Chapter 1: Before the Dive

"anyone lived in a pretty how town
(with up so floating many bells down)
spring summer autumn winter
he sang his didn't he danced his did."

-E.E. Cummings

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

There was a breeze of salty air rushing in through the cracked window, and it smoothly drifted around him and passed farther into the little room. His philosophy homework was scattered before him in a disorganized heap on his desk. He rubbed his hands against his forehead and sighed heavily as he listened to the waves outside his window. Sounding like something akin to a lullaby, they sent their natural rhythms into his anxious mind. Having grown accustomed to the ocean's close, almost intimate presence over the last year, he considered it a friend these days. Occasionally, he would forget it was there because of how familiar he was with it. But then, when careful moments like this floated into his room, he regarded the harmonious crashing of constant falls and rises with a wistful demeanor.

Naruto coiffed his blond locks to the side as he leaned in his chair. Why did professors assign homework on the first week? He knew the education system was typically harsh because of the unforgiving reality of the real world, but grace was still gladly appreciated. At the very least, he was confident he had figured out what most professors usually wanted, so it was pretty easy to just focus on that and get it done.

He allowed his eyes to wander around his dorm room. His collection of photographs and pictures aligned his wall in an asymmetrical pattern. The roommate would continually remind him of how perturbed he was by how terrible it looked, but Naruto didn't care all that much. If he was being honest, he enjoyed watching the roommate fidget in frustration. The dorm had been painted a standard, dull tan color—just like all the other rooms in the building. Naruto was thankful he had chosen a university that had a single bathroom included with every dorm room. It was barely more than a tiny alcove with a sink, toilet, and shower, but he was grateful nonetheless.

Naruto had chosen to loft his bed this year while the roommate had decided on keeping his down with the earthworms. The room always felt different when the roommate was gone. Outside, the wind sped up; it swam into the dorm and brushed through his hair. He let nature fill his head with positive thoughts that would distract him longer as he closed his eyes. Grander ideas entered his mind and drifted around, sublimating him. The world carried such immaculate beauty, didn't it?

He suddenly opened his eyes and looked down at his work. He groaned at the first question: In 4-5 sentences, describe what Beauty means to you. It would appear his brain was dwelling on that subject a little too long. He didn't even know where to start, despite his recent musings on the weather outside his window. Sure, the beach and the ocean were gorgeous, but he was pretty sure his professor was looking for something a little more esoteric than something like that.

Just when he was thinking about taking a break, his door opened and the roommate stood in the doorway. An amused smile crept upon his chiseled features. Naruto swerved in his chair, and he groaned again. "What're you doing here? Thought you had class."

The roommate stopped smiling and glided into the dorm. "It ended early. Also, I have some info: the new transfers are coming in today."

Naruto's ocean-blue eyes shifted at the comment and then went back to his work. "I'm doing homework."

The roommate's smile came back when he saw the empty page. "Yeah, and it looks like you're working hard on it."

Naruto nodded in an exasperated fashion. "Unfortunately. On top of that, it's taking over my damn thoughts."

"That's for philosophy, right?" he asked. "Isn't that the whole point of it?"

"Maybe for someone who cares!"

The roommate chuckled softly, a sound few people were familiar with. "You won't have that class again until next week, yeah? Why are you even working on it?

Naruto turned his chair completely around and stared blankly at his roommate. "Because I'm trying to be responsible."

The roommate's smile widened involuntarily. "I would hardly consider you to be responsible."

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "Maybe I want to change that."

The roommate's eyebrow rose in scrutiny. "And you could not have tried this last year?"

"It didn't matter as much then, but classes will be harder this time around," Naruto reminded him.

"Ah. So, that's called being responsible, huh?"

Naruto turned back to face his desk, ignoring the question. "I need to get this done before work tonight, all right? Why are you even here, anyways?"

His roommate dug both his hands into his jean pockets. "I told you already: I was gathering information. New students, so that means?" He drew the question out with emphasis.

The disgruntled blond only turned his head this time, but his eyes were sparkling as he realized what the implication was. "New girls."

The roommate's smile was no longer comprised of amusement. "Exactly, and they're not the freshman but transfers. Admin got them registered late, so they're just now coming in. I also hear a considerable number of them are from abroad."

Naruto finally stood up from his chair. Procrastination was an ancient habit to the stressed student. He raced over to his shoes adjacent to the doorway and began putting them on. "You could have started with that, you know!"

