Chapter Five

Disclaimer:

We don't own Nurarihyon no mago.

Nurarihyon paced the room restlessly. What was taking them so long? It had already been a few hours since they'd started and neither one of them had moved a muscle! He didn't care about the impostor, but Rikuo's unconscious body was really worrying him. Nurarihyon had been extremely alarmed when Rikuo had started screaming in pain but he'd been too late to do anything. He hadn't moved his grandson's body, for fear of affecting the matoi and making Rikuo unable to get back.

Rikuo didn't have any visible injuries so Nurarihyon surmised it must've been something other than physical pain. The fact that his grandson had reverted to his day form, at night, also pointed to a different kind of pain - spiritual pain. It was possible that Rikuo would be forever scarred by this incident.

Nurarihyon clenched his fists in anger. How could he have allowed such a thing to happen!

But there was nothing he could do it about now, so he had to be content to sit next to his grandson's body and the impostor's.

Nurarihyon's eyes unwillingly landed on him. The impostor was sitting calmly in a cross-legged position with his arms resting near his feet. His eyes were closed and he didn't seem to be aware of anything around him. Nurarihyon felt a pang of pain in his heart when he gazed at the man's peaceful face, identical to that of his dead son's.

xxxxxx

When Rihan regained consciousness, the first thing he saw was the dark sky of his mind. A look to his right brought him the sight of a handsome young man staring at him with barely concealed worry. Rihan smiled. Rikuo.

The youkai had been sitting at his father's side, patiently waiting for him to wake, so he realized immediately when he did. His dad's smile brought a small one to his own face - it seemed Rihan had recovered from whatever had caused that violent storm of emotions.

He decided to answer that question Rihan had asked him some time ago.

"I believe you now…." Rikuo paused, then awkwardly added, "..dad." It felt incredibly strange to address someone else using that word, especially in this form. He resolved to call him 'pops' or 'old man' next time so he wouldn't feel so awkward.

Rihan drew in a sharp breath at the word 'dad'. Rikuo…Rikuo had accepted him as his father. He knew he should be happy, but instead he found himself at a loss. On one hand, he should be glad that he finally had a son, but on the other... this was somebody else's son. Although he had gotten to know Rikuo through his memories, he couldn't take his other self's place…he simply wasn't the same man. He also hadn't missed the way Rikuo had hesitated; it'd be better for both of them if Rikuo didn't use that word in order to address him.

"Just call me by my name, Rikuo," Rihan said.

Surprised wine-red eyes met a single amber one. Why did his dad want him to call him by his name? Had he caught his embarrassing hesitation? Or maybe… was he really an impostor? That thought brought unimaginable pain along with it, but he beat it down. "…What do you mean…?" the youkai questioned slowly.

Rihan looked uncomfortable. He didn't know how to say this without sounding lame…"It just sounds…strange," he eventually managed, hoping Rikuo wouldn't ask him why.

Rikuo didn't. He had come to the conclusion that his father had caught that embarrassing pause. However, he couldn't grant his request - calling his father 'Rihan' or 'Rihan-san' would feel even more awkward.

"Then… I'll call you, 'you'," the youkai said, smirking.

Rihan shrugged, "Sure." He smirked back at Rikuo. "But I won't answer to 'Hey you'."

Rikuo responded with an offhand "Humph," ending the conversation.

They stared at each other in awkward silence, as they tried to think of something they could talk about.

Rihan eventually broke the silence. "… I think our spiritual bond is strong enough now… so we can perform matoi."

The youkai looked surprised for a second, but then his expression smoothed out and he nodded.

xxxxxx

It felt incredibly strange to wear Rikuo, and he didn't know if it was because of the way he thought of him, or his three-quarter human blood. He had also never worn another Nurarihyon before so that added to the strange-ness. His boost in fear was exhilarating though - he hadn't thought someone as young as Rikuo could have so much, and most of it was untapped too. Rihan smirked when Rikuo's thoughts reached him. It seemed, he too, was awed by the amount of fear they had. Rikuo really had to lighten up though, because he was worried that their combined fear might wreck the house. Although Rihan didn't really want to ruin it, a little destruction here and there was fun when no-one got hurt.

