Chapter 4: Intriguing unknowns

If there was one quality that Itachi felt confident the young girl turned priestess embodied, it had to be resilience. The ability to endure hardships thrown her way and overcome them without losing the smile that became the one source of light in his life. Falling into such a conflict-ridden world had clearly been overwhelming at first; there was no doubt in his mind that she'd been relentlessly enduring the responsibility that had been unceremoniously shoved on her shoulders without relying on anyone else.

Excitement laced every single one of her movements after pulling him back to the inn, and she went straight into overjoyed explanations of their breakthrough. Not even Inuyasha's somewhat crude incredulity was enough to dampen her bright mood. Sure, irritation slipped through when the hanyou tried to insist there was no way they could manage to arrange longer breaks to allow for her to train, but despite it all there was a lightness in her motions that remained. Even days later. Quite honestly, Itachi wasn't sure how many of her companions noticed the change; after all, the girl's nature was cheerful by default, but blind and isolated on the other side of the one-way glass, the Uchiha had learned the nuances that made her her. And the sense of accomplishment he got from finally being able to help was so vastly different from what he felt when completing a mission. For the first time in years, achieving his goals was not a synonym for bloodshed and destruction.

A part of him, of course, wished to agree with the silver-haired hanyou's annoyed assertion that there wasn't any need for Kagome-san to learn how to fight. Not when he was willing to give back the life she'd unknowingly saved in more ways than just one. He'd protect her, no matter what it took. But the once-lauded genius was all too aware of how easy it was for a plan to crumble to pieces. Regardless of how airtight it looked on the surface. Even if his strength was enough to deal with the enemies trying to harm her, there was no guarantee he'd always be able to get to her side in time to keep her safe. Life was often cruel, and tragedies often hit when one less expected it. As bitter a fact as it was to swallow, Itachi would rather force down what he knew to be nothing but selfish pride. Because he knew the young priestess could handle the weight and pain that came with braving the battlefield. She'd been forced to be on the frontlines already. Not one of Kagome-san's words held the innocent naivety that could be crushed by the devastation of the world surrounding her. Later, he'd have to try and talk to Inuyasha-san about this to lower the male's hostility towards their new routine. Making friends wasn't one of his objectives, and it was off to notice the other members of this ragtag team doing their best to make him feel welcome, but it would be easier for him to protect the young girl if he didn't need to fight the hanyou in every decision. Though to act now would probably be a bad idea, especially since the priestess made it clear she wanted Itachi to remain involved in her training.

His first priority now was to figure out how the girl's power worked.

Years of discipline kept his gaze on the old dusty scrolls the group had been allowed to peruse.

Regardless of the extra stops made along the way to the temple, the group managed to stick to their desired time frame. It spoke volumes of how often they deviated from their goal in order to help others that they worked it into their estimations. Then again, it seemed they were slowly gaining a reputation, which was why doors that would've remained closed were now opening for them. Just like the monks here were willing to accept them despite the weird sight the group must've been, how useful this stop would actually be for them, one could only wonder. The place was supposed to hold records of a legend reminiscent of the Goshinboku. But from what he could tell, this wasn't likely to be of help. If he'd been interested in returning to his world, this would've been a pointless trip...but it gave him a chance to try and familiarize himself with the feeling of reiki. Something he was in dire need of. Chakra sensitive or not, it shouldn't have taken him so long to detect the sacred barrier surrounding the building. The jolt he felt while crossing the energy field should not have been his first warning. Itachi ignored the temptation to activate his sharingan to study the unfamiliar energy; it wouldn't be a wise move, not while not knowing how it would react to an influx of chakra.

"Hmmm..." The monk's hum broke the silence that had been hanging over the group for the last couple of hours. "I suppose this could be called somewhat of a resemblance."

"Somewhat?" Sango-san's voice dripped with disbelief.

"Well, this was simply the closest temple we could visit, so..." Miroku-san trailed off.

"...right. At least we got a shard out of this." Kagome sighed heavily before glancing his way and shaking her head with a bitter smile. "I know, I know. There's no need to worry this much about it.

