Author's Note: And here you go, Chapter 11! Now, I would have had this one out sooner than usual, but I hit several road blocks during the writing process, and ended up speeding through it to get it out of the way. That extra time then went to cleaning up the grammar and overall poor writing. It's been vastly improved, but I still consider this one of the weaker chapters. Everything should be back to normal come Chapter 12 though, so do not fear!
I tried experimenting a little with the songs I used for you guys, so hopefully that goes over well. If not...well, just be sure to tell me.
Thank you so much for all the reviews! I'm pretty sure I got over 10 for that last chapter, which is a huge accomplishment to me! I may not list you guys out individually as much anymore, but you know who you are, and your contributions are the reason I continue! I am truly glad to know I'm entertaining this many people.
Last, but never least, don't forget to copy/paste the ( yakkowakkodot) links into Google, and letting the music it loads play while you read! Enjoy Chapter 11!
Chapter 11: A Night of Men and Women (But Not Together!) Part 2
"Truth…or Dare?" Hinata said dumbly.
"Oh come on, Hinata! Don't tell me you've never played Truth or Dare before?" Ino replied, giving the Hyūga a look of disbelief. When she insisted she hadn't even heard of the game, much less played it, Ino could only shake her head in amusement.
"Well, I guess this will only make this game all the more interesting. Sakura, could you tell her the rules while I'm gone? I'm gonna go get some more stuff from the kitchen." She stood up, and left the room for a few minutes to procure more snacks from her father. Checking to make sure she couldn't be seen by the others, she pulled out another bottle from underneath the sink, but this one was completely full. Ino quickly dumped a few drops into each of their glasses, a devious smirk on her face.
"This ought to get everyone to loosen up. Especially Hinata," she whispered to herself, giddy at the thought of what was to come when everything started to take effect.
Sakura smiled. "Don't worry Hinata. You'll have it down in no time!"
Hinata nodded nervously. This game wasn't going to embarrass her, was it?
"So, in this game you have Truth, and you have Dare. We spin the bottle, and whoever it lands on is asked whether or not they want Truth or Dare. After you go, whoever it lands on next, you're the one who gets to ask Truth or Dare." Sakura explained, spinning the bottle again as she spoke.
"What's the difference between the two?" Hinata asked.
"Exactly like it sounds!" Tenten piped in. "If you choose Truth, you have to answer one question truthfully, and if you pick dare…" She looked to Sakura, and the two of them were giving Hinata a very strange look, before erupting into a fit of snickering.
"You have to do the dare we tell you to do, no matter WHAT."
Hinata gulped. She in particular had a very long list in both categories of things that would embarrass her greatly, and she wished she could have told them she didn't want to play. But it was too late for that now, and she could only swallow her fears and hope for the best. After all, she could ask them embarrassing things just as easily as they could ask her.
Ino suddenly sauntered back into the room, carrying a tray of drinks and a bag of chips. "Okay girls, who's ready to get this started! I sent my dad out to the store for a while, so we don't have to worry about him…interrupting anything." The tone made everyone else in the room sweat a little. Ino was a wily one, and they were beginning to worry what she had up her sleeve for their evening.
The first couple of rounds were just to give Hinata an idea of how the game worked, with the truths or dares given no taken seriously, despite the fact that some good ones had been thought of. Had this been the real deal, Tenten would have had to wear Lee's jumpsuit for a week, and Sakura would have to go a whole day without wearing underwear in the middle of the winter. Hinata was amazed at how bold they were, which only made her more afraid of what would happen when the real game started. If these were tame ideas, what could they possibly think of next?
"I'll spin it first," she said, giving the bottle a good twist. It spun around slower and slower, and Hinata could hear her heartbeat thump in her chest, deafening her ears.
'Please don't stop on me, please don't stop on me, please don't…'
The bottle slowly came to a halt, and the silence hung over the room like a heavy fog.
It had landed on Hinata.
'Just my luck…' she thought to herself, trying to ignore the wicked grin Ino had plastered all over her face.
"Ohh, I was so hoping for this!" Ino said, slapping Hinata on the back. "Okay, Hinata…truth, or dare?"
"Uhhh….t-truth…" she squeaked. That was the better of the two choices, right?
"Okay, let's give her an easy one…! I've got it!" Ino clapped her hands together excitedly. "Hinata…have you ever seen Naruto naked?"
"EH?" the other three girls exclaimed simultaneously. This was supposed to be an easy one? Hinata already looked like she was going to faint!
"Well…I uh…can I pick Dare instead?" Hinata asked meekly, desperately wanting to avoid the answer she would have to give. But Ino wouldn't budge, folding her arms in mock scolding.
"No take backs!" she barked, before sticking her tongue out playfully. "You have to answer it truthfully! Now, have you ever seen Naruto n-a-k-e-d?" she spelled out the letters one by one, making the poor Hyūga even more embarrassed.
"…yes." The others barely heard Hinata's answer, she was mumbling so much. ( watch?v=CM4xOsui5I8)
"What was that, Hinata? We couldn't hear you!" Tenten said in a sing-song voice, smirking at her friend.
Hinata took a deep breath. Well, her life was over. "Yes…yes I h-have."
The other girls' jaws dropped to the floor. Ino had been the one to come up with the question, and even she hadn't expected that answer! When had Hinata…?
"W-w-when!" Sakura finally asked, her own cheeks brushed with a light tinge of red.
"Oh, I've already told you…d-do I really have to tell you how?" Hinata asked desperately.
Ino, Sakura, and Tenten quickly shared a knowing look. Technically, she didn't have to, but they weren't about to be denied such a good story.
"Yes, you do," they said in unison. Hinata's head drooped. That was her last hope, and now there was nothing stopping her from dying of embarrassment
"Very well…" she said finally, taking another deep breath. "I was t-training one day out on one of the grounds, when I heard someone else coming. F-from the voice I could tell it w-was Naruto-kun." She began, stuttering quite more often than she had been.
"I hid behind the trees, and he appeared in the c-clearing. He walked straight through it, and headed for the river nearby. I w-was curious, so I followed him."
Ino couldn't help but giggle, but a swift elbow from Sakura shut her up until Hinata could finish her story.
"He had been training as w-well, and complaining about how tired he was…" Hinata continued, her blush deepening with every syllable. "He m-mentioned something about cooling off, and before I knew it he….he.." she couldn't seem to spit out the last part, and the others knew exactly what he did, cracking up into another fit of giggles.
