Kemono no Shi

By Abhorson

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Juushisatsu – Fourteen: When you're feeling definitive.

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For some odd reason, I promised myself that I wouldn't work on KemonoShi until the trollspring surrendered my tablet pen. They still haven't. Therefore, this chapter has been written for over two…okay three…four months. It's old and moldy. Yup.

On 5/13/07, it will officially be Kemono's ONE YEAR BIRTHDAY! Tanjoubi Omedetou Kemono-chan, you brain-child of mine. I hate you. :D

Can't believe it's been a year…shit…

I apologize in advance.

-

Kiba awoke to the break of dawn as per usual, fingers scratching bed sheets idly as their owner twitched into life. The Inuzuka blinked as he awoke fully, palm coming up to rub his forehead. He slowly sat up, looking wearily around the small bedroom as his eyes reverted to their usual sharp focus. His eyes revolved in a quick once-over, facial expression upturning.

Oh.

Shino.

The Aburame stood before their bedroom's only window, looking out across the landscape of Kirigakure: slick streets, soggy citizens and sporadic weather. Kiba had awoken to one of the brief partitions between long downpours of rain, the lack of a thundering roof odd in contrast to the usual perpetual pelting.

Kiba blinked at the back of his stoic teammate, tremoring slightly as he stretched. He regarded Shino analytically, attempting to read his teammate's mood based on his posture, something he had been required to do since he first met the Aburame. Shino wasn't much of a conversationalist, really.

By his keening posture and adept attention to the outside word, Kiba guessed that the Aburame was estimating how many earthworms per square foot of earth had survived the fortnight's sudden downpour—rope-like bodies tangled as the worms escaped their earthy homes to drown in the inch or so of water that covered the entire island. Or at least, it seemed like something that the Aburame would think to contemplate.

Kiba frowned, touching a cool hand to his forehead. On a more objective note, Shino looked a mess. The Aburame's usually organized mass of hair seemed rather tousled, dark strands sticking from odd directions where the band of Shino's glasses sat, angled oddly. A few distinctive red splotches on the back of his wrinkled jacket showed in contrast to the desaturated olive green of the material, the wounds on Shino's back having reopened since the kikaichuu's tepid attempt to close the cuts. Even Shino's pants hung somewhat loosely around his legs. He must have not seen it fit to fix his leg wrappings just yet.

Shino's body tensed in a compulsory fashion – something that wouldn't have been seen by any normal eye – showing that he was fully aware of Kiba's awoken state. Yet, he didn't turn away from the window's drab sight, laying waste to many long, tense moments until he finally gathered the mental energies required for him to finally turn.

Kiba wouldn't have been surprised to see stubble across Shino's face: it would fit in easily with the rest of his oddly disheveled appearance.

"Sleep has…equivo…prevari…evaded me."

Kiba was surprised by the rumbling of Shino's deep voice, and even more by the odd pausing as Shino stumbled for a correct word. Kiba cocked his head in surprise.

"What's wrong with you?" he asked before he could stop himself. The Inuzuka could almost picture Shino blinking behind his dark shades. The Aburame shrugged uncharacteristically.

Kiba pushed his futon's covers down in order to free his legs, almost flushing at the sight of the dried substance easily viewed through the open front of his pants. He drew up his zipper and snapped the clasp, deciding to take care of it in a moment.

He strode towards Shino, stopping a foot or so before him. He snapped his wrist forward quickly, Shino making no sign of movement. He pinched Shino's cheek – hard – and the Aburame jerked out of reach, eyeing Kiba reproachfully. The younger teen moved to do it once again; Shino blocked Kiba's hand easily with his own wrist.

"What are you doing?" Shino questioned disapprovingly.

"You sound like an idiot." Well. That's a new one.

Shino brushed Kiba off, turning back to the window as he commented absentmindedly on the weather. Kiba, not liking the whole 'ignoring' bit reached out to grip Shino's shoulder.

