I'm not going to keep you guys waiting any longer for the chapter, so here it is. All my comments about other things will be at the end of the chapter.

No vocab this time around. Enjoy!

A sob chokes my throat and a cry slips from my mouth. Nanami, confused, looks to me before she starts to wail too, clearly sensing that something is amiss. I keep waiting for Mika to open her eyes and give me a soft smile, but I know that's impossible now. I pick up Nanami in my arms and rock her close to my chest, knowing that the girl is now motherless like I am. Like Mika had said, she would never know what her mother had looked like.

Within a couple of minutes, a maid is opening the door and pulling me aside, trying to move me away from Mika, but I won't budge. I can't move an inch. I had once told Sesshomaru that Mika's life was worth three of mine. I had been wrong. Her life was worth far, far more than that, and it had just slipped through my fingers. Even after knowing that I coveted Kohaku, how I chased after him like a pitiful mutt, she's remained my friend all this time, and now I can never repay her.

Footsteps are starting to swarm around the room and in the hallway. Probably demons complaining about the human wails. I don't care anymore. They can suffer just a little bit too if I have to.

"Miss, you should hand the baby over. The wet nurse—"

"No!" I scream. "Her name is not "the baby". It's Nanami! And I made a promise that I would see after her. Get out of here, all of you!" These damned maids, already to take Mika away. Do they already have the funeral pyre waiting for her, the shroud laid out for her?

A hand is on my shoulder, and I wrench away and bury Nanami further into my chest. I'm not going to go back on my promises, not anymore. When the hand returns and digs into my skin, my breath hitches as claws press into my skin. I don't even need to turn to know who it is.

Sesshomaru. And… Tenseiga. Tenseiga! Why hadn't I thought of it before?! I swipe desperately at my tear-streaked face, not daring to even consider that he might say no.

I can see in his eyes that he already knows what I'm going to request before I even open my mouth.

"Please, Sesshomaru." The words are sticky and reluctant, mixing with my tears. His hand is already on Tenseiga's hilt, but there's a look of consternation on his face. He draws the sword, holding it steady. I hold my breath as I wait for him to swing as he did before, wait for the life to fade back into Mika's eyes, but he doesn't move. Instead, his eyes widen, confusion flittering across his expression before it solidifies into stone. Panic seeps into my heart.

"What's wrong?" I breathe.

He continues looking at Mika's body as he answers. "The pallbearers of death are not here. She cannot be saved."

I go numb. I suddenly notice how silent the room is, save for the sniffling cries of Nanami in my arms.

"What?"

But there's no response as Sesshomaru sheathes his sword.

When the maid approaches to take Nanami this time, I don't put up any fight. I simply bury my head and let my arms go limp. This time, when they try to guide me out so they can take the body to be prepared, I let them take me.

The days pass in what seem like a blur. The next evening, her body is cremated, just as we do in Shiramura. People in the West tend to bury their dead instead of burning them, but Hatsuriko finds a priest able to carry out the rites and pays him herself. I argue, but she won't have any of it, and I don't have the energy to fight back. I'm too numb for anything at this point. I've lost a dear friend whom I did even understand the value of until she was already gone.

Loss, loss, loss. My life is filled to the brim, no, overflowing with it. I seem to lose everyone and everything, and even have a hand in their deaths.

(¯`*•.¸,¤°´-`°¤,¸.•*´¯)

The afternoon after the burning, I sit outside in the gardens, bouncing Nanami numbly as I try to forget the smell of smoke.

A door opens to the garden, and I'm surprised to turn and find Sesshomaru walking towards me.

"Good day, milord," I say as he hovers near the bench I sit on. He says nothing in response, however, and I don't have the energy to keep up a conversation on my part.

"How goes war planning?" I ask, vaguely remembering the conversations I've overheard between Hatsuriko and Minako over the past couple of days.

"It goes."

I'm starting to become rather confused about why Sesshomaru would seek me out here in the gardens if he's only going to speak two words to me when I notice the tension in his neck and shoulders. No wonder he doesn't sit down. Is he even able to bend at all at this point?

