Alright, well this one is about ... 500 words shorter than the other one. Oh well x] At least I'm almost consistent? In the next chapter, things will be explained a little more.
Oh yes! I would like to thank ason21, AnimeFreakAmanda, Applejax XD, Speedykitten1643, EatThis and Pen Marks for reviewing. -Gives you all some cake (Happy Applejax? Lol) Also, thank you to all who added this to your favorites and alerted me :] You all get cookies.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Inuyasha. Boring disclaimer...? I know ;]
Chapter two:
They arrived at the Konoha gates on Kagome's birthday.
The guards looked up from their posts and narrowed the eyes at the woman.
"Who are you, and what do you want with Konoha?" they asked.
"I am Haichi Hyuga of the Branch House and I am returning home from a long-term mission." Haichi tried to keep her breath steady.
The girl on her back moved to peek over her shoulder, only to see two guards there.
"Hi!" she shouted with a large smile.
The guards were taken back as they saw the small girl with navy hair and Hyuga eyes looking over the older woman's shoulder.
"Who is that?" the second guard asked.
Kagome squirmed on Haichi's back, and the woman let the girl down. She instantly walked over to the second guard, her body small compared to his. She looked up with a warm smile and bowed. "My name is Kagome Hyuga and I am here to go home."
"Kagome... Home? You mean you're-" he was interrupted by Haichi.
"Yes, this is Kagome Hyuga. The Kagome Hyuga who has yet to be marked and is the missing daughter of Hiashi and Harumi Hyuga. Now, if you would please let us through." she said coldly.
"Oh, yes. Of course." the two stepped aside and Kagome gasped in awe. Behind the guards was the large village that was Konoha, with many large buildings scattered in rows. Marketplaces with many busy people shopping were set up. Kids running around playing and animals running along with them.
Haichi stood beside her and reached down for the girls hand.
"We will be going now Kagome." she told the girl who nodded.
They walked down the streets, being stared at by all. Kagome waved to people every once and a while. Other than that though, Kagome looked at Konoha in wonder.
"Is this my new town Auntie Chi?" the girl asked.
"Well, yes. You will be living here in this town with your parents." the woman replied, turning the girl down familiar roads and towards the Hyuga complex.
When they arrived at the complex Haichi realised the place was even larger than it had been five years ago. The large gates were even larger and were a freshly painted black. The walls that surrounded the complex were higher and there seemed to be more buildings.
The two females walked up to the gates where another set of guards were. One female and one male, they each had a caged bird seal on their head.
"Halt, who are you? You may have the Hyuga eyes but that doesn't mean a thing. Show us your Byakugan." the female demanded.
Kagome looked up at Haichi and stared in wonder as her eyes became full of veins and veins also started to bulge at the sides of her eyes. She had seen this happen before but it always made her wonder if her eyes would ever do that.
"Alright, what is your name?" the male asked.
"Haichi Hyuga, fourth General of the Branch House." she ignored their wide eyes at the name.
They both bowed saying, "Our apologies."
The girl than came out of her bow and asked, "We though you were dead, where have you been all these years?"
"I have been protecting Kagome Hyuga, Hiashi and Harumi's lost child." she told her, sweeping her eyes over to the small girl holding her hand.
"So your saying she is Kagome Hyuga?" the male asked, eyes still wide as he looked down at the child.
"Hi!" Kagome smiled at him.
"O-Oh my!" the female guard whispered before opening the gates and calling out, "Someone alert Sir Hiashi and Lady Harumi! Their daughter has returned!"
Kagome didn't understand what was happening but soon enough a large crowd of people were standing by the gates. Two large men that looked a lot alike with the only difference being one wore a headband around his forehead and the other had more formal clothing. Another person standing there was a woman with large pearl eyes like her own and purple silk gowns. She had a worried expression on her face. Standing in front of one of the men, the one with the headband to be exact, was a boy who could have been her age or maybe older. He had long brown hair like the two men that was tied off near the tips, and held out of his face by a bandage around his forehead. Lastly, behind the one woman was a girl that looked around Kagome's own age with the same navy color as her own and same pearl eyes. She wore a light green kimono and her cheeks were rosy with a blush.