"It is best to cleanse yourself at this time." Something about Shino's tone seemed increasingly despondent, and it shook Kiba to the core. The Inuzuka scowled, his grasp on Shino's shoulder loosening.

Shino waited silently for Kiba to enter the bathroom, a frustrated sigh escaping him as the door clicked shut. He hadn't been able to answer when Kiba'd asked what was wrong with him. Simply enough, he was confused—a state that did not occur very often within the Aburame. Shino knew himself: his weaknesses, abilities, limits, ineptitudes. However, when it came to others – Kiba…he was at a loss. He wasn't sure exactly how he would or should act while around his male teammate. The Inuzuka was his own personification of unpredictability, which in Shino's case meant instability.

Shino's frown deepened even further as he heard the shower within the bathroom start, for a reason unknown to him. He scowled out his slightly fogged window, almost wishing to join the water-logged commuters below. No.

The Aburame flinched in slight surprise as a sudden rap echoed from the front door. Shino stalked into the apartment's sitting room, however, he did not open the door to anyone who might view his disheveled state.

"What?" he asked tonelessly, speaking through the wooden partition that composed his door.

"Ahh, Shino-sama, you're back." Shino did not reply. If the male standing on the other side of the door had not known of his return, he would not have appeared. "I've come to inform you that you've been summoned by the Mizukage. He would like to meet with you and Kiba-kun this evening."

"Very well."

"Ja matta ato de!" Kagen spoke cheerfully, his footsteps fading down the hallway as he left.

Shino turned back into the bedroom just as Kiba exited from the bathroom, leaving the Aburame to wonder how long he had been standing vacantly at the window. Kiba crossed the room to where his pack lay and began to pilfer through his things, laying out a clean duplicate of his usual outfit. He pulled on a pair of boxers and pants, dropping onto his side of the bed unceremoniously. He scratched his stomach lazily with blunt nails, his unused arm coming to support his head. He lounged languidly, ignoring Shino as the mushi lover loomed in a corner of the room.

"So, you gonna tell me, Shino?" Kiba yawned, turning restlessly.

"Tell you what?" Shino replied coarsely, running a hand through his unusually unkempt hair. Kiba could have been asking on a multitude of notions, so when he received no elaboration, he clarified.

"What happened in Konoha…" Kiba stated simply, staring up at the ceiling. Shino moved back to lean against a wall, pausing a moment before starting into a laconic version of the two weeks he had spent in Konoha. While speaking systematically, he thought on the callous way Kiba had been acting. Usually, when Shino came home from an extended mission, Kiba would be ecstatic, conversing with him until he lost his breath or subject matter to talk on. In stark contrast Kiba now moved in leisure, blatantly unenthusiastic.

Shino left his trip from Konoha back to Mizu no Kuni out of his explanation as it was rather uneventful.

Kiba groaned at the news, recognizing that Shino had finished. The Inuzuka made no coherent comments on the status of his village, and both boys were better for it.

When questioned about his own activities within the two week's time Kiba only grunted in answer, pushing the question away for later.

Shino stepped forward in the subsequent silence, his shins supporting him against the bed's baseboard. Noticing this, Kiba moved to sit on his knees, facing his companion. He gripped Shino's collar, his own self-assurance that indeed, Shino wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. Shino did not resist as he was pulled towards Kiba, far past the trepidations of his first kiss. However, Kiba's lips did not meet his.

The Aburame looked down from Kiba's slightly tremoring lips to the hand tightly gripping his collar, tendons flexing in and out of view with the uncertainty of the hold. His own hands decidedly out of place, Shino moved to grip Kiba's bare hips. The Inuzuka instantly noticed said grip and shrugged away from Shino, slit eyes flickering oddly.

Kiba frowned, realizing what he had done and moved back, though he did not touch Shino this time. The Aburame waited patiently while Kiba sorted through his thoughts. He seemed to be uncomfortable with current circumstances, or at least, he was confused. Patience was no problem on Shino's part.

