Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ Where Are You Now? ❯ Chapter 2: Two White Feathers ( Chapter 3 )

AN: Alrighty then, I think people who like Okita are going to like this chap. Saitou I really don't know about him or Tokio so if people can give me details on how this two act feel free and tell me with your reviews. If people are expecting fluffs for this chapter you guys better be thinking again. Oh and by the way, if people are wondering how I go by the types of animations such as anime or OAV's then it's the OAV's cause I like the way that the people are drawn. There now that that's out of my system please read and review THANK YOU!

Disclaimer: Yeah, yeah you guys got the picture I don't own RK or Samurai X (sniff, sniff) but I wish I did!

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Where Are You Now?

Chapter 2: Two White Feathers

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`I'm competing against a memory, something I can and will not do. My heart drops wearily, from the love I feel for you. It's what she is and who she is, that drives me far away. It's how she is and where she is, that torments me night and day. She is with us from sunup to sundown, yet you claim to be free. She's turned my world upside down, so why can't you see. I'm competing against a memory, something I can and will not do. My head drops wearily, from the love I feel for you.' - April Zumwalt

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Okita Soushi - 35

Aiko Isami - 24

(I just needed to get that also out of my system sorry AngryBee for doing it like you GOMEN!)

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Her eyes dazzled in the hard pouring rain as many unanswered questions went through her mind. Was Okita truly alive? Could he be the man that should in front of her shocked? Her hair had long become wet and now stuck to her face and shoulders. The once full tofu now laying in pieces in the muddy street. The man in front of her looked surprised, yet he stayed in the door to keep dry.

He calmly replied, "How did you ma'am know my name?"

Aiko's deep brown eyes grew wide; her legs wanted her to move but somehow stayed in that one unnerving position. Okita just stood there and before long smiled and shook his head. Out from behind him was his umbrella that he had just bought, and he pulled it out and opened it to walk outside to get to her. She was soaked and would more then likely come down with a fever or a cold. As he walked over to her he could tell that her knee's were about to give out. How he could tell this was how her kimono stuck to her body.

"It seems you're in need of assistance, may I help you get home?"

Okita held out his hand to Aiko who for a long time hadn't stopped eye contact with him. Finally, her eyes softened and looked down at his now wet hand. As a proper lady, she would do what he asked her to do but this was Okita, how could she? Aiko just merely nodded and walked closer to him so that they could share the umbrella. Never in her whole lifetime would she have thought about walking this close to Okita, her childhood friend. His hair was that about the only different thing about him, it wasn't long like an ex-samurai's was and she doubted that he was part of the police department. No, his hair was cut, and at least an inch of hair remained on his head.

"Are you really Okita Soushi?"

Okita stopped, she also knew his last name? Who was this girl? He looked to his side to find the woman clutching to him so that she could also be under the white umbrella. He had to smile; she was just like a child holding onto her mother.

"Yes, I am, but one must wonder how you knew my name?"

Aiko looked up at the smiling Okita who was also looking back at her. His face hadn't changed; it was as if he found the fountain of youth. She held her now clamped hand to her chin and took a glance of the road in front of them, they would be getting close to the house now and when they got there, Aiko would try and get Saitou to see if she isn't just imagining this whole thing.

"Does the name Aiko Isami come to mind?"

He looked kind of confused when he was asked that, he looked up to the sky and slightly squinted his eyes.

Aiko Isami? It doesn't come to mind…….

"I don't know I'll have to think about."

Total shock and loneliness struck Aiko's body, though she kept moving she could've sworn that she wasn't moving at all. She had to get back to the house and soon, she needed more information. Was this really the Okita she had known so long ago? This man probably stole his name and is using it for an alias, but she can't accuse him yet until she is perfectly sure who he is.

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The rain, a wondrous gift from the heavens above, dripping down onto a growing new but old world, how could someone possibly hate such a thing? Rain falling and splattering on the ground, leaving small droplets of what once was. Giving the planets water and nutrients to begin another life cycle of leaves and flowers. How could someone see rain as the illusion of blood? She just didn't understand it she just didn't understand Aiko.

