Vena Cava - to be launched this April

Yup, it's finally here.

Since I'm now tweaking the final chapters of Fists and Lipsticks 2: The Silver Crescent, I have decided to have my new full-length fic launched this April.

Credits to Vincent Leung for the poster

As I've said, Vena Cava (coming this April 2009) will be completely different from Fists and Lipsticks. Although still under the MYSTERY genre, I will blend it this time to SUPERNATURAL. I've started constructing the plot and twists from start to end but I have to admit that I'm a little bit unsure with the other details at this point in time, including the volume of characters I would include for this project. I will be posting it as some sort of "jumpstart" and by experiment (which hopefully will work just as much as F&L did). While my other story is still being posted in Fictionpress and Soompi Forums, I may not be able to update this as often as F&L.

Also, I made a decision to revamp the names of the characters and YES, once again use Japanese names for this story. I am more comfortable writing with Japanese names and the dialogues, scenes, and setting is pretty much similar to F&L so the transition wasn't that difficult as I thought it would be. Initially, the plan was to set it up in the United States, but for some reason I am not 'feeling' the fic just as much as I do whenever I write F&L. We'll go with Japanese, and yes, I've decided to put it up in Soompi as well.

Again for a sneak preview, Vena Cava is about a female medical student who has a peculiar "talent". I don't want to spoil it yet. It's a mystery fic with a supernatural twist, with action, drama (although to a lesser degree compared to F&L), comedy (this will have more of comedy since the lead character is quirky like Kaoru Saori, hehe), and suspense. Point of clarification = NO, VC is NOT about vampires. It will also have badass gangsters, crazy twists, and love webs.

I'm very excited to share this one with you guys. It's going to be fun and it's going to be different, hehe.

To the Fists and Lipsticks readers - Thank you so much for your continued support. We still have a couple of chapters more to go before F&L ends (estimated on May/June). Also, I'm planning to re-write Book 1 of F&L in an attempt to fix and refurbish my horrible writing and dense, high-schoolish descriptions, hehe. I will finish the revision of Book 1 before releasing the final complete .doc/PDF version of Fists and Lipsticks Book 1 + Book 2 combined.

Author Notes from Chapter 49

Copy pasted from our Soompi Thread:

REPLIES FOR CHAPTER 49
(A/N: I highly recommend that readers going to Chapter 50 ahead would take time to read this first
so that you'll be properly guided of who's who and what has happened, especially to those who are tad confused.)

Hi F&L readers! Hehe...

First up, I'm sorry if there has been a delay on posting Chapter 50. This chapter was supposed to be up 2 days ago but unfortunately my internet connection was intermittent so I couldn't post the chapter properly without being disconnected midway. Thank you for your patience and continued support.

I read all your replies, including those sent via e-mail and PMs and I'd like to say thank you for sending them in because I'm very happy to answer them. Actually, I was so amazed of the replies that came in for this chapter. A great number of them were intelligent and analytic to the point that somewhere in the way I kinda felt threatened, hehe. I thought my trail of bombs was bound to be detonated by the guesses, yikes...

Anyway, here are some of your points/inquiries that I'd like to put emphasis on at this point of the story:


I. FUUKO & HIDEMI = COUPLE?

akito&agito
Fuuko! I am shocked. She wants to go on a date with Hidemi!?
Did see it, but didn't expect it. Man... speechless here.
lil^jenniie
WOW. that is something new.
myxlove101
This chapter was too awesome. Fuuko + Hidemi = Date?
Woah. Big twist there.. Wonder if they are gonna be a couple.
VOV
Aww Fuuko makes a comeback!
I like how you make everything tie together so well.
leebabe007
Fuuko wants a date with Hidemi? Aww how cute. I couldn't help but to gush like a crazy fangirl.
5imply_5wt
Fukko & Hidemi = cuteness aah~
paola_grace_27
fuuka has interest with yamada? hmmm... that is something, you know...
did she already recovered from her heartbreak with kosuke? lol

For purpose of recall, Yamada Hidemi is one of Kosuke's high school friend. He's the Tsuzuya Super Athlete if you would remember, the one who drives a car to school, the captain of all the sports team blah blah blah. Also, Hidemi is also that guy who would always be spotted in his coffee shop, the Concorde (think about the Concorde as the real-world Starbucks, you get the idea). Another thing we can recall about Hidemi is that he was the one who saved Kimura Ruriko (one of Ayane's friends) when she was attacked by a group of motorcycle-riding gangsters in Book 1 too.

Ayanami Fuuko, on the other hand, is Tsuzuya Academy's notorious female bully. If you have read Book 1, she's the b*tchy character you hated. She bullied Makiko, Shizuki, and Ayane too (at least she attempted to).

Now, why is Ayanami Fuuko back suddenly back in the story? For a purpose, most likely huh? She suddenly showed up, saying that she knows of a way to remove Lin Chen's gas shackles. Also, she suddenly shows interest on Hidemi.

benchi101
Why does she want to go on a date with Hidemi? o.o

Good question. Maybe it's because Fuuko suddenly realized that she 'likes' Hidemi...

... or maybe there's something else?

You can try continue and read Chapter 50 for a sneak peak of the 'answer' for this question.


II. SECOND BOMB REGARDING KAORU HIRO'S IDENTITY

Again, for purposes of recall, Kaoru Hiro is Kaoru Saori's older brother. We first met them in the earlier chapters when Saori was whining about handling the Dasera Bombing investigation case herself. In one chapter also, we could recall that Kosuke contacted Hiro ordering him to search for his biological mother.

undeniablystubborn
finally...
kaoru hiro's identity is finally revealed...
simpleangel
so it was actually kaoru hiro.
vivi_dee
Wait... what????? The guy was Hiro?
sentuhmentalfo0l
it all makes sense now! haha
no wonder hiro and saori were weird and suspicious
sweet_rose_20
so kauro-san was part of the spectra gang o_O
muchLove
Hiro is the Vault Man, never expected that.
iced_
Kaoru-san is actually part of the spectre...

