Cynthia jumped down from the tree and landed lightly on the ground.

Did I hear that right? Naruto held his nose and blew until his ears popped. She wants to fight me?

Cynthia picked up her halberd and slung it across her shoulders. "No response, eh. I'll just take it that you don't care if jutsu or martial arts are better than one another."

"Of course I do!" He jumped up and pointed at her. "That was lucky! That was lucky! You'd be in pain by now if I knew you were going to break the branch!"

"OK, so, fight me."

"SHADOW CLONE NO JUTSU!"

And in an instant, Cynthia was surrounded by six Naruto clones. Cynthia looked around with a bored look. "Right, can we get this over with?"

"You'll regret it!"

And so it began.

All the clones attacked at once. Cynthia grabbed the leg of one and slammed it into the other, throwing them both against a tree. She ducked and caught a third clone with a hard upward kick to the stomach. The fourth the tripped and stepped on with force. Cynthia would have used her halberd, had there only been one Naruto so she knew who's head she was chopping off.

And fifth and sixth were the easiest. She dodged a punch from one, making him accidentally punch the other, and then kicked them both.

She wiped her forehead, panting. "That was a workout." She muttered. "Wait…" She looked down at the clones. They were beginning to disappear. "One, two… Naruto made six clones. So where is he?"

She backed against a tree and held up her fists, scanning the clearing and the trees above.

She squealed when something tapped her shoulder.

Cynthia turned her head to look over her shoulder. Nothing…

She felt her arms being grabbed. She was pushed farther against the tree. Cynthia turned her head back to glare into the eyes of Naruto.

"Never look elsewhere in battle." He said matter-of-factly.

Then they just stopped to catch their breath. Cynthia's breathing was ragged and tired, but Naruto's was slow and easy. Lots of stamina.

"And thus it is proven," Naruto said finally. "That ninjas are better than martial artists."

"That was lucky!" Cynthia replied. "Martial artists can't use magic junk! Fight me without jutsu!"

"'That was lucky.' That's what I said when you broke the tree branch!" Naruto laughed.

Cynthia looked around. There it was… Her halberd. Not too far away, either. She pushed her toe into the ground and wriggled it under the hilt, smiling innocently at Naruto. "Of course, Naruto! I'm terribly sorry about that. Will you listen for a second? I have something important to say."

Naruto blinked. "What's that?"

"I win."

She flicked the halberd up at an angle so the flat of the blade bashed into the back of Naruto's head, knocking him out. She smirked and laid it across her shoulders, picked up Naruto with her other arm. "Yeah, don't mess with me."

Erk… Head hurts… Naruto sat up and rubbed the bump tenderly on his head. He was up on the wall, overlooking the forest. Was it a dream? Then he heard the high-pitched shriek:

"You WHAT?"

No, it wasn't a dream.

Edward braced himself. Cynthia picked it up, then simply dropped her ramen bowl on Edward's head. "HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME?"

"Calm down, sheesh. You'll only be teaching for the month, and I'll be teaching alchemy lessons to the groups… AND DAMN THIS IS HOT!" He pulled off the bowl and shook his head, getting ramen everywhere.

"TEACHING? I'll be tutoring groups in martial arts? They have their ninja crap! Most of them know martial arts already anyway!"

"Too bad. You don't do it, you don't become a combat specialist!"

"… You suck."

"So who are we waiting for?" Sakura asked, sighing.

"We were just told to wait here." Naruto replied, sitting in a tree. "I dunno who's coming."

"Obviously, someone we don't know as well as sensei…" Sasuke said.

Cynthia climbed the tree like she did the day before. She sat down silently next to Naruto, who was looking down at Sakura and Sasuke on the ground, and muttered, "Boo."

"GRAGGHH!" Naruto caught himself before he fell. "CYNTHIA!"

Cynthia giggled. "What are you doing? Hanging around?"

"Not funny. We're busy, okay? We're waiting for someone."

"Who's obviously important." Sasuke threw in.

"On the contrary!" Cynthia jumped from the tree and landed gently on the grass. "I'll be teaching you in the art of kung fu, judo, and a manner of other martial arts. Your sensei says that it would be good for you to learn how to fight that just throwing little knives around."

She pointed specifically at Sasuke. "And if you point that stupid knife at me like you did Ed I'll fail you!"

"You can't fail me, I'm already a ninja." He replied, tapping his headband.

"I don't give a crap!" She shouted. "Dammit! Go find a sword. I've hidden two throughout this area of the forest. Whoever gets back last doesn't get lunch!"

Naruto dropped to the ground, and the three shot off in different directions.

"Heh…" Cynthia mumbled, jumping back into the tree. "Should have stayed longer. The forest is riddled with booby traps, I forgot to mention."

Naruto looked up. A sword was dangling from a branch. "That was too…"

"Easy."

"HEY!"

Sasuke landed, the sword clutched in one hand. "You've got to be faster than that, Naruto!" He laughed dryly and took off. Naruto, face burning, took of after them.

"I'M GONNA KILL YOU, SASUKE!"

Everything was going fine for Sasuke. He could easily outdistance Naruto. But…

Snap!

Sasuke cried out in pain and surprise. He fell, looking back to see what happened. A bear trap had snapped shut over his ankle, and the pain was unbearable. It had already started bleeding terribly. One of the trap's teeth had torn into his skin, but most of the others missed his skin altogether. He looked to the side, trying not to look at his own blood. He decided to focus on a deep indent in the ground until…

Naruto came up and picked up the sword. "Yes! Now…" He looked down at Sasuke. "Oh my God. Should I go get Cynthia? Or Sakura? Or…"

"No!" Sasuke hissed. "Just wrap it up, I'll be fine!"

