A cool breeze ghosts its way into my room, chilling my skin and making goosebumps appear like a crop line. My hand reaches out to grab my blanket, but there's nothing there. As my eyes slowly open, the first thing I see is the door to my room, with something that looks like a pillow in front of it. My fingertips brush against cool, hard wood, and when I'm finally on my feet again, I take a look around and notice how my sheets are wrinkled heavily and how my blankets are a swirly mess that spills over the side of my bed. I know I must've had a nightmare, no doubt about the voice again. But I can't recall ever not remembering my nightmare happening before. The sudden urge to grab my pillow and run to Kakashi's room makes me walk to the door, but I stop right when I'm about to slide it open. There's no sense in bothering him. After I toss the pillow back onto my bed, I lie down and cross my hands behind my head. My eyes, but I'm not able to get back to sleep. I'm too busy trying to remember what exactly I dreamt about.

I'm up and dressed by the time the air is thick with bird song. Kakashi's door is wide open, revealing his empty bed (and closed window, I might add), and I already know he's going to be late to the training field we're all supposed to meet at. There is, however, a piece of paper sticking to his door, which is a first, with a brief message on it:

Don't eat breakfast.

Thank goodness I ate a lot at dinner last night.

There's still some time to spare before I have to meet everyone, so I decide to spend it waiting outside for Shikamaru. I know he's probably busy with his own team now and everything, but I guess old habits die hard. There's no sign of him, so I leave for the field as soon as the clouds lighten, jumping tree to tree. Hopefully it won't always be like this, I think. My three teammates standing in the center of the field comes into sight, and as I approach them Naruto brings his hand up to rub his eye hard, giving me a lazy smile and a wave with his other hand. Sakura looks like she's going to fall on her face while Sasuke stands sure on his feet, giving me a brief, blank look before looking around the field.

"He's gunna be late" I say, but all of us still remain standing, even when the birds' chirping gets louder than before and the sun is shining down on us from a clear blue sky. I bend over and pluck a few blades of grass before braiding them together.

"No offence, Amedoru, but is Kakashi-Sensei always late to everything?" Sakura asks.

"Mhm." I reply, twisting the grass blades in my fingers. "It's sort've a..bad habit he has"

There's no way I'm telling them the real reason behind my brothers frequent "late arrivals". My head snaps to the side all of a sudden, causing Sasuke to unlatch the pouch on his leg.

"Morning everyone. You all ready for today?" My brother asks, and Naruto and Sakura leap to their feet in a burst of energy.

"YOU'RE LATE!" They shout.

Well, I did warn them didn't I?

"Well a black cat crossed my path, so I had to take the long way." Kakashi says, giving his usual eye-smile. "Well lets get started then" he says as he walks over to a tree stump, pulling something out of his backpack.

"Since when do you have an alarm clock?" I ask as I bend over to look at it.

Kakashi flicks me on the forehead. "Its set for noon. Your assignment is very simple. You just gotta take these bells away from me" he says as he holds them up so we can see them. "If you can't get them by noon, you'll go without lunch"

Naruto makes a strangled sound. So thats why he told us all not to eat breakfast...I should've known.

"You'll be tied to those posts" Kakashi continues, gesturing over to three wooden posts, which is kind've odd considering this is a four-man team. I turn back to look at Kakashi and wonder why he's looking at me the way he is. With something akin to excitement in his eye. "And watch while lunch is eaten in front of you" My ears pick up faint rumbling, and I look over to see Sakura holding her stomach.

"Wait. If there's four of us, why are their only two bells?" Sakura asks.

"Well that way two of you will end up tied to the post, being disqualified. Those two will end up back at the academy." Kakashi says. "You can use any weapon you want, including shuriken. If your not prepared to kill me, you wont be able to take the bells" His fist closes around them as I swallow. I hate the way he put it, but he's right. If I want to be ready when the time comes, I gotta treat this assignment like a real mission. Jumping off my train of thought, I catch the word "-Losers" coming from my brother before Naruto growls, pulls out a kunai, and charges towards him. "Don't!" I yell as I leap forward to catch him, but he slips away from me before coming to an abrupt halt. Every time I try and watch Kakashi in action, it always feels like I've missed something, even though more than once I've used my fingers to keep my eyes from blinking. He's just that fast.

