Yuki's P.o.V.
I woke up in the same position I fell asleep in. On my back and facing the ceiling. I didn't feel like I had gotten a lot of sleep and could still use some, but I got up anyway. I had to wake up Himeko and Ryo so we could start the day. I slowly sat up and raised my hands into the air, popping the joints in my spine and cracking my knuckles as I did so. I stood up and swiftly got dressed and ready before I made my way out of my own room and towards my teammates, who were sharing a room.
I slowly opened the door and Ryo was snoring while half his body was hanging off the bed and Himeko looked content and peaceful with her sleeping position. Her breathing was soft and even compared to the mumbled and slurred words of her brother's subconscious. I watched as they slept for a bit before remembering my purpose for being there. As I was about to shaking Ryo awake, he mumbled incoherent things that made no sense.
"I don't wanna go to the beach." He whined without trying. "I'll get sand on my Totoro." I raised an eyebrow and he giggled like a school girl. "Oh, Yuki. You look nice in a bathing suit." I rolled my eyes and slapped him across the face.
"Get up." I said as Ryo shot up right in bed. He rubbed the pink spot I gave him on his cheek as I walked over to Himeko's side of the bed and found her in a puddle of her own drool. I mentally shuddered. "Wake up." I slapped her, too, but it was far less harsh. Himeko moaned awake and rubbed her eyes. "Welcome back."
"Was I sleep talking again?" Ryo asked and I nodded. "Did I say something stupid?" I nodded again. "Kami dammit." He groaned and hung his head. I returned my attention back to Himeko who was sitting up by now. She was wiping the spit away with the back of her hand and made fake gagging noises.
"Ew. That's repulsive." She muttered and climbed out of bed. I started walking towards the door and silently motioned for them to follow.
"Come on. Let's grab some breakfast." I said and Ryo's stomach growled. He and his sister followed me to the kitchen.
"Where is Momo-sensei?" Himeko asked groggily. "Is she still sleeping?" Before I could answer, Ryo replied for me, sarcastic as ever.
"Well, seeing as we all just woke up, why don't you be a darling and check?" He said and batted his eyelashes femininely. Himeko glanced at him, raised her fist and swiftly punched him on the side of the head. The blow was so strong, he was sent flying into the opposite wall.
"I think I will." She said as if she hadn't done anything. Say what you want about sibling rivalries, theirs has to be the worst of them.
As Ryo made his way back to the kitchen with me, Himeko went off the the third and only other room of the flat. She slowly pushed the door open and before she could even get a word out, three kunai knives were sent her way. She was fast enough to dodge them and smart enough to close Momo's bedroom door before anything else happened. Our sensei is prone to really loving her sleep. She never showed it, though. Her eyeliner and lipstick and high pony tail would always be in pristine condition. That's just being a professional woman.
"Yeah, so, she's up." Himeko said nervously. I shook my head as I started to make breakfast for us with the little ingredients we had. "Next time, Ryo gets to check on her." Ryo chuckled.
"Fine by me." He yawned before lazily glaring at me. "Why'd you wake us up so early anyway?" I didn't look at him as I replied.
"So we could execute your plan, of course." I reminded him. "The sooner we locate Team Ayame, the better the success rate."
He didn't say anything further, so I just assumed he nodded. I made a single egg roll for each of us, paired up with a small helping of rice. Like I mentioned before, we didn't have a ton of ingredients. That being the case, I decided to go out and buy some more, just so we wouldn't run out. It's better to have too much than not enough, right? Plus, I was already dressed, so I just went out anyway, despite the protest of my team.
I didn't really know where I was going, so I just followed the signs to the Shopping District and went on from there. How hard can it be to navigate through the Leaf Village?
Akio's P.o.V.
When I came into work early in the morning, I just thought it would be a normal day. I didn't expect to have my breath taken away from me. I didn't even know her name, but I'd known her my entire life and- oh, Kami, I need to stop reading Ayame's IchaIcha novels.
Anyway, I had just opened up the restaurant and was cleaning up the counters when she was walking on the other side of the street. She looked young, but not too young. Maybe Ayame's age. She was like a...a Dark Queen of sorts. She just looked beautiful with her midnight blue hair. I caught myself staring and quickly looked away, a blush spreading itself on my cheeks. Before I could force myself to steal another glance, a pair of customers got my attention.
"Onii-san! Hello, anyone there?" Ayame called, snapping her fingers and waving her hand on front of my face. "Onii-san, are you day dreaming on the job? Tsk, tsk." She mock scolded me and I shook my head, trying to recollect my thoughts.
"I was- I just, uh- there was a..." I was rambling, wracking my brain for an excuse, when my eyes fixated themselves on the girl again. She looked like she was grocery shopping, judging by the reusable bags in her hands. My breathing faltered and I coughed to cover up. "Yes, I-I was day...dreaming." I sighed the last word. Ayame looked over her shoulder and chuckled.
