A/N: Omigod! XD Thank you so much for your highly encouraging reviews! Because I'm a career woman (with a writing career in every update is my payday! And man, did I ever get lotsa pay! XD So now I'm trying to return the favor by answering some reviews from the last chapter. Anyway…
shikaruTo: Thanks! Love ya for reviewing too! XD I'll update as soon as I get enough reviews. –chibi grin-
DemonFireGirlHotaru: Wow, I'm an exception! Glad to hear that. ;) You'll see more of Sasuke in this one! XD And maybe Shino… I was thinking of a ShinoHina, GaaHina, SasuHina thing… Oh well… Whaddaya think?
Xoni Newcomer: -scratches head- Oh, yeah, that nervous thing in the first chapter. XD Totally forgot bout that. Hinata and Neji, too cheerful and outgoing? Well… Hinata's cheerful and outgoing with Kiba and Shino and Neji (and a little to Gaara because he's new)… And Neji, because he's with Hinata. About Sasuke raising his hand… I was trying to emphasize that he and Gaara raised their hands as soon as they heard Kakashi mention that he had a special job for Hinata. Should've put in much more emphasis though. Anyway, that 'special project…' Sasuke doesn't know about that.
Lunarangel: About Kiba being pinched… Well, I sorta kinda made that up. XD I just noticed in a pic of his that he has quite 'pinchable' cheeks… so there… XD Ah, the road trip. Well, we'll see about that! Heheh… And also their novel thingy too… I'm not exactly sure about that yet, I'm only writing the chapters as I go along.
Shanice: Ei Ate! XD About the mention, you're welcome. Heheh… Thanks for the comment on my tagboard in Xanga too! XD
Chibi Tetra: Wow! It's you…! –eyes bug out- Hahaha! Thanks! I'll go go go! XD
Muchachangistariray: Hmm… Are you a Filipina too? XD Anyway, thanks for the review! And I've updated Alone No More too for ya! –chibi grin-
Khmer shinobi: Woohoo! Asian pride, yeah! XD Well, Sasuke and Gaara raised their hands because of Hinata… Well, I'm trying to make it a subtle emphasis or something… Bah… XD Aww, you're not a bother, man! Shanaro…! (weh, dunno what that means, but what the hey)
"Miss Hyuuga, Mister Uchiha and Mister Sabaku, may I please talk with you for a moment?" Kakashi-sensei called over the din.
I stood up. As I passed the center aisle, some looked at me, a little enviously. I hung my head as I walked, and followed Kakashi-sensei to the corridor. Uchiha-san and Gaara followed.
"I'm going to give you three a project," Kakashi-sensei said, looking down on us.
"Isn't that novel enough?" Uchiha-san asked, his eyes narrowed. He didn't look happy about getting an extra project for English! I wanted to ask him why, but I didn't want to seem rude or forward, so I didn't say anything.
"That's connected with it." Kakashi-sensei looked amused at Uchiha-san's annoyance.
"I want you three to help me judge and grade your classmates' projects."
I gasped. This was really great! I was going to be a student assistant to our English teacher! I was highly excited. I wanted to wring Kakashi-sensei's hands or maybe give him a good hug around the middle, but I fiddled with my uniform instead, trying to hide a big grin.
"But—" Uchiha-san started to say, but the words came rushing out of my mouth before I could stop them. Word vomit.
"Thank you so much, Kakashi-sensei! I'll do my best! Thank you so much! Thank you!" I bowed, feeling extremely grateful. He trusted usenough to make us help him judge projects! I love English! I love Kakashi-sensei!
Kakashi-sensei smiled. At least, I think so. It was hard to tell, unless you look at his eyes. "No problem, Hinata." He looked at Uchiha-san and Gaara. "Well?"
"All right," they muttered, not looking at Kakashi-sensei.
"After the deadline of submissions, you three head straight to the faculty room every afternoon and start reading." Catching the questioning look on Uchiha-san's face, he added, "I'm telling you now so I don't have to later. That's all."
I bowed again to Kakashi-sensei. He patted the top of my head and headed for his next class, taking out his Icha Icha Paradise while walking.
I stood, looking after him and smiling. It was a good thing Anko-sensei wasn't our English teacher. When he disappeared around the corner, I turned to the door. Startled, I almost took a step back. Uchiha-san and Gaara were staring at me, unmoving. The intensity of their stares frightened me a little. I really wasn't used to being looked at that way.
