Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Concessions ❯ Chapter 5 ( Chapter 5 )

Concessions

A Naruto Fan fiction

By systaticism

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Chapter Five

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Naiko liked to think that she was an honest person. She believed in justice—an eye for an eye. So sure was her belief that it led her to Fire Country after her brother's death at Namikaze Minato's hand.

 

Infiltrating Leaf had been ridiculously easy in the aftermath of the Kyuubi's rampage. She couldn't help the slight sense of satisfaction that rushed through her at the sight of her enemies' devastated faces. They deserved to feel that grief, that loss, just like she had felt the loss of her own family. It was justice.

 

Naiko was honest with herself about her deep-seated hatred for the man who called himself the Yondaime Hokage. She had taken it upon herself to exact her "fair" payment, owed to her in the wake of Kizumi Keito's demise. The proud Iwa jounin had been reduced to a shivering mass of bleeding flesh; his dying words would forever be etched into her memory.

 

She had left after sparing Keito his suffering, disappearing after the battle that the Konoha no Kiiroi Senko had single-handedly ended the war with. Naiko was positive that her comrades thought her dead. Her entire platoon had, after all, been eradicated in less than five minutes.

 

She still shivered when she recalled the ice-cold gaze of the white-cloaked devil that had swept through her forces, signaled only by a flash of yellow light and a falling body. His very presence brought his enemies to their knees in surrender, pride forgotten in the wake of all-consuming terror and their need of self-preservation. It was only by luck, by chance, that she had been able to escape death that day.

 

She swore on her pride as a Kizumi that she would secure her retribution. Kizumi Naiko would eradicate the thing that Namikaze Minato held most dear, just like he had done to her.

 

His son.

 

*

 

She had taken to watching the child obsessively over the last few months. It was a credit to her skills of deception that Namikaze hadn't noticed the way she eyed his son. The first time she had laid eyes on the baby, she had withheld a cringe. He resembled so closely the man she despised. Somehow, that knowledge did not make planning the child's death any easier.

 

She was a ninja, an assassin, a warrior who killed their heart—she had no honor, no code to follow, nothing holding her but the loyalty to her family and country instilled in her at birth. Killing a defenseless babe should be easy—after all, she had done it before. Why then, did her resolve falter the moment she looked into the eyes of Namikaze's Kami-forsaken spawn?

 

Naiko glared hard at the wooden flooring she sat upon, hands folded neatly in her lap. Naruto himself was situated not even two feet away from her, enclosed in a mass of stuffed toys. She didn't understand why he treated each one with such reverence, like they were so precious to him that he couldn't bear to see them wrecked.

 

At less than a year of age, Namikaze Naruto was already an enigma.

 

She could sense the ninja hidden within the room. Their skill in genjutsu was lacking compared to her own. Her eyes flickered to the boy on her right, taking in the longing, the happiness, as he gazed at the toys surrounding him—two so different emotions that the combination was boggling. What in the world was wrong with this child? What had happened to make him look like that?

 

It would only take a second. The eager, silky voice of her vengeance slithered through her mind, its entire being intent upon punishing Namikaze Minato. They wouldn't be able to do anything; by the time they kill you, you'll have finished your mission.

 

Shaking hands reached out to grasp the fragile neck before her. It would be so easy to break it, so easy to achieve the retribution she so dearly wanted.

 

Her chest tightened at the same time as her fingers, the deceptively strong digits digging—sinking—twisting. Her breathing quickened, pupils dilating as she squeezed. Yes, yes, yes, the voice chanted, airy and breathless in its ecstasy.

 

Her trance was broken when her eyes met those of Naruto's, that contradictory smile blooming across his features—sad or happy? Maybe it was both. She could never tell. It was on his face for but a second before a grin emerged, and he beamed at her with the intensity of the sun. "Thanks, Naiko-nee-chan!" He took the stuffed animal—a bird—from her grasp as she blinked at him in confusion, in guilt, and, even though she tried to deny it, in happiness at his affectionate address.

 

She finally looked away from the child, ashamed at her weakness. What kind of ninja was she that she couldn't even kill the son of her enemy? The lingering feeling of her betrayal still gripped her heart even as she tried to push it away. She wasn't even sure who she felt she was betraying anymore.

 

Naiko's lips quivered. By the gods, what is wrong with me?

