*****Okay here is chapter 18. I'm hoping this chapter turns out as well as the last chapter. I have done three chapters, four if your including this one, in the the 9 days since I've returned from vacation. Am I on fire or what? I DON'T OWN NARUTO. I've been forgetting to put that in the last couple of chapters but since I'm pretty sure I've been putting them in about the last 13 chapters or so I'm pretty sure no one is going to sue me over it. Side pic is Akemi (When is it not?). I hope you enjoy this chapter. And I'm eating a pop tart at this very moment. This chapter is dedicated to becky157689 because she's a really good writer that I like.*****
AKEMI"S POV
It's been a week since that really confusing party I threw for everyone. Nobody will tell me what happened, the boys all blush, Hinata faints when I ask, the other girls make an bad fake excuse to be somewhere else, and all the jonin I ask literally just run away. I know something is up when I make Yoga man run away from me. I've stopped bothering to ask since no will confess but I will found out what happened eventually.
On another note, everyone in the third exam is off training with someone. Naruto's first teacher was apparently a closet perv too, just like Glasses. His next teacher was a straight out pervert. Naruto's off training with his 'Pervy Sage' teacher which means I'm locked out of the house until he comes back because I've lost the key to Naruto's place ages ago. Sasuke has Pirate training him new moves because of the curse mark. I could heal Sasuke's mark but him and Pirate said I'm not allowed to even try until after the exams for the safety of my health which is stupid. I somehow have Gramps as my mentor. He made me give back Kukiko since it wasn't an option for me to keep a tiger three times my size Anko now keeps her and lets me visit her from time to time. Anko and I kind of bonded in a sort of crazy demented sister way. Gramps teaching me isn't really teaching really it's just me sitting on the floor in his office reading scrolls he gives me of difficult jutsus. It took half a week for ninjas coming to receive their missions to get used to me lying there now everyone just greets me kindly while quickly reminding me to stop running away, I usually scowl and the person usually laughs. I just recently mastered this jutsu called the flying thunder god technique, you just use your chakra to make a seal of some kind then you can kind of teleport there immediately. When I showed Gramps he just looked at me like I shot him in the head; shocked. I may have done something I wasn't supposed to do. He keeps at least one eye on me now every time I come to study some more scrolls, I probably shouldn't have shown him I could do that jutsu but I do have that seal everywhere around Konoha and can now get into Naruto's apartments when I want to 'borrow' some food or take a shower.
I also somehow became a role model of Konohamaru. Remember him? The little guy who followed Naruto around before and when he and his buddies interviewed us before the second exams. When he comes to attack Gramps, who indeed is a grandpa like I thought the first time I saw him, then usually fails, he talks with me while I'm studying scrolls for a couple hours before he leaves declaring he will defeat his grandfather dramatically. Kono sometimes brings Moegi and Udon with him to talk with me or watch while I work on a new jutsu. They admire me also for unknown apparent reasons to me. I was studying my scrolls like usual one afternoon when I saw two familiar faces pop into Gramps' office. Lee and Ten Ten, because they're not participating in the third exams they do missions like regular, came in carrying a cat that is desperately trying to get out of Lee's grip. A similarly familiar fat women came in swooping the poor kitty out of Lee's hands. "Oh my little wittle Yammy! You scared mommy! She was soo worried! Yes she was! Oh yes she was!" She continued to cuddle the poor silver kitten to do death while continually saying how she loved Yammy and worried her. She soon left. I jumped up from where I was studying.
"Hey! Why does she have another cat!? I thought she just recently lost Tora! I know because I saw that big ass funeral she held for the 'dead' cat just a month ago!" I yelled while putting air quotes around the word dead. I can't believe my clone lasted as long as it did. Since Asuma was babysitting me the week I stole the cat he knows what actually happened. Why he never bothered to tattle on me is a mystery but I don't care as long as he never told. I know because I never got in trouble afterwords.
"Why yes she got a new cat just recently. And how Akemi would you know about Tora passing since the funeral was private?" Gramps asked with a suspicious voice.
