"She's got a body like an hourglass, it's ticking like a clock. It's a matter of time before we all run out..."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Scarlett," I muttered, my eyes narrowing as fear made my heart's pace quicken.
"Minxie," Scarlett greeted, smiling at me. "It was surprisingly easy to get into this house, considering this isn't the first time I've done it."
"What... What are you talking about?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
She moved her hair, letting it fall on her back to reveal the crimson necklace Madara had given me. It was the same necklace that had disappeared from my room a few days ago.
"Oh my God... Why do you have that!?" I asked, my jaw dropping.
"It's mine," She said, putting her hands on her hips. "Madara Uchiha stole it, even though it was created for me. I just took it back." She leaned back against the doorway. "You won't get it back, if that's what you're thinking. Even if you take it, the amulet will return to me. It is mine, after all."
I was freaking out. How the hell did Scarlett know about Madara!? And how much did she know? How many secrets that were unknown even to me did she know about?
She stepped forward, tilting her head at Kylie. "I heard about you and Josh... Sucks, doesn't it? I can't believe that big mouth that told about your little romance with Kankuro," She said, smirking. "Of course... That big mouth was me, so I really can't say much."
"You... What are you?" Kylie asked, her mouth hung open.
"I'm your biggest nightmare," Scarlett answered, smirking. "But I'm not your enemy. I'm more interested in the brunette beside you."
I held in a gasp as I knew she spoke about me.
"I've been having a lot of fun today," She said. "In fact, you'll hear more about that fun in three, two, one..."
"Minxie!" Mitchell shouted, bursting into the house and letting the door fall shut behind him. "Did you hear about- Woah." He looked in between me and Scarlett, and my doppelganger waved at him. "Okay... I'll be honest. I've always dreamt that there was a second Minxie who may just possibly like me, but I swear, whatever voodoo type magic that's at work here has nothing to do with me."
"Because that's totally something you hear every day," I said sarcastically. "Anyway... That's tomorrow's problem. What happened?"
"Someone pushed Hinata off the roof of the hospital," He said, and my eyes widened.
"Oh my gosh! Is she okay!?" Kylie asked frantically.
"She's unconscious," He answered. "But she's supposed to wake up soon and tell us what-"
He was interrupted by a knock at the door. Raising an eyebrow, he walked over to it and opened it.
We were all confused when we saw two shinobi in ANBU masks standing at our door.
"Um... Hey," Mitchell greeted.
"Is the Takeda Princess home?" The taller ANBU asked.
"Uh, yeah..." He said. "Minx? I think they want to talk to you."
I was just confused, so I slowly made my way over to the door, staring up at the ANBU. "Uh... You wanted to see me?"
Then, out of nowhere, they had me out of my house and leaning against the side of my home. They strapped chakra ropes around my hands, tying them around my back.
"Minxie Takeda, you are hereby under arrest for the assault of the Hyuga clan's heir. Anything you say can and will be used against you. You will remain in prison until further notice," The shorter one said.
My eyes went huge. "Wait, what!? Why am I getting arrested!? I didn't do anything to Hinata!" I objected.
"That's not what we heard," the taller one said.
Instantly, I realized what had happened. Scarlett was the one who pushed Hinata, and Hinata, not knowing any better, thought it was me.
"I can explain! It wasn't me, it was just someone who looks like me! Scarlett, quit playing and-" I stopped in mid-sentence when I looked into my home and only saw Kylie and Mitchell. Scarlett was no where to be found.
"Tell that to someone who cares," the shorter one said.
"Wait! Where are you taking her!?" Kylie asked, appearing in the doorway.
"Your friend is being arrested for assaulting the heir of the Hyuga clan, Lady Hinata," the taller one explained.
"What!? That's insane! There's no way in hell Minxie would hurt Hinata!" Mitchell objected.
"What you think doesn't matter," the ANBU said. "It's up to the authorities what happens to her. Goodnight."
And then he grabbed me and roughly pushed me forward, trying to get me to walk.
"Oh... Damn you, Scarlett," I hissed to myself, following the ANBU grudgingly.
