As always, thank you so much for the amazing feedback! I hope this chapter is up to standard!
We were soon shepherded into a massive clearing just outside the village borders. There was a massive, fenced-off forest, and an old, chipping tag on the metal fence claimed that it was Training Ground Forty-Four. Below that, in what could have only been blood, somebody had scribbled 'The Forest of Death'. I scoffed.
Suddenly, there was a poof of smoke, and, to my surprise, Anko appeared, and in true Anko-style, proceeded to freak out the genin even more.
"Alright brats! I'll be your proctor for this exam! You can bet that when I'm done with you, less than a half will be left!" around me I could see people gulping, some shivering in fear and whispering between themselves, but I could only gape at the woman with disbelief and exchange incredulous glances with my teammates.
Because, in all honesty, Anko, a proctor? Anko, doing something important? Something responsible? Something which would potentially determine how other villages will view Konoha? What idiot came up with that idea?!
Due to my surprise, I didn't really catch much of what she was saying, but I could see Kaoru was paying attention, so I guessed we were safe. Suddenly, a sheet of paper was shoved into my hands, and I absently grabbed it before passing down the rest. Only after I heard Akane's gasp from beside me did I look down at it.
Consent Form.
I hereby state the Hidden Leaf Village will not be held responsible if my team or myself do not survive the Exam.
Signed:
I stifled a bitter chuckle. Even in a life-or-death situation, the village was still worried about politics. I turned to Kaoru and saw he was looking at me with a curious expression. I raised an eyebrow.
"You seem… perturbed." He explained. I shrugged it off and instead pointed at the forest before us, wordlessly questioning.
"We're to get through the forest and into the tower in the middle, all the while fighting for the scrolls Anko's holding." He paused to point at said scrolls. "All within a five-day time limit. It's an all-goes test."
I nodded, absorbing the information. "And I suppose we'll only get given one scroll, so we have to steal another from some other team?" I asked.
"So you were paying attention." He remarked teasingly.
I waved him off. "Not really. It's just a simple way to make sure what she said will come true and only half of us will pass." I paused for a second. "And to piss people off."
The brunette gave an exasperated sigh before he suddenly looked around and frowned. "Where's Akane?"
Having only just realised that our hyper redhead was missing, all I could do was shrug hopelessly, though inwardly I was bristling at the fact that I hadn't sensed him leave us. Kaoru noticed my shrug and frowned.
"Right. Well, I'm going to go and look for him. Fill out the form then meet me here in a few minutes." Without so much as waiting for my confirmation, he shunshin'ed away, leaving me to sign the sheet and assess our competition.
"Well, I didn't expect to see you here."
I turned around, a smirk plastered on my face. I knew that voice. "Anko. To be honest, it was quite a surprise to see you doing something so responsible too." I teased.
"Oi, little brat! Don't push your luck!" Anko snapped, indignant. "But seriously, I expected the three of you to be jounin already. You're telling me you've been genin for the past year since I last saw you?"
The smirk faded from my face. "Yeah… there were some… setbacks." I muttered, looking down. By 'setbacks' I meant sensei's… disappearance.
"Ah." She seemed to immediately understand what I meant. "Well, then you better not disappoint the Hokage and pass, since he so generously allowed you to take part even without a sensei." She taunted.
In all honesty, I didn't care about the old man and whether he would be disappointed. I was doing this for myself. Selfish, yes, but I had never denied being selfish.
"Hey, kid? Kid, you there?" a hand clutching a dango stick was waved in front of my face, and I reacted before I even realised what I was doing; my hand quickly shot out and pushed one of the dumplings off the stick, before catching it on the senbon held in my other hand and stuffing the sweet into my mouth.
Anko gaped at me, incredulous.
"You called me a kid." I mumbled around the food in my mouth.
The jounin's eyes narrowed. "Little brat." But she seemed to have noticed something over my shoulder and smirked, winking down at me before she disappeared. I followed her line of sight and noticed a very familiar brunette coming my way. I mirrored Anko's smirk.
