Naruto Fan Fiction / InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Priestess of the shinobi ❯ Heaven can wait ( Chapter 2 )

I am overwhelmed by your response to the first chapter guys… I love you all, thank you so very much!!

I hope you like this one at least as much! Please, let me know!

 

 

2: Heaven can wait

 

Hey, little angel, don't you tell me that it's over

You're just a bad reflection from above

The load upon my shoulders gives me reasons to get older

Tell the Boss I haven't had enough

And Heaven can wait!

 

Tsunade was in her office, buried under tons of medical books and scrolls. In fact, she'd been there for two days straight now, since she sent Team Kakashi in search for a cure for the poisonous black thing that was feasting on her shinobi. Since they knew nothing of this disease, she'd left Shizune in charge of the hospital and locked herself in her office to do research, but she hadn't been able to find anything so far and there were only a few scrolls left for her to review. Releasing a loud sigh, she let her head fall on the table for a moment, toying with the idea of calling someone to her office just to take her frustrations out on them. Either that or drowning herself in sake. Yeah, maybe that way she'd be too drunk to notice her ninjas dying in front of her eyes while she was unable to do a fucking thing to stop it.

 

“Dammit all to hell!!” she yelled in frustration. There had to be one fucking book, scroll, scrap of paper, whatever, that had some reference on the cursed thing! She should have known something like this was going to happen when she had won that pack of aged sake at the local pub! She slammed her fists on her desk only to have it crack under the pressure, bringing down with it everything she'd been reading.

 

“Arghh!” she bellowed.

 

She was ready to pull her hair out when the door slammed open and Izumo and Kotetsu stormed into the room, both of them sporting identical looks of urgency.

 

“Hokage-sama, team Kakashi has returned” Izumo started, without even noticing the mess his boss had managed to create while they'd been gone. “Naruto is at the doors with Sakura and…” his speech was curt short when said shinobi pushed him out of the way to get into the Hokage's office.

 

“Tsunade-baa!!” he shouted, “You've gotta come with me! We found this really weird miko who can heal the poison, but there was a really big bunch of these creatures outside the village and she made a barrier to stop them and now Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke-teme are stuck out with her! We gotta help them!” he told her, managing to finish before the need to breathe forced him to stop.

 

Tsunade stared at him as if he had suddenly grown another head. When she processed the information he'd given her only one thing clung to her mind.

 

“THE VILLAGE'S UNDER ATTACK?!” she yelled, jumping over the wrecked desk and grabbing Naruto's shoulders, then proceeding to shake him till he saw little stars dancing around his eyes.

 

“Whoa, easy there, Tsunade-baa! The village's safe, but we gotta help the rest into the barrier before they're toast!” Naruto said, grabbing the very stunned Hokage's wrist and pulling her along as he shot out of the tower. “C'mon, we ain't got any time to waste!” he told her as he jumped onto a rooftop and sped to the village gates, the busty blonde hot on his heels.

 

They arrived at the main gate in record time, only to find a small crowd already there and more people coming their way. As they weaved through the people Tsunade spotted Sakura leaning against a wall. Her medical eye immediately kicked in as she noted the paleness of her student's skin and her shaking knees. She didn't seem to be injured, though, save for a shallow gash on her left arm. Worried, she grabbed the blond shinobi ahead of her by the collar of his shirt, making him choke until he stopped walking.

 

“What's wrong with Sakura?” she asked, her brow furrowing in concern.

 

Naruto blinked at her a couple of times. “Huh? Sakura-chan? Why do you ask?” he then turned his eyes in the direction Tsunade's were looking and remembered. “Oh, she's okay, Kagome-chan took the poison out of her and now she's a bit drowsy, that's all. Come on, we've got to get to the rest!” And with that he took off again, leaving a once again stunned Hokage to follow.

 

`Who the hell is Kagome-chan? She took the poison out? How?' Without further ado she sped after the blond. The questions would have to wait, it seemed.

 

She caught up with Naruto when he reached the guard posts on one side of the gate, and only then noticed the purple barrier that surrounded Konoha in a glowing semi-sphere that repelled the disgusting creatures trying to get past it. She stared wide eyed at the… things that kept slamming into the purple shield. Just what the hell were those? She forced her mouth shut when she heard Naruto cursing at the guards.

