Lost (Book 2 of the KITD series)(NWA Third Place Kakashi winner.)

Chapter 12

"So you two put your feelings ahead of mine, made sure that you were happy because you didn't know how to deal with my disability, and left me without really anyone. Thanks, you sure did a lot to talk your case up." She said, rolling her eyes slightly.

"Meiko, stop it." He said, shaking his head slightly. "You just need to accept my apology. I'm sorry, I really try am." He said, and Meiko stopped walking snd turned towards him. But before she had a chance to say anything to him, a voice called out and took her attention away from him.

"Yo, Meiko!" The voice said, and the girl turned her head to see Kankuro, Temari, and Gaara walking in her direction.  Kankuro flashed her a smile, but instantly dropped it when he saw how irritated Meiko was.

"Hello, kids." She said, and Kankuro raised his eyebrow, nodding in Izumo's direction.

"He bothering you?" He asked, and Izumo glanced over at Kankuro and scoffed slightly. This caused Kankuros facial expression to turn even more angry.

"It isn't any of your business. Who even are you kids? Get where you're going." Izumo said, and Meiko turned towards him, a deadly look in her eyes.

"Don't you DARE talk to them that way." She said, and from beside of her, Kankuro started to crack his knuckles.

"Like I said, is this guy bothering you?" He asked again, and Izumo glanced over at Kankuro.

"This is a conversation between the two of us, if you'd be so kindly as t-"

"Actually, yeah, yeah he is." Meiko said, and Kankuro smiled at Meiko, but stopped when he heard Gaara's voice.

"If you don't leave her alone, I'll kill you." He said, his voice in it's usual monotone. But it was enough to cause shivers to run down Izumos back. "Leave."

"Meiko, I'll see you later. We'll finish our conversation."

"No, no you won't." Kankuro said, chuckling quietly as he wrapped his arm around Meiko's shoulder, leading her away from Izumo.

"Who's that guy anyway?" He asked, and Meiko shrugged her shoulders slightly as she walked with the sand siblings.

"His name is Izumo. He was a friend." She said, leaning into the boy slightly. "Before it happened." She said, referring to her leg. Kankuro and his siblings were a few of the people in Konoha who were aware of her leg. And she wasnt bothered by talking about it with them.

"Is he one of the ones that was a total asshole about the entire thing?" Kankuro asked, and Meiko nodded.

"He's one of the ones that stopped talking to me because of it. It's a little below me to still hold a grudge against him for his actions then. But, then again, I think he deserves it." She said, shrugging slightly as she pulled away from Kankuro and glanced over at Temari and then at Gaara.

"So, how are you guys enjoying Konoha? Seeing where I grew up?"

"It's really green." Temari said, chuckling quietly. "But It's nice." She smiled.

"Yeah, I like it here. Coming back from Suna to here was the biggest change. I had forgotten just how green it is here." Meiko said, glancing around at the village. She looked back at Gaara, and gave him a small smile as she moved to walk beside of him.

"Thanks for helping me to get him off my back back there." She said, still smiling at him. Gaara barely glanced over at her, but nodded his head at her.

"He was annoying." Gaara stated, and Meiko nodded her head.

"You dont even know the half of it." She said, chuckling quietly as she walked with them.

"Are you guys ready for these exams?"

"Of course we are. You trained us." Kankuro chuckled quietly, and Meiko nodded her head, smiling at them as she leaned forward and rubbed his back slightly.

"I have nothing but faith in the three of you. You're gonna pass with flying colors. I know it." She said happily as they arrived at the academy. "This is where I have to leave you, but find when you're done. We can all get dinner or something." She said, nodding her head at them. They returned the nod and disappeared into building. Meiko sighed gently as she walked behind the building and transformed her apperiance so that she no longer looked like Meiko Saturtobi. She had short blonde hair that barely laid against her jaw line, her skin was more tan than before. She was dressed in a pair of ninja pants, a red and black criss cross top and standard ninja shoes. She had bandages wrapped around both of her legs and arms, masking her fake leg.  Around her arm was an Sound headband and she sighed quietly as she walked around from behind the building and made her way into the building quickly. She avoided as many people as she could and made her way into the exam room.

Once she was in the exam room, she glanced around to see who all she could spot out and who she knew. She saw Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke, Obviously. Then she saw Shikamaru and his team, next was the Inuzukas team. She nodded at them and glanced across the room to sed the sand siblings, and she couldnt help the smile that formed across her lips. She was proud of them, having watched them grow in the last couple of years and becoming like a mother to them when she was there. Her proudness would be there no matter if they passed or not. But she knew they would.

While the position that she was currently in was supposed to be for Chunin, not Jonin, her father had asked her to sit in and do the exam, to see how many of the students would be able to obtain data from another students paper. So Meiko was pregiven the questions and she had been going over them since the previous night.

She sighed, having already gone through all of these tests. Luckily, she only had to go through this one exams, and not whatever the next two would be. Slowly, she watched as the students were told to make their way to the seats with their numbers on them. She tossed her head from side to side slightly as Kankuro sat down beside of her, and she couldnt help the smile that formed over her lips. At least she would have someone she knew was trained in this near her. She knew the Sand siblings could gather information without being caught. She was just relieved that her job would be easier.

"Okay you baby face degenerates! Pipe down and listen up!" A voice cried from the front, and Meiko glanced up to see Ibiki. She smiled at him, and he nodded her head in his direction. "It's time to begin. I am Ibiki Morino, and from here on out, I am your worst nightmare."

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