InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ What Matters the Most ❯ Sanity Rise, Sanity Fall ( Chapter 71 )

A/N: *blinks*

Woah... has it really been a month since I updated? O.O

How the hell did that happen?!

*shakes head*

I’m really sorry bout keeping you guys hanging like that for so long! I swear it wasn’t intentional! School’s been shitty, people have been getting sick, and my muses went AWOL on me. They just didn’t want to write this chapter.

I was hoping to make this chapter a long one to make up for the amount of time it took to get it up, but I’m afraid that didn’t really happen. The next chapter probably will be though, and it won’t take nearly as long to get up, I promise! *gives muses death-glare*

Bleagh. This chap has a little mini-fight in it... I hate writing fight scenes. *grimaces* Hopefully I didn’t completely fuck it up.

Anyway, the title for this probably doesn’t have much to do with the chapter. My brain short-circuited though and wouldn’t come up with anything better... >_<

I was a bit tired when I wrote this chapter, actually, so if there’s any confusion about it, please just let me know. ^_^   ~*~   Sanity Rise, Sanity Fall

Attacking one’s children in any manner was certainly not one of the most pleasant things the world had to offer. In fact, as far as Inu Taisho was concerned, it was exactly the opposite of that.

That didn’t stop it from, at times, being necessary.

And, when one of your son’s has all but succumbed to insanity and transformed into full-demon berserker mode in an effort to protect your other, incapacitated son, who just so happens to be the first son’s mate... well, that was one of the times when attacking your children might be deemed appropriate.

Not that appropriate really mattered.

At this stage in the game, as far as he could see, anything that would get him and his entire family out of this alive and, for the most part, whole was fair play. And if that meant slicing Sesshomaru’s shoulder open, then so be it.

It’s not like he had a choice anyway; Sesshomaru planned to kill Naraku. Reasoning with him, obviously, didn’t dissuade him in the least. But Naraku was, at the moment, the only one who knew how to remove Inuyasha’s collar, and where Tsukiko was.

Now, while the collar might be removable by an outside source-- say a priestess or monk or some such-- Finding Tsukiko wouldn’t be quite so easy if they destroyed her current “caretaker” before he revealed her location.

And that had been the only thing on Inu Taisho’s mind as he had leapt at his son-- claws extended as far as they could go to tear through the thick fur and flesh that made up Sesshomaru’s hide.

The wail Sesshomaru had produced had been, fortunately, more angered and surprised than pained, meaning he hadn’t done too much damage to his son... Just enough to deter him in his quest to spill Naraku’s blood.

And that’s all he had really wanted.

And he had succeeded... Sesshomaru’s attention was definitely no longer focused on the kumo or killing him. No... it seemed that his attack on Sesshomaru had caused his eldest son’s yoki to start perceiving him as an actual threat... meaning that he could be a danger to Inuyasha...

Not that he would ever hurt his youngest son (unless it was absolutely necessary, like now), but try explaining that to a half-mad dog-demon.

Sesshomaru’s eyes, which had been angry enough before, now blazed with his rage and desire to protect his mate. The dark crimson orbs narrowed sharply as he spun on Inu Taisho, a loud snarl tearing free from his lips, his acidic saliva dripping down to eat away at the grass and earth beneath his paws.

And it was quite obvious by the look in his eyes and the way his fur bristled upon his back that any and all traces of rationale Sesshomaru had possessed had fled him.

Words, expressions, gestures... none of these would mean anything to him anymore. He wanted blood. He wanted the threat eliminated.

And it was quite obvious that, in that instance, Sesshomaru perceived Inu Taisho to be the threat.

Inu Taisho’s golden eyes darkened a little as he realised this fact, but he let none of his inner turmoil appear on his face as he slowly slipped into a battle stance, hating the arrogant look of obvious enjoyment that had splayed itself across Naraku’s face as the kumo looked on at the scene playing out before him.

And, putting all his hate and rage aside, Inu Taisho really had to admit that, when it came to manipulating and hurting people, the bastard really was a genius.

They hadn’t been here more than an hour and already Naraku had managed to make Inuyasha attack Sesshomaru and then incapacitated him, caused Sesshomaru to lose his carefully reined control and give into his youki, and pitted Inu Taisho and Sesshomaru against each other; and all that without so much as lifting a tentacle himself...

Inu Taisho didn’t have much time to contemplate this as movement out of the corner of his eye alerted him to the fact that Sesshomaru was no longer just facing off with him, but had actually moved to attack.

