A/N: Hey...a chapter you didn't have to wait forever for. Will miracles never cease? I hope you enjoy this one. Not much action, per-say...but it's an important build up to the final chapter, which I hope will be the next one. Fifteen chapters is my limit to this story...I made that decision. sets proverbial foot down There, that's settled.

Revenge and Afterward

Chapter 14:
Of Freedom and Hiding

Tsunade was rubbing her temples roughly, listening to the white-haired jounin sitting on the edge of her desk. That morning had been a disaster, with Shizune being sick and Tsunade having to take care of everything on her own. It was at that moment the blonde woman realized how much Shizune actually did for her.

Kakashi watched the Hokage carefully, afraid her proneness to sudden outburst would cause her to throw him out a window. What he was telling her wasn't something anyone in a leader position would even want to consider. Not in the slightest. He watched the woman lean forward on her elbows and propped her chin in one hand. Tapping her fingers against her cheek she let out a deep sigh.

"So, what you're telling me is that Raizou hired a rogue ninja to steal money from the Konoha treasury?" She said at last, raising her eyes to meet Kakashi's.

"Yes, Hokaga-sama." Kakashi crossed his arms over his chest and sighed. "Troublesome councilman, isn't he?"

She sighed again before sitting back in her chair. "Yes, yes he is." Pouring herself a cup of sake, Tsunade let a smirk play on her face. "You know, Kakashi, this could play in our favor."

At this the white-haired ninja's ears perked up. He uncrossed his arms and leaned ever-so-slightly toward her. "How, Hokaga-sama?"

Tsunade just chuckled. It was the first thing in a long time that sent a shiver down Kakashi's spine.

----

With the wind blowing through her hair, Sakura sat on a tree stump watching two of her friends training. Beside her was a brown haired boy who was fresh from the hospital and still a little wary of everything around him; especially the pink-haired kunoichi sitting next to him. Taking notice of his uneasiness, Sakura turned to him.

"So…Ayame told me you were a ninja too. What was your specialty?"

Jakken turned to look at her, his face holding a little bit of confusion. "I…uh…was pretty good at chakra control…and, um…senbon throwing…"

"Wow, senbon? We have a ninja here – Genma – he's pretty good at them, too." Sakura smiled, trying to put the young boy at ease.

"Naruto, you need to concentrate!" Ayame said, catching Sakura and Jakken's attention for a second.

"I am, Ayame. This is harder than just making wind swirls on my fingertips, you know!" Naruto pouted, making Ayame smirk.

"Here, try this…"

"What is Mai-Mai trying to teach him?" Jakken asked, probably the first thing he voluntarily said all day.

"Um…she's trying to teach him to wind flash, but there's something before it and that's what he's on now."

"Wind flash? Sis is really going to show him that?" He asked, his eyebrow raised.

Sakura looked at him, a quizzical expression on her face. "Why, is something wrong?"

Jakken quickly looked at the ground, realizing he'd been talking openly to a stranger. "N-no…n-nothing."

"Jakken, you don't have to be scared of us. We're here to help you. We're friends." Sakura tried again, smiling. It seemed to put the young boy at ease, if only slightly.

Sitting up a little straighter, Jakken took a deep breath. "The wind flash is our family's jutsu. Grandpa always told us we weren't allowed to show 'outsiders' how to do it because that's giving away the family secret."

"Oh." Sakura said, watching Ayame and Naruto carefully. "Wonder why she chose Naruto?"

"Is he a Jinchuuriki?" Jakken asked, taking Sakura off-guard.

"Why?" Sakura said, almost defensively. She regretted it immediately when she saw the reserved expression on the boys face.

"Just something that man – Kabuto – said." Jakken was looking at the ground again, his hands doing a motion similar to Hinata's when she's near Naruto.

"What did he say?"

The boy was silent for a minute before he finally spoke, being careful to not look the kunoichi in the eye. "He said he was a monster. Something about nine tails. I just assumed that's what Kabuto meant."

"Oh."

"Mom told Sis once that if she ever meant a true hero, showing him the family secret wouldn't be a bad thing. That she'd be helping if she did that. That's why she chose him…he must be a true hero."

Sakura was speechless. Hell, she could barely breathe. After a moment, and with the initial shock passing, she smiled and leaned back on the stump. "I think your specialty is your words, Jakken. You have a real knack for reading people and what they're thinking. You'll make a great shinobi."

