Chapter 18

*Ryuua's POV*

My team and I arrived at the tower with our scrolls only 2 days into the exams. There was this whole summoning thing but blah blah blah, meh, too lazy for this shit.

"Hey, your Seki Ryuua, Itami Takeshi and Torame Ari, right?" A blond girl from Suna approached us after we headed to the hospital to get Ari's injuries checked out.

We ran into down surprise attacks and Ari got slashed with a kunai, moving on anyway.

"Yeah, Temari, right?" I smiled lazily and she just nodded.

"Well, me and my brothers ran into Yuki and her team...." She trailed off looking away and my eyes narrowed.

"What happened to the little brats." Takeshi snapped making me glare at him.

"Sorry bout him Temari, but yeah, what happened?" I looked back to her.

"Well, her two team mates were knocked out and nearly on zero chakra, as for Yuki, she was barely able to blink." She looked hurt and sad as she said it and my eyes widened.

"W-what?! Where is she?!" I asked hurriedly.

"I'll take you to them." She began walking down the halls and I followed.

"Hey! Redhead! We're going to see Tomonae Sensei." Takeshi called while walking away.

We arrived outside their hospital rooms and I saw that Ruka was awake but Umi and Yuki were still sleeping.

A red head with a gourd on his back was sat next to Yuki's bed with his eyes staring off into space. A guy with face paint and a kitty hood was stood against the wall gazing over at us.

"Ruka!" I hugged him and he ruffled my hair.

"Hey, Ryuua, I need air ya know." He chuckled and I let go while rubbing my neck and smiling sheepishly.

"Sorry! Anyway, how are you? What happened? Are the girls okay? Have they woke up yet?" I bombarded him with worried questions and he shook his head while laughing.

"I'm fine, we got ambushed by enemy ninja, the girls are fine too, Yuki woke up an hour ago but fell asleep again from exhaustion, Umi is stable but hasn't woke up yet." He answered my questions in turn before sitting back.

"Good, anyway, what happened in the fight?" I asked while sitting on the end of his bed.

"Well, we got ambushed and we each took on a ninja, Umi ended up getting knocked out and left me and Yuki to fight, after we used almost all of our chakra I was knocked out as well, I don't know what happened after that." He explained and I nodded.

"We arrived and took on the ninja. Yuki was on the brink of exhaustion when we reached her and we brought them back here." The redhead said in his low voice.

"You must be Gaara, and kitty chan over there must be kankuro." I smiled and waved at them.

"What is it with you guys and my nickname." Kankuro threw his hands out for emphasis.

I laughed as I heard running from the hallway. I knew who it was by the growling.

"3....2.....1" I counted sarcastically before the door flew open and a distressed looking Kiba and Hinata came into the room.

Kiba saw Umi then ran to her side and grabbed her hand softly. "Is she okay?" He asks worriedly looking at us all in turn.

"She fine, just sleeping." Ruka told him and he nodded.

"Ry-Ryuua chan, are you okay?" She asked me while walking over. I hugged her lightly and smiled.

"I'm fine, what about you guys?" I pulled away and saw Shino just appear by the door.

"We're fine-" Kiba began but then saw the sand siblings and he paled.

"Um- hi." He looked at Gaara then back to Umi. I shrugged off his strange behaviour but then saw Hinata and Shino acting the same.

"Um, there are only 2 people allowed in here at a time as we need to keep checking on the patients.." A nurse entered the room and I nodded.

"I think we should go, let's leave Ryuua and Kiba here." Temari said and I smiled gratefully at her as the rest of the guys left.

"Jeez Umi, you keeping getting yourself into messes huh?" Kiba chuckled while smiling at the sleeping girl in front of him.

"She fought well and actually took out a ninja." Ruka told him and Kiba grinned.

"That's mah girl." He mused and I laughed.

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*Shikamaru's POV*

My team and I finished the exams and were in the tower. I was looking for Ryuua to see if she wanted to play shogi. We hadn't hung out in a while and I kinda missed that lazy person.

I ran into her on the way down the hallways. She as with two ninja from Suna.

"Shika!" She smiled when she saw me then hugged me lightly before introducing her friends.

"Oh, this is Temari." She motioned to a girl with four buns in her hair.

"Temari this is Shikamaru." She smiled and Temari waved.

"This is kankuro, kankuro this is Shikamaru." She motioned to a guy with a cat hood and purple face paint who just rested and arm on Ryuua's shoulder. I glared for a minute before she rolled her eyes.

"Well isn't someone popular." Temari laughed and Ryuua shook her head.

"Nah, they're not thinking like that." She laughed before kankuro rolled his eyes and I shook my head lazily.

"Anyway, shika what's up?" She asked brushing kankuro's arm off making him pout and making me smirk.

She rolled her eyes and turned back to me. "Just wondered if you wanted a game of shogi." I shrugged and her face lit up.

"Of course shika!" She grinned and then turned to the sand siblings.

"Sorry kitty chan, Temari, I'll see you guys later!" She waved before kankuro whispered something to her and she went a bit red before slapping him playfully.

