[Name] laid awake in her futon, facing the wall where her attire hung, illuminated by the moonlight drifting through her curtains. She anticipated tomorrow. Her muscles ached from the physical training she put herself through in the past six days. Her hands nicked and scarred from her poor handling of her kunai when tying enhancements. The pockets in her jacket's sleeves filled with whatever she was able to stuff. The process reminded her of when she prepared for missions a day ahead.
"Geez, [Name]-chan, you literally have 'something up your sleeve.'"
Her lids fluttered, her body beginning to submit itself to sleep. She can remember both of their faces, her "boys."
"Wait, you actually were able to score a B-rank mission?!"
"Well, I do want to be promoted as a jounin. And, since you guys are pretty close to my current rank...I convinced sensei that we go along as a team," she beams at her teammates' reactions.
"But we're not officially chuunin..." spoke the most responsible of the two, Akio. The one who always needed the other two's protection, the one she wished she had saved.
"Don't worry about it, we have [Name]-chan!" reassured Hiro.
"Look," she broke the happy atmosphere with a serious tone. Hushing them, "We're going to spy on enemy territory. We have to be careful. Spying, meaning get information and get out, got it? I don't care if we get a minuscule piece of it, I'd rather we come back in a group. No attacking whatsoever."
Akio had fear painted on his face while Hiro rolled his eyes, and huffed, "So, you really don't have confidence in us?"
"I'm not trying to pick a fight," she growled, his attitude was always a problem, "But you always are, and I have to finish them." His envy obviously displayed through his recklessness and disobedience, "...We're off in two days." Neither of them apologized, always leaving it to an awkward silence that Akio had to face.
The cringing sound of glass being cut snapped her out of the dream-like state. She could feel Suna's wind trespass in her bedroom, stroking her cheeks, warning her that someone had allowed access. Indeed, she could hear the lock of the window click, the frame being raised, a shadow flickering on her wall. She held her breathing steady, her body stiff. Slowly, carefully, bringing her hands to her mouth, forming the correct signals as his presence loomed over her futon. Out of sheer panic she rushed her attack, watching the scene on her wall. Petals molding into needles, digging themselves through his flesh. She expected to hear his body hit the floor, however, she heard a low chuckle, sending chills throughout her entire being, "So...you are awake."
She threw her covers off after reaching for the kunai she kept under her pillow. He retaliated when she aimed for his throat. He wore a black mask only revealing his eyes and lower half of his face. A dark grey scarf protecting his neck, making her attack more useless. A large coat and gloved hands attempting to pin her down. She meant to evade him using her special tactic, but her concentration is replaced with agitation. With his right hand he held windpipe, and in his left, her wrist. The kunai just a centimeter away from striking his cheek. She struggled to breathe, struggled to outmatch his strength, but the weapon toppled beside her, and the dreadful feeling of helplessness took over.
"What do you want?" she choked, his grip tightening over her trachea.
"To reform the Land of the Wind," he let go of her wrist, immediately striking her stomach with a hard blow. As if she didn't have trouble breathing before, a dry cry escaping her lips. Her tolerance to pain was never strong, and she writhed beneath him, her free hand retreating to protect her abdomen. He threw her over his shoulder, hustling out of her window, sinking in the view of the Kazekage's headquarters, where his real target stayed. "This is your own fault, girl," he whispered harshly.
Is this the consequence of our friendship?
The sudden rattling of wood kept her conscious.
"What are you doing? That girl is hands off."
"Kankuro."
"Tch," the man took off, [Name], well in his grip. She watches Kankuro's puppet chase from behind, Kankuro attached to the end of the strings. While suspended in the air she notices the needles that have pierced his back earlier. The petals were plucked from the poisonous valley shrub, Andromeda, she patiently waited for the effects to settle as he sprinted on rooftops. She could hear him cussing, wheezing, the nausea must be kicking in, his running beginning to slow down. He finally paused, and she recognized the view of the village. He stood on the rooftop, Kankuro's puppet positioning itself behind.
"Give it up already," he warned.
The man collapsed to his knees, spilling the contents of his stomach, [Name] toppling off his shoulder, "You damn woman..." He glared at Kankuro, and then smirked, climbing over [Name], opening his coat to reveal his entire torso covered with paper bombs. "Divine Punishment!"
"Take cover!" a gust of wind sent the two flying, but with his puppet, Kankuro led her back into safe arms. He held her, turning her head away as an explosion echoes throughout the village. "[Name], are you all right?" she peered up at Temari, seeing her fan opened for the first time.
"Y-Yeah," her anxiety had died down when the poison began to kick in. She stared at her second savior, his face free of make-up, his shaggy brown hair matching his puppet's own.
"Do you need any medical help?" he asked, motioning at her hand which clutched her stomach.
"N-No," she winced, Temari shooed him away, having [Name] lift her shirt.
"...that's quite a bruise."
"It's fine."
"No, it's not!" fumed Kankuro. "Dammit, this was a bad idea from the start!"
"Kankuro," Temari shushed him, turning her attention back to [Name]. "Stay in my room tonight, bring whatever you need for tomorrow."
"You're still allowing her to participate?"