"Why are you staring at Yuki-chan, hm?" She asked and Sasuke scoffed lightly. He was so quiet, I had forgotten he was even there.
"Yuki-chan? You just met her yesterday." He said. "She hasn't earned that title yet." Ayame waved her hand and looked back at me.
"Did you fall for the Ame-nin, Onii-san?" She asked me innocently and I absent-mindedly nodded. Ayame giggled. "Better not let Ayame-chan know. She's crazy about you- it's so obvious, it hurts." She informed me and I blinked, turning to face her.
"She is? This is new to me."
"That's because boys are dumb, Onii-san." She said before reaching up and poking my cheek. "Especially you. But, your love life aside, I have news."
"One; I take offense to that comment and Two; what kind of news?" I asked, continuing to wash dishes, but remaining in earshot and still have the two in my line of sight. Ayame sighed and slumped back down.
"Well, I don't think you'll believe me." She said, flicking a crumb off the counter. "Akio, do you believe in ghosts?" She asked and I choked back my laugh when I realized she was being serious. I just blinked.
"Sure, I guess."
"Do you ever get the feeling that you're being watched over?"
"All the time, actually." I said with honesty along with concern. "Onee-chan, what's going on?" I stopped working and looked at her, but she looked at her folded hands. Sasuke elbowed her and she sighed reluctantly.
"Kitai. She...it's hard to explain, but she spoke to me and I could touch her and it was amazing." Ayame said in a rushed voice as she raised her gaze to meet mine. "She told me to tell you that she was sorry and she loves us both and she's proud. And also that we're so much like her and you look a lot like her and she misses us more and more each day." She was started to sound hysterical, so Sasuke put an arm around her shoulder.
"Onee-chan, calm down." I said softly. "I believe you and you should be happy that you got to see mom again." Ayame nodded sullenly. "You're so lucky, you little butt, you. Getting to hang out with mother dearest." I said in hopes to lighten the mood. Ayame smiled.
"I'll see if I can get you there next time, Onii-san." She said, looking up at me again. "But we just came here so I could tell you about that before I forgot. We have to meet up with the others and get some training in, so I'll come by later." I nodded and waved them goodbye as they left. Sasuke nodded at me and I smiled. I like that kid, he's cool.
They started off down the road and I watched as Yuki hesitantly approached Ayame. Literally walked right up to Ayame and started talking to her. Man, I hope my little sister will bring her new friend by for some ramen...
Ayame's P.o.V.
"Hey, Ayame." Yuki said to me when Sasuke and I left the ramen stand. I blinked, but, like her, kept the rest of my face indifferent. I didn't want to look as intimidated as I really was. Plus, this interaction was a bit of a surprise.
"Hello." I replied as I halted my walking. "What are you doing here? It's very early." I feigned a lack of interest, but of course, that wasn't the case. Yuki nodded and motioned to continue walking in the direction Sasuke and I were intending on going.
"Yes, it is, but I needed to get supplies for my team and I." She gestured towards her groceries. "Are outsiders not allowed in this district until past dawn?" I shook my head.
"I was solely curious, is all."
"I'm sure. May I ask what you and- Sasuke, correct?" She asked and I nodded. "So, what are you two doing at this hour?" Sasuke answered for me, stepping in between us so he was almost blocking her from my sight. Or the other way around?
"We were on our way for some training." He said. "Exclusively, if you don't mind. And we're running late." I half-glared at Sasuke.
"Sasuke-kun-"
"Don't argue with me." He seethed, getting frustrated for reasons unknown. "You'll have to excuse us, Yuki no Yukigakure. Ayame-chan, let's go. Goodbye." Sasuke gripped above my elbow and towed me away, but not before I managed to call over my shoulder.
"See you later, Yuki-chan!" Oh, did I mean to say that? Yeah, I think I did. I only really said it in spite of Sasuke, but I felt like, under different circumstances, Yuki and I could be good friends.
So, Sasuke dragged me away towards the usual training grounds that our specific team uses as a rendezvous point and he was silent the entire time he gripped my arm. He was angry or upset at me and I wasn't intending on bringing anything up, because I knew that Sasuke would. I silently waited for him to start yelling at me, but, much to my surprise, that never happened. I got annoyed, waiting for him to explode, so I did.
"Why the hell are you mad at-" I cut myself off with a quick gasp of surprise; caused by Sasuke spinning me around and cupping my face with one hand.
"Don't ever scare me like that again." He said in a low and serious, but also calm and caring, voice. "Do you understand me?" I blinked, unsure of what exactly he was talking about. He gave me a peck on the lips and continued walking on without me.
