Butterflies: Orange and Pink

"The butterfly effect. One small event changes one small thing, but this snowballs into greater and greater things until the world as we know it has changed entirely. So, what if one small event, eight years in the past, changes." Set in 'Butterflies', yet majorly AU. OC-centric, slice of life.

Chapter 3 – Examining surprise

8-8

"Alright, everyone. Your written exam begins in less than a minute. You have sixty minutes to answer seventy-five questions. Some are multiple choice, some are open questions. Think carefully, but do not forget the time limit. Once time is up, everything left blank will be considered wrong." Blah. Blah, blah. Blah blah blah blah, blah-blah.

I raise my hand, wanting to know exactly what I'm working with. "Sensei, how much percent correct answers is considered a pass?"

"It's your overall score you have to worry about. If you do poorly on the written, but excellent on the other two exams, then you could still pass." He explains. Well that doesn't really tell me anything then, huh. "Begin!"

I skim over the questions, already scribbling my answers – name, student ID number, date, the usual crap. Then I get to the actual questions. They seem almost as hard as the first five. Seriously. The names of all four Hokages? How… Aya. Stop. Look for the harder ones to amuse yourself with. Then, figure out how many easy questions you can get away with getting wrong. We don't want to ace this, we want to be passable. Nothing more.

8-8

An hour later, we're guided out of the room and out to the training field. The first portion is target practice. Five kunai, five shuriken. One target. We go alphabetically, so I mostly just amuse myself with how nervous some people look. We aren't allowed to talk, but I am allowed to pat Hina and Ino on their shoulder for emotional support – neither really needs it, but they appreciate it anyway.

When it's my turn I grab the kunai and shuriken from the table and stroll up to the line. Flick, flick, flick-flick. There. A mediocre result. Three bullseyes, the rest merely hitting the target. "Aya. Five needles as well, please." I'm instructed.

"Huh?" That's not something anyone else was asked.

"You hit the target each time. Five needles as well, please."

"I just had to hit it!?"

"Five needles." I grumble, but I take the needles and pelt them all in one go.

"Satisfied?" I ask, not even looking what they hit.

"Quite." Iruka-sensei says, writing something down. If they make this test anymore simplistic, I'm going to scream!

At least I know Ino does better than me in this portion – nothing but bullseyes. And Naru gets the same. Hina too, but… frankly she could do that in her sleep.

8-8

The taijutsu portion. I sigh. I hate this part. They'll end up pitting us against a chuunin, and we'll have to land a hit, or something like that. Once again going alphabetically, I settle in and wait my turn. I really don't care to watch people fighting, it's… crude.

"Namiki Aya." I hear my name, so I step up. The grey haired man… Mizuki, I think his name was. I never liked him. And he always gives Naru funny looks when he thinks no one is watching. I shrug, not caring too much. Soon he'll be someone else's problem. "You have two minutes to land a blow. Go!"

Why? I've got two minutes. I stand. I tilt my head to one side. I call up my killing intent, welling it up like a nightmare waiting to be unleashed. Mizuki just stands there, staring.

A minute left. Forty-five seconds. I'm still standing here, waiting. Thirty seconds. Twenty. Fifteen.

I act. All the welled up killing intent is unleashed at once, focused into a stream aimed at him. His eyes widen in shock, and I take full advantage. One punch, to the gut. He flies back about a metre, just outside the ring. He lands on his feet, but I don't care. I got my one hit.

"Good!" What!? No! Mediocre! Me-di-o-cre. Kami! Is it so hard to bomb this stupid exam!?

8-8

Then comes the ninjutsu portion. I grumble. I curse. I fricking HATE how simplistic this exam is!

"Only you could look upset with doing so well." Ino teases.

"I'm not trying to do well. I'm trying to place in the bottom ten percent." I complain.

"You're sucking at it." I glare at her.

"Thank you. If you hadn't pointed that out, I'd never notice." I drone sarcastically.

We settle in, waiting for our names to be called. Eventually it's my turn. I wish the others good luck, and I go into the next room. "Ah, Aya-chan. Welcome. You'll need to perform the transformation jutsu for this portion. Please transform into someone now."