Jakken smiled and Ayame noticed. She stopped and stared at her brother, smiling at Sakura, and had to smile herself. It was nice to see her brother so relaxed after everything he'd gone though.

"Ayame, I'm doing it…I think!" Naruto yelled, drawing her attention back to him. When she saw Naruto moving the air around him, it wasn't such a shock. It was when she realized he was hovering almost six inches off the ground that her mouth dropped open.

"Yeah, Naruto. You're doing it. Just not what I taught you." At that, Naruto gave her a confused look. "Look down, baka."

In almost slow motion, Naruto looked down and saw himself hovering. For a second it didn't register in his head that he was almost six inches above the soft grass. Once it did, however, the teen came crashing down to the ground, landing flat on his back.

"Naruto?" Sakura asked, rushing to his side. "What happened?"

"I…I was…floating…" Naruto said, almost dazed. "Right?"

"Um…floating isn't the right word. You were hovering." Ayame smirked. Jakken stood beside her and gave Naruto a weak smile. "You did amazing, Naruto. Take a break and get some ramen."

----

Sasuke was exhausted. He'd been rearranging furniture that entire day, ever since Naruto commented on him having a large foyer that he never used. Deciding it was time to make use of it (since he sure as hell wasn't using his living room any time soon) he moved furniture around until he had a small couch and a television in his extra-large foyer. Glancing around his make-shift living room, he smiled to himself.

Throwing himself on the small couch, he nestled in and prepared for a mid-day nap, something he'd begrudged himself for so long. He had just fell into a deep sleep when an annoying blonde landed on top of him. He left out a groan and nearly kunai'd the teen who landed on top of him, had he had a kunai.

"Sasuke! Sasuke! Guess what I did today!" Naruto exclaimed, straddling the stoic teen and waving his arms around in emphasis.

"Learned to talk above a kindergarten level?" Sasuke smirked, trying to sit up slightly.

Naruto cocked his head to the side before shooting Sasuke a glare and pouting. "Fine, I won't tell you."

Sighing, Sasuke sat up and wrapped his arms around the blonde's waist. "I'm sorry, Naruto. What did you do today?" He pressed a kiss against the blonde whiskered cheek before snuggling against his chest.

Naruto buried his face in Sasuke's hair, inhaling the scent, before speaking again.

"First I learned to move the air again, because I'd forgotten since the last time Ayame taught me. Then, after I mastered it again, I began making it do stuff. Like hitting logs and things. And then suddenly, without me trying, I hovered, like, six inches or something!" Naruto rapidly explained, waving his hands all around as he spoke.

At the word 'hover', Sasuke just stared at him. "You…you, uh…hovered?"

"Yeah! Wanna see?" Naruto asked, climbing off of Sasuke and standing in front of the couch.

Pooling his chakra, Naruto began focusing like he did before. Almost instantly he felt himself being lifted and heard a slight gasp from Sasuke.

"You…you are…hovering…" Sasuke breathed out, watching his boyfriend hover a good foot off the ground.

Naruto looked down, seeing that he was further up this time, and came crashing down again. He sat up, rubbing his tailbone and cursing. "Damn it! Why is it when I look down I fall? I'm still concentrating when I look down!"

Shaking the shock from his mind, Sasuke stood up and helped Naruto stand up. "It's because of your chakra control. Although it's better than it was when we were thirteen, it's still got a way to go."

"How do I learn to control it better?" The blonde asked, wrapping his arms around Sasuke and burying his face in the crook of Sasuke's neck.

"I can show you, dobe." Sasuke whispered, placing a kiss on Naruto's neck.

"You'll do that? For me, 'suke?" Naruto asked, pulling back and looking into Sasuke's onyx eyes.

"Yeah, sure. Just try not to break anything, okay?" Sasuke smirked, inferring that he still couldn't leave the house.

----

Raizou stood in front of the Hokage's desk, his face red with anger.

"You are accusing me of what exactly, Tsunade?" He didn't use the honorific, he didn't feel it necessary. After all, the Hokage had just accused him of stealing. Honorifics are not meant for situations like that.

Tsunade resisted the urge to rub her temples, just barely. "I'm not accusing you of anything. I already know you did it. Just confess so we can get this over with."