'Kill me now…' Hinata sobbed to herself, the vivid memories resurfacing. She felt a little faint, and slumped over into Ino's lap, which only made her laugh harder.
"Okay, let's leave the poor girl alone" Sakura said, but Ino had something else in mind.
"Hinata, I'll let you skip your next turn if you tell me…" she whispered something into Hinata's ear, smirking.
It took over 30 minutes to convince the poor girl to come out of the bathroom and resume the game. While Hinata would forever deny that ever happened, Ino would proudly tell people she had asked about Naruto's…well, let's just say it involved size.
"Okay, Hinata. Now it's your turn to ask!" Tenten said happily, thankful they finally convinced her to come back.
"O-okay…" she mumbled, giving the bottle a quick spin. After a few seconds, it settled on Ino, and Hinata couldn't help but feel like revenge would be served.
"Ino-san…truth or d-dare?" she asked, almost smiling at the turn of events.
Ino stared defiantly back. She was a decorated veteran when it came to this game, and she wasn't about to be flustered by a rookie.
"Dare me!" she loudly proclaimed, brimming with confidence.
Hinata leaned over to Tenten, and whispered what she was going to dare Ino. Tenten shook her head vehemently. Surely she could do better than that! Hinata gave it some more thought, and once again whispered what she would dare Ino to do. This time Tenten giggled hysterically, and even Ino couldn't help but feel a little nervous.
Okay, Ino-san…I dare you to kiss Chōji-kun the next time you see him."
Ino's confidence was gone in an instant. 'Well shit,' she thought to herself.
"W-why do you want me to do that?" Ino said, laughing nervously. Hinata picked up on this, and couldn't help but want to tease her just she had.
"W-what's the matter, Ino-san? Chōji-kun is your teammate, is he not?" she asked, feigning innocence. This flustered Ino even more, an indignant look in her eyes.
"Why does everyone think I have to go out with either Shikamaru or Chōji? Ugh! First it was my dad, and now it's you three!" She threw her hands up in defeat, completely unaware of what she had just said.
"But…Ino-san…" Hinata replied, a cheeky smile spreading slightly across her cheeks. "I didn't say anything about dating Chōji-kun."
Ino mentally slapped herself across the face. She was starting to believe that Hinata had lied about not ever having played before. In truth Hinata hadn't, but she could be a quick learner when she wanted to.
"Oooooooo!" Sakura and Tenten squealed in unison. "Ino and Chōji, sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S-"
"It's not like that!" Ino interrupted, her face almost as red as Hinata's was not moments ago. "Let's just go to the next turn already…" she grumbled.
"Hold on a second. When are you going to complete your dare?" Sakura asked, making sure Ino didn't weasel out of the binding agreement.
"I'll do it, okay?" she snapped, still trying to recompose herself. She spun the bottle, and it had soon settled on Tenten.
"Okay, Tenten. Truth or Dare?" she asked.
Tenten smiled confidently. "Truth," she said simply.
"Are you and Neji a thing? You know, there are rumors going around the village…" Ino was practically the queen of gossip in the village, so you could trust her sources.
Without missing a beat, Tenten answered. "No, we aren't…not yet anyway," she finished with a smile.
The other three girls had to take a break from the game to grill Tenten about what she had meant. Turns out, Neji could be just as dense when it came to women as Naruto could, and Hinata couldn't help but giggle at the newfound similarities between the two, even if it were her cousin.
"He'll come around eventually." Tenten said confidently. "I'm not about to let him miss an opportunity to be a gentlemen, but if I go to that festival alone, he might find himself with a few new bruises to show for it." She twirled a kunai nobody knew she even had around her finger, and the others couldn't help but feel nervous for the Hyūga jōnin.
"My turn!" Tenten said happily, spinning the bottle. She had forgotten her own strength, and the others ended up waiting over 5 minutes for the bottle to stop, much to their amusement. Now they were really worried about Neji.
It once again landed on Hinata, and she cursed her bad luck.
"Truth or dare, Hinata." Tenten asked her, rubbing her hands together like some dastardly villain.
Realizing the whole game was based around a 'pick your poison' concept, she thought she might as well give the other one a try. She picked dare, and if people were to ask her about it today, she would call it one of the worst decisions of her life.
Tenten look positively evil. "You asked for it Hinata. While Ino is kissing Chōji, I dare you to kiss…!" She paused for dramatic effect, and they could have sworn they heard lightning strike in the background.
"I dare you to kiss Naruto!"
Silence. Even the clock seemed to have stopped working after Tenten's words. Hinata could only stare at her friend, eyes wide with horror.
"Tenten-san…don't do this to me…" she said finally, her voice weak.
"No can do, Hinata. This is something you need to do. If you like Naruto as much as I know you do, you can't back out." Tenten replied firmly. It was the truth; Hinata couldn't be embarrassed about even the thought of Naruto forever. She just needed some tough love to help her make the final plunge.
"No, you don't understand, Tenten-san." Hinata continued to plead. "Naruto-kun and I h-have become close friends, this c-could ruin it! I can't do it…I won't!"
Tenten shook her head. "Look Hinata, I have an idea that that could help you out. Here, just take your turn." She said it with such authority, that Hinata couldn't stop herself from obeying. It spun rather quickly and landed on Sakura for the first time that night.
"Truth or dare, Sakura." Tenten said for Hinata, still in command mode.
"Dare." She answered without thinking it through. She would also come to regret this decision in the future.
Tenten whispered something to Hinata, and she actually managed to calm down somewhat, making Sakura nervous.
"Okay, Sakura-san, if I have to kiss N-Naruto-kun, and Ino-san is kissing Chōji-kun…you c-can do the same with Kiba-kun!" she actually smiled, while Sakura's face was of pure terror. Hinata could chalk this one up as revenge against Kiba as well, for all the teasing he gave her on a daily basis.
"D-Dogbreath! There is NO way I am-"
"You have to, Sakura!" Ino giggled, having caught on to what was happening.
Tenten meanwhile, was proud of her handiwork. Hinata was conscious, Ino wasn't foaming at the mouth, and Sakura now had to smack one on the guy who smells like kibble. "And Sakura, you dare me to kiss Neji. There, now we have nothing about to be embarrassed about!"