Bomb number two detonated for Kaoru Hiro - Yes, he is a 'part' of the Spectra Gang.

And because he was talking to Crosse during the Vault siege, then the next one is pretty obvious:

theLOSER
Hiro is working for Crosse? WOW! Didnt see that coming but
wow!
akito&agito
And Kaoru Hiro, he's working with Crosse?!

Yes, Hiro and Crosse are on one boat.

But of course, there's still the question of Hiro's suspicious profound knowledge:

Silent Serenity
His actions are very suspicious too, especially the fact that he seems to know so much. If he is in Crosse's side and he's also trying to help Kosuke (assuming that Saori is keeping Kosuke to keep him safe), does that mean that the Spectra is actually helping Kosuke??? But isn't the Spectra trying to kill Kosuke???

^ Above is a very good observation. Sorry if I can't elaborate about this at this point in time because if I did I would end up spoiling big time info, but I wanted to emphasize this one.

Now, this leads us to one short but very good question:

nha93
how did they do it so easily?

By 'they', Miss nha93 meant the Spectra Gang. How did the Spectra Gang make their way into the Vault too easily?

Other similar observations, some going into subtle details that I am happy that people were actually able to point out:

x3_b3b3
if Kauro Hiro was pretending to be the vault keeper...how did he manage to get to the vault if he had to use a fingerprint scanner? did he use some kind of glove thingy or something?
OR OR was HIS parents part of the Silver Cresent too? so he too, has access to the vault?
shinexshine
Wait a sec, I was wondering how come Kaoru Hiro was able to go in and out of the Vault with such ease? The fingerprinting security system, how was he able to bypass them if he was only there to ambush Rei? Was it the doing of the Spider Web or is it because Kaoru Hiro is affiliated with the original Crescent Gang too? His parents maybe? Or he himself?
stephieyeung
After reading shinexshine's post, that had me wondering too. Rei had to wait for one month for them to come up with measures to access the Vault. But apparently, Crosse, Kaoru Hiro, and the Spectra gang was able to access the Vault too easily. Kaoru Hiro's role is beginning to intrigue me more and more. Also, he knows too much about the Crescent Gang. He could fight damn well too that he was able to take down Rei in a single slam!

Take note of these observations. All I could say now is that they may come REALLY handy in the next couple of chapters.

Hehe, I love mysteries.

fairy~dream
Hiro is a part of the Spectra, but I am doubtful of their true intentions, especially that Hiro seems to know a lot of secrets Rei had no idea about. Hiro's existence in this story makes my head hurt from all these brain storming.
shar0nsaurus
Hiro dude huh? Totally wasn't expecting that. What is he really? Every time he appears he always surprises me with things. How does he know so much and capable of all these things?
syndryx
so, Kaoru Hiro’s position was high enough since he knows about this secret? But Hiro was only in his, what, thirty’s? So how did he come across this secret? Maybe passed? But who really is Hiro? What’s his real role here aside from being a fraudulent senior police investigator, masked Vault Keeper, Crosse’ subordinate, and a member of the Spectra?


Who is Kaoru Hiro?

BIG questions have BIG answers.

Stay tuned for the bombs, hehe.

Again, take note of the reviews I noted here, especially the ones I tagged in bold characters


III. CONNECTIONS?

Now, for a little break down of the possible connections. Brilliant guesses from you guys, hehe.

Let's see what you guys have:

ronicabeee
Now that it is revealed, then Crosse must know Saori too!
And by that means Crosse knows where Kosuke is!
And by that means Crosse is hiding both Kosuke and Ayane!
And by that means Crosse and Hiro and Saori are all members of the Spectra!
And by that means the Black Widow is working for Crosse
And by that means Yuken is working for Crosse because the Black Widow helped Yuken before!
akito&agito
then Crosse knows where Kosuke is?!
Is Yuken working with Crosse?
redbutterflytree
Unless Black Widow knows both of them separately, Yuken and Crosse must be working together, right? So then, is Yuken part of the Spectra? And with Kaoru Hiro & Saori! Hiro must be working for Crosse, ergo, Saori is connected to Crosse, and Crosse has something to do with Kosuke (unless Saori and Hiro acted on their own to save him). OR WAIT! Crosse could be protecting BOTH Ayane and Kosuke
shelleybeans
If Crosse and Hiro (and the Black Widow) are in contact, then it must mean that they are all in the same side... the Spectra!
HYPERGURLY^^
is the black widow ..saori? and yuken is a part of spectra huh? so is fuuko...... omg... all of these people.... WOW.... crazy

I see that you guys have found the puzzle pieces yourself. The only question left now is that if these pieces fit with each other.

Once again, take note of the ones I tagged in bold characters. I'm not saying that they're all confirmed to be correct, but I'm not saying they're wrong either...

Maybe there's just one or two puzzle pieces lurking around that no one was able to notice, unfortunately.

Haha. -#-grins in glory-#-


crossroadblues
So, Sato was working for Crosse the whole time?
Does he know he is working for crosse? No, Sato probably thinks he is working for spider web.
Is spider web Hiro's sister? I got too many questions that I need to be answered lol.
So the new gang consist of Crosse, Hiro, Saori, Fuuko, and Sato.....

You might mean 'Black Widow', not 'Spider Web'.

For purposes of recall, the Spider Web is the supercomputer/hacking program used by the Silver Crescent. It was created by Yoshida Akira for the original Crescent Gang, but it was never used by the Crescent Gang. Chris Glasgow a.k.a. Spider controls this program for the Silver Crescent's use, but it was stolen by the Spectra.

