Chiyo: Okie dokie, so this is an exciting time for me and you!!! I am getting a house with my boyfriend, Alex, whom I am still dating, and you all get to read a new chapter! Yay! I kind of got bored the other night and I thought, 'Hmm, I should check out my fanfic,' so I did, and now here I am, writing the next chapter
Alex: It is definitely exciting.
Chiyo: Definitely. Oh, and thank you to the few individuals who left reviews about what they thought should happen next in my story. I guess you'll have to start reading again to find out what happens. Dun dun dun!!!!
Disclaimer: ChiyoTenshi does not own or rent the rights to Hana-Kimi. Someone should give it to her as a house-warming gift, though. That would be nice. *hint hint*
Previously…
"Don't cry, Ashiya. I didn't mean to make you cry, but you have to think about what might happen in the future," he said. He pulled her towards him and embraced her in a gentle, friendly, and passionate hug. Mizuki wept a few tears while in Gil's arms.
At that time, Sano was heading back towards Io's restaurant, following the same path that they used to find the other restaurant towards the city and came across a pin that said "Mountaineer" on it. Sano immediately remembered when Mizuki told him about how Gil was a traveler and explorer and liked to climb mountains. Next to where he found the pin was the small trail that lead to Mizuki and Gil, but Sano wasn't sure where it lead to until he got there just a minute later.
When he arrived near enough to see the shack, he saw two people standing in front of the doorway: one short girl with short hair and a tall guy with a hat and "gangster-like clothes". He then noticed that the two were a little too close to each other, which made Sano's heart jump and his mood furious. As soon as he started rushing towards the two, he saw that the man had pulled the girl away from him and leaned in and had made lip contact with the girl. This made Sano more upset, jealous, and depressed at the same time. He couldn't stand the sight of seeing the girl that he loved get kissed by another man, especially the guy that he hated the most. As soon as Gil removed his lips from Mizuki's, he looked up in Sano's direction and smiled evilly.
"Asshole," Sano thought in his head.
"She's mine now, Izumi Sano," Gil said to himself.
"Ohmigod!" Mizuki thought.
The old shack that was behind the scene was crackling and shaking from even the softest wind that was blowing, which made it quite unstable. These sounds made it difficult for Mizuki and Gil to hear the growls that Sano was emitting. If any sort of sudden movement within the building were to occur, it would more likely collapse.
Mizuki was completely shocked, if you didn't know that already. What she wanted to do was not what her body wanted to do. She kept telling herself, "Run, run, Mizuki"' but her body wouldn't move. All she could do was stand there, blood red in the face, staring up at the one man that she used to love at one point in her life when she thought she didn't need anyone.
Gil turned from looking towards the small pathway from which they entered the secret area with the small shack and face Mizuki with sincere, kind eyes, almost too soothing, as if they drew all existing strength and ideas from her and entrapped them in an endless universe.
"Why now," she thought. "Why didn't he say anything sooner?" There were so many ideas that she thought of, but nothing that she could think would match what he said next.
"I've always thought about you, day and night. When I first met you, I thought you were spoiled; even unfaithful. I guess it goes to show how loyal you can be when you put your heart towards something you care about."
As he said these things, all the thoughts that ran through Mizuki's head started to disappear into the endless universe. Her eyes gazed up at Gil as he held her in his arms ever so gently as if they were about to close the gap between their lips. However, that never happened because there was one person who would stop it no matter what.
As Gil started nearing Mizuki and pulling her closer for a passionate kiss that would mean the world to him, Mizuki snapped out of her thoughts when she thought about what he had said previously about thinking about the future. She quickly thought about how she was so in love with Gil at one point in her life, but then things changed, and she needed to move on to someone else. The future, in her perspective, was one that she had already imagined with Sano, or at least tried imagining with Sano. However, she also imagined supporting and being with Gil in the past, so that could still mean they may be able to be together once again.
As she thought about this, her eyes started swelling up with tears and confusion that she didn't know what to do or who to choose, and her arms, instinctually, softly pushed Gil further from her, leaving him not only confused as well, but very upset. So upset, actually, that he wanted to change her mind no matter what. His last option was something she never expected to happen.
Gil softly grabbed Mizuki's hand and led her towards the small trail that leads from the main pathway to the run-down shack. "Come on out, Sano," said Gil.
