Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ From Here to Eternity ❯ Pregnancy Tests and Forgotten Birthdays ( Chapter 40 )
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
Kat: Holy effing CHEESE. FORTY. CHAPTERS. HO. LY. CRAP.
Soriko: How can you people honestly ENJOY this garbage?
Kat: -throws a hammer at him- -turns to audience- In honor of this joyous occasion, I have decided to reply to EVERYONE who reviewed! Yssiree, folks! EVERYONE!
I mean, for the last chapter. Not EVERYONE. I mean, I might do that for a bigger number, but… yeah.
Ky0Kichi: Yay! Does it REALLY keep you on the edge of your seat? Oh, I'm SO proud! -grin- Yeah, yeah, I know, more SasuGaa. Okay, okay. I guess I must comply!
Dark-kunoichi: Yeah, you're not the only one ready for Zabuza to burn in hell. XD Whoo! I got another person hooked! X)
nesssachiel: Yes, I AM an evil person, mm? X-) Odds are, you aren't the only one to think so. Hehe. Oh, you people and your SasuGaa! Fine! All right! I'll give you more! Jeez! XD
Junsui Kegasu: Wow! Less than five minutes? -gasp- NO WAY! Yeah, I do kinda leave short reviews. I'm working on it! JEEZ!
the troublesome twins: Oh, thank you! The last chapter was a lot of fun to write. Well, the ZabuHaku parts, anyway. XD Thanks for reviewing!
Shinimegami7: Oh, Naruto is airing in Canada now? FINALLY. Canada so kicks ass. I love Canada. I'd move there, except if I did that my parents would kind of freak out, seeing as I'm only fourteen. Heh. Me so funny. Anyway… Yes! Sasuke DOES need to fix his little problem with Orochi-bastard! I'm working on it…! XD
Bitenshi: Oh… OhmyGod! I haven't reviewed `Dirty Legends' yet! Ho'shit! I'm so sorry! I totally spaced! My bad. This chapter is now officially dedicated to you, seeing as I totally forgot. ARGH! Anyway, yeah! Thanks for reviewing, even though I didn't! TT Oh, I feel bad now. I'll go review as soon as I get this posted. Yeah, this really wasn't my best. -sigh- I just kind of gave up at the end. I was so freaking tired… argh. The end sucked. But who cares? That's in the past! READ ON, BEAUTIFUL!
Anne Cwa: Yeah, I wanted to give Ten-Ten a name that she'd hate. XD Yes! Zabuza got that stick out of his ass! XD I adore that analogy!
Golden Kitsune Akira: Why haven't Sasuke and Gaara been together lately? Well, there's a very simple answer to that question! And the answer is… Oh my God! What the hell is THAT? -points and runs away-
Fantastical Queen Ebony Black: Yeah… I'm kind of procrastinating. Heh. - - Part of it is my volleyball schedule. We don't get back from games until at least ten o'clock at night, and practice is a… GRUELING two and a half hours long, so I'm near the point of dying afterwards, and I don't want my chapters to suck incredibly just because I was tired and lazy. BUT ANYWAY! `Dashboard Confessional', hmm? Haven't seen it. But maybe I should. -shrugs- I must have heard the name somewhere and just kind of transferred it somehow… -shakes head- How odd. NO! NO, NO, NO! Ten-Ten is indeed going to have a happy life, NOT angsty. And, I say that seriously, not sarcastically. I need at least a FEW characters who have normal (ish) lives. -snickers- Sure… I'll be `craeulf' not to forget anyone… XD Thanks for such an awesomely constructive review!
Chaotic Prayer: Well, I'm glad you find it interesting. Ah… I think your review got cut off some how…
Udyjay: … `D'? Uh… thanks?
Dragon Master Lytore: Well, I just hope your saliva is sanitary. XD Thanks for reviewing!