'Black Widow' is the mysterious female hacker in Crosse's team. I will discuss further in the next section of my review replies.


yannie_nguyen
Hir0 and Cr0sse are allies! C0uld it be that they were the 0nes t0gether
during th0se eight years?

It could be.


Now, this is an interesting observation by Miss loveme100x:

loveme100x
Hiro is working for Crosse, so therefore Hiro is protecting Kosuke. Crosse and Hiro are said to be working for Spectra. Fuuko (just cause I think she's the Black Widow ) and Yuken are affiliated with Crosse and so therefore Hiro as well. So if Yuken and Fuuko and affiliated with Crosse and Hiro, they're with Spectra. Fuuko and Yuken's families were ruined by Spectra. Crosse also despised his father, his brother, and Spectra in book 1. It just doesn't make sense that they'd turn around to side with the one group they want dead. And it doesn't make sense that Spectra would willingly let them join after all the bad blood. Unless this is one of those situations where they join the enemy to kill them from the inside? Spectra aint that dumb right?

Lots of speculations about the suspicious affiliation of Crosse to the Spectra. He hated the Spectra, right? Same with Fuuko. So why work for the Spectra? They join the enemy to kill them from the inside - that's a very likely possibility. The Spectra isn't dumb, true. Also, Daisuke is aware of who Crosse is, obviously. Why does he take him in the gang?

I'd give a little bit of clue by throwing a question:
--- What if Crosse had something all along that the Spectra wanted all these times that made even Daisuke unable to refuse his joining-in?

Read between the lines, hehe.


IV. WHO IS THE 'BLACK WIDOW'?

Diverse votes coming in for who the infamous Black Widow is.

debbiex33
who is black widow?
i think i've heard of her before but i cant remember who she is.

Recall that Black Widow first came out in the story during the Kyoto siege - the scene where Yuken and Shizuki went to Kyoto to fetch Akio and Lin then they were chased down by Rei's men. To find their way out, Yuken was helped by a so-called 'Black Widow', whose voice sounded from his hi-tech SLR camera. You can read back to the chapter called "Solution".

Now, Black Widow revealed herself to be actually a girl. The big question is, who is she?

The votes/guesses were diverse, but with only two prominent suspects:

littlemisstiny
black widow is either fuuko or saori xD !!!!
akito&agito
And the Black Widow, who is she?
Can't be Fuuko...
RHAINE
i reread that part where the black widow asked for swiss choco LOL
can't be saori cause the hacker called him "kaoro-san" hmm, who is that?
fairy~dream
The Black Widow sounds somewhat "childish". Is Saori the Black Widow? Her character seems to fit, but Fuuko's entry to the story gives us an option number 2.
AsianL0ve
haha is saori the black widow?
or uhh Ayanami Fuuko
patty412
I'm going with the guess that Fuuko is the Black Widow. It has not been revealed yet but I think several clues pointed to her, like the mention of "steel" in this chapter for instance.
nganrinat0r
the mystery with the Black Widow. Saori had crossed my mine when Hiro revealed himself but her comments exchanged with Rei were too 'normal' that, that guess seemed unrealistic.
renchew
FUUKO is so suspicious... she seems most fit to be Black Widow except.. the way the Black Widow talks seems to be like Saori.
maizakichi
i think Fuuko is Black Widow. like her being an architect...so she knows the structure of the buildings
and it would be easy for her to study the blue prints and all..hehehe
mangoes-dbsk
Maybe the black widow is Saori... (that's her name, right? I forgot. Hiro's sis or something. The one that locked Kosuke in the bottle room) since her brother is also in the Spectra, it's possible that she's in it too. And she's a police person or something. She should know how to do all these cool technology stuffs.
benchi101
I'm only guessing but sounds like the famous Black Widow is Saori. At first I thought it was Fuuko but then you know at the part when she told Hiro to buy her white chocolates or whatever to her when he gets home sounded what Saori would say.
dreamer88
i'm almost sure that annoying saori is the black
widow she's doing something good thank the lord
VietHoney
I think the black widow is Saori... o.o;
She asked for Swiss white chocolates which reminds me of when she asked Kosuke to buy her all that champagne. =T
aνєc aмσυr
So, does that mean Saori is also part of spectra...is she the black widow?????? Because the black widow did ask Hiro for Swiss white choclates on his way home. I think that was a pretty big clue.
linnienguyen
i think the black widow might be saori too! the cheese cake part really seems like something she would say.
loveme100x
the choices are limited to Saori and Fuuko. But I crossed
Saori off cause if it was her on the other end of that line, she would have asked Hiro to bring wine, not white chocolate. Fuuko's timely appearance, as well as her being possibly able to open that god damn gas shackle just kind of screams Black Widow.
xradiostarx
omg is black widow.. saori? ;D
but ohmy.gif haha i love how the begging went for fuuko xD haha or is she the black widow? o.o
~Tropical.Mists
at first I thought it was Fuuko, I mean COME ON! introducing her again at such a pivotal moment? and the fact that she knows about the shackles and is reintroducing herself to Akio and Hidemi? So well... point proven. But then I thought it could be Saori too cuz of well... *coughHiro*cough haha =P Considering how the black widow talks and reacts? It SOUNDS like something that Saori would say or react to.... and maybe I'm thinking on a different timeline.... but if Rei is at the Vault at the same time that Hidemi and Akio are with Fuuko in the coffe shop, then wouldn't that mean that Fuuko CAN'T be the black widow? o_O She can't be at two places at once? Unless of course it's hours later? >_>
MarieY
I think Black Widow is Saori. She sounds so childish and she reminds me of Saori a lot.
mabelinda
there's black widow too, who I am
thinking is most likely to be Saori because of how he asks for swiss chocolates in the end it is so like Saori!
syndryx
Black Widow is really a girl… and a jolly-sounding girl, in that case, like Saori….but I’m really having doubts if that’s really Saori….
jaja13
i think that the black widow is either fuuko or kaori.

