Well…abuse, reuse, recycle. I watched when I could find the clips.

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Chapter 4

Isn't the night wonderful?, Kainda asked Akemi.

Fuck you. I'm trying to sleep, Akemi replied back. It was about eleven, and she hated the time.

Dear lord, what is wrong with you?, Kainda said in a rhetorical question. If you're just going to be a bitch, I'll bug you during the day.

Oh no you won't., Akemi was livid at even the suggestion of having to deal with Kainda all the time. She had managed to repress her this far, and she wasn't giving up the rest of her sanity without a fight.

Ohmigod, you really think that's stopping me, don't you?, Kainda's demonic laugh make Akemi pull the blanket over her head. I'm just being nice to you.

Akemi snickered. You, nice? You don't even know the meaning of the word.

And you give a crap why? That wasn't me who stabbed Emopussy today. That was one-hundred-percent Akemi, through and through.

I know, but he deserves it.

What the fuck did he do anyway?

Quite frankly, he existed. But beyond that, he was just an ass with way too much confidence in himself.

People could say the same of you.

I know. But I'll be a hypocrite and have an excuse to hurt someone.

You're sounding more and more like me every day.

Well crap. Akemi cut the conversation off short, and, finally, got to sleep. Not like that was much of a relief though, and one certain dream plagued her all night.

She was in that helpless position again. Her soul was across the world from her body, and there was nothing she could do about it. All she could do is run as fast as she possibly could, without getting tired, with no reminder to tell her she was alive, except for her limitations. She was never fast enough to save anyone's life, never good enough to impress her mother, and never smart enough to understand all the games everyone was playing with her and what remained of her shattered soul. She was just not good enough, apparently.

Damn Kainda. Kainda was everything she wasn't. She was gorgeous, she was talented, she. Was. Deadly. The only thing that could possibly be wrong with Kainda was nothing, according to everyone Akemi knew. But of course, nobody knew the real Kainda, the fierce girl on the edge of life and death, with no need for sleep, love, or people around her. She was adored because nobody knew her. She was loved because she had deceived them all.

Well, almost all of them. You can never hide from your host, can you? But nobody believed her. She was just the weakling whose power got taken away by her mother's folly. Sure, the guy she was supposed to be with was dead, but he obviously wasn't her father. The purple eye power, oh no, the ACCURSED vision. Well, I'm deeply sorry then. You may glorify your doom all you wish, and I'll still try to save you from it. That single survivor was Akemi's only hope. Well, that, and 'Tachi killing everyone on the same night. Thank Mariah he knew what to do right now. She still cursed the words that had arrogantly flown out of her mouth a few days earlier. "Leave the little brother alive, but get rid of everyone else. Give him something to chase you for, and trust me, he'll chase you. He'll chase you until he keels over dead, and even then, he'll try to kill you in spirit. People are just that emotional, after all." Akemi was living proof of that, but she had shunned herself. She almost wished she was the secondary soul. Then, maybe, she would have been exorcised. Whatever happens to souls after that must be better than this. This eternal running, this unforgettable pain.

Akemi awoke in a cold sweat.

Would you stop being morbid?, Kainda honestly asked. I hated being glorified.

Just don't talk. Akemi gave herself a second to calm down, then addressed Kainda again. I don't see why the dream bothers you though. You got what you wanted.

You wanted it too, you were just less…proactive.

That's…disturbing.

Glad to be of service. It's morning anyway.

Akemi noticed, with slight regret, that Kainda was completely right. She wasn't late for anything yet, but she meandered to her closet, choosing a different outfit than the one yesterday, with a skirt and cutoff shirt, but kept the arm socks. Her closet door slammed shut, and she got to Shika's right on time. He seemed a little depressed when he climbed out, and Akemi furrowed her brows, resisting the urge to read his mind.

"Shika…" Her voice was full of concern, and he must have internally cursed himself for showing his mood, because he stiffened, clenching his hands into fists.

"You're asking what's wrong, aren't you?" He relaxed a little, even though he was the one that was talking.

"Yeah."

"And you don't already know the answer?"

The blow hit Akemi, hard. "I wouldn't do that to you!"

"You seem to have no problem doing it to everyone else, why should I assume that I'm different?" He almost said this phrase with regret.

"What, is your dad abusing you or something?" Akemi took a breath. "Look, if you want me to stop, I will. It's just force of habit. And you should assume you're different because I love you, and there's nothing anything can do about that."

