This is a short chapter but I wanted to do one more chapters before School Finals. I do hope you can understand this chap. Those who can not please don't be afraid and tell me. I will explain it to you. I hope I can make a few more chaps after this. Please Review.

Chapter 17

Gakuto woke up to be met by the glare of the sun. He looked around and he noticed he was in his bedroom. He had never shown his bedroom to anyone, including his siblings. The reason: he had so many things that they may think was childish. That is why no one, no matter what, could open his door without his permission and a chant. His room was small compared to the other rooms. He had a king sized bed with his favorite colors, black, red, and gold trim. The bed was comfortable and could fit at least 5 people easily and still leave room for more. He had three large windows, the largest in the middle, which overlooked the mountains to the east of the village. The other two windows showed the village to the north and the forest behind the castle to the south. The castle itself had more then fifty guest rooms, fifty restrooms/bathrooms, a large entrance that could fit many things and supplies that led to two different parts of the castle. It was a grand old castle but had the essentials of living, nothing too fancy, just like Gakuto's grandfather left it before his death. Gakuto raised his left arm and looked on as the sunlight hit the Sun Gauntlet and made it shine in all its glory. Gakuto looked at the different designs and complex mechanisms of the Minamoto's most advanced weapon to date. It was said that the Sun Gauntlet was given by the Kami's to the Minamoto family after they asked the Kami's to send them something in hopes of defeating the Taira's tyranny. The weapon killed many, saved many, and destroyed the Taira in the end even though it was not used in the final battles after the death of Yoshitsune. The weapon symbolized both life and death, peace and war and now it was on the arm of Gakuto Minamoto. Gakuto was happy that the weapon wasn't destroyed or stolen after the Genji clan collapsed, causing the Warring States of Japan. Gakuto stood from his bed and looked at the soaked bed. "Damn not again!" Gakuto thought as he got up from bed and grabbed the sheets. He placed them on the ground and then walked toward the closet nearby. He grabbed one of his clean cloaks, a pair of boxers, sandals, and a wolf mask. Gakuto walked over to the bathroom and started to take a shower. When he came out he noticed that everyone was still asleep, including his siblings, with his acute sense of hearing. He put on his cloak on his half naked body and then his sandals. He looked at himself in a mirror and ruffled up his black-purplish hair… "Wait what!" Gakuto thought. He ran his hands through his hair and saw that he wasn't hallucinating. "What the hell happened to my hair!" Gakuto asked himself as he looked at himself in the mirror. "Where is my pure white mystic hair!" Gakuto thought. He spent about 8 minutes looking at himself until he looked away from the mirror. He put on his mask and decided he would ask his siblings later. He grabbed the sheets and walked out of his door. He looked at the hallway he was in and then at the doors that lined it. The Uchiha brothers and the fish man Kisame were in the rooms that led to Gakuto's room in the Wolf's lair. The Uchiha's brothers amazingly resolved their differences…after 3 long hours of trying to get at each others throats. They both decided if they could work together they could easily sway certain kunoichi's to revive their clan. "Such a pain…" Gakuto thought as he walked through the hallway and reached the end of it, entering the living room of the lair. It was lined with weapons and other things that were given to him through the years. He also had a television, which interested him to the point that he would stay inside his room for days until finally one day his sister and brother both dragged him outside. This happened again when he received many zombie movies of Karakuto's and romance and comedy from Serikuna. When Gakuto received them, he didn't put much thought into where they got it because of his surprise and that his siblings were Mystics, they could do just about anything. Gakuto walked through the living room and then into the second large door that would lead him to the 1st large door. He walked through the dimly lit hallway. The fires that lit the castle would automatically turn off, turn on, and dim depending on movement, time of day, and so on, an ingenious trick Gakuto applied to the castle. It once scared the crap out of Serikuna when she woke up to go to the restroom, making both her brothers awaken, run to her aid, and laugh at her reason why she screamed. Gakuto kept on walking when the 1st door leading to the Wolf's Lair opened and closed behind him. His Guardian appeared behind him and started to walk close to the unknown person. He looked and kind of smelled like Gakuto but his hair was different. Not only that but he had a human's scent on him. Gakuto lowered his hand on the wolves head and was rewarded with a lick in the hand. He even tasted like Gakuto. The Guardian Wolf kept walking with him until he reached the stairs. The Guardian knew that he could not go into the real world without his master's enchantment. Gakuto looked back and laid his hand on the wolf's head again except Gakuto's hand glowed white. The wolf went from transparent to a solid. Definitely his master. No one could do such a thing except his master and the wolf knew it. Gakuto and the wolf walked down the stairs and went through another door, across from the kitchen. They then arrived to Gakuto's destination, The Wash. The Wash was where Gakuto, Serikuna, Karakuto and others were able to wash their clothes and other things. It was basically a small cave that had a lake the size of a house but not as deep, a waterfall that led to it, and the waterfall itself was connected to any nearby rivers with mystic powers. You could even take a bath in it but it was extremely cold for that. Gakuto grabbed his sheets and put them in the water and watched as the sweat started to come off his sheets. His Guardian then went to a nearby cabinet and pulled out some soap. The Guardian was the first to know of his problem and helped him whenever he awoke with wet sheets by lying next to his master and providing warmth on chilly nights. He had started to get nightmares of his father's killer since he left the living world with Karakuto and Serikuna. He had woken up every morning to see his sheets soaked with sweat. At first he didn't tell his brother and sister but after a while the nightmares had gotten worse and he found himself walking into his sister's and brother's rooms and asking if he could sleep with them for comfort when he was little. Gakuto was thankful that both let him rest with them, even though Karakuto was more annoyed that he had to share his bed with a runt. At times he even pushed Gakuto off the bed! But Gakuto never blamed him and knew it was more of his fault than Karakuto's, even though he was a big meanie back then. Serikuna was more lenient and accepted Gakuto with open arms. When he first asked her if he could nap with her, he was 13. She looked at him with confusion but then she smiled and allowed him in her white bed. She still wore her mask when she went to sleep which sometimes creped the shit out of Gakuto. The day after that, Gakuto told them about his nightmares and they were able to suppress his nightmares to a minimum using herbs and ancient remedies.

