Momo- it was brought to my attention that I skipped along the preliminaries and got mixed into the finals of the exam. I'm really, really sorry about that to the readers of the before chapter and hope that this new and improved chapter satisfies you. Think of the last time as a preview to chapter fifteen! And for those who are just reading this you lucked out on a preview and much confusion! ^_^;
Recap-
Kagome watched the screen as it spun through names, before it landed on hers. She bolted up interested as it continued to spin for her opponent until it finally stopped on Taisho Inuyasha.
"Finally!" she heard from across the arena, she looked over to see silver hair fly as a teenage clad in red leap into the arena.
She froze wide-eyed as her legs shook, 'I know him, where have I seen him before?' she thought looking at him focused before Kiba nudged her.
"Yo are you backing out Kags? You need ta get down there."
She blinked rapidly before she nodded and jumped down, "Let's go Inuyasha!" she called to her white ninken.
The boy stood across from her and stared at her wide-eyed, she too looked up into his gold eyes as they just stood frozen. "Ka-Kagome?" he murmured staring at her.
"I know you from somewhere…" Kagome said distractedly before the match was called to begin.
Taisho looked up to where he came down from; Kagome followed his gaze to see several people looking distressed, "You're call mutt-face!" called a guy with dark brown hair and a cocky smirk on his face, he winked at Kagome.
"Fine, let's do this!" he shouted regaining Kagome's attention before he jumped at her, she gasped before pulling out a kunai, she blocked his first punch to the face but was knocked back by a kick to the gut. She landed roughly on her side at least ten feet away.
"Inuyasha!" she shouted, the guy stopped staring at her confused before the white ninja dog latched onto his arm, growling.
"Oi let go you mangy mutt!" he shouted shaking his arm and grabbing him by the scruff of his neck before a kunai scraped across his shoulder. Inu leaped off, running to Kagome and standing beside her growling. She also growled, it wasn't as impressive as Kiba's of Inu's but it was a growl all the same as Taisho (I'm just gonna call Inuyasha 'Taisho' and Inuyasha the ninken 'Inu' to get rid of any confusion) "You named a dog after me?" he asked incredulously straightening to look at her thoughtfully.
"How do you know me?" she asked, keeping narrowed eyes on him.
He crossed his arms, looking slightly hurt/angry, "you mean you don't remember me?"
"Remember-?"
"What are you doing Kagome? Stop talking and fight!" Kiba roared, gaining both fighters attention.
Both fighters looked at each other, "Ani (I looked this up, any stories I read have brother translated as aniki but it is actually just ani, go figure!) is right, we'll talk after this ok?"
"Ani? What do you-"
"Later!" she jumped forward, calling up chakra to her hands to create a glowing purple staff. She lunged forward with a loud growl, Inu following close beside her.
Taisho pulled out a katana as she came forward. He ran toward her with a loud battle cry, he ran forward swinging the blade around like a stick, using brute force. Kagome blocked it with her glowing staff, but he continued his onslaught, forcing her down to the ground. She panted, closing one eye through the strain as she struggled to rise before Inu came lunging at Taisho's face. He grunted, backing away and grabbing the ninken from his face; he threw Inu away with a snort Inu yelped as he flew.
"Inuyasha!" Kagome yelled turning away from her opponent to run after her flying companion, she dove for him, sliding along to smack into the wall just after catching him. She groaned, shaking as Inu crawled off of her, limping slightly, whimpering he nuzzled her cheek. She patted his head before she stood back up; her bangs covered her eyes as her shoulders shook. A growing aura of anger grew around her Taisho looked nervous as her head flew up. She glared at him tears pooling in anger, "You dared to hurt my companion, I'm going to kick your ass!" he backed away a few steps as a bladed staff flashed to her hands before she dashed at him, he barely dodged as her speed increased.
Taisho lifted his katana to block her strike, but he didn't see her knee come up and hit him throwing him back, he smacked into the statue hands, rock crumbled on top of him and the proctor looked down at him seeing him knocked cold he declared Kagome the winner.
