I'm writing a story, and I'm nervous.

[Kesshin]

Thank you, Icarus! ^^ I'll post another installment tomorrow. The story will be ending soon...

[Kesshin]

'K, I've got some stuff ready, and I'll be posting another installment tomorrow.

[Kesshin]

All right, here we go. New installment time, as promised.
This story is copyrighted by Kesshin, 2004.

The silence of Pen's surroundings was suddenly broken by a sob. Sitting up, alert, she turned around. The sound was coming from behind the sand dune she was sitting by. Brushing the sand from her thighs she stood, and crept over to the dune.
On the other side sat Kern, hugging his knees with his face pointed towards the ground. His dark hair fell over his eyes, but Pen didn't need to see them to know they were red.
He heard the sound of approaching feet, and gasped. Turning away, he wiped his eyes with the back of his sleeves.
"That's okay," Pen said, "See?," Pen pointed to the tears on her face, "I'm crying."
"I don't-sob-cry in front of girls."
Pen waited for him to collect himself, and punched him playfully in the arm, "If you're done being mister macho, may I join you?"
At Kern's nod, she sat down. The Earth rose before them, a blue and white patch of color in the dark sky.

I'll have more in a couple of days. ^^

[true_noir_chloe]

Great new section, Kesshin. Keep writing, because you are getting better. ^_^

[Kesshin]

Aw, thanks, Chloe. ^^ I'm trying.
I'll post another installment tomorrow.

[Icarus]

Yippee!

PM'ing comment on the last section.

[Kesshin]

Sorry for the wait, guys. Arigato for the yippee, Icarus. ^^

For a while, Pen was content to sit in silence and watch the stars. But she had come to sit by him for a reason.
"Kern?"
"Hm?"
Pen bit her lip. This was going to be even harder than asking Laowra.
"I.... I'm really sorry about Sheila. Do you... want to talk about it?"
Kern stiffened, and he looked away. Pen's brow wrinkled with worry. 'I knew it. I shouldn't have said anything. Stupid, stupid-'
Suddenly, Kern spoke.
"Do you ever wander what it's like? Looking at the moon from Earth?"
Pen's eyes widened; that wasn't exactly the answer she had been expecting. 'What's he getting at?'
"Well, not really. To be honest, I've never thought about that before."
Kern fixed his gaze on the orb of blue above their heads. "Tia Sheila said that back on Earth, people used to watch the moon at night. When she was in the slave camps, she said that the moon was something more than a chunk of rock to them. It was like a sign that there were other places; other places they could be besides the prison. She told me that every night she would say to Tia Sharon, 'That's it, Sharon. That's where we're going when we get out of here. We'll be happy up there, you'll see.'"
Pen expected him to cry more, but he didn't. Instead, his eyes seemed to be filled with a deep sadness, something beyond crying.
"She isn't happy," he continued, "Is she?"

[Lochaber Axe]

I don't do yippees... yahoos... but not yippees. Wait want was I going to say? Hmmm... ah yes. Quite good, but I would still like to see thought sequences italicized. It is easier to read that way.

[Kesshin]

Aw, that's all right, Loch. ^^ I like yahoos just as much as yippees.
Hm, you're right about the thoughts. I might just do that....

[H. Kenshin]

I like it. I dont want you to stop. So tell us what happens to Pen. Write Write

[Kesshin]

Oh, a new person. ^^ Hello, H. Kenshin. Welcome to CAA. I intend to write more, and will soon...

[Kesshin]

Sorry it's taken so long, guys.
This story is copyrighted by Kesshin, 2004.

Pen honestly didn't have any idea how to answer that question. She looked down at the ground and drew little circles in the sand with her finger.
"Sometimes I get the feeling," Kern continued, "that things would have worked out better if I'd stayed. Maybe she wouldn't be like this."
Pen drew her head back up, so that it was level with Kern's, and frowned disapprovingly.
"Now, don't go saying things like that."
"What do you mean?" Kern questioned definsively.
"I mean," Pen answered with an ironic smile, "that I'm not going to let you become a hypocrite."
This remark did nothing to answer Kern's question. In fact, it seemed to have only further confused him.
"Remember," Pen answered, "when I ran into that fire back in Bordertown? You pulled me out before I could get killed. It's the same thing. You can't go taking the world on your shoulders; you can only do the best you can. And the best you could do at the moment when you made that decision to come on this mission, was to get out there and stop a crime lord from killing people. There was no way to know what was going to happen."
It was Kern's turn to stare at the ground. "Yeah. I guess that makes sense," He turned to look at her, "So now we've talked about me. Why are YOU crying?"
"Um, well..." Pen hesitated. In the end, though, she decided to tell him. It was only fair, even if it was shameful.
"I forgot about them," she answered finally.
"Who?"
"My parents."