"Unless my presence here has become bothersome?" he asked, pretending to look up in surprise.

"That's not what I...!" Azure eyes widened as Kagomes-san realized she'd just walked right into it. "Alright, I get it already."

With a pout, the young priestess abandoned the scroll she'd been reading to make her way to him, sitting on his left, gazing curiously at the text he'd been lazily going through. "So, you can read those too, huh?"

"The writing is similar enough to what can be found in some of the older scrolls in our library to make educated guesses." From the moment they met, Itachi had known their worlds shared the same language, but it had still been surprising to note their writing was almost an identical replica.

"It is interesting...isn't it? How close our worlds seem to be in some aspects." Miroku-san's voice rose, although it sounded more like the monk was simply thinking out loud.

"So, you genuinely think it's possible to find a way back?" Sango-san asked.

"Until we can get more information on this side, there's no way to be sure." Letting down the scroll, the man closed his eyes, attempting to focus. "But how does this closeness affect things? That's probably what allowed the bond to be created in the first place, but are we close because of the similarities we share? Or do we share those similarities because we are close?"

He caught the two girls sharing a knowing glance shaking their heads. Letting out a sigh, the demon exterminator moved to take the scroll off the monk's hands and purposefully ignored the man's protest. This too, seemed to be something they were used to. "Come on, Hoshi-sama, we need to get moving, or Kagome-chan will be late for her exams. Inuyasha and the others will be happy to get out of that room."

"When he gets like that, he can start philosophizing for hours," Kagome explained with a laugh as she watched the other two complain on their way to the door. "He'll probably try to have a full interrogation when he gets the chance."

"Well, it is an interesting concept to think about." He'd spent years wondering about the girl's invisible world and how much it could differ from his own.

"Oh, do you want to stay here a bit more?"

"I thought you had to be back on the other side in four days?" His questions earned him an embarrassed blush. "How long will you stay there?"

"Hmm, if it's Friday by the time we get back, then probably the full week. I feel way more confident about calculus thanks to the study sessions, but I'd still like to try and catch the last class before exams start, you know, so I can review whatever Souta gathered and...sorry. Me rambling about school has to be boring," she said with an apologetic smile while they followed the other two through the mostly silent halls of the temple.

"I find it refreshing, actually." Normal and mundane was something he could appreciate. There was seldom a chance lives would depend on it, after all. "There's nothing wrong about topics that don't involve immediate risks."

Something seemed to flash inside the oceans of her eyes, and Itachi had to wonder if maybe he'd let something slip by mistake. He'd noticed before just how attentive the girl could be to the emotions of those around her; still, the Uchiha hadn't expected her to be able to pick up on his feelings with the ease she seemed to be displaying. Even back when things were alright, he'd often heard others critiquing his cold demeanor. Unfeeling. Detached. To the extent that it was worrying even for a shinobi. The vagueness he'd used to explain away his former occupation was enough for the other to accept his stoic behavior, but his butterfly appeared to see through his barriers. Maybe it was because he'd come to take comfort in her image that he unknowingly lowered his defenses when it was just the two of them. Perhaps it was the bond between them that was helping her become more attuned to his emotions.

Now that was another thing he had to figure out.

Apparently, the others were under the impression that the bond only ever worked one way, and it'd been unstable for a decade, but that was because Itachi kept quiet about the glimpses of his butterfly's life he'd been shown while they grew up. If he had to guess, their bond was always stable and working in some way on his side; now that they were in the same world, her part of the bond could be acting out by giving her some insight into him. Regardless, it was evident Kagome-san was doing her best to try and offer her help to him, unaware of how big a role she'd played in the fight to retain his sanity. His resolve only strengthened at the sight of the grin directed at him. More than once, he'd wondered what it would be like to be on the receiving end of one of her smiles, and he could do nothing to stop the way his heartbeat picked up its pace.

"Alright then." The girl didn't push for any clarification. She rarely did. "If that's the case, then from now on, I'll get you to listen to my chatter. Can't blame anyone but yourself if you get bored to tears."

