White Rabbit

Chapter Sixteen

Warmth surrounded him, like a giant, comforting blanket of safety and protection; Ashi curled back by instinct, a smile covering his features before he even made it to full consciousness. When he did, a whole different rush of feelings met him.

Garnen blinked. Morning. The haze of sleep fogged his thoughts as he tried to decipher the cause of his waking. Something shuffled in his arms and he instantly tensed. Warm, bare flesh pressed against the whole length of his body. He hadn’t woken up to another person in... He shot up in bed.

Ashi made a slight squeak at the sudden rush of movement and near tumbled to the side in the abrupt shift, only just catching his balance in time to sit up and glare toward the other. "What’s your problem? I sleep here, I get at least half the bed...you can’t just wake up and push me off!"

The officer stared, uncomprehending surprise characterizing his features as he struggled to make sense of the frustrated albiri before him. Everything came crashing back. "Oh."

Violet blinked, stared, and surveyed his form curiously. Finally the rabbit frowned, crossing his arms. "Is that all you have to say? Oh?"

"Uh..." God that sounded stupid. Garnen frowned to himself as he worked over the situation to the best of his ability. Morning; he began making a mental list of circumstances. He'd woken up, found Ashi in his bed... He winced, knowing that was where the problems started.

In ten years, not one person had shared this bed, and the rough change from that came as more than a tiny shock.

"Dammit, Garnen!" The officer looked startled by his sudden outburst and emotion flashed across violet vision. "Just ‘cause you fuck me doesn’t change every damn thing, alright? I’m still here! If you regret it, you can tell me! But you can’t avoid it. It’s impossible. Now tell me what the hell’s wrong, and quit acting like a bag of bricks!"

Garnen frowned, undecided. Ashi looked pissed, frustrated, and undeniably adorable. His long ears, slightly ruffled from the night’s sleep, hung off, one on an angle across his vision and the rabbit glared, brushing back both tousled pink and shielding ear in one annoyed pass. "I’m not stupid...if something bothers you...you can tell me...but you can’t just keep quiet."

Pale, delicately formed chest and stomach. The man sat upright, but the blanket gathered just at his waist, covering him and his presumably still unclothed body. This reminded the officer again of his own state and he unconsciously shifted slightly.

"Last night." The rabbit nodded. "You said something." The man looked puzzled, then tensed. "Did you mean it?"

Ashi looked pale, truly like a rabbit pinned to a corner and his whole form went rigid, fingers clenching in the sheets even as he tried to shift back.

‘Please, I love you!’

Violet eyes wavered, wide and almost frightened under the other’s gaze. "I-...I didn’t mean-"
"I thought so." Garnen turned away instantly and Ashi felt his heart sink, heavy and weighted in his chest as the other made to leave the bed.

"W-wait!" Almond glanced back.

"Yeah?" Hard, threatening; the rabbit’s breath caught at the harshness and he finally turned away with a glare, narrowing stinging eyes to the sheets as he tightened the cloth around him. Somehow, they didn’t feel so warm anymore.

"Never mind." Eyes shut, he didn’t see Garnen open his mouth, didn’t see the indecision, minor debate flicker, and by the time he looked up, the other’d left. He cursed silently to himself, pulling the covers even closer in a vain attempt to gain back that warmth. He felt cold...and lost. It didn’t make sense! What was he supposed to say? Yes, I love you! More than the world! And even though I’m a whore, and have never done any of this long term, I want to live with you forever and ever and give you bunches of babies and...wait...

He swore to the sheets and sunk his head, muttering his glum thoughts out loud to the empty bedroom. "This is why I don’t care about people...they’re all ignorant bastards."

So, setting his stance, erasing emotion, and rebuilding the barriers, Ashi left the bed, pressed back memories of the night, and treated it like any other night. If he kept everything in the past, nothing could hurt him, right?

He remade the bed in a faulty excuse to buy time before returning to Garnen, and spent more time then necessary on dressing. Finding the crumpled clothes by the bed only brought another pang and he cursed, sinking by them and lifting it like something precious and terribly unwanted at the same time. Was that possible? He didn’t know, but it sure seemed so.

Biting his lip he shook his head. Why did it feel so goddamn strange? He was a whore! He didn’t deal with this! He didn’t work with emotions, guilt...that was the whole point! To not have to!
Glancing to the balcony window, he noted it looked almost mid-morning, and thoughts of Carlos temporarily pushed away his internal worries. He had more important things to worry about. With that in mind, he ignored the worry, finished dressing, and went downstairs.

