The Deadly Game
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Period. Kagitsu and Nunota are mine. Use them as you wish, if you want. Just let me know so I can read the story…
Ryu: Hi everyone:Looks around as crickets chirp. Turns to Gaara: No one's here.
Gaara: Well, you did leave them waiting for a while.
Ryu: :Eyes well up: I didn't mean to…now I'm writing for…no one?
Gaara: No, not no one… If you write again, people will come back.
Ryu: You think so?
Gaara: I know so…
Chapter 3: The Game Begins
As the wind from Kagi's exit died down, the guys turned to one another.
"How exactly does this guy expect us to do this?" asked Naruto. "We have to fight, use our heads, and make sure that we have enough to deal with whatever is in the last two areas. That's going to be difficult."
"He doesn't," said Neji quietly. "That's the point of this game. He wants us, or at least some of us, not to make it. He wants to keep as many of the girls as he can."
Shikamaru stepped up. "Well, we can beat him at his own game, if we're smart. Since there's no time limit in here, apparently, we can use that to our advantage. If we don't use too much chakra, gather any throwing weapons we use, and rest when we need to, we should be able to stay able and ready for the next rooms.
"Well, if we are going to do this," said Sasuke, "We should get going." The others nodded.
"Hey, wait a minute!" Naruto interjected. "What about teams? We should decide now."
"Kagitsu-san said that the teams would be random," said Lee.
"Don't call her Kagi," said a voice.
Everyone turned to Gaara. "Huh?" questioned Naruto, confused.
"I said, don't call her Kagi," he repeated. "That's the name that asshole gave her. It's not even really a name." His eyes burned.
"Well, what are we supposed to call her?" asked Sasuke. "She doesn't really have a name."
Gaara looked around. "Aki."
Choji nodded. "Aki. Autumn. It's fitting, and rather pretty."
"Ok then, Aki-kun said that," said Lee, earning himself a glare from Gaara.
Kiba was kneeling on the ground. "So we have no idea who we're going to be teamed up with?" He patted Akamaru. "Man, that bites."
"I agree," said Kankurou. He was glaring around the group, hoping to be paired with someone at least semi-rational.
"How troublesome," muttered Shikamaru. "Now we can't set up balanced teams. We'll just have to take things as they come."
"This will actually be a good chance to get to know people," said Sasuke in a rare display of teamwork. "We can know how they fight, and adapt accordingly."
Neji nodded. "And let's remember. We're here to rescue the girls. We have to work together to do this. I'm sure that this guy will have things that will test our teamwork, and if it isn't solid, there's a good chance we will lose people. We cannot afford that. Just remember, anger and frustration cannot be taken out on your teammate." Everyone looked around, then nodded.
"Well then, let's get going," said Naruto. "How do we get to the first area?"
Kiba pointed to the ground, still covered in sparkly green haze. "I think this will lead us where we need to go."
The group trudged along the path, fallen leaves crunching beneath their feet, following the haze. Finally, the haze stopped and covered the bottom of a huge tree. A door cut into the trunk stood ajar.
"Well, this looks like it," stated Kiba.
"So what? We just walk through?" asked Naruto.
"That's what it looks like," said Gaara.
The group looked around themselves again, and filed through the door.
Ryu: Alright, it's short. But it's just a transitional chapter between areas.
Gaara: I know what you did to me…
Ryu: Sorry, but the master sees you two as a threat.
Gaara: You do realize that the two of us together is going to be weird.
Ryu: :Smiles: Yup…