Disclaimer!

I do not own any part of Naruto or it's characters, plots, or stuff.

I only own Corsica Atataka. Her past, her personality, and her body are mine.

GET YOUR MIND OUT OF THE GUTTER!

Personally, I loathe Sasuke. But he's such an interesting character to work with I couldn't resist.

Rate and review, I'm working as fast as I can.

-Niki

Chapter One

They Cause Headaches

She had been the first in the classroom, as usual. That fact about her never changed, just as her voluntary partial muteness. She knew why she was here so early; a walk without hormone driven, screaming females seemed to prepare her for the day. Help her get through the hours easier until it was time to go home. Maybe it was the eerie silence; no words, just her breathing and nearly silent footfalls. Or maybe it was the lack of girls screaming "Sasuke-kun!" She wasn't sure she understood the concept of screaming and fighting over each other just to catch his attention; he wasn't that great. Arrogance, angst. Yet that horde constantly stalked him. It was obvious that he enjoyed the attention: he could've made any excuse to keep them away. They'd sure be distraught if he turned to them and shouted "I'm gay!"

Speak of the devil! She didn't look up from the table she sat at as he walked down the aisle. As if she would: they hardly knew each other past a last name basis. She knew a few of his abilities, he knew a few of hers. Iruka-sensei would always pin them against each other when it came to practice: they were the best field nin. Besides, she never liked to get close to people who honestly didn't give two craps about her. Heaving an inaudible sigh, she resting her cheek in her palm as her slate gray eyes watched the chalkboard, as if it might magically spring to life and speak to her.

Listlessly, she watched as strands of her dark red hair fell from behind her ear and into her saddened porcelain face, then she'd move them back into their respected place. This process continued as if her shoulder length hair had a mind of its' own. She wore mid-thigh length shorts and a long black t-shirt that overlapped the waist generously. Every visible spot of her body - save for her face, neck, and fingers - were hidden under clean bandages. Her new headband that announced that she'd graduated from the academy was tied tightly around her left thigh, simply because of preference: if an enemy snuck up on you from behind, your headband could easily become a makeshift blindfold. A nin's sight and hearing are important. Vital.

Shikamaru - one of the few people she voiced herself to - gave a sleepy "hey" as he plopped into the chair beside her, laying his head in her arms on the desk as the room started filling up. She mentally groaned when the squealing erupted from down the hall, and she could just hear Shikamaru's mumbles in discontent beside her. Great, she thought, the cavalry arrives to ferret out their precious "Sasuke-kun!" She lowered her face to hide from the females, her voice a soft whisper that Shikamaru had to strain to hear, "I don't get girls." Being the only female in the room at that moment, she was sure to be singled out for her distaste in their obsessions. "Actually," Shikamaru started, "I think the only ones who aren't squealing are normal. You, Hinata, and that Sand Village chick." She laughed, the sound merely a rush of air that disappeared with her smile, "Thanks, that makes me feel all fuzzy inside." She could hear him chuckle, "Don't mention it."

A lot happened before Iruka (finally) walked in, especially between Naruto Uzumaki, Ino Yamanaka, Sakura Haruno, and the Uchiha. Corsica ignored it, her head miles away until Iruka's voice snapped her out of it. She sat up, a red mark on her forehead and her heart shaped face a little paler than usual. "Hey," Chouji - who had snuck in at the last second to sit beside her -whispered through munches of chips, "You okay?" She nodded once, turning her attention to the speech that Iruka was giving. "As of today, you are all ninja. To get here you all faced difficult trials and hardships. But that's nothing: what comes next will be more difficult. Now you are only genin: first level ninjas. All genin will be grouped into three-man squads, save for one that'll have four due to odd numbers. Every squad will be led by a jounin, an elite ninja." Corsica could hear the - according to Shikamaru - "non-normal" girls chatter about the Uchiha.

"Each squad will have balanced strengths and abilities. I will now announce the squads;" He held a piece of paper to his face. "Team 7: Naruto Uzumaki . . . Sakura Haruno . . . " The hyperactive blond seemed overjoyed, Sakura - however - not so much." . . . Sasuke Uchiha . . ." They switched almost immediately, Naruto whining in complaint and Sakura giving a cheer. She turned to flash a peace sign to the blond behind her, Ino. "And Corsica Atataka." Already, Corsica could feel the burning glares of the "non-normal" girls. The word "Hinotori" buzzed around the room, and she hit her clenched fists under the table. Iruka announced the rest of the groups, then Naruto protested. "Iruka-sensei!" He pointed to Sasuke, "Why does a great ninja like me have to be in the same group with a slug like Sasuke?"

