I do not own Naruto or Inuyasha I do not own Naruto or Inuyasha. They belong to their respective owners.
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Well, well, well… Look who's back… Your favorite author! Yeah, yeah, I know… In my dreams… -. -"
Bah, I'm tired of apologizing each time, so I'm sparing you the horror… This chapter has been so troublesome, but I'm happy that I finally got it done… You'll have to thank my friend Steph for the update… I guess I was tired of her keeping bugging me for an update…. Sigh.
Oh, and it has NOT been Beta'd since my beta and friend Lynn is enduring the most important weeks of her Last year of High School, and I don't want to add more things on her. I understand that the mistakes in this chapter would irk the most of you, but I hope that you'll forgive this humble authoress and enjoy the chapter anyway!
Ummm, warning! OCCness alert! Don't kill mehhh! –Hiding in fear-
Dedication: Even though she's bugging me a lot, this chapter is still dedicated to Steph, who had managed to get my lazy ass back into the conception of this chapter…
Stephy –Consider this chapter as the second part of your birthday present!! :3 (p.s. you still have to find me a new "pseudo"!)
Length: 2763 words without the headers and ANs.
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"Blah" – Speaking
Blah – Thinking
"Blah" – Jutsu
"Blah" – Bijuu speaking
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Untitled
By Yue Hime
Chapter 4 – New Step: Acceptance
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The first thing Kakashi encountered as he stepped into Kagome's hospital room was the wonderful scent of orchids that was her signature. He deeply breathed while thinking how much he had missed that calming fragrance…She had been away for so long… He suddenly felt extremely nervous; sweat formed in the middle of his palms. He clenched and unclenched his fist to relieve some tension. He deeply breathed; it was at times like this that he was thankful to his ever-faithful black facecloth that hid his face and thus masked the emotions that was displaying on it. If not for the fast and loud beatings of his heart giving him away, no one would ever guess his erratic feelings.
She was alive after all… after all those years yearning for her return, she was finally here… He stared at her, drinking the sight in front of him. She was still the same, if not prettier. Her hair was still so luscious, black as the raven's feathers, falling as a cascade to the middle of her back… It glittered under the sunlight that had managed to escape from the window blinds and once in a while, as the light hit the perfect spot, bluish sparks danced in her black mane. Her face was still a perfect oval just like in his memories, but she had lost that baby fat that was prominent in her early days. Deep sapphire eyes were just as he remembered, but they seemed to be unfocused, as if she was lost in thoughts… Her brows were slightly furrowed; cherry red lips formed into a slight thin line, as if something was bothering her… Then, while Kakashi was concentrating in his assessments, she slowly turned her head to his direction, the sunlight playing behind her, making her glow softly. Eyes widened, she whispered his name before she could catch herself. "Kaka-kun…"
He didn't move an inch. Her small whisper was lost to him, as he stood there, mesmerized by the ethereal look the sunlight shed over her petite form. She really looked like an angel… Tears slowly gathered in her crystal sapphire eyes; he watched her intensely as a small gemstone of teardrop escaped her glittering eyes, glided slowly on her cheek and then finally splattered on her white bedding sheets, creating a small wet spot that soon faded away. But almost immediately, more and more tears ran down her cheeks, tainting her bedding sheets with their wet spots… Why was she crying…? He unconsciously made his way to her bed, only stopped when the bedside restricted the movements. He slowly lifted a hand to her face and wiped off the tears that were ruining her perfect, as if an angel's, face. Once he finished wiping the tears away, he retracted his hand even more slowly, as if he couldn't bear separate it from her face. Before it was out of her reach, Kagome grabbed his large and callused hand in her own small, dainty but strong hand, put it back to where it was resting a second ago and nuzzled it tenderly with her nose. This time, Kakashi didn't pull back; instead, he just stayed there, letting the silence reign in the room…
After a few minutes staying like that, Kagome's voice broke the silence. "Will we be able to be as close as we once were, Kakashi-kun?" the face-hidden Shinobi didn't reply, asking himself the same question. Would they? He wondered. She was once the pillar of his existence… It was her who put all the pieces of him back together when his father committed suicide after that disastrous mission… It was her who consoled him when he was unresponsive and lost after his first kill… It was her who took care of him when he had been incapable due to his one-after-another endless missions… He owned her everything. He came to rely on her so much… and the pillar she was had been shattered when Kyuubi attacked… After she had disappeared in the Kyuubi Incident, he closed himself and refused to let anyone inside his heart again. He went back to the Anbu and took countless missions… He was sure back then that it was his destiny to die in one of those missions; death plagued constantly his dreams… He didn't pay that much attention to that fate; after all, he would only be reunited with his Kagome once more. He closed himself more and more mission after mission; he grew colder with each killing stoke. His name rose quickly to the top in the Bingo Book, as if it was an arrow. He earned himself with the nickname of Copy-Nin Kakashi; it was often spoken with fear by many Mission-nins.
