This story was inspired by the Power episodes in Naruto Shippuden during the 4th war. I will note that Gaara has never entered a situation where he held feelings for someone before so for this story I perceive him as more forward with his affections on purpose.
Chikara
Chapter 1
Power, what is power?
Why do beings seek power?
Are those who seek power good or bad?
Those are questions some find themselves asking and though some may start out in the path for power with good intentions they can also lose themselves along that path as they lose their conviction. It was certainly the case for many but for some they need power to be able to protect. Protecting their loved ones is what is at their very core and with their strong will and conviction, they cannot be swayed.
Kagome stood at the beginning of yet another journey. It upset her but she had time to say her goodbyes in case she never returned. A world that was letting down its guard after a war that united the shinobi nations is now in danger by a great demon whose seal will become undone. The world needs a strong priestess; they needed one that is sometimes referred to as the Priestess of Time but more so remembered for her good heart and strong spirit. To fight this demon they needed someone as pure as this Priestess to fight this ancient evil.
She wasn't sure who would be her allies, if any, or what her life will be like in the future but with her destination in mind she headed to where the great demon is sealed, it would be up to her to see if she can strengthen the seal but that would only stall the inevitable. Being eighteen years of age now she is more comfortable with her control on her powers and was able to be trained by one of the last warrior priestesses. Though she was unable to complete her training, her endurance and skills had grown.
Looking out over the terrain it was similar to both eras but she was grateful for the wide expanse of land that was untouched by the factories and pollution in the modern era. With a deep breath of fresh air she set her sights on the big mountain peaks in the distance. This will be the start of the first leg of her new journey.
"Right," she spoke to herself. "Time to take down another big bad demon that probably has an ego the size of the moon," she chuckled and started walking down the hill to go around the sloping cliff.
Although alone thus far she was still happy for knowing her loved ones are safe back in their own respective eras and know that she is now in the distant future fighting yet another battle. She didn't understand why InuYasha couldn't come with her but they assured her that he has his own destiny to meet. She supposed that everything happens for a reason and though they were destined to meet, they were not destined to be together.
Humming a tune to a favorite K-Pop song she made her way to the road with a spring to her step. She wore a more traditional looking outfit with a modern touch. Instead of it being a white top with red pants, she changed the color of the pants to the blue she wore for High School. The top remained white with blue etchings and a grey cord necklace. It was appropriate for her journey and complimented her features. The only problem with it being… she is already sticky with sweat.
The climate in this area is warmer than the usual in the other eras and it was a bit humid out. After searching her bag she began dumping everything out in her search for a hair tie. "Oh come on, where is that pesky thing," she clicked her tongue in irritation as she scoured the contents. Running her eyes over everything all she could find was a strip of leather.
"I guess this will just have to do," she mumbled and began gathering her hair up on her head. Wrapping the leather around it several times she tied it off. Gathering her items back up she straightened her clothes and looked at the road ahead of her.
She had seen a village in the distance when she had been on that small cliff, she figured it wouldn't be bad to try and obtain a map of the area if they had one. Sensing some strong presences around her she knew curiosity killed the cat as she waited for the ones that were coming this way. Deciding to walk at a slower pace she thought with a smile, 'but satisfaction brought it back.' She heard the humans in this time are powerful and use something called chakra. It would be interesting to see what they can do with it.
After patiently walking for several minutes they were almost upon her. She could feel four of them behind her but she could still sense others in the area that had these powers. It wouldn't be a good idea to let her guard down since she really didn't know a whole lot of this land and any other issues that may have occurred.
It sounded like the girls in the group were having a discussion on weapons while the guys were silent. Each felt strong, one more so than the others. She was sorely tempted to turn around and study them but didn't want to be suspicious. If these are shinobi then it would be best to be as normal as possible and keep her guard up. It was unnerving being on a road alone with unfamiliar people walking behind you.
Keeping her pace even she cooled her nerves as she began to feel jumpy as images of ninja kept coming to mind and the run in she had with a demon ninja clan. That certainly wasn't fun. All sorts of images kept coming to mind, most of them being in a black getup with the usual weapons.
"Hello Priestess," called a cheerful voice, giving her pause as she slowly turned around and took in these possible shinobi. Her eyes widened a bit dramatic at the green jumpsuit and orange leg warmers. 'Uh… this is nothing like what I was thinking,' she thought before realizing she should be replying to him.
"Hello," she greeted them in return, noting the shiny gelled hair of the one before her. He seemed friendly enough even if his appearance threw her off after all the mental images she came up with.
"Are you by any chance associated with the Temple at the next village," he asked.
"No, I'm just passing through the area," she replied back to him earnestly, making a mental note of the Temple should she need to visit it. They might have information on the demon that could help her.
"Well that's okay, we can keep you company, my name is Rock Lee," he pointed his thumb at himself and flashed a bright smile her way.
"That would be nice, I am Kagome Higurashi," she introduced in return, before turning her gaze to his companions.
"I'm TenTen," a brunette girl said, she seemed friendly enough. Wearing a more traditional Chinese look, she matched the voice to the one speaking most about different weapons.
Looking to the blonde wearing the black dress with a red sash, she wondered what that large black rectangle was that she carried on her back. "I'm Temari, and this is Gaara the Kazekage," she introduced the red head as well.
"Greetings to all of you, did you have to travel far," she asked, trying to start a conversation and break the ice.
They gave her an odd look before indulging her, "We have all been travelling for a few days now," Gaara replied.
"You must be glad to finally be reaching your destination then, with a Temple in the area I bet the village is a nice place visit," she commented, curious to what everything looks like in this day and age.
They began walking; Kagome had a feeling that her casual question was supposed to be common knowledge in these parts. Deciding to not say anything further she kept her thoughts and questions bottled up. It didn't take long though for one of them to decide to ask her a question instead.
"Lady Kagome," Temari addressed her respectfully, once her attention was given the girl pushed on. "Where are you headed?"
Kagome looked at the mountains that she is getting closer to, still having at least a half days walk ahead of her to get there. "I'm headed for those mountains in the distance, there is something I must do there," not sure if she should tell them what exactly that is. She didn't know them and what their goals are so it is best to try and not rub elbows for the time being when she is outnumbered.