"Sakura." Neji called. I raised a brow and moved towards him, curious. I could see that his shoulders were tense and he kept shooting glances at the forest. So, I wasn't the only one who didn't like the vibe it was giving off. Good.
When I was close enough, he leaned down to be on my level and whispered. "If you get into trouble, spike your chakra, and I promise I'll be there."
Momentarily stunned by how genuine his words sounded, it took me a few seconds to reply. "Yeah, Neji, and so will all of my enemies." I answered sceptically, trying to mask how touched I was by his words with cynicism.
"Sakura, don't make this harder than it has to be." He warned, lilac eyes piercing through me. Yet now, instead of worried, his words sounded patronising, and I didn't like that one bit.
"Don't 'Sakura' me, Neji. I'll be careful, but this is a test. I can't promise you that I won't get hurt." I defended,
He sighed and sent me a small glare. "Ugh. Fine." He relented, visibly annoyed. "So, uh, good luck, flea." He muttered, a light pink dusting the bridge of his nose as he turned away to hide it.
I snickered. "To you too. Don't die, Neji-chan." I called after his retreating back and heard him snort and mumble something that sounded suspiciously like 'I wouldn't dream of it'.
I smirked and turned to the Forest with new-found determination.
We will pass this. That is a promise.
Not too long after my conversation with Neji, my teammates and I reunited by the small registry and handed in our consent forms. We were given a Heaven Scroll, and we pondered over who should take it.
I immediately declined the suggestion that I should take it, explaining that, being a close-range fighter, it was the most likely I would lose it. Akane, with a sudden stroke of genius, decided that he should keep it because he could seal it in his scroll. Needless to say, Kaoru and I immediately agreed.
It turned out we were the last ones to receive our scroll, and as we moved over to the only empty gate left, number thirty-three, I motioned for the boys to lean down to whisper in their ear.
"OK, the plan is this: I will run ahead as fast as I can and secure us a safe path, straight to the tower. I'll try to cover it with traps and genjutsu, but mostly, I'll just make sure nobody will get in our way. In the meantime, your job is to search for baby teams, or those who would rather sit by the start until everyone had spread out, and see if they happen to have an Earth Scroll. Just be sure to get back to the gate in less than twenty minutes after we start. I should be back by then."
I gave them a few seconds to digest what I had just told them, and grinned slightly when I received twin nods in return. Great. The plan was spontaneous and definitely not one of my best, but it was the only way I could pacify the small part of me that screamed danger the closer we got to the forest – the less time we spent in it, the better.
Suddenly, the gates sprung open, and, with one final look at my teammates, I raced ahead, before other teams had so much as realised we could start.
The forest gave me shivers; that much I could not deny.
Yes, it was selfish to leave my teammates to hunt for weaklings, but I had already said – I was selfish. The forest didn't sit right with me, so I would do my best to make sure I didn't have to spend any longer in it than I physically had to.
Due to my inner musings and justifying my cowardice, I barely managed to slow myself down as the red brick tower came into view. Having encountered nothing but the typical flora and fauna, I deemed the path I took safe, and turned on my heel to start the journey back, and began the genjutsu. It was simple, really, just a small, amateur technique, but I made multiple layers, and that was what I was hoping would confuse those who came across it. Not the quality, but the sheer quantity.
I also set small traps here and there; I prided myself on my traps. They were barely noticeable, some would even call them useless, but they had never failed me, so I continued relying on them. Traps set, I ran back as fast as I could, but still considerably slower than before due to having to maintain the genjutsu.
On the way back, I came across two genin, who, probably like myself, went to scan the area. And it was my job to make sure they wouldn't be coming back. But I was feeling kind, which was why, instead of aiming the kunai at their head or the jugular, I merely hit them in the stomach, leaving them knocked-out and bleeding, but not dead.
Unwilling to face more genin which I would have to incapacitate, I sped up my pace even more, to the point where I could feel the genjutsu losing some of its layers, yet I couldn't bring myself to care, because not thirty seconds later, I saw Akane and Kaoru waiting for me in the agreed place, both with three scrolls in their hands.