It was when he started to take suicidal missions that the newly re-installed Sandaime Hokage took him off the Anbu List; he was then ordered to become a Jounin Sensei and to take a team. After years of failing all the teams that were assigned to him, he had mellowed out somewhat. He realized that he had found a new goal in life – protecting those kids who were the future of his, and Kagome's, beloved Village. It was during his time as an incompetent Jounin Sensei that Kakashi acquired the habits that had lingered until this day. It was finally after he had passed the current notorious team seven that he got at last a link to life instead of the goal that had maintained him until today… However, when the Sandaime died during the Invasion led by Orochimaru, the Traitor Sannin, he felt detached once again… If not for his team, he would probably be back to the Anbu once more, but he had resisted the oh-so-sweet temptation that was calling him. He had to stay strong; his team needed him… Sasuke had just got the Cursed Seal; he had to look after him… Naruto just lost his grandfather-figure; he needed someone to care for him… Sakura was feeling lost and weak; she needed someone to cheer her up… All three of them were his charges; they were his last link to reality, to life…
That was one of the hardest times…He had almost given up, but he held strong; he had his team. A strong and linked team that was depending on him… But what about her? What about Kagome? Now that she had returned, what would happen to both of them? He was perplexed by his erratic feelings… could he be still in love with her after 13 years of separation? His eyes widened at his inner question, but he searched nevertheless deeply in his heart… Yes, it whispered to him. However, while he knew that nothing could put them back like in the past, it wouldn't hurt to try. Let the time heal the wounds of this separation; he had already made his decision: he was ready to welcome her back to his life once again.
"We will… if you let me." He quietly spoke up, breaking the silent that was pressuring both of them, while gazing intensely in her eyes.
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For Kagome, the silence seemed to be the longest moment of her whole life. After hearing her question, Kakashi had turned silent, lost in thoughts. While staring intensely at him, she inwardly turned her thoughts to the past too…
She had been the only girl of the Higurashi Clan, the fourth child of the Fire Country Lord… Her parents had been wishing for a daughter for the longest time, but got 3 sons instead. So it was no wonder that when her gender was discovered, she had been cuddled and cherished, pampered since the moment of her birth. She had never known hardship, not before she met Kakashi and the others. Especially through Kakashi, she encountered the suffering of life. It was new for her, and as an empathic girl from birth, she tried to help her newly found best friend.
Kagome observed the man beside her. He had changed during those 13 years… he was taller, and was walking with poise; he had matured inconsiderably. His aura showed all the despair, the grief, and the guilt he felt during his life… it was a veteran's aura. His hair however was the same glittering silver… at that thought, Kagome suppressed a giggle, remembering all the times the people asked Kakashi if he had blanched his hair… His face was still hiding behind that ever-present black facecloth; and she wondered inwardly if anyone had tried to see past it, like Obito did… a dark look passed over her pretty face. She remembered his despair after Obito's death as she held him in her arms… He was utterly crushed, and she still could feel the grief and the guilt that emitted from his frame that day in the hospital.