Sasuke turned the corner and strolled down the hallway as he called out to his roommate. "You wouldn't have heard it. Hurry up."

After his shoes were on and an excited grin was plastered on his mug, Naruto rushed down the hallway to meet up with his best friend. Girls were always a lot more interesting than philosophy, after all.

The private university enrolled over three thousand students and more than half of them lived on-campus. A significant number of those students came from many different areas, both nationally and internationally with the demographic for Japanese students being the largest when concerning foreigners. Because the university was known for its strong community and impressive student life, many families from around the world sent their aspiring sons and daughters there.

Despite the college board's careful planning, there was always a group of transfers who were enrolled late into the first week of classes. The student life directors, being the welcoming bunch they were, decided to allow the student clubs to hold their annual "Club Fest" on the same day. The student life directors liked to think they knew how to plan better than the administrative staff ever could. Most people agreed with that notion.

When the annual transfers came into the central field next to the administrative building that particular year, they were greeted by a plethora of booths and shouting club members, pleading to get the treasured students into their clubs. Needless to say, the transfers were immediately overwhelmed and terrified by the hysteria of the festival. At least the freshman had been given some time to become familiar with the territory, but the poor transfers were clueless. The club members were usually so elated and desperate for new students that everyone would overlook this important observation; everyone except for Sasuke and Naruto, of course.

Across the field, the two roommates were surveying the groups of transfers. Sasuke was the first to notice the Japanese transfers had made their own tight-knit group. Specifically, the girls were surrounding each other away from the other transfers. Because both of the male roommates were Japanese-Americans, they were fairly confident in their knowledge and ability to woo them.

Naruto had the plan all figured out: they would approach the nervous women and suavely ask them if they would like to be escorted around to the clubs. They would then play it safe and give them a cautionary tour through the different booths. Sasuke had to admit that if they approached with confidence, then Naruto's plan would probably be effective. Even if none of the girls were interested in them, they would most likely be grateful for the assistance and protection from the desperate assorted club members. And they could work with gratitude.

As the two boys meandered over to the women, the plan changed when a loud call rang from the group. One girl broke away from the main group and raised her voice to them. "It's fine! We need to stop standing around and meet new people, OK!?"

Then, the world stopped.

Time no longer moved as everything was still, even sound. Naruto was not sure if his jaw was open, but he could sense his mind was alert, focused. In front of him, was truly the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. He was not a man who believed in love at first sight, but he knew what immediate attraction was.

Her hair ended right above her shoulders and was dyed pink. She had a harmonic, smooth voice that also somehow managed to percolate power like an undersea current. She was clearly Japanese, but her English sounded like a native-speaker. The amount of confidence she exuded made Naruto almost lose balance. Her slender frame was evidently tone and well-maintained. Her skin was fine, and he knew if he grazed his fingers across it, he would easily melt away into the texture.

And then, the world moved again.

Naruto suddenly wondered how ridiculous his face looked as he was openly admiring this woman. When he took a moment to glance at his best friend, he wondered if he could form an idea. As usual, his roommate's face was virtually unreadable. No luck there.

Before either of them could make a comment, the pretty woman turned directly to them. "Excuse me, could you two gentleman help us?" A pair of sensational emerald-green eyes peered at the two friends. The innate yearning to drown in them was founded in Naruto's blurred head.

Sasuke's eyes sharpened with resolve, but Naruto was the first to speak up. "Sure!" he called. "We could do that!"

The half dozen or so females who were also part of the group began whispering and giggling to each other. Naruto knew they were more than likely discussing how handsome his roommate was. He had gotten used to that back in high school.

Naruto initially held up his hand to indicate the standard Western greeting before he caught himself. He bowed quickly to correct his error. "My name's Naruto Uzumaki!"

The pink-haired woman brought her hand up to her lips to suppress a giggle. "I appreciate the gesture, but a handshake is fine."

She reached over to grab his hand and shook it firmly. "My name is Sakura Haruno. Pleased to meet you."

Naruto's mind was conflicted in that second. He was busy archiving the most fitting, sweet-sounding name into his brain as well as relishing her touch. He had been right; her skin was melting him. Naruto's small world shattered when her hand retreated. He would never touch anything as tender again and was probably ruined forever.

Smooth eyes glimmered when they rolled towards the dark-haired roommate. "And your name?" Sakura asked.

