Flourishing Love
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor InuYasha…I'm gonna go sit in a dark corner and cry now .:sniffle:.
Note: This is a Naruto/InuYasha crossover and a Sasuke/Kagome pairing, and there are character deaths in this one-shot, as many of them will be filled with death or dark things happening to our favorite heroin named Kagome.
Itachi: 20
Kakashi: 23
Kagome: 18
Sasuke: 18
Sakura: 18
Naruto: 18
:Story One:
Sasuke's Love & Sakura's Temper
She walked into the village with pride, her head held up high and her eyes covered by a Konoha headband. She had beautiful black hair that had silver streaks through out the mass and it fell to her hips. Her left hand was in her pocket while her right arm hung limp at her side. Her shoulder was cut open and leaking blood so it fell from her clothed fingertips to the concrete she walked on. Her right arm was covered in a black arm warmer and her left one was covered in a white one. They reached up slightly passed her elbows. Her upper body is covered in a black and white half muscle shirt. Underneath it was black fishnets with sleeves that stop at the beginning of her arm warmers. On her lower half are black spandex that stretched down to her kneecaps. Her feet and shins are wrapped in black bandages. Around her waist sat a katana that looked very old as well as the standard ninja belt. On her lower back, two small short swords crisscrossed and on her thigh were a pouch filled with something the villagers didn't know. Her elfin ears were covered slightly, by headphones, which helped dim out the collective gasps that surged up around her when the ANBU showed up. They circled her and she stopped walking to pull off her headphones and placed them around her neck, where a strong sliver necklace was placed. They couldn't see what was on the chain, for is was underneath her shirt.
"Who are you and what are you here for?" A man demanded, his face covered by a cat mask and his body enshrouded in a black cloak.
"My name is Hatake. Kagome Hatake. And I am here to see my elder brother." She whispered out with a smile.
"You must be joking. The only Hatake here is Kakashi." One of them voiced, his face covered by a fox mask. "And he has no family left."
Her smile widened before she walked towards the man with a cat mask and handed him a letter signed by Kakashi himself. "See? I am Kagome. His little sister. He and I have been searching for each other for a while. Who knew he would actually stay in Konoha and become a Jounin?" She gave a silent laugh and shrugged. "Well what can you do?"
The man sized her up before waving the others away and bowing to her slightly. "I will take you to the Hokage's Tower."
"Thank you." She replied, bowing from the waist and smiling at him.
--
"Where the hell is that damn Jounin?" Tsunada yelled, slamming her fist on the desk and adding another inch to an already deep crater that had arrived shortly after she became Hokage. Kagome gave another silent laugh and sat on the windowsill to look out over the village. Tsunada looked over at her and contemplated the new arrival. 'Kakashi's sister huh? I remember hearing about her from somewhere. But where exactly?'
"You have probably heard about me from the Village of Edo." Kagome voiced, catching the Hokage's thoughts with her telepathic ability that her sensai had given her.
"What? How did you-" She sputtered, beet red.
Kagome chuckled silently. No sounds came from it. The only way Tsunada was able to tell she laughed at all was the slight shaking of her shoulders. "I can read minds, Hokage-sama. My sensai had taught me how to do that about 2 years ago."
Curious, Tsunada leaned forward and said, "That can be taught?" Her eyes were wide with wonder, making Kagome use her silent chuckle again.
"Yes but only to those that have the blood of an Inu Demon." She supplied, killing any hope Tsunada had of learning that technique.
Pouting, she crossed her arms and slumped against the chair. "That bites!" She whined. Kagome nodded her agreement and turned to look back out the window. "But then how can you do that? I know Kakashi isn't an Inu Demon, so how can you be?"
Kagome half smiled and said, "My Sensai, he loves me like a sister and I love him like a brother. But the only way for it to be real or permanent, we had to drain some of my blood, more like most of my blood, for the ritual to work. It took many days to perfect the ritual on which we used voluntary servants to practice on. I didn't want to do it that way, but Sensai insisted saying he didn't want anything to happen to me that would cause him to lose me, so I consented, telling him that he had to revive them with his sword afterwards. He agreed and it worked! We were able to transfer blood. Slowly albeit, but it was done. Me being a miko, one of the strongest, I had to keep some of my human blood, so I'm not a complete demon, but I am barely human at the same time. It took many months for the blood to be injected into me, and during that time, Sensai had found a spell where he could slip into my dream state and teach me how to fight as my body developed into that of an Inu Demon. With everything that I have learned from him, I own him my life. If it wasn't for him, I would be dead right now…" Kagome trailed off and looked to a spot next to Tsunada's desk with a smile.
A small poof was heard before the smoke cleared to show a nervous smiling Kakashi who was scratching the back of his neck. "Sorry I'm late. Naruto wouldn't get off of my back." He shuddered and leaned his back against Tsunada's desk. "What did you need me for?"
The Hokage smirked and nodded her head in the direction of her large window. "What did you do to the-Kagome?" He asked when he turned around to stare stupidly at his little sister, who also smirked at him.
"Why hello to you to, brother." She stood up and made her way to Kakashi who probably had his mouth wide open underneath him face mask.
When she got at least an arms length away from him, he pulled her to him and buried his face into her neck, not believing she was actually here. "I can't…How did you…I'm so glad your alive Kagome." He chocked out, suppressing his tears as Kagome nuzzled her face into his chest.
"And I, you 'Kashi. And I, you." She whispered, sniffling.
Tsunada smiled to herself and decided to give the siblings some time to their selves. Besides, she needed to load up on some more sake for her stash in one of the locked drawers of her desk.
They held onto one another for a little while before he sat her down and kneeled before her. He took off her Konoha headband and looked into her sapphire dusted obsidian eyes. "How have you been, Kagome?" He asked gently, moving the bangs out of her eyes and smiling at her.
She smiled back and gestured for him to sit next to her. When he did, she said, " I have been fine. Mother is doing all right. She's in Tokyo. That's where we moved after the whole thing between mom and dad. I went to an ordinary school where I learned about math and history and all that stuff. Quiet different from the Ninja Academy. They really don't like violence. Even self-defense is prohibited there. I didn't like it too much. It was pretty boring. We adopted a little boy named Souta. He loves soccer and video games. So he's athletic and a nerd!" She laughed silently again before leaning back into the chair with a sigh. "How have you and dad been?"
