Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

EXUBERANCE

/igˈzo͞obərəns/

the quality of being full of energy, excitement, and cheerfulness, ebullience; the quality of growing profusely, luxuriance.

"Hatake Hayato!"

Hayato took a deep breath in anticipation and excitement, moving out of the line of children who were leaning against the wall, making his way out to the platform, moving into the boundary of the circle as he rolled up the sleeves of his brown jacket. A few girls ogled him from afar, which he did indeed notice but chose to ignore (he had long since given up trying to stop the pre-adolescent admirers of his from ogling him at random moments, much like his father and adoptive older brother Sasuke had).

The larger, taller boy in front of him snorted in disbelief to see the (in comparison) rather skinny beanpole of an eight-year-old before him.

"Are you serious, sensei?" the upperclassman asked his Academy teacher. "He'll snap in half."

Daikoku gave a smirk in return, looking over at Neji, whose hands were crossed over his chest. "Neji-sensei and I know what we're doing, Tomo." Truth be told, Daikoku had his own doubts about the possibility of the eight-year-old winning, even if his father was Hatake Kakashi. Hayato was thinner, smaller, younger, and he hadn't been taught the taijutsu Tomo had learned in his classes yet, as Neji was not authorized to teach his class such a subject as of yet. Tomo was practically a rock compared to Hayato.

Yet, Neji highly recommended they smash-pair them in this year's midterm assessment.

Daikoku sighed to himself, doing his best not to doubt the much younger Academy teacher; reminding himself over and over that Neji was a Jōnin already for a reason, but he also couldn't shake the memory of a much younger Neji in his own classes. Neji was a rather precocious kid, back in the day, that took things too far sometimes, though he seemed to have changed since Daikoku was his Academy teacher. He seemed to have a lot of faith stocked in this eight-year-old, and had even invited the parents of the students to come in…

… Including the Copy nin himself, who stood practically in the front, arms crossed over his chest as he kept his eye on his son, the intensity of his gaze making Daikoku nervous even though the look wasn't even upon him. Hayato didn't even seem to notice the gaze, he was in an element all his own at the moment it seemed; but still. It was rather discomforting.

Tomo snorted again and turned back to Hayato, who merely raised an eyebrow at him. "You should talk to your sensei, kiddo. He's new around here, so he doesn't really know things as well as he should. I'll go easy on you if you want me to."

Hayato's eyebrow went further up. "Are you screwing with me?" he asked incredulously.

Neji sighed. "Hayato. Your language."

Hayato sighed as well. "I'm apologize, sensei. It just sounds rather ridiculous to me is all."

Neji rubbed the bridge of his nose, stepping forwards between the two boys, the underclassman and the upperclassman.

"Academy midterm examination practice fight number twelve," he announced to the crowd, holding up his hand, "First-year Hatake Hayato versus third-year Uchiwa Tomo. Full-ninjutsu brawl. First one to be either knocked out of the boundaries or held down for ten seconds is the loser and fails the examination automatically." He looked between the two boys. "You boys understand the rules, correct?"

"Yes, sir," both boys said at the same time.

"I have to admit, I've never seen a Hatake in action," muttered a parent within the crowd, their words not escaping the notice of Kakashi, who turned only slightly. "I hear they're brutal. Do you think he'll demolish the Uchiwa kid?"

"Nah, nah," replied another parent, shaking their hand as if they smelled something bad. "He's a first-year, and he's a tiny puppy compared to the third-year. The third-year will most definitely win. It's a no contest."

The woman next to him, possibly his wife, nodding empathetically. "Right, right. Uchiwa will end up burying that boy. Hatake's not gonna last a minute. Hell, he'd probably tap out; Uchiwa'll pummel him so badly."

"They're not allowed to go that far I think, Michi," whispered someone else from the crowd.

"It's fine, isn't it? She's correct anyways, isn't she?" peeped out a pregnant woman, smiling brightly, as if she weren't talking about two kids beating each other bloody.

Kakashi looked between the two women, wondering where exactly they got their information from. Maybe they were talking about a different Hatake Hayato, because he just couldn't see his son getting beaten senseless by that idiot up there. If Hayato could handle wolves, then he could handle some ignoramus.

Hell, if he could handle activating the Sharingan, then Hayato could handle this idiot.

When it first truly clicked in his mind that Hayato had the Sharingan, he'd been so confused that he had to ignore the fact for a couple of hours because his mind was turning too fast for him to be able to focus on anything, which he desperately needed to do at the time. How could he possibly have the Sharingan? He was Hatake. He stunk of his blood, of his family, of pack, before he was officially a part of the clan. He could feel that this was his son. And eight years ago, when he was conceived, there were only two Uchiha clansmen, and one of them was a part of Akatsuki. His own Sharingan wasn't natural. It wasn't truly a kekkei genkai for him. How could Hayato inherit something like that? How the hell was something like that possible?

After taking Hayato the hospital last night and getting his bones healed (and dealing with the many questions Tsunade had for him as to why the child came back with injuries and scars that would have other shinobi off duty for weeks) he headed to the one place that he was sure he could get some sort of answers, to the only place that knew the Sharingan better than anyone else—to the Uchiha.

Mikoto had opened her front door for Kakashi, a bright smile on her face as she looked down at Hayato.

"What brings you two here at this hour?" she had asked.

"To be honest, I'm a little shocked you were even awake," Kakashi said, purposefully beating around the bush by re-mentioning the lateness of the hour.

Mikoto didn't even blink. "My sons are two rather noisy buggers when they want to be. Apparently Itachi began teasing Sasuke about his 'newfound relationship' and Sasuke took that as reason as to put his fist through the wall of my kitchen. I'm watching them as they clean up the mess they made. Now, why are you here at two o'clock in the morning?"

Kakashi sighed. "It is important, Uchiha-chan."

Mikoto nodded, still smiling. "Come in. I have tea brewed. We can sit at the table and discuss. Do you drink chai?"

Kakashi frowned behind his mask but responded, "I can."

"That's nice, Kakashi, but I was speaking to Hayato-kun at this point, thank you very much," she said dismissively, looking at the boy in question. "If you dislike chai, I have some black tea ready for brewing. And do you want anything to eat? Itachi can make you some food." Her smile widened. "It can be as complicated as you like. I want him to suffer."

Hayato winced. "I… some toast would be fine, Miss Mikoto," Hayato said, obviously uncomfortable with the idea of forcing Itachi to wait on him.

Mikoto pouted. "You don't want any pho?"