By helping him with everything he faced, she had never imagined that he would become dependent of her. However, that was the result. Kakashi began to rely on her more and more, and she felt herself drawn to him. Yet it was not a careful thing to do. She was the beloved daughter of the Higurashi Clan; he was only the son of a Shinobi "failure". She was important for the Fire Country; he was a removable Shinobi tool. They weren't suppose to become Best Friend, nor fall in love… They had gone through so many obstacles together, and they had been dreaming of a peaceful life side by side. However, everything changed when the Nine-Tailed attacked… and their dreams were forever crushed, at the time.
She had already been unconscious by the time the Kyuubi sent her to the alternate universe in which she had spent 13 years of her life… It was a wonder that she had managed to fall into a welcoming and charming family, in a Shinto Shrine where the traditionally mikos were greeted with respect. However, to her utter horror, her Chakra had been blocked by a seal that seemed to be appearing out of nowhere. The family helped her with everything they can, and for that, she was more than grateful. She had been able to stay with them, and was practically adopted into the family. If not for her sparkling sapphire eyes, she would be able to pass as a real by-birth member of the family. She gradually eased in the universe that was so foreign to her at the beginning, and became a new girl. However, she had never forgotten about her blood family, nor her Best Friend, Hatake Kakashi. She knew that it was pointless to try returning to her own era since Kyuubi's Portal might have forever sealed any chance that she might have of her return, but she couldn't stop missing them… She often berate at herself when thoughts like that floated in her mind, and guilt was always tagging along with that gesture. To stop those thoughts, she normally reflected on the goodness of her adoptive family, and her luck of being still alive. Besides, she had already seen the nice people who welcomed her as her family; and it would be cruel to just leave them when they had already bonded… So Kagome stayed where she was, and acted like a normal school girl; but never failed to reminiscing her past.
It was after her fifteen birthday that her destiny shifted yet again… She had fallen in the well of the shrine, and met her near-family friends… She experienced the hardship of life yet again, and it was only after all of her friends were dead that the seal, which blocked her Chakra, snapped. It was during her battle with Naraku on that bloody battleground that was covered with the remains of her friends and enemies that she and her nemesis had been suddenly sucked in a portal, and fell into a forest. And there, she had finally defeated him, thus at last completed the mission the Inu-tachi had tried to do during the whole time… Furthermore… she had been reunited with Kakashi, who was there along with 3 other kids. She was pained to leave her adoptive family, but she knew that it'd be meaningless to submerge herself in the pain. She had learned the lesson years ago, when she just fell through the portal…
It was so strange seeing him after 13 years… She knew that their relationship couldn't return to the old days; the 13 years was a huge gap between them. However, a first love could not be easily forgotten. Despite the people she had encountered, despite the seemly romantic interest she had held for Inuyasha for one time, despite the hardship she endured during her Time Traveling days, she had held him in her heart all those years. But the question was… Had he? Would he take another chance, another chance of opening to her?
"We will… if you let me." Her head snapped up as she heard him quietly speaking, breaking the silent that was pressuring both of them while gazing intensely in her eyes.
Tears filled her eyes… and nothing could tame the joy she felt toward the acceptance he had shown to her.
"Kaka-kun…" Kagome threw herself into his arms, and wept her joy. He held her tightly and silently thanking the Gods above for the gift they had graced him by giving her back… Yes, let the time heal all wounds. He had her back, and that was essential.
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After hours of reminiscing the past, Kagome and Kakashi were relaxing in each other's arms, peacefully… That was until a big sound of the door hitting the wall, revealing our favorite Godaime Tsunade, who had been in a massacring mood. "Stupid Elders…" She muttered. Kagome and Kakashi exchanged a knowing glance, but decided that they would stay silent to avoid the Hokage's ire.
"Now, Kakashi, out!" She commanded.
"But Hokage-sama!" Kakashi protested, afraid that if he lost sight of Kagome, she'd disappeared once more.
