Author's Notes: You're back! Oh, Bless you! Not much to say this time around, except, I hope you like this okay. Thank you, minna, who has e-mailed me with all of your encouraging comments. This is for you! Guess what? Standard disclaimers continue to apply, the lovely Naoko Takeuchi owns Sailor Moon and all her related characters; but, I do own the *story*. Please let me know what you think, (without flames, por favor)! Ja ne! ( ^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^ Darien caught a glimpse of Serena?s startled expression before the room pitched violently and his knees buckled beneath him, sending him weaving towards the floor... ^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^ "Interval" by Angela Chapter 3 For the second time that evening, Serena kicked into instinct mode, leaping across the living room in a few strides to embrace Darien's collapsing form just above the waist. She lowered him to the floor, resting on her knees as his head dropped listlessly to her shoulder. For a moment she stared down the dim hallway wide-eyed, her arms still wrapped around his back. She finally blinked, terrified to think of what had just happened. She ducked her shoulder from underneath him, grasping him by his own shoulders and pushing him away from her a bit to get a look at his ashen face. His blue eyes were nearly closed and completely glazed over, and she realized with dismay that he was only about half conscious, the rest of him fading quickly. "Darien! What's wrong? Can you hear me?!" she jostled him gently. "Darien, wake up! You've got to get up! Darien!" He barely heard her. The corners of his vision were slowly creeping in, and he welcomed the blackness. Except, she was shaking him, nearly screaming at him now, and forcing consciousness on him with a vengeance. All pretense vanishing, he moaned in pitiful protest as the ache in his body gnawed at him ferociously, his head spinning. 'What the devil is wrong with him?' Serena cried mentally. 'Is he hurt? Is he sick? Goodness gracious, is he drunk?' Her voice laced with worry, Serena kept prodding him awake. "Darien, get up, please!" He didn't think he could take any more. Weakly, he shook his head, trying to lift his hand to her arm in an attempt to quell her shaking of him, which only added to his discomfort. "No, no, stop...please, I can't!" he whimpered, slumping over. "Can't..." "What?" Relieved to hear his voice, however slight, Serena stopped and tilted her head slightly as she reached out to cup his cheek in her hand. She gasped, snatching her hand back as if she'd been stung. Horrified, she tentatively reached out again, brushing his unruly bangs from his eyes as she pressed her palm to his forehead. He leaned heavily against her, his eyes shuttering slowly as he felt her soft, cool hand against the heat of his brow. Tears sprang to Serena's eyes in an instant, and she nearly choked. "Oh! Darien, you're burning up!" Concern washed over her, wrenching her stomach and catching her voice tightly in her throat. He wasn't just hot; he was on fire! Brushing her hand across his cheek she shook her head, scolding him gently, though her voice held little of a reprimanding tone. "Darien Chiba, you should be in bed! And that's exactly where you're going right now." Darien's brow creased in exhausted frustration, a bright flush creeping to his face with each passing moment. He shook his head and swallowed dryly, his dull eyes pleading desperately with her. "Darien, I can't carry you. And I am not about to leave you here on the floor! You've got to help me, just a little bit," she implored, her concern erasing recent memories of arguments and awkwardness. Adjusting her stance to a crouching position, she ducked under his arm and shouldered his weight against her. "All right, one...two...three!" she grunted against the strain; he was heavy. Thank goodness his bedroom was only a few steps away. "C'mon, Darien. Stay with me here," she coaxed him as he wobbled precariously on his feet. It wasn't working. Using the wall on the other side of her for support, she practically dragged him to his bed, biting her lip as she struggled. He dropped at the edge of the bed, nearly falling unconscious as Serena steadied him while pulling down the covers. "Okay, lie down now. Just take it easy." Darien moaned involuntarily once she lowered him to the pillows. He closed his burning eyes as if to will the spinning of the room to stop, certain that he could not feel any worse. Serena had disappeared momentarily, but she now returned, a bowl of cool water and a washcloth in her hands. Sitting carefully at his side, she set the items down on his bedside table. She reached over him, folding back the blanket and comforter on his bed, pulling the sheet up around his shoulders. She dipped the white cloth in the water, wringing it just enough so that it wouldn't drip before tenderly