Both ate breakfast in reasonable silence, stealing occasional glances and yet never really building the courage to make a comment. For the record, both officer and prostitute felt the impending weight of guilt, heavy and unwelcome. Finally, true to form, Ashi lost the patience to hold silence, and spoke up first, though quite a bit quieter than usual.

"So...it’s...lovely weather outside..." Garnen glanced up abruptly and raised an eyebrow; Ashi gave a half-hearted grin of apology as if to say ‘Well you weren’t saying anything brilliant either...’.

The officer chuckled, giving another thoughtful glance over the albiri before replying quietly. "Yes. Lovely." Ashi glanced down to his plate, feeling his cheeks flush for no particular reason. He blamed it on the pancakes. "...and for the record, I’ve never seen anyone add chocolate to their waffles."

Ashi frowned slightly. "I thought they were pancakes..."

"Pancakes are flat."

"Oh..." The rabbit took a slightly confused and a bit more thorough inspection of the half-eaten dish before him. "But...they’re...bread-like...and..."

Garnen rolled his eyes. "Oh yes...we can all tell you’re going to be a fantastic cook..."

Ashi glanced up. "Are you being sarcastic?" The officer raised an eyebrow. "You’re being sarcastic! I don’t remember the last time you’ve made a joke..." 'Even if it does involve me.'

The officer gave a small frown as he spoke again. "Really? I thought I pointed out that I was quite capable of that...besides, it wasn’t really a joke...I’m pretty positive you won’t make it anywhere if you can’t tell the difference between a-"

"Oh hush. That’s not what I was talking about..."

From there on, the morning went noticeably easier, and surprisingly enough, by the time they finished, the morning dilemma felt far in the past and out of thought. The argument on pancakes vs. waffles proved to be a terribly engaging discussion after all.

"So...who told you this anyway? I mean who makes the rules...on what to call a breakfast meal? If I want to call the bread with funny squares in it a pancake...I can call it a pancake!"

Garnen shook his head with a grin at the rabbit’s continued antics. "Yes. But no one will have any clue what you’re talking about." He glanced backwards to the other. "And they’ll all know you’re crazy." This took a few seconds to digest before the albiri glared.

"Hey-"

"Come on. Just put your plate in the sink and give in. Face it..." Garnen took the opportunity, just as he passed the other, to whisper directly in his ear. "...you lost."

For a few brief seconds, Ashi felt temporarily frozen, cheeks burning in denial before he hastily covered it by making to the sink.

"Yeah, well...yeah...I-..." Garnen glanced to the stumbling rabbit and chuckled. Ashi grumbled. "Yeah, well who cares about a stupid pancake anyway..."

"Waffle." Ashi tilted his head back to meet with the other’s gaze, the officer hanging literally just behind him now as he stated his final argument, and the albiri grinned.

"Oh well...I suppose I’ll have to concede then...to your perfect over-lording powers of...mightiness." Garnen raised an eyebrow.

"Well that’s quite a title...I get a new word made up for me and everything..."

"M-mm..." Ashi shook his head lightly even as the other’s lowered, and he mumbled lightly as lips met his. "I’ve used that word before..." Garnen’s hands fell to the small dip of his waist and rest there comfortably as their kiss mingled.

"Oh? Weren’t we just going over the fact that...just because you know something...doesn’t necessarily...make it fact?" His thumbs traveled light, slow circles, pressing just beneath the shirt’s hem to the warm, smooth skin beneath.

Ashi gave a tiny catch of breath and shook his head mutely. "One...minor mistake...I’m sure...mightyness...is a perfectly good...word..." He circled his hands backwards, lacing them behind the other’s neck firmly and lifting to his toes for better offering. "Besides...who cares? What do you care if I say you have...mighty...sexy...hot-"

"Now those, are words..." Garnen took between his lips and Ashi readily parted, greedily encouraging the exploration.

"Does this mean..." Pink lashes had long fallen shut and now blended neatly with his quickly tinting cheeks. "...that you forgive me?" The officer gave a small frown, and they broke. Almond scoured over the lightly pinked figure before him, small chest rising and falling with a gently increased pace, not lost, but invitingly aroused.

"I thought...it was you forgiving me..." Wide violet blinked, curious and innocent in it’s> its confusion.