Hinata took a careful look at the other three girls as they continued playing, though after the most recent set of dares no one was taking it seriously anymore. Ino looked uncharacteristically nervous, Sakura looked mortified, and Tenten seemed strangely calm about the whole thing. Were they really going to do something like that? What if her father were to hear about it? There's no doubt he would be furious at her at the display. The Hyūga were respected as clan of culture and manners, not a group of hormonal spit-swappers.
Hinata giggled at her own thoughts. It was strange; over the past 10 minutes, the idea of kissing Naruto seemed less and less horrifying. A similar effect seemed to be taking the others as well. Sakura wasn't throwing up at the idea anymore, and Ino had stopped stuttering, though she did look a little loopy.
"Tenten-san…" Hinata whispered, while Ino and Sakura were currently trying to one up each other's bets of running around the village naked. "It's the strangest thing. I don't feel so scared of k-kissing Naruto-kun anymore!"
Tenten smiled warmly. "I knew you'd come around! With us there, you'll be fine! Besides, it might make that idiot finally come up and ask you out!" Hinata blushed at the idea. Maybe that really was all he needed; a sign to see just how much she liked him.
'But Naruto-kun didn't want us to say anything to him, remember?' she thought to herself, realizing what smacking one on him might do to that promise.
'He never said we couldn't DO anything!' replied the inner, bolder Hinata, who now had more leg room thanks to Ino's little slip of the wrist. 'He just said we couldn't say anything. If this jumpstarts his memory, he just becomes ours all the sooner!'
She liked the sound of that. To be the one to make the first move; it was daring and confident, something the old Hinata would never do. But she felt liberated right now, like a brand new person.
Ino couldn't help but smirk. She had built a much higher tolerance to the stuff than any of the others, so she was really the only one aware of what was happening. They had gone from being horrified at the dares they were presented with, to chatting excitedly about when and how they would do it.
"Okay then, it's settled!" she said suddenly, leaping to her feet.
"What's settled, Ino?" Sakura asked completely clueless.
Ino grinned from ear to ear. "If we're going to kiss those guys, we might as well make it tonight! I happen to know that Chōji and the rest of the guys are out to barbecue as I speak! I say we crash that party and get it out of the way!" She pumped a fist into the air excitedly.
Before the others could say anything, she took a seat on the floor, and began preparing a technique. The Yamanaka clan telepathy wasn't exactly supposed to be used this way, but what her father didn't know wouldn't hurt him.
'Shikamaru! Can you hear me?'
The sudden voice in his head snapped Shikamaru out of his sleepy haze.
'Ino? What are you doing in my head?' he asked, already annoyed that he now had to listen to two separate conversations; Ino, and Naruto asking everybody in the room what they've been up to. Already this night was proving to be troublesome, and they hadn't even gotten their food yet!
'Not important! I just popped in to tell you to get ready!'
Shikamaru didn't like the sound of that. 'Get ready for what?' Are you…drunk?'
'No! I most certainly am not!' Ino's voice shouted in his ear. 'You'll just have to wait and see, won't you?'
The link was broken before Shikamaru could get anything else out of her. He sighed. This was the last thing he needed right now.
"Hey, Lazy-ass! It's finally your turn!" Naruto shouted across the table, snapping Shikamaru out of thoughts once again.
"Do you mind? I was listening to something else," he said, slightly annoyed. Naruto waved his complaint off.
"I'm sure you'll get over it. You gotta tell me what you've been doing these past days!"
Shikamaru yawned, giving Ino's cryptic words some thought. It sounded like they were coming to stir up trouble, and Shikamaru considered warning the others. After all, whatever she had in mind couldn't be good. That girl was smarter than she looked, though it wasn't often that she used that intelligence for anything other than boy hunting.
After a few more seconds, he decided it was best to postpone telling everyone for later; if she and the others were planning on crashing their party with some scheme in mind, he and the others had some time before they would need to prepare.
"I don't know why you would want to know, it's really more troublesome than anything else," he said nonchalantly. "Tsunade-sama has me coming up with strategies with my dad for the various squads. How to utilize their strengths and weaknesses effectively. It's so annoying…"
Naruto looked bored already. It was one of Shikamaru's favorite ways to avoid talking; he would try and make it seem as boring as possible. Though when it came to Naruto, he honestly didn't have to try very hard.
"What about you and Gaara's sister? You ask her out?"
No one had expected that question to come out of Naruto's mouth. As troublesome as it was, that was how Sakura had suggested they bring up the subject at their end, despite Shikamaru's numerous protests. The others had been too fond of the idea of watching Shikamaru squirm underneath heir prodding, and it only made the current situation all the more amusing since it was Naruto who had started it.
A man came in and quickly offered that their food would arrive shortly, but Shikamaru didn't hear him; he was too busy running through every possible question anyone could ask him about Temari. He certainly wasn't about to be taken off guard.
"So…you were saying, Shikamaru?" Naruto exclaimed, shifting comfortably in his seat once the waiter had left. This was something he would enjoy and savor; like a fine bowl of ramen.
"I don't even know what you're talking about." Shikamaru grumbled in response, attempting his first plan of simply denying everything tooth and nail.
Naruto snorted. "The hell you don't. Whenever she's visiting the village, I see you right next to her. Have you asked her out yet?" he repeated his question, leaning in closer across the table looking very amused.
"I've already told everyone here that I don't like her like that!" Shikamaru insisted, a little louder than he intended. "I just always get stuck with escorting her around the village, that's all."
"But Shikamaru…" Chōji interjected, a jolly smile splitting his face. "My dad swears that your dad said the exact same stuff when he first met your mom."
'Great…thanks for the help, dad.' Shikamaru mentally cursed. This was not going as planned.
"As if I'd want to go out with that troublesome woman," he answered, the look on his face back to its usual boredom, instead of the shock and annoyance it had been. "I swear, she can be worse than my mom or Ino sometimes…"
The next few minutes continued like this; People would grill Shikamaru about Temari, and he would vehemently shoot them down. It was only when Kiba started asking some more personal questions that it seemed to get a rise out him, and even then that was only a slight glare he had given the dog ninja. Kiba wasn't the most intellectual of people, but he still took pride in recognizing that he had struck a chord with the Nara clan member.
"Yeah, that's great and all, but when are you going to ask her out?" Naruto pressed, placing his hands behind his head as if he was already the victor in this game of wits. He had completely ignored what all had just been said, and had simply waited for another chance to speak.
Shikamaru smirked to himself. As if Naruto would ever beat him in a game of wits. However, before he could respond, Kiba had finally jumped in with what he had been supposed to do 10-15 minutes ago.
