Crystal inferno: Alright, here's the next chapter! Thank you Konoha-Salad for reviewing, it is appreciated. This chapter is mildly long, but nothing out of the ordinary (like 12,000 words!) So, chapter begin!
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Ami woke from her slumber, her vision blurred by the disruption of her dream. It hadn't been a dream of grand fantasy, but it had been comfortable. She envisioned an alter reality, if she hadn't been cruel to Sakura, or sound proud and arrogant to Ino. Then, maybe they all could have become friends and Hinata along for the ride as well.
She was shocked by the sudden streak of water flowing down her cheek. She was…crying? She never cried about anything so trivial! She had friends, ones that she didn't need anymore, and she was perfectly capable of moving on without those two ditzy girls. Then…why did her heart throb with sorrow?
Unable to bear her discomfort anymore, she stood up in her bed, and stretched her long, petite arms, and arched her back. Her legs crawled themselves out of the covers and found her slippers waiting for her by the foot of her bedside. She quickly changed into a yellow camisole with cropped khakis and placed her lucky red barrette in her violet hair. She began to walk towards the kitchen to prepare a hearty breakfast as her sensei had asked them to, when she heard a shuffle in her father's room. Could he be?
She rushed to the door and opened it swiftly, anticipating joy and ecstasy in seeing her father's face. It had been two weeks since his return home. Everyday, she had to wake up without anyone with her, to comfort her, to scold her. Being alone at the academy was nothing special, but being alone at home was ultimate misery.
"Dad! Your-" she cut herself off suddenly, her eyes widening at the view before her. Her father was there, a serene smile placed on his lips. But beside him, was a woman, wrapped in his arms, with the same look placed on her gorgeous features. Her father…had slept with another woman…without even showing Ami, without even considering her views on her. What if this woman was a tramp, some bimbo he had just found on the street so he could feel the touch of another once more? Had he done this before? Behind her back, not respecting her enough to even bring one of them over?
Anger welled up inside of her, her eyes fierce as though she was prepared to murder. With a sudden belt from her lungs she screeched, "HOW DARE YOU!"
Her father, being an ANBU and having to anticipate every offensive maneuver, especially those trying to kill you off in their sleep, woke up with the girl beside him, their bodies ready for combat. However, as they saw no one their to attack, their bodies took off the tension building inside of them, and looked for the source that had woke them up.
"Well…at least I know she's not a whore," Ami stated, both of them turning to her. Based on her reaction to Ami's scream, she at least had to be a jounin.
"Ami…What is it?" Her father asked, as though he was oblivious to her wake up call.
"Quit playing games with me! Who is this woman! What is she doing in your bed!" Ami demanded, her voice struggling to scream, as her throat was closing in on her, tears starting to form in her eyes.
"Oh…this is Tsume, I believe you may know her…" her father announced. Her anger formed into shock and shock turned into realization. The red marks on her cheeks said it all…
"You slept with Kiba's mother! Are you an idiot! You have no sort of care for my feelings do you! I can't believe this. You're always so cold to me, stating that I won't be the best unless I act like you! But look at you! Sleeping with another woman without my consent, not even introducing her to me before your lust got the best of you. What about mom!" Ami couldn't believe her father. He was contradicting himself in every way she ever believed him to be.
"Your mother is dead, Ami. She's been dead for twelve years. I don't know why I have to introduce my partner to my daughter, not unless I plan on marrying her. Remember, Ami, I can't give you my trust unless I know you trust in my decisions and become the absolute best." He stated icily. The woman beside him looked at the man with sudden shock, as though thinking the man had become different from what she had first perceived him as.
"How can I trust you if you don't give me respect! If half the time I don't know where you are or if you died, how am I even suppose to know who you are. Was that how mom died, you unable to trust her and respect her, so she broke?" Ami didn't stop the tears from flowing down her face, her emotions rising higher then they ever had in a long time.
Her father tensed and his eyes became paralyzed by her last comment. However, they darkened and stated with obvious detest, "No, Ami, you killed your mother."
