"Who were you- before they broke you?"
- Unknown
The sound of footsteps woke her up.
Eyes opening, Kagome took in a deep breath and released the air to loosen her muscles. Soundlessly slipping out of bed, she slid across the room, careful to avoid the moonlight that peaked through her curtains. Nearing her closed door, she placed her right ear against it, making sure not to step directly in front of the door, or risk the intruder seeing her shadow through the small gap at the bottom.
The footsteps were light, barely touching the hardwood floor. With their swift movements, Kagome quickly deduced her intruders were shinobis. What they were doing sneaking around her apartment at an ungodly hour was definitely something she wanted to find out. Expanding her aura, she pinpointed the location of the intruders in the living room. She quickly made a mental note that while there were two of them, only one was actively moving around.
Injured perhaps?
Just outside her room, on the left, was the door leading downstairs to the basement. A few steps forward down the narrow hallway was the kitchen on the right. Said kitchen had an opening which connected to the living room.
If I can get to the kitchen, I can get a better view of them.
Plan in mind, she waited for the right moment before stepping out. Using the tip of her toe to soften the sound of the door closing, Kagome did not waste any time taking to the shadows once again and entering the kitchen. Without any hesitation, she pulled out a knife from the knife stand on the bench and ducked low behind the countertop.
Suddenly she stopped dead on her tracks.
So, you've brought company, Kagome thought with annoyance. Pushing out her senses further, she figured they were at least five minutes away.
Creeping forward once more, Kagome slid her head around the counter and watched a silhouette kneel before the couch. Now that she was closer, she couldn't help but think that the active intruder, more specifically the hair, seemed awfully familiar. The other intruder was laid to rest on her couch. She could feel the exhaustion and adrenaline laced in their aura. Wondering if they were rouges who had just escaped a battle and had taken shelter at any random apartment, Kagome decided a blunt attack would be in her favor.
…Just in case they are not rouge and Konoha-nin instead.
She stilled her breath. Her blood pulsed loudly in her ear as she channeled her energy into the air surrounding them. Confident she had dulled their senses; she allowed her powers to pool at the balls of her feet and then some powering up the hilt of the knife she gripped. With a soft push off the back of her heel, Kagome appeared behind the unsuspecting figure and quickly brought down the hilt of the knife down the side of its head.
While the force behind the hit wasn't enough to phase an experienced shinobi, the power that coursed through the hilt and right into their temple caused more damage than a physical hit would have.
Gripping his head as pricks of needles rushed through the side of his temple and right into his covered eye, the intruder stumbled back.
Disregarding the person on her couch, Kagome stalked closer to her current victim. She dodged the kunai that was thrown at her with ease but that small insignificant attack had revealed who her intruders really were.
She gasped.
Thanks to the kunai she dodged, it dug itself into the nearby wall taking the curtains with it. The light spilling in from the outside confirmed that the man burning from her purity was none other than Kakashi, and the other intruder on her couch was Itachi.
The shift in her persona was instantaneous. Gone was the battle-ready guardian replaced with a fumbling klutz.
Falling back on her butt, she dropped the knife from her trembling hands.
"Ka-Kakashi?" She softly spoke, pulling back on her miko energy that she knew was burning away at his mysterious eye. "Why would you sneak around like that? I-I was so scared!"
Struggling for words, Kakashi shook away the receding effects of Kagome's attack. Unsure of what to make of it himself, he decided to tab it for an afterthought. At that moment there was someone else that needed her attention the most.
"Itachi," He groaned out, "See to him first."
Blinking in surprise, Kagome nodded frantically as she moved back towards the couch. Itachi, though unmoving, was gravely pale. Moving to turn on the lamp next to the couch, she winced.
Turning to face Kakashi, she hissed, "What happened?"
Not waiting for a reply, she ran out from the living room. It wasn't long before Kagome returned armed with bandages and medicine. She dropped down before Itachi and got to work. Without missing a beat, she began to instruct Kakashi.
