"Those who forget the past are condemned to repeat it."
- Chuck Palahniuk
Time was running out.
Kagome skirmished around the small apartment, mindful of the thin walls. Dodging the stool placed decoratively next to the couch, she slid into the narrow hallway. Her eyes widened in horror. She had misjudged her speed. Quickly pivoting her body around, she held out her hand and gripped the floorboards.
A soft thud bounced off the wall.
She waited with her breath hitched in her throat. Eyes closed, her aura expanded towards the surrounding area, checking off all the covert shinobis that had become her neighbours. Confident that everyone was exactly where they were since the last time she checked; Kagome sighed in relief. But it was no time to relax.
She choked back on a scream.
Her body was burning. Sweat dripped from her forehead as her breath hastened. Kagome braced herself on her hands and knees as she took in deep breaths to calm her pounding heart. Looking down with a blurred vision, she watched her hands tremble against her weight. She was weakening by the second.
Stupid, stupid, stupid Kagome. How could you forget? Of all times…
Shuddering under the pure energy burning inside her, Kagome forced herself to stay awake. She slowly made her way towards the end of the hallway. Just before her tiny bedroom, a door on the left led downstairs to a sad excuse of a basement. When she had first come upon it, a look of disdain was etched onto her face. The basement was damp and dark with a flickering lightbulb offering little light. A small washing machine was pushed to the far back next to a basin that looked like it was ready to fall apart at any moment. The space itself felt cramped, even with the minimalistic scene.
But it was perfect for a situation such as this.
Finally reaching her destination, she reached up with shaking hands and opened the door. Sliding herself in, Kagome let the door close itself. Preparing herself for the impact, she loosened the weight on the back of her heels that were supporting her body weight and slid down the stairs. This time, she wasn't too worried about the noise. The walls were thick with cement.
Crawling into the basement, Kagome took shelter in the darkness.
Endure it. Breathe in. Breathe out. You can do this.
The first time she had experience this phenomenon was during her fifth year into this world. She had been scared, and somewhat relieved wishing for death to come find her. Kagome later realised that as a pure spiritual being in a world where she could not openly practice her powers, her abilities had become dormant. And in its dormant state it had become restless, restricted, wanting to be let out. Once she had gotten quite accustomed to it, she was confident not be blindsided again. Until she was, a few months after her third spiritual release. Since then, the time between each release had begun to shorten. Drastically.
Kagome forced herself to relax. The burning sensation had reached to her core, she felt it churning inside her stomach. Teeth gnashed against the pain; she released the pent-up power she was burdened with.
A gust of wind picked up in the basement. The washing machine rattled against the wall. In a split second, a barrier was quickly formed around Kagome and a flash of light burst out of her. Gradients of pink shot of out her body, bouncing wildly against the barrier.
Just a little more, Kagome told herself, one more push.
The barrier pulsed once, twice, thrice…
And then it shattered.
An invisible force pushed out across the basement. If it weren't for the last-minute barrier, Kagome was sure the walls would be crumbling down on her by then. Exhausted and drained, she rolled herself onto her back and watched the remnants of her power float above her. Dust of pale pink shimmered before dissipating into thin air.
"Ahhh, it's been a while since I've been let out." Kagome let out a defeated laugh. It was frail, and possibly on the brink of a breakdown.
"Have you come to ridicule me?"
A light chuckle was heard within the darkness. "I could never. But I did think you had forgotten me."
"How could I? You're a part of me."
Kagome felt the entity glide around the basement, probably sizing up the new environment.
"You forgot, didn't you?"
"It won't happen again."
"No matter, I got a chance to stretch my legs."
"Right."
Silenced settled momentarily between the two. She took comfort in the darkness knowing her shame and regret was not going to be exposed.
"You may have forgotten our home, but do not forget who you are. I am at war, fighting for us because our gracious Shikon no Miko has gotten weak."
Kagome flinched, softly muttering, "I'm sorry."
"If you're sorry then," the entity paused, and then suddenly Kagome was pushed back against the wall. "TAKE US HOME!"
Gasping against the rush of air, Kagome swiped her arm up.
"Stop!" Kagome screamed.
"Do not ignore your duty."
"I can never go back."
"Liar! You are weak, hiding amongst these strangers in a world that is not our own. If this continues, your body will no longer be able to hold the power of the Shikon. You will be obliterated and then where we will go? Who will host us in a land where they are spiritually null?"
She knew the consequences. But she felt a helplessness that refused to let her go.
The entity did not relent.
"You have taken on a great boon for us and saved our world. So, why will you not save yourself? Why-"
"Because I no longer deserve it." Kagome interrupted. Her tone was low and soft.
"Selfish." Kagome knew.
"I never expected this of you." Kagome hated herself for it too.