His grin faded and he looked away, swallowing shallowly. "Dad's been dead for a while now, Sister. It couldn't have been more then a month or two after you and mom left." He heard her gasp, but he couldn't bring himself to look at her. "It was an A-ranked mission. To hunt down an S-class nin by the name of Orochimaru. He had been secretly killing people, trying to find a way to inhabit another's body so he could live forever. When he was found out, he fled, becoming a missing nin. Then he joined the Akatsuki and left shortly after he had been initiated. But, dad had found him while he was hunting for some people to experiment with and they fought. Dad never had a chance. Sure he was one of the strongest Jounin in all of Konoha at the time, but Orochimaru already knew he was there. It had been a trap." Kakashi sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Till this day Orochimaru still lives. He wants one of my students that goes by the name of Sasuke. He wants him because he is one of the last of his clan. I'm sure you've heard of the Uchiha clan, right?"
"Yeah. I remember Itachi-chan! He always was nice to me." She said, her eyes shining in recognition.
"Yes well, Itachi is now a missing nin. He slaughtered his clan, leaving only Sasuke. Everyone but Sasuke knows why Itachi had murdered them all. Since Sasuke wasn't progressing as fast as Itachi had, the clan had planned on killing him, to be rid of 'something that was a waste of flesh', as their father had put it." Kagome's hand fisted and her teeth clenched, but she kept quiet so she could hear the rest. "Itachi told Sasuke that the reason why he had killed them was because he wanted to measure his strength and he told him to hate him and live off of that hate, because without it, he would not be able to kill him. And Sasuke vowed he would kill him. He became an avenger.
"Orochimaru had gotten a hold of him in the Chunnin exams and bit him on the neck, leaving a curse mark there and some unknown power inside of him. He has yet to be able to control it, so I have it sealed inside of him. It's not very strong, seeing as that is your type of jutsu, but it's strong enough to keep it at bay. It was the best I could do." He shrugged and placed his head in his hand, as if ashamed he couldn't do better.
Sighing, Kagome stood up and sat in his lap so he could hold her like he used to do when she was sad or scared. "It's ok 'Kashi. You did your best and that's all you need. Well, until I fix it up but…" She trailed off to hear his chuckle. He wrapped his arms around her and ran his hand through her hair, something that always calmed her. Sighing contentedly, she laid her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. "I'm sorry I wasn't there for you when Dad was…when dad left." She murmured.
"It's not like you had a choice in the matter Kagome. Have you been practicing your jutsu's?" He asked, resting his chin on the top of her head.
"Nooooo, I've been slacking off on that!" She rolled her eyes before saying, "Yes of course I've been practicing."
Three more poofs sounded in the room and two ANBU stood next to a girl with cotton candy colored hair and emerald eyes that reminded her of her adopted kitsune cub. The two in the ANBU masks seemed familiar to her as she stood up. It was the guys with a cat and fox mask?
"Kakashi-sensai! You left us to pay for the damn Raman bill again!" The one in the fox mask scoffed and crossed his arms.
Kagome turned around and raised an eyebrow at him as he stood up. "Kakashi-sensai? Do not tell me, brother, that you, of all people, are a teacher?" Her voice held amusement as he sweat dropped and scratched the back of his neck again.
"Yeah well you see…um..well..I got roped into it." He said, defeated. She full out laughed, not her silent one that she's been using for the last 4 years, but laughed right out when the one in the fox mask pounced on him and began to pull his hair, screaming, "Liar! Liar!"
Kakashi slammed him against the wall and turned to his sister, his eyes softening. She was hunched over and clutching her stomach, tears rolling down her cheeks. "That," She breathed, calming down. "has to be the worst excuse I have ever heard!"
Her brother sweat dropped again before pouting, his arms crossed. "Stupid Jiraiya and his stupid bet." He murmured, hurt. She wiped her tears away before walking up to him and patting his shoulder sympathetically.
"So are you going to introduce me to your team, 'Kashi?" He nodded and wrapped his arm around her shoulder and turning her towards the guy with a fox mask on. He was sitting on the ground with his arms crossed. "That is Naruto Uzimachi." Naruto tugged his mask and hood off to reveal a huge grin and glistening blue eyes. It reminded her of Yondiame.
She lost her voice for a minute and Kakashi had a feeling he knew what she was thinking. Leaning down, he whispered in her ear, "Yes, that is the Yondiame's son. He was orphaned years ago because his father went out to fight the nine tailed fox. He didn't survive but he managed to seal the fox inside of his body. People treat him harshly because of the supposed monster in him."
Kagome's eyes watered and she used her miko powers to search the hidden aura around him. It felt…familiar. "Shippo?" She whispered, her tears slowly falling from her eyes. Naruto looked at her weird before a slight flash happened and a small boy was forming a body next the stupefied Naruto. It was a small kitsune fox with orangish red hair and sparkling emerald eyes.
"Kagome-mama?" Came his shaky voice before he slowly started walking towards her. He picked up his speed to launch himself into her stomach, where her arms encircled him, making him feel protected and loved once again. Kagome sagged to the floor, holding him close to her and rocking him as she cried with him.
"Shippo? I thought you were dead! I thought he killed you too!" She pulled him away to look into his eyes that glimmered.
"No. Sesshomaru-sama found me but I was insane with anger and revenge. I had thought he had killed you! Instead I became a raging demon, known as the nine-tailed fox or Kyuubi. When they attacked me, I was protecting InuYasha's Forest where Sango and Miroku were resting underneath the Goshinboku. Sesshomaru-sama knew that you would want the there."
Kagome nodded and hugged him to her once more. "I'll talk to you again Mama. But I need to return to Naruto." He kissed her on the cheek and she smiled at him before setting him on his feet. He slowly walked towards the one who harbored him and stopped a few inches away. "I'm sorry that you had to go through all of that, just because of me." He whispered, ducking his head down.
Naruto looked at him, then at the nice lady that had just been holding him like he's never slaughtered before. He looked back at him. "Hey, it's ok. It's not like the both of us had much of a choice right?" Naruto smiled widely at him.
Shippo's head shot up and he gazed at him before smirking and saying, "Your ok, kid."
"Kid!? I do believe that you are the smallest one here." He snapped back, his eyes narrowing.
"I only use this form when Kagome-mama is near, so she can hold me but normally I'm bigger." He bragged, sitting back onto his behind.
