Summary
In which things turn out okay...
A/N: And now I give you the end! I know you guys have been waiting patiently to find out what happens, especially after that nasty little cliffhanger I left you all with. So, here it is! I hope you have enjoyed my work of art here. I certainly had a lot of fun doing this. It's funny. I wrote the first chapter of this story thinking that I would just leave it at that. Then I got the idea for the second chapter, and wrote that out too. I decided that I would only do maybe three or four chapters... and here I am at Chapter 39. I'm not sure when this became something so epic, but I do have to say that if it weren't for my amazing reviewers, I wouldn't have done it.
So thank you. All of you. You have truly been a blessing in getting me to get back on the horse and get to writing something that I've really enjoyed. By the way, for everyone's reward, there's a special little surprise in the A/N at the end so make sure you read that.
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Tsunade stared him down quietly, debating on how to best word her answer.
"The council has decided, with the information you've provided from the Akatsuki, as well as Madara Uchiha's condition, that you and the young lady... will stay."
Itachi breathed a sigh a relief. Kagome was safe. And that was what mattered to him the most.
"You will be quarentined in the Uchiha District, Itachi Uchiha, for three years. ANBU will be placed at the guard. If you prove yourself worthy and tolerable, I will personally re-evaluate your mentality, and then we may re-instate you as a Konoha ninja," the Hokage announced, cutting off the mutterings of the other clan heads, "You'll start at the bottom though, and work your way up, should we so deem you fit."
The Uchiha nodded, then took a breath to speak, "To be honest, I don't really care if I'm re-instated or not." He looked each of the heads in the eyes before coming to rest again on Tsunade, "I hate fighting. I know there will always be wars, and pain. But I want to find a peaceful solution to the conflicts. The sacrifice of good people shouldn't be necessary in order to maintain power. I learned that the hard way by eliminating my clan members. They were greedy, and they wanted full control."
Tsunade smirked, and turned to face the window, "For being so young, Uchiha, you've got a good head on your shoulders. I hope it stays that way."
"Thank you, Lady Hokage." She whirled back around, facing her council with a determined glint in her eyes.
"This council of heads is dismissed!"
"Yes, Lady Hokage!" As one, every head rose from their seats and bowed politely to their leader. Well, except for Itachi. He was still chained to his chair. Then, one by one, they trickled out to leave.
When the last head, Inoichi Yamanaka, had left, the woman strode forward and easily dislodged his bindings. Though his hands were still tied behind his back, several ANBU shot forward to stay close to their leader. Inwardly, the Uchiha genius snorted. It wasn't like he wanted to kill Tsunade. In a way, she'd granted his freedom. And gave Kagome a safe haven. To him, that was more than enough to keep the blonde woman off of his To Kill List. Not that he really had one, at the moment, but the idea was nice, if it was ever needed.
"I think you'll find you have an entourage waiting for you, Uchiha," the blonde woman smirked, nodding and gesturing to the doors. Glancing back, he noticed Kagome fidgeting slightly just outside the door. What surprised him, was Sasuke standing next to her in just as much of a state. And then the real kicker was Naruto Uzumaki standing with them, grinning sheepishly at him as Kagome's arm encircled his shoulders. He'd done nothing but try to capture the boy! Why was he just smiling like that?
'Looks like Kagome gave Sasuke a real talking to,' the older male thought, stiffening when the younger approached him, 'And that she's taken up her mantle to protect Naruto.'
"Sasuke."
"Itachi." The younger Uchiha looked away first, not used to staring down the older when he wasn't filled with hatred, "... Why... didn't you tell me sooner?"
Itachi blinked, then leveled a look at Kagome. She really gave the younger boy a talking to. Glancing back at his younger brother, who waited in agitation, he finally sighed and shook his head, "I didn't want to burden you with that kind of pain, Sasuke. I wanted you to grow up loving the village that I'd sworn to protect at all costs."
"But they-!"
"You must understand, Sasuke, that if father had been allowed to go through with his plans, not only would it have destroyed this village and hundreds of innocent lives, but, had he failed, none of the Uchiha clan would have been spared. Not you. Not I. Not even an infant. It would have resulted in war," the older brother interrupted the younger, watching carefully as Sasuke struggled with years of confusion and anger. He seemed to understand the reasoning behind Itachi's actions, but the attachment to family was still hindering any kind of progress in a possible true relationship between the siblings. A spark in the younger Uchiha's eyes caught his attention.