I sigh. Take my time to think about it. Do the handseals, which I don't need to do. And I transform into Hoshie. Hopefully they'll think it's complete crap, because Hoshie is just a shorter version of me. Nothing more.

"Well done, Aya."

"Damn it!" The words slip out before I can help it. And I wince at the volume too! I've been trying to mess this up, you idiots! Who the heck messes up at messing up!?

"… Why do I get the impression you're unhappy with passing?" Iruka-sensei asks, giving me a hard, but curious, look.

"Why would you think that." I drone, sarcastically. "I passed. I know that." I walk up to him, accepting the headband he offers me, ignoring the amused look in his eyes.

8-8

Outside, I run into Chouji, and I congratulate him on passing. He laughs. "You look ticked off, Aya. I'm guessing you did better than planned?"

I grumble, still holding my headband in my hand. How fricking simplistic do you have to be to fail this exam!? "Whatever. I know Haruno will do better than me on the theoretical. And Ino will do better than me on the practical. So I should be fine."

"Jeez, you really don't want to top spot, huh." He laughs, amused at how different I am from Shikamaru – I suppose.

"No. I don't. I just want a passing grade. Is it so hard to get merely passable?" I complain, annoyed.

"It is for you, Aya-nee." Hoshie? I turn, wondering why I didn't smell her and the others here. "Congrats."

"Thank you, Imouto-chan." I scoop her up for a hug. "Hey, mama?"

"So that's why you didn't put it on yet, huh. Nah. Let your father take this one. I'll bug Hoshie when it's her turn." Mama says, smirking proudly. Papa walks up to me, gently takes my headband and ties fastens it around my head, tying it nice and snug. It feels a bit weird, wearing it there, but… whatever.

"Thank you, papa." I look up at him, beaming. I'm still annoyed with the test, but seeing that proud smile on his face?

"Make us proud, princess." He pets my hair, careful not to muss it too much.

"I'll do my best." I promise him. He taps his cheek, leaning in a bit. I smile, but kiss his cheek anyway, as requested.

8-8

To no one's surprise, everyone passes. I mostly just grumble. Papa and mama decide they're taking ups to a restaurant to celebrate, but the others all have their own thing, so they go celebrate with their families. Still, it's a day out with the family, and auntie Anko joins us as well. Things could be worse.

The restaurant isn't very fancy, thank Kami-sama, but it's nice. It's perfectly fitting the situation. Kenshin sits in mama's lap, and I find myself sitting between Hoshie and auntie, with Naru next to papa. Tomi-nee and Inaho are here as well, sitting across from each other. We go over the menu, and I'm reading things off to Hoshie so she can decide what she feels like eating. We go back and forth, discussing what sounds yummy and what doesn't.

Eventually everyone's happy with their choice, and the waitress takes our order. Then comes… the talk.

"So, Aya?" Crap. Auntie's already in that mood. "How'd you do on the test?"

"Much better than I planned to." I complain, sighing for good measure. "Did you know that hitting the bullseyes isn't a requirement? That just hitting the target is enough?"

"… Seriously?" Auntie asks, confused.

"Yeah. I made sure only a few hit the bullseye, and I got asked to throw five needles for 'extra credit'." I do the air quotes too, really annoyed with that stupid test. I mean, seriously. How idiotic can a test be?

"How'd that go?" She asks.

"I have no idea, I just threw them and walked away." Everyone turns to Naru.

"All five hit the target. In a perfectly straight line." Naru says, impressed. "I honestly thought she did it to show off a little."

I groan, rolling my eyes up to the heavens and mutely asking why this keeps happening to me. Auntie laughs, amused. "It looks like all that training paid off then. Even when trying to mess up, her muscle memory takes over and does it right anyway."

"Auntie… you do remember that you're the one that taught me how to handle needles?" She just laughs louder.

"Of course!" She says, a bit on the loud side, but not too bad. "So anyway, I've taken this week off. I plan on spending it with you pups. I want to see how far you've come in your training."

"A'right!" Hoshie shouts, excitedly. We both wince at how loud she's being. We share a look, perfectly understanding each other. We're proud of our heritage, but sometimes…?

