After Kari's cloak making was done she shooed everyone away saving herself and Zetsu who could never leave her side when she was in the base or out of it. Kari closed her eyes and then searched for her bond with her father.
"Father? May I go to the Chuunin exams tomorrow? Co and Mimi and I would like it if I went." Kari asked.
Pein was quiet for a few minutes and it left Kari to her own devices until he finally answered, "I don't see why not. Though I would like you to bring one Akatsuki member as well as Zetsu with you. Is that clear?"
Kari smiled and asked, "Does brother need to wear his jutsu guise?"
Pein responded, "Only if he wants to, but if he doesn't he has to stick to the shadows."
"Thank you father." Pein responded with an affirmative and the connection ended.
Kari sat up in her bed and turned to Zetsu saying, "Father said it would be okay if I go to the Chuunin exams I just have to bring you and another Akatsuki member."
"Then why don't you bring Madara-sama? He'll be a distraction with his mask." Zetsu responded.
Kari nodded and pouted, "It's been so long since I've been able to hang out with him. Hm… Maybe I'll bring Deidara-kun if he doesn't mind."
Zetsu nodded and smirked, "At least we cantrust him more than the others."
Kari smiled and said, "I'll see if he can in the morning." And in an instant she fell asleep.
Deidara was more than thrilled to leave and get out of the base. Apparently Deidara was arguing about Sasori about art and what it is. Kari was also surprised she slept through Orochimaru's visit. She was glad that Zetsu was there or she might've been in some trouble; though Zetsu still wouldn't say what they discussed.
Kari and Deidara sat in their seats and Zetsu was hiding but forever watchful. Kari smiled when she saw the contestants come out and cheered with the rest of the crowd when she saw her friends. They apparently heard her because they looked up and waved with excited grins.
Kari found out that they passed the written part already but it still didn't help her feel a bit nervous about how they'd do. She stopped cheering, as well as the reset of the crowd, when a loud speaker came on and said, "All contestants here today are going to be facing off against one another. The first round they will fight singularly and the second round they will fight in pairs picked at random. Just because one of the contestants looses to another in the second round doesn't mean they aren't permitted to become a Chuunin, but if you loose in the first round try again next year. Now let the Exams commence."
A cheer went up and Kari turned to Deidara who was excited as she was, "So Deidara-kun have you become a Chuunin?"
Deidara smiled and said, "Yep un. Oh look your friend is the first one up in."
I turned around and I felt my heart drop, "Ugh! Co gets really nervous when he's the first at anything! I hope Mimi helped."
Co walked onto the field and he looked confident. Kari wasn't sure why but he seemed like he had a sure fire way to win. She looked at his opponent and she understood why. It was Uric; apparently the hardest person to win against if you weren't on Kari's squad. Kari sat back and said, "This should be quick."
As soon as the match was allowed to begin, Co made hand signs and a lightning enveloped the whole of Co's body. Co ran after Uric who had drawn out a kunai and was doing his best to hold Co off.
Though it wasn't Fate's decision to make it last long because as soon as it began it was over. Uric fell over his own feet and was an inch away from being killed if not for Co stopping his strike right above his throat.
The loudspeaker went off, "Shiva Co is the victor."
Co dispelled his lightning and walked away from his win with a smile.
The next three matches were with people Kari didn't care about but the fourth match was Mimi versus Cede, a shinobi about the same level as Mimi.
All was silent until they were allowed to fight and they both ran at each other with kunai. They fought with weapons a tenjutsu until Cede's kunai was flashed out of his hand and Mimi made a hand sign signaling that Mimi was in business.
Cede jumped away just as he was about to be sliced by a wave of air. Cede then went at her with fire and Mimi switched to water jutsu. It went on like this for while, each countering the other's jutsu, until Cede lost sight of Mimi. No one knew where she went except for sensory-nin and Kari.
There was a burst of water that flooded over Cede's head and he was trapped in a bubble of water as Mimi smiled and sealed that with an air barrier. The fight was decided and Mimi had won. Kari cheered and was so happy that both her team mates won that she hugged Deidara which caused both of them to blush and separate.
The next battles in the exam left no interest with Kari but she watched them anyway and took in their fighting styles in case of future need. Deidara was just as entrapped but he tried with success sometimes to get Kari to talk. After the first round was done it was later at night and the examiners decided to let it off for the day.
Kari headed with Deidara to meet with Mimi and Co, who were waiting for her at the exit. They all had a group hug and then Kari said, "Great job you guys. Now I'd like you to meet a new friend of mine, Deidara-kun."
