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Naruto was out of the door like a shot, running as fast as he could after Hinata.
Hina-chan, hey, wait! he yelled, but she didnt slow down. If anything she seemed to run faster. Damn it! he muttered and tried to run faster.
All Hinata could think about was that she wanted to get away. Away from him, away from Sora, away from being not enough. Her tears sparkled down her cheeks. She felt as stupid and useless as her days back in Leaf.
He didnt trust her. He didnt really think she was worthy of being his partner.
She had to get away, somewhere far away. Somewhere where she could sit down and cry until everything was washed out of her. Then she would be able accept the fact that she was so...useless.
And then, of all the things that could have occurred to her, her worst nightmare happened. Hinata tripped. Her feet went flying out from under her and she tumbled back and to the side to land with a loud splat on her butt in one of the rice patties. She was stuck almost to her elbows in mud.
Naruto breathed a secret sigh of relief as he watched Hinata tumble into the water. He wasnt happy to see her fall, but if it meant that he was going to get to talk to her, he was more than willing to take the tradeoff.
However he wasnt so sure when he realized that the price of getting to talk to her included him in the water as well. The moment he hit the spot where Hinata had tripped he went careening face first into the rice patty right next to Hinata. His legs waved frantically in the air as he tried to pull his face out of the mud. When he finally managed to do so, he looked up at Hinata sitting next to him in the water. Her cheeks were still streaked with tears and she was breathing hard although he didnt know if it was from the crying or the running.
Shit. He had really messed this one up.
SORA! Yasu yelled.
Sora continued to peer out the window from her seat on the kitchen counter. Yeah Yasu?
Sora what are you doing?
She waved a vague hand towards the window. Im watching Naruto and Hinata. Kids dug himself into one hell of a deep hole.
Yasu walked over to stand next to Sora. I saw your eyes go purple. What are you doing to those poor kids? She looked out the window and groaned. Sora did you trip them?
She never took her eyes off of the kids in the window, but she giggled a little. Maybe.
Im just making sure they talk. Now are you going to watch or not?
Yasu glared at Sora and made a little humph-ing sound. Then she gracefully lifted herself up onto the counter next to Sora in order to get a better view.
Naruto tried to wipe the mud off of his face with his hands, but he was mostly only successful at smearing it. He managed to get most of it away from his eyes, enough that he could look at her at least.
She was sitting on her bottom in the water, knees bent, and leaning back on her arms. She was looking down at the mess that had been made of the kimono Yasu had loaned her. It was soaked and probably covered with mud on the bottom from where she was sitting in the rice patty.
Where things had started to go wrong again, she wondered, as large silent tears began to roll down her cheeks. She wanted so badly to be the best partner she could to him, but she must have been deluding herself from the beginning. From the very first day when they had set out together and Naruto had gotten her to climb the tree. When he had asked her help with the floor cleaning jutsu. When he had carried her back to the library to study while Sora was gone. She had been deluding herself that they had been getting closer, becoming better friends. She had been deluding herself that maybe she could be a good partner for him that she could leave behind parts of the old Hinata and change into something better.
He had been nice to her, kind to her, good to her. But he didnt trust her. He was willing to lie to her, to tell her things just to keep her in the dark. He didnt want her to know his secrets.
Her teeth were chattering in the cold October air. The sun had just come up an hour before and had yet to warm up the sky. She was miserably cold but couldnt seem to get herself to move. She sat in the water, shivering, teeth chattering, tears streaming down her face. Dear god she was a mess.
Naruto kept opening his mouth to say something but was finding that nothing was coming out. He reached out a hand to her but then let it drop as she sobbed again. He didnt know what to do. Hina-chan...
She sniffed loudly and then pushed herself up to her feet before wading over to the raised pathway and stepped out of the water. Her bare feet curled in the grass; she had run out of the house so quickly she hadnt bothered to put shoes on. She reached down and started to squeeze some of the water out of the hem of her kimono in quick, panicky motions, careful not to lift it over her calves. She made small dismayed noises; she was sure Yasu would be furious at her for ruining it.
Naruto pushed himself to his feet behind her. Hina-chan... he repeated.
She turned to look at him over her shoulder. N-Naruto-kun, I, Im... She paused, pressing her lips together and tried to squeeze some of the water out of her hair. Go.... gomen, I, I just...please just...I need...to be, to be alone.
Something was squeezing at his heart. She hadnt stuttered or repeated herself like this in months. Hina-chan, I...
She shook her head violently. You dont need to tell me! she said, louder than she intended. Its, its okay, whatever... s, secret you have with Sora... its okay. She bit back another flood of tears. Her voice became very soft. I understand.
Hope flooded Narutos eyes. Really Hina-chan?
Her heart dropped further. Was he going to be that happy to be rid of her? Ha, hai.
He was elated. She wasnt going to make him tell her! She could live with him keeping his secret. It was the best thing that could have possibly happen for him!
She swallowed as she watched his happy face. His joy was obvious and it was breaking her heart. Having to be her partner, having to work with someone who was obviously below his level, someone who was useless must have been a constant worry for him.
She wiped tears off her cheeks with the back of her hand. She had to get away from him; she had to get somewhere she could calm down. Ano, umm...Im, Im going to take a walk-
Huh? But youre soaking wet. She swallowed. I know but...I need to...Im going to take a walk and then...then we can go tell Sora.
He looked at her, puzzled. Go tell Sora what?
Hinata fought to keep her face expressionless. That were not going to do the partner training anymore, she said quickly and quietly.
NANI?! Naruto yelled. What did she mean they werent going to do partner training anymore? Where the hell had that come from?
She winced at the sound of his voice and backed away a step. This was what he wanted, so why was he yelling at her? Please, I understand why you want to...I just, I just need ... need to be alone... She had to get away. She had to get away from him to somewhere she could get herself pulled back together. She started to back away and then turned and ran.
She made it three steps before Naruto grabbed her wrist, effectively stopping her progress. Her skin seemed to burn where he touched her. She lowered her head and refused to look at him.
Things werent normally still for Naruto. His mind was generally rapidly moving between thinking about different subjects, darting quickly back and forth, from topic to topic. But at that moment an unnatural calm had settled over him and all he could think about was the girl whose wrist he was holding onto and what she had said.
No. She couldnt have meant it. She couldnt be leaving him like everyone else.
Hina-chan, what do you mean tell her were not going to do the partner training anymore? He craned his neck and tried to look around to see her, but she just turned her head away.
She was determined not to cry. She could at least be strong enough not to cry. I...I know Im useless and-
Nani?! What makes you say that? He pulled her gently towards him with her wrist and then reached for her opposite elbow, turning her around so that she was facing him. She kept her head bowed.
Hina-chan, whats going on? He didnt sound angry, like he was mad at her for crying. Or frustrated because she kept doing this. Or disappointed in her because she didnt live up to expectations. He just sounded confused, like he couldnt figure out what was going on.
You said you didnt want to partner with me and then I started crying and you felt sorry for me and then you said yes. I know that Im stupid and, and useless and that you didnt want to be my partner in the first place, but I...
NANI? What do you mean I didnt want to be your partner in the first place? I said yes and then you said no and then I said no and then you said yes and then I said yes. I said yes first. And I said it twice!
She looked up at him with eyes filled to the brim. You dont trust me, she whispered. I thought you did, but now...why would you want a partner you couldnt...
Narutos heart sank as the things she had been saying started to line up. He tightened his grip on her elbows.
Hinata thats not right! She winced at the tone in his voice and looked down at the ground again.
You dont have to, to...lie to me. I understand... She broke into fresh tears, berating herself mentally for her weakness.
Naruto stared at her. This was something he hadnt considered; this was something he didnt understand. He sighed. He hated to admit it (really, really hated to admit it) but Sora had been right: Hinata had known something was up and he should have told her sooner.
He tried again. Hinata its not you I dont trust. I just dont want anything to happen to you.
She was too weak to bare his secret. Im sorry Im so pathetic...
He could feel her arms tremble as she sobbed. He could hear her cries. Every sobbing sound coming from her pulled strings in his heart. She was soaked and dirty, probably freezing in the morning air. The sun was still sitting low over the hill, casting a strange glow over the rice patties. He had to get her inside, warm and calm. Then he would be able to talk to her.
He let go of her arms so he could take off his jacket, but the moment he let go she crumpled to the ground, face in her hands, sobbing. He stared at her for a moment and suddenly felt like crying himself. Instead he quickly stripped off his jacket, a hand me down from Nori, plain black with a zipper up the front. Thankfully, it hadnt gotten too wet.
He wrapped it around her and then, as it was obvious that she wasnt going to be going anywhere on her own, he picked her up. His arm went around her waist and he lifted her, before catching her behind her knees with the opposite arm.
Her eyes widened in shock as she felt herself be nestled against his chest. Na, Naruto-kun?
He didnt look down at her. Its cold out here and were both wet. Lets go in.
She stared at him for a few seconds, and then let her cheek fall against her shoulder.
Did he just wrap her in his jacket and start carrying her towards the house? Yasu asked, mouth hanging open.
Soras was open even farther. Wow. Smooth. Wheres my camera?
I dont know. But he doesnt like her?
I think hes just too dense to realize he does.
Yasu ripped her eyes away from the scene in front of her and walked towards the kitchen door. Nori! she yelled. Would you get Miki-chan bundled up please? Were going into town.
What are you going to town for? Sora asked, still watching her charges from the window.
You wanted to bake a cake for his birthday? We need cake flour. Come on, youre coming too. She grabbed Sora by the arm and started dragged her out of the kitchen.
Huh? What do you mean Im coming too? Like Im going to miss him trying to explain this to her!
Yasu just took her coat off the hook by the door and handed the oversized black garment to her old partner. Sora, if whatever he needs to tell her is so important that you wont tell me, it is obviously deserving of some privacy. Hes going to have a hard enough time telling her without you eavesdropping.
