This chapter just didn't want to get written!
I do not own Inuyasha or Naruto
Later that night there was a knock on the room that she and Kurenai-sensei were sharing.
Kagome slid open the door to see Shion looking strangely subdued, "Shion-sama?"
"M-may I come in Hyuuga-san?" Shion asked in a pathetic voice, at least to the Hyuuga's ears.
'Damn! That stutter reminds me of Hinata-sama!' Kagome mentally lamented. She could not fight the sudden compassion she felt for the girl who looked so much like her cousin. Sighing Kagome moved to let the other girl enter the room.
"No more contests." Kagome begged as she sat at the table before pouring and offering Shion a cup of tea. The two sat in awkward silence sipping at their tea.
"I just wanted to show you this." Shion handed Kagome a thick scroll, "Be careful with it- my mother, Miroku-sama, made it for me to learn off of."
Nodding Kagome opened the scroll, "Ofuda?"
With that the two girls sat in silence sipping tea while Kagome scanned the scroll. It was fascinating honestly, full of spells and charms.
"Where is your sensei?" Shion asked after a few moments as Kagome traced the strokes of the general protection ofuda.
Kagome shrugged her shoulders, engrossed in her studying. Kurenai-sensei was probably around somewhere- the woman loved chatting with guards. Almost made her wonder if Kurenai had a thing for such men…
"Mind if I copy this one down?" Kagome asked as she pointed to the general protection sutra.
Shion gave a small smile, she'd never shared anything with anyone before, "I don't mind, you are a priestess after all."
"Not really. "As Kagome scratched down the sutra on one of her blank scrolls from her knapsack she said, "I can tell you want to ask me something. Go ahead."
Shion fiddled with her teacup as she watched the other girl copy a few charms, "With your eyes… can you see the future?"
Kagome shook her head, "The Byakuugan doesn't work that way. I can see through things and see great distances but not the future, Shion-sama."
"Oh…" She seemed a bit disappointed.
"Do your eyes see the future?" Kagome asked noticing how the miko stiffened, "That's how you keep predicting people will die, huh?"
Shion glanced up at the other girl an imploring look upon her face. "I heard rumors in town." Was all Kagome offered. And indeed her team had heard rumors when they had been in town. The Shion could divine a person's death with only a glance.
"What a horrible gift. I can't imagine what it must feel like to be feared for such a skill." Kagome muttered piteously. Shion brightened at her words, finally someone who understood!
With that the girls began to chat about everything and nothing. Topics were from how cool Kagome thought her Onii-sama was to why Shion didn't like dogs.
A few hours later Kurenai arrived in the room slightly surprised to find the two girls asleep at the table.
The older kunoichi gave a soft smile as she grabbed a blanket to drape over her student and the miko.
Sitting down in the bedroom the woman looked over the cartography assignment the genin had completed. Unsurprisingly, her Hyuuga pupil had fared the best in the amount of detail. Going so far as to mention weakened support beams and hidden passages, the Byakuugan was a formidable inheritance indeed.
The Aburame had been able to point out just as many structural weak points as Kagome had and had the neatest drawing of the three students. The Inuzaka's work had given her a great deal of insight in her feral student's growth. Kiba had included details such as the guard patrol routes and documented the times that the changing of the guards occurred. Something neither of the other genin had included on their maps.
She would be sure to increase their cartography skills- perhaps a topography assignment next?
/the next day/
"I request that the Hyuuga stay by my side today." Shion commanded imperiously as she took the box containing the cursed mirror that Kagura-san wanted exorcised.
Kurenai gave a glance to her female student who gave a bright smile that was infectious. Such a sweet smile Kurenai thought and in that moment offered a prayer that her student would always be able to summon that darling smile. Smiles such as hers did not last long in the shinobi way of life.
"I grew up on a shrine. I wish to see their methods of exoticism in comparison to my mother's family's techniques." Kagome requested of her teacher.
