Kagome watched Kushina grumble out of the corner of her eye as she was cleaning up from the small supper she had thrown together for the older lady. Kushina had shown up rather late already in a pretty crappy mood. Food always seems to cheer the red-head up so she had offered a small meal, which had been readily agreed to. When Kushina let out a low angry mumble again Kagome couldn't take it anymore, "Alright, I give. What's wrong Kushina?"
Kushina startled slightly before a light blush started overtaking her face, she obviously didn't realize that she had been mumbling out loud, "It's nothing. Don't worry about me." She rambled out quickly, hoping the younger girl would simply drop it.
Kagome rolled her eyes and stopped the pretense of cleaning and gave Kushina her full attention, "Yeah, I totally believed that one. Seriously, what's wrong? I don't like seeing you this worried about something."
The red-head let out a long sigh when she recognized the look in Kagome's eyes. The kid wouldn't let this go until she figured out exactly what was wrong, "It's nothing for you to worry about Gome, it's adult stuff. My landlord informed me right before I came over that he sold the building and we all have to be out by the end of the week. Which means I only have three days to find a new place to live. Don't worry though, I'm sure I'll be able to find somewhere without too much trouble. It's just annoying that he didn't give us more warning. I didn't even know that he was planning on selling the place." She grumbled out crankily.
Kagome paused in what she was doing, biting her lip in thought. Minato wasn't home right now but would be back in about an hour or so. She knew for a fact that her brother would instantly offer what she herself wanted to. After a moment of consideration, she decided to just do it, "Why don't you move in with us?" Minato could thank her later.
It was Kushina's turn to freeze as she stared at the little girl she thought of as a little sister, "What?" she answered smartly.
Kagome shrugged in response, "I mean you're already over here a lot. Plus, you've been sleeping over half of the time since you end up staying so late. Minato loves you and I really like having you around. I don't see a reason for you not to move in." Kagome argued her case.
Kushina blushed prettily as she thought of it, "I don't know Gome, as much as it seems like you run the house, that would be up to Minato." She argued lamely back.
Kagome had to hold back another eye-roll, like Minato would say no to having Kushina around permanently, "Why don't you talk to Minato when he gets home then?" she offered lightly as she finished putting the leftovers away. She went over to the red-head and hugged her from behind, "Personally, I hope that you choose to move in. Anyway, I'm going to go meditate for a bit before I head to bed. Have a good night Kushina."
Kushina smiled as she patted the arms around her, "Alright, I'll make sure Minato stays quiet when he shows up. Sleep well." She replied. She knew that Kagome had started meditating about two months ago before going to sleep. Something about settling her mind to be able to sleep. All Kushina knew was that she would never have the patience to do it.
Kagome let go of her older sister and headed to her room. A smile appeared on her face as Suhi pulsed his greeting to her. He had been much more friendly to her lately, which she didn't mind at all. She gave a small pulse in return and sensed Suhi's amusement. Only this time she also sensed a nearly undetectable pulse of yokai from down the hall. One that could only be coming from the Kyuubi. She was just able to sense the curiosity in the pulse's intent. A small frown pulled at her lips as he considered doing something, she had been curious about doing for quite a while.
"Well he's a curious little kit isn't he?" Magatsuhi thought to her in amusement.
"I'm sure he doesn't get much company. Kushina doesn't like him and it isn't like he has anyone else to talk to. Plus, as far as he knows he and his eight other siblings should be the only youkai in the world. The fact that he continuously senses your yokai must puzzle him to no end. Also, he is most likely older than you are, please don't antagonize him by calling him a kit." Kagome answered in amusement.
She changed into pajamas and climbed onto her bed, making herself comfortable. She sat in deep thought for a while before coming to a final decision. She felt Minato arrive back home and heard the two lovebirds start talking. If she was able to get in undetected then maybe she could have a decent conversation with the Kyuubi without Kushina knowing about it.
"Hey Suhi, you up for a change of scenery?" She asked conversationally. Most of Magatsuhi's time was spent in the expansive darkness of the Shikon. When she meditated, she would sometimes bring him into her inner world, which consisted of the clearing around the well and the god tree. A small piece of the feudal era that she kept with her. He didn't get to come out into the real world very often as he preferred to keep his energy charged up in case of emergencies.
"Ah, always Princess." He answered eagerly.