I watch him staring intently at Nanami in my arms. "Would you like to hold her?"

He glances up at me with a look that says I must be insane to have just asked "this Lord Sesshomaru" such a question.

"Here," I say, holding the baby out to him. Before he can refuse me, I push Nanami into his hands. He holds her out practically at arm's length, his expression one of blank confusion at what he was holding in his hands.

"Have you never held a baby before?" I ask, trying to stifle a giggle. His expression is just too much for me to handle. I somber though, feeling guilty for the slight spark of laughter I just felt.

"Inuyoukai do not bear pups very often. Once every fifty years, at most."

"So there's not much opportunity for baby cuddling?"

He looks at me an raises an eyebrow, almost as if asking if cuddling is what one does with babies. "No."

I decide to put the poor guy out of his confused misery and scoop Nanami back into my embrace. Nanami makes a grab though for Sesshomaru's finger at the last moment and locks onto it. He seems startled by the gesture and starts to pull away when a bubble of a giggle escapes Nanami's mouth.

"She seems to like you," I say nonchalantly as I bounce her in my arms. She still holds fast to Sesshomaru's finger, though, and shows no intention of letting go. Slowly, I pry her grip loose from his finger and say, "I'm sure you have plenty of business to attend to, milord." He nods once before turning to leave the gardens. Before he does so, however, he rests a hand on my shoulder for a brief moment, a tender touch, and then he's gone. I realize then that this was his way of comforting me, even if he didn't really know how, and I'm burning with gratefulness.

Sesshomaru does not call for me to read or train, nor am I instructed to move back to the servants' quarters, a not-so-small blessing for the time being. I suppose this is his way of giving me time and space to mourn in my own way. Minako and Hatsuriko hover nearby, always close, always ready to offer comfort, but I shrug them off. For some reason, the loneliness that's twisting my insides isn't something that being surrounded by people seems to fix.

Kohaku arrives two days later, his face ashen and devoid of emotion. The only time his face betrays any feeling at all is when he sees Nanami's small form in my arms at the gate. He scoops her into his arms and buries his face in the swaddled clothes, and I see a sob rack his chest.

When we take him to the marker on a small hill about a mile away from the estate where her ashes were buried, he kneels and leans on the stone, his eyes red as he rocks Nanami in his arms. I want desperately to reach out and comfort him, to take away the guilt I know is eating him from the inside out, but I can't even bring myself to lift my hand.

Later that evening, when we're sitting in my temporary guest room picking at our dinners, he catches me up on the warfront, the only topic he can talk about without trailing off mid-sentence.

"The human army is losing. I don't think there's a chance for us to win."

I stop and look at him, my tea raised halfway to my mouth. "What?"

"We are not strong enough on our own, and the dragons are refusing aid." I hear the bitter tone in his voice. Innumerable times had I heard his displeasure about the human army's dependence on youkai to defeat other youkai, his insistence that they were too fickle, too capricious, too power hungry for the army to be able to trust, yet he and I both know that the army doesn't stand a chance without them. A foolish war for humans to have ever entered, I think to myself, then startle. A year ago, I would have berated myself for sympathizing with the demons, even if it was just from living with demon hunters all my life.

"It's not good," Kohaku continues, his voice quiet. "We're bound to lose. The dragons are out of control. I don't know what they were promised, but whatever control the humans thought they had over them, they don't have it anymore."

I bite my lip. After seeing the power of Ryuukotsusei, I can't help but think that the humans never really had any power over them in the first place.

Kohaku's squeezing the ceramic of his tea cup, his knuckles a ghostly white. He's clutching it so hard I'm afraid that it's going to shatter in his grip.

"They kept the letters that you sent about Mika from me until I had finished my mission, saying that it was more important to serve the emperor than attend my dying wife, and now… And now, she's gone." His last words break, his voice cracking open to reveal the raw pain underneath.

