SO WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A FIRST PERSON POV BECAUSE WE HAVEN'T BEEN SEEING MONO BEING A TOTAL ASS FOR A LONG TIME. Besides, it's just going to be one chapter because the next one ABSOULTELY needs to be third so I thought why not?

Like I always say, variety is the spice of life.

Chapter Twenty Nine: A Preliminary Round?

"Iruka-sensei?!" Naruto cried the moment he laid eyes on the figure standing over the overlapped scrolls.

I grinned at the sight of our ex-teacher. He certainly knows how to make an entrance.

"Well done, you guys made it through the Second Exam." he said, taking in our reactions.

Sakura, Duckbutt and I fell on our butts all at the same time, sighing out of relief and exhaustion. Naruto, however, was being celebratory as he started pumping his fists in the air, whooping, "Yeah! We passed!"

Iruka sighed at the blonde, "You're just as hyperactive as you were in the past, Naruto. I would treat you guys for Ichiraku, but..." The Chunin was interrupted by the extra happy cries from the knucklehead ninja.

Naruto leaped to give the man a hug, exclaiming excitedly, "Yay! Ramen! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" I couldn't help but laugh at his silly vigour as Iruka tried to push him off. It's so nice to see him being such a dunce. Perks up my shitty day.

Sasuke just groaned beside me, "Kami, he's so annoying..."

"But I'd prefer to look at him than you, broody chicken." I snickered in reply and the Uchiha snorted, looking away. But then, I noticed how his eyes suddenly brightened in realization before looking over at Iruka suspiciously, "So, that means you're assign to appear before us when we open the scrolls?"

Iruka faced the Uchiha and nodded, "That's right."

"That means, if we were to open the scroll before coming here, what would you do to us?"

I tilted my head at his question. Interesting thought. Duckbutt's always the wary one. It can be useful sometimes. Sometimes.

The Chunin smiled before picking up the Heaven scroll, "Perceptive as usual, Sasuke. This part of the mission is to test your ability to carry out an important mission, and whether or not would you go against the rules, not reading these two scrolls, for example. We have orders to knock out whoever that opens the scroll outside of this tower. Some of them had learned it the hard way, it seems."

I crossed my legs and leaned back against my palms, "Well, it's a good thing we didn't do it," I joked before looking over to Naruto, grinning, "Huh, Naruto?"

The blonde chuckled sheepishly, scratching his golden mop of hair. Even though I was barely awake the whole time I was holding on to the genjutsu barrier, I knew Naruto was itching to open it at some point. Thankfully, Sasuke was there to knock the idea out of his head. Before we get knocked out instead.

Suddenly, Sakura piped up, her voice drawing our attention, "But what does the scripture mean, Iruka-sensei? We can't understand it."

Naruto was being an ass again as he leaned over to her, "Who cares? We passed!" I saw a vein pop from her forehead and winced.

He's gone and done it again.

Sakura whipped up her hand and punched his face, sending him flying to the side. Duckbutt and I sighed as we moved to the side in sync to avoid the rolling ball of orange before settling to our original positions.

"Shut up, Naruto."

I sighed and waved at Iruka, "Go on, sensei. This is normal."

Iruka blinked once, a little uncomfortable at the situation. As Naruto rubbed his sore cheek as he crawled back to sit beside me, Sakura shot Iruka-sensei an innocent smile as if she was urging him to go on.

Our ex-teacher just shook his head before turning back to look at the words of wisdom, "As I was saying. These are principles, written by the Third Hokage. Read it carefully, as they are the qualities needed in a shinobi. Heaven represents your mind and Earth represents your body. If Heaven is what you desire, acquire wisdom to take your mind higher. Get it?"

Naruto shook his head and Iruka sighed, before going on with a smile. "Which means if it's intellect you lack, Naruto," Iruka said pointedly as he looked at the blonde, "It means you need to double your effort to get the information and skills you need for your missions."

The blonde snorted, crossing his arms as Sakura and I giggled at this. "Okay, okay, I get what you mean." he complained, his mouth turned down into a childish pout.

"But if it's Earthly qualities you lack, train your body to be ready to attack. So if it's your physical that's lacking, Sakura," he turned to the pinkette who stopped laughing and began scratching her cheek in embarrassment, "Then train your body everyday to increase its physical condition and improve it."

