Hey, K'thardin!

Sorry it took me so long to get back to you on this, but my family has been
in Regina visiting with some old friends. Reasons like this are exactly why
I should get a laptop. Or maybe just find a way to plug the FFML directly
into my cranium... ^_^

 > Stupid rassum-frassum e-mail... Ignore all my attachments...
 
 This is why I generally post them inside the email itself.  

As I intend to do. Since I don't know why it went wrong last time, I'm not
going to take any chances on it going wrong again. From now on it's copy,
paste, and hope I don't get glued to the floor. ;) 

 > I swear to you all, as the Admins are my witness, I
 > will set my computer on fire before I try to post this chapter a FOURTH
 > time.
 
 Well fortunately you didn't have to do that.

You're telling me. I had the matches and the lighter fluid waiting. 
  

 > Once again, I am deeply sorry for this. I don't know why my Inbox has

become

 > deranged. Please C&C, if you actually bothered to open this by now.
 
 Ok. ^_^  I'll even post your whiticisms from the last few emails.

Must you? 
  

 > Greetings yet again, everybody! ^_^
 
 <Unicron> Welcome, Morgan....

It seems you must (groan).
  

 > Well, here we are. It's the start of a new Ronin Summer chapter, and

that

 > means I need to strap on my kneepads and make with the begging.
 >
 > ^_~
 
 You're not cute enough. ^_^

Ah, geez... You're already sinking that low? Man, this is going to get worse
before it gets better... ^_^
 

 > *Whew!* Well, as I always say, an ounce of C&C is worth a pound of

pride any

 > day of the week... ^_^
 
 I dunno man, that was a serious load of it right there.  I'm practically

wading

 through it...you sure you don't want some of it back?  Heheheh.

Nah, if I had a shred of dignity left after I got done writing these opening
beg-fests, Latin D would accuse me of being full of myself. Besides, it
grows back pretty quick. 

 <Snipage of the linkage>
 
 Of course Mr. Hudson sent me!  Yes, I know that was a most expensive Umi

in her

 ultimate armor porceline figure, but it was so lovely I just had to touch

it!  I'm

 telling you it was him!  He sent me! ^_^

Darn it, I didn't say to BREAK the Umi figure! I said to TAKE the Umi 
figure! ^_~
  

 > Chapter Sixteen : The Iceman Cometh
 
 First he was Subzero!  Now...he's plain zero! ^_^

I know that line... The Running Man, right? 
  

 > The swirling, sooty mist that burbled inside their armour, that poured
 > from their wounds and drifted off into the void, was the very essence
 > of their selves, the core of their astral beings.
 
 Must suck being little more than energy encased in barely mystical armor.

True, but there are also advantages to it. Biological troops can get 
sick, or tired, and flesh gets damaged a lot faster than armour plates.
Especially magically enhanced armour plates.

 You know,
 this is actually a major design flaw.  You'd think they'd have some sort

of recovery

 ability...otherwise a scratch in the wrong area at the wrong time, and

they'd die

 before they got back to someone like Kayura who could mend them.

True. In fact, I think Yoen mentions something along those very lines a
little later in this scene. 

 > 	Youja didn't bleed, but they could bleed to death.
 
 Nice statement.

Thank you. ^_^
  

 > Ichimatsu had been next, gone mere
 > minutes later when that same monster had relieved the youja of his
 > head. In the space of those few moments, two of the most experienced
 
 I imagine this is rather what the victims of the planetary purges in DBZ

must feel

 like.

Probably very much, I'd imagine. Pedri and his crew have had a few 
millenia to perfect their ass-whuppin' techniques, and they rather overpower
these fellows. 

 > The Lady had been protected from those foul creatures, and that was

worth

 > any cost to themselves. But still... the thought rankled him. Twelve
 
 There is a difference between doing your job, and doing it well enough to

satisfy

 your work ethic.  In this case I doubt he could have satisfied that being

as

 outmatched as he was.

Yeah, this is pretty much the problem facing Yoen right now. The
expectations he has of himself and his troops rather failed to match the
reality. Whether or not it was physically possible for him to do a better
job doesn't change the fact that he wanted to. 
  

 Yeah, this is definately one of those things that just plain sucks.  This

guy could

 share some stories with the human fighters of DBZ.
 <Krillain> Yeah, we used to be cool.  Til the Saiyans came along, then we

just sucked

 no matter what we did or how good we got.

Almost exactly. Which is weird, because I wasn't thinking about them 
when I was writing this. Like the human Z Fighters, Yoen and his group were
more or less the last line of defence. And like Krillain and his gang, the
Guard had no chance in hell of pulling off their mission. A bunch of them
died, and only a lucky break kept everything from falling apart. 

 > 	This Thraw creature was a devil, Yoen thought, as he watched
 
 Wonder what he would have thought of Arago then. ^_^

Probably not much. Yoen and his kind are more intelligent and capable of
judgement than the older models; they're sort of like youja version 2.1,
with a few new features and some all around upgrades to the system. Still
loyal, but not so mindlessly loyal.
  

 > Had Thraw been spawned from
 > the Abyss? Did he exist solely to return them all to the nothingness
 > that had spawned them? Of twelve, eight destroyed in the space of two
 
 Too many uses of the word 'spawned.'

Drat. I can't believe I let that one get past me. Will fix! ^_^

 > In response
 > to his comrade's worry, he gave the mental equivalent of a pat on the
 > shoulder as Shouen uncorked a small container at his hip and poured
 > gunpowder down the barrel of his musket. All is well, Yoen thought to
 > the crimson youja. No need to be worried.
 
 A musket?  No magical energy casters?  That seems a bit low tech, and

really low in

 the magical department.  I mean, a guy with an Uzi or something similar

could easily

 outdo someone with a musket.

Yeah, but there aren't too many guys in the Dark Kingdom or the Dynasty who
are going to own an Uzi. And, seeing how a musket will fire damn near
anything you can fit down its barrel, it's safe to assume that Shouen has
some *special* loads he's saving for a rainy day.

 > 	But they WERE, Yoen argued. They used to be. From the day that
 > the Lady drew their essence from the Astral Plane, bonded it to their
 > shells, they existed. Their skills, their experiences, their LIVES...
 > All are gone. Is it any different from the death of a human?
 
 Heh, we've been trying to figure out how our existence works since day

one.  I wonder

 how he'd react if he realized that pretty much all humans are as in the

dark about

 their lives and souls and such as they are.

Yoen is just old enough to start questioning his place in the universe. I'd
say it's almost worse for him, because he knows full well that when he dies,
there is no afterlife. Unlike humans, he doesn't get to question where he's
going or what will become of him. There's one answer to both questions:
nothing.

 > Our existence was formed from ether, and to
 > ether we return. Our quondam members are now as they were before the
 > Lady formed them; nothing. Even their shells have evaporated by this
 > point. There is nothing to remember them.
 
 One point about the universe is that nothing is lost, only changed in

form.

True, but in the case of the youja the form they changed from (and will
change to) is something with no personality, individuality or sentience.
They'll still exist, but without any of the thoughts or memories that made
their existence matter to them.
  

 > 	As there will be nothing to remember us, Yoen thought with a
 > psychic sigh.
 >
 > 	The Lady is well, Shouen reminded his leader. Uncorking the
 > small container at his hip yet again, the youja placed some powder on
 > the pan of his rifle and snapped the frizzen down to cover it.
 
 Heh, he seems to have his issues worked out.  He knows who he is, and

what he is

 there for. 

I was trying to show that this is Shouen's answer to most of Yoen's
questions. To Shouen, it's simple; Kayura's safety. The fact that she stays
safe is their legacy, and keeping her safe is the whole reason they were
created in the first place.

 A perfect warrior...no distractions of any kind.  Many would envy him
 this.

Well, I wouldn't say no distractions at all. He's just very good at putting
things into perspective. Shouen is a lot more down-to-earth than Yoen is -
he doesn't really bother much with philosphy.
  

 > His wounds were not major, but there was no
 > way for any but the Lady herself to heal them, and with every second
 
 Like I said, a decided design flaw.  There should be SOME way to at least

stop the

 'bleeding' so he can get somewhere to be healed.

There are ways, just none that Yoen can think of right now. For example,
they could weld their armour back together, or, as Shouen will do in a bit,
find a way to plug or seal the holes. 
  

 > With a sharp tug, the youja tore the coarse grass from the ground and
 > held it over a gash in his pauldron, black mist seeping through the
 > matted plants.
 
 I suppose this would be thinking outside the box for them. ^^;;;;

Heh. It's one of those solutions that you can stare at for hours and not see
because it's so simple. You've got a hole in your armour? Plug it with
something. 

Like I said, Shouen's kind of down-to-earth. He tends to find pretty
straightforward solutions to problems while guys like Yoen are all
scratching their heads and overcomplicating things.

 > 	Don't go off half-cocked, Yoen silently reminded his
 > subordinate.
 
 Beevis: Uh huh, Uh huh...he said cock. ^_^

^_^
  

 > 	I never do, Shoen thought in response, easing his weapon's
 
 Unless you count what happened with that Succubi yesterday...^_-

Shouen: Hey! That was a one-time, freak accident,
never-happen-again-in-a-million-years kind of thing! I was tired! I'd been
under a lot of stress! Leave me alone!
 

 > 	"Are you ABSOLUTELY sure this is the right way?" The speaker
 > had a sprightly tone, mocking and yet cheerful at the same time.
 >
 > 	"Ask me that one more time and I'm gonna stretch you until I
 > look you in the eye, kid! For the last time, we're not lost!" Unlike
 > the first voice, this was uttered in a dull rumble that caused the
 > branches overhead to tremble.
 
 And men will never stop to ask directions.  There is a certain amount of

pride that

 goes with this after all.  Unless you're Ryouga.  Or Jun after this

little adventure.

