Chapter 16

A/N: Okay, so, I'm trying to finish this up and get to the timeskip ('cuz that's funner to write about)so I'm gonna be really sparse on the details.

Tsukiko barely left the training grounds I had set up for myself when I entered the ninja academy.

I had to pull her away at the time the final exam was supposed to begin.

"Amaya," she said as we were walking toward the arena, "if I accidentally stop paying attention when they explain, will you enlighten me as to what the boring people were talking about?"

I snorted, but said, "Sure."

We walked inside, and my eyes widened a bit as I saw the arena for the second time in my life. We had gone to see the chuunin exams here last time it was held here, but this time it was me everyone was looking at.

We walked into the line of ninja, and Tsukiko whispered to me.

"Amaya?"

"Yeah?"

"I think you're gonna have to explain."

I snorted again, but fell silent as the jonin began to give the directions.

When he finished, Tsukiko followed me and the rest up to a large hole in the wall where the genin watched the others.

We watched as Naruto surprisingly defeated Neji, and I heard the watchers protest for the next match.

That's Sasuke's and Gaara's, I thought.

But then a jonin appeared and told us that the match was postponed, and the next match was to begin.

That was Kankurou and Shino, but my eyes widened behind my glasses, when Kankurou quit.

I never really thought Kankurou was that kind of guy.

I looked over at him, but Tsukiko nudged me, and whispered, "You're next."

I nodded, and headed down the steps, Kyoko following, but I stopped when Tsukiko called my name.

"Amaya?" she said.

"Yes?"

"Win."

I smiled, "I can do that."

We faced each other, hatred on my face, and the proctor began the match.

We leaped away from each other, and I took off my glasses, putting them in my pocket.

Pop. I was next to him. He punched, missed, and

Pop. I appeared five feet away from Kyoko. He ran at me again.

I was doing what my father taught me: utter confusion strikes. One of his (and now mine) best weapons.

Pop. I was behind him, then

Pop. Up in his face. I punched him, and

Pop. Behind. I kicked a roundhouse at him, and completed the final step.

Pop. I disappeared.

All I could see was white, and I was immediately soaked. I was up in the clouds. I floated for a few seconds, and then gravity pulled me back down.

I fell for about five minutes; it seemed I had teleported too far up.

"Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh!" I cried as I fell.

I saw every face from the stadium looking up at me, especially Kyoko's.

I curled into a ball, and fell faster, and faster, letting only my instincts tell me when to open, and punch Kyoko.

I stumbled as I touched the ground, but I saw Kyoko laying facedown in the dirt, a big dent on his head.

I heard Tsukiko cheer, then Hikara, then Aika, then Ryota, then everyone else.

I smiled widely at the crowd; I raised my arms, hands touching the sky, and joined in.

The proctor walked over to Kyoko, and looked at him.

"He's fainted," he pronounced, "I declare the winner, Ferrna Amaya!"

I met Tsukiko at the stairs.

"Hey, good job," she said.

"Good job?" I said, raising an eyebrow, "I beat him in five minutes!"

"Actually, you were up in the air for five minutes, it took you about eight."

"Eight, five whatever, and you shouldn't be bringing me down, I know you were the one who started the cheering."

She was going to say something, but Katsu walked over at that time.

I hugged him, and I felt his face get warm as he hugged me back, and whispered, "Good job."