Gakuto patted the canine on the muzzle and grabbed the soap from its mouth. He began to roughly clean his sheets while trying not to pull his hands out of the frigid water. The wolf sat next to his master and watched as he washed his sheets roughly and then dipped them in again in the water. The wolf then raised its head and sniffed the air. Gakuto saw this and he followed the Guardian's action and sniffed the air too. Besides the water and soap, they both smelled something that smelled like chamomile and blossoms. Gakuto's cheeks turned a hint of pink and realized one of the women were taking a bath. The wolf next to him sneezed and made Gakuto laugh. The wolf waited until the sheets were clean and followed Gakuto as he hung them in another area in the same cave so they could dry. Gakuto patted the wolf on the head and they both headed out of The Wash and into the Kitchen. They opened the door to reveal a clean, sparkling, kitchen. There were cabinets that held spices and other things, a refrigerator, freezer, microwave, stove, and other appliances that were used in a kitchen. Gakuto looked for his favorite snack and found it in the bottom of the refrigerator, bacon. He was a nice person and would give anything to anyone but when it came to the last piece of bacon it was a war for the heavens to enjoy. Gakuto then made one of his favorite drinks, a breakfast milkshake; banana, egg, milk, sugar, vanilla flavoring, and ice made Gakuto's infamous Liquado for some. The first time he found the recipe in a cook book he used what looked like sugar but was actually salt. Serikuna was the first to taste his milkshake. Serikuna came in and Gakuto handed a cup to her. She looked at her little brother and asked what it was. Gakuto said breakfast and watched as Serikuna lifted her mask a bit so she can drink 'breakfast'. She drank the whole cup and Gakuto then began to laugh when Serikuna's eyes turned big and she spat all the milkshake into a waking Karakuto, who had just walked in to see Serikuna turn and spit the milkshake at him. They spent the day trying to take out pieces of banana from Karakuto's hair, which were not yet shredded into liquid. He put the bacon in a frying pan and watched as his new and improved Minamoto Milkshake started to liquefy and turn brownish. "Damn. Too much vanilla this time." Gakuto said to himself. He got up from where he was sitting and started to walk towards the bacon and milkshake. He could smell the bacon getting to the point where he liked it and it was starting to make him drool with anticipation.

