I'm sorry this update took longer. I haven't had much sleep lately and things keep popping up. I been so exhausted I couldn't put forth the effort it takes me to type and think well enough to put together a fantastic chapter. I do have a treat for you though; this chapter is just under 4,500 words so it's more than twice as long as the others. I hope you enjoy! I'm taking a brief break and then I might work on chapter 20. Either way it should be updated once again in several hours.

Retribution

Chapter 19

Once they reached them they could see his kunai coming out of her neck, his mouth descended to suck up her blood but Itachi was already on him, starting a battle of taijutsu and kenjutsu. Then Kabuto appeared with a vile and started gathering the blood being spilled as her body gagged and coughed up blood, staining the ground and hospital gown.

Sakura aimed a strike at his head causing his grip to loosen on her enough for Kakashi to appear and grab her. Laying her down on her side Tsunade immediately began healing her while Sakura and Shizune worked to keep her still. Sasuke and Kakashi were keeping guard while Shikamaru watched the fight from behind them.

The other Uchiha formed his Susanoo and Itachi formed his own, the Yata Mirror and Sword of Totsuka showing with it. The battle began, Itachi's red Susanoo attacking the other Uchiha's blue one. "Indra, this battle will be your loss. I will send you to your grave."

"What is going on?" Sakura asked.

Shikamaru stepped up, already catching on to things. Kabuto provoked Sasuke into a fight and Kakashi was busy focusing on both. "Indra is the first son born of the Sage of Six Paths. Like Itachi, he too was brought back to life. The Sage had wanted to know how his sons would lead the world to peace. Asura's answer was love whereas Indra's answer was power. His father chose his youngest son, Asura, as his successor and Indra was filled with hate and jealousy. Asura started the Senju clan; Indra started the Uchiha clan and began the conflict between the two clans which continued on until Lord First found the village with Madara. Now Indra is alive and still holding a grudge and for some reason he needs her blood."

He paused, wetting his mouth, "and that's not all. Kabuto after years of research needed a priestess, one that was already connected with the God Tree and powerful. Kagome's tree on her shrine is the Goshinboku; it is actually a cross between the God Tree and the Sakura Tree. Her power and the tree's blended together in harmony. The well on her shrine, known as The Bone Eater Well was actually made from that tree and its roots also surround it and somehow that created a portal between the Modern Times and the Feudal Era. Kabuto must have been having a hard time locating her and needed someone that could find the power of the well or her power so he brought Itachi back.

"Without fail Itachi did find the well and in turn found her just like Kabuto hoped but when Itachi stayed by her side and fell in love with her Kabuto realized he would also get revenge on Itachi. He had also manipulated events and tested out this glass ball that can absorb her powers and make her very weak so once he knew everything was successful he waited for his chance to take her. In the lab he must have been giving her body injections of a diluted version of the Shinju fruit that he must have gathered during the last war. It only bears a single fruit once in a millennium but he found a way around that. We also know the other injection was Uchiha blood and my best guess would be that guys which is possibly also why he has been able to stay in her mind unless Sasuke forces him out. Sasuke we also know is this guy's second reincarnation, Madara being the first. I don't know what either of them is trying to accomplish but I at least know all of that. Also, this is the guy that Lord Second said started the 'Curse of Hatred.'"

Kabuto stopped fighting, his laughter had their attention. "Our goals are so simple. I will get my revenge on Sasuke and Itachi Uchiha as well as the Hidden Leaf Village. Indra will become more powerful and he can wipe out the village along with the existing Uchiha, then start the clan anew with Kagome by his side."

Itachi narrowed his eyes as he took another strike at Indra with his Susanoo. "Is that your goal then like he says?"

Indra released his Susanoo and dodged the sword. Itachi followed suit and they clashed, kunai to kunai. "This village was founded by an Uchiha and a Senju and has since been run by two Senju along with descendants of the Senju. Now I have the two remaining Uchiha's and they are loyal to their Hokage a descendent, of the Senju, and this village. In my eyes you are nothing but disgusting vermin. I will re-start the Uchiha line and with the help of the God Tree I will live on and so will my will! Once I wipe out your existence I will take that woman to be mine."

