Chapter 13
Kagami woke up and stared at a white ceiling. 'Must be in the hospital,' she thought as she looked around the room. She saw another bed at the other side of the room that held her brother who had an oxygen mask on and there were some ANBU ninjas standing by the door. She tried to move her arm but a stinging pain stopped her. Looking down she saw that her shoulder was all bandaged up and her arm was in a sling. Suddenly the door opened and in walked Kabuto. He swiftly dealt with the ANBU ninjas and turned to look at Kagami.
"Oh, someone's awake early," he said as he came over to her smiling and looked at her bandaged shoulder. "Your shoulder was infected pretty badly and you won't be able to move that arm until it's fully healed. Now I want you to be a good little girl and be quiet while I go kill your brother. He has being too outstanding and caught Orochimaru-sama's eye." He petted her head and walked over to Sasuke's bed pulling out a scalpel from pouch.
"We trusted you!" She shouted as best as she could, head reeling.
"Of course you did. I played my part very well if I do say so," his smile widened as he bent lower.
'I-I can't move.' No matter how hard Kagami tried she was still weak from the infection so all she could do was watch in horror as Kabuto slowly lowered the blade of the scalpel closer to Sasuke's throat. 'I need to stop him! His going to kill Sasuke, I have to get up!' Tears started to run down the side of her face. But when Kabuto was about to cut Sasuke he suddenly threw the scalpel behind him.
"Well," came a voice by the door. "It seems that you are no ordinary genin. You were able to detect my presence and attack immediately."
Turning her head Kagami was able to see Kakashi enter the room. "Ka-kakashi-sensei….."
Kakashi looked at her and smiled softly. "It's ok Kagami, Sasuke will be alright." He then turned his attention back at Kabuto. "Now, tell me what you want with Sasuke, or I will have to take you in for interrogation."
"You think can capture me?" Kabuto asked with a little cocky smirk.
"Who are you…wait weren't you the son of a Leaf ninja doctor? Kabuto was it? You're a bottom-feeder no good ninja. Are you working for Orochimaru?"
"Hehe, now that's a good question but you will never get the answer 'cause no matter how you torture me or what illusion you put me under I will never talk, and if you haven't noticed I have the upper hand." Kabuto then pulled out a kunai and positioned it above Sasuke's neck. As he plunged down Kakashi moved with lightning speed and knocked Kabuto down to the floor. Suddenly one of the floor got up and ran to the door only to stop because Kakashi was standing in the doorway. Another body closer got up and threw some kunai at the window beside her and jumped out sending shards of glass flying.
Running to the window Kakashi looked out and saw as the ANBU took off this mask to reveal that he was Kabuto. "Damn, he got away." Turning around He looked at Kagami. "Are you ok Kagami?" He came over and brushed some of the glass shards that fell on her off and wiped her tears away.
"H-he tried to k-kill Sasuke."
"Hmmm, if Kabuto is really working with Orochimaru then why did he try to kill Sasuke? Well we will worry about that more later on, and will I'm here I might as well tell you that Naruto is going on to the next round along with you and Sasuke."
She did her best to act happy; to act like she wasn't shaken up and in pain. She forced a smile and turned in a way that relieved some of the weight on her shoulder.
"Really! What about Sakura?"
"Well, her and Ino's fight ended in a draw so they will have to take the exam again."
"Oh," Kagami looked over at Sasuke. "What happened to him?"
"I sealed that mark on his neck and it took a lot out of him, he just needs to rest. You should rest too so that shoulder of yours heals up. When you're out of here we're going to do some training." He smiled at her and patted her head. "I'll get a nurse; it looks like you reopened your wound." He turned and left the room with a small wave.
She took one last look at Sasuke before sinking back into the bed. Everything felt so surreal, like she was in a dream. A woman in white, whom Kagami took to be a nurse, walked in and silently gave her an injection before turning to re-bandage the wound. Kagami didn't know what was in the syringe, only that it was making her numb and sleepy. She understood that the movement of her shoulder should have been agonizing and the dark little spots popping in front of her eyes meant she was quickly slipping away.
"You should be more comfortable now. Try to relax and sleep," the nurse gave her a sad smile, brushing Kagami's bangs from her eyes.