[Lochaber Axe]

I noticed a few errors, but since I have decided to really get to editing this when it is all complete, I'll just keep my tongue. All in all, I'm also stopping my congratulations. No, no... don't take it as me saying that you are bad in any way, its just it is getting repetitive for me. You know my feelings on your story, and it is getting hard to judge with these short updates. Now don't you start writing bigger updates because of something I said, this is my opinion and you write how you are comfortable.

Like I said, once it is all completed, I will go over it thoroughly.

[H. Kenshin]

Sweat this story is really good.

[Icarus]

(surreptitiously rereads the last section) I like where this is going.

[true_noir_chloe]

Great section, Kesshin! Good build-up, and I actually enjoyed reading it. ^_^ *thumbs up*

[Kesshin]

Lochaber: I understand, Loch. ^^ I don't write the story for the compliments, anyway. As my brother's fond of saying, my head's already big enough. I write because I feel an urge to, a deep instinct. And most importantly, because it's good knowing that somewhere out there, someone is enjoying my story. That's why I write.
As for the editing, that's fine. Do it whenever you have the time. Heck, it's an honor having you edit my story in the first place! You encourage me to do things in a way that's comfortable for me, and I encourage you to do the same. Thanks for everything, Loch. ^^

Kenshin: Thank you, Kenshin.

Icarus: *smile* You really do? I'm trying to wrap things up, but I don't want to rush. It's good to know you think I'm doing okay.

Chloe: You ACTUALLY enjoyed reading it? J\K. I get what you meant. Thanks, Chloe.

[Kesshin]

Sorry, guys. I'm going to have to wait till tomorrow to write more. I've got writer's block. *sigh* I know what the conversation should say, but I don't know how it should be said. I'll also have a special on the character development of Sheila.

[Lochaber Axe]

When the character seems to be mum, then the best thing to do is to put yourself as that character. You talk to Kern and then write how Pen would say your words. I should really start bolding you more often since that is to me the most important thing about a writer. It has to come from them, and no body else.

[Kesshin]

Sorry it's taken so long, guys. I've been so darn busy. But school's out! Yay!!!!
Thanks for the advice, Loch. ^^ My writer's block is gone.
This story is copyrighted by Kesshin, 2004.

Kern raised his eyebrows. "What?"
Pen felt her face go red. "I know. You don't have to tell me. I'm not exactly the best daughter on the face of the moon, am I? I think that's why I took this mission; to forget. It's like the pain didn't even hit me until I talked with Laowra."
Kern starred at her. Somewhere deep inside, a part of him was tempted to yell at Pen. At least she had the luxury of being able to choose between forgeting and remembering. As for him, all he had was a handful of fuzzy memories. But as he watched her glare down at the sand, he could feel her frustration; the frustration of feeling like you're a screw-up.
"I think you're a great daughter."
This was the last thing Pen had been expecting to hear.
"Huh?"
"Yeah, you are. How many daughters would have the guts to run to get their parents from a burning building? After the fire you were in shock, that's all. It's not like it's your fault," he added with a smile.
And to his relief, Pen smiled back.

All right, special on Sheila, as promised. ^^

Character profile: Sheila Rodriguez.

Sheila developed in two stages:
Stage One: Sheila was short, had dark-brown hair, a wimpy build, and was unbelievably mean. She started out as Laowra's enemy, and gradually became her friend. Even then, she argued with practically everything she said. The only thing she really cared about was her little sister. Back then her name was spelled "Sheela."
Stage Two: Sheila slowly evolved into the black-haired, athletic, grouchy girl she is today. She's not as mean as she used to be, and is much more cooperative and loyal towards Laowra. I changed her name's spelling to "Sheila", don't ask me why. Now she not only looks after her little sis, but her nephew as well. Sheila was one of the first characters I invented, and I'm very fond of her.

