Blue : Hey Ketei, look! I'm posting a new chapter!

Ketei : Took you long enough. I was starting to think you had given up on me!

Blue : I could never give up on you. You're too...

Ketei : Amazing!?

Blue : Hmm...

Ketei : Awesome!?

Blue : I wonder...

Ketei : The best character ever written!?

Blue : I've got it! Messed up!

Ketei : Wait, what?

Blue : Enjoy the chapter everyone!

Ketei : Wait a second! We're not finished! Let me get my stapler...

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"Ketei, remember what I said! "

"I-I'm sorry. I won't do it again... "

"Shut up! "

My mother sat down on the floor and sighed.

"Ketei, I didn't mean to snap like that. I'm sorry. It's just, I only want what's best for you. "

I went over to her and sat on her lap.

"But, mommy, I want to be like the other kids. I want to go outside and play." I said.

"No, no, no, no... You can't go outside! The world is a nasty horrible place, Ketei! You don't go out there, I promise. It's dangerous and I can't lose you to it! I can't lose you like I lost your father... " mom said and then started crying.

Mom does this a lot.

Why can't she see, that one day she'll have to let me go?

-----

I shook the memory away and stared at duckbutt.

His brother?

"Can you repeat that? " I asked.

"I want to know what you know about my brother."

Wait a second, didn't he say something about killing his brother?

I also remember wanting to ask him about Itachi.

But now, for some reason, I don't want to say anything. Is it because I want to protect him?

No, of course not.

Liar, liar, liar...

"Why do you want to kill him? " I said.

Sasuke frowned.

"Answer my questions first. " he said.

"My beautiful lips shall remain shut until I hear a reason for them to open. " I said.

Sasuke hmped then stepped forward with a grim look on his face.

"He killed my entire clan. Is that reason good enough for you? "

My entire body froze and I felt like I was about to throw up.

"Everyone I love will end up dying..."

Is this what he meant?

But...

He helped me when I was lost, he was my friend, he said I was beautiful...

He's been helping me - even now he's still helping me.

And he killed his entire clan?

Why?

Naruto started shaking my shoulder.

"Ketei-chan? Are you okay? What did you tell her, Sasuke! " Naruto said.

"I just told her exactly what she wanted to know."

"Stupid, I need some... Air. Right now. " I said and ran out of the building outside.

Okay, I don't think the world is supposed spin around me like that...

"Ketei! " Naruto yelled but I could barely hear it.

"Ketei! "

Why would he...

"Ketei, are you okay! "

No, Naruto. I'm not okay.

And then - with all the lameness I could muster - I collapsed.

---

"Look, it's the nerdy girl again. "

"The one who aces all her tests?"

"Yeah, that's her. Look at her, thinking she's better than us or something. "

"Ugh, stuck up people like her should just go die."

"Shush! What if she hears you!"

"Doesn't matter. She should know that nobody wants her around. Maybe then, she wouldn't come to school and leave us alone. "

Hey, dad? Can you hear me? I don't know if you can but if you do get this message then, I guess, I'll be happier.

Can you take me away from here?

Somewhere nicer.... Somewhere, where the children don't laugh at me?

Maybe then I can find a good friend and we can go on adventures together?

That's what I wish for more than anything.

Friendship and adventure.

And if it's not asking too much... Kindness.

Thank you.

The memory suddenly changed into something darker.

Damn stab wounds.

I had just rescued Yoari from that horrible place and now I'm trying find our camp again.

They want her power...

A stupid fucking curse would be a better word for it.

They're not taking her away from me though.

I'm her bodyguard and her friend.

I carried her around the dark green forest on my back, ankles bruised and swollen.

I had sitched up my stab wound with threads from Yoari's hood and a needle I found lying on the ground.

Keep going, it should be here somewhere...

I brushed some plants back so that I could see better past the tall grass and smiled.

The camp!

I started running and made my way into the clearing.

Yes, I found it!

I observed our seven large tents and burnt firewood in the center of the tents.

But.... It's so quiet.

They're usually up right around now...
I put Yoari down and then opened one of the tents openings and prepared myself to glomp the sleeping people inside... But instead I was met with the grizzly torn apart corpses of Yoari's parents.

What... What...What the hell is going on!

I immediately closed the tents opening and looked inside all the other tents frantically.

Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead.

They're all dead!

Why! Who did this! I'll kill them! I'll kill whoever took my family away from me!

Wait, family?