"Um… We should be returning to our room, ne?" I ventured, feeling queasy as a pair of black eyes and another pair of blue-green eyes met my white ones. Their eyes were unreadable. It was like their emotions were hidden behind layers and layers of curtains…
"Right," they said, and turned back.
"Ne, Uchiha-san," I said, a little timidly. Many girls in school liked Uchiha-san because he was extremely good-looking and… what was the word Ino-san and Sakura-san used? Mysterious. He was good-looking and mysterious. But he was also quite grumpy. I was surprised he volunteered for this English thing; I was so sure Math was his forte.
Uchiha-san stopped and turned to me. Out of the corner of my eye, Gaara halted for a moment then slowly entered the room. "Yes?" he asked, focusing his eyes on me. I suddenly felt self-conscious.
"A-Ano… I'm sorry for-for interrupting you l-like that earlier…" I said, bowing. I mentally kicked myself. My voice sounded weak, small, and afraid. Neji-niisan had often told me to sound confident even when I'm not.
"It doesn't matter," he said. He turned to go, but then stopped. "You don't have to be afraid of me. I won't bite," he said. He walked a few steps then stopped again, as if he remembered something. "Oh and… Call me Sasuke," he added, without looking back at me.
I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. I was alone in the corridor then, a little astonished at my exchange with Uchiha-san—Sasuke-san from now on. At least, that was a start. We were certainly going to spend a lot of time together with our group for our English project. I smiled to myself. I couldn't wait to start the project!
I shook my head, and then hurried to the room. I caught sight of Iruka-sensei walking down the hall. I bowed in his direction. "Ohayou, Iruka-sensei," I greeted him.
He smiled and returned my bow. "Ohayou, Hinata-chan."
I went inside the room and returned to my seat.
"Hey," Kiba-kun said, leaning forward. "What did Kakashi-sensei tell you back there?"
I started to reply, but the door opened, and Iruka-sensei went in,
There came a big cheer from the class. Iruka-sensei was one of the most loved teachers in Konoha High. Naruto-kun was especially attached to Iruka-sensei and Iruka-sensei to him. He had brown eyes and his hair was always tied. He had a scar on the bridge of his nose. He was always ready to smile, and was a patient and understanding teacher.
"IRUKA-SENSEI!" Naruto-kun yelled, waving his hands in the air. "Are you going to be our teacher? Ne, Iruka-sensei!"
"Shut up, Naruto!" Sakura-san yelled, annoyed at Naruto-kun's behavior.
Iruka-sensei put down his papers and smiled at the class. The noise died down gradually. All of us were hanging on his words.
"Ohayou," he said. "My name is Umino Iruka, and I will be teaching Science. To begin, starting from this row to the back, I want you to introduce yourself and tell a little something about you."
"But we already know you, Iruka-sensei!" Naruto-kun pouted. "Let's skip this part and go straight to the lessons! I'll prove that I'm better than Sasuke!"
"Oi, shut up Naruto!" Ino-san and Sakura-san yelled at the same time. "Sasuke is way better than you!"
"Now, now, students," Iruka-sensei said, a warning tone in his voice. They immediately quieted.
I listened as the first person, Terachi Haruko, stood up and introduced herself. After she had finished, the next one stood up. I watched Iruka-sensei while listening. He was walking from place to place, mainly to where the person standing up was.
I let my mind wander, looking for ideas for the English project. A novel or a play… Which was better? A novel can tell more and make the readers sympathize more. On the other hand, it would also be hard to translate into a script. A play is easier to write and convenient because it'll double as a script. But it'll also be hard to sketch the personalities of each character. I started doodling on the back of my notebook, jotting ideas here and there.
I snapped back to the class when I heard Kiba-kun introduce himself. It wasn't hard to hear him because of his strong, clear voice. When he sat down, I stood up slowly. My palms started to sweat. I knew the whole class was listening to me, and that made me even more nervous.
"My name is-is Hyuuga Hinata," I said, feeling nervous. "I... Um...Love to c-cook and write. Some-someday, I want to be a doctor so I could... he-help people." Ugh. I stuttered again!
Iruka-sensei, who was standing slightly before me, nodded deeply and smiled. "A noble aspiration, Hinata-chan."
He really had a way of making his students comfortable! I smiled back at him.He was a good man, but he lived alone. Most of us felt he really deserved a partner for life. Whoever that would be, I'm sure that person would be very, very lucky to have Iruka-sensei.