 

*

 

Minato had been on edge for the past week. An attempt to kill or kidnap Naruto had yet to happen, and that worried him. Such silence from his opponents had never meant anything good; it only meant that whatever was coming would be big.

 

He'd had to leave Naruto with Naiko-san and Kurohyou's team that night, something that caused the butterflies in his stomach—they always appeared when he had to leave Naruto in another's hands—to fly faster in agitation. His worry was palpable, and the ANBU guards in his office shifted, uneasy with the tense atmosphere.

 

Only an hour later, Minato felt a tug on his chakra that told him Naiko-san's wristband had been activated. Pausing only to remove a kunai from his weapons pouch and to dispatch several squads of shinobi, he vanished in a flash of yellow light, his expression morphing into a mask of cold fury.

 

Whoever dared to threaten his son would pay.

 

*

 

The night was a calm one. Kizumi Naiko hummed quietly to herself as she washed the few dishes left from dinner. It would be time for Naruto to retire soon. She couldn't let the toddler get into the habit of staying up late, even if he took a nap every afternoon.

 

She was just drying her hands when a knock sounded on the front door. She passed Naruto, who was sprawled out in the living room practicing his handwriting with an intense look of concentration on his face. His small pink tongue peeked out between his lips. She smiled when she caught his eye, her expression widening inadvertently when he returned it with a beaming grin of his own.

 

He was such a sweet child.

 

Kakashi was probably at the door, here to watch Naruto until his father came home. Her theory was confirmed when she opened the door, her customary smile still in place.

 

"Kakashi-san," she greeted, initiating the first step of the password. This week it was a sentence that contained a mention of each person's signature technique—in Kakashi's case, Raikiri—and a mention of his teacher, 'Minato-sensei.'

 

She hadn't expected such simple passwords, but they were something that any intruder wouldn't be able pick up on.

 

Her smile faded, though, when Kakashi didn't answer. He merely stared at her, standing stock still, a pained look of surprise on his face. His eyes—or rather, eye—hadn't moved away from her features since the moment she'd opened the door. Naiko shifted nervously. Though she was not on very familiar terms with the Yondaime's student, he was around often enough that she knew such behavior was out of character for him.

 

Her breath hitched slightly, the situation revealing itself. She shifted her weight again. "Kakashi-san?" she asked. "Are you alright?"

 

The teen in front of her took a shuddering breath. "Nai-chan?" he whispered, disbelieving.

 

Naiko froze, icy tendrils of fear creeping up her spine. Only one person had ever called her that. "Shiba-kun?" she stuttered. Why was he here? Why did he look like Kakashi-san?

 

The Kakashi impersonator grinned and nodded—an expression that had never been directed at her by the particularly aloof boy who Shiba was masquerading as—before looking at her questioningly. "Nai-chan, what are you doing here? We all thought you were dead!"

 

Naiko bit her lip. She knew exactly who "we" were. She glanced back into the house where Naruto was still practicing his writing. "What are you doing here, Shiba?" she rebutted, ignoring his enquiry.

 

Fake-Kakashi shrugged, "You should know, of course!"

 

Naiko worried her lip some more. That was the problem, she did know. Not good, not good, she chanted to herself. She had to get rid of him!

 

Her plans were ruined by Naruto's voice. "Naiko-nee-chan!" he cheerfully called. He stumbled up to her, his short legs still too awkward to run. She felt a moment's pride in the fact that he was walking and talking so early on, before it was replaced with utter terror at the look on Fake-Kakashi's face.

 

She had never seen such a look of absolute hatred before, and it was all directed at little Naruto, who was holding onto her pant leg innocently. The child had frozen at the feeling of loathing that leaked from his Kakashi-nii.

 

"What," Shiba-Kakashi gritted out, "are you doing with him?!" A look of incredulity was turned onto her.

 

Her breath felt like it was frozen in her throat. "I—" she stuttered. "I work here."

 

Understanding dawned on Fake-Kakashi's features before a smile—a demented, twisted smile that seemed to freeze the blood in her veins—bloomed on his lips. "So you're here for him, too? Good job, Nai-chan! You got in quicker than the rest of us did!" he exclaimed. "You can come home with us, of course. Grab the brat and let's go. The others are waiting."

 

Naiko tensed again. "Others?" she stammered.