Rin's POV
"Rin," Someone called, stepping into my hospital room. I recognized the voice, and instantly, I was on guard.
"Minxie," I said, my voice cold. "Is it really you?"
"Of course it is," She replied easily. "Who else would visit you at night since they're too busy sleeping during the day?"
It sounded like Minxie... But I didn't trust it. I had trusted it before, and it ended up almost spelling the end of me.
"Where's Ryuu?" I inquired.
"Didn't he step out a few seconds ago? He's probably in the cafeteria," She said, easily, sitting on the side of my bed.
I tensed, slowly sliding away from her.
She laughed. "Wow. I really can't fool you, can I?" She inquired, a giggle in her voice.
"Scarlett," I whispered, my eyes widening.
"Yep," She confirmed.
I slid even further away from her. "I did what you asked... What do you want from me now?" I asked harshly.
"Nothing," She answered. "That's the whole point. You're of no use to me anymore."
"Then... Why are you here?" I asked.
"See, I might have just so happened to push Hinata off of the roof," She said, tapping her fingers against her knees. My jaw dropped. "Now, Minxie's being questioned for it. You're the only one who can back her story... But you won't be able to."
"What're you trying to-" I was cut off when a pillow was violently shoved into my face.
Scarlett shoved the pillow farther into my face, cutting off my airways and making me lean back against the bed.
I struggled to get free of her, but she was just too strong. Every time I almost got her to get off of me, she would just add a little more force, and I'd end up back down again.
I let own one final breath, and then I felt my oxygen supply go down to zero.
Ryuu's POV
I spotted Minxie exiting Rin's room as I rounded the hallway of the hospital. She wasn't wearing her usual outfit, but she sure looked like herself.
"Minx?" I called, and she looked up at me, smiling.
"Hey, Ryuu," She greeted.
"You came to see Rin?" I asked. "By yourself?"
She nodded. "I heard you were here, and I hadn't really seen much of her since yesterday, so I figured I should take the chance now."
"Speaking of yesterday... What was all of that about?" I inquired.
"It was nothing," She assured. "I was just a little freaked out. I got over it, though."
Something was off. I knew that much. I just didn't know what.
The girl in front of me was obviously my sister. She looked, sounded, and acted just like her.
But then... Why did every muscle in my body scream that she wasn't?
"Right..." I muttered.
"Look, Ryuu," She said, blowing her bangs out of her face. "I'm really tired... I'll just head home now. I'll see you later, okay?"
I nodded, and she walked past me after throwing me a small smile. Suddenly, she paused before rounding the corner in the hallway. "Oh, and Ryuu?"
She turned around to me, a smirk on her face. "Surprise!"
Before I could ask what she was talking about, she disappeared down the hall.
I was confused, but I said nothing else, entering Rin's room. My eyes widened when I saw Rin's face covered by a pillow.
I ran over to her, throwing the pillow off to the side. I checked her pulse, but I could tell she wasn't breathing.
"No, no... Nurse!" I shouted, for once having emotion in my usually bored tone. I tried to get Rin to start breathing again, but she didn't, no matter what I tried.
Nurses flooded into the room, and they all crowded around Rin.
"What happened!?" One of them asked frantically.
"I came in and she wasn't breathing," I said, trying to make sense of the world around me.
Immediately, they all set off to work, crowding around Rin and pumping her chest. One of them came in with a tube, and my eyes widened instantly.
"Sir, you're going to have to leave," one of the nurses said, putting a hand on my shoulder.
But I didn't listen to her. I just kept staring at Rin's unbreathing body.
"Sir!" the nurse called, more urgent than before.
"Right..." I muttered, and I exited the room like a robot on auto-pilot.
Someone had tried to suffocate Rin.
Minxie had been the one to come out of Rin's room.
My... My sister had tried to kill my best friend.
Minxie's POV
"So, let's go over this again. Where were you when Hinata was attacked?" an ANBU with his mask removed inquired. He had dark hair and brown eyes, and he told me that his name was Shan.
We were now in a blank room, and we were both seated at the plain table in the center of it. I used to love watching Law and Order and all those other crime shows. Now that I'm in the criminal's shoes, I hate them.
