Gifted (A Konoha High Fan fic)

Chapter Twenty Five - Make it Through Dead or Alive?

  He's getting near.

  Oh my god, he's coming toward me! What should I do? WHAT SHOULD I DO?

  Keeping her cool and calm façade, she tried not to lean against the wall after seeing Odoroita snap at some rude girl leaning against the wall when he strode past her. He eyed Deidara's blonde ponytail disapprovingly but didn't say anything. Ai noticed Deidara's white knuckles. She don't blame him, Odoroita can even indimidate Pein. That's big.

  As he nodded at Hidan, his dark robes billowed behind him as he moved onto Sasori. Ai scowled a bit. She saw how his pitch black eyes lingered on Hidan's Jashin pendant. What a lucky duck. However, Ai can already feel his aura when he still had three more people to observe. What if she wasn't enough for him?

  "Ah," he breathed when he finally reached Ai. "You're Ai. And hello to you too, Yokoshimana."

  Yo, Yokoshimana mumbled even when he couldn't hear her. Ai can feel his icy breath on her face when he looked into her soul. She tried her best not to shierk when he made a 'tut' sound at her. He doesn't sound happy.

  "I'm expecting plenty from you, Ai. Yokoshimana had already satisfied me."

  Oh yeah! Uh-huh! I-I mean, wow, you better do your best! . . . Haha.

  Haha, thanks.

  Ai remarked sarcastically. This year was going to suck so bad for her.

---

  Apparently, there were girl dorms and boy dorms. Odoroita doesn't believe that females and males should "have their space". Ai was cautious about her new roommate. Will she be a complete bitch or a total sweetheart? Or a bitchy sweetheart? That doesn't make sense.

  When she opened the door to her dorm with shaking hands, a burst of wind was thrown in her face. Falling on her butt, she looked up to see a girl with choppy black hair with purple streaks and she wore a scowl. Since she didn't bother to offer a hand to Ai, she picked herself up and re-arranged her hair for it was now sticking out in all directions.

  "So you're Yokoshimana." the girl drawled and plopped on her black bed.

  Yokoshimana snickered mentally.

  "Uh, no, I'm Ai." Ai said awkwardly, observing the wide room. The other side with the girl's bed was completely black. And the other half was red. She supposed the red side was hers.

  "Hyo." the girl said.

  "Oh." Ai said. "Hello, . . . Hyo. Um, can I ask what happened at the doorway?"

  "Oh, that," Hyo said flatly. "Us students do that to newbies to see their reaction," Then she scowled and eyed Ai. "You reacted poorly."

  Well, of course, I wasn't expecting a mimi hurricane in my face!

  "The red side is yours." Hyo announced boredly. Ai walked to her side of the room and took in the furniture. The couch was red. The desk was red. The mirror, thank god, wasn't red. Her bed was red with red blankets and red pillows and her closet and drawers were red. Everything was red except for the mirror!

  "Get ready, we have an assembly in fifteen minutes." Hyo said while she bounced a black ball on the wall. "There's a uniform in your closet."

  It looked like what someone would wear to a funeral. The uniform. The thick and long robes were bright red and the cotton shirt underneath was pure white. In a box she found in the back of bureau drawer, there were a pair of plain black flats. And hanging on her bed posts was her red book bag. Swanky school. Ai opened the bag and was surprised to see heavy books already in there.

  She took the first book out. Numerous Ways To Summon Gods by Kamlyn Kirameki. The second book was very thick and the pages were yellow and crippled but the handwriting was written nicely in ink. The title was Forbidden Jutsu's by Tsutsuji Binkan. The third book was titled Legendary Warriors by Shi Bishamon. The fourth book was Unbreakable Genjutsu's by Konton Shigana. The fifth book was Dangerous Gemstones by the . . . Izulal twins, Lapis and Lazuli? That's funny.

  There were two more books to go but Hyo suddenly snapped her fingers. Ai looked up from the books and quickly slid them back into the book bag.

  "Time for the assembly."

  Ai looked at her attire. She was wearing a ribbed tanktop, skinny jeans, and red sneakers. But with another snap of her fingers, her clothings were gone, only to be replaced with the uniform. She walked to the door and signaled Ai to follow.

  She scrambled after Hyo, seeing the girls exit from their dorms and headed for the same direction. After realizing that she has to follow Hyo, she found herself in a large room with carpeted wooden floor. The room was dimly lit and as the girls piled in, the boys approached in their black robes.

  After they all lined up in straight rows, Odoroita made his creepy entrance by appearing in the center of the room with a swish of his cloak. Ai can feel the air tense.

  "New students," he said in a hoarse whisper. "Step forward."

  The new ones stepped upfront, looking cautious like Ai. The old ones smirked as if they knew what's going to happen.

  "I know Tsunade Senju had already ranked you all as S-Ranks but I am going to see if you're worthy enough to be a complete S-Rank. If you're not, then I guess I'll just have to kill you." he said as if he was going to bake a cake for them.

  A bead of sweat slided down the side of Ai's face as she watched Odoroita walk to the first person of the line. He looked at the boy from head to toe and suddenly lit his robes on fire.

  Ai continued to watch with an horrified expression as the boy jumped and immediately blew the fire out. Odoroita scowled.

  "Not good enough."

  He then looked at the girl beside him. And a large bat appeared ontop of her head. Ai gulped. This was really bad. He can do much worst things to her.

  When the line dwindled down to five people, six of them massacred (Ai almost died herself watching), Hidan had made it when he fought the shadow dragon off with his scythe. The entire Akatsuki had made it.

  And so after the girl (who was killed), Odoroita's eyes landed on Ai.

  Stay cool. Stay cool, Ai!

  "Ah, let see," he mused. "Fire or water, Ai?"

  What the? . . . I think I should choose water. Fire's more dangerous . . . I think.

  "Um, uh, water." she blurted out and the old students had gone quiet. Ai's face paled. Did she chose wrong. Odoroita laughed humorlessly. Then his eyes lit up with malice.

  "You chose wrong."