I'm already starting to see a pattern here where I upload this every other Sunday. It is absolutely horrible and I am so sorry for those who are always eagerly anticipating my next update.
I really am trying my best to write chapters but with school and stress, I've only been getting writer's block and the unwillingness to keep going. It's bad, I know, but I promise I'll keep trying to write.
Anyways, I was actually supposed to upload A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words but I just can't seem to get it going. I have absolutely no idea what to write and it's at the point where I'm thinking to myself, I'd rather just not write it at all. I'd rather just finish the story up quickly than to leave everyone hanging. I originally wanted to have as many chapters as possible, covering as many characters I could, but I just can't seem to think of a good plot for each of them. I'd rather just end it as fast as I can with the addition of Seirin, GoM, and Nakashima (bonus chapter I guess you can say). What do you guys think? Should I just end it while I can or push myself harder? Review if you want!
Moving on to the actual story, I was writing this chapter and I was thinking to myself, maybe it'll not be as long as I expected it to be. One because the plot seems to be moving that way, and two because I can't really grasp a good plot to this. I have it layered out but if I were to do a hasty writing without much detail, it would end a lot quicker. It may come to that, unfortunately, because of my hectic time schedule. If you don't mind me not being able to upload as quickly as I used to, then I'll put as much effort I can in each chapter to make it better and longer :)
I think that's all I have to say for the introduction (man, that was a lot to say), and I really hope you like this
So, without further ado, here's the next chapter!
A few answers for my lovely reviewers:
sexy Seren: " i wonder what school did tetsu go?"
A: I don't have a specific name for Kuroko's school because I am horrible with names. If you have suggestions, feel free to give them.
~.~
SilverWhite Dragon: "wtf, what school do you go to?! Is it a prep school or something?"
A: Same thing I felt when I first started school there as well. You should've seen my face when I first entered the place. It was just so terrifying. Anyways, I'm pretty sure it is a prep school but I haven't really looked into it much. It is a private school (or is prep and private the same thing?) and yes, I understand your flustering emotion. It really is ridiculous.
~.~
Your fan 1: "is there going to be romance at all such as AkaKuro or AoKuro or GomKuro?"
A: The answer is no. I'm sorry but this story focuses more on friendship. You might be able to find implied meanings but overall, there will be no romance whatsoever.
~.~
Veiled Curiosity: "Please make KurokoKagamixGom be the brOTP! I can't stand the icy cold relations!"
A: lol, trust me, I want the same thing. But sometimes, the story just moves on its own and I can't change it. But then again, it's only the beginning of the story, so who knows? Maybe there'll be a spark to make that ice melt :)
Note
- Italicized words are words spoken in English
- Though it is summer vacation in Japan, let's just pretend that school is still in session in the States and won't be vacation until after (AKA when the plot demands it)
- Kuroko's school will be modeled after my own, as well as experiences I've had in real life, so I apologize in advance if the things I put aren't relevant in the States (I live in Mexico, by the way)
"I'm so sorry, Tetsu-kun."
"It is alright, Momoi-san. I understand that you couldn't do anything about it."
"But still, I promised you and I let you down." Momoi sniffled. Kuroko sighed as he proceeded to comfort the girl. It was now brunch, which was about 20 minutes long, and the Generation of Miracles was nowhere to be found. After the fiasco in first period and the ear-splitting scream courtesy of Akashi Seijuuro, they soon left the third floor and Kuroko couldn't find them since. Instead, he decided to call Momoi for some clarification about what happened while he was gone. Now he had the task of telling the girl that it was alright.
"Momoi-san, you couldn't do anything about it. Please do not take it to heart." Kuroko said once more and he heard Momoi taking a deep breath.
"I'm sorry." She said once more. "I didn't think Akashi-kun would go this far."
"Neither did I." Kuroko said as he silently greeted his friends. Kagami sat next to him beside the lockers and listened intently to what Kuroko was talking about. Kuroko, still busy with Momoi, couldn't have him turn away.
"I mean he was kind of out of it for most of our middle school days after you left. It seemed like he really just wanted to know where you were."
"I doubt it would be as simple as that, Momoi-san." Kagami gave Kuroko a questioning look and he just ignored it.
"Yeah, I guess. It was really scary, you know? He wasn't himself. He was like a completely different person."
