Hey there, Minna! Not much to say this time (and boy, aren't you all
relieved!).
Just that my wedding went beautifully (in case any of you were wondering)
and
that I'm almost done with CS art 6.
ANYWAY, here's part 2 of 3, hopefully I'll finish the rest up soon. I
swear I never intended for this to be an epic! Big thanks to Margot, Lelu,
Heather, Chibi-Anon, and of course, the SMRFF ladies for
sending me such nice feedback. For a non-romantic story, I sure am getting a
lot
of replies! Keep 'em coming... ^_^ Eh, me and my hungry muse!
Luv,
Meredith
And AWAY we go....
---------------------------------------------
Stars Will Fall 2/3
by Meredith Bronwen Mallory
mallorys-girl@cinci.rr.com
---------------------------------------------
"OH GOD NO!!" Major Leah St. Cyr thrashed about on the examination table,
white hair flying every which way. Warm hands clasped over her own, trying
to still her movements.
"Leah-san! It's all right!"
"No... no.." she began to sob, "He's gone..."
"Leah, it was a nightmare!" She opened her eyes, staring into brown orbs
hovering about her own, and began to thrash again. Wait a minute... brown
eyes, not violet. She stilled, sat up, her gaze meeting with that of the
concerned nurse at her side.
"Gomen ne, Ikuko-san," Leah said softly, raking shaky fingers through her
hair. "How long was I asleep?"
"Just a few minutes, while I went to check up on your test results," Nurse
Tsukino replied cheerfully, before a frown marred her dainty features, "You
seemed so upset, my friend, what was the dream about?" Laying back against
the table, Leah closed her eyes, as if to relive it all again.
"I'm... some place dark. I'm frightened, calling out for my child - which
is strange, because you and I both know I don't have one- and there's
something in the mist, but I don't know *what* exactly. Just that it's
threatening. Anyway, I'm looking for my child, and then something happens,
and there's someone behind me..." Already specific details were fading,
slipping through her fingers as she tried to grasp them, pull them into the
light, "I can't remember." She opened her eyes, exasperated, "I haven't
gotten much sleep lately, it's always the same damn dream."
"Hmm..." Ikuko murmured, with some effort, hulling her pregnant form up to
sit on the edge of the table, "It's probably your fear of the unknown- the
dark place- manifesting itself negatively in your dreams," she smiled gently
at the other woman, "Think about it, you're going into space, and not only
is it YOUR first time, but it's humanity's first time to Nemesis as well,"
her smile brightened, "I wouldn't worry about it, Leah-san, I'd be worried
if you WEREN'T slightly frightened." The other woman nodded, it SEEMED like
a logical explaination, but still, the feelings of terror- of absolute
dispair, refused to fade.
"So, did you get the test results?" she ased quietly, trying to banish the
dream.
"Just as I suspected," Ikuko hoped down from the table, "You're in tip-top
shape, all ready for lift off tomorrow. Here, let me get the papers."
Nodding, Leah watched the other woman go, feeling a prang of jealousy. Seven
months pregnant, Tsukino Ikuko was still graceful and self-confident,
something the Major suspected she could never pull off. She smiled then,
brushing the thought away. She liked Ikuko, she was one of the few people on
base who didn't treat her like a guine pig. The blue haired nurse had a
sweet disposition, a kind of magnetic personality that Leah couldn't help
but be drawn to.
"Alright," Ikuko chattered, having located the papers, "Here they are..."
"I'll be taking those," another voice interviened. Meiou Setsuna reached
out a dark hand and snatched the papers away. Both women turned to look at
her, more than a little startled. They hadn't even heard her enter the room.
"Leah-san, Tsukino-san," the green haired woman nodded to each in turn,
"Good morning."
"Uh... good morning, Meiou-san," Ikuko managed. Leah simply frowned, though
normally a good judge of character, she found her initial impressions of
Setsuna were all wrong. The woman was just about as cold as Antartica, and
that was on a good day, she'd given Leah the cold shoulder more times than
she cared to count. It was sad, really, she had hoped they might be friends.
"Leah," Ikuko's hand on her shoulder brought reality back into focus.
Setsuna had left the room, without so much as a good-bye. "Listen, I'm on
break in a couple of minutes, let's go get some coffee, it'll help calm you
down."
