Author's Note: I haven't posted anything in a while, so I decided it was time to kick-start my story list, as it were. This is the first long story that I've had the courage to post in a long time; my other one--a Furuba fic going under the name of Shoujo Fukuzai--hasn't been updated since January, and I'm sure any of the readers I had there have lost interest entirely. -.-;; This is another milestone at FFN for me 'cause it's the first time I'm posting a fusion story at all; most of my crossovers--never mind fusions--end up in the vast wasteland collecting dust on my hard drive and/or my jump drive.
Considering that this story deals with Naruto and Inuyasha, I actually wasn't sure where to post this story at first. I was considering the Anime Crossover/Xover section for a while, but I negated the idea when I decided that this story is more of a fusion than a crossover. While the Inuyasha section was another consideration, bearing in mind that a lot of the action in the story takes place between Inuyasha characters, I finally decided to go with the Naruto section because that's where everything is supposed to be taking place. (Though that is subject to change...)
I'm sure nobody really cares, but this story grew out of an interest of mine in the Kagome/Sasuke pairing. However, as I suck at writing romance in any shape or form, I was struck with the idea of making them siblings (long before it became a common theme, I assure you--this story is over a year old) and giving Kagome an unwavering devotion to her brother. There won't be any real pairings in this story, truthfully, aside from miscellaneous crushes that are basically canon--such as, Naruto likes Sakura, Sakura likes Sasuke, etc.
Also, as a fair warning, I'll say this in advance: the ages of the Inuyasha characters and their temperaments have been severely tweaked. In the case of some relatives--such as Kikyou and Kaede--their birth order has been messed with, and in others--like Kagome and Souta--they won't even be related. Hope that doesn't scare off anyone. -.-;
That being said, please read and review!
Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or Naruto or their characters; I only own the characters that nobody's ever seen anywhere but in this story--and I'm not even sure I want them.
Hitori Ja Nai
Prologue: Threads of Fate
A wave of dread had swept over Higurashi Kaede as soon as she woke up that morning. She sensed that something terrible was going to happen, but had no idea of what. At one time, her presentiments had been strong enough to sometimes guess at what sort of horrible event might come. However, ever since she had married and borne her son, her powers had diminished slightly.
It unnerved her that her powers as a priestess were waning, knowing that she was one of the most powerful miko her clan had ever produced, and it would be months—years, even—before her abilities would be anywhere near what they had once been. Without her full potential, she could not even begin to guess what at the sort of danger her presentiments were attempting to forecast. As such, she had planned to tread carefully in everything she undertook before going to consult her sister at their old family shrine.
She was going about her morning routine—sweeping the shrine steps while her husband was entertaining their son in some manner or another before putting him down for a nap—when someone began to bang frantically on the gate of the Higurashi Shrine. Startled, she quickly went to unlatch the gate and was even more stunned to see the village headman standing before her with a frightened expression.
"Tang Long-san?" she asked. "What's the matter?"
"There's been an attack at the Hinode Shrine, Kaede-sama!" Tang Long told her hurriedly. "Kikyou-sama has been injured—we need your help."
Kaede's blood froze at his words, realizing that the warning had not been meant for her, but for her sister. However, her blood began to thrum through her body again as she contemplated every scenario her mind could conceive. All of them seemed too horrible to consider.
Without even bothering to alert her husband to her abrupt departure, she and Tang Long quickly made their way to the Hinode Shrine. "When did it happen, Tang Long-san?"
"Less than half an hour ago," was the headman's reply. "Chiaki-sama insisted that we bring you to attend to your sister."
Kaede grimaced. Of course her mother would believe that she was the only one who could help Kikyou. Their clan had long believed that natural and spiritual remedies were the best healing agents, and Chiaki was abnormally obsessed with ensuring that anything their crude hospital could produce never touched her family.
Instead of dwelling on her mother's eccentric beliefs, she rerouted the conversation to its original path. "Do you know who it was?"
"At first, we believed that it was that hanyou." Tang Long slurred the designation, his expression communicating that the term left a bad taste in his mouth.
The young priestess stopped short at the headman's words, startled that he would accuse the half-demon who had been spending time with her sister—Inuyasha—of something of that nature. There was no way she could believe that he would ever attack Kikyou; from what her sister had told her, they loved each other and had been planning a future together.
Not noticing her shock, Tang Long continued. "But Kikyou-sama insisted that it was Onigumo. She said that he wanted the Shikon no Tama."
That Kaede had no trouble believing. Ever since her sister had made the effort to nurse the thief back to health, Onigumo had been making attempts to sway her heart where the young hanyou was concerned. Thankfully, Kikyou was not taken in by empty flattery and worthless promises, and knew that Onigumo simply wanted to possess the Shikon Jewel.