She shared a look with Gaara before continuing the conversation, "It would probably be best to rest in the village up ahead, it is the last one before you reach the mountains. It wouldn't be a good idea to travel this area in the dark," she informed her, remembering the temple was having problems of some sort.
"I had just been thinking about that, I'm sure I will be fine either way, thank you for the information," she smiled, knowing she will be sleeping outdoors either way. It was only her first day in this new era and she didn't have money so it would be impossible for her to take advantage of having a village in the area. She did wonder if this area had any hot springs, it would be nice to find one.
The shinobi, she assumed, began talking about what they should do first, "Naruto and Kiba are supposed to rendezvous with us in the village, should we stop there first before heading over to the Temple," TenTen asked since Gaara is the head of this mission.
"Yes, I would like all of us there when we approach the Temple, they should be waiting for us already since they didn't have far to travel," Gaara, she could tell, was still studying the priestess. Usually those at the temples are well informed about the different shinobi villages and the lands but she seemed lacking in that knowledge. He also knew their mission had something to do with that very mountain she is travelling to and he wondered what she needed to do there. The temple was insistent that this matter is important enough for them to need high level shinobi for it and something about a prophecy.
They approached the village outskirts and once they walked into town Kagome halted in her tracks, surprised that a village like this was next to the Temple she could see off in another direction. 'Uh,' she thought, looking at all the flashy signs and advertising, 'this village makes me think of Las Vegas,' as she noticed all the casinos and other places that she thought would be considered a sin. 'Maybe the Temple is popular for those needing help from all the temptations here,' still a bit taken aback at it.
Temari watched her amused at the small blush the priestess donned on her cheeks. Apparently she didn't know about this village's reputation, it was clear earlier when she thought this would be a 'nice place to visit.'
"I see Naruto and Kiba," Rock Lee spoke up and headed towards them automatically.
Kagome walked along, when they joined up with the other two members she spoke to the rest of them, "It was nice meeting all of you and keeping me company, I hope all of you have a safe journey," she gave them a slight bow, smiling as she waved goodbye to them before she went back to her own agenda.
"Bye Kagome, be careful," Temari responded in turn while the others gave their own farewells. Something didn't sit right with her, she could feel it in her gut but until she figured it out it will just have to stay on the back burner.
"Who was that," Naruto asked as his eyes followed the young woman.
Gaara addressed Kiba first, "I want you to keep her scent in mind," Akamaru sniffed the ground where she had stood while Kiba nodded. Turning to Naruto he answered his question, "She is a priestess, her name is Kagome Higurashi, she is headed into the mountains. I have a feeling that we will cross paths again," he commented as he watched her walk down the street.
"Hey, a priestess," a drunk guy blabbered out, "I would love to see a priestess in the show. I bet you been a naughty little priestess," he grabbed her. "Come to papa," he said getting excited. His hand went south, groping her ass and about to comment on it.
"PERVERT," she yelled and smacked him. The guy stumbled and hit the ground with a groan, "Next time don't grope a priestess," she continued with smoke coming out of her ears as she fumed about the audacity of the man. "As if I would do something like that," she bit out under her breath.
"I thought priestesses were supposed to be peaceful," he mumbled.
"Well this Priestess can't stand perverts," she shot out before stomping away.
The Leaf and Sand shinobi watched the spectacle with a variety of emotions ranging from amusement to disgust. TenTen and Temari were about to stomp over there when Naruto beat them to it, pulling the guy up from the front of his shirt. "You old pervert, I don't want to catch you assaulting a lady like that again, it is disgusting you would do that to a priestess," he yelled at the guy threateningly before dropping him back to the ground. "We should get to that Temple," he suggested, wanting to get away from this portion of the village.
Kagome walked away a bit surprised at hearing the blonde defend her so readily. It put her a bit more on edge that he was even stronger than the others. Though all of them seemed friendly enough, she didn't want to risk jeopardizing what she came to this era to do. Instead of waiting to head out the next day she did a little sight-seeing and continued on with a brisk walk to the mountains.
Gaara and the others left the village immediately and headed straight to the temple in the distance. A young monk noticed them and immediately stood at the Temple entrance to greet them. "Hello Leaf and Sand shinobi, my master has been expecting you, follow me right this way," he guided them through the Temple, going past different buildings and watching the various monks go about their day, some of them practicing with their staffs, others praying or meditating.
They entered one of the larger and more ornate buildings; torches were alit along the walls. After walking into the main area of the building they were led to a side room and ushered in to wait for his arrival. Several minutes went by as the young Monk left to find his master and bring him to the room he left them in. "Master, these are the shinobi you requested," giving a short introduction.
"Yes, I see," he replied, dismissing the young monk, "I thank you for coming so quickly on such short notice," he began in as the door was shut.
They all nodded and Temari decided to introduce everyone before they were seated respectfully. "I have a few urgent matters to impart to you. As the head of this Temple it is my duty to ensure the safety of the others and be informed of all things. I have a scroll that is rather old telling of a prophecy and when it will happen. This one dates back thousands of years ago when Feudal lords were at their strongest and demons roamed the Earth. There had been a great and terrible demon back then that was terrorizing the land. Many others had tried to defeat him and failed until another great demon managed to seal him with the help of others. Unfortunately the seal has weakened slowly over time and it is prophesized that he will return after the summer solstice has passed 4,000 times." The older monk informed them, gently patting the worn scroll.
"We made a copy of the scroll to ensure we keep all of the information since this one is clearly quite worn. I can only assume they used some sort of power to make it strong enough to last for so many years," he handed them the scroll copy to read.
"In there it says a Great Priestess of Time will come to stop this terrible demon once and for all but she must unite with a hero among the shinobi world to keep the peace, this is what was imparted to them by the Gods. We do have more documents about such a priestess. It is unclear if this will be the same priestess or if another one has come into existence. Right now many people are being attacked when they approach the mountain in the distance. Most of them are my monks so at this time no one will travel because of fear. That mountain is where that very demon is sealed and none can get close to check if the seal is still intact. We need you to check on the seal for us and see who these assailants are. The summer solstice is approaching in a few days so it is crucial that this is all done within this time," he pressed the importance to them.