 

Shiba nodded, the silver hair of his disguise flopping forward with the motion. He looked far too comfortable in his costume, at his task—a trained liar. "Yeah, there's eight of us, including me; nine now, since you're here. You can never be too careful with it comes to the Yellow Flash, huh?"

 

She tried to think through the shock, but her brain felt like it had turned to sludge. Her eyes darted to Naruto's face and she flinched at the look of total betrayal. Naiko watched as he backed away slowly, small hands up as if to ward off attacks.

 

"Grab him!" Shiba hissed, eyeing the boy hungrily. She doubted that he even wanted to touch Naruto, for all his talk of taking vengeance; he probably thought the boy was contaminated by his bastard father. Naiko had thought that too, at one point, but now that was long past. "We've got to go!"

 

Naiko glanced at Shiba-Kakashi. "Where are the others?"

 

"We're meeting in a clearing just outside of Konoha's walls. I'll lead you there. Stay hidden."

 

Naiko took a deep breath, her resolve hardening. She scooped up a squirming Naruto, hand placed firmly over his mouth to muffle his high-pitched screams and wails, and nodded to Shiba, who then turned and started down the path that led to the cobbled street. His strides were unhurried, smug.

 

Naiko turned her mouth to Naruto's ear, making sure he couldn't see her eyes, couldn't see the lies she lived under. "Please, Naruto-chan," she whispered urgently, "trust me. I need you to trust me."

 

Naruto seemed to debate with himself for a minute before ceasing his struggles. She released a sigh of relief. "I need you to act like you're unconscious," she told him.

 

With those words, she slung the suddenly limp toddler over her back and ran through a string of hand seals. A strong genjutsu cloaked the pair from sight and she set off after Fake Kakashi, her eyes burning with determination.

 

It was time for her to complete her promise, to finish the job she had set out to do, regardless of the consequences.

 

At the end of the night, blood would be spilled.

 

*

 

They arrived in the clearing almost five minutes later. Seven other figures dropped down from the treetops.

 

"What's going on, Hayashi?" One of the shorter ones addressed Shiba with obvious contempt. "Where's the kid?"

 

Naiko, still hidden under the genjutsu, backed up. Her footfalls were silent as she skulked away from the clearing, avoiding brittle leaves and only stepping on cushioned patches of mossy ground. She stowed Naruto into the gap between a tree's roots, motioning for him to stay put and stay quiet. She was momentarily stunned at the serious gaze he pinned her with. I know your secrets, it seemed to say. She felt naked and ashamed all at once. She didn't have to ask again as he answered her silent request with a nod, which, upon receiving, she placed another genjutsu over him to hide him from prying eyes.

 

No one would take her prize.

 

"I ran into someone," she heard Shiba say as she crept back to her former place at his side. The man had dropped his henge, revealing his sharp features and blood-red hair. She swallowed at the sight of his headband. The symbol engraved on it held so many memories for her—most of them bad. "Someone we all thought was dead," he continued. "She helped me grab the target—from the inside."

 

Several eyebrows rose at his words. Someone on their side was close to the Hokage? Close enough to be in contact with his son?

 

"Nai-chan, you can come out," Shiba sang.

 

She repressed the shudder his voice evoked and dropped the illusion hiding her from their senses, stepping out into the moonlight. There were indrawn breaths from many of the nin present at the sight of her familiar features and the small figure on her back. She hoped no one could see that it was merely a modified bunshin.

 

She couldn't believe that Shiba would expect her to give up her vengeance simply because they were former comrades.

 

"Kizumi? Kizumi Naiko? But you were killed in the Battle of Akatsuno Pass!" one of them cried.

 

Naiko shook her head. "No, I was able to get away. As you can see," she motioned to the child on her back, "I was able to infiltrate Konoha and get close to the heir of their Yondaime."

 

One of them laughed, stepping forward to draw her into a hug. "I'm so proud of you, Naiko! You always were one of the best—"

 

The words were cut off with a gurgle. Naiko watched, saddened, as her former genin teammate gave a sputtering cough and looked at her disbelievingly. The rest of the ninja tensed.

 

"I'm sorry, Chou," she whispered, steadily holding the kunai buried in Chou's soft belly.

 

Chou's features hardened even as blood dripped from her belly in a beat similar to the wings of her namesake. "Traitor," she whispered on her last breath. Blood specked against Naiko's cheek.

