Extra Credit
Author's Note: So this is why I haven't updated my other fic, "Dove is a Battlefield". I had this total off-the-wall idea for a SasuHina that was so funny I had no choice but to start writing it. It has it's OOC moments, but I'm really doing my best to get the true personality of the characters to shine. I really hope you like the first chapter. Reviews are always welcome, but please no flames.
Quick Background: All the students are now over 18. Asuma never died, Sasuke never went to Orochimaru, and The Third did not die. He retired and went to live on his own private island filled with tropical drinks and gorgeous women half his age and 1/3rd his IQ. Other than that I think this is fairly close to the original storyline, but still considered an AU since these key points never took place.
Disclaimer: NOT MINE.
Tsunade narrowed her eyes and tried to figure out if the masked man sitting on the corner of her desk beaming at her was actually being serious or not. She groaned and bent over to open up one of her desk drawers and pulled out a bottle of saki. After carelessly pushing aside a large and unorganized pile of official looking papers she rested her feet in the space they had been.
"It's dumb ideas from dumb people like you that drive me to drink, Kakashi", she said to the man before taking a long swig from the mouth of the bottle.
"Then it's a good thing I share them with you or else you'd be sober. No offense, Madam Hokage, but I prefer you as a miserable drunk to a bitch dry" he said with a wink.
She growled at him warningly and gulped down some more of the rice wine. Kakashi, enjoying the fact that he could annoy his superior, decided to keep pushing Tsunade's buttons.
"Oh! That's right... I can't believe I forgot that you hate the "S" word! How silly of me" he said airily. It was all he could do not to giggle as he watched the corner of the buxom blonde's mouth begin to twitch.
"SHIZUNE, BRING ME MORE BOOZE!!!" Tsunade barked. Shizune hurredly came in with another bottle, but didn't look too pleased about handing it over.
"Ma'am... It's not even noon yet. Plus, you still need to sign those papers validating the extended stay of the team from Suna" the harried assistant pleaded while pointing at the disheveled stack of forms that Tsunade had relocated in favor of resting her feet.
"I didn't ask for the time or what papers needed to be signed for who... I asked for booze" Tsunade said as she grit her teeth.
"Before you drink any further, Madam Hokage, have you come to a descision regarding my proposal?" Kakashi asked sweetly.
"Bah... Do whatever the hell you want, just don't screw things up too badly or I'm docking your pay" She threatened.
Kakashi bowed and started to exit the room, but stopped in front of Shizune and relieved her of the bottle in her hands.
"Oh, and thanks for the saki... You're too kind" he said as he waved at the two women and strolled out.
Tsunade angrily gripped the edge of her desk until her knuckles turned white and the wood could be heard cracking beneath her fingers.
"KAKASHI, BRING BACK MY BOOZE, YOU SCARECROW-HEADED BASTARD!!!!!!" she bellowed, seriously considering ordering ANBU to track him down, beat him to a bloody pulp, and return her booze. Instead she opted for taking the price of the saki out of his pay... With interest.
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"Kakashi... Will you PLEASE put that trash away?" Kurenai asked, clearly unamused. She had been ordered to report to the training fields for a briefing from Kakashi on their newest mission. Upon arrival she was greeted by the spine of a little orange book and a tuft of silver hair poking out from above it.
"Give me a second... I need to finish this chapter" he said with his nose still firmly pressed between the pages.
Kurenai sighed and sat down against one of the training posts, knowing from experience that there was no way to get the copy-nin's attention while he was immersed in his pecular brand of literature. As she sat she wondered just what their newest mission was. Surprisingly things had calmed down around the village and the only real missions available were for scouting or diplomatic negotiations. In fact, Asuma had left a few days ago with two of her old students, Shino Aburame and Kiba Inuzuka, for a scouting mission around Kumo.
Kakashi let out a soft chuckle and flipped another page, momentarily jarring Kurenai from her thoughts. She shot a glare his way, knowing that even though he couldn't see it he would feel it. She sighed again and thought about just how much her favorite pupils had grown. All three of them had improved vastly from when she had first started training them. However, of the group, Hinata Hyuuga showed the greatest improvement. Kurenai had a soft spot for the sweet and caring young woman that had become almost like a daughter to her.
Hinata had come to her as a shy and fragile young woman with nearly no confidence; Thanks to an overbearing clan, a prodigal little sister and cousin, and a father that could never see just how rare and special she was. It was only after Hinata was replaced as heir by her sister that she truly began to blossom. Once all that pressure was off of her she flourished. Her father treated her as if dead and never acknowledged her now that she was really of no use to him, but it would seem better that way. While he was acknowledging her the only things he offered her were criticism and doubt. Good riddance.
All ninjas were told that emotion is weakness. To be numb is to be strong. In Hinata's case her empathy and compassion were her greatest asset. Once she learned to harness her feelings and use them as motivation she became nearly unstoppable. Another benefit of her open heart was that it made gathering information so much easier. It was hard not to trust Hinata right from the start and she could melt any person's defenses effortlessly. She had a knack for acting, as well as disguise jutsus, making her the perfect undercover agent.
She still wasn't all that physically powerful. Her hand-to-hand was weak unless she attacked the tenketsu and she had trouble with swords and pole arms. She was only slightly above average with her senbon and kunai throwing. Her chakra control, however, was almost perfect, but she had a problem with using it. She always seemed to hesitate.
Kurenai knew why.
Hinata didn't want to need her Byakugan anymore, or any of the Hyuuga techniques. She didn't want to rely on the gifts bestowed on her by the blood of the clan that shunned her. It was understandable, but also very prideful and stupid. Kurenai had tried and tried again to get her to just accept that she was a Hyuuga by blood, and she'd always be one even if she didn't use her talents.
Kakashi cleared his throat and Kurenai realised that she'd been so deep in her thoughts that she hadn't noticed when he had come to stand over her.
"Daydreaming about a certain fellow sensei?" He asked with a lecherous wink.
"No" she stated simply as she got to her feet and brushed herself off.
"Awww... I was so hoping you'd entertain me with steamy details of your erotic fantasies" he mock-pouted.
Kurenai just rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.
"What's the mission?" she asked.
Kakashi pretended to lose himself in deep thought. "Mission... mission... hmmm..." he pondered out loud.
"Enough of your games for today, just tell me what I need to know and then you can get back to your book" Kurenai said impatiently. This seemed to be reasonable enough for him, but he still had to get in one more pluck of his partner's nerves.