BlackMageRose13: Oh! I do play an alto saxophone! I just play a bassoon for concert band. I play my sax for pep band, you know, like at football games and junk. Nervous about Sasuke and Orochimaru? Yes, a lot of people are. XD Oh, can't you feel the dramatic music swelling? Heh… Thanks for reviewing!
whiteviper111: Woah… your dad MATERIALIZED? NO WAY! XD Yeah, yeah, I get it! Everyone's going crazy with the lack of SasuGaa, oh, oh, write SasuGaa or I'll eat your pancreas, oh, oh! X-) Hmm-hmm. NARUTO WOULD TOTALLY EAT OROCHIMARU! THAT'D BE AWESOME! XDDD Your review totally kept me entertained for a whole five minutes. Heh. Thanks for reviewing! I'll be sure to check those chapters out!
Kat: (a brief interlude) JEEZUS! WHY IS IT EVERYONE DEMANDS SASUGAA? WHY HASN'T ANYONE DEMANDED SOMETHING ELSE? I FEEL SO… MONOGAMOUS! XD
Anyway…
erthy: … -dies-
Fennec: Yay fluff! It's fun to write! Hope you like this chapter!
Ashy: Heck YES you got a review answer! … I can't see… any links… Y_Y OH! THIS STUPID FF.NET FORMAT SUCKS! GRAH! Hey… you want to just e-mail them to me? E-mails in the profile… just press the `E-mail' button… Or, I could e-mail you! Just tell me what you want if you review this chapter. I LOVE YOU! XD
clown eyes: Okay. I officially love you. YOU'RE THE FIRST PERSON WHO'S BEGGED FOR SOMETHING OTHER THAN SASUGAA! YOU TOTALLY ROCK! I LUV YOU! LUV LUV LUV! XD
Shadow Vampiress: Woot! Zabi and Haku are together at last! XD
kazoua: Yeah, it was a little short, but I'm glad you enjoyed it! Oh, and thanks for the link! I haven't had time to check it yet, but I'm sure it'll be great!
SarcasticallyShy: OO Woah! Okay, okay! I updated! Just don't keel me! XD
Katie: If you get her to update, I will worship you. WORSHIP YOU…!
momo and her second wave: First of all: Your name rules so much. Second: Thanks for the link! You rule!
Kat: DONE! Oh, look at that. Almost 1,000 words down the drain. - - -sigh- Okay. Now that I've replied, please review!
SPOILER BELOW!
Oh, and one more thing… GAARA IS ALIVE!! HECK YES! YEEEES! -dances uncontrollably- OH I AM A HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY CLAM!
End Spoiler.
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“Hey, Gaara!” Naruto cried, flagging the Kaze down as he approached the school. Gaara paused in mid step, and waited for the blond to catch up to him.
“What is it?” Gaara asked, frowning. Naruto grinned widely.
“Guess what today is!” he said. Gaara rolled his eyes. He hadn't woken up until seven thirty after getting to bed at two the previous night. Well, technically, it was morning. He rubbed his eyes, and stifled a yawn.
Besides the fact that he hadn't slept the night before, there was something else nagging at him. Something that he had to do. The Something wasn't exactly what he wanted to do
(was it?)
but he knew that he had to do it.
“What is it?” he said again, looking over at Naruto.
“Guess!”
Naruto was practically bubbling over with excitement. But Gaara was in no mood to put up with the blonde's boisterousness today.
“Naruto, I don't care,” he stressed, storming up to the school. “I honestly do not care.”
As the redhead pushed open the front doors, he didn't see the crestfallen look that passed over Naruto's features.
“Gaara…” he said quietly, his lower lip trembling slightly. “You didn't… remember…?”
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Sasuke Uchiha was, in a sense, as happy as a clam.
Now this in its self is a strange saying. To say that one was as `happy as a clam' would imply that a clam was happy. Sasuke didn't understand how this would be possible. Clams, being the simple organisms that they are, were more likely to spit water at you, as opposed to be happy.
But, nonetheless, Sasuke Uchiha was as happy as a clam. Why, do you ask? Well, the answer is quite simple. Today, Sasuke had received his bi-weekly progress report, and he was quite pleased indeed, thank-you-very-much.
Progress Report for Sasuke Uchiha
Algebra II: A
Reading: A+
English: A+
Physical Education: A+
Shop: A+
Biology: A
`A'. An `A' in biology. Sasuke felt so incredibly spry at that moment, that when he happened to brush past Gaara in the halls, he grabbed the fellow freshman by the sleeves and dragged him into the nearby bathroom.