I reach out and place a hand on his. It's the only gesture I can think of to do. I don't have any encouraging words for him, at least not ones that he hasn't already heard.

"What are you planning on doing?" I ask, breaking the silence after a few minutes.

"I'll write a letter to Sango, letting her know that I'm leaving the army."

I pull back out of shock. "What?"

He slams his cup down onto the table. "War be damned. I'm not sacrificing my life any longer to a hopeless cause. I have a daughter to raise." He lifts his gaze from his cup of tea, staring with set determination in his dark brown eyes. It's a look I know all too well, a look meaning that he won't be swayed.

"Won't there be punishment for deserting? Won't they track you down?"

"Punishment?" he repeats, laughing derisively. "Oh, no. They're far too preoccupied with the current losses and onslaught to be able to go after a deserter. I have my own priorities now. I was thinking about taking Nanami with me and moving to a new village further south, or perhaps back to Shiramura after the war if it's survived that long."

"Oh." Something clenches at my heart a little to hear that Nanami will no longer be with us at the castle, but I know it's for the best. I can see that being so near demons puts Kohaku on edge, and a daughter deserves to be with her father. "Well please, let me know where you end up going. I'll want to come visit you."

Kohaku looks at me, his expression pained. "And you, Rin? What will you do?"

I open my mouth to speak, then pause. I honestly haven't the slightest idea of what I'm going to do now, other than remain at the Western Palace. However, this is not an answer that Kohaku will like, so I answer instead, "I don't really know. I mean, with my brother and everything… I suppose I'll have to ride out the rest of the war before I can know for sure. And after that…" I trail off, completely lost for words.

He looks around the decorations in the guest room, and I know that he's thinking of Lord Sesshomaru at this very moment. We're both the most stubborn, hardheaded people we know, so instead of trying to convince me to leave, he says instead, "Just know that you always will have a home with Sango and me if you need a place to go."

I smile. "I know. It's been a long time since I've been an orphan, thanks to you."

The next night night, after Kohaku leaves, taking Nanami with him, I lie in my futon feeling empty. So much had happened over the past few days, and yet it all seems like a fuzzy distant blur of a memory.

When I finally drift into sleep, however, it's not a pleasant one.

It's the one I always have when times are hard. I'm back in the space under the floorboards of the old hut with my brother, our breathing stifled by fear. Thieves prowl above us, ready to spill my father and eldest brother's blood. I know what's coming. I always do. Yet, I never know what I need to do to stop it.

Panic claws at my throat as I hear the wooden boards squeak overhead. This time, when the demons speak, it's not the gruff, vulgar voices I've come to expect. This time, it's the low, booming scratch of a dragon demon's voice. Ryuukotsusei. He's not supposed to be here, not in this dream.

The second I recognize the voice, the floorboard above us splinters and comes crashing down. I scream, waking in a cold sweat.

A clawed hand reaches for me and I jump. "Milord? What are you doing here at this time of night?"

"You were talking in your sleep," he says as way of explanation.

"You could hear that?" I ask, rubbing my hands to try to stop them from trembling.

His gaze flickers upward. "My office is right above this room."

"Oh," I say, before narrowing my eyes in suspicion. "Did you have me put here on purpose?"

His expression remains placid. It's a question which he'll neither confirm nor deny, which basically means he's confirming it.

Sesshomaru glances over to the tray of uneaten food I had stashed away in the corner of the room. "Rin, you must eat." Not a command, exactly, but his tone makes it sound like one.

"I haven't had much of an appetite over the past few days."

He rises and heads to the door. He disappears for about half a minute before returning. "I have sent a maid for food."

I stare at him, impressed. How he found a maid that quickly in the middle of the night, I don't know, but I'm too shaken from the nightmare to bother asking.

The food arrives only minutes later. It's a try of plain rice and hot miso soup with a pork bun on the side.

When I pick at the rice and soup but leave the bun untouched, he looks at me, his head tilted ever so slightly in what I assume is puzzlement.