"I… I don't even think I know what pho is."

"Smells nasty; tastes like ramen," Kakashi said with a tired sigh. "It's a foreign dish. I can get you some later if you'd like. I don't want Itachi to make anything that takes too long. I really just have a few urgent questions."

Mikoto's pout deepened, and then she sighed. "Fine. Come on in."

True to her word, the two brothers had been cleaning up the rather large mess that Sasuke had been provoked into making, both of them scowling, though Itachi's eyes were alight with what seemed to be amusement—making Kakashi figure that he found this worth the teasing he'd given Sasuke, who had, at that moment, been trying to incinerate Itachi with his gaze alone (of course not activating his Mangekyō and actually burning Itachi with his gaze).

Itachi looked up from the wooden cabinet Sasuke had shattered, laughter in his eyes. "Kakashi-san, Hayato-chan; how unexpected to see either of you. How are you doing?"

"Fine," Kakashi said as Mikoto went into an untouched and unbroken cabinet, pulling out two clean tea cups. "You know, Itachi-san, out of anyone I'd expect to make Sasuke angry, I least expected it to be you. After all, don't you know that it isn't nice to tease Sasuke about getting into a relationship with a dog… and Akamaru."

"Fuck the both of you," seethed Sasuke.

"Language," chastised Mikoto, "Hayato-kun is here, Sasuke. I don't want him to pick up on that sort of thing."

"Too late for that," Sasuke snapped back, "Naruto probably already taught him five new ones tonight." The scandalized look on Hayato's face had been all that Kakashi needed to know that it was true, and he had made a mental note in the back of his head to find out later the words so he could bar Hayato from ever using them. Sasuke's glare lessened as he looked at Kakashi. "Didn't you two head home, though? Why are you here?"

"May I speak with you, please, Uchiha-chan?" Kakashi asked Mikoto, pointedly ignoring Sasuke (and making the glare grow ten-fold).

She nodded. "Hayato-kun, can you please play Mother for me while I talk with your father? Make sure Sasuke and Itachi clean up just as they're supposed to. Don't let them run away. And don't be afraid to throw things at them, either!"

"She means play slave-driver, Hayato-chan," Itachi hummed, somehow making the dig sound like a compliment. How Itachi could remain so polite even though he was being pointedly rude was truly beyond Kakashi's understanding, but it was amusing to him.

Hayato smiled at the former Uchiha matriarch and nodded. "Okay, Miss Mikoto."

Mikoto cooed and pinched his cheeks. "You are really too adorable, Hayato-kun. How could something so cute come from someone like Kakashi I will never comprehend," she said, making him smile wider even though he was visibly in pain from cheek-pinching.

Mikoto and Kakashi left the three males in the room alone, leaving them with the cups of tea as they stepped outside the small house, walking slowly along the pathway that was almost well-hidden by the awning that ran along the side of all the houses, connecting them with one another. Who cam up with that idea, Kakashi wasn't sure; but it definitely hadn't been a feature of the compound until the clan had come back and repaired it.

They were silent for a few moments until Mikoto broke the silence. "This has something to do with Hayato, doesn't it?"

Kakashi didn't even bother to act surprised. He knew he'd let nothing slip that pointed towards even a hint of an idea that any of this had anything to do with Hayato, and Mikoto knew it. She was better at reading underneath the underneath than any shinobi he'd ever met in his life. It made her a natural politician when it was needed, and he was sure to always steer from making her an opponent.

"It does," he agreed, nodding curtly and deciding to cut straight to the chase, "He has the Sharingan, Mikoto."

Mikoto paused and then looked at him. "How?"

"That's my question."

Mikoto hummed. "I've never really heard of this before, Kakashi. This is odd." She rubbed her chin. "Genetic mutation, possibly?"

He paused briefly and then replied, "Are you saying that the Sharingan eye that I have changed my DNA makeup?"

"It's very possible. It's practically solidified chakra, Kakashi. It needs a compatible host to survive. It could have altered your genetic code," she said, frowning, "I've never heard of this before. It's very interesting. This is something I'd have to pull in some outside sources with."

"Danzō's old notes, maybe?" Kakashi suggested.

She tapped her chin. "I suppose I can get my hands on that, if I beg Tsunade the right way… or if I get Shisui and his always-present sources to steal me those notes, and to give me some outside information. Maybe I can do both. No need to exclude. I need all the information I can get."

"That's all I can ask for. The genetic mutation idea seems like a stretch, but it's a better explanation than I can come up with, it seems," Kakashi sighed.

"The mother was most definitely not an Uchiha," Mikoto said, not asking; but telling. "I know that Hayato didn't get that blue hair of his from one of us, and I don't think you've ever had sex with one of our women."

"No. Other than you, your sons, Shisui, and Obito, I don't have much contact with the Uchiha clan. Besides, around the time Hayato was conceived, no Uchiha was in Konohagakure with the possible exception of Sasuke," Kakashi had agreed, nodding curtly. "I've never been so confused in my life about something."

"Even a genius can be stumped sometimes, Kakashi," Mikoto had said, sighing softly, "It happens to the best of us."

The sound of a body hitting the platform floor hard brought Kakashi back from his memories, his grey eye focusing on the sight of Hayato's back as he circled the boy who was rubbing his side, obviously in some amount of pain from whatever attack Hayato had unleashed upon him. Kakashi smirked behind his mask, amused by the look of pain that was on the boy's face. Maybe slightly sick, but he didn't mind. The little fucker deserved to get his obese ass handed to him by his 'beanpole' son.

"Lucky shot," spat Tomo.

Hayato rolled his eyes. "Right. Fine. No one gives a shit."

Neji sighed from his place outside the circle. "It'd be a sad day if I have to give you an automatic failure for your language and not for actually failing the exam, Hayato. Keep it focused. Don't get cocky."

"Apologies, sensei," Hayato returned with a bright grin before he launched himself at Tomo throwing his right fist towards Tomo—an obvious move that Tomo anticipated and began to duck to avoid, only for Hayato to grab the back of his head and thrust his left knee into Tomo's throat. The older boy dropped to his knees quickly, trying to gulp in air to his now-damaged windpipe. Hayato pulled back, wanting Tomo to get his bearings back—an indication to Kakashi that Hayato was, indeed, playing around.