Not pausing a moment to really think about what he was planning to do, Inu Taisho quickly dodged to the sight, dropping his legs from beneath him and rolling a little ways to land in a crouch as he carefully avoided the deadly claws and fangs Sesshomaru had aimed at him.

His eldest son’s hulking mass crashed into the earth, sending several small earthquakes quaking from the shattered earth beneath his paws, making Inu Taisho thankful he had not attempted to rise to his feet; the action would have surely knocked him over.

His gratefulness didn’t last as he was again forced to leap away from Sesshomaru’s wrath as his son leapt at him again-- his mouth wide and snarling his fury for the world to hear as his jaws again snapped closed inches from capturing his prey.

When Sesshomaru landed this time, it was a bit lighter and with more consideration placed into it as he fixed Inu Taisho with a hard stare, his eyes sharp and intense... contemplating...

Obviously this creature he was hunting was both fast and skilled. Maybe not even so much prey as an opponent.

Sesshomaru’s ears turned back as he considered this.

The small... thing was more trouble than he had originally thought. Perhaps it might be interesting to fight with it for a while-- see if it was really worth the effort-- but then again... with his mate so close, and the other threat not yet eliminated... It probably wouldn’t be worth the risk.

No. He would have to take this creature out now, before it had a chance to harm him or his mate again.

That decided, Sesshomaru shifted a little, hunching his body into a mock-pounce, watching carefully as the creature tensed again-- the same way it had before-- obviously preparing to dodge him.

Sesshomaru gave a soft snarl.

Not this time. That creature was either going to have to fight with him, or it was going to be killed. He wasn’t going to chase it around like this and let it continue to distract him from what was important.

Clenching his muscles, Sesshomaru braced himself, and then lunged again... and, again, as he had predicted the thing veered to the side. Sesshomaru did not hesitate to follow, twisting and bracing one of his paws against the ground as he redirected his course to the side, catching the smaller being by surprise.

He waited until he could practically taste the being in his mouth before snapping his jaws shut this time, saliva already welling in his mouth in the anticipation of spilling the thing’s blood...

Warmth and copper filled his mouth, spilling over his tastebuds and down his throat in such a large amount that, for a moment Sesshomaru’s youki was too distracted to pay attention to anything else.

Then the pain hit.

Sesshomaru wrenched backwards, a loud yelp tearing free from his lips even as more blood poured in his mouth, and his mind worked frantically to pinpoint the source of it, finally connecting it to a gash torn almost all the way through the pronged edge of his tongue... one that most certainly hadn’t been there before he had attacked the creature.

Sesshomaru’s eyes were a little bit wide as his mind worked through the strange flare of pain rushing through his mouth and the flare of youki all the blood was causing.

He fell back on his haunches, a little stunned.

So. It seemed the little creature could fight after all...

It was that thought, more than anything else, that really jolted him out of his stupor, and he quickly tensed, rising to his feet again and scanning the area for his opponent, his ears turning back as he felt his youki finally rising to the task of repairing the damage to his tongue.

He finally spotted his target standing a good twenty feet away from him, blood dripping from his exposed claws, hunched and braced in a defensive posture... over his fallen mate...

Sesshomaru felt rage flood through him at the last part, his eyes growing even darker as more crimson flooded through them, and he barely resisted the urge to howl his wrath to the world.

How dare that insignificant insect go anywhere near his mate?!

Especially when his mate was so exhausted and couldn’t defend itself!

Blood rushed in his ears, singing a song that promised pain and death to the fool who dared threaten his family... pain and death which he was going to deliver. This oblivious, idiotic thing had taunted him long enough. It was going to die!

So caught up in his inner fury at the creature before him, Sesshomaru did not even notice the tentacles rushing toward him until several of the long, hideous black things had buried themselves firmly into the flesh of his shoulder-- further tearing open the wound the other had placed there earlier.

Sesshomaru did howl at that, his body arching painfully as his mind tore itself between focusing on the one near his mate, and the one currently ripping his shoulder apart.

Unfortunately, the decision was out of his hands, and, although he did snarl at the creature by his mate as it cried out and attempted to come toward him, his attention was, inevitably, drawn toward the other... the one that reeked of poison and death and pain and blood and other vulgar things... The one that still had it’s sickly appendages buried within his shoulder.

Pain assaulted him as the snake-like things wormed deeper-- rubbing against raw nerves and tearing through flesh and muscle and sinews in such a way that both prevented Sesshomaru from twisting to face him, or pulling away from the assault without further injuring himself.