 ^_^

As I believe Red Green may have put it; "For some reason, men don't like
walking up to a total stranger and saying 'You may not know it, but I'm a
total idiot.' Because if you admit you're lost, you're admitting you've
failed. You knew where you were when you started, and now you don't."  ^_^
  

 > 	The bushes rustled, and a small human with short dark hair
 > popped out of the brush like a rabbit. He was dressed in dark slacks
 > and a shirt which might once have been white, before a healthy blend
 > of grass-stains, dirt, blood and sweat had turned it into something
 > more like an impressionist painting.
 
 For my own information, is this a white button up corporate type shirt? 

Just a

 regular white T-shirt?  A white undershirt, what?

Jun is wearing a white button-up corporate style shirt. He had been wearing
a navy blue sweater over that, but he lent it to Thunderstorm after she
exploded her uniform in chapter 13. He also has on grey slacks, black socks,
and a pair of black leather loafers. It was just starting to turn to winter
in Japan when he left, so he's dressed pretty warmly. His jacket (and his
kendo gear) got left behind in Nasuti's car when it was rolled down the
embankment in chapter 5.

Oh, and he's also wearing a white undershirt and white boxers, but nobody
can see those. ^_^
  

 > 	"Okay," he sighed, "are you here to arrest someone new, or
 > just back up the other pair? And do you, by any chance, have anything
 > vaguely edible? We haven't eaten since I got here, and I don't like
 > the way all these youma have been eyeing me."
 
 He's already starting to master the fuck it attitude.  Heh, soon he'll be

spouting

 Ashisms like a pro. ^_^

Jun: "The true key to Ashisms isn't to be pissed, but to be so damn tired
and cranky that you just can't bring yourself to care about what's really
happening any more. Then, they flow naturally." ^_^

 > 	"Okay, so they're here to arrest the Storm Senshi again.
 > Poh-TAY-toe, Poh-TAH-toe." The boy put his hands in his pockets and
 > shrugged. "Really, Takenoko, you shouldn't get so worked up over
 > little details like who's under arrest and who isn't. It's not good
 > for your blood pressure!"
 
 Heheheheh.  You know, this attitude may be the one thing that saves him

in the end.

Could be. My take on Jun is that after everything he's been through in the
past few years, he honestly stopped worrying about what was going on or how
it was going to end. He just shrugs, does what he can to solve the problems
he can find, and waits for the rest to blow over. ^_^

 Or kills him. 

At least he'll never die from stress. ^_^

 > 	At roughly that moment, a lithe, athletic woman in a golden
 > leotard skipped around a tree and vaulted onto the minotaur's
 > shoulders, resting her elbow on his head as she cupped her chin with
 > one gloved hand. Large bows of midnight black graced her chest and
 
 Acckkk...need...insulin....

This soon? Man, you better leave before Icestorm shows up. You know how that
girl oozes cuteness. ^_^
  

 > 	"Gee," she said whimsically, "Empress Kayura sure seems to
 > want us pretty bad. And to think, we never even knew that she was
 > interested..."
 
 O_o...*beats myself upside the head* Bad thoughts, bad thoughts!  Bad

K'thardin!

 *gets the mental image again* err...^;;^...x_x

Don't feel bad; that's actually what Lightstorm means. Remember who's
talking, here... 
  

 > Don't worry about me!" She
 > was dressed in a navy blue sweater that was far too small for her; the
 
 Hope she's at least tied something around her waist at this point.

I know this isn't going to help, but no, she hasn't. 

There's nothing TO tie around her waist, unless she literally took the shirt
off of Jun's back. And she's already got his sweater. Kokuen and Shien wear
armour, and they don't have any cloth accessories she could use as a skirt.
The other Storm Senshi need all the clothing they have, and so does
Takenoko. Thunderstorm's kind of SOL for now.

 > The only other thing she wore was a smaller woman in a blue leotard,
 > carrying her like a living backpack. The petite, blue-haired girl
 > seemed to be sleeping, chewing absently on her comrade's ponytail as
 > she slumbered.
 
 And with insulin tapped from the heart of Cyberton itself...I WILL RESIST

THE KAWAII

 OF THIS PART! ^_^

Heh. Sorry. I couldn't resist that one. ^_^

 > 	Yoen shrugged and shouldered his bisento, his other arm snaking
 > around his torso and clamping down on the wound in his side. Shouen
 > glanced briefly at the boy and let his eyes dim slightly. They vaguely
 > recalled the small human from earlier, but he had seemed mostly
 > harmless, and not worthy of much attention.
 
 <Jun> GODDAMNIT!  I'm always mostly freaking harmless!  I swear, I'm

treated worse

 than a male character in Sailor Moon!  Hey...wait a second...

Heh. ^_^

 <Lightstorm>  I don't know what you're complaining about, you have an

awesome sword

 Jun.
 <Hotaru> WHAT?!  How does she know you have an awesome sword?!

Hehe.

 <Jun>  <Looking up to the heavens>  Can't you at least tell me what I did

so I can

 appologize?
 <Lightstorm> Yep!  He's so good with it too!  It's like he's possesed by

it. ^_^

LOL! 

The worst part is, I can see that kind of discussion happening. ^_^

 <Jun>  Hotaru...it's not what you think...
 <Hotaru>  Death...Ribbon...
 <Shutendouji> Oh hell, boy did YOU fuck up!
 <Jun>  I didn't do anything!  It's not my fault!

It never is, is it? I mean, it just never is. ^_~

 > 	"HAH!" Shien blurted out, pointing at his ebon-armoured
 > partner. "You're not in command any more, Kokuen! That means I don't
 > have to let them live!"
 
 Very single minded.  I wonder if he realizes they could likely obliterate

him with as

 much effort as it takes to swat a fly?

Probably not. Shien doesn't realise what they are; as far as he's concerned,
they're just another couple of youma. And on average, a youja is a bit
tougher and stronger than a youma. 

Of course, the Storm Senshi are just SORTA LIKE youma... ^_^
  

 > 	"That's nice," the human said absently, waving one hand at
 > the pair of youja as though to fan them away. "Now, uh, you DID say
 > you had food, right?"
 
 Heh, ok, maybe he's not the only single minded person around there. ^_^

It's been a few days for him. Nasuti, the Outer Senshi, and the Masho have
all been able to get their hands on some food by now, but Jun and his group
were off galavanting through a tomb while everyone else was getting
supplies.
  

 > 	"Woah!" Lightstorm leapt to her feet, causing Takenoko to
 > wince as her high heels dug into his shoulders. "And just who the
 > hell said you were LETTING us live, jarhead? Don't go getting any
 > fancy ideas just because we've been nice to you..."
 
 Jarhead?  He's a Marine? ^_^

In a sense. Plus, there's the fact that his head IS pretty much just a
jar... ^_^

 > 	"Uh, about that food..."
 >
 > 	"You are prisoners of the Empire, girl," Shien intoned. "I
 > should think that your ultimate fates were obvious. Having been found
 > guilty of treason, our Empress will no doubt have you executed on
 > sight."
 
 Uhh...isn't it a bad thing to assume what your leaders want from you?

Yes, but it's also something that a lot of rookies have made the mistake of
doing before. ^_^

 > 	"I keep telling you," Kokuen argued testily, "had their deaths
 > been the wish of our Empress, I feel she would have included such in
 > our orders. We were merely sent to find the Storm Senshi and return
 > them to her. She said nothing about execution at all!"
 
 See, there you go.

Kokuen has his head on pretty straight, for someone who doesn't technically
have a head. ^_^
  

 > 	Yoen hemmed thoughtfully as he overlooked the two bickering
 > youja. Both Shien and Kokuen had valid points, but he wasn't sure he
 > approved of the zealousness with which they seemed to be anticipating
 > the Lady's wishes. It bordered on insubordination, to assume they knew
 
 Almost heresy if they consider her a goddess of sorts.

Eeeh... It's a fine line between obedience and reverence. 
  

 > 	Come to think of it, he supposed the Storm Senshi were still
 > rather new to things, themselves. True, they had played a part in the
 > final battle with Jadeite, but he was uncertain exactly how much action
 > they had seen before that. For all he knew, they could be nearly as raw
 
 Good thing he didn't know who they were working for before that. ^_^

Yoen never met them until well after the final battle in question, and it
kind of makes sense that the Storm Senshi don't advertise their former
allegience. 
  

 > as most of his Guard. Perhaps it was best to be merciful towards them,
 > until and unless the Lady herself could decide their final fate.
 >
 > 	"Guard Kokuen," Yoen rumbled, "we two youja seek permission
 > to join your command for the duration."
 
 Good move on his part if he wanted to keep them alive.  Or at least keep

them all

 alive a bit longer.

I think it's safe to say that he had both goals in mind when he did what he
did. Not to mention that by passing command over to Kokuen for the duration,
he doesn't have to make the decision and risk angering Kayura. Or the Storm
Senshi, for that matter.
  

 > 	"Your assistance shall no doubt prove invaluable," Kokuen
 > replied automatically, responding to the formal request as he had been
 > conditioned to. "I welcome you to my cause."
 
 Conditioned or created to?

Conditioned. Kayura creates the youja's physical forms, but they still need
to be trained in certain things like hierarchy and official behaviour.
There'll be more on this in an upcoming chapter. 
  

 > 	"We shall seek to prove our worth," Yoen answered, finishing
 > the formalities as he bowed his head to his subordinate. "May Kayura
 > guide us."
 
 Definately heresy then.  That sounded more like a sycophant (is that the

right word?)

 talking about his goddess.

Empires are funny that way. Kayura certainly wouldn't be the first ruler to
be treated like a deity by her troops - Cleopatra comes to mind, as do
Julius, Augustus, Claudius, Nero, Trajan, Hadrian, Ramses... ^_^

 > 	"I'm not sure, Jun," the huge youma responded, shaking his
 > head slowly. "I've been working with these damned tin soldiers for
 > weeks - most of the time they don't talk at all, and if they do, it's
 > just nonsense like that."
 