“S-Sasuke, what are you-“ Gaara was suddenly cut off by the Uchiha's lips sealing over his own. Gaara's initial reaction was to pull away, but the redhead ignored it, and instead, wrapped his arms around Sasuke's neck. After a moment, Sasuke moved back.
“Hi,” he said nonchalantly.
“H-Hi,” Gaara managed to choke out. “Uh… so…” Still in the `half-wrapped' position with Sasuke, he glanced around the bathroom. “Nice place you got here.”
Sasuke gave a small laugh. “Sorry,” he said softly. “I've just been meaning to do that for a while.”
“What, jump me in a public restroom?” Gaara said with a smile.
“Well, that too.” The Uchiha sighed. “Gaara, I'm sorry I haven't seen much of you over the last… what… week?”
“Yeah, week, five days,” Gaara said with a small shrug.
“The last few days have just kind of been hell for me… and I wanted to make it up to you,” Sasuke said, kissing Gaara's cheek. The redhead had to crush down his perverted thoughts.
“Oh…?” he said, raising his practically non-existent eyebrows.
“Sunday. Movies. You and me,” Sasuke said, his voice a low purr. “If you don't mind, that is. We can always do something else…”
“Movies would be great,” Gaara practically squeaked, as Sasuke moved down to kiss his neck. “Sasuke, please, control yourself! I'd rather not have a hickey right before class!”
Sasuke shook with laughter. “All right, all right, fine. None BEFORE class. Sunday okay with you?”
“What?” Gaara said, his fingertips unconsciously moving to the place on his throat Sasuke had attacked.
“The movies on Sunday? I was thinking… five o'clock?” Sasuke said with a small shrug. Gaara blushed.
“Oh, right. Yeah, that'll be…” He smiled. “Fun.”
Sasuke grinned. Gaara frowned.
“What?” he asked defensively. Sasuke shook his head.
“Nothing. Just… wondering what you're thinking,” he said with a small shrug. He glanced down at his watch. “Ah… Class is starting in, like, two seconds-“
At that moment, the bell rang, cutting off his speech. Gaara glanced up in surprise.
“Well, almost two seconds.” Sasuke shrugged resolvedly, kissed Gaara on the cheek, and said, “See you.” Then he pushed open the bathroom door, and disappeared into the crowd. Gaara leaned against one of the sinks, blushing furiously.
The fourteen-year-old realized that the younger Uchiha had pretty much taken advantage of him. And, truly, he didn't care at all.
But despite the Cloud 9 that this fact brought him to, there was still the Something that he had to do.
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When Itachi came out of calculus, he was met with a… surprise. Haku was leaning against the lockers across from the door, and looking nervous.
Itachi did not want to be seen by the sophomore (what was he doing on this side of the school, anyway?), so he lowered his head, and tried to sneak away unseen.
“Yo, Itachi! Hold up a sec!”
Haku's head snapped up, and his dark brown eyes surveyed to crowd. Itachi turned, attempting to make himself invisible.
“Yes, what?” he hissed, looking at the offending senior like a disease. Said senior was tall, gangly, and had light colored hair that hung in his eyes. Itachi's classmate's name escaped him for the moment.
“You forgot this,” he said, holding up a book. Itachi eyed it, before realization hit.
“Oh! Thank you,” he said automatically, taking the book, which had the words `The Rainmaker' across the front.
“You're welcome,” the senior said, before melding back with the crowd of students.
Itachi sighed, and turned to walk down the opposite direction of the hall, when a small voice said, “Itachi, wait! Please?”
The Uchiha halted, glancing over his shoulder. Haku walked up to him quickly.
“Yeah, what?” Itachi snapped, a little nastier than he meant to. Haku flinched and bit his lip, and, despite his earlier anger, Itachi felt a small strain of guilt. “What is it?” he said, softer.
“I… uh,” Haku frowned, and looked down at his feet. “I wanted to say… I'm sorry.”
Itachi raised his eyebrows in shock.
“I'm really, really sorry,” Haku continued, his cheeks coloring with shame. “Yesterday… what I said… there's no excuse for it. I was a jerk. A big, color-coordinated jerk. And I'm sorry,” he added, for good measure.
Itachi frowned thoughtfully.
“Oh,” he said, unsure of what else to say.