"I'm fine, Kankuro," [Name] said strongly, although they can say otherwise if they saw the way she scrambled in her bedroom.
"Look, we can't just leave her be now."
"Leave her with guards then," he intercepted his sister.
"Kankuro," [Name] called for his attention, a determined, familiar glare. It's the first time he had directly looked at her through this whole event.
He scratched the back of his head furiously before letting out a disgruntled sigh, "Both of you are so damn stubborn."
[Name] turned to Temari, wondering if she's who he is referring to, but he didn't face her.
...
"Are you sure you're fine with sharing a bed?" asked [Name], uncomfortably holding her clothes while Temari prepared an extra blanket. "I could have brought my futon."
"No, it's fine, it's big enough for the two of us," reassured Temari, motioning [Name] to slip in first. She pushed herself against the wall, nuzzling under the thick sheet as Temari joined beneath the covers. She stretched, her hair pooling around her pillow, turning around, facing [Name].
"Oh, s-sorry," [Name] begins to shift in order for her view to be the wall.
"No no," Temari reaches a hand out to stop her, "Let's talk for a while. I'm sure the teams won't be here until seven in the morning. Well, whoever are the first thirty."
"There were too many who passed the first exam?"
"Yeah," Temari loosens an arm out to tuck underneath her pillow, "Even Shikamaru's curve ball hardly eliminated much teams."
"Curve ball?"
"Yeah, a surprise question he saved in the end. Something like 'If your team were in a situation where one had to be a decoy, who would it be? However, that decoy would be most likely to die,' sorta...like that," [Name] blankly stared at Temari in horror, but immediately pulled herself from the haunting memory as the subject is changed. "Well, let's not talk about the exams, or what happened this evening. How are you...?" [Name]'s mouth opens to respond, "...and Gaara?"
She shut it, and then muttered, "I can't say...the last we talked to each other was when you were here." She had been preoccupying herself with training, extra care of her flora, unpacking shipments, brewing tea, and so on and so forth in order to calm herself from the night when she embraced him.
"Oh really?" her observant friend scoots closer, "Then, why are you blushing?"
"What? I'm not blushing," she averts her eyes, putting up little defense.
Temari's curiosity grew, "Well? What happened?"
"We...hugged."
"Eh?! Really now...?" she settled back, staring at the ceiling. "Hm...but to initiate a wedding between you and him would be a difficult step..."
[Name] shot upright, "H-How did a hug lead you into thinking about marriage?!"
Temari gave a wide grin, a look unknown to most, "You probably couldn't tell because you weren't looking, but...when you stepped into his office with us, he had a somewhat lighter expression."
She couldn't help but smile to Temari's words, and fell straight down on her pillow to join Temari in her view of the ceiling. "The man...he's from Suna, right?"
"...yeah," his identity is still a mystery, like most of Gaara's previous assassins.
"Does...this sort of thing happen often?"
Temari sighs, she would rather track back to their girl talk. "Well, more than before. Our dad, the previous Kazekage sent five assassins after him, each failing of course. Now, because Gaara is Kazekage, and making changes, we're not surprised this sort of thing occurs. Kankuro and I will always look after him anyways."
So...these are the things he won't discuss with me...
"Well, let's get some sleep," Temari flips on her side, away from [Name], "We gotta be the first to greet those bushy-eyed genin."
"...right."
...
[Name], however, did not have the chance to stand alongside Temari to view the remaining teams. Kankuro insisted in pulling her aside to join the other jounin and chuunin in a building separate from where the genin are to rest in. She felt small compared to the three Konoha jounin: Might Guy, Asuma Sarutobi, and Yuhi. She found herself interacting with the three more than Suna's chuunin though. Gaara strayed away from her, keeping himself at a distance with his subordinates. She caught on to his resistance when he hardly acknowledged her greeting in the morning. She put together the reason when Kankuro followed him from behind. She had no control over the information Kankuro passed on, she had no right to insert herself, so she held back too. It wasn't until Temari came around and suggested she be the one to take charge in making sure no complications occur when the genin have dinner, and to look out for anything suspicious.
Even though the buildings were just a short walk away, [Name] found difficulty battling against the strong winds that rolled through. Having to look out for the glowing lights peeking through the dust. When she finally made it she then hears the announcement that dinner has been prepared. Fro the floor above she can hear the pitter-patter of multiple footsteps. Instead of heading to the dining hall first though, she decided to do a quick scan of the hallways, making sure no one misses a chance for food. To be traveling for three days and three nights straight, she would hate for someone to miss out. The first section she skimmed through was quiet, but then as she climbed to the second floor, she could hear banging.
"Hey! What's the big idea, guys?!" a girl's voice, yet sounding a bit boyish. [Name] crept silently, following the noise, "Let-" the thudding increased, "Me-" she began to speed up, "Out!" [Name] is shocked, watching a door that has been locked with chains brutally snap as a petite girl bursts out. "Hm...?" she caught [Name], locking her in sight, and then charging at her with open arms. "Hey, Nee-chan!"
"Wha-?" her hands are clasped with such strength.
