A.N. I don't own Inuyasha or Naruto.
Sapphire eyes bore into a brick wall with a great deal of frustration. Full, rose petal pink lips tilted downward in an uncharacteristic frown. "I will not grant your request." Her voice was robotic yet pleasant, the words flowing with a practiced ease.
"Do you wish to suffer more?" The voice was cold and threatening as he sank his fingers into her mass of formerly silky blue-black hair, yanking it back to peer his red eyes into her blue.
Eyelashes fell against her skin as the woman shut her eyes. "Do your worst Itachi. You will never get what you desire." Her bound wrists ached dully as she felt him shove her down, the metal biting into her skin further as she impacted against the cold cement floor.
Rough hands squeezed her inner thighs as he shoved her legs apart. "Your suffering has only just begun Miko... One more chance... Give me the Shikon no Tama." His eyes were filled with lust and hatred as he pressed his body close to hers.
Her eyes remained closed even as tears rolled down her cheeks. "Never."
Pain rippled through the miko's body but she did not feel any more inclined to give in. She was no longer certain how long she'd been in this place. A year? Three? She did not know.
"Do you want to go back into my world?" Itachi's voice was sadistically amused as he stroked her blood soaked, matted hair.
"Go to hell."
"Only if I can take you with me... Give me the Shikon no Tama, and I'll make you my princess... Or we can go back to playing our games." His voice was threatening as he dug his nails into the base of her neck.
"Never." The phrase was oh-so familiar to her lips.
"What do you hope to accomplish by denying me? You only condemn yourself to absolute pain. Who are you protecting? This world in not yours. You don't even exist here... No one will help you. And I am the only one who can prevent your suffering. I can be your savior if you only give me what I desire. Continue this foolish course of action and I'll be the ring master in your own personal hell."
"You've taken everything from me Itachi... As you said, this is not my world. Time means nothing to me. But it means much to you. Your greatest weapon is slowly killing you." She almost laughed at him, but found that she had no will to. She had nothing but apathy for him.
Sudden rage flashed in his eyes and the torture started once more.
The miko sighed as she stared at the ceiling. How long had it been since she'd seen anyone? Itachi hadn't even shown his face in some time. Sometimes food was tossed in... But it had been days at least. Her stomach rumbled.
Scraping sounded as the door was shoved open, the hinges squealing in protest.
Suddenly the miko found herself in excruciating pain as soon as she met pools of red.
Fingernails scraped along her scalp harshly as she was held to his chest tightly. She was growing to prefer the pain over this twisted affection. "I will not grant your request Itachi... The Shikon no Tama will never be yours."
"I'll have to kill you if you do not cooperate with me soon, Miko." His eyes bore into her heatedly.
A lopsided smile took possession of her chapped lips, her once bright eyes dull. "Oh please... Kill me Itachi. Just try."
And the pain began again.
Bitter laughter rang through the air as her body stubbornly refused to die.
"Do you know how long you've kept me waiting?"
Heavy eyelids remained shut as silence permeated the air. She no longer cared.
"Five years... Don't you want me to stop hurting you? We could rule the world. If you only gave me the tama." His voice was soft as he caressed her bruised face. "I can take care of you... Just give it to me."
"Fuck you."
Rage lit his features as he yanked her up by her hair. "You whore... You will give me what I want!" His voice shook with the force of his anger.
Her stomach churned and her throat screamed. It had been weeks since food, water, or her jailer had come. She shrugged. At least she could rest. At least she did not have to put up with his twisted way of caring for her.
Suddenly the familiar sound of the door screeching open hit her eardrums. She didn't even open her eyes. She wouldn't acknowledge him.
Gentle hands turned her on her stomach and unbound her wrists. Strong arms gathered her to an unfamiliar chest. "Everything is going to be alright... You will be alright."
Sapphire eyes snapped open to meet one onyx eye and one that matched her jailer's before slamming shut as the the sunlight hit them for the first time in years. "Who are you?" Her voice was rough due to her dry throat.
"My name is Hatake Kakashi. I'm taking you to Konoha for medical treatment. Just rest." His tone was gentle, though there was a hint of horror.
She almost smiled. She knew he'd only just really looked at her. "So I do look as bad as I feel?" Her tone was still strained but with a bit of humor. She knew he probably thought her odd, but she didn't care. This was the first occasion she'd had to crack a joke in a long time.
"I hope you don't feel that bad," he attempted to joke back. But his heart wasn't in it. He was worried. "Just rest."
She complied.
Beeps and electric buzz permeated the air as the miko woke. Slowly, her eyes cracked open. The light stung. She forced them to stay open, slowly opening them further. Finally, she'd adjusted enough to look around.
White walls. White sheets. Tubes, needles, machines... Definitely a hospital.
The woman looked around and saw no one in her room. She shrugged. She didn't exist here anyway. Slowly, she stood, pulling out all the tubes without regard. She didn't want to stay. She ignored the alarms, opened the window and jumped down onto the grass three floors below. Her knees buckled momentarily but she forced herself up.