She just stood there, unable to retort from his last comment. She was the cause for her mother's death, she had known that since she was three years old, when she had seen her father crying, the last time he had ever seen him in such a state, and had asked what was wrong. He had told her everything then, and she never forgot. But, she was only an infant, she hadn't actually killed her mother, stained her hands with her blood…hadn't she?
The world began to slowly shift from her father and the woman before her to an image of her mother, in agony, her blue eyes in agony and her short, brown hair all in a mess. The purple fangs on her cheeks seemed so pale, paler then her own skin, and she looked directly at Ami, with sorrow in her eyes.
"Why…Why did you…Why did you kill your mother!?" she screeched at her, the misery in her eyes replaced by hate and disgust. Ami held her head, it beginning to pulsate and cause pain throughout her body.
"I didn't…I didn't…I didn't kill you! How, could I have killed you Rin!" the screams in her head never ceased, her body unable to control itself anymore. She took a step back and rushed out of the house, her eyes closed throughout her whole episode. The screams…they wouldn't halt. Her father's tears wouldn't stop. The woman in her father's bed…she resembled her mother but they were nothing alike. She didn't want a replacement! She wanted her mother!
She opened her eyes and began to run down the street, away from her house, away from the screams and the tears and the memories. So much pain was buried inside her chest, finally being released from the shell that had once halted its flow. Her emotions were getting the better of her, and she could not imagine what could happen if her emotions continued at this rate.
As if by fate, a person walked into her path, and she collided with them, her body shooting back due to the impact. She laid on the floor and looked at the person who stopped her silent rampage. It was none other then her teammate, Nara Shikamaru.
He too, was on the ground and she heard him mumbled, "How troublesome.." Yet, when he saw who his 'attacker' had been his eyes became alert as he realized it was a very emotionally disturbed Ami.
"Ami? Are you alright?" he asked standing up quickly to see what was the trouble. Ami just shook her head, knowing if she spoke she was just sob and become weak in Shikamaru's eyes, just as she had begun to earn his respect.
"No? What's wrong? C'mon, you have to tell me or I can't find a way to help you," Shikamaru tried to lightly state, unused to talking to a crying girl. The last time he had ever comforted one of those was when he was ten, when Ino had been dumped by her friend Sakura for the intangible boy known as Sasuke. Then, he had been annoyed, but now, he felt worried. This was a girl who never cried, to strong to show emotion, too proud to shed tears. But here she was, sitting on the cold concrete, her eyes telling of a story of despair, her hands holding her heart, as though their was a burden she wished to unleash, or a pain she wished to disappear.
"I…I couldn't have killed her…right, Shikamaru?" Ami asked slowly. The question had Shikamaru's cat-like eyes widen. Did she know what she was saying? But, she continued, "How…could I have…I was an infant…incapable of knowing what the concept of life, the concept of death was…my mother…then, how did she die? Shikamaru, how did she die?!" she exclaimed and let her body collapse completely to the concrete floor. She was crying softly, and Shikamaru had no idea what to do. His intelligence was of the mind, not of the heart, and right now his heart softened, realizing what needed to be done. He picked her up bridal style and ran swiftly to both of their destinations.
"Ami, I don't know what this is about, but you need to clear your head! We need to prove to the academy, as well as to ourselves that we are capable of being shinobi," he said with indifference, unable to confirm which emotion was best at this particular situation. "Your mother, no matter how she died or how she perceived you, would never want you to feel this way. I know that wherever she is, she is proud of you, and that she will never stop caring about you."
The sniffles coming from the broken girl in his arms had halted and as he ran to the training grounds, he noticed she had fallen asleep. Perhaps his words had reached her, and she was able to drift in harmless dreams. He looked at her soft features: her feminine nose, her big eyes, at the moment close, her full lips, the arch of her eyebrows, her purple bangs falling up and down against her forehead…Shikamaru suddenly blushed at his stare; girls were indeed too troublesome.
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When Ami awoke, she had Hinata's face peering at her. When she stared into her lavender eyes, Hinata squealed and fell back, unable to look Ami straight in the eye. A long sigh came from her throat; she would have to fix a lot of things for Hinata so she could gain the confidence to approach others, especially her crush, Naruto.
