Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Breaking Free ❯ Follow Your Heart ( Chapter 16 )

Breaking Free

Chapter 16: Follow Your Heart

By

Middlen

The week passed uneventful for Usagi which was actually surprising to her. With out Mamoru to lead their band on raids against Usagi, the other boys stopped pursuing her for the time being. That was made less of a hassle for Usagi in which she was grateful for. While the boys had stopped coming after her, the girls on the other hand were stepping up their attempts to get her to notice them. Rumors were going around that Nate and Rei were an item and could be seen talking to one another in between classes, at lunch time and they had been seen walking home together.

Though Usagi wasn't very thrilled about all the attention from the girls and the rumors that seemed to get more and more outrageous, Hotaru and the other girls found it extremely hilarious for some reason.

By the time Friday rolled around, the last day before Christmas break, Usagi was in an extremely relaxed mood and was smiling more then Hotaru had ever seen before.

The two girls walked out of the school and over towards their tree, with Hotaru staring at the back of Usagi's head.

Feeling her aunts eyes bore into the back of her head, the blonde lets out a sigh before stopping then turns around to face the curious look on the other girls face.

“What?” Usagi asks while raising an eyebrow.

“You've been in a good mood since last week. What's up with you? I haven't seen you smile this much for a long time. Come to think of it. The last time I saw you smile this much was when you won that skate competition a couple of years ago. You're smiling wouldn't have anything to do with a certain raven haired girl, would it?” Hotaru asks with a knowing smirk on her face.

Usagi shrugs her shoulders while smirking, but doesn't say anything before continuing on her way towards their usual spot.

When they get to the their usual lunch spot, Usagi goes over to stand beside Rei who smiles at her in greeting before slipping her hand into Usagi's then leans over to kiss the other girl gently on the cheek. This small act of affection causes Usagi to break out in a light blush which grows darker while the other girls laugh and poke fun at Usagi.

Rei rolls her eyes before leaning her head on the other girls strong shoulder and closes her eyes to block out the other girls voice's while listening to the girl beside her breath slowly before she lets out a content sigh.

After the other girls calm down Makoto leans back on her arms while sitting on the cold hard ground and looks up at Usagi who's still blushing slightly.

“So you hear anything about Mamoru?” Makoto asks curiously.

“No, I haven't heard anything at all. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not thought. Knowing that bastard, he'll strike when we least expect it,” Usagi states with a shake of her head and soft sigh the jostles Rei. “I really don't have a good feeling about any of this.”

Minako looks around at the group that surrounds her with a worried look on her face. “Okay, I've known you long enough to know that when you don't have a good feeling about something, that you're usually right on the nose with that feeling.”

The other's look around at each other while they nod their heads in agreement with Minako, Usagi shakes her head while looking down at her hands.

“You know, I've heard a lot of rumors going around about him. I've heard that he's seduced women and then left them as soon as they gave him what he wanted. Not to mention the fact that I've heard about how Usa trashed his ass before I came here,” Naru states with a slightly smirk on her face.

Usagi smacks her forehead with the palm of her hand before rubbing the bridge of her nose. “Wonderful, that's just wonderful. Now all of those crazy fan girls will step up their attempts to get me to notice them after they hear about that.”

Usagi slides Rei's head off her shoulder gently before shoving off of the tree and stalks around the grounds in front of them, but stops and turns around sharply when she hears Naru chuckling.

“Get use to it, Usa. Whether you like it or not, you're a celebrity here at the school. All the girls want you and the boys don't know whether to hate you or try to be your best friend. It just happens that way sometimes and though you don't want it, it's a fact of your life that you're going to have to deal with at some point and time,” Naru states while crossing her arms over her chest and glares at Usagi as if daring her to deny what she had just said.

Usagi rolls her eyes before turning to face the tree and glares at the tree as if daring it to move from where it's rooted. “I'm not a celebrity, Naru and I don't want to be treated like one,” Usagi states before whirling around from where she's standing and glares at Naru. “Fighting someone because they want to hurt you shouldn't make you a celebrity, nor should it make you anything other then what it appears to be and that's to fight to survive even though you're in a school where they have adults that are suppose to be looking out for you, but aren't. It doesn't make you a celebrity and it sure as hell doesn't make you a hero.”

Everyone looks at Usagi with their mouths hanging slightly open. The only thing that can be heard is the distant voices of other students and the gentle wind that blows small, falling flakes through the air which swirl and dance in front of a very sullen looking Usagi.

The moment is broken when Usagi's cell phone rings softly from inside of her pants pocket. She let's out a sigh before reaching into the pocket to pull it out then flips it open to answer it.

“Yeah, speak, it's your quarter,” Usagi answers before shuffling over to the tree and leans against it while avoiding the other girls curious looks.

“Ahhh, good, you're out of class. I had been trying to get a hold of you earlier, but either you had it on silent or you didn't hear it,” Usagi's father states on the other end of the phone line.

Usagi chuckles and leans her head back against the tree trunk for a moment, looking up at the darkening sky which looks as if it's about to let loose with one hell of a snow storm.

“Sorry, about that dad. I had it on silent before coming out for lunch period. What can I do for you?” Usagi asks while leaning her head to the side at the rarity of her father calling her while she's at school.

“Well, I'm calling to remind you that tonight is our annual Christmas Party and that you and Hotaru have an appointment over at your cousin Nori's for a trim and to have your tux's fitted by his wife, Cho. That's right after school, so please don't be late,” Usagi's father states while the blonde rolls her eyes sky ward once again.

“Why? What's wrong with the tux I have now?” She asks before cradling the phone between her cheek and shoulder then blows on her numbing fingers. “Besides, I thought that the party wasn't until Saturday night not tonight.”

“Well, it wasn't supposed to be, but the invitations got messed up for some reason and instead of tomorrow night it's tonight. I already have Luna setting everything up. Though this is a good thing since your grandfather and I will be leaving tomorrow for a business trip that we can't get out of, but we will be home for Christmas though,” he explains.

Usagi nods her head and lets out a soft sigh. “Alright, but I don't have any shoes to go with the tux. I grew out of my other ones from last year. What time does the party start by the way?”

“It's going to start around seven and don't worry about the shoes. You can go pick some up from one of the stores at the mall. I'll send Artemis over with the car and my credit card. Oh, by the way. Why don't you invite your and Hotaru's friends for the party. I'm sure that they'll have fun. You can take the credit card and get their dresses on that since it's at such a late notice, my treat.”

