Aya hurried down the academy hallway towards her classroom. She walked as fast as she could, restraining herself from breaking into a run. She had spent a little too long browsing the book shop. She wasn't late yet, but her overstay at the book shop had put her behind schedule. There was four minutes and thirty seconds before class started; she was supposed to be in the classroom thirty seconds ago. It was imperative that she stick to her routine, so she could maintain normalcy and not run into any unpleasant surprises that would ruin that normalcy. Aya let out a breath of relief as the door came into view. However, she was barred from entering because a boy stood in the doorway.
It's Shino Aburame. But what is he doing just standing there?
Aya approached the boy from behind. "Um, excuse me?"
But instead of addressing her he grumbled, "Naruto" with a venom that made Aya take a involuntary step backwards.
Aya watched wide-eyed as a swarm of his insects left his body and entered the classroom.
What in the world is going on?
Aya didn't have to wait long for the answer to her thoughts. The moment after Shino sent out his insects he himself entered the classroom allowing Aya to see inside.
When she peered inside, the first thing that caught her attention was a sketchpad floating in the air supported by Shino's insects.
That sketchbook is it hers?
Aya's inkling was confirmed as her eye landed on Sachi Aburame sitting in the front row.
What's she doing sitting there? Where she was sitting was unusual because the girl always sat in the back.
Aya then noticed who was sitting next to her. It was none other than the class heartthrob Sasuke Uchiha. And what is she doing sitting next to him?
Aya had sensed that Sachi was similar to her in the fact that they both tried to blend in. One of the major ways of blending in was avoiding people like Sasuke Uchiha. As she thought this, her eyes then landed on another person who it was also a good idea to avoid: Naruto Uzumaki. The boy currently laid face down on the desk in front of Sachi and Sasuke. Aya looked from Naruto to Sachi to Shino and put the pieces together. Naruto must have somehow caused that incident with Sachi's sketchpad which would explain Shino's anger.
Though that still doesn't explain why she's sitting in the front row next to Sasuke. As she thought this, Sachi got up from the seat and moved to the back row with Shino.
Aya shook her head. Why was she worrying about such things? It didn't really matter after all. She should be focusing on things that did matter, like getting to her seat. Prying herself from her spot, Aya quickly made her way towards the back row of the classroom and took her usual seat.
"Morning Aya," Sachi who sat to Aya's left greeted her with a smile.
"Morning Sachi," Aya returned with a smile.
No it doesn't matter why she was sitting in the front row next to Sasuke. All that matters is that she is now sitting in the back, as usual, next to me and her brother.
After greeting Aya, Sachi went back to doodling in her sketchbook and Aya as usual pulled out her book.
Everything's as it should be. Everything's normal. With those thoughts Aya turned her attention to her novel.
"All genin will be grouped into four men squads. Each squad will be lead by a jounin, an elite ninja."
Aya half-listened and half-daydreamed about what was to come in her novel as Iruka-sensei explained the next step in their career as Konoha ninja.
"All right, now I'll list the members of each squad," Iruka continued. At Iruka's words, Aya continued to only pay partial attention as she continued to ponder her novel.
"I'M HERE! I'M HERE!" Aya was distracted from her wanderings by the sudden booming voice of Kita Nakamura. Aya's attention shifted to the front of the classroom where a girl with shoulder length wavy black hair and crimson hued eyes stood trying to catch her breath.
She's really cutting it close this time. Kita was almost always late to class; Aya knew that Kita was responsible for taking care of her four siblings, but she still didn't understand why Kita couldn't make a little more effort to be on time.
"Kita…" Iruka-sensei let out a heavy sigh.
"Sorry…I'm late…Kata was sick…so had to get some medicine…and then had to drop off Karina at daycare…" Kita explained while still catching her breath.
At Kita's explanation Aya felt a small prickle of guilt; Kita had a legitimate reason for being late this time.
I shouldn't be so hard on her. I know all too well that some things are just beyond our control.
Iruka-sensei seemed to share Aya's mindset for his previously exasperated tone morphed into concern. "Is Kata alright?"
Kita nodded. "Looks like the flu; Kei and Kiyoshi are looking after her. She should be fine with some rest."
With Kita's assurance some of the concern faded from Iruka's countenance. "Tell her that I hope she gets well soon."
