Story of an Angel, Chapter 7
**(Shiomi POV)**
I had woken up early, maybe around 5-6 AM. I was left a note on my window that I saw as I was getting ready to leave that read to meet at our training grounds. We would be doing some kind of group activity, I guessed as I walked outside. I made it to the training ground around 8, seeing that nobody was there, not even Soma who is usually punctual, I chose to train alone until they got there.
I trained alone, not caring if anyone really saw me. I did my best to make my taijutsu, my weakest point, faster, stronger, more efficient. I had been training for what felt like hours, probably because of the fact that I had been alone, or so I thought. I sat down for a break under a tree, panting softly as I took my rest. Apparently it had been hours. The sun was high in the sky, it must've been noon by now. I heard a ruffle in the bushes behind me, throwing a kunai to the exact location and spotting Soma and Rei jumping out of the way, Hakuma-sensei catching the kunai in between his fingers, a grin tugging at his lips.. He did it just to make me jealous. I knew that much. Rei ran up to me at full speed and tackle-hugged me.
"You're soo awesome, Shio~!"
"U-Uh.. Thanks, but you're crushing me, Rei!"
"Oh.. Sorry!" She said as she got off of me and helped me up. Soma was leaning on a tree, watching her and I or just me. Hakuma-sensei brought our attention back to him.
"Shio, I'm sure you've had enough of training alone. So, like you anticipated, there is some group work to do here. Here are the guidelines. You all are going to be fighting me. The winner has to immobilize the loser in order to win. If I win, you all go back to the Academy for another 2 years."
((Naruto watchers remember this?))
"If you win, you will be my leader for a day, me as your personal servant for a full 24 hours."
The odds were apparently pretty high at this point. Stacking against us three eleven year-olds. How did a Jounin of his stature expect us to take him down? Time to figure it out.
"Great plan, Sensei. Just be prepared to lose." Soma said with confidence, hiding how he really felt.
"Ha! Like I'll lose to a bunch of kids!" Sensei said, boasting of his rank.
"Now, you all can go plan this out, I'm going to be here, waiting, expecting an ambush. Got it?"
"Yes, sir!" We all said in unison as we ran into the forest out of earshot. Once we were far enough away, Soma led our plan.
"Rei, you'll take him from the back with your shadow-possession. Shiomi and I will take him down from there, understood?"
Rei and I nodded in agreement and she disappeared to carry out our master plan. Soma and I saw her in the open field, easily putting Sensei under her jutsu. We laughed to ourselves and ran out of the woods, noticing that sensei was still grinning from earlier, like he had a great counter-attack waiting. Soma didn't hesitate to run up to him and punch his gut as hard as he could. Turns out, that sensei was a clone to begin with. I felt an arm pull my neck closer to them, choking me. The familiar strength of the pull led me to believe this was the real sensei. I struggled violently for him to let me go, trying my hardest to pry his arm away, no dice. He simply tightened his grip, making it even harder to breathe than before. Soma and Rei were coming at him with everything they had, but it wasn't enough. They could not get close enough to free me from his grasp and I felt like we were out of options. We were taught that the team is more important than the mission, but if nothing can be done, than nothing can be done. Simple as that. I was doing my best to try and continue breathing, poking in and out of conscienceness. I had closed my eyes and stopped struggling, hoping, wishing, praying to the God I barely knew that he would let me go. I heard the same words that I had before, only this time, I could see this six year-old girl. Light blue hair and green eyes, two purple bows on either side of her head. It's my mother.
"Tenshi, Tenshi!" She continued to yell, her head looking to what I saw as nothing. I was curious about how my mother learned to say this word and what it meant. All of a sudden, a huge pillar of light surrounded my mother, and I could not see her. When the light faded, my mother had wings. Larger than I have ever seen. Angel wings. This is what Tenshi means, I thought to myself as my eyes slowly opened. Something felt.. Different. I noticed Hakuma-sensei had let go of my neck. I turned around and looked at him, who was looking past me.
"Tenshi..." Was the last thing I heard before the darkness came over me once again.
**(Hakuma POV)**
I caught Shio as she fell forward, passed out from her angel suddenly appearing. She'll be fine, I know, but I still can't help but worry. I should have known this day would come. I remember when I was on a team with both of her parents, the reason why they got together. There was a day when her mother ran around Miroku and I, yelling happily and fluttering her wings.
"Miroku-kun~! Look! Watashi wa Tenshi!" Angelique had said, running in circles with her wings following close behind.
"Yes, Angie, you are~" Miroku replied with a joyous look on his face. He was close to her and over-protective since she was moved to Konohagakure. I remember now that it had been because we wanted her power protected.
"I'm gonna be the queen of angels one day, guys~!" She said with a cheery smile.
"Don't be so sure about that, Angelique." I had said.
"You're being silly, Hakuma-kun! My parents were the rulers of heaven and Miroku-kun and I will be too~!" She told me proudly, nose to the sky. Miroku had playfully tackled her by then and was beginning a tickle fight between them.
I simply laughed and watched the sight of the two flirting love-birds. We were only 8 then, of course.
Flashback over, I had laid Shio down on the grass and was waiting for her to awaken yet again, most likely to ask me what happened. She would have a vague yet confusing look in her eyes. Soma and Rei had long gone home at my command, I told them we would continue tomorrow. I can't believe I had forgotten she was an angel. What kind of bad teacher am I to forget one of the most important parts about my student?
"H-Hakuma-sensei...?"
Well, that snapped me right out of my thoughts. I looked back into Shio's baby blue eyes, finding words to say to her.
