Neji watched Hinata brush her hair, leaning on the doorframe of her room. "How many are they again?" he asked, eyes narrowed, referring to the number of Hinata's classmates coming over later.

"Four," she replied, working out a tangle. "Um… nii-san… You—you don't mind if I ask you a favor?" she covered her mouth, coughing.

"Sure," he replied automatically. "No problem." Hinata asking for a favor was few and far between, so he had never grown accustomed to saying no to her almost every time.

"Um, well…" If he had been looking, he would have seen Hinata trying to hide a smile. "Can you… um… please bake us a snack? You know, for our meeting?"

Oh, crap, baking. "Hm, I—uh—think I have a meeting with my co-officers at lunch," he lied.

"Oh, but, nii-san… You said…" she bit her lip and her face fell. "It-it doesn't matter anyway… Never mind…"

Maa! What have I done? Baka! Now what do I do? "I'll still bake," he said quickly. "Don't worry. It's okay."

Her face brightened. "Really? Thank you, nii-san!" She smiled warmly at him. "I left a recipe and ingredients on the counter. Thank you so much!"

Crappity crap crap. I sure hope it won't be for damn mint chocolate-chip cookies. He tried to smile. "Okay." He cleared his throat. He recalled his first attempt at baking mint chocolate-chip cookies. It was the first day of school, and Lee and TenTen barely stopped short of gagging in front of him.

Needless to say, it was not a success.

He scowled to himself.

"I'm sure you'll do great," she turned to him again, smiling. "Better than… um… the last time." She coughed again.

"What time are they coming here?" he asked. "I'm not going to let in any one of them if you're not here."

"Don't worry. Our meeting is at two, and I'll be here by one."

Hinata's cell phone beeped. She picked it up from her bed and read the message. She looked at him, eyes wide.

"What is it?" he asked, furrowing his eyebrows in concern. "Something wrong?"

She shook her head quickly, erasing the message. "N-nothing."

Oh my gosh, Hanabi's coming! Hinata thought frantically, unconsciously turning to Neji. She was going to leave in a few minutes, and Neji would be alone in the house.

And Hanabi was arriving in an hour.

Nii-san's going to kill me for leaving him alone with her!

"What is it?" he asked from her doorway, his eyebrows drawing together. "Is something wrong?"

Oh, I really wish I was here to watch the two of them, she thought morosely. They're so funny together. Her lips curled longingly. And I hope nii-san forgives me if he finds out the recipe I left was for mint choco-chip cookies.

The thing was, Hanabi was less refined than her sister. She meant well, but she was always getting into trouble. And Hanabi's favorite pastime was annoying Neji. Or bouncing a ball around the house, which was chock-full of breakable objects. Or unwittingly getting into trouble.

Neji always said he had a headache just by looking at Hanabi.

And now he was going to be alone with her, while Hinata spent the morning at the mall with Shino and Kiba, something the three of them did every Saturday morning since sixth grade. Neji knew and understood, and never gave her a reason not to go.

Hinata was torn between staying or going. She was the only one Hanabi ever listened to, and could always make Hanabi sit quietly in a corner. Neji, with all his CAT training and austerity, never could.

The doorbell rang, and Hinata uncertainly took her purse. Neji escorted her downstairs to the door.

"Um… Are you sure you're not coming with us?" she asked, even if she knew the answer.

"No," he replied. He put his hand on the doorknob. "Take care of yourself."

"All right," she said, looking down and biting her lip.

"Hm?"

Suddenly, she hugged him. "Erm… Good luck, nii-san… and sorry…" she said, slipping out the door before giving him a chance to answer.

At the mall, Hinata had a hard time navigating through the crowd, sidestepping people as she went. Occasionally, Shino held her elbow to keep her from getting carried away. The mall was fuller than usual. Beside her, Kiba never stopped ranting about the ridiculous price at Sbarro, the new Italian restaurant near the bookstore.

"I think that's Gaara," Shino pointed to a flash of bright red.

