*,'~ Chapter 1; Here Comes the Brides ~,'*

This sucked.

Scowling darkly to himself in annoyance, Sasuke glanced up at the sea of impassive faces around him, his irritation growing when he noticed that none of them seemed to even realize he was there despite his mother's earlier claim that he was the reason for the formal gathering today. Why, he didn't know, since it wasn't his birthday and he hadn't done anything to be celebrated recently (well, his kunai throwing was getting better, but that didn't call for anything like this) and none of the adults even looked at him, all too busy talking about 'negotiations' and 'engagements' whatever those were.

Sighing heavily, Sasuke wished that his brother was there to explain things to him. His mother was being unusually vague about what was going on, and although he didn't want to admit it, he was sort of scared to ask his father to tell him. What if Father thought that he was stupid or something, since he couldn't figure it out by himself? Even at five years old, this was a very real fear for Sasuke, who knew that his father was disappointed that he wasn't a genius like Itachi. This thought had the young Uchiha sinking into a more sullen pose, a frown curling at the edges of his lips. It wasn't his fault that Itachi was so perfect, after all…

"Sasuke, don't slouch like that." Mikoto scolded her son quietly, her small hand gliding down his back to forcibly straighten his spine back into a proper position. The pale boy almost rolled his eyes, but caught himself before the damning gesture could be made. It figured that they only noticed him when he was doing something wrong. Rather than dwell on this though, Sasuke turned back to his mother, impatience clearly coloring his young face.

"Okaa-sama, I'm bored. Do I really have to be here today?" The young Uchiha whined out. After all, he was only wasting his time at this stupid grown up party, when he could be training and working to someday surpass his brother. Sasuke knew that such a feat would not be accomplished easily, since Itachi was one of the best shinobi to ever live, but the boy refused to give up until he was just as amazing.

"Yes, Sasuke." Mikoto replied, exasperation tinting her voice before she smiled down at her son gently when he pulled a face at her tone. "Don't be like that, Sasuke. Today you're going to meet someone very important. But only if you stay quiet and behave yourself, young man. Any more complaints and I'll send you back to the main house for the rest of the night."

At that promise, the five year old visibly brightened, curiosity and eagerness alit in his dark eyes. Someone important? A super strong ninja to teach him cool stuff, perhaps? Practicing his aim and the other basics was boring, and Sasuke wanted to learn all the cool tricks his brother could do. Unfortunately, Itachi and their father were always too busy to help the boy with his training all that often, and no one else in the clan was as good as them, so Sasuke figured that he was better off training alone then relying on the help of a less qualified ninja. If that was who he was meeting then this boring party would be well worth it.

Mikoto hid a smile as Sasuke immediately went quiet, his dark eyes shining eagerly with childish curiosity. Though he wasn't the shinobi prodigy that her eldest child was, Sasuke was absolutely adorable, and even at his young age he already showed signs of inheriting the pride and determination that were the cornerstone of her husband's personality. That wasn't to say that Itachi wasn't proud and determined, but there was a something about her solitary first born that was rather strange, even by Uchiha standards. But then, that tended to be the mark of a true genius, wasn't it?

The thought of Itachi had her eyes flickering back to the entrance of the park with a thoughtful frown at her son's continued absence. She hadn't realized that an escort mission would take this long… or maybe it just felt like that because of all that was at stake?

Peace with Konoha, proper respect for the Uchiha clan, potential for new power in our blood… Turning, Mikoto studied her youngest son once more, smiling at the model behavior her son was showing after her vague promise. …And Sasuke's happiness and future.

Itachi, she knew, didn't fully approve of the plans that Fugaku had made without their knowledge. But he liked the idea of war with Konoha far less, and thus bit his tongue on the matter and agreed to see how things played out. Mikoto was anxious as well, and she was sure that Fugaku felt the same, though he didn't show it.

But then, how else were they supposed to feel when the future of their clans rested on the shoulders of three five year olds?


"Kagome, stop fidgeting."

Jumping at her grandmother's stern tone, Higurashi Kagome flushed under the look of disapproval she was getting from the elderly miko before ducking her head and mumbling out an apology.

She'd only wanted to get a more comfortable seat on the horse…

Before she could explain this to her grandmother though, a cold voice to her right cut in sharply in her defense.

