Dark and Light: The Story of Itachi and Hikari
Chapter Twenty One
The room was dark and creepy and, as expected, the door slammed shut behind them with an ominous 'boom'. Yotaro felt Hikari's hand jerk in his and he figured she must have jumped at the sudden sound. Not that he could really blame her. Unconsciously he pushed closer to Hikari, unknowingly sandwiching the poor girl tightly between himself and Itachi.
"Ack!" Hikari said. "Yotaro-kun! Itachi-baka! I can't breathe!"
"Hikari-chan?" A familiar voice called through the darkness. "Is that you?"
At her sides Hikari felt Yotaro and Itachi stiffen for a fight as they saw the darkness ripple for a moment as three figures entered into their limited line of sight.
"Iruka-sensei!" Hikari said. "You came here too? But this was your chance to make Koko-baba gone forever!"
Iruka and Mizuki each coughed back a light laugh as Koko scowled down at the shorter girl.
"Who are you calling a hag you little brat?" Koko said.
"I did say your name Koko-baba." Hikari said her hands now planted on her hips.
Before Koko could retort back Iruka quickly intervened.
"I have spent the last three years teaching students that a ninja would never abandon a comrade Hikari-chan." He said. "I wouldn't make much of a teacher if I refused to follow my own nindo."
Hikari's eyes were practically shooting hearts and stars as she stared up at Iruka in admiration.
"That's so cool Iruka-sensei." Hikari said. "I hope that I get you as my teacher someday."
"Dobe," Itachi said, the corners of his mouth pulled down in a scowl. "If you both pass the exam then you will both be chuunin and he wouldn't be able to be your teacher."
"Shut up Itachi-baka," Hikari said. "I didn't ask you."
Watching their fight break out Yotaro couldn't help but sigh.
"Well," He said. "At least she isn't scared anymore…"
At that moment the door flew open and slammed against the wall with an ominous bang. Startled Hikari let out a loud shriek before diving behind Itachi to hid from the sudden intruder. Once team four was able to adjust to the light from the open door way they instantly recognized the man as the proctor from the first exam, Tsukiomi Taichi.
'This is it,' Hikari thought. 'The end of my life has finally come. I'll forever go down in Konoha history as the obnoxious ghost girl that couldn't hack it and dragged the rest of her team down because she was a scaredy-cat loser that couldn't hack it and everyone will look at my picture in text books and the teachers will tell them how they shouldn't be like a ninja girl like me because real ninjas do their duty and don't act selfish by dragging their teammates down just because they couldn't hack it and I don't want to die so Itachi-baka and Yotaro-kun had better help me kick this guys butt! I don't care if I can't hack it at his stupid exam! I'll become a chuunin no matter what this noisy baka says! He can't stop me 'cause he isn't my boss! I'll—!'
"Congratulations. You're all moving on to the next exam."
Hikari's jaw dropped. "That's it! Where's the poison? The torture? The slow, painful, flaming toothpicks that are pushed under our finger—!"
"Shut up Hikari!" Yotaro said as he clapped his hands firmly around her mouth. "Sorry about that Tsukiomi-sensei. She has a weird imagination."
Taichi blinked a few times before he let out a barking laugh. "Weird or not we could use a brain like that in our interrogations department. How bout it girl? Interested in changing loyalties?"
Judging by the redness of her face and the evilness of her glare it was probably a good thing that her response was muffled by Yotaro's hands that were still firmly in place over her mouth. Again Taichi just laughed before he turned his attention to the rest of the ninja gathered in the small room.
"As I said before, you all have passed the first exam. I was actually hoping that you all would decide to sacrifice a teammate so that my interns would be able to have a few more test subjects but it looks like you all have had good jounin instructors." He scowled. "What is the world coming to when kids like you all can get a quality education? In my day there was no such thing as 'for the good of the team' it was 'if they slow you down then slit their throat and move on'. None of this self-righteous, holier then thou, 'I'll risk my neck for my precious persons' crap."
An awkward silence filled the room as the gathered genin exchanged glances as though wondering just what exactly they were supposed to say to something like that. Finally Hikari broke the silence and put everything that they were all thinking into words.
"You need a cat."
Okay, maybe not everything, everything.
"I find it very irritating that everyone keeps telling me that." Taichi said. "Has it ever occurred to you people that maybe I prefer dogs over smelly, shedding, domineering cats?"
Another awkward silence resounded before a lanky blond boy from the hidden rock village spoke up.
"Do you?"
"No," the instructor said. "But I could."
Everyone sweatdropped.
"Are you saying weird things again Taichi?" an unfamiliar voice said from behind the tall man. "I swear you would be able to do your interrogation job so much better if you just kept your mouth shut and looked intimidating."
"Aiko," Taichi said with a scowl. "What do you want?"
Aiko huffed. "Really, Tai, is that anyway to talk to your wife?"
"Right. To what do I owe the honor of your presence, love of my life?"
Someone in the back of the room gagged causing a wave of giggles to wash over the small crowd of genin before they were instantly quieted by Taichi's glare.
"I'm the proctor for the second exam, Tai, or did you forget? Now get out of here so I can start my test."
Taichi scowled as he started out the door. "Fine. Wench."
