Mayu smirked as she stared down at the field. The match between Temari and Shikamaru had just ended. The kunoichi came out on top, while the shinobi had given up. It was a good match between two great strategists. It was no wonder many liked to see those two together. Surely Shikamaru received many fans from this match alone. Ino, though, was pissed. She ranted how much of a waste it was, and how her teammate could have beaten Temari. Chouji, though, who had come some time ago, only chuckled. He said that Shikamaru was just being Shikamaru. Mayu found herself nodding.
Anyway, in the first match, Naruto won against Neji. It was a huge upset that had the crowd applauding loudly. Hinata hadn't stopped smiling since then. The second match was supposed to be between Hinata's teammate, Shino, and a shinobi from Suna, Kankuro. However, the puppeteer had forfeited before the match even started. He hadn't even gone down to the field. Luckily, Shikamaru and Temari's match was so good, or the people would have rioted. Now, Naruto was scolding Shikamaru was throwing the match. The lazy ninja merely ignored the shouts coming from the blond in favor of stretching.
"The next match is finally the Uchiha one!" A voice behind Mayu caused her ear to twitch.
"Yeah, but who's this Gaara kid?"
"Don't know, but I bet he's nothing compared to Uchiha Sasuke!" That person had the nerve to laugh. This comment caused anger to stir within Mayu. She turned around, pointing a finger.
"What was that, you bastard?!" she yelled. "I'll have you know that Gaara-kun will mop the ground with Sasuke's face!"
"It… It wa-wasn't me…!" The random person nearly quivered in fear.
"Oh…" Mayu awkwardly turned back around and sat back down. She had caused quite the spectacle with that loud outburst.
"Mayu-san…" Hinata sounded disappointed and embarrassed.
"Anyway, anyway…!" Mayu looked for a way to change the subject. "I can't wait until Sasuke shows up! I want to see Gaara-kun in action!"
"What's so great about that guy?" Ino questioned, turning her head. "I saw his match against Lee. He was brutal."
"Not important!" Mayu replied with a smile, though no one could see. "Besides, he's so cute when he's confused." She held her covered left cheek as she fondly remembered that cute expression. "He's cute all the time~!"
"He has no eyebrows! How is that cute?!" Ino sounded as if she was getting upset. "Sasuke-kun is way better!"
"Pfft…! Yeah right!" Mayu retorted. She grinned widely. "If Sasuke didn't exist, I'm sure you'd be all over Gaara-kun, Ino!"
"No, I wouldn't! He's creepy!"
"Fufufu! You say that now but wait until he's older!" It was at this point that Ino scoffed and decided to ignore the delusional stranger. Mayu only snickered. She had to do something to pass the time. Sasuke still hadn't arrived for his match. The proctor had even given a time limit. That time limit was almost over. Just as he was about to announce that the results of the non-match, Hatake Kakashi and Uchiha Sasuke suddenly appeared in a whirlwind of leaves. Dramatic as can be. Once the wind cleared and the leaves dropped, the relieved cheering began. The audience was super excited to see the match.
Mayu blinked at the appearance of Sasuke. He was wearing all black now. What happened to his blue attire? She glowered. Trust Sasuke to be the only one to show off a new outfit for his match. Sakura seemed happy to see her teammate arrive on time. Well, technically he was still late. It was then that Mayu heard the voice her of second favorite male character—Rock Lee. Fortunately, she could control the beast—her inner fangirl—around him. It if had been Gaara in such proximity, then things could end up the same as last time. She turned her eyes back to the field. Sasuke and Naruto were having a conversation.
"YAY! SASUKE-KUN!" Ino suddenly screamed. She had even stood up. After annoying those around her, she sat back down. "Sakura, your team is amazing!" Even though it was obvious, Sakura still questioned what she meant. "Because Naruto beat Hyuga Neji! And Sasuke-kun is an elite Uchiha. It looks like everyone has been itching to see Sasuke-kun's match." Mayu found herself crossing her arms. Her eyebrow twitched several times. Was she the only one that was going to cheer for Gaara?