"I will not let you have her." They broke apart breathing hard, sizing each other up. "Your archaic eyes are no match for mine or my brother's. We are true inheritors of the Sharingan and Kakashi's gifted eyes could even beat yours."

Indra scowled at the insult. "Boy, you forget who gained the sharingan eyes first."

"I do not forget I just know ours are much more developed than yours and have had time to be trained. We surpassed you in power a long time ago." Kakashi was battling Kabuto and Sasuke was watching his fight. Seeing his brother he called out to him, "Sasuke, show him your power."

Jumping into the fight Sasuke's left sharingan turned into the Rinnegan. With a smirk he held out his left hand and proceeded to pull Indra towards him before calling, "chidori!" Indra was stabbed through the stomach and stumbled backwards, his eyes wide with disbelief. Kabuto didn't know about this tidbit either, grabbing Indra he retreated.

Kagome was stabilized, the wound in her neck healed. After picking her up Itachi noticed her pale pallor and carried her back to Sasuke's place instead. It really could not have been a longer day with the way things had gone. She would have to be watched constantly or she would be gone with no idea as to where she was taken to. The frustration was building and it was hard to rest. Lying in a guest room he couldn't find it in him to let his guard down at all with knowing the enemy could use the Kamui technique and appear with the blink of an eye, take her and be gone.

Sasuke was in his room resting, everyone else was wherever, and he couldn't bring himself to care where they would be when all he wanted to do is get somewhere presumably safer. She at least would need to lie down and rest for however long needed. A zillion thoughts ran through his mind, he had no idea what to expect and if by some miracle she would be out of that trance or that brainwashed state she had been in.

Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Ding. Ding. Ding. Ding. Ding. Tick. Tick. Tick. Like clockwork she stirred. 5 o'clock A.M. and she opened her eyes. The sky a mixture of day and night outside the bedroom window, gradually getting lighter, the stars disappearing in favor for the biggest of them all, the sun. It was like a painting, a beautiful painting with a story of the love the moon and the sun have. It never made much sense to her since in the story they say the moon and sun could not both shine but she quite often would see them both in the sky.

It was certainly possible that in other parts of the world it was not so and instead more like the story. They were both beautiful and both served great purpose but she loved it most when she would see where night meets day and vice versa. She could still hear the clock ticking, signaling the passage of time in tune with what she watched out the window as she remained lying on the bed.

Arms tightened around her torso, she knew who it was but her mind was enraptured by the change in the sky. It made her feel free. She didn't want to focus on anything apart from the peaceful scene. It had been so long and she felt it. Usually you don't really feel the passage of time to such an extent but she truly had. She wasn't sure just how long she had been away from the conscious world but she was glad she made it back.

Though she did make it back, she didn't know where she made it back to. That was a good question. Where is she? The room was not hers so she wasn't in her bedroom, nor was she on the shrine grounds. The clock and the room signified she couldn't be in the feudal era either so could she be somewhere else in the modern era, or where Itachi is from?

The arms around her she knows are Itachi's. After spending so long in each other's company she could easily recognize them. They were comforting and it felt like a security net. She could barely feel his soft breath on the back of her head through her hair. Knowing him to be a light sleeper she kept her body relaxed, breathing soft, and thoughts to herself. She wondered how he was doing. Obviously fine physically but by the way he was holding her it made her wonder if he thought she would disappear. Thinking back to that night she assumed yes. A shiver ran down her spine and she fought back the urge to rub her goosebumps as her mind turned to those memories. The arms wrapped around her tighter and his body was pulled flush to hers.

"You don't have to be quiet, I'm awake." His soft mumble drifted over her left ear and she felt her body snuggling deeper into his embrace unconsciously. His came up and gave her arm a gentle squeeze before sifting through her locks of hair and give her head a light massage. He had developed a habit of doing, his hands so sure of their path. That thought comforted her, to know he had been so near while she was unable to wake up.

