Chapter 2. It Begins
Kisame stared at her reflection in the mirror,thinking. It was the morning of the Chunin exams and she was worried that she wouldn't win. If only her parents were still around to give her some advice,but they had been killed two years ago while doing that mission.
Picking up her Leaf village head protector,she tied it under her ponytail. Her hair had been cut to shoulder length and the long sleeve on the right side of her dress was gone,leaving both her arms free for movement. In the years since joining the Academy, she had grown slimmer and taller but was still the shortest girl in her class. Picking up her bag, Kisame resolved to go to Ichiraku for breakfast.
The morning was alive with people and excitement as the lords and leaders of the other villages arrived for the Chunin exams. Smiling to herself, she dodged out of the path of a few children chasing a ball down the street when her eyes caught the briefest flash of red hair disappearing behind a gourd. That hair was so familiar. Chasing after it,Kisame skidded around the corner to a stop to catch her breath. "Is that you...Gaara...?"
He was flanked on either side,on his left was a female with spiky blond hair pulled back into four bunches. On his right was a tall boy dressed in black with purple marking in his face. At the mention of his name, Gaara looked over his shoulder in surprise,taking in the girl behind him. He took a few seconds to remember her before asking,"Do I know you?"
"Its me,Kisame. I gave you a kunai blade as a child,one with purple and white ribbons around the handles," she breathed out in a rush trying to control herself. "Don't you remember me?"
"No." He turned and continued walking, the other boy going after him while the girl lingered to take in Kisame's appearance before going after the boys.
Kisame felt crushed, even after all these years she had felt connected to very few people,two of them were dead and the other one was walking away from her without a backwards glance. She turned around and went to Ramen Ichiraku,settling down in her normal place for a bowl of fried port ramen.
"Are you alright Kisame?", came a quiet voice at her side as one of her two best friends, Cauron, settled down beside her. Cauron was a quiet boy with lightly tanned skin, green eyes and grey,nearly white hair. He was the third member of her group, though her sensei and the fourth member had not yet arrived. They had more than likely gone straight to the arena.
"I'm fine,just thought that I had seen someone I met before but he doesn't seem to recognise me at all," she sighed and finished her bowl of ramen. Grinning she turned to Cauron. "I'll race you to the arena!" she yelled and took off out the door with him on her heels,heading for the arena.
Gaara watched from a nearby rooftop as Kisame disappeared down the street,Temari standing straight at his side and Kunkuro crouched at his feet.
"Why lie and tell her that you didn't her Gaara?" Temari questioned,taking her eyes away from the rapidly shrinking figure in the distance. Kunkuro also stood up and looked at the younger boy.
"Because Atasuki are still after the Jinchuuriki and if she is exactly who we think she is,then I don't want her to get hurt."