"Keep your hand in my hand, your heart on your sleeve."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
I stared at Scarlett, my eyes widening again and again. This just wasn't possible! How did she look so much like me? And how was she even real!?
"What... What are you?" I asked, my expression one of both shock and fear.
"I'm the Doppelganger," She answered easily. "In other words, I'm you, just in another form. But you see, there's just one tiny little difference..."
Suddenly, she was at my feet and she had tossed me into the air. I skidded across the ground, and when the world stopped spinning, I blinked at her.
"... I'm bad," She finished with a smirk.
"No.... No," I said, shutting my eyes. "You're not real. You can't be real!"
"I am real," She insisted. "You've got a creative mind, but you're not that insane. I am a real person."
"No, you're not!" I argued. "You used to live in my mirror, for Pete's sake! And that's where you'll stay! When I open my eyes... You'll be gone!"
After a few moments, I opened my eyes, and to my relief, Scarlett was gone. The training grounds were empty except for me.
Someone tapped my shoulder, and I spun around quickly.
"Yeah... Still here," Scarlett said, smirking. "You can't just wish me away, Minxie. Not without disappearing yourself. I'm real, and I'm here to say."
"What the hell do you want with me!?" I shouted, standing up and taking steps away from her.
"Oh, how I hate repeating myself," She sighed. "I told you already. I want to play a game."
"What game?" I asked.
"In this game, I make the rules, and you follow them, no matter what they are," She said. "If you don't follow them... I'll kill you and everyone you love."
And I knew that she would. The way she spoke... I knew that she could kill me. She could kill anyone she wanted to.
"Why... Why are you doing this to me?" I asked, my lip quivering.
"Because, dear Minxie," She answered. "It's why I was born."
"Minxie?" Kylie's voice called, and I stared at Scarlett.
"We'll see each other again some other time," Scarlett said. She waved at me, smirking, and then just like that, she was gone.
My eyes never left the space where she had once stood, even when Kylie, Naruto and Sakura had all arrived at the training grounds.
"Minxie? Minx, are you okay?" Naruto's frantic and worried voice was asking me. But I couldn't reply. I just couldn't.
"She's so pale... Minxie, what happened?" Sakura muttered, feeling my forehead.
"I'm afraid..." I murmured, my hands shaking.
"Afraid of what?" Kylie asked, concern and worry on her face.
"... Of me," I whispered out, and with that, I fell unconscious.
Kylie's POV
I stared at Minxie's sleeping form, trying to figure out what had happened the day before. She seemed so terrified... But of what?
Ryuu, Sakura, Naruto, and I had tried to ask Rin what had happened to Minxie, but she told us that we wouldn't believe her. Her eyes would get wide in fear, and she'd grip the blankets randomly. We decided that asking her what happened wouldn't be good for her recovery, and she had been in terrible shape.
So, now, I was waiting for Minxie to get up. The Hokage had come to examine her after she had fainted, and she had declared that we should give Minxie time before we asked what happened. If we asked too quickly, she might end up fainting again.
So, for today, I had to act as if nothing had happened the day before.
I sighed, walking out of her room and shutting the door behind me quietly. I walked downstairs and saw Mitchell sitting on the couch, flipping through the channels boredly.
"How is she?" He asked.
"Still sleeping," I answered. "I still can't believe we have to act like nothing happened... You should've seen how petrified she looked yesterday."
"I know. Naruto told me it was pretty bad," He muttered. "Do you think she'll be okay?"
"I hope so," I said, sighing. "Hey... Where's Ryuu?"
"He's at the hospital, visiting Rin," He answered.
"This early?" I asked, a little surprised. Maybe they did know each other better than I thought.
"Yeah, I know," He said. "It's sort of freaky, but you'll probably say it's romantic."
"That's because it is!" I objected, smiling. "He really cares about her. She needs someone right now, after all that's happened. It's cute."
"Yeah, whatever," He said, rolling his eyes.
"And what about Josh?" I inquired.
He shrugged. "I have no idea. I think he went out to train."
"Without seeing me?" I said before I could stop myself. That was just plain weird. Josh hadn't even kissed me yet, after I had just come back from a dangerous mission.
Mitchell opened his mouth to speak, but he was cut off by someone muttering from upstairs, "No... No... No!"
"Minxie," We said instantly, and we ran upstairs and into her room.
Minxie was still asleep, but she was talking. It looked like she was having a nightmare.