She smiled at him and he smiled back. Co and Mimi instantly became intrigued and kept asking him questions until Zetsu in his jutsu form came to them and said, "We have to leave. Your father would like to have you back now."
Kari smiled and said, kidnapping back Deidara, "Good bye guys and great job today, and good luck tomorrow!" They waved her off and the three Akatsuki members went back to base.
When they got back "KARI-CHAN!" was heard and she widened her eyes when she saw Tobi running towards her. She wasn't quick enough and she was lifted off the ground by him, in a hug, and he said, "Kari-chan! Why didn't you take Tobi with you? Was Tobi a bad boy? Did Tobi do something to make you mad?"
Kari laughed and said, "No Tobi! It's just that I didn't want to have to make you remove your mask if we went out, and if you didn't remove your mask you'd stick out to much. I'm sorry."
Tobi sniffled and then said, "It's okay Kari-chan." Tobi then let her down and Kari laughed.
"Hello Kari-chan", Orochimaru said from behind them.
For the first time Kari noticed that most of the Akatsuki, besides Konan Pein and Hidan, were sitting around the living area, and most, besides Sasori, Kakuzu, and Itachi, were looking at her outburst with Tobi.
She laughed nervously and said, "Hello Orochimaru-san."
Tobi then grabbed Kari's hand and drag her across the room, sat on a love seat and made her sit next to him saying, "Tobi's a good boy."
Kari laughed and noticed that Tobi had picked a seat away from Orochimaru which made her feel a bit more comfortable if it wasn't for the staring she received from the snake man. She was glad when Kisame asked, "So Kari-chan how were the Chuunin Exams."
Tobi got excited and said, "Tobi wants to know! Tobi wants to know!"
Kari laughed and said, "I really didn't care to watch for anything besides my friends but I have to say that there are some potential."
Deidara then said, "Though I have to say Kari-chan's friends were two of the better shinobi un."
Zetsu nodded and joked, "Yes but that was inevitable because Kari only associates with those who have potential."
Kari smiled and then Orochimaru had to speak, "So will we be seeing your friends in the organization." With a bit of laughter added at the end.
Kari turned coldly serious, "If they get involved with Akatsuki I'll do everything in my power to get them away from it."
Everyone except Tobi and Zetsu seemed to be shocked at her outburst and then a voice that could only belong to Hidan entered the room, "Didn't think Kari-chan fucking had it in her."
Kari smiled and said, "Glad to surprise whenever I can."
He smirked and said, "Leader-sama told me to fucking get your asses down to eat some shit."
The Akatsuki made their own forms of agreement or agitation and headed off to the kitchen. When Kari saw her seat she widened her eyes as she saw that Orochimaru was sitting in the seat next to hers. She sat down but scooted away from him and closer to Zetsu who was forever by her side. Orochimaru smirked and said, "I won't bite Kari-chan", but then said so only she could hear, "Unless you want me too." He smirked and chuckled.
Kari shivered and then gave Zetsu a look that let him know that she wanted to switch places, but Zetsu didn't seem to see because he was looking in an opposite direction. Kari started to feel sick and she rested her head on the table. "All I have to do is clear my mind and this feeling will go away." She thought but then she felt like she was going to throw up.
She quickly stood up but that just made her feel worse and she put a hand to her mouth and then to her stomach. Though before she could run out of the door Zetsu looked at her and asked, "What's wrong? Are you feeling sick?"
Kari dry heaved and tried to exit to the bathroom but the thing that was making her sick decided it wanted her to fall over. Chairs could be heard being pushed away and feet rushing towards her but then she was being forced to sing.
She could hear Pein's voice but didn't comprehend any of it and then she felt something crawl its way agonizingly slow up her throat. It then burst out in a supersonic screech in which the air waves could actually be seen as a small creature appeared in it.
When the screech ended she could see a small dog sized European dragon staring at her. The room was quiet and Kari laughed and the said, "I told you not to force your way to me like that."
The dragon bowed I's head and then said in its native language, "I'm sorry Kari-sama but it's urgent." She looked back at the Akatsuki staring at her and she stood up. The small dragon apparently wasn't able to be comprehended by them and they looked like they were wondering what they were talking about.
Kari extended her hand to the dragon and it hopped into it when she stood up. Kari placed it on her shoulder and said once again in dragon language, "An egg has appeared."
Kari looked shocked and asked in dragon tongue, "Really?" The small dragon nodded and Kari continued, "And what has that to do with me?"
The small dragon looked at her shocked and said, "Nogard Heika ((*1)) is giving you the honor of its hatching."