"Yeah..." the other woman's voice was far away, "I could go for that."
The Universe had a thing for irony, Setsuna had long ago learned. Or
perhaps it simply had a sense of humor, the need to balance discord with
harmony, and vise versa. From her place in the shadows, the Guardian of Time
considered this, watching Leah and Ikuko as they walked down the hall,
chattering like magpies. Considering the state of affairs awaiting their
children, she was inclined to think the Universe liked it's humor.
--------
Later, many years down the road, Leah would remember the night of before
lift-off with an unbarable clarity. Everything, every nuance, every detail
would be real and tangible. She got a night pass from one of her
administrators and took a barrowed jeep into Tokyo. For a few fleeting
hours, she was a tourist, she went shoping, bought little things; a bag of
lemon candy, some mints- who knew what she could smuggle aboard for the long
ride? She went and saw the Tokyo Tower, gazed up at it's lights, glittering
against the sky, and walked down towards the bay, where she bought some
sushi and walked along the shore. She would remember the sand between her
toes and the waves caressing her ankles, but they were moot points now.
Later, she went to the park, watching the young couples and parents and
children, all of them happy, passing the twilight hours with ease.
Just before sunset, panic took hold of her. Heart racing, Leah closed her
eyes, then jerked them open swiftly. Behind her eyelids, the darkness was
closing in, tenticles ready to embrace her... squeeze the life out of her.
This was a mistake, it was all a terrible mistake! There was something...
Her breathing quickened, her heart began to pound, and Leah vaguely realized
she was having a panic attack, if you wanted to use a techincal term. Oh,
but it was so much more than that... It was a freefall, down, down down, not
knowing when you were to hit bottom. Everything was dark, she was
weightless.
A voice came to her.
'The fruit of thy womb is polluted'.
And now she was near the bottom, the pain so blinding she could think of
nothing else.
As quickly as the panic had come, it stopped, like lightning, beautiful,
deadly, gone in an instant. It left Leah gasping helplessly in it's wake.
Her hands gripped the bench with such a force that her nails dug into the
wood, adding more to her pounding headache. She had no idea how long she sat
there, eyes closed, trying to still the beating of her heart as time moved
on without her.
"Kurofu! Come back!" Leah jolted, opening her eyes to see a young boy
chasing after his dog. Apparently it had gotten loose, and was more interest
in the strangers occupying the park then his owner's distress. Snapping her
fingers, Leah whistled, and intruged, the dog came running over, little
white tail wagging in excitement. She picked the dog up, hailing the little
boy.
"Is your dog, little boy?" asked Leah, bending down so they were eye to
eye.
"Hai, arigato!" the little boy replied. He was a cute kid, really,
intelligent blue eyes and midnight black hair, highlighted by the fading
sun. "That was very naughty of you to run away," he said, addressing tthe
puppy wiggling in his arms.
"Mamoru!" both boy and woman turned around to see another joining them,
whom Leah assumed to be the boy's mother. She smiled in greeting. "Did this
nice lady help you, Mamoru?"
"Hai, Mama," Mamoru replied, nodding vigorously.
"Thank you so much," the woman said, addressing Leah, "I swear I don't now
how the little bugger got away."
"It's alright," the other woman said, climbing to her feet. Mamoru's mother
narrowed her eyes, as though studying their new companion.
"Gomen ne," she said at last, blushing, "But you look familiar, have I seen
you before?" Frowning, Leah thought back. Tonight had been her first trip
off base, and yet now that she thought about it, this woman, with her short
black hair and baby blue eyes, looked oddly familiar. Then it hit her.
"Director Chiba?" she asked incredulously. She'd seen the Director of
Engineering at several of the meetings she'd been required to attend, but
had never met her face to face.
"And you're Major St. Cyr!" the other woman said with a laugh. "I can't
believe I didn't see it sooner!"
"Me neither."
"You probably didn't recognize me without my overalls," her companion
laughed. She had a nice laugh, Leah realized. "I don't think we've been
properly introduced, though. I'm Chiba Cassandra."
"Leah St. Cyr," they shook hands, and took a seat on the bench, Mamoru in
Cassie's lap, "Is that your son?"
"Yeah," Cassie smiled, "Mamoru, meet St. Cyr-san, your Mommy works with
her."