My team and I are out of Kakashi's sight before he can finish saying "start". I have no idea where everyone else went, but I managed to find a nice spot thats close enough to my brother without making it obvious. Leaves tickle my hands as I part some of the foliage to get a better view. I can't say I'm surprised to see Naruto having a stand off with Kakashi. Naruto charges towards him, and right before I fall out of the tree I'm hiding in from leaning forward to much, Kakashi reaches into his pouch and pulls out-I can't believe he brought that here. That annoying, curious, mystifying orange book of his. Very slowly, my hand goes to my pouch before I fling out a couple shuriken. My brother dodges them easily, though I can tell he didn't see them coming. He looks over in the direction of my hiding spot, so I jump to another tree, eyeing the few leaves that flutter to the ground. As I'm thinking of my next move, I look over towards the river and see multiple Naruto's emerging. A grin from ear to ear grows on my face. But just when I'm sure my brothers done for, he disappears in a cloud of smoke so that the person Naruto just nailed in the face is actually...himself. C'mon girl, I think. You cant just sit here for ever. Time to move. I follow the sound of Naruto's yelling until I see him. Upside down. The coast looks clear so I hop to the ground and cut him down swiftly with my kunai, helping him up afterwards.

"Thanks Amedoru" Naruto says as he rubs his head.

"Anytime. But hey, just remember that things aren't always what they seem. If you fall for the easy stuff all the time, you'll only end up upside down." Naruto grumbles a little to himself.

"We should go before Kakashi comes to check the trap. C'mon." I say before I grab his arm and haul us both up towards the trees. When the both of us are hidden, we clutch the branch we're sitting on and watch as Kakashi picks up the piece of severed rope and looks it over before picking up the bell off the ground next to it. I almost palm smack myself. I could've grabbed the darn thing right then and Kakashi stands up, a high pitched whizzing sound makes my ears tingle, and I have just enough time to shoot up straight on the branch before several shuriken embeds themselves into him, sending him flying to the side.

"N-" I begin to shout before Naruto's hand snakes around me and covers my mouth.

"Look!" He whispers, and points down to the log under our tree.

I sigh. "Another substitution jutsu...thanks for pointin it out to me, Naruto. I could've gotten us discovered."

Judging by the sky, I know our time now is beyond limited. Spying the bento boxes near the memorial stone (didn't notice that either) I put my hand on Naruto's shoulder and whisper in his ear.

Waiting for my cue, I watch Naruto rub his hands together as he sits with the boxes . It isn't long before my brother pops up behind him, and I swoop off from the branch as quietly as I can, bringing my feet up to snatch the bells while Naruto eyes me intently, pulling out a kunai knife and throwing it. My talons scrape against the bell, creating an uneven, silvery line before Kakashi jumps up, and the kunai that Naruto aimed at him comes sailing right for me. Righting myself I swoop down and release my transformation jutsu before I hit the ground, and come to a rolling stop. Someone helps me up by my underarms.

"We'll, can't say we didn't try, huh Naruto? Your aim is pretty good by the way, nearly took my wing-er, arm off"

We both laugh as the pair of hands that helped me up dust my shoulder off, though I can feel fingers lightly probing around the area, I assume Kakashi's just checking for injuries. I look up at my brother, who gives me an eye-smile.

"It was a good try guys. But it still needs work."

"Kakashi-Senseeeeeeiiii! how come I'm the only one tied to this stupid post?!' Naruto asks in a strangled, high pitched voice, all the while bucking against the rope around him and kicking his legs. I put my hands out and try to calm him down before he ends up hurting himself.

"Well, you did throw a kunai at my sister" Kakashi says.

"Which was meant for you originally, bro. Thanks for leaping out of the way." I say as the corner of my mouth tilts upwards. Suddenly the symphony of hungry stomachs cut off my brothers nervous laughter.