"Shino," Kiba ground after a moment. "We should get going."

The Aburame frowned.

--

Kiba's palms smarted as he moved from where he had braced himself against a fallen tree. He had dodged a kick to the stomach only to trip over stated log and onto his face. Surely the pain in his arms didn't compare to a kick by Shino to the stomach. However, the embarrassment was far greater.

Knowing all too well that his kikaichuu had yet to return to their beneficial regenerated amount within his body, Shino had insisted that the two teammates train in taijutsu rather than ninjutsu, which was their customary.

Shino helped Kiba up to his feet with an offered hand, the Inuzuka scowling and cursing the entire time. Not wasting a moment – and hopefully catching Shino off guard – Kiba swung into a side kick. Shino sidestepped, hooking his arm around to clip Kiba in the shoulder. Even though it did not hit him dead on, the punch still held great impact, causing Kiba to step backward in order to keep balance.

Kiba huffed, pushing towards Shino once again, attempting to disregard the water that clouded his vision and caused his hair to stick damply to his forehead. Shino's fingers closed around Kiba's fist, his right foot moving back to divert the momentum of Kiba's intended blow. However, his right sandaru set in a particularly wet patch of mud, causing the wearer to slip backward, dragging Kiba with him.

Shino landed flat on his back, sinking an inch or so into the mud. Kiba managed to fall onto his hands and knees, laughing genuinely as he was thoroughly splattered with mud, drenched to the skin. The Inuzuka sat back on his haunches and shook his head wildly, the spray from his hair joining the downpour of rain. Shino just lay there somewhat spread-eagled in the mud, his glasses collecting water until the splotches of desaturated red and tan of Kiba's face molded together.

"You stuck?" Kiba laughed, sitting over Shino, who shook his head dryly. The Aburame squeezed mud between his fingers, relishing in the feel of a truly soiled state. Grinning, Kiba slapped his muddied fingers onto the only clean spot on Shino's right sleeve and grabbed his friend's hand, squishing mud out from between their palms. Deciding to further their little escapade within the dirt, Kiba started to pile mud onto Shino's covered stomach. The Aburame didn't care to look up, only lying motionless on the earth. However, he looked up quickly as he felt Kiba's own weight added to his unoffending abdomen. The Inuzuka had leaned over him only to flop down on top of the considerable mound of mud he had created.

Shino frowned down at the travesty of mud, Kiba, and what had been formerly been known as his jacket—now turned a sickly brownish green color. Kiba laughed at the indignant scowl Shino sent his way, long since impervious to Shino's disapproving looks. He turned over to lay on his back perpendicular to Shino, his hair instantly matted. He arched his back a few times in order to help himself find comfort in the odd angle of his back. The Inuzuka shivered suddenly as cool fingers pushed up the side of his jacket, smearing cool mud across his stomach. He sucked in air sharply, almost yelping in surprise.

"Shino!" Kiba croaked, more surprised by the cold mud rather than the questing fingers. He swung a leg across to sit on Shino's hips, quickly lifting the only layer of clothing that his teammate wore across his abdomen. Kiba paused a moment to appreciate the view of Shino's endearing abdomen before splattering a handful of mud across the newly bared stomach. The bespectacled male pulled up his knees in retaliation, vaulting Kiba forward. The other boy scrambled to catch a hold on Shino's hips in the attempt to stop his forward motion, his blunt fingernails erecting thin red trails where they scratched.

Shino caught Kiba before he could be crushed, pushing his teammate back into his prior sitting position. Kiba flushed slightly, not able to decide whether or not he enjoyed Shino's newfound playfulness.

Or perhaps he just wasn't used to being the base of anyone's good humor.

He reached forward to push Shino's glasses up into his hair, the small pools of collected water flowing down his hitai ate and onto his forehead. The Aburame looked up at him through one squinted eye, the other closed against the rain and unusually bright sky.