 

“Open the fucking gates already, you idiot! Can't you see that Kakashi-sensei's wounded?!” he yelled angrily at the guard, who was adamantly refusing to open them with those things so close. The fact that some of them were actually flying didn't seem to cross his mind.

 

At Naruto's comment Tsunade looked down to see Kakashi sprawled on the floor, his shirt torn open and blood seeping from a wound on his left shoulder. However, that wasn't what made Tsunade gasp, but the dark tendrils spreading from the wound and into his body. There was a raven haired woman dressed in the traditional priestess robes laying next to him, braced on one arm while the other she extended till the hand was hovering over the shinobi's wound. She was wondering what the hell the woman was doing when purple flames surged from her hand and started sucking the venomous substance from Kakashi's body. She couldn't see her face, but saw the way her back tensed and started trembling while she did this.

 

“TSUNADE-BAA!!”

 

Breaking out of her reverie, she angrily yelled at the guards to open the cursed gate and returned her attention to what was happening down there, just in time to see the woman's head collapse onto Kakashi's chest. The wound was still bleeding, but there was no sign of the black tendrils that had once grown from it.

 

Feeling for the first time in days small rays of hope filtering through her dark thoughts she jumped to the ground, and started yelling orders to take Kakashi and the woman to the hospital, and to find Sakura and drag her there too for a check up. Maybe, just maybe, everything wasn't lost yet.

 

 

Kagome woke up to a bright light and several voices whispering around her, one of them significantly louder than the others, and immediately wished she could go back to sleep. Her head felt as if a train had entered through one of her ears and exited through the other. Groaning, she lifted one of her hands to cover her eyes and was about to tell the voices to fuck off and let her sleep when she recalled the events previous to her loss of consciousness.

 

“But Tsunade-baa, Hinata-chan looks really, really sick! She's stopped moving altogether and won't react even if we pinch her hand!” she heard Naruto whine, desperation tingeing his voice.

 

“There's nothing that we can do until she awakens, Naruto. We'll have to wait” said a female voice that she didn't recognize.

 

“Isn't there anything we can give her so that she'll wake up, Tsunade-shisou?” asked Sakura from some place nearby.

 

“Nothing that we haven't tried already” said the unknown voice. “She's in a coma-like state, though she doesn't seem to have sustained any injury.”

 

Kagome was quickly regaining her bearings, and coughed to gain the attention of the people in what seemed to be a hospital room. Three pairs of eyes turned to look at her as she struggled to sit up on the bed she'd been placed on. Naruto quickly ran to her side and helped her up.

 

“Kagome-chan, you've got to come heal Hinata-chan. You said that she'd die if the black thing reached the heart and it was about an inch away a couple of minutes ago!” he pleaded with her.

 

With great difficulty, Kagome tossed the covers off of her and lowered her feet to the ground. Naruto helped steady her.

 

“Take me to her” she told him, determination in her eyes.

 

“Do you need anything to aid you in the healing?” asked the busty blond who had talked earlier. She seemed to be in charge. “I am Tsunade, the Hokage of Konoha, and I hear that you have already met my student, Sakura. We are both skilled medics, we could aid you if you tell us how. I will also have the rest of the medic staff here at the hospital help if necessary.”

 

Kagome shook her head tiredly, as she started walking towards the door. That barrier had truly taken much more than she'd thought it would.

 

“You can't treat miasma if you don't have holy powers. Once I have taken the poison out the wound should be healed as any other” she paused for a moment. “Just how many people have been poisoned?” she asked.

 

“Around fifty” Tsunade told her, as they walked down the hall as fast as Kagome could manage.

 

The miko grimaced at the painful experience she had ahead of her, hanging her head dejectedly. Taking a deep breath she steeled her resolve and turned to answer to the Hokage, who was watching her curiously. They stopped in front of a door, that presumably lead to the room in which Naruto's girlfriend was staying, and she paused for a moment.

 

“Have the patients ordered by the distance between the miasma and their hearts, the closer it is the sooner I'll attend to them. Also, I'd be grateful if you could give me some sort of energy drink or something of the kind if you have. The barrier has brought my stamina to a minimum and I'd want to heal the most serious cases before I pass out again, so that all of them have a chance at survival.” she told Tsunade, who nodded and sent Sakura in search for something called soldier pills before setting off herself to arrange the rest of the patients.

