"It's like screaming... And no one can hear."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"This is so boring!" Kylie complained, banging her head against the desk.
"No, it isn't," I objected, shooting her a look. "It's fun."
"You're only saying that because whenever Gaara's in here, you guys sneak kisses behind a flipping folder!" She accused, scowling up at me.
I scoffed, a blush forming onto my face. "We do not."
"Then what were you doing behind the folder? Filing?" She asked.
"Yeah," I agreed, putting my hands on my hips, "I was... Putting papers in the folder."
"The only thing I saw you putting anywhere was your tongue, and that was inside Gaara's mouth," She said flatly.
I turned red and hit her with a folder. "Shut up!"
She laughed, standing up and getting back to work. After a while, she began looking at me, and I raised an eyebrow at her.
"Okay, ew," She said, scrunching up hr nose. "Even I'm getting sick of your happiness, and I'm practically the Queen of Happiness."
"What are you talking about?" I asked, offense in my voice.
"You keep smiling to yourself like a creepy stalker!" She complained, pulling open a filing cabinet.
Before you ask why Kylie is even dealing with filing, let me explain. See, Gaara was very busy as Kazekage, and since we were around, we decided to help him organize his office. I've been in the office a lot... And it's so boring. The paper work never seemed to disappear.
Well... It wasn't boring for me. Yes, what Kylie said about Gaara and I making out behind a folder was true. But it wasn't my fault! I mean, if you're in an office with your boyfriend, and there's nothing to do besides paperwork, you wouldn't just file. You make out him as ninja as possible.
Of course, that doesn't really work when you have a friend who is a ninja in the room.
"Well, excuse me," I said, picking up a folder off of the desk, "I'm just happy."
"Don't you mean Gaara happy?" Kylie asked, smiling playfully at me.
I blushed a bit, looking down with a smile on my face. "Well, when you put it that way... Yeah," I answered.
She shook her head, a smile on her face. She picked up a few folders and walked to the cabinet on the other side of the room, her back facing me. "So have you figured out what you're going to tell Naruto? About you and Gaara, I mean."
I sighed, making a deflated balloon sound with my lips. "Not at all. I'll just have to say it easily. Gaara and I are dating," I said, putting a loose strand of hair behind my ear.
"How do you think he'll handle it?" She inquired.
"He'll be happy for me. He always is," I said easily, although deep down inside, I wasn't really so sure. After what happened the last time when I got a boyfriend... Would Naruto want me to have another one?
Of course he will, I assured myself. This is Gaara we're talking about.
"Happy?" Kylie said incredulously, turning around with a 'yeah, right' look on her face. "Wouldn't he be all depressed and stuff?"
"Why would he be depressed?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
She facepalmed. "Because he likes you! Duh!" She said obviously.
I shook my head. "Don't say that."
"Why not?" She inquired.
"Because..." I took a deep breath. "Things are finally starting to work again. I'm starting to work again. I don't want all of that ruined. Not that way."
"All right, all right," She said dismissively. "I've got the hint. Let's talk about something else. Is he a good kisser?"
I laughed at that. "I don't know. Is Kankuro a good kisser?"
She gave me a flat look. "Don't kid about that. I didn't kiss him."
"Yet," I sang, and she rolled her eyes, a smile forming onto her face. "Speaking of which... What ever happened to Josh?"
"Honestly, I don't even know," She said, sighing. "I love Josh, I really do. But ever since I've been hanging around Kankuro... I feel different. That giggly feeling I used to have around Josh is the same one I have around Kankuro, only better. And I feel more confident around Kankuro. It's like... He brings out a side of me that I didn't even know existed."
"One that even Josh doesn't know?" I inquired. After thinking about it, she nodded. "Well, I think you guys look cute together. Plus, if he makes you that happy..."
"I'm not going to break up with Josh," She said. "I'm just... Confused. I still love him, but with Kankuro, I... It's just complicated."