This was a lie- Grampa Higurashi's method of exorcism involved junk ofuda, salt, and chants. None of which were terribly effective.
But she recalled the one time she had seen Mama perform an exorcism when she was around four years old (Grampa had been laid low by a bout of bronchitis). It was the first time she had seen what she had called 'her mother's twinkling lights'. In retrospect that was probably the first time she had activated her Byakuugan and had seen her mother's gentle lavender chakra. The darkness surrounding the object seemed to dissipate in seconds once her mother finished the blessing, Kagome had nearly forgotten about that incident.
Nodding the woman permitted her student to observe the priestess. Her other students could patrol the town. It would give Kagome the chance to practice acting solo in a safe setting.
Kiba on the other hand had quite a bit to say about this arrangement- not wanting a member of his team to be left on their own. He was a pack-oriented person and thus saw his teammates as part of his pack.
"Anything happens to Kags and you'll answer to my fists, shrimp!" He barbed at the miko.
The priestess bristled as she gave an ugly sneer, "I predict that a cat will trip you and you shall fall to your death from the action!"
Kagome paused when she heard the prediction but relaxed, had it been a true prediction she supposed she would have seen signs of it. Shion's eyes were the same. The girl had told her that her eyes would momentarily have a kaleidoscopic look in their lavender depths when she prophesized. She resisted the urge to smile at her teammate, perhaps it would do for Kiba to spend the day wary of felines. It would be further justice for the times she and Shino had been forced to bear the fury of Tora the cat.
Shino's eyebrows were lost into his hairline- she knew he'd be on the lookout for cats as well. It touched Kagome a bit to see the concern Shino held for Kiba's fate.
Soon the team split up, Shino and Kiba to patrol the shrine grounds. While Kagura and Kurenai headed to where the woman had set up her shop.
Shion glanced over at her newfound friend and commented on her attire, "That will never do. You need proper clothing."
The two girls set off to one of the many storage sheds within the shrine compound.
Kagome looked down at her standard long sleeved tan jacket that held several sets of pockets that bore a small emblem of the Hyuuga crest on the flap of the small pocket on the right side of her chest and black pants that cutoff at mid-shin.
As far as clothes went they were very standard, for a Hyuuga. And Kagome herself had requested the many pockets- there were six outer pockets and four pockets lining the inside of her coat. She liked simple and functional clothing like most of her clan. Beneath her tan coat she wore a simple black shirt that had fishnet in the vee of the neck.
A small smile crossed her face as she realized how similar she, her cousin, and her brother dressed. All three wore tan coats- Hinata with her fuzzy lining at the wrists and bottom of her jacket, Neji-niisama with his puffy short-sleeved jacket, and her with her pockets.
"Your hair is fine though, how strange that you wear it in a miko's style- but we'll need to exchange the tie with a white paper ribbon." Shion commented as she touched Kagome's tied back hair.
She shared her hairstyle with her brother, the two siblings mimicking their departed father's own style. The only difference being that Kagome had bangs and that two locks of hair seemed to form two loops when tied back.* She also tied her hair up higher than Neji who fastened his near the bottom of his hair. Her hair had a slight wave to it- clearly inherited from her mother. But Mama's hair was far more wavy than Kagome's. When she was not on missions Kagome wore her hair down.
"These are a bit old fashioned, but they look like they might fit." Shion remarked as she removed a dusty old box from the storeroom closet. Pulling the garment from the box Kagome found a traditional red and white haori and hakaima- the garb of a Miko.
Reluctantly she put on the garb, she was shinobi, not a miko. But for now she would play the part she decided as she untied her hitai-ate from her forehead.
The two girls prepared a room for the purification ritual in accordance to Shion's scroll.
"Now we sit here and chant. The salt will do the rest." She motioned to the small bowl of salt on the altar before the mirror.
