send down its lightening to destroy them all. His throat was tight and his heart was dancing in his stomach. Something wasn't right…something had gone wrong and things were about to get unsteadily worse.

It was only a minute until they reached his mother who waited for them outside the room. Her aged face looked sad and pained but an even stronger emotion vibrated in her eyes…fear.

"Mom?" Inuyasha asked upon arrival, his chest heaved slightly while his arm snaked around Kagome's waist to hold her close to him.

Mrs. Tama's eyes swelled with a thick coating of clear liquid, "Rin…she, she did not make it"

Kagome gasped, her hand came up and covered her mouth, her head shaking back and forth, "No…please no," she wept.

Inuyasha pulled his wife into a tight embrace, gently rubbing her back. His own eyes stinging with building tears. She was gone…Rin. The world had lost a bright and beautiful soul. Life would never to the same for any of them. He was silently glad; they left Destiny back at the mansion in the maid's care. Rin's death was going to devastate his daughter, just as much as it affected everyone else.

"I'm worried about Sesshoumaru. Rin kept him balanced, now I fear his sanity is at stake. Your brother is out for blood." Mrs. Tama spoke up, as she stared down the hall.

"Sesshoumaru will find out who killed Rin and he will deal with them accordingly as is his right." Inuyasha responded dryly.

"This not the feudal era, Inuyasha," Kagome looked up from his shoulder, her nose puffy and her cheeks red with tears, "People just can't go around killing other people because someone else was killed."

"Rin is dead…dead! Meaning she isn't coming back. She was the innocent in all of this. If I know my brother he will not stop until he has satisfied his desire for revenge."

"So more people dying is the answer?" Kagome retorted, stepping back out of his arms.

"That is just it, Kagome. He is not after just anybody. He wants Rin's murderer and the man who hired him. When you have lost the love of your life something inside you just clicks and there is this insatiable need to dull the pain by any means necessary."

Kagome opened her mouth to respond but quickly closed it as her mind registered what he was saying. Inuyasha understood how his older brother felt. He had to endure the same feelings, regrets, and tortures during her long absence. How could she have forgotten? Her crystalline eyes softened, her hand reached up to stroke across his cheek.

"Sesshoumaru is not stable. Forgive me, Inuyasha, but it is easier to calm you down when your angry than it is your older brother." Mrs. Tama broke in, a bit dejectedly.

"It is okay, mother." Inuyasha replied; his mouth dry and his heart ached. He knew she worried that her son would do something rash, but as she had said there was no stopping him.

"I can't believe she's gone." Kagome said, beginning to cry again into his shoulder.

Inuyasha let his eyelids fall close in attempt to fight back the approaching tears; his fingers ran through his wife's thick raven hair. He knew what his mother wanted and what he had to do. He was going to have to grieve for his dear friend later, after he found his brother, "Kagome, can you call Sango and Miroku?"

"Yeah, I'll have them bring Destiny with them when they come. It's still early in the morning but I would feel better having our daughter with me. I have to talk to her about Rin anyways."

Inuyasha kissed the top of Kagome's head, "Mother do you know where Sesshoumaru went?"

Mrs. Tama fidgeted with her hands, "He left for the police station. Apparently the police found a suspect roaming the grounds of the country club. But that was some time ago, I've tried calling his cell phone but he refuses the call."

A heavy sigh escaped Inuyasha's lips, "Don't worry I will find him."

"Find him or death will be but a dream compared to the agony you will endure," Sesshoumaru snapped frozenly into his mobile phone just before his closing fist flipped it closed, cutting off the connection.

He stood at the edge of a cliff that looked out over the city below. Kouga had told him everything he wished to know. Naraku had hired him to take his wife out, and it had taken every ounce of what little control Sesshoumaru possessed not to kill the bastard after Kouga's admission. But he allowed Kouga to speak further in hopes of discovering Naraku's whereabouts.

Naraku had planned to use Kagome as payment to Kouga for the mission. So he accepted the job but instead planned to drug Rin to make it seem as if she was dead, get Kagome then take her to his little brother. It almost seemed as if the bastard genuinely was remorseful about his wife's untimely death. Sesshoumaru had asked why he chose to defy his employer, his skepticism clear in the question.

"Because I have done things in my life that I am not proud of. I hurt Kagome and I destroyed another woman's life at Naraku's bidding. It was not my intention to cause you or your wife any pain. I was just trying to fix the wrongs I have done. Naraku must have hired another assassin in case I failed in my task."

"Where is he now?" Sesshoumaru asked, his grip squeezing tighter around Kouga's neck.

"I…" Kouga coughed, "I don't…know."

Eight years ago, Inuyasha was in love with Kagome. In his greatest act of stupidity, his brother had managed to sign away his freedom and unknowingly agreed to marry Naraku's eldest daughter. Not known to society was the simple fact that Naraku did indeed have a daughter older than his precious Kikyou. Naraku and his whore had two daughters whom he dominated and kept hidden from the world. But Sesshoumaru had found Kagura, and with her help he was able to declare that binding part of the contract void and Inuyasha was able to marry the woman he loved.