"No, dammit, you won't." Naruto reached over and pulled off Sasuke's head protector, tying it around his leg. "I'll take you back to Cynthia whether you like it or not."

Sasuke sighed. "Whatever…"

"Good, Sakura!" Cynthia smiled. "Just put it down and wait for Sasuke and Naruto. Lunch is over there, help yourself!"

Sakura smiled. "Thank you, Miss. Suhn."

"I am Cynthia. CYNTHIA!"

"Right!" Sakura shrugged and just went off to practice walking up trees.

Cynthia returned to polishing her halberd. She could see her face in it, but she also saw something else. Once she swept the rag across the blade for a tenth time, her eyes changed. First they were emerald, and then they were scarlet, then black. What was happening?

She head the bushes rustle. Cynthia lifted her eyes in silence.

Naruto stood there, holding Sasuke, who was holding the other sword. Cynthia smiled. "Good work." She said, and then returned to her polishing.

"GOOD WORK?" Naruto set Sasuke down. "I WALK ALL THAT DISTANCE BACK HERE, CARRYING SASUKE, AND ALL I GET IS A GOOD WORK?"

But Cynthia just knelt by Sasuke and untied his headband. "Oh. I didn't know it would go that deep. I'll have Edward fix it." She handed him a leaf. "Chew this up and put it in the wound, it will stop the bleeding. Okay?"

Sasuke nodded.

"HEY! I'M TALKING TO YOU, SUHN!" Naruto raged.

"Shut up." Cynthia said simply.

"WHAT?"

"I told you to shut up. Once Sasuke stops bleeding Edward with fix the skin and it will be like it never happened. You both found the sword at the same time. So you both get lunch. So shut up and go get some food for yourself and Sasuke." Cynthia sat back down on a log and pulled out a mirror, also whipping out a tube of lipstick.

"What are you getting dressed up for?" Sakura asked, nibbling on her lunch.

"Edward and I are going out tonight. He wanted to make it up to me for making me do this."

"Oh, how romantic! Where are you going?" Sakura asked, suddenly interested. Inner Sakura: NOW I MUST GET SASUKE TO ASK ME OUT!

"We're going to some fancy restaurant. Alchemists get paid big time by the military. Ed already has enough cash to pay his taxes for the rest of his live, and extra money, even if you cut out food, clothes, and the necessities." She rolled the lipstick onto her lips and smacked them. "It's not cash I'm interested in. Edward's genes are very complex, and very vexing. To have the alchemic talent is not a curse, nor is it a gift. But Ed always looks on the brighter side of things. There was a terrible accident seven years ago that changed the lives of both he and his brother forever. He refuses to speak of it and always changes the subject."

Cynthia smiled at Sakura as she began to apply blush. "If you want a guy to like you, you have to find out more about him, don't just chase him around. Do a little research."

Sakura blushed and looked at Sasuke. Inner Sakura: OK, listen, how are you so much smarter than me when you're the same age?

Sasuke looked at Cynthia, then quietly began to push the herbs into the wound from the trap. After a minute of silence he said, "You set up traps, didn't you?"

"You're just now figuring that out."

"I just wanted to make sure." Sasuke's mind flashed back to the indent he focused on. "There was a deep indent near the trap. You dropped your halberd, right? It must have slipped from your hands as you set up the trap."

"Almost. I jammed it into the ground so I didn't have to hold it." Cynthia smiled. "The lesson of this was teamwork and visualization. I knew that one of you would get snared in a trap and the other had to help. Visualization is to examine the scenery around you, or to look around and see where you are, what it looks like, and if there is any possible danger."

Sasuke nodded. "I get it. You planned for all of us to do what we did."

"Actually, you ran off before I could tell you about the traps."

Naruto stared at her with a 'YOU BITCH!' look.

She smiled nervously and waved. "Well, um, I have to go… Do something… That doesn't involve you okay bye!"

She sped off with her halberd, turning a light shade of red. Those eyes… She thought. Her mind raced to the memory of Sasuke's eyes. They're so…dark. Hm…

She stopped. Like... Hers. In her reflection. She pulled her halberd over her shoulder to glance into it. Yes. The emerald shine was gone, and her eyes were reduced to a flashing jet black. She sat down on a fallen log and ran her fingers through her bangs. She glanced into her halberd once more then set it on the ground. Her date wasn't until later. So Cynthia pulled out a knife and a rag and started polishing.

She smiled. This always got her mind off things and made her concentrate on not cutting off her fingers. But…

She stopped again. What?

Her eyes.

They changed.

First they were blade, in the halberd. Now they were scarlet, then blue, then gold, then a sickly white. She was too much in shock to say anything more then "Eek!"

Her face changed shape. Her chin receded and her nose became long and sharp, her cheeks pulled out with it. Her pupils disappeared and her eyes turned scarlet once more. Her teeth grew into long, ivory fangs.

"Cyyyyynthiaaaa!"

She threw the knife into a tree. The voice was familiar.

"Cynth! Hello! Look UP!"

Cynthia looked up. And there sat Edward, in a tree.

"You look spooked. What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Cynthia replied with a snap. "Our date is later. Go get ready."

"What's the rush? We have like, two hours to kill."

"Then go heal Sasuke!" She replied sharply. "He's injured badly in his ankle. I want to be alone right now."

"Whatever." He jumped down and made a bike from the ground. "Later."

Once Edward was gone, Cynthia said, "Sakura?"

"Erk…" Sakura stepped out of the bushes. "Sorry… But what was that all about? You really WERE spooked. You were staring at your knife…"

Cynthia looked like at Sakura. Sakura noticed her eyes were scarlet and her pupils were slits. "Sakura…"

"Yes?"

"Have you even known someone who was cursed at birth?"