Authors note: I have re-watched my beloved Yu Yu Hakusho DVDs and came up with a number of new stories for my original fanfic pairing. I missed Botan and Kurama. This is the first story I have written for them in many years so hopefully every one is as they should be. Anyway I hope you enjoy, I had a great time with this concept and i have another in a similar vein in the works.
Mud squished between her toes. The plants that surrounded her were stretching up for the light that streamed through the holes in the canopy. Following their lead she stretched her hands up into the air allowing the power to surge up through her fingertips. The steady stream of energy joined the barrier that shielded them form the rest of makai. It had been sometime since anyone had dared get close, even longer since anyone had broken through.
She was too strong now for that. Too many years of fighting off intruders and many more spent preventing them entirely had built up her spiritual muscles. How long had it been? She had lost count many years before but they had been here for at least 100 years, possibly longer.
Day in day out she remained, content to dwell in the safety of the lethal garden. The plants had come to know her and brushed against her as she walked back to the cave, friendly with her familiar presence. She would have liked to read into it but refrained. Just because they were his plants and would have killed anyone else meant nothing other than they were old friends and he knew her energy, thus so did they.
The darkness of the entry way was misleading, diverting off into sub chambers if one did not know the proper path. The poisonous viper vines had gathered a pile of skulls in their masters absence and she had not changed anything upon her arrival. Well, perhaps she had cleaned somethings and organized a few others but for the most part the cave was as it had been.
She passed through the inner chamber that in the day was bathed in the light from the opening above and at night was awash in the glowing flowers that climbed the cavern walls. The light bounced off the treasures piled high around her. Each nook and cranny of the treasure rooms was filled to the rafters and each room had a theme, so to speak, barring what she could not or would not move.
For all these many years the jewels, scrolls, artifacts, and plants had been her companions. She had learned a great deal from them especially the scrolls and tomes; learned enough to keep the man she protected safe and for that she was grateful.
Silver hair rested as it had since she last brushed it, splayed out on the bed of fine velvet and furs. She let out a sigh. There were times she missed the red, but it had been many years since his human form began to fade. She was not sure it would ever return but then would he? How many years had passed and he remained motionless save the slow steady breathing that told her he was still alive? He had been hibernating to regain his strength or so she assumed.
That day... no one knew what actually happened and if they did they had not told her. All she knew was that by the time she had gotten to him, slumped on the battlefield next to his fallen enemy, he had slipped beyond her reach and no one could bring him back. Genkai could do nothing. Yukina could do nothing. Koenma could do nothing. Worst of all neither could she.
In a last ditch attempt to bring him around the boys had taken him to a hospital. Human doctors had no answers and they said he could not be saved. Idiots, they were all idiots. He was still there, still breathing and while there was that she could not give up. Then it had come, the suggestion that briefly brought a rage that she had never felt before.
How dare they, she wanted to scream. How dare they try to take him from this world. She was death. She knew for whom the bell tolled. It was not his time. His mother had passed peacefully before the event and thus was not around to witness his fall. There was some small mercy in that. She did not know if she could have faced Shiori and told her of such a thing. She knew she could not have born to witness his mothers anguish; she could not bare her own let alone anothers.
With no viable options from human doctors and no one else that could help she made a decision. Energy would sustain him and given time perhaps he would recover in his own. She left with him, spirited him away, never bothering to tell Koenma where she was going nor if she ever intended to come back. The explanation she had delivered to him was more than enough, or so she felt.
For a time after they traveled, bouncing from place to place, never settling for more than a few days. The bounty on his head was too high to be ignored and Spirit world considered him MIA. Soon enough humans and demons alike were swarming to get their hands on the infamous Youko Kurama. After defecting from spirit world there was one on her head too. The rouge reaper... just the thought made her want to laugh, but that bounty was no laughing matter. It was high enough to warrant very powerful demons to track her down. And the facts were that no matter how far or how fast she flew from place to place the pair caught someones attention.
It was not long before she was cornered and fighting for their lives. For a split second she wished she had stayed at Genkai's, but that hall was full already. Yusuke and Keiko had a family to raise and was not fair to ask them to suffer the intruders too. Then, as if someone had heard her prayer, one of the gang had shown up. Perhaps he had heard her distress telepathically or perhaps he had been keeping an eye on them.