"I shall take on full responsibility." He smiled.

Eventually, Itachi would find a way to explain the complete story to her. She deserved the truth, even if some of those revelations ended up driving her away. The Uchiha prodigy would help her achieve her goals from afar if needed. Which meant there was something else to add to the ever-growing list of things he needed to research. Before he could make that move, he needed to be sure there would be no repercussions for her.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

To be fair, Kagome kind of expected to find absolutely nothing in this first temple.

Legends that included the idea of other worlds were not exactly common, to begin with. Even the Goshinboku, as the tree of ages, never included the concept of a person traveling through time. The few stories that involved the idea of crossing into another realm were usually associated with youkais, like the tale of Urashima-Taro. It was fine, really. This was just the first place on their list. No, what truly bothered her was that while a part of her was disappointed because she'd still like to give the older teen a choice on what to do with his life from now on...another part she tried and failed to quiet down felt relieved they'd found nothing.

Kagome had known from the beginning that there would be consequences to her insistence on living in both worlds. The more comfortable she felt with time hopping, the more she could feel the distance with people in either time period, and really, the priestess couldn't say she'd want to change her life, even if that meant always having to be careful with her words. But for the past week, the girl had been surprised to note Itachi could follow almost every topic she brought up, and when there were things he didn't know, the curiosity the young warrior showed her was genuine. When talking to him, there was no need to hide the gory details or avoid modern terminology. By now, her reasoning for sticking close to him as they traveled had switched from wanting to make sure he was ok to wanting to get to know the young man whose path ended up intertwining with hers. And that was without taking into account how much he was willing to help her out.

Were she to confess to Itachi-san about feeling bad for being glad that their research was showing no promise, the older teen would likely tell her to not worry about it.

Pity that worrying about her companions was sort of what did best. Speaking of...the girl repressed a huff as she found the sulking hanyou half-hiding on top of the Goshinboku.

In what had to be a small miracle, the group managed to reach Kaede-baachan's village the night before, so as long as her date-keeping was accurate, she should be able to make it in time for her morning classes. Still, Kagome didn't want to go when Inuyasha didn't feel comfortable with the new changes within their group. Especially since Kagome was about to leave for a week. And while Itachi-san didn't seem like the type to throw a punch, the silver-haired male would definitely try to pick up a fight.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome called out, azure eyes locked on the bright red of his robes between the branches.

"What do you want?"

"Come on." Patience was always needed when he got like this. "I'll be going in just a bit."

Despite the scoff she got, the hanyou jumped down and sat cross-legged on the ground beside her. Grumpy and sulky, but Inuyasha still agreed to hear her out. It wasn't the best type of attitude one could have, but he was making an effort, and that was enough for her to smile.

"I just think we haven't really talked all that much lately." Unsurprisingly, the hanyou grunted, and she knew what he'd say before he even spoke. "Do you still think Itachi-san would try to attack us?"

"Fine, the guy probably doesn't want the shards. I'm just saying..."

"That we need to be careful." The girl shook her head. "I know you're only looking out for us, fragile humans."

Biting her tongue to keep from laughing at the bright shade of crimson coloring the hanyou's face, the priestess didn't want him to get annoyed once more.

"Anyone ever tell you you're annoyingly persistent?" he scoffed.

"Anyone ever tell you you're frustratingly stubborn?" Hesitation held her tongue for a second. The mood had lightened up a bit, and going through with what she wanted to say could bring back the tension. It didn't feel right to keep silent. "At least now that we know how my reiki works, we'll be better prepared...you guys won't have to baby me so much."

"...there's no need for that."

His voice was soft, and Kagome knew he was trying to be careful with his words, so the girl pushed down the immediate frustration that threatened to rise up at the implication. The last thing she wanted to do was fight with him when she was about to leave for a week.

"But it's better this way, isn't it?" She did her best not to let her agitation bleed through. "I know I still have a long way to go before any training becomes usable in an actual fight, but at least I won't force you to stick that close to me."

