That night, Gaara couldn't concentrate on his homework. A certain white-eyed girl kept plaguing his mind, and finally, getting tired of adding nine times eight in his mind, he slammed his notebook with much force as he had hoped.

"Oi, what now Gaara?" his older brother by two years, Kankurou, asked lazily. He was lying on the sofa with his feet up, smoking contemplatively. Gaara hated cigarette smoke, but it was useless talking Sabaku Kankurou out of it.

If there was something he and his siblings shared, it was stubbornness.

"None of your business," Gaara growled, put into a sour mood because of the rancid smell. He used his notebook to wave away tendrils of smoke wafting to him. Any more cigarette smoke, and his asthma would come back in full force.

"Che. Whatever," the older youth replied, taking a long drag on his Marlboro. He blew a perfect smoke ring, something he trained in since he started smoking when he was sixteen.

Silence.

"Can you take that outside?" Gaara asked, irritated, and with forced patience.

"No," replied Kankurou with the same lazy drawl. "Why don't you try it, though? You're old enough anyway."

Gaara crossed his arms and looked away. "Idiot," he muttered.

"What?" Kankurou asked thickly. The living room was heavy with smoke.

The hallway door opened, and Gaara's oldest sibling stepped in. She coughed and fanned herself. "God, Kankurou," she snapped. "Take that outside. I might get another attack, you stupid bum." She coughed again.

Kankurou rolled his eyes. "Fine," he said, waving a hand. He got up slowly and shuffled to the kitchen door.

She covered her nose and mouth, and moved to open the windows. She sat opposite Gaara, with one foot propped up so she could rest her chin on her knee. She looked at her youngest sibling closely. "You look pale. Are you sure you're okay?"

"Hai," he said blandly.

"Hm, I'll bet it's Kankurou's smoking. He should at least open the windows if he's going to bring his smoking inside, ne?"

"Hn," he replied.

"Why didn't you open the windows yourself, anyway?"

Gaara hated to explain anything, so he said, "I don't know."

Silence.

"Temari."

"Hm?"

"How… do you… make a girl… like… you?" He formed each word carefully and uncertainly, cringing at his own self. He just had to ask this question.

Temari smiled affectionately and clapped her hands. "Aw, I didn't think this day would come!" She grinned at him, tying her sandy hair. He frowned and looked away, thinking twice about asking his sister for help.

But, better Temari than Kankurou.

Kankurou appeared, chuckling. "I bet she'd be scared rather than take a second look at you."

Gaara glared at him. "How long have you been there?"

He raised a can of Heineken in his hand. "Cheers," he grinned.

"Hey, get me one too," Temari told him.

When Kankurou reappeared, he gave the can to Temari, who snapped it open and took a long draught. He sat beside Temari.

"What are you doing here?" she asked disapprovingly. "Gaara and I are having a private conversation here."

"So?" he grinned and winked at Gaara. "You'll need a major adjustment before you can even attract a female fly."

Whack. Temari held a giant paper fan in her hands.

"Smoke outside or something," she said, glaring at him. She waved the paper fan at him. "Don't bother us."

"Hm, I think I will," he said thoughtfully, and left again.

"Soo… Who's this girl?" she asked, leaning in conspiratorially.

"No one you know," Gaara answered noncommittally.

She frowned. "I have to know what her personality is so I can give you some pointers!"

"…Is that really necessary?"

Temari looked at him like he was the densest creature on earth. "Duh, Gaara!"

He frowned. "Why can't you just tell me what to do?"

She crossed her arms. "No."

"You're stubborn."

"You too."

"Forget the whole thing, then."

"GAARA! FINE, DON'T ASK ME FOR HELP! YOU'LL JUST MAKE A FOOL OF YOURSELF, AND I'D CARE LESS!"

"Yeah, right."

She took a swig of beer. "You're going to be sorry. Imagine giving her flowers, and she'll look at you like you just crawled from a rock into civilization." She giggled. "I'd like to see that someday. You getting rejected, I mean."

"You're mean."

"You're stubborn. If you just let me help you—"

"Hinata-san would accept the flowers," he answered.