"Uh oh, stomachs growling. That's too bad. Oh, by the way, about this excercise? I've decided I won't send any of you back to the academy" Kakashi says. I bring my hand up to my chin. Something's ..off. Sakura cheers as she leaps up from the ground while Naruto has a content smile on his face. I look over at Sasuke but can't see his expression because of his hair.

"So that means, that means all four of us..!" Naruto begins, but can't finish what he's saying because he's too excited.

"Yes, thats right. All four of you...are being dropped from the program. Permanently." Kakashi says, cutting off Naruto and Sakura's cheers. My breath hitches in my throat and I exhale slowly. That "off" feeling is still heavy in the air.

"Wait a minute-"

"Drop us from the program?! We'll never be ninja!"

"What!?"

All of us, minus Sasuke, speak at once, our words mingling together.

"Why would you do that?!" Naruto asks as his struggling resumes. This time I don't even bother trying to stop him.

"In order to become a ninja, you have to think like one, which none of you do. You think like little kids, like brats."

This makes my teeth grit together. Was mine and Naruto's attack strategy really that horrible? Before Sasuke's arm makes contact with my brother he's pinned to the ground in rather...awkward way.

" You think its all about you" Kakashi states, looking down at Sasuke. I fold my arms and lean against one of the posts. Naruto's stopped struggling, watching with wide eyes. "You don't know what it means to be a ninja. You think its a game" Kakashi says, and I can't help but notice how his voice is slowly to think of it, I don't think there's ever been a time when I've heard Kakashi yell before. "Have you ever wondered why you're put onto squads? Did you ever consider that question for one moment?" He asks with an edge to his voice that makes a small, inaudible whine arise in the back of my throat.

"I..don't know what you mean" Sakura says nervously, her green eyes huge.

"You don't understand what this excercise is all about, not even close. But then again, Amedoru managed to pull through so obviously she understands." My brother says, looking at me while still keeping a tight hold on Sasuke. "Four people on a team. Why do you think that is?" he asks. I swear I can see a vein throbbing on the side of Naruto's head. My brother sighs.

" Amedoru, you wanna explain for me?"

"Teamwork" I reply.

"Exactly. Teamwork. When Naruto got caught in my little rope trap, Amedoru was the only one brave enough to come out and help him. And if I wasn't already expecting their attack, the both of them would have definitely gotten the bells because they worked together. I pitted you against each other on purpose to see if you could put the mission ahead of yourselves. Obviously, that didn't happen."

He looks down at Sasuke "I bet that didn't even cross your mind, huh? You thought the others were worthless, not even worth your time. Arrogance."

Kakashi's head raises and he looks at Sakura. " You obsessed over Sasuke who was gone while Naruto was right in front of you, and you didn't even lift a finger to help him." Red covered both of Sakura's cheeks, and I look down. Getting scolded by Kakashi definately isn't a stroll through the park.

"Naruto. You do everything on your own. I'm actually surprised you let Ame help you out when she did."

Lastly, Kakashi looks at me, and I took a deep breath before meeting my eyes with his. Onyx vs onyx.

"Amedoru. It took you forever to make your first move. Its important to think things through, but if you freeze up and don't act, you'll be found out and killed. On the other hand though, when you saw an opening, you took it, and when Naruto was in trouble you didn't even think before rushing to his aid. From there the two of you managed to develop an attack strategy. That's good teamwork, and is what the four of you should have done together" He finishes, looking at all of us before getting to his feet and walking over to the memorial stone.

I push myself off the post and follow until I'm a few feet behind Kakashi.

"Did you look at this stone? The names on it?" he asks. "They are all ninja who are honored as heroes in this village"

I look at the stone in front of me, look at how the light glints off the names engraved on it. I don't ever want to see the names of my loved ones on this stone. Ever.

"That's it! Now I know! I'll become a Hero, just like those people!" Naruto says excitedly, so I look over my shoulder at him a bit sadly.

"These people are...special heroes, Naruto."