Kari almost fainted but Pein's voice asked, "Kari what is this?"
Kari turned around and switched to her normal language, "I have to go right away."
The dragon disappeared and then soon did Kari in a puff of smoke, leaving the Akatsuki to wonder what had just happened.
Kari appeared in a land filled with volcanoes, caves, large oceans, large forests, wide deserts, and wide open sky of storms and clear sunny days, the land of the dragons. Kari sped along the path with the small dragon leading the way to Nogard's palace. When they arrived at the beautiful, huge castle, which could easily fit ten thousand dragons, the small dragon disappeared and was replaced by a much larger one that bowed in Kari's direction as she did the same.
That dragon led her to a large court room that was filled with gold and jewels beyond the human's treasures in their entirety. "Kakuzu-san could die happily if he claimed this place."
The largest dragon of the land was Nogard with his ever changing scales and mythical eyes. He was the first and strongest dragon of the whole and only the elite of Kari's family, and the ones who were powerful enough, were able to summon him. He smiled a wide grin at Kari and said in a deep booming dragon tongue, "Welcome Summoner-chan. I see you have arrived promptly as always."
Kari bowed deeply and said, "I have to thank you for this extremely large opportunity Nogard Heika."
He laughed and said, "It is a great honor to have you take care of my daughter, Summoner-chan"
Kari instantly shot up and said, "The egg is our daughter Nogard Heika?"
The grand booming laugh sounded once again and he nodded; "Now if you don't think you can take this responsibility I suggest that you step down now."
Kari shook her head and then bowed again, "No Nogard Heika, I have faith in myself that I can take care of your daughter until you wish to have her back."
The dragon then nodded and said, "I will have you sent back now and when you have a place to put her I will send my daughter Summoner-chan."
Kari smiled and was sent back to the kitchen in which she disappeared. The Akatsuki had apparently chosen to eat without her and tensed or jumped up outright when she appeared.
Kari bowed and asked, "Father may I need to make use of a large room for about a month or more? May I please?"
Pein looked at her with a cocked eyebrow and asked, "And why may I ask do you need it?"
"I need to store a very great honor that was stored upon me by… someone I can't tell you about here." Kari replied still bowed.
Pein nodded saying, "I'm sure we can save some room for whatever it is you need, how about the extra storage room."
Kari looked up and said, "That would be just fine."
Pein nodded and Kari ran out of the room followed by curious Akatsuki members. When she got to the extra storage room she stood in the center and started to sing the song of the dragons. She then felt her song gain power and she stepped back a bit and in the center of the room was a large egg that was had an ever changing color as its father.
"WHAT THE FUCK!" Hidan yelled as she ran up and put her hand to the egg and looked back at the Akatsuki ((apparently all of them became curious)) and she said, "Kakuzu, I won't pay the expenses for my room because I will have to stay with this egg until it hatches."
Kakuzu nodded and Kari looked back at the egg thinking with a sigh, "I'll have to send a shadow clone for Mimi and Co's second round. And I won't even be able to hang out with them unless Father let's them in here or I do the same as with their exams."
She hopped up on top of the egg and then down at its warm, smooth surface. She placed her ear to the egg and closed her eyes as a way to drown out the chatter from below. She listened to its heart beat and when she heard the strong heart she smiled. She then looked to see only Zetsu and Deidara were standing there as if waiting for her and she smiled to them, though not Orochimaru who had stepped back in.
She summoned a shadow clone and sent it off with the three asking, "Could you help me move my stuff in here?"
Whether they answered or not was irrelevant to the real body of Kari as she lost herself in the sound of the heart beat.
It wasn't long until the information from her shadow clone came back to her in a flurry. Apparently whenever Deidara and Zetsu weren't looking Orochimaru would touch Kari as if just by accident. But she knew that it was more than that, or at least she thought it was more than that. He would even give her weird glares whenever she would look to see where he was.
She was grateful when Itachi came in and said that they had a mission together but Orochimaru touched her one last time. This time it was a finger that quickly traced a line up her back making her shiver and drop the box she had and he quickly left as if he was never there.
She was glad it wasn't actually her that felt it but still she knew the feeling of it as if she was really there. She opened her eyes and saw that she wasn't alone because of Zetsu and Deidara sitting on a piece of furniture that had been added to her things. Those things were a TV two couches, two love seat, and three recliners.
She smirked as she guessed that this was going to be another living room and also her bedroom which would only be separated by a makeshift wall that separated the room in half; a coupled feet in front of the egg; leaving Kari with a lot of extra space for the egg to grow and for her to train. She hopped down onto an empty couch next to a recliner Zetsu was sitting on and said, "Well this is convenient. I'm guessing Father made this happen?"