Naruto pushed the door open with his shoulder, still clutching Hinata close to his chest. He blinks. Where are you going?
Into town for a few things. There are blankets and towels in the closet in the hall. Also tea is in the top shelf of the cabinet next to the sink, Yasu explained as she pulled a thick white wool shawl around her shoulders. Nori came down the stairs, a slightly sleepy Miki in his arms.
All of you are going? Naruto asked as Yasu took Miki and placed her on the front steps outside.
No, not all of us. Im staying here, Sora said.
No youre not. Nori, sweetie, would you get her shoulders for me?
What the... Hey! Put me down! Sora protested as Nori grabbed her underneath her arms and Yasu grabbed her feet and stared to haul her out of the house.
Stop protesting. We can get you one of those custard thingies you like so much.
Sora stopped wiggling and stared at Yasu. Chocolate Espresso Crème Brule? Really?
Yasu rolled her eyes and shut the door behind her.
Naruto stared at the closed door. She was supposed to be an adult? He was startled out of his thoughts when he realized Hinata was still shivering in his arms. He quickly turned and walked down the hall, pausing to shift Hinata in his arms so he could grab a blanket and a towel out of the closet, then on into the living room.
He put her down on the rug next to fireplace and replaced his jacket with the blanket before pushing the town into her hands. Here Ill be right back.
Heading back down the hall, he grabbed another towel and started to dry his hair. In the kitchen, he put water on to boil and started searching through all of Yasus tea. He pulled out one container and looked at the label. Dragonwell. Was this one Hinata liked? Or was this the one that smelled like bacon? He started to go ask her and then thought better of it. He found a teapot and put the leaves in.
He dragged out a cup of ramen for himself and waited impatiently for the water to boil. He stuck in head of the door in order to look down the hall at her. She was still sitting quietly in the living room in front of the fireplace.
The kettle whistled and he quickly poured the water into the pot and his ramen cup. Holding his ramen, fork and her empty cup in one hand he grabbed the teapot in the other and carefully made his way down the hall, trying not to spill anything. He placed the food in front of her and sat down on the opposite side.
There was a long silence.
You warm enough? he asked.
She nodded.
You sure? Cause theres more blankets in there.
Im fine, she said quietly.
There was another long silence.
Naruto was at a loss: a loss for what to say, a loss for what to do, a loss for what to think. So he did what he always did when he didnt know what to do. He pushed ahead.
Its not that I didnt want to tell you the secret. I couldnt.
She didnt look at him. I know. Im stupid and useless and-
NO! he cut her off. No youre not. But when we get back to Leaf, youre going to face enough trouble for being my partner as it is. As long as you dont know this, its not your fault. No one will blame you.
She looked up at him, confused. What do you mean?
He looked away. He still didnt want to tell her. You know how everyone in the village hates me? Well theres a reason, he said quietly.
And this secret is the reason?
He turned back to her, willing her to understand. Yes. Look, as long as you dont know, no one will hold you responsible for becoming my partner.
Sudden realization hit her. Youre trying to take the fall for me. Youre saying that as long as I dont know this secret, when we go back home all of the consequences for becoming partners will land on you. Everyone will assume that you tricked me into becoming your partner.
It has nothing to do with whether or not I want you as a partner. It has nothing to do with how good a ninja you are. I dont want you to get hurt.
So youre taking the decision out of my hands.
Im protecting you.
She was stunned. He couldnt do that. He couldnt take the choice out of her hands. They were partners and that, she thought, had meant that they were going to make choices together. Yes, she trusted his judgment more than her own, but that didnt mean that she wanted to be left completely in the dark.
Protecting me from what?
He sighed and squished his eyes shut. The time had come; he wasnt going to be able to avoid it any longer. He had to tell her.
He grabbed the hem of his t-shirt and pulled it off over his head. Hinata blushed and looked away, biting her lower lip.
Hina-chan, he said softly. She turned back to look at him shyly. He swallowed again, and she realized that he was nervous. It was an emotion she was used to seeing in herself, not in him. Hinata, I need you to watch. Slowly he placed his hands together and began to raise his chakra.
Hinata watched in awe and fascination as the spiral began to appear around his navel, followed by small squiggly lines. It was a pattern she recognized, but not one she had expected to see.
I dont understand, she said. Why do you have a seal?
He reached for his t-shirt and began to put it back on. She suddenly realized that it was the old Leaf t-shirt that he used to sleep in, black with the Leaf symbol emblazoned in bright green on the front. It had been far too big for him when they had left Leaf with Sora. Now it fit him perfectly.
He stood up, restless, and went to lean against the fireplace mantle. This is Kyubi, he said simply. He couldnt get anymore out.
Kyubi? What on earth could he...Then very slowly, puzzle pieces she had been collecting about him for years started falling into place. Why no one had adopted him. Why everyone disliked him so intently. The fact that he had been born on the same day the Kyubi had attacked. It had the potential to explain so much: the way he had changed when he had gotten so angry at Sora. The truly amazing, almost inhuman, amount of chakra he had.
The Kyubi must have been sealed inside him.
But it was tearing him apart, she realized. Growing up in a village where everyone thought that you were a demon, having no family, would have driven most people over the edge. But she knew better than anyone that he was no demon.
The details werent as important as making sure he was okay. Oh, she wanted them and she planned to get them, but right now she needed to make sure that he was all right.
She dropped the blanket and stood up to move behind him. He was facing the fireplace, leaning against it with his weight supported on his crossed arms. His whole body was stiff. Quietly she stepped behind him and wrapped her arms, still covered in muddy kimono sleeves, around him. She pressed her face into his back.
He couldnt believe it. He thought that she would be scared, demanding to know what the hell he meant and yet...here she was, silently telling him that everything was going to be okay. Putting her arms around him and accepting.
The world had never been brighter.
He pushed away from the wall and twisted around in her arms so that he could embrace her back. He pulled her close and bent his head to burry his face in the strands of hair that had come free from her ponytail. He started crying, but he figured it was okay. After all you were allowed to cry when you were happy and he had never been happier in his life.
The Fourth sealed him in me when I was a baby, he said, choking on some of the words. They couldnt kill it, but hopefully his soul will bind with mine and leave this world when I die. All the adults know, but no one our age does. I didnt even find out until I graduated from the academy. Thats why everyone in the village hates me. Im a demon. One who nearly destroyed the entire village.
But you didnt do that. Kyubi did.
He shook his head. It doesnt matter. They still look at me like Im the demon. And in some ways I guess I am. After all, if our chakra is mingling and our souls are binding-
No, she said. It was quiet but it was firm. Youre Naruto, not the Kyubi.
There is nothing demonic about you except how much chakra you have. Youve never lost control and destroyed the village, even when they were treating you terribly.
I think I lost control in my first mission, in Wave Country. When my team was fighting a very strong ninja, Haku, Sasuke almost lost his life, and Kyubi came...nothing happened, but still...
When your friends needed help. You just used the Kyubi chakra to break out. You didnt go on a random killing spree. And when you confronted Sora about the pictures, you regained control before you even fought anyone. You had the Kyubi chakra and you pushed it back down. Naruto, she pulled back and took his face in her hands. Youre stronger than the Kyubi.
He looked at the faith in her eyes and his own started to fill with water. But the people in Leaf, they hate me for it.
Because they dont know you. No one who knows you hates you.
She shook her head. I dont know Sasuke, but I cant imagine he hates you.
But when they find out? When they all find out what I am theyre not going want to have anything to do with me. The tears started to fall again. Everyone is going to go away again.
She leaned forwards and wrapped her arms around him, pulling his head down to rest on her shoulder. You have me. Youll always have me. No matter what happens, no matter what everyone else in the village thinks of you, no matter how bad things get, I will always be here for you.
He turned his face into her and cried. She simply held him, her cheek pressed to the top of his head, her fingers running through his hair.
When we became partners, she whispered. You told me that before you became a gennin it was dark. There wasnt anyone who cared for you. But I had cared about you for years. She shook her head, rubbing her cheek against his hair. I dont care who sealed what inside of you. Im never going to let you go back into the dark again.
He pulled back to look into her eyes. You mean it? You dont care about the Kyubi?
She shook her head. No, she said simply.
And you still want to be partners?
Of course I do.
And your family?
She sighed and looked away. Thats a problem I have to face anyway. The more I read about politics, the less I like the way our clan is ran. She smiled, but it was tainted with irony. There are going to be a lot more things for my father and me to battle about than you.
He placed his palm on her cheek and turned her face back towards him. You dont want to do it, do you?
She shrugged. Someone has to change the clan for all our sakes. And as the heir to my clan, it sort of falls to me.
But you hate arguing. You always end up refereeing between Sora and I, but I dont think Ive ever seen you actually fight with anyone.
I think that there might be some things that are worth fighting for. Besides, you did say to Neji that you would change the clan. She looked across at him shyly.
He stared at her for a moment.
Then he burst into grins and hauled her against him. Of course were going to change the clan! Im Uzumaki Naruto and Im destined to be Hokage! Not only that, but Im going to be the best Hokage ever, so good that everyone will acknowledge how great I am and no one will care what is sealed inside me! And I can do anything, because Im the best and Ive got the best family and the best the best teacher and the best partner.
He drew back just enough that he could look into her eyes. Well just have to make it into the best village ever, right Hina-chan?
She smiled at him. Not the shy, closed mouth smile she normally gave him. That one had always been contaminated by self doubt and nervousness. This smile was a grin of pure joy and warmth, a smile so large it wrinkled her nose and shut her eyes. Hai, Naruto-kun.
She was just like her name implied: a patch of sunlight. More than anyone else, more than Iruka-sensei, Kakashi-sensei, Sakura-chan, Sasuke, Ero- Sennin, Obaa-chan or even Nee-chan, she pushed the darkness back.
He smiled back and held her close.