"You didn't say please..." he sang in a chiding manner.
Kurenai narrowed his eyes at him and grit her teeth. "I'm not going to either, so the sooner you start talking the sooner we can get this over with" she growled.
Kakashi debated on continuing to hassle the kunoichi, but thought it wiser to just drop it. That and he really really wanted to get back to his book.
"Fine then, but at least stop glaring at me. Such a lovely face is not meant to be contorted with-"
"Kakashi, I'm warning you..." Kurenai cut him off before he could continue with his flirting.
"Oh right... You're taken." He said before quickly begining to speak some more to prevent Kurenai from getting the chance to deny her involvement with Asuma, (Like she always did). "Anyway, the mission is more of a teaching assignment for our maturing students. You see, as ninja it is beneficial to be skilled at both tempting others in order to obtain information as well as resisting temptation from others and with-holding one's own vital information" He explained.
"I don't like where this is going one bit" Kurenai muttered.
"Seeing as our students are at the age where they are already starting to experience the dangers of hormones, and are at the legal age where they may act on these hormones without legal consequence... Wouldn't it be a good idea to educate our prospering ninja in the use and control of said hormones?" Kakashi asked.
Kurenai stared at him in disbelief. "The Hokage actually approved of this?!" she exclaimed.
"Of course! She thought it was a brilliant idea... But anyway... I figured we could handle this by pairing up each student with another student of the opposite sex. One student plays the part of the seducer while the other must resist all temptation techniques. At the end of the week whoever succeeded in their goal, be it tempting or resisting, will recieve a special surprise and points toward becoming ANBU. Now I think we should appoint pairs by assigning each student to the task that they would probably be weaker in... Oh, but before all this can happen we need to educate our students on the "birds and the bees", so to speak. I'll teach the boys and you teach the girls, and then we go from there." By the end of his explination he was beaming from beneath his mask.
"Don't you think an exercise like this could have unwanted results?" Kurenai inquired.
"Of course not. This is just a learning experience" Kakashi said as he waved off her concern.
"As much as I really don't approve of this project... It is a mission. However, I'm warning you... If this gets out of hand I'm going to speak to Lady Tsunade about docking your pay" Kurenai threatened.
Kakashi just let out a small hum and nodded his head with understanding.
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The next day Kurenai had requested that all the kunoichi of legal age show up for a special meeting. Ino, Sakura, TenTen, Hinata, and Temari all arrived at the designated briefing point, an empty classroom at the old Konoha Ninja Academy, at the appointed time. Once all the girls were seated Kurenai appeared at the front of the room looking slightly uncomfortable.
"Welcome ladies. Thank you all for coming today." Kurenai said to her class. "Today we will be discussing some things that weren't covered in your original classes. Now, let's begin by talking about our bodies..."
As Kurenai gave her lecture to the increasingly unsettled group of kunoichi she couldn't help but wonder what methods Kakashi would be using and just how much luck he was having with his own class. She also wondered just what awful thing had she done to deserve such a disturbing mission.
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A small assortment of ninja sat spread out in a small grassy clearing not too far from the classroom where Kurenai happened to be teaching the female ninjas of their same age.
"Alright class... Sorry I'm late. I had to go pick up your reading materials and then save a helpless kitten from this ferocious dog that was trying to-" Kakashi's weak excuse for his tardiness was interrupted by Naruto ranting. He had arrived without any real notice, but none of the well-trained ninja were startled by his sudden appearance.
"Yeah yeah... We've heard them all before, Sensei; I had to ponder the meaning of life. I couldn't find my pants. Anko-sensei was hitting on me... Just admit that you woke up late because you had a hangover!!!" the blonde boy shouted.
Kakashi gave Naruto an unreadable expression before throwing something at each student without any warning. Most of them caught what was tossed at them with ease, though Naruto was hit in the gut by his item so hard it knocked the wind out of him for a moment.
Sasuke was the first to recognize just what had been lobbed at them. "You have got to be kidding me..." He groaned.
Most of the class had a similar reaction when they identified that Kakashi had equipped them each with a little orange book of questionable morality. Shikamaru lazily flipped through a few pages before speaking up.
"I've already read this one... Got a newer issue?" he asked in a monotone drone.
"You'll read what you've been given... And if any of you so much as bends the spine back too far you'll be buying me a new copy" Kakashi said calmly, knowing that he'd at least be getting two new issues by the end of the lesson.
"How troublesome..." Shikamaru muttered as he began to read.
"Uh, Sensei!!! It seems that I have commited a greivious offense against your cherished lesson material. I fear my youthful energy has proven too intense for your sacred literature" Lee wailed as he hopped to his feet and held up his book, bent so far backward that the front and back covers were touching.
"You owe me $19.95 plus tax" Kakashi said from behind his own copy of "Icha Icha Paradise" without even bothering to look up at the jumpsuit-clad youth.
"Surely I must do more than pay you for a new copy!!! I have brought shame to the greatness that is youthful energy!!! Surely 10,000 laps around Konoha with weights on my wrists and ankles would be a good start to repay you" Lee suggested.
'Is this guy a masochist?' Kakashi inwardly pondered. "That's not necessary, Lee. Just give me the money to replace what you've damaged and we'll call it even" the bored teacher stated, uneffected by Lee's dramatics, having long ago gotten used to such antics thanks to the likes of Gai.
Lee burst into violent sobs as tears flowed freely from his oddly shaped eyes. "Truly you are a generous and forgiving saint, Kakashi-sensei!!!! Such charity!!! Such kindness!!! I AM UNWORTHY OF YOUR GREATNESS!!!!!" Lee wailed.
Neji reached up from his sitting position and tugged his overzealous teammate onto the grass. "Get a hold of yourself, Lee" the Hyuuga prodigy scolded.
Lee nodded so fiercly it looked as if his head would fly off of his neck. He wiped his overflowing tears and snot on the back of his arm bandages and attempted to read quietly as stray tears dripped onto the paper and the occaisional whimper escaped from his lips.