"I-..." Fingers traced his lips and Ashi’s gaze fluttered.

"Because...I’m sorry...I suppose I shouldn’t have asked...for something you weren’t willing to give yet..." Ashi’s brow furrowed slightly. What was he not willing to give? What more could Garnen want then...oh. He bit his lip and lowered his gaze. Commitment.

"I-..."

"Don’t. I knew...the whole time...from the very beginning...and it’s why I tried to avoid you but..." Almond locked to him and Ashi felt trapped. "...I couldn’t. No matter how much I deny it...you-"

Ashi shut his eyes. "Stop. Please." He pulled away and circled his arms in the sudden chill. "I lied, Garnen." He met eyes with the officer and took a breath. "I should have told you right from the beginning...I lied last night." He turned away to speak. "I don’t love you. I don’t really feel much of anything in fact and..." It took every bit of will to keep his tone hard and steady. "...I don’t want you to get the wrong impression...ok?"

His eyes shut, begging the officer to say anything. Shout, hit him, something, but he did nothing, and after barely a few seconds he couldn’t take it, and ran from the room, not looking back. By the time he reached Garnen’s room, he realized it was likely pointless to run in the other man’s own house, but he with no other choice, where else could he go? He quickly ran in and shut the door, locking it before his first tear fell.

Best this way; best like this. What if he didn’t make it back? If Garnen hated him, it wouldn’t hurt him. If Garnen hated him, he wouldn’t do anything stupid...like try and come after him...or stop him...or… He fell, fully dressed, to the bed, and curled into the sheets, eyes tight shut in denial as his form shook. He didn’t know he’d fallen asleep until he woke.

Mid-day sun, possibly even afternoon, shone orangey yellow across him and he frowned. "What the hell?" Stirring, he frowned at the memories of that morning, the night before, and he took a shaky breath before setting his mood and glaring as he stepped from the bed. If he’d slept all morning, then then mightn’t he as well use the rest of the day to prepare for death?

*-o-O-o-*

Garnen didn’t much notice the passage of time, and didn’t much care. He spent the morning investigating the base of his empty coffee cup and trying to figure out why he felt so damn depressed, knowing the answer all the while. At the sound of his door finally opening upstairs, he jumped up, not knowing, until that moment, how much he’d waited for that sound. He made it to the living room, and at the sight that descended the stairs, he felt very glad he wasn’t drinking coffee, for fear he’d spray across the room.

Ashi’s appearance left him choking and speechless.

Dark violet, heavy and terribly saddened, but steely under his gaze, met his with force and a deep sense of loss. "Carlos...told me to dress up...can you tell what I’m going as?" He asked it so innocently, perfectly calm, and yet Garnen had never viewed him, even that first night, in such a state.

Black. Everywhere. On every part that covered him, contrasting so darkly against the great expanse of pale, smooth skin. It almost looked ashen beneath the blackness.

Black boots laced up his legs, knee-high, and leather, heavily heeled. Besides them, almost nothing covered long, and near fully exposed legs. Two straps strung up from the tops of apparent stockings, to the base of his shorts, thin and black. The shorts themselves looked like near nothing, the type of thing you’d expect to see beneath a cheerleader skirt maybe, except black. Garnen didn’t want to know how he fit into such confining material.

His vision trailed up. Nothing across the stomach, only what could be described as an ‘x’ of cloth, crossed his chest. Nothing covered his arms, smooth, and almost ghostly pale against all the black. Finally, almost terrified, he lifted his gaze to the man’s face, and, as he suspected, that came worst.

Ruby lipstick, thick and heavy, covered such previously sweet pink lips, painting them like blood, as if dooming them to that fate. Blushed cheeks, artificially so. It twisted something in his gut. They looked so beautiful when brought that way naturally. Like this, they looked cheap, gaudy, and so unreal; he nearly couldn’t bear it.

But his eyes, even with none of the rest of it, his eyes made all the difference. Even without eyeshadow, liner, anything, they hurt the most. Not the covering, but what showed behind it. Ashi looked defeated. It tore at him, and Garnen shook his head, trying desperately to speak as his words shook.

"Please don’t do this...Ashi...you-"

"What do I look like, Garnen!" He demanded it, his tone near breaking in the effort and he leaned to the wall, only half down the stairs, as if lost for the strength to finish his journey.