"I will do no such thing!" He spat, his face turning redder, if possible. "Who would say such slanderous things?"

"That would be me." Kakashi said from his position of leaning against the wall behind Tsunade's chair. He bent his arm up at the elbow and held twitched his hand to the side at the wrist, sort of an informal greeting he'd give his students.

"How dare you!" Raizou spat again, slamming his fist on Tsunade's overly-abused desk. "What do you have to support your claim?"

"He saw you, Raizou. With is own tw- well…with his eye." Tsunade said, a slight smirk on her face. Kakashi's visible eye crinkled in a smile.

The elder councilman spluttered for a few seconds, a desperate attempt to come up with a good story. Unfortunately, no story came to mind. Instead, he decided to wing it.

"There was no money in the bag, Kakashi. You saw wrong!"

"You pulled some out and handed it to the ninja. He's in custody, by the way. He'll be telling us everything as soon as Ibiki gets started." Kakashi said curtly.

Raizou's eyes grew wide for a second before dropping his head in defeat. "What do you want front me, Tsunade?"

"Give back the money and exile yourself, Raizou. Every decision you have made as councilman will be looked at and decided accordingly. Starting with the Uchiha trial."

Raizou's head snapped up, his eyes locked on Tsunade. "You've been waiting for an opportunity like this, haven't you?"

"You have no idea." She smirked, motioning to the ANBU guard on the other side of her. "Take this man to his home and collect the money he owes Konoha. If he gives you any trouble, any at all, force him to cooperate by any means necessary."

As the ANBU drug the man out the door, Kakashi let a slight chuckle out of his throat. "You know, Hokaga-sama…that might have been a little too much. Telling ANBU to force him by any means necessary…no telling what they'd do."

She swiveling her chair around and looked the man in the eye. "Am I supposed to care?"

----

For the second time since Sasuke's return, Naruto stood at Sasuke's door with few clothes on. This time, however, it was from training and nothing else.

The female ANBU who knocked was stuttering as she saw him before catching her composure. "Hokage-sama would like your attendance in her office. You are to bring the Uchiha with you."

Naruto cocked his head to the side. "Really? She wants me to bring Sasuke…by my self? What about the terms of his house arrest?"

Another ANBU landed next to the first one. "That won't be a problem anymore. Tsunade herself assured us of this."

Sasuke walked up behind Naruto, carrying the boy's discarded shirt and jacket in his hand. "What's going on?"

"Tsunade wants to see both of us in her office. I'm supposed to take you there by myself."

Sasuke arched a delicate eyebrow before shrugging. "I guess we go, right?"

It was the first time the stoic teen stepped out of that house in a month, and he instantly took a deep breath of fresh air. Naruto was watching him and smiled. "Having fun, 'suke?"

"I forgot how much I missed fresh air." He smiled, turning to face Naruto. The wind whipped through their hair as they stepped closer.

It was their first affectionate display in public, and neither of them seemed to mind. Their lips meant and they stood at the gate to the Uchiha District for a while. They weren't really in a big hurry, Tsunade could wait.

Ayame, Jakken, and Sakura were walking toward the Uchiha District, having been sent by Tsunade to make sure the ANBU delivered the message right. When they reached the gate, Jakken gave a gasp and hid his head behind Ayame. Trying to find what frightened her brother, she began to giggle and pointed Sakura in the right direction.

"Well, at least their not having sex." Sakura smirked, watching the two teenagers holding on to each other tightly, still kissing.

Ayame, having already heard about Sakura's little voyeur experience, just giggled again. She turned around to Jakken, who was still hiding his head, and ruffled his hair. "They're in love, Jakken. It's okay for them to do that."

"But they're both boys!"

"Yes, but it's still okay." She smiled.

Sakura cleared her throat, loudly, making both boys jump slightly. "Busy, are we? I think you just scarred poor Jakken for life."

"Jakken?" Sasuke asked, arching his eyebrow and darting his eyes to find the young boy. He was the only one so far not to see Ayame's brother in person.

Jakken poked his head out from behind Ayame, a light blush covering his cheeks. Naruto gave the young boy a wave and smiled. Sasuke smirked and pulled himself from Naruto.

"So, um…we just came to make sure you two got the message. Apparently you did." Sakura said, still smirking.

"We didn't take that long, did we?" Naruto asked.

