InuYasha Fan Fiction / Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Koibito ❯ Chapter 4 ( Chapter 4 )

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha and Naruto.

 

 

Author's Note: A year has passed since the last scene and everyone is a year older.

 

 

Kagome - 4; Itachi - 8; Sasuke - 3; Neji - 4; Shisui - 13; Kakashi - 17; Hinata - 3

 

 

The Curse of the Hyuuga Clan

 

7/5/06 - 7/19/06

 

One year later…

 

Kakashi sighed tiredly as he left the Hokage's office. Team 3 had just received their next mission - another C rank mission that was mostly likely going to turn into a B or A rank mission. He had the most peculiar feeling that the Hokage was giving them these missions on purpose…

 

Over the year, Team 3 had taken on a total of 23 missions that included eight D rank missions, two C rank missions, seven B rank missions, and six A rank missions (all of which had started out as C rank missions…or so the Hokage had claimed).

 

“All three of them had grown a lot over the year.” Kakashi silently admitted, allowing a brief smile to flitter across his expression. “They are undoubtedly the village's number one elite genin team.”

 

Narita Ryoichi, the hot-headed genin, had thankfully simmered down slightly after their first B rank mission. Even though he still constantly bickered with Itachi over everything (even if it was usually one-sided), the red-head had ultimately come to respect the Uchiha Prodigy as an invaluable teammate and dependable friend.

 

“Not only has he matured greatly over the year,” Kakashi thought proudly to himself, “he has also made himself somewhat of a name as a rising Taijutsu Specialist. However, his Ninjutsu and Genjutsu skills still leave much to be desired. On the other hand, Shisui…”

 

Uchiha Shisui, though outwardly pleasant, was steadily becoming more and more hostile with each mission. Although his talent in Genjutsu was undeniable - some people going as far as to refer to him as the Mirage of Konoha - Kakashi feared that Shisui was training with the wrong motives in mind.

 

Then, there was Uchiha Itachi - hailed by all of Konoha as the Genius of Geniuses for his mastery over Ninjutsu, Genjutsu, and Taijutsu. No one was more proud than the Uchiha clan. However, the only thing that seemed to irk Uchiha Fugaku was the fact that even though his son had endured far more than his fair share of life-threatening situations, he had still yet to activate his bloodline limit - the sharingan.

 

“Well, Fugaku was irked until he learned that Itachi had a photographic memory that could copy just about any technique.” Kakashi mentally sighed, shaking his head slightly in disbelief. “He's putting too much pressure on Itachi. Even though he's a prodigy, he's still a child. He's not ready for all this...”

 

“Focus!” a cold voice commanded, catching Kakashi's attention. The voice was awfully familiar…

 

“Hai!”

 

Veering off course, Kakashi quietly followed the two voices into an open clearing near the center of the forest. His eyes widened slightly with recognition as he identified one of the two shinobis as Itachi. “What's he doing here?” Kakashi silently asked himself as he watched the scene with curious fascination. “Shouldn't he be waiting for me at the bridge?”

 

“Use your wrist, not your whole arm when you launch the shurikens. Although most ninjas swing their whole arm to give more power to their throw, it's impractical. Not only does it tire out the user quickly, it also decreases the execution speed, which gives the enemy the time to read and block the attack. For the best results, use both the arm and the wrist. First, swing your arm about half-way to give the shurikens power. Then, add speed to power by launching the shurikens towards the target with a quick flick of your wrist. If the target changes direction at the last second, the wrist, unlike the arm, has the flexibility to make the necessary adjustments. Watch me carefully as I show you again.”

 

Kakashi found himself nodding his head in agreement to Itachi's explanation. It was a common misconception to think that the power behind the shurikens lay solely in the range of the swing. Even some Chuunins still carried that mistaken notion…

 

Snapping out of his musings, Kakashi watched interestedly as Itachi pulled out eight shurikens and launched them expertly towards the three targets at an inhuman speed. All eight shurikens hit the target with perfect precision.

