30 "A Taste of the Future"

Kotori Senses Something Familiar in the Boy with the Gourd.

"Goddamnit, Naeko, hurry up!" Kotori bellowed up the staircase that separated the Kurogata tailor shop from the family apartment. "It's not like you're going out on a date or something."

"But I have to look perfect, and my hair isn't cooperating," Naeko could be heard to wail back from the bathroom, where she currently wrestled with a blowdryer and other styling implements. "What if someone sees me looking like this?"

"Do you want me to come up there and cut it all off?" One hand made a meaningful move for the pouch containing Kotori's summoning scroll, but was blocked by a second, slightly larger hand. "You're damn lucky that Taiki is here to stop me."

"Come on, Naeko, please," Taiki added. "If you keep dragging tail up there, we'll miss the first match! And that's the one you really want to see, isn't it?"

"Oh! That's right – Naruto against Neji!" There was the sound of a scramble upstairs as Naeko scurried about, perfecting her appearance and gathering a few things to take with her. "I almost can't decide which one to cheer for," she said breathlessly, pattering down the stairs to meet her teammates. "This is going to be fun!"

"The only way it would be more fun is if we were actually in it," grumbled Kotori and moved for the front door of the tailor shop, ignoring the scathing look aimed her way by Taiki and the oblivious giggling of Naeko. "Now come on, let's get going."

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In spite of the high tensions of the crowd and talent displayed by both combatants, Kotori's attention wandered elsewhere during the first match of the finals. Let them cheer. Something is afoot, and I can't say I like it. It was only towards the end of the round that a massive flare of chakra from the arena floor brought her focus back, causing her to stare as she recognized it. So he's finally learned how to tap into the Kyuubi's strength. Now he's a far better match than he was before... Kotori watched in rapt fascination as the fighters clashed again in an explosion of power, sending both flying in opposite directions and creating smoking craters where they landed. How this will end is anyone's guess now, she thought with a shrug and returned her attention to examination of the other spectators. So many visitors from other lands. This is almost asking for an incident, but I'll just wait and see.

The match was over in moments, ending with one powerful punch that knocked the predicted victor senseless to the ground. Kotori's eyes had wandered to the viewing stand where the two Kage sat, the leaders of Leaf and Sand side by side, and something clenched in her gut as she briefly considered the white-and-blue-robed figure of the Kazekage. It's like something's in my eye. I know it's there, I know it's wrong, but I can't solve it... Then the crowd burst into noise, cheering as the winner was announced, and Kotori was distracted from her thoughts by the vice-grip on her arm. "Oh my god, Tori-chan, did you see that? He won! Naruto won!" It was all Kotori could do to untangle herself from her overly-enthused teammate before Naeko jumped to her feet and began her cheering anew, drawing looks and comments from the nearby viewers. When at last Naeko ran out of breath and sagged to her seat, she once again turned to Kotori. "But seriously, did you see that? It was so cool."

"I saw a part of it. Honestly, this fight wasn't what I came here for," muttered the redhead in reply. "There's only one that I want to see, and only because I'm not in it."

Vaguely irked that Kotori did not share in her enthusiasm, Naeko found something else to bug her teammate about. "Oooo, you've got a thing for - "

"I do not," Kotori retorted flatly, earning a sour look from Naeko. "I just wanted to be the person that yanks his head out of the clouds. Centering your life on revenge is pointless, because what do you have left when your revenge is served?" Shrugging, she then looked around again. "Come to think of it, I don't see any sign of him. That's funny – considering his ego, he wouldn't turn down a chance to show off like this." Kotori turned her eyes once again to the two Kage, wishing that her hearing were sharp enough to catch the words being exchanged and instead trying to focus on mouth movements to determine what was going on.

"Hey," said Taiki from where he sat on Kotori's other side, "what's happening here? The natives aren't the only ones getting restless..."