"Silly, Ino, Sasuke-kun-" Mayu mocked. "-isn't as great as you think he is!"
"What was that?!" Ino turned around again, glare evident on her face.
"Ha! You know who looks better! Uchiha Sasuke is so boring to look at, and yet Gaara-kun has a wild exotic look," Mayu explained. "I bet his babies will be super cute!" She clasped her hands together. "I bet that if you and he were to get together, the kids would be natural beauties who wouldn't need makeup!" Ino flushed, clearly upset. Just as she was about to retort, another voice got their attention. It was Hatake Kakashi.
"Hey, Gai and Lee-kun. How is your body?"
"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura suddenly yelled out.
"Oh, sorry, sorry," he replied. "You must've been worried. I'm sorry I didn't let you know about this."
"I don't care about that anymore," she muttered. Mayu scoffed, and then turned to the silver-haired male.
"Kakashi-sensei, your tardiness is starting to rub off on Sasuke?" At his confused look, she pulled down the sunglasses, revealing her blue Hyuga eyes. Kakashi suddenly chuckled.
"Yah, I suppose it has," he said. Mayu chuckled as well. "It's great to see you again, Mayu. I didn't recognize you at all. Hinata is here, too."
"Yeah, I'm incognito!" Mayu gave a victory sign. "Naruto won his match!"
"That's good to hear," Kakashi remarked. And then Sakura asked him a question that Mayu didn't care about, so she focused back on the field. Naruto had disappeared, along with Shikamaru, and in their place stood Gaara. Mayu smiled. Finally, after missing it quite a few times, she would be able to see the match between Sasuke and him. The two shinobi stared at each other. Sasuke looked indifferently determined—Mayu didn't know how he pulled that off either—whilst Gaara looked murderously ecstatic. Everyone was completely into the intense vibe that was radiating off the two opponents. One could hear someone swallow spit in the silence. Mayu took this chance to let it be known whom she was rooting for.
"YEAH! GAARA-KUN! DROP BIRD BOY LIKE A HOT POTATO!" She completely ignored the looks she received. She even had the nerve to stretch her arm up, waving down at the surprised looking red head. After a few awkward moments and coughs, the proctor raised his hand, signaling the beginning of the match.
0-0
The battle had raged on, completely taking the audience by storm. Mayu had been tense the entire time. This was much better than any AMV she had seen online. She could feel heat and wind, and the chakra produced from the fight was enough to make her shiver, especially since Gaara was relying on his demon. During the match, Naruto had come, along with Shikamaru. He had sounded afraid, telling Kakashi to stop the fight. However, the older shinobi waved his protest aside, saying that Sasuke could handle it. That is when the Uchiha pulled at his best attack—the Chidori. Gai, amazed, had explained the basics of the attack. It was apparently very similar to Kakashi's only original move—the Raikiri.
Sasuke had run from the wall and towards Gaara's absolute defense. The Chidori had managed to move right through the shield of sand, piercing Suna shinobi on the inside. His blood-curdling scream sent hushed whispers throughout the audience. Up until then, they had been extremely quiet. The ball of sand had cracked, and then returned to its original form. Gaara stood there, holding his shoulders. Blood spilled and dripped from the injury. Mayu held her hands together, genuinely worried. Now, things were at a standstill between Sasuke and Gaara.
Suddenly, she began to feel drowsy. It was weird because she shouldn't be feeling like this. After all, she and Hinata had gone to sleep early for the matches. There was no way she should be feeling sleepy. Then she saw the feathers. Mayu's eyes widened. She caught herself from falling over. "Genjutsu…?!" She turned to Hinata to see that she was about to drift off as well. Quickly, she closed her eyes and made herself go inside her host's body. Once there, she made a hand sign. During the week of sparring with Sasuke, Kakashi had taught her how to dispel genjutsu should she ever fall prey. Mostly because Mayu had been adamant that he teach her. Experiencing genjutsu had not been fun the first time.
