Disclaimer: Only Mia is mine! Everything else belongs to their respective owners.

Warning: Romance? Uh... Anko.

Beta: featherstofly

Second Beta: Lavendor Queen

Editor: Sansho

(ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

"So where were you last night?"

I shifted nervously on my feet, changing my stances. It was past breakfast and the team had gone off for the first part of the exams. It would last roughly two hours before they would be given a one-hour break to gather whatever they deemed necessary for the second exam, and then they would meet for the first time at the Forest of Death and the second exam would begin.

"With Kakashi," I finally answered.

Obito froze immediately, his obsidian eyes flashing the faintest red before he forced himself to consciously relax. However, there was an edge to his tone when he said, "I see. You seem to be spending a lot of time with him, lately."

"I suppose," I allowed.

We still had some tension leftover from Amegakure. We had had fights before, but never really a fight. After all, for the longest time we thought the other was only in our head, so why fight with your head? It was strange. This uncomfortable conversation and awkward silence we seemed to shift between. I missed our old banter. Hell, I missed our normal contact. Obito hadn't even looked at me for too long since then, let alone held my hand or patted my head.

You never quite realize how much you treasured something until it was gone, I guess.

"You suppose?" Obito mimicked back. "Why are you spending so much time with him?"

"Why do you care?" I retorted, immediately rising to the bait.

"I don't."

"Clearly, you do."

"No, I really don't. What you and he do in your free time is none of my concern."

"Then why are you getting mad at me?"

"I'm not."

"Yes, you are!"

"No," Obito said again, his voice starting to lose its even pacing. "I'm not the one yelling."

I flushed.

"Yeah, well, you're being possessively childish," I remarked snidely.

Obito froze, his posture stiffening as his eyes narrowed in anger. "What?"

"You heard me," I retorted. "Ever since I started hanging out with Kakashi, you've been getting very hissy and temperamental at me, which is ridiculous, by the way. You have no reason to be mad at me. It's not like I'm going to blab our secrets to him, or that he's going to steal me away and you're never going to see me again. He's a friend, Obito. And he's been alone for a long time."

"I am not—"

"Whenever I bring him up, you snap at me," I pointed out.

Obito clenched his hands into fists, closing his eyes and counting to ten. When he opened his eyes, his voice lost its previously sharp edge, but still wasn't quite even. "And? Is it wrong of me to feel that way?"

"That depends," I said slowly, "on why you feel that way. Why are you so possessive of me around him?"

Obito was still glaring at me for a moment or two, his lips pursed. He didn't answer right away, choosing instead to carefully reflect his thoughts and feelings. For a brief moment I could have sworn I saw revulsion and horror, along with some kind of realization flash through his eyes, but it was gone far too soon to be sure (so I dismissed it off as wishful thinking, somehow) and his face was carefully blank again.

"You are my only p— My only living precious person," Obito said carefully, drawing out each word. "Rin... The girl that I loved more than I thought I could love anyone else, was left in his care. At the time, she was my only precious person. And he killed her. She's gone, and you're all I have left. I am... Not comfortable... With leaving you in his care, even if only for a moment."

My eyes widened and I felt a rush of shame come over me. Shame that I had wishfully thought his reasons would revolve around something as petty as jealousy. Shame that I had not made the connection before—I was his best friend, damn it! I should have known. Shame that I had brought up painful memories for him again, and shame that I had made such a spectacle out of nothing.

I lowered my eyes. "I'm sorry."

"I... I am sorry, too."

I continued to stare down at the ground. Time seemed to drag on for a while before a leather hand brushed against my chin, pulling my face upwards. I was forced to meet Obito's gaze and once again, just like in Amegakure, I felt my heart quicken and my breath catch.

"I did not mean to upset you, or snap at you," Obito told me.

I pulled my head away from his hand, choosing instead to move closer to him and wrap my arms around his waist, resting my head on his chest like I had done so many times before. And after not having had such contact with him in such a long pause, I found it felt amazing.