"Do you not like the food?" he asks, indicating the bun with a wave of his hand. "I believed you to enjoy those very much."

I look to the bun, and I can't help but smile. He must have ordered it specially thinking that it was one of my favorite foods. Sesshomaru's sweetness is never overbearing, never obvious. It's the quietest, most subtle signs of affection that betray him.

After several moments of silence with me slowly eating, he's the one who breaks the silence. "You care for that man." He doesn't need to say whom he's referencing. He must have overheard my conversation with Kohaku last night if he heard me sleep talking. His words are not a question, but a statement. Yet, I know he is waiting for me to fill in the details.

"Yes," I respond slowly. "We have been friends for many, many years now. He's taken care of me when there has been no one else who would help me."

Sesshomaru remains silent after this statement, and I smile a little to myself.

"There's no need to be jealous, milord. I only have eyes for you."

I can see he's about to respond, but then catches sight of how my face has broken into a wide grin.

I push the tray away. "I don't think I can eat any more. Thank you, though, for ordering the food."

He nods, showing that he's heard me, and gets up to leave, but I reach out and catch his hand.

"Do you… do you mind staying with me? Just until I fall asleep? I never have nightmares with you… and right now… I need someone to be with me."

He doesn't say anything, but he sits back down all the same. I make myself comfortable in my futon before murmuring good night to him. Somewhere, in the twilight between waking and sleep, I feel his fingers running through my hair, and I drift into a dreamless, peaceful sleep.

When I wake in the morning, Sesshomaru having disappeared sometime in the middle of the night, my mind is made up. I'm done mourning the loss of Mika. Instead of lying around with my head in a fog, I need to do something. I need to take action against those who killed her and injured my friends.

(¯`*•.¸,¤°´-`°¤,¸.•*´¯)

The next day as I'm walking along the castle paths, trying to clear my head, I hear voices from further ahead. Upon catching the low tenor of Sesshomaru's voice, I slip down the path as stealthily as I can manage until I'm in better hearing range.

"—only once, milord. No more. The soul is trapped in the underworld forever, if there is a second death. This can happen if the body is too damaged. As well."

The second man's voice is old and weak, most of the words coming in an old croak. I frown, confused. There is no one that old on Sesshomaru's estate. Not that I know of, at least.

Silence.

"I see."

The voices are fading. I inch my foot along the path, but step on a rock I couldn't see and a gasp of pain escapes my clenched mouth.

The fading words halt.

"Come out, girl," the unfamiliar voice calls to me. I know better than to try to fake innocence by now, so I step from the shadows and find myself face to face with a withered old man, his eyes the size of saucers floating on a cloud.

He looks me up and down, and even though I don't see how it's possible, his bug-eyes grow even larger.

"Who are you?"

I hesitate for a moment. "My name is Rin."

"You had the dagger crafted for this girl?"

Sesshomaru answers only in stony silence, but I don't think the old man needed one.

"How did you know?" I ask.

"I can sense the youki from within in your robes, and you are most definitely human. Speaking of which," he says, turning back to face Sesshomaru. "I see you did not follow my advice and retrieved Tessaiga. How you managed, though…" he trails off, his voice thoughtful. Then he turns back to me with a soft chuckle. "Yes, it was her, wasn't it?"

Sesshomaru gives him a sharp glance, his eyes narrowed.

"Tessaiga was created to protect humans. I did not see how you, Lord Sesshomaru, of all people would be able to wield it, but apparently…"

Sesshomaru's expression betrays nothing, but I know that if this old demon speaks another word in this vein, he'll soon be missing a tongue.

The demon seems to sense this and he changes the topic. "Well, if you want to master the Meidou now, there is nothing stopping you, Sesshomaru-sama. Tenseiga is not the rightful owner of the technique, as I said. Now that the two are at your side, they will resonate as one. Have you attempted it since you have gained both?"

Sesshomaru unsheathes Tenseiga. Instinctively, I run behind him, knowing what is about to happen.

