Title : Whispers of a Nightmare
Genre : Anime/Manga
Category : Full Metal Alchemist
Disclaimer : Nope, this one belongs to someone else as well.
Summary : Takes place after the incident with Nina. Something's wrong with Ed, and Al just can't quite figure out what it is. Serious situations and angst ensue.
Warnings : Angst, mild language, violence, and other issues that shall go unnamed for now. I don't want to give away too much of the plot just yet, now do I? ;)
Rating : T
Chapter 7 : Land of Forlorn
Using his quick wit mixed with relentless fear, Alphonse pushed himself out of the way with a second to spare, the iron gauntlet landing beside his helmet, etching a jagged scratch down its side. Fear wracked him mercilessly as the second fist came down to finish what the first one hadn't. Still hearing the echoes of the screech of his steel faceplate, he pushed with all the strength he had, managing to knock his attacker back a ways, though it didn't deter the defiant stranger.
Al knew that the distraction would only give him a fraction of a minute to change his position. Acting purely on instinct, he rolled over and pushed himself to his knees, all the while hearing the clanking of the other suit of armor coming towards him.
I can't die now! Brother needs me! And if this thing is after me, I don't even want to know what he's gotten himself into!
Taking a chance, he kicked behind him, thankful that his opponent wasn't expecting it as he heard the steel connect and the other fall backwards. He seized the opportunity he was given and stood to his feet, taking off in the direction he originally came from. From what he could tell, he was on the other side of the river, where hopefully the origin of the red light from the previous night would be. And knowing Edward, he would definitely be near it too.
Alphonse was thankful that he didn't have to worry about lungs or breath at that moment, because he knew he would have been out of it by now. Though the steel did have its disadvantages. He couldn't run quite as fast due to the heaviness of the material, but then again, he didn't have to worry about losing breath or slowing down either.
His pace sped up as he heard armor clanking behind him, seemingly at a faster speed than what he was going. Turning his head slightly, he could see the stranger just a few feet away, gaining on him hastily. Oh no! How could he be so fast? Brother even has a hard time keeping up with me! And he's flesh and blood…well, not completely…
The thought saddened him, but at the moment, he didn't have time to lament. He narrowed his vision on the clearing that was a few yards ahead, praying that he could somehow find an escape or a way to defeat the person that was at his footfalls, but the weight that struck him directly in his back proved that he was too late. He could hear the steel cringe and bend, moving inward and nearly breaking altogether. Whoever this person was, they were strong, and would prove to not be easily defeated, a thought that frightened him all the more.
What if I don't live to see Brother again? How can I help him get back to the way he used to be? I can't! No, I won't! I won't let this happen! Brother needs me, and I can't give in so fast!
He felt determination rile his soul as he fell forward, though not completely to the ground. He steadied himself on a tree, turning back around to face the monster that had become his shadow. He managed to land a swift kick to the stranger's chest plate, though it didn't seem to do any good. Al could have sworn he heard a low, guttural laugh emanate from inside the steel, though he wasn't sure. He managed another blow to the other's face plate, though that had no effect either.
His opponent swung, connecting with Al's shoulder. The sickening crack resonated through the early morning air, birds still chirping merrily and insects still singing as though nothing had happened. But it had. He didn't feel any pain; but that wasn't the problem. The problem was that his left arm was now lying useless on the spongy ground, utter loss of control raging though him. He wanted to cry and scream all at the same time, though the shock of it all rendered him temporarily speechless, only a small squeak escaped the hallow armor.
He was frozen; completely. Paralyzed. He couldn't move whatsoever. Fear became a tornado that twisted through his soul, tearing him apart from the inside out. In the back of his mind, something was telling him that Edward would be able to fix it, that it would be okay; but just seeing a piece of him laying on the soft earth like that terrified him. What if it had been Ed fighting this thing instead? And what if the same thing had happened to him, only there would have been screams of pain and blood splattered everywhere?
His consciousness was going into overdrive after one horrible thought after another raced through his system. What if this and what if that, but ultimately, another blow hit him, knocking him out of his train of horror-filled thoughts. He felt the metal crack once more and threaten to split as the stranger pounded him in the side, panic streaking through his being.