It wasn't that Hayato didn't take this seriously—it was a test, he knew, and he did take tests seriously—but he also knew that he could take some fun out of this, no matter how twisted and sick the fun might be. Hayato was looking at this from the mixed perspective of both a child and shinobi, an odd perspective to look out of but an interesting one, one that had Daikoku obviously interested in the possibilities of where to take him. Hayato knew full well that this examination served the purpose to get him to Genin faster, and while he had no drive to get there so quickly, he also knew that it would make Neji proud to see him there, as well as his father, who'd made it when he was five or six years old. It was for that reason that he was using the techniques he'd been taught by his father rather than the techniques first-years like himself were supposed to have. He wanted his father to be proud of him. He wanted Neji to be proud of him.

Getting accelerated classes was simply a bonus.

Tomo managed to get to his feet, still wheezing almost painfully to Hayato's ears, and lunged at him. Hayato didn't move out of the way—he was playing with him, yes; but he didn't want to humiliate the boy—and instead brought his arms up in front of him to absorb the power of the punch. He let out only a slight whimper of pain at the attack on the still-hurting formerly shattered limbs, but not much else if he could help it. He was sure that Tomo didn't hear him wince, but he could tell by the look on Neji's face in his peripheral vision that he most definitely heard it.

Tomo attempted to kick his feet out from under him, and Hayato jumped up, still blocking the punches with his pain-wracked arms. When he touched down to the ground again, he dropped to a crouch, Tomo's arms swinging over his head. Moving quickly, he slithered between Tomo's legs, a mischievous idea coming to his mind. Smirking evilly, he brought his hands together in a sign that seemed as if it were for weaving chakra, the Tiger seal.

Kakashi felt a cold sweat start on his face as he recognized the look of mischief in his son's eyes knowing full well where this would lead, as Neji sweat-dropped and covered his eyes; the rest of the crowd oblivious and thinking that this would be the first chakra-molding technique of the spar.

I wish it was… he thought to himself with a sigh, feeling embarrassed for having shown Hayato the 'technique' (if one could really call it a technique, more like a child's cruel prank) and knowing that short of running in there and grabbing Hayato and therefore getting him a failure automatically, he could do nothing about this.

Besides… it was funny.

"Konohagakure's Most Secret and Sacred Technique~!" shouted Hayato at the top of his lungs, his grey eyes sparkling now, "~One Thousand Years of Death!"

Tomo's eyes nearly bulged out of his skull when Hayato's middle and index fingers plunged past his anal ring, pain shooting up his body as he found himself propelled forwards by chakra leaving Hayato's fingertips, flying into the brick wall face-first and knocking him unconscious. The crowd stared at him, bug-eyed at the boy's gall for using such a perverted and childish technique, whereas Hayato crossed his arms over his chest, giggling up a storm at his own foolishness.

Neji was silently cursing Kakashi's name up and down the walls for convincing yet another shinobi of Konoha that a kanchō was something one could use in a practical fight (he could not count the amount of times he'd gotten kanchō'd by both Lee and Gai, and he was not proud of the fact that he had to hide it) and tried to force down his mounting annoyance and laughter at the sight of that annoying idiot Hayato had been fighting getting the prank in the worst of situations. Daikoku stared gape-mouthed at his student and at the overly smug Hayato, trying to figure out which one of them he should fail—Tomo for getting beaten, or Hayato for using a ridiculous non-technique in the middle of an exam and in front of a rather large group of people.

"Neji…" he finally said.

Neji winced at the possibly dangerous tone.

"… Yes…?"

"… You know I should fail him for that, right?"

"… Yes…"

"… You know I should deny him advanced placement, right?"

"… Yes…"

Daikoku sighed and stepped forwards into the ring, arms crossed over his chest as he glared down at Hayato.

"Winner, Hatake Hayato," he announced rather somberly, and even though he noted a slight sadness on Daikoku's part to allow him the win, Hayato cheered regardless. "Who is also the winner of five weeks' detention with me."

That had Hayato's cheers stop dead in his throat.

Hayato didn't even realize the underlying words until one of Daikoku's students (who were all currently trying to wake up Tomo to take him to the infirmary, though they weren't sure the nurse would help with getting anally probed) shouted out, "Wait… shouldn't he get detention with his teacher?"

"He is getting it with his teacher," Daikoku announced, sighing as Hayato visibly perked up, smiling widely. Daikoku frowned, trying to continue remaining serious, but he really did want to laugh. Hayato had some balls, alright. The kid was amusing, he was smart, and he would do just fine in his class; he could see it now. "You better not make me regret this, kid. And you better not kanchō anyone else ever again, or so help me God, I'll keep you in here until your late twenties. Do you understand me?"

"Yes, sensei! And that wasn't just a kanchō, that was Konohagakure's Most Secret and—"

"You're going to be the death of me," Daikoku groaned, cutting of Hayato and making the kid giggle. "Get back in line with your former classmates. I expect you in my classroom Monday, eight AM sharp."

"Yes, sensei!"

"This isn't the samurai. Stop it."

"Yes, sensei!"

Nara Obito was not a deep sleeper.

He loved sleep, yes, but he did not sleep deeply. He couldn't. The type of life he had lived prior to becoming a citizen of Konoha had required him to be able to slip easily and seamlessly into consciousness; to be able to keep his guard up, to be able to defend himself and the people around him. He woke up when the sun began to shine through his blinds with its annoying brightness, stopping him from continuing to sleep and laze about and get up, which meant he got up at about eight o'clock in the morning every day and only got at most six hours of sleep in a night. He didn't mind. He was used to it.

What he wasn't used to was being woken up not by the bright light of the sun, but rather the soft groaning of the girl next to him.

The first thing he noticed upon coming to was that Hanabi was beautiful like this. Her long brown locks fell as they wanted, the strands hiding her creamy pale shoulders and a majority of her upper back, but thankfully not the curve of it, nor the small of her back, or the top of her shapely rear that was hidden by the low-riding blanket that either him or her must've kicked halfway off in their sleep. Hanabi's fingers were splayed across his chest, the tip of her pinky just close enough to make his nipple hard from what must've been tickling he'd never noticed. His own hand was pressed into the mattress beneath her stomach, the warm softness that was her abdominal area resting in the palm of his hand. Her other hand was wrapped around his upper arm/shoulder area, her cheek resting on his shoulder close to where he could feel her finger to be.

She looked amazing to him, like this—naked and without barriers, without shields, without the fronts that both of them knew to be carrying, without the doubts and worries that they both had from their lives as so far—she looked amazing as simply Hanabi.

