Er….I'm sorry?
You'd better be!!
Haha well it's only been…uh…eight months…
Eight LONG months you bast-
Onward!!
My thanks to:
DarkLillyOfTheNight96
Kallou
VALLED
MelloKai
Scarlet927
Tsebe Uchiha
SasoLOVE111
A Shadow Away
Luka1Sakura
-Morgiee.
Iaf Aros
Aero13
AlaskenWildflower
Someday-Known
Cruisegirl
Lynne1923
xXFoxy Scorpion BlossomXx
(Holy crap. Part dos.)
"Talking"
Thoughts
Inner Sakura
Shukaku
Disclaimer: …No…YES! No!
A Flower In The Sand
Chapter 11- Cheating and the Interviews
Sakura smiled and silently thanked Kami. Fate couldn't have chosen a better place for her. Two seats to the right sat Gaara while Shikamaru was in front of her. She zoned out on what the proctor was saying as she poked the back of Shikamaru's head with a pencil.
He eventually sighed, waving her pencil away. She grinned at him when he looked back at her, and a small smile played on his lips as well.
"The exam is in front of you. Begin!"
Ibiki's voice rang with authority, and Shikamaru immediately turned back around. After ten minutes of scanning over the test, Sakura sighed.
This test is way too hard…is there a point?
Sure! They want you to cheat!
Cheat?!
Yup. Simple as that.
Sakura cast her eyes sideways to the left to look at Hinata and then to the right to look two seats down at Gaara. A slight slithering of sand made her ears twitch and the answers were being formed on the desk next to her paper. She smiled slightly and began to write down the answers that Gaara had given her.
When she was done, the sand went back to it's master. Sakura softly tapped her pencil on her desk using morse code, and Shikamaru gave the barest nod that he understood. She noticed that his shadow stretched across the room over to Naruto.
When Shikamaru wrote the answers, so did Naruto. When he was done, Naruto grinned widely and began doodling on the paper. Sakura noticed Kiba using Akamaru, and Shino had his bugs. Ino had used Choji as a dummy for her mind transfer jutsu, and Hinata was receiving answers from Shino's bugs.
Team by team were caught as time went on, and they had to leave. Sakura scowled. She hoped that none of her team were caught, or even anyone on the Suna team. Sand slithered across the desk to form the words, 'Are you okay?'
She smiled and nodded her head.
'Alright.'
The sand slithered away and Inner Sakura was having a party.
He cares! Yes!!
He's always cared. Deep down.
Well, let's bring to light the whole, 'My uncle tried to kill me so I think I'll keep everyone out' phase.
True, but that wasn't his fault either.
She let her Inner mull over this while she slyly surveyed everyone else. She could see Sasuke still fretting over his test, and she grinned slightly. Her grin faltered when she realized that if he failed, then so could she and Naruto. She squeezed her pencil so tight she thought it would break. Inwardly sighing, she tapped her pencil almost silently to Shikamaru.
She watched his shadow extend over to Sasuke and helped him finish the test. When Shikamaru took his shadow back, Sasuke looked over at them and scowled slightly. Sakura turned her nose up at him, and Shikamaru stared at him blankly.
He faced his own paper, practically glaring a hole in it. Sakura laughed inwardly, and she could see the tell-tale shake of Shikamaru's shoulders as he shook with silent laughter. Sakura watched the clock tick away and was startled when the proctor began to yell.
"Alright! Listen up!"
Sheesh! What a loud mouth!
I'll say!
"Here's the tenth and final question!"
Eh…what?
Weren't you even paying attention?!
No.
Alright, you had to do all nine of the problems. When fifteen minutes were left, he was going to give out the tenth and final question. Which is now. Got it?
Yes.
Listen next time, geez.
"Before I give you the question, there are some more rules that you need to be aware of."
More rules?!
Gah! Just beat me with an ugly stick!
The sound of a door opening caught Sakura's attention as she turned toward where Kankuro and a proctor were standing. She smirked to herself.