'Kind of hard not to when you pump me full of drugs…' she thought bitterly before drifting off.
*A FEW DAYS LATER*
"Sasuke, this is crazy! When they catch us we will be in so much trouble!" Kagami hissed, still amazed at what they had just done.
"Like you've never been in trouble before. And besides, we weren't getting any stronger sitting in hospital beds."
"Either way, we shouldn't have snuck out!"
He gave her a smug smile, putting a hand on the small of her back to propel her forward. "It shouldn't have been that easy to sneak out. Now, sit down like a good little girl and wait for Kakashi-sensei."
She huffed in aggravation and disapproval but sat down anyway. "When my arm is better I'm so beating the crap out of you Sasuke…"
"Says you and about half the other rookies," he went and stood over by the edge of the cliff, arms crossed impatiently.
A hand appeared and Kakashi quickly flipped himself up, looking mildly surprised to see them. "I take it you weren't released."
"Training," Sasuke told him as though that was the answer to all of life's questions.
"Ahhh, I see. Well, you were obviously healthy enough to escape so it should be alright if we start easy," Kakashi turned and saw her, visible eye widening. "You came too? But your shoulder…"
She sighed a little and nodded. "I know, that's what I told him but you know how he is –"
"Wrong answer Kagami," Kakashi cut her off. "Can I talk to you for a moment?"
"Uh…y-ya," as she stood her heart sunk to her feet. He wrapped an arm around her and led her away from Sasuke who stared at them suspiciously. He bent down and whispered quickly in her ear.
"Kagami, I'm going to be very, very blunt with you. Only because I think you can take this kind of criticism and not let it break you. The correct answer would have been 'a wound is no excuse.' Unless you are completely paralyzed there is always a part of your body you could be training. As of right now you aren't cut out for war. You're spineless, over-emotional, and better at asking for help than taking matters into your own hands. Any time something gets tough you break down instead of facing it head on like a true shinobi. The reason you think you want to become a ninja is because Sasuke is. Only real thing you've got going for you right now is an immense amount of chakra you can decently control. The name Uchiha is what sets you above others, not your skill. If you fight like you did at the preliminaries, with tears and excuses, you will never reach the rank chûnin and nor would I want you to since you would probably get a bunch of other people killed; do you understand me? Out of your teammates, you need the most improvement. Now, prove me wrong."
She looked up at him, unable to speak. 'I'm the weakest link? I'm the one who's completely useless….'
Kakashi gave her a sad smile and a pat on the head before raising his voice so Sasuke could hear. "Kagami, go home and rest your shoulder a little more ok?"
She gave him a numb nod before turning around and heading back towards the village. She heard Sasuke start to run up behind her but was forced into a skidding halt.
"It's for her own safety Sasuke. Maybe in a few more days she can join us. Now, let's get started…."
His voice trailed off as she got farther and farther from them. The tears didn't come until she was in the village, walking zombie-like through the streets. She wiped his eyes defiantly. Kakashi had been right, she did cry too much.
'He just told me I'm useless…'
'EXCUSES!'
'I've lost it…I'm arguing with myself…'
"Are you ok?"
Kagami shook her head a little before looking for the source of the voice. "Ken'ichi-chan! You look a lot better!"
The girl gave her a small smile. "I feel much better. You have excellent healers here! I shouldn't be walking let alone this well!"
Kagami's heart gave a guilty squeeze. "I'm so sorry about that…"
"Don't apologize Kagami-chan! I tried to kill you. Anyway, it's behind us now. Where are you off to?"
"I'm supposed to be training but Kaka-sensei just told me I'm useless and sent me home…."
"Training huh?" Ken'ichi paused for a moment to think. "Ahh! I've got it! Kagami-chan I'm going home today since there's no point in staying here. It's a two day run but it's not too bad. Would you like to come with me for a bit? Papa can teach you some of our techniques! I'd do it myself but I'm horrible at explaining things…"
"Go home…with you?"
