-16-
A Student's Eyes
The rest of the teams were slowly taken away, one by one, each teacher grabbing a file from Carl-sensei as they made their way through the door. One teacher stopped for a moment to whisper something to Carl-sensei. The chuunin glared angrily at the jounin as he left. My mind instantly flashed to Team 7 and Kakashi when I realized my team was the last on in the room. I could only hope my teacher wouldn't be like...three hours late.
It was funny how even with so few people left in the room, I was still being stared at. Gaara's eyes were locked onto me from where he'd taken a seat on the desk in front of me. Machiko had made it difficult for him to sit beside me. She was staring at me too. Her wide blue eyes staring at me in awe and happiness, as per usual, from her seat beside me, leaning against me with her head on my shoulder. I was tempted to shove her away, and a little frustrated that she wasn't listening to my order to stay away from me. My heart was still racing with Gaara this close. I didn't want to hurt her.
From his place by the doorway, Carl-sensei let out a loud sigh, "Alright you three, you can leave."
I frowned, "But our teacher isn't here. You said he'd meet with us once the others were gone."
"He'll meet up with you at training ground 9 in the morning...around ten."
"Why isn't he meeting us today like all the other teachers?" I asked, crossing my arms in frustration.
"Because your teacher just found out the Kazekage has ordered him to be your teacher, and he now feels the need to drown himself in alcohol to help him come to terms with the fact that he must have died and been sent to Hell for some terrible crime he can't seem to remember committing, but must have to deserve being stuck with your team."
"And how do you know that?" I raised an eyebrow, not even offended. After all, I was mortified with my team too. Well...One member. I could handle any other person. I could probably even mold them into another guard, but instead, I got my failed first attempt. I got someone I needed to be protected from!
"We're pretty close." Evasive. Interesting. I wondered who it could be. I knew a handful of people who were eligible for the position, but it could have been anyone. I hoped it was one of the people I knew though. They'd treat us fairly. They'd actually teach us. But from the sounds of it, our teacher didn't want this job.
That kinda told me I had no hope.
'Sora' wasn't an 'active' shinobi, because you never saw his headband, but he had the skill, and he had ties with the Kazekage if his ability to order the ANBU told me anything. He would have wanted to teach us, because he could spend more time than ever before molding Machiko and I into whatever it was he had planned.
Takeo was a jounin. Had been for a couple years. He was young, but hey...wasn't every ninja? He would have accepted the moment someone said I was on the team so he could 'protect me' and 'make sure I didn't get any too violent missions' or 'anything where I could get hurt.' The guy was fucking nuts if he thought I was a delicate little flower. I mean, I was hospitalizing people with my prosthetic leg in my free time. I think it's safe to say I was made for violent missions by this point.
My father would have accepted too. Of course, that'd make our luck even worse...
Mother was retired, but she'd agree for a chance to legally torture me...in the name of 'love'.
Kazuo wasn't an option...and neither was Kazuko. They were medics with full time duty at the hospital.
And once again, Satoru wasn't even a citizen of Suna. Actually, I was curious as to why he was still here. Like, I understood that he was here to teach me, but he'd been here for years now, never once even taking a trip back to Ame to visit the rest of our family. Of course, neither had I, but that was more of a 'my parents aren't allowed to go to Ame because they have a 'kill on sight' order there, and without them I'd be kinda fucked because I don't know any family members besides those three?', then what ever reason he had for not showing up.
So...it had to be someone I didn't know.
Which meant...I needed information, because if he turned out to be a prejudicial prick, I'd have to arrange...something...with 'Sora'.
"Aw, Carl-sensei has friends! Did you hear that, Machiko-chan?"
"Machiko did! So cute, Carl-sensei!"
"Just get out of the classroom."
"Oh, c'mon sensei!" I protested, "Can't you tell us about him?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"Because I have to go to the bar." Carl-sensei said, grabbing all the files remaining on top of his desk.
I pouted. Come on. They didn't even have cars in this shitty world. Why the fuck did Carl have to be the designated walker!?
"Oh well. Machiko is sure we can have lots of fun with New-sensei tomorrow, Aisako-sama! Now, how about Aisako and Machiko go get some food?"
"Fried tongue?" I asked. Machiko was more of a candy fan, but if I wanted fried tongue?