"Minxie," I said, shaking her awake.
She bolted up, her eyes wide. I jumped back, surprised, and we stared at each other.
"Kylie?" She whispered. "What... What happened?"
"Um..." I thought about what I was supposed to say. I turned to Mitchell for help, and he walked over to the bed, sitting on the other side of it.
"You got really worked up about Rin," He said easily. "Plus, you were exhausted. You fell asleep before we even got home."
Minxie stared at us for a while, and she let out a sigh of relief. "Oh... Makes sense..." She muttered.
"The Hokage wanted to see you," I said, trying to get her mind off of the horrors she had been dreaming about. "I think it's about the mission at Tenchi Bridge."
"Oh... Right," She said, sounding distracted. She ran a hand through her hair. "Right. I'll just... Get ready."
"All right," I said, standing up. Mitchell stood up along with me, and we left the room. I paused in the doorway, turning to smile at Minxie and assure her everything was okay.
But when I looked, the brunette was staring at her hands with eyes of both terror and realization.
~*~
"Guess who," I trilled, covering Josh's eyes with my hands. I had finally found him. He was at the training grounds. I had ignored the fact that he had been hitting targets more brutally than before, deciding he was just on a streak or something.
"I don't know," He said flatly, and I raised an eyebrow. Usually, whenever I did this to him, he would play along and then we'd start laughing. What had happened?
I uncovered his eyes and he turned around to face me. His gray eyes weren't warm and friendly like they always were. They were cold and betrayed.
"Oh. It's you," He said, sounding as if he really didn't want to see me.
"I came back from my mission," I said, trying to get him to smile. "Sunagakure is impossibly hot."
"Obviously," he said, "It's a desert."
"Josh... What's wrong with you?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at him.
"Oh, nothing," He said. "I just found out that my girlfriend cheated on me with a Sand ninja, but of course, that's not it. Everything else is just lovely."
I felt like someone had just smacked me in the face. "Wh-What?"
"Don't play stupid, Kylie," He growled, glaring at me. "I know all about your little romance with Kankuro. All the flirting, all the cheating, everything you did... I never would've guessed you were that kind of girl."
"Josh... I didn't cheat on you," I said, my mouth hanging open.
"Then why the hell did Minxie tell me that you did!? Huh!?" He shouted.
I took a step back, completely shocked. "Minxie told you that?"
"Yeah, she did," he said, "She told me all about you and Kankuro. How much better you think he is than me. How you were planning on breaking up with me as soon as you got back."
"I never said that!" I argued.
"So you weren't with Kankuro?" He questioned.
"Yes, I was with Kankuro, but it wasn't that way! We didn't do anything!" I cried. "Why would I cheat on you?"
"But you wanted to do something," He said coldly. "Minxie wasn't lying. I checked her chakra pattern and everything. Her chakra didn't falter once. She was telling me the truth."
"Well, I'm telling you the truth!" I said. "Why can't you believe me?"
"Because I know you flirted with Kankuro!" He shouted. "You had a boyfriend... And still, you did that! I can't believe you!"
"You're not being fair!"
"You think I should be fair after my girlfriend cheats on me!?"
"I didn't cheat on you!"
"He kissed you!"
"On the cheek! That was it!"
"But you liked it!" He said. "Honestly, Kylie... Did you flirt with him?"
I fell silent. "I... Yeah, I did... But I didn't mean to do it! It just... Happened!"
"That's all I need to know," He said quietly. "We're done, Kylie. So done. I... I don't want to see you ever again."
I felt my heart almost stop. "Wh... W-What?" I stuttered.
He seemed like he was struggling to say it. "You heard me. We're through. I'm not your boyfriend anymore," He said harshly. "Guess you got what you wanted after all, huh? Now you can be with Kankuro and have a clear conscience."
"Josh... Josh, please, listen to-"
"I'm done listening, Kylie. We're done," He said, cutting me off, and just like that, he disappeared with a puff of smoke.
I felt my lip quiver and my knees buckle. I dropped to the floor, wrapping my arms around myself as tears poured down my face.
Heartbreak sucks.
Minxie's POV
"Are you sure this information is trustworthy?" Lady Tsunade asked Sakura. "The Akatsuki might be using Orochimaru's name as bait... It could very well be a trap."
See, Lady Tsunade had called Shizune, Sakura and I to discuss the information Sasori had given Sakura. I had arrived just in time, but I wasn't really paying attention to anything that was being said. I was too focused on my own thoughts.
