nightDREAMERms: I'm gonna say this now, but, trust me your gonna hear it a lot:
Chapter 5 is SO freakin' long. I got hand cramps and everything but, whatever, I like it.
"talking"
'thinking'
"Inner Sakura"
Chapter 4:On the List
Four seconds 'till impact
Violet eyes narrowed
Three seconds 'till impact
Chestnut eyes widened
Two seconds 'till impact
The brunette make moved out of the way.
'No he didn't.'
One second 'till impact
'-it all.'
Tenten was sent tumbling onto the ground. Leaves and sticks previously littered there were cast away from their spots and those too stubborn to move were crushed under her weight.
She landed with her hands blocking her hands and the rest of her body mocking a fetal position. However, she didn't stay like that for long.
"What the heck was THAT for, you jerk?!"
The boy just stared at her not really glaring, but not at all a comfortable look. It was almost like he was asking the world why she even existed.
"TENTEN!"
Her head snapped around to see four girls running towards her at a much slower pace. When they reached her, Ino and Sakura lifted her off the ground, "gently". Which for them meant pulling her arms out of their sockets.
"Why are you even on the ground Ten?" mused Temari, snickering at her cries of pain.
Tenten growled under her breath. "Why don't you ask Mr.-Let's-ignore-the-girl-whose-falling-because-I-don't-feel-like-helping-anyone-'cause-I'm-a-big-JACKASS!" She pointed quite rudely at the boy's face.
The rest of the girls jumped as if just noticing him. Well, everyone except the pale-eyed girl who had been silently watching him for the past minute.
"Oh come on, Tenten he probably didn't see you, running as fast as you do,this isn't a romance manga." Sakura replied, dusting off her hands off, to which Tenten promptly glared at.
"… That's mean. Neji-kun." Hinata finally muttered.
"Neji- kun?!" echoed her companions.
The two Hyuuga ignored them, walking a little ways away, preferring to stay in their own little world.
Neji frowned, "What are you doing here, Hinata-san?"
Hinata looked down and shuffled mulch with her feet, "I'm in a-a contest, for school and- but why are you here, in the middle of the woods?"
This is where Tenten stopped following the conversation. It wasn't her place to listen in. Hinata deserved her privacy. The fact that they had lowered their voices to a tone that was inaudible had absolutely nothing to do with it.
A few moments later the pair separated the boy tilting his head towards the girl before departing. Hinata returned to the group her expression a bit troubled.
"So?" the pink-haired girl asked.
"So what?" came Hinata's confused answer.
"Who was that hottie, you just talked to!" Temari finished.
"Yeah, who's Neji-kun?" Ino mocked.
"Oh. Neji-kun's my cousin. He's competing in this contest too." She ended somberly.
"Woah! Hold up! We're going against guys?" Sakura exclaimed.
"You got a problem with that?" Temari, ever the tom-boy, asked a little peeved at what she was implying.
"Heck No!/ Heck No!" She and Temari high-fived each other while Inner Sakura pumped her fist in the air.
"'specially with Hina-chan's cousin there," the pony-tailed blonde added.
"WHY?! He's just a big-big… DUMMYHEAD, anyways!" The previously seething brunette spewed.
"Dummyhead?" whispered Sakura to Temari.
"Uh oh. Ten only uses elementary insults when she's about to explode!" the blonde gasped back.
"What do we do?!" scream/whispered the other blonde.
"Back. Away. Slowly."
The four teens did just that as the angry girl raked through her suitcase and her cylinder container, pupils flaring.
Soon she found what she needed: A pack of six silver-headed arrows and a beautifully carved wooden bow. The top and bottom of the bow each had three large metallic feathers pointing away from the center. Although slightly tainted by time, these ancient feathers made the mahogany bow unique. However at the moment, Tenten could careless and in that state of mind, yanked the tool out of its case.
SCRAPE
She blinked, and her eyes widened. No, it couldn't have been. Fearfully she peeked at the item in her hand. The bow that had been past down in her family for Generations was now down one silvery feather on the north side.
Weakly, she squatted down and picked up the disjointed piece. It could be wielded back on easily, but… the deep white gashes and the bends on the ends of each side of the poor feather were irreversible.
Tenten closed her eyes and griped it tightly. Suddenly they snapped back open filled with determination. Her skin boiled. This was all his fault! She huffed deeply in an attempt to calm herself and pulled the bow and arrow into position. She closed one eye in concentration.
The boy separated from bowing his head in respect. Then discreetly, he turned towards her. Their eyes connected. His lips turned upwards in a smirk. Not just any smirk, a mocking smirk. She gasped, 'I knew it wasn't an accident!' Before she had a chance to respond he disappeared.