[c-girl]

*plops down with a bowl of popcorn and waits for the story to begin* Oooo story!

[true_noir_chloe]

I finally read this section. ^_^ Very good.

Hi Christiangirl, can I have some popcorn? Pleeeeeeeeeeeease? ~-^

[Kesshin]

Thanks, Chloe. Sorry I haven't been writing much, guys. School just got out, though, so I'll have more time. *yay*
I'll have a new installment tomorrow if I can wrangle it.

[c-girl]

Your story sounds good.

[Kesshin]

Thanks, Christiangirl. I now have time to post more. *yay*
This story is copyrighted by Kesshin, 2004.

After what had only seemed like minutes, but in reality had been two hours, Pen and Kern crawled back down the tunnel. They walked into the living room, pretending to not notice the all-too-obvious stares of Eli and Joyce. This was followed by a few minutes of uneasy chatter, that dwindled into silence. All four of them were too tired to do much, and were vastly relieved when Eli pulled out some old cots for them to sleep on.

Pen woke to the sound of banging pots and pans. She sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. The house was filled with the mouth-watering scent of fried bacon. Pen wanted nothing more than to fall back onto the cot and snooze, but her stomach wouldn't have any of that. So with a sigh she stood and walked into the kitchen, sitting down on one of the wooden chairs Eli was so immensely proud of.
"Good morning, Pen," Joyce beamed, "Are you hungry? Mr. Eli made some bacon and eggs, and pancakes. Still warm...."
"Sure," Pen answered with a yawn, "Thanks."

[Kesshin]

The last installment was pretty small... I'll post some more now.
This story is copyrighted by Kesshin, 2004.

Pen sat down at the table and was halfway through a plate of eggs, when Kern walked in. Smiling quietly at his ruffled hair, Pen handed him a mug of coffe.
"Drink up. Looks like you could use it."
"Hmph," he replied sourly, but he accepted the mug nevertheless.
For a while things went pleasantly enough. The four of them had a good time eating and discussing things not relating to their mission. Kern soon found that Eli was a fellow Armstrong Astro's fan, and before long they were engaging in a vigorous conversation about baseball. The girls were contented to sit and watch them talk, but Pen could not resist smiling at Joyce and rolling her eyes dramatically. Her smile broadened as Joyce chuckled into her coffee cup.
At the end of the meal, when their plates were in the sink and their stomachs were comfortably full, Kern spoke up.
"I think it's time we discussed our next course of action. Pen?"
Pen didn't answer. She took an unnecessaryily large gulp of coffee. She had hoped he wouldn't bring this up. It was nice at Eli's; like a vacation away from all of the pain they had been through. But as her mind ran through her options, Pen was forced to admit to herself that Kern was right. Procrastination was running away. And she was determined to never do that again.
She swallowed the last of her coffee, set her mug down on the table, and smiled resolutely at her friends. "All right, then. Let's get started."

[Icarus]

Oh, thank goodness. For a moment, I thought you said that the preceding was the last installment.

Thank you for continuing to write this.

[Kesshin]

Nah. The last installment won't be for a month or so. Glad you worried about it, though. I mean, I'm not glad you worried, but.... Oh, you know what I mean.
Thanks, Icarus. ^^ The next installment's tomorrow.

[Kesshin]

I'm so sorry, guys, but I will be unable to post a new installment. I'm going camping, and that means no computers for a while. Six days, to be exact. Still, should be fun.
Till then,

-Kesshin

[Lochaber Axe]

*Cough* *Cough* *CoughwriterbumpCough* *Cough* *Cough*

Even though you aren't here now, this story is going wonderfully. Oh and I'm not going to let you quit on this story, there is going to be at least one good CAA author that will finish a story. I have never seen a good story finished on this site, mine included. It goes along fine and then *splat* nothing, it ends, it dies. You must stop trend, for all the writers here, you... must... continue... for... us!!!!!

Ahem...

Too much sugar... I need to get outside.