“So… you can go ahead and stay mad at me if you want. See you… I mean, bye,” Haku said, turning to walk off, but Itachi caught him by the shoulder.
“Hang on, Trigger,” he said, smiling. Haku turned hesitantly. Itachi took a deep breath, and released Haku's shoulder. “I'm sorry, too.”
Haku's eyes widened.
“R-Really?” he said in disbelief. Itachi scowled.
“You don't have to sound so surprised!” he said, crossing his arms. “I was going to apologize eventually, anyway! Man…”
Haku proceeded to hug Itachi so tightly that all of the air was crushed from the junior's lungs.
“Ah! Okay, okay! You don't have to hug me so tightly!” Itachi protested. Haku pulled back, rubbing his eyes, and smiling.
“I'm sorry, I'm sorry!” he laughed, sniffing. “I've b-been doing that a lot lately…”
“What, sending people to the brink of death?” Itachi said, massaging his aching ribs.
“Well, kind of.” Haku laughed. “I'll see you later, Itachi!”
“Yeah, later,” Itachi said, giving Haku a two-fingered salute, before watching as the sophomore hurried down the hall.
Itachi was in high spirits when he stepped into Advanced Placement English that morning.
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Naruto wasn't at lunch. This brought Gaara, Neji, Sasuke, and everyone else into a state of shock.
“Where the crap IS HE?” Ten-Ten demanded, slamming a closed fist onto the table, her eyes flashing the color of the volleyball jersey she was wearing, which was odd, seeing as the jersey was orange. “He's owes me a DOLLAR!”
Kankuro reached into his pocket, and pulled out a crumbled piece of green paper. His eyes wide and nervous, he thrust it over to the younger girl.
“Here!” he said shakily. “Just don't kill anyone!”
Ten-Ten's demeanor changed immediately, her face splitting into a wide smile.
“Why, thank you, Kankuro!” she said, taking the dollar bill from Kankuro's hand, and flattening it on the table. “You're so kind!” With that, she slid off of the bench, and scampered off to the soda machines, returning a moment later with a diet Pepsi, still smiling.
“And the Beast is tamed,” Kankuro said, putting his hands behind his head, a satisfied smile on his lips.
“Mm-hmm,” Haku droned, rolling his eyes, and poking the sandwich on his tray. “I give up. I'm not hungry. Zabi, do you want it?”
Zabuza grunted, and shook his head, his eyes closed. Haku shrugged.
“Where's Naruto when I need him,” he sighed, leaning back against the wall, and frowning.
Kankuro glanced from Haku to Zabuza, and back again.
“So…” he said, clearing his throat. “Are you two… ah… you know… okay?”
Haku smiled, and nodded. “Yes, Kankuro, we're okay. Thank you for asking.”
Kankuro quirked a brow, yawned, and shrugged.
“Whatever,” he said. “Just curious.”
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It was early that night when Kankuro announced that he had finally gotten a job at the movie theatre.
“Ever since the whole `McDonalds' Incident', I never really wanted another one. It's also kind of why I didn't want to drive to school today… waste of gas, you know?” he admitted, with a shrug, before pulling on a red polo shirt and a black visor. He brushed off the back of his black pants, and glanced over at Gaara, who was staring at him in silent amazement. “What?”
“Nothing… I'm just surprised.”
“Why?”
“No reason, really,” Gaara lied, grinning. “Just glad you're getting out of the house once in a while.”
Kankuro raised an eyebrow. “Uh… Hypocrite much?” he said with a smile. He glanced down at the illuminated clock on his dresser, and said, “Crap, I gotta go. Later, Squirt,” he said, shoving his wallet into his pocket, and ruffling Gaara's hair as he left the room, and gesture that Gaara didn't bother to snap at.
Kankuro happened to notice.
“Woah… is something up?” he said, sticking his head back in the door. Gaara shook his head.
“No… well… I just….”
“Yeah?” Kankuro said, sidling back through the door and into his room. “What is it?”
Gaara turned, and faced his brother.
“I want to go visit Mom,” he said quietly, trying to keep his voice even. Kankuro's eyes widened, and both his eyebrows lifted simultaneously.
“R…Really?” he said in partial disbelief. Gaara flushed slightly, and nodded.