She fell to her knees panting before Kiba jumped to get her. "You ok Kags?" he asked, looking her over for serious injury. She nodded, panting, too breathless to speak. "Let's get you upstairs." He said, lifting her up to lean on him as they moved up the stairs.
They made up to their awaiting teammates, Hinata immediately started questioning her on her wellbeing to which she waved off. Shino watched her closely examining her similarly for injury, before he glanced at the bored, "Kiba it is your turn." He stated calmly trading places with Kiba beside Kagome.
"Eh? Oh guess it is. See you guys in a bit, I'm gonna kick Naruto's butt!" he said fist pumping as he ran back down the stairs.
"Good luck Ani! And good luck Naruto!" Kagome called sinking to sit down to dangle her feet between the guardrails. She looked over top see Hinata's conflicted expression, "You can cheer for both of them Hina-chan, I know you like a certain someone…" she said leaning closer to Hinata. Her face turned bright red and she began stuttering and fidgeting. Giggling Kagome turned to watch Kiba and Naruto go at each other.
"Um, excuse me but you're Kagome right?" Kagome turned to see a woman at least five years older than her and Hinata with dark brown hair, brown eyes, and a friendly smile as she looked at her. She was wearing a tight black and red Chinese fighting outfit.
Kagome, Hinata, and Shino looked at her curiously before Kagome spoke, "yes I am. Who are you?"
"You mean you don't recognize me?" the girl asked sounding a little hurt.
Kagome shook her head, "I'm sorry but I don't; you look a little familiar but I can't say I know you. Sorry."
"Well I'm Sango. We've, uh, met it was quite a while ago but-"
"Sango there you are, Sesshoumaru-sama said we shouldn't be bothering h- other competitors at this time. Let them enjoy the competition." A tall guy with black hair pulled into a short dragon tail, with purple eyes came over carrying a staff and wearing loose fighting robes. "Hello, my name is Miroku, I was wondering if either of you lovely ladies would consider bearing my children." WHAM! BAM!
"Hentai!" Both Kagome and Sango screamed smacking him in the face. He crumpled and Kagome looked horrified at his twitching form, "Oh my, I'm so sorry, I don't know why I did that, is he alright?"
Miroku sat up rubbing the twin bumps on his head as Sango waved off her apologies. Miroku froze as a shadow fell over him, he slowly looked up to see Shino baring down at him, threatening anger pulsing from him, "do not ever disrespect her in such a way again or you shall regret it." He said darkly, Miroku shivered slightly and nodded quickly.
"Come on you!" Sango growled dragging Miroku away. Kagome and Shino returned to watching the fight with Hinata just in time to see Naruto win by farting in Kiba's face.
Kagome burst out laughing clutching onto Shino's arm to stay standing as Kiba rolled around clutching his nose. "I c-can't believe A-ani lost like that! I am soo glad my nose isn't that sensitive! Ha ha ha!" she gasped tears welling in her eyes. Shino nodded as he held her up, seeing as she was hanging on him trying to stay standing. And that is what Kiba came up to see, Kagome laughing at his loss and Shino with an arm around her waist helping her to stay standing.
"Oi it's not funny!" he growled, rubbing his nose. This only fueled her mirth further, the next fight started before she finally caught her breath.
She sat leaning on the wall next to Kiba as he slid down, she poked at his arm eliciting a soft yelp from him, "c'mon let's get you to the medics to get fixed up." She said standing to pull him up despite his protests and whines. "Inuyasha stay and watch the fight with the others, that way you can tell us about them later on." Inu nodded with and with a bark he jumped into Hinata's arms to watch.
Kagome helped him down the hall to the medic area where a Hyuga medic soon accosted them and lead Kiba to a cot to be healed. The cot beside his had the silver haired Taisho, who was struggling to get up, fighting against three medics. Akamaru who had been walking silently behind them jumped onto Kagome's head and barked at him, he stopped struggling and turned to Kagome.