What the hell had happened yesterday? Was Scarlett really just a bad dream? It didn't feel like a bad dream. But if everyone was okay... They wouldn't lie to me, right?
I tuned in again, however, when I heard Shizune say, "Lady Tsunade, why don't you just deploy a different team? Even if you do send Sakura with them... I... I feel Naruto and Minxie should be removed from this mission!"
My jaw dropped. "Say what!?" I shouted before I could stop myself. "What do you mean Naruto and I should be removed from this mission? That's not fair! You can't just-"
"Relax, Minxie," the Hokage ordered calmly. I turned to her, my mouth hung open. Did she agree with this stupidity!?
"Shizune... This mission isn't just a regular mission. It must involve all the remaining members of Team Kakashi, Naruto and Minxie especially," She said.
"Are you saying my cell can't handle it?" Shizune asked.
"Frankly? No, they can't. This isn't just a mission to their team. It's personal. Sasuke isn't just their teammate, he's their friend. They're willing to do anything to get him back... And that's why they'll succeed. Your team, however, won't," the Hokage said easily.
Shizune looked down. "I understand, milady. But shouldn't Naruto and Minxie-"
"What do you think Naruto and Minxie would say about that?" Lady Tsunade interrupted.
"I'd say that we'll just have to do whatever it takes to complete our mission, now, won't we?" I said, smirking triumphantly.
"Heck yeah! And, of course, we've gotta find some new teammates!" Naruto shouted, grinning down at us from his spot on the roof.
He flipped over to the railing next to the Hokage, grinning. "See ya!" He called, and then he jumped away.
Lady Tsunade sighed exasperatedly. "I didn't even get to finish... Minxie, could you...?"
"I've got him," I assured, and then I jumped over the railing and followed after Naruto.
~*~
"Do you have any ideas for who we could add to the team?" Naruto asked me.
I shrugged. "Not at all. I guess we'll just see who we can find," I said.
We rounded a corner, when out of nowhere, a voice said, "Heh... It's been a while... Naruto, Minxie."
Naruto and I looked back, spotting a guy about our age leaning against a tree. He had his mouth covered, and he had a hooded jacket on. I noticed dark shades, and instantly, I knew who it was.
Naruto, of course, being the fail that he is, didn't. "Uh... Do I know you?"
"It's me!" The voice, Shino, said.
"Yeah... Still don't know you..." Naruto muttered. I facepalmed.
"I know it's been a while, but you should really try to remember your friends... If not, you just hurt the other person's feelings," Shino said flatly.
I smiled at him. "Hey, Shino. It really has been a while," I said, waving at him.
"Thank you... At least you remembered," He said, and I smiled.
"Shino!?" Naruto asked, his eyes widening. "Oh, yeah! It is you, Shino! I'd know that irritating voice anywhere!" He squinted his eyes at Shino. "Idiot! How can I recognize you if you have your face all covered up like that!?"
"Shino, you're early!" A new but familiar voice shouted. Suddenly, a huge white dog with a 16-year-old boy riding on its back hopped onto the scene.
"K... Kiba?" Naruto asked, his eyes widening.
"Naruto, hey! I knew it was you," Kiba said, stepping off of the dog. "I knew I recognized your scent."
"That's what you recognized?" Naruto said, his eye twitching. He stared at Akamaru. "That dog... That can't be... It can't be-"
"Akamaru!" I shouted happily, and the huge dog looked up at me. He ran over to me and I knelt down. Turns out that wasn't a good idea, since Akamaru was now impossibly huge. He ended up knocking me over and licking my face while wagging his tail.
"Ah!" I said, laughing. I sat up again, scratching his ears and rubbing his fur. "Hey, boy. It's been a while, hasn't it? I missed you."
"Wow... Mi... M-Minxie...?" Someone stuttered, and I looked up at Kiba, finally taking in his full appearance, and...
And that turned out to be a mistake. What is it with the guys of my age group!? How do they all get randomly hot in only two and a half years!?
"Kiba..." I said, waving slightly at him. Akamaru barked, and I laughed, rubbing his fur again. "Don't worry, boy, I didn't forget you!" I stood up after he barked in agreement.
"Heh... Sorry about that... I guess he still loves you," Kiba said, walking over to me and scratching the back of his head. He didn't have that hood anymore, which made him look twenty times more attractive.
