Crossover Fan Fiction / Naruto Fan Fiction / InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ K a z o k u ❯ Phoenix Down ( Chapter 11 )

Chapter Eleven: Phoenix Down

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As a cloud of sleep blanketed the coliseum, Genma stepped over to where Kagome collapsed on the ground, fully on guard against Kanna who was standing a few feet away from them.

 

“Kai!”

 

Kagome slowly revived, and groaned before yawning loudly as the effects of the jutsu vanished. “Wha- what happened?” Sounds of weapons clashing and minor blasts from colliding jutsus replaced the noises the crowd made. Civilians and shinobi alike littered the coliseum grounds, some from the sleep jutsu and others from defeat in the battle that ensued.

 

Genma could see a Kakashi-shaped dot fighting alongside a Gai-shaped one in one part of the bleachers. All around them, individual Konoha ANBU were fighting pairs of Sound and Sand shinobi.

 

“Papa!” Kagome suddenly remembered, and jumped in surprise as several people suddenly joined Kanna's side.

 

The three siblings from Suna, their jounin instructor Baki, and. . .

 

“Hakudoshi!” Kagome exclaimed. Why did Naruto have to beat up Neji so hard knowing he didn't possess the same fast regenerative skills he had at a time like this? She wanted to go to the Hokage box, but she couldn't leave Genma to face all these enemies alone. Mou!

 

“You're late,” Genma drawled at the newcomers who finally made their way to his and Kagome's side.

 

“That would be Naruto's fault,” Sasuke replied. “Dobe didn't dispel the genjutsu so we had to revive him first.”

 

“Shut up, teme!”

 

Genma clucked his tongue in disappointment. “Didn't Kakashi teach you guys anything? I had to revive Kagome-chan, too.”

 

Kagome blushed, “I was distracted, okay?”

 

“Shikamaru-kun also pretended to have fallen asleep along with Naruto-kun, so I had to convince him to wake up,” Sai added.

 

“How troublesome,” Shikamaru looked away, irritated at Sai for not allowing him the easy way out, and mad at the idiots who were trying to invade their village. “What now?” He looked to Genma for guidance. The odds were at their favor; there were seven of them against six enemies.

 

“Papa. . .” Kagome trailed worriedly, biting her bottom lip. She and Naruto looked at their superior hopefully, awaiting orders.

 

Baki finished talking to Hakudoshi and turned to give instructions to his genin team, while Hakudoshi nodded to Kanna and disappeared in a flash.

 

“I believe Shino and Sasuke still have unfinished business with two of our guests,” Genma said, thinking quickly. Sasuke's match with Gaara was supposed to be next, and Shino was scheduled to fight Kankuro after that. “Shikamaru, I'm not going to force you to re-enact your match, but if you're up to it. . .”

 

“I'll take care of the troublesome female again, I guess,” Shikamaru sighed. It was hopeless anyway. The twins were too distracted to fight seriously in their current states and maybe his luck would hold. Maybe he could defeat the girl again this time, no matter how annoying fighting with a female was to him.

 

At Baki's nod, Gaara, Temari and Kankuro also took off, leaving him to face the Konoha team alone.

 

“I could take care of Hakudoshi and the chibi,” Sai unexpectedly volunteered, secretly fulfilling his secret agenda.

 

Genma gave him an approving nod. “Alright, then the others could go see if the Hokages are okay and I'll take care of Baki. Shikamaru, you're in charge. That's it, move out and try not to die out there.”

 

“Thanks, you guys,” Naruto and Kagome echoed gratefully.

 

Kagome turned to Sasuke, “We'll follow you as soon as we can.”

 

Naruto nodded. “Yeah so don't do anything I wouldn't do,” he told Shino and Shikamaru gruffly.

 

“So that means just about everything, right?” Shino finally spoke. Kagome was the only one who laughed at his statement.

 

“I'll be done by the time you catch up,” Sasuke replied with a confident smirk.

 

“Okay, let's move out,” Shikamaru ordered, eager to get this show on the road. The genins split up, leaving Genma alone with Baki. Kagome gave one last look behind as she left with her brother, catching Sasuke doing the same thing over his shoulder.

 

“Look there!” Naruto called out excitedly, snapping Kagome's attention back to their mission as Sasuke faded from view. Atop the building where the damaged Hokage box was their father with the Sandaime, facing off against the Kazekage and a hooded figure. “Dad!!!”

 

The twins rushed to their father's side, “I'm so glad you're alright!” Kagome barreled into him, hugging his middle.

 

“Yeah, we were worried there for a second,” Naruto admitted.

 

Arashi crushed both kids close. “You didn't think I'd actually die in such an uncool way, did you? It'll take more than a reject sannin to get me.”

 

Orochimaru chuckled, shedding his Kazekage disguise. “So you finally found me out. Took you long enough though,” he gestured for his companion to do the same.

 

Sarutobi, Arashi, Naruto and Kagome collectively gasped.

 

Naruto gaped from one identical face to another. “She looks just like you!” he pointed at his sister, then at the stranger. “Why does she look like you?” Except for the hairstyle and eye color, the two looked like carbon copies of each other.

 

Kagome shook her head and opened her mouth to answer him but nothing came out for several seconds before she managed to stutter “I . . . I . . . don't know!” as she stared like a fool at her doppelganger.

 

“Do I have another sister?” Naruto couldn't grasp the concept. He was confused, very confused.

 

Orochimaru laughed, sending shivers down the genins' spines. “Yes and no, Naruto-kun,” he leered at them maliciously. “Let me introduce you to Kikyou. I wanted to name her Kagome, but I liked the name Kikyou better. It's a pretty name, isn't it? Fit for a pretty little thing.” He circled the Kagome look-alike as he spoke, tracing soft butterfly touches around her body as he maintained eye contact with the group. It made Naruto angry to see the evil sannin do that to one who looked so much like his sister, and it made Kagome throw up a little in her mouth. Sarutobi had to physically hold Arashi back, the Yondaime looking like he wanted to pummel the sannin into a bloody pulp.

 

“She's . . . sort of my very obedient slave, so to speak.” He paused, correcting himself. “My very own daughter,” the snake sannin continued, enjoying the looks on his enemies' faces. “She does whatever I tell her to and never questions any of my orders. She serves only one purpose and that is to serve me,” he grinned, taunting them further. Being evil was such fun. “And I got her for a bargain price, too. Met a witch who specialized in making clay soldiers. Claimed to have picked up a special piece of soul but needed hair samples and such from the original to make the copy using clay and bones,” he stared pointedly at Kagome who shivered in response.

 

Naruto instinctively stepped in front of his sister, shielding her from Orochimaru's direct view.

 

Orochimaru smiled, “Thank you for providing it, Kagome-chan.”

 

“When did you have time to steal samples from my daughter?” Arashi's voice was laced with repressed anger. No way in hell could this sick traitor gotten past him to get to his daughter. The only time the two were even in the same room, no, the same vicinity as each other was when . . .