"Is this really all there is to it?" Kagome asked as she kneeled on one of the cushions, perhaps her grandfather hadn't been wrong in his methods? Only lacking the ability?
This would bear contemplation later she decided as she sat next to her friend. Shion showed her the chant inscribed on the scroll and they began in unison.
After a few moments chanting became noticeably difficult; the air seemed to be weighed down. It felt like every inhalation was breathing in heavy fog into their lungs. But still the two girls continued to chant.
Shion cast a small glance towards the Hyuuga and felt some comfort that she was not alone in her struggle to form the words. Beads of sweat were beginning to roll down her face.
A deafening crack sounded throughout the room breaking the chant. In the left corner of the mirror a small crack had appeared. Not a moment later a black light filled the room and a man came tumbling from the mirror.
Kagome swiftly stood and entered the Gentle Fist stance ready to defend Shion. But attacking seemed to be the last thing on the stranger's mind as he lay in a twitching, undignified heap. Comically the sprawled out man gave a groan as he clutched at his head. He wore the garb befitting of a wealthy merchant but bore a clothed parcel strapped to his back. The oblong shape spoke of a sword, though clearly not for the man's use in the manner it was wrapped. The time it would take to uncover the sword would be all that was needed to kill the man, telling Kagome it was not functional.
Unwilling to break her stance she permitted Shion to speak to the man.
"Are you all right?" She asked wearily from behind the shinobi trusting her friend to protect her.
The man looked up, utter awe written across his face, "Are you two real? Or have you also succumbed to the mirror?"
"We are real." Kgome stated tersely, unknowingly looking a great deal like her brother in that instance.
"I am Akitoki Hojo." The specter man introduced himself as he brushed off and sat in a more dignified manner.
'Hojo?... That means this man!' Kagome's eyes widened in recognition at the name.
"Kagura-san's husband?!" She blurted out, disbelieving that her employer's dead husband could possibly be sitting before Shion and herself.
Concern flashed across the man's face giving him a rather noble look upon his face, "Kagura?! Is she here?"
Longing was etched on the man's face before he set serious eyes upon the two girls. Kagome admired the man's ability to control his clear desire to search for his wife- there was something greater going on here.
"Now then, you two have something… different about you. And you were able to free me from the mirror. I thought I'd become like the others." The man spoke silently as he appraised the children, for that was what the girls were in his eyes, before him. Perhaps it was because the two were miko? He'd never put much stock in the supposed 'holy powers' that monks and shrine maidens claimed to have on occasion. But in truth they merely wielded chakra differently, but these girls…
"Others? There are more people trapped in it?!" Shion demanded, suddenly fearing that she and her friend were well over their heads.
It had taken a great deal to free this one man, who wasn't even the evil spirit!
"I would hesitate to call them 'people' at this point, young priestess." Akitoki shuddered holding his arms in an attempt to warm himself, "The reality within the looking glass is quite… desolate. In there souls are driven to feed the artifact with their dark emotions until they are no longer truly human."
Narrowing her eyes Kagome took in the specter's human appearance, "How come you aren't affected?"
"I don't know. But perhaps this has kept me safe?" Hojo took the cloth-covered sword from his back, unwrapping it to show the two children. It was an old and ill kept sword. The scabbard had cracks in the wood and the handle was badly frayed.
Shion spoke what was on Kagome's mind, "What a piece of junk."
"This is an ancient relic that a certain family trusted me to find. The Hojo clan are the best at locating relics, you know!" The man gushed proudly at his family's legacy, "I had only just returned home after locating it. I found my child Kanna playing with the mirror."
The man's face darkened as he continued, "This cursed mirror is how my family locates rare things. For a price it reveals the location of something desired in its depths. It is no toy and my daughter's offense must have cost my life. But I'd gladly give my life for my darling daughter."
"What price does it take in askance?" Kagome inquired wondering what a person could possibly give a mirror.
