Kaiyuga: {Has an insane look burning in her now bright beryl yellow eyes} Ooooooooooh, Kohaku- saaaaaaaaaan....

Kohaku- san & KakashiLvr: {O.O}

Kaiyuga: We've only just started playing...{coos in a poisoned honey voice}

KakashiLvr: {chuckles slightly, her vocal cords becoming jittery in speech} P-p-p-play-playing?! Wh- What m-made you thi- think that?

Kaiyuga: {Grins darkly while snarling} Weapons are for the weak.

{Kaiyuga incinerates Kohaku- san's Kurama plushie}

{Fires a set of black talons from her fingers, and charges for Kohaku- san}

Kohaku- san: {Is frozen in fear}

KakashiLvr: DAMMIT!

{KakashiLvr slides in front of Kohaku- san to protect her}

KakashiLvr: KAI; C'MON!! IT'S ME, KAKASHILVR!!

{Kaiyuga, in her primal insanity, ignores KakashiLvr's pleas}

?????: It's no use.

{KakashiLvr and Kohaku- san watch as Kit walks out in front of them}

Both: KIT?!

Kit: {nods} She's under his influence, since we fought him a few days ago...

KakashiLvr: {Getting behind Kit} "He"? He who?

Kit: {Just about to answer when Kai claws her in the abdomen} GUH!

Both (KakashiLvr and Kohaku- san): KIT!!

Kit: {poof}

Kai: {Digs claws into the ground before lunging and clawing Kohaku- san deep into her shoulder}

Kai: {Eyes dilate into slits of pure madness} KIT!!!

Kit: Hmph....You're fast today...

{Kai retaliates before she can say the name}

Kai: I WILL NOT BE TAKEN!!! {Eyes lock on KakashiLvr}

{Kai grins the death grin}

The silver haired Jounin was oblivious to the world around him as he sank into the pages of forgotten lust and exuberant action.

That is, until a fist bopped him good in the head.

"BAKA!" Kakashi turned to who had made the hit, and saw it was Anko.

"Huh? Oh." Kakashi slipped Icha Icha Paradise into his vest before Anko caught the name, "Yes?"

"Iruka needs to speak with you. He seemed really worried about something. Said it's got to do with one of your students...." Kakashi's body froze, knowing who Anko was speaking of.

"And another thing..." Kakashi snapped back into reality.

"We...found another genin. Doesn't have a team, not registered, she's just there..."

"What does she look like?"

"Fair. Can't see her face. Blonde hair. Yee tall,"Anko measured a hand to Kakashi's shoulder, "But the weirdest thing was her eyes..."

"Hmm?"

"Well, they were..."

............

"Are you feeling okay now, Aki?" Aki had a distant look in her eyes when she suddenly blinked and looked at Kage.

"Yeah...I guess so..." She went back to staring at an irrelevant spot, her mind whirring with questions.

(That feeling... I know it from somewhere......But where...?) In truth, she didn't feel okay.

Her breathing had been restored, but her heart kept on getting weird palpitations. What's worse, she couldn't seem to focus on any one thing. Vague, distant...almost dead- like...

"And now we will introduce our referee, Hayate." The name struck Aki's mind like a hammer to an anvil.

She looked up as the sick Jounin walked to the center, and flipped a clipboard to check names.(Hayate...SHIT! WhatdoIdo?! WhatdoIdo?!)

{Are you getting scaaaaared?}

(SHUT UP, SIKULIAH!)

{My...I see my treatment still hasn't opened your eyes yet...} Aki froze.

(You made me cough up blood?! You poisoned me?!) A laugh was heard.

{Oh no, you just made yourself weaker to me with those pills you were taking like candy!}

(You hurt me!)

{Like I give a damn?}

(Fuck off.)

{Excuse me? I didn't hear that.}

(FUCK OFF! JUST LEAVE ME THE FUCK ALONE!) A pitied sigh came from within her.

