You Can Reclaim Your Crown

Summary: No one paid her much attention, Naruto's landlady, this woman who paid visits to the Uchiha compound with baskets of bread and fruit for the little Uchiha survivor. The woman who sat down to dinner with the Nine Tails Jinchuriki...who had befriended the silent Itachi, the impassive Kakashi...and had enraptured the hearts of Kushina and Minato...no one paid her any attention, until she's forced to act as a Shinobi of the Hidden Leaf Village once again.

Pairing: Kagome/?

Anime/Manga: InuYasha/Naruto

Genre: Romance/Spiritual/Adventure

Rated: M

-x-x-x-

Dressing in a long sleeve mesh one-piece over the bandeau wrap that covered her breasts, she pulled a black sleeveless top on over the mesh, the top went down a couple inches past her bandeau but was about three inches above her waist line. Her bellybutton peeking through the mesh one-piece as she grabbed her pants from her bed. A pair of the uniform Jounin black pants were pulled on, tight enough that they were situated not to fall from her hips, but loose enough that they were relaxed a fit. Grabbing her flack vest, a half version of the normal one that the Jounin Nin normally wore. She pulled it on over her top and zipped it before grabbing her black shinobi shoes and slipping them on.

A pair of mismatched eyes followed what bare skin was available and traced it along the outlines made available by the mesh she wore. "How do you make a pair of pants and Jounin Vest look so good?"

Kagome looked over her shoulder and grinned, pulling her hair into a high ponytail, she tied it up and turned to Kakashi who had been glued to her hip since they met up earlier in the academy. "You think I look good?"

"...you have to ask?" He eyed her with a smoky look. His mask was loose around his neck and she was able to see him in a way that he only ever let her see.

"No...I know." She leaned forward and kissed him on the forehead. An endearing act that was as childish as it was adoring. "So, I get to hang out with you until someone arrives and opens their scroll...such fun."

"Then you'll disappear from me..." he sighed, "I wanna lock you away from the world, keep you to myself."

She shook her head, "that sounds like it'd be no fun."

Kakashi raised a brow, "I could think of a lot of fun things I could do with you if I had you all to myself."

Blushing at his implications, she laughed his comment off and pulled him up from her bed, "let's go grab a bite to eat, I'm hungry."

Kakashi obliged as he lifted his hand to his mask and pulled it up and over his face again, situating the hitai-ate over his eye, he followed her out of her apartment.

-x-x-x-

"Oh, there she is..."

Kagome glanced up and smiled in the direction of a familiar face. "Shikaku, and Chouza! How are you both today?"

"We are doing great, just wanted to give you our congratulations." Shikaku chuckled, "heard through the metaphorical grapevine that you were inducted into the Shinobi Way."

She grinned, "this grapevine is impressive! How did the Nara and Akimichi clan hear about it so soon? It's been less than half a day."

"Well...the information network isn't anything to bat your eyelashes at." Chouza laughed, "paying a visit to the Nara's or Yamanaka's will usually catch you up to speed on all of the events and latest rumors in the village."

"Oh?" Kagome laughed, "Mrs. Yamanaka and Mrs. Nara?"

"Close," Kakashi frowned, "Mrs. Yamanaka and Shikaku."

A round of laughter waved through them as Shikaku blushed and looked away, scratching the back of his head as he did. "Am I really that bad? It's not like I gossip, I just know things."

"Did you guys want to join Kakashi and I for lunch? We were on our way to grab some Yakisoba."

"Well, that does sound good. I've got nothing planned, but we were on our way to save Inoichi from the flower shop."

"He needs saving?" Kagome frowned, "I guess he doesn't like flower arranging quite as much as his wife and daughter."

"I wouldn't say that," Shikaku pointed past her to the flower shop where Inoichi was gently placing flowers in a barrel. "The opposite...actually. I need to help him retain his manliness."

"..." Kagome bit her lip and took Kakashi's hand in hers, "we will grab a table for five, don't take too long!" She called out over her shoulder as she dragged Kakashi off towards the Yakisoba restaurant down the food district of Konoha. She smiled when Kakashi pulled her closer and brushed his arm against hers. The height difference between them was obvious. From the outside in, she was sure she looked like his student as much as Sakura did. Perhaps not quite so short, but Kagome recalled how Sakura was only a little more than a head shorter than she was. "Hey...Sensei..."

Kakashi brought a hand to his face and coughed under his breath, "really?"