"On the space ship?" Mamoru's bright eyes twinkled with excitement.
"Yeah..." Leah said quitely, the night's pervious panic echoing in her
head. Seeing her companion's obvious distress, Cassie steered the topic away
from the mission. Leah was more than greatful.
They talked foor quite some time, about Japan, this, that, and that other
thing. Looking back on it, Leah couldn't remember exactly how their rapor
started, just that she found Cassandra easy to talk to, her manner pleasant
and engaging. However, it seemed inevitable that their conversation return
to the mission, and the lift-off scheduhled in the morning.
"Are you nervous at all?" Cassie asked, stroking her son's hair absently.
Mamoru didn't seem to notice, and continued to play quietly with his toy
soldiers, who were currently encamped on his mother's shoulder.
"A little," Leah turned towards thhe horizon for a moment, trying to hide
her discomfort, "Not so much about the actual lift-off as what we'll find
when we get there, you know?"
"Yeah," the other woman nodded, "Don't worry about the ship though, she's
as sound as anything. I should now, I designed her." Leah's eyes widened.
"Really? I thought you were just head of the engineering team! That's
really neat..." Cassandra blushed.
"Oh, it's nothing..."
"St.-Cyr-san, are *you* the one riding in the space ship?" pipped the
previously silent Mamoru. He looked at her with extreme interest, and Leah
thought she saw all the legends of space and adventure shinning in his eyes.
"Yeah."
"Are you going to the *moon*?" he persisted, more excited then ever.
Leah laughed, "Honey, I'm *way* past the moon."
"Are you scared?"
"Not really." Mamoru thought on this for a moment, and the adults almost
started their conversation again, when, after carefully selecting one of his
toy soldiers, the little boy pressed it into Leah's hand.
"Here," he said sweetly, "You can keep him. He'll protect you while you're
out in space!" Curling her fingers around the small toy, Leah nodded slowly,
a smile blooming on her face.
"Arigato, Mamoru," she said, "I'm sure he'll bring me lots of luck." She
raised her green eyes to meet Cassie's blue, and they held for a moment,
before the conversation started again.
"Will you be there for lift-off tomorrow?" Leah asked later, as they
climbed to their feet. The sun had almost completely set, night was falling,
and with it a sleepy silence.
"No," the other woman smiled appologeticly, "We're going on a little road
trip, to see my mother, up in Osaka. Isn't that right, Mamoru?" The boy in
her arms stirred slightly, before falling back into a light sleep, "I really
have to go," Cassandra said, "It's getting late, and some one already missed
their bed time."
"Yeah. Well, it was nice talking to you."
"Same here. I hope the mission goes well."
"Thanks, I'm sure it will."
And then they were disapearing over the hill, Cassandra, Mamoru and the
little white dog, their forms darkening, disapearing in the horizon. And
Leah stood there, watching them go.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ten'un Air Force Base
12 miles outside of Tokyo, Japan
August 8th, 1985; Morning of the 'Icarus' Lift-off
ETA: 20 minutes
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The white hulk of the 'Icarus' gleamed in the sunshine, bright and new,
ready to carry it's passengers to places yet unexplored. She was beautiful,
the Icarus, really, the stuff that dreams were made of. She was top of the
line, her computers fast and accurate, her smooth plates made specifically
to withstand the pressures of space, and the treacherous crossing of the
Mars/Jupiter Astroid belt.
Ikuko saw her, and was filled with wonder.
Leah saw her, and wanted to die.
Sudden dread filled her heart and she wanted to scream and shout that this
was wrong, that it was all some horrible mistake. She wanted to pull the
ground up over her head and hide, safe from everything the glistening rocket
implied. She did neither. Standing beside her, Ikuko squeezed her hand.
"Excited?" Ikuko asked, misinterpreting her companion's quivering body.
"Yes," Leah lied. She turned away from the ship, holding her friend at arms
length.
"Here," Ikuko said, handing her a slip of paper. It was an address, printed
neatly in the nurse's handwriting. "You'll have to look me up when you come
back."
"Geeze, that's going to be a long time from now," Leah said softly, the
reality suddenly hitting home, "Three years," she glanced down at Ikuko's
swollen belly, "Usagi will be probably be walking by then."
"Now *there's* a scary thought," the nurse laughed, then sobered, "You be
carfeful, now."