There Tokio stood on the clean maple brown engawa, her eyes kept on the passing raindrops and her ears listened to the soft sounds of the taps of water which fell on their small house. For only a few years she has stayed here to live, but then again so many years she has been without home or family.

She must've been very lonely…….

Suddenly, movement in the foggy haze began to appear, starting out black but then beginning to show color. An umbrella could be clearly seen on top of the figure and as far as Tokio knew Aiko had only left with her purse. Tokio peered down the road, slightly leaning forward on her toes to have a better look, a face she could clearly distinguish between all other became visible, and it was Aiko. She could tell that the poor girl was soaked to the bone and there right beside her was a gentleman about her height. He seemed kind, especially helping someone that he didn't even know.

He wore a dark blue haori and gray hakama's, one of his arms were nicely tucked into his sleeve and something about his face was a little frightening. His smile was fake, deep and sorrowful and full of despair, more then likely someone who desperately needed someone to be with.

"Aiko you've returned……..a little wet are we?" Tokio explained happily, calmly moving herself into a decent sitting position. Aiko returned through the gates without a word and the young man about the age of nineteen followed her through. Tokio couldn't help but to smile about this, this was a strange position to be in.

`How strange no young men ever come home with Aiko in the rain. Actually, she was never out in the rain in the first place.'

When Aiko came to the engawa, she immediately started to sneeze. A cold had kicked into her immunity system. Tokio patted the porch of her house gesturing both of them to come and sit down, after all it was raining. Aiko quickly excepted and came to sit down by Tokio while the other stood with a puzzled face on. Never had he been asked by a stranger to come and sit down by them, maybe the older woman wanted to thank him for taking this girl Aiko home with……..

'Oh.'

Suddenly, he could feel himself shrink into a smaller person, why exactly did he do that why did he walk her home? Without thinking he walked outside to her to help her home.

"Young man."

`Oh Kami-sama here it comes……'

"I thank you for bringing Aiko back to our home, I was starting to worry for her."

`Erm…….okay….'

Tokio wrapped her arm around Aiko's shoulders to stop her instant shuddering, but something about this older woman caught him off guard…….it was a scar on her hand and it seemed to go up further under her clothing.

"A towel."

This short and brief sentence brought Tokio off-quard, but without pause the man walked closer to the engawa, took off his sandals and taking a step onto the porch later shook his umbrella to get off all the excess water that had collected.

"She'll need something to dry her off, I suggest new clothing would be much better."

Tokio gave a warm smile, the young man was nice and smart as well. He showed great concern for Aiko when she began to sneeze and shudder some more.

"What is your name?"

Aiko froze, if Saitou heard what was happening outside at this moment, he wouldn't be any to pleased to hear it. Her hands folded over mouth and waited to his reply. Sure enough the reply came quickly, but at least Tokio never really knew of Okita.

"It is Okita Soushi." Ruffled papers were soon heard in the background.

`Oh Kami-sama he did hear…."

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`Who did that quy say he was?!'

::twitch, twitch::

Saitou couldn't believe this; some one was trying to make a mockery out of his friend's name. Papers lay spread out from their recent falling, a great mess is what Tokio would say but right now he didn't care. His head turned to the shoji having his bangs fly around with him. Slowly but sternly he approached the rice-papered door and slammed it open.

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Both Aiko and Tokio jumped from the sudden sound of a slamming shoji just from down the hall, but their eyes still remained on Okita as he smiled.

"My have I been introducing myself a lot lately."

"What do you want?"

`Here we go………'

Saitou's tall figure appeared from the darkened hallway as he walked closer to the three-personed-group in front of him. He finally stood in the light where his figure could be seen very well. Both his amber eyes and Okita's brown eyes not leaving each other. Okita could feel the intensity of his stare, he just wanted to shrivel up and die under it. Who or rather what was this guy?