"We got a little impatient, I guess-" Kaoru offered as means of explanation.
"And greedy." Akane added with a grin.
"And, Kami above, if it was so easy to take them from those kids-"
"-Then they should seriously reconsider taking part in this exam." The redhead finished, a challenging gleam in his eyes.
I was suddenly struck with how close the two had become - at the beginning, they were two completely different people, with different personalities, views and perspectives. And now, they were finishing each other's sentences. I felt a small pang in my chest which felt like... Loneliness? I didn't know. But I dismissed it, turning to my teammates with what I hoped was a confident look.
"Well, I can feel somebody trying to break through my genjutsu, so we better hurry." I lied easily, the words coming out much colder than I intended.
Kaoru and Akane stopped laughing almost immediately, the happiness disappearing from their eyes, instead replaced by the icy readiness I began to associate with our darkest missions.
"Let's go then." Kaoru murmured, his voice steady.
"Yeah." Akane agreed hollowly. "Let's go."
I turned on my heel and ran back towards the tower, this time even slower than before since neither Akane nor Kaoru could maintain my pace for that long without exhausting themselves.
"Hey, Sakura-chan, what should we do with those extra scrolls?" Akane caught up with me and asked, though I could see he was slightly uneasy. Was it because of me?
I pondered his question for the grand total of three seconds before; "Burn them." I commanded simply.
"Huh?" the redhead's eyes widened, obviously not expecting that answer.
"Burn them." I repeated, aiming for my voice to sound final. "The less scrolls there are for the taking, the less unworthy participants will qualify." I explained.
"But… that's kind of unfair, don't you think?" he asked meekly, seeming hesitant.
"Just do what she says, Akane." Kaoru's voice filtered in from the back, as if he sensed my irritable mood, and the redhead bowed his head obediently and stopped running to find a place to burn them. I stopped as well and tried to strengthen my genjutsu, just to have something to do.
"Are you OK, Sakura?" I fought a flinch when Kaoru's warm breath hit my ear. I took a few steps back before I turned around so we were face to face, once again bewildered by the fact that I did not sense him.
"What do you mean?" I asked, and cursed myself for sounding so defensive.
"Well," the brunette took a deep breath. "I'm going to be blunt; you've been acting strange ever since we got back from the Land of Waves."
I gazed at Kaoru intently, grinning inwardly when I noticed it made him uncomfortable. He looked away, not able to stand the tension. I took pity on him.
"I appreciate your concern," I began, and saw his gaze snap to me so quickly I could hear his neck crack, eyes looking hopeful. I felt almost guilty for what followed. "But it's meaningless. I'm sure you've already figured out why I have been acting differently, and you know you can't do anything about it. I just realised something I should've realised a long time ago. I've simply been working on that."
He nodded, looking dejected, and out of the corner of my eye I noticed that Akane had finished burning the scrolls, so I turned around ready to continue running, but Kaoru's voice stopped me.
"Sakura." I froze and turned around, curious. He was looking directly at me, and I couldn't help the shiver that ran down my back. "You'll never be weak."
I thought I was prepared for whatever he had to say, but those words had my eyes widening and shock broke through my perfect mask of indifference. Worst thing? I couldn't even stop it. The brunette probably had no idea how much his words affected me – scratch that, he did. The knowing glint in his eyes was unmistakeable; I was right. He had figured me out.
I wiped furiously at my eyes, and the traitorous wetness that had gathered there, turned on my heel and fled, only half caring if my teammates followed me or not.
Yet not five minutes later, we stopped again. I sensed something odd; the Uchiha's chakra – not that I cared about the brat – but there was an enormous, ominous chakra right next to him. I tracked it, not caring that we had to move off the path I had so precariously set for us. When it felt like I was literally inches from him, I stopped. Not seeing the raven anywhere, I looked up.
My heart stopped.
