"What's going on?! Hurry up and start the next match! How long are you gonna keep us waiting?!" the crowd shouted angrily.
"They're really excited for Sasuke and Gaara's match, aren't they?" Liz noted.
"Seems so," I replied looking around.
"What the heck is that guy doing? Is he planning not to come?" Shikamaru asked with a whining edge to his voice.
I turned my head sharply towards him, "He'll come," I promised.
"Well, someone's getting defensive of their not boyfriend," Liz said, smirking.
"That didn't even make sense," I noted.
"Whatever," she said dismissively.
"Confucious said, 'The wise do not approach the dangerous'... a wise decision, perhaps?" Shino cut in.
"Wow, thank you, Shino, for that juicy piece of information," Liz said sarcastically.
He nodded, "No problem."
Liz sighed and had to suppress a laugh. I raised my eyebrows at her, questioning her meanness towards Shino. She shrugged. Naruto had come up to join us and I immediately wrapped my arms around him.
"Congratulations, Naruto! You did well," I praised.
He blushed and laughed sheepishly, "Ah, it was a piece of cake."
We headed back to the railing and looked down at the examiner who was talking to someone else. I couldn't tell their rank from my distance.
Suddenly, the examiner turned around and spoke to the crowd, "Ladies and gentlemen! The contestant for the next match hasn't arrived yet, therefore we will push this match back and begin the next one!" he announced.
"What?" Liz exclaimed, "Hm, what a lucky duck," she grumbled.
I sighed inwardly, relieved that he wasn't going to get disqualified.
"Hey! This means that my match just got one closer!" Shikamaru jumped, horrified.
Liz giggled, "Take it easy, you'll do fine when it comes," she patted him gently on the back.
"And now, the next match! Kankuro and Aburame Shino! Come down!" called the Jounin.
Kankuro hesitated and then shouted back, "I forfeit!"
"What?!" Naruto exclaimed.
I could sense that Shino was surprised but he did not show it on his face.
"Hmph," Temari uttered something under her breath and whipped out her fan.
She floated down to the arena and landed neatly on her feet, "Heh, looks like you're eager. Shikamaru! Get down here!" the examiner cried.
Shikamaru tensed and stood rooted to the spot, contemplating his decisions.
"Alright, Shikamaru! Go for it!" Naruto cheered and gave Shikamaru a rather strong push.
"Eh?!" he squeaked as he fell over the railing and plummeted to the ground.
Shikamaru lay there, dazed, "Naruto!" Liz screeched angrily.
Naruto shrugged apologetically and siddled away from the enraged Liz.
"Hey, hurry up and get this fight over with! How long are you just gonna lie there?!" the crowd jeered.
I sighed and sat down in front of the stairs, uninterested in seeing Shikamaru and Temari's battle.
Where's Sasuke?, I wondered.
I heard Liz explode in a cacophony of cheers, Shikamaru probably just found the backbone to stand up and face Temari. I leaned on my hands and stared down the stairs, imagining that Sasuke's figure would appear around the corner at any given moment.
"What is the Uchiha guy to you?" came a sad sounding voice behind me.
I looked behind me to see Gaara, looking down at me, he leaned on the stair railing to my side.
"Well?" he urged.
"He's... my teammate," I answered at last.
Gaara looked at me doubtfully, "Then why do you care so much for him?" he queried.
"I'm supposed to care for my teammates and allies," I argued.
He crouched down beside me so that our faces were level, "But you seem to... go out of your way to care for him, something that I noticed you do not do for some of your other teammates," he looked at Liz and Naruto.
"That's not true! I care for them! And how would you know? Do you watch me all the time or something?" I cried frustratedly.
He blushed and realized that he probably didn't spend all of his time training, "Oh... okay," I bit my lip awkwardly.
"Your answer was not satisfactory," he said in a low voice.
I gave in, "I really don't know... I... I used to know someone who... who Sasuke is very... similar to and that person held... an important place... in my heart," I blushed.
Gaara looked at me... wistfully?
"Is that so..." was all he voiced.
Suddenly, Liz and Naruto erupted in a simultaneous cheer, "Yeah, Shikamaru! Go!" they screamed.
Naruto looked a little dizzy to me and I decided to go over and see what was happening, "Excuse me," I said apologetically to Gaara and joined Liz.
"He's winning! He's winning!" she cried proudly.
"He is quite clever, he just doesn't show it all the time," I mused.
Liz went back to screaming, "Yeah! You can do it, Shikamaru!"
Shikamaru had Temari trapped in his Shadow Copy Jutsu and he began to raise his hand, forcing Temari to do the same.
"That's it, I give up," Shikamaru shrugged.
"WHAT?!" Liz roared furiously.
"Calm down, Liz, he probably has his reasons," I comforted.
She blew air out of her nose loudly, outraged, she began to grumble darkly and cracked her knuckles menacingly.
