Another Change

I yawned and stretched my limbs, enjoying the comfort provided by sheets. I turned to the other side and opened my sleepy eyes. I got up in such a sluggish manner, heading to the bathroom. I quickly showered, with my eyes almost closed. I went back to the room, trying to remember how and when I got in bed. I opened the wardrobe, but something was off. Those weren't my clothes. I took a piece of fabric in my hand, and when I heard the door opening, everything was clear. I covered myself with that piece of fabric, feeling my face turning crimson. My gaze met his questioning look.

"Um... This isn't my room, is it?" I asked, wrapping the fabric tighter around my body.

"You can borrow one of my robes," He said a bit uneasy, turning his back on me.

I searched for one with the speed of lightning and put it on me. It was so fluffy and warm. And I could use it as a yukata, it almost reached my ankles. Another strange but comforting feeling hit me while wearing his clothes. If I was to think that I slept in the same bed with him... And he almost saw me naked. Damn, I was dizzy.

"I'm sorry, I fell asleep in your room. You probably had a terrible sleep," I apologized.

"I slept very well, don't worry. I would have taken you to your room if I was bothered."

Well, I had a good sleep too, but it would have been better if I knew that he was next to me. But I fell asleep like a top. Congrats, Baka-chan.

"The breakfast is ready," He announced, turning to me.

A corner of his mouth lifted, and a light shade of pink colored his cheeks.

"Suits you well. Let's go."

I went with him to the kitchen, finding a table filled with steaming bowls of food. Everything looked mouth-watering and it smelled like heaven.

We sat next to each other and I dug in. I noticed that we were so different in some ways. He was eating so slow and neat and I was eating like a pig. I was sometimes calm and other times hyper. He was always calm and composed. I was talking too much, he barely talked. Yesterday was the single day I heard him talking so much all these months. But I liked his personality. He completed mine very well. As long as he won't be an ass again. But I don't think it's going to be the case now.

"Kimimaro-kun, this was amazing," I complimented. "Thank you for the food."

"You're welcome," He said, giving me one of his rare kind smiles. "I'll be going soon. I have to put everything in order and make sure everything is right around here before we leave. You should pack the things that you need too. You should have some sealing scrolls in your wardrobe."

I nodded, feeling a bit sad. I got used here and it started to feel like home. And now I was changing the place for the second time.

"Morning, love birds!" I heard Riki's loud voice saying.

"Morning, Riki-kun."

Kimimaro-kun gave him a death glare. He seemed ready to punch him. I put my hand on his forearm, trying to calm him down.

"What did I do?" Riki-kun asked, lifting his arms.

Kimimaro-kun closed his eyes and sighed. Meanwhile, Riki-kun was already at the table eating some leftovers. He opened his eyes and looked at him with a softer gaze.

"Thank you," He whispered.

Was my hearing wrong? Did he... thanked him?

"Wow. Excuse me, can you repeat it? I don't think I heard you well," Riki-kun teased with an arrogant smile.

"Don't push your luck!" Kimimaro-kun warned.

"OK, OK. You're welcome."

"And don't you dare to touch her again, or you won't catch the next sunrise," He threatened, heading to the door. "See you later, Mikura."

OK, that was the creepiest thing I have ever seen. Kimimaro-kun was possessive. He threatened Riki-kun for real, the killing intent has been visible in his eyes. But what amazed me the most, he thanked him.

I looked at Riki-kun and noticed that he was just as shocked as me.

"I don't know if I'm happy or I should worry for you," He laughed.

"I'll be fine. Thanks, Riki-kun. Your plan really worked."

"I told you," He said full of himself. "I don't know if he wanted to wait more or he was too cowardly to tell you, but it turned out well."

"I can't believe he was actually so different from what he was trying to seem like."

"So he isn't the ass he's pretending to be."

"Riki-kun!"

"Sorry, but he's not the nicest person. He used to treat you bad too, you know what I'm talking about."

"Maybe he had a reason, don't be so harsh."

"You may be right. Never mind. Let's get back to teasing you. I see that you're wearing his robe and I saw you coming out of his room," He jested, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Riki-kun!" I squeaked tomato red.

"This is really funny," He laughed. "You are so easy to tease. But I will stop before he'll kill me."

"Good choice, you moron," I hissed, sticking my tongue out.

I waited for him to finish and washed the dishes. We both left to pack our stuff and prepare for the road. I chose an outfit for tomorrow, and the rest got sealed in a scroll.

With everything done, I went outside for a walk. I wanted to see the surroundings one more time, who knows if I'll get to see that place again. And I had memories there.

I went through the meadow, remembering every single training, every feeling that I had. I have been sad, angry, frustrated, excited, flustered, confident, and happy. I felt like a ninja for the first time.

After sitting under the sun enjoying my memories for a while, I went to the lake. I couldn't stop smiling, there was the place where I got a response to my feelings. I felt my cheeks getting warm. I still couldn't believe something like that happened to me. It happened so fast, it was still hard to process everything. But it was the most intense feeling I ever had.

"Mikura? There you are." I heard his deep voice saying with a hint of worry.

"Yes. What's the matter?" I asked confused.

"I wanted to eat lunch together and couldn't find you anywhere."

"Sorry for worrying you. Let's go."