She had never been so happy to see Hiei as she had been that day. He found them circled by a crew of demons. He did not say anything. Together they fought the hoard off and when it was all over he lead her to the clearing outside the barrier of man-eating fauna in Makai. He left as soon as she entered the brush not wanting to attract anymore attention than they already had.
When the flora parted she knew where Hiei had taken them. Kurama's territory was not vast but it was well guarded, well hidden, and by the time she found the cave she was exhausted. She waited and trained, set up the cave, learned to hunt, and most importantly she set up the barrier. All the while he slept. She healed him everyday and on the odd occasion threw in some of her inexhaustible life energy into the process. It made no difference. Kurama refused to wake. Still she would not give up no matter how long it took.
She sat at his side. She brushed his cheek with her fingertips. The skin was chilled slightly but no more so than had he been out for a walk on a brisk afternoon. The beautiful face was so peaceful and still. It had been so long but she could still remember his expressions as if he were speaking to her now. The soulful eyes that screamed of knowledge, the smirk of triumph, and the soft gaze of affection... she would give anything to see them again.
"Hello Kurama," she said letting loose some energy to heal him. It would not do for him to wake and be unable to walk let alone speak. "I tended to the ogegi today. I think they might be on the mend after the frost we had." She did not know if he could hear her but it could not hurt. Besides he was the only person she could speak to really and she felt a little crazy when she spoke to the plants. The only person that still visited was Hiei. Every few years the koorime would stop by to check on her. He was never terribly chatty. He would walk in look around and when satisfied that they were both still alive he would walk out again.
Yukina was too busy with her children to come often. That and they all knew the risks of her travelling alone. The three of them in the same place was asking for more trouble than the two women could handle, thus Yukina stayed away for all of their safety. As for Koenma he had long since given up on her, which suited her just fine. It was a relief to have the SDF off her trail.
"I think I might check on the oleanders tomorrow. And I will have to find something for the snap dragons." She was not sure exactly what their proper names were all of the time, especially because the plants grown under Kurama's energy were rarely typical. Often the descriptions in the books she had hardly look similar to what she saw, but she did her best. A crackle from the other end of the room caught her attention. The fire pit was calling. She would have to start dinner soon. Oh did she miss the days of instant ramen and pizza. Next time Hiei went to the human world he would have to bring her back some.
As she went about her tasks she remembered a song from years past. "Hmm... badum dum, hmmmmm..." The pot bubbled away and the soles of her feet pulled her towards the spring in the next cavern. A nice soak would go a long way towards a restful sleep. She tied her hair up brushing the blue tendrils out of her eyes.
"I think I'll go through and have a bath... Kami I need a pet to talk to!" She wailed at the walls realizing no one could hear her. Then she sulkily grumbled, "The cat near by had kittens maybe I could adopt one." She undid her kimono and let it slide off her shoulders just outside the bathing pool.
The cool stone contrasted sharply with the warm water as it lapped at her toes. Botan collapsed into the water still humming the ditty she could not seem to get out of her head. The smell of the lavender plants that lined the far edge of the pool relaxed her. She loved it in here but could never stay for long. The steam and hot water puckered her skin and sooner than she liked it was time to get out. She dunked her head under the surface scrubbing away at the dirt that had come from a day with the plants. The soap she made did wonders for her skin. It was a skill she picked up from one of the many books in the cave. She had read them all, arranging them so that she could easily find what she needed if she had to return to the pages. Extracting oils had become quite useful in the absence of conditioner.
A drying cloth wrapped her hair after she wrung it out, putting on a fine dressing gown she had discovered after her original fuzzy purple robe had fallen apart.
"Onna!" Kami save me, he's early, she thought, pulling the ties on her robe tight. "Onna, let me in this infernal barrier before I break through it," he shouted into her head from the edge of the territory. She lifted her hand up to remove a small portion for him to zip past before closing it again.
"As if you could. Of all the nerve..." she grumbled, walking into the main hall. She knew he could hear her no matter how softly she spoke. He could have heard her thoughts if he so chose and she had learned long ago it was best just to say what she was thinking when around the koorime.
"And call off the plants," he said through clenched teeth, trying his best to avoid the hungry snap dragons in the corridor.
"You know I can't." The gentle reminder did little to assuage his prickly temper and when he appeared in the main hall he glanced around with the sneer she had become all too familiar with.