"When you're torn between two people, you should always pick the second," I advised, quoting a saying I remembered, "Because if you really loved the first, you wouldn't have fallen in love with the second."
"That's the most educated thing I've heard you say in my entire life," She said in awe.
I threw a paper clip at her. "Shut up!"
She laughed, shielding herself with her hands. We were both laughing when Sakura came into the office.
"Hey, guys," Sakura greeted. "Kakashi-sensei said it's time to go."
"Already?" Kylie and I asked in unison, disappointment in our voices.
She nodded. "According to what Sasori told me, we don't have a lot of time to get to the bridge and capture that Akatsuki spy. We need to move as fast as we can if we want to complete the mission."
"Where's Naruto?" I asked.
"He's with Kakashi-sensei and Guy-sensei's team, packing up. You guys should get started, too," She said, and after we nodded, she left the room.
"Aw, shucks," Kylie murmured. "I don't want to go home yet!"
"Neither do I," i sighed. "But I guess we have no choice. We have been staying in Suna for a while."
"There's no vacations when you're a ninja, huh?" She asked.
I shook my head. "I don't think so. Come on. We should get ready," I said, and she nodded, finishing the last of her filing and walking out of the office with me.
~*~
"Oh, hey, Minx," Naruto greeted, grinning at me.
"Hey," I said back, smiling. "Are you ready yet?"
"Almost," He answered. "I've just got to finish putting away my weapons, and I'll be done."
"Great," I said, plopping myself down onto the bed. I drummed on my knees, my bag on my back as I scanned the room Suba had given Naruto to use.
"I haven't seen much of you lately," He said out of nowhere, bringing me back to reality. "Every time I looked for you, you were always with Gaara."
"Well, that's because..." My voice trailed off. I stood up, walking over to the little desk that was on the other side of the room. I played with one of the papers until I finally said, "That's because Gaara and I are dating."
Naruto froze, saying nothing for a long while. "You're... You're what?" He asked, his voice wavering slightly as his eyes bore into my forehead, begging for me to look up at him.
I looked up at him, smiling sadly. "I'm dating Gaara, Naruto. He and I are together. We have been for a few days now," I said.
"And... And you didn't tell me?" He said, his expression one of pure pain. It made me want to drop everything and hug him, comfort him. Anything to make him smile again.
"I... I didn't know how to," I said, biting my lip.
"Right..." He muttered. His gaze drifted to his bag, and I just stood there awkwardly for a while.
I instantly started feeling terrible. "Look, I'm really sorry-"
"Don't," He interrupted, and I felt smaller. "Please... Just don't."
I walked over to him, reaching out a hand to his arm, but he moved away from me.
"I need to be alone," He said suddenly.
My face fell. "Naruto, I didn't mean to-"
"I said I need to be alone," He said, harsher and more urgent this time.
I let my arm fall back to my side, and I looked down at the floor beneath my feet. I decided to try once more. "Are you really sure that-"
"I'm sure," He said, cutting me off again. He never looked at me.
I nodded slowly, making my way back over to the door. I stood in the doorway for a few more seconds, turning back to face him.
"Naruto... I really didn't meant to-"
"Could you just go?" He snapped, and I took a steep back, my eyes widening. I stood in the doorway for a few more moments, looking at the floor instead.
"I'm sorry," I said quietly, and with that, I close the door behind me and exited the room.
~*~
My current team and my former team all walked towards Sunagakure's exit, the Sand Siblings following behind us.
"We had just paid a final visit to Granny Chiyo's gravestone, where we all said our silent prayers. Guy-sensei had to help Kakashi-sensei walk, since using the Magekyo Sharingan took so much out of him.
I had told all of them about my relationship with Gaara, and, as expected, the girls all went nuts with excitement. Lee got depressed, but when I told him that Sakura was still available, he started jumping with happiness again. Neji... Neji was Neji. He really didn't care, so long as Gaara didn't hurt me. Kakashi-sensei and Guy-sensei went all protective dad mode on Gaara, but it didn't really work. I think they're scared of him... And with the blank look he gives, I guess I understand why they were.