"Momoi-san, I believe we had already established that when he won against Murasakibara-kun."
He could literally hear her shake her head in disagreement. "No, it was worse than that. He's not the kind of person to just throw someone to the ground, especially someone who's in such a high class. He's a person with manners but back then, he just completely lost it."
"Really?" Kuroko asked, genuinely surprised. To think that Akashi would really go that far.
"Because of me?" Kuroko questioned guiltily.
"Tetsu-kun, don't you dare blame yourself for this. If there's anyone to blame, it should be me. I'm the one who told when I promised you that I wouldn't."
"Momoi-san, anyone would have done it, not just you. Do not blame yourself. I have to go, it's almost the end of the break. I'll talk to you later." Kuroko said and ended the call with Momoi. Kagami, who was still there with him, gave him the same questioning look.
"Who was that?" He asked and Kuroko sighed at the bluntness that was Kagami.
"A friend."
"In Japan?" Kagami asked and Kuroko nodded. "Wait, but you called her on your phone. Isn't the call bill insane for just that?"
Kuroko's jaw opened slightly. "Oh."
Kagami couldn't help but laugh. "You idiot!" He yelled in glee as he ruffled Kuroko's hair.
"Uh, guys? We still can't talk in Japanese. Stop discriminating." Eddy interrupted as the others in their friend group nodded.
Kagami, still laughing, responded. "Sorry, just that this idiot forgot that international calls are hella expensive." Kuroko nudged him strongly and Kagami doubled over. The others cracked up.
"You guys really are best friends, aren't you?" Eddy commented.
"Like two peas in a pod." Another one said.
"But guys, you really should've seen what happened in the morning. It was insane! The new kids, the really weird Japanese people with their even weirder hair colors, they just barged in Alavarez's class like it was nothing!" Eddy exclaimed and the others turned towards him.
"Wait, you lost us. What happened?"
Eddy's face brightened. "So the new kids entered the classroom, looking TK, and Alvarez couldn't do anything about it because the tallest kid from the group, the one with purple hair, put her in her place, right? And the red head looks like he wants to kill everyone and they succeed in taking TK out."
"Ugh, don't remind me. God, I hate that blue head." Kagami grumbled and Kuroko stayed quiet, merely listening to their conversation.
"Next thing you know, Alvarez is so shaken up that she just can't even talk at all and we're here, confused out of our mind by who these people are to make her like that. And when TK comes back into the classroom, someone screams and April's locker is completely dented. It was complete chaos."
"Damn, poor April. She's probably going to have to change her locker. But wow, can't believe all that happened in the morning. Why did they want to see you anyways, TK?" A Swedish boy with sandy blonde hair and blue eyes asked Kuroko. The others, also curious, all looked at the phantom man intently, making said person uncomfortable.
"You really shouldn't pry into stuff like this, Felix. It was a conversation that was between me and them only. It's complicated to explain." Kuroko tried to evade and thankfully, it worked. Everyone in the friend group already knew of Kuroko's conservative nature and they knew when to stop at the line. Kagami, however, wasn't convinced.
"Tetsu, you can tell me, you know?" Kagami whispered in Japanese and Kuroko subtly nodded.
"Thank you for your concern, Kagami-kun, but this is really between me and them."
"If they're going to be complete assholes, then it's my job as your best friend to do something about it, ok? I'm not just going to sit back here and let you handle all of the work. It's pretty huge, isn't it? Sometimes, you can give me some of the burden, ok?"
Kuroko gave him a small smile. "Thank you."
At that moment, the bell rang that signified the end of brunch and the start of second period. Kagami and Kuroko had English next and Kuroko dreaded going there. They needed to present something and Kuroko absolutely hated public speaking.
Kagami nudged him. "Just do as we planned. You'll be fine." And with that, Kuroko took a deep breath and nodded. Kagami smiled big as he wrapped a shoulder around the smaller man. They didn't notice a glaring blue head in the background.
"God, I hate that Kagami bastard." Aomine growled as he turned away from the two and back to where the others were hiding in. There was fortunately a passageway that was a good hiding spot for them to stay at. They were even luckier to find out that the hiding spot was right next to Kuroko's locker where he was at in brunch.
Midorima sighed. "He's just doing what a normal friend does."
"Yeah? Well, it should've been me next to him and making him look stupid, not him!" Aomine bursted as he sat down next to a reticent Kise. Akashi was nowhere to be found.