"Cool, tag along with my mediation then," Kagome told him as she closed her eyes and started settling into her inner world. From there she would hone onto the Kyuubi's unique chakra signature and attempt to jump to his own mind space. It was a difficult technique, but one that she had perfected in the feudal era. Herself and Kikyo would jump to each other's inner world as practice and train within. It was sometimes easier to catch onto something in the spiritual sense than in the physical world.
Within a few minutes, she was in her inner world. Magatsuhi appeared right behind her and casually leaned on the top of her head. She huffed in annoyment; she really couldn't wait until she started growing some of her old height back. Her ninth birthday was coming up and she had barely grown three inches since she got here. It wasn't like she had been super tall when she was eighteen, coming in at an exactly whopping five foot tall. But that was still way better than the four feet that she was at now. She could at least reach things comfortably now, but her shortness was still annoying. She did wonder every once in a while, if she would once again stop at five feet or if she would be able to grow past that this time. Only time would tell.
"Comfy?" she asked with a small growl.
"Of course I am Princess. You're my favorite leaning post."
She shrugged him off, "Will you help me hone in on his yokai? I've really only practiced on someone else with Ki. Pretty much only with Kikyo before. I managed it once with Sesshomaru, but that was extremely more difficult and it took me a lot longer."
"No problem. Since he's the only other youkai in the near vicinity I've become very familiar with his yokai. It shouldn't take too long." Magatsuhi answered.
Kagome sat under the god tree and got into her meditation position in anticipation to go even deeper. She stretched her senses outwards and immediately latched onto Magatsuhi's yokai. It took nearly ten minutes before another type of yokai. Magatsuhi's was a deep purple, a color similar to the color of the Shikon when it came became corrupted. This yokai was a deep orange, nearly red. Kagome snatched onto it and mentally followed it back to its source. She felt Magatsuhi tag along and within a blink of an eye, she was in a very long dark hallway. At the end of the hallway, there were large thick bars with a large Fuinjutsu seal more complicated than she had ever seen before keeping it locked. She felt Magatsuhi put his hand on her shoulder, squeeze it in comfort, before letting go and letting her take the lead.
She took a deep calming breath before squaring her shoulders and walking calmly towards the bars. She cast a very light barrier around herself and Magatsuhi so Kushina wouldn't notice their unwelcome intrusion. As they got closer to the bars Kagome could start seeing a large silhouette and glowing eyes staring back at her. The two stopped mere feet from the edge of the bars and the three simply stared at each other for a little while.
"You're brave to come here." The Kyuubi grumbled out finally, giving them a large-toothed grin.
"I've been wanting to meet you for a while now. I am not sure how much you can see through Kushina so I'll introduce myself. My name is Kagome Namikaze and this is Magatsuhi, he's a dragon youkai. We are not originally from this world as I'm sure you've gathered by now."
"It has lessened from the first moment I've sensed you, but you still have a bit of the sage of six path's chakra within you. How? He has been dead for centuries."
Kagome tilted her head to the side in thought, "The best I can assume is that he gave me a boost with his own chakra when he saved me. I can't tell you for sure, however, because I don't really know myself. I didn't have a chakra system before I came here, he gave me one. Perhaps his chakra is guiding my own. Though I do have to say, it is not very polite of you to not introduce yourself after I have given you my name."
The Kyuubi gave her a considering look. This tiny scrap of a kid showed not a hint of fear towards him and willingly showed a youkai her back. The being behind her may not be one of his siblings, but he held immense power just as they did. In fact, the apparent dragon youkai seemed to hold at least as much power as himself, the strongest of his siblings. He laid his head down on his paws and said lowly, "I am sure you have heard people talking about me by now." He said coyly.
Kagome narrowed her eyes at him, "And I find it hard to believe that your name is Kyuubi." Kyuubi translated to nine-tails and she truly found it hard to believe that his parents simply named him and the rest of his siblings simply by how many tails they had. That was ridiculous. She gave him a hard look, "If you are worried about me telling others you have my word that your name will stay between the three of us."
"You don't fear me," Kyuubi said avoiding the answer.
Kagome let out a laugh, "Not at all. I do not judge people by what they are, only who they are. I came from a world where demons outnumbered humans by a considerable amount. Demons do not scare me." She smiled at him in a friendly way, "May I please have your name?"
Kyuubi considered deeply; this child had obviously met his father at one point, somehow, and his father had blessed this random kid. His father, the main human that he ever trusted, put his faith into this child. Perhaps he should take a chance and see, "Kurama." He answered simply.
Kagome sent him a bright smile, "Well, it is a pleasure to officially meet you Kurama."
All she got in reply was an unamused huff.