So, Saori or Fuuko?

Again, Kaoru Saori is Kaoru Hiro's weird younger sister. She's the champagne addict, Kosuke's annoying stalker who proclaims that she's the best detective in the world. She also owns that bottle-filled house where Kosuke is currently staying.

Fuuko is the Tsuzuya bully who asked Hidemi out on a date in exchange for removing Lin's gas shackles.

Very good guesses up there, especially those presented with evidences. For a recap of the common observations, it can be Kaoru Saori. Black Widow sounds 'childish' and a little bit 'whiny'. She played Rei like a sarcastic wicked kid. She also asked Hiro to bring home Swiss chocolates for her.

But on the other side, she referred to Hiro as 'Kaoru-san' rather than 'onii-chan' (what Saori usually calls Hiro). Also, Saori is presumed to be with Kosuke when the Vault scene happened (take note that I said 'presumed'... This information may change in the next chapter, you know, hehe...). So if it wasn't Saori, then it could be Fuuko.

Fuuko entered the story in a 'pivotal moment' (as Miss ~Tropical.Mists mentioned). She appear to know a lot and became interested when she heard about Lin's shackles. Is there a possibility that the shackles, the Spider Web, and the Spectra all had something to do with her? It could be her. In fact, there's a big chance that it might be her after all. But then again, will someone like Fuuko be likely to work with Yuken? They are unlikely to be allies, but if Yuken is indeed affiliated with the Spectra, this is a possibility.

But there's an interesting outlier among the guessers:

kc_chua
I'm going to try to be different from the rest of the readers by saying that I don't think that Black Widow is either of the two. It is either a new character or someone we simply missed.

Who knows? Maybe you're right, Miss kc_chua

Black Widow could be a character everyone just missed.


V. 'STEEL?'

RHAINE
who is in rei's team whos in charge of making the silver slayer?
its a male & steel and all is his business. i seriously have no idea i think. dmitri? nuhhh, he made motors but not steel.
Silent Serenity
Kaoru said in the first quoted text -- "HE". Meaning, the person knowledgeable about this steel that apparently is similar to Lin's shackles is a male. And he said that the metal was used in making the katana? Aren't the Silver weapons made by Yoshida Akira? Then he said next that the metal is used in motorcycle detailing - therefore, more evidence to point to Yoshida Akira! Fuuko said that she can help Lin, right? Then Fuuko must know something about this steel! Hiro knows about this steel too, so Fuuko and Kaoru Hiro must know each other???
VietHoney
and Fuuko... Does she have access to that special steel or something...? o.o;
or is there another way to break through the shackles...? ;O

I highly recommend that everyone would take note of the conversation Rei and Hiro had inside the Vault regarding the so-called 'steel'.

I will quote it so that you guys wouldn't have to find it:

QUOTE

Rei gasped upon seeing the Vault Keeper standing by the lift, holding his katana that was extended to its full length.

“Did you know that this kind of steel has been manufactured only for three purposes?” the Vault keeper swung the sword in a manner that did not, in any aspect, look amateurish.

As Rei witnessed this, he felt a lump form on his throat. His previously flushed face turned white in an instant. His eyes widened in disbelief.

“One, for this sword… lightweight, sharp, retractable, unbreakable… Two, for detailing… Detailing of what, you might ask?” the Vault keeper continued, retracting the sword back and putting it inside his pocket. “Are you curious?”

“Why don’t you ask me more?”

“D… D-Detailing… of w-what?” Rei began stuttering.

The man smiled, “Circa Motorcycles.”

“W… What?!”

“And number three? Do you want to know it? Are you so curious now?” His voice was beginning to become more and more provocative

“Why don’t you ask me more?”

“W…What is… n-number three?”

“Gas Shackles,” the man replied. “You know what I am talking about, don’t you?”

Now, for this point raised by Miss fuuko-chan

fuuko-chan
Fuuko knows how to take off Lin's shackles... how? Maybe she'll be using something similar to Rei's katana?

By the principle of 'diamonds-cut-diamonds', above is a brilliant guess. Let's see how things would work in the future chapters.

How will Fuuko remove Lin's shackles? The clues above are brilliant guesses, but I'll make sure that after you read that revelation, you'd all be dead shocked how it will go, hehe.


VI. WHAT HAPPENED TO REI?

crossroadblues
Is Rei really "gone"?

Nope, Rei just passed out. He's a rather important character and he couldn't just die in a lame way...

Not that I'm saying that he'll die but... he might, he might not, hehe.

mygurl mia
So Rei wouldn't be able to remember what transpired inside the Vault then?
Just like how Akio forgot about the hotel receptionist in the past chapter?
Why didn't Hiro just kill Rei off?
Rin Li
What happened to Rei after he was drugged out? Will he be amnesic like Lin and Saori are? But he just "inhaled" the fumes right? Not injected, so he wont end up as a "zombie"?


Yes, glad that you guys still have the facts straight. The vapor Hiro used is that kind Kim Yoon Jae usually uses. Remember that Hiro asked Rei what time his last sleep was. It is because the Lethal Lily Vapor could only erase recent memory from the victim's last sleep.

We recall that incident when Yoon used the smoke bomb on Suzuki Akio in the earlier chapters. When Shizuki woke Akio up, he could still remember who Shizuki and Makiko were, but NOT the hotel receptionist. Why? Because he just met the hotel receptionist that day. His memory of the receptionist is recent - after his last sleep, therefore vulnerable to the drug's effect.

teddybear01
so... rei's emotions and memories are wiped?

