An Unexpected Friend (Book 1 of the Unexpected Series)

Summary: The Chunin Exam finals begin and Kokoro fights Enkai Kuragari of Kiri.

Kokoro woke up with a content feeling running through her body and mind. She stretched and stood out of bed. She got dressed in her outfit and gear and made herself breakfast. In the middle of cooking, Haku knocked on the door and invited himself into the house. In his hands were some pickled vegetables and grilled fish. Kokoro smiled gratefully and finished up cooking her dishes - steamed rice, miso soup, and fermented soy beans. She turned the stove off and sat down at the table just as Haku finished setting it.

"You seem rather fine this morning," Haku observed.

"I am," Kokoro said. "I've had a few days to think things over and to come to terms with some of my feelings. Itadakimasu."

"Itadakimasu," Haku repeated. They ate in a comfortable silence before standing up and washing the dishes together. Once they were finished, they set out to arrive at the stadium. Kokoro placed a hand on Haku's shoulder, effectively stopping him from walking further.

"Thank you, Haku," she said sincerely. "Without you, I don't know how I would have trained this past month."

Haku pulled her into a hug and muttered, "I will always be here for you."

Kokoro held onto him tightly, letting him know that she appreciated all of the things he did for her. She pulled away from him and smiled widely. Haku chuckled softly and patted her on the head.

"You should go before you're late," Haku told her. "I'll be watching in the stands. Do your best and show them how much good kokoro you have."

She nodded her head determinedly and walked away with a wave. She entered the stadium and was confronted with a wave of cheers and talking. Hundreds of people sat in the stands waiting for the tournament to start. In the middle of the barren field was Genma Shiranui, a jounin with chin-length brown hair and a senbon poking out of his mouth, and the rest of the finalists sans Naruto and Sasuke. She looked around the stadium to try and catch a glance of her dad, but he wasn't there either. As she looked around, she caught the eyes of a fair-skinned woman with green eyes and long auburn hair. Part of her hair was tied into a top-knot and the rest flared out around her and down her back. She had bangs that covered one of her eyes, and she wore a dark blue dress. Sitting beside her was a blue kage hat with the kanji for water.

The Mizukage. Kokoro frowned and looked away from the woman. She decided to make sure she didn't look at the woman anymore. She had a tournament to concentrate on, and she wouldn't let the warnings from everyone around her get to her head. Out of sight, out of mind. Standing beside her was Shikamaru and Shino, who she never really talked to but knew was a cool person if not too quiet. His clan's specialty was insect-based jutsu. Basically, insects lived inside of him and fed off of his chakra, and in return, he was allowed to command them. It was slightly off-putting, to hear about it the first time, but Kokoro had come around to the idea. Who was she to judge?

"Your teammates still not here?" Shikamaru asked.

"No, and I don't know where they could be. I should have stopped by Naruto's apartment and gotten him," she answered.

"Sasuke?" he asked

"Who knows and who cares," she answered with a hard edge. "With what he probably learned from my dad, he's going to come back with a huge ego. He'll be hard to get along with."

"Don't tell me you're jealous," Shikamaru complained.

"A little," she answered truthfully. "My sensei has been a bit biased in his teachings."

"It is obvious your sensei favors Sasuke," Shino said quietly.

"It's that obvious?" she grunted out.