Oh, my god, guys. I'm so sorry for being late! Like holy shit, man. Didn't expect to be fully blown out of muse for a while. School started, I'm a senior now and things have been hectic, so I'm sorry for being so late. I had like the first bit for about a month then I was like; NUH! No more postponing this shit! I'm doing it now! I just didn't want it to be half-assed and shit, but it turns out that I couldn't be fucked because I didn't want you guys to wait any more! Sorry, it's not my best. There's probably heaps of mistakes.
Thank you for all the support I've been getting even though I haven't updated in ages! It always makes me smile when I get reviews.
Enjoy! Please. I beg you.
"I'm totally going to beat you, idiot!"
"Ha! No way, mutt! I'll become a chuunin before you do! Just you wait!"
"No way!"
"Yes way!"
"I'll kick your ass, you damn monkey!"
"Why don't you try, you damn dog!"
"It really makes me wonder if they're secretly brothers from another mother." I yawned as Sakura, Choji, Shikamaru, Sasuke and I sat on the benches that overlooked the park we were currently at. It brought back memories of when we skipped class as kids. I took a glance at the Uchiha who was smugly watching the two idiots bicker.
I couldn't help but grin. He was such a cutie back then, and now he's all badass. It's adorable.
"I'm surprised he's not sitting on this bench with you." Shikamaru drawled, I turned to him. He was leaning back on the bench with his hands behind his head and looking up at the leaves that shaded us lazily. Hasn't changed at all.
"He's possessive, not obsessive." I replied, bringing my legs up and crossing them. It's been a while since all of us just hung out.
"There's a difference?" He asked, glancing at me with a raised eyebrow. I snorted.
"You're a genius, you figure it out." I earned myself a small smirk from the lazy genius.
"Where's the pig?" I asked the lazy genin about his teammate. He sighed.
"Flower shop. Her here would just be troublesome." He responded, my ear twitched at the sound of the birds chirping and the different conversations happening around us. Sasuke, Sakura and Choji were currently on another bench, talking about something I didn't bother straining my senses for. Kiba and Naruto were still bickering with their foreheads basically stuck together.
"I'll agree with that. She still doesn't like me, does she?" I grinned, staring up at the leaves too now.
"She'd probably get over the fact that you took her precious Sasuke-kun's heart eventually, but the way you act towards her tends to piss her off." Shikamaru replied, smirk widening slightly.
I snickered a little. "The way you act towards her pisses her off too." I retorted in amusement. I didn't hate Ino, it was just amusing to annoy her.
Shikamaru and I sat in a peaceful silence for a bit, listening to the sound of the leaves rustling instead of the bickering of monkey and dog. I didn't notice that I had closed my eyes until I was in the dark of my mind, staring at him again, giving that large signature grin to me.
It was strange. He seemed to be looking more human lately, from what his silhouette told me. First, he was bald and now there were black spikes indicating as hair. Secondly, his body just looked like a black male silhouette with seemingly no clothes on, and now, he looked as if he was wearing clothes like mine. He looked exactly like a simple shadow of a person just with an inhuman grin and clawed outlines for hands.
'Do you like how I look...Kuroki?' He asked softly, a tone of amusement lacing his wispy voice.
"Is this because of our bond? You looking more and more human?" I asked, tilting my head slightly. He chuckled, reappearing a metre in front of me after I blinked.
'Perhaps...' He replied enigmatically, grabbing a lock of my hair again.
"Why do you do that, anyways?" I looked up at his face, where his eyes should've been.
He inclined his head to the side. 'Grab a lock of your hair...?'
I nodded.
'Sense of...familiarity, perhaps...It's no secret you've won me, Kuroki...otherwise I wouldn't have bonded with you...' I couldn't help but grin at him.
"You're adorable." I stated, bringing up my hand to touch his that still held gently onto my hair. I could feel him, it was a strange feeling, like whenever we touched it was something more meaningful was there, like being able to simply touch one another was what made our bond even stronger.