Shika resumed his depressed state, and breathed outward through his teeth, then put his head in his hands. "Chougi had a heart attack last night."

Akemi was simply dumbstruck. She didn't know the fa…wide ninja very well (she knew that about him), but she knew how much he meant to Shikamaru. "Is he…"

"No, but it rattled me."

"Understandably." Akemi didn't really have anything to say. She just pulled herself down to the ground, and Shikamaru followed soon afterwards.

"It just reminded me of the real mortality of this issue." He mused. "I mean, he wasn't going anywhere, he wasn't on any sort of mission, but it just served as a reminder. People can die. People do die."

"It's a risk we take."

"And that's just the thing." He continued. "Some people who are going through this chunin exam don't realize that they will risk dying each and every day."

"That seems like something most of the people I know wouldn't realize."

"If you're talking about Naruto, you're wrong." Shikamaru's statement confused Akemi a little, but she kept on listening. "Did you hear about the Haku mission from your dad?"

"No. What was it?"

"Kakashi finally agreed to send them on a C level mission, and they ran into a jounin and someone with one hell of a bloodline trait, that was Haku, attempting to kill the guy they were escorting. It was a difficult B really, and yet, somehow, they all lived. So trust me, I think he knows. Either that, or he's a complete dumbshit."

"Whoah." Akemi was shocked. Her dad never told her about something like this happening.

"Yeah." Shikamaru sighed. "And I think, until last night, they were more aware of the risks than I was."

Akemi stayed silent, almost denying but still accepting that something like that might be possible. They sat like that for a while, but then the sun started to come up, and they made a run for the spot they went every day.

Akemi smiled at the tree, and made her way towards the large branch that was right before the branches started getting thin and bendy. Shikamaru kept up with her all the way, and she turned, feeling her lips hit his. His hands snaked around her waist, and hers went for his hair tie, pulling it out, and then tangling her hands in his neck-length hair as he went for the zipper on the back of her shirt.

It had been almost a half an hour when they got interrupted by Naruto's yell. "Akemi!!"

The mentioned girl's eyes snapped open and went wide, and she broke the kiss with Shikamaru. "Shit."

Shikamaru got off of her and shrugged his short back on, and Akemi did the same. They kissed one last time and then split, Akemi going down immediately and Shikamaru basically getting out of her way.

"There you are." Naruto seemed a little exasperated, an emotion unfamiliar to his face. "Your dad is going to kill you."

"No, he's not." If Naruto had seen anything, he wouldn't be stupid enough to tell. Akemi at least thought he valued his life more than that.

She was right. When they got there, he simply stated, "I found her."

"You're late."

"You probably were too."

Kakashi gave her a glare, but continued with what he was saying before. Akemi didn't pay much attention, instead just making her way towards the building. Kakashi caught her by the back of her shirt.

"And where do you think you're going?"

"Inside."

"I don't think so."

"Well I do." Akemi could feel the extra adrenaline boost pulse through her. It had been a while since she had really fought her dad. Three years, two days, and fifteen hours to be exact. "I've been watching people go through this basically since I existed. I can, and I will, go inside."

Kakashi released the back of her shirt, and she almost fell forward onto the pavement, but regained her composure enough to simply put one foot in front of the other and keep on walking. Kaara grabbed her arm, and Akemi stopped walking. "I'll be fine. I've got connections in there." Kaara released her, but they all watched her go, and she could hear Kakashi talking as the door shut and everyone's heads turned.

"HI!!" Of course, Temari was excited to see her. She was sitting near her brothers, and Akemi smiled and made her way over there, ignoring the mumblings of everyone else that she didn't know. "Where's the rest of the crew?"

"Kakashi inc's still outside." Temari scooted over, and Akemi sat on the table with her and some other girl who remained silent. Gaara and Kankuro were sitting on chairs, and neither of them seemed to have much of a reaction to seeing her here. "Please don't tell me I was the only one who didn't know. Gaara?"

"It was kinda big news." She and Gaara didn't hate each other, in fact, quite the opposite. They just had an abusive relationship sometimes. "I think everyone knows."

"Oh. Well that's just great." Akemi was going to have a hard enough time surviving these exams as is.

The rest of her teammates stepped into the building, and Akemi called Kaara over right away.

"What's the rush?" Kaara said as she finally got there.

"I don't want you to get caught in the middle of Naruto saying something stupid."