Wait until you hear who my parents are.
Wheres my camera? Sora whispered.
I think you left it in your coat pocket, Yasu whispered back. The four of them had gotten home a few hours later to discover Naruto and Hinata sitting on the floor, propped up against the couch, fast asleep. Her head was tucked in the crook of his shoulder while his arm was wrapped around her waist. His head leaned down to touch hers. They were surrounded by cups of ramen and used tea things.
Yasu smiled at the pair as Sora came back with the camera. Whatever this revelation and emotional sorting out was, it must have worn them out. Still, sleeping this deeply when theres no one around to watch your back can be dangerous.
Eh, itll be okay, Sora said as she started to snap pictures. If they were awake, there would be no way I could take these pictures.
Yasu watched the couple sleep. Hinata turned onto her side to snuggle in closer to Naruto; He tightened his grasp on her waist.
One delicate white eyebrow went up. Are you sure theyre not together behind your back?
At the moment, no. Sora grinned. But by the way things are looking; I dont think its going to stay that way too much longer. .
Some people woke up from nightmares screaming, sweating, gasping for breath, but Sora never had. Even when she had been a little girl, shed always woken up from her nightmares by simply opening her eyes. She wouldnt move, she wouldnt make a sound. She would just lay on her bed, eyes open and quietly breathe.
Even after almost 18 years, over two thirds of her life, she wasnt able to block it out.
She finally got tired of just lying there trying to go back to sleep. She slowly got out of her futon and crept towards the door, trying not to disturb Hinata who was sleeping a few feet away. Yasu and Nori only had one spare room, so she and Hinata were bunking together while Naruto crashed on the living room floor.
She crept into the bathroom where she splashed water onto her face. She stared at her eyes in the mirror. There were bags under them, making them seem even lighter than normal. She used to try to convince herself that they were really light blue, but she had to confess that they were violet. She wished they were any other color.
Thank god she was the last.
She played with the braids around her face, still all black from when Naruto had put the dye into her shampoo. She decided that her hair was making it worse. The darkness of her hair was playing up the lightness of her eyes.
Looking under the sink, she started rummaging through the bottles of dye and permanent that she had left here over the years.
It was time for a change.
Miki reached up to pull one of Soras curls and then giggled when it bounced back into place. Her hair was freshly permed into large looping ringlets and bleached out blond with selected ringlets dyed red.
Well you made it over a year with the braids. I think thats a record, Yasu said, setting breakfast on the table.
Sora lifted Miki above her head to set the little girl on her shoulders. Miki happily dug her fingers into Soras hair, continuing to play with the springs. What can I say? I got bored.
As you always do. I just wish you didnt leave such a mess inside the bathroom.
Sora rolled her eyes. You know Ill clean it up.
Eh? What did you do to your hair? Naruto asked from the doorway.
She reached up to fluff it but found she couldnt with a child on her shoulders. I dyed it.
Hmm, said Nori from behind Naruto. Looks kinda like the hair you have in the picture with the dress.
It does not! I had sausage curls then, these are spiral curls.
Yasu continued to put dishes on the table. Plus then her hair was red and black, now its red and blond. She looks sort of like a stained candy cane.
Miki giggled and started yelling Candy cane! at the top of her lungs.
Hinata peaked her head inside the door. Her eyes widened in surprise when she saw Sora. You changed your hair.
Sora gritted her teeth. Why did people insist on stating the obvious? Yes.
Hinata smiled. I like it.
There, now you see, this is why I like Hinata as opposed to ex-partners, annoying in-laws and bratty little brothers.
Miki leaned over Soras head to look her in the face. You like me, dont you Aun Sowa?
She smiled. Of course I do, Miki-chan. And are we going to have so much fun today! Were going to bake cookies and were going to sing and then well watch movies.
Miki pointed to the corgi jumping around Yasus feet trying to get to the food. Can Dango play with us?
Well, I would hesitate to include him in the cookie making, but he can definitely sing and watch movies with us.
Naruto grinned as he watched the scene in front of him. He hadnt had a family his whole life. And then all of a sudden he had acquired a big sister and now he had a something like an extended family. His grin widened as he watched Nori duck a wad of rice that Miki had thrown. Sora and Yasu were trying to figure out why Hinata was having strange results when she tries to use the Pattern Scan no jutsu.
He thought back over everything that had happened during the past four months. He couldnt remember being so happy. Everyone knew, even Miki- chan, and nobody cared. And it had been far simpler than he ever would have thought possible.
So, in order to keep the Kyubi from destroying the village, the Fourth and Nanashi sealed it inside your bellybutton, Nori said, leaning back in his chair.
Hai. They had just gone through the whole explanation: who he was, who his parents had been. He had told them about the times the Kyubi had flared and what had happened to him.
And you are able to pull his chakra.
But its not like he takes control of you.
Sora interrupted. It would appear that when Naruto gets very angry and starts pulling chakra, the seal weakens and Kyubi comes closer to the surface. He has tremendous amounts of chakra coursing through him.
And his state of mind.
The first time it happened, he thought-
Oi, oi I can speak for myself. When I thought that Sasuke was dead, I think I sort of lost control and broke out of Hakus jutsu. I dont remember much about it. The second time was when some guy named Orochimaru attacked us during the chuunin exam. After that, Ero-sennin taught me how to pull the chakra intentionally by demanding it from the fox. I used it once in my test with Neji and once fighting Gaara when he was attacking Sasuke and Sakura.
Sora forced herself to stop rubbing the back of her neck. But he didnt go all funky foxy with either of those. Plus when he realized that I had been keeping his parentage a secret, he started to go all foxy but calmed himself down enough to sit and talk.
Nori and Yasu looked at each other and then back at Naruto. So what this really means to you is that you have lots of chakra and might have problems if you get too angry.
But all the times youve gotten too mad, with the exception of the photo thing, have been you defending your friends.
Umm, hai.
And because of this your village has decided to hate you?
Yasus blue eyes went icy cold, sending shivers down Naruto and Hinatas spines. She sat up in her chair perfectly strait and her face completely wiped free of all emotion. Suddenly they realized how she had gotten the nickname Ice Queen.
Idiotic assholes, she bit out.
Nori reached up to rub Yasus shoulder. Come on, sweetheart, calm down.
She glared at her husband. A lesser man would have cringed and scurried away, but Nori just looked slightly amused. Do you realized what could have happened? she asked. Do you know how many of the people Sora and I fought had stories just like that?
Yasu, we sort of specialized in taking out maniacs, Sora pointed out.
Exactly, she said, turning back to Sora. How many of those people wouldnt have ended up maniacs if they had only had a better upbringing?
Huh? What are you talking about? Naruto asked.
Sora shrugged. I told you Yasu and me were mercenaries, right? Well, our so called specialty was getting rid of unstable elements. Basically we would go into places where the target was unpredictable, where his values were so skewed that he was hard to manipulate. A lot of them were literally madmen.
The klesha Nori said, scowling.
The what?
Nori looked at Naruto with a somber face. Klesha. Its a poison of the mind, although in the west it became synonymous with people who have gone dangerously mad. It happens more often than you might think. The west is a world ruled by violence. Sometimes the things you see or the way you are treated can overwhelm you.
And they go mad? Hinata whispered, horrified.
Not the way you might think of it. But they arent really human anymore. From what you described to us, Gaara is probably a klesha.
Natuto swallowed. Haku?
Nori shook his head. Probably more of a potential klesha. Had he felt betrayed by his master, that he had nothing else to believe in or if Zabuza had been killed and he was left alive, it would have been easy for him to slip into kelsha.
Naruto, Sora said. Her voice was very quiet and very serious. Remember this for when you become Hokage. We live in times with extraordinary people. Times where people are born with the ability to do things that almost seem inhuman. But no matter what they are able to do, they are still human. And you cannot turn a human into nothing but a weapon.
Most of the klesha we fought were people who had these extra abilities, but they were either shunned for them or trained to be nothing more than living weapons. Theyre dangerous and unpredictable.
And this is what youre worried I will become?
Yasu shook her head. No. Sora and I were the dGra Klesha, those who took care of those who had gone mad. I know what klesha are and you arent one of them. But the fact that youre not, despite what you have been through, is almost more extraordinary to me than the demon inside you.
Sora grinned. Boys got good genes.
Naruto stared at Yasu and Nori. So youre cool with me staying here? Despite the Kyubi?
Yasu looked at Nori. I dont see a problem.
Nori shook his head. I dont see a problem either. He looked at Naruto. Do you foresee a problem with you staying here?
Naruto continued to stare at them. Then he felt Hinata reach over and squeeze his hand. He looked over at her and she gave him a small smile. He grinned and turned back to his hosts. No problem at all.
And that had been that.
It felt strange, but wonderful to have everything out in the open for the first time. Everyone in the house knew and no one seemed to care. It wasnt that they didnt talk about it. Yasu had immediately started looking at the form of the seal, trying to figure out exactly what Nanashi and the Forth had done, while Nori went through all the techniques he would be able to teach someone with so much chakra and Sora teased him about how all the girls were going to LOVE such a foxy man (grrrrowl!).
And Hina-chan was simply Hina-chan. Once everything was out in the open, he had realized that he had more things he needed to get off his chest. The floodgate had been opened and everything came spilling out of him. How he had found out about the Kyubi, the whispers he used to hear from adults when he would walk by. Things that he had never told anyone, things that he had tried to dismiss as unimportant, suddenly seemed crucial thing that he needed to tell her.
They ended up spending hours, side by side, sitting on the fence looking over the rice patties or inside by the fire. She had slowly started to open up more to him as well, telling him about the day Kurenai had come to explain what it meant for her to be on a gennin team and her father had said she was worthless as a Hyuuga. She had started crying again and he held her until the tears stopped.
He had wanted to keep on holding her. There were times he felt like he never wanted to let her go.