"I will," they hugged, both a little choked up, hiding behind smiles.
"I'll miss you." Leah wasn't sure who said that, maybe Ikuko, or maybe
herself.
"Me too," some one replied.
-------
"5...."
Setsuna paced the length of the observation deck, heart hammering in her
chest. Had she messed up the Continuum, by aiding her friend? It was small,
the alteration she had made in history, but small things had a habbit of
snowballing until they were out of control. How much was the life of one
woman worth? The Guardian of Time shook her head. She had taken an
incredible risk, an *unnesescary* risk, to ensure that Leah St. Cyr would
die painlessly.
"4...."
How much *was* the life of one woman worth? One woman, even the kindest,
most saintly woman, was expendable as long as she was not of royal blood.
And yet, Setsuna, to whom Queen Serenity had entrusted the most scared of
duties, had placed the life of her *princess* in danger, simply to ensure
the safety of one woman. 'Some must be sacrificed if all are to be saved',
that was the motto Setsuna lived by. As long as the future was perserved, as
long as the Princess, her Prince, and their child, survived, then anything
else was expendable. So what had had passed between them, Leah and herself,
in that tiny Cherry Point Cafe, to alter all those long held beliefs?
"3..."
Leah, sitting across the table from her, smiling brightly as she talked of
everything and nothing at all; her sister Gail, millitary training, growning
up on a farm in Indiana. They had talked, that night, like old friends
reunited by chance. That was what had passed between them, memories,
kindness, compassion. Fleeting in reality, but leaving echoes behind. Leah
was like a firefly, caught on a summer night, brilliant in the moment, but
fading in the dawn. And that memory, was Setsuna's.
From the corner of her eye, Setsuna saw Ikuko press her fingers to the
glass, gently tracing the outline of the 'Icarus'. For a moment, it could
have been Usagi standing there, just by the body language, the tilt of her
head.
"2....."
She began to panic. What if this was the wrong thing? What if Leah used
her gift too soon? What if Demando wasn't born, what if... Ikuko gasped,
drawing the Senshi of Pluto away from her inner turmoil.
"Is something wrong, Tsukino-san?"
"Iie... I just had the strangest impression..."
"Oh?" Setsuna inquired carefully.
"1..." came the announcer's voice, filled with anticipation.
"Yes. I thought for a moment that," Ikuko closed her eyes, "that Leah might
not be coming back," she turned to look at Setsuna, who was crying now, but
couldn't feel it.
"LIFT OFF!!" cheers rang through the control room as the flames came to
life beneath the Icarus, sending her off in a blaze of glory. She lifted
from the ground, slowly at first, then gained speed, until she was only a
small dot in the morning sky.
"But that's silly, isn't it- to think something will go wrong?" Ikuko
asked,
turning to look at the sky. When Setsuna failed to answer, the expectant
mother turned to her once more.
"Isn't it?" she persisted. Setsuna looked at her hands.
"ISN'T it?"
-----------------
Night came, as did the moon and stars, shinning in their glory. Here- Leo,
Taurus, Virgo, and there- Cepheus, Cassiopeia, Andromeda. They were like
glistening gems, their light having traveled millions of light years from an
ancient past to be viewed by those on earth. And they, with their silent,
twinkling eyes, were the only witnesses to the crime Setsuna was about to
commit. Some must be sacrificed, if all are to be saved.
Setsuna willed the generations ahead of her, Quickly,
she struck the match, stepped several feet back, and tossed into into the
shrubbery that lined Ten'un Air Force Base, slippery with it's fresh coat of
gasoline. Instantly, the flames ignited as the Guardian of Time stepped
back, now in full Senshi regalia. Her crimson eyes reflected the brilliance
of the fire as it consumed the entire campus, and with it any evident that
the Nemesis Project ever existed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The 'Icarus' Space Shuttle
1 1/2 Years later
15.6 Light years past Pluto
On Final Approach to Nemesis
ETA: 6 hrs
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For the first time in a year and a half, Leah had wine. Oh, she wasn't
supposed to have it, and that fact in itself made the drink all the more
intoxicating. It was one of the few things she had smuggled aboard, along
with the lemon candy and mints, both gone now. The small canister had been
airtight, keeping the precious liquid safe in anticipation for the moment
it's owner might have alone, before she reached the end of the line. Hideko,
her partner, was asleep- thank heavens, and now the Major sat with her feet
propped up on an unused part of the control board, wine canister in hand,
though it was empty now.