"How do you know that he will?"

Everyone gave Kaara a look, but Akemi replied as if this sort of statement was normal. "He's Naruto. He'll say something stupid, believe me." She waved to Shikamaru, and he waved back, but seemed focused on something else. Some guy with grey hair was crouched down on the ground, and a bit of chakra was swirling. Must be those cards, Akemi thought to herself.

Don't worry, he doesn't have any stats on you. Kainda reassured her.

I would hope so. But if he does, I blame you.

Why?

You're easy to blame.

Well thanks then. I deleted your card. Akemi was slightly relieved. Doing B ranked missions at the age of four wasn't exactly considered normal around here.

Akemi turned half an ear to the conversation. They had stats on Gaara, and everyone seemed in shock. She poked him in the shoulder.

"Hey, they're talking about you."

"Great." The sarcasm in Gaara's voice could be heard loud and clear.

"It's not bad, they're all like, whoa, he's god."

"It's that B isn't it?"

"Yup."

"They're easily impressed."

"I thought you knew."

"What're they saying about you?" Gaara had known Akemi in the past, so he knew about Kainda, among other things.

"Nothing. She got rid of my card."

As if right on cue, Kabuto furrowed his brows. "I don't seem to have anything on her here…"

Akemi turned to see who had asked, and Hinata quickly looked away, while Shikamaru seemed to be trying to calm himself down.

She closed her eyes and found his mental strand among all the others. It's fine, the card's not there.

Well, that's good at least. He had gotten good at this, but finished the conversation in case anyone could detect them. They were rare, but hey, they existed back home.

Kaara was all of a sudden alert, and reddening. Naruto blew it.

"Just pretend you don't know him." Akemi gazed at the expressions of the other people in the group, and noticed some sounds on the move. "Be right back."

"Where're you going?" Kaara looked confused.

"I'm saving Naruto's life." She got to the scene of the crime faster than the sound shinobi's could, and hit one in the foot, flipping him over backwards. The other one send some sort of sound wave, and Akemi diluted it with her own voice, not daring to pull out a scream here. It hit the grey-haired guy's glasses though, and they shattered, creating mass panic. Okay, not mass panic, but Naruto and Sakura had a mini-spaz fest.

"Shut up, you worthless bastards!" As much as the cry was cliché, Akemi sweat dropped. There were two people in Kohona that she knew that could detect her mental readings. One was her dad.

The other was this guy.

Akemi cursed underneath her breath as the scarred man reprimanded the three sound ninjas, only catching that she couldn't kill people and blah blah blah.

"And you!" The man talking had met Akemi before, and she raised her head. "What is your excuse?"

"Simply defending sir." Kaara held her breath. Akemi never called anyone sir.

"Fine. Sit down." He went on to explain the tabs, and Naruto's head nearly exploded at the idea of a written test, but Akemi didn't have any worries. She knew about all of this from watching the windows last year. Although this guy had never done this section before…it wasn't that unusual. Akemi ended up in the back, which actually wasn't bad, given that she needed to see everything for this to work.

She listened to the rules, and everything was the same, except for the lose all points thing. That shouldn't be a problem except…

Oh shit. Naruto.

Someone came around to Akemi, Kaara, and the new girl and told them that they'd be on a team together since they happened to be extra. Okay, then she didn't have to worry about Naruto anymore. But she still felt like she should do something.

With this guy, broadcasting won't work…She considered her options. Covering her eyes with her hands wouldn't do her any good…her eyes would just glow brighter. Wait. If her eyes amplified her accuracy in the broadcast…She directed the thought towards Kainda.

I could.

Without really looking like yourself?

Eh…I think so.

Good. Do it.

Akemi felt her body control slipping as her soul appeared right next to it. She went to Shikamaru and looked at this answers, then put her hand on his shoulder, her signal that everything was all right. She returned to her body, and checked with Kainda.

He didn't suspect anything.

Good work. Thanks.

Wow she's thanking me. Call the CIA.

"And now, it's time for the tenth question." Akemi knew that forty-five minutes had passed, but some people looked at the clock in a panic. "And for this tenth question, you get to decide weather or not to take it."

Akemi raised an eyebrow, and even Kainda seemed shocked.

Temari seemed stressed. "And what happens if we refuse to take it?"

The guy smiled. "Then your points will be reduced to zero, and you will be asked to leave, along with your teammates."