The officer shut his eyes. "A whore. You look like a cheap, playboy prostitute, Ashi." He opened his eyes and found the man watching him, moving toward him. He moved so easily, even on the heels, on everything. Naturally. Garnen felt frozen, and didn’t move till the albiri stood directly in front of him, violet vision locked.

"You know what, Garnen?" The officer stood stock-still, immobile as the smaller man reached up, tracing delicate fingers like a tentative lover, touching for the first time as they trailed over his cheek. Lavender followed his own touch till lifting again as he finished to static almond. "That...is what I am, Garnen..." He brushed his thumb lightly over the man’s chin and gave a nervous flicker of a smile. "...but you hate that part...don’t you?"

His _expression kept calm, but he looked so desperately lost. Garnen opened his mouth, but no sound came out and he shut it. Ashi dropped his hand and looked away. "You can’t have just part of me, Garnen. This..." He looked back up. "...is who I am, what I’ve been...for the past ten years of my life...I can’t just erase everything now and start over...what’s done is done...and right now...I need to help my friend, for better or worse. You said you’d help me."

"Ashi...I fell in love with a man once." The rabbit looked puzzled, curious at this turn of words. "He was brilliant, enthusiastic, and full of life...at one point...I swear I would have died for him." Their eyes kept locked. "I was foolish. I trusted him." Violet wavered. "He didn’t always keep out of trouble, but he always said he could handle it...I believed him."

"Why are you telling me-"

"I went with my team on a routine drug bust. There was a man there, out of control, high and beyond reasoning...he had explosives, a deadly amount." A single ruby lip caught between Ashi’s teeth, but he said nothing. "He was going to kill my team, Ashi. I shot him. Dead on the first shot. Do you know who he was, Ashi?" The smaller man visibly shook beneath him and lavender dropped, unable to hold the gaze any longer.

A hand lifted his chin back up, forcing his eye contact. "I’d killed him. He died, because I trusted him. I swore I’d never be so stupid again...never let anyone die from my mistakes. I fell in love again...with the first woman to ever catch my interest. She was Christian, beautiful, completely out of my league, but she saw something in me...she converted me...turned me from so many things...taught me to trust, love God, accept things as they were, not as I wanted them. I married her. Two months later, she told me she was pregnant."

Ashi’s eyes widened. He never heard this. Garnen continued. "Everything felt wonderful. My job went well, I progressed. I got a new circuit investigation, a big case. I knew it was dangerous, but she encouraged me...and oh did I want it. I took it. I trusted her, and went with what I wanted. The case soon got worse than even I could expect though, out of control. The man we pinned was a lunatic, an insane killer...and I was the main leader of the case against him. We’d almost caught him...almost, Ashi...we felt confident, I felt confident."

The smaller man looked pinned in worry, but never dropped his gaze again. "I went home one night, like any other...and Rosa was gone. I got a threat, a note, from our killer...but nothing I did saved her...in twenty-four hours...I was staring into her blank eyes, seven months pregnant, and dead because I trusted her...because I did what I wanted to, because I was selfish."
"I-..." Ashi’s voice shook but he swallowed, forcing his dry throat into speech. "What are you telling me, Garnen? What do you want me to do?"

Garnen frowned and shook his head. "I don’t know...but if I let you go through with this...if something happens to you, I-..."

Ashi gave a faint smile. "Maybe third time’s the charm?" Hands gripped his waist, lifting him just enough and Ashi circled his arms, them around the man’s neck and raising himself to the other’s standard as firm lips captured his.

Lipstick, clingy and hindering, Garnen hated the shield. He didn’t want that, not some garish mask, but Ashi, the real Ashi, and he pressed past it, slipping into the sweet and willing warmth that the dreadful cover hid.

Delicate fingers gripped at the nape of his neck, raising the smaller body to meet him, harnessing his support, and clinging to his protection. Then, something caught him off-guard. In all this time, even when he found the man on the balcony, he had never caught him in any state of true vulnerability; now, he clung, open and exposed. Damp, heated salt mixed with the kiss and he realized with sudden finality; Ashi was crying. He gripped tighter to the suddenly shaking form and only watched as they finally broke.

The man’s lips lay parted, trembling in unsteady breath, still ruby, but muddled slightly. Heated pink came through in areas. His cheeks still held their color, but appeared stained, streaked with dampened trails of tears, and violet refused to meet him. "I-...I shouldn’t have done that...." He whispered, and his voice came uneven, shaky as he tried to turn away.