"How long has it been?" The answer being important to her. She couldn't find herself being happy not knowing. She felt him shift to lay on his back and pull of his arms rolling her body with him. With her new position laying half on him, her head resting on his chest while his hand resumed its motion in her hair.

"Fourteen days since Kabuto had taken you. Thirteen since you have been rescued from him and only hours since we freed your mind." He felt her try to mold herself closer to him and he tightened his grip further, the statements were not pleasant to think on. He remained quiet after that, letting her sort through her thoughts while she clung to him. He felt reassured by the act, his own concerns falling away.

It did concern him still that she might not want to be with him anymore but he didn't speak it out loud. He wanted to prove to her that he would make a good husband, that they would be great together and yet the first trouble they had he had failed to rescue her from it in a timely fashion. His lack in the ability to rescue her immediately put her through torture. That then led to her mind being trapped, her being brainwashed, taken, and then hurt once again. How much she knew of what happened stayed a mystery to him.

They laid there soaking in the other's presence, the clock ticked in the background, for the most part forgotten. After a while they both drifted off into a light slumber, it was 9 o'clock when Kagome finally sat up and stretched while the clock chimed. Itachi slowly sat up, rolling a couple kinks out in his shoulders as he gazed at the woman he would like to call his. She was silently taking in her surroundings, there wasn't much there besides a window and bed. The clock was to her left, the window opposite of it, the bed in-between, and the door to the right of clock. The room had white walls and everything else a light grey, comforter being varying shades of the color. It was simple.

For the first time she noticed she was wearing a hospital gown. She could recall only being in a bra and underwear while strapped to the table, not remembering when they cut it off. It must have been after the first injection since she had been clothed while they were putting the bindings on her. She looked at the gown blankly for a while, thoughts filtering through her mind as she tried to decide if she wanted to know what she looked like or what happened before she was rescued. Her hands in her lap fisted the fabric and the sheet, trembling with mounting anxiety.

Beads of sweat gathered at her brow, she was biting her lip as her blood pumped faster with her increasing heart rate. Her hands were twisting the gown and sheet, she didn't even remember she had an audience, her mind too focused on the fear that grew and fed her anxiety away. She was moments away from having a full blown panic attack when she felt one hand on her shoulder and another calming her hands. The arms around her helped bring her breathing back to a calmer rate before she slumped back into the embrace. Her eyes still focused on her covered abdomen until a hand ran through her bangs and sifted through her hair in calm strokes, eyes closing at the sensation. The trembling stopped, muscles unclenched, and the teeth stopped their assault on the tender lips.

She wasn't sleepy but her body felt much more at ease even if some of the thoughts persisted. She could hear his heartbeat as he held her, feel every breath he took, and absorbed the feeling of safety from him. Another hour had ticked by as the clock chimed 10 o'clock. A soft sigh escaped her lips before she mumbled the name of the person that invoked warm and fuzzy feelings inside of her. "Itachi."

His head rested against hers as his upper torso leaned against the wall. "You're safe Kagome. I have you." He pressed a light kiss to her cheek and wrapped his arms around her shoulders while planting a few more kisses along her cheek bone. His tenderness easing some of the fear from her.

It was several minutes until she finally had the guts to ask what was on her mind. "Itachi, is my body… is it… bad? The changes done to it?" Her body trembled lightly and she was back to biting her lips and clenching her fists.

Noticing her change in behavior he freed her lip from her teeth before calming her hands again. "No Kagome, in fact it wasn't bad at all." Wishing he could take back his words knowing she had been screaming in pain he sought to explain what he meant. "I'm sorry Kagome, I shouldn't have been vague." He amended. "Kabuto didn't get far. He forced your body to accept chakra by giving you injections in the main chakra points. He also gave you the blood of an ancestor to me, the shinobi who started the Uchiha clan. That is as far as he got. I'm sorry you suffered."