"And if Heaven and Earth are rolled out together, there will be peace under the sky forever. That means if you are entirely balanced, even the most difficult mission would be a piece of cake for you. Understand?" Iruka ended, his kind smile never wavering. He seemed thoughtful as the others hummed in acknowledgement.

Then Naruto stood up suddenly, saluting Iruka with a serious expression, "Got it, Iruka-sensei!" The man blinked in surprise before Naruto continued, "Don't you worry about us! We're full-fledged ninjas now, we can handle anything!"

I smiled up at my friend. He knew Iruka was having his doubts about the rookies. We are after all a fresh batch, and we were under him. After so many years with putting up with us, he's bound to have some parental love for us. Since we were most likely the most troublesome batch of the century, I bet he'd missed us.

"So what now?" I voiced out, getting his attention. This can't be the end yet.

Iruka looked over to me with a smirk, "Now is the time for the Third Exam."

We had a few hours before time's up so I began poking my nose around the tower while my team rest up.

Originally, Duckbutt threatened me to stay put to recover or else he's going to tie me up and sit on me. Obviously I wasn't having any of that. So obediently, I settled beside him to assure him. I didn't know why he was so protective out of the sudden but at least he's showing some care in the world. Okay, maybe not in the world, but his teammates. Which was my initial motive when we first started out as a team so that's something.

But when he and the other two dozed off, I slipped away. He's definitely going to kill me when I get back but I'll take my chances.

After getting out of the stuffy room, I took a deep breath.

My eyes flew opened at the familiar scent. Grinning excitedly, I leaped up.

Gaara's here.

Jumping on one of the roofs of the tower, I crouched over the rim, peeking down. Nothing unusual going on here. The scent seemed to be everywhere at once, and faint. Ugh, what's going on? It's making me all twitchy and grumpy. Snorting and shaking my head, I cleared the scent from my nose before scouring up the building.

Well, even though I promised to look for him, if he doesn't want me to find him, fine by me. I can't force him if he's uncomfortable.

Once I got to the top of the tower, I wowed. I could see the training ground's entire layout, and boy, was it a sight. The river was visible from this angle and the rushing water was beautiful.

I even spotted ninjas moving about in between the trees.

This is a great spot.

Looking to the sky, I grinned wider. The clouds were coming in heavy. A storm's coming. Suddenly, I remembered the moment I was fighting the Sound and touched my chest, above the seal.

Gintaro.

Maybe... Just maybe, I could do it again.

It wouldn't hurt to try.

I lowered myself down, settling comfortably before crossing my legs. With my feet on top of my thighs, I placed my right hand above my left palm and lifted them to the middle of my gut. Taking in slow, deep breaths, I closed my eyes to meditate.

Slowly, I felt ice moving from under me, growing. Though my eyes were closed, I felt it trying its best to envelope me into a flower bud of some sort. Beats me why I thought of a flower but I did. But the harder I tried to concentrate on it to control its movements, the more the ice began to recede.

So that means the ice doesn't belong to me. That would mean...

I opt for another option. Instead of focusing, I relaxed. I allowed my thoughts to clear away from my mind. It started off slowly, the clutter began ebbing away. Then it was dark. Nothing. A void was inside me.

And it felt familiar.

So I remained that way. I waited for something to happen.

But there was nothing.

Even though I waited, nothing happened. I tried to call for Gintaro, but there wasn't an answer. Or the blue fire I saw before. But I still remained that way, until finally, a voice floated into my mind.

Don't do it again, mutt. You'll only tire yourself out.

I shivered in surprise. Definitely didn't expect that.

There will be someone who will seek you out soon. And he will teach you to control my power. Till then, I want you to lay low.

I wanted to speak again but Gintaro's voice seemed weary.

Please, Mononoke. Do not try it again until the time comes.

Obediently, I eased myself into consciousness. I didn't know why Gintaro was so upset with me trying to meditate at first, but now I realized why.

It felt like I was sleeping for a week straight. My muscles were numb as they tried to wake up. Finally opening my eyes, I looked around. Then I realized there was frost covering multiple places on my skin. Lifting my fingers up, I marvelled the intricate designs of the ice against my skin.