"This doesn't look too good. There should be a first aid kit in the cabinet under the kitchen sink, I need you to get them for me, please." He did not move. "Now." She commanded. "And get that curtain fixed unless you want an audience."
Once more reminding himself that this was not the time to interrogate how Kagome had caught him off guard, he got back up effortlessly and moved to do as told.
Fishing out a mochi ball she made for the children, Kagome did a quick look behind her to make sure Kakashi was pre-occupied before charging up the sweet ball with her energy. It glowed a soft pink before flickering out. Nestling her arm below Itachi's neck, she gently cradled him up and forced the mochi down his throat.
She figured if she could not openly heal him, the mochi balls could at least give her a head start internally.
Kakashi had returned by this time, carefully holding out the first aid kit to Kagome. Knowing too well of the mistrust gleaming in his eyes, especially after the stunt she pulled, Kagome hesitantly took the kit.
For the next few hours, they worked harmoniously in silence. Kagome had treated Kakashi's swollen temple, but it did nothing to lessen the tensed air. Especially when that short treatment led to reveal the many more wounds Kakashi sported. Her lips thinned. She forced down the curiosity and continued to work silently before returning to Itachi's side.
Satisfied that Itachi was starting to gain some color, her shoulders slumped forward with relief. Kagome wasn't sure what that night would result to, but she reasoned if they weren't locking her up away in a dungeon, she still might be in the clear.
Though, as she thought back to Kakashi, her doubts were not settled.
When Tsunade arrived with Shizune, the air between Kakashi and Kagome was thick. If they were curious about the lingering awkwardness, they didn't question it. Instead, they requested for a brief report, examined the treatment, told Kagome what was going to happen in the next few days and then left. There wasn't an explanation of what happened that night, not even a hint – not that Kagome pushed for more information either.
Kakashi bluntly made it clear he was hesitant to leave by his actions. He lingered to the point Shizune had to force him out. Kagome had wished Shizune had done that rather sooner than waiting for an hour or so before departing.
"Don't hold your breath, Kagome, you're not in the clear yet."
Eyeing the man that she saved from death's doorstep for the second time, Kagome questioned what was so special about him.
She watched the rise and fall of his chest, her eyes slowly moving up to his face - his face contouring in pain every now and then. Was he having a bad dream? Was he in pain? Traumatized?
"Are you broken as well?"
Eyes closing without her consent, Kagome gave into sleep.
~o0o~
"You need to back off."
"Why?"
"Are you actually being serious right now? Is this a joke to you?"
"A joke is that woman we left with an unarmed Itachi. Since her arrival, suddenly Itachi's whereabouts are known." Kakashi's glare deepened. "They know Itachi survived the ambush. It doesn't matter if we killed their informants, the fact that they did not return back to base to report is more than telling."
Shizune sputtered. She knew rationalizing the situation was in their best interest, and really everything that had happened was a coincidence. A really bad coincidence in Kagome's favor. She mildly understood the skepticism, but what Kakashi didn't know was that Konohamaru was enlisted once again to keep an eye on Kagome. That, Shizune stumped, was bad communication on her part. In her crumbling defense, she was sneaking around without anyone's knowing.
Kakashi, a man who almost always wore a bored expression, was increasingly becoming exasperated.
"I am trying to be logical here-" Shizune decided it was time to nip it in the bud.
"Konohamaru has been keeping watch on Kagome."
Kakashi blinked once. Twice and then thrice. This was news to him.
"What?"
Shizune sighed. "It's not official since Tsunade is not be aware but I did subtly influence Konohamaru to befriend Kagome." Her sheepish tone was enough to have Kakashi throw himself off of the tallest building, but for times like these, he had the will of an unmoving mountain.
