Chapter 7: Sleep

Some distance from Konoha, Itachi reappears with his precious cargo and looks around. So far, he doesn't sense that they have been followed, but he knows better that to think that they won't be. He is a wanted man just as the Sandaime planned for him to be when he cleansed the Uchiha and saved Sasuke. But it does make him constantly wary he has a ridiculous bounty on his head not to mention Sasuke.

In his arms, Kagome sucks in a much-needed breath as they reappear. Once more having teleported; this time heading more towards the Land of Water, where they are a great many cave systems that make a natural labyrinth. Itachi doesn't feel as worried about getting found here as the caves had long ago been abandoned. With careful steps, he makes his way through the traps he laid out to defend his temporary home and walks into the cool welcome of his cave.

Kagome has him worried. Since collapsing in the hospital she is looking a bit pale and he can't seem to wake her. "Kagome, we are safe now." He assures quietly. Only because he is watching with the Sharingan does he notice a small bit of her energy reach out with invisible tendrils to search for any threats. But the place is empty, devoid of all life. The hallways are dark except where light from the torches on two walls that had lit at their presence spills out over the floor.

Although Itachi doesn't know, the walls in the cave are eerily similar to the walls in Naruto's mental labyrinth with one exception, she feels the chill of being underground that is never part of Naruto, shivering slightly as she does. The air is still -stagnant, smelling faintly of loam. Nothing moves in the shadows. At a soft sound from Kagome he looks at her, watching breathlessly for her eyes to open. But she merely curls into him and sinks deeper into a more normal sleep. He smiles gently at the action and sets about getting her a place to rest. Bringing back the dead must have worn her out. He thinks as he tries to release the scroll he has all of his supplies in with one hand. Finally, after several failed attempts, he doesn't want to drop her but needs both hands for the seal, he wraps her in his Akatsuki cloak and lays her on the ground for a moment. Itachi doesn't plan to leave her there, as the cold chill of the stone is likely seeping through the cloak, no she needs a bed roll. His hands fly through the remembered seals and the supplies in his scroll appear. Itachi frowns at the pitifully low amount of everyday living supplies "That won't do." He states quietly as he picks up and unrolls the sleeping mat near the ring of stones that he will build a fire.

With utmost care, he kneels at her side and looks down at her. So much has changed in just one day; he found her and now his life is not going to end in a matter of weeks but much later than that. Years later. It is a strange concept, he had resigned himself to the fact that he was dying. He had been prepared to lay down his life for Sasuke. But now, he will fight to keep the precious life she spared. Knowing what the Akatsuki represent he dislikes his cloak on her but it is the closest thing he has to a blanket. "Kagome." He murmurs just to say her name and feel the bubbly sensation in his chest that comes with it. "beautiful Kagome."

Tenderly he takes her into his arms again and moves her to the bed roll he laid out, making her as comfortable as he can. He stares at the sparkling trails on her pale beautiful cheeks. Even her tears are beautiful as they slide from her closed lids after gathering on her sooty lashes in luminescent drops. They are painfully beautiful. "Why are you crying, Kagome?" He sighs softly before carefully brushing them from her cheeks with the edge of his cloak. His abilities with the Sharingan don't let him enter the dreams of others and so he is unable to seek out the source of her pain. Settling beside her he does the only thing he can do, he watches over her. Waiting for those sooty lashes to flutter and reveal her breathtaking blue eyes.

Sometime in the dead of the night Itachi wakes to a strange sensation like waves on his skin blinking away sleep he is alarmed to see her floating in a luminous pale pink light that is growing steadily brighter "Kagome what is happening?!" he asks her frantically but gets no reply as he finally has to look away from her brilliance. There is a pulse and her body arches, a gasp torn from her lungs as light explodes outward. Itachi shields his eyes as he tries to see through the blinding burst to make sure she is alright. The light dies as swiftly as it came and she drops like a stone into his arms. Something happened, but what? Kagome, I don't understand. You need to wake up and explain everything to me. I don't know why I have to be with you. Or why the thought of leaving your side is almost physically painful. Having you here I am whole. But I didn't realize that I was not whole until you. What do I do now, Kagome? Please tell me. This is new territory for him. He is a genius in ninjutsu but in a relationship? If that is what this is, he is clueless. All he knows is that since the moment their eyes met he had changed, they had both felt it, he is sure of that. Then she healed him, in ways he never allowed himself to consider broken. Could she do the same for Sasuke? Cleanse his soul of the despair I instilled? Make him whole? Can I ask that of her? He frowns as he feels the summons from the leader of the Akatsuki. Activating his Sharingan he sinks into the meditative state his physical body still holding her in his arms.