Well, that was something new.

Taking my eyes away from my hand, I turned my attention to my surroundings. Indeed, there was something sealing me in. It looked as if I was inside an ice flower.

And there was someone outside.

Pressing my hand against the ice, it shattered under my touch before fading into mist.

My head snapped up at the sudden formation of a cloud above me.

A sand cloud.

"Gaara?" I tried, the mist still obscuring my view. When it cleared, there he was, standing in front of me with his arms crossed, his eyes widening a little in surprise at the sight of me. His eyes lingered on mine for a moment and I noticed how teal his eyes were.

Those sea green eyes roamed down and remained there. I followed his gaze and realized the frost was still on me.

Curious.

Shaking it off, the frost fell from my skin like snow and I grinned at him innocently. I tried to get up but stumbled slightly because my legs were still asleep. Thanks to this, I almost fell on my butt. But sand wrapped around my waist firmly but gently, steadying me. I blinked in surprise and looked up to find Gaara watching me quietly. Turning my attention back to the hold, I poked the sand, experimenting the grainy surface with my fingers.

Then I looked up, smiling at him, "Wanna hang out here for awhile? Before joining the others?"

It took him three heartbeats to nod and the sand lifted me down slowly to let me sit. As I patted my thanks to the sand, Gaara sat down on the same spot where he stood. But I didn't mind the unnecessary distance. After all, I had a feeling he doesn't trust me fully yet. No surprise there.

Strangely, the wind changed its course, and he was upwind to me, his scent filled my nose.

There was a strong smell of blood.

"So where's Temari-san and Kitty?" I asked out of concern. It's either they were attacked, or they attacked. Judging by his looks, there wasn't a single scratch on the redhead, so it's probably the latter. Which is a little worrisome. Because of, you know, the blood. Did he kill someone? Was it willingly or did he do it to protect himself?

"They're inside." His reply was quiet and held a little intimidation, but I paid no heed.

"How was it? The exam, I mean."

So we began to talk, or more like I asked questions and Gaara grudgingly replied me, to my delight, sometimes in a few full sentences. It thrilled me as he began to talk a little more. He even asked a question once.

"Your team, what do you make of them?" he asked, when I was halfway asking him about his team.

I blinked at the sudden inquiry before bursting into a large smile, "My team? Well..." But then I tilted my head as I furrowed my brows, looking for the right words. Well, his question isn't pretty specific. It depends on which aspect he meant. So I went with the general idea to describe the three musketeers.

"Naruto is an impulsive idiot, but he has a huge heart. Sakura... well, she's a nice girl. And Duckbutt's a little tight-lipped but he's okay, I guess." I nodded firmly, deciding that should suffice.

"... So, do you love them?"

A second question?

I gave him a lopsided smile, a little surprised at this unexpected turn. It was an interesting question but I managed to reply quickly, "Yeah, I do. They're my family now."

He was quiet after my reply. Oh dear. I felt my lips dipped, a little worried that I said something wrong. I leaned over my legs and cocked my head in order to look up at him.

Then, sand above us began to spread out, providing more shade from the covered sun. Confused, I looked up at the sand cloud before turning back to him.

"Gaara?"

His teal eyes seemed a little too empty for my liking. Taking a big risk, I shifted closer to him, until our knees almost touched each other. Then I leaned over to him, sniffing to get a better whiff of his emotions. But it was hard for me to pick up anything because the metallic tint of blood assailing my nose.

But, I realized that something was missing.

I looked into his eyes, feeling a little heartbroken.

"Where's the snowflake, Gaara?"

He blinked once, as if he had no idea what I was talking about. But before I could say another word, Gaara lifted his palm towards me. It was empty, of course. But I looked from the palm to him then to the palm again, displaying confusion. A small whip of sand trailed along his arm before accumulating above his palm. It formed into a ball at first before rippling, like a ball filled with water.

I cocked my head curiously as I watched the sand tightened once before dispersing and something fell from it.

The snowflake flashed innocently at its creator. I felt my mouth twitched upwards at the sight of it. He hid it in his sand. His scent began to soothe, the smell of bloodlust subsiding.

"I didn't lose it." Gaara confirmed softly. "Mononoke."

