To
Find Once Again Urameshi Yusuke watched his boots sink down the snow that covered the garden. "Six inches, I think," he estimated, continuing to drag himself and the cherry logs he carried across the pristine-white ground. "You were saying something?" "I said we had about six inches of snow last night," he replied to his wife, who looked at him with questioning sepia eyes. He glanced at the cloudy sky that promised another batch of snow for that day. "Don’t you just love winter?" "I sure do, as long as I don’t have to stand here too long and wait for you to make a fire in our den," she said dryly, rolling her eyes. Keiko rubbed her hands against her arms that had begun to have goose bumps. "Hurry up. Botan-chan and I are freezing here." "Yeah, like I’m not," Yusuke told her once he reached the porch steps. He huffed for breath and grinned at Keiko, raising his eyebrows up and down. "Hey, I can always be your jacket, you know." He began to lean close to her. Keiko looked away and giggled, evading a touch from Yusuke. "How corny can you get?" Yusuke chuckled back as they went inside. Their house was fashioned a lot like Keiko’s when she still lived with her parents—the restaurant was at front, behind it was their den, and upstairs were the bedrooms. On one of the sofas of the den, their sweater-donned daughter of two played with a couple of stuffed toys. Keiko walked over to the bright-eyed girl. "Come on now, Botan-chan," she cooed at the child. "O-toosan is going to make a fire for us." Botan stared back at her mother with equally wide, brown eyes, innocently, yet trustfully. She grinned. "So that I won’t have to wear this jacket any longer, right?" Keiko smiled. "Hmm, right." She kissed one of the child’s plump cheeks and plopped herself on the sofa. "‘Toosan should better hurry," she said, raising her voice. "Right, right!" Yusuke responded with his back still on the two girls. He had the fire burning, but apparently it was still too small for the room. "It’s hard to burn these wood. They kinda got wet after last night’s snow." "We should keep the wood in a drier place next time, ne?" Keiko asked. Yusuke stood up from his squatting position and looked at her. "Hai. And I’d better get more logs in later, just in case." "Thank goodness we had enough wood inside last night, or we’d be ice cubes by now." Yusuke and Keiko laughed at the simple joke. It was silly to think of how long they had been together, of how much they had grown over the years—and, at the same time, of how they’ve enjoyed each other’s company no matter how stupid their jokes were. But they loved each other, and no logic or human thinking could oppose to that. They heard the bell ring, signaling the entrance of a customer. Yusuke stood up. "So someone’s brave enough to withstand the cold just to taste a bit of Japanese fine dining Urameshi-style, huh?" He winked at Keiko. "Be right back, all right?" "All right," Keiko replied. She watched her husband walk out of the door that led to the restaurant. She smiled to herself, remembering how Yusuke and she had worked hard for this restaurant—perhaps the only living Yusuke knew of. She had always been supportive of her husband and of his dreams, for all his dreams were hers as well. She loved what they did—especially since they do everything together. Keiko heard Yusuke’s sudden outburst from the restaurant. "Ko…Koenma?!" The name made Keiko straighten up all of a sudden. "Nani?!" Keiko said aloud. Koenma? The last time she saw the Prince of Reikai was…oh, a long, long time ago. She had forgotten when. But it seemed, even though Yusuke had no more connections with Reikai, that the mere fact that Koenma-sama was there in their house right then gave Keiko chills. It wasn’t right, but she couldn’t help it. He wouldn’t call Yusuke for another mission, would he? "Kaasan?" came Botan’s curious voice. "Doushita no?" She turned to Botan. "I’m fine, dear," she assured her half-heartedly. Making up her mind, she scooped up her child in her arms and headed for the restaurant. "It’s been a long time," Koenma was saying. Keiko saw the two young men (or at least they both looked young) shaking hands, as comrades do. When Keiko appeared to the two, Koenma greeted her with a low bow. "Konnichi wa, Keiko." Keiko set Botan down and bowed at Koenma. He still looked like the human form he had always adopted, but it seemed as if he had become more manly, more finesse with his motions at that. "Welcome to our home, Koenma-sama," she