Sasuke's face was stoic when he answered her. He politely held his hand out. "Sasuke Uchiha. Your English is very good. You sound like a local."

Sakura grinned at that. "Yep! My mother is from the States. She actually went to college here too, and a lot of her side of the family live around here. It's kind of like a second home to me. Come on; you need to meet everybody!" She turned and gestured to the small group of girls behind her. The five of them shyly waved at the two men, and the boys were left with the only choice but to wave back. Sakura gave their names which Naruto immediately forgot. He knew Sasuke would remember them later.

As the two roommates led the little group around the varying booths, Sasuke struck up a conversation with the new transfer. "So what year are you, Sakura?" he asked. Naruto openly gawked at his friend. The quiet man rarely initiated conversation and the only time he did with a woman was when…

Shit.

Sakura blinked. "I'm a sophomore. I transferred here from a university in Tokyo with a major in nursing. At first, I was a little against the decision to leave home, but the college here made it super easy for me to transfer my credits over. They gave me a hell of a discount, too. Considering I love America to boot, I figured it was a no-brainer."

Naruto cut in. "Well, I for one, am thrilled you're here!"

For one moment, Sakura's eyes had widened at the sudden declaration, but then she beamed at him. "Thank you! So, what year are you guys?"

Sasuke cleared his throat. "We're also sophomores. We grew up around here, too. Our parents were friends in college together in Japan and then they both moved here. Because of them, we grew up across the street from each other."

Sakura nodded her understanding. "Wow, so you guys must be like brothers to one another."

Naruto leaned forward next to Sasuke. "Yup! We've known each other our whole lives! This bastard still won't leave me alone!"

Sakura stared at the two men. One was stoic and seemed to be slightly annoyed, and the other was grinning from ear-to-ear. Her eyes sparkled when she smiled at them. "You guys are really interesting."

She didn't know it was possible, but Naruto's grin actually grew wider. "You're not too bad yourself, Sakura!"

Sasuke nodded. "I must agree with my friend. I'm glad we found each other. You seem like a very outgoing person."

A faint tint of red brushed her nose and then vanished. "Well, I try. You guys are really sweet. Is everyone here like this?"

Naruto took his opportunity. "Yeah, but we're a lot better than any of them; I can promise you that.."

A strong glint in her eyes radiated interest. "Really? That's quite a statement. Do you think you can back it up?"

Sasuke answered for him. "We can try."

As they traversed through the raucous crowds and colorful booths, Sakura learned more about the two men. "So, what are your majors?" she asked as they looked through pamphlets given to them by the Cooking Club.

Naruto tagged in before Sasuke could. "Mine's in history and Sasuke's is in business."

Sakura turned to Sasuke. "Business, huh?"

Naruto felt a nervous finger of dread slither up his heart when he saw the look Sasuke gave her. "Yes. It's a very versatile degree, and I enjoy having options."

"I think that's very wise," said Sakura. There was an unfamiliar glow in her smile.

Naruto felt the sudden need to say something. "Do you speak Japanese, Sakura?" His voice was louder than he intended for it to be.

Sakura didn't seem to be particularly fazed over her new friend's abruptness or the apparent foolishness of the question. "Yes, I do. It's my first language, technically. I learned English alongside it as well, so I'm fluent in both languages."

"And you wish to be a nurse?" asked Sasuke.

Sakura's eyes lit up as she made her proclamation: "Absolutely! I love the medical field and I really think I can do a lot of good there."

Sasuke was about to comment more on the matter when a man with narrow, chestnut eyes yelled from a nearby booth labeled 'Literature Club.' "Oi, you bringing that gorgeous lady over here, guys, or you just going to flaunt around and pretend I'm not even here?"

Naruto stretched out his arm to wave at his friend. "Hi, Shikamaru!"

Sasuke and the others walked over to the booth. "Shikamaru, this is Sakura; she just transferred in today," he declared.

Shikamaru introduced himself and proceeded to tell her about the club. By the end of his explanation, Naruto could tell she was more interested than she was with the other clubs. His suspicions were concluded later after they had broken away from the rest of the girls. They had been moving towards the dorm buildings when Sakura announced: "I think I'll join that one."

"Ah. Then I will, too," said Sasuke.

