We were supposed to meet at the bridge today. We all knew Kakashi-sensei would be late, yet we all rushed to get there on time. I rushed more than usual and arrived a half hour late.
I shot Sasuke a glare.
We hadn't spoken since our argument the other day. The most contact I've had with him, despite literally living with him, were exchanged glares and random petty acts. Petty acts such as not washing my dishes and leaving them in the sink.
I wasn't the only one going out of my way to make life harder for the other, though. Despite living in the same house he got here before me. The petty jerk purposefully checked to see if I was awake, made sure I wasn't, then pranced off.
That's right, 'pranced'.
Screw you, Sasuke.
"Uhm, Miyu... there's something I've been meaning to ask you." Sakura started timidly.
I glanced at her and noticed she was standing a few steps away from Sasuke and Naruto, most likely not wanting them to overhear. I obliged her and took a few steps away from our group.
"What's up?"
"Do you... you live with Sasuke, don't you?" she asked sounding nervous and forlorn.
"Uh, well technically I guess." Her expression sank.
I felt like I was crushing the poor girl. She literally adored, obsessed, over Sasuke. I couldn't just ruin this for her. Despite her obscene and downright scary infatuation with Sasuke, who was turning more into a jerk by the day, she was a nice girl. She didn't deserve to feel so sad... more importantly, Sasuke didn't really deserve her feelings.
Don't get me wrong, I loved my team to death. But ever since we got back from Wave Country things have been, well, hard. Thanks to the obvious grating tension between us all I've wished on more than one occasion to be switched to Kiba and Akamaru's team.
I guess you could say their behavior has left me a little bitter.
"Listen, Sakura. I might live in the same house as him, but it's not like that. I mean we hardly ever talk so it's not like we have anything romantic going on. He's only letting me stay in the Uchiha head household with him because...uhm, of personal reasons." Sakura seemed to perk up slightly.
"So... you don't like him?"
"Sakura... I might love you guys but currently I don't really like any of you." I told her.
"Wow," Sakura giggled, "I've never known you to be so blunt before, Miyu. You almost sound like Sasuke."
"I learn from the best." I muttered dully with a roll of my eyes.
It was true that Sasuke and I hardly talked at home, even when we weren't fighting and on good terms. He liked to keep to himself either training or sleeping. Meanwhile I still couldn't sleep alone, so I took up reading or training at night.
During the day... well my tasks wouldn't really differ. I felt like I was at a disadvantage having missed out on an academy education, so I was trying to make up for it now. I would train until I exhausted myself physically, then I would eat and read until I was rested enough to begin again.
My progress was astounding.
Sakura and I took a few closer steps to Naruto and Sasuke, who were randomly glaring at each other, in order to close rank in our group.
Sakura took up some sort of giggly gossip with me that I didn't really understand, but I nodded and smiled politely to her anyways. Sasuke looked like he wanted to kill himself at the meaningless jabber, and Naruto looked like he was jealous of Sakura gossiping with me instead of him.
Usually I have stellar patience, which is what made me so great to care for the pack's pups. It's rare for me to get really angry, but when I do I usually blow up in a big way, similar to how I yelled at Sasuke the other day.
I also hold grudges, which is why Sasuke and I still haven't spoken to each other. And I can tell you right now, there's no way in hell I'll be speaking to that jerk first.
"Heya, Team 7." Kakashi-sensei chirped brightly as he puffed into existence.
"You're late!" Sakura and Naruto screamed at him. Kakashi-sensei held up his hands in surrender.
"Hey, I'm sorry team, a black cat crossed my path so I had to take the long way around." He excused. Sasuke scoffed and rolled his eyes while Naruto and Sakura loudly berated our sensei.
Actually... understandable. I hate cats. If I were him I probably would've hunted the thing.
"Anyways, I signed you all up for the Chunnin Selection Exams." Kakashi-sensei told us brightly as he handed us each a stack of papers to fill out.
"The Chunnin Selection Exams? What's that?" Naruto asked, predictably.
"You dope." Sakura chided, "It's the exams that determine if you move up in ninja rank and become a Chunnin." I suspected that she had more to say, but she got strangely quite once Kakashi-sensei handed her a packet.
"That must be why so many foreign ninja are in the village." Sasuke muttered.
"Now this is totally optional. If you don't want to take the exam then you don't have to. But if you do want to participate, then go to the location on the front page of the packet at the time it states. Don't feel any pressure, after all, there's always next year." Kakashi-sensei informed us. I nodded and wondered if I wanted to take the exam. I glanced at Sakura and noticed her unusual expression.
It seems Sakura and I are both unsure.
"Oh yeah! I can't wait! There's so many strong guys I want to fight!" Naruto started to shout and dance around, "Like him! And him! And..." suddenly he cut himself off only to randomly glare at Sasuke again.
"Do you think he realizes that he's speaking out loud instead of thinking?" I asked no one in particular.
"Naruto doesn't think." Sasuke replied. For a second, things were normal. Sasuke shot me a smirk and I shared an amused smile.
But then I remembered that he's an ass.
"I wasn't talking to you." I huffed and crossed my arms. He frowned, his eyes growing cold.
"Did you realize you were speaking out loud instead of thinking? Or are you just as stupid as Naruto and don't think at all?" I grit my teeth in anger.
Damn... his comeback was so much better than mine.
"If I take these stupid exams it's purely to wipe the floor with you. If ninja like Garra or Kankuro don't kick your ass you can bet I will." Sasuke glared at me, his cold eyes suddenly lighting with fire.