He half expected some sort of regret or guilt to rise up his chest and ruin the moment, but that was the second thing he noticed—he didn't. He remembered everything they'd done, and yet, he didn't regret a damned thing. He didn't regret ripping away her virginity so violently, he didn't regret cornering her into having sex with him, and he didn't even regret having sex with her. He was… happy. So inexplicably happy for having done this with Hanabi, for bringing her closer to him than anyone had ever gotten to him, for showing her a possessive, dominate side of him that, at the same time, would never hurt her, would never chase her away, a side that would always invite her in—

His human side.

Well, pseudo-human side, considering how it was slightly more animalistic than human, but definitively more human than the rest of him, and also the only facet of him that wasn't heavily guarded. She had gotten hints of it before, but never had he bared it for her like he had last night. Never had he allowed himself to lose his control and give into his wants, his needs, and his desires like he had last night.

And that was the third thing he noticed—he didn't feel guilty or regretful because he was still in that facet of himself. He was still simply Obito, just like in this moment, she was simply Hanabi. He was still bared, and he was still raw, and he also knew that it was only for her that he'd allowed such a thing, because he finally—finally—knew for certain that she would never let him get hurt.

It wasn't exactly that he'd really believed it before, but he always had that small amount of fear of being betrayed by the people he cared about seemed to have always stuck with him, always making him afraid to open up everything about himself. Sure, some people could see through it all-the people who had gotten closest to him could—and could see some of who he was, but in the end, they only saw as much as he allowed them to see before he shut everything down, before he hid it all. He didn't want to give it all to someone and then just end up hurt in the end. His own mother had done that to him. He didn't know how to let someone in like that.

He still didn't.

Hanabi groaned under her breath, her right leg moving to hang over his left one, her foot rubbing the inside of his ankle. He smiled down at her, amused by the small movement. As least she wasn't a kicker or a drooler. That would suck. Not that he'd love her any less, but he'd prefer not to be drooled on or kicked while she slept. He got enough of that when she was awake.

Moving slowly, he managed to detach himself from her body, which she immediately compensated for by taking his pillow and cuddling with it. Smirking to himself, he picked up his pants off of the ground, pulling them onto his legs as not to walk around completely in the nude. Checking the clock on the wall, he sighed in relief—he'd slept three hours over. At eleven, Yoshino was already busy doing something else, in a different part of the compound, and Shikamaru was most assuredly out, and Shikaku should be with him. Soyokaze went to daycare, and as far as he knew Temari had a mission today. He could relax. He didn't have to worry about any of them coming and embarrassing him, especially not Temari (who had started making fun of him the moment she found out that the two of them were in a relationship, making all sorts of sexual puns and jokes that he'd rather not see increase upon him actually losing his virginity).

Sitting back down on the bed, he placed his hand on the small of her back, shaking her gently as he lowered his lips to whisper straight into her ear, "Baby… wake up."

Hanabi mumbled something and turned over. He smiled and pushed some of her hair off of her shoulder, bearing the skin for him to see. He kissed the edge of her shoulder, pecking his way into her shoulder blade. She moaned lightly in response, rolling her shoulder as goosebumps rose on her skin. At least she was responsive, he figured. She could feel him kissing her.

"Baby…" he whispered again, nibbling on a small spot. She moaned again, a little louder. He could tell she was waking up.

And so he finished it off by doing the most idiotic thing he could think of: he blew raspberries into her skin.

She screamed, flailing about as he blew wetly against her shoulder, managing to throw him off with a laugh leaving his lips, sitting upright and bringing a pillow into her chest, holding it tight against herself as to mask her nudity. She glared at him with those bewitching pale lilac eyes of hers, her bottom lip sticking out in a pout.

"You're disgusting, Obi…" she complained.

He smiled wider and kissed that bottom lip. "You didn't want to wake up, baby. You were sleeping like the dead."

She scowled now. "Can't I get a better nickname than baby? That's so generic and unimaginative, Obito."

"Hime?" he tried.

"No, and not koi, either. I guess… I guess koi is fine during sex"—she mumbled the word—"But I refuse to have it as a nickname. I want something else. Something imaginative."

Obito smirked. "Fine. I'll try to come up with something. What am I going to be called, pray tell, since I don't like the idea of being called 'Obi' or 'Obi-kun' or 'Obi-koi' anymore, since you're so picky about what I call you?"

She smiled now. "What makes you think you get a special nickname?"

Now he play-pouted. "Am I not special enough for a special nickname?" She giggled and moved onto his lap, sitting on it more like a baby rather than straddling him, which he somehow liked better. He liked playfulness first thing in the morning.

"I'll think about a special nickname for you… while you get me a bath, pronto!" she ordered, and he chuckled. Of course she would be bossy. Would she be Hanabi if she wasn't bossing him around at odd moments? He didn't think so. That was what made her so unique. That was why he loved her so much. She was so tiny, but she was so authoritative that she somehow got all the respect she wanted without trying.

He picked her up, holding her bridal style, tipping her back so that she kicked her feet up in the air and wrapped her hands around his neck.

"If you think that you're going to be thinking at all with me and a bath, you're sorely mistaken," he teased, scenes from Icha Icha that he had thought about trying himself coming to mind. The idea of playing through with one of those scenes had him hard and ready already.

Hanabi could feel the clothed erection brushing against her rear as it began to rise towards the occasion, and she found herself turning bright red as she pressed her face into Obito's collarbone, scandalized. "You fucking horny bastard!"

"But I'm your fucking horny bastard, though, Firecracker."

"…That won't be a nickname."

"I know. It's not nearly as good as I wish it would be, and it's not something I see myself saying mid-coitus. I'll work on it, though, Hanabi, just for you." He pecked at her lips gently as he walked them out to the hallway, moving carelessly down the hall with his girlfriend (which he still wasn't used to thinking of her as, even though it was most apparent that he had finally gotten her).

"You'd better!" she mumbled against his lips, though he could hear plainly that right now, in this moment, she didn't care; as long as she continued to feel him like this, and so he indulged her, once again putting aside his inhibitions, once again putting aside his fear of hurting her, and doing exactly what he had done last night: simply existing, simply living, simply being Nara Obito.

Fuck.

He was freezing up.

Fuck.

Fuck.

Fuck.

Why was he freezing up?

Sasuke groaned to himself in dismay, angry with himself for being an absolute idiot right at this moment, at this crucial moment. He sneered at the door before him as if it'd done something to him, as it weren't hid own fault for being unable to knock on the damned fucking goddamn stupid ass shitting thing—he swallowed.

Stop, he told himself, calm down. He sighed unhappily. He needed to stop that heart of his from racing so badly, so painful. The damn thing was misbehaving on him.