 

“Sugoi,” the little girl beside Itachi whispered, a silly smile curving onto her lips. Pulling out four shurikens, she excitedly claimed, “Itachi-san, I'll try my best!” Falling into position, she carefully swung her arms half-way and then flicked the shurikens towards the target.

 

They missed.

 

Two shurikens clattered uselessly to the ground. The third lay embedded in the tree and the last hung precariously to the edge of the target.

 

Kakashi frowned slightly when he saw the crestfallen look on Kagome's face. “She did surprisingly well for someone her age. There is absolutely nothing to be ashamed of.” Carefully studying his subordinate's impassive face, Kakashi feared that Itachi would unknowingly worsen the situation by either turning away from the little girl or berating her for failing to reach his standards.

 

Itachi surprised him by doing neither.

 

Pulling out a set of silver shurikens, Itachi gently placed them into Kagome's hands. “These are special shurikens my father gave me. They were created out of some of the strongest metals available in Konoha. I want you to keep them.”

 

“But, their yours. Your father gave them to you.” Kagome protested.

 

“And what is mine is also yours.” Itachi replied, nearly shocking Kakashi into giving away his position. Gently folding Kagome's hands over the shurikens, Itachi softly added, “You'll put them into better use than me.”

 

Welling with determination, Kagome boldly stated, “Itachi-san, I promise I will perfect this exercise by the time you come back from your next mission.” Then, to Kakashi's surprise, Kagome quickly leaned towards Itachi and pressed an innocent kiss to his cheek. “Be safe.”

 

Itachi gently tilted his head slightly in acknowledgement.

 

Smiling sadly, Kagome watched longingly as Itachi swiftly disappeared out of view. Turning her attention back to the practice target, she softly whispered to herself, “I'll be waiting for you here…Itachi-san.”

 

***

 

After watching Kagome practice for another 15 minutes, Kakashi finally headed towards Team 3's meeting area. Hopefully enough time had passed so that his appearance wouldn't raise Itachi's suspicions.

 

It didn't.

 

“You're late!” growled Ryoichi, seething angrily.

 

“When is he not?” snorted Shisui, shaking his head mockingly.

 

Itachi didn't even bother to deign Kakashi with a greeting.

 

“What a charming team I have.” Kakashi thought wryly to himself as he sheepishly scratched the back of his head. “Anyway,” he quickly began, hoping to change the subject, “The Hokage assigned us another C-rank mission. Our job is to deliver this package to the non-ninja village lying on the outskirts of the Earth Country. There is a high chance that this mission will be promoted to an A-rank mission.”

 

“Figures.” snorted Ryoichi. However, he looked highly pleased with the prospect of handling another A-rank mission. “Come on, let's get a move on! I want to get this mission over with as soon as possible!”

 

“Fool, recklessness will get you killed.” Itachi intoned coldly. “Rushing into a mission without all the facts is suicide.”

 

“Scared?” taunted Ryoichi, smirking smugly.

 

“If I recall correctly, it was you who wanted to give up the last mission.” Itachi replied frostily as he folded his arms across his chest.

 

Kakashi could feel the tell-tale signs of a growing headache. “It'd be nice if Itachi could spare some of that kindness he showed earlier for some of his teammates.” Shaking his head tiredly, he resignedly shouted, “Let's move out.”

 

This was going to be a LONG three weeks…

 

***

 

Two weeks…

 

Kagome buried her face in her pillow as she grouchily mulled over the last 14 days she had spend without Itachi. If nothing else, it was lonely. Flipping onto her side and pulling the blankets over her head, Kagome fervently prayed that Itachi would return from his mission soon. It just wasn't the same without him.

 

Knock. Knock.

 

“Imouto, can I come in?” a familiar voice called.

 

“Go ahead, nii-san.” Kagome answered, her voice slightly muffled by the thick layer of blankets. Slowly poking her head out of her cocoon, she watched disinterestedly as the door to her bedroom quietly squeaked open.

 

“You're still in bed?” Neji asked incredulously, quirking a disbelieving eyebrow. “Kagome-chan, you should have been up hours ago! We have to leave in less than an hour. Otou-san is going to get impatient.”