"I'm not going anywhere for a long time, 'Obi. Promise. I'm not going to let anyone take me away from you, and I'll never willingly leave. So you don't... you don't have to worry," I murmured softly.

Obito let out a soft sigh, wrapping his arms around me and resting his chin atop my head. "Don't break that promise, Mia."

I closed my eyes, hugging him tighter.

(ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

"And this is Anko, guys," I formally introduced the two Akatsuki members—the artist duo—to Anko whose eyes remained entirely focused on Sasori. Anko gave a short nod.

"Alright, I'm about to meet the brats over at the forest. You two mind staying hidden until the drop-dead gorgeous Mia calls you out?" Anko asked.

"It'll be after the unbelievably beautiful and imaginative Anko gives the basic rules of the forest," I added.

"I am imaginative, aren't I?" Anko mused.

"We can do it, un," Deidara said. Anko gave another nod before heading away. I hesitated, sparing a glance at the two.

"Stick to the plan," I reminded. "Sasori, no revenge plans for you. Deidara, no pretty fireworks for you until I say so."

Instead of a normal banter of perhaps snide remarks or dismissive tones, the two held a completely professional gaze, nodding in acknowledgement. They knew first hand that a lot was riding on this mission for the Akatsuki. If they failed to follow my orders and the original orders given to them, Leader would not be pleased.

At their nod, I felt safe enough to travel behind Anko, unconsciously shifting the uniform around me and thankful Hidan wasn't around and that Deidara was remaining professional.

Officially for Konoha I was acting under Anko's jurisdiction and as an assistant for the T&I. She was my boss for the duration of the exams—not that I was complaining. Even if it was me who suggested the meeting of the Akatsuki with the Hokage, and me who was—as far as Konoha was concerned—in the know-how with the Akatsuki, I wasn't the assigned ambassador. That would be Kakuzu's department. Not to mention I didn't particularly want to be the official ambassador between Konoha and the Akatsuki. I did not have faith in my lying or manipulating abilities and I really didn't want to have to deal with the bullshit that was politics in this world.

So while I would be working with the Akatsuki, it wouldn't be official. I would officially be working under Anko and I would be assisting the Akatsuki. Unofficially, I would be working with the Akatsuki all the way.

I let out a slow breath, moving towards Anko.

The reason I was uncomfortable in what I was wearing was because, while I loved Anko dearly, she had a very unique taste in clothing. The girl wore mesh for a shirt for goodness sake. And she was still very adamant about me moving past Obito.

At least I get to wear a black trench coat like Ibiki's, I thought reluctantly. But it doesn't button or zip up, so I can't hold it together. At least it's better than just swimsuit.

A black trench coat, same style as Ibiki's with the exception of—as I said earlier—nothing to hold it together, a green skirt that was like Shippuden Sakura's—flaps and all—but with no shorts underneath it. Followed by a green cropped top, a mesh underneath that and voila. You have Anko's idea of trying to have her friend on the market of being single and somehow ready to mingle.

For me, I suppose it'd be more like single and failing to mingle.

How in the hell did she get authorization for this anyway? Wasn't Ibiki supposed to give her clearance? I thought he had my back in this, the bastard. I'm not going to make him anymore cookies after this.

You know what? Roll with it. If you show an ounce of reluctance, she will eat you up and do ten times worse. Besides, at least the coat is pretty effing badass.

With that in mind, I mustered up enough confidence to stride behind Anko, imagining my cloak fluttering behind me like a complete badass.

Like Batman.

(ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

"This place is where the second part of the Exam will take place," Anko purred, standing before the gathered genin. I stood behind the small wooden stall, hidden from sight of the genin and watching the scene unfold. "The 44th training area, also known as the Forest of Death. You will be able to experience why this place is called the Forest of Death."

Naruto snorted and Sakura giggled.

