I... think I've been frozen. By a Jutsu? By my shock of me actually being able to remember something of my forgotten childhood, maybe? I can't feel Sakura's hands on my anymore. I can barely even feel Ino's repetitive jabs into my side – in an attempt to grab my attention, I assume. It's like the world around me and this person doesn't exist anymore.

I-I don't know what to do.

A loud announcement is made – it echoes and startles me from my thoughts. It's telling everyone to proceed into the arena so those in the procession can offboard and enter their gallery seats. Sakura's and Ino's hands have been resting on my shoulders, I'd realized after coming back down to earth. We don't move, aside from the jostling we get from everyone else around us moving toward the arena. The three of us are likely going to be the last to enter it, so it makes me glad I'd given Sakura the money to buy us the tickets ahead of time. And when they all disappear, save for a few stragglers, the envoys and nobles begin to disembark.

The door of the litter for the Yamada Clan – which it still feels almost too surreal to say – creaks open on either side's hinge, revealing the two people named to be inside – a shorter white-haired boy wearing a frown and a disturbed set of intricate violet robes, and a taller brown-haired boy, his pale red robes crisp and orderly. And even though they share the same colour and shape to their eyes, I know that he was the one the eye had belonged to.

I know that this one is Sen. But this is all I know. How and why, oh, how I wish I knew.

"Wow," Sakura and Ino say in unison, as if breathing the same air. And while I now find myself terrified of the fact that these two people are walking toward us – me – my two friends squeal about it behind my back.

I stand uncorrected. By my friends' standards, Sasuke is very cute. And I won't deny that there's truth to this, but... these two...

Oh, right, they're here. As subtly as possible, I match his last few steps he makes before reaching me by stepping backwards to hide behind Sakura and Ino. His hands tucked inside either of his sleeves, Sen smiles around at us before making a quick bow of his head.

"Good morning, everyone," Sen says – the sound of his voice instantly makes my chest tighten. I can't even bring myself to make eye contact with him. "Kari."

"Hi there," my friends chorus. With as much false courage as I can muster, I turn my head, and raise my eyes from the ground to meet his.

Geez, he's tall. "H-Hello."

His smile seems to grow wider. "I suppose it may be a little insensitive to ask you if you still remember me," he starts, "but perhaps too much time has passed for you to no longer hold me in your memory?"

"I... I'm sorry, but... I only know your name," I end up mumbling. "I remembered your eyes."

"My eyes," he repeats. "Well, I'm grateful for even that. It has been a long time since we've seen each other – this is a welcomed surprise. As we have the morning and afternoon to sit through these examinations, I'd like to propose an exchange of tickets between yourself and Kyōharu, here."

"An exchange of tickets?" Sakura repeats. "What for?"

"If it is no mind or trouble to the two of you," Sen says to her and Ino, "I'd very much like to catch up with Kari while I'm here in the Land of Fire again. I doubt I'll... have the opportunity to speak with her during the rest of my stay. If it's alright with all of you."

From inside the arena, several explosions have gone off – someone running past and inside it calls them "fireworks", these colourful bits of fire that suddenly appear above our heads, high in the air. Speaking of welcomed surprises, this distraction had been needed.

I know that each of the boxes that sit above the general seats in the stadium are usually only built for two people to sit in, meaning that if I do this, I'll be alone to speak with Sen, the stranger from my lost memories. I knew him in a time that no longer existed for me. And after dismissing Minako, who probably existed during that time, as well, shouldn't I also be dismissing Sen?

I can't bring myself to do it. Something about him, his name, his eyes, his warmth when he speaks, his gentle speech... I find myself needing more than just these things from him.

I tap Sakura and Ino on their shoulders, the both of them turning slightly to look at me.

"If it's alright with you two... um... I think I need to do this," I say, my last words lowered to a whisper for only them to hear.

"Are you sure you're okay to?" Sakura whispers back, her eyebrows knitted together. I nod, albeit a little slowly to be completely believable.

"... yeah." With a sigh, I step past them, pulling my own ticket from my pocket and extending it ward Kyōharu. "You... don't mind either?"

Kyō shrugs at me, and switches our tickets around. "Your friends are cute," he says, at a purposely loud octave so they'd be sure to hear him – they do, their sudden squawking from behind me evidence of it. "I don't mind at all. Ladies—" he moves past me, robed arms lifted to both of them "— shall we?"

I wave goodbye to my friends as once they've taken him by his elbows, he begins leading them inside the tunnel entrance. I catch their reddened cheeks as a result. He's like... a reverse Sasuke, I think, in a good way. I... think.

Sen has extended his own arm to me. My heart pounding, I shake my head, realizing I'd simply been staring at it for the longest time. Quickly, I link my own arm around his, and we follow after them. I find myself having to take longer strides, the height difference between us made obvious by my struggle. He's at least a head and a half taller than me – I just barely make it to his shoulders.

"My apologies," he says, noting my struggle, and he slows his pace and lowers his arm slightly for me. I let out a breath of relief.

