Scarlet Justice - ep. 37
"Lock and Load"
[Chuunin Exams: Third Round Finals]

Not much is coming to mind right now. I think I really do just want to relax and take things easy for a while. Maybe even...stop thinking, if only for a few precious moments. I wonder how that feels.

In any case, it's early afternoon. Two days will be left after this one. The hotel is very nice, but I find myself wanting to get outside again for a walk. After taking my shower, I look for something light to wear since it's warm again today. The first thing I pull out is one of the cropped shirts I usually wear at home, and I shrug before throwing it on. A comfortable pair of shorts, and my wooden sandals will work here too. I grab my wallet and go on my way.

"..."

Feeling curious again, I press my ear against the door to Midori's room and listen.

"You're really good at this, Luna."

"Naturally. It's simply poker though, so you'll get the hang of it after losing to me enough times."

"Luna, behave. At least for a little bit longer, anyways..."

"Lady Midoriko, I am not being mean."

"Not yet, you meant. Gotta admit, though...it's pretty hot when you get all agressive like that, Mistress Luna..."

"Hmph."

"She'll settle down after a few more drinks, Anko."

"..." More shenanigans, then. I wonder if I'll be like that once I get older. Or...no. No, I'll probably be just as bad, if not worse. Not too many children know the things I know, thankfully.

I leave the hotel and start to walk down the main road. Where should I go today? Since training is almost over, I can fool around just a little bit. There are the usual conditioning runs for tomorrow, but nothing else after that. As Midori said, everything that was to be learned has been learned. Erika might be out and about, and I've been musing over her recently...but there's someone more important that I want to check on first.

"I wonder how Hina is doing..." It's near the end of the one month training time, so I would like to hope that I wouldn't be throwing her off too badly if I did make a visit unannounced. Her home isn't all that far, and it shouldn't be too bad a walk in this weather.

"Hah...I think that should be it...for today."

Someone's voice rings out nearby, and I turn to it, curious. Some distance away, there's a girl in a white jogging outfit, complete with matching headband. Her dark hair has a bluish tint to it, and is tied back into a high ponytail. She really looks cute, and her eyes are...wait.

"Hina?" I call to her.

She turns her head to face me. "Mm? Oh...! Lili!"

"I...I'm so sorry, I almost didn't recognize you. The outfit, and your hair...you listened to what I said all that time ago and let it grow out, then."

"Yes! I wanted to try it...a little bit of a mature look, you know?" She rubs the back of her head as she comes closer to me. "It's a bit silly, right?"

"Not at all. As long as it makes you feel good, it's fine. And you look stunning, regardless. I see that you're still training."

"Yes, I am. Today is the last day...I'm going to rest all day tomorrow in advance of the finals. Perhaps some stretches the day before the first match to finish things off, but...we've completed our training so far. There's nothing else to be done." Her cheeks are a bit red from the running she's been doing, I notice. But she has such a mature and serene look on her face. The Hinata I knew from before has changed a fair bit, and in just the space of a month. "It's really exciting, you know. Hanabi has started to help me...well, in her own way, I think. I don't know if she would ever think I'm good enough to carry on the clan leadership, but...she's acknowledging me again. I can see it, and it makes me happy." She pauses. "After all that happened...I can't really blame her, because she's just a child and she's been pushed around by my father and all of the elders. And aside from that, she's my little sister. I want to be able to connect with her again, one day."

"Yes, I see."

"All of this is thanks to you, Lili." She gives me a warm smile. "When you pulled me aside in the desert, and shed those tears for me...when you opened up your heart and shared your pain...not only did I fall in love with you that day, but I found myself. The person who I really wanted to be. Facing that Dosu person...if I were with another team, or just another person, I would never have been able to do what I did. We've gone on missions and had adventures together...and I know that I haven't always been the best teammate. But I could carry on. I could move towards a brighter future. Because...I had you."

"Hina."

"No matter what happens, or who I end up giving myself to...you will be everything to me, Lili."

"Thank you...I almost feel unworthy hearing that from you, but...I accept it, Hina. I will always be here for you."

She nods. "More than that, though. I...I know that you can take down any monster that crosses your path. You have those fangs filled with venom, that you can sink into anyone at a moment's notice. That's who you are...as the Scarlet Viper, right?" I can see the look in her eyes change. "I have expectations as well. Goals that I want to reach. I'll beat my next opponent, no matter who it might be...and then..."

"You realize what it is you're saying...Hinata."

