Naruto Fan Fiction / InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Priestess of the shinobi ❯ Another time ( Chapter 6 )

I'm back! I'm terribly sorry for the incredible tardiness of this chapter, life's becoming more hectic with each passing day. I'll try to keep updating more regularly now that the school year has begun again.

As usual, my most sincere thanks to everyone who took the time to leave a review. You're the best any author could ask for, thank you so very much!

Chapter 6: Another time

The pressure and the fear it made you blind
You thought you have to give some burden away
But are you really sure if it's required?
Don't you want to find out another day?

Kagome sat on the ground, legs crossed and her head resting on her hands as she processed what the nine tailed bijuu had just told her. Shippo was here. He was looking for her. Had been doing so for the last five hundred years. And Inuyasha, Sesshoumaru, Kouga... all of them. They were still alive. She felt dizzy and giddy and emotionally exhausted all at the same time, which was quite confusing. She felt a warm hand on her shoulder and jumped at the unexpected contact.

“Are you okay?” asked the masked jounin.

She made a noncommittal sound, but nodded her head. She wasn't all that well now, but she would be once she assimilated what she'd learnt. She'd given up all hope of ever encountering her friends again, after her failed attempts to look them up in the History books she'd managed to get her hands on, after the fruitless attempts at feeling them while she traveled the land in search of their auras. Now the pieces were starting to fit...

“Hey, Kagome-chan, what was all that awesome stuff you told the Kyuubi? Man, was he scared shitless! And who were Inuyasha -is that even a name?- and Sess-something and that Naruku fellow you talked about?And...”

“Easy there, Naruto” Kakashi interrupted “Let her digest it before she tells us” she directed a pointed gaze at the shocked miko “Because she's going to tell us everything, aren't you, Kagome-san?”

Kagome just nodded again. She really wasn't too happy about that, but after her stunt with the fox demon she knew she had it coming. She really should control her temper better, but dammit, she'd gotten used to demons acquiescing to her demands without so much as a protest, back then in the Feudal Era. Not that she could blame them, she'd been quite awesome -as Naruto would've put it- back then. She repressed a bitter laugh. Nowadays she was pretty useless, in a world where demons barely existed and ninja were the ruling force. Still, it seemed that she had yet another quest to take, as if last one hadn't been enough for five lifetimes. Fate was such a bitch.

Deciding that it was better to take what destiny threw at her head on, she dusted her hands on the dark pants Kurenai had bought for her and got up, facing the three shinobi that were observing her with curiosity painted all over their features.

“Not now, not here” she said, trying to sound calm and collected. She failed miserably. “First I need to put my ideas in order. What the fox told me was completely new, and important too.” She looked at her watch. “How about lunch at your house, Kakashi? I can explain everything over the meal” she requested.

Said jounin started protesting, arguing that there was hardly enough place in his small apartment for the two of them, let alone four people. However, Naruto had the perfect solution.

“We'll crash at Sakura-chan's, that way we won't have to tell her later” he grinned, taking Kagome by the hand and pulling her along. “We'll buy take out at Teuchi jii-chan's so that Sakura-chan doesn't hit us over the head ne, Sasuke-teme?”

The mentioned Uchiha, who had been keeping out of the conversation, answered with a non-committal grunt but started walking towards Ichiraku's. Kakashi followed, his hands buried in his pockets and his back slouched lazily.

Half an hour later

“SAKURA-CHAAAAAAAAAAN!”

A muffled curse and a flying alarm-clock met Naruto's enthusiastic greeting.

“Ouch! Sakura-chan, you're mean!” the jinchuuriki whined childishly, rubbing his sore head. “And we brought you lunch too!”

Said pink haired kunoichi appeared moments later from the darkness of her room, sleepily rubbing her eyes with one hand while she covered har yawn with the other.

“Hey guys...” she greeted, still half asleep. “What are you doing here?” She eyed the four people that had let themselves into her house, awaiting an answer.

“Hn” was Sasuke's extensive response.

Kakashi gave her a happy eye crinkle.