"Have you by any chance requested for another Temple to send someone to check on the seal," Temari asked; her mind quickly processing everything.
"No we have not, it is too dangerous to go at this time," he was firm in his conviction.
"Gaara, I want to find Lady Kagome before she goes up there, we need to warn her," turning to her brother and seeing he agreed.
"Thank you for your time, we will head out immediately," Gaara bowed before standing up.
They could feel a clash of powers outside; they all turned to the window and could see a lavender light streaking through the sky at its target. "That power, it's so pure, I have never felt something so strong," the elder Monk was in awe at the display.
They began to leave the room, all giving him a hasty bow in there urgency to see what was going on. When the name clicked in the Monks head he called out to them, "Wait," he managed to stop them, "that name, Lady Kagome, is the same one in the other scrolls. When you are done please send someone back and I will show you the scrolls."
With a non-verbal agreement to do so they left, racing out of the temple and to the clashing powers off in the distance. They had a feeling it would be that priestess they met earlier although they wondered why she would leave the town when over half the day was already gone. Naruto wondered if this might be another prophecy about him but after the war there were many heroes in his opinion.
Kagome walked out of the village, happy to get away from the perverts and drunkards that were leering at her. She didn't want to waste much time until she got a feel for the situation she has been pushed into. Having not been given a time limit before she came here it put her in a hurry despite the warning she had been given from Temari. It was understandable that she would worry but it isn't like she had much for options. Keeping pace she began to feel eyes on her, she held a special bow that didn't require physical arrows, she is certain this would disarm anyone since she held no quiver or arrows.
The village had been out of sight for a couple hours now, the forest was thick in this area but the path still remained wide. She focused on sensing the area around her, she had felt demonic energy brushing against her own and this other energy the others had. For now they were being cautious.
Something was going to happen and she knew it would happen soon, it felt like she had a bullseye on her as she expanded her senses out further and knew there are many in the area, only a few of them demonic. She was getting tired of this but didn't want to provoke them since she wasn't sure if she could take on the others. Her purification abilities may be lethal to a demon but what would it do to the others. Her arrows would have to hit vital areas for her to feel she can take down the others but she was also sorely outnumbered.
Feeling a shift in the air around her she ducked in time to keep her head from rolling. They came to a stop and regarded her with a weighing look, clearly not expecting her to avoid the blow. She had her bow at the ready to use it in any form needed.
"You're clearly more skilled and out class all of the others that have tried to pass through here," the demon before her remarked.
"You could say I have far more experience most likely than they do, judging by the fact I don't feel much demonic energy in these parts," coming to the conclusion that demons are scarce in this time or they resided elsewhere.
"Demons are not common here but you talk as if you have battled them more than a few times," watching her critically to see if she was bluffing.
"You could say on a near daily basis at one time. Why is it you attacked me in the first place? Is it out of prejudice or for some other reason for I have not done anything to you," wondering if he might be a follower or descendant of this demon that is sealed away.
"Why does a priestess approach this mountain," he countered.
"I clearly have business or I am just travelling aimlessly," she quipped back.
"You have wit," he commented, "I will give you a chance to leave now and go back the way you came with no further opposition from us. If you choose not to then," he flexed his clawed hand.
"Who are the others with you demons," she asked, curious as to who is working with them.
"They are shinobi that support our cause," narrowing his eyes as he realized she had known they were there the whole time. That alone told him she is far more powerful than the others at least in her sensing capabilities.
"I know not your cause but I have business to attend to in the mountains so I guess that is where I stand, I cannot be kept from it," giving him her answer.
"Then I guess we have no choice but to attack little Priestess," he decided.
Several ones scattered, feeling an attack coming from the sky she drew her bow, an arrow formed and with a display of her lavender powers it streaked into the darkening sky and purified the demon, it barely manage to shriek in pain before it was nothing but ash.
The demon before her growled and two more jumped out of the trees from either side of the path. She quickly took one down with an arrow but the other was upon her, grinning in victory as it was about to slash her into ribbons. With a swat of her bow she sent him backwards, slowly being purified after being hit. This only served to further enrage the demon before her.
The demons held back as the shinobi came forward and surrounded her, she wasn't sure if she could really harm them at all on the same scale as a demon. Backing away a little she did her best to take in the situation, she could tell all of them are fast with how quickly they appeared so running away would be useless.
Standing her ground seemed to be her only option; she just hoped that she could counter any attacks. Seeing them perform some quick movements with their hands she went tense, not sure what they were up to. When they took a deep breath in she was set to dodge whatever came out of their mouths, seeing something that resembled fire she jumped back, her good eyesight giving her the ability to dodge the huge balls of fire before she was burned to a crisp.
Two of the shinobi charged her from the back and she turned around, sweeping their feet out from under them before doing a handstand and pushing off to do a flip in the air to gain some distance. They watched a bit tense at seeing she has battle experience. Holding her hands out, palms flat, she fired bullets of her power at them, forcing them to dodge and back off. She brought her bow up to defend from an attack at her by another shinobi with a kunai.
Her power flared into her bow, making it stronger before he jumped away and started doing those hand signs before his palm hit the ground. Four walls of dirt surrounded her; they were using nature itself to attack her as she realized they had primarily elemental attacks which were hard to defend against for her.
Looking at the walls warily she turned her head to the top of where she was trapped. A shadow loomed over her and she looked up. "Priestess, this is the end of the line for you," the demon stated as two more shadows joined him up there.
She could faintly see they were performing some sort of attack before mud started shooting out of their mouths, quickly piling up at her feet, in less than a minute it was almost up to her chest as her eyes widened. A few more seconds passed and she was holding her breath as the mud felt heavy around her, eyes screwed shut as she fought to find the wall and guide herself up. Holding her breath was hard, fighting the urge to take a deep breath, something you learn to do the moment of your birth.
Her hand hit a hard surface, the mud around her was growing hot and she felt her panic rise up. She couldn't die because of a bunch of mud, 'of all the demons I have faced I am not about to die because of mud!'