"Blood usually at the beginning. I know now that the more one uses it the more the mirror begins to demand. But when the greatest wealth is capable of being shown, it is no wonder so many of my clan fell to its allure. Eventually after it is used enough it begins to devour the user's soul- changing the person with every glance it that smooth surface before it eventually consumes the person's entire soul and their physical body dies. The mirror is my clan's greatest blessing and curse."
"Be that as it may, we have a job to finish Kagome-chan." Shion decided as she glanced nervously at the mirror, to think such an object existed!
After a moment of contemplation Shion decided that perhaps a strong ofuda would be the best manner to deal with the mirror.
Placing the sutra seemed to have been the very worst thing the miko could have done- the spell fizzled out in moments and the mirror retaliated.
Glass sprouted out of the ground and it was only Kagome's quick reflexes that saved Shion from having a sliced up foot. Gingerly she set the miko down on the ceiling beam as the two girls watched the room become engulfed in glass spires. Akitoki who lacked a physical body was unharmed by the glass.
'Is this genjutsu?' Kagome wondered as she made the sign for the byakugan. Her enhanced sight could see no illusion- the glass appeared to be quite real. Dark wisps of energy, similar to chakra, spewed from the mirror.
The growing glass soon overtook the room and spilled out into the hall. The girls could hear the alarmed cries of the guards. Taruho cried out to Shion as he tossed a bow and quiver to her from where he stood- unable to enter the room.
The panic had predictably drawn Shino and Kiba and they stared from beyond the doorway at Kagome who signaled with her hands that at the moment they were all right.
"Well that was a bad idea Shion-chan. Got any others?" Kagome murmured to her friend as she kept a steadying arm around Shion. Never had the Hyuuga been as thankful as she was in that moment for her clan's strict insistence on chakra control. If not for her ability to mold charka to her feet making her stick to her spot the girl was sure she'd have already lost her balance. The miko clung to her waist as she looked down at the glass covered floor before shaking her head.
"Be careful, if the glass touches you it will bind you to it as well as cut you." Hojo warned the miko as he floated up to the girls.
"Don't touch the glass. Got it." Kagome replied as she released her grip on Shion. The miko stubbornly stood clinging to the pillar next to her.
"Who are you talking to? There is no one else here." Shino asked as he assessed the situation. At least 75% of the floor had been covered in glass spires that were continuing to grow and spread.
The two girls glanced at the man and then at each other, sharing a gob smacked look.
"Then you can't?" Shion started but Kagome cut her off, "Never mind that. Where is Sensei?"
"In town with our contractor." Shino stated as he assessed the situation. The communication with his bugs told him that they sensed something very wrong but he couldn't quite understand what they were telling him.
"We must destroy that cursed mirror."Shion looked expectantly at the two boys.
"Curses are illogical. Why is that? It is because it is quite easy to pass off unknown ninjutsu or genjutsu as 'magic'." Shino argued, "The mirror might be under ninjutsu, possibly trap ninjutsu."
The glass chose that very moment to sprout between the boys, prompting them into action. Kiba swiftly picked up Shion and bounded upwards into the eaves that she and Kagome had been not moments before. Shino followed suite. Shion notched an arrow and let it fly attempting to hit the mirror from afar. But the arrow's trajectory was altered swiftly by the glass spires. Shion gulped when a spire rose far too close to the beam causing her to stumble back a step. A step too far and Shion found herself fighting to keep her balance as she yelped, "KAGOME!"
"SHION-CHAN!" Kagome lunged forward to grab the girl's coat but only managed to unpin the girl's tiny pink bell.
Kiba blurred out of sight as he caught the falling girl while avoiding the glass that was attempting to catch him.
"Put me down! Put me down now!" Shion squirmed in Kiba's grip as Akamaru growled at the priestess.
"Will you just shut up and let me protect you?!" Kiba snarled at the priestess before roughly dropping her onto the ground just outside the doorway. Taruho and several guards were striking at the glass with weapons, but the glass refused to be shattered.