Naruto regarded his friend with a shocked expression. "Wait, what? Are you serious? But—"

Sasuke cut him off. "I've been giving it some thought, and I'm not satisfied with my current club. Plus, I'm sure it would benefit Sakura if she had a friend in there with her."

Sakura shook her head. "I couldn't ask you to do something like that."

"Well, it's a good thing you're not asking me," Sasuke said coolly.

Naruto scratched his chin. "Man, Sasuke, the Cooking Club won't be the same again without you. Granted, we originally joined only so we could get some extra food."

Sasuke smiled softly at him. "You could join us, if you'd like?"

And Naruto almost did. But right before he could make that decision, he saw the evident admiration in Sakura's eyes as she gazed at his roommate. He didn't want to keep seeing that if that's how things were going to be. The girls always went for Sasuke, he thought dully.

"Nah," he answered, "I'm good."

Sakura, having decided to welcome the idea of seeing more of Sasuke, grinned brightly. "I suppose I can't fight you on this, Sasuke. I look forward to it. Well, I have to go finish moving into my dorm. Unpacking all that stuff is going to take some time. See you guys around!"

And, with that, the woman who would transform the roommates' lives forever jogged away from them, waving both her hands to them as she ran. As the two men watched her retreating form, Sasuke turned to step in the opposite direction. Before his dark-haired roommate left his presence, Naruto heard him leave a cryptic comment.

"She's pretty cool."

Naruto kept his feet planted in place, attempting to decipher what his best friend's motives were. They weren't that difficult for him to figure out.

Naruto stretched his sinewy muscles to throw two heaping bags of garbage into the dumpster. The stars above him showered their meek glow upon the world as the mellow evening sunlight abated against the drowned sky. He groaned at the tenderness in his arms for lugging the heavy trash as he lumbered over to the back door. He opened it and stepped back into the pepperoni-scented establishment. Garbed in his standard work attire, Naruto spanned the long hallway and entered the big room laden with thunderous clanging.

The bushy-browed owner of the pizza parlor, Guy, called out to his respected employee. "Thanks for taking the trash out, Naruto. Sasuke just got here and is unloading the shipment we just got. Could you go help him, my youthful friend?"

Naruto would like to say he had grown accustomed to his boss's unique idiosyncrasies, but then he would be lying. The blond nodded and quietly walked past the register where Rock Lee, Guy's vehement follower and border-line worshipper, was stationed. The peculiar young man with a bowl-cut haircut that was identical to his employer's style beckoned to his friend. "Do you require my assistance, my young coworker?"

Naruto gave Lee a bored look. "No thanks. You just watch the register." The disinterested student ambled into the back where the walk-in fridge was located.

The blond stepped into the fridge and witnessed an outlandish sight. The always responsible Sasuke Uchiha was not unpacking the shipment at all. Instead, he was on his phone, scrolling through a web-page filled with text. Upon closer inspection, Naruto could carefully make out the words "analysis" and "Poe."

Naruto made his presence known by scoffing. "No way. Are you actually doing what I think you're doing?"

It was not often the composed companion was seen so flustered over something, but whenever it did happen, Naruto was usually present for it. "I want to understand her, all right? Is it so wrong to try to appeal to a girl through her interests?"

Naruto chuckled and leaned against the metal door of the fridge. "Man, I love seeing you so defensive. No, there's nothing wrong with it as long as you manage to find it interesting in the end, I guess. Hell, if our professors used this tactic to their advantage, we'd all get A's."

Sasuke stood up and put his phone into his pocket, the initial embarrassment seeming to fade. "You're not wrong. Frankly, I like the girl."

Naruto's mouth was ajar, his mind somewhere else for a moment. "Then why didn't you ask her for her number when you had the chance?"

The epiphany dawned on the young man, and Naruto relished the view. It was not every day he got to see his perceptive roommate fail to act on a golden opportunity. "I fucked up, didn't I?"

Naruto laughed heartily at that. "You'll be fine. I'm sure Edgar Allan Poe will ease your worries."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes in irritation. "You know his works will probably just make it worse for my psyche, don't you?"

Naruto grabbed a block of sealed cheese from a box and shelved it. "Still won't stop you from reading them, I'm sure."

Sasuke shook his head and assisted his friend by fishing the meat from the same box. After a few minutes of consolidation, Sasuke announced some of his findings. "Did you know Edgar Allan Poe was paid only nine dollars for his poem, The Raven?