"Uhm, hello there." Kagome stepped forward, letting go of Haichi's hand and moving forward to bow. "My name is Kagome Hyuga, it is nice to meet you all."
"Oh, Kagome!" the woman with pretty robes ran forward and pulled the girl into a hug. Kagome felt so warm in the embrace and almost hugged back but remembered that she knew nothing of these people.
"Excuse me ma'am. May I ask why you are hugging me?" her small and childish voice asked.
"My, my. I am sorry." the woman stood back and gave a little bow herself, which surprised almost all of the people standing around them. The Matriarch of the Hyuga family did not bow for many people. "I am your mother, Harumi Hyuga."
"M-My mother?" Kagome's eyes were wide in shock. She looked back to Haichi who nodded.
Looking back at the woman she could see her as her mother. They had the same pale skin and hair color.
"Then... Who is my father?" she whispered to Harumi.
"That would be I." a strong and forceful voice rang through the air, and Kagome looked up to see the man in the formal robes step forwards.
"O-Oh." was all she could get out.
"Yes Kagome, and now that you are back, preparations shall be made." the man said.
"P-Prepara-tions?" Kagome tried to pronounce the word.
"Plans dear." Harumi summed it up for Kagome before turning back to her husband. "Hiashi, she just got back, please don't make her go through that. It's her birthday."
"My birthday? That's today?" the small girls cheeks puffed up as she thought about the date.
"Yes, but it's not only your birthday dear. It's also your sister Hinata's birthday." Harumi looked behind her to the other female child. "Hinata come here to meet your sister."
The girl with short hair slowly shuffled up beside her mother, a large blush on her face.
The two girls stared at each other for a while, a silence between them before they both bowed at the same time and said, "It's nice to meet you. Happy birthday." Hinata's though held a few stutters but they both looked up at each other with wide eyes.
Everyone around them paused for a few minutes only to have the silence broken by Harumi's giggles.
"Hinata, this is your younger sister, Kagome. Kagome, this is your older sister, Hinata." Harumi explained.
Kagome smiled and moved a step forward to envelope the older girl in a hug. All around them was gasps, even from their own mother. Kagome found herself seated on the ground in the next five seconds, Hiashi standing in between them.
"That is enough. You do not touch your sister like that, she is of higher rank than you." he said coldly.
"But aren't you my father? Why can I not hug Older Sis?" Kagome asked, getting up off the ground.
"That is Lady Hinata to you, you will address her as such for as long as you live." he told her.
"Why?" she turned around to look at Haichi. "Auntie Chi, I'm confused."
"Kagome, the truth is, I am not your aunt. I am your mothers servant." Haichi looked away from the girl, unable to watch the girls face.
"B-But..." Kagome had no words. She was to confused. First, she had no parents, only her Aunt Haichi. Now, she did have parents and Haichi wasn't her aunt? Plus, she had a sister that she couldn't even hug and a father who liked to be mean to her.
"Kagome sweetie, me and you need to talk, okay?" Harumi bent over to pick up the small girl. The navy haired girl just nodded. "Hiashi, I will be back shortly."
The woman walked away from the group and across the front yard of the main house. She went around to the back, humming to the girl as she did, and walked over to the back wall. She ran her hand across it until she found a crack. She slipped her hand into the crack and pulled sideways, opening up a small opening that the woman ducked through.
Kagome looked around as Harumi closed the opening back up. There was lush trees everywhere and flowers bloomed like crazy. In the middle of the opening was a small pond with a low bridge over it.
Harumi then took Kagome over to the ponds bridge and set her down. She sat herself down on the edge, pulling her feet over and letting them dip into the water where koi swam. Kagome followed her example, only her toes could touch the water though.