Maybe, things weren't as hopeless as he'd thought.
'I didn't really expect him to just say "Okay! Let's be a family again!" right off the bat; but I hope he can put aside those emotions that were engraved into him by our arrogant father,' the Sharingan wielder thought, sighing inwardly and directing his gaze to the unusually quiet priestess fidgeting nearby. Striding up to her, he stopped when he was about a foot from her, ANBU guards following him the whole way.
"So... What did they say?" she asked, worry shining in her blue eyes. Naruto eyed him warily and tensed in anticipation, but overall, he decided to let them work their own thing out. From the moment he'd met the woman that called herself Kagome, a fierce sense of protectiveness had swirled up in him. She was special, that much he could definitely tell, and it didn't hurt that when she found out who he was, she'd taken one look at him and insisted that she take care of him like a big sister.
It also helped his mood tremendously that the demon fox inside him was quite horrified by the entire idea. Anything that made the Kyuubi no Kitsune react like that was great in his books, as he wasn't really on speaking terms with the hateful spirit.
"I'm... being pardoned, for the most part. But, I'll be on strict probation. They're going to keep me in the Uchiha district. I'm not to leave there... for three years," he replied, glancing away at the shocked expression on Kagome's face, "I won't be able to see you until then. It's... going to drive me crazy."
"Three... years?" the priestess gulped, watching the Sharingan user for any sign that he was joking. Then she remembered, Itachi rarely joked. "That's... a long time, Itachi."
"I know. But you'll do something for me?" At her fervent nod, he continued, "Take care of my brother. Keep an eye on him. He's reckless sometimes."
"I... I can do that," the dark-haired girl breathed, words sticking in her throat when he leaned down so he was nose-to-nose with her.
"Also... I know I may be asking a lot but... wait for me?" She stood there, gazing helplessly up at him with wide blue eyes, and he finally sighed quietly after a few moments, straightening up when one of the ANBU grabbed his arm and started dragging him away. Still, she couldn't find the words she wanted to say.
"I'll be back... in three years." With those last words, he turned the corner with his escort and disappeared from her line of sight. Sasuke stood next to her, watching the priestess's face flush dark red in shock and sudden awe.
"Soo... does this mean you'll be my new nee-san?" the younger Uchiha asked sneakily, smirking when she finally snapped out of it and went after his brother. Really, she'd be a good match for his eccentric brother. She'd keep the older Uchiha in line. In all honesty, he liked the idea of being a family again. He just needed to really think things over first. Shrugging, he turned to Naruto and asked, "Hungry?"
Naruto grinned hugely and slapped the quiet boy on the back, "Am I ever! Let's find Sakura and go chow! I'm getting ramen!"
'I was thinking of something a little more substantial, actually,' Sasuke thought, resigning himself to being dragged away by his blonde team mate.
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"WAIT!"
Their entourage stopped, the ANBU goggling in shock when the small girl barreled around the corner and smacked right into their prisoner. Kagome gulped in as much air as she could before leveling the Sharingan user with a freezing glare.
"How dare you say something like that and not wait to let me answer you, Itachi Uchiha!" the priestess shouted, uncaring that the entire Hokage tower could probably hear her, "You selfish, arrogant, conceited... you... you..."
His tongue finally unglued itself from the roof of his mouth and he had to smile at how angry she looked. She was just too cute! Leaning down, he proceeded to shut her rambling up in the easiest way possible.
He kissed her. She seemed stunned, and it gave him a moment to memorize how she tasted before she'd snap out of it and decide to pummel him to death. When he pulled away, he turned his mouth to whisper in her ear.
"I know. I'm a despicable, horrible, arrogant man. And I realize that I truly have nothing to offer you. But... I'd still love you if you gave me the chance. I said before that you were everything to me, and I meant it." Leaning back, he watched her cheeks glow red in awe and embarrassment and had to admit, he really did like the color on her. He'd finally said what he'd really wanted. Now, he would just wait for her answer. She'd come around. Eventually.
Well, he hoped she would.
"... Jerk. It's like you're not even giving me a choice," Kagome huffed, blushing deeper and avoiding his dark amused gaze.