folding and placing it across Darien's forehead. He drew a shallow gasp of air as he felt it. "So cold..." he whispered, his eyes fluttering open. Alarm flickered across Serena's face at his statement. "My God," she whispered. "You're on fire..." She was leaning over him, her hand gently holding the damp cloth in place. He swallowed, rolling his eyes. "I feel awful," he managed. "I know," she murmured sympathetically, her mouth setting in a thin line as she gazed at him. "What were you thinking?" she asked finally, "You had no business fighting a battle tonight. No wonder you were struggling! How long have you felt this way?" she demanded, eyeing the aspirin bottle on his table. Concern had pushed misguided anger to the surface. In truth, she felt horribly guilty for not noticing his condition earlier. He was silent as she reached with her free hand to the table to fetch the thermometer that she had discovered in his medicine cabinet. She glanced at it to make sure that it was shaken down before holding it in front of him. "Open," she demanded. He hadn't the strength to argue, and finally obliged. "Keep it there," she ordered, slipping the glass under his tongue. She held her gaze on him evenly, but her exasperation with him was quickly dissipating. Serena removed the already warm washcloth and dipped it again to cool it, her jaw tightening in an unconscious effort to keep her concern from bubbling over. Though his breathing continued raggedly, Darien's eyes slowly rolled shut as he succumbed to the blackness that had hovered about him for the past hour. With a frown, Serena closed her eyes in denial at the silver line that threaded through the glass thermometer. Surely not! But when she opened her dark sapphire eyes, the mercury remained at 104.4. "Oh, Darien..." she whispered, resisting the overwhelming urge to run her hand through his damp ebony hair. She sighed heavily, unsure of what to do. She most certainly could not leave him alone. He was very ill, and needed someone to take care of him. The very thought reminded her of his sad news to her weeks ago, and a wave of compassion nearly sent her into a fit of tears. No, she couldn't leave him alone. No matter how much they argued, no matter how uncomfortable their meetings had been lately, he needed her to stay. That much, she knew. Rising from the mattress she softly padded out of Darien's bedroom, pausing long enough to gaze at him before pulling the door half-closed as she left. Once in the kitchen, Serena lifted the now cooled teakettle from the stove and poured the water into the sink before reaching for the phone that hung on the wall under the cabinets. She wedged the receiver between her ear and her shoulder after dialing and dried the empty kettle while she waited for an answer. "SERENA! Where ARE you??" Raye's irritated greeting made Serena cringe inwardly. The girl hadn't needed an introduction to know who it was. Uh-oh. "Uh, hey,, listen. I'm not going to be able to make it after all," Serena replied. "What? What's the matter? Where are you?" Raye asked again, her voice now changing in tone to irritated concern. "Actually, I-I'm at Darien's apartment--" "You're WHERE?" came the shriek over the line, and Serena could hear the other three girls scramble near the receiver with curious questions. "Raye-" "She's at Darien's!" Raye hissed to the others, covering the phone with her hand. Serena could still hear the collective gasp of 'shock'. "Raye, listen, please!" "Okay, okay...this had better be good," Raye mumbled, obviously chewing on something at the other end of the line. "Hey," Serena whined, "You're eating without me!" "Yeah! We couldn't wait forever. We were starving!! So what's the scoop, Meatball Head?" How quickly she had transformed into gossip-mode. "Darien is really sick, guys. I stopped by to see if he was all right, y'know, after the trouble we had? And he collapsed while I was here and..." She was cut off with Raye's next aside to keep the girls informed. "She says Darien isn't feeling well..." "Oh, please! That's a good excuse!" Lita's voice came giggling. "Just give him some aspirin and get your butt over here, or we're gonna eat it ALL!" "Raye, let me talk to Ami." Serena could hear more comments being made as Raye begrudgingly handed over the phone amidst a few snickers and giggles. "What is it, Serena?" Ami's voice managed to hold its usual inquisitiveness despite the obvious wisecracks from the peanut gallery. "Ami, Darien's running a fever, and I don't think I should leave him here by himself--" "Aspirin should help bring it down, and take care of any other minor symptoms. He should be just fine, Serena--" "No, Ami, I mean he's really sick. He fainted in the hallway, and I had to *drag* him to his bed! I really think I should stay with him, Ami, his temperature is 104..." Ami could sense the urgency in Serena's voice. "Oh my! No, you're right...that's