"Take what you want, steal my pride; build me up or cut me down to size."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Minxie's POV
"Okay, so," I began, blowing my bangs out of my face. "We need to talk."
Mitchell sighed deeply, rubbing his eyes. "Can't this wait until the morning?"
I shook my head sternly. "No, it can't. I couldn't sleep because I needed to talk to you guys," I said, looking around the circle of all of my friends. "Wait... Where're Rin and Ryuu?"
"Ryuu didn't come back since he talked to you," Kylie answered from her spot on the couch's arm, yawning tiredly. "And Rin went to take a walk and never came back."
I sighed. "I wanted to do this when everyone was here, but... I guess I'll just tell them later," I muttered. "Guys, what happened tonight... It was insane. I know you don't want to talk about it, but I think we should."
Instantly, everyone's expressions turned guilty.
"First... I don't blame any of you," I said, looking directly at Naruto. "None of this was your fault. You had every right to be angry with Scarlett and to want to end her. I know that the only reason you tried to kill her was because you were thinking about me and my well-being. And I don't blame you for that. So, please, I'm begging you people... Stop looking so depressed!"
They all let out sighs of relief.
"However, that doesn't mean that I'm completely happy," I said, and they all got their guilty looks again. "What happened tonight didn't have to happen. You guys planned this without me. You tried to kill Scarlett, my Doppelganger, without even telling me about it."
"We couldn't tell you about it," Mitchell said. "You never would've let it happen."
"That's not the point," I said. "The point is... All of this private planning, all of these secret agendas... They need to stop. We're supposed to stick together and tell each other everything. That's how we'll win. We can't do that if you guys are going to try and kill someone without telling me."
"We're in this together, guys. We're friends. I know I wouldn't have allowed it... But we would've worked something out. Compromise," I reminded, and they all sighed knowingly. "All I'm saying is... I've got a mission tomorrow. One that'll probably be a roller coaster of emotions. I want to be able to go on it without fearing that you'll be planning something without me, something that affects all of us."
"And... I really don't want to fall to the floor and start bleeding randomly because Scarlett pissed one of you off and you stabbed her," I added quietly, and they all facepalmed. "So I need you all to promise me that nothing like this will ever happen again. Can you do that?"
It took a few moments, but eventually, they all nodded.
"Thank you," I said sincerely. "Now, you can go sleep. I'm sure you're all tired, and I'm only keeping you awake."
We all said our good-nights, and they all went upstairs, excluding Kylie. She stared at me, an eyebrow raised.
"Are you okay, Minx?" She inquired.
I sighed, sitting on the couch carefully so I wouldn't put pressure on any of my injuries. "I don't know anymore," I said. "This whole thing with Scarlett... It's made me realize that I can't have a normal life until this is over. And I have a bad feeling that this may never be over."
"What're you saying?" She asked.
"I've got all of you to worry about... I can't have someone else to worry about, too," I whispered. "Especially... Especially when that person means so much to me, and they're all the way in another village."
She remained confused, but suddenly, a look of realization came onto her face. "You're going to break up with Gaara!?" She almost shrieked.
"Shh!" I hissed, and she sighed.
"Why would you do that? He didn't do anything wrong!" She said.
"I know he didn't do anything wrong," I said. "And that's why it's going to kill me to break up with him."
"Then why the heck are you doing it!?" She asked.
"Because he can't get hurt!" I exclaimed, and she fell silent. "Kylie... I've seen what Scarlett does to people. She's not just out to get me, she's out to get everyone I love. I've seen what she does to couples... I don't want to fight her for Gaara. And it'll probably just completely make me insane if I find out that my boyfriend is cheating on me with me."
"Gaara would never cheat on you," She stated sternly.
"How do you know that?" I asked. "Scarlett's not just a good ninja, she's a good seductress. She can have guys wrapped around her finger in seconds. I'm not going to lose Gaara that way."
"So you're just going to let him go, then? Giving up?" She inquired.
I sighed exasperatedly, rubbing my temples. But that didn't mean Kylie was done.