"Oh yeah? Show me!" Naruto demanded haughtily.
"If you wish." Shippo smirked again and a white light enveloped him before he shot up to the height of Sesshomaru. When the light diminished, he stood in all his glory, his hair a bright red, his eyes a deeper green and he had a single green streak on each cheek. His sharp fang poked out of a half smile as his tail waved behind him, feeling proud of himself for shocking the people. "Hey, kid. If you ever need any help with learning more techniques or even better fighting skill, just lemme know. I'd be more then willing to teach you how to play pranks on people." When Naruto shouted out a "Yes!" he smiled and turned to Kagome. His eyes softened as she smiled at him with the love he's yearned for, for so many years.
"You know, I never thought I'd see you again, Mama." He voiced before he took out a few things and tossing them at her. Her reflexes were better then before because he had thrown them so fast the ninja's couldn't even see it. He hand came up to her face and it gripped them tightly as she smirked.
"Sesshomaru's doing, I'm guessing." Shippo whispered, eyeing her posture.
"Not doubt about it, Sweetheart. I'm guessing in the times your insanity receded, he was there to teach you some things as well." She put them in her pocket and leaned her elbow up onto Kakashi's slouched shoulder.
Shippo looked over at his shoulder to Naruto and pointed at Kagome with her thumb saying, "We need to spar her once I'm done showing you how the Lord of Japan fights."
"Oh yeah! No doubt about it, Kyuubi." They smirked together before Shippo began to disappear. "I love you Mama." He whispered, knowing she heard it.
"I love you too, Shippo." She whispered back, smiling. She walked forward and knelt down to hug Naruto. "Thank you, Naruto-san. Thank you for letting me see my son again!"
"It's ok. I'm just glad that now I really know whose been talking inside my head."
His face scrunched up as if Shippo was talking to him. Then his face fell. "Your son is one mean son-of-a-bitch!"
Kagome fell down onto the ground and began to laugh hysterically. "Don't I know it. 'Kashi, you can continue you introduction. I'm terribly sorry for interrupting you."
Kakashi smiled and shook his head. "Not a problem Kagome. The girl there, her name is Sakura Hanoru."
The current girl was glaring at Naruto and telling him to shut up because he was a nuisence. Kagome's face darkened and she stood up to stalk forward and plant her face in front of hers, who was standing very close to the other ANBU guy. "You, little girl, be nice. He, himself may not be my son, but you are inadvertently insulting him. I would appreciate it if you shut your goddamn mouth before I shut it for you!" She hissed, already not liking the immature girl. "Everybody has a right to talk, even Naruto. Just because you don't like how he is or what he does or what he is, for that matter, doesn't mean that you can disrespect him."
Sakura measured her up, trying to decide if she should take her seriously or not. Noticing all the weapons on her person and the ninja belt, she sneered out, "You have all of that weaponry and yet you don't even have a Konoha headband. What makes you think I would listen to you?"
Sighing, Kakashi stepped forward and lifted the headband in his hand to wind it around Kagome's neck comfortably. "Thank you brother." She watched as Sakura's face displayed how shocked she was before she quieted down, huffing and turning to Sasuke to stare at him. She may not be able to see his handsome face but at least she knew it by memory.
Her brother steered her away from Sakura and walked her towards Sasuke. What little distance between them right now was the best thing, he knew. He stopped in front of the last unknown teammate. She heard him sigh before he pulled off his mask and let the hood fall from his head. Kagome sized him up before Kakashi said, "This is Sasuke Uchiha, Itachi's little brother."
Kagome noticed the way his body stiffened at the name and felt the way his chakra began to raise. She placed her hand on his shoulder to calm him before turning towards the other occupants. "Sakura, Naruto, I would be grateful if you left the vicinity as quickly as possible."
Naruto didn't want to stay. Not with the promise from Shippo still ringing in his ears. "Ok. I'm going to train!" He shouted out excitedly before poofing out of the office.
Sakura was a little more reluctant. "Whatever you have to say to Sasuke, you can say to me. After all, I am his girlfriend." She declared, glaring at Kagome.
Feeling Sasuke tense up and his anger soar even higher, she stepped up and bent over Sakura's shoulder, sniffing her like the Inu she was. After a few seconds of sniffing her neck, Kagome stepped back and shook her head. "You are living in a fantasy world, I'm afraid. I don't smell him on or in you." She watched as a blush spread over Sakura's nose at the way she said it. "Therefore, you have no right to stay here while I am strengthening the seal mark on his shoulder. Now, leave before I toss you out myself."
Kagome turned from her, dismissing her, which irritated Sakura. She launched herself at Kagome's back. Said woman spun around and wrapped her cold fingers around Sakura's neck and lifted her off the ground. "You would dare to attack someone who is helping out your teammate? You would dare attack an unaware person?" Kagome asked, her voice emotionless and cold.
Sasuke watched with indifferent eyes as Sakura attempted to free herself from Kagome's grip. 'This Kagome is quite interesting.' He thought, his gaze turning contemplative when he looked to the woman in his thoughts. 'Maybe I should learn more about her. She could be the one for me.'
The near helpless girl saw the way that Sasuke was looking at Kagome and she screwed her eyes shut before swinging her leg at her. Kagome quickly let go of her neck and gripped her leg to dangle her upside-down. She glared at her and nodded at the window. Catching her drift and wishing Sakura could have left without getting his sister riled up, Kakashi sighed and opened the window for her. "I'm sorry I have to do this Sakura, but you leave me no choice. Enjoy the fall." Kagome spoke while she moved to the window.
Finally figuring out what Kagome meant by that, she began to twist and turn her body, trying to loosen the hold on her ankle. Smiling innocently, Kagome let go of her leg, just like she wanted, only outside the window and into the water below. She listened to the horrified scream that left the Konouichi before turning back to the Uchiha, sizing him up. He has gorgeous obsidian eyes and spiky black/blue hair. His Konoha headband was wrapped around his forehead and black eyeliner traced his eyes. 'Wow. Quite the hottie we have here. And he knows it too.' She thought to herself, deciding if he was able to go through with the sealing jutsu or not.
"Are you able to go through with this Uchiha-san? It's going to be more painful then what 'Kashi's was. His isn't as strong as mine, seeing as that is my area of expertise. Why he didn't try and contact me on this is beyond me." She tossed a glare in his direction, making him sweat drop and laugh nervously. Shaking her head, she looked back at Sasuke and watched as he thought about it.