 Just observe.  You'd think things like that would become clear over time.

Or shit,

 just ask one of em. Heh.

Most of the youja that Takenoko was working with didn't bother speaking to
him unless they had to. And since a good half of what they did say around
him was either ritual (like what Yoen and Kokuen just did) or mere parts of
a conversation that was also taking place psychically, it's small wonder
Takenoko was confused. 

 > 	Sensing their confusion, Shouen walked over towards the pair
 > and rested his long musket across his crimson shoulders. The smoke
 > rising from his wounds wreathed around him like a cape of soot as
 > he peered at Jun and Takenoko with his blank, soulless eyes.
 >
 > 	"Commander Yoen has just arranged for the two of us to join
 > your party, until such time as Empress Kayura can be found. For the
 > time being, we nine shall travel together." His glowing eyes narrowed
 > slightly. "Is that clear enough for you?"
 
 See there you go. ^_^

Shouen's just being sensible again: no reason not to explain something to
the creatures if it's going to directly affect them, right? 
  

 > 	"Crystal clear," Jun replied with a grin and a shrug. "So if
 > we're all friends now, would you mind sharing some grub? Like I said,
 > it's been a few days, and..."
 
 Heheh, food is a powerful motivator.  I hope they at least found

something to drink

 in the interm...oh wait, Icestorm.  

Yeah, Icestorm. And there are a number of creeks and ponds scattered through
the forest, too. Not to mention rainwater from the storm - I think it's safe
to assume they were able to get by as far as water was concerned.

 > 	"We are youja. We do not eat, drink, sleep or breathe. To us,
 > rations of any kind would merely be excess and useless baggage."
 
 That's got to be useful...but what do they do when they rest?  Shit, the

Poker games

 they have must be awesome.

Ah, some of the many advantages to a youja army. They don't eat or drink, so
you can keep them out in the field pretty much indefinitely without having
to worry about supply lines or rations. Since they don't sleep, it's hard to
catch them off-guard, and their ability to communicate mentally means they
can perform intricate tactics and 
remain in constant contact with each other without giving away their
positions. 

Heck, all you'd need to do is make sure they didn't rust! ^_^
  

 > 	"Huh." Jun scowled and placed his fists on his hips. "Right
 > then. Well, can't blame a guy for trying, right?" A look of
 > concentration on his face, the dark-haired boy looked around the
 > clearing. Suddenly he froze, his body stiffening as though electricity
 > were coursing through him. "Takenoko," he asked calmly. "How hungry
 > are we? I mean, seriously."
 
 Oh shit.  When people start asking those kinds of questions, it might be

good to

 watch your back...you might wind up on the menu. ^_^

Takenoko doesn't need to worry about that too much - he's big enough to put
everybody else on HIS menu, if he felt like it. ^_^
  

 > **********
 >
 > 	In retrospect, Jun admitted to himself, they really had been
 > more like bugs than lobsters. By the time the youja had finished
 > shelling them and he had put the meat on spits, it had smelled like a
 > skunk swallowed a hand grenade. Still, after two days it had been
 
 Yeah, and better hope that shit isn't poisonous too...but then like I

said, never

 think while you're hungry.

Fortunately, Jun is always blessed with lots of luck. Today, it was
relatively good. ^_^

 > better than nothing. With Takenoko's direction, they had even managed
 > to save enough that night to keep them fed for the rest of the week.
 
 If you know how to make it, it'll keep and keep and keep. Heh.

Well, it's true. It just won't be very tasty, usually. In this case,
anything was probably going to be an improvement. ^_~
  

 > 	"So," he asked, "are we still going west?"
 > With all the speed of cold molasses, the scythe's
 > shadow moved towards the three youja. Shien leaned against a nearby
 > tree, his gaze on the Storm Senshi, who were doing their absolute
 > best to ignore his attention. Icestorm was trying to climb a tree,
 
 Well, their real forms seem to be catlike...

Or at least, Thunderstorm is catlike. We haven't actually seen the other two
in their true forms yet. 

 > Lightstorm had plopped down on the ground with her hands behind her
 > head and a smile on her face. Since they'd gone and found such a nice
 > sunny place, she'd explained, she was going to work on her tan.
 
 Case in point.  Then again, as it seems they are attracted to their

element,

 Lightstorm would love a good sun bath...wonder how she'd react to a high

powered

 laser. ^^

It might make her sneeze. And wonder whether it was supposed to hurt, or
something. Then she'd probably take somebody's head off with that barbed
chain of hers. 

And that sunbath of hers actually did give her a chance to "recharge", as it
were. Just like Icestorm was helped by the cold in the tomb, back in chapter
13. They still aren't quite operating at peak effieciency, though. 

 > 	"Yep," Jun said with a smile, "and since the sun moves from
 > east to west, that means that the shadow we see is pointing east.
 
 You better hope it moves from east to west on this planet. ^_^

A good point, and one which Jun didn't think of. ^_^
  

 > 	"This is really humiliating," Takenoko grumbled from his seat
 > against a tree that seemed to be leaning slightly under his weight. "I
 > don't get lost THAT often."
 
 Shit, you're blind dude, and don't have any other senses quite accute

enough to take

 over.  Then again, with a bit of training he likely could, but that takes

years.

Takenoko's vision doesn't hamper him when it really matters. Since he's
near-sighted, anything he's close enough to hit, he can see pretty well.
It's only distances that trouble him; get more than twenty feet away from
the big guy, and you're going to be just another blur in a field of blurs. 

 > 	"It's not you, big guy," Jun explained. "I mean, in the forest
 > it's easy for anyone to get turned around. We don't know any landmarks,
 
 This is true too.

Especially considering that nobody in Jun's entire group has any reason to
have ever been in that forest before in their entire lives. Makes it kind of
hard to even know what kind of landmarks they're supposed to be looking for.
^_^
  

 > and a lot of the foliage is hard to tell apart. It only makes sense
 > for us to stop every few hours and check our direction." With a sigh,
 > the young man stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Now if Nasuti were
 > here," he continued, "we could borrow her compass and use that. But
 
 I wouldn't trust anything that works with our magnetic field on that

planet.  There's

 no telling where you'd wind up.

Heh. Again, this is something that Jun didn't think of (although Nasuti
likely did, which would explain why she didn't use her compass when she was
travelling with Naaza to make sure they were going in the right direction).

Or at least, we'll say that's the official reason. ^_^

 > 	With a soft groan, Jun looked over his shoulder. There, arms
 > and legs both wrapped firmly around a tree branch and eyes squeezed
 > shut with terror, Sailor Icestorm dangled several dozen feet above the
 
 I suppose creating a pillar of ice to step on would be too logical for

our terrified

 Storm Senshi? ^_^

Heck, that'd be too logical for her even when she's perfectly calm.
Considering that she's a bit panicked right now, it's safe to assume she's
even less likely to do something intelligent than usual. ^_~
  

 > 	"You just had to do it, didn't you?" the brunette fumed, as
 > her foot tapping increased in frequency. "This is the second time
 > this week, you know. I keep telling you, and you never listen; YOU
 > CAN'T CLIMB TREES! Why do you insist on climbing trees?"
 
 Or at least she needs to learn to climb them first.

Oh, Icestorm can climb UP trees... it's just the going down she tends to
screw up. You may remember that in chapter 6, she pretty much fell out the
tree she had climbed and landed on her ass.

Holy crap, I need to stop referencing stuff that happened more than nine or
ten chapters ago. I'm beginning to remember why I kept my other story arcs
so much shorter than this. ^_^;
  

 > 	"I-I-I think maybe that Sailor Mercury chick likes to climb
 > trees," Icestorm stammered. "I m-must have picked it up from her when
 
 Does she?

In canon? Beats the living hell out of me. I don't recall her ever
officially saying she DIDN'T like climbing trees, though, so chalk that one
down as another prime example of author interpretation. ^_^ 

 > 	"Well don't look at me," Thunderstorm snapped back. "I'm not
 > exactly dressed to go shimmying up there after you. This thing I'm
 > wearing's barely decent when I'm standing still!"
 
 I wouldn't think it would be to be honest. ^_________^

Thunderstorm is a duplicate of Sailor Jupiter, so she stands about five
feet, six inches tall. Jun Yamano's last official height in YST was three
feet, ten inches, but that was when he was only ten years old. Since he's
about thirteen in Ronin Summer, I've put his height at a bit under five feet
- he's a few inches shorter than Hotaru. 

That means Thunderstorm has about seven or eight inches of height on him
(not to mention that she -like Jupiter- would have the largest bust size of
all the Inner Senshi, too). It's a safe bet that his sweater won't be coving
quite enough of the girl to make her comfortable. 
  

 > 	Lightstorm lifted her head, glancing over at her two sisters
 > and fellow clones. "I just don't want to," she said simply, and went
 > back to tanning.
 
 mmm...tanning Venus...mmmm...^_^

Heh. ^_^
  

 > 	"I'm too big to get up there," Takenoko said, staring at Jun.
 > "I suppose I could always shake her out of the tree..."
 
 Yeeeaahhh. Heheheheheheh.

You are a cruel, cruel, man. Although I'll bet Jun might be tempted to just
let them do it if she ever gets stuck up a tree again. ^_^
  

 > 	"NO! NO!" Icestorm wailed from her precarious perch in the
 > branches of the pine. "NO TREE SHAKEY!"
 
 Does she have to be so Kawaii with everything?

Yep. Don't question it; heaven knows I sure don't. That's just the way she
comes off the keyboard. I have less say in these things than you'd think. 
  