Some people started yelling, but Akemi's head almost turned red. I. Hate. This. Guy. Kainda obviously agreed, saying (thinking) the same thing at the same time.

"If you choose to take it, and answer incorrectly, that person will lose their right to take the chunin exam ever again." Kaara and the new girl didn't seem intimidated, but the mood was heavy as the people in the room realized the seriousness of the situation.

Kiba shouted, and Akemi thought back to the girl in the forest. Besides intellect level, what did they have in common at all?

She missed something the bastard had said, but she didn't really care. Sakura was stressing out, probably stuck between two options.

All of a sudden, the rolling sweat stopped. Naruto raised his hand. Akemi's brain almost fell out her ears. "There's no way…" she mumbled under her breath.

"Don't underestimate me! I will not run!" Akemi's brain rejoined the rest of her body, and she almost melted. So he hadn't gone under some sort of brain surgeon after all. At least that was a relief.

There was a little exchange between the two, but Akemi didn't way attention again until the guy congratulated them on passing the first test.

Nobody thought. For like fifteen seconds, nobody thought. Then some sort of chaos erupted. The guy began explaining, and a flurry of thoughts passed through everyone's heads until something burst through the wall.

Oh. It was Anko. She went about doing some yelling, then noticed Akemi in the back of the room.

"Oh, hi you!"

"Yeah, it's me." Akemi said with a smile. She and Anko had seen each other before. Nobody said anything of note until they got to the second test arena, and Akemi actually paid attention this time. There was no way to observe this test.

"Welcome to the stage for the second test, practice arena 44. Also known as the forest of death!" Anko seemed excited, Sakura seemed worried, and Naruto was preoccupied pretending he wasn't fazed by any of this.

Yeah, he's a dumbshit.

Agreed.

"And you'll soon find out why it's called the forest of death." Anko was playing off Sakura' obvious fear. Kaara was next to Akemi, and the mystery girl seemed to be stuck to Gaara like glue. Wonder what they're up to.

Naruto repeated Anko in a mocking tone, which Akemi almost smacked him for. He was going to regret that.

Before almost anyone noticed, Naruto had a cut in his cheek and Anko was licking him, which would be gross, if it wasn't so hilarious. Some weirdo with a long tongue was giving Anko a kunai, and Akemi whispered "Dogpile!" to Kaara, which made her laugh.

"Now before we start the second test, there's something I want to pass out." Anko was waving some slips around in the air.

"Waivers?" Akemi wondered out loud.

"There'll be some deaths in this one, and if you don't sign these, it'll be all my fault. Hehe." Anko's facial expression almost made Akemi laugh.

I'm getting the feeling I'm going to like this one. Kainda said evilly in Akemi's head.

As much as I hate it, I have to agree with you. If that girl's on par with Gaara, it shouldn't be much of a problem dominating if a fight is involved.

Promise me they're be blood? Akemi sighed, and Kainda giggled.

What the hell, I promise. You'll see blood at least once.

Sweet.

"I'll now explain the second test." Akemi hoped she didn't miss anything important as she tuned in to the real world. "Simply put, you will attempt the ultimate survival." Shikamaru put his head in his hands, and Akemi smiled, which he caught out of the corner of his eye. "Around the practice arena 44, there are 44 locked gates. Forest, river, and a tower in the center. From the gates to the tower is about 10 kilometers. During the survival, you will be asked to complete a certain task. Using your many weapons an jutsu, you will compete in a no-rules scroll battle." Akemi's and Kaara's expressions lit up, and the girl seemed to pay more attention.

"Domination is so much fun." Akemi said to Kaara, who nodded her head in agreement.

This is going to be sweet. Kainda's elation showed in her voice, and Akemi considered unleashing her in this. Why take a chance, right?

"You will fight over these two scrolls, heaven and earth. There are 78 people here, 26 teams, meaning half, or 13, get the heaven scroll, and the other half get the earth scroll. To pass this test, your team must make it to the tower with both scrolls. Along with that, there's a time limit. The test will last exactly 120 hours, or five days."

She gave us time. Akemi nodded her head in agreement with her inner self. I'd love to go scroll-burning. Akemi rolled her eyes.

Whatever. But only burn one type. We eliminate more pairs that way. She thought again about what Kainda had said that morning. She was turning into her inner self, bit by bit.

