Looking in the Nooks and Crannies

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Chapter 6: The Trail to the Rice Paddies

Kakashi was woken up by knocking at his door. He fumbled clumsily for a moment, surprised by the unexpected occurrence. A moment later and he was on high alert. A kunai in hand, and dressed in only a pair of sweats he peered into Naruto's room. The boy was sleeping soundly, bed wetting not having occurred during the night. The knocking sounded again and Kakashi became annoyed as Naruto stirred. Whoever the idiot was at the door was going to wake his kid up.

He cast a quick genjutsu instead of worrying about dressing and then answered the door. It was Umino Iruka. Iruka's eyes flickered to the kunai that was loosely clasped in Kakashi's hand.

"Hatake-san," Iruka said.

The chuunin appeared upset, face pale and obviously trying to hide the way his hands were trembling.

"Naruto's missing," Iruka stated, his control slipping and face crumpling in worry and fear.

"I've been looking for him everywhere, but his apartment is empty, some woman is living there," Iruka ran a hand through his hair, strands falling loose from his ponytail, and then turned that desperate gaze back at Kakashi.

"He could be hurt! Or, someone could've done something, or-"

"He's okay," Kakashi interrupted.

Iruka looked confused and his worry didn't fade.

"What do you mean? Where is he?!" Iruka demanded.

Kakashi kept back a sigh of annoyance, he really wished the chuunin would calm down a little. But now he knew where Naruto got part of his loudness.

"If you'll be quiet I'll tell you," Kakashi stepped to the side and walked into his apartment.

Iruka followed and they made their way into the kitchen. Kakashi sat down at the table and indicated for Iruka to sit. Iruka did.

"He's safe, Umino, he's with me."

Iruka frowned and looked confused. Kakashi stood and went to Naruto's room, opening the door silently, the chuunin following him. Iruka looked in and he appeared to become even more confused. Kakashi shut the door.

"I adopted him."

Emotions flickered across Iruka's face, finally drawing away as he swallowed the lump in his throat and composed himself.

"When?" Iruka asked in a subdued voice.

Kakashi went back into the kitchen and put the kettle on to make tea. He was appreciating the new found skill.

"Since yesterday."

He watched as Iruka placed his head in his hand, fingers massaging his forehead.

"Why? Why now? I've been-" Iruka stopped short and let out a huff of air, tears in his eyes.

"Kami, damnit all, I should be happy for him, this is what he's always wanted."

Kakashi came back over with the tea. Iruka took the tea, murmuring out a small 'thanks'. He didn't drink any and just stared at the brown liquid in his cup. A few minutes ticked by.

"I wanted to be the one to give that to him," Iruka said quietly, "but between the council and the fact that I'm not exactly the poster family for adoption…" Iruka trailed off.

Kakashi was silent, face inscrutable, his own tea untouched and warming his hands.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have imposed on you," Iruka said suddenly, standing up and bowing formally.

Kakashi followed him to the door. Iruka paused, turning to Kakashi and giving him an intense look.

"Take care of him, please, I don't think-just-he's suffered so much, please don't make him suffer more. He's a good boy."

Iruka stopped, stared at Kakashi as though trying to find something more to say before he turned around, movements rigid.

"Umino-san," Kakashi said, "You should come for tea again."

Iruka looked over his shoulder, a confused frown on his face. Kakashi had no intention of cutting off Naruto's relationship with the academy teacher. Relationships helped people flourish and Naruto needed healthy relationships more than any other person Kakashi knew. He just hoped that the man got the message. A small smile graced Iruka's lips as the worry and confusion left.

"Thank you, Hatake-san."

Kakashi shut the door, grateful that that had gone as well as it had. Once the door was shut, he let his genjutsu fall and turned around. He was surprised to find Naruto sleepily rubbing his eyes in the hallway. The boy turned to him and went from half-asleep to wide awake and bug eyed.

"You!" Naruto gasped out, a finger pointed in Kakashi's direction.

"You're-you're-" Naruto stuttered, blue eyes wide.

Kakashi frowned, trying to think of what would create a response like this.

"Your face!"

Oh kami. Kakashi withheld a face palm.

"Yatta!" Naruto screeched, pumping the air with his fist and bouncing up and down.

"I saw it! I saw it! I saw it!" He yelled, going in circles now and hair flopping.