"You really think you can take me? I'm not the same kid you ambushed at the Uchiha training grounds that one time." We were now facing each other in a heated glare-off.
"You? Change? You've got to be kidding me. You have literally two emotions; impassive and angry. You expect me to believe you're more than a one trick pony?" I spat at him.
"You really think you can take me? Some branch family brat against the Uchiha heir?" my mouth dropped open.
"Too far, Sasuke..." Sakura squeaked quietly from her position on the sidelines.
I took a step back from Sasuke, which was less of a step and more of a stumble. I glanced around to see Sakura and Naruto, for once, totally silent and watching us with mouths agape.
I swallowed harshly and turned back to Sasuke. I opened my mouth to say something, but thought better of it and closed it again. Frozen, I starred at Sasuke for a few moments. Just long enough to watch the fire in his eyes sizzle and die leaving regret in its wake.
Somewhere in the back of my mind a memory echoed.
"Know your place, branch family brat."
"You're right. My apologies." Robotically I bent to perform a deep bow of respect to the Uchiha heir before turning and walking off.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
"Lord Third," Kakashi spoke after bowing his respect to the current Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village, "I've signed up Team 7 for the Chunnin Selection Exams."
The Third Hokage sat calmly at his desk, a cup of tea growing cold in front of him and a lit pipe in his hand. He nodded with a gentle smile at the Jonnin.
"Good, and how has Naruto been doing?" he asked jovially.
"His training has been progressing well. He's actually a lot more impressive than I thought he would be, but I guess I should've expected as much from someone like him." Kakashi couldn't help the endearment from seeping into his tone. The Third Hokage regarded Kakashi curiously.
Like always, he could see right through the Jonnin.
"Naruto isn't the student you wish to speak to me about, is he?" Hiruzen asked. Kakashi shifted his weight nervously.
"No, Lord Hokage..."
"I suspect you don't wish to speak to me about Sasuke, do you?" once again, the Hokage showed an astounding amount of clarity in his vision.
To anyone else the two other students on Kakashi's team, Miyu and Sakura, would've been of no consequence at all. After all, Naruto was the holder of the Nine-Tails and the son of the Fourth Hokage, and Sasuke was the heir to the Uchiha and basically the last of his clan. But Hiruzen had a habit of not overlooking small details.
Sasuke was 'basically' the last of his clan, but he wasn't the last.
Naruto was the holder of the Nine-Tails, but someone else was more of a beast than he.
"Tell me, how has Miyu progressed in your training?" the Third asked with a gentle puff on his pipe.
"She's done well. She's kept up with the boys surprisingly." Kakashi hesitated.
"I'm an old man, Kakashi. Stop beating around the bush and spit it out already, I don't have all the time in the world." Hiruzen joked and Kakashi chuckled nervously before becoming serious.
"... I don't think she's well." That got the Third's attention.
"What do you mean, 'well'?"
"She's the survivor of two massacres. For the first one she was as young as Sasuke and the second she dealt death herself, and yet she smiles and trains with the others. Naruto went through a period of time where he had to process his sadness and find the determination to become a ninja. Sasuke did as well.
Miyu though... I don't even know if she wants to be a ninja. The others have goals, big goals like revenge and respect, but Miyu has no idea what she wants." Kakashi finished wondering if what he said made any sense at all. The Hokage was silent for a time as he mulled over the information.
"I see... so she hasn't processed her loss. She's been bottling up her feelings and thoughts. At this rate she's going to explode... and not in a good way. Is there anything else that makes you believe she's unwell, Kakashi?" Kakashi nodded.
"I don't think she sleeps. At all." Hiruzen blinked, surprised.
"At all? How can she survive without any sleep? Most insomniacs still sleep a few hours every few nights. Are you sure?"
"I think when she first got here she was a normal insomniac, but it's progressed to not sleeping at all. I asked her about it once in passing and she told me it was because she's used to sleeping with her pack and can't sleep alone." Hiruzen raised a skeptical eyebrow.
"It seems neither of us believe this story." Kakashi nodded to the Hokage's response.
"I think it has to do with her repressed emotions. She must've had nightmares when she slept for a few hours a night and somehow progressed to not sleeping at all. The strain on her body is visible, she has dark rings around her eyes now. I just don't understand how her body isn't more fatigued. She trains and progresses just as fast as Naruto and Sasuke."
The two sat in silence, contemplating where the girl got her energy from. Kakashi's eye suddenly widened in shocked realization.
"You don't think... no, it can't be possible. At her age?" Kakashi stuttered out. Hiruzen put down his pipe calmly, the only sign of the Third's shock shown in a small crease between his wrinkled eyes.
"She lived in the woods for five years, her senses and instinct are incredibly advanced. I believe your suspicion is correct, Kakashi. She must be using Nature Chakra, but I don't think she realizes what she's doing.
I want you to talk to Jiraiya when he returns. He's the only one who knows enough about Sage Mode and Nature Chakra to make sense of all this. For now, keep a close eye on the girl, Kakashi. Especially with the Chunnin Exams. I can't help but feel that she's reaching her breaking point soon, and someone of her power breaking will be a terrible loss for us all."
Kakashi nodded and bowed to his Hokage before leaving, his mind much less at ease than when he entered.
THE PLOT THICKENS!
Also... SASUKE WHY ARE YOU SO MEAN????
For those of you currently freaking out, don't worry. Things will get better...!
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