Kiba lifted a hand to touch Shino's face, his fingers leaving muddy trails where they grazed across pale skin. For a long moment, Kiba merely looked down into Shino's opaque eyes as they adjusted to the light.

Kiba silently wondered what he was doing. The again, rational thought had never stopped him before…He leaned forward to connect his jaw with Shino's roughly (it really couldn't be considered a kiss) before pushing backward onto his feet, sliding slightly.

Shino paused a moment before following suit, standing quickly in order to block a wildly swinging fist. He didn't expect Kiba to fake with his right arm and jab with his left, however, and he received a blow to his clavicle before he could redirect Kiba's fist. The string of movement occurred in a meer moment, jutting limbs disappearing before an untrained eye.

"C'mon Shino, not crappin' out on me are you?" Kiba chided, masking his surprise at actually landing a hit as he blocked a returning hit with two crossed arms.

The Aburame might have rolled his eyes.

---

Making the way back to their room, Shino and Kiba walked quickly. Both considerably soaked, the duo hurried into cover, creating veritable puddles wherever they stopped for a moment's pause.

Kiba shivered as Shino fumbled slightly with the key to their apartment, the cool metal slipping in between his muddied fingers. Every moment they stood longer in the hallway the more dark splotches appeared on the hall's once immaculate floor. Shino finally managed to open the lock, promptly crossing hardwood floors to stalk through the bedroom and into their small bathroom. Kiba followed closely behind, closing the door behind him.

Both boys began to undress without hesitation. Disregarding proper etiquette they piled their sodden and muddy clothing into the empty ofuro without a contemplative thought. Once the last article of clothing had been discarded into the deep bath, Shino jerked the open shower into life; the immense heat of the sudden onrush of water procreated an odd numbing sensation, quickly replaced by an almost scalding temperature. Kiba started, backing out of the water quickly. Shino took this opportunity to step forward, using the time it took his teammate to get used to the water.

The boys had come to a silent agreement to share the shower when they returned. It was only fair—both boys were equally cold, equally soiled.

Kiba watched Shino from behind, examining the tribal-like pock marks that dotted Shino's torso where the kikaichuu made transit. He reached forward to run his fingertips over the slight bumps marring otherwise immaculate skin. It was so unlike his own skin: tanned, lightly calloused, slightly uneven skin tone and interspersed with the occasional freckle or scar. The Inuzuka laughed in a surly manor as Shino stiffened but did not turn.

---

Shino and Kiba journeyed to the Mizukage's office that quiet evening, breaths ghosting before them as they strolled. Akamaru padded between them leisurely, head swinging from side to side occasionally as he examined the passerby warily. The two Ha-nin reached the Kage's islet by boat, made faster by motor.

A group of jounin exited the office as the leaf ninja entered, the unfamiliar men scowling as they left.

"Shino-san, Kiba-kun." The Mizukage greeted with a half-hearted smile. Kiba returned the gesture but Shino only inclined his head.

"I see that you have made it back intact?" Shino nodded once again, for the Kage's sake.

"I was not fortunate enough to leave uninjured." Shino stated with an unconcealed elbow to his ribs to conclude the sentence. Shino's brow creased but he showed no other complaint. The Mizukage made no sign that he had noticed, only proceeding to shift through a large sheaf of paper.

"Now that you are back, Aburame-san, I would like to start you two on your intended missions." He talked to the piece of paper in hand. "Seeing as you are chuunin, and skilled chuunin at that…" His eyes flickered oddly. "I will not send the two of you on any duty allotted higher than a low difficulty A-ranked mission.

Shino was mildly surprised with the Mizukage, seeing as chuunin were not regularly given any type of A-rank mission. Kiba smirked however, holding a clenched fist in front of his chest.

"Finally!" Kiba stated. Said statement did not make much sense to Shino, however. Surely Kiba should not become restless so quickly.