Naruto sped ahead of the others, ignoring anything they yelled out to him. He felt time was of the essence if he is to save this priestess, one they might also need in the face of this new enemy. He could see them up ahead; three of them were standing on the dirt walls. Fire came out of their mouth and before they could react he put his fist through a dirt wall, jumping up he kicked it before getting out of the way of all the mud that rushed out. Seeing the body that came out, covered in mud he didn't even think about it, he scooped it up and jumped a good distance away, focused on the enemy while he wiped the mud away from their face with his sleeve and hand.
She took gasping breaths after she felt her body be rushed out after hearing something penetrate the wall. Realizing she had been scooped up someone was wiping the mud away her face. Calming down she reached her senses out to feel who it was, recognizing it to be the blonde from earlier.
"Sit back and relax, we can handle it from here," Naruto said just as the others arrived. He set her against a tree before standing in front of the enemy again. "So who wants to be first," he said with a rough voice as he cracked his knuckles.
Kagome coughed a little as she tried to get her throat to cooperate. "The one is a demon, more are in the trees," she managed to get out before trying to stand up. She tugged her shirt up, untying it as she let her backpack hit the ground. Pulling the heavy shirt off she picked her bow up from where it went discarded.
"I thought I said to take it easy, we can handle these guys," Naruto gave her a stern look.
"I can't just standby and do nothing," she bit back at him.
He ignored her and she watched him do several hand movements and then two clones of him showed up making her blink a few times. Gaara stood up there by him, sand came out of the gourd he carried at his waist while Temari stood behind them with TenTen, she pulled that big black thing off her back and Kagome was surprised to find it was a fan. Kiba shouted out, "Fang over Fang," and did his combo attack with Akamaru to clear out the shinobi that are visible.
TenTen had what looked to be a large scroll and Rock Lee just stood at the ready. The rest of the ones that were hiding in the forest had come out of the shadows, ready to fight. They were still outnumbered and she was about to join them when Naruto took the offensive and attacked with his clones, the sand divided and went into the forest. Shouts of pain and the attacks resounded in her ears as she watched how he didn't even lift a finger, the sand just followed at his will.
Naruto attacked the ones on the wall; they seemed to have pissed him off. She wasn't sure which one was a clone and which one was real but seeing the way shinobi fight was certainly a sight to see for her. They were fast and had a lot of unique skills, it was clear to see by her that she only stood a chance with the demons, she was certainly glad they came to her rescue and appeared to be on her side for now.
The two shinobi that had been on the wall were both knocked out by the clones, she watched them disappear while the original was fighting the demon. Suddenly he jumped far back, did a signal and they all retreated quickly.
Feeling all the mud caked on her she felt a little self-conscious when they turned towards her. "Maybe we should use a water jutsu to spray her clean," TenTen remarked.
Kiba took a whiff of the air, "I can smell water nearby, it might be a stream," then he lead them in the direction of it.
Naruto was quiet; he studied the priestess from the corner of his eyes, and noted that she is certainly a mess. She looked uncomfortable and was keeping her distance, choosing to walk in the back of the group a few extra paces looking like she might bolt at the first sign of any aggression towards her.
She was clearly uncertain if she can or should accept any help from them. He could only assume she was uncertain if they would remain friend or turn to foe. Her eyes kept flicking to the mountain and he wondered if she was trying to get to the seal of the demon. All of them were already wondering if she is this Great Priestess of Time. Remembering that display of power earlier he was curious as to why she was trapped in mud if she is that powerful.
Making up his mind he turned towards her, "Hey," he said to grab her attention, her eyes latching on to his immediately as her body tensed just a little more. He almost wanted to sigh but he figured she had her reasons and they were probably good. "We had seen you take someone down with a single shot all the way from the Temple, if you could do that then how did you manage to get in such a tight situation?"
"Well that is because they were a demon, I managed to defeat three demons with barely any effort and that is why the rest hung back while the shinobi took on the offensive. I'm not familiar with the way a shinobi from around here fights so I was at a big disadvantage. I may have the ability to purify demons and have good endurance but the rest of me is…" she tried to think about how to put it. They were human, she can tell but they could move at amazing speeds whereas she couldn't go nearly so fast. "I don't have the same abilities as you. I can fight for several days and nights but I have my limits even if they are higher than the average human from where I am from, they pale in comparison to yours."
He chewed on her words for a bit, instantly latching on to certain parts of her answer. 'She isn't familiar with how a shinobi fights around here and where she is from the people are not even as fast as her, so where is she from,' he wondered. 'On top of that she is still quite wary of us, it's like she can't believe we are honestly trying to help her.'
Wanting answers sooner rather than later he turned back to her, noticing she tensed up again, "It sounds to me like you have fought shinobi before, how could the way they fight be any different than us," he asked, figuring it shouldn't be all that bad of a question to ask for the time being.
"They were demons so they had demon based attacks. I can defend myself from a demon, I'm not sure about a human ninja," recalling the fight with Hoshiyomi and his clan.
"What are the shinobi like where you are from, we saved your ass and yet you're so tense it's like you expect us to attack at any moment," he pointed out, receiving a few glares from his comrades.
"I'm guessing then that you are shinobi as well," she asked, receiving several bewildered looks.
"How could you not know," he exclaimed. "We are wearing symbols of our villages," he pointed to his leaf symbol.
"Oh, that's what that is," she hummed for a moment as she noted most of them did wear one even if they were not all the same.
"Okay, that's it, where are you from," he demanded, not caring his comrades were mad that he was already pushing for an answer to this.
"I'm from," she paused, leaving him and everyone else hanging on to hear the rest of the answer. "Well I'm from somewhere really far away," she finally answered.
Several of them had sweat drops after listening to her vague answer which answered hardly a thing. Looking around she could tell they were not happy with the answer and a few of them noticed how she was able to dance around his other two questions. None of them were sure if Naruto caught on to it but they hardly received an actual answer that would be helpful to them.
When Naruto was about to question her further Temari interrupted, "How about you boys scout the area so Kagome can have some privacy, we're almost there," she pointed at the river up ahead.
