hey hey heyyyy!! its been a while hasnt it?? haha, well i want to apologize on behalf of this chapter since it kinda suckss..

but it'll get better once i start another chapter or so. All this chapter does is explain some crap and whatever and is kinda laaammmee. Sorry, so enjoy.....

reveiw

Discliamer...standardd

Amaya walks up to the Haruno family house and knocks on the door. "Mom! I know! I know!" Amaya hears Sakura yells from inside the house. Sakura opens the door and stops, clearly not expecting to see her teammate. Amaya smiles, "Ohayou Sakura," she smiles.

"Amaya…" Sakura says, still not believing that Amaya is at her front porch while she just stands there smiling.

"Wanna walk to the stadium with me and sit together?" Amaya asks, still smiling. Sakukra is still silent before she comes to her senses.

"What the hell Amaya!? Kakashi-sensei said that you were supposed to come to the preliminary rounds but then you got sick with the chicken pox! So I was, oh, ok that sucks but I'll see her after the preliminaries, since I didn't make it, and we will have a whole month to catch up but nooooooooo, you were no where to be found!" Amaya laughs again.

"Gomen, gomen Sakura! Gomen! Right before the preliminaries I visited Haru-kun and he had the chicken pox so I ended up getting them. But then once I recovered I kinda did some training, sort of like a continuation of what Kakai-sensei was teaching me, only solo now," the two begin to walk in the direction of the stadium.

"'Kakai-sensei'?" Sakura questions finding it interesting that Amaya of all people would come up with a cute nickname for their sensei. Amaya laughs again and it made Sakura laugh as well. Sakura hadn't realized how much she missed the companionship of another female, more so, Amaya.

"Yeah, when we were training I kind of came up with it and taunted him with it since it annoyed him, and it just kind of stuck I suppose." Sakura chuckles,

"And your outfit, it's really cute you know,"

"Thanks," Amaya's new outfit consists of a new pair of tight shorts that are black and go just above her knees, white tank top with a black half zip up hoodie over it and new black shinobi boots that went just below her knee. The sweatshirt was special because Kakashi had it made especially for her as a present for training so well. The sweatshirt was made out of a very thin, clingy and strong material. It clung to Amaya's petite frame and it kept her very cool and it covered to about her butt. The right arm was long sleeved and was large and open, completely covering Kin, who was still wrapped in the special purple ribbons that came with the Raikou sword. While the left sleeve was shorter, only going to her elbow and it was also, loose, big and open, similar to a kimono sleeve. On the back of the sweatshirt, was Amaya's Kurohana clan symbol, the bleeding lily which is purple. Amaya thought it would be better not to tell Sakura that Kakashi gave it to her as a gift.

"So Sakura, tell me everything that happened, everything. And I love your hair by the way, short looks really good on you."

Sakura looks down at the ground. She couldn't tell Amaya about Sasuke's curse mark, she promised him. He would hate her even more than usual if she was to tell Amaya.

Amaya sighs and smiles. She stops and Sakura stops as well. "Sakura, please tell me everything, Kakai-sensei already told me about Sasuke,"

'She already knows about the curse mark?' Sakura thinks. She sighs, "OK, but you have to promise me that you won't tell Sasuke that I told you, he'll KILL me!"

Amaya smiles again, "of course not". Sakura sighs as she begins the story of the exams from the very beginning as Amaya listened intently.

"…so I was kneeling there, Ino, Shikamaru, and Chouji all had failed when Sasuke-kun woke up. I was so glad…" Sakura's face fell in remembrance, "…but, he was so different. His Sharingan was activated and he had black marks all over his body and this…this purple chakra was swirling all around him! (episode 33 ^_^) I-I had never been more frightened of him before in my life. Then he said to me, 'Sakura…who did that to you?' and I couldn't answer him, it wasn't the Sasuke-kun that I knew. He had a wild sort of possessed look in his eyes…"

Amaya and Sakura are now sitting on a bench under a beautiful Sakura tree near the stadium; they still had lots of time before they needed to be there. The birds were chirping merrily as the pink haired genin describes the horrific scene with every possible detail so that her teammate who was absent during the exams nearly felt like she was there, nearly.