"Sakura-chan and Sasuke are going to be sooooo jealous! Hahahaha! I can't wait to tell them!"

Suddenly the blonde found himself hanging from Kakashi's hand from where his sensei was grasping the back of his shirt. His sensei was looking down at him with an alarmingly calm smile on his face. Waves of evil seemed to be emanating from the man and Naruto shrunk.

"This is our little secret, eh, Naruto?" Kakashi said, voice eerily calm.

Naruto nodded his head vigorously, sweat dropping as the evil waves seemed to intensify.

"Good!" Kakashi said brightly, everything going back to normal as he set his student down.

"Let's have breakfast!"

Naruto just stared after the man as he disappeared into the kitchen. Naruto shuddered, he had never realized that Kakashi could be so terrifying. He hesitantly followed his sensei into the kitchen.

He forgot about it all though as his stomach grumbled.

"Hey! What's for breakfast!?"

Kakashi shrugged, struggling through the list of recipes Akifumi had given him. Ah, that looked doable. Eggs and rice. Rice, yeah, he narrowed his eyes at the instructions for rice.

"What're you staring at?" Naruto asked.

Kakashi glanced at Naruto who had come up beside him. The boy ducked under his arm and grabbed the scroll.

"Eggs and rice? You need a recipe to cook that?!" Naruto asked incredulously.

Kakashi stood back, folding his arms and not answering the boy. His ego had taken enough blows ever since this whole kitchen thing had begun. Damn the human body needing food, why couldn't he just stuff the brat full of ninja rations?

"Step back and let me show you how it's done!"

A half hour later and overcooked eggs were all that made it to the plate, the rice had become a bubbling mess on the stove. Kakashi looked over at him, arms folded.

"You really showed me, didn't you?" Kakashi couldn't help it, someone else needed to go down for cooking talent, or rather the lack thereof.

Naruto pouted, stomping over to the table and mulishly eating his eggs. They weren't terrible, definitely edible so the kid had done better than Kakashi, but they fell on the range of partially burnt toast in taste appeal. Kakashi sat down next, dutifully eating the eggs alongside his student. After several minutes, Naruto lost the pout and he was looking at Kakashi, a small smile on his face. Kakashi pretended not to notice and continued eating. Suddenly, Naruto's smile was replaced with a frown.

"Ne, Kakashi-sensei, where did that come from?"

Kakashi blinked, looking down at where Naruto was staring. It was a thick scar, running diagonally across his collarbone, about six inches long. The boy was extremely worried, face scrunched up.

"We're ninja, Naruto, it's a part of our lives."

Naruto nodded, looking fiercely down at his eggs.

"Hai," the boy replied in a subdued voice.

"When you're done, get cleaned up and we'll head to the hospital again. I talked with Akifumi and she'd like to start you out today so that you can get back to full health as soon as possible."

Naruto nodded eagerly and quickly stuffed the rest of his food in his mouth. Kakashi hid a smile and watched as the twelve year old bounced out of the room. The smile vanished as he thought of the next few weeks to come. As Akifumi had described it, Naruto's health would be fragile for a while, the boy would lose weight rapidly in the first few days and become susceptible to sickness. A fever was to be expected due to the strain on his body and then Naruto would be at his weakest. Akifumi had said that after that, the boy would start to recover, probably quickly. They weren't going to cut the boy off from the kyuubi entirely, there would be no point as the boy would spend his whole life with the fox supplementing his health and safety. Their goal was to sever the extreme dependence so the fox would be able to be involved mainly in healing extreme injuries and presenting as the boy learned to use the chakra during battle.

Kakashi would be lying if he said he wasn't a little nervous. Akifumi had promised to visit and had suggested that he involve another adult who Naruto felt safe around, it could even be, as Akifumi had said with a dry tone, a learning experience for Naruto's teammates. Nothing quite taught teamwork like one of your teammates almost dying. Kakashi hoped that Jiraiya would come back in the next few days and would hopefully help him out, creating a stronger bond between the two would be useful since Jiraiya intended on taking Naruto on a long training trip once things had been smoothed out in Konoha.

Finished eating, Kakashi went into his room, quickly changing. He idly wondered if Jiraiya had been aware of Naruto's malnutrition and homelessness. He would guess not, and more than anything he hoped not. It was a painful thing to think that Jiraiya, Naruto's godfather, would ignore the child in need. Then again, Kakashi knew that he himself had turned a blind eye to the child's needs that went beyond the basics: shelter, food and clothes.