Kagome felt Magatsuhi lean down on her head and she rolled her eyes, "With the way that you talk about this Sage guy makes it seem like you knew him." He commented lightly.
Kurama gazed lazily at the two from behind his bars before giving them a cryptic answer, "He was the only human that I've ever trusted."
Kagome smiled sweetly at him, "Well I hope that someday you can add me to that list."
The fox simply gave a huff again but Magatsuhi laughed gaining the fox's attention, "Oh, she means it kit. She makes friends out of practically everyone, even pass enemies. Take me for example, at one time I was trying to kill her. Wanted to as well. Now I'm rather overprotective little miss shorty."
Now it was Kagome's turn to let out a huff as she finally pushed the dragon off of her, "I don't do anything special. I just try to be nice."
"Whatever you say, Princess." Magatsuhi replied with a toothy grin.
Kagome rolled her eyes at him before turning back to Kurama, "I'm sorry that we can't stay longer and talk, but I can sense Kushina falling asleep. It'll be easier for her to detect that something is wrong. I don't want her to know just yet that I know about you, or that I'm able to do this. I promise we'll come back to talk when we can. It was truly nice to meet you Kurama." She was purposefully not adding a suffix to his name as she wanted him to know that she wanted to be his friend. He might think it rude for now, but hopefully, in the future, he will appreciate it.
"Do what you want," Kurama grunted out before closing his eyes and dismissing them.
Kagome shared a look with Magatsuhi before she focused back on her own mind. Leaving was a lot easier than entering the foreign mindscape. She appeared back by the well and she sat down on it. Kurama obviously didn't trust her, but that was to be expected. For most of his life, he has been locked away inside of humans, betrayed by humans, and looked down upon by humans. So why in the world would he trust a human? She definitely had her work cut out for her. That didn't bother her though, she liked a challenge. Befriending Kurama has now become her newest goal.
The next morning when Kagome got up to start breakfast to her surprise Jiraiya was already up and waiting for her. She was slightly impressed that he knew enough about the kitchen to be able to make himself a cup of coffee. Oh, how she missed the sweet nectar that was coffee, but she couldn't start drinking it until she was older. Coffee wasn't healthy for kids. So, for now, she had to deal with tea that had light caffeine in it.
She sent him a look as she started making herself some tea before she started breakfast for everyone, "What's got you up so early?" she asked curiously.
"Got something for you," Jiraiya yawned out as he slid a piece of paper across the table towards her.
Curiosity got the better of her as she put down the skillet and picked up the piece of paper. Shock echoed through her as she read the large words at the top. Chunin Exams. She looked up sharply at her Sensei with wide eyes.
Jiraiya chuckled tiredly at the look on her face.
"You think I'm ready?" Kagome asked in wonder.
"Kiddo you've been ready for the chunin exams since after our first mission together. This just happens to be the first chunin exam since you've become a genin. You are more than ready kid, but the final decision is up to you." His student would probably the most prepared of all of the poor little genin there. She would dominate the competition and honestly, he couldn't wait to watch.
"Wouldn't I need a team to participate?" she asked warily.
"Naw, we are actually the only village that requires teams. Each village's chunin exams are different. This one is being held in the hidden cloud and as such teams are not required but they are accepted. So, if you do participate in these exams do remember that you might end up against teams. In fact, if any other genin teams from here participate then you might end up going against them." Jiraiya explained.
"Can I… can I think about it?" Kagome asked.
Jiraiya shrugged, "Sure, take your time. Though the sooner you decide the sooner we can arrange our schedules accordingly. We'd have to leave in a two weeks to make it there on time, so I don't mean to rush you but you will need to decide decently quick." He chugged the rest of his cup of coffee before standing up. He ruffled the kid's hair before heading out, he had some errands he had to run. While he knew that she was hesitant he knew that she would end up accepting. She still had some self-doubt issues that he wasn't fond of from before she showed up in Konoha. He didn't know who kept putting her down in the past, but he really wanted to have some words with them. With how amazing his kid was now, he couldn't even start to imagine how far along she could be without those issues in her way.
Kagome folded the paper up and put it in her pocket to think about later. She made a quick breakfast for herself and Minato, but after a moment's thought made enough for a third person. She planned on heading over to Shikaku's house to talk this over with him, and knowing Shikaku she would probably be waking him up. The least she could do was come baring food. Unlike her usual mornings she didn't wait for Minato, she now had way too much on her mind. She ate her breakfast as quickly as she could before writing a note to let Minato know where she would be going. She ducked back into her room for her things before leaving the house. She was still slinging Suhi onto her back as the front door closed behind her.