"We've been riding for nearly ten hours now, Obaa-sama. Can you blame her for being restless?"

Higurashi Kaede sighed through her nose as Kagome eyed her elder twin curiously. While generally a quiet, reserved and unusually aloof child, Kikyou was hardly ever this frosty this adults that she respected, and up until recently their grandmother had been one of those adults.

Then again, she's been pushing people away more since Mama died. Kagome mused to herself as she frowned at her twin, who kept her steely eyes trained on the path in front of them. And she's not happy about Onigumo-oji-san giving us to Konoha like this, either.

Not that Kagome was thrilled at the thought herself, but she at least tried to look at the bright side of the matter. After all, as much as she loved Midori-no-Kuni, it was a terribly small village, with less than a hundred people, and being the heiresses to the Higurashi clan, Kikyou and Kagome were always stifled by rules and propriety, and never got the chance to live like other girls their age, especially after a horrible illness got the better of their mother, and left the girls and their infant brother Souta orphaned. Konoha was big though, with a lot to offer and explore, and they were bound to make a lot of friends there, right?

Chancing a quick peek at her grandmother to see that the woman was absorbed in her own thoughts, Kagome twisted around to peer up at the shinobi who was riding with her to keep her from falling off the horse and tugged at the ninja's shirt in order to get his attention. One the teen's dark eyes were focused on her, Kagome leaned in closer to whisper to the older boy.

"Shinobi-san? Are there a lot of kids my age in Konoha?"

The ninja blinked for a moment at the question, and Kagome noticed how tired the teen looked. Maybe she should ask Obaa-sama to give him some of her special bedtime tea, to help him sleep…?

"Aa." The boy replied at last, his eyes going back to the road. Kagome's eyebrows drew together in confusion at the vague answer, but the boy continued without any further prompting from her. "Other than my brother, there are many children in Konoha, from both civilian and ninja families." Kagome grinned up at the boy in thanks for his answer, then turned back around to face the road before her grandmother saw her and scolded her again.

"That's good." Kagome said with a smile, glancing at her sister. "Maybe if she makes a few friends in Konoha, nee-chan won't be so mad anymore."

Itachi's eyebrow arched at the girl's logic, but the young shinobi said nothing as his eyes followed the same path to where the elder twin was riding a ways off from the rest of them, noting the almost pained look on his cousin's face. Apparently, the young girl's attitude wasn't making things easy for Shisui. Kaede had warned them that the twins were still a bit upset at being uprooted and having their lives plotted out without their consent- something Itachi sympathized with- and Kikyou especially was being difficult for the Konoha nins and her grandmother, in any way that she could. On the other hand, the only signs that Kagome was troubled were the somber looks that passed her face when she thought no one was looking.

"I require rest."

All attention went back to the elder twin at that announcement, annoyance clear on the faces of almost every ninja present as Kaede sighed deeply.

"Kikyou…" The elderly miko started before the glare her granddaughter sent her surprised her into silence.

"We've been riding all day, Obaa-sama. I only need a minute to stretch my legs. Or can I not even be granted that much anymore?" the child asked icily. In front of him, Itachi felt Kagome go stiff, her blue eyes wide as she stared at her sister. Shaking his head, Itachi pulled the horse to a stop, drawing the attention off of Kikyou and to himself instead.

"We are already behind schedule anyways." Itachi said softly when he saw the curious looks his clansmen were shooting him. "I'm sure a few minutes won't make any more of a difference. I'll explain things to my father." Itachi could practically hear the wheels turning in the minds of the other shinobi as he dismounted from the horse before they complied with his order. They were tired themselves, though they didn't want to admit it, and a break would be a nice reprieve.

Once he was on his feet, Itachi turned to lift Kagome off of the horse, silently surprised at how light the five year old was compared to his younger brother. Setting the girl on her feet, Itachi steadied her as she swayed for a moment before finding her center of gravity. Nodding in acknowledgement as the girl smiled up at him in thanks, Itachi turned to keep an eye on Shisui as he followed the heir's example and set Kikyou down as well. Unlike her sister, Kikyou wasted no time getting her bearings, and as soon as her sandals touched earth she swept away from the group and towards a nearby meadow without so much as a passing glance at any of them, settling herself down underneath a large oak tree. Kaede shook her head disapprovingly at the behavior before turning her attention to the younger twin with a pleading light in her eyes.