 

"Shiba, you idiot! She's gone native!"

 

Naiko didn't allow them to say anything more before she attacked, two kunai appearing in her hands. She used their surprise against them, cutting down another nin with a deep slash to his jugular. Blood spurted from the wound in a fountain of red, staining the grass below her feet.

 

Two down, she whispered to herself. None of the others would be that easy.

 

She leapt at another target, slashing and cutting like a woman possessed. Most of her attacks were evaded, the nin smart enough to dodge instead of block. She had to dodge to the side as a second opponent came from behind with a chakra-enhanced kick towards her head. A one hit kill.

 

"Traitor!" The word sounded again, tearing through her. She suppressed a sob as she killed another one of her former comrades.

 

Naiko grunted as a shuriken impacted with her right thigh, embedding itself into the muscle. It only took her a second to pull it free and send it back to its source, the throw punctuated with the sound of metal on metal as it was blocked by another.

 

She would stand no chance against six opponents using only taijutsu. Her fingers sped through another chain of hand seals while she dodged several kunai, gyrating her hips only the slightest amount so she wouldn't get hit. She had to save energy. She flung herself forward again, keeping hold of her jutsu, and gritted her teeth against the pain in her leg as she avoided two fists from opposite directions.

 

Her technique completed, Naiko sunk into the ground, leaving not one blade of grass disturbed, only for her hands to reappear a second later, her kunai severing the Achilles tendons of one dark-haired nin. The man dropped to the ground with a scream of pain before he was silenced as Naiko dug the same blood-slicked kunai into his throat.

 

Three down.

 

"Stay off the ground! Draw her out! She can't stay under there forever!"

 

They were right. She had near perfect control of her chakra, but small stores. The Doton: Tsuchigakure no Jutsu was chakra intensive even though it was her best technique. Without anyone on the ground, though, it was useless and she couldn't afford to waste precious energy.

 

She emerged from the earth smoothly, squatting in the shadow of a tree, and released the chakra of the jutsu. She suppressed a sigh of relief as her energy returned.

 

Naiko had long abandoned the white clothes she'd been wearing earlier, exposing the shinobi issue garb she had on underneath.

 

She flicked another kunai as her eyes picked up movement in the foliage. A rookie mistake. The knife sliced through the air cleanly, and found purchase in the base of the idiot nin's skull, killing him instantly.

 

Four down.

 

She ignored the dull thump of the body hitting the ground in favor of checking on the tree she'd hidden Naruto in.

 

No! Her eyes widened when she caught sight of Shiba's distinctive silhouette. He was creeping towards Naruto's hiding spot. The red-head was the most chakra-sensitive of the group, and had likely sensed the chakra in the illusion shrouding Naruto.

 

No! Her mind screamed again. There was no doubt that Shiba would kill Naruto, just to punish her and his father. Revenge. Kami, had that been her? So obsessed?

 

Without thinking, she took off at a dead sprint, feeding chakra into her muscles so quickly that they strained and snapped. She leapt the last few feet, colliding with Shiba and impaling herself onto his unsheathed sword. She glared at him, blood leaking from between her lips.

 

"You won't touch him," she hissed, before coughing. Shiba returned her acidic stare, a glint of madness in his eyes.

 

He spat on her face. "He'll die," he sneered, digging the sword further into her gut. She all but squealed in pain, white light exploding before her eyes. "And so will you!"

 

Naiko reached up to clamp her hands around his neck, intent on taking the bastard with her, when her eyes alighted on the black band fastened to her wrist. Amazingly, it was free of blood and dirt. She smiled with vindictive glee and ripped the fragile fabric in half, activating it, and gave a bloody grin to the man in front of her.

 

"Here comes daddy!" she laughed.

 

A rage-filled roar echoed around the clearing and yellow light engulfed everything.

 

Naiko succumbed to the warm arms of darkness.

 

*

 

Naiko's eyes fluttered and her breathing quickened. She groaned at the harsh light that penetrated her eyelids. Coughing, she winced at the pain shooting through her torso, reminding her of the wound she had so carelessly inflicted upon herself. That, she reflected, had been one of her more stupid actions.

 

She had forgotten about the emergency seal in the heat of battle; her only thought had been to keep the enemy nin away from Naruto.

 

She took a few more breaths before she opened her eyes fully.