Usagi rubs the bridge of her nose and lets out a soft groan. “Dad, that'll give us three hours to get dressed. Not to mention we'll have to have Nori do up the girl's hair at the last minute, then we'll have to fly through the mall to get their dresses and then they'll have to go home to get dressed as well. What were you thinking?”

Usagi lets out an exasperated noise when she hears her father chuckling on the other end. “Don't worry, Usa, I've already told Nori that you might be coming with some other people, so that's already taken care of. You can have the girls change here at the mansion and as for the dress shopping, well, I'm sure that your military style of shopping will come in handy. I think Haruka will be over at Nori's around the same time that you'll get there, so she'll be able to help you with everything. I'll see you later!”

“What? Why is Haruka going to be at Nori's? Dad? Dad?” Usagi exclaims into the phone, but the cell phone beeps to indicate that the line has been disconnected.

She lets out a sigh then flips the phone closed and puts it back into her pocket. “ARG! I swear to go that if my father was here right now; I'd throw him across the yard!” She exclaims in disgust before thumping her back against the tree and lets out another exasperated sigh.

“What's going on?” Hotaru asks from her position next to Minako.

“That was dad, he wants us to go to cousin Nori's to get our hair trimmed and our tuxes fitted by Cho and he wants us to bring the girls with us,” Usagi explains while running her fingers through her hair.

“Wait, I thought that the party wasn't until tomorrow night and why does he want the girls to come over for it?” Hotaru asks with raising an eyebrow in surprise at the information her niece just gave her.

Usagi shrugs her shoulders while rubbing the back of neck. “Well, dad said that the invitations were mixed up and the date was set for tonight instead of tomorrow night. However, he's informed me that the mix up was a good thing since he'll be going out of town for a bit with grandpa, but he did assure me that they'll be back for Christmas this time. As for having the girls come for the party, I have no idea why he did that, but it doesn't matter.”

“That's pretty damn convenient if you ask me,” Makoto states with a finger against her lips, her eyebrows creased in thought. “After all, it'll be the best time for Mamoru and his father to strike, since your father and grandfather will be out of town after the party.”

Usagi leans her head to the side before looking over at Hotaru who's own eyebrows are creased in thought before looking up and meets Usagi's eyes for a moment then nods her head in silent agreement.

“Well then, they'll have a rude awakening if they do try something, because we'll be ready,” Hotaru states while Usagi nods her head in agreement then walks off towards the school when the bell rings, feeling slight anxiety at the thought of meeting Mamoru once again.

HR

Usagi walks out of the school with Hotaru and Rei, laughing at something that Hotaru had said when Makoto comes running up to the trio who look at her with strange looks on their faces.

Makoto bends over to catch her breath before she looks up at Usagi, whose eyebrow is raised up to her bangs. “You might wanna come with me for a moment. There's something you have to see,” she states before grabbing Usagi's arm and leads her towards the schools front gates.

Usagi frowns slightly for a moment while following behind Makoto. When they get to the front gates, she sees the rest of her friends standing like frozen statues in front of the gates staring at the person in front of them. Usagi sneers when she notices Mamoru standing in front of them with a gun pointed at them.

He turns his head to look at Usagi then an evil grin spreads across his face when he notices Usagi standing there before holstering his gun. “I came prepared even more this time,” he states smugly.

She shrugs her shoulders then walks over to him and stares at him coldly. “Didn't I tell you that I never wanted to see you again?” She asks in a growl from deep within her throat.

He grins at her maliciously. “Yes, well. That was before I took a joy ride through your records, Usagi. I've got all the information I need and all I need to do now is send them to the school and have then announced over the intercom system,” he answers with a smarmy look on his face.

She scratches the side of her neck. “And that would affect me how? You're the one that is wanted for attempted murder after all. So why would this concern me how?” She asks while rocking back and forth on her heels before shrugging her shoulders. “What's your point?”

His grin turns to a scowl before he crosses his arms over his chest. “My point is that if you don't agree to marry me then I'll unleash your records to the school and your family will never be trusted by anyone again. Because after everyone finds out that your father has been hiding your true identity then everyone will wonder what else he's been hiding. Your family will be ruined, along with your two aunts,” he states while curling his lip and sneers at her.

Usagi puts her arms behind her head before cocking it slightly to the left. “So, what you're saying is that I have to agree to marry you so that you don't tell anyone who I really am?”

He scratches his chin while a wicked expression crosses his face. “But of course. Why if you become my bitch, I won't tell the school about your little secret nor will I tell your new friends about what your family really does for a living. Oh yeah. You know I will too. Don't you?” I'm sure they would want to know about the real you and we all know that you really can't be trusted to keep them out of danger,” he says with a triumphant grin on his face.

She flexes her hands before balling them into fists while looking down at the ground, before she slowly raises her head and stares into Mamoru's eyes while mocking voices echoes through her mind. Her lip curls up into a sneer, but suddenly a feeling like a blanket is wrapped around her before a calming, comforting feeling comes over her when she feels someone rest a hand on her shoulder, easing away the rage that had come over her.

She turns her head slightly to the side only to see Rei's calming, amethyst eyes looking back at her with a small smile on her face. Usagi smiles slightly back before letting a deep breath.

She leans her head to the side and cracks it before staring at Mamoru with a defiant look on her face. “So that's your plan is it? You marry me then what? Huh? I know you didn't come all the way over here without thinking it all through so why don't you just stop beating around the bush and tell me everything that you're up too. Then I'll make my decision based on what you tell me and sometime today huh?”

He scowls for a moment then smirks again. “Well, now, I marry you then I become sole heir to your father's family business since you're the only child, but since you'll be married to me then you can't take control of the business so since I'll be your husband, I'll be able to claim the business, plus I'll be able to get a hand into your grandfather's business as well. Besides, it'll be fun trying to break you and make you into the dutiful little woman that you should be,” he explains with a look of hatred within his eyes.

Usagi taps her chin, putting on a good show of thinking over his demands. “Well, now, as much fun as the thought of being your wife is and how appealing it sounds,” she states sarcastically before continuing on, ignoring her friends behind her who are snickering before she holds up three fingers. “I'm going to have to turn down your offer for three reasons. One; I'm not a damn horse and if I was you're not man enough to break me. Two; you really are not my type because you don't have the right equipment,” she ticks off the reasons with her fingers and after ticking off the first two reasons she's left with one single middle finger. “And I really don't have a third reason, but I think sign language is reason enough, but if you can't understand then I'll just tell you in plain English. Screw off, Mamoru.”

