『ARC FIVE: NULL AND VOID』

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Time was a fickle thing, and one could not grasp the whims of time and force it into a perfect halt. It would stop for a second or two, but it never stopped ticking. A clock may break, but the hand never stopped moving clockwise. You were the one who could no longer tell what time it was.

And that simple fact was widely known. You have made a mistake that cannot be erased and hoped the hand will start moving counterclockwise, but it does not. It kept running its course, and you're faced with succumbing to the karma that has fallen upon you. No matter what you do, it will always move forward somehow. But it would do no one any good if time were to falter.

Staying stagnant in eternity is not an ideal situation. It was better to live with transience. Although something may happen at the moment, you can always be assured that the memory will live forever in your consciousness.

But that notion did not stop Tanami from wishing it halted completely. Some part of her even wished time sent her back before she had gotten into an argument with her brother. If she could change her reaction, maybe she, Yua, and Shimada would not be stuck in this situation. She did not like how gold eyes stared at her like nothing but a tool.

She wanted to go home. However, right now, she had to keep herself standing. What good would a future Hero be if she cried all the time?

Beside her, the crystal could feel the way the fabric of her sweater was yanked at by Yua's fingers digging into the cloth. Magenta curls tumbled onto the female's face, covering her sight for mere moments before raising her head. "You think we're going to let you use Tanami for her Quirk?!"

"You're not going to get your way, you know! The Heroes are going to come and save us!" Shimada added as he glared fiercely at the man.

"Oh, do you really think they are coming for you?" Namiko's voice was filled with surprise. "It's been three weeks. Don't you think they should have come for you by now? Or even sooner? Perhaps they have given up."

"Don't you dare go around spreading lies," Yua snarled. "Metallic and Mizu wouldn't turn a blind eye to this!"

He chuckled, amused at the girl's response. His lips curled into a smile. "Who knows? Why would such a low-ranking school waste its resources? They can barely get seventy-seven students."

"Seventy-seven is the number of students admitted! Plus, do you really think our parents wouldn't cause an uproar from our disappearances?!" The olive-haired boy explained, clenching his fingers into a tight fist.

"Madam Psyche clearly doesn't care."

Yua's nails dug into Tanami's sweater. "Like I give a shit about a mother who doesn't give a fuck about me."

Liar, Tanami thought to herself. You faltered.

"But does that not prove that Heroes are incompetent? Unreliable? Everything they do is built on a tower of fortune, power, and misguidance. Why would you believe in a group of self-centered people? Their good deeds only fuel their egos. They do not care for the safety of the people but rather fill their pockets to the brim."

"W-well-" Shimada's mouth slammed shut. He hastily formulated a sentence but could not craft a good rebuttal. Namiko was right in the sense that not all Heroes are good. Endeavor was an excellent example of that.

Silence hung heavy in the air until "how do you know that?"

Pressing a hand to her chest, Tanami breathed in softly. She could feel her heart hammering against her palm but used that as a means to keep herself grounded. Connecting her eyes with the man's, she tried to keep herself from trembling. She was sure Yua could sense her shaking underneath her clothes.

"There are corrupted Heroes no matter what. But some Heroes do have good intentions." Tanami swallowed the saliva built up in her throat. Her fingers twitched against her chest. "They suffered for what they believed was right and carried that with them."

Her left hand was laced around Tomohiro's, swinging back and forth to her joy. Bundled up against her chest was a bouquet- white carnations, she believed- and the paper crinkled in her sloppy grasp. She narrowed her eyes in determination. She was not going to let these pretty flowers fall. The dirt and rainwater would destroy their beauty. That and they were six-thousand yen.

On the other side of the Hero was Akihiko, who held his other hand. Her brother was pulling down on his dark blue beanie in frustration as it struggled to stay in place. As much as the eleven-year-old wanted to laugh, she could not. It was not the place nor the time.

Bringing her eyes forward, she caught sight of Shishi waddling along. In its muzzle was a single white carnation and no ink stained it. The dog held it by the stem tightly. It was easy to realize that Shishi would not allow it to be dirtied.

Time had passed by relatively quickly, with the crystal counting the slabs they passed. The four fell to an abrupt stop. Slipping her hand out of her father's, Tanami wrapped the bouquet in both of her arms in case it would fall. She quickly read the words carved into the stone.