said pleasantly. She was about to tell her daughter to greet their visitor, when she suddenly remembered the events more than four years ago. And she recalled it even more when she reminded herself that her child is named after…. Koenma didn’t seem to notice her perplexed look. He walked over to the child and squatted down. "And is this your child, you two? Wow, isn’t she adorable?" Yusuke, meanwhile, grinned at seeing Koenma pat his little Botan’s head. Uncle Koenma. Yusuke sniggled. Botan’s Koenma— Wait a minute. He glanced at Keiko, and he immediately knew that they were thinking of the same thing. "What’s her name?" Koenma asked. "Uh…" Yusuke looked down at the ground, quite afraid of what Koenma’s reaction would be. "Don’t you know? I mean, I’ve always thought you knew what has been happening with us." "Not really," Koenma replied, twisting around to face the former Reikai Tantei. "That’s why I came to visit—I personally wanted to know how you life has been." Yusuke and Keiko shot each other a look. "Well…we named her after Botan," Keiko said quietly. The smile Koenma had on vanished—for a very short while; you wouldn’t even notice that he faltered, but Yusuke and Keiko saw it. "I see," he said. He looked at Botan-chan again—this time a brief, almost wistful glimpse. "It’s…good to know that you still carry a remembrance of her, somehow." Keiko closed her eyes momentarily. Botan, she thought, remembering her last conversation with a friend she had always considered her best, even in death. She had noticed how strangely Botan had acted that summer morning. It seemed as if she knew that she was going to die. And she did…that night…at least, that was what Yukina and Shizuru had told her. "She has always been special to all of us," Yusuke said, still looking down on the ground. "I guess Botan deserves more than that." Keiko looked up, a sudden change in her eyes that had been melancholy just a second ago. "But you’re not here to…remember that and be sad, right, Koenma-sama?" "Of course not," Koenma answered. "I told you, I just came by to check on you two." Yusuke grinned. "That’s right! Let’s go to the den, all right? It’s cold in here." "Yeah," Keiko agreed. "Please come in, Koenma-sama." "Thank you," he replied. He began to follow Yusuke and Keiko—but looked behind him suddenly, as if he had forgotten something behind him. Instead, Botan-chan’s face looked up at him in sheer curiosity. "Oh." He chuckled, extending out a hand. "Shall we go?" Botan-chan gave out a throaty chuckle as she took her Koenma-otchan’s hand. "So how’d you know we live here?" Yusuke asked. He glanced at Koenma and almost did a double-take when he saw him holding Botan’s hand. "You won’t believe what I had gone through just to see you," Koenma said. "I went to your apartment, only to find out that your mother had moved out." His gaze fell on the two stuffed toys on the couch. "What’s that?" "These?" Yusuke laughed and picked up one, tossing it to Koenma. "Keiko made these. Aren’t they cute?" "Yeah, sure." The fact was, one of the stuffed toys looked like a blue penguin with black fur on its head. The other one—the one Yusuke had given to Koenma—was the face of a toddler with a big blue and pink hat, a lot bigger than its face, with the letters Jr. on the hat. On its mouth was a blue pacifier. "I don’t turn into this any longer," Koenma said, pointing at the face. "I kinda noticed." Yusuke pointed at Koenma’s forehead. "The Jr. on your forehead is gone, too. So have you become the ruler of all the Reikai without me knowing?" "Nah, it just…came off by itself," Koenma said, involuntarily touching his forehead. Yusuke snickered. "Really. Anyway," he went back to the topic at hand. "You were saying that you just found out that my mom isn’t in our apartment any longer, right?" "Uh-huh." "You really haven’t watched us over your crystal ball for a very long time, ne?" Yusuke motioned for Koenma to sit down, which he did. Botan-chan sat beside him. Yusuke almost grinned, but decided to hold it. "That apartment has been empty since I myself moved into this house." "You mean…you were alone in that apartment before you moved in with Keiko?" When Yusuke nodded, Koenma raised an eyebrow. "So where’s your mother?" "O-kaasan? She’s living with her husband now. You know, my stepfather." "Really?" Yusuke shook his head, smiling at the memory. "You wouldn’t believe anyone would like her at her state, right? While I was away in the Makai for three years, a