She smirks at Mamoru's red face then looks over her shoulder to see Artemis coming up behind him. “Now, if you'll excuse me you're making me late for my appointment at my Cousin's place,” she states before walking around him and over to Artemis who puts a hand on her shoulder and smiles at her before turning his head to look at Mamoru.

“If you want to stay out of jail then I suggest you get going before I call the cops,” Artemis states while watching Mamoru stand in front of them with a look of hatred on his red face.

He points a shaking finger at her. “You'll regret turning me down again, Usagi. When I get you alone you'll wish that you took me up on my offer, dyke!” He hisses venomously while his eyes look like they are about to pop out.

Usagi is suddenly in front of him within a blink of an eye and has a hand around his neck with a cold look radiating from her eyes. “Stay away from me, from my family and from my friends or I'll you where you stand,” she growls out through her clenched teeth.

She lets go of his neck and he steps back coughing, gasping for breath. “You'll regret that!” He screams before running towards his car and starts it up then speeds out of his parking space.

Usagi takes a deep breath before turning towards her friends then smiles. “Well that was interesting, so shall we go?” She asks before walking off towards the car while everyone else looks at one another before following Usagi to the limo.

HR

When they get to Usagi's cousin's place, she excuses her self for a moment before going to a different room and slams her hand into a wall then leans her forehead against it. “Damn it! How could I let that asshole push my buttons like that? What's wrong with me?” She asks herself before standing up straight and runs her fingers through her hair to calm herself down.

She takes a deep breath before closing her eyes for a moment then walks back into the other room in order for her cousin to trim her hair.

She sits down in a chair and waits for her cousin to come into the room. While she waits she stretches out in the chair then turns her head when she hears the door open only to see Hotaru and Makoto walk into the room with odd expressions on their faces.

She shakes her head while chuckling. “Don't worry, it's not like Nori is a Nazi or something. Just take a seat and relax, he'll be with us shortly,” she states before turning her head to the other side of the room when another door opens and her cousin sashays into the room.

He survey's the room with a large smile on his face before gesturing to the chairs in front of large mirrors. “Come, come, take a seat, we haven't got all day. Usagi's father called to say that it's a matter of urgency. So that means I have to work my magic quickly,” he states while clapping his hands together.

Usagi shakes her head and lets out a soft chuckle at her cousin's attempt to act gay before turning her head forward so that her cousin can work his magic on her unruly blonde hair. She watches in the mirror while her cousin runs his fingers through her short hair.

“Honey, I have just the thing that will spice up your hair for tonight and make that girl, that you have your eye on, drool at the sight of you,” he states while looking at her in the mirror before giving her a wink when she raises both eyebrows at him. “Oh, honey, you know nothing is a secret in this family.”

She shakes her head slightly before smirking lopsidedly at him. “Oh yeah? What's that, oh mighty hair guru?” She asks before chuckling when he smacks her gently on the shoulder.

“Don't mock, honey, you know I take my job very seriously. Okay, so what I'm going to do is give it a trim before lightening your blonde to a lighter shade then put in some red highlights at the tips, but not too red. Just enough to give it a little spice,” he explains while running his fingers through my hair once again.

She shrugs her shoulders before laughing quietly. “Sure, why not. That sounds like a good idea,” she states before relaxing back into the chair.

He nods his head and smiles. “Okay, let's get to work then. The sooner I'm done with you the sooner I can get everyone else done so that you can make the party,” he states before rummaging around the endless bottoms that are on a shelf behind them.

While she sits in her chair she turns her head to the right and notices Makoto sitting next to her with a blank expression on her face. She turns her head towards Usagi and blinks then smiles slightly before rubbing the back of her neck. She opens her mouth a couple of times to say something, but only closes it without a peep coming from her. After a while she gives up with a shake of her head before turning to look in the mirror once again.

Usagi raises an eyebrow at her friend's strange behavior before wincing when she feels her hair being tugged through a shower cap with holes. Then he begins to work in a foul smelling liquid that makes her nose twitch at the stench of it before a shiver enters her body when the cold liquid is accidentally dripped onto her neck. She watches via mirror while Makoto turns her head and opens then closes her mouth once again looking like a fish out of water that's gasping for air.

Usagi chews on her bottom lip feeling slightly annoyed at her friend's fish impersonation. Once the stylist is done putting the foul smelling liquid on her head he goes over to Makoto and begins to work on her hair, shaping it into a work of art for the party.

While he works on her friend's hair, she continues to do her fish impersonation which ticks Usagi off more due to the fact that it would appear that her friend can't ask her whatever it is that's on her mind and that both irritates and hurts the young blonde all at the same time.

She turns her head towards Makoto the fish and narrows her eyes slightly. “Whatever it is that you want to say then just say it. Because frankly, your fish impersonation is getting really tiresome,” Usagi blurts out before turning around in her chair to where Minako and Hotaru are standing. “That goes double for the two of you. I don't know what your problem is, but you've been staring at me the entire time we got here and it's old. So just come out with it already!”

Her out burst makes Nori squeak in surprise and ends up dropping his comb onto the floor while he gaps at his cousin in surprise, as does the rest of the girls in the room.

She sighs then turns around in her chair and rubs the bridge of her nose while closing her eyes feeling disgusted with the way the room stays silent.

“Umm, I was just going to ask if Ami was seeing anyone,” Makoto whispers while her head is bowed looking at her lap before turning her head to look at her long time friend.

Usagi's head jerks up and she turns to stare at Makoto who has a sheepish look on her face. “You're fish impersonation was to ask me if Ami is seeing anyone?”

Makoto nods her head in acknowledgement before turning her head away in embarrassment. “Yeah, I guess it was,” she mumbles quietly under her breath.

Usagi snorts in half contained laughter before doubling over and slapping the side of the chair which earns her a scowl from her taller friend.

“Well you don't have to laugh about it!” Makoto exclaims while turning a light red color at how her friend is laughing at her now.

After a couple of minutes Usagi sits up straight and wipes a tear from the corner of her eye. “That's not why I was laughing, Mako. I'm sorry. I just thought you were going to ask me about why I lost my temper earlier, that's all,” Usagi explains with a sheepish look on her face which makes Makoto nod her head before a look of understanding comes across her face.

“Its okay, Usa, I would've been the same way if I was in your shoes and I don't hold that against you,” Makoto explains before reaching over to place a hand on her friends shoulder. “Really, I do understand and it's alright.”