As the jewel's guardian, the younger woman took her role very seriously. A lesser woman might have wavered under the burden of protecting such a powerful artifact from the greedy souls who wished to control its potent energy, but Kaede had always been certain that Kikyou would be able to perform her task without fail. However, if Onigumo had been able to injure her sister…
"What sort of attack did Onigumo use?" Kaede demanded as she hastened her steps to catch up to the village headman.
"I can't be sure," admitted Tang Long, hurrying as the priestess nearly outpaced him. "I know next to nothing about spiritual power, Kaede-sama. Aside from Chiaki-sama, you are our foremost authority. Along with Gendou-sama, of course," he added hastily, referring to Kaede's husband.
The dark-haired woman pursed her lips. It never ceased to amaze her how ignorant the people in Nikkou were when it came to spiritual energy. Everyone possessed it, yet very few understood it. Even Kaede's own husband was extremely ignorant of its true power; though he paraded around what little knowledge he did have, any spiritual awareness the Higurashi line had ever possessed was steadily diminishing.
That had been one of the reasons behind her betrothal to Gendou. Her parents and the Higurashi had hoped that, by combining the spiritual powers possessed by each family, they could strengthen their bloodlines. However, Kaede feared that their efforts would be for naught, as she could sense very little chi within her own son, who was supposed to be the legacy of the two most powerful clans in all of Nikkou.
As the priestess and the headman neared the Hinode Shrine, a pit began to form in Kaede's stomach. She entered her childhood home to find that a large crowd had already gathered around—she assumed—her sister. However, her eyes were drawn to the far wall of the shrine; there sat Inuyasha, watching her with an expression that was mixture of panic and anxiety. Silently, she attempted to communicate to him that she would do everything in her power to help her sister.
"Kaede-sama!" cried a woman, diverting her attention. It was Lin, she quickly realized, her mother's apprentice. Lin latched onto the sleeve of her shirt and began to drag her to the center of the crowd. "This way!" The throng parted as the women made their way toward Kikyou.
Kaede felt her blood run cold for the second time that day as she took in the state of her sister. Kikyou lay on the ground, her hand compressing what appeared to be a gaping wound on her stomach, while Chiaki held her head in her lap and softly crooned meaningless sounds. Her eyes were closed and her form was deathly still. Licking her lips, Kaede whispered, "Kikyou-chan…"
To her relief, Kikyou's eyelids slowly fluttered open to reveal warm brown orbs. A slight smile lifted the corners of her mouth as she responded in kind. "Neechan…"
The older woman immediately fell to her sister's side, gently removing Kikyou's hand from her abdomen. Kaede's breath caught in her throat as she realized the extent of the wound. Her eyes snapped to her sister's face. "Onigumo did this?"
Kikyou's gaze hardened. "Yes… He used one of his jutsu."
Kaede's lips formed a thin line. Having been raised by a group of missing-nin that haunted the area, Onigumo had an intimate knowledge of many ninjutsu that the people of Nikkou found unnerving, as very few of the citizenry possessed enough spiritual energy to perform such feats. However, the ninja arts were just as alien to Kaede as anyone else, and she had no idea if she could even begin to counteract Onigumo's jutsu.
"Help her, Kaede-chan," whispered Chiaki, catching her oldest daughter's attention. "I don't want to lose my baby…"
A stab of resentment pierced the older sister's chest, but she quickly quashed it. Her eyes fell to the wound again. Gently, she placed her hands on her sister's abdomen and she attempted to focus her chi into it. A steady stream of pink energy began to enter the wound—but almost immediately it was rejected and thrown back at Kaede.
Hissing in pain, the woman withdrew her hands and clutched them tightly to her chest. It had felt like fire coursing through her veins as a corrupt spiritual energy lashed out at her for attempting to interfere with the jutsu's effects.
Kikyou repressed a sigh as she closed her eyes. "I'm sorry, Neechan, but you're wasting your energy. Onigumo told me that he would kill me if I wouldn't refused to give him the Shikon no Tama. Nothing you can do would counteract this, I fear…"
"Don't say such things, Kikyou-chan," Chiaki chastised her youngest daughter lightly, stroking her dark hair. "Kaede-chan will find a way to save you—don't worry. We'll break Onigumo's evil jutsu and you'll be better in no time. I still have so much to teach you about being a miko…"
"Stop deluding yourself, Mother," Kikyou said, opening her eyes and focusing on Kaede. "Neechan, there is nothing you can do to save me. Onigumo meant to kill me—and he surely will."
Kaede was terrified by the knowledge that her younger sister had resigned herself to the fact that she was going to die. Kikyou was only seventeen—she should have been railing against death, not accepting it!
"She's talking nonsense, Kaede-chan," Chiaki insisted. "You can still help her. Just try again."