'Yes, I would like to have it sealed but I want to master this power.' He thought, trying to decide how he can go about this and still find a way to control it.
"If I seal it, the ways to master it will instantly be burned into your brain. That's how string my jutsu's are, so if you were thinking about trying to control it, there's your answer." She supplied, smirking and the shocked look in his eyes. "I can read minds if you haven't noticed. My sensai taught me how to do that."
"Hm." He replied before nodding his consent to the sealing jutsu.
"Alright. Kakashi," She turned to her brother, and in using his whole name, he knew she was being serious. "please go and get me some scrolls and some candles. As it is, I am low on both from my other battle."
When he nodded and disappeared, she just realized that her shoulder had been bleeding and it hadn't healed. Which means it was poisoned. "Damn." She voiced before digging in her pouch for something.
Sasuke watched as she pulled out a vile filled with blue powder and she pulled the cork out with her teeth for something to bite down on. 'This is so going to sting.' She thought, shuddering and squeezing her eyes shut. Taking a few deep breaths, she poured an inch or two of the stuff onto her shoulder and clenched her fist over the vile. She almost cracked the glass as she tried to contain the gasp of pain. All that came out was a whimper as she threw her head back, the cork falling from her mouth so she could hiss out her displeasure. The wound began to smoke, the color a deep purple before she summoned her miko powers to heal it completely.
Panting, she bent down and picked up the cork, replacing the vile when it was on tight enough before she examined the purple smoke suspiciously. "Shit. That's miasma." She murmured, making Sasuke frown.
'What's she talking about?' He asked himself, his gaze following her hand until it touched the mist floating above her. She placed her index finger on the edge of it and a blue aura wrapped around it, purifying it from the air. She narrowed her eyes and nodded to herself.
"This is not good." Boy was she confusing Sasuke.
Kakashi jumped in through the window and handed Kagome the things she needed. "Thanks Brother." He nodded and walked over to Sasuke to grip his arm and tug him over to Kagome. "Please strip down to your pants Uchiha-san." She bent over Tsunada's desk to rip some scroll apart as she spoke. "Kakashi, please stand outside and make sure no one enters. Not even the Hokage-sama herself."
Nodding, Kakashi did as she requested and stood outside the door. "You can just call me Sasuke, Kagome-san." He knelt down in the circle of candles she made, shirtless.
Kagome stifled a gasp at the gorgeous body Sasuke had and moved to stand behind him. "Then you can call me Kagome." She cut her index finger and used her blood to write symbols on his back before taking the ripped scrolls and laying them down in a circle around him. Using more of her blood, she wrote more symbols on the ground and lit the candles before tugging her weapons off and setting them down some feet away from the circle. "Ok Sasuke, I need for you to close your eyes and bring forth that other chakra inside your body." She spoke as she stood behind him and held her hands over his shoulders.
Taking a deep breath and releasing it slowly, he pulled the other chakra out and gritted his teeth as pain racked his body. Using quick hand seals, Kagome placed her hands over the other seal and heard Sasuke hiss in pain as the blood seals in the circle glowed. They wavered for a few seconds before shooting towards his body and wrapping around it until settled on the seal. Her power cracked and shimmered around him, heating up his body as the chakra engulfed him, making the pain dissipate. The flames on the candles blew out as her power died away, making him feel stronger then he ever did before.
Sighing, Kagome dropped her hands and wiped her forehead clean of sweat before bending down and putting her weapons back on her body. "Now I would advise you to train for at least 3 weeks and you shall have total and complete control over that chakra. Now, I need to go and eat something."
She stood up and dusted herself off. When she turned around, her face meet a clothed chest and she looked up into smirking obsidian eyes. "Allow me to take you to dinner, Kagome." She shivered at the sound of his deep throaty voice. She shook it off and smiled at him.
"I would appreciate that Sasuke." He smirked at her before he extended his arm, wanting her to take it. She smiled gently at him before looping her arm through his and walking out the door, not surprised when she found Kakashi with his nose stuck in a book and a light, almost unnoticeable blush dusting his nose.
Sighing in aggravation, she stalked over and tore the book out of his hands to glare at him. "You weren't paying attention to your surroundings, Brother." When he sweat dropped, she narrowed her eyes and tossed it back at him. "Stupid Icha Icha Paradise, tainting my brother's mind." She mumbled before walking towards and past Sasuke.
He shook his head and followed after her. He heard her say, "I'm gonna murder Jiraiya and his perverted books. He reminds me of Miroku though." Her paced slowed so he caught up easily enough so he could look at her out of the corner of his eyes.
"Whose Miroku?" He asked, quite curious and wondering if he has competition with her.
She smiled gently and crossed her arms to look up at the sky as they exited the Hokage's Tower. "He's someone I used to travel with. He was a Buddhist Monk and a very lecherous guy." She chuckled at that part and continued. "He was completely in love with my friend Sango, who was a Demon Exterminator. He'd constantly feel her up, making her hit him on the head or slap him till he had a permanent red hand print on his cheek. We were quite the group…" Her eyes became clouded as if she was in thought.
Then, her head snapped up and her nose twitched cutely. 'Cutely…?' He thought to himself as they stopped walking. A silver blur stopped in front of Kagome and arms wrapped around her to spin her around. She laughed and circled her arms around the blur's neck until he finally set her down.
"Sesshomaru!" She said, making Sasuke pale. 'The Lord of Japan? She knows him?' He asked himself. "Sasuke. This is my other brother, Sesshomaru."
Normally Sasuke wouldn't bow to anyone but this was the Lord of Japan! There was no way he was going to be disrespectful. He moved his right arm over his waist and his left one behind him to bow from the waist up. When he heard Kagome giggle slightly, he stood up straight and looked upon the one she called brother. He stood extremely tall, at least a head and a half taller than Kagome, with two magenta streaks on his pale face. His blue crescent moon stood out on his forehead signaling his heritage. He was clothed in a silk white kimono, two swords strapped to his waist on the left side of his body. On the back of the kimono held every symbol of the hidden villages in different colors. If Sasuke were a gay guy, he would have jumped him, because he was so gorgeous.
"Sesshomaru." Kagome spoke, turning to the demon lord to gain his attention. "What are you doing here?"