"I know you, Minxie. You love Gaara way too much to let Scarlett get in the way of your relationship," She said, putting her hands on her hips. "Why are you really doing this? What's the real reason?"
"That is the real reason, Kylie," I said.
"No, Minxie," She argued. "That's only part of the real reason. The real reason is something we all know, but something you're trying to ignore."
"I have no idea what you're talking about," I said, shaking my head. And that was true. How could she tell me what I was feeling?
"Yes, you do," She objected. "You want to break up with Gaara because you're afraid. You're afraid that he'll get hurt, yes, and you're afraid of what Scarlett might do... But that's not it. You're afraid... Because you know you'll see him again."
I felt the air leave my lungs, my eyes widened impossibly. "Wh-What?" I stuttered out.
"You know it in your heart," She said. "You already know you'll see him again on your mission tomorrow. And you're afraid. You're afraid that you won't be strong enough, and that you'll fall for him all over again. You're afraid that you might be the one who hurts Gaara, all because of him. And I'm telling you right now, Minxie... Don't do it! He broke your heart, and he'll do it all over again if he wants to. Gaara actually cares about you. Don't let go of Gaara for that idiot!"
"It's not about him!" I shouted, tired of hearing what she thought. "For once, it isn't about him! Yes, I think I'll see him again, and no, I don't know how to prepare for that... But I'm not doing this for him! I'm doing this because I can't watch Gaara get hurt. Not because of me."
"Don't you see how much it's going to hurt him?" She asked. "He's lost so much already..."
"Then what am I supposed to do, huh?" I asked her, putting my hands on my hips. "When I go on that mission tomorrow... You guys are going to get back to your lives! We all are. None of you are going to be able to have a life and watch Scarlett at the same time. All it takes is a split second... And then she'll be gone. I tried my best to keep her from knowing about Gaara... But she found out, just like I was afraid she would."
"Gaara is Gaara," She said. "He can handle her."
"No one can handle her, Kylie," I sighed. "I know Gaara. He'll understand. If he got hurt because of me... I'd never forgive myself, Ky."
She sighed. "I get where you're coming from, Minx. I really do. But... I just don't want you to do something you'll regret, okay? I saw you broken once before, and it was pure torture. If that were to happen again... I'd never forgive myself."
"Thanks, Kylie," I said sincerely. "But I'm going to make mistakes. And I think... For this mission tomorrow... I need to have a clear head."
She nodded, understanding. "I get it, Minxie. I know why you're doing this, but sometimes..." She sighed. "Sometimes, you're so busy chasing everyone else that you're oblivious to what's right in front of you."
"Huh?" I inquired, raising an eyebrow.
"Naruto, Minxie," She answered. "That guy... He's so amazing. To be honest, I actually think you'd like him even more than Gaara."
"Naruto and I are only best friends," I stated.
"Yeah," She mused. "Let's pretend that's true."
"It is! Look, can we just not talk about this?" I begged.
She sighed. "Fine, fine... Just think about it, kay? Night, Minx."
"Night," I said, and she retreated up the stairs.
~*~
I waited anxiously in my room for Gaara to appear onto my balcony. I had left Rin's house and returned to my own, knowing he would arrive soon.
I had put on a blue robe with purple designs to cover my bandaged wounds. I couldn't have Gaara knowing about those, too. He'd probably flip out and blame himself for not being there.
My hair was picked up into a messy bun, my arms tucked at my sides. My room was dark, and I felt odd being the only conscious being in the entire house. Come to think of it, I had never really been alone in my house before. Only for a few weeks... And then Kylie, Mitchell, and Josh had moved in.
I bit my lip at the thought of Josh. I had no idea where he was or what he was doing. I just hoped that he was okay and that he stopped being so unfair towards Kylie.
I couldn't help but feel somewhat responsible for the whole situation between Kylie and Josh. Scarlett was my Doppelganger, but I hadn't done anything to stop her, knowing how much of a threat she was.