He opened a cupboard and grabbed one of the cups that were in there. He poured the milkshake into the cup and placed the liquefier into the dishwasher and turned it on. Gakuto then looked back towards the stove and saw the bacon was ready. He flipped the flame off and used his hand to get the plastic part of the pan. He pulled out a plate and placed the 20 pieces of bacon on the plate. The bacon stopped to sizzle as it begun to cool. He was overwhelmed by the smell that it caused him to grab one of the pieces and take a bite of it. He then started to feel his tongue burn and he quickly swallowed it. There was no way that he was going to spit out the heavenly food, even if it burned his throat. He then drank a good ¼ths of the milkshake to get rid of the heat in his mouth. He placed the frying pan in the dish washer as well and grabbed the bacon and milkshake.

He turned around to see the wolf looking at him with anticipation as well. Gakuto watched as the wolf licked its lips and started to whine. Gakuto grunted and willingly gave his friend half of the bacon he had on the plate, leaving him with 9 pieces and the other half that he took a bite out of. The wolf grinned and started to eat the pieces of bacon from its selected bowl that each Guardian was given when they were created. Gakuto walked pass the ravenous wolf and opened the door to the Kitchen, letting the smell of bacon flow through the castle. Gakuto opened the front door to the castle and watched on as the sunrise rose over the mountains in the east. He watched on until the sun's glare, like it did before to wake him up, hit him in the eyes. His sky blue eyes then started to get brighter as he kept on looking at the sun rise until they turned completely white, which at that point he shielded his eyes. He reopened his eyes and looked down to noticed he had eaten most of his breakfast. He took a sniff of the fresh air and smiled. Besides the normal air smell, there was a hint of chamomile and blossoms which came from upstairs. Gakuto munched down on the rest of the bacon and drank the rest of the milkshake. He then headed inside to be met by a strange sight. Near the stairs was a small piece of paper that was not there when he went outside. He placed his cup and plate on a nearby counter and as if knowing someone was in the room, the paper flew towards Gakuto and landed on his hand. Gakuto opened the letter and started to read.

Dear Gakuto,

How have you been since our last meeting? I hope none of my friends have given you any trouble. One more team member of the Akatsuki has come to join you. His name is Kakuzu. Just don't waste a lot of money or he'll have a heart attack. He will arrive soon in about thirty minutes so try and read this as fast as you can. I have the locations of Orochimaru and another being that must be destroyed, Hakudoshi. They are both working together to accomplish one goal, which I have not yet realized. I will be waiting in The Land of Whirlpools for you. After that we will head to The Land of Sound and end this once and for all. Your friends will be safe as long as they are together and away from Orochimaru and Naraku's detachment. I will be sending another letter soon to explain everything to them. You have to leave soon though, preferably before the Chunin exams.

See you soon,

Midoriko

P.S. - This note will burn in 1 minute after you open it.

Gakuto didn't take care about the last note and crumbled the paper that burned in his hand.

"Orochimaru…vengeance will soon be mine." Gakuto thought as he nodded at the wolf that came in earlier. The wolf also showed its approval and headed upstairs to become solid to transparent and to nothingness. Gakuto looked around the Great Hall before he ran up the stairs and disappeared into his chamber. The door closing just before the Raven Door opened to reveal just-out of-the-shower Kagome, yawning Serikuna, and a happy Konan.

20 minutes before…

Kagome woke up to a loud thud followed by another thunderous thud. "Someone's up…" Kagome thought. She shifted in her comfortable, "Finally!" bed and smiled at yesterday's events. "Gakuto…" Kagome thought as she remembered what he had done yesterday to save her. "He acts so much like Inuyasha…" Kagome thought. "No, I can't stay in the past." Kagome said out loud. She stood up and looked around. She remembered the ramen stand and getting to the castle but never going into this bed. She saw it was a fairly big room with many expensive looking things, weapons, tapestries, and paintings. Kagome moved her slender legs and got off the bed. She looked around the room and noticed two doors, one which led out of the room and the other a possible bathroom. Something else caught her eye and she noticed it was a closet. She opened it and saw all her clothes and another thing she hasn't seen. It was a cloak like Serikuna's but a different color. It was completely white with sea blue trim instead of sky blue like Serikuna's. She took out the cloak and could smell how clean it was. What puzzled her was why she had gotten this. A gift perhaps, but from who? Kagome put the cloak back where it belonged and took some clean clothes with her to the bathroom. She entered the bathroom and began to undress to take a shower. She had been in the shower for 10 minutes when she heard a knock at her door.

