I woke earlier than normal the next day so that I could contact my brother and give him an update on the situation and find out what was going on there as well. Once that was done I cooked breakfast knowing he wasn't up yet and covering it so that it was still warm when he was ready to eat. I on the other hand didn't eat anything my brother and I never ate before a mission. We did it to sharpen our senses so that we would be more aware of our surroundings. I headed to the open area behind Kakashi's house and started my warm ups. I lost myself to the rhythmic movements but I was totally lost because I could hear Kakashi when he came out looking for me. I didn't stop my movements I saw no reason not to. I finished one set of attacks as he approached. I stood balanced on one foot with my other in the air concentrating fiercely on my balance. Then with a quick jerk I brought my foot around and flipped from the standing position landing lightly on my feet in front of Kakashi. I glanced at him and caught the admiration in his eye. "If you're able to fight half as good in a real fight I think the rest of us could sleep through the mission".
I snorted at his teasing but thanked him for the complement all the same. "Are you ready to go" I asked grabbing my pack.
"Yeah I am when you are".
We headed out meeting up with Naruto and Sakura at the gate we would met our employers on the outskirts of the forest since the caravan was so large. It took us a good portion of the day to get there and I was surprised to find that the person we were escorting was really nice. I fell into a conversation with him that lasted till we got to where we would be staying the night. I smiled and thanked him for the conversation as I headed back with my group to find the rooms we would be staying in. I was bunked with Sakura since we only got two rooms and I couldn't sleep with Kakashi on the road. And since they were in on the secret it would seem odd to them. Once everyone was asleep I quietly crawled out of bed and tiptoed to the window. I climbed out still in my night clothes and sat on the roof. I wouldn't sleep the entire time I was on the mission it was also something my brother and I did. We didn't ask why we did but we did and not once did any of our employers complain. Because of the fact that we didn't sleep we had actually saved a number of them from attacks in the middle of the night. So lost was I in my thoughts that I didn't notice the presence behind me till it was nearly on top of me. I didn't let anything tip the guy off and instead slumped forward to hug my knees while he creep ever closer. Then he sprang. With swift sure movements I threw myself back causing the attacker to go flying over me. He hit the roof with a solid thud and before he could do more than roll over I was on top of him pressing the blade of my dagger into his throat. It took a moment for me to make out my attackers features. "Kakashi what in the world" I climbed off of him and he sat up gingerly.
"I didn't know you could move that fast" he said rubbing his neck.
I frowned "you shouldn't sneak up on me like that next time I might hurt you".
"I'm glad you're worried about my welfare".
"Actually I was more worried about all of the explaining I would have to go through. And then of course my brother would end up laughing at me in the end".
Kakashi shook his head at that "ouch that hurts my own girlfriend doesn't care about me".
I snickered "sorry sweetheart would a kiss make you feel better".
"It would as a matter of fact" he said with a grin at least I think so the mask made that difficult to tell.
"You wish" I replied looking back to the moon.
He fell silent as well beside me. "So why are you up at this hour? Couldn't sleep"?
I shook my head "I never sleep on an assignment neither does Gaara. It's just something weird that we do".
"How can you do that? When you have a month long mission do you sleep then"?
"I don't sleep anywhere but my bed" I said thinking of Gaara when I said it. It was something he always said when he was on the way home from a really tiring assignment that wiped us both out. I looked over at Kakashi to find him looking at me in a weird way. "What" I asked.
"I don't know what to make of you Kagome. Your some much different than most people I can't figure you out".
I felt a chill go down my spine as thoughts of another filled my head. "Maybe that's a good thing" I said softly looking away from him.
"What's wrong" he asked concern plain in his voice.
I caught a movement on the ground below the open window of the employer's window. "We got company" I said standing.
Without waiting for him I jumped down and landed without a sound. I stepped back into the shadows of the building. Taking a moment to get accustom to the movement of the shadows I set out towards the movement. As I inched closer I sensed Kakashi also closing in but from behind so that he would be pinned between us and the building. I caught sight of the intruder quickly enough. He was standing in a half crouch beneath the window guessing the distance between him and the window. He rubbed his hands together and I waited for him to put them on the wall. I sprang out from cover having come not but a foot away from him in the time that he had been looking at the window. Moving close to the ground I managed to half that distance before he finally saw me. By then it was to late because Kakashi was also on his way. In the confusion I wrapped my leg around one of the intruders bringing him to the ground. I pressed the blade into his neck that moments earlier I had held to Kakashi's neck. "Who are you" I demanded.
The intruder was unresponsive. I pressed the blade a little harder into his neck cutting him slightly. "Tell me what I want to know" I said calmly.
Kakashi came back and told me that he hadn't found anyone else. I nodded I knew there would only be one the first time. "Don't make me repeat myself boy, tell me what I want to know".
The man squirmed in my grip but that only caused the blade to press harder to his throat. Finally he choked out one word that froze my blood cold "Ses-Sesshomaru". My fingers didn't loosen my hold on the man but the blade did get pulled back. He was still after me? How? How could this be? He was dead I saw him die. He died by Gaara's hand I even checked. My thoughts whirled through my mind but I was brought back to reality by the intruder's voice. "Kill me please I can't go back if I do-"
"I know" I said curtly then slit his throat.
A look of relief crossed his face before he died. So your still after me are you I thought coldly as I dragged the body over to the thicket nearby. This isn't good I need to tell Gaara. Kakashi's hand settled on my shoulder and before I could stop I had him pinned to a tree with my bloody blade to his throat. I was breathing hard my heart hammering. The blade fell from my hand and I sagged against Kakashi unable to hold myself up anymore. His arms pulled me to him as I trembled uncontrollably. He held me till I got myself together again. "Thank you" I said hoarsely stepping away from his embrace.
"Are you going to be alright" he asked softly.
I shook my head a bitter smile on my lips "I'm not going to be ok for awhile" I said not meeting his eyes.
His hand cupped my chin tilting my head up so that he could see my eyes. "What's wrong"?
Without hesitation I told him. I had to tell someone and he just happen to be handy.
*Flashback*
I'm in a dark cell with the smell of my own fear in my nose. My father had sent me on a mission that ended in failure but that alone was not why I was here. My own father had betrayed me to these men in hopes that I would never appear again before his eyes. I knew this the same way I knew that my eyes were blue. But what caused my blood to go cold was the fact that the man who held me prisoner was someone I had known for many years. Sesshomaru was like the uncle I never had until recently. Recently he had begun to show an interest in me that wasn't at all like his earlier attention. When he had caught me in a back room and tried to force himself on me I knew. I knew that what he wanted from me was something I would never give a family member. So my father betrayed me and left in the hands of a man that wanted nothing more than to rape me. Yet even then he tried to win me over saying that I had nothing left to lose I was all alone. Even then I held out and fought him I by this time was a capable fighter though I knew I could never compare in strength to Sesshomaru so I tricked him time and time again. It worked for awhile I knew his castle better than he did but eventually he got smarter and threw me in the dungeons. There I was chained and lost my virginity. My blood stained the floor of my cell and I could smell it mixing with my fear till I thought I would die with that horrible stench in my nose. He left me for so long I wondered if maybe he had forgotten me but this was not so he was simply trying to get me to see things his way.
In the end I didn't know how long I was there but the most vivid memories I had while there was that of me losing my virginity and of when Gaara came for me. This was also the time my brother and I shared our first mental link. Now the one who was born two was one again.
*End flashback*