Hello everyone and thank you for reading this chapter :D

I realize that this story keeps stretching and stretching and there aren't many people who actually read it, but I'll still do my best to see it through to the end and if it's only for a handful of readers and my own pleasure^^

I decided to start a few new projects anyway, but of course I'll still update here as regularly as I possibly can :D

Finally Chuunin

The fine white paper was carefully unfolded by thin, trembling fingers. They stroke slowly across the black ink on it and flinched at the words written and their meaning. The sharp edge cut itself deep in the flesh and the white paper with the black ink slowly turned deep red as it floated to the floor.

Nearly a month after the catastrophic ending of the Chuunin examination tournament, the results of the long consultation had finally reached the participants, who had already long forgotten about it.

The more surprising it was for them when the letters found their ways to their homes.

Sayuri danced on the floor of Itachi's room and jumped around in excitement.

"I can't believe it! Itachi! We're both Chuunin now!"

Itachi stared disbelieving at the document in his hands and wondered if he was dreaming. Was this really happening?

He glanced at his girlfriend and stared at the red stain on her white dress.

"You're bleeding!"

She stopped dancing and looked startled at her hand when Itachi grabbed it and put bandages around it.

"Oh.. I guess I cut it when I read the letter."

Itachi shook his head.
"Take better care of yourself.."

Sayuri looked at the ground and muttered an excuse as Itachi wrapped his arms around her.
"I still need you..", he whispered.

Her face went red as the stain on her dress.
Their eyes met.

Their lips, too.

Could it really be that life was suddenly running smoothly?

In these moments they embraced and kissed each other, they got the feeling they would be able to leave all the bad things behind.

Maybe they would be able to finally walk into a brighter future, hand in hand.

The curtains to the Ramen store were ripped open and Seishi stormed into the place breathing heavily.

"You won't believe what happened!"

He had obviously lost his wind, which meant he had been running really fast here.

"Gosh, Seishi, what's up..?"

Ayame was confused and walked around the counter towards him.

"I can't actually believe it myself!"

He took a deep breath to calm down a bit and to prepare for the following.

"I passed the Chuunin exams! I'm a Chuunin now!"

Ayame's eyes widened in surprise.
"Wow Seishi! That's awesome! I'm so happy for you!"

She hugged him gushily and smiled all over her face.

"Thank you! I just got the letter and came here as fast as I could! I wanted you to be the first to know."

"That's so cooool! Wait.. WHAT?!"

She suddenly realized what Seishi had been saying and freed herself from the hug quite emphatically.

"Why me?!"

Seishi froze. He let the last few words he had uttered running through his head while he turned red. Old Ichiraku watched his daughter and Seishi with narrowed eyes while slowly cleaning the kitchen knife in his hands.

She was right. Why her? Shouldn't he run to Itachi first, given the chance he hadn't passed, and rub his nose in it? Or maybe to Sayuri in hopes she would have been promoted, too?

He couldn't understand his own behavior anymore. What had been his motivation to come here first of all? What had he been thinking? The more he wondered about it, the more he realized that he hadn't been thinking at all. He had just acted.

"It's just because.. Sayuri and Itachi are only starting going out now and they need time to get used to everything so I just want to take some distance so I don't disturb them.. but I just wanted to tell anybody so.."

That was a lie. Any chance to disturb Sayuri and Itachi was more than welcome to him.

"So it's just anybody now?"

Ayame didn't seem to be too happy with this version either. Good thing Seishi had had his experiences with women and knew these kinds of situations.

These kinds of situations where anything you say is just fucking wrong. Seishi gulped.

"Eehhhm.. let's go shopping..?"

Well, of course except for this one thing.

Ayame's eyes became bigger once again and her mouth flapped open.

"Oh my god, for sure!"

In a flash she disappeared again behind the counter, threw her pinafore and hat off and stood right back next to Seishi.

"Sorry, Dad, you'll make it without me right?"

Ayame's poor father had smiled for a moment when his daughter had been mad, but now he was standing there absolutely dumbfounded and couldn't believe what was happening.

Seishi couldn't deny himself a triumphant grin, even though he hadn't planned it in the slightest, as he put his hand on Ayame's shoulder and conducted her away.

What the hell was he doing?! Was he really going on a date with Ayame? The one girl he had promised himself he would never touch?

Ok, now there was a second girl taboo for him, but that didn't change that he had told himself not to cross the limits of friendship when it came to Ayame.

But what was he thinking about? He was totally overreacting. They were just going shopping! It was no date at all.

He tried to bring order in his thoughts, to make those nasty doubts disappear, but the more he struggled, the more he caught himself staring at her. When she smiled and laughed and dressed up she looked so different than usually.

She was more than just the girl behind the counter.

"Seishi! Hey! Are you listening?"