The Lethal Lily Vapor (which erases recent memory from the victim's last sleep) is different from the Oblivion Vapor (which can 'deactivate' a person's ability to feel emotions), which Rei used on Lin to "zombiefy" her. Apparently, Saori has been affected by the same drug too, making her and Lin dependent now on the 'antidote' - the Silver Laudanum.

The question is, will Rei still be able to remember everything that happened inside the Vault?

Well, you'll find out in the next chapter.

debbiex33
did they just leave rei there after he fainted?

You'll find out what became of him in the next chapter.


VII. THE SWISS VAULT

PSiloveyu
I KNEW THERE WAS GNA BE NOTHING IN THE VAULT !
I JUST KNEW IT !
mygurl_mia
I'm curious = If the Vault is now empty, where are the contents?
Are they with Ayane? Where did she keep them?
shinexshine
One more thing, it was mentioned before that there are a bunch of money and weapons
inside the vault right? If Ayane was the one who moved the contents to some other place, when and how did she do it?
Kathy88
Of course, the Spectra had their nose on the Vault even before Rei could lay a finger on it.
Speaking of the Vault, where did the money and the weapons go?
The last person to access it was Ayane, right? So was she the one who transferred the contents
to some other place without Rei's knowledge?

Another big mystery revealed here - The infamous Swiss Vault is actually empty. Where are the contents? Of course, judging with how the things had gone since Chapter 1, we are aware the Ayane HAS the Vault. If she didn't have the Vault, she would have all the money and power to buy off hotel and run big time businesses in Japan, can she?

I can't give a clue, but if you would re-read some of the previous chapter (or even JUST this chapter 49 or 48 - you'll actually catch a very subtle but VAST clue to HOW Ayane was able to transfer the contents to some other place.

Another question is that where is that 'other place' that Ayane moved the Vault contents into?

Well folks, that's for the next chapters, hehe.

loveme100x
Assuming that Spectra's main man, Daisuke, never gained access to the vault, and has never been to
the vault, just how on Earth would Spectra be able to gain that much access and power?

^ Very, very good observation. Another point that I couldn't elaborate on but I would greatly emphasize.

mabelinda
But but but but but.......... what will happen now that the vault keys are with Crosse? Is he planning to get the vault himself?
fuuko-chan
I think the Vault in this chapter is a fake and the real one is somewhere... out there. O.o And the Spectra knows where it is... I guess. Will Crosse really give the keys to his father despite knowing it's Ayane who's supposed to own the Vault? ):

Regarding Crosse's 'plans' with the Vault keys, I'd leave the answers in the next chapter.

syndryx
The protection still lingers up to this moment, and the existence of that protection serves as a warning to all those who are interested in taking the riches of Crescent gang…but then again, how come that that protection is still existent? And for it to serve as a warning….is it possible that though the Crescent has been disbanded, its members still protect the Vault? Or something like that? I mean, for the protection to still linger for the last sixty years with the Crescent already gone, there should be someone or a group of someones still doing the protecting part, right?

This is a another very good observation. Can't elaborate, but at this point, bear this in mind, especially the ones I tagged in bold characters ^.


VIII. SPECTRA vs. SILVER CRESCENT

emfkrx
now crosse and the spectra seems like the "good" guyyys!
maizakichi
it's as if Spectra is ruling everything now. hehehe
chng234
kinda surprised that crooses is capable to take down rei.

That's my plan - a reversal of protagonist-antagonist roles...

But then again, that reversal may not be permanent.

loveme100x
I have yet to see Yamazaki Daisuke
make his official appearance in F&L2 as Spectra's leader. Unless he's dead? O.o But that's some-what
impossible. I just find his non-appearance a bit too suspicious.

Very good point. In fact, coincidentally, the next chapter would cater to this little request, hehe.

~Tropical.Mists
So that leads up to the whole Cross/Hiro/Black Widow tie issue with Spectra >_> Are they really WITH the Spectra? Haha =P I HIGHLY doubt it....
I love Cross and I refuse to believe that he is evil >=( Like I REFUSE with a PASSION to believe that he's into gangs and killing people and working with his good-for-nothing father =S ugh! So yes.... I'd like to secretly think that ALL 3 of them are good =) They're good because they're going AGAINST the Spectra and what better way to beat them than to join them? and destroy them from the inside >=) wakakaka! That's what I WOULD like to think =) Of course I could be wrong...
kc_chua
Reading between the lines, Crosse's so-called "grand revenge plan" must include teaming up with his father Dmitri Williams in double both the Spectra and the Silver Crescent. Is that the reason why Crosse is "working" for the Spectra?
syndryx
I mean, if Crosse will really tell Dmitri about the keys and the Spectra will go and check the Vault and see it empty, won’t they think that someone (Crosse) might have hidden its contents from them?
cambochinkanese
I wonder what Crosse's motive is o_o

Well as I've said, we've yet to see what Crosse has in mind. I promise to not let you guys be disappointed (or at least I'd try to.)

But this I can say: Heck, it's gonna be cool.


IX. The SPIDER WEB

kc_chua
That leads me back to think about that incident back in the Nakashima Tower (yup, that part where Kosuke jumped off the building to rescue Ayane!!! <3).>That was the Black Widow's doing, right! I suddenly had this mindboggling question in my head. That time, the Spider Web wasn't stolen yet, but the Black Widow was able to interecept their system. This leads me to the assumption that maybe there is a pre-existing computer system more powerful than the Spider Web? The Spectra probably stole the Spider Web later on in the story, but to access the Swiss Vault security system, they MIGHT be using another hacking program powerful enough to infiltrate. Because if the Spider Web was powerful enough to do that job, then Chris and Rei wouldn't have to wait too long just to find the perfect moment and opportunity to steal the Vault away from Ayane, would they? Then again, this theory might be going too overboard. I may be wrong. But... I MAY be right too, right? ;p

I won't comment on this yet but wow...