"Only if you want," Ken'ichi smiled brightly. "It'll be just like a sleepover! You have a month until the third exam so you can stay with us for a week or two until your arm heals. Either way though, I have to go home. I haven't seen my family in two years thanks to Orochimaru. Stupid snake pretty much kidnapped me…so I'd really like to see Papa and the triplets won't even be babies anymore…oh they're so cute Kagami-chan!" She continued on for a bit and Kagami just nodded when it felt appropriate.
"Ken'ichi-chan," she finally got a word in when the other girl paused to take a breath. "I would love to go home with you for a bit. Just let me pack a little."
"Really you mean it! Yay!" She gave her a little hug before running off. "I'll meet you at the gates!"
In a few minutes Kagami was packed and scribbled a quick note to Sasuke. Ken'ichi was waiting for her at the agreed point and they headed off, making good time.
"So Orochimaru kidnapped you?"
"In a way. You see Mama died not long after the triplets were born and I guess Orochimaru originally wanted her. Her bloodline is what makes me go "berserk" I guess you could say. Whenever I taste my own blood I kind of loose it."
"Kind of?"
"Ok so I basically turn into a sadistic killing machine," Ken'ichi laughed a little. "Either way, I get that from Mama but since she died Orochimaru couldn't have her and I was the next best thing. He knew Papa couldn't come after me, not with the babies and he knew I wouldn't struggle, for their safety. Oh! We're here!"
Kagami looked on the few buildings and smiled. It was so small it couldn't even be considered a village but it seemed nice and quiet.
"Come on Kagami-chan!" Ken'ichi led her over to a building and opened the door. She could hear little voices coming from inside another room, shrieking in a little kid's game. The building was a good size but by no means the largest and the inside clearly reflected a family not made of money but happy with their position in life. Ken'ichi was completely silent, staring fixatedly on a man across the room who totally unaware of their presence. He was tall and thin, almost sickly, his blonde hair making him seem even paler.
"Go on," Kagami pushed Ken'ichi gently.
The man turned around at the noise, gray eyes widening. "Jen?"
"No Papa…" Ken'ichi shook her head, tears evident in her voice. "I'm not Mama. But if I were I'd yell at you for making yourself sick again worrying."
"Ken'ichi…" he muttered in faint disbelief.
"I'm home! And this is Uchiha Kagami, she's a really good friend of mine –" she was cut off by a hug and Kagami soon found herself being dragged into it as well, weak looking arms somehow crushing her close.
"Thank you for bringing my daughter back Kagami-chan! Thank you thank you thank you!"
"I didn't do that much…" Kagami said, very confused as to what was happening. She was soon released and stumbled back to watch what was happening.
"You look so much like your mother….I thought I was seeing a ghost!"
A little girl of about three popped her head around the corner. "Papa?"
"Yuna-chan! Come on out here, it's ok. Actually go get your brothers then come out. I've got a surprise!" Yuna's face lit up and she returned in a matter of seconds, dragging two identical boys behind her. "Alright you three, say hello to your big sister Ken'ichi!"
Kagami watch the reunions with a small smile. She had to wonder if this was how her family would react if they were suddenly reunited. She could see it all in her head; the smiles, laughter, and tears. Her mother and father would be there apologizing profusely for leaving her and Sasuke all alone in the world. The rest of the clan would see them as heroes for surviving and would join forces with them in hunting Itachi.
"Kagami-chan," a hand was being waved in front of her face causing her snap out of her musings.
"Sorry Miyazaki-san what did you say?"
"Miyazaki-san," he smiled brightly, laughing a little. "Please, call me Royal or even Papa. I'm not old enough to be Miyazki-san. Anyway, Ken'ichi says you need some training? What element do you specialize in?"
"My family focused on fire."
"Hmmm…Earth would work better but you should be alright, especially with your chakra levels. We use shadows, not that shadows are really an element…"
"Shadows? Like the Naras?"
"Oh you know my cousins!"
"Shikamaru-kun is in my class!"
"Well then I'm sure you've seen a bit of what we can do. Ours is slightly different however. The Nara's mostly use theirs for defense while ours is more offense. Also, do you have a summon yet?"
"No I don't have one."
"Perfect!" Ken'ichi poked her in the side a little. "You'll love our summon, it's perfect for you!"
"I take it you like foxes then Kagami-chan?"
