Chapter 13- Chūnin Selection Exam: Preliminaries! (Part 3)

(Heba's POV)

I was going to kill someone, and if I wasn't being held back by Atem and Mahad-Sensei I would have already done it. All during the battle everyone around us was stiff and silent, unsure whom to root for. Malik was their friend or teammate, and the same went for Yugi. I guess in this department I was biased because Yugi was my brother and I wanted him to win no matter what.

Apparently my wishes were denied because when Yugi smacked back into the wall that last time, he collapsed to the ground and his eyes fell closed. My body went ridged right then and I completely stopped fighting against Mahad and Atem, tears of fright gathering in my eyes but wouldn't fall. I glanced between Yugi's body and Malik's, waiting for one of them to get up but neither did.

"I-" Hayate started but my screams cut him off.

"Yugi! Yugi get up!" I wasn't worried about him losing this match, I could give a damn about the match, I just wanted him to be okay. I turned eyes on to Atem, asking him silently to let me go, and with a final tug they finally did. I braced my hands against the railing and jumped over the edge, instantly taking off toward Yugi. Crouching down next to him I gently turned his body over and flinched at the cuts. Malik had gotten him good with the Kuni, I didn't think anything of it before because Yugi kept moving like it was nothing!

Hayate coughed and knelt next to me, feeling for a pulse. When he nodded to say there was one, I felt a bit better. He stood back up and the Medic Nin gently pushed me out of the way to get him on the stretcher.

"Both participants are unable to continue. I have no choice but to declare this a draw." Yugi had lost, but so did Malik. It seemed that perhaps the future couldn't be changed after all.

Taking off behind the Medic Nin that carried Yugi, I had to stop outside the doors that led to the healing room. They were going to have to reset a few bones and seal the cut Malik did, but overall they assured me he would be all right. Taking a seat on the bench outside the door, I rested my head in my hands and barely heard the names Hayate spoke of the participants of the next match.

Mana Hyuga VS Marik Iwanaga

Poor Mana, I had heard about Marik and I had a feeling she wasn't going to fair any better against Marik then Yugi did with Malik. Pulling my head back I looked down to my hands, the frown deepening on my face. I guess when this started I didn't think anything major of it. I just assumed we would all win and be perfectly fine. I guess I severely underestimated just what this all truly meant.

We were going to get hurt, we were going to be injured and this was just the start. Yugi would end up getting worst cuts then this and even some broken bones, maybe even a crushed lung. I didn't want to be here anymore, I didn't want to watch my brother get injured and maybe even lose his life! My hands started to shake at my own thoughts and I bit hard on my lip, not wanting to start to cry when I knew right now, in this moment, Yugi was going to be okay. But I had to talk to him about seriously looking for a way home. I would rather face bullies and being kicked out of school then have the fear of losing my brother to some stray ninja who just happened to want to beat his skull in.

My ears picked up the sound of a high-pitched female scream and I instantly knew it was Mana. People rushed past me with a stretcher and I looked up wide-eyed to the door. Had it ended already? But the battle just started! They returned a moment later and I rushed to my feet, stopping next to her. "Mana! What happened?"

The girls brown eyes peaked open and she took in a ragged breath. She looked like hell! Like someone grabbed her by her hair and just started smacking her around like a rag doll! Her arm was bent back in a way I knew it was broken and her body was just littered with cuts and bruises. She gave a light moan and tilted her head away. "M-Marik…." She breathed out and before I got anymore, her eyes closed and the Medic Nin pushed me away. What on earth happened?

My curiosity ended when the doors that Yugi was behind opened and the Medic Nin's that was working on Yugi carried him out. I followed behind them instantly and was led to a white room where they laid Yugi on a bed. I sat next to him on the chair and reached a hand out, gently wrapping my own around Yugi's hand. In this room there was a small TV across from the bed and it flashed the names of the next match.