I took his hand and dragged him all the way. He seemed surprised, but he smiled and seemed to enjoy my touch.

I insisted to cook, but I had no chance. He only accepted help with chopping the vegetables.

"I'm so excited. I can't wait to see Orochimaru-sama again. And I'm a bit excited about that test too."

"We'll see about that," He murmured with a bit of amusement.

"Can't you give me at least a clue about it?" I insisted with some fake puppy eyes.

"Not even a chance. But you'll do just fine."

"Well, if you say so, then so it is. But I'd like to train once more before we leave. Will you help me?"

"Sure. Let's finish here and we can go."

Said and done, we finished eating and cleaned up the kitchen, then we headed to the training field.

He looked at me intently, then smiled.

"To make it harder, let's simulate a real fight. You are allowed to use anything you want. Don't be afraid to scratch or to cut me, we have healers around."

"I... I can't hurt you, Kimimaro-kun," I objected.

"Don't take it like that. We won't do anything that will put our lives or our physical health in danger. But we have to detach from our feelings when it comes to training or missions if we want to be effective as a ninja."

"Yes, you're right," I replied half-heartedly.

"Good. Now, hide your chakra and find a safe spot to hide around. You have thirty seconds before I come after you, so choose carefully."

"How do I know you won't be peeking?" I asked suspiciously.

"It would ruin my purpose. Now stop blabbering and prepare to run. I won't show any mercy when I'll find you," He warned with a dangerous glare.

I gulped and nodded, waiting for his signal. He only closed his eyes and started some countdown. I didn't wait any longer, I started to run like my life depended on it.

"Think, Mikura. Where to hide?" I whispered to myself while running through the trees.

I couldn't hide in a tree again; I already did that trick and he found me anyway. If only I could perform some kind of replacement or some kind of Henge no Jutsu. I could transform into someone else but it would be too obvious. I have never seen someone around here. So the best idea was to transform into an animal. An easy one, because I have never used the jutsu that way. Looking around, all I could use as inspiration were some birds. But it wasn't a bad idea at all. Something in my mind clicked and I made four clones as fast as I could. My thirty seconds were probably done and that was my only option. Me and my clones scattered, each in a different tree, taking some distance between us. Weaving the right sign, all of us became cute little birds.

I stood on that branch with a cocky attitude, praising my cleverness. I flinched a bit when I saw Kimimaro-kun under me, searching left and right for me, but my chakra was well hidden so I had no reason to be worried.

It was almost funny to see him struggling to find me, while I was using such a trivial trick. I may escape easily with this training. Well... So I thought until he jumped on a branch where one of my clones was. When the clone vanished with a poof, he noticed something was wrong so he started to attack all the birds in his way. Shit! I tried to fly, but I remembered only when I hit the ground that I could imitate just the image of that bird, not the skills. Of course, my disguise was compromised, his senses were too sharp to not notice.

I released the henge and started to run. The only difference from last time was that I was running towards him. It was better to attack first. I aimed directly at his stomach, but he dodged. He knew my fighting style, so I had to do things that he didn't expect. Like taking a fistful of dirt and throwing it in his face. He remained still, trying to regain his composure. I used the opportunity I created, and knowing that striking his diaphragm will make it hard to breathe for him, I punched his stomach as hard as I could. His breath stopped in his throat, and I could see how amazed he was. Since I couldn't afford to wait and see what was happening, I pushed him with my shoulder to destroy his balance and threw him on the ground. Well, he said to simulate a real fight and I could use anything so he couldn't blame me for being so aggressive.

I was about to grip his throat to claim my victory, but I was celebrating too fast. He has been the one who suddenly gripped my throat in the end. He switched the roles, and in a blink of an eye, he was on top of me and I was struggling for air.

"What's the matter, Mikura? Can't breathe?" He asked with a mischievous smile. "You took my breath away too," He continued with fake indignation.

I fought to loosen his grip, but it was indestructible. At this rate...

"If you don't escape soon, you'll lose your consciousness," He warned. "Fight harder."

I did everything that came into my mind. I scratched, punched, struggled from all my body, but he was too strong. White spots started to cover my vision.

"Come on. Remember, I said you can do anything. I want to see that you can handle this kind of situation so I won't need to worry about your safety. Fight back!"

Ok, that was nice of him but he was literally suffocating me. If he wanted me to fight, I had to listen. He was my sensei too somehow. So I started to search for my kunai as stealthy as I could. When I found it, I used all the strength that was left in me to stab his forearm. In just one second, my lungs were full of fresh air again. I sat up, watching in horror how blood was flowing along his forearm and fingers. My kunai was on the ground, stained with his blood.

"Kimimaro-kun..." I squeaked.

"I'm fine. I asked for it, right?"

"You did, but... I don't like this."

"I do. I am pretty impressed. The transformation was a smart thing to do. And such tricks as the dirt in my eyes... let's say it was inspired. And I noticed that you used your anatomy knowledge to put me in difficulty. You didn't even need to use jutsu. But in the end, you got too confident and let your guard down. Overall, I am satisfied with your accomplishment. Everything that you lack will come with experience."

I was already blushing. Being praised by him felt like a great honor. If he said that, he meant it. But I had to hurt him...

"Let's go and take care of your wounds," I demanded.

"Ok. Let's go."