A/N: I'll only put it once, Inuyasha and Naruto does not belong to me. It belongs to their respective owners.
Chapter 1: Summoned
Dark, cold and noisy - that was supposed to be the atmosphere, the ambiance of war. It was supposed to be like that and not the calm, bright and sunny day they have at that moment.
It had only been two days since the attack from Orochimaru that nearly leveled the village.
Countless buildings that were as old as their village was destroyed. The walls around their village were now in ruins. Livestock turned scarce. Their economy was crippled.
But still, they continued on. They were still healing, mourning for those who died and slowly rebuilding the few facilities that were greatly needed at the time.
However, the Akatsuki chose that moment where they have a low amount of chakra and able shinobi to attack.
Everything was in total chaos.
No place was deemed safe. Their evacuation centers were in rubbles. Standard defense buildings around their village were useless. And there was no longer the advantage of being on their home ground.
Ninjas fell one by one at the battlefield or die at the newly built average hospital since medic-nins were slowly being depleted of chakra with their continuous healing.
If that wasn't enough, they also learned the truth on the supposed betrayal of the prodigy, Uchiha Itachi.
News traveled quickly that day which has left Itachi no choice but to defect from Akatsuki. They've almost killed him when the organization heard that he was an insider, a spy from Konoha. Luckily, or surprisingly, Sasuke showed up and saved him.
Together, they went back and fought for their village. They were barely standing and mortally wounded when the Godaime came and fended the enemy back. Somehow she, the ninjas of Konoha and the two Uchihas managed to fend off the enemies and injure them.
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She was dying, she knew.
The chakra she was using to retain her appearance was slowly fading out of her body. How could she even let those bastards come near her turf and wreak havoc? She should've bashed the head of that idiot ex-team mate of hers when she had the chance. Or that she should've hunted down those brats from Akatsuki when she had the time. But she hasn't done those. Now she had to pay. The ninjas of Konoha would finally be able to see the real body of their Godaime.
Maybe she should have just declined really hard when that brat fetched her.
Nah. It wasn't like she regretted being the leader of their village it's just the paperwork and other foolish, stressing things like clan politics and bringing the village economy to its highest that made the job worse. Maybe she should also put in the list those annoying shinobi's or the council.
'What is she doing?'She thought. Instead of fighting, clinging to life, she's thinking those stupid thoughts, stupid things that she had done in the past, things that she could have changed or done or ignored. But she's tired and weary and she just wanted to rest. Surely, no one would get mad at her for wanting that.
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Kagome forced a smile. She may have fooled the hanyou but she could not fool the others.
Inuyasha had decided to let Kikyo join their group without asking them.
They were down to the last few shards and they could not afford to have Naraku take those. And though she knew it was for the best, she has to ignore her feelings, bottle it up and push it to the deepest part of her mind, of her heart.
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He noticed when she stood up.
It was already night time and they've made their camp in the clearing that they saw. She did not speak a word when she cooked their dinner or when he hit the fox runt on the head. Her mouth was clamped shut and he was scared but he would endure if that would make Kagome accept his decision. His decision was final and he would not change it. Per order of their alpha which was him.
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'Does he not need her anymore? Is she not enough?' Kagome thought.
She had tried her best to learn how to use the bow and arrow, trained her miko powers, forgive and gives everything for him. She accepted every little thing about him, tried to understand but maybe, maybe that's still insufficient. She would never measure up or even equal to the older miko. She would forever be the weak and useless girl because, in this twisted story involving the three of them, Higurashi Kagome would always be the loser.
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"You're heartless," Sango said through gritted teeth. She was sitting, leaning on Kirara near the fire when Kagome left.
The futuristic miko left them after eating, not even bringing her bathing supplies so they knew she would not take a bath. But then they knew, except the stupid dog, that the younger girl was hurting and bleeding inside. They would have to be blind to not see the feelings she has for him. In her heart, she wishes for the younger girl to be happy and if that does not include their hanyou friend then she would be happy for Kagome. She would also root for anyone besides Inuyasha because in her mind and in her heart, she knew that her soul-sister deserves someone better.
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It was after three hours that have passed that Inuyasha lost his patience and followed after her.
There were no stars that night and the moon was being blocked by the clouds. Even though he has a blood of a demon, it was hard to see so he just followed where her scent was strongest. Ah, the perks of being a dog.
He saw her sitting on a rock facing the lake that was to the west of their camp. Her face was void of emotions that he has to double take a look. She was someone who goes through different emotions so fast he could barely catch up so why can't he detect anything? Cautiously, he approached her.