8-8

At home, in the back yard, auntie decides she wants to test Hoshie first. I don't mind. I'm busy reading up on the Sound of Silence, wondering at the overly complex way things are explained. Still, it's an interesting style of jutsu, so I don't mind too much.

I wonder at the implications of some of it. I mean, if this is so wonderful and awe-inspiring style? Why isn't it better known? Why is it that I know of no one in Konoha that is known for sound release? That means, either it's a secret style from a clan, or it has some glaring holes in its defences. Worth keeping in mind.

Still, as one aspect of skill, it never hurts to know something extra. And seeing as I'll actually be focusing more on medical jutsu, it won't matter if everyone knows an easy counter, so long as this helps keep me alive lone enough to make sure my team can back me up.

"Aya-nee~eeeeeeeeeeee!" Hoshie whines, even as she winces at the volume. "You weren't even looking."

"Of course I was, Imouto-chan. But more importantly, how do you think you did?" I ask. She's cute, adorable and my cuddly teddy bear, but she's also five. If I tell her I was looking, she'll at least be tempted to believe I was.

"Horribly. That's why I need your help to get better." She whines again.

"That's fair. How about this? Why don't you see what auntie has to say about it first? She was your opponent after all. After that, I'll spar with auntie and you can try to tell me what I do right and what I do wrong? It might help." She thinks about that, going over my words over and over. I'm reading while she's doing that.

"Alright." She agrees, heading over to auntie for tips. I smile, going over that last sentence a few times – why do they explain everything so complicated?

"Oi, princess, it's your turn." Auntie calls me. I nod, placing my bookmarker –with wolf pups and butterflies– to mark where I left off, and I go over to her. I don't wonder what she wants, I already know. She wants to see how far I can take it. I stick both balled fists into the air, smirking at auntie.

"Don't blame me if you start enjoying this too much." I warn her. She smirks.

8-8

After that, I have the best week of my life. I do nothing but read. All week. All reading. Papa gave me a new medical book, and a scroll with a new jutsu. Mama gave me a new book on wolf psychology – written by Namiki Akemi, so I know it's the real deal. The book on sound release. A book on genjutsus. Books. Nothing but books as far as the eye can see.

I smile, thoroughly enjoying myself.

"Oi! I know you're not still up here reading!" I wince at Naru's volume. I throw a pillow, which plops against his face. "Snuffles, come on! You've been up here reading for days. Weeks!"

"I like reading." I argue.

"You also love spending time with Anko, and she's here. You're ignoring your godmother, and it's breaking her heart."

"Now you're just being dramatic. If auntie minded she'd be here herself bugging me. And besides, I spent most of the morning sparring with her and showing Shie-chan some new tricks." I counter. He pouts, I can tell just from the silence.

"Fine. I want to spend some time with you. You're ignoring me, Snuffles, and I won't stand for it any longer." Without warning, he jumps on my bed next to me, already tickling my undefended sides.

"Naru!" I squeal, laughing at the sudden attack. "Naru, behave! I swear to Kami-sama…!" He's still, tickling me. So, I fight back. We never wear footwear in the house, so even though his jacket would protect his sides, his feet aren't so lucky. I run my big toe over his unguarded sole. He jumps, trying to figure out how I did that. I smirk, my hands already digging into his jacket from underneath to tickle him as mercilessly as he tried tickling me.

Our laughter fills my room, the hallway, and I have no doubt most of the house as well.

8-8

Team placement. A polite way of finding out if your life is screwed or not. I know almost without asking, that Ino and Hina are going to be put on solid teams. They have to, they're the best. Naru as well, but… well, he's an idiot most of the time. My idiot, but still an idiot.

Everyone's abuzz with questions. Who's going to be on the same team? Who'll be their sensei? Why are they so uppity about it? They'll know as soon as Iruka-sensei decides to make the announcement, and then… we can start making bets on who's failing the second round. Oh, right… they don't know there's going to be a secondary test. How sad. Naru knows. I told him. I also made sure to explain that he needs to remember to analyse what gets said. I won't be there for him with this test… he needs someone here to patch him back up…

…

I already regret not gunning for top kunoichi. I want to be the one there for Naru! But… I don't want to fight. But I want to be there for Naru! But… I still really just don't want to fight.

I groan.

