"Distress is a valid emotional response to injustice."

Nikita Gill

When Kagome proposed her deal, he was sceptical. There was no advantage for him, though as Kagome so blatantly explained, he had no control in this matter whatsoever. Begrudgingly, he accepted. He knew nothing about her, or the strange pink chakra she seemed to embody, so he did what he knew best – play the double agent. Whilst he satiated his curiosity, their deal could also confirm whether she would be an issue in his plans to eradicate the enemies of Konoha.

The next few days was an eye-opening experience for Itachi. Kagome no longer hid behind her damsel in distress pretence. She still participated in conversation, but majority of the time, it was up to him to

initiate any exchange. He was smart enough to know that outside closed doors, she continued with her farce to maintain relationships. On the inside, however, she was quiet, more serious, but not negligent.

What really astonished him was that all the herbal medicine she previously used to paint his injured body with was null and void. She didn't need them at all. With a simple touch of her hands, any lingering pain he felt vanished. He was well enough to exercise in the small space her room allowed. When he pointed out why she even continued to blend herbs to make a medicinal herb, he was met with an annoyed huff.

"These herbs are not useless!" She exclaimed. "I take my herbalist cover very seriously and they really do help people!"

It was then he decided to not question her choices ever again. At least nothing pertaining to herbs. However, he had thought long and hard on what questions could he ask, or exactly, what were the 'right questions' as she put it. When none came to mind, he decided to see how things played out before he made a move.

By the time the sun had waned, he heard the front door click. She was home. He listened closely to the shuffle of her feet, the soft thud of her atrocious yellow bag, and then the door shut close. The seconds ticked by slowly before he heard her soft footsteps lead into the living room. He had memorized her routine by then. The shutting of the curtains, the grunts and mumbles of her day followed by a quick sweep of the kitchen for an easy snack. Any second now she would call out for him. But as time continued to pass by, she didn't.

Turning his head ever so slightly towards the bedroom door, he fought back the urge to activate sharingan. It still hurt to use it, even after Kagome healed him. However, he had a slight inkling she was avoiding his eyes on purpose.

Before he could make up his mind to walk out of the room, he heard a loud screech against the floorboards followed by a heavy grunt. Not wanting to keep himself in suspense any longer, he exited the room and made his way to the living room.

"Ah, you're here." Kagome said before he had entered the room. Looking around, Itachi wondered what madness Kagome was on this time.

She stood proudly in the middle of the living room with her hands on her hips. Feet tapping rapidly, she wanted for a reaction.

"Hn…" He had nothing better to say.

All the furniture, or lack of, were now pushed up against the walls. Though the coffee table that was the centrepiece was awkwardly pushed into the kitchen area. The couch, now directly under the curtain, spotted beddings. Itachi could only guess what was happening, but with Kagome, he quickly learned his discerns were usually incorrect.

"I need a little more than just hn." She retorted.

He quickly bit back, "I'm not sure what you're wanting here."

Doing a quick scan of her handiwork, she tilted her head as if the answer was obvious.

"I'd like my room back." She didn't wait for Itachi to respond. "You're well enough to take the couch now, and with all the exercising you're doing in there, this larger space will be more suitable."

He opened his mouth to say something, but she continued, "No offence, but you don't even ventilate the room, it stinks of sweat and I'm breaking my back over here. But if you hurt yours, I'll just heal you again."

All things considered, less the snide remark regarding his body odour, Itachi wasn't against the idea at all, but there was one issue, "Did you forget you leave the curtains open during the day? Surely our friends in the neighbourhood would find the odd."

"Oh, right!" She exclaimed, "About that, I placed a barrier the first night you came in here like a thief. Your presence, physically and," she waved her hands in this direction as if he was supposed to understand, "is completely hidden."

Stupefied, and admittedly annoyed, Itachi hissed. "Then why have I been hiding in your room like a rat?"

Shrugging as if it wasn't a big deal, Kagome started unravelling the sheets that were going to be used for his makeshift bed.

"Back then you didn't know I was a very skilled Miko."

Wanting to argue back, Itachi decided it was more dignified to bite his tongue. Instead, he joined Kagome in setting up his new place of rest.

"Thank you." He muttered.

Feeling pleased, Kagome set out for the market. The last few days went in her favour, so how could she have guessed that it was only the beginning of her downfall.

Konohamaru was beginning to irk her. She guessed being free of any facades at home gave her a little taste of freedom, so when her little stalker decided to pull up a chair next to her, she sucked in her lower lip and took in a deep breath.

"If I didn't know better, I'd say you were begging for a job."