"You’re right." Lavender flickered up as Garnen caught him, preventing his departure. "But if you wanted to convince me I meant nothing to you...you should have started with not running in the first place." Ashi’s eyes widened briefly as the man tugged them back together, pulling another kiss, but he gave in easily, truly lost of energy and will now. Besides, why fight everything you want when it’s not convincing anyone anyway?

*-o-O-o-*

Ashi stood alone, in the cold, shivering violently despite all efforts to quell the movement. On second thought, his current attire did not turn out quite so pleasant as he might of hoped, not that it really mattered in the end anyway, but it still made him miserable for the time being.

Dark surrounded him in smothering blackness, as if somehow trying to punish him now for all the foolishness he brought upon himself. For a few instants, he wanted nothing more than to give up, run back to Garnen, his house, his chocolate...and his bed. But he quickly pushed that thought from his mind. Too late for that now.

Before he got a chance to think much on this, however, another piercingly cold blast stung at him and he gave another shiver, pulling the officer’s large, terribly ill-fitting jacket tighter over his shoulders. At least one person thought ahead. He gave a slight smile, but it faded at the sound of cracking leaves, footsteps. He glanced up instantly to harsh gold and could only stare.

Lan. The entire purpose of him coming out here, the reason for his worries, trouble, panic even, stood before him, alive and well. For all it was worth, the younger boy looked terrified, and though he tried to hide it, Ashi saw easily past the emotionless mask he struggled to keep in place. Lan was panicked, but his voice came steady.

"Nice to see you, Ashi." He gave a weak smile, flickering some half-hearted attempt at confidence, intimidation even, but it held little effect. The heat of betrayal flared instantly in livid violet and Ashi rose instinctively from his tree.

"Why you little-"

"STOP!" Ashi froze, not from the command, but the sudden raise of the cold, black weapon that now hung, obviously shaking, clasped tightly between shaking pale fingers, white with stress and cold. "D-don’t move! Please, Ashi...I-"

"You little bitch! If-"

"Get back on the tree!" Golden eyes shook with tears but Lan’s tone came pleading, as forced as possible over his rising terror. "G-get back...g-get..."

Lavender sparked, heated as he lowered himself back to the tree. "You gonna shoot me, Lan? Will you?" The boy’s mouth opened, but closed, trembling like his entire form and the rabbit gave him a meaningful glance, taking in the entire figure. "What are they promising you? Freedom? One more fuck? Money? Fame, Lan?"

Lan shook his head hastily, trying to stutter over his words. "N-no, Ashi...it’s not like-"
"Oh don’t try to get my sympathy now..." Ashi lowered his gaze distractedly, not even on the boy and Lan tensed as the other rummaged in his pocket.

"W-what are you-"

Lavender lifted briefly. "If you’re gonna shoot me, go ahead. I really could care less right now..." Lan almost made to stop him, but only frowned in worry and indecision as the albiri lifted out a smoke, easily lighting it and placing it between his lips with a greedy breath. "I suppose I already knew I’d likely die..." He glanced to the other. "Though I never expected you Lan." He met with shaking gold and frowned. "In fact...I still don’t think so."


"Ashi-"

"You don’t have it in you."


He was daring him. Challenging him. They both knew it, and Lan’d never felt more terrified. Ashi, despite all, looked calm. Like the sea before a storm, a glass lake, impenetrable as he stood up off the tree, daring the other to object.

"I know you, Lan. I knew you before you knew yourself." He took a step forward, blew out smoke and gold widened, shocked and frozen. "I knew you...before anyone." He kept his forward progress, and the boy found no voice to speak. "I love you, Lan." The boy opened his mouth but Ashi’s words continued, forcing him back. "I think I did the instant I saw you...not like a lover...but a child." Lavender had never looked darker, fiercer. "You’re still a child, Lan. Shoot me, go ahead."


The cold point of gunpoint pressed to his forehead, the only barrier between himself and Lan, and somehow, the roles felt reversed. Even though the gun lay in his hands, in his power, the smaller boy’d never felt more helpless.

"Ashi...y-you don’t understand, I-..." His words came choked, and despite all will against it, Ashi felt his heart jump in protection, pity, at the tears that fell, staining perfect cheeks. "I can’t...I-...if...I don’t know how to st-"

"Something wrong, kitten?" Gold widened, and every bit of panic rose a hundred times over, crashing violently in those molten depths as the gaze flashed up. Ashi visibly noted every sign of panic, fear, and tension in the tiny body as it shook up in...submission? To the man behind him.