"Who is it?" Kagome asked. She heard someone say something behind the door but it was muffled by the door and the noise of the water. The most Kagome can tell was that the voice was feminine. "Who?" Kagome asked as she began to take the soap off her hair and body. "I said 'It's Serikuna!'." Serikuna yelled through the door. "Oh! Good morning Serikuna!" Kagome said as she turned off the water and finished her shower. "Good morning Kagome." Serikuna giggled behind the door. Kagome started to dress herself and before she opened the door to the bathroom she brushed her teeth with something that looked like toothpaste. It tasted the same and even smelled the same but the color was new to her. When she came out of the bathroom Serikuna was on the bed wearing her usual snake mask, which still freaked Kagome out at times. "So what is it that you needed Serikuna?" Kagome asked as she used the towel she found in the bathroom to dry what remained of her wet hair. She walked towards a dresser she saw before going in to take a shower and found a brush. She began to brush herself when Serikuna began to talk to her. "Nothing. Just wanted to check if you were ready for breakfast. It already smells like Gakuto started his breakfast." Serikuna said as she stood up. "Once I'm done brushing my hair I'll go O.K.?" Kagome answered. Serikuna nodded and headed towards the door. "We'll wait for you at the doors alright?" Serikuna said as she closed the door behind her. "We?" Kagome asked to the empty room.

Kagome had finished brushing her hair and headed out the door. She noticed she was in a long corridor that had 6 other doors besides hers, 3 on the left side of the corridor, 3 on the right, and one at the other end of the hall. She turned left and walked down the corridor until she reached the end of it and into a spacious living room. She looked around the decorated hall and saw Serikuna and the blue haired woman from last night. Kagome remembered her being a member of Akatsuki. Serikuna noticed Kagome and motioned for her to come over. Kagome walked towards the duo. "Kagome, this is Konan. She will be one of the three women staying in the Raven chamber. Konan this is Kagome Higurashi, a powerful human from a land named Japan." Serikuna introduced them. Konan smiled and Kagome shook Konan's hand. "Shall we go then? I'm starting to get the munchies!" Serikuna joked as the 3 beauties left the room and went into the Great Hall.

Gakuto…

Gakuto had packed a few clothes, food, weapons, a map, and a picture of everyone in the castle, including its new members. Gakuto looked at the picture and smiled. They all took it last night as a thing to remember. The picture was taken last night outside the castle doors with everyone doing something funny or down right weird. It put a smile on Gakuto's face and he put the photo in his inside breast pocket. He looked up from what he was doing when he heard laughter and giggling. He looked at his door and then at the window. "I guess I have no other choice…" Gakuto thought as he walked towards the window and threw the knapsack over his shoulder and opened the window. He looked down the castle wall and got a nervous smile. "Maybe this wasn't such a good idea…" Gakuto laughed nervously as he rubbed the back of his neck and looked down again. "Then there's the other way but…" Gakuto said as he looked at the door. He looked back and forth from the 100 foot drop to the door which could lead him to even worse trouble than breaking his legs. Gakuto sweat dropped and signed. He closed the window and started to walk towards the door. He opened it and was glad to see there was no sign of anyone awake in the lair. "Good…" Gakuto said out loud. He walked pasted the group of sleeping people and reached the first heavy door without incident. Now came the hard part. How to get past the double doors without it making a slamming noise as he left? He first past the first door and then immediately ran to the next door. The door opened and Gakuto started to push the door down as fast as he could. Both doors hit the castle floor with a thud but only making one thud instead of two. He signed a sign of relief and stood up. But he almost scared himself to death when he turned around to see Konan, Kagome, and Serikuna looking at him with food in their hands. "Gakuto?" Serikuna questioned. She then saw something around Gakuto's shoulder. "Is that you? What are you doing with that knapsack? Are you going somewhere?"

Gakuto mentally laughed nervously as he realized his rotten luck. He had done all that planning for nothing.

