A.N: This chapter was so hard to write but I like how it came out. Props go out to Shashuko the Paisley Maiden and of course this chap goes to my real best friend no matter what pathes we take in our four crazy years in high school (prehaps not as nuts as the Academy but still pretty stressful) Mellos-In-My-Closet.

Extra Note: My mouse for my PC is dead so my three other storeies will have to be on hold till I get my lazy butt to Staples and get a new one. Luckyly Academy is on my laptop so this storey will be updated ALOT!

Chapter Fifteen: Super Nova of the Wind Tower

"Hey Deidara," I said as we walked together to the training grounds the next morning. There was no way I was going to miss my best friend's match even if I had to wait days before her fight came. Of course I couldn't go alone and had dragged a groggy Deidara with me.

"Yea" he asked glancing at me.

"If one of your clay birds took a shit and it fell on a house would the bird shit blow the house up?" I asked seriously. Deidara gave me a look that meant I probably should be in a straight jacket.

"I-I don't know un," he blinked "what kind of freaking question is that anyway hmm?"

"Just a thought," I replied with a smile.

"You think about my birds taking craps on houses un?" he asked and my smile widened.

"I have time to think about stuff before I go to bed," I stated as if it explained everything.

"You are an oddity Jen-Chan yeah," he sighed looking up at the hazy sky "I think it's going to rain."

"Do you think they'd call off the test?" I asked looking up at the gray sky that was becoming darker by the second.

"No, they never cancel anything in this school hmm," he said in a lower then normal voice. I looked at him with a brow raised and it was obvious he was being overly dramatic so I punched him in the shoulder playfully. "It's funny un, your so little" he laughed.

"I'm as tall as you," I stated "the only thing that makes you taller is your crazy ponytail."

"No, I mean your skinny yea," he said pocking my thin arm. I frowned and he smiled widely. "It's cute since your such a little fire ball hmm."

"Your skinny too," I said pocking him in the rib for vengeance. He smirked but his eyes went cold as he stared at something ahead of us. I looked up to see Itachi up ahead in the Akatsuki cloak his hand dripped in the open collar. I had seen him do this a lot just before a fight. I could tell he was pissed too because his eyes blazed red with his bloodline limit. "Itachi-sempai?" I murmured biting my lip "what's up?"

"I've been waiting for you for over an hour explain," he ordered tilting his head up.

"Ah…Sorry I must have forgotten," I said quickly feeling Deidara's anger building like a ticking time bomb. "I have somewhere I have to be sempai can't I…can't I skip?" I knew I looked pathetic groveling like I was but Itachi was glaring down on me and looked so angry and so disappointed.

"Fine," he said before disappearing.

Translation: "Your sorry skinny ass is so dead later."

Loren bit the inside of her cheek as she watched the match going on from the TV in the waiting area. She was nervous that was for sure, everyone was as far as she could tell. Usually she was good with tests, Jenny was the one who got cold feet, not her! But this was no ordinary quiz; this was a test from hell! If she lost she'd be kicked out and probably have her mind erased of being in the Academy. If that wasn't a good reason to be nervous she had no idea what would be.

"Loren-chan," Gaara said softly sitting on the bench beside her. He had his massive gourd slung over his shoulder that must have weighed a ton. She could see his muscles stress under the presser. "Don't be scared you'll be fine."

"I'm not scared," she said defensively "just a little nervous."

"You'll be fine," he shrugged. He had gotten close with his roommate, sort of, he would never allow her to hug him ever, no matter how long she begged, but he was close enough to her to give a few kind words. "Your speed and timing has improved."

"Thanks I guess," Loren shrugged looking at the odd boy next to her. Gaara didn't meet her gaze he just looked off into space. "Do you think Jenny came to watch?"

"The Akatsuki?" Gaara asked and Loren nodded, he shrugged. "I doubt it, the elder Uchiha wouldn't allow her out of a training day so close to her own exam."

"Oh…" she muttered cursing Itachi silently.

"Loren Colona and Nick Champaign come to the testing area," said a voice over the intercom.

"Wish me luck?" Loren asked getting up and Gaara tilted his head up to look at her.

"No."

"Gee thanks Gaara," she sighed but smiled her star shaped earrings jingling softly as they tapped her neck.

The red headed boy watched her walk off and whispered to himself. "Good luck Desert Star."

I sat down next to Deidara in the arena seats. It was the equivalent of a high school foot ball game with upper classmen cheering on or booing the first years. We seemed to be the only Temple students in the whole arena.

I could see that a fight had just ended and the audience was going crazy. It was less like testing and more like a gladiator fight, which it kind of was. Deidara went along with it and started whooping although he had no clue what he was cheering for. I rolled my eyes at him and stole some of his popcorn.