 

White greeted her. A hospital, then. That was better than she expected. Naiko hadn't planned to wake up at all.

 

A throat was cleared somewhere to her left and she turned her head to face her visitor. She flinched when her gaze met the icy visage of the Yondaime Hokage. She averted her eyes, locking onto the child in the man's arms and subconsciously scanning for injuries.

 

Naiko's eyes closed momentarily in relief. Naruto was okay. He was safe.

 

"I believe you have some explaining to do, Kizumi-san." His voice was as cold as his eyes. He didn't show the confusion that welled in him at the look of liberation on Naiko's face when she had looked at Naruto.

 

Naiko flinched again at the sound of Namikaze Minato's barely controlled fury. The man was beyond angry, and rightfully so. She wondered what this meant for her.

 

"I—" she croaked, throat dry. She decided that beating around the bush would not be in her best interest when she had an irritated and very powerful father out for her bones. "I'm a former jounin of Iwagakure, Hokage-sama. Kizumi Naiko is my actual name. I disappeared after the Battle of Akatsuno Pass, barely escaping with my life." She turned tired brown eyes to meet his, only to stop and focus on a point just beyond his shoulder.

 

"I infiltrated Konoha under false pretenses in the hope of getting close enough to your son to kill him. I am—I was—one of your enemies," she said, referring to the words he used when he first hired her. Minato showed no reaction.

 

"I wanted you to suffer the same pain I felt when you as good as killed my brother." She began to sob, and pain ricocheted off the nerves in her body as she quaked in sorrow. "I had to be the one to release him from his torment! I had to end his life so he wouldn't continue to endure the agony you doled upon him! I wanted you to feel the same pain I felt when I lost my brother. N-Naruto was the only one I stood a chance against."

 

She looked away again, tears welling in her eyes at the memory of her brother, Keita, and his broken and bloody form. His last words had not been pleas for retribution, but a sentence that shook the foundation of her entire world: Don't blame them, we were wrong. I love you. "I hated you," she whispered, "so much. My brother was the only thing I had left. The war took everything from me! I wanted revenge." Another whimper was wrenched from her throat.

 

Minato watched her cry unsympathetically.

 

"You gave me the perfect opportunity to get close," she said. "I thought it would be so easy, that you were so stupid as to let me into your home, close to your son. So easy to get rid of a single, defenseless baby and break you in the process…"

 

She trailed off, closing her eyes tiredly. More tears leaked from them, trailing lazily down her cheeks.

 

"And then I met Naruto." Minato's eyes snapped up at her words, resting on her face. "I started spending time with him. At first, I hated him just as much as I did you—he was only another threat, another embodiment of my pain and suffering… but I couldn't kill him. In the end, I couldn't do it. I was weak.

 

"On his birthday—all it would have taken was a slow acting poison and everyone in the house would have died. I didn't care if I lived, I just wanted revenge. But, when the time came, the poison didn't even cross my mind." Her lips quivered.

 

"All I thought about while I was making the cake was how happy Naruto would be to have cake on his first birthday."

 

Minato watched the woman struggle into a sitting position, propped up against several pillows. Her fingers traced invisible patterns into the sheets.

 

"I was ashamed that I'd forgotten—that I had ignored the chance for revenge I had worked so hard to achieve—all for one child. A shinobi is never supposed to forget—" Her words were cut off as she trembled so violently that it rocked the bed.

 

"I grew to love him," she whispered. "When he smiled or laughed, or when he hugged me, my heart didn't hurt anymore. On the days I played with him or taught him, I didn't have nightmares about the war." Her hands clenched in the fabric beneath them.

 

"Iwa—they used the women to gather information." She turned her face from him, shamed, "In any way possible."

 

Minato's free hand closed into a fist at her words. Even he, who was normally unflappable, was repulsed at her words. That Iwa went so far—to turn their kunoichi into prostitutes—appalled him.

 

"I always thought I'd do anything for Iwa—because I loved it, because it was my home… but I was only looking for an excuse to run, when it came down to it. I wanted someone to suffer for the pain I felt, and you were the easiest target to blame, and the hardest to get to. I could hate you without being able to do anything. But then I applied for that job and it turned out you were the employer…"

 

Her eyes were dry now, but still red-rimmed and puffy. "I got attached—to Naruto, to Konoha, and even to you, my enemy. I loved the peace, the people. It's nothing like Iwa, and that might have been what I loved the most. I heard you, that night, when you were talking to Naruto about the war with Iwa. I heard you tell him how you don't regret the lives that were taken because they were needed to end a pointless power struggle, but you hated having to be the one to take the light from men's eyes… I respected you, after that.