The guys hung back while the girls proceeded to continue forward. They slowed down to match her pace; making her a little nervous but neither said anything about it. "We will keep on the lookout while you attempt to get that mud off of you. Later on us girls can hit the hot springs in the village," TenTen offered, hoping the invite might cool her nerves but instead she found the girl was actually more nervous.
'In the village, who am I kidding, that will cost money and I don't have any,' pouting when she realized she should have asked for money but back in the past she never needed any so she never thought about it. Really, she was almost just as ill-prepared for this quest as she was with the last, the only difference being she knew about it this time whereas the last she was dragged down the well at her shrine.
Seeing she was deep in her thoughts the two decided to leave her be, they figured there was something that they might be able to get out of her later. Right now they had a feeling she is just not comfortable sharing much about her past or reasons for heading into that mountain.
Kagome was glad it was warm out at least as she crouched down before the riverbank. She dumped out the contents of her thankfully waterproof backpack. After everything was dumped out she zipped it back up and grabbed her discarded shirt and scooted down the riverbank carefully. Once she was in the river about knee deep she deep she scrubbed her backpack while the water rushed by helping to get the mud washed off. She her feet and legs were quickly becoming numb but being used to taking dips in rivers she didn't pay it any heed, it was nothing that she wasn't already used to doing.
She tossed her backpack near her other belongings and worked on scrubbing her white over shirt. This is her primary set of clothes, the only other thing she had was her spare set of undergarments, shorts, and a tee shirt. While these clothes dried she will just have to make do with what she has available. The problem with the shorts is that they are honestly short, they were meant to wear under something like her current clothes or a skirt, not something she was all that comfortable wearing around casually like the girls in her time do.
Getting the mud stains out of the white top was easier said than done. She picked up a smooth rock when her hands were too numb to be of much help. Using the rock she continued to scrub the mud off of it until it met her standards. She pulled it out of the river and squeezed the water out of it before bundling it up to throw it up there as well.
Checking for where the guys were she undid the side ties to her pants and shimmied out of them the best she could. Stumbling for a bit she managed to get them off and walked deeper into the water to preserve some modesty. Having grabbed the rock again she worked diligently on her pants before repeating her actions on tossing them to shore to join the rest of the pile. With a groan she did a small dive into the water and swam slowly upstream against the current. It wasn't long before she could feel her muscles needed a break and she needed air.
Surfacing she tilt her head back to scrub the mud out of her hair. All of her locks reached the small of her waist, some going beyond. She liked its current length even if it can be a hassle at times. It still held the natural waves and blue tint. She was always diligent about keeping it in good order since she took pride in her clean appearance, something that was often commented upon by other.
From long days in the sun she had gained a light tan which served to enhance the definition in her muscles. The mud had at least left her skin feeling soft, a nice positive she could cling to even if she still felt nervous about these current shinobi. They were apparently planning on sticking by her for some reason, she wasn't sure why and didn't really want to find out either. She just wanted to find another way up to that mountain without crossing paths with anymore shinobi.
Once up there she could check on the seal, maybe stall the demon from getting out if even for a few days. Those others might work for him, it wouldn't surprise her but she didn't want to let on to her reasons for travelling in that direction just in case it would create more enemies. Not having her companions of the feudal era made her more wary rather than her carefree tendencies.
This demon sounded strong so she wasn't sure why once again it was only her here. She always taken on strong demons with the others and this one might have several followers making it even harder for her to manage this quest alone. She isn't Midoriko, nor does she have her level of experience or skill.
Scrubbing the rest the mud out of her locks she started on her body as she remained in her thoughts. The Gods certainly liked to keep her life interesting these days, she bet these gaps in information were on purpose to keep her on her toes while they enjoyed a good laugh. Walking towards the shore as the last of the mud was washed away with the current; she climbed up the bank and grabbed her dry set of clothes, going behind a tree to change into the red shirt, black shorts, and undergarments.
She wrung her hair out the best she could before grabbing her comb and working on the long locks for a couple minutes, cursing at the fact she didn't bring any products with her either. Really she had already made several mistakes just based on assumptions, the only things she did bring for her hygiene is deodorant, a toothbrush, and toothpaste. She at least had that going for her so far.
Once she can get her hands on a map she is going to find a hot spring that isn't going to cost money. Her eyes were transfixed on the rushing river water while she combed out the tangles. Grabbing the strip of leather she gathered her locks and braided them until she could tie them in place. For now she won't say much of anything to these shinobi, they were a bit too curious of her and she wondered why.
Taking a glance at the girls she could see they were quietly talking amongst themselves. Kagome slowly gathered her discarded items, putting them in a separate compartment of her backpack. After squeezing as much of the excess water out as she could, she neatly folded her wet clothing and stuffed it into the large compartment, leaving it open a few inches to let the air into it.
"I'm all set," she turned to them as she slipped the sandals back on.
"Okay, we can head back to the village, it going to be dark real soon," Temari pointed out. They headed back into the forest being joined by the guys as they made their way back to the path. "We would get there quicker if we ran," not forgetting the fact Kagome had already said she can't move nearly as fast as they could. "One of the guys could carry you, I don't want to chance us getting ambushed in the dark," though she felt they could easily take them on.
"Oh that's alright, you guys have already done a lot for me," backing away slowly and bumping right into someone. Looking behind her she could see Naruto behind her looking at her suspiciously. He clearly hadn't forgotten his unanswered questions which made her more nervous.
Before she could move away she felt his hands on her arms holding her still while he turned to look behind them. "We are still being watched by them," he informed the others.
Kagome failed at sensing whoever he could feel back there. When his gaze came back to her she began to fidget, running out of excuses that could get her out of this situation. She could feel that he was purposely giving her time to try and find a way to convince them to part ways now. She had a feeling it was to ensure she realized it was a fruitless effort. When her shoulders finally sagged in defeat he perked up with his small victory.
"Okay you guys, let's go!" He quickly gathered her up in his arms making her all flustered and to her surprise they jumped into the trees. "I'm starving, we should eat first," he remarked to the others already thinking about the food vendors he had seen at the village.