Sesshomaru nodded, as if remembering the main reason for his visit. "My spy, Nomkio, has sent word to me that he has spotted InuYasha and Kikyo in the vicinity of Konoha. I came to investigate it."
Sesshomaru and Sasuke watched as Kagome's eyes narrowed in thought. "So, you're wondering if I have felt anything?" When she received a nod, she tapped her index finger on her chin and sent out her miko powers, making them wash over her two companions and having them relax. Her demon brother closed his eyes, having missed the feeling and Sasuke just smirked.
"Yeah." She sighed and straightened herself. "They are here. And shall arrive in 3 days time. Damn, what are they doing here?" She hissed out and covered the sword at the left side with her hand. 'Are they after the Tetsusaiga? My soul, maybe?'
Sesshomaru tapped her on her shoulder, startling her out of her thoughts. "I believe they are after both." He spoke, making her frown.
"But why? I gave them everything I could. Kikyo no longer needs the one I have and InuYasha cannot hold on to the sword anymore because of his transformation." She reasoned before gasping and looking at something they couldn't see. "I take back what I said earlier. They are somehow 20 minutes from the back gates of Konoha."
She sped off, knowing that both Sesshomaru and Sasuke would follow her. Coming to a halt not 12 kilometers away from the gate and into the forest, Kagome scanned the area. She wasn't surprised when a red blur tried to attack her, only to be repelled by her spirit shield. An inhuman growl escaped the near prone form before he stood back up and glared at her.
'He hasn't changed much.' She thought, studying his face. It became harsher over the years and his eyes were bathed in a blood red color, his pupils a bright blue. He had a single purple jagged streak on each of his cheeks and he was wearing the fire rat kimono. His hair was still the shiny silver it always was, even the ears were still there, but it had patches of dried blood in the mass. The only thing that was missing on his person was the Tetsusaiga.
Following closely behind the insane Inu-Hanyou, was a shell of the woman who used to live. Her hair was straight and pulled back at the nap of her neck, her face holding absolutely no emotion, her coco-brown eyes vacant of the soul that used to lay inside. She was clothed in the priestess garbs that was required of her station, the red hakama's and the white haori, a quiver full of arrows slung of her shoulders and an old bow clutched in her pale hand. She stopped walking next to the panting Hanyou and gazed at Kagome with her empty eyes. "Hello, reincarnate. I see we meet again." Came her desolate voice, sending shivers through Sasuke's body.
"What do you two want, Kikyo?" Kagome asked, her own voice guarded and cold as she sized them up, her form tense.
"What else would we come for? InuYasha needs the Tetsusaiga and I want my soul back." Kikyo smirked, her face now full of malice and hatred. "You do not deserve to live! You should have died long ago, by my hands and my hands alone. Instead, you made a home here and never went back."
Kagome scoffed before speaking, her voice slightly mocking, "I'm truly sorry about that. It's not like I had too much of a choice Kikyo. I had, at first, not wanted this. But, as time came and went, I came to the understanding that this is my destiny, my fate, and now my life. I am the rightful Shikon No Tama Guardian. I am the one to be alive for the rest of eternity until I find the one who is pure enough to take over my job. Until then, I shall guard it with my life, whether I am willing or not."
Kikyo, enraged, said, "InuYasha, be a good boy and kill that wench!"
The insane Inu-Hanyou growled furiously before ducking low to the ground and charging her. Kagome narrowed her eyes and held her arm open, silently telling her companions that this was her battle and to not interfere. Waiting for the perfect opportunity, she tensed herself up, before jumping and landing on his hunched back. She jumped off and ran a little farther away, nearer to Kikyo and farther from her own companions. His attacks were slow and sluggish, as if he was tired and didn't want to fight anymore, but he kept at it, because of the hold Kikyo had on him.
Kagome watched with cold eyes as he turned back around and ran at her again, only this time she blocked his attack and spun him around so he stumbled into Kikyo. Hearing her yelp of shock, Kagome pounced, and pinned the both of them to the ground. She used one arm to draw the Tetsusaiga before placing it on InuYasha'a forehead, breaking him from the spell and sending him into slumber. Nudging him away, Kagome straddled Kikyo and glared down at her, pinning her hands above her head after replacing the sword back at her side.
"And now it's time for you to die, Kikyo." Before Kagome could do anything, she was kicked off and sent towards a tree. She flipped around and landed on it to stare at her incarnate who was picking herself up and dusting herself off. ?You are only prolonging the inevitable, Kikyo. You know I'm stronger than you, you know that I can take my soul back whenever I please. I let you live, to see if you would love InuYasha the way you did before you two were both betrayed. But I see that it was no use, for you placed a spell on him so he was his demon self around you. You never let him out of your sight, did you, Golem? Thinking, that if you did, he would regain control of his beast and leave you to do the dirty work by yourself." Kagome crouched down on the tree, watching Kikyo closely for any signs that she would attack.
Sasuke was listening, and he was almost struck dumb by how well Kagome could handle herself, and the prospect of how much she might have gone through. 'She could be the one for me. She just has to be. Otherwise, she would not have been here.' He thought before he shook out of his thoughts and watched the battle. Sesshomaru could not believe that Kikyo had the nerve to drag the Inu blood down in the dirt. Sure, he never was fond of his brother, but he still had their Father's blood in him, and he was still part of the family. That wench will die, either by his hand or Kagome's.
Kikyo readied her arrow, without a word, nor a shift in the malice on her face as she let it go with a twang. Kagome's eyes hardened and she shot off of the tree, past the arrow and planted a fist infused with pure energy on the side of her face. The shock that entered the dead miko's eyes as half of her face disintergrated made Kagome smirk. The force of the punch made her drop her bow and sail into the nearest tree, breaking it in half.
Kikyo slowly, shakily stood up and placed a trembling hand over the open wound. Kagome could litterally see the the inside of her head as bits of clay shook off and onto the ground. The horrified look on the golem's face was enough to make Kagome chuckle evilly. "Did I not tell you, you were wasting your time Kikyo? Just save yourself the pain, and give me my soul back."