awfully high, and he probably shouldn't be left alone," she replied, reining in the silence of the rest of the group as they listened on curiously. "Is there anything you want us to do?" Serena sighed, biting her lip as she leaned over the counter-top, staring down the hallway. "I don't know...he's asleep right now, but I don't know for how long." She tapped her fingers against the surface nervously and straightened again. "Ami, what should I do if he gets worse?" At the other end of the line, Ami's brow furrowed into a frown beneath her blue bangs. "It sounds like it could be rather serious, Serena. Maybe I should head over there to give you a hand...In the meantime, do what you can to make him comfortable, and give him plenty of fluids! See if he has any medicine that will help..." Serena rubbed the back of her neck. "I know, Ames, I know...I remember all that from health class, really. All right, maybe I'll see you later, then. Okay. Bye." She hung up the phone, her heavy exhalation fluttering her bangs. 'Now what?' she thought desperately, quietly heading into the bathroom to rummage through Darien's medicine cabinet. Medicine for scrapes and cuts, gauze, peroxide...Toothpaste...floss...gees, the baka really was perfect. Well, except it seemed as if all he had for aches, pains, and his ungodly high fever was aspirin. Okay, so he had a few things to learn in that department. Serena latched the door to the cabinet, her mind jumbled with thoughts. She thought she remembered reading that giving aspirin to someone in Darien's condition could be dangerous; she didn't want to risk it. Realization dawned on her. She probably had something in her purse, which was hopefully buried in the depths of her overnight bag that she had dumped at the door with her shoes. Serena plopped down on the couch after digging through her things, finally discovering her purse at the bottom underneath clothes and pajamas. She had prepared a glass of water and set it down on the coffee table so that she could set to finding what she was looking for. Girls always had things like this; sure enough, she found a few ibuprofen tablets in a miniscule zipper pouch. She set them down next to the glass, suddenly realizing she hadn't used a coaster. Whistling innocently, she lifted the glass and ran the sleeve of her shirt over the table to clear up the water, then plunked the glass down on the pile of corkboard circles she found. 'Darien would have *freaked out*, I'll bet, putting water rings on his nice furniture. Oops.' She looked around the rather exquisite apartment, impressed with Darien's taste, but not finding it particularly inviting. While it was all very nice, especially for a young bachelor, Serena noted it was definitely missing something. Serena blinked, and glanced at the clock hanging in the kitchen. It was well after nine. Darien had been asleep for over an hour, and she was hoping that Ami would have showed by then. She rose and went towards the bedroom, suddenly startled when she detected muffled sounds coming from within. She nudged the door open a little more, peering inside. She didn't see anything as she cautiously stepped in, except Darien's shivering form tangled in the sheets. And then she heard it again, or rather, him--a weak moan buried in the depths of his pillow as his head shook slowly from side to side in the throes of delirium. Raising a hand to her mouth, she quickly moved to set down the glass of water and the tablets she held in the other. How long had he been crying out like this? Reaching above the post of his bed, she clicked on the soft wall lamp so that she could find the washcloth she had left earlier. His eyes squinched tightly in objection. Serena sank to a sitting position on the bedside, attempting to unwrap the sheets from him. "No, no..." he murmured incoherently, unable to bat her away. His clothes were positively soaked with sweat, wrinkled and matted against his trembling body. He continued to try and push at her as she straightened the blankets and pressed a very cool cloth to his forehead. "Shhh...Darien," she spoke softly, running the washcloth across his brow, his cheek, and down his neck. He whimpered in response, turning his head to the side with a small cough. With another groan, Darien opened bleary midnight blue eyes. He blinked agonizingly slow, his mouth parted with his labored breath. "S-Serena?" he whispered after a long struggle to make out the hazy objects about him. He was hallucinating; that much he was able to tell himself in the fog he struggled against. Where was he? What happened? Had he taken a good whack on the head? And what in the name of all that was holy was *she* doing there? Serena sat back slightly, a gentle smile lighting her face as she looked down at him. "Hey there," she murmured, still wiping the washcloth along his temple. Her heart wrenched in her chest as she watched