We got fried tongue.
"Of course, Aisako-sama! Anything Aisako-sama wants, we get!"
"Good." I said, before slowly rising to my feet. Machiko popped to her feet and grabbed my hand, tugging me along. I could hear Gaara's sand shift as he also rose and followed after us. Carl-sensei followed the three of us out of the room and locked the door behind him.
"Seeya late, Carl-sensei!" I called as we left through the nearest exit.
There was no reply, and I looked over my shoulder to see Carl-sensei standing in the hallway, looking up at the ceiling with a pleading expression. Shrugging to myself, I carried on, letting Machiko pull me along to our favourite tongue stand. Well, they sold more than fried tongue...there was snake and lizard, cactus fruit and these cute little cake-thingies with syrup. Not pancakes...but close enough.
I missed maple syrup...
Oh well.
The owner of the stand was a fucking prick. He refused to serve either of us, or anyone who was associated with us.
So we robbed the fucker blind every chance we got.
The only problem was that he'd learned after the first three times we hit him and took everything he had on his stand, and now moved around every day so we could never hit him in the same place twice. It was part of the fun now; hunting him down like he was some wounded little deer, trying to hide from the wolves that were tracking it.
Machiko and I wandered around the village until we heard the familiar voice of the man selling his snacks to anyone who listened.
"Fresh sand-cakes, baked today! Get your fried lizard and tongue here!"
My minion and I shared grins.
Just as we were about to make our move, I heard the shifting of sand and felt something tug gently at the scarf around my neck. I was instantly on high guard as Gaara came around the corner of the building beside us.
"I want fried tongue too." He said, giving a blank look.
My mind flashed back to the past, when Gaara and I had been so young...sneaking across the rooftops during the festivals...and Gaara used his sand to steal food for us to enjoy.
Before I even paused to think about it, my hand flew out to cover Machiko's mouth when she went to snap at Gaara. That girl had no sense of self-preservation. Her attention was so focused on me that she hadn't seen Gaara slip further into insanity like I had, day by day.
I nodded to him slowly before turning to look at Machiko, "You cause the distraction, I'll grab the stuff."
Machiko frowned at me, scowled at Gaara and then skipped away. She hated him and I knew she didn't like the thought of leaving me alone with him, but there was no way in hell I was leaving her alone with him. There was simply no way she'd survive.
"Ah! Mister Food-Stand Guy!" Machiko squealed as she charged down the street. The man running the food stand looked up with an expression of pure horror. I knew he'd be on guard at first, used to one of us distracted him while the other stole his food, so I'd be forced to wait until he was fully focused on keeping Machiko away from himself before I went after his food.
The whisper of sand drew closer as Gaara took a step forward, so that he stood beside me as I peered around the corner to watch Machiko make the food-stand owner's life hell. I could feel the gentle tug on my clothes as his sand shifted around, like the breathing of a slumbering animal. Just as dangerous.
I did my best to ignore his presence, but it was so hard when the different parts of me all wanted to do something. I wanted to run, scared of the demon inside of him, waiting for the chance to murder me once and for all. Another part, the Monster, wanted to hurt him...hurt him like it wanted to hurt everyone else. Another part wanted to...to forgive him. But he wasn't ready. And another part of me knew I wasn't ready either.
I think we'd both really benefit from a talk with Naruto. He made all therapists look like quacks.
Leaving my hiding spot, and putting some distance between me and the demon that wanted to kill me, I crossed the street, out of the sight of the man running the rood stand. I edged along the wall of the buildings behind him. I could still feel Gaara's sand clinging to my clothes, and i shuddered.
This would be my life, wouldn't it? Forcing myself to continue on with my life and any mission I went on while his sand clung to me like a second skin, reminding me that he could kill me at any time.
I was glad the man was only a civilian. Chakra made it easy to move without a sound, and while he was trying to chase off Machiko, it was easy to grab the boxes of fried tongue on sticks, and the lizard kabobs and the pastries. I stacked them on top of each other, and used a chakra string to tie them together, just in case. I ran like a bat out of hell the instant they were secured in my arms, dashing back down the alley where Gaara was standing, patiently staring at me. As I passed him, I motioned with my head for him to follow, without even thinking.