 > 	"...Unless, of course, you've got a better idea than that,
 > boy," Takenoko finished, with a truly evil smile that showed off each
 > and every one of his long, sharp fangs.
 >
 > 	"I hate each and every one of you," Jun said softly, as he
 
 Don't worry.  It's going to get far worse for you later on. ^_^

Oh, but of course it is! You know me very well, good sir. ^_^

Hey, and I just noticed a repeat of the words "each and every one" up there.
Think I'd better change the line about Takenoko's smile to just "all" of his
fangs. 
  

 > 	Grumbling under his breath, Jun slid a katana blade out of the
 > belt loop in his pants and tossed it aside. No point letting it get
 > caught on something, he figured. 
 
 Good plan that.

Well, Jun is kind of the level head of the team, by default. He's also one
of the most experienced members of the group, when it comes to this kind of
thing. Takenoko is the only one travelling with them who actually has more
years of combat under his belt than Jun does. 
  

 > 	The brunette stared blankly at him, then laced her fingers
 > together and held her hands out at waist level. Jun stared at her
 > hands, and placed his hands on his hips.
 >
 > 	"Bit of a high step for a boost, isn't it?"
 >
 > 	"If you're expecting me to bend over," Thunderstorm replied
 > calmly, "you should've lent me a longer sweater. Jump up, and I'll
 > boost you."
 
 I want you to know I hate you Morgan Hudson.  The deapths of my hatred

for you right

 at this very moment are unfathomable. ^_____^

Hey, just being sensible. Thunderstorm doesn't exactly want to show off any
more of herself than she has to.
  

 > 	"Fair enough," Jun answered, and placed his hands on the taller
 > woman's shoulders, bracing himself as he hopped up and placed his
 > foot in her hands. "Okay," he said, grunting from the effort of
 > holding himself up with his arms, "BOOST!"
 
 Y'know, if he were a bit more sure of her strength, and possibly a bit

more sure of

 his own, a running-jump-boost would have been a bit better.

Yeah, that would work better, but Jun and Thunderstorm haven't worked
together quite long enough to be that comfortable with each other yet. Like
you said, he's not too sure of her strength, and she hasn't been given any
good reason to have great faith in his, either.

 > Thunderstorm release his foot and step back, muttering something
 > dangerous under her breath. Takenoko mumbled something back about not
 > looking, and Lightstorm said something about not caring. He let his
 
 Not that he could see much anyway. Heh.

Safer not to even bring that up as a defense, man - Thunderstorm's pretty
tempermental. Just pretend you were busy tying your shoe when it happened,
and deny everything else. ^_^
  

 > That WAS going to be a heck of a drop once
 > he got back down to that last branch, wasn't it?
 
 Usually.  I've jumped off of roofs before...without the right training,

it hurts.  A

 lot.

It certainly can. It's always important to make sure you know not only the
safe way to land, but also the safe way to JUMP from things like roofs or
trees, or you can be seriously injured. 
  

 > 	Compiling a list of who in their group he had offended the
 > least and what arguments he might use to enlist their help in getting
 > back onto the ground ate up a fair amount of time. Before Jun actually
 > had an answer in mind, he was already one branch below Icestorm.
 
 Because there comes a time when you just got to grin and bear it. Heh.

Yep, especially for this poor guy. He's just too nice not to get in these
kinds of situations, and too much of a smartass to be sure that other people
will be willing to get him out of them.
  

 Y'know...I wonder if he realizes yet that it looks like he's becoming the

make-shift

 leader of their little group.  

Noticed that, did you? Like I mentioned earlier, Jun is cursed to be one of
the most experienced and level-headed members of the group, so it does seem
to be him who steps up when things need doing. At the very least, he seems
to be the planner and organiser of the team. And, of course, he's way too
likeable for his own good. 

 As if he didn't have enough that was screwing him over
 presently. heh.

Oh, it's going to get worse before it gets better, trust me. ^_^
  

 > 	"Well, now that's just weird," he said with a note of surprise
 > as he saw one of the single strangest things in his life. Demon Lords
 > he could handle. Black magic was old hat to him. Heck, he had been
 
 He hasn't met Black Mage yet. ^_^

No, but he was once kidnapped by a Necromancer. And one time he tried to
fight a Demon Lord with a branch. Lucky for Jun old Kenbukyou (or Lord
Saberstryke, as the dub called him) had a sense of humour. ^_^
  

 > personally invited to a massacre, once - albeit more as a witness than
 > a participant. Blood and gore and things that went bump in the night
 
 Probably a good thing on the latter.  Being a participant in a massacre

is not

 usually a good thing...especially for the massacre-ies. ^_^

Yeah, but massacres aren't the best of spectator sports, either. I'd imagine
the kid probably has some messed up dreams. Nothing like watching the entire
population of Los Angeles' Chinatown get ritually murdered to affect your
mental development! 

 > hadn't bothered him since grade school.
 >
 > 	But snow? When it was so warm he was sweating through his
 > shirt? Not to mention one that only snowed over a single piece of
 > land: the wind whipped the snow as haphazardly as usual, but there
 > was an obvious, clearly defined border to the storm. From his vantage
 > point, it seemed to form a perfect -if large- square.
 
 Which should tell you that what you are looking at is not exactly

natural. Heh.

Well, it was his first warning, but as Jun himself once said; "I'm new here,
so I might as well check..."
  

 > With a yelp of shock, Sailor Icestorm
 > dropped towards the earth like a blue-haired meteor. Reacting on what
 > what was probably instinct -but which he would later argue was sheer
 > idiocy- Jun thrust out his arms and lunged forward in an attempt to
 > catch her.
 
 Bravo kid.  Too bad that yes, it was stupid.  However, it was rather

brave of him.

Jun's greatest weakness is his knee-jerk reaction to things. He's literally
too heroic for his own good. And, as Hotaru mentioned to him a while ago, he
could probably use a little more fear than he's got. Bravery is well and
good, but this kid's got a habit of leaping before anyone else has even
started to look. 

That WILL get him in trouble. 

 Though honestly...I can see most in his position would act as he did. 

And

 fall...like he did. Heh.

Heh. And the really awesome thing about Jun (as I see it) is that he'll do
it again in an instant. Even knowing that he'd fall. He's like the ultimate
nice guy who just never learned that he's supposed to finish last. He's
spent so much of his childhood surrounded by superheroes that he can't help
acting like one. 

Hell, the real shock is how often he manages to pull it off! ^_^

 > By the time he actually registered the sensation of his
 > toes scraping off of the branch -and one shoe off of his foot- both
 > branch and shoe were distant memories. The world was a blur of green,
 > and one which was blurring far faster than he wanted it to. The sound
 
 Falling out of trees is similar to jumping off of roofs, only branches

hurt a lot

 more, but generally break you fall if they aren't too high up.  Otherwise

it just

 hurts a lot more when you finally hit the ground.
 
 Yes, I'm speaking from experience. ^^

Heck, I'm WRITING from experience. Falling out of a tree can be a lot like
riding a roller coater than only goes down. Once. And then stops very
suddenly. ^_^

 > of screaming filled his ears, and his lungs burned as he fell. Smaller
 
 Heh, yep.  And you don't even realize you're the one yelling either.

He might realise it later, but I doubt it. Jun got pretty shook up by the
fall, and he's the kind of guy who'd shrug it off as "hey, we lived," and
never think about it again. After all, why worry about little details like
who was screaming and who wasn't? ^_^

 > 	As quickly as it had started, it stopped. The world lurched
 > violently, and Jun's stomach leapt up behind his lungs as he came
 > to a sudden halt. For a few seconds, he stared at the grass that
 > was growing haphazardly from the earth a few feet below his toes.
 > Something slammed into the back of his head, and when it bounced
 > to the ground he noticed it was his shoe. Well, that was good. He'd
 > been afraid it got stuck up there.
 
 Wait til the pain catches up. ^_^

It takes a few seconds, what with all the adrenaline and endorphins bubbling
around in his system. ^_^
  

 > 	A massive pair of thick, muscular pectorals stared back at him.
 > With a deep chortle, he was lifted higher until he was looking his
 > saviour in the face. Small red eyes twinkled with amusement from behind
 > a broad, whiskered snout, and Jun smiled weakly as he waved to the
 > minotaur holding him.
 
 <Jun> I fell, didn't I?
 <Takenoko> Yup.

I'm actually tempted to go back and include that in this scene's dialogue.
It's just so typically Jun that I have trouble believing he WOULDN'T say it.
^_^
  

 > He gently shook the boy, and Jun bobbed
 > up and down like a fishing hook on the end of a line. The minotaur was
 > holding him in the air by the back of his pants, he realised, and
 > wondered if it would have been less embarrassing to just hit the ground
 > and take his chances.
 
 He's fortunate those didn't rip, or he'd be walking around like

Thunderstorm. Heh.

He's lucky he was wearing rather baggy pants, or he'd be having trouble
walking, period. ^_^

 <You will PH34R my snips!>

Piro: I try to avoid Largo's 'reality' as much as possible.
Largo: PH33R MY REALITY!

 > I suppose we should
 > swing by and give it a look-see, just in case. It's not too far out of
 > our way, at least."
 
 I don't mean to say anything, but this is looking an aweful lot like an

RPG at this

 point. ^_^

Have I mentioned how big a fan I am of Squaresoft? Got almost every game
they ever made for the Playstation. ^_^
  

 > 	"Somewhere," Jun snapped in reply, and pushed away from
 > Takenoko's side. Dropping to his hands and knees, he began to crawl
 > along the forest floor, sweeping aside dead leaves and fallen pine
 > needles as he searched. "It's got to be around here; we can't leave
 > until we find it!"
 
 Guess he doesn't know about the item return policy on those things.  Odd,

considering

 how much time he's spent with the Youroiden (sp?).

I'd assume Jun does know about the "item return policy", but he also wants
that sword for his own use, in case they get attacked again. Although Jun IS
a martial artist, he's a kendoist - he's got more in common with Tenchi
Masaki or Tatewaki Kuno than Ranma Saotome. He wouldn't feel really
comfortable in a fight unless he had some kind of weapon. Hopefully a sword,
and preferably a katana. 