 

Kagome then turned to Naruto, who led her into the room. There was a tall man with dark hair and strange white eyes standing next to a single bed in which laid a beautiful pale skinned girl with deep black purplish hair. They had lowered the collar of her hospital gown so they could monitor the advance of the poison towards her heart.

 

Kagome noticed in alarm that Naruto hadn't exaggerated one bit. Letting out a small gasp she stumbled to the girl's bedside. The man next to it seemed to snap out of his reverie and notice them for the first time. He made a move to stop her, but Naruto cut him short.

 

“Don't!” the man lifted his piercing gaze to the orange clad shinobi. “She healed Sakura-chan and Kakashi-sensei. She's the only who can heal Hinata-chan, Hyuuga-sama.” He told him, a pleading look on his eyes.

 

Oblivious to their exchange, Kagome had already reached the bedside and extended her hand over the girl's side, where she had taken the wound that had poisoned her. Taking a deep breath, she called her powers forwards and tried not to wince at the burning pain that shot up her arm.

 

Naruto and Hiashi watched anxiously as the purple fire extracted the poisonous miasma from the young girl's body. Fortunately for her, she was too far gone to notice the pain, but Kagome wasn't as lucky. Losing the battle with the tears of pain and exhaustion that spilled from her eyes, she concentrated on the task at hand. Neither of them noticed when Sakura entered the room with the pills she'd been sent for. After what seemed and eternity to all of them Kagome let her hand down and was swallowed by the flames, purifying the miasma from her system.

 

Naruto shot up to catch her when she swayed dangerously on her feet while Hiashi hurried to the bedside, only to find Hinata's skin clear once again. Sakura handed her a single pill.

 

“This should keep you going for a few hours, but you'll be extremely weakened once the effects wear out” she told the miko, her face serious. “Do you think you'll be able to heal everyone in that time? You'll most likely be out for a couple of days after that.”

 

Kagome took the pill from her and swallowed it, instantly feeling her stamina boost to a whole new level. She let go of Naruto's arm as she tested her stability, then locked eyes with the pink haired kunoichi.

“I can do it” she told her with a nod. “Lead the way.”

 

They were about to leave the room when a strong hand gripped Kagome's shoulder firmly. She turned around to face the intense white eyes of the man she supposed was the girl's father.

 

“The Hyuuga clan is indebted to you, miko-sama” he spoke formally, bowing his head slightly. “If there is anything you need, we'll fulfil your request to the best of our abilities.”

 

Kagome smiled at him, bowing her head as well. `Well, this is better; at least he isn't pulling a Spanish Inquisition on me.'

 

“There's no need for that. It is my duty to help others, and I am pleased that she is well” she said before bowing once again and following Sakura out of the room and to the next one. She had a long day ahead of her.

 

 

Kagome woke up feeling as if she'd been run over by a truck. Every one of her limbs felt stiff, and she groaned while struggling to sit up, without even bothering to open her eyes to the dim light of the room.

 

“Kakashi! Come here, she's waking up!” spoke a female voice that she didn't recognize. She then heard the thump of a book being closed and soft steps nearing her bed.

 

She slowly opened her eyes to find a pair of crimson orbs and a single grey one staring intently back at her. She tried to speak, but only a raspy sound made its way out of her lips.

 

“Wa… water, p… pl… please” she managed to say, wincing in pain because of her dry throat.

 

“Oh, right” said the woman with the red eyes, immediately returning with a glass of water she had retrieved from the nightstand. “I'm going to find a nurse to go fetch Tsunade, be right back” she told Kakashi before exiting the room.

 

“How are you feeling?” asked the masked jounin when she finished drinking. “You've been out for two days and a half” he smirked behind his mask “You know, that's pretty good for someone who's not a shinobi.”

 

“I'm well, I heal fast” she replied “Though I'll admit that I've seen better times. How's everyone else?” she inquired, worried that she hadn't been able to finish her task on time.

