Disclaimer: Okay, I still don't own it. I'm working on it, but it's kinda hard to buy rights to a show when you don't have a job.
Title: The Leaf Symphony
By: Kawaakari
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:Two Days Before the Exams:
The pink-haired girl fumed and the raven-haired boy watched a flock of geese vee across the sky. "Kakashi-sensei is late again! We were supposed to meet up two hours ago!"
The dark-haired boy shrugged. "He probably overslept again, Sakura-chan." Sakura harrumphed and plopped down on the log next to Sasuke.
"That's harsh, Sasuke-kun." The students turned to stare at the gangly silver-haired man walking up the path. He fixed a hurt look on them. "I didn't oversleep. I just got lost in the shuffle."
Sakura opened her mouth incredulously but Kakashi interrupted her. "Those big exams are coming up, and you two want to move on to the next level, yes? So, we've got to get a move on. Chop chop, brats."
Sasuke slid off the log and Sakura followed obediently. "Sensei, could you tell us about the exams?"
Kakashi tucked his hands into his pockets as he led them down the beaten dirt path. "All of you students will be put in a situation where all your primary and secondary training skills are tested. I think the test is based heavily on your infiltration skills and how long you can escape detection." The tall man tapped his masked lips. "This year, the proctors will be mixed in with the examinees, so don't let your guard down, okay? The Mist Academy is notorious for its insanely difficult exams." His students nodded thoughtfully as they arrived at the crowded clearing.
The scarecrow-like teacher wandered off to talk with the other instructors, leaving his students to mingle. "Ne, Sasuke, do you think we'll find him?" Sakura asked quietly.
For a moment, Sasuke didn't answer. "I don't know." He replied just as quietly. Naruto Uzumaki, the third man of their cell, had disappeared in the middle of the night almost nine years before. No one had seen or heard from him since, although not many had cared. Truthfully, most had celebrated the boy's disappearance, something his teammates couldn't understand.
Sakura chewed her lip indecisively. Part of her wanted to let go of the boy's memory. He had been nothing more than an annoyance when they had been together. Always jumping around, bugging her and Sasuke-kun, and playing his immature little pranks. The other part of her, the mature part that had recently developed, forced her to look back on the whole affair and realize that Naruto had been there for them through thick and thin, always trying to cheer them up even though his attempts were met with hate and scorn.
"Ne, Sakura-chan! Cheer up! Sasuke's just a cold bastard. Forget about him. I'll love you forever!" Crowed a diminutive boy of about eight with hair of spun gold. His features had blurred somewhat over time, leaving a vague idea of striking sapphire blue eyes in a small tanned face.
"Leave me alone! You're so annoying!" Sakura, also eight, shouted back. She planted her tiny fists on her hips, pink hair swinging around her shoulder blades. "Sasuke-kun is so much cooler than you! And smarter! You're nothing but a dead last loser!"
Seventeen-year old Sakura cringed as her remembered insults echoed through her mind. "Idiot! Loser! Dead last! Freak! I hate you!" The mature part of her had shown her what her younger self had missed: Naruto's bright blue eye's dimming, his head ducking submissively as if awaiting some sort of physical blow, his smile fading a little before a large fake grin had been pasted in its place.
Her mind picked out hundreds of little incidents in which either she, Sasuke, or even Kakashi-sensei had shunted Naruto off to the side or attacked him verbally. 'It's amazing that he stayed with us for as long as he did.' Sakura thought, guilt once again clawing through her.
"Oi, Forehead Girl!" Came a familiar call. For the moment, all thoughts of Naruto were swept to the backburner.
"Ino-pig." Sakura growled, feigning a saccharine-sweet smile. The pretty girl with the swishing blond ponytail sauntered up to the pink-haired girl. "Come to drool over Sasuke-kun again?"
"Nah, I've got Shikamaru. I just came to return your wallet. Sorry, but the money seems to have misplaced itself." The blond girl smirked and tossed the slim red wallet to the other girl.
Sakura smiled back predatorialy. "That's okay. Here are your credit cards. I think the one in the middle didn't max itself out." She tossed the plastic rectangles back to the furious blond. The two girls bristled and glared lightning bolts at each other, the area around them clearing out as nearby students sensed the murderous aura between them.
A large hand planted itself on Sakura's forehead, forcing her head to crane back. She stared up into Kakashi's face. "Sakura-chan, we're leaving now. Say good-bye to your friend."
"Good bye, Ino-pig." Sakura said obediently, saccharine-sweetness back. Ino huffed and muttered a farewell before determinedly trekking off to find her boyfriend.
Sakura looked at Kakashi-sensei. His face was buried in a book, Icha Icha Paradise or something. "Is that one of your dirty porn books?"
Kakashi barely looked at her. "It's art." He turned on his heel and navigated his way through the clumps of teenagers surprisingly well for someone with his head buried in a book. The pink-haired girl trailed behind.
Sakura nodded to herself. 'Yep. Porn book.' She spotted Sasuke leaning against a tree by himself and waved for him to follow. They were finally ready to move up.
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AN: Okay, another short, choppy chapter. Sorry. /sigh/ Thanks to my first three reviewers! You are all my favorite!
She.Who.Knows- I am one of the people who do better with reviews. I thought my grammar was sort of iffy.. I'm so happy you'd be willing to turn to a life of crime for my story/teary eyes/
Failing Mentality-It's okay to expect more than I can give. It pressures me to write and doesn't let me lose interest in a story. Hopefully this update makes ye happy.
silver windflame- Indeed. :)