So, his reasons are a little more selfish than he's letting on. Who can
blame him? If I were him right now, I'd want a sword pretty bad, too.

 > Far be it from
 > her to do more than the absolute minimum her duties required, but the
 > little munchkin looked so worried... and he WAS pretty cute. Sighing
 > again, the blonde woman stood up and began looking around.
 
 Poor Jun.  This guy is just trying his damndest and he just keeps getting

more and

 more hell reaped upon him. ^_^

Heh. That's Jun Yamano, folks; the "Itsy Bitsy Spider" of the Ronin Summer
universe! ^_^ 

 > 	Except... why did she keep getting the nagging feeling that it
 > WAS what she was looking for? Turning back, the young woman saw
 
 <Cursed Sword> Jesus, how dense are these girls?  What do I have to do?

Transform

 into Unicron and scream it at them?
 <Icestorm>  Oooohh...really big head!
 <Cursed Sword> ;_;

Sword: "What are you doing, fool? Put me down this instant!"

Icestorm: "Awesome! What's this little button marked 'warning: do not touch'
do? Can I touch it?" (presses button)

Sword: "NO! They cannot... destroy... my... desti-NEEEE!" (explodes)

Icestorm: "Oooohh... sparkly!"

Lightstorm: "I'm beginning to understand how Kiyone must feel..."  

 > It felt so weird, almost
 > as if it wanted her to pick it up. Stepping back again, she drew her
 > acquisition out of the cover and into the light.
 
 Whosoever holds this hammer...

Hehehe. Not quite that bad, but close. ^_^
  

 > 	Sunbeams shone coldly off of the smooth surface of the curved
 > sword blade, and Lightstorm smiled. There it was; the same katana she
 > had seen hanging on Naaza's hip about a dozen times before. With a
 > cheerful nod, the Senshi turned and walked over to where Jun was still
 > searching through the forest litter.
 
 This thing similar to the witchblade?  

Not very.

 I might have asked this before, but I mean, if
 it can change form, can it also clothe the bearer with armor? It just

seems to me it

 would be a useful ability for it to have.

Nope, it doesn't give the owner any magic armour or cool uniform. It does
have another funny little side effect, though... one Jun may have a hard
time explaining... ^_~

 > 	"I said thanks." Jun stared at her with uncomprehending eyes.
 > "What more could you possibly want?"
 >
 > 	"How about a kiss?"
 
 I remember the faery in Legend asking for something similar.

I believe you may be right. Of course, Jun's not exactly old enough to pass
himself off as Tom Cruise, but I guess you take whatever you can get. ^_^
  

 > 	"Ah, GEEZ! Couldn't I just give you money, or something?"
 >
 > 	"Hey, I am NOT that kind of girl, Jun Yamano!" Lightstorm
 
 BWAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!

^_^

What? You expected some long response to that? 

 > grinned mischievously, a twinkle in her eye. "No kiss, no sword."
 >
 > 	"But my girlfriend-"
 >
 > 	"Isn't here, and the last I heard you were fighting with her,
 > anyway. Do you want the sword, or what?"
 
 Here's a gun.  Kill yourself now.  It will be far quicker and less

painful in the

 long run. ^_^

It would be. But of course, we're not exactly interested in making things
easier for young Mister Yamano, now, are we? I mean, what fun would that be?
^_~
  

 > Besides, the jealous looks that Thunderstorm and
 > Icestorm were giving her made up for any disappointment in the outcome.
 > Wait until she told them that she'd already gotten a better kiss
 > from him a few days ago...
 
 Dude, THAT is not good.

That depends entirely on your idea of "good". Some people might think having
three girls chasing after you wanting a kiss would qualify. Of course, Jun
isn't ONE of them, but what are you going to do? ^_^

 Mr. Hudson, are you sure you don't hate Jun?  

On the contrary, I think I may be one of the few fans of the series who
DOESN'T claim to hate him. 

 Or do you just
 like fucking with the poor boy? ^_^  

Well, yeah. 

It's fun. 

 I mean, if all this Hell that he's aquiring
 comes to head right at the same time (as these things generally do)

you're going to

 need you're own seperate story arch just to tell that tale.  Heh.

Nah, this story isn't really about getting Jun in trouble all the time
(although that IS the fun part), it's about making him grow up. I think it's
safe to say that by the end of Dark Crusade, Jun Yamano will be a different
person from the one he was at the start. He's already changed - compare Jun
in this chapter to Jun back in Inner Battles 4, when he first met Hotaru. 
  

 Then again, I suppose this is his just deserts for being that annoying

little kid

 sidekick in Ronin Warriors.  Just being that means he has so much to make

up for,

 it's not even funny. ^_^

Yes, Jun annoyed a lot of people in YST. Some even compare him to The Pink
Spore. But Jun also had some good moments in that series, and I don't just
mean that time when Ryo slapped the taste out of his mouth. People tend to
dwell on his negative aspects and overlook the positive - for a kid, he was
pretty damn tough and brave. He faced Masho, Demon Lords, evil spirits, and
all sorts of things that go bump in the night, and he never let it scare
him. He lost his entire family in the blink of an eye, and he only cried
about it ONCE in the whole series. 

In my opinion, all Jun needs to do is grow up. With the kinds of role models
he's had, and the childhood he's experienced, he's got all the makings of a
pretty cool guy. There just comes a time when Robin needs to move to another
city, ditch the short pants for some black tights, and start calling himself
Nightwing. ^_~

 Too bad he's not like Shingo.  That kid got smart and disappeared during

the R

 season, heh.

Yep. If you're a "kid" in one of these series, you need to either grow up or
get the hell out. Shingo wasn't worth evolving as a character, I guess.
Especially since his seiyuu was probably busy with her new job voicing
Sailor Pluto by the end of the R season.

 Damnit, that question bugs me.  What the hell ever happened to him?  You

don't see

 him during the Super S or Stars season...oh wait...I wouldn't be around

either

 considering who was living in his house at the time. ^_-

I don't think he's in the S season, either. Shingo went MIA almost the same
second that Chibi-Usa showed up to stay. Hate to say it, but I think our boy
Shingo suffered from a fatal case of redundancy. No need for two kid
mascots, so they kept the new flavour of the month and ditched the old one.

 > 	"Oh, come on, kid!" Takenoko called out impatiently. "Of
 > course it's the right sword! How many swords do you THINK would be
 > lying around on the ground waiting for you to pick them up? Just stick
 > it back in your pants and let's go check out that weird snowstorm!"
 
 *laughs hard* Stick your sword back in your pants....heheheh, too bad he

didn't say

 something like "Quit letting that girl fondle your sword, stick it back

in your pants

 and get moving."

I was tempted, but it didn't seem to me like Takenoko would go that far, so
I decided to play the joke a little more safely. I'd feel pretty weird
writing one of my own creations OOC... :p
  

 Besides, he should know better about the sword thing. ^_^

Takenoko's impatient to get moving, and he figures Jun is just wasting time.
The cursed sword doesn't look like itself; it looks like Naaza's katana.
And, since the last time anybody in Jun's group saw that sword was when they
were burying it, they're not really expecting to run into it a few days
later and a hundred miles away from where they left it.

 > 	"Not sure," Takenoko shouted back, raising his voice to be
 > heard over the wind. "There were a bunch of ice and snow youma back in
 > the day, but most of them got wiped out by Beryl. Not too many of the
 > ones who survived made it out of the Pit. Maybe we should just go on!"
 
 Why's that?  Why would she waste em if I might ask?

It's not so much that Beryl specifically wasted them, it's just that they
were among the ones that she wasted. Takenoko was part of a rebellion
against Beryl back during the Moon Kingdom, remember? That's "the day" he
referred to. Beryl killed a lot of the Owl's troops and sent the rest to the
Pit. And a lot of the ice and snow youma that Takenoko knew happened to get
killed. 
  

 > 	"Aww," Icestorm pouted as she lifted a large boulder of snow
 > and set it on top of the other two she had already stacked. "Do we
 > have to? I was, like, just starting to like this joint!" With one
 > finger, she stabbed two holes in the top snowball and drew a curved
 > line beneath them, creating a happy face.
 
 Shit, this place would be a major energy rush considering their behavior

in their

 native elements.

Yep. You'll notice that Icestorm's ankle no longer bothers her from this
point onward (she sprained it back in DC 10). Thunderstorm was still
carrying her at the start of the chapter, but now she's doing fine on her
own two feet. Later on, she even figure skates.

 > 	"T-T-T-T-Twit," Thunderstorm spat out between her chattering
 > teeth. Unlike her energetic partner, the tall brunette looked to be
 > two stages away from full-blown hypothermia. Hugging herself and
 > walking doubled over, she shivered and gasped for breath as she
 > shifted uncomfortably from one bare foot to the other. Understandably,
 > the knee-deep snow and sub-zero temperatures seemed to be disagreeing
 > with her.
 
 Especially with the nothing she's wearing.

Yeah, especially with that. She's not dressed for the cold. Or, admittedly,
much of anything else. ^_^

 > 	Shien tilted his helmet to first one side, then the other.
 > Shouldering his naginata, the youja grabbed Thunderstorm by the wrist
 > and slung her onto his back, lifting her free of the snow.
 
 I'd expect her to at least yelp in surprise at this point.  You don't

usually get

 thrown over someones back like that and not react.

Good point. I should go back and add some kind of reaction from Thunderstorm
here - it seems odd for her to just put up with this behaviour, especially
from someone she thinks wants her dead. 

 > 	Shien looked over his shoulder at her, his eyes blank pools
 > of white as they swirled in the shadow of his eyeslot. He looked mad,
 > but then, the faceplate always kind of looked like it was frowning at
 > her. "Yes," he agreed, with a slight nod, "dead. Not suffering."
 
