Desire (Kakashi) - Indefinite Hiatus

You....pass????

Chapter Seven:

A really loud, and I mean like ear splitting shrieks loud, ring jerks me awake. Screaming loudly, I clamp my hands over my ears as they flatten themselves against my head, burrowing my face into my knees.

Once it stops, I glare at Kakashi. “YOU MOTHER TRUCKING MASS MOLE!” I shriek, carefully avoiding profanities.

He goes to yell at me and then stops, realizing that I did not just scream what he thought I had. Naruto laughs loudly, trying to point at me through the restraining rope that wraps around his torso. “Haha! Alex-Sensei is a scaredy cat!”

“What’d you say?” I appear in front of him, hands resting on my hips.

“N-nothing, sensei.” Naruto gulps and looks away.

I nod. “That’s what I thought.”

Sasuke and Sakura come walk into view, stiffly. They sit down in between Naruto and the outermost poles, looking fairly defeated.

Loud rumbles and grumbles sound. I giggle loudly. “Someone’s tummies are talkin’!”

“That’s too bad.” Kakashi folds his arms across his chest. “Oh, and by the way. About this exorcise? Well I won’t send any of you back to the academy.”

“You mean we pass?” Sakura and Naruto shout together. I sigh softly and ignore the dirty look Kakashi sends my way. “But all I did is faint and fall over.” Sakura blinks, surprised. “Do we receive points for that or something?”

I watch, trying not to grimace, as they begin to celebrate-excluding duckbutt-and turn towards the K.I.A. stone.

“That means all three of us…all three of us…” Naruto is having trouble getting the words out, he’s so excited. I hate crushing their spirits.

“Kakashi’s an evil demon, a demon, a demon. Kakashi’s an evil demon. He’s cold and heartless too.” I sing softly to myself, loud enough for the jonin to hear but not the kids, as I begin to read the carved names-looking for several in particular.

“That’s right.” Kakashi’s voice twists in false excitement. “All three of you are being dropped from the program entirely…permanently.”

Sakura freezes in midair, eyes wide and hurt.

“What?!” Naruto shouts, outraged. “You said if we couldn’t take the bells that we’d be sent back to the academy!”

“Well I changed my mind.” Kakashi states sweetly, watching me carefully from the corner of his eye. “You don’t think like ninja. You think like little kids. Like brats.”

I frown and close my eyes.

A sudden swish of movement drags my attention back to Team 7. Kakashi is sitting on Sasuke, his foot digging into the small duckling’s head.

“You think it’s all about you.” Kakashi scolds.

“You let go of Sasuke! You can’t step on him like he’s some bug!” Sakura screams.

“I think he just did.” I point out, watching intently.

Sakura shoots me a glare but says nothing. “You don’t know what it means to be a ninja.” Kakashi looks up, glaring at her. “You think it’s a game, huh? Why do you think we put you on squads? Did you consider that question for one moment?”

“I-i…”Sakura stutters.

“What do you mean?” Naruto growls.

“I mean, you never realized what this exorcise was all about.” Kakashi hisses. “Not even close. That’s what determines whether you pass or fail. Use your head! Three people on a squad. Why do you think we do that?”