“That's good to hear. I was sort of worried about that and when you weren't saying anything, I thought it was because you didn't know how to say it or was afraid that I would lose my temper again,” Usagi explains before turning her head around to look at her other friend and her aunt. “So what's the excuse for the two of you? I know that there has to be a reason as to why you two are staring at me.”

Minako and Hotaru look at each other before looking back at Usagi then Hotaru clears her throat and places a hand behind her head. “Well we were just wondering, how you got that hickey on your neck.”

Usagi's eyes nearly pop out of their sockets before she turns back to the mirror and just about plasters herself against it to see what the two girls are talking about. Sure enough, on the left side of her neck is a rather large hickey right next to her earlobe.

“Damn it!” She exclaims before turning a deep, bright red then covers the mark up with her hand, not meeting any of the other girl's eyes while they laugh at their friend's misfortune.

HR

Later the limo pulls up into the mall parking lot and lets the girls out so that they can get dresses and so Usagi could get a whole new Tux after the other one decided to fall apart right there in front of Rei and the other girls. Her face is still red from that incident and the other girls were ribbing her good naturedly about her misfortune once again.

The blonde stops in front of the malls entrance before turning back towards her friends who are still giggling about the incident earlier.

Usagi lets out a sigh and shakes her head before walking over towards Hotaru. “You know, I've got a rule about this place, Hotaru. I don't come in here unless it's for Christmas shopping or I'm in desperate need of clothes, but for some reason it feels like I've been in this place lately more times then in my entire life,” she mutters to her aunt before the walk into the mall with Hotaru's arm around the miserable blondes shoulders.

“Just put a sock in it, Miss Butch. It isn't going to kill you,” Hotaru states before she reaches over to ruffle the other girl's hair then takes off towards the dress shop with the other girls behind her.

They dodge, weave and are about ran over by a herd of ladies making a mad dash towards something or other that was currently announced over the intercom system as being fifty percent off before they finally get to the dress shop. Usagi places a hand on her chest and looks back out into the crowded mall from where she's smashed up against the wall and watches two older women going at it with their canes in wheel chairs. She looks over to Minako who laughs along with her before they venture further into the store.

Usagi walks over to Hotaru who is currently talking with a lady at the counter before she taps her aunt on the shoulder.

“Hey, can you take care of everything here? I have to go get my tux at the other place then I'll meet you back here. If I'm not back in about twenty minutes, assume some crazy lady in a electric wheel chair ran me over and my body was swept away in the masses scurrying around looking for a lost rainbow sprinkled doughnut that was on sale,” Usagi states with a calm face while everyone around looks at her as if she's insane. “What?”

Hotaru sweat drops and waves a hand. “Alright, we'll see you back here later. Don't be to long we have to get to the house before to long and it's already going on six o'clock,” she states while looking at her watch.

“Yeah, yeah, I know all of this, Taru. Don't worry, I'll be back before you know it,” Usagi states before taking off towards the entrance to the shop.

She stops at the entrance to look right then left before shooting out into the crowd with a soft war cry.

Hotaru sweat drops again then turns to the lady behind the counter who has a sizeable sweat drop on the side of her head as well. “I swear, I don't know her,” Hotaru argues which makes the sales ladies sweat drop become bigger.

HR

Later after everything has been bought, they finally arrive back at the mansion with their purchases. Hotaru and Usagi make mad dashes to get everyone to a room so that they can change before the party begins. Once they've got everyone settled they head off towards their own rooms to slip into their tuxes for the night.

Once Usagi is done changing, she tip toes down to the study to take a breather before the party begins and everyone flows into the mansion with their fake smiles and the fake laughter oh and let's not forget their fake, foul smelling, perfume and cologne.

She opens the door to the study and slips quietly into the room. She makes a bee line towards the back of the room where a fire place rests and flops down into one of the over stuffed, black leather chairs. She stares up at the mantel where a black katana sheath with gold inlay's rest, the symbol of her families power. She gets up from the chair and walks over to it then reaches a hand up touching the smooth black sheath while biting her bottom lip gently hoping that an alarm won't go off.

She lets out a sigh when nothing happens, but then whirls around when she feels a presence in the room with her. She lets out a puff of air that she hadn't realized that she was holding in and lets out a relived chuckle when she sees Hotaru standing in front of her.

“Damn, Taru, you about gave me a heart attack. What are you doing in here?” She asks before going over to the chair that she had just vacated and flops back down into it.

Hotaru walks over to where Usagi is and sits down in the chair directly in front of her. “I saw you leave your room and followed you down here. Though I figured you probably end up here sometime tonight, but I didn't figure that it would be so soon,” Hotaru states before stretching her legs out in front of her and places her arms behind her head in a relaxed pose.

“I needed to get away for a while. The pressure of everything was getting to me, so I decided to get away for a while. Did you know that I had some lady throw a shoe at me while I was walking through the shoe store?” She asks while rubbing the back of her head from where the older lady and whacked her with a high heeled shoe. “I swear that before I'm twenty I'm going to have brain damage from all the times I get hit in the head.”

Hotaru scoffs and shakes her head. “Oh, you will not. You're so hard headed that I'll bet you can land on your head and you wouldn't crack it. Maybe the cement you fell on, but not your head.”

“Oh, hardy har har, Hotaru. Let me whack you in the head a few times and see how you like it,” Usagi states while crossing her arms over her chest.

Hotaru rolls her eyes before rubbing the back of her neck. “Right, Usa, so I see that you were staring at the katana again. You know, for someone that doesn't want to run her father's business you sure do look at that katana a lot.”

“It's just a sword, but it has been in the family for generations and that's pretty cool. Besides it's the symbol of our power, that doesn't mean it's something to try and obtain like everyone else,” Usagi states before leaning her chin onto her palm while her elbow rests on her knee.

Hotaru is about to say something when they hear the door crack open and they see Usagi's father's head poke through the crack before he opens it up to reveal her grandfather standing behind him. They walk into the room with her grandfather closing the door behind them then make their way over to the empty seats and sit down with their family.

Usagi nods towards her father before leaning her head back, regarding them both with a curious look on her face. “What's up? Is the party about to start?”

Hero shakes his head before leaning back in the chair. “No, we came in here to talk to you before the party begins. It's something important and we were hoping to catch you before it started up.”

Usagi's brows furrow while looking between her father and her grandfather. “What is it that's so important that you had to talk to me before the guests arrive?”