Both girls just giggled, Jakken's face turned even more red, and Sasuke smacked him up side the head. He may have meant it innocently, but nothing Naruto says ever comes out just right.

"Baka." Sasuke said, crossing his arms over his chest.

----

Iruka was almost used to hearing various villagers mention his favorite student's name. Naruto had become quite popular over the years, even with the girls if he cared to notice. But when this crop of fan girls, who were gathered together in a popular teenage-geared tea shop, were giggling at the mention of Naruto's name he stopped to listen.

"I'm not kidding you! They were actually kissing!" One exclaimed, quickly going through her cell phone. "That hot blonde kid with the whisker marks – what's his name? Naruto Uzumaki? – and Sasuke Uchiha!"

"No, no. Sasuke Uchiha is not gay. He can't be!" Another said, shaking her head violently. "He's way too sexy for that!"

"What are you talking about?" A third said, grabbing the second by the shoulders. "It's always the sexy ones that are gay!"

"Here!" The first one said, thrusting a phone into the second girl's hand. "I have a video. They were making out for almost fifteen minutes straight!"

The girls were huddled around the phone's screen, watching the video silently. When it ended, the giggling ensued.

"No way!" The second one exclaimed, jumping up and down. "Send it to me! Send it to me! I am sending that to every one I've ever meant in my entire life!"

Iruka smiled and continued walking. Apparently his little talk with Naruto did some good. As long as that hyperactive boy was happy, Iruka was happy. No matter who that boy was with.

Little did he know, however, that those fan girls weren't the only one's with the knowledge of his former student's love life. But he soon found out when, with every corner he turned, there was another crop of fan girls doing the exact same thing.

----

With another sip of sake, Tsunade took the cell phone from Izumo and watched as the chuunin pressed play. The video of Sasuke being pushed up against the Uchiha District gate played. As Naruto pressed himself against the other teen, wrapping his arms around the boy, he pressed his lips against Sasuke's. The dark-haired teen wrapped his arms around Naruto's neck and tangled them in his blonde hair. The scene of them making out played for two more minute before the video ended. Tsunade handed the phone back and took another sip of sake.

"So, that brat finally made himself famous, huh?" She said while smirking.

"If that's what a ninja really wants to be famous for." Kotetsu said.

"That kid?" Izumo snorted. "This will blow over in a few days when he does something equally stupid."

Tsunade laughed at that, her head tossed back. When her laughter finally died down slightly, she wiped a tear from her eye and composed herself. "You are right, Izumo. You are definitely right."

The Hokage's door opened, revealing Sasuke and Naruto standing on the other side. It was a miracle the Hokage didn't burst out laughing when she saw them, it took all of her self control.

"You, uh, wanted to see us Granny?" Naruto asked, stepping into the room.

"Yeah. Sasuke, you are free."

Both boys stood perfectly still, stunned beyond all words and bodily actions.

Finally Sasuke let out a breath he didn't realize he had held. "I'm…free…?"

A slight 'poof' from the window made everyone look in that direction, only to see Kakashi perched on the window ledge. "Yo!"

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto exclaimed, pointing at the man. "What are you doing here?"

"I haven't seen my ex-students in a while. I missed you guys. Especially you, Sasuke." His eye crinkled in a smile.

Ignoring him, Sasuke turned back to Tsunade. "I'm free? What do you mean by that?"

"Just what I said, brat. You are free, free to live wherever and go wherever. Although no missions until I see fit. And when you do start back, it will be D- or C-rank until I know I can trust your ass, you here me?" Tsunade said, slamming her palm on her desk. Sasuke jumped slightly and nodded, but still looked confused.

"When you say free," Naruto started, scratching his chin. "Does that mean he can leave the house without me…or anyone…watching him? And he can move, if he wants to?"

"Yes!" Tsunade said, exasperated.

"Raizou has been tried to theft." Izumo interrupted. Tsunade whipped her head around to glare at the chuunin, but nodded instead.

"Yeah, forgot to mention that, didn't I?" She said, smirking. "Ah, hell…I'm tired."

"Theft!" Naruto exclaimed. "That bastard was stealing?"

"Stealing money from the Konoha treasury." Kakashi answered. "I caught him and he's been exiled for his treachery. As a result, Hokaga-sama can over-turn any decision he's made…including Sasuke's trial."