"Sure thing," Kita responded.
Iruka smiled. "Now how about you take your seat, so I can announce all of the squad placements?"
Kita grinned, her hand reflexively moving up to rub one of her cat-like black, tipped with white, furry ears that adorned the top of her head. Aya had noticed that this habit of Kita's was something she often did when she was excited or anxious about something. "Sounds good to me! I couldn't sleep last night because of wondering about that."
Iruka chuckled. "Well the sooner you take your seat the quicker you can find out."
As soon as Iruka said this, a frown formed on Aya's face. He shouldn't have said that.
"Alright!" Kita boomed, following Iruka's words the girl punched a fist in the air and then proceeded to run at full speed towards the seats.
Iruka-sensei immediately realizing his mistake reprimanded, "Kita! There's no need to run!"
However, his words went unheeded as the girl continued to run all the way to the back row.
"Hey Aya!" Kita greeted as she sat down in the last seat in the row to the right of Aya's row.
"Hi," Aya returned meeting Kita's gaze.
"So Aya whose team do you want to be on? I figured that as long as I'm not on dog boy's team then I'll be happy with whatever. Although I don't really think I want to be on Uchiha's team…Dealing with his fan girls would be too much of a pain."
As Aya listened to Kita chatter away, she watched the girl's black bushy tail twitching back and forth. "I don't really have any preferences," Aya replied. This answer wasn't entirely true, she really didn't want to be on Sasuke's team either nor did she really want to be paired with Naruto, however, she didn't really feel like explaining all this nor did she want to be overheard by the others because while she didn't want to be on Sasuke or Naruto's team she still felt bad voicing her opinion on the off chance that it would offend them.
Kita's eyes lit up and the twitching of her tail picked up momentum as a thought occurred to her. "Hey, it would be cool if we're on the same team!"
While Aya didn't particularly dislike Kita or anything and would rather be on her team than Naruto or Sasuke's team, she wasn't quite sure that she could handle being around the high energy girl all the time.
"Yay!" Aya and Kita were distracted from their conversation by Naruto's enthusiastic cheers.
"Ooh, looks like he's on Sakura's squad. Good for him," Kita observed.
That leaves two more members to that squad. I just hope that it's not me.
"I guess I wouldn't mind being on their squad. Naruto's fun to hang around, although I don't know how well Sakura and I would get along," voiced Kita.
"Sasuke Uchiha," Iruka-sensei announced the next member of the squad.
Now I really don't want to be on that squad.
"Ah, I don't think I want to be a part of that team anymore. Don't think I could handle both Sasuke and Sakura. Poor Naruto," Kita continued her commentary.
"And the last member of squad 7 is Sachiko Aburame," Iruka-sensei finished. Aya at this last addition felt relief, but she also felt disappointment. She had been kind of hoping that Sachi was put on her team because she knew that she would have no problem at getting along with the girl.
Poor Sachi. Now the girl had to deal with both Naruto and Sasuke.
At least she's not a Sasuke fan. That at least makes it easier for her to get along with Sakura.
"Aww, how come they get Sachi? I would have liked to be on her squad; I feel like she's an interesting person. It would have been a good chance to get to know her better," Kita pouted.
"Me too," Aya responded, while keeping her attention on Iruka.
"I know, right? Imagine if all three of us were on the same team….that would have been awesome. Well we might still be on the same team."
"Squad Eight: Hinata Hyuga, Kiba Inuzuka, Shino Aburame, and Kita Nakamura."
As soon as Aya heard this squad arrangement, she prepared herself for the inevitable aftermath.
"WHAT?! WHY DO I HAVE TO BE ON DOG BOY'S TEAM?!" Kita's voice sounded through the classroom as she jumped up from her seat and pointed at the boy in question who sat on the other side of the room.
"Hey now Kitty cat don't be so mean. Think of all the fun we could have," Kiba responded with a mischievous grin.
"Don't call me that."
"Don't call you what kitty cat?"
"YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN DOG BOY!"
"I'm quite sure that I have no idea what you're talking about kitty cat."
Kita's quarrel with Kiba didn't really interest Aya; this was a scene that happened quite too often. Instead, while she listened to the argument, her eyes were focused on Kita's tail. When their quarrel had first began Kita's tail had begun to swish back and forth, slowly at first, but as their argument continued it increased in intensity and now it was swishing back and forth at a violent speed.