"Are you hungry?" she asked knowing he was not interested but it was polite to offer anyway. Just because his manners were lacking did not mean hers needed to be. The stew was not ready but she was sure she could find something to see him on his way and began digging through the contents of her food cupboard.
"You need to get out more" he said with a sniff, red eyes roaming the area. It was cleaner than the last time he had been by, but then that was always the case.
"I don't know what you mean," she replied snidely, ever so slightly affronted that he had ignored her hospitality completely. There was something off about him today. He was not being as pointed or menacing as he usually was and that in turn made her slightly uncomfortable. It was not like him to be concerned about her well being even if he veiled it in an offensive tone. She wondered what was on his mind.
"You've organized everything," he said pointed about the main hall that used to be filled with every treasure imaginable. Gold, silver, tomes, plants had all been mixed up as if the person collecting had been to busy collecting to actually admire what he already had. Now all that was left outside the treasure rooms were a few items here and there.
She shrugged and stirred the pot gently to make sure the bottom had not stuck. "I just put like things together." It was hardly that big a deal. She like to think she had kept the cave as much the same as she could whilst still being able to live in it, but admittedly it had been a while and not everything could stay exactly the same.
"You didn't touch those" he said, slightly surprised with his eyes trained on a box in the middle of the walkway. She could only imagine he thought her stupid enough to do so and perhaps in prior years she would have been. The aura that exuded from some of the items spelled trouble and she was not so foolish anymore.
"What do you take me for?" she asked showing her offence and yet amused at the same time. She had come to take his offences in stride for the most part. After all he pissed off everyone at some point and to receive such minor affronts was a sign that he cared. To be ignored was to be insignificant to him, and so she took it as the compliment that it was.
"He would die," he said bluntly, fixing her with a stare and suddenly she realized that he was serious and that this was no typical house call. She stared back, wide eyed, now fully focused on what he had to say. "if you did."
She took a sharp breath in but smiled anyway trying not to let such words or how he knew such a thing effect her too much. She never assumed and she would not now. And why today, she thought. How many years ago could he have given her that warning? To be fair those items had been under piles of treasure back then. It was only recent that they stood on their own.
Either way she decided to be nonchalant about it and gently move past it. "Don't be silly." She waved at him, turning back to prod the fire that needed some reinforcement.
He handed her a log from the pile she had accumulated. How Kurama had managed to get pine to grow in Makai she would never fully understand but she was grateful. The smell was one of her favorites and it was one of the few trees that did not mind giving up some of it's branches with out a fight. "I never am. Do not touch those and put up some more seals on the eastern border." She nodded along with his commands. She had actually been planning to update those seals with some new ones she had found recently.
Satisfied he turned to walk away, pausing to think for a moment. "I will bring Yukina with me next time," he announced, much to her excitement and slight bewilderment. He was being so nice today. She wondered if he'd had a good fight earlier. She was not going to ask questions. Instead she smiled and refrained from hugging him, and action that was likely to have her arm chopped off.
"I always knew you cared about my sanity," she joked walking him to the exit.
"Pft, baka onna," he sneered, looking at the corridor with a sense of trepidation, something she never got tired of seeing from him as it was so rare.
"Watch out for the pink ones. They pack a punch," she said, goading him a bit and for once he seemed to listen.
"Hn." Botan chuckled as the small man flinched away from the teeth of a pink snap dragon, that she could only imagine Kurama had managed to cultivate from his own energy. In a flash he was gone and she closed the hole in the barrier after him as he sailed through it. He never had much time with Mukuro in constant need of his service.
"Hmm, dah dum, mmm, mmmm," she paused in her humming to taste the broth. The taste was right but there was still too much liquid. An hour or two on a low fire would help.
That worked out perfectly. The healing process did not drain her anymore but the habit of falling asleep shortly afterwards was one she could not seem to shake. By the end of her nap she would be hungry and the stew would be ready so she meandered over to the only chair she had not been able to move. A throne was a better way to describe it as the gold leaf and velvet pairing screamed opulence. The seat was massive and she had never been able to make it budge but it was comfortable and had been placed against a wall. She imagined it suited someone of Youko's size a great deal more than it did hers but the plush cushion was very comfortable and she had grown accustomed to sleeping there.