And he wasnt quite sure what to make of it.
Yasu frowned. I dont get it. Youre doing everything right. Your bloodlimit should make this easier than normal. Where is the problem?
Hinata looked at the ground. They had been trying to teach her Pattern Scan no Jutsu for weeks now. She was supposed to be able to see the patterns of chakra within jutsus themselves. Her bloodlimit already allowed her to see the flow of chakra within a human, so being able to see the structure of a jutsu should be no problem. But instead all she was able to see was a startling and confusing garble of images.
There had to be something going on the Yasu didnt realize. Logically, everything should be working. Hinata had the seals right, she was manipulating the chakra in the correct way. There had to be another element. And the only thing that she didnt completely understand were Hinatas eyes.
Hinata, let me scan your eyes again.
Hinata scooted over on the front steps to sit closed to Yasu, who was running through the seals to start the jutsu again. Eyes lined with silver, Yasu studied Hinatas face. I just cant figure out whats going on. Your bloodlimit should make this easier, not impossible. Yasu sighed and ended the jutsu. Explain to me again what you see.
Hinata ran through the seals and turned on the jutsu. Instantly, her eyes were his with a multitude of color and light. Its almost like pen scribbles, theres so many lines. Theyre all over the house, the yard, you.
What about Nori and Naruto?
Hinata turned to look at where the two men were practicing. They were practicing sweeps, each spinning around and trying to knock the others feet out from under him. To make matters harder, Nori was making Naruto keep a Rasengan spinning in one palm the whole time. He had just mastered doing it one handed a few weeks before.
Theyre both covered in small lines although the Rasengan in Narutos hand in like a solid ball of light.
Yasu shook her head. Hinata should be able to see the individual swirls of chakra as they rotated in Narutos hand. It was almost like the lines were blurring.
I think it leaves a trail too, Hinata said.
Yasu looked up sharply. What?
Everywhere that Narutos Rasengan goes, it leaves a trail. Its confusing because hes moving so much, but I think I can see where hes been.
Yasus breath caught in her throat. Hinata look at me. Are there more lines around my eyes then the rest of my body?
Hinata nodded. Theres also a lot around your hands. She looked up with questions in her eyes. Why? What does it mean?
Naruto swung his leg out over the ground trying to knock Nori over. Unfortunately the man seemed to ripple over the foot. He had broken down the motion to Naruto, but he had yet to master the smooth motion of the jump. Soon.
Good, not try to switch hands on the Rasengan, Nori said, sending his foot flying towards Narutos head. Naruto ducked and seamlessly transferred the ball of spiraling chakra from one hand to another. Nori had been drilling him endlessly on what he called the three Fs. Be fast, be fluid and follow through.
Nori swept his leg under Naruto one last time and then grinned as the boy smoothly avoided it. All right, thats enough. Naruto collapsed on the ground panting. Turning his head he could see his water sitting fifteen or so feet away. He wondered if it was worth the effort to get up and grab it.
However, Hinata and Sora were also in his line of vision and he quickly became distracted watching them. Hinata was leaning back slightly as Yasu seemed to bombard her with questions.
Oi, Nori! he yelled. He jerked his chin towards the women. What do you think is going on?
Nori shrugged, sitting a few feet away. Probably some new jutsu shes just figured out. That always sends her through the roof and she hasnt had much reason to make new ones since we stopped being mercs.
Wait, you were a mercenary too?
Yeah, all three of us. Course, I didnt come in until the very end. We did exactly one job together before Yasu and I got married. After that, we never pulled another one.
Really? You left it all behind, just like that?
Well, we had just pulled one hell of a spectacular job. Triple assassination on one of the most powerful clans in the East, practically a whole army between the three of us and the leaders. Plus they had this weird conducive technique they were using that allowed all of them to know instinctively where all other members of their team were. Made them practically invincible. He laughed and shook his head. Ill never forget the look on Yasus face when she figured out how to break it. We were all excited, but she was bouncing off the roof and babbling on in technical jargen that no one but her understood. I love her, but I never figure out the kick she gets out creating new jutsu.
In any case, once that jutsu had been broken, the guards all fought like kids. We got in, killed the leader and his two cronies. The leader had this huge signature ring with a huge opal in it. I grabbed it and asked Yasu to marry me. I walked out of there with a fiancée and enough money in jewels to buy the farm.
Narutos jaw dropped and he gaped at Nori. Youre joking!
Its one hundred percent true.
But she doesnt wear a ring like that!
Kinda conspicuous for a farmers wife. Its on a chain under her kimono. Sorta like a reminder of where we came from.
Narto continued to stare at him. You just walked out of there and became farmers?
He shrugged. This is what I wanted. I have my wife, I have my daughter. If I was trying to be a merc too, I couldnt have either of those.
But people in the Leaf are shinobi and have families all the time!
Bet theyre not taking nearly as dangerous missions as they used to in the past.
Naruto clenched his teeth. The shinobi of the Leaf protect their families. They fight because they love those who are in the village. We dont grieve when someone falls because we know they were protecting those they loved.
Nori raised an eyebrow. Do you really not grieve, Naruto?
Naruto looked away.
Nori gave a sad smile. Its not the same out here as it is where you come from. Back in Leaf, something happens to you and you know that youre family will be taken care of. Therell be others who know what theyre going through. Out here, on your own as a merc, you dont have any of that. Besides, I was ready to stop. I was over thirty when I met Yasu and I had been fighting since I was old enough to walk. I was more than ready to give it up.
Im never going to give it up.
Well, there are parts of it you cant. Ill never really forget what Im able to do, even if I dont actually do it. Besides, once youre a warrior, you are always a warrior. Doesnt matter if what youre doing, part of you stays the same. He elbowed Naruto in the ribs. And dont think that just because Im not a merc anymore I cant protect my family. No one is ever going to hurt Yasu or Miki, no matter how much time I spend in the rice patties.
Naruto looked out over the horizon. He didnt understand how anyone who was a good as Nori could give up being a ninja to become a farmer. You dont regret it?
Well there are a few things I wish I had done. I wish Id had the change to fight alongside Yasu more. We both lived the same life, but we lived it seperatly. She can only tell me about some things, but Sora always just knows them already. I simply wasnt there. They cant explain to me what it was like the first time they went after a Klesha. I wasnt there to see what it was like for Yasu to build up an enormous arsenal of new jutsu. And Ill never quite understand what it was like when Sora started using her bloodlimit again. They can explain it to me, but I just wasnt there.
It makes that much of a difference?
Just you wait. You and Hinata will probably be friends forever, no matter what happens to each of you after this.
Naruto looked over at the girl sitting on the front steps. He liked the sound of that.
Nori stood up and grinned. Remember the electricity jutsus I was showing you last week? Naruto nodded. Well were going to do a quick run-through and see how much you remember. He poked Naruto with his shoe. Come on get up.
Nori! came a high pitched squeal, as Yasu bolted across the yard. She grabbed the front of his shirt with both hands and looked up at him with eyes full of childlike excitement. He staggered back a bit before finding his footing and dropping his hands to her hips.
She can see the echoes! she yelled, obviously intending it to stun everyone.
Nani, nani? said Naruto, sitting up.
The echoes, she can see the echoes! Do you understand what this means?
Nori shook his head. No.
She pulled down on his shirt to bring his face close to hers. Nori, people have been hypothesizing about the existence of chakra echoes for years and have even gone so far as to find enough data to support the theory that it is a generally accepted phenomenon. However no one has ever been able to successfully see them. Until now.
Naruto scratched his head. I still dont get the echo part.
Yasu released Nori in order to grab Narutos arms. Echoes are the remains of a chakra pattern that exists after used chakra passes through and area. For example, when you use the Rasengan, you constantly have to keep adding more chakra as some bits of it fly off. These bits stay where they are in the air until they gradually fade away. Understand?
Naruto wrinkled his brow. I think so. He turned to Hinata as Yasu went back to celebrating and jumping on her husband. What does it look like?
She shrugged weakly. Like nothing makes sense. Theres all sorts of crazy colors and lines. Its kinda...overwhelming.
He casually slung his arm over her shoulder. Eh, dont worry Hinata, youll get the hang of it.
Sure she will! Yasu cried out with glee. Now that I know whats going on, were going to fine tune it and put filters on it and try to figure out how much we can do with this thing.
She froze. Im going to need to head up to Soras. Im going to need more references. Turning, she started to run towards the house. Sora! I need to get into your library...
Nori shook his head. There are some things I will never get about her. .
Naruto walked into the kitchen to find Sora and Miki cleaning up after dinner and singing to the radio. Electric guitar rose and fell as Sora whipped her curls around belted out the song at the top of her lungs. Miki sat on the counter giggling and clapping her hands.
Her mother was at the long rectangular kitchen table. She was muttering to herself and drawing diagrams into a notebook. She was surrounded by an odd assortment of books and scrolls, many dog eared or unrolled across the table. At the other end of the table was a stack of maps of the West.
What are these for? Naruto asked, headed towards the ramen cabinet.
The maps? Well, none of the training is going to be much good if I dont give yall any opportunity to practice.
He looked up from filling the kettle with water. Youre thinking of taking us into the West?
Well, we cant really hand out in the east: wed be too easily spotted. Itachi is probably out there looking for you all over the east. However, the problem we run into in the west is people recognizing me.
Recognizing you?
She shrugged. The dGra Klesha werent exactly an inconspicuous pair. If we get in too close to some of the bigger cities, well end up trouble on our hand because people will spot me.
Cant you just use an illusion genjutsu?
Walking over to shut off the radio, she nodded. Well probably use an illusion a lot of the time. However, the chances that well never run into anyone wholl be able to strip it away or that well never run into a situation where I need to use reputation is slim. If thats the case, I would rather be somewhere where the probability is low that I will run into someone whose toes Ive stepped on.
