You Can Reclaim Your Crown

Summary: No one paid her much attention, Naruto's landlady, this woman who paid visits to the Uchiha compound with baskets of bread and fruit for the little Uchiha survivor. The woman who sat down to dinner with the Nine Tails Jinchuriki...who had befriended the silent Itachi, the impassive Kakashi...and had enraptured the hearts of Kushina and Minato...no one paid her any attention, until she's forced to act as a Shinobi of the Hidden Leaf Village once again.

Pairing: Kagome/?

Anime/Manga: InuYasha/Naruto

Genre: Romance/Spiritual/Adventure

Rated: M

A/N: Took a break from the Anime Overload Convention that's at the Marriott in Round Rock! Wanted to update after so many encouraging reviews! I really do appreciate the comments guys! -Akuma

-x-x-x-

'All in a day's work!' Kagome smiled, watching as Shikamaru, Chouji, Naruto and Sasuke ran after one another. Jumping off of large stones and running alone the bridge that she was sitting on. She glanced up at the clouds and noted the suns position. "Shikamaru, Chouji...I need to get the two of you home now."

Naruto and Sasuke ran over to her as she jumped down from the bridges rail. "Can we play a bit longer?" Sasuke asked as he looked down at his hands with a look of hesitation.

"I have no problem with that. I will come and get the two of you once I drop of Shikamaru and Chouji at their homes though, so stay near the bridge."

"Kay!"

"Right!"

The two ran off and Kagome held her hands out to the two boys who waved their goodbyes to Naruto and Sasuke. She walked off towards Shikamaru's house first, and silently laughed while the boy's held their own conversation.

"Hey, hey!" Chouji pulled a bit at her hand and she glanced down, "Why does everyone say bad things about Naruto?"

"What do you mean?"

"The adults are always talking bad about him, what did he do wrong?"

Kagome sighed and glanced up at the sky again, it seemed she was sky gazing an awful lot lately. "He didn't do anything wrong. Take it from me boys, you can't judge a person based on what others say about that individual."

"We know that much," Shikamaru said as he swung his hand backwards and forwards in hers, "I like him. He's a little loud, but he's funny."

Chouji nodded his head in agreement. "He's nice..."

Kagome laughed, "You know, I like Naruto a lot too. I want for him to one day view me as family, and maybe...even the two of you will be close enough to call him family. Oh, but like I said, lead your lives based on your own conclusions."

"Hey, did you really know his dad?" Shikamaru asked curiously.

"...yeah...I did. He was amazing, Shikamaru...but as I said before, you can't talk about Naruto's parents. People get really upset about it. However, I believe that one day...everyone in this village will look up to Naruto...and they will know him by name. His parents are watching over him..."

Chouji stopped walking and turned his eyes upward as he watched a tear fall along her cheek before falling to the dusty dirt ground. 'Miss. Kagome...' He glanced to Shikamaru and the other boy shook his head.

"Shikamaru, we're at your house. Tell your father that I said thank you, I'm certain he'll understand why. After all, he's regarded as an esteemed strategist, and is highly intelligent if I remember right." Kagome laughed lightly through her silent tears, her bangs were covering her eyes enough that no one could really tell she was crying, but the boys who were by her side could see her tears clear as day.

"Thanks for walking me home, Miss. Kagome. Bye~!" he ran inside and waved once more before closing the door.

Walking off, she headed back towards the Akimichi districts and carefully wiped away her tears before they rounded the street and saw Chouza sitting with his wife on the front step of the patio. He saw her and stood to greet her, walking her way as he did. "Chouza," Kagome bowed respectfully to the man who brought a hand to her shoulder. She knew him well enough, better than she did Inoichi and Shikaku. He was the one who had calmed her when Minato and Kushina had died.

-x-x-x-

(Flashback)

Kagome was kneeling in front of the Konohagakura memorial. Tears were running down her cheeks at an impossible rate, and showed no signs of slowing down. "Damn it, why, why! You guys didn't have to die, you could still be alive, and Naruto wouldn't be alone! ...I wouldn't be alone..." She shuddered at the chill of the wind that blew, trying to clean her face of the tears, she failed as they started anew and continued their downward descent into the grass she was sitting on.

"Ah...Kagome..."

Turning her head a bit to look over her shoulder, she smiled brokenly at the man standing behind her. "Akimichi...how are you?"

His eyes saddened at the sight of her tear-stained face. He moved forward and sat down beside her as he brought his hand to her shoulder and pulled her to his side, holding her, hugging her, and for all that he could, shielding her. "I'm sorry, Kagome. It hurts...loss is always painful, and for you...you only knew them for a short time, yet they became family for you. Even when you weren't around, Minato would talk about you and Kakashi, his two favorite students. He really did care for you Kagome. He wanted to take care of you...like a brother would a sister...I'm certain of it."

"Why couldn't they have let me be the sacrifice for the Nine Tails? Naruto would have his parents, and..."

"True...but then, you wouldn't be here, and that would have hurt them as much as this hurts you. We can't change what's happened, Kagome...we can however, grow from them. You can lead a life that both Kushina and Minato would be proud of, and you are in a position where you can watch over and guide their son, too." Chouza smiled sadly at his own mention of Naruto.

"...what can I do...?"

"Be there...Kagome, because hardships and loneliness lie ahead of Naruto. He will need your support, where there will be no one else who can give him that." Chouza stood and laid down the flowers atop the memorial stone before giving Kagome a gentle pat on the head and leaving her to her thoughts.

-x-x-x-

(End Flashback)

"Kagome?"

"I'm sorry, I'm okay...really. I just..." she shook her head and smiled, "...I'm being silly. Don't worry yourself over me, I'll be fine."

He nodded and smiled, "thank you."

"Huh?" Kagome frowned, "what for?"

"I am glad that Chouji was presented with an opportunity to meet Naruto and with that meeting, he gained a new friend, right?" He asked Chouji who was smiling up at his father.

"Yeah, Naruto is nice, and he said that he's going to be someone important one day..."

"Oh?"

Kagome laughed, "yes, he's determined. The whole of the village will one day look up to him as a hero...I will be there every step of the way to." She grinned.

"As will we."

-x-x-x-

Kagome waved farewell to Sasuke with Naruto at her side. Watching the little Uchiha run off with his older brother next to him as he chatted excitedly with the young prodigy. The teen gave her a curious look as his brother pulled him off towards the Uchiha district. "Ready to go home, Naruto?"

He smiled, "yeah!"

Leading him home towards the residential area she was responsible for. They made it back before it became too dark. Walking inside, she showed him to her own apartment and led him inside where he sat down at the table and she went off into the kitchen to cook dinner for them.

"Hey, Landlady?"

"Kagome, and yes?"

Naruto stayed quiet for a minute before grinning, "...don't forget...you promised to tell me about my dad..."

Kagome's hand froze in the basket of vegetables, "So I did..." Kagome sighed, "Let's eat and then, I'll tell you a little about your dad."

"Kay!"

'No way around it, but as long as I don't tell him what his dads name was, or who is dad's sensei was...ah...I will need to be very vague, won't I.' She smiled sadly, but continued to wash the onion in her hand before chopping it neatly on her cutting board. 'Just enough to feel the void in his heart...there is nothing wrong with that.'

-x-x-x-

Me: Here is chapter four, I hope you all enjoy this chapter~! The next chapter is going to be posted sometime tomorrow, unless I get home early tonight, then I'll update tonight! Let me know what you all think, nyan~!