“Well actually it was to talk about your arranged marriage,” Tatsuo answers while staring at Usagi intently.

Usagi jumps to her feet in rage, her fists clenched at her sides. “You want to talk to me about what? Why are you doing this to me? First you don't show up while I'm at the hospital and now you want to talk to me about an arranged marriage? I thought you weren't going to have me marry, Mamoru?”

“And we aren't. You're going to marry someone else and we were at the hospital while you were there. It's just that you were so drugged up that you weren't awake when we were. You have to remember that we do work during the day and could only get there after work. Sometimes work ran late and you would be asleep by the time we got there. So, yes, we did come see you,” Here answers in a calm sounding voice while his ice blue eyes flash with annoyance.

“Fine, you were there, but that doesn't give you the right to arrange a marriage for me. I'm not even out of high school yet. What are you thinking? Maybe I don't want to get married or maybe I already met someone that I want to be with!” Usagi exclaims while throwing her hands up into the air and stalks around the room. “What about Hotaru? Are you going to do that to her too? She already likes someone and don't forget about the heart attack you almost gave Haruka when she found out that she would be meeting her fiancé. I was there; she almost had a nervous break down right there at the party!”

“I am well aware that Hotaru likes someone and I know that you like someone as well. Maybe if you would stop going off at the handle and allow me to explain what exactly is going on then you would understand what's going on,” Hero states with his arms crossed over her chest while staring at Usagi who lets out a sigh and nods her head.

“Fine, but you know, I would like to be normal and with an arranged marriage I'm not normal at all. I guess I'll give it a try though. So explain to me what exactly is going on,” Usagi states before sitting back down in the chair that she had just vacated and awaits for her father to explain what's going on.

“Well, you see after we came here your grandfather and I have arranged for your engagement with…,” he's interrupted by Haruka who comes barging into the room panting from running to the room.

“The guests are here and there's something you and dad might want to see,” she says in between pants before Usagi's father and grandfather look at each other before rushing towards the door with Usagi hot on their heels and Hotaru behind them.

She walks through the double doors and sees two men standing in the middle of the room one of them yelling their fooled heads off. Mamoru stands with a hand in his pocket while the other hand holds a katana over his shoulder with a smug look on his face while his father continues to yell.

“Oh shut up, before I shut you up!” Usagi yells at the two men who turn towards her and she rolls her eyes when she sees that the other man is none other then Mamoru's father.

She walks over to them her eyes never leaving Matsuka's who is looking at her with pure unadulterated hatred in his eyes. She stops in front of them and crosses her arms over her chest while raising an eyebrow at him.

She smirks when he looks away then looks over towards Mamoru who is currently pointing towards her. “She's the one that did it, dad. She grabbed me by my throat and threatened to kill me on spot!” He whines before crossing his arms while glaring at her coldly.

She smiles humorlessly at him. “Your neck must be feeling better, but then again I can't tell with that girly, whiny voice that you're using right now. Oh wait, is that your regular voice that you are using right now?” She questions before putting her arms behind her head then begins to rock back and forth on her heels.

Mamoru just glares at her in hatred and she tries her best to keep from laughing out loud. `Ooo, if looks could kill then I'd be six feet under by now,' she thinks to herself while raising an eyebrow before turning her head and notices that Mamoru's father is glaring at her with a look on her face that she finds utterly unnerving.

“So you really think that you're in control here, don't you? Well I don't think so, little girl. You aren't fit to take over for your father and your father isn't fit to run his business. He isn't utilizing the possibilities of his own company,” he states before he starts to circle the blonde girl. “We've come to get you, Usagi. You're to come with me and Mamoru. If you don't then there will be some problems, if you know what I mean.”

Usagi scoffs before rolling her eyes. “Yeah, what you are you gonna do? Kidnap me so that I'll marry your loser son? He couldn't beat me up the first time, what makes you think that he'll be able to do it this time? I find this all amusing, considering the fact that my grandfather already told you that Usagi doesn't exist. So now if you don't mind, please show yourself to the door because you weren't invited to this family function.”

An evil sounding laugh comes from behind me. “That's right. Turn tail and run. Run like you always did when you were younger and you ran when someone was in trouble or don't you remember that?” Matsuka asks with a cold sneer on his lip and Usagi's face drops when she remembers what he's talking about. “Oh, it's nice to see that you do remember.”

She clenches her hands into fists then turns around and looks at him while her face goes flush with anger. He grins at her, but his grin is devoid of any humor. “That's right. I know all about what happened, Usagi. I know all about you and Seiya, who is in this room right now. Have you told her yet, Usagi? Have you told her that you're the reason that she was beat up when you were freshmen in high school? That it was because of you is the reason that she was taken from her school and put into another one? No, I don't think you have told her,” he smirks evilly at her.

Usagi looks down at her feet for a moment before looking back up at Matsuka with a cold look in her eyes. “That wasn't my fault. You're trying to pin it on me, but I was with her when it happened and I tried to protect her to the best of my ability. I was knocked out before they attacked her and I wasn't the one that told them that she was gay. Why would I do that? I trusted her with my secret so why would I tell anyone else her secret? I know who did it and it was a person in this room. It was your son!” Usagi exclaims while pointing towards Mamoru whose face grows red with anger while he sputters trying to say something to denounce the accusation that Usagi had just made. “Oh give it a rest Mamodork, one of the guys that were responsible for beating her up told me while I had my foot pressed against his thorax.”

“Stop! It doesn't matter who's responsible, what really matters is that we can take the information and ruin you! So tell me Usagi, how does it feel to be in the corner now?”

She looks away from Mamoru with rage pounding through her veins so loudly that it roars in her ears while she looks into his eyes and snarls. “How does it feel to be staring into the eyes of your demise?” She growls out before reaching up and grabs his hand then steps into him and flips him over her back.

He hits the floor with a dull thud and she's over beside him before he can get up then places her foot on his thorax with the intent of crushing his wind pipe, but before she can she hears someone shouting behind her.

“Stop or I'll blow your bitchs head right off of her damn shoulders!” Mamoru shouts in a growl.

She looks up before turning her head only to see Mamoru holding Rei with a gun pressed against her temple. She narrows her eyes before bringing her foot slowly away from Mamoru's father's throat before taking a step backwards then thrusts her hands into her pockets and looks at Mamoru calmly.

