The Red Maelstrom

[15] A Reason

Kohana woke up a little earlier than usual for their team assembly. She did her usual routine which was to get up, take a shower, eat, and say hello to Yamauchi Bunko, a twenty-two-year-old woman Kohana used to spend her time with until she flat out started to act like she never even existed. When Osamu had asked her the basics of kenjutsu, Kohana was inclined to mention her name, but even talking about Bunko might have meant talking about what transpired after. Seeing her every day was a painful reminder of a time when she'd been alone and avoided because Bunko was the reason why she clung to hope that the loneliness would go away. The Bunko who avoided her wasn't the Bunko she knew.

"Good morning, Bun-chan," Kohana muttered, walking past the woman who was cleaning the windows of her house. She flinched, more then usual and glanced at Kohana, once again, feeling the guilt set in. Kohana wasn't herself today. Usually she would greet her cheerily, as always but it was the complete opposite now.

Swallowing, she opened her mouth.

Kohana spun around, to look at Bunko, smiling at her sadly.

"Good morning, Hana-chan."

The redhead shut her eyes, feeling the tears of joy come out as she gave a strong nod. "H-Have a nice day, Bun-chan!"

Just when Kohana had almost forgotten about the Chūnin Selection Exams (primarily because of what had happened earlier that morning), Kakashi, who had been an hour late, revealed the purpose behind calling for a Team 7 assembly.

"I recommended you all for the Chūnin Selection Exams, so... here," he offered them four pieces of paper upon which was written requirements for entry. "Take these applications."

"Chūnin Selection Exams?"

"However, the recommendation does not force you to take it. You can decide if you want to take it or not."

"Yes! I love you, Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto exclaimed and practically threw himself over an unwilling Kakashi, who set him down almost as soon as Naruto tried to hug him.

"Only those who wish to take it are to sign the applications, and five days after that, get to school by three in the afternoon go to Room 301. That is all."

"Hey, Kohana..."

Kohana looked up from the application in her hands. She was on the way to Ichiraku Ramen for some lunch. Naruto was stuck with the three kids as usual. Sakura, on the other hand, seemed to have been with Kohana this entire time. The redhead felt bad; that was rude of her. She was so preoccupied with the thought of the exams that she hadn't realized someone tagged along. She was still uncomfortable around Sakura, but it wasn't like she ever really hated her like that.

"What is it, Sakura?"

The girl was looking uncharacteristically glum. "Can I... talk to you?"

Holy... "Um..." Kohana frantically looked around. Where was Sasuke? This was going to be so awkward!

However, when Kohana looked back at Sakura, something about the look on her teammate's face made her swallow. "Uh, well, we can talk about it over some ramen? That is, if you're not on a diet," she added a little uncertainly. Could that have been offensive?

Sakura forced a smile. "Okay..."

They sat together in the booth and ordered the classic Ichiraku bowl of ramen. As they waited, Kohana drummed her fingers against the table to fill the silence between them. Even the smell of ramen couldn't dilute the discomfort in the atmosphere.

"Here you go, girls," said Teuchi. Sakura and Kohana said their thanks to both Teuchi and the food before diving in.

"So," Kohana started. Now that they were eating, it wasn't so awkward. "What's up?"