He yowled loudly despite himself, his mind unconcerned at this point with what kind of advantage that might give his enemy as he fought desperately against blacking out from the prolonged pain filling his body.

The other creature made a move to dart around him, and Sesshomaru gathered his last shreds of strength and mobility and forced himself to snarl at the thing-- lunging awkwardly in an attempt to ward it off. It was bad enough to have one of the little things behind him. He wasn’t going to let this one get out of his line of sight too.

Not that that mattered much, because said line of sight was narrow, and getting dimmer by the second as the tentacles continued to burrow within his flesh.

Snarling angrily, Sesshomaru twisted violently, ignoring the pain that erupted because of this, as he snapped his jaws shut, once again, only inches short of his prey.

That didn’t matter.

The motion was enough to send the creature jerking back-- yanking the things from within him once again... slicing through the last shreds of flesh and muscle and bone that had held the appendage to him on the way...

Sesshomaru’s vision went white for several long moments as his mind went numb save for the frantic signals it attempted to send out toward the freshly severed appendage-- refusing to acknowledge it’s lack of existence until, with nothing but his three other, rather shaky limbs to support him, his body went crashing to the ground.

His vision flared back to life then, and his gaze swivelled forward, toward the ground that was rushing rapidly up to meet him... surprised when a pair of dull, barely-open, but undeniably familiar golden eyes stared hazily back at him from several feet away.

Recognition flared through Sesshomaru as his youki was distracted with the pain, and he barely even noticed when his body hit the ground, too caught up in the eyes staring so weakly back at him.

‘Inuyasha!’ He mentally screamed, his rational mind springing up from within the shadows his youki had buried it in for the first time since the fight had begun, even as he futilely attempted to rise to his feet, stopping almost immediately as agony shot through his shoulder and spine.

Though he had, clearly, not said the word aloud, Inuyasha still seemed to perk up a little bit when he thought it, and his eyes focused a little more clearly on Sesshomaru, gold orbs blinking confusedly into his crimson ones, before slowly sliding down toward Sesshomaru’s maimed shoulder.

Sesshomaru felt a small swarm of guilt rise up within him as he realised he had allowed himself to be so easily wounded when he should have been defending his mate, and his ears drooped down a little as he turned his face away from Inuyasha’s puzzled gaze.

The shift in the air was not one that Sesshomaru felt very often, but he had felt it once or twice before in his life, and it was enough to cause his head to snap back around toward his mate, alarm and horror rushing through him as he fixed his golden eyes on Inuyasha, even as another spike of pain shot up his shoulder.

He was not too far gone to yowl his distress to his father as he watched Inuyasha’s eyes flicker and bleed slowly to red. ~*~  

Glossary

Kumo - Spider

Youki - A demon’s “spiritual” energy ~*~  

-golden_kitsune - Lol, well it’s been a couple months since I watched it (I think) so I’ve calmed down a bit about the whole thing now-- which is good news for you, because that means I won’t be ranting about it anymore. ^_^ Lol, yeah, I’m afraid the Sess-berserker mode didn’t last as long as it should of *gives muses another death-glare* but he did try to kill his father while in that mode, so that’s something. And now Inuyasha seems to be in Demon-mode as well, so, hopefully what happens next will make up for the quality (or rather, lack thereof) in this chapter. ^_^ As to WAFF... well, I’d like to say that it is, but this is me we’re talking about, and the last WAFF type thing I wrote was probably around seven months ago or so, so I don’t know... Once a year I usually get in the mood to write WAFF, and these guys really do have it coming to them, so maybe... We’ll have to see. First I have to get everybody back in their right minds and out of Naraku’s grasp. ^_^ Mm. Yes, I think I might go for a sequel. I’m not sure when, but it definitely seems like a good idea. We’ll have to see about that, too... ^_^ Lol, yeah, I should probably ease up on Sess and Inu sometime soon. And don’t worry, what few morals I have left dictate that I should not torture the children any more than I already have. ^_^ Well, by all means, babble away! Hell knows I do it often enough! ^_^ Lol, well if you’re an addict, does that make me your dealer? ^_^