"Yes. Because I love you so much, I want to reach you. I want to fight my beloved sister...and this will be my precious gift to you. The result of the love you gave me. The proof of my strength," she says calmly.

The wind blows past us as we stare into each other's eyes.

Hina has grown so much from when we first met. She is my pride. And that's why, as she's accepted everything I am...I will accept everything that she is.

"So...that's your final answer," I say to her.

"Yes. I want to see it..."

I respond to her request and let the darkness inside of me flow outwards. She steadies herself, staring into me with those pure white eyes. There's a tension that pulses between us.

"Look forward to it then, Hina. You understand what you're asking, right? Hmhm...well, no. That's a foolish question for me to ask. You understand completely. You've accepted this side of me as well...and that's why you can do this. That's why you can stand in front of me, and do something so dangerous." I smile and lick my lips. "I'll devour you too, darling. And I know that you'll be very delicious."

"I won't be just simple prey," she says. "I promise you that your venom won't be enough on its own. You will have to pour your strength into tearing me apart...Lilith Kobayashi."

"Kekeke...yes. That suits me just fine. I'll enjoy every moment, Hinata Hyuuga."

We look at each other for a few more moments...her determination pushing against my dark desires. Wonderful...I'm so happy that we can really, truly connect like this. Not just as comrades and friends, but as sisters and rivals.

I let out a breath and flick 'that' switch off. The atmosphere changes again, falling back towards the normal calm we had before.

"Well, I'm confident in Shino's ability," I say casually. "You'll have to figure out a way to get past him first."

"Yes, that much is true. He's kind of mysterious, isn't he?"

I wave a hand. "Not terribly so. Just a big nerd. Though I do appreciate him."

"Mm...when the time comes, I'll know what to do. I think he's going to win his match, too. Oh, I didn't ask what you were doing for training."

"Midori-nee bought out a fancy hotel for us to train in. That's where I was just now," I say as I jab my thumb back in the direction I came from. "I developed a few new techniques and raised my overall abilities. I think at this point, I have to be one of the fastest people in the Leaf. As far as time is concerned, at the least."

"Ah...that's a bother, then. I was hoping that you wouldn't focus on that and get any faster," she says with a wry smile. "New techniques are one thing, but...well, I don't think that's something I can readily deal with."

"You know, you're not supposed to admit to weaknesses like that," I tell her.

"We're not, no...but I love you a lot, and I'm not entirely used to this rivalry thing yet. I wonder how boys do it so well," she muses. "Hm. But you were already faster than Brother Neji, which...well, you'll see in the finals."

"Sounds exciting. Can't wait," I say with a smile. "In the meantime, I think I'm going to have a lot of fun with that Gaara guy..."

"You're thinking of...?"

"Yes, yes. For the first time in a long while, I'll be able to embrace my S side fully!" I declare with seriousness.

Hina sighs. "You really are terrible sometimes, Lili."

"Ufufu...but I wouldn't be me otherwise."

"I guess not. But...that makes me happy, too. I'm going to head back home and finish for the day. Lili, it was really nice seeing you. We'll meet up again in a few days."

"Of course. Hina, please take care."

"I will." She plants a kiss on my cheek and waves as she starts her run back home.

I know it won't be easy to swallow her up like I want. But that's exactly how it should be. The kind of rival who makes me work for every win...that's all I could want.

"Better than Sasuke, at any rate." I run a hand through my hair, thinking. I'm sure there was something that I wanted to do...I can't recall it at the moment. Nothing else to do but go back and rest. I start on my way and come across someone familiar.

"Good afternoon, Lili."

"Good afternoon, Hana." She's dressed in a long white cloak today, and has only one of the Haimarus trailing behind her.

"Still training for the big event?"

"No, I'm finished. Just rest from here until the tournament begins. Are you coming from work?"

"Yeah, I just was making a house call. I didn't want to crowd the patient too much, so I only brought one of the boys out with me today." She sighs. "Medicine is tough, but it's also very fulfilling. There's no way I could think about doing anything else at this point."

"That's good to hear."

"Did you have any interest in medicine? They go over it a bit in kunoichi classes, I remember." Hana absentmindedly scratches behind her companion's ears.

"The field treatments are useful, but aside from that, no. I know Hinata has expressed some interest, though. She wants to be useful in a supporting role."

"Hmm..."

"Besides, I'm not allowed to be in closed spaces with you."