"God you are such a nag!" Kiba turned on the girl before continuing, " I get it: you don't like me! Or Akamaru. But that doesn't change the fact that I'm a ninja of the hidden leaf! It's my job to protect this town during this mission and that includes you miko-sama."
Shion stared at the feral boy as though she'd never truly seen him before.
"And as for predicting my death, you can just stuff it! I already know there's a real good chance I'm gonna die on a mission, but that ain't gonna stop me'n Akamaru! So what if we die today or tomorrow? Tha's just the life of a shinobi, stupid." The serious expression on Kiba's face was somewhat awe inspiring to see.
"What do you suggest?" Shino asked Kagome as he kneeled closely, still startled by the odd ninjutsu originating from the mirror .
"Hang on , we're going to regroup!" Kagome decided as she made a leaping chakra enhanced bound down to where Kiba and Shion awaited them.
"Hit it hard and fast!" Kiba crowed as he bounded through the glass covered room, "Ready Akamaru?"
"Gatsuga!" Kiba roared as he spiraled and tried to create a path through the glass. It seemed to wok for a few moments but the glass regrew within seconds where Kiba had paused his attack.
"Kiba! Akamaru!" the miko cried out as her protectors were encased in glass.
"Shion-chan! MOVE!" Kagome screamed as a spire of glass erupted from the path that Kiba an Akamaru had sacrificed to clear. Shino shoved the stunned priestess towards Kagome only to have his ankle caught. Within seconds he too was encased.
Shion was sobbing now and Kagome felt utterly lost, but they needed to finish this.
"Now … is not the time to cry." Kagome stated hesitantly, unsure if her teammates were dead. She hoped against hope that they were still alive. Setting her steely gaze at the mirror across the room she began to formulate a plan within her mind. If she could gain enough momentum, perhaps she could shatter it. Attacking the glass did nothing- it simply grew back. But if they destroyed the mirror…
"You are better at this than I am, Shion-sama! Clear a path for me!" Kagome gave a cry as she prepared to charge forward. She'd practiced this move with her brother, aiding him in developing it. But now she needed to be able to execute it on her own. She hoped that she did have these 'miko' powers that Shion seemed to think she had. Taking a steadying breath Kagome pulled her chakra into her hands ready to race after the arrow the moment it flew.
"Now!" Shion cried as she let the last arrow fly, a trail of pink mist surrounding it.
As she had predicted the arrow tore a straight path though the evil glass allowing the girl to approach the mirror. She sprang forth with pink chakra blazing as she felt her heart quicken, this would be the first time she used this move in battle. The moment the mirror was within striking range she spoke firmly, " You are in my field of divination! Juukenpo: Hakke Sanjuni sho!* Eight trigrams: thirty two palms!"
After the first two sets of strikes the mirror began to shatter and the dark air spewing began to dissipate. "Finish it Shion-chan!" Kagome panted as she fell to her knees, spent by the difficult move. It was a master rank move from the main family for a reason.
"I can't! I haven't got any arrows left!" Shion shouted.
"Here young lady! Over here!" Akitoki shouted as he pointed wildly to one of the few arrows that had not been encased by the glass. Shion gasped as glass shards cut her hand as she reached for the arrow. Her fingers could barely reach it and seemed to only be moving farther away from her fingertips with each attempt. Scissoring her index and middle fingers she managed to clasp onto the feathers of the arrow. Her success was short lived as she realized that the feathers were chopped and uneven from the glass, there was no way this arrow would fly true.
"Hand it to me!" Kagome demanded. Shion sprinted down the path her powers had carved and handed the arrow to Kagome. Grasping it in a distinctly kunai-like manner Kagome brought the arrow down swiftly. She met resistance but an image of her brother's proud face prevented her from simply giving up. Nii-sama wouldn't give up so neither would she!
A massive crack filled the room as she pierced the looking glass with the arrow.