"For your first mission, you will be working with other chuunin from this village. A storm on the Eastern Isle has cracked numerous levees and damaged a main aqueduct."

Kiba's grin vanished instantly.

"You two are to supervise the transfer of equipment to and from each site, while making sure than there are no problems."

The two leaf ninja left without comment.

---

"Make sure that they are watched closely. I will not allow any fuck-ups, not like last time."

---

Kiba sat on the edge of the bed, stretching his legs in odd directions as Shino rifled around in his pack, sorting through things he hadn't cared to organize the night before. He had been otherwise occupied, after all. An odd fleeting feeling in his stomach caused Shino to look up at Kiba, watching as the boy relaxed his muscles—muscles that hadn't been properly exercised in the week or so of the Aburame's absence.

Shino looked back down only to unzip his jacket, pulling the large 'comfort-you-can-wear' clothing item from atop his shoulders. He looked back to Kiba only to realize that the Inuzuka stared at him blatantly, eyes flitting unabashedly. Shino beckoned the boy towards him in a gesticulation he wasn't quite comfortable with, but was rewarded nonetheless.

Kiba slunk toward him gracelessly, hands coming to grip Shino's upper arms securely. And it was an odd feeling: lowering his arms to arrange them around Kiba's waist, pulling him closer. He was willing to get used to it. The Inuzuka's forehead pressed into his shoulder in a simple gesture. The atmosphere might have stayed somber for a moment longer, but it seemed that Kiba wouldn't have it.

Shino's eyes rolled to the ceiling, his expression almost wry. Kiba's tongue darted forward to lap at the generous trail of blood he extracted from Shino's shoulder, his enlarged incisors digging into the skin where they had imbedded themselves before, where the skin had not fully strengthened after healing.

Shino's back straightened imperceptibly, hands moving up to Kiba's shoulders, ready to push the boy away from him in the case Kiba decided to display any more of his odd signs of…affection… Blood successfully clotting, Kiba leant back to examine the two angry red punctures he had left in the inset of Shino's shoulder.

"I am inclined to ask, Kiba…" Shino drawled loosely, suppressing the urge to scratch at the newly added feature in his neck. Kiba simply shrugged against him.

"It's a reminder."

"A reminder of what kind of significance, exactly?"

"…big significance…"

Shino waited for Kiba to answer him fully.

"It's a reminder of your tolerance."

Shino wasn't thick, but he quested for an affirmation.

"How might such a gesture remind you of tolerance?"

Kiba sat back, grinning ashamedly.

"If I did that to anyone else, I'd probably get my ass kicked." Kiba flushed slightly, hand coming up to rub absently at the back of his head.

Shino nodded as a confirmation more to himself than to Kiba.

"In respect to one's own health, I would hope that you haven't attempted that with anyone else. Better yet, that you don't try."

Kiba nodded quickly in agreement, answering the statement vaguely.

He pulled Shino onto the bed, both boys kneeling into the slightly sinking center. Neither of the leaf ninja felt any need, nor want, to pursue the events of the night before, and perhaps they were better for it. In the stead, the boys pushed together easily, allowing natural instinct as well as carnal desire fuel the questionably long make-out session that ensued.

Fuck if the whole biting thing didn't turn him on a little.

They were teenagers, after all.

And even though Shino still questioned himself, and endlessly so, he would allow Kiba's hands to venture where few had been allowed prior, as long as it meant that the odd hardness to the Inuzuka's eyes (something that he had only recently adopted) would diminish, if only temporarily.

---

Kiba pulled tirelessly at the hem of his dark jacket, eyes revolving slowly as he searched for a way to fend himself against the cold. Akamaru stood next to him, pressed to his side, unaffected by the miserable weather. Kiba contemplated crouching down to huddle against his canine companion, but opted to reserve the little of his dignity he still retained.