He leaned down, amusingly leaning his corporeal forehead against mine. Gained my habits, he has. 'I aim to please you...Kuroki...'
I was about to reply before my eyes opened. I blinked.
Shikamaru's leg? I looked up to see that I was leaning on him. He was asleep.
I stared at the Nara before a body blocked the light in front of me. I closed my eyes and breathed in, slowly turning my head to the person.
Opening my eyes, I was met with onyx eyes staring fiercely into my very soul. I smiled nervously.
"Sasuke~, my love."
I leaned back when he leaned forward, bracing himself by holding the back rest and leaning dangerously close to my face, which was dark. I'm not sure whether there's a difference between obsessive and possessive with him anymore.
"How. Do you expect me to react to you sleeping against the Nara in the damn park?" He asked calmly, but you know. Anyone could tell that he's pissed beyond belief.
I raised my hands and lightly pushed against his chest.
"Chill, Uchiha. I didn't even know I fell asleep. Honest." I stated, trying to get the Uchiha to cool it. His eyes narrowed.
He opened his mouth to speak but a yawn interrupted him. We both looked to the side to see Shikamaru had woken up.
"Still want me to tell you the difference between possessive and obsessive, Kuroki?" He drawled, a small smirk evident on his face. I narrowed my eyes at him.
"Damn you, Nara. Damn you. I curse you, mortal." I hissed dramatically at him. Shikamaru lazily glanced to Sasuke.
"I'm surprised that she isn't sick of you being territorial. It seems so troublesome." He commented, yawning uncouthly. Not that I could say anything about elegance.
I wrapped my arms around the Uchiha and pulled him close, causing him to play his knee on the bench to better brace himself, then grinned at the Nara.
"He's still so adorable and attractive and mine, you know?" I stated, before taking it up another dramatic level. "And any girl would love to feel wanted, and loved and cause immense jealousy that might even cause him to kill others..." I gasped, then let go of him and cupped his cheeks, suddenly, causing his eyes to widen. "You may be a Yandere!"
Instantaneously, Shikamaru coughed. I think Sasuke was still processing.
"We're going home." He backed up, standing fully before grabbing my arm and pulling me up.
"Noo! Sasuke! I'm sorry, you're not a yandere! You're a kuudere!" I just can't help but get myself into deeper shit.
He stopped. Everyone else stopped, and stared.
"Wha..? Hold on..." Naruto rubbed his chin thoughtfully, frowning. "Teme! You are a kuudere!" He gasped, eyes insanely wide.
"I'm in so much shit now." I sighed, though I couldn't help but smile. Kiba's obnoxious laugh soon filled the place, he held his stomach, before dropping to the ground, his legs unable to handle his immense laughter. The monkey soon followed. I saw Sakura snickering on the bench with a laughing Choji.
Sasuke, at the moment, was statue still. I glanced back at Shikamaru who sent me an amused look. I looked back to the back of the frozen Sasuke, who still held my arm.
I poked the back of his neck with my free hand. Nothing.
"I'm fucked, aren't I?"
"You are." Still alive, then.
Ninja speed; activate!
"Get back here, Taidana!"
"Never!"
"I'll get you!"
"You shall not!"
"We live together!"
"You shall not pass!"
Fuck! He tackled me! My back smashed against the dirt as dust flew up past us. I barely registered the impact though.
I frowned up at the Uchiha straddling me. He had a triumphant smirk plastered on his lips. Dammit.
"I passed."
"Totally ruined my reference." I muttered.
"They're never going to leave that alone now." He said, eyes narrowing at me. I glanced to the side.
"I love you~." I grinned, hopelessly trying to convince him to spare me.
"I love you too." He responded immediately, though his voice didn't sound like he was wavering from punishing somehow.
"Spare me, oh great one?" I tilted my head at him. He stared at me, now appearing to be having an internal struggle.
Finally, he sighed, then leaned down. "Fine..." He whispered.
"Well, I'd love to be all romantic and stuff, but we're on the floor with you straddling me, and someone's staring." I informed him bluntly.