 

"And then," she said, "that night, it came back to haunt me."

 

She looked Minato in the eyes for the first time since she'd awoken. "I knew them. I'd fought with them. I'd grown up with them. I killed for them during the war, and then I killed them because the thought of leaving Naruto in their hands made me sick. You might know how horrible shinobi life may be, sir, but that would be nothing compared to what they'd put Naruto though, all in your name. Nothing."

 

It was Minato, this time, who turned away from her, unable to meet her gaze, which was so haunted with personal demons and memories that a shiver stole down his spine. He buried his face into Naruto's soft hair, inhaling the familiar scent of his son.

 

Naiko watched the scene longingly.

 

"I remember saying that if you protected Naruto with your life, I'd return the favor."

 

Naiko's eyes snapped to his, her face betraying her shock. Minato let a small smile emerge.

 

"I knew who you were before you stepped foot into my office, Kizumi-san. In fact, that's why I hired you—keep your friends close and your enemies closer and all that." He waved a hand dismissively, "I'm a man of my word. Considering what you've done to protect my son, I'd be a fool to let you go."

 

He reached out to grab her hand. "Your hands have the calluses of a warrior, not a farmer," he said. "You had a perfect opportunity to return to your home country, to be rewarded for your capture of my son, and yet you chose to put your life on the line to protect him, your enemy."

 

Minato understood that following the intruders to the meeting place had been Naiko's only chance to confront the entire party head on without wondering if any stragglers were waiting in the wings to snatch Naruto the moment her guard was down.

 

"Did… did any survive, sir?"

 

Minato nodded. "You killed half the party. I, myself, disposed of one man before securing the nice fellow whose sword you were impaled on—Shiba, I believe. Interesting guy, a bit whiney, but interesting." Naiko grinned faintly at Minato's lame attempt at humor, appreciating the effort. Shiba was a squealer when it came down to it.

 

"My ANBU," he continued, "tracked down and captured the remaining two, who had fled when you engaged their comrades. Naruto was kind enough to provide us with a rather detailed description of your actions, though he never explained why he didn't engage his own security seal."

 

Naiko stared at the sleeping toddler, dumbfounded. Had he known that she'd been on his side the entire time?

 

Minato, meanwhile, reached into the pocket of his famous white and red cloak and removed a headband, setting it on the bed in front of its occupant.

 

"I want to thank you," he said. "You are welcome to join Konoha's military at any time."

 

Naiko ran shaking fingers across the smooth metal and navy cloth of the hitai-ate, before tracing the stylized leaf engraved into the shining steel.

 

"I—" She paused. "Sir, I appreciate the offer, but…" Naiko bit her lip, something that was quickly becoming a nervous habit. "I'd like to remain as your housekeeper, if at all possible. I know it's odd for a shinobi to do a job like that and if you don't want—"

 

Minato cut her off, a sly smile on his face. "I was hoping that you'd say that," he said, winking. "Kami knows that I can't do squat around the house for all my skills in politics. I'm sure Naruto will be happy to have his Naiko-nee-chan back, too. He's been inconsolable."

 

Naiko smiled beatifically.

 

Naruto, nestled in his father's arms with his face buried in the man's shoulder, cracked his eyes open, a smirk coming to his face. Success, he grinned.

 

*

 

Notes:

1. Shiba means "brushwood."

2. Hayashi means "forest."

3. Henge is an illusion used to change one's features. It's purely immaterial. Bunshin means "clone," is a minor illusionary ninjutsu. Naiko is obviously proficient enough to change its features.

4. Chou means butterfly.

5. Akatsuno means redhorn. So the battle is called the Battle of Redhorn Pass.

6. Doton: Tsuchigakure no Jutsu - Earth Release: Hidden Among Earth Technique

7. Iwagakure means Village Hidden in (or among) the Rocks.

8. Hitai-ate means forehead protector.

 

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*

Major brownie points to skepsis66 for all of her wonderful hard work on this chapter.

This story is also at FFN