 And that was almost kind of him.

Shien's not really a bad guy. He knows that the Storm Senshi have committed
a crime, and he believes that Kayura would want them punished for it. It
doesn't mean he's evil, or that he hates them. I'm sure he intends their
executions to be as swift and painless as possible, if it comes to that. 
  

 > Kokuen was standing on the other
 > side, facing outward and instinctively covering that approach. All of
 > his troops could sense it; something was out there, lurking in the
 > snow.
 >
 > 	Something that was angry.
 
 Are they still made from anger, fear, and despair like Arago made them

from?  Or does

 Kayura make them a bit differently?

A bit differently. The youja that Kayura uses (version 2.0) are made from
aether drawn from the Astral Plane, which she then channels into the suits
of armour with her shakujo staff. All of the youja that Arago had created
were destroyed when he was killed, and Kayura had to remake the majority of
her troops. Among other things, that explains why so many of the solders
working for her are only a few weeks old, and how one girl and three Masho
were able to assume control of the entire Dynasty so quickly.

Kayura can make about fifty "soldier" youja in one day, assuming that the
armour has already been forged, and she doesn't stop for lunch or dinner.
Most of her soldiers are "new" youja who were channeled into armour shells
that the old youja left behind - that's why they don't look too different.
The Guard are an exception; each suit of armour was provided from one of the
domains that Kayura rules, and they were forged from scratch. That's why
each is a different colour - to represent where they come from. 

 > Yoen swung his bisento in a glittering
 > arc, and Jun thought he saw something blur through the air as it
 > ricocheted off of the swinging blade. Another piece of snow puffed
 > upwards, to Yoen's left, and then another a few seconds later on his
 
 <Shinobi> A true ninja warrior can use his surroundings as weapon. ^_^

That, and the guy's just moving too fast for the human eye to see. 
  

 > Another blur, as
 > his polearm quivered like a diving board, and Yoen suddenly flew
 > backward several feet, ebony vapour pouring from the wound in his
 > side as it opened further.
 
 Considering where they are, an Ice patch over the wound might not be that

bad an

 idea.  Or maybe, if they can find some metal, weld something over it.

Hmm... Speaking of interesting adaptations for the Storm Senshi's abilities,
do you suppose Thunderstorm could use her lightning powers with enough
precision for them to act like a welder? It's an interesting thought...
  

 Might I say what this guy is doing is increadibly cool though? 

Heh. Thanks - it made for an interesting visual in my head. ^_^

 I think I might have
 seen something similar in a movie somewhere...but I can't remember.  I

think the

 Guyver 3 pulled this trick in the Manga to deal with the Hyper Zoanoids.

Hmm... Haven't read much of the manga, but I have no problem believing that
Agito Makashima would so something like that. Probably with a lot of pain
and violence to follow, knowing him; that boy is a hardcore Zoanoid-killing
machine. ^_^
  

 > 	Icestorm yowled as the head of her snowman erupted in another
 > of the now-characteristic plumes of snow. "HEY! I worked really hard
 > on that, you big MEANIE!" Scowling prettily, she picked up a piece of
 > the shattered snowman and threw it.
 >
 > 	With a cry of surprise, a figure shimmered into view and
 > stumbled onto its face, the remnants of her makeshift snowball still
 > decorating the back of its head.
 
 And what you should really be worried about is the fact she knew how to

nail him on

 the first shot.

You'd better believe that's what worrying HIM. I'd wager nobody's ever done
it before. Even Yoen was only able to deflect him a little, and none of the
other youja came close to touching the guy. He's a regular Speedy Gonzales.
^_~
  

 > 	"Serves you right," Icestorm sniffed, and wiped her nose on
 > the back of her glove. "You shouldn't go jumping on other people's
 > stuff. I mean, that's just rude."
 
 Yeah, especially Icestorm's bones.  You should at least send flowers

first. ^_-

And they'd better be NICE flowers - she don't put out for daisies. ^_~
  

 > There were what appeared
 > to be ballet slippers on its feet, and the creature had donned a
 > hooded navy jacket of what appeared to be silk. A belt of white cloth
 > tied the jacket at his -for it appeared to be male- waist, and the
 > hood cast whatever facial features he might have had into shadow.
 
 Jack Frost? ^^;;;;;;

Literally. ^_^
  

 <P0\|/3R SNIP!>
 
 > 	"Hey, that's more like it! All that silence was throwing me
 > off for a bit." Smiling, the giant minotaur clapped his associate on
 > the shoulder. "What happened to you, Jackie? You used to talk a mile a
 
 Heh, so are we going to be meeting a headless horseman too? ^_-

Now would I do that? ^_^

 > 	'Jackie', Jun noticed, still hadn't relaxed his stance in the
 > slightest. If anything, he had been growing more tense the longer
 > Takenoko talked. Jun had the sudden mental image of a jack-in-the-box
 > with just a few turns left on the handle. Any second now, he figured,
 > that weasel was going to pop.
 
 To which he's probably right. Like I said, I wonder if he's realized how

much of a

 leadership role he's taken on?

I'd say no. Jun's like most really good leaders; he doesn't sit there and
think to himself "well, it's time to take charge and look after this", he
just does it naturally. And isn't fully aware of what exactly he's doing. 

Keep in mind, this is easily the third time that he's taken charge of the
group, however inadvetantly. And if you do any job three times, it becomes
yours forever...
  

 > 	"Hello," he said quickly, waving to the strange youma. "I'm
 > Jun Yamano! I don't believe we've been introduced." Walking over, he
 > extended his hand. Either this will work, the young man thought, or
 > he'll tear off my arm and club me with it. One of these days, I'm
 > going to teach myself to think and THEN act...
 
 No you won't.  But at least you're recognizing when you're doing

something stupid.

 ^_^

Which is a step in the right direction. And about as far as he'll ever go. I
imagine that Jun will never stop doing stupid things completely -that isn't
humanly possible- but at least he's learning to tell which is which.

 > 	After a brief pause, the youma reached out his hand and
 > clasped Jun's, shaking it brusquely. "I am Toushousha Hidoi," he
 > explained. "Most of the people I have fought beside call me Kousou..."
 > His hood turned in Takenoko's direction and the youma's voice turned
 > sour. "With," he amended, "one particularly annoying exception."
 
 Heh, we all have 'friends' like that.  Some of us ARE those friends. ^_-

And I figured Takenoko is too irreverent to call someone by an acceptable
nom de guerre when he can find a more embarassing one for them. ^_^
  

 > 	"Well, it's good to meet you, Kousou," Jun said with a large
 > grin. "If you think you can keep from nipping at my nose for a few
 
 Keep smiling.  Hopefully that will keep you from getting killed.

Heh. Yeah, even Jun couldn't resist a little "Jack Frost" pun, there. Good
thing for him Kousou let it slide, or that could have gotten a bit messy. 

 > Better than dried bug, at least.
 > Jun had commandeered the only chair, leaving the Storm Senshi to make
 
 While not very gentlemanly, this is probably the wisest course of action

for them.

Very wise indeed. Given the way the Storm Senshi usually behave, it's better
to deny all of them than to show one preferential treatment. The others
would resent it, and the one got it would take it entirely the wrong way.
^_^

 Don't need the Senshi fighting over one chair, but it seems like they'd

all probably

 agree to let him have it.

Lightstorm certainly would, we know that. And it seems as though the other
two aren't entirely uninterested in Jun, either. It's one of the downsides
to being so likable; you often end up being liked. ^_^
  

 > His hair was short, slightly wavy, and as white
 > as bone. So were his eyebrows, which made a stark contrast with the
 > dark blue skin of his face. Still, a little makeup and some hair dye
 > and he'd have no problem blending into the human population. Of course,
 > the silver facial tattoo on his right cheek would still be a little
 > odd, but not too inhuman to draw attention to itself.
 
 I've seen weirder tatoos before.  

Yeah, but a pure silver tattoo covering nearly half of your face is still
going to make you stick out from the crowd a little. ^_^

 > "There really isn't much need for it, around here. I'm usually on my
 > feet most of the day, and I've converted a lot of the rooms of this
 > place to make room for my experiments."
 >
 > 	"Still looking for a cure?" Takenoko mumbled through a mouthful
 > of sandwich.
 
 One of those party clubs from Subway right?  The extra long ones? ^_^

Well, it's at least a foot-long. Either that, or Takenoko just put the
entire sandwich in his mouth with one bite. ^_^

 > "That juice is made
 > from snowberries - they only grow in the cold. If you ferment them,
 > you get a drink with a kick like you wouldn't believe, and no hangover
 > in the morning, either. Of course, since they only grow in about
 > eighty below zero temperatures, they're pretty rare. Most farmers
 > could only harvest them one, maybe two months a year."
 
 Don't let Nabiki get word of these things.  Heh, he'd be rich yeah, but

he'd also be

 working his ASS off. ^_^

He's already rich. Having the only supply of an out-of-season and incredibly
rare product that everybody wants can do that to a person. All he has to do
is plant the bushes and pick the berries. And he's fast enough that he can
handle the entire farm by himself in just a few hours, so he doesn't even
need to hire help. 

That means he has high demand, low supply, and almost no competition. Toss
in low overhead, low operating expenses, and no need to pay for licensing
fees or distribution rights, and it equals PROFIT, PROFIT, PROFIT! Nabiki
would probably cut off an arm to get in on this kind of a deal. ^_^

 > "As far as I know, we're the only farm
 > in the whole kingdom that does it. So, we received a special provision
 > from some guy with an eyepatch last week. We're the official suppliers
 
 Surprising Jun didn't mutter his name. Heh.

And a few other choice epitaphs, to boot. I think we've established Jun's
opinion of the Masho, both as a group AND as individuals. ^_^
  

 > of snowberry juice and wine for the royal castle itself. Half of what
 > we're growing now will end up on the table of whatshername... Empress
 > Kayura. She gets her favourite drink any time she wants it, and I get
 > all the money I could ever need."
 