"I told you, I was with Naruto, searching for new teammates," I answered for about the hundreth time, sighing deeply.
"And why, if that's true, did witnesses -that shall remain nameless- say they saw you walking into the hospital?" He asked.
"I already told you! I have an evil Doppelganger who's out to get me!" I exclaimed exasperatedly.
He shut his eyes. "You're making this really difficult, Minxie."
"You're the one making this difficult! I told you the truth! What else do you want me to say!?" I asked, glaring up at him.
"I want you to give me the full truth," He said. "Look, I've been in your shoes Minxie. We've all had a little green monster inside of us at least once."
My hand instinctively went to my nose. I sniffed, then looked at him like he was crazy. "Um... I don't feel like I have any little green monsters..."
He sighed, resisting the urge to facepalm. "I didn't mean boogers, Minxie. I meant jealousy," He explained.
"Oh," I said. "No, wait, I'm still confused. What am I jealous of, exactly?"
"Let's not beat around the bush here, okay?" He said. "We've all been jealous of someone or something at one point in our lives. Maybe jealousy controlled you today."
"Dude... What are you even talking about?" I asked, suppressing a major eye twitch.
"I'm talking about the fact that Hinata likes this Naruto person we spoke about," He said. "And you didn't like that. Maybe Naruto started blinking in Hinata's direction... And you didn't want that. The only way you could've made the feeling in the pit of your stomach go away was if you got Hinata out of the picture."
"Okay, listen here, smart guy," I began, flipping my hair over my shoulder. "The only feeling in the pit of my stomach today was hunger, and that was because I skipped out on breakfast. Naruto can blink in the direction of anyone he wants. I don't own him. And in order for me to be jealous, I'll have to like him, and well, that's not the case. And maybe if you actually bothered to check your facts, you'd know that I already have a boyfriend who I like very much. Naruto is my best friend. That's it."
"Ah, yes," He said. "The best friend that you were with today while this incident happened, right?" I nodded, and he looked down at the file in his hands.
I could tell Shan was getting frustrated with me. But, come on. I hadn't had food in hours. Excuse me for being a little irritable when I'm hungry and being accused of a crime I didn't commit.
"Well, Minxie," Shan said, bringing me back to reality. "You say you were with Naruto, but Hinata said you pushed her off of the roof. How can one person be in two places at the same time?"
I facepalmed. "For the fifteen billionth time... It. Wasn't. Me. It was Scarlett, my evil Doppelganger who wants to ruin my life!" I exclaimed.
He sighed exasperatedly. "Minxie, I'm trying to help you here," He said.
"No, you're not. You're trying to get me to admit to something I didn't do," I said flatly.
He opened his mouth to speak, but just then, another ninja burst into the room.
"Shan-sempai!" The younger male shouted.
Shan sighed. "What is it, Imuno?"
"There's been another incident at the hospital," Imuno said.
I raised an eyebrow, and Shan turned around to fully face him after shooting my a glare. "What happened to Hinata?"
"It... It wasn't Hinata this time, sir," Imuno said quietly. "It was the Mori Princess, Rin. She was almost suffocated... They said the Takeda Princess, Minxie, did it."
Shan's jaw almost dropped. He turned to me, his eyes widened impossibly.
"Believe me now?" I snapped, glaring up at him with an eyebrow raised.
From his face, I knew he really did.
Naruto's POV
"Sakura!" I called, jogging over to the pinkette who was carrying a crate in her hands. "Hey! What's up?"
"Working late for the Hokage," She answered.
"Are you up for some ramen later on? I was thinking we could invite Minxie, and we'd all go as a team," I said, and instantly, her face hardened.
"If Minxie's going to be there, count me out," She said flatly.
"Why?" I asked.
She sighed, stopping in her place. "Because that darling, sweet, amazing Minxie you love so much? Yeah, her. She's a bitch," She said.
My mouth dropped. "Sakura! What's wrong with you!?"
"Everything, apparently! Everything about me is bad," She said, glaring. "At least, that's what Minxie said. I'm nothing, and she's everything. She told me so."
"Minxie would never say something like that," I said sternly.
