Sibling Rivalry

"So," I say to Kiba. "Looks like all ten Leaf Rookies made it, huh?"

He squints, looking around the now crowded room, nodding every time he spots a familiar face. "Yeah," he says, looking pleased. "The gang's all here. Kinda surprised Shikamaru's team made it though."

"Really? I'm not."

"You've got to be kidding."

"No," I say pointedly, "I'm not. Shikamaru isn't the total slacker you think he is."

"Whatever."

I turn away from Kiba, checking out the other Genin who've made it. Surprise, surprise, it's Gaara and his team. Also, the three Ninja from the Village Hidden in the Sound, though one of them has both of his arms in slings, a group of Leaf Genin I vaguely recognize from the first Exam, another set of Leaf Genin who are completely unfamiliar to me,and my brother and his team. I smirk, realizing Masaki keeps turning around, eyes lingering on Temari, the girl in the pink shirt from the other Leaf squad, the girl from the Sound Village squad, and Ino and Sakura. Which is gross, because they're my age.

How perveted can my own flesh and blood be?

Suddenly, all the Jonin that lead our teams appear in the front of the room, just in front of the giant statue of the hands forming a Sign. I spot Kurenai Sensei, Asuma, Kakashi, Masaki's Sensei, a man I don't recognize who's wearing the headband of the Hidden Sound, the Sensei for Gaara's team, another Leaf jonin, and a man who wears the same green jumpsuit as the boy from the other Leaf squad. In front of them, is Third Hokage along with Anko, Ibiki, Iruka Sensei, and several others I don't recognize.

The Hokage starts speaking, going on about the real reason for the Chunin Exams, but I'm not really listening. I mean, I respect Third Hokage as much as any Ninja from my Village, but right now I'm having trouble keeping focused. Even after several days of rest, my chakra has only been replenished slightly, and my wounds haven't healed as well as the others'. My head is swimming.

I only come back into focus when a man appears in front of the Hokage, kneeling with his head bent. He murmurs something to the Hokage, who nods and steps back. He starts explaining that we've got to hold a preliminary round because so many of us made it out of the second test. There are shouts of dismay, including from Kiba, but the man, Hayate Gekko, only shakes his head.

"Um, so anyway, those who don't feel up to fighting please some forward now. We'll be holding the prelimanary round right away."

There's a pause, before a boy near Naruto raises his hand, a closed-eye smile on his face. I recognize him as the boy who got his glasses shattered by the Sound Village Ninja before the first test. "Um, I'm going to quit," he says, to the utter dismay of Naruto.

Hayate holds up a folder, scanning down it while simultaneously blocking his coughing with a fist. "Um, you're Kabuto Yakushi from the Leaf, right? You may go." He pauses, then says, "Um, will anyone else be quitting? I forgot to mention, from now on you'll be fighting one on one. You can raise your hand based on your own judgement."

Naruto starts yelling at Kabuto, who brushes him off, saying, "Sorry, Naruto, but my body just can't take any more fighting. I've got to go." With that, he steps over to one of his teammates, holds a whispered conversation with him, then slowly exits the room.

Slowly, two more hands are raised.

I gasp. It's Ei and Botan!

Masaki looks equally as mystified as Hayate reads off his teammates names and gives them permission to leave. They smile at Masaki, each giving him a quick hug before following after Kabuto. Masaki doesn't watch them leave; instead he crosses his arms over his chest, pouting like a child.

Masaki, have some respect for yourself, will you?

"Ok, um, will there be anyone else?" No one raises their hands. "Um, ok then. We'll hold the first round right away then." Having said that, the Hokage, along with most of the adults in the room, disappear in puffs of smoke, leaving several of our Sensei, and Hayate. He gestures towards a screen that's just appeared from behind a sliding panel on the wall behind the stone hands. Names start flashing across the screen in two lines, until they come to a rest.

"Will everyone but the two listed on the screen please head up the steps?" Hayate says, as I stare breathlessly at the screen.

Why now?

My teammates head for the stairs, but Kiba stops and rushes back to me. He holds my shoulders, staring into my eyes seriously. "Akari, you can do this. Don't think about who he is. Just think of him as an opponent, nothing more, nothing less. Please, promise me you won't hold back?"