I never expected that someone would actually catch this one as early as this point of the story. Good job, kc_chua.


X. OTHER QUESTIONS / ASPECTS / RANDOM STUFF

morphine99
Believe it or not, while reading the part where Rei was being chased, the scene played on my mind with matching sound effects and background music

Haha.

fairy~dream
What's up with 'Hiro's being brain friers anyway? Both inside and outside this story, 'Hiro's TWISTS minds. YOU KILLER AUTHOR!!! L0L

Errr... another haha.

curiousitykills
I feel pity for Crosse-kun but why can't he just let go in order to get rid off the pain in his heart? how long can you hold on and wait Crosse-kun if Ayane's heart belongs to Kosuke? arggh....
xherodbskx
I demand aya and kosuke back together!!
noona
i'm really happy that ayane and kosokue loves each other....
poor crosse, but i really want ayane and kosokue to be together
amandahs
good chapter but also sad at the same time

Like I said, I'm not a fan of sad endings.

nganrinat0r
did Saori also have shackles? if yes this story is further twisted @.@

No, she didn't. It's much more than shackles.

benchi101
I'm now wondering again of how Crosse got out of his trap 8 years ago. Did somebody help him out?

One of the biggest mysteries in both Book 1 and 2 of F&L. I have a chapter that would narrate this in full detail.

loveme100x
Why would Crosse escape from Spectra only to return as their assassin?

Another big question. This would be included in the narration just like what I've said to Miss benchi101 ^.

VietHoney
YEESS. DIVORCE PLEASE! ;D lmao.

Let's see how Rei would be pushed to do this voluntarily.

5imply_5wt
such an amazing description of the swiss bank. makes me want to go there someday ^^

I wanna go there too someday, hehe. I haven't been there. I wanted to but man, the plane ticket it heck expensive!!!

new_faith
I'm missing Tomo and Makiko! Where are they?

They'll be back very soon... with important roles.

genna
There were too many clues for my head to handle though. lol, thinking at this hour gives me a headache...

Welcome to the Brain Frying F&L Adventure, hehe.

silent_regrets
i just came across you story today i finished the first one and here i am reading the second one
can i just say OH MY FREAKING HOLY MOTHER OF GOD!!! I LOVE YOUR STORY!!!!I cant believe i didnt read your story till now *slaps herself*
i love you story so intense i was practically on the edge of my seat throughout the whole two stories....
xxcoco_puffxx96
*Silent reader that JUST turned into active reader*
HI! I must say that your story is absolutely amazing! So fiery and exciting. It keeps me wanting more and more. Keep up the hard work and I'll be waiting!
maya16
i've been a silent reader for a while now and i just wanna say WOW x 3!
you're a great writer and you're fanfix is one in which i can't wait to read

Hey miss silent_regrets, xxcoco_puffxx96, and maya16 - - Welcome to F&L! Thank you for reading and hope you have a wonderful brain frying adventure with us, hehe.

To Mey Pazela, xxx Queen Of Slayers xxx, Rife, Snowy_angel, and the rest of the new readers from Fictionpress, welcome to F&L and thank you for your kind words, PMs, and e-mails. To the old readers in Fictionpress, especially to CLOUDSTRIFELOVER4ever, Benozir, and the rest who have stayed with us from Chapter 1, thank you very much for the continued support.

Thank you for your continued support to me, Meia, and F&L!
Thank you for being with us in this journey, hehe (turning into a drama king).

-Hiro

Chapter 48 and previous chapter replies

This was copy-pasted from our F&L2 thread in Soompi Forums. To Fictionpress readers, if you have other inquiries, feel free to e-mail me as usual. I also do individualized replies via e-mail.

New readers, welcome!

========================

Replies for Chapter 48
(+ replies for other previous chapters)

A/N regarding the "Crosse Overload" chapters
We now officially end the Crosse Overload chapters, but it doesn't mean that you'll see less of Crosse now. Remember that he is Crosse after all, therefore a significant part of the main plot (and the big bombs).

With Crosse-Ayane's relationship, I've read in some of the comments / PMs / emails saying that they are going "tired" of this same 'Crosse-loves-Ayane-but-Ayane-doesn't-love-him-but-Kosuke' aspect. I kept on repeating and emphasizing this to the point that it has become quite "tiresome" (although some romance fanatics loved it). I wrote these chapters precisely because of this intention - to stress it to the point that even the readers will grow tired of it. Why? Other than the fact that the story has to move on, I wanted the readers to grab exactly this feeling: that everyone's tired of this merry-go-round relationship except Crosse - to stress that he is persistent, stress that he has gone quite desperate, and stress his unhappiness. With the years lost and years of feeling sorry for his cowardliness more than eight years ago, he needs to experience this transition with utmost intensity.

Now that we finally end these 'Crosse chapters', you'll soon witness his 'moving on'. This is the importance of the transition - to put a bold line between his past and the actions he would do next, both regarding his relationship with Ayane and with his role as a 'Spectra' assassin.


On Yoshifumi Rei

ronicabeee
I swear to god Rei is the baddest, meanest, cruelest, and hottest villain ever made in fanfic history!
sweet_rose_20
omg rei is so evil
xherodbskx
stupid rei i just want to bash him on the head
noona
rei is soooo evil....
jusplainmeh
Stupid a-hole. I hope Crosse kills him...

The outrage, hehe. I know... as expected. I am quite fond of late-bloomer villains, hehe. (Remember that I said this well... very well.)

Silent Serenity
I'm thinking that maybe Rei and Shigeo had been planning this from the very start, from adopting Ayane after Akira got killed in Book 1, to Rei falling in love with Ayane, to Rei arranging their marriage in secret, even to call for Shizuki to be Ayane's psychiatrist! He is using every person he could to get what he wanted: the VAULT above everything else! His grand scheme is becoming evident little by little and his true color is being revealed!

