"Good morning Rin," Sakura greeted.
"Mornin sis," Rin greeted, falling into step with her. "Why are you up so late?"
"I actually didn't sleep at all last night," Sakura confessed. "Lady Tsunade is scheduled to meet with the Grigori today and I've been so nervous, so I trained to get my mind off of it. Next thing I knew it was already morning."
"Sakura, that's not healthy, you should go back home and get some rest," Rin said.
"I'll be fine, I've managed with much worse than a night without sleep," Sakura told him. Rin frowned and looked forward.
"But you're still recovering from the fight," Rin muttered.
"My chakra and flames are perfectly balanced." Sakura turned to him and smiled. "I'm not in any danger okay, so stop worrying." She grabbed Rin's arm. She reached up and pushed his mouth into a smile.
"What are you doing?" Rin laughed, pushing her arms away.
"Making you smile," Sakura answered. "I like seeing you smile."
"Thanks," Rin said. He opened the door to the room with a smile. "Morning everyone."
"Morning!" Sakura smiled, waving at them.
"Oh, good morning you two," Shiemi greeted.
"M-Morning," Shima said hesitantly.
"So, I stopped by the classroom earlier out of habit and sorta freaked out when you guys weren't there," Rin chuckled. "So we're exterminating coal tars today? Man, they really love sticking us with these lame jobs, don't they? Anyone got an extra dust rag?"
"Or a net?" Sakura added.
"I don't," Shima said. "There could be one over there." He pointed to a corner of the room that had a few cleaning supplies.
"I'll take out the garbage," Konekomaru said, picking up the trash can.
"Let me help you, you shouldn't put so much pressure on your arm,"Sakura said, stepping forward.
"No, I'm fine." He flinched away from her and walked past the two.
"Hey, wait up, man!" Rin said, causing the small monk to freeze.
"Oh he's just being a chicken because you two are the kids of a demon," Izumo said with a scoff. "And not just any demon, Satan. Who in one night slaughtered exorcists all over the world. It's just a matter of time before you reveal your true nature and become a threat."
"What did you say?" Sakura hissed, glaring at her.
"You heard me," Izumo said.
"Well maybe I've gone deaf, so say it again to my face," Sakura growled, baring her fists. Her tail swished back and forth quickly.
"Alright fine," Izumo said, glaring at her. "You two are the son and daughter of Satan, the king of all demons. And you two are going to end up just like your father. Killing exorcists using those blue flames of yours. You won't even be able to help it, it's who you are." Sakura growled lowly and narrowed her eyes. Rin shouted and punched the wall, letting out his anger.
The air ducts attached the ceiling suddenly collapsed, releasing a swarm of coal tars that surrounded Shiemi and Izumo.
"Moriyama!" Shima gasped.
"Izumo!" Sakura shouted, jumping back in shock.
"Don't breathe! You're lungs will rot if they get in!" Izumo told Shiemi. The two girls tried to wave away the coal tars while also trying to keep their mouths covered.
"Shiemi!" Rin jumped onto the table and ran towards the swarm. "Get away from her!" His blue flames appeared and rushed towards the swarm. Shiemi screamed as she was surrounded by the flames.
"What are you doing?" Suguro growled, grabbing Rin's shoulder and roughly turning him. The blue flames instantly disappeared. "Are you trying to burn her alive or something?"
"What are you talking about?" Rin asked.
"Those flames kill people you idiot!" Suguro said angrily. "My grandfather, Shima's older brother, Konekomaru's parents! They were all killed because of those blue flames! Because of your father, Satan!" Rin faltered and looked at the other two monks in shock.
"That has nothing to do with us!" Sakura shouted at him. "That was all Satan! You can't blame us for what he did to you!" She frowned as she thought of Naruto. She had always thought he was to blame for what happened to the village, after all, he housed the demon responsible for all the destruction. But that couldn't have been farther from the truth. Naruto was nothing but kind, sure he was rough around the edges and a little loud but he was one of the best fighters she knew. And he was one of her best friends. And now, she was right in his shoes.
"I don't give a damn! Far as I'm concerned you're both the same as him!" Suguro said. "I don't know what the Vatican decided to do to you, but as of right now, none of us are friends anymore." Rin gasped lightly and his eyes widened. "And I swear if you go nuts again and hurt even one of my friends, I'll kill you myself. That goes the same for you." Suguro turned his glare towards Sakura.
"But we're not going to end up like him!" Rin said. "You have to trust us!"
"Just because we're his kids doesn't mean we're going to follow in his foot steps," Sakura said.
"Alright, that's enough," Yukio said, entering the room.
"Yukio." Rin and Sakura turned towards their brother.
"What are you doing? You should be cleaning," Yukio said. "Get back to work. Rin, Sakura, you two are coming with me." He grabbed Rin's wrist and pulled him off the table.
"Hey! Let go of me you four-eyed mole-faced freak!" Rin shouted, trying to get out of his brother's grip. Sakura followed them and but stopped short to glare at Suguro.
"If you hurt Rin in any way, I won't hesitate to kill you," Sakura warned him. "Got that." It wasn't a question.