"It's nothing," I assured, rubbing the white dog's head, completely oblivious to the fact that Kiba was staring at me and practically drooling.
"He seems more excited to see me than you are," I teased.
His face went red. "Wh-What!? That's not true! I was just waiting for you to finish your whole epic reunion scene with Akamaru so I could hug you," He said, opening his arms.
I laughed, going over to him and hugging him.
"Okay, okay, we get it," Naruto said, rolling his eyes at our hugging.
I released Kiba and stuck my tongue out at the blonde, who ended up doing the same thing to me.
Kiba looked in between the two of us. "Hey... Are you guys together or something?" He asked.
Naruto and I both started blushing, and I anime fell. "Why does everyone keep saying that!?" I asked, practically pulling my hair out. I sighed, closing my eyes and composing myself. "But, no, we're not together. We're just best friends."
"So you're single?" Kiba asked hopefully.
"No," I answered. "I'm dating Gaara."
"That really scary dude from the Sand?" He asked.
I smacked his arm. "Hey!"
"Sorry..." He muttered, rubbing his arm. "It's not my fault! I was just saying!"
I pursed my lips. "He isn't scary. You guys are just wimps," I stated, crossing my arms over my chest.
"Say what!?" Kiba and Naruto shouted at the same time.
"Eek!" Someone squeaked, and we all paused our conversation to search for the noise.
"Uh... Confusion," I said, leaning back to see who was behind the corner ahead of us. Naruto and I looked at each other and nodded, walking over to investigate.
We spotted the now 16-year-old Hinata against the wall, her heart beating a mile a minute.
"Oh, Hinata!" Naruto said in his overly loud voice. "Why're you hiding over here?"
"Hey, Hinata!" I greeted happily.
"M-Minxie?" She stuttered. She looked at Naruto and turned bright red. "N-N-N-Naruto?"
Before we could say anything else, she fainted.
"Uh, Hinata, why are you falling down?" Naruto inquired.
"She's fainting, dumbass," I said, facepalming.
"Ever noticed that she always faints in front of Naruto?" Kiba put in.
"You recognized both Kiba and Hinata right away... Naruto," Shino said gloomily.
Oh, reunions and their hilariousness.
Hinata's POV
"You're sure you're okay?" Kiba inquired.
I nodded timidly. "I-I'm fine, Kiba..."
"Kurenai-sensei said we should wait a few hours before we head out on our mission, just in case," He said.
I sighed, but I eventually nodded, feeling terrible. I had seen Naruto for the first time in two and a half years, and I was so overwhelmed that I had fainted without a second thought.
Now, my team thought I needed rest, so they put off our mission. It made me feel like I was holding them back. They had taken me to a hospital, even though I was okay.
"Shino and I will pick you up in a few hours, and we'll head to the gates, okay?" Kiba said. I nodded again, and he left the room with Akamaru and Shino following behind him.
I sighed, getting out of the hospital bed. I felt fine. I decided that I shouldn't waste a visit to the hospital, so I stood up and walked to the roof of the hospital. I stared at the blue sky, my hands on the metal bars that bordered the roof.
I felt myself blush as I thought about Naruto. He had grown so much since I had last seen him... I had no idea what to say to him. Seeing him again had been both scary and amazing.
But... He had been with Minxie. She had grown, too. And when I saw grown, I mean grown. She was so beautiful... So much prettier than I was.
And Naruto loved hanging out with her. I saw the way he smiled while he was with her. Kiba had smiled, too. She was the person that made everyone happy; she was the one they all loved to be around. I knew Naruto would never look at me the way he looked Minxie.
"Hinata?" A bell-chime voice called, and I turned around to see Minxie.
"M-Minxie," I greeted, blushing at the fact that I had just been thinking about her.
"I heard you were in the hospital, so I came to see if you were okay," She said.
"It's nothing," I assured. "I-I just fainted."
"Yeah, what was all of that about?" She inquired, walking over to me and leaning on the railing. "You just went tomato red and fainted dead away. It was sort of freaky."
"Y-Yeah..." I muttered, looking down.
"But, anyway, that doesn't matter," She said, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "I came here to tell you something important."
She turned to me, tilting her head and smirking perfectly. "I don't like you. I never have."
My jaw dropped at her words. "Wh-Wh-What?"