He left his room and smiled once again as Naruto beamed at him from a bright orange jacket. Kakashi decided then and there that the boy was going to experience a wardrobe change, Hatake name being taken on or not.

"Hi Aki-san!"

Akifumi gave Naruto a kind smile and pointed to the bed. The boy climbed on and Kakashi came into the room, shutting the door behind him. He leaned up against the doorframe with his hands in his pocket.

"Kakashi informed me that he talked to you about this procedure, it's purpose and the results. However, I would like to go through it once again with you. It is a big decision and I want to make sure you understand it."

"Hai! I understand! You'll be blocking most of the Kyuubi so that I can learn to maintain my health on my own. I'll be sick for a while and then I'll get better! It'll help me become a better ninja!"

Akifumi gave a nod.

"It will be very hard on your body and will leave you vulnerable."

Naruto shrugged, "It doesn't matter if it almost kills me! Nothing will stop me from becoming a better ninja! Believe it!"

Akifumi nodded and then instructed Naruto to remove his shirt. Naruto did so, Kakashi once again having to turn around.

"Alright, it's off, you can turn back around," Naruto said.

Kakashi turned around and kept back a sigh. Naruto wasn't wearing a shirt. Apparently the boy just didn't want his sensei to see him take his clothes off, because the action was so much worse than staring at Naruto's naked torso after he had the shirt off. The logic of it made Kakashi want to laugh while also facepalm.

"Alright, I'm going to put a basic fuinjutsu on you, it shouldn't affect your regular chakra store. After about two weeks, I'll have you come back in and I'll remove it."

Akifumi placed her two glowing hands on Naruto's stomach. A few moments passed and she took her hands off.

"We're done," she said.

Naruto glared at Kakashi. He turned around once again for Naruto to put his shirt back on.

"Well, here's a scroll with all of the medicines you'll need to give Naruto daily," she offered out a storage scroll to Kakashi while Naruto's face scrunched up at the word 'medicines'.

"It also contains instructions for any possible health problems that might arise, such as fever. If any issues come up feel free to contact me."

Kakashi smiled gratefully and gave a small nod of appreciation.

"Be careful the next few days, I'd say you have about 18 hours or so until the jutsu really kicks in so you can do a mission if you have one but by tonight be prepared."

Naruto scrambled off the bed and slammed into Akifumi, hugging her tightly. The woman's eyes went wide with surprise and a moment passed before she awkwardly patted Naruto on the head.

"Thank you, Aki-san!"

"Of course, Naruto," Akifumi responded.

The two left, Naruto waving at the ninja.

Sakura should've been punch drunk with happiness, elated to find herself once again left alone with her Sasuke-kun for hours. Instead she was bored, extraordinarily bored and more than a little annoyed. There was a fine line between cool and rude, Sasuke had been toeing it for the last hour and instead of an inner squeal of how cute Sasuke looked Sakura was holding back her inner fist from coming out and pounding the boy in the head. He didn't need to be such an ass all the time!

"Sasuke-kun, why won't you train with me?" Sakura asked, a little frustrated that the boy had been pounding at an inanimate object for the last hour and had refused to practice with a living, breathing ninja who would pose a greater challenge than a tree.

Usually she swooned at the thought of Sasuke treating her like a delicate spring blossom (her as ever skewed reasoning), but now she was taking it as a slight to her ability as a kunoichi. Just because she was a girl didn't mean she couldn't fight.

This seemed to make the boy snap, he punched the tree one last time before turning to her ferociously.

"Because you're weak!" He yelled, fists clenched.

Sakura flinched back at the words, eyes darting to his neck where the curse mark began to spin. Unexpected fear filled her, something she had never felt until as of late when confronted by her teammate.

"Yo."

Sakura snapped her head around to see Kakashi-sensei standing there, a hand raised in a wave. Behind him, an orange speck could be seen running toward them from the village.

Sasuke staggered back, anger vanishing to be replaced with fear. He was trembling and an anguished look was in his eyes. Why was this happening to him? Frustration rose, trying to cloud the ever deepening pit of fear he felt. Kakashi eyed him warily, worry sprouting in him. Sasuke turned his back and moved to the tree, leaning up against it so he was facing away from them.

