Lean on Me...
Summary: She was found at such a young age, taken in by Shikaku, not as a daughter, but as a wife in training for his youngest son. How will this affect the Nara Clan...more specifically the laid back, easy going, semi-lazy...Shikamaru?
Anime: InuYasha/Naruto
Pairing: Shikamaru/Kagome
Genre: Romance/Comfort/Hurt
Rated: M for Mature
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AGES RIGHT NOW
AGES
Kagome – 11
Rookie Nine – 12
Neji – 13
Itachi - 18
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Gaara watched the scene unfold before him as he and the Proctor watched the two in the entrance way of the staircase. He said nothing, watching as she smiled, as he blushed, as her hair swayed, and his hands rested on her waist. He watched in silence and wondered why it was that he was even noticing any of this. He didn't care if the guy was holding her close, he didn't care that her arms were wrapped around his neck, pulling her in closer to him. He didn't care that their eyes were locked on one another until the very last moment that she had to walk away from him. He didn't care that he followed her with his eyes until she stood across from him...he didn't care.
"If you are both ready...ekhm...you may start."
He watched Kagome, as soon as the Proctor started the match, her attention was solely on him. Somehow, he wanted to keep it like that. As she shot forward, he fought for control over his sand as it came up to protect him. Her eyes narrowing as she put together his defenses in her head and made a list of what she could and couldn't do. He pushed his sand out, and it wrapped around her wrist as she made to punch through his sand shield. Gripping her, she struggled to free her hand, her eyes wide as she tried in vain to free herself. He followed the length of her arm up to her eyes as she tried to think up a way out. He released her...
Her eyes widened and she jumped back as she looked him over cautiously.
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'What the hell is up with that sand...' she followed it with her eyes as it slowly dropped to the ground. Her eyes turned to her wrist, the feeling when it took hold of her wasn't the same as the night on the rooftop. When she'd reached out to touch the mark on his forehead, it had reacted to protect its host, and the rope of sand that had found her wrist had been tight and unrelenting. This was different, the sand was loose, no... not loose enough that she could get out of its hold, but loose enough that it didn't hurt her. "...Gaara..."
He lifted his head a bit, his eyes never wavering from hers.
"...If you don't fight me like you mean it...then this whole match will be worthless." She moved into a fighting stance, Taijutsu was one of her greatest strengths, but she couldn't get past that sand at her current speed. She'd have to find another method...but for now... "It's been awhile, since I had to push myself...to be faster..." she smirked. Rushing forward, she disappeared from the eyes of all who stared down at the arena...including the eyes of Hayate and Gaara. Both of which tried to find her by turning and looking around the arena.
"Faster Kagome!"
"I'm moving as fast as I can, it just doesn't seem that way because of your eyes!"
"Then out move my eyes!"
She spun into a kick and caught Gaara off guard as his sand shot up to block the kick, to his surprise, her foot nearly brushed his shoulder. He jumped away and moved into a fighting stance. She grinned, then disappeared again. 'If I can out run Itachi's eyes...then I can out run Gaara's sand!' She flipped down into a dangerously fast spin kick that struck precariously close to Gaara's hair, swiping threw the sand, a small brush of air struck his face and his hair moved with the change in the air. She swiped her hand backwards in a knife hand, but her fingertips barely grazed the shield of sand as he jumped backwards to avoid the strike. She was getting faster.
His eyes could only barely follow her movements, and his sand...Gaara looked at the sand on the ground and in the air around him. He narrowed his eyes and made a fist before rushing towards Kagome, striking the air forward, his sand shot out at her as she back-flipped out of its reach, jumping forward and over the sand, she tumbled into a roll before landing on her feet. Her eyes watched the sand as it went on the offensive. Gaara opened his hand and then squeezed it tight, the sand at her heals wrapped tightly around her ankles and she was dragged down and then slammed painfully into the stone ground.
Her eyes widened as she lost her breath to blood. The sight of the crimson red in the air before her was chilling. She felt the sand slacken slightly and rolled out of it's reach before it could tighten on her again. Catching her breath, she spit the blood that filled her mouth out and wiped it from her lips before she pulled the scroll from her hip. She jumped out of reach of his sand as she unraveled her scroll and swiped the blood on her hand down the scroll's length. A poof sounded and a thick handled Scimitar with a jagged blade fell into her hands as the scroll drifted weightlessly to the ground.
"Let me introduce you...I brought her on the chance that I might get to have some fun..." spinning the blade in front of her, she slammed the staff of the blade into the ground and the earth split into eight directions. "Ninja Art: Octet Foreshock!" The ground around the staff gave out in a mild tremor that pulsed around the arena. Her eyes followed Gaara as he jumped quickly to a farther selection of earth that hadn't given out to the tremors below. A few trees leaning with the new development made to their landscape. "...Genma told me not to use her...but..." she laughed, "oh well." She took the staff of the blade and shot forward with chakra infused into her step, her speed pressing forward faster as she vanished once again right before his eyes.