Soon a sharp and painful headache struck his head, the exact same kind when he saw that woman; his stare jerked away as well did his body. His hands went up to his temples, he felt like his head was going to explode right then and there. Okita could feel a gentle hand touch his shoulder, except that gentle hand was grabbing him trying to pull him up, yet he hadn't noticed that he was falling. The woman that was in front of him yanking him back up was…….that woman from the dream? Just then, everything went pitch black and soon he fell into unconsciousness.

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Aiko yanked one more time to pull the man's body off the muddy ground; his sword that was held around his hip had fallen also to the muddied ground. Saitou walked over and grabbed the front of the man's haori pulling him up steadily. He soon noticed something very awkward, this man who claimed himself to be Okita wasn't as light as normal amateurs are, he could tell that this man was heavy and small meaning that he had gained some muscle.

`Can he really be?'

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August 3, 1865

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"Okita-san! Come quick! Aiko is about to be picked on from some men in the street!"

Okita's gaze turned away from his squad who were pleading their captain for him to let them go to the Red District. His concentrated gaze soon fell upon the frantic five year old Takara who fell right in the middle of the courtyard. The men and Okita's hands soon snapped upwards, but before anything was done Okita quickly walked over to her and kneeled down beside her. When he managed to help her off the ground sure enough, tears were started to boil up in her sweet little eyes.

"Please Takara don't cry, there's no need to cry." Panicked Okita Soushi who now wore the face of utter distress. The men who were behind him though felt as if they were being ignored and some probably had some narrowed red eyes, but yet they were thankful that their captain was trying to do something to make sure that an ever so painful scream didn't break out.

More horrible sniffs were heard from the child as he desperately searched for any scratches or bruises that had been made on her still soft skin. Takara pouted some more as the twenty-one year old man sighed in relief as he finally found that she had no injuries. Okita just simply smiled and patted her head; he had to admit that in an era like this she seemed to be a light of the next one. Takara's hand flew up to slap his off her head, if anything she hated being patted on the head like some animal.

Everyone laughed in the courtyard, some laughter was actually good for the group, and to release some of the tension that had arose in the last few days. Takara was not going to grow up to be a regular woman that much was for sure.

"Soushi, I need to speak to you."

Okita looked up to find Captain Saitou standing in the rice-paper doorway. His light blue and white uniform kept together by a white strap at the waist. Okita's squad quickly silenced themselves from their continuous laughter when the voice spoke. They all knew better not to speak while Captain Saitou was around. Takara just looked at them like they were all complete idiots, why were they scared of Saitou-san?

"What's wrong with you guys?"

The men who were at one time groveling before their captain now fell into the ground. (Or rather how I like it this is known as ::anime drop:: hehe) Had the little girl figured out yet that Captain Saitou was -extremely- dangerous, after all wasn't it only a day ago when he accidentally hit her. Nonetheless, it was a funny sight to see the captain scared for his life when the child started crying her hardest, scared because he might've angered General Kondo for hurting his youngest daughter.

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"What is it Saitou-san?" Okita calmly said as he closed the door behind him. Saitou plopped down by the wall and merely stared up at his friend.

"Nothing, I just thought I might help you get out of that situation."

`Do I look like someone who really needs help……' Okita thought, his face turning slightly annoyed but soon replacing it with a happier one. He turned around to crack open the shoji, looking outside to see the wonderful summer day that glittered with life. The Sakura tree's though were beginning to turn brown, beginning with life and soon dying and leaving the world to start anew.

"Was that all?"

"Actually, there is something I need to tell you about."

Finally catching his attention, Okita turned around to face the captain of the third squad. He hadn't been able to talk to Saitou in the last couple of days because of the missions Saitou was acquired but he could tell that what he wanted to tell him wasn't going to be easy.

"You ever hear about the village close to Edo called Shirakawa?"