Misumi Tsurugi VS Kankurō of Sunagakure

I remembered this match; it was where we first learned of Kankurō's abilities. Misumi and the rest of his team entered the Chūnin Exams just to spy on the other participants for Orochimaru. During this match he trapped Kankurō in a stranglehold. He threatened to break Kankurō's neck if he didn't forfeit and when Kankurō refused to, he snapped the man neck. Kankurō ended up to be his puppet, which quickly trapped Misumi and ended up breaking every bone in his body shy of his neck, declaring Kankurō the winner.

It was honestly one of the worst matches here, except for Lee's and Gaara's. I'm not even sure I could watch that, during the whole episode I was watching with Yugi, my blood was boiling and I wanted to rip him apart piece by piece.

A hand tightening around my own snapped me from my thoughts and I looked up to Yugi as he offered me a small smile, turning his head away just as the TV screen flashed again and the names started to roll. Silently, we both watched it, waiting, and when the names finally stopped we breathed out a sigh of relief. What could we say? We were on edge, I didn't want to watch anymore people get hurt like Yugi.

Sakura Haruno VS Ino Yamanaka

"No one wins this match." Yugi whispered and I smiled ever so slightly.

"Still being a know it all?" I teased and he rolled his eyes.

"What happened? Did Malik-" He wanted to know if he lost, and I was almost afraid to answer him. Letting out a small sigh I reached a hand up and brushed some hair from his eyes.

"Malik collapsed. The water bullet you shot at him broke a few ribs and I think dislocated his shoulder. He will be alright, but no one won your battle." This was hard on Yugi, most his life he was beat up and degraded by the kids at school. I tried my best to protect him but I wasn't always there. As much as I wanted to be.

"Malik was right," He sighed. "I lost."

Taking my hand back I leaned against the chair and let out a long sigh, raking my hand through my own tangled hair. I think I had dried blood in it. "Yugi, you win some you lose some. Not everyone was going to make it, Hayate said so." I paused, unsure if I should continue. "Mana lost her match, right after." His head snapped back to me, eyes widening. "I'm not sure if she is alright, she looked pretty bad. Marik… he didn't hold back it seems."

From the corner of my eye I saw the TV flash again and glanced over to it. The names rolled across the screen before coming to a stop.

TenTen VS Temari of Sunagakure

I looked back over to Yugi and he seemed to have a thoughtful look on his face. Slowly, he pushed himself up into a sitting position and reached over to the stand next to him. Grabbing the cup of water he sipped it before looking to me. His body wasn't shaking, and his wounds didn't seem to be bothering him too much. Perhaps the Medic Nin's were better at their job then I gave them credit for. "Will you go find out if Mana is alright?"

I sighed and shook my head. "I would but I doubt she is out of surgery yet, like I said, Marik did a number on her." He nodded in acceptance to this and sighed, looking down to his lap.

"I want to go back to the arena, before a battle starts with one of our friends. We already missed Mana's, I don't want to miss the others."

I hesitated for a moment, and then shook my head, giving Yugi a serious look. "Yugi we need to talk." He looked to me, brows furrowing before motioning with his hand for me to speak. "Yugi… I want to go home." Simple and right to the point. However what I was not expecting was the confused look that crossed his face. Biting my lip a bit I let out a long sigh and looked away. I was expecting this, he was getting to comfortable here. "Yugi, I know you are starting to like it here but we can't stay. We don't bel-"

"Heba! How can you say this? These people, they need us!" Yugi argued and I looked to him wide eyed before it slowly faded off my face and a serious expression took its place.

"Yugi we don't belong here. This is not our place. Our place is home! Where Jii-chan is! Our place is with our grandfather in a world where we don't know the future! Where we can't mess things up!" My voice was raising and Yugi flinched away, looking down to his lap.

"I asked Naruto," He started. "What he would do if he knew something that could change someone's life. He said everyone makes their own destiny but if he could he would save them." His eyes turned to mine, a begging look in them. "I want to save them. I want to see what we can do in this world."