"Kagome, I know that this is all so sudden and scary, but you will get through it okay? Your my strong little girl, I can tell. This is going to be confusing and you might not understand but I am going to try and clear things up alright?" Harumi, explained, getting a nod from the girl who was staring down at the fish.
"Our family is split into two houses, the Main House and the Branch House, you understand?" another nod. "Well, the Main House are the rulers of the Hyuga clan, they run the family. The Branch House are the protectors of the Main Branch. They serve them as guards and maids."
"Why though? Why does Father not want me to touch Older Sis?" Kagome asked.
"You see dear, me your father and Hinata are in the Main House. You would be as well if it were not for you and Hinata being twins. When people are born twins in the main house, the youngest of the two is sent to the Branch House to become the eldest's protector." Harumi sighed. "As for why your father will not let you touch Hinata is because, some people believe that the Main House is more powerful than the Branch House, meaning that they do not want Branch members to taint or make any Main House members inpure."
"Inpure? I always wash my hands though, so I wouldn't get Hinata dirty!" Kagome looked over towards her mother finally.
"That's not what I meant Gome, I mean that people do not wanting you touching Hinata because she's in the Main House and you are not. You are apart of the Branch House and you are practically Hinata's servant." Harumi cupped Kagome's cheek. "You will understand more when your older."
They sat in silence for a few minutes before Kagome's mother spoke up again.
"Kagome, tonight you will most likely be moving in with the man that looks like your father and the young boy you saw today. The mans name is Hizashi, hes your uncle and Neji is his son." She informed her daughter. "Also Kagome, tomorrow they are going to place a mark on your forehead that will cause you a lot of pain, but you have to stick though it alright? And no matter what, always behave yourself around the Main House, can you do this for me?"
"Of course Mother." Kagome dipped her toes further in the water, getting the tips of her sandals wet.
They spent the next ten minutes sitting there and enjoying the sight of the Koi fish. That was until Harumi stood up from her spot and offered Kagome a hand saying, "We better head back now."
Kagome did as told and walked back with her mother, hand in hand. She was lead inside the large main building and down through many corridors. They ended up in a large room with a big circular table and many chairs around it. Sitting at the table was none other than her Father and her Uncle. They sat side by side with a piece of paper in front of them. Hizashi, her uncle, reached for a pen and when he got one he wrote something on the piece of paper which Kagome guessed was his name.
"There, now with Kagome's blood it is official." Hiashi looked up to his wife and then looked down to his other daughter.
"Kagome Hyuga, come over here." the brunette ordered his daughter and the navy haired girl complied. She stood in front of him and watched as he took out a kunai and grabbed her hand. Her eyes widened and she gasped for breath when he slashed her thumb with the knife. As blood started to draw Hiashi quickly pressed her thumb to the page, leaving a bloody thumb mark behind.
"Brother, she is all yours now." Hisashi nodded to his brother ans Hizashi stood and walked over to Kagome.
"We will be leaving now Kagome. I will show you to your quarters so you may get some rest." he told her and she was then dragged out of the room. The walk was silent until they reached outside of the main building and began heading towards one of the smaller buildings that surrounded the Main House.
"I understand what your going through, I've been there before. Do not let my brother and the Main House get you down. I will train you to become stronger than Hinata and we will show the Main House." he looked down to the girl, checking her over and then nodding to himself. "Neji will finally have himself a sparring partner."
Kagome had no clue of what he was talking about but listened and nodded anyways.
They walked into a house that seemed a little bit more lively than the other house. The smell of freshly cooked food wafted through the halls and noises could be heard from a room to Kagome's right.
"Neji will be in the dojo right now, practicing but he will join us for dinner shortly." her uncle told her.