He blinked, then looked up to see a certain male standing on the fence nearby, staring with an unreadable face.
"Gaara."
"Gaara! Still have those pretty eyes of yours." I greeted him from my spot on the ground.
His eye twitched in the slightest. I was glad my senses were enhanced due to the immense training so I could see.
"Taidana. Uchiha." He nodded slightly.
"This is slightly awkward." I noted, sitting up and pushing the raven head off of me and standing up, brushing myself off.
I held a hand out to him after I was done, to which he grabbed and pulled himself up, brushing the dirt off him as well.
Sasuke gave off a wary yet excited aura. Did he feel threatened yet excited for a fight at the same time?
Gaara reappeared a metre from us, his arms folded and his face stoic.
"You have a twig in your hair." He pointed out, his eyes on my hair.
"Goddamn it."
"Fuck!" I swore in annoyance.
"Kuroki!" Sakura chided at me for being so vulgar.
"Sakura!" I retorted mockingly, before dropping back down on to her distasteful cherry pink bed. "I would punch the little shit if I saw him."
Pinky sighed. "Don't worry, I did too. He was such a jerk! But then some weird guy with a bowl cut and green spandex appeared and gave the jerk a hard time." She explained.
I blinked at her. "Rock Lee?" I questioned. Her expression took on a surprised tone.
"How'd you know?" She asked in surprise. I shrugged, leaning against the wall the bed was beside.
"You know me. I know things I shouldn't." I replied enigmatically, a small grin plastered on my lips. She groaned.
"Then he asked me out and started saying things about how he'll treat me like the true princess I am." She explained further, causing me to snicker.
"Anyways, I want to know what happened after you and Sasuke ran off." She suddenly changed the subject, her eyes know gleaming with curiosity.
"Sasuke tackled me after I made an epic reference, completing ruining it when he retorted and then straddled me. He leaned in, then I explained that Gaara was watching us." I explained casually, looking at the ceiling.
"Then?" She pressed, leaning forward in anticipation.
"Then they proceeded to stare at each other for a while. If they wanted to kiss, I wouldn't have mind." I waved my hand dismissively.
"Kuroki!" I grinned, despite her chiding tone, she was attempting to fight back a girlish grin and was failing horribly.
"I wouldn't have mind." I repeated. "Honestly. I would probably, quite literally; die of laughter. I would regret nothing if that happened." I couldn't help but snicker almost insanely, but I soon heard the pinkette's laugh and we had a good few minutes letting the laughter subside.
I had decided to visit Sakura after Gaara's surprise appearance, leaving Sasuke and him alone. She and the rest of the gang had left the park, so I automatically assumed she went home or went to visit Ino.
"By the way, shouldn't you be studying your medical thingy?" I commented, suddenly remembering her and her exams for medical stuff.
Sakura paled,and instantly flew off the bed and rushed to her desk. "Yes! How could I forget?! I was too held up in boy drama!"
"Well," I started, jumping off the bed and opening her window. "I'll be taking my leave. Study hard, Pinky."
She waved her hand up as she instantly began to furiously write down stuff. "Say hi to your parents for me."
I jumped out and onto a roof nearby. Looking up, I noticed that it was probably around noon now.
Tomorrow, Kakashi would give us our applications for the chunin exam. I sighed. What is it going to be like, meeting Kabuto and the snake?
Probably lose my shit, most likely. Moving at my enhanced speed, I jumped from the roof to the top of a faraway water tank, sitting on the edges and watching the villagers walk about their day down below.
'You fell asleep again, Kuroki...' He informed me softly as I stood in the darkness with his form in front of me.
I sighed. "I haven't been getting much sleep of late." I muttered, holding my face in one of my hands.
'I've noticed...this could affect your training...' I sat down, crossing my legs.
"I'll be fine...probably." I replied in a half-assed way of reassurance, even though I knew he would see through it.
'Kuroki...you needn't lie to me...I'll help...' I looked up to him as he leant down, now on one knee in front of me.