"I am giving you a choice. You merely need to make the correct one." Stepping just a little closer, and cursing the fact that his hands were tied behind his back, he rested his cheek on the top of her dark hair and repeated what he'd said earlier, "Wait for me." This time, it wasn't a question.
Kagome sniffled and backed away from him. Glancing up, she finally nodded and rose up to kiss him shyly. He happily met her half-way.
"You know," one ANBU started, glancing at his fellows and then back to the couple, "He goes ape-shit crazy, kills his clan, runs the hell away, plays missing nin for five or six years, comes back, gets pardoned and sentenced to solitary confinement for three years, and he still gets the girl?"
Another ANBU sighed and shook his head, "Some guys just have all the luck, man."
"... That's just not fuckin' fair!"
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3 Years Later
Tsunade reviewed her paperwork, then set the thick file down.
"So, aside from that first incident with the Sound Four, you've been keeping fairly clean, Uchiha."
Itachi nodded, inwardly scowling at the thought of the four ninja that had tried to kidnap his little brother in order to deliver him to Orochimaru. No amount of seals had been able to hold him at that point. He'd been dead set on getting the younger Uchiha back, and no one was willing to stop him in the end; well, no one that wanted to face a brutal death. It had been interesting too, to work alongside Naruto and to see the younger ninja's capabilities for himself. The Jinchuuriki had a lot of potential.
"Of course, several early reports were made up of," she flipped the page and smirked, "'Destructive Tendencies' and 'Tearing things up for the hell of it'. However, we did later find out that you were doing some remodeling. So, I think we can mark that off as an invalid claim." The Hokage happily drew a big fat black line through those statements. She then looked around and nodded to herself. "Nice job, by the way."
"Thank you. Several things... bothered me, so I had them removed," the Sharingan user replied, taking particular pride in tearing down and rebuilding the Police Force Center. Now, instead of the Uchiha symbol marking the building, he'd proudly engraved the Leaf insignia into the new stone. He was hoping to reopen it; and this time, exclusivity wouldn't be unnecessary. He would consider all peoples that were interested in the possibility of a Police Force.
"Now, we move on to the part where Sasuke snuck in several times to see how you were doing," the Hokage sighed, skimming the extensive report on that particular issue, "I have no clue how a genin was able to get past ANBU security at first, but, apparently he helped you with the rebuild?"
"Correct. Sasuke... he wished to make amends after a few months of thinking. It seems he couldn't wait three years to do it," Itachi shrugged, inwardly happy about the situation. The younger Uchiha had been coming to see him and help in general around the district to try and clean up. After all, it was an enormous job for one person to do. Thankfully, the work had kept them both fairly busy, and the time seemed to have gone by faster than those first few months of confinement. He failed to mention the training that the two had worked on together; not only to improve their selves, but their trust in each other.
"Eventually, he requested the rights to visit from me personally," the blonde woman stated, marking something on her file, "After a rigorous screening, I granted the request. Most of the council was very wary about that." She chuckled, remembering the shocked looks on her two advisor's faces when they'd heard the news. It had sent the old coots into an immediate panic about "The Uchiha Clan reuniting!". The fifth Hokage had merely rolled her eyes and continued to drink her sake, at that point.
"So... how are things between you two then?"
He took a moment to really think about that question before answering. When Sasuke had first approached him several months into his confinement, Itachi had been surprised, but wary at the younger's motivations. It had been all for nothing, however, as he'd wanted to know everything about what the clan had been planning up to the point of the massacre. Itachi had easily told him all that he knew, and Sasuke had walked away with more questions than answers that day.
A few weeks later, and he was back, this time with a set of plans and opinions about the reasoning and why his clan would have failed either way, in the end. Itachi had been thrilled that the younger boy had come to understand his logic. They'd made a promise to each other that night. To never abandon their village and its' people, and to keep an eye out for each other. They swore to rebuild their clan in an honorable way and to show the rest of the ninja world that they were worth keeping alliances with. Even if it was just the two of them for now, any children would be raised differently than the biased arrogant way they'd been brought up.
In the remaining two years since then, the brothers had been watched by several ANBU as they worked together to rebuild their family's old home. They ate together, sweated together, even sparred together; mostly without the use of ninjutsu, since nearly all of Itachi's chakra was temporarily sealed away. It hadn't stopped the older from finding a loophole around his seals and teaching the younger several new techniques and interesting battle strategies right under his guard's noses. They'd never been the wiser, either. Otherwise, he would have been reported.