"Ah! Now we're getting somewhere!"

After three hours, Gaara found himself half-buried in loose-leaf paper, literally speaking. Temari, in between cans of Heineken, had written down what he should and should not do. Gaara, being a complete idiot when it came to girls, asked the whys and hows of each pointer. Temari, in her big-sister compassion, wrote the full explanation and situations so he could review them when he needed. Gaara, never one to show emotion or waste his time, left Temari on the table, passed out after twelve cans of Heineken.

Their English period was given to another group meeting for their project again. Room 205 resembled a battlefield in terms of noise production, and Kotetsu-sensei from the next room had been inside twice to tell them off.

Kakashi-sensei, absorbed in his Icha Icha Paradise, barely heard the noise. Sasuke, unanimously voted temporary president, was having a hard time controlling the noise level. Every few seconds, he would raise his voice and tell them to keep quiet, but to no avail.

So now, gripping his pencil tightly, he hurriedly gave instructions to his group members while he dealt with his raucous classmates.

"Sasuke-kun, why don't just give it up?" Ino said worriedly, looking at the pencil on Sasuke's hand, which was on the verge of splitting in two.

"No," he answered through gritted teeth.

"Okay! So what do we do now?" Naruto answered cheerfully and loudly, which caused a vein to twitch in his temple.

"All right," he said through gritted teeth. "You four think up of plotlines, and I'll judge which one we can use. When that's finished, Ino-san, Hinata-san—you two do the characters."

"Okay," Hinata agreed softly. "Um, here…" she gave a piece of gum to Sasuke. "Gaara gave me that earlier, but I think you need it more than I do."

Sasuke eyed it warily, and then took the gum from her. He ate it, chewing furiously.

"Isn't that your favorite gum flavor, Hinata-chan?" Shino asked.

"Hai," Hinata answered, fiddling with her pen. "He gave me some. Do you want one?"

"No, no…"

Flashback

Gaara, Shino, and Kiba stopped by a grocery store on the way home. Spotting a pack of cotton candy-flavored gums, Kiba started to rummage in his pocket.

"These are Hinata-chan's favorite kind!" he exclaimed, still digging in his pockets. "She gets really happy when she has one."

"Is that so?" asked Gaara.

"Oh man," Kiba wailed. "I don't have any money left! Lend me some?" he asked Shino.

"I don't have any left, too," he answered ruefully.

"Gaara?" Kiba prompted, turning to the redhead.

Gaara, holding a pack of gums already paid for, started to head for the door.

"Great! Thanks," Kiba said, about to take the package.

Gaara held it from his reach. "I didn't buy this for you. I bought this for… me."

End Flashback

Gaara needs further analyzation too, Shino thought.

Sasuke could not help but feel dismayed as he watched Ino and Hinata having a great time with each other, at another table. But it was probably good for Hinata; after all, she spent her childhood without any complete form of female companionship. He yawned lazily and watched Hinata leisurely; he had chosen to sit on the spot across her so he could watch her unobtrusively.

Which meant he had to sit between Naruto and Kiba.

His eardrums were undoubtedly cursing him.

The two had been arguing about meaningless things while eating, like who was the tallest wrestler, which sensei had the nicest form (the only part of the conversation he somewhat enjoyed listening to), which was the easiest subject, whether or not blue umbrellas had the best durability among all the colors. Meaningless stuff.

His ears were throbbing, his head was spinning, and he wanted to sit beside Hinata—badly.

He had assigned the two girls to work on the characters for their English project. As far as he knew, group one was the first to commence operations. And having Hinata in the group was a miracle, a blessing, a grace, a dream come true—call it whatever you want. There were so many advantages.

"Hey, vote me for president!" Naruto's words suddenly registered in his tired brain.

Oh, right. The elections were today. Anko-sensei said she was going to borrow Kabuto-sensei's History class, which was the last period.

"Why can't she just take out Phys Ed and History?" Kiba complained. "I can't take that flames of youth shit anymore!"