Kakashi took a moment to make sure all of his students were reading. Shikamaru had fallen asleep laying on his back with the book open over his face. Choji was nudging his teammate with his foot to try and wake him while at the same time trying, (Unsuccessfully), not to get the grease from the potato chips he was eating onto the pages of his book. Sasuke had an angry scowl plastered on his face as he only skimmed over the pages, refusing to show any interest in what he had convinced himself was so far beneath him. Neji wore a similar expression to Sasuke's, both as he read and when he looked over at his still blubbering teammate, Lee. Naruto was the only student who seemed to be actually reading, though his attention would drift from time to time and he was fidgeting. Gaara and Kankuro were supposed to be here too, but Tsunade had only signed Temari's extended visitation papers, mistakenly thinking that if she vouched for one sibling they'd all be covered. Meanwhile Kiba and Shino were still on their mission with Asuma.
Kakashi sighed.
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"I REALLY hope you are enjoying your sick little game here, Kakashi." Kurenai seethed as she poked a chakra-imbued fingertip into the center of her co-worker's chest.
"Have trouble educating the girls, Kurenai? I'd be happy to teach them for you... All you had to do was ask. I heard a rumor that Jiraiya has started publishing a shojo version of "Icha Icha"... I could get you some copies. How many kunoichi are in your class?" Kakashi offered enthusiastically.
"Oh no you don't... I'm not having you corrupt the girls too!" Kurenai bristled.
"Okay, okay... But just in case you change your mind... I do have a list of Jiraiya's favorite haunts. I could ask him for a favor" Kakashi generously hinted.
"NO. THANK. YOU." Kurenai stated firmly, her crimson eyes blazing.
"Suit yourself..." Kakashi mumbled.
"Anyway... I've evaluated each girl and what areas they are weak in. The biggest challenge is Hinata Hyuuga. She's adapted very well in both areas thanks to her undercover missions. The others were fairly simple to identify. Both Ino Yamanaka and Sakura Haruno really need to work on their seduction techniques, as we both know from their combined stagging failures toward wooing Sasuke Uchiha. TenTen is pretty good at seduction, but she could use a little work when it comes to being approached. As for Temari of the Sand... She hasn't exactly experienced the attentions of males..." Kurenai stated cautiously.
"The girl with the giant fan? Seriously?!" Kakashi stated with disbelief.
"Well... It's not so much that she is unattractive as she is unapproachable. Temari is very... Spirited..." Kurenai was trying very hard to be kind with her wording. In actuality Temari scared the crap out of the male species in that she could easily whip any potential suitor's ass. Kakashi's eyes widened at first, and then he slowly nodded with dawning comprehension.
"The guys were easy to pin down too. Sasuke Uchiha and Neji Hyuuga need to hone their seduction skills. I mean they are only the two most desired ninja in Konoha, besides myself, and yet they do it without any effort. Imagine just how unstoppable they'd be if they actually TRIED!!!" Kakashi seemed a little too excited by this prospect.
"I see what you mean, except for the part about YOU being desirable in any way... Though I think we are looking at the issue from completely different angles" Kurenai said.
Kakashi pretended to look hurt by Kurenai's words. "Perhaps you'd see my charms more if I had a cigarette hanging from the corner of my mouth and I shaved less" he insinuated none-too-lightly.
Kurenai rolled her eyes.
"Okay, fine. Shikamaru Nara and Rock Lee need some work in the seduction department too. Lee isn't exactly all that desirable, so he needs to learn to overcome his butt-ugliness. As for Shikamaru... Well he's just a lazy bastard. With all that "supposed" tactical knowledge you'd think he'd be using it to get some." Kakashi muttered as though personally wronged by such actions... Or lack thereof.
"KAKASHI!!!" Kurenai scolded.
"Oh... Right..." Kakashi had the decency to look somewhat embarassed and ashamed. "Well, that leaves Chouji Akimichi and Naruto Uzumaki. Both of them need to experience what it's like to be persued. I doubt fatty gets many dates and I KNOW Naruto doesn't. He can't sit still long enough to get anyone interested." Kakashi stated bluntly.
"Are you this heartless in front of your students?! No wonder Sasuke Uchiha is so depressed, Sakura Haruno cries all the time, and Naruto Uzamaki can't stay in one place! You're an utter BASTARD!!!" Kurenai was livid.
"Hey, I'm just honest!" Kakashi defended.
"Am I the only nice person left in this crazy villiage!? Even our Hokage has anger issues!" Kurenai seemed to have momentarily forgotten that Kakashi was there listening to every word of her rant. She continued to slander just about everyone she knew, though a lot kinder than Kakashi had just bashed his students. "And Gai... Don't EVEN get me started on him!!!" Kurenai remarked.
"Should I just come back later?" Kakashi asked kindly.
Kurenai slowly came back to herself and blushed much like her favorite student used to do. "Oh.. uh... No. That's not necessary. Let's just set them all up in pairs and figure out how all of this is going to work" she said, regaining her normal calm and collected demeanor. Suddenly something dawned on the skilled kunoichi.
She grabbed Kakashi by the collar with lightening speed and leaned dangerously close to his face mask. Kakashi's visible eye widened and he started to gently pry Kurenai's hands from his neck.
"Err... As thrilled as I am that you've fallen for my charms aren't you... uhh... taken? Y'know... Asuma? Guy with cigarettes and sideburns?" Kakashi said with a nearly undetectable note of fear.
Kurenai sniffed his breath through his mask and then shoved the copy-nin away with disgust. "YOU'RE DRUNK!!!" She cried with indignation. "I can't believe you!!! This is unbelievable!!! You're becoming just as bad as that miscreant, Jiraiya!!!" She huffed.
Kakashi looked as though she'd just told him that Asuma meant nothing to her and she wanted him to take her right there. "You really think so?!" He stated with glee.
Kurenai let out a string of indecipherable growls and utterances as she stormed away to blow off some steam on a special training dummy set up by Team 7 that bore a striking resemblance to the scarecrow himself.
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"So, what is he planning?" Naruto asked Shikamaru with a jab to his ribs. The group of boys had gone to Ichiraku Ramen after their odd "training" session with Kakashi. Naruto had only stopped shoveling ramen into his mouth long enough to ask the tactical genius what he thought before resuming his frenzied eating.
Shikamaru shrugged and layed his head onto his folded arms for an impromptu nap on the counter. Choji had also stopped eating his own bowl of ramen to listen to what his teammate had to say, but then sighed upon seeing his friend attempt to rest. Sasuke grunted and set the money for his order down on the counter next to his empty bowl, trying to make a silent retreat as he'd seen Neji do a few minutes before. Lee had bounced off after eating his own ramen to run the laps Kakashi had told him not to bother with.
That left Naruto alone with Choji and Shikamaru to pester. "I'm being serious!" Naruto whined. "He had to have some reason to make us read porn!!!".
