A long wait, and this... thing is all I can offer. I am sorry people, it seems that inspiration has evaded me good this time. I will have to think what I am going to do next, and this will take time.

I don't own Naruto. What a surprise...

Tayuya was a nervous wreck. She thought that hiding in her bed would actually make all her thoughts go away, yet they persistently swirled around her head. Her exam was tomorrow, and she struggled hard to keep quiet that small voice which questioned the whole examination ordeal. She couldn't afford to be insecure now, especially in possibly hostile ground.

Cursing loudly, the tossed the blankets from her. She needed something to relax. She headed for the bath.

Of course. The water didn't have an ounce of heat in it; part of her was surprised that the freezing liquid didn't solidify right after its exposure to the air. No matter though! She wasn't made out of sugar or butter, she could handle something like this. It was certainly better that that idiot-

She furiously shook her head, her very body flared with a strange warmth, despite the small stream of freezing water cascading on her. It wasn't the time for this, and she knew it. 'Damn that idiot, popping in my head again... I need a clear head for the examination, my very future is at stake!' She returned to her bedroom, only to find that she was way too tense to actually sleep, partly due to the freezing water. She almost growled in annoyance. What else had fate in store for her anyway? She didn't know why, but she pulled out her flute. The intricate designs on the cold metal surface glowed under her room's lamp. It really was ornamented with carved flowers and birds. She lost herself to the designs for a while, slowly tracing them with his finger. She wondered how much had the pineapple-head actually paid for this thing. It surely was expensive, especially for a low-status ninja.

She felt herself relax a little, much to her surprise.

She brought the flute to her lips and played a short melody to check its condition. The instrument performed greatly; she hoped it would come through tomorrow's exam unscathed. It would be a shame to damage something so beautiful.

She laid on her bed, and stared at the ceiling. Thinking a bit about the past, she realized she had actually pulled off the most amazing of achievements: she had escaped the Hidden Sound village and lived to tell the tale. She wondered what would happen if she didn't kidnap Shikamaru, in a wave of what she presumed was calculated insight, but hated to admit that was actually respect and pity. Probably dead, she concluded. Maybe after the exam she would come over to his house and rub to his (bored) face that she was a higher ranking ninja than him, and maybe beat him up a little, to make up for today's events. In fact, she didn't have anywhere else to go; the other options were either the Hokage's, or that Ino girl. Slowly, sleep claimed her.

Shikamaru had trouble sleeping, too. His mind was swarmed by thoughts like a bee hive with bees. This evening's scene kept replaying itself in his mind.

'What the...' Shikamaru was stunned. He forgot all about his swelling eye, the pain at the back of his head, time itself. He brought his hand to his lips. 'Did we just...' Oh, the luck of his. Of all the people in the Hidden Leaf, it had to be her. He was in for one hell of a beating and waist-deep in shit. This was not looking good. Then he saw the fuming redhead blush like mad, and rushing out of his apartment without a word.

He tried to think of something else, anything, just to make her go out of his mind, but the same strategy wouldn't work this time. He could still feel her lips on his. Groaning in annoyance and frustration, he rose from his bed and went to the kitchen to make a snack.

His hands moved with precision, something he had the noisy redhead to thank. He could almost see her standing near the door, glaring at him and shouting when he made a mistake. And boy did he made a lot, especially at first. Smiling at the memory he took the sandwich and went to the living room, where he threw himself on the couch. His eyes fell on the shougi board, where he had deflated her ego, but invoked her wrath, time and again. The house was surely a lot more quiet without her.

After he finished his almost-midnight snack and washed the dish (a habit he had gained through the strict discipline and hard fist of Tayuya) he went to his apartment's roof. It was his place of meditation, relaxation, and cloud-watching. Though this night wasn't a cloudy one, but full of stars. He lay on the roof, staring at the night sky, listening to the crickets sing their monotonous song, until he slowly drifted off to an uneasy sleep.

He could have sword that a group of stars had the likeness of her face...

"Goodnight, troublesome woman"

'Focus'

A light rustle at her left side triggered her reflexes and she jumped out of the way of the small hail of projectiles. Her keen ears easily picked the sound of an explosive tag burning and quickly used the replacement technique to move out of harm's way. She cursed loudly when she found out that she was being manipulated and guided to another trap, much like the fight she had with the lazy idiot. Could this guy be her attacker/examiner?

Shaking that thought out of her mind, she tried to focus on the task at hand. She remembered the words of the young Nara clearly: 'The first attack is a feign, a fake. The second attack is slightly altered, and it is checkmate' Thinking quickly, she threw a smoke bomb and hid herself. Her ears would give her a definite advantage in this kind of environment.