I swallow hard. Can I promise that? The look in Kiba's pleading eyes tells me I can. I give him a soft smile. "I promise, Kiba," I say. "No holding back."

Kiba smiles at that, pulling me into a crushing hug. When he lets me go, I feel Akamaru make the jump from his head to mine, wagging his tail and looking down at me. I reach up and pull him into my arms, cuddling him against my chest.

"He says, 'You've got this, Akari'," Kiba says, taking Akamaru from me. Kiba's managed to make me feel the confidence I so desperately needed, and he did by being himself. I smile slightly, before leaning forward and kissing his cheek.

"Thank you, Kiba," I say softly against his ear. He blushes, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I didn't do anything," he says, turning away slightly.

"You've done enough," I tell him, grinning.

"Um, you've got to get up there," Hayate reminds Kiba. He rolls his eyes, making me laugh.

"I'll see you up there in a little bit, ok Akari?" he says, and I nod.

Kiba dashes up the steps, leaving me alone. With my brother. We step up to face each other in front of Hayate, who tells us to shake hands. We do.

"I never thought I'd fight you, Akari," Masaki says, frowning.

I shrug. "Same here, Masaki," I say. "But we've got to, so don't let the fact that I'm your whittle sister distract you too much, ok?" I grin at him evilly and he blanches.

"Masaki Kita, Akari Kita," Hayate says. "You'll be the first two participants. Are you ready?"

Hiding my unease with a wicked grin, I say, "Of course I am."

"Yeah, I'm ready too," Masaki says, his discomfort plain on his face and in his voice.

"Now, please begin."

I jump away from Masaki, putting the necessary distance between us. Masaki can use Ninjutsu, like his Liquid Bullets Jutsu that he taught me, but he prefers to use Taijutsu. I can't let him get near me, or I'm toast.

While I was stuck in that horrid room for the past few days, I'd managed to refill my water jug, so at least I have that.

Masaki just stands there, hands clenching and unclenching as he watches me. There's a bunch of conflicting emotions on his goofy face, his eyes showing hurt and determination. He doesn't want to fight me, but he's sure he can win. Ha, I won't make it easy for him.

I want to save my chakra for as long as possible, so I pull out a few kunai from my weapons pouch on my right leg. I twirl them around my fingers a few times, waiting for Masaki to move. When he doesn't, I fling them at him. He dodges at the last second, cartwheeling to the side. He lands right-side up, glaring at me.

"So you really want to do this, Akari?" he demands. "Even though I've beaten you in every single match we've ever had?"

"I'm not the same girl I was a few months ago, Masaki," I remind him, trying to keep my cool.

"Then your dream of becoming a Chunin before me ends here!" He rushes me, faster than I've seen him in a long time. I dodge his kick, only to be caught by his other foot as he places his hands on the ground, spinning himself like a top. I'm knocked to the side, skidding over the ground and slamming into a wall. I rise groggily, already nervous. I've never been able to best Masaki in speed. But he isn't the brightest Shinobi, not the sharpest kunai in the weapons pouch, if you get what I mean. Maybe I can outsmart him.

He comes at me again, and I jump straight up, stcking to the wall vertically by flowing chakra into the soles of my feet. Masaki glares up at me. Chakra control isn't really his thing. I've seen him try to walk on water before, and he's gotten drenched every time. Once, his Sensei had to dredge him up from the bottom of the river. Masaki can't swim, and yet he thought walking on water would be a great idea. Again, he's not all that smart.

Now, to try dristracting him.

I put my hands together in a Sign. "Transformation Jutsu!" My brother's glare turns into an open-mouthed stare as the smoke disappears from around "my" body.

"Oh man," Masaki groans, slapping a hand to his forehead.

"Got it just right, Akari!" I hear Temari shout down, complimenting me for my Transformation into her. My brother definitely has a thing for the Sand Genin.

Taking my chance, I leap down and land a blow to Masaki's chest, sending him across the floor. I land lightly as he stands, shaking his head in amazement. "I told you, I'm not girl crazy."

