Butterflies

"Me? I'm nobody. I'm not skilled like Uchiha-san. I am not passionate like Haruno-san. I am not smart like Nara-san. I'm not as strong as Chouji-san. I'm not as collected as Aburame-san. Or as pretty as Yamanaka-san. I'm not as confident as Inuzuka-san. If anything, I'm like Hyuuga-san, socially awkward. Oh wait, no, she's just shy. The socially awkward one is me." OC! Team 7 remix!

Chapter 40 – Chouji: Determination

8-8

"You're being stupid! And a complete jerk!" Ino just won't get off my case these days. "In case you haven't noticed, Aya is a beauty. A gorgeous, kind and caring kunoichi. If you keep fumbling you're going to miss your chance with her! No matter how much she loves you, no self respecting girl that knows she's a catch will wait around forever!"

"What makes you think she's waiting on me to begin with?" I ask the blonde, wondering what her deal is. I know Aya better than that. One strike, you're out. I panicked, I messed up. I'm out. I feel messed up beyond belief, but the facts don't change because I want them to.

"You know what? You're right. I hope she find someone that isn't a COMPLETE. INSENSITIVE. IDIOT!" Yeah, yeah.

It's not like I don't like her. But, realistically, what are the odds of someone like me keeping her attention for long? Aya's smart, caring, strong… really strong… determined, protective and she's the most beautiful person I've ever met.

Not just for her looks either. That pales compared to the true beauty I've seen in her. The way she cares for her people, truly cares for them. I mean, just look at Naruto! Before she came into his life, he didn't have much of anything. Sure, Kiba, Shika and I would hang out with him, but we weren't really what I would consider friends.

Since those two connected, he's had someone that would take a kunai for him in a heartbeat. He's had someone that would stand beside him even if the world comes tumbling down around him.

Someone like that, like Aya, deserves someone a million times better than someone like me.

8-8

Walking around, no real destination in mind. Asuma-sensei has been a real slave driver since nominating us for the Chuunin Exams. Even when we're not training, he's been making us study, or something similar to make sure we're ready for anything. Like now, we're supposed to be studying the competition. How are we even supposed to know who's entering?

"Ehhhhhh! Lee-san! You're asking Aya-nee on a d-d-date!?" That almost sounds like Sakiko. I look over at the stand, seeing none other than Aya, Sakiko and some green spandex wearing guy I've never met. That means… that this guy's Lee. And he's asking Aya out. On a date.

I feel numb.

Aya turns to us, her eyes lock onto me. Her face, her eyes, completely blank. She doesn't seem to feel anything right now. She turns to this Lee guy, "That would be lovely, Lee. Pick me up at six?"

"I will do so, Aya-chan!"

8-8

"Don't say I didn't warn you!" Ino's pacing in Shika's bedroom. She and Shika decided that they need a 'war time council meeting', somehow figuring that Aya's just declared war for some reason. "I did! I warned you! Time and time again!"

"Ino. We don't need to hear what you did or didn't do." Shika's annoyed, his eyes are unusually sharp. "We need to figure out what Aya's plan is."

"It's obvious! She's agreeing to this to get back at Chouji! Which, by the way, I don't blame her for! Honestly, she asks you to make it official and you push her away!? I would have stabbed you!" Ino just has to go there.

"That's not the only possibility." Shika's thinking. Eyes closed, hands in that weird sign he makes, totally focused on whatever only he can figure out when he's like that. "We don't have enough information." He eventually declares.

"You mean you don't! This is clear as day to me!" Ino's pissed. Well and truly pissed. Not with Aya either, but me. "Honestly! Break the girl's heart and just leave her out to dry for months when everyone knows how she feels about you!"

"I said I'm sorry! I panicked!"

"You broke her heart! And not just once! You broke it over and over again for MONTHS! Not trying to fix YOUR mistake! Not trying to comfort her when you SAW HER CRYING!" Ino just isn't letting up. I know what I did. I don't need you harping on it. "How long has it been, hmm? Since she stopped crying? Since she stopped going out of her way to be accessible? Since her family stopped trying to seat you two together at every opportunity?"

"Six weeks." Shika's door slides open, showing auntie standing there. Her face held carefully neutral, but her eyes show anger. "They stopped trying six weeks ago. Because everyone could see nothing positive would come from it. All that did was hurt Aya even more, constantly rubbing her nose in the truth. The fact, Chouji-kun, is that you need to grow up. Aya's looking for a man. Not a boy that can't figure out what he wants. Not a boy that panics when a girl wants some security from him."