-FXL - Lol, sorry bout that. Maybe sometime I’ll get a chapter in that’ll make you happy! I wouldn’t get your hopes too high on that, but it’s still a possibility! ^_^ Lol, well that’s fine. Just as long as you wait until Sess or whoever has gotten rid of him in this fic. ^_^ Yeah, Inu really does deserve a bit of happiness in his life doesn’t he? Hm. Well, it’s his own fault! He shouldn’t have been so stupid as to climb in my head and catch my muses attention! He’ll just have to deal with the consequences! *crosses arms* -- Hm... That sounds suspiciously like a “happily-ever-after” ending. *eyes your ending warily* Well, I’ll see what I can do, although my happily-ever-after muses went on strike long before they ever had a chance to write anything, and I’ve yet to make any attempts to bring them back. Still, Inu and Sess probably do deserve something like that after all the shit I’ve put them through. -- *groans* Yeah, blood and action would be nice. I hate fight scenes, though, they’re so damn hard to write sometimes. Still, now with Sess missing a limb and all that, we should see some real stomach-slicing and whatnot happening in the near future. I’m still not entirely certain how yet, but it should happen. ^_^ As to Kagura’s mate, lol, yeah, I actually do have someone from the series in mind. I’m just not sure if I like the decision as much anymore as I did at the beginning. Plus, I just don’t have as much time to dedicate to that little side pairing at the moment. But it is someone we all probably should know. ^_^ -- Lol, yeah, the collar really is causing some problems for them, ain’t it? Still, hopefully we’ll be able to fix that up before the end of the fic. Or else Inu’s gonna have a permanent (and rather uncomfortable) accessory to wear with him wherever he goes. *winces* Actually makes me kinda glad he’s not real, cause he’d sure as hell kill me if he was. ^_^ -- Mm, yes, Naraku did say he had gotten Inuyasha pregnant, but at that point I was referring to when he raped Inu the first time and he had Tsukiko. Whether he’s pregnant now is still a mystery. ^_^ -- Lol, yeah, you probably do say that most times you review, but that’s okay cause so does pretty much everyone else reading this story. ^_^ You’re right, though, there are lots of possible ways to end this fic... As to me knowing... well, I’d be lying if I said that was true. The only one’s who know are my muses, and they’re not telling. ^_^ *offers you an aspirin* hope that helps... can’t give you much else cause my muses are sadists, but... Still, though, considering it’s been just about a month since I updated, your headache is probably pretty much gone by now, neh? ^_^ Lol, still, glad you enjoyed the chapter-- however homicidal it made you-- and I hope you’ll like the next one’s just as much! ^_^

-Zetsuii - Gomen! I’m afraid I didn’t exactly update right away... But I did update! That’s still something! ^_^ Lol, still, It’s great to know that you’re liking the story that much! Hopefully this chapter met the standards of the others... *eyes chapter sceptically* ^_^ I’ll try and get the next chapter up sooner than this one, though, I promise!

-Crazy-Inuyasha-Girl - Lol, glad you enjoyed it... Gomen, I didn’t update very quickly though, did I? *grimaces*

-Myli - Lol, glad you liked it. To be honest, I don’t know when or if Naraku’s gonna die. He’s being a real annoying bastard right now by refusing to get directly involved in the battle, making it hard to kill him. I’m thinking of just setting off a bug-bomb in front of him and seeing what happens. It‘d make things a helluva a lot easier for Inu and Sess, that‘s for sure! ^_^

-Ladykaa28 - Lol, sorry, I know how much you must have been looking forward to Sess tearing Naraku to shred... I think I gave an explanation in this chapter, somewhere, but the reason was because a) as you said, they don’t know how to get the collar off, and b) they don’t know where Tsukiko is. Now, while killing him would certainly be fun, it might not be the smartest thing to do, because they don’t know what would happen. ^_^ -- Well... there was blood in this chapter... Just not the kind that you wanted... Still, you’re right, enough of their blood has been spilt to satisfy pretty much any person in the world. Unfortunately, I don’t think my muses qualify as people, so we may see still more bloodshed on their part. As to Tsukiko... well, she’s somewhere, I can tell you that much. And yes, she did cry out during one of Naraku’s assaults on Inuyasha. Why? -- Lol, don’t worry about it, no question is crazy if you really want to know the answer. And besides, I’m the author of the fic! It’s my job to answer your questions! ^_^

-Tai-san - Lol, I’m glad you enjoyed it! ^_^ Hope I didn’t ruin all the angst build-up with this chap. I don’t think it quite did the whole “Sess-going-berserk” plot justice, but this is what my muses wanted, and they wouldn’t leave the idea alone so I was forced to write it. Hopefully I’ll pick up the slack in the next chapter. ^_^ As to how they’ll get out of it... *grimaces*... Don’t ask me, I have no idea. Lol, yeah, they’re together now. Both of them have deteriorating states of mental health, but they are together, so that has to count for something. ^_^ Lol, still, seriously glad you’re enjoying it! And thanks for the wonderful comments and encouragement! They actually help more than you could probably guess! ^_^