Mizuki gasped, not knowing if Sano was watching the whole time or not. Her footing was a little more slow, stiff and very cautious to see Sano's facial expression. She wasn't sure if she wanted to face him just yet or not. Of course, body moving before the mind in Mizuki's case, her head turned away from them both. She didn't dare face either of them at the moment because she hadn't made any decision at all. She couldn't.
Sano stepped out from behind a large shrub and stood just a few feet from them, of course, very upset with Gil because he kissed the one girl that he loved. Gil let go of Mizuki's hand and stood near Sano, arms crossed. "Ashiya, who do you love?" asked Gil. Sano stayed silent, though angry, knowing that this was a now-or-never ordeal that he wanted to have solved right now, so no more problems would happen in the future.
However, Ashiya, still facing away from the two, could not turn to face them, no matter how hard she tried. She couldn't decide just yet. Her mind was running wild with thoughts.
"Why wouldn't Sano stop us? Why was he waiting for me to make my decision," she thought to herself. "Wait, if I chose him over Gil, then maybe Gil would think of an evil plan to erase Sano's memory of me and bring me back to America with him…or maybe Sano is making it seem that he will protect my secret just so he can spill the beans later, leaving me to choose Gil because Sano would seem unfaithful. Or maybe Sano set this up with Gil…somehow…or maybe they've got a bet or something….argh!"
All these thoughts were making her much more confused, that she didn't even want to think about choosing one or the other. She just wanted to be alone for as long as she needed with no interruptions to think.
Body-over-thoughts again, Mizuki rushed towards the shack, unknowing of why her body had decided that the old place would be safe for a little while. Being a star runner at Osaka High, she easily outran Sano and Gil, who, as soon as she started running, took off after her (pretty much racing each other in the process). She pulled open the wooden door with ease but when she closed it from within, the force to keep it shut and place a board to keep it locked made the shack sway a bit and make multiple crackling and popping sounds.
Sano and Gil stopped about 5-feet short of the entrance to the shack because they saw how unsteady the building really was from the outside. Mizuki's thoughts were much louder in her head than the sounds of anything else around her, including the sounds of a breaking building. The soft winds that blew through the small opening of the field made it even less stable than ever, and both the guys started worrying about Mizuki, who was in deep trouble by this time.
"I'm going to need your help, Gil," stated Sano.
Gil looked at Sano with both guilt and anger in his eyes, but as he looked back at the building that would soon crush his one love, he accepted his offer for help. The two decided that they were going to walk into the building as slowly as possible together and confront her with as much ease as possible. They also agreed that Sano would do the talking because Gil had done enough previously. As they nodded to each other, motioning the signal to go, they took every step with as much ease as possible, hoping that the building would not collapse while in mid-sentence inside the shack.
I know I didn't state it earlier, but the shack is quite small, but made of very heavy and durable wood. It was the size of a small hut for fishing, gardening and hunting gear, so if I were to give a rough estimate on a size, it would measure about six-foot wide by five-foot deep. The ceiling was about seven-feet high with a few sharp objects like gardening shovels and fishing rods. It would definitely not be good if it suddenly collapsed with anyone inside, seeing as how these sharp and dangerous objects could take a life so easily.
As Sano and Gil approached the building with caution, they could hear Mizuki softly whimpering and letting out soft mumbles as if she were trying to think of what to do. Normally Mizuki is a very energetic, outgoing, and happy person, but when two people whom she loves are fighting for her love and she is the one to make the final decision, she couldn't look back after this.
Sano softly grabbed the door handle and tugged it ever so softly. After realizing that Mizuki had blocked the door with a board, they knew they had to think quickly as to how to get in without disturbing the shack's structural holding.
Gil softly whispered to Sano, "There's no other entrance to the shack, we can't get in unless we destroy the walls."
"That's not an option, Gil. You don't want Mizuki to get hurt, do you?" asked Sano with an extreme amount of anger in his voice, but he stated it ever so softly so Mizuki did not hear.
Gil said nothing but looked away with embarrassment. Of course he didn't want Mizuki to get hurt, but he couldn't think of anything else to say at the time.
Both of the guys thought as quickly and as thoughtfully as they could, trying to think of a solution to get Mizuki out of there. Each second they thought, the creaks and cracklings of the shack's wood grew louder and more intense.
Sano's worrying grew more and more until he couldn't take it anymore. He told Gil to go on the left side of the entrance and he would go on the right side of the entrance and hold the building up for a short bit. As they did this, Sano pressed himself against the shack gently and started speaking to Mizuki with a heartfelt, kind voice, but not too fast because he did not want to scare her too suddenly and ruin the rescue plan..