She felt Magatsuhi flood her with a sense of disappointment and she frowned in confusion.
"What's your problem?" she asked irritably.
"If you think you're not ready for this test then you are much stupider than I originally thought you were." Magatsuhi thought to her before cutting off the connection.
Kagome stopped in shock just before leaving her district. Was he seriously mad at her? For being unsure of herself? Really? Anger and frustration suddenly flowed through her. It wasn't like she could help not knowing if she was going to be good enough or not. This world was extremely dangerous and while she knew that killing wasn't smiled upon during the exams it was accepted. She didn't want to go into something that dangerous without knowing for sure that she would be able to hold her own. Sure, she was way beyond the normal genin in Konoha, but she had no idea just how talented the average genin is in other villages. She knew from first-hand experience that in some villages the children were pushed much harder than any child should be. Especially from the hidden mist. So why was he so mad at her for just being cautious?
Her mood took a real bad turn after that as she practically stomped her way to Shikaku's house. She had been really tempted to simply turn around and leave Suhi at home as that is the only way that he could talk to her mentally. That would be extremely stupid, however, as they had learned that having Suhi with her blocked Midoriko from affecting her mind. Not all of the way, but definitely enough to make a difference. Unfortainetly she had to keep the rude sword with her.
A few minutes later she made it to Shikaku's house and started knocking on the door. To make sure that he actually got up to answer it she just kept knocking. He would eventually get annoyed by the noise and answer the door to make it stop.
Five minutes later Shikaku finally opened the door. His hair was a mess and he was only wearing a pair of sleeping pants. He knew that the person on the other side of the door had to be either Inoichi or Kagome as they were the only two that were ever persistent enough to keep knocking that long. Since he knew it was going to be one of his two closest friends he didn't bother making himself presentable. If they needed him this badly this early they could deal with him as is. The moment he opened the door he knew something was up. Kagome stood there with a nearly pissed off expression on her face. While Kagome did have a very nasty temper there weren't many things that kept her mad. He did notice that she brought food along, which he was grateful for. Kagome was an amazing cook. He simply pushed the door open wider and stepped back far enough to give her enough space to squeeze past. She didn't hesitate to the invitation and stalked her way into his home.
Oh yeah, Kagome was in a great mood today. Shikaku let out a long sigh as he closed the door. Today was going to be a great day, he could tell, and he hadn't even been awake ten minutes. He locked the door so they wouldn't get unexpected visitors, he needed to make sure they weren't interrupted. He had a feeling that would be an absolutely terrible idea today. He headed towards his kitchen which is where he was sure that Kagome would be. He knew something extra special was up when he entered as Kagome had taken her sword off her back and planted him in a corner. He never really saw Kagome without her sword anymore so he knew something happened between the two of them. What did the dragon demon say to her to piss her off so badly?
"So, what's up?" Shikaku finally drawled out.
"I brought you breakfast." Kagome avoided the question.
Shikaku sat down at the table but didn't let her avoid the subject, "Thanks, but we came to an agreement to not do this avoiding shit did we not?" She needed one single person who was able to be slightly neutral. Who knew everything but wouldn't judge either way. They had made an agreement that Kagome would tell him nearly everything so she didn't get stuck inside her own mind. Shikaku had the same problem himself at times, a lot of Nara's did. With the deal, they had made she had just as much a right to call him on his own bullshit.
Kagome looked up and sighed, "You're right, sorry." She paused for a moment before saying unsure of herself, "Am I a coward?"
That simple question caught Shikaku off guard and he sent a small glare to the sword placed in the corner. What in the hell did the damned sword say to her?
He took a bite of food Kagome had placed in front of him before he looked Kagome straight in the eye so she would know that he was serious about this, "Kid, you are one of the bravest people I know. What is this all about?"
Kagome let out a small huff and pulled the chunin application from her pocket and slid it over to him, "Jiraiya-sensei surprised me with that this morning. I'm not sure whether to accept or not. Suhi called me stupid for thinking I'm not ready."
"What makes you think you aren't ready?" Shikaku asked carefully.
"It's not that I think I'm not ready, not really. I know I would probably do fine, maybe. I just don't know how I feel about competing with other kids. Plus, the timing isn't the best with the upcoming war and everything."