"N-no! J-jacques, I-"

Jacques? Hadn’t he heard that before? Ashi struggled with his memory. Somewhere... The man looked dark, cruel, and yet...inhumanely beautiful. The rabbit felt frozen and for one brief instant, navy locked on him. So blue, inky black like midnight itself, and yet bright, like all the stars combined. A feral smile twitched on dark lips and the next words came low, purred beside amber locks.

"Shoot him."

Gold flickered wide. "No..." It came as the tiniest whisper, so faintly distant and helplessly lost, barely audible. For one flashing spark, terrible, swirling grief clouded, shielding gold in the heaviest sorrow Ashi’d seen in a lifetime. The next instant, the gun fired. Ashi crumpled.


Note: All righty then...who forgives Lan? *waits for people to raise their hands*

I got fifty reviews! Thank you so much to almost everyone who reviewed! ^_^ You're almost all wonderful...and I really do run on your feedback. I'm so close to being back up at my old number, it's terrific how fast that's happened. I promised I'd try to give everyone an update schedule this round and...as you can see I'm posting today. I think I'll be posting twice a week. Saturday/Sunday, and Wendsday. I'll hopefully be able to keep up with that pace. Thanks to all my supporters! And thank you for your patience. (c:

Review Replies

memorietrail: oh man ,that was hot.i do feel sorry that i didn't read till today ,so very good.more, need more.

Well thank you! It really boosts my confidence. I was so nervous on posting this chapter...I know everyone was waiting forever but...that was my first bit of smut ever posted. ^_^;

Trickster Kitsune:It really sucks that the site hiccupped and a lot was lost. ;_;... I think I might have been review #52...

But anyway... It's about freaking time! ^___^ I was ready to push them in a closet, lock the door, and crank up the air conditioning so they'd have to at least cuddle! Rain is always such a nice ice breaker. ^^

I liked the whole funeral speech. And then fluff and smut. ^^ Such a wonderful combination! And I can now finally see Garnen as the top. Though, now that they have finally had sex, Garnen is going to be a total ass and deny anything ever happened. ^_^; Unless Ashi has totally changed him. o_o...

Please update soon!

Yes, you were. Number fifty-two...and I went back down to thirty-nine. T_T Anyway! I'm pretty much over that now...and I have back up to fifty reviews! Although...some of it's from a rampaging battle of spammer and writers...:gonk: ^^; It seems I didn't totally loose my flamer...oh well...

*chuckle* That sounds like an interesting idea...but more the setting for a PWP...still, it could be interesting in some situation... Anyway, yes. I love rain, absolutely love it (in case no one could tell), and I can have so much fun with it...it makes for great description...everything's more interesting...but enough about me and my rain fetish! I'm glad you liked it! I was so terrified to post...this is the only chapter I had pre-edited. All the other's were completely self-done...this one I actually got someone to read ahead of time. ^_^;

I still can't believe you never saw Garnen as a top...*considers* Ah well. Maybe I'm just silly like that. ^^ As for the Garnen an ass thing...he's been that before, but ultimately, as you see in this chapter, Ashi's more prone to denial. After all, his whole life has revolved around avoiding emotion after the loss of parents, family, and the only boy he ever came even close to feeling something for.

I've told everyone the update's will come a little slower now, I'll try not to make it too slow! Life is kinda catching up with me. ^_^;

Falcon Bertille: *Swoons* I loved the new chapters, especially 15! The whole plot twist with Lan being held for ransom (or is he?) totally caught me off guard, and made for a very cool turn of events. When you described Ashi at the police station, unable to take his eyes off the videotape, I was so worried that I could hardly breathe. And then when Garnen says that he won't go to Ashi's funeral, because Ashi is NOT going to die -- that was so powerful and romantic. And so perfectly in character for Garnen. Then, the kiss, and the rain, and the sex...and the sex....and the sex. Fantastically hot.

My favorite description:

"The cool rivulets of fresh, clean water traveled over rapidly heating skin in mini-rivers, slipping giddily across locked lips, and giving each the occasional taste of sky as the rare few bits made it between them. Crystalline droplets gathered quickly, bunching like sparsely scattered dew across bubble-gum lashes, and weighing them down with the extra burden."

Such beautiful, poetic language. *Swoons again*

And it's set in Texas! That's so neat! We do occasionally get snow where I live (in Austin) so it wouldn't be impossible. Just unusual.

