DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the of the Naruto characters or franchise only the girls involved in the series of events that follow.
A/N: Hey guys! It's been too long, I know (Bad Author! Bad!) but the good news is that we're back on track after two months. Well not exactly because this is a Tuesday... Either way, whoohoo! I hope this wasn't too long of a wait because Kiran has been up on my grill about uploading and making a Facebook page... WHICH SHE DID! If you haven't noticed, we changed the title of the story to The Not So Lucky Adventures: Luck Girls to make it shorter, so the Facebook page will be under that name if you want to check it out. Here's the link: NotSoLuckyAdventures/?ref=bookmarks \(o U o\) The page will be for you guys to ask questions or post comments and for me and the girls to post updates or art regarding the story, so don't be shy about any questions or comments you have! Anyways, here's the latest chapter! I hope you all enjoy it and check out the Facebook page! Until later!
Thalia- A New Opportunity (Part I)
"Are you sure you're okay?"
Rubbing away the few remnants of tears from my cheeks, I force a smile to Sakura. "Yeah. I feel better already."
She frowns at me but stays her ground. "Thalia," she starts but she isn't able to finish her thoughts before I stop her with my own.
"Seriously Sakura, I feel a lot better. You don't need to worry."
She pouts and leaves it at that.
It's probably not even noon and this is the biggest emotional roller coaster my heart has been on. First, the excitement that made it beat vigorously at having to see Marisela in weeks. Then, the nerve wracking attraction that made it pound all the harsher because a mysterious, good-looking guy was there with her. Honestly, who was that?! Back again to happiness and joy at finally knowing how she's doing on her own. Lastly, the throbbing pulse that almost made my heart stop beating entirely when I couldn't stop myself from mentioning Michelle and Kiran. So much so that I couldn't stop myself from crying right after hurrying out from Tsunade's office after our call ended from the guilt of not being able to do anything about them still missing. As expected, Sakura chased after me for my own wellbeing and has been trying to coax me out of my depression. Outright telling her that I'm fine when I'm barely okay was probably not the best idea but what's said is done and I can't let her dote on me forever.
"I actually have someone I have to meet so I'll catch up with you later."
Blankly staring at me, she cocks her head to the side. "Someone? Well alright, but be careful. If you can't find me, go ahead and look for Naruto or Sai, okay?"
I give her a curt nod and head off. Where? I don't know. Just not here. I need to clear my head first. I don't know why I lied to her. All she's ever done is help me out and this is how I repay her? I'm a sucky human being aren't I? Ugh, enough of this.
For some reason, the first place I go to is the Academy. No one is in sight given we have the day off today so it's just me and the building. And Naruto's swing. Still no idea what I'm doing, I go and sit down on the seat.
Lightly rocking myself back and forth, I go over Naruto's sadness, still fresh on the small piece of wood and taught rope. He was rejected by everyone and still managed to keep a smile in front the ones that scowled at him. Yet, Sasuke, the one guy that somehow brought out the best in him is nowhere to be seen. Naruto's told me too much about him, so much more than any manga, anime, or movie can ever say about the strong friendship that he shares with the one person that betrayed him. I'm glad I didn't make it that far in the anime. I'd rather hear the story directly from the person who experienced it, face to face and not through a television screen.
Sasuke left the village. He left behind everything to be in the clutches of Orochimaru, a villain I've only heard the name of, not much context at all. It's as if speaking about him causes him to appear, and from everything Naruto has told me, that's something I definitely don't want. How can someone be so selfish? How can they leave behind everything they knew, everyone who believed in them, for something they know can bring out the worst in them? Willingly?
Looking up at the sky, I grip the rope tightly and stop my swaying. The wind picks up, rubbing my face briskly. Chills run up and down my spine. Don't tell me that's a sign.
Right on cue, a body enters the gates of the Academy, solemn and quiet. I recognize it immediately as Ashi, Kiba's cousin and my new ninjutsu mentor.
His head turns and our eyes meet. I know just by staring into his eyes that he didn't expect him to be here, and that I didn't expect the same of him either. He walks up to me and, with me sitting on the swing, looks down at me.
"What the hell are you doing here?"
"I could ask you the same thing."
…
Bending my elbow, I bring the shuriken back behind my head and throw, straightening my arm and flexing my wrist as the weapon goes forth and sinks deep within the trunk of a tree. I smile widely.
"Now do it from a different angle."
I do as Ashi says and aim the shuriken from behind my left ear, my right arm making a V below my neck. Using the same steps as before, I concentrate and follow through with the movements of the shuriken.
Plunk.
Yes, I hit it!
"Now try from below your right side."
A bit confused, I ask, "You mean like this?" Positioning my body in a relaxed but aware stance, I drop my arm but hold the shuriken with tight fingers.
"Yeah, like that."