"Kagome, could you…?" Without even waiting for her grandmother to finish her thought, Kagome nodded to the elderly miko with a small smile before bolting to follow her older twin.

"Is it alright to let those two wander off like that?" Shisui asked Kaede with a frown. While he was happy to get a break from the snippy little girl, he still had a mission to accomplish, one with his clan's future on the line, and that always came before any personal feelings he might have.

"It will be fine." Kaede replied as she pulled herself off of her horse. Unlike the twins, she didn't have a ninja accompanying her on the animal's back, which likely had to do with the fact that Kikyou and Kagome were the priority of the mission. "Kikyou is just having trouble adjusting. Kagome will get through to her, though. As sisters, those two have a bond stronger than anything I have seen."

Shisui said nothing to that, but glanced skeptically in the twins' direction taking note of the way Kagome sprawled ungracefully on the grass next to her prim, uptight sister. He couldn't imagine two people more different than one another, and doubted that they were really as close as Kaede was hinting. Still, he hoped the younger twin could get Kikyou to relax, even just a little bit. Otherwise, this 'mission' would be doomed to failure before it even started.


It's not fair.

It's not fair.

It's not FAIR!

Kikyou had always prided herself on her maturity. Whereas Kagome was impulsive and constantly getting in trouble almost everywhere she turned, Kikyou never acted without thinking things through first. It was something everyone in Midori had praised her for, and something everyone expected of her despite her young age.

But deep down, she couldn't change the fact that she was still a five year old girl.

It wasn't fair that Mama died and left her and her siblings in the care of their power hungry uncle Onigumo. It wasn't fair that Onigumo wasted almost no time selling them off to the Uchiha clan. It wasn't fair that Kagome and Kikyou had to leave their home, their brother and everything they'd ever known to marry some boy they never met before. And it certainly wasn't fair that they had no say in the matter at all, and that no one in the clan would stand up and protect her and Kagome from their uncle's greed.

"Nee-chan?"

Hastily swiping at her face so that Kagome wouldn't see the tears that had gathered in her eyes as she was thinking, Kikyou glanced up into the worried blue eyes of her twin, trying to compose herself the best she could. The look on Kagome's face told her that she was far from successful.

Heedless of the nice kimono she was wearing, Kagome flopped down onto the grass with a heavy sigh before turning on her side to face her twin.

"I don't like it either, you know." Kagome admitted softly to Kikyou. Kikyou smiled without humor at her sister's confession, not at all surprised.

"I know." She said, studying the clouds so that she wouldn't have to look into her sister's eyes. "I'm surprised you're not doing anything about it." Kagome was a lot smarter than most people gave her credit for, and very intuitive. She was also generally very vocal whenever she found something unjust, which was why Kikyou couldn't believe she was going along with this nonsense without so much as a peep. That's why Kikyou was mad at Kagome too, even if she didn't really want to be since Kagome was just as helpless in all this as she was. From the corner of her eye, Kikyou could see her sister frown at the accusation laced in her words.

"I was afraid that if I said anything, they would've just taken you and left me behind." Kagome admitted, plucking a blade of grass out of the ground and tearing at it absentmindedly. "They only need one of us, after all." Kikyou froze at her sister's matter-of-fact observation. She hadn't thought of it herself, but it was true; the Uchiha clan DID only need one of the twins to marry the youngest heir of the clan. The only reason both of them were going to stay with the clan was so that he had at least some choice in the matter, but if one of them was more difficult than the other, then of course the clan would choose the other twin instead.

And for all that she couldn't stand the thought of marrying some boy she didn't know, Kikyou refused to stand by and let her sister be taken from her. Anger deflating, Kikyou turned to look at Kagome, who was giving her a smile that made her feel even worse about how she'd been acting. Biting her lip, Kikyou reached out and took Kagome's hand in her own, watching as the blade of grass Kagome had been playing with fluttered lightly to the ground.

"I'm sorry." Kikyou apologized quietly. "I didn't- I should have-!" Kagome squeezed their clasped hands lightly, cutting off the rest of Kikyou's apology.