"What?" Temari said, confused.
"I give up," he repeated simply, "The continuous use of the Shadow Copy Jutsu has used up all of my chakra. I can barely bind you for ten more seconds. I had thought up about two hundred more moves but it looks like I'm out of time. I'm getting tired of this, one match is enough for me," he shrugged.
"Winner, Temari!" the examiner announced.
"Why did he give up? Is he an idiot?! This pisses me off, I'm gonna go give him a lecture!" Naruto claimed and jumped down into the arena.
I looked at Liz, "If Sasuke doesn't come... it's the two of us," I murmured, "Are you ready?" I asked.
"I was born ready, Vira, this battle will be epic," she smiled at me.
I returned the smile but I didn't know if I really meant it or not.
Then I heard Naruto begin to shout at Shikamaru, "Idiot!"
"Shut up, you super idiot!" Shikamaru retorted.
'Why did you give up?!" Naruto demanded.
"Forget that already, let's just enjoy the last two fights," Shikamaru looked up at Liz tenderly.
Her gaze was also fixed on him, now a loving one rather than a murderous one. Shikamaru, Naruto and Temari returned to the private balcony as we listened to the crowd complain impatiently.
"Where's Uchiha?!" they all demanded.
"We'll have to put on a good show, won't we?" Liz laughed.
"Agreed," I replied.
"The contestant for the second match has not arrived yet so will the last two participants please come down," called the examiner.
"That's us," I sighed and leaped over the railing at the same time as Liz.
We stayed in a free fall until we were just a few meters from the ground. We flipped around at the exact same time and landed on our feet silently. I pulled on my gloves and tightened my hair ribbon routinely.
I heard several boo's in the crowd and Liz did not react well to it, "Ah, shut up!" she spat.
We walked to the center of the stadium and faced each other with the Jounin in between us.
"You two ready?" he asked us.
I took a deep breath and replied, "Yes."
Liz nodded, frowning, "No hard feelings," she stated.
"No hard feelings," I repeated.
"Alright then, go!" he barked and I leaped back.
Liz had reacted in the same way, anticipating an attack. I pulled my blade out and she followed suit.
We are so evenly matched, how will this turn out?, I thought as we circled each other.
She suddenly lunged at me, her rapier gleaming. I parried the blow and twisted my wrist around to bring my broadsword sliding down her blade towards her neck. I stopped at the last moment and she threw my blade off.
I berated myself, I have to put my own emotions aside for now and focus on the battle, I concentrated.
My blood pulsed with adrenaline as I rushed forward to make our blades clash again. Sparks flew from our swords as we weaved around each other like elegant dancers. The crowd was mesmerized as Liz and I's bodies were brought close and then we whirled apart as momentum carried us away. Our lithe figures moved with increasing agility and smoothness as we each tried to gain the upper hand. I flipped out a kunai from my holster and whipped it at Liz. She dodged it and skidded backwards. I panted slightly and I could see that we were both tiring at the same pace.
She sheathed her blade, "Time to stop the child's play," she panted and brought her hands together formed a single seal.
She dug her hand into the ground and when she brought it back out, she had a boulder that was five times bigger than her in her hand. She hurled it at me at a speed of at least a hundred kilometers per hour. I pulsed chakra into my blade and the flat side of my blade was pushed back by the huge rock. I grunted from the effort and kicked the rock up into the air. The crowd oh-ed and ah-ed as the rock flew straight up and disappeared from sight. I launched into another attack with my blade against Liz and she brought out her blade to block mine at the last second. We exchanged several more blows until the attendants began to point and cry out as the rock came back into view, its velocity tripled. I feigned an attack to Liz's right and as she went to block that, I retreated a few meters away.
"Too much for ya?" she asked cockily.
"Not yet," I smiled and the rock started to fall towards the earth in front of me.
Just before the rock hit the ground I batted it like a baseball with my sword and sent it flying towards Liz, the force of impact drastically increased as it zoomed towards Liz. Her eyes widened as the rock flew at her.
"Water Technique: Water Explosion!" I cried and I sucked the water out of the ground beneath the arena.
The conjured water collected and rammed into the rock, pushing it from behind to go faster.
"Sword Technique: Diamond Shield!" I heard Liz cry just before the rock made impact.
Two loud, earth-jarring booms sounded inside the arena. A billowing smoke cloud rose up from the large crater in the side of the stadium. Another loud bang sounded and a hole had been blasted in the rock. Liz stepped out, wet, but unharmed.
"Damn, I'm all wet now, thanks to you, Vira," Liz grumbled.
I smirked, "Scared of a little water, Liz?" I challenged.
She drew out her sword and faced me, grimacing.
"Going back to child's play, are we?" I teased and engaged my sword in a battle with hers.
My sword was just a blue-gray blur through the air but Liz seemed to have gained determination. The sword grew heavy in my hand and we both had a few small cuts along our bodies.