He had to protect Ed, no matter what. And in order to that, he had to remain alive, hollow body or not. If he wasn't there for his brother, then who would be? It wasn't as though they had any family left. Sure, there were Aunt Pinako and Winry, but they weren't truly family. There was no mother, and definitely no father. He had disappeared without a trace, and would most likely never be seen again. No one. Absolutely no one. Alphonse couldn't have it--no, he wasn't going down without a fight. Not this time.
Letting out a loud cry, he rose up, pushing the stranger away with as much force as he could muster, knocking it off its feet. Whoever this was was intent on killing him, or getting close enough to. He didn't want to kill the stranger, just disable him long enough that he could get away and find his brother, if that were possible.
Without thinking, a question resonated through his shell, surprising even himself. "Who are you?" he grunted, dodging a kick from his attacker. When he received no response, he tried again, this time pinning the stranger down to the ground and putting all of his weight on him. "Who are you, and what do you want? What do you want from me?" His voice was quivering, fear contained tightly in it.
The stranger continued to struggle, ignoring Alphonse's questions. Before long, they had switched positions, dirt and earth sticking to pieces of the shiny steel, polluting their cleanly kept exteriors. Of course it was harder for Alphonse to gain any ground, having the disadvantage of being able to use only one arm, but he was persistent, causing them once again to assume the other's role, he getting on top. It took him a moment, but a thought that should have crossed his mind minutes ago finally struck him like an anvil. He didn't understand how he could have been so blind.
"You're Kania," he whispered, his voice barely audible. He stopped fighting, letting his good arm slowly return to his side. He stared down into the emerald green eyes, the same exact ones that Edward had stared into when he was scared for his life. This was the murderer.
The armor beneath him stopped struggling as well, Al's words greeting his ears. The emerald orbs flashed something that he hadn't seen before. It wasn't hate, like it had been when he had first saw them. This time it was an expression of sadness, of woe.
Everything stood still around them; the earth, the air, even the song of the animals ceased, drowned out by the realization of who was in their presence. Silence entwined their souls, swirling in the mist that flowed between them. It was as though time had stopped momentarily, letting the words thoroughly sink in.
Al's emotions became mixed as a new conclusion made its way to his mind. This was the person who tried to kill Edward. The one who tried and almost succeeded in taking his heart and transmuting it into metal. But then another question arose, one that came from the other side of his mind; how? Kania was supposed to be dead, killed in a storm, drowned. But this was him, he was sure of it. The only way that could be possible…
Without a second thought, he lifted up Kania's face plate. It was as empty as his was. He was a hollow shell, just like him. Sympathy slowly wound its way through his being, he knowing exactly how Kania felt. He knew what it was like, not being made of flesh and blood, longing to smell, taste and touch, feel things as they should be, not numb as they were now. He slowly sat back against a tree, his emotions getting the better of him. And somewhere in the depths of his soul, he had to remind himself that hollow shell or not, Kania was still a murderer and that wouldn't change.
"I know how it feels, to be stuck in this empty shell without being able to feel anything. I understand what you're going through, but I don't understand why you're killing people. They're innocent people, Kania. Why…I just don't get it," he stated, watching the other suit of armor slowly rise into a sitting position.
"Because it's the only way," a quiet voice replied, emanating from the other steel suit, its head bowing as its face plate was put back into place.
Alphonse looked up, surprised that he got a response this time. The soft voice that made its way through his hearing sounded quite sad and depressed, not the deep, hateful one that he imagined. He was feeling more empathetic as the seconds went by. But he still couldn't understand.
"The only way to what?" Al questioned, confusion evident in his tone.
"It was the only way to complete the stone," Kania answered, slowly meeting Al's lost gaze.
Shock overwhelmed the eleven year old alchemist, knowing that if he had a mouth, or a jaw for that matter, both would have surely dropped to the ground. An odd sensation filtered through his soul; half hope, half dread. They hadn't been searching for long, and practically the first case they receive and it leads them to a stone? This has to be too good to be true, the thought wandered through Al's mind, though he contemplated it further, curiosity getting the better of him.
"You have…a stone? A Philosopher's stone? The Philosopher's stone?" he inquired, his voice getting higher with each syllable. He was almost in a state of disbelief, though he couldn't help but give into his wonderment.
The suit of armor opposite Alphonse shifted, albeit uncomfortably. Kania nodded slowly, his armor clanking quietly. He looked up towards the sky as fat droplets of rain began bouncing and clinking on the slightly dirty armor, washing away some of its stains.