-cloverfire19 - Well, while that certainly does paint a nice picture for us, I’m afraid it didn’t happen quite yet. I’m sorry that you did have to wait though. I’m really lagging behind lately. *grimaces* -- Hm... y’know, I don’t really know why I do that either. Keeps you hanging though, and coming back for more, so it can’t be entirely bad, now can it? ^_^

-____insert user here - Lol, well I’m glad it’s more of a ghost-boo, though now I’m wondering if I’m supposed to scream or something. ^_^ -- *grimaces* school’s got it’s hooks in you too, huh? *mentally death-glares school* Glad you don’t think I was slow though, although to me, normal-esque still feels slow even after I’ve been following that pattern for months now. *grimaces* I wanna go back to updating every couple of days on all my stories, but somehow I’ve misplaced the stamina and creativity for that, and I can’t seem to find it again. And fine, I’ll admit it, I was dying to know about your teachers! You caught me. Happy now? ^_^ Lol, glad you liked the last couple of updates though! (and thanks for clearing up the Lunkwill and Fook comparison... Never read hitchhikers guide to the galaxy, so for a second there I was wondering what the heck you were talking about ^_^ Still “strange, but smart“... They sound like me! Well, on the “strange” part, anyway ^_^ ) -- *sighs* Yeah, I’m sure. Well, mostly sure, anyway. I think maybe my kneecaps might be gelatinous, but for the most part my legs are flesh and blood and bones and muscles and all that other gunk that I don’t know the names of. Lol, you were being obnoxious? Hm. Well, if you say so, maybe I’m just not paying enough attention. Anyway, stop if you want to-- I‘m not gonna stop you. ^_^ -- Well, you said something about why I didn’t do comedy (and yes, that’d be why ^_^) but I didn’t remember what we were talking about so I went to check and MAN did I confuse the hell out of myself! I don’t know how the hell you keep up with my weird rambles, I got lost by the second sentence! And maybe I shouldn’t say that quite so loud... probably not something I want to spread around. ^_^ Lol. Anyway... Yeah, I imagine a vampire with a goatee would be a strange sight, but then again, a vampire in and of itself would be a strange sight too, goatee or no goatee. ^_^ -- *sighs and pats sympathetically on the back* yeah, I know what you mean. Math homework is hell. Of course, when I’m doing it, I don’t think I lose any of my insanity. I just switch it for another, more volatile kind that is generally dangerous to the mental and physical health of any object or thing that may be in the room at the time... ^_^ -- Well, I suppose I can forgive you for whatever it is you’re apologizing for. Just this once. ^_^ -- Lol, really? Are you half-crazed now? Cause you still seem funny to me. And that sounded dangerously close to an insult, didn’t it? Well, to me it did, but maybe it didn’t to you... Still, that tends to be the case with most people-- they’re just average, ordinary, dull folks until they go crazy. They can deny it all they want. Insanity always was more fun, anyway. ^_^ Anyway, I can’t remember what my point was, so onto the next part of your review! ^_^ -- Lol, exactly. I nearly had it out with another author once because they were biting all their reviewers’ heads off for saying “Keep going” and “update soon.” I just couldn’t believe how fucking idiotic this person was. People liked they’re story and wanted them to continue, but they, for some stupid reason, thought the reviewers were just trying to pressure them and whatnot. Even if that’s true, what would they prefer-- people trying to force them to continue, or people trying to force them to stop? I, personally, would go for the first on. -- Lol, blowing off the dentist to read fics? *sigh* if only we call could do that. ^_^ -- Lol, so this pepper reminded you of potatoes? I’m sorry that you couldn’t find it, though. I’m afraid I haven’t come across your notebook, either, and as to your functioning braincells...well, they’re probably hiding in the same place mine wandered off to way back when. If that’s the case, then I doubt you’ll hear from them ever again. *glances over review response* Yeesh. How come my responses to you are always so damned long?! Where the hell do you find time to read them? More importantly, how the hell do you manage to decipher them enough to come up with a response?! Anyway... I’d say good luck with the math, but we all know that’s pointless (Luck never helped anyone with math), and by now you’re probably done it anyway, so... Still, once again, glad you liked the update, and I swear I’m gonna try and update the next one faster! (lol, “*fuming not so silently*” that sounds like me! ^_^) Ciao! ^_^