He opened an eye.

xxxxxx

Rikuo was experiencing what he thought and felt too, just like when they'd shared memories; except it was actually possible to interact this time. It was amazing to be able to share his father's body, and feel his confidence and coolness flow through him and mingle with his own. Rihan had always seemed mysterious, so this chance to know his thoughts and feelings was incredibly important to him. His dad was very light-hearted and playful but that didn't detract from his coolness - The youkai found himself grudgingly admitting that his father was cooler than him. He couldn't help but be awed. He felt his dad smirk in amusement at his thoughts… but before he could start to feel embarrassed, Rihan opened his left eye, presenting them with the sight of Nurarihyon's stare.

xxxxxx

Nurarihyon had immediately diverted his full attention to Rihan when he felt a massive amount of fear gathering around him. The room was soon quickly filling with fear, completely engulfing Rihan and obscuring him from sight. Nurarihyon was forced to move away when the fear grew even larger and pushed at him - he took Rikuo's body as well, before the black smoke could touch him. He wasn't going to risk exposing Rikuo to such strong, unstable fear, even if some of it was his own.

He watched warily as over half the room became enveloped with fear, before it finally stabilized and drew back. He stood still, with Rikuo's unconscious body in his arms. Had it worked? Or had something dreadful happened…?

Once most of the back smoke had cleared, and Nurarihyon could see the owner of the fear clearly, he gasped in shock. There stood a man dressed in a black yukata striped with green. His extremely long hair protruding from his head was divided into two colors: the top half was dark, like Rihan's hair, and the bottom a brilliant white. White markings also streaked through the length of wavy hair. One of the man's eyes was closed, but the other, an extraordinary reddish-orange color, looked at him playfully.

The man smirked at him. "Yo, pops. How do I look?" he said, running a hand curiously through his hair. Nurarihyon gaped at him. The impostor had actually performed matoi successfully! …Then was he really…

"Rihan?" the old man questioned uncertainly.

"The one and only," Rihan responded cheekily, before his expression changed.

"Gramps, it's really him," he said in a quiet tone. Nurarihyon's eyes bulged.

"Rikuo…!" He quickly glanced down at the body in his arms, but when he saw Rikuo hadn't moved, shot his gaze back to the man.

The young man nodded, then suddenly looked surprised. "Whoa, how did you do that?" he asked himself… were his grandson and Rihan sharing a body?

Nurarihyon looked at him awkwardly. "…Is this normal?"

Rihan, who seemed to be listening to something only he could hear, took a while to answer. "Nah, it's never happened before… but don't worry, I think it's 'cause both of us can use Meikyou Shishui." Nurarihyon nodded, although the man didn't seem to catch it as he had gone back to staring blankly.

Suddenly the man started twitching. "Oi, oi, hold on!" he said, grabbing one of his arms, which had started moving on its own accord. "We'll look stupid if we try to do something at the same time!"

The arm went limp. "…Am I just supposed to sit back and do nothing, then?" he asked himself, annoyed.

"Well…yes. This is my body, not yours." he replied, as he moved their eyes onto Rikuo's unconscious day form. The man got a strange expression on his face for a second, before he looked back up at Nurarihyon.

"So, old man, am I in the clear now?"

It seemed Rikuo had backed down and let Rihan take control, but Nurarihyon couldn't blame him - seeing his own unconscious body must have been off-putting. The man…Rihan's question was more important though.

"…You are," he eventually said, but continued in an uncompromising tone before Rihan could celebrate. "However, I still don't fully believe you. You will be followed by two guards wherever you go."

Rihan didn't look happy at that, but he knew better than to argue - once his old man made up his mind, it was almost impossible to change it.

Seeing no point in continuing the matoi, he ended it.

xxxxxx

Rihan had left the room a few moments after reverting to his normal self, when the old man had said nothing further to him. He'd looked at Rikuo on his way out but the latter had remained unconscious. Kurotabou and Kubinashi had taken him back to the old storeroom in silence, then left to stand outside. Rihan didn't think they knew how the questioning had gone.

He was starting to feel depressed being in a room all by himself, when a tug at his mind made him snap his head up in shock. Rikuo!

xxxxxx

Night Rikuo had found himself thrust back into Rihan's mind. He thought his dad had wanted to end matoi, so he didn't get why he was still here. Maybe he had to do something special to get back? He didn't know what though - he wished the hanyou would just get back here and show him.

When Rihan did arrive, he looked tense, something which immediately put the youkai on guard.