"Hey!" The orange speck had gotten bigger and now arrived in the form of Naruto.

"What's the big idea, sensei!?" Naruto raged, glaring at his teacher.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Naruto," Kakashi said absently, tugging out his orange book in order to hide the smile on his face.

He had totally been a mature adult who hadn't ditched his student after casting a henge on the boy to look like he had cod lips. Naruto had taken a whole twenty minutes figuring out how to dispel the genjutsu, ducking as women screamed and children ran away in fear. Most had laughed at the boy. Hopefully it would be a good reminder for the boy to keep his trap shut.

Sakura's face was still pulled in worry but it had vanished some and she stood up from where she was seated on the bridge.

"Do we have a mission today, sensei?"

"That's not fair! That was the meanest thing ever! How could you do that sensei!" Naruto had been yelling loudly the entire time.

Sakura brandished her fist and the boy ducked down, immediately becoming meek and quiet. Sakura moved her hand back without hitting him, she didn't mind scaring the living shit out of her teammate but she didn't want to be the one to put bruises on him, not after what she'd seen yesterday and not after all she'd learned about being a good teammate from the chuunin exam.

Now that it was quiet, Kakashi answered her question.

"Hai, we'll be going a little outside of Konoha, to help one of the Fire country farmers."

Sakura looked in interest at her sensei, thinking that maybe it was a C-rank protection detail. Naruto had stopped pouting and was looking in interest at his sensei as well. Sasuke was still several feet away, back to them from his tree leaning position.

"We'll head out now, it'll be a mile or so out, not far. We'll be helping Kazuo Yamashita."

They started out then, walking along the forest path at a leisurely pace. The three genin had been surprised by it. Kakashi wanted to be safe, just in case whatever Akifumi had done worked faster than the woman had anticipated. It was nice too, to take it easy and enjoy the forest. Naruto was talking intermittently to Sakura about various things while once in awhile stopping and picking up a bug or flower and then running to catch up. Sasuke was quieter than usual and Kakashi experienced a sense of foreboding, he had felt that he'd adequately gotten through to the boy during their training session before the final part of the chuunin exam. That session had been just as much about training as it had been about stabilizing the boy emotionally and psychologically. It seemed though that he might need to run more interference.

They passed farms, rice paddies which stretched along the valley outside of Konoha, ridged limestone karst hills rising up to cup the bountiful farmlands with peaks of brilliant green. Little bamboo huts were sprinkled along the squares of still water that sprouted panicles which climbed into the air causing the sweet scent of flowering rice plants to be swept along. It was serene, slight humidity pluming the air with a richer sense of smell and bringing into full the feeling of life and simple prosperity. This is what the ninja fought for; for life, at its fullest and garbed in the naif but sweet cloth of simplicity.

Passing the farms they came to a patch of forest which began at where the hills became steep and too rocky to irrigate and form farming steppes. A small path branched away from the main road and Kakashi lead them up it, dappled sunlight shining through the green canopy. Eventually they came to a small house which was built along a sharply inclining part of the hill, a near cliff.

A small girl was playing outside, a doll made from straw and wrapped in a small cloth in her hand. Her head came up as they approached and she ran inside the hut. Kakashi lead his team in, entering the doorless entryway into a small poorly lit, one room house. It had a dirt floor, two straw mats in the corner, an old man laying on one of them.

Kakashi approached the old man who was frail looking, the slight scent of sickness wafting from his bed place.

"Kazuo Yamashita?" Kakashi asked politely.

The three students stared in wonder as their teacher referred to the poor man with a distinct respect, unusually proffered to someone so economically below them. Sasuke was struck the most by his teacher's behavior, while Naruto didn't seem to really take note of its strangeness.

"Mume?" The man rasped, eyes clouded from both age and sickness.

Kakashi grasped the frail, veined hand which reached out.

"I am from Konohagakure, we are in your service Yamashita-san."

The man blinked, barely seeming to understand. Kakashi turned to his three genin.

"Sakura, I want you to tend to him while I gather some materials for his sickness. Naruto, Sasuke, continue his work by gathering firewood, we are here to help him gather his strength and continue his business."