"You! You're the reason I'm stuck here! Tell these idiots to get off, I don't need their help!" he yelled growling and glaring at her.
"Oi, don't talk to my sister like that!" Kiba growled glaring at him from his place on the cot.
"I'll talk to the wench however I want to!" he yelled back starting to rise again.
"Stop it and sit-" WHAM! "down?" she faded staring wide-eyed at Inuyasha because as soon as she said sit his necklace glowed purple and he was dragged down back on the cot, which shuddered under the pressure of him falling on it.
Kiba laughed so hard he was clutching his sides, Kagome looked confused and her eyes were unfocused. "Inuyasha?" she asked faintly.
"Eh? You left him to watch the fight remember?" Kiba asked confused and watching as Kagome blinked looking not at him but at the silver haired boy.
"Kagome?" Taisho looked at her hopefully as she nodded slowly looking confused.
"Oi, someone wanna tell me what's going on?" Kiba interrupted indignantly.
They both looked over at him, "I just remembered how I know him and his uh team." She said before looking back at him, "so is everybody here? Wait, how'd you guys get here?"
"Yeah including Kouga and Sesshoumaru." He grumbled scowling as he said their names. "We've been looking everywhere before I finally caught your scent. But for some reason we couldn't find a way to get to you- your scent just disappeared into thin air right outside my no good half brother's territory."
Kagome turned back to look at Kiba and opened her mouth to speak when a loud boom from the arena shook the room. Kagome fell back onto Kiba's cot as her ninken came running in yelping and barking. "What's going on?" she asked as Inu jumped onto her lap whining.
"I wonder if either Hinata or Shino lost their match is what has him worked up." Kiba said watching Inu rub his muzzle in Kagome's lap.
"I'll go see if they're ok." She said standing and walking to the door.
"Oh no you don't wench you ain't leaving till you get these idiots to let me leave!" Inuyasha growled, struggling to get out of the chakra restraints they had placed on him to keep him on the cot.
Kagome just left him there laughing. Kiba snorted and Inuyasha turned to him, "You had to deal with her for how long?"
"Ah it's not so bad most of the time." He said grinning as he flopped back before his smile faded, "actually I think I'll go see for myself if they're ok. Later dog boy." He said waving over his shoulder to Inuyasha who howled in rage as the door closed. He made it out only to be shoved away by several medics carrying Hinata on a stretcher and Kagome following teary eyed.
"Kiba, it's terrible! She fought Neji and he- he…" she broke down crying as she clutched onto his jacket.
He looked back worried and confused at the closed doors, "don't worry Kags, I'm sure she'll be fine they'll heal her up no sweat." He said encouragingly. "Let's let them do their jobs and go watch Shino kick some ninja's ass!" he said draping an arm over her shoulders and leading her back to the arena. Inuyasha and Akamaru trailing behind them.
Unfortunately they came in just in time to meet Shino returning to the railing, having blown the ninja's arms off with his bugs. They congratulated him and told him what they knew on Hinata's injuries. (I forgot the sequence of fighting so just bare with the incorrect line up! It is a fanfic after all!) they watched the rest of the fights in a distracted manner, Sango and Miroku wandered over and Kagome asked them how they had been to which both were shocked and them hugged her s hard she turned blue, before Miroku groped her and ended up writhing on the floor with insect bites and bruises all over his face, while Kiba seethed and Shino took a step closer to Kagome and between Miroku and her.
The fights ended eventfully even though Kagome was distracted and nervous, worrying about Hinata's condition, but she listened as the final fighters were chosen for who they were to fight for the actual final. She was pitted against Kankuro, after Sasuke vs Gaara and Naruto vs Neji. (I couldn't think of who else to put her with!) With that out of the way Kagome and Kiba went back home to rest up seeing as they had a month to rest and prepare, well Kagome had a month to prepare, to which Kiba scowled pouting when she poked fun at him.