"We are almost ready for the last phase of our plan." Pein says gravely as they all assemble. "We need only the six tails through the ninth. Four more bijuu to achieve our new world. I want each team to begin moving towards each other and forming four man teams to capture the final pieces. Itachi, you and Kisame will join with Deidra and Toby. Your targets are the rokuubi within Utataka and Uzumaki Naruto, to capture the kyuubi. The rest of us will go after the nanabi and the hachibi."

The blurred figure of Kisame grins at Itachi with his shark like teeth. "This sounds like fun ne, Itachi san?"

"Toby and I will go to Kusa and locate the rokubi hm. Then we will meet up with the two of you in Kaze, hm!" Deidra decides with a nod.

"Very well." Itachi agrees. "Kisame come meet me in Mizu and we will go from there." Itachi has no intention of going after the bijuu, not now. But killing his partner of so many years sits sour in his stomach, even though he knows it's the only way.

"Oh, is that where you traveled Itachi san. I was looking for you in Fire country. I heard and interesting rumor. Sharingan no Kakashi died and then was brought back from the dead." Itachi's eyes narrow as he listens. If Kisame mentions Kagome…

Pein pauses and nods towards Kisame, "I would hear more of this."

Kisame grins bigger showing more teeth. "They say it was the work of the Kami. I don't know any gods that care enough about this world to raise the dead."

"Because the kami have forsaken this world." Itachi retorts tartly. "There is no known jutsu that will raise the dead without taking a life in return. I'm leaving." The Uchiha announces irritated at his partner for even bringing it up. If Pein hears about Kagome he will take her…that will not happen.

In the meeting all eyes look at the place where Itachi stood with contemplative expressions. "Itachi was not acting like himself." Pein says finally.

"The little brother is getting closer and Itachi san is planning to die." Kisame says coolly. He doesn't show how much that idea upsets him in either is expression or his tone.

"Ah, that will be a shame! Right Sempai?" Toby yammers. "A shame indeed to lose such a great ally. Should Sempai and I interfere?" he asks with too much cheer.

"No, it is his business. Kisame observe and report anything out of the ordinary while you are with him. Konan we make for Konoha. We will punish them in Jiraya's name for interfering. I also would like to know more about the raising of the dead by the so-called kami. If Itachi should fall, bring the body to me."

Four days pass by at a snail's pace for Itachi. He has moved them three times in that time preferring not to remain in the same location for too long. All while waiting for Kagome to wake and for Kisame to arrive. Time is not on his side. The morning of the fifth day as he is moving about the cave preparing this and that he hears the soft scuff of shoes on the stone and activates his Sharingan before creeping towards the entrance. "Yo!" That casual greeting makes his heart leap into his throat.

"Kakashi Taicho." Itachi says by way of greeting. "Why are you here?" the kunai in his hand vanishes back into the pouches he has hidden on his body.

Kakashi awkwardly ruffles his silver hair with a grin. "Let's just say your guardian angel sent me?" he states with a shrug. Through his grin Kakashi studies Itachi and is surprised by what he finds. The lifeless look in his eyes that had been there before is gone. In its place is a genuine expression of gratitude.

"Kagome did?" Itachi asks resuming his spot sitting beside her. As he has begun doing he cards fingers through her hair as he sits watching her. It is a soothing action and the feeling of the silk strands sliding over his battle roughened skin makes him sort of giddy.

"Aa, she said that you might need some back up, since she cannot be your shield at the moment. What have you gotten yourself into Itachi."

