"We do not stop playing because we grow old.
We grow old because we stop playing." -Anonymous
Feeble sunlight filtered through the curtains, the beams weakening before they struck a young teenager in the face, slapping her repeatedly into reality. Emiko groaned, burying her head between her arms as she tried to ignore the wake up call.
"Emiko." It seemed dreamy at first as the person called softly to her, a gently poking in her side meaning the person was trying to prod her awake. Abruptly it stopped as she felt something smack into her head. Hard. Instantly she sat up, rubbing her head and turning to see her blonde roommate walking out of the room smirking in satisfaction.
'Evil…' Emiko glared, her mind gradually awakening to the world as she blinked, rubbing her eyes before she remembered what had happened. With a loud moan of protest she flopped back, crashing back amongst her pillows, faintly wishing if she hit her head hard enough she'd never have to get out of bed. 'How do I face him?' She stared at the ceiling for what felt like minutes before Sakura's familiar face appeared in her view.
"Emiko come on you have to get up." She encouraged, gently shaking her as she tried to persuade the brunette to sit up. Emiko opened her mouth, considering just blurting out she didn't want to see him today but realized instantly it would be a bad idea. Sitting up she rubbed her forehead, images flashing through her head as she pictures what Sakura's reaction would've been.
'This is so…damn it!' She thought as she pulled herself out of bed and grabbed her clothes to change. Sakura left to search out Naruto as it seemed unanimously agreed he wouldn't want to wake up. Emiko glanced warily at a miniature alarm clock Sakura brought and yawned as she read 6:30.
'It's too early for this.' Emiko winced as she stepped into the hallway, pinning herself against the wall as a group of girls ran past her laughing amongst themselves. Emiko sighed, running a hand nervously through her hair before she gathered half into a ponytail while she walked.
"EMI-NEE-CHAN! SAKURA-CHAN!" The brunette groaned as she heard the loud shouts resonating clearly throughout the hall, a few yells of anger could be heard in response. Stepping quietly into the front lobby area she immediately noticed her blonde team mate and...
'Crap,' As though sensing her watching him Sasuke turned his blank gaze to her and she quickly switched to watching Naruto who was declaring that his team would win all the money and become rich and famous.
"Naruto!" Heat rose to her face as she padded towards him, hoping to shut him up before the fellow students pounced on him.
"Emi-nee-chan!" Naruto beamed clearly full of excitement as he spun on his heel blue eyes searching the crowd. "Where's Sakura-chan?" Emiko shrugged, searching through the groups while trying desperately to ignore her dark haired team mate. 'Just…don't say anything,' she instructed herself as she spotted the final member and waved quickly for her to join them.
"Come on we have to hurry!" Sakura wasted no time in ushering them out the door.
The short walk was rather quiet and Emiko welcomed the distracting buzz of conversation as they reached the familiar building. Sakura was the first to reach the door as she held it open politely for the others. Emiko smiled faintly before she entered, noticing the changes. It was the same room they had been tested in earlier but the desks had been cleared away leaving the room bare, the plain white walls glaring at the students in the bright lights. Glancing around the room Emiko shifted on her feet, the groups of students all humming in a quiet crescendo amongst themselves.
Sakura was standing quietly beside Sasuke while Emiko tried to stay as far away as possible without stepping into unspoken territory of another group. In a flash the lights disappeared, plunging the room in a light darkness, the lights from the windows streaming in blockades through the glass.
Sounds of shuttering wood echoed throughout the now silent room and one by one the windows disappeared. As the last light fled Emiko blinked, searching the air before her only to find a suffocating blanket of pure black. Her throat tightened and she gulped, spinning on her heel, hands outstretched as she tried to find her friends. A strangled sound surfaced past her lips and she choked on her breath as she felt a pang of desperation rumbling in the pits of her chest.
"Emi-nee-chan?" Immediately felt a warm hand grasp her arm and her body trembled from sudden relief. Following the faint tug of the hand she heard Sakura whispering quietly to the others to stay close.
"What's going on though?" Naruto spoke Emiko's thoughts as she closed her eyes, her breathing regular once again and as she listened to the sounds of her friends she calmed. Her legs shook and she focused on standing, knowing the sudden contrast from scared to intense relaxation would take a second for adjustment.
"I'm not sure." Emiko opened her eyes and glanced at the area where Sakura's voice came from. Feeling the tips of her lips lift in a smile she let out a silent sigh and turned away, her ears now tuned to hear the sounds of others.
The previous sound of buzzing conversations was dulled, matted and repressed by the darkness swirling through the room, poking at people's fears and snickering cruel words of worry in the ears of others.
Before she could concentrate a light snapped on, the fierce beam thundering through the room and causing many to shy away with loud shouts of surprise protest. Emiko frowned, hands shielding her closed eyes as she tried to fight away the light shining through her eyelids.
Grumbling about the ferocity Emiko blinked, her hand slowly dropping back to her side as she squinted at the light, noticing a young woman standing boldly before them. Adjusting to the light Emiko noticed she had dark hair and a friendly smile before she spoke.
"Time for your next challenge!" Emiko stepped closer to the other three who each stared at the woman with their own characteristic gaze. 'She's likes a dramatic entrance.' Emiko thought to herself as she felt herself wishing for the slithering comfort of the dark.
"This building has 10 floors, 3 rooms per floor, one staircase and an elevator that is currently down for maintenance." The woman recited, hands on her hips in a fashion reminding Emiko of a superhero. 'Why is she telling us this?' Emiko wondered, raising an eyebrow as she caught Naruto's eyes. He mimicked her look before shrugging.