Instead, Kikyo lifted her hand up and summoned her soul collectors so they could give her more souls to become stronger. Growling disapprovingly, Kagome snapped her wrist and destroyed the snake like creatures with her silvery blue/green poison whip, which made Kikyo even more angry. "What are you trying to prove huh?" Kagome's opponent snapped, her hand still hiding the hole in her head. "You know, no matter how hard you try, InuYasha will never stop comparing you to me?" Her reincarnate sent a conplemplative glance towards the said hanyou, making Sesshomaru tense up. Sasuke looked at him and watch his face. It was closed off of emotion, but he could tell he was waiting for something to happen.
"He will never see you, for who you really are. You know, he will never love you the way you love him. You know he never cared for you. The wounds he inflicted on you already proved that?" Before she could continue, Kagome raised her hand, shuting her up as she used the wind to slap her up against the tree. Then, she flexed her hand and lifted her arm up farther, beginning to use the wind to cut off Kikyo's wind pipe and dangle her up in the air. Kagome never once looked at her, still staring at the one who once held her delicate heart.
Feeling her incarnate beginning to claw at the wind holding her neck, Kagome lifted her carefully guarded eyes and accidentally meet the gaze that belonged to Sasuke Uchiha and she felt her heart melt, like it used to do when InuYasha looked at her. She smiled slowly and thought, 'Perhaps, someone else can actually love me for me.' before turning her head to look at Kikyo with her smile gone. Her features were cold and guarded once again.
"InuYasha may not be able to love me, but there are others out there that are willing to give it a shot." She whispered, loosening her hold on Kikyo's neck so she could breath a little bit. Then she continued. "But you will never know love, for it was taken away from you to early, just like with InuYasha. Despite my pity for you, I will not let you live after what you did to my friends." Her hold on her neck tightened once again and her eyes widened as anger danced in their depths. "You, the one to control InuYasha, told him to slaughter my friends, my group, my only family that was left."
Her hand reflectivly tightened as the memories pulsed behind her now tightly closed eyes. "So much blood." She whimpered out, moving her head to the side at the mental image of Sango's limps hanging from trees, her head tossed in front of her once horrified form, her eyes open and accusing her for not being strong enough to save them. "I'm sorry Sango." She voiced, before Miroku's head was tossed in her mental direction. His eyes were also accusing, blaming her for their deaths before they could have a life together. "Please don't look at me like that Miroku." She spoke weakly, tightening her hold on Kikyo's neck, cracking the clay with the pressure as the mental image of InuYasha hovering over her form, a sadistic smirk abdorning his crazed face entered her mind. His claws were dripping with blood, their friend's blood before she shook herself out of the nightmare that had haunted her for so many years, and directed her gaze, burning with absolute hatred, towards the one that dangled helplessly in her hold. "And now, Kikyo. It is finally time for you to rest in peace." She hissed, before snapping the fingers on her free hand and chanting something.
A glowing ball of fire burned in her hand before she set it on the wind that was connected to her hand and Kikyo's throat. Seeing Kagome's intent, Kikyo struggled more, only succeeding in getting the wind completely cut off from her lungs. Choking and for the first time, scared for her own life, Kikyo clawed helplessly at the hold of her neck, her eyes rolling to the back of her head as the oxygen she so desperately needed was denied to her. Kagome, smirking at how helpless her incarnate was, placed the fire into the wind and watched as it swam down the wind line only to slowly wrap around the Golems body. Sesshomaru winced as Kikyo's high pitched, pain riddled scream beat against his ears, promising them to throb later. Sasuke watched in morbid fascination as Kagome controlled the fire, rolling it around Kikyo's neck before dragging it down the center of her chest and separating it into two lines of fire so it could streak down her legs and back up the back of her body. It roared over her head and straight through her skull, cutting off her scream of unimaginable pain to dead silence. The fire disappeared and the wind vanished, leaving the night eerily silent. Kagome watched, her mind clouded with memories, as the ashes from her main rival, other than Naraku, danced off of the ground and up into the sky, Kagome using the wind to bring it back to the Goshinboku.
Sasuke and Sesshomaru followed her, each drowned into their own thoughts. Bending down, The Lord gripped the unconscious Hanyou's ankle and dragged him behind them, knowing that Kagome wanted to talk to him later. Said woman sighed when they reached the huge tree and 2 crosses set up in front of it. Sasuke read on one it said 'Our beloved Sango. A brave demon slayer, a loving wife, a great sister, and a better comrade. Please rest in peace.' The one next to it read, 'Our beloved Miroku. A proud Monk, a loving husband, a grand brother, and a funny guy.'
Kagome stopped walking and closed her eyes with a sigh. "It is done, my friends. Naraku is dead, Kikyo is avenged and at peace and InuYasha is going to be back to his senses by day break. I have found Shippo, living life inside a body, who goes by the name of Naruto. Surprisingly, they are almost alike in nature." She chuckled here and wiped underneath her eyes, knowing that they wouldn't want her to cry. They wanted her strong, like she never was before all of this happened. As Kagome continued talking, Sesshomaru hung back with Sasuke and told the Uchiha everything that happened to Kagome and her comrades. Telling him how the final battle with Naraku was a complete success and with minimum deaths for their side. But everything had gone wrong 2 nights after the battle with Naraku. "I shall tell you, for I was present though not seen." Sesshomaru whispered, staring at the God Tree as he recounted that night that was the last of the famous rag-tag group.
215 Years Ago (work with me! Lol)
The Inu Lord watched from his perch in a tree, listening to the rambles of the proud survivors of the final battle with Naraku, retelling the events that happened from their angle of the fight. He felt something was off this night, which is why he followed them instead of returning to his castle in the Western lands. It was quiet out, a cool evening breeze catching the ends of his allies hair, warning him something was going to happen. But when it didn't happen after the group retired, he was about to leave, deeming it safe. That is, until he felt immense power roll off of something in the opposite direction he was facing. Channeling his own concealed aura, he felt it straighten and head for someone specific. Someone that was up in the trees and sleeping. It was not him they were aiming for, for he was facing his brother now, and could feel it leak through his body and into the Hanyou's.
His brother howled in pain, his body stiffening and falling to the ground, making a loud thumping noise and waking up his companions as he rolled on the ground, holding his head in pain. Sesshomaru was about to jump to the ground when Kagome yelled out someone elses name. If he had been paying delicate attention to the power that was wrapping up inside of InuYasha's blood, forcing the human blood into submission, he would have known it was the dead priestess known as Kikyo. Sesshomaru snarled and flexed his claws. 'Damnit. I should have been more aware!'