 

“All of them have recuperated from the poison, though some are still nursing their wounds. You actually managed to heal everyone before you passed out, even if Sakura had to carry you from one patient to another in the end” he chuckled lightly. “The one who just left is Kurenai. You saved both her and her unborn child and she's been waiting for you to wake up so she could thank you personally for what you've done. Actually, I… I wanted to thank you too, not only for healing me, but everyone else too” he confessed uneasily.

 

Kagome gave him a tired smile, noticing how hard it was for him to say that. She figured that he wasn't used to thanking anyone for anything, at least anything that wasn't casual.

 

“You're welcome, but there's no need. I'm just glad that I could be of help” her smile turned somewhat mischievous “That and the fact that you're not interrogating me anymore” she joked.

 

Kakashi's expression turned sheepish as he scratched the back of his head.

 

“Well, about that…” he trailed of at Kagome's disbelieving face “Tsunade-sama will probably be interrogating you about what you know of this miasma thing and the… youkai, was it?”

 

“Oh, for Heaven's…” she moaned, slumping back against her pillow. “Okay, whatever, I just don't have the strength to argue right now”

 

Kakashi's deep chuckle echoed through the room once again.

 

“Don't worry, I don't really think she believes you to be a threat anymore, but you must understand that it's her job to keep the village safe” he gave her a happy eye crease “And, honestly, the hordes of monsters surrounding the village outside the barrier you placed are making most of the people freak out” he told her.

 

Kagome shot up in an instant, only to have a wave of dizziness force her to lay back down once again. Kakashi observed her with curiosity.

 

“I had completely forgotten about that!” she groaned “How long has it been since I placed the barrier?”

 

“Hmm… about three days and a half” he told her, touching his chin thoughtfully. He'd been worried about how long it would last standing, but if the relief reflecting on her features was anything to go by, he didn't have to be concerned.

 

That's good, we have at least three days to go before it fades away, then” she said, happily snuggling back into her pillow. “I think I'm going to take a nap.”

 

He grinned at her antics, deciding to tease her a bit. He had to keep her up until the Hokage arrived, after all. He reached out to grab her pillow, trying to steal it with a tug.

 

“You've just slept for two days and a half straight, what are you, a priestess or a marmot?” he asked.

 

Kagome held onto her pillow with a death grip, sending a killer glare to the amused jounin.

 

“Very funny, mister. Pick on poor old Kagome while she can't defend herself” she complained, still clutching the pillow with all her might. “See if I don't put subjugation beads on you once I am out of here” she mumbled, sticking her tongue out to him.

 

He was about to ask what she was talking about when Kurenai came back with a small tray of food.

 

“Hatake Kakashi, what the hell do you think you're doing?” she asked angrily when she saw the scene taking place in front of her.

 

`Damn, busted. Well, at least Kurenai should keep her awake long enough for Tsunade to arrive.' he thought, still wondering what subjugation beads were. It sounded kind of kinky to him.

 

Kagome retrieved her pillow and snuggled into it happily once again as the red eyes kunoichi made her way to her bed.

 

“Hello, my name's Yuuhi Kurenai, I'm very pleased to meet you” she said with a sweet smile, while placing the tray of food in front of the miko.

 

“I'm pleased to meet you as well, my name's Higurashi Kagome” the miko said with a smile of her own, sitting up once again to eat her food. She hadn't realized till then how truly hungry she was.

 

Both Kakashi and Kurenai watched silently as Kagome dug into the bland hospital meal eagerly, finishing it in less than ten minutes. The miko then laid back, a satisfied smile on her lips. Kurenai took the opportunity to speak.

 

“Higurashi-san, I wanted to thank you for what you've done” she said “Not only have you saved my life, but that of my unborn son as well. You see, his father died some months ago on a mission and he's all I have left of him. I don't think I'll ever be able to repay you” she said, bowing deeply.

 

Unshed tears shone in the pregnant kunoichi's eyes as she said that, and Kagome felt more grateful than ever for the powers that had allowed her to save those lives. It was in moments like that when that all the pain and loss made sense, they gave her life purpose.

 

“As far as I'm concerned” she said, “after the water and the food you've given me we're even, so no need to thank me. Also, just plain Kagome is okay, no need for the honorific.”

 

The older woman was a bit taken aback.