You just dont want to run into any of your ex-boyfriends, Yasu said, not looking up from her reading.
Sora nodded. True, true. But in any case, Im trying to figure out where we can go that wont run us into too many old acquaintances.
Naruto started stuffing ramen into his mouth as Sora lifted Miki off the counter. The little girl yawned and blinked her eyes. Sora smiled. I think someones sleepy.
Miki pouted and shook her head. Uh uh. Im not sleepy. Wanna stay up with Mama.
Allright, baby, Yasu said reaching out to take Miki form Sora and pull her into her lap. You just sit here with me, okay?
Miki nodded and slumped against her mother. Yasu smiled and kept reading, one arm wrapped around her daughter.
Sora stretched and then shook her new curls. Im headed for bed. Miki is the best workout Ive ever met.
Night, Nee-chan.
Night, Naruto. Tell Hinata to stop reading and go to bed for me, will ya? The girls going to run herself into the ground.
He waved his hand and stuffed his empty ramen cup into the garbage. All right, see you tomorrow.
He left Yasu and her books in the kitchen and headed towards Hinata and her books in the living room.
Naruto looked at Hinata and smiled. They had gone into the living room to study hours ago, bringing large stacks of books and scrolls to read. He had been sitting on the floor but she had decided to sit in the large overstuffed chair. Apparently it hadnt been a good choice; she was fast asleep.
He succumbed to the urge to kneel down in front of her chair and look at her. To his secret relief, she hadnt decided to cut her hair once she had come down from the mountain. After fourteen months away from Leaf, eight on the mountain, four at the farm, Hinatas hair had grown to just below her shoulder blades. She had taken to pulling it back into a low ponytail, except when she was training; then she twisted it up into a bun at the nape of her neck.
He smirked softly as he thought about Sakura who had always kept her hair long for Sasuke. He wondered what had made her cut it off in the middle of the chunnin exam. While at the time her explanation made sense, looking back he was fairly sure that it was more then simply time for a change. Sasuke had acted strange afterwards as well, disappearing for the full month after the first round of fights. And then there had been the thing with Itachi...
Naruto shook his head. If Itachi hadnt come after him... He didnt want to think about that now.
Instead, he continued to stare at Hinatas face. She always made him feel calmer. There was something about her that made him feel at home and accepted. Of course, that could have to do with the fact that she had simply accepted him and the Kyubi. As for home, it had long stopped being the little bachelors flat he had back in Leaf and had instead turned into Sora and Yasus house.
He heard laughter coming from down the hall and he turned and saw Yasu and Nori standing at the foot of the steps, across from the kitchen. Nori was talking quietly to his wife while she laughed softly and shook her head, holding a sleeping Miki in her arms. He smiled and wrapped the two of them up in his arms, turning his head so that he could kiss Yasu on the temple, rocking them gently back and forth. She closed her eyes and smiled. Then he grinned and swept her off her feet as she shrieked softly and clutched Miki to her chest. She reached around to slap him on the back of the head, but he just laughed and stared to carry her up the stairs.
Naruto turned back to Hinata and as he stared at her, things started to align themselves in his brain. He always wanted to talk to her, he wanted to be near her, he never wanted to let her go. He wanted to do just what Nori always seemed to do to Yasu: make her smile, make her laugh, make her cling to him.
He didnt feel the same way about her that he felt about Sakura or even Sora. He wanted both of them to be happy, but he wanted to be the one to make Hinata happy. He wanted to personally destroy anything that made her sad and then prod her into laughter.
He didnt just want her to be his best friend or his fighting partner. He knew what that meant now and he knew that he wanted more. He wanted her to be his partner in everything. He wanted...
He brushed a bang back from her face and his breath caught in his throat. She was gorgeous. If you asked him earlier about what he thought of her looks, he would have just sort of stared blankly and then said she was pretty. He never really thought much about her looks.
But now, lying curled up in the chair, firelight playing across her face, he realized that she was one of the most beautiful things he had ever seen. Her dark eyelashes brushed against her pale cheek and her black hair fell in a ponytail over her shoulder. There was actually very little color in her face, yet somehow, even in still sleeping, she projected warmth.
Suddenly he had the urge to do exactly what Nori had done: to kiss her temple, look at her smile, swing her up into his arms and carry her upstairs.
And that was when the full weight of his line of thoughts hit him. His eyes widened and he pulled back slightly.
Dear gods.
He was in love with her. .
Itachi how do you explain that it has been well over a year since the boy left Hidden Leaf and yet you do not know where he is?
Other than the first original report of their appearance, no one has seen or heard of them. She probably has them hidden away from civilization somewhere. Rumors have it that she has some sort of hideaway somewhere.
Shes better known than we originally anticipated. Shes Nanashis apprentice and when you combine it with a few more odd facts about her; she makes an mysterious and intriguing figure.
Interesting facts such as?
As I said she was Nanashis apprentice, although her life before that is unknown. She appeared on the doorstop of the Kaze Clan one day and announced that Nanashi was dead and that she was sent there to train. The current head of the clan was a friend of Nanashis and agreed to take her in, despite the face that the clan never trains outsiders. When the head family lost power, she disappeared. She reappears three years later at age 16 along with a women named Yasu.
Yes, her partner. We were already told all of this.
Itachi shook his head. Our... dear college understated what exactly she was. They are the dGra Klesha.
The what?
DGra Klesha. Its from an old religious language used in the west. The dGra are avenging spirits. They serve higher powers to stomp out negative karma. Klesha is mental poison, generally listed as grasping, aggression, delusion, arrogance and envy. They are what must be stomped out in order for suffering to end.
One of the men snorted. Sounds more like clergy than warriors to me.
Itachi cast him a disapproving glare. In the past few decades klesha has come to mean people who have been completely taken over by the five poisons. The dGra Klesha were experts at killing those who were powerful but insane. Furthermore, their chosen path made them controversial figures: they seemed to only kill people who deserved it, but there was always the possibility that they would turn into something ugly. The plain fact is that these two have a legendary quality in the West. They fascinate and are feared by more people than any other women. Period.
What do you mean, fascinate?
During the years they were most active, everyone knew about them. The women seem to rely highly on contrasting images. Sora was loud and prone to emotional outbursts where as her partner was referred to as the Ice Queen. One was constantly pushing the envelope the other was always the perfect lady. Sora was famous for wearing costumes that were on the fringes of acceptability while Yasu was never seen in anything but a kimono or lehenga.
Kimono? So Yasu is from the East.
Itatchi again, shook his head. He wished these fools would quit guessing. She is from a gang that got wiped out when she was in her early teens. She killed all the rival gang members one by one and then set out to become a mercenary. She meets Sora somehow and they become partners. Again, rumors say that Sora converted Yasu to their particular calling and after that, everything takes off for both of them. They develop a reputation despite their relative youth and become the dGra Klesha.
How old were they? one man asked.
Sora was sixteen and Yasu was twenty. Now they are twenty five and twenty nine.
Another man gave him a cold glare. As interesting as this is, I fail to see what it has to do with finding the boy.
One of the key characteristics that made people fear them was their uncanny ability to completely disappear for months at a time. They could simply vanish, practically into thin air. In fact, while Sora occasionally has popped up on her own, she has not worked nor been seen in over four years. Rumors have it that, as Nanashis old apprentice, Sora knows the location of her house.
The man from the wests eyes narrowed. The experimental house? I thought that was just a legend.
What are you talking about? one of the others inquired.
The house that Nanashi was supposed to have built was an experiment in a new type of village, one that didnt depend on aggressive violence for survival. He sneered. She was an idealist. Thought she could build a big fancy house and put all sorts of people in it that would help her show the world what life could be like without permanent warriors. But the house was never found and eventually it was presumed to be just a rumor.
And that is still where we are at: nothing but rumors! another man yelled, slamming his fist into the table.
Itachi fixed him with a red glare. What I am explaining is that there is a distinct possibility that she has him locked away somewhere. We have good enough intelligence in the East to be sure that she isnt here and it would be difficult for her to travel in the West without being recognized. When you add in the idea that she has access to somewhere suitable to keep him, it becomes one of the few logical options presented to us.
So we have three rabbits who might be hiding in a rabbit hole somewhere, but we have no idea where this rabbit whole is, or even if they are there. They have every advantage.
Ah but we do have one.
Which is?
We have no need for the boy, at least for a while yet, since we are still preparing the rest of the plan. So we can wait.
Wait for what?
Wait for the rabbits to come out of the hole.
Two Halves Ch. 11 by napalmjoe88Watch
©2007-2016 napalmjoe88
Re 6
Ada Wong: (sigh) the more things change the more they stay the same.
Ada Wong: (sigh) the more things change the more they stay the same.
yes naru finally figures it out.!!!!! he is no longer dense as he used to be!!!!!
So cute! So great!!
So cute! So great!!
"Did he just wrap her in his jacket and start carrying her towards the house?" Yasu asked, mouth hanging open.
Sora's was open even farther. "Wow. Smooth. Where's my camera?"
Hah! so funny!!
Sora's was open even farther. "Wow. Smooth. Where's my camera?"
Hah! so funny!!
a small note there is NO link from 10b to 11 just so you know
Awesome chapter...and when Naruto was happy he thougt he wou;dnt have to tell her i thought
dude kyubi is spelled with two u its been buggin me a little.
it is actually spelled with 1 u, but in the us, most people spell it with 2 u's to get the same sound. it is spelled kyubi but with - over the u
so he finally explains it to her. and he learns that she accepts him for who he is.
i just love all the little moments between them!
so cute
finally he realizes his feelings for her
i so wanna take pictures of them together, just like sora did
itachi worries me, who knows when he'll find naruto >.<
fantastic chapter! super ultra faving it
i just love all the little moments between them!
so cute
finally he realizes his feelings for her
i so wanna take pictures of them together, just like sora did
itachi worries me, who knows when he'll find naruto >.<
fantastic chapter! super ultra faving it
Nice...heh i luv the next chapter XD
Yay! So ~kawaii~...lol ^.^' OMG NARUTO LUVS HINATA NOW WOOT!!!
awsome naruto loves her now!