Iruka rolled his eyes. "Sasuke tied for having the best scores of the class. Naruto, you had the worst. It only made sense to balance it out." Sasuke was suddenly shocked, his dark eyes staring at Iruka. Sakura spoke, "Tied? With who?" Iruka checked his papers, "With Corsica. To create a balanced group, we put the best student with the worst. Sakura was better in the classroom than in the field, and vise versa with Corsica." Corsica looked down at the table, feeling the gazes of others around the room burning through her. It was no secret that Sakura was better in the class, which was why the pink-haired girl was more cut out to be a medic than Corsica, and Corsica was better at the offensive approach. She knew from the practice battles they had, she had only been troubled in her combat by the Uchiha. She never lose, but neither did he. They tied often. But each knew when to quit.

Naruto growled at this news. Sasuke had to let his ego show, "Just be sure not to get in my way. Loser."

"What did you say?"

"Hard of hearing?"

They stopped as Iruka cleared his throat, "After lunch you'll meet your new jounin teachers. Until then class dismissed."

Corsica simply walked around during the lunch period, either not hungry or not having enough money to assure food could sit in her house. Most likely the latter. Shikamaru and his team - including Chouji - had already left. And Hinata's as well. She knew that she should be using this time to train, lest her migraines return. But she just didn't feel up to it at that moment. When the bell atop the Hokage tower rang, she figured it was about time to be getting back. There was a shortcut that she turned onto without thinking, almost immediately regretting it. There were Sasuke and Sakura. "He's all alone!" She froze, only her heart seeming to move with every beat that rang in her ears. She could hear Sasuke's voice, but it sounded far away, as if she were a million miles under water as she remembered things about her own parents. "Alone. Isolated." His voice was strangely calm with anger.

"Huh?" Of course she wouldn't understand, the spoiled brat. "It's not about your parents scolding you. You have no idea what it means to be alone."

"W-why are you saying this?"

"Because . . . You're annoying." Sakura gasped as he walked away, and after a moment, Corsica finally was allowed to move again. She was sure to ram Sakura's shoulder hard when she passed, unintentionally sending her to the ground. "Hey!" For once, Corsica's face showed anger. She flashed a glare to Haruno, who squeaked, before clearing her face and avoiding the curious Uchiha as she walked to the academy. Now, of all times, she was beginning to doubt her own silent mask.

She was the first to return to the classroom only to realize that their apparent sensei wasn't there. She took the farthest seat away, putting her back to the door and watching the clouds out the window. She wasn't sure why Shikamaru took such an interest in them: they were just clouds. She lay her chin in her palm, her mind drifting away to things better left unsaid, her slate gray eyes not bothering to turn to her teammates as they filed in.

She found a migraine forming just above her eyebrows as time grew on. Not just from lack of training, but from Sakura and Naruto. Couldn't they just shut up? Naruto looked out the door both ways, stating the same statement for the nth time. Sakura scolded him. Again. "Naruto sit down." He came back into the classroom, "How come our teacher is the only one that's late? I'm ready to go! Believe it! The other groups have already met their teachers and took off. Probably on some great adventure or something. Even Iruka-sensei's gone!"

"We know okay . . . Hey, what're you doing?" Erupting from her daze to rub her forehead, Corsica looked at them, flashing a look at the Uchiha that had been staring at her, but now turned away. Naruto was standing on a chair to place a chalk eraser in between the door and its' frame, like that prank where you put a bucket of water there and . . . You get the idea. "That's what he gets for coming late. Surprise!" Naruto giggled like a school girl. "You're asking for trouble. You know you shouldn't do that." Again, Sakura scolded him. As if he'd listen. Sasuke scoffed, "Our teacher is a jounin: an elite ninja. You think you'd fall for that?" Sakura jumped back in to - of course - agree with Sasuke. "Yeah, Sasuke is right. You're so clueless Naruto." Corsica watched as a gloved hand appeared on the door to push it open, a silver-headed male stepping in to - Poof! - earn an eraser to the head. His headband was tilted to hide an eye, a mask covering the rest of his face to show only a lazy dark eye. Naruto cracked up laughing, practically rolling on the floor. "I got him! He totally fell for it!" Almost immediately Sakura began apologizing, "I'm sorry sensei. I told him not to do it, but he wouldn't listen."

Sasuke said nothing, as did Corsica. With bored gray eyes, the jounin looked to each of them before picking up the eraser, turning his attention to it instead. He waited for a moment more, then looked back up at them. "Hmm . . . . How can I put this? My first impression of this group . . . You're a bunch of idiots."

Corsica sat away from her team on the concrete steps, on the very edge of her seat. She often found that she never sat fully in a seat, unless she had the intention of falling asleep. She rested her elbows on her knees, one hand propping up her head just below her chin and the other laying out before her. Their new sensei spoke, "Now," he started, "why don't you introduce yourselves one at a time." He sounded bored. Great, Corsica thought to herself, her hand under her chin moving to massage the space above her eyebrows as a migraine formed, family fun time. Sakura spoke (of course), "Introduce ourselves? What are we supposed to say?"

"Things you like, things you hate. Goals for the future. Hobbies. Things like that."

