After a few moments of awkward silence Ibiki came out from behind the sign.
"You're early. Again…"
He said making Anko blush. I however didn't really care when the next test was. I was more curious as to how her coat always stayed perfectly in place without showing her... dirty pillows. Before I knew it every one was leaving. I soon found Midna and Aaron who stood next to the leaf ninja. They seemed to be getting friendlier and friendlier with us. It was probably because they were the main characters who tend to always be really nice once you had become a hero type person to them.
"Hey Stu, Have fun?"
Midna smiled happily
"So what you think about that test?"
Aaron asked,
"It was too easy."
Midna said before I could say how I almost didn't pass.
"Yeah it was pretty easy. I just wish they let me listen to my iPod when I was finished, Waiting for a half an hour with nothing to do sucks."
Aaron agreed.
"...Yeah… easy"
I said with a hint of sarcasm. We had the rest of the day to rest up and prepare for the next test, whatever it was.
"So what should we do?"
Midna asked as we said by to the others ninja.
"Well I don't know what you wanna' do?"
I asked Aaron who seemed to be acting a little funny.
"Aaron?"
I asked again seeing he for once was acting serious.
"Were being fallowed…"
Aaron said as we kept on walking.
"You think they're Manifest?"
Midna asked a little excited for a good fight.
"Yeah I think so. They are gonna attack any second now."
Aaron said taking the guitar case off his back.
"Looks like we are gonna have some fun."
I said getting ready to draw the twins. I looked the empty street we were in and saw nothing. I could hear nothing but Aaron slowly unzipping the case and very faint footsteps.
"Hey guys what ya doin'?"
It was Naruto and Sasuke. Naruto seemed oblivious to the impending danger but its seams that Sasuke understood. He opened a pouch on his back and took out a shuriken.
"Naruto don't move."
Sasuke ordered Naruto as we all looked around.
"… This is stupid come out already …"
I shouted finally getting bored. Midna looked at me with a smirk. I had become a little too cocky it seemed
"Looks like they pulled back"
Sasuke said when my spider sense went off.
"Shit, there going for Naruto and Sasuke."
Aaron said before taking a blue sitar out of the case. I looked at Naruto and Sasuke and saw that they had been surprised attacked by about ten ninja.
I got ready to save them when I heard the roar of a sitar. I looked at Aaron to see what the hell he was thinking. I saw that he was being surrounded by a title wave of water. I forgot that we were in a battle and said with a big smile
"Nice. Finally Demix's sitar gets so action."
But I had been interrupted but a ninja who threw knives at me. Suddenly Aaron hit a really nice cord sending jets or water off at every direction killing most of the Manifest ninja.
"Who's bad ass now Stuart? Haha"
Aaron belted as he started to play a rift. I could smell the familiar sent of dieing Manifest.
"Keep it up Aaron, A good party has to have music."
I said to Aaron who continued to play sending more and more jets of water at the alarming number of ninjas that appeared. There water pressure was so strong that they cute concrete clear in half when it hit it. Midna still had about two to play with but the ones Naruto and Sasuke were fighting had all been killed in one attack. But still more came. They seemed to be more into hand to hand fighting then into using the ninjutsu stuff. Somehow they seemed to dampen my spider sense making me rely on my normal senses. I was fighting off five ninjas at a time when I got stabbed in the shoulder not expecting it. I fried the Ninjas around me and pulled out the blade. I bled from the wound but it didn't faze me. I had gotten worse in Devil May Cry.
'So, it looks like they got a few new tricks up their sleeves this time.'
I thought to myself as I let my wound heal, though it would ache throughout the battle.
"That's all you got, common! I have gotten a spike threw the chest , I've been shot, I have even had my arm half torn off, hell a demon once tried to skin me. You think a little knife in the shoulder will stop me?"
I cried out as I fought off the oncoming Manifest still narrowly avoiding shuriken and ninja start though I couldn't avoid all of them. They seemed to listen to me and began to come at me with spears and swords. Seeing the glowing white eyes of the ninja reminded me of Duma witch both made me angry and scared at the same time.
Aaron, whom I was seeing fight for the first time, was kicking some major ass. Midna was out of sight behind a building. I knew I wouldn't have to worry about her getting hurt but I wasn't as confident in the story characters. I looked at Sasuke and the half dozen Naruto's to see they were doing pretty good. But they seemed to be struggling with the increasing number of enemies. Out of nowhere this green blur came whizzing by.