The instant I made the motion I regretted it. What the fuck was I thinking?! Why was I inviting him to follow me?
Because he wanted some fried tongue?
Really fucking helpful, me.
Your welcome~!
It was too late to take the invitation back, so instead I just focused on weaving through the alleyways of Suna and losing any possible followers.
Eventually, I figured we were deep enough into what was looking like the 'red light' district to stop running. Gaara and Machiko were right behind me, and the three of us paused to catch our breath while we took in our location.
A prostitute was giving the Look to a man wandering down the street. A homeless man was eyeing us with a look similar to a starving wolf. I handed the boxes to Machiko before grabbing a few sticks of snake and lizard meat, as well as some dried figs.
With a blank look, I marched up to the homeless guy and handed him the food. He stared at me distrustfully, but he continued to flick his eyes towards the food. I knew he was desperate for the food. Everyone was going just a little hungrier these days...but there was some people who needed the food more.
"It isn't poisoned or anything." I told him.
"Can I believe that?" He asked me, "You're that 'monster' girl, aren't you?"
Ah. The 'M' word.
I was immediately tense. My head tilted. "Am I a monster?"
"That's the question isn't it?" the homeless man asked. He was old. Grey hair, more white than anything. His skin was dark and leathery from too much time in the sun, and a long beard grey from his face and ended halfway down his chest. His eyes were strange though. A bright sort of green that reminded me of things from the Test Drive that glowed in the dark. Like those stickers kids put on their ceilings.
I raised an eyebrow. I was perfectly aware of my 'teammates' standing behind me, but I was sort of interested. Besides...who wasn't interested in having a deep conversation with a homeless man?
"What do you mean?" I asked him, passing him the sticks of food, neither of us even thinking of his previous fears of it being poisoned.
"Are you a monster? What makes anyone a monster? It's true you cause people to feel fear, but so do I." The man said, "They look at me, and they're scared I might attack them for their money or their food. They look at you and they see the 'Loved Child' from all the wild tales that have sprouted up about you. Does that mean we're both monsters, simply because we scare people?"
I blinked, "There are stories about me?"
"Oh yes. Many fear you...you and that boy behind you have become the Boogeymen of Suna. Even your blond friend is starting to gain her own tales...I heard an interesting one about her murdering her parents in cold blood..."
What a well-informed homeless man.
He continued, "Of course, in your case, while a majority of the tales cast you as some demon in the form of a human child, there are a small handful about you that cast you in quite a different light."
"What sort of light?" I asked, frowning in confusion. I hadn't heard any sort of story casting my in positive light.
"The sort of light that gains followers."
What?
WHAT!?
"There are...whispers...about you. Little talks people have... Little talks about the 'Loved Child' and how the people in Suna don't understand you...Don't realize just how...special you are. Little talks about the people who dare to attack you...and the people protecting you. They're quite fond of your Guardian. He's quite charismatic, and pretty good at recruiting more followers. You would be surprised as to just how many people actually support you, my friend."
I stared at the homeless man with wide, disbelieving eyes. Was he serious?
"Why would they do that?"
"Because, you aren't a monster."
I blinked. Hadn't he accused me of being a monster, though? Hadn't he said I was a monster girl?
The scruffy old man let out a laugh, likely at whatever expression I'd been wearing, "I've never really believed all that crap about you being a 'monster'. Load of bull. I mean, we're a shinobi village, you'd think they'd be used to strange shit going on."
I wanted to ask 'what shit', but before I could, the man pushed off the wall, taking the food with him as he walked away, speaking over his shoulder to me,"Buuut...I think I'll believe some of the other stuff."
"What stuff?" Machiko asked, with a strange tone in her voice. I jumped, having, for a moment, forgotten that she and Gaara were behind me.
"The stuff about the kind, Loved Child. After all, she's going around handing food out to the homeless!"
The three of us just...stared after him, wondering what the bloody fucking hell had just happened.
When he was gone, I slowly spun around to face Machiko, trying to ignore the way Gaara stared at me.
"So...I have a cult?"
I was greeted with Machiko's giggle and blank sea foam eyes.
After that...strange discussion with the homeless man, I felt a little...off. Different from usual.
I was just so fucking amused.