Hinata smiled to herself. Gaara didn't like drawing attention to himself, but with his hair, it was hard not to.

They stepped aside to let a crowd of giggling mini-skirted girls pass, most of whom were staring hungrily at Shino and Kiba.

"Hey, that's Gaara!" Kiba stopped his tirade and pointed to Gaara, and his companions. "OI, GAARA!"

Gaara turned to them and partially raised an eyebrow. A blond woman with spiky pigtails and lavender mesh blouse was hanging on to his arm. A tall man with a darker hair color than Gaara's rested against the railings, flipping a lighter open and closed.

"I didn't know Gaara liked older chicks," Kiba snickered. "Come on!"

Hearing this, Hinata felt heat rising up within her. Suddenly, she wanted to hurt someone.

Kiba led them to where Gaara and his companions were. Feeling very self-conscious and still unexplainably irritated, Hinata lagged behind. What does that girl think she's doing! Doesn't she have any shame? She looked away and saw a couple kissing inside a restaurant, but didn't feel anything. She looked at the blond woman again, who was hugging Gaara's arm, and looking around. But she's certainly prettier than me, she thought unhappily.

What's the matter with me? Am I jealous? She shook her head, ridding her mind of bothersome thoughts.

"Kiba," Gaara said, nodding to him, and also to Shino. He then looked at Hinata, who was wishing for the earth to open up and swallow her whole.

Blink

Blink

Blink

Clear throat

"You… look… very pretty today… Hinata-san…" he said slowly, looking her up and down.

Hinata's self-consciousness intensified. She was wearing baby blue cropped pants, a white sleeveless shirt, and blue flats. It was particularly dressy for her, because it was a slight deviation from her usual capris and jacket.

I'm glad he likes it, she thought, a blush staining her cheeks.

"You l-look very n-n-nice too," she said, almost in a whisper, gulping inwardly. He wore a slightly oversized white shirt with red trim, black denim shorts, and white slippers. The effect was quite astonishing, as it heightened Gaara's paleness and the vivacity of his hair color more. He looked better in casual clothes than in school uniform.

He looks really… hot…

Maa, Hinata! What are you thinking!

Gaara swallowed his uneasiness, and looked Hinata up and down again. He couldn't believe this was what she was hiding under her uniform.

Be cool, he thought to himself, remembering Temari's lesson. Be confident, but don't overdo it.

It was very strange. He felt his throat (and groin) tighten, and his heart was beating abnormally fast and loud, he was almost sure everyone passing by could hear.

"Wow! Hi! So you must be Hinata!" Temari let go of his arm and broke the awkward silence that was starting to build up. "I'm Temari, Gaara's sister. Gaara's told me a lot about you." She leaned over to whisper in Hinata's ear, and Hinata turned red.

"That-that c-can't be t-t-true," she stuttered, looking down.

So. She was nervous. Her stutter was coming back in full force. Without meaning to, a smirk played upon his lips.

"Eh? What the hell are you smirking at?" Kiba asked him, an eyebrow raised.

He sounds like Naruto. He spared a glance at Kiba. He even looks a little like Naruto.

"None of your business," he replied. He looked over at Kankurou. He was standing near the entrance of a stall, while a salesgirl tried to flirt with him. Gaara snorted to himself.

Temari was still chattering away to Hinata, who looked genuinely interested.

Without warning, he pinched her arm.

"Ow!" she yelled, turning to him. "Dammit, can't you see I'm in the middle of a conversation?" She rubbed her arm furiously.

He glared at her.

She glared back. And then something clicked. "Oh, right." She smiled mischievously. "All yours."

"…Sorry about Temari…" he said when she left their side. "She gets… carried away. Most of the time."

"That's o-okay," she said a little nervously, smiling faintly. "She's really nice."

Neither said anything for ten seconds.

"I… um… what—uh…" Hinata started to say.

"Temari forced us to," he said dryly. "Kankurou and I were going to play some video games, but she just had to see the mall."

