Karena's Story...

Stolen Past

~Chapter 4~

Bright and early this morning the Genin's that past yesterday's test were brought to a gated off forest. And our lovely second examiner, Anko, was the person who led us to this weird place. This test is just going to be great... I wasn't in the greatest moods today. Maybe it's because Kankuro accidentally ate my share of breakfast, and like I believed he did it on accident.

"Whoaaa… Nice place! What is it?" Naruto asked out loud.

Nice? This forest was probably far from it. It was dark and I could already feel the cold breeze coming from it. I'm just hoping this test isn't as bad as its looking now.

Anko smirked as she stood in front of the chained gate, "This is the location for the second phase of the exam. The forty-fourth training field..."

I mumbled under my breath, "Lets just get this over with." Today I was not nervous at all, but was eager to get started. Maybe we can get some real fighting going on in this test.

"...but we call it the Forest of Death." She finished.

My stomach dropped, and nervousness consuming me. Why am I so easy to freak out? It's just a forest! Whats so bad about it?

Laughing anxiously as I messed with my hair, "Do we really have to go in there?"

"Nervous again?" Temari asked chuckling.

"No! It just… Its too tiring to walk around a forest." I corrected, even though I knew she was right.

Kankuro laughed, "I think I remember you saying something like that yesterday too. Just admit you're scared."

My face went red, "I am not scared! Just a little nervous…"

"So you are nervous then?" He shot back with a victory smirk.

I froze, face blank. He got me… Damn it. "I hate you."

A sudden puff of colored smoke caught my attention, and when it thinned out the three preschool kids, including the scarf wearing one, from the other day were laying on the ground. I smiled as I thought of a joke.

"Hey Kankuro! Look! Its your friend!" My voice dripping with fake enthusiasm.

He just scoffed, "As if. I-" Kankuro didn't get a chance to say anything back.

"Both of you. Quit." Gaara said as he glared over at me.

I fixed my eyes to the grassy ground, " Sorry..." He's glare was making me feeling uncomfortable. I shook my head, pushing the awkwardness I was feeling out. I should say something. "I'm not the only one thats nervous, right Gaara?"

He responded with his usual blank stare. I could almost hear Temari and Kankuro telling me to be quiet with their eyes, but I wasn't going to listen. Maybe if I tried talking to Gaara he will one day will change and open up. "You have to be nervous also, right?" I repeated. There was a drawn out silence until Gaara finally spoke.

"I no longer feel any of those empty emotions." He replied as he torn his eyes from me.

What is that suppose to mean? I didn't believe him for a second. "Come on… You have to feel something then. What about excitement? Or anxious? What about when you helped me back during the first phase, you probably felt sorry for me then."

But Gaara just shut his eyes and gave out an annoyed sigh. Maybe talking to him isn't helping anything, and Temari's face is screaming at me to shut up. "Sorry for asking." I quickly apologized.

Fine. I just won't try to say anything anymore. He can continue to hate me for all I care. I don't even know why I'm trying so hard in the first place to talk to him…. I think that but I knew why I try so hard, I wanted him to think of me like Temari and Kankuro do. A friend. Someone he could trust.

…

"Now before we began this test I got something to hand out to you all." Anko said as pulled out a stack of papers.

No more rules please! Hopefully she won't change the rules like that last guy did. And keep it simple, the way I like it.

"It is just a consent form. You are going to have to read over this form and sign it." She said a little too nicely.

I knew this was going to be worse than the last test! Why would they have us sign something like that? Only if…

"Some of you may not come back from this test. And otherwise it would be my responsibility!" Anko answered my thoughts as she laughed.

So a kid can actually die from taking these exams? Why didn't I know anything about this?

Anko continued, "Now the first thing you will want to know is that this phase is going to test your survival skills. In the center of the forest there is a locked tower, and this is also a everything goes kind of battle, to get a hold of these scrolls." She held up a pair of small scrolls.

Now this is what I have waited for! Some action, not just sitting in a chair writing down answers. This is my kind of test!

"You will be fighting to get both the heaven scroll, and the earth scroll." She continued instructing.

I don't know what I was all nervous about earlier, this test is going to easy. My team is going to blow through this phase. And I can show all these Leaf losers why they should be afraid of me! As I thought this I couldn't help but smirk, even though I was being conceited.

"Half the teams will be getting the earth scroll and the other half the heaven scroll. To pass your team will have to bring both scrolls to the tower."

"Wait so that means that half the teams if not more are going to fail!" Sakura exclaimed the obvious. She is probably as nervous as I was a while ago.

Anko laughed, "Its not suppose to be easy! Oh and there is a time limit! Of five days!"

I lightly laughed at everyone's uneasiness of the last rule. I don't know why I was suddenly feeling so overconfident. Maybe it was because I was just as nervous as everyone else.

"There are also ways to get disqualified…." I think I like Anko now, she tells us right away the rules and the point of all this, "... first is if you don't get to the tower in five days, second is if a member is killed or can't continue, but most important is that none of you can look at the contents of the scrolls." She took a deep breath. "And just don't die!"

…...

This is so boring. Can we start now? We all stood in front of gate six waiting for it to open. I had a big smile across my face in excitement while Temari and Kankuro now were the ones to look nervous. And their eyes were fixed at Gaara.

I laughed at them, "Look whos nervous now!"

Temari snapped back, "Just don't be your usual hotheaded self and get reckless okay?" She was glaring at me.

"Whatever you say." I rolled my eyes. I have no idea what she's talking about.

I heard Kankuro muttered under his breath, "It was a bad idea to bring Karena along."

There was a sudden feeling of hurt in my chest. I don't think I was supposed to hear that, or that he was joking. Did they really think that I couldn't handle this? I am weak to them? I know I'm not near as good as them, but I didn't think I was that much weaker than them. Well I am just going to prove them wrong!

The chains dropped, and the gate swung open. We reacted automatically, sprinting into the cold forest. The second phase had begun!

Shorter chapter this week, I know...

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See you Friday

-MarMar