InuYasha Fan Fiction / Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Koibito ❯ Chapter 7 ( Chapter 7 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or Naruto.

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

Against All Odds

9/28/06 - 12/1/06

Kagome smiled gently as she brushed her fingers across Itachi's face, lightly wiping away the sweat that had formed on his brow. Her eyes softened as she recalled the elation she had felt when his heartbeat had thrummed beneath her fingers. At first, she had thought she had been hallucinating, but then, he had murmured her name!

Against all odds, even though his heart had stopped, he had lived.

Don't ever scare me like that again.

Her bottom lip trembled as she recalled the intense fear and sorrow that had clenched her heart when she had clutched Itachi's lifeless body to her own. In a way, a piece of her had died along with him in that moment. Even though the pain hadn't been physical, in many ways, it had been worst.

Much worst…

“I know I'm a annoying, but don't leave me.” Kagome sniffled as fresh tears stung her eyes. “You asked me to follow you…and I did. Now, even if you don't want me anymore, I won't let you let me go.”

The moment passed in silence as Kagome slowly removed her blood-stained hands from Itachi's abdomen. To her relief, the wound had completely healed, leaving only a thin scar in its wake.

Suddenly, she felt exhausted - tired and heavy - as if she hadn't slept for days. Ever since she had discovered that Itachi had a surviving chance, she had tried her best to heal him - even though she knew absolutely nothing about healing. At the time, the likelihood of Itachi's survival had been slim to none. However, through a combination of his will to live and her efforts to heal him, the impossible became reality.

Against all odds…he had survived.

***

“We're here to pay our respect to the Uchiha heir.” Kakashi murmured softly, keeping a restraining grip on Ryoichi's arm as he greeted the Uchiha Head.

“Thank you,” Fugaku answered tiredly as he stepped aside to allow Kakashi and Ryoichi into the building.

Wrenching his arm from his sensei's grasps, Ryoichi angrily hissed, “I refuse to believe this rumor! I'm not going to believe Itachi's dead unless I see it with my own eyes! I refuse to believe it! Itachi…he…” Ryoichi's voice cracked slightly as he bit his bottom lip to keep himself from crying out loud. “He was Konoha's best.”

Placing a comforting hand on his pupil's shoulder, Kakashi quietly conceded, “Itachi was an amazing student.”

“He wasn't just amazing!” cried Ryoichi as his shoulders shook with suppressed sobs. “He was a genius! He was one of the strongest shinobis I knew…and shinobis with that much power don't simply die in a fire accident!”

Kakashi's grip on Ryoichi's shoulder tightened as he quickly ushered the hot-tempered red-head into the building before he made a scene. Inside the room, they were immediately greeted by several Uchiha clansmen, amongst which included a tear-stained Sasuke and an indifferent Shisui. All of them were dressed completely in white, overlaid by sackcloth clothes that bore the Uchiha symbol.

“Kakashi-sensei,” Shisui intoned, inclining his head slightly in acknowledgement.

“Shisui!” shouted Ryoichi, pulling out of Kakashi's grip and latching onto his teammate's shoulders. “Tell me this is a joke! Itachi would never…”

“It's not a joke.” Shisui interrupted, twisting out of Ryoichi's grasp and turning his back to him. “Both Itachi and his mother died in the fire.”

Ryoichi's grip on his teammate slackened as he took a staggering step back.

Itachi was…dead?

***

“You should rest.” Kagome glanced up sluggishly as someone stepped into the decayed temple, which served as their temporary, little haven.

“I know,” she answered, offering him a tired smile.

“Here, I got something for you to eat. It's not much, but it'll make you feel better if you eat something. Then, you should rest a bit. I'll take care of him.”

Graciously accepting the small morsel from the boy, Kagome softly whispered, “Thank you, Miroku-san.”

The boy blushed embarrassedly as he jerkily nodded his head. “You can just call me Miroku. It feels weird being referred to as san.”

Smiling, Kagome nodded her head.

***

Sorrow…

Anger…

Hate.

Sasuke's innocent eyes blazed with fury and resentment as he listened intently to his father's hypocritical speech. He had no right to say any of the things he was preaching! Especially not about care and love! If he had cared, then they wouldn't be where they were now! If he had truly loved them - even if only one of them - then, he wouldn't have harmed Itachi so carelessly.

If you loved Nii-san, you wouldn't have killed him.

If you cared about Kaa-san, you wouldn't have harmed Nii-san.

“I…hate you.” Sasuke whispered vehemently as he narrowed his little eyes in anger. I hate you, Tou-san.