The surface was whole once more but the oppressive taint that had swamped it had been lifted.
~!~!~!3 $# #$#$ #
There was a commotion at the shrine and Kurenai had convinced Kagura to pack up so that she could check on her pupils. They found them in the main room with Shion clinging to Akamaru and leaning next to an exhausted Kagome. Kurenai rose a brow at her students, they looked like they'd stepped off a battlefield.
Shino was the first to speak, "That mirror had a powerful trap ninjutsu on it."
Kagura watched the scene as the teacher began to lecture her students who did not look to be in the mood to be lectured.
"Your spunk makes you cute, won't you dance for me?" an all too familiar voice spoke into her ear. Whirling around, her fan at the ready out of pure reflex Kagura couldn't find the strength to bring the fan down.
"A-a-kitoki?" Kagura's ruby eyes welled up with tears at the sight of the man she still loved.
The ghost stood before his wife. He knew that he would be unable to comfort her but still he raised his hand to her cheek tenderly "Darling- I will always watch over you and our dear Kanna-chan. The mirror of the Hojo clan is hers now. The only payment shall be blood, but you will teach her to not be greedy."
The ghost turned from his wife to stand before the young Aburame who looked utterly shocked to see a translucent man, "I believe that this will serve you well in the future. This sword has chosen you to be its next owner. Its name is Tessaiga, take good care of it." With that Akitoki Hojo handed over the sword Tessaiga to a brow raised Shino.
Being a rather farsighted man he was unable to identify exactly which boy stood before him and so he given it to the one that he believed to be the heir of that certain family- the one that had hired him to find the sword. The spirit would never know that he had handed the sword to the wrong person.
Perhaps the spirit had been very right in his choice.
The man gave a light smile as he started to walk into a patch of light only to trip face first into it.
Kagura gave a blubbery laugh, only her fool of a husband could trip and fall while entering the afterlife.
Holding the sword within it hands the boy could feel an ethereal pulse that resonated within his bugs and knew in that instant that everything would be different.
~!# !#$!#!~
"I expect that we keep in touch through correspondence, Kagome-chan." Shion declared as she hugged the other girl, tears forming in her eyes.
"If you wish it, Shion…chan." Kagome gave the other girl an awkward hug. She hadn't hugged anyone besides Mimi and Neji-oniisama in years and was a bit out of practice at it.
"You may keep those robes- I need someone to practice with. And don't think for a moment I'll let you slack off." Shion smiled handing Kagome the miko garb.
A whimsical smile crossed Shions face, "My mother never wanted me to develop these powers. But now- after the mirror I know that I can no longer allow my training to be so complacent. I'm sure Mother would understand."
Kagome nodded taking the garb, "I as well. Let us grow along this path together."
She owed it to her own mother to develop these gifts as well as her clan.
"You aren't so bad for a dirty dog, I guess." Shion muttered as she gave the puppy a tenitive pat on the head. Akamaru whined as he licked the priestess's fingers making the girl giggle.
"Oh yeah?!" Shion glowered as she poked Kiba in the chest, "New prediction! You die after slipping in the bathroom!"
"Feh! No way! I'm gonna die on the battlefield." Kiba poked her right back.
"Stupid dog-boy!"
"Nagging twat!"
"Fleas-for-brains!"
"Midget miko!"
"Who're you calling midget, dog-breath!?" Shion yelled as she stomped her foot on the ground in a petulant manner.
"Kiba cut it out!" Kurenai snapped at her pupil.
"You know Kiba, I think she liked you." Shino stated as team 8 crossed the threshold of the gate.
"Shut up Shino." Kiba growled in aggravation.
/ Back in Konoha
"Feel free to come to my shop anytime you want, I'll give you guys discounts!" Kagura smiled at team 8.
Kanna shook her head, "No discounts."
"What?! But they did such a fine job of protecting your precious Kaa-san!" Kagura lamented to her serious daughter.