him struggle, his eyes alarmingly out of focus. "No, no,'s all right," she continued, lightly pressing her fingers to his lips as he tried to speak. "Don't try to talk, Darien. You're very, very sick. Just rest." He closed his eyes again, unable to register what the angelic vision before him had just said. It had sounded so loud, but distorted. His head hurt trying to comprehend it. The blur of images shifted as he felt himself being lifted carefully, another cry escaping his parched throat. Serena was propping him up, supporting him against her shoulder as she held something cool to his lips. In the haze he barely made out '...drink...' as he felt cold liquid trickle into his mouth and down his throat. He nearly gagged, coughing weakly when he finally swallowed. "Shhh," Serena held him, cradling him gently as she bent her neck to kiss the top of his hair. He wasn't alert enough to swallow any pills. Desperation and panic pierced her eyes with tears and she rocked him back and forth for the sake of something to do, if not to try and calm herself down. It was going to be a long night... The sudden squeak of a door forced her to look up, startled. "Serena?" she heard someone whisper loudly. "Serena?" Serena gasped, water edging her eyes once more in a wave of relief. "Ami!" Ami's blue-topped head poked through the doorway, followed by the startling gold contrast of Mina's. "Thought you might need some help," Mina whispered with a gentle smile. As she and Ami neared the bed, her expression melted. "Serena, you weren't kidding!" she breathed as Ami knelt beside the bed and took out her palm computer. "He looks really bad!" "Oh, I'm so glad you guys are here," Serena replied tearfully, still cradling a semi-conscious and confused Darien against her chest. "He's so out of it! He barely even recognized me earlier--" "Have you given him anything?" Ami inquired softly, loosely grasping Darien's limp wrist to take a reading of his racing pulse. "No, he's so weak...I was afraid he'd choke on the pills..." Ami nodded reassuringly. "That was good thinking Serena. Raye and Lita aren't far behind. They were fixing up some things at the temple that may help--" A deep chuckle cut her off, and all three girls gasped audibly as silvery-gray smoke swirled in a corkscrew formation from near the ceiling, a broad and towering form materializing within the mist. Serena's arms tightened protectively around Darien as he turned his head to focus. She glared disdainfully at the gray-clad general of the Negaverse now standing before them, his silky white hair settling about his shoulders. Slate blue eyes regarded her mockingly as he stood at the foot of the bed, his arms folded leisurely across his chest. "Well, well, well, Tuxedo Mask...We hear you're a bit under the weather. Queen Beryl forwards her sincerest wishes that you get to feeling better *real* soon," the general sneered. "Malachite," Mina growled. "This is low, even for you!" she said, backing away to prepare for transformation. The white-haired general smirked coldly. "This is your doing?!" Ami accused boldly. Serena was aghast. "Did you-you *slime*, make him sick?!" she exclaimed. Malachite arched a perfect silver eyebrow, nonchalantly studying the palm of his gloved hand. "Not directly, no...An overzealous college student juggling work, alternate identities, chasing crystals, and saving bungling Sailor Brats made it quite easy to help along..." he replied wickedly, stepping forward to pounce viciously on the bed, delighting in the tortured moan the dizzying action produced from Darien. He leapt forward, surprising Serena as he snatched Darien's chin in his cold grasp, jerking his head to meet the ice-blue eyes that narrowed with malice. "Poor Tuxedo Mask," he spat, his voice dripping with venom. "Just ran yourself down, didn't you? Sure must be hard to take care of yourself when those silly youma keep attacking..." he broke off in a spiteful chuckle, roughly shoving his helpless victim aside. "Stop it!" Serena cried. Her eyes were wide with realization. The number of youma attacks in the last few days. " were *trying* to wear him down!" "*Precisely*," Malachite hissed, straightening and stepping back as an orb of prickly energy crackled in his outstretched hand. "That way, he can't save the lot of you, and I can have a little fun!" Serena screamed, in a swift motion scrambling from behind Darien and grasping the tall glass of water at the table near her to hurl it splashing into Malachite's face. She flung the glass against his temple just as Mina and Ami called out their transformations. Malachite snarled, the glass smashing against his head and momentarily blinding his vision with stars. "Moon Crystal, Power!" "Venus Crescent Beam, smash!" Yellow-white light boomed across the floor and slammed into Malachite's stunned form, tossing him backward with the unexpected blow. Sailor Moon was