"Uhh…what do you mean? Of coarse it's me! I'm…I'm going to the village…yeah the village! The village is where I am going to get an assortment of items." Gakuto laughed nervously, hoping that the poorly said lie would pass up. He looked at the three women to see if the lie worked but mentally hit himself for being so stupid. Women are incredibly smart and can, most of the time, tell if a man is lying.

"What I mean is that you look different." Serikuna looked at Gakuto up and down. Gakuto sweat dropped. He knew what she meant but he didn't have time for this. He had to meet with Midoriko. "I need to get to the village before people start waking up. I don't want to wait in line for groceries." Gakuto tried again to lie to his sister. It took awhile until she finally said something.

"Ok but bring some Torosuburo from the candy store please. I got a sweet tooth today." Serikuna responded and the trio followed her towards the snake doors. Gakuto stood stupefied at his amazing luck. He made sure they went through the doors before he started to move down the stairs. He was about to go outside when he felt a presence next to him on the stairs. He turned around to see his companion near the stairs. The wolf looked down at the stairs and then at him. Gakuto began to walk towards the wolf when he got a better idea. He got on one knee and whispered something near the wolf's ear. The wolf looked at its teammate and nodded. It turned into a solid wolf and walked towards the snake doors. It circled the huge door until it lied down and waited. Gakuto smiled and waved at the wolf as he opened the doors to the castle and closed them behind him. He looked towards the sun and then started to walk into the forest behind the castle in the south. He turned around one more time to look at his grandfather's castle, probably for the last time in a long time, and disappeared into the forest, covering his trail of life force as he left…

Inside the castle, the three women walked through the 2nd snake door. Out of the ten, soon to be eleven, people that called the castle home, only three felt something strange go through their bodies. Serikuna, Kagome, and an awaking Karakuto looked at themselves as they each felt a person leave the living world.

Large Time Skip (Battle of Uzumaki Bridge and Training Sessions with Kakashi has passed) Ages have also changed. Everyone is 1½ years older.

Konoha…

The sun was high in the sky over the village as it was bustling with many different sounds, most of them coming from the Chunin Exam Stadium. Naruto Uzumaki had just won his duel against Neji Hyuuga and Sasuke Uchiha's match was next. Kagome was also looking down at the match with eagerness from her location, Sakura and other friends, a few floors lower then hers. They all grew into amazing ninja, especially Kagome, who had been burning through the ranks until she got to ANBU. She was now an effective ANBU member and explained why she was in her location, the Hokage viewing box. Her adventures and training exercises were noticed and approved by many, including the Hokage himself. She was happy in the outside but she was torn up inside. When Gakuto left, his life force disappeared completely. Serikuna and Karakuto had immediately looked for Gakuto. They were so bound on finding him that they asked everyone in the Land of Fire if they have seen him. Unfortunately no one, even in the neighboring lands, has seen anyone that had Gakuto's description. The search had gone on until Gakuto was presumed dead. According to Serikuna and Karakuto, the Forbidden Technique he used may have worked but it was just a matter of time until he would die. It was just his stubbornness to continue to fight for those he loved that kept him alive for so long. With heavy hearts everyone gave up in the search of Gakuto Minamoto. There were those who believed he was still alive. Among them were Serikuna Aneway, Karakuto Karyo, Kagome Higurashi, and surprisingly Rin Higurashi who said she was positive one day the grandson of the Hero of History would come back to save them from evil. Poor Rin believed in anything at her age, but she trusted her mother's judgments. Serikuna and Karakuto stayed as long as they could until they needed to leave for some unknown reason. Three of her most beloved friends had left her but not without leaving something for her.

Flashback ½ a year…

Serikuna and Karakuto looked at each other as they stared at the large group in front of them.

"What the fuck are we waiting for?" yelled Hidan. He got death glares from everyone and he nervously sweat dropped. Just then the remaining group of people arrived: Kagome, Sasuke, Rin, and Sakura. Among the group in front of the two mystics was The Hokage, Kakashi's team, certain ANBU members, all of Akatsuki, and the village elders.

"Good everyone is present. Now we are going to make this brief and simple." Karakuto said with a stern voice. Ever since Gakuto had disappeared, Karakuto had gotten less social with people, except for those near to him and Gakuto. Serikuna still wore her mask and had a sadden aura around her as she looked at the ground. "We have to leave this universe for some time and we don't have the exact details but we hope to come back soon. Kagome," Karakuto looked at the miko as she got in front of the group. "We will like you to keep this." Karakuto nodded as he looked at Serikuna. Serikuna also nodded and pulled out the Little Golden Dragon. Everybody watched as Kagome was handed the wishing item.