very long time ago, it seemed as if she suddenly found him. I came back here to learn that she already has a fiancé. And, to top it all off, that she has been sober for, like, two years or so." Urameshi Atsuko sober? That was definitely something. Koenma glanced at Botan. At least this girl doesn’t have to experience a drunkard o-baasan, he thought, smiling mentally. "I didn’t even know that," Koenma muttered. "Yeah, it is strange." Yusuke shrugged. "Well, I guess love works in weird ways." He winked at Keiko. "Right, Keiko-chan?" Keiko stared back at him, clueless. "Daijobu, Keiko?" "Um, I’m okay," Keiko said uneasily. She looked back and forth at the two men’s confused faces and stood up. "Koenma-sama, would you like anything to drink?" Koenma smiled. "Coffee would be fine, thank you." "Right." Keiko bowed lowly and walked out of the room. Botan-chan jumped up and followed her mother. Yusuke stared at his wife and child. "Something wrong with Keiko?" Koenma asked him. "Yeah, and I know why." Yusuke looked at Koenma. A frown now creased his forehead. "She thought I’m gonna whisk you to Makai or something?" "Well, partly, I suppose. But she remembered…Botan. Botan the ferry girl, I mean." "Oh, I see." Koenma’s face fell as well. "Botan." Silence fell between the two men. Yusuke was the first to break it. "You still miss her, don’t you?" Koenma sighed—a little too heavily, in Yusuke’s opinion. "Of course I do, Yusuke. I’ll never forget her. You know that." "And…Ayame never notices?" "I’ve…told her." Koenma raised his eyes at Yusuke. "I’ve already told her that I had been in love with Botan. I told my wife everything." Yusuke’s eyebrows shot up. "She didn’t get mad, did she?" Koenma shook his head. "You’d never believe how understanding Ayame is to me. She knows I’ve betrayed her, somehow, but she always remained by my side." He sighed once more. "She loves me a lot." Yusuke nodded. He knew how it felt to be taken cared of by a loving, understanding wife. "But you love Ayame too, right?" "I…guess I’ve always had." "Well, that’s great. I mean," Yusuke cleared his throat, "at least you’re happy, right? Like how Botan had always wanted you to be." Koenma nodded gravely. "I guess…wait a minute." Koenma’s eyes widened in realization. "How did you know all this? You…no one’s supposed to know about Botan and me except for Ayame and myself!" He almost stood up. "Ayame didn’t tell you, did she?" "Chill out, Koenma," Yusuke assured him, grinning. But when he spoke again, his face became somber. "Before Botan died…she told me what was going on between the two of you." The prince looked at him, dumbfounded. "She did?" "Yeah. And she told Keiko, too. I don’t know why…but it seemed as if her death was scheduled. And it was as if she…somehow knew that she was going to die." Koenma winced inside. "It was scheduled," he wanted to say, but he decided to keep it to himself. "That was…the day of the wedding, right?" "Hai," Yusuke replied. Memories came flooding back to the young man. "So many things happened that day," he said, like he was in a trance, as if he was talking to himself. All Koenma managed to say was a "hmm". Keiko, followed by Botan, came into the room, holding a tray filled with a porcelain teakettle of coffee and matching cups, saucers and teaspoons for two people. Botan brought a plate of cheese sticks and Thousand Island dressing. The two set the cuisine on the coffee table. "Please help yourselves," Keiko said quietly. "Thank you," Koenma said, pouring himself a cup of coffee. "Uh, to change the subject…how old are the two of you again?" "Eh?" Yusuke cocked an eyebrow in surprise. "Man, you really watching us, aren’t you?" "Well, at least I’m here now, right?" Koenma mildly retorted. It was like how they argued when Yusuke was younger, Keiko realized. Of course, she wouldn’t say, "when Koenma was younger". Since the Prince of Reikai, to her knowledge, was centuries old, age didn’t seem to matter anymore. "I’m twenty-four," Yusuke said, sipping from his cup. He smiled at Keiko. "Keiko is turning twenty-four on January." Koenma smiled. "Ten years ago, you were my Reikai Tantei. Yeah it’s been a long time." Yusuke shot Koenma a dirty look. "NOT in front of the girl," he said through gritted teeth. "Ah. Gomen." Botan, on the other hand, looked at her father and her uncle innocently, without uttering a word. "Well, since you’re talking about secret stuff"—Keiko began to call Botan to her side—"I guess we’d better leave." "No, Keiko. I’m