Now I know that's a puppet. I memorized the book he gave me.
Apparently, the proctor realizes it as well.
Really?
You weren't paying attention again.
Gaara crossed his arms and looked over at his brother, before returning his attention to Sakura's now turned back.
Idiot.
I agree. It shouldn't have taken that long for him to get answers!
"These rules are unique to question ten," Ibiki continued as if Kankuro hadn't interrupted. "Listen carefully...and try not to let them frighten you."
Are you getting a bit of déjà vu?
Yup. These people piss me off.
"Very well then, rule number one. Each of you is free to choose not to be given the final question. It's your decision."
Sakura could almost feel the sigh of relief Shikamaru let out.
"Don't get your hopes up yet," she whispered to him. "I think we're in for a surprise."
He groaned quietly, perturbed at the thought of doing…well…anything.
"So what's the catch?" Temari called. "Let's say we don't want to do it what happens then?"
"If you choose not to take the tenth question regardless of your answers to the other nine, you'll get a zero. In other words, you fail. And that means, of course, both your teammates fail as well."
Whispers erupted all around Sakura as she frowned heavily.
Is he being serious?
Do you see that face? I don't think he has any other emotion other than serious.
"Not so fast. You didn't let me finish. If you do accept the question, but answer it incorrectly…you will not only fail. You will be barred from taking the Chunin exam ever again!"
Sakura snapped her pencil in half.
WHAT?!
Is he serious?!
We already covered that!
What if Naruto doesn't take the final question?! We'll all be kicked out, granted, but what if we all agree to take it…and he's wrong?!
Oh no no no no! I just got reacquainted with Temari-chan, Kankuro-san, and Gaara-kun! We can't fail now. Naruto, I'm counting on you!
"Hey! That's bull! That's just ridiculous! What kind of rule is that?!" Kiba exclaimed. "There's lots of people here who've taken the test before!"
Is he…laughing?!
He is! What an ass!
"I guess you're just…unlucky," he said. "I wasn't making the rules before, but I am now. Of course if you don't want to take it, you don't have to. If you're not feeling confident then by all means, skip it. Come back and try again next year."
And…he's laughing again.
He's getting enjoyment out of our suffering! This proctor isn't right in the head!
"Now then, if you're ready. The tenth and final question! Those who don't want to take it, raise your hand. Your number will be recorded and you'll be free to go."
I can almost sense Naruto's internal struggle from here!
I know how you feel.
I'm almost tempted to raise my hand…just for Naruto…
Sakura's hand waivered as she started to raise it. Sand wrapped around her wrist, keeping her hand down.
"What…?" she whispered, looking over at Gaara.
He gave her a reserved smile and shook his head slightly. She looked back over to Naruto, who was quivering. Sakura watched as Naruto raised his hand and slam it down on the desk.
"Don't underestimate me! I don't quit, and I don't run! You can act tough all you want. You guys aren't going to scare me off! No way! I don't care if I do get stuck as a Genin for the rest of my life!" He exclaimed, standing up. "I'll still be Hokage someday!"
Oh…Naruto…
Did he really have to insert the Hokage part?
Sakura smiled slightly and shook her head.
"This decision is one that could change your life. If for any reason you would rather quit, now's your last chance."
Sakura looked over at Gaara, then down at Shikamaru. She smiled to herself and shook her head.
I'm not giving up. Not for the world.
"Well then, I admire your determination. For those of you remaining, there's only one thing left to do. And that's for me to tell you that you've all passed the first exam!"
Are you kidding me?!
He beat around the bush the whole damn time?! ARGH!
"I could kill something," Sakura whispered furiously.
Shikamaru tilted his head and turned to look at her.
"Not my back again, please," he pleaded, complaining.
"Cork it, Shika-kun. You owe me a million back rides."
Though…
"Where's the tenth question?" Sakura asked.
And he's laughing again! God I hate this guy!
"There wasn't one, not a written one at least!" Ibiki said smiling.