They walked down a second hallway and into a room on the left. Inside was a small bed with a beige comforter, a wardrobe in the corner of the room, a desk with a mirror hanging above it and a window pointing out towards a training ground. It was a sad room but Kagome knew that she wouldn't mind fixing some things up.
"This will be your room. Put away whatever things you have and follow the smell of food to the kitchen." the man told her. He then said, "Neji's room is beside yours and my own room is at the end of the hall."
Kagome nodded and waited for her uncle to leave and when she did she hurriedly walked over to the bed and sat down on it, pulling her bag off her back and unzipping it. She pulled out a pair of sandals, a jacket, some pants, a few shirts and one nightgown. She walked over to the wardrobe and opened it up to find a few hangars. She got on her tippy toes and jumped to grab a hand full of them. She then proceeded to hang her clothing on them and reached up to hang her jacket on a hook. She then finished by putting the sandals at the bottom of the wardrobe and took off her current sandals to go with them.
Her bare feet padded on the wood floors as she walked back to her bag to pull out her tooth and hair brush and set them on the desk. She then took Sango, her stuffed bluebird out and set her on the beds pillow. To keep her bag safe she slid it under the bed.
She finished quickly and headed out of the room, sniffing the air for food. Finding the sent of cooking vegetables she padded down the hall to find the kitchen. She paused when she reached the hallway that her and her uncle had entered through, it seemed that the noises had stopped and she was sure that the boy, Neji had stopped his training.
Continuing down the next hallway, Kagome found herself in a small kitchen with a woman working over the stove. She had thin brown hair pulled back in a bun and spiky bangs that swept across her face.
"Uhm, hello." Kagome said.
The woman turned around and smiled. "You must be Kagome, I'm Hinoki. I am Mister Hizashi and Sir Neji's personal cook."
"Would you like help?" the small girl asked.
"Well that would be wonderful, but maybe some other time, ne? Mister Hizashi seemed to be waiting for you in the dinning room with his son." she laughed joyfully and pointed to double doors that no doubt led to the dinning room.
"Oh, thank you." Kagome bowed and ran forward, opening the doors and slipping in.
She was met with silence as she turned around and found two males sitting at a table, waiting for food. She walked towards the table and sat opposite of the boy, which meant she also sat beside Hizashi who was at the head of the table.
"Kagome, this is Neji. Neji, this is Kagome, she will be living with us for now on." his father told him.
Neji nodded, a small smile on his face.
"Nice to meet you." Kagome bowed her head.
The rest of the night went on silently, they ate their food with no conversation and then it was off to bed for the children.
The next morning Kagome rose early to get ready. She got changed quickly, throwing her dirty nightgown into the hamper that Hinoki had brought her the night before. She brushed her hair and went to brush her teeth in the bathroom she had been shown to also the night before.
She walked down the hallway slowly, not to make any noise and made her way to the kitchen. She spotted Hinoki by the counter rolling onigiri, humming a soft tune.
"Hinoki." she whispered and the older Hyuga turned around with her normal wide smile.
"Good morning Kagome. Whats got you up this early?" she asked.
"Mother told me that I was going to be 'sealed' today, and that it would hurt. So I was wondering if I could help you with breakfast today. Just in case something bad happens." Hinoki stared at the girl in astonishment. Not only did she use more mature words, she also asked to actually help. To think that Hinoki thought she was kidding about the other nights offer.
"Well of course. I'm just rolling some onigiri, have you ever done that before?' Hinoki asked and Kagome nodded with a smile.
She found a stool in one of the lower cupboards and used it to reach the top of the counters.
First she washed her hands and went over to roll some rice, filling it with all sorts of things like, tuna with mayonnaise, pickled plums, shrimp, chicken, a creamy tomato, small berries filling and even barbecue pork with sauce. When they were finished the sun had started to rise and their were over hundreds of onigiri.
"We have to make enough for the main part of the Branch House." Hinoki had explained. She had then told Kagome to go ahead and have a few for her hard work.