yanking Darien from underneath his blankets attempting to get him out of the line of fire as Mercury finished transmitting her distress call to the other two Scouts. "Mercury Bubbles, blast!" A rush of bubbling and popping sounds accompanied the swirling mist that clouded the room, giving Mercury an upper hand with the use of her visor. "Venus, 12 o'clock!" Sizzling light sliced through the damp fog, this time met with resistance as Malachite struggled to his feet with a menacing snarl. "Damn you, you'll regret that!" he roared, his hair whipping upwards and all about him as his eyes took on an electrifying white glow. The Scouts leapt in front of Darien just as Malachite thrust his arms forward, a wave of power crashing across the bedroom to slam head-on into each of them. A dull thud against the carpet did little to assuage his fury as he lifted his arms once more. The front door to the apartment burst open, two streaks of green and red dashing through. The next blow was directed at the doorway to the bedroom just as they entered, hurtling them backward into the hallway with a scream. Malachite's teeth clenched and he stalked forward, pressing a bloodstained glove to the gash at his temple. "I'm through wasting my time with you. Pathetic, all of you. One good hit, and I've taken you all down! Give it up, Sailor Scouts, Tuxedo *Mask*," he bellowed. "It is only a matter of time until we figure out the location of the Silver Imperial Crystal! You cannot stop the power of the Negaverse!" A screech from the hallway, followed by "Mars Fire, ignite!" alluded to Raye's anger, and the battle cry was soon joined with Jupiter's call. Apparently, Malachite had not waylaid them as hard as he'd wished, for they stood tersely in the doorway as the rush of heat and power burst from around them. Flames of electricity shot towards the general, encasing him in a galvanic ball of fire that left him screaming in agony. He dropped and writhed on the floor, howling in surprised pain. Sailor Moon raised herself from the floor, steadying her legs as she grasped her tiara from her head. Pushing up on his elbows, the general was struggling once again to his feet, and she had to stop him. Malachite lashed at Jupiter and Mars, a lance of pink energy slicing them to the ground. "Moon tiara, Magic!" Sailor Moon cried, flinging the disk with all of her might into the still crackling form of her enemy. Her tiara slashed him across the chest, and he cried out once again, a seething glare pinned to Sailor Moon. "You little --- " He dropped to his knees, color draining from his face as he tried to stop the blood from spurting out of the wound. He gasped as his other arm shot out to steady himself before a dome of light flashed protectively around him, and his quaking form dissipated into the sudden darkness with an agonized scream. Sailor Moon let out a muffled cry, sinking to her knees in exhaustion. The other scouts stirred in the clearing room, all evidences of the battle slowly vanishing, leaving the faint glow of the lamp on the wall. "Damn him," Venus was muttering, on her knees and gasping for air. "That was tough, and boy are we gonna hurt in the morning..." "Is everyone all right?" Mercury asked worriedly. A weary chorus of "uh-huh's" and "yeah's" answered her. "Darien." Sailor Moon crawled across the carpet to where he lay, his slack expression set in a deathly pale face, his breathing shallow and rough from the tremors that racked his body. She couldn't make out his disoriented murmurs. Although her petite body had taken the brunt of Malachite's rage, the events had been more than he could take. She leaned over him, brushing sweat from his damp forehead. "Mercury, he's so pale..." Sailor Mercury knelt beside them, using her visor to scan. She sucked in a fearful breath as she reached out to verify her readings with her own hand. "Sailor Moon...Serena. Start filling the bathtub with water. Jupiter, can you lift him?" The tall scout nodded mutely, bending down to sit Darien upright. Sailor Mars knelt across from Jupiter to help her. "Oh my God!" she exclaimed, as she tucked her hands under him. "I know. Quickly...Serena, now! His temperature is dangerously high. We must get him cooled down before he starts seizing." Mercury commanded, rising with Jupiter and Mars as they hefted Darien into the air. Sailor Moon rushed ahead of them, seeing the worry that burned in Mercury's blue eyes. Frantically shoving back the shower curtain, she opened the faucets full force and stopped the drain, skirting out of the way as Jupiter and Mars wedged their way into the bathroom. Jupiter grunted with the effort of lowering Darien into the tub, jumping back when he cried out from the shock of being immersed in the tepid water. Mercury gestured everyone outside the small room as Sailor Moon rolled up a towel to place behind his head, crouching beside the porcelain bathtub