 

“Ah yes,” Orochimaru laughed at the recognition in Arashi's eyes, “So you do remember, don't you, Arashi-kun? I remember it like it was just yesterday . . . Tsunade-hime was still here, if you recall correctly. That fool Jiraiya and you never suspected a thing,” he taunted, voice giddy. “The child made such a ruckus but no one was the wiser.” And to Kagome: “You were just a baby then but you put up quite a fuss, big tantrum and the works. I'm surprised I had my lock of hair and DNA samples without any resistance right under your father's nose.”

 

“Leave her alone, you freak!” Naruto couldn't help himself. He couldn't recall whatever the bastard was taunting his father about, but he felt like had to retaliate somehow.

 

“No need for the nasty name-calling, Naruto-kun,” Orochimaru looked genuinely offended. They all knew it was fake. “I have feelings too you know. And not in the presence of your sisters, please.” He patted Kikyou's head possessively.

 

“I only have one sister! That . . . that thing is not my sister!” Naruto shouted in disgust.

 

“The old witch did a great job, didn't she?” Orochimaru ignored him as he inspected Kikyou appraisingly. “I'm amazed at the striking resemblance as well. Kikyou has looked like this ever since her creation, yet who knew Kagome-chan would grow up to look so much like her? The hairstyles are even coincidentally close. Have you ever thought about growing your hair this long, Kagome-chan? My baby has pretty brown eyes though, compared to your blues. Pity, that.”

 

Kagome wanted to throw up when Orochimaru combed his slimy fingers through her copy's silky locks and touched her cheek with the back of his fingers.

 

“I didn't want the discarded part of your soul to go to waste. I think I made good use of it, ne Kikyou-chan?”

 

“Yes, father.” A voice very similar to Kagome's answered.

 

No, Naruto thought, the look-alike's voice sounded more mature and deeper. Nothing like his sister's at all. Their similarities were only superficial, he could see clearly now. At first glance, anyone could be fooled, but once you looked at them closer, you can easily tell they're entirely different persons. Not similar at all.

 

“You're sick! You're a sick, sick man and who knows what you've been doing to Kagome's clone all this time!” Naruto didn't even want to think about it, but his overactive imagination could fill in the gaps.

 

“Tsk, tsk, Naruto-kun.” Orochimaru ruefully shook his head. “Do you honestly think I'll abuse my most valued subordinate that way? My own Ka― excuse me, Kikyou-chan has been a great asset to me. I wouldn't harm my baby in any way.”

 

“You said the witch was able to create her with a piece of Kagome's soul. Do you know how that person was able to obtain that piece of soul in the first place?” The Sandaime asked in morbid curiosity.

 

Orochimaru's forehead wrinkled thoughtfully, eyes twinkling in memory. “Ah . . . that witch . . . Urasue, if I remember her name correctly. She's dead now, killed her right after she served her purpose. She was too needy for my tastes. It was unfortunate that she had such big ambitions. I would've let her live if she remained as obedient as she was, but she just had to go and ruin it by wanting more. I couldn't have that from one of my subordinates, of course.”

 

“Monster,” Naruto spat, disgusted. Orochimaru didn't look bothered by the insult. If anything, he took it as a compliment.

 

“So do you know how she acquired a piece of my daughter's soul?” Arashi reminded, getting the sannin back on track.

 

Orochimaru shrugged. “If I knew I wouldn't tell you,” and smirked evilly, enjoying every minute. “I came here to destroy your pathetic village, but I must admit, seeing your reaction to my Kikyou is almost just as good, too.”

 

“You're still sore about that?” Arashi exclaimed disbelievingly. “After all these years, you're still stuck on the council picking me instead of you to succeed as the Yondaime? You cloned my daughter just to extract revenge?!”

 

Orochimaru chuckled, “No, no, Arashi-kun, you've got it all wrong. My desire to destroy such a pathetic village isn't about revenge, I just feel like it. And Kikyou-chan was just an unexpected bonus. I didn't know such a thing was possible until I met the witch. That unexpected development just conveniently fell into my lap. I honestly didn't think it would bother you this much. And besides, you're not my primary target.” He looked at the aged Sandaime. “So don't flatter yourself too much. This is between me and Sarutobi-sensei,” he said mockingly in a singsong voice. “Don't you worry your pretty little head though, I brought a separate super special surprise just for you,” he grinned at the Yondaime.

 

Before any of them could ask what it was, a sudden burst of energy came from Kikyou, knocking all the Leaf Nins back except for the Sandaime. They recovered quickly in midair, landing on their feet at the nearest solid object and rushing towards the snake sannin, but a barrier much like Kagome's blocked their progress. As they bounced off of it, four other Sound-nins appeared and took their position at four corners on the top of the roof, forming a four-corner barrier just a little inside of Kikyou's, trapping both the Sandaime and Orochimaru inside it.

 

The Sandaime's eyes hardened, shoulders squared to face his former pupil in one last battle. “Is this really what you want, Orochimaru?”

 

“More than you'll ever know, old man. I'm stronger than you now and you should've taken my advice on naming a fifth Hokage because I have a surprise waiting for your precious successor. Konoha will have two less Hokages when this is over.”

 

“What are they talking about?” Naruto strained to hear the conversation as several bodies crashed into Kikyou's barrier. Reinforcements have finally arrived.

 

“The One Tail!” Arashi cursed, turning to the lead ANBU guard who appeared beside him. “Where did it go?” How could he have been so careless? Orochimaru cunningly used his soft spot for his children as a distraction, and it worked.

 

“Uchiha Sasuke and his team took off in pursuit of him, Yondaime-sama,” came the reply from behind the dog mask. Behind him, several other ANBU Black Ops wearing darker robes knelt respectfully waiting for orders after several unsuccessful attempts at getting through the invisible wall separating them from another wall that had their Sandaime trapped in.

 

“Sasuke!” Naruto and Kagome gasped. They'd forgotten about their team mate for a moment due to Orochimaru's stunt. Now that they knew their father was safe, they wanted to go help their teammate.

 

“Kakashi-senpai and several other jounin are taking care of the intruders inside the coliseum. The emergency procedure for a siege is already under way and we are ready to begin the offensive as soon as the women and children are all safe and accounted for.”

 

Arashi nodded and turned back to his mentor inside the shield. Sarutobi understood the action and he nodded, “Go, Arashi. I'll take care of Orochimaru.”

 

“Take care of me, old man?” The snake sannin found that hysterical. “I will `take care' of you. Today will mark the day of your death and your pathetic village's destruction.”

 

“Keep on dreaming, Orochimaru!” Arashi spat as he slammed a rasengan into Kikyou's shield. Kikyou didn't even flinch and the barrier didn't even waver as it absorbed the impact. Arashi growled in frustration as he tried again, and even Naruto got into it, unleashing twin attacks at the same time.

 

The effect was the same each time, amusing Orochimaru to no end. “As much as I would love to laugh at your pathetic attempts to reach me, Arashi-kun, Sarutobi-sensei and I have some unfinished business to attend to. Don't worry. I'll make sure to give you some attention after this if you're still alive, okay?” And with that, he started his attack at Konoha's Third Hokage. Sarutobi quickly deflected it and unleashed a barrage of kunai at his former student. Orochimaru's hands blurred in a series of fast hand signs that caused two objects to sprout from the ground to block his former sensei's attack.