Once the effects of the genjutsu were gone, Mayu looked around. There were others in the audience that had done the same procedure, including Gai and Kakashi. Hinata, having recovered inside, questioned what was happening. Mayu shook her head. She knew what was happening. The invasion had started, and she had forgotten all about it. So excited about current events, she had neglected to think about future events. Gritting her teeth, Mayu sharply stood. Before she could answer Hinata, an explosion stopped her. The loud noise came from where the Kage were. "Damn it…" Yes, this was the beginning of it all. Jumping over the sleeping audience, Mayu moved towards the edge and hopped over the railing. Kakashi had called out to her, but she paid no mind.
She used her chakra to run down the wall. Wasting no time, she appeared by Sasuke's side. He looked surprised to see her. "Hinata…?! What is going on?!" he asked, knitting his brow together.
"It's Mayu talking, and we're under attack!"
Eventually, the smoke cleared, revealing a shocking scene. The Kazekage held the Hokage hostage. One arm wrapped tightly around the older man's neck. The other held a kunai. Before any of the loyal subordinates could react, a purple rectangle shaped barrier appeared on the roof of the building. Again, Sasuke asked what was going on. Rolling her eyes, Mayu decided not to answer him again. This was no time for him to be an idiot. Her eyes found Gaara. Temari and Kankuro were by his side, telling him he needed to stop. Gaara, though, was still glaring at Sasuke, killer intent in his eyes. Their team leader suddenly appeared in front of the three. "What are you three doing?!" he asked, glancing back at them. "The mission has already commenced!" His eye turned to Mayu and Sasuke. "I'll take care of them."
"Eh?!" Mayu's eyes widened. Fortunately, the proctor stood in front of them protectively. Shiranui Genma was his name, and he liked to chew on senbon needles. Once again, Sasuke demanded to know what was going on. "It's war, Sasuke!" Mayu rounded on him, annoyed. "Suna has clearly betrayed Konoha!" His mouth dropped opened, clearly shocked. During this time, the traitors were having a conversation about using 'it.' Mayu knew exactly what it was, and it caused her to swallow hard. During Gaara and Sasuke's match, she had seen a glimpse of it. That deformed arm belonged to Gaara's prisoner, the Shukaku.
"Gaara is Suna's trump card," the jounin said. His name was Baki. "We must have Gaara fight no matter what. You three temporarily get away from here and treat Gaara's wounds. Once his chakra recovers… we will resume the mission."
"I understand," Kankuro stated, and then picked up his brother.
"But what about you?" Temari asked.
"I will deal with them, so go now!"
"You think you're going to have it your way?" Genma asked. He knew what this meant. Sweat dripped from his chin as Baki yelled at his two subordinates to leave. The siblings jumped and disappeared over the stadium wall. "Is Orochimaru the promoter of this party?"
"Who knows…?" came the coy response from Baki. "Let's enjoy it for now."
"Sasuke, Hinata," Genma called. Both focused on him. "The Chuunin Exam is over. If you are ninja of Konoha, then be useful to the village. Go and stop those three from doing what they want." Sasuke and Mayu turned to one another, exchanging looks. They nodded once.
"Yes!" The two ran off, following the three.
"You're not leaving!" Baki yelled, throwing a pair of kunai. The projectiles were deflected by the senbon in Genma's mouth. They collided and fell to the ground, giving Sasuke and Mayu leeway to continue their pursuit.
0-0
Much time had passed, and yet they had just seen the backs of their enemy. With some maneuverability, they had managed to get past the three. Mayu swallowed a bit. Kankuro and Temari were both glaring. Gaara seemed to be unconscious. Several minutes ago, they had laid traps for them. Explosive notes and whatnot. "Jeez, you'd think they'd want us dead, ne, Sasuke?" The Uchiha smirked, calling her a moron. His dark eyes turned to the trio.