"Alright, enough about her! There's plenty of other fish in the sea to talk about. Some closer to home, if you know what I mean…" the way he was smiling would certainly earn him a slap from almost every single one of the women in the village.
Naruto however, hadn't even caught on to Kiba's meaning. The smells coming from outside caused a momentary lapse in judgment, as the waiters brought in their first helping of the buffet.
"Fish? I thought we were talking about girls?" Naruto asked as the food was set down in front of him. Even the waiters were giving him a disbelieving look.
"You have got to be kidding me Naruto…" Kiba breathed, slapping his palm onto his forehead in shock. "I WAS talking about girls, you idiot!"
"Well how was I supposed to know!" Naruto snapped back. "You said fish, so what I thought of was only logical!"
"Naruto, the day you and logic appear in the same sentence is the day I lose to Lee in shogi." Shikamaru couldn't resist the dig, still wanting payback for the 15 minutes of troublesome questioning at the hands of the others.
"As I was saying…" Kiba said aloud, shooting Naruto a dirty look, "There are some pretty sexy ladies in our own village, Shikamaru. I don't see why you feel the need to outsource."
Naruto looked curious. "Who are you talking about?" he asked, genuinely curious.
"Well, you don't even have to look further than our teams, now that I think about it!" Kiba answered, spreading his arms. "For example, sorry Shikamaru and Chōji, but Ino has one of the nicest asses I've ever seen…and that rack…." He started drooling, and it wasn't because of the food; vivid images of a scantily clad Ino Yamanaka pervaded his mind, and he giggled uncontrollably. Had she been there, she would have most likely pulverized him, as well as her own team, because instead of leaping up to defend her honor, Chōji continued eating, and Shikamaru had once again dozed off.
"Of course, there's also Sakura." Kiba continued, causing both Naruto's and Lee's ears to twitch at her name.
"Sure, she may not have as big a set as Ino does, but they're just so perky…"
Lee jumped to his feet. "Kiba-kun, I must insist you not say such foul things about Sakura-san! I will fight you, if that is what it takes to defend her honor!"
Naruto had jumped up as well. "Yeah, you pervert! You can't say things like that about Sakura-chan!"
Kiba smirked. This is right where he wanted him. "Oh please, it's not like you didn't used to think the exact same thing just a few years ago. I didn't hear you defending Ino either."
The two men shuffled their feet, their hypocrisy exposed. After all, how could you be chivalrous if you only defended certain women?
"My point exactly. You guys think about the same stuff I do, you just don't want to admit it!" he suddenly smiled, and Naruto felt a chill run down his spine.
"Besides…Naruto's interested in someone else now, isn't he?"
Dead quiet pervaded the room, the only noise coming from the other customers outside their private booth. Naruto started to sweat, hoping he had just heard the question wrong. The look on Kiba's face showed otherwise.
"W-what do you mean, Kiba?" he asked weakly. There was no way Kiba could possibly be talking about-
"You're spending a lot of time with Hinata now, aren't you?" the Inuzuka said with a cheeky grin.
'Shit.'
"What? No innopropiate remarks about her figure, Kiba?" Shikamaru teased, lifting one eye open. "Seems kind of hypocritical if you ask me."
Kiba reared back, as if he had been struck. "Dude, Hinata's like a little sister to me! Besides, she's way classier than the others!"
"I noticed you have not mentioned Tenten at all. Do you have something against my teammate?" Neji said quietly from across the table, sipping on his tea.
Kiba smirked. "Why do you care? You got a crush on her or something?"
That effectively shut Neji up, who broke eye contact angrily, but could do nothing to hide the hint of red his cheeks were showing.
"Anyway, like I was saying…" Kiba exclaimed, turning back to Naruto. "What's up with you and Hinata recently? Every time I see one of you, the other one won't be that far behind."
Naruto squinted. "It's the weirdest thing, actually. We kept getting assigned to the same construction sites, so we've gotten to spend a lot more time together. She's actually a great person when you get to know her."
Kiba rolled his eyes. "Well duh. You would have figured that out years ago if she wasn't fainting all the time around you."
"Hey, that's not my fault!...is it?"
"Like hell it isn't. So, are you gonna ask her to the festival? It's coming up pretty soon."
Naruto fell silent. Was this…where he was going with Hinata? He had been spending so much time with her that he hadn't even considered what it meant. She was kind, patient, and beautiful, and Naruto had loved every day they had had lunch together; it had made him happier than he had been for quite some time. But did he like her that way? Were his feelings for Sakura-chan still there? These simple questions caused a barrage of others to pop up, giving Naruto quite the headache.
Meanwhile, Kiba was getting impatient. It had been weeks since they first started this, and Naruto still wasn't sure he wanted to date Hinata? Kiba would have preferred coming right out and telling him how she felt about him, but he knew that wouldn't be the right way to go about this; it would ruin all the hard work they had spent making everything seem natural. Kiba also felt a little bad for manipulating the two together, but he was well aware of what would have kept them apart. This was for the best.
"Come on, Naruto. You've been looking at her differently since you got back. Don't you think there's something there?"
Naruto put his head in his hands, running rough fingers through his messy hair. "I….don't know. It's true I'm really starting to like Hinata, but I don't know if I like her like that…I mean, she's smart, kind…beautiful…" even though he mumbled the last part, everyone in the room had heard him.
Lee nodded. "I must agree. Hinata-san displays a youthful elegance rare in people our age."
Even Shino nodded agreement.
Neji, however, had kept his eyes firmly upon Naruto the entire time. He had been loath to bring up this part of the conversation, afraid Kiba or Naruto would let their perversion control their words, and end up saying something about his cousin they would regret. But to his pleasant surprise, Naruto had nothing but good things to say about her, and had been careful in his word choice. He sounded honestly confused about his feelings, and even Neji's doubts faded for a moment.
"Naruto…Lady Hinata is very fond of you as well." He affirmed quietly, attracting the blonde's attention.
Naruto's face lit up. "Really! She is?" he exclaimed happily, missing the smirk on Kiba's face. Neji nodded wordlessly, smiling slightly himself.
"You see, Naruto? You like her, she likes you. I say just make the final plunge and start like liking her." Kiba pressed, making sure it would be clear he was talking about something more as friends.
Naruto sputtered for an answer, but couldn't find the words. He stuttered for several seconds, before Shikamaru graciously interrupted.