Zetsu smirked and nodded and Deidara said, "Isn't it weird that your room is now next to the living room un?"
Kari sweat dropped and said, "It is but as long as I have brother to protect me then I'll be fine!" Kari smiled.
Deidara had a flash of hurt and then said, "I guess un."
Kari hugged Deidara and said, "And of course I'll also have you Deidara-kun."
Deidara had a sight blush and then pushed her off saying, "What would make you say that un?"
Kari smirked and said, "Well I guess Tobi's rubbing off on me."
It was three days since Kari had moved to her new room and she was already feeling exhausted. Every hour the fire underneath the egg would need to be tended and in between those hours a dragon or other summon would come to train her in the techniques of their kind.
Today it was a horse sized dragon named Hatch and he attacked her as soon as he summoned himself. Kari dodged to the right just missing him and threw a kunai. The dragon went to attack the egg after dodging the kunai, but Kari tackled it to the side and they fell in a tangled brawl.
The dragon scratched at her and snapped its jaws at her but she would always dodge them by just an inch. When they finally separated she jumped towards the egg and made a couple hand signs and touched the ground, encasing the dragon in a water dome. The dragon settled down but then opened its wings and the water burst.
"How the fuck did I get fucking water on me?" Hidan unmistakingly yelled.
"Sorry Hidan-san!" Kari yelled with a grunt as the dragons tail wrapped around her waist and threw her against a wall.
Sasori then asked, "Could you try to keep it down? I'm busy working on my art."
"Sorry Sasori-san." Kari said as she grabbed the tail that was once again flying at her and she threw the dragon against the wall.
"You call that art un! Art is a blast!" Deidara yelled from, what Kari could tell, was his own training on making himself resistant to genjutsu.
"Your kind of art isn't art!" Sasori started and Kari dodged a fire ball that came from the dragon's mouth.
"Here they go again," Kakuzu said counting his money.
Kisame laughed and said, "Well at least-"
But he was cut off by Tobi coming in and yelling, "KARI-CHAN!"
"Art is Eternal!" Sasori snapped. And Kari made a tornado to trap the dragon.
Tobi's orange mask poked over the wall and said, "Hi Kari-chan! Tobi's a good boy!"
"Oh shut up un!" Deidara snapped at both Sasori and Tobi, "You're annoying," pointing to Tobi, "and you are obviously wrong." Pointing to Sasori.
Sasori shook his head and went back to his work which made Deidara seer with anger. Kari guessed at what he would do as the dragon pinned her down.
"Kari-Chan!" Tobi exclaimed.
"That's it!" and Deidara threw a spider bomb at Tobi. It missed but landed closely to Kari and the dragon who separated just in time to miss the bomb and go right back at the fighting.
"Kari-chan un!" Deidara yelled.
Kari finally pinned the dragon on its back and held it so it couldn't harm her, saying, "I guess I win today." And she stepped off.
The dragon stood back on its feet and smirked, "Yes, and you've been improving."
Kari smiled and was then tackled by Tobi who picked her up and said, "Kari-chan! You're okay!" Kari grunted and Tobi put her down and said, "Tobi's sorry! Tobi didn't mean to hurt Kari-chan! Is Tobi still a good boy?"
Kari laughed and then hugged the man and said, "Yes Tobi is a good boy."
Kisame said, "Kari-chan you spoil him too much."
Kari then whispered, "I'm okay Dad. Really I am."
Tobi nodded and then whispered as Madara, "Are you sure. Deidara-kun almost hit you."
Kari let go of him and nodded before turning to the dragon and saying in dragon tongue, "Tell Nogard Heika that I was pleased that he is willing to send you to teach me." And she bowed. The dragon bowed as well and then went back to the land of dragons.
Kari then went over to the egg and turned down the fire a bit before jumping on the egg and singing the lullaby that a dragon had taught her to sing on orders from Nogard.
A/N: Well thank you for all the reviews, favorites, and story alerts. I will keep the poll up until next chapter is up. Please vote and review if you please and glad you are reading the story!
((*1)) Heika(陛下) is used for sovereign royalty, similar to "Majesty" in English. For example, Tennō Heika (天皇陛下) means "His Majesty the Emperor" and Kōgō Heika (皇后陛下) means Her Majesty the Empress. Kokuō Heika (国王陛下) is His Majesty the King and Joō Heika (女王陛下) is Her Majesty the Queen. Heika by itself can also be used as a direct term of address, equivalent to "Your Majesty".