"Unbelievable," She scoffed. "You're so wrapped around her finger that you don't see how she really is! And you're stupid for liking her. She's using you. She likes Gaara, not you. So quit acting like she cares about you, because she doesn't. She doesn't care about anyone but herself."
I stared at her, shocked. Did Sakura really just say all of that?
I glared at her. "Sakura, Minxie is not a bitch! She's the most selfless person I've ever met! And if you can't see that... Then... Then you're just stupid!" I announced.
She fumed, opening her mouth, but she was cut off when someone shouted, "Sakura! Naruto! Hey!"
Kiba ran up to us, his expression solemn. "Did you hear about what happened?"
"No... What?" Sakura asked.
"Minxie was arrested," He said, and Sakura and I both put on shocked faces. "Apparently, she pushed Hinata off a railing and tried to suffocate Rin. She's being questioned right now."
"Oh my god..." Sakura whispered, almost dropping the crate she held.
"Where is she?" I asked, determination in my voice.
"Last I heard, she was being transferred to the Hokage Building," He answered.
"Let's go," I said instantly, and he nodded.
"Naruto, wait!" Sakura called. "You can't just go! The authorities will arrest you, too, if you try anything!"
"This is Minxie, Sakura!" I shouted at her. "I don't care what happens to me."
She stared at me a long while before sighing. "All right, all right... I get it. Come on," She said.
Kiba and I raised our eyebrows at her. "Uhh...?"
"What? You think I'm going to let you two idiots go and get yourselves arrested for your own stupidity?" She asked. "Minxie needs someone who can actually defend her without losing their cool. Now, are you gonna stand there all day, or are we going to get her out of prison anytime soon?"
I stared at her in shock before I grinned at her. She smiled back slightly, rolling her eyes.
"Quit looking at me like that," She said. "Let's go."
"Guys!" Someone shouted, and Kimi and Hayato jumped down in front of us. "Are you heading to go see Minxie?"
"See her?" Kiba scoffed. "Please. We're getting her out of prison."
"Just what I planned," Mitchell said, smirking, "Let's go."
And so, we all headed to the Hokage Building.
Tsunade's POV
I tried to make sense of what the five teens in front of me were trying to say. They had entered my office -without knocking, might I add- and started barking at me.
From the bits of what I could hear, I knew they spoke about Minxie.
"Guys... Guys," I said, waving my hand in front of them to get their attention. It didn't work, and I sighed, getting an anime vein.
"ALL OF YOU, SHUT IT! IF I HAVE TO SPEAK ONE MORE TIME, I'LL THROW YOU ALL IN JAIL FOR THE NIGHT!" I hollered, and instantly, they all froze.
I straightened my robe and smiled. "Perfect. Now, I'm sure you all know about Minxie's arrest," I began, and they all opened their mouths to speak, but I held my hand up, silencing them.
"But you need to know... I already bailed her out. The authorities had no choice to believe her because another crime was committed while she was with them, proving she hasn't been the one hurting people," I explained, and they all seemed to understand.
"I called Shikamaru down, and he escorted her home. She's back at her house, safe and sound," I assured, and they all let out sighs of relief.
"THANK YOU, LADY HOKAGE!" They all shouted, running over to me and glomping me.
My eye twitched. "Yeah... Right... Now get off of me before I toss you all through the window."
They all let go instantly, and I smiled.
"Good children," I said. "Now, go home and talk to Minxie... I'm tired of hearing you talk."
And with that, they all ran out of my office to go and see Minxie.
I sighed deeply, rubbing my temples.
They're a special bunch, yes, but... I know in my heart that they surely will be the brightest generation of Konoha shinobi to ever exist.
Minxie's POV
"And you're sure you're okay?" Naruto asked for the ten billionth time.
"Yes, Naruto, I'm fine," I assured. "I got arrested, not tortured. I'm fine."
"Wow, arrested at 16," Kiba noted. "You're so badass."
"Nice to know you approve," I said, and he smiled his wolfy grin.
I turned to Sakura. "Sakura... I'm really sorry. I didn't say any of those things to you, I promise," I said sincerely, and she nodded.