Here lies Koemi Ishihara.

"You would have been thirty-nine this year, Koemi," Tomohiro's voice was quiet, almost inaudible if Tanami did not force her ears to listen. He laughed, yet it was devoid of any emotion. "How did I end being the elder one? I'm twenty-nine while you stayed twenty-two."

Shishi took a slow step forward, head dipped in sorrow. A short yet pain-filled whine escaped the ink creation. It opened its mouth, allowing the carnation to fall near the tombstone. Nudging the flower with its nose, the dog pushed it until the white scrunched-up petals touched the stone.

Tomohiro's hand lightly patted the top of Tanami's rough hair while his other tightened around Akihiko's. Neither spoke. "I'm sure you remember Akihiko and Tanami. I brought them last year and the year before. Of course, I'm unsure if ghosts still stay among the living. Though I am certain, you probably joined our parents since they left far earlier than you."

Tanami always wondered what Koemi looked like. Tomohiro said he could never get any of the things from their apartment when he was forced to go to the orphanage. He could never recover the photo albums that held his family's pictures which were the things he wanted most. She knew that Tomohiro drew Koemi, but he never showed either of them. He always said that they were never accurate. As if every time his pencil sketched out her features, another minuscule feature disappeared from his mind.

"I can't really remember how your face looks anymore. Your fearful expression was engraved in my mind, but the exact details have faded from my memory. My drawings never do you justice. You were always the one who was most skilled at that."

A loud crunch came from the paper wrapping the flowers, and Tanami's teeth clattered together. She did not mean to make any noise. These carnations were pretty, but they did not know how to read a room! Stupid flowers.

"Memory is unreliable. You think you saw something, and then it was never there. But I wish it was accurate enough so that I could remember something other than the blueness of your eyes." The ink-haired man shook his head before fluttering his eyelids shut. "That's why I take a lot of pictures. If I have a visual reference, I can draw it accurately. If I draw it enough times, I can recreate it using muscle memory."

Pulling his fingers away from the top of Tanami's head and nudged her back. Nodding, the young child carefully plopped the bouquet next to Shishi's single carnation. She flinched at the sound of paper crinkling.

"If only I could have been of use to you seventeen years ago. But I was a child. I cannot stop the whims of fate. No matter what I do, the constellations are aligned." A sharp exhale escaped him before he chuckled. "No, that isn't right. Stars burn. They do not shine. Constellations will eventually break. Isn't that right, Etoile?"

"Etoile?" Akihiko's finger tugged at Tomohiro's hand. His head cocked to the side, eyes filled to the brim with confusion.

"An old friend. She was adamant that the stars could tell-all and nothing could rewrite them. Fate was inscribed within the stars, and with them, they were fathomed into constellations. They were set in stone. So she wanted to change them. Everything couldn't be fixed into a specific point."

Lavender brows pulled together, and Tanami yanked at the Pro's black coat. "Why is she an old friend?"

"She died—first my sister, then a dear friend. I knew I wanted to become a Hero because of my sister. To become better than the Heroes that failed to save her. Etoile solidified that fact. She said the future was bright and lustrous, coated in light lavender. I thought she was crazy when she decided those were the few words she could muster out when she was taking her last breath." He stated swiftly, but the edges of his words were strained.

Bright and lustrous, coated in light lavender? Tanami scrunched her nose up. What?

Kneeling on the blades of grass, Tomohiro suddenly roped the two into a tight hug. With a pained sigh, he said, "she meant you two. If only I figured that out when I found you in that alleyway. Not that it matters now. You're my kids, and I love you."

Tanami's eyes fixed the man a glare. "You have no right to insult those who actually care and save others. You go on and on about some Nori- Cepheus- whatever! How do you know you weren't the wrong one. He was praised for being a Hero, right?! One of the first? Well, it might have been for a reason! A Hero doesn't want to rid someone of their Quirk, and they wouldn't use anyone either! So what do you call yourself?!

"A messenger. A seraph. The one who delivers the Deities will."

"Screw that shit! And screw you! We ain't your fucking toys, and you can't force Tanami to do anything!" Yua swept her hand across her body in a fit of anger.

"I can't, but Junri can. The master of sentience controls all like a puppet. Or a marionette in your case." Namiko released a puff of smoke from his mouth. "Do you think you can beat the puppet master?"