"Because I stol-," I caught myself before I let my little dirty deed slip. "I, I mean." I kept fumbling for words unsuccessfully. Finally giving up and just stating, "I just know." Gramps raised an eyebrow probably guessing from my earlier statement what actually happened to the fat lady's cat, Tora. Before he could say anything I pushed the conversation to a different topic. "So Lee How are your injuries sustaining? No after effects are showing up from when I healed you right?" I turned to Lee for a needed distraction. He nodded his head enthusiastically.
"None at all Miss Akemi! Thank you for the help! The power of youth was with me and you as well." he started rambling on about the Spirit of Youth until he ran out the room screaming, "TRAINING!!!"
Ten Ten sighed then thanked me again for healing Lee which I told her was no problem. She winked at me, "Tora's definitely 'resting in peace' huh." I smiled mischievously.
"Of course." Gramps sighed but didn't say anything else. She laughed before leaving to go after Lee. I finished looking at the scrolls for today. I put them back in my own little space I made in the corner to look at for tomorrow. I waved bye to Gramps then walked out of the building. I was walking towards the convenience store to buy some dinner thinking about how I'll get someone to spill what happened at the party to me when I suddenly bumped into someone. I took a step back from the impact then looked up to see a certain red haired boy.
"Oh hello Gaara," I smiled at him, "it's nice to see you." He nodded his head in return. "What are you doing here right now?" I asked curious why.
"I was looking for you." He stated calmly. That surprised me.
"Me? Why?" He grabbed something out of a bag he was carrying handing it straight out to me.
"Here." I looked down to see a jar of honey, I took it in my hand. Before I could question why he was giving me honey he talked. "You must be angry at me for not bringing honey to your celebration. I'm sorry for the trouble it may have caused." He said stoically then left before I could get a word in edgewise.[author: Oh Gaara, you and your anti social ways.] I stood there confused. There it was again, something happened at that party that I don't know about. Why would I be mad if he didn't bring honey to the party? I didn't even know he came to the party plus I was out the entire time so why would I be mad at him at all. I stood there for probably five whole minutes staring at the jar of honey Gaara gave me. Finally I decided to continue to walk completely forgetting about dinner. It was evening. I arrived there still thinking about the jar. I looked up to see Shika walking around. I walked over to him.
"Hey Shika?"
"Hn?" He was just looking up at the sky not really concentrating on anything in particular. Shika tends to think about things a lot when he's alone. Others think he's really lazy, which he is, but he's really smart and thinks about a lot of things.
"Gaara just gave me a jar of honey for no apparent reason. He said it had something to do with the party, do you know what he's talking about?" Whatever Shika was thinking about was out of his mind now. I noticed he stiffened when I said 'honey'. I smiled. ~Finally! A reaction~ "You do know what he meant! You can tell me what happened at the party while I was knocked out! Tell me!" I exclaimed excited.
"Nothing you need to worry about happened at the party, Akemi." He didn't sound very convincing. He wouldn't look me in the eye, his fingers twitched, and he looks too natural. Someone else might not notice but I've been able to pick up these signs that show when Shika is lying about something. He over thinks things too much so he always tries to act like there's nothings wrong.
"Your lying! I want to know what everyone won't tell me." I demanded.
Shika sighed showing that he was getting irritated. "Troublesome woman." He mumbled under his breathe. I couldn't take it. I tackled Shika and we both ended up rolling down a hill until we stopped. I groaned lightly, it hurt a little more than I expected, it didn't hurt badly just more than I thought it would. My back was on the grass and I felt a weight ontop of me so Shika probably got rolled onto me. I opened my eyes to see what I predicted true. Shika groaned also opening his eyes the same time as me. We both stared at each other for a really long time.