"I want you to be happy, Kikyou. No matter what." Kagome told her twin before fixing a scolding look on her face. "You don't smile enough, you know." Unbidden, Kikyou felt her lips turn upwards at the familiar complaint from her twin, which always earned Kagome that rare expression from Kikyou.

"You smile enough for the both of us." Kikyou returned as she always did when her sister voiced that particular complaint, which made Kagome grin widely.

"Better now?" Kagome asked hopefully, tilting her head as she studied her once morose twin.

"Actually… yes." Kikyou answered, sounding a little surprised. Then again, she shouldn't be. Kagome always seemed to know how to change her moods with almost no effort, whether it was to get under her skin or make her feel better again.

"Good!" Kagome chirped, pulling herself to her feet and tugging at her twin's hand. "Now come on. Obaa-sama's been worried." Kikyou's eyes turned to see that their grandmother was indeed hovering at the edge of the road with a concerned look on her face. Seeing Kikyou's thoughtful expression, Kagome added, "She's upset too, you know. She wants to help us, but can't now that Onigumo-oji-san is in charge. It took a long time for her to even get them to agree to let her come live with us as an instructor while we're in Konoha." Sensing what her twin wanted, Kikyou sighed.

"I'll apologize to her for how I was behaving earlier. The ninjas, too." That promise earned Kikyou a beaming smile from Kagome as she helped her back up. She was still a little upset with the elderly woman, even if she knew Kagome's words were true, but she was willing to put that aside for now.

Studying Kagome's face as the younger twin pulled her back to the horses by their joined hands, Kikyou felt determination rise up in her as she drank in her twin's bright, eager smile, marveling at how simple her twin was to please.

Kagome is meant for better then people who spend their lives in blood and deceit. I won't let them take her. The girl promised herself silently, eyes steeling as she resolved to protect her twin from the Uchihas. People like that would only make a kind, honest girl like her miserable.

She would marry Sasuke Uchiha, not for Onigumo, or the clan, or her grandmother, and certainly not out of love for the boy himself, but so that Kagome wouldn't have to. She was better suited to be a ninja's wife then Kagome, and even if she wasn't Kagome deserved better than a life like that.

As Kikyou plotted, she never noticed the sharp eyes of Uchiha Itachi watching her every move.


Never in his young life had Sasuke ever felt so betrayed.

"Okaa-sama! You said I'd meet someone important!" Sasuke said sourly, scowling at his mother as he pointed an accusing finger to the identical girls his brother had brought to their lands. "They're just girls!"

Girls, Sasuke knew from his five years of experience, were bad news for him in any way, shape or form. They were loud, annoying and weak. The older ones would always pinch his cheeks or mess up his hair or hug him so tight that he couldn't even breath as the cooed about how cute he was and what a heartbreaker he'd grow up to be. The ones his age weren't much better, always giggling and blushing and following him around, trying to get him to play that stupid house game when he was trying to train… all in all, it made girls very irritating to the five year old, and the two in front of him even more so, since they'd just wasted his whole afternoon and got him all dressed up for nothing.

"Sasuke!" Mikoto scolded, blushing slightly at her son's reaction. "Be polite!"

"Well they are." Sasuke muttered under his breath, glaring at the girls again.

The two girls looked almost exactly alike. Both were wearing identical pink kimonos with yellow and white obis tied into a butterfly's knot behind them. Both had pale skin, blue eyes and black hair that had been swept up neatly into buns and accented with white flowers. They had the same faces, were the same height and even wore the same looks of surprise and confusion at the moment. The two looked incredibly girly and boring, and certainly not worth the trouble they'd caused him all morning.

At least not until one of them got over her shock enough to match his scowl with one of her own.

"Are you always this rude to your guests?" She snapped, hands on her hips as her blue eyes pierced into the boy. All her thoughts of making the best of the situation had gone down the tubes at Sasuke's attitude. Leaving home to someday marry a ninja she didn't know was one thing, but no one told her he was gonna be a total jerk!

"Kagome!" Kaede started to scold, only to be brushed off by Mikoto, who was starting to get over her embarrassment at her son's initial reaction to the girls.

