A/N: Alright ladies and gentlemen, I'm back! Miss me? I've been incredibly busy with travel, work, and unfortunately, OVERTIME since I updated this story last and it pains me to say I've been in a bit of a rut with this story, but no more! I've purged many, many, MANY of my old fics, revamped others, and I think, improved as a person since I've written this, last. Its also given me time to try new ideas, and suffice it to say, I've got this story quite planned out now! So...

...here we are! LET THE REBIRTH BEGIN! There's also a nasty little twist at the end of this chapter...one you won't see coming, I assure you

"A real friend will wake up with you in the next morning...

...and laugh."

~?

Bells and Bonds

"Alright, maggots!" Anko chimed merrily, a wicked gleam shining in her hazel eyes. "That's two dozen sit ups and push ups! Are you ready for this test?!"

The three genin groaned, flopping down on the training grounds like boneless fish.

"Someone, please kill us...

"Aw, don't be like that! Now that we're nice and warmed up, it'll be fun~!"

"For you, maybe." Naruto muttered. "I don't exactly have fond memories!"

Mitarashi Anko was, in fact, one of the few people Naruto and Robin genuinely feared. Fierce, enthusiastic, and bloodthirsty as hell, they'd crossed paths with her only a handful of times before. And each time, they had resolved to stay the hell out of her way. Alas, that wasn't an option this time. As much as Robin remained anxious, and as much as Naruto wanted to turn tail and get the hell out of dodge they knew that wasn't even a remote option by this point.

This time, there could be no escaping the purple demon from hell, not if they wanted to become shinobi.

"Alright, its simple." Holding out her hand, they heard something clink softly within Anko's palm. "Just get these two bells from me."

"Two?" Hinata stammered out. "But there are...

"Yup." the jounin nodded, bobbing her head. "Two of them, and three of you. Winners get to be taught by yours truly. Losers go home."

An awkward silence pervaded the grounds. Robin frowned.

"Wait...that's it?"

"No pits?" Naruto remained skeptical, folding his arms firmly across his chest.

"No poison?" Robin interjected again, shuddering. "No snakes?"

"One time, brats! One time!"

"We're serious!"

"Well, I don't know about the last one, but no, no pits or poison." her eyebrows wiggled suggestively, as if to say, not this time. Hinata squeaked. She didn't understand Naruto and Robin's irrational fear of Anko-sensei, but she felt she was beginning to at this rate! The jounin looked like the sort who genuinely enjoyed torture-not surprising, given her former division-and that eerie gleam in those hazel eyes would've been mooore than enough to send even the most hardened warrior scrambling for the hills.

"This'll be easy, then!" Naruto's cry jerked her back to reality; she turned to find him grinning, cracking his knuckles. "I'll just kick your ass and get a bell. No problem!"

"Don't underestimate me, kiddies." Anko warned. "You'll be lucky to get within three feet of me."

Robin paused.

None of this made any sense.

If there was going to be some sort of a physical test, why would their teacher willingly have them exhaust them beforehand? Moreso-why only two bells? Why not three? Two only guaranteed infighting amongt the three genin seeking one of the bells, whilst a team was meant to work together. It simply didn't add up in her mind, and anything that obvious immediately made her suspicious.

"Wait." her voice was little more than a murmur.

Naruto turned.

...what?"

"Robin-san?" Hinata blinked.

Irritated the blackette waved a hand, and two limbs sprouted, thrusting her teammates towards her.

"I say it can't be as simple as sensei claims." she muttered in an aside to them, continuing to whisper. "It just can't. Think about it. It doesn't make any sense. I've done a fair bit of research over the years and, to my knowledge, there's never been a three-man squad in the history of Konoha. Ever. It simply hasn't happened. I think its more likely that she wants to see if we will work together, or fight it out over the bells. It'd make sense in theory. Now, this is what we're going to do...

Naruto blinked, balked, then grinned as she revealed her plan to them.

"Wow, that's...actually pretty clever, Robin."

The blackette preened, a soft flush rising in her cheeks. "Of course."

A shadow fell over Hinata's face.

"I think it could work...

"Oi, gaki's!" Anko called. "You having a strategy meeting over there or what? It won't change anything!-THERE WE GO!"

She wasn't entirely prepared when Naruto and Hinata turned and rushed her, but nor was she caught off guard. It made sense that the two physical members of the group would look to close the distance. The only real long range jutsu Naruto possessed was that strange choking technique, and without that, he was primarily a taijutsu fighter like Hinata. Distract me from the distance fighter and charge in. Nice work, kids. she thought, shaking her head as the duo rushed her. Sloppy, but nice...

So, in light of their efforts, he humored them.

Anko caught the boy's blows easily, his fist smacking harmlessly into her hand. With the other she warded off Hinata. A Hyuuga the girl might be, but she was no prodigy. So long as she paid attention and made certain she didn't seal her chakra points, she'd have the upper hand...

