Disclaimer: Don't own, don't sue!
We left the next morning for the Land of Fire. I recognized most of the genin as my classmates. I guess the Kazekage sent the weakest ones to be sure that they would fail, with the exception of my squad and the Sand Siblings. As we arrived two guards stopped us to be sure we had our papers. We whipped them out and we entered the Leaf Village. It was so different from the Sand Village. It was so green and bright… almost welcoming. Ren grabbed my hand and we ran to our hotel room.
"I can't believe it! We're in the Leaf Village! I heard that it was a nice place, but I never imagined it would look like this!" she exclaimed.
I sighed. "Just don't forget why we're here Ren. Don't draw attention to yourself and don't mention our intentions." She waved her hand.
"I know I know. Why do you always have to be so serious Ami? I'd say you are going to have prematurely grey hair but…" She lifted up a few strands of my hair, "It's already white!" She laughed at her own joke and I smiled. How could she still have such a positive attitude despite the fact we were going to destroy this place? I felt a pang of jealousy. Her laughter suddenly stopped as we heard a knock on the door. I quickly ran to get. Upon opening it, I saw…
"Baki!" I cried. I hugged my older cousin as he stood in our doorway. He was a jonin and I never got to visit with him. Seeing him here filled me with joy. "What are you doing here? Are you a squad leader or something?"
He returned my hug for a moment and broke away. "Yes, I am the squad leader of Gaara, Kankuro, and Temari. I heard you were here and I thought I would come see you." He smiled down at me.
"Really? You are their leader? How did you manage that?" He laughed a little and came into my room.
"I just happen to be placed with them. Now, enough of that." He sat in the chair by the window. "What is going on with this rumor that you are going to be Lord Kazekage's bodyguard during the Final Exam?" He stared at me intently.
I shrugged a little. "Lord Kazekage held me back from after the meeting about the exams and told me he wanted me to accompany him so I could take part in the mission. A bodyguard would be the easiest way to get me in."
"You are very fortunate Ami. Not many people are given assignments like that. You have to be very talented." Baki smiled more as he said this. "You have grown up so fast. And soon you will take over as head of our clan." He looked around to Ren. "I'm sorry; I don't believe we've met. I'm Baki of the Sasaki clan. What is your name?" He rose and put out his hand.
Ren took it. "I'm Ren Oshiro. It's nice to meet you Baki sensei." They shook hands.
"It's a pleasure Miss Oshiro. Now, Ami," He said as he released Ren's hand from his grip, "I'm sure the Kazekage didn't mention this to you. One of the main priorities is for you to protect Temari, Kankuro, and most importantly Gaara. They are assets to this mission so even though you will be posing as the Kazekage's guard, you are to keep a close eye on those three. I'm sure that you should be capable of that.
I nodded. "Yes Baki. I will protect them with my life." He took my hand and squeezed it gently.
"Good." His eyes met mine. "Be careful Ami. You are like my little sister. I don't want anything to happen to you."
I smiled encouragingly at him. "Don't worry. I'll be fine. After all, the Kazekage did choose me for this."
"Indeed he did." He gave my hand one last squeeze and let go. "I hate to cut our visit short, but I must return to my squad. I hope to see you again soon." He turned around and left.
Ren looked at him and then at me. "Why didn't you tell me that he was your cousin? I've seen him around and I could have introduced myself!" I laughed.
"I didn't know that it would bother you so much." She feigned shock and hurt.
"Of course it would!" She said in a mock pained tone. My laughter grew and she joined in. We took deep breaths to calm ourselves down and sighed. I looked outside the window. I really loved the way Konoha looked. It was so peaceful and full of life… I gazed out the window for a bit and soaked it all in. I might as well enjoy its beauty while it's still standing… I thought. I wasn't sure about this still. A close friend was from this village and I felt as if I were betraying her trust. I scolded myself internally and reminded myself that it was for the good of Suna. I turned away from the window and looked at Ren.
"Let's go look around a bit. The exams don't start until tomorrow."
"Nah," she said. "I'm kinda sleepy. You go ahead, I'm gonna nap a bit."
I shrugged. "Suit yourself." I walked out of the hotel and down through the streets. I suddenly felt a hand grab my shoulder and whirled around. "Temari! Why did you do that?!"
She laughed. "Just thought I'd give you a little scare. Nothing big." She laughed at me. Kankuro walked up beside her and gave me a smile.
"Hey Ami, been a while hasn't it." I shook my head.
"We saw each other during the briefing, remember?" I sighed. I had nothing against those two, but they really knew how to show up when I most wanted to be alone. Ah well, it wouldn't hurt to hang out with them for a bit… Kankuro grabbed my arm and started to lead me through the streets with Temari following closely behind. "Hey! What are you doing?! Let me go Kankuro!"