{I have no choice...You force me to go another step...} Aki could hear the hidden "Oh well" in his frozen voice.

She braced herself for a repeat of mental blows. But instead felt nothing. She opened her eyes, a voice distantly approaching her ears.

"Ak………Ak…Aki?" She looked up at Kage with half moon eyes.

"Hmmm?" She scratched behind her head, and massaged her right arm, "Whazzup?"

"You looked…strange…Is everything okay?"

"Whu?" Aki blinked, "Oh yeah…fine…"

Her eyes swiveled slightly before seeing the opponent board. It was Sasuke's go.

"Sasuke." He stopped a little away from Aki.

"Don't let him touch you. And don't rely on the mark. You never know what may occur." Sasuke kept his stone face, but in his mind, he knew Aki was telling him something.

It had become a thing with Aki; to warn the future with riddles. To her, it was a sure way she wouldn't blabber anything, but if the recipient was too stupid to solve the riddle...

She buried her face in her arms, a small black cloud fuming over her head. Apparently, Sasuke wasn't smart enough. She watched, with little or no interest, as Sasuke's charka was being taken out by Kabuto's teammate, Yoroi, who evidently had no eyes to start with. She watched as Sasuke did his Shishi Rendan, smashing the ninja into the ground.

She heaved a huge sigh, as though it took an effort to do so. Kakashi noticed this, and had kept an eye on her and Kage, who was watching with fear, anticipation and raw excitement.

"Kage," Aki's voice droned, "There's no need to jump...I know who wins this match...Hell, ANYONE can tell..."

Kakashi's mind was in deadlock as he tried, once more, on how Aki's mind worked. She was unpredictable; one moment, she would be smiling and being cheerful, the next? Belligerent and bloodlust would be painted in her eyes. Though dubbed the Copy Ninja all his life, he could never quite see the quilt lines in Aki. A mystery of itself, which was the puzzling thing of all.

And who was the newcomer? From what Aki said, her name was "Kage". Was she a Shadow Jutsu user? Maybe she was a paradox or an oxymoron to her name. Kakashi didn't know enough. He sneaked a peek with his Sharingan and mentally jumped.

Kage's Inner Coils System...

Was entirely different.

Unbalanced, and by the looks of the meridians...Completely altered. How would she be able to use chakra if her system was out of order?!

"That son of a bitch…THAT SON OF A BITCH!!!" Kage jumped at Aki's shout.

"What?"

"I warned him! I'm fucking warned him!!! And now look what he's done….Just great!! I thought we could have avoided that, but no!" She stopped herself, "He won. Everything is going according to plan, so I'll just shrug it off." She inhaled, frustrated at how her attempts didn't get through Sasuke's arrogance.

Kakashi stopped short. "According to plan"?!?! What was she scheming?! Aki faced Kakashi, sectioning him from his thoughts.

"Kakashi." Her voice was sincere, as though she was older than he was.

"Hmm? What is it?" He was a bit off edge from Aki's outburst.

"When you go down there to get Sasuke, watch out for hidden snakes in the underbrush of the kunai." HUH?!

"Ummm, I'll do that…" Kakashi was baffled beyond words or thoughts.

How the hell did she know he was just about to poof himself down on the ring to get Sasuke?! This troubled him little, since Sasuke looked to be in bad shape. Kakashi carefully walked Sasuke out of the stadium to perform his Fuuja Houin on Sasuke's Curse seal, which seared with pain.

Aki sneaked a grin.

(Good job, Sasuke. You still cease to amaze me…even though I know your chosen path…)

…………

Aki looked back to the screen, and blinked. It was Shino against Zaku.

"Hey, Shino." He quietly walked by.

"Blow his arms off!" She grinned.

When Shino returned, Aki had at least looked less dead. She actually came to her senses a bit. She congratulated on Shino's victory, smirking.

"Hmm? Oh, hey, Kakashi." Sakura and Naruto jumped.

"Hey." Kakashi appeared from the swirl of smoke.