 

Frustrated to no end, all the Leaf shinobi unleashed their strongest attacks on the shield with all their might, but not even their combined efforts could wear it down. The shield held fiercely as Kikyou watched in stoic silence, quietly mocking their pathetic attempts. The Konoha shinobi could only watch in horror as Orochimaru used his forbidden technique to resurrect their First and Second Hokages.

 

“Damn it, take this down right now!” Naruto kicked the barrier angrily.

 

Arashi noticed that his daughter wasn't attacking like the rest of them were; instead she had a palm on the invisible wall, face deeply scrunched in concentration. Curiosity got the better of him. “What are you doing, Kagome?”

 

She didn't respond. Instead, she breathed deeply and focused energy through her hand and into the opponent's defense. Every time she attempted to make an offensive kekkai inside Kikyou's wall, she failed for some unknown reason. It was almost like her powers were being negated, but that was only speculation on her part since she had never experienced such a thing before. She could tell that the other girl had far more battle experience than her, but that didn't necessarily mean that she was stronger, did it?

 

Maybe my powers are still exhausted from my fight with Kanna. . .

 

The only way she could think of right now was to break down the barrier. If she couldn't attack from the inside, then she'll do it the old fashioned way from the outside.

 

Once she deemed she had enough energy, she turned to Naruto and instructed, “Punch it now!”

 

Not waiting to be told twice, he did as she asked and punched with all his might. The air where his fist connected with the unseen force preventing them from surging forward shimmered; everyone could feel as it shook from the force of the attack. Earlier, with Kagome's fight with Kanna, her barriers had been different. They were visible to the naked eye. Kikyou's kekkai right now was an exact replica of Kagome's old technique - invisible - and perhaps twice as strong.

 

Kikyou's eyes narrowed slightly towards Kagome.

 

“Woah!” exclaimed Naruto, “It didn't do that before!” Excited at the new discovery, he punched again but frowned at the lack of reaction this time. The force of his attack was merely absorbed into it, just like it had been before. “Hey! What gives?”

 

“I think I have it figured out,” was Kagome's reply. “You have to synchronize your attack with mine or else it wouldn't do any damage. . . Otherwise, it wouldn't be effective.”

 

Frustrated as he was at watching the Third as the First and Second outnumbered him, Arashi knew the Sandaime could handle himself. This battle was tough but he was confident in his predecessor, and he knew he had a duty to attend to.

 

“Stay here and work on the barriers to help the Sandaime,” Arashi instructed the ANBU squad and his children.

 

“What!” Kagome stepped away from her work to stare incredulously at her father.

 

“No!” Naruto protested, “We're coming with you! We gotta help Sasuke!”

 

Kagome nodded in agreement. What was he saying? Sasuke was their team mate. It was only natural for them to go after him. They promised him they would.

 

Their father shook his head, “No. Kagome, this is your specialty. If anyone could get past this barrier, it would be you.” Said barrier crackled as if in response to Arashi's statement.

 

“But Sasuke-”

 

“I said no and that's an order!”

 

The twins shrank back from their father's outburst, not used to having that tone directed at them. This Arashi wasn't their father anymore, he was speaking as their Hokage. No amount of wheedling would change his decision.

 

Feeling a little bad for shouting at his children, he amended, “When you're done, you can come follow me.”

 

“At least take Naruto,” Kagome said. “I can handle her by myself and even if I couldn't, I have Sandaime-sama and the ANBU here to help me.”

 

Naruto was grateful for the vote of confidence. “Yeah dad, I'll be your backup,” he added eagerly.

 

Arashi stared at his children for a few seconds, inwardly debating if it was worth wasting the time arguing with them to stay instead of going after the One Tail. Two pairs of baby blues stared back at him stubbornly as he recognized the willful set of their jaws. He sighed, not entirely excited on giving in. “All right, Naruto you come with me and Kagome,” he firmly grabbed her shoulders and looked her straight in the eye making sure he meant business, “you can follow only when you're done here, do you understand?”

 

“Yes, papa!” She easily agreed.

 

“Do your best and stay safe.”

 

Kagome beamed at her father, “You too.”

 

He had one last advice for the ANBU as well, “Protect the Sarutobi-sama and Kagome.”

 

All of them nodded, acknowledging the unneeded instructions; every single one of them was willing to risk their lives for their retired leader and current leader's daughter.

 

“Naruto, stay close behind me and try to keep up.” He hesitated for a moment before he reached out one last time to pat Kagome's head affectionately. “You be careful and take care of everyone else, okay?” he reiterated.

 

“Hurry up and finish, sis, so you can follow us!”

 

“Take care, you two!” Kagome replied, watching two blond blurs disappear in the direction of where Sasuke had taken off after his opponent earlier, before turning her full attention on her look-alike inside the shield.

 

The ANBU watched quietly as the young genin placed a hand on the barrier while keeping eye contact with the girl inside. It wasn't their place to question why the two looked so similar, although they heard snippets of conversation earlier. Did the Yondaime's daughter really have what it takes to break down the invisible wall?

 

Blue met brown as the two faced off.

 

ღ

 

Sasuke was not having a good day.

 

First, his match during the Chuunin exam finals was skipped due to an invasion of the village, and now he was running out of chakra. When he faced his opponent earlier, he was confident with his newly acquired techniques from Kakashi, but now he wasn't so sure.

 

He could recall the amusement that flooded through his veins at the shock that flowed out of the redhead in waves as he drew blood when the chidori cut straight through Gaara's sand shield, like it was butter. He felt like he had the upper hand then, even if the redhead showed signs of weirdness that made the hairs at the back of his neck stand on end. Training with Kakashi improved his techniques exponentially, he felt on top of the world and unbeatable.

 

Pursuit of his opponent from the arena earlier came natural to him. He showed no ounce of hesitation when he was ordered to do it by Genma earlier, but with his position right now, his back against a tree as he regained his breath, chakra exhausted, he wondered how on earth he could have grossly miscalculated the situation.

 

The guy was a monster.

 

There was no other way of putting it. His opponent could sprout unnatural limbs out of his sand-like body and his face was severely distorted by the sand that merged with it. Hell, his entire right half was covered with it! The sand was really hindering his moves. Even after three hits with the chidori, Gaara was still standing; blood flowing from a minor cut on his forehead where the lightning attack nicked him earlier.

 

Sasuke didn't even want to think about what would happen if either Shino or Shikamaru failed to defeat the other two Sand siblings. They left Shikamaru with the girl and then he left Shino with the puppet master when they caught up to them earlier. Their movements were puzzling, Shikamaru wondered out loud why they didn't fight at the arena, but his question was left unanswered.

 

If one, or worse, both of the enemy shinobi were to join the current fight, he was a goner. He'd already exceeded the number of chidoris he could use in one day, yet he couldn't even knock the guy out. And at this rate, he could already feel his curse seal taking over his body.