People actually thought I was...what? Some sort of divine being? How fucking stupid could they be? It was bad enough that some of them thought I was some sort of unholy monster, but now some of them thought this?
Of course, it was just as likely that it was just some crazy old man rambling about something he knew fuck all about.
And now I was curious.
BUT. I wasn't curious enough to actually bother to look. If there was a cult-thingy dedicated to me, then...weird. Creepy. Really, really unsettling. If there wasn't a cult forming in the shadows of the poverty-stricken village, then great. Life continues as normal.
Either way...I wanted to get my hands on whatever the fuck he was smoking because hot damn...
"Machiko is not surprised that Aisako-sama is loved by many people."
"He didn't say she was loved by many. He said there were a few."
"Shut up! You don't know anything. Machiko knows that Aisako-sama is very kind and powerful. Everyone should respect Aisako-sama."
And they went on. It was almost as strange as learning I had...admirers. When they argued like this, some part of me could almost imagine they were...normal. I could pretend one hadn't murdered her parents in my name, and that the other didn't have a monster inside him.
With them following after me, I wandered the streets of the red light district, taking a moment to observe all the people.
Hooker.
Hooker.
Pimp.
Homeless.
Homeless.
Homeless.
Dying.
Another hooker.
Busy street, eh?
They were all staring at me and my 'team mates', and watching as we made our way down the street.
It may have been because we were the scariest children in the village. Or maybe it was just the sight of children in general in this area.
It might have also been the fact that I was acting a little out of character.
Handing out food would do that, wouldn't it?
It's kinda funny, watching them stare at a piece of fried tongue with pure terror, like they expected it to eat them, but also looking like the starving dogs they were, just desperate to inhale the food while they still could. And they were looking at me like I was both a demon and an angel at the same time. They were so torn~!
And I wondered, briefly, if I had just earned more 'followers'.
With our load smaller and our own stomachs full of fried tongue and lizard, and pastries and all sorts of wonderful things, we headed back to the civilized main streets, better patrolled by the village's shinobi.
He was still following me and Machiko. He was never far enough that I couldn't feel those teal eyes locked onto my back, but he was just far enough that I couldn't see him from the corner of my eyes. He was standing directly in my blind spot, and it was driving me mad.
I didn't understand why he was still here. He'd gotten his share of the goodies, and I wasn't talking to him, and I definitely wasn't just going to up and decide we were friends again. i was hoping that by ignoring him and walking around aimlessly with Machiko, he'd get bored and go do something else.
Of course, I didn't really know what kind of hobbies he had. If he had any. I mean...he didn't sleep, so there had to be something that he did to spend time, right?
It was only a matter of time before either he left, or Machiko and I had to go home.
"Hey, isn't that Carl-sensei?" Machiko asked suddenly, stopping in her skipping-tracks. I paused and followed her line of sight.
It was a grimy looking bar, located somewhere in between the red light district and the 'tame' Suna. (I'd like to point out that the so-called 'tame' citizens were usually the moronic scumbags who tried to hurt Machiko and I. Funny how that works, eh?) The outer walls were stained with what looked like blood and other bodily fluids, the windows were cracked and random knives, throwing stars, senbon and kunai were stabbed deeply into the walls, proudly showing this was a 'shinobi friendly' establishment.
I'd like to take a moment for us to appreciate the name of this bar. Above the doorway, there hung a sign, which read, in bold black lettering: The Cuddly Cactus.
My mind was instantly transported to Disney's Tangled, and I prayed to all the assholes in the sky that Carl-sensei was not standing on a table singing about his 'dreams' of being an S-rank shinobi, rather than a supposedly chuunin academy teacher.
Of course, Carl-sensei was not standing on a table singing. Or dancing.
Through the cracked glass of the window, we could see our former academy teacher sitting on a stool by the bar, downing shot after shot of what was likely stronger than most alcohol. On either side of him, the stools were occupied by other shinobi who didn't appear to know him.
My eyes narrowed. Hadn't he said he was going to the bar to keep his 'friend' company? Our new sensei?
I contemplated going in there to torment Carl-sensei, but decided against it. He seemed...upset about something, and I found that Upset Shinobi + Booze + Me = Broken Prosthetic Limbs, and I didn't feel like being lectured about breaking my leg again.