"Hey, what do you think happened back there?" Kise finally talked and the others suddenly got very uneasy. After Akashi screamed painfully, he took off without informing any of them. They had no idea where he was and were scared of what stunt he would pull next.
"Don't you guys think he's a bit unstable?" Kise added on and the others rubbed the back of their necks.
"Yeah, he kind of did. And that scream sounded really painful." Aomine responded.
"Do you think he's ok?" Kise asked.
"He's Akashi. Isn't that enough?" Midorima said as he pushed his glasses up to hide his uncertain eyes.
"But Aka-chin wasn't really Aka-chin." Murasakibara said while eating on snacks he had brought with him to school.
"I really think we should find him. Who knows what he'll do if he's like this?" Kise proclaimed as he stood up. Midorima took his arm and pulled him back down.
"What was that for?"
"Idiot, we'll be dead if we find Akashi at his weakest point. He's probably hiding from us, trying to get a grip of himself. We'll probably be decapitated if we find Akashi and he sees that we know he's not himself."
"But he's our friend!" Kise exclaimed.
"Are you sure about that?" Midorima said bitterly and Kise couldn't say any more.
"He's - He -" Kise stuttered but Midorima cut him off.
"Can you really call him a friend even after he's dragged us into this mess? When he's forced us to go to a country almost opposite from ours and to make fools of ourselves in front of strangers? Can you really call him a friend?" Midorima glared.
"Mido-chin?"
"Oi, Midorima, are you ok?" Aomine and Murasakibara both asked in worry. Midorima looked away from them and suddenly stood up.
"I'm fine. I'm going for a walk. Don't follow me." He said without looking at them and soon left the hiding spot to roam the now empty halls.
Kise bit his lip as he watched the green-haired player walk away. "Guys, I've never seen Midorimacchi like that before. He's never lost his cool like that. This is just getting worse and worse."
"Maybe it's the jet lag." Aomine tried to explain.
"Then wouldn't we be the same way? I'm really worried for both of them now. What if something goes wrong without our help? I think I'm going to follow Midorimacchi and try to help. You guys can stay here while I'm gone. I'll be back as soon as I can." And before anyone could protest, Kise hurried along to catch up with Midorima.
Only Aomine and Murasakibara were left and there was an awkward silence settling in. They hadn't really talked much since middle school and even then, Aomine wasn't as friendly with Murasakibara than he was with the others. There was always a barrier between them, preventing them from becoming more than just acquaintances.
Just when the silence became unbearable, to Aomine's relief, Murasakibara began the conversation.
"Ne, Mine-chin? Do you think everything'll be alright?"
Aomine shook his head. "How am I supposed to know? Midorima and Akashi are going completely bonkers and we have no idea why."
"Maybe Mido-chin can understand Aka-chin's pain."
Aomine furrowed his eyebrows. "What do you mean?"
Murasakibara shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe since Mido-chin was most close with Aka-chin, he would know more about him than us."
"It's possible, but I still can't understand why he would burst out like that. It's not like Midorima at all." Aomine said in confusion, still not being able to understand what was happening.
Murasakibara shrugged once more. "I wanna go back home." He whined as he took another bite of his snack. He really did look like a baby.
"What can we do? The flight is a month away. Maybe Akashi can change it when we go back to his summer house. I think I'm done with this place anyways."
"It is because of Kuro-chin and Kagami?" Murasakibara inquired and Aomine froze.
"What do you mean?"
"Except for Aka-chin, you're getting really mad about them."
"Is it my fault for acting like this? Tetsu pretty much replaced me with that son of a bitch!" Aomine finally exploded and immediately stopped when he replayed the words in his mind. he just admitted to himself that he was replaced by a possibly better person than he. Just the thought of it made him sick.
"Mine-chin?" Murasakibara asked as he looked at the tanned student and Aomine's fists clenched in anger.
"I'll show Tetsu who's the boss. Does that Kagami bastard play basketball?"
Murasakibara shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe. I didn't get a good look at him."
"He should. He's with Tetsu, and Tetsu's a basketball idiot. I know what I'll do. I'll challenge him in front of Tetsu and all his friends and completely crush him. You can help, Murasakibara. We'll get the whole Generation of Miracles to play and we'll show them who's the best." Aomine declared with a fierce determination.