"Heya, Angel~." I thought that it would give what went on away. Nope. She's as oblivious as ever.
"W-What happened and w-why are you calling me A-Angel?"
"You're an Angel, Shio. Just like your mother."
**(Shiomi POV)**
I'm a wha?
Hakuma-sensei was a colleague of my mother's, but I didn't know he knew she was an angel. I was laying on the grass, my chest was in slight pain, no idea why. I tried to sit up, Sensei helping me do so.
"You said I'm a what?"
"An A-N-G-E-L, Shio. With the wings and everything." Ah, now I remember. I saw my mother with the most beautiful wings ever, and Hakuma had said I was before I passed out. All caught up now. But why did I pass out?
"Your power will take a while to get used to. Once you can control it, you won't pass out. After you use it so often, though, you will pass out. Your body will completely shut itself down after the transition. You have me and the others, so nothing is to worry about."
I stood up and thanked him, giving him a hug as he stood as well. I ran to my home, jumped onto the bed and prayed to the God I barely knew, to my parents as well.
"Dear God, Mom, Dad, I'm sorry I had been so blind up until now.. I didn't realize the power you all had given me, and will learn more about it and use it for the good of the World. Thank you all so much for giving me these blessings that I have, and don't stop watching me. I love you all so very much. Amen."
I finished this prayer and felt a breeze from my open window. Wait, my window has been closed. I looked to the window and saw Rei sitting in the sill.
"Rei~!" I said happily, welcoming her inside.
"Praying to God, huh?"
"Yep." I forgot that I hadn't told her my parents were dead.
"I saw your wings earlier. Really pretty." I hadn't seen them myself, yet she did. Oh well.
"Thanks, Rei." I said happily.
"Hey, no prob, Shio~. Soma decided to catch up on some reading. I haven't seen him read since we were in the academy." She was making herself at home, I noticed. Of course, she was the one who was laid back in almost any situation. She laid out on the bed next to me, talking like we had known each-other all our lives. We may as well have, but it's still new to me.
"Soma? Reading?" I laughed so much at this comment. Soma would never read unless it was a life-or-death situation. Ha!
"Yeah, he was reading some action novel or something."
"Guys these days. Anyway, we should have a plan for tomorrow."
"Yeah.. You should use your angel powers to wipe sensei out!"
"I can't use them yet!"
"Oh."
"Yeah.. Sorry.. Soma will take the front with his sharingan. You can then use Shadow Strangle to hold him, and I'll come in last. Good enough?"
"Perfect! I'll go tell Soma!" And with that, she was gone. It was about 7PM and I did have a really long day. I got up, closed the window, and laid back down. I was so worn out from my angel coming out for the first time. I'd have to get it together soon, just not now. I was too tired now, and like usual, I fell asleep before I had even finished reading the new Romance Novel I bought myself. It would be good when I had a whole day to do nothing but read.
"Goodnight, mom and dad.." I whispered before falling asleep.
**(Soma POV)**
I was walking around town, reading my new book when I saw Rei, running toward me.
"Soma! We've got a plan!"
Rei and I sat where we were to discuss that. issue by ourselves. I made sure Hakuma was not around to hear us, seeing how Rei had shouted we had a plan to the whole village, I calmed her down to a low whisper.
"Alright. Shio said that you should start out with your Sharingan." I hadn't controlled it well enough yet, but worth a shot.
"Then, I'll use my shadow strangle on him. While I hold him in place, and we know that it is the real one, Shio will come in with her massive strength and take him down."
"Sounds legit. We'll try it."
"I better be getting home. Parents." Rei had said before standing up.
"Alright, Rei. Seeya tomorrow."
"Same to you, Soma~." She told me before walking herself home. I figured I should be going home as well, and stopped about halfway there just to stare at the rising full moon for just a minute.
All of a sudden, I was sure we'd win tomorrow.
**(Rei POV)**
I walked home by myself, saying hello to the usual people who I walked past every day. I want to know even more about Shio now. An angel? I couldn't believe it. Impossible for a girl of her strength and overall personality. I had never met her parents, only knowing her father was a monk and her mother a kunoichi. What else was there to know? They weren't the most prosperous family, upper middle-class maybe. That was just about everyone these days. Her mother had came from another village, needing protection from rogues because of her power.. That's it! Angelique Hyuzuchi was an angel. That's how Shio is. Alright, I've got it.
I walked in my home's front door and wondered why I never met her parents..
**(Author POV)**
Shiomi was asleep, Rei left wondering why Shio was always alone, Soma trying to figure out how he'd use his Kekkai-Genkai, and Hakuma reminiscing on his childhood with Shio's parents. Tomorrow would have to be a miracle if the three students would win, but they were a team and they all knew they wouldn't go back to that academy and look foolish in front of little kids.
Anything's possible, or is it?
**(Shiomi POV)**
I had waken up at about the same time as yesterday, doing the same routine as always. I made it to the training grounds, surprised to see Sensei there, appearing to be training. I knew he could see me with his Byakugan, but didn't mind much. I sat down to watch him and was amazed at the things his Kekkai-genkai could do. I'd never seen it used before, and I was in awe at the things it could do. I decided to speak up, for better or worse.
"A-Ano, Hakuma-sensei?"
"What is it, Shio?" I only spoke in Japanese when I was really nervous.
"Do you think that maybe, before Rei and Soma get here, that you could spar with me?" I shocked myself when I asked this. He would say no for sure.
"I'd love to, Shio. I'll be taking it easy on you, I assume?" Assuming makes an ass out of everyone, I thought with a grin.
"Nope. Go all out on me."
And so it began.