Sasuke nodded, the happiness showing in his eyes for anyone trained to read them. Naruto threw a victory sign in the air and smiled wide. "Yeah, 'suke! You're free!" The blonde jumped on Sasuke, knocking them both to the ground. Izumo and Kotetsu just groaned and turned their heads.

"Oi, you two…no making out in here! We have enough of that circulating." Tsunade growled.

Both boys froze and stared at her.

"Nani?!" Naruto exclaimed, jumping up. "What do you mean, Granny?"

"Um…nothing. Go make the most of your free time." She said, waving them out.

"Um…Granny…does that mean that the thing with me is gone, too?" He asked, referring to his frozen ninja status.

"Yup, kid. You are free to become anything you want."

----

It took the budding couple five hours to move all of Naruto's stuff – and what little Sasuke had – into their new apartment. No more rent-jacking or going hungry or cold nights for Naruto. He had a beautiful new apartment that overlooked the Hokage Mountain, with two bedrooms and a bathroom that was double the size of his old one. And, to top it all off, he had a gorgeous raven-haired shinobi lying nearly naked on the couch they took from Sasuke's childhood home.

Life was good.

The overly sexy Uchiha (to Naruto, at least) propped himself up on the couch and watched the blonde rummaging through the kitchen.

"Take a break, Whiskers. We've been putting away things for hours." Sasuke said, a smirk playing on his face.

Naruto just stared at him, his arms frozen half-way to putting a bright orange toaster on the top shelf of a cabinet. "Did…Did you just call me…Whiskers?"

"Well, you have several nicknames for me. I don't have many for you."

"Dobe, usuratonkatchi, baka…the list goes on and on." Naruto glared. "And now you add whiskers of all things?"

"I think it's sexy. I like your whisker marks, Naruto." Sasuke sat up, motioning the blonde to come toward him.

Having been hated by the villagers for most of his life, Naruto did turn out to be slightly self-conscious about his appearance. He used to think it was his blonde hair and blue eyes that turned people away, until he found out about the Fourth Hokage's hair and eye color. Then those features weren't so bad. But his whisker marks, they were something different. No matter what, he could not get rid of them. If anything, they became more prominent over the years. More of a hindrance.

But, if Sasuke liked them…then maybe they weren't so bad.

He was subconsciously running a hand over them as Sasuke eyed him curiously. "Naruto?"

"Huh?" Naruto asked. Then realizing he was touching his face, he dropped his hands to his sides.

Sasuke stood up and sauntered toward Naruto, pressing him against the cold refrigerator door.

"They are sexy." Sasuke whispered into Naruto's ear, running his tongue along the sensitive skin. "You are sexy."

As Naruto's breathing increased, he let his head fall back. By the second three-word sentence, Naruto fisted his hands in Sasuke's hair and breathed out, "God, I love you Sasuke!"

Smirking devilishly, Sasuke led Naruto toward their new bedroom, which had yet to be christened. But, after that night was through, that bed would be well used.

----

The day was October tenth, the infamous day in Konoha. During the morning and most of the afternoon the village was silent and in mourning. Both for their fallen comrades and the fall of the greatest Hokage Konoha had yet to know. But during the evening and night the village came alive with games and food and music, celebrating the achievement of removing the demon from power and stopping it from destroying the village further than it already had.

It was also the day Naruto hid himself away. Deep down he knew what he was. A horrible reminder of the suffering laid down on Konoha. The day the greatest Hokage, the strongest leader, was taken by a horrible curse seal. Taken by the very demon he sought to protect them from. Naruto knew he was nothing but the demon's carrier, the vessel that held a horrible demon, and the boy who struck a million horrible memories in the minds of the villagers.

But right now it was the day that perfect moments with Sasuke made him forget about…until it was way too late.

When Sasuke emerged from the bedroom, fully dressed, that afternoon Naruto secretly knew what he was wanting. He'd hoped that this new improved good Sasuke was still the type to not like festivals. Strangely enough, he was wrong. Sasuke sauntered from his bedroom, wearing clothes that fit him perfectly, and leaned against the frame around the small hallway. The onyx eyes connected with bright blue ones before he opened his mouth to speak.

"Are you ready to go, Naruto?"

The horrible reminder to the village looked away and dropped his head. "I'm not going, Sasuke. I can't go to this festival."