"No, Mother," Kikyou responded, more forcefully this time. She kept her eyes locked on her older sister. "Neechan…"
Kaede shuddered as she realized that her sister was right—there was nothing she could do to save her. Tears forming in her eyes, she whispered, "What do you want me to do?"
"Make sure that the Shikon Jewel is burned with me," the younger woman told her softly, her eyes narrowing. "That way, it cannot become a source of conflict ever again. Too many people have died to possess it. Never again…"
"Yes." Kaede nodded her understanding.
Kikyou smiled gently and murmured, "Thank you, Neechan…" as her eyelids slowly fluttered shut.
A moment later, her form stilled and her chest stopped rising. Kaede's eyes widened in horror and Chiaki's scream resounded throughout the shrine: "KIKYOU!"
Two days later, the Shikon no Tama was burned along with Kikyou's corpse.
Horrified panic flooded Uchiha Kagome's veins. She wished with all her might that she could look away, but her eyes remained glued to the sight of her mother's bloody corpse staring back at her with glazed black eyes. Tears streaked down her face as she shook her head in denial.
There was no way this could be real, her mind reasoned. It was all a horrible dream and she would wake before long. The sight of every member of her clan lying dead in crimson pools throughout the compound, the metallic tang of blood that seemed to permeate everything, the darkness that was all consuming, the deathly silence that was almost deafening—in a matter of moments, all of it would be nothing more than a nightmare that would fade away…
So why was it she couldn't seem to wake up?
"You're home early, chibi-chan," observed someone on her right. She tore her eyes from her parents' bodies to see the speaker, and she gasped as she recognized him as her oldest brother, Itachi.
"Aniki!" she whispered, scrubbing away her tears frantically. "What's going on? What happened to everyone?!"
"I wasn't expecting you for a while," Itachi said, ignoring her questions. His bangs shielded his eyes from view and he refused to look at her. "I thought you and Sasuke were practicing together. He isn't with you?"
Kagome hiccupped a sob and shook her head. "H-he wanted to practice a little longer, so I…" She trailed off as she realized that her brother seemed far too calm.
Why wasn't he the least bit upset about seeing their parents lying dead in a pool of their own blood? She knew that ANBU were supposed to remain detached, but how could he be so relaxed at a time like this?
A cold pit formed in her stomach as she noticed that his pale skin was streaked with red—the exact shade of blood. And his hands—they were coated in it…
Her eyes widened in horror and she unconsciously took a step back. "Aniki…?"
"I'm sorry you had to see this, chibi-chan," Itachi told her, not looking away from their parents' bodies. "You should have waited for Sasuke…"
She rapidly backpedaled until her back made contact with the far wall of the room and she found herself in a corner. The girl trembled in fear, hyperventilating, but Itachi paid her no mind; he acted as if she wasn't even there. It seemed as though he was waiting for something, but she could not begin to fathom what…
Suddenly a panicked voice filled the air: "Mom? Dad? Kagome?"
Kagome's head snapped to see her twin brother in the doorway. Swallowing hard, she watched as his eyes traveled from her tremulous form in the nearby corner to the bodies of their parents near the center of the room. His ebony eyes widened in horror as he whispered, "Mom, Dad!"
He made a move to go to them, but stopped short when he noticed Itachi standing over the corpses. "Aniki!
"Aniki, Mom and Dad are…" The boy shook his head in disbelief. "How?! Why?! Who could've—"
He was interrupted as a shuriken flew through the air, past his shoulder, and landed in the wall behind him. Kagome shrieked, covering her face with her hands as she shrank even further.
Sasuke stared at Itachi in shock, and clutched at his shoulder as a sharp pain suddenly shot through his arm. "Aniki, what are you…?"
Itachi stared at the boy in unnerving silence, his Sharingan eyes pinning him in place.
Swallowing hard, Sasuke stammered, "What's going on, Aniki?"
A long moment of silence followed, filled only with the sound of the twins' quavering breathing. Then, Itachi slowly spoke. "Foolish little brother…"
Kagome and Sasuke watched as his eyes slowly slid shut. Kagome was certain that her brothers could hear her heart pounding in the stillness. She gasped as Itachi's eyes suddenly flew open and were suddenly filled with what looked like a black and red pinwheel that was fixated on Sasuke. "Mangekyou Sharingan!"
Gasping in pain, younger boy clutched at his head. Kagome whimpered as he writhed in pain, screaming, "Stop it! Aniki! Don't show me this! Why? Why did you…?"
He cried out again before falling to his knees before collapsing into a gasping heap on the floor. Itachi's eyes reverted to their natural black state.
Heedless of what her oldest brother might do, Kagome rushed forward and fell to her knees beside Sasuke, crying, "Niichan!"
Itachi simply stared down at the pair. While the girl flinched, murmuring fearfully as she clutched her twin brother's shirt more tightly in her fists, he slowly twisted toward the older boy.
