Chapter five! another short chapter, XD sorry n.n;; anyways! A huuuuge hug to everyone reading, and reviewing this n.n ee! your encouragment really ...em... encourages me to keep writing :3 n.n you guys are great!

Anyways... Probably really OOC again XDD but like... they're six and seven XDDDDDDD

Disclaimer:Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto :3

Kotone squeaked, as the muddy ground slipped out from under her foot, sending her sprawling forward. Slightly higher up the hill, her partner shot one of his usual annoyed, disapproving looks over his shoulder before continuing onward, leaving her behind as she tried to scramble to her feet slipping in the mud again, and almost crashing into the boy behind her.

The woods were quiet, the late autumn air chilled, and still, a thick layer of fog creeping through the trees. It was nearing dusk, as the academy students had been hiking along rigorously for the past long while. Though the daily training had done much to improve Kotone's endurance, she found the uphill climb exhausting, her legs numb, wobbling slightly as she tried to catch up to the boy ahead of her.

Tired and aching, she finally managed to rejoin the others, who, she realised, had stopped. "Alright." Their instructor said to no one in particular, staring over their heads at something in the woods behind them. "Remembering what I've taught you so far, I want you," He pointed to a few of the pairs. "To find something edible. Next," He pointed to the second team he led. "Find drinking water, and finally, you two, find some firewood."

Giving a determined nod, Kotone skipped off after her partner, who had simply started off on his own. "Hey, wait up!" He didn't, and disappeared somewhere between the trees.

Kotone wandered off, in what she believed to be the right direction, stopping every now and then, when she saw a branch that might be dry enough for firewood, never finding any. She completely lost track of time, as she searched, eventually stopping in the middle of a tight circle of tall trees, completely, and totally lost.

Darkness had begun to creep between the trees, through the mist, and Kotone found her eyes darting from branch to branch, innocent forest sounds becoming ominous, and menacing. "Z-Zabuza kun!" She called nervously, hugging herself close. "Come on... where are you?! This ...this isn't funny! Please...Please! It's getting really scary out here..."

Suddenly, a mere panicked heartbeat after, she let out a scream, as something closed around her wrist from behind her. Her cries became muffled, as a hand clamped over her mouth. "Sssh! Cut it out, stupid, it's just me."

Kotone let out a sigh of relief as his hand slipped away. "There you are!"

"Yeah, here I am, but where the heck were you? I get back to the group, and they tell me to come find you." He scowled, folding his arms grumpily. "So... where are we, anyway?"

"I ... I don't know."

"Great. Just great! Way to get lost, idiot."

"Stop calling me that! I have a name, you know!" She had grown used to his crankiness, but what annoyed her the most about him was that not once since they had begun training together had he called her by name. It was always 'Stupid,' or 'loser' or something to that effect.

Kotone found herself fighting back angry tears, as the boy she had spent well over an hour looking for, and scaring the living daylights out of herself in the process, "What's your problem, anyways! What have I ever done to you? You were alright, then all of a sudden, first day, you go all psycho on me! All I did was hug you! Sheesh! Why are you so mad at me?!"

"Because!" He turned suddenly, small hands clenched in angry fists. "I don't need your pity! Ok? I'm fine! And I don't need you to feel sorry for me! I... I'm not weak like that!" He stalked off, stopping at a low hanging tree branch, before beginning to clamber on, and pull himself to another, higher branch.

"What are you doing?"

"Trying to see if I can figure out where I am." He grunted, pulling himself up to yet another branch, and slowly vanishing from sight into the fog and leaves.

"You're awfully high up..." Kotone called, as he was completely out of sight.

He looked down, his partner looking very small on the ground from where he was. " Wait... I see the water. The academy should be that way." He crouched down, shuffling a bit farther down the limb to get a better look.

He placed his weight unknowingly on a slick patch of moss, his foot slipping out from beneath him. He let out a startled cry, his back hitting the branch, as he found himself falling. Instinctively, he grasped wildly, hands securing themselves around the branch beneath the one he had fallen from, hanging off, staring down at the drop beneath him. He was looking up from a dizzying height, his heart pounding. He was too high up. A fall like that would be more than enough kill a seven year old boy.

"Zabuza kun!"

He closed his eyes, trying to forget about the fall, and swayed in an effort to right himself back on the branch. But all his efforts simply caused his hands to start slipping. Below him, Kotone had started to climb after him hurriedly. "Just a sec! Hold on, I'll be right there!"

One of his sandals slipped off, plunging to the ground, and as he watched it hit the ground, another wave of panic passed through him. He clenched his eyes shut, fighting back frightened sobs. "I'm going to fall!" He called shakily.

"It's ok! I'm right here!" Kotone had reached the branch attached to the one he was clinging to, and had begun to move closer.

His hands slipped again, and he found his hold now completely gone. "Kotone, help me, please!" Kotone's eyes widened at the obviously sincere plea, but froze, as another sound filled the clearing. The dry crackling of breaking wood.

I hope that made sense XDDD eep! thank you guys so much for reading this! Please review, and have a nice day:3