The Calling
By ShinobiSpirit
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Author's Ranting #3: Hoi Hoi, all. I recently stumbled upon an error in my chapter's list. Somehow 1 and 2 got switched up.. no idea. It's fixed. Thanks for your reviews and such. I'll let you to it.
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The gang sat encircled around an open flame as night had finally set in. They had spent most of the day discussing the mission and relaying clues that both teams came across on their journey so far. Unfortunately, they were unable to come up with a reasonable conclusion, thus making the situation all the more troublesome.
Sasuke was probably the most irritated at the moment. His apathy towards the others was blatantly obvious, as he spent the majority of the time thinking to himself. The worst part was they may end up meeting the rest of Konoha's genin along the way. 'How annoying..'
Meanwhile, Sakura was having an inner battle of her own. Lee sat directly across from her, shooting her goofy looks that made her cringe in disgust. 'Ew! Ew!!!' [Too thick! Too thick! Ahh!] After a grueling fifteen minutes, Sakura decided she'd just go for a walk to calm her nerves.
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Slipping away from the others unnoticed had proved to be a bit more challenging than she anticipated, but she managed to escape somehow. It was good, too, for she was in no mood to play hide and seek with Lee.
Letting out a sigh of relief, Sakura slowed to a stop and rested her back against the bark of a tree. Though rather rugged, the surface was quite cool through the fabric of her red dress, causing her to relax a little. For once she was glad to have a little peace and quiet to herself--she couldn't even recall the last time she had felt so at ease.
Of course, the situation they were all in didn't allow much room for such laid back activities. They always had to be on the move, prepared for anything and thinking beyond the normal. That was the life, the purpose of a ninja. And as such, she respected those guidelines of their lifestyle with pride and determination.
"Sakura." A voice called from above, causing an impulse to shoot up Sakura's spine. She stumbled backwards from the tree, her intense jade eyes searching for the source of the voice. "Who's there?"
As if on cue, Sasuke dropped from the shield the foliage of the tree provided. He rose and shoved his hands in his pockets, giving the pink-headed girl a look of both amusement and irritation. "It's dangerous out here." He remarked coolly.
Sakura's mouth was agape. Every time he talked like that, she felt a shiver all over. This time wasn't any different. "Are you worried about me, Sasuke-kun?" She asked hopefully, smiling like a little school girl. He didn't answer her, but she was fine with that; the look he gave her spoke louder than words.
Silence enveloped the both of them as they simply gazed at each other from a distance. Maybe things would never be played out in fairy-tale fashion as Sakura so desired, but somehow, it didn't matter to her anymore. Now it was more of these type of subtle, bonding moments they shared that mattered most to her. 'I wonder if he feels the same way..'
"We should head back." Sasuke muttered, shattering the blissful silence. As he turned his back to her, however, he didn't miss the disappointment which filled his female comrade's clear green eyes. At the same time, it had little to no effect on him, and he shuffled his feet along the ground in a laid back-type fashion. He didn't have to look behind him to know she was following not far behind.
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When they arrived back at camp, they found the others fast asleep around the descending flames of the fire--with the exception of Neji, who was sitting cross-legged in a meditating-like state.
Sakura quietly stepped over to her bag and tugged out her rolled up sleeping bag, flipping it out onto the ground and unrolling it. After a moment, she sat down and laid back, falling asleep almost instantly.
Sasuke was left sitting beside his teammate, the sound of her steady breathing pulling him, too, into an unconscious state of sleep.
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Morning was quick to come as the light of the sun pierced through the dense foliage of the tree's. Sakura had gotten up early, tending to breakfast with the help of TenTen, who seemed to be an expert at cooking meals with the absence of proper utensils.
"Mmmm.." Lee purred in wanton at the delicious aurora filling his nostrils in the crisp morning breeze. "I never knew you could cook so well, Sakura-san!" He commented happily, adorning the pink-headed ninja with admiration. She forced an awkward smile as she poked at the fire a bit, feeling somewhat guilty for taking the credit when it was actually meant for TenTen. Somehow, though, she knew TenTen was probably used to Lee's antics by now.
After eating breakfast and exchanging last minute instructions, the five genin gathered their gear and set off on the Eastern trail, oblivious to the danger that soon awaited them.
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"This is a bit risky, don't you think?" Kakashi commented, his visible eye focused on the scene playing in the crystal sphere's center.
The older man behind the crystal ball brought his hand up to the brim of his wide hat, tugging it down over his face. "I understand your concern, Kakashi, but we need to know which one of them it is."
"Mn.." He agreed half heartedly, his hands shoved in his pockets. Usually he wouldn't have minded dumping them off on an island and seeing how long they could manage until he would have to come teach them another lesson in being a ninja, but in this case, it was more than just a mission to test their skills.
Someone's life was hanging in the balance.
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Been a while. Sorry.
SS