"Neither can I," Naruto agreed vehemently. "And DOES he have to sparkle like that? My eyes, seriously hurt, man." He rubbed his eyes and blinked twice for emphasis.

"Patience," said Shino calmly.

He averted his eyes slowly, very slowly. It was kind of dealing with a mad dog; if you make any sudden move, you'd get noticed.

He didn't want to feel like a bug under a microscope—again.

The first time was that stage play last year, when he had been blatantly gawking at Hinata, who looked like she descended from heaven. He knew Shino was scrutinizing him then, but he didn't care.

Only then during the ride home that he realized Shino's father was a psychologist.

The realization hit with a sudden frightening clarity. It wasn't a comforting thought. But hell, it wasn't the time to chicken out! For the love of Hinata, he'd do anything!

Her love would keep his youthful flame burning!

He suddenly spat out his drink. Che, where the hell did that come from! He rested his head on his arms, breathing heavily. Was he possessed by the spirit of Maito Gai? But Gai was still alive! Oh, good Lord, please, NO!

"Sasuke… Daijobou ka?" Naruto asked, a little concerned. The blond suddenly started thumping his back.

He glared at Naruto. "Stop. It. Now. Baka."

Naruto grinned at him cheerfully, gave his back a last resounding thump, which seemed to reverberate inside his body.

He punched the blond on the head, and Kiba laughed out loud.

"The hell was that for!" Naruto yelled.

"Che. You're an indefatigable idiot."

Naruto made a lunge for him, but he moved out of reach. The blond made a second move, but instantly, Sasuke got out of his seat and ran, and Naruto gave chase.

Once again, half the females sighed dreamily, and dreamed of him giving chase to them.

One with a rather large forehead and annoying pink hair dared to follow.

"SASUKE-KUUUN!" Sakura yelled, her lanky legs pumping fast.

Oh, great.

Ino-chan and I looked up from our work to see most of the girls crowding around, looking both amused and disgusted.

"What's going on?" I asked Ino-chan, who was peering over the heads of the crowd, being taller than I was.

"I can't see a thing," she complained. "It's probably about Sasuke-kun again."

"Oh," I replied. Suddenly, some people left, and we could see clearly. "Ino-chan, Sakura-san and Naruto-kun are chasing Sasuke-san," I told her.

She looked behind her casually and shrugged. "Wow, I didn't know Sakura was… so desperate!" she chuckled, shaking her head.

I looked at her inquiringly.

"Really," she continued. "I thought she was smart—she's always in the top five!" she rolled her eyes. "What she's doing is cheap, and degrading. The hell is she chasing Sasuke-kun for, anyway?"

I thought this was kind of harsh, so I said, "um, maybe Sasuke-kun did something to her…"

Ino-chan rolled her eyes again. "Oh, Hinata! You're too nice! You're so nice you're dense!"

"What?" I asked, confused, but not offended.

She smiled and shook her head. "I have a crush on Sasuke-kun, but I'm not quite disillusioned. I'm actually quite sure I don't have a chance."

"Don't be silly, Ino-chan," I reproved her gently. She was tall, very pretty, and cheerful. What's not to like? I'm sure she can have a big chance with Sasuke-san!

Gasps of shock suddenly arose, and we swiveled around to see Sakura-san on top of Sasuke-san, whose right arm was twisted at an odd angle.

"DAMMIT, SAKURA!" Sasuke-san roared. "GET OFF ME! GOD, ARE YOU THAT DESPERATE FOR ATTENTION!"

Sakura-san got up reluctantly, and I saw a tear fall from her cheek. She whispered something to him, and he glared at her. She got up and slowly walked away, obviously… rejected.

Sasuke-san was somewhat cruel, but I could see his point.

"Poor Sakura-san," I said, feeling sorry for her. I watched Sasuke-san get up, supporting his arm. There was no doubt about it: it was broken.

"Hinata, please. She was the one who chased him in the first place."

Sasuke-san looked like he had a storm cloud hanging over his head. To my surprise, he didn't head to our usual table, but went right over to us and sat beside me.

"Ah, S-Sasuke-san!" I exclaimed hastily. "Are you all right?"