"Hello," said a soft voice to my right making me turn quickly. It was a girl with long brown hair and wearing a pair of jeans and a black baggy T-shirt.

"Hello," I said between my popcorn. As I studied her I took into notice her flat chest and Adam's apple, it was hard to notice but it was defiantly there under the black chocker necklace. I blushed seeing that this was a guy! At first glance it was a bit difficult to tell but there was no doubt now.

"I'm Haku from the Water Tower," he said his voice not giving away his gender either. I had to admit he was adorable in a boyish goth-ish kind of way. "Well I'm really from Tokyo."

"I'm Jenny that's Deidara," I said pointing to the blond next to me who was still cheering. "I'm from America he's from Korea and where studying under the Akatsuki."

"Oh?" he asked his brows raised and I nodded solemnly "that's pretty cool," he said and I perked up in surprise. He closed his eyes and smiled warmly at my gawking look. "Not all Tower kids hate Akatsuki I think you guys are pretty awesome. If it weren't for my bloodline limit I'm sure I'd be in there!"

"Hey the next fights starting okay?" Deidara piped up and our chatter stopped as the proctor came into the middle of the area.

The man coughed a few times in his hand before speaking into the microphone. "Next match cough will be the Wind Tower's Loren Colona and Nick Champaign."

I jumped up screaming like wild as the two came out from different sides of the arena. The boy, Nick was a giant with wide shoulders and strong arms he was however only an inch or two taller then Loren. They met at the center were the ill proctor explained the rules of the match. First knocked out is the loser and killing strikes are strictly prohibited. Blah. Blah. Blah.

I sat back down Haku looking at me as if I'd grown an extra head. After a moment he just laughed softly smiling in that cute little way with his eyes closed. I smiled back at him and looked back at the upcoming fight.

"Begin!"

With that word Loren sprung back quickly. Nick smirked clenching his fist and running after her. He was quick and I could feel the massive amounts chakra coming off him, he wasn't that great with control but his raw power made up for it.

Loren however was both a weapon's mistress and a puppeteer. She quickly backs away from him as he proceeded toward her. Then she quickly unsheathed a short katana from her belt and threw it at him. Then with a shift of her hand it stopped straightened it's coarse and stopped in the ground in front of him making Nick trip over the blade.

A dirty trick that made the crowd roar with energy. Loren smiled looking up at all the faces. In these seconds of distraction she doesn't see Nick get into a crouching position and kicked her legs out from under her. She fell onto her side hard and the boy was soon standing over her. Her fingers lashed out putting chakra strings on him and pulled him backward away from her.

She jumped to her feet and opened the weapon pouch tied to her thigh and ten of her throwing stars floating around her body. She did a few quick hand seals as the stars pumped with chakra glowing blue.

"Puppet jutsu Desert Evening!" she yelled and the stars shot out her hands moving to direct the stars.

There was a low thud as metal hit plaster and flesh. The crowd was silent as they saw that Nick had been pinned on the wall by the stars. There was a smirk on his face and he chuckled dully.

"What's so funny?" Loren growled pulling a star from the wall and having it hover in front of his face. "You're done."

I couldn't see why Loren couldn't feel the sudden chakra spike, maybe she was to caught up in the moment but the surge of energy was enough to make me feel sick.

"I think you're the one who's done," Nick chuckled pulling is arms forward and the throwing stars were pulled out of the plaster. Another pulse of chakra and a girl in the seat in front of me threw up in her popcorn bag. I could see now Loren had felt that.

"What's going on?" I murmured to Deidara.

"He's using large amounts of chakra to disorientate her, last year I saw Kakuzu fight with a upperclassmen Fire Student who could do that. Perhaps a cousin of this guy's un."

Loren held her stomach the best she could but the energy overloud was melting her brain! The boy chucked as he readied himself for another wave of chakra. Thinking quickly she jumped forward before he could send the next wave of sickness. Kunai clashed as he was pushed out of his jutsu and into a Taijutsu situation. Neither of them were very good with hand to hand, both being a middle range fighters but Loren seemed the better of the two.

She kicked out hitting him square in the hip and there was a satisfying crack that echoed throw the stadium. Nick lumbered backward howling in pain of his cracked hip and Loren brought her throwing stares around her all one hundred glittering dangerously as a soft rain began to fall.

"Puppet jutsu Desert Night!" she cried and the stars shot out stopping only inches from the opponent's body. Twenty five of the stars making a halo around his head, twenty five around his rib cage, twenty five around in belly area, and the last twenty five waiting to hit any spot that may not have been slashed into by the other seventy five stars.

The proctor declared victory to Loren and the rest is history.