She chuckled, "I was thinking about Sakura...Sasuke and Naruto are always pushing forward, and I know you have your eyes on Sasuke...but Sakura. She's kind of lingering in the background..."

"...yeah..."

"I'm just saying...don't ignore her. Give her the same attention that you give the boys." She smiled, looking up at him, "she makes you nervous, doesn't she." This wasn't a question; it was a statement.

"Nervous? You think that's it?"

"I know it is...that team...is like your old team. You see yourself in Sasuke, and Naruto is like Obito...that means-"

"Kagome..."

"Don't hold your team back, Kakashi, simply because you have a hard time coping with the reality of those similarities."

He sighed but said nothing. She wasn't wrong...

-x-x-x-

Hours had passed, Kagome felt a tingling buzz run up her body and sighed before standing from the booth. "I'll see you later Kakashi,"

He glanced over at her and nodded, watching her pull her hands together in response to the summoning scrolls. "..." when she disappeared, Kakashi was left alone with the dads of Squad Ten. "I do hope life is treating you all well..."

Inoichi raised a brow and smirked, "as well as married life can treat a man. I've got the easy part of staying alive...she's got the hard part of waiting."

"You keep on the way you are; it won't be long till life treats you the same." Shikaku chuckled.

Kakashi shook his head, "I doubt that...I'm surprised I haven't been killed already, to be honest."

"I have Minato...and Kushina...and I still have you, Kakashi. That's a double-edged blade though, that means you still have me...and you have Minato and Kushina as well."

He looked at the small cup of Saki, his eye stilled on the clear liquid. 'That was before Minato and Kushina died...now it's only me and Kagome...ah...there is Naruto and Sasuke too. They've burrowed a place in her heart as well...but...' He closed his eyes, "I won't marry Kagome...if I died, it would kill her."

"I promise, Kakashi...I won't ever leave your side..."

"Is that something you can decided on your own?" Chouza asked, taking a drink of his own Saki. "Kagome is a smart girl...clever young lady...she retains the unique ability to love unconditionally and pulls those around her into that love. She makes the best of her life, and isn't afraid of getting hurt. To make that kind of decision, seems to be a bit insensitive." Chouza placed his cup down and made to pour another. "She reached out to Naruto...and Chouji...and planted the seeds of friendship in them...that seed grew, the same with Shikamaru and Sasuke."

Shikaku nodded, "it's amazing to think of all that she'd done for the young ones. Naruto and Sasuke...where would they be if not for her?"

Frowning, Inoichi sighed, "now that's a thought. Naruto would be alone...ignored...forgotten...most likely he'd be outcasted and faced with adversities far more emotionally depleting than anything he went up against with Kagome and Sasuke by his side. Sasuke on the other hand..."

"Sasuke...if not for Kagome and Naruto...would be in a dark place that's best not to think about." Kakashi muttered, standing, he placed money on the table before waving a hand to the three at the table across from him. "I'll see you guys, take care."

Chouza watched Kakashi go and sighed, "what do you think?"

"I think...if he's not pursuant in this relationship...he's gonna let a good girl slip through his fingers." Shikaku threw his head back and finished off his drink, "this is Kakashi's M.O... likes to push people away when they get too close. She's not too close yet... but... every day she gets closer."

"...I thought he'd finally let someone stay by his side...after all...it's Kagome."

Shikaku looked at Inoichi, '...yeah...it's Kagome...but it's also Kakashi we're talking about here.' He glanced out the window, it had grown darker, the sun burning at the edge of the Hidden Leaf's forest. "Love is always a leap into the unknown. You can try to control as many variables, and understand a situation as you can, but you're still jumping off a cliff and hoping that someone catches you. In this case... with Kakashi and Kagome...I see too many variables in this equation that...there's no way to predict the outcome of such a relationship."

"...you make it sound like advanced calculations..." Inoichi chuckled, "we'll just wait and see."

"Mm," Chouza nodded, "no matter what. Kagome won't let herself be hurt...not while she's overseeing Naruto and Sasuke."

"You think so..." Shikaku closed his eyes and sighed, 'she'll get hurt...she just won't let herself show it. Damn...what a pain.'

-x-x-x-

Me: Here is chapter 22, I hope you all enjoy! I was hoping it'd be out sooner, but...XD...I'm watching Shippuden, so...a bit distracted. Anyways, I hope you all enjoy this chapter! Shout out to Applejax, super cool to see your name again, and I hope everyone has a great rest of their night/day!