I thank you for reviewing and telling me what you think I should do with Kakashi, they are greatly appreciated. Sometimes I am unsure about what you readers would be interested in, and need some help!

Yes, I know it's been a while, but my brothers renovating, and I'm helping…so blame him. .

By the way, I think I said in the last chappy, that they had to be at the training ground by 8? Ya, its now 6 Kay? Thanks…sry 4 the inconvenience.

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Chapter 10

Innocence

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You know, whenever you get up early in morning, you end up yawning every 5 minutes. As it was, Narue had just completed her 32nd yawn and she's not even at the training ground yet!

The shady light barely lit the dirt path she walked, hiding several stones causing the half-awake girl to stumble then and again. Eventually, the blonde reached the grounds, and already found Sasuke leaned up against a tree, resting his eyes.

Coming to the conclusion that the boy was asleep, Narue tiptoed around him to find a soft spot on the ground. Sitting down carefully, Narue took the moment to examine her wayward teammate.

His dark hair was falling over his face as his head nodded forward and back every few seconds. Narue pursed her lips and found something familiar in his face. It seemed really…. girl-like.

That's it! The boy was so girly; Narue kept seeing the girl in the boy. Nodding to herself, Narue looked back down the dirt road, there was Shikamaru stumbling towards them.

His eyes were closed and it seemed he was…sleep-walking? No, just half-asleep and walking.

Shikamaru eventually fell to the ground in a space near them; the boy hadn't even looked up to see where he was before he collapsed in peaceful slumber.

Narue observed him as well, not saying anything in fear of disturbing the happily snoring boy. Shikamaru's face was more hard and chiseled than Sasuke's. Where Sasuke had soft curved features, Shikamaru had straight angles.

Finally deciding that she liked Shikamaru's boy face better than Sasuke's girl face, her eyes drowsily closed, and she fell to her side, asleep before she hit the ground.

It had been about two hours before the sun finally annoyed Shikamaru enough to make him open his eyes. Blinking at the brightness, the boy tried to yawn but found something holding his left arm down.

Glancing down, Shikamaru was greeted with a head of blonde hair, and light breathing against his side. Narue had, in her sleep, rolled over and was now using him as a pillow/teddy bear.

Blushing, Shikamaru tried to extract himself from the girl, intending not to wake her, and he of course failed. (The girl has a grip like a vice!)

"Mm? Shika? What are you doing in my bed?" Narue's sleepy voice asked. Still blushing he responded quietly, knowing that Sasuke was nearby.

"Erm… Narue, we're at the training ground…. for the test, remember?" he was slightly nervous, would she hit or scream at him? That's what all the other girls would probably do.

However, the childish female only yawned and stretched away from him, blearily blinking her eyes. Shikamaru breathed a sigh of relief, and counted that moment as a brush by death, he knew how violent Narue could get when angered.

"Hello Sasuke-meanie! Did you have a nice nap?" Narue smiled at the brooder, the grin lighting up her face, and making her tiny frame seem even cuter.

The boy glared at her and turned away with a trademark "Hn" he absolutely did not have a nap…he was only resting his eyes…for two hours. Narue turned away a little sad, what did she do?

A poof erupted on one of the training stumps and cleared to reveal their tardy teacher, book in hand and giggle present.

"Kaka-sensei! You're late! Teachers are not supposed to be late!" Narue pouted cutely at him, head cocked to the side and arms crossed.

Kakashi couldn't resist, "well, I apologize for keeping my cute little students waiting!" he bowed and eye-smiled at the giggling girl. Who knew Kakashi was good with kids? (Seriously, who knew?)

He turned serious and continued, "Now, the test will be timed 2 hours, during that time you will have to take a bell from me to pass." He took out the two dangling silver bells from gods-know-where, "the one that does not get a bell fails and is sent back to the academy. You will come at me with the intention to kill; otherwise you will not succeed as a ninja. Any questions?"

It took a moment for Narue to process the lengthy speech, and raised her hand like a good student should, "Sensei, we were put on teams of three, and you are going to send one of us back?"

Narue's innocent question had started Shikamaur's mind gears and they aren't going to stop anytime soon. Kakashi noticed the genius's eyes narrow and nearly lost his cool, 'Oh god, I hope the other two are complete idiots and don't realize what the kid just said, and it could ruin my whole test!'

"I'm not answering that! Now go!" in a flash he had brought out a timer, set it, and poofed off. 'Real smooth Kakashi…you stupid-head…I mean dumb-ass, Gah! She's affecting my brain!'

Sasuke had immediately jumped off, leaving Narue and Shikamaru sitting there, in the middle of the clearing.

Narue noticed on how Shikamaru's eyebrows were drawn down, and scrambled to kneel beside him, listening to him mutter, "if there are two bells and three teammates, there is a 66 chance that two will pass and 33 chance one will fail, however, genin teams all have three members, at least those that I know of, ….mutter….mutter"

Narue asked, "And the conclusion is?" She always did this when Shikamaru ever put his brain to something, he said it helped him re-organize his thoughts and get an answer.

Shikamaru stood and brushed off his pants saying, "The conclusion is, that this is a test of teamwork. Teams of three stay teams of three if they have an important skill called teamwork." He held out a hand for the gil on the ground and pulled her to her feet.

Narue looked confused and voiced it, "What about Sasuke-meanie? Isn't he all like, 'I'm Sasuke and I'm a big meanie!'?"

Shikamaru bit back a laugh and told her, "Well, we'll just have to persuade him." Snickering he took off to the trees. Narue shrugged her shoulders and followed.

Maybe they could get Sasuke-meanie to play with them in this game…

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Teehee! I finished!

Sorry for the long wait, but I've been real lazy lately, and have been napping the whole day.

Click the button and all my worries will go away! (I can't say anything about yours ;p)

ilu4eva!