Kagami blushed a little, thinking of Naruto who was also off training. "You could say that…."
Royal smiled widely, genuinely pleased. "Good but let's not start until tomorrow alright? It's getting late and you two have to be tired."
Ken'ichi was in a corner chatting excitedly with her siblings but Kagami could see the dark rings beginning to circle her eyes. "Just a little. She really missed you all…I haven't known her for very long but it's obvious now, looking at her." Kagami was surprised a little to find herself jealous. She never noticed how much she missed her family until she saw others surrounded by the people who loved them.
"Yes, and I'm sure you are very precious to your family. To help a stranger find their way home is a very brave thing to do and not many would have been so kind, even to a child."
"My family is dead. Murdered." When he didn't say anything she looked up, wondering if she had said to much and insulted his hospitality. "Royal-san…are you crying?"
He hugged her tight again, sniffling slightly into her shoulder. "Consider yourself family then alright?"
"O-Ok." They stayed like that for a while until he regained his composure and then it was declared time for bed. They had to break up a fight more than once, all the little kids wanted to sleep next to their long lost big sister, but soon the three were passed out pretty much in a pile on top of her. The door cracked open and a tall muscular man walked through, doing a quick double take when he saw the scene before him.
"Hello Takashi-san, remember me?" Ken'ichi happily whispered with a wave. "What are you doing here?"
The two men looked at each other awkwardly, Royal turning a strange embarrassed shade of red. "Umm…well Ken'ichi-chan…he lives here."
Kagami watched, confused, as mental gears turned in Ken'ichi's head. Her eyes lit up as she looked between the two of them. "Really? Papa I'm so happy for you!"
"You aren't angry?"
"Of course not! You always did say Mama was the only woman for you!" It then hit her what was going on. They were gay. And a couple. She stared at them in fascination since she had never met a gay man before, there weren't many in Konoha; although she did have her suspicions about Iruka-sensei.
"You aren't uncomfortable with this are you Kagami-chan?"
"No not at all! Don't worry about it Royal-san."
She found it odd that he would even ask her for permission. She was just a guest; she hadn't even asked her permission but just showed up. He reminded her of Naruto a little with his personality. A little kid put into a man's body and given responsibilities he wasn't quite sure what to do with but handled marvelously. She liked it. It was the closest she would have to a family until she had one of her own, IF she ever had one of her own.
The next day Royal and Ken'ichi took her out to the back yard, leaving the triplets inside but within earshot. "Let's look at your shoulder real quick ok? I don't want you to strain yourself."
Thinking back on Kakashi's words she smiled. "A wound is no excuse."
"Spoken like a true ninja. But don't forget that you have to take care of yourself. Quickest way to fail your village is to die from stubbornness and ego."
"It looks pretty much healed Papa," Ken'ichi smiled at her.
"No not really. See here? It's still infected a little and it just now scabbed over. It will take another week at least until it's back to normal."
"Great…"
"No worries, there's still a lot we can do. Just watch alright?"
She nodded as he made his way over to a small patch of shadows that were being casted by two tall Sakura trees. He made a few quick hand signs before disappearing and reappearing a moment later in the shadow of the house. "See? Very different from the Naras. We use ours to teleport in a manner."
"How do I do that?"
"Chakra basically. Chakra can be whatever color you wish it be. Make it the same color as the shadows and then cover your body with it. Make sense?"
"In a way but I have the feeling it sounds easier than it really is…"
He laughed and left her to it, saying that it was something she would have to figure out mostly by herself. She was at it for hours before she finally got her chakra over half her body. She plopped onto the ground, exhausted and sweaty. She closed her eyes when a human shape shadow floated over her. "You don't have to perfect it in a day you know…" Taka was standing above her with a class of something that looked a lot like lemonade. "Here," he handed it to her and she took it gratefully, sitting up. He sat down next to her and tossed a scroll into her lap. "Open it and sign it. It's for your summoning but I wouldn't try that until you take a break. Shoulder hurting you?"
"Not really," she picked up the scroll trying not to grimace in pain.
"You are a very bad liar. Sign that and then you're done for the day, got it?"