She was not drunk, mind you. One cup of wine was merely enough to make the
colors a bit brighter and the air hum with giddy energy. Somehow, none of
that helped. Had some one been there, in the darkness of space, to observe
the Major, they would say she looked like hell. And hell she'd been though.
It seemed as though the closer they got to Nemesis, the more intense her
nightmares became, and though she could never remember the end, she always
awoke to the sound of her own screaming. Once about a time, her sister Gail
had said that if you dream that you are being killed, and die before some
one can wake you up, then dead you shall be.
Leah wondered, Six
hours until they reached Nemesis. Three hundred and thirty six minutes. She
might very well die. Reaching into her jumpsuit pocket, Leah pulled out two
objects. One of them, Mamoru's toy soldier, and the other, a vile of black,
nameless liquid that Setsuna had given her. Closing her eyes, she could see
it clearly as ever, ten minutes before lift off, and the other woman's
harried expression as she thrust the vile into Leah's hands.
'What's this?' she'd asked, puzzled Setsuna's eyes were sad, and
compassionate.
'You'll know when the time comes... it was the least I could do, the very
least,' she looked frightened, as though time was running out, 'I'm sorry I
haven't been kinder to you.'
'Kind enough,' Leah assured her, gripping her hand. Setsuna merely shook
her head.
'Go now, they're calling for you.' She'd given Leah a small push then, to
propel her towards the shuttle, like a mother bird thrusting her children
from the nest, expecting them to fly on their own. She never did figure out
*what* the liquid was, but she had a feeling it was for only the most dire
of situations.
Alone in the cockpit, Leah shivered.
------------
"It's beautiful..." Hideko breathed as Nemesis came into view, a dark,
lightless orb, floating against the black of space. Leah didn't answer her,
she didn't even look up, afraid what she would see, she kept her head down
and her eyes on the controls.
"I'm putting her into a stationary orbit... you wanna come over here and
help?" she asked, slightly annoyed.
"In a minute..." the other woman whispered, softly. "You know, in a couple
of minutes, when we round the planet, we'll get to see their sunrise."
"I don't see how, the sun's been so far away, especially since we passed
Pluto," Leah shivered, and closing her eyes, steeled herself. At last, she
glanced up, and got her first look at the dark pearl called Nemesis. It
wasn't beautiful, not to her, not in anyway. It was just dark, black and
hopeless; a left over, a cast away. Leah wanted to cry.
"It's so dark..." she said. Apparently having broken out of her trance,
Hideko was her efficient self again, back at the controls.
"Probably due to atmospheric conditions," she replied, "And until we send
down the probe, we won't even know what kind of vegetation- if any- grow
there. The preliminary scans showed signs that Nemesis could possibly
support minimal life, so it might be that there are plants on the surface.
And if that's so, then they could give off something other than CO2- nitrate
acid, for example- which could account for..."
"Hideko?" Leah interrupted the other woman's triad.
"Yes?"
"That was a rhetorical question."
The Major laughed a little, at her own joke, despite that fact she was
staring into a planet of darkness. It felt good to laugh, as though she was
mocking the planet bellow, who's very appearance seemed to demand only
severity and hatred. The laughter was short lived, swallowed up by silence,
and another bout of panic, which reached out it's tentacles to wrap around
her heart. Sobering instantly, Leah frowned. In a few moments, they would
see Nemesis' sunrise.
"Hideko?"
"Yes?"
"Do you know the legend of Icarus?" she asked, barely breathing. She
wondered why it hadn't occurred to her before, the name and it's
implications. Mythology had been one of her favorite subjects when in
school.
"No," the other woman replied, intrigued.
"I just remembered it," Leah whispered, staring out at Nemesis, one hand on
the cool glass, all that stood between her and the vacuum of space, "Icarus'
father- I don't remember his name- built wings for the two of them, so that
they could escape from, where ever it was they were being held. But before
they took flight, he warned his son not to fly too high, or the sun would
melt the wax that held the feathers together. Icarus promised he'd be very
careful, but once he began to fly, he became intoxicated with the freedom.