The crystal could only slightly dip her head down in frustration at the response given. Her nails dug into her palms before she raised her chin. In a sense, the man's words were true. If they did manage to break off the Quirk canceling cuffs, they could probably take the other Villains lingering around the area. However, she was not even sure if Junri had to be in the area for her to implant a command or warp the space into an illusion. She's the main problem here in terms of escaping.

What was worse was that Tanami could not even think of a good enough plan to get out because of Junri. How do you win against something that the human eye cannot see? How do you even know that your perception was not already altered? Why did Junri have to be a Villain?

Out of the corner of her eye, the amethyst-haired girl noticed Yua shuffle back slightly. Ignoring the way the girl moved back, Tanami opened her mouth, "how do you even know Junri would follow your order?"

"Because she has nothing going for her? No friends, no family, no prestigious job or lifestyle. That woman has nothing and is nothing. Just a human reduced to a husk that moves through the day with robotic motions. For such a powerful ability, it does not suit her. It would be best to revert her to an Old Human." Namiko mused with the slight shake of his hand. "It would have been wonderful if I had found her sooner. She wouldn't have fallen into the misery of being a Hero."

"I don't know much about that woman, but I don't think she joined you out of her own free will," Shimada said. He crossed his arms over his chest, wrinkling the fabric of his jacket. "Are you sure you didn't force her?"

"How could I force the hand of someone who controls sentience. All I did was start a conversation. Everything else fell into place without much trouble. Don't blame me for Junri's dec-"

Pulling her arm out of Tanami's, Yua's fingers brushed against the thick and rough cover of a book. She wrapped her hand around the spine and adjusted it in her grasp. Once she knew she had a firm hold on it, she swung her arm across her body and allowed the object to slip out of her hand. The book soared across the air, thrown in the direction of the man.

Deep golden eyes shined bright for a second, the auric surrounding the pupil glimmering like a star before dimming. Namiko's gaze was firm on the object and did not make a move to dodge or catch it. Instead, he let out a lethargic sigh. With a second left, before the book slammed against the side of his cheek, he raised his arm and lightly snapped his fingers. The sound vibrated against the air, releasing a bone-chilling noise as the space around the three teenagers began to warp.

Stunned into place, Tanami watched with parted lips as the room slowed to a halt. The black clock with silver ornaments hanging on the back wall was the first to come to a stop. The rhythmic ticking that echoed quietly from it no longer did so as the hand that moved every second ceased. Swirling in the air but frozen like a stroke of paint was the gray smoke that freed itself from Namiko's cigarette. The book that was thrown with so much force was stilled in the air as well. Namiko lightly touched the object's edge with his finger before tapping its top. With that simple touch, the book collapsed onto the surface of the wooden table.

Tanami suddenly found herself wishing that she could smell the horrid smoke. It did not take long for her eyebrows to come together in realization. She did not want to confirm it, but she did so anyway. "Your Quirk?"

Chuckling softly, the edges of the man's lips curled into a small smile. He threaded the cigarette through his fingers, watching the minuscule pepper-colored grains soar in the air before falling into a steady halt. "How perceptive of you. Yes, what you have just witnessed is my Quirk. This ability gives me the power to halt time, amongst other things. It would be quite pitiful if all I could do is stop time after so many centuries."

So it is the ability to control time. Great. One can control you by pulling at your consciousness, while the other can control time. What a fun matchup. Tanami's thoughts trailed off. Staying stagnant in her mind was the word 'time.' For some reason, her brain settled on that singular word, but she was unsure why. Wrinkles were sketched across her forehead as she tried to make sense of it. No, no, no, that can't be right.

It had been so long ago, but at the same time, it was not. The image of Tomohiro injured in the hospital had materialized in her mind. The scene was clear as day, burned into her memory from the sight of it. It was the first time she had ever seen him injured and forced to be stuck in a hospital room. It seemed so strange. The sight of an intelligent and strong Hero forced to be bedridden was not a happy sight. It was one of the main reasons Tomohiro avoided hospitals like the plague.

And yet, no matter how fast she shifted through her memories, three sentences kept presenting themselves. No matter how much she tried to make sense of them, it was impossible and possible at the same time. Whether she wanted to believe or not was her real enemy. She did not want to piece the connection together, but the facts were laid out in front of her. Her throat was suddenly dry despite swallowing saliva just a few seconds ago.

