Summary: She was given to him, meant as a slave, but he freed her. How was he to know that she would change everything that everyone ever knew?
They had left Suna almost a week after what she had dubbed 'The Incident'. Her Master, it seemed, had pushed it to the back of his mind or perhaps didn't really remember it. But she did. Though it didn't matter if she remembered it or not, she was simply a slave. Her sole reason for existence was for her Master (or Mistress); the matter was as simple as that.
She was a caged bird who sang only for the pleasure of her owner.
Kazuki was what she named the little fox, one hope. Most of the time he walked next to her, but when her Master wanted to travel faster, Kazuki sat on her shoulder. What little power she had access to in her current form; she fed it to the little fox so that he could become stronger. He was even able to remain on her shoulder even when Gaara carried her on his back as he jumped through the forests in the Land of Fire.
And her Master, her sweet, emotionally handicapped Master had thought that she was too weak and delicate to travel as how he and his siblings preferred.
"Please don't worry Gaara-sama, Temari-sama, Kankuro-sama; I used to travel quite a bit. I am much hardier than I appear!"
"If you're sure, I mean, it doesn't matter if we travel with the Elder's caravan, there's no need for us to arrive so early in Konoha." Temari wasn't quite so sure that the doll-like girl with no shinobi training would be able to travel as they did. A prickle on the back of her neck let her know that her brother was about to say something perverted in response to what Kagome had said and she slapped her hand over his open mouth. Her younger brother was…displeased already that she was going to travel in the open. He barely tolerated Kankuro's comments towards the girl as it was, but now…he would probably snap and beat his older brother up and if they were going to leave today, they couldn't have any delays. "And how many times do I have to tell you, just call me Temari! Drop the 'sama' already! Geez! You're practically family as it is."
Kagome titled her head to the side and attempted to appease the older girl. "Temari-oneesama?"
"KAWAII!" Suddenly, she was assaulted by her senior and was slowly losing her ability to breathe due to being pressed to the blonde's ample bosom until she was held tightly against a much more different masculine chest.
"Gaara-sama?"
"Stay close to me."
It was exciting to travel under the open sky once more. It was how life was for her before she was enslaved, before the very concept of her existence had been forcibly changed. She was…happy. Everything brought back memories of a happier time, but she wasn't foolish enough to dwell in them. Instead, she made new memories with those she was around. It took a week for them to reach Konoha and it was an amazing week. No one had dared come near to attack them, then again, Gaara-sama had them pass by very few villages and towns. No one had kidnapped her, then again, who would when there was practically no one in the areas they traveled through? Of course, who would be foolish enough to steal something that belonged to a Kage? But then again, her Master treated her as a person, not a belonging, so no one really knew that she belonged to him. She doubted that he even knew how much of his slave she was. But somehow, for some reason, she wasn't really bothered by the idea of belonging to him.
Or perhaps he did. In the few villages and towns that they passed through, he glared at any male who came near her or even spoke to her. But maybe that was only the possessiveness and protectiveness of demons towards females of their pack showing itself in him. But then why would he glare at his brother so much?
Kagome untied her hair from the braid it was in before she shrugged off her clothes and slipped into the hot spring. A moan of relief escaped her as the hot water worked its magic on her sore muscles. She sunk into the steaming liquid until the water was up to her chin. Temari stepped in beside her, a similar moan escaping her as well.
"Ya know Kagome-chan, you're not a slave anymore, you don't have to stick around if you don't want to. Gaara did take off those spell tablets of you." Temari grabbed the shampoo bottle near the water and began to scrub at her blonde locks. She had wondered why the pretty girl stuck around after she had been freed, but was glad for the effect, however strange it was, that she had on her youngest sibling. Gaara had shown her the accursed spell tablets that had been chained onto the girl, they were monstrous artifacts. The ancient spells inscribed on them were to control monsters and beasts, darkness and shadow, to bind power to one, to make one obedient. It was…sickening, to say the least.
"Aa, Temari-oneesama, not all chains are visible." Kagome dunked her head into the water, washing away the shampoo from her curls. She liked Temari, she honestly did, so she was truthful with her. Even if that truth was painful for her. "I am bound to Gaara-sama until he no longer wants me. I am his."