The Uchiha sighs heavily before he leans back against the wall. "I thought I knew, Taicho. But now I am not so sure. Sasuke seeks vengeance for the clan and I was content to give him my head. Now I have realized the stupidity of my actions and it is thanks to Kagome that I am aware and no longer lost." The years seem to fall away as Itachi sits there by the fire and by Kagome speaking to a man he thought dead by his hand. It is surreal. "Taicho, how did you know where to find me?"

Kakashi settles comfortably by the fire opposite them. "Eh, oh. Kagome told me to come this direction and she guided me from inside my head. It is a peculiar jutsu that she uses to do so. I don't recommend it." There is a pause before Kakashi chuckles. "Maa Maa, why do you not ask him yourself Kagome."

"Kagome?" Itachi asks looking down at her sleeping figure. "what are you talking about she has been sleeping for four days almost five."

"It is complicated, she wants to know if you are alright. She says that she is sorry for exposing you and that she will likely sleep for several more days to recover from the strain raising the dead caused to her body. Gods, this is awkward. She also says that she cannot speak to you directly because- Kagome…this is embarrassing for me as well. Ah, well she says it is too invasive."

"You are speaking with her now?" Itachi asks with a frown. "Kagome, can hear me?"

Kakashi's eyes crinkle in amusement above his mask, "she is hanging on your every word." His amusement grows as Itachi, one of the most feared rouge Ninja's in all the elemental lands turns pink with a deep blush and a stammered apology. "Maa maa…"

Itachi blushes as he withdraws his hand from her hair. "Forgive me I shouldn't have taken the liberty. I have many things I want to ask you Kagome, but I will wait for you to wake. I need you to wake up as soon as possible, it is unsafe to continue sleeping. The Akatsuki is on the move and my team is coming here. You have to wake up."

Kakashi frowns, "she is trying to wake but it will be several more days. Will you not come with me and Naruto into hiding? We are traveling with the Kazekage to Suna and from there we plan to go to ground." Kakashi says standing up to leave.

Itachi shakes his head, "I can't Taicho, Sasuke is looking for me and getting closer every day. I do not know now how to face him. Or if I even can."

"Kagome says that if you come with us that she will help you find and save Sasuke. But she can do nothing as she is. Either way it's time for me to go back. I really wish Itachi that you would come back with me. I would hate to see her cry."

Nodding once Itachi rises to his feet and breaks his camp. Moving would be the best idea anyway. Swiftly he erases any trace of them being there and gathers Kagome's light frame into his arms. Kakashi helps to collect his things and together they slip out of the mouth of the cave and into the night. I will make sure she is safe and then I will leave-ugh I will lea- he can't finish the thought without his heart aching. What have you done to me Kagome?

Traveling at night seems to be the best choice and so, finding another cave system a good day's run towards Suna on the Mizu side, they make camp for the night. This time Naruto joins them. Kagome has been silent both in his mind and as far as he knows in Kakashi's as well. Neither of them sensing even a breath of her, and it is making Kurama anxious. Gaara did not come with them. He and Temari and Kankuro were returning to Suna. Gazing into the fire, Naruto ponders his last conversation with his friend.

Naruto had finished packing his things as he stood in the dimly lit room made of sand. "Gaara we are going to help Kagome. Are you coming?" Gaara was acting strangely. He didn't talk much and kept avoiding Naruto's eyes. Was he ashamed or something? Had something happened-

Gaara shakes his head with a sigh. "No, we will return to Suna. Naruto, I have failed to protect her and so I am giving her protection back to you. Take care of her." The expression on the Kazekage's face is one of devastation roughly hidden in a mask of duty.

"Failed to protect her?" Naruto says under his breath. "Just what happened in Suna?" his eyes land on the sleeping figure curled next to Itachi and he shakes his head. "what happened to you, Kagome." Something catches his eye and he stands up making his way to her side. "What in the fuck is this?!" he growls shifting her sleeve to expose a brand of the symbol of Suna. The skin around it is still slightly pink and raw from the burn.