"I believe... that we have resolved most of our differences. There will always be that drive in Sasuke to become better than me, but I don't mind it as much because the hatred is gone," the Uchiha finally replied, smiling inwardly at the memory of Sasuke showing him his old shuriken test and adding a few twists of his own. The boy had learned to adapt and use what he needed to accomplish his goals.
"And yourself? Do you still believe that you did the right thing all those years ago?"
"I do," he responded immediately, without any hesitation in his voice, "I did my duty as a shinobi of this village by protecting its' inhabitants from an internal threat to the peace." Tsunade stared him down hard for a moment, before she broke out an enormous smile.
"Well, congratulations, Itachi Uchiha. By all rights and purposes, you've completed everything you needed to finish up your sentence. You are a free man, Uchiha." That being said, the Hokage whipped out a bottle of sake she had hiding in her jacket pocket and pulled out two small cups. Setting them down, she poured a cup for them and slid his over to him. Itachi blinked in slight shock, then smirked smally.
"You never go anywhere without it, do you?"
Never know when you're going to need it!" she replied happily, picking up her cup and saluting him, "In commemoration of this meeting, and by the powers invested in me as the current Hokage, I reinstate you, Itachi Uchiha, as a citizen of Konoha. Our ANBU witnesses outside will attest to this, blah blah blah… and I just need your signature... here." She shoved some paperwork at him, downing her cup and reaching for the bottle to generously pour herself another cup.
Itachi took the pen, glanced over the files and documents filled with the stamp of approval from the woman in front of him, and signed his name quickly. He then picked up the sake cup, glanced at Tsunade, who was on her third cup, and grimaced at the smell of the alcohol.
"Come on, boy! It's not everyday I pardon someone for past transgressions and sign them back into the village! Drink up!" the older blonde woman snapped, a shade of red covering her cheeks.
'When put that way, I can't really refuse,' he thought, closing his eyes and downing the sake. He coughed, dropping the cup onto the table and clutching his chest. That tiny little cup of alcohol burned! Tsunade watched him splutter and had to laugh. Who knew that Itachi Uchiha was a novice when it came to drinking?
"What do you think? It's some of my best sake!"
"It... burns..." he managed to choke out, stumbling over to the kitchen sink and sticking his head under the faucet to get some water.
"Lightweight," the woman muttered, reaching for the bottle to take her sixth cup. When he slumped back into his seat, she leveled him with a look.
"So... what are your plans?" she asked, all joking aside.
"I've considered returning to active duty, however, with the precarious state my lungs and heart are in, it would not be a wise decision," he answered, thinking back on all the treatments that Tsunade had put him through just to get him to the point he was at now, "I'd hate to undo all the work you spent on helping me."
"I appreciate your concern, but it would also be a waste to see someone with your talents fall to the wayside," the blonde countered, propping her elbows on the table and watching him carefully, "Not to mention your lungs weren't nearly as bad off as you thought. It looked like someone had been working on them already." Itachi was pretty sure he knew who that someone was.
"What about a Tokubetsu?"
The Uchiha's eyes narrowed. He hadn't thought of that. And instantly, he knew what he would specialize in, should he choose to go that route. Genjutsu.
"I... will consider that possibility. I have also thought about... becoming an instructor," he replied, carefully analyzing the Hokage's reaction. She seemed somewhat surprised at first, then, when given the time to think about it, she had to agree. Itachi would make an excellent teacher.
"One question? How are you around kids?" He immediately discarded the idea. He was awful with kids. At least, until he got past the annoyance of childish pranks. And he had a feeling that there would be a lot of them.
"Initially, annoyed, but otherwise, not so bad." At her confused look, he merely shook his head. "You don't want to know."
"I see. Then you may want to reconsider the instructor idea," Tsunade chuckled, swigging another taste of her sake. Itachi nodded, then sent her a look.
"I had... another idea. Heading the Police Force."
"It would be a good one too, if people weren't still afraid of you," she countered, smirking at the annoyed huff he let out, "What about an ambassador?" That was something he would enjoy.
