Heyy, long time no see? Haha, yeah, I know. But here's the third chapter of Mind, Body, and Soul. The fourth chapter is already on the way, and should be done by the next time I have an off period. Which is Thursday. So look forward to it(: Disclaimer: Again, I say, "This is a fanfiction." Again, I say, "My name is not Misashi Kishimoto." And again, I say, "I'm not making any money off this. Just the moral satisfaction of writing something I enjoy." Chapter Three of Mind, Body, and Soul
"Do you know what the test is going to be like?"
"No. But I heard Chiigo telling Naomi that we had to fight already graduated Genin to pass!"
"I heard we had to fight each other!"
"Fight each other? Are you serious?"
"Oh man... I hope I'm put against one of the girls..."
"Dude, no you don't! What if you get one of the sisters?"
"Yeah, man. You'd be screwed. Hope you get put with Naruto."
"I think we all hope we'll get paired with Naruto..."
The classroom was alive with this incessant chattering. Some of the students were excited, but most of them were just nervous, though they definitely had every right to be. They were about to take a test to see if they were worthy of the title 'Genin'. The graduation test was upon them.
Emi sat in the front of the room, as was usual, but was chewing anxiously on her fingernails. Moeru, who sat by her side, finally grabbed her sister's hands, pulling them away from her mouth. "Emi, stop it. You're going to do fine." The blonde glances over, knowing that her sister was right, but still feels the rock in the pit of her stomach. "Besides," Moeru continues, "Biting your nails won't make you a better shinobi."
No argument there.
Emi sighs. "You're probably right... but I just can't get over my nerves, you know?"
Her sister smiles. "Don't worry about it. Just think of something else."
"Like what?"
Moeru shrugs with a smile playing at her lips. "I don't know. You'll think of something."
She sighs again. "I just wish that sensei would hurry up!" she groans indignantly. "The test was supposed to start at eight..."
"Em... it's still ten minutes to eight."
The green eyes flit over to where the clock hung on the wall. "Oh..."
Moeru laughs, though she tried not to, at her sister. "Oh, Emi..."
"Emi!"
Both girls look over, towards the sound, and both girls groan simultaneously. "Great..." Moeru says.
"Shit," Emi murmurs, just as she lays her head in her hands. This is not going to be fun... I'll be lucky if I make it to the test...
There, in the doorway, was a ravenous Ino, Sakura at her side, and a few other of Sasuke's fan girls trailing behind them. They all stomp over to where the two sisters sat, each wearing a look of disapproval, but an intense curiosity and a smidgen of hope lived in their eyes. "Is it true?" Ino demands, though her tone was slightly softer than Emi had expected.
"It what true?" she asks, with a great pang of annoyance ringing in her voice.
"Is it true that you went out with Sasuke yesterday?" Sakura repeats.
Emi groans, turning away. "Look -"
"The whole class was buzzing about it! Everyone keeps saying he took you to a five star restaurant and bought you a dress and then you two made out!" Sakura continues. "I can't believe it!"
"What?" Emi looks over to her sister. "Who said that?" Moeru represses the smirk she longed to show at the sight of the wheels turning in her sister's head. Both of them look up to the fangirl mob. "He certainly did not buy me a dress."
The girls all gasp. "But he took you someplace fancy? And you guys made out?" Ino's eyes are wide as she awaits Emi's answer.
Emi can't help but chortle. "Ino, you're an insufferable gossip. No, Sasuke and I did not go to any fancy restaurant, and no, we have never kissed each other. Honestly, he acts as if I don't exist, most of the time."
Out of the corner of her eye, Emi swears she sees Sasuke smirking in the back of the classroom.
"Oh, well then... I guess that we're all good..." Ino blushes. "Sorry... it's just..."
"Yes, I know, Ino, and I understand." Emi smiles at her.
"But, uhm... we'll still hang out tomorrow?"
"You know it."
"'Kay... bye." Ino offers her friend one last smile before pushing all of the other girls away from the table.
As soon as they were out of earshot, Emi and Moeru burst out into a fit of giggles. "Man..." Moeru starts. "You were an inch from death back there..."
"I know! I can't believe I talked my way out of it. If the rumor hadn't gotten blown up like that... I probably would have had to confess, wouldn't I?"
Moeru smirks some more. "Yeah, probably. It's a good thing that you're good with word choice, isn't it?"
"Definitely." Emi glances over to Sasuke, who was sitting in the back corner like normal. He gives her a nod, a small, but easily recognizable as entertained, smile on his face, and she knew that was his small 'thank you.'
She smiled even brighter, her worries almost gone.
Of course, then Iruka walked into the classroom. "Class," he says, commanding the attention of the entire room. "We're going to begin the Graduation Exam in five minutes. Please, use this time to review any notes you have with you, as you might be tested on any of them."
Emi frowns, and goes to bite her nails again, but Moeru beat her to the punch, restraining the hands again. "Em, just chill, alright? Look over your notes."
"I've memorized them."
Oh, that's right... I helped her do that last night...
"Then meditate, alright? Just stop think until you hear Iruka call your name."
"That could be hours!"
Moeru smiles. "A few hours of meditation could prove to be good for your discipline, Emi."
Her blonde sister sighs, but easily sees her sister's point. "Right..."
Moeru hugs her tightly. "Just in case I go before you wake up, here's a hug for good luck."
Emi smirks and hugs back. "Good luck to you, too, Momo."