"This wasn't supposed to happen." Rikuo stated.

"No, it wasn't…" the hanyou confirmed, as he sat down cross-legged near the sakura tree and looked at the youkai. "I might get hell for it later." Rikuo shrugged and went sat down in front of his father, on the other side of a small mahogany table. "Well, I told gramps I'd take responsibility if something like this happened."

Rihan seemed to lose most of his tenseness at that and hummed in appreciation.

A comfortable silence settled between them as they enjoyed the beauty of their environment.

The youkai noticed that red lanterns now hung from some of the cherry blossom's branches. He thought they were a nice addition, since they cast the island in mysterious lights.

Rihan's lips spread into a proud smile when he noticed him looking. "Those are the lanterns we use when we go on Night Parades."

The youkai's eyes widened in understanding. He hadn't recognized the objects at first, because he'd never had the opportunity to participate in a Night Parade. He still recalled the awe he felt when his grandfather had led one of them when he was still a small child, and how he'd been denied participation because he couldn't transform. "Night Parades are magical events, Rikuo…we use them to remind humans that youkai exist," his grandfather had said. "They require supernatural feats, which you still can't do…" He remembered how much his human self had wished he was a youkai then, as he watched their grandfather fade into the distance, followed by an endless line of ayakashi.

"I'm going to lead the next one." Rikuo said determinedly to both himself and Rihan.

Rihan looked at him, surprised. "You aren't the clan head..." he reminded Rikuo.

The youkai glanced at him. "I know that," he said, then fell silent. Rihan supposed he was working out a way to convince the old man. "If you do manage it, I'll support you." he stated firmly.

Amazed wine-red eyes looked at him in gratitude, "Thank you…"

'Dad…'

xxxxxx

Nurarihyon tensely watched Rikuo's unconscious body; he'd taken Rikuo back to his room and gently laid him in his futon after Rihan had left. Even though the matoi had ended several hours ago, his grandson still hadn't woken up or changed back into his night form. This was incredibly worrying since Rikuo had never stopped the transformation after he'd accepted his other self.

"Rikuo!" Nurarihyon exclaimed immediately when he felt him stir. His grandson slowly opened his eyes and blinked several times, eventually focusing on his grandfather's face. "Are you alright?" Nurarihyon asked. Rikuo didn't answer. He tried to sit up but hissed when a sharp stab of pain shot through him. Nurarihyon noticed immediately and gently eased him back down.

Rikuo opened his mouth to speak, then suddenly stopped and frowned. His eyes flicked back and forth as he concentrated on something with an increasingly nervous expression spreading over his face. "Rikuo! What's wrong?" Nurarihyon demanded.

"He's gone…!" Nurarihyon looked at him in confusion. Was he talking about Rihan? "I can't feel him anymore-he's gone!" Rikuo said again, his voice going higher with panic. His grandfather suddenly realized that Rikuo was talking about his youkai form. The matoi might've permanently damaged his grandson.

He clenched his fists so hard that his knuckles turned white. How could he have allowed that impostor so close to his beloved grandson? What would he do if Rikuo never recovered, if he never got his youkai form back? His hyakki would never accept a human as its leader! Rikuo would have lost his future and he…he might even be forced to disown him... A pained cry brought his attention back to Rikuo. His heart seized as he watched him grab the sheets of the futon and twist around as the pain intensified. It had barely been a prickle at first but now it was constant and intense.

"Rikuo!" he shouted in panic, but his grandson was in too much pain to respond. When Rikuo started screaming and writhing in agony, Nurarihyon felt his growing panic transform into searing anger.

How dare he! How dare he hurt his grandson so much! He'd given that bastard so many chances, and this, THIS was what he did! He'd make him pay! And he'd tear some answers from his bleeding throat!

Another scream from Rikuo accompanied Nurarihyon as he stormed out of the room.

xxxxxx

Rihan snapped back into awareness when he felt mist begin to envelop the room. The lights darkened and the air became colder, then a soft thrum spread throughout. He slowly, imperceptibly changed positions so that he'd be able to spring up in a second, but not let the enemy know that he was alert. Had they finally decided to dispose of him, who they thought was an impostor? It was incredibly cowardly to attack him while he was imprisoned…

He scanned the room, taking care not to move his eyes. There was nothing amiss with it, but he became aware that Kurotabou and Kubinashi were no longer outside. They weren't the ones attacking him though, he was sure of it. He tightened his grip on the sword he hid inside his kinagashi (1) and sharpened his senses as far as they could go. Whoever was attacking him was good at hiding - incredibly good. They also had an intimate understanding of how youkai fought; this feeling of not knowing where an enemy was made him extremely nervous, which could easily give way to fear. And as soon as a youkai began to fear his opponent, it was over.