"We'll talk more about this later," he stated, his tone hardly harsh as he pushed himself up to his feet. "I'll take you to my house, so we'll be out of the rain. It looks as though we could both go without the rust."
Just listening to the teenager speak made Alphonse feel even worse. He was torn between anger and sadness, knowing that the life Kania was living was not a pleasant one; but it still didn't give him the right to do what he had been doing. But if he had a stone, a real stone, what was the need to kill people? It just didn't make sense. And the fact that he was so calm and quiet now, just as the bartender had said he was, and not the vicious attacker that was out for another kill just an hour before. He was a bit reluctant to follow him, but he needed answers and his brother, therefore making it his only chance.
"You really haven't seen my brother, have you?" he asked faintly as they made their way deeper into the woods, dodging bushes and stray tree branches that had snapped off their owners in the storm.
He received no response from Kania, the previous feeling of fear still lingering within him.
&&&&&
The never-ending rain was starting to come down harder as Lieutenant Colonel Mustang and his First Lieutenant made their way out of the safe confines of the inn and out into the nearly desolate but wet streets of Kiase. The darkening of the clouds that were scattered across the sky clearly stated that it would not be letting up any time soon, thus the need for the pair's black rain coats.
"Explain to me again why there wasn't a car waiting for us," Mustang's low voice cut through the air, slight irritation more than evident.
"Well, sir, as you know, the town of Kiase is small, therefore the need for military personnel is lacking," she answered in her authoritative tone, black hood covering her short blonde hair.
"So basically what you're telling me is that there is none," he returned, giving her a sideways glance, eyes narrowed at his luck.
"Correct, sir," she stated, a hint of amusement in her tone. She knew that as Mustang moved up in the ranks, he expected more, and when he didn't receive it as was the case now, dealing with him would prove to be an even more arduous task.
"So the last time the boys were seen was at the local tavern?" he asked, trying not to vocalize the concern that was hidden within him, though his First Lieutenant could already see through his hardened exterior.
"Yes, sir. The bartender stated that they had been in there asking about a Kania LaShea, and that supposedly they had come to escort him back to Central to take the State alchemist's exam, as we both know to be false," she replied, as though she were reading off a report. "From there they apparently left to go to his mother's house, but I wasn't informed of exactly where it's located."
Mustang took in the information, sorting it to the appropriate files in his brain. "It sounds to me as though they found the killer," Mustang's wary gaze shifted, landing on the location of the Elric's last known whereabouts.
"Sir?" Hawkeye questioned with a surprised tone, not expecting the Lieutenant Colonel's assumption. After a moment, she gave him the last piece of information. "Well, that would be the case if Mr. LaShea were still alive. He died a year ago in a drowning accident."
"Well, it doesn't look like the Elric's are buying it, and therefore, neither am I. They may just be children, but they have more intelligence than the average eleven and twelve year olds. And they also have their reasons, so for now, I'll just have to follow them," the black haired man returned, entering the dimly lit tavern and making his way to the bar area.
"What can I…get for you two?" the grey haired man behind the bar asked, the smile slowly slipping off his face, taking note of their uniforms.
"The LaShea's address," Mustang replied, not even bothering to sit down. He stood there staring at the older man, rain dripping off of him and forming small puddles on the floor below.
"The LaShea's? Well, I'm afraid you can't get there at the moment. After that bad storm last night, the bridge 's washed away. You'll have to go at least a mile or two downstream before you reach another one," he affirmed, going back to polishing the glass he held in his hands.
"I'm sure we can make our way across the river by our own accord, so if you can just give me the directions on how to get there, we'll be on our way," the Lieutenant Colonel suggested, not moving an inch.
"O-kay, the grey haired man nodded, giving them the details, albeit a bit hesitantly.
"Thank you," Hawkeye replied quickly, Mustang not even bothering to do so as he went out the door before her, bells ringing faintly behind them as they exited the small establishment. "Sir, is there a problem?" she inquired, catching up with him.
"The whole town is in on it," he informed her, an air of anger burning around him.
"And how did you come to that conclusion?" she questioned with a raised eyebrow, walking nearly in sync with her superior.
"These murders have been going on for almost a year now," he began, making his way to the edge of the deserted forest, a determined look set in his onyx eyes. "But they weren't reported until three weeks ago. These people knew what was going on, but for some reason beyond my knowledge, they don't seem to care."