The laundry can wait till later, she thought drifting off against the velvet vaguely aware of the book she had been reading sliding off onto the pile below. The sun shining down on her was a comfort that she had yet to be able to resist when in that seat and before she knew it dreams invaded her vision.
The grumble of her stomach woke her more than anything else. She had not been out too long. The sun on the backs of her lids told her the time. She would still be able to hang some clothes out before the sun lost it's heat.
She opened her eyes hesitantly. It was so warm and comfortable she did not want to wake up but there were things to do yet in the day. Laundry, and the food was still on the fire, and the fire was another thing she needed to tend to.
A rumble in her ear halted her move to get up. Her amethyst eyes shot all the open to full attention. She was not in her chair. In fact she could see the indentation in the velvet where she had sat for so many afternoons from there. She was at the other end of the chamber which meant...
"Hmm, mmmm." That deep set baritone was familiar. Alabaster arms wrapped around her waist and silver strands mingled with her blue ones.
"Kurama?" Was she dreaming? She had to be. The disbelief in her tone made it obvious she thought so. She had this dream many a night before. She was sure she was dreaming this time as well. She closed her eyes again expecting to open them and find herself in her chair. When she opened them the chair was still empty as was her makeshift bed in the room beyond. She pinched herself hard wincing at the pain. The chuckle that followed was warm and she turned to find a pair of bright gold eyes shinning down on her.
"Botan." Her name from his lips brought on a tidal wave of emotions that burst forth in a river of silent tears. A frown creased his brow as concern laced with confusion. A clawed hand wiped away the tears. With his deductive skills were at work it hardly took much for him to begin to understand.
She opened her mouth to speak but never got the chance. Lips sealed over hers pulling her into him. She hardly knew what was happening but she leaned in instinctively kissing him back. After a moment she was actively participating, the shock became a secondary thought to the embrace. Her whole body buzzed.
When he pulled back he stroked her hair. "How long?" he asked, preparing himself for the response.
She swallowed hard, reigning in her emotions. "Over 100 years."
He was silent for a time, taking in the information and thinking it over. A nervous knot grew in her chest. How would he react? Such a length of time to be away from the world was a hard thing to accept. His eyes were soft, though his expression was hard to read and through it all she waited.
"You've been here the whole time." It was not a question. He seemed to know and wanted confirmation so that is what she gave him.
"Since you left the hospital... well, since you and I left. We were only allowed to visit you there." He blinked a few times and she waited for the next question suddenly acutely aware of his presence and her lack of attire. Discreetly she adjusted her dressing gown, tucking the folds back where they should have been, the skin of her thighs disappearing beneath the fabric.
"What happened?" Her head snapped up towards him when the question fell into the air. For a moment she was at a loss. She opened her mouth to try and explain but nothing came out. Botan could not begin unless she knew where to start and so much had happened. Questions abounded; was he conscious in his sleep? Had he heard things happening around him? And if he had what did he know?
"What do you remember?" At least then she would know where to start.
"The battle. I remember defeating my foe. Then..." his voice, something she had dreamed of hearing again, trailed off. "Then there was darkness and I saw nothing. I did hear things." She was relieved to know he had not been completely in the dark. There was comfort in knowing that he had some idea who was around him. And then she remembered... and it would seem he did too. His eyes focused on her again as if something was returning to the forefront of his mind.
"I heard you." Suddenly self conscious, she fiddled with her hem. Had he heard her all this time? She often begged him to come back, begged Kami to send him back. If he heard all that then he would have heard the tears, the declarations, and the devotion. The blush she was sure she was sporting would soon give her away if it had not already.
"I heard you humming. Some songs I knew, others I came to know." Botan looked up to his ears that twitched in recollection. Silver fur was soft to the touch she knew from experience, but the twitching motion was new and it caught her eye. She had always admired his ears when he was in the yokai form. She did not really know why, other than that they seemed to suit him.
She had relaxed slightly seeing him relax. At the same time a gut wrenching feeling came over her. He did not know, and she did not know if she could say it now with the possibility of rejection staring her in the face. He had kissed her but perhaps that had been a spur of the moment reaction to discovering her care of him. Then again, he had never been one to do anything without thinking. The idea gave her a hope that she had never allowed to grow until that moment.
"I am glad it helped, even just a little bit." He drew her in again holding her close to his chest.
"It did." She could hear his heart beating strong in his chest and it was supremely comforting. As the seconds passed she felt the need to move. Of course she wanted to stay but a grumble from his stomach was all the hint she needed.