From beside him, Kakashi looked down at Sasuke with a mixture of surprise and confusion. So much hatred for someone so young…Slowly turning his attention back to Fugaku, he quietly regarded the Uchiha Head with newfound suspicion. What have you done to warrant such hatred from your own son?

***

Miroku gaped at Itachi's wound - or lack thereof - with open awe. Just three days ago, when he had first met Kagome, the older boy had been on the brink of death. Now, there wasn't even a wound to prove his near-death experience! Only a thin scar attested to the horrible injury he had previously sustained.

It's…a miracle.

It was hard to believe that it had only been three days ago when he had found Kagome and Itachi on the road - one dead and the other not far behind…

Whistling softly to himself, Miroku happily moved down the winding road as he occasionally took a large bite out of his stolen apple. It had been painstakingly easy to steal the fruit from the vendor. The man hadn't even noticed one of his fruits was missing! Mentally patting himself on the back for a job well-done, Miroku mindlessly continued on his way towards the next village.

“Buddha has been kind to me.” he whispered, smiling wanly as he absent-mindedly chewed on his apple. “But if only I had a friend…” Sighing sadly, he turned his mournful eyes heavenward and softly murmured, “Buddha, please give me a friend. I want her to be…”

“Itachi!”

Miroku blinked. Had Buddha just spoken to him? However, the voice sounded distinctly feminine…Was Buddha actually a woman? “My whole life has been a lie!” he cried dramatically, dropping to his knees in the middle of the road. “Milady Buddha, your humble servant implores you to give him a friend.” He had no idea what `implores' meant, but he had heard the head monks at the monastery use it several times while praying, so it had to be an important part of the ritual to gain Buddha's favor.

“Itachi!” the voice wailed again.

Miroku blinked and softly mouthed, “Itachi?”

“Wake up, Itachi, please.”

As the voice cried again, Miroku realized that the noise wasn't exactly coming from heaven, but rather from someplace down the road. Pulling himself together and off the ground, he quickly dusted himself off, and muttered bitterly, “So much for divine intervention…”

Giving into his curiosity, Miroku continued down the road in search of the origin of the racket. He had taken less than eighty steps when he came across the source of the problem: A girl…and a dead man.

Feeling that Buddha was urging him to comfort the girl, Miroku quietly stepped forward. However, just as he was about to reach the girl, she suddenly leaned forward to reach for the bloodied katana resting peacefully across the dead man's body.

Understanding clicked as Miroku quickly hurried forward and shouted, “Wait!” The girl halted mid-motion, stopping just short of impaling herself on the katana. Moving to stand in front of the girl, Miroku softly whispered, “The dead can't be brought back to life. Let him rest in peace.”

The girl's eyes flickered with sadness as she traced her fingers over the shape of the boy's face. “You don't understand,” she cried, tightening her grip on the katana. “I can't leave Itachi. He's waiting for me…”

“I'm a monk!” Miroku suddenly shouted out loud, startling Kagome out of her thoughts. Realizing how odd that statement must have sounded to the girl, Miroku quickly elaborated, “I mean, if you want, I can say a proper prayer for your friend so his soul can rest in peace.”

“Then, please say a prayer for both of us.” Kagome whispered as frustrated tears streamed down her face.

Realizing the girl was going to try to end her own life again, Miroku quickly ripped the katana from her hand. However, he was immediately forced to drop the demonic blade when it suddenly flared to life, scorching his palm.

“Don't you dare get in between me and Itachi!” hissed Kagome, glaring heatedly at the young boy who claimed to be a holy monk. “Go, or I'll kill you!” she screamed, sounding torn between anger and indignation and hysteria and sorrow. However, when Miroku refused to budge - remaining obstinately rooted to his spot with a horrified expression fixated on his face - Kagome's patience snapped.

“Leave us alone!” she raged as her energy cackled wildly around her in response to her inner turmoil. “I'm not leaving Itachi - ever!” Her stormy-blue eyes glowed for a moment as a mixture of sorrow, anger, and hopelessness flashed across her expressive face. The air surrounding them cackled and fizzed with raw power as the girl encased the area in blinding flash of blue light.

For Miroku, the next forty-seven seconds passed in a blur…

He distinctly remembered feeling a large surge of raw power from the girl before she suddenly immersed the whole area in her dark blue aura. However, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't recall anything that happened afterwards. All he could remember was what happened after the blue light receded…

The dead breathed.

Shaking his head slightly, Miroku realized tiredly that he would probably never understand why Kagome was so emotionally attached to Itachi. What the two shared was something special - something not meant for outsiders to understand. It was something that he would probably never come to comprehend. Even though he had already begun to care greatly for Kagome as a friend, he knew that in the end, he would always be considered an outsider in her eyes.