I sighed and looked away, hands clenching around the fabric of my pants. "Yugi, I know you mean well. But it can't work this way, we could cause more harm then good. What if saving someone's life causing someone else to lose his or her own? We can't save everyone."

"I'm not talking about that! I-I want to stop Sasuke from leaving."

My head whipped back up to him started and I almost dropped my jaw. "Yugi that changes the whole plot! Who knows what could happen!" If Sasuke never left, what would that change? How many lives would be saved and how many would be lost? What about Itachi?

Yugi nodded his head and turned away. "I just- we have to try."

"We don't have to! We have to try and leave!" Who knows how many days have past since we left, what if something happened to Solomon?

"Look at least meet me in the middle!" My brother begged, his amethyst eyes shimmering with unshed tears. "We will look for a way home, and in the process try to help these people."

It wasn't an unreasonable request honestly, and we could maybe find a way to leave before we did anything drastic. I just had to work fast. Sighing in defeat I nodded my head, giving into his wish. Yugi's face lit up in a bright smile and he launched himself off of the cot, wrapping his arms around me and hugging me tightly. I wrapped my arms back around him, rubbing his back before moving to my feet. "Come on, we have a battle to go see."

Grasping his hand I led Yugi through the medic halls, stopping outside a room I noticed someone in. Peeking my head inside I spotted two beds, one with Malik in it and the other with Mana. The medic nin was still in there, checking their vitals so I called out to him. "Sir, are they alright?" He turned to me, nodding his head once.

"Mana is banged up pretty bad, has a gash in her arm that is healing, and Malik has several broken bones but they should be fine." I nodded to his answer and pulled away, letting them get some more rest. It would be easier to check on them when they were awake.

"I didn't realize I hurt Malik so bad... and poor Mana..." I glanced over to Yugi and pressed my lips together, pulling him to a stop.

"Yugi it was a battle, and he was looking to hurt you to. It doesn't matter, and I'm sure if anything Malik will be proud." Yugi reluctantly nodded and I led him down the hall and back into the room. Weaving our way up the stairs and back over to the others, they glanced to us and grinned wildly.

"Yug!" Joey cheered, grabbing him and pulling him tight into his arms. Yugi made a small noise of discomfort and Joey instantly released him, rubbing the back of his head. "I'm sorry are you alright? How are your injuries?"

"Ah a bit sore but they bandaged me up well, I'm feel alright."

Making my way over to Atem I leaned against the railing next to him and looked into his eyes. "Atem, I saw Mana, what happened to her?"

Atem's hands tightened around the bar he was holding, his knuckles turning white from the grip that he had on it. "Marik's chakura is fire. You see that Katana he carries?" My eyes shifted to the people across from us and zeroed in on Marik who was sitting on the floor, polishing his Katana.

"Yeah."

"He, like Bakura, use it in correlation with their chakura magic. Mana was unprepared for that. Her magic is close up combat… she didn't even stand a chance." A Hyuga verses a sword, if she didn't get the chakura points that work his arm- then she was as good as defeated. I nodded in understanding and reached a hand over, placing it on top of Atem's and lightly stroking the skin. It took a moment, but eventually Atem relaxed and I turned my attention down to the arena before us. The match had just ended and Hayate was motioning to roll the screen for the next match.

Ryou Bakura VS Bakura Ryou

"Will the contestants for the ninth match please come down." Hayate couched and Bakura did as instructed, tossing himself over the edge and landing right on the ground. He settled down into a sitting position and placed his Katana in his lap as he waited for Ryou to join him.

Everyone turned to look to Ryou, the poor pale teen shaking where he stood. The poor kid, he looked like a deer caught in headlights and I couldn't blame him. After seeing what Marik did to Mana I couldn't really blame him. Ishizu stepped behind the boy and leaned down, whispering a few words-probably of encouragement-into his ear before she pushed him hard enough to knock him into the railing. Ryou swallowed hard and climbed over the rail, dangling his legs back and forth before dropping down to the arena.