"That is a chakra marking of possession. It marks her as a slave." Kakashi snarled in disgust. "Someone dared to lay their hands on her…"

"I'll kill them" Itachi, Naruto, Kurama and Kakashi say in unison. "I will never forgive anyone who hurts my Kagome." Itachi vows with a narrowing of his eyes. His fist is clenched at his side till his knuckles are white. While his other hand remains softly in her hair.

Naruto raises and eyebrow at the bold almost matter of fact way Itachi claimed her. But considering the way she had spoken of Itachi, it must be mutual. I don't get it but -"Your Kagome? Huh. I'm going to talk to Gaara. He must know about this which is why he handed her protection over to me. I will get to the bottom of this and someone will suffer when I find them." That said, Naruto leaves for Suna with a flash of gold light taking Kakashi with him.

Left alone with her once more the elder Uchiha activates his Sharingan, never having dared to really test its limits, which ran the risk of blindness; he had never fully explored the extent of his ability with it. The marking on her skin is twisting her energy in and through it like a syphon. He can see the glimmering strands being drained away. "Hmm, that is unacceptable." He murmurs as he carefully follows the pattern with his eyes to the main strand. Dispelling such a useless jutstu is child's play. But the release of it is not without consequence. The nearly healed burn on her upper arm festers like a new injury, blistering and bubbling instantly. The pain must be intense but aside from a hitch in her breath, Kagome doesn't wake.

"I am sorry, for that, Kagome. I did not know it had a failsafe entwined in the jutsu." Itachi breathes as he removes a medical kit from his pouch. It is standard issue for all Uchiha, to carry burn ointment in their kits, though the medical kit has never been opened since his mother packed it into his first mission pouch. The sight of the neatly rolled bandages and few small containers of various medicines labeled by his mother brings a pang to his heart. He never looked at the contents because he'd never needed them. Thank you mother. He thinks breaking the seal on the small jar, the scent of familiar herbs tickles his nose with nostalgia. This is his families secret recipe. He can think of countless times entering the family kitchen and smelling this scent as the mixture cooked down on the stove. It reminds him of happier days, of Sasuke as a child begging for his attention. Itachi smiles sadly. Those days are gone now, but if Kagome succeeds, not lost.

With careful focus he applies the medicine, then with cautious fingers bandages the burn. If it works the burn should be healed in a few days. That jutsu was far nastier than I realized. Just who would have used such a thing on you, Kagome? His eyebrows are drawn down as he considers what such a symbol on her skin means that she had gone through. What kind of a slave had she been? Worry creases his brow as a thought slides through his mind. Were there other injuries on her that needed medical attention? He hadn't really thought to look but now… his hand, shakes slightly as he reaches for the edge of her collar where the closures are for the type of shirt she is wearing. "This is ridiculous," he chastises himself, "if she is injured this delay could be fatal."

"Mmmh" the soft sound makes him jump. Slowly she stirs, eyes fluttering open to see his red and black gaze on her. Her lips curve into a gentle smile that steals the breath from his lungs. No one has ever looked at him with such love and affection before, not even his mother. The total acceptance of him is clearly shown in her eyes. "Itachi." She says quietly looking up at him. Then her expression falls and Itachi feels as though the light that had been shinning on him from her eyes has been doused. Looking away from the Uchiha, "I'm sorry you were seen Itachi." she says quietly.

Itachi shakes his head disliking her apologetic look. Look at me once again. Boldly he presses his lips to her forehead. "It was a risk I took; you have no blame, Kagome." Her eyes immediately widen and her lips open with a soft gasp, its adorable. The sorrowful look she'd had is wiped away. She should never look like that to someone like him. He likes her stunned blushing look better. Itachi chuckles softly. Joy thrills through his veins at seeing her awake once more. The smallest part of him was afraid, even though he'd been told otherwise, that she would sleep forever. She still looks exhausted but she still smiles over at him. "You did not tell me you could raise the dead, Kagome. There is more to you than you told me and I hope one day to earn the trust needed to hear your tale."