"Leaf Hurricane! I can't believe I almost missed this fight!"
The Rock Lee kid cheered as he jumped into the battle doing a spinning kick.
"Don't worry I will save you."
He said as he helped out the Naruto's who were being attacked without end. I was actually impressed with him now. It seemed he was faking how weak he was when I first met him. He wasn't the only one that had arrived.
"Way to go Akamaru!"
A wild looking kid barked as he and um… himself fought alongside Sasuke and the others.
I couldn't help but think that there was a cloning machine somewhere as I saw more and more Naruto's appearing out of nowhere. Soon there were five more people showing up to fight with us. With all of us together it was soon over. The last of the Manifest began to dissolve and disappear.
"Is every one ok?"
Aaron asked every one as he kissed his sitar and putting her away. No one seemed to be hurt except for me and Naruto. He was cut up pretty bad but he was acting like he was fine. And my suit had already started to mend my cuts.
"What was that about? Such a drag,"
Shikamaru moaned lazily.
"Who cares? It doesn't matter now that we flattened them. Believe it!"
Naruto said posing like a normal anime person would.
"But it does. Don't you see? We were attacked and we still don't know who it was."
Kakashi said as he tried to examine what was now a half dissolved Manifest corpse.
"You three what was this about?"
Sasuke asked coldly as he eyeballed us.
"It's not good. It seems that we have some uninvited guests who want us dead."
Aaron said as he put the sitar back on his back.
"It looks like he's trying to kill us after all."
Midna said going along with Aaron. I said my line for this kind of situation.
"You know how we never even knew about this place until we were told about it?"
Sasuke looked intrigued.
"Well the person, who told us about you, was unbeknownst to us at the time a rouge ninja from this village."
I went on trying to get there support back.
"You can't mean Orochimaru?"
Kakashi said seeming to read my mind.
"Bingo."
I said
"He came to our island and told us to send our best warriors to fight in this competition. He had tried to lure us out of our village. He captured us and was going to experiment on us but we managed to break out. We thought he might try to get at us again if we came to this tournament. And it seems that we were right."
Kakashi looked at us a moment but nodded accepting what we said. They younger people seemed to fallow suet
If we were going to find the Manifest leader we would need some help and now we had the entire village on look out for him. It was later that day when we had finally met back up in our place.
"It seems that it has started. They will be sending more out after us soon so be on your guard."
Aaron said as he shut the door to the hotel.
"No worries, if they come I will just have to kick there ass again."
I boasted as I lay down next to Midna who would leave to her world soon. I didn't wanna let them know I was slightly worried because these new Manifest could get past my spider sense witch I had gotten used to relying on. I felt my shoulder where I had gotten stabbed and realized that I wasn't going to be able to slack off when fighting any more. Not just that but fighting the Manifest once again reminded me of what nearly happened in Kingdom Hearts. A few minutes passed as we got ready for bed.
"…Midna?"
I whispered to Midna who was still lying in bed with me
"Yeah Stu?"
She said as she looked away from her book with a smile.
"What would you do if I died?"
I said as Aaron snored in the next room. Midna gave me the don't be silly look and said to me
"Stuart, that's a really stupid question. You know that? If you died that would mean I was dead already, because I will always be there by your side even if it means risking my life to save yours."
"No you won't, promise me that if only one of us can live that you will. I won't have you dieing over me."
I demanded not wanting to put Midna in any danger.
"I'm sorry, I can't promise you that. I guess that means neither of us can die then… Eee hee."
Midna giggled as she grind.
"I guess you're right."
I said to Midna as she gave me a kiss.
"Of cores I'm right. I protect you, and you protect me. There's no way that we can lose as long as we stick together. I will always be here when you need me."
She said with a smirk.
"So will I, just call out and I will be there."
I said to Midna who stood up.
"I know you will Eee hee. Well any ways I have to go home now. I'll be back soon as possible ok. Later hun."
Midna said before winking and falling into my shadow.
I was now alone now and my mind began to wander into places I would rather it didn't. I was not able to block the images out of my head. It was about my first day of high school.. I had always been put down over everything I ever did because of this and never had any friends.