"No discounts." The little girl pressed in a firm tone as she clutched the mirror her father had left her.
~!~!~!~!~!~Hyuuga Clan
"Hiashi-sama, my mission was a success." Kagome bowed to her clan head.
"I have created a friendship with the Miko Shion from the Demon country and request that I be permitted to engage in exchanging letters with her." Kagome begged her uncle.
The man sat in contemplative silence before giving a small nod. Kagome could have sworn that for a second she'd seen her uncle smile…
~!~!~! Inuzaka Clan
Kiba sat at the dinner table regaling his mission to his mother and sister,"Yeah! It was so awesome! This mirror had some crazy trap ninjutsu that made glass shards sprout everywhere Nee-san! … I got to save the head miko from death! And then… Shino even got a sword! Tess- sum'thin! It looked like a piece of junk though."
"What did you say? Sword? Called the Tessaiga? That's not possible- my Mother hired a merchant to find that sword!" Tsume Inuzaka growled at her youngest child.
/OMAKE/
The three genin sat in a cushy booth at the Thunder Brother's café celebrating another successful day of hard training. Kurenai-sensei had been summoned to the Hokage's office via a messenger bird. "Oh, that's right!" Kagome remembered as she pulled out a very small package before handing it to Kiba, "Shion-chan sent this for you."
Kiba took the package and inspected it as though it would spontaneously combust at any second.
"Why's she sending me anything?" Kiba asked.
"Open it." Kagome urged, having respected her friend enough to not take a peak with her Byakuugan.
A deep frown marred his brow when he unwrapped the gift holding it up for his teammates to see. It was a pink flea collar with little stitched flowers glued on to it.
"There's a note." Shino said as he picked up the slip of paper that had fluttered to the table when Kiba had shredded the wrapping paper.
"To dog-boy, I saw these on sale at the local pet shop and bought you one. I can't have my protector dying from an infestation of fleas to the brain, now can I? Shion. PS. I predict that you will die after choking on dog biscuits." Shino read aloud with a tone of clear amusement.
"She really loves to predict your death, doesn't she?" Kagome raised an eyebrow before taking another bite of her spicy curry, relishing the tingling burning sensation in her mouth.
"What?! I don't even eat dog biscuits anymore!" Kiba lamented, "And what's with the girly colors?"
"You used to eat dog biscuits?" Kagome asked with thinly veiled disgust. 'Not that I can talk- I once tried Buyo's kitty kibble when I was little' Kagome reminded herself.
"Hey they were cheeseburger flavored!" Kiba stated in his defense before turning to Shino who had cleared his throat.
"It's an insecticide, if you have any respect for me you won't wear it. Why? Because we are teammates and that is what teammates do: look out for one another." Shino stated seriously before spooning up another bite of khao phat (thai fried rice).
"Don't worry buddy, if I respect myself enough I won't wear it." Kiba assured his friend, "In fact, kick my ass for me if I ever do wear it."
Shino nodded solemnly.
*Kagome's hair looks like it does in the manga and anime when she's wearing it in the traditional miko style.
Well I discovered that I'm not the best at writing fight scenes, anyone have any advice?
I really need to find some sort of cover art, wink-wink nudge-nudge to all you artists out there, LOL!
I'll eventually come back and polish this chapter but for now I just need it to be over.
But yeah my brain surprised me when it told me: "Yo! What if we give the least likely person the Tessaiga? Kiba's way too obvious." I kid you not when I say Rock Lee was my initial choice. But my thoughts eventually came to Shino and pondered what could be worse than being swarmed with bugs? Easy: being swarmed by chakra sucking creepy crawlies AND a giant sword.
Thus Shino is now the owner of a rather formidable sword, wonder how it will affect his development? Feel free to give suggestions!
Next chapter: Unrest within the Hyuuga clan, Hinata's mission to the wave, and the repercussion's of Shino's ownership of the Tessaiga.