 

ღ

 

Wham!

 

“Again!” Kagome commanded, and the shinobi gathered punched against the barrier as one. Kikyou visibly staggered at the impact this time as Kagome ordered another attack. Kagome's confidence grew as the strain of keeping the shield up manifested on her opponent's face. Kikyou was a tough nut to crack, but Kagome had two ANBU squads and several jounin on her side.

 

Kagome was getting increasingly worried as the double shielded area where the Sandaime was fighting in had turned pitch black several minutes ago. None of them could see what was happening inside, but a nagging feeling settled in her stomach.

 

“One more time!” she shouted. And the ANBU unleashed their different attacks once more. “Again!”

 

Bam!

 

Kikyou gritted her teeth and channeled more of her spiritual ki into her defense. Kagome countered with more offensive energy and attacks. Kikyou could feel her barrier crack, and knew that her blue-eyed counterpart was aware of it too.

 

Kagome smirked as she gave it one more push. “This is it you guys, give it all you've got and prepare for an attack!” All the ANBU, now joined by Gai, Kakashi and the other jounin who succeeded in cleaning up the coliseum of intruders drew back their fists and waited. Kakashi was gladly impressed at the leadership qualities his genin showed as she commanded shinobi who were higher ranked than her.

 

“Now!”

 

Boom!

 

The collective force of the combined attacks literally blew Kikyou away as the air exploded. Unable to hold her shield any longer, the unstable clash of energies collided against each other and blew up. Kagome had enough wits to cross her arms in front of her and cast a barrier of her own to protect herself and her comrades from the shockwave, watching as Kikyou barely avoided the blast. Bits of debris flew every which way as they ducked for cover. One ANBU's mask cracked from the power, and Kakashi could barely suppress his shudder as he braced himself. When the dust settled, he couldn't believe the damage brought by the explosion.

 

“Yes! We did it!” Kagome cheered, wobbling back on her feet. Kikyou had yet to pick herself up from the other side of the wide roof, where she had skidded off to. “Are you okay, Kakashi-sensei? Gai-sensei? ANBU-san?”

 

The ANBU behind the cracked cat mask stood up unsteadily. What was that!? The explosion of ki touched something inside of him, something deep and unidentifiable. It made him feel exposed and very vulnerable.

 

“That was fantastic, Kagome-chan!” Maito Gai replied, giving her a super shiny thumbs-up sign. “I envy my rival for having such a youthful student like you!”

 

She grinned at his enthusiasm. “It's not over yet,” she pointed at Kikyou, who was also standing up. The battle was just about to begin.

 

The ANBU wearing a white cloak stepped in front of Kagome protectively. “We'll take care of the rest, Kagome-sama.” The rest of his subordinates nodded in agreement and fanned out beside him.

 

Kagome shook her head. “No, I have to fight her. You should go see to Sandaime-sama.”

 

“No, Kagome-sama.” The ANBU shot back. “You have done your part, now we have to do ours. Please go quietly beside Kakashi-senpai and-”

 

Kikyou cut him off with a humorless laugh, dusting her clothes off. “You are one hundred years too early to fight me, ANBU-san,” she mocked. “But if you're that willing to die, then come at me. I'll help you meet your maker.”

 

“Tough words for someone who just got blasted by her own technique, Kikyou,” Kagome said sardonically.

 

Kikyou narrowed scornful eyes at her mirror image. “Consider yourself lucky for that. Enjoy it while you can. I'll-” Her head suddenly snapped towards the four-cornered barrier still in place. Kakashi, Gai and the rest of the ANBU drew their weapons when Kikyou moved, rushing to the side of the wall within the blink of an eye. The two look-alikes released twin gasps at the same time, “What's going on?!?” Eyes riveted on something inside the walls.

 

“Fa- father!” Kikyou's eyes uncharacteristically widened in horror, hand over mouth, all the enemy shinobi behind her forgotten.

 

Curious, Gai strained to see through the dissipating darkness inside the battle area. Evidences of a high-level battle littered the interior, blocking his view. They had a clear visual of the events that happened between the Hokages and Orochimaru earlier, even though they had no audio from where their distance. The dual barriers both fascinated and frustrated him, the caster of the outer one surprised him when they came face to face. The lack of youthful cheer from her face, so similar to that of his rival's student, bothered him.

 

Inside the last barrier standing, everything was damp from water attacks. There was a giant mass of soil that he could see from where he was, and lots of wood and plants were crammed in the tight space.

 

“There!” Kakashi pointed to a small corner free of trees and plants. Sarutobi had Orochimaru in a tight hold, gnarled hands gripped the sannin's shoulders while Orochimaru's sword slowly pierced his chest from behind. The only thing preventing Orochimaru's Kusanagi from fully impaling the Sandaime was his summon, Enma. The injured monkey king held Kusanagi back as Sarutobi trapped Orochimaru in his jutsu.

 

Kagome gasped when she spotted the imposing figure floating above and behind the Sandaime, “Ryuk!” realizing he was the source of Kikyou's distress.

 

With their opponent clearly distracted, an overeager ANBU took advantage of the situation and rushed head on towards the barrier, confident that his strongest attack could dent it. The rest jumped back as their comrade burst into flames upon impact. His body was charred beyond recognition before it hit the ground.

 

“Stay back!” The head ANBU ordered as they watched helplessly from the outside. They didn't need any more casualties. “Have confidence in the Sandaime, he'll be all right.”

 

Everyone stood at the sidelines, transfixed at the scene. Even the forgotten Kikyou, who looked extremely worried for her `father'. Kagome dared to get as close to the barrier as she could, but not close enough to touch it. She didn't want to end up as a human charcoal, but curiosity got the better of her. “What's going on, Ryuk? Why are you here?”

 

Kakashi shot her a sideways glance, wondering who she was talking to. “Who's Ryuk?”

 

“Answer me!” Kagome repeated, not hearing her sensei's question over her own thundering heart. “Why are you here?!” Fear crept into her voice as she dreaded the response.

 

“Answer the question,” Kikyou repeated slowly, unhooking the bow from her shoulder and notching an arrow on it, aiming it at his head. They both knew there could only be one reason why a shinigami would be present, but neither wanted to accept it.

 

For a moment, the huge shinigami seemed to mull over his options, and Sarutobi took that time to finish sealing the deal. Ryuk's answer was heard only by Kagome, Kikyou, and Sarutobi. Orochimaru could see a faint outline of the stuff his nightmares were made of because he was the recipient of the jutsu, and Sarutobi could only see him now because of the deal they made.

 

Ryuk plunged his ghostly hand through Sarutobi's stomach as he latched on to Orochimaru's soul. “Your Sandaime has summoned me, Kagome-chan,” he said in that guttural low voice of his, pulling at his victim's soul.