Nice stuff, keep it up
agreed it was so cute i feel sick to my stomach : P. very good story


text:
The strange slipping away of time is a big topic of conversation among my friends who are new to Los Angeles. For such a slow city, the days melt away at an alarming rate. And if you have a relatively busy schedule as I do, you sneeze and it's another weekend. This is one reason for my absence from this column for the last couple weeks, but in truth there are many exciting events in the planning that have demanded my attention and time.
In a previous post, I hinted at an upcoming-curated shopping event this spring. Well, the event has taken shape in the form of EDIT, a private shopping/press day on May 4th at the Red Bull space in New York. EDIT is collaboration between JC Report and Matt Meyerson of Expose, the boutique tradeshow and will comprise approximately fifteen brands that we've curated from across the globe. It's a highly specialized event that'll cater to my affluent private client base and their friends who are increasingly demanding of harder-to-find-products from all corners of the globe. I've delivered on that demand with products coming from Lenny in Brazil, Bea Valdes from the Philippines and Italian based Pauric Sweeney and lots more.
I'm headed to NYC tomorrow to produce EDIT but meanwhile here in Los Angeles other projects are afoot. I'm constantly harangued for not having more of a TV profile. Friends and colleagues insist that I'm tailor-made for television and that I should have a presence commenting on the dos and donts, ins and outs, etc. I agree that this kind of venue suits me but I'm not one to try to try to kick down the doors of networks in Hollywood. Which is why it was so fantastic for one of the daily news program to contact me regarding a profile on my wardrobe therapy sessions. I shot the segment last week and it was extremely fun and while I can't announce the name of the show and when it'll air, you'll be the first to know when I can reveal that info…. it'll be very soon.
On another front, it's been a few years since I've attended Pitti Immagine but this year I'll be back in Florence for the tradeshow that I decided years ago has the most handsomely dressed men in the world. JC Report is planning a special broadcast from from Pitti in June where Haider Ackermann and Jil Sander will have a special showcase. And with a live streaming interview between Business of Fashion's Imran Amed and Jefferson Hack planned for April 29th and will stream on JCR, my hands have been full.

subset: commoncrawl


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World News
Passengers safe as Singapore Airlines jet catches fire
A Singapore Airlines jetliner caught fire after the plane returned to Changi Airport because of an engine warning, but all the passengers and crew escaped unhurt.
Monday 27 June 2016
World News
A Singapore Airlines jetliner caught fire after the plane returned to Changi Airport because of an engine warning, but all the passengers and crew escaped unhurt.
Spain's political leaders are beginning talks on forming a government after a second election in six months again failed to provide a clear result.
Five people, including three children, were killed when an Amtrak train collided with a van in Colorado.
Pope Francis said gays and all the other people the church has marginalised, such as the poor and the exploited, deserve an apology.
Emergency crews transported six people who were stabbed outside the California state Capitol building in Sacramento, the city's Fire Department said.
Britain's decision to leave the European Union puts German Chancellor Angela Merkel at centre stage as the bloc seeks to preserve its unity and win back sceptical voters across the continent.
US Secretary of State John Kerry has urged Britain and the European Union to manage their divorce responsibly for the sake of global markets and citizens, a day before he was to become the first senior American official to visit London and Brussels since the UK's historic...
A senior Iraqi commander has declared that the city of Fallujah is "fully liberated" from Islamic State group militants, after a more than month-long military operation.
Some 92% of the votes have been officially counted in Spain's country's repeat election and the conservative Popular Party leads with 32% of the vote, the Interior Ministry said.
Pope Francis wrapped up his trip to Armenia on Sunday with an open-air liturgy and a visit to the Orthodox country's closed border with Turkey amid new tensions with Ankara over his recognition of the 1915 "genocide".
A six-year-old boy playing with a gun killed his four-year-old brother by shooting him in the head at their home in the US.
Australia's prime minister used his official campaign launch to warn against a change of government during the economic fallout from Britain's decision to leave the European Union.
The Yellow Cloud electric guitar that Prince played in numerous concerts has been sold for more than £100,000 at an auction in the US.
Police are preparing to make arrests in connection with the suspected gang-related shootings that left two dead at a Texas dance studio.
Anti-terror police in Belgium have taken two people into custody in overnight raids.
At least 14 people were killed when gunmen stormed a hotel in Somalia's capital and took an unknown number of hotel guests hostage, police and medical workers said on Saturday.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has praised an "all-embracing and strategic partnership" with China during a visit to Beijing that takes place against the background of a drop in trade and lingering mistrust.
French president Francois Hollande has said the British vote to leave the European Union poses questions "for the whole planet".
German Chancellor Angela Merkel says it "shouldn't take forever" for Britain to deliver formal notification that it wants to leave the European Union (EU).
Scientists are moving ahead with plans for action to save the world's coral reefs, in the face of "unprecedented" damage.
Pope Francis insisted on Saturday the world should never forget or minimise the Ottoman-era slaughter of Armenians but urged Armenians themselves to infuse their collective memory with love so they can find peace and reconcile with Turkey.
Michael Herr, the author and Oscar-nominated screenwriter who documented the Vietnam War through his classic non-fiction novel Dispatches and films such as Apocalypse Now and Full Metal Jacket, has died aged 76.
Just weeks before the Olympic Games open in Rio de Janeiro, the city's accredited anti-doping laboratory has been stopped from conducting tests.
At least 23 people have died after floods swamped parts of West Virginia.
The UK's stunning vote to leave the European Union has sent political tremors across the Atlantic, with Donald Trump hoping that frustrated US voters will back similarly sweeping change.
A British cyclist has been killed in a crash on a bike trail in Iowa.
Eighteen people have been killed after heavy rain in West Virginia destroyed or seriously damaged more than 100 homes and left tens of thousands without power.
Rio de Janeiro's accredited anti-doping laboratory has been stopped from conducting tests, just weeks before the Olympic Games open.
US president Barack Obama has created the first national monument to gay rights.
More than 30 people who attended an event with motivational speaker Tony Robbins have been treated for burns after he encouraged them to walk on hot coals as a way of conquering their fears.
Pope Francis has denounced the "genocide" of Armenians by Ottoman-era Turks a century ago as he arrived in Armenia to mark the centenary of the massacre.
A judge has blocked the sale of Whitney Houston's Emmy Award that the late singer's family had put up for auction.
A masked man who was shot dead after taking hostages in a German cinema was armed with only a harmless replica rifle, a pistol and fake grenades.
Aircraft wreckage potentially from missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 has been found on an island off the east African coast.
The Russian parliament has adopted a set of controversial counter-terrorism amendments which have sparked alarm among rights activists.
Islamic State group fighters have detained some 900 Kurds in the northern Syrian province of Aleppo over the past three weeks.
A top North Korean official has said his country is a nuclear threat to be reckoned with and warned the US can expect more tests and missile launches.
Switzerland's central bank has said it has intervened in currency markets after the Swiss franc came "under upward pressure" after the UK voted to leave the European Union.
A French court has refused to reopen an investigation into the death of former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat amid suspicions that he was poisoned, saying there is no legal ground for an eventual murder trial.
Rescuers in China are searching for survivors of a tornado and hailstorm that killed nearly 100 people as it churned through farms and factories on the outskirts of a major eastern city.
Bernie Sanders has said he will vote for Hillary Clinton to be US president.
Appalachian music patriarch Ralph Stanley, who helped expand and popularise the bluegrass sound, has died at the age of 89.
An underground pipeline has spewed out thousands of gallons of crude oil near the Southern Californian coast.
Recovering sovereignty of the Falkland Islands remains a "permanent and unrelinquished" objective of the Argentine people, the country's foreign minister has told the United Nations.
Stocks are plunging in the US and worldwide after the UK voted to leave the European Union.
The largest US financial institutions have enough armour to withstand the turmoil of a major and prolonged national and global recession, the Federal Reserve said.
The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have pushed into the outskirts of the Islamic State group's stronghold of Manbij in northern Syria.
Syrian refugees stranded in the desert along the border with Jordan have lined up for water, two days after Jordan sealed off their two encampments in response to a deadly attack on its troops in the area.
Initial attempts to download information from the flight data and voice recorders of an EgyptAir plane that crashed into the Mediterranean last month have been unsuccessful, a US official said.
A Turkish court has acquitted a British scholar who had been accused of "making propaganda for a terrorist organisation".
Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page and Robert Plant said the origins of Stairway To Heaven had been put "to rest" after a jury found they did not plagiarise the song's famous guitar intro.
And so the journey ends. The Irish supporters...
President Michael D Higgins has paid tribute to Sunday Independent...
You might hate Monday, but you'll love our hand-...
Days before France v Ireland
Supporting your office bake sale and...
Since attending race days became de...
Tidying up my bikini line and selecting a pair of...
Martin O'Neill has given Roy Keane an urgent...
A teenager who shed more than 14...
In the course of a lengthy interview I had with...
One of the most popular messaging apps


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Zack Snyder, Henry Cavill, and screenwriter David Goyer all spoke about the upcoming Superman reboot "Man of Steel" recently, in the process revealing a couple of new tidbits. In regards to the film's level of secrecy, Goyer tells Total Film:
"It's something Chris [Nolan] tried hard to do with the Batman films. I'm genuinely pleased with how much secrecy we've been able to maintain. There's so much of the movie that people don't know, that hasn't been touched upon. The trailer's just the tiniest, tiniest tip of the iceberg."
He also says that the tone was a big issue to get right - bringing the grounded realism of Nolan's Batman universe, but not incorporating its dark and bleaker aspects.