A wave of electric flowed through my body when he said my name. I didn't thought he would address me fully. I dared myself to look up into his eyes and felt my breath hitched.

His soul. It was breathing with life again.

"It's pretty," he said, his voice barely audible, "and you gave it to me."

A smile formed on my lips as I nodded, "Yeah? I meant what I said, you know." His eyes seemed a little confused at my words and I grinned wider at him, "Being your light." I touched the snowflake on his hand, brushing lightly against his palm. The snowflake was clear and colourless. But at my touch, it bloomed into stunning white, sparkling like freshly fallen snow.

"I may not have the same past as you, and I might not understand but I want to be your friend." I said softly, and I felt his eyes on me. I knew he had some sort of tragic past, I can smell it on him. Kami, but right now, being near him, I realized that he was just a boy. He's my age. And yet... I couldn't understand why he was so bloodthirsty yet naive at the same time.

"Why?" Now this is a question I expect. I gave a thought before closing my eyes as I smiled in reply.

"Because I like you."

When I opened my eyes to gauge his reaction, Gaara's eyes widened considerably and he looked as if he stopped breathing. Some of the sand began to slide off the cloud, spilling down the sides like little waterfalls. His control was wavering slightly. Was it something I said? Just as I opened my mouth to show my concern, someone joined us.

"Gaara, the exams-" Temari wavered in surprise when she saw us sitting face-to-face. Her expression was priceless. "You? What're you doing here?"

I gave her a welcoming smile and waved, "Yo, Temari-san! How you've been?"

Her eyes were teetering on distrust but she quickly shook it off when the sand cloud dispersed. I watched how the sand remained swirling around us like a vortex before turning back to its master.

Sunlight touched his pale skin, and I noticed Gaara's eyes never left me. I cocked my head at him, "Guess we have to go now. Don't want to miss the exam." He dipped his head once, a small pinch of sand whirled around the snowflake in his palm before returning to the gourd on his back. His hands were empty. I watched him stand up. I pushed against my knee to follow after but before I could go any further than that, I felt the sand pushing me up to a stand.

I gave Gaara a grateful smile, whose eyes were elsewhere, before turning to Temari, "Is it time up already?"

The blonde nodded, a grin twitching on her lips as she watched me, "Yeah, they just announced. I heard all of the Leaf rookies made it."

Smiling at this, I gave her a playful look, "Guess there's more competition then."

"Don't get cocky, kid." she shot back, smirking at me.

"Come on, let's go." Gaara's voice floated over to us and both of us realized that he was waiting for Temari at the edge. The blonde sighed before turning back to me, "I'll see you, kiddo." I snorted at her, "I have a name." She just laughed as she ruffled my fringe, "Whatever, shorty." I growled at her half-heartedly as I smooth out the mess. I watched Temari followed her comrade as they leaped off the roof.

Turning my attention back to the sky, I sighed in disappointment.

"So much for waiting for the storm."

I tried to sneak back into the tower after parting ways with Gaara and Temari.

I really did. As stealthy as ninja-ish possible.

It's just that Duckbutt must be some sort of fortune teller. Just as I swing into a totally different room from where the others were, there he was standing at the doorway with his arms crossed. It took me by surprise. So, I squeaked in surprise.

Okay, I shrieked.

I shrieked like a banshee with a pin in her ass.

Once I got over it, I just grinned sheepishly at him with my hands in the air. He didn't say anything, just raised an eyebrow and I began spewing out excuses, "O-Okay, you got me, Ducky! Well, I-I was, uh, well, I went out for a breath of fresh air! Yeah and then I, I, uh, I got-"

I guess it must be a pretty sorry sight because he just sighed and walked over to me. It did the trick because I shut up, freezing in place as he closed in.

"You needed your rest." he said pointedly and I giggled, trying to act as innocent as possible. "I wasn't tired." Duckbutt gave me a look and I threw my hands in the air in exasperation, "Okay, I didn't listen to you, it's my fault."

Another look this time, and it says he's not impressed. I sighed before tugging my bangs, a little nervous habit of mine, and looked away.

I heard his footsteps come closer and he snorted, "You never listen anyway. It's not a surprise." I looked up at him from under my eyelashes but his eyes were averted away, staring at a crack on the wall a little too closely. I waited for him to continue but he was quiet.