“Y-Yeah. Um… Do you mind… taking me?” Gaara felt small and nervous asking his brother these questions, mostly because of the way Kankuro was gaping at him.
“Well, I'll take you, sure. Uh… when do you want to go?” Kankuro asked, scratching the back of his head in only slight discomfort.
“I was hoping… maybe on Saturday?” the redhead mumbled, before pressing his lips together, and biting them closed.
“Well, sure,” Kankuro said, shrugging. “I guess. Yeah. Why not?” Then he laughed a small, forced laugh. “It's been a while since we went to see Mom… she probably misses us. You want to drag `Ri along?”
“Only if she wants to come,” Gaara said, frowning. “She… never liked seeing Mom before.”
“Yeah… you're right.” Kankuro nodded solemnly, then smiled. “Okay, we'll go on Saturday then. But before that, I have work. Oh, that sounds so awesome. I WORK now,” he said with a real laugh, before disappearing down the stairs. “Later!”
Gaara sighed, and collapsed backward onto Kankuro's bed, the scent of coffee and cheap detergent almost overwhelming. He had been working up the courage to ask Kankuro all day at school, and most of the afternoon. Now he felt exhausted, like he had just run a marathon.
Which, really, was odd, seeing as Gaara had never even considered the thought of running a marathon in his entire life. That was a `Rock Lee' type of thing. Or a `Naruto' thing. The blonde had stamina to beat the band.
Gaara's eyes flew open.
“Oh… shit…” he hissed, sitting up, his hands flying to his face. “Shit!” He got to his feet quickly, and scrambled into his bedroom. He flipped the wall calendar page up from `September' to `October'.
“Let's see… today's the tenth… that means…”
He scanned the days, and felt something cold slither into his stomach. Scrawled across October tenth, in red letters, were the words:
`Naruto's Birthday'
Today. Today had been Naruto's birthday.
That was why…
(oh that was that was why he was acting so weird because I FORGOT)
“I fucking suck!” Gaara exclaimed, dropping his head into his hands. “Oh my God, I suck. I… suck.”
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It was late when Ten-Ten's phone rang. Well, not really late. It was more like nine thirty. But nonetheless, Ten-Ten was rather surprised. Mom was out on a date, but Schnookie, Ten-Ten's Boston Terrier, progressed to go slightly insane at the sound of the ringing.
The volleyball game had gone… so-so. Ten-Ten, while pleased with how well the team did, was a little peeved by how badly she had served. But it was all good… they had won the match, and so had the varsity team.
The rain slamming itself against her window added to the creepiness… ooh… a late night phone call…
Despite this, Ten-Ten managed to stay her cheery self when she picked up the receiver.
“Ye-llo?” she said pleasantly, muting the TV, as she turned on the phone.
“Hi, Ten-Ten?”
“Speaking.” Ten-Ten tossed the remote onto the couch, and sat down beside it, half-watching the silent people on the screen.
“Oh, hey. It's Tayuya.”
“Hey, Tay, what's up?” Ten-Ten said, gently scratching behind Schnookie's ears, as he hopped up on the sofa beside her.
“Uh… Ten-Ten… I n-need to tell you something, but… uh…” There was the sound of a sniff.
“Is everything okay, Tayuya?” Ten-Ten asked, somewhat nervous.
There was more sniffling. “I-I'm f-fine, Ten. I just… need… I need s-some help.”
“With what? What is it?” Ten-Ten demanded, standing back up, and biting her lip. “What's wrong?”
“Oh, Ten-Ten!” Tayuya sobbed. “I… I'm l-late! I'm late!”
Ten-Ten's eyes widened, as the meaning of this phrase hit her head-on. “Oh… my God…” she breathed, pressing a hand to her lips. “How late?” she asked, her voice several decibels lower.
“Th-three weeks,” Tayuya said, coughing. “Almost a month. Oh God…”
“Wait. Tayuya, wait.” Ten-Ten took a deep breath in through her nose. “Have you… Have you tested yourself yet? I mean… I dunno… maybe you're just late. Maybe it's not… you know…”
“I h-haven't yet,” Tayuya said. “Uh… I don't have any tests with me, though. I'll have to g-go to the store-“
“No you will not! Come over here,” Ten-Ten said, switching off the TV. “My mom's got a few in the bathroom.”