The older teen arched his eyebrow momentarily before pushing himself off the door frame. "What are you talking about? What is this festival any different?" Before Naruto could think of a reply, the answer hit him full in the face. The whisker marks he loved so much showed him the reason. "Oh."

"Yeah…oh…" He still wasn't looking Sasuke in the eye, his gaze still directed at the floor on his right side. "But, if you want to go…"

He didn't get a chance to finish before Sasuke interrupted him. "No. I want to go with you." The child-like stubbornness of the reply shocked Naruto somewhat.

"What?"

"You heard me." Sasuke said sternly. "What do you do every year at this time, Naruto?"

The blonde began kicking at invisible dirt on the hardwood floor. "I…I, uh…I kind of hide."

"You hide?" Sasuke asked, his eyebrow arching again. "The great Naruto Uzumaki hides?" The raven-haired teen scoffed before crossing his arms over his chest. "How childish."

Naruto was stunned at Sasuke's words and chose that time to stare into the older teens face. He didn't know what he expected to see, but the blank face wasn't what he wanted to see. Fighting back the tears he knew were hiding in him somewhere, Naruto formed his normal glare and fixed it on his boyfriend.

"What is that supposed to mean, Sasuke?"

"You want to be Hokage, don't you?" Sasuke said, his smugness dripping off his words. "How do you expect to lead this village when you won't even go face them?"

Those words were like a slap in the face to Naruto, who let his mouth drop open and nearly hit the floor. Attempting to regain his composure, if he had any to start with, he crossed his arms defensively. "It's not the same thing, Sasuke!"

"Really, Naruto? Then what is it?" Sasuke asked, putting his hands on his hips. "You're hiding like a scared child."

"I'm not hiding like a scared child! Not anymore!" This caught Sasuke's attention, but he didn't have time to respond before Naruto continued. "I'm…I'm nothing but a horrible memory to them!"

"That was so long ago, Naruto. This generation doesn't think like that. To this generation you're just annoying."

"What?" Naruto asked, being taken back. "But…but no one ever talked to me…I was hated, Sasuke. If it wasn't because of the demon…"

"This generation didn't know about the demon, Naruto. We just knew that the adults treated you different and we went by that. But now that we think for ourselves, none of us fear you or hate you." He continued. "Like I said, you're just annoying."

Naruto spluttered for a few moments before finally just dropping his head and arms. He felt defeated and maybe slightly betrayed, but most of all he just felt confused. For years he'd believed the villagers didn't want him around on this day, not that they'd showed any other side of their feelings. Except maybe a select few who finally showed them kindness.

He tried to say something, anything, but he couldn't find the words. He just stuttered and spluttered something incoherent and rubbed the back of his head.

Seeing the sadness and confusion in Naruto's eyes, Sasuke began to realize how much he'd ignored the blonde during this time before. Sasuke usually spent the festival hiding in his house from the annoying flock of fan girls. Of course, he usually spent every festival like that. But never once did it cross his mind that Naruto hid away in his tiny apartment because he was afraid, afraid of what the villagers would do to him. It wasn't really Sasuke's fault, he never even knew Naruto had a reason to hide. Hell, he didn't know about the demon, actually see and feel it, until he was fifteen. Common sense should have told him there was a reason. The reason behind why the villagers seemed to shun him. It actually made Sasuke hate himself for never seeing it before, never seeing the hurt that was now so apparent in the blonde's cerulean eyes.

"Naruto," he began, although he really didn't know what to say. He just knew he couldn't see that hurt in Naruto's eyes ever again. "You don't have to go if you don't want to. I just though you'd want to…forget I brought it up."

Instantly, upon hearing Sasuke's words, relief flickered through his eyes. He flung himself at Sasuke and clung to him tightly. "I…I'm sorry, Sasuke. I just don't think I can…"

"Hey, Whiskers, it's fine. I don't like festivals anyway." Sasuke pressed a kiss to Naruto's temple and another one to his forehead.

"Are you sure, 'suke?" Naruto asked, his voice muffled from his face being buried in Sasuke's shirt. "I…I can…I can try. I can transform myself into…"

"No, Naruto. It's fine. We'll stay here, just me and you."

Hope you enjoyed it! (I think I say that at the end of every story and one-shot I write. lol. But, at least it's true.