We don't speak again until we reach their designated spectator box, which is separate from the gallery seats, and slotted next to where the Lord Hokage sits next to the Sand Village's Kazekage. That must be Gaara's father, I recall. The thoughts that spring to mind aren't so appropriate, and I find myself wishing I could do terrible things to the man.

I end up catching Sen staring at me from his seat, immediately deterring me from my violent thoughts.

"W-What?" I demand, my voice cracking with nervousness.

"It really has been so long since I last saw you, Kari," he says, his smile fond. "You've grown up well."

"Uh, thanks," I say, failing in my attempt to fake sounding appreciative. Sen chuckles, and with a shake of his head, he stares forward and down into the arena, where the participants begin entering.

"Please don't misunderstand – what I'd meant by that was that the last time I saw you, you were very small. At the height of your illness, you were barely bigger than a toddler. I'm so relieved for your good health."

At the cost of so many things, though... All the same, "Thank you, Sen."

I take stock of who'd just arrived. Gaara. Kankuro. Temari. Shikamaru. Iori. Shino. Neji.

"Where could they be?" I wonder aloud.

"Who are you looking for?" Sen asks. "Ah, could it be your two teammates that also passed in the preliminaries?"

I nod. "Naruto and Sasuke. They're the first ones competing and they aren't here yet."

"They'd better hurry, then," Sen says. "By the looks of things, I'd say the opening ceremony is about to—""Gwaahh!!"

I leap to my feet from my chair and stomp over to the edge of our balcony, clutching it in a death grip. Out of the tunnel flies Naruto, who'd been screaming at the top of his lungs. He lands just a few feet away from Shikamaru and the others.

"My, my," Sen says.

"Oh, Naruto..." I groan, louder than I mean to, and apparently, the Lord Hokage had heard me and had begun laughing in my direction. I flush, my entire body hot from my own embarrassment, and the second-hand embarrassment from Naruto's arrival, and fall back into my seat.

He'd dragged himself through the dirt. Finally pushing himself to his feet, he starts shouting about a hoard of bull that were... chasing after him? The Proctor in charge yells at him to be quiet, prompting Naruto to look around the stadium, as if realizing things had already technically begun. When his eyes finally come my way, I rush to the balcony again and wave down at him, shouting his name and wishing him luck!

"Is he one of your teammates?" Sen asks me. After watching him rejoin the line next to Shikamaru and Garasu, who's shaking her head at him, I once more take my seat.

I nod again. "His name is Naruto Uzumaki," I tell him. "Our other teammate, Sasuke... He isn't here yet, and he's up second." Frowning, I scan the crowd for Sakura, Ino, and Kyōharu, and find them all sitting together on the opposite side of the arena. Kyō, for whatever reason, has his arms around the two of them, but since they don't seem to mind – in fact, they look like they're eating up the attention he's giving them – then I don't, either.

To our right, I spot the Lord Hokage rise and walk over to the edge of his own balcony, to stand behind some strange device I've yet to see.

"Welcome, all," he says, and I realize its purpose to be amplifying sound, "and our deepest thanks for coming to the Village Hidden in the Leaves for this years' Chūnin Selection! We have come to the final competition with the ten candidates who made it through the preliminaries. We ask that no one leaves until all the matches have been completed. Now, everyone... Enjoy!"

Everyone applauds for him, following his small speech, and for the nine competitors standing below us. Garasu pompously raises her hand above her head, her eyes suddenly narrowing in the direction of our balcony. Narrowing at me. My insides turn uncomfortably, and quite frankly, throwing up isn't out of the question.

I hate this woman. For using me as an example for whoever it is she felt she needed to prove something to. I wonder if they're here today, or if her cruel methods of winning against me were unnecessary after all.

Down below and in front of them, the proctor pulls a piece of folded up paper from his vest and unravels it. Something we can't hear properly is said, but it's enough that Naruto and Shikamaru react to it with widen eyes. Then, Naruto's loud voice asks about Sasuke.

Where is he?

"He'll be disqualified if he doesn't get here soon," Sen says, a small frown appearing on his lips. He leans into his armrest and into his hand. As if instinctively, I'd turned my head to glare at him. Noticing this, "What's wrong?"

"He'll be here," I promise against his jinx.

The proctor makes an official announcement: That if Sasuke doesn't make it in time, he'll have to forfeit the match. He then turns to the spectators.

"These are the opponents for the first match—Naruto Uzumaki, and Neji Hyūga!" I cup my hands around my mouth and scream for my friend.

"Woo! Go, go, Naruto!!"

"Yeah!" he shouts back, throwing his fist in the air. Gaara, Kankuro, Temari, Shikamaru, Shino, Garasu, and Iori exit through a door at the other end of the arena, leaving him and Neji to take their places only a few meters from the other.

"I vow to win," he tells Neji. I'm already grinning. "Show me what you got!"

Neji activates his Byakugan and takes his first stance. A strange chill sweeps up and into the back of my jacket – whether this is someone's, probably Neji's, chakra affecting me, or just the cold breeze from being up so high and exposed in the air, I can't tell. All the same, I've been too excited to watch Naruto's fight that I don't think I've breathed properly for a month.

"All right," the proctor calls. "Now, let the first match begin!"

Updated April 19th, 2022 | 2,134 words