Itachi was smiling and it is doing funny things to her insides. She'd been aware and yet unaware of his every move as he sat beside her. Where he had run fingers through her hair tingled. Her arm feels strange and the careful bandages meet her gaze as she looks down. Shame floods her, that Itachi had seen the brand, though she knows at some point someone would notice. Marks like that were placed to be seen. Absently she covers the spot with her hand the soft bandage rubbing against her palm. "It is not a matter of trust, Itachi. It is a painful tale and I am just not ready to recount it. Someday, when I am ready to tell it I will tell you the story."

"I understand painful tales, when you are ready I will be here to listen," his expression which had been soft hardens as he watches her touch the bandage covered burn. "What happened to you in Suna. Naruto and Kakashi have gone to ask the Kazekage what he knows of your injury." Itachi frowns at the pain in her eyes. "I know that it is unpleasant but I must know, I cannot do otherwise with you. I do not know why it is that way. When I considered leaving you my heart ached and I could not bear the thought you had been injured. What have you done to me, Kagome?" his words are kind and not harsh, as he begs to understand the feelings he has.

Kagome tries to sit up, seeing the action Itachi helps her to lean up before sliding her against him as a prop. Blushing Kagome confesses, "this is new for me too, Itachi. Since I met you I have been trying to understand what this is between us and while I was sleeping I had a dream. This is what I saw. When man was first birthed into existence long long ago the gods feared they would grow too powerful and so they divided their souls. They scattered the souls across every world, time and space. They did this so that it would not be easy for each soul to find its other half. The souls long for each other aching to be whole again. But the power to unite them was given to the fates. And so most humans live their lives never knowing why they feel torn or why nothing they do feels up the empty space." Kagome looked away her small hands fisting in the heavy black cloak Itachi had been wearing before. "Itachi, I have been hurt too deeply to beat around the bush with anything like this. Is what you described like this? Do you feel it? The connection we have, the pull from my soul to yours?" A tender finger beneath her chin lifts her head. Her eyes search his just as his search hers. Both of them looking for the answer in fathomless eyes, one set the deep blue of the sky and the other the velvet darkness of the night. The black eyes shift, turning red and black once more while the tomo spin, normally one would look away, but not Kagome.

"I feel it Kagome. Your dream, is about us. You believe we share a soul and I agree. I felt it when I looked at you in the trees. When I met your eyes for the first time, I knew that I was changed, whole. But, what becomes of us now?" Itachi considers the ramifications of such a bond and he doesn't dislike the idea. If there is a thing called fate, then he is grateful to them for the precious gift called Kagome. His heart is pounding as he sits close to her breathing in the subtle scent of woman and the ointment.

"I don't know. I just want to stay beside you." Kagome said with a blush. "Promised to be your shield and to protect your heart. I ask only the same."

"You know the answer is yes to both, Kagome." He wants to hold her in his arms like he had some nights while she slept but now that she is awake and aware he feels a little awkward. Before he can ask her tone changes.

"You asked me a question Itachi, so I will answer you honestly. In Suna I was suspected of being a spy."

Frowning Itachi nods, he knows what that entails. "You were tortured." It's not a question. It doesn't need to be one. Itachi had been in the I&T department during missions so he knows first hand some of the techniques. "And the brand?"

"Given to me by a man who tried to," her voice breaks and Itachi moves a little closer to her. "rape me. I don't remember what happened after he tore my shorts but I woke up in another cell in chains. The Kami protected me."

Itachi is fighting with himself to hide the anger he feels to this unknown man and to be there for Kagome. This is a traumatic thing and unfortunately a common method for breaking some captives though it is highly frowned upon it doesn't stop the use of it as a form of torture. "Gods Kagome, I had no idea that you had been subjected to such atrocity. And yet you still had compassion on a man such as I." he doesn't have to see her face to know that she is crying again. Her body doesn't shake with sobs and she doesn't make a sound as she cries. "I saved you because no matter who you were, and I thought you were Sasuke, I couldn't let you die. If you had been Sasuke then it would have been for Naruto that I told myself I saved you. But-"

"It was for you. Because even then you felt that we were more." She nods her silky hair shifting over her shoulder. It may be bold he knows, but he has to ask. "You were willing to before so may I ask a favor of you Kagome?" He really has no right to ask for anything, she has already ensured that he will never be able to repay her for extending his life and healing his eyes. He is already in her debt and if she can save Sasuke from the darkness... She is a messenger of the Gods right? He never wants to displease her, not in any way- not ever.