"From what I suspect along with the doctors is a time Quirk has been put into play. Each time the injury tries to heal itself, it quickly reverts back to its injured state from before the healing process. It is a pain, and I very much would like to leave this place."

Replicated with ease in her head was Tomohiro's rough yet pained voice from that day. However, a part of her still wanted to deny the facts. It could not be accurate, but in a way, it could be. If this man was the reason her father was out of work for a year, then that meant he robbed her family more than she thought. Gnawing on the inside of her cheek, she forced her gaze to rise and look at the man. Her teeth clattered against each other when her eyes connected with his own.

She nearly scowled when he smiled at her. Snapping his fingers once again, the room that was once stilled had begun to run its course. Although the ticking sound flicked at her ears, she felt almost as if time was slowly speeding up. The crystal did not say anything. She preferred to keep her mouth shut even if she did not like the ticking assault against her eardrums.

As the smoke began to curl, the girl pressed her lips together into a straight line. Here was the main problem at hand. How do you beat time and sentience? She already knew Junri was a hard enough opponent, given her mastery over one's consciousness and mind. However, now with the reveal of time manipulation, how were they ever supposed to escape? It seemed like fate hated them at the moment because their chances were growing dimmer and dimmer with every single piece of information thrown at them.

In her peripheral vision, she could see Shimada and Yua's shoulders drop. It seemed like they came to the same conclusion that she did. How unlucky did they have to be for their own Quirks to be useless against the powers holding them hostage? Bone Protrusion, Psychometric Ferality, and Sugar Crystallization were useless. And even if they could use them, the tight cuffs around her wrists were a reminder that she could not.

Silence hung heavily in the air, drowning the three teens in frustration. Could they even do anything? Was there any possible way to get out of here? The sound of someone clearing their throat was what snapped the three out of their stupor.

"The two of you," Namiko's husk-filled voice pierced the quietness and fractured their thoughts. He swirled the cigarette in his hand, and smoke coiled, showing its toxic wisps with sharp tips. "Are no longer needed in this room."

"So you want us just to leave?" Yua hooked her fingers around Tanami's arm in a protective manner. She instantly hardened her violet eyes into a glare. "What makes you think we're just gonna waltz on out of here just because you say so."

"Did you not hear me? I said I did not need the two of you."

Shaking his head, Shimada ignored the way a couple of olive strands fell onto his face. As he clenched his teeth, droplets of sweat were slowly making their way down his jawline. "So what? We're not just going to leave her alone with you!"

Raising his hand, Namiko pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance. He released a heavy sigh. Briefly closing his eyes, he spoke a single word, "Ukiyo."

A chilling shiver racked through Tanami's spine while the hairs on her neck bolted up in fear. Before she could even react, mist crafted out of various blue hues swallowed up the wooden panels the trio stood on. In a split second, wisps of hands reached out from the fog and latched onto Shimada and Yua's ankles. The ghostly hands tightened their grip before harshly tugging on their limbs. They tried to kick the dismembered limbs in a pitiful attempt to force them off. They failed. You cannot kick a ghost off of you.

Forcing herself to move, Tanami grabbed onto Yua's jacket. She dug her heels into the floor to try and get a better grip, but it was no use. No matter how hard she tried to pull the other female up, the soles of her shoes kept on slipping. With her breath lodged in her throat, she watched in horror as the mist consumed Shimada and Yua.

She twirled on her heels. "W-what did you do to them?!"

"Don't worry. All Ukiyo did was escort them back to their cell. Your friends are alive." Finally, Namiko pressed the cigarette bud into the tin, and the smoke faded. Too bad it did not rid the room of the hideous stench.

"How can I trust you?" Tanami retorted while placing her hand on her chest. "You're a villain!"

"Believe whatever you wish. It is of no concern of mine. As long as the plan carries out, things such as those are of no use to me."

"Well, I don't believe you! You have no proof of people having the same Quirks as my brother and I-"

Thin sheets of polaroid film were scattered across the wooden desk in front of Tanami. Her hand was raised, hanging in the air as her fingers trembled. Her breath was lodged in her throat, and she could not seem to figure out how to breathe. Periwinkle eyes were blown wide, shaking as she gazed at items.