When she sat up, she felt a cloth on her shoulders that hadn't been there before. She looked and noticed it was Shikamaru's short sleeve shirt he always wore over his mesh T-shirt. She gazed the scenery until she noticed him watching the clouds, indeed without his other apparel. An unexpected blush graced her cheeks; why would he have done this?
"Ah, so our Sleeping Beauty is awake," a voice behind Ami declared. She turned around and saw her sensei, Gekkou Hayate. "Well, now that you have awoken, we can finally begin the exam. You should stretch first. Don't worry, Shikamaru told me everything that happened, so you don't have to explain yourself." He then sat down and started reading what appeared to be a mystery novel on the death of a shinobi. Ami then stood up, walked over to Shikamaru, and kneeled. She was somewhat irritated that Shikamaru had told Hayate of her issue; she would have had felt better if she had told her sensei personally. However, she could not express anything but gratitude towards her sensei.
"What do you want?" Shikamaru asked, slightly annoyed his cloud gazing was being interrupted.
"Well, I just wanted to thank you for bringing me here. And, thanks for the jacket. It kept me warm when I was sleeping." Her voice was fragile at the moment, still strained from her sobbing, but she had to thank him. At the moment, he was her hero, and a hero should receive what he deserves.
"Tch…whatever, you're welcome, I suppose," Shikamaru said, once again gazing at the clouds. Ami began to stretch as her sensei had implied she should do and gazed at the clouds as Shikamaru was doing. Hinata came over to the as well, sat, and looked at the clouds.
"So, I see a wolf with oversized fangs" Ami said light-heartedly. "Hinata what do you see?"
"Oh…a bowl of ramen, w-with chopsticks on the side," Hinata nearly whispered and blushed at her statement. "Y-you, Shikamaru?"
"I see sleeping deer, a laughing pig, and a silent butterfly," he stated lazily.
"Are you done stretching, Ami? I believe it is time for the exam to begin," Hayate announced and stood up as the three genin did as well. They approached him, and waited for their instructions.
"Alright, the exam's name is 'A Mouse and its Cats.'" Hayate stated, "Their will be two teams. A team a two and a team of one. The team of two's objective is to 'catch' the mouse and show teamwork doing it. The 'mouse' or the solo comrade must avoid the catch as long as they can. You will each be examined on your teamwork and how well you can avoid conflict. Any volunteers for the mouse?"
Hinata slowly raised her hand, shakily at first, but firm at the end, and her eyes seemed determined. "H-Hayate-sensei. I w-would like to go f-first," she declared.
"Well then, Hinata, you have three minutes to hide yourself and prepare for the attack while your teammates decide on tactics. The first round exam begins…now!" Hayate exclaimed and Hinata was off, rushing straight into the woods, awaiting her teammate's arrival.
"So, what's the plan?" Shikamaru asked, his hands slowly making their way to the back of his head, watching Hinata's fleeting figure.
"We shouldn't split up…not unless we have to," she began, seeing where she could go with her evaluation on this test. "We need to keep in contact with each other or else Hinata may be able to fight us one on one. The objective is to two-team her, so she can be in a position in which she must quit. So, I guess that's my suggestion."
"Well, I know that much already," Shikamaru insisted, "Yet, will need to use our 'special' techniques, if we want to beat her. Remember, she has the Byakugan, so she'll be able to anticipate all our moves and strategies. We must be careful not to dabble in combat too much; it's teamwork we're after, not individual skills." Ami nodded, waited for the three minutes to be done, and ran into the forest to seek out Hinata.
The two stayed together, preparing for traps that Hinata may had placed. They ran quietly through the woods, each thought's on one single word: capture.
As they observed their surroundings, Ami noticed a small thread near a tree. Before she could warn Shikamaru, he skimmed the thread and it violently ruffled the trees, and Ami soon noticed a figure retreating southwest of her.