…

"I will warn the three of you only once. If I hear you've done anything to ruin what happiness Aya's found, you will answer to me. Do you understand?"

"Yes, auntie."

"And Chouji." I look up, questions in my eyes. "If you do not like her the way she likes you. Let her go. Don't fight to win her back, if all you're going to do is hurt her over and over again."

8-8

"Auntie thinks there's a chance." I say, staring at the stars. "She thinks I can somehow fix this."

"Moron. Haven't I been saying that for weeks?" Ino asks, annoyed with me.

"You also still believe you have a shot with Sasuke." I counter. Shika chuckles, but Ino looks annoyed. "Shika, what do you think?"

"Like I told you before, we don't have enough information. There's a chance Ino's right and she's doing this just to spite you. There's also a chance she's giving up on what she believes won't work. Which would be your fault, just so you know."

"Thanks. I needed that." I drone sarcastically. "So how can we find out?"

"By talking to her." That brings me up short. It isn't that I don't want to talk to her, but she was scary before… now she's scary and upset. I sigh. "It's either that, or you listen to what mom said. Let her go. Live with knowing you messed up and let her live her life."

"Alright. Let's go talk to her then." I get up, dusting myself off. I don't know what good it'll do. But, if nothing else it'll give both of us some closure. If she's moved it, then it can't be helped.

8-8

I didn't think… they'd still be on their date. They were just going to dinner, he was picking her up at six. It's almost nine, and they're only now walking back to her place? "This is a bad idea." I mumble, but my feet start walking towards them anyway.

"The worst, but if you really wanna do this." Shika's right beside me. They reach in front of the gate, but Aya's tense. Upset, really.

She knows.

Without warning, three kunai come flying at us. I duck under mine, grabbing the other two by the ring. She really just tried to kill us.

"H-hey! What are you trying to kill us!?" Ino sounds more afraid than angry. If Aya really is trying to kill us, then odds are they won't even find the body. We might as well leave now. Aya would never try to kill someone she loves. Ever.

"What do you think happens to spies if they get caught, exactly?" Her voice… I've never heard her sound so cold, so professional. This isn't the Aya I know, this is the kunoichi. She's… "I didn't take any of you as voyeurs. Care to explain?" It's like her heart is dead, her emotions are dead. Aya, what have I done to you…

"I could ask the same thing!" Ino, you're not helping. Please don't antagonize her right now.

"Oh, right. Lee. Akimichi-san there is the boy I told you about." Lee eyes me closer than I feel comfortable with. He's sizing me up, deciding if he can take me.

"I see." He already thinks he can take me, but more than that… he looks upset with me. Like he knows what I did.

That doesn't make sense. Aya doesn't talk to people she doesn't trust. And even people she trusts don't know about things that really hurt her. Not even Naruto would know, unless he figured it out himself. "You told him about me?"

"I do not play games with those I care for." That hurts for so many different reasons. I never played games with you! "Lee is aware of the situation, and he was made aware at the very beginning of our date so there wouldn't be any misunderstandings."

"Why? Were you planning on using that information to drive a wedge between us?"

… She's really lashing out right now. We didn't come here to do anything other than talk. "What exactly did you tell him then?" Shika asks, but I don't know why. The situation is perfectly clear to me. Aya's moved on. I knew I could never be enough, not for someone that amazing.

"That is none of your concern." The more she talks, the harder she drives her point home. "And Lee, you will not answer him either. I am trying my best to leave the past in the past. So unless Akimichi-san has something to say, I suggest the three of you leave. Immediately."

I don't even get the chance to nod. "We're not leaving!" Ino. Why are you still pushing this. Aya has the right to choose her own path. "This needs to get sorted out!" It has been sorted.

"I'm sorry, Lee. It was such a fun evening too." She pulls on Lee's shoulder, kissing him on the cheek. I feel something inside me break. Then she takes out her tanto, her eyes harder than I've ever seen them. Even when compared to the moments just before lashing out at Kiba. "But I need to deal with this, and I prefer not to have witnesses."

"Aya-chan, sure you do-"

"Go home, Lee." There's a fire in her tone, in her eyes. Whatever broke inside me is crumbling now, slowly being ground into dust. "We have exams to deal with in the morning." Lee nods, obviously not happy with the situation. He walks towards us, understanding in his eyes, and pats me on the shoulder. Then he walks away, leaving us to our fate.

"So," Aya's tone hovers just above the freezing point. "Which of you wishes to die first then?"

