*month later*
The finals of the Chunin Exams were starting tomorrow, so there was a festival to celebrate. Shikamaru wasn't thrilled about it as we walked around the festival.
"Ugh I really don't want to fight tomorrow." He complained.
"You'll be okay. You're smart and you've been training this whole time with Asuma and Choji." I chuckled. He looked at me out of the corner of his eye. It was hard to tell with the lights, but I swore I thought he was blushing.
"Want some?" He asked, handing a bag of popcorn over.
"No thanks, I need to watch what I eat still. Though my bones have healed, my lungs still aren't completely." I explained.
"Right sorry." I shook my head.
"Its alright." We walked around in silence for a little longer before turning to head back to the house. "Wait!" I blurted out suddenly.
"What?"
"Can we go to the river? I heard there's going to be fireworks." He chuckled at my kid-like attitude.
"Sure, but only for a little bit. We have to get a good night's rest."
"Yeah, yeah you just want to go and sleep."
~
When we got to the river, no one else was there. The fireworks were starting, so we sat down on the grass.
"Wow! It's beautiful!" I smiled in awe.
"Yeah, you are." I heard through the loud popping.
"Wait what?" I asked, looking over to him.
"Huh?"
"What did you just say?" I pressed.
"That they're pretty." He stated blankly. I was confused because I knew I heard him right.
"Okay..." I muttered, looking back at the fireworks. I could see him looking at me out of the corner of my eye. I didn't say anything as we went on watching the show. After the show ended we went back to the house. Shikamaru's father stumbling in drunk while his mother screamed profanities at him. We walked past and separated at my room. I looked up at the ceiling as I laid down. My mind wandering back to what Shikamaru said. Did he say I was beautiful? Or was I imagining this? My eyes started to droop as sleep came to me. The next morning I woke up early with Shikamaru. We ate breakfast and headed over to the arena.
"Good luck." I smirked as he went to walk out onto the field.
"Thanks." He smiled back. I went to sit with Choji in the stands, who was already opening a bag of potato chips.
"Hey." He smiled as I sat down.
"hey, already stuffing your face?" I joked.
"Got to have something to eat for a good match." I chuckled.
"Right you are my friend." He handed me the bag. I took a couple to munch on as the first match started. "Naruto vs. Neji." I whispered, placing a hand over my chest.
"You going to be alright?" Choji asked worried.
"Yeah, just wondering how this will play out."
~
Ultimately Naruto won, which surprised everyone. Sakura was beside us cheering. This brought Sasuke's words back to me.
Thank you for saving Sakura.
Did he like her? I knew before our clan was killed he would always ask Itachi how to talk to a girl with a red ribbon in her hair. Sakura immediately turned downward as they postponed Sasuke's match because he wasn't here yet.
"Don't worry Sakura." I stated, she looked at me. "He'll be here. Sasuke isn't one to back down from a fight. He has Uchiha blood in him after all." I smiled, which made her lighten up a bit.
"Thanks, Amaya."
"No worries." The next match was supposed to be Shino versus Kankuro, one of the Sand Village Genin, but Kankuro quickly forfeited the match. "That's weird..." I muttered. Shikamaru's match was next, Naruto shoving him out of the viewing area and on to the ground. Temari charged him before the match was officially started. She was strong and smart just like him. "Shikamaru, you can do it." I whispered.
"Worried?" Asuma asked, appearing next to us.
"N-no!" I stammered. "Just don't want him to make our squad look bad." I lied.
"Sure." He looked at me with a smirk before going to sit next to Kurenai as my attention went back to the match. He was using his jacket to extend his shadow, Temari lept away when she took notice, but he was leading her towards the hole that Naruto had made during his fight with Neji. I smirked.
"Its over." I stated, Choji and Sakura looking at me confused.
"How---?" Sakura started, but watched as Shikamaru used the hole to get the shadow to connect with hers from behind. Though everyone was stunned when he gave up.
"Typical Shikamaru." Choji and I sighed.
~
Finally, Sasuke appeared with Kakashi.
"Let's see what you've learned, Sasuke." Gaara and him started their match, when Naruto and Shikamaru rushed up telling Kakashi to stop the match. I could see something unnerved him. "What's the matter?" I asked. My body shook as I felt the ruby reacting to that fear. It had the ability to sense the presence of demonic chakra, it had been used to seal demons away in the past. My chest flared up in pain. I gasped, clutching the area. Everyone looked at me surprised.
"What's wrong?" Choji asked when he noticed the pain on my face. I didn't say anything just stared down at Sasuke. Gaara had encased himself in sand. A hole had been made by the Chidori and I watched in horror as a demonic arm came out.
"That's---" I started, but broke off as an explosion by the Hokage and Kazekage happened. I could sense the genjutsu starting to put the others in the arena asleep, I used my release as the other Jonin began fighting.
"Amaya, help Sakura!" Asuma called out to me as she went to wake up Naruto and Shikamaru. I quickly followed and glared at Shikamaru, who wasn't under the genjutsu, just pretending to be.
"You better get your stupid ass up!" I yelled in his ear, making him sit up immediately.