"Come on. It's time for the third part of the exam." I said, dropping my hand and taking him by his wrist.

We and gathered at the large hall in the middle of the tower. When Duckbutt and I arrived, I spotted a few teams there. The Sound team, Gaara's team, Kabuto's team, Lee's team, and-

"Mononoke! Over here!" Kiba called to me, arm waving. He was standing at the main entrance of the hall. Shino and Hinata were behind him as he picked up his pace to greet me. I let go of Duckbutt's hand to run to my best friend. "Kiba!" Just as I was about to reach him, I tripped.

Pin-wheeling my arms and flailing, I panicked. Not again!

I would've fell on my face but Kiba was quick enough to catch me. He grabbed my arms just in time before I face-planted myself. Kiba chuckled before teasing me, "Guess you just fell for me, huh?"

Wow, smooth.

Rolling my eyes, I just gave him a fierce hug. "Don't ruin the moment, Ki." He laughed and returned my embrace.

We pulled away and I realized his hood fell back from his head, revealing his messy brown hair. Akamaru barked in greeting and I nudged noses with the pup. Suddenly, the puppy stiffened and whined at me.

Kiba and I blinked at this before looking at each other in confusion. Akamaru was scared. Kiba leaned over to me and sniffed my cheek. The Inuzuka's eyes widened before looking back at me.

"Where did you go just now?" his voice was low and urgent, which made me felt a little nervous. "On the roof? Why?"

He watched me for a moment before he spoke again, "The Sand ninja's smell is on you."

Before I could reply him, Naruto's voice called for me, "Mononoke-chan! Come on!" Grateful for the interruption, I shot the blonde a smile, "Coming!" I looked back at my best friend, his eyes still narrowed in suspicion. I sighed before gripping his shoulders, flexing my fingers against his muscles once, "I'll explain later."

Pressing my cheek against his as a leaving gesture, I turned heel and padded back to my team.

"Hey, look, everyone's here. Bushy Brow's sensei, Kakashi-sensei, even Grandpa Hokage." Naruto observed, leaning back to whisper to me over Duckbutt's shoulder. I nodded, humming in agreement and peeked around.

Most of the people we know were accounted for. Hyuga Neji was beside me and being stand-offish as usual, although I noticed him glaring at Duckbutt and me a few times. Tenten and Lee, however, greeted us as we settled in line.

I noticed Anko watching us, measuring the candidates before raising her voice, "Alright, maggots! The second phase of the exam is over, but don't think that you've gone through the hardest. This is just the beginning, so suck it up and pay attention!"

Turning to the Hokage, she bowed slightly in respect, her entire badass demeanour changing to a formal one. "Hokage-sama, they're all yours."

Duckbutt was taller than me and was blocking my way, so I had to tilt to one side to get a better view of the front. I heard Neji snorted beside me but I ignored him. Kage-Gramps cleared his throat before he addressed us, and began to have a speech about the main purpose of the Chunin Exams and whatnot.

I wasn't paying much attention on him because something else caught my eye.

The Sound ninja's Jonin.

Seeing him made the hairs on my neck stand on end. There's something wrong about him. Does anyone know he's here? Did they just let him in, just like that, without an inkling of doubt? I looked around, hoping to sense some suspicion but there was none.

Am I just seeing things?

I furrowed my brow as I continued staring at him. He noticed me glaring and he faced me, his mouth turned up in a friendly way. Well, he probably thinks its friendly but it looked more creepy. A shiver ran up my spine and I looked away, spotting Kakashi. He met my gaze and he narrowed his eye slightly. Thank Kami, he noticed my discomfort. Perks of staying with him for a long time. I blinked once before flicking my eyes quickly at the Sound Jonin. Kakashi's eye lazily drifted to the ninja, observing the man.

But when he looked back at me, he just lifted his shoulders ever so slightly. I frowned but his eye upturned into a smile. No worries.

Well, if he says so.

Turning my attention back to the front, I realized that the Hokage had stopped talking as a man appeared before him.

"Please, Hokage-sama. Let me take it from here." What looks like an awfully sick Jonin said, before throwing a coughing fit. Heck, I bet he'd seen better days. The old man nodded, "As you wish."

So what did I miss?

I leaned forward to pick up where they left off.