not going to take Yusuke away from you." Keiko shook her head and smiled. "I already know that, Koenma-sama." She turned to Yusuke. "Actually, I just thought of cooking something for both of you." "Uh, sure, that’d be nice. Right, Koenma?" "Well—" "Hey, I’m not gonna let you get out of this place without tasting Keiko’s ramen," Yusuke told him. Although apparently, he just knew that Keiko needed to be alone for a while. And besides, he knew Koenma was getting to something. Keiko left the two of them alone again. Yusuke poured himself more coffee. "Strange," Koenma said. Yusuke was expecting the rest of his words. "If I remember right, the last time I saw you was…four years ago, more or less. And you were still single at the time." Yusuke blushed fiercely. "THAT is too personal to ask, Koenma," he said. "And you call what I had just told you—about Botan and Ayame—NOT personal?" Koenma set his cup down on the table. "It’s your turn, Urameshi." "What is there to tell you, then?" Koenma crossed his arms over his chest. "How long have you been married?" Yusuke stared at Koenma for some time, but finally sighed and leaned back on the couch. "Fine. We celebrated our third wedding anniversary last month. October, in case you don’t know what month it is today here in Ningenkai." "And how old is Botan?" "Gonna be three this February." "See? She’s almost three, and you married Keiko almost exactly three years ago." Koenma chuckled. "Keiko-chan doesn’t look like the type who’d let anyone take her to bed before marriage, even if it were Urameshi Yusuke." Yusuke shrugged, but his face was scarlet. "There’s no sense invading our private life, thank you." "No, seriously." Koenma cleared his throat. "Didn’t her parents mind?" "Oh, no." Yusuke grinned. "They love me too much, I guess." "Really," Koenma replied flatly. "No, really. They didn’t mind. When Keiko and I broke the news to them, they were speechless for what seemed like ages." Yusuke smiled at the memory. "Keiko and I were frightened that they won’t accept us. But then, Keiko’s dad whooped with delight. And Keiko’s mom burst to tears of joy!" Koenma snickered along. "They were even glad? Lucky break for you." "Yeah. I always were lucky," Yusuke added. Still, Koenma was skeptical. "But Keiko didn’t even get mad at you. How did that happen? I mean, she’s very logical—" "So you’re trying to say that I’m just perverted." "Well, quite." Yusuke rolled his eyes. "I love Keiko and I respect her, Koenma. I wouldn’t do what I did if it would only be for my own delight. This was her choice as well as mine." "Mm-hmm?" Koenma prodded him on. "She told me, more or less, ‘I just wanted you to know that I’m perfectly awake, perfectly sane and perfectly aware of what we are doing right now and what the outcome of this may be.’" Yusuke took a deep breath, willing himself to recall that night. "I just stared at her, completely flabbergasted, but she went on in her calm voice: ‘But let me tell you this—whatever happens, even if you get me pregnant tonight, I don’t care…because I know that you’ll take care of me for as long as I live.’ Now isn’t that sweet?" "She challenged all the consequences your actions might bring, huh?" "Yep." Yusuke smiled again. "That’s my Keiko—very unpredictable." "Very. So," Koenma began, "does that mean Keiko was pregnant when you guys attended the banquet and when you yelled at her?" "Argh, don’t remind me of that evening, okay?!" Yusuke began to yank at his hair in frustration. "It’s one of the most impossible moments of my life!" "But it happened," Koenma put in. "Hey, shut up!" "Okay!" Koenma flashed Yusuke a peace sign with both hands. "But answer my question—was she pregnant then already?" "Nope," Yusuke said. Koenma raised his eyebrows. "So you did that after arriving from the Makai?" "Nope, not that either." Yusuke paused for a while. "And besides, Keiko was too upset then." "Huh?" Yusuke began to frown. "I came back, after a fortnight…and I had thought Keiko would be so happy to see me, but when she did see me, she began to cry. She told me about...Botan." "Oh." Koenma’s face fell—apparently this time. "I felt mad at myself for not being there for her," Yusuke went on sadly. "The last I saw of Botan was when she told me she wanted everything between me and Keiko straightened out. Keiko told me that she saw her, too, that day—the day of your wedding, Koenma." Yusuke looked up at him. "Even at the last day of Botan’s life, she was more concerned of