"Should we go inside?"
Machiko and I turned to look at Gaara for a moment. Then, I shook my head and continued walking, deep in thought.
Maybe his friend stood him up? Or maybe our new teacher had killed himself after learning we were his students, and Carl-sensei was getting totally smashed in response, rather than breaking protocol and showing he was upset with the loss of a friend? Nah. Maybe his friend was taking a piss, and lost his stool? That seemed more likely.
I really wanted to know. But there were drunks in there. Besides, I'd be seeing my new teacher tomorrow anyways.
Saki and Taiki were exhausted when they got back. It was late, and I could see the drain the day had had on them. With all their chakra used to make 'water' for the village, they were lacking their usual energies.
Still, despite their exhaustion, they both greeted me with their own sort of...affection. Saki lunged half-heartedly with a senbon likely coated in some agony-inducing poison that'd leave me immobile for hours. Yeah. She was upgrading her poisons. And of course, Taiki wrapped me up in a tight bear hug.
He'd gotten a bit better after spending more time with Kazuo. I was really thankful for that. I'd hated seeing him crack up like that. He wasn't completely healthy yet, but he was getting there.
Satoru and I started working on tonight's supper together, while Saki and Taiki laid down for a few hours, just to recharge a little bit of chakra. I grinned at my relative while showing him the box of food I'd stolen earlier today.
Satoru had an odd sense of morals, or at least, an odd sense of what was okay, and what wasn't. It wasn't right that I had connections to someone like 'Sora', but it was fine for me to go out and rob people blind. Oh well. I wasn't about to stop doing either.
Eventually, when we'd finished making food, Satoru wandered upstairs to wake up my parents. As the three of them made their way back down, the front door swung open to reveal a beaming Takeo and a smiling Machiko.
Looks like everyone was home for dinner.
"What are you so happy about?" Saki asked Takeo as everyone sat down.
"I'm a teacher!" My brother practically squealed, "The called me in early this morning and told me I was going to be teaching a team."
"Oh? Are you teaching Ai-chan and Machiko-chan?" Taiki asked, looking at the three of us.
We all shook our heads, and Takeo continued, "No. I was really disappointed about that. Instead, I have to teach two girls and a boy. I'm pretty sure you know a couple of them, Ai-chan...Rina and Ren?And the boy's name is Akihiko. Do you know them?"
I nodded, "Yeah. Ren and Rina are pretty cool. We get along well enough. The guy? I've never spoken to him, but he's a sheep."
A frown instantly appeared on his face, "A sheep. You mean he's one of the ones who bother you?"
"He's never bothered me, per say. But he's the type who would. Just another sheep, going with the flow and blindly following everyone else."
My brother let out a sigh, before he grinned, "I'll just have to fix that, won't I? Can't have any student of mine being mean to my little sister, now can I?"
I rolled my eyes at him, but didn't protest. It'd be fun to see what the twins and my brother would do to him.
"Machiko and Aisako-sama got on the same team!" Machiko chimed into the conversation.
"Who else is on your team?" Taiki asked.
"We haven't met our teacher yet," I told him, "but Carl-sensei told us we would meet them at Training Ground 9."
"Which unlucky bastard landed the third position on your team?" Saki asked, grinning in sadistic delight. She was likely imagining some wimpy ass brat.
"Gaara."
And with that, everyone froze. Machiko was pouting, but the rest of my family looked startled, and then outraged.
I felt that weird, warm feeling spread through me again. They were all angry for my sake. It was nice.
I woke up early that day, stretching as I made my way across the room to get dressed. I grabbed a pair of underwear, a couple rolls of bandages, a pair of red-brown shinobi pants, a fishnet t-shirt (the kind made of wire sewn into fabric to help protect against cuts) and a creamy-beige tanktop, pulling them on as I hurried to get ready. It took a bit to wrap the bandages around my ankles and forearms, but once I was done, I stood straight to look at myself in the mirror.
Something was missing.
Right.
I grabbed my scarf from a hook on the wall and wrapped it loosely around my neck.
Another look at the mirror. Still something missing.
Right.
Beside the scarf's hook, my headband hung on another hook. I tight that around my neck and tucked it under my scarf.
A third look in the mirror. Something was still off about the look. I needed something more.
