Chapter Eight
One year before Kagome's return
The raven haired woman stretched lazily across the bed, her arms rubbing the vacant warm spot her lover should have been in. An annoyed look crossed her face-it was three in the morning! - before she untangled herself from the sheets and put on her red silk yukata. Once the tie was secured, she stomped through the halls toward the study where he surely was. Not once did she remember that there were other people asleep in the house. The blond shinobi heard the noise and rubbed his temples tiredly.
"Mina-kun, why aren't you in bed?"
He honestly had no idea why he put up with her sometimes.
"I need to go over these financial reports for the estate. We've been spending too much Kikyo." Minato accused and Kikyo scrunched her face up in distaste as she came around his desk.
"But I need you." She said huskily but it came out more as a whine as her pale hands tried to find an opening in Minato's robes. He grabbed her wrist firmly.
"I'll come back to bed as soon as these reports are done." He said slowly, his patience running thin, "It'd go faster if you helped."
Kikyo sighed dramatically before draping herself across his lap and he handed her a paper. "Here, I need you to assign where the money coming into the household should be used. That shouldn't be too hard." Minato reasoned. Kikyo nodded and got to work.
Five minutes of blissful silence later, Kikyo handed him the paper back and smiled at him brightly. Minato's eye began to twitch.
"Kikyo, 950,000 yen of the 1,000,000 yen I earn every month cannot be used for your personal shopping habits!"
Ten Months before Kagome's return
The young girl stood in the middle of the clearing, a white blindfold across her eyes. It was unnaturally silent in the forest which was setting off her shinobi instincts that something was about to happen. The silver bow that rested securely in her hand gleamed brilliantly in the glare of the sun before the girl tensed.
Immediately she leaned backwards and launched an arrow into the tree above her. Kaede's naginata split in the projectile cleanly in two and she sent her own barrage of poison tipped shuriken at her young pupil.
The girl immediately twisted to the side and propelled herself away from Kaede with a couple flips before sending another arrow at her. Kaede dodged it and a look of surprise etched itself on her face when a kunai lodged itself in her stomach. She smirked.
"You're getting better Kagome. However, you still have room for improvement."
Kaede dissolved into a puddle of water and Kagome heard a "Katon: Hoenka!"
The Diamond on Kagome's necklace glowed as she threw up her hand.
"Kabutomushi!"
The Seven Tailed Horned Beetle materialized instantaneously and formed an armored cocoon with its body around its mistress just as the meteor-like blasts of fire hit them. Once the fire stopped, Kabutomushi unwrapped itself from Kagome who picked up the fallen blindfold sheepishly.
Kaede stood a ways away from her, shaking her head lightly as Kagome gently scratched the blue head of the beetle as its insect wings fluttered in enjoyment.
The Miko could hardly believe it has been a little over five years since Kagome had left Konoha.
Nine Months before Kagome's return
"Itachi, the Clan Elders have come to a decision."
The sixteen year old regarded the stern figure of his father with sharp and slightly feral eyes. It took the Clan Head everything within him not to flinch, shudder, or show any other forms of weakness in the presence of his unpredictable eldest son. Itachi had made ANBU at age twelve and the pristine white cloak hanging in his closet indicated his undeniable position as ANBU Captain reached at age thirteen.
Fugaku was torn. On one hand, he couldn't be even prouder. During missions, Itachi was flawless. The epitome of the perfect shinobi, nothing could surprise him and no one could defeat him. Itachi was leading the Uchiha Clan into a new age.
On the other hand, Itachi absolutely terrified his father. The boy seemed like he had no soul except around his brother Sasuke and rare times his own mother, Mikoto. Either he trained all day or stayed locked away in his room. No longer did he attend the Clan meetings that the Uchiha heir was required to go to.
"The Clan Elders have decided that since your birthday is in a couple months, it's high time to find you a wife. Therefore when you become seventeen, you will be wedded to Ikeike, your second cousin, twice removed."
"I refuse." Itachi turned back to look out the window, ignoring his father's reddening face.
"Ikeike will be your wife. She's also developed her Sharingan to the second tomoe, insuring that your children's Sharingans will be all the more powerful."
"She's only twelve."
"Four years is not a big difference Itachi, be reasonable. Even as we speak, she's voluntarily dropping out the Academy in order to learn the proper etiquette to become the next Uchiha Matriarch. Ikeike is a worthy woman to grace your bed and your side."
Itachi looked at his father over his shoulder, his eyes slowly bleeding red and a slow smirk growing on his face. Fugaku's face paled at the words that came out his eldest son's mouth.
"Just like Okaa-san graces your side while Kikyo-san graces your bed?"