 

“Huh?” Kagome asked intelligently. Why would it matter to her if their Father was going somewhere? At the most, he'll probably just lock her in her room for the rest of the day…

 

“We're going to the Main House today. It's Hinata-sama's birthday. Everyone from the Branch Family is going! That includes you, Kagome-chan!” explained Neji as he pulled the covers off of Kagome's body. “Come on, I don't want to be late. Otou-san said first inpress…imprest…um, impret…”

 

“Impressions?” finished Kagome, grinning slightly.

 

“Where'd you learn that word?” Neji asked, slightly put off that Kagome knew a word he didn't. “I only heard Otou-san use it once.”

 

“It's a secret!” Kagome grinned as she hopped off of her bed. Pulling on her clothes and hastily running the comb a couple of times through her tangled hair, Kagome quickly grabbed the set of silver shurikens from under her pillow and darted excitedly out the door.

 

“Where'd you get that?” Neji asked curiously, enthralled by the beauty of the weapons. “I've never seen them before.”

 

“Secret!” chimed Kagome as she quickly dragged a pouting Neji into the front hall. Their father was already there, looking even more stoic than usual…if that was possible. “Ohayo Otou-sama.” greeted Kagome, looking hopefully towards her father for some sort of recognition.

 

“Let's go.” Hizashi ordered without sparing his daughter a glance.

 

Kagome immediately deflated. “Hai,” she answered softly.

 

The walk to the Main House was done in complete silence. No one made a sound, making the occasion seem more like a death procession rather than a birthday party. At first, Kagome shrugged it off as just another Hyuuga tradition, but the closer they came to the Main House, the more uneasy she became. Something just didn't feel right. “What's going on?” she silently asked as a shiver of fear ran down her spine. Her eyes darted around fearfully as she latched onto Neji's hand, seeking reassurance.

 

“Are you all right, Kagome-chan?” Neji asked softly, sensing his sister's discomfort.

 

Kagome nodded stiffly, but didn't let go of Neji's hand.

 

Before Neji could coerce his sister into telling him what was wrong, everyone suddenly stopped moving. Stepping next to his father, Neji's eyes lighted with happiness when he spotted a little girl hiding behind his uncle's legs. “She's cute,” he whispered softly to Kagome.

 

Kagome frowned slightly, looking at the little girl critically. “Really?” she asked skeptically. She didn't look all that pretty…

 

Neji enthusiastically nodded his head. Then, as if realizing what he was implying, Neji hurriedly added, “But Kagome-chan is prettier.”

 

“Thanks, nii-san,” blushed Kagome, smiling slightly. Even though it sounded selfish, she was glad that her brother still liked her best. She didn't want to share her brother with anyone else, even if that someone was her cousin. “Does that make me a bad person?”

 

“This is Hinata-sama from the Head Family.” Hizashi stated stiffly, nodding his head towards the little girl standing behind Hiashi. “It is your duty as a member of the Branch Family to protect Hinata-sama with your life.”

 

“Hai!” agreed Neji, smiling brightly.

 

Kagome remained obstinately silent as she closely scrutinized `Hinata-sama'. Itachi-san had warned her countless times against making rash decisions and promises. She wasn't about to disappoint him and throw his lessons out the window by making a life pledge without knowing the full details.

 

Hiashi and Hizashi shared a look. Trembling slightly, Hizashi quietly motioned for all the children to get into a single-file line in front of Hiashi - the head of the Hyuuga clan. “This'll only take a minute. It won't hurt.” placated Hizashi when he noted the restless amongst the children.

 

Neji was the first in line. He flashed Hinata another smile before turning his attention to the Hyuuga Head. Hiashi, gently pressing his fingers to his nephew's forehead, quickly began to chant in an undecipherable language under his breath. His fingers exuded a sickly black glow as he carefully wove the curse into Neji's chakra. After completing the Hyuuga binding curse, Hiashi slowly slid his fingers off of his nephew's forehead and stepped back.

 

“Look Otou-san!” called Neji, motioning to the newly-formed brand on his forehead. Instead of looking proud, Hizashi appeared to become even more somber than before. “What's wrong, Otou-san?”