"Now I'll talk about the things that would disqualify you. One, if you don't make it to the tower with both scrolls within the time limit. Two, if you lose a teammate or have a teammate killed. As a rule, there's no quitting in the middle. You will be in the forest for five days. And one more rule. You must not look inside the scroll until you make it to the tower."

"What happens if you do?" This was probably the only non-stupid thing Naruto had said in the past 24 hours, except for 'I found her.'

"That'll be a surprise for anyone who does. A chunin will be asked to hold classified information. This is to test your worthy-ness." She took a deep breath. "Well that's it for the explanations. Exchange the three forms for your scroll, pick a gate and get ready to start." The girl separated from Gaara and found her way to Akemi and Kaara, already-signed form in hand.

"Mmkay." Akemi swished the paper with her pen, then passed it to Kaara. "I need to know your name and what you can do. Kaara and I have known each other for like, ever, and I don't know you yet."

"Well then." She spoke in a straight forward manner. "I'm Junsui." Something silver wriggled around her neck.

"And that is?"

"A secret."

"Aha." It was probably something they wouldn't allow into the arena.

"Done." Kaara had her form signed, and they meandered over to the door before it was opened, and Anko eyed Akemi before addressing the crowd again.

"A final word of advice. Don't die."

The door opened, and they went inside, receiving a heaven scroll, which Akemi took for now, but gave Junsui a sign that she was going to get it later. It went underneath her skirt in a pocket where there wasn't an obvious bulge, and they picked gate 13 unanimously.

"You know, I like the way you think."

"Same here. Gaara's been talking about you."

"Hopefully nothing too degrading?"

"Eh, I make no promises."

"Oh he is so dead."

"The second test of the chunin exam now begins!" Anko yelled, and the gate opened, almost creating a gust of air. Humid, hot air, but welcome now.

This is where the fun begins.

The first obvious noise to hit Akemi's ears was a scream. "You know, I like this test."

Kaara sighed and rolled her eyes, but they all kept a rapid pace, Akemi giving Junsui the scroll mid-stride.

"What's the plan?" Junsui was leading the way, managing on her own quite well. Akemi liked her already.

"Given that one of us alone could take most of the teams on this field, besides Gaara's and like, my dad or something, always leaving that option open, we just need to find out who has the earth scrolls and who has the heavens."

"And I'll presume you can take care of that." Kaara interjected.

"Yup." Junsui looked confused. "One of my powers, per say, is to read minds. If none of them are thinking about it, then it'll be harder. I'd need help to prod memories at this range."

"Meaning we have to stop."

"Yes."

Junsui turned on a tree, skidding slightly, while Akemi and Kaara stopped facing her.

"Just give me thirty seconds."

Is it my turn yet?

Do your worst. But don't forget, they don't know.

I know, I know…

Akemi's soul reappeared next to her body while Kainda worked. She could feel the massive outflux that would have taken half an hour to prepare if she had been in control prod the minds of everyone in the area. When she uncovered one eye, Akemi made the move back in.

Most people don't have two scrolls yet. The scroll closest to you is a heaven that's actually with Emopussy and co., but they're being bugged by the grass people now.

I presume they have an earth?

Yeah, but kill stealing's boring, so there's someone else with an earth to the east. And one to the north. But the one to the north's Gaara, and I think this girl would have issues fighting him. So, east.

Akemi repeated the news to Kaara and Junsui, leaving out the kill-stealing part. They smiled, and to the east they went.

Sitting in a tree, Akemi scoffed at the strange trio beneath them. They were leaf shinobi, that was for sure, but she wouldn't have claimed any relation to them if her life depended on it.

"Junsui." They were talking below, so that gave her a second to talk to her. "Has Temari taught you anything wind-related?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, take the pink shirt one. Kaara, you get the weirdo with the bowl cut. The long-haired one's mine."

"Why do you get to fight Neji?"

"He reminds me too much of Emopussy."

"It always comes back to him, dosen't it?"

"You bet. Now let's go."

They all moved lightning fast, but they all got blocked on the first strike. Expected.

"Good day to you too." Akemi smiled wickedly.

"I thought I was supposed to find you for the rematch." Neji's brain caught up to the situation without much delay.

"Change of plans. You have something I need."

"That was what that was earlier then."

"Aup, you got me." She broke off the connection of steel and elongated her fingernails.

"I can see who the leader is." Neji noted as the others followed suit.

"One fights another." Akemi released her smile, and the battle began.