Frozen Past (A Naruto FanFic/Gaara Love Story)

First Challenge: No Cheating

I meet up with my team outside the Academy, five days after Kurenai Sensei told us we'd be taking the Exams.

Hinata looks petrified.

Kiba looks like he's trying not to explode from excitement.

Shino... is Shino.

And Kurenai Sensei is smiling.

"I'm glad the four of you are here," she says. I raise an eyebrow questioningly. She winks at me. "If the four of you hadn't shown up together, you wouldn't have been allowed in."

My eyebrows shoot to my hairline in shock, and Kiba nearly falls over. All Hinata does is let out a nervous squeak.

"But you didn't say that before!" I insist, feeling slightly betrayed.

"If I had told you, poor little Hinata would have felt pressured to join in because of the three of you," Kurenai Sensei points out. My shoulders droop as I look at my blue-haired teammate. I know how frightened of these Exams she is. I'm really not sure as to what she would have done if told only the four of us could participate. I would have felt awful if she only came with us so she wouldn't let us down.

"We didn't put any pressure on you, did we Hinata?" Kiba asks worriedly, while Akamaru whimpers from atop his head, staring down at Hinata with a sad puppy-dog expression on his adorable face. She hurriedly shakes her head. "N-No, you all were very reassuring! I c-came here b-because I really think we can m-make it!"

Kiba and I brighten immediately, choosing to, at the exact same moment, tackle-hug Hinata. We all end up on the ground, practically crushing Hinata into a pancake.

Oops.

"Sorry," Kiba and I mutter, helping Hinata to her feet. She smiles slightly, blushing. "It's ok," she says soflty, waving us off.

"Now that we've got that out of the way," Kurenai continues, snapping all of our attentions back to her. "The first part of the Exam will take place on the third floor. Some other teams should already be up there. Good luck."

She's gone in an instant, swallowed up by a puff of smoke, leaving us alone.

"I was talking to Masaki the other night," I begin as we go inside. The four of us have been doing some solo training, and I haven't had the chance to tell hem yet.

"Did he tell you anything about the Exams?" Kiba asks.

"Well, nothing specific. Just that... we have reason to be scared. Really scared."

"Sounds promising," Kiba mutters, reaching up to pat Akamaru.

I shrug. "Let's just relax. Well, not relax relax. That'll get us killed--"

I ignore Hinata's sharp gasp.

"--but we shouldn't freak out. We don't know what we're going to face, so we have to just accept what comes. Right?"

"Wise words, Akari," Shino says from behind me. I send him a smile. "Of course, Shino! I'm not team leader for nothing."

"TEAM LEADER?!" Kiba shouts indreculously.

Right. Next. To. My. Ear.

"SO WHAT?" I shout in his face. "AND STOP SCREAMING!"

He pouts at me, arms folded across his chest, turned slightly towards the wall. "I'm team leader," he mumbles, sounding like the child I know he is on the inside.

"A-Actually, K-Kiba," Hinata stutters nervously. "K-Kurenai Sensei is t-team l-leader."

She doesn't like it when we argue, which doesn't happen between me and Kiba all that often. It's usually more Kiba and Shino who do the arguing. Well, Kiba argues, Shino replies calmly and somewhat rationally, which only sets Kiba off more.