 

“Nothing.” answered Hizashi. He slowly turned his attention to his daughter, who looked like she was about to bolt any second. However, before she had the chance to escape, Hiashi quickly latched onto her arm and began to chant the cursed spell that would bind her life eternally to the Hyuuga Clan.

 

Kagome screamed in agony as the brand slowly manifested itself on her skin. The brand blinked peculiarly in and out of view before finally leaving a faint outline of the curse on her forehead. Neither Hizashi nor Hiashi spoke as they stared incredulously at Kagome, who was still shaking with pain.

 

“Kagome-chan, are you okay?” Neji asked worriedly, pulling his sister into a tight hug. “Does it hurt?”

 

“I-I'll be fine.” Kagome answered shakily as she leaned into Neji for support.

 

Neji didn't looked convinced, but before he could pester Kagome into telling him the truth, someone from the Branch Family loudly shouted, “She's an abomination to the Hyuuga clan!”

 

“She's not worthy to be called a Hyuuga!” another protested vehemently.

 

“Not even the seal works the same way on her! It's not normal.” added a third.

 

Neji instinctively tightened his hold on his sister and shot everyone a dirty look. Why did everyone have to hate his sister so much? Couldn't they see that Kagome was already in enough pain without their added barbs?

 

“Nii-san…” Kagome whimpered as she buried her face into her brother's shoulder. “Itachi…please come back soon.”

 

***

 

“CHARGE!” shouted Ryoichi, howling with excitement as he ran head-first into the fray.

 

“Idiot!” hissed Shisui, slapping his forehead in exasperation. The mission was going to end up twice as long as it should because the fool just had to pick a fight with every shinobi they met on the way home. “Kakashi-sensei, can't you knock some sense into that idiot?”

 

Kakashi sighed and shook his head. “What did I do to deserve this?” Turning to face Shisui, he conspiringly suggested, “Maybe we should just tie and gag him. This is getting really old…”

 

Clank

 

“Thanks Itachi!” shouted Ryoichi as he kicked his would-be assassin to the other end of the field. “I didn't even sense that shuriken coming towards me!”

 

“Fool.”

 

“Hey, I can still hear you!” growled the red-head, waving his fist threateningly at Itachi. “Prodigy or not, I'm going to beat you to a bloody pulp if you call me an idiot or fool again!”

 

Itachi didn't bother to reply as he quickly turned and disappeared into the trees. Kakashi could tell that something was bothering Itachi - he had been restless the whole day and had been pushing everyone at an inhumane pace back towards Konoha. Had Itachi sensed something that he had missed? Was Konoha in danger?

 

“I can't see them anymore!” panicked Ryoichi, who was the slowest out of the three. “Kakashi-sensei, where did they go?”

 

“Don't worry, they're just up ahead. Let's pick up our pace a little.” Kakashi suggested kindly as he increased his speed. However, he made sure he was traveling at a pace that was manageable for his remaining subordinate. There was no point in losing Ryoichi on their mad-dash back to Konoha…

 

***

 

Neji and Kagome sat quietly to one side of the dojo, watching with apt interest (well, at least Neji was) as their father sparred with their uncle. They were simply amazing. “Sugoi,” Neji whispered, eyes glittering with excitement.

 

Kagome numbly nodded her head, not really caring about the match or who came out as the victor. To her, they all paled in comparison to Itachi. Speaking of Itachi, when was he coming home? She had so many things she wanted to ask him - the first and foremost being the weird marking engraved in her forehead.

 

“Why don't we let Hinata spar with Kagome?” suggested Hiashi, relaxing his stance slightly as he tilted his head towards the two girls. “I want to see how Hinata fares against other children her age.”

 

“As you wish,” Hizashi answered unblinkingly. Turning towards Kagome, he stiffly commanded, “Come over here, Kagome.”

 

“Otou-san,” Neji interjected worriedly, looking anxiously between Hinata and his sister, “Kagome can't…”

 

“She'll be fine.” Hizashi smoothly interrupted as he beckoned for Kagome to come to him. “A few bruises are not going to kill her.” Refocusing his attention back on his daughter, he coldly repeated, “Come here.”

