Chapter Eleven

"Is he dead?"

"Shut up Duck-Boy! Don't say that!"

"Well..Naruto-kun did take a Lightning Jutsu to the butt..."

"You are on my list Haruno-san. Refrain from addressing my Nii-san so familiarly."

"Kagome, Naruto hardly interacts with you since you came back. He acts like you guys are only mere acquaintances rather than siblings."

"Don't you think I know that? If it wasn't for-"

Naruto groaned as his sister's voice started to approach hysterical levels. It felt like his behind was on fire and he had a raging headache. The last thing he needed was for his Imouto to start screeching like a banshee when she gets highly upset.

Bleary sky blue eyes opened up and began blinking rapidly in order to adjust to the bright hospital light. Bringing his hands up to rub his temples, Naruto tried to sit up and two sets of hands gently helped him.

"Nii-san you're always getting in trouble."

Despite how horrible he felt, Naruto couldn't help the ecstatic smile that curled his lips. Finally it hit him, his Imouto was home.

"Kagome-chan! You're finally home! I missed you so much!" Kagome shrieked as her older brother jumped from the bed and tackled her to the ground, snuggling his face into her stomach. Kagome turned bright red much to Sasuke's amusement as she tried to push her brother off of her.

"Nii-san! You need to lay off the ramen! You're heavy!" Kagome gasped out and looked to Sasuke for help. Taking pity on her, Sasuke grabbed Naruto by his hospital gown collar and dragged him off his sister. Kagome curled over and took deep breaths while Naruto sheepishly rubbed the back of his head with a huge grin. This caught Sasuke's attention; he hadn't seen that particular gesture from Naruto since the day after Kagome left for training. That was the day Naruto had started trailing after Sakura like a lovesick puppy.

Even Sakura who was sitting in one of the hospital chairs had caught the gesture and Sasuke's sharp eyes had caught the quick flashes of fear and unease that flitted across her features. Sasuke Uchiha may not have been the prodigy of his clan like his older brother Itachi, but he still was a genius in his own right. And right now his genius mind was telling him that Sakura had had something to do with Naruto's strange behavior for the past few years. It was no coincidence that Naruto and the Hokage had started acting different the day after Kagome left. Everyone knew about that witch Kikyo's lustful advances towards their esteemed Hokage over the years and after Kagome left, the Hokage suddenly decided to succumb? Maybe the rumors of Kikyo being a witch weren't too far off from the truth.

"Say Kagome-chan, when'd you get back?" Naruto asked. Kagome looked at her brother confused. He was acting different… he was acting like the brother she had before she had left.

"Naruto," She said slowly, "I've been back. You were in Otou-san's office to greet me."

Naruto cocked his head to the side and stuck his tongue out as he tried to remember. All he got for his trouble was an even more piercing pain that sliced through his skull, enough that he grabbed his head to relieve the pain.

"Kagome-chan, I don't remember that." Naruto said in a voice thick with pain. Both Sasuke and Kagome looked at each other sharply before looking at Naruto with concern. Neither noticed Sakura slipping out the room silently.

"I...I don't remember anything since the day you left."

Kakashi was sitting in a tree by the Uchiha compound, idly reading the newest Icha Icha Paradise. His unmasked eye lazily took a glance at the position of the sun, figuring it to be about late afternoon, early evening.

"Knowing Naruto and how fast he heals, he'll probably be awake by now." Kakashi smirked while flipping to the next page of his novel, "I suppose I'll finish this last chapter and then bring him a bowl of ramen to make it up to him."

Chuckling at his genin's obsession with ramen, Kakashi shifted to get comfortable and to read on to see if the heroine was going to tell the hero she had been blackmailed by his best friend when a blood curling yell from the Uchiha compound pierced the air. Seeing as the Uchihas loved privacy, their compound was towards the edge of the village and thus no one would've heard the scream if they weren't in the vicinity.

Kakashi stowed his book in his pocket and with a pulse of chakra, he jumped off his branch and headed towards the disturbance. Using his heightened sense of smell, Kakashi sniffed the air and frowned when the metallic scent of blood hit his nose from the Uchiha Main House. Some Uchihas had gathered in a crowd outside but Kakashi paid them no mind as he strode into the house and closed the sliding door behind him.

Although he cared nothing for clan politics, he did know his sensei would be displeased if he allowed outsiders to see what could potentially be a murder scene. Stuffing his hands in his pockets and sliding into his usual slouched pose, Kakashi followed the scent of blood until he entered the living room. Thanks to his training as well as seeing way too much during his years as a shinobi, Kakashi didn't even blink.

A pale and crimson-eyed Itachi was standing over a groaning Fugaku who was clutching his broken wrist. The white bone was sticking out of his skin and a steady trickle of blood was beginning to pool on the floor. Itachi looked at Kakashi with a twisted grin and Kakashi's eyes crinkled.

"Yo." He smiled. Itachi smirked ruefully at the familiar greeting and to Kakashi's inner relief, he had staretd to look less demonic.

"He hit my Okaa-san again." Itachi said by way of an explanation and Kakashi looked over to see a white faced Mikoto who was shaking from hysteria. A red handprint had bloomed on her face and her eye was beginning to turn colors from the punch Fugaku had delivered. Kakashi felt his blood boil and he had to grit his teeth in order not to finish the job Itachi had started. How dare that selfish arrogant prick put his hands on Mikoto! He didn't deserve her even when they were teenagers and-

"Hatake-san?" Mikoto's small timid voice reached his ears and Kakashi forced away his increasingly dark thoughts to focus on the task at hand. First thing was first. He nodded to Itachi who copied the gesture before disappearing outside to deal with his family members.

"Uchiha-san, do you need to go to the hospital?"

"Uchiha-san, I just don't know what going on." Kagome sighed as she and Sasuke exited the hospital. Naruto still wasn't fully recovered and Tsunade had decided to keep him overnight. Kagome had told her about his memory-loss and Tsunade had promised to look into it. If worst came to worst, she would get a Yamanaka to enter Naruto's mind and see what was wrong. Kagome stroked her necklace, feeling her demons trying to sooth her chaotic thoughts.

Now Sasuke was never one for touching people or being touched but for Kagome he made an exception. Maybe it was because he knew his brother was set on having Kagome so he figured it wouldn't hurt to get close to his future sister-in-law. Maybe it was because despite all their bickering and teasing, Sasuke knew Kagome was a close friend and she would fight at his side.

His slightly cool hand rested on her shoulder and Kagome looked up startled. Sasuke's dark eyes bore into hers and Kagome found herself blushing slightly from his proximity. Sasuke's own cheeks were turning pink as well.

"Listen Kagome, we'll figure out what's wrong with the dobe. Don't worry about it because I promise you, we will get to the bottom of this." Sasuke stated seriously. Kagome could do nothing more but look up at him in surprise and a hint of affection. She could see his fidgeting, his face turning colors and the beads of sweat that were beginning to roll down his neck. Kagome knew how hard it must be for Sasuke to do what he was doing and she knew he wouldn't do it for just anyone. It made her feel..special.

"And another thing," Sasuke's serious look morphed into a playful smirk. "We've known each other for a while. So you can call me Sasuke when you aren't calling me Duck Boy. And I'll call you Kagome…when I'm not calling you Sister-in-Law."

Sasuke immediately took off with a fuming Kagome chasing after him.

Neither saw the Sharingan red eyes glaring at them.

"Hn. Foolish little brother. Don't touch what isn't yours."

I suck and I know it for making you guys wait. *Sigh*

Your reviews channel my imaginaton

-Verdant