She laughs. "Right. Mom really wants grandkids. I'm sure Kiba could cover that end for her, but it's fair that she worries about her only daughter. It's curious, though. I didn't think girls could awaken so early..."

"Trust me, it happens more than people would like to think. I think it's more notable in my case because I don't want to jump on top of a boy."

"How do your parents feel about this?"

"They don't know," I say. "I want to wait a while before telling my stepmother, and my father...he's never around, so it really wouldn't matter." If he did know, it would be another reason to see me as worthless. It's likely that one of the only reasons he hasn't thrown me away entirely is because he thinks I'm still interested in being with a man one day and bearing him a grandchild. A complicated sort of thing...and nothing I'm eager to dive into.

"I see. Things like that are difficult. We still live in a sort of...conservative world, even with the support of those who love people of the same sex. At least in our circles and professions. Not to mention those who don't fit into traditional spheres at all...you don't learn about much of this until you really get out in the world, you know? Academia is slow to catch up to reality sometimes."

"Mm-hm."

"Well, if you change your mind about learning medical arts, or just want to chat, let me know. That's not to say...hm."

"I think you know of my situation," I say. "It's alright, really. I have a few people that I talk to, aside from Hinata of course."

"Yeah. There are just a lot of rumours and generally...not nice things said about you around the village. Hopefully when you blow everyone away at the tournament, some of that will change. But you're really okay, right?"

"I do have my sisters to look after me, so...even if the entire village turned away from me, I could go on. But thank you, Hana. I'll be sure to call on you every once in a while. With Tsume's permission, of course."

"She should be fine, as long as you have me back before it gets dark out," she jokes. "I'm gonna get home. The other boys worry when I don't get back at the times I promise, haha. See you later, Lili. Good luck!"

"Thank you. Until the next, Hana."

She gives me a smile before speeding off, her companion barking once to wish me well before following.

"It's nice...things like this. More than anything, I want to treasure the few companions I have in this world."

I stare at the clouds in the sky for a few moments before continuing on my way. After making it in, I check on the door across the hall and hear snoring mixed with light breathing. Seems like everyone's tuckered out, possibly after some sort of 'recreational activity'. Ah, well. I go to my room and settle in, pulling out the volume of manga I had stored and calling room service. They deliver my long awaited items.

A tall pitcher of fresh and cold milk, and a large basket of spicy curly fries.

I enjoy myself immensely before cleaning up and drifting off to sleep, full and satisfied.

At last. The time has come, and so have I.

The final tournament for the exams, the last true test, is set to begin on this crisp morning. Activity ripples through the village, with vendors out in full force to make as much money as they can, and crowds of people to sell to. Everything is bright and vibrant, from store fronts to government buildings.

As for me, I take my time getting ready. A nice, warm shower. Making sure my skin is taken care of. A good set of underwear and a fresh pair of black tights. Cargo shorts, sturdy belt, and black sweater all clean and ready. Hair freshened up, and a light bit of makeup. I put on a layer of shiny lip gloss and press my lips together. Impressions are important on what will be the biggest stage of my life so far.

I flip my hair back with confidence and look over myself in the closet mirror one last time. I look ready. I feel ready. It's time to start a busy morning.

Everyone else has gone on ahead of me after breakfast. My stepmother will be back in town for the first time in a while, and I wonder just how she's doing. Luna and Midori are meeting up with her, and will get seats in the stadium. Anko is on assignment, as I assumed she would be. She wants little more than to crush Orochimaru's ambitions. Kurenai will likely be sitting with Asuma, along with Ino and Choji. And of course, most of my important people are in the final round already, so we'll be together most of the day.

I make my way to the exam area, early as planned. Through the side entrance for participants, with a quick security check before I'm let in, and then down the long halls towards a waiting room with everyone else. Since there are ten others...hold on a moment. This isn't right. I turn and look for the sickly examiner...and for some reason, I can't seem to-

"Oh, there are you are. Hayate-senpai," I call as I wave to him. He coughs from his seat and looks in my direction before waving back. "There are a few of us missing and things are set to begin soon."

"Yeah. There's a reason for that...that kid suddenly withdrew a week ago."

I tilt my head. "Mm? You don't mean Sasuke, do you?"

"Koichi Nagano. Sasuke is still in the tournament, far as I know."

"Any reason why Koichi dropped out?"