"But I have to practice! I won't get better if I don't push myself!"
"Don't be stupid. You have a while so take your time. You've improved today haven't you? If so you've done enough. Now sign the scroll."
He stood up and walked away before she could reply and retaliate. With a huff she opened the scroll and looked at the long list of names and paw prints. She quickly added hers to the list and watched as it vanished in a puff of smoke. Small feet pattered over as Yuna sat down beside her. "What are you doing?"
"Training to be a better ninja."
"I don't like ninja…"
"But your Papa and Ken'ichi are ninja."
"They're good ninja. There are some ninja here who are scary and Papa says I'm not to talk to them."
Kagami patted her head. "One day when you're older come to Konoha, that's where I'm from. I'll introduce you to all my friends ok? I'll introduce you to more good ninja."
"Ok! Are you going to leave?"
"Well I'll have to at some point," she frowned, thinking of Sasuke and wonder how his training with Kakashi was working. She hadn't been gone long at all but she still really missed him. And Naruto and Sakura. She just missed Konoha. For all the bad memories she had with the place she had many more good ones. It was her home and a sanctuary to herself and everyone she loved.
The days passed pretty quickly and before she knew it the two weeks were up and it was her last day with them. Her shoulder was now completely healed up and she had full movement in it. She could now use shadows to teleport, not as well as Royal but it was a start and he had complemented her repeatedly on her chakra control. She was practicing her summoning one last time with Ken'ichi before she had to leave, forming the seals quickly thinks to endless practice. She had only been summoning kits but this time she could tell she had done better. Sitting in front of her was a fox that was drastically different from the others. Before they were all gleaming red fur and dark brown eyes but this one was pure white all over with bright red eyes that somehow looked familiar.
"Kage-chan!" Ken'ichi greeted it as it ran over and rubbed itself up against her, licking her leg in welcome.
"Good job Kagami! Kage-chan here is the one we rely on the most. He's great for getting information and tracking. Plus he's really warm and cuddly. Isn't that right Kage-chan?"
She watched as Kage contorted his face into what seemed to be a foxy grin, yipping excitedly before breaking into a language she could understand. "You've been gone for so long Ken'ichi-sama…why?" His ears flattened back in sadness.
"I wouldn't have left you if I had had a choice. I had to protect Papa and the kits."
"I missed you. It was like your Papa lost his mate all over again…so miserable."
"I know but I'm back now," she patted his head. "Now Kage-chan, this is Uchiha Kagami. She's the one who summoned you."
The fox inched over to her, obviously uneasy about a new person entering his life. Kagami slowly held out a hand to him, allowing him to sniff it until he was more comfortable with her presence. "You smell like the Lord…are you his mate?" He asked her with wide eyes, visibly trying not to meet her eyes.
"Lord?"
"Lord Kyuubi!"
"Oh! No I'm not his mate. My boyfriend, Naruto, is his container. You probably smell Naruto on me although how I can possibly smell like him still is beyond me."
The fox looked back at Ken'ichi. "I follow Mistress Kagami now?"
She nodded. "When she summons you. Is that ok?"
"It's an honor," he hopped into Kagami's arms and snuggled down until he was comfortable. He was small, not quite an adult but not a kit, an adolescent of sorts, just like she was. Kagami smiled and petted his head, surprised at the softness of his fur. It had always looked so coarse to her but he really was a ball of fluff. She knew they would get along great.
"I have to go now Ken'ichi-chan. Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei will be waiting for me."
Ken'ichi teared up and embraced her in a hug not unlike her father's. "You've been a good friend Kagami-chan, like a sister. I really hope we meet again one day."
"Of course we will! Your family's done so much for me," she was surprised at how much she would miss the brunette girl.
"Everyone come say goodbye to Kagami-chan!" Ken'ichi called out to the rooms.
Royal gave her some extra food and water before telling her that she was welcome back at any time. Takashi just gave her a nod and told her not to stress herself out to much. The triplets literally had to be pulled off of her they were crying so hard.
She looked back at her makeshift family and vowed to come back one day with Sasuke. He would enjoy the homey chaos that followed them even if he would pretend the entire time that it annoyed him. "Let's go home Kage-chan."