Seven Months before Kagome's return
Pale jade eyes glared at the figure sitting in the Kazekage's chair. This thing was not his father.
Slightly psychotic brown eyes stared at the young boy with the gourd strapped on his back, a gleam hidden deep in their depths. Gaara narrowed his eyes. He knew damn well that this thing impersonating his father had better not be checking him out!
"Gaara-kun." Another mistake. His father never called him by his name, "Can you come pick up this pen I dropped?"
Gaara counted to ten like Kagome had suggested he do in one of her numerous letters when he had mentioned his "small" anger problems, and walked toward the side of the huge oak desk.
His "father" swiveled in his chair towards him and watched him hungrily as he quickly got the pen off the floor and set it on the desk stiffly. Gaara's eye twitched. It seemed like someone was going to get raped but it sure as hell wasn't going to be him!
"Is that all?" He asked, hoping that he could leave before he was even more mentally scarred. "You have a mission in Grass country for a week. You leave tomorrow but I'd prefer in you left now so I can see you again sooner."
Gaara looked slightly green as he took the scroll and turned to walk out the room. The sound of a pen hitting the ground made him freeze.
"Oops. I think I dropped my pen again Gaara-kun."
Five Months before Kagome's return
"Hey, have you seen Naruto-kun lately?"
Tenten shrugged at Hinata's question. Hinata had gotten over her mild infatuation with the Namikaze and instead had her sights on the quiet and mysterious Aburame Shino. Tenten couldn't see how that was working out but judging by how happy Hinata seemed and the faint pink blush on Shino's cheeks whenever they talked, it was working out well.
In a couple minutes the fall semester's final exam of the Kunoichi Course would begin before the Academy let out for two weeks of vacation while its stressed teachers prepared for the winter semester.
"Can't say I've been hanging around with him lately. You know all he does is spend time with 'Princess' Sakura and her stuck up pig of a friend Ino."
Hinata bit her lip. Naruto and Sakura had been going out ever since Kagome left six years ago, which was strange because Naruto knew just how much his twin hated Sakura.
Even worse, Sakura and Ino made Naruto do demeaning and humiliating things but he acted like what they made him do was normal. Even more worse, Sakura and Ino were Kikyo-sensei's class pets as well as her spies. She and Tenten had to be careful of what they said because it was sure to be reported back to Kikyo who would punish them or give them a detention.
Even more worse than that, Kikyo was the Hokage's 'bed warmer', as her father had put it, and as such, everyone was too afraid to say anything negative to her. Kikyo had Konoha by its horns and she loved every bit.
The door opened and a guilty looking Sakura shuffled in along with a cackling Ino. Kikyo looked at them with a raised brow as she paused filing her nails. Ino stepped forward but Sakura yanked her back.
"Ino, come on! This isn't funny now, nor was it funny any of the past hundred times! This needs to stop now!" Sakura hissed, her green eyes flashing nervously in Tenten and Hinata's direction. Tenten perked up. It seemed like Sakura was asking for…help?
Ino smirked and jerked her arm free of Sakura's grasp. "Come on; don't be a chicken or do we need to have a group session again?" At the mention of a group session, Sakura paled and stepped back. Ino smirked victoriously and flipped her shiny blond hair over her shoulder.
Hinata scowled. She was even more stuck up than Sakura.
"Attention class! We have a new student today!" Ino announced loudly and snapped her fingers. Tenten and Hinata gasped. In came Naruto wearing a bright orange sundress, red lipstick and hair bows in his hair. Hoop earrings dangled from his ears and he tripped in his too-big orange heels.
"Hi, I'm Naruko!" Hinata fainted at the high squeaky voice that came out of Naruto's mouth and Tenten could only watch in horror.
When was Kagome coming back?
Four Months before Kagome's return
"Kagome! You have a letter from Hinata and Tenten!"
Kaede watched as Kagome came dashing down the hall into the small kitchen where she was cooking dinner. Her eyes twinkled at she reached for the letter but Kaede held the small envelope out of her niece's reach, making fun of the girl's short stature.
"Give me it Kaede-sensei!" Kagome laughed, jumping up for the letter. Kaede kept the envelope for a few more moments before finally giving it to Kagome and turning back to her stove. The now twelve year old stuck her tongue out at her aunt's back and sat down at the table, eager for news from Konoha.
"What does the letter say?" Kaede asked, stirring the rice. A shiver went down her back and Kaede turned around to see Kagome had her head bent so that her bangs obscured her eyes. Kaede couldn't shake the bad feeling she was having and saw that the jewels around her niece's neck were giving off a sinister glow in response to her emotions.
"Hinata said that Kikyo-sensei has unofficially taken over the village and Sakura has been humiliating my Nii-san." She hissed. Kaede swallowed thickly when she noticed Kagome's nails were digging into the table and her voice was taking on an animalistic tone.