"Yeah, I got it," Suguro said lowly. "Just stay the hell away from my friends." Sakura gave him one last glare before following after Rin and Yukio. "Damnit..." He growled quietly.
"Rin, you will be starting a new curriculum today," Yukio said as he stopped at a door. He opened it wide, revealing a training room.
"Yuki-chan! Why do you keep hiding all this stuff from me?" Sakura shouted, pouting. She ran into the room and eagerly looked at the equipment.
"What about Sakura?" Rin asked.
"Hey yeah, do I not have to take these lessons?" She asked.
"As of this moment, no," Yukio said. "I have just been ordered to keep an eye on you until the hearing is over."
"Man, that's bullshit," Sakura huffed, leaning against a cage. "Can't even go to my own hearing."
"So why do I have to take these lessons alone?" Rin asked.
"Look, you don't have the luxury of screwing around anymore," Yukio told him. "Until you can qualify as an exorcist you're going to be training non-stop. So you better get used to it."
"Bet this training is still easier than what Lady Tsunade put me through," Sakura muttered. Rin opened a door to the cage and looked inside.
"What is this, some kind of batting cage?" Rin asked.
"What's a batting cage?" Sakura asked.
"You don't know what a batting cage is?" Her demon brother asked in shock. Sakura shook her head, looking at him in confusion. "What about baseball? You have to have heard about baseball."
"Never," Sakura answered.
"Rin, she's from a different world, the things we have here might not exist there," Yukio reminded him. Rin rolled his eyes and waved him off, messing with the pitching machine. He took on of the wooden swords and gave it a few practice swings.
"You have selected the beginner's training program." The machine said.
"Are you even listening to me Rin?" Yukio asked, sitting down on a bench. "You have six months to pass the exorcist authorization exam."
"Yeah yeah, tell me something I don't know," Rin muttered.
"Rin, this really isn't something to joke around about," Sakura said. "If you don't pass you could very well be killed."
"I know guys," Rin said. The machine started the program and Rin hit the first ball that shot out. "Besides, I bet I can pass this exam no problem. I don't even think I need to do all this training stuff."
"Rin, you don't know what type of things could be on the exam, you need to be prepared." Sakura told him.
"I've destroyed a bunch of demons already, how hard can a stupid test be?" Rin asked.
"Wasn't most of that dumb luck?" Yukio asked with a small smirk.
"Dumb luck?" Rin screamed as a baseball hit him on the back of the head.
"Pay attention to your surroundings," Sakura sighed.
"Didn't you just tell Suguro to trust you? Or did I just hear things?" Yukio asked.
"So what if I did?" Rin flinched as another baseball slammed against the cage.
"If you want to gain someone's trust you have to prove yourself to them," Yukio said, "and if you want to do that then you've got a long way to go."
"The four-eyed chicken is right," Shura said. She was wearing a short decorative robe and had a large bag swung over her shoulder.
"Shura!" Yukio said with a gasp, not expecting to see her.
"What's with that outfit?" Rin asked.
"Yeah, it's really pretty," Sakura said.
"Oh thanks," Shura said with a smile. "It's eco-friendly!" Yukio rolled his eyes and shook his head.
"Anyway, since you two are the children of Satan, that kinda makes you demonic thoroughbreds," Shura said. "The only reason you've gotten by is because of all that untapped potential. And even with that potential you guys still gotta learn how to control those powers. Until then, you've got no chance at becoming an exorcist, let alone a paladin."
"And how do I do that?" Rin asked.
"Train your ass off, duh," Shura said. "Now, Sakura on the other hand has an edge up. She's been training since she was a little kid." Shura dug through the bag, taking out six candles. "But I'd still like her to try too. Never know what the Grigori is gonna decide for you so it's best to be prepared."
"Alright," Sakura said. Shura set the candles on the ground in two sets of three.
"Now, I want you two to light the candles on the ends at the same time," Shura ordered. Rin sat down and concentrated on the candles.
"He's gonna hurt himself," Sakura muttered seeing the look of painful concentration on her brother's face.
"Hey, as long as he's learning," Shura muttered. The three candles and Rin were covered in blue flames in an instant, causing Sakura to laugh. "Hey! Did I say engulf them in your ungodly hellfire? No!"
"Sorry," Rin said. "And what are you laughing at?" She shouted at his sister.
"Please, this is easy," Sakura said.
"Oh yeah, then you do it," Rin said. Sakura chuckled and sat down. She touched the wicks and they lit up instantly. Rin crossed his arms and pouted, glaring at his sister.
"Good job," Shura complimented. "Now do it without touching the wick."
"Ha!" Rin shouted. Sakura glared at him and took a deep breath, staring at the candles. The one on the right lit first, followed closely by the one on the left.
"Close, but not close enough," Shura told her with a smirk.
"Give me another set," Sakura demanded. The two siblings proceeded to try set after set. Each time they failed. Rin lit the one in the middle, missed the candles, engulfed them once more, actually lit the ends but there was a time difference. As Sakura kept going, she got more and more frustrated, her aim and control slipping. They both let out shouts at the same time.