Pride swells within me-
"But your aim is still so far off I can't tell if you want to hit the dummy or scrape it."
-but slowly deteriorates with that comment.
"Okay," I say, nodding my head but also swallowing a lump in my throat.
I shouldn't even be doing this right now. Not even half an hour ago I was out glumly dazing on Naruto's swing at the Academy when Ashi suddenly showed up out of nowhere as glum and dazed as I was. Next thing I know he invites me to his house to start up my ninjutsu practice. Still, it'll makes me feel better if I actually knew the reason why he was so sad.
"Hey, what are thinking about? Snap out of it! We've still got training to do before you can space out like that, Grandma."
My mind clears with that (unnecessary) commentary. I snap back to reality, er, this reality and focus back on the task at hand. Ugh, how much longer?
I throw shuriken and kunai at the dummies in front of me nonstop until Ashi tells me I can take a break. I breathe a sigh of relief. Sitting by him on the edge of his porch, I look around his backyard to distract myself. If he's an Inuzuka, doesn't that mean he has a dog companion like Kiba?
"Um, Ashi."
"What?"
Well someone is grumpy. "I haven't seen your dog yet. Do you have one?"
He clicks his tongue at me and glares. "Of course I have one! It's just that…" As he trails off, his eyes soften and his head lowers. "Something's happened to him-to everyone's dogs. No one knows what but Hana is trying to figure it out."
That must be why Akamaru wasn't with Kiba the day we went to eat at Ichiraku's. Have they all been sick for that long? "If you're that worried, he must be a really good friend to you."
He slumps. "Yeah. Shirane's my best friend. He's always been there for me but now that he's gone, bad things have just kept happening. First it was those kids at the Academy picking at me, then you." What?! "But I'd put up with anything to see him again."
My anger recedes at his touching words and seconds later; I gently stroke his hair. "You'll see him again, I know it." He gawks at me from beneath his bangs but it does nothing to stop me. "Friendship is a lot like skipping stones. You can't just pick out any one if you want it to go far. The stone has to be just right. You might be lucky and find the right ones in an instant, or it could take you an eternity to find just one. You could give up and take just any stone, but they won't skip as far or as beautifully as the ones that you're meant to grab. You also can't chuck the stone into the water. You have to be careful and precise or else it'll just sink, even if it was meant to skip far. What's most important to take out of this is that no matter what, the right stone will always be there, even if it's right under your nose. Do you understand?"
His only response is a blink but I know very well that he does. I continue to stroke his hair and he stays quiet, almost obediently. The silence is broken however by Kiba.
"Ashi! Ashi!" The back door is slammed open and Kiba takes no time to wreak havoc. "There you are! Oh, you're here too Tina?" Ouch my heart. "I just needed to check up on you."
Aw, that's so sweet-
Ashi growls. "I don't need you to watch over me like I'm some sort of kid, Kiba!"
Ashi's face is then reflected by his cousin. "Don't blame me for being here! Your mom wanted me to see if you're doing all right because she wasn't able to find you this morning."
Don't tell me he-
"I was just walking to the Academy. She doesn't have to freak out."
In a swift move, Kiba grabs onto Ashi's collar and starts to shake his body back and forth. "Then why didn't you tell her you were going to the Academy?"
Ashi frowns and crosses his arms despite being handled roughly. "Because she'd send you after me!"
"Look at where that's gotten you, you big idiot!"
Quietly trying to cut between their mortal glares, I grab onto Ashi and take him from Kiba's sharp grasp, tugging three times to finally get him to let go. "C'mon guys, don't be that way, you're cousins."
Ashi scoffs. "Easy for you to say. You're not related to Sweaty Hands over here!"
"At least I'm not the shortest in the family!"
"Better than having no girl in the village like you!"
Kiba chokes for a reply. Desperately looking at me, he pleads for an honest answer. "Tina, you're a girl so you have to know of someone that likes me! There's gotta be at least one. Tell him!"
My face floods red and my grip on Ashi loosens. His body plops to the ground with a soft thud as my body is frozen in place. God is testing me, isn't he?!
"Tina?!" Kiba calls.
"R-Right! Well, first off my name is Thalia, and um… uh, girls that like you?" I clear my throat, hoping that somehow it also magically controls my frantically beating heart. It's not like I can blatantly say, I like you Kiba, when Ashi's right here. My silence is taken the wrong way and Kiba lets out a diminished cry.
"No girl likes me!?"
Ashi's laughter is the perfect background to Kiba's whimpering. Meanwhile, I look on as a bystander. Why aren't any of the manga or books I've devoted myself to helping me out in this situation?!
Kiba doesn't last long in his position and in a matter of minutes picks himself up. Although heartbroken, he stares at me and speaks as though he didn't misinterpret our conversation.