"Let me get you a bowl. You must be hungry," she said as she scurried off to get him some food. All the while she could feel his gaze on her. Something was beginning to bother him, she could tell. Soon enough he would ask. While she waited for his question she checked the stew. It was just about done; certainly done enough to stave off hunger.
"Botan, how is this possible?" It was a good question; she could not be sure. She had tried to feed him in the past but he would not swallow and thus that attempt had been thrown out the window early on. After that, well there was only one answer really.
"I'm not too sure. Spirit and life energy can sustain someone for a time but not usually this long."
"Life?" The question growled in her ear making her jump. She felt the ceramic slip through her fingers and automatically flinched, but the smashing sound she expected never came.
He caught the bowl and promptly spun her around. Nose to nose they stood. She avoided his gaze until a hand clasped her chin, caressing her jaw. She could feel the anger rolling off him in droves and his tall frame dwarfed her now. Even so she was not afraid. The great Youko he most certainly was, but to her he would always be Kurama. He would not hurt her no matter how angry he got. Of that fact she was absolutely positive.
"Don't do that again. Please." Her eyes widened and a small breath escaped her. Fear. That was where the anger came from. It was not an emotion she was used to coming from him and she found herself once again unsteady. All of the sudden things were happening and she did not know quite how to react other than to just let it sweep over her.
"I didn't know what else to do," Botan admitted quietly, finally meeting his gaze. "You might have been gone longer if I hadn't." She held his hand in hers letting it fall from her face. "I wanted to and it was worth it. I have seen my life thread. You have no need to worry." He opened his mouth to protest but she beat him to it. "I gave my life only when I thought you needed it; when I thought you might be slipping away. It happened once when I took you from the hospital and again after the attack. Then Hiei brought us here. A few times after that too."
"Attack?"
She nodded silently allowing him a moment to get the timeline right in his head before continuing. "The bounty- the bounties bring in all sorts of nasty fellows."
As silver brow rose in conjunction to the slight rise of his lips until a full smirk could be seen. He always caught the minute details so no doubt he had picked up much more than she thought he had. "The barrier is impressive."
She laughed, picking up a bowl for herself and quickly munching away at a bit before she realize he was not eating. He was just watching her. As much as she liked the attention he must have been starved. "You should eat Kurama. I can tell you more later."
A clawed hand dipped into the bowl, the small taste he brought to his lips had him quickly downing the contents and then going back in for more.
"I see you like it," she said with a giggle, gathering up that laundry she had intended to wash. The pile in her arms were all of her things and so few of his. She was going to need to wash more if his stuff too. There was so much to do now that she thought about it. Best start while the sun was still out. "I'll be in the spring. Eat as much as you like I can always make more." She called back to him doing her best to keep hold of the pile she had accumulated.
She looked around for a basket when the clothes she had gathered were taken and tossed aside. "Kurama!" She squealed outrage quickly turning to shock. The surprise of being lifted off the ground had her clinging to his form. With her still in his arms he sat down on the plush chair.
"You have taken care of me all this time. Protected me, fed me, washed me-" His voice dipped down into a sultry timber and a pleased grin lit up his features as her bright red face spoke the truth. The years of hauling him down to the springs with her eyes closed had become routine and though she was shamed to admit it she had seen far more of him than was proper. He did not seem to mind, which was a relief but she had tried her best not to invade his privacy too much.
Soon enough a more serious expression was back on his face as he continued. "You brought me back."
She waved her hands dismissively. He was giving her far too much credit. "It was only a matter of time."
His lips were at he shell of her ear in a heartbeat. "No. I heard what you said."
Her heart skipped a beat. The pads of his thumb found their way to her wrists and she felt the goosebumps raise on her arms as small circles traced over her veins. He kept his claws up so as not to hurt her and licked the rim of her ear. She was frozen, unable to shy away from his caress and at the same time unable to act.
"Had I known you felt that way I would have acted on it sooner." The soft kiss he left on her neck distracted her for a moment but soon she realized what he said.
"Sooner?"
Another caress of his lips allowed her to feel the smile that formed against her skin. "Didn't you know?" he asked, holding her tight against his chest as if he was afraid to let her go.