Naraku Shikon was an avenging, sadistic man. He had Kagome taken from Inuyasha before they were able to fully enjoy the wonders and trials of married life, Naraku had his own daughter mugged and beaten into a coma, and lastly he had destroyed two innocent lives - Rin and their unborn baby.

The wind blew across Sesshoumaru's still form causing his long silvery hair to wipe wildly around him. The descending moon of the early morning hours highlighted his untamed tresses. Naraku was on borrowed time; nobody would be able to recognize the bastard's body when Sesshoumaru was finished. The end was near.

It felt like loud alarm echoing off the hollow contours of her skull. Sharp, precise pains jabbed at her chest. All around her it was still dark…and lonely. All she wanted was out of whatever hell she was in and Sesshoumaru, but she couldn't feel his presence anywhere. Even though she knew he was nowhere close to her she could still feel his grief and anger. Something wasn't right…she should not be here she should be with him. He needed her…a bright light opened behind her…beckoning her.

No…No…Rin moved backward her eyes wide with fright…No! She wasn't…she couldn't be…Sesshoumaru…her baby…No. She was not ready to die, she did not want to leave him alone…she wouldn't…NO!

Rin's cinnamon eyes snapped opened only to be greeted by a painfully bright light burning her pupils. She took a deep gulp of air, her chest rising off the bed. She heard gasps and mutters all around her soon followed by the feel of hands touching her buzzing body. Her eyes focused just enough for her mind realize what was happening. A hospital…she was in a hospital and nurses where staring at her in complete disbelief while they frantically reinserted the IVs. She heard a woman to her right call anxiously for the doctor.

"Dr. Jaken! Get me Dr. Jaken immediately, tell him it's a miracle…Rin Tama is alive!"

Inuyasha walked out of the police station, he ran his hand through his long hair trying to ease his growing tension. His older brother had definitely paid a visit to the station. He shook his head slightly…Kouga. He hadn't seen his old rival in over eight years and it surprised the hell out of him to find out that Kouga had been arrested as a possible accomplice to Rin's murder. His eyes narrowed…damn him. If Kouga had anything to do with the events of the last few hours, he would personally make sure the bastard never saw the light of day again.

He would have gone into the room and questioned Kouga but from the looks of the battered man, Sesshoumaru had already done his fair share of beating the truth out of him. Fuck Kouga. Inuyasha took an intake of air, clearing his mind so he could solely concentrate on locating his brother…wherever hell he was.

Where does Sesshoumaru go when he is unsettled about something? Oh yeah, that fucking helps…Sesshoumaru doesn't get unsettled about anything…he just treats the world as if it held no power over him. If something bothers him, Sesshoumaru deals with it. He doesn't dwell on matters…he merely thinks about them and ponders the most acceptable solution. There is no place he goes to think things through because by the time he arrived at it Sesshoumaru would already have the answer.

Inuyasha nearly jumped out of his skin when his cell phone began buzzing in his pocket. Cursing his edginess, he answered the phone with a quick greeting.

"…" A long silence responded, accompanied with soft sobs, "Inu…Inuyasha?!" Kagome's voice called out to him in an baffling happy but tear filled sound.

"Kagome?" he asked, still quite not truly believing he had her back, "What's wrong?"

"It…it's Rin"

"What about Rin?" Inuyasha questioned stepping away from the entrance to the station and descending down the stairs.

"She's…Inuyasha she is alive!" Kagome declared breaking down in more frantic joyous sobs.

Inuyasha froze, every muscle in his body refusing to move until his mind fully comprehended his wife's words. Rin was alive? His heart began fluttering in his chest, jumping to life at the news, "And the baby?"

"Like before there is a heartbeat but its fate is uncertain. Dr. Jaken says that if the baby does survive it will most likely suffer any where from minor to severe birth defects."

"She's alive…" Inuyasha repeated, in complete awe at the miracle.

"Yes," Kagome whispered happily, "she is and she's awake. We can't get a hold of Sesshoumaru though."

"Yeah, well finding him is quickly becoming a difficult task. But I will find him and tell him that Rin and his baby is alive. Maybe then he will want to go to her rather than search Naraku out and destroy him before dawn." Inuyasha responded, dryly joking towards the end of his remark.

"Please find him, baby…"

Inuyasha smiled, " I will, I promise."

"I know you will. I love you."

"I love you too, give Destiny a kiss for me when you see her," he said resuming his decent towards the pavement below.

"I will. Please be careful. Bye."

Inuyasha flipped his phone closed, shoving both hands into his pants pockets, "Damn it," Inuyasha muttered, trekking across the parking lot towards his car and looking towards the sky, "Finding Sesshoumaru is going to be like searching for a fucking needle in a fucking haystack."

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Ok…part two will hopefully be done within the next two weeks. It will start off right wear this one left off…and continuing with the song Bring me to Life.

Please review and tell what you think…

Thank you so much for the support.

Until Next Time…