Some were stained yellow as time had settled in, while others were decorated with specs with dust. Two or three were deeply faded, but she could still make out most of the features printed across them. Her fingers twitched as the want to brush her fingertips across the surface grew stronger.

The faded shine of blue sapphire was drawn across one, showing the boy's soft smile. His eyes were translucent, shifting between shades of cerulean in a trapped piece of transience. Another revealed the smooth pieces of sardonyx framing a young girl's face. Her irises reflected sparks of orange crystal as she scanned across the differing hues of gemstones.

Finally, her eyes landed on the twelfth polaroid. The familiar colors of flashing amethyst were still in the picture. What once was a pretty shade of periwinkle was now converted into the purple gemstone that crafted her own hair. Akihiko's eyes were wide open, irises gleaming with surprise as he stared at the camera. He looked exactly like he did in her memories.

And at the same time, he did not. This picture of Akihiko did not share the same eye color as her. His eyes were shining, illuminating the brilliance of amethyst. He bore the same crystalline structure as everyone else in those photos.

"Those eyes are the ones who are gifted the ability to use mystical properties after they are exposed to painite." Namiko's voice vibrated across the air, piercing her eardrums harshly. "He showed those eyes even before the painite. That ability of his was already evolving through resolve. The painite was just an extra push."

"Where did you take this?"

Clear liquid swirled inside of the glass cup that Namiko held in his right hand. "The same day Ukiyo captured you and your friends. I took two pictures, one for him that showed his regular appearance while the other was for my confirmation."

"W-what are you trying to prove here?" Tanami's voice broke at the beginning, cracking as she stared at the picture. Her fingertips brushed against the sleekness of the polaroid. She already knew what this meant. All of these pictures shared the same crystalline eyes except for her. Painite made her feel like her lungs were being crushed, but her irises did not reflect this image.

"It seems like the mythical properties did not bother to protect you. All of your predecessors were born an only child except for you. How unfortunate that those properties went to the eldest child rather than the youngest. If only you were not born a twin." The chestnut-haired man chuckled, shaking his head in amusement. He tipped the glass in her direction. "If anything, you should be blaming Cepheus. He's the one who started all of this."

As Namiko continued to speak his oddities, Tanami no longer had the urge to listen. The words that tumbled out of the man's mouth no longer sounded coherent but flowed out like a muffled noise instead. She knew that was not the case but did not bother to strain her ears to understand what was being said.

She tried to make sense of the information she was given beforehand, but the more she tried to string it together, the less it made a picture-perfect answer. Was he trying to say that she and her brother were connected to some sort of ancient lineage? That their Quirks were forced to appear within a set timeframe? That could not be. But at the same time, it could be true. They never knew their biological grandparents nor any of their aunts or uncles. Anyone that could have given them that information could be long dead or stuck in jail.

Tanami did not even know if her parents had any siblings or cousins. But even then, what did this guy's crazy plans have to do with her? She had no idea what the philosopher's stone was. Hell, she was not even confident that it was a crystal in the first place. Out of all the gemstones etched into her memories, not a single alias of one was dubbed the philosopher's stone. Her nails dug crescent shapes into her palms. How was she supposed to make something she did not even know existed?

On top of that, why should she believe Namiko? He's a Villain. But she's never heard of the Hero Cepheus either. However, if this man was telling the truth that he's been alive for centuries, then the name Cepheus could have been lost in time. She cannot remember if any of her history classes had gone over that. They really only spoke of the fight between All For One, Shigaraki, and the Heroes. So much that the story was inscribed into her brain. And other lessons consisted of Quirk laws and Quirkless discrimination. There was not much of anything else.

"Given your bewilderment and irritation, I believe neither the name Cepheus or Caeli are familiar? Yet, you still brought the first one up during your argument."

Of course, she does not know those names! No one knows those except for this person! Pressing her lips together, Tanami lightly bit down on her cheek. Her hand made its way to her chest, curling into a fist as she tried to formulate any plan she could think of to get out of here. She nearly choked on her spit when she realized she could not form a plan in these conditions. She was helpless as long as she did not know this man's Quirk. And to make it worse, she still had the Quirk canceling cuffs on her wrists. The tightness around her skin was enough to make her remember.

She's nothing but helpless in this situation.