"Really? Why? C'mon, tell us!"

I stare at the back of my brothers Jounin jacket, but my voice rides on the wind back to Naruto and the others so that they hear me clearly.

"All of them are KIA...all of them dead." Everything's quiet except for the trees, and I walk so I'm next to my brother in front of the stone. But this time, instead of taking his hand in mine, I give him his space, not saying a word. "This is a Memorial Stone" he says back to the rest of my team. "The names of all my closest friends are engraved here."

After a moment he turns on his heel, looking first at me and then to the rest of my team. "I'll give you one more chance. You have three hours after noon to grab at least one of the bells. I want you to eat lunch so you'll have strength. Naruto doesn't get any. If anyone tries to feed him, they will fail immediately."

I resume my position in front of one of the posts and watch as Sasuke and Sakura dig into their lunch. My box rests on the ground in front of me, and even though my stomach is practically eating itself, I can't bring myself to take the lid off. Naruto's stomach begins to make a sequence of strange sounds.

"This is no big deal. I can go without food for days, weeks! No biggie at all!" he says before his head sags forward. Sasuke looks up at me.

"Why aren't you eating?"

"If Naruto can't eat, neither can I" I say, not even looking at the box of food at my feet.

Sasuke's chewing slows to a complete stop as he stares at his food thoughtfully. "Here" he says in a defeated sounding voice as he reaches his box towards Naruto.

"Sasuke, what are you doing? You heard what Sensei said" Sakura says, her eyes searching for any sign of my brother as they flick to the side.

"He's gone right now. And we need to get those bells. As a team, If Naruto's hungry, he'll only be weak and ineffective, and that hurts both the team and the mission." Then Sasuke looks at me. "And you need to eat too."

I pick up my lunch, break the chopsticks, and grab a nice wad of rice before holding it out to Naruto with a smile.

"Go ahead, Naruto. Your stomach's making worse noises than mine is"

I swear I saw his eyes shine over before he opens his mouth, but just when the chopsticks near him an almighty explosion blows it out of my hands.

"YOU!" Kakashi yells, and I feel my eyes go saucer wide. When the wind calms down, my brother appears in front of us, squatting. "You broke the rules so get ready for your punishment."

He stands up quickly and makes a few hand signs. My nose picks up the scent of rain, and sure enough, when I tilt my head up I see several storm clouds rolling in. Come to think of it, my smelling senses have been sort've..enhanced or something lately. "Any last words?" Kakashi asks in an ominous voice, and the most I can come up with is an audible gulp.

Naruto stutters a moment. "But you said there's four of us! And thats why Amedoru, Sasuke, and Sakura.." he trials off, and its from these beginning words that I draw some courage.

"We are a team, and teammates stick together" I say, and Sasuke nods.

"All of us are in this together"

"That's right! We gave Naruto food because the four of us are one!" Sakura adds in, before Naruto shouts in a firm tone:

"Yeah! Believe it!"

My brother steps forward, his hands still locked into a sign. "Teammates stick together..the four of you are one, is that your excuse?"

I nod my head firmly, and Kakashi chuckles before his eye curves into a smile.

"Well alrighty then. You pass."

"Come again?' Sakura asks.

"You. Pass" Kakashi says in a lighter tone, and I let out a content sigh before I flop down onto the soft grass, closing my eyes blissfully. I don't pay much attention to what my brother's telling Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura, but my ears do pick up the beginning of one of his famous metaphors. "In the ninja world, people who break the law are scum, but-"

"But those who abandon their friends are worse than scum" I finish from my place on the ground, lifting my head up to give my brother a thumbs-up.

"You got it, kiddo. And since all of you passed, Squad Seven will start it's first mission tomorrow!" Another ear to ear grin spreads across my face, the sound of Naruto and Sakura's cheering, and even the satisfied sound Sasuke gives help make this whole exercise even more victorious. "Now lets go home" Kakashi says over me, holding out a hand before helping me up. He gives me yet another eye smile before ruffling my hair up, and as we walk home together, I can't help but feel like things have just begun.