Not five metres from the Uchiha stood the vilest man I ever had the displeasure to look at. His skin was deathly pale, eyes yellow with slit pupils, and he had long, messy raven hair. But I recognised him.
How could I not, seeing as his face was all over the Bingo Books, and our history scrolls?
Orochimaru. An ex-Konoha shinobi, part of the Legendary Sannin together with Tsunade and Jiraya, and now, a missing nin and S-Ranked criminal.
But, most importantly;
"…Orochimaru came out and I'd warned Urisui not to challenge him and stay, that we had to run, to report, but our teammate was caught and the stupid snowflake couldn't just let his teammate be sacrificed and had to run and save him and Orochimaru knew, and-oh god, heknew…!"
My father's murderer.
I had half the mind to just forget everything else and go join the Uchiha. I wanted that man dead. An eye for an eye.
But I forcefully dismissed that thought. I would have my chance. I would make sure of that. Just not yet. Right now, I needed to get stronger for when I do face the Sannin.
Instead, I looked around, scanning for the Uchiha's teammates. I quickly found the blonde, unconscious and attached to a tree, and the girl, standing in the middle of the branch, crying and biting her nails. Useless.
I scowled.
I didn't know what compelled me to do so, but two seconds later I had thrown a senbon, the most inconspicuous weapon I owned, at the girl, not aiming to injure as it shot just millimetres away from her head, but to grab her attention. I succeeded, and her gaze snapped to me. I waved my other hand, in which I clutched a bunch of exploding tags, an impromptu plan already forming in my mind, and pointed at the snake Sannin, and then at her and the blonde. The message was clear – I'll wreak some havoc so you can go get your teammate.
She seemed surprised, but then smiled through her tears and nodded, settling into a crouch. I quickly emptied my pouch and chose all the weapons I had which would work for the long-range attack I was planning. I was left with explosive tags, smoke bombs, poison-tipped needles, and a small shuriken, which was covered with seals that would make it explode upon contact. I smirked.
I looked up, making sure that I had Hikari's attention, and nodded. She jumped just as I threw two smoke bombs between Sasuke and Orochimaru. Almost immediately, so as not to waste the precious seconds of confusion the sudden attack had granted, I threw the exploding tags in the general direction of the Sannin, then closed my eyes and concentrated to hear where he had moved to. I heard him land and threw the explosive shuriken to confirm his location. A curse was my answer. My smirk grew.
I pulled my sleeve up and quickly slotted the poisoned needles onto the self-launching machine, aimed, and fired.
For a few precious seconds, there was only silence, and then, to my horror, instead of in front, I felt movement behind me. I turned around so quickly it hurt, but it wasn't quick enough – the snake was already behind me, his jutsu keeping me still.
"Hm, poison." His voice, so low and slithering, struck me like a slap to the face when I noticed just what it was he was holding; one of my poisoned senbon, the green powder still visible even in the dim light of the forest. "You remind me of my old partner… Did you make it yourself?" I hated his child-like, disinterested voice.
Keeping my glare fixed on him, I shook my head.
"Hm, didn't think so." I fought of the wince when he started to get closer, and stretched out his kunai-holding hand, getting closer and closer towards my throat. "I will admit, your attack was impressive." He smirked, his ridiculously long tongue coming out to lick at his lips in an obscene fashion. "But it was useless. I've succeeded in making the Uchiha into my puppet." He paused and took in my angry expression. "Ohohoho," he chuckled. "This wasn't about the Uchiha, was it? It was about your dearest daddy, right, Sakura?"
My eyes, if they could, would be popping out of my sockets. And he knew. He could see my surprise and he laughed. "Oh, yes. I remember. Your dad was especially brave. Too bad he had to die. He could've been a good vessel."
I was bristling with anger. "You killed him, you bastard!" I snarled angrily.
But the snake just seemed amused. "Oh, yes, I did, didn't I? I killed your father, therefore I'm sure I will enjoy killing you, too." There was a sadistic smirk accompanying his words now, and I almost shivered.