Stupid Aya. One or the other, not both. And the die has already been cast. Live with it. You'll just have to come up with something… some reason why you need to… accompany Naru if you feel the mission's too dangerous for him to go alone.

Hmm… That'll have to do.

Iruka-sensei starts his 'congrats, you graduated, me so proud' lecture. I swear, Iruka-sensei could lecture about the proper use of toilet paper. Then he starts calling out teams. I listen for two names, only two. Namiki Aya. Uzumaki Naruto. That's it.

"Team five consists of Namiki Aya," One idiot, "and," Two idiot… "led by Namiki Miwako." I grin.

"Team seven consists of Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sak-"

"WHAT!?" Naru is not happy about that! I wince at the volume though.

"As I was saying, Haruno Sakura and Uchiha Sasuke."

Naru starts grumbling instantly. "A fangirl and an emo. Great."

"Sasuke's pretty skilled though. You'll at least have someone to help. And you know they always place the top two with the lowest ranked." I remind him.

"Yeah, but that means Sakura is a fangirl and the lowest ranked." He grouses. I pat his shoulder, not knowing what to say about that.

"Just promise me you'll do your best?" I beg.

"Aya, you-"

"Please, Cuddles?"

He sighs, groans and looks up at the ceiling, and like the heavens he can't see, wondering why he got the crumby luck he got. "Fi~iiiine." I kiss him on the cheek, enjoying the blush I tease from him.

8-8

Mama enters with the other jounins. I can smell they're all strong, but I don't really care too much. I walk up to her, already knowing we'll be the first to leave. Two idiots trail after me. I know they're supposedly my teammates. I don't care. Idiots to a fault, and no redeeming feature.

I wave to my friends, grin to Naru a mouth the word 'promise' to him. He nods, waving lazily to me as our team leaves.

Mama leads us into the Commercial District, to a little café. We take a seat, and mama orders a chocolate parfait for me, and riceballs for the idiots. She also orders some tea.

"So," Mama begins once the waitress leaves. "You three are my team, huh. You don't look like much."

I ignore what she's trying to do. I know her mind games better than most. I keep reading the booklet on unusual jutsu styles, enjoying that the idiots are trying to convince her that they are something other than idiots.

"What do you think, princess? They worth their salt?" Mama asks me.

I rub my forehead, thinking about that. "Hirota is hopeless. He thinks he's Kami-sama's gift to Konoha. Datou stands a chance, but he'd need so much work it isn't funny."

Both boys look uncomfortable. "Work, how?" Mama asks.

"His taijutsu's a mess. His aim is decent, for the academy, but that's it. His chakra control is all but worthless, and he's not the hard working type. He'd rather just lean back and tell you what you're doing wrong."

"A Seitou?"

"Uh huh."

"Well, how about we test that then." Mama says, offering her feral grin. "Tomorrow, at five AM. Training ground six."

"Mama. It's rude to order chocolate and not eat it." I point out.

"Ah, but that's just the fun of it. You three are going to spend the rest of the day coming up with the answer to a riddle." She claims. "The riddle is this: everyone has it, but no one sees, if anyone grabs it, then everyone bleeds."

I groan. So the mind games begin.

8-8

And of course, Mama leaves me with the idiots. At least I get some chocolate. "What does the riddle mean?" Datou wonders, trying to figure it out. I don't waste my time. It isn't meant to be figured out. It's meant to wear you down. If you are so occupied trying to figure out what that riddle means, then you'll lose focus.

Then again… it could be one of papa's tricks. A double trap. Not only do you have to figure out an impossible question, but you also have to prepare for a test or whatever.

"Hey, Namiki. She's your mom, what do you think?" Datou asks me.

"I think it's papa's riddle." I say honestly.

"Meaning?" The other idiot asks. Meaning someone as dim-witted as you won't figure it out.

"Meaning it's a double trap. It's a question you can't understand until you understand the situation you find yourself in." I explain. "Papa's super smart, a doctor. He… he likes these little mind games to keep my challenged. So that means, mama's expecting me to figure that out. This could mean one of two things. Either it's papa's riddle and she wants us to figure it out. Or, it's her riddle and it's meant to wear us down for whatever she has planned tomorrow."

"… That's… messed up." Datou explains seriously. You think!