Why couldn't it just do as it was told? Why couldn't he knock on the damned door and simply knock on the damned door? Why was it so difficult for him? Why was he so… scared? Why was he so scared to simply knock on the door in front of him? He was Uchiha fucking Sasuke, for Chrissakes! He was supposed to be scared of nothing, nothing at all, and yet, he was scared to knock on this door, scared to find out that with everything that had happened, that he didn't have him.

He said he did, but he wasn't sure he truly did. He had waited so long to be able to have him that he practically couldn't believe he really did. He wanted to, but it was so hard to believe it for him. Him, who kept screwing up with life in the most fantastic of ways, had gotten someone to actually love him. He really didn't believe it. It seemed too good to be true, and now he was so nervous—and so afraid to find out that it really wasn't true—that he just couldn't knock on the damned door.

Sighing unhappily to himself, he briefly considered raising his hand again to try once more on the door, but he doubted that he could do it now since he hadn't been able to before. Running his fingers through his overlong bangs, he moved away from the door before he heard the sound of… was that running?

"Akamaru, wait!"

Sasuke didn't realize what it was happening in time, and by the time he did figure it out, he had more than two hundred pounds of hot white furry dog jumping onto his body, pushing him off of the wooden walkway and onto his back, onto the grassy covering of the large yard.

Akamaru wagged his tail happily, his hot tongue attacking Sasuke's face with vigor. Though grossed out, Sasuke was also happy with the display of what was obviously affection coming from the ninken, the dog that also happened to be the only animal on the face of this planet that would ever be able to get away with licking him. To be honest, he was a sucker for Akamaru. The dog had him wrapped around his paw, and Akamaru took pride in that. So, instead of trying to push the much heavier dog off of him, he smiled, allowing Akamaru to shower him with affection that both repulsed and amused him. He dimly heard the sound of feet padding against the ground, but he was more than busy when it came to the heavy licking he was getting from the excited dog attacking his face with his tongue.

"Goddammit, Akamaru, you're gonna suffocate him!" came the distinctive voice of Kiba, pulling the happy dog off of the Sasuke below it, his face turning bright red. Kiba smiled at him, holding out his hand for him to take. Sasuke smirked, appreciatively taking the hand and allowing Kiba to pull him up, expecting that Kiba would immediately let go—which, surprisingly, the Inuzuka did not do; rather he pulled Sasuke into him, pressing Sasuke's body flush against his as he laid a kiss upon his lips, making the Uchiha's mind quietly implode in excitement. Nothing was as amazing to him as being kissed—finally kissed—by Kiba. It was now all so easy, but really? He couldn't help but be ecstatic about it anyways; it was Kiba! He gave a low whine when Kiba pulled away, which thankfully for him, Kiba did not hear. Kiba took a step back, shoving his hands into his pockets and smiling at Sasuke.

"Hey," Kiba finally said, lamely and (to what Sasuke was surprised to realize) rather cutely.

Sasuke gulped, still internally flushed. "Hey."

Kiba's smile widened. "Akamaru smelled you before I did. I hope you weren't standing out here very long, and I'm sorry the old dog attacked."

"I don't mind," Sasuke admitted, still nervous. Kiba was acting like… Kiba. Not the Kiba he used to bicker with, the Kiba he used to insult and love from afar; but the Kiba he'd gotten to actually know, the Kiba who'd kissed him. Sasuke resisted the urge to do anything that would indicate any sort of nervousness to the best of his capability.

Things were silent for a moment before Kiba chose to speak up. "Um, Sas? I don't want to sound as if I don't appreciate you coming by, but I didn't expect you, and I was kinda cleaning silverware that my mother doesn't even use."

Sasuke blinked. Well, shit. He'd kind of forgotten that things go back to normal once one comes back from a mission.

" I'm not actually…sure. I just… I guess I wanted to see you," he mumbled, looking away. Goddamned embarrassment! Why was it that only Kiba made him this way?! (Well, he knew why…) "I have no fucking clue what I'm supposed to be doing with this. I'm kind of…"

"Shhh, Sasuke," Kiba interrupted, touching his finger to Sasuke's lips. He gave him another soft smile. "Nervous. I know you're nervous. Truthfully, I don't know what the fuck I'm doing either with this, in this. This is truthfully the longest relationship I've ever had with a person I want to sleep with. I have no idea what I'm doing with you, Sasuke; but I know that I want to do things in the most official way." He swallowed. "Let's get tattoos."

Sasuke paused, surprised by the words Kiba had uttered, which seemed like a sort of contrast in comparison to the words Kiba had been saying before. "Eh?"

"You. Me. Let's go get tattoos today. I can afford it, and I've been itching for some new ones."

"You've got more than the cheek tattoos?" Sasuke asked, admittedly surprised. He hadn't seen anything else, but he probably should've suspected it.

"Yeah. I've got the date I became a member of Team Eight tattooed on the right side of my collarbone and the date I became Chūnin right below it," Kiba said before he raised an eyebrow, and then smiled. "I know what I'm going to get. Let's go, Sasuke."

"I'm not getting jack shit, Kiba," Sasuke said, scowling. Ever since that mission to the Land of Waves, he hadn't been very fond of needles coming towards him. He could deal with giving them, but not getting them and the last thing he wanted was his boyfriend observing his quasi-needle phobia. It was bad enough Naruto knew about it. "I'll watch to make sure it looks good and the artist isn't fucking things up."

"The artist is reliable, actually." Kiba grinned, and then sighed. "Fine, I'll get a tattoo today, but you've gotta get one the next time I go."

Sasuke scowled, disliking the idea immensely. Kiba's grin turned mischievous, and he grabbed the Uchiha by the hips, pulling the leaner male into him. Sasuke's scowl immediately disappeared, replaced with a confused and startled expression, like a startled cat. Finding the look attractive, he kissed Sasuke deeply now, immediately plunging his tongue into his mouth. Sasuke moaned against his lips, and probably against his will if he knew anything about the Uchiha. Their tongues danced together expertly now, their lips moving together with ease; neither of them losing any amount of pleasure from the heat and pressure of their kissing.

"Ugh, get a room. It's not like there's a shortage on them."

Sasuke broke off the kiss at the unfamiliar voice, and Kiba groaned, leaing his forehead against Sasuke's shoulder. "Goddammit, Ma."