Now I can't wait to see how they deal with the morning after!

Love,
Falcon

Whee! Your reviews always make me so happy! ^_^ They're always so detailed and it really inspires me. Thank you so much! Yes, Lan comes in heavy in this chapter, but I'm still keeping Tray out of the picture. For reference, I tend to like both Lan and Tray, and though I get everyone confused about them, I try to make neither one too evil or too good, just terribly confused. (Although everyone's probably about ready to kill Lan right about now...)

I'm amazed you chose that specific paragraph! I was really proud of myself for that specific one...I was happy with how it turned out and unlike the rest it really just kinda fell out there for me, I'm so glad it's not just me! ^^

Texas! I live so close, but I think I've only been there once. I'm still debating over the snow, but with Christmas coming up...I think it'll definitely come into play. I'm glad you get at least some snow! (So it's not to far fetched.) ^_^

FlamesEmbrace: Oh dear. D: Losing reviews is always bad. *lost all 80-odd when her account was taken away ;-;* Well, but yay! Smut scene! And he unplugged the damn phone! :D!! That was hot and made me very happy. And the fluff is always good, too. ^_^

Wow. Eighty?? I noticed you had an account at one, really old review you left...but it wouldn't bring up the page... You got deleted? How come? It's pretty hard to offend people on this place... *chuckle* I'm glad someone noticed the phone. When I made the first teaser, I planned that part, but I almost forgot about it, and only added right before I posted. ^_^ I'm glad it's all appreciated...I'll have to be a bit less worried next time. o_o

Sarah Bridget: You deleted my review! So you say you aren't mad about it, and then you go off and delete it anyway? You're a liar and a satanic bitch. I don't even feel the least bit sorry for you anymore. You deserve to go to hell. In fact, I bet you'll fit in real well there! If you're gonna pretend to not get mad, at least do it believeably!

Oh, and your writing is still crap. You wait fifteen chapters, and then all you can come up with is some mushy shit? If Ashi were really a whore, he would of gotten Garnen in his pants a long time ago! So he's a stupid slut, Garnen's useless...and please...'I won't go to your funeral' blah, blah, blah...go fuck yourself, no one else will...and then spend a nice long eternity in hell. It wasn't even half-way creative! Not to mention it was disgusting. REPULSING!!

*sigh* I'd say I'm sorry your review got deleted...but I'm not a liar. I did not, however, delete it myself. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, and if you post it in my reviews, I think it deserves to stay there. Your review, along with eleven others, is gone forever in a mangle of currupted files somewhere in AFF. It's beyond my control, and I wish I had it all back, but I don't.

As for your continued presence in my review panel, I'm sorry you still think it's repulsing, but there's one thing I don't tolerate. You, I can handle, your reviews, your spite, your hate for me...I can handle. But now you go off and slander my other reviewers? That I don't take well! I can accept that some of my writing might not be all that great at times...but the people who review here are wonderful and dedicated authors! Please, if you're gonna pollute review boards...don't mess with truly good authors...

MakaiKitty:Finally. Gawd, Garnen really has some serious restraint. I couldn't have resisted that bunny for nearly as long! Now we only need a happy ending to make this story complete. There will be one, won't there? *begs* Can't wait to see what the next update brings.

Thanks for reviewing me yet again, btw. I really appreciate it. ^_^

^_^ I think everyone's been thinking similar thoughts. Sorry I'm so slow into things...but I think they were about as ready as I could stand to wait for. Happy ending...oh gosh...no one has asked about the ending yet, so I've never even graced the subject. Obviously, the story's not exactly over...but...I guess I should say...the ending, originally, before I even typed a single letter down...was sad. But I know how much people hate sad endings...I hate sad endings! I always want a happy ending...but...I'm currently struggling to come up with one for my own story. ^_^;

How many people will kill me if this ends sad?

You're welcome for the review though, you deserve them and I enjoy giving feedback. ^_^

End Note: To MakaiKitty and Falcon Bertille in regards to Sarah Bridget. Thank you so much for defending me, I'm sorry you have to take the time to mess with her. I thought she was just my problem, but now I appologize extra much to MakaiKitty, because now she's polluting your reviews! I'm so sorry. Falcon, I'd never delete your review, you have no idea how much it means that...well...thank you. I'm glad I have at least some people who don't think my writing is...slashy filth? Mushy shit? ^^; Thanks.