"That's right. I don't like you. Your shyness is annoying, and you're even more useless than Sakura," She said. "Everyone always has to protect you, and you don't even deserve it. Plus, it's no secret that you're jealous of me. And the truth is... Naruto will never like you. He'll never even look you're way... Because he's in love with me."
I gasped, my eyes tearing. "M-Minxie... W-Why are you doing this to me...?"
"Because, sweetheart," She said, putting her hands on her hips. "I'm not Minxie."
I was going to ask her what she meant, but she just walked in front of me in all of her perfection.
"But that doesn't matter now," She said easily. "Because you won't be able to tell anyone that."
"H-Huh?" I whispered out.
"I hope you're not afraid of heights," She sang, and with that, she pushed me over the railing and off of the roof, and I fell down the side of the hospital.
Minxie's POV
"Hey, Sakura," I trilled, walking over to her with a smile on my face.
The pinkette glared at me, going back to whatever she was doing, which was filing for the Hokage.
"Uh, Sakura?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "Did I do something wrong?"
"Look, I get it, okay?" She said, picking up folders in her hands violently. "You got Sasuke, and I didn't. You're gorgeous, and I'm not. You're an amazing ninja, and I'm useless. I get it."
My mouth dropped. "What... Huh?"
"Don't play dumb," She snapped, scowling at me. "You're perfect, I'm not. How long are you going to hold that over my head?"
"I'm not holding anything over your head, Sakura!" I objected. "I don't even know what you're talking about."
"Stop acting like you don't remember what you said!" She shouted suddenly. "You rubbed it in my face that you're so much better than me only half an hour ago! People don't just suddenly have amnesia, Minxie."
"But I do!" I exclaimed. "I can't remember what I said to you because I didn't say anything to begin with!"
"Whatever, Minxie," She said. "I don't care. Just go and be perfect, okay? It's not like I can ever compare." And then she stomped out of the room, leaving me completely confused.
"What... What the hell just happened?" I asked myself, trying to figure out why Sakura had yelled at me. I hadn't said anything to her. I'd never say anything that terrible to her. But why did she think that I did?
"Today's just weird," I muttered, and then I exited the Hokage's office and headed home.
~*~
"I'm home!" I called, shutting the front door to my house. I spotted Kylie fixing the pillows on the couch. She looked at me and her eyes turned cold instantly.
"Hey," I greeted, walking over to her. "Where's everyone else?"
She didn't reply. She just turned around and started to clean the coffee table.
I sighed. "Don't tell me you're mad at me, too," I said. "Let me guess, I told you something today that I have absolutely have no recollection of, and now, you hate me for it?"
"You really are a bitch," She said, turning around to me.
My jaw dropped. "What did you just say?"
"I never thought you would be," She continued. "I always knew you were sarcastic, outspoken. Blunt, even. But now, I get it. You're nothing but a backstabbing bitch."
Okay. Now, I'm angry AND confused.
"I am not a backstabbing bitch," I defended, scowling at her. "I didn't do anything to you."
"Really? Lying to Josh and making him dump me isn't anything?" She asked coldly.
My eyes widened. "Josh dumped you?" I asked in disbelief.
"Oh, he didn't just dump me," She said. "He told me he never wanted to see me again, and he tore my heart out in the process. But, who cares, right? It's not like he's mad at you."
"Oh, God, Kylie... I'm so sorry," I said sincerely, my anger gone.
"Yeah. So am I," She said, walking around the couch and towards the staircase.
"So you're not even going to tell me what I did wrong?" I asked.
"What's there to say, Minxie?" She asked. "No matter what you say now, it won't change the fact that Josh hates me. It won't change the fact that he dumped me because you told him that I was cheating on him with Kankuro!"
"I said what?" I asked, my jaw dropping. "No. That's not true. Why would I tell him that?"
"That's the exact question I've been asking myself all day," She said. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I want to be miserable by myself."
She turned around, beginning to walk up the stairs, but I stopped her.
"Kylie, wait! I didn't do anything like that! I would never say something like that to Josh! You can't honestly believe that it was me who told Josh you cheated on him with Kankuro," I said seriously.
"Then who did, huh!? Because Josh saw you! He knew it was you! So if it wasn't you, then who was it, Minxie!? Who!?" She shouted.
"It was me," A bell-chime voice said, and Kylie and I spun around to see Scarlett standing in the kitchen's doorway. She leaned against it, a smirk on her perfect face.
She batted her lashes as Kylie and I stared at her in shock and said, "Surprise, sweethearts."