Inuzuka Tsume stood in the open doorway, a smug look in her hard face, purple-colored lips tilted in a smirk as she looked at her youngest son with the Uchiha. Kuromaru, as always, stood nearby, his singular yellow eye trained on the sight before him. Kiba could tell that even though he showed no emotion, Kuromaru was greatly amused by the sight of the annoyance in Kiba's look and tone.

"Oh, what? Did I ruin the moment?" Tsume teased.

"Evil. Fucking evil old witch," muttered Kiba.

Tsume was over to him in a flash, and she was smacking upside the head even quicker.

"I may be old, but I have excellent hearing, my idiot son. Do well to not forget that." Kiba rubbed the side of his head, spot she hit pulsing horribly as she turned her eyes from her son to her son's interest. She gave him a cocky half-smile, her hands on her hips. "So you're the one that my son stinks of."

If Sasuke was embarrassed because of that, he didn't show it at all. "Your son likes rubbing against me at random opportunities," he stated.

Kiba scowled. "You like it."

Tsume sniggered. "I forced him to stay in the dogs' pen one too many times when he was young. At least he doesn't lick you—wait, I can't say that. I saw the way he was tonguing you. Looked like he was gonna eat you."

"Ma, I hate you," Kiba stated.

She pinched Kiba's cheek. "Did Kiba ever tell you what the real reason is that we call him Kibbles?"

Kiba glared. "Stop it."

"I don't think so." Sasuke sounded amused, too amused for it to be any good. He could hear the evil just leaking into his tone. "You should tell me. Tell me so I can use it against him when he's at his lowest point."

Tsume's eyes sparkled. "Oh, God, I like you. You're not just a pretty face, are you, hmm?"

Kiba growled and tightened his grip on Sasuke's hips. "We're going out, Ma. We're not having any sort of story time today."

"Oh, yes we will," Sasuke and Tsume said at the same time.

"No, it's not!" Kiba said, grabbing the Uchiha's hand, pulling him away from his evil, cruel mother, running him down the street and barking over his shoulder, "We're going out!"

"What about the damned silverware!" she barked after him.

"What, the silverware you never use?" Kuromaru asked as he trotted carelessly over to Tsume, his yellow eye rolling. "Why'd you want that cleaned, anyways?"

She grinned now. "He hates cleaning anything and the polish irritates his sense of smell. I wanted a laugh."

Kuromaru sighed. "How those kids of yours didn't come out like you or simply just fucked up is a wonder."

"I'm just an amazing mother."

"Right. Sure. And I can eat chocolate and raisins."

Naruto felt like he was on cloud-fucking-nine.

Harue watched the man carefully out the side of his eyes, not sure whether or not to be concerned or to be happy that Naruto seemed to be happier than anyone he'd ever seen before in his life. Not that happiness was a bad thing in Harue's book, but he'd never seen anyone take it to the extremes like Naruto did (well, like Naruto took everything). Honestly, Naruto was acting like he was on some high-power drugs or something, and it was worrying Harue a little.

"Are you drunk?" Harue asked carefully.

A blue eye found Harue's bright green ones. "Of course not!" he chirped to the wolf, and then his smile slipped just slightly as he asked, "How do you know what drunk looks like?"

"I don't. The Packmaster told us some stories about the True Heir's youth. He described being drunk or drugged, but I'm not sure what it really looks like. But you seem happy. Did something happen between your red-headed woman and yourself?" Harue responded, more than happy to talk. He didn't get much conversation in the pack. Though Kiiromaru had done his best to try and make him feel involved, he'd never really been apart of the whole. If anything, he was practically the pack's Omega—no, actually, not practically; he was the Omega of the pack by all definitions of the terminology. It was probably why he'd chosen to stick around Naruto a lot—not because he was lonely and felt unwanted, but because Naruto knew what that meant, based on his memories. He already felt a hell of a lot more wanted with Naruto than with the pack. Naruto liked listening to him, and he liked talking to him, too.

Naruto's smile returned full-force, a goofy smile that had Harue laughing slightly on the inside. Naruto made him feel like less of an oddball for liking to laugh and taking things to the extremes (though his extreme and Naruto's extreme were admittedly two different levels). Being around Naruto made adjusting to being in a village more tolerable. Sure, they were getting weird looks. But Naruto made him forget that with his general goofiness.

"Yeah! Something did happen—something great!" Naruto chirped.

If Harue's muzzle had the capacity to let him smile like Naruto did, he would. When he tried, he knew that he probably scared the smaller children, but Naruto seemed to know what he was doing anyways. "You smell of her, Naruto."

"I do? I showered—"

"Smells don't fade quite that easily, Naruto. She's on your clothing, too, and your entire apartment smells like her. I probably smell of her as well. Are you two in a relationship or something? Are you romantically involved? Is she your mate?"

Naruto sighed. "N-No. Something close, but no."

Harue felt bad for making Naruto sadden. "I think she suits you. I think she would make a good girlfriend for you. She's pretty, I think."

Naruto flicked him a glance. "You do?"

"Yes. She smells nice too. Not just good-smells, I mean, but as a person, I can tell she's nice. Troubled, but nice. She scratched an itch I had behind my ears before she left this morning, so I like her even better."

Naruto chuckled. "Simple things, eh?"

"I guess. That doesn't change that I like her. She seems like she'd keep things interesting." Naruto looked curious, and so Harue felt the need to explain. "I mean, I get this sense that she'd give you a challenge. She doesn't seem like one to sit down and simply take the role of the atypical woman portrayed by most humans."

"You got that from an ear scratch?" Naruto said incredulously.

"No, of course not. She just… has this look about her…a look in her eyes that tells me that she's strong."

"You're incredibly… insightful."

Harue mentally chuckled, which he transferred to Naruto over the bond. "I don't spend a lot of time socializing with my pack. They don't like to talk to me. I've always been a sidelines sort of person, to be honest."

"Yeah, I saw that when we bonded, dattebayo. It looked shitty."

"I guess. But someone has to be an Omega."

"A-whatta?" Naruto asked stupidly.

Harue chuckled again. "Omega. In the terms of a pack, it's someone who is the complete opposite of the packmaster, the Alpha Male. I am the Omega Male—I'm the outsider."

"Like the kid no one wants to play with," Naruto said.

Harue nodded.

"Exactly," he thought somberly, knowing that he had inadvertently brought down the mood. He hadn't meant to, but he had, and he wasn't sure how to fix it.

Luckily, fixing bad moods was Naruto's forte.

"Well, we don't gotta worry 'bout that! I won't let ya, dattebayo! You're better than them!" Naruto said, his fist pumping in the air. How he didn't draw attention to himself, Harue wasn't sure, but he was quickly catching onto the fact that most of what Naruto did was weird, so the villagers must have realized that this was normal, that this was him.