"We're not here to fight." Shika is quick to point out, motioning to Aya to calm down. He knows, just like I do, if she really gets serious, we're dead.

"You stalk me during my date, follow me home, and you mean to say this isn't an assassination attempt?" She's completely taking this out of context! We just came here to talk! "I thought you were smarter than this, Nara-san."

"And I thought you loved Chouji." Love? Not like? Not really like? Love? She loved me? Kami-sama, maybe she should just kill me. I think it would hurt less than this.

"Appeal to emotion. Are we resorting to logical fallacies, Nara-san? That isn't like you at all." I'm not sure what that means, but I know she isn't going to let Shika lead this conversation at all. We should just leave. This isn't going to get any better.

"Aya, stop. Why are you doing this?" Ino seems to understand that as well, she'd never be this close to breaking out in tears otherwise.

"Doing what? Moving on? Trying to live my life? What am I doing?" Figuring it out for myself, and hearing that cold tone of hers shoving that information down my throat are not the same. "Oh, I get it." Her tone, if anything, is even colder now. Harsher. And her words are sharp as the blade she wields. "It's fine if I remain single and wallow. Crying myself to sleep for weeks is perfectly acceptable. But if anyone shows ever the slightest interest in me, it's a problem?"

I flinch. Crying herself to sleep? For weeks?

"I thought so. So, Akimichi-san. Anything to say?" What is there to say. What could I say. Words will never undo my mistakes. Words will never heal the bruises I put on her heart.

"Sis, you okay?" Naruto shows up. He opens the gate and takes one look at us, at me. His eyes an icy blue, noticeable even in the low lighting. She doesn't answer, she just grabs him by the hand and drags him inside.

The only thing I can think of right now… is wanting to puke up something vital.

8-8

I haven't slept a wink all night. How could I. Every time I close my eyes, I see Aya. Those cold, hard eyes. The ice in her voice. How she was obviously willing to kill us last night.

I can't… I can't let her hurt like this. And she is hurting. But I don't know what to do.

On the one hand, I could try to earn her trust again, earn a place in her heart again. It'll be hard, no doubt about that, but if I manage she'd let me fix my mistakes.

On the other hand, she seems to think this Lee person has a chance of doing just that. Shouldn't I respect her wishes? Shouldn't I let her move on?

Why do both choices scare me? Well, that's not entirely true. Getting her upset with me scares me. Letting her move on just hurts. Kami-sama, am I really that selfish? Would I really want to work my way back into her life, just to not want to hurt myself?

But what if I'm the only one that can piece her back together? What if she needs me to… She obviously gets along with this Lee guy, but…

I need to talk to her. To really talk to her.

8-8

We meet up at Shika's, as usual, for around eight. Auntie's not here, but uncle is. He takes one look at me. "Something tells me you're planning something stupid."

"Maybe." I shrug. I won't deny it, trying to get close to a wounded wolf is suicide. "If anyone has a better plan, I'm all ears."

"Chouji. You're like a nephew to me, you know that." He looks at me, his eyes hard. "But Aya is like a daughter to me. If you hurt her again, the last thing you'll have to worry about is how she reacts."

"I've hurt her enough by doing nothing, uncle. If you have a better plan, please, tell me." He just gazes at me. He doesn't say anything for a minute, almost two.

"When a woman is hurting, the more she loves the person that hurts her, the more she'll hate him for doing so. Odds of her lashing out aren't in your favour. And she'll have her teammates there, willing to lash out at least as violently as she would. You'll be facing three shinobi that are each stronger than you are, and with more than enough reason to at best break you in half and at worst kill you."

"I know that." And I really don't need more reasons to back out. Unless you have a better plan, this is the only plan I'm willing to live with.

"And you're still willing to risk it."

"I need to know, uncle. If I'm the only one that can fix this, then I need to know. If this Lee person is better for her…" I don't finish that sentence. I don't want to. The thought of her being happy with someone else hurts, but if he's the one that can help her…

"Love. A fool's wisdom and a wise man's folly. I guess it's a good thing you're more a fool these days. Mind what I said. I don't need to hear my little girl's gone and killed my best friend's son."

8-8

We make it to Room Three-Oh-One without too much hassle. Sure there was some weird genjutsu downstairs, but it didn't exactly take a genius to figure out that it was on the wrong floor. Kiba and his team are already here, looking ready for anything. There are also HUNDREDS of others, all sizing us up, most of them leaking killing intent. Oh how I wish they were my biggest issue today.

Aya could probably take out most of them without breaking a sweat.