I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't even notice the sand forming a figure on my balcony. I heard a knock on my balcony's door, and I jumped up, my eyes wide as I looked to the door.
Gaara stood there, looking as incredibly hot and blank as he did the night before. He was completely oblivious to what would happen when he walked into my room.
Knowing I couldn't stall it any longer, I stood up from my bed and walked towards my balcony. I opened the door, welcoming Gaara into my room.
He stepped inside and onto my carpet-covered floor, his hands immediately taking my own. He leaned forward, ready to kiss me, but I turned my face, making him kiss my cheek instead.
He looked at me, raising a non-existent eyebrow at me. "Minxie... What's wrong?" He inquired, concern in his voice.
"We need to talk," I said, and he nodded easily, letting me lead him to the bed. We sat down, and I felt my heart clench at the mere thought of what I was going to do. He sat opposite of me, waiting patiently for me to speak.
He had no idea what the phrase "we need to talk" meant.
"I know you were only here a night ago... But a lot has happened since then," I began. "Do you remember what I told you about Scarlett?" He nodded. "Yeah, that. My whole description of her was sugar-coated. She's way worse than I said. She's so terrible that... That the guys tried to kill her today."
His eyes widened a fraction. "Is she still... Alive?"
I nodded. "Rin stopped them before they could do anything else," I said, sighing.
"But... What made them stop?" He inquired. "I know Naruto. He wouldn't let that chance slip away from him. I mean, if Scarlett really is that terrible."
Oh, crap. Why did he ask that!?
"Circumstances," I decided. "She had leverage over them, and they underestimated her. We all did." He nodded, seemingly content with that response. "Anyway, that's not what I'm talking about. Everything that happened tonight... It made me realize something. Scarlett is no joke. I can't have a life until she gets what she wants."
"And what does she want exactly?" He asked.
"I have no idea anymore," I sighed, shaking my head. "But..." I sighed again. "Scarlett is a very talented shinobi. She was able to fight off Ryuu, Naruto, Kiba, Hayato, Neji, and Shikamaru all at the same time. And she's been wanting my brother to like her since she saw him, since he's apparently gorgeous. Do you get where I'm going with this?"
"Honestly?" He said. "I have no idea."
I facepalmed, sighing. "What I'm saying, Gaara, is... Things are really crazy right now. I can barely maintain all of my friends and my ninja life. If I can't even maintain those, there's no way way I can maintain a..." I let my voice trail off.
"... You can't maintain a boyfriend either, can you?" He finished for me, his stoic expression back in its place.
I reached over to him, placing my warm hands over his cool ones. "I want to, Gaara. I really do. I don't think you fully understand how much you mean to me," I said sincerely, looking directly into his perfect seafoam green eyes. "But now... I'm not sure if I can. I want to be with you, and I plan on being with you... But just not now. When things slow down, I'll be able to. I'll travel to Suna if that's what I have to do. But just... Not right now."
I sighed, putting my face in my hands and releasing his own. "I feel like such a jerk right now. I know you probably hate me now, but I really didn't mean to..." I sighed again. "I'm just a natural screw-up. I finally get a guy who's actually worth my affection, and I go and hurt him! URGH! Why am I so terrible!?"
"Minxie?" Gaara's voice inquired, but I didn't listen.
"So what, everyone says I'm pretty. I'm an idiot! I'm all selfish and mean and blah... Ah! Why did I do this!? This wasn't supposed to feel this bad!" I continued.
"Minxie," Gaara called again, but I still wasn't listening.
"Kimi even told me not to do it. But did I listen? No, of course not. Gosh, I'm so hard-headed that it even irks me!" I ranted on. "And now you probably hate me and never want to see me again, but that's okay, because I totally deserve it, and-"
I was cut off by a pair of lips on my own. I enjoyed the kiss vividly, feeling disappointed when Gaara pulled away.
"You forgot the 'I can't shut up for the life of me' part," He reminded, causing me to sweatdrop. "Minxie, I understand why you're doing this. I don't blame you for it. I can wait. I know you need to straighten out things with Scarlett right now... And I don't mind it. In fact, I respect you even more for telling me this straight out."