"Plus, it is kinda weird that it was just us guys being taught. Where were all the girls?" Choji mentioned as he finished off his second bowl.
"Do you really think any of the girls would let him get away with showing them porn? Especially porn from three months ago?" Shikamaru muttered sleepily.
"GAH!!! I can't stand it when I don't know what Kakashi-sensei is up too!!! It's so annoying!!!" Naruto cried as he flailed his arms for emphasis.
"Annoying like you, I presume?" Shikamaru halfheartedly jabbed.
"I'm sure he'll explain everything during the next session. Didn't he say that the girls would be there too?" Choji wondered.
"Well, I'm not gonna wait that long to find out! BELIEVE IT!!!" Naruto yelled. "I'm gonna go ask Granny what's up!" He said as he jogged off to the Hokage's office.
A few minutes later the Ichiraku chef came over to collect the money from all the orders. "That damn Naruto kid forgot to pay again..." He growled. "You guys were with him, you're gonna have to pay for his ramen!" The chef said to Choji and Shikamaru.
Choji looked at the stack of eight empty bowls where Naruto had been sitting and then to his own stack of four with worry. "Uhh... Well, I can't pay. I had to give the scarecrow-sensei all my money to pay for a new book. You'll have to get him to pay for it all when he wakes up..." Choji said as he guestured to Shikamaru. The chef seemed satisfied and turned back to fill some new orders.
Choji leaned in toward his teammate and spoke in an apologetic whisper. "I'm so sorry, man. But I really did have to pay Kakashi-sensei. I promise I'll pay you back for this" he said before silently slinking away and leaving his dozing best friend with the hefty bill. Luckily, Shikamaru happened to have the money on him, having planned his own trip to the adult bookstore for a little splurging on reading materials, (In the sense of spending a lot of money shopping... Not like... Eeeew... Hopefully).
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Sasuke wandered along the streets toward his home with his hands shoved deep into his pockets. Naruto did have a good point to be curious about Kakashi's strange session with them. The experience left him to cope with a gnawing curiousity that he was trying to keep at bay with his typical icy attitude. Further ahead he noticed a small commotion being made outside of a nearby grocery store as a frail elderly woman lost her grip on her bags.
Sasuke rolled his eyes when he saw that no one seemed to be going out of their way to help the poor woman and started to head over to help her himself. He'd noticed a few fresh looking tomatoes had spilled from her bags and had high hopes that she'd reward him for his kindness by giving him one of the lucious fruits.
As he approached he was surprised to see that someone had gotten on their knees and began picking up items and putting them back in their bags.
"Oh now... At least let me help! I was the one that dropped them, after all!" The old lady said to her helper.
"No, it's alright. I can get it all on my own... But thank you for offering to help me" Said the young woman from the ground as she stuffed a tomato into a bag. She haid long midnight blue hair that was brushing the ground around her as she bent over that covered her face, but Sasuke recognized her voice and her petite frame as those belonging to one of his old classmates.
'She's trying to get my tomatoes...' He inwardly growled, feeling possesive of the delicious fruit that never belonged to him in the first place.
"There you are" the girl said to the woman. "It looks like you broke a few eggs, but I can go back in and get you some more if you need them. Just let me go get them and then I'll help you carry your groceries home" She said as she got to her feet and brushed herself off.
Sasuke got a glimpse of her pale lavender eyes as she turned to go back in the store. He was caught off guard by just how accomodating his classmate was being. It was obvious she wasn't related to the old lady in that they looked nothing alike. The old woman was beaming and noticed Sasuke's eyes following the girl's back. The octogenarian zeroed in on him and looked up at him with a conspiratorial grin.
"She is quite an angel, isn't she? Going so far out of her way to help me like that... Is she a Hyuuga? I remember being told that the Hyuuga clan have white eyes like hers..." The woman struck up a conversation with him out of nowhere.
"Yes, she's a Hyuuga" was all Sasuke could say. With the way this old lady was looking at him he was starting to worry that his fangirls were getting much older.
"Ah... I see. Such a sweet girl. You know her?" The lady asked.
"Classmates" Sasuke muttered. What was with this geezer? Was she a stalker?
"Oh, well then since you know her would you mind walking with her and myself to drop off my groceries. I'm embarassed to say I bit off more than I can chew here and I'd feel awful if I made such a nice young lady go to so much trouble..." The woman began to say.
"Whereas it wouldn't bother you at all to have a young male stranger carry all the heavy stuff" Sasuke sarcastically offered with a growl.
"Well, I wouldn't call you a stranger... You are her classmate..." The woman's kindly facade had melted away to an evil grin. Who knew just what this crazy old bat was up to. Before Sasuke had a chance to tell the old woman just where she could take her bags and shove them his classmate reappeared and, from the look of confusion on her face, she had seen Sasuke.
With strength that hadn't been there when she'd dropped her bags the old woman shoved the bag she was holding at Sasuke so hard he was momentarily breathless.
"Well hello there sweetie!" The super-granny chimed as though she hadn't just given Sasuke internal bruising. Sasuke refused to let himself groan, after all this was simply a crazy old lady. If she were an S-class missing nin THEN maybe he'd groan. Possibly wince.
"I've got the eggs if you're ready to go... Hello Sasuke-san" Hinata looked to the old woman and then to him, greeting him with a polite bow.
"Well isn't this nice? This young gentleman offered to help carry my bags for me and I was just about to tell him I alread had help from you, Hinata, but apparently you know each other" The woman said as though surprised. To Sasuke it just sounded like she was taunting him.
"Oh, well it's alright Sasuke-san. I can carry her bags, but thank you for offering to help" Hinata said sweetly as she gently took the bag from him that the old woman had previously shoved into his arms.
The old woman shot a glare at Sasuke from behind Hinata. He wasn't scared of her...
"Hn" Sasuke muttered as he took the bag back from Hinata as well as picking up several more. He was just in a helpful mood, that was all.
"Oh.. well then... Uhh..." Hinata tried to think of something to say as she gathered up the rest of the bags.
"Where do you live, Old Woman?" Sasuke asked, though it came out as more of a demand.
"Oh, not far... Just a mile or so." The woman replied, slipping back into her clever "Fragile Old Psycho" ruse.
As the old woman led the way Hinata came to walk side-by-side with him, smiling at him gratefully. "It was really nice of you to offer to help us. Usually Hima-sama has to trick people into helping her" Hinata said with a small laugh.