"What a pain." Murasakibara commented but anyone could see that he was getting fired up as well. He was sick and tired of being in America. Crushing his opponents would probably be worth the whole trip.
"Midorimacchi, wait up!" Kise called out as he ran towards the green haired student. Said person didn't respond and kept walking quickly, not wanting to deal with Kise right now. Kise, however, was oblivious to it and kept following him.
"What do you want?" Midorima finally yelled as he stopped. Kise huffed as he tried to regain his breath.
"You walk way too fast, Midorimacchi!" Kise complained before taking a few more breaths. Then, he looked at Midorima was pitiful eyes. Midorima hated that look so much. It was that kind of look that made him feel so vulnerable.
"Midorimacchi, what happened back there?" Kise asked once he settled down.
Midorima threw his hands up in annoyance. "I don't know! I was angry and I shouted a few things, that's all! What? Can't I get angry sometime in my life? I'm still human!" Midorima shouted as he collapsed on the stairs. he covered his face to not let Kise see it.
Kise sat next to him and looked at the ceiling. "I know."
Midorima looked up in surprise. "What?"
Kise smiled softly at Midorima, making him wonder if this was the Kise he knew. "I said that I know. I know you're human and I know that you have emotions that you want to let out sometimes. It's just that, you've been holding it in for so long that it was a surprise when you suddenly bursted out like that."
Both were silent as Midorima took those words in. Was he really the type of person to bottle everything up until it was too late?
"It's ok if you talk to me about it. I'll listen to what you'll say." Kise then said and Midorima couldn't help but give him a small smile. Was this really the same Kise he knew from high school? No, it was more like the Kise he knew from middle school, when things were still ok.
Midorima took a deep breath. "I was just angry at the fact that Akashi would order us like that, even more so for something as big as this. He can't just go commanding people to go to the opposite side of Japan as if he were ordering sushi or something. His arrogance is just really getting to me, I guess you can say."
"It's Akashicchi, though. It's not like we can help it. He wasn't always like this, you know that."
"But that is not an excuse. He's not absolute. He's not always right."
"But at the same time, if he doesn't tell himself that, who knows what'll happen? You should know this better than anyone, Midorimacchi. How he strives too hard because of his dad. It's not something a normal person could handle. All great people are a little bit insane inside. It's how they deal with their limits, you know?"
"He's becoming a little bit too insane if you ask me."
Kise shrugged. "Maybe. But then again, Kurokocchi outright disobeyed him. It must've been a big blow to his pride. Akashicchi was so sure that Kurokocchi would come back with us, but now, he's probably questioning himself if he's truly always right."
"He was clutching his right eye, wasn't he?" Midorima suddenly said and Kise jumped.
"Huh? I think so, but why?"
"It's the same eye that changed color. I think his former self is trying to get back in control."
Kise gasped. "Do you really think so? Do you think we can get Akashicchi back to how he was when we were in middle school?"
Midorima sighed. "I don't know. In the meantime, I suggest we look for him."
"But aren't you the one who prevented me from doing so?"
"I did, but since we may have some evidence that Akashi might turn back to himself, we need to find him quickly. We need to confirm if he's really going to change back."
Kise was already standing up. "Then what're we waiting for?" The blonde said enthusiastically as he lent Midorima a hand. He took it gratefully and Kise pulled him up. They started moving to find the red head but before that, Midorima couldn't help it. He had to say it.
"Thank you, Kise, for listening to me."
Kise smiled at him. "What are friends for?" And with those words, Midorima told himself that, yes, they really were friends after all. He smiled at the blonde secretly and the two started the search for Akashi.
It stopped as soon as it started. They had gone to the first floor and immediately froze when they heard Akashi throughout the hallway. They gave each other a look before running towards the sound and they found themselves in front of a door that led to an English room. They peered in and saw with horror Akashi intruding on a group of people that were in front of the classroom.
Akashi was paler than usual and he was still holding his right eye in pain. He swayed a bit, making it look like he was drunk, and was currently holding none other than Kuroko Tetsuya by the shoulders.
"Tetsuya, get out here. I need to talk to you." Akashi ordered and Kuroko looked like he didn't know what to do. Kagami, Kuroko's new partner, looked close to ripping Akashi to shreds.