I had tried time and time again to get Naruto to talk to me, but it didn't work. Now was one of the times that I was trying, actually, and failing at doing so.
"So, Naruto," I began, walking next to the blonde, "Do you want to go to Ichiraku's when we get home?"
He didn't reply, whch I found impossible. He never ignored ramen.
"It could be my treat," I added, but still, he didn't answer.
"Or we could go to the park," I suggested. "To train, even. Whatever you want. Movie night? What do you want to do?"
No response.
My eye twitched, and I sighed deeply. I looked at him, a scowl on my face. "So, what? You're ignoring me, now?" I asked.
Suddenly, he stopped, turning to look at me directly in the eyes. "No, Minxie, I don't want to go to Ichiraku's with you. I don't want to go the park, I don't want to train, and I don't want to have a movie night with you. I don't want to do anything or go anywhere with you. Happy?"
My mouth dropped open at his bitter tone. Naruto had never spoken to me like that. Me being with Gaara was bothering him way more than it should have been.
With nothing else to do, I nodded, and I saw a flash of guilt in his eyes. That was quickly absorbed by the pain that swam around in his ocean-colored eyes.
He turned away, beginning to walk again. I just stood there, completely frozen. Kylie bumped into me from behind, and it was because of her that I continued walking.
"He hates me now," I muttered, crossing my arms over my chest. "Oh God, he totally hates me."
"No, he doesn't," She argued. "He's just angry. He'll get over it."
"He snapped at me," I said. "He never snaps at me. What have I done?"
"You followed your heart," She said.
"And just look at where it's gotten me," I said bitterly, and she sighed.
"It'll work out," she said comfortingly, "If there's one thing I know about Naruto, it's that there's nothing more important to him than you. He'll be okay soon enough."
"How long is soon enough?" I asked meekly.
She smiled. "Soon. Just be patient," She advised.
I sighed deeply, but I nodded, and we all continued to the exit of the Sand Village.
~*~
"Well... I guess this is it," Kankuro said. We were all in front of the small crevice that led to the Sand Village, ready to begin our journey back to Konoha.
"Yeah," Naruto agreed.
My eye twitched. So he could talk to Kankuro, but not to me? Ugh.
"Thank you all for everything," Temari said, smiling gratefully at us. "I hope we see each other again soon."
"We will," Kylie said, smiling in return, "But we'll miss you until then."
Kankuro smled at her, scratching the back of his head. "I really have no idea how to thank you for all that you've done for me... But I guess this is a start," He said, and then he bent down and kissed her cheek.
Her eyes went wide and her face turned red. I shot a huge grin her way, and she ignored me after shooting me a pointed glance.
"It was no problem," She said easily, although her face was still red.
Gaara stepped in front of me, and I smiled at him. "I'm going to miss you," he said, "Things won't be the same without you here."
"I know. I am amazingly awesome, after all," I said, batting my lashes. Kankuro rolled his eyes, and I laughed. I leaned forward and kissed Gaara's lips, making him blush.
"I'll be back before you know it," I assured, and Naruto rolled his eyes. He took my place in front of Gaara, and I had a mini-panic attack, thinking they'd start fighting.
"Look, I'm not really good at these things, but I guess this is the part where we shake hands... I guess we could, um..." Naruto scratched the back of his head nervously.
Suddenly, Gaara held his hand out, ready for a handshake. Naruto's eyes widened, and he stood frozen for a few moments. Sand flew against the blonde's hand, most likely Gaara's doing.
That made him smile, and he held up his hand and met with Gaara's in the most meaningful hadnshake I had ever seen.
~*~
"Hey," Naruto said, walking next to me.
"Oh, so now you want to talk to me?" I asked, scowling at him. "I thought you didn't want to do anything with me anymore."
He sighed, looking down as he scratched the back of his head. "Yeah... About that..." He sighed again. "Look, I'm really sorry about all of that. I was just... Caught off guard, I guess."