others than herself." Koenma looked down on his coffee. "Yes." For him, Botan was like that, too. Botan had told her…that all she wanted was to see him happy with Ayame. She sacrificed her feelings just for his happiness. "I tried to contact you, I really did," Yusuke said. "But how could I? Botan was gone; I wasn’t able to send a message to you, that I’m sorry for what had happened. But you didn’t even let Kurama or any of us of the former Urameshi Team to go there." Koenma shook his head, remembering the night—with the full moon above him and a dying Botan. "It was hard—I was supposed to live happily with Ayame, but everyone in Reikai grieved for the loss of Botan…" He choked out the rest of the words. "…My best friend." Kurama, Shizuru, Kuwabara, Yukina and George had found him holding Botan in the balcony of his office. It turned out that the five had noticed Botan’s strange behavior and had somehow felt death coming to her. They tried to follow her, but they were all too late when they caught up. The absence of Koenma and the rest in the reception area had caught the attention of Enma-sama and everyone else, so they searched for them. And when they found them, Reikai was never the same again. Of course, no one noticed the forbidden love the Prince of Reikai and the ferry girl had shared; it was only when Koenma told Ayame that another, aside from Keiko and Yusuke, had learned of it. But even as Botan had told Koenma— "Since…I couldn’t be with you…all I can do is hope and pray that you and Ayame will have a happy life together, without my memory breaking you apart. If ever, if I would be the reason why you and Ayame would break up, I’d rather have you forget me." —Koenma had to turn her down for a while. No, not even Ayame felt all right on the night of their wedding. Who could forget such a special person to the hearts of the couple? Koenma had tried hard to heed what Botan had told him to promise her, but it was hard. Not when he still thought of her. Not when, deep inside him, he still loved her. "I’m sorry, Koenma," Yusuke said, getting in the way of his thoughts. "I just remembered Botan. I shouldn’t be talking about her." "Iie, Yusuke, it’s all right." Koenma tried to smile brightly. "Where were we again?" "Uh…I forgot as well." Yusuke laughed. "But it was about me and Keiko, that’s for sure…." "Oh, right, I remember." Koenma shook his head. "I’m sorry too, Yusuke. I don’t know why I’m so caught up with pressing you when exactly, anyway." Yusuke smiled back, although a bit simulated. "Yeah, I was wondering, too." "Hmm. So…you got married after returning from the Makai?" "‘Course not. We didn’t know about her getting pregnant until the end of June, after all." "Oh, right." "Yeah. Anyway, when we broke the news to everyone, Kuwabara, Kurama, Yukina and the rest decided to help us prepare for the wedding. Which happened about four months later," Yusuke said. "I worked hard in my own ramen stall to save enough money for both of us." "Wow, now that’s the Urameshi Yusuke I don’t know," Koenma remarked proudly. "Working and saving for the future of his wife and soon-to-be child." Yusuke beamed gratefully. "Well, things change." "And this house?" "Yoshihiko gladly gave us enough money to put up one." "So who’s Yoshihiko?" Yusuke sniggled. "Like, my stepfather?" "Sugoi na!" Koenma exclaimed. "He’s that opulent?" "Yeah. Lucky kaasan." Koenma nodded in comprehension. "And when you felt you were ready, you got married." "Hai," Yusuke nodded as well. "Too bad you weren’t there, though." "Geez. Like you were in my wedding. Couldn’t you just have postponed your trip to Makai, by the way? I mean, you decided not to stay there for a long time anyway, right?" "I only realized it that night—that I don’t have to stay there in the Makai." "Oh?" Koenma was still dubious, especially with the apprehensive look on Yusuke’s face. Yusuke gulped, to Koenma’s surprise. "Well, actually," Yusuke laughed nervously, "if I told you the real reason why, you’d probably send the Reikai tantei to kill me." Koenma blinked. "Huh?" Yusuke dismissed it with a wave of his hand. "Nothing." "Come on, Urameshi!" Koenma was intrigued by this. "Tell me!" "Promise me you won’t get mad first." "Oh, all right." Yusuke cleared his throat. "Ah, it’s like this. You already know that I didn’t go to your wedding ‘cause I was supposed to go to Makai that night, right?" "Heh, like you shouted that all over the hall—" "Hey, I told you not to remind me of that!" "Fine, go