"What, is that it?" she crowed. "You're never going to get a bell at this rate."

Naruto grinned cheekily.

"Wasn't trying to. NOW!"

"Eh?"

He ducked then, pulling Hinata with him, and in the next instant, Robin raised her arms.

"Seis fleur!"

"Eh?"

Seeing the ability was one thing.

Experiencing it, well...

...that was another.

Anko started violently as six arms sprouted from her body, writhing like wild vines. "Like that'll stop me-!" Before she could finish however, one pair clamped across her mouth! As her arms reached up to remove them, another found her legs, and the final duo, her arms. An attempt to escape via substitution jutsu only tightened the vice tenfold; yet another pair to sprout on her back, reaching around to clench her throat. Just who the hell was this kid...?!

How was she this strong?!

Struggling mightily, she found h

"See? Simple." Her dark face expressionless, the blackette strode over to their prone teacher and snatched up the bells from her belt. As Anko looked on she tossed one to Naruto, and then, in a surprising show of what one could truly call wit, wrenched the second bell in half and tossed its twin to Hinata. Facing her, she held the other severed portion up for herself. Three in all. Che. They'd discovered her little spin on the bell test with ease. Clever little shits.

"Alright, alright." she sighed, shrugging in the trap as the hands left her mouth, "You win. Now untie me!"

...yay." Hinata clenched a fist against her chest.

"We win!" Naruto's whooped entirely overshadowed her reaction. "Shit, that was easy!"

"Almost ridiculousy so." Robin agreed. "We should celebrate."

"Let's eat, then! Ramen?"

Robin paused, considering. "Alright. I'll treat you, just this once. Care to join us, Hinata?"

...okay."

"YATTA!"

Anko lay there in disbelief for a long moment, watching their retreating backs, before realizing what had just happened. They'd left her. Alone. Bound and tied in the training grounds. Her face purpled mightily, matching the color of her hair.

"UNTIE ME, YOU LITTLE RUNTS~!"

(Meanwhile, elsewhere...?)

The sun was beginning to rise. The first few rays glimmered over the green hills, making them glow radiantly. Finally, sunlight shone over the colorful meadow, causing flowers to bloom instantly. Wonderful splashes of white, and red, and purple, and yellow, and pink, and blue, and orange all opened up on the field; a magnificent sight to anyone who was watching.

However, in such a large meadow, only thirteen flowers grew: the chrysanthemum, the tulip, the marigold, the bellflower, the lily of the valley, the camellia, the iris, the bird of paradise, the buttercup, the daffodil, the yarrow, the thistle, and the summer snowflake. Each represented a different aspect respectively, and each symbolized a different meaning entirely. It was only fitting for this place, after all.

Right in the center of the field, a woman slept. Two books lay on each side of her, both tied to a long blackstrap that looped around her entire waist, containing a series of scrolls. Her long black hair stretched to where the sash was first tied, and her only accessory in it was a small hairpin, almost in the shape of a flower. Her long robes served as an excellent way to keep warm, and seemed fitting for one such as her. She napped peacefully, her breathing coming in slow, steady breaths.

She moaned softly, and nestled into a more comfortable position in her grassy bed. But then, she began to twitch, and her breathing became quick and shallow. She murmured quietly, and the air around her seemed to spark. And then, without warning, her eyes snapped open to reveal large lavender orbs, and she sat up with a cry.

"Robin!"

The field of memory vanished with waking.

The woman woke to blackness.

That was her first surprise.

She lay in her bed, inside her home, feeling as if someone had picked her up and slammed her against the wall a few dozen times. Like she'd been shoved through a cheese grater and threaded back in the wrong order. She groaned, sitting up in the darkness. In the dim light her hands seemed almost unnaturally bright and she ached, she ached, oh how he ached inside, her head pounding. She sat up further; it made her body feel even worse, but confusion dulled the pain to a slight edge as she sat there, blinking.

She held his arm up in front of him. It still shook slightly, and he couldn't make it stop.

Wait.

Why was she in his bed? The last thing she remembered was...

Memories came rushing back in a blinding, white wave of agony.

Pain.

Agony.

The tree, falling...

...everything burning...

"What...where am...

Clamoring upright, she jolted out of bed.

That soon proved to be a mistake. Her bare feet wailed in protest, screaming the moment they touched the floor, invisible pins and needles stabbing at them. Every footstep, agony. Her knees cried out, buckling, unable to support her weight. Groaning she half stumbled, half crawled to a nearby mirror, still intact despite the clear memory of having shattered it. Yet here it was, staring at her, unharmed. None of this should be here, she knew, it should all be ashes with Ohara. Even that nearly overwhelmed her.

But that was good. It mean..

...this wasn't real.