"Wench," he called but she didn't hear him. She didn't even acknowledge that he was there like she did every time. Her eyes were glazed over as if it was her soul was not there. His heart stopped beating when she continued to have no reaction. What if the Kanna, the void demon got her soul? And so he called again, louder so that she may hear. "Oi! Wench!"
He sat before her and pulled her locks. It was then that he got the reaction he desperately wanted.
Kagome noticed him but she jumped up in fright.
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She did not hear when Inuyasha approached nor did she detect his aura. She was so deep in her thoughts that she tuned out her surroundings.
"Inuyasha! You scared me!" She shrieked her voice a pitch higher than normal with her hands on her heart for it to calm.
"Feh!" Inuyasha yelled back. He stood in front of her and glared, his eyes shining brightly on that dark night. With his arms crossed, he continued. "What do you think you're doing staying away from us for so long, bitch?! You sat like a stupid there when I kept on calling you! You don't even know I was here! You could have died! Seriously! You should have known better, stupid wench! You're nothing like Kikyou!"
"What did you say?!" Kagome asked, her voice quivering with anger. She was doing nothing wrong! She was just thinking of things that would happen in the future and the things she has done in the past that she prayed she would not regret doing. Is it so bad to have some moment for herself just so that she could think? "You're so unreasonable, Inuyasha!"
"You're the unreasonable here, bitch!" Inuyasha roared, his voice ringing around the area. "Rather than sitting here like an idiot, you should have just slept and rest! You're always grumbling about rest and now you're not resting! If you don't want to rest then we should have gone to look for shards!"
Inuyasha continued to rant off not knowing the pain it was causing the girl. Every word he spouted was like a knife that stabbed her heart. It took all her willpower not to cry in front of him and prove to him that she was indeed weak.
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"You could save them." Kyuubi murmured in Naruto's consciousness like the demon he was.
A forbidden jutsu.
A powerful being.
It whispered to him the only possible choice for the survival of more than a half of the ninjas of Konoha, the citizens, and their Hokage. "Choose, kit. Do you want to know? Their lives are in your hands."
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Iruka looked at the blond ninja. He was so quiet, not even in his typical sunny behavior and it was unnerving. They were in an emergency council meeting, not only were the clan heads there but also half of the remaining capable ninjas were in attendance. With the turn of events, they were expecting another incoming attack from the enemy villages. Konoha was still a mess and only one fourth of the ninjas of their village could fight, more so stay standing. The students in the academy were even tasked to protect those in the evacuation centers. No ninja was spared from trying to protect their village. Old and young were needed. They were expecting help from their ally villages but with the enemies already sighted a day away, they could no longer wait for them, they could only recuperate in the normal way.
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"What's wrong, Naruto?" Sakura asked worriedly. She was standing beside his friend and she knew Naruto and the times when he got so quiet was when the Kyuubi was talking to him. It was no secret that the demon helped their team countless of times in the past and maybe it was trying to give her friend some advice.
"We could save them," he whispered with uncertainty. "There's a jutsu that could bring the dead back to life."
Every head turned to look at their resident demon vessel. A jutsu so powerful they need not to fear death? The council threw out questions after questions to Naruto it was hard for him to answer all at once.
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"At what price?" Neji asked his voice loud and clear that it stood out among others. He was standing behind their clan head and though his clothes and vest were scratched and torn in some places, it only made him more intimidating.
He, as well as the others, saw how the bright orange clad demon vessel's face turned grim. "A powerful being would be summoned, a being more powerful than the Kyuubi and the other tailed beasts. He's so powerful he could flatten our country without a sweat."
"He? A male? What is it? Another demon?" One ninja dared to ask.
"We could barely hold our own when the Kyuubi razed our village if there's another more powerful demon like that, who could stop it?"
"Is there another option?" Sakura asked them back. "We're losing our fellow ninjas every minute. We med-nins were facing chakra depletion! We haven't even recuperated and you ask us to continue healing the others?! All our strongest ninjas were bedridden! We need to do something before the enemy reaches us!"
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They argued back and forth but Naruto is no longer listening. He was busy asking the demon inside of him for some help. "You could only hope to find a miko, brat," Kyuubi whispered again. He could almost see the devilish grin that the Kyuubi was making. "If a demon could bring back the dead with a sword, a miko could restore their health to the fullest."
"What's that? Where would I find a miko?" Naruto asked eagerly. They would no longer need to summon a demon, only a miko. Hopefully, it wasn't a demon too.
Naruto waited but all he heard was a laugh. He dreaded the answer that the Kyuubi would give him. "I wonder."