^ Very good observation. Let's see how his schemes would progress in the next chapters. Will his plans be successful? Or a failure?

K.I.M
What?! He is married to her?
jemilah
WHAT? They're married???? OH.MY.GOD!
s2naomii
THEYRE MARRIED? WTHECK!?
sentuhmentalfo0l
i can't believe he has a marriage certificate
and ayane has no idea about it.. i can't believe they've been 'married' for 5 years!
linnienguyen
when did rei make the marriage documents?! o-o
debbiex33
how can he just marry her lik that w/o her knowing?
emfkrx
how did he get aya to marry him, and theyve been married for 5 year? WHAT THEEEE??
lil^jenniie
WHAT? how did rei make papers saying ayane his wife.
sooo much drama. i dont know what too think anymore

Yes, they have been married for 5 years. How did it happen? I'll explain this one by flashbacks to scenes during those eight years Ayane spent with Rei in Switzerland (and in some other place I'll reveal later).

syndryx
the Crosse chapters already ended but there are still a lot of questions bugging me…you said that we’ll know what happened to Crosse when he left in Book1…but all I got was that he went to China to train and become an assassin! There wasn’t even any info about how he came to meet his father again!
*sigh*

^ And I'll include this one too in those flashbacks.

aashtivijh
I'm a little confused, are the marriage certificates real?
5imply_5wt
or is the document fake??
myxlove101
Pathetic Rei. Making FAKE marriage contract. bleh.
muchLove
Rei, what a loser making a FAKE marriage contract.
loveme100x
But those marriage papers are fake, right?

Unfortunately, they are REAL. Again, I'll get into details with the next chapters.

Quoting what Rei said in Chapter 48:

QUOTE

“Those documents are authentic,” Rei said confidently. “Go ahead and check the registry if you wish.”

So again, yes they are real.

But this is the one I wanted to point out. I'm happy that a lot of people actually noticed this subtle detail:


On the Vault

amandahs
Wow, that was pretty much easy to get into the vault.
nha93
they are actualy letting him in?????
pie.x3
i hope he doesn't get into the vault. or i hope something happens in the vault.
maybe like ayane actually cleaned the place (the vault) of weapons and money
and put it somewhere else or something >D
dudeilovefood
HIS VAULT?? NOOOO.
Twixxie
Reading through that scene, however, something tells me that he is accessing the Vault way too easier than expected. I mean, if the employees alone panic at the sound of the Silver Crescent Vault, why would the Swiss Bank allow access to a complete stranger just because he presented documents that however authentic should not be suffice in any way to allow passage to such top secret facility? Something tells me that something is wrong. The break-in is just suspiciously "easy" IMO. I don't know if I'm overanalyzing but by the way things are, hmm... I sense something is wrong.
morphine99
The access was too easy that it is suspicious.
chng234
rei is going to open the vault!!! what is inside it?
littleazntuyet
OMG DON'T LET HIM GET THE VAULT!!


Too easy? Well, maybe it is too easy. Remember this.


shinexshine
Who was that man from the Swiss Bank?

He protects the Vault. Why? He just protects it... quite too well.


On Ayane and Yuken's picture

crossroadblues
Rei just had to steal Yoon camera and saw the picture of Sato & Aya kissing, now he is gonna do somethng stupid again.
VietHoney
what is Rei planning to do with that "scandalous" picture of Ayane and Yuken..? o.o
HYPERGURLY^^
now rei is going to use those pics against ayane!?!!?
HollaBack1588
wonder what rei is going to do now that he knows that yuken and ayane kissed...
jealous and outraged maybe ?

Good guesses on where this picture would come handy.

The question is, will this picture make things turn really bad for Ayane, Kosuke, and Yuken?

... or maybe... just maybe... to some other person.

I love writing mysteries. Exciting.


On Ayanami Fuuko

silentmeteor
yep, fuuko's comeback!
she seems more matured than before. dont she?
benchi101
She knows how to open the shackles on Lin? How?
What part does she plays in this story now? o.o
syndryx
I believe Fuuko knows a lot of things…she knows things and she doesn’t want to tell them…that incident was purely a slip of the tongue so she made up an alibi….they say that to make a lie sound convincing, it should at least contain some truth in it….heheh…so I guess, that’s what she did….and I’m still nailing her to be the architect of the Saragossa Hotel, and other hotels of the Empire group in that case…that’s how she knew Ayane to be alive…
teddybear01
since her mom was killed by spectra, maybe she was working under Rei and Aya?
Or she is some freaky metal collector, i mean she IS weird.
mangoes-dbsk
Fuuko seems really nice. Maybe she has something up her sleeve. And since they're rich, can't they buy diamond or something and use it to cut that metal since diamond is the strongest material ever? It can't be stronger than diamond.
fairy~dream
Fuuko is actually back! She's the one who gave Ayane the video tape in book 1 if I remember right???

Yes, Ayanami Fuuko is the infamous Tsuzuya bully from F&L Book 1. She's also the one who bought the Circa Constellation from the a Toute Vitesse (Saburo) and gave the video tape of her mom's murder to Ayane. Take note of these facts.

She knows of a way to take off Lin's shackles. Obviously, I can't reveal how she would do it yet. What's the purpose of writing the chapter if I did? Maybe it's a diamond? Maybe it's not.

Be surprised for a bomb though, hehe.

Silent Serenity
is Fuuko...... by any means....... the "Black Widow" that assisted Yuken with directions during the chase in Kyoto?
kc_chua
Fuuko just might be the Black Widow! (Is she?)
renchew
architect who wouldve thought of that ! and she sure noes alot of things.. i wonder who her connections are
paola_grace_27
you know, i feel something fishy about her... maybe sh'e a member os the spectra or the silver crescent? lol... just guessing..