"Mizuki, I know you can hear me. Please listen to what I have to say, because if you don't listen to me, you are going to get hurt, and neither of us want to see that happen."
As he stated this, Mizuki's thoughts stopped. She was thinking about how she would hurt either of the guys both mentally and physically if she told one or the other that she wants to be with him, but knowing that she was in danger absolutely stopped her mind in its tracks.
"The shack that you are in right now is very unstable. Gil and I are trying to keep it stable until you get out. Please think fast but move slowly, otherwise it will collapse."
The guys could hear Mizuki inside standing up because the boards beneath her feet started to crackle as she stood and took a few steps. It felt like the world was ending and their only option was to save Mizuki, no matter what. Then the footsteps stopped.
Gil and Sano tilted their bodies to look around the corner of the shack at each other with worry in each of their eyes. A second after they made contact with each other, they heard Mizuki weeping inside.
"I can't do it! I'm scared!" exclaimed Mizuki as she cried into her hands. "I don't want to get hurt and I don't want you two to get hurt in order to save me. I don't want to fight with anyone anymore."
Gil, anxious for Mizuki to be safe in his arms, started trying to calm her down. "Mizuki we do not want to fight with you or even against each other. If you want time to think about this situation, you have as much time in the world to think. I will honor that, and I'm sure Sano will, too. Right, Sano?"
Sano nodded towards Gil and finished what Gil had started. "He's right, Ashiya. We will give you as much space and time as you need to decide. We are in no hurry, after all. We are strong, mature, young and proud of it."
They boys stood there for a few seconds hoping for a reply, but nothing happened. After a few seconds, they heard a few more footsteps. Gil and Sano sighed softly with relief. After a few more seconds, they heard the board that was blocking the entrance slide up and set on the floor. They knew that Mizuki would be opening and walking out of the shack in a few seconds with red eyes that would make them both feel so bad for what they did, even though it was technically not their fault that she fell in love with both of them, at different times, of course.
They decided to give her as much space as possible as soon as she opened the door so she could think. But she made a request just before opening the door.
"Um…would you two…walk me back to Io's with me?" she asked, whimpering and sniffling.
The two leaned around the corners of the building to look at each other and nodded in agreement. They did not really like each other as it is, but if it made Mizuki happy, that's all that mattered to them.
"Yes, Mizuki," stated Sano. "We'll both walk you back to Io's."
As soon as he stated that, the door opened and Mizuki's eyes were a dark pink from crying, but her facial expression said otherwise. She was smiling and almost too happy, as if she hadn't seen the two boys in years. The shack was still swaying slightly, but as soon as Mizuki exited it, Gil and Sano let go from their posts, knowing she was safe.
Mizuki took a few long glides away from the shack to make sure she was at a comfortable distance, soon followed by Sano and Gil. As Mizuki turned around to face the guys, they were completely shocked by her mood swings, almost as if the previous incident had never happened.
They all looked at each other, both Gil and Sano still noticing the redness of her eyes, but they all decided to head back towards the restaurant as soon as possible. Mizuki was trying to keep the mood comfortable for all of them while ensuring that nothing too personal came up. Of course, Gil and Sano were particularly careful about stating anything that may upset Mizuki.
They talked about the bugs and how Mizuki hated bugs with a passion, but Gil kept pestering her by taking a spider or lady bug from a nearby tree and holding it in front of her. She screamed and made a big fuss each time this happened, but everyone was happy, at least for now.
To Sano, this was the longest walk with Mizuki he had ever had, not only because Gil was with them or that he wasn't talking much, but because he knew that Mizuki was upset and he was trying to think of things to make her less upset and any way he could win her heart.
As they approached the restaurant, they noticed that not Io and the rest of the crew had not yet returned from the beach. It was only 3:24pm, and Io said that they would be back around 4, so they had a lot more time than they wanted.
The three walked up to the entrance of the restaurant/hotel and Mizuki stood before them in the doorway. She hesitated a little bit, but she knew what she wanted to say.
"I need some time alone, if that is ok with you two," she asked them.
The two guys nodded in agreement. "Anything for you, Mizuki," said Gil. Sano just smiled at Mizuki letting her know that whatever she needed, he would help her to get it or motivate her to get it herself.
Mizuki smiled calmly and then walked inside and went to the room that Sano, Nakao and herself shared, locking the door behind her. Sano decided to stay outside and sit on the bench outside the entrance to the restaurant. Gil, not having anything else to do, asked "Mind if I join you?" Sano shook his head, so Gil sat on the opposite side of the bench.