He ghosted his hand above where my heart was, and I felt the strange surge of energy pass from him to me. All the fatigue I'd been feeling lately was suddenly wiped away, and I breathed deeply, feeling as if a great weight had been lifted.
I smiled at him. "Thank you."
He inclined his head to the side, his shadowy spike hair shifting with it. 'You're welcome...Kuroki...'
I instinctively hissed at the sun as my eyes opened to reveal the still bright sky. "Agh...how long have I been asleep?" I asked myself rhetorically, not expecting an answer.
To my surprise, I got one anyways. "About three hours." I looked up to see Kuroi.
"Hey, dad." I greeted him casually, then sat up and found myself in a tree on a branch with Kuroi who was casually reading some book.
"I found you sleeping atop a water tank so I brought you here." He explained lazily.
"Because I love sleeping in trees." I responded, grinning teasingly. He glanced to me with a look of amusement.
"You do." He simply replied.
"True. True. Who are we hiding from?" I asked, glancing around then lazily trying to sense for chakra signatures.
"Little Uchiha." I snorted, causing him to smirk.
"He come looking for me?"
Kuroi nodded. "He was about to start a fight with a sandnin, Gaara, I think. Knocked him out, left him, he's probably out for revenge now." He explained all too casually. Part of the family attitude, I see.
"You're testing him." I noted.
"Smart little Kuro." He smiled slightly with a twinkle of pride in his eye.
"Time to lead him into a trap then." I couldn't restrain the devious grin growing on my lips as I stretched. Kuroi and I shared a look before I disappeared from the tree.
"This is some strange voodoo stuff, man. I shouldn't be energized in the morning of all times." I muttered in bewilderment as I stared at my hands with lively eyes. Lively eyes. My eyes always hurt because I refused to shut them when they needed to be.
"What sorcery is this?!" I gasped dramatically.
"Gah. At least you have energy." Sasuke yawned, leaning against the railing I was sitting on. Naruto was slurping on ramen on the ground. We've been sitting at the for over an hour and I'm wide awake. This is unnatural.
"Take it!" I replied, fruitlessly moving my hands back and forth between us in an attempt to transfer energy. "I'm not used to this!"
"Morning guys! I had to help a poor old lady pick up some apples she dropped on the street!" Kakashi greeted us with another horrible excuse.
"Yeah, right! Liar! Apologise!" Naruto jumped up, having unsurprisingly finished his ramen in time to lecture the copy ninja.
"Well, anyway..." Kakashi started, ignoring Naruto and appearing in front of us. "I got your chuunin applications."
"Yeeeaaah." I grinned, grabbing my application off my sensei and examining it.
"Kakashi-sensei! I love you!" Naruto jumped, wrapping his arms around the flustered jounin.
"Hey, stop...let go of me."
Eventually Naruto let go and giggled to himself as Kakashi straightened up.
"This is just the nomination though, guys. Whether you take up the exam or not is up to yous." He informed us, even though I already knew.
I raised my hands, Naruto and Sasuke soon imitating me and we all high fived each other at the same time, confident smirks plastered on all our faces.
"Ready to raise hell, I say." I grinned.
"You got that right! No way I'm backing down!" Naruto piped up, holding his forehead protector proudly.
Sasuke nodded, smirking. "Someone's got to show the monkey how it's done."
"Hey!"
I turned to see Kakashi had already gone, so we turned and began to walk off as Naruto chanted the chuunin exam.
"There's going to lots of strong guys in this thing." He commented, and I nodded. The monkey began to make strange gestures and sounds so I guessed he was daydreaming.
I glanced to my right to see Sasuke shaking with excitement. Gaara has that kind of effect on him, huh?
Dayum.
"Time to go train, yeah?" I suggested.
"Yeah." Both of them said simultaneously, causing them to glare at each other.
"Let's go, then. Tomorrow, we're going to the chuunin exams."
Closer and closer...I feel the anxiety of not being able to protect you...Sasuke.
Yesterday we spent the entire day training, stopped when the sun went down, ate, then went to bed early.
I was able to sleep well with Him comforting my subconscious and allowing me to calm down.