***

Neji stared despondently into the empty space before him, watching with unseeing eyes as the heavy rain pelted mercilessly against the window. The house was completely empty…save him. He shifted slightly and leaned forward, pressing his forehead to the glass panel.

Kagome-chan…

In a moment, he had lost both his father and his sister…and for what?! Simply to uphold the Hyuuga honor! Just because they were the branch family, they had to die. Didn't their lives matter? Why did the branch family have to pay the price for the main branch's foolishness?

Otou-san…

Neji's eyes closed as tears spilled down his cheeks. It hurt…

He wanted his family back…

Don't cry, Neji-nii-san.

Neji's eyes quickly snapped open as he turned towards the door. He could have sworn he had heard...

Shaking his head, he sadly turned back to the window.

I've got to stop this…Kagome-chan is dead.

He had searched endlessly for her for days, but had turned up with nothing. Even if she had been alive, she was most likely dead now. He had wanted to send out a search team…but no one was willing to go.

They were glad she was gone…they wanted her dead. What better way to kill her than to lure her out of Konoha, and then abandon her in the wilderness? That way, they won't even have to soil their hands!

Neji's eyes burned with hatred as he glared unseeingly out the window.

***

Miroku paced anxiously back and forth as he gazed worriedly out the broken door. The storm was getting steadily worse. The wind was picking up speed and the rain was already dropping like hailstones.

Where is she?

Kagome had left some time ago to find water, but hadn't returned since. He was sorely tempted to go and find her - especially since the storm was picking up, but she had made him swear on Buddha to not leave Itachi's side until she returned.

But, she could have gotten lost or hurt! Then again, what about…

Miroku threw Itachi a fugitive glance and sighed tiredly. What was he supposed to do? He should go find Kagome, but he promised to watch over Itachi. It was impossible to do both, so it was either one or the other.

I promised Kagome I would stay with him! I can't…

A flash of lightning and a clang of thunder quickly snapped his resolve. Forget the oath! I have to find Kagome! It would be inhumane to leave her out there during such a horrible storm! He would never be able to forgive himself if something happened to her. Plus, if Itachi really cared about Kagome in the same way that she cared about him, he would understand.

Buddha, please watch over him.

Miroku had hardly set foot out of the temple when he suddenly felt something cold and metallic press against his throat. His heart leapt to his throat as he froze where he stood. What's going on? His heart pounded loudly in his ears as his attacker slowly emerged from the darkness and into the light. Miroku's mouth immediately dried when he recognized the pale face of his assailant.

“Where's the girl?” he demanded coldly, narrowing his eyes.

Girl…? Miroku's eyes widened slightly. Does he mean Kagome? He opened his mouth to answer, but no voice came out. W-What's wrong with me?! He tried again, but only succeeded in stuttering, “S-She…”

Itachi pressed the blade deeper into Miroku's flesh, breaking the skin and drawing blood. “My patience wears thin, boy. Tell me where she is.” Although Itachi's voice remained relatively calm, Miroku could easily detect the anger behind his words…and it frightened him. The older boy's voice was soft, but dangerous - promising pain to all those who crossed his path.

“I-I…” Not trusting his voice, Miroku shakily pointed his finger outside.

Itachi's eyes immediately flashed crimson-red. Pushing Miroku roughly aside, he softly whispered, “If you run, I'll track you down.” Then, turning on his foot, Itachi hurriedly stepped into the raging storm and disappeared into the distance.

Miroku's legs buckled beneath him as he collapsed to the ground. It didn't take a genius to figure out Itachi's unspoken threat…

If anything happens to her, I'll kill you.

Subconsciously, Miroku noted that something wet was running down his legs, soaking through his clothes. However, his mind was too preoccupied with other things - more important matters - to truly notice the discomfort. He shuddered to think what would happen to him if something horrible happened to Kagome.

By Buddha, please be all right, Kagome.

***

Kagome frowned as she looked around in confusion. Where's the road? It was here a minute ago! Pushing back her panic, she hurriedly moved forward, sloshing loudly through the mud. The ground was slick with mud, and she had slipped at least twice in the last hour.

Stifling the urge to cry, she hurriedly trudged forward - trying her best to ignore the downpour. She continued on in the same manner for several minutes before she finally came across the road. An elated smile spread across her lips as she quickened her pace. This time, I'll be able to find the temple for sure! Stepping onto the road, she hurriedly moved forward. I wonder if Itachi's awake…

Her musings were quickly brought to a halt when a shuriken suddenly whizzed past her face, imbedding itself deeply into the trunk of the tree beside her. Kagome's eyes widened marginally as she slowly turned her head towards the direction the shuriken had came from.