"How much longer will you make me fight?" Kagome wished she did not hear that.
Suddenly, the entity vanished.
"I'm sorry," She whispered. "Lady Midoriko."
~o0o~
"He woke up?"
"Only for a second, but, yes, he woke up."
Tsunade leaned back into her chair, fighting back a grin threatening to spread on her lips. A surge of childish excitement shot through her.
"Must be a sign of good luck, then?" Tsunade mused. Shizune groaned.
"It was odd, to be honest. She did mention there were signs of internal bleeding, but it had slowed down. He must have pulled through from your previous healing."
"Good," Tsunade nodded, a deadly glint dancing her eyes. "Hopefully with Kagome's herbs, it will quicken the healing process. Once Itachi is healed, we can start tweezing out the morons who want to see Konoha burn."
Shizune's expression darkened.
It was no secret that Konoha had become a battlefield for power. They were all standing on the thin edge of a blade, anticipating when it will change hands.
Kakashi chose that moment to say something.
"My oh my, the airs quite cold on this side of the room." He teased, appearing next to Shizune.
"Why you-"
Kakashi walked right past Shizune, cutting her retort short. "So, I heard we have a plan in place?"
Fascinated, Kakashi had hurried over when he had heard Itachi had woken up. He wondered what kind of woman Kagome was to be able to have Itachi wake up in one visit. The later disappointment of learning that it might have actually been Tsunade who contributed to that feat, did phase stop his curiosity.
"We're taking advantage of his current state. Kagome will seem him in two days. She's requested some time to gather herbs. Her initial assessment is similar to mine which is comforting because it proves some medical experience.
"Is that right?" Kakashi intoned. "Well, I shall accompany the young lady on her next visit. Destiny has requested I start taking some long walks."
Rolling her eyes, Shizune snorted in his direction. "I'm worried about Kagome's innocence."
Tsunade laughed.
She was in a merry mood. This was a win for her. A sign of hope. Itachi had woken up weeks after the incident. She had done everything in her power to keep him alive but was losing hope as the days went by. This was definitely a win.
In honour of a small victory, she pulled out a bottle of sake along with three glasses.
"One drink to good fortune."
~o0o~
Kagome busily grinded down the herbs she dropped in a stone bowl. Every once in a while, she would check on her paste. If it was too watery, she added more herbs, if it was too thick, a little bit of water went a long way. Pausing to test the thickness of her paste, she broke out into a smile. It was ready. Scooping out the paste into little jars that were provided by the Hokage, they were soon labelled, dated and ready to be used.
Next, she checked on her dried herbs which were going to be used to brew some tea. With a thoughtful pause, Kagome decided to extract some rose nectar to minimise the bitter taste.
An image of Itachi's red hues flashed through her mind. What intrigued her with the 'less than a second' gaze lock was the three tear drops that swirled around his pupil. She had briefly heard of the Uchiha clan and their kekkei genkai, but seeing it in person, especially the power it exuded even in a weakened state, astounded her.
As the sun began to set, Kagome packed up the herbs and brought them inside. She decided it was the perfect moment to go out and grab some dinner.
Whilst out and about, she made it a habit to smile at the people of Konoha or engage in small conversations with them. In the two days she spent looking for herbs, the older generation were most impressed with a teasing taste of her medicine. Others weren't very forthcoming, but they did warm up to her smiles. Then there were some who thought interacting with non-Konohans were a waste of their time. They were easily ignored.
So far, Kagome was satisfied with her progress. She indulged herself in the distraction in hopes that the events that took place in her basement would soon be an addition to the other list of things she would rather be indifferent to.
When night came and it was time to sneak through the backstreets of Konoha again, Kagome was ready and armed with her trusted yellow backpack. The secret knock sounded on the door. Instead of Shizune, she was surprised to see a man she had never met. Confused, Kagome tried to play dumb.
"Yes? How can I help you?"
The man was dressed in black. His shirt seemed to be a duality of sort because it rose up to his neck and turned into a mask which covered his lower face. His headband was placed strategically that it covered is left eye. If his objection were to create an air of mystery, he had succeeded. However, she did try to ignore the colour of his hair.
With his one eye uncovered, the man looked Kagome up and down before shoving her into the apartment and stepping in after. The door shut with a soft click.
"Hey!" Kagome exclaimed. "What do you think you are doing?"
"Hatake Kakashi, your escort for the night."
Somewhat relieved that she recognised the name Shizune advised her to remember, Kagome shifted from defence mode to extremely annoyed.
"This is not part of the plan. You're not supposed to come inside."
Kakashi lazily sighed. "Your backpack is the problem."
Slightly offended, Kagome tried to hide her backpack from his view. "What's wrong with it."
"It's yellow." He plainly answered.
"So?"
