Why does inspiration only comes when time is short ? I don't know and this update sure is longer than I had expected. Aren't you lucky ?

And yes, anonymous guest, I will update within the next 10 minutes you reviewed my fanfic. Don't be so impatient people !

Anyway, thanks for your reviews ^^

Kana-Chan01 : La rencontre entre Itachi et Kagerou est pour dans deux chapitres, je pense.

Invitation

Everything started because of Sasuke-San. That idiot. Since Shisui-Nii had learnt that he was the boy who told everyone at school he had a thing for me, he decided to make some space in my life so I could have the opportunity to make new friends. As if I wanted friends like him. He was always there trying to impress me for I don't know which reason. plus Onii-San kinda confessed that I wasn't really the one the boy was trying to get close to.

Shisui-Nii playing matchmaker and Sasuke-San's weird behaviour led to this situation : I was officially invited to the Uchiha compound.

"You can't go! I wouldn't be able to protect you from the bastard !" Naruto protested when I showed him the pretty white scroll Onii-Chan had given to me. "Tell them you refuse."

"But it would be very impolite to do so. See, they say it's to thank me for saving Sasuke's life back then."

"Why now ?"

"They probably didn't view this at important at the time." I supposed. "Or maybe they had been busy..."

Or maybe does it had to do with all the silly acts Sasuke-San did that whole week. First he wanted me to see "the greatest ninja ever", which I didn't care after he told me it was just an awesome ANBU. Seriously, these guys were elite, why would they even tell a child who would just brag about this ? Or Sasuke-San was lying, and trying to impress me. Again. Second he suggested I should check out his mother's food because it was amazing. I had no time to be that lazy so I refused. Finally he asked me to teach him some of the things he pretended he didn't get at school.

And of course he did that when his fangirls nor Aoi-Sensei were nowhere to be seen, so exactly when he found where I had been hiding from him during lunch. Now I had to find another place to rest in the school ground.

"Now I can't refuse. It would be very impolite."

"You were polite when you beat Aoi-Sensei." he said. "And you still stand for me."

I tensed, how could he... Then I recalled what I told our teacher to protect my brother from an unfair punishment. I bluffed about being close to the Hokage and he had believed me. And Naruto was right, I had been polite. I had to make sure my brother didn't know I insulted Aoi-Sensei. And answer to his threats by other threats.

"It's different, bro. They are one of the most powerful clan of Konoha. I can't say 'no' without a valid reason."

"Tell them you won't come because their son is an ass."

"Maybe, but I still saved his life. And don't tell me I shouldn't have. There was a wolf in front of us, and I am not the kind of person to leave people in danger when I can help."

"Then I'm coming, 'tebayo !" my brother growled. "Sasuke had better no try to come next to you."

"Coming where."

"To the Uchiha compound, of course. I'll protect you from everything !"

"But... the invitation doesn't say..."

"I hate doing this, because you're too nice for your own good, Kagerou-Chan. Let me come with you or else..."

"Or else what ?"

"Or else I'll come in your place."

I looked at us in the mirror hanged on the wall. I didn't have his whiskers, his face was rounder than mine, his hair was too spiky and too blonde. Naruto didn't know how to pull a Henge right. When he did he looked like someone who had had bubonic plague. And I absolutely didn't want him to pull his so called "Oiroke no Jutsu" he invented !

"You win, we'll go together."

So we were nicely clothed on the afternoon, ready to fight Uchiha. My hand in his hand was hidden by the long sleeves of our yukata. They were those Shisui-Nii had bought us for my birthday and were becoming too short. We hadn't much difficulties finding their compound since we relayed on my chakra sensors. I had thought the two guards in the entrance would prevent us from entering, but a women who just had the same face as Sasuke-San came to us.

"Sis, that lady..." he whispered. "Her face..."

"I saw that. Now try not to be an idiot in front of Sasuke-San's relative." I answered.