In an instant she was surrounded by men. They all advanced, trying to restrain her, get her back to the room.
A pink barrier erupted around her as she moved through them, ignoring their attempts to recapture her.
"Kagome."
She froze. No one had called her by her name in so long. She turned. Sapphire orbs met a single onyx iris. "Hatake Kakashi..." Her mind supplied the name as it passed through her lips. She stalked closer to him, dropping her barrier.
"Come with me." He extended his hand, his single visible eye staring straight into her.
One small hand rested in his larger one. "Only with you." She leaned into him, feeling strangely comfortable with the male.
"How did you know my name?" The question had been itching at her for hours. Her hand was still clasped in his as she sat on her bed, hooked back up to all the machines. She still didn't want to be here, but he had stayed.
"Itachi kept a journal... He dropped it during a fight with Naruto, my student. That was how I found you. We went to the hideout to see if we could find him... I went to get you. He... Wrote a lot about you." His tone was sympathetic. Almost pitying.
She stiffened, letting go of his hand. "Do not pity me." Her tone was almost angry.
He was startled to say the least. He sat on the bed behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. "Not pity... Respect. You suffered and still stood up to him."
"So why did you come? You wanted to play hero?"
His hands were gentle as he turned her to face him, kissing her forehead. "I don't know."
"Now, remember, you have to come back Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays for P.T. You'll make sure to have her back won't you Kakashi?" The nurse was almost threatening in her manner.
Kakashi nodded at her, one arm slung around Kagome's shoulders. "Of course."
Silence descended on the two as they walked through the village. They ignored the stares and merely went on to his apartment.
A dull squeak was heard as Kakashi opened the door for her. The shinobi led her into the living room, setting her bag down on the couch. "I prepped the guest room for you... Are you hungry?"
"Yes."
"It still feels strange..."
"What does?" The silver haired male eyed her curiously, running his thumb over her knuckles with gentleness.
"This world... This place... Being in the sun yet knowing it's not the same sun I grew up under..." She stood, sliding her shoes off to walk in the grass. "It all feels the same. It all looks the same... It smells a little better... But, it's not the same."
He stood, taking her hands in his as he pulled her against him gently. "Why isn't it the same?"
"Because until five years ago, I never existed here."
"You have... In my mind and heart." He tilted her chin up, covering her lips with his.
She closed her eyes, letting the kiss happen.
Thunder cut through the air, the rumbling causing her body to tense. The fear was irrational even in her own mind. But the lack of rationality did nothing to quell her nervous anxiety. She got out of her bed, slipping on her silky black robe, and exited her bedroom.
The hall was dark and foreboding when a streak of lightning flashed, seemingly right outside the window. Loud rumbles cut through the air, causing the miko to sprint into Kakashi's bedroom.
Surprise lit up the man's features as his door flew open, bringing into his bed a frightened miko. "Kagome?"
Thin, slowly strengthening arms wrapped around the male's neck. She laid her head over his heart. "I want to stay with you tonight." Her body trembled ever so slightly as more of the devastating noise shattered the silence of the room.
He stroked her hair soothingly. "Alright... Kagome?"
"Hm?" She was relaxing against him as best she could, not wanting to tense despite his close proximity.
His hand wandered to the base of her neck massaging little circles into her muscles. "Do you miss your world?"
"Yes." Her tone was clipped.
"Tell me about it... Please?" His lips skimmed the shell of her ear as he enveloped her body with his.
She tensed for a moment, red eyes flashing through her mind, but relaxed as she concentrated on his gentle hands and manner. "It was... Very normal for me the first 15 years of my life. I lived with my mother, grandfather, and little brother. In my world ninja were a thing of the past... Youkai were myths. Until my 15th birthday."
"What happened then?" His voice was soft as he rubbed her back gently.
"There was an old well house on our shrine... It was kind of beaten up and no one really used it accept for storage. I was about to go to school when I saw my little brother, looking for our cat Buyo. He didn't want to look in the well house because he was scared... I teased him about being a chicken and went in..." Her voice was wistful.
A smile tugged at his lips as he rested his chin on the top of her head. "Mmhm."
"Once I was inside I heard something in the well. At first I thought it was the cat but all the sudden I was yanked down by a giant bug youkai. She was trying to take something from me-The Shikon no Tama. I blasted her away from me as I fell through the well.
"When I got to the other side, I was 500 years in the past. There, I met many youkai, broke the Shikon no Tama, and went on a quest to find all the pieces. At the I and my allies faced off with our enemy and I took the tama, making a wish and winding up here." She tossed the rest of the story out quickly, her heart aching dully.
He knew there was more to it but let the subject rest.
Silence descended on the pair and Kakashi began to think the miko had fallen fast asleep.
"Thank you."
"For what?" the ninja asked, surprised she was even still awake.
"For letting things rest, for not pressuring me, for taking care of me... For being my hero." She pushed herself up, pecking his lips lightly.
"You're more than welcome." He kissed her this time, very gently.
Slowly, the miko relaxed, kissing him back.