This time, when Sesshomaru summons the Meidou, it appears in the sky as a perfect orb. I unconsciously gasp at the sight. It's beautiful yet ominous at the same time, a black moon filled with stars and emptiness.

"Your father did not intend—" the old man begins, but Sesshomaru waves him away.

"I have no need for advice from my father." I can hear the unspoken bitterness in his voice, but neither I nor the old demon dare to say anything. After hearing Sesshomaru speak with of his father on the trip with something bordering on reverence, it's painful to catch the resentment in his tone.

"That is all I will need from you for now, Toutousai."

Toutousai gives Sesshomaru a deep bow from his seated position before his cloud speeds off into the distance.

"Who was that?" I ask, following Sesshomaru as he turns to walk down the path which leads back to the castle.

"Toutousai. A youkai blacksmith."

I can see though from Sesshomaru's expression that he is deep in thought, and so I decide to turn away with a "Good day, milord," and continue walking the grounds, mulling over my own thoughts.

(¯`*•.¸,¤°´-`°¤,¸.•*´¯)

Late that night, I head to the servant bathhouse, long after they have gone to bed. For some reason, I still feel oddly uncomfortable in the guest bathhouse, even though they're far nicer than what the servants' quarters have to offer. I climb into the water even though it scalds my skin. I sink into the steam, thinking hard about my options.

I know Sesshomaru's planning on going after Ryuukotsusei. There's no way he isn't. And if he's going, I want a hand in it.

I bathe quickly and get dressed in a light cotton bathrobe before heading upstairs to Sesshomaru's office. I don't bother bowing as I rap on the mats. The second he opens the door, I spit out the words I've been holding in since the bathhouse.

"I want to help you fight. I want to help you win." I move past him into the room.

He looks at me only for a brief moment before answering. "It is not necessary."

I raise my eyebrows, a little surprised. It wasn't the answer I had been expecting. "What?"

"You have seen the Meidou. It has been completed. I will not need your presence any longer to strengthen it."

My heart sinks. How could I have forgotten that small detail? "But perhaps that is because I was there when you performed it for Dodosei, or whatever his name was. I want to come with you. You're going after Ryuukotsusei, right? Then let me be there with you to make sure the Meidou works! The blacksmith said that Tessaiga only works to protect humans anyway, right?"

He gives me a sharp look and shuts the shouji a little too loudly. "If you die again, it is permanent. There is no saving you from the pallbearers of hell. I will not risk your life. Those bruises, your cracked ribs, you were lucky to get away with so little. Your presence would be a burden."

His words sting, and I'm so frustrated I could scream. Even though I know he's telling the truth, even if it's in his brutally harsh way, I still want to fight. "I want to make the dragons pay. I want my vengeance! When do I get that?!"

He looks at me, considering. Surely revenge is one of the few emotions he's be able to empathize with. "There is more to revenge than the battlefield. You have given me the weapon I require in order to rid the lands of dragons for all eternity. You will have paid your revenge tenfold when I take out the dragons."

"It doesn't feel like it though," I say with a frustrated sigh, slumping against the wall.

He says nothing, and I move closer to him. It's only now that I've realized that he's armor-less and in a plain white haori and hakama. Suddenly, a different way to convince him pops into my head.

"Are you sure there's nothing I could do to convince you to let me come with you?" I say quietly, a playful smile on my lips. I glance down to my short robe and pull it closer around me as if I'm just noticing that I'm not in appropriate clothing to be seeing him.

His eyes follow my hands, but his expression is stony as ever. "Do not make me risk your life. I will not tolerate it." His words are cold, but his gaze is still fixed on me.

I move some of my wet hair behind me, pretending to not notice that it has soaked my robe or that the water makes the cloth cling to my skin. I take a step closer to him. "Please, Sesshomaru-sama?" I say, my voice barely more than a whisper.

His eyes flicker back to my face, and his mouth is set when he replies, "No."