"I know, I have no idea what happened, and I don't think I want to know, but... I believe you," She said. "You're forgiven."
I smiled. "Great. Now, all that's left is..." My gaze landed on Kylie.
"So, there's cookies downstairs," Mitchell said to spare us the awkward.
"Woohoo! I'm out," Kiba said, and everyone, being the total fatasses they are, disappeared out the room, minus Kylie.
"Why... Why didn't you tell me?" She asked after a long while.
"Would you have believed me if I had told you it was my evil doppelganger's fault?" I inquired.
"I would've called you insane," She said bluntly.
"Exactly," I said, sighing.
"... I'm sorry," She said sincerely. "I didn't know that-"
"No one did," I assured. "You had every right to be mad. All I want is your forgiveness."
"Only if I get yours, too," She said.
I smiled. "You've got it."
She half-smiled. "Then so do you." We smiled slightly at each other. "But I just don't get it. How does Scarlett know all of these things? And why is she messing with us so much?"
"I hate sounding like a teenager from one of those stupid chick flicks, but I think she's trying to ruin my life," I answered. "She wants all of you mad at me. She tried to frame me today. Twice, in fact. And she was pretty close to succeeding. I need to be careful."
"We all do," She agreed. "It's not just you she's targeting. She's trying to hurt all of us. We should spread the word. Make sure everyone knows you're not Scarlett."
"It's not that easy," I admitted, biting my lip. "Scarlett looks exactly like me. The only difference is the color of our eyes, but she's even found a way around that. She can have everyone believing she's me. Besides, I don't want everyone to know about it. I can't have everyone wondering if they can trust me or not, since I might be Scarlett."
"Then we'll just tell our friends," She decided. "Your friends are the targets, right? They should know."
I nodded. "Yeah. I think that's fair."
"Kimi!" Sakura called from downstairs.
Kylie stood up. "I'll see you later, okay? Goodnight, Minxie," She said.
"Night, Ky," I said, waving smally, and she half-smiled, leaving my room.
A few moments later, there was a knock on my door, and I called, "Come in!"
My brother appeared into the doorway, looking very stressed out. He walked over to me, kneeling by my bedside.
"Do... Rin and Hinata hate me now, don't they?" I inquired, sighing sadly.
"Rin's still unconscious," He said quietly. "And Hinata... I think Neji's telling her that there's no way it was you. He's explaining what really happened."
I nodded, letting out a small sigh of relief.
"Do I even want to know what really happened?" He inquired.
I shook my head. "Not really. That's... That'll be tomorrow's problem," I said.
He nodded, understanding. "Then... How was your mission?"
I instantly started smiling. "Ryuu... Do you like redheads?"
"Uh... Sure, I guess?" He answered, although it sounded more like a question.
"That's cool," I said. "Because my boyfriend's a redhead."
"Your boyfriend's a red- Wait, what?" He asked, his eyes widening. "You have a boyfriend?"
I nodded. "Yep... And he's SOOOO hot! He has red hair and these really deep, gorgeous, seafoam green eyes that are just hypnotizing! He kinda has this cross me and I'll kill you attitude, and to some people, he's sort of intimidating and scary... But he's really not! He's so cute and smart and sweet and-"
My brother put his hand over my mouth. "Minxie, for the love of God... Shut up."
I sweatdropped, but nodded, and he unconvered my mouth. "Do I get his name?" He inquired.
"Promise not to go all protective brother on him and try to kill him?" I asked, and he smirked, nodding. "Good. His name's Gaara. He's Kazekage of the Sand."
"Wow. That's really... Up there," He noted.
I laughed. "Yep. You'll love him when you meet him," I assured, and he nodded, seeming to suppress a yawn.
"Ryuu... How long has it been since you last slept?" I inquired, tilting my head at him.
"It doesn't matter," He said. "I need to get back to the hospital." He stood up.
I stood up along with him, stopping him. "Oh, no, you don't. You're exhausted. You're not going anywhere until you get some sleep," I said sternly.
"Minxie," He sighed. "I'm not a child."
"Does it look like I care?" I inquired. He stood silent, and I nodded. "Exactly. Now, go to your room and go to sleep."