“Yeah, that's right, Mamoru. Hide behind a girl instead of facing me yourself. What's wrong? Afraid that a mere girl like me can beat the shit out of you or are you just the biggest coward in Tokyo? After all I've already bested you twice before, so maybe you've just lost the will to fight me. Is that it?” Usagi asks while glaring into his dark eyes which are narrowed at her.

He pushes Rei aside and places his gun in the shoulder holster under his jacket before coming towards me. “Those are going to be the last words that you're ever going to say in this life,” he mutters when he's close enough to her that she can see the pock marks that appears to be covered by foundation.

She raises an eyebrow then smirks at him. “I have two more things to say to you,” she states casually while putting her arms behind her head in a relaxed pose.

He frowns then scrunches his brows together. “What's that?” He asks with a slight mixture of anger and curiosity in his voice.

She smirks lopsidedly then holds up two fingers. “One: are you a winter or an autumn and Two: stock in Tic Tacsâ„¢,” she states before side stepping his fist that is aimed for her head.

She feels the air ruffle her hair while he stumbles past her. She stands where she had stepped to with her arms crossed and a foot taping the floor while waiting for him to regain his equilibrium.

“Ding ding ding. Rough three has now begun,” she states sarcastically with a smirk on her face which enrages Mamoru more.

The two opponents run at each other. Mamoru moves swiftly, aiming a punch to Usagi's midsection that would incapacitate her. His fist flies through the air and Mamoru feels a spurt of regret at his actions when Usagi simply flips over his. To Mamoru, it was as if she had been in front of him one second, and then gone the next, only for the dark haired man to hear the sound of feet landing behind him.

`Impossible! She moves fast like my father… faster!' Mamoru thinks while he spins around, his left leg rising to kick out at her with so much force that it will drop her before she has a chance to land a punch on him.

His head snaps around after her leg, he blinks when his foot swings past him, his heel hitting nothing air. He looks over only to see that Usagi had dropped down into a crouch so low that her chin is brushing the marble tile of the ball room, before she lashes out with a sweep of her own leg and Mamoru could only cry out when the leg that was supporting him in the kick is smashed out from under him.

Usagi jumps at the man lying on the floor, but comes up short when a Katana is thrust into her hand and he sweeps it at her, cutting deep in her arm. She holds the wound then stumbles back away from the man who is currently holding the sword at her.

He gets up to his feet and advances towards Usagi with a malicious grin on his face while she feels the blood in her veins turn ice cold at the gleam that comes off of his katana only being marred by her blood that coats the side of her katana which drips off of it and onto the floor.

“You know it would have been easier to kill you with a gun, but that lacks poetry. Besides this way we can tell the police that you were killed in a sparing accident,” Matsuka states while coming up to one side of his son with a similar smile on his face as Mamoru does.

She licks her lips and for the first time in her life she feels as if she might actually lose a fight. She shakes her head to rid her mind of those thought before glancing over towards Matsuka.

“It's going to take a lot more then that to kill me, Chiba!” She exclaims before shifting her foot back and lowers herself into a fighting stance reading her body for the fight of her life.

Matsuka cackles gleefully with an insane look in his eyes. “Oh, yeah? Why do you say that, you good for nothing, dyke?” He questions while crossing his arms over his chest.

She bores into his glazes over eyes and smiles brightly. “Because, I've got more brains then the two of you put together,” she states nonchalantly.

“KILL HER!” He roars at Mamoru while his face turns purple. “Kill that, dyke!”

Mamoru leaps towards her sweeping his sword in a wide arch, trying to catch her off guard, but Usagi leaps backwards and he only connects with air. He whirls around and comes back at her with his sword sweeping down in a powerful arch trying to cleave her in two, but once again his blade cuts through the air while Usagi flips backwards to get away from the sword coming down onto her head and lands crouched while sliding backwards, using her hand to steady her while she slides.

She's about to jump away from another swipe when she miss judges the next slash and his blade cuts through into her left shoulder. She lets out a hiss of pain and stumbles backwards only to end up sprawled onto her back. She tries to get up, but Mamoru kicks her in the injured arm causing her to let out a yelp of pain. She stares up at him with pain filled eyes while he stands above her with his sword raised about to thrust the blade into her body. She shakes her head and grits her teeth determined to not die while laying on her back, so she brings her foot up and kicks him with all of her might connecting the heel of her foot into his balls.

He lets out a squeal of pain before dropping his sword allowing her to roll onto her injured shoulder to avoid becoming the nights main course of Usagi shish kabob before she gets up onto her knees and looks over to the now kneeling Mamoru before looking over towards his father who is yelling at Mamoru to suck it up and finish me off. Mamoru growls loudly before getting back up onto his feet and slowly walks over to Usagi.

Before he can raise his sword she hears a shout from behind her. Mamoru looks up and over her head to see who had yelled before his eyes grow wide in alarm. Curious Usagi turns her head only to see Hotaru standing away from the crowd with the black sheathed Katana.

Her jaw drops slightly at the sight of the Hotaru standing with the katana in her hand then her lips twitch up into a feral grin. Hotaru grins back at Usagi before tossing the sword towards her. She twists her body around and jumps to her feet in time to catch the flying projectile.

She holds the sword gently in her hands before slowly sliding it out of its sheath, her grin breaking out into a full grown smile while listening to the blade being released from its home.

She stands still and holds the blade out to her right side just enjoying the feel of the weight in her hand; her head is bowed for a moment before it snaps up then she whirls around to look at Matsuka.

“You know, you were wrong about something in that little speech that you gave,” she states while glaring into his eyes.

He tilts his head to the side. “Oh, what was that?” She asks with a raised eyebrow.

Usagi scraps the blade along the floor, sending up sparks from the tip then brings it up to her face, the light off the blade shadowing her face in an unearthly glow. “I'm too good to die in a sparing accident,” she states before jumping towards Mamoru with her katana raised to her right side.

“Kick his ass, Usa!” Hotaru cries out while she thrusts her blade towards Mamoru who knocks it away.

Mamoru flies towards Usagi bringing his sword up in front of him. Their swords crash together, making sparks fly from the contact and force of the blow. Usagi smirks while parrying a wild swing from Mamoru then knocks his blade away from hers causing him to reverse his block to a swipe across her side before taking the offense and comes at her once again with a diagonal swipe that cuts across her body, leaving a long, but shallow gash.

She grimaces before coming around to strike his unguarded side only to have his sword stop it before it could connect with his any part of his body. They leap apart with their swords pointed downwards. They gasp for air, neither one of them taking their eyes from one another.