 Probably pays taxes with that stuff too.

Yep. Feudalism at work; taxes to the crown are paid in coin, tariffed goods,
or a set length of service in Her Majesty's army, in whatever combination or
amount one can manage. 

 > 	"Say," Thunderstorm mused as the slender youja headed for the
 > door with the bowl in hand, "you and me are pretty close to the same
 > height, huh? Think you could spare an outfit? I ain't exactly dressed
 > for polite company, y'know."
 
 Sure she is.  Just the wrong type of polite company. ^_________^

I doubt whether the kind of company you're thinking of even COUNTS as
'polite' in anybody's books. ^_^
  

 > 	Kousou blinked his third set of eyelids self-consciously. His
 > breed had long ago compensated for such snow-blindness, but the effect
 > might have been painful to Mistress Carlin's own, less adaptive, eyes.
 > Especially since she was incapable of opening or closing them. Moving
 
 So, are her eyes open or closed?

Half-open, half-closed. They're open enough that the light could blind her,
but closed enough that she kinda looks asleep.
  

 > 	Finally, he reached his goal. There, sitting in her frozen
 > throne, was Mistress Carlin. The delicate fingers of frost had begun
 
 Sort of a Snow White/Sleeping beauty faery tale type situation, but I

doubt a kiss

 from a handsome prince is going to awaken her this time.

No, it won't be quite that easy. 

And what was up with that 'Charming' guy, anyway? Just because he's a
prince, he gets to run around kissing every girl who happens to be taking a
nap? What is he, the Man With The Golden Lips?

 > The truth was far more serious - no fog rose
 > from her mouth or nose, her chest neither rose nor fell, and her skin,
 > if he had dared to touch it, would have seemed as cold and lifeless as
 > the icy seat that held her.
 
 Yet he feeds her.  This is odd, as the concept behind breathing is to

oxidize the

 sugars in the food you eat, to turn it to energy; also exhaling the waste

gases, like

 CO2 this chemical reaction produces.  How does she do this if she does

not breath?

Truthfully, I'll admit that I just didn't consider this at the time. Now
that you've brought it up, however, I will try to answer your question. 

"How could Carlin be intaking oxygen and expelling carbon dioxide if she
isn't inhaling and exhaling?" Let me count the ways... ^_~

1. While Mistress Carlin is under the effects of this spell, the
mitochodrion in her cells might be supplied with ATP magically. This would
mean she would have no need of converting sugar (or, thus, of breathing) at
all; any sugars she got from her meals would merely be stored in her liver
while she still absorbed the necessary proteins, salts, fats, and water she
needed from her food. 

2. The spell might have slowed her metabolism to the point where she IS
breathing, but so slowly and shallowly that it isn't perceptible. That would
also explain why her skin would be so cold and lifeless; her heart would be
beating so slowly that her circulation and pulse would be practically
non-existant, too.

3. Eels, flatworms, leeches, and earthworms all respirate through their
outer surface on a regular basis. So do frogs and other amphibians. Humans
normally excrete only 1% of their CO2 through their skin, but Carlin might
have found a way to up that percentage. She could conceivably be using her
skin as a gas exchange surface.

4. It's possible Carlin has gone into an extended "Diver's Reflex". That's
the instinctive human response to a lack of air, in case someone doesn't
know what I mean. The production of red blood cells is increased, the
metabolism is slowed, the arteries constrict, and your body actually shunts
the flow of blood from 'non-essential' parts of you(like your limbs) to
better supply your brain and chest cavity. She's not breathing because she's
holding her breath, in other words. If her epiglottis is sealing off her
trachea, she would still be able to eat and drink normally. 

Bet you didn't expect me to have my old high school Biology textbook on
hand, eh? Tell me which explanation you prefer, and I'll make it the
official one. Or make up your own. Or decide you don't care. 

 > 	Yet she lived. He knew it. A simple glance at her necklace
 > revealed that the large opal resting in the valley of her breasts
 
 Mmm...breasts...

Most women have 'em, to varying degrees. ^_^
  

 I miss my girlfriend. ;_; Heh.

You have my condolences, pal. I've been there, once or twice.

 > sparkled with as much lustre as it ever had. Were she to die, that
 > same stone would be as dull and worthless as a piece of dried clay.
 
 Shit, better than a heart monitor.

Yep, and it doesn't keep you up all night with those annoying beeps, either
(although I believe it's actually the oxymeter that makes the noise, not the
Electrocardiogram). ^_^
  

 Before I go on, might I compliment you on the great care and attention to

detail

 you've shown for this part?  It's very nice to read this.

Thanks. I was really trying my hardest to get the 'feel' of this place. I
have a pretty detailed picture in my head, and it's nice to know I was able
to get some of it across to you. 

For some reason its the idea of her sitting there in the dark that gets to
me. I mean, that just seems wrong.
  

 > 	"Man," Jun commented as he stepped past the doorway and looked
 > into the room, "is it ever cold in HERE! I thought it was bad outside,
 
 BTW:  Are you basing this on a faery tale?  If so, which one?

No, I'm not basing it on a faery tale, but you're close. I've taken a bit of
advice from the wise and wonderful Elsa Bibat to heart: 

"Most of the better epic fanfics I know of share a parallel with the world?s
mythology, or at the very least refer or have elements of it."

I would never disagree with Elsa Bibat. Not even if she told me I should
poke myself in the eye would I disagree with her. ^_^

 > but this is definitely worse." Noticing the robed figure seated next
 > to Kousou, the small human bowed respectfully. "Sorry to intrude," he
 > said in an amiable manner, "but we wanted to let you know that your
 > friend here has been very hospitable, and you're very... dead. Ooh.
 
 Heheheheheheh.  Open mouth, insert really big sword. ^_^

Jun has a habit of doing this quite a bit, actually. At least, in my fic, he
sure does. 

If they ever made a Ronin Summer anime, I think they'd have to cast Bruce
Campbell as Jun's voice. ^_^

Although I've also heard that Jun reminds some people of Xander from Buffy
The Vampire Slayer. 

 > 	"And how is that different from dead?" Jun asked curiously.
 >
 > 	"I can't cure death," Kousou responded.
 
 <Ariel> There is no cure for death, only release.

That's one way of looking at it, I guess. ^_^
  

 > That's an important thing, in crackpots. Otherwise you all just run
 > around pulling cursed swords out of walls, and such."
 >
 > 	"Hey!" Jun yelled. "I already said I was sorry about that,
 > okay? It was an honest mistake! Besides, that sword's long gone, now!"
 
 BWAHAHAHAHAAHHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!  Never going to live that one down,

is he?  That

 and it's too bad he doesn't realize what he's carrying. ^_^

Nope, Jun's not going to live it down anytime soon: he went and found a
whole new level of stupid when he grabbed that stupid sword, and Takenoko's
going to make a point of reminding him as often as possible. ^_^
  

 > 	Lightstorm, meanwhile, was all but crawling in Carlin's lap
 > as she stared under the cover of the other woman's hood. "Hey," she
 > said appreciatively, "this kid's kinda pretty. I mean, not as pretty
 > as ME, of course, but it's not exactly fair to make that comparison.
 
 Heh, they are going to be in such trouble if she really is aware of

what's going on

 around her.

Or they'd better at least hope that she has a good sense of humour about
such things. I think Miss Carlin might be one of the few people in the whole
Dark Kingdom who could possibly beat one of the Storm Senshi. You know, in
that "one chance in hell" way that a powerful wizard can possibly beat a
dragon.
  

 > "There's nothing wrong with the way she looks! I just need to get the
 > Orb of Cailleach, and she'll be FINE!"
 
 Cudos on coming up with these words.

Can't take credit for coming up with it, buddy: Cailleach IS a word. It's
pronounced either "Coy-luck" or "CALL-y'ach"; I've heard both. 
  

 > 	"It is a mystic gem. Supposedly, it formed from the frozen
 > tear of the Cailleach herself. It's supposed to grant its bearer power
 > over many things, including weather, wisdom... and diseases."
 >
 > 	"Oh, THAT Orb! Well, you could have just said so." Jun rested
 > one hand on the pommel of his katana, raising an eyebrow. "Yeah, I
 > know all about that thing. The good old Orb of... uh... Coy-luck?"
 >
 > 	"Cailleach."
 >
 > 	"Right! Boy, if I had a dime for every time I'd heard about
 > that old thing, let me tell you..." The dark-haired boy rubbed his
 
 <Takenoko> No, please, tell us.

Jun: "Oh, uh, that's WAY too long a story to bore these nice people with...
I'll, er, tell you some other time."

Takenoko: "When?"

Jun: "LATER!"

 > 	"I know its location," Kousou corrected the young man. "I
 > simply cannot obtain it."
 >
 > 	"Huh?" Lightstorm looked over with interest. "Why not?"
 
 <Jun> Because that's how these things are done.  Haven't you ever played

Dragon

 Quest?  Sheesh.

Yeah! And then I wouldn't have anything to write about in their next
chapter, durnit! ^_~

 > 	"Well," Jun corrected himself, "it's happened every time I'VE
 > gone hunting for a mystic gem, at least. I assume the whole deal's
 > pretty much par for the course."
 
 Heheheheheheeheh, you know.  He has a point. ^_^

Both in that it's what happened to him, and it kind of DOES seem to be par
for the course. I mean, those mystic gems rarely just lie around on the
floor waiting to get picked up. There's always SOME kind of a trick
involved... ^_^
  

 > 	"But, I couldn't ask such a-"
 >
 > 	"Ask?" Jun guffawed even louder, throwing his head back as he
 > laughed heartily. "People don't have to ASK me for help! I just GIVE
 > it to them!"
 