The little girl was only five or so, and she stood with wide eyes in a corner of the room, watching them with her doll clutched to her chest. She wore a simple kimono and was barefooted. Kakashi moved from the man and walked over to the little girl, crouching down.

"You must be Mume?" He said kindly, eyes curved as he smiled gently behind his mask.

The girl nodded her head.

"That's a very pretty name, my name is Kakashi and these are my students, we're here to help your grandfather. Would you like to help too?"

The girl gave a small smile and nodded. Naruto took up on Kakashi's introduction.

"Hi Mume! I'm Naruto! We're going to have a lot of fun, dattebayo!"

He was smiling brilliantly at her and held a hand out, she took it and they headed out of the hut. Sasuke had already left as soon as Kakashi had issued his order. Sakura was kneeling by the old man, but her gaze was on her teammate, eyes thoughtful and introspective. Kakashi stepped out of the hut and disappeared off into the forest to collect whatever plants he would need to make medicine.

Sakura was left alone and she let out a small sigh, moving to set to work. It was strange seeing a place like this, that the poor existed and stood at the mercy of health to survive. The whole situation made her appreciate her role as a ninja, something that went beyond just fighting and killing. They were the protectors of Konoha, they aided in assisting and improving the lives of all around them. Low cost missions such as these, though seemingly pointless and moot, helped to secure a good relationship with the rest of the Fire country while lending aid to those who had no one to help them and couldn't afford the expense of a doctor. Things like this made her feel less like a tool for death and more like an instrument to make the world around her a better place.

She dipped a rag into a bowl of water, wringing it out and pressing it to the man's head. Satisfaction filled her, D-ranks sometimes weren't as bad as they seemed.

Time passed, Sasuke efficiently gathering large loads of firewood while Naruto collected very little with the aid of Mume. Kakashi returned with some plants and began making a bolus for the man. He gave Sasuke and Naruto the order to go out to the nearest village to sell what firewood they could. The two set out, Mume tagging along with her hand firmly planted in Naruto's.

Sasuke was tired, annoyed and frustrated. The morning's events hadn't left him and all day he kept reaching up to brush his fingers against his neck. The mark wasn't showing anymore but he could feel it, lingering on his skin, a poisonous breath of decay and power. He tried to shrug it away by throwing himself into gathering wood as quickly and efficiently as he could.

Now, he was leading the way down the road to the nearest village, Naruto walking behind him with a load of firewood in his arms and the little girl Mume conversing with him.

"Really? I didn't know that bugs got that big!" Naruto said in reply to Mume's excited ramble about her adventures in the woods.

Sasuke felt his shoulders tense, for whatever reason Naruto's innocent conversation with the girl was grating on his nerves, memories of when he had once thoughtlessly conversed with his older brother being dredged up. Anger was mounting along with frustration. He hated this lack of control, this unnatural stir of rage which bloomed in him at the slightest thing.

He kept it under control as they made it to the village where Naruto did silly acts, attracting people to purchase firewood while entertaining them. With a grudging sense of respect, Sasuke watched as Naruto's efforts got all of the firewood sold, and even earned them a few free coins. The people enjoyed the bright personality of the blonde genin. Jealousy stirred slightly and Sasuke resisted the urge to snap at his teammate. Finally, they set back to the forest hut, early evening setting on.

Naruto was giving Mume a piggy back ride. Sasuke was following them this time, and watching. Naruto was in the middle of talking when he suddenly stopped, swaying for a few moments while Mume called his name. Naruto crumpled to the ground, causing Mume to shriek and Sasuke to dart forward.

"Naruto!" He was on his knees, the anger he'd been feeling all day gone and worry replacing it.

Naruto's eyes were cloudy and spaced out, his brow pinched in confusion. Sasuke called Naruto's name and got a weak response. He pressed a hand to Naruto's head and felt heat burning from his teammate. His worry spiked and he awkwardly shifted Naruto to his back. He needed to get back to the hut and get Kakashi. Looking at Mume, he wondered what he should do.

The little girl was tiny, but Sasuke already had his hands full with Naruto. He made up his mind and knelt down, addressing the child for the first time since the start of the mission.

"Mume," he said softly, unsure of how to deal with a child.

"What's wrong with nii-san?" There were tears in her eyes.

Sasuke bit his lip, trying to keep himself calm and reassuring so he wouldn't scare her even more.