The bell rang just as the last person finished.
"I'll see you tomorrow, class," Iruka-sensei said, and gathering his papers from the table, went out.
The next period was lunch. I put my notebook back in my bag and stood up.
"I'll take your bag, Hinata-chan," Shino-kun said. I smiled at him. That was really sweet of him!
"Hey, I'll take Hina-chan's bag!" Kiba-kun protested.
"Move it," said Gaara behind us, sounding annoyed.
I sidled to give him way, but Kiba-kun remained where he was, blocking Gaara's way.
"No way! You can use the center aisle, dolt!" Kiba-kun said, irritated.
"This is nearer the door," Gaara replied coldly.
"I'm not moving," Kiba-kun glared at Gaara, and crossed his arms.
Gaara's eyes narrowed. He looked very dangerous.
"Um…" I started to say, but Shino-kun silenced me with a warning look, telling me without words not to interfere. I looked fearfully at both of them, afraid that a fight might break out.
"Hinata-chan."
I looked at the doorway. "Neji-niisan!" I cried out, relieved. I ran to him.
Gaara passed by me, glancing at me as he walked past.
I couldn't bring myself to say anything. Maybe I didn't need to, anyway.
"…I don't like him," Neji-niisan said. "Let's go." He took my bag.
"Thank you," I smiled at him. We started walking to our usual spot every year, a table next to the old mango tree by the fountain. Kiba-kun and Shino-kun walked behind us.
"How's your morning?" Neji-niisan asked.
"It was interesting, especially our teachers," I told him. "Anko-sensei was our Math teacher, and she mentioned you."
His eyebrow rose. "Oh? What did she say?"
"About you passing the seventy-five percent passing grade," I replied, feeling proud of Neji-niisan. I guess this was what Father felt when he saw Neji-niisan's grades.
He shrugged. "Go on."
"Anyway, our second-period English is Kakashi-sensei." I tugged at his sleeve and he bent down a little. "He also has an Icha Icha Paradise," I whispered in his ear.
Neji-niisan straightened up, blushing a little. "I got that from him," he mumbled.
I poked him in the ribs. "So now you're sukebe too?" I giggled at the thought. Straight, modest, decorous Neji-niisan—a pervert! That could never, ever be! I shook my head, still giggling.
"Hey," he pretended to glare. "I really thought that was an innocent book. He made me write a book report on it."
"He didn't!" I exclaimed, surprised—scratch that, I was shocked!
"He did," Neji-niisan answered, head bowed. "Apparently, he does it to the Math awardee in the room. Of course, I wasn't supposed to tell it to anyone, but I know you wouldn't."
I sighed. "Thanks for the trust, nii-san. You're right; I can't possibly repeat what you said to anyone. I should think that was too much information!" I smiled weakly at him, and then suddenly started as a sudden thought entered my mind. "Then Kakashi-sensei might make Sasuke-san do a book report on it too!"
"He most probably will. I hope Uchiha doesn't break into little pieces. The stuff's pretty hardcore," Neji-niisan said, stopping in front of our table. He put my bag down on the spare seat. "I'll see you at the school gate later," he said.
"Alright," I said, and he walked away to his own table.
"Geez," Kiba-kun said, sounding a little irritated. "You're a junior and he sill walks you to your lunch table like you're in first grade."
"Speak for yourself, Inuzuka," a classmate of ours, Tsunagi Kishide, said from the next table. "What Neji-sama's doing is so romantic!" She smiled at me, and I smiled back. She turned back to her lunch.
"Neji-sama?" Kiba-kun repeated, disbelief in his face. He shook his head. "Yeah, right…"
We laid out our lunches on the table.
"I need to pee," Kiba-kun suddenly said. He stood up and half-jogged to the building.
I looked at our lunches and sighed. Where was Gaara having lunch? He looked like the loner type, so I guess I shouldn't have been surprised and a little disappointed when he declined my offer.
"Why the sad face, Hinata-chan?" Shino-kun asked.
I heaved a sigh and shrugged lightly. "Well, I asked Gaara to have lunch with us, but—"
"Can I sit here?" a cool voice asked.
I turned, hoping it was Gaara.
"Gaara!" I exclaimed, surprised and happy. I took my bag off the spare seat and put it down. "Please, join us!"
He sat down quietly and unpacked his lunch. Then he looked at me questioningly.
"We're just going to wait for Kiba-kun," I said, knowing that he was asking when we were going to eat.
