Monster

Monster.

Death.

These words and more swam through Kurami’s mind.

For one, she had no idea what was going on.

Why was her mom crying all the time? Where did her dad go?

And now she was being taken away? But why?! What did she do wrong?

“It’s no good for you to be here, Kurami.” Her uncle would say, but her uncle said a lot of things. A lot of things to other people that made no sense.

“My sister. She can’t take care of Kurami. Not in her state.”

Kurami walked behind her uncle. Her stuffed bear in hand, the one her father gave her. Her uncle spoke in a low, soothing voice.

“You’ll like it in Konoha. You’ll have a good life there.”

They were passing the Kazekage building. A skim of red caught her eye.

“Gaara?” She whispered.

The young boy was sitting down on a step, staring straight at Kurami with upsetting eyes.

Kurami smiled feebly. She hadn’t seen him since the day her mother pulled her away. The last day she saw her father.

She lifted her hand up, as if to wave goodbye. Gaaras’ mouth turned up slightly, but he brooded once again, glaring down at his feet.

Kurami felt her own smile fade. She glanced away from her best friend; she could feel the tears welling in her eyes.

Shukaku.

It came as a whisper at first. Kurami gave a quick look to where Gaara was, but he was gone. Instead there was a demonic looking being standing tall on the foot of the steps, sneering at her.

Shukaku.

It came louder this time. Kurami felt frightened. She sped up to where her uncle was, but he had disappeared. She looked back to the creature; he was closer to her now.

Shukaku.

Kurami tried to run, but her feet wouldn’t move. She remained tranquil, searching for an escape as the demon came closer and closer.

Kurami shut her eyes, praying for it to go away. She felt nothing, no impact on attack, no hard breathing. Nothing.

Her eyelids slowly opened. She was face to face with, not a monster, but her best friend Gaara.

Gaara smiled at her, a soft warm smile, a smile that reached his eyes. He held out his small hand to her. She felt safe. She placed her hand in his.

In one split second, Gaara changed. Altering into a demonic sand being. Kurami tried to scream, her throat was dry, as if the very sand under her feet was caught in her throat.

‘Gaara! No!’ She kept saying in her head. ‘No!’

“NO!”

Kurami shot up into a sitting position. She hugged herself, breathing heavily. She quickly glanced around; she was in a small room, her bedroom. She was safe and sound.

Kurami let out a sigh of relief.

“It was just a dream.” She laid a hand to her chest, feeling the hard pounding of her heart. “Just a dream.”

But it wasn’t just a dream. It was a memory, a reminiscence she kept dreaming about since she moved to Konoha.

Of course, everything was a memory until she started hearing the eerie whisper of ‘Shukaku’.

She shook the thoughts out of her head. Kurami didn’t like thinking about the past, thinking about her father, her mother. Gaara.

“May-chan!”

Kurami jumped at the sudden voice. She looked to her door; it was just her cousin, grinning at her, peering from the door.

“You up?” Her cousin asked.

“I am now Sayumi.” Kurami replied, throwing the blankets off of her, revealing the black pajamas she was wearing.

“Well good,” Sayumi smiled, “Hurry and get ready! I won’t be late because of you!”

Kurami walked past Sayumi towards the bathroom. “Late to the Academy? Are we ever?” Kurami joked.

Sayumi rolled her eyes, “Oh yeah, we’re never late. That’s why Iruka just loves yelling at us. Because we’re never late.”

Kurami was in the bathroom, looking at herself in the mirror. She was a mess in the morning. Her short black hair sticking out in all directions. There were dark circles under her eyes from the ‘nightmares’, and the fact that her eyes were half open didn’t help. She had splashed water on her face, now drying it off.

“Wait. Don’t we get put into our teams today?”

Sayumi rolled her eyes yet again, “Exactly. That’s why you need to hurry up!” Sayumi walked away from her cousin on that note.

Kurami let out a sigh. “Today is going to be a long day.”

Kurami and Sayumi walked into the academy building together and into Iruka’s room. The room was bustling. The excitement of getting put into teams was intensifying to everyone.

They sat in the furthest seat from the front of the room. Ending up sitting at a table next to a chubby kid they called Chouji and his friend Shikamaru who seemed to always be sleeping.

Sayumi rolled her eyes and opened her mouth to say something when the entrance door slammed open with a loud BANG.

“Move it billboard brow, I was here first!”

“No I was, Ino-pig!”

Kurami sighed at the two girls’ belligerence. “They’re so annoying.”

Sayumi nodded, “I don’t know what I’d do if I got teamed up with either of them.”

The two girls, known as Sakura and Ino, eventually got out of the doorway and walked to their separate seats. Of course, not before drooling over the raven haired guy who was sitting alone, brooding to himself. Not that they were the only ones swooning over him.

“Poor Sasuke. The kid never gets a break from his fan girls.” Sayumi said dryly.

At that moment, a short blonde boy in an orange jump suit scampered towards Sasuke and Sakura. Not that anyone paid any attention to him. No one seemed to like Naruto all too much.

Kurami on the other hand had full thoughtfulness towards the boy. Naruto joked around a little too often. People may have ignored him and criticized him, but he always had a smile plastered on his face. But when Kurami saw him, she saw great sadness. He reminded her of someone. Someone she didn’t like to think about a lot.

“Naruto! Hey stop staring at Sasuke!” Sakura’s annoying voice seemed to bounce off the walls.

Kurami scrunched her eyes together, her ears feeling irritated by the noise.

At that moment, Sayumi busted out into a laughing fit. Kurami’s eyes shot open at her cousins’ outburst, and then she saw what she was amused by.

Naruto and Sasuke were…kissing?!

The two boys pulled apart quickly, grasping their necks and spitting as if they were choking.