Rihan felt a chill go down his spine. He instantly spun away from his previous position, noticing a deep cut suddenly appear right where he had been. This guy might be one of the toughest opponents he had ever faced.

He had barely managed to avoid that hit…there was no time to play around.

Rihan activated his fear and drew Nenekirimaru.

With the complete activation of his fear, he could now dimly sense the other's - which he swore he'd felt before…but it dispersed before he could recognize it.

The temperature rose, the mist faded and the room brightened. Rihan's fear evaporated and he almost dropped Nenekirimaru in shock as he saw whose fear it was… the attacker was the shrivelled old man?

He was about to demand why he'd been attacked, when he noticed the old man's livid face. "What did you do to my grandson?" Nurarihyon demanded in a bone chilling tone. His eyes pierced Rihan's and warned him not to say anything but the truth. Rihan began sweating - this was exactly why he hadn't wanted to perform matoi with Rikuo in the first place!

"I didn't do anything!" he exclaimed. Rikuo had accepted the full responsibility, and the old man even agreed to it. He couldn't say it was his fault now!

The glare Nurarihyon was giving him could've killed an entire Hyakki Yakou. Rihan barely stopped himself from uttering a loud and embarrassing "Eeep!"

When Nurarihyon took a step closer, Rihan started talking. He didn't want to be ripped to shreds by this terrifying old man! He hurriedly recounted how Night Rikuo had unexpectedly remained in his mind, even after he'd cancelled the matoi, and how he now seemed to be stuck there, fumbling with his words under the poisonous glare which was boring into him. Rihan didn't dare to mention Rikuo taking full responsibility, in case that enraged the old man further.

The old man began to calm down when Rihan offered all the information he wanted without protesting. His anger was being taken over by anxiety and dread the more he heard. Slowly, he started to notice the symptoms of a sort of disorder which plagued youkai, one that he'd heard about but thankfully never experienced. He'd have to bring the impostor closer to Rikuo once again to prove if it was really the case - and Nurarihyon swore right there that he would personally behead him if he tried to hurt his grandson again. "Come with me," he commanded.

Rihan didn't dare to disobey him.

They walked through the empty hallways silently, then reached a section of the house Rihan was familiar with.

The silence there was eerie and Rihan hoped Nurarihyon would get whatever he wanted done quickly. The room they'd stopped in front was his own - or had been his, since it seemed to belong to someone else now.

As soon as they stopped in front of it, the sliding door opened, seemingly of its own accord. But once he and the old man had gone in, he could see that a cute girl in a white kimono had opened the door for them. Rihan thought she looked a lot like Setsura, the Yuki Onna who had been like a foster mother to him.

Sharp breathing drew his attention to the rest of the room. His eyes soon found the source of the sound…Rikuo. His son's human form was lying in a futon and sweating profusely. Sitting next to him was a man with short, spiky hair in a purple yukata adorned with feather motifs. Rihan guessed he was a member of the Yakushi Clan, and probably a medic too, judging from the cups and medical equipment placed around him.

Nurarihyon had stopped to talk to Tsurara, but was always keeping a very keen eye on the impostor. He was ready to kill him at a moment's notice - as soon as he made one false move...

Tsurara told him that she'd heard Rikuo's screams and had immediately looked for Zen, then rushed with him to Rikuo's room. Zen had tried his best to numb Rikuo's pain but his medicine hadn't had much effect. Then all of a sudden, not very long before they came in, Rikuo started to get better, until he reached his current state just as they entered. It was almost as if his condition had improved the closer Nurarihyon and Rihan had come.

Nurarihyon frowned grimly. It was as he'd thought.