"Thanks, Em."
o0o0o0o0o
Five minutes later, Iruka started to call names. Emi's eyes popped open only once, to look at Iruka as he announced the start of the test. Chouji was called first, she heard, but after they left and the room fell into an anxious, almost frightened silence, Emi closed her eyes and fell away from the world entirely.
Moeru glanced around, assessing what she knew, and tried to use logic to figure out what the test would be. Or, at least, figure out what the test wouldn't be.
It can't be a student-against-student battle... he only calls one person at a time. It's unlikely he'll have us fight him... but we still might have to fight real Genin. However, I don't think that's going to be the case. Even they would probably out of our league. There could be any number of other tactical or practical tests... vital points, accuracy, assessing advantages and weaknesses probably at the top...
"Chiaki, Emi," Iruka calls, and the blonde's eyes snap open. She glances back at her sister for just a moment before following after her teacher, walking out of the room and into the hall.
Iruka looks over to her once the door closes, and they start to head down the hall. "Are you nervous?" he asks.
She glances at him. "Yes, I am." She didn't really see a point in lying about it.
"Don't be. You'll be fine."
"Everyone keeps saying that, but I still can't believe it."
He smiles comfortingly. "Maybe it's because you need to hear yourself say it." He stops in front of a door at the end of the hall, the door that was always locked. "Go on," he says. "Say it."
Emi can't help but snicker. "I'm going to be fine."
"Atta girl."
He's right... it feels good to say that, she thinks, beaming.
"Now," Iruka says, pushing open the door. "Prove it.
o0o0o0o0o
Moeru glances around the classroom. Just a handful of us left. Iruka came back, calling out Shikamaru, Kiba, Sakura, Ino... Finally, it was just her and Naruto. She moved across the room to sit by him. "Hey," she says. "How are you doing?"
He shrugs. "I dunno. I just want to go take the test. Know what I mean?"
"I sure do," she murmurs.
"We've been her for an hour. Why couldn't we take the test at the same time?" Naruto asks her.
She also gives him a shrug of her shoulders. "I don't know. Guess to give us privacy. If someone fails, Iruka-sensei wouldn't want it to be in front of everyone, even if everyone will eventually figure it out."
He nods. "Iruka-sensei is nice like that."
Iruka appears in the doorway, and from the look of his smile, Moeru was sure he heard what Naruto said. "Chiaki, Moeru," he says. "You're up."
Moeru smiles at her friend. "See you at the Graduation Party?"
Naruto beams. "Believe it!"
The brunette chuckles as she heads out the door. Iruka leads her down the hall, stopping in front of the same door he had stopped in front of so many times that day. "You ready for this, Moeru?"
"Yes, sensei."
He nods, pats her shoulder, and brings her inside.
Moeru's intensely curious eyes peer around the room, searching for anything that could hint towards her test. But inside, there was nothing. Literally. The room was bare from wall to wall, from wooden flooring to ceiling, except for the standard blackboard that marked the front of the room and a few windows.. "Sensei... why isn't there anything here?" she asks, confused.
Iruka moved to stand in front of the black board, and motioned for her to stand in front of him. She obeyed without question, standing a few feet away from him. "Moeru, your test for today is as follows: you have to..."
I have to what? What do I have to do? she thinks anxiously.
"You have to make three clones."
She has to actively stop her jaw from dropping. "That's it? I have to make clones?"
He smirks. "Just do it, Moeru."
She shakes off her shock. "With pleasure." Forming the appropriate hand signs, she performs the cloning jutsu, and three clones form in front of her, each a perfect remake of herself.
He nods. "Very good, Moeru."
She shakes her head. "That's honestly the whole test?"
"Honestly."
She laughs a hearty laugh. "Emi was freaking out for nothing."
"Yes, she was." They both smirk. "Congratulations, Moeru. You passed the Graduation Exam. You are now, officially, a Genin."
Moeru can't help herself. She launches herself at Iruka in a hug. "Thank you, sensei!"
He grins, pulling out the second to last Konoha headband in his pouch and presents it to Moeru. "There you go," he says.
Her eyes sparkle as she places it on her forehead. "Again, thank you."
"It was my pleasure."
She bows respectively, only barely managing to wipe the smile off her face long enough for it.
"Now, you will be contacted by your new sensei by the end of the day, telling you where you are to meet him or her, as well as the rest of your team. Make sure you're on time."
"Of course, sensei. I'm always on time."
o0o0o0o0o
Moeru practically skips into the room, bringing a smile to her sister's face. "So about that test... I don't think I've ever had such a hard time passing. I think I actually broke a sweat, there," she jokes.
Her sister throws herself on to Emi's bed, beaming up at the ceiling. "I can't believe how easy it was."
"A little too easy, if you ask me. I mean, yeah, I was freaking out because I thought it was going to be insanely, retardedly difficult, but I at least wanted a challenge."
"Hey, there are people that would be a challenge for," Moeru says.
"Making clones? Like who?"
"Like..." Moeru sits up, suddenly very nervous. "Like Naruto..."
Emi glances over, knowing exactly what her sister meant. "Oh... right. But Naruto's a great ninja. The only reason he's at the bottom of the class is because he doesn't do his work... or loses it. I'm sure he did fine." But she wasn't sure. She just hoped.
"I guess you're probably right... but we'll have to find out tomorrow..."
"It's going to be a long night, isn't it?"
"Definitely."
Please review? I'd like some constructive criticism, just because I like knowing how my writing can grow, but I'd feel really warm and bubbly inside if you just told me how much you like it. Or don't like it. But, you know... whatever. Haha(: