"Bad news first?" Kimiko asked, helping Hikari bandage her arm up after getting it cut by a ninja star.
"The Chuunin exams are going to start at the end of this week. You two will be registered as a team of two; which means one of you has to fight twice. Good news is that you two are now newly Genin; and I feel that I can recommend you myself for the exams. During the exams; I will decide what teams you will be put on. Another piece of bad news is that you two will be separated. I'm sorry, but it'd be fair for two teams to have four and the other two just three. I haven't decided yet; but I will starting the first day of the exams. You two will stay with Iruka until after the exams and get on teams for missions. I wish you both good luck," he told them, handing them their papers and headbands. Both nodded with a smile.
"Thank you sir," Hikari said.
"You're both welcome. I will see you soon," he said, turning to leave with Jiraiya. Hikari put her headband on and Kimiko put it around her neck. Hikari looked at her and put Kimiko's necklace behind the headband.
"Keep it safe," Hikari told her. Kimiko nodded. Suddenly Akamaru came running at the girls and jumped up on Kimiko.
"Well hey there Akamaru! I haven't seen you in a while," Kimiko said, holding him. He licked her face and barked, wagging his tail. Kimiko giggled as Kiba and his team mates walked over.
"I see you two are Genin now. You guys going to be in the Chuunin exams too?" Kiba asked with a smirk. Hikari nodded.
"One of us has to fight twice. Which shouldn't be a problem since we both know it'll be me," Hikari said. Kimiko nodded in agreement.
"The competition is starting to come in today," Shino told them.
"Well then. Let's just go see who's arriving then!" Hikari said and laughed. They all started walking around the village seeing new people from other villages there too. They noticed some new people from the sand village and Hikari looked at Kimiko worried.
"Um, Kimi, they're from the sand. Do you think?" Hikari asked.
"If we're lucky, maybe not; but they were talking about it before we left," Kimiko told her.
"What are you two t-talking about?" Hinata asked.
"Oh, we have some friends from the sand. Two I'd be glad to see, but their brother I'd want to tear his arms off," Hikari said with a smile.
"Still so violent I see. That's still hot," Kankuro said from behind them. Hikari whipped around; glaring at him, her hands balled into fists.
"Kankuro! We didn't see you there! How have you been?" Kimiko asked, trying to hold Hikari back.
"Well, I have been worse; but now that I see Kari is alive, I feel great," he said flirtingly; smiling at Hikari.
"Kimi, let me go. I won't hurt him, I promise," Hikari said. Kimiko looked at her and hesitated before letting her go.
"How do you two know these guys?" Kiba asked.
"Well, Temari was close with me, Gaara was close with Kari, and well..." Kimiko started, then pointed at Hikari, who had Kankuro in a headlock. Temari snickered and Gaara sighed and closed his eyes.
"Ack! H-Hey! You told her you weren't going to hurt me!" Kankuro shouted.
"Are you in pain? Can you breath?" Hikari asked.
"No and yes?"
"Then you're fine. You guys here for the exams I take it?" Hikari asked, looking over at Gaara who nodded.
"How long are you going to hate me? I'm sorry for what happened! Just let me explain!" Kankuro shouted. Hikari tightened her grip.
"Kari, let him go," Gaara told her. Hikari sighed and let Kankuro go and he fell on to his knees, gasping for air.
"You've gotten stronger. You might actually be a challenge for Gaara now," Kankuro said with a smile. Hikari put an arm around Gaara.
"I couldn't hurt him if I had to. You though, I hope I do fight," Hikari said. Kankuro's smile fell as he sighed and stood up.
"Someone needs a hug," he said, walking to her with his arms open. Kankuro put his arms around Hikari; but when he looked, he was hugging Gaara.
"Kankuro, get off," he said. Kankuro backed off scared.
"S-Sorry Gaara. Where did she go?" Kankuro asked. Kimiko was smirking with Temari, but Shino, Kiba, Kankuro, and Hinata were looking around.
"Where did she go? She disappeared!" Kiba shouted.
"No, she perfected her transportation jutsu," Kimiko said with a smile.
"So she's going to ignore me for a week? I just want to talk to her," Kankuro said.
"Well you should have thought about that before huh?" Kimiko said.
"Oh, you're mad at me too. I get it. Temari and Gaara won't let me forget it either. I explain and explain; but they won't listen," Kankuro said.
"Well, not my problem. What did you do with Crow?" Kimiko asked.
"Oh he's at the place we'll be staying. Gaara won't let me get into any fights until the exams."
"Smart. Kiba, Shino, Hinata, this is Gaara, Kankuro, and Temari. They're the sand siblings Hikari and I knew a few months ago before we left. Guys, this is Kiba, Shino, and Hinata," Kimiko said. Gaara nodded, Temari smiled and said hello.
"I-I'm going to head home to do my chores. I'll see you guys later," Hinata said after a while and left.
"Do you think Hikari is okay? She's been gone for a while," Kiba asked Kimiko quietly.
"She's fine. I have an eye on her," Shino said. Kimiko raised a brow and looked at Shino confused.
"Alright, thanks," Kimiko told him, sounding a little concerned on why he would have an eye on her.
'Why would he even care? He's so quiet. It's weird. He never speaks or shows interest in anything. What's he getting at?' Kimiko thought.
"I wouldn't think about it too much," Kiba whispered to her. She nodded. Gaara started walking away without a word.
"See you later Gaara," Kimiko shouted at him. He just kept walking.
"Is he always like that?" Kiba asked.
"He's worse than Shino at being silent," Kimiko sighed.
"He's just heading back to the room we're staying at. I guess he got bored since Kari left. Nice going Kankuro," Temari said.
"Hey! It's not my fault! Well, it is, but still!" he shouted. When Kankuro stopped talking and glared at Temari, he got hit on the cheek with a small bamboo stick. It was as short as a tooth pick, but as thick as a pencil. He staggered a few steps, and a bruise started to form. He put his hand where it hit his cheek and started looking around.
"Whoever did that is going to pay! Show yourself!" he shouted, looking from where it came from. Kiba stepped back and looked at Hikari with wide eyes when she appeared from behind Kankuro.
'She's gotten faster,' Shino thought. Kimiko held Hikari's arms behind her back and wrapped her other arm around her.
"Hikari, don't! Why don't you just go walk with him and figure out what he has to say first?" Kimiko suggested. Kankuro turned around and looked scared. Shino smirked behind his coat, but it was soon gone before anyone could see.
"Whatever he has to say I don't want to hear it. Naruto is going to be in the exams too," Hikari said with a smile. Kimiko let her go, realizing she wasn't going to hurt anyone yet.
"That's great. Just what he need is ann idiot like him in the exams," Kiba said. Hikari glared.
"Least he knows to keep his big mouth shut and can bathe," Hikari said.
"Whoa, didn't mean to upset you. What is he your boyfriend or something?" Kiba teased. Kankuro and Shino both looked at Hikari a little confused.
"No. He also knows what it's like to be alone, but he doesn't sulk about it. I can relate to how he feels about being alone at times. Is that a problem? I don't think so since you have an older sister and your mom," Hikari told him. Kiba put his hands up.
"Sorry, sorry. I pushed a button, my bad," Kiba said. Kimiko sighed.
"You didn't know, its okay. She's a little defensive sometimes, you'll learn," Kimiko said. Hikari sighed and crossed her arms, facing her back to Kiba.
"She's acting like a little kid," Kiba said, about to take a step closer.
"Watch it, there's a hidden ninja star under the sand. I was hoping Kankuro would step on it," Hikari said.
"Oh jeez… Thanks for the warning," Kiba said, stepping over the spot.
"What happened to cause you to hate Kankuro?" Shino asked in a whisper, right behind Hikari. Hikari jumped and turned around to face him.
"Don't sneak up on me like that, and I don't want to talk about it."
"Kimi, is it alright if Hikari and I go for a walk?" Shino asked. Kimiko blinked, completely puzzled. She looked at Kiba, who was equally confused.
"Um, that's her choice," Kimiko said.
"Just get me back home before it gets dark," Hikari said, walking away from the group; Shino following right beside her.
"Who is that guy?" Kankuro asked.
"They already went over this! His name is Shino. From the looks of it he's from the Aburame clan you idiot," Temari said, smacking him over the head.
"Ow! Well my bad…" Kankuro said. Kiba gasped out of the blue.
"If the Chuunin exams are at the end of this week, then that means you and Kari are only going to be Genin for a week if you pass! Whose teams are you guys going to be on?" Kiba asked.
"The Hokage says we're going to be accepted as a team of two until after the exams to decide whose team to be put on. It's not going to be easy; but I'm sure we'll be fine," Kimiko told him.
"You two just became Genin?" Temari asked a little surprised.
"Yeah, we got here about a week ago and trained with a Sanin. Though, Kari didn't have to train with him. She nearly killed him once…"
"That's our little Hikari. Always stronger than anyone we know," Kankuro said. Kimiko sighed.
"If she heard that she'd kill you," Kimiko said. Kankuro looked down.
"I know…" he muttered.
"What exactly happened?" Kiba asked. Kimiko bit her lip before she explained it with Kankuro.
"So you want to know what happened with Kankuro and I huh?" Hikari asked Shino. Shino nodded.
"He's always been a love struck idiot… Heh, sometimes I can't help but not be mad at him," Hikari said with a small smile.
"Then I remember how he just left me there. I nearly died because of it. The people that just died in the mist… They nearly killed Kimiko and I. Kankuro, Temari, Kimi, and I; we went to go find something for Gaara's birthday. I never saw him like they did. We were on our way back to the sand when they attacked. I told Temari not to worry about me; that she needed to get Kimiko out of there when she was hurt."
Hikari looked over to see that they were by a lake, and she sat down next to it.
"If Temari left with Kimiko, what did he do?" Shino asked, trying not to sound too interested.
"I was hit from behind by Haku… But instead of helping me out; Kankuro was gone. When I woke up; I was in the hospital. Kankuro was hardly even hurt. When I asked him what happened he said he had left with Kimiko and Temari as back up. They said they didn't even see him… He was a coward, and he left me there," she told him. Shino questioned why it would matter in his head.
"I guess you could say he was my boyfriend then. I told Gaara and Temari where we were going; but I never spoke to Kankuro. I don't care what he has to say; he fled like a little child. He's just lucky I'm not dead."
"I'm sorry. The exams start in two days, if you're lucky; you could go up against him," Shino said. Hikari smiled and looked at him.
"Maybe. I just want him to feel sorry for a little longer. Eventually I'll forgive him for his brother's sake," she said. 'I don't understand why, but he seems to care. Even Iruka says he's unusually quiet. Why would he want to talk to me?' Hikari thought.
'How come I feel this need to be here with her like this? This is… Unnatural. Could she be…? No. She doesn't think the insects are strange though. Maybe she… I don't know' Shino thought. Hikari sighed and stood back up and looked out across the lake. She closed her eyes and shoved Shino back and stepped out of the way of a kunai that was thrown at him.
"What is your problem Sasuke?" Hikari shouted, looking up into a tree. Sasuke jumped out.
"Still as keen as usual. You moved him out of the way as soon as I got the kunai in my hand, didn't think you were that fast," Sasuke said walking over.
"Sasuke," Shino said, greeting him. Sasuke nodded.
"If you don't mind, I was talking to Shino," Hikari told Sasuke.
"Hm, I ran into your friends from the dessert. Tell the purple faced one he needs to cool it. Naruto also told me you'll be competing in the exams. Is that true?"
"Yes. Don't worry, I'll try to leave you with some confidence after it all," Hikari said with a smirk. Sasuke smirked back.
"I'm more worried about your confidence," he said. Hikari laughed.
"There's no need. I'll see you around. I'm busy right now," Hikari said, walking past Sasuke to Shino. She linked arms with him and started walking off.
'I can never seem to catch a break with her. I guess if she knew, then Sakura found out that'd start things,' Sasuke thought.
"I'm sorry. I don't know what his problem is. I guess since I'm here and all now… Well, to put it easier he liked me when we were kids. I'm guessing those feelings come back; but I have no interest in him like that."
"Is there anyone you have an interest in like that?" Shino asked, before he could even realized it had come out. Hikari looked at him with a smile.
"Well… I guess you could say that. It's hard to explain right now. Hey, wanna go do something fun?" Hikari asked.
"Hm? What?" Shino asked her.
"Let's go to the park! Playgrounds are always fun!" Hikari said, pulling him along. They got to the park and Hikari ran over to a swing.
'She seems so innocent at times… I guess she's just good at hiding things,' Shino thought, sitting next to her. Hikari sat sideways to face Shino.
"You know… Sometimes I wish I wasn't so strong…"
"Why?"
"Because then I could let lose like this all the time; but since I'm so strong I feel like everyone expects me to be mature and smart… I mean yeah, I can be like Sasuke; but that's no fun if I can't be myself either right?" Shino nodded.
"I'll be serious when I need to be; but letting go and having fun is so much better… Having to keep a straight face isn't always easy for me."
"Like Naruto? He always ends up laughing through it," Shino told her. She shook her head.
"No. I can control my laughter… It's when I feel like I'm falling apart is when it's hard. Kimiko doesn't know; but our parents were murdered… If she was to know I saw who did it; she would want to make sure I was safe. I don't want her to worry about me. I'm strong enough to protect both of us," she told him. Her grip got tighter around the chain as she looked down, her hair falling in front of her eyes.
"Every time I have the nightmare, I wake up out of a dead sleep. Every time, I want to go after the guy who did it; but I realize I can't leave Kimiko alone. She needs someone to be with her, to protect her… Ever since the Haku and Zabuza incident, I have been training like crazy; building up my strength. I could hardly protect her then; and I feel like I'm starting to get useless in keeping her safe. I can't let something like that happen to her again. I-I just can't," Hikari said, breathing a little heavily as she fought back the tears. She heard the chains move on Shino's swing and felt arms wrap around her. She gasped and looked to see Shino was hugging her.
"Someone, no matter how strong their spirit is, shouldn't have to deal with something like that," he said. Hikari's words were caught in her throat; she didn't know what to say.
"Thanks," Hikari said quietly. Shino let go and helped her off the swing.
"We should get you back to Iruka's before it gets dark. You need to study for the exams," he said. Hikari nodded. They started walking to Iruka's in silence, until Hikari started giggling about something.
"What's so funny?" Shino asked. Hikari smiled at him.
"I know Kiba likes Kimi. I find it funny. You two are best friends, Kimi and I are best friends. I'm also getting close with Naruto; and Hinata likes him too doesn't she?"
"Hm, yes."
"See? Your team mates like my closest friends. I think it's funny."
'Seems to be that she's already got other two guys that like her too… Competition may be tough… I wonder who it is she likes? She seems to hate Kankuro, and she doesn't like Sasuke more than a friend. If she knows Kiba likes Kimi; then it shouldn't bother her if she didn't like him. Same with Hinata… Could it be someone from team ten?' Shino thought.
"We're here," Hikari said. Shino nodded.
"I'll see you around then. Good luck with studying," Shino said, turning to walk away. Hikari nodded, then grabbed his arm.
"Thank you… For walking me home," Hikari said, hesitating on the second part. Shino nodded.
"You're welcome."
Hikari nodded and let go, walking inside. She saw Iruka grading papers and Kimiko helping Kiba study.
"Oh, Hikari! You're home. We're having left overs from last night so help yourself whenever you'd like," Iruka said.
"I… I think I'll pass tonight," she said; looking around the room, mainly at the floor, in confusion of what was going through her head.
"Oh, alright. Are you feeling okay? You look a little sick," Iruka said.
"I'm fine," she told him.
"You want to study with Kiba and I? I didn't think someone could be so confused on the simplest things; but I was wrong," Kimiko said laughing. Kiba blushed, a little embarrassed.
"Hey! I came asking for help; you shouldn't make fun of me. I could study with Shino," he said.
"Shino actually just dropped me off," Hikari told them. Kiba looked at her and blinked.
"Really? I thought Kankuro went looking after you guys a few hours ago. Guess he didn't find you huh?" Kimiko said. Hikari nodded and felt something crawling on her arm. She looked down to see a lady bug on her arm and smiled a little. It flew over to the door and crawled underneath it; then there was a knock.
"I'll get it, you look exhausted," Iruka said getting up. Hikari nodded and walked over and sat next to Kimiko and Kiba.
"Oh Shino? I thought you just dropped Hikari off?" Iruka asked.
"I did. Then I ran into Hana, she was wondering where Kiba was. I figured he might be here," Shino said.
"He is. Come in, join the study session," Iruka said, opening the door wider. Shino walked in and nodded. He walked over and joined the other three, helping Kimiko explain equations to Kiba and Hikari.
"But why can't I just do it this way?" Kiba complained.
"Because you get half the number of the actual answer," Kimiko said.
"This is boring… My head hurts," Hikari whined.
"You don't know what's on the test," Shino told her. Kiba and Hikari sighed and laid back.
"This is… Boring!" Hikari shouted.
"It's getting late. Are you two going to head home or stay over?" Iruka asked the boys.
"We should probably get going. Our parents are probably wondering where we're at, right Shino?" Kiba said. Shino nodded.
"If you guys aren't training tomorrow; we can study some more before the test. It starts the day after," Kimiko said.
"Sounds good. Let's go Kiba," Shino said, walking out. Kiba nodded.
"See you guys around! Bye Kimi!" he said, following Shino out. Kimiko waved. Hikari looked at her with judging eyes.
"What?" Kimiko asked.
"Oh nothing. Just… I know you have a crush on a certain dog boy," Hikari said, quickly standing up and running behind the couch laughing.
"Hey! You're always snooping aren't you?" Kimiko shouted.
"Nope! Call it an intuition. Kimi, look at the way you look at him when he's around! You're always smiling! I'll be damned if you two don't start dating within a year," Hikari told her. Iruka laughed.
"She's right. You two were flirting half the time until Hikari showed up. Even then, you were hiding it," Iruka said with a smile. Kimiko was blushing from embarrassment and anger.
"Oh shut up! At least I don't have half the guys in the village chasing me around like the girls are Sasuke!" Kimiko shouted at Hikari.
"Hey! That's not my fault! I think they only feel that way because it's obvious Sasuke still likes me!" Hikari shouted, then covered her mouth when Iruka gasped.
"That explains why Sasuke's been acting a little differently these days," Iruka said.
"I never said that! I know Kankuro still does too… But I don't like either one of them," Hikari said.
"Kankuro still wants to explain what happened," Kimiko told her.
"I… I'll talk to him tomorrow… I'm heading to bed. Night," Hikari said, walking down the hall to the room.
'Hm, Asuma told me that Chouji also seemed to take an interest and that Shikamaru was trying to tell him to talk to her… Kakashi said Sasuke's been a little off his game… But Kurenai seems to be having an opposite effect with Shino lately. I wonder if he… No, he couldn't could he? It wouldn't surprise me… I know Naruto likes Sakura. She dodged that bullet. She always has attracted the strange ones, and in this case I guess Shino would count too,' Iruka thought.
"Alright, good night Hikari," Iruka said.
"I'm right behind you," Kimiko said, following her. Iruka smiled and finished grading his papers before heading to bed himself.