"We graduated!" The five of Academy graduates cheered exuberantly, hugging each other while jumping for joy. Sakura and Ino threw aside their differences--it didn't matter who was better now or who scored higher points during the final exam--and hugged the life out of each other.
"I am so excited! We are Genin, starting today!" Raicho cheered alongside with Tenten, while Hinata was jammed right in between the two.
"Me too! I thought today would never, NEVER come!" Tenten agreed, sagging her arm over Hinata's shoulders.
"Being the Academy forever would be really exhausting," Hinata giggled.
"No more homework, or at least in paper or book form!" Tenten exclaimed.
"And no more paper tests!" Ino agreed, jumping at Tenten to get a hug.
"Oof!" The two went tumbling, as Sakura rejoined Hinata and Raicho.
"I can't wait to hear our new teams either!" She said, clasping her hands with a dreamy look plastered all over her face. "I want to be with Sasuke-kun~"
"Hey--! No, Sasuke-kun is MINE!" Instantly, Ino scrambled off of Tenten and pounced at Sakura, glaring menacingly at her.
"What?! Sasuke-kun belongs to me!"
"And here I was hoping for a day when they wouldn't fight," Raicho sighed and walked over to Tenten who lied tiredly on the ground and lazily extended her arms out to Raicho in a half-begging plea.
"Get me up?"
"Alright, alright." Raicho bent down to grasp her hands, planted the side of her foot up against Tenten's toes, and yanked her forward so that she was standing on her own two feet once again. Tenten grinned and leaned forward to capture her friend in a celebratory hug again.
"Fighting's their thing, after all. Besides, they're like the comedic relief, right, Hinata?"
"Ah, I guess," she said agreeably.
Raicho let the two argue some more before stepping in and standing in between them. "Enough, we'll have a super amazing day tomorrow, so let's all go back home to celebrate our graduation of the Academy, alright? Then when we come back to see who is on what team, you two can fight, okay?"
"Or Rai-chon will put spiders on your faces," Tenten butted in evilly. Sakura and Ino leaped apart, glaring at the two.
"I wouldn't do that," Raicho said kindly, patting their shoulders. "But let's just go home for now."
"Fine. I have to go anyways," Ino reluctantly said, stepping away. "But this isn't over yet! Sasuke-kun will still--"
"Oh no, you don't! Sasuke--"
"Raicho's extra large and fuzzy tarantulas!" Tenten warned loudly, Sakura and Ino clamped their mouths shut.
"Now, now, we can argue later," Raicho said pulling her arm around Ino's shoulders and hauling her along. "Say 'bye, Sakura'--"
"Bye, Forehead!"
"You too, Ino-pig!"
Raicho shook her head at their childishness, but soon Ino stopped yelling back at Sakura and walked beside her. They both lived on the west side of the Academy, while Hinata lived northeast, Sakura down south, and Tenten southeast. Ino and Raicho always walked home together, while Sakura and Tenten teamed up before parting ways, and Hinata followed a few other girls and boys who would walk past her family compound.
"Bye Ino, see you tomorrow!" Raicho called, waving to her friend. Ino laughed and stepped lightly into her home. Raicho ran across the street, down two blocks to her home.
"I'm ba--"
"CONGRATULATIONS!" Raicho's father roared, grabbing his daughter from under her arms and swinging her around. "You finally finished school!"
"Put her down," her mother scolded, but coming to kiss her forehead nonetheless. "How were the final exams?"
"It was a lot smoother than I thought it would be," Raicho exclaimed, following her parents into the kitchen, her schoolbag tossed haphazardly into the closet, her mother, for once, too excited to care.
"Well, you're one step closer to fulfilling your dream!" Her father cheered, as they sat down at the dinner table, while Mother brought dishes she had spent three days preparing along with a pot of purple rice.
Mother had just recently decided to feed the family purple rice and discovered it did wonders for their health. So instead of white rice, she served purple rice and claimed it was full of antioxidants, great for the heart, detoxify the body, a fantastic source of fiber, slows the absorption of sugar in the blood, and helps prevent diabetes. Just on the type of rice they ate, anyone can tell that Mother is the health nut in the family.
"Eat," Mother urged, piling her daughter's overflowing bowl with salmon, pork, and all her favorite vegetables. "This is healthy, it will give you more iron. You need to be strong."
"I will," she assured her mother, picking her bowl up swiftly to stop her mother from piling more food into her bowl. "It's delicious!"
"Of course it is," she said, beaming back. "I only cook the best for you two. Now eat."
"Have some tea," Father offered, pushing a cup of orange chrysanthemum blossom tea to his daughter. "You need that vitamin B."
"E," Mother corrected. Father wasn't such a health nut like Mother, but he did remember the vitamins and to drink several different teas Mother insisted he should have.
After dinner, Mother and Father dealt with the dishes, so Raicho scampered upstairs to feed her pet tarantulas and spiders. Afterwards, she took the time to write in her journal, making sure to update all the necessary facts she had learned today.
Tomorrow would be a brand new world to explore with a team she would have the privilege of working with.
YOU ARE READING
Forked Shadows
Fanfiction"I'm leaving." Her eyes were slightly glazed, the once strong resolve shattered to pieces, and her shoulders hunched over in defeat. Her head tucked in, away from the accusing looks and mocking threats, and her entire appearance was that of a war s...