"An interesting thought, but perhaps I should wait. I had another path I'd been considering," the newly re-instated citizen sighed, running a hand through his long shaggy bangs. He needed to get them cut again, but hadn't had the heart to do it yet.
"Really? What was that?" She seemed genuinely curious, and he decided to indulge her.
"I want to start a family."
Tsunade smiled.
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Kagome Higurashi sighed quietly and opened her umbrella. Stepping out of her apartment's hallway, she lifted the rain shield and made her way down the streets of Konoha. She had some allergy medicine to grab at the local drugstore before she went back to work tomorrow. She did not want to risk getting anyone sick at the hospital; after all, flu season was just encroaching on the inhabitants of the lively village.
The door beeped, admitting her in, and she shook the droplets from her umbrella before placing it in a stand near one of the registers. The cashier smiled and waved at her. The priestess waved back absently, heading straight for the allergy aisle. After picking up what she needed, she decided to look around a little. The dark-haired girl meandered her way down one aisle, then another, before she slowed to a stop at a particular display. Small bottles of brightly colored nail polish stared back at her. It sent an enormous wave of nostalgia through her as she picked up a dark purple bottle of polish.
'I wonder... how he's doing?' she thought, quickly setting down the small vial and turning away abruptly. She swiped harshly at her eyes, wiping away what looked suspiciously like tears before she got a hold of herself.
"Stop it! You said no crying!" the former time traveler hissed to herself, shaking her head roughly and heading to the checkout line. After quickly paying and leaving, she made her way back to her apartment, reminding herself to talk to the leasing agent about renewing her lease in the next week or so. Once she was up her flight of stairs, though, she noticed someone waiting at her door.
"... Sasuke? Is that you?" The figure shrugged and stepped away from the wall and into the light. The younger Uchiha's face was thrown into sharp relief and Kagome smiled hugely. "Hello! Are you back from your mission? How did it go? Did you meet any interesting people?" Her eyes widened suddenly. "Are you hurt? You're not hurt, are you?"
"I'm fine. Not hurt, but a little tired," the younger male sighed, running a hand absently through his spiky hair. Kagome just had the kind of personality that made him want to smile. She always cared about other people; and that had been the most awkward thing to get used to around her. He'd never had someone that genuinely wanted to know how his day-to-day activities went. He suspected it was a maternal instinct embedded into the priestess. He also suspected that it had been the reason for a long-standing crush on her that had lasted until he was almost fifteen.
And then he realized that Itachi would definitely turn him inside out as painfully as possible if he so much as looked at his future sister-in-law in any way other than platonic. That crush had died instantly and painfully that night, especially when he'd gone over to the district to spar with the older Uchiha in the evening. Itachi had kicked his ass. It was like the bastard knew!
"Oh good! I'm glad you're back! It was starting to get boring without your whining and Naru's energy," she replied, grinning smugly and elbowing him playfully as she turned down the hall to head to her apartment.
"Gee, I didn't know you missed me that much," the Uchiha drawled sarcastically, smirking when she sent him a cheeky smile and fumbled around for her keys. "And I don't know how you manage to put up with the idiot." He had her bag of medicine in the next heartbeat, and she thanked him happily while she opened the door.
"That's because I love Naru. He's great just the way he is. Maybe you should try being happier, Sasuke. So, are you staying for dinner? I promise I won't make ramen!" she sing-songed, laughing at the absolutely black look he sent her. Not deeming that with a response, he shuffled down the hall in the apartment to her bathroom and put away her allergy medicine. He'd never known someone as weird as Kagome could get so unbelievably grouchy when she was sneezing from too much pollen.
"Actually, I came by to show you something," Sasuke answered, sidling back into the kitchen area of her small one-bedroom home. He glanced around it and surmised that if everything worked out tonight, the dark haired girl wouldn't have to worry about renewing her lease, which he knew was coming up soon. Taking her hand, he started to pull her towards the ajar door.
"Wait, now?"
"Yes. Now."
"But it's getting dark! And I was going to make dinner! You could even invite Naruto and Sakura over!" Kagome protested, scowling when pulling on her hand did nothing to make the younger boy in front of her relinquish his hold.
"Just trust me, Kagome!" She just gave him a deadpan stare.