"Uh-huh," I said, crossing my arms over my chest.
"I didn't mean what I said," He insisted. "I was just... Angry. I really didn't mean it, I promise. I... I really miss talking to you, Minx."
"What you said really hurt me, you know," I stated flatly, and he shoved his hands into his pockets.
"I know... I was acting like a bit of a dick," He said, biting his lip nervously.
"You were acting like a total dick," I corrected, making him sweatdrop. "But... You're a total dick who's my best friend and who I missed talking to, even if it was for only half an hour. I forgive you."
He grinned at me. "Thank you," He said, side-hugging me. I hugged him back, smiling.
"Senseis!" Tenten complained, "You're so slow!"
I turned around, noticing that Guy-sensei and Kakashi-sensei were all the way in the back. The hot sun beat down on us, making them go even slower.
"Sorry, Guy..." Kakashi-sensei muttered. "It's gonna be a while before I can move on my own again."
"Don't worry!" Guy-sensei assured, and then he threw Kakashi-sensei in the air. Don't worry, he caught Kakashi-sensei, but...
But he caught Kakashi-sensei on his back.
Naruto and I had major eye-twitches as we stared at them. "Um... What the hell are they doing?" Naruto asked.
"I... I think it's some sort of piggyback ride..." Kylie muttered, her eye twitching.
"It... That's just weird," Sakura decided.
"Agreed," I said.
Lee stared at them in awe. "Wow! A new training drill!" He marveled.
I facepalmed at that. Figures Lee would say something like that.
Guy-sensei started running at an impossible pace, Kakashi-sensei on his back. My silver-haired sensei looked like he was going through hell, not enjoying that arrangement at all.
"AHAHAHA! LET'S SEE WHO CAN KEEP UP WITH ME!" Guy-sensei shouted happily, disappearing ahead of us.
"It... It looks even weirder when they're in motion..." Sakura muttered in a horrified voice.
Lee moved his book bag to his front, standing in front of Neji and offering to carry him. "Neji?"
"HELL NO!' Neji shouted, his eye twitching.
I started laughing at that, turning to Naruto to hide my giggles. The rest of the trip back was filled with more hilariously awkward situations, and I enjoyed them all.
~*~
"Ah, you're here," Lady Tsunade greeted as my team flooded into her office.
"Sorry we took so long," Sakura aplogized. "We had to drop Kakashi-sensei off at the hospital, and Guy-sensei and his team stayed with him."
"I understand," the Hokage said. "But there's something more important to discuss."
"Actually, I wanted to ask you... What happened to Ryuu? I thought he'd be waiting at the gates with Hayato and Daisuke for me, but he wasn't there. None of them were," I said, confusion in my voice. Mitchell and Josh should have been waiting for our return with Ryuu, but they were no where to be find.
"That's exactly what I wanted to discuss," She said. "A few days ago, Rin was kidnapped. Ryuu went out on a mission with Hayato and Daisuke to find her."
My eyes widened. "Say what!?"
All of us started bombarding her with questions, worry creasing onto our foreheads.
"Relax," she said calmly, "He came back with Rin. They're both okay. He's a very exceptional shinobi, perhaps even ANBU material. He's with her in the hospital. You should go over there now."
"We'll get there as fast as we can," I said, and once she nodded, I left her office, Kylie, Sakura, and Naruto following behind me.
Third Person's POV
Rin woke up in an unfamiliar place. She felt no bonds on her wrists and ankles, so she at least knew she wasn't in that hell hole with Minxie's evil doppelganger anymore. She decided that any place would be better than with Scarlett.
She couldn't see, so she felt her hands around for anything familiar. Her hand touched soft material that she guessed were sheets. As she heard the steady beep of a heart monitor, she knew she was in the hospital.
She ran her tongue over her bottom lip, sighing as she felt the split part of it. At least I'm not dead, she decided.
It took a few moments for her to realize that she wasn't completely alone in the hospital room. And she was right.