"I hate to interrupt this, but we have company coming." He said bluntly, earning looks of confusion from the rest of their group.
"Company? What on earth are you talking about?" Neji demanded, annoyed. Being raised in the Hyūga clan taught him impeccable manners when eating, but the only problem is you eat incredibly slow. Neji had barely made it through his appetizer, and wasn't about to be interrupted in the middle of his meal. Whatever Shikamaru was talking about, it had better be important.
"Ino sent me a message a few minutes ago." he replied, pointing to his head. "And she didn't sound all there. Me and Chōji know her best, and when she's like that, she can get a little….flirty."
Chōji nodded in agreement, well aware of what she was capable of.
"Do you know what Ino-san is planning?" Lee asked curiously.
Shikamaru shook his head. "No, she cut off the connection before I could ask. We should assume the worst, however, and plan accordingly." He smiled suddenly, and the others could practically hear the cogs in his head turning.
"If they want to play that way, I say we give them what they want. But this demands retaliation."
"What did you have in mind?" Naruto questioned, knowing Shikamaru always thinks of good ideas.
Shikamaru smiled even wider, actually looking very interested for once. "Well Naruto, as Konoha's master of pranks, I think we should defer to you."
Naruto's smile matched Shikamaru's, and even Kiba felt sorry for whatever they had planned for Ino and the other girls.
"Okay, so run through what we're doing one more time."
Sakura stumbled over the rooftop they were jumping on as she asked the question, the extra ingredient Ino had added taking full effect. A light blush constantly decorated all of their cheeks, and they broke into a fit of giggles every few minutes.
"We're crashing their party, of course!" Ino replied loudly. "We're going to disguise ourselves as some of the waiters bringing some more food to fool them, get in front of our respective victims, and lay one on them right on the lips! They won't know what him them!" She giggled at the thought of her perfect plan. There was no way it could go wrong!
Hinata had kept silent for most of the way there, despite how giddy she felt. It was amazing, 10 minutes ago she would have rather died than go through with what she was about to do, but now she was so excited she could barely contain herself. The thought of kissing Naruto made her heart flutter, and she found herself checking her breath every few seconds. Hey, if she was gonna kiss him, she might as well make it a pretty damn good kiss. Had Hinata been in her right mind, she would have decided that this way was not the way to show Naruto her feelings, but she was too busy feeling loopy and giggly to think about that.
In a few minutes, they had made it outside the back of the restaurant, where the dumpsters sat next to the back door. Ino loudly shushed the others, and the lay in wait for some workers to come outside for to dump the garbage. When they did, Ino and the others would pounce.
Sure enough, two workers carrying a two trash bags each appeared outside heaving the refuse into the dumpster.
"HEY BOYS! Check these out!"
The two unfortunate men turned around to find the source of the voice, and upon seeing Ino's bare chest, promptly passed out from the blood loss through their noses. They slumped to the ground silently, unmoving.
"Victory!" Ino called out, running over to collect their quarry. She tossed the two men over to the others, where they were in another fit of laughter at Ino's chosen method of 'attack'.
"Wait a minute…why didn't we just use the Transformation technique?" Sakura asked, scratching her head.
Yet another fit of giggles as the girls realized their mistake.
They gently set the two unfortunate cooks up against the wall, before quickly transforming into four of the employees dressed in their cooking clothes.
"Ooooh, we look good!" Ino said excitedly, admiring the way her figure cut in the apron in a broken mirror lying in the dumpster. Her voice was deeper due to the transformation, making the sight extremely strange should anyone pass by.
"Okay, let's just do this! It smells like grease out here!" Tenten complained, holding her nose to keep the stench at bay. The others nodded silently, and slipped inside unnoticed. ( watch?v=9SzhjG6OkvI)
The actual kitchen was much, much bigger than any of them had remembered, but since the Akimichi clan was involved in rebuilding, it wasn't that big a surprise. Dozens of cooks and waiters hurried back in forth in between massive stoves and ovens, wafting delicious smells everywhere. Sakura drooled a little at the corners of her mouth, and for second considered abandoning the plan, and just joining Naruto and the others for a free meal. But suddenly Ino was on the prowl, and she snapped out her daze and followed her, along with Hinata and Tenten. The ducked and weaved their way through the kitchen, doing their best to avoid being recognized as doubles of cooks already there, a task harder than they originally thought, what with all the stainless steel surfaces everywhere shooting their reflections bouncing across the room. Ino's lack of inhibitions allowed them a little more freedom with their moral compass, so when no one was looking, she took it upon herself to sneak some food for her and the others to munch on while they continued on their way.
In a matter of minutes, and with several very close calls with the head chef, they found themselves outside Naruto's and the others room, out of the kitchen, and in the restaurant area.
"Okay, here we are. Sakura, grab some more food, and put it on a platter. Hinata, you get a couple of pitchers for you and Tenten to refill drinks." Ino commanded, trying to keep her voice down.
Sakura shuffled over to an unattended tray covered with plates full of food. It took everything she had not to eat it all herself, it smelled so good.
At the same time, Hinata had grabbed a pitcher of water, and had handed Tenten a few pots of tea to play on another tray she had found lying on an unused table.
Ino took one last look over their disguises, before giving a nod of approval.
"Okay girls, that's about as good as we're gonna get. You ready to do this?" she asked excitedly, practically bouncing up and down. Sakura, Tenten, and Hinata nodded enthusiastically.
Shushing them one last time, Ino held up three fingers, signifying when they would head inside.
2 fingers.
1 finger.
"Got some more grub for ya!" The 'waiter' said happily, sliding open the door to reveal Naruto's group. They said nothing, but looked excited for the next course. Ino and the others strutted into the room, meandering as casually as they could towards their 'victim': Ino took her place next to Chōji, Sakura shuffled towards Kiba (who was playing tug-of-war with his food with Akamaru, much to her disgust), Tenten boldly strode over to Neji, and Hinata shyly appeared next to Naruto, who beamed at her widely.
Ino shot them all a look, and they began setting the food down randomly, really selling the disguise. Once all the food was laid out, Ino gave the signal.
All at once, the four girls leapt to the table in front of the boys. 4 puffs of smoke erupted from the 'employees', filling the entire room. The boys coughed and erratically waved their arms, trying to clear the smoke from the room. The guys reared back in surprise when it revealed the 4 girls instead of the workers, looking very, very bold.