The two sat in silence for a few seconds which seemed like forever, but after a while, Gil spoke up.
"I don't remember if I told you the story as to how Mizuki and I met, but here goes. She ran away from home once before, and we met while she was traveling alone. I let her stay at my house for a little while until she decided to leave. At first, she seemed extremely spoiled and greedy for what she wanted at the time, so I liked to tease her about what she couldn't get."
Sano didn't quite understand why he was telling him this, but he stayed silent and listened to his story.
"After a while, I started to think about the real reason that I was teasing her. I realized that men like to tease or torment girls that they like. I soon came to a conclusion that I liked Mizuki. I know it's been a few years since we've actually seen each other and officially hung out, but I knew that I would some day find her again. I traveled the world to see the greatest sights and visit the greatest heights possible all to show her that I would go to the top of the world just to be with her. She knew that I was a mountaineer, and she respected me for that. I wanted to stop doing what I love doing just to be with her, but that wouldn't satisfy me. I want to continue to travel and climb mountains."
"So are you telling me that your hobby is more important than your feelings for her?" asked Sano.
Gil shook his head gently. "Of course not. She is the most important asset in my life, and always will be. I just couldn't stand being away from her most of the time while I'm traveling. I'm sure she wouldn't be able to deal with that, either."
The two both were silent again for a few seconds, but then Gil leaned towards Sano and whispered something very quietly. He also passed him a note that was folded up very neatly. Gil then stood from the bench and walked upstairs to his room.
Sano then sat on the bench a little longer with the note still in his hand. He didn't dare read it, since it wasn't meant for him. He tucked the note into his left front pocket of his pants and just enjoyed the weather and scenery that was brought to him. The sun was shining so brilliantly against the water of a small fountain that Io had placed near a small pond area by the restaurant, the sound of nature was so soothing to him that it seemed as if he were in a trance.
A few minutes passed, and his trance of the wilderness was cut off by Io's van/truck/vehicle pulling into the parking lot with a wild group of teenagers. Sano was happy to see them, though his expression didn't show that. He always had a difficult time showing expressions to others.
As Io stopped the van/truck/vehicle, everyone started piling out with all their belongings that they brought with them and bringing them into the restaurant. Nakatsu was one of the first to pass Sano on the way in, and he handed him a seashell that he found while swimming, and told him it was the souvenir he got for him. Sano laughed lightly and thanked Nakatsu as he went to clean up from the salty water and sand he had gotten in his hair. Everyone else, which includes Nakao, Noe, Sekime, and Io seemed so energy-less and rundown from the long day of work and then using so much energy to attract some attention from girls, guys, or their biggest crush at the beach. They sluggishly dragged their feet into the restaurant without even noticing that Sano was sitting right beside the entrance.
Sekime and Noe were mumbling about how the girls they were hitting on said they each had big noses and that their hairdos were not very modern. Nakao was sad because he didn't get to spend any quality time with Nanba because he was too busy hanging around Julia. Io had attracted too many young, hott, studly guys from the beach that she had run herself out of energy from talking too much, modeling, and other reasons.
From inside the restaurant, Mizuki heard everyone return from their trip, so she walked into the dining area and greeted everyone as they got back. As soon as they all saw her burst of happiness, they were immediately cheered up and at least 50% more full of energy for the night.
Although it didn't show, Mizuki had spent a lot of time in the room thinking about the events that were happening between her, Gil and Sano. She wanted to get done with the evening dinner rush at the restaurant and close before confronting the two about her decision.
As everyone who went to the beach each took a shower and got ready for the evening shift, Mizuki and Sano met while sweeping the outside porch of the restaurant. They smiled to each other and Mizuki softly said, "later" as she walked past him sweeping the rest of the porch that Sano missed. Sano didn't know what that meant exactly. He thought that maybe she would give her answer as to who she chose later tonight. He also thought that she was going to give him a 'special treatment' later tonight because she chose him. He blushed at this, and of course got very excited. He quickly shook his head and cooled his head from his thoughts. He knew he should not get excited about anything as important as this yet because she had not officially made her decision. The porch was completely clean, thanks to Mizuki's awesome sweeping techniques, so he went inside and started setting up tables.
Nakatsu soon met Sano in the dining room and helped him set up the tables as well. While they were setting up, Nakatsu had the urge to ask, "So what did you and Mizuki do while we were away?"