Mamoru lets out a growl before leaping towards Usagi, which prompts her to leap at him also, causing them to cross their blades while glaring at each other before pushing each other backwards. She lands on her heels and slides backwards from the push before looking in time to see Mamoru leaping towards her once again with his sword raised ready to come down in a diagonal swipe. She leaps to the side, but isn't quick enough to avoid the slash and is cut from one shoulder to the other. She lashes out only to stop his sword in another swing, but not before it nicks her shoulder. She grimaces once again then sneers at him before bringing her foot up to thrust him off and away from her body.

She stands back up panting, with sweat rolling down into her eyes and making her bangs fall into her eyes. She stares at him with cold dead eyes before growling and ignoring the pain that rushes through her body she launches herself at him, their swords clashing once more and they hold then against one another's, both of them grunting while trying to get the upper hand.

“You know, you should ask where your chicky poo's loyalty lies,” Mamoru grunts out which causes Usagi's eyes to narrow.

“What do you mean?” She questions in a huff while straining her muscles to push the dark haired boy backwards with all of her might.

“She's working for me or didn't you know that?” He hisses out while he presses back against her sword.

“No,” she whispers before her eyes close for a split second then flies back open with a fire burning behind those pale blue eyes she yells out in rage and smashes her blade against his knocking him backwards.

She comes at him with her sword raised behind her; she slashes out the blade whistling through the air. She fakes a blow to the knees then switches at the last minute and brings her sword down his body horizontally leaving a trail a blood flying through the air. She switches back around and puts her sword behind her back before kicking out swiftly with a flying side kick and strikes the dazed boy in the head making him fly backwards. He slides to his father's feet; Matsuka looks down at him while he struggles to get to his feet.

Matsuka lets out a growl before he helps his son to his feet then they dash out of the house, but not before Matsuka yells at them that they haven't heard the last of them and the door slams shut behind them.

Usagi falls to her feet the katana falling from limp fingers. She stares at the floor while bitter tears fall down her cheeks. She brushes Hotaru's hand aside when the other girl tries to help her to her feet and climbs up onto them gingerly before she slowly, agonizingly makes her way over to where Rei stands with a hand to her mouth in a silent gasp at the sight of Usagi.

Usagi stops in front of the raven haired girl with her head lowered. “Is what Mamoru said true? Are you working for him?” She whispers while staring at her feet then looks up with pain filled eyes.

Rei nods her head then reaches out a hand before taking it away when Usagi flinches. “Yes, it's true, but I swear, Usako. I didn't want it to come to this. I swear it.”

“Why?” Usagi hisses out while her eyes narrow at the person that she thought was beginning to have feelings for her.

Rei stares down at her feet intently before bringing her head slowly up to look into Usagi's eyes, feeling the betrayal radiate from the girl in front of her, Rei's eyes well up with tears. “Because, he kidnapped my sister and I had to get her back unharmed,” she explains her voice breaking.

Usagi nods her head then lowers her eyes. “We'll get your sister back,” she states, but jerks away from Rei's touch and brings her eyes back to glare into the raven haired girls. “But that doesn't mean that I want to see you or be near you ever again.”

Rei chokes back a sob then nods her head before looking away while Usagi turns on her heel to make her way from the ball room, but ends up falling down to her knees making her aunts run to her side to help her to her room while her father runs to phone the family doctor to come look at Usagi's wounds.

While they are away Rei falls down to her knees a sob rising loudly from her lips while she beats a fist against the floor damning Mamoru for ever coming near her that fateful night.

HR

To Be Continued…

HR

Okay, this is the longest chapter in this story so far and I have to admit that I am pretty happy with the way it turned out. The fight scene at the end of the story is what took me so long to get this story done. I'm sorry for the wait, but I am hoping that this chapter makes up for the wait. Once again thank you for the reviews and please remember to R/R once you are done with this chapter. Thank you. Now on to what I love the most, reviewer responses.

HR

Riku: Once again, thank you for the review. I hope that I didn't disappoint with this chapter of Breaking Free.

Aleric: Nope I don't mind you patting yourself on the back at all. I'd like to thank you for giving me that idea to begin with. It gave me a way to explain why Hotaru and Yomiko can't be together while giving me a person that will give them the information that they need. Well done!

We shall hear more from `Nate's' fan club once Christmas break is over with. I'm gonna have so much fun writing that. I can't wait for it. Heh.

Once again thank you for your review. It's much appreciated!

Stormforce: Once again thank you for the review, now let's get onto the questions that you have for me. Heh.

Alright, as for Rei turning around and leaving, well wouldn't you? The girl just figured out that Nate is actually Usagi. The one person that she had a childhood crush on, it's rather a shock I think. So I would walk away if I was her in order to give myself to process the information that I had just learned.

I have to admit that I enjoyed writing that part about the fan girls coming up on the two of them hugging. It was fun. Lol.

I about laughed myself silly when I wrote those lines. I really don't think that Minako had ever had them, but I think that Usa was just poking fun at the girl because it was such a great opportunity to do so. You know I haven't thought about having the girls watch horror movies together. Right now I have them instilled in angst. It probably won't be happening until later in another chapter. That does give me an idea anyway.

Hey, they're fan girls, they're trying to find something to be mad at Rei about and it doesn't matter if it's true or not, they just want to be mad. Lol. I believe I'll address the avalanche of letters in the next chapter. I've got an idea with that one. Heh. It's gonna be good.

Again, Rei getting hate letters will be saved for next chapter, once again. I have an idea for that one and trust me when I say it's going to be good.

I made a little bit of a reference to their relationship in this chapter, but I believe I will explain more in the next one. Though they really didn't go out, they were friends while Seiya wanted to go out with Usa, but like I said I'll go into more detail with that one later.

I'm not sure if I'm gonna have Juri help or not, I think I've already said something about wanting to get permission to use the idea of the Locket, but I have to get a hold of the author which for some reason I put it off, but I shall attempt to get a hold of him. I think he's on deviant art. I'll find out later. Heh. As for the regulars, I'm not sure as of right now. Having them come into play won't be for a while now. I'm thinking probably four chapters from now and closer to the end of the story. Maybe, I'm not sure right now. I have it all thought out in my head, but the sequence isn't all together right now. Lol.

No you didn't miss the fact that Yomiko is Matsuka's daughter, I left that out for that particular moment in the story. It explains why there are problems between Hotaru and her, but not all while at the same time it gives me an inside spy that can help out Usagi's family. Pretty neat huh? Lol.