"You are, as well, Naruto," responded Harue, nodding, "And you've got someone who sees it."

Naruto giggled—actually giggled. "Yeah! I guess I do! I've got you!"

"Well… actually, I was talking about your mate. Your woman."

Naruto blushed. "I-I don't have a woman! She's not my girlfriend!"

Harue snickered, "She is both a girl and a friend, unless you're suggesting she as something other than baby-supporting organs in her body."

"We're not together, though! I don't know what we are, but we're not together yet!" Naruto said loudly, now garnering some looks. Harue didn't understand why they were getting odd looks, but then again, since they could both hear each other clearly, neither of them realized how strange it looked to the general population when Naruto carried on what looked like a one-sided conversation, not knowing that the girl he was talking about was trailing them, using a henge to cover up both her identity and her insanely furious blush.

She wasn't surprised that Naruto was thinking about her, but she was surprised that he had the balls to scream about it like an idiot (which, on further analysis, she realized she really should've expected). Thankfully, he had the brains not to scream her name aloud, which was good—she didn't want all of Konoha knowing that she was in a 'relationship' with the Uzumaki. She didn't want… whatever this was being public knowledge. It wasn't their business.

And besides, she most definitely did not want Tsunade finding out—she would have her head on a spit in a moment's notice. She guessed that while being romantically psuedo-involved with Naruto was a great way to carry on her protective detailing, she also knew that Tsunade would not take kindly to the idea of him knowing the identity behind the mask of the ANBU. Naruto, with his big mouth, could single-handedly expose the faces behind the ANBU and destroy the entire system; a theory that wasn't actually as far-fetched as Fuki might wish it to be. Secrets and Naruto were just not two variables one could put together. How he could keep to himself the secret that he was the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki from some of the younger shinobi was an amazing feat to her, but other than that, Naruto was an open book.

Still, knowing all that, she was okay with being in a 'relationship' with him. Naruto was… amazing. He was simply amazing. He was just as kind as he was fierce, just as gentle as he was dangerous. His honesty was something that Fuki sincerely wanted to have. He made her want to be better, to be less of a crappy person, and for the most part, he made her feel better. Acknowledging their mutual feelings for each other was actually the best thing she could've done for herself, because she knew—knew—that he would never do anything to ruin her, not if his life depended on it. Finally, she could get it through her skull that what her previous boyfriend had done didn't mean all men she looked at in a non-brotherly/friendly way were the scum of the earth and needed to stay away.

Still, she needed a little bit more time before she took the full plunge. She simply wasn't ready for a fully committed relationship quite yet, and yes, it was because of the rape. For her, a fully committed relationship meant sex, a bed, a flat, a routine, eating ice cream out of the same tub and laughing at the same crappy jokes on late-night television; and she just wasn't ready for sex, a bed, a flat, a routine, eating ice cream out of the same tub and laughing at the same crappy jokes on late-night television. She needed to slowly work her way up to that commitment. She needed to get used to the idea of being committed to someone like that again. She needed to lose her fear of it.

She was only just losing her fear of kissing.

Naruto had thought she'd hated it after she'd pulled away from him last night and began slurping down soup, and it'd taken a full half-hour of back and forth bickering to convince him that he was wrong. She did like the kiss. It was amazing and it made every part of her tingle in a good way. But then she had to explain that she didn't want to go further than kissing, and that she probably wouldn't be doing much of that right now, either. She needed to readjust to the idea of being in a relationship. She needed to ease into the whole thing.

So she figured the best way to start doing that was by being friends with him, simply friends to begin with. Naruto didn't like the idea of being simply friends, but he had agreed to it with the addition of one adjustment:

"Only if you tell me your name and ask me formally. Get down on one knee and ask me, as if you're gonna marry me, 'ttebayo. Only then will I agree to be your friend and wait for you to agree to become my girlfriend."

And so, after she had laughed for a couple of minutes (which was probably hysterical laughs, looking back at it, but at the time it'd seemed natural and Naruto just let her laugh). When she'd calmed down, she surprisingly (for both of them) did exactly as she requested—she got down on her knee next to Naruto, brown eyes wide and full of happiness and the slightest bit of apprehension and nervousness, her hand touching Naruto's carefully.

"Will you, Uzumaki Naruto, take me, Akasano Fuki, to be your friend?" she'd asked, fully knowing that it didn't sound like a proposal, but also not caring—for her, it worked well enough.

Naruto had grinned wider than she'd ever seen him.

"But of course, dattebayo."

"Nata-Oba, let's play monkeys!"

Hinata turned, doing her hardest to keep the tears that threatened to burst from her eyes from doing such, for the sake of keeping the toddler running towards her from knowing of her own worry. She crouched down, a soft smile touching her lips as she kissed Soyokaze's little forehead, making him squeal in happiness. Words did not express how amazing it was to be considered an aunt by that boy. She didn't ever expect how much her life would change in the future when she was younger. She never expected that her life would become so amazingly beautiful—and, yet, at the same time, so tragically horrid.

"No, not right now," Hinata whispered, cupping the boy's cheek.

He stuck out his bottom lip. "But pwease?"

"Nata-Oba and Kanky-Oji are busy right now," she replied, "But I promise with all my heart that I will play monkeys with you later, Soyo-kun."

Soyokaze stared at her for a moment before asking in that childishly innocent voice of his, "Is this big adult time?"

She wished she still had some of that innocence. Alas, the world was a cruel place. Someday, he too would lose that gleam that only came with childhood, and honestly, she didn't want to see him lose it.

"Yes," she said, nodding, "But don't worry, I don't believe it'll take very long. And then I'll come and play with you, okay?"

Soyokaze pouted, but he sighed in consent. "It's okay, Nata-Oba. I's sorry I's bothered you during big adult time."

"Soyo," interrupted Kankurō from behind her, his own voice showing his emotional distress, which Hinata was immensely better than him at hiding at this juncture. He looked pissed to hell, if one was going on facial expressions, but his eyes said that he wanted nothing more than to fall asleep and never wake up ever again. His jaw was tight, and his lips moved only a hint; like he was attempting a smile but honestly didn't have it within him to actually let one show. Honestly, Hinata didn't blame him for not being able to blatantly lie. The only reason she wasn't crying was because ANBU schooled her better. "Soyo, go back inside, please."

The pout almost immediately faded; the three-year-old catching onto the somber mood. "O-Okay," he consented without argument, taking a shaky step back. "I-I's loves you."