"We've finally caught up," he said. "This is it for you all."
"Damn it…" Kankuro murmured.
"Uchiha Sasuke," Temari frowned. Her dark green eyes shifted to Mayu. "You're the weird girl from the preliminaries—Hyuga Hinata!"
"Hahahaha!" Mayu laughed nervously, scratching her cheek. "That wasn't the best side of me!" Her awkward chuckles subsided. She then smirked. "But you know of my abilities, don't you, Temari?" The Suna kunoichi showed her teeth, definitely not smiling. "How about you quietly hand over Gaara-kun and maybe things won't get ugly?"
"Don't be lenient, Mayu." Sasuke balanced a kunai on his index finger. "They're not going anywhere either way." The girl rolled her eyes.
"You really are a showoff—worse than Naruto!" she remarked. The Uchiha faltered a bit, and then glared at his comrade.
"Would you focus already!" he growled. "I knew you shouldn't have come!"
"Well it's too late now, isn't it?!" Mayu merely stuck out her tongue.
"You're impossible!"
"Well, you're a bird brain!"
"And you're a little cocoon!"
"… Say that again, asshole!"
"Why should I repeat something you already know? … Cocoon!"
"BRAT!"
"IDIOT!"
Meanwhile, Kankuro and Temari watched the argument transpire. They blinked several times, surprised that the two had lost focus so quickly. The kunoichi thought it was possible for the girl after seeing her match with her Hyuga cousin, but not Uchiha Sasuke. "Why are they fighting each other, Temari?" Kankuro blinked, producing a flat look.
"My guess is that one of them is an idiot." The kunoichi's expression turned sour. "And I'm pretty sure I can't tell which one that is." Finally, the argument had ended. The two younger people returned their eyes back to the enemy, heated debate completely forgotten. Temari's eyebrow twitched several times. She was definitely annoyed with these two. "Kankuro! You go ahead! I will kill them!"
"Are you sure?" he asked.
"Positive!" There was an evil gleam in her eye, causing Mayu to grimace. "Go now!" Her brother nodded quickly, and then took off. Temari narrowed her eyes, pulling her giant fan from her back. "Bring it on."
"Mayu, you go after that guy. I'll stop her, and then catch up to you," Sasuke whispered. Mayu raised a brow, and then shrugged. She followed the puppet ninja, giving a quick glance at Temari. The kunoichi was strong, but she did use a lot of chakra when she went against Shikamaru. Sasuke would be able to get by her fast, right? Her eyes looked straight ahead. In that case, she needed to speed things up a bit. It only took a moment to find Kankuro. He had been lying in wait for her. Mayu stopped, a few trees away from the Sand shinobi, and stared. He grinned at her, looking smug.
"You think you can take me on, little girl?" he asked. Mayu blinked.
"Oh, you're underestimating me. Pity that," she said. "The last time someone did that, I kicked their ass. I suppose you'll have to be Hyuga Hinata's next victim." Her eyes went over to Gaara. "But right now, my concern isn't you, so just back off."
"There's no way I'm going to let you kill Gaara!" Kankuro shouted. He moved to remove his puppet. However, Mayu reacted quickly. She appeared behind the shinobi, backhanding him away from the tree branch. Grunting from the impact, Kankuro held the side of his neck and put some distance between them. "You bitch!" With an eye roll, Mayu dropped down to Gaara's still form. He was still unconscious. He was still injured, too.
"Sasuke hurt you pretty bad, huh, Gaara-kun?" She rested a hand on his shoulder. A choked out '-kun?!' came from Kankuro as though he had not heard it before. "You're not used to physical pain, are you?" Expectedly, the red head did not answer because he was still out. Mayu slung his arm over her shoulder and, with her and Hinata's combined strength, lifted the knocked-out shinobi. Kankuro shouted in anger, but before he could attempt to retrieve his brother, Sasuke's voice caught his attention.
"Good job, Mayu," he said. "You've caught the enemy." He had been faster than expected. Temari must have been more tired than Mayu had believed her to be.