"Oi, get off him!" Kagami sauntered forward but at the last second, Akashi grabbed his shoulder and hit a nerve point, making Kagami fall to the ground in complete shock.
"Tiger, are you ok?" The Swedish boy, Felix, said as he stood from his desk and ran over to him. Kagami, still in shock, couldn't reply back.
Akashi soon turned his attention back to Kuroko and said person was just looking at Kagami in terror, something that wasn't hard to deduce this time.
"Akashi-kun, what did you do?" Kuroko asked, visibly shaking. The teacher herself didn't know what to do with the commotion. She had already heard about the morning fiasco and how the red head wasn't supposed to be messed it, but at the same time, she was the teacher, the person who had to command authority, and she had just witnessed one of her students fall down from a simple pinch on the shoulder.
"Tetsuya, come with me now." Akashi demanded once more and Kuroko didn't know what to do.
"Excuse me, mind waiting outside? You're disrupting the presentations." The teacher finally decided to say but it did absolutely nothing as Akashi merely glared at her, making her heart almost stop at the immense intimidation he radiated.
"Akashi-kun, please stop. You're getting out of control." Kuroko tried to calm down.
"Then, come outside. Now." Kuroko had no choice now.
"Oi, Kuroko, don't listen to that bastard!" Kagami called out but Kuroko was already out the door. Kise and Midorima hid just in time and were thankfully close enough to hear the conversation between Akashi and Kuroko.
"Akashi-kun, why? Why would you do this?" Kuroko distressed. "You're not only disrupting the class, but also the entire school. Why?"
"You're coming with us back to Japan. Do this and we'll never bother this school again. Deal?"
"Why are you so intent on taking me back? LA is my home."
"Japan is your home. You've lived there your entire life. You're supposed to be in Japan, playing basketball against us."
"I don't want that!" Kuroko yelled and Akashi's eyes grew wide.
"What did you say?" Akashi asked, shocked.
"I said I don't want that. Akashi-kun, I don't want to be in a place where I have to battle my own friends as if we were always enemies!"
"That's what matches are for! You battle them as if they were enemies! What else is there when it comes to matches?"
"But it wouldn't be the same. You would never even suggest that we were all once friends. I don't want that!"
"You can't have everything you want in life,Tetsuya!"
"I have it all here! Everything I've always wanted and desired, I have it all here!" Kuroko said loudly, making Akashi stop for a second. Kuroko took that moment to keep going.
"I have everything I want here. I have a good education, great friends, and so many chances of playing basketball for fun and only for fun. It's not just about winning, Akashi-kun."
"Winning is everything." Akashi growled.
"It isn't. Why do you think I left?" Kuroko asked exasperatedly.
"Tell me, then! Tell me the exact reason why you left us without saying a single goddamn word!" Akashi exploded, sick and tired of not knowing.
Kuroko lifted his head to make himself as confident as he could. "Do you really want to know why? Then, I'll tell you. I hated basketball."
"What?" Akashi said incredulously as his eyes widened once more.
"I hated basketball, Akashi-kun. Back when we were in middle school, our last championship match. I was in the infirmary because of my injury and I told you not to go easy on the last opponent, my childhood friend's school. And yet, you played them, fixing the score to your own liking. You not only embarrassed and crushed my friend's love for basketball, but you also did the same for me. I couldn't see you all, much less be next to you when you got your medals and trophy. Why should I have been in such a position?
"I was sick and tired of it. So tired of apologizing to the others for such a horrible match, so tired of having everyone talk behind your backs and not being able to refute them because I knew all of their scorns were true. That the Generation of Miracles were nothing but monsters, killers. And I so sick and tired of being nothing but a useless burden you had to carry. I hated basketball to the point where I would vomit at the sight of it. And now you're telling me you're taking me back to the same place where I was suffering immensely? You're taking me back to the place where I was this close to jumping off a balcony? I don't want to go back, Akashi-kun. So please, as a last request, go back to Japan and forget about me. Please."
There was a silence surrounding the two Japanese students. Kuroko was close to crying, just like last time when he told his parents why he wanted to go some place far away from Japan. Then, after a moment or two, Akashi opened his mouth.
"So you hate basketball, don't you?" He whispered and Kuroko looked at the red head in fear.
"Akashi-kun?" Kuroko asked hesitantly but stopped when he saw a smile on his face.