Sometimes, when youkai possessed a human, they became stuck in the human's body. In the usual scenario, the youkai could escape by coming into close contact with another human….but in this case, Rihan would have to get into close contact with both of Rikuo's forms, so that his night self could travel back through him to his proper body. And "close contact" … meant skin-to-skin... intimacy…

How could he suggest such a thing?

xxxxx

Rihan had gone to sit next to the Yakushi clan member, who had glanced at him but hadn't commented. Their attention was focused entirely on Rikuo; the boy had stopped sweating but his pained expression hadn't left his face. Rihan wanted to reach out and ease his pain, but the constant gaze which bore into his back warned him otherwise. Despite how annoying that was, he thought Nurarihyon was right to be wary of him, as almost all he'd done so far was hurt his grandson.

Rihan felt him approach then - the old man's steps made no sound, yet his aura, even in old age, was bright and powerful. When he stood behind them silently for a long time, the hanyou reluctantly took his eyes off Rikuo to look at him. The old man had a strange expression on his face and he seemed to want to say something, but always stopped at the last minute. His eyes continually shifted from him to Rikuo awkwardly.

Before long, the hanyou lost his patience. "Oi, old man, are you just gonna stand there awkwardly and stare at us, or actually do something?" he asked with annoyance, his fear of the old man having worn off. Nurarihyon looked at him scathingly, but Rihan wasn't intimidated this time. He opened his mouth purposefully, then paused, closed it and looked away. Rihan thought he'd actually seen a blush of embarrassment on the old man's face before he turned away!

'Whoa, it must be something pretty awesome for my old man to be this embarrassed...I've got to find out what it is!'

Rihan giddily thought as he turned his entire attention on said old man…who felt a chill run down his spine.

"Heeey old man, watcha hiding?" Rihan said in a sing song tone with a huge smirk plastered across his face. 'Once he answers I'll have enough blackmail to last me a lifetime! '

Nurarihyon didn't look happy at all with Rihan's smugness. He knew that telling him what he had to do with Rikuo would wipe that huge grin off his face…but howcould he say it, much less allow it! His grandson and that, that man who looked like his son…lying naked….touching each other-

Nurarihyon cut his thoughts off, completely disturbed. No, he couldn't allow this….but then how was Rikuo supposed to get his other self back? ...He groaned. Why couldn't there be another way!

"I swear I saw a blush…what dirty things are you thinking of, you perverted old man?" Rihan continued pestering relentlessly.

Nurarihyon sighed. This had to be done….no matter how much he hated it. Before Rihan could start saying something else, Nurarihyon quickly broke in:

"You…you will take-" Goddamn it, he couldn't say it! It was too embarrassing!

Rihan pounced with vigour on Nurarihyon's sudden stop, 'Oh this was going to be good!' "I will take what, old man?" he asked with an enormous grin. The old man looked away and grumbled something in embarrassment. "Huh, what? I didn't hear you, say it louder gramps!" Rihan said with a shit-eating smirk. He loved watching his dad squirm! Nurarihyon didn't reply for a while, simmering in his own embarrassment, until he took a deep breath - better to just get it over with. "You will take off your clothes and lie on top of Rikuo. This needs to happen both here and inside your mind, simultaneously."

There…he'd said it.

Rihan stared at him…this was what he was so embarrassed about? Sure it didn't sound pleasant at all - why did he have to take off his clothes, what a pervert! - but it couldn't have caused such embarrassment. There had to be something else."Oi,spit out already, old man. There's no way that couldn't have been everything!"

Nurarihyon looked at him in surprise. Had he not heard the incredibly embarrassing thing he'd been forced to say?…Then realisation dawned on him, he hadn't specified that Rikuo had to be naked too. Damn it, how could he have forgotten! Now he'd have to say it once again. He contemplated using Meikyou Shisui to disappear out of sight , but then steeled himself. This was for Rikuo.

"You will lie on top of Rikuo" Nurarihyon gathered his wits by repeating himself, "and both of you…will be…" Nurarihyon stopped. It took all of his considerable willpower to continue, "…naked."

All of the room's occupants stared at Nurarihyon, as if his head had suddenly become a normal human shape.

You could hear an ant crawl from miles away in the complete silence which enveloped the room.

Eventually, Rihan managed to gather his wits, "…What…did you say…?" he said, so shocked and horrified that he'd forgotten to add the usual "old man" at the end of his sentence.

The other two occupants still stared at the old man in scandalized silence. Rikuo, thankfully, was completely focused into himself and had missed his grandfather's…order.

"…I won't repeat myself." Nurarihyon said firmly and with a tinge of anger. He was completely embarrassed by what he'd been forced to say, not once but twice.