Kiba had been standing with Shino on a chunk of Kirigakure docks since just before 5:30 a.m., waiting through a slight drizzle for the esteemed trio of Kiri to show their faces. They had arrived, with many more, taking Shino on some short excursion that likely involved many boring strategies, worst case scenarios, schematics, and all otherwise uninteresting ways to indicate 'planning.' Kiba had opted to stay behind with a few others, waiting for transport to arrive at the docks.

In that short time of simple waiting Kiba had watched the sunrise, the weather taking a drastic turn from mild rain to a thunderous wind. Kiba cursed the one and a half layers of clothing that he wore on his upper body—cursed them in all of their stringy lack of insulation.

Shino, Kagen, Kozuka, and the few others returned a while later, strolling as if impervious to the wind. Kiba narrowed his eyes at Shino solely for the fact that he sauntered so nonchalantly. Shino had always insisted that the two thick layers he wore almost constantly would come in handy one day; of course, Kiba had never believed him, not until now.

Kiba frowned as his teammate moved to stand beside him.

It wasn't a regular occurrence for people to pin Shino as a compassionate guy. Then again, not many people witnessed instances like this, when Shino would offer one of his jackets to a silently quaking Inuzuka—who'd almost instantly refuse, insisting that he was fine.

Kiba looked away from Shino's disconcerting gaze and out into the sea. The water looked a little choppy, a condition usually affiliated with the wind, and Kiba thanked Kami-sama that they hadn't been forced to make the journey by foot.

The Inuzuka's gaze didn't stray back to Shino until their ride arrived, when he looked back to make sure that the Aburame followed him onto one of the many medium sized boat. Akamaru leapt in easily behind them, watching the water curiously as the haphazardly conjoined hunks of wood set into motion. His tongue darted from his mouth every so often to catch the salty spray that the wind swept up towards them.

Kiba leant against one of the small guard rails that lined the outside of the boat, Shino coming to stand leisurely beside him. Dark clouds hung forebodingly across the grouping of islands across an open stretch of sea—their destination. Kiba let his forehead fall into the palm of his head and he shook his head in ironic disbelief. It was going to be one fucking fun trip, he just had the feeling.

---

Kiba welcomed the not-so-dry land with a disheartened whoop, his enthusiasm for their trip growing even further as Akamaru shook out his sodden coat, subsequently sprayed with a load of fur-laden water. The Inuzuka swiped a few off-white hairs from where they had stuck to his bottom lip, scowling.

"How long are we going to be here, Shino?" He inquired to his teammate who had waddled off somewhere nearby.

"Perhaps only a few days."

"That helps a lot."

"I am glad to be of use."

"Sarcasm, Shino."

"I am duly aware, Inuzuka."

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With the way that Shippuuden will undoubtedly drag on, we might be able to see Shino and Kiba by this time next year. Maybe. However, (shameless plug about to occur) this summer, if you happen to enjoy Shinokiba…I will be starting a new series entitled "Coke Bugs" for all your AU Shinokiba slash pleasure! It's gonna be crazy—an intense never-ending battle complete with sex, drugs, and alcohol… even a cheesy whirlwind romance added in for extra zing! Hinata might even be in it!

Okay…I'm lying about that last part…sentence. Even that's too ghey for me.

(Bad attempt to suppress shameful laughter)

In honor of Kem-chan's birthday, I thank everyone who's intentionally or inadvertently supported Kemmy in its brave attempt to find true identity! Here goes!

