CLOUD ENVY - S. Nara

Two Hours to Midnight

In life, all the choices you make are half-chance.

I could sit all day, asking myself how I get into situations like this- probably till I'm blue. Whether it's some divine power taking my life by the back of the neck and shoving its face into a toilet- or some predetermined fate that will someday lead me down the right path, all I know is that at this moment my life is engulfed in flames.

And as I watch them burn down everything I've spent the last seven months building... I think I'd prefer the toilet water.

-----

Amaya had a plan- she did! End the fight quickly. Just smoke some genin chump no matter where they came from. But plans sometimes change. She had to admit she didn't recognize the kid, her name was Niza Matsukemi. Standing and awaiting the match-ups she couldn't help but stare at the teen.

She was a little older than the others, not much- but it was noticeable. Not just by her mature figure, but by the way she carried herself. She held her chin up at the rest of the finalists, her green eyes pouring over the younger people present. Her hair was an eye-catching blue, letting Amaya know she definitely wasn't local. Colors like that were much more common in colder regions, so she was probably from Iwagakure... or maybe Amegakure. Didn't matter she supposed.

Niza, as she now knew her, had fair skin- and a beauty spot below her left eye. Her lips were full and her nose was strong as well as her jawline, by any standards she was stunning. But that wasn't why Amaya was staring. She was staring because the energy she emitted made her skin crawl, the teen just looked... too sure of herself. She looked at how Amaya felt, which could only mean one thing.

She was very capable.

"Would you snap out of it?"

Amaya blinked as she swung her head to the left to find Shikamaru subtly glaring at her, his hand gripping her wrist.

"What's the matter?" She asked lowly, aloof to the proctor (her irritating neighbor) droning on about the rules. He blew out a deep sigh, "Just pay attention- tell me you at least heard who you're fighting." The Nara's jab began as a whisper, but as Genma finished and told the finalists to go take their places on the balcony, his voice drifted a little louder.

Amaya's half-lidded eyes met his with little interest.

"Who?"

It felt as though he stared at her for an eternity before he spoke.

"The one you were staring at. Miza I think her name was."

"Niza, Niza Matsukemi."

Now it was Shikamaru who stood blinking in confusion.

"Oh C'mon! I was paying attention!...kinda.." Amaya promptly defended, chuckling softly as her eyes poured over his irritated face. Rolling his eyes he grumbled something to himself as she grabbed her shoulders and pushed her toward the tunnel with the rest of the finalists.

"Just shut up and walk..."

----

One person could only cheer for so long... Shikamaru thought his ears were gonna start bleeding if Amaya kept it up any longer.

Geez... I think he gets the message...

Catching a not-so-subtle look from the young Nara, Amaya rolled her eyes.

"C'mon Shikamaru, support your friend!" She chirped, her eyes carrying a glint of mischief he never seemed to miss.

She watched on as the lazy boy slumped against the rail in dejection, resting his chin in his palm and complaining about how their whiskered friend had unfortunately raised the standards for slackers everywhere. Naruto, blissfully unaware, ran around the arena blowing kisses to the crowd. It was some win.