'Loser, nerd, get away weirdo, what a fag'
I could hear voices of people I once knew saying to me. I was just starting water polo and no matter what I did I was always put down because …well I didn't fit in. I wasn't that I want good at it. People just think I am weird. I was to put it quit plainly and athletic nerd who liked singing… quite a strange mix. To top it off I never learned how to act around people because I was not able to learn in my earlier years. Traveling from place to place never let me get any friends so eventually I gave up on it. It just made me look even odder when I tried to make friend anyways. I remember how I would always be teased. Though every now and then someone would talk to me but it never lasted. But one good thing did come out of it. I learned how to be a kind person. I just had to not do what everyone else did to me. It made me want to help people like me. I guess that's why I liked Midna so much she always seemed so lonely and I wanted to help her.
The only thing that ever really gave me any sense of pride was choir. I loved doing it even if I was not the best and every one there was at least somewhat nice to me. I felt my left hand start to glow from the Triforce of Friendship. My mind had gone then to the day I met Tyler. He was in my choir class but he never really talked and I didn't notice him. I probably would never have met him if it wasn't for one thing…The Nightmare before Christmas. It is my favorite movie. It was the end of class when I heard it.
'There are few who deny it, what I do I am the best.'
It was Jacks Lament from the movie. I stayed around to see who was singing because he was really good. It was then I saw him in one of the practice rooms. He had a sleeveless Nightmare shirt on. I was astonished at how well he could sing. It took me a few seconds to work up the courage to talk to him.
'Um, hi.'
I said as I walked into the practice room he was in.
'Oh hey what up?'
He said in a slightly awkward voice looking up from the piano.
'I heard you singing and it was um cool I though.'
I muttered as I slowly walked in.
'Thanks you wanna' hang out?'
Tyler said bluntly,
'Really? Sure.'
I said as I introduced myself. From that point on we were best friends. He's always been there to get my back no matter what it was whether I was being picked on or I was looking for someone to play Halo with. After remembering this I began to wonder how Tyler was doing. Was he ok…was he in great pain… was he feeling great… had he passed the test or… had he failed. I then remembered the promise Tyler and I had made to each other.
'No matter what happens we will always have each other's back.'
He said one night.
'You got it.'
I told him back. It was a simple promise but we have been keeping it ever since. I dwelled on this for a long time but eventually I fell asleep.
The next day I woke up and all was quiet and the sun had not even started to rise. The air felt thick and icy as I took a breath in. I kept my eye closed because I was still too tired to think. Then something happened that was very familiar. I felt five cold and clammy fingers wrap themselves around my neck. I opened my eyes to see the same boy with straight black hair and pale grey completion pulling me out of my bed by my neck once again. Except this time he was wearing rounded wire rim glasses but other than that he was the same. I watched choking as the boys face twisted into and evil smile. He started to Chuckle at me struggling. This felt so real but like last time I had lost all my strength and was unable to do anything. I saw his lips move once again as the darkness began to swallow me up.
"You'll never win. Failure!"
But instead of letting the darkness swallow me this time I fought back.
"No!"
I started to say something only to see Midna on the ground dieing. She looked up at me with her ruby eyes and said in a gargled voice.
'How could you let this happen… your letting the organization kill Tyler… you said you'd protect us'
Her words felt like I was being hit by a wrecking ball. I lost all control and couldn't fight back any more.
"They will all DIE and it will be because of you."
He cackled as I woke up screaming.
"It's not real! It's not real! IT'S NOT REAL!"
I was breathing heavier than I ever had before in my life and my head was beating so fast it seemed like it was going to explode. I reached for my thought and like last time felt nothing except sweat and my skin. I had been crying in my sleep and was still.
"It…it's just a dream… Man what is wrong with me?"
I told myself once again. I started to calm down when I noticed the music being played in the back ground. Aaron must have gotten up before me. I looked at the clock and saw that it was still early. I lie down and listen to Aaron playing some random classical music on his sitar which helped to calm me down. Later that day, we all got up and head out to the next testing zone. I was still shaken up about the dream.
"You ok Stuart?"
Aaron said as I snapped back to my normal self
"Yeah I'm fine… just didn't sleep well 'Yawn'."
I said with a care free attitude.
"Aw did Stuart miss me so much he couldn't sleep?"
Midna said in a poor baby voice. I was glad to see her and hear her voice so I replied
"You know it babe… you know it."