Decaying Bluebells

Arc XV - Shame

Disclaimer: Naruto isn't mine. Nao so is, though.

Warning: Fighting. Drama. Angst? Eh. Sure. Angst if you squint.

Beta: Kalafina94

Beta: silverseed

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Interlude - Omniscient - 14

Chōji munched on some chips as he followed behind Asuma. Ino and Nao were behind him, along with Kurenai's team. The two teams were on their way to the Mist Chūnin Exams. Nao seemed particularly nervous about the ordeal, which Chōji could understand. It was a nerve-wracking thing. It was one thing to take lethal exams in your home village, but quite another to do so in foreign territory. And while Mist had extended a peaceful invitation to all the villages, it was still scary.

Although when Chōji later asked Nao what made this exam so nerve-wracking, she said it wasn't the exam at all, but rather the place.

He could understand that. Mist didn't earn the title The Bloody Mist by picking daisies, did they?

Ino chattered happily to Hinata and her sister, exaggerating some of the gossip she had picked up in Konoha. Hinata politely listened, smiling encouragingly, while Nao nodded her head and fluttered around.

The journey to Mist was long and relatively uneventful. When they reached the village, a couple of Mist Jōnin greeted them, having them sign some paperwork before they escorted them to their hotels.

The teams bunked together, as protocol. Asuma was outside of their room, on the rooftop, taking a smoke, while Chōji, Ino, and Nao huddled around each other on the floor.

"Tomorrow begins the exams," Chōji commented.

Ino's eyes took a spark to them. "I can't wait to show off what I've learned since the last exam! This time we aren't the rookies!"

"Actually, we still are," Nao pointed out tentatively. "Us and Hinata-chan's teams are the youngest."

Ino rolled her eyes. "But we aren't rookies. We've got experience now! We're so going to dominate this exam —hey, do you know if Tenten's team is going to come?"

Nao nodded her head. "Tenten said they were going to be in this exam, but they might be late."

"So long as they make it on time," Ino said, shrugging.

"We should probably get some sleep —big day tomorrow," Chōji said.

"You're right," Nao agreed.

. . .

. .

.

I stared at. at the body I was in.

The girl in the mirror stared back at me.

She was taller. She was wispy and bony and looked sick. Her hair was long, and wild. Her nose was sharper than my own, but her mouth was fuller and her cheeks rosier. Everything about her seemed sharp. From her eyes, to her nails, to the way she moved in abrupt, jerkish movements. Like she had forgotten how to move smoothly. Like she had forgotten how to use her own body.

This can't be real, I thought numbly, poking at the cheek. The girl in the mirror mimicked my actions.

"Sis?"