"No no, it's alright. Sasuke knows better than that." She said with a pointed look at her son. While she had figured that open declarations of love on first sight would be a little much to ask for, she had hoped that Sasuke would've tried to be friendly to the girls, or at the very least polite. "Sasuke, these girls are Kagome-chan and Kikyou-chan of the Higurashi Clan. They're a very powerful and noble clan, and Kagome-chan and Kikyou-chan are learning to be priestesses, just like you're studying to be a ninja." Mikoto explained to her son gently.

This new information didn't impress Sasuke any more than his initial impression of them did, and Mikoto couldn't help but give an aggravated sigh, well aware that the clan members were watching the interactions carefully and that her five year old was basically blowing their one shot at a peaceful resolution with the elders of Konoha straight to hell. Thankfully, the so far silent twin (Kikyou, if the grandmother's earlier scolding was true) managed to defuse the situation with a polite bow to the pair before her.

"I am pleased to make your acquaintance, Uchiha-san." She said politely to Mikoto before turning her attention to Sasuke with a detached smile. "Sasuke-san, it is… nice to meet you as well." Mikoto smiled, encouraged by the young girl's manners as Shisui raised an eyebrow from where he was eavesdropping next to the impassive Itachi.

"I don't know what the younger one said, but the older one's attitude has completely 180'd." the elder Uchiha told his friend, shaking his head in impressed dismay.

"Hn." Itachi agreed, looking rather bored with the little drama playing out in front of them. Shisui shot the heir a curious look. For all the protest he'd made over the length of the arrangement, he didn't seem to care now that the girls were actually here. Shaking his head, Shisui decided that it was just Itachi being Itachi and turned his attention back to Mikoto and the children.

"My, what pretty manners you have!" Mikoto cooed to Kikyou, giggling when the girl merely gave her a reserved smile in return. The feeling of Kaede boring holes into the back of her head prompted Kagome to bow as well, albeit not as gracefully as her sister.

"I'm happy to meet you too, Uchiha-san!" Kagome sang out, grinning widely at Mikoto and pointedly ignoring Sasuke. "I like your kimono. It's really pretty!" Mikoto couldn't stop the delighted laugh that left her at that compliment as Kaede shook her head and muttered something under her breath that no one else caught.

These two are adorable. Mikoto decided as she crouched down so that she was eye level with the twins, smiling warmly at both of them.

"Why thank you, Kagome-chan." Mikoto laughed. "You two look quite pretty yourselves."

Sasuke rolled his eyes as the twins beamed at his mother. Girls…

Tearing her eyes off of the girls, Mikoto took in her son's annoyance with a worried frown, before sighing in a defeated sort of way, standing up to lead her son a ways off so that she could talk to him in private. Maybe it was a mistake, not to explain things to Sasuke in advance. She was worried the news would influence him negatively, but…

"Sasuke?" the clan matriarch started in a gentle, but firm voice. "Do you remember what your father and I talked with you about, a few weeks back? About how important you are, to us and the Uchiha clan? And how we need you to be strong for us?" Sasuke frowned suspiciously and nodded as he thought back to the conversation in question, not liking the direction this conversation was headed in. "Sasuke lately our clan has been having some… problems." She began delicately. "Our standing in Konoha hasn't been good, and there has been trouble because of it. That's why we need your help." Licking her lips, Mikoto shot a hesitant glance towards the twins, and Sasuke followed her gaze, his frown deepening. "I know they don't seem like much to you, Sasuke, but those girls… The Higurashi clan is capable of using a power that even ninjas like us can't produce. Power that lets them see spirits, speak with gods… it can even destroy demons." That caught Sasuke attention.

"They can kill demons? Really?" Sasuke asked, his eyes wide as saucers as his mother nodded. Though they were rarely encountered, demons were insanely powerful, and very few ninjas could compete with them, even in their clan. They even gave Itachi trouble, and he was the best.

"That's right, Sasuke. That's why the Council of Konoha is willing to stop harassing the clan, if we can bring even just a little bit of that power here where they can use it." Mikoto explained. "Understand?"

"Yeah, I guess…" Sasuke said reluctantly. He had to admit, the power to kill demons did sound kinda cool. "But what does that have to do with me?"

"Everything." Mikoto replied. "Sasuke, the current patriarch of the Higurashi clan is giving us these girls to train as we see fit. And someday, years from now, you will be asked to choose one to be your wife."

…What?