"It looks like they're going on to the next match," Kotori answered, silently cursing the veil that the Kazekage wore that prevented her from reading his words. "Rather than declaring a forfeit and causing a riot, they're just moving on."

Taiki made a disgusted noise and muttered, "Well, I guess that's better than nothing. Who's up next?"

Of the three, Taiki was perhaps the only one who was truly disappointed when Kankurou, one of Suna's entrants into the exams, bowed out in forfeit to Konoha's Aburame Shino. "That would have been interesting to see. Doesn't Shino use bugs in combat?"

Naeko shivered. "Yes, he does, and it's one of the nastiest things I've ever seen."

"Trust me, I've seen far worse," grumbled Taiki, mind returning briefly to a day in the recent past when he'd witnessed one of Kotori's gorier techniques. I never did figure out why we had a giant snake in the woods so close to the village...

The last set of contestants made their way into the arena, Temari of Suna making a dramatic entrance by floating down on her fan and Shikamaru of Konoha taking a much less dignified fall after being shoved by Naruto. Kotori sighed and shook her head, only partially paying attention to the ensuing fight as she sat back to process the various bits of information that her mind had gathered during the course of events. Like I thought, something's up, and it reeks of Sand. If this were just an ordinary set of bouts, that first Suna entrant wouldn't have given up so easily, and Kazekage-sama wouldn't have been so insistent on a postponement. So who would the Uchiha's opponent be that Sand would be so pushy? She scanned over the remaining combatants, and her eyes narrowed once she made the deduction. Of course – Gaara of the Desert. Something just seems a little bit off about him...

Of course, the Nekomata muttered, stirring back to attention. The brief activation of Nine-Tail chakra in the first match had awakened her briefly, but afterwards she had gone back to her usual light doze in Kotori's subconscious. He can't sleep because of the beast inside of him. Doesn't something seem slightly familiar about that? This new bit of data added itself to the flow in Kotori's mind, causing ice to prickle in her blood. That's right. Little gourd-man carries the spirit of Shukaku the One-Tailed Tanuki inside of him, and if someone upsets him enough, he just might let it loose... I noticed when we first walked in. Don't know what anyone here's going to do about it, though.

And that's why Kazekage-sama insisted on the fight! Kotori realized with a start. He's counting on the Uchiha agitating Gaara to the point where Shukaku manifests, and then... A sinking feeling registering in her gut, Kotori realized just how right the Nekomata was. It was only after elbowing Taiki several times that she got his attention, and even then he gave her a sullen eye roll. "Hate me all you want," she whispered in his ear, "but keep your eye on Kazekage-sama and that boy with the gourd. When the Uchiha finally does get here, they're going to start something."

"You got that too, huh?" Taiki muttered back. "Trust me, I've been watching. But what can we do about it? Just do both of us a favor and sit back and relax, okay?"

The current match finally drew to a close with a surprise victory handed to Temari, the Suna candidate. Surprise rippled through the crowd at this but was soon eclipsed by excitement at the promise of the first round's final match. Against the protests of the crowd, a ten-minute extension was agreed upon, and Kotori was among the many irritated by this further delay. "What is going on here? He wouldn't miss his own fight." Seconds ticked away, then minutes, with the proctor of the final exam keeping time on a small pocketwatch. Finally the ten minutes had passed and the forfeit about to be called when flurry of dust and leaves erupted on the floor of the arena. "Late, and with a horrid new hairstyle to boot," muttered the redhead when she saw who it was. "Why am I not surprised?"

"Looks like you may just get your wish after all, Tori-chan," teased Naeko, making a face at her teammate. "So, who are you going to be cheering for?"

"I don't know," murmured Kotori thoughtfully, drawing puzzled looks from the other two members of her team. "Much as I would love to see the Uchiha get wiped all over the arena floor, there's something unnerving about his opponent. I told you already, Taiki, but I'll tell you both again – keep an eye on Gaara of the Desert."