Marionette - Naruto Shippuden High School [Akasuna no Sasori x OC]

Chapter Fourteen: Achievement Unlocked!

[f]

When the bell finally rang to signal the end of the school day, Kuro sprinted out of the classroom faster than anyone thought capable. She was the very first to arrive at the usual meet-up spot for her and her friends, refusing to explain why she was so jittery until everyone else was there. Only then did she whip out a graded test sheet and shove it in their faces—specifically Naruto's. There was a big fat "B-" circled on the top right corner of the front side. Shock dawned upon her friends' faces; she wore a proud smirk, sticking her tongue out in victory.

"Is—is this really happening?!" Kiba murmured with awe, rubbing the back of his head sullenly. "Damn... I gotta get my shit together if even Kuro can do it."

"That's not fair, 'ttebayo!" Naruto whined, pointing an accusatory finger at Kuro. "You can't have done this by yourself! How'd you do it? You cheated, huh?! Did you get the answer key by secret? Or did you look at someone else's paper?!"

"I didn't do anything like that!" Kuro countered, smacking him on the head. "I earned this by hard work! Honest!"

"I can see why Naruto's so doubtful," Lee laughed, throwing up his palms defensively when Kuro shot him a deathly glare. "It's just, up until now, the only class you've ever gotten higher than a C- in is Phy. Ed, Kuro! You can't blame us for being the least bit skeptical, can you?"

"Lee has a point there," Neji added, his eyes narrowing. "How exactly did you achieve this kind of score, if you didn't use any means of cheating?"

"I got a tutor," Kuro answered plainly, folding up the paper and shoving it into her pocket. "Really, guys. Even Mr. Hatake was shocked when he handed it back to me! And to celebrate, I'll treat all of you guys to whatever you want at my deli, this Friday night! Eight o'clock sharp, and don't be late or you won't get no free food!"

"I'm definitely not complaining!" Choji cheered. "You don't even have to ask!" The others nodded their heads in agreement and congratulated her one by one before going off on their own, finding their rides. Sai was the last one to leave, wishing her the best of luck in her 'future testing experiences' with one of his genuine smiles (though it was very small) before running off with his older brother, Shin. By now, Kuro was one of the very few students left waiting.

There was a foreign feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment in Kuro's gut, a proud smile still stuck on her lips. She started out for the Akatsuki hideout, determined to announce her huge achievement to people that probably wouldn't care that much. But excitement still bubbled within her as she soon arrived at the old warehouse, nonchalantly slipping inside and down the porthole.

Once she safely landed, she shouted, "Where's dollface?!"

Pein, having had been the only other person in the den, didn't even give her one look as he deadpanned, "His room."

"Thanks." Kuro quickly skittered down the hall and busted through the door without knocking, screaming, "HEY YOU, SHITTY DOLLFACE!"

The marionette, who was originally at his worktable, hard at work on a project, jumped nearly ten feet in the air and whirled around on his chair; his expression was both bewildered and furious.

"What in hell are you screaming about?!" he spat between his teeth, rolling his eyes so hard they looked as if they'd roll out of their sockets and onto the floor. "Don't you know how to knock, you damn brat?!"

"The situation calls for immediate attention!" Stomping over, Kuro slammed the test sheet on the table and pointed to the grade. "Look! Look at this! This... this beautiful, wondrous sight!" A thousand sparkles ignited in Kuro's eyes as she grabbed Sasori's hands, holding them out in front of her as she entwined their fingers and bounced excitedly.