Sasuke stared at his mother in dismay. His wife? He had to marry one of those weird girls? That was supposed to be his contribution to the Uchiha clan? Privately, Sasuke couldn't help but feel he was getting jipped. How come Itachi got to be the cool, brilliant super ninja, but he had to get married to some annoying girl? Where was the justice in that?

"Sasuke? Do you understand?" Mikoto asked again, a pleading tone entering her voice as she watched her youngest son carefully.

"…Yes, Okaa-sama." Sasuke said quietly. He might not like it, but he did understand, and he would do as his parents asked of him. Relieved, Mikoto smiled and gave Sasuke's shoulder a grateful squeeze.

"I'm glad." She admitted softly, taking her son by the hand. "Now try to get along with Kagome-chan and Kikyou-chan, okay? You might find that you actually like them, once you get to know them a little better." Sasuke said nothing out loud, but couldn't help but roll his eyes in the face of his mother's optimism.

Yeah, right.


"So what's this power you guys are supposed to have, anyways?" Itachi sighed quietly to himself when that was the first question his brother asked to break the awkward silence that had fallen over the three children after their mother had taken Kaede to speak with Fugaku with the hope that the children would get along better without any adults present. He still didn't like the idea of Sasuke marrying one of the girls, but there wasn't much he could do about it at this point since all the other alternatives were… unpleasant, to say the least.

"Cool power?" Kagome repeated, shooting Sasuke a curious look. "You mean reiki?"

"Reiki?" Sasuke frowned, the word foreign on his tongue.

"Spirit Energy." Kikyou explained in her quiet, confident voice. "Holy powers. Reiki is present in everyone who possesses a soul, but not many people have the means to access it, and few who can have the ability to use it the way the Higurashi clan does."

"So, it's like chakra, then?" Sasuke clarified with a frown.

"No. Chakra has a physical element to it. It's capable of growth, and it can be used up if you don't have enough. Reiki is tapped directly from the soul, so it's stagnant since birth, and so long as you're alive, you can use it as much as you please without negative results." Kikyou explained.

So, that's the secret to their power… Itachi mused from where he was pretending not to eavesdrop on the children.

"Not many people have enough spiritual strength to give their reiki a real oomph, though." Kagome added. "That's why holy powers are so rare. It's kinda boring to learn about, though. It's all meditation and focus and purifying your mind and body all the time…"

"Kagome." Kikyou said, irritation slipping into her tone at her sister's complaints. "You know how important powers like ours are to people. Mikos are supposed to be guardians and healers, which requires patience and sacrifice. We're supposed to protect the weak."

"Ninjas do that too, you know." Sasuke reminded the girl, unimpressed with her speech.

"Ninjas are killers, tools for those they serve." Kikyou corrected the boy, bristling at his insinuation that her path was anything like the one he and his family had chosen. Privately, Itachi had to agree that the girl had a point, but Sasuke clearly didn't see it that way if the scowl he was throwing her was any indication.

"Mikos kill too!" Sasuke protested, glaring at the girl. "Or do demons not count?"

"Uh, guys…?" Kagome tried to interrupt, sensing that the situation was getting our of hand as she looked between her sister and their fiancée. Both ignored her in favor of trying to glare one another down.

"Of course demons don't count. They're evil spirits, feeding off of the misery and destruction of humanity and causing chaos wherever they go!" Kikyou huffed, returning Sasuke's glare with a cold look of her own.

"And you think that the bad guys ninjas kill aren't like that?" Sasuke returned sourly.

"A human life is sacred. It should never be taken, if one can help it." Kikyou responded primly.

"Kikyou…!" Kagome tried again, only to be cut off by Sasuke.

"Yeah, right." Sasuke snorted. "You're just a snob and a hypocrite! No wonder your village gave you to us! I bet they were happy to get rid of you." Sasuke seemed to have struck a nerve there, if the look on Kikyou's face was anything to go by, but Itachi couldn't help but feel that his brother had crossed a line.

Yes, he wasn't happy with Sasuke's situation, but he knew that Kikyou and Kagome were in the same situation themselves, and that it was just as unfair for them. Maybe even more so, since they had to give up everything they knew and loved to come to Konoha and make a new life. Frowning, Itachi started to make his way to the three, intent on lecturing his brother for his words, but before he could take more than a step, Kagome had rounded on the boy with all the ferocity of a fire breathing dragon.

