Konoha
Kagome had only been in Konoha for two days, but she already liked the village. It was warm and welcoming and yet also cautious. The children and the owners of shops and restaurants were very friendly, but the shinobi were like slight shadows: they seemed to be constantly observing people from a distance – even if they were right beside them. At least, that was the feeling Kagome got from them… In a way, they were as wary of outsiders as the village she had just come from.
She could recognize the ease with which these shinobi interacted with each other. There was no hesitation there, in letting one of their comrades at their back. But towards her, as an unknown - even though she was just a civilian - there was a hint of coldness, of distance and distrust.
The civilians were an odd contrast to that. Everyone she had met had been happy to greet her and had been open in their manner. They seemed to be more wary of their own protectors than of her.
It was a strange balance, and at times it seemed that the civilian population and the ninja co-existed more than they co-operated. But somehow, Kagome had the feeling that in times of danger, where normally the tensions already existing between people had a tendency of erupting, in Konoha they would be laid aside. She could almost sense that undercurrent of togetherness that was there despite any misgivings on the surface. No, this village would not break apart easily – when it came down to it, it would draw together as one.
Or maybe that was just her own positive thinking?
Still, she was sure that there must be something holding this village together as one, because both the civilians and shinobi called it home and lived here together. They were different in many ways and yet, somehow it worked.
Despite the friendliness of most of the villagers Kagome hadn't really found a place for herself yet. The village in which she had lived when she had found Kakashi-san was less friendly than this one, but she had been able to be herself there, to be a Miko and help the villagers with her skills with herbs in healing. Konoha had a hospital, so there was probably no need for a never officially trained healer. So instead of going there, she had been walking around the large village, just getting a feel for it.
And it felt warm, firm, interesting and most of all, brave.
It felt like a good village to live in.
But Kagome wasn't just a normal civilian. She wasn't looking for a nice house or a good job. She was a girl from a different time and space.
Most of all, she was a Miko. And even if there were no youkai here, in this world - she was still supposed to help, heal and protect humanity. It was, by now, a part of who she was and not something she could stop doing. Even when she had just ended up here and realised just how far from either of her homes she really was, Kagome had still looked out for the people she met and done what she could.
Even as lost as she was, when Kagome had come to the small, border-town village she had felt it was her responsibility to help the people there as much as she could. Until a different responsibility was laid out at her feet.
Or; was crumpled in a bloody mess on the forest floor where she gathered herbs - if you want to be technical about it.
Either way, she couldn't just let Kakashi-san travel on his own in the state he was in, shinobi or not. So she had come with him, had seen her new, self-assigned responsibility through to the end – to the large, impressive gates of this proud village.
A village with open doors, warm smiles, assesing eyes and shadowed corners.
Slowly, as she was walking around, Kagome got to know that village. She was watching it, learning it. House by house, person by person, street by street, she was getting to know Konoha.
Because this village already had healers, helpers and protecors and she needed to know...
...if there was also a place for her here.