"Hey boys!" Ino said as seductively as she could, plopping down on the table in front of Chōji, who opened and closed his mouth in shock.
She began twirling a strand of blond hair in between her fingers, giving the Akimichi heir a playful wink.
"So sorry to interrupt, but we just wanted to drop by and tell you something." She turned around and looked at the other three. "Isn't that right, girls?"
Hinata blushed slightly, but nodded. Naruto still hadn't said anything, struck dumb as the beautiful girl was only inches away from him.
"What's that? You want to know what it is we wanted to tell you?" Ino asked when they remained silent. "Well…we'll tell you. Now girls!"
The four of them slowly leaned forward, their eyes closed. Hinata in particular was starting to have second doubts, her heart pounding in her chest.
'Come on Hinata…you can do this. It's just Naruto-kun,' she tried to affirm herself. She took a deep breath, and leaned forward. She could feel his hot breath on her face, and it took everything she had not to faint right there. Suddenly, Naruto laughed. ( watch?v=0k3onazsn_Q)
She cracked open one eye to see what was wrong, to see her beloved grinning like an idiot in front of her. He seemed so calm, like he was expecting this. He opened his mouth to speak…
And then he barked instead.
"What the hell!" Ino shouted, falling back in surprise from the weird sound. The entire room erupted into smoke for the second time, clouding the girl's vision. When it cleared, it was their turn to look horrified.
Sitting around the table, wagging their tails happily, sat 8 clones of Akamaru. Before the girls could react, they pounced.
"SHIKAMARUUU!" Ino screamed, as the happy hounds greeted her with thousands of sloppy kisses. The other girls suffered the same fate, unable to escape the affectionate barrage. Despite their predicament, the four girls looked almost relieved. Ino's little concoction must have worn off, and now they were just glad they hadn't gone through something they would have regretted, especially Hinata and Sakura.
'Naruto-kun…' Hinata couldn't help but smile at his cleverness; she knew he had come up with this, as there was no one else in the village as devious when it came to pranks as he was. She giggled as the Akamaru clones continued to lick her, nuzzling into his large body with a hug. Hey, might as well make the best of a bad situation.
The other girls continued to try and escape, but it was no use. Because there is no escape when you try to prank Naruto Uzumaki. And this wasn't over…not by a long shot.
Naruto grinned. He and his friends sat on a nearby rooftop, enjoying the show from afar. They had explained to the cooks their predicament, and had been allowed to take another helping with them to eat while they watched events unfold below.
Behind him, everyone was collapsing over themselves with laughter, amazed at Naruto's creativity. Kiba, surprisingly, wasn't joining in on the merriment; something that was very strange.
"What's eating at you?" Naruto asked, plunking down next to him.
Kiba grunted. "Gee, 4 hot girls were about to make out with us, and you ask me what's wrong?" He fell to his back, covering his eyes with his hands.
"Ahhh, they were a little drunk too! Who knows what they would have been up for! This sucks!" He continued his little tantrum, but Naruto was ignoring him at this point.
'Hinata was…drunk?' It made sense. The way she was acting was not your average Hinata, but Naruto still never thought Hinata would do something like that. It was something he wasn't sure he liked.
As if noticing his change in mood, Shikamaru appeared behind him, patting his shoulder.
"I wouldn't worry about it. Knowing Ino, which I do, she probably added something to whatever they were eating or drinking. She's done the same to me and Chōji…troublesome woman."
Naruto looked ecstatic. "Really, so Hinata wasn't really thinking about kissing me?"
Shikamaru smirked. "Well, I can certainly tell you she didn't now. But who's to say she wasn't thinking about it?" Before Naruto could protest, he had joined Chōji and Lee who were arguing over who had the best reaction.
Naruto's cheeks turned a slight hint of red. What if Hinata really did think of him that way? Sure, she may not have kissed him, but she certainly could have been thinking about it, for who knows how long. It was honestly kind of flattering that someone thought of him that way. He grinned from ear to ear. This night was getting interesting.
"Okay everyone," he spoke up, standing to address the rest of the group. "Those girls may have failed in their little joke due to yours truly, but they were still planning on pulling one over us. I don't know about you, but I can't just sit by and let them get away with that!"
Lee flashed a toothy grin. "The night is still young, Naruto-kun! What did you have in mind?"
"First, we need to find out where they're headquartered. Ino couldn't have convinced them to do this out of the blue, so they were probably together already."
"Since Ino is their ringleader, I would just assume they came from Ino's house." Shikamaru added in idly, taking note that it was also Ino who had contacted him in the first place.
"Good point!" Naruto exclaimed. "We need to strike, while the iron is hot, so let's head over that way and show those girls why it's a bad idea to mess with Naruto Uzumaki.
Whilst everyone was pumping themselves up, a complex scheme was forming in Naruto's head. It would involve the girls, yes, but the guys of their troupe would also become pawns in his game. He had taken note of something he noticed during Ino's failed kissing prank thing, and his curiosity urged him to test this new theory of his.
This. Is. DISGUSTING!" Ino screamed, Akamaru's slobber practically dripping off of her as she finally had the chance to get back to her feet. The others hadn't fared much better, except for Hinata who had had the pretense to put her hood up before the onslaught. When the clones had finally dispersed, Hinata simply shrugged her jacket off, leaving her (mostly) spittle free.
"When I get my hands on those idiots, I swear I'll rip them in half!" Sakura agreed, having grabbed all the napkins nearby in an attempt to dry herself off. "This has to be Naruto's doing. No one else would have the balls to go through with something like this. How did they know we were coming?"
Ino lowered her head sheepishly. "I…may have told Shikamaru beforehand with my clan's telepathy."
Tenten shook her arms off in Ino's direction, coating the Yamanaka in another layer of dog slime. "Why the HELL would you do that!" she exclaimed, giving her a disbelieving look.
"I didn't think they would act on it! Plus…we may have been a little drunk…" She muttered the last part under her breath, but Sakura picked up on it anyways.
"We were…what! Did you drug us?" she demanded, shaking her friend by the shoulders.
Ino slapped Sakura's arms away, retreating to the other side of the room. "I just wanted to loosen everyone up! Just think about it; you and Hinata never would have done this if you hadn't been a little tipsy!"
Hinata blushed. They had really dodged a disaster there. Her first kiss with Naruto was supposed to be romantic, with fireworks going off the background, not with her drunkenly ambushing him in the middle of dinner.