Someone better do something or Kita's gonna lose her cool. Again.
"Umm, K-Kita," Aya watched as Hinata Hyuga tried to speak to the girl. However, the shy byakugan user's words did not reach the seething Kita.
"KIBA! KITA! THAT'S ENOUGH! YOU TWO ARE GENIN NOW! ACT LIKE IT OR WOULD YOU RATHER I REVOKE THAT RANK?!" It was Iruka who put a stop to the spat.
At Iruka's words Kita gave Kiba one more seething look which he returned with his own mocking grin and then sat back down. "I can't believe I have to be on his team," Aya heard the girl grumble.
Iruka cleared his throat. "Now then, squad ten will be Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara, Choji Akamichi, and Aya Seino."
Aya perked up at the sound of her name. While Ino's and Choji's names registered with her, Shikamaru's was the one that stuck out to her the most. Her eye sought out the pony tailed brunette.
I'm on Shikamaru's team? Then maybe… Her mind briefly flickered back to Midori's words from earlier that morning: "Aya, your squad will become like a family to you. You'll form bonds with them that will last for a lifetime." If Shikamaru was part of her team then just maybe…
No.
Aya shook her head. She shouldn't get her hopes up. She had to stick to her plans. She would be friendly and polite, but she wouldn't get too close. That was the only way to ensure normalcy, to ensure that nothing like that incident occurred again, experiencing that once had been enough, she didn't want to have to go through that pain again.
"After lunch you'll meet your jounin instructors. Until then class dismissed." Iruka-sensei's concluding words brought Aya back to reality, freeing her from her thoughts of the past.
Lunch time. That reminded Aya of the four bento boxes that were stuffed in her bag. She inwardly groaned. What was she going to do with all that food? Midori expected her to share it with her new squad members, but Aya just couldn't see herself doing that. The thought was awkward. After all, she hardly knew these people. Yeah, they had been classmates for years, but there was a difference between being just classmates and being classmates and friends.
Before Aya could reach a solution to her dilemma her thoughts were intruded on by a voice, Ino Yamanaka's voice, "Hey Aya we're going to have lunch on the veranda. You coming?"
Aya looked up to see Ino with Shikamaru and Choji standing behind her.
Aya mustered a smile. "Sure."
Ino returned her smile. "Great. Let's go then." Ino turned to head out, expecting everyone to follow her. Slinging on her knapsack, Aya headed after her new squad.
On the way to the veranda, the quartet stopped at the little convenience store that was located in the Academy for students who didn't bring lunches. Aya who had her own lunch stood outside off to the side as her teammates headed inside the little store. Her fingers fiddled with her knapsack straps. She still didn't know what to do about the lunches that were in her bag. She would eat hers, but what about the other three? She could simply dump them out before she went home or even just tell Midori that she couldn't give them the lunches because it was too awkward. But if she did either of those she would feel bad. After all, Midori had gone through the trouble of making them. Aya sighed and focused back on her teammates. Her eye fell upon Choji who was gathering a big mountain of rice balls into his arms. Aya could understand why he had chosen to get rice balls, they were cheap and filling, but it wasn't exactly a well balanced meal. Her gaze then switched to Shikamaru who stood in front of the refrigerated section of pre-packed bentos. However, he wasn't focused on looking at the displays, but seemed to be rummaging around in his pockets. Aya watched as he pulled his hands from his pockets and soon afterwards shook his head. It appeared that he was short on money. She watched as he turned away from the refrigerated bentos and instead turned his attention to the rice balls.
"Hey Aya are you getting anything?" Aya was jolted from her observations by Ino's voice. Aya turned her attention to the blond in front of her; she noticed Ino held one riceball.
Is that all she's eating?
Aya replied, "I brought a bento."
"A home cooked meal, nice," said Ino, "As for me, I'm on a diet, so this is my lunch." Ino referred to her one rice ball lunch.
Ino turned her attention to Shikamaru and Choji, "Hey you guys hurry up! Lunch is gonna be over by the time you're done!"