Very good guesses. Maybe she IS the Black Widow we're all curious about... but again, maybe she's not.

Silver Crescent or Spectra? Or an independent?

But most certainly, yes, she does have another significance in the story.


Other questions / random things

RHAINE
do i get cookies for correcting your german kuya hiro ?



^ How about these? Star-shaped cookies, hehe.

They don't glow in the dark though...


curiousitykills
at last!
i want an update for kosuke and aya! Wahhhhh...please.
A!LOVE.
man, when are you gna make a chapter with ayane and kosuke,
theLOSER
I can't wait til Kosuke and Ayane meet again
iced_
I want kosuke and aya to meet again
undeniablystubborn
i want an update of kosu and aya!!!!


We'll get to that soon, don't worry. Allow me to make some significant transitions though. We can't all be romance and fluff all the time, hehe (-#- scratches head-#-). Errr... definitely they'll meet again pretty much soon.


aνєc aмσυr
In the midst of a crisis thats unfolding, Akio never fails to brighten up the mood.
redbutterflytree
Akio is such a good character. Whenever the story gets dark and gloomy, he pops in with all his hilarity and makes me smile.
PSiloveyu
AKIO IS HILARIOUS MAN !

That's his purpose in this fic. He's the 'balancer'... but that doesn't mean that Akio's significance ends there. Remember this.

simpleangel
Ayane, where is she?! still locked up?!

Ayane's still with Crosse in the beach house. They've been there for a month now.

~Tropical.Mists
I hope you read my reply on F&L1 or else you're gonna think I'm some sorta crazy person posting on your thread T___T lol

Haha, I surely did and you got me grinning like a hyena. I think that has been the longest review I've ever received so far for this story (or at least the longest one for 'publicly posted reviews' as far as Soompi is concerned).

Welcome to Fists and Lipsticks Miss ~Tropical.Mists and I hope you have a great time in this Brain Frying adventure, hehe. Glad to have you here. Meia waves and says 'Hi' too. She's with me right now.

genna
I love about this story is the development and changes of the characters from F&L1 to now, it's very natural and just real.

Glad to hear that, hehe. I'm relieved that I'm imparting the message well. You now see why Book 1 has been written as 'lightly' and 'corny' / 'innocent' as it is. I wanted to draw that bold line and kinda mold the transitions / changes as we pass events in Book 2.

jaja13
i have a feeling this fic isn't going to end anytime soon! haha.

I'm targeting chapter 65 - 70. Yeah, isn't going to end anytime soon, but I'm targeting mid 2009 to finish everything and until September for final touches and editing/re-writing, Book 1 included to make the combined Book 1 + Book 2 PDF/.doc version.

mabelinda
But what about Rei's feelings for Ayane? Were they ever true?

Hmm... you'll find out in the next chapters.

Rin Li
Book 1 shocked me to bits. Book 2 is about to shock me to death.

Haha. Not really... -#-hyena grin-#-

vivi_dee
Big thanks for replying to my crazy email too. Did I sound like a crazy fan / freak? Sorry huh? Like my sister, I can talk about this story the whole day long nonstop! This is a drug! An addicting drug!

No problem. E-mail me anytime if you have more questions.

~Tropical.Mists
Hey hiro! I was wondering if you watch Heroes?

Yeah! Hiro Nakamura happens to be my favorite character too, next to the kid who can repair stuff by touching them? I forgot his name...

xradiostarx
your fan fic helps me in history! LOL the other day we were learning about world war 2 and my teacher asked us why germany didnt attack switzerland. and it was because of their banks.. xD haha. when he told us that. i totally remembered this fan fic xD so cool ahha

Yes, Swiss Banks are known for the the tight secrecy laws all over the world. Notorious for keeping secret bank accounts too by corrupt officials.

showstopper
This story makes the readers think and that is what attracted me to this story because I like reading stuff that do not only make me smile from sweet scenes and drool from handsome male leads but a story that would make me use my mind, intelligence, imagination, and something that would fill my heart with emotions.

Welcome to Fists and Lipsticks, Miss showstopper... I appreciate your kind remarks.

stephieyeung
Brain Bomber's gonna be your new nickname, Hiro! Fire it up! Lol!

Hehe, you guys are fond of giving me nicknames. Well they're better than the ones Meia gives me though.

Don't ask what Meia calls me. You'll probably die laughing, hehe.


akito&agito
thanks for the update at 4.30 AM.
patty412
How come you always update during off-peak hours?

It's a strategy, hehe. So that if I have mistakes in the first posting attempt, I can easily redo them with less people catching my mistakes.

And I'm a shy person, hehe.

If you have other questions, feel free to PM me or to email me.
See my signature for links.
Drop by my writing blog too if you have some time to spare.


THANK YOU FOR READING F&L
and
THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT.


-The Author

Chapter 48: Interrogations

Before posting this chapter (which has been written long ago) I couldn't believe the number of grammatical mistakes, hehe. Even after I posted the chapter, I realized that I missed correcting a number of them. Thank you to Miss RHAINE and akito&agito from Soompi Forums for pointing them out, especially the German parts. Yeah, I know. It's not good to edit chapters at 3 in the morning with an empty stomach, a really bad sore throat, and a terrible migraine for 2 days now.

Anyway, I'm happy to start dropping bombs once again. The next chapters I'm very excited to reveal. I love writing mysteries. They're... exciting, hehe.

Take note of some subtle and obvious clues I left in the previous chapters, even here in Chapter 48. Ayanami Fuuko is back in the story and Yoshifumi Rei is ready to claim the Vault. The question is, will he be able to claim it?

And if he does, what is inside the Vault?

Folks, welcome and prepare for one hell of a ride.