He nodded and looked away.
"Sorry to keep you waiting!" Kiba-kun sat down, panting slightly. For a moment, I was afraid he would make Gaara go away. He caught sight of Gaara. "Hey, Gaara!" he said cheerfully, the hostilities earlier forgotten.
I breathed a small sigh of relief. Beside me, he nodded.
Kiba-kun, Shino-kun, and I exchanged glances, and then said in perfect unison, "itadakimasu!"
We started eating. "Hey, Hina-chan," said Kiba-kun while chewing, his mouth a little full. "What did Kakashi-sensei say earlier?" He swallowed.
"Oh, he wanted us to help him—" I paused a little as Gaara's foot nudged mine from under the table.
"He wanted us to write an essay for a competition," Gaara said emotionlessly. I looked at him from the corner of my eye. He was a good liar. He met my eye and looked away.
"A competition? At this time of the school year?" Kiba-kun asked incredulously. "Wow, they sure know how to cut students some slack." He snorted lightly.
"Well, Kakashi-sensei wants to prepare early," I said lamely. I looked at Shino-kun. He was eating, but I could feel his eyes on me. I concentrated on my food.
"Hinata-chan." Neji-niisan suddenly appeared beside me. He glanced over at Gaara, and then to me.
"Nii-san!" I said, a little surprised.
"Man, don't scare us like that!" Kiba-kun gasped out, coughing a little. He must have choked in surprise. Shino-kun patted his back.
"Hn," Neji-niisan said. "Here, I forgot to give these," he said, handing a small package wrapped in foil. It was still a little warm.
"Thank you," I said, grateful. One touch of the package and I knew instantly they were cookies. He was trying his hand in baking. "Now I can judge if you've improved," I teased him. "Martial arts is one thing, this is another." For some reason, Neji-niisan didn't want me mentioning his dabble in baking. Pride, I guess.
He shrugged, and walked away.
I opened the package, and just as I thought, five moist cookies sat in their glory, waiting to be eaten. Mint chocolate chip, my favorite! I inhaled its aroma, and then wrinkled my nose. Something was not right, but I trust Neji-niisan was an able baker. He did everything well.I held out the package to Kiba-kun, Shino-kun, and Gaara and invited them to take one.
Kiba-kun looked at the cookie dubiously. "Is this safe?"
"Of course," I replied smilingly. I noticed there were three cookies left.
"Gaara, take one," I invited him.
"Hn."
"Go on," I cajoled him. "I taught nii-san how to make these." I waggled my eyebrows. "And I'm a really good teacher."
Shino-kun chuckled, and Kiba-kun smiled.
Gaara stared at the cookies.
Kiba-kun thumped the table impatiently. "C'mon, get one, for God's sake! And let Hinata-chan eat!"
I caught Gaara give a glare to Kiba-kun, and took a cookie slowly, grudgingly. I smiled inwardly. I agreed with Kiba-kun, but I didn't say anything.
Kiba-kun and Shino-kun took a bite. Immediately, they started coughing and choking. Both of them spat it out.
"What's wrong?" I cried. I pushed their drinks nearer.
Kiba-kun grabbed his soda can, emptying it in one gulp. He thumped his chest. He glared at Neji-niisan's table, which was a little way away. "Dammit," he cursed.
Shino-kun drank his water, and cleared his throat. He pushed the rest of the cookie away from him.
"What did Neji use as a flavoring?" Kiba-kun asked, looking irritated.
"Why? What's wrong with it?" I asked worriedly. I took one cookie and started to bring it to my mouth, but Kiba-kun stopped me.
"Noo!" he said, grabbing my hand. "Don't bother, Hinata-chan. If this is a sort of baking test, give your cousin a big, fat F."
"How could I know if I don't taste it?" I asked. I took a bite.
"Don't say Kiba didn't warn you," Shino-kun said.
"Water!" I choked out. I coughed and tried to swallow. My mouth felt like it was on fire.
Gaara thumped my back. "Spit it out," he ordered. "Swallowing won't do any good."
I did as he told, and felt bad for dirtying the ground. He pushed my juice to me, and I drank it all.
"The hell…" Kiba-kun said, a little dazed. "That was one crap of a cookie."
"This time, I agree," Shino-kun said quietly. He coughed a little. "The taste still isn't gone from my mouth."
I sighed. "I guess Neji-niisan still wasn't fully awake when he did this."