So Hinata was in on the whole thing. Sasuke frowned, having tried to comfort himself in that his classmate hadn't known he was duped. Hinata sensed his discomfort and tried to cheer him up.
"Don't take it too hard, she's tricked almost everybody you know. She's even gotten Neji-niisan to help her..." She offered. Hinata continued to list Hima-sama's more surprising unwilling victims as they made their way to the geriactric trickster's abode.
"Well... Here we are. Thank you once again for your kindness, Hinata" Hima said as she dug around inside of her bags. She pulled out a lovely red tomato and handed it to the caring kunoichi.
"Thank you, Hima-sama, but I really don't need any reward" Hinata said as she tried, much to Sasuke's horror, to give the old woman her tomato back.
"Keep it. You deserve it for trying to save yet another inconsiderate soul from learning a little lesson in kindness!" The old woman said bitterly as she eyed Sasuke.
"Hima-sama..." Hinata pleaded with a small blush.
"Thank you again, Hinata. And as for you, Boy... Hopefully some of this little angel's sweetness will rub off on you" Hima scowled before bowing politley and then shutting her door.
Hinata bowed to the closed door and blushed a little harder. "She is convinced that there are no nice people left in the world" Hinata tried to explain when she looked back up at Sasuke.
Sasuke simply nodded before starting to walk away.
"Oh... Uh... Sasuke-san..." Hinata said.
He turned around and looked at her with mild annoyance. He did not like being scolded by half-dead old women, nor did he like being told that he should be more like weak emotional young women.
"Here" Hinata said simply as she pulled one of his hands toward her and opened his palm. She gently placed the tomato she had just been given into his hand and then smiled up at him.
Sasuke tried his best not to look surprised and muttered a quick "Thanks" to her. Her smile widened and she bowed to him before walking off to possibly protect some other grouchy person from crusading senior citizen ninjas.
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"Okay, so then we have Sasuke Uchiha assigned to Hinata Hyuuga..." Kurenai said as she read from the list that she and Kakashi had come up with.
"It fits, doesn't it? Sasuke would never even try a project like this unless it were a challenge. Plus I don't think those two have ever spoken to each other, which is a big plus. Since she's not a fangirl he'll be more inclined to try. She'll just have to brush him off once and his ego will kick in" Kakashi was rubbing his hands together devilishly.
"You've put a lot of thought into this, haven't you?" Kurenai asked as she sat down on the desk Kakashi was sitting behind. They had decided to meet up in the empty classroom Kurenai had used for her lesson with the girls.
"Is it obvious?" Kakashi asked while pretending to be bashful.
"Neji Hyuuga and TenTen... Does she have a last name?" Kurenai wondered out loud. Kakashi shrugged in response. "Anyway... This one doesn't seem too great. I mean they are already on the same team so wouldn't they be too used to each other? Wait a second... You've paired up Ino Yamanaka and Chouji Akimichi as well as Sakura Haruno and Naruto Uzamaki..." Kurenai looked up at Kakashi expecting an explination.
"Well, I know it looks odd, but I do have good reasons. Your boy, Asuma, hinted to me that Akimichi has a soft spot for Yamanaka so he probably wouldn't be all that prepared for her attention. And I doubt she's prepared to give it" Kakashi explained.
"And the other two pairs?" Kurenai prompted.
"Eh... Pretty much the same reasons. TenTen has the hots for the Hyuuga prodigy and we all know Naruto would give up ramen forever if it got Sakura to like him" Kakashi said with a shrug.
"That leaves us with Shikamaru Nara, Temari... Do the sand siblings have last names? That's going to bother me... and Rock Lee. Got any bright ideas on that one?" Kurenai said with a smirk.
"I guess we could just have both guys attempt to woo Temari. It'd probably take at least two men to bring her down anyway..." Kakashi muttered.
"Kakashi! This isn't a battle..." Kurenai scolded.
"Isn't it, though? Think about it" Kakashi said, looking at her with all seriousness with his one visible eye. She stopped to think about what he said for a moment, then narrowed her eyes.
"I hate it when you have a point" Kurenai seethed.
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The next day Kakashi's guinea pigs, ( As in his students and Kurenai), gathered at the training grounds that housed his recently mauled training dummy likeness. As usual they were waiting for him to arrive, bearing whatever lame excuses he was so well known for.
To make things simpler Kurenai had everyone sit with their groups, which then made things difficult when she realized that Hinata's teammates were still out with Asuma and Temari's brothers were back in Suna. However, the problem remedied itself almost instantly when Hinata walked over to Temari.
"Is it alright if we sit together? My team is out on a mission and I noticed you were alone" Hinata asked kindly.
Temari looked as though she were sizing Hinata up before nodding and patting the ground next to her. "Temari" she said, not really wanting to start a conversation.
"Hinata Hyuuga" Hinata replied with a small bow before sitting down.
Kurenai let out the breath she'd been holding as she watched her prized student twirl some of her hair around her finger and wait patiently for class to start. 'What was I expecting to happen? Temari to blow her away with that gigantic fan?' Kurenai inwardly pondered.
"HEY KURENAI-SENSEI!!!" Naruto shouted.
"Yes, Naruto?" she responded patiently.
"What's all this about? I tried to get Granny Tsunade to spill, but she kicked me out of her office" The energetic teen said.
"Everything will be explained once Kakashi gets here" Kurenai supplied.
Naruto let out an impatient groan and rolled his eyes. Luckily Kakashi appeared before Naruto could make a pest out of himself.
"Sorry I'm late, class. Some crazy old lady made me carry her groceries for her" Kakashi said.
While most of the class chose not to believe him, Sasuke's eyes narrowed as he remembered his encounter with Hima-sama and Hinata let out a quiet chuckle.
"Anyway. You're all probably wondering just what we have planned for you" Kakashi began his lecture.
"YES!!! TELL US!!!" Naruto begged, his curiousity finally gotten the best of him.
"Right... Well the point of all this is to prepare you for some of the more mature challenges you will face as ninja. You are all of age now and pretty soon you will be dealing with sexual advances as means to pry information from you. Likewise you may also need to resort to sexual wiles in order to obtain vital facts from your enemies. Now Kurenai and I will give you an example-" Kakashi was interrupted.
"Oh no we won't!" Kurenai said with an edge of malice.