Bright, orange eyes glistened, short mint green hair bounced along her tan skin, "Hi, I'm Fuu! I joined the Chuunin Exams to make one hundred friends! Will you be my first?"
"Wha-?" [Name] continued to stutter as the strange girl anticipated her answer, inching forward, "Okay, sure, why not? I'm, [Name]." She would have rethought her answer, considering this girl was locked in her room for a reason. She watches Fuu cheer, spinning on one foot, happy to have made a friend, "Hey, let's head to the dining hall all right? Everyone is there so you can make more friends."
"Really?!" she grasps [Name]'s hand again, "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" She jerks forward, suddenly stopping, "Where is it?"
[Name] sighs, taking the lead, "Just follow me..." She remembers that she held a higher rank than this girl, straightening her back and changing her tone of voice, "So, why were you locked up?"
"Beats me!" other than her unique appearance, her personality is way too upbeat for [Name] to handle properly.
She notices her armband, "From Takigakure, huh? We're pretty much neighbors then," she taps her headband.
"You're right! What are you doing out here, Nee-chan?"
"I have a flower, er, tea shop, combo thing..."
"Ooh! I-" before Fuu can continue a crash resonated from the dining hall.
"What did you do to our dinner?!"
"What are you thinking?!"
[Name] groans, she can hear a clamor of various voices, "What did you to our friend?"
"Don't misunderstand!" the entrance had no door, and so [Name] immediately pops in, seeing crushed tables and food splattered on the ground. Her presence is not noticed due to the building tensions. Everyone rising out of their tables as if waiting for a signal to pounce on each other.
Even when she raised her voice, she still went unnoticed, "Hey, what is going on?" A member of the sand and a hot-headed Konoha shinobi spat at each other.
"Your suspicion shows that Gaara hasn't trained you right!" the Konoha shinobi hastily exclaimed; the statement concocted out of spite irked her.
She sees Matsuri emerge from behind, approaching the boy who spoke ill of Gaara, "Did you just criticize Lord Gaara?" She could detect the hostility emitting from the kunoichi, and zipped through the crowd, only leaving excess petals. She found the signal, now having to cancel it's activation. "That is..." Matsuri raised her arm with a fist, "...absolutely unforgi-!"
"Matsuri!" [Name] blocks the punch with just the side of her upper arm. Matsuri retreats her fist, feeling as if she hit a rock, seeing who took the blow, "Both of you hush," she would have used "shut up," but held her tongue. Finally, all eyes on her, everyone in a threatening stance. She turned to the boy who had the temper of her former teammate, he seemed to be snarling at her, "And you, especially, back down."
"I-"
"What did I just say?" her annoyance is clear as she talked through gritted teeth, and he let out a "tch," but stood his ground. "Now, what-" a moan rumbles below a table, an overweight, sweaty male lifting himself from the floor. His smell and large image are too distinctive to forget, "Burami...didn't I say to let others eat before you?"
"S-Senpai?" he falls back on the floor, his remaining team crowding around.
She didn't even need to look at their headbands to indicate their origin. The pompadour of Kazami was hard to forget along with his boisterous voice, "Senpai, is that you?"
Only Muyami stayed back, his shyness taking over, but he nodded towards her, hiding a grin. They all seemed flustered in her company, and she jumped the opportunity to assert herself.
After finding the cause, she spun around, indicating that the teams stood alongside to those residing in the same village. Only Fuu broke the silence, immediately introducing herself and her reason for joining the exams. However, [Name]'s voice overtook hers, her volume silencing the murmurings of others, "Listen up! I don't give a damn who started it, who the one at fault is," she suspiciously eyed Burami though. She had lost sympathy from their childish behavior, so keeping it simple and short she spoke, "Save the conflict for tomorrow, got it? You're dismissed!"
"But senpai..." Burami let out a whine and she cast him a petrifying scowl that sent him and his team running out first.
The rest in the room groaned, knowing there is nothing more to do since dinner is ruined. Only [Name] stayed still, keeping watch and remembering the faces that glowered at her. Matsuri didn't budge, her head hanging shamelessly, Yukata and Mikoshi at her side, unsure what to do. A foreboding sigh came from [Name] as she turned to the apologetic kunoichi, her teammates preparing to defend her.
"Matsuri," she gives her head a quick tap, "Don't worry, I would've given him a blow to the cheek, too." Matsuri beamed, the mood lifting, "Do it tomorrow though..."
"Yes, [Name]-chan!"
"Yes ma'am!" the other two piped, and she happily dismisses them.
Fuu is the only one who entered the vacant room, [Name] didn't even notice she had left in the first place. A pouting face, her arms crossed, furrowed brows, "Nee-chan, how come no one wants to be my friend?"
She dropped the authoritative act she had put on, "It's probably because they're all tired and want to rest, you should go back to your room too."
"What? Wait, you're not a genin?"
"...you just realized that now? Also, didn't I tell you I have a shop?" maybe she should've worn the tacky vest after all. It's probably why the rowdy crowd took difficulty to calm down. If "Team Burami" hadn't addressed her, it might have taken longer to subdue the rest. She blended in too well, so she found no reason to be offended by Fuu, "I guess I don't look like it, huh?"
"Nope!"