Jounin Exam Week 3: Inception

“Well, I just figured that it would work out either way.” Akiko explained as she sealed another pink envelope with a sparkly, star-shaped sticker. “Those who pass their exams can consider the party a celebration, and those who don’t pass can use it as a pick-me-up. Anybody who isn’t taking the exams, well… Who in this village doesn’t love a party?”

Benkei quirked a brow as he cleared a pile of finished invitations off the table and handed them to Tamiko to be added to the stacks in the large cardboard box in the corner of the room. “What are you going to do if they all show up? Where exactly do you plan on putting all these people?”

“Kiyoshi and I have a meeting scheduled with the Mikokage later today to ask if we can have the party at Doki Doki Park. The results of the exams won’t be announced for a few weeks, so there’s plenty of time to prepare.”

“Wait!” Benkei paused with a small white card half-shoved into another envelope. “Are you telling me that we’re doing all of this work, and you don’t even know whether you’re allowed to throw this thing or not?”

Tamiko rested a hand on his shoulder. “I’m sure she has some alternative plan. Right, Akiko? I mean, you wouldn’t possibly have us prepare all these invitations if you didn’t know for sure that there was going to be a party.”

“No, actually, I don’t.” Akiko carefully penned Aki Kobiru’s name across the front of yet another pink envelope acting as though she didn’t notice the three stares suddenly riveted in her direction. Kiyoshi already knew that she was a bit ahead of herself with the invitations, but somehow she’d forgotten to mention it to Benkei, Tamiko, and Fei, who’d agreed to spend the morning helping. Akiko had been doing a lot of inexplicable things since the start of the jounin exams; this was just one of a long list. She was just so stressed out that she couldn’t think straight anymore.

She glanced up as she added Aki’s invitation to the pile. “It’ll all work out, and if it doesn’t, I’ll repay you somehow.”

“Okay, what’s going on?” Fei asked moving to sit beside Akiko. “This isn’t like you.”

“Look, I know I shouldn’t have started writing up invitations without clearing it with the Mikokage first, but -”

“Not that. Although, I don’t know what you’re going to do with all of these if this doesn’t work out. My point is… The whole party thing just doesn’t really seem like you.”

Akiko didn’t answer at first. She simply continued to print Koemi’s name until Kiyoshi slipped an arm around her shoulders and gave her an encouraging hug. “Why don’t you tell them? About the dream. I think they’ll find it interesting.”

“A dream?” Tamiko echoed. “What kind of dream?”

Akiko shrugged. She hated being the center of attention; even if that attention came from her nearest and dearest friends. How would she explain that the inception of this party came from a dream that she just couldn’t shake: a dream from which she woke with a pressing need to do something… different. They would think she’d lost her mind. But they were waiting, and they deserved some explanation for her insanity. “I dreamt that I threw a party; this big, huge party. There were so many people! I think everyone in the village was there, but – it was strange.”

“Strange how?” Benkei pressed, leaning across the table. “I have spent the last two hours working my poor fingers to the bone for you. You owe me!”

“You were a lot more rude than usual if you can imagine that,” Akiko grinned. “And Tamiko, you knocked one girl on her butt because she was staring at Benkei and almost got in a fight with another one because she winked at him. Kiyoshi busted up the snack table, and Fei panicked when someone nearby whipped out a couple of kunai-” Her voice trailed off when she saw how the others were looking at her. “Stop looking at me like that! I told you it was strange.”

“That’s an understatement.” Fei grinned.

Benkei shared a glance with Tamiko then laughed. “And somehow that inspired you to throw a party?”

“Oh, just forget my crazy dream. I think we’re going to need this party by the time these exams are done!”