The Forest of Death was Anko's favorite place to train the girl, so I knew she was already rather familiar with it.

"There's no point in trying to scare us, crazy Snake Lady!" Naruto informed her, sticking his tongue in the process.

"If you weren't Mia's brat, I'd make you regret that," Anko warned him, her eyes narrowing before she gave him a leering smile. "Although... Hehehehe, seeing your face when your mother shows up in what I have planned... Hehehehe... That will be your punishment, brat."

Naruto paled while Sakura and Sasuke appeared slightly concerned. "What did you do with Kaa-chan?!"

Anko only gave a gleeful laugh, clapping her hands together.

"Before we begin the Exam, I have two pieces of news for everyone. First, I'll be passing out these Consent Forms. Those taking this exam must sign these."

"Why?" Kiba asked.

"From here on, people will die," Anko replied, smiling. "Therefore, we need people's consent before we continue. Otherwise I'd be held responsible and frankly the paperwork isn't worth it."

Anko giggled while Sakura nodded her head in agreement.

"What's the second bit?" Naruto asked curiously.

Anko gave him a rather smug grin, before beckoning towards the stand I was hidden behind in an exaggerated manner. "My assistant here has her own bit of news to pass on. You better listen carefully."

I stepped out from behind, walking towards Anko and ignoring Naruto's cry of horror (and Sasuke's look of outrage and disgust) upon seeing me. Sakura clapped her hands happily while Hinata blushed brightly. I stood before Anko, eying over each and every one of the genin, my eyes resting a moment longer on the one I knew to be Orochimaru before I cleared my throat.

"Ohayō, little cannon fodder," I greeted them. "You may simply call me Mia and I am here on behalf of an organization that more than likely a fair few of you know about—Akatsuki."

I made sure not to glance at Orochimaru when I said this, my eyes instead choosing to linger a moment on a handful of Amegakure genin who were staring at me with wide, familiar eyes.

"The Akatsuki are hoping to come to good terms with Konohagakure, as we have in many of the other villages and Konohagakure is hoping to return the favor. As a first gesture of goodwill on our part, Konohagakure has allowed us to perform a simple seal-search with this portion of the exam," I said.

"Seal search?" Kabuto asked curiously.

I gave him a smug smile. "Indeed. We have good reason to believe that someone we're looking for is near Konoha. As a precaution, we're doing a simple search on the only shinobi Konoha has no direct jurisdiction over. You can refuse the search, however by doing so you will not be allowed to compete in the exam. That much we—Konoha—can do. It's a simple precaution. The seal will measure out how much chakra you have, and if you're trying to suppress your chakra, the seal will activate and you will die. If you have a certain amount of chakra, chakra that no normal genin should have and Konoha was not informed of your status, then you will be treated as an enemy and dealt with."

The genin seemed hesitant, all of them whispering quietly to one another. I made sure not to stare at any of them any longer than necessary, my eyes just barely skimming over Orochimaru's form.

"Who will be giving these exams?" Shikamaru asked.

I held up my right hand, my two fingers beckoning downwards.

Deidara and Sasori flickered to stand at both sides of me.

"Akatsuki members Deidara and Sasori will be," I said simply.

I saw Kankurō's eyes widen at Sasori's name and a handful of Iwa genin at Deidara's. While the Akatsuki was on fair terms with both villages and they knew of Deidara and Sasori working with the Akatsuki, I wasn't sure if they informed their genin or if it was one thing knowing and a whole other thing seeing for them.

"Is that all?" Sakura asked curiously.

I gave her a smile, preparing to bluff my way through this. "As in are they the only Akatsuki members in the vicinity? No. After the exam, Sasori and Deidara will be patrolling the Forest of Death at random intervals."

"Why?" Sasuke asked.

I shook my head, dismissing his question. Anko stepped up, saying, "No reason of which you need to know. When each of you turn in your consent form, you will be given the exam. Anyone who does not turn in a consent form or consent to the exam must leave now. If you have lingered behind, these boys will remove you. Understood?"