My eyes danced around the room for a moment before I saw it.
It sat on my bookshelf, folded and forgotten, a thin layer of dust and sand covering it. I grabbed it and shook it clean, before unfolding it and holding it out in front of me.
The robe was just as bright as it had been the day he got it for me. I was tall enough now that while it was still a bit too big, I would grow to fully fit it in a few years. Looking at it hurt, but I had wanted to wear it ever since he'd given it to me.
It was now or never, right?
I pulled the rob on, noting that the sleeves stopped halfway down my forearms. The robe was loose, but not too bad that it'd get caught too badly, and I could always tie it closer with a belt or rope or something.
I liked the way I looked. Orange always went well with my eyes. It was funny. It was almost like he'd gotten the robe because it matched them. But that was unlikely.
Smiling as I left the room, I glanced back one last time to lock eyes with my reflection.
There. Everything was in place. I now looked like a student. Those eyes belonged to a proud kunoichi now.
Pfft.
I just hoped i looked kinda badass.
Or like I didn't just roll out of bed. That'd be nice.
While part of me wishes I could say it was expected, and looking back, it really should have been expected, I was still surprised when our teacher arrived at Training Ground 9.
Machiko and I had left a bit early to scope out the training grounds. I was having flashbacks of the Bell Test, and I figured that just in case, I would look around the training ground to see if there was anywhere that would prove good for an ambush, or if the teacher had laid any traps or anything. It wouldn't hurt to be careful.
There weren't any traps to be found, and the Grounds themselves were poorly maintained. There were deep pits in the sand from explosives, and the few dummies and training posts that remained were barely standing.
I wasn't all that surprised by this. After all, this was the training ground my team had been assigned to. Of course it was going to be sub-par.
I silently resolved to speak with 'Sora' about getting my team a better training ground. He'd do it for me. He spoiled me, in an attempt to win me over. Not that he really had to. I didn't trust him, but if obeying him meant I could learn more, with the benefit of being protected by 'Sora' and his influence, I'd do it.
About half an hour before our teacher was supposed to show up, Gaara appeared with no warning. One moment he wasn't there, and the next he had those creepy eyes of his locked on me. I wondered what was going on in there...
Actually, I didn't. I didn't wonder. I could see it. I could see what was going on in his eyes. When we were younger, his face had been an open book to me. I knew him so well back then. Now? Now he was blank. His face refused to show me the changes in his emotions with every thought he had.
But his eyes still spoke.
I could see the emotions clouding and shifting as he thought. And I could see the little sinister flickers, and the slight shift in their colour. Those pools of mint green would shift just a little towards a more greenish colour...like a painter adding the faintest hint of yellow to his pallet-
My eyes looked away from his. I didn't want to watch as he conversed with the demon inside. If I wasn't looking, it was almost like I could pretend the monster wasn't there, whispering to my childhood friend all sorts of evil things...claiming to be his mother...offering advice on how to end a life as quickly as possible. If I wasn't aware of that...maybe I could relax, just a little bit?
Sand whispered as it moved. I wasn't sure if it was the wind, or if the sand had fallen under Gaara's control. Funny how I could always hear it, eh? That little shift in tiny grains of sand. I wasn't even trying.
Maybe it was because we were all so quiet?
We stood in a tense triangle, all three of us exchanging looks, but no words. They weren't really needed.
Machiko and I locked eyes, promising to help each other. Machiko and Gaara exchanged looks of jealousy and hate. Gaara and I exchanged looks of fear and guilt.
And no one spoke a word.
We all flinched violently when the teacher finally appeared.
There wasn't even time to notice who they were. One instant it was the three of us facing off like a low-budget Western film, and the next we were exploding into movement. Sand tugged at my clothing, senbon seemed to appear between my fingers (coated in the most deadly of toxins I could get my hands on), and Machiko was racing to stand in front of me protectively.
He laughed. The teacher just about keeled over laughing, as though the sand around us hadn't come to life to form literal BOWL, walls ready to crash down on us at any second.
It took us a moment, but Machiko stopped running, I let the senbon slip back up into my wrist launchers, and the sand settled.
"Fuck you, Carl."