"It gets worse though." I continue, not wanting to be a downer, but needing to say this anyway. "Remember how I said that it's a question you can't understand until you understand the situation?"

They nod, not liking where this is going.

"Well, in the current situation, there's nothing to worry about. No one risks bleeding. So this isn't the one. Which means she'll vaguely give us the answer tomorrow. Which is actually worse… because that could be part of the secondary test."

They stare, wondering what I mean.

"Idiots. Did you really think Konoha would be one of the Great Five, if anyone that could pass that first test became a shinobi?" They start to sweat, not liking this at all. "So we get another test tomorrow. She didn't explain it to us, because she knows me. She knows what I know. She knows what I don't know. So, she gives us a riddle we can't answer, and gives us the day to discuss it. Giving me the chance to explain what you two should know. Get it?"

"… Give it to me straight, Namiki. She'd never fail her own daughter, would she?" The other idiot asks.

"She would. In a heartbeat." They look shocked. "Better to fail and live, than to pass and die. Would she rather a living or dead daughter?"

8-8

I make it home not long after, finding mama and papa discussing something in the family sitting room. "Hey, baby, discussion go well?"

"Not really. They aren't any closer to figuring it out. But really? Papa's kunai riddle?" I give her an incredulous look. "You want to test if I want to go back on my word or not."

"The thought has crossed my mind." She admits. "Besides. I figure you might have changed your mind, and there's nothing wrong with that."

"There is if I give my word. And I gave papa my word I'd be the best doctor I can be. I can't do that in the field. I need to be here in Konoha to study and train." I counter.

"You were eight when you said it." Papa reminds me.

"Eight or eighty. A Namiki is bound by their word." I say, not giving a millimetre. "If they figure it out, I will accept it as a factor out of my hands. If they do not, I enter the reserves, apply at the hospital and start studying like mad."

"That sounds fair." Mama agrees. "So you didn't tell them anything?"

"That would be honourless. I told them enough for them to have a fighting chance, but not so much that they'd figure it out instantly." I explain vaguely. "I leave it up to them how this plays out."

8-8

The next morning, five AM, we're in the agreed upon training ground. I arrive with mama, already finding Datou and the idiot. "Good morning, team. I haven't explained what the second exam is, so I'll do that now. It's a survival test, you three against me." I don't react. There won't be an exam if they don't figure out the riddle.

"How this works is simple enough. I have three bells." She jingles the bells to prove it. "You must each get a bell from me. If you do not, you're sent back to the academy. Easy, right?"

"And the riddle?" Datou asks. He uses his brains. Good on him.

"What about it?" Mama asks.

"I still can't figure it out, and I think it's a lot smarter to understand the whole puzzle before trying something new." He explains. Wow, seriously not an idiot. I underestimated him.

"Hmm. Well. When you figure it out, let me know. Until then, you have until noon to get a bell. Come at me with intent to kill, you'll never stand a chance otherwise." Mama explains, grinning her usual feral grin. And there's your last clue. If you draw a kunai, in a situation like this, against an enemy that can take out your whole team, everyone bleeds. It's about understanding what you're up against, what you can and cannot handle. And we cannot handle a jounin. Simple as that.

"That let's get the party started!" The idiot shouts, I wince at the loudness of his voice. He draws a kunai and attacks mama head on. Well, this was fun, and now completely pointless. He failed the riddle, he failed the test. We're not going to be a genin cell. Too bad.

Datou is studying me, noticing how I'm not grabbing a weapon at all, even with my twin tessen on plain display. His eyes narrow, he nods. He understands the riddle.

"Mama?" I interrupt her messing with the idiot. She looks to me, still holding the kunai against the idiot's neck. "Datou figured it out, that idiot didn't. Will that be all?" I ask. She looks to Datou, noticing a thoughtful frown on his face.

"Pretty much. You two pass, this one fails. Simple. And look it, I didn't even have to wait all day."

"WHAT!?" I wince. Why does that idiot always have to be so loud?