“Ah, you see, Sakura-chan, Kagome here had a rather interesting encounter earlier this morning and we thought we'd come here to discuss it over lunch.” He paled a little as he noticed the irritation increasingly showing on his student's face. “We thought you wouldn't want to be left out of it, we even brought you your favorite miso ramen” he added hurriedly.

Irritation melting away at the mention of her favorite food, Sakura shrugged and made her way to the kitchen. Sasuke followed in silence, Naruto hurrying after them with everyone's take out. Kagome raised an eyebrow at the masked ninja, that was shrugged off with another eye crinkle before both headed after the rest of them.

Once the were all seated and enjoying their still warm lunch, Sakura brought up the topic everyone had been thinking about.

“So, Kagome-san, what was that interesting encounter you had about?” she asked between bites of her ramen.

“Well, you see...” Kagome started hesitantly, not really sure of how to tackle this conversation. She was given some time because of Naruto's interruption.

“You wouldn't believe it, Sakura-chan, it was AWESOME! Kagome-chan asked teme here to do that weird thing with his eyes so she could talk to the Kyuubi and we all got inside my head and man, was the fox scared shitless when Kagome-chan told him she'd done a bunch of awesome sounding things with some weird named people and then he was telling her about a demon world, and-“

“Naruto” the Copy nin intersected. “Let her do the talking, that's what we came for.”

“Sorry, Kagome-chan” he apologized, rubbing his head sheepishly. “It was just so awesome that-”

“NARUTO!”

“Oops, sorry.”

Rubbing the bridge of his nose tiredly, Kakashi spoke again.

“Now, Kagome-san, would you mind telling us what the whole thing was about?”

Kagome sighed in defeat. Might as well get it over with.

“All right. It'll be better, though if I start at the beginning. I was fifteen years old and I lived with my family in an old shrine in Tokio, my hometown. It was my birthday that day, and I was leaving for school when my cat Buyo ran into the old well house. When I went after it, a demon came out of the well, and dragged me down into it, and five hundred years into the past...”

Some three hours later

“...and that's how I got captured by Naraku, along with the piece of the jewel that we had collected so far. The sick fuck decided that I deserved far worse than a quick death, so I was not killed immediately” she grimaced in remembrance, but quickly hid it lest they noticed. However, the Copy-nin's eyes were far too keen, even if he didn't say a word... for now.

“That would be his downfall, for everything would have been lost if I had died that day. Several weeks later I was rescued by the demon lord Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha's older brother, who had joined our cause to defeat the menace that Naraku posed to everyone of us. I was taken to his fortress and healed there, as we prepared for one last stand. Naraku had the jewel nearly complete, and we couldn't risk him getting the final pieces, the ones embedded in Kouga's legs. So we trained, and we planned, and when everything was ready we openly set out to find him, using those pieces to lure him out.”

She took a breath as she prepared to relate the final battle against their greatest foe.

“I can't recall clearly what happened throughout the fight, it's a whirlwind of adrenaline, blood and screams. I was kept out of the thick of battle as my comrades opened the path to shoot at the cursed half demon's heart. That moment, I remember as clearly as yesterday.”

The screams were dying down as most of the demon hordes fell slaughtered to the bloody ground. She could see Miroku lying on the soiled dirt, painfully clutching his cursed hand as the miasma from the demons he had absorbed made its way into his bloodstream. Sango was barely able to stand by herself, but nevertheless she was placed in front of him, stubbornly fighting any demon that dared get close to him. Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru were both in the thick of battle, tirelessly slaying tentacle upon tentacle of the evil hanyou as the made their way to the main body of the beast. Kouga was lying senseless on her left, having been dragged out of the battle by Shippo, who was valiantly watching the whole thing.

Suddenly, she saw the opening she'd been waiting for, and on instinct alone she released one of the strongest sacred arrows she'd ever launched. She observed as it burned every demon on it's wake, it's purple aura leaving a sparkling stream as it flew on towards its mark. Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru jumped away just in time to avoid being purified to ashes, and the projectile made its way to strike... five inches away from its intended mark. Kagome watched in despair as Naraku backed down, badly wounded, but not dead.