on!" Yusuke cleared his throat once more—he was obviously very uneasy with all this. "I came to her to bid her goodbye." Yusuke looked down on his hands. "On the other hand…Keiko and I…" Yusuke shifted his weight. "We…" "Tell me, I can’t stand the suspense!" Koenma almost yelled. "We ended up in my apartment, okay?!" Koenma’s eyes bulged. "WHA-A-AT?!" Yusuke hid his legs under his thighs. "Well…" "It’s like saying you didn’t attend my wedding because of—of that!" Strangely, Yusuke managed to keep his voice grave. "Both of us actually felt guilty, Koenma." Yusuke inhaled, then let his breath out in a whoosh. "I didn’t go back to Makai that night—I went there that morning. Kuwabara and the rest hadn’t come back yet, so I didn’t know about…you know." Yusuke began to pale. "Yeah, I know what you’re gonna say—Keiko and I are there in my apartment, sharing…a night together…and everyone was there in Reikai, grieving for Botan." He bit his lip. "I’m really sorry, if we only knew…." Koenma, on the other hand, certainly didn’t look mad. He just stared at Yusuke, wide-eyed, open-mouthed. It was then when Keiko and her daughter entered. "The ramen is almost ready—" She stopped when she saw the frozen look on Koenma’s face. Botan raised an eyebrow. "What’s the matter with otchan?" At the sound of her voice, Koenma turned to the girl—and stared hard at her. "Er, Koenma," Yusuke waved a hand in front of Koenma’s face. "You still here with us? You okay?" "Yusuke," Koenma began to say in a new tone of voice—he sounded like he had unearthed a big mystery. "Your daughter was conceived the night of my wedding…right?" Keiko gasped and looked at Yusuke frantically. "Yusuke, you mean, you told—" Koenma cut her off. "It was the night when Botan died too, right?" Yusuke’s blood drained out of his face; the same went for Keiko. "Like I told you, I’m sorry," Yusuke told Koenma gently. "We didn’t know, all right?" Koenma didn’t seem to hear him—he just stared straight at Botan, who clutched at her mother’s shirt, probably intimidated by Koenma’s gaze. "Do you believe that once a child is conceived, it has a soul already?" "Eh?!" Yusuke and Keiko said in unison. "What kind of a question is that?" Yusuke asked, almost believing that Koenma had gone nuts. "Just answer yes or no!" Koenma insisted. Keiko was the first to answer. "W-well…yeah, I believe that, but…" She looked at her husband, asking him for help. "Yeah…I guess Keiko’s right," Yusuke said. "But…what’s the point?" Koenma continued to stare at the child Botan. Botan-chan innocently gazed back questioningly. "Is something wrong, otchan?" she quietly asked. Her wide brown eyes seemed to call upon Koenma’s soul. He stared at her some more. All of a sudden, to him, the chestnut tinge in the eyes seemed to be replaced by soft pink-lavender hues, cheerfully lighting up at something that amuses the owner… "Wait a minute," Keiko suddenly whispered. "You…what you’re trying to say is…Botan-chan…" Yusuke looked back and forth at Koenma and Keiko. All of a sudden, comprehension hit him on the head like a mallet. "You mean," Yusuke gasped, "when Botan…the ferry girl…passed away, and Keiko conceived Botan-chan—" "It can’t be a coincidence!" Keiko exclaimed. "I mean, of all the people whom Botan could be reincarnated as—does it have to be…?" Botan-chan, on the other hand, didn’t seem to hear her parents. "You’ll always watch over me, right?" "Yes, I will. I shall…watch over you. Always." "It…CAN…happen," Koenma found himself whispering. "No, wait a minute, Koenma," Yusuke said. "That’s MY daughter you’re talking about there, so don’t you get any wrong ideas." This snapped Koenma out of his thoughts. "But of course I won’t," he said softly. "After all…I know she’s in good hands." Yusuke and Keiko grew quiet. Koenma smiled at Botan-chan. Botan stared, then smiled back, and grinned. "She will be all right," Koenma said solemnly. "I can finally watch over her, like I promised." And perhaps, he added to himself, I can finally let go of her. Koenma, Prince of Reikai, was rewarded with a sweet, untainted smile of Urameshi Botan. If she really were the soul of Botan, the ferry girl whom he loved once in his lifetime, only time knew.
~owari~ While I was in the middle of writing "Is it Wrong to Fall in Love?", this idea came to me. However, I had set an angsty ending for the fic, so I decided to leave the idea alone. Well, huge thanks to Alli-san for reading (and changing) my mind, and so here's the sequel. ^_^ |