I don't feel very talkative, so I mostly just munch on some chips to pass the time. It's almost eight-thirty when the doors swing open to reveal Team Seven. Sasuke in the middle, Naruto and Aya flanking him. I walk up to them before I have the chance to chicken out. Both boys glare at me, but I'm not worried about them.

"Aya." I call to her, hating the uncaring look in her eyes. "I want to talk to you. Not now obviously, but soon?"

"Talk about what, Akimichi-san." Kami-sama, what I wouldn't give to hear her call me Chouji-kun again.

"How big an idiot I am, mostly." Naruto and Sasuke snort, obviously agreeing with me. "Would that be alright?"

"Talk. We have time."

"… Uh…" That I didn't see coming. Does this mean she's willing to talk to me? Or is this an indirect way of saying 'buzz off'?

"We're in the middle of an exam. Do you really want to mix personal issues with that?" Shika comes to the rescue.

"…" Her eyes don't leave mine, and she isn't blinking at all. "We'll see." Well, it's not a no.

"Oi! Aya-chan! Have you finally come around? I'll tell you what. I'll take you out if you ask me nicely." I don't know what happens or how. But I know I'm the one that decks Kiba for talking down to her like that. I blink, seeing the boy holding his cheek, growling at me.

"Kiba…" I grind out, a fire in my tone and eyes that surprises even me. "I will not tolerate anyone being disrespectful towards her. Speak to her like that again, and I'll be the one you need to worry about."

"Che. You think you can take me, blubber boy?"

"Oh look. A fat joke." I drone, unimpressed. "I'll tell you what, why don't you step closer to Aya and say something stupid again. Or did that last concussion affect your memory?"

He winces.

"Or better yet, stand between Naruto and Sasuke and try it." He baulks this time. "Yeah, I thought so."

"Oi, oi. You guys really need to settle down. You're attracting everyone's attention, and that's not something you should want when everyone's tense." Some guy announces, walking towards us. The only two reactions I care about are Aya's and Shika's, and both of them are tense.

"What's it to you?" Kiba barks at the bespectacled silver-haired boy – I'd guess he's about seventeen, but he might be older.

"You guys are obviously new. Your first exams?" He tries. We're not stupid enough to answer him though. He might be from Konoha, but this reeks of bad news. "I'll tell you what, I'll share some information with you. Maybe it'll help you to see just what you're up against here."

"This your first exam?" Ino asks, obviously being careful and trying to get more information than she gives.

"Kabuto. And no, it's my seventh actually. So I guess you could say I'm something of an expert."

"Or just weak." Kiba really just doesn't get it at all. No one gives out free information to the competition.

"That might be it as well. So what do you say? Anyone you'd like information on?" Kabuto asks, taking out a stack of cards. "These are ninfo cards. I've collected something on everyone attending these exams through my years. I might even have something on you guys." On us? When you've never seen us before and clearly know we've never taken these exams? How would you even know we'd be taking these exams?

"Sure. Aya, Naruto and Sasuke." Kiba demands. He's being an idiot again, isn't he.

"Aww, you already know their names. That's no fun." Kabuto dramatically flicks his cards open into a fan, and with a lightning quick slash, he takes out three cards. "First up, Uchiha Sasuke. Hmm, not all that impressive really. Eighty-two D-ranked, two C-ranked missions. Last of the Uchiha, unknown if he'd awoken his Sharingan. Primarily a fire release user. Decent taijutsu and shurikenjutsu." That… makes no sense. Even I know they've been on more missions than that. That means something is wrong with his information, and to make it worse, he shouldn't even know the missions they've been on anyway. That means he's been sneaking into the mission registers of every village that sent applicants. That isn't something a genin should be capable of.

"Next, Uzumaki Naruto. Hmm, even worse. Same missions, logically. But his skills are dismal in every category. No known element, and the worst taijutsu I've ever seen." Naruto's skilled enough to take on Aya and Sasuke. You're the worst at information gathering, dude. Seriously, don't quit your day job.

"And last, Namiki Aya. Same amount of missions – they are teammates after all. Decent taijutsu, no other known skills. All in all, a mediocre team." I smirk. Team Seven is many things. Mediocre isn't one of them.

"Oi! Put this in your stupid ninfo cards! Sound shinobi are the best there is!" Another three walk over to us. Team Seven look amused, like they're used to this. There's a brief scuffle between the mummy looking Sound guy and Kabuto, and even without landing a blow, Kabuto's glasses crack and he doubles over throwing up. I think his ear is also bleeding.