He rested his forehead on the juncture of her neck on shoulder. He felt content to stay in bed for as long as possible; it felt like everything else washed away, it was only just him and her sharing the bed in an embrace. Her mind was obviously still on several thoughts. The way she kept focusing on her abdomen he guessed she must be having bizarre thoughts to what it looked like. Slowly he pulled the sheets down, feeling her heartbeat quicken. "Shh, calm yourself." Exposing the creamy flesh of her thigh he then grabbed the bottom of the gown and raised it up as he pulled it over to the right side. The needle marks were gone, leaving her toned torso and a scar above her hip, one that had been there a long time. "If not for the memories, the Uchiha blood, and your body now producing chakra, it would be like nothing changed. The rest of you is fine too." Letting her stare a few more moments he then dropped the gown down to preserve her modesty. After all, she was completely bare underneath.

Her thoughts still for a moment before thinking of other things now that that fear ceased. Feeling her tummy rumble she wondered how she was still well nourished and that thought lead her down another path with one thought after another. She felt Itachi slide out from under her, letting her remain seated on her own. She came out of her thoughts and noticed his bare chest before he bent over and grabbed his shirts. He turned around and she could see the muscles in his back as he slipped the shirts on and moved to open the door. On the floor lying in the hallway was a bag stuffed full. After sitting it on the bed he began pulling out clothes until he had a complete outfit for her and then her bathing supplies.

His thoughtfulness really spoke to her, it always had. Her heart was longing for him. Figuring she should get up and try to move around she slowly slid her legs off the bed and got up. She hadn't expected her legs to almost immediately give out but she was glad for the strong arms that circled her. Back to sitting on the bed she waited for Itachi as he prepared her bath.

When he came back he held a plain cotton robe for her to slip on. He averted his eyes respectfully as she slipped off the gown and then secured the robe. He carried her to the tub and sat her down on the edge with her feet in the water, her bathing supplies already there and the tub full of silky bubble.

She could tell it was her favorite milk bath. The smell of warm vanilla gave it away. Hearing his footsteps as he retreated from the bathroom she murmured a soft, "thank you," before undoing the belt and draping her robe over the towel rack. Slipping into the water she felt her mind go at ease. A small smile came to her lips as she softly sighed and sank down deeper. It wasn't until she heard a soft knock at the door that she realized she drifted off.

"I have some light broth and tea cooling for you at the table." Giving her 'okay,' she began washing up. Her legs definitely needed to be shaved. Once she got to that part she let the water start draining and turned on the shower head, preparing for the first few seconds of cold water, letting it wake her up until it went back to a comfortable temp.

Rinsing her hair out and applying the conditioner she did her best to wash off. Turning over until she was on her hands and knees she felt the fatigue in her muscles already as they trembled under her slight weight. She knelt under the stream of water and massaged the conditioner off before turning the water back off and sitting back down in the tub.

Her breathing slightly labored from the effort. Gathering up her strength she carefully pulled her body up on to the edge of the tub and grabbed a towel to twist her hair into. Feeling a bit lightheaded she blindly grabbed her robe successfully and pulled her arms through the sleeves before securing it in a loose knot. While trying to lift her right leg over the tub she lost her balance and slipped, landing with a thud on the tile.

The door immediately opened with Itachi quickly scooping her up off the floor. The 'oww' from her lips was mumbled as more of an afterthought than anything. The broth and tea had cooled long before she was finally able to stir after the snooze she ended up taking. The protests of her body keeping her from slumbering any longer.

That night she sat on the porch leaning against Itachi as she watched the fireflies glow in the backyard facing the pond and a willow tree. Sasuke was leaning up against the house by the door enjoying the serene scene. She had met him while she sipped on the broth and tea. The resemblance between the two brothers noticeable yet they were easy to tell apart.

Both brothers she noted had that mysterious allure to them. Neither was much for words but they noticed everything. It reminded her a bit like Sesshoumaru minus the more comfortable feel to the two brothers. Leaving her other thoughts for the next day she enjoyed the peaceful night and enjoyed the feel of Itachi's embrace even more when they fell into slumber later that night.

