It was well past noon as Sakura and Naruto jumped back from an fire based attack, complements of none other than the human ice cube Sasuke. Sai was off to the side with his painting scrolls waiting to defend the attack aimed for him. Kakashi was off to the side reading from that dang book again not even paying attention to the four way battle his students were engrossed in.
Sakura somersaulted back while throwing a few ninja stars aimed for the Sasuke's throat grunting when she saw them deflected easily. "Baka yaro," she murmured as she felt the ground underneath her shift signaling she had stepped on a trap. The trap sprung sending her back into the air unevenly. Normally she would able to land with grace but since she was thrown off balance she wouldn't have such luck. Naruto turned and shouted at her but she didn't hear him. She was too busy cursing her foolishness and the Uchiha "Chikusho."
Just when she was about land hard on the ground something shot up and grabbed her stopping her fall. Cracking open an eye she was surprised to see a hand of sand wrapped around her torso. "Nani?" She asked in confusion. "What the…?"
"Garra!" Naruto exclaimed dropping his stance and running over to his friend. "Garra! What are you doing here?"
"I thought I sensed you here so." He replied calmly despite the blonde's embarrassing hug.
Sakura huffed seeing that she was already forgotten. "That's all fine and dandy but could either one of you two help me down. My brain's rushing to my head and I'm getting sick." Sakura interrupted with her arms crossed over her chest while being held upside-down.
Garra coughed, slightly embarrassed, while commanding his sand to gently release her. The green eyed wolf girl hopped out of the giant hand of sand and calmly walked over to the two. "Domo arigato gozaimasu for letting me go." She thanked bowing slightly.
Garra nodded again in reply. "Hey Garra this is Sakura chan my new friend and teammate. Sakura chan this is my friend Garra I was telling you about." then leaning in closer so Sakura wouldn't hear Naruto whispered something to Garra. Sakura flinched feeling like hey were talking about her.
Garra offered his hand to her. "Garra, it's a pleasure Sakura san."
Sakura looked at his hand for a moment a little unsure as Okami told her to shake it. "It's a pleasure as well Garra san. I have heard nothing but good things about you from Naruto."
Garra did not reply but merely glared over at Naruto. Naruto giggled a little to himself scratching the back of his head sheepishly.
"So Garra what brings you to Konoha so early? I though you said you were going to come on a visit after finishing one of your missions." Naruto asked eager to end the eerie silence that lingered over the group of three.
"The chunin exams."
"The what? But we just had those like…" Naruto stopped to stare at his fingers counting them off one by one before giving up with a huff. "We had those not too long ago."
"I might seem like that but , it is time for the exams again and that is why my family and I have traveled here." Garra replied.
Sakura blinked feeling a little left out. What were they talking about? "What do you mean?" she asked directed to no one in particular.
"Oh yeah your new so you don't know." Naruto chirped happy to be talking to Sakura. "Well the chunin exams are-" He was cut off as a failure voice called out to the group. Sakura and Naruto turned around to see Sasuke standing a few feet away with a cold expression and his arms crossed over his chest.
"What are you doing here?" He asked coldly glaring at Garra. Garra returned the glare but remained unmoving.
"Oi Sasuke teme it's just Garra, he came to visit me so back off," Naruto replied in a annoyed tone.
Sasuke scoffed and walked up to the calm red haired sandman standing almost protectively in front of Sakura. This did not go unnoticed by either of the two males as Naruto growled and Garra sneered.
"The chunin exams are still four weeks away. What are you doing in Konoha so early?" The young Uchiha sneered back ignoring their looks of displeasure when he stepped in front of Sakura.
"Is it a crime to come so early?" The red haired sandman replied keeping his voice cool and even.
"It is when no one wants you here." Sasuke replied. Naruto's eyes widened at the extremely cold comment and took a step back. That was cold even for Sasuke.
Garra winced inwardly, though he let none of his emotions show. He was used to these kind of insults and he knew how to deal with them. "Then why are you still here?"
Sasuke snarled at the sand ninja's quick remark. Ever since he lost to Garra in the chunin exams he had hated his guts. True he had won by default but it was obvious to everyone there that he was clearly outmatched making it an embarrassing event. What was even worse was that he didn't even get to pass the exam. Sai was the only one out of their group that moved on to become a chunin and he never let them forget it.
He turned on heel expecting to see Sakura before leaving but he was met with empty space. When he turned Garra and Naruto also caught sight of the empty space that Sakura was suppose to be standing. Naruto was about to shout at Sasuke again but Garra tapped his shoulder and pointed towards Kakashi and Sai where Sakura was being instructed on the rules of the chunin exams.
"I think I should be going. My family will be wondering where I went. Tell Sakura san I say goodbye Naruto." Garra stated turning to leave before a funnel of sand consumed his body.
Naruto nodded before his disappeared ad ran over to where Sakura and the rest of his team was sitting. For some reason the thought of Sasuke being around Sakura made his blood boil and he had to stop it. Wasting no time he sped off in the direction of his cherry haired teammate and the dark eyed Uchiha. His mind set on separating them.
Sakura untied the back of her forehead protector and removed it from it's perch around her neck, setting it down on her nightstand. From what she learned from Sai and Kakashi the chunin exams were a sort of test that genin like herself had to go through to advance to the chunin level. Sakura let her emerald green eyes crawl over to her forehead protector she received from Tsunada along with the lowest rank.