She spent most of the month training with Kiba, Akamaru, and Inu. Or when she was lucky she sparred with Sango, or Shino when she could find him, he'd been training with his clan, Hinata still worried her with her recovery being so slow. She would glare at Neji whenever she saw him. She ate lunch usually with Inuyasha and Naruto at the ramen stand or Sango when she got tired of that. Getting reacquainted with the old group and the less stoic Sesshoumaru and dodging Kouga's proclamations of love.
The month passed without much in the way of important events until a week before the matches. Tempers were running thin between different villages so fights would break out on the streets, Kagome adamantly refused to react to various jabs at her from other ninjas, and had to restrain Inuyasha via 'sit' whenever she hung out with the inu group. Just like old times as Miroku said getting laughs from the others. Shippo, Kagome found out had been forced to stay with Kaede at her village for his own safety when they heard about the nine tailed fox's attack on the village.
By the end of the tense last week Kagome had nearly perfected her team work with Inu and felt ready to take on the sand ninja when she heard that Inuyasha got into a huge fight with several unknown ninja and was forcefully bedridden with chakra restraints to stop him from finding his self appointed opponents. Exasperated she threatened to sit him across the world if he didn't behave himself throughout the finals.
She waited patiently ignoring the goading crowd chanting for Sasuke's fight, but he was missing. She shifted nervously at the feel of mild blood lust coming from the other side where the sand ninja stood. The hokage announced that they would wait for a few matches for him to show up before calling his forfeit. So up next behind him was Naruto vs Neji.
"You can do it Naruto! Show that stuck up guy what you're made of!" Kagome cheered, Kiba covered his ears as she shouted right by his ears.
"Easy Kags, I think you busted my ear!" he whined, Shino just shook his head and they all fell silent watching as the fight ensued, with Kagome shouting encouragement every once in a while.
"I didn't hear this much support when I fought." Kiba muttered, crossing his arms and pouting.
Kagome turned to him, "that's because you and Naruto are friends and wouldn't really hurt each other and either one could win." She said honestly.
"What? You think he's as good as me?" he yelled incredulously.
"Well yeah, I know both of you- worked with both of you too. You may have the tactical prowess and strength. He's got dumb luck and on the move thinking." She said smiling as he gaped at her, before turning back to the fight. "See? Take a look at how he works, he thinks on the move. He's not judging power by looks he's judging by action."
"Yeah but all he's doing is getting hurt!" he exclaimed as they watched Naruto fly through the air as he was hit my Neji.
"Just wait, I know he can win. Bet ya lunch, with Naruto eating too!"
"You're on!"
And so they watched the rest of the fight and when Naruto knocked Neji out Kiba wailed and called a no fair on the basis that she kept yelling and could have distracted them. She just laughed and said she'd see him at lunch with Naruto. She smiled confidently as she prepared to jump into the ring for her time. The sounds of booing drew her attention as Kankuro raised his hand in forfeit.
"WHAT? Are you too scared to fight my sister? I'll kick your ass myself!" Kiba shouted moving to run around the ring to get to him.
"No Ani, if he doesn't want to neither of us has the power to make him." Kagome said grabbing his arm before he could get far. He scowled disappointedly but returned to watch Naruto smack Shikamaru into the arena where Temari was already waiting. "Geez Naruto has no tact does he?"
Kiba snorted, "Naruto, having tact? That'll be the day!" Shino stayed silent standing beside the two as they watched the fight.
Shikamaru won by clever manipulation of the full terrain but ended up giving up just because he complained about being out of chakra and how the whole thing was troublesome.
"Well now that that is over I'm gonna go chat with Naruto and the guys." Kagome said as she turned to walk around the stands to where Naruto, Sango, and Miroku stood around watching the empty arena, waiting for Sasuke to show up.
"How could you give up just like that?" Naruto growled, leaning over the edge, watching Shikamaru walk out. He ran back to the stairs to yell at him
"Naruto, leave him be! It was his choice!" Kagome yelled following after him. They met up with Shikamaru on the first stairs, and she tried to calm Naruto before he started yelling when they all froze, hearing voices ahead of them down a hallway they heard a growl and two quick cries of pain then dripping and silence.