The panic at being deceived almost consumed her mind, the claws of a great beast ripping at her, but still she focused her will until finally...FINALLY...

"Damn, and we were so close, too...

Her "room" fell away at the sound of that voice, leaving her in blackness.

When she came to, she found himself in chains. In a cell.

The terrible agonies she'd suffered in that eerie illusion, though still stark in her memory, were gradually being replaced by the cool sensation of the cooled cobblestones beneath her legs. Aches and old pains resolved themselves and, blessedly, her mind came back to her. Nico Olivia looked down at the rags that must have once been a dress, saw, what years of imprisonment in that eerie dream-world had wrought on her. And she remembered.

Who she was.

Why she was here.

What she had done to the world.

An attempt to move caused his chains to clatter, eliciting a grunt...and a groan. Something that suddenly reminded her she was not alone.

"Genjutsu is a wonderful thing, isn't it, Olivia?" a soft voice purred, interrupting her musings. "It can cause pain or pleasure, happiness or sorrow. If you'd been a good girl and given us what we wanted, we might've let you stay in that blissful world...

She'd nearly fallen for it, too!

"Now," they continued, circling her, "Where is your daughter?"

The whitehead bit her lip, refusing to speak.

It had changed her, giving up her daughter to those ninja. Hardened her. Nearly broken her. But now she was out. Gone. Free. If they'd taken her to that village then "they" had no chance of finding her. And even if she was somehow discovered, Nico knew Konoha shinobi. They were loyal to a fault. They'd die before surrendering one of their own.

Thankfully her captors-tormentors!-didn't know that.

"Still silent after all these years?" they asked? "Commendable! She's caused quite an inconvenience, taking that from us, but no matter. We're close now. We'll find her eventually."

"Why?" she hissed, spitting a bloody gob onto the floor, "So you can kill her?"

"Heh. Hehehehehehe..." It started out soft and soothing, the cackle of a man gone mad. "...ehehahahahahaHAHAHAHA!" Then, abruptly, it jumped three octaves, leaping into an insane shriek that left would have left a normal man's hair standing on end, his skin rippling in gooseflesh as that voice skipped into an insane shriek. The clapping didn't certainly didn't help either, the harsh sound of his palms smacking together with a harsh, continuous pop of sound. It was the strangest sound he had ever witnessed, and yet at the same time, the most amusing, terrifying sound he'd ever heard, because he was the one making it.

"Kill her? KILL HER?! they guffawed openly in a last, loud, nasally burst of laughter. "Why would we want to kill her? She's the key!" a hand closed around her hair, seizing the white locks and wrenching her visage upward-forcing her to face a pair of beady pigish orbs. "The key to everything!" they shook her again, grinning. "She's the only one left who can read them after all. Since you were oh so kind as to wipe them from your memory, we really have no choice but to use her, instead. It's all your fault, really. If you'd done as we asked, you wouldn't be in this boat."

"The knowledge you seek is best left forgotten. So are the weapons."

"Ah, but that's where we disagree!"

"...then I have nothing more to say to you."

"Very well." they finished, still tittering. "We have ways of making you talk, though I was hoping it wouldn't come to this." Out of the corner of her eye, she saw movement in the darkness. "It's a shame really, to ruin a beauty such as yours...

Her sky-blue eyes widened as she recognized the instrument of torture.

...but I suppose we all have to make sacrifices now, don't we?!"

Nico Olivia gritted her teeth as the red hot poker descended towards her face.

'Robin...

Then, once more, came the pain.

A/N: Oh dear god in heaven, WHAT AM I PLANNING HERE?! Stay tuned to find out!

Once again, many thanks to Sarcasticles for lending me this idea, and I'm giving him full credit for it! Pairing is NarutoxRobin, and yes, this story begins in their academy days. Robin still has full access to all of her abilities, making her a very dangerous enemy in any situation. And before anyone says anything, there is no bashing in this fic! I worked long and hard on this despite what might be crippling depression, so I'd truly appreciate your feedback, dear readers.

Remember, Naruto is a fair deal wiser in this fic thanks to Robin; though as you see, he has a MEAN streak when his friend is insulted. The technique he used last chapter and this essentially a forbidden assasination jutsu, one that takes a massive amount of chakra to create and causes a bad bit of damage for any sorry soul on the receiving end. It was sealed because its damn near impossible to trace, and it can't be sensed by anyone. Sort of like that ol' silent killing techninque...only ten times worse. Will we see it again in the future? Perhaps.

Wonder what trouble Naruto and Robin will get up to with their new teach?

So...in the Immortal Words of Atlas...

...Review...Would You Kindly? This sad soul would certainly appreciate it =D And of course, enjoy the preview!

(Preview)

Robin tilted her head.

"You're a girl, aren't you?"

Haku sputtered hopelessly.

"How did you...?!"

R&R! =D