"My arm hurts like hell," he said quietly. His eyes looked sort of glazed over; I imagine it was very painful.

"Hina-chan, don't you know First Aid?" Ino-chan asked anxiously.

I nodded quickly and pulled the triangular bandage I always bring from my pocket.

"Always ready, huh?" Ino-chan smiled at me, as she watched me.

I smiled back and immobilized his arm in a matter of seconds. "Come on, Sasuke-san, let's go to the infirmary and have it properly cast."

He frowned, looking at the table. "No."

"But, Sasuke-kun—"

"Hey, what happened?" Kiba-kun asked, with Shino-kun and Gaara standing beside him. "Naruto said he didn't know the rest after he got tired and gave up."

They sat on the remaining spaces. "Who did that?" Gaara asked, nodding at Sasuke-san's improvised sling.

"I'm sure Hinata-chan did that," Shino-kun answered.

Gaara looked thoughtful. Of course, no one knew that I was a trained First Aider, except Ino-chan, Shino-kun, Kiba-kun, and Neji-niisan.

"Sasuke-kun doesn't want to go to the infirmary," Ino-chan said, with a slight frown on her face.

"I'm fine," he growled, moving his immobilized arm a little.

"Bah, let him," Kiba-kun waved a hand in the air. "If he says he's fine, then he's fine. Hinata-chan bandaged him pretty nicely, look."

"Ah! Uh, well, he still needs proper attention… Sasuke-san, we'll go to the infirmary after class, all right?" I said, trying to sound firm.

He suddenly jerked upright, eyes wide. "Ah!" he exclaimed. "Yes, yes, I'll go! I'll go with you!"

…Why is Sasuke-san acting so weird? Was this really normal once you get to know him? I wonder if Naruto-kun always experienced this kind of behavior from Sasuke-kun…

"I'll go too," Gaara said.

I looked at both him and Sasuke-san curiously.

"I'll come with you," Shino-kun said quickly.

"Yeah, me too!" Kiba-kun seconded.

"Count me in!" Ino-chan said.

Really, what was wrong with everybody? Sasuke-san and I are only going to the infirmary after class!

"Kuso, I'm a cleaner tomorrow," Ino-chan grumbled beside me.

Something clicked. "Oh no," I said, dismayed. "Gaara and I are cleaners today! Kiba-kun, Shino-kun, can you bring Sasuke-san to the infirmary later?"

"No, I'll wait for you, Hinata-san," Sasuke-san replied rather hastily.

I smiled at him. "Sasuke-san, you've waited that arm long enough," I said gently.

"But—"

"No buts, Sasuke-kun. Don't argue with Hinata-chan," Ino-chan said.

I smiled at her, and she grinned back.

"…Fine…" he said. "Are you finished with the characters?" he pulled the notebook we were writing on closer to him. He studied it for a moment, and then looked up at us. "Is this finished?"

"Those are the major ones," Ino-chan answered. "Hinata-chan said she'd add some minor ones if needed." She fingered her beautiful blond hair carelessly.

"Good." He looked up at me, and half-smiled. "I have faith in you, Hinata-san."

Something stirred in me, and I fought the urge to hug him. This was actually only the second time in seventeen years someone told me that, the first one being Neji-niisan.

But this, this was different! This was Sasuke-san! He said he had faith in me, and I knew he meant it!

"Th-thank you, Sasuke-san," I half-whispered, trying to hide the coloring of my cheeks.

I looked in pride at Sasuke-san standing before the class, tossing the chalk and catching it again and again. Having been elected as our class president, he was presiding in our election.

"Who are in favor of Haruno for vice-president?" he said Sakura-san's surname like it was a… disease. I guess he was still upset at her because she broke his arm. Despite that, many people still raised their hands, and by majority, Sakura-san was elected.

Sasuke-san wrote her name on the board rather clumsily because he was using his left hand. I wonder if his arm is still hurting him. He erased the candidates' names and wrote something. I craned my neck to see, but it was impossible.

When he turned to face us, I was surprised—no, shocked!—to see what was written on the board.