“Oh, Ten-Ten, I couldn't-“
“You can and you will,” Ten-Ten mandated. “Now… come over to my mom's place, okay? Tayuya?”
“O-Okay. I'll b-be over in a f-few minutes.”
“All right. I'll see you then.”
“All r-right.”
Ten-Ten turned off the phone, and pressed it to her forehead. She took several deep breaths, trying to remain calm.
“Shit…” she mumbled, before tossing the phone onto the sofa, and walking down the hall to the bathroom. “Okay… let's see…” She turned the light on, and pulled open one of the drawers under the sink. She dug through the scrunchies, barrettes, and rubber bands, until she found what she was looking for. They were longer than tampons, and square at one end. `Red equals No, Blue equals Yes.' Simple enough.
Ten-Ten clutched the pregnancy test in her hand for a moment, and closed her eyes.
“Please be red… please be red…” she whispered over and over again, until there was a buzz at the intercom. She dropped the test onto the counter, and walked out to buzz Tayuya into the building. A moment later, there was a knock at her door. She pulled it open, revealing the rain-soaked, tear-stained redhead.
“Tay…” she said, before throwing her arms around her friend. “It's gonna be okay, Tayuya. It's gonna be okay.” Tayuya nodded into her shoulder, sniffing, and hugging Ten-Ten back.
“Y-Yeah. I know,” she said, swallowing. “I know.”
A few minutes later, they were in the bathroom.
“So… what… I just piss on this thing and it tells me if I'm pregnant or not?” Tayuya said, attempting to sound like her old self, ignoring the stabbing nerves in her stomach.
Ten-Ten nodded. “Yeah, I guess so. Uh…” She stepped out of the bathroom. “I'll…l eave you to your work. Just, uh… put it under the bowl when you're done… it needs a few minutes to… you know… work.” She scratched the back of her head, and shut the door, feeling confused and slightly sick. She walked down the hall, wrapping her arms around herself, and waited.
She stared at the clock, rocking back and forth from the balls to the heels of her feet, chewing her lip. Then she started pacing. She tugged at her bangs, sighed, and, after five minutes, finally, in a fit of frustration, went down the hall, and knocked on the bathroom door.
“How's it going in there?” she asked softly. There was a `click' as Tayuya pulled open the door from inside the bathroom.
“Uh…” She shrugged, and stepped out of the way. Ten-Ten walked into the bathroom, and sat down on the edge of the tub. Tayuya sat on the closed lid of the toilet. They sat in silence for a moment, both staring at the upside-down bowl.
Tayuya finally broke the silence.
“Ten-Ten?” she asked. “What… am I gonna do… if I AM?”
Ten-Ten looked over at her friend. She reached out, and placed a hand on her shoulder.
“We'll… We'll worry about that when the time comes,” she said, with what she hoped was a comforting smile.
“Yeah… I guess…” Tayuya nodded. “Yeah. Okay. I can't wait any longer.” She stood up, turned, and placed both hands on the bowl. She bit her lip so hard that it almost started bleeding.
“Oh, I can't do it!” she moaned, taking her hands off the bowl. “Ten-Ten…”
Ten-Ten nodded, and stood. Her legs felt like jelly. She walked over to the bowl.
“Tayuya,” she said. “No matter what… We'll always be friends, okay? Forever.”
Tayuya nodded, and almost smiled.
“Yeah… I know,” she said, nodding. “Thanks, Ten-Ten.”
Ten-Ten nodded.
“Well… here's hoping,” she said. Tayuya leaned onto her shoulder, the weight of the day finally taking its toll.
Ten-Ten took a deep breath, and lifted the bowl up off of the counter.
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Kat: -grin- Heh… I'm evil. Oh, this is delicious.
Naruto: … What happened?
Soriko: … DID YOU JUST END THE CHAPTER?
Kat: Muaha.
All: … -kill-
Kat: OO EEP! REVIEW! Remember, the more reviews I get, the faster I update! KYAH! -scampers away-
Meh. This chapter was a little `clippy', but I think I did an okay job. For once. XD Please review!
HAPPY FORTIETH, EVERYONE! THANKS FOR STICKING WITH US!