"Ah, indeed I did," she replied. Without another word, she ran away, leaving behind two confused shinobi. Surely, Kankuro would try to stop Sasuke. That gave her some time. It may have seemed selfish, but she truly cared for Gaara. She wasn't about to let Sasuke get his hands on him in his weakened state. Suddenly, she felt her companion moved around. He grunted a bit, causing Mayu to look down. His eyes finally opened. He had returned. The girl halted her movement, landing on a branch. Gaara fell to his hands and knees. "Can you move?" Sea green eyes sharply turned her way.
"Who are you?!"
"It's Mayu. Don't you remember? I'm your friend."
"Lies!" His arm weakly shot out, but Mayu moved out of the way. She shook her head, and then performed the clone jutsu. His eyes grew wide in shock. Like before, the unusual clone had appeared. "You…" The girl removed the hood, gloves, facemask, and sunglasses. She tossed this all to the side. A simple dark blue tank top is what she wore.
"My name is Mayu," she stated. Then she smiled. "Don't forget about me again, Gaara-kun. I'm your friend."
"Mayu-san…" Hinata sounded concerned and confused. Without a warning, the two girls were pushed away. However, Gaara's eyes were on something else.
"M-Mayu…?" The sound of Sasuke's voice caused the girl in question to sharply turn her head. A look of disbelief had appeared on his face. He, clearly, had heard it all. "You… You were trying to help him this whole time?"
"I was!" Mayu answered, truthfully. Hinata, too, stared at her, surprised. "I'm not ashamed for helping a friend. I will never feel guilty about that! I'd do anything to protect him!"
"… Even betraying Konoha? Betraying me?" Sasuke questioned.
"This village is not my home, but I am loyal to people here," Mayu stated. "However, I love Gaara-kun." Sasuke's eyes expanded, and then he glared at her. His lip twitched up, showing a snarl.
"So, what about me?!" he asked. "Am I not your friend?! After all we've been through, you're choosing the enemy?!" Mayu's jaw dropped. Sasuke sounded seriously upset with her. But… why? That didn't make any sense. The young Uchiha basically admitted how deep their connection was. Okay, well, now she felt guilty.
"Th-That is…" she trailed off, not knowing what to say.
Sasuke's fingers clenched as he tore his eyes away from Mayu, instead focusing on the wood beneath him. "Mayu, you…" His teeth grind together. He was feeling really irritated now. And he couldn't explain why. Jealousy…? Was that part of it? Mayu was his secret. When she had been Sakura, they had connected, hadn't they? Their vengeance… Did she forget about that? Sasuke squeezed his eyes shut. But here she was declaring that she cared more for a stranger than him.
"You're my friend, too," Mayu said. Sasuke's dark eyes looked back at her. "But you and Gaara-kun… are two different people. Gaara-kun is precious to me. He needs what you already have, Sasuke… and that's why I side with him."
"So… I have no choice," Sasuke muttered. Hearing him, Mayu narrowed her eyes.
"Hinata," she spoke, gaining her counterpart's attention. "You do not have to side with me. I understand if you do not want to. You have a choice."
"My homeland…" The Hyuga turned her eyes away. Then she jumped, leaving Mayu with Gaara. Hinata did not completely leave, though. Mayu was still her friend. She could not just leave her there. If the time comes, she would intervene.
"Sasuke, you are my friend, and I don't want to hurt you," Mayu stated, turning back to the Uchiha. "Leave now!"
"I am a ninja of Konoha. I will fight for Konoha," Sasuke responded. "Even if I have to fight you right now… I will."
"So be it."
"No, he's mine!" Gaara finally spoke up again. "Get out of the way!" Blue Hyuga eyes looked back and forth between Sasuke and the red head. She lowered her head. Honestly, she hadn't wanted to fight Sasuke—not right now. And so, she backed away.
"Gaara…!" Temari interrupted the silence. She panted heavily, but she stood there, looking more worried for her brother than herself.