"Kakashi, I said out!" Tsunade rubbed her temples. "She won't disappear so get your butt out of this room or I'll kick you out!"
"Kaka-kun." Kagome spoke up. "Please listen to her, I promise you that I won't disappear!"
"But…" the Copy-nin tried to argue once more, only to find himself in front of a pissed Godaime. He gulped and grumpily walked toward the door, reluctant.
He walked out of the room and closed the door, only to find himself facing his students. He blinked. "What are you three doing here?"
Sasuke 'Hn'ed while Sakura cursed not-so-silently under her breath. She then blushed scarlet after she realized that everyone heard her. Kakashi looked at hem, confused. However, after one glance at the blond hyperactive ninja, all his confusion melted away, and he had to bite back a small chuckle. No need to guess, Naruto was the culprit of the team's appearance and bad mood; the most amusing fact was that the said blond was obvious to the bunch of death glares the two-third of the team sent him. In fact, everyone's favorite unpredictable knucklehead ninja was happily bouncing up and down, asking for Kagome.
Kakashi's only visible eye curved in to a small crescent moon. "Maa… Maa, don't be so impatient Naruto. She's currently being examined by Tsunade-sama."
Sakura chose to speak at this very moment. "Kakashi-sensei, do you know this Kagome person?" this seemly innocent question caught both Sasuke and Naruto's attention, and they turned their heads toward their sensei, waiting for him to speak up.
"Yes…" he stopped suddenly, only to find three identical pairs of eyes watching his every move. He sweat-dropped.
The door opened suddenly, and Kakashi thanked the Gods above for the much-welcomed intrusion of the Godaime.
"Oh? All of you are here?" she said, surprised to see so much people in front of her niece's hospital room. "Well, you can go in, but only for half an hour; she needs her rest." She looked pointedly at Kakashi. Then, turning back, she said to Kagome, "You've got a horde of people visiting you!"
"Go on." She gestured them… the door closed as fast as a swift of wind. She shook her head and returned to her office where the dreaded piles of paperwork were waiting for her. Inwardly, she was jealous of Kagome who only needed to deal with a bunch of curious people while she had to do those Hell-Sent paperwork… with a sigh, she went back, facing the worst nightmare of all Kages – including her.
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TBC
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Gaaaah! I can't believe that I have finally got through the scary emotionally mushy stuffs… o.O I so love reading them… but I can't write for the sake of God! Sorry if it's not very good, but bleh, you'll just have to contend yourself with that, I guess…
I'm currently dropping dead facing the dreaded OCCness it showed in this chapter… While I deeply loathe OCCness most of the time, I just can't seem to write in-character. And let me tell you, I'm so angry with myself… But I guess it couldn't be helped, so I have to ask the forgiveness of the readers. Please, just please bear with me… Especially I can't be sure I can write in-character chapters in the future.
This chapter contained a lot of information, so I hope that you didn't get confused much… If you have, PM or review me, I'll be happy to answer you. The next chapter should be lighter; none of those mushy overly-emotional stuff, thank god… xD
About the Chapter title before anyone ask me 'bout it… It was from a spurt of moment. Really. I had first no idea what it would be, and then I thought that by accepting each other after 13 years, they had made a new step in their relationship. And so, the chapter was named New Step: Acceptance. n.n
'nyways… I have an important announcement to make.
I'll be going on hiatus for a while… While I'll be still working on the next chapter during the hiatus, it'll be proceeding very slowly; so don't expect a fast update or whatsoever… In fact, I'm putting all my stories on temporary hiatus, that is, when I finished uploading a new chapter for each story. Until now, I have chap 12 of Truth done, this one… and bleh, don't have any progress on others…
Sooooo, back to the subject… If you want to know the progress of my stories, or WIP OneShots, go to my profile. I'll try to put new info on it to get you guys up-to-date.
Also, I might change my pen name in the near future, so don't be surprised if you see someone other than Yue Hime updating this story.
That's all! By the way, thank you for all the wonderful reviews! O.o 85 for 3 chapters? AWESOME! xD
YH