Ha, that's funny.

Only when they're all dead, do you admit the truth.

You love this group of psychos.

I grimaced at Yoari's peaceful sleeping face on the ground.

I don't want her to see this.

Where's Hidikan?

I didn't see his....body, in any of the tents.

That means, he might still be alive!

But where is he?

I sat down and stared at all the makeshift tombs around me.

Who would kill them! Wait, stratch that. Who wouldn't kill them?

Everyone wanted the Mikata clan dead.

But who would actually do the job?

The smell of the corpses is overwhelming, why didn't I notice it before?

I saw Yoari's eyes start to flutter and she began to move around on the ground.

Shit, she's waking up!

I crawled over to her and put her head on my lap.

"Ketei, is that you? "

"Yes. "

"What's wrong, Ketei? You didn't make some snarky comeback. "

Am I that predictable?

"Yoari, you trust me right? "  I said.

"Of course I do. "

"Then do me a favor. Don't open your eyes. " I said.

"Alright, but why? And what's that horrible smell? " Yoari said.

"Do you want the truth or do you want a fancy little lie? " I said.

"Can I have both? "

"Life doesn't work like that, squirt. "

"Then... The truth. "

I sighed.

This whole pure mindset thing you have, Yoari - is going to destroy you one day. But I wouldn't trade you for anything else.

I took a deep breath and mentally prepared for the unpredictable.

"T-They're dead. " I said.

"Come again? "

"Everyone at the camp is dead. Excluding Hidikan, everyone is dead. " I said.

There was a long silence after that.

Cicadas could be heard buzzing in the trees, birds flew overhead avoiding the smell of the dead. The vultures just circled around us though. The sound of a rapid brook echoing from the hillside pierced our ears.

The calming sound just making the chaotic scene around us even more ironic.

"Ketei, if I scream... Will you hate me? "

"No. " I said and held her hands tight.

"Then... "

Yoari made a scream so loud it made the cicadas stop singing, the birds stop flying, the vultures stop circling, and tuned out the sound of the calm brook.

Pure anguish and grief filled my ears.

I want to cry. But if I cry... I'd lose a very very important bet.
So, I need to wait.

After a while, Yoari's screaming diluted down onto a sorrowful wail. And then, a hoarse whine, until finally... Silence.

"Ketei, I hate myself. " Yoari's scratchy voice choked out.

"That's stupid. " I said.

"Why-"

"Because you're amazing. Stop blaming yourself. That's a bad habit of yours. " I said.

"But if I wasn't alive, they wouldn't be dead Ketei!"

"If's are just If's. Right now is what we need to think about. " I said.

"What am I going to do when you die? " Yoari said.

I laughed a dull laugh.

"Celebrate. " I said.

Yoari's fingers dug into my hands.

"Can I go too? When you die? " she said.

I sighed.

"No, you can't. There's too much in this world for you to leave behind. There's people you haven't met, places you haven't seen, things you have yet to do. I'm fine. I won't die. I'm invincible. " I said.

"Liar. " Yoari said.

"Guilty until proven innocent, huh? Just my luck, getting the short end of the straw. " I said.

Suddenly, Yoari's arms were around my neck and she was hugging me tightly.

"Don't leave me. " she whispered.

I smiled.

"Wouldn't dream of it, squirt. "

Later that day, we set fire to our campsite.

And as it burned down, Yoari cried.

I just waved goodbye.

And I could've sworn I saw someone wave back from within the flames.

----

My eyes fluttered open and I sat up quickly.

"They're dead... " I whispered to no one in particular.

Why? Why do I have to lose them again?

Their bodies were...
I think I'm gonna puke.

Ugh, I'm not made out of fucking stone!

I can still feel pain....

But I'm not crying.

"Ketei-chan, you're up! " I heard a very loud voice say.

"Stupid, calm down. I might be up, don't mean I'm awake. " I said and rubbed my eyes open to see his face right in front of mine.

"Stupid, you better back up out of my personal space or I'll gouge out your eyeballs with a spoon and feed them to a stray dog ."

He jerked back immediately.

"Ketei, are you okay? You look a little pale. "

"Can't help that, stupid. I am a zombie ya know. "

"Stop it. "

"Stop what? "

"Acting. All day you've been acting really weird. "

He noticed?

"It's just... Don't worry about it, okay? Worry about the exams. We'll deal with my emotional baggage later. " I said and stood up.

I'm back at Naruto's house.