"Don't you think we should call for back up then, sir?" the First Lieutenant queried, holding a stray tree branch out of the way for the Lieutenant Colonel.
"That's already been arranged," he answered simply, moving deeper into the forest.
&&&&&
Edward sat there, basking in the thick silence that coveted the room. Information went through his head faster than he could catch, helpless as his brain tried to process it, but failed. It was just too much to take in, to understand. Sure, he and Al hadn't been searching for long, and one of the first cases that comes along, and this happens?
He shivered as a chill shook him, making the rusted chains clank as well. For a split second, an image of Alphonse ran across his mind, armor clanking every time he moved. And this isn't even the half of it, the thought struck him. He'd never know what it would feel like to be trapped in that shell, and here his brother was, and the one thing that could get him his body back was standing right in front of him, glued to a pathetic old woman's hand. Life just wasn't fair.
Anger settled itself just below his skin, bubbling furiously. Questions without answers flooded his system. If he could just get out of those damned chains…
Golden bangs hung in his face, hiding the tears that were threatening to spill onto his cheeks. In the faintness of pain that positioned itself in the background of his thoughts, he could feel the blood still exiting his wounds. And even though they weren't large in size, they still stung, the area around them red and splotchy. But the scratches nor the raw throat weren't the cause of his sudden want to cry; it was the fear that he had absolutely no control of the situation at hand.
And on top of that, he knew she was watching him, waiting. Waiting for the tears to fall and the child within him to kick in. And he knew she would be patient, stand there for the next three days if that's what it would take. And she knew that behind those sweat tinged bangs, there was a lip that was quivering, and teeth that were biting on it as hard as they could to prevent a whimper from escaping them. He could hear the faintest scoff mock him from her still wide spread grin, and that made it even worse.
The twelve year old could hear the chains making noise again, and as much as he tried to stop it, he couldn't it. His body was continuing to betray him, and a little thing known as fatigue was starting to burrow through his veins, forcing his limbs to shake and his teeth to chatter.
He raised his head slowly, feeling the heat from the fire and another chill slide through his body at the same time, instantly recognizing the prerequisites to nausea. Bile tickled the back of his throat, lightly singeing his tonsils. The small blonde took in a sharp breath, trying his best to prevent the retching, but it happened anyway, water and bile spewing from his mouth and onto the dusty hardwood floor.
His ears began to ring as the woman's shrieking filled his head. The vibrations from her high tone only worsened the headache that was dizzying the back of his skull, making his vision blur.
"How dare you! Get my floor so unclean!" Her tone was shrill as it rang over the cackle of the fire that was still burning brightly in the small fireplace. "You'll pay for that!" she exclaimed, suddenly grabbing him by the back of his hair and almost forcing him face down into his own vomit. The smell only made more come up. She held onto his braid tightly, her fingernails digging into the back of his head. "Clean it up." This time, her voice was quiet, deathly still with a bitter bite to it.
His eyes widened at the command, then closed quickly as he realized how close he was to the floor. He shook his head, instantly regretting it as his head began to spin once and more bile threatened to burn his already abused throat. "Clean it up yourself, witch!" he managed to choke out before his head was jerked up quite quickly, his face meeting hers once again.
The look of utter madness was gone, replaced with a sweet-faced grin that tugged the corners of her eyes up just enough to make out the fine lines that rested underneath them. With one hand, she continued to grasp his braid, though the grip loosened, ever so slightly. With the other, she placed the seemingly gleaming red stone back into her pocket and lifted it up to his chin, her nails gently caressing his pale skin.
Her emerald green eyes bore holes into his, fear clearly evident in his wide golden ones. He tried to force anger into them, but something about the way she was touching him frightened him almost into a state of infantilization. He shuddered, inwardly feeling torn to shreds. If he could just reach his hand a little further into her pocket, he could get the stone, but the longer he looked into her eyes, the feeling of paralysis crept throughout his veins.
He almost had it…
"Foolish child. By one means, you are as intelligent as they come, almost as intelligent as my Kania; but the other part of you is hardly developed yet. While you thrive in alchemy, you lack in common sense," she stated, edging her way further into his psyche. Hints of insanity continued to dance in her eyes as she spoke. "And try as you might to justify the reasoning for your sin, you can't. And you never will." Her hand quickly darted from his chin to his jaw, squeezing as hard as her strength would permit, the grin slowly starting to appear once again.
