"Iruka you can't keep acting like this!" Kotone was livid.
He stared back at her with a grin that didn't quite reach his eyes as he swam in the lake, a group of soon to be genin laughing hysterically at him. He had been showing off and then when they lost interest, fell into the water.
"Acting like what?" He cackled. "I'm having fun!"
"The chunin exams are three weeks away and you're being childish! I know you're hurting, but this... This isn't how to deal with it!"
His eyes flashed something fierce. "I'm fine; if you're so worried about studying for the exams and practicing then go off and do it."
"This is important, you need to be focused, studying as much as you can!"
"Blah, blah." He waved his hand and laughed again. "You're such a nag."
She gave him a pissed stare before turning sharp on her heel.
Since the Nine Tailed Fox brought its havoc upon the village, Iruka wasn't the same. The closer the exams got, the more adamantly he refused to train, avoiding both Mizuki and Kotone as much as possible. If losing his parents hadn't sent him over the edge, then the death of Shiro Hyuuga had. They were lucky enough to have been recommended for the exam only days before the attack, yet Iruka wanted nothing to do with any of it.
Mizuki, who had been waiting behind some bushes in anticipation, raised his brow. "So?"
Kotone brushed past him. "He's not coming."
Her storming off was interrupted by a gravelly. "Perhaps I could have a word with Iruka?"
The genin nodded dumbly as the Third Hokage made his way to the boy getting out of the lake. Hiruzen had approached Iruka many times in the last few months and always seemed to momentarily get through to him, but now with chunin exam closing in, Iruka needed to make a decision: would he continue to be a shinobi?
Kotone didn't wait around to see the outcome. Mizuki, though, he watched bristling. Iruka was a failure in his eyes and the fact that all these people still put their faith in him made Mizuki want to tear his hair out. Iruka lost resolve so quickly it was a wonder he ever made it through the Academy. This time something was different.
Iruka started to cry and the Third placed a hand on his shoulder. The scene made Mizuki sick.
"You must continue to live for yourself, Iruka." Hiruzen stated and then continued with eyes glancing to the hidden team, "You seem to have another family that loves you, do not abandon them now."
Mizuki took it as his queue to drag Iruka away from the lake, bursting from the bushes. He pushed Iruka along giving thanks to the Hokage. He smiled, playing his part of the always happy and ready to help comrade because it was the only way to use Iruka's pain to his benefit. The Hokage never once asked him how he felt losing his parents. Mizuki never saw him ask Kotone either.
He felt his blood go hot. Iruka had everything. Both parents (or used to), their Kage's attention, Kotone's concern. And for what? Being a cry baby?
"Oww!" Iruka pulled away feeling nails dig into his skin.
"Ah sorry, Iruka."
"It's fine, just a pinch."
"What Lord Hokage say?"
"Doesn't matter, but I'm ready to train. We've got to get promoted or Kotone might kick our asses, we promised not to let her down, right?"
"...Yeah."
.
.
The dirt was hard against Kotone's rear. She almost didn't care that her hair pony tail had fallen out and her hair was sprawled across the ground. Almost. At the sight of a bug nearing her head she let out a small squeal. She tried getting up, but found her legs disagreed.
A falcon, Hayabusa, preened his feathers. "You may have overdone it."
"Shut up, bird." She muttered searching through her bag for gauze.
"I am smart enough to know you shouldn't practically rip your finger off for a simple summoning. Blood is dangerous game with you, Kotone." He looked up and pointed a talon. "I promised Kouto I would watch you-"
"Because he promised my dad that as his summoning partner and friend he would care for his family, which means me, I know. I've heard the spiel a billion times."
"You are unpleasant today. You usually seem far more serious and less… snotty."
"I'm pissed."
"Why is that?"
"Because I bleed." She watched red drops fall.
"You could use your medicine."
"Waste it on this? I'll just bandage it. And I'm sick of this shit, they'll never let me advance if I can't improve."
"You've done well so far." He didn't mention that bleeding was out of her control, but Hayabusa knew that was what she meant by improvement.
"That river nin, he was a jounin, maybe former ANBU." Her eyes met her companions. "I know someone in this village knows why she was assassinated a damn day before the treaty was signed. And by a Mist, they shouldn't have been that close to the Leaf."
"You weren't supposed to be out there at all."
"I… I know."
"Don't you cry, it's unbecoming a shinobi. You made your choice to enter the battlefield and must live with the consequences."
"You told her where I was when I asked you not to!"