She looked at the scenery as it sped by, surprised that they were going at least as fast as InuYasha could travel. Feeling dizzy she tore her eyes from it and twiddled her thumbs as she felt awkward being carried by a stranger. Not sure if she wanted to break the ice or not she decided it couldn't hurt to at least get his name. "I never got your name or the guy with the huge dog, mine is Kagome," unsure if he knew that already.
"Naruto Uzumaki and that is Kiba Inuzuka and his companion Akamaru," he decided to leave out the Hokage bit since he doubted she knew what one was in the first place.
"Thank you again for your help," beginning to feel like she is in their debt. Though she felt bad about it, she had every intention of ditching them before she gave up any further information or it was found out that she was absolutely broke. She had no way of paying them back and they seemed to be a bit of a generous bunch on the surface.
It would be a rough night but she could put up a barrier to hide her presence. She knew that it would have to be once they were distracted or she would definitely not escape them anytime soon. For now she will let them think they won but the second they let their guard down and had their attention elsewhere, she will be out of there, map or no map. She will just give the path a wide girth to avoid where the demons and shinobi were waiting for travelers.
Whereas it took her a couple hours to get that far, they were already closing in on that village not long after sundown. Once they touched down he slowly let her down to her feet. The demons and shinobi had stayed behind and chose not to follow so he was no longer concerned about them for the time being.
Temari and TenTen took the lead, heading to an inn to get rooms, order food, and soak in the hot springs. Naruto still had a feeling she would try to get away from them. When the guys were out of sight, already heading to the rooms they were given and the girls began to order food for everyone, Kagome took a few quiet steps backwards after ensuring no one was behind her. Inching away she quietly walked off, quickly going around the corner before she sped up and headed for the nearest exit to the village.
She did her best to not draw any attention to her by not taking off running. She would save that energy for another time. Looking around she couldn't see or feel any of them following her so once she reached the tall grass of the meadow she quickly entered, heading towards the forest where she can rest and put a barrier up.
Temari and TenTen looked the menu over, "Hey Lady Kagome, is there something you would like-," they turned around, Temari pausing as she noticed a lack of a certain priestess. Searching the area with their eyes they realized she gave them the slip. "How did she manage to give us the slip," TenTen questioned, a bit irritated now.
Kagome leaned back against a tree, feeling a bit worn out from the day and used to being in bed already. Rubbing her tired eyes as she let the tension in her ease out slowly, she gathered her thoughts, remembering where her position is in accordance to the path and the mountain. "Right," she mumbled to herself, pushing off the tree as she began walking again. "I need to give the path a wide girth to avoid any trouble. If I'm lucky I might find that seal before midday, do what is needed and head off to get ready. At least I will know then just how much or how little time I have until I get to face this new enemy. Now to get away from all these shinobi, I certainly don't need any more opposition," she mumbled tiredly as she wandered deeper into the woods.
Naruto slipped out the window to their room, going around the other buildings until he stood in the shadows of a building watching the girls across from him. Narrowing his eyes he watched as his two comrades became distracted, 'I knew it,' he thought, watching as the priestess quietly slipped away from them.
"More opposition like me," he said, appearing just a foot in front of her as she shrieked and stumbled backwards away from him in surprise.
"Wha- but how?" She stammered out puzzled, taking a few steps back further away from him, preparing to flee. He matched her steps with a determined expression.
"Why are you trying to ditch us," he asked, a bit angry at her for that. He could easily read the emotions in her unguarded face.
"I need to do something important," she stated, feeling a bit overwhelmed. Her heel hit the tree before she skirted around it backwards.
"Yeah, like finding a seal," he easily quipped.
She bit her lip, not sure what would come next if he knew about that. "Yes," she replied uneasily.
They heard a twig break; Naruto took his attention off her for just a split second and she took off to her left, attempting to sprint away. His hand shot out, grabbing her by the arm and pulling her to him where he firmly held her to him. He looked down at her, aggravated that she was still attempting escape. "What do you have against us, we save you and you try to ditch us," he asked her irritated.
Feeling guilt well up, she shoved it back down, "Maybe it's different here but where I am from ninjas are not exactly known for saving the world or doing things for free. I don't want to be any further in debt to any of you and I don't have money to pay for any services, now let me go!"
He still held on to her, not letting up on his grip, "It is different here, we may get paid to do things but we are already on a mission that we are getting paid for and you are probably part of the mission. We can't talk about it here, that's why we wanted you to come with us and then go with us to see the old Monk at the Temple," he tried to explain.
He could see she was still about to protest, "everything has already been covered, no one expects you to pay for anything. Just come with us and we will explain it all. We will also get you to that seal in good time and you won't have to worry about getting attacked. We are plenty strong to go up against those guys, I could take them on alone if I need to," he boasted. "Either way it will probably be you helping us after you hear things out and speak with the old Monk. He had scrolls on all of this," recalling the prophecy and the fact it is most likely about them since he is regarded as a hero to the shinobi world.
She looked away, wanting to be stubborn but knowing it will get her nowhere. Honestly this guy could have just dragged her back but he clearly wanted her more comfortable around them and she kept getting the feeling that he is an honest person; she just didn't want to let her guard down. Her companions stressed that she needed to be more careful about who she trusts.
"Fine," she gave in, relaxing her stance as they just now noticed how close he held her to him, looking like lovers than strangers.
He turned his head away to hide his own blush. Getting his thoughts back in order he glanced at Gaara who watched them from a branch, she apparently hadn't noticed him. He gave him a nod and slowly let go of her. "Now let's head back to the inn, I'm sure after being in the cold river you would enjoy a soak at the hot spring," walking with her side by side.
Once they were back to the inn he showed her to the rooms they had, one for the girls, another for the guys, both coming out to a joint room where they will eat meals together. They were joined by Gaara as they walked to the onsen, not going into their own until the door to hers was shut.
"She doesn't trust us," Gaara simply stated.
"I think she wants to but is choosing not to, like a self-preservation thing," he shared while he pulled his clothes off.
"It would make sense if the shinobi she knows of are not the most honorable or left a bad impression. Many times it has sounded like she comes from somewhere quite far away. There is few places that are left alone by the shinobi world and none of them have the means to train a priestess of her caliber. Naruto, she is most likely the priestess we are looking for," he finished, his mind still going over what it means for her to be a Great Priestess of Time.