"She's moving behind us! Shikamaru, follow behind me!" she ordered, and ran towards the direction Hinata had been. She made sure Shikamaru was following her movements; he wasn't as fast as her, but he could endure more running if need be while her stamina ran a little shorter then his. Soon, however, she noticed Hinata's figure in an open field and jumped off the trees, took out a kunai, and slashed at her, expecting her to defend herself. Yet, the kunai went straight through her, and she disappeared in a puff of smoke.
Henge! She thought quickly and turned around to see two shuriken flying towards her. She reflected them with two kunai of her own and they flew towards a nearby tree, embedding in its skin. She couldn't pinpoint her location, kunai and shuriken coming from every direction. Her body ducked jumped, and twisted itself every each way in order to avoid conflict with the weapons. She felt a few cut through her arms and legs, but nothing she couldn't ignore. Pain was nothing; the success of the mission was everything. But still, where was Hinata? From the corner of her eyes, she saw Shikamaru, looking every which way, dodging the weapons as well, and seeking the 'true' Hinata.
"I know where she is! The direction that's not throwing objects," Shikamaru announced and leapt towards the direction, allowing some senbon needles to penetrate into his shoulder.
Ami kept avoiding conflict with the weapons, unable to view the battle between Shikamaru and the 'true' Hinata. Suddenly, the barrage of weapons ceased, and Ami was able to help her comrade. Leaping to the tree that separated the two fields, Ami looked upon as Hinata battled with Shikamaru. Although her Byakugan was activated, she was a distance from Shikamaru, only throwing weapons to avoid his Shadow Imitation Jutsu.
He was able to see and notice in the heat of battle the one side that wasn't throwing weaponry, but rather ordering the other clones to attack. And, Hinata is incapable of battling at close range at fear of being captured by his shadow. These two are very exceptional shinobi. Ami smiled at her two peers, noticing how strong they had become in just a day's work. Especially Hinata. She had somehow grown courage and sprit in just one day. She was still fragile but it was becoming harder to crack the delicate vase that was Hyugga Hinata.
Shikamaru, becoming annoyed at how far away she was, threw a kunai at her body to get her to fight. To his surprise, it went right through her chest with no problem. A puff of smoke revealed a log. Shikamaru automatically turned around to view the palm of Hinata shooting straight through his stomach. He winced and fell down, an odd sensation halting his flow of chakra.
She came right from behind him! Bold move! Yet, I'm going to have to strike, or my teammate will be pummeled! She stealthily slid down the tree, and crept up behind Hinata. Using hand signals, she whispered "Kanashibari no Jutsu! Paralysis Technique!"
Hinata was thus unable to move. Ami kicked her knees under and Hinata fell to the ground. Shikamaru used the little strength he had to yell "Kagemane no Jutsu! Shadow Imitation technique!" Hinata was suddenly trapped by Shikamaru's every movement. Ami held a kunai to the back of her neck, and smirked at her victory.
"Congratulations, all three of you did exceptional. So far, you all pass. However, let's see how your teamwork is Hinata. Shikamaru, you will go next." Hayate, from out of the shadows of a nearby shadow declared.
"Hayate-sensei, where'd you come from?" Ami asked like a typical school girl.
"Since I'm a jounin, I'm able to see what you kids are doing at a speed that may seem surreal to you at this point." Hayate stated matter-of-factly. "Yet, you will soon be able to perceive the true meaning of 'speed.' Like I said, Shikamaru, you're up."
"Ah, this is such a drag," Shikamaru moaned. "Guess I'll have to keep going. See you ladies in a bit." He then vanished into the woods, a low ruffle heard from his contact with the trees. As he vanished, she noticed his bare shoulders and touched hers, noticing the gray cloth still holding her. Funny…he hadn't asked for it back…
I guess he won't be needing it though. His mesh shirt will help him blend into the background more. I'll have to be careful though. He plays chess, not shinobi. Ami pondered in her head.
"Alright, Hinata…this is what we need to do..."
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Crystal Inferno: Well, here's another chapter. Thank you Konoha-salad for your delightful review, once again. I appreciate all who read and Adios, mon amis!