I had never felt more afraid than I did at that moment.
"I'm afraid there isn't going to be any killing of my teammate happening anytime soon."
I gasped in surprise and relief, while the snake's head snapped back in annoyance, in the direction where Kaoru's voice was coming from.
"You see, we're quite fond of her, so if you so much as touch her, I'll kill you." His tone was deceptively pleasant, and I could imagine the fake eye smile he was undoubtedly sending Orochimaru's way, but the threat was clear.
Orochimaru scowled, but his temporary distraction was all I needed to use what I had been working on for the past month - I twisted my palms up, using the minimal movement the binds allowed me, and called on my chakra. Immediately, I felt whatever jutsu Orochimaru was using to immobilize me break, and the Sannin himself was pushed back with the chakra dome I had created.
My confidence quickly returned to me and I dismissed the jutsu and hurried after him, using the last of my strength to pierce a kunai through his heart. I sighed, relieved, but my victory was short-lived for not a second later the Sannin melted away into a pile of mud. A clone. I thought, irritated.
But I had no time to feel sorry for myself as Kaoru was already moving in my direction, his long legs reducing the distance between in mere seconds. When he got close enough, he seized me by the shoulders and shook me roughly.
"What on earth was that?" he demanded through gritted teeth. I feigned innocence, gazing up at him blankly even though my heart was beating a mile a minute. "Don't look at me like that, you know exactly what I'm talking about!" he yelled. "That dome you created just a second ago. What was it?"
I grit my teeth, biting my tongue to stop the snarky remark which was about to come out. Instead, I schooled my features into the mask of polite detachment and replied, my voice icy. "That was what I had spent the last month working on. My ultimate defence."
Kaoru frowned, sharing a quick look with Akane who turned to me, face betraying concern. "And, um, how does it work?" the redhead asked carefully.
I smirked coldly. "That's for me to know and you to find out." I ignored Kaoru's hurt look and turned on my heel to leave, but a voice in my mind stopped me.
Aren't you going to thank them?
I barely stopped myself from jumping in surprise. Inner. I had forgotten about her.
And why would I do that?
Well, for one, they had just saved your life. How could Inner sound so bitter? She was in my head. She wasn't supposed to be angry at me. And secondly, Kaoru is right. You have been more pissy than the Uchiha on a period ever since we got back from the Land of Waves.
I froze in my tracks. Having Kaoru tell me that I was acting weird I could understand. He was an outsider, and even if I considered him a friend, he could never know how much I was going through. But Inner? My Inner?
That hurt.
Have I been…overreacting?
Honestly? Overreacting doesn't cover it. Has Haku's death truly affected you so much, Outer? 'Cause I've been sifting through our memories and there aren't any which could justify you acting like that. And though it pains me to say, seeing as I am you, I still don't understand what is actually wrong.
Inner had posed a very important question. Why was I feeling so betrayed, so angry all the time? Why was I hurting so much?
I… I don't know, Inner. It's everything mashed together, I guess. It has finally gotten to the point where I can't stand it anymore. Dad's death, Haku's death, Neji's… indifference? Kaoru and Akane seem like they hate me, suspect me. I feel so… weak, and I hate it. So, I tried distancing myself. I need to protect myself, Inner. I can't afford to get hurt like that again.
Listen to yourself! Inner snapped, and this time I did jump. You sound as if you'd given up on life, like you'd seen it all, lived it all through! But you haven't! You can't shy away from love, from people, simply because you're afraid of getting hurt! Kaoru and Akane saved your life – don't waste it! Apologise to them, explain it to them! They don't hate you or suspect you, they're confused because you don't tell them anything! And Neji? Just before the test he pretty much offered to be your Prince Charming and come save you if you get into trouble; that obviously means he cares for you!
I ignored Kaoru's concerned voice asking if I was alright as I realised that everything Inner had said was true. My mind set, I pivoted on my heel and found myself face to face with the brunette for the second time that day. Quickly, before my mind could catch up and scream how bad of an idea this really was, I pulled him and Akane to me and wrapped my arms around them in a desperate hug.