"Like I was saying, there will be no need for any examples. Hopefully you paid enough attention during the lectures to know just what is required" Kakashi stated after quickly rectifying his earlier statement.
"What's going on is we will be assigning each of you to a certain task. If you are assigned as a "persuer" you will be given the name of a teammate of the opposite sex to whom you will seduce in order to gain something from them. If you are assigned as "persued" you will be given a colored flag to keep in your possesion until the end of the week. If the persuer is able to seduce the persued a special jutsu will trigger that will put the flag in my possesion and the persuer is automatically victorious. However, if the persuer is unable to seduce the persued then the flag will remain in the persued party's possession." Kurenai could see that her sensible explination had confused a few of the students. However, she had an idea on what to do for an example.
"For example... Let's say that Kakashi was assigned to be persued by ooohhh... Anko..." Kurenai began with an evil smile. Kakashi let out a choking noise, but weakly waved for Kurenai to continue. "In that case Kakashi would be given a gray flag so that I would know it was his. Through the week Anko would try to seduce Kakashi to the point that his flag would release a small chakra pulse, to let them both know that Anko had succeeded, and then the flag would teleport to my office. If, however, Anko were unable to seduce Kakshi within the designated week he would still have the flag and present it to me at the week's end. However unlikely Anko losing may be..." Kurenai finished her explination with an evil grin.
A few of the students snickered amongst themselves while they listened to Kurenai's well-placed jab at their male sensei. If Kakashi weren't wearing his face mask it'd be pretty obvious that he was blushing slightly after having been beaten at his own annoying game. Kurenai tried not to look too pleased with herself as she pulled out several small scrolls to be handed out. Naruto was the first to open up his scroll and a small orange flag fell out of it and onto his lap.
"OOOOH!!! A GIRL'S GONNA BE AFTER ME!!!" He shrieked with delight. "Err... uh... not that that hasn't ever happened to me before..." He quickly tried to cover up his embarassing slip.
Lee was the next to open his scroll, nearly tearing it in half with his excitement and "Youthful Energy". "AH! It seems as though I'm to court a lovely lady... This should be easy, since I'm bursting at the seams with the power of love!" Lee chirped as he struck up what he assumed to be a romantic pose, with a dramatic twinkle in his eye and a similar shine on his toothy grin. How he came to think that standing on one leg while the other pointed straight out and his arms bent up behind his head looked even remotley romantic was anyone's guess.
Ino and Sakura caught each other's glare and proceeded to rip open their scrolls at the same time, trying to see which one of them was being persued by Sasuke. Much to their dismay, they both had names on their scrolls that were not "Sasuke Uchiha".
"OH NO!!! I can't believe I didn't get Sasuke-kun" Ino wailed as she read "Choji" from her scroll.
"HAH! At least now I know you didn't get him either, Ino-pig!!!" Sakura cheered as she looked at the name "Naruto" glaring up at her from her own scroll.
"Oh just shove it, Billboard-brow!!!" Ino hissed back, initiating a spontaneous staring match that niether huffy girl was willing to lose.
"Oh great... I have to persue... Tch... How troublesome" Shikamaru grumbled as he looked again to make sure that his target was Temari.
Sasuke opened his scroll and silently read the name in his scroll. Apparently he was going to have to persue Hinata Hyuuga. 'This should be easy enough' he thought to himself.
Choji had a green flag fall into his lap as he opened his scroll and TenTen was greeted by a red flag landing in hers. Neji looked satisfied by the name on his scroll, "TenTen", since he didn't bother looking at anyone or saying anything. Temari had a similar reaction when a blue flag floated out of her scroll.
Hinata was too busy watching everyone else with their scrolls to open hers until Temari spoke to her. "Aren't you gonna open that?" She asked as she pointed to the scroll.
"Oh! Right..." Hinata said as she carefully unrolled the scroll and watched as a white flag wafted out and landed on her knee.
"Looks like you and I both get to be stalked" Temari grunted.
"Actually, Temari. Since there was an uneven ratio of boys to girls we were forced to assign two ninja to persue you. I hope you don't mind." Kurenai said softly, feeling kind of bad that she played a part in directing Lee's uncontrollable antics as well as Shikamaru's lazy advances her way. Hopefully the two would balance each other out enough to create one normal, if not slightly odd-looking, ninja persuer.
Temari shrugged and got to her feet. "I think I can handle it..." She said with confidence. Hinata looked up at Temari as if she'd suddenly become immortal.
"W-wow..." Stuttered Hinata. While it was true that she had almost totally overcome her stuttering and voice projection problems they would still sneak into her speech when she was shocked, embarassed, angry, or sad. Right now Temari's show of confidence had Hinata awestruck.
Temari looked at Hinata and grinned. "Really, it's not that big of a deal. My brothers have been more than enough experience on how to deal with dumb guys" She said.
"Oh... Well if you do wind up having any trouble... You can always hang out with me. I've heard that guys are fearful of women in packs" Hinata giggled.
"I'll keep that in mind. Thanks" Temari said with a small chuckle.
The group of students slowly disbanded, as Kurenai had expected. She knew that none of them would be so foolish as to start their mission without proper planning first.
"FAIREST TEMARI!!! It would be of the greatest honor if you would kindly let yourself fall for my dazzling youthful energy! I am aware that my charms may be a bit overwhelming at first... But I am a deep and gentle soul-" Lee had gotten down on one knee in front of a horrified looking Temari.
'Then again, maybe not' Kurenai thought to herself. Lee did have a tendency to keep her second-guessing. Too exhasperated by this silly project already, Kurenai let out a long sigh and started heading back to her home.
"You assigned HIM to try and seduce me?!" Temari asked in disbelief.
"Err... Try not to kill him. He really is doing his best" Kurenai said pathetically from over her shoulder, continuing to walk.
Temari's arm shot out and hooked around Hinata's, startling the poor girl and causing her to let out a frightened squeak. Temari slowly guided Hinata to stand in front of her and between herself and Lee. Hinata quickly picked up on Temari's distress and instantly began troubleshooting.
"Uh... Lee-san. May I make a small suggestion?" Hinata asked.
"Why of course sweet lily of youth and beauty! I am always open to the words of a fair maiden!" Lee said as he guesticulated wildly.
"Err... How about you try to get to know Temari-san before umm... persuing her..." Hinata offered. "Not that there's anything wrong with the direct approach, I just think that with Temari-" Hinata was interrupted by Lee slapping his palm to his forehead.