Botan blinked, her blue locks fell to the side at his question along with her tilt of her head. "Know what?" Her words were breathless and her face turned to see the man that looked down at her, showing her his true intentions.
"I have loved you from the start." The confession was quiet but she heard it loud and clear and it made her heart soar. He loved her? HER? Of all the women in the world she was his choice. She was finding it hard to believe so she let it settle in her heart and mind but the exaltation made it difficult to do or say anything in return. To think all this time he had cared.
Then she realized she did not know what he considered to be the start. The start of the team? Surely not. If so why in Kami's name had he not said anything? The more she thought about it the more it made sense but she could not believe he had cared for so long, and that she had too and neither had said anything. There was a question she had to know the answer to. "Why did you wait?"
His hands drifted up to her shoulders and squeezed lightly and she noticed that the scent that had lingered about him grew tenfold. "I didn't think it was possible that you could love a man so tainted as me. Not you, one so pure of heart."
Botan's face scrunched up in disbelief and frustration. Her fists balled up and thumped against his chest once as her voice raised. "You presumptive ma-"
Her tirade, albeit one of diminished proportions, was cut short by a searing kiss that lit a fire within them both. His clawed hands slipped into her hair and tilted her face to fit with is. Immediately she melted against him the anger quickly forgotten in passion. Her fingers splayed over the plains of his chest. When they finally separated he rested his face in her neck. "It was foolish. Can you forgive me?"
His words buzzed against her skin and she tilted his face up to see his eyes. "Of course I forgive you. Just don't leave me waiting that long again."
Molten eyes stared back with sincerity as he brushed blue strands of hair away from her skin. "I don't think I could."
She smiled at him, an action he reflected as she settled into his warmth. He moved to stand taking her with him and she in turn held on tightly. Suddenly she was bursting with things she wanted to show him, namely how his many plants were doing under her care. She was dying for a second opinion on some of her herbal concoctions.
"There are so many things I want to show you. Do you want to head outside and see the plants?" she asked excitedly wondering why he made no attempts to move. His head shook and for a split second she was frightened he would fall asleep again.
"That can wait for a time." His eyes were closed as he placed lingering kisses on her neck. He almost looked like he was going to drift off again. The idea frightened her and the race of her heart caught his attention. With an apologetic smile he picked her up and took her to the bed. For a brief moment she was confused.
"Are you still tired?" she asked, prepared to hold her breath while he had a nap. A shake of his head soothed her worry only to ignite curiosity. "Then why?" Botan stopped speaking when a devilishly hungry smirk crept onto his lips, one that she was sure would have shamed the devil himself.
"It is not my intention to sleep my love." The rumble from his chest sent shivers of anticipation down her spine as they collapsed in a heap onto the sheets and she let out a gasp as his skin touched hers. He moved slowly at first making sure that she was ready. She was more than ready but she knew him. He would not do anything with out her express permission first. She met his caution with fierce abandon running her hands up his sides. When her tongue reach out to graze his own his arms snaked around her back and he let out a groan. Somehow they ended up in a tangled mess of limbs as he held her close and their heated dance gained speed. The press of something hard on her inner thigh made her grin. Lithe fingers caressed him and once again molten eyes were on her. She could die a happy woman right now so long as he was watching her. But soon enough she was taking that sentiment back. To hell with dying she wanted to live if this was what being with him was like. A moan of encouragement escaped her, one he accepted eagerly and soon they were both falling over the edge.
From outside the barrier Hiei stood waiting for the pair to finish up their initial greetings, but what was taking so long? What was the kitsune's damned problem anyway? They had been in there forever. What the hell would a man and woman be doing for that long anyway? A dark blush crossed his cheeks when the breathless giggle emerged from the confines of the cave along with a primal growl that could only mean one thing really.
He would come back later... Hiei shuttered in embarrassed disgust as what could only be described as dark chuckle made its way to his ears. He would come back much later, maybe in a day or two. A girlish squeal echoed from the cavern and he shook his head before taking off towards Mukuro's fortress. Better make that a week at least.
End Comments: As my first BXK fic in the better part of 7 years I think I really liked it, so let me know if you did too. admittedly the idea of Kurama being asleep for 100 years is a little far fetched but that is what fanfic is for right? far fetched ideas; at least some of the time anyway. As always reviews are appreciated (sans the flames). I have another in the works as we speak, so keep an eye out if you liked this. See ya soon!