"At l-least we didn't go through with it…" Hinata mentioned shyly. "I think we all would h-have regretted it in the long run."
Ino shrugged. "Yeah, I guess you're right. But those guys better spend the next few days checking behind them every few seconds. I'm not about to let this go."
"Me either!" Tenten piped in.
"Or me. Payback is gonna be sweet." Sakura added.
"Glad to hear it!" Ino said happily. "Let's just head back to my place for a shower. I want to get this stuff off of me as soon as possible."
And so the girls headed back to Ino's home, eager to wash the Akamaru off of them. The need to clean themselves of the dog slobber kicked some energy into their heels, and within a matter of moments, had arrived back at Ino's home.
Unaware that in a matter of minutes, Naruto had booby-trapped her house.
"Hey Dad, we're h-" Ino never got to finish her sentence, as when she swung open the door, a huge pile of feathers propelled by a fan shot towards them, the sticky dog slobber being the perfect adhesive. When the chaos cleared, Ino, Sakura, and Tenten resembled chickens more than they did people, while Hinata had thankfully avoided being feathered since she had taken her spit-covered jacket off earlier. For a few seconds the Hyūga could only stare at the sight in front of her, her mouth gaping, before she fell into a fit of uninhibited laughter.
From the shadows, Naruto couldn't help but blush at his success at making her laugh. The first part of his grand master plan had been executed perfectly. Behind him, the guys attempted to contain their laughter at the sight in front of them. Naruto grinned devilishly. It was about time he started part 2. With a quick hand sign, dozens of Naruto clones quickly surrounded their group.
"Hey guys…?" Naruto mocked, lazily wandering towards them, before pulling out a buzz-clipper. "You might want to hold still."
The sounds of the guys screams went unheard, as Naruto's cunning was unleashed to its full capacity.
"You have got to be kidding me!" Ino shrieked, desperately trying to get the thousands of feathers off of herm, but to no avail. Tenten choked out a small sob, one of her favorite outfits ruined by Naruto's prank. Sakura remained silent, but the level of killing intent radiating off of her could even be felt by Naruto, who was still watching from afar.
"I think we should just g-get inside before anything else happens." Hinata suggested quietly. The others quickly heeded to her idea, locking the door behind them and shoving all manner of furniture in front of the door to keep the mad Uzumaki out.
"I call first shower!" Ino shouted, racing up the stairs much to the others' annoyance. However, they would look back and be glad that Ino had called dibs.
Tenten and Sakura stood awkwardly in the entryway, not wanting to ruin any of Ino's furniture with their mess, while sat idly by stifling the occasional giggle at the sight in front of her.
All of a sudden, and ear-splitting scream erupted from upstairs, greatly surprising the others. After a few tense seconds, Ino appeared at the top of the stairs, clad only in towel. The others couldn't figure out the specifics, but she didn't look happy at all.
"Someone shut off the water!" she howled, covering her hands with her face. "I bet this is all that Naruto's fault! Oh, I told you guys we shouldn't have done that earlier!" She held her hands to her face, now thoroughly miserable at their predicament.
"Actually, it was you who wanted to do it in the first place…" Tenten mumbled, gently patting the girl on the back in an attempt to soothe the grieving girl. Suddenly, her head snapped up, a look of horror plastered across her features.
"What if…what if he's not done with us yet!" she questioned, beginning to tremble. Sakura just rolled her eyes at how dramatic Ino was being, but she couldn't deny that she was slightly worried that Naruto wasn't finished yet; he could be quite vindictive with his pranks if he wanted to. More than anything, though, she just wanted to get a shower.
As if to confirm Ino's fear, there was a sudden knocking on their door.
"Don't answer it!" Ino hissed. "It could be a trap!"
"Oh, don't be such a wussy." Tenten replied, heading over to the door to peek through the hole. The sight behind it sent her into a fit of giggles.
"Oh, you guys HAVE to see this!" she exclaimed, dragging the others to the door before swinging it wide open.
Standing before them stood the guys of the Konoha 11 (along with Sai), looking normal for the most part.
Except for the fact that their heads had been shaved in various places.
"That idiot ambushed us with his clones." Shikamaru stated bluntly, not seeming at all fazed by the polka-dot pattern of bald spots on his head. "Before we knew what was happening, he had us tied down and at his mercy…man, this is gonna be so troublesome to explain to my dad…"
"I swear when I get my hands on Naruto, I'm gonna kick his ass into next week!" Kiba roared, clutching at Akamaru who had Naruto's name shaved into his fur (After that incident, Naruto considered them even for destroying his favorite tracksuit).
And so the boys and the girls just stood there for several minutes, unable to speak. Then, without warning, they all burst into laughter. The events of the night just fell off of their shoulders as they laughed with and at one another, at the misfortune at the hands of one Naruto Uzumaki.
Speaking of Naruto, he was still currently hiding from the rest of the group, a positively evil grin splitting across his whiskered face. He had really outdone himself this time. There was but one last piece to his grand puzzle, and it looked like that was about to fall into place.
"I'll make you a deal, Neji…" Tenten spoke up as she wandered over to her teammate. "I'll help you fix that mess on your head if you let me grab a shower at your place. I have a feeling Naruto shut down my water the same as he did Ino's."
The request took Neji by surprise, but as he glanced at his shoulder, where his hair hung in random clumps as opposed to the clean, straight cut, he couldn't refuse. He offered his arm out to Tenten, who graciously took it, before beginning the short trip to the Hyūga compound.
Ino suddenly perked up, having took a liking to Tenten's idea. "Hey, Chōji! Same deal as those two?" she asked, pointing to Neji and his teammate before they disappeared from view. Chōji said nothing, but the light blush decorating his cheeks suggested he was fond of the idea as well. He could only nod dumbly as Ino yanked him towards the direction of his own home.
Despite the excited, and slightly hopeful look on Lee and Kiba's face, Sakura shook her head.
"Sorry guys, but I'm pretty sure even Naruto couldn't shut off the water for the entire hospital. Tsunade would have his head if he tried." Before any of them could protest, she leaped to the rooftops, leaving only Lee, Kiba, Shino, and Shikamaru left.
"You guys do know why he did this, right?" Shikamaru asked idly, running a hand through his (now lessened) hair.
Shino nodded wordlessly, but Kiba and Lee looked confused.