"Naruto's not feeling well, I need to bring him back quickly so my sensei can help him. I need you to grab onto me and hold on no matter what so I can get back."

Mume nodded and wrapped her spindly arms around Sasuke's neck, little legs wrapping around him as best she could. Sasuke set off, going as fast as he dared with his two burdens.

They reached the hut and the little girl dropped down, running ahead of Sasuke and in through the door. Sasuke crossed the threshold, Sakura and Kakashi looking up at him. Sakura gasped, standing up, worry lighting across her face. Kakashi didn't show any outward emotion but he rose too from where he was kneeling next to the old man and came over to Sasuke. Sasuke relinquished his hold as Kakashi took Naruto in his arms, holding him bridal style.

"He's burning up," Sasuke said, slightly out of breath from running here carrying both Naruto and the little girl.

Kakashi nodded, eyes on Naruto. He moved Naruto to his back and looked to Sasuke.

"I want you two to stay here, finish the mission. Make sure that Yamashita and his grand-daughter are taken care of and both are in good health. Don't leave until he is able to speak cohesively and walk around. Otherwise, I will send someone to fetch you. I need to take Naruto back to the village."

Sasuke nodded.

"Sensei, but what if whatever it is, is contagious."

Kakashi shook his head, "Naruto didn't get this from here, it's something else."

Sasuke frowned at the surety with which Kakashi spoke while Sakura just nodded disbelievingly. They watched as Kakashi exited the hut and disappeared into the dusk. Sasuke moved over to Sakura, asking her what he needed to do.

Kakashi made his way back to Konoha as quickly as he could. When Akifumi had said eighteen hours he had shaved over four and taken precautions and still he was taken by surprise. It was barely after five, the boy should've had at least till late in the evening. Hopefully this didn't indicate any serious medical issue. Naruto was semi-conscious behind him, and Kakashi could feel the heat of the boy's fever from where his forehead was pressed against Kakashi's neck. Warm, rapid breaths blew against his skin and he held back the unreasonable panic that was forming in his gut. Hatake Kakashi, famous copy-nin of the Leaf Village did not fret needlessly.

He flared his chakra at the gates of Konoha and the chuunin who had been preparing to meet him stayed in position, letting him pass. Slowing down, he passed through his kitchen window, a window he always left open, and moved from the kitchen to Naruto's bedroom. He eased the boy onto the bed, adjusted him so he wouldn't fall and then headed out. Kakashi had read over the information that Akifumi had given him and knew that for now he just needed to monitor the fever to ensure it didn't get too high, otherwise the only thing he could do was make Naruto comfortable.

Kakashi grabbed a bowl and put water in it, bringing a rag with him. He went back into the room with the bowl and rag and also with a cup of water. He stripped Naruto down to his underwear and arranged the boy so he was resting with just a light blanket covering him. Kakashi moved back to the kitchen and found a thermometer. He grabbed a chair and came back to Naruto's room.

As he stuck the oral thermometer in Naruto's mouth, Naruto stirred, eyes blinking open. Naruto weakly lifted an arm and tried to push himself up. Kakashi stopped him with a gentle hand.

"Rest, you're alright."

Naruto continued to struggle, a question in his eyes.

"Mume is alright, so is your team," Kakashi answered, guessing at why the boy was moving.

He had guessed right as Naruto relaxed back onto the bed. He didn't close his eyes though, blue orbs tracking Kakashi's movements through his fever haze. 101.2 fahrenheit (38.4 celsius). Kakashi set the thermometer to the side and then rolled up his sleeves. Carefully he took the rag and doused it in the water, wringing it out before setting it on Naruto's forehead. The boy relaxed at the cooling sensation.

Kakashi looked at his student, gaze as ever inscrutable as ever. Naruto gazed back, weary looking and tired.

"Rest, Naruto, I'll keep watch."

The boy blinked before closing his eyes. Kakashi leaned back in the chair, flipping out his book. Tonight was going to be long.

The next chapter has plans to be very, very schmoopy and gooey and covered in delicious angst with a core of fluff so fluffy you guys all might just vomit from it. You've been warned.

Thank you all who have reviewed! It is really one of the most exciting things to read your thoughts on my work! So, keep on reviewing and, if you can't do that, then at least I hope you all keep reading and enjoying! If my work affects you in any way, hopefully positive, then that is the most I can ask for!