Rei looked like she was ready to bolt probably because while she was there at the mansions front door she was really nervous about being around Usagi again. Mmmm. That gives me an idea. Thank you. Heh.

Oooo, now the reason why Usagi couldn't contact Rei, I've been playing with for some time and I think I have the answer to that question. However, due to the fact that it'll give it away, I don't want to say anything. Lol.

Lol. Yeah well all good villains think that they are smarter and wiser then their adversaries, it's a villainous code or something. Lol.

Yep, I do hope that I wrote the angst between Usagi, her father and grandfather in a believable way. That was a rather hard part to write, but I think I did an alright job at it. And if Mamoru goes to jail then who will I have that's a totally ass? Heh. He's such a Mamodork. He deserves it all! Have I said that I really don't like him before? Lol.

Well Seiya was in this chapter; well she was mentioned at least. As for whether or not they'll be sisters, I'm think that's how I'm going to portray them instead of being a sister and two brothers. Maybe, I haven't decided. You'll just have to find out in the next chapter just like I'll have too. Lol.

Yes it does show that the boys have some good in them, but for how long? Ooooo, the suspense! Lol.

Yeah that's what I thought as well. That's why I had her all moody and brooding. I mean don't get me wrong. Rei is my favorite character, but it's just so much fun seeing her suffer sometimes in order to make her a little more humble. Does that make me a bad person? Lol.

Yeah I did write it three times. It just wouldn't come out the way I wanted it too. I don't know why, but I just wasn't happy with the way I was writing it. I still think it could've been just a bit better, but it'll have to do until I do the revisions later on when this story is done.

Heh. Isn't that standard for any story with Rei in it? She has to come to a self realization period? Lol. At least it's in my “How to portray Hino Rei, 101” book. Hehehehe.

I'm glad that you helped as well. I really couldn't think of a name for him that would suit his attitude, but when I saw that name it just fit him to a “T”, once again I thank you.

Don't worry about the room mates. I just tied them up and put them into the closet. *evil laugh while prodding the closet door with a wooden spoon* Heh. Just kidding. Lol.

I know! I thought it was prefect as well! I remembered reading your reviews from the last time and went, “Man, I really need something off the wall for Nanami to say,” then bam that came to mind and the rest is history. I'm glad that it went off really well. Lol.

Nope, I do not mind you saving my story at all. The only thing I ask is that if you are going to post it somewhere else, that you allow me to know and just keep my name on the story. I recently found someone on deviantart trying to pawn Kirika's story off as their own. When I called them on it they told me that they were Kirika then proceeded to ask me where I found the Story Absence at. Needless to say I figured out that it wasn't really Kirika since Absence is on her personal website. So, in closing. No, I so do not mind. I'm happy that you like my story enough to want it on your hard drive! Lol.

Well once again, thank you for the review and I'll be looking forward to your next one!

Ami M: Heh. I'm glad that you enjoyed that part about Mamoru getting run over by elephants. I've done worse when I was kid as well. My old friend and I took a glass, had one of our other friends pee in it then gave it to the school bully to drink after telling him it was lemonade. So we were horrible children, but I figured the elephant thing was funnier. Lol.

Thank you for the review and I hope that you enjoyed this chapter. Ja Ne!

Ty V: Ahh, now you bring up a good question. While it's true that by saying Usa in front of the other girls would give it away, they see it more as a term of endearment from Nate's uncle instead of it possibly being a reference to his real name. So while yes, technically it could be a way to make it so that it's not a secret anymore, it still is due to the fact that Nate is Taru's nephew. They might've questioned it if it was anyone other then Taru, but thank you for bringing that up. I'm surprised no one else did before then. Thank you for the review. It was much appreciated! And if you have any more questions don't hesitate to ask me.

FeralDemonArtemis3.0: Heh. Yeah I enjoyed writing that part of the story. I was in a silly mood by the end of the story and just had to get that in there only because I didn't want Usagi's and Rei's relationship develop right into the lovey dovey period yet. There is much I want to do with these characters. Bwwahahahahahahaha. *rubs hands together* Anyway. I know that this update took a while, but I hope that you enjoyed it and thank you once again for the reviews. They help with the writing process!

Chibi-VampireKarin: Oh my god. I never know what to say when I get one of these reviews except for thank you very much from the bottom of my heart. I never in my wildest dreams thought that this story would be so huge. It just started out because I wanted to see Dark Mansion finished and then it just blossomed from there.

Thank you so much for your kind words and please give; my thanks to your friends for telling you about this story and for the kind words about the story as well. It's great seeing that so many people like this story.

I hope that I got this chapter out fast enough for you. I hate making everyone wait for updates! Thank you once again and please review with any questions you might have.

CrazyMonkeyPantsIII: Thank you so much for your review. I'm so glad that you are enjoying this story and I hope that you enjoy this chapter as much as I've enjoyed writing it.

Kristy B: Don't worry about offending me. It takes a lot to do that. I believe that you will remember that I was the butt of many jokes in our home town, so don't worry about it. The only way you can offend me is by telling me to stop writing which I doubt that you will. Now onto the rest of your review.

I really do enjoy writing with words that not many people see in their every day lives, it gives a little spice to the story and it allows the readers to get something new from the story as well. As for the descriptive words, I learned that from many stories that I've read where it would suck me into the book and make me feel like I had just watched the whole thing on T.V. It's the secret of my success, reading a lot while growing up! Lol.

I do know that the first part of my story could use a little work and I'll try to get the bugs worked out at a later date. As for the other things that you were talking about. Well I could use a beta reader which goes through to check and make sure that I've gotten it all taken care of before I update the story. I'm trying to find one, but so far no one has signed up. So I'm sending out a shout to anyone that would like to become my beta reader.

I'm really glad that you were pulled into the second chapter, which means I'm doing something right. The first chapter was a bit rocky because I was just starting out and I was being very cautious with the story because the original concept wasn't mine, but at the same time the story was mine, if that makes sense. Anyways. Keep giving me those reviews. They are helpful and as I've said, don't worry about it. You aren't offending me at all.

E.A. Poe, if only I could be like him some day. That would rock my world hard! Lol.

PantherDemon Yohan: Wow, that's the first time that I've ever made anyone speechless before. Makes me wonder how you'll like this update. Heh. I'm really glad that you are enjoying this story and I hope that you'll review again. Thank you so much and I hope that this update was fast enough. I hate making everyone wait for so long! Thank you once again and until next update.