I sigh. I hadn't expected trickery to work, but it was worth a shot. When I turn to leave, however, something tugs at the pit of my stomach. It had been so long that I had had contact with someone that didn't involve death or funeral preparations or moving on. Even if it was just to request something only to be turned down, I enjoyed the company. I raise my hand to slide the shouji open, then hesitate, my hand hovering before the wood. I take a deep breath and force the words out before I lose my nerve.

"Can I stay with you longer, milord? I don't think I want to go back to the quarters just yet. If I have another nightmare, I know I'll be up all night, and I think talking to you before I sleep might keep them from coming again."

As soon as the words break the air, a wave of shame and humiliation trickles down my spine. I sound pitiful, just like a little girl. I don't want to turn to look at him. I'm afraid my disappointment at his answer will show on my face, and I don't want him to think me desperate.

Then, though, there's a warm hand on my wrist, firm but not harsh. I turn to face Sesshomaru, and his eyes are no longer harsh, but soft. "You may stay if you like."

And it's this touch, this small touch, that makes me how deeply, how desperately I've been craving it. Touch from anyone, but especially from him.

Before I can say anything else and potentially ruin the moment, I push up onto my toes and bring my lips to his, savoring the warmth and taste of his mouth. It takes only a split second for him to respond and return the kiss, deepening it as he pulls me closer. I can feel the stress and tension of the chaos of the war seeping away, burned away by his hunger. He needs this as much as I do, probably more than I do.

Even though it's nearing the peak of summer, walking around in the open air after the bath had brought a chill to my skin. I never realized how hot Sesshomaru's skin was. Maybe it's because nearly all the other times we had been this close, he had been in full armor, our skin separated by metal and leather.

Now, however, I press my body to his and steal his warmth, surprised by how hard his body still is even without the armor. He pulls away for a moment and I'm dazed, left staring into his face, wondering if I look as flushed as I feel. Before I can tell, though, he moves his head to my neck and I squirm as his lips brush my skin. Not an unpleasant situation, but it feels like my nerves have been set on end. I try to wriggle away, but he holds me fast to his body.

He slides his hand under my robe to rest on my shoulder, and I feel the robe slacken as the sleeve drops to my side, exposing part of my chest. His hand moves up my stomach to the exposed skin and grasps my chest, careful to avoid my ribs which are still faintly tinged with bruises. Warmth trickles throughout my veins, heating every inch of my skin. A soft moan of pleasure that slips from my mouth is immediately silenced as his mouth returns to mine.

I slide my hands under his robe and run them across his chest, feeling his muscles as I move to run my fingers down his back, clutching at him. Gods, if this is anything like what girls in Shiramura had talked about when taking lovers, I think I finally understand why they had enjoyed it so much.

Suddenly, Sesshomaru freezes and pulls back, his mouth just a breath away from mine. I open my eyes and see him waiting, listening. Before I can ask what's wrong, there's a rapping on the tatami outside of his office. I hear the softest growl of annoyance escape his chest. "Name yourself," he says, his voice thicker and rougher than usual.

"'Tis Jaken, milord. I have news from the generals in the North regarding the attack!" His squeaky voice is urgent and harried. But, then again, it usually always is, so I can't tell if it's important or not.

A hushed complaint breaks free from me as Sesshomaru pulls away, my hand still clutching at his as he moves back to straighten his haori. I want to tell him to come back, to tell Jaken to go away, but from the expression on his face, I can tell he's about as happy as I am about this interruption. I guess it really must be important, then.

I sigh and creep on silent feet to the side of the room where I should be out of view from someone standing in the doorway to straighten my own robe. The second Sesshomaru slides open the door, however, Jaken comes barreling in, even without Sesshomaru granting him official entrance.

Jaken's words pour from his mouth as he juggles dozens of scrolls which are overflowing from his arms. "Milord, General Hakao has sent word that they have—"

Even though I'm standing straight and silent as a pillar, something must have given away my presence for Jaken slowly turns to face me, apparently not expecting anyone else to be in Sesshomaru's office at this hour.