There was a moment of delayed comprehension before it dawned onto Kagome what Kakashi was referring to. He was dressed in black. She was dressed in black. Her backpack, unfortunately, did not meet the stealthy criteria that they were going for.
"Right. I won't be long."
Ten minutes later, Kagome was once again packed and ready to go. Giving his approval at the change, Kakashi smirked through his mask. He had Kagome blindfolded and over his shoulder within seconds. Appreciating the view that could bring his icha-icha paradise fantasies to life, they had begun the journey to Itachi.
Once they arrived at the cave, Kagome had successfully landed a few blows on Kakashi. Though he made no direct move to touch her inappropriately, his eyes had been glued to her ass. Kagome, along with the perverse sixth sense she picked up whilst travelling with Miroku, did not like the attention her ass was getting. Taking advantage of every leap, she swayed her body around loosely to land a knucklehead or two on the unsuspecting shinobi. She made sure her punches was packing some extra power.
"Shizune didn't mention you were such a violent passenger." Kakashi stated, rubbing this throbbing head.
Shrugging, Kagome passed him an innocent smile. "I guess she was a better ride."
Kakashi had decided to stick around to carefully watch over the proceedings much to Kagome's displeasure. While Shizune gave her room to breathe, Kagome was well aware of her shinobi gaze. The problem with Kakashi, however, she just did not expect him to have a similar kekkei genkai to the man lying before her.
Carefully snipping away the bandages around his torso, Kagome made quick work of applying her herbal paste. She moved down his body, careful not to smudge her earlier efforts. Her eyes took in the scars that were carelessly marred all over his body. The wounds, she thought absently, would leave a mark of their own as well. They weren't given to hurt or torture, but to kill.
Kakashi, by then, had decided Kagome did not have any tricks rolled up her sleeve. He assisted where he could in supporting Itachi's weight while she re-bandaged him, but later concluded that this would be a perfect time to scout the area to ensure all is as it should be. Giving Kagome some quick instructions, he left as if he was never there at all.
Kagome relished in the little freedom she was provided.
With a sigh, she busied herself with mundane tasks. A little housekeeping here, setting up a supply stock there, all the while her mind never strayed too far from the man she agreed to treat.
She felt a sense of urgency, a yearning, to help him. To purify away his darkness and heal his scars. She wanted to know how he had ended up in this cave, who had given him these wounds, why was he holding strongly to his life? All these questions, she wondered if they would ever get answered.
But then again, she reasoned, her mood darkening, she wondered if she was just projecting her own darkness onto him.
"Where am I?"
Lost in her thoughts, Kagome did not expect to hear a raspy voice behind her. Shocked and surprised, she dropped the bandage she was re-rolling for the second time.
She replied hesitantly, moving to his side. "I did not expect you to wake so quickly."
Opening the up the flask of tea she had prepared beforehand, she poured the steaming brew into a small teacup. Bringing it to his lips, Kagome moved in to gently lift his head up, but paused when he flinched away.
"Who are you?" His voice was stronger. Deeper with the promise of a deadly threat laced within those three simple words. His eyes swirled a deep red, the same tear drops she had seen in her first visit spinning dangerously.
"You shouldn't do that." When he didn't answer, Kagome continued. "You're going blind, you know?"
Itachi's eyes narrowed further. He tried to move his body but disappointedly fell back onto the hard slab of rock. Kagome heard him grit back a hiss.
Feeling a little ticked off because he was undoing all the work she had done, Kagome sneered at his efforts to move.
"You're hurting yourself."
Again, he ignored her.
"Drink this, it will help ease the pain."
Ignored.
"You're wasting your energy trying to move."
Ignored.
"This is getting point-"
"He's awake!"
Gasping, Kagome spun around to see Kakashi leaning casually against the wall. She huffed at her own lack of awareness.
"The least you can do is make some noise. We don't all have your keen shinobi senses." Though her frustration was unfounded, Kagome couldn't help the childish outburst. She placed the tea into Kakashi's hands none too gently. "He needs to drink this."
The rest of their visit were spent with Kakashi getting Itachi up to date. There were a few hush-hush conversations that she was kept out of, but Kagome, too embarrassed to say anything more, kept mostly to herself. Introductions were then made.
"Uchiha Itachi," He said. Still the same deep tone, a little gruff maybe. "I apologize for my earlier actions."
Now feeling a little silly, Kagome shook her head. She smiled through her lies.
"Higurashi Kagome, and don't be sorry, happy to help in anyway I can."
Hello! :)
Thank you once again for all the lovely reviews! I absolutely love reading through them, highlight of day!
I hope you enjoy this chapter, we're FINALLY getting somewhere with Itachi :D
Once again, disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or Naruto.
Please review!
BlossomBlues 3