Kagome tips her head to the side with a slight smile she isn't sure what has changed but something definitely has shifted. There is hope in his eyes. She can't deny him anything while that fragile hope hangs there like his heart on his sleeves. "Oh." Her eyes widen as he lowers to his knees, his forehead to the earth. Her heart aches at the pain she still feels soul to soul as he bows before her.

Itachi closed his eyes. Anything, I will do anything to save you Sasuke. Even if I must beg a kami to do it. If I must still give my life then it will be done. Sasuke… "Please will you save Sasuke? I have done something unforgivable and sent him down a path of utter destruction. I was ordered to annihilate my entire clan, to stop a coup, but I was allowed one thing, my little brother. I left Sasuke the sole survivor of that massacre. Taking on the sins of my clan I left Sasuke in the village making him believe I had killed everyone to test my skill. I thought his hatred of me would keep him alive and I made myself the target of his despair, his revenge. I never told him of the secret meetings or the plans for assassinations that were to happen the night after. If I had maybe- But...I love my precious little brother and I have made him suffer needlessly. He is lost in the darkness of vengeance, for a clan that planned to plunge our home land into civil war. He's left the village and those that care for him to seek power. The man, no the monster he is becoming will destroy everything if I die at his hand. Please Kagome. Help me save him." He raises his head to look at her.

Her eyes search his for a long moment, and then she bids him with a gesture to get up as she realizes he is still bowing. Kagome feels awkward, this man is her soul mate, he shouldn't bow to her they are equals. "Itachi I already said that I would. Did Kakashi's message not reach you? I will do as I have done for you and purify his heart. You will have to ask him to be forgiven, I can't give you that."

"I wanted to hear it from you." His grateful expression takes her breath away. He is a very handsome man when he smiles she feels for a moment like she was drowning in the endless murky depths of his emotion filled eyes. Then like an arrow to her heart she sees pools of aqua before her and guilt stabs through her. She needs to come clean to Itachi about Gaara, or things will get complicated. And yet now is not the time. "Does he know it was an order, now? That the end of your clan was not by your choice?"

Pain seeps into the depths of night she can't look away from. He moves to sit beside her on the bedroll. "No. it was part of the agreement that he never find out. I made him think it was a whim. That I wanted to test my power, I told him that he wasn't worth killing. That he had to get stronger. I never thought- I never dreamed that he would fall. He was supposed to be the hero and avenge their deaths. Instead he is becoming a villain."

The soft sigh that leaves her lips startles him and he becomes aware of the closeness of her as she hugs him. He wasn't even aware she has moved. He is even more startled as a shimmering tear falls sparkling on his hand. He looks at it in confusion before looking at her. "Itachi, how have you survived with such pain for so long? Did you ever mourn them...your loved ones did you cry for them?"

Itachi embraces her in return. "I cried when I murdered my parents and then once more, when I drew Sasuke's blood and tears that night, I shed a tear, but regrets solve nothing." He shakes his head pulling out of her embrace and standing up. He feels weaker and stronger at the same time. He takes a deep breath to clear his mind and to just feel the air moving through his lungs. He wept out all his pain when she healed him and he feels cleaner, lighter-unburdened. His eyes drift down to where she sits on the bed roll looking up at him with stunning crystal blue eyes her face streaked with beautiful tears. "Why are you crying again, Kagome? You cried in your sleep too."