Okita jerked back and swiftly turned around to look upon his friend's face that was now looking upon him. The look of total fear swept over his face and his hands stayed loose not to make his partner curious of his actions. His bangs slightly shadowed his eyes and he could feel the tension wearing up in his throat.

(A strong light flashed, and a face of the woman reappeared into his head.)

"So you have I am guessing, anywise the Inshin Shishi are planning to attack the people there, why? I have no idea?"

Okita's vision blurred and he fell violently to the floor, nothing moved, not his friend, everything went completely red and he could feel himself lose against his illness or was it his illness.

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A muscle went tense in his stomach and suddenly he felt himself thrust forward on a bed.

A bed?

He looked down at his hand that was clutching the futon with great strength his body was shaking terribly and he could feel himself slowly loosening up. He exhaled softly and retracted his gaze to the wall, where was he? A shadow gracefully walked up to his door, and he watched it move just as gracefully before, but casually opened the shoji from the side of him.

As the sun poured into the darkened room, a dark figure appeared from the other side starting out as a blur but slowly making its way to clearness. As his eyes adjusted to the light he could only slightly see the figure but an instant flash made his left eye shut, but his right stayed open to look upon the person. Her hair hung to her shoulders and he could've sworn to see two feathers to the side of her head, just like…….she looked just like the woman who he seemed to see in his dreams. The phantom that always struck pain down upon him, he could never turn away from this dream, it just wasn't in his nature to do so.

"I see you are doing much better."

The girl stepped in and sat down by him, her hair held long strands of ebony and her eyes a deep brown. Her kimono seemed to be made out of cotton, purple with little cherry blossoms on her sleeves. Tilting her head she looked more closely at his face, he even had Saitou confused and looking over about it.

"I still would like how you know my name."

Okita's head turned towards her, not even a grin or a smile he passed to her just a look of complete confusion. His bangs seemed to be covering his eyes a little so she brought up her hand to slightly move them away but when she touched his skin it felt as if she had touched a clam. He was seemed to have been sweating over the night, so he must've had a fever.

When her soft hand came to wipe the bangs out of his eyes he was completely comeback by the sudden when he lifted it more to also feel his forehead. He tried to make eye contact with the girl but everytime he did so she would turn away and look and something else in the room. It was as if the girl couldn't stand looking in his eyes.

"Okita Soushi is what you call yourself." Okita nodded and kept on listening, "At least eleven years ago a man that also went by that name was a member of the Shinsengumi. And not just a member he was the Captain of the First Squad of the Shinsengumi."

"How do you know all this?"

Her voice cracked, no she couldn't do it she couldn't say who he really was and say how he used to take care of her when father wasn't around.

"Be…..because…….I am the daughter of the leader of the Shinsengumi." Aiko calmly turned her head to see his face, a face that had become paler then in the past. Was he dying? Also his smile he had worn even through the toughest of times was gone, she couldn't bear to look at him like this, not like this.

Aiko stood up from her sitting place by his bedside and whirled around to face the tan-colored rice paper door that was in front of her. One more glance, she couldn't see his expression on his face but she probably knew it. Hopefully with the things she has told him, he'll start to remember or so Aiko hoped.

"You need to get some rest Okita."

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Okita grabbed the blanket harder, and a flash of a little girl with a bokken came into view for a split second. Grinding down on his teeth he searched for more answers in the far back of his mind. There was no doubt that he was Okita Soushi, the Captain of the First Squad of the Shinsengumi, but why did it seem that he heart was being broken all at the same time.

(Run Soujiro!)

The shrieking woman's voice captured his mind again and he strained to stay awake. Who was this woman that I keep seeing when I'm asleep and awake, why is she tormenting me like this? Okita's right hand flew to his head, the same horrible throbbing motion happened once again. He fell back onto the futon tossing and rolling to get the horrible headache away from him at once, but just as soon as it went away Okita fell back asleep again.