"Lord Jaken," I say with a slight bow, trying to keep the blush from my face.

Jaken's gaze flickers from me back to Sesshomaru, and his bug eyes seem on the verge of popping as I watch the pieces of the puzzle fall into place for him. Jaken's vividly green skin turns a pallid grey as his words falter. Without another word, he drops the scrolls and documents at Sesshomaru's feet and scurries from the room as fast as his tiny feet can carry him.

I stifle a giggle as I walk to the door. "I think I should be heading back to my room as well. It's getting rather late."

He touches my hand as I move to open the shouji, pulling me into one last kiss. This time, I'm the one who breaks it.

"Good night, Sesshomaru-sama."

"Hn."

Yeah, more or less a fluff chapter you guys. Sorry that there wasn't a whole lot of action, but I felt that there needed to be a transition in between everything that's going to happen next chapter, which is a lot… Don't worry! Hatsuriko, Minako, and Akahito will all be present in the next chapter. I expect there to be 2-3 more chapters and an epilogue, and then… well that's it!

A big, big thanks to all of you who reviewed last chapter! Melonygarza, LEGNA, Starrlight-Hotaru, animefollower101, darlingforever, flaxj, Guptanation, Sewetcups2, Kibachow, Taraah36, Kagamine Arimonori, Sotam, Mystic Fairy Tame, xAmeHanax, crazykenz, Sheri Vegas, ILoveYouDearly, animedude16, phantom101, .73, Zakuromidna, hisuichanxx, Anatolie, Katana227, Hapytello98, Erilin-chan, Guest, Yuri-Ishtar, waterlit, Guest, bladerose, gingersnaps, yaoilover, , and Lizzie Hyrule!

I've sucked at doing user reviews lately. I'm really, really sorry to all my reviewers. You guys are the people who keep me going, and you deserve better. User reviews are coming out as soon as this chapter is posted, so there won't be any delay this time.

For the reviewers who've left a review in the past few days, there's a discussion at the very end of these responses.

To the guest reviewers of the previous chapter:

LEGNA – I'm so happy to hear that you loved the chapter! I hope to hear that you're doing well, and I hope that you liked the latest chapter as well. Thank you very much for taking the time to review!

darlingforever – I'm so glad that you liked the chapter, and I want to thank you for your response. Thank you very much for taking the time to review!

Sheri Vegas – Haha very much like Scarlet and Mel. I hope you enjoyed the latest chapter, and thank you as always for taking the time to review!

Happytello98 – There will be blood! And vengeance! This I promise! Haha. I have not been to Japan yet, actually! I will be going in like… three weeks' time, and man am I going out of my mind about it. Anticipation, excitement, nervousness… the works. I hope everything's going well for you, and thank you as always for taking the time to leave a review!

Guest – Thank you very much for your compliments, and I'm terribly sorry about the long wait for the chapter. I hope you enjoyed it all the same!

As bladerose and yaoilover had similar comments to each other, I decided to respond to you guys both at once. This is also meant for everyone to read in general, but particularly for the reviewers who have left me responses on my chapters in the past few days.

You are right to call me out on promises I haven't been keeping. It is not right for me to make them in the first place if I am not 100% positive that I will be able to fulfill them. I'm not going to try to explain what took me so long to get this chapter up. Those who have said that time doesn't matter would still be fine with it, and those who are frustrated with me would still be so regardless of my reasoning. I won't waste the word count on it. I haven't done right by you in this matter, and for that, I am truly sorry.

Writing this fanfiction takes many hours out of my schedule. It may just be that I'm a slow writer, but each chapter usually takes me hours upon hours to complete and then another couple to edit. Sometimes, finding those hours is difficult, but I write this for you guys, my readers. Without you, I would have given up a long time ago, so I just want to thank all of you who have stuck by me over all this time. Thank you very much for your support and love. It has been an amazing experience to write something this long for such a long period of time. The end is coming soon, and I'm both excited and sad to see that it's almost here. Just stick with me a little longer, and then the story will be done!