I looked out the window.

And it's morning.

"I sure was knocked out for a while, wasn't I?" I said.

"I thought you had died. "

"Stop joking-"

"I'm not joking! You just fainted outside and I thought you had died. " Naruto confessed.

I strangely didn't feel like laughing at his naivety this time.

"So, the second part of the exam is today, right? " I said.

"Uh-huh. "

"You ready? "

"Yeah. You? "

"I don't know. " I said and pushed naruto out of his room.

"Gotta get dressed! " I said and shut the door.

I sighed.

I'm going to get through the exams and then I'll tell Naruto everything. But until then, I'm just gonna deal with it myself.

+-+-+

"Alright, little ones! This right here is the forest of death! " Anko said while spinning a kunai around on her finger.

"Soon enough, you're all gonna find out why... " she said darkly.

"Umm... Anko? " I said aloud.

Everyone turned to me.

"The forest of death? Really? Couldn't we aim for something more creative like "I know what you did last friday" or "forest of the damned bunnies"? Forest of death sounds like the title of a b-movie." I said.

"You're right but still... Forest of death. " she said, still trying to retain some of the mysterious aura she had going on.

I looked around me at all the other people here.

Chunin exams... The first test was actually pretty easy. I have a feeling the seconds gonna be a pain in the ass.

I looked over at the red head and his entourage.

Especially with monotone and pussy pajamas.

Naruto started bugging Anko then.

"The call it the forest of death and you're gonna find out why! " Naruto said sarcastically.

Anko put on a different face than when she was talking to me. A smirk.

"Come on! You can't scare me! " Naruto shouted.

"Oh, so we got ourselves a tough one right? " she said.

I stepped in between the two right before Anko was about to throw a kunai at Naruto.

I glared at her.

"I suggest you don't lay a finger on stupid. Only I can hurt him, okay? " I said.

She started laughing.

"Such a gutsy girl too! This year's group is just full of strong ones. Let's see how that changes once you enter the forest. " she said.

"Hey, Stupid?"

"Yeah? "

"After this is finished, we're going stalking. First house is hers. I want to put snakes in her pillows. " I said and started laughing maniacally.

"Ketei-chan? You scare me more than her you know? "

I hugged him tightly.

"Good. Even though I'm a little lost... What's so scary about innocent ole me? " I said and looked hungrily at Anko with a kunai in my hand.

"The fact that you can do that. " Naruto said.

Sakura poked my shoulder.

"Ketei, Anko-Sensi is doing something... "

I looked at Anko holding up a contract.

"Okay guys, I need you to sign this contract for me, alright? It states if you die in there, it's not my fault. " she said.

"Ha! And here is where she is foiled! I can't die! I'm invincible! " I shouted while flinging my hands in the air.

"Ketei, they're staring... " Kon said.

"Who cares! " I shouted aloud.

I still ended up getting a contract and having to sign it though.

But for revenge, I drew a picture of Anko being roasted in a cauldron and wrote "FUCK YOU!" beside the drawing in giant bold letters.

Go take that modern masterpiece back to your official people.

We then were all lined up at our gates and got ready to enter the forest.

I went over to Sasuke and grabbed his hand, making him jump a little.

"You scared duckbut? " I asked.

"What is it Ketei? " he said.

"I just want you to know, your brother... "

His head snapped in my direction.

"Means a lot to me. So by extension - you do too. I still don't know what to think about what he did but I'm still not going to tell you about him. I will help you in here though. " I said seriously.

He sighed.

"Do whatever you want. " he said.

I grinned and started pinching his cheeks.

"What the hell are you doing? " he said and slapped my hands off.

"You said I could do whatever I want. I'm the gang boss and you're my subordinate so I just had to put you in your place, you see. " I said.

"Sorry. " he said.

"Huh? "

"I shouldn't have... Have been so hard on you about my brother. You're not like him." he said.

I smiled.

"Welcome to the flying turtle society, Sassy Uke. "

----
A/N
Wow, it has been a while! Sorry for not updating in so long guys. Remember when I said my writers block was gone? Yeah, it didn't stay that way for long. But I decided to get back to work on TAODGASB though and I'm very proud of this chapter. I'm working on many projects right now so I can't say when I'll update again but I can say it won't be as long as last time :)
- bluelion2

Wait, the question!
What anime made you cry the most? (Elfen Lied. Cried like a baby for hours. Took the whole family to calm my but down.)