Sano paused. He couldn't admit the fact that he and Gil were fighting over the love from Mizuki when Nakatsu himself was (kinda still is) in love with her (him, in Nakatsu's eyes) as well. "We took a walk into town to grab some lunch and looked at some scenery on the way back."
Nakatsu looked at Sano with questionable eyes as if he thought Sano were lying to him, but from anyone, it looked as if Sano were actually telling the truth because of how straight his face was and how honestly he stated it. Nakatsu laughed and smiled. "Awesome, dude. You really should have come down to the beach with us. There were so many girls down there!" he bragged.
Sano shrugged. "I've always been the female-attraction whenever I go somewhere with you guys. I don't think I need to draw any more attention to myself than I already have," he joked.
They both laughed and finished their table setting while blabbering some more about random things that came into mind.
It was 5pm and the restaurant was open again for dinner. Customers flocked in from the hotel rooms and from cars parked outside. Everyone was busy as usual and excited about the new people they would meet tonight.
A few hours later…
Nakatsu was cleaning up the last table that was dining in and Mizuki closed and locked the front door to show that they were closed. Everyone got the cleaning chores done in the dining room and was helping to clean the dishes in the kitchen. They even turned the radio on in the kitchen to raise the motivation level so no one was feeling uneasy at all, even though they were all friends. Mizuki was washing the dishes, Nakao was rinsing them, Nakatsu was drying them, and Sano was putting them away.
Sekime and Noe were still collecting the dishes from the room services so they could not help at all. Even after running all the dishes down to the main level was a big use of muscle and energy that they had no motivation to help clean dishes after that.
Everyone finished a lot sooner than they had hoped because they all worked together to get everything done. They even did a little cheer that they learned from Osaka High when a team did something awesome. After they made sure that everything was cleaned, straightened, and all the lights turned off, they each headed towards their designated bedrooms to change into more comfortable clothes. The only two who stayed in the kitchen were Sano and Mizuki, because Mizuki tugged on Sano's apron before he started walking away.
After making sure that everyone had left the kitchen, she asked Sano if there was a way that they could meet outside by a big rock that was in front of the restaurant for design. They agreed that they would each clean up and then meet by the rock. Sano headed to the room first to shower and change quickly.
While he was cleaning up, Mizuki went to Io's room, hoping she was there. She knocked softly. "Who is it?" Io asked from the other side of the door.
The door opened and revealed an astonished Io who was so happy to see Mizuki. She showed her in and closed the door behind her. "What's on your mind, dear?" she asked Mizuki.
Before Mizuki could start talking, Io interrupted her with a quick question. "Did you and Sano do anything…peculiar…while we were away?"
Mizuki's head jolted up and blushed. "N-no, of course not. I mean, we only went out for lunch, and then an old friend—" she stopped mid-sentence. Io was confused by this. Mizuki didn't know how to tell Io that she was in a love triangle.
Io rested her hands on Mizuki's shoulder gently. "I'm not sure what exactly happened while we were away for a few hours, but I can tell that you are strong and you can make your own decision, and it will be the best decision you have ever made yet." She smiled kindly to Mizuki, ensuring her that no matter what was wrong, everything would turn out fine.
Mizuki smiled back at Io. "I guess you're right. I should make this decision on my own." She hugged Io for helping her make a very small decision. "Thank you, Io."
"You're welcome, Mizuki. Now go out there and give 'em what you got!" she exclaimed.
Mizuki laughed and then walked out the door with her head held high. Every time Mizuki went to Io for a problem, it made Io feel more and more like she was Mizuki's own mother. She was so proud of her and hopes that her real parents are, too.
The hallway was empty, but Mizuki went to her room to take a quick shower and change so she could meet Sano by the rock as soon as possible. It took her about 7 minutes to shower, dry up and put some clean clothes on before she left the room. As she walked down the hallway to meet Sano, she couldn't help but feel more and more nauseous because she wasn't sure if she had made the right decision. She didn't want either of the guys to get hurt, but her heart told her what she wanted.
She opened the front door and walked down the porch towards the big rock where she found Sano sitting on the very top of the rock, which was about 4 feet off the ground. Sano saw her coming, so he quickly jumped down to be at a comfortable speaking level with her.
"Sorry for taking too long. Were you waiting a while?" she asked him.
Sano shook his head. "Nope. You're right on time when I expected you."
They both laughed and then Mizuki started her speech. "I've been thinking about this all afternoon. You already knew that, but I just wanted to ask one thing before I make my final decision."