He gritted his teeth. "What do you mean you wonder?!" He yelled but the Kyuubi only retreated into the depths of its cage. It didn't answer again or even responded to his call.
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Lee saw their friend gritting his teeth in anger. He too was frustrated at how slowly things were proceeding but he could do nothing. He wasn't like Neji or the other geniuses in their village. It was times like these that he trusted those who were good at strategy and tactics like Shikamaru. He was the brawn not the brains though he does think a few times before going straight head-on a fight like Naruto does.
He was staring at the demon vessel that it was only him who heard when Naruto murmured, "Miko."
"Miko?" Lee asked a little louder than he liked. Of course, all other ninjas that were near heard him. Why can't he lower his own voice? So instead of looking stupid, he asked his friend again with more enthusiasm.
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Naruto gulped. He himself doesn't know what a miko was or what a miko could do. Kyuubi only said that word and he hoped, really hoped that it was the answer to their problems. He has had enough stupid moments already where he stuck his foot in his mouth.
"Ah. Uh. Yes, a miko. A miko could help us." Naruto said though he didn't look at any one of them. He scratched the back of his head nervously and wished the ground would just swallow him up. Why does this always keep happening to him?
And so, another bout of questions arose. Where can they find a miko? What is a miko? What can a miko do? Naruto chose to clamp his mouth shut for that time or he would really get into serious trouble. He doesn't know and the Kyuubi is ignoring him.
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"Do you know a way to summon a miko?" Kakashi asked Pakkun after he was summoned. They were in the middle of the hall where the council was being held. It was hard enough for him to stand and now they called him to do a summoning. Not that he could complain since it was due to his own recklessness that he was injured and low on chakra. There was nothing he could do, the council have researched and learned that mikos are holy women that could purify demons, ward off the evil spirits and most importantly, heal. They could communicate with dogs and were known for their loyalty. In fact, they love dogs and the only way to get to them is through a dog. They could do nothing since dog-nins were not counted into getting to talk to these beings and so were the regular dogs. Normal humans could not communicate with them and they needed information quickly.
"Miko?" Pakkun frowned then asked while he scratched behind his ears. "What's that? Where did you learn that, Kakashi?"
Kakashi narrowed his eyes. Pakkun was blatantly lying. There was only a time where his summon lied to him and that summons' contract was now terminated. It was concerning that his most favorite summon, Pakkun was lying. "It's not important. The village needs a miko right now and we have to know a way to summon one."
"You don't know what you're asking," Pakkun replied nonchalantly. He turned his back and stared at the wall above some ninja's head, ignoring the shocked face of his master and the others. "And don't even think that as your summon I will answer that. I'll bite you first rather than answer your question, Kakashi."
His visible eyebrow rose at the statement of his dog summon. "Would you let the other ninjas, the citizens, and the Hokage die?" He argued. It was low of him to use emotional blackmail but they really needed it. "Tell me the truth. We have to know how to summon a miko."
Pakkun turned again to look at his master and snarled. "A summoned demon is one thing but a miko is another thing! It wouldn't be me that would reveal them to you! None of the summons would answer you no matter the consequences! We summons swore to protect all miko as that person has protected us all those years ago!"
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It was unbelievable!
Iruka knew Pakkun. He knew the dog was loyal and follows his master's orders obediently but he knew not why the dog was refusing to answer!
"You would let us die?!" He screamed at the dog. "You would rather throw us to the enemy than answering that damned simple question?!"
He was frustrated, mad beyond words. Their numbers were dwindling and they could not waste any more time than they already did! Why was Pakkun being so bullheaded? Why is he withholding the answer?!
The summoned dog looked at him and bared his fangs. "You don't know how important the miko was to us, human! You were not even born during the time where demons roamed freely like they did in the past. A promise once made is a promise for eternity! If you think you've seen enough death then you should go back to the past! Only the strongest have survived back then and we pathetic, weak beings could only hope to stay alive a few more second. Seconds, you fool! A minute is already a gift for us! So don't you dare ask this to me or for any other summons you think you could fool!"
Iruka stood there, shocked at what the dog snarled at him. It was not only him though but the others that also knew the dog was shocked. He was one of the most loyal summonses in their ranks! What could possibly be the reason for him to do that?!
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Pakkun was about to poof out when the Kyuubi's chakra surged forth from the demon vessel.
All of those in the near vicinity was surprised and scared when there were not only three but all nine tails in Naruto. Though there were nine tails in him, he retained his human appearance with only a marking on his face and red hair as a visible change. They took out their weapons, prepared to fight the teen if he would do something they deemed not good.