"Yeah, I know. We just need to get her over to the Temple; we still haven't seen those other scrolls the old Monk has. I have a feeling she is still going to try and tackle this demon head on without our help," he grumbled, still a bit peeved she kept trying to find a way to part ways with them.
"Just like you took on all of the Pains by yourself,"Gaara pointed out. Grinning when he could see the perturbed look on his friends face as he grouched about the point he made.
They washed their bodies off, going through the usual ritual before exiting to join Kiba and Lee. "You two sure did take your time, what kept ya?"
Naruto was grumpy, he looked over at the wall that separated them from the girls, listening carefully to see if she was really over there or decided to try and escape. Hearing the other two girls greet her he finally relaxed and entered the onsen, listening to Gaara explain to their comrades.
"Lady Kagome doesn't trust us and gave the other two the slip. We followed her as she headed back towards the mountain through the forest. Naruto confronted her and convinced her to come back with us and visit the Temple with us in the morning," the quick explanation was enough to satisfy Kiba as he glanced in the direction of the girls from where he lounged.
"Why wouldn't she trust the Leaf and Sand shinobi, ever since the war the reputations of the five great nations has risen with our unification," he said, baffled that someone didn't trust them.
"She doesn't have a good picture painted of shinobi in general so she is wary and on top of that she seems to think we are going to charge her for anything we do for her so she doesn't want a debt she can't pay. It would seem she has no money of her own and is still vague about where she comes from," Kiba looked at Gaara, feeling a bit offended.
"That just means we need to teach and show her we are the good guys, her youth will be sure to show then," Lee punched his fist in the air, excited at the prospect of making a believer out of her.
"Feh," Kiba looked at the display a bit annoyed before turning to the topic at hand. "Lee is right about one thing, we will just have to explain things to her so she understands how ninja villages work and what is going on in this day and age of peace. Even better is we have Gaara here to explain it as the Kazekage of the Sand Village," he elected him with a sly smirk, the other two readily agreed causing Gaara to sigh as he sank down a little deeper into the water.
Exiting the building, Kagome came out only clad in a towel, feeling a bit like sulking at being caught. "Lady Kagome," the two greeted, a bit shocked at seeing the priestess they could have sworn had given them the slip.
"Uh, hello," she greeted, feeling just a bit ashamed of herself, only briefly meeting their eyes.
"Don't worry Kagome, I'm sure everything will be cleared up after we eat," Temari gave her a reassuring smile. Kagome found it easy to return it with one of her own, feeling a bit better already. "How about the three of us get to know each other, nothing too personal, just anything we want to share," she offered, opening up a conversation to set the priestess at ease. "I will go first since I suggested it. Let's see… hmm…" she tapped her chin in thought. "I got it. When I was a little girl I had seen this beautiful kunoichi, she was so strong and elegant at the same I wanted to be just like her. I had seen her battle once and she used this fan that I thought was for fashion but it was actually a disguised weapon. It was after that I had taken an interest in fans," she shared.
"Oh me next," TenTen jumped in. "I used to practically worship Lady Tsunade, I wanted to be just like her. I tried so hard to be like her, taking on anything that she was a legend for, even trying to go into a bar and gambling hall before getting tossed out. Gai-sensei always did his best to help me but after insulting his turtle summon I was given a summoning scroll for ninja tools. That was how I started on the path to become a weapons expert," she smile, proud of her accomplishment.
Kagome smiled, hearing about those uplifting stories from when they were young. She didn't really have anything like that, she thought really hard of what to honestly say that could be more uplifting or along those lines. "I wish I had something like that to share but my situation was basically life or death and I can't share it in such a public spot. Let me think of something," she thought for a couple minutes, wishing not for the first time that she didn't have such a mysterious life. "Well, I grew up on the Higurashi Shrine with my mom, little brother, and grandfather. We held festivals from time to time and one year I had seen this super cute dress on a doll that I really wanted but she was quite pricey. To make up for it my mom had made as close a replica to it as she could, showing it to me the night before the festival. I felt like a little princess wearing it. My mother was always such a kind woman like that," her eyes watered slightly, knowing there is a chance she may never see her again.
"That is a sweet story Lady Kagome," TenTen smiled.
"Really, you can just call me Kagome. The Lady part makes me feel uncomfortable. I swear Miroku said it just to bug me," she rambled thinking of all the times he would say it and usually when he is about to grope her.
"I guess it is my turn again, oh I might not have mentioned it but Gaara is my brother and we have another brother, Kankuro. He is a puppet master and my favorite past time when we were kids was to sneak up and scare him so good that he would fall off his chair with his puppets crashing on him. I sometimes would put rouge on them, I really gave him a hard time as much as I could back then," she laughed at the memory.
"I don't have a brother but I do have a story. Lee was pushing himself to get stronger and I had a really heavy weight he wanted me to send at him. He would wrap his bandages around it and crash into the bottom of the riverbed. It was a test to release one of his inner gates since he is a Taijutsu master. When he didn't surface for a while I became really worried and jumped into save him. He finally released one of his inner gates and resurfaced with it. I became made when he failed to see my worry and then when I felt insulted that he felt I couldn't push him hard enough, I dropped the weight on his back while he was in the process of his 1,000 pushups for what he considered a failure in his training. Man his face turned so red when he struggled to not collapse under it," she laughed, Temari joining her.
Kagome struggled to grasp everything in the story but she smiled good-naturedly. "My little brother is Souta. I always used to tease him about various things and tell him scary stories. One night I had him so spooked that when he went to use the bathroom in the middle of the night I had a spooky mask hanging from the ceiling that resembled one of the latest stories. He ended up whizzing all over the bathroom," she giggled, that was quite the mess, it wasn't fun to clean either.
They enjoyed themselves for a while before they figured dinner was waiting on them. When they made it back to the room wearing their robes Kagome struggled to braid her hair to keep it out of the way. TenTen took humor in it before helping her. She did a French braid at the top before securing it with a hair tie she lent to her, successfully keeping the hair out of the girl's face.