Kagome shivered, stepping behind Naruto slightly as she felt a dark blood lust coming closer, "let's go guys! Come on!" she whispered nervously, grabbing both boys' arms and trying to pull but froze when footsteps sounded closer.
"Too late." Shikamaru said, and they pressed themselves against the wall as Gaara came into view. Kagome shivered pressing harder against the wall and Naruto's arm as he passed them without glancing at any of them. They didn't watch him pass just stood frozen until his steps stopped, Kagome looked back with them to lock eyes with his teal eyes before he continued walking. "That was close." Shikamaru breathed out as they continued up, avoiding the hallway where he had come from, not wanting to see what had happened.
They made it up and looked back into the arena to see Gaara standing there waiting as the audience chanted for Sasuke. "Where is he?" Naruto yelled angrily looking around the stands.
Kagome shrugged looking around nervously; she jumped when Shino laid a hand on her shoulder, "what happened?" he asked watching her.
"Nothing serious just fidgety. Something just feels wrong here." She said distractedly, still looking around.
Shino nodded slightly, his hand still on her shoulder, "go visit your foreign friends. That will settle you." He said calmly.
She nodded moving over to Sango and Miroku who stood tensely as well. "Guys is everything ok?"
"Of course Kagome-sama why would you think something was wrong?" Miroku asked looking at her
"Look your friend showed up." Sango said nodding toward the arena. This caught her attention and she ran forward to see Sasuke standing there and Kakashi poof up into the stands. She watched the fight with growing apprehension and nervousness as the blood lust and anger increased inside the sand dome. She shuddered when Sasuke hit it with the Chidori (sp?) and retreated as Gaara yelled and roared in pain.
"Miroku." Sango called worriedly to which he nodded solemnly.
Several things happened at once, Kagome swayed as she saw leaves brush by, glancing around she saw the spectators falling asleep. Realizing it was a genjutsu she broke it and braced for whatever reason that someone would want to knock out the citizens. She dashed back to see Naruto asleep and Shikamaru faking it as several dark clad ninja came at her. Pulling out a purple glowing kunai she braced to them only to have Sango and Miroku whack them away.
"Are you ok Kagome-chan?" Sango asked glancing back at her. She nodded as Sakura and Kakashi came over.
"Naruto!" Sakura groaned, releasing the jutsu as Kagome kicked Shikamaru up.
"Nice try lazy but you're helping too!" she snapped, before she nodded to Kakashi and Sakura before following after Sango and Miroku to fight.
She blocked a kunai from hitting Miroku's unprotected back just in time as they all fought.
Nodding to her they all fought the ninja alongside Guy and other leaf ninja. It was at least half an hour before she began to feel a creeping feeling of dread engulfed her. She looked around and noticed she couldn't find any of her friends, until she saw Kiba fighting alongside Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru. Kiba was fighting alone. Hinata was unconscious near the seats so not in danger. But she could not find Shino.
"Shino!" she called as the dread increased into panic. "Kurenai-sensei!" she called out seeing her sensei fighting. Kurenai knocked the ninja away to turn to Kagome. "Do you know where Shino is? I can't find him!"
"He went with Naruto, Shikamaru and Sakura to find Sasuke and the sand genin." She said dragging her to duck as kunai whizzed over their heads. "Why?"
"I'm going to go help them!" she yelled running off calling Inu to her from his place beside Sango and Kirara. He ran over and immediately began tracking Shino's scent. "Please be alright!" she prayed as she ran into the trees.
Momo- oh another cliffy! Sorry bout that but I wanted it to be suspenseful; hope you like it! Please review! I really want to know what you think of it! I know it's a little rushed but please bare with it, I've been really distracted because finals are approaching and I'm stressing! I just wanted to give you guys something instead of leaving you hanging for even longer!