Hinata smiled at that.

"And you?" he asked, smiling a little to make her feel at ease.

"We always c-come here, um… every Saturday morning," she answered, "since sixth grade."

"Do you want to have lunch together?" he suddenly asked her.

Hinata opened and closed her mouth, unblinking. She opened her mouth, but no sound came out. She was very red.

"I-I-uh-um… When?" she finally managed to choke out.

"Today," he replied evenly, enjoying her reaction.

"I-uh, well, uh, what about—Shino-kun? And Kiba-kun?" she asked, flustered, wringing her hands nervously.

"Temari will take care of them," he said, gesturing behind him, where the three of them were engrossed in conversation. He took her hand. "Come on, he said.

"Uh… Wh-where are we going?" she asked him, stumbling a little.

He squeezed her hand in reply.

Neji's jaw clenched and unclenched, his mind not really on mixing the cookie batter.

The sounds of a basketball being dribbled resonated from the second floor, directly above him.

Then a splintering crash.

Then—

"HANABIIIIII! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE NOW!" Neji promptly forgot about the batter, accidentally nudged the mint extract, and charged upstairs.

He flung open the door next to his room.

The scene that greeted him wasn't uplifting.

Habai, Hinata's younger sister (a skinnier replica of Hinata with longer, somewhat messier hair), looked up at him, identical pearl eyes wide and "innocent" looking.

"What. Have, You. Done." Neji's gaze shifted to the full-length mirror—what was once of it. Numerous shards littered the floor. An innocent looking basketball stood beside it.

"Neji!" Hanabi shot up and clung to him, her slender arms winding themselves around his waist. "How's the baking going?"

Scowling, Neji untagled her arms from him. He pointed to the broken mirror. "Explain."

Hanabi looked up at him. "The ball… slipped?" she grinned up at him apologetically.

"And where do you want me to get the money to pay for the mirror you broke?"

"We could pool our allowances." She laced her fingers together. "And then we can shop for a new mirror! Won't that be fun?"

"Mo—" he started to say, but stopped. "No," he replied coldly. "As I recall, I wasn't involved in breaking that expensive mirror."

"Eh? How do you know it's expensive? How much is it worth, anyway? Why are you fussing about that old mirror?"

"It costs 256,000." He had the same mirror in his room.

Hanabi's eyes shone. "Sugoi! You're really a genius, Neji! Ne, ne! How do you know the price, Neji? Huh? Tell meee!"

Neji bit his lip so hard it began to bleed. He had almost forgotten how Hanabi was infuriating. "Never mind," he said through gritted teeth. "Clean up the shards. I'll call your father about this." He turned on his heel and stalked out.

"I-isn't that Kakashi-sensei? And Iruka-sensei?" I pointed to two tall figures inside a toy shop. They had their backs to us, but the spiky brown hair and spiky silver hair were giveaways.

Gaara watched them intently for a while. "It's them," he confirmed, giving a gentle pressure on my hand.

I blushed. I wasn't used to anyone holding my hand, even Neji-niisan. And now, Gaara wasn't giving a sign that he'd let go anytime soon. I… liked it.

What would nii-san say if he saw me?

Suddenly, Kakashi-sensei took Iruka-sensei's hand and Iruka-sensei rested his head on Kakashi-sensei's shoulder.

I blinked twice. I've read a lot about relationships like these, but I've never encountered any of them before. I took a step closer.

"Um, come on," I said, tugging Gaara's hand and moving closer to the toy shop.

"Hinata-san, the restaurants are the other way," Gaara reminded me.

"Um… Uh-huh," I said. I wanted to get a closer look at my two teachers. They were moving down the aisle, still in the same position. Then, Kakashi-sensei's hand let go, and he put his arm around Iruka-sensei, who moved closer.

"Hinata-san," Gaara said.

"I… I want to buy a stuffed bear," I said, "for my sister."