Thank you:

Aesthetic Doll, Airenko, Akiryuu, albinodrachidna, Amaya Jade, Anikky, Animesempaigirl, Angl, Anna301510, arkangel16, Aruxia, Asitha, Auralisay, BUnique, BadluckGoodluck, bamboo mat, bee orchid, Belladonna Andromeda, BeuitifulDisgrace246, Bishop Sasarai, Bitch Slap Love, Blackrosethorn, Black-Tailed Rattlesnake, blockofthewritingkind, Brazinha, BrokenSouledPoetess, Cali0623, CarbonBlack, Cemil, Concise Complexity, CrimsonIntoxication, Crystal Blue Dry Ice, cutmymilk, darkhaze627, dazydevl, DarkLuminescence, deathsangel666, Demon Girl Shiro, Demonlifehealer, digigirl-izumi, Dodo-chan, Dragon Fairies, DreadfullySweet, Drinking Acid, Drunken-Lullabies, Duchess of Darkness, dude, Dyeh, Ed-N-Envy's Matchmaker, Emerald Elf-Slytherin707, EmoAndTheSpazz, Emmet, Erdbeergeschmack, Errzawa Hoshie, EscaChick, every you, Evil Nerds, eyes0nme19, fanficlunatic234, fightingcomet, forgetfulallthetime, Fishstick, FlamingLimes, Flammes, freakin'idiot, Gaa-chan, Godess of Emocity, Hadrian Tiernan, Hana J, hashire, Heavenly Saint, Heosic-chan, IamSpaz, ilovesharpies, i.love.waffles, I'm a Neko-chan, insane4lyfe, Jadeile, jhoshi, Jyrotika, Kaadeshka, Kaltesa, Kari of Suna, KawaiiNeYo, Kemreit, 0.0 Kitsune, Kitty-chan Fenrir, Kiya Orukawa, Kiyoshi Minase, Koona, Kr.A.B, Kusaru, Kyandoru, Kyree, ladiee yami, Lady Kiba, LetMeKillYou, Lily23, Lily Vendrem, Lishan, lo, lostjackal, Loveless-Beloved-Endless, Lynn Studios, Machiko, MaitoGai'swife, Max Radio, meash, Meemei, Missionquestthing, MKNK, Mrs. Paper, My Chemical Romance Dude, Naitachal666, Nanaka19, NaraKino, naruhaku, naruto22, Nekokonneko, Nekozuki14, Nieni Woodland, NyuNyu, OmoiTohoHana, Onna of fire and pain, OyOfMidworld, Paigeion, Paperclipluver, Perdita, Phoenix of Blackfire, pie-loving-gaara, plutonian llama, Prosopopeia (:D!!), Pyro Falkon, Rae, Random Kyuubi, Razorblade Angel, Razzlebaby, Reina Hiwatari, RikkuxAuron06, Ruby Plushie, Ryomou, ScribRaven, Seekerfemmedraca, Sei Kou Ki, Sekrit, Senney, Shinimegami7, Shiinmaru-dono, shipposfoxfire, Silver Magiccraft, SOURPATCH AC0RN5, Spaztard300, Spiffy-Scribble, Sunsetseve, Switch, Tackett, taste of fire, the girl in the mirrior, The Disembodied Head, The-Leader-Of-The-Fallen-Angels, The Naruto Whore, TheTrueSilver, Tohruismyoneechan, Tokimi-chan, Too-Sexy-it-Hurts, Toxic Bubblegum, Trekiael (:D!!), Tsukiyomi, Ven.02, Wolfofsummerbreeze, Wolfwarrior, X.SilentSeduction.x, XxXMewn-ShynXxX, YaoiPlzz, Yaso no Shirabe Demikkusu, Yazumi skulls, Yoshi, Yoshikuni Kaito, Your Mom's Face (:D!!), Yumiko, Yuuki Toshi.

Along with all of the other, more inconsequential readers… Just kiddiiing…

If ever you should bear witness to a cooler list of people, please by all means, show me...it took me an hour or so to alphabetize. Why? Because I can.

Also (I know, too long!) I apologize to every you (Donella-dono?), if you're reading this. I swear I'll get back to you soon.

ALSO, (shoot me please) to WolfWarrior, who admonished about a year or so ago that they liked how I posted once a week, and not once a month like other writers. Well…I think you get the point. I've failed.