"This one would be the best to attend if I'm being honest. I think I can safely say we both know that the war is going to happen no matter how long we try and push it back. When the war does break out all chunin exams will be halted until everything blows over and who knows how long that will last. If you want to get promoted, these exams will be your last chance for a while."
Kagome shrugged lightly, "Couldn't I just stay a genin. I mean what is the real advantage is there to becoming a chunin? " she grumbled softly.
Shikaku smirked at the pouting child, "You could stay a genin I suppose. There are some ninja that never leave the genin rank. On the other hand, there are certain missions that genin cannot go on. Those are the ones that Jiraiya usually goes on solo." He told her casually. He knew that Jiraiya going out by himself truly bothered her. She would come to calm herself of her anxiety with the deer herd a lot while he was gone.
Kagome paused before laying her head down on the table in her folded arms. Her face scrunched up in consideration. She hated it when she had to stay behind for certain SS level missions. Her worry about her sensei, that she was slowly to actually see as a father figure, would nearly make her sick at times. If she became a chunin would she finally be able to go on those missions with him? That fact alone would make the risk completely worth it. She looked up at Shikaku as he finished off his breakfast. Huh, she had been thinking much longer than she thought.
When he glanced at her she nearly whispered out, "In your honest opinion do you think I'll be able to do it?" Most if not all of the other participants would be older than her. By quite a bit. The normal age for people to start participating in the chunin exams is thirteen to fifteen. She had just turned nine not too long ago.
"Of course." Shikaku answered without a moment of hesitation, "You push yourself to your limits and beyond much more than the normal genin. Not only from Konoha, but from other villages as well. You already know many chunin level jutsu, your Taijutsu is above average, and your skill with your sword will surprise a lot of them." Her sword was nearly three-quarters of the length of her. Many would simply assume the sword was for show or it would be too long for her to wield properly. Those that underestimate her will be in for a very nasty surprise.
She sent him a small smile and grabbed the application back from him, "Thanks." She tucked the paper back into her pocket, she'd sign it later. She couldn't limit herself, that would do nobody any good.
"No problem." Shikaku said with a shrug, "Thanks for the food. Delicious as normal." Honestly, if she ever decided the kunoichi life wasn't for her she would do well to open up a restaurant or something. Though if she retires she would probably go work at the hospital as she loves helping and healing people. He got up and started heading back to his back porch, "You up for a game of shogi?"
Kagome stood up and grinned at him, "Sure." She actually enjoyed shogi now, Miroku would be so proud of her. To her utter enjoyment, she had tried playing a few other people and found that she was able to beat them rather easily. Turns out when you start learning the game from an absolute genius and master of the game your play style is much more advance than normal.
The next week went by pretty quickly. Kushina did end up moving in with them, which Kagome was ecstatic about. She loved having another woman around permanently. She had ended up signing the application and handing it into Jiraiya who in turn turned it into the Hokage. Jiraiya, Minato, Shikaku, Inoichi, Choza, and even Kushina had teamed up to help her train for the exams. There were a few days her friends had simply gathered and watched her train. They all thought it was amazing to watch her try and keep up with five Jonin and one chunin. She had gotten really used to listening to Guy shouting out excitedly in encouragement in the background as she tried desperately to avoid being pounded into the ground by her older group of friends. Multitasking training at it's best. She had made up with Magatsuhi… mostly. He had been a bit more jerky since then, and he hadn't apologized for being extremely rude. So, mostly it had just been Kagome ignoring that the event had happened at all. The dreams Midoriko had been plaguing her with had become more intense the past few days, and honestly, in hindsight, this was something that she should have told someone. As Kagome fell asleep, the moment she felt Midoriko's energy flare nearly as much as when she opened the portal to send her to this world, she knew she was in trouble. She couldn't even stop herself from falling asleep as she was violently pulled into a dreamscape.
Kagome felt dread fill her as she flared her own Ki in an attempt to wake herself up, as she found she was able to do. It didn't work. She also knew something else was wrong as she was once again eighteen. She hadn't appeared as her old self in any of the previous dreams she had, so why in the world was she like this now? Kagome sat down on the lip of the well as she tried to figure out what was going on. If it wasn't for the fact she couldn't wake herself up she would simply assume she was in her inner mindscape.
She was startled out of her thoughts when two different voices started speaking at the same time.
"Where the hell am I?" a male voice said in confusion.
"You're alive." A woman's voice breathed out in evident relief.
Kagome stood up and spun around to see both Minato and Kikyo looking at her. Kagome's jaw dropped in shock, what in the world was going on? Just what was Midoriko's plan this time?