"Then I guess there's still more about girls that you need to learn about." Shikamaru proclaimed, before lazily turning on his heels, and heading home. Lee and Kiba followed shortly after, eager to get home to keep anyone else from seeing their baldness. Only Shino remained, and for several seconds Naruto could have sworn that he was looking straight at him. But nothing else happened, and soon Shino had left as well, leaving Naruto alone to contemplate on his success.
Most people wouldn't realize this, but Naruto could be vastly more perceptive when he wanted to. He had noticed Chōji would take more care with his dinner manners when Ino was around, and Neji didn't seem as tense when Tenten was with him. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out the rest, and Naruto leaned back in his hiding place, feeling a sense of accomplishment. Kiba, Shino, Sai, Lee, and Shikamaru may have been casualties, but it had been a necessary sacrifice. Besides, there had to be a hair growing jutsu or something that could fix the damage Naruto and his clones had done.
His brow furrowed. Something didn't seem right, and he couldn't place his finger on it. Ino had left with Chōji, Tenten with Neji, all as planned. Sakura didn't go with Lee, but that had been expected. Which meant there was one girl who was left unaccounted for…
'Hinata!' Naruto suddenly realized, slapping his head in frustration. He had completely forgotten about Hinata, and now she had disappeared. To be honest, since she really didn't need a shower, he hadn't planned this far ahead, but it still would have been nice to see Hinata and apologize to her before she could vanish.
"G-good evening, Naruto-kun." ( watch?v=iDxcir3RX1I)
The sudden voice, despite its soft and sweet sound, made Naruto jump. He soon recognized the source of the voice, and turned around sheepishly to find Hinata standing beside him, her Byakugan activated.
"How did you find-" Naruto began to ask, before shutting up as Hinata merely tapped at her forehead.
"I w-wanted to see if it really was you that did all this, Naruto-kun." She said calmly, sitting down next to him.
He grinned foolishly. "Yeah, I cooked it up after you and the other girls almost…well, you know." He blushed as the thought of Hinata almost kissing him popped into his mind. Hinata was almost as red as he was, but didn't say anything.
"I may be the bad guy in their eyes for a few weeks, but I think eventually they'll come to thank me for it." He sounded content, but the look in his eyes betrayed him. Hinata could tell something was bothering him.
"Is there…something wrong, Naruto-kun?" she asked, her eyes pleading with him to be honest with her.
He stared into those beautiful eyes of hers, and for a moment he considered spilling his guts out in front of her, about these weird feelings he had been having, and how he didn't know what they meant. He didn't want to freak her out, though, and decided against it.
"Nah, it's nothing! Really!" he said brightly. Hinata stared at him for a moment longer, not seeming to believe it, before she nodded slightly.
"All right, Naruto-kun, if you say so…" She still wanted to cheer him up though, and thought of the best way to do that. She gingerly reached out with her arms, wrapping him in a small, but tender hug.
"I want you to know that I a-appreciate what you did for the others…" she said softly, before breaking the contact. "I think it was really sweet of you, e-even if they don't know it yet."
Naruto grinned from ear to ear. "Really! Gee, thanks Hinata-chan!"
There it was again. He added the chan for what had been the third or fourth time, and this time, he caught what he had said. The two blushed deeply, sharing an awkward silence.
"Soo…do you want to come back to my house and clean off? I know Neji took Tenten back to your house, but I just thought that…" he trailed off, knowing how silly of a request it was. I mean, why would she want to do that? Naruto's house was dingy and messy, while hers was massive and immaculate.
For a while, Hinata considered accepting the offer. It would be nice to clean herself off with what little there was clinging to her skin, and Naruto's house was pretty close to where they were sitting. But the thought of her being alone with Naruto in his house frightened her; it was too big of a step, too soon.
She shook her head sadly. "I'm sorry Naruto-kun, but the compound does have more than one bathroom. And my father will wonder where I am…"
Naruto hung his head in defeat. "Oh...ok…I understand."
"B-but if you'd like to meet up for ramen again for dinner tomorrow, I'd love to join you!" she included quickly. She considered it making up for her missing dinner with him earlier that day.
The idea seemed to perk him up greatly, and he nodded his head vigorously. "Yeah, that sounds awesome!" he said excitedly, almost jumping the air with joy. He stared at Hinata for a moment longer, and it felt like his stomach was doing backflips. His cheeks were hot, and his mind was drawing a complete blank. Hinata had been doing this to him for days now, and Naruto had had enough. He was going to talk to someone about this; to confirm what he thought was happening.
He smiled for the last time, and waved goodbye to Hinata, before turning around and heading back home. Hinata watched him for a second longer, a soft smile gracing her own features.
Something flashed in the corner of her eye, and Hinata whipped around to find its source. Seeing nothing, Hinata activated her Byakugan, her vision suddenly piercing through the darkness. Quickly heading in the opposite direction, she could make out the chakra signature of one Sakura Haruno.
Something snapped within Hinata's mind. All of a sudden, she felt the irresistible urge to dash home as fast as her legs would carry her. There was something she needed to confront Neji and Tenten about, and she would not be denied. A horrible feeling bubbled up from the pit of Hinata's stomach, as she mentally begged that her fears were unwarranted.
She arrived at the compound in record time. Ignoring her father, the maids, even her sister, Hinata made a beeline towards one of the bathrooms. She swung open the door to find Neji helping Tenten get ready.
"Ahh, Lady Hinata. I was just offering Tenten some of your towels for her to use. I hope you don't-"
Hinata held a hand up, silencing her cousin. Unshed tears shone in her eyes as she gathered the courage to ask what had been bothering her for weeks now.
Neji-niisan…Tenten-san…what's going on between me and Naruto-kun?"
Author's Note: Oh crap...what could Hinata mean by that? Things are about to get tense in Konoha, so keep reading if you want to know what happens next!
I wanna get something out of the way real quick. A personal frustration, if you will.
I personally find it extremely annoying that the stories that often get the most attention, are often just sex-saturated smut fics. If all those people wanna read about is Naruto's sexual prowess with literally every woman in the series (or sometimes man), why not just skip all that bullshit and watch porn?
Seriously. Fanfics should be stories and poetry, not a 30,000 word sex scene. There are some amazing stories out there that don't get enough attention because they make little to no mention of genitals.
Anyhoo, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Please review if you liked what you read, to help get this story out to more people. Also, if you have a suggestion, question, or concern, please don't be afraid to ask! Though to make sure I see it, explicitly state if you want an answer, and that it's not just a hypothetical question or something like that.
Until next time!