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Genma sighed, standing beside the Hokage where he watched his Pupil and teammate destroy the terrain below.
"Isn't that one of the four Scimitar's of Konoha's Elite Bodyguards?"
The Third chuckled and turned his eyes to the Kazekage that sat next to him, "your eyes are sharp, it was gifted to her after she'd graduated top of her class from the Advanced Special Weapons class."
"Quite the gift...I wasn't aware that the Hokage was so generous."
Genma glanced at Raido from the corner of his eyes, the two looking back at the Kazekage before turning their attention back to the destruction below. Another loud explosion of earth had rocks and dirt flying everywhere as Kagome cut through the sand barrier with her blade. The blade that slammed down into the ground with force, held her weight as she propelled herself into a back downward kick while flipping over the blade. Her foot connected with Gaara and Genma felt pride burning inside as he watched her knock the boy to his knees just before sand swirled around him again. "That's quite the defensive barrier."
The Hokage nodded, "indeed, but Kagome's quite adept at overcoming obstacles that look to be unstable, Catch-22 situations."
"Try dodging this!"
Kagome's yell drew their eyes and a gyre of wind and dirt spun rapidly at Gaara who closed his eyes to avoid letting dirt spiral into his eyes. He looked up and Kagome was gone again, scratch marks marring his body. Genma narrowed his eyes and took the boy below in. His body...was covered in what looked like cracks. "Is that..."
"A sand shield that covers his entire body..." the Third nodded, "impressive, I thought this was a sand barrier, but he'd actually manipulated it to cover his entire body...this boy is something else. However, it's begun to crack..."
"...so it has..." the Kazekage chuckled from beside them. A sound that had an eerie ring to it as the three acknowledged it and watched the fight continue.
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Kagome heaved a breath as her eyes looked at Gaara cautiously, the air around them suddenly changing as she looked into malicious aquamarine eyes. "...you seem a bit upset...wanna talk about it?"
A large grin widened across his face as he laughed, sand falling from his face as he walked closer to her. "Sure...let's talk..." He brought his hands up fast and sand surrounded Kagome from both sides, she jumped back out of the way of two waves of sand. Redirecting its path, he maneuvered it through the air until he'd caught hold of the Scimitar in her hand, yanking it forward and pulling her straight to him.
Kagome clenched her teeth, her eyes moving to her weapon as she looked back at Gaara. "...not a chance...this weapon...isn't yours to take!" She moved her chakra to her feet and slammed her feet down into the ground, halting her movement as she took the Scimitar in both hands and stabilized her stance. "...damn...it! What is it with you Sand Nin!" She yelled out as she laced her weapon in her chakra before spinning it in her hands and shaking off the sand grip that kept her stationary.
"You should stop while you're ahead..." he breathed out with malice, taking a heavy step towards her.
"All talk and no action! Telling me to stop...DON'T GET COCKY!" She slammed the blade into the ground, surface ruptures split the arena in half as dirt and rocks shot forward at Gaara. Sweat burned at her eyes as she bull rushed the other, her blade dragging along the earth as she swiped at Gaara with the aim to cut the insane laughter short. What she didn't expect...was the tendrils of sand that formed points and shot straight at her. Her eyes widening as she twisted out of the way of the sharp projectiles, but to her dismay...
"KAGOME!"
"Kagome! NO!"
"GAARA, STOP!"
'...damn...' Her hand dropped to the sand that protruded through her gut, blood dripped from her mouth down her chin, her eyes closing a little as she winced while pushing herself from the protruding tip of the sand weapon. "...don't you dare...think...it'll be that easy."
"K-KAGOME! KAGOME, GIVE UP!"
Kagome's eyes widened at Shikamaru's words, they echoed around her and her knees gave out beneath her as she fell forward. Her hand touched over the open wound, blood seeping between her fingers as she closed her eyes. '...give up? Really Shikamaru? You said that you ask the same of me, to win...to...'
"Kagome!" His voice was desperately calling out to her from over the screaming and yelling of the crowd.
"Mom..." Kagome's voice was a gasp of air, "p-please...guide me..." she closed her eyes and struggled to her feet, swaying as a light pink glow surrounded her body. "...I'm sorry Shikamaru...but...I WON'T BACK DOWN!"
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Me: Here is chapter 50! Hope you all enjoy this chapter, I'll update then next chapter when I get to work, but I must get dressed and leave! So, review, and let me know what your think.
