Hi, hi. The project is officialy over. :) I had wanted to try and write everyday one chapter, so I would get better in English, as well as fight my lazyness. Dont laugh, its not funny. :D I managed to do just as I wanted, aside of two days. That means this story is now 21 chapters old, as well as 23 days.

Thank you for staying with me.

If you spot some ugly mistake, let me know so I can correct it, thank you.

21

"Hyia, folks!" Kotetsu said and turned his head towards two figures, lazily waving his hand.

"Hello, kids." Iruka grinned and ran the remaining distance onto the third's head. "How were you?" he asked and sat down, making a place for Hayate to join him.

"Booored. You know it." Izumo waved his hand in a dismissive manner. "How was your mission?"

"Interrupted." Hayate rolled his eyes and slid down next to his teammate. "And cold."

"Maa.. sounds really exciting." Mizuki chuckled. Iruka hit his shoulder.

"Yeah, before I forget. Ibi-sama is letting us take the exam this year." Iruka added thoughtful.

"..'s that so? Not fair, you will be chuunin before me!" Kotetsu exclaimed in mock horror.

"How come? You need to be three-person team to attend." Izumo frowned. That is basically how he had ended in a team with Kotetsu and Mizuki – they had attended about three times, each with their team, and they didn't pass the last part. Because of that, they had been put into a new team.

"Yeah.. That's right, genius." Hayate laughed. "And that's why, we are now announcing our bright new teammate." he stopped dramatically and let Iruka finish it.

The long-haired teen stood up and bowed to his stunned friends, before kneeling in front of the only girl in group. "Mitarashi Anko. Will you grace me with your agreement and became my teammate?" he asked and took her hand in his, "I am afraid I lost the ring somewhere, though." he titled his head and frowned.

"...Well... I .. Anno.." Anko tried, bud didn't really know what to say.

"Anyway, you will have to became a teammate both of mine, and Hayate's, so I will give you about .. seven seconds to think about it." he nodded seriously before exchanging wicked look with his friend.

"Wait-wait-wait-wait!" Mizuki interrupted whatever had Anko tried to say this time. "You can't just go around and pick up someone to your team! The Hokage chooses the teams!"

"I know that, dear Mizuki. That's why we got an agreement out of Biki-sama first." Hayate rolled his eyes. "You are such a nerd, really."

"Am not." Mizuki sulked.

"Are too!" Hayate grinned evilly.

"No, no. I can't hear you!" the white-haired genin raised his hands and cupped his ears, making a tut-ing sounds. Hayate laughed.

"..I accept.. Eh.. your proposal, my dear... teammate." Anko said loudly to calm them both down and grinned her own cheeky grin.

"Good." Iruka nodded and started an applause.

The sun was almost setting, again. She had spent so much hours up there, that it was a common sight for her eyes, however this time it was different. She was a part of team. She had friends, and even thought she didn't feel being an actual part of their gang, she felt content.

"I think it's time for her entrance test." Izumo mused out loud, as if reading her mind.

"You mean.. that?" Hayate asked hesitantly.

"Yeah.. it's about time, with all the teammate-thing.. don'cha think?"

The rest murmured their agreement, leaving Anko confused. Which test? What should she do to pass? Was it like his tests? Should she do it?

"Mitarashi Anko!" Izumo said suddenly, taking the lead of their test.

"..yes?" she said silently, when she got the feeling it was what he wanted to hear.

"Do you desire to be a part of the Lost Children?" the honey-haired genin asked another question, hoping the girl won't ask about the name. They had thought it up a long time ago and it had lost it's original meaning.

"Yes." Anko nodded not really knowing what to do. The best thing to do in these kind of situations is just let the stream take you and pray. Too bad I don't have anything and neither anyone to pray to.

"Are you willing to share your sadness as well as happiness with the others and let them share with you?" Iruka threw a weird look towards his smallest friend, wondering where he had gotten that phrase. Had he been attending some wedding or something?

"Yes, I am." Anko said, already feeling stupid about saying 'yes' over and over again.

"And are you willing to sacrifice your everything, as well as your life if the need arise?"

Anko hesitated. Her loyalty laid in Konoha, but at the same time, they didn't tell her anything about having to turn back on the village. "Yes." she said again.

"Are you willing to sacrifice your life?" Izumo repeated with a silent frown, wanting – no, needing – to be sure.

"Yes, I am." Anko whispered and smiled a tiny smile, closing her eyes. Because of that, she didn't see Kotetsu and Iruka move, one towards her, the second towards the cliff. She didn't see the wicked light in Izumo's and Hayate's eyes, neither did she see the snaky smile of Mizuki.

Kotetsu's palm collided with her stomach and she gasped for breath, stumbling back. Her eyes shot open, but didn't really see anything – panic devoured her, as she stepped into emptiness.

"What-" she tried to say something and leaned forward to take a hold of the rock, but another pair of arms caught her, and threw her back.

She felt.

Anko closed her eyes, tear threatened to escape to her cheek, but she didn't give it freedom. She didn't want to cry the last thing in her life.

Neither did she want to think about what happened – she didn't want to hate them. They acted as her friends and gave her hope – so what they just wanted to get rid of her, she had been happy.

Thank you. She said without words and a content smile appeared on her face, as she was falling. It was only few meters to the ground.

Only few meters to her death. And only few seconds to the journey to hell.

Anko fell the need to laugh as she prepared for the pain.

Her body jerked and stopped, the sudden absence of movement alarming and horrifying.

I am alive. Or am I?

Anko didn't open her eyes, waiting for the pain of having her body thoroughly crushed, but it didn't come. Actually, aside of the light wind and something softly tugging on her wrists, stomach and ankles, she didn't feel anything.

However, when she heard the deep laugh, she opened her eyes. What she saw was surprising – Iruka was hovering in the air just a meter above her, holding something she didn't recognize. She didn't see it clearly.

"What happened?" Anko asked more calmly, than she felt.

"We call it a 'free-fall'. You fall down, and just a short distance from the ground I tug on the chakra wire, to stop you. I have your wires attached to myself, and I am attached to one other, which leads up to the middle of monument. We do it quite often." he said uninterestedly, as if it was absolutely normal, and Anko got the sudden urge to hit him.

"Just punch him, I do it often enough." Anko heard Hayate said and looked around to see the genin standing upright on the rock.

"Don't listen to him, I don't like when someone hits me!" Iruka opposed and loosened the wires so that Anko would be able to stand on the ground. She sat down immediately, fighting the sudden nausea.

Iruka felt down next to her with a loud thump and just laid there, breathing heavily.

"You shouldn't have done it so soon after a mission.." Mizuki scolded him when he, too, stepped down from the rock, dismissing the chakra from his feet.

"Wasn't my idea." Iruka answered and willed his head to stop rotating his sense of sight.

Izumo stood next to them and gave Anko a smile. "Welcome to our gang." he informed her. "You passed the test."

Anko wanted to ask what was the test about it, because she didn't really feel she had had any say in it, but didn't. She also wanted to hit Iruka, but didn't do it either. He looked almost as sick as she felt.

However, when she looked around, what she saw surprised her even more – all of the genin were smiling warmly. They had accepted her.

And when Hayate started laughing on the face Iruka unconsciously made, followed by a weak laugh from the long-haired genin, she knew that it will be alright. Everything will be alright.

They were, after all, Ibiki's team.

Soo.. who thouth they were trying to kill her? And who suspected it was a bluff on my side?

:) Anyway, I am glad I met you, now is time to say my farewell. :)

This was the last chapter, I hope you liked the story as much as I liked writting it.

Bye, Sharina.