"OH WHAT A FOOL I AM!!!! Of course! Ladies such as Temari should be properly courted!!! How utterly despicable I am for not taking this into account!!!" He grabbed Hinata's hands and shook them up and down so hard Hinata felt as though her wrists would break. "Thank you, kind angel, for opening my eyes! Forgive me, lovely Temari, but I was blinded by the powers of love! I will go run 1,000 laps for you fueld simply on my adoration for you alone!!!" Lee nearly sang as he jumped to his feet and began to speed off. "FAREWELL!!!" He hollered back at them as he zoomed farther and farther away.
Temari blinked a few times and turned on Hinata. "Please tell me he's not always like that!" She demanded.
"Err... Lee-san's not so bad once you get used to his... unique mannerisms" Hinata supplied.
Temari let out a loud groan and massaged her temples.
"Why don't we go to my compound and I'll fix you some tea..." Hinata offered.
"Yeah... Sure... Just make sure my cup has a healthy splash of saki. I get the feeling I'm gonna need it" Temari muttered.
Hinata nodded and led the way back to the Hyuuga compound, more than a little worried about Lee's safety, should he continue his wild course of action. Still, at least Lee's anctics had helped her make a new friend.
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Sasuke threw another kunai directly into the center of the targets that had been set up. He'd only been training for about half an hour with his kunai and seeing as his aim was still true, he was debating on moving on to chakra exercises. As he dislodged the kunai from the center of the target and dropped it back into his weapons pouch he sensed someone walking toward him. He didn't bother turning around, though, thinking it was just another girl convinced she was in love with him.
"Am I disturbing your training? I can always speak to you another time" Came the soft voice of his classmate and current project.
Sasuke turned around and met Hinata's eyes briefly before shaking his head "no".
"Oh, good then. I just wanted to umm... Talk a little" she said quietly.
"About?" Sasuke asked in a gruff tone.
"Um, I kind of figured out that you were the one assigned to uh... persue me... And I just wanted to umm..." She tried to find the words she wanted to say.
"You figured it out?" Sasuke asked, mildly impressed.
"Well, yeah. I mean I saw who got flags and who didn't. Really it was just a matter of watching the people who didn't get flags and see who they were paying the most, or in some cases least, attention to. Our classmates aren't too good with poker faces" she joked.
"Who is going after Naruto?" Sasuke couldn't help but ask.
"Sakura-chan" Hinata said with a smile.
"That should be interesting" Sasuke mumbled.
"Anyway... I just wanted to let you know that there will be no hard feelings with this mission. I promise you that I'm going to do my best and I hope that you will do the same... Not that I want you to win... That would be awkward... But then again this whole thing is awkward, isn't it? And I guess I do sort of want you to win... It would be so nice if there was a way both of us could win..." Hinata rambled nervously and twirled a strand of her long dark hair around her finger as she tried not to fidget.
"Right..." Sasuke said, hoping to cut off her babbling.
"Oh! I'm sorry. I'm rambling... I just wanted to say that I hope we can become friends while all this is taking place" Hinata said with a pretty pink blush.
Sasuke responded with a simple nod of his head.
"Okay... well then... It was nice talking to you. Enjoy your training!" Hinata said quickly as she bowed and then hurried off, clearly uncomfortable.
'What a weird girl' Sasuke thought to himself as he watched Hinata hop up into a tall tree and then leap from branch to branch back toward the main part of the villiage.
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Hinata balanced a tray on one of her open palms while she jiggled the door leading out into the courtyard with her other hand. Eventually the stubborn door gave in and Hinata slipped quietly out into the yard. She spotted her cousin training over by the koi pond and made her way over to him.
"Neji-niisan, I brought you some tea and a piece of cake" she said as she greeted him.
Neji looked at his cousin and refrained from smiling as he took the cup of tea from the tray and enjoyed a long sip. He noticed her watching him and nodded to let her know that she had done well.
"So have you started persuing TenTen-chan yet?" Hinata asked, her question nearly causing her normally stoic cousin to spit out his tea.
"What?!" Neji managed to splutter.
"I meant for the project. I figured out that she was your target" Hinata said with a hint of an apology.
"No, I haven't really given it much thought" Neji said as he tried to regain his cool.
"Forgive me for being bold, but I don't believe you in that regard" Hinata said with a grin.
Neji continued to act calm. "Really? What makes you think that?" he asked.
"You. I'm sorry to say it's very obvious that you cherish TenTen-chan as something more than a friend" Hinata said.
"Is that so?" Neji asked.
"I've known you all my life. I think I can tell when you are harboring romantic feelings toward one of our friends. Deny it all you want, but this project is a great excuse to get close to TenTen-chan" Hinata explained.
Neji looked at her as though he were seeing her for the first time. "You've really changed Hinata-sama" He mused.
"Just Hinata, please. We're family" Hinata supplied, not really taking what he said to heart. "Just let TenTen-chan know how you feel. You two are good for each other" she said as she set the tray bearing the tea kettle and the plate with a slice of cake on it down on the ground.
She gave Neji a polite bow that he automatically returned and then headed back into the house, feeling pleased that she was able to show her cousin her support. It wasn't entirely his fault he was emotionally constipated, afterall.
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"Can you believe this stupid project?" Ino said as she leaned over the counter of her family's flower shop and tapped her fingers on the surface.
"I know... How could our senseis do this to us?!" Sakura wailed from behind a display of roses.
The two girls had started up their on again off again friendship once more and were currently chatting together in the store. Since Ino had to mind the shop Sakura just hung around to keep her company. It wasn't as though Sakura minded being surrounded by all the fragrant and colorful blooms. In fact, their shared love of flowers is what really brought them together as friends.
"And just look who we were assigned to! I've got to seduce Naruto..." Sakura whined.
"At least you didn't get Choji. I think the only way I'll be able to seduce him is by buying him dinner at an all-you-can-eat buffet!" Ino grumbled.
"You might be onto something... I could just buy Naruto loads of instant ramen" Sakura pondered out loud.
The two girls got quiet for a bit, both thinking fairly similar things.
"Hey Sakura..." Ino broke the silence.
"Yeah?" Sakura replied.
"I'm... I'm kind of glad neither of us got assigned to Sasuke. I mean, don't get me wrong... Part of me would give ANYTHING to be seduced by him. I'm just glad that since he's kind of out of the picture for now we can be friends again" She said softly and somewhat sadly.
"Yeah... Me too" Sakura said with the same faraway tone.