The two were in line and the cashier was ringing up Choji's big pile of rice balls. As Aya stared at the rice balls, words that her sister had constantly told her at meal times sounded in her head: "Aya, it's important to eat a well balanced meal." At the remembrance of her sister's words, Aya's mind again turned towards the lunch boxes that lay in her knapsack. Now it is seemed downright cruel and not to mention immoral to withhold the bentos from her teammates. Midori's lunches were the epitome of balance and nutrition, whereas eating only rice balls lacked that.
Aya inwardly sighed. She knew what she had to do and doing it would go against her original intentions and beliefs, but Midori's words still echoing in her mind would not let her do otherwise. Before she could regret her choice, Aya turned to Ino. "Um, I actually have lunches. More than one that is. Enough for all us. My sister made them and her lunches are always well-balanced, so you don't have to worry about it ruining your diet." Aya said all this in such a quick rush that at first Ino only stared at her. Aya could feel her face growing redder by the second.
Great. Just great. I shouldn't have opened my mouth. I should have just stuck to my original plans and dumped the lunches out later…Thanks a lot Midori…
Aya opened her mouth to try to salvage her situation. "It's fine if you don't want it; you don't have to have it."
Ino shook her head and a smile replaced her shocked expression. "Oh no, I'll definitely accept it, seeing as your sister put so much work in it. I was just surprised; that's the first time I've ever heard you talk that much."
Aya nodded; Ino's words made her feel better, but they also made her cheeks burn. To cover her blushing state, Aya busied herself with taking a lunch box out from her bag and handed it out to Ino.
"Thanks," said Ino with a smile.
"You're welcome," returned Aya.
"Hey how come Ino gets a bento?" Choji's voice sounded. Aya looked up to see that he and Shikamaru had returned. She pulled out another bento and held it towards him. "Here."
He looked at it slightly taken back. "For me?"
"Yes." With Aya's reassurance, Choji's hesitation immediately vanished and with a wide grin he took the bento from Aya. "Awesome! Thanks a lot!"
Aya slightly taken back by his enthusiasm spluttered, "Your welcome."
Aya then pulled the last boxed lunch from her pack and handed it out towards Shikamaru. He hesitated slightly, his hand rubbing the back of his head. "You didn't have to do this," he said.
Aya shook her head. "I didn't make them, my sister did." As she said this, Aya had a fleeting feeling of wishing that she was the one who made them. "She chose to do it. She wanted to." Aya added hurriedly, as she hated the thought that any of them, though especially Shikamaru, thought that she asked or made her sister do it.
"Yeah Shikamaru her sister went through all the trouble of making these lunches, so stop standing there and take it," Ino added.
"Yeah, yeah," mumbled Shikamaru as he took the bento from Aya. As Shikamaru took the bento from Aya she felt her ungloved fingertips brush his causing her breath to catch and her cheeks to warm. "Thanks," he directed at her.
"You're welcome," Aya forced out, briefly meeting his gaze and then quickly looking away. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest from the brief contact with Shikamaru's fingertips.
But before she could dwell on her feelings, Ino interrupted her thoughts. "Come on let's get a move on." Without waiting for a response from any of them, Ino headed off.
"Man, she's such a pain." Shikamaru's mumbling caused a smile to form on Aya's lips.
"She is a little bossy." The words slipped out of Aya's mouth before she could stop them. Her eyes widened as she realized that she had said that out loud.
Maybe he didn't hear.
But as soon as she looked at him, she realized that he had indeed heard her words. At first his expression was surprised, but then his usual bored expression returned. "That's the understatement of the year," he mumbled.
Aya felt her smile return. "She's not that bad."
Shikamaru gave her a skeptical look.
"AYA! SHIKAMARU! YOU COMING OR WHAT?" Ino's voice fell upon them.
Shikamaru sighed. "Like I said understatement of the year."
Aya shrugged. "Maybe just a little bit."
"AYA! SHIKAMARU! COME ON!" Ino again.
Shikamaru glanced back at her. "Definitely more than a little."
Aya could only smile and she continued to smile as the two them rejoined Ino and Choji. As the four of them resumed the walk to the veranda, a little voice inside her warned her that it wasn't good to be so happy, especially over something so small; it told her that she was being unreasonable. However, despite this voice inside her head, Aya couldn't help smiling; there was just something about talking to Shikamaru that made her smile.