"N-Nani?" I asked, jogging to catch up with him. I grabbed his hand when I finally did. "What are you talking about?" Sasuke sighed as we emerged into the clearing. Two figures are in the distance and one of them- which I assumed to be Naruto- was waving as Sasuke spoke.
"You know you're naive, right?" He asked and I blushed lightly. Some embarrassment, some confusion and a little anger. Only a little. "You can't go around automatically befriending people who are nice to you. Ever think she might want to, I don't know, kill you?"
"I don't exactly get that vibe from her." I said confusedly. "And Akio-"
"That was a one time thing- you can't be so foolish." He informed me and I pushed his hand away from me. "I'm sorry if I'm hurting your feelings, but it's true." I rolled my eyes at him.
"Don't even." I hissed quietly and harshly as we approached Sakura and Naruto. "Hey, Onii-san." I said, walking over to him and sitting on the ground. Naruto smiled one of his award-winning smiles.
"Hey, Onee-chan!" He dropped his smile and put on an aloof expression. "Teme."
"Hn. Dobe."
"Hi, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura giggled. I bet she could just tell that I was mad at him and he was frustrated at me. "How are-"
"Yo." Kakashi appeared into the scene at that moment in a puff of smoke. "Sorry I'm late, but being on time is a one time thing for me. Anywho, let's get to work, shall we?" We all nodded and Kakashi clapped his hand together once. "Okay, Naruto and Ayame are on one team, Sasuke and Sakura (of course) are on another. Basically, fight until one or the other is down- you can use taijutsu and ninjutsu." I raised my hand.
"What about-"
"I didn't call on you." Kakashi paused. "Yes, Ayame." I put my hand down and continued.
"What about genjutsu?" I asked and Kakashi raised his exposed eyebrow.
"That's too advanced." He said. "None of you should know how to use those." I nodded. "Any other questions? No? Good." It was funny because he didn't even wait for an answer. "Get in position."
Naruto and I walked a good distance away from Sakura and Sasuke. I was in front of Sakura and Naruto was in front of Sasuke. I tilted my head until my neck popped. I sighed and Got into a stance, as did the others. We spent a decent amount of time staring each other down before Kakashi gave us the order to begin. Sakura immediately lunged for me, but I managed to duck out of the way and lightly jab her side so I wouldn't hurt her too badly. Sakura flipped in the air and she skidded to a brief halt before sprinting up on me again. She threw multiple blows, which I deflected, before punching my chest and sending me a few yards backwards. I did a back flip and landing in a squatting position.
"Ayame, you need to initiate!" Kakashi called to me and I didn't even nod before running up to a distracted Sakura and sweeping her legs out from under her. "Like that, good work. Naruto, watch out! Sasuke is faster than you." I dared to take a glance, but it didn't matter because, before I knew it, I was the one facing Sasuke. He had a raised fist and I didn't even have time to flinch before his knuckles collided with my cheek.
The force pushed me about five feet to the side and my ears were ringing out. Sasuke punched me. Me. We were training, sure, but- how did I even get there, anyway?
"Dobe!" Sasuke yelled. "Baka, you used Ayame-chan for your substitution jutsu!?"
"I did!?" He said. Oh, now I understand. Sasuke was coming at Naruto, who panicked and replaced himself with me and Sasuke was too fast to be able to stop himself. I get it. But my face was seriously hurting. I groaned and stood up, rubbing the tender pink part of my cheek.
"A-Ayame-chan, I am so sorry!" Sasuke said, coming to my side. "I didn't mean to-"
"It's fine." I muttered. "We were just training. Good work on the replacement, Naruto-kun. Only, next time, you shouldn't use your teammate. Nice hit, Sasuke-kun." Sasuke cringed at the last part.
"It would have gone great for Team Ayame if Naruto had used Sakura instead of Ayame, though." Kakashi pointed out and I nodded.
"True." I turned to Sakura, who was smirking at me. Seeing Sasuke hit me must have been the best thing for to see right then. "Sorry to be yanked away from our fight, Sakura-chan." She held up her hands.
"Oh, that's quite alright with me." She said, clearly pleased. Kakashi sighed, well aware of Sakura's sadist moment.
"Alright, alright." He said, breaking up the love/hate fest. "Let's just start working on some tactical maneuvers." We all nodded and moved to gather around our sensei as Sasuke whispered to me.
"I am really sorry, Ayame-chan." His breath landed on my cheek and neck and my own breathing faltered. "I honestly don't know if I can live with myself if you don't forgive me." His hand brushed against mine and I smiled a bit. I really do like him.
"I forgive you, Sasuke-kun." I said and managed to snag a quick peck on to cheek before we paid our attention to Kakashi again. Training was about to get a bit more troublesome.