She welcomed us with a warm smile that made my cheeks and Naruto's redden. Not many adults gave us smiles as nice as that. It felt nice. She tried to take our hands but I couldn't detach myself from my brother. She gave up and enjoined us to follow her. She wasn't the least fazed by Naruto's presence. I glanced at the two ninja guarding the place. Their face told different stories. That Mikoto-Sama was a women of power if she could do something men disapproved without being blamed.

I had never thought women could have any power in this country. Every book I had read only mentioned men doing great things, so I assumed women only had to play minor roles in life. I liked helping my brother grow, and I won't stop doing so. But sometimes I thought I could do so much better, seeing how some adults weren't worthy of being in charge.

"So, Kagerou-Chan, Naruto-Kun, I assume you've come because of the formal invitation we send you. Sorry for the inconvenience."

"It was no bother, Mikoto-Sama." I said.

"Don't lie to my face, girl. I know how much efforts Sasuke put into making you come to our house."

She laughed and I averted my eyes. My lips carried a slight smile she wouldn't like. Sasuke-San probably had no idea I had come with my brother. And they hated each other.

"I only came because it seemed important." I said.

"You didn't come to see my son, did you ?" she mused.

"He's been annoying her since she saved her." Naruto growled.

Mikoto-San smiled and mocked my brother's protectiveness gently. Neither of us could answer her taunting. She was so nice to us it felt bad to retort. But she was right, Naruto was very protective of me, and so was I when it came to defend us. We had lived long enough to know there wasn't anything wrong with that.

"In fact my husband and I decided to reward you for your courage."

"Please don't. I too had been threatened by that beast. I merely did..."

"No complaints, young lady. We know how difficult your life is, and that Shisui-Kun supports you by giving you some money from his missions. That is very generous of him, but we felt the whole clan was indebted to you. So we decided to give you a monthly rent for what you've done for my son."

The most embarrassing thing had yet to come. The Uchiha matriarch kneeled in front of us and bowed ! Unbelievable ! It felt very wrong and I was stuttering sentences that had no sense at all to make her stop. It only amused her more and she was still laughing while standing up.

"You're such a sweet girl, Kagerou-Chan. No wonder Sasuke is so fond of you."

"I don't want him to be, tell him to stop." I grumbled, still embarrassed.

"Yeah ! And punish him for being such a..."

I elbowed him to shut him up. My brother had such a big mouth sometimes. Even if the lady wasn't behaving like I had expected (since when did the matriarch of a clan acted that way ?), Naruto couldn't insult her son in front of her. Even if I might agree wholeheartedly.

"Naruto !" I protested. "Behave !"

"Something in you reminds me of my elder son when he was very young, Kagerou-Chan." Mikoto-Sama said with melancholy. "He too was smart and cared deeply for those he loved. But let's not talk about these things."

She started asking us what we wanted to eat when a black form slid the door open and asked what my brother was doing here.

"He came with his sister, Sasuke. Isn't he a nice brother ?" his mother asked with a sweet smile.

Sasuke muttered something I quite didn't hear but that seemed quite insulting toward my brother. Apparently his mother had a better hearing than mine because the aura around her changed totally. Now I started to freak out. Uchiha weren't one of the best clan of the village for nothing.

"I suggest you say some excuses to Naruto-Kun immediately, my son." she said in an icy voice.

The boy was shaking, and somehow I pitied him. I never had a parent to yell at me, nor punish me when I had done wrong things. Ladies at the orphanage probably did so, or else I wouldn't have received an education. But this... This was an incredible skill.

Strong women should have this aura thing in their arsenal. Maybe Shisui knew how to pull that trick. I should ask.

In the end Sasuke-San still got punished and Mikoto-Sama gave us the best treat ever. He was right, his mother's cooking was awesome.

What did you think of Mikoto ? Was she canon to you ?

I think that this encounter will somehow start to show Kagerou that women can have a place in the ninja world (but she won't be convinced until a looooong time)

See you tomorrow !