Without thinking, he spit in her face, giving him just enough time to fish the answer to his problems out of her pocket. He had it in his fingertips, feeling the coolness of it glide over his skin. He could almost swear it was radiating. Then he dropped it, just out of the edge of the circle, an inch out of his reach. He'd really done it this time.
He could feel the tears leak through his tightly closed eyelids as he tried so desperately to gain what he'd set out for, all the while knowing that it was lying inches from him, mocking him in its ruby red brilliance. And there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it but sit there and take whatever was coming to him. It wasn't long before the backlash began, leaving more tears in its wake.
"As I said before, no common sense." Her eerily cool tone shot through the heavy air, straight into his already throbbing eardrums and right through his skull. Terror seized his limbs; he was frozen again, though this time, he didn't have a definite answer as to why. He just was, and he hated it almost as much as he hated himself.
"Shut up," he whispered through grit teeth, slowly allowing his eyes to open, almost retching again at the sight in front of him. The woman hadn't even bothered to wipe the remnants of his vomit or spittle from her face, she just let it sit there, the too perfect smile etching itself onto her lips once again. Her eyes were gleaming with such present insanity that it broke the twelve year old, a woe-filled sob echoing off the cottage's tiny bare walls. "Stop it!" he cried out, disparity in his voice. "Just stop it!"
"Stop what?" she asked, her tone simple; innocent. "I'm not doing anything," she stated, her gaze never faltering. She moved forward slightly, letting her breath touch him again. She continued to stare at him, knowing how much it bothered him. She was so close now that he could see the traces of wrinkles on her forehead, and the fine laugh lines that silhouetted her mouth, obviously evidence from years of smiling that god-awful smile.
"You know what I'm talking about," he uttered through a clenched jaw, keeping his eyes on her hands at all times. The woman was truly unpredictable, and knowing that made him feel even more ill. It was quiet once again, the only sounds being his own breathing, fast and harsh. Every time he took a breath, he could feel something rattle in his chest and the faint rasp of a cough tease him, and it didn't help that the air in the room had seemingly dropped, even with the fire cackling away in his ears.
"Actually, I don't," she grinned, her fingers making their way towards his face, causing him to struggle with the chains once again, all the while knowing his actions would prove to be futile, and in five minutes, the damned things would still be holding him hostage.
"Don't touch me!" he cried out, his voice cracking as he saw her hands coming for his face again. "Leave me alone!" he squeaked, squirming to get out of her reach. He closed his eyes tight, feeling the skin around his wrist grow more raw with each tug. Blood oozed slightly from the wounds that circled his wrist and ankle, fear starting to circulate through his veins.
"It'll all be over soon," she whispered in his ear, cupping his face in her hands. He almost retched again at the odor that invaded his nostrils, her hands smelling a mix between iron and onions. "Soon, you'll be my perfect little boy again, and nothing will be able to take you away from me. Absolutely nothing." Her emerald eyes were fixed on his gold ones, madness radiating from them. The twelve year old cried out as he felt her nails dig holes into his cheeks, blood immediately running from the fresh wounds, as well as the old ones that littered his face.
He could feel dizziness spinning towards him again, his head swaying to one side as he glared at her out of the corner of his eyes. Consciousness was started to fade on him, black and blue spots running across his vision. He didn't want to give up, especially if Al was near. But holding himself in an upright position was starting to become a chore in itself, even if the old woman was partially keeping him that way. Biting his bottom lip, he asked the question that had been on the tip of his tongue since the old woman had pulled the precious stone from her pocket.
"Where'd you get it?" he queried through grit teeth, pain flooding through his body. Winry had warned him about the toll the automail could take on his body, and now he that warning was ringing in his ears as an unknown heaviness settled over his nerves. His eyes wanted to close, his lids growing increasingly heavy as well, but he fought it, waiting for her response.
She stared at him for a long moment, letting her transfixed gaze slowly subside. Her smile faded slightly, a look of confusion and resentment warping her gaunt features. She pulled away from him suddenly, resting on her knees, her hands folded carelessly in her lap.
Edward let out a weak shudder as he saw his blood on the cottony material she was wearing. He was almost on the verge of praying when she spoke.