"So, the gang's all here… Well, almost," Sasuke remarked. "I don't know what you Suna ninja are planning, but I will stop you! And I will determine what your true identity is!"
"True identity...? Mayu murmured. "What are you talking about, Sasuke? You're already talking to the real Gaara-kun. You make Konoha look bad."
"You stay out of this!" Sasuke nearly growled. Mayu winced and lowered her eyes to the tree branch she was standing on. He still sounded very much upset with her. Her attention diverted because Gaara grunted loudly. His sand armor began to crack.
"You are strong…" he began, hand clutching his head. "You are called Uchiha. You have friends. You have goals. You are similar to me. By killing you, I can exist in this world as the one who erased your existence! I will be able to feel alive! Don't forget… You are my-" His speech was cut off because he groaned in pain again. Concerned, Mayu went over to him. "You're… my…" His appendage deformed and grew at alarming rates. Sweat slid down Sasuke's face.
"Mayu! Get away from him!" he shouted. However, it was too late. The arm had struck Mayu, sending her over the edge of the branch. Swiftly, Sasuke jumped down and caught her before she made a nasty impact with the ground. Above him, he heard Gaara screaming out, but he ignored it. Mayu had not opened her eyes. He shook her a bit, setting her down on a tree branch. "Mayu…! Mayu!" Slowly, her lids fluttered open, revealing blue Hyuga eyes. She frowned.
"But, mommy! I don't want to go to school today!" Her words slurred as she latched onto him. Sasuke froze, completely thrown by the bizarre embrace. Mayu rubbed her face against his chest. Sasuke's eyes expanded in shock. "I want to stay home and make cookies with you!" Almost frantically, the young Uchiha tried prying her off him.
"Oi, oi…! Snap out of it! Get off!" Finally, he smacked her hard across the face.
"OUCH, YOU FREAK!" Mayu held her right cheek, glaring at him. Sasuke, though, sighed in relief. "I can't believe you just smacked me!"
"Forget about that!" Sasuke sharply turned his head away, snarl on his face.
"Sasuke, watch out!" Following her warning, he grabbed onto her and moved just in time. Gaara's demonic arm had just struck the place where the two once stood. "That was too close!" The girl furrowed her brow as Sasuke released her. "He's out of control now. I don't think anyone could calm him down at this point. You're going to have to fight him until Naruto shows up."
"I don't need Naruto!"
"I didn't mean it like that, bird brain. I'm just saying that more people need to be involved to defeat Gaara-kun—a team," Mayu rolled her eyes. "Trust me… No one would want to tangle with a berserk person with a demon inside of them."
"Yeah, but-"
"Are you scared of me?!" Seemingly annoyed with being ignored for so long, Gaara resorted to shouting. Mayu winced, watching the red head frantically look around for his prey.
"I… don't think he recognizes me anymore," she murmured. "Sasuke… I don't want to fight him. That hesitance will be our downfall, which is why I suggested waiting for Naruto." Mayu shifted her attention to Sasuke. "This may be the last time you see me if I get involved." The young Uchiha furrowed his brow, and yet said nothing. The girl glared at him. "You're supposed to say 'No, of course not, Mayu! You're just as strong! We'll survive together!' not just stand there, looking like an idiot!"
"Quit trying to sound like me," Sasuke calmly replied. His dark eyes glanced at Gaara. "Most of that stuff was true, anyway. Right now, you're might not be as strong, so… I'll protect you." For a few moments, Mayu only stared at the young Uchiha. He had… changed. Just a bit. She found herself smiling.
"Okay," she agreed. Sasuke turned questioning eyes to her. "Then, by all means, figure out a way to protect me."
"What do you mean figure out?" Sasuke's question was met by Mayu forcing chakra out of her feet and jumping towards where Gaara was. The young Uchiha produced a flat look. "Mayu, you idiot!" He was unaware that a smirk crossed his face as he followed the said idiot.
0-0