"Do you know who I am, dog?" Naruto or rather Kyuubi asked, his voice was so distorted it was difficult to comprehend what it is that he was saying. He sat on the chair in front of Pakkun that some foolish ninja vacated when he came out.
The summons' eyes widened and trembled before he bowed low in front of the teen ninja, his tails between his legs.
"I will say this only once. Tell them how to perform the summoning." Kyuubi/Naruto said as he flexed his fingers and stretched."Though I would rather it be I who would summon the miko, I could not. This body has not yet matured. Help them or we could not hope to reach that time to meet her again."
The demon vessel looked at the faces around him and grinned showing his fangs to those that were surrounding him with their weapons and jutsus ready. Others trembled at the mere presence of the demon. They remembered the time it destroyed their village.
"You're throwing the miko to the wolves!" Pakkun barked. Though he knew who the demon was, he was sworn to protect the miko forever! Not just him but so were the others!
"Learn your place, mutt. Next time I would not be so lenient and show you how to respect me." Kyuubi snarled. Naruto's eyes turned blood red like those of the Uchihas that some of the ninjas near them fainted from fright. "It does not matter anyway. Mikos could handle themselves. Or is it that you do not believe in them and their abilities?" Kyuubi asked.
It smirked when the summoned dog scowled. The dog was indeed loyal to his promise and the miko. "Heal this boy. I would participate in the summoning."
Pakkun shook his head. "The Lords will be mad about this, Fox."
Naruto smiled, though it doesn't look anything like the smiles he always made. It was predatory, a smile that a person made when they saw their prey. "They will but they would not kill me. A promise once made is a promise for eternity."
Pakkun looked intently at the demon possessing the body of the ninja his master once taught. Naruto stared back at the summoned dog without a hint of doubt. The dog deemed it acceptable and nodded. "For the bright and future world," Pakkun swore.
"For the bright and future world." Kyuubi agreed and retreated to the teen's body before the others could do any harm to his vessel.
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Kagome made her way to their camp with the hanyou following after her. He continued on his tirade while she did her best to ignore him. But it was only a few seconds more that she snapped again.
"Sit! Sit! Sit!" She screamed. It doesn't matter if any demon heard them. It doesn't matter if Naraku himself came that time, she was so furious she would take the evil incarnate head on. Her blood was boiling with anger there might have been smokes coming out of her ears and nose. She could not just take it anymore!
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Inuyasha face planted on the ground. He was so mad at the bitch he wasn't even finished telling her, reminding her, her position in the group. He's the alpha. And now that Kikyou is in their group, so is she.
And one knows that when he's hurt, he would return that pain, double the amount.
"It would better if you were gone, bitch!" He yelled at her once the spell wore off. Inuyasha was enraged. How dare she?! She keeps on bitching and complaining! And she kept on using that damned necklace!
Miroku, Sango and Shippo gasped. Though the two always fought before, it never escalated into Inuyasha telling something like that to Kagome!
"You!" Kagome yelled. "You stupid, insensitive jerk! It would be better if I was gone?! Fine! I am weak anyway! I would never even hope to compare to your beloved Kikyou! If you don't want me here then I would leave where someone else would be happy to have me!"
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She continued to yell at him not noticing the strange red mist that was slowly encircling her. Shippo and the others tried to gain her attention to tell her but she was so intent on her verbal fight with the hanyou that they were ignored. The kit was scared of what was happening and so were the other members of their group but not the clay pot. No, the clay pot was merely watching the scene. She was doing nothing!
The child jumped on her shoulder but before he could land, she was gone. "Mama!"
It was a few seconds of deafening silence before everyone could move or speak.
"This is your fault!" Shippo screamed with so much contempt that the hanyou could almost taste it in the air. He brought out his top and tried to attack Inuyasha. "Bring Kagome back! Bring back my mama!"
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Sango scooped the child and stopped their one sided fight. She held the child close to her to calm her rapidly beating heart. She was so shocked at the suddenness of it all that she wasn't ready to face it yet. Kagome was gone with a blink of an eye! Someone took her!
She looked at the houshi trying to discern his thoughts but she saw nothing. He was thinking yes, but she saw that whatever the answer he was getting into those thoughts were terrible.
"Calm down. Calm down, Shippo. She will come back. Kagome would come back to us." She whispered whether it was for the sake of the child or for herself, she didn't know. However, the child continued on crying and if it was possible, he cried louder than he's already doing.
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"Shut up!" Inuyasha screamed after taking in all of the child wails. His ears pounded with every howl coming from Shippo and he could not think clearly. Where could Kagome be? Who could have taken her? They have a lot of enemies after the Shikon so who could possibly have the guts to do some weird red mist thing?