-CrimsonInHumanBlood - Lol, yeah, I’m afraid neither this chapter or the last one was quite as long as I would have liked it to be. I’m gonna try and make up for that in the next chapter, but I’m not sure how successful I’ll be. Never was very good at writing long chaps. Lol, still glad you liked it! And I’m sure things’ll work out... maybe... possibly... they might! ^_^

-Caitriona - Lol, well I’m glad I could make things a little clearer for you. I don’t remember what I said, mind you, but if it helped then that’s all that really matters! ^_^ -- Mm, yeah, I figure after having his mate torn away from him and knowing he was in pain and not knowing where he was or where his daughter was and not being able to find them and then having Naraku force his mate to attack him and taunt him about it... well, it seemed like enough to make anyone go a little off the deep end. -- Hm. Well, I don’t read the manga, so I’ve never heard that joke before, but even so I probably agree, Tetsusaiga really does seem to be the star a lot of the time. And in this case, the collar probably has taken up a pretty important role in the chaps as well. Stupid thing wasn’t supposed to play this big a part in the story, but once again it was out of my control. *shakes head* How sad is that? I can’t even control an inanimate object in my stories. -- Hm. *contemplates your ideas for removing the collar* Well, they’re certainly interesting to say the least. I hadn’t given entirely too much thought to the removal of the collar at this point because I’m not really there yet, and idiot that I am, I usually don’t plan these things out very well ahead of time (hence all the horrible stuff that has happened to inu and sess), but now you’re giving my sadistic muses ideas. And just so you know, Tsukiko isn’t forgotten, she’s just... not thought about very much at this particular point in time. ... Anyway, the Toutousai idea is interesting. I hadn’t actually really considered bringing him into this story until you mentioned it. I don’t know if I will, but it’s still definitely an intriguing idea. ^_^ Lol, I’ll definitely have to keep all these ideas in mind for when I finally reach the point where I decided how (or if) the collar will be removed! If I steal one from you, then I’ll be sure to let everyone know where I got it from! (If I don’t, feel free to beat me over the head with the weapon of your choice). And again, I’m glad you enjoyed it! You’re comments/ideas really are very helpful in the progress of the story! ^_^

-nique - Lol, I’m glad you enjoyed it. I’m afraid I don’t understand your question though. What do you mean “didn’t you write the first part for chapter 69 as well?” If you could elaborate a bit more, I’ll try and clear up whatever it is that is confusing/worrying/etc-ing you. And thanks again! I’ll do my best to keep the chaps/stories coming! ^_^

-Korune - Lol, well if you think it’s unfair, imagine how poor Sess and Inu must feel! ^_^ Lol, I’d offer an apology to the Naraku plushie for causing him to be attacked, but for obvious reasons I think I’ll refrain. ^_^ Besides, it made you feel better, and you’re not an inanimate object, so I don’t think I really care all that much after all. ^_^ Lol, well assuming they get away from naraku, whatever healing Inuyasha experiences will be long and slow in coming. But that’s alright, cause they’re demons and they’ve got, like, till the end of the world. ^_^ I imagine, though, that if Inu did get that bad and past the point of recovery, Sess wouldn’t keep him alive. Okay, that sounded harsh, but I mean he’d probably kill the both of them, rather than watch Inuyasha helplessly deteriorate before his eyes. *shrugs* that’s just my thinking, though.

-ayuhigurashikinomoto - *phew* That’s one helluva a tongue-twisting name you’ve got there. ^_^ Lol, anyway, I’m glad you’re enjoying the story!

-Jess - *grimaces and hides beneath desk* Yeah, I know I don’t. Just got all wrapped up in all kinds of stuff that took away from my time to write, and then my motivation went missing somewhere along the lines and my muses went on strike... *shakes head* it was just one big conniption after another... Lol, but I’m back now, and hopefully I’ll be updating on a regular basis again. And I appreciate all your concern, and I, again, apologize for taking so long (unless I didn’t do that yet, in which case cross out the “again” in the previous sentence). I probably should have thought of the whole “profile-message” thinger a while ago myself, but I guess I’m just not that smart. Lol, and thanks again for your concern/support, though I have to say, even if I did earn a break, I also have the responsibility to keep this story going. And you guys have all earned an ending to it, anyway. It’s only fair. ^_^ -- Anyway, as I’m sure I’ve said before, I’m glad you liked it, and cheers to you too! Only, mine come from Canadia! ^_^

-Tasa - Lol, I’m glad you “love” it! I’ll try and give you some more chaps real soon! ^_^