"Why?" Sasuke whispered brokenly. "Why did you…"
"So that I could test my capability," Itachi said coldly.
"To test your capability?" echoed the younger boy hollowly. "That's why? That's why you killed everyone?"
Itachi closed his eyes. "It was necessary."
Slowly, Sasuke tried to sit up, and Kagome reluctantly loosened her grip on his shirt to allow him movement. "Niichan, don't…"
"What the hell kind of reason is that?" muttered Sasuke, refusing to meet anyone's gaze as he slowly got to his knees. Then, without warning, he launched himself at Itachi with a shout. "Don't screw with me!"
Itachi did not move out of his path, but raised a hand to catch Sasuke in the stomach. Kagome shouted, "Niichan!" as she watched him fall to the ground a second time.
Kagome was frozen, tears streaming down her cheeks as she watched her twin slowly shifted to stare up at their older brother. Her heart jumped into her throat as she watched Itachi advance on a trembling Sasuke. Then, stumbling to his feet, the younger boy grabbed her hand and tore out of the room.
"Niichan!" Kagome yelped as her twin dragged her through the alleys between the houses. She stumbled over her own feet as they went, unaccustomed to traveling at such a high speed.
"We can't stop!" he shouted urgently. "He'll kill us!"
"I don't wanna die!" Kagome whimpered and actively attempted to keep pace with her brother.
The twins kept running until Itachi suddenly appeared in their path. Sasuke stopped abruptly, causing Kagome to crash into him from behind. From her position, Kagome stared at the older boy in fear.
"This can't be real," Sasuke whispered as he watched Itachi. "You're not Aniki! Because—"
"I kept acting like the brother you wanted because I wanted to test your capability," the teen told him flatly. Sasuke gasped, but Itachi simply continued. "You will become my opponent and be the one to confirm my capability. You have the potential.
"You hated me and held a grudge against me," the older boy went on. "You always wanted to surpass me. And that's why I let you live—for me."
"What do you mean?" Kagome whispered, fisting Sasuke's shirt once more.
"Sasuke is like me," Itachi said, not taking his eyes from the boy in question. "He has the ability to awaken the Mangekyou Sharingan."
The term was only slightly familiar to Kagome, as the clan doujutsu was something she had anticipated achieving since her mother first explained it to her. However, she could not begin to know what Itachi meant by the Mangekyou Sharingan…
"However, there is a special condition…" Itachi added. "He must kill his closest friend."
"No way!" Sasuke breathed, his mind automatically going to Kagome.
"Just as I did," Itachi told them.
"It was you," whispered the younger boy as he made the connection. "You killed Shisui-san!"
Kagome startled at the accusation, but Itachi simply replied, "That's right. Thanks to that, I obtained these eyes."
The girl's coal-black eyes widened further. "How could you…?!"
Itachi seemingly ignored her and returned to conversing solely with his brother. "In the main building of the Nakano Temple, toward the right corner in the back of the room, under the seventh tatami mat, there lies the clan's Commentary Scroll. Within its writing, the original purpose of the Uchiha clan's doujutsu is explained, and its true secret."
Its true secret? thought Kagome, swallowing hard.
Itachi smiled slightly. "If you awaken it, there will be three people—including me—who can use the Mangekyou Sharingan." He chuckled lightly, as if amused. "If that can happen, there is meaning in letting you live."
Then, unexpectedly, Itachi's eyes drifted to Kagome, and the girl shrank further behind her brother. "I had considered killing you, chibi-chan. This world is difficult for a gentle soul like yours to endure. It would be kinder to put you out of your misery…"
"No!" Sasuke cried, moving to shield her from their brother's view. He refused to let anything happen to his sister.
Itachi narrowed his eyes. "As you are now…" He dragged his sandal back, causing the twins to jump back in fright. "Neither of you are even worth killing."
He then closed his eyes again as he whispered, "Foolish little brother, if you wish to kill me, hate me, and live on in shame, running and clinging to life. Then, one day, come before me with the same eyes I now bear. Only then can you hope to protect Kagome and kill me."
"And, little sister, there is something you must do as well," Itachi added before his eyes flew open to reveal his Mangekyou Sharingan. Both twins stared at him in horror, but Kagome met his eyes as the black and red pinwheels seemed to spin.
Suddenly the world began to blur and an intense pain pulsated through Kagome's brain. Screaming in agony, she lurched forward and grabbed her head in an attempt to stop the pounding and barrage of horrific images of the clan's slaughter that assaulted her mind.
She could just make out sound of Sasuke's voice as he tried to shake her awake. As he forced her to turn over and the flood of images ended, she saw Itachi walking over to them. Her eyes slowly drifted up to meet his and she thought she heard Itachi speaking one last time, the words echoing: "Learn to hate me and be strong, little sister—or else you will never survive…"