Little Monster [An alternate storyline]

Awakening

A/N

This chapter starts off from a little after where the last chapter left off.

~~~~~

Shin didn't talk much. It was either that, or Kana just wasn't used to listening for his voice. So far, he had introduced himself and gave Kana a small list of things he liked and didn't like.

He liked the colour red, he likes acting, and he said he was 14. He said he hated the smell of food cooking (as do most ghouls) and interacting with humans.

Kana tried to imagine what he looked like; eye colour, hair colour, height. However, she had never seen him, so she could only make assumptions. She spent countless hours while on watch over the course of a few days, but he often didn't respond, however, sometimes a bit of his personality bled through. Sometimes he would snicker, and Kana could just imagine his cheeky grin. 

Aside from Kana trying to get closer with Shin, Kaneki was already back at 100%, however, neither Sasuke or Naruto have started waking up. Sakura wasn't doing all that well mentally, but Haku spent a lot of time with her, talking her through her distress. Azumi did her best to hold everything together, not cracking her flawless mask of being a fearless leader. But sometimes, when she thought no one is looking her mask would break. She'd bite her nails anxiously, or play with strands of her dark blue hair, her icy eyes trained on the ground. Kana often wanted to talk to her but thought it wasn't her place to step in, after all, Azumi was just a temporary teammate. Well that, and the fact that she wasn't all that sure how to go about talking to her.

The days passed slowly, and everything overall was being held together as well as possible in their situation. Food was pretty easy to come by with a river being nearby and filled with fish, however, they had to cook food slowly in small fires to not alert other teams of their location.

Panic only started to set in on the fifth day, the last day of the second stage of the exams. If they didn't get their scrolls to the tower by noon with all teammates intact they would not pass. Azumi couldn't hide her anxiousness anymore as she paced the perimeter of the camp, biting her already extremely short nails.

It came time to switch guards and Kana walked out to change with Azumi. They walked towards each other, but before Kana could walk past her, Azumi grabbed her shoulders, facing her with tired eyes.

"We can't afford to lose this." She whispered.

"I know." Kana nodded.

Azumi released her shoulders and slowly began walking away. "If it comes down to it, we will leave them and pass, we cannot afford to make Ame look week."

Kana clenched her fist and walked past. 

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that."

~~~~~

A trap was set off in the distance and Kana's head snapped towards it, she cupped her hands around her mouth.

"A trap's been set off!"

Kaneki walked out of the tree trunk, with a blank face, coming up next to Kana.

"Do we wait or go check it out?" Kana asked.

"Let them come to us," Kaneki smirked. "It's always more fun if we let them think they have the upper hand and then crush them."

He dug the heel of his boot into the ground when he said the last bit. Kana smiled cheerfully, nodding once.

And so they waited.

~~~~~

"Sasuke's heart rate has changed a bit," Haku said to Sakura and Azumi. "I think he may be trying to wake up."