"… 'Don't worry. More importantly I can feel the power surging within me. I feel good now. He gave this to me…' Sasuke-kun had said, but I couldn't understand at the time,"

"He was speaking of Orochimaru, the grass ninja you told me about, ne?" Amaya inquired. Sakura nods her head. "What would one of the Denstsu no Sannin want with Sasuke?" Amaya wonders aloud.

"Nani? What do you mean 'one of the Legendary Trio'?" Sakura asks.

"The Legendary Three Ninja of Konoha are the three greatest ninjas around. They are Jiraya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru. Orochimaru betrayed the village. These three ninjas were all students of the 3rd Hokage. Tsunade is the granddaughter of the 1st Hokage and she is the best medical ninja known," Amaya explains, still pondering about Orochimaru.

"Oh yeah, she was the woman you spoke of when we first met Kakai-sensei…and how do you know all this?" Sakura asks astonished by how much Amaya knows.

"I read a lot, but continue, please."

"Right, well Sasuke-kun goes on and continues to say, '…I understand now, I am an avenger, I must obtain power no matter what, even if I must let the devil take hold of my body,' I…I-I just couldn't understand what he was talking about at the time, I was so in shock, 'Sakura say it! Who the hell did this to you?' he demanded. And then…" Sakura starts to shake and tears appear in her eyes.

"Nani?" Amaya whispers.

"…Zaku, the sound ninja blasted us with his jutsu, only…only Sasuke-kun saved us. He was so blazingly fast that he was able to move me and Naruto out of the way! Sasuke-kun started attacking and he got Zaku…he had his arms behind his back…and he was trying to break them…it…it was all so ruthless…

"It was just so horrible Amaya-chan! Sasuke enjoyed breaking his arms, both of them! Then he went after Dosu, the other sound shinobi while saying, 'you better entertain me better,' when he said that, I knew that, that wasn't the real Sasuke-kun talking. It was that curse mark talking!" Sakura's tears were now falling from her mint green eyes. "So I ran up to him and hugged him from behind, asking him to please stop." Sakura wipes the fallen tears away with the back of her hand.

"The curse marks disappeared and he fell to the ground, it was like the curse took so much out of him. Apparently the sound trio was ordered by Orochimaru to kill Sasuke-kun, but if Orochimaru gave him the curse, why would he send ninja out to kill Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asks.

"Maybe as a test? To see if Sasuke is worthy?" Amaya guesses.

"Worthy of what though?" Amaya shrugs and shakes her head.

"I honestly haven't the faintest idea. Go on please,"

"Aa, well, after they left…Sasuke-kun was so…shocked, he asked what was he, he seemed afraid of himself. This is when Naruto woke up from his attack from Orochimaru. I had to explain everything to him," Sakura says this with a small smile. Perhaps she was nice to Naruto for once under the circumstances. Sakura chuckles, "Even Lee still creeps me out, I will always be grateful to him for risking his life for us when he didn't have too."

"So Lee is the student of Maito Gai, ne?" Amaya asks, remembering when she met him.

"Hai, how do you know him?"

"He came and visited Kakai-sensei in the middle of our training. You say he looks like a miniature version of Gai?" Sakura nods her head and cringes slightly and the girls break out into laughter. Sakura goes on to explaining the rest of Team 7 time in the Forrest of Death and about each of the preliminary battles. About how amazing Sasuke's battle was and more about the curse mark. Then about her and Ino's battle and lastly about Naruto's battle against Kiba. She briefly went over the other battles, but the one she described the most, aside from Team 7 battles, was Lee's battle against the Sand shinobi Gaara. Amaya had gotten a very good description of him alright.

"So Amaya-chan, tell me about the one on one training you had with sensei." Sakura says. Amaya leans back on the bench and stares up at the beautiful blue sky.

"It was amazing. Having the one on one type of training is the best, Sakura, if you ever have the chance, do it. It's the best. I learned so much and I learned so much about my own capabilities as well."

"What was it like working alone with Kakai-sensei? I mean, honestly, being alone with him, training, I'd feel so intimidated."

"Anou…I don't really know. I asked him to train me, so I didn't really feel nervous, I was just anxious. But he knows so much! It's mind-boggling how great of a shinobi he is! When we would break he would tell me stories of his past and missions he's been on, Sakura, he is so awesome! I can't begin to tell you! Someday I'll tell you some of the stuff he's told me, I swear, he's got some amazing stories. We are so lucky that he is our teacher." Sakura looks at the blue eye comrade, she was feeling slightly jealous. "What's with the look Sakura?" Sakura blushes.