"Now wait just a minute! You can't talk to my sister like that!" Kagome snarled as she jumped between the two bickering five year olds, to further shield Kikyou from Sasuke's abuse. Sasuke looked surprised at the girl's interference for a moment, before his Uchiha pride kicked in and her glared right back at Kagome.

"Why not? You both know that it's true." Sasuke pointed out snidely.

Next thing the five year old knew, he was flailing around in a shallow bend of the river, coughing up water and openly gaping at the livid blue eyed girl that had shoved him in. All around them, members of the Uchiha clan had gone still, staring at the children in shock and trying to process what had just happened.

"Creep!" Kagome huffed before turning on her heels, grabbing her twin by the wrist and hauling her away. As he watched the girls take their leave, Itachi couldn't stop his amusement from showing on his face. He hadn't been expecting that sort of reaction from a girl belonging to a clan that preached non-violence and patience, after all, and judging from Sasuke's expression when the girl hit him, he didn't either.

Perhaps it will be interesting to see how this play out after all… Itachi mused as his now thoroughly embarrassed younger brother pulled himself back onto dry land.


"It's no fair! He started it!"

Kikyou giggled quietly as her twin fell face first onto their new bed with a quiet moan of dismay.

"You know how Obaa-sama feels when you lose your temper like that, Kagome." She reminded her twin, patting the girl sympathetically when Kagome grumbled in response.

"I didn't even hit him that hard! He's supposed to be a ninja, right? He should be able to take it!" the young miko whined pitifully. "Now I have to practice making a hundred omamori and work on my archery AND study up on the spells she's gonna test me on!"

"It's alright, Kagome. I'll help you." Kikyou assured her sister. It was the least she could do, since it was sort of her fault Kagome got in trouble in the first place. If she hadn't snapped at the Uchiha boy, then Kagome wouldn't have gotten involved.

"Really?" Kagome breathed, looking up at her twin with pure reverence. Working with Reiki was always sort of hard for Kagome, but it came naturally to Kikyou, so the younger twin valued any input her sister may give her. Grinning at her sister's smile, Kagome lunged to wrap her arms around Kikyou's waist. "You're the best, Kikyou! I'd never survive Miko training without you!"

"And don't you forget it." Kikyou giggled in response as she returned the hug the best she could. "Now get some rest. It's been a long day, and we've got a lot to do tomorrow…"

"'Kay…" Kagome yawned as she fell back into bed, studying her twin as Kikyou settled down next to her. Frowning, Kagome piped up. "He's kinda a jerk, isn't he?" Kikyou froze for a moment, knowing instantly who Kagome was talking about.

"More than just 'kinda,' Kagome." The elder twin sighed at last before giving her sister a pointed look. "But don't worry about him. We'll deal with that later. For now, just try to sleep." Kagome muttered something unintelligible in response, her eyes heavy under the chaos that day had brought them. Smiling, Kikyou watched Kagome carefully as her eyes slid shut and her breathing even out, amused at how quickly her sister could fall asleep, no matter the circumstances. She, on the other hand, was a restless sleeper, who could sometimes stay up for hours trying to get comfortable, and slept fitfully in strange places.

Sleeping so soundly in a village of killers… Kikyou marveled silently. You really are too trusting, aren't you Kagome? Sighing heavily, Kikyou turned away from her twin to study the moon hanging low outside their window, a frown marring her young face as she thought back to what had occurred earlier that day.

Uchiha Sasuke…

Sighing, Kikyou let her head fall back into her pillow. She had to admit, she didn't really like the first impression she got of the boy. Arrogant, judgmental, stubborn, prideful and ignorant to the problems of anyone other than himself. It was no wonder why someone like him would rub mikos like Kagome and herself the wrong way, his aura was probably already tainted. For all she couldn't stand the boy though, she had already resigned herself to a life as his wife. Anything to keep Kagome away from such a horrible boy.

Turning to her side, Kikyou's eyes softened as she studied her sleeping twin, reaching out to clasp the hand of the girl beside her. She smiled sadly when Kagome squeezed back without even waking up. So trusting… and so ill-suited for the world of shinobi.

"Sorry, Kagome." Kikyou apologized softly. "I know I got you into trouble today, but from now on, I'll protect you no matter what. I promise…"