"Last time I trusted you, you almost pushed me off of this complex's roof." That had been one of the most terrifying moments he'd ever witnessed. It even ranked up there with the torture images that Itachi had paraded in his seven year old brain the night of the massacre. If it hadn't been for Naruto's unusually quick reflexes, Kagome probably would have fallen to her death that day. Because, had anything happened to the priestess he was currently kidnapping, his older brother would have thrown everything away and killed him in cold blood. Then again, Naruto really had tried to before the priestess had stopped him. The blonde had adopted Kagome as something of a 'big sister' to him shortly after meeting her.
Which meant if everything went according to plan, he was probably going to be looking at another brother too.
"And that was an oversight, on my part. I forget you're not a ninja," Sasuke countered, tugging her out the door and locking it with a flick of his wrist. It paid to be good at ninja skills. Producing a white blindfold, he handed it to the perplexed looking priestess.
"What am I doing with this, exactly?"
"Put it on. I don't want you to see where we're going." It was a testament to her faith in him when she grumbled under her breath a moment later and tied the white fabric over her brilliant blue eyes.
"If you throw me in a lake or something, I'm going to cut your hair till you're bald in your sleep," she threatened, tightening the blind and finally standing still. Sasuke gulped, knowing she'd make good on her threat too if he pulled any kind of prank on her.
"I'm not Naruto, you know." He scooped her up and took off, jumping from roof to roof and executing a few flips and turns in the air that had the priestess gasping in delight. For some reason, she loved ninja travel. He had no idea why, but he didn't mind amusing her if it meant keeping her too occupied to ask questions.
"So... Where are we going?"
'So much for not asking questions.'
"You'll see. It's a surprise," the young Uchiha replied, balancing precariously on a light pole before smirking evilly. He dropped, making Kagome yelp and wrap her arms around him tighter, before landing safely on a low roof top. Taking off again, he ignored the abuse she gave him for freaking her out.
Shortly after, he arrived at his destination, setting her down gently and grabbing her arm when she started to topple sideways. "Get a grip on yourself, would you?"
"I can't see Sasuke! How am I supposed to maintain my balance when I'm scared you're going to make me run into a wall or something!" Kagome growled, huffing when she met air as she swung at the general direction of his smug voice.
"I think I've endured enough abuse from you. Maybe I should just leave you here?" Sasuke taunted, sneaking around behind her until she whimpered and started towards his voice. She was going the wrong way.
"Kagome, we're going this way." He took her arm, gently this time, and guided her to their destination.
"There's a step here."
"Oh! Are we in a house?"
"... Yeah." She stopped suddenly and turned wildly to face him.
"We're not trespassing, are we?" Sasuke sighed and glared at nothing in particular.
"No, we're not trespassing."
"... I don't know if I believe you, Sasuke." He said nothing and merely helped her get her shoes off. Absently, she told him to "not tickle my feet, damn it!", then led her down the familiar hall way. Passing by, he leveled a glare in the darkness and was met with glinting dark eyes filled with amusement.
"There's another step here."
"... In the house? Are you sure we're not trespassing?"
"Yes! Now, turn this corner and take a seat!"
In the end, he had to help her sit, simply because she'd nearly tripped on the coffee table.
"What smells good?"
"..." He chose not to reply and stepped back, letting someone else take over her welfare. Despite the fact that he wanted to keep her closer just a little longer, the vicious glaring eyes of the other person in the room were watching him very closely. That little crush of his still whispered across his brain every once in a while.
"Sasuke?"
"I'm here." Kagome let out a breath in relief, thinking the younger boy was behind her as he untied the blindfold. It dropped to her lap and she opened her eyes... only to meet Sasuke's smug face sitting across from her. Tilting her head in confusion, she opened her mouth-
-and squeaked when arms curled around her from behind, pulling her into a warm body. Dark hair that wasn't her own slid over her shoulder as the person behind her simply breathed her in. Shocked, it took her a dazed moment to recognize the aura flaring to life behind her.
"I-I-Itachi?" There was a hum of agreement, and she twisted around to meet the other Uchiha's dark gaze. Once, his eyes had been cold, and she'd compared their lack of emotion to Sesshomaru. Now, they were warm and infinitely happy.
"Happy Birthday, Kagome," he whispered, grinning when she gave him a wide-eyed stare. She'd completely forgotten that today was her birthday. That today was one of the most important days of her life. That today, she'd met Inuyasha so long ago. And that today, she was reunited with the person she loved the most.
