Through the dark
I make my way to the familiar bridge, my shoes kicking up small puffs of dust in the heated spring air. I note that Sasuke Uchiha has arrived already and he's leaning casually against the bridge's old railing. I blow a strand of dark hair out of my eyes tiredly as I send a half-hearted wave to him.
"Ohayou gozaimasu," I greet him casually.
"Ohayou," he replies, not so much as bothering to spare me a glance. I huff in irritation.
Is he always like this or is today special? Kami-sama, what a team I have gotten…
Flashback
It's been three days since I transferred here from Suna, and still I haven't gotten very far. This town is very wary of strangers, and inquisitive. Too many questions.
"Hmm," the man asks as he studies me with narrowed eyes."May I know why you left Sunagakure and transferred to Konokagakure?" He casts his gaze from me to my application for the genin post.
"Personal reasons," I answer shortly. After a slight pause I add, "My criminal and medical records are clear, so I request that you assign me as a genin here."
He raises a bushy eyebrow at me and sits back in his chair, hands resting on his stomach.
"Very well," he says, his voice a deep rumble,"You can start your work as a leaf shinobi from today. Collect your ninja gear and be at the Konoha academy grounds in one hour to meet your sensei."
I incline my head in thanks. "Arigato, I will not disappoint you, lord third." And with that I leave the office.
One hour later…
I walk through the academy doors and freeze at the sight of two naked girls – a blonde and dark-haired girl – barely covered in a thin cloud of white. A livid, fully clothed girl with pink hair shouts loudly, "Shannaro!" as she punches the blonde and sends her flying. The abused blonde disappears in a puff of smoke, leaving a spiky-haired teenage boy
Ah, transformation jutsu, I muse quietly.
"Don't teach your idiotic jutsus to children, you moron," she roars. "And Konohamaru!"
He stands to attention in front of the furious pink-haired tyrant. "You should know better!" In another puff of smoke, the supposed Konohamaru transforms back into a younger, short boy, long scarf trailing beneath his feet as he backs up a few paces.
The blonde speaks up. "Aw Sakura-chan, no need to hit me that hard," he complains as he pouts and soothes his now bumped head.
The girl is about to argue when a raven-haired boy interrupts, seemingly irritated at their antics. "Cut it out, both of you," he orders coolly.
I groan under my breath and let out a withered sigh. "Don't tell me this is my new team," I mumble to myself.
"Yup, it is," a voice startles me from behind. I quickly swing around to meet a pair of smoky grey eyes, one covered with a bandana, staring into mine.
"Who're you?" I ask bluntly.
The man settles back, arms crossing over his chest. "Hatake Kakashi," he replies swiftly with a barely visible smile peaking from beneath his mask. "And you must be our new edition. Namie, right?" I nod hesitantly. "Alright everyone, listen up. Starting from now, Namie is a part of team seven and I expect you all to get along, right Naruto? Sasuke?" The blonde casts the other boy a pouting glare, of which he ignores.
A hand is shoved under my nose as the blonde makes his introduction in a loud voice: "I'm Uzumaki Naruto, and I'm gonna be next hokage. Believe it!" I ignore his hand and he lets it drop to his side, brushing off my coldness.
"Uchiha Sasuke," the other boy says, onyx eyes peeking through inky blue locks. I can't help but note how his dark eyes compliment his pale complexion.
The girl interrupts my thoughts as she breaks steps between Sasuke and I. "I'm Haruno Sakura," she states through gritted teeth, casting me a glare that marked Sasuke as hers and that I should stay the hell away from him.
Tch, fangirls, I think as I roll my eyes.
"My name's Namie. I transferred here from Suna as a genin. I don't like anything in particular, and you shouldn't be interested in knowing the things I hate. My goal? Never thought about it," I state as the formal introduction. Everyone sweat drops and casts me a deadpan look.
"Well that tells us almost nothing about you," Sakura notes. I answer her with silence and a stony gaze.
Kakashi claps his hands, the sharp echoes piercing the air. "Okay, then tomorrow will be your first mission with us Namie. We'll meet at seven o'clock at the river bridge. See ya." And with that he disappears in a poof of smoke.
A few weeks later (Present day)…
I glance sideways at Sasuke again, hoping he won't notice, and watch as his hair dances softly with the wind. I jump up on the cool metal bars of the bridge and sit next to him, kicking my legs in front of me out of boredom. I hold back a smirk as he barely acknowledges me for a few seconds before resuming to burn holes in the ground with his gaze. I tilt my head in contemplation, wondering what he's thinking right now.
Sasuke's POV:
I watch as her dark hair flutters in the wind, the sunlight catching on it and highlighting it with a purple tinge. Her green-blue eyes are staring tranquilly at the flowing water beneath us, seemingly lost in her thoughts. Always so mysterious, but often so oblivious to the world around her when she zones out. I wonder what she's thinking about. I'd like to get to know her better, if only she let me…
I narrow my eyes as a high-pitched voice interrupts my thoughts with an enthusiastic, "Sasuke-kun." That's when I realise what I am thinking, and I snap myself out of it in surprise.
What's happening to me? I can't believe myself; I don't have time to waste! I berate myself.
That's when Naruto decides to make his appearance with a flashy 'poof' and a triumphant smirk on his face. Tch, showoff.
"Kakashi-sensei's late again?" he complains loudly, stating the obvious.
"I hope he gets here soon," I hear Namie says breathlessly.
"You alright Namie?" Naruto asks, concern etched in his features.
She brushes him off with a wave of her hand. "Yeah, I'm fine." I note that she's a little pale, but I let it slip; she can handle herself.
"How 'bout we go out for Ramen after the mission to cheer you up?" Naruto asks excitedly. I resist the urge to roll my eyes. He's always such a kid. Ramen this, ramen that. It's annoying.
"No, not today Naruto," she says. His face falls but he soon covers it with a smile. Typical Naruto.
Namie's POV:
I rub the sleep out of my eyes wearily, feeling like I want to throw up right here and now. I didn't sleep very well last night, didn't want to. Not with all those haunting nightmares. I feel drained, my head throbs, and it's hot and cold at the same time. I might have a fever, I note. I'll have to see a doctor about that later, but for now I need to focus on the mission. Oh, and wait for my lazy-ass sensei to show up. Even the thought is tiring and I let out a long-suffered sigh.
Damn it Kakashi, hurry up!
Kakashi's POV:
I take my time jumping from roof to roof, enjoying the morning and not in any hurry to get to the bridge. I'm only half an hour late today… maybe I should hurry?
I stroll leisurely towards the meeting place to find my team and an unconscious Namie. That gets me moving, and I quickly reach them to see what happened.
"She's burning up," Naruto says tightly, a little panicked.
"I guess she's sick –" Sasuke cuts me off.
"I'm taking her to the hospital," he says briskly, already picking her up bridal-style and running towards the hospital.
Naruto trails behind him with a yelled,"Wait up! I'm coming with you!" and soon they both disappear leaving Sakura and I staring after them.
"Well that was fast," I state simply as I glance at Sakura, who looks like a kid whose candy has been taken from them. Anyone can guess what – who – the candy is. I smirk beneath my mask and turn to leave. "I guess the mission's cancelled then. We'll reschedule for tomorrow. See ya." Before I leave I spare another glance at Sakura. Her hands are balled into fists, nails digging into flesh, eyes narrowed and jaw clenched.
I let out a sigh. Teenagers, I think as I roll my eyes and begin the long walk back.
R&R.
Thank you for reading and review if you like.
Special thanks to my beta reader Kat Rum for editing this chapter ^_^