How did Aki know he was ther- oh right. When Sakura was up, Aki patted her on the back.

"You're gonna relive a few pasts, but don't worry. You'll make it through." Aki winked.

With Aki telling everyone riddles, Kage was in the danger zone of confusion. And possibly jealousy.

"How come YOU know what happens?!"

"Cause I pay attention." Was that a riddle or an honest answer?

"What about me then?!" Aki was leaning against the handrail.

"Well, you said you were psychic back home; what do you think?"

"Yeah, but they just randomly come up! I don't have a clue, but evidently, you do!"

While this was going on, Naruto was fighting Kiba.

"Oi! Kiba!" He looked up at Aki.

"Ya barking up the wrong tree, mate!"

"WHAT MAKES YOU SAY THAT?!"

"That." Aki pointed at the duplicate of himself, "Who's the REAL one now?"

"Aki."

"Hmm?"

"I'm scared."

"What for?"

"Well, you told me a little of the storyline….What if I face that Sand dude. The one with the gourd?"

"Gaara?! No way, you're not facing him." She fingered Kage.

"He's facing Lee." She whispered, pointing at the thick brows protégé.

"HIM?!" Kage hissed back, incredulous.

"Sadly….he doesn't win….and- "

"What are you two talking about?" Kage and Aki jumped.

Sakura had recovered from her blows, and had seen Aki and Kage talking in hushed voices.

"Huh?" Aki cleared her throat.

"What?" Kage fidgeted with her scarf to make sure her face was still covered.

"What were you two talking about?" Uh oh; think fast.

"Stuff that young ears shouldn't hear, if they value the cleanliness of their minds." That turned the Sakura off.

She wheeled around and sat back down against the wall.

"That wasn't very nice, Aki." Aki snickered.

"Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. Which reminds me." She looked over at Kage.

"You have not a single kunai or shuriken on you. How the hell do you think you're gonna win in the prelims, much less the third test?" She chuckled, going into her shuriken holster and the small pack behind her waist.

"Here. Take these. You'll need them." Kage hesitated before taking them.

"Aki?" Her voice wavered.

"Hmm?"

"Can you die in the prelims?" Aki turn her head over her shoulder to vaguely see Kage.

"You can die anywhere if you're a ninja." Kage gulped, "But don't worry. No deaths will occur here." She didn't dare tell Kage that she had not a clue as to their paths in the future.

Last thing she needed was a break- down. But she was safe, though she didn't know if the line up was confused or not.

…………

It pained Aki so greatly when Hinata faced Neji. Naruto was shouting for Hinata, unbearable to watch her lose to Neji.

"Hinata, please!" She looked up at Aki.

"Don't let him past you!" She hoped she could turn the situation around.

When Neji started to do his speech about destiny that couldn't be changed, Aki was coming close to screwing up the match. Thanks to her hands, he perched on the handrail, glaring with hatred for Neji.

"Uh, Aki?" Kage back away from Aki's face.

(That arrogant, self centered, pompous bastard!) Every word she could think of to fit Neji fueled her rage.

"Aki?"

Her eyes were changing.

"Aki?!"

Fangs slowly slid over her teeth.

"Aki!"

She snapped out of it.

"What?" She blinked, realizing how she was balanced on the three-inch thick steel pipe.

"Are you okay?"

"Fine." Aki's dead voice signaled that she knew the bitter end.

She turned away as Hinata fell to the ground, coughing up blood. She screwed her eyes shut as she continuously ran her fingers through her hair.

"I'm sorry, Hinata." She whispered, trying not to cry, "I couldn't save you."

She pinched her eyelids to stop herself from crying, and sniffed once or twice. She cleared her throat and looked at Kage.

"So, Lee and Gaara are next." Kage stared at the board.

"What?"

Aki looked over at the board and froze.

"Oh no…"

"This is…impossible…" Kage and Aki were horror- struck at the names that popped up on the board now.

Berokunta Akiosu

Vs.

Kage