"…You do remember that…we're father and son…right?" Rihan said in a low voice.

The old man glared at him. As if he could forget that! …and wasn't this an impostor anyway?

"You shouldn't be too upset with this, since you're not the real Rihan." he said coldly.

At that, the hanyou became indignant, "…So you mean I have to go through this, because you think I'm an impostor? I thought you said I was in the clear already!" Rihan exclaimed in anger. "And what about Rikuo, huh? How can you make me do such a thing to him and why!"

" You don't matter in this at all…" Nurarihyon replied contemptuously, "And don't you dare mention Rikuo, when you're the one who hurt him this much."

When Nurarihyon became aware that Zen and Tsurara were staring at him horrified - they seemed to think he wanted something bad to happen to Rikuo, he explained himself, "This will get Rikuo's night form back into his body." They nodded in understanding but still looked at him strangely.

Rihan couldn't help but feel hurt at the old man's tone. His dad - if this was really his dad- had never talked to him like that. And what he'd said was true. He had hurt Rikuo…and if this would help him…

"…I'll do it." He said grudgingly. The old man turned towards him and nodded.

Zen and Tsurara were really uncomfortable by now. After Zen had swiftly undressed Rikuo and given his clothes to Tsurara, they quickly excused themselves and rushed out of the room, not wanting to be caught up in further drama. They prayed for their young master.

xxxxx

Meanwhile, in Rihan's mind, Rikuo's youkai form had been watching him idly as he dozed - all of his attention was focused outside. All of a sudden, the hanyou sat up with an agitated expression spread over his face. The youkai looked at him. "Oi… what happened?" Rihan didn't answer though; he appeared to be pointedly avoiding looking at his son.

''How the hell can I tell him about it when it's so fucking embarrassing?' the hanyou thought anxiously. Unfortunately, he'd said he'd do it, so he couldn't back out now, however much he wanted to. He started constructing a speech and gathering his courage in order to tell Rikuo, in the best possible way, what his grandfather had ordered him to do.

"Ah - well … your grandfather suggested a way to let you leave my mind," he began slowly, then gained confidence. "He said… and I quote, '…You will lie on top of Rikuo, and both of you will be naked.' …"

Rikuo stared at him. "That's ridiculous." Rihan's nervous expression made him pause. "It's a joke, right?" he asked, hoping his father would say yes. The hanyou slowly shook his head, averting his eyes in complete embarrassment. He couldn't believe the old man had suggested such a thing! Wasn't there any other way? …probably not. This had to be the only way - his old man would never have suggested something like this except as a last resort.

"… and this is the only way to get back…" Rikuo muttered hopelessly at last, coming to the same conclusion as his father. He took a deep breath and steeled himself, repeating 'It will be over quickly…' as a mantra in his head. Slowly he began to take off his yukata, prompting Rihan to do the same - equally as reluctantly.

xxxxx

"Come on, do we have to take everything off completely? It's really… disconcerting… especially with you watching, old man!" The hanyou had obviously regained some of his former bravado, and Nurarihyon glared at him. "The only reason I'm watching is to make sure you don't try anything," he retorted flatly.

Rihan sighed and continued stripping off his clothing. It seemed the old man wouldn't let him off. When he was wearing nothing but his fundoshi, he tried again. "Do we really, really have to-"

"Alright, leave it!" Nurarihyon growled, really not wanting to go into the details. This was already way out of his comfort zone. The hanyou shrugged and moved closer to the futon, inwardly grimacing. This was going to be embarrassing.

He gingerly pulled back the covers and awkwardly laid his torso over Rikuo's, hoping it'd be enough and Rikuo's youkai would return. No such luck - nothing happened. Feeling the old man's gaze on his back - what a pervert - Rihan unenthusiastically shifted his body until it was completely on top of his son's. He could feel Rikuo's heartbeat; it was faint and fluttery which was worrying… his skin was also uncharacteristically warm, not a good sign. The hanyou felt blood rising to his cheeks… 'God damn it, hurry up…!

(1) Rihan's outer kimono, the striped green one. It was called this in the manga: ch148, page 8.

Notes:

Please R&R! We love getting reviews :)

Important:

Allen and I are both really busy right now and we won't have time to work on the fic, so this will be the last chapter we post for a while. Sorry to everyone who is eager to read more.