 

“But… I saw you healing some of the others. It was obvious that you were in pain each time you took the poison out of someone else” she said.

 

When Kagome looked at her to respond to that the expression on her face was that of a war hardened warrior's, resigned yet proud.

 

“Sometimes it is necessary to make sacrifices to get something you want, or to protect something precious, as you well know. A long time ago a wise general said `What good is power if you have nothing to protect'. I find those words extremely inspiring” she answered, a crooked, nostalgic smile curving her lips in reminiscence. Those had been happy times for her. Hard, certainly, but happy nonetheless.

 

Both shinobi watched her strangely.

 

“And yet you didn't know any of us before you came to our aid” Kakashi said. “How does that apply to your philosophy?”

 

Kagome shook her head. They just didn't understand that this was her nature.

 

“To me, every life is precious, and as far as I'm concerned everyone deserves a chance to live. What they do with that chance, however, is their own business” she explained. “I know that it is in the nature of humans to fight each other, and that I'll never be able to stop that. I also realize that there are evil individuals who bring their own demise onto themselves, and I've been the one to deliver such death on occasion, but I never could stand and watch mindless suffering and slaughter without doing a thing to prevent it. That's why I came to your aid. I'm a priestess, it's my job” she finished on a brighter note, hoping that she'd managed to explain herself.

 

The two jounin exchanged a look of mild confusion. Being essentially neutral on their missions, the miko's reasoning sounded quite alien to them. However, they didn't have the chance to question it any further because in that moment the door swung open to reveal the blond Hokage and her assistant.

 

“Kagome-san, I see you've woken up. I hope these two haven't been bothering you too much” she said as a greeting, biting back a laugh at the jounins' offended faces. Sometimes they were too easy to tease.

 

Kagome laughed. “No, of course not! Well, except for someone trying to steal my pillow from me” she added, mock glaring at a certain silver haired shinobi who seemed to be finding the ceiling extremely fascinating.

 

Tsunade raised an amused eyebrow, but didn't comment. Instead she went into full medic mode. After checking Kagome's pulse and blood pressure she asked her if she was feeling dizzy or sick. At her negative response she moved onto the next thing on her agenda.

 

“Kagome-san, I'd like to ask you a few questions about that dark poisonous mist and those creatures you call youkai, which by the way are still trying to break through the barrier. I need to know that the village is safe” she said, straight to the fact.

 

Kagome nodded, having expected this after Kakashi's warning. However, she wasn't about to tell the story of her life to a complete stranger.

 

“Please, call me Kagome, and don't worry about the youkai. The barrier should be standing for at least three more days, but tomorrow morning I'll go purify their sorry asses to hell so that you're able to leave the village at your leisure” she told her. “About the miasma and the youkai, I'll tell you what I know, but how I know it is a personal matter which I want to remain private. It won't affect you, anyway.”

 

Tsunade nodded, gesturing for the rest of the occupants of the room to leave. They owed her that much at least. When they were alone she sat on a chair next to the miko's bed and took out a bottle of sake and two cups she'd managed to hide from Shizune.

 

“So, tell me…”

 

 

Next morning Tsunade was found walking through the hospital halls to Kagome's room while chatting with her assistant.

 

“… and she told me that she'd been friends with some youkai that apparently were able to take humanoid form, but she wouldn't tell me where or when, or their names for that matter.” `And that was after she'd drunk half a bottle of my strongest sake' she thought to herself. “Honestly, I don't think she's lying, and her powers only seem to verify her story” she told Shizune.

 

The black haired assistant sighed. “I don't think she's lying either, it's just too farfetched a story. Besides, if she wanted us dead she could just have let the miasma do the deed” she said as they reached the right door.

 

Tsunade was going to agree when Kagome's voice cut her short.

 

“But I don't want to be a bother!” Kagome pleaded.

 

“Nonsense!” responded Kurenai's voice from the other side of the door. “You're not going to be staying at some crappy inn when there is a perfectly good unoccupied bed in my house. And that's final!”

 

The two women turned to watch the newcomers when the door opened. At the blonde Hokage's amused expression Kagome sighed in defeat. She knew a lost battle when she saw one.

 

“Fine, I'll stay with you. But I'll be helping with the chores to make it up for you, and don't even bother to argue” she threatened.