"Little hard to believe, Masaki," I say, using my best seductive voice. Oh God, this is creepy. I'll end this as quickly as possible. Though it is interesting that Masaki's blushing now. I've at least caught him off guard.

I start running towards him, throwing about a half dozen shuriken out in front of me. He snaps out of his embarrassed trance just in time to move out of the way; the shuriken impale themselves in the opposite wall.

I start to move backwards, but Masaki surprises me by lunging for me, swinging his foot at my head. It connects with my skull, shattering my concentration, and my jutsu. I manage to land on my feet, albeit crouched on the ground twenty feet away. I shake my head, shaking some sense back into it. Masaki kicks hard.

"That didn't last long," Masaki comments, from behind me. Before I can react, he chops hard at my back, knocking me flat onto the ground. I spit out more blood as Masaki places his foot on my back. "Concede," he says lowly, leaning closer to me.

"Not a chance," I growl, pushing up with all my strength and dislodging his foot from my back.

Masaki and I go at it in a purely Taijutsu match. To my surprise, and obviously his, I hold my own, blocking his blows and matching him, punch for punch, kick for kick. It only lasts a minute, but when we spring apart, we're both gasping for breath and sweating hard.

"When the hell did you get this good?" Masaki says thickly, his voice mangled by his harsh breathing.

"Team Eight's... been good for me," I say in between my own intakes of breath.

I hear Hinata and Kiba shouting encouragement, though Kiba's voice is noticeable louder. Hinata's support is nonetheless appreciated.

This isn't a very exciting match, but I'm not going for exciting. I'm going for a quick win. We've already been fighting for a few minutes, and I know everyone is expecting one of us to come out on top soon. I'll give em what they want.

"You know, I was hoping I'd have more time to practice this," I say, my hands starting to unconsciously perform Signs. Thanks Haku... "But if it means beating my older brother, I'll gladly test this out."

"What are you talking about?" he asks, pulling two kunai out.

"It's something I picked up in the forest," I say off-handedly, finishing my handsigns. "Apparently, it's pretty deadly, so I'd watch out if I were you." My brother only scoffs. Too bad for him. "Ice Style!" I shout. "Crystal Mirror Trap!"

I hear several people gasp from the balcony above, but I ignore them. This time, four ice mirrors spring up around my brother, who turns in a circle only to find that he's trapped. I rush up to one of the mirrors, cautiously inching my hand through it. I feel Masaki's back, even though I'm facing his front. He jumps, and I grin. Looks like I can manipulate which mirror my hands exits. I withdraw my hand, performing an easier sign.

"Water Style: Water Clone Jutsu!" Three Akaris appear behind each of the other mirrors from the water on the jug on my hip, grinning the same wicked grin I'm wearing. This is going to be fun.

The four of us begin throwing punches and kicks, nailing Masaki from unexpected angles. I hear him grunt in pain as he tries to block, and fails. After another minute of pummeling, when Masaki drops to the ground, I release the Ice Style Justu, and one of my Water Clones. The other two hoist Masaki up and hold him by the arms. He looks up at me weakly, surprise and pain in his eyes.

"Sorry, big brother, but I think I have to knock you out to win." Man, I've always wanted to do this! I throw back my arm, before slamming it forward, into Masaki's face. He slumps, out cold.

And that my friends, was the last of my chakra.

My two Clones disappear, letting go of Masaki. Before he hits the ground, I catch him in my arms, dropping to my knees to support his weight. He's snoring now, his head resting on my shoulder. I feel like passing out right alongside him. "Sorry, Masaki," I whisper.

"The winner of the match is Akari Kita!"

I look over at Hayate, grinning despite my fatigue. "That's right," I say softly, for my ears only. "I beat my big brother in the Chunin Exams."

"I'll take him, Miss."

I look up into the face of a stern-looking Medical Ninja, who takes Masaki from me and lays him out on a stretcher. Another Ninja helps him lift my unconscious brother and they head out of the room, heading for medical treatment, I guess.

"You did well, Akari," Kurenai Sensei says, suddenly beside me. She helps me to my feet. "I'm proud of you, being able to beat your brother, who's three years older than you. It must have taken a lot out of you."