Ayame glared at him, holding two dresses in her hands.

"Which one is better? This? Or that?"

Seishi shook his head to gather himself again. Just what was he thinking the whole time? This was ridiculous! He opened his mouth to answer her.

"They both don't fit a slut like you!"

Ok.. nope.. that was definitely not coming from him, but rather from a female voice he thought he knew from somewhere.

He turned around and his worries were confirmed. A blonde haired girl, maybe two or three years older than them, stood there evilly glaring. Of course, Seishi had been dating her some time ago, only once or twice. He didn't even remember her name, but she was obviously not too pleased to see him here with Ayame.

"Long time no see, Seishi!", she hissed.

Seishi would have loved to answer her, but, as already said, he just couldn't recall her name.

So he just made a step towards her and hissed back.

"Apologize to her!"

The girl flinched and took a step back.

"No way! Everybody knows what kind of guy you are by now! So any girl going out with you nonetheless is just a slut!"

Seishi felt the wrath dwelling up inside of him and climbing up to his head. He had half a mind to beat the shit out of her even though she was a girl.

"I told you to apologize! Say this one more time and I show you what a Chuunin is capable of!"

The girl's face went white and she bit on her lips. It was very rare for Seishi to behave like this, especially towards a girl, but he had lost control.

Ayame ran towards him.

"Seishi, stop it! It's alright! I don't care! So please calm down.."

She put her hands on his chest, afraid that he would run at the girl any moment now. As if she could have stopped him. But strangely enough, Seishi felt a calming energy flowing into him from her fingertips. Her touch made his anger being washed away and his head became dizzy in exchange.

"Let's just go, okay?"

She looked at him with worried eyes and suddenly Seishi's thoughts became completely empty. It felt like someone had pushed the reset button and now his emotions were all gone.

"Okay..", it was all he could whisper and Ayame dragged him away, leaving the confused girl behind.

She stopped in some corner of the street, looked around to make sure that the girl hadn't been following them and breathed in relief.

"Wooow, that was weird."

She forced herself to smile in order to cheer Seishi up who was behaving really strange.

"Phew.. that was some misunderstanding.. I guess she thought we were dating. Funny right?"

At the word dating Seishi slowly regained his consciousness.

"Yeah.. it seemed so."

He somehow started feeling really sick.

"Gosh, you really have some history.. everybody thinks we're going out even though we're just friends."

Seishi nodded and forced himself a smile, as well.

"Right. Really stupid.."

Ayame laughed a bit and then went to go. She said something about Rush Hour and her father needing help, but Seishi had long stopped listening.
Why on earth had he felt such a strange twitch in his heart, when Ayame had said they were just friends? He didn't understand what this was all about. Could it be.. that he had feelings for Ayame?

He was knocking against his head, searching for a clear thought, but there weren't any.

If this really was the case, did that mean he was just shifting his feelings from Sayuri to Ayame because Sayuri had now an eternal Bro Code taboo? Just what kind of asshole does those things?

No, he was definitely imagining things, this had to be some overreaction on becoming Chuunin.

But no matter how much he resisted his feelings, he just couldn't get rid of the idea that he had just been friendzoned and that he definitely didn't like it.

"Kanpai!" Three glasses were crushed against each other and the dark fluid was rushing down the throats.
"Are you kidding me?!"

With a mad expression Seishi put his glass on the table so hard it nearly broke.

"We've become Chuunin so why are we toasting on it with coke? I want sake! SAKE!"

He yelled through the restaurant, but only earned disturbed and pissed glares by it.

Sayuri and Itachi, too, exchanged a telling look.

"What's up with you today? Shouldn't you be a little more.. I don't know.. happy?"

When Itachi had went to Seishi's house to ask him about his results, he had found a picture of misery lying on the couch. To his surprise, Seishi had mumbled more to himself than to Itachi, that he had passed like it was the least important thing in the world.

Now they were strangely meeting to cheer him up a bit instead of celebrating.

"Nah.. I'm happy.. I'm fine."

What a lie. Itachi and Sayuri decided to just let him be.

"Anyway. I can't believe we all became Chuunin! Isn't that awesome? I wonder what kind of missions we will get now."

Sayuri already let her thoughts wander around. Yes, their Genin time was over now. No more babysitting, no more weeding, now it was getting tough! What was waiting for them now? They couldn't wait to find out.

And with these anticipation in their hearts, they raised there glasses one more time.

"Starting today our lives will never be the same again! Starting today everything will get only better, I'm sure of it! Kanpai!"

A hand wearing a black glove held a blood stained letter in his hand. A worried eye examined the words which were still readable. No one knew the expression behind the mask. Was it happy? Or was it filled with concerns and misgivings?

pretty short chapter today, I know, but I'm busy busy busy as always ;)

See you next chapter :D