 

“Fine, we have a deal” said the red eyed kunoichi, taking Kagome's extended hand.

 

“Wonderful, and now if you're done, I believe Kagome's got some youkai asses to kick” said Tsunade, handing the miko three quivers full of arrows. “Will that be enough?” she asked.

 

“Yep, think so!” Kagome said happily, as she slung the quivers along with her trusty bow across her shoulder. “Let's go!”

 

 

Several hours and two and a half quivers later Kagome was taking a stroll through Konoha's small park whistling a happy tune from her home. She had taken her time with the youkai not to overexert herself. She'd been sleeping far too much for her taste those last days. A few shinobi had been watching her, some of which she recognized from the hospital, but none really talked to her. Well, one had actually talked to her, but she'd rather not think about it. The rest had stayed at the walls while she walked the perimeter of the barrier shooting every once in a while. They youkai were so engrossed with their goal that hadn't even moved aside from her arrows. She wondered who could have sent them.

 

Lost in her musings, she didn't notice the green blur coming her way until she heard a loud, heartfelt cry.

 

“MY BEAUTIFUL FLOWER OF YOUTH!”

 

Eyes widening in alarm, she watched a man in a hideous green spandex sporting an equally hideous bowl haircut and a too shiny smile. Calculating she had just enough time to flee, she jerked to the right, behind a tree with low branches that she should be able to climb quickly enough.

 

However, she hadn't taken into account the lazy copy nin that was reading under its shade. She tripped on his legs and fell forward, bracing herself for the impact, but it never came. Instead, she found a pair of strong, toned arms holding her waist. She felt herself being pulled back and opened her eyes at the same time that Kakashi put her back on her feet, turning her so that she was facing him. Her heart was beating madly at the closeness to him, his firm chest brushing the tips of her breasts. However, that was not the time to think such things.

 

Grasping Kakashi's vest, she turned them around so that his body blocked her from view from the way the Green Terror was coming.

 

“Hide me, hide me, hide me please!” she begged. The first time he'd come to talk to her, when she'd left Kurenai's house after finishing off the youkai, it had taken nearly two hours to get away from him. She didn't think she could endure that again.

 

Kakashi gave an amused chuckle and in an instant poofed to the treetop and then back, leaving Kagome up. She sighed in relief as she made herself comfortable on the thick branch.

 

By the time Gai arrived Kakashi was back to his book.

 

“My most esteemed friend and eternal rival! Have you by chance seen a woman whose wondrous spirit of youth shines with a purple fire?” he asked.

 

Kakashi refrained from laughing with great effort.

 

“Ah, she's a woman like no other, my friend! You should have seen her when she healed my Lee, or as she delivered her divine justice to those who sought our demise!” Gai went on, oblivious to Kakashi's amusement.

 

`Ah, so that's how he knows her. I kinda pity her, maybe I shouldn't… no, too funny to pass up. Besides, payback's a bitch' the silver haired jounin thought.

 

“I've heard that she used her youthful fires to heal you, my friend. Yet another time that you get ahead of me, but my youthful spirit will be the winner this time!” the spandex clad shinobi continued.

 

`Wha… winner? Who said I'm playing?' Kakashi's thoughts interrupted.

 

“I know not even you could ignore such a radiant beauty, the very soul of the spring of youth, but I will not be defeated! I'll run five hundred laps around the village on my bare hands if I do!”

 

`Okay, I think I'm going to be sick, that's enough' Kakashi thought.

 

“Actually,” he interrupted, this time out loud “I think she's trying her hand at climbing trees” he told the other shinobi, pointing upwards to where Kagome was hiding. “But I'm afraid she got stuck and can't come down.”

 

Kagome nearly fell from her branch. `Kakashi, you slimy traitor! I'm going to kill you, you bastard!' she promised in her mind even as Gai appeared next to her and carried her down from the tree.

 

“My beautiful spring blossom, you needed only ask if you wanted to train to strengthen your youthful spirit! I'll be more than happy to feed the flames of…” he trailed off, dragging Kagome to the training grounds as she gave Kakashi the most venomous glare she could muster. He just gave her a happy eye crease and a small wave before returning his attention to his orange book.