 

Kikyou released her arrow when Orochimaru screamed from the pain. Kagome pointed, but found that she couldn't form a barrier inside the shield that contained the Sandaime either, so everyone watched as it sailed safely through the barrier that fried an ANBU to a crisp. Miraculously, it missed the trio in a deadlock by over three feet in the air. Kakashi and the rest of the Konoha shinobi thought Kikyou had really bad aim, but Kagome knew better. She watched as it bounced off of Ryuk harmlessly, and let out a sigh of relief. That was a lucky shot. She wasn't going to allow Kikyou to do it again.

 

“H- how?” Kikyou was confused. Her arrow was packed with spiritual energy. It should've obliterated the shinigami who wished her father harm upon contact. Why wasn't it effective?

 

The same question was on the shinobi of Konoha's minds. How? How did an arrow that missed the targets bounce off as if it hit something solid? Something invisible. No matter how hard any of them squinted, they couldn't see anything over their Sandaime and Orochimaru except for trees. Kikyou's arrow didn't hit any of the branches, so . . . how? Kakashi decided he would find out and threw a kunai, aiming at the snake sannin. Like the ANBU before him, the kunai burned to a crisp before it hit the ground.

 

What the heck was going on? Did Kagome form a shield around the Sandaime and somehow, they couldn't see it unlike her earlier attempts? Yeah, that must be it.

 

Ryuk's ghastly face contorted into his own version of a smile. Orochimaru screamed some more as he pulled harder, and Sarutobi coughed up blood. “That was a valiant effort, Kikyou-chan, but I'm afraid I'm immune to any of your tricks now.”

 

“What do you mean you're immune?” Kagome asked.

 

Orochimaru screamed again, prompting Kikyou to shoot an arrow at Sarutobi this time. Kagome growled in frustration as her own spiritually charged kunai intercepted it, keeping the Sandaime safe. She was a fast learner. Kikyou snarled in response, cursing at Kagome and the shinigami.

 

Ryuk ignored her. Now wasn't really the time to be having this conversation with his friend, but he didn't want to be rude either. “A long time ago,” he pulled at Orochimaru's soul again, “when you were born, your father did this same ritual with me. Even as a baby, your instincts and natural skill were greater than my own power. I was in the process of devouring his soul when you interfered. In exchange for his soul, you offered yours, but it was too big for me to handle for one jutsu, so I only took a chunk. I accepted that chunk as payment and sealed the deal. Souls that I collect through this forbidden sealing jutsu are for my personal consumption, unlike the souls that you see me guide to the afterlife, but in this case, I eventually had to release it.”

 

“How come?” Kagome inquired. She couldn't recall any of the events he was listing, so she wanted to know more.

 

The shinigami pulled again, and the two priestesses watched as more of Orochimaru's spiritual arm separated from his body. The process was slow and arduous, hindered by Sarutobi's critical injuries, depleted chakra and two other similar techniques performed earlier with his clones, First Hokage and Second Hokage. The sannin's iron will also posed as a drawback, preventing Ryuk from easily snatching his soul.

 

He sighed, hoping the snake like human would just give up already. His demise was inevitable. Why prolong it? “This ritual is very rarely performed. Unlike escorting a soul into the afterworld, when I devour a soul, it stays in my belly for a long time, trapped in a living hell. In time, it fades away until it is no more, but the soul chunk I extracted from you was trying to purify me from the inside. I could not allow that, so I released it,” he said almost apologetically. “I didn't know what happened to it next, but judging from the looks of her,” he nodded towards Kikyou, “I think it's safe to say someone got a hold of it before you did. I am sorry, miko-chan. I was under the impression that it was going to find its way back to you after I freed it.”

 

“Oh, no, it's not your fault!” Kagome assured him, hands waving in the air for emphasis, making Kakashi and the others think she'd lost her mind with the way she was talking to thin air. “It all makes sense now,” she nodded. “Orochimaru told us earlier that he met a witch who created her after he got some `specimens' from me.”

 

Kikyou ignored the thumb jabbed in her direction, preparing another arrow. “I don't care about the circumstances that have made you immune to my power and frankly, I don't care about what you do. I do care, however, about your business with my father. If you don't release him right now, I'll show you what I can really do, immune or not.”

 

“You'd have to go through me first before you get to him, Kikyou.” Kagome stepped in between the girl and her friend. She may be worried for the Sandaime's life, but she wasn't going to stand aside and allow her enemy to harm Ryuk either.

 

Orochimaru screamed once again, distracting them. Sarutobi couldn't take it anymore. The jutsu already took longer than necessary, he was at his limit. Only Orochimaru's hands were separated from his body so far, but that was as far as he could go. He could no longer sustain the position, and at his delirious state, he could tell that the Kagome clone could very well jeopardize his plans if he kept this up.

 

“Do it now!” He shouted, gambling the rest of his life away.

 

“No!” Kikyou and Kagome shouted.

 

Ryuk complied and leaned forward with a dagger to cut off what spiritual body part was disconnected from the physical body. Orochimaru's agonizing scream blended with Kikyou's horrified one as his arms withered and died right in front of everyone.

 

“What have you done, you senile old man!?!” The snake sannin screamed hysterically. In the midst of shouting obscenities at his former teacher and cursing him to oblivion, Ryuk sealed away his gathered souls, and Sarutobi fell to the ground.

 

“Orochimaru-sama!” The four ninjas sustaining the four-cornered shield shouted as their leader fell to his knees, chaos erupting all over the place.

 

Kagome grappled with Kikyou who rushed to attack head-on towards the barrier, and Kikyou roughly pushed back. The action prompted the Leaf shinobi to spring into action, finally engaging Kikyou in hand to hand combat. Kikyou blocked a kick from an ANBU and parried shuriken aimed at her as she fell back in a defensive position. Her taijutsu skills were second only to Orochimaru's and she wasn't outnumbered for long as she quickly solved that by pulling out several ofuda from her robes and tossing them out.

 

“Paper clones?” Gai asked to nobody in particular as the piece of paper tossed at him turned into little girls.

 

“Shikigami!” Kagome hissed, jumping out of the way in time to avoid an attack from another one to her left.

 

“Don't let your guard down,” Kakashi warned the others as he barely avoided a kunai in the head. “They're strong despite their appearances.”

 

“And fast, too.” Gai said as one shikigami grazed his arm with her kunai. He retaliated by stabbing it, but unlike the kage bunshin and other clone jutsu he was used to, the shikigami didn't disappear with a poof. “Gah!” startled and confused, he jumped back to get away from the punches and kicks thrown at him. Wounds inflicted on them didn't even bleed.

 

The other Leaf shinobi faced the same surprises but quickly adapted.

 

All but two shikigami battled with the Konoha ninja. Two unique ones stayed beside Kikyou. Kochou, the older looking and taller of the two, stood on Kikyou's right awaiting orders. Like Kikyou, she had a ponytail at the back of her head and wore a yellow kimono. Asuka, the shorter and younger looking one, waited on Kikyou's left. She had a blue kimono on and had two ponytails at each side of her head.

 

“Orochimaru-sama is injured, what shall we do, Kikyou-sama?” Tayuya of the Sound Four and keeper of the Northern Gate shouted above the full out battle between the Konoha shinobi and the army of shikigami.