Oh god. Creepy smile. That's even worse than his serious face!
MY EYES!
"Actually, your decision to stay was the answer to the tenth question."
"So the other nine questions were just a waste of time?" Temari asked, enraged.
"No, not at all. Quite the opposite. The first nine questions had an important purpose. To test your ability to surreptitiously gather strategic intelligence under the most adverse circumstances."
"Well that clears up everything," Temari deadpanned.
Sakura began to ignore the proctor again as she began to stab Shikamaru in the back of the head with the eraser of her unbroken pencil. Every jab gave him a little anger vein in his forehead.
Just ignore it, Shikamaru. She wants a reaction. Keep your cool…
Sakura grinned and kept jabbing him in the back of his head. Just when he was about to turn around and break her pencil, something crashed through the window. Sakura dropped her pencil, and Shikamaru looked to the front again.
"Heads up boys and girls! This is no time to be celebrating! I'll be your next proctor, Anko Mitarashi. Ready for the second test?" She asked. "Then let's go! Follow me!"
"You're early. Again." Ibiki said.
"How many are there?" Anko asked. "Ibiki, you let all these guys pass? Your test was too easy. You must be getting soft."
"Or it could be, a stronger crop of candidates this year." Ibiki said.
"Hm…they sure don't look it," Anko said.
Is she inferring what I think she's inferring?
If you think she's inferring what I think she's inferring then she must be inferring what we think she's inferring!
……
She thinks we're all weak.
Thank you.
"Trust me, when I'm done with them, more than half will be eliminated. This is gonna be fun." She said, smirking. "All right you maggots had it easy so far, but things are going to be different starting first thing in the morning! I'll let your squad leaders know where you are to meet me. Dismissed."
Officially creeped out.
Agreed.
Sakura stood up and stretched slightly. When her knees popped, she grimaced. She noticed everyone filing out the doors, so she hopped over the table and onto Shikamaru's back.
"Augh! Saku-chan!" Shikamaru complained.
"Onward, lazy man!" Sakura said, laughing.
Shikamaru sighed and began walking to the door.
"Shikamaru," a dusty voice said once Shikamaru had made it into the hallway.
"Hm?" He asked, turning.
"Oh, Gaara-kun! Thank you for the answers by the way. I didn't need them, but it was nice to be able to get it done quicker." Sakura said smiling.
One corner of Gaara's mouth turned up in a grimace/smile as he looked at Sakura, then turned back to Shikamaru.
"I can ease your burden if you want me to. I'll be doing it anyway, I just wanted to let you know."
Shikamaru smirked. "Go ahead."
Gaara grabbed Sakura around the waist and pulled her to him. Everyone watched as Sakura and Gaara disappeared in a whirlwind of sand.
"That is the red-haired boy that Sakura-chan was talking about?" Lee asked Shikamaru.
Shikamaru nodded, yawning. "That's Gaara."
"I see. He looks like a tough opponent, but I'll get him! Then Sakura-chan can be mine." Lee said, clenching his fist.
"Good luck," Shikamaru said, walking off.
"That boy is a lazy one," TenTen said, walking up to Lee.
"That he is, but he is strong. Plus, he is Sakura's friend. He may be a credible threat as well. I shall watch him along with Gaara of the Desert."
Sakura held on for dear life as Gaara whisked them away to one of the back alleys.
"Exhilarating. Every single time." She said, smiling.
He gave a small smile back and took her hand.
"Using the sand for travel is…interesting. It gets old after awhile though." He said, leading them through the streets.
They walked silently for a bit, hand in hand, before they came to Ichiraku.
"Are you hungry?" Sakura asked.
Gaara nodded. "I didn't eat breakfast."
They sat on the stools, and Ayame greeted them warmly.
"What'll you have guys? It's on the house since I know you guys passed the first exam."
They placed their orders and sat in silence before Gaara decided to break it.
"Here," he said, handing her the bear. "You left it at the park that night, and I always forgot to return it."