"Keh, there's no point. Just focus on finding the Shikon fragment, and I...we can handle the fighting. Trying to get into the battlefield half-assed is only gonna be way more annoying than staying in the back."

"...why?"

"Huh?"

"Why shouldn't I even try?" She wanted to stay calm, but there was no hiding the accusation in her voice. "What is so wrong with me training?"

"I just told you..." Inuyasha began.

"I never said I wanted to do something stupid like trying to take on Naraku all on my own. But I'm the weakest one here. That's why I always end up as a target." Getting carried away because she could do a little more was dangerous. Itachi-san and Miroku-sama were cautious to warn her every day, but this felt more like a scolding than advice. "I know you guys are always doing your best to protect me, but this will help make things easier for everyone. You weren't that opposed to it when Miroku-sama first tried to teach me, so why now?"

"Because you don't have to! Just let me protect you!"

His words were an echo of the past, but the feelings rising within her were different now.

Back then, their relationship had been so rocky that hearing him openly admit that he worried about her safety made her feel hopeful about the future of their partnership. Clumsy as it had been, it was evidence he cared, and that was all that mattered at the moment. The relief at not being disliked and the knowledge she'd been mostly powerless had her easily agreeing to stay back, unable to do anything but offer support with her arrows. Even if it really didn't fit well with her because, up until that point, Kagome had never been the kind to let others fight her battles.

Inuyasha didn't want to risk her safety, and the more dangerous their enemies became, the more sense it made for her to stay put, the girls couldn't blame him for those decisions, but it didn't make the realization sting any less. Kikyo had been a fighter; the hanyou never tried to be careful about singing the woman's praises, the perfect ideal of what a miko should be. Even with the limitations of a clay body, the undead priestess was still a considerable threat. And Kagome could never fully chase away the part of her that wondered if she'd ever be able to get out of Kikyo's shadow in Inuyasha's eyes. Because his insistence on having her remain behind him almost felt like a way to make amends.

"Is it so hard to believe I could actually protect myself?" she asked, doing her best to hide the hurt in her voice.

"That's not...!"

"What you meant, I know...just forget it, Inuyasha." With a heavy sigh, the girl stood up, unable to look him in the eye. "I need to focus on my studies, or I'll fail my exams, so do me a favor and stay here, will you?"

The sound of him standing up as she turned tempted her to stay, but her resolve didn't waver, and the hanyou didn't follow after her. Good intentions and bad communications skills or not, Kagome refused to compromise in this, not again. Hard as it was to accept, she'd lost bits and pieces of herself as her journey went on. Now that she was aware of what was going on the young girl wouldn't back down. If she'd been bold enough to confront Sesshoumaru back when the Western Lord was insistent on killing them, she could make Inuyasha understand she would continue with her training, come hell or high water.

Hopefully, Inuyasha would cool down during the week so he could finally accept that it was a fact now.

"Kagome-chan!" Shippo's cheerful call broke her train of thought. "And Inuyasha?"

Glancing around the clearing, she could see the slight worry on her friends' faces as they waited around the Bones Eater Well, and it took all her self-control not to curse out loud. These past few days, getting lost in her thoughts was becoming a bit of a trend. Willing a sheepish smile to her lips, Kagome let out a short laugh as she tried not to let them get even more concerned. "You know how he is, still grumpy and sulking on top of the Goshinboku."

"Kagome-chan..." Sango trailed off.

"I'll come back as soon as I'm done with my last exam," Kagome said, cutting her off. "I'll make sure to refill our supplies as well."

"We'll handle things over here, so take your time." The older girl moved to hug her, a reassuring gesture the time-traveling priestess appreciated more and more every time she had to leave after fighting with the hanyou.

"Indeed," Miroku added. "And your progress shouldn't suffer if you continue with the basic exercises we've been working on. With the way you've been progressing, we might be able to start trying to see how we can move through other basic skills."

"Can you bring back some more of that cand? You know, the really colorful one? Shippo jumped to take Sango's place in a heartbeat.