"You…why haven't you tried to escape…why are you so happy here with him…us?" Temari stopped in her actions, shocked at the truth of the matter. This girl…what was she? How could a person be bound so intricately to another as a slave?
"Because Gaara-sama…he is the kindest Master I have had in a very, very long time…I…sincerely want to please him." Kagome stopped and stared at the water. She knew, now, that she would do anything for her Master, this Master. It had been a startling realization that had come to her while she lulled Gaara to sleep with a story the night after he had tasted her blood. She was falling once more. And she wasn't sure if there would be anyone to catch her.
"Oh Kagome-chan…don't worry, I'll keep your secret." Temari startled the girl by hugging her suddenly, showing her understanding and acceptance and startling insight. The sudden hug from the vivacious blonde was so unexpected for Kagome who had not had seen such kindness in far too long, that she burst into tears.
Gaara reclined against a tree while he waited for his sister and Kagome to come back from the hot spring. He had been surprised when she refused to travel with the caravan and had thought she would collapse from exhaustion quickly. But she hadn't. She was full of endless energy and could keep up with their pace perfectly, walking at his side with her eyes darting everywhere. He also noticed that she liked to sing. Granted, she didn't have a perfectly trained voice, but it was sweet enough and surprisingly pleasant on the ears.
He liked it when he carried her on his back, to feel her so close to him. Depending on him to take care of her. It was…enjoyable. At first he had wondered how he would succeed, what with the jug of sand that he carried, but he found that if he tilted it slightly, he could carry both she and the jug at the same time on her back.
The soft sound of feminine laughter reached his ears and he sat up straighter. He also found that he liked it when she wore his gifts. Worried that she would get sick because of how accustomed to Suna's heat she was and the transition to Konoha's cooler weather, he had (with the help of his sister) bought her new clothes. They also came with an unexpected advantage: unwanted males would no longer stare at the flesh she so willingly bared. Both he and Shukaku had growled when they realized (the time they had walked through Suna, the four of them) the stares Kagome had received from the opposite sex.
He did not like it. Neither did the previously silent Shukaku.
When Gaara looked up at the freshly bathed Kagome, A warm flush covered her skin from the hot springs they had settled near for the night. Damp curls stuck to her skin. She was beautiful, with the glow of happiness about her that made something within himself soften and begin to melt.
He watched as she curled up next to him and succumbed to sleep. The desert fox of hers was curled up in her hair. In her sleep, she moved closer to him, one hand fisting itself in the fabric of his shirt. He was glad that she had come into his life, that the merchant had given her to him. Glad that she stayed with him even though she was no longer a slave. With a finger, he trailed the curve of her jaw, pleased when she moved closer to his touch.
She was not afraid of him nor his touch.
She shivered from the night chill, even under the warm blankets she was swathed in. Gaara didn't hesitate to hold her in his arms, a reversal of their nightly roles. It was usually he who fell asleep in her soft arms. He nuzzled her dark hair, smelling the shampoo that made her smell like oranges and, faintly, like the sea. A small mewl of happiness escaped the sleeping girl in his arms while Kazuki watched with knowing, bright eyes.
Still he wondered why she leaned into his touch, why she was so happy merely by being near him. And why he reacted the same way around her. And why…did he want her so very much? It was frustrating that he had so many questions and so few answers.
Kagome remained silent as the four of them entered the Hokage's Tower. Konoha was riddled with the feel of fox, the kitsune that was imprisoned within a human vessel that was slowly becoming a demon. Someone that she once knew…Unbidden, a memory had come to mind and she lost herself in it.
"Kagome, Kagome, why do you cry?" Amethyst eyes sparkled as their owner held the young woman in his arms, kissing away salty tears that fell from startling eyes.
"You know why, my sweet fox." She buried her face in the crook of his neck, breathing in his scent and attempting to hold back the tears that were threatening to escape.
"I'll find a way, some day, little caged bird of mine." He caressed the side of her face and hummed soothingly for her. When she fell asleep in his arms, he whispered a vow into her ear, a vow that he would never break. "I promise you, princess, that one day, you'll be free."
She shook herself out of the almost forgotten memories as the sound of shattered glass reached her ears. Startled, she looked up to see familiar brown eyes.
"K-K-Kagome…?"
She had forgotten, little Tsunade was now the Hokage of Konoha.