 

Shaking off the sense of trepidation that was churning rapidly in her stomach, Kagome wearily stood up and moved to stand beside her father. As soon as Hiashi and Hizashi moved aside to allow the two girls to face off, Kagome immediately fell into a simple Taijutsu stance that Itachi had recently taught her. The stance itself was nothing special, but the fact that Kagome knew it surprised both Hizashi and Neji.

 

Hinata quivered slightly as she slowly backed away from Kagome. However, a sharp glare from her father quickly stopped her retreat. Wavering slightly with indecision, Hinata hesitantly dropped into a similar Taijutsu stance.

 

“Don't rush into battle. If possible, let your opponent make the first move. Then watch and observe him carefully for any weaknesses or patterns.” Itachi's voice, cold and emotionless, rang vividly in Kagome's head. “Never underestimate your opponent's ability. It is always better for him to underestimate you.”

 

Kagome's eyes hardened slightly when Hinata quickly closed the distance between them and threw a wild punch towards her face. Dodging the attack, Kagome quickly rolled to the side and prepared herself for the next assault. “I can't lose - not to her. I can't let her take away Neji-nii-san!” she thought vehemently as she angrily twisted Hinata's arm and kicked her non-too-gently into the wall. “I don't want to be alone. If I lose Neji, I'll loose all connections to the Hyuuga Clan...”

 

“Hinata!” several worried voices called as they rushed to Hinata's side.

 

“Hinata-sama, are you all right?” Neji asked worriedly. Turning to face his sister, he harshly berated, “Kagome, what do you think you were doing? You could have seriously harmed Hinata-sama!”

 

“Neji…” Kagome's eyes watered with tears as she looked towards her brother with a pained expression. For reasons she couldn't explain, Kagome felt…betrayed. Neji, her own twin brother, had chosen Hinata over her...

 

Maybe I just wasn't meant to have any ties to the Hyuuga Clan…

 

“Kagome, what were you doing?” Neji repeated, softer this time. He refused to believe that the violent, angry girl moment's ago was the same sweet sister he had known all his life. “Are you trying to get yourself banished or killed?”

 

“Banished? Killed?” echoed Kagome.

 

“Did you know what could have happened to you if Hinata-sama was injured?” Neji continued, willing his sister to understand the severity of her carelessness.

 

Kagome's face tightened as realized belated that she did know. She knew the consequences of injuring a member of the Main Branch, but hadn't bothered to heed the warnings because she didn't care.

 

I didn't care…

 

…because I don't want to be a part of the Hyuuga clan.

 

The unexplainable anger and bitterness that had griped her moment's before left as suddenly as it had came. Kagome's expression softened as she looked apologetically towards Hinata. Neither Hinata nor Neji had done anything to warrant such treatment. “I don't know what came over me…I'm sorry, Hinata.”

 

“Hinata-sama, are you okay?” Neji asked, turning away from his sister when Hinata suddenly released a fitful of coughs.

 

“I-I'm fine,” Hinata answered softly in a barely audible voice.

 

“I'm sorry.” Kagome whispered regretfully as she silently slinked out of the dojo. Pressing her back against the wall, she sullenly looked heavenward and murmured, “I've tried so hard to fit in, but the fact remains that I am not a Hyuuga. I'm not like them…” Silent tears slid down her cheeks as she slowly lowered herself to the floor. “I'm not a Hyuuga. I'm just me - Kagome. I can never truly be a part of the clan because I don't belong here. I'm not like them…”

 

“Kagome-chan, are you all right?”

 

Brushing away the stray tears, Kagome softly answered, “I'm fine, Neji. You don't have to worry about me. I'll be fine...I hope.” Turning away from her brother, she quietly added, “I'm also sorry about what happened today in the dojo. I promise it won't happen again.”