He forgot all about his father's warning, climbed higher and higher, he
wanted to touch the sun. And *just* as he was about to reach, the wax began
to melt, and the feathers came loose," a tiny bit of light was spilling over
the planet's horizon. The shuttle was almost there..., "Icarcus tried to
save himself, but it was too late, and he'd been too foolish, he fell to
his..." The small orb of light finished it's climb, bestowing upon the dark
moon what little illumination it could. But there was something out there,
hovering above the planet...
"Kami-sama!" Hideko exclaimed, as alarm after alarm went off. Leah's heart
stopped.
"What the HELL is that!?!"
They were at their stations instantly, training took over as they scrambled
to gather as much data as they could before the thing- whatever it was-
noticed them.
"As far as I can tell, there's no obvious weaponry," Hideko said from her
panel.
"That doesn't tell us anything!" Leah barked, "For all we know this could
be some new technology! Hell, it's too damn small to be a moon!"
"Temperature scanners say it gives off heat," the other woman returned.
Leah looked at the thing again, confused. "It's organic," Hideko added
shakily.
"It's alive?"
"In some sense, yes." The thought was impossible, inconceivable Something
that could *live* in the vacuum of space.
"Turn us around, as quickly as possible." There passed a few moments of
incredibly strained silence, before Hideko's voice rang out once more.
"I can't, Leah."
"What...?"
"I said I can't," her partner looked down, "The thing's pulling us in. It's
too small to have a gravity well, but..."
"No..." Leah buried her head in her hands, feeling defeated. Shakily, she
climbed to her feet, approached the window, where the thing lurked outside.
They were closer now, she could see it more clearly. It was oval, and stood
out against the starscape with a darkness brighter than light. The whole
surface of it glittered, pulsed really, as though encrusted with diamonds.
"What do you think it is?"
"Some type of protection device? An advanced satellite? A guardian?" Leah
shook her head, "How the hell am I supposed to know?" Anger filled her, and
reaching in her pocket, she clutched the toy soldier with all her might. She
would *not* die here. "Why are we standing around!?" she raged, "Do
something! You're the engineer"
"Ma'am," Hideko shrank away, "I can't! It's over ridden the system!"
"I don't care..." the shuttle shook. Simply shook, from stem to stern,
before, with a bright blast of light, the whole world changed. They were
moving, towards the planet, Leah thought with horror as she was thrown, like
a rag doll, against the back wall of the cockpit. Downward, downward, a long
swooping motion, like a shooting star. Time moved in slow motion; darkness
came.
---------
Moments, minutes, eons later, consciousness slowly returned. Leah climbed
towards it, picking up pieces of herself as she crawled from the pit she had
been shattered in. With a groan, she opened her eyes, to find the world dim
and filled with shadows. An incredible pain filled her right arms, she
turning her head, she saw that part of it disappeared beneath a fallen beam.
She lay sprawled on the floor, her cheek pressed against the cool metal,
like some discarded toy. Hot, scalding tears ran down her face, pooling on
the deck as she tried desperately to work her parched lips, to make a sound.
She managed to move a finger, only to find her skin was covered in a light
layer of frost. All was silent, and she almost slipped back into the
darkness, having given up completely, when she heard something. Two, three
somethings. Voices, human voices! Joy leapt in her voices, singing a
dizzying song in her heart! Forget the fact that there shouldn't be humans
here, forget the terror she'd felt before, she was desperate now. She would
give *anything*. Now there was more noise, the sound of persons unknown,
rummaging around in the cockpit. They spoke in a language Leah did not
understand, but they seemed concerned or confused, or both.
"H..." she tried to move her lips, force out sound, "hel.." Someone heard
her, she could feel the beam being lifted from her arm. The voices were
excited now, frantic. A hand- oh glorious, warm human hand!- gripped her
shoulder and rolled her over onto her back. Her rescuer was handsome, his
face cold somehow, though, with narrow, negative lines. Above them he held a
strange gem, like the thing in space, pulsing with light. But Leah noticed
none of these things, her green eyes focused on one thing and one thing
only. The strange, black symbol engraved on the man's forehead.
She screamed.
************************
Do you think it's bad when you start EXPECTING the cliffhanger? ^^;
Feedback would be nice.... please minna? :::insert puppy dog face::
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