Remembering a Friendship (Flashback)(P)(NK)

Seth was sure that she had began to grow and that they both had grown slightly apart. He looked at her and a deeper feeling began to show, he was worried he might lose Akina he spoke "Akina.... I.... I was wondering if you might wanna have lunch sometime? I know we have grown apart and I would like to grow back to the way we were before. Because I am still holding on to my promise to protect you with my life." He was now staring hard into her silvery eyes with his golden snake eyes. He was prepared to hear any answer.

Akina turned red slightly as Seth spoke. She didn't like the tension she felt coming from Navi. She began to step away from Seth and Navi at once. She was shaking her head slightly, until a soft chuckle left her lips and she found herself rushing toward Seth. Her hand was clenched into a fist. Her fist started flying toward his face. If it connected, he would no doubt be reeling from the pain. "Bakka!" she screamed. "You promised to take me with you when you left!"

Her eyes were fiery. It wasn't like Seth had betrayed her or anything, but she couldn't let an unfulfilled promise go. "I will...accept lunch...as an apology." Her voice was harsh, but there was a smile on her face.

Navi saw Akina leap towards Seth and he was already so tense he immediately jumped into a fighting stance. Akina's clenched fist was hurled at Seth's face and Navi moved in to back her up. In the blink of an eye, before anyone could possibly react, Navi appeared behind Seth with a drawn kunai knife held to his neck. There was no mistake in Akina's fiery eyes, this was an enemy that had to be destroyed.

Navi stopped himself from slitting his throat though. "You promised to take me with you when you left!" he heard her say. What is she talking about... Akina was going to desert with this guy?

"I will...accept lunch...as an apology." she said, still a harsh tone in her voice. Navi still held his knife to Seth's neck as he stood behind him. His eyes were dark and cold with the look he always got right before he killed, something Akina would recognize. At the same time, he had a puzzled look on his face. "Does anyone care to explain..." Navi said through gritted teeth.

Seth took the punch to the face and then spoke "Akina I am sorry but I couldn't take you until I knew I was strong enough to keep you safe." He then felt a kunai slide up next to his neck, Seth smiled his fangs showing once he had heard the man ask for an explanation. Seth was looking into Akina's eyes he was unsure what to say to the man he looked at her. "So who is talking to your friend? I will but he might not believe me." Seth remained very calm even with the cold blade placed firmly against his neck. "By the way friend you may remove the kunai if you don't mind I would appreciate it." Seth was still smiling at Akina.

"Navi..." The girl licked her lips slowly. "Don't. He's here for the Chunin exams, and I can explain my meaning. Friend, please, put the kunai down." Her voice was very calm. She began walking toward Navi, in a very non-threatening manner.

"We met at Ichiraku. He said he was going to leave town in three days and told me that I could go with him. I was hardly a Genin, so I made a promise to him. I would become a Genin in three days. He promised to take me to see the world. I was so curious that I heartily agreed. Please, understand, I wouldn't willingly betray the village!"

"Navi..." The girl licked her lips slowly. "Don't. He's here for the Chunin exams, and I can explain my meaning. Friend, please, put the kunai down." Her voice was very calm. She began walking toward Navi, in a very non-threatening manner.

"We met at Ichiraku. He said he was going to leave town in three days and told me that I could go with him. I was hardly a Genin, so I made a promise to him. I would become a Genin in three days. He promised to take me to see the world. I was so curious that I heartily agreed. Please, understand, I wouldn't willingly betray the village!"

Navi kept his knife pressed closely to Seth's neck. "So this guy takes advantage of new Genin and tries to trick them into deserting Konoha? Desertion is punishable by death in the Leaf Village Akina, he would have lead you to your certain doom." Maybe this guy is a missing-nin who was trying to kidnap a foolish Genin. Navi was extremely prejudice to outsiders, and it was showing. Going to the Chuunin exams is also an easy cover story to create, it wasn't really evidence that he was an honest man.

If what Akina said was true, and Seth was a good person at heart, he still would have lead them both to their immediate demise. Shinobi deserters are immediately sentenced to execution by the ANBU Black Ops. Akina would probably be surprised by this information, and maybe she herself would begin to be suspicious of Seth. Navi kept a firm grip on the knife and stayed silent, watching Akina and listening to both of them intently.

Seth spun around the kunai now on the back of his neck Seth then looked into his eyes speaking "Navi I do believe, I would not force anything on anyone your worried I can tell and you deeply care for Akina. But what you don't realize is the depth I care for her, I know that you are wishing for her safety but so am I that is why I have an alternative I was going to say before you stuck a kunai to my neck. I was to attempt join your wonderful village and live here, fight for here, and die for here. But I feel before I can do so I need to become a chunnin because lets face it what kage will want to speak with a genin. Now if you still have a problem I would like to here it. Oh... and by the way I might have to leave soon for the exam." Seth turned back to Akina and looked at her with a smile his face showed truly deep emotions.

Akina saw for the first time that she might not have one nakama, but two, and that thought scared her. "L-listen, Seth, you don't have to do this for me...who cares if you are from a different village! A nakama is a nakama!" Her fist was clenched at her side, and her eyes were fiery. She looked at Navi like this, and then she smiled at Seth.

"Navi, as for the dying bit, I didn't know that when I was just a child! You're my nakama too! I can feel it in my heart, so don't make me choose! I don't want to have to punish you both...for being idiots." There was a wry smirk on her face that dared them to see if she was joking or not.

Punish me for being an idiot? Navi maintained a confused look on his face. "I just told you this kid you didn't even know almost killed you when you were little, and you call him your friend?" Navi was angry at both of them now, and he saw that he was getting nowhere. He let down his kunai but still held it firmly in his right hand.

He stared directly at Seth and Seth was looking straight at him. "Don't bother joining our village," Navi started "You will never be a friend of the leaf. If you can't stay loyal to your own village, then how do we know you can be loyal to ours? If you're just joining because of Akina then you are shallower then I expected." Navi continued, hatred in his voice. "I will never call you comrade, and you will never understand or earn the Will of Fire like a true leaf shinobi that was born with it. If you ever hurt or even make anyone in our village even slightly uncomfortable," Navi leaned forward, his face centimeters away from Seth's.

"I... will... kill you" Navi slipped his kunai back in his pouch and stepped back. His intimidating gaze burning into Akina. He didn't say anything, but she would know what he felt. How could you call an outsider your comrade?

Seth was unsure what to do but then decided he must go, he looked at Akina and spoke "Goodbye Akina, and Navi." Seth then weaved the tiger seal and disappeared. He had body flickered to the Arena to begin his exam.

[EXIT]