Naruto raised a curious eyebrow at him. "What?"

Sasuke continued. "I mean, in relative terms, it'd be around three hundred dollars in today's market but that's not the point. The poem is, arguably, one of the greatest pieces of literature ever written and the poor guy probably only paid his monthly rent with the money he got for it. The whole ordeal sounds pretty tragic, if you ask me."

Naruto snatched an empty box and chucked it outside the fridge. He sighed with exasperation. "Yeah, well, I didn't ask for that. Man, you got it bad."

Sasuke ignored his friend's jab and continued the stocking. Once the two workers were finished with their task, they ventured out into the kitchen. The kitchen was openly connected with a much larger room that was the main dining area for the restaurant.

The only structure dividing the kitchen from the rest of the room was a black marble counter. That cursed counter was famed among the workers in the parlor as Guy's Bane. The strange business owner had paid a small fortune for the damned slab of marble, and he was constantly fussing over it. Of course, the odd, jolly man always put his workers and their safety above any material possessions, but the occasional bark or warning to 'mind the counter, my young friend' would surface whenever someone was negligent. One instance, a couple years back, Naruto had carelessly dropped a can of pizza sauce on the counter and Guy had made him scrub it furiously for almost an hour.

When the two roommates stepped into the kitchen, they noted the fact that Lee had been moved to dough preparation. Guy delegated Naruto to the topping station and Sasuke to the register. Customers trickled into the restaurant and for most of the night, nothing substantial occurred, at least, until she arrived.

Several minutes before the end of Naruto's shift when there was scarcely a customer in sight, a familiar curtain of pink hair entered the establishment. Sasuke, being at the front counter, was the first to notice her. Naruto was not far behind in noting the obvious entrance; however, and he checked to see if his boss was around. Guy was evidently with Rock Lee in the back room.

Sakura was not alone. A girl with a hairstyle composed of two Chinese-style buns was accompanying Sakura, and she seemed to be fixated on the décor of the parlor's interior. Naruto silently realized she was one of the girls in the small group of transfers earlier that day.

When Sakura recognized the workers, she flashed a dazzling grin. "My, what a surprise."

Her companion stopped her analysis of the decorations and looked inquisitively at her friend, only for her eyes to widen at the sight of a handsome man leaning against the front counter and smiling at the two of them. "No way," she uttered.

Sasuke stood uprightly and typed something on the computer screen in front of him. "And what would you two fine ladies like tonight?"

Naruto shook his head as he topped a pizza for delivery with some olives. Sasuke could be so smooth sometimes you would never think he was anything but, Naruto thought to himself. He knew better.

Sakura and her friend approached the counter, and Naruto waved to her when she was close enough to see him behind Sasuke's frame.

"Hi, Naruto!" she greeted. "So both you guys work here? That's so cool." She gently placed her hand on her friend's shoulder. "You both remember Tenten, right?"

Naruto simply nodded rather than rudely declare his ignorance. Sasuke tilted his head in welcome. "Good to see you again, Tenten." He fastened his eyes back to Sakura. "Now, you haven't answered my initial question. What would you like?"

Sakura leaned against the counter and smiled coyly. "What would you suggest?"

Naruto's voice echoed throughout the giant room. "I recommend the Hawaiian!" Naruto closed his mouth swiftly as he realized his brashness too late.

Sasuke didn't even wince at the noise. "I agree; the Hawaiian is spectacular."

Tenten visibly averted her eyes away from the gorgeous smile Sasuke was showcasing. Sakura, however, did not falter in the slightest. "We'll have one of those, then." She handed him a twenty.

Sasuke glanced at the bill and then back up to her. "I'm terribly sorry, valued customer, but I'm afraid we require further compensation."

The delicate smile Sakura displayed was evidence to the fact that she knew what he was up to. "Oh, is that so? Then, what do you need?"

Sasuke presented a playful smirk. "I'm afraid it will take too long to explain, so I'm going to need a phone number to call for further explanation."

Sakura grabbed a pen from her purse. "Very well."

Sasuke brought out a notepad from a drawer underneath the register and as she wrote her cell number, Sasuke scratched his cheek slowly. "We will also need to meet up in person to discuss this matter more appropriately."

Sakura had a smirk of her own. "The pizza here must be very delicious to have to go through so much trouble."

"I assure you it is."