"Gomen…I was kind of feeling a little jealous, actually."

"Jealous? What for?" Amaya asks perplexed.

"Well, you got to spend alone time with Kakai-sensei, you've even given him a nickname, and you've become so much stronger, and I don't know…"

"…I guess that makes sense, but Sakura, I'm also kinda jealous of you right now,"

"Nani!?" Sakura stares wide eyed at the ever so calm and composed Amaya. 'She was jealous of me?'

"You got to spend time with Sasuke and Naruto, you know what happened during a significant time in every shinobi's life. I feel like an outcast to be frank. I missed a lot. This is why I don't want to excluded from anything involving Team 7 anymore. I don't feel like a team member, it's like Team 7 consists of Hatake Kakashi, Haruno Sakura, Uchiha Sasuke, and Uzamaki Naruto…and then I'm just…kinda on the outskirts." Sakura looks at Amaya with sympathetic eyes; she knew exactly how she felt. This is exactly what Sakura felt like before, only it was Amaya on the inside, not her. "You know, Sakura, the time apart from you, and the boys as well, have made me really appreciate you all. I missed your company terribly, and in a way, I feel closer to you." Sakura smiles,

"Same here Amaya-chan. We should probably head inside," Amaya nods.

---

"Nee, Sakura, I'm gunna say hi to Hinata," Amaya says when she spots her academy best friend.

"Sure thing,"

Amaya walks down the steps of the stone bleachers. "Hinata!" The purple haired girl turns around in her seat and gasps. "Amaya-chan!"

"Hey Hinata, long time no see, ne?" Amaya chuckles.

"Oi, Amaya," Amaya looks to the boy who was sitting next to Hinata, it was Kiba and Akamaru. "Where the hell have you been?"

"Kiba-kun, I told you, she was kidnapped and her father was killed right before the exams. She was seriously injured, that's why she couldn't participate." Hinata whispers.

"Does everyone know that?" Amaya asks, not quite completely sure of what to think of Hinata knowing the details of this. Said Hyuuga girl blushed,

"Anou, aa, pretty much every ninja knows." Super.

"OK, but where were you the month after? Sakura kept looking for you but you were no where to be found." Kiba continues on. Amaya puts her hand on her hip and shifts her weight to her right leg.

"I caught the chicken pox and was in the hospital. I don't know why she couldn't find me, I mean, the village is big, but it's not THAT big, geez." The three laugh. "So, Kiba, I heard you lost to Naruto in the preliminaries," The Kurohana girl grins, she was so proud of Naruto when she heard about it from Sakura.

"Shut up," he mumbles and crosses his arms and looks away. Amaya laughs. God, it's really been forever since she's seen everyone.

"I gotta get going, Sakura's waiting for me." And the three bid there goodbyes.

-----

Soon the stadium was packed. Everyone was there, minus a few late participants in the final stage. Amaya and Sakura were sitting next to Ino. Amaya was now hearing about Ino's time in the first stages of the exam. "Who's battling against who?" Amaya finally gets a chance to ask.

"The first battle is Naruto and Hyuuga Neji," Sakura states. Amaya looks at her in pure shock.

"Naruto…is going against…Hyuuga…Neji…" Amaya restates. She had never met Neji personally, but she has seen him enough times at the Hyuuga mansion whenever she was over there with Hinata. She's seen him train and from what Hinata has told her about him, this kid was a genius, like Sasuke.

"Hai," Ino says, "Naruto's gunna get creamed," Amaya glares at her, as does Sakura.

"Don't underestimate Naruto," Amaya growls, "It's the one this you should never do around Naruto, is to underestimate him," and Sakura agrees with her. Ino just rolls her eyes.

"Anyway, next is Sasuke-kun against that creepy Gaara of the Desert kid. Then comes Shino against the other Sand Village boy…"

"Kunkuro" Sakura assists,

"Right, him, and then after that is the Sound village ninja…"

"Dosu," Sakura assists again,

"Uh-huh, and Shikamaru, then the winner of that battle will be going up against the Sand ninja girl…"

"Temari,"

"Right."

Everyone's attention turns to the Hokage as he begins to start the third stage of the exam.

----