"Sound release user. You focused your sound waves created by that thing on your right forearm, crank up the volume and attack his inner ear with it. This creates a sense of vertigo, loss of balance and possible motion sickness." Aya explains what just happened. Hmm. That means they're from the Land of Rice Patties. I didn't know they had a hidden village. "It's kinda pathetic that you'd need something like that though."

"What'd you say!?"

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Some scary looking guy slams a door open on the other side of the room and suddenly there are like twenty shinobi all in grey near the black board. "Attack another candidate without permission and you'll be out on your ear before you can even blink."

8-8

We each pick a number 'randomly' assigning us our seats. That no team I know is seated together tells me enough. The rules get explained – each time you get caught cheating you lose two points from the ten you start out with, and if someone loses all their points then their whole team is disqualified. Tests are handed out.

And the longest forty-five minutes of my life begins.

I look at all nine questions in turn –the tenth will be given after the forty-five minutes– and quickly decide I can't answer any of them. That means there's more going on, that means Ino and Shika are my lifeline here and they won't let us fail. So I just relax and wait.

Kami-sama has a sense of humour, it seems. And one I quickly decide I don't like. Aya's sitting next to me. I see her answering question after question, but I have no idea how she could. I can't see clear enough from the corner of my eye, so I know trying to cheat off of her is just going to get me in trouble. Not risking that. Then, her hands go under her desk… and suddenly my pencil takes on a life of its own and starts writing down all the answers I need.

I blink, unsure what to make of that. This isn't one of Ino's or Shika's jutsus, I know everything they can do well enough to be certain. That means, Aya's helping me?

As soon as all the answers are filled in, my paper turns over on its own. I blink again. I have no idea what to make of this.

8-8

When time's up, the proctor –I don't really care to remember his name– announces that it's time for the tenth and final question. All I really care about is at least a fifth of the teams had already failed.

"Before I give the final question, let me first explain the new rules. First off, you can choose if you take the question or not. If you choose not to take the question, you automatically lose your remaining points and you and your team fail."

"What! Then I'm taking the question for sure!" Somebody up front announces the obvious.

"Ah, but there's a catch. If you choose to take the question and you get it wrong, then you will remain a genin for life. You will be banned from ever taking these exams again." This guy likes messing with people's heads. There's, of course, an outburst, and this one or that one wants to know this or that. All I care about is that I'm getting peckish. I wonder if it'd be a problem to snack on something.

Hmm, maybe some pork rinds? Or should I wait for the celebration lunch? Hmm, a little snack before that never hurt my appetite before.

People are starting to pour out of the room. I blink. Wait, seriously? Whatever. I do have some chips sealed away for emergencies, but this isn't exactly an emergency. And I really don't feel like drawing that scary and scarred proctor's attention.

"Anyone else? Last chance…" If there was any risk, Shikamaru would be the first to walk out. I'm not worried. "Then you all… pass."

"EHHHH!"

I mostly ignore the explanation. All I can think about is what mom might be cooking right now. And Yasu-san – she cooks almost as good as mom! Sure, it's only about ten o'clock, but I'm sure they're at least thinking about what they will be cooking in a bit.

Then something smashes through the window. Some brownish-white ball. The ball unfurls and turns out to be a kunoichi with a banner introducing her as 'the sexy and single Mitarashi Anko'. Judging from the growl next to me, this purple haired woman is someone Aya knows but doesn't like. Well, I actually feel a bit better. She never growls at me – so I'm not exactly in 'walking corpse' territory.

"Hmm. Not bad, Ibiki. Not perfect though. I'm still going to cut this group down by at least half!" The woman announces. "Everyone, to training ground forty-four! If you're not there in thirty minutes, you're automatically disqualified!"

Yeah, yeah. What a minute, that means I won't have time for a snack! Or that celebration lunch! Fine. Emergency chips it is.

8-8

End Chapter 40

8-8

A/N: We're really starting to see the differences between Butterflies and Canon now. Kabuto having faulty information, him easily being spotted as at best a shifty character. Seeing as Team Seven only train in the privacy of the Namiki back yard, there's no way for Kabuto to know what they're capable of, and if he reveals his knowledge (if he even knows) of their Anbu training, that's an automatic death sentence, nevermind blowing his cover.

Chouji seems to be coming around a bit now, but will it be enough? And who helped him? Was it Aya? How did she even know the answers? Did she cheat? So much unknown ^_^

Maybe it'll get explained. Maybe it won't. Being evil has perks; like free cookies. Evil people don't pay for cookies ;)