She waited for a few moments, but nothing happened.

However, just to be safe…

She discreetly reached her hand into her pocket for her kunai…only to realize belatedly that she had left all her weapons at home.

She gulped as she quickly turned and fled.

She had taken less than seven steps when she suddenly smashed head first into something solid. Rubbing her head face lightly, Kagome shyly looked up and froze. The man standing before her was huge!

The giant, sensing Kagome's terror, immediately began to laugh - his deep voice rumbling loudly through the forest. Ignoring her yelp of fear as he reached for her, he easily picked her off the ground and threw her into his rucksack. Tying the opening of the bag securely together, the man softly murmured, “You'll fetch me good price once I clean you up a bit. If you behave, I promise I won't hurt you too much.”

“Let me go!” Kagome screamed as she thrashed wildly from inside the bag. “Let me go now…or else!”

“Or else what?” sneered the man as he easily flung the 4-year-old over his broad shoulder. “You know as well as I do that no one's going to care about an orphan.”

“That's not true!” Kagome shouted as she kicked harder. “Let me go! Let me go right now! Can you hear me?! I said, LET ME GO!!”

The giant frowned. “You're annoying, brat.” Without warning, he quickly swung the rucksack off his shoulders and slammed it against a large tree. The girl immediately silenced as the kidnapper quickly hurried away.

It was crude, but effective.

Hopefully, no one heard…

***

Itachi's head immediately snapped up when he heard an eerily familiar voice reverberate through the forest.

“Let me go!”

Itachi's eyes narrowed as someone screamed again. He'd recognize that voice anywhere! Without a moment's hesitation, he quickly headed towards the general direction of the scream…

Pain lanced through his body as he quickly doubled over.

Kuso!

Itachi dropped to his knees as he tightly clutched his abdomen in pain. His face crinkled with pain as he waited for the moment to pass. It didn't. As the minutes passed, the pain only intensified, causing him to drop to both his hands.

Thankfully, the wound hadn't reopened. However, running around through the forest had placed unnecessary strain on his internal wounds...

I'm in no condition to continue…

…But I can't stop.

Ignoring the spasms of pain that shot through his body at each step, Itachi tightly clenched his teeth together and continued on.

Not now.

***

The room she awoke in was dark and dank, and there was a horrible stench in the air that smelled like a mix of sweat and urine. The room itself was small and cubical - looking somewhat like a prison cell without bars. On closer look, she could tell that many of the occupants looked thin and haggard, as if they hadn't eaten or showered for months. Most of they looked sickly too…

Kagome trembled as she gently wrapped her arms around herself. “Where am I?” she silently wondered as she looked fearfully around the cell. Where did that weird man take me? What did he want?

She shivered as she scooted herself into a small corner of the cell away from the other occupants. My hands are turning blue. She sneezed as she rubbed her hands quickly together to keep warm. “It's cold.” She thought silently to herself as she sneezed again. Then again, the wet clothes clinging to her body probably wasn't helping matters …

Looking up from her hand, Kagome quietly surveyed the room. There was a general air of hopelessness in the cell - as if everyone had already resigned themselves to their fates. As she quietly watched them from her corner of the room, she determinedly told herself that she would never turn out like them.

She would never loose hope…

***

Itachi's face hardened as he ripped the shuriken from the tree. He could tell that a struggle (however small it was) had taken place here…and Kagome had evidently lost. Worry churned in his stomach at the thought, but he quickly pushed it aside. There was simply no time for silly emotions like that.

Although worry still lingered in his heart, he placated himself with the knowledge that Kagome was still alive. The lack of blood on the ground (despite the rain) attested that much. However, it didn't mean that she would stay alive.

Itachi's fingers curled over the shuriken, causing its sharp edges to dig deeply into the palm of his hand. Blood dribbled down his enclosed fist as he softly swore to hunt down the man who had kidnapped Kagome…

…And kill him.

***

TBC

Author's Note: If formatting for this site - mediaminer.org - wasn't so difficult, I may be inclined to update this more often. :( However, seeing as I'm updating at snail-pace even for my fanfiction.net account, I think this is a lost cause. Anyway, AGAIN, I'm going to remind you that under Densetsuno Youko on fanfiction.net, I have up to Chapter 15. Go there and read! If not, you'll have to bear with my super slow updates because formatting this takes too long (and I don't have much patience).