"Um, I....I," I couldn't finish my sentence. My heart started racing, my thoughts became fuzzy, I was starting to breathe faster. I didn't know what to do, I felt like I was sick but it felt different. I kind of enjoyed this feeling for some reason. I don't know what's wrong with my brain. I sound so stupid, I bet I am sick for all I know. Why else would my heart be beating this rapidly unless I was sick. Shika didn't say anything. His cheeks were flushed lightly and he was looking at me with this look I couldn't describe. He started getting closer to my face inch by inch. I was pulled out of my daze when I sensed something sharp coming at us quickly. I pulled Shika down to ground by the front of his shirt and rolled us both to the left. "Look out!" Right on cue a chain with a pointed knife on the end of it came flying at where we were 5 seconds ago. If we hadn't moved we would've been dead and I would like to remain alive, thank you very much. A ninja covered in camouflage came out of the bushes right towards us still trying to attack. He retracted his chain then threw a bunch of shuriken at Shika effectively pinning Shika to a nearby tree. I looked over my shoulder to where Shika was turning to run to him when I felt something wrap around my waist.
"Akemi, look out!" Shika called out. I looked down to see the enemy ninja's chain around me pulling me towards him. Thinking quickly I threw the jar of honey Gaara gave me at the unknown ninja. The jar broke on contact hitting the ninja on his head. He fell backwards landing in an awkward pose on the ground with his face kissing the ground and his legs and arms sticking up in the air twitching every now and then. The chains around me me fell, I licked some honey that was on my hand. It was sweet.
"Thank you, Gaara." I ran over to Shika untangling him from the tree. We both turned towards the enemy ninja only to see Pirate nonchalantly standing next to the ninja with his own chains wrapped around him. "Pirate aren't you supposed to be training Sasuke?" He looked up from his disgusting book and gave me his signature closed-eyed smile.
"It's my turn to guard this week Akemi." I huffed. I went over to the ninja who was extremely pissed and extremely sticky. I poked him in the head with a stick to see if he was still unconscious. Who knew it only took a jar of honey to knock out a fully grown man/ninja, cause now I do. I kept jabbing his head with a stick until he woke up and started growling at me. I poked him again anyway just to annoy him. He started rumbling like a volcano until he erupted breaking the chains vanishing from our sight but not before I saw the Himura village symbol on a scrap of cloth tied to his clothes. My entire body went cold. Pirate and Shika were looking around for wherever the ninja disappeared to. I pretty much put two and two together of why that ninja attacked me; Father wants me to go back to the village. Anyone else would be overjoyed if they heard the news but I knew my Father. If he wanted me back it's only because he needs me for something that will benefit him and end terribly for me. Father detests me, anything he needs of me won't be something I would like in any way. He must've hired rouge ninja's to get me by force because he knows I would never go back willingly.
"-kemi, Akemi!" I snapped my head up to see Pirate looking at me concerned along with Shika. I started walking away from them mumbling no repeatedly. "Akemi! What are you doing?" I turned to Pirate.
"I have to get out of Konoha. He's looking for me, I need to go before he sends more." I was talking more to myself than anyone else.
"Who Akemi?" Shika asked me sounding really concerned but I didn't really care at the moment. I just needed to leave quickly.
"My Father! He's after me for some reason! I need to leave. I can't go back to that village! He's probably already has some new ones coming after me." I was starting to panic. I walked farther until someone grabbed my wrist. I turned around to see a confused Shika.
"Don't go, we could protect you." I shook my head.
"No my Father always gets his way. He can make connections. I don't know why he's after me now though! It's been 5 years since I last saw him, why does he want me now!?" I was starting to hyperventilate. My Father is the only subject that could ever make me freak out so much and not think straight. Pirate came up next to me and then surprised me. He hugged me.
"It's okay. He's not going to get you. You have friends here who like you. And you like them back. They would protect you. If you stay here I guarantee your father won't come after you." I calmed down a little and started thinking. I have friends here, the people are always happy, I'm happy here. Maybe staying in one place from now on wouldn't be so bad. I liked the people here and for once I think they liked me also. My breathes were more even now. I was thinking again. If I really think about it I've been really stupid. I nodded my head slowly.
"Okay." Pirate let go of me. "I'll stay. I guess it's time for me to stay in one place for once." Pirate smiled at me then ruffled my hair. I didn't knock his hand away for once. I am now a willing citizen of Konoha. And as my first act of citizenship, a light bulb went off above my head. I started running in the right direction.
"Akemi? Where are you going now?" Shika called. I turned around for a second and gave them a wicked smile.
"I'm going to go rescue a silver kitten."