to situate him more comfortably. He pushed her away, his voice gaining strength with desperation. The girls hovered at the doorframe with frightened eyes, his screams piercing the otherwise silent apartment. "No, stop! *Stop it*!" he cried, smacking feebly at the shadows looming over him. The back of his hand connected with something unexpectedly, and Sailor Moon winced as she felt the crack against her right cheekbone. She grasped at his wrists, pushing and holding them against his drenched body as frightened tears found their way down her cheeks. "Please,'s all right!" she cried softly, "It's all right, I won't hurt you! Oh, please...snap out of it!" she sobbed, reaching in to cup some water in her gloved hand. She brought it to the side of his face, letting it run down his cheek and into his hair as she continued to grip at his arms with her free hand. She continued to try and reassure him, despite the fear struck in her by the wild look in his usually serene cobalt eyes. Finally, she could see that he was tiring, his body merely tensed as his yelling quieted to pathetic whimpers. Sailor Moon jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Whirling, she met Ami's concerned gaze, then realized she needed to de-transform herself. She touched the brooch at her chest, her Sailor uniform unraveling from her body to be replaced with her jeans and sweater. She immediately burst into tears, falling into the other girl's arms. "Oh, Ami! What's *wrong* with him? Why is he so sick?" she wailed, sitting back against the cabinet of the sink while her friend hugged her. Ami shook her head. "It's not uncommon, Serena, with a fever as high as this. He doesn't know what he's doing; he can't help it. It just seems so awful because we're having to provide treatment the old-fashioned way," she gestured towards the now-full bathtub. "If we can get this fever to break, we may finally be able to get some medication in him to help fight it better. Lita's making a broth with some of the herbals Raye keeps at the temple. It'll be easier than swallowing pills--" Serena looked up, scrubbing the tears from her red eyes. "If? What do you mean, 'if' we can get his fever to break?" Ami glanced down just as Raye appeared in the doorway. "Well..." "It's just going to take some time, that's all," Raye interjected softly, squeezing into the bathroom with a mug in her hands. "Here, Serena. Why don't you go in the other room and relax a little while?" she offered, setting the mug on the basin top. "No, I want to stay with him." The girls glanced at each other with a frown as Serena once again huddled against the bathtub, scooping water into her tiny hands. It was already getting warm. "How is he?" came Lita's tired voice from the hall. She handed Ami another cup of hot liquid, looking over Raye's head at Serena. Serena just shook her head, gulping back a sob as she reached with shaky hands for the mug Ami was handing her. "See if you can get some of this down him," she said softly. "It will help." "It might not taste very good," Lita admitted sheepishly, "Because of the medicine we put in it. But it didn't start out that way!" A faint smile broke onto Serena's lips, and she nodded. "I know it didn't, Lita." She let out a tiny sigh, which seemed to shake her weary frame. "I'm sure it will help..." She cupped the warm ceramic mug in her hands and stared into the pale-colored liquid, steam vapors rising slowly to gently kiss her face. It didn't smell bad, at least...she had to try and give him some. "Darien?" she whispered. He was staring wide-eyed at the ceiling as if fascinated by the shadows thrown upon it, still shaking with exhausted tremors. She stooped over him, moving carefully to keep from frightening him once again. She brushed a few wet locks of hair from his eyes, raising the cup to his lips. "C'mon, Darien, sweetheart," she coaxed him, easing a bit of the broth into his mouth. He let out a mewl of distress, but she kept trying. "That's it...just a little bit, *please*..." Reflexes forced him to swallow to keep from choking, and so she continued tediously until he had finally taken half of it. Sitting back on her heels, Serena set the cup on the floor, feeling completely drained. She reached up to rub at her eyes, wincing as her fingers pressed against the faint bruise forming at her cheekbone. Unable to squelch the yawn that overtook her, she leaned over and rested her head on her outstretched arm, draped over the toilet seat cover. Time ticked by as she watched Darien through fretful tears. Finally, exhaustion swept over her, and unable to fight it off any longer her eyes inched their way closed as she slipped into a troubled sleep. ^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^ Aww, not much of a cliffhanger this time around, ne? Gomen. Still, though...I want to hear from you on how this is going!! E-mail, E-mail, E-mail ( Ja ne!