Everything stilled, the power evaporated, and InuYasha began to snarl. He rose up off of the ground, his back hunched up, drool rolling down his chin and onto the ground. His silver bangs hid his eyes until Kikyo's power inside of him beat once, then twice. He lifted his head, as if it was a command and stared at the shaking bodies of his friends. He smirked and growled, not having a single clue at to who these people were or why they smelt like him, as if they were identified as his pack. His blood lust filled mind didn't comprehend it and when the power inside him beat three times, he lurched forward and pinned Sango's body to the nearest tree, sinking his claws into the flesh of her wrist. His blue pupil red eyes scanning for his target. They landing on a crying, teenage girl, dressed the weirdest way anyone should be. "You, girl, have to watch as I rip apart every ones limps, or I will eat your adopted son, and enjoy it non-the-less." Knowing that would make her listen, he turned his gaze back to the struggling Demon Slayer in his grip.
Sesshomaru growled warningly, but nothing came out of his throat. When he tried to tense his body up, he found that could not move. 'Kikyo!' He hissed in displeasure and irritation. 'She knows I'm here.' His attention was brought back to the scene when Sango screamed in pain. InuYasha had just torn her hand right off of her arm, sending it flying into the trees above them. Tears threatened to fall down the Slayer's cheeks, but she bore down and watched with hate filled eyes as the one she trusted ripped off another part of her body. She was dead from blood loss way before he was close to yanking her head off of her shoulders and throwing it in the direct direction of the whimpering, crying, lifeless girl.
He turned to Miroku next, who had been frozen in terror as he watched his beloved be torn to pieces by the one he trusted to protect them. His rage filled eyes turned to the smirking Hanyou and was about to open the wind tunnel when he frozen again, forgetting he didn't have it anymore since the defeat of Naraku. His eyes terrified once more, he tried to tell Kagome to run before he was cut off and slammed up against a tree opposite of which Sango was slaughtered against. He too, was dead far before his head was torn off and tossed in Kagome's direction. She was hiccuping and hysterical, calling out to InuYasha, telling him to stop. Telling him to come back to himself, knowing it was fruitless in the end.
Sesshomaru snarled loudly, temporarily breaking Kikyo's hold on him as he watched InuYasha pounce on Kagome and rip her clothes off and littering her body with what later will be scars when they heal. Just before she was sent to unconsciousness, she heard InuYasha whisper, "Please forgive me, Kagome. I'm so sorry." Before he stood up and stalked away, towards Kikyo, whose aura was filled with morbid happiness.
Feeling her hold on him slip away, Sesshomaru bounded down to Kagome's body, picked her up and returned her to his palace. She healed and trained, hardening herself up and hiding from the world, only being her old self around him and no one else.
Back to the Present (whew that was a lot of work)
Sasuke, near ready to puke because of the images floating in his head thanks to Sesshomaru's telepathy, looked at Kagome with new found awe. "How was she able to live on after all of that?" He whispered to himself, jumping slightly when Kagome answered his question.
"Because my family would want me to. They would want me to live, be strong and be loved. I have lived for them." She whispered, tilting her head back to look at the star filled sky before continuing, "I have been strong and I have been loved, at least once. If I had found someone to take care of the Shikon Jewel, even then I would still be alive for eternity until my friends deem it that I have lived the life they wanted me to have. They felt I should have." A small, crystalline tear rolled down her cheek and hung to her chin before falling to the ground. She smiled slightly before a small moan of discomfort came from the body that Sesshomaru still had a hold of.
Kagome nodded her head to the side, a sign to her comrades to move to the side. Obeying her, they stepped aside and watched as she unsheathed a rusty old blade. She stared at the hilt for a few seconds before moving past them and holding the end of the dull blade against the pale neck of InuYasha just as his eyes fluttered open. He blinked twice before he found his voice and said, "Kagome? Is that you?"
She nodded and nudged the blade tighter against his neck, telling him silently to stand up. He did and she smiled slightly. "Do you, InuYasha, have any idea what has happened lately?" He shook his head and stared wearily at the blade being pointed at him.
"Is that really necessary, Kagome?" He inclined his head towards his old sword and widened his eyes when she nodded. "What the hell has gotten into you Wench?" He scowled when that was meet with twin growls of disapproval, one coming from the girl in front of him and another to his left side. He cast a glance in the direction and his eyes widened further before returning to Kagome's form. "What is that bastard doing here?"
"Turn around InuYasha. Look behind you!" Kagome commanded, her voice wavering slightly. She turned the blade down so the tip stared at the ground so he wouldn't worry about her doing anything to him with his back turned to her. InuYasha did as she said and started at the wooden crosses that lay in front of the tree he had be pinned to, in his mind, 50 years ago. "Who the hell..?" He trailed off when Kagome stood next to him, telling him to read what they said.
He fell to his knees, his whole body numb when he reread the crosses. "Who.." His voice cracked and he cleared his throat. "Who did this?" He had a distinct feeling who did it, but he needed to know, he needed to be sure.
Kagome knelt down in front of him, placing her warm hand against his cheek and sighed when he leaned into her touch. "You did, InuYasha." She sniffled when tears slipped out of his eyes and onto his hakamas. "Kikyo, 2 nights after we finished celebrating Naraku's death and everyone's freedom, she...I don't know how she did it but...She took control of your body and subdued your human blood, making you full demon and under her control. She forced you to kill them, then turn around and.. Well Lets just say my body has never been the same since." A few more tears slipped from her tight hold on them when he jerked out of her touch to stare, horrified, at her. She removed her top layers, leaving her black bra on, to show InuYasha the jagged scars covering her body from head to foot, her face dented with at least two of them, one of her cheek, the other on her left temple traveling down to her bottom lip. When she felt it sank into his mind, she put her clothes back on and wrapped her arms around InuYasha's shaking form. He gripped the front of her shirt and pressed his face into her stomach, sobbing uncontrollably, unable to believe that he had killed his only friends and hurt the one he had promised to protect, even if that meant giving up his own life.
Needing more, he wrapped his shaking arms around her waist and pulled her tighter to him. She entwined her arms behind his head and let her own tears of pain fall onto the top of his head and she rested her chin on the top of the silvery mass. "I'm so incredibly sorry Kagome. I didn't want to do that. I didn't mean to do. Oh god!" He cried out, feeling her own pain wrap around his in perfect harmony.