Sakura nodded and hugged the bear close. "Thank you. Do you…know what happened to that ribbon I gave you?"
Gaara tilted his head in confusion as Sakura's face dropped.
"I am…sorry. I do not. Was it…important?"
"That was the last thing I had to remember my parents before the Akatsuki killed them," Sakura whispered.
Placing his hand on Sakura's arm, he frowned. "I'm sorry."
When the food arrived, Sakura smiled for Ayame's benefit, but Gaara knew that she was sad on the inside.
"Teme!" Naruto shouted, hitting Sasuke in the back.
"What do you want, Dobe?" Sasuke asked angrily.
"I was just passing by Ichiraku when I heard Sakura and Gaara talking! She said that her parents were killed by the Akat-Akat…uh…" Naruto said, scratching his head.
"Pray tell, Naruto," Kakashi asked, walking up behind them. "Were you about to say Akatsuki?"
"That's it, Kakashi-sensei!"
"What is the 'Akatsuki'?" Sasuke asked.
"They are an organization of S-ranked criminals. What I am about to tell you if for your ears only. Got it?" Kakashi asked.
Sasuke and Naruto nodded.
"When Sakura was born, she was a frail child. She couldn't walk, had trouble breathing, and even she had trouble speaking. Her parents took her everywhere they could looking for Lady Tsunade. They finally heard that she was in Suna, so they took off for the Sand village. While there, Sakura's dad was murdered in an alleyway. Her mother was murdered right in front of Sakura's eyes. By your own brother, Sasuke.
"Sakura was hidden under the bed at the time and because of her weak state, they did not find her. It ended up being that they were looking for Gaara, who contains the One-Tailed Shukaku demon. Lady Tsunade healed Sakura and taught her to walk. Ever since she was six years old, Sakura has always referred to Tsunade as her mother. Her past is too painful for her to talk about now. When Sakura's parents died, her original guardian was supposed to be me. However, since I was still in ANBU at the time, I stepped aside to let Tsunade have her. She's done well with Sakura."
"All this time, she's been an orphan like Sasuke and myself, and she's never…she's always so happy and bright," Naruto said sadly.
"My own brother murdered her parents. How can she not hate me for still being alive when the massacre went down?" Sasuke asked.
"Sakura is not the type to blame other people. That's how she was able to make easy friends with Gaara. He was not accepted, and he thought it was his fault. However, she made him see that the others were wrong. The next time you look at Sakura, think hard. Remember that a ninja must always see what is not meant to be seen." Kakashi said.
Naruto and Sasuke nodded, and Kakashi disappeared.
"All this time, everyone has been convinced that Sakura-chan is happy. That's she satisfied with her mother. How can I look at her now knowing what I know? I've always thought she was privledged, lucky to have even one parent. However, knowing that she lost her parents for a stupid and terrible reason, well, that just makes me angry." Naruto said.
Sasuke nodded slightly. "I believe that my brother would do something as stupid as this. And he will pay. I'm not only killing him for my sake, but for the sake of Sakura's forgiveness as well."
Sakura and Gaara parted ways after he dropped her off at her house mid-afternoon. He went back to the small and quaint hotel he was staying at, and Temari was there right when he opened the door.
"So, where do you and Sakura-chan go?" Temari asked nonchalantly.
"I'm not in the mood, Temari. Sakura is very sad by the fact that I can't find that ribbon of hers. Damn it." Gaara cursed, covering half of his face with his right hand.
Temari smiled slightly and pulled something out of her pack. "You mean this?"
She dangled the red ribbon in front of Gaara's face. His eyes narrowed dangerously.
"You've had it the whole time?" He growled.
"Don't you hurt me, Gaara. You have to hear the story."
"…Fine."
Flashback
Temari sighed, exiting the Kazekage estate. She wasn't tired, even though the moon had reached it's high peak. She already missed Sakura-chan, even though it was only the first day she was gone.
"I think I'll go over and see what Gaara and Uncle are up to," she mused silently to herself.