I could feel both boys stiffen slightly at the unexpected contact, but they relaxed a few seconds later and Kaoru gave a short chuckle before he wrapped his arms around me as well. Akane followed his example almost immediately.
After a few seconds, Kaoru spoke. "Not that I've got anything against spontaneous hugs in the middle of an enemy-filled forest, but what brought this on?" he asked curiously as Akane snorted.
"Shut up." I grumbled. "Hug now, questions when we get to the Tower. I promise I'll explain everything to you then."
They seemed surprised by my words, but both chuckled and let go. We smiled, a true, genuine smile forming on my lips for the first time in what seemed like ages, before the smile disappeared and I frowned.
Uh-oh.
"Someone broke the genjutsu." I muttered, and Kaoru cursed quietly while Akane frowned, worried.
"Any ideas?" the redhead asked, referring to what we should do next.
"Yeah." Kaoru smirked, raising his hand up in a mocking fashion as he spoke. "How about running to the Tower as fast as we physically can before anybody realises we're here and tries to take advantage? I've had enough creepy snakes and battling for our lives for one day, thank you very much."
I chuckled lightly and nodded. "I agree. Let's go." I turned and ran, tracing my steps back to the Tower.
Feeling the trepidation of confessing everything to Akane and Kaoru slowly melt away, I grinned and sped up even more, pleased when both boys also sped up and we ran alongside each other, like a real team. Akane was starting to sweat, while Kaoru's breath was coming in short, quick pants, but neither of them complained.
Perhaps you were right, Inner.
I'm you. I'm always right.
We got to the Tower in record time, but the moment we stepped inside, Akane collapsed and lay on the floor, motionless.
"Never… again." He groaned pitifully, still sweating from the running. I turned towards him with an arched brow, not in the slightest affected by the run.
"Something wrong, Akane?" I asked teasingly. The redhead mustered enough effort to lift up his head and send me a murderous glare. "Shut up." He hissed, before his forehead once again thumped against the floor.
"Hey, have you seen this?" Kaoru's voice drifted over to us, and I stayed long enough to hear Akane's tired groan of; "Whatever it is, screw it. I'm too tired…" before I walked over to stand beside the brunette.
"What have you got, Kaoru?"
He pointed at the canvas hanging on the wall and read out the text. "Listen to this:If qualities of Heaven are your desire, acquire wisdom to take your mind higher. If Earth qualities are what you lack, train your body, prepare to attack. When Heaven and Earth are opened together, perilous path will become righteous forever. This something is the secret way that guides us to this path today."
"What the hell is that 'something'?" it turned out that in the meantime, Akane had crawled over to us and, though still lying on the floor, turned on his back so he could look up at us.
"I wouldn't worry about that at the moment." I muttered. "More about the fact that it says 'When Heaven and Earth are opened together…' should we open the scrolls?"
Akane sent me a dubious look from his position on the floor. "Uh, bad idea, anyone? High chance of getting your brains turned to mush by opening the scrolls? Anko's 'you shall not open or you'll die a slow and painful death'? have you forgotten about that?"
"Only during the exam." Kaoru pointed out, smirking. "We've finished the exam. We're at the Tower, aren't we?"
"Uh, alright. Here." The redhead tossed me the scroll and renewed his effort in crawling, this time away from us. "Enjoy getting your brains blown out by crazy octopus thingies which are bound to spring out of that thing and strangle you."
'Crazy octopus thingies'?! Inner was laughing her head off. What is he, like, three?
Kaoru and I exchanged incredulous looks before we sent a quick prayer to Kami-sama, and opened the scrolls. I squinted at the seal which was suddenly expanding, before I emitted something close to a surprised gasp-slash-shriek and threw the scroll away from us, urging Kaoru to do the same. I thanked my reflexes, for, not five seconds later a chunin materialised out of the blue, his eyes wide with surprise.