With a happy thank you they dug into the food with the guys that were already seated. Each of them knowing the girls had somehow managed to relax the priestess into being more comfortable around them; they ate with delight, filling their stomachs after a long day. Rice cakes and sweet rolls were for dessert. Kagome enjoyed her tea with a few drops of honey; it helped keep her nerves cool.
When the food was finished and cleared away she knew it was time to get down to business, doing her best to not let her nerves get to her as she looked at these people her age that she knew to be shinobi. Gaara started since he had been elected by the guys to do some of the talking.
"Lady Kagome, from what we have picked up from you it would seem you know little about how the shinobi world works so I would like to start with that. As my sister introduced, I am the Kazekage of my village. That means I am the leader of the shinobi in the Village Hidden in the Sand. We are part of the Wind Country."
Pointing to the forehead protector on his sister's forehead, "this forehead protector has the symbol for our village. The ones the others wear are the symbol of their village, the Village Hidden in the Leaves."
She nodded showing that she is following so far. "The way our villages make income is by getting missions. Sometimes they could be as simple as finding a lost pet or helping someone with shopping, or as serious as an assassination or an escort mission where high level shinobi that are ranked as jounin might attack. We are in the area because our villages both received requests from the temple to come to their aid. The shinobi world is at true peace between each nation, we regard each other as comrades and friends. It is now being threatened we have been informed," he pulled out a scroll and handed it to her.
"This is the copy of a scroll the Temple has given us. They had others as well but we had to leave before we could read them since we felt you were in danger. People, as you have experienced, are being attacked on that path to the mountain. It is our duty to check the seal and report back to the Temple. Though I would prefer the demon remain sealed, it is better that we defeat him while we are better prepared. This is where you come in; we believe you are the priestess we are looking for to help us defeat this demon." His face composed as he relayed how serious and confident he is in his judgement.
Curious, she wondered just how he came to that conclusion. Having not read the scroll she didn't know just how much he figured out. "I'm curious, how did you come to that conclusion, I haven't even known you for a whole day, not even half of one," she pointed out.
"It really isn't that hard to come to this judgement, you have come from some mysterious place to journey to the very mountains our mission resides in, we are both checking on a seal. The monk at the Temple was in awe of your display in power and even said he has never felt so much pure power like yours. You have no knowledge on things about shinobi or how we fight. By your age most have encountered shinobi like our selves. You are travelling far it would seem and yet you have no money or knowledge of the area, just a destination in mind. I could honestly continue but you should read the scroll first," he gestured to where it was still held in her hands.
Nodding she began reading, a bit shocked at just what this prophecy held. She wondered just who this hero of the shinobi world is, they must be great to be regarded so highly. Once she rolled it back up and returned it to him he continued. "Just where are you from?"
"I would like to say you will probably not believe me but now I'm reconsidering it. It isn't something I can just go spouting off to anyone and everyone," her continued evasiveness was beginning to wear on their nerves as she could tell she is pushing her luck.
"Well," she wondered just how far in the future she is. "I am from the year 2015, born in Tokyo, Japan where I was raised on the family shrine in the modern era where things like us were only make believe. Ninja were assassins in movie; those that are ninja just keep up the practice for the sake of tradition or hobby usually. When I was 15 I had been pulled down the well on my family shrine, 500 years into the past by a centipede demon and that is where I found out that I had the capabilities of a priestess and took up the bow as a weapon. I needed to collect the shards of a powerful jewel I broke after it exited my side and I fought countless foes including the main one, Naraku. I finished that quest, was being trained by a warrior priestess when the Gods said I had to prepare to leave and come to an era that found peace but needed help destroying a demon that will soon be released from its seal."
Only the sand siblings remained collected, the Leaf ninja had dropped their jaws at the sudden load of information she dished out at them. "Today is my first day here, I said my final farewells to my loved ones in both times since it sounds like I will not be returning most likely," that being the final input she felt like giving out.
"I had a feeling you were not from this time," Gaara confessed, shocking everyone minus his sister. "What are the reasons you are given the title of Priestess of Time?"
"Well, obviously I'm a time traveler but when I fought the demon that ate Kaguya and took on her identity it was brought to my attention that they wished to eat me because I have an unusually strong and powerful spiritual energy aura that does not go along the flow of time itself. Those are the only two that I know of," she willingly provided.
"You must have impressive abilities if the Gods themselves chose you to come here and help us with the defeat of this demon," he easily commented, wondering just what a fight between her and a demon would look like.
"Not really, I'm not even fully trained," she blushed embarrassed. "There have been far more powerful priestesses before me so I don't understand why I was sent and not them. Even my former traveling companions would have been better options," knowing they were usually left protecting her.
Naruto narrowed his eyes, though humble she was also lacking confidence. She felt powerful to him, Shion certainly couldn't compare to that small show of power that she displayed. "If the Gods picked you out of everyone else then they knew you would be the right one to send instead of someone else who they clearly decided didn't have what it takes to get the job done."
She just sat there quietly, not wanting to start a confrontation. When nothing more was said for a couple minutes she spoke up, "If that is all for the night I would like to head off to bed," she requested, looking at everyone.
"We can discuss anything else in the morning; we need to return to the Temple. They had scrolls that spoke of you. It would be best to see them before we head to the mountain," Gaara decided, being the leader of this mission.
She nodded her head and bid them goodnight, walking off to the girl's quarters and setting up her futon before crawling into bed. She gazed out the window with sleepy eyes at the dark sky littered with stars, letting the sound of crickets chirping lull her to sleep.
When they were certain she was asleep they quietly spoke. "Is she going to be stuck in our time then," Lee asked.
"I don't know, I'm wondering if it's a suicide mission," TenTen replied, worried it might turn out that way since it sounded like she will be unable to return home.
"As if I'm going to let that happen," Naruto fumed.
"I agree it wouldn't sit well with me if she felt she had to sacrifice her life for the sake of ours. For now let's just focus on getting to the seal in the morning, we are sure to meet resistance of some sort on our way, I want us prepared to face it," getting everyone settled down and quieting their minds on the 'what ifs' surrounding the priestesses future.