They were quiet again for some time, deep in thought. Their thoughts were interrupted when the bell over the shop's enterance chimed and TenTen walked in.
"Oh, hi" She said with a half-smile.
"Hi TenTen-chan. What brings you here?" Ino asked, using her bubbly salesgirl voice.
"I just need a few flowers to put up around the house. Today I realized just how creepy my place is with all the weapons up on display. I thought a little color might brighten it up." She said sheepishly.
"Oh, well what kind of colors were you looking for?" Ino began to ask, going into full on business mode.
Sakura watched her friend as she helped TenTen pick out some flowers and tried not to dwell on just how happy she was that she could call Ino her friend again, even if it was only for a little while.
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Anko crossed her legs and leaned back in her chair as she let out a loud laugh. Kurenai sat accross from her stirring her tea and covering her mouth with her hand as she also laughed. The two women had met up at a local tea shop for some girl talk and Kurenai had just told Anko about her "Example" for the class project.
"You really did that? In front of the class?!" Anko gasped as she spoke between guffaws.
"Yeah! The students thought it was hilarious" Kurenai giggled.
"It is hilarious! Good for you for giving him what he had coming!" Anko beamed as she banged her fist on the table for emphasis.
"I'm still in shock that Tsunade approved of this whole mess" Kurenai confessed.
"Well, while I agree that this project isn't exactly how I would go about teaching them... The kids are growing up. They need to be prepared for this kind of thing." Anko said, turning serious.
"I suppose you are right... I'm just worried somebody will get hurt" Kurenai said, chewing on her thumbnail.
"Those kids are tough. They can handle it, I'm sure" Anko reassured her friend.
Kurenai smiled up at her gratefully and nodded.
"So... What did Kakashi do after you called him out like that?" Anko asked, leaning toward Kurenai so as not to miss the slightest detail.
"For the most part he sulked. Apparently the game is no fun when he's losing" Kurenai said with a smirk.
"Serves him right for always hounding you about Asuma. It's none of his damn business!" Anko growled.
The two women continued to chat animatedly and drink tea together, enjoying each other's company.
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"Good evening, Naruto-kun" Hinata hopped down from her stool and bowed to Naruto and waited for him to be seated before sitting back down herself. The two had agreed to meet that evening at Ichiraku's for dinner together.
"Hey there, Hinata-chan. Were you waiting for me for very long?" Naruto asked as he scratched the back of his head.
"No. I got here right before you did. I haven't even ordered yet." she said.
The atmosphere between them was calm and relaxed. Hinata had long since gotten over her unhealthy crush on the kyuubi-vessel, instead becoming a good friend to him. The two often met for dinner just to hang out, much like Naruto would have dinner with Sasuke and Sakura. The chef took their order before coming back to scold Naruto.
"That sleepy fella wound up having to pay for your lunch today after you rushed off, Naruto." The chef growled.
"Naruto-kun... Please tell me you didn't forget to pay again" Hinata sighed with a tired smile.
"Relax, I'll just pay Shikamaru back the next time I see him." Naruto waved off her concern. He then turned to the chef. "I still say you should set up a tab for me, since I forget so much! I am your best customer, after all" Naruto batted his eyes in a mock-flirt, making Hinata laugh and the chef to roll his eyes.
"You're only the best when you pay, brat" The chef snarled, but it was obvious Naruto had amused him.
"Awww... Why do you have to be so harsh?" Naruto whimpered.
The chef finally laughed and went to fetch their dinner for them. Once he got back he dropped two extra naruto noodles in Naruto's bowl.
"I knew you liked me!" Naruto laughed as he began slurping up his dinner. The chef just shook his head and smiled.
Once Naruto was filled up, long after Hinata had finished her own meal and paid, they began to talk.
"So did you find out who gets to stalk you?" Naruto asked as he wiped his mouth with the back of his sleeve.
"Sasuke-san" Hinata whispered, but Naruto still heard.
"SASUKE-TEME!?!? Are you serious!?" Naruto bellowed.
Hinata nodded and blushed brightly. "Naruto... Not so loud..." She pleaded.
"Oh.. right..." Naruto lowered his voice and also blushed a little. "Sorry... It's just I CAN NOT see Sasuke-Teme ever going after you" Naruto explained.
Hinata's shoulders sagged and Naruto quickly tried to elaborate.
"Oh, no, I didn't mean it like that. I just meant that I can't imagine Sasuke ever going after a girl, I didn't mean just you. He's just so stuffy all the time. I don't think he's ever even had a crush" Naruto said thoughtfully.
Hinata nodded, though her heart still stang a little from Naruto's accidental insult. Hinata had pretty much givn up on romance ever heading her way, but it still hurt to be reminded of it.
"It's alright, Naruto-kun. I know what you mean" Hinata said, expertly masking the tiny pain in her heart.
"Hinata... You are the best girl I know. You're pretty, smart, funny, nice, and rich! Any guy would be lucky to be with you. Don't go beating yourself up just because I don't know how to talk" Naruto said with a heartfelt smile. He put his hands on her shoulders and looked her straih in the eye. "I mean it. Just because they haven't ever approached you doesn't mean that guys haven't been watching you and wishing they could be with you. Believe it!!!" He said.
Hinata brushed his hands off of her and let out an uncomfortable chuckle. "Naruto-kun, don't get all serious like that and start talking to me about love. It's weird!" She whined. Naruto's words did make her feel better, but she didn't like the nervous flutter she felt when he said them. There was still a small hint of the old torch she carried for him that flickered on occaision.
"Sorry, Hinata-chan. I didn't mean to get all preachy like that" Naruto laughed as he set out the money for his meal. "Anyway, it was nice hanging out with you. See ya!" He chirped as he began to walk home. Hinata waved at his retreating form and began to walk home as well.
A few minutes later the chef wandered over to collect the money for their meals. As usual Hinata left a generous tip and as usual...
"NARUTO, YOU PUNK!!! YOU DIDN'T PAY AGAIN!!!!" The chef roared, all previous affection for the blonde completley forgotten.
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Author's Note: So there you have it; The first chapter. I know it seems like I was character bashing, but in all honesty I love all the Naruto characters and I merely poke fun. If I upset you then I'm very sorry. There was some OOCness, but most if not all of it happened for a reason. I'll try to make things clearer as the fic progresses. Anyway, let me know what you thought without flaming me if you want. Reviews are a huge motivator.
Elle