"Hai!" The genin chorused.

Anko gave them a smile.

(ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

Orochimaru had left, unsurprisingly. Deidara and Sasori had headed off to patrol the perimeter of the forest as requested and I sat beside Anko, staring out at the forest while her minions worked around us.

"I'm thinking about asking Ibiki to make that your official uniform every time you come into work."

I closed my eyes, counting to five, before opening them up again and replying, "The coat is kickass, but I'm pretty sure it'd be a bit too cold in there to wear so little."

Anko gave me a thoughtful look. "That's right, you can't use chakra to regulate your body temperature like the rest of us can. I'll think of something else, then."

"Goody," I muttered sardonically.

"Shit, do you remember how long we're supposed to wait here?"

"Well, you have to wait here until another proctor returns and takes over your shift in watching the exam. I don't have to do anything," I informed her.

"But you will stay here with me because you love me," Anko told me sweetly.

"That and you would never let me live it down if I ditched you," I added.

Anko nodded her head wisely. "Indeed."

"Mmm. I hope my babies will be okay."

"Our baby has been training in this forest for years now. She knows her way around," Anko consoled.

"That's true," I said, smiling softly.

"They'll be just fine."

"Mn!"

(ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

My eyes snapped open and I shot upright, my breathing heavily as sweat clung to me. My heart was hammering and fear gripped me. Several minutes passed of me blinking and breathing, slowly calming down and regaining my senses.

I closed my eyes, letting out a small breath before reopening them and climbing out of bed. Already the first night of Naruto and the others in the forest seemed to be dragging on. Not to mention the nightmare I had just experienced was rather...

I shook my head, ignoring the after images that seemed to pop up before my eyes. Instead I grabbed a pair of clothes and went to the shower.

(ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

Changed in clean overly large shirt, shorts and undies, I headed towards the kitchen, intent on making myself some warm milk and cookies, seeking general comfort. When I stepped into the living room to head to the kitchen, I frowned, finding Obito sitting on the couch, watching a movie with a bowl of mostly eaten popcorn in his lap and a bottle of pop in his hand.

He glanced up at me, raising an eyebrow.

It wasn't all that unusual to find Obito doing midnight raids in my fridge or watching television or reading a book late at night at home. He claimed to have a sort of insomnia and not need as much sleep due to the Senju DNA in him. He didn't need a lot of things either, after all, only half of his body was really human. He could function with half of the things we needed without any sort of problems, including sleep.

However, sometimes I wondered if he perhaps didn't want to sleep. If something else aside from biological reasons was keeping him up at night.

"You're up awfully early," Obito observed.

"No. Just... Bad dream," I finally finished.

I hesitated in my next choice. We were still at odds with each other, even if talking about Kakashi seemed to help. Things weren't back to normal between us and I wasn't sure what I could and couldn't do anymore without overstepping the boundaries. But staring at him, I could see that maybe he was unsure as well. There was a tense underline in his posture, and his eyes didn't seem quite as light as they used to.

I thought of my dream. Of that horrible dream.

I didn't like it. I didn't like seeing myself fail and everyone die for it, especially knowing that it was entirely plausible in the future. I was playing a dangerous game and things were only going to escalate as time went on. At that moment I needed to be sure that everyone I cared for was alright. Even if I could logically say it was a dream, my heart was telling me something different entirely. But I couldn't. Naruto and the other children were in the forest, Anko would be taking over the night shift soon enough, I had no clue where Kakashi was and the Akatsuki were generally out of my reach (not to mention I doubted we were friendly enough that I could simply wake them up in the middle of the night to comfort myself, though I guess some of them wouldn't mind too much). And Obito... Obito...

...Was out of my reach by my own hands.

I didn't want to talk about Her. I didn't want him to find out why I didn't like Her, or why I was acting childishly jealous. I didn't want that to happen, because the risks of it