Naruto spoke, seated awfully close to the pink haired female who only wanted to push him away. "Why don't you tell us first? I mean, before we talk, tell us about you so we can see how it works."

"I am Kakashi Hatake. Things I like and things I hate . . . . I don't feel like telling you that. My dreams for the future . . . I never really thought about it. As for my hobbies, I have lots of hobbies." Sakura - ever judgmental - spoke, "Well that was really useless: all he told us was his name." Corsica didn't blame him. In fact, she was contemplating what to say herself. She never really let people in. Shikamaru and Chouji hardly knew anything about her. Who'd want to tell a story to complete strangers? "Okay," he pointed to Naruto, "Your turn. You on the right, you're first." Instantly, Naruto perked up. "Believe it! I'm Naruto Uzumaki. I like instant ramen in a cup and I really like the ramen Iruka-sensei gets me at the Ichiraku Noodle Shop. But I hate the three minutes you have to wait after pouring water in the cup. My hobby's eating different kinds of ramen and comparing them. And my future dream is to become the greatest Hokage! Then, the whole village will stop disrespecting me, and they'll treat me like I'm somebody. Somebody important!"

Kakashi paused for a moment, digesting what he heard, "Alright," he pointed to Sakura, "next."

"I'm Sakura Haruno," Corsica closed her eyes against the light, the afternoon sun blaring. "What I like . . . I mean the person I like is . . . " She trailed off looking at Sasuke beside her. "My hobby is . . ." She giggled, looking at Sasuke once again. "My dream for the future is . . ." Corsica cringed outwardly when she squealed, flashing her a dark look past the Uchiha beside her. "And what do you hate?" She didn't hesitate, shouting , "Naruto!" Corsica fell back into place, Naruto whining and complaining. "Next." He pointed to Sasuke. Corsica moved to massaging her temples. "My name is Sasuke Uchiha. I hate a lot of things, and I don't particularly like anything." Sakura deflated like a balloon. "What I have is not a dream, because I will make it a reality; I'm going to restore my clan, and destroy a certain someone." Silence followed. Kakashi held his chin, "Interesting." He pointed to Corsica, "Last one."

Her slate gray eyes slid open to meet his while the others stared at her. Had she been there the whole time? Her arm fell away from her face, silent a moment more, before she spoke, turning to look back at the rooftops of the buildings. Naruto and Sakura leaned in, hearing her voice for the first time. Sasuke, close enough to hear, merely cast her a sideways glance. "I'm Corsica Atataka. I don't like a lot of things, which leaves less to like." Her voice was soft, but clear. Like an old bell that sat on the tall shelf for years until someone finally rang it for the first time. "I have no dreams or goals or whatever you want to call them, or hobbies." She let them digest what she said before Kakashi clapped his hands. "Wonderful. You are all unique and have your own ideas. We'll have our first mission tomorrow." Corsica slid her eyes closed again, holding her throbbing forehead in her palm.

Naruto was practically jumping where he sat, "A mission? What kind of mission!"

"It's more of a task that we'll all need to work together on."

"What? What? What!" Corsica inhaled deeply as he raised his voice, exhaling silently. He was too loud. Kakashi sounded ever bored, "A survival exercise."

"Huh? A survival exercise?"

"I thought we were supposed to have a real mission? No more practice," Sakura questioned. "We already did all that stuff at the academy. That's how we got here." Kakashi's tone didn't change. "This isn't like your previous training." Corsica mentally cursed herself, seeing her medication sitting on her kitchen counter. If only he was here on time, she could've taken her medication. Or trained. Either way, it could've been easily avoided if it weren't for his nonexistent punctuality. "Out of the twenty-eight graduates that just came here, only twenty will be accepted as genin. The other eighteen will be weeded out and sent back to the academy. In other words: this is a pass or fail test. And the chance you'll fail is at least sixty-six percent."

I'll just have to work harder. Practice twice a day. I have to get that kekkai genkai to work to my advantage. "I decide whether you pass or fail. Be at the designated training spot at five AM and bring your ninja gear. That's it, you're dismissed. Oh, and tomorrow, you'd better skip breakfast . . . Or you'll puke."

She was the first up, halfway down the stairs just as the others were starting off the roof. As soon as she opened the door, she cringing and grimaced inwardly, for the screaming started.

"Sasuke-kun!"

"I love you, Sasuke-kun!"

Their voices were a thousand times louder in her head. "Hey!" She raised a hand to the left side of her skull, pushing through them. They parted easily. "It's only Hinotori!" Rage flared inside her. That name. How she loathed it. "Fly away, Hinotori!" Snide comments filled the air as she staggered past them, her head spinning in pain and anger. "Yeah! Beat it! Bird brain!" She ignored them. Her medication was far more important than dealing with low grade bullies.

Hinotori: Fire Bird.

Corsica's unwillingly given nickname. She treats it as a derogatory term and despises anyone who calls her that. Mainly: Sasuke's fan girls.