 

“It's all right, but you should be apologizing to Hinata. Not me.” Neji corrected. After a moment's silence, he softly asked, “But, are you sure you're all right?” Honestly, he had been startled when Kagome had addressed him as Neji instead of the usual nii-san. Although the matter was trivial at best, it left an uncomfortable feeling in the pit of his stomach. If felt like Kagome was purposely trying to distance herself from the Hyuuga clan - from him.

 

“I'm fine…Nothing's wrong,” Kagome answered vaguely, knowing Neji would easily see through any lies she conjured. “I was just thinking about some things.”

 

Neji looked like he wanted to ask more questions, but decided against it at the last moment when he realized that his sister wasn't ready to talk about it yet. “All right, if you say so.” he conceded, looking highly skeptical. “However,” he continued, offering his sister a comforting smile, “If there's anything you want or need, please tell me. You know I'll always help you…even against all odds.”

 

“I know.” Kagome smiled as she turned her eyes away from her brother.

 

But no matter how much you try, this is one thing you can never help me with…

 

…Because I will never be accepted as a member of this clan…

 

And I no longer wanted to be a part of it.

 

“I know.” she softly repeated, closing her dark blue eyes.

 

***

 

“It's getting late,” Neji mentally noted as he looked towards the darkening sky. Pulling himself off the porch, he softly whispered, “I'm going to go check on Hinata-sama again. I'll be right back, Kagome-chan.” Not bothering to wait for Kagome's reply, he quickly bounded back into the Main House.

 

Thankfully, save a few bruises (from where Kagome had kicked her), Hinata seemed perfectly fine. “I-Is Kagome-san mad at me?” she squeaked, shrinking away shyly when Neji approached her.

 

Neji gently shook his head in the negative. “We're just glad your okay.” he whispered, giving her a small smile. Then, as if suddenly remember something, he excitedly asked, “Do you want to spar with me or Kagome? I promise you won't get hurt again. Last time was just an accident.”

 

Hinata was just about to decline the kind offer when her father skillfully interrupted. “I think that would be a good idea. You need more practice, Hinata.” Hiashi sternly reprimanded.

 

“Hai,” Hinata whispered, frowning at the prospect of fighting either Neji or Kagome. She felt her body quiver with ill foreboding as she dutifully followed her father and uncle out of the house.

 

When the quartet arrived outside, they were surprised to find Kagome exchanging angry blows with another Hyuuga boy. Neji felt his hands tighten with barely restrained rage as the older boy repeatedly kicked his sister again and again in the stomach after knocking her to the ground. He was just about to intervene (and teach the boy a lesson about messing with his sister) when the boy suddenly leapt back and pulled out a set of shurikens.

 

“You're a disgrace to the Hyuuga clan!” the boy hissed as he launched a volley of shurikens at Kagome's defenseless body.

 

“KAGOME!” screamed Neji, his eyes flashing with anger. Tossing aside all caution, he quickly raced to shield his sister's prone body. His heart nearly shattered with grief when he realized he wouldn't make it in time to save her…

 

Clang

 

Everyone watched with shocked disbelief as a set of silver shurikens flashed through the air and cleaved the regular shurikens in half, rendering them useless.

 

***

 

Author's Corner: Some people have pointed out that Kagome is out of character. I apologize for that, but even though I prefer Kagome to be in character as well, I can't. Given the circumstances surrounding her life, she's not exactly going to have the same personality as the one in Inuyasha. People are shaped by the people and circumstances in their lives. That alone will change Kagome from the canon version. However, I do NOT plan to butcher Kagome's personality. She'll be a bit more like herself once she grows older. Not exactly the same, but as close as I can without making the story seem awkward.

 

Also, in addition, I want Kagome to seem real. I'm not going to make her some super character who is full of kindness and forgiveness. No one is like that. Although I'm not going to make Kagome cruel or evil, I will have her display hate, jealousy, and bitterness from time to time. Why? Because she's human and humans experience a wide range of feelings. Also, I do NOT plan to make Kagome some all-powerful ninja. She'll have her own special gifts, but she will NOT be more powerful than the other ninjas (example: Naruto, Sasuke, Itachi, or etc.) Super Kagome stories irk me more than anyone will ever know.