"Relatable and realistic doesn't necessarily mean dark. I think it would be inappropriate for us to approach a Superman film as if we were doing The Dark Knight. The Batman films are a lot more nihilistic; Superman has always been a story about hope."
Snyder says the aim was to make a Superman movie where he does stuff that we would all do if we had those powers - "Even though he's an alien, he's more relatable, more human."
Cavill adds: "This is a Superman for a modern age. It's not betraying anything that Superman is, but it is grounding everything in reality. It's the story of this incredible being who can do incredible things, but whom we can associate with. Because he's gone through troubling stuff and had to make tough choices."
A bunch of photo scans from TF's recent feature article on the film have gone online via io9. Check them out below:
Sources: Total Film and io9


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1. After being burned by the Force, literally, I switched to their Flex, thinking it couldn't be as harmful. It was. Fitbit burned me literally and figuratively, in that I'm still stuck with a seemingly permanent scar, along with extra bands and clips that took 4 months to arrive. By that time, I had to get rid of the Flex for the same reasons as I dumped the Force—the Flex was causing the same types of injuries in scores of people, as well as virtually disintegrating. Just like the Force, the Flex falls apart, and even those with oozing burning blisters often misguidedly just order more bands and clips when it does. These often subsequently fall apart, as well. This leads many of the questioning injured to believe the harmful substance which scars, burns and blisters, is in the adhesive, which then either gasses out or breaks down, leaving the band in pieces.
2. My next contestant for fitness band replacement was the Garmin Vivofit. Its positives included a long-lasting replaceable battery and more flexible band than Fitbit. However, it was not LED and the display was unlit, so that both in the sun and in a darkened room you cannot see the display at all. Its sleep monitoring was useless to me because I couldn't set it for sleep when in bed without balancing a flashlight to see when the display was in the correct mode. Too expensive for not enough benefit for me, so it was returned.
3. While at an Apple store, I looked at the Misfit Shine. The Shine's unattractive metallic dome of circular lights did nothing for me as an informative fitness bracelet. I need a basic display with numbers and words, not dots of light.
4. So I tried the Nike+ Fuelband SE, which debuted about the same time as the Force. This looked more interesting to me. It had a great display, great band design, with the charger as part of the band. Just take off the end and plug the band into your computer. However, my arm was between sizes they offered; and, although they included extra pieces that could be added to the band, it was never quite right. And, it didn't count steps; rather, forced you to think in terms of "fuel points", which to me was a waste of time. Why should I have to convert its progress into steps? Isn't that what a fitness device is for?
5. Then I auditioned the promising-looking Soleus Go, which looked great, had a good display, fit well, but was a nightmare to try to charge or to navigate through the maze of menus and sub-menus. Way too complicated for just a fitness tracker! It had the most convoluted charging apparatus I had even seen or used, and it took a long time to get it right. Plus, it had two confusing buttons to push to navigate. I seemed to always do it wrong. Not for me.
6. Withings came out with their intriguing Withings Pulse O2, which promised not only to track everything typical trackers do, but your pulse rate and blood oxygen levels as well. Since Withings is such a solid and well-respected manufacturer of fitness equipment, I suspended my apprehensions about the tracker that slipped into a metal bracket on top of a rubber bracelet. When I received it, some of my fears were realized by seeing how wide the tracker was in relation to my wrist. The removable rectangular tracker was at least the full width of my wrist. It had a good display, and was relatively easy to use.
However, to use the pulse or blood oxygen level feature, you had to remove the tracker from its bracket (while wearing it), then navigate to the menu for those readings, then hold your finger under the red light emitted from the back of the tracker. For me, this was useless. It was very clumsy to have to stop my hike or workout, coax the tracker out of the bracelet with the other hand, then find the menu and stand still with my finger under the red light. Then you replace it into its metal bracket in the bracelet. Since this feature was too awkward to be useful to me, and since the metal bracket and large tracker made the band less than sleek, plus heavier, it was returned. I would love a pulse and O2 reading in a fitness band, but not through this method. Withings is a solid company, and currently promises the release of a fitness band disguised as a French designed elegant round classic wristwatch. It is thin and stylish, and comes with a leather and rubber-type band, and is completely waterproof. More a man's style, but it is thin and elegant enough to be worn by women. It is expected to be very pricey, however.
7. During all my forays into the world of fitness bands, friends continued to extoll the benefits and reliability of the Jawbone UP24. The predecessor, the UP, did not sync via Bluetooth, but the UP24 did. It was light, thin, and had a wrap around the wrist design without bulky or annoying fasteners or buckles. I resisted because it had no display, and I would be totally app-dependent for my progress. It is not always convenient for me to get to my iPhone, so app dependency due to lack of display was a big obstacle for me. However, I wanted something reliable for steps, and that also measured sleep and quality of sleep. The UP24 did all that. It has a long battery life between charges, probably due to the lack of display. It has a great app that gives you useful messages and suggestions as it learns your habits. It has vibration alarms, and most especially, a fantastic sleep analysis feature. You simply press the end of the band when you go to bed, and a moon will light up briefly on the band. When you awaken (it can be set to gently awaken you with vibrations when in the desirable sleep pattern), you again press the end of the band and a sun will illuminate to show that you are in daytime mode. Almost immediately you receive a notification on your phone telling you how much sleep you actually got, as compared with the time spent in bed. It also gives an excellent analysis of your sleep patterns. To charge the UP24, you remove the larger cap on one end and plug it into its very short and easy USB adapter. If this unit had a display, I would be totally in love with it! But, alas, it does not, and I can't be app dependent.
8. When LG announced its stylized and unusual LG Lifeband Touch, I thought it would be perfect. Similar to the UP24, it had no bulky fasteners, rather had a gap between the semi-rigid band and the integrated touch display. The band was easy to get on, and felt much like a bangle bracelet. It felt a bit large, but after the Force fiasco, my wrist is more comfortable in a loose-fitting band. The touch screen is sleek on the top of the band, with a single button almost invisible as it is part of the screen. This band did almost everything but sleep analysis. So for a long time I wore both it and the UP24. I don't wear a watch, so require a time display from a band, which it provided. There is a really interesting (albeit battery-consuming) feature on the LG that allows you to get the time or whatever reading you desire by just tilting your wrist towards you. The display wakes up, and you can choose the amount of time it stays illuminated. I set it to display the time when I tilted my wrist, and it was very convenient not to have to push a button to get the time. The touch screen interface supported swipe movements, so after a button push, you could swipe through all your stats, including the day and date. There was also a stopwatch workout feature; and with the iPhone it showed a phone symbol and vibrated when you received a call. This was handy for me, as my phone was often inaccessibly buried deep in my cavernous purse. I believe it may show the caller ID on Android devices, but since I have an iPhone, did not research it further. It had a fairly straightforward charging system where the bottom of the display arm of the band slid into a charging cradle without much effort. It also has a neat feature that lets you control your music from the band. I heard from another user, however, that the customer service is unresponsive.
9. I wore both the LG and the UP24 for a long time, and was as satisfied as I could be wearing two bands. I still wanted one band that would give me a good display and sleep analysis. I recently heard about a band that promised to do it all called Runtastic. I preordered it from Amazon. It has a removable tracker and thereby interchangeable bands. It comes with a unisex sized blue band, a black band, and a black clip holder for clothing or necklace. I thought it would be perfect. Unlike Fitbit's policy of charging extra for the fastener clip for each band, each of these bands came with a fastener attached. Also unlike Fitbit, the bands were pliable and secure and easy to fasten, however the non-sizing made the tail of my band very long and a bit awkward to fasten. It promised to be totally waterproof, have a long battery life, a well-lit display showing steps, calories and active minutes, plus a simple push button to engage sleep and scroll through the modes. A single press of the rather large silver domed button gave you the time and a progress line. I wore it at night with the UP24 to compare the readings. The app for the Runtastic is somewhat overly simplified, and it gives as sleep your total time in bed, not how long you actually slept. It also gives you a percentage of your "sleep efficiency", which is pretty useless to me. I am used to a clear graph on the UP showing exactly how long I was asleep, and how much of that was light or deep sleep. The Runtastic gives a feeble graph, which, when you touch it gives an unreadable message about the quality of sleep, as half of the message is cut off. Although it allows for some self-expression through a variety of different colored bands, and although the charging is very simple, it is not sleek, a bit bulky, and the sleep analysis is not useful to me. Certainly not enough to give up my reliable UP24.
10. I also bought a rather different kind of tracker that I thought could be useful. It is the Lumo Lift, a small oval tracker that attaches with a magnet to your clothing or with a clasp to a bra strap. It was supposed to let you know when your posture was incorrect by buzzing you as a reminder, plus it was to count steps. My first problem with this device was charging it. It has a horseshoe shaped magnetic base with an attached USB cord. As I have countess USB devices always needing plugging in, I have several USB AC adapters, which, without exception, accommodate all my USB cords. Except the Lumo Lift charger cord. For some reason, the USB plug would not go all the way into the adapters. I thought it was charging for hours before I realized it wasn't. It turns out that there is a pinhole-sized light sunken into one end of the oval device, and it is supposed to show red or green when charging or charged. It never illuminated, so it wasn't charging. I dug through numerous AC adapters until I finally found one that worked with it. However, the microscopic light was so tiny and dim I had to use a magnifying glass just to try to establish that, not only was it on, but what color it was.