"Really?" I squeaked, my eyes wide.
He nodded. "Really."
"And you don't hate me?"
He shook his head. "Not at all. It's quite the opposite, actually," He said. "Minxie... I'll wait for you. I don't know much about love... But if it's anything like what I feel when I'm with you, then I know I don't want it to end. I can wait. Clear your head, little angel, and rest assured... I'll be waiting for you once you've finished."
And then, as if to seal the deal, he leaned forward and kissed me. It wasn't a kiss on the lips or anything like that. It was just a simple, sweet kiss planted onto my forehead.
And, to be honest... It meant so much more than any other kiss he'd given me.
I was smiling before I even realized what was happening, and believe it or not... So was Gaara. It wasn't a full-out smile; it was more of a sexy yet adorable smirk.
I didn't even notice that I was crying until a teardrop fell down my face. Gaara was quick to wipe it away, putting a loose strand of hair behind my ear in the process.
Before I could help it, I yawned, finally taking note of how tired I was.
"Sleep, love," Gaara said. "You need your rest."
"But-"
"No arguing," He interrupted. "Goodnight, Minxie."
I nodded, a smile on my face. "Goodnight, Gaara," I murmured. He planted one final, meaningful kiss on my forehead before he walked out onto my balcony and disappeared into sand.
I watched as the sand grains disappeared into thin air, dancing in the wind as they traveled back to Suna. Smiling to myself, I laid back onto my bed, too lazy to walk back to Rin's house.
I fell asleep, then, dreaming of flames dancing against shimmering sand.
~*~
"And then he just disappeared after attacking us!" Naruto exclaimed, a scowl on his face. He had just told me about this random guy from Konoha who attacked him, Shikamaru, and Choji a few days earlier.
I barely remembered waking up that morning. Josh had been the one to wake me up, which surprised me. I tried talking about Kylie, but he avoided the topic, leaving before I could say anything in her defense.
I'd then gotten ready, eaten breakfast, and then went off to meet Naruto at the other house. Kylie flipped out on me for disappearing the night before, as expected, but I knew I couldn't really blame her. With all that was going on, she had every right to worry if I randomly went missing.
Currently, Naruto and I were on our way to meet up with our new team. We had no idea who'd fill the spots left by Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke, but we had no more say in the matter. If we wanted to go on our mission, we'd have to cooperate.
"You don't know who he is?" I inquired to Naruto, raising an eyebrow.
The blonde shook his head. "No clue. But I don't think that's the last time I'll be seeing him," He said.
"Well, I'll be there next time," I assured. "And then we'll kick his ass."
We both laughed, and he nodded, grinning. "I didn't find any teammates, though," He said, growing serious. "Everyone's busy when we really need to find replacements."
"The Hokage already took care of it," I said. "We're going on that mission to Tenchi bridge today, no matter what."
He nodded, gaining reassurance from me. "I know we will. After all this time, we'll finally be able to- YOU!"
I raised an eyebrow, wondering if Naruto had gone randomly insane. I followed his gaze and saw a boy who looked about our age with dark hair, dark eyes, and a seemingly fake smile.
Sakura and some other older guy were there, and he was, from the looks of it, our new captain.
"Naruto, you know him?" Sakura inquired, looking in between Naruto and the new kid.
"Sorry about what happened earlier today," the dark-haired boy said to Naruto. "I was just testing my new teammate's strength... And whether not I'd have to come to the little boy's aid."
Naruto, as expected, flipped out and tried to murder the new guy. Sakura had to hold him back.
"We've got to work together! Don't start fighting from the start!" She barked at Naruto. She turned to the other boy. "And you... That wasn't a nice thing to say!"
"Really? But I like ugly girls like you," He replied innocently. I wanted to die laughing at that, but I didn't want Sakura to murder me, so I just stayed quiet.
"WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY!?" Sakura shouted, charging for him. Our new commander had to hold her back while I stood on front of her, blocking her from attacking our new teammate.
"Sakura! Calm down! You can't kill him!" I shouted, holding my arms out in front of her. The captain, whose name I didn't know yet, seemed to sigh in relief, relaxing his hold on Sakura. "He hasn't said anything about me yet!"
The pinkette's eye twitched at me. "JUST LEMME AT 'IM!"
Our new teammate's gaze fell on me. "You're not that ugly." Well, that's a lovely way to start. "You're actually... Very far from ugly. Beautiful. You even resemble a porcelain doll."
I began to smile a little. "Really?"
The new guy nodded, smiling at me. "Yes. I'm almost positive you're exactly like a porcelain doll; hollow and brainless just like an actual marionette."
My eye twitched at him, and I turned to Sakura. "Okay. You can kill him," I said, putting my hands down and stepping out of her way.
Sakura would've been able to knock him into next week, you know, if our new captain hadn't intervened and held her back.
"Why didn't you let her kill him!?" I shouted, my eye twitching.
"Yeah!" Naruto agreed. "She was so close!"
Our new captain sighed, rubbing his temples. "Okay... Guys, look... We'll be deploying in a few hours. We don't have a lot of time to socialize... So just go ahead and introduce yourselves," He said.
"Naruto Uzumaki," Naruto said grudingly.
"I'm Sakura Haruno," Sakura said, an anime vein bulging in her forehead.
"Minxie Takeda," I said, sighing deeply as I scowled in the new guy's direction.
"I am Sai," Jerk-Face said. Sai... So that's Jerk-Face's name.
"And I'm Yamato," our commander introduced. "I'll be filling in for Kakashi. I'll begin by explaining our mission. In short, the five of us will head to Tenchi bridge and capture the Akatsuki spy who has infiltrated Orochimaru's organization. We'll not only be gathering intel on Orochimaru... But on Sasuke Uchiha as well. This intel will help us to take down Orochimaru... And to retrieve Sasuke."
I felt my expression go blank as Naruto's grew determined. Don't get me wrong, I did want to bring Sasuke back. But... Would he even be Sasuke anymore? It'd been two and a half years... We all changed. I could only imagine how much he had changed.
"Go home and pack your gear... Then meet up at the gate. We'll leave from there," Captain Yamato directed.
We all nodded, going our separate ways to get ready for our mission.
~*~
"Ugh! That jerk Sai... I already can't stand him!" Naruto complained as he, Sakura, and I walked through the village.
"Tell me about it... I am not brainless!" I exclaimed, stomping my foot. "Okay, so maybe I'm a bit weird... But not brainless! Or hollow! Who even uses the word hollow, anyway!?"
"He called you beautiful," Sakura said flatly, a scowl on her face. "Don't even try and be mad."
Naruto sighed deeply. "Ugh... Why'd he have to be Sasuke's replacement? Our team is fine with just the four of us!" He announced.
"Well, he is rude... And he's got a mouth on him... But there's some sort of familiar air to him," Sakura thought out loud. "He kind of reminds me of Sasuke in a way."
"I've met a lot of jerks in my lifetime," I said, crossing my arms over my chest. "And trust me, Sai's not even on the same level as Sasuke. Sasuke was tolerable. This idiot... Grr."
"Exactly!" Naruto agreed. "Sasuke's way cooler!"
Sakura and I shared smiles, looking at the blonde with huge grins.
"Wait... I meant that... Um..." Naruto scratched the back of his head.
"You're right," Sakura agreed, smiling. "Sasuke is a bit cooler than Sai."
"More than just a little! Sasuke's a bazillion times better!"
~*~
"Leaving so soon?" A bell-chime voice inquired, and I sighed, continuing to put things into my bag.
"It's time to get back to my missions, Scarlett," I said.
"You recovered from almost dying very quickly," She noted. "You're becoming more and more like me every day."
I scoffed. "I'm a lot of things, Scarlett, but I'll never be like you."