Kagome had chosen the more plain flavors, thinking that the better onigiri should go to all the hard working Hyugas.
Hizashi and Neji soon came from their rooms fully clean and dressed, ready for the day.
Neji took three onigiri, as Hizashi took four. They each ate their food in the dinning room, making little to no talk as Kagome stayed in the kitchen, helping to box the onigiri and a few other foods.
"Hinoki, is the mark really painful?" the small girl looked up at the older with her innocent lavender eyes.
For the first time in her life, the elder woman squirmed under the gaze of a small girl. The innocence she saw, it needed to be protected... It needed to stay strong while it still could. So what could she tell the girl, without breaking her heart? She could never tell the girl that the pain was great, and never really stopped. All you had to do was ignore the small sharp daggers that resided on the forehead and throughout the mind.
"It's not so bad." she said hesitantly.
"Oh!" the little girl smiled. "That's good. I have been hurt before, like when I cut my leg with a kunai and the time I broke my finger. Auntie- I mean, Haichi always helped me with the pain though. She always healed it."
The Hyuga cook did not have enough courage to tell Kagome that it was more like having your body cut to shreds by a kunai, or having every single bone in your body broken. It was somthing she kept to herself. She knew that bracing the girl for the pain would have been the smartest idea, but she could never really tell something so harsh to something so sweet.
Hizashi chose that moment to enter the kitchen with Neji.
Hinoki excused herself to go clean up the dishes that had been left by the two Branch Members.
"Kagome, it is time for you to see my brother for the curse mark." he looked stern and mad, but placed a hand on her head as if he were trying to comfort her somehow.
She smiled up at the older man. "I'll stay strong, don't worry Uncle Hizashi." She then bowed to Neji, not catching the pitied face he gave her.
"Have a good day training." she smiled and took Hizashi's offered hand.
The small boy Hyuga stared at their retreating forms. He shook his head lightly and walked to the dojo.
Kagome and both her parents, along with her uncle, stood in a room full of Hyuga elders, and important people withing the clan. Her mother gripped her hand lightly, having switched hands from Hizashi to Harumi.
Kagome looked around the lowly lit room. In the middle there were two cushions, each a beige color. Around those cushions were candles that were lit in a circle. Every one then sat around the circle of candles on their legs. Each one looked stone cold and no one bothered talking so the room was an eerie silent. Oddly enough though, on each wall there seemed to be one black out line of a perfect crescent moon.
The woman gave the girls hand a squeeze just as her father started to talk.
"Today we have the marking of Kagome Hyuga, the daughter of myself, Hiashi Hyuga, and my wife, Harumi Hyuga." he said in a stern voice that was loud enough to reach across the room.
Each Hyuga nodded once, knowing it was time to watch as the ceremony would happen.
Kagome was led to the farthest cushion in the room by her mother. The small girl sat down like all the others, on her legs. Her father than sat before her as her mother came behind her, tying back the spiky bangs from her face.
"Stay strong." the woman whispered in her ear.
Kagome steeled herself and closed her eyes as she heard her father flipping through hand signs. What would it be like? Would it hurt a lot, or would it be okay? What about afterwords? What could it do to her? Would she be able to become a ninja with it? Well, Neji was training to be one and Hizashi was already a ninja. Auntie Chi, well... Haichi, was a ninja and she had one too. Things would be fine, right? Right?
Last minute panic welled up in Kagome, but she was already frozen in place. Even if she were to move it would have been too late.
Suddenly she felt two fingers pressed to her forehead. She expected pain, and lots of it, but all that came was a white light and then the feeling that she was so light that she was floating. The last thing she remembered hearing were a series of gasps.
I don't like this chapter much, but there you go! I have to admit I am proud of myself for getting another chapter done. ;]
I also have no beta (don't plan on getting one for a while) so please ignore any spelling mistakes. I will be coming back to look over these chapters and edit a bit. Anyways, Until next chapter !