"You're annoying," He grumbled, and I grinned at him.
"But you love me!" I trilled, and he rolled his eyes as he left my room, mumbling, "Whatever."
~*~
Ah, sleep... It's a wonderful thing, right?
Yeah, well, I couldn't get any of that wonderful thing. I seemed to be too nervous and anxious to go to sleep, afraid that Scarlett might break in again and push me off of my own balcony.
I shuddered. Wonderful. I was already thinking like her.
I sighed, laying back down on my bed and turning to the side, so I could face my balcony. The moon lit up my room brightly, shining through my balcony.
I shut my eyes, waiting patiently for sleep to overtake me. It never did, though, especially not when I felt something tickle my cheek.
I smacked away the invading grains of sand, trying to go to sleep once again.
Wait... Sand?
I felt my cheek again, realizing that the thing that was touching me was indeed sand. There was only one person who I knew could control sand like that.
I opened my eyes, getting out of my bed with an eyebrow raised. I made my way over to my balcony, unlocking it and stepping out onto it.
After a few moments, the sand around me started swirling. It swirled and swirled until finally, it began to form a figure. A few seconds later, it formed the figure of my boyfriend, Gaara.
My eyes widened. "Gaara?" I stared at him, my arms across my chest as I tried to fight off the chill of the Konoha night. "What're you doing here?" I asked, a smile on my face.
"I came to see you," He answered simply. "I missed you."
I blushed slightly, walking over to him and gently pecking his lips. "So did I," I said, smiling at him. "Now, get inside. I'm freezing my ass off out here."
He smirked a bit, nodding and following me inside. I shut the balcony door behind me, locking it and closing my room door as well.
I yawned, and Gaara walked over to me. "Did I wake you?" He inquired, wrapping his arms around my waist.
I shook my head, wrapping my arms around his neck. "Not at all. I haven't been able to sleep all night," I muttered. "But that's okay. If I would've been asleep, I wouldn't have gotten to see you." I smiled up at him, leaning in for his lips.
His mouth met mine in a wonderful kiss, one that made me feel like I was on Cloud 9. But, even though I got that eternal high feeling, I couldn't get myself to focus entirely on it. Not with Scarlett and her charades running through my mind.
Gaara suddenly pulled away, and I raised an eyebrow at him. "Something's wrong," He stated. "What is it?"
I sighed, breaking away from him. I let myself fall onto my bed, burying my face into my pillow. "It's complicated," I said, my voice muffled. "And very insane. You wouldn't believe me."
I felt the spot next to me sink down a bit, signaling that he had sat down with me. He stroked my hair, saying, "Try me."
I sighed again, lifting my head up from my pillow and meeting his still seafoam green eyes.
"My life is very complicated right now," I explained. "Basically, I have a Doppelganger who is trying to ruin my life and everything in it."
And so, I explained to him everything about Scarlett, even backtracking all the way back to the first time I had seen her, when I was at Sasuke's house.
"I was so afraid..." I muttered. "I knew she was something bad. I screamed, and... Um, yeah, stuff..." I had decided telling my new boyfriend about when my old boyfriend had comforted me wasn't such a good idea.
"But now she's back," I finished. "And she's out for blood."
"Did you tell anyone about it?" Gaara inquired.
"Most of my friends know," I answered. "I'm going to hold a meeting tomorrow and tell everyone. But the villagers can't know. They won't be able to live in peace if they know there's an evil copy of me on the loose."
"Are you going to tell the Hokage?" He asked.
I shrugged. "I have no idea. But... I really don't want to think about Scarlett tonight," I said.
"Is there anything you want me to do?" He inquired.
I thought about it for a second. "Nothing. Just... Lie here with me," I said, smiling smally at him.
He wrapped his arms around me, letting me snuggle into him and lay my head against his chest. The sound of his steady heartbeat was like a lullaby. In Gaara's arms, I felt like nothing could hurt me. He'd never let that happen.
I was asleep before I even realized I was tired, having the most peaceful slumber I'd ever had, simply because I was in Gaara's arms.
I should've known that wasn't going to last.