"Go after Sasuke." Kakashi demanded. I grabbed Shikamaru's arm as Sakura grabbed Naruto. We jumped out of the hole in the wall.
"So what's the plan?" Naruto demanded as we followed one of Kakashi's ninja hounds. I noticed several ninjas watching us and once we passed I noticed them following.
"We better come up with something, we're being followed." I explained. They all looked at me.
"Are you sure?" I gave a firm nod.
"Then let's come up with something." Sakura stated. I looked back, I couldn't see them, but I knew they were still following us. I stopped abruptly.
"What is it, Amaya?" Shikamaru asked.
"You guys go on ahead. I'll take care of our 'friends'." I turned back the way we came.
"You can't do that alone!" Sakura exclaimed.
"Maybe, but if we don't do anything they'll catch up and we'll lose our chance to catch up and help Sasuke." I was about to jump when Shikamaru grabbed my wrist.
"I'm going with you."
"Suit yourself." And we headed back the way we came. Shikamaru had faked the footprints to lead them away from Sakura and Naruto.
"You have more chakra than I do. You think you'll be able to knock them out before my shadow possession wears off?"
"Is that a challenge?" I smirked.
"Something like that." He smiled back.
"Alright but you owe me one."
"If we survive this I'll take you out wherever you want."
"Is that a date?"
"Depends if you want it to be."
"I'll get back to you on that." I jumped into the trees to hide from them as they appeared a moment later. I saw the last ninja, hiding in a tree nearby. I awakened my Sharingan, making the hand signs for my genjutsu. I quickly grabbed him, to keep him from falling.
"Look guys, can't we just call it even?" Shikamaru's shadow possession was wearing off.
"Come out and take his head off!" The leader of the group demanded of I'm sure the hidden ninja I had taken out. I appeared behind Shikamaru, holding the limp body of their comrade.
"Aww, did you mean this guy?" I mocked, dropping him to the ground.
"Why you little---" I cracked my knuckles.
"Alright boys, let's dance!" I charged them, kicking two of them into each other. I moved effortlessly as they attacked left and right. I grabbed one of each of the guys' arms and slammed them against one another, they collided heads before collapsing tp the ground. Two remained. They charged me, knifes ready to strike. I moved, feeling a sting in my cheek.
"You're not untouchable, runt!" The leader went to punch me when Asuma appeared punching both men in the stomach.
"Asuma?!" Shikamaru and I exclaimed.
"You two did well." He praised as he rounded up the men, tying them up. My Sharingan faded as I dropped to my knees panting.
"Amaya?" Shikamaru came and sat beside me. "You alright?"
"Yeah and you owe me that date." I smirked.
"Yeah, looks like I do." We relaxed until everything seemed to be over. Upon returning to the village, we saw it was a mess, but still standing.
"How's your cheek?" Asuma asked, he had bandaged it before we headed back.
"There are much worse injuries I could've sustained." I smiled.
"Very true. You two should go and see if there's anything you can do to help out. I'm sure the citizens are shaken up right now." He explained, vanishing to go somewhere else. We went around helping citizens get their belongings from their crumbled homes, playing with the children to help cheer them up and overall, just trying to boost the morale of the people. Along the way we heard that Lord Third had passed away fighting against Orochimaru.
"I can't believe, Lord Third is gone..." I whispered as we headed back to the Nara household, which had thankfully survived the attack.
"Yeah...Asuma won't be thrilled." I looked at him, rolling my eyes. He always had a weird way of explaining death.
"He'll be devastated, though he won't show it. He was family." I better explained.
"Yeah..." Mr. Nara was standing there nonchalantly like nothing had happened at all.
"Hey dad." Shikamaru muttered.
"Where have you two been?"
"Just helping the citizens and children. Asuma told us to." I explained to him.
"I see. Amaya, Asuma told me you were having chest pains before the match was interrupted. What was it?" He asked me suddenly.
"Its..." I trailed off.
"The ruby then."
"Yes."
"Do you know what was wrong?"
"It can sense demonic chakra...Gaara, that chakra or whatever it was that was inside of that sand. It was reacting to that."
"I see..."
"That's really all I can tell you, I really don't know that much about it other than demonic chakra has a reaction to it. I never knew it would cause pain."
"I wish Lady Tsunade was here. She could check the condition of your body with the ruby inside." I had heard the name before, but I didn't know much else other than she was an amazing healer as a sannin. "Is there any pain now?"
"No, none."
"Then for now we should be glad that it didn't have a lasting side effects."
"Right..." Shikamaru looked at me as I felt the nerves coming. He was freaking me out with all this talk about bodily health. Was the ruby doing something to me internally? Was I dying because it was inside of me?
"Dad, chill. Can't you see you're freaking her out?" Shikamaru glared at him. His dad didn't say anything just walked inside the house. I followed with Shikamaru, feeling the nerves growing from the lack of response.
"Are you hungry?" Mrs. Nara asked.
"No thank you. I would just like to go to bed and rest." I muttered and walked past them into my bedroom, where I laid down for the day.
Its been a long ass day...