Now used to her light teasing, Konohamaru reached across her to steal a mochi ball she has set up for the children. With a quick pop, he grinned. "Beautiful day isn't it, Kagome?"

"Oh, is it?" Kagome hummed as she looked at the not so busy street. By the time she had finished setting up her stall ready to tackle another day at the market, the clouds had rolled in, and the Saturday crowd had dispersed. "What's going on with you, you're unusually chipper."

Leaning closer as if as he was letting her in on a secret, "My big bro is coming home today."

"You're an only child."

"True, but he's more like my idol."

"I'm hurt, Konohamaru, I thought I was your idol?"

"Yeah, yeah, very funny, Kagome." He leaned back into his chair. "You're still a mystery I've yet to crack."

Clicking her tongue, Kagome rolled her eyes. "So, who is this idol? Sadly, I've been slacking on picking up street gossip."

"Only the next Hokage in the making!"

Gasping, Kagome zeroed in on Konohamaru. "Is something wrong with Tsunade?"

"That's Hokage to you, show some respect, and no, it's Uzumaki Naruto, believe it."

Nodding Kagome looked away. The jinchuriki, it'll be my first time seeing one, she thought sombrely. When she first learned of this, she stuck true to her motive and stayed out of it. Clearly this world had come up with their own solution in dealing with demons, so why bother jumping in.

"By the way, our gracious Hokage seems to hold your mum in high regards, why is that? What was she like."

And just like that Kagome conceded to their endless rounds of banter and mild interrogation. By the time it had started pouring heavily, she decided enough was enough. Shooing Konohamaru away, she quickly packed up her stall and set off back home.

As soon as she crossed the threshold of her barrier, Kagome's eyes narrowed. Itachi was not alone. Not sensing any tension in the auras, she took her time in getting inside. When she rounded the corner to the living room, she feigned surprise at seeing Shizune standing uncomfortably in the middle of the room.

"Oh, what a surprise, Shizune, I was not expecting you." Kagome said, deliberately bringing her hand to her chest to show just how surprised she was. Behind Shizune, she almost saw an eye roll from Itachi.

"I'm pleased to see Itachi is doing well."

Chucking nervously, Kagome shuffled in, dropping her baggage by the door. "Can I get you anything?"

"There's no time. We're going to see the Hokage." The no-nonsense tone stopped Kagome dead on her tracks. Whilst she appreciated the amicable agreement they had in place, Konohamaru had successfully depleted her of all energy, and she wasn't sure the polite and ditsy personality she created was going to cut it.

Feet pivoting, Kagome was already at the door before she looked back. "Lead the way?"

It didn't take long before they were standing before Tsunade. She looked exhausted and every now and then, her hands would twitch towards a drawer, for what, Kagome did not know, but it looked like Tsunade was fighting a losing battle. On the other hand, Kagome sensed Kakashi just outside the open window – probably as a pre-caution but she couldn't care less at this point.

She wanted to be home, and she wanted to be in bed.

"Shizune tells me Itachi's recovery has drastically improved."

"All thanks to your support." Kagome replied, a little to curtly.

If this was Kagome's attempt to praise Tsunade, the Hokage would have whole heartedly believed it, but Kagome's tone was slightly off. Giving her the benefit of the doubt, she shrugged it off.

"I'm sure you can understand we have not been very forthcoming with our," she waved her hand about, "situation, however there's been a change in circumstances."

Steeling her nerves, Kagome bit down on her lip. She had just gone through that ordeal with Itachi, embraced having some normalcy as an innocent civilian, and now it was dangerously hanging by the thread.

"I'm not sure I follow…" She responded softly.

But before Tsunade could utter her next words, Kagome felt it. Her whole body froze, and it felt like pins and needles travelling from the tip of her toes up to the baby hairs sticking to her forehead. As if the air itself had left her body, she choked on a scream that refused to pass her lips.

"Kagome?"

She heard her name, but her body refused to react. It felt as if she was thrown into a pit of fire. She couldn't move. She couldn't speak. She couldn't see anything passed her little kit drenched in red.

"Mama…"

"It's okay..."

"It doesn't hurt…"

"Please don't cr-"

"Oi, granny Tsunade, who's this?"

Like the rush of wind that suddenly came crashing through the window, the spell broke.

Everyone present in that room, even Kakashi who was keeping a low-profile, felt a shiver run up their spine as the air stilled, but they had no time to react when a guttural, primal scream tore through the silence, echoing with a resonance that seemed to twist and coil like a living entity, vibrating with raw emotion and intensity.

Hola! We're finally getting to the drama! Hope you're enjoying the story so far! Please leave a review, open to any feedback!