"But you could be," She chimed.
"Huh?" I asked.
"We're not opposites, Minxie," She said. "We're different sides of each other. I'm not just your Doppelganger. I'm everything you want to be... But everything you'll never let yourself become."
"Anyway," she picked up my journal from my desk, "Ooh, what's this?"
I snatched it from her immediately. "Not even close. This is one thing you'll never get your hands on," I said, stuffing it into my bag.
She held her hands up in innocence. "Fine, fine..."
"So, what are you going to do?" I inquired. "I mean, without me here... You can't terrorize my friends forever."
"I'll be visiting an old friend," She said. "But I'll come rushing back to Konoha for your gorgeous brother; don't worry."
"And I'll be getting as far away from here as possible before you do; don't worry," a new voice said, and I looked up to see Ryuu leaning in the doorway.
"Why are you so mean to me?" Scarlett asked. "So what, you almost killed Minxie because of me. Life goes on."
He rolled his eyes, and then he looked at me. "I need to talk to you."
I nodded, looking over at Scarlett, who was now aimlessly looking through drawings on my desk. She looked up, raising an eyebrow.
"What? You can talk. I'm not stopping you," She said easily.
"Alone," Ryuu added, and she sighed.
"Fine... Only because it's for you," She purred, smirking at him and exiting the room.
My eye twitched. "Her liking you is very wrong and completely disturbing on sooo many levels."
"Tell me about it," Ryuu agreed. "Anyway... You're heading out on your mission, huh?"
"Yep," I said. "I take it you're less angry about what happened?"
"Yeah," He answered. "Getting over it myself will be a lot easier than getting you to actually blame me."
I smiled. "Nice to know," I said. "And I know you can't stand her, but... Please, play nice with Scarlett. But don't be too nice, though. I'll be mentally scarred for life if I walk in on you making out with my Doppelganger."
We both shuddered. "You have a sick mind," He noted.
"I know," I agreed. "And you haven't even seen the twisted Elmo singing 'I'm Bad' by Michael Jackson yet." I shuddered again. "Anyway, I've got to go and meet my team at the gate."
The doorbell rang.
"And that's Naruto," I said, picking up my bag and slinging it onto my shoulder.
"Are you sure you should be spending so much time with him?" He inquired. "I mean, aren't you dating the Kazekage?"
"I was," I said. "We broke up. So, now, I'm single."
"You were so in love with him a few days ago," He said.
"I still am," I assured. "I just..." The doorbell rang again. "I can't have anyone else hurt. Look, Ryuu, I've gotta run! I'll see you later, bro." I ran past him, pausing to give him a kiss on the cheek. Then, I ran out of my room and down the staircase.
I opened the door, grinning when I saw Naruto. He grinned back. "Hey, Minx," He greeted.
"Hey!" I said happily. "Mission time?"
"Yep," He said.
"Well, then... Let's go."
~*~
"It's time," Captain Yamato said as my team... And Sai... stood in front of the village gates.
Naruto looked like he wanted to be anywhere but here, Sakura looked ready to punch someone, and Sai was smiling that fake smile of his.
Oh, this mission is going to be so much fun. Sigh...
"All right, people... This is it! Go Team Kakashi!"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
And there it is! Sai has finally entered the story ^.^ I know, I know, it took forever... It was only because I had to finish the whole Scarlett arc. She's so badass that she deserves a few chapters just about her, right :D ?
No? Sigh... Eh, oh well. She is sorta mean... But she'll become one of the major characters, so, sadly, you all will be hearing more of her xD
I know you all probably hate me for making Minxie break up with Gaara... And I'm sorry D: ! You'll see why she had to do it later on. DON'T KILL ME! She's still not done with her love life, and trust me, Gaara' got a permanent spot in it :P
Anyway... It is back to mission time! Minxie's on her mission to Tenchi Bridge with her team and Sai, and you all know how terrible that's going to turn out :P
Thanks for all your support! I'll be updating soon :]
-smilescutie3311 xoxoxo