Sasuke and I met up with Naruto who slept in, then made our way to where the chuunin exams were being held. Many different people were there, some looked way too old to be here for the exam. Must be a sad life they live if they're still genin and are no way in league with that legendary guy who was ranked a genin but was about Hokage level or something.
We walked up the stairs, then saw Rock Lee on the ground with injuries-holy shit, what the fuck is that tingly feeling?!
"Feel that?" Sasuke leaned over and whispered to me. I blinked at him before realising that it was the genjutsu. I sighed. I need to work on that.
"Yeah." I soon nodded in affirmation.
"You should quit now." I tilted my head as I watched what was going on with Neji's team and the people who were guarding the entrance.
"You're just a little kid." The one with immensely spiky hair told the bowl cut boy condescendingly.
"Yeah, yeah." The other one nodded in agreement.
Tenten slowly walked up. "Please...just let us through..." She pleaded. She was backhanded.
I heard some people mutter how horrible this was, but I knew better.
"What did you say?" The spiky one asked, having heard the mumbles of the surrounding people. "Listen. This is our kindness."
I rolled my eyes. I knew the Uchiha did too.
I blocked out their monologue as I focused on the genjutsu instead, familiarizing myself with its feeling one more time before I moved on. This was my weakness, I couldn't let my guard down.
Probably will though.
Absent-mindedly, Naruto, Sasuke and I walked closer to the commotion, my eyes instantly connecting with a certain Hyuuga's.
"I agree, but..." I glanced to my side as I heard Sasuke speaking. "You will let us pass through, and also remove this surrounding created with genjutsu." He said with confidence.
"We're going to the third floor." I added, looking to the spiky haired guy and his mate.
"What're they talking about?" I heard one of the randoms ask.
"No idea." Another responded.
The spiky haired guy's friend grinned. "So you noticed."
Naruto smiled. "Yup."
The number above the door changed from 301 to 201. I glanced to the spiky haired guy as he moved towards us.
"Hm...not bad...but you know, all you did..." He swiftly brought up his leg to kick Sasuke. "Was see through it!"
Sasuke was about to block when I touched his shoulder and Rock Lee appeared, easily blocking the spiky haired guy's kick and having a hand ready to block Sasuke's would-be kick if I didn't interfere.
I couldn't help but smile a little bit. "Nice, Green Spandex." I complimented him.
Rock Lee snapped his head up after dropping the other guy's leg and dusting his hands off, soon smiling widely at me. "Why thank you, Miss...?"
"Kuroki." I replied. "You must be the one Sakura was talking about, yeah?" I grinned as his eyes lit up to an inhumanly amount of sparkle.
"You're a friend of Sakura's then?! Isn't she just the perfect girl?! Oh, how I wish to go out with her and protect her!" He exclaimed dramatically. It was amusing to see in real life.
"What happened to the plan?" Neji cut in, glancing at me then back to his teammates who were no longer baring injuries. "You're the one who said we shouldn't bring attention to ourselves."
"Well..." Rock Lee looked to me before his eyes went all sparkly again. He walked up to me and grabbed my hands, leaning in with a determined look. I had to refrain of bursting out in laughter at the expression. "I have a favour to ask, Kuroki!"
I blinked at him, waiting for him to continue.
"Can you convince Sakura to go out with me?!"
"Hold up, what?" I gave him a confused look, before I sighed. Should've expected this.
I glanced to Neji and Sasuke, who were staring competitively at each other.
"Sure, why not?" I replied to the bowl cut boy, who was beginning to burn my eyes with his bright happiness that he radiated.
"Oh, thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" I backed up before he could go on and came near Tenten, whom I suspected was checking out the Uchiha. She looked to me and smiled.
"Hey." I greeted her casually.
"Hey. My name's Tenten. Nice to meet you." She introduced herself with a sense of confidence. I grinned slightly.
"Kuroki. Checking out the Uchiha, are you?"
"He's cute." She admitted without a sense of shyness. "You know if he's got a girlfriend?"
