A/N: so, xpaperlovex reviewed again. YAY go you! lolz im tired...
so, thnx to everyone who favorited/alerted me! i appreciate it!
i wrote this in the car today. thats why i feel icky now. no motion/long car ride/multi-tasking for me, thanks! im full...
also: i put a picture of Sora, as well as Team 13 (izumi, sora, and sunai) on my profile page. if u read any of my other stories (except my Death Note fic, :C sry) there are pics of those characters, as well (Touhi from FMA, and Kougenachi from Bleach). basically, enjoy it all! and go to my friends' pages on dA as well!
sorry, kind of a commercial-type A/N.
LOL hope u enjoy this chapter!
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"Sora?" Izumi pressed.
"Ehehe…" I rubbed the back of my neck.
"Sora…" she clenched her fists, and they faintly twitched toward one of her pockets. I flinched.
"Um… hey, Iz… issue at hand…" I told her, trying to steer her away from me.
It worked. She straightened and turned toward the Sand Siblings, particularly Gaara.
"Why are you here?"
"Chuunin Exams," Kankuro shrugged easily, obviously unaware of Izumi's killer intent that was steaming off of her almost visibly.
"I see," she replied.
"Izumi," Gaara murmured almost inaudibly to Izumi.
"Eh?" she looked at him.
"Calm down."
She blew her bangs away. "Tch. Fine."
"We're going," he announced to all of us. I almost nodded, but decided not to.
"Bye, Sora-chan, Izumi-chan!" Temari called back at us, then paused when she realized she didn't know Sony's name.
"Sunai Kyuuma," Sony smiled warmly.
Temari nodded, returning the smile. "See you soon, Team 13!" she waved and followed her brothers out of the yard.
An awkward silence followed them as Izumi gazed at where they had been and I was still frozen in a lot of emotions, and Sony was watching us warily. Izumi slowly stuck her hand in her pocket and drew out a large needle bomb. I yelped and leaped behind an overturned picnic table for cover, along with Sunai; we'd learned these reflexes long ago.
An unnaturally hot tower of flames shot up and I knew this was an excellent reflection of Izumi's feelings at the moment. I had no clue what those feelings were, but I knew she was hurting some way or another.
As the fire died down, I risked peeking my eyes over the wood of the table. I regretted it. Izumi Kumouri, in all her extreme-fire-natured-chakra glory, was glaring at me like I had suddenly turned into Haru, ten million times over, plus one.
I feared not just for my life, but I assumed my body would no longer exist after she was done with me.
"Sora…" she said my name in a tone that dripped malice and dripped fury.
"Shit," I spat under my breath. I was in for a rough interview.
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I stood in terror.
Slowly, ever so slowly, a bead of sweat built on my temple and slid down my tensed cheek toward my chin. It gathered there and fell to the ground defeatedly, silently. It took a second; no, not even that. But it was an eternity. I was cornered.
"Now, Izumi…" I said, trembling. "Let's think about this…."
"No. Let's not," Izumi replied in a growl.
"I did tell you!"
"Not enough."
"Well, so-rry! I was about to get killed! I don't particularly like reliving near-death experiences!" I crossed my arms defiantly.
Sony rolled her eyes at the dramatic scene, shifting into a more comfortable position to watch. I resisted the urge to glare at her, instead keeping my attention on Izumi's murderous intent.
"Well…" I started, without intention to actually tell her what had happened.
"Continue," she replied with a sneer.
"See, I don't know why he let me go… it could have been 'cause I said your name, could have been 'cause he thought I was dead," I speculated.
"Wait… he actually 'killed' you?" she held up quotations with her two first fingers.
"Maybe," I shrugged.
"Weird…" she turned away, and I visibly relaxed, happy to be free from my impending doom.
Wait.
"Izumi, are you okay?" Sony and I said worriedly, in unison. Izumi never lets anyone go. Even us. Something's definitely wrong.
"Yeah, of course!" she turned around with a smile on her face. If we didn't know her so well, we would have bought it. But we knew that, somewhere underneath that almost-genuine smile, she was guilty down deep.
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"So when do the Exams actually start?" I asked my sensei. Her pink eyes gleamed with pride and we tried our best not to get creeped out.
"Approximately two days from today," she replied happily. "If you're all applying, that is."
We rolled our eyes at her. "Jeez, Mei-sensei, you know us better than that," Izumi protested.
"Of course, I do! Shall we train in preparation, then?" she asked excitedly. Without waiting for an answer, she kicked her black sandals at me, the "weakest" and I blocked with my two crossed forearms in front of my face. The force of the chakra-infused kick sent me flying a little, and I flipped myself upright before dragging myself across the dirt, using chakra in my fingers to slow my momentum.
"I'll get you for that!" Izumi yelled playfully at her and they launched into a set of high-speed kicks that I'd given up trying to follow long ago.
"Iz! Le me try!" Sunai took and opening from Izumi and together they managed to shove Mei-sensei against a tree. I was waiting for them.
"Hup!" I released my breath as I tried to backhand her face, which she dodged. Mei stuck her feet to the base of the tree and pushed off, forcing Sunai, Izumi, and myself to separate into the forest around the training ground.