Sano became a little cautious, hoping that the question she was going to ask him would not be too personal or anything of the sort. He was ready for anything, as long as it meant being with her.
"How long will you keep my secret?"
Sano's answer was obvious, but he wanted to make sure that she knew he was telling the truth. "I will keep your secret with me until the day you decide you don't want to keep it a secret anymore, but that means you have to tell me when that happens." He kept his distance from Mizuki the whole time he talked, even though he wanted to just glide at her and pull her down into a passionate kiss, but he knew that would not be the solution to winning her over.
Mizuki smiled. She slowly walked up to him, wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pulled him down for a soft, but gentle kiss. Sano was on the verge of not being able to contain himself any longer. With her so close to him, lips touching, arms around him, he wanted her all to himself. However, he just lightly wrapped his arms around her waist and endured the kiss that she had given him.
Their lips soon parted. Mizuki looked up at Sano and smiled again. "I knew my decision long before the dinner rush. I knew that the reason I am here today is because I wanted to be with you. I wanted nothing more than to see your high jump and support you through the rest of your training. If I had not been so enticed by your high jump when I was younger, I never would have come here, therefore never met you. If that would have been the case, I would have chose Gil, but it wasn't. I am here with you, now, so that's the way I want it. Do you mind if I love you?" she asked him.
Sano shook his head and ruffled Mizuki's hair a little. "I would never mind such a cute girl like you, who has spent so much time and effort, to be with me and love me."
The two wrapped their arms around each other again and embraced in a very dreamy kiss that they had both dreamed of having. Their minds were blank. All they wanted was for this moment to last forever, never ending. They broke their kiss a few seconds later.
"By the way, I need to find Gil. I need to tell him about my decision," she said.
As Mizuki started heading towards the restaurant to go into the hotel, Sano grabbed her arm and pulled her back.
"Gil isn't here anymore. He left early this afternoon."
Mizuki was shocked. "W-why didn't he tell me? How do you know he's gone?"
Sano handed Mizuki the note that Gil had given him earlier. "He gave me this note to give to you. He told me not to tell you because he knew that if I told you, you would try to stop him or ask why."
Mizuki unfolded the note gently and read the letter:
Mizuki,
I know you will make the man you choose very happy. I still want to follow my heart and maintain my love for mountain climbing, but I don't want you to be alone when I am away pursuing my hobby. I know that you might be a little upset that I did not tell you this in person, but I wanted you to be happy. I know you have made the right decision. Good luck in the future.
Love,
Gil
Tears started forming in Mizuki's eyes as she finished reading the letter. She couldn't help but smile, too, knowing that she didn't have to tell Gil that she chose Sano over him.
Sano hugged Mizuki to calm her enough to make her stop crying. They stood there for a few seconds enjoying the moment.
Mizuki pulled away from Sano and looked into his eyes. "I love you, Izumi Sano," she said.
"And I love you, Ashiya Mizuki," declared Sano.
They leaned in and their lips met as they vowed their love for each other in a connection that could never be broken by any natural cause. The two spent the rest of the night stargazing and enjoying the evening scenery.
Their lives would, from now on, be more exciting and fun because they were the happiest couple of Osaka High. Even though they could not announce the fact that they were in love and, technically, dating, they were still the happiest that they have ever been in a long time.
As for the rest of the crew at Io's restaurant, well, their stories go untold as of yet.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~The End~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chiyo: There! Done! I didn't really want this fanfic to end just yet, but as I kept writing and thinking of so many different endings that I could possibly think of, this was, by far, the best one.
ChiyosSis: I can't believe it's over! They are finally together and happy! Thank you for actually writing it that they pronounced their love for each other.
Alex: It is a sad ending for Gil, though. I feel sorry for the guy.
: No more to get on with at this time, huh?
Chiyo: Thanks to everyone for your support and motivation. I appreciate all the reviews that everyone left for me while I was writing my story.
Speaking of which, I am really busy again with a lot of stuff. I'll be graduating college in May this year, I'm currently working at Guitar Center as a sales associate in drums, I'm the lead role in a local play that I'm in, Alex and I got a house, which we'll be moving into by the end of April, and then other hobbies, friends, events and stuff to attend and do! Life is amazing when you forget about the bad stuff. Don't completely wipe it out of your memory. Just remember it as a lesson, but don't let it be a stress-bringer into your personal and professional life.
Thanks again, everyone!!
Disclaimer: This fanfic has officially ended. Thanks for reading. (to Chiyo) Now where's my darn paycheck!?!?!