"So, as the Hokage had said before, we'll be holding a preliminary round to reduce the number of candidates. That way we do not have to waste our precious guests' time. They would only wish to see the best of the best." He took out a clipboard before coughing again, "My name is Gekko Hayate. And I'll be your proctor for this part of the exam. The preliminary round is a one-on-one, life-or-death match."

I hummed in amusement at this. That sounds fun. Sakura leaned forward to whisper to me, "He looks pretty sick. Do you think he's okay?" I shrugged at her as I whispered back, "Beats me. Maybe he's a workaholic and that's the result."

"As this is an anything goes battle, you will fight until one of you is either heavily injured or becomes unable to proceed. This is purely voluntary, and your decision would not affect your team. Anyone who feels like they're not up to it, you may back out now." Hayate continued, talking in between coughs. Right now, the only thing I'm afraid of is him suddenly dropping dead after a fit. He looks like he just came back from a tea party with Death.

No one raised their hands for a while and Hayate looked around, as if to make sure none of us wanted to back out. Just as he lifted his clipboard, a hand went up.

"Okay, you got me. I quit."

I turned to see which sad soul lost their nerve and pursed my lips in surprise. Kabuto was smiling sheepishly as all eyes turned to him. Hayate coughed once before scanning the list in his hand, "Right. Yakushi Kabuto. You may go." The four-eyed boy nodded before turning around.

Naruto, however, was probably confused, "Hey, but Kabuto-san! You're leaving? Just like that?"

The boy turned to him before shrugging his shoulders, "Sorry, Naruto. A life-or-death match? After what we had to go through. I just can't do it. My body is too weak to keep going."

"But-"

"Forget it, Naruto." I interrupted, and the blonde turned to me, his blue eyes shining in confusion, "There's no wonder why he took the exam seven times. If he faced a life-or-death situation and chickens out every time, he can't be a Chunin, much less a ninja." I looked over to Kabuto with a mock smile, "He isn't cut out to be one if he always puts himself first. Or even a decent human being. Everything about this exam is compromise."

I wasn't quite sure but I thought I saw his jaw clenched slightly and heard a small click of teeth gnashing together. But his face remained calm and gentle as he smiled at me, "Yeah, I guess you're right."

Then I just shrugged in nonchalance, "Hmm, but then again, what do I know? I'm just a lousy ninja. I can't possibly be the judge of that." I heard a snort somewhere and almost laughed.

Kabuto gave me a levelled look before walking away, "Well, I guess that's it then. Maybe I shouldn't be a ninja at all." He waved at no one in particular before exiting the hall. I didn't gave him a second glance. What for? I might never cross paths with the coward again.

Hayate coughed again, breaking the tension in the air, "Right. Now, if no one is going to forfeit any further, we will move on with the exam. Let us begin."

AND HERE WE GO.

Yes, Mononoke is fighting Dosu. To be fair it's 8:5 for Dosu to Kabuto, so DOSU WINS. And I might have a reason why I didn't proceed to let her fight Kabuto. Even though Kabuto really needs to be high fived, with a table, on his face, but it's going to be boring because he doesn't exactly have a specific set of skills, if I remembered correctly. I dunno. My memory's wasted away.

AND I WANT TO CLARIFY SOMETHING BEFORE ANYONE JUMPS INTO CONCLUSIONS. When Mononoke said she liked Gaara, it wasn't a confession, because frankly they barely know each other. YET. This isn't some Disney musical where the girl falls in love at first sight. Crust. (I love Disney, don't get me wrong BUT LET'S BE SERIOUS HERE.) She said liked as in the way you meet a human and you go like, "Yes, I like this humans person. Imma be their friend" and you proceed to be buds for life. Something like that. That's why I kinda ship GaaraMono but hey, I have multiple bias because me.

Oh and I kind of have the urge to write a spin-off high school AU of this fic. BUT I MIGHT NOT DO IT EITHER BECAUSE I'LL BE GOING COLLEGE SOON /cries WHY DO ALL GOOD THINGS COME TO AN END. GOODBYE SWEET FREEDOM.

Which reminds me, I won't be writing in detail about everyone's battles because frankly, one, I'm lazy and two, we all know what happens so scru it. SCRU IT, MAN.