In the kitchen, Naruto had put the prepared pizza into the oven and snatched a baked one from a lower rack. He placed the pizza on a thin metal sheet over the marble counter and took out a pizza cutter to begin cutting slices. The oiliness in his best friend's voice was almost as greasy as the pizza's, Naruto thought as he cut.

Tenten rolled her eyes at the flirtatious encounter. "So, can you get to making the food, then?"

Sasuke's eyes didn't leave the emerald pools in front of him. "Not until I receive verbal confirmation on our meeting."

The next sentence Naruto overheard made his hands act of their own volition. "Only if we call it a date," the outgoing transfer cooed.

Suddenly, a strident shrill resounded through the expansive parlor as Guy and Lee exited the back room. The owner's eyes bugged out, and he screamed when he saw the ugly, giant scratch on his black counter.

Naruto rubbed his tired hands as he moved through the parking lot towards his car. He had just spent an hour polishing marble, trying to eradicate the white scratch he had accidentally created with the pizza cutter. Considering he could have cut his fingers instead, he supposed he was a tad fortunate. But his hands sure didn't feel that way.

What was really bothering him was the fact his friend was taking the most intoxicating woman ever on a date. Envy's substance oozed across his mind, and his lemon eyes narrowed at the thought of his best friend being with her. He shook those thoughts away after due consideration. He was being unfair. He should be happy for his roommate rather than wishing for what was obviously not his. Sakura was a human and not an object, anyways. Plus, he barely knew the girl. His affection was primarily focused around her physical features, so his envy was horribly misplaced.

Naruto opened the car door to his '75 Pinto and put his key in the ignition. The old, battered Ford started, and he drove to his favorite spot in town.

Guy's pizza parlor was only a three-minute drive from the university, and that meant it was a five-minute trip from the beach. When he reached his destination, Naruto parked his Pinto off the side of the road and exited the car. He then shuffled onto the sandy shore and gazed out upon the inky surf.

As the white-crested waves rolled before him, he wondered if it was right to feel his current emotions. His best friend liked a girl and he also happened to like her. There had been similar occurrences with the two boys in the past, but nothing to this degree. Whenever a pretty girl liked Sasuke, Naruto typically rolled his eyes and moved on with his life. Except this time, things were different.

Sakura was more important than any other girl this time around, more noteworthy. How could a girl he had met that day possibly be something like that to him? He had dated other girls in high school and had slept around with a few special ones over the years. There was even one girl during his senior year he had fallen in love with. In hindsight, Naruto was uncertain if what he had felt then was actually love, but that feeling paled in comparison to this rising sensation in him now.

Despite his feelings, his best friend was interested in her now, and there was little he could do about it. The most tragic part of it all was that Sasuke was, frankly, a player. He would most undoubtedly leave the poor girl with a broken heart and then she would not want to associate with either of the two boys from that point on. Naruto would then lose what little chance he could have with the woman, but he wasn't even sure as to what he would do with that chance if it was presented to him.

These confusing ideas bounced around and crashed with the waves. If what Naruto thought was love was actually not correct, then what was love? When Naruto acknowledged the question to be venerable and the answer to be eternally debated over, he supposed it wasn't going to be so easy to completely comprehend.

Naruto gritted his teeth when he finally took notice of the moon's reflection eerily painted on the sea. It was an immaculate sight, but he couldn't stop himself from comparing it to the beauty he had witnessed earlier. It was at that moment, he realized he might have an answer to that first question on his chuckled as the friendly tide drifted back and forth to tell its endless story, and with the stretch of his arms, Naruto felt the full force of the ocean breeze hit him. Long after he had left back to his dorm to finish his homework, the quiet sand continued to soak in the interminable onslaught of the waves.

Here it is! Honestly, this may be one of the most important pieces I will ever write. This tale is heavily inspired by the short stories of F. Scott Fitzgerald. The plans I have for this story transcend those I have for many others. Hopefully, you will all see the significance of that by the end. I know modern AU's kind of have a bad reputation on this site, but I believe the themes of this story surpass all of that. I'm really going to put my heart into this one. Of course, this work will not hinder my other stories in any way. I finish all my stories, after all.

Please, let me know what you think of this story and anything else you wish to tell me in a review or PM. I hope this journey we all have together will prove to be insightful for everyone involved. Thank you.

-CM

P.S. This story is not connected to the events of any other stories I have written thus far in any way.

Edited: 8/28/18