"Well, it seems like Anko was wrong." He muttered to himself. "This year's participants seem to be quite strong. Beating the record by…" he checked his watch. "By four and a half hours." He whistled. "What can I say, brats, whoever your sensei is, he certainly taught you well."
Immediately, the temperature in the room dropped by twenty degrees. Seeing as neither of my teammates were going to speak up as they were too busy glaring holes into the man's head, I answered.
"Our sensei is Izaya. And I would appreciate if you didn't call us brats." I said coldly, revelling in how the chunin's eyes widened comically.
"I-Izaya's genin? Izaya's team? You're Team 13?" at our solemn nods, he just gaped. "Well, no wonder you beat the record. You're Konoha's legendary genin team." He snorted and seemed to regain his composure. "Well, you passed. Well done, though there's not much surprise here. Due to your impossibly fast time of completing the test, you get four days' rest before the third part of the test begins. There are rooms upstairs, toilets, and a kitchen you're permitted to use. If you need help, spike your chakra and somebody will come. Yadda yadda, get some rest." And he disappeared.
I exchanged amused glances with my teammates. "So, four days' worth of resting… sounds like fun."
"Yeah, enough time for you to explain everything you've been keeping from us." Kaoru pointed out. I smiled slightly.
"All in due time, Kaoru-chan." I teased.
"Hey, how long do you think we've been in the forest? He said we beat the old record by four and a half hours." Akane was in his own little world, like always. It made my smile grow as Kaoru sighed dramatically.
"We haven't been in the forest for long. Roughly an hour, I would say. It took us twenty minutes to get started, then the snake came along, but due to Sakura's ridiculous pace, we travelled five kilometres in less than half an hour." Kaoru explained. "So the previous record holders must've done it in… five and a half hours? God, that's long. What were they doing, sightseeing?" I snorted at the last question, wondering when Kaoru had become so sarcastic.
"Not much to see apart from creepy-crawlies and carnivorous flowers. Not the best scenery, I would imagine." Akane replied, half serious though his tone was also dripping with sarcasm.
"OK, OK, stop showing off. We're going to get some rest, and trust me, you'll need it, because there will be a lot of things you'll have to get your heads around." I hurried them along, because, truth be told, doing fifteen kilometres in an hour and fighting an ex-Sannin still took its toll on my body, and the prospect of literally spilling out my soul in the next few minutes wasn't making things any brighter for me.
Awkward, disbelieving silence stole over the room after my lengthy explanation of why, how and because. I was cursing inwardly. I knew I should've kept my mouth shut. There were some things Kaoru and Akane simply weren't prepared for, weren't supposed to realise and know. But now, they knew that the reason I tried to keep them in the dark was to keep them safe. Safe, and oblivious for as long as I could manage.
I was staring at the floor, begging for the floor to open and swallow me up, when I suddenly felt two pairs of arms wrapping around my body and enveloping me in a warm embrace.
"And you thought that we would hate you after this?" Kaoru's quiet voice whispered into my ear. "You know, for a genius, you can be quite stupid sometimes, Sakura-chan."
I chuckled, fighting the tears that threatened to spill. "Be happy I can't hit you right now, Kaoru-chan." I threatened weakly.
"Funny. But seriously, Sakura-chan." Akane spoke from the other side. "We could never hate you. You're our little pinky, our friend, and leader. We love you."
Screw composure.
I let the tears spill, knowing that even if they see, they won't care. I had never felt so glad for graduating early as I did now. I didn't know what I would've done if it weren't for Akane and Kaoru.
"I love you guys too." I whispered, but I knew they heard me.
"Good. 'Cause we sure as hell aren't letting you go anytime soon."
And… *drumroll* TA-DA!
I tried to get this chapter out as soon as I could, but the words just kept coming, and I had so many plans for this particular chapter, which is why it turned out so long and so late. Sorry, and thanks for reading!
I promise I'll show what Kaoru showed the chunin in the next chapter, for those of you who wanted to know!
I would love to hear your opinions on this chapter!
REVIEW!