Her hand lightly touches the wetness on her cheek as though she doesn't know it is there. "I had a family... and a little brother... Itachi. He was precious to me even if he was sometimes a pain. I loved him dearly as you love yours...They were murdered, taken from me without warning; I cannot forget the horror of realizing I never told Souta I loved him. I should have done it a thousand times. I never spent the time I should have, showing him he was important. All he ever saw was my back as I left him again and again with never any promise I would return. I was never there for him." She hangs her head the tears dripping from her face. She takes a deep breath, "That is why I will save yours. But you have to promise me something Itachi, promise me that after I save him that you will be the brother you should have been and be there for him. He might be angry and he might say he hates you, but he is in pain. He is mourning the life that he couldn't have with you. He hates that he loves you and you abandoned him when he needed you. Just promise me that you will tell him everything, no more lies. Don't hide how you feel or that you are afraid to lose him. Don't look the other way and pretend you don't see his pain when you brush him off telling him "maybe tomorrow", don't be like me Itachi."

He closes his eyes thinking back to all the times he has done just that and in those exact words. How many times he disappointed Sasuke and still every chance he got Sasuke would smile and forgive him. I should have told him everything then...I won't abandon him again...Never. "I promise Kagome. Together we will make things right." He vows quietly as she wipes her eyes.

"Itachi, there are things I have to tell you…" she begins her voice quiet. He can hear the weariness in her voice and see the struggle she is making to stay awake. Making a choice he activates the Sharingan. Moments later she goes limp again in his waiting arms and he eases her gently back on to the bed roll. His suggestion will let her sleep a while more, as long as her body is weary. It isn't to keep her asleep.

"When you have recovered we can talk about everything Kagome, for now just sleep." Sitting beside her as a silent sentinel through the night he allows himself to study her once more though he has done so every moment she slept before.

He has never paid attention to her appearance or her height, but as she sleeps he realizes how small she is. In his hand hers seems like the hand of a child. She is at least a foot shorter, but if he has ever seen a more beautiful woman he cannot recall.

He is no stranger to women, having had his fill both willing and somewhat unwilling, thanks to the Sharingan. Though under orders each time it was necessary, thoughts of those moments make his stomach turn. It was to have been part of the torture, but Itachi could never stomach the thought of forcing himself on anyone. The genjutsu was undetectable and after the fourth time he was never ordered to do it again. His leader at first thought it was because of his looks that the women went so willingly to him. Until the last one, who had sworn her vengeance on the Akatsuki. No woman like that would suddenly be alright having sex with anyone wearing the cloak. He'd been punished for disobedience but he was needed so they spared his life.

Itachi had thought for a time that he disliked women sexually and had explored having male partners. Nothing had really made his heart race beyond the physical act. When it was over he would dress and leave never saying a word to his partner. There was no need to linger because it was just sex, nothing more. However, the idea of taking Kagome willingly to his bed…the thought of her giving herself to him in such a way, makes him euphoric and eager to please her. Not just physically but in all ways. He is eager to love her, to care for her and protect her. She is a kami, a woman of light and purity, strange his other half would be considering all the horrible things he has done.

Itachi could not have known that her consciousness was within Naruto and speaking once more with Kurama... Nor could he have known that while she slept later, she would dream… A dream about a boy with special eyes who was a genius and his little brother who were caught in a web of deceit.

Now that things are quiet, mostly and she can do nothing until she wakes up, she allowed her conscious to drift and found herself sitting near the humanoid bijuu. He welcomed her of course with a smile and invited her to sit with him in, not the room where they usually sat but a lush green meadow. Kagome looked around curiously, "what's with the change of scenery? Not that I am complaining it's just different."

Kurama isn't about to tell her that his life had stopped being gloomy because of her. He isn't going to say that he wanted a brighter scene because of her smile. It's too embarrassing so instead he says, "I got sick of the constant dripping sound."