'Congratulations, Neji-kun.'
A brunette male's head appeared on the tree she was aiming at. She gave a grin of her own and pulled the string back.
'You've made the top of the list.'
The arrow…missed.
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"3….2….1-"
"AGHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
A far away scream echoed throughout the woodland.
Temari smirked and held out her hand. "Told ya!"
Two of the girls grumbled and fished into their pockets for the money they now owed her.
"Hinata?" Sakura called softly after paying her debt.
Said girl woke from her daze. "Huh? Oh! Yes, Sakura-san?"
Two pink brows furrowed in worry. "What's wrong? You've been out of it ever since your cousin left."
With this the blondes perked up. "Yeah, What's going on Hina-chan?"
A light blush appeared on the girl's cheeks. "O-oh, it's n-nothing, really. It's just that… Neji-kun's in this contest too and if we win, he'll be kicked out and even though he doesn't show it, I know he doesn't want to leave. But if they win, we'll all be separated. I really don't want either of those things to happen. Ano, am I being selfish?" she ended biting her lip.
She gasped when she felt warmth all around her. She looked down to see 2 blondes and a brunette all teary-eyed, hugging her.
"Wha?"
"You're so sweet Hina-chan/Hinata!" They cried and huggled her tighter.
'Phew, they took it.'
Off to the left corner, once again, pink brows narrowed. ' That's not what's bugging you, Hinata-chan, but I'll let you be.. for now.'
The Kosuna 5 lined up ready to start their journey to find some way out of the maze-like forest. Then, miraculously, four of the five girls had the same exact thought pass through each of their heads.
'When did Ten/Tenten get back?'
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"Where are my students?!" a powerful and clearly agitated voice bellowed.
The-girl-yet-to-be-named twisted her fingers nervously. "Um… you see-"
"TEME!!!!"
"Pft, dope."
"Would, Sunko and Nokosu High please SHUT UP!!!!!!" The woman shouted, causing all to flinch, even the most stoic of the ten.
"Hey, hey, calm down, Tsunade-chan, just because your students ditched you, doesn't mean you should take it out on ours." Nokosu's principal grinned and playfully patted the fuming blonde on the head.
"Shut up, Jiriaya! And stop calling me that!" She slapped his hand away.
"B-but, Tsunade-chan, I've called you that all my life!" He gave her puppy-dog eyes and held out his arms for a hug.
The inhumanly strong woman remained unaffected. She glowered and crossed her arms. "You've been playing that act all your life. I'm not falling for it."
Instantly, the arms dropped and a sigh was let out, "Worth a try" he mumbled.
"However, Tsunade," Sunko's principal finally decided to speak, "He is correct, your student are obviously not present."
Tsunade sent him a glare to which he smirked.
Just as she was about to shake the answers out of the trying-to-sneak-away-with-out-anyone-noticing-but-failing-miserably girl a horn sounded. A bus horn to be exact.
The woman's eyes bulged, "Everyone, get out of the way!"
Fourteen bodies scrambled out of the path of the oncoming vehicle, some only barely making it. The school bus screeched to a halt inches away from a pair of trees. The tires squealed and kicked up dust causing all bystanders to cough uncontrollably.
Through the confusion, a violet-haired woman calmly walked down the steps of the yellow vehicle, slurping an Icee as if the near collision hadn't happened. By the time, the sand had finally settled she had finished the drink and tossed it to the side, suddenly bored.
The students stared at her. Some like she was God on earth, some like she was a demon from hell, some just plain staring. Any way it was starting to weird her out so she cleared her throat.
"Hello, munchkins. Yes, I can call you, munchkins because you're all shorter than me, especially you!" She pointed towards a red-head who simply glared back at her.
"Anywho, I'm Anko and I'll be your bus driver for the remainder of your stay here. However, I'm not your babysitter or your mother, so if you lose a finger by sticking your hand out a window, don't come crying to- Wait, 8, 9, 10, weren't there more of you?"
"It seems that Tsunade's students are missing." Orochimaru, leader of Sunko High, filled in. –Insert Tsunade glare-
"Kosuna's a no-show? Oh well, guess that mean's they're-
nightDREAMERms- Oh! Are they disqualified? Did they automatically lose a challenge? I ain't tellin' you'll just have to read next chapter to find out, now won't you! … I just remembered something. I haven't thought of any challenges!!! Oh well, something's bound to come to me. Suggestions?
Poll: I already though up something for Inoshika but I'm still undecided
INOshika: 3
TEMshika: 4
Next Chapter's: The Red, the White, and the ORANGE?!