Kankurō lacked the strength to even return that much. Numbly, he nodded at the boy he adored so much, turning his attention back to Itachi and Shisui where they stood before his sister's house, both of them undeniably and understandably pissed off to hell and back. It wasn't often that Kankurō was talking to either Uchiha—it was more of Hinata's department than his—but he knew and respected each man enough to know that any news they were pissed off about was undoubtedly bad news, which he knew for himself now truly was bad news.

Hinata tried to procrastinate in turning around, a fake smile still on her face as she looked after Soyokaze, waiting for him to go inside—and then for him to disappear from the line of her quickly-activated Byakugan's vision to turn back around, smile and kekkei genkai almost immediately fading as the look of distress overtook her features once more, her eyes attaching back onto the note of injunction in Shisui's right hand.

Her voice cracked. "P-Please… please burn that."

"I can't. I burn it, ANBU gets signal immediately and they come after all of us—well, you, and what with what's been going on, now would be just the shittiest type of time for Kabuto to rush in and find a way to rip you out of jail and threaten you into toeing the line," Itachi growled, his chakra pulsating practically demonically. It took much to piss Uchiha Itachi off, but this? This took the fucking cake.

"I-I can't just not be involved!" Hinata finally screamed out, though she was definitely not speaking in an angry tone—no, hers was scared. She was terrified. "I'm a ninja! I've been a ninja of the Leaf for eight years! They cannot just… just revoke my status without reason!"

"No, they shouldn't. You're a good shinobi, possibly better than them—and having you involved with Shizuka's case is well within your rights as a shinobi clan head-to-be. However, with your status revoked, you're severely limited in your capabilities. I imagine your asshole grandfather has something to do with this," Kankurō hissed, his jaw grinding. His hatred and anger for Hinata's grandfather and the entire Konoha council, which was monumental before, was nearly making him go cross-eyed. "What was the vote?"

"Enough to make this go through, which is mostly because with shinobi status revoked, your sphere of influence is not only limited, but your range of motion. You can't leave the village without issues when you're a revoked ninja. It's a play to make sure you're safe, which means that at most two people had honest intentions about this," Shisui said, his grip so tight that he had not only ripped through the paper, but cut into his own skin, blood dripping to the floor. "It's no excuse. According to this, you cannot even practice unless in dire circumstances."

"You're a sitting duck!" Kankurō growled in frustration, which earned Itachi's grunt of agreement. "If Kabuto comes, you'll be defenseless unless your life is endangered!"

"Gaara and Tsunade are arguing on your behalf," Shisui said, attempting to speak evenly of it, "And I am doing my best to convince my fellows of the faults of their decision. You have to give me time."

"Shizuka doesn't have time!" Hinata screamed, tears dripping down her face. "Shizuka needs as much help as he can get as soon as he can get it! He doesn't deserve this… any of this!"

"I know," Itachi responded, "But I can't do anything about this. In fact, I was not even supposed to tell you. But Kakashi… he's going to have a fucking duck when he's told…"

"Don't," whispered Hinata, almost inaudibly.

Kankurō turned to her. "Don't tell Kakashi?"

She swallowed. "Don't. I… I worry about his reaction. It will not help if he lets his anger get the best of him. He's strong enough to be able to kill every member and never feel guilty about it, and the last thing we need is a vulnerable Konoha… it's like we're stripping nude for Kabuto." She looked up at Kankurō. "Don't tell him anything. Please, don't. Keep him in the dark. Don't let this information pass at all."

Itachi's anger grew as he began to understand Hinata's point. It made sense, and it had definite validity. The people closest to Hinata were not weaklings, but some of them could have moments of weakness because they loved Hinata so much that they would fight for her. She was a good comrade, and an even better friend. He, himself, had issues keeping himself from committing mass murder for a second time. "What about your father? Your cousin?"

"They will invariably know. My grandfather is a prideful man, and he will brag should the opportunity present itself for him. But I will tell them to keep this secret, like I am requesting of you all," she said, not turning her eyes away from Kankurō, who made it obvious just by facial expression that this was an idea he hated. "Kurō-kun, please. Please, don't tell even your sister. She can't know. Her anger will not help Konoha."

"Stop it!" he hissed at her, "Stop being so damned selfless for a damned minute! Think about yourself! You're worried about Konoha, but I'm worried about you! What they're doing is corrupt and wrong!"

"I'm not just thinking about Konoha, Kankurō. If you focus on me, we might lose focus on Shizuka. He needs to be gotten out as quickly as possible," she argued.

"Valient, but stupid. To Kabuto, you're the most important piece. You not being allowed to be a shinobi will make it easy for him to nab you. You can't walk around using your Byakugan if you can't be a shinobi," Shisui said.

"I'm aware," Hinata whispered, "But I can't ignore the facts. The facts are that I am not locked up. I'm not in the bowels of ANBU. I'm not starved of the contact of my closest friends and family. Shizuka is."

"Hinata—" Kankurō began to argue.

"Kurō, this hurts me," Hinata finally said, wiping at the tears streaming down her face. "I don't want this. I don't want to give up my liberty because I'm being treated as property. I don't want to give up my security. I'm scared without my ability to use my skills. But I will give them up without fail if it means I can get back the liberties and securities of my friends."

This was supposed to be a fluff chapter. For the most part, I guess it was. But then I got serious at the end. Issues are issues and I need to keep the plot a-flowin'. So apologies for the majorly dramatic part right here at the end.

So... yeah.

artforlife: hmmm... that does sound like an avenue to explore. Mostly I've been practicing with some calc students, but I am feeling like I really need to do more. I don't like buying the books because I write in them and then I throw them away after I find out my grade, but I'll do it if it means I will pass. I think I'll try Math 2. But I'm definitely staying away from Physics. I took a look at that test after I finished my US Test and went "lol NOPE" and closed that away. I like Physics, but I do adore me a reference table, and that shit was not cool. It was scary. I think I need to be high before I even think about taking that test. And I promise, a yaoi lemon will be coming, just not soon! I'm sorry, but I want poor little Sasu to be a little bit... GAH, can't say. MUST NOT GIVE AWAY SPOILERS!

sailorangelmoon1: so I take it you liked Obito's lemon? Heehee, I had a feeling you'd like it, and I'm definitely glad you did!

I's gots to go. I have a dinner date with my bed. If things go well, maybe we'll be spending the night together xP

Have a good weekend guys! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I love you all, and until next time ~ ! :D