'This... is how he's supposed to be.' Burying her face in his shirt, she hugged him fiercely and re-memorized the way he smelled. His aura was just as she remembered; like a warm, low-burning fire that was calm and comforting, yet when provoked, it could rage into a burning inferno that no one wanted to mess with. Kagome smiled.
Now, she could say she was truly home.
"I'm home."
"Yes. Welcome home." When he couldn't resist it anymore, he tilted her chin up and kissed her rather soundly. And despite his brother's protests and the gagging noises he made in the background, Itachi's life couldn't be any better.
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1 Year Later
Epilogue
Kagome Higurashi bit her lip in nervousness, tugging on the hem of her kimono. Sakura snarled at her and she stood perfectly still again.
"Kagome! You ruined your lipstick! Now it's on your teeth!" the pink haired girl cried, handing the priestess a napkin and letting her wipe off the light pink color. Then, when she'd finished, the chunin attacked her again with a tube of lipstick that she'd come to hate very much.
"I don't see why I need it! It's not like I'll wear it very long!" Kagome whined, dodging Sakura's attempts to put the sticky stuff back on her mouth. She'd never been a fan of lipstick. She preferred chapstick, but apparently, she wasn't allowed to wear it on this day.
Kagome gulped and started to chew on her lip again. Sakura shrieked and she stopped, finally resigning herself to letting the chunin put the damn stuff on her. Standing still, she glared when the younger girl announced she was done and backed away with a satisfied smile.
"There! That's much better! Hinata! Where's that sealer so she doesn't smudge it again!" Sakura snapped, toning down visibly when the dark haired Hyuuga girl presented the tube of sealer with a shaking hand.
"H-H-Here, Sakura!" The pink haired girl took it with a smile of thanks, smoothing down the Hyuuga heiress's bangs absently.
"Thanks, Hinata. Sorry I snapped at you." Hinata gave her a tremulous smile and turned a sympathetic gaze onto Kagome. Kagome rolled her eyes and snatched the sealer from the much stronger girl.
"I can do it myself," the former time traveler grouched, moving towards the mirror. A blonde blur suddenly stopped her and Ino Yamanaka tutted disapprovingly.
"Oh no you don't, young lady! You can't see your reflection until we're done!" Ino taunted, taking the tube from the priestess and uncapping it, "Now hold still. You have to look perfect! After all, it's not every day you get married!" The girl smiled dreamily suddenly and Kagome suppressed the huge urge to bite her lip again.
Her wedding day. She was getting married.
'I can't believe I'm actually getting married!' she thought, suddenly filled with the overwhelming urge to start sobbing. Or running. She'd always imagined that on her wedding day, she'd be surrounded by her family and friends, walking down the aisle of her family's shrine and letting her grandfather conduct the ceremony.
Then, when she'd met Inuyasha, her dream had changed to an outdoor wedding on a beautiful spring day in Kaede's village. The entire village would have shown up, sweet little Rin was her flower girl, and Sango was dressed in a beautiful light pink kimono as her Maid of Honor. Inuyasha stood proudly at her side, dressed in his red robes, of course, and she was standing blissfully there, decked out in traditional priestess robes as Kaede conducted the ceremony with a smiling face. That had been before she'd realized that Inuyasha was more like a brother to her; even if he'd asked her to stay. As the best friend, she'd been happy to be there when he needed her the most.
Now, she was dressed in a white kimono with silver feathers shimmering along the opulent sleeves and at the hem of the dress, a dark silver obi tied securely around her waist and bringing out her eyes. The only splashes of color were the Shikon Jewel dangling prettily from her neck, the pink crystal sparkling innocently against her skin, and the ruby and diamond encrusted Uchiwa fan tucked into the front of her obi. Kagome's fingers gently traced the delicate ornamental fan, remembering when it was given to her and the tradition explained behind it. She'd blushed, and after a moment of careful consideration, accepted the engagement present.
'Something old...' She touched the Shikon, which sparked just slightly with her reverent thoughts.
'Something new...' She smoothed her hands down the pretty kimono, admiring the glimmering silver feathers in the artwork.