"You were in danger. I have a duty."
"Screw that!" She snarled. "Go away, Haya!"
"I will be at the apartment." With a shake of his feathers, Hayabusa took off into the air. Kotone was an infant when her parents cut open her hand and had guided her fingers to scribble her name. She was contracted to falcons before she could even speak, but none of them minded. They had ancient ties with her father's clan, and nothing meant more to them then protecting the offspring of their prodigy master. Hayabusa, however, couldn't stand teenage mood swings. His best course of action was always to leave when she seemed to riled up.
Kotone wrapped her palm and placed her head into her hands trying to control her breathing. She wanted to reconcile with the man who killed her mother so badly it nearly drove her mad. With a few exceptions, everything from that day years ago was a blur that Kotone couldn't seem to clear up. Pieces were missing. She was willing to do anything to find out what.
Wobbling, she forced herself to get up. She needed to make preparations at the hospital.
The walk was about ten minutes from the field and from the moment she entered through the doors, the sterile smell hit Kotone like bricks. She despised the hospital with all her being, but she was a regular. Behind the front desk Emiko grinned.
"Kotone! How are you!"
Kotone gave a weary smile. "I've been good, and you?"
"Great! What did you need?"
"I was wondering about the medicine, I want as much as I can at the chunin exams with me."
"A chunin already?" Emiko looked shocked. "You've barely started training."
Kotone shrugged. It seemed reasonable to her, they wanted to fill the ranks back up and then the village would change the training standards.
This was the first chunin exam since the war ended. She knew it wouldn't be in the Leaf, but it hadn't been announced where the genin would be going in two days. They would arrive, have two weeks of prep time in their designated location and then it would begin. Kotone wanted to be ready for whatever would come her way.
"Well." Emiko pursed her lips. "Give me a few minutes to go talk with the supply staff and I'll be right back with a crate."
"Thanks, Emiko."
"Mm hmm."
As Kotone sat in the stiff lounge chair, she watched another nurse take over the desk and the people come in and out. An old man sat across from Kotone, his head back and drool dangling with every snore. A mother rushed in dragging a little boy with a gash on his forehead; he kept complaining it didn't hurt and it wasn't a big deal.
She traced the lines on her right palm with her eyes unfocused staring at the bandage over her left. With Shiro, she had trained herself to be able to inject any injury with the proper dose of clotting medication as quick as she can throw a kunai. Kotone sighed. How she ended up with the luck of having a father with hemophilia and mother carrying the gene was beyond her. She had to be the most medically problematic shinobi out there.
Until her genin training, Kotone constantly had her blood tested and IV's transfusions. Her only saving grace was the fact she was girl, so while her body needed extra help when bleeding, she could manage most injuries on her own. Had she been a boy and Kotone would have never seen the life of a shinobi.
"Kotone."
Her head snapped up. Emiko had a small box in her hands.
"Three dozen vials, plus what you have now. It should be enough to get you through the exams. I have paperwork for the Hokage to submit to the host's medical staff in case you need more and emergency procedures."
She nodded.
"You go become a chunin."
"Yes ma'am." Kotone nodded again.
.
.
She left the hospital and went home, quickly packing up the medicine. Kotone tensed hearing her front door being knocked on. She opened it with a glare.
"What, Iruka?"
"The exams! They're getting ready to tell us where they are!"
"You're going now?"
"Ah," He rubbed his neck, "sorry about earlier."
"You aren't going to walk out on us are you?"
"No way! Never again, I swear!"
"Where's Mizuki?"
Iruka shrunk at her dismissal of his promise. "He already went to the meeting to save us spots."
"Then let's go."
He opened his mouth, but closed it just as fast. She was angry at him and he deserved it. Iruka made a promise to not let Kotone down, yet he still acted selfishly; it was shameful. He swore he would make it up to her during the exams.
.
.
The group of genin watched the Hokage intently. Hiruzen licked his lips in slight distaste of what he was to say.
"You have been chosen as the best of the best genin, teams whose sensei believe you have what it takes to truly fight or die for the Village Hidden in the Leaves. So, it is with great pride that tomorrow morning we begin our journey to the Village Hidden in the Mist for this year's chunin exams."
Kotone's eyes widened, Iruka and Mizuki glanced to one another. The stakes for being promoted grew tenfold.
.
Oh god sorry this is so late. Exams wiped everything out of me, but here it is! And the next chapter is almost finished and should (hopefully) be posted asap to make up for the wait