"Go Liz! Come on! You can do it! Yeah, Lizzy!" Shikamaru screamed, he sounded like some sort of a fan girl with his strained voice.
The cheering seemed to work though, Liz pushed me back several steps as I tried to fight back vainly. Liz flicked her wrist in a roundabout movement and she jabbed forward with her sword. Caught in the momentum of Liz's rapier spinning around my blade, it got caught and Liz pinned it down on its flat side. My hand was still on the hilt, so I pushed off of the ground and flipped, attempting to kick Liz. My diversion worked, she released my sword but her next move surprised me. Almost, accidentally, she kicked the sword with her foot and sent it flying across the stadium to embed itself in the wall several inches in.
"Damn it!" I cursed and leaped away from her.
I thought furiously but then decided that it was best to retrieve my sword. Liz was expecting it, she followed me, throwing shurikens all the way. I grabbed the handle and heaved but it wouldn't budge. I dodged another handful of shurikens and sighed. I locked onto my sword with my feet using chakra and pushed back. My broadsword bent and flexed and I dug my fingers into the wall. She lunged at me with her own sword pointed at my chest. I released my hold on the wall and cut off the flow of chakra, I shot right at her and wrestled her sword from her grip, bloodying my hands in the process. I threw the blade away into the dirt and we fought furiously using kunais and our own fists.
"Damn, Vira, I never knew you were this good at fist fighting," Liz grunted as she blocked one of my kicks.
She grabbed my foot and forced me to bring up my fist. She blocked that too. I remembered what Sasuke did when Kakashi had caught him in the same situation. I flipped around, I was now dangling upside down, and punched Liz in the stomach. Unsuspecting, I knocked the breath out of her and she released me. I fell to the ground, panting. She slid to a stop along the ground and she picked herself back up. We launched ourselves at each other yet again and fought until we were both exhausted.
"I should... have... ended this... long ago," Liz wheezed and formed several seals, "Fire Technique: Fists of Fire!" she cried and her hands exploded into flames.
The heat was so intense that I could feel it from all the way across the stadium. The crowd gasped.
"I... have something... up my sleeve... too," I panted right back as I formed all of the necessary seals, "Lightning Technique: Lightning Edge!" I cried and a chirping ball of chakra charged with electric energy appeared in my hand.
Liz smirked, "Kakashi-Sensei is my teacher too, wouldn't you expect me to know that move?"
"I do, but there's more," I smiled and applied heat to the glowing ball of chakra.
I began to mold it once it was hot enough and soon, it became a short sword of lightning chakra.
"W... what is that?" Liz asked.
"My new technique," I bared my teeth and charged.
She ran at me too, her fist charging heat. We had impacted at a force of two tsunamis colliding. The explosion was massive. The heat created by our jutsus burned against our skin, searing it to an unbearable degree. The melted debris that had been sent into the air by our collision began to rain down amongst the crowd.
"Eek! Ouch!" they all cried but they were eager to see who was the winner of the battle.
I coughed and spluttered as hot ash filled my lungs when I took a breath. I had been blasted against the side of the arena. Burns covered my body but my one-piece had protected most of my skin. As the cloud cleared, I could see Liz, lying on her stomach, but alive.
"There is no winner! It's a draw!" the examiner called to the crowd.
"Ugh," I spat out dirt mixed with blood, "Liz..." I whispered and tried to move but the burns were painful.
I managed to stagger to my knees and I began to fall as my strength left my body.
"Epic battles mean epic outcomes," a sly voice said as my fall was stopped by something soft.
"You... f-finally came..." I choked on more dirt caught in my throat.
I could hear the smile in his voice, "Yup, Kakashi-Sensei too. His tardiness is contagious."
Just then, Kakashi walked over with Liz in his arms, "Shall I escort you two to the hospital?" he asked us.
"No!" I said immediately, "Send Liz... I... want to watch all of the battles," I said weakly.
Liz coughed as she tried to laugh, "More like just Sasuke's battle. We'll both stay," she said gently.
"Are you sure?" Kakashi asked again.
We both nodded and he picked me up. He shot into the viewing balconies for the examinees and set us down while Sasuke made his way to the middle of the half destroyed field. I reached for Liz's hand beside me.
"You fought well," I whispered.
She smiled, "You too," we started healing each other.
Gaara looked at me pitifully and then teleported to the middle of the arena, where the Jounin was waiting with Sasuke. I had just noticed that Sasuke had a new outfit on. It was also a black one-piece like mine, except for men. The neck to his one-piece was also wide.
"He probably ripped his clothes to shreds training," Liz teased, seeing through my mind.
Sasuke looked up at a shocked Naruto, "From your excitement, you won in the first round?"
"Of course!" Naruto shouted back, snapping out of his confusion.
I summoned my sword, which took a little while because of how deeply it was embedded in the wall. Liz called to hers and we both stood up slowly to watch the last match.