At least, against a medium-level ninja.

The slight whistle of kunai alerted her to dodge, but she underestimated their speed; she felt the air ripples that the bloodthirsty weapons left behind as they passed about half her thumb's nail length from her head. 'Close. Too damn close.'

From the shadows, a purple hair ninja licked a kunai, smiling maliciously. She couldn't get enough of this feeling, examining the greenhorn ninjas. And the fact that this one was once in Orochimaru's service only exited her further. 'Well, let's see how you train them, sensei"

A few handseals later and four snakes made their way to the unsuspecting redhead, moving silently among the trees. Tayuya's only indication of danger was the itch she had at the back of her neck, something she had gained over the years of dangerous, sometimes even suicide missions. She jumped to the side and avoided a long thin shadow, when she heard something that made her blood freeze. A snake's hiss. 'What the...' She never had a chance, at her dazed state, to avoid the other three snakes capturing her in a strong alive grasp.

Anko stepped out of the shadows, smirking smugly at her prisoner. "Humph, that one was easy... the standards surely have fallen for the Hidden Sound for the elite guard to be so easily defeated-" Her smile froze as Tayuya smiled too, before her body melted into a puddle of mud. "So, the snake taught that to you too?"

Tayuya's answer was a sweet melody, which traveled through the trees. Anko felt her body stiffen and go numb, as the whole landscape around her melted into nothingness and a whole bizarre and surreal landscape unfolded around her. She had underestimated her; fighting with illusionist experts required to be always on guard.

She was busted.

Tayuya tried to keep her breath steady while playing her instrument of war. The mud clone technique was too consuming for her own meager chakra reserves. She could feel sweat forming on her forehead and on the back of her neck. This was going to be one tricky fight. The snakes that the purple haired ninja had summoned were dispelled in a puff of smoke. Her victim was caught in her web. She cautiously made her way to the stunned kunoichi. Her expression remained dazed, her eyes unfocused. It seems it was her win, but she knew better; this was Orochimaru's first student, a genius of her generation. She closed in, trying to finish it as soon as possible, when a sudden wave of bloodlust burst out of the kunoichi, making her snap out of her complex illusion.

It was sheer training and instincts that saved Tayuya, or else she would have stayed still, gawking at the older woman. Breaking out of an illusion alone was extremely difficult, and out of her illusions was impossible, yet she did it with bloodlust alone? 'What on earth is this monster?' Her hands moved on their own accord to deflect the incoming blow. The sound of steel striking against steel brought the redhead to her senses, and she tried to find a way out of her fix. She was by no means a close-range fighter, and her advantage was out now. A quick replacement technique along with an explosive tag attached to a log did the trick; the kunoichi seemed too lost in her rage to actually be able to follow her through all these tricks. She breathed a bit easier now that she was away from all that intense bloodlust source. It reminded her of her former master to a scary degree. She performed a few handseals and bit her thumb.

"Summoning technique!"

Her summons appeared in front of her. She should have done so earlier; things would be pretty much finished by now. She started playing again, fighting the trembling of her hands and the aches of her muscles; that failed attempt had taken a lot out of her. This would be her last shot.

Her summons dashed forward, charging head-on at the lone figure. One of them raised its club to strike, yet the woman did nothing. The club came down crushing the earth beneath it along with the woman, yet when the dust cleared she was standing on top of it. She formed a few handseals and snakes burst through her sleeves, enticing her summons in a deadly grip. This was bad. She ordered them to break free, but the snake's grip didn't loosen one bit. One of them suddenly was dispelled, signaling that the summons were at their limits. If they were gone, she was out of weapons.

"Can't you see you are done for?"

She dropped the flute out of sheer shock. The woman was standing in front of her, a mocking look on her face. How the hell did she sneak up on her? She turned around, only to see the woman melt into a mud puddle, and their summons disappear in a cloud of smoke.

She had lost the duel.

"So, what do you think?" The Hokage was anxious.

"Well, in terms of skill, a medium to high Chunin level. In terms of chakra capacity, low Chunin level. In terms of techniques, maybe even low Jounin level."

"It seems she will have to be a Chunin for a while. She has almost no teamwork training and experience, and her chakra reserves after the sealing need quite some work. I will have the paperwork done immediately. Thank you, Anko-san."

"My pleasure, as always" As the Jounin walked out of the office, Tsunade pondered on the situation. 'Now where should I assign her...' A sudden idea flashed in her mind. This was going to be the greatest scouting team ever, yet Shikamaru would hate her guts for this.

That's all for now, folks. More on that... well... when it is ready! (Expression copyrighted to the developers of Duke Nukem Forever ©) Review if you please, it is the only thing that keeps me going now that I am out of ideas :).