He turned and gave me a mischievous smile. "Don't worry; I just want to show you this hilarious kid that we just had a run in with. He was a riot!" Temari laughed as she followed.
"No kidding. I can't believe that kid can even be called a shinobi!" she said as we continued.
"Heh, a bit harsh on the guy, don't you think?" I asked.
"Not at all. The kid is a fool," she replied. We walked for a while then stopped under a large tree. "Hmmm… I could've sworn he was right here…"
xXx
I arrived back at the inn that evening. Ren greeted me. "You ready? Tomorrow is the big day! Kano is busy training right now with Katsu sensei so we won't see him until then." I shrugged.
"I'm not worried. It's not like it matters if we pass or fail. We're going to have to fail the second one for sure anyway."
She crossed her arms and frowned. "You don't have to be such a pessimist Ami. At least show a little enthusiasm." I smiled briefly and walked to my bed.
"I'm exhausted Ren. Try not to make to much noise, I don't normally share a room and I am a light sleeper."
"Fine, fine," she said, waving her hand dismissively. "You're so grumpy tonight."
I shrugged again as I quickly pulled on my night clothes and climbed under the covers.
xXx
Ren let out a small yawn as we got to the building for the first exam. "Do we really have to be there early? Why couldn't we sleep in?"
I sighed. "Because the sooner we get there the better. Besides, I would hate to be one of the last people to show up." We hurried to the room where the exam was taking place and took a seat beside Kankuro, Temari, and Gaara. He glanced at me with his ice blue eyes briefly then turned away.
"You guys ready?" Temari asked. We nodded. The room was only half filled. We had a while to wait. I chatted with Temari while Ren spoke with Kano when he arrived. Our conversations were interrupted by a blond kid yelling some nonsense from the door with a raven-haired boy and pink-haired girl beside him. Temari nudged me. "That's the kid we were talking about, the blond one. Isn't he something?" She smirked.
I looked at the kid incredulously. "He looks obnoxious. I don't know how his teammates stand him." I could tell by the expressions in the room that many people would agree. I rolled my eyes and tried to pick up another conversation with Ren before the proctor arrived. He came in shortly after and explained the details of the exam and gave us our seats. I was three seats down from Gaara. When the test began, I examined the questions to find that they were harder than one would expect. Looks like I have no choice but to cheat… I formed a hand sign quickly and allowed my spirit to exit my body so I could walk around the classroom without anyone knowing. Now to find someone who knows the answers. I walked around the room and glanced at the papers of the other participants. Soon I had all the answers I needed and returned to my body. After writing down the answers, I glanced at Gaara. His fingers were covering his left eye. So that's his method. I gotta hand it to him, that's a pretty good jutsu to have. I sat back and waited for the tenth question.
Soon only fifteen minutes remained to the exam and the proctor spoke up. He explained the rules to the tenth question. "Now," he said, "if there is anyone who wants to give up, please do so now." I grew tense and looked at the other members of my team. I caught Ren's eye and she stared pleadingly into mine. I could tell that she wanted to quit. I gave a nod to let her know that she could. She rose quickly and shuffled out of the room. I followed her and motioned to Kano. He had a look of shock upon his face but came without to much hesitation. Once we were out, Ren hung her head.
"I'm sorry guys… I know you wanted to go to the second exam… I just don't know if I could've handled it…" Her eyes were filled with pleading. I placed my hand on her shoulder and half-smiled.
"It's alright. We always have next time. That way we can actually pass!" I laughed a little to try and lighten her mood. It worked; she smiled slightly as Kano scoffed.
"I know we would've made it Ren. Why did you have to-" I shot him a warning glance and he shut his mouth.
"C'mon, let's go get packed. I'm dying to get back to Suna." They nodded and we walked back together.
A/N: OMG! I'm so sorry this took so long! Don't kill me!!! I had major writer's block and a hell of a lot of stuff going on, like pep band and make up work, not to mention I was bed-ridden for a week- Ya, not fun. I have this planned out and I PROMISE that it will get more interesting! I am sorry that these chapters are a bit boring but they are necessary. Also, yes. Baki (Gaara, Kankuro, and Temari's sensei) is Ami's cousin. He is from a lesser branch of the Sasaki clan but Ami really looks up to him and he loves her like a little sister. I had to put him in there sometime cuz I think he is a very shallow character and I wanted to give him some depth :3. It's just what I do! Lol. Once again, thank you to AnnaMayLover for her inspiration and editing skills! Also, huge thanks to my reviewers, they really make my day! So please, REVIEW! Make Mello smile!
Luv you all!
MelloDramatic
P.S. If you want to know what the whole jutsu thing that Ami did was, it's a part of what her father developed. Basically she can make her soul/spirit a separate being allowing her to leave her body and roam around unnoticed. If she wants to, she can possess people (kinda like Ino but unlike Ino she doesn't NEED to be in another body)