"Oh." She says and smiles, his excuse not fooling her in the slightest. This particular meadow, with a few slight changes, could be the meadow she had told Kurama she played in with Shippo. Considering the likelihood there should be a small river winding to the west and a little brooklet to the south. At night, this meadow would be full of stars and the blinking luminescent green of fireflies. Kagome curls up, sitting beside Kurama in this green meadow inside, while she sleeps near Itachi on the outside. The thought is a little awkward. "So," she asks with a concerned look on her face, "Kurama, what happened after they were banished?" She hadn't gotten the chance to ask before. It's hard to ask knowing that Gaara is directly involved and she is with another man. The comparison makes her blush, Itachi and I aren't together, well not yet. We share a soul but that doesn't mean he loves me. It doesn't mean we are dating. I should tell him about Gaara…I should-

If Kurama notices the blush or the way she is chewing her lip he doesn't mention it. "Gaara, offered them a home in Suna, he said would take in Kakashi if Konoha no longer wanted him. He also defied the treaty and defied the Hokage saying that you were not a traitor because you had no village affiliation when you arrived. He refused to join in with Konoha to hunt you down as one. As for Naruto, you didn't get him banished. The Godiame threatened to have Naruto locked up and to never let him see Kakashi again. I was not about to allow it. So, I threatened to destroy Konoha if they tried to touch him. In the end, Naruto is a missing Nin with a bounty and Kakashi is a new citizen of Suna. They still can't legally be together."

Kagome gasps quietly. "He could have started a war! Baka Kazekage! Naruto could have been killed and you-" Kagome felt tears well in her eyes. "Baka! I'm not worth it!" she cries.

Kurama snarls, before he reaches out and grasps her shoulders, "You are! Gaara is your intended, do you think for one instant I would have stepped aside for a male who didn't deserve you!? Do you think that I would not damn the world to hell for you? Kagome! damn it, I wanted you as mine! If it were not impossible now, I would take you as mine and damn the consequences." Kurama crushed her to himself as Kagome cried. "Sage woman, you make me crazy. Stop this I'm not worth it shit. You are worth it to me- to us."

Face buried in his chest Kagome shakes her head, "I'm horrible. Gaara asked me to marry him but Kurama! I don't know what to do! Itachi is my soul mate! I don't want to hurt Gaara!"

It's like a fist to the gut. A soul mate a true soul mate is rare. If the Kami decreed it then- he closes his eyes. "Uchiha Itachi is your soul mate? You are certain?" Kurama asked quietly.

"As I breathe." she sniffled. Kurama sighed, he didn't want Gaara hurt either and Naruto certainly wouldn't. However, he can see the pain this is causing her. He can see the torment in her eyes. "I don't think Gaara wants me anymore. That man said Gaara didn't care what happened to me and that he was free to do with me as he pleased. I don't want to believe it."

"Good, because Gaara is an honorable male. He would never throw you away like that. You have to tell Gaara the truth. It might hurt him but you deserve to be happy. Kagome you deserve to be loved and if U-Uchiha Itachi can give that to you then, be with him." He swallows the lump in his throat. "Do you love Gaara?" she doesn't have to answer in words. The way she hangs her head and her tears increase says everything. So, when she slowly shakes her head, he already knows.

"If I had never met Itachi and didn't know I was missing something, I might have learned to love him. I might have found happiness with him. But I don't love him. I care about him and that might have been enough, if he loved me. But the connection we had it wasn't there when I saw him again. It wasn't the same pull that made me think he was my soul mate. It was empty."

"Then it was never there. Kagome as one who has lived far longer, I can tell you that when the soul knows its other half, it can never forget it. A soul mate doesn't have to be a lover or a spouse sometimes it is a good friend or even a sibling. Remember, just because you share a soul it doesn't automatically mean you will love your other half. It doesn't mean you can't have others that you love just as dearly. Perhaps that is the case for you. Only time can tell." Kurama no kyuubi says softly as he lets his claws slide through her hair, silently longing for the chance to feel the silk strands and yet knowing it can never be.

The merging is moving closer and the day when he can no longer see her with his eyes is looming like a shadow over his heart. If I had never met her I could let go and not look back. I could give everything to Naruto. But if I had never met her then Naruto would not be my friend and I would not know love. Kurama looks down at Kagome as she begins to doze. He can't help but to smile wistfully. Then Kagome is gone pulled back outside the mind-scape and back to her body, unaware of Kurama's pained expression as he looks at the place she had been. "Sage, I wish one of your loves was me."