Sleeping in the chair next to her bed was Ryuu. Sure, he was asleep, but he hadn't broken his promise. He'd refused to leave the room until Rin woke up to see that he was still there. Unfortuantely, he had been so tired that he had fallen asleep before she'd woken up.
Rin searched for the unknown person's chakra, recognizing it almost immediately. A smile spread across her face. Ryuu had kept his promise, just like he said.
Her eyes closed, and she let out a content sigh. Then, her mind drifted to the message she was supposed to give Minxie. What Scarlett had said... it made the snow-haired girl afraid. Any wrong moves, and her friends would pay the price.
She lay in her bed, her mind going over and over what Scarlett had said.
Game on...
Minxie's POV
I burst into the Rin's hospital room, and my eyes widened at the sight. Rin was on the bed, looking rrible. Her lip was split, and bruises covered her arms.
What surprised me even more, however, was that Ryuu was sleeping in the chair next to her. I thought he had said she hated him? I'd just ask later. Rin was more important, now.
"Who's there?" Rin asked, her head shooting up as she felt my presence in the room.
It was just me, now. My friends had gone to tell Kakashi-sensei and Guy-sensei about Rin.
"It's me, Minxie," I said, and her eyes widened. They narrowed after that, and she sat up slowly.
"Minxie... How do I know it's you?" She inquired.
I raised an eyebrow. "Because there's only one of me?"
Her expression darkened. "Minxie... When did you meet me?"
"Uh... At the Chunin Exams... When we fought..." I answered, completely confused. She let out a sigh of relief. "Are you okay, Rin?"
"I don't know how to say this, but..." She closed her eyes and opened them again. "That... That girl in the mirror... She's real."
I felt my blood run cold. "What... What did you just say?"
"I met her," she said, "I know it sounds crazy, but she's real. She's the one who kidnapped me. She said she was the Doppelganger... She chose the name Scarlett."
"No..." I whispered out, backing up against the door, "No, no, no..."
"She wants to play a game," She continued, almost sobbing now as she remembered the torture. "She has a message for you."
None of this made sense. That girl in the mirror, my reflection... She couldn't be real. She just couldn't.
"What's... What's the message...?" I inquired, my voice shaking impossibly.
She stared at me blankly, casting a sad glance my way. "Game on."
I gasped at that, and Ryuu woke up. He stared at Rin and then at me, looking confused.
It was then that Kylie, Naruto, and Sakura entered the room. They sensed the tension and raised their eyebrows.
"Minxie... What's wrong?" Naruto asked, concern in his eyes.
"What happened?" Ryuu asked.
"No... No," I said, answering neither of their questions. It was just too much.
"Minxie?" Kylie called, wiasing an eyebrow. "What's-"
She never got to finish. I ran out the room then, never slowing down until I was out of the hospital. I ran farther and farther until I reached the training grounds.
I let myself collapse onto the grass, my heart racing wildly. I curled my knees up to my chest, trying to make sense of the world.
This isn't happening, this isn't happening, I chanted over and over again in my mind. But it didn't work.
I didn't even notice someone had walked into the training grounds until they spoke, "Well, well... Look who I found."
Her chocolate brown hair fell down her back in curls, and her porcelain skin was flawless. She had on a black leather jacket, a red crop top that showed her perfectly toned stomach, and black shorts. She had a devious smirk on her face and ninja boots on her feet. A belt was around her tiny, slim waist, and she put a hand on her hip.
She looked exactly like me. Except...
Except her eyes were a bloody crimson red.
They were the exact same eyes that haunted me in my dreams.
Realization hit me like a punch to the face. Rin hadn't been lying. Mirror girl was real, and she was... She was so...
She was me.
"You... Y-You're... You look just like..." I couldn't form a sentence, but I slowly and shakily stood up.
"... I look just like you?" She inquired, tilting her head as she smirked. She stepped closer and closer to me until she was right in front of me.
"I'm Scarlett," she introduced, placing both her hands on her hips, "And we're going you have so much fun together."