And there he was. He stood tall and proud, scarred arms crossed over a regulation jounin uniform. The grin on his face was turned into something from a horror film due to the numerous scars that crisscrossed his face like he'd gotten in a fight with a rabid cactus. His headband had been replaced by a bandanna, and that, with the scars, reminded my of Ibiki a little too much for my taste. I was just glad he had long hair, unlike the T&I specialist.
All in all, he looked the same as usual...but there was something different about him, besides the upgrade in wardrobe from chuunin to jounin. He seemed stronger. More badass.
Whatever it was, it was proving my theory that Carl-sensei was more than he had appeared.
Carl only shook his head before addressing us, "In case you three haven't already guessed, I will be your teacher from now on. I only learned about this yesterday, and needed to mentally prepare myself for the shitstorm this team is. It looks like the village is too damn lazy to train another poor bastard to teach you, so you're stuck with me."
We all nodded. This was to be expected. Few had balls like Carl-sensei.
"Let me get one thing straight with you three now." he continued, "I don't give a damn how much you hate each other, or how much you want to kill each other. You three will get your fucking act together, because neither I, not the village will let you three spent months working on shitty little D-ranks to 'build up team spirit' and all that shit. The council wants you three dead, and they're pushing to have you do missions waaay outside of your capabilities, so we don't have time for you three to have your petty little arguments, understood?!"
"Yes sir!" Machiko and I said firmly. 'Sora' had already drilled it into our heads that we obeyed our teachers. The bastard had us trained.
Gaara didn't verbally respond, but we could all see him not his head.
Of course, just because we said we agreed, didn't mean we actually would.
It just wasn't possible for certain members to get along.
Still, Carl stared each of his student's in the eye, and I couldn't help but shift under the intensity. But they were warm too.
Ha. We'd grown on him in the years. He just couldn't admit it. Softy.
"Welcome to Team 44, you three. Here's to staying alive."
And there we have it folks, the long awaited reveal of the mysterious Sensei. I'm sure most of you expected it already (Based on quite a few reviews~)...and I really did try to make a new teacher, but Carl's grown on me. He's my favourite now. BESIDES...who else could we possibly expect to teach Ai, Machi and Gaara anything? Or stand to teach them?
I'm tempted to write a oneshot about Carl, even if he doesn't win the poll. I wanna hear about how smashed he got the night before meeting them at the training grounds.
I'm sorry for the delay, but I've been really busy with school...three essays in three months, plus art projects and a math project too...that and I'm graduating this year, so things are kind hectic. And if you factor in problems at home and writers-block...the world's been against this chapter coming out. Soooo instead of working on my newest project in english class, i went and typed a few thousand words today? Yay~
My hand hurts.
And as usual, a BIG thanks for everyone who's reviewed~! Let's all give a round of applause to: Windbear47, .5, xbox432, Gemini's Revenge, Pinkbubble13, NOTHINGbutADREAM, wyteeth, Kragh50, DannyPhantom619, bored411, Apocalypsebutterfly, kylC, xVentressx, BOSS02109, Heaven-water-sister, Ochiphius, Kiki's Stories of Awesomeness, CD (guest), Moonacre BunBun, Magic'sKey, Luna Latanya, Wedylai, Yenaya, Moonstar66, RimK10, VelvetElixir, sxcond, guest, the shadow of nature, BlueEspeon (guest), missfites, BubbleHearts, Heitor, Mortred101, FattySkeleton, soundwawelovesfanfics, Radiant Celestial Aura, Onjobnotimelogin (guest), Reality' e, Neatfreak47, 4everfictional, Elena Parker, calcu22, Amaya Albarn, S-Lioness, and Sada Pazaki!
Demon Eyes now has 420 (Blaze it!) reviews, 1,297 followers, 961 favourites, and is listed in 24 Communities!
The Poll stands at something around:
Saki POV: Raising a Monster - 42
Machiko POV: Not an Eyeball, or Ai-sama - 39
Carl POV: Watching the Class Shrink - 27
Takeo POV: Gaining a Sister Complex - 19
Taiki POV: Sanity's Lifeline - 6
Flashbacks of the Test Drive: Shiny Red Cars - 3
Remember to Vote in the Poll on my profile! I don't want to keep track of review-votes...it gets confusing...
Anywho~! Please review, and remember to check your Inbox for a reply!