Dis. Yuppie

I really wanted to finish a chapter on my Harry Potter story before posting, but before I knew it I had a half a chapter for that and more than I usually write for a chapter on this, so here you are. :D


The light was burning her eyes through her eyelids. Her brain sent the signal to move down to her arm, but it lay lifeless on the ground. Every part of her was burning now. Her mind was moving in slow motion seared with the pain that was ebbing away by centimeters with every passing second, or was it hours, she couldn't tell. Finally, her eyes stopped burning, opening her eyes she found that the sun was setting. So, the burning hadn't come from the sun.

Rolling over, she lay on her face. One thought came to her mind slicing through the pain. "Jiraiya--" she moaned. No answer came. "Jiraiya!" she yelled, burning her throat and lungs. When there was no reply she struggled to her feet to find herself in a clearing, no, a pathway made by a large gash that bore into the ground in front of her. She stumbled along the base as she tried to remember what had happen. She and Jiraiya had been sparing, then--then she had become the fox. She pushed herself to walk faster. Naruto couldn't remember what happened after that, it was almost as if she wasn't there, a numbness of dread came over her, almost as if the fox had taken over completely.

The trees were starting to crowed around her more and Naruto finally spotted her teacher. Jiraiya was covered in a dark red liquid and, even without the fox like sense she had when she allowed the fox to take over, she could smell the rust in the air. Naruto busted out into a full fledged run towards her teacher. "Jiraiya!" she screamed. His eyes fluttered, but didn't open.

"What have I done?" she breathed as she knelt down next to him. "Don't worry, well get through this." she mumbled, as her mind raced. The nearest town was only five minutes away. "I'll be right back, don't move."

"And what makes you thinks I'll be moving?" Jiraiya croaked.

Naruto was already racing to the town mumbling over, and over, fiercely to herself, "I will never use the fox again, I will never use the fox again, I will. . . "

000

Kakashi had been studying the new girl the entire walk to the grounds. Could this really be Naruto? When Tsunade had told him that Naruto had returned he was a bit surprised she had felt the need to come to him just to tell him that, but when she told him Naruto was a girl his mind had gone numb. Naruto was a boy. A boy. This strange creature that glided over the ground like she was skating, could not be the boisterous young boy that would do anything for attention. He was going to need to have a long talk with Jiraiya about this.

If this girl was really Naruto then this would be the test, he reached into his pouch and produced two bell. "Get these bells from me and you pass." Nothing happen, no one moved. Kakashi sighed, "Start." he said. Nar-Kaiya, Kakashi corrected himself, seemed to move like her father, one moment there and the next: gone. How had learned a technique? he wondered. Kakashi couldn't even sense her from his underground hiding place. Suddenly, the ground broke apart. Knowing Sakura's teacher Kakashi had expected strength, but she was smart to know how to find him quickly.

Sakura charged him with relentless speed, he dodged with ease. Sakura charged again going for his face. He retreated to the trees and watched her hit his replacement, which sent the log flying. She turned around in circles to find no one.

"Kaiya!" Sakura yelled.

Stepping out from below Kakashi the girl stood next to Sakura. "Yes, Haruno-san?" she asked.

"This is a team exercise. Where did you disappear to?" she inquired anger lacing her words.

Kaiya spun around letting her arms swing with the motion. Kakashi heard a kunai thunk just above his head, not a lethal throw, a warning. She knew were he was. Then she folded her arms and said peevishly, "I don't see why you're yelling at me. There was no way I was going to get in between you two during your all out brawl."

Sakura took a swing at the girl, but Kaiya reached over her shoulder and grabbed Sakura's arm using Sakura's momentum to flip her over onto her back. The entire thing was done so gracefully that it could be a strange dance.

"Who do you think you are?" Kaiya asked quietly, but with force. "Clear you mind and think, Sakura, if you want to pass, then you are going to have to accept that I'm part of your team. We need to work together. Or you won't be able to find him."

There was silence for a moment, then water started to form at the corners of Sakura's eyes. "But you said he wasn't going to come back." Sakura cried.

Kaiya dropped Sakura's arm like it was something slimy and stumbled back until her back rested against a tree. She braced herself taking strenght from it. "When I said 'him' I was was talking about Sasuke, not Naruto." she mumbled. Shock made her words sound breathy.

"So was I." Sakura said on the defensively.

"Sakura, Naruto is not coming back, besides you don't even--like Naruto." Kaiya continued to mumble in disgust, as if she hadn't heard Sakura. "You even went on a date with Sasuke."

Sakura was on her feet in an instant. "How did you know that?!" she questioned.

Kaiya finally looked at her with a blank, almost dead, stare, "How do you think? Everyone knows, plus Sasuke asked Naruto where he had been, since, apparently, he was suppose to be there as well."

"I didn't mean to-"

Kaiya's eyes tightened. "Yes, you did, Sakura, but you were doing what any girl in your position would do and Naruto knows that."

"How-"

"I'm done talking Sakura, are we going to finish this exercise?"

"Just tell me one thing." Sakura said softly. "Were is Naruto?"

Kaiya sighed, "Can't tell you."

"Why?" Sakura pleaded.

"Because if I do," Kaiya said her voice level rising with agitation, "you'll want to go see him, but he wouldn't want that. Sakura," Kaiya continued in a consoling voice. "he is working hard to keep a promise. You should work hard too."

Sakura clenched her fists. "Alright! Let's get this over with."

Kakashi was amused that Naruto had become such a smooth talker. Sakura, on the other hand, had become a really gullible person. Perhaps, that was how they were to begin with, only Naruto was a really good actress. Kaiya, isn't that a boy's name? Kakashi thought as he put his book away, I guess it about time the exercise continued.


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