The Blood in our Veins

Popsicle Sticks

My team consisted of Sasuke, Naruto, and . . . Sakura. That bitch.

She was the friend who lied to me, who basically ignored me to join others of her own kind: stalkers. Creepy girls who followed Sasuke and fought over the seat beside him. To say the least, I was not amused.

Naruto was good, i'm glad I'm on the same team with him, although I worried how far I can get with him holding the team back, I knew he was not very skilled or smart, but I had faith that he would improve. Sasuke was even better, I knew his motives and how he would fair.

Sakura was probably going to be the one to hold our team back the most, if nobody else. As long as she didn't mess with me, I was going to try my best to ignore her and only save her when absolutely necessary.

Right now we were sitting in the classroom we had been in for more than a year, the Academy. Waiting for our new Sensei to walk into the doors Naruto had just placed an eraser between and Sakura was complaining about. I honestly never got the reason to whine as much as she did, why did we used to be friends again?

Ah yes, because I was alone and she was alone, a perfect mixture of lonely people.

I was surprised when I walked into the classroom this morning to see Naruto with a ninja headband, seeing as he'd failed the exam, but he just smiled at me proudly, making me only smile back. When I asked about it, he only told me Iruka had given it to him, and I accepted the answer without question, knowing we would talk about it later.

Our sensei walked in a few minutes later, sporting gravity defying silver hair and a mask that covered all but one of his eyes, his leaf headband covering the other. I needed no introduction, this was Kakashi Hatake, the Copy cat Ninja. Numerous occasions had brought us together, something I called fate.

"My first impression of you all . . . you're idiots," I giggled softly because I knew that was not how he viewed me, he'd told me the exact opposite once, when I saved his life during a particularly difficult mission. He trained with my parents and I, giving us tips and helping our training in the Anbu.

"Let's go up to the roof for introductions."

I wonder if I would get special treatment because he knew me? I hoped not, I got enough of that from all of the villagers and the Hokage. They treated me as if a gem that needed to be kept clean and shiny from all the violence and evil in the world, not something that was possible when you were a ninja. But they tried, and I tried to keep the villagers happy. So I guess we were doing the same thing to each other.

"Mitsu!" I looked up suddenly from where I had been leaning against the wall, smearing what was written on the whiteboard. Sasuke stood in front of me, the other having left for the roof where Kakashi waited. I had zoned out once again.

"I'm sorry Sasuke, I must've zoned out again."

"Hn," The ever emotional Sasuke hummed, making me smile at his apathy. The weirdo had told me everything of his past, and I had tried my best to comfort him when I could, stopping by his house some nights to get him some home cooked food, just as I did with Naruto.

I bounced off the wall and pulled my black sweater back down, stretching the wrinkles out and laying it nicely against my black cargo pants. Of which held all manner of things a ninja might need on their adventures, weapons, scrolls, candy, dried pineapple, toys, my brother's old pacifier, a nail, a screw, some pain killers, smoke bombs, and a feather from this morning's stroll to school. I collected things and kept them in the pockets of my three cargo pants, the others held even stranger items.

Taking a lollipop out and popping it into my mouth I followed Sasuke up the stairs and to the roof where the other three were already sitting. I took to standing, leaning against a poll so I could face everyone and sucking the watermelon flavor off the nasty white stick.