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Laughter, a woman's laughter filled the open space, feeding upon the air as if it were food. The warm breeze drifted about the fields that were covered with plants of Daikon radish and other foods which farmers needed. The sun was still above the silhouetted mountains that rose high to the sky. Five farmhouses scattered about the plains; not a single one of them didn't know each other. There, sitting on an engawa playing with a top and string was a small boy about the age of six. His short black hair tied up in a low ponytail; some strands of hair still danced around the boy's face.

Sitting right next to him was a girl, no doubt a close relation to him. Her paled pink kimono shifted and swayed with every movement she made. Her long brown hair hung down over her shoulders, just like her kimono it silently moved constantly. Both the child and girl laughed endlessly like a fairy tale that was being told over and over again. The little boy looked up at his sister with such a grand smile, his eyes tightly closed and his smile was one of true happiness. She slightly grabbed the top and began to twist the string around it, doing it ever so carefully so that the other could watch with great admiration. Then, when it was all done, she grabbed the end of the string and pulled on it fast and effectively.

"Watch it turn my dear little brother, it is like this farm, every year the farm plants die and then they grow once more, it is a cycle of life do keep that in mind Soujiro."

The red and purple top slowed itself down and toppled over onto the engawa making its way over to the side. Soujiro gave a panicked scream and yelled for it to come back but soon got up and grabbed it from its parked spot. Footsteps stomped the ground and before both of them had known, rebels from Edo had came stomping to the front of the broken down farmhouse. The girl tugged on Soujiro and wrapped her arms around him to keep him safe. The men in front of them looked no more but regular men, such as farmers and apothecary's.

"You must be the young orphans that want to keep the Tokogawa government from collapsing. You two are fools for wanting such a corrupted government like this one!" The man quickly drew his steel katana and wielded it in front of him. Another man stepped up and also drew his katana.

"All who wish for a government like this to stand must be corrupted by the devil himself, so we have no choice but to show you both the true greatness that we rebels possess."

Soujiro shook with great fright, his hands holding onto his sister's kimono. His bottom lip quivered as his eyes widened when the men cast their swords above their heads only to thrust it upon his sister's body. Suddenly, he could feel his body lift from the ground and the arms that were around him tightened even more. He looked up at her face only to see tears coming down her cheeks. She was running away from them but to where he did not know.

The men ran after her as she ran away from them, they could clearly see her hair swaying from side to side as she ran, and in the tangled mess of hair were to long white dove feathers. They ran only twenty feet behind her, their swords kept to their sides for an easier way to run. The metals glistened with the light of the stars and it passed by the weeds and some trees.

The girl's heartbeat could probably be heard from over miles of farmland and her breathing had changed. Soujiro started to begin feeling her scared heart, not knowing if they were going to make it he clung to his sister for his dear life. Then, as if the world had stopped, his sister slowed her pace but only one thing lay in her mind, the life of her dear little brother. High bushes and tall trees surrounded them when finally Soujiro knew what his sister was trying to do. Her breathing was unchanging, still deep pants of air was being consumed.

Her arm reached for something behind him, and before he knew it he was being thrown into a long dark hole. His sister soon disappeared out of sight, and he too was consumed by the darkness of the night. He didn't want her to go so he pushed himself up but before he could do anything, before he could go out and find his sister he hit his head on something rough, clearly knocking himself back to the moist ground. The dark pit that had nothing but the smell of moist earth surrounded his senses and soon fell unconscience.

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The boy opened his eyes only to find himself in a dark pit, the only light that was illuminating the hole was a crack in front of him, and morning had risen. This time, learning from his last experience he carefully pushed himself off the ground and crawled to the crack and peeked out of it. Nothing was there, it was then when Soujiro panicked, his sister did not come for him. He sat back and kicked at the area, which beheld the crack. Nothing happened, then he kicked it again making a loud thumping noise echoing in his small ears. This time a larger crack appeared, and Soujiro hit in the same place once more and now the crack became a large enough hole for him to get out.