Hyuuga Hinata

"The table is now open for the position of secretary, and Hyuuga Hinata is nominated," Sasuke-san said.

"WE CLOSE THE NOMINATION!" some of my classmates shouted.

"WE SECOND THE MOTION!" I recognized Kiba-kun's, Naruto-kun's, Shino-kun's, and Ino-chan's voices among the rest.

Are they really determined to give shy, invisible Hyuuga Hinata a position? I felt mildly overwhelmed.

For the first time, Sasuke-san grinned—in front of the class. Many of the girls swooned.

Sasuke-san has really nice teeth.

"Hyuuga Hinata is nominated as secretary unanimously. Congratulations," he said, starting to clap.

The whole class followed, accompanied by cheers from Kiba-kun and Naruto-kun.

Knees shaking, I made my way to the front. I gave a tentative smile to Sasuke-san, and he gave me the chalk, with the same half-smile as before. I wiped his writing and replaced it with my own.

"The table is now open for the position of treasurer. Any nominees?"

I stood poised, ready to write.

"Yes?" I heard Sasuke-san say. "Aburame Shino is nominated. Any other nominees?"

I smiled to myself and wrote Shino-kun's name. I hope he wins!

"You. Chang Thayassa is nominated. Yes? Ichigo Aki is nominated. The nomination is closed. Any objections? All right. We now proceed to the votation. Candidates, please stand up. All in favor of Aburame Shino, raise your hands. Majority vote. Aburame Shino is our new treasurer."

I turned and gave Shino-kun a smile and wrote his name on the board. The rest of the elections went on similarly, except there was a rather difficult tie with the P.R.O., muse, and escort. Here is the list of officers:

III-Shinya Class Officers

President: Uchiha Sasuke

Vice-President: Haruno Sakura

Secretary: Hyuuga Hinata

Treasurer: Aburame Shino

Auditor: Akimichi CHouji

P.R.O.: Inuzuka Kiba

Business Manager: Nara Shikamaru

Sergeant at Arms: Sabaku Gaara

Muse: Yamanaka Ino

Escort: Uzumaki Naruto

Anko-sensei made us go to the front, facing the class. Chouji-san, who was beside me, was sneaking bites of chips. "These are your officers, III-Shinya. Now, I'm only here during your Math in the morning and attendance checking in the afternoon, so I can't monitor you all the time. Whether you like it or not, the class officers will take charge once I leave." She turned to us. "Officers, any words?"

Uchiha Sasuke-san: "Always follow your officers. After all, you elected us."

Haruno Sakura-san: "Always follow Sasuke-kun! Don't be too noisy! Don't throw your trash under your chairs, and pass your projects on time!"

Me: "Um… Thank you for voting me, minna… Please cooperate with us."

Aburame Shino-kun: "…Pay the class fund on time…"

Akimichi Chouji-san: "…Uh, what they said!"

Inuzuka Kiba-kun: "Respect us always, cooperate with us, and don't forget to shut up when I'm making announcements!"

Nara Shikamaru-san: "Che… Don't be troublesome…"

Sabaku Gaara: Glare.

Yamanaka Ino-chan: "Thanks for voting me! Well do our best!"

Uzumaki Naruto-kun: "Ha! Sasuke-baka isn't the escort! Don't worry, minna, we're going to be the best officers!"

Everybody clapped politely, and Anko-sensei said, "you heard them! III-Shinya, I expect a lot from you. You're different from the other sections. You belong to Shinya. Not III-Mana, Reiko, Miyavi, Gotoh, Tetsu, or Hisashi. You're the cream of the crop. It doesn't matter if you're smart or not; if you have discipline, you'll easily accomplish a mission—er, task. Can I expect discipline from you, III-Shinya?

There was a faint, "yes, ma'am," from the class.

"Very nice," Kakashi-sensei's voice came from the doorway. The whole class turned to him. He was probably looking in on classes. As far as I knew, he was a non-adviser. "Yo," he greeted, stepping inside.

"Good afternoon, sir," some stood up.

"Kakashi-sensei," Anko-sensei nodded at him.