"I see you gathered enough strength to join me." Bakura mocked, using his Katana to stand up to his feet. "It always bothered me how much we looked alike. Even our names are mirrors of each others."

Yugi stepped up to the railing and looked to Ishizu, a bit worriedly. "What Chakura do they use?"

"Ryou uses fire… I've heard Bakura uses lightning."

Well that wasn't very reassuring. Those two are more correlation chakura then one stronger against the other. If anything besides their rank, they were more on equal terms with each other. Though, Bakura had to be stronger then Ryou only because he was more ruthless. Bakura seemed more like the type to kill before giving Ryou a chance to get away and survive with his dignity in tact, Ryou seemed like he couldn't hurt a fly even if he wanted to try.

"Let the ninth battle of the Preliminaries begin."

As to prove me right, without any hesitation Bakura launched himself at Ryou, swinging the blade even though it was still sheathed. Ryou defended himself with his arms, using them to take the blunt of the swing. The force knocked him back a few feet but surprisingly- he was still completely in tact. Ryou fixed his standing and performed a few signs before launching a ball of fire toward Bakura. He jumped out of the way; managing to avoid the first two but the third one Ryou launched caught him in the side, burning his right arm.

"Damn it Ryou, I'm going to cut you up real good right now." Bakura pulled his sword from its sheath and tossed it aside, moving the sword to hold it by the hilt in both hands. With a twist of his foot he pushed himself forward and swung the sword down. Ryou barely managed to push himself out of the way to miss the swing, the blade connecting with the cement ground and making a horrible scraping noise. Ryou spun around to look to Bakura, the male's body seeming to vibrate with excitement. Bakura summoned his chakura and started to fuel it into his blade, the gathering energy turning the length of it a bright blue color. They could see the lighting vibrating and crawling around on the blade right before he started to run at Ryou.

Ryou reached into his Kuni pouch and retrieved the metal just as Bakura reached him and swung the blade down. With whatever ounce of courage he could gather, Ryou grabbed the blade and at the same time swung the knife into Bakura side- the effect was a bright show. The lightning from Bakura sword transferred into Ryou's body, making the boy instantly start to convulse as it traveled through him, into the metal Kuni and right back into Bakura's body.

Both of them continued to shake as each of us looked to one another for an idea of what to do but it was to late. Kakashi had already decided to move, appearing down in the arena in a puff of smoke. He grabbed Bakura's hand and pulled him off of Ryou's hand. He instantly dropped to the ground, forcing the Kuni out of him and Ryou to fall a second later. Hayate intervened then, checking both of them for a pulse and much to everyone's relief, they were both all right.

"As both participants are unable to continue, I have no choice but to declare this a draw."

"What just… happened?" Joey questioned, his eyes wide and an almost disbelief look in his eyes.

"Ryou used his own body as a conductor for electricity. He probably saw that there was no escape here and knew if he wanted to at least not lose he had to take Bakura with him. He caught the blade with his hand, hit Bakura with the Kuni and used himself as well as the metal to direct the lightning back into Bakura's body. He's lucky that little stunt didn't stop both of their hearts." Atem was the one who answered, a bit of awe in his voice as he spoke.

Shikamaru Nara VS Kin Tsuchi

In this preliminary battle, Shikamaru fought against Kin. He defeated Kin by sneaking his shadow under the thin strings she was using to control her bells; she did not notice that a string that thin and that far from the floor could even make a shadow. Shikamaru then took a shuriken from his pouch, with Kin, caught in his Shadow Imitation Technique, doing the same thing. Because of Kin's increased proximity to the wall of the arena, she knocked herself unconscious as Shikamaru ducked under her projectile.

Atem Sennen VS Seto Kaiba

"Hm, looks like Seto gets the rematch he always wanted finally." Atem didn't waste any time, he climbed over the railing and drop down at the same time Seto did. It seemed both of them were eager to begin, and he couldn't really blame him.