The second challenge with the Lumo Lift was that the first time I used it, I used the recommended bra strap clip, as it keeps the device more stable than on a shirt. I found both on the floor a few hours after attaching it. The glue that held the magnet onto the clip had come off, and so did the device. Had I not been home and found it on my carpet, it would have been lost the first time worn. I contacted customer support who was very responsive, and told me that was a known issue, and they would send me another clip. Many days later, it has still not arrived. So, I started trying to wear it with a fitted tee shirt (they say it can't be on loose clothing), just below my collarbone as they recommend. I then discovered that the only time it would buzz for incorrect posture is when you enter a "coaching session" , activated either through the app or long-pressing the device. These sessions only last a maximum of 1 hour then must be reinitiated if you actually want to continue to be reminded when your posture was incorrect. Even after initiating a coaching session, my unit did not buzz. Customer service told me to close the app and reopen it. I did, and this worked. However, I found it annoying to have to continue to do this. I found it vastly under counting steps compared to my other devices, and even with a fitted tee shirt, it didn't have enough skin contact to buzz. About the only really interesting feature I found was taking your phone off auto-lock, placing it next to your computer in a stand-up dock, then initiating a coaching session. Out of the corner of your eye, even when it doesn't buzz properly, the entire phone screen (in the app) turns either green or pink to let you know if your posture is good or not. This alone, however, is not enough to make me want to keep the device, and I am attempting to return it.
11. But, I still wanted that band that is reliable, has a display, tells time asleep, and preferably lets me know of incoming texts and phone calls. And, it has to be somewhat good looking; as it is something you wear 24/7. So, I ordered the Striiv Touch. It is one of the least expensive trackers available, has a touch screen, sleek appearance, adjustable band, is water resistant (shower, rain, sweat), does sleep analysis, steps and has notifications for incoming texts and calls. When it arrived, I immediately charged it. The charging mechanism seemed defective, and the charge would not hold. After a few hours, a 100% charge was down to 35%. Then, after a day, it was dead, would take no charge.
Fortunately I got it through Amazon, and not Striiv, as Striiv's customer service (2 part-time employees) took longer to get back with me about the problem than it took to get a replacement from Amazon. The second Striiv works perfectly! My gold standard for sleep analysis is the Jawbone UP24, and the Striiv's time asleep was almost the same. Although it is a bit generous in steps, and when I am wrapping a package it awards me steps, it is a good and easy tracker to use and wear. It is the lightest of any of the tracker bands I have tried, and you forget you have it on. It is easy to fasten, and comes with a "tighter fit" extra clasp if needed. It is one-size-fits-all, and marks show where the band can be cut to customize your fit.
The display can be rotated 180 degrees so that it faces either out or you. It has a great display which you press and hold a bit to get the time and date, then supports swiping to get to steps, distance, calories and more. It also has an "apps" icon, which when pressed, gives you access to battery level, version, sleep and recent messages or emails. One of my favorite features is a subtle vibrate notification that an email, call, or text has arrived. It instantly displays whom the emails are from, and the full text message. It gives complete caller ID with my iPhone 5s. Its app is nice and compact, with all information on the first page. More in-depth settings are on subsequent pages. Their weakness seems to be customer support, which they told me consists of 2 part-time overworked employees, as they are still in startup mode.
After the 2nd Striiv was used 2 nights and 1½ days, it, too, died. I was away from home, so I could not try to charge it. Just before it died, it showed about 50% battery. When I got home and plugged it in, it said 7%, then 27%. All the settings were frozen at the time it died until I reset the unit and closed and reopened the app. I will give it one more try; but customer service says 1 day or more on a charge is normal, and that the device's battery readings are often incorrect. They plan to fix these issues in future updates, but it may not be soon enough for me. I need something reliable now.
One of the other negatives I have with the Striiv is the method of charging, which seems more convoluted than necessary. The band has to be placed into a box-type enclosure where you match up the contacts on the band with the box, and then it snaps closed over the band. It is connected to a USB AC adapter by way of a mini USB cord. It has no continuous charging light; you must push on the screen to find the charging progress. I really hope Striiv irons out the kinks, as so far, this is my favorite!
Clearly, this is a crowded arena, and soon to be more populated by Apple's and Swatch's smart watches, LG's and Samsung's new entries, the much-anticipated Nabu Razer, and Withings' elegant French-made fitness watch that looks like an expensive, slim timepiece. The upcoming Angel Sensor promises pulse and O2 as well.
However, for those of us who just want the basics (I would like pulse and O2 as well), when it works, I am thrilled with the Striiv, which is a fraction of most other brands and offers so much more! My search continues!


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This story has been reproduced from today's media. It does not necessarily represent the position of Liverpool Football Club.
Crystal Palace have made a bid for Tom Ince, with reports suggesting Ian Holloway is hoping for a reunion with the winger.
Palace are preparing for a big season in the Premier League after winning their play-off final against Watford to secure promotion, and the side will be looking for a replacement for Manchester United-bound Wilfried Zaha.
The Mirror claims that Holloway believes Ince is the perfect match, and despite recent interest from both Liverpool and Tottenham, the England U21 international could decide to become a part of Palace's ambition to stay in the Premier League.
Ince has often spoken of the possibility of moving to Liverpool, and while he was working under Holloway the manager had to stave off interest in his best player as the Reds put in a bid.
"I heard someone say this week that my brilliant youngster Tom Ince will be heading for the Premier League in January," he said last September, speaking of the young star.
But now, after moving to Palace and getting the side promoted, Holloway is on the other side of the table, and is reportedly hoping to offer just £4m for Ince, shy of the £5m offer Liverpool put in last year.
Tottenham have shown interest in the youngster more recently, with Andre Villas-Boas believed to be looking at him as a possibility to add more depth in an area that sorely missed Aaron Lennon when he was out of action in the new year.
Source: IB Times
This story has been reproduced from today's media. It does not necessarily represent the position of Liverpool Football Club.
Next Story


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I notice two types of design used in web applications, some with a particular subdomain for users contents, and some with same URL structure for all the accounts.
unique.domain.com and
another_unique.domain.com for subdomains for sites like blogspot, wordpress, basecamp etc.
while in the other approach
domain.com/action1 and
domain.com/action2 the content is shown according to the user logged in, but the URL is same for every user.
What are main differences between both of these kind of design?


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From concessions to cafés, there's a Caffe D'Amore product that's just right for your business.
To feature Caffe D'Amore on your menu, please call Kerry's Sales Support team at 800-537-7987. We're here Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m. CST.
Or complete and send this form and a friendly Kerry Sales Representative with will be in touch with you soon.


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Wallis Annenberg on CNN Heroes; Annenberg Foundation Collaborates With Program
In an op-ed piece published on CNN.com today, Annenberg Foundation Chairman of the Board, President & CEO Wallis Annenberg had this to say about the CNN Heroes:
"Thanks to CNN Heroes, for all that's going wrong, we can also see powerful examples of what's going right. We can see the courageous, deeply committed women and men who are rolling up their sleeves and meeting our most pressing public needs, all across the world."
And about how critical nonprofits are to our society:
"What does all of this mean for Americans who want to make a difference of their own? It means you should recognize and support our 1.4 million nonprofits as generously as you can. It means you should look for newer and smaller nonprofits that are leading, experimenting, trying to change the way we solve our problems - by other nonprofits and by government as well. And it means that among our many blessings this holiday season is a deeply ingrained tradition of caring individuals doing what they can to create a better, fairer, more just world. Want more of them? All you have to do is join them."
For the first time ever, the Top 10 2012 CNN Heroes and past CNN Heroes will receive free nonprofit professional development training by the Annenberg Foundation. Through the Annenberg Alchemy program, these Heroes will learn how to strengthen their humanitarian efforts while managing their sudden worldwide attention and resources.


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We're still reeling a bit from back-to-back conferences in two places that don't cater well to sleep or overall health: South-by-Southwest (SXSW) in Austin, Texas and Community 2.0 in Las Vegas. Conferences are a fire hose and six solid days is just too much to document. This entry is focused on some of the people and talks that mattered most to us.
One of my favorite sessions of SXSW was called "People-Powered Products" with Derek Powazek of 8020 Publishing (makers of JPG Magazine), Heather Champ, Community Manager at Flickr and folks from self-publishing site Lulu.com and music remixing site Jamglue.com. Another favorite was moderated by my Clue Unit partner Jake Mckee called Community Ecology: Finding Balance When Working with Fan Groups. Part of what made this one interesting was the mix of panelists: Betsy Whalen of Discovery Education, Rebecca Newton from the kid's virtual world Habbo and, of course, Terrence Ryan from alt-porn site Suicide Girls. An interesting mix indeed.
The real action at SXSW is social and away from the conference itself. Vendors sponsor multiple parties that go into the night, giving everyone a chance to hang out, drink heavily and make new friends. I won't try to name the all folks we met.
While SXSW was all about the leading edge of the web, Community 2.0 was about how the business world is reacting to online communities. This event was a broad mix of innovators, practitioners, leaders and companies who see the future impact of community. While it might not have been as "cool" and tattooed as SXSW, this conference was much more real and practical for me. I enjoyed it more than expected.
I moderated a panel called "In the Trenches: Community Best Practices" and owe a debt of gratitude to my panelists: David Churbuck of Lenovo, George Jaquette of Intuit and Michael Prosceno of SAP. These guys are all driving change in large, traditional companies and have perspectives that you'd expect to hear from start-ups. As an example, David Churbuck, the VP of Global Web Marketing at Lenovo, takes the time to comment on critical blog posts himself. We decided to have the entire content of the panel run on audience participation and they made it work with stories, humor and practical advice.
I enjoyed hearing from folks like Scott Wilder at Intuit, Bill Schreiner of AOL, Bill Johnston of Forum One, Richard Gotham of the Boston Celtics and the Chrises: Chris Carfi, Chris Heuer and Chris Tolles. It was also great to meet folks like Kathleen Gilroy from Otter Group, Nate Ritter from Eventful lots of community managers from all over. One of my favorite attendees was Mikal Belicove from Doba who always asked pointed and pertinent questions, sometimes causing a little controversy. We met a number of community managers from Seattle that were new to us. I feel a Seattle community-people event coming on.
Most of the people linked above have great perspectives on the event as well. I'm sure I left a lot of folks out - it's not personal!