She continued, "I can't deny the uncertainty that comes with Kagome, it bothers and worries me to no end. We have a village on the edge of a civil war and Konohamaru was willing to help out." Especially since we rudely kicked him off his first assignment, Shizune thought but did not say out loud.
Pondering on her words carefully, Kakashi stepped back. His arms folded and relaxed back into his infamous bored stance.
"Explain." Shizune jumped on the opportunity.
"Coincidently, Kagome really is just your usual civilian. She sets up her stall on market days- minimal sale, but enough to get buy. On other days she bides her time in the library. Konohamaru is good at it and he reports everything but," and she let that hang in the air before continuing. "He says she speaks odd. Like she's not from this world."
Kakashi raised a brow. "Not from this world?"
"He could mean she's weird, but Konohamaru has a good head on his shoulders. His instincts don't exactly scream she's a danger, but that doesn't mean she's not dangerous."
Choosing not to share his earlier experience at this point of time, Kakashi left the conversation at that. While he didn't agree with Shizune sneaking around behind Tsunade's back, he didn't feel he had the right to advise her otherwise. Afterall, he intentionally did not tell them about the moment of dissonance he felt before Kagome whacked him on the head.
He had a lot to think about.
~o0o~
When Itachi awoke, he first noticed he was not in the cave anymore. Memories of the events before he met total darkness flashed through his head. His teeth clenched. He absolutely hated at how weak he currently was. The mere thought of it had him incensed with newfound anger. Fists clenched tightly, he wished more than anything to eradicate his clan from existence. But then the thought was quickly shot down. He thought back to his miserable, yet oblivious, little brother. Then his honorable father and mother who tried to uphold what little peace that existed within the Uchiha grounds.
He wished for things to have been different. Simpler, even. But first, he had to figure out where exactly he was.
Attempting to turn on his sharingan, Itachi hissed when his eyes burned in return.
"You shouldn't do that."
Itachi froze. He looked to the side and saw Kagome walking over to him. She held a tray of what he could only guess to be nutrients needed for his recovering body.
"Kagome." He watched as she set the tray down on a nearby stool. A glass of water and a bowl of porridge. She settled next to it on the ground. Grateful that he didn't need to strain his neck to look up at her, he absently noted how those were the exact words spoken when they had first met.
"What happened?" He asked, already theorizing various responses he could possibly receive from Kagome. Said woman rolled her eyes.
"That's exactly what I would like to know too. One second I'm sleeping soundly and the next Kakashi shows up with you on the verge of death. Your Hokage wasn't highly informative."
So, nothing. Itachi concluded, but he didn't miss a beat moving onto the next question.
"I cannot activate my sharingan, why?"
This time he got more of a reaction out of Kagome. She growled impressively.
"That thing in your eye? Don't you dare try and use it. I went to hell just to get your eyesight back." A lie, but Kagome wasn't going to preach about how she healed him without breaking a sweat, or the fact that she placed a barrier around his eyes so that he would not be able to access his strange ability anytime soon.
"Why can I not use it?"
Holding her arms up in defense, Kagome shook her head. "I only heal, you have to figure out the rest."
Not wanting to spend the rest of the day under his scrutiny, Kagome informed him of what she did know. Which, as he correctly determined, was close to nothing. He did learn that Tsunade would visit when possible to confirm their situation. Now that the Uchiha rebellion has confirmed his survival, he had no choice but to recover, and fast.
Hoisting Itachi up gently, Kagome plopped a straw into the glass of water and brought it up to Itachi's lips. If he could twitch his brows angrily at the straw, Itachi would have. His current predicament was suddenly becoming very real.
He felt very weak. And useless. And broken.
But he sipped on the straw anyway. Dignity put aside, Itachi reasoned he would be much more useless dead if he didn't at least try to push for his recovery.
Peaking through her lashes, Kagome decided now was the best time to ask what had been gnawing at her for quite a while.
"So," She began, "Why does everyone here think you're not in the village?"
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BlossomBlues 3