His eye curved upward, and he went beside Anko-sensei. "Aside from discipline, all of you must work as one team, especially the officers. You won't be efficient leaders if you disagree with each other. Discipline is important in an individual; cooperation is important in a group. Always remember that, Shinya."

I looked at Kakashi-sensei admiringly. I never knew he was capable of serious statements! But then again, appearances could be deceiving. I marveled at the gravity of his words. Had he been listening to Anko-sensei's speech from the beginning? If so, then we hadn't noticed him! Then again, Anko-sensei had a way of inducing fear in us even if she so much as moved.

Anko-sensei half-smiled and nodded. "Yes, that's right, Shinya. Discipline, cooperation, and respect. Especially for those who intend to enter the CAT and become an officer."

The CAT (Citizen Advancement Training) is the military program of Konoha High. Near the end of third year, aspirants are given a written test. Those who pass undergo leadership training during the vacation, and when they make it through the training, they are declared as officers. Our Physical Education in third year will be CAT in fourth year. And instead of Gai-sensei, officers are the ones to train and teach the fourth years who aren't part of the Scouts.

I should know, because Neji-niisan's the Corps Commander. The corps is the position given to the highest-ranked male during the training.

"I know many of you want to join the training, that's why it is important to practice now," Anko-sensei said.

"I'm surprised she hasn't said anything about Neji," Shino-kun whispered to me.

"Maybe she still doesn't know," I whispered back.

Kakashi-sensei apprised each one of us. "Gambatte, officers," his eye curved upward again. "Ja," he said, raising his hand in farewell, and in his usual slouch, walked—slunk—away.

Anko-sensei dismissed the class half an hour early, and we started to clean.

The Thursday cleaners finished quickly, and I was surprised to see Shino-kun, Kiba-kun, Ino-chan, Naruto-kun, and Sasuke-san on the corridor, waiting for me and Gaara. I looked questioningly at them.

"Well, come on," Ino-chan said, taking me by hand.

"Huh? Where are we going?" I asked, keeping up with her.

"To the infirmary," she answered, "to have Sasuke-kun's arm cast."

"But—but I thought—"

"He refused to come along," Kiba-kun said dryly. "He seems to enjoy giving us all a headache with that thick head of his," he added pointedly.

Sasuke-san, who was walking slightly before Kiba-kun, scoffed.

"Is the bandage still okay, Sasuke-san?" I asked him.

"Yeah," he replied. "I still can't move my hand."

When we arrived at the infirmary, Shizune-san, the school nurse, who knew us quite well, raised an eyebrow. "Well, what do we have? Do all of you have injuries?"

"Ah, no, Shizune-san, only Sasuke-kun," Ino-chan said, and Kiba-kun pushed him forward, earning a glare from Sasuke-san.

"Oh, I see," she nodded disapprovingly. "Did you do this, Hinata?" she gestured to the bandages.

"Hai," I replied in a low voice.

She smiled a little. "I'm glad someone took to heart what I was teaching." She tapped Sasuke-san's arm. He grimaced, but didn't say anything. "What caused this?" she asked him.

He flushed red and looked away. "A girl tackled me," he muttered.

"Ah," she said, satisfied. "Sakura."

She really knew us quite well.

When Sasuke-san was finished, we went out into the late afternoon sunshine. There were some students sitting by the mango trees, and I could hear a chorus of voices from the student hall. Neji-niisan's meeting still wasn't over, then.

"Hey, I have a great idea!" Naruto-kun exclaimed. We all listened, because his first great idea brought all of us—with the exception of Ino-chan—together.

"Well, what is it, dobe?" Sasuke-san asked, smirking. Naruto-kun wanted to sign his cast, but Sasuke-san would have absolutely none of it.

"Since all of us are officers, why don't we celebrate?" Kiba-kun suggested.

"Hey, you stole my idea!" Naruto-kun wailed, pouting.

"You're too loud, dobe," Sasuke-san said. "So, where do we celebrate?"

Ino-chan drew me closer to her. "You know, Sasuke-san keeps surprising me this year," she said quietly.