 

“Take down your barrier and retreat!” Kikyou commanded, feeling what could only be described as panic for the first time in her life. “We have to take father out of here and get him to Kabuto!” Her father was her everything, all that her world revolved around. If anything ever happened to him, she wouldn't know what to do. Kabuto. Kabuto would know what to do.

 

“Well what are you waiting for?!” Kidomaru, keeper of the Eastern Gate barked at his comrades and dropped his side. “You heard her!” Ukon of the West Gate and Jirobo of the South quickly obeyed, swaying slightly from the strain. In times of emergency, it was okay to obey the leader's daughter, wasn't it?

 

Kikyou wasted no time and rushed to Orochimaru's side. “Father, are you alright?” Gentle hands were already healing whatever injury she could find.

 

“My hands!” Orochimaru screamed, “My hands! The old geezer killed my hands!!!” Try as she might, Kikyou couldn't heal the withered appendages as fast as she could do his other injuries.

 

“Kikyou-sama, I suggest a tactical retreat so that you may treat Orochimaru-sama's hands,” Kidomaru suggested, fighting back the urge to scoot as far away from the two shikigami beside Kikyou as much as possible. Little kids creeped him out and these two even more so especially with the amount of power they had. Kochou and Asuka could seriously kick his ass in a fight. Pitiful, but true.

 

Brows furrowed at her inability to ease her father's pain, Kikyou nodded and allowed Jirobo, the strongest of their group, to support Orochimaru. The Leaf shinobi finally overpowered her other shikigami, but by the time they turned to pursue the escaping Sound party, Kochou and Asuka didn't even need to do combat. Like flies to a spider's web, they literally fell for Kidomaru's special web made out of liquid and chakra. With one last look at Kagome, the doppelganger promised retribution upon her return. Just as soon as her father was well again, for sure.

 

Kagome was too busy to notice anything else and just knelt beside the Sandaime's body looking sick. She wanted to cry but dared not to, and the effort made her shake like a leaf. Kakashi left her to wallow in her sorrow for a few heartbeats. “You did everything you could, Kagome-chan,” he said at last. Medics arrived a moment later, so he took his student aside to let them do their work.

 

“It's over,” she said quietly, defeated. “I failed.”

 

Gai opened his mouth but closed it again when his rival threw him a sharp look. Never had he seen Kakashi look so serious before. “No you didn't,” the white haired jounin countered, but Kagome wasn't listening.

 

“If only I knew earlier. . . if only I was stronger. . . I have a bigger soul than she has, don't I? Didn't you tell us that, Ryuk?” Tears blurred her vision but she only had eyes for the shinigami still lingering in the area.

 

“Ryuk?” again Gai and Kakashi questioned. Both noticed the two girls addressing this Ryuk person before and although some might doubt the validity of this, Gai could be perceptive too.

 

“If that's true, then. . . why? Why couldn't I overpower her barrier by myself? Why couldn't I break through earlier? If only I did. . . then Sandaime-sama wouldn't have had to resort to such tactics. He-” a hiccup escaped despite her best efforts, “- he would still be with us. Tell me why, please. I don't understand.”

 

The two eavesdropping jounin could hear the medics declare the Sandaime dead in the background and already, the ANBU began moving on their own to clear their village of the remaining scum.

 

For a long moment, Ryuk considered keeping quiet and seeing if she would figure out the answer for herself. But the tears that spilled from his only human friend's - or any, for that matter - eyes twisted at his insides like apple depravation symptoms. “She has more training,” he finally said. “And more control. Also. . .” he looked away from her tear stained cheeks, “I don't know the cause of it, but your powers are askew.”

 

Kagome tried to blink away the tears “What do you mean?” and failed.

 

“It feels like they've been tampered with,” he clarified. “I am not an expert in these things so I can't tell you more, but that is how I feel. Every time I see you, your powers aren't. . . how do I explain this. . . Okay, let me put it this way - instead of progressing, I noticed that your powers have remained stagnant for quite some time now. While others train and increase their power levels as they grow, yours has reached a plateau.”

 

“What? I don't understand,” Kagome was understandably confused. “I've been training just as much as anyone on my team has. How can that be?”

 

He disliked being the bearer of bad news, but she did ask for it. Ryuk shrugged, “I don't know why. I can't explain it myself, I'm just telling you what I've witnessed.”

 

“What's going on?” Kagome asked softly to no one in particular, boggled at the revelation. “Are you saying that I've been training all these years for nothing?”

 

“Wha!? No, of course not!” Ryuk was quick to reassure, but it fell on deaf ears.

 

“What are you talking about, Kagome-chan?” Kakashi was way beyond baffled now, and way beyond concerned for his student's habit of talking to thin air. He was too old to keep up with her mood swings.

 

ღ

 

On top of the newly summoned toad, Jiraiya turned to Ibiki. “Where's the Sandaime?”

 

“He's in the battle arena, fighting Orochimaru.”

 

His eyes narrowed in understanding, “I see.” Don't die on us, old man. “And what about the Yondaime?”

 

“He's in pursuit of the One Tail from Suna.”

 

“Great,” he bit out sarcastically, rolling his shoulders to release the tension in his back. No wonder the ANBU were left alone struggling with these things. He smirked at the giant snake staring him down. “Now you little chicks just sit back and let the pros handle this.”

 

ღ

 

“Kakashi-san,” an ANBU materialized beside Kakashi, “have you seen Kagome?” Today his squad had been on high alert and was assigned to patrol the borders. He left a kage bunshin to watch the matches earlier, but it poofed out after getting attacked during the invasion.

 

Recognizing the voice behind the mask, Kakashi replied, “She left quite some time ago to follow Naruto and Arashi-sama who went after Sasuke,” watching the other silently. Despite the face gear, Kakashi recognized the ANBU and could read him like an open book. “If you're thinking of going after her, don't.” The warning was unnecessary but he liked pulling on the other's strings.

 

Itachi tensed. “I wasn't. My squad still has to finish cleaning up the riff-raff in the streets.” That was a true fact. It was a coincidence that their route ended up taking them to the coliseum.

 

“Mhm,” Kakashi doubtfully agreed. A chilly breeze blew through the area, punctuating their moment of silence.

 

“I'm sure they'll be fine as long as Arashi-sama is with them,” Itachi said.

 

If it was a statement or something to convince himself with, Kakashi wasn't sure. “I'm sure they will.”

 

“The coliseum is clear, sir.” Itachi's subordinate reported, cutting in between their awkward conversation.

 

“Kakashi-san,” Itachi nodded respectfully then turned to his squad. “Move out. We still have some ground to cover.”

 

ღ

 

Her legs were numb from running but she ignored it. Her right hand was stiff from repeating the position which she needed to make her kekkai with but she endured it. Her clothes were wet from the storm-like downpour caused by Gamabunta and Shukaku's attacks colliding against each other but that wasn't important. A thin layer of dirt from her earlier battles and the dust clouds the two giants produced in their struggles was slowly turning into an icky mud-like substance on her skin but that didn't matter right now.