The urge to laugh pitifully in this situation was strong, but she bit her tongue in response. As much as she wanted to despair, Tanami knew it was not the way to go. She could allow herself to fall into misery, but what good would that do her? None, none at all. Besides, Akihiko and Tomohiro must be feeling worse than she does. They must think she was being tortured or something. If it was not for Junri interfering, Tanami did not want to know how the three of them would have been treated.

In fact, she still was not entirely sure why Junri helped them anyway. Was it a sense of guilt? No, that could not be. Junri may have a few screws loose, but the woman never seemed riddled with regret. She appeared more lonely and tired than guilty. But that did not mean that she thoroughly trusted nor forgave her. She was pretty crazy despite her being an ex-hero. It sounded weird just thinking about Junri once being a Hero. She displayed none of the qualities of a Hero.

"Cepheus was one of the few people who first developed a Quirk. Only one percent of the world was gifted Quirks when I was just a child. Although, during that time, it was anything but that." Namiko chuckled softly, shaking his head in disappointment. "We were rejected, shunned, outcast by people who did not even know us. Tell me, do you know what it feels like to be thrown away by your parents when you're only a four-year-old?"

Tanami's nails dug into her palm, and pain instantly trailed up her nerves. "I know what it's like to be used for your Quirk."

Namiko hummed in response as one of his fingers trailed against the surfaces of the polaroids. "Being used is nothing compared to being a lab rat."

"You're getting off-topic," the female pressed her fists at her sides. "I never asked for a life story."

I never asked to be kidnapped either but looked at what happened.

"You sound just as annoyed as he did. Cepheus was always an unruly child, even as an adult. Believing he was undeniable right and unshakable. It was natural for fools to follow an idiot such as himself. I didn't understand why the people back then followed the Empyreans when they hated them as well."

"I said I didn't care-" the words lodged themselves in her throat.

Leaning against the wall and behind Namiko was a figure that seemingly appeared out of nowhere. Lifting his head, she managed to catch a glimpse of his eyes. Swirled inside the depths of his irises was a mirage of orange hues that were slightly covered by chocolate strands, and the black hood tugged over his head. Slowly raising his hand, he brought a single finger to his lips.

Before she could even realize what he wanted, Tanami felt cold fingers thread across her shoulder. She threw her head over her shoulder to see who had grabbed her. Tight white ringlets were the first thing that flooded her vision.

"Go to sleep, and you will not wake until I give the command. Nor will you remember me saying these words."

Screwing her eyes shut, Tanami awaited for Junri's command to burrow itself into her consciousness. So imagine her surprise when such a thing did not occur. Confused, the girl slowly peeled her eyes open to be met with Namiko slumped in his seat and head bowed.

"He talks too much," Junri mumbled underneath her breath. She pinched the ends of one of her curls before releasing a puff of air. "Annoying."

"Why did you..." the crystal stepped back. Lacing her fingers together, she shifted her gaze between Junri, Namiko, and the guy. "What are you doing?"

"What I want," the white-haired woman responded. She blinked once before spreading her palm open. A familiar-looking paper crane appeared in her hand in a flash of white light. She offered it to Tanami. "Here."

All the teenager did was stare at the crane in even more bewilderment. She shook her hands in front of her. "What?"

Cocking her head to the side, the woman's lips tugged into a deep frown. "Take it."

The crane was shoved into the girl's hands before she could even protest. The paper crumbled in her grasp, but the shape remained the same. "I still don't understand-"

"You know you can't go home, right. All you'll be is a liability to your family if you do. Your brother can protect himself, but you can't. Your Quirk did not evolve as his did. Do you really think the Heroes will be able to protect you from him?" Junri stated without missing a beat. The words were sharp and filled with an emotion the female could not distinguish. All she knew was that those words were painful to hear.

"And why do you care about that?! You kept me here just as the others did!"

Junri sighed and shook her head. Lifting her gaze, her golden eyes reflected exhaustion. "I'm tired of fighting. Even if this plan does succeed, I'll just be another Villain inscribed into the history books. On top of that, they won't shut up."

"Who?"

"The illusions and the remnants of ghosts that have died because of me."

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Author's Note

Whenever I write Junri, it makes me a bit sad. Like she's a villain through and through, but the way she got there always makes me a bit down, although that's her character. However, that concludes that chapter.

I'm torn between whether to write chapters 49 and 50 and publish both simultaneously or write and then post one and then the other. I'll think about it, but what would you prefer since those are the last chapters?