"You trust me with this even though I'm human?" Kagome asked, remembering what Gakuto told her. Karakuto and Serikuna nodded. "We know you will use it wisely." The mystics said in unison. Kagome nodded as she looked at the small item shine in the early sun. Karakuto then pointed at the castle behind Serikuna and himself. "You can keep that too." Karakuto nodded. "What?" Kagome gasped. She couldn't believe she was getting the castle as well. The Minamoto Castle at that too. "Gakuto would have wanted it." Serikuna agreed. "But no one, and that means you too Uchiha, is allowed in my room!" Serikuna joked. Everyone in the group smiled or giggled at the comment. Sasuke just scoffed and crossed his arms. "I think it's time to go Seri…" Karakuto nodded as he placed a seal in mid-air and two doors appeared. The doors opened and Karakuto was about to go through when a certain female ANBU yelled. "Come back soon, Karyo Karakuto!" Marina yelled from her spot next to the other ANBU and the Hokage. Karakuto grinned behind his mask and chuckled as he went through the double doors and disappeared into a blinding light. Serikuna also was about to go through when she turned around and waved at everyone in the group. "Be safe everyone! Oh and Kagome…" Serikuna motioned. Kagome came closer to her friend. "If Gakuto ever comes back, make sure to keep him around for a while. That way I could beat him for making us worry again." Serikuna hugged Kagome and seemingly glided into the white light. The doors disappeared and the group fell silent.

"What the hell are we waiting for? Dibs on wolf boy's room!" Hidan yelled as he ran toward the castle. Kagome extended her arm and knocked down the immortal causing everyone to sweat dropped. "I call dibs on his room." Kagome said in a scary but playful tone as she walked towards the castle. Everyone else ran passed her trying to get a good room, but standing clear of Gakuto's room. Hidan laughed nervously and got up, with help from Kagome, also running towards the house, trying to get a room big enough to do his rituals in. The castle was big and had plenty of room but that didn't mean it had its draw backs. Some rooms had no scenery, too far from everyone else, or strangely: to close. So that was the reason why everyone ran to the castle.

End Flashback…

Kagome looked down at the stadium as Sasuke arrived fashionably late again. The match started right away and things started to heat up but Kagome sensed something was wrong. She remembers Karakuto's warning to the Hokage about his impending death during the Chunin exams. She was completely prepared for anything except for what was going to happen in a few minutes. Everyone watched as the fight continued when something strange happened. People started to fall into some sort of genjutsu. Kagome pulled out her kunai and got closer to the Hokage. The Sand Village Leader looked at them and immediately pushed Kagome away with unbelievable force. The imposter stood up and removed his disguise, leaving a strange mix between snake and man. "Orochimaru…" Kagome gasped as she stood up and raised her kunai. Orochimaru didn't take much attention to the 'ANBU' and disappeared with the Hokage. Kagome looked around and realized where they had gone. She immediately told every ANBU in the area to head towards the location. But there was a problem. Currently Junin and ANBU Black Ops troops were in a conflict with Sand village ninja. It looked as if Kagome had to do this on her own for now. She ran after Orochimaru at top speed.

Serikuna and Karakuto…

"Look… it has begun." Karakuto pointed down at the village. Serikuna looked over his shoulder and pointed at a certain miko chasing Orochimaru. "Can we intervene?" Serikuna asked, pointing at Orochimaru. Karakuto shook his head. "Unfortunately we cannot, even if the bastard is there." Karakuto replied. "But-" Serikuna began. Karakuto placed a hand on his sister's head. "All in due time sis…besides we have been able to see into the future using your powers remember. We have nothing to worry about." Just then Karakuto felt his hand fall to his side. He looked to his right and noticed with wide eyes that Serikuna was having another 'condition' attack. He quickly ran to her side and helped her by leaning on his lap. "Serikuna, are you all right?" Karakuto asked after she had recovered. Her breathing was slow and shallow. "The future…" Serikuna began. "The future? What about it?" Karakuto asked. Serikuna took awhile to respond but with one long gasp, she said, "It…It changed!"