"Shit. She got us," I growled.
"Found you!" Mei launched kunai at me and I found I was too close to dodge completely. I moved a little, so the three knives embedded in my shoulder. I winced a little, prying them from my skin.
"I won't give you time to heal!" Mei sprung at me and I blocked her punches, never having enough time to strike back.
"Faster, Sora!" she urged.
"I'm trying, damn it!" I yelled back.
I blocked her fist with my forearm and her knee with my elbow and went for an uppercut. It hit her just under her ribs and she coughed a little water. I smirked.
"Just kidding," I heard a voice behind me. I whipped my head around to Mei and jumped back, dodging the log as it fell to the dirt.
"I really hate you, sometimes," I said miserably.
"Yeah, yeah."
"Oi, Mei!" we looked up to see Sunai suspended from a tree branch. "My turn."
"You bet!" Mei smiled and leapt up to her.
"Sunai! I was just beginning to win!" I whined.
"Stop complaining!"
"Mleh!"
"Shut-UGH!" Mei took advantage of a gap in Sony's defense and took a knee to the ribs.
"Sony!" I called after her, jumping through the trees toward where she fell.
"One down!" Mei yelled to me.
"What-freaking-ever!" I yelled back.
"S-Sora, watch out," Sunai coughed. I looked back just as a red and black flash appeared to block a powerful kick.
"Not today!" Izumi pushed away Mei's limb.
"Thanks Iz!" I shouted back at her.
"Yeah! Go, Sora!"
"Way ahead of you!"
I did my hand seals before I landed, and started the green flow around Sunai's abdomen. She only had two cracked ribs, thankfully.
"She'll be alright!" I informed Izumi.
"Good!"
I finished healing Sunai. "No more fighting, Sony. Not until I clear you."
"Ugh. Fine."
"Alright, I'll bandage you, then I'm going to help Iz."
"Okay." I wrapped white cloth firmly around her chest and leaned her against a tree.
"Bye!" I waved.
"Izumi!" I yelled, making her aware of my presence.
"Alright!"
She blocked about a million kicks, and I knew she was getting exhausted. She blocked a kick and unfolded her arms, sending Mei back a few feet. I saw my opening and took it, my chakra already in place.
"Explode!" I shouted, and standard paper bomb exploded a few feet back.
"Sora!" I heard Iz behind me, a few branches back. She threw a few needles to me, and I plucked them out of the tree branch with a smirk on my lips.
Hell yes.
I charged a needle with chakra and sent it toward where Mei's presence remained.
"Explode!" I yelled as I ran away.
A wall of fire surrounded Mei's chakra signature and I knew that was the end of that. Izumi's needle bombs are the end, no matter the situation.
"Clever, Iz," I smiled at her.
"How's Sony?"
"She's fine. I'll need to check my work at the hospital. I'm not a great mednin quite yet."
"Sounds good," she remained crouched, as did I. We never knew what was happening with Mei-sensei.
"I'm done," Mei staggered out of the cloud of black smoke.
"Yeah, sorry about that," Iz smiled sheepishly.
"No, your not," Mei and I replied in unison. Mei tried to laugh, but fell into a coughing fit before it could happen.
"Mei-sensei!" I jumped forward, catching her and laying her on the ground. I started the green glow and mixed my chakra with the smoke in her lungs, then eliminated it, destroying the traces of ash.
"Iz, carry her. Let's check on Sony," I commanded.
"Yep," Izumi slung Mei's arms around her shoulder and followed me to Sony's tree.
When we got there, though, she was gone. I searched the training ground. Wiping sweat off my neck and forehead I pointed to the northwest.
"Team 11," I muttered, taking deep breaths.
"Take a break, c'mon," Mei replied quietly, trading my arm for the one around Izumi's shoulder.
"Okay," I slurred.
They carried me in the direction I'd gestured to, and sure enough, Gai, Lee, Neji, and Tenten were standing around a terrified Sunai.
"Hey, guys," Izumi greeted happily.
"Hey, Izumi-chan!" Lee waved.
"What's up with her?" Tenten moved her hand at me.
"Tired," I managed to glare at her.
"Yeah, whatever," she turned away.
"Training?" Gai asked excitedly.
"Mm-hm."
"Let us join you!" Lee leaped at the opportunity.
"No," Sunai and I automatically replied at the same time that Iz and Mei said "sure."
"Well, we were already training anyway. Let's all go home. It's almost lunchtime, anyway," Tenten reasoned.
I gave a thumbs-up. "Sounds good to me," I felt my head loll.
Izumi froze under my arm. "Put it away," she smacked the thumb.
"Cut me some slack," I whined.
"Here, I'll take her. We'll get home," I heard Neji's voice come in.
"No, I can walk," I slouched.
"Don't even try," Sunai and Tenten growled at me; the same reply, two completely different meanings.
Just as I went to tell them off, black danced across my eyes and I stumbled, falling. I landed against something hard and I opened my eyes to see a fuzzy Mei holding me up.
"Thanks," I managed to say to her, before the darkness danced again and I succumbed to its soft peacefulness.
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R&R!