Aiko responded by simply throwing her exam book at the back of her husband's head before she turned to face the group with a bright smile.
"Well now, as I'm sure you all know by now my name is Tsukiomi Aiko and that fool of a bully that just left is my idiotic husband. Also I will be your proctor for the next exam. I hope that you all will do your best!"
"She sure is perky," Mizuki said.
"Yes," Iruka agreed. "She sort of reminds me of another girl that I know."
"Really?" Hikari said. "Who?"
Itachi rolled his eyes. "Idiot."
"Now if you all will please come up to the front when I call your village and team number then I will set you up with your 'civilian' and you will be led to the starting position outside of area 92 the Life Swamp."
A redheaded girl from the Hidden Tree village hesitantly raised her hand and, beaming Aiko motioned in her direction.
"Yes? You have a question, um…?"
"Um…y-yes. I'm Tora Mami. Not that I'm complaining, but I thought the second exam was supposed to take place in the Death Swamp, not the Life Swamp."
"Oh, well you see the Life Swamp actually is the Death Swamp. I just think that 'Life Swamp' is a much nicer name, don't you?"
Mami smiled.
"Now if there are no more questions then I'll begin with the assignments." Opening the book on the desk she set her fingers on the pages and began to call out. "Kigakure no Sato: team 9."
Mami and her team moved forward quickly and were escorted through the door by a chuunin. Aiko continued.
"Iwagakure no Sato: team 1." The blond rock village boy from earlier quickly moved forward with his team before they also disappeared with a chuunin examiner.
"Kusagakure no Sato: team 5." The group of grass nins quickly left.
"Konohagakure no Sato: team 4." Both Iruka's group and Itachi's group moved forward at once only to pause in surprise.
"They called 'team 4' not 'team loser'." Koko said as she tossed her hair over her shoulder.
"We are team 4 Koko-baba." Hikari said. "Get your ears checked!"
Yotaro sighed. "Her ears have nothing to do with this Hikari. And obviously this is just a misunderstanding. Since the teams are renumbered every year starting from 1 it isn't illogical that we could both be team 4."
"Right," Iruka said. "Why don't you three go first? We can wait."
Once again stars appeared in Hikari's eyes as she 'fangirled' up at Iruka.
"No, no, no!" she said. "We couldn't possibly Iruka-sama! You guys go ahead, we'll be fine!"
Itachi's eye twitched in irritation at the same time that Iruka and Yotaro both sweatdropped.
"'Iruka-sama'?" Mizuki said with a smirk. "Whatever happened to just 'sensei'?"
"Well it's like Itachi-baka said, we're both on the same level so Iruka-sama isn't really my sensei right?"
"Uhh…right…Um, maybe you could just call me…Kun?"
Hikari practically sparkled. "Alright Iruka-kun."
"Team 4?" Aiko said. "Is there a problem."
"Nah, no problem," Mizuki said. "We're coming."
Koko all but stomped from the room and was quickly followed by a blushing Iruka and a still snickering Mizuki.
Aiko was calling the next group who were the only participants still involved who were from the Mist village but none of the younger team 4 were interested as Yotaro finally broke down into laughter and Itachi continued to scowl at Hikari who was still 'sparkling' at the door where Iruka had disappeared.
"Stop drooling Haruno," Itachi said. "You're losing your dignity."
"Hmph," Hikari said, crossing her arms. "You're just jealous that Iruka-sama is better then you, that's all."
Itachi's eye twitched again. "I thought you stopped calling him 'sama'."
"Only to his face just 'cause he asked me too. In private, though, he'll always be my Iruka-sama."
"What private?" Itachi said. "You're telling everyone that!"
"Well who asked you to listen Itachi-baka!"
"Stop calling me that, you annoying, obnoxious, loud, stupid, stupid, stupid girl!"
Hikari blinked, stunned. "S-sorry."
"Team 4?" Aiko said, her voice hesitant. "I've been calling you."
Hikari didn't wait to respond as she raced from the door leaving Itachi behind with a glowering Yotaro.
"You jerk." Yotaro said. "Sometimes I really wouldn't blame her if she actually hated you."
Itachi couldn't help but silently agree as he followed his teammates through the door.
Kaliea: Yes, yes, I know it's short. Deal with it. At least it's an update. Sorry for my snappishness; I am so beyond not feeling well at the moment. It sucks. I'll deal. Anyway, I hope you liked the chapter despite the shortness. Please review.
Review Answers:
grim reaper sakura: He is a good sensei. Although he doesn't deal well with tragedies as you will see later.
Dragon Man 180: Oh believe me Mizuki would have been more then happy to dump Koko and move on. Iruka was the only reason why she didn't get ditched. Lucky for her he has a conscience
Mikomi: To my greatest fortune I was able to stumble upon something from the Microsoft site that linked my 2007 to my 2003. I don't know what exactly it was (I downloaded like a million things) but it worked.
Danny-171984: Thanks. It was pretty touch and go for a while but I pulled through.
Rynx:Thanks for your encouragement. Actually I did find my muse and to my great satisfaction the chapter actually turned out for the better.
Lady Okori: Yeah, that about sums it up.
Kaliea: Thanks for all of your reviews! I love getting them! Till next time, Ja ne!