 

What mattered this moment was survival.

 

When she arrived at the scene after finally catching up to her teammates and father earlier, she was greeted with a horrible sight. Naruto was encased in a sphere of sand, Sasuke was sprawled on a tree branch looking like he was beaten to an inch of his life, and her father was getting pummeled by a large purple ogre with red eyes and two horns on its head.

 

She didn't stop to think as she screamed and launched herself at him. The ogre turned and swatted her away like a fly. The backhand sent her sprawling to the forest floor, hitting the ground with enough force to create a crater. Her actions successfully shifted his attention away from her father onto herself. He jumped off of the Yondaime. Sharp claws destroyed her barrier upon impact, swiping at her. She twisted away, barely avoided getting cut in half.

 

Duck, dodge, run, jump. . . she couldn't even form a solid barrier anymore. Her opponent was too fast and too strong; all she could do was try to outrun his attacks. She felt like she was being toyed with, like a mouse getting its last reprieve before the cat swallowed it whole. Several more failed attempts at making barriers were shredded, strands of hair going along with it when she didn't evade fast enough.

 

Exploding tags had no effect on him; kunai and shuriken that luckily hit their marks were treated like nothing but harmless needles. She didn't dare to engage him in close range combat, knowing first hand how she was in a deep disadvantage with him in that area. One kick was all it took for her to learn that his skin was thick, his body was as hard as the toughest granite. Her leg was still throbbing from the pain when he blocked her kick with his arm earlier.

 

This is the end, Kagome thought as another backhand sent her flying to a nearby tree. Head bowed and will nearly broken, fighting the urge to cry, she was unprepared when sand exploded everywhere.

 

Naruto had just summoned Gamabunta.

 

Using the temporary distraction, Kagome quickly used smoke bombs and pushed her speed as she grabbed her dad and Sasuke. A moment later, trees from where Gaara stood also exploded as he fully released Shukaku.

 

After arguing about the merits of fighting together, Naruto and Gamabunta settled on a truce. And after telling the frog boss to be careful to not squish the parts where his friend and family were, a fight strong enough to change the landscape then ensued.

 

Huddling together to appear smaller, Kagome pumped as much healing ki as she could at her father. Sasuke looked like an abused ragdoll but his life force didn't fluctuate and rapidly diminish like her dad's did. Arashi suffered from internal injuries while Sasuke's biggest problems were exhaustion and an out of control curse seal. Reserves she didn't have kicked in as she healed him as fast as she could. After the Fourth's condition finally stabilized, Kagome turned her attentions to the Uchiha's injuries.

 

The smoke screen had been effective, numbing the purple ogre's hypersensitive sense of smell for the meantime. The noise created by the two giants fighting also interfered with his advanced sense of hearing, so Goshinki stayed put and decided to wait for his prey to come to him. Sooner or later they were bound to reveal their whereabouts and when that time came, he was going to crush them like the annoying flies they were. He liked toying with weaklings.

 

Sasuke coughed when the overwhelming pain from his curse seal receded to a tolerable level. “Naruto and your dad arrived and joined my fight with Gaara,” he explained for her benefit as he received Kagome's healing touch. “Arashi-sama had the upper hand while Naruto got me out of the way, but then a purple blur came out from nowhere and slammed against Arashi-sama. He's really fast, on par with your dad's speed when he's using his hiraishin jutsu. He's really strong, too.”

 

Arashi's Flying Thunder God Technique was what made him the Yellow Flash of Konoha. His speed was unmatched when he used it, so it came as a big surprise when the huge purple ogre easily kept up with him. He frowned, also remembering the ease in which the ogre cut down trees like they were mere paper. Speed, agility, strength . . .

 

“And he could read minds,” he added.

 

Kagome's eyes widened. “No wonder I couldn't get in a decent hit!”

 

“We noticed it too late. By then Arashi-sama has already suffered too much damage and Naruto was barely holding up against Gaara.” No matter how fast and strong the Yondaime was he was no match for an opponent who could read his thoughts and anticipate his moves ahead of time. They had no mental defense against an opponent.

 

Kuso, he didn't want things to end this way. He didn't want Kagome to see him defeated, with her father and brother badly beaten to save his ass. He hated feeling helpless. His pride was in shreds.

 

“And I can't make a barrier strong enough to protect us,” Kagome nibbled on her bottom lip in worry. What was she supposed to do now? Maybe if they stayed quiet enough, or if they hid hard enough. . .

 

No.

 

What was she thinking?

 

Running to hide wasn't going to cut it. None of them could possibly survive unscathed if they had to confront the ogre again, but doing nothing wasn't going to save them either. She could feel a headache coming as her stress levels rose.

 

Itachi. . .

 

If he were here, maybe. . . no, she had to be strong. Itachi was busy fighting to keep the village safe somewhere, she knew, and wishing he was here to bail them out wasn't the right way to handle this.

 

Just one more time. If her barriers wouldn't work and her skills weren't enough, she'll just have to borrow someone else's. She would give it her all, gamble her last bit of strength and hope for it to work.

 

Sasuke felt a little nervous from the stubborn spark in her eyes.

 

Kagome was too tired to perform the moves required for her jutsu, so she concentrated hard and prayed to whatever kami was listening for her efforts to work. Brows furrowed and eyes closed in intense concentration while Sasuke watched, fascinated at the unfamiliar runes that appeared around his teammate.

 

They glowed around the girl, illuminating her body in white light so bright yet so beautiful at the same time. There were three sets, grouped in specific circles, each layered inside the other. They circled each other for a few seconds until another light source above Kagome caught his attention.

 

If his curse seal wasn't giving him a hard time because of his depleted chakra, he would've observed the scene with activated sharingan.

 

He felt helpless and confused that he couldn't do anything to help.

 

“Kagome-”

 

A portal opened on the bright light above her and out came a set of black boots attached to two feet . . . white pants . . . a yellow obi sash tipped with blue . . . long, flowing silver hair . . . matching body armor on top of white kimono decorated with red patches . . . golden eyes . . . tattoos on the face . . . a half moon on the middle of the forehead framed with bangs . . . and was that a pelt or his tail on his right shoulder . . . ?

 

“- what's going on?” An ominous feeling enveloped him from her summoning jutsu. This wasn't the first time he witnessed this, but this round felt different. A frightening chill ran from the top of his head, creeped down his spine, dropped all the way to his toes and then went up again to settle on his gut. All of his senses were screaming danger.

 

His question prompted Kagome to finally open her eyes, her jutsu finished, but she was clearly beyond her limit. Her body started to slump forward but before he could reach her side to prevent her landing facedown on the dirt, the ― person? ― beat him to it.

 

Sasuke tensed, ready for a fight although he doubted he could do it at this point, but the silver-haired male paid him no attention. The color wasn't anything out of the ordinary to him, having grown up around Kakashi, but his sensei's spiky locks didn't look as aristocratic as this stranger's did. The length was longer than that of Kagome's, and wasn't he supposed to be a man? It was the first time he'd seen a male with such girly hair!