 As we see Jun's mind heading straight out the door, through the snow,

giving Jun the

 bird, carrying a sign that says "I quit!" ^_^

Jun's mind: "Of course, now I need a place to crash until I get back on my
feet... Maybe I can look up my old pal Common Sense - he left that kid years
ago!"
   

 He still hasn't learned about Mr. Murphy yet, has he?

Either that, or has met him often enough not to care about repurcussions
anymore. ^_^
  

 > 	"What a great idea!" Lightstorm gushed, racing across the room
 > and latching onto Jun's arm. "Jun and I will stay here and keep an eye
 > on the living popsicle, and then YOU can all go out looking for that
 > orb thingy! It's perfect!"
 
 Has it occured to her that he's still a might young for that?  

Probably not. 

 It'll be about 3 more
 years before that part of him kicks off in full force...these girls are

hard up.

 ^^;;;;

Considering they've yet to actually catch one of the guys they've gone
after, I have to wonder if they'd even know what they were supposed to do
with one when they HAD him, to be honest. ^_^

Lightstorm: "So, Jun... I was just thinking; now that we're all alone
together... In the dark..."

Jun: (gulps) "Y-Yeah?"

Lightstorm: "Uh... Do you want to see some slides of my vacation?" 
  

 > 	"Thanks!" Thunderstorm said with a wink as she pointed her
 > index finger at the youma and made a clicking sound with her mouth.
 > "You know, of all the creatures I've met, I think I hate you less than
 > most." With that stunning endorsement, the brunette turned and exited
 > through the door.
 
 That was almost nice of her. ^_^  You seem to be doing that a lot in this

chapter.

 Almost nice, almost compasionate...heheheh.

Well, it's not that they aren't AIMING for nice and compassionate, it's just
that they aren't too sure where the target is. I think good old Jun is
starting to rub off of some of them - Thunderstorm would never have been
this nice to someone back in Inner Battles. ^_^
  

 > 	"We'd better go with her," Lightstorm muttered to Icestorm from
 > behind a glove. "There's no telling what that girl will pick if we
 > leave her to herself!"
 
 When did Icestorm stop skating?

Uh, it happened off-camera? ^_^

Just kidding; I'll go back over this part and rework the line to include
Icestorm stopping.
  

 > 	"Jun," Takenoko said in a low rumble, "why don't you go pack up
 > some supplies for your little trip? Jackie and me need to have us a
 > little chat, here."
 
 Ah, and now Takenoko is taking a bit of the responsibilities of

leadership.  It

 actually seems to shift between the two of them to get anything done.  

Yep, the two "veterans" of the group, if you will. And I bet neither one of
them would actually consider himself the leader if you asked him. I'm almost
tempted to do a scene where someone demands to talk to "whoever's in
charge," and everybody points at somebody else. ^_^

 I wonder if
 that will be a problem in the future, or if they're way of doing things

will mesh so

 well, they'll never realize how much of what gets done is both of them,

if you

 understand what I'm getting at.

Oh, I understand. And, so far, they're meshing. Each of them seems to know
when and where his skills are what the situation calls for, and each seems
to be willing to let the other run with the ball when he's got it. Their
styles are complimentary: Jun is subtle, and Takenoko is direct. Jun is
charming, Takenoko is intimidating. Jun thinks up most of the plans, but
Takenoko has most of the knowledge. 

I think the trick is that neither Jun nor Takenoko realises that what they
are doing is anything special. Like I said, they're both sure that someone
ELSE is the leader, not them. As long as that attitude prevails, they should
keep meshing, because neither one will feel that his "position" is
threatened by the other. 

 > 	"Who? Who took it? Who could so bad that you'd be afraid of
 > them? You move faster than a bad rumour, Jackie-boy, and the last time
 > I checked, you weren't afraid of anybody. So who?"
 
 And with what he did with the Youma, there didn't look like there was

much that could

 take him...especially in his own element.

Yeah, but remember; there's always a bigger fish... ^_~

Plus, he had the element of surprise when he attacked the youja. This thing
not only knows what he's capable of, it knows that he's coming after it - if
he wants the Orb, he doesn't have much choice.
  

 > That's why I'm afraid to
 > leave Mistress Carlin here unguarded! She'd be totally helpless if
 > Daija slithered in here and I was gone. I attacked the way I did
 > earlier because I thought you might be her, or working for her."
 
 Heh, desperation is a good substitute for bravery.

And it's not uncommon for people who have a personal stake invested in
something to assume that if you're not with them, you're against them,
either. ^_^
  

 > 	"Me? For her?" Takenoko harumphed. "Not likely. The woman's a
 > total loon."
 >
 > 	"She's nesting a few miles from here. I set up our farm nearby
 
 Nesting.  That does not give me the right mental image. ^_-

Don't be so sure. You haven't seen her yet. ^_^

 > Dakatsu should be on his way, too - you know he always gets involved
 > if Daija's around."
 
 Shit, this thing is looking like a reunion of the Autobot Wreckers.  

Or at least the Dirty Dozen. ^_^

 I mean, by the
 time they get done, they're going to have the most motely assortment of

Yoma for an

 army I think has ever been seen.

Ah, you've seen what youma look like. ANY collection of them is BOUND to end
up motely. ^_^

 It's almost like the game Suikoden, where you have
 to gather like 103 people from all over the world to create an army to

fight for you.

Actually, there are 108 Stars of Destiny. 

I always liked Flik. ^_^
  

 > 	"Makes sense," Takenoko admitted. "After all, she is his
 > sister. Can't blame the man if he takes it personally when she tries
 > to murder his friends."
 
 Whose sister?  Daija's or Carlin's?  It's a bit ambiguous to me here.

I think I see your problem. It's in Takenoko's line: 

"After all, she is his sister."

You might have mis-read the "his" as a "her". That would make this sentence
a lot more ambiguous.

Dakatsu is nobody's sister, but he IS Daija's brother. ^_^

 > 	"All the human needs to do is keep his head down, Takenoko,
 > as I intend to do myself. Daija may be dangerous, but I doubt even
 > she would have much of a chance against those three -and I use the
 > term figuratively- girls." Kousou raised his hands placatingly and
 
 And such nice figures they have. ^_^

I cannot argue with that statement. ^_^
  

 > 	"What, that the Storm Senshi are a bunch of friggin'
 > elementals? Who would I tell? I'm pretty sure THEY already know. None
 
 Elementals.  Heh, then they really WOULD be empowered by their element.

Yeah, I figured it was time I at least started to explain the Storm Senshi a
little. There'll be more of that to come, as time goes on. 

 > of the tin soldiers would believe me, and the kid wouldn't understand.
 
 Assuming the Yajua (sp?) even cared.

Well, sometimes I've seen it spelled "yauja", and sometimes I've seen it
spelled "youja". My own personal preference changes from time to time. Right
now, I'm using "youja", but, as before with the "Yoroiden" thing, you can
use an "a" instead of an "o" if you want and I won't complain. 
  

 > He's a human. Probably doesn't know an elemental from a hole in the
 > ground."
 
 They might have to explain it to him, using very small words and phrases.

And then

 when he realizes exactly how much shit he's in...he'd shrug and go "Oh

well." ^_^

That is pretty much Jun's reaction to everything from an all-out demonic
invasion to the paper boy being an hour late. I'll say one thing for the
kid; he's doesn't frazzle easily. ^_^
  

 > 	"You go and get that magic rock of yours, Jackie. You shine it
 > up real pretty, and you heal Miss Carlin. Then we're going to sit down
 > with BOTH of you and talk about helping us the way we helped you. And
 > you're gonna say yes whether you think it's a good idea or not. Then
 
 At least he's thinking about that.  I mean, this is a good idea...Jun is

too nice to

 have thought of this...or is he?  Or is it that he's more too

inexperienced to have

 thought of something like this.  

Let's see... Jun WOULD realise that they should try to get Kousou and Carlin
to join the group, but he's too generous to make it a condition of his
helping. He's also too nice to want to force or trick anybody into coming
along. I think he would be planning to politely ask them later, after the
favour's already been done. 

 > we're all gonna sit around until those other boys you called show up.
 > And THEY'RE gonna join us, too, because you're going to help me
 > convince them. And there's one other thing, Jackie. I am dead serious
 > about this one."
 
 Heh, and the ranks of the Wreckers grow...^_^

Assuming that those guys Kousou mentioned ever DO show up... 

 > 	"I'll be waiting," he said darkly. "And I'll be counting, too,
 > Jackie-boy. Three girls. One kid. Or no you."
 >
 > 	"I understand," Kousou responded, as he exited, "but Daija
 > might have different ideas."
 
 <Takenoko>  Then work harder. ^_^
 
 And on that note, the ficcy draws to a close.

As all fics, and even C&C, must. ^_^
  

 I've noticed that in most of your chapters, the mistakes, if any are

made, are made

 toward the beginning and end of the fic.

I've noticed that too, and it baffles me to no end. I spell-check and read
over every part of my fic with the same amount of care, but those two places
just seem to be breeding grounds for errors. They're, like, where all my
mistakes go to hang out with each other, or something. ^_^

 They pretty much taper off in the middle to
 nonexistence, allowing only the occasional MST type of whiticism...which

I'm more

 than happy to provide. ^_-

And I am always more than happy to recieve. I gotta admit, a lot of the
points and questions you raise really force me to take a deeper look at what
makes the characters tick, just so I can try to answer your questions. And
that's good all around, I think. There's nothing more fun that examining a
character while he's going through his paces (or her paces, of course).
  

 I'll have you know it took me a few days to C&C this fic, so that's why

it took so

 long.  *sigh*  Off to work on my own fic now. ^_^

That's okay. I didn't get a chance to read this until Sunday (because of
that whole Regina thing), and now it seems I've taken a few days myself just
to finish replying to you. Guess I should wind this up, and head off to work
on my next chapter, too. 

Thanks as always for writing, and good luck on Eternal Heavens! ^_^

Farewell!

-Morgan Hudson





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