'Something borrowed...' She felt Sakura clip a hairpiece into her curled hair. The chunin girl had kept the bauble with her ever since her mother had given it to her when she'd graduated the academy, and she'd happily let her older friend use it. It was a perfect effect to go with her kimono. A crystallized white lily was the center piece for the clip, surrounded by a multitude of dewdrop crystal baby's breath. The clip was beautiful, and Kagome had cried when Sakura had shyly offered it to her.
"All right! You're all ready to go, Kagome!" Ino sighed, blushing at the pretty picture the priestess made. Her long wavy hair had been tamed and worked to fall to her waist, half of it up in an intricate weave of braids and twists with intermingling Baby's Breath twined in the dark glossy strands. The other half had been curled with ringlets, the soft spirals falling in all directions. The darkness of her hair contrasted with the white of her kimono, and Ino hoped that one day, she'd be just as pretty of a bride as Kagome was. Smoothing her pale blue dress down, she fingered her ringless left hand and wondered when it would be her turn. Then she shook her head, long curled blonde hair swishing around her in agitation. This wasn't her day. It was Kagome's. "You look beautiful."
Kagome smiled, feeling her face heat up, but not sure if the blush was able to be seen with the makeup she wore. Sakura contested that theory. "Awww! Look! She's a blushing bride!" The younger girls giggled, watching Kagome's face go from a flattering pink to a bright red.
Sakura finally stopped, flipping the imaginary wrinkles from her spring green dress. Taking Kagome's arm, she gently guided her over to the full length mirror. "Ino's right. You do look beautiful." Hinata nodded, fidgeting slightly in her lavender dress and picking at a seam in the hem. Kagome glanced into the mirror and stopped short, almost not recognizing herself.
In the time that she'd grown up since she was fifteen, she'd come to realize that she could pick out several things that she and Kikyo were almost the same with. But then, after her eighteenth birthday, the similarities had ended. Looking in the mirror now, though, the twenty-one year old could almost see the other priestess looking back at her. Who was this elegant beautiful woman? Surely not her? When she came to her bright blue eyes, though, she froze. In the back of the reflection, she saw the silhouette of Inuyasha, Sango, Miroku, and Shippo. And they were all smiling at her.
"You did good, Kagome," Inuyasha whispered, his rough voice flowing in her mind, "Now, go be happy!"
For a moment, she thought she would burst into tears. But then, she smiled hugely a moment later.
'Something Blue...' Raising her hand, she traced her reflection's face, more accurately her blue eyes that were outlined in black kohl, then turned away, finally satisfied. Yes, she may have looked similar to Kikyo, but she was Kagome. And she was marrying the man that saw her as Kagome. That was all she needed. Because Kikyo didn't matter to Itachi Uchiha.
All that mattered was Kagome.
She looked at her three bridesmaids, girls that she'd gotten to know very well in the past four years, and smiled serenely. They all grinned back, happy that the priestess was fine with their work.
"I'm ready."
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A/N: And Kagome and Itachi lived happily ever after!
THE END!
Oh my God you guys! I'm so happy with this finished product! Don't worry though, I have one more chapter. It's... an alternate ending! -squees in excitement- I couldn't decide which ending I wanted because both were different, so I'm just going to do both! I hope you guys don't mind!
Okay, so on my wedding day, I had 'Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, and Something Blue.' If you don't know where this came from, it's an old wedding tradition that most brides follow. At least, every bride I know has followed it. It's old, but so sweet too. And that was the reasoning for coming up with the title to this story. So, yes, I had planned romance the whole time; it was supposed to go as slowly as it did. Simply because I don't believe that Itachi and Kagome would have fallen in love right away. After all the things they went through, both were a little short on the trust issue. It was something that had to be built up and nurtured over time, until they realized that they couldn't live happily without the other.
I will probably do a couple of One-Shots. They will be listed in the Additionals. You know, Itachi's 3 year incarceration, his proposal to Kagome, Sasuke and Itachi's developing relationship, as well as a few other things. I think it would be fun!
Thank you to everyone who has been with me the whole way! Your amazing support and generosity never failed to pick me up and keep me going when I needed it the most! It has been an amazing ride, and I can't wait to start a new one! For now, though, I'll probably be slowing down on some things. And when I come back, I'll have something all new for you guys to enjoy!
Those last reviews are really appreciated. This is my first major multi-chaptered story I've ever completed. Everyone, I thank you again, and I will post the alternate ending very shortly.
Thank you! And GOOD NIGHT!