I raised and eyebrow as we walked up the stairs to the roof.

"It's nothing, he's a bit of a creep but hey he's cool." She smiled and I nodded.

"How did you find the exams?" I asked while we sat down on the roof.

"Oh, well the important thing is we have our health." She nodded matter-of-factly.

I looked at her with that "I know your lying" look and she sighed.

"WeranintoapervandhwsaidhewoildfindmeandAriandgethisway." She said all at once then looked away.

"English Ryuua, English."

"We ran into a perv and he said he would find me and Ari and get his way." She said slower making me looked at her in surprise.

"That total dick!" I cursed and she put a hand on my arm while shaking her head.

"Shika, it's fine."  She smiled and I just softened as she did so.

"I wouldn't let them do anything to you." I told her and she grinned while nodding.

"Oh and kankuro just said something related to that."

"What did he say?"

"He said 'stick with me and that would never happen'" she chuckled and I shook my head.

"Nah I'm the better option." I laughed and she rolled her eyes.

"Yeah yeah okay shikaaa." She sang as we began the game.

"Cheat!" She pointed a finger at me and I rolled my eyes.

"Whatever Ryu." I stood up and a held a hand out to her. She folded her arms and huffed. I smirked and picked her up and put her over my shoulder.

"Shika!!! Put me down Mr.sloth!" She hit my back and I just chuckled while walking to the stairs.

"Pweaseeeeee shikaaaaa." She begged and I gave in to her puppy dog voice. I put her down and she immediately jumped on my back.

"That's better!" She laughed and I sighed.

*Yuki's POV*

I was sitting in the hospital ward at around 12 at night but was bored. So. Damn. Bored!

"I'm stuck self torturing!!" I began signing I'll sleep when I'm dead.

"Don't sing." A voice echoed from the corner of the room.

"Aww, don't you like my signing Gaara chan?" I whined as he stepped out from the corner and made his way over to the seat next to my hospital bed.

"No." He said flatly making me sweat drop.

"Ugh, when will I be able to leave this prison." I fell back with my arm over my face dramatically.

"Tomorrow." He replied while rolling his eyes at my weird actions.

"Hey, Gaara?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks." I smiled and he looked shocked for a moment before nodding.

"I wasn't going to let them get you was I? Besides, you fought well so I was.... Proud I think." He looked a bit confused at his comment and I smiled brightly.

"Thanks Gaara chan! Your a great person." I smiled and his eyes widened a fraction.

"I'm not, I'm a threat, a monster, a weapon." He replied looking to the wall. I frowned at him.

"You not, your Gaara. Yeah so what if the shukaku is inside of you doesn't make that any different, I like you for you. You Gaara chan, not a monster. You just need to believe that yourself. If people say things to you or think your anything less then Gaara then screw them." I told him softly and he just stared at me with his eyes widened. "By the way, Temari and kankuro told me that."

"Yuki..." He started but I hugged him a little before sitting back on the bed.

"Thank you, Yuki." He said and with that he disappeared in a cloud of sand.

"Ugh, well, back to signing." I grinned then took a deep breath.

"INTERNAL CLOCK IN SMITHEREENS!" I sang before collapsing in fits of giggles as Ruka and Umi woke up and death glared me.

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*Umi's POV*

The next day we were all released from hospital and it was lucky as it was the last day of the exam. We made our way to the room where we needed to be told something.

"Ok, we'll all of you have passed the exam. However, there are a few too many for there to go straight into the next exams so we are holding a preliminary round right now." The hokage told us and we all groaned at the news.

"There are many ninja remaining so If anyone would like to back out now then they are free to do so. This will not effect the rest of your team." And with that a few ninja left, including a grey haired ninja called Kabuto who had a scolding from Naruto about it.

"Well there are still 26 ninja remaining so that means 13 fights. I'm now going to hand over to the proctor of he exams." The hokage stated as another ninja appeared.

"My name is *cough* Hayate *cough* I'm your proctor for this part *cough* of the exams. *cough*" the ninja explained while having a coughing fit.

"Sorry about that. Anyway the first fight will be between the two ninja shown on the board over there. The rest of you will need to proceed to the balconies up there." He told us as a screen appears from the wall and showed two ninja names.

I immediately looked over at them as their names where called out.

"The first fight will be between Seki Ryuua and Kora Minami. Will the two ninja step forward and the rat proceed to the balconies."

"Good luck Ryuua!" I smiled and she returned it.

"Kick some ass Ru!" Yuki punched the air and we all laughed.

"Good luck." Everyone wished her luck before we all went up to the balconies to watch the fist preliminary round.

A ninja from the grass village faced Ryuua as Hayate explained the rules.

"Ok, now then, let the first round, Begin!"

Yay! I finally started the prelims and OMG I can't wait!

I have something planned so I hope you like what I have in mind ;)

Anyway, hope you liked this chapter!

Thanks for reading!

I DO NOT OWN NARUTO! :)