"That's exactly what I'm thinking," I replied. "He's… changed."

"Yeah," she said, nodding. "He's not much of an arrogant half-assed jerk anymore. What do you think brought this on?" She linked her arm with mine, a gesture that surprised and pleased me very much.

I smiled at that. "I certainly don't know, Ino-chan. He doesn't confide much in any of us, even to Naruto-kun, I think."

"But I think it's nice," Ino-chan said contemplatively. "It's a nice change—one for the better. Although now, my rivals would be more determined than ever." She chuckled.

"Why don't we ask Shino-kun?" I suggested. "He's… um… good at reading body language. His father is a psychologist, and he taught Shino-kun how to analyze people since he was nine," I added proudly. Sometimes it bothered me that Shino-kun could read me so easily, but it was also convenient, because I didn't have to hide anything from him.

"Okay. Come on," she said, and we fell into step beside Shino-kun.

"Is this about Sasuke?" he asked us.

Ino-chan looked surprised, and I smiled. "See?" I said, and gave her a nudge.

"You never said he could read minds," she said jokingly.

"Shino-kun… What do you think happened to Sasuke-kun?" I asked him.

"His arm got broken," he replied flatly.

"That's not what I meant!" I pushed him playfully. "Uh… Well… Don't you think he's… um…"

"Changed? Yes," he replied. Ino-chan drew closer.

"Do you know why?" she asked him.

"No, I don't. I… can only guess," he said slowly.

"Tell us what you think, then," Ino-chan said. She looked up at him. "Surely you've been observing him?"

Shino couldn't bring himself to say, "as a matter of fact, I do, and Hinata-chan's the reason why Sasuke's being close to nice." No. Of course not.

Shino couldn't bring himself to say, No. Of course not.

He sighed, more to himself. "Not as closely as needed, Ino-san," he answered, and observed Ino and Hinata's reactions. Ino merely raised an eyebrow, and Hinata bowed her head, smiling a little.

"That's okay, Shino-kun," she said softly.

"Hey, can you watch him from now on?" Ino asked, looking up at him. He was a head taller than her, even if she was pretty tall herself. "I mean, you know. Observe him."

"What for?" he asked. "Is there something in particular that you need of him?"

"Uh, well… Not really…" Ino looked away. "Not exactly. We just wanted to know something. Ne, Hinata-chan?"

"Right," she answered, nodding.

Shino allowed himself to smile at the two of them. Hinata never really had any female friends during childhood, and growing up. It had always been the three of them—Hinata, Kiba, and Shino. She was never sociable, and preferred to keep to herself. It was good that Hinata had Ino as a friend. She was friendly and nice, although a little neurotic and obsessive at times. Their family owned the largest flower shop, but she never bragged about it, even if most of her customers were males who bought only for the sake of seeing her. She never even thought about it.

Women had a certain level of density when it came to their own love affairs.

A.N.: Yay! Here I am again! It's the longest chapter I've done; hope you guys like it! Hm, well, there's some kind of Sakura bashing here… I won't beat around the bush. I HATE SAKURA. I hate her hate her hate her! Really! She's a freaking pain in the ass. Sorry if I offended some Sakura supporters, but hey. Freedom of speech! XD And since Ino's my second favorite girl, I'm putting her in here! She plays kind of a big part in the sequel… Hihihi… I love Ino! XD Anyway, have some of you noticed I used names of jrockers for the sections? XD

And I've decided to speed up the update a little… Due to some… eherm… friendly warnings I got in my mail. XD

Responses…

chinadoll27: Thanks a lot for reviewing!

Kiyoko-San: Hm, I'm still trying to fit Orochimaru in… heeheehee… That said, I think this fic will reach up to 20 chapters. You up for reviewing that? XP Hm… You don't have to destroy Stalker Kiba… But you can do anything you want with him as long as I get to keep my pillow! -glomps the pillow- Oh, you're not supposed to be online, but you were… –wags finger- naughty naughty!

lunarangel: Hm, well, I'm making Kakashi kind of a sadist in here! XD Especially if I pair him up with Iruka… Yeah, yeah you're right! XD Sasuke was chasing Naruto with all the intention of incapacitating him. Hm, wow! Kiba! XD what was the snack you gave him, anyway? Maybe it has some kind of love potion on it, eh? XP Did it feel real? I've had some dreams, not necessarily nightmares, which feel like they were really happening. Hm… in the anime, I don't think Kiba has a crush on Hinata. He's more like a protective brother… Ah, well, I don't really know for sure!