 

“Miko,” the stranger finally spoke, his voice authoritative with a hint of concern.

 

“I warned you that not doing the summoning routine will give you random summons.”

 

Mushin's words echoed in Sasuke's mind.

 

“Let her go,” the Uchiha demanded even though he didn't have the strength to lift a kunai.

 

“If you do not follow all the steps, it turns into roulette and you never know what you're summoning. That is very dangerous!”

 

Didn't she remember what Mushin told her? This time the old monk's dire warnings and pessimism regarding the subject seemed clearer now. “Put her down slowly and step away from her.”

 

Golden eyes assessed him critically and he met them, unflinching. “I was summoned by the only person capable of doing so and I mean her no harm. You, however . . .”

 

If he was a lesser person, he would've physically shivered from the underlying threat behind that gaze. But he was an Uchiha. Uchihas do not flinch nor do they back away from a pissing contest. He showed no outward signs of fear although his insides were shaking.

 

“She exhausted her chakra and passed out after whatever ritual she did,” Sasuke wondered why he bothered explaining to this unknown person. Was that hate reflected in his inhuman golden eyes?

 

“Ungh,” the girl in question groaned, slowly regaining conciousness.

 

The stranger showed great care as he set her back down on the ground.

 

“Sasuke?”

 

“Miko.”

 

Her eyes widened when she realized it wasn't Sasuke who was supporting her.

 

“It has been a long time, miko.”

 

She wanted to crawl away from the intimidating man but didn't have enough strength left to make her body obey. “W-who are you?”

 

It was barely perceptible, but the confusion was there on his immaculate face when his eyebrow raised a tiny fraction of an inch. “Why don't you remember, Kagome?”

 

“Remember what?” Kagome and Sasuke were perplexed.

 

“And how do you know her name?” Sasuke added.

 

Sesshoumaru scrutinized him from head to toe, ignoring his question. Dislike seeped from every pore on his body. “You are an Uchiha.” He sniffed condescendingly, “It figures.”

 

Sasuke's fists tightened. Did he just insult my clan? Was this guy aiming for a fight?

 

Kagome finally figured things out, “A-are you my summon?” Eyes wide and disbelieving stared at the silver-haired stranger. She surprised herself every time she summoned something and found herself asking the same question she did Jinenji. This guy must hold the record for being the prettiest summon ever.

 

“Yes,” Sesshoumaru replied, “you are the only one capable of calling me from the other realm and I do not understand why you do not remember while I do.” His hair elegantly floated in an unseen wind, much to the annoyance of Sasuke who thought he was just showing off. “But it matters not for now because all things will be explained in the end,” he continued cryptically. “Was there anything specific you conjured me for?”

 

He hadn't been in the human realm for several years, exactly how long he didn't bother to keep count. He could count the instances with his fingers, rare as they were; the latest ones during the capture of the cat, his idiot of a brother and lastly, the kit. Who knew how long has passed since then. Time was irrelevant to him, more so in the demon world.

 

Demons with enough knowledge and power were able to cross dimensions by themselves, and highly spiritual humans were capable of learning the summoning ritual, but only Kagome was and will ever be, in his opinion, be able to call upon him. The first reason because none of the pathetic humans would ever be on par with her power and the second reason because those who are conjured are required to subjugate themselves to the will of the summoner.

 

Any other human who attempted to force such disgrace upon him would die by his hands the second he appeared, true summoner or not. He bowed to no one.

 

Sasuke was at his limit. “Oh no, not at all,” replied, waving his uninjured hand airily at the demolished forest around them. “She just wanted to say hi, have a nice cup of tea and please don't mind the two giant beasts destroying the landscape just a few yards from you!” He raised his voice irritably.

 

Danger crackled in the air for a split second and the hairs on the back of Kagome's neck stood up at the killing intent she could feel from her summon. Faster than any of them could blink, he had Sasuke pinned on a tree, slowly squeezing the life out of him with red-striped clawed hands.

 

“This Sesshoumaru will teach you the meaning of respect, boy.” He wasn't going to waste his poison on this child, a mere suffocation would do. The longer the pain inflicted on him, the better.

 

“Stop it!” Kagome shouted as she watched Sasuke struggle in futility, his face slowly turning blue from the lack of air. “Don't hurt him, he's my friend!” She tried to stand up but her jelly legs failed her, so she did the only thing she could think of - a quick series of the fastest hand seals she had ever performed to date and, “Osuwari!!!”

 

Sasuke gasped for precious oxygen as Sesshoumaru was forced to drop him in favor of kissing the ground with enough force to cause a tectonic shift. The Uchiha had enough wits to dash to Kagome's side when he recovered, and crouched to prepare for another attack.

 

“Oh my god I'm so sorry,” Kagome hurriedly apologized, voice trembling in fear at what she was forced to do, praying she could do it again to save their lives. “B-but you gave me no choice! You were hurting my friend and I had t-to do something!” Oh god, he looked so mad. Mad enough to bite someone, and she could've sworn he had canines. Oh god, oh god, oh god. . .

 

The ground shook under the intense battle between the two jinchuuriki, and somewhere out there, a giant mind-reading ogre was still hunting them, but the two genins only had eyes for the figure getting up from the forest floor. And they thought Orochimaru's killing intent had been overwhelming? The sannin's gaze that froze them in their tracks back at the forbidden forest was child's play compared to this one.

 

Sasuke had to remind himself to breathe. Kagome swallowed nervously and tried not to stare at the spot of dirt on Sesshoumaru's nose when he narrowed intimidating golden eyes at her, the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end. Her eyes started to ache from the lack of moisture, but she refused to blink, in case he decided to move in that split second. Oh god, oh god, oh god. . .

 

Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed at her trembling form, beyond annoyed that she dared to use that spell on him. How dare she!!! “I advice you not to do that again, miko.”

 

â— â— â—

 

madmiko - yes, he was talking about a child. You're the only one who noticed so cookies and a moogle plushie for you, kupo!

 

Phoenix Down - an item used in Square Enix games to revive a fallen comrade

 

Brownie points for anyone who realized the significance of the chapter title, kupo.

 

Let me just say again that Ryuk is not the Ryuk from Death Note. He's really that shinigami that Sarutobi summons, the name is the only thing borrowed from DN. Ru-chan, the marshmallow blob who electrocuted and bit Kakashi before, is also just that - a marshmallow blob. He's not from Inuyasha or Naruto, I just needed a really cute and fluffy character to catch Kakashi off guard, so I made him up. He's like a deformed baby mooglemallow. . . not a meatbun like Mokona.

 

I think I reached 100,000 words with the addition of this chapter yo! Woot! That makes me a happy moogle, kupo! Yay! I uploaded this earlier than I expected to, but I'll apologize now for any delay on the next one. I probably won't have internet access for a week after this. And yes, as many of you have already guessed, Sesshoumaru is my favorite summon. :P I wonder why it seems like Sesshoumaru hates Sasuke? Did anybody else notice? I don't think they've met before. . . Hmmm.

 

Thanks for reading!