Well… I knew Hanabi really doesn't like bears, but I had to see Kakashi-sensei and Iruka-sensei together. In all of my seventeen years, I had never encountered a man-to-man relationship before, much less regaled with stories about it.

Besides, it might be a good idea to make Hanabi start being a lady.

Gaara frowned, but when I looked at the bears in the sales rack with what I hoped was longing, he finally loosened his grip on me and let me lead the way.

We entered the shop, the bell in above the door tinkling softly. I moved furtively to the aisle next to where Iruka-sensei and Kakashi-sensei were. I could hear them talking, and moved closer to hear them, pretending to inspect the bears on the sales rack.

"…Yes, this would be perfect next to that red pillow of yours."

"I think this one is better."

"Why don't we just buy both? And we can enjoy them later. And maybe after that…" I could feel Kakashi-sensei smirking from where I was.

"Oh, Kashi, stop," Iruka-sensei giggled nervously. "Look, this one is cute too."

My eyes widened. I couldn't believe I was hearing a private conversation between my two male teachers. And for once, I don't hear them talking about the next topic, or recitations.

They were talking about stuffed bears! I smiled to myself. Every day brings new discoveries…

Kakashi-sensei and Iruka-sensei moved to another aisle, and I started to follow, when I felt something tug at my hand.

I looked behind me, and smiled apologetically. I forgot Gaara was still anchored to my arm!

"Hinata-san, you're stalking," he said. I didn't know if he was repulsed or amused.

On the other hand, I didn't realize I was stalking my two teachers. I was content to follow them and learn more about their relationship, but…

I could vividly imagine Ino-chan saying, "when you see two of your teachers being intimate, you shouldn't pass up the chance to know more!"

Yes, I thought, that's exactly what Ino-chan would have said.

"Oh, was I…?" I bit my lip and stared at the floor, too embarrassed to look at Gaara in the face. "I… I'm sorry… Um… Lunch?" I smiled sheepishly at the floor.

A/N: Waaaa sorry for the too-long delay! I know you guys must have been tired of waiting for the update, but well, here it is. I've been too busy with whatnots in school, especially for our school newspaper. -.- Anyway, thank you SO much for your reviews! I really appreciate them. And sorry also for the too-short chapter, I know it's crappy and all. I put a little yaoi in here, and it's too late to remove it now, haha. –evil grin- Hope you guys like this one anyway! Oh, and I know there just too many PV changes, and I know Xoni warned me against it, but… You guys just tell me if you're getting too confused and I'll write labels, okay?

Responses…

Meep: -makes you get up- Don't beg! I get even guiltier when my reviewers do that. Yes, here is the update, don't worry, okay?

thunder sister: Aw. When you put on those cute hinata eyes, I'm in love with you too. XD

Ramihel: Aww, thanks so much. XD

watashi-shorty-kun: Yeah, you got that right! XD Impossible but undeniably cute. Omg. I must not have flames, yes? XD Don't worry, I live in a tropical area so I can take the heat. I hope. XD

hopeless-flame: I'm sorry to ruin your hopes, but this chapter is just too puke-y to be called good. I'm really sorry. I'll try better next time, though.

OspreyAnimeG: Thanks so much! I put a lot of effort in their interaction, and I'm glad you liked it.

shikaruTo: I am so sorry I haven't been reviewing your stories! Don't worry, I'll make it up, you'll see! Anyway, thanks SO much for the long review. XD Thanks for the constructive comment too… I'll do better! Yes! I love Hinata and Ino as friends! I think they click well together, don't you think? If only Masashi Kishimoto gave Hinata more air time… -sighs- And thank you for noticing Naruto! I'm having a hard time with him! XD

Lems: Sorry about the officers… Well… I'm not going to put much concentration on that part, but then again… Yay, Torn updated! Mg, I am so out of touch with the ff world.