Walking along the path at night made Temari truly appreciate the beauty the Sand Village had to offer.
"If only it was this quiet during the day," she sighed happily.
Rounding the corner to her Uncle's house, she was terrified to see Gaara grappling with Yashamaru. Before Gaara crushed his Uncle with sand, he untied the ribbon swiftly and tossed it to the wind. Temari knew that even in the midst of the struggle, Gaara didn't want the ribbon to get cut or torn.
Temari chased after it as the wind carried it farther away. She grasped it in her hand and tucked it into her pocket. She winced, realizing that she would have to go back and handle Gaara.
End Flashback
"So you see," Temari said. "Subconsciously, you didn't want to tear the ribbon so you took it off and tossed it. However, you got awful mad that night. It made you forget your wretched childhood, sealing it off deep within the recesses of your mind. Sakura has made you remember. She has healed you."
Temari handed the ribbon to Gaara, who immediately tied it around his wrist.
"Thank you, Onee-san. Thank you."
When they all met in front of a giant gate the next morning, Sakura was surprised to see what looked like a forest. She found Shikamaru, but he hadn't seen her yet.
"Cherryblossom Jutsu: Art of Jumping on Shika-kun's back!" Sakura called launching herself onto said lazy man's back.
"Going down," Shikamaru muttered, as he keeled over, bring Sakura with him.
"Aw Shika-kun, you're no fun," Sakura said pouting.
"Sorry, Saku-chan. If you keep this up, I won't be able to move." Shikamaru said, cracking his back.
"Sakura?" Gaara asked.
"Oh come on, Gaara-kun!" Sakura exclaimed.
"Sakura…chan?"
"That's it!"
Gaara smiled, and Sakura noticed the ribbon on Gaara's wrist.
"Gaa-kun…you…found it?" Sakura asked, tears coming to her eyes.
He nodded slightly and found himself in a bear hug.
"Oh thank you thank you thank you!" Sakura was crying on his shoulder, but she didn't care.
Apparently, neither did Gaara because he made no motion to move her.
"I felt happy knowing that you had it, but when you lost it…I was so hurt. Now you've found it. Thank you." Sakura said, wiping away the tears.
"Why are you crying?" Gaara asked.
"These are tears of happiness silly!" Sakura exclaimed, laughing.
Everyone turned when Anko stood in front of the gate.
"This is the location for the second phase of the exam. We call it the Forest of Death."
Sakura paled. "Forest of…Death?"
"Hey, you alright there Saku-chan?" Shikamaru asked, nudging her slightly.
"Yeah sure I'll be fine…"
Oh god. I really want Sprinkles now!
You left him in bed! Remember?
I know. This place gives me the creeps. There's something off about this forest.
Sakura watched as Naruto conversed with Konohamaru, and she sweatdropped when Anko said they were taking a ten minute break so she could be interviewed as well.
"You have got to be joking," Sakura muttered, flopping down to the ground.
Shikamaru sat next to her, staring up at the clouds.
"Thank god. I haven't gotten to cloud watch all morning." He muttered, leaning back and closing his eyes.
"You're not even watching the clouds you idiot," she seethed.
He cracked one eye open. "So? I see them in my memory."
Sakura snorted and stared up at the sky. Gaara stood next to her, rigid in place.
"What's wrong, Gaara-kun? Sit down and take a load off." She said.
"This forest does not feel right to me. I will stand to protect if need be."
Sakura blinked a few times. "Well, okay…"
Shikamaru sighed as he watched Naruto and Anko fight over the Academy kids.
"Something tells me this is going to take forever. What a drag."
And I gave you guys a really long one! About fourteen pages of Naruto goodness!
God I hate you.
You hate God?! You evil Inner!
I MEANT YOU! NOT GOD! YOU!
Jeez…everyone can hear, you don't need to yell.
Die.
You wish.
All right. Our time is done for now so…
Read and review!
Yes. You took my sentence.
iiWishUponAStar and Raven