"You didn't know what you were doing. You didn't know! I forgive you, InuYasha. You had no control over what you were doing." She sniffled and tilted his head up to look into his glittering gold eyes, wiping away his tears and smiling slightly. "Listen to me. I forgive you, because you are my friend. My best friend. I could never hold blame over you. The only one that I blame is Kikyo, and my failure to try and help protect you. I was weak, I wasn't strong. I can now, only blame myself, for Kikyo is now resting in peace."
InuYasha's eyes widened and Kagome moved her eyes away from his face to stare over his shoulder at something only she can see. "I put her to rest InuYasha. You don't have to worry about her anymore. She's thankful." At this, Kagome looked into InuYasha's eyes and smiled, gently caressing his cheek with the tips of her claws. "Her soul, returned to me, Inu. She wants me to tell you that she's sorry, for what she put you through, for her not being able to love you when she could. Kikyo regrets, but she wants you to live. She wants you to love someone else InuYasha, love them as much as you loved her, if not more. You can do that right? For the both of us?"
InuYasha sat up and sighed before running his hand through his thick, blood stained hair. "Yes." He said after a short pause. "Yes, I can do that. I can do this and more Kagome. Just, tell Kikyo that I'll love her for as long as I live, even when I take someone as a mate."
Kagome just smiled and nodded. "She knows InuYasha. She knows. Now why don't you go to a hot spring and take a bath. Your kinda covered in blood." Kagome wrinkled her nose and laughed when InuYasha picked up a lock of his hair and stared blankly at it.
"Yeah I guess so." He was slightly taken aback when Kagome launched herself at him and wrapped her arms around his waist, nuzzling her face into his chest.
"I'm glad your back InuYasha. You have no idea how happy I am to know that your ok now." She whispered, closing her eyes when InuYasha wrapped his arms around her back.
"Keh." Was his reply, a small smile on his lips as he bent his head down and sniffed at her neck. His eyes widened once more and his head shot up to turn and stare at his brother. "You...You turned her youkai!"
Kagome let go of InuYasha and stood up, dusting her clothes off and grinning. "Hells yes, Inu. Now I can kick your ass, as well as use the s-i-t word." She smirked when InuYasha froze and stared up at her with a slackened jaw. She laughed when he scuttled backwards away from her and hit some ones legs. InuYasha looked up and startled gold meet indifferent obsidian before InuYasha stood and straightened himself up.
"You wouldn't dare wench." Before Sasuke's lip rose in a snarl at what InuYasha called Kagome, her brow shot up and a smirk played on her lips when she replied with, "You have no idea how long it's been since someone called me wench and lived to tell the tale Inu. But just for good ole' times, SIT!" Her eyes danced with mirth as InuYasha's face was forcefully planted into the ground, meeting his very old friend once more.
Before the hanyou began to cuss at Kagome, she laughed and helped him up, pointing in the direction of the hot spring. "Get going. We have a lot of things to do today InuYasha. I'll have someone bring you some new clothes and you'll wear those until I fix up your kimono."
The hanyou grumbled but complied and stalked away in the direction she pointed. When Kagome turned to her companions, InuYasha stopped beside the crosses and hung his head. "I'm so sorry, Sango, Miroku. I wish I could take it all back. I really do."
Before he left the clearing, he felt the wind against his face and heard the married couples voices saying, We forgive you InuYasha. Live on, be strong and be happy. For us.
He smiled and looked up to the lightening sky as dawn approached. "I will, I promise." He left the clearing, his promise floating to the demoness's ears and making her smile gently.
"Ok, Sesshomaru, I do believe Rin is waiting for you back the palace. Give her my regards alright?" She hugged him and smiled at him when he said, "All this Sesshomaru's mate does is nag him. She has yet to fully understand the dangers of trying to accompany me to travel here."
Kagome could hear his grumbling as he walked away, his white figure disappearing into the forest as the sun began to show itself above the trees. She chuckled as she leaned against a tree closest to Sasuke before looking at him. "How are you feeling Sasuke? Is your seal hurting you at all?" When he shook his head in the negative, she smiled and said, "That's good. That's the first sealing jutsu I've used in a long while, so I'm glad its holding up." She gave a small yelp when Sasuke suddenly appeared in front of her, gripping her chin gently.
"I'm sure it will hold up fine Kagome." He felt shivers coarse through her body when he said her name in his low tone and smirked. He moved his hand down to her throat and felt her pulse beat faster under his touch as he moved his head closer to hers.
"What-what are you doing Sasuke?" She stuttered out, a deep, red blush blooming across her nose and cheeks the closer he got. She hasn't been this close to a male since before the final battle, yes, she was still a virgin. She's only been kissed at least once or twice, so she had no experience in this department.
"I was hoping.." He trailed off and he moved his head to her pointed ear to blow his hot breath on the shell as he continued talking. "That I would be able to court you, Lady Kagome."
She just about melted at the feel of his hot breath against her ear, but when his voice got lower, huskier, her eyes rolled to the back of her head. But she closed her eyes so that he wouldn't be able see the effect he had on her, except for the heated blush on her face. She cleared her throat and said, "Yes you may Sasuke." before his lips claimed hers in a possessive, passion filled kiss that seared her to the bone.
Not to far a way, two hovering, glowing figures held hands and winked at one another. The one who looked like a male, moved his hand to fondle the woman's backside and a loud smack was unheard by the kissing couple as a distinct red hand print became visible on the male's glowing face. "But Sango, my hand is cursed even in death. You should give me pity and-"
"No! Even in death you are a lecher, Miroku! I'm surprised I even stayed married to you through out this whole time!" She yelled before disappearing with a huff of breath and a crossing of her arms.
Miroku sighed and turned to stare at Kagome, seeing her smile again, was something he would hope to see. "Good luck Kagome. I hope you have a great life, but for now...I have to go find my beloved and make up for what I just did. Good bye my friend." He too, disappeared just as Kagome and Sasuke seperated to get some air.
Kagome blinked and looked over the Uchiha's shoulder. "Did you hear something?"
Sasuke shook his head in the negative again before planting a long hard kiss on her already red and swollen lips.
--
Holy wow, that took me forever to write. My hand now hurts but I think I'm going to start on The Pain Behind The Mask's next chapter! I hope you guys like this chapter. The next oneshot will be a Kagome/Itachi pairing! Bye bye