KatReyusaki: Thanks! Well, here it is. XD And yes, I am the master at stating the obvious. XD

Shanice Miharu: Hm, ShinoIno sounds nice… In fact, I've been thinking about it for a while… You're right, Hinata should be in 7… Hayy grabe. XD Kasi naman nilagay pa si Sakura eh. o.O Oh yeah, reminder lang… Post ng post, ne? XD Take care and thanks!

sil3ntxspirit: Totally! XD Wow, thanks for the constructive comment! I love you! XD I'll do my best!

newblue: I'm afraid you won't like this chapter… -sighs- I'll do better next time, though… Anyway… Thanks!

Xoni: Thanks for noticing the weirdness. I'm trying not to make it a mushy romantic type. XD And I'll keep the POV changes in mind, too.

kenshinlover2002: Yes, that is the great question, isn't it? Well, if you want to know… I'll tell you… XD But then all the fun will be gone. :(

Blackangeltwin1: Oh, a GaaHina fan! Well… You'll be pleasantly shocked… And surprised… XD Don't be confused! Just review! Ahahaha! XD

chinadoll27: Yeah, I put it there in a moment of weakness, but it turned out nicely… I think. XD Thanks!

Everlasting Freak: Omg, thank you so much! As much as I want to… I can't do that… She has to suffer little by little… Until she snaps! XD Wahahaha! And THEN she gets 'accidentally' run over. Nice, ne? XD

hatami: Wow, my sleeping stuffs are endangered. O.O I'm going to take a Spanish class in college so I can understand you. Nyahaha. XD I'm trying to even the score on both Gaara and Sasuke, so you guys will be confused, okay? XD Hahahaha!

khmer shinobi: Waaah! I'm sorry! I haven't gotten around to reviewing your story too! I feel so guilty. Anyway, thank you thank you! XD I'm trying to fit in Orochimaru too, but when he comes, well… You be the judge!

Kichou: Thanks! Well, yeah, I think you're one of the greatest SasuHina writers, and I'm just really glad you're reviewing my fic. Teehee. XD Thanks for the comments on Ino, I love her too! Somehow, I don't think Sakura will be as nice as Ino. Or maybe I'm prejudiced. XD And also on Sasuke too! I'm having a little of a hard time with him, to tell the truth.

mUcHaChAnGiStAriRaY: Thank you thank you! Hm, well, about Alone No More… Wah! I'm running out of ideas on that one. But if ever I get something, I'll update, okay:D

Kiyoko-san: Yeah, it feels weird not to be typing DFGH. XD Hm. Well, I don't know about ShikaTema… It'll probably not work, but, well… Okay, I'll quit blathering now. XD Hahaha! As always, thanks for the weirdly entertaining review! You go on and roll on this update too, although I can't say anything much about it except that it sucks. And it's puke-y. And nejified. I said too much. O.O Peace. :D

Moonsnow Neko: Thanks for the review! And now, here is your cookie. :p

xxxMizukixxx: This chapter is short, by way of offsetting the last one. Wahaha. XD Look at me blab. XD Yes, well, I am going to make Sakura suffer! Muhahaha! Rejoice! XD

Morbed-Kai: Thanks! XD I am so touched. Man. XD Really, I am. Well, I'm trying my best:D

Whoever you are, yes, she would know.

Kuu-sama: Thanks! Hm, well, I was planning on something like that! Hahaha! Thanks for reviewing too!

Maynar Namiya: Thank you thank you thank you! Thank you so much! Thanks! XD I'm really happy about your reaction. Hopefully, I'll stick with this story and finish it, without it getting crappy somewhere in the middle.

Jasmine Starlight: Yes, there's yaoi in here! Waha! Rejoice! XD No way! Ishida is Sasuke's seiyuu? Omg! I did not know that! Thank you! Omg! Omg! I can't believe it! –dances around- Yes, I have Orange Range. I love them! They're really cool, ne? I love Asterisk! XD And Do As Infinity, God, I love them to bits! I only have Yotaka no Yume and Tooku Made, but they're really great! XD And I'm off in a tangent again. –sighs-