In her heart of hearts she secretly enjoyed the attention she was getting from the man but after struggling all morning she was getting tired of being more immobile than mobile. He was with her every step of the way and even though she thought she would be sick of it by now, she wasn't. Not of him, just of feeling so pathetic not being able to walk without support. He said her muscles had a lot of trauma due to Kabuto and now the strain of supporting her weight after two weeks would leave them sluggish and weak.

Sluggish and weak alright… In a race with her against a toddler and a snail she would most definitely be last.

After a few times where they disagreed on her pushing her body Itachi lost when his brother butted in with his own two cents. "If something were to happen she would be a sitting duck." That had actually been his first two cents. His next two cents had been, "pushing our limits is how we succeeded." Itachi had lost the battle. After being a prodigy all his first life, acknowledging his faults in his false second life, and now being wrong and incompetent in his third life. He could only hope things would change. He helped her exercise and stretch, helping her push forward until she could finally walk ten steps unsupported at the end of the day.

He helped her with her bath before carrying her to bed and helping her comb out her hair. She had of course fallen asleep under his ministrations so he worked on pulling it up into a lose bun due to the humid night and pulled a light nightgown over her head after slipping the robe down her arms. The sun had set yet the sky wasn't dark yet. He slipped into bed next to her letting his thoughts roam until he finally fell asleep as well.

The next morning had him sitting at the low table sipping tea with his brother while Kagome sat against the wall reading a note from her mom. They spent the morning filling her in on what had happened during those fourteen days and then diving into their pasts. She was now tangled up with their mess; it was only right for her to know why.

Then again it was actually her mess primarily since she was the main target. The two brothers were actually a bonus in the whole thing. They both knew she wanted to return to her mother but both brothers knew that would be a mistake. They quietly spoke occasionally while she remained against the wall. The determination that shone in her eyes after more time ticked by had them praising her strength. She was going to push forward through it all and make it so she could return home once it was safe again.

That afternoon Lady Tsunade requested to have her for a while. Seeing Shizune and Sakura there as well, Itachi relented from staying in the room. After speaking with Tsunade in private for a moment he strolled around the shops looking for things that caught his eye. Sasuke had joined him as well, noticing the generous sum of money his brother suddenly had with him. Eventually he found a few things that caught his eye for Kagome. A couple outfits. One for training and the other a light kimono for her to enjoy.

He still had another mission to accomplish today and with both him and his brother's eyes, he knew if he found that one particular item, it would be a true gem. Find a few accessories and remembering to find more shuriken and kunai, he had managed to wander right to the shop he needed. After exiting he parted ways with Sasuke and went to the hospital where Kagome was at while his brother went to get a table reserved for them. They were definitely done with shopping for the day, and they about had it with being in town period. The varying looks and sounds made towards them had the two tense but neither knew what more to make for Kagome to eat. Their culinary skills were not much past the basics.

They instead enjoyed a booth at one of the most popular places in town. Kagome sat taking small bites of the meat on a stick. They were having a fondue style supper, letting her pick what she likes. She remained oblivious to her surroundings as she focused on the flavors of the different sauces with the different meats. Itachi and Sasuke were beginning to gain ticks on their brows as their patience sizzled away.

A bunch of flirty waitresses were gathered around the booth with varying dishes and drinks for them to try. Primarily Kagome. Though they didn't know why it was important to the two shinobi if the woman was happy with the meal, they did understand that she was their ticket to them being closer to the heartthrobs. Every single one of them noticed the woman's beauty and wished her existence away but that wish would not come true.

Hearing the clearing of a throat the ladies twittered and gasped as Kakashi made himself known to them all. Scratching his head as they fawned over him and a couple of them fainted, the presence of all three males making them weak, he politely asked them for his order before joining the table. The girls all tried to run and place his request but instead they crashed into one another with the samples and drinks clashing with them. Three occupants of the table had sweat drops forming while Kagome merrily bit into another piece of meat.

Oblivious as usual.