"No reason..." His eyes shift from one side to the other before he focuses on me. "Well...if there is something, you didn't hear it from me. My other half has been listening in, and there are whispers going around, according to her." Oh, so his lover is someone with knowledge of the village's inner workings. I wonder what kind of person she is. Hayate subtly motions me closer before whispering something to me, coughing in the other direction afterwards.

"Something like that...really?" I say.

"So she says. Kosugi has...tendencies, let's say. She's also a part of the Bonus Program, and makes observations that the Hokage takes into account. I don't know if he was aware of how exactly she did things, but...either way, that kid is a special case and will be moving through different streams from now on."

"No wonder. It did seem a bit like indoctrination at one point, but I didn't think they were wrapped up in each other that much. Sort of disturbing to think about...mm. So it seems like the slacker gets a pass this time. Thank you for the information."

He nods and coughs once. "No problem. Good luck against that Sand kid...he made it to the tower in the second test shortly after you."

"So I heard. There was a commotion when he and his comrades made it in."

"He didn't have a single scratch or mark on him."

"That so...it seems to fit with the descriptions from earlier. Well, thank you again, senpai."

"Yeah. We're set to begin in about ten minutes. That's when we march out. Also, it's as you observed...that Sasuke character isn't here yet, but fortunately for him he has a bye..."

"Yes, it seems so." Suspicious, but it could be explained by the curse mark. Since Naruto is already here, happily chatting away with others, Kakashi must be taking care of it along with other precautions for Sasuke. I wonder what exactly they could be doing. Perfecting the Chidori, maybe? That sounds good...yes. Then I can crush it with my own jutsu. Just the mere thought of seeing his despairing face after ruining him and his stupid technique...I really shouldn't let myself fantasize too much today. But that thought on its own gives off a lovely warmth...

The promised time arrives, and we walk outside together as a group. From here, I can see how high the walls of this stadium are, enough to keep away jutsu of many types. There are plenty of trees and bushes on the flat land. It seems like an opportunity to show off some unique skills, but there's also more than enough room to have yourself a brawl if that's what your heart desires.

Nine of us are present, and we line up in a row to face the crowd, especially the middle section where the Hokage sits. Another robed figure arrives, and I suspect that it's the Kazekage. He sits after being greeted, and then the Hokage stands himself to address everyone.

"Welcome to the Hidden Leaf! These are the finals of the Chuunin Selection Exams. The main tournament matches between the ten remaining finalists are set to begin. Please enjoy yourselves, and watch until the final match!"

"The match order has changed. Check to make sure you know who you're up against," Hayate says as he holds up the revised match sheet.

"Wait...the hell?" Shikamaru whines. "What happened to the weirdo kid from earlier?"

"He withdrew. That means you get a bye to the next round."

"Well, that means I'm...ah, it didn't make a difference. I'm still gonna get all my bones broken, just later instead of now. What a pain in the ass." He sighs. "I should quit."

"What kind of attitude is that? C'mon, show your fighting spirit! Oraaaaa!" Naruto yells.

"I'd tell you to shut up, but...you're gonna get your ass kicked too by the Hyuuga Clan genius..."

"Like hell I am! Also!" Naruto waves his arms wildly. "Sasuke still isn't here! What's gonna happen if he doesn't make it in time for his fight?"

"Ife he somehow can't make it for the sixth match...he loses by default," Hayate says.

"What?! Dammit...he promised! Come on, idiot! Hurry up!"

"The rules are the same as in the preliminaries...fight until one person dies, or preferrably surrenders. But as always, if I step in, the fight's over. Let's get to it...first match. Temari and Shino. The rest of you, get to the waiting area up top for now."

"Shino, fight hard," I say.

"Yes. I'm looking forward to our fight soon, Shino," Hina says.

He pushes up his glasses - with the frame polished nicely for the day's fight - and nods. "Of course. For your sakes, I'll go all out."

We make our way up to the waiting area, hopping up the flights of stairs at a leisurely pace. Everyone settles in at their own spots near the railing, with Gaara standing by himself to one side. He doesn't seem like the social type anyways.

Something in the back of my mind is troubling me. I'll have to look into it properly soon, perhaps after my match. Orochimaru is threatening to disrupt the exams, and Sasuke isn't here. Is there some sort of stage business there to throw everything off? I really don't like the looks of this, but I also can't prove anything or involve certain people.

Hopefully it all resolves itself. I just want to enjoy myself today and win this tourney.

Temari and Shino face each other and Hayate makes sure they're both ready.

"First match...begin!"

And here we go.