"But now that you're here, you're finally happy again? I doubt it."
"Akashi-kun, what are you thinking?" Kuroko stepped away from him, and even Kise and Midorima wanted to leave. This was too much.
"Then, maybe, I should just crush you even more. Then you'll never want to come back here again and move back to Japan. That's a good idea, isn't it?" Akashi asked with that same smile on his face, making Kuroko want to run.
"We should have a basketball match, Tetsuya. The five us against your group of friends. Let's see what happens then. What do you say?"
"I -" Kuroko started to say, still shocked, when the door opened and out came Kagami. Akashi's eye twitched at the sight of him.
"Fine, we'll do it." Kagami answered for Kuroko and Akashi then smiled once more.
"I don't think I asked you to join in, Kagami Taiga."
"You talk to him, you talk to me. And I said that we're doing it. Bring it on." Kagami said with determination in his eyes and Akashi smirked.
"Then, it's settled."
"Wait, Kagami-kun, you can't -" Kuroko tried to interfere but Kagami just ruffled his hair.
"It's fine, Tetsu. We can take them."
"But -"
"Do you trust us?" Kagami asked seriously and Kuroko contemplated it for a second. Then, with a small smile on his face, he nodded.
"I do."
Kagami grinned. Akashi's eye twitched once more. "Then, that's enough." Kagami turned to Akashi. "So, when should we have the match?"
"Two weeks from now. I'm feeling generous today so I'll give you some time to prep before the match."
"Are you underestimating us, bastard?" Kagami growled as he took Akashi by the collar. He was still smirking.
"Isn't it obvious?" He commented and Kagami was close to punching him.
"Kagami-kun, don't." Kuroko said just in time and Kagami let go of Akashi reluctantly.
"If you're so fucking confident, then why shouldn't we just have it after school? Everyone's free."
"Like I said, I'm feeing generous. You'll need all the practice you can get. Tetsuya can explain more, right?" Akashi asked as he looked towards the phantom man. Kuroko swallowed and looked away. Kagami saw the act and his fists clenched. It was the first time he saw Kuroko like this and he didn't like one bit.
"Fine, we'll go by your rules. Two weeks from now, we'll have the match here. Five players only? No substitute players?"
"You can have as many as you like." Akashi waved off, making Kagami even more pissed off.
"Oi, you wanna fucking go?"
"Kagami-kun, not now. We have to get back to class." Kuroko interrupted and Kagami took a deep breath to calm himself.
"I'll tolerate this for now. Wait till we see each other in two weeks, asshole." And with that, Kuroko took Kagami inside the classroom.
Akashi took his right eye and held it tightly, trying to let the pain go away.
"Ryouta, Shintarou, let's go." He then ordered and the two Generation of Miracles froze. Then, they moved out of their hiding spot.
"How did you know we were here?" Kise asked awkwardly.
"I am absolute, Ryouta. I know everything. Let's go to Daiki and Atsushi. I'm sure they will delighted to find out that we have match coming up." Akashi smirked and walked forward. Kise and Midorima looked at each other, scared, because it was the same smile Akashi had when he was determined to murder the opponent's love for basketball.
They had a really bad feeling about this but nevertheless, followed after him, unable to do anything else.
So, how was it? Good, bad, meh? Tell me in the reviews!
Did anyone feel slight shipping feels when they read about Kise and Midorima? Cuz I did!
Anyways, I really liked this chapter, not so much because the plot is still moving (which is also a blessing) but because it really reveals Kise as who he is. I'm always reading fanfic where Kise is merely portrayed as this annoying, bubbly, always too cheerful guy, when in reality, he has so much more dimension in him (especially seen in Extra Game).
I was waiting for a chance to finally put Kise in that light and I'm really glad it turned out that way. Hope you guys liked it, too!
For those wondering about Akashi and Kuroko, yes, I really do think I've made them a bit OoC here but I really couldn't help it. The story was just moving on its own and I had no choice but to follow it. Having said that, however, I really like how I managed Kuroko's speech. It had a lot of emotion and anger in it, but also sadness and an implied depression. He's not just some emotionless brick wall, you know?
Akashi is going through troubles of his own. Just bear that in mind :)
That's it for me, and please remember to review on what I should do for both this story and my A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words story!
Peace,
FlyAndDontLookBack