"Okay, so I see where the problem is," Shura muttered. "Sakura lets her emotions run wild the longer she fails at something, and Rin is so sloppy sloppy doesn't even begin to cover it."
"Shut up! This is really hard okay," Rin said.
"Boo-hoo. Cry me a river, build a bridge, and get over it," Shura said harshly. "You guys are gonna do three sets a day for an hour each. And you're going to practice until you can do it in your sleep."
"That's it? What about my sword?" Rin asked.
"Rin, you have to learn how to control the source before you can move onto control it with your sword. You can't rely on that thing forever," Sakura told him.
"You have to get used to your flames and build up your confidence first. That's why you lost to Amaimon and why your flames consumed you. It was because you were so scared that you let them take control," Shura said. "Once you build up that confidence then we'll talk about the sword." There was a knock on the door and it opened, revealing Tsunade.
"Tsunade-sama!" Sakura gasped, running over to her.
"Hey Sakura," Tsunade greeted with a sad smile.
"What happened?" Sakura asked, noticing her master's sad smile.
"Since you are in the world of Assiah you must follow their rules," Tsunade said with a sigh. "And the Grigori have ordered that you can't stay here."
"What?" Sakura gasped.
"They can't do that!" Rin shouted.
"Actually, they can," Yukio said. "As much as I don't like it either, she has to follow their order."
"But Tsunade-sama, I don't want to leave," Sakura protested.
"I know," Tsunade said. "Fortunately I was able to work out a deal with them."
"What kind of deal?" Sakura asked.
"You can stay here as long as you have someone watching over you," Tsunade told her. "They were gonna assign you an exorcist but I managed to convince them to allow a shinobi instead."
"So who are you sending?" Rin asked.
"Unfortunately, they wouldn't let me send a leaf shinobi, so I have to hire someone from another village," Tsunade informed them. "It'll take them a while to get here but they're be here in a couple days."
"They? The Grigori made you send a whole team?" Sakura asked.
"Yes," Tsunade said. "But don't worry, everything will work out, you'll see."
"I hope so," Tsunade said with a sigh. "Come on, we have some things to discuss before I leave."
"Yes ma'am." Sakura nodded and followed Tsunade out of the training room. They were silent for a few moments. "Um...Tsunade?"
"Sorry, I just wanted to get you out of there, away from that exorcist," Tsunade said with a smile.
"Yeah, I saw him too," Sakura said with a smile. "Exorcists may be powerful but they're horrible at hiding themselves. They could learn a thing or two."
"I hope you don't let your skills slip and drop to that pathetic level," Tsunade said with a smirk.
"As if," Sakura replied with a smirk of her own. "So, can you tell me who's coming?"
"Now where's the fun in that?" Tsunade said with a smirk.
"Okay, so it's someone I know," Sakura said, being able to pick that out.
"Or it may not be," Tsunade told her. "Even if you don't know the team, where would be the fun in simply telling you."
"So sneaky," Sakura said with a sigh.
"So how are things?" Tsunade asked.
"Not good," Sakura said with a sigh. "Ever since everyone found out, they've been giving us the cold shoulder. Well, everyone but Shiemi that is. She's nothing but nice. I know how Naruto felt. To be judged based on something you couldn't control. I can't believe what I did to him when we were younger."
"The past is in the past," Tsunade told her. "Don't worry about it, Naruto's forgiven you, and you know that."
"I know, still doesn't stop me from feeling guilty," Sakura said.
"Think of it like this, now Naruto has someone else to relate to than just Gaara," Tsunade said.
"Yeah, I guess so," Sakura said with a sigh.
"I'm sorry," Tsunade told her.
"Still no word, huh?" Sakura said with a sad smile. "I'm used to it. Haven't heard from him in over a year now. What made me think things would suddenly change?"
"It's because you need someone," Tsunade said. "You need someone who knows what you're going through. And you reached out for Naruto because he's gone through this his whole life. It's not uncommon."
"Figures though, right? He's not here when I really need him," Sakura said.
"He's gonna come back, you know that," Tsunade said. "He can't stay away from you."
"I know, I just hope he comes back soon," Sakura said with a sigh. "I really miss him." They were cut off when Suguro opened a door and entered the hallway. He stared at them for a moment before turning away.
"I'll make sure to tell you when he returns," Tsunade told her.
"Thank you, milady," Sakura said.
"I have to go back to the village," Tsunade said, taking out a key.
"I'll see you later," Sakura said. Once Tsunade left Sakura and Suguro were left in silence.
"So, your boyfriend's gone?" Suguro asked. Sakura blinked and looked at him.
"Boyfriend?" Sakura looked at him for a moment before giggling. "No, Naruto's my teammate. He's my brother."
"So what happened to him?" Suguro asked.
"I don't really know. He just up and left one day with no warning," Sakura said. "He's been gone for about a year now. No one's heard from him since."
"I see," Suguro said. "You must really miss him."
"More than you can believe," Sakura said with a sad smile. "I should probably be heading back."
"See ya," Suguro muttered.
Sakura stared at the mess in disbelief. She hung her head and shook it slowly.
"Your brother really is something," Shura huffed, keeping her chest covered.
"Nice underwear," Sakura said.
"Thanks."