Kichou: Wow! A review from one of the greatest SasuHina writers of all time! XD Sometimes I can't believe my luck. XD

ebenezem: Fear not! Your sanity shall stay with you until the next update. Teehee! Thank you!

Blackangeltwin1: Well, here ya are! Want fries with that? Kidding! –winks-

white tiger: -gasps- Is that a threat? –gasps again- Mommyyyyyy! Some weird person is threatening me! XDXD Aw, just kidding. XD You want me to tell you who Hinata chooses or you want to find out for yourself?

payday: Thank you so much:D And I love fireworks!

sil3ntxspirit: Oh, you liked it? XD Okay, every time I put a chase scene I'll write about his incredibly sexy flying hair. XDXD I love his hair too! XD It looks like a black porcupine or something equally nejified… In a good way, of course!

Morbed-Kai: Aww, thank you so mush! XD I mean… Thank you so much. :D I promise not to let it get out of hand and make it as believable as possible! XD

OspreyAnimeG: Wow, you liked the flashback! Thank you! Actually, they're my weakest point, along with… Cream puffs! XD Kidding aside, I really do suck at flashbacks. XD I'm glad you liked it!

Kuu-sama: Yup, Jiji's going to be in here! (I borrowed 'Jiji' from bite the hand that feeds, who wrote a beautiful Kaka-centric fic, Butterfly in Reverse. Make sure to check it out!)

Moonsnow Neko: Yay! Thanks for being open to suggestions! XD Sorry for not being able to review it, though… But I'm still reading it, don't worry! XD I'll probably drop a line sometime..

Shanice Miharu: Thanks! –scatters confetti around- Yup, they're all together! XD Except Sakura, who I totally… eherm… despise, for lack of kinder word.

Frosted shadowz: Yes, Naruto's fine! XD He's alive and kicking! XD After all, I kind of need him for the sequel. XD I will probably kill off someone here, or in the sequel, though. XD

Lems: Wow, thanks! XD Yup, I read Torn and Ironically Dramatic! I am a huge fan of those two! XD Except I can't find the time to review… But I really enjoy both. XD Yeah, if Shino didn't have brown hair, he might pass off as Sasuke's relative. XD Except he doesn't have the Sharingan. XD

kai-itachi21: Yup, he is! XD But I don't want to make him look like a bodyguard, though. XD Wow, 800 meters! Niice! Go Neji!

shikaruTo: Waiii! Thank you for all the compliments! I can't believe you liked the flashback! Ooh. T-T Well, she won't be the only girl now… Actually I was bothered a little by it, because Neji might make her sit with him instead, because she's surrounded by five guys. XD But then Ino comes along! I love you Ino! XD Aww… Kiba doesn't have a crush on Hinata anymore, though… XD Too many cooks spoil the broth, I guess. XD Yup, he does play an important role! XD I love Shino! I'll try to make use of his skills as often as I can. XD

fried ryce: Thank you so much! And for the criticism (kind of) too! XD Actually… Well… I felt the same too… There was no… magic in what I wrote in the flashback. XD But as I said, I suck at flashbacks. XD I'll make up for it, though! Hmm, and thanks also for the suggestion on the project! I'm actually having kind of a hard time with it. XD

Jasmine Starlight: Yup, I have two PVs for Rewrite! XD It's so darn cool! Oh, Ready, Steady, Go? I like L'ArcenCiel, but not really that much… Dunno… Some poser girl in school liked Laruku too, and I stopped enjoying it. XD I don't know Gravitation, though! All I know is that it's yaoi… -giggles-

hatami: Um..? Thanks..:D