"I know that he loves the girl he lives with." I replied enigmatically, my grin widening.
Her eyes widened. "You mean, he lives with her?! They don't do that, do they?!"
I shrugged, then began to walk off.
"Hey, Kuroki-chan! Wait up!" I stopped and turned for Naruto and Sasuke to catch up, before turning around again and making our way to 301.
"Hey, guy with the dark eyes." All of us looked up to see Rock Lee on a higher building, looking down at us.
"What is it?" Sasuke asked.
"Will you...fight me here?" Lee asked seriously. I sighed. I wouldn't allow to this, even if it did seem fun.
"I want to test my techniques against the offspring of the genius ninja clan." He moved into a fighting stance as he jumped down.
Before Sasuke could say anything, I stepped forward. "Listen, Green Spandex. As much as I'd love to witness a fight between you two, I'll have to disagree."
Sasuke grabbed my shoulder lightly, and I glanced back at him. "Hey, I can do this." He told me reassuringly. I punched him in the face before he could react. He staggered back, holding his now bleeding nose and glaring at me. "What the hell, Kuroki?!"
"You're strong, Uchiha. But just because he wanted to fight doesn't mean you should quickly oblige whilst thinking you're superior." I told him calmly, looking back to Rock Lee, whose eyes were somehow a little wider than they seem to be. I smiled at him.
"Sorry, man. But we have an exam to go to and nothing else is going to delay us from that. Also, revealing your special techniques to us isn't advantageous on your side."
He stared long and hard at me, before dropping his stance and bowing formerly at me. "I understand. I was being impulsive and rude so I apologise deeply. I hope you can forgive me."
"So formal." I grinned. "We're cool, Spandex."
"That's a sensibly ninja if I've ever seen one." An unfamiliar voice spoke. I turned to see a giant turtle...tortoise?
All of a sudden Gai popped up on top of the turtle in a...'fabulous' pose.
"The epitome of adolescents, you guys are!" He announced strangely.
Naruto and Sasuke's faces contorted into expressions clearly expressing disgust whilst I kept a blank face. "There's only so much that can scar a person like me." I commented dully, not at all perturbed by this turn of events.
Gai and Lee were about to do something dramatic. I knew by the damned look in their eyes, so I grabbed my teammates' hands and turned hill.
"You don't want to see shit like that, trust me." I muttered, sighing.
"Hehe! This chuunin exam thing hasn't even started and it's already fun!" Naruto grinned, throwing his free hand behind his head as I pulled him along.
Sasuke was still sulking about his bleeding nose. I turned back to him to see him glaring straight at me.
"You're so troublesome." I muttered, letting go of Naruto's hand and moving towards the Uchiha.
"You sound like Shikamaru, Kuroki-chan!"
The Uchiha's glare hardened. I rolled my eyes. "Oh, calm down. I'm sorry." I brought my hand up and removed his that was covering his nose and used my glove to wipe away the blood. "As much as I would love to see you get your ass kicked, I wanted to fight him too and it's unfair if you get to, so yeah."
I frowned slightly when I saw a smirk growing on his bloody face. "You jealous then?" He teased, apparently amused now. Still a child.
"Watch it, Uchiha. I'll break your nose." I grinned innocently, but I would be true to my word if he pushed me. He chuckled.
"So, you guys ready?" We all turned to see Kakashi standing at the entrance of 301 casually.
"You bet we are!" Naruto gave him the thumbs up.
"Too bad it's a written test first up. I have this urge to start a fight." I grinned, tilting my head to the side.
"Same." Sasuke nodded, his face finally free of blood.
"You guys are my proud team! Now go!" Kakashi stepped to the side and we all shared grins and stepped forward, opening the door and walking in.
"Let's do this!"
There we have it. A rushed chapter that I kind of hate because it took me so goddamn long to do! Hope it was satisfactory enough because I just wanted this one done. Sorry for rushing it, guys. Hopefully I can get the next chapter done more quickly, but school is still a problem.
Review, favourite, follow! Thank you guys for sticking with my story.