"My name is Mitarashi Anko!" Her hand jerked and Emiko noticed a small string in her hand. With a wide flourish a something unfolded behind her. As the creases fell Emiko tilted her head, almost laughing as she read the girl's name across the banner. Glancing back at the woman still standing in the beam of light Emiko noted a wide grin on her face, something familiar to Naruto's.
'Why'd she talk about the building before she told us her name?' Emiko questioned, slightly confused by the actions.
"The next part of this examination is going to be about ingenuity. Your ability to survive with nothing." Sudden darkness swept in as the light shut off with a loud 'thud'. Emiko instinctively grabbed for a team mate. Cloth folded in her fingers, soft against her fingertips as she stepped closer to Naruto.
"What are you doing?" The dark voice questioned and Emiko stumbled away from Sasuke, her mouth open and her face heating up as she silently receded into the quiet solace of the darkness.
"Who?" Sakura sounded from near him.
"Hn." The brunette dropped her head, her eyes searching the endless dark slate before her while her fingers played softly with the lint in her pocket.
Soft taps sounded through the room, followed by a heavy click as the light was switched back on. Emiko had prepared, listening to the signs as she shielded her eyes but felt herself pushed away by the beams as it shone on the blonde standing a foot away from her. Glowering at the shot of light she noticed Naruto struggling to blink, straining to quickly adjust to the sudden shock as Anko rested her arm on his shoulder.
"Everyone," she seemed to take no notice of the boy she used as a prop and spoke to the mass. "Is going to be left for a school week in this building." Emiko's eyes widened as she looked to the others who seemed shocked by the news as well. "Hidden throughout the different floors and rooms of this building are amounts of food, water and supplies to help you survive. Supplies can be anything from walkie-talkies to spoons." At the last word a light sense of humor rose from her voice and she grinned.
"Each team will need to find and secure a base to last for the five days." Her brown eyes scanned over the crowd. "In five days I'll come back and tell everyone how many losers have been disqualified." Her hand ruffled Naruto's hair before she pulled out a small package of what looked like undersized rocks.
Beaming widely she threw them upon the ground. A miniature explosion rocked the room as smoke plumed into the air, sparks skittering over the ground sending the students back steps to avoid contact. A few people coughed and Emiko covered her mouth as she waved her hand through the haze, hearing Naruto stumble from the area.
Just as before the lights shut off, the old acquaintance of the dark lasting for a second before it lightened, the shadows of people becoming at least discernable and Emiko realized that a light in another room had been turned on, faint rays peeking out into the room.
"Come on." Emiko turned, her eyes focusing on Sakura as she took the lead for a moment before Naruto burst towards the door. The idea passed like an infectious curse as Emiko ran after her friends, weaving through the crowd closing in on her sides, pressing like a giant mass towards the stairs.
The air grew hot as bodies pushed in towards her, Naruto flickering in and out of her vision as she hastened her pace to break out of the suffocation and race into the staircase. A small 'woosh' sounded behind her as the door slammed shut and her eyes darted frantically over the metal stairs before she grabbed a metal plank and lodged it in the doorway, hearing the welcomed sound the thuds of fists on the other side of the door.
"That should buy us some time." She panted and Sakura nodded silently, winded before she looked to the males.
"We should split up and cover as much ground as possible." Metallic footsteps sounded and Emiko dared a glance at Sasuke as he walked up the stairs, his back towards them as he appeared to care less about the conversation.
"Sakura we don't have any ways of communication." Emiko pointed out, groaning beneath her words as she began to jog up the stairs with the others.
Naruto paused and Sakura stopped, leaning against the railing as they fell into a dead silence, the echoes of the pounding door drumming in the background like a funeral march. 'I think we made them made…' Emiko thought to herself as she rested against the railing in a fashion similar to Sakura.
Mismatched eyes glanced at where Sasuke had been and she blinked to see empty space. 'Where'd he go?' A loud crash answered her as she rushed past the other two to see Sasuke standing passively before a door, apathetic eyes gazing past the swinging door to the dark room behind it.
Emiko paused, not really wanting to speak to him as she didn't know what she could say. Footsteps sounded softly behind her and she turned gratefully to see Sakura and Naruto appear.
"Our base can be here." Sakura spoke up as she strode forward, inspecting the inside of the room. "Right, Sasuke-kun?" Emerald eyes turned hopefully towards the Uchiha, desperation for recognition in her iris. His eyes closed his head tilting away as he refused to respond.
"Yeah Sakura-chan!" Naruto cheered in an attempt to cover for the cold brush off.
"We'll keep the lights off and cover it with some debris so they think it's broken." Emiko hesitated in the doorway, feeling an unnerving stare in her back as she entered the room, quickly straining to adjust to the darkness coating the insides.
"Emiko, you and I will stay here." Sakura declared, the familiar touch of hurt in her voice as Emiko glanced to see Sakura watching Sasuke from the corner of her eyes. "Sasuke-kun and Naruto can go and gather provisions." She overturned a box and the brunette cringed as she heard the clangs of objects crashing into the tile floor.
'I hope no one heard that…' she thought, regarding Sakura with curiosity as she tore off a side of the box and covered the small window in the door. Getting to her knees Emiko shifted through the items, feeling over the surfaces gingerly as she recognized a few of the objects in the dim light.
Flicking one of the knobs a static buzz broke the thoughts and Emiko tossed one of the walkie-talkies to Naruto. Finding its partners she turned each on, checking the frequencies before she passed one to each, careful to avoid Sasuke's eyes as she passed one to him.
"We need food and some supplies to lock the door securely." Sakura said, standing as she caught the other's attention. Naruto nodded, grinning once again as he pumped his fist into the air.
"We'll do it!"
hope you enjoyed. Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed! Sorry it took so long I had a brain combustion xP I will finish this story before my school starts on August 16th. Pinkie promise! I'm not telling you what comes next. haha!
-shyshi