“Oh I can’t believe that just happened!” Sayumi said once she caught her breath. Kurami let out a small laugh.

Most of the girls in the class surrounded Naruto, glaring daggers at him.

Sayumi leaned over to Kurami, “May-chan, they’re just mad because Naruto was Sasuke’s first kiss and not them.” Kurami nodded in agreement.

Thankfully, Iruka walked in before the girls could pound on Naruto.

“As of today, you are all ninjas. To get here you’ve faced difficult trials and hardships. But that’s nothing. What comes next will be far more difficult.” Kurami nodded to this, she knew this was just the beginning. But she was so looking forward to being a ninja. Iruka continued, “Now you are only genin, first level ninjas. All the genin will be grouped into three man squads, led by a jounin, an elite ninja. Though this year we have an uneven amount of genin, so there will be one squad with four. We want each squad to have a balance of strengths and abilities, so that’s how we set them up. I will now announce the squads…”

‘This is it.’ Kurami thought, she felt herself tense up, though she was extremely excited.

“Squad 7…Naruto Uzamaki, Sakura Haruno, Sasuke Uchiha and Sayumi Maruyama.”

Murmurs erupted around the room. “What?!” Sayumi blushed; she was the odd man out?

Iruka hushed the room, “Yes, squad 7 is our first ever four man squad.

“Next, squad 8…Hinata Hyuga, Kiba Inuzuka, Shino Aburame.”

Kurami caught sight of Ino glaring at Sakura, and her cousin. Kurami tapped Sayumi’s shoulder and nudged her head towards Ino.

“How did you get into his group?!” Ino growled.

Sayumi cocked her brow, “By he you mean…?”

Ino looked furious, “You know who I mean, Sasuke!”

“I don’t get it.” Shikamaru cut in, he just so happened to get unlucky and have Ino sit next to him. “What do you see in a guy like that? He’s not so special.”

Kurami nodded her head in agreement, though no one noticed.

“You are so beyond clueless Shikamaru. Don’t you get it?” Ino answered.

Shikamaru looked annoyed, “No I don’t get it. Cause I’m not a girl.”

“Jealousy’s a terrible thing. I’d hate to be on your squad.”

Iruka continued, “Now squad 10…Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara…”

Kurami and Sayumi giggled to themselves.

“Did you say something about hating to be on my squad?” Shikamaru teased.

“And Choji Akimichi.” Iruka continued. Ino groaned.

Iruka sustained, “Next, squad 11…Akio Kenta,”

Kurami looked around the room for the boy, she found him as he high fived some other guy. She recognized him, though she never really talked to him. Sayumi often referred to him as cocky.

“Kurami Mayonaka, and Shin Taro.”

Sayumi nudged Kurami, smirking. Shin Taro was probably the second hottest guy, besides Sasuke Uchiha.

“And those are all the squads.” Iruka finished.

Naruto stood up, “Iruka-sensei. Why does a great ninja like me have to be in the same group with a slug like Sasuke?”

Kurami could hear Sayumi stifle a laugh.

“Sasuke had the best scored of all the graduating students, along with Sayumi. Naruto, you had the worst scores. To create a balance, we put the best students with the worst student.”

“Huh?” Kurami heard Sayumi say and glanced at her, “I didn’t know I had the highest score.” Kurami smiled, she knew her cousin was bound to be a great kunoichi.

“Just make sure you don’t get in my way,” Sasuke spoke quietly, but everyone could hear what he spoke to Naruto, “Loser.”

Naruto growled, “Hey, what did you say!?!”

“Hard of hearing?” Sasuke retorted.

Kurami couldn’t help but roll her eyes as everyone else laughed.

“Knock it off Naruto, sit down!” Sakura shouted, that annoyed Kurami even more.

“Ahem,” Iruka got everyone’s attention, “After lunch, you’ll meet your new jounin teachers, until then class dismissed.”

“So,” Sayumi stood up, “I cannot say I am too pleased with my team.” Kurami began to follow her out the door.

At that moment, Sasuke Uchiha passed by. He obviously heard Sayumi and ‘hm’-ed before he continued to walk out the room.

She scowled, “Yup, I’m definitely not pleased. But I wonder if my dad is our jounin teacher? That would make things better.”

Kurami shrugged, “I like my team, I think. Maybe I could get to know them, during lunch.”

“Aww, you’re going to leave me?” Sayumi sighed.

Kurami shrugged, “I’m sure Naruto or Sakura would be happy to have lunch with you.” Kurami quickly glanced around, trying to find her new comrades.

“I suppose, but I won’t be happy.” Sayumi walked off, in the direction Naruto was heading.

Kurami caught a glance of dark brown hair, it was Akio. She sped up her pace until she was right beside him, Shin also happened to be with him. They were both sitting just outside of the academy, under one of the many huge trees in Konoha.

“Hey.” She tried to sound cheery. Akio grinned and said hi. Shin just bit into his rice ball. “I was wondering if we could get to know each other. Since we’re teammates and all.”

Akio nodded, “That’s a good idea. I’m Akio Kenta, but I think you already knew that. I have to say, between the two of you, I so got the brawns!”

Kurami smirked but said nothing.

“Is that so?” Shin said in a low voice. Kurami never heard him talk before, he definitely sounded intimidating, but also soothing and just hot. She blushed lightly at her thoughts.

“Yeah! I mean, I know you Taro, you’re smart so you’ve got the brains.” Akio tried to explain.

Shin just shrugged his comment off and continued to eat his lunch.

“But you, Mayonaka, what do you have?”

Kurami thought for a while. What did she have to put into this team? She thought about her father, though it hurt to think of him, it helped. Kurami settled with one word.

“Willpower?”