"Alchemy was like a trait in our family, passed down from generation to generation until it would eventually become perfected, and that time came with Kania." She paused for a minute, her eyes seemingly recollecting past years of her life. "Right before he was born, I grew ill, almost to the point of death." At the last word, the dullness in her eyes shattered and was replaced with a bright brilliance, gleaming even in the bleariness of the cottage.
"My husband found a doctor that was traveling through town, a very stupid man," she hissed, her tone growing bitter, a scowl coming over her face. "He told me that if I went through with the birth, one of us would not live to see the next sunrise. I couldn't bear the thought of losing Kania…But then he mentioned that he had a way to change that, and that's when he took this out of his pocket," she grinned again, a short laugh parting her lips as she picked up the stone and twirled it between her bloody fingertips, right in front of Edward's face.
"And after he showed me its power, I killed him." The words swirled around the room, eventually landing in the twelve year old's ears, his weary eyes widening at the affirmation.
"What…was his name?" he asked, barely able to look at her. The grin vanished as she gave a response.
"I don't recall," she answered quickly, bitterly again as though every word were laced with bile. "But that doesn't matter, now does it?" she continued, the smile put right back into place, her too perfect teeth appearing not as perfect as he first thought. Since she was so close, he could see how truly yellow and crooked they were. Perhaps the firelight had tricked his eyes, or maybe he was starting to hallucinate. He'd heard of stranger things.
"It only worked that one time. It saved my Kania, but after wards, it became dull, useless. But I had no need for it anyway, but I put it away, for safe keeping," she stated, holding it close to her chest, it getting further and further away from Edward as the seconds went by, his hope starting to dwindle.
"But then I heard a rumor," the statement came from out of nowhere, her eyes traveling back to that far off place of fantasy and wonderment. "They said that it would work again, but it needed fuel. And the only fuel that could make it work again were souls. And so my dear Kania decided to collect them for his mother, sweet boy. He deserves to be back, even if it is within the likes of you," she snarled, her yellowed teeth baring slightly.
His head was spinning with questions, fear and confusion striking his soul temporarily helpless. "What do you want me for?" he burst out, his mind still on the stone that hovered a few yards away from within his reach. "Why me? What's so special about me?" he cried out, using up the last of any ounce of strength he had. Unconsciousness was sneaking up on him slowly but surely.
"If you were able to survive the grandest taboo in alchemy, then surely you have talent. That or just pure dumb luck, but either way, you lived, you survived," she said breathlessly, all her words coming out in a rush, her emerald orbs full of something unknown but frightening. "And that's all that matters. If you truly are that powerful…your power combined with my Kania's…What great things could come…" her voice trailed off, a sick sense of joy in her seasoned voice.
The blonde was almost to the point of blacking out, everything hitting him too hard, too fast. He felt his eyes closing and his breathing growing heavier. Any second now…
He was almost out when he heard the door open. Faintly, he could just make out two figures before his body got the better of him and exhaustion kicked in. He only hoped one was Al, if not, life as he knew it would come to an end.
Author's note : Wow. That's pretty much all I can say. Thank you all so much for your support and your reviews. They mean the world to me, honestly. When I first started this story, I wasn't expecting to get much of a response, but thanks to all of you, I've got like, 56 reviews, and that's way more than what I had hoped for, so truly, sincerely, THANK YOU! ; )
I'd like to thank the following people for your continuous support, in one way or another : Aemilia Rose, Legendary Chimera, marufu-chan, Harryswoman, JChrys, Kuropuu, hyperdude, vampirelf, Akamori-Chan, Dreamthreader, Mayoki, Zion, Lyemi, agent000, Ark, Birth of Venus, cuylerjade, ChibiCorsair, Ominous-Shadow, me, donna, Punk Rocker Girl, Roy-Fan-33, Black-fire Dog, Demon-Dog, amrun'quessir, Rozewind, br14nn4, citruspeach, CrazyDreamin, Crystal Remnant, darkalai, FullDexter Alchemist, Here's Hoping, iwantalife, Maximum Poofy, pippy32388, TayloWolf, The Silver Goddess Alchemist, youkaiwriter, Yueh-san, and anyone else who reviewed or put me on a list.
I apologize for not responding this time, but I will next time around. So thank you one and all, and let me know if it sucked or not, or if I was a bit repetitive. Or anything for that matter. THANKS EVERYONE!