He looked at his group and saw Sango and Shippo looking at him with disdain and the houshi was too busy trying to console and comfort both which was making it worse. He closed his eyes and counted to ten, just like what their futuristic-now-missing friend used to do. "We'll get her back. We'll look for a way to get her back, okay?!"
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Through it all, Kikyou remained silent. They need not her help. She would not try to console the child for in her eyes, it was nothing but a demon. How could the younger girl do it? How could her reincarnation not see the evil dwelling inside such monstrosity? Also, she would not console the taijiya. She refuses to be cleaved into pieces.
"If my mama does not return, I swear hanyou," Shippo vowed in a low scratchy voice. Inuyasha was shocked, it was so long since he heard himself being called by that and it was Shippo no less! The child was still crying on the arms of Sango, trembling because of anger and hatred. "I will kill you."
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Miroku frowned. Shippo was still a child and his hatred is not healthy for him. Sango, too, he noted was more than furious. And ready to cut someone whom he wished was not him. "Shippo." He called. "I do not think Kagome-sama would like to hear you say those words. We should think this thoroughly and gather facts."
The child only glared at him but the hanyou did not. Inuyasha stared at the child and bared his fangs.
"Why, you runt?!" Inuyasha yelled at Shippo. "I took you under my wing and now you would threaten me?! Me?!"
"I lost my parents once," Shippo said, his voice quavering. "And now because of you, I lost the second one!" He jumped from Sango's arms to the ground and before he ran, he yelled, "I hate you, Inuyasha!"
Inuyasha tried to follow but Miroku's staff stopped him from his tracks. "Let us sit down, my friend since Lady Sango would retrieve our child companion. As the male of this group, we should think of our next move, right, Inuyasha-san?"
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The patients of Konoha's newly made but still average hospital moved out of the way when Naruto passed, carrying a girl in his arms. Is that their savior? Is that the miko? The girl was barely a woman! How could she save them, restore them to their health if she, herself was unconscious?
"I don't think I am sure anymore," Iruka whispered worriedly while jumping from one building to another.
The Kyuubi has lent them its chakra, its strength. They were terrified at first, but Kakashi, the child's teacher told them to proceed. And so, they proceeded. Everything was fine until the miko showed up. The Kyuubi took one look at her and it all went downhill. It jumped towards the woman who was barely conscious and would snarl, baring its fangs at anyone that would come near. But then, the most amazing thing happened. A pink chakra shot from the woman towards the demon and it lost its tails and turned back to Naruto.
"But surely, you haven't expected that!" Gai stated enthusiastically, his voice filled with so much energy that Iruka was quite envious. How could he still be so energetic at times like these? "She's so youthful! I can't believe it! A pink chakra!"
And then he watched as Gai did a twirl or some form of dance which is famous in the far west of their country. The dance was called ballet.
Erm, maybe he's not really envious of Gai's energy.
Iruka ignored the man and walked briskly after Naruto. They didn't know why the teen was so concerned towards the miko, why he was following after the nurses and doctors like a lost puppy. It wasn't like they were not concerned with the miko's well being, it was just that why that amount of concern?
"Hey!" Naruto hollered at one nurse. "Hey! Watch where you're injecting that! You! Why are you checking her breasts?! Don't look at it! Damn it!"
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Sakura frowned and hit the demon vessel on the head. She was helping in treating the miko. Shizune wasn't there as she was busy looking after the Hokage. It was so frustrating when there was an energetic Naruto at their heels. He kept on yelling at them, prodding things that he has no knowledge of that, they resorted to throwing him out of the room with the others.
Sometimes, you just have to pull rank.
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"This is bad news," one doctor told them. "The Uchiha brothers are getting worse every minute. They needed a blood transfusion but no one wanted to donate."
Kakashi felt like his head was being pounded by something.
First, they made him summon Pakkun, who was so thick headed he was on the brink of terminating the contract, pulling his hair out or just hitting someone that he could which was Gai.
Second, the Kyuubi kept on appearing like a mushroom they could never let their guard down.
Third, that woman! When the woman showed up glowing pink, his left eye felt like it was burning but then his body felt like it was rejuvenated. The small cuts and bruises were gone in an instant! He could even stand and walk on his own. But that wasn't all, he felt something else. Something that was between good and bad. And he wasn't the only one that felt it. He saw the reaction of others no matter how small it was.
"What do you want me to do?" He asked after a few minutes of a staring contest between him and the doctor. And maybe he wanted to regret asking that.
The med-nin sighed and scowled at him. Is he stupid or deliberately pretending to be dense? Should she spell it out for him?
-TBC-
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