"I'll bring back a full buffet," the girl laughed. "But only if you promise not to play any pranks on the villagers."

Letting the fox kit back down, the priestess' gaze fell on their newest companion. Itachi-san had, unsurprisingly, remained silent in a likely attempt not to interrupt their usual goodbyes. Looking into the dark abyss of his eyes forced her to fight back the wave of concern for the older teen. It was ridiculous. He was more than capable of taking care of himself. The power he held was clearly more than enough for him to remain safe, and for all that this was a different world from his own, the older teen had already proved he could navigate the feudal era with fewer issues than Kagome herself did at times. Besides, it wasn't like he'd be alone, Sango and Miroku would make sure to help him out if needed, and they'd likely stay in the village anyway. There was no reason for her to feel uneasy.

"I'll be back soon."

"Take care," Itachi-san smiled, offering her a slight bow with his head.

With a deep breath, the priestess grabbed her half-empty backpack and jumped down the well in a move she'd performed over a hundred times before. The familiar sensation of the well's power enveloping her wasn't as reassuring as usual, and Kagome couldn't help but wonder about the difference. Not for the first time, her mind wandered back to the mysterious bond that seemed to have been lying dormant for more than ten years. Surely a part of it remained; he wouldn't vanish into thin air as he did when they were children. There really was no reason for her to be so anxious about it. Eventually, she'd get the chance to do something in return for all the help he'd given her already.

Even if he hadn't admitted his goal was basically to offer his aid to her, it would've been hard not to notice how much the young warrior did for her. It wasn't even the more visible things like the nightly math sessions or the breakthrough with her training. It was those talks during stolen moments that felt more impactful. Without those, the girl wasn't sure how long it would've taken her to realize she was losing herself; in fact, she wasn't sure if she would've noticed in the first place. And noticing how much faith he had in her potential bolstered her self-confidence in a way she hadn't realized in a way she hadn't noticed before. It wasn't the sort of blind, naive faith of someone who'd placed her on a pedestal; she'd seen that before. But Itachi-san showed no hesitation when the time came to correct her mistakes, but not once had she managed to catch disappointment in his expression. He'd been clear he truly believed she could become stronger, and until five days ago, Kagome hadn't realized how much she needed someone to say that. The girl was growing so used to his presence by her side so fast that it was almost scary.

The scent of old leather and dusty scrolls surrounded her as the soft, otherworldly lights that marked her travels faded away to leave her in the darkness of her family's shed. Shaking her head, the girl moved to grab the rope ladder that had been installed for her. Later, she could try and disentangle the mess that her life became after she was dragged to a time were legends lived and died. Although considering her meeting with Itachi-san happened when she was just four, maybe her life had always been destined to be chaotic. A smile found its way to her lips as she climbed. Perhaps things were messy and insanely confusing, but he couldn't imagine her life without the people she'd met through her travels anymore. Because, for better or worse, the past felt like home in the same way her family's shrine did. With a determined shake of her head, the girl jumped over the lid. Her gaze wandered through the array of antiques haphazardly stored in the shed. Who knew how many legitimately dangerous objects were among her grandfather's scattered knickknacks. It would probably be better if she took some time to sift through all of them, just to make sure there wouldn't be any unwanted surprises. The shards should probably be left locked inside her bedroom so they wouldn't awaken anything.

Hoisting her back over her shoulder, the girl moved to open the door, slender fingers closed around the handle when she felt it. A sudden influx of power lighted up the shed in the same colors that had embraced her just instants ago.

The thud of her back hitting the floor didn't even register as she ran back to the well, azure eyes widened in shock as she stared right into the otherworldly warrior's gaze.

"...so...it looks like I can go through..."

"Itachi...san?"

A/N:...so this took a long time...I swear whenever I think I finally get some time something happens, but anyway, the chapter is finally done and I should be able to get some writing done...hopefully. But anyway, here it is, a bit shorter than usual, but that's how the pacing for this ended up being.

As always, thank you guys so much for reading and any and all review/comment/criticism is greatly, greatly appreciated.