"Kakashi's also looking for you. Something about Naruto training and he wants you to be there. Don't ask me why. I'm just some loser that no girl happens to like." There's the Kiba I was expecting.
Wiping dirt from his jacket, Ashi shoos Kiba until he's out the door and it's just the two of us. He grinds his teeth and slams his fist onto the porch, making me jump. "Finally, he's gone! Your break's over by the way so I want to see at least fifty shuriken hit those dummies."
Remembering Kiba's message about Kakashi, I stand up to leave, regretting it almost immediately as Ashi's face darkens. "I'm really sorry but I have to head out too. I can't keep Kakashi waiting." Well isn't that ironic?
Ashi gets up as well, staring me down with the same eyes that glared at me back when we first met. "You're just trying to catch up with Kiba aren't you?"
Okay, whoa. Stop right there before I become a puddle of mush.
To keep Ashi distracted from my blush, I immediately start protesting. "No, no, no! I just need to go meet up with some people."
He points an accusing finger at me. "Liar! You like him and I can tell."
Just as I'm about to retort that I have no such feelings for Kiba, he flares his sharp canines at me. "Stop lying! Everybody would rather be with Kiba than me! No one even knows who I am most of the time. So stop lying and just tell me the truth! You're going with him aren't you? A girl who I barely met and already likes my cousin more than me." His eyes are starting to get watery. Is he going to cry? "My parents always compare me to him and so does the sensei. They always lie about stuff like this! I can never be myself because they always compare me to him and want me to act like him. The only person who likes me for who I am is Shirane and he's sick right now!" Ashi hiccups, furiously brushing away his tears with his increasingly wet sleeve. "I'm tired of people constantly telling me to be more like him and lying to me because they'd rather be with him!"
Oh god what do I say to him? I am not good with this emotional stuff. Um, okay just say something to him, quick. Something that'll hopefully calm him down and not think bad of me.
"Don't start accusing me of something you don't even know the truth for! Just because other people have lied to you doesn't mean I have. I'll admit I've lied but never for stuff like this. You're a good kid and I'd rather hang out with you than Kiba because you actually remember my name. You're devoting so much of your time just trying to get me to throw these stupid pieces of metal at some stupid dummies that you don't even need to do. Even though you might be a bit mean, I know I'm going to be calling you a friend soon. So don't start pointing fingers just because you can and actually know the difference!"
My face burns brightly as I stare him straight in the eye. The only word I can use to describe his reaction is terror: his eyes are as big as a full moon and his face has gone pale, almost lucid with the reflections of his tears.
Aw man, did I bust it? Did I officially ruin it and sign a contract for me to move out and become a rogue ninja and literally ruin this whole thing? Urg, I hate this.
Then he smiles. It's not exactly a golden smile, but something promising forgiveness or maybe I'm reading too far into this. He stands and goes to open the backdoor of his house.
"You're really weird you know."
Slowly entering his house, he looks over his shoulder and smirks, catching me off guard. I can only look back at him and not say a word. I think I've already went well beyond my share anyway.
"Thanks."
Although below a whisper, my ears happen to catch it. That word causes the corners of my lips to curve into a smile of my own. Maybe I'm better at this than I thought.
"You still gotta work on your aim though."
Snickering away, I retort as fast as I can before he can leave me outside by myself. "H-hey, at least I'm not as stupid as your cousin!" My words trail after a mere second due to him shutting his door in my face mid-sentence. Cursing under my breath, I find myself smiling.
…
Kakashi whips out a small square of paper before Naruto and I. He goes on to explain that the paper can absorb chakra and reveal the type of chakra a person possesses followed by him crumpling the paper between his fingers with his chakra. In awe of Kakashi's demonstration, I can practically envision myself in Kakashi's eyes with a bright aura illuminating from my frame and my eyes big and shiny. Naruto on the other hand simply stares at the crumpled piece of paper in a simpler fashion, still fascinated.
"Now both of you try," Kakashi states as he hands us our own pieces of paper.
Though baffled, I take it, tilting my head at him. "Why me too?"
Without batting an eye, he replies, "Aren't you curious about your chakra nature?"
Looking down at my piece, I begin to wonder and give in to his question, nodding as a result.
Next to me, Naruto stares at his paper. "Oh boy! I wonder which one I have!"
He closes his eyes and allows for the piece of paper to do its job. His question is soon answered as the paper is cut cleanly in half.
From his position beside Kakashi, Yamato, a ninja who's here to help out, gasps. "Wind?!" he blurts. Kakashi remains cool and turns his eyes to me. Guess it's my turn now? Alright.
I also close my eyes and let a small amount of my chakra flow from my fingertips to the paper in my hand. Slowly peeking through a half-open eye, I also gasp at the two fluttering pieces of paper in my hand.
"Looks like both of you are have wind nature chakras. Congratulations, now we can finally get to training."