Squeezing through the area Soujiro could see the footsteps of the men chasing him and his sister last night. He stepped out and stared at the trees, it was all so quiet. Soujiro breathed in and out as if he knew what had happened to his sister and he was going to cry. He began to run out of the open of the trees back to the farmland. His legs pushing him back home, tree branches and weeds snipping at him and his already dirty and torn clothes. His hand flew up to knock a branch out of the way, scratching his face in the process.

Finally he made back to the farmland but did not see in front of him, no Soujiro was more concerned with getting his breath back, his hands gripped his pained knees and his eyes stayed forcefully shut. Straightening up Soujiro took another deep gasp of air, and opened his eyes to see the villagers crowded around something. He didn't care right now about some dead animal he just wanted to find his sister. Running back to his house he jumped on the engawa and slammed the shoji opened, but instead of finding his sister he a little white envelope on the green and brown floor.

He walked in and grabbed the envelope on the floor and carefully opened it, inside it was two long white feathers and a note. He quickly opened the note, cutting himself with the paper but he didn't care and read what was inside.

`Your sisters corpse now lays where the sun may look upon it.'

Slowly, but surely the note fell to the floor and along with it the two white feathers that his sister wore in her hair. His teeth gritted against each other and tears fell down his dirt-crusted face, he ran outside to see the scene more clearly on the farmland. The farmers though were blocking the way making it harder for him to see. Soujiro leaped off the engawa and ran to the other villagers, his sister couldn't be dead, they were just lying. He pushed an adult aside only to find the horror the note had said. There lying down with her dull eyes opened and her right hand in front of her face, three slashes were made upon her body.

"Nariko."

He looked up to see the sickened villagers as they stared at the body of the young girl who acted like a mother to Soujiro. Some had their sleeves covering their mouths and noses and some stood there completely astonished. His sister, Nariko, was killed because of the beliefs of the dimwitted men who wish nothing more but an even more hated nation. His fists stayed clamped tight and a look of utter hatred swept over the six-year-old boy. If only he were older and were training in a dojo then he would have been strong enough for his sister to live.

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AN: What a horrible chapter for Okita ne? Still not that much of Saitou nor of erm well just Saitou I guess. HEHE!

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Next Chapter:

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Will Okita finally remember the people around him and his past that was with the Shinsengumi? Will he finally realize that he was an important person in someone's life find out in the next Chapter of Where Are You Now?!

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Character Notes

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Aiko Isami: We're a little confused aren't we?

Okita Soushi: I guess it's really hard making yourself remember things ne?

Tokio Saitou: ……Well, I got more of Tokio in this chap but at least we can tell that Tokio is a kind and warm loving person….(insert Misao: Yeah she must be Buddha in order to be his wife)

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Reviews

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YAY!!! I got one more faithful reviewer or so I hope!

CeeCee: Oh so u like Sesshomaru eh? I used to like him I was even starting a story on him and Rin but then I heard of this things called replays of RK and I watched them it was the one where Saitou finally comes in with Okita…… And then I started to watch the OAV's and now I only watch parts with Okita in them so yeah I quess I kinda got hooked off inuyasha and went for Samurai X. LE PURRR OKITA-SAMA I grovel before you! I course though, I'd never want Okita to die……I sware I am not that mean after all he did look a little sad and the end of Samurai X so why not make it look like he's happy for once ne?

Kagome-angel2000: WOO-HOO thank you so much for reading my story, READ SOME MORE PLEASE!!!!!!!!!! Sorry I'm a little hyped up right now TEEHEE!

Inca_dove: Of course I'd belittle you, you're my sister what else am I supposed to do? It's sad you're older then me and yet you honestly can't wait for my chapter. LOL! Yes I know I am all so great and noble like wolves………WOLVES OF MIBU BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!! Yeah that line was a little ironic "It's gonna rain, it's gonna rain…chao!" TEEHEE

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Fanfic by ione_girl