"It did," I agree. I'm completely drained, out of chakra, stamina, and strength. I'm physically and mentally exhausted. Kurenai Sensei leads me up the steps to my waiting team. Kiba pounces on me, knocking me to the ground with a fierce hug.

"I knew you'd kick his ass, Akari!" he shouts, way too close to my ear. I gently shove him off me, grinning at him.

"Well, that makes one of us then," I say wearily, climbing to my feet as Kiba rockets to his. Hinata offers me a soft, congratulatory smile and waves slightly. I smile at her, trying to hide just how awful I feel right now.

Shino nods to me. "A very interesting match," he says, making me pause. Interesting? I guess so. A battle between siblings would be considered unusual in the Chunin Exams.

"HEY!"

I flinch away from Naruto's accusing face, which has just appeared in front of mine.

"What?" I ask, unsure of why he's even talking to me.

"Where'd you learn those jutsu?" he demands, hands on his hips.

"I..." I don't know how to answer. A dead boy named Haku took over my body and performed the jutsu, doesn't really make sense to anyone who hasn't experienced it. "Just... picked them up," I say, and anyone with half a brain could tell I'm lying.

"No! You didn't! Cause Haku was the only guy/girl who could use that!"

I blink. He knows Haku? Wait, does this mean Naruto actually does have half a brain? That's almost as shocking, honestly. "How do you know Haku?" I ask, stepping closer to Naruto. He's about to answer, loudly no doubt, when a hand is clamped over his obnoxious mouth.

"Save it for later, Naruto," Kakashi Sensei says, dragging his student over to the railing. "Sasuke's match has already started."

Naruto's eyes widen and he rushes over to Sakura, who is watching the match between Sasuke and some other Leaf Genin with wide, worried eyes. I"m about to turn away and head back to my own team, but Kakashi stops me with a hand on my shoulder.

"Akari," he says. "Naruto is right. A boy named Haku, who lived in the Land of Waves, was the only person I've ever seen with the ability to use Ice Style. How did you learn it?"

"Do you want to real reason? Because even I have trouble believing it."

"Yes, I do."

I sigh. I already feel worse than crap, now I have to endure this. Any other day, I'd be happy to chat with Kakashi, maybe have him help me work out some of my problems. But right now, I'm not really up for it. Though I suppose I should tell someone, even if he isn't my Sensei.

"When we were in the Forest of Death, during the second Exam... well, we told you, we got ambushed by Grass Village Ninja. During the fight, everyone was knocked out but me. I got backed into a corner, and one of them was about to kill me when-- when it felt like someone else was controlling my body." I pause, waiting for Kakashi to laugh, or call me crazy, or make some excuse to leave. But he doesn't. He nods, arms across his chest, prompting me to continue. I take a deep breath.

"Using Ice Style Justu, which I swear I've never even heard of before all this, I managed to kill the three Ninja attacking us. After that, I passed out. While I was unconscious, I had a dream, where I met a boy named Haku, who claims to know about my... kekkei genkai." I look down at my sandals, feeling light-headed. And my wounds are firing up again, thanks to the dozen or so kicks Masaki landed to my side, leg and head. My head is pounding worse than ever. I don't think I'll be able to stay on my feet much longer.

"Haku... he's dead, isn't he?" I ask softly, my eyes still on the ground.

"I'm afraid so."

"But he looked so young! The same age as Masaki... What happened?"

"It's a bit of a long story, Akari," Kakashi says.

I want to respond, to tell him that I've got the time to hear it, when my legs suddenly can't support me anymore. Leaning against the railing, I feel my weight going over the side. It's amazing, really, that with all the Ninja up here, and the "exceptional" Kakashi Hatake right in front of me, that I actually do fall.

I hear Sasuke's indignant yell, "Hey! She's interrupting our match!" I'm only half-conscious as I fall, barely feeling anything.

I hear shouts and cries and one in particular stands out. "AKARI!!!"

It's Temari, I think. It's the last thing I hear before I feel strong arms catch me, and I pass out into darkness.

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