"The riddle. The answer is a kunai. Or more accurately, drawing a kunai against an enemy you can't handle. If you draw your weapon against someone that can kill your whole team, everyone bleeds. It's about camaraderie. About sticking together, and making sure your team doesn't die on you. The rest of it is a smokescreen. She offers you more information than you need and lets you figure out what's important and what isn't." I explain. "Now, Datou. As mama said, we pass. We can't make a full genin cell, but we're good enough not to send back to the academy. That means we're in Konoha's reserves. I plan on applying for a position at the hospital. You can too, but you could also petition someone that might be willing to train you." See, I can be nice! Sometimes! I just don't when it involves idiots. And that idiot has always been mean to my Naru! Datou is, at worst, neutral. Not ideal, but better than being an idiot.

"Hey, mama? Can we go to that convenience store? I know they have coffee for you, and they'll have ice cream for me?" I pout, giving her the puppy eyes.

"Hnn? That works. You coming Datou?" Mama leaves the idiot in the dirt, where he belongs.

8-8

At the twenty-four hour convenience store, I pick up a litre tub of chocolate chip ice cream, and a plastic spoon. Mama goes for her weiner melange coffee – coffee with chocolate, hmm… maybe someday. Doesn't coffee stump your growth, or something?

Whatever.

Datou decides he's going for two rice balls and some tea. I study him for the first time since meeting him – four years ago. He's a little shorter than I am, but I'm taller than most guys in our old class. Short, black hair, beady black eyes. He has a horizontal scar on the bridge of his nose, almost like he got cut pretty badly at some point in the past. Other than that, he's… the definition of a spoiled rich kid. Fancy guy's kimono, light blue – seems to be a standard thing in his clan. His clan's crest is on proud display, but I can't figure out what it looks like…? A… bird? A rabbit? Something a wolf spewed because it disagreed with his or her stomach? I don't know.

Mama pays for our things, and we take a seat on the bench just outside. "You knew." Datou doesn't ask. I know he's talking about the riddle, the answer, the test.

"Of course. It's papa's riddle." I say, opening my tub of ice cream, licking the plastic to make sure there's no more ice cream stuck to it. Wasting (chocolate) ice cream, the shame!

"Why didn't you tell us?" He asks.

"Would it be a test if you had the answer?" I counter, stabbing my spoon into the frozen chocolaty goodness. I scoop up some of it, sucking my spoon clean.

"You never meant to be a kunoichi." He isn't asking this time. "You tried to fail the first exam. And you were more than willing to fail this one too?"

"Not really." I think about that. "I meant to pass just well enough to get into the reserves. They don't take civilians at the hospital."

He opens the first riceball, takes a bite and thinks about that. He's quiet for almost a minute. "Wow. You almost failed at it too. If it'd been anyone but Hirota? They'd have figured it out."

"There is the possibility." I say, not caring. I scoop up some more ice cream, enjoying my early treat.

"… Hnn…?" He seems to be thinking about something. He takes another bite, going over whatever it is a bit longer. "Namiki-sensei? Would you be willing to take me as an apprentice?"

"Hnn?" Mama thinks about that. "Sure. Why not. It beats what Aya and her father has planned for me."

Datou looks at me, confused. "We hated that she was so active in Anbu. So we got her to quit. She's supposed to apply for head of the academy, which she's trying to weasel her way out of."

"I see." He says, blinking a few times. "Wow."

I raise an eyebrow, sucking on my spoon. He shakes his head, trying to figure something out. Just don't ask me what. "I knew you were smart, Namiki, but… wow. I'm grateful I listened carefully." I shrug, not caring. I guess he's less of an idiot than I first figured. Oh well. Can't be right all the time.

"Hey, mama. Thanks for the ice cream."

"Just don't tell your father. He thinks I spoil you too much."

I give her a look; and that's wrong, because…? She laughs, petting my hair. She drinks her coffee, deciding she's said enough. I just keep sucking down my chocolate, enjoying being alive.

"I wonder how Naru's doing…"

8-8

End Chapter 3

8-8

A/N: Gee, I wonder how Naruto is doing. For those that have read and remember the little details. Datou was actually mentioned in Butterflies. The one that warned Hirota (in the Chapter Bothersome Blondes, like chapter... 4?) that Aya was starting to get upset with him. Neither is a cannon character, but it doesn't matter. All that matters is that this was a bit trying to write :-\ I don't know why, just... bleh.