Her hand slowly drifted down towards the sutras she always kept at her side.
Kagome could see in her mind's eye the dresses Sakura and Ino dressed her twin brother in, how Ino made Naruto into her own personal foot stool during class, all the money her brother spent getting them whatever their greedy and dark hearts wanted just as Hinata described in her letter. She could see everything and it made her sick.
Her emotions were highly volatile and she could feel the tailed beasts reacting. They were whispering how they would rip Sakura and Ino apart, that they would be begging for mercy when they were done with them, the torture and pain her own hands would inflict. A bloodthirsty grin grew on her face until a sudden shock went through her system.
The voices of the tailed beasts ceased and Kagome looked up in bewilderment as a sutra fell off her forehead and landed harmlessly on the table. Kaede stood by her side, frowning at the dazed girl.
"I'm okay Kaede-sensei but I think it'd be best if I went for a walk." Kagome left before Kaede could stop her and took to the trees with a chakra laden step.
She would have a nasty surprise waiting for Sakura and Ino when she got back.
Two Months before Kagome's return
"It's an honor to dine with you Uchiha-sama."
Itachi looked at his fiancée boredly as she bowed deeply to him and his family. She stood up and her straight black hair brushed the tops of her shoulders. Her skin was pale white with a slender face that had no baby fat to it. Instead of bottomless onyx like most Uchihas, Ikeike's eyes were a cloudy gray. When she moved to follow the family into the dining room and sat on the tatami mat closest to Itachi, Mikoto complimented her on her grace and poise.
Fugaku smirked at Itachi as Ikeike demurely poured the tea for everyone and quietly sipped on her own cup. Dinner was quiet with small talk between Mikoto and her future daughter in law. Sasuke and Itachi exchanged bored looks, for once they agreed upon something.
"You must excuse me. I have some business to take care of." Mikoto looked at her husband sharply. "There's been nothing to do with the Clan lately." Mikoto said and Fugaku glared at her.
"Mind your place Mikoto." With that he left the room, oblivious to the heated glares his sons sent to his back. Mikoto bit her lip before excusing herself and Itachi knew she was going after his father.
"Sasuke." Said boy nodded and left to make sure his mother would be okay, leaving Itachi and Ikeike alone. She placed her hand on his thigh and he forced himself not to stab it with a kunai.
"Is there anything I can do for you Itachi-kun?" Such an innocent question but there was no mistaking what the girl meant with her fluttering eyelashes and closing proximity to his face. "Yes," Her eyes lit up, "You can stop addressing me so familiarly."
Gray eyes twitched. "I'm your wife Itachi-kun."
"Not if I have anything to say about it."
Ikeike scoffed. "The Elders have already decided. We're already married as far as everyone's concerned. All we need to do is consummate it." Ikeike smiled, "Which we can rectify now."
She tried to touch him again and Itachi pinned her with a crimson stare. Ikeike whimpered in fear as his Sharingan whirled around.
"If you ever touch me again, I will break your hand."
One Month before Kagome's return
Kikyo sighed impatiently as she waited for her turn to see Tsunade for her appointment. Thin purple heels tapped the floor, unnerving the other women in the waiting room but they knew better than to say anything.
It wasn't because she was particularly powerful; it was because of her unnatural influence over the Hokage. As far as he was concerned, if Kikyo said the sky was green, it was green. Whatever Kikyo wanted, she got, no questions asked. And everyone knew it was better to roll over than be defiant.
"Senju-san, Tsunade-sama will see you now." Kikyo got off and swept out the room with her head held high. She just knew today was the day.
"Let me guess." Tsunade said as Kikyo sat down in the chair, "You want me to run the tests again?"
"Yes. I'm beyond positive this time." The glint in her brown eyes disturbed Tsunade, but she acquiesced and made Kikyo change into a nightgown. She sat on the examining table and Tsunade allowed her chakra to flow to her hands.
Once they began to glow green, Tsunade rested them against Kikyo's stomach, her face set in concentration as she searched around. Tsunade's eyes narrowed and she looked at Kikyo's smug face with suspicion.
"Congratulations. You're pregnant."
The Lioness has returned
"There are the gates." Kaede remarked and Kagome gripped her staff tightly. It had been six years since she left. She was almost six at the time, now she was twelve. A lot had changed.
Kilala growled as she flew towards the village and Kagome rubbed her black fur. Even Kilala could sense that something was different about their home, something that put both of them on edge.
Kagome closed her eyes and rubbed the Uchiha fan on her bracelet. Hopefully she would be ready for the challenges ahead because something told her everything was about to hit the fan.
Let the Games Begin