"I've been waiting for this, Sennen." Seto muttered and Atem could only smirk in response. Hayate waved his hand and before he could get the usual words out, Atem quick stepped forward and swung a Kuni out, only to instantly be defended with a Kuni of Seto's own.

"Yami, are you and Atem enemies of Seto's?" Yugi question, sliding himself closer to the man who glanced down to the boy.

"I guess you can call it that. Were Bakura holds a grudge against us, Seto just hates losing in combat to us." He shrugged. So it was no real enemy, just rivals? Yet Seto was teammates with Bakura, so perhaps there was a little anger in that.. but then again Joey had said they didn't get along at all. I rubbed my head, a headache starting to form from thinking so much on this topic.

As the battle continued, for the most part both parties using Kuni and hand to hand combat, Seto started to work a little wind into his fighting. He summed Chakura into his hand and waved it, using the wind to slash into parts of Atem's body. Atem managed to dodge a few until the last one cut through his leg, making him stumble a bit. He regained his balance and performed a few hands signs. He took a deep breath and released a large ball of fire from his mouth. The orb smashed into Seto and set him flying back into the fall. The fire continued to roar before it slowly started to die down. Seto fell to the ground and collapsed unconscious.

"How did he do that?" Ah Joey, always the clueless. He was smart when it came to the history of this world but he had to pay attention more.

"The great fireball technique is where chakra kneaded inside the body is converted into fire and expelled from the mouth either as a massive orb of roaring flame or as a continuous flame-thrower. Atem had to be storing up the fire for a while, that was why he distracted Seto with hand to hand combat." Seto should have seen it coming but he didn't think far enough ahead. Seeing the flash of hair out of the corner of my eye I turned to Atem and gave him a smile. "Good thinking ahead, I'm proud of you Atem."

He gave a warm smile back, reaching his hand out and shaking my hair about. I tried to bat his hand away, scrunching my face up in distaste. "Hey! I need a shower bad enough as it is stop making my hair worse!" He laughed, that light bubbling laugh that could only make someone grin happily at making him do that….

Perhaps I was getting to attached to the people here to.

Hearing the screens turn Atem and I both looked over to the screen just as the names stopped.

Naruto Uzumaki VS Kiba Inuzuka

Turning back to Atem as the fight started, I tugged on his shirt to get his attention. "Let's take care of your leg." Reluctantly, Atem nodded and sunk into the floor his back against the wall. I rolled up his pant leg and took the medical supplies from my bag, rubbing the antibiotic over the wound, cleaning it up, and then quickly bandaging it. "It isn't as bad as I thought it was. You will be alright." Pulling the sweatpants leg back down I leaned against the wall next to him and looked down to my hands.

"Atem, if Yugi and I left you guys would be okay right?" Why was I worried? Why was I concerned for people who live in a book? Perhaps because I was starting to think about what this world meant, what Yugi and I agreed on. The Naruto Manga and Anime… were based off of this world… not the other way around. They were real.. they were my friends, teammates, and I worried about them.

Yugi looked over to us, his own curiosity getting the better of him. At this point, even Mahad, Joey and Yami were more interested in our conversation then the fight going on. "Where do you guys plan on going, Heba?" Atem finally voice and I could only shrug, not wanting to tell them the truth quite yet.

"I don't know…"

Joey Wheeler VS Tristan Taylor

The screens beeped in the background and we all turned to it as Dragon barked excitedly. Seemed it was time to watch another friend get beat up. Hopefully though- Joey would win.

Inu: I know I haven't updated in a while and you all have my apologies for that, but I had a lot going on between graduating from school, moving and personal issues. You all really need to calm down though, I am not god I cannot give you an update every time you request it. So stop bombarding me with demands to give you another chapter, that doesn't make this process go any faster. I try, I do my best, and I give you what I have when I have it.

On a lighter note! As you can see, we are almost done with the Preliminaries. I will finish the fights up next chapter and the real action will start to begin! Hang in there a little bit longer.