She slid her fingers underneath her face mask and stated to unwrap it. It was so much easier to breath without the cloth covering her mouth and she loved the feeling. Her hair was down now, released from it's braid, as well cascading down her back and ending at the back of her knees. A small knife gleamed laying next to her hair tie.
Sakura looked at herself in the mirror and frowned a bit. Growling she threw a blanked over the reflective surface obscuring the view. Looking at herself in the mirror was not one of her favorite pastimes. She hated looking at herself.
"Okami." She called closing her eyes and retreating into the deepest coroners of her mind where the white mother wolf rested.
"Yes my daughter?" Okami purred in a motherly manner lifting her head and allowing Sakura to tread closer. "What is it my dear?"
Sakura inhaled deeply before replying. "…I don't want you help during the chunin exams."
Okami blinked and turned her head to the side in a questing manner. "Why so my child?
"I noticed today with Naruto how strong he was without the nine tailed fox helping him. I can't be that strong without you helping me and I think I need to grow a little on my own. If I fail the chunin exams I'll fail it knowing I'm not yet strong enough and need to improve. Please, you can't baby me like this for the rest of my life. I need to do this."
Okami lowered her head and whined a bit thinking about what the pink haired wolf girl had just asked. Sakura was like a daughter to her and as a mother she felt the need to protect her. Every time the said girl fell and cut herself, even as a small child, she would waste no time healing her of all her injuries. She looked up at her somewhat daughter and sighed.
"Alright but on several conditions. First of all if something bad happens, worst case scenario, and you life becomes endangered I will step in to save you. Second I get to heal you. Naruto's demon fox dose that much for him so I think that's fair. And lastly, If someone enters my mind or you inner sanctuary is invaded I will step in and remove them. Those are my terms take 'em or leave 'em.
"I except you're terms Okami." Sakura replied with a bright smile before pouncing on the motherly wolf in a big hug. "Thankie me-ma." She giggled in a childish voice using the white wolf's old nickname.
A few doors down a boy in bright orange pajamas was finishing the last bits of his Raman while trying to hold back a yawn. His bright blue eyes were heavy as he felt his body begging for sleep. Naruto threw away his empty Ramen cup and started to exit the kitchen heading for his bedroom when he felt a hand grab his neck and squeeze it before releasing it abruptly.
"What the…?" He choked spinning around to come face to face with an empty apartment room.
The sensation hit him again this time in the chest making him double over in pain. He groaned falling over to his side letting a cold sweet run down his face as he saw light dance behind his eyes. He choked back a scream right before the darkness swallowed up the light signaling that he had passed out.
When he opened his eyes again he found himself in a sewer like location with a deadly aura appearance from down one of the corridors. He sat up rubbing the back of his head and took in his surroundings. Being the curious ninja he was Naruto decided to wander down that hall.
"Gah, it stinks down here." He gagged clutching his nose in an attempt to block out the increasing stench. "It's even worse than the sour milk I had for breakfast this morning."
His hand fell from his face limp when he saw a tall iron cage with a seal in the middle. But what really shocked his was not the immense size of the cage or the forbidden seal in the middle but the pair of piercing red eyes that gazed back at him. A row of sharp fangs separated in a laugh. Naruto stepped back a bit frightened at the beast staring back at him.
"Ha ha, ha. Don't worry too much Naruto san I won't bite you." The beast laughed behind the iron bars. "But I think it's time you and I had a talk."
Garra shifted in his seat on the roof of the building he was sitting on and blinked tiredly. This was the time of day he would sit and let his mind wander. Night. The time when all slipped into sleep except him. He always envied those that could close their eyes and leave the conscious world and it's worries leaving him to drown in his own.
His main trouble would have to be the one tail raccoon that rested inside him. Always pacing back and forth in his mind clawing deeply at his brain. He hated that constant feeling. But today, today was different. It was true that being around Naruto and the nine tailed fox quieted the monster down, being in the presence of a higher tailed beast, but he still didn't stop. But today for the first time in Garra's life his monster stopped and cowered in the back of his mind. He had never cowered, ever. So what was different about today that made his demon still.
A warm feeling ran up and down his spine when a vision of the pink haired girl flashed through his mind. Was it her? He blinked once more and set his gaze on the incomplete lavender moon that was handing from the night sky. He ran a hand through his messy scarlet hair and breathed deeply. That calm feeling had been like a drink of cold water in the desert. So cool and refreshing. He would have to visit her and Naruto again real soon and see if hat feeling returned. He smirked at that idea and chuckled a bit.
He shifted the heavy gourd the hung from his back and breathed deeply before staring down at the empty streets aglow with the light of the moon. The chunin exams would fall on a full moon when his demon was strongest. He remembered the last time he was fighting under a full moon and shuddered inwardly. Something about a full moon strengthened the monster within him enough strength to over power the green eyed boy and consume him.
"Just a few more hours till the sun rises," he though awaiting the golden ball of fire to accent into the sky ending his lonely night. "Just a few more hours and I'll be able to see her again."
Whaaaaa It's not as long or as good as I was hoping it would be. Plese don't kill me! School just started up again and now I'm eating my words since I said I didn't have that much work and now I do. I really wish it was longer and better written but That's okay since I plan on making this a very long story and I have the plot all planed out now.
It's a little rushed and 'hot of the press' so I'm sorry if it shows. But review anyway and continue to tell me if you want this to be a Garra Sakura or Naruto Sakura fic. And yes Naruto did drink sour milk not knowing it was sour until later in the day. - I know I'm mean.