In that moment a strange insanity took over her mind, and casting away her bow, her only weapon, she sped down the blood swamped land to the cause of so much misery and pain. Ignoring the screams of her friends, the alarmed look on the inu Lord's face, she ran all the way to the cursed hanyou's side, a purple fire burning around her with more intensity the closer she got to her foe. A mindless, broken expression on her face, she pushed away the burnt tentacles that tried in vain to block her path and, in one swift move, plunged her hand deep into the hanyou's wounded chest. Gripping her hand around his heart, she only whispered one word before pushing forward, ripping the still beating organ, to grasp the cursed jewel that was nestled there.

“Goodbye”

And in one blinding pulse of sacred light, she poured all of herself into purifying the completely black jewel. The agonizing scream that left the hanyou's throat would haunt her nightmares for years to come, as his body was disintegrated, burned to a brink by the purple fire that her body emitted.

When the light finally died down, she looked incredulously at the nearly complete jewell on her hand. Eyes wide open, only one thing crossed her mind.

“It's over.”

And she passed out.

“I woke up several hours later in Kaede's small hut. Though none of us had come out of the fight unscathed, we were all alive and that was what mattered most. Now the only thing left was the matter of what to do with the Shikon. Legend said that only a pure, completely selfless wish could make it disappear. And so, I mulled over it for days, trying to come up with such a wish. In truth, how do you make a wish for something that you truly don't desire? In the end, I came up with the perfect idea.

Without telling any of my friends of the decision I'd made, I summoned all of them one fine autum morning. I had asked Sesshoumaru to bring the clay body of the miko Kikyo, my previous incarnation. Though he said nothing about it, I am positive that he knew what I was about to do. That's why I asked him of all people to do it for me; he was never one to meddle in other people's affairs or decisions.

When all of us were gathered there, I announced that I'd made my decision, and that I would make the wish upon the jewel then and there. Knowing what awaited me, I pronounced the words that sealed my death warrant : I wish for Kikyo to be brought back to life.”

Sakura was the first one to come up with the obvious question.

“But why would you do such a thing?! You knew that only one of you could be alive at the time, only one of you could house your soul!”

Kagome nodded slowly.

“You're right, I was aware of the consequences of that wish. I was going to give up my soul and my life so that Inuyasha an Kikyo could have a second chance at happiness. They both deserved it. And as for me, that sacrifice would ensure the destruction of the cursed jewel, forever riding the world of its influence. That was enough for me.” `Or, al least, that's what I told myself. I didn't want to die, but I couldn't let it continue. I had to do it.'

Naruto was staring at her in open mouthed astonishment. Sasuke was more subtle about it, but he couldn't completely hide his own surprise. Kakashi's face, however, was unreadable. After a moment, he spoke.

“However, that doesn't explain how you ended up here, in this time and place” he pointed out.

“You're right, it doesn't” she responded. “There was one thing I hadn't taken into account when I made my decision: Midoriko's will.”

“Midoriko?” Sasuke asked quietly.

“Exactly, Midoriko. The priestess whose soul had been trapped, along with the youkais' into the Shikon no Tama. I heard her voice as my soul broke free of my body.

`Thank you, my child. As my parting gift, I'll bestow upon you the second chance you denied to yourself.'

And then I found myself in this world. After a long time of roaming the land, I found out that this wasn't another world at all, it was the future. I was back in my own time, except that the world I'd left behind was nothing like this one. I surmise we must have changed some crucial event of the past, and so the world didn't evolve to be the one I used to know, but this one. The past is exactly the same, up until the point in which the events I just told you about took I said, I roamed the land for a while, searching for any sign of my friends or my family to no avail, until I decided to settle down in a small hut in the forest. The rest, as they say, is History.”

All of them remained silent for a while, processing the information they had been given. In truth, it sounded a lot more like a fantastic, epic tale than reality, but after what they had seen with the Kyuubi and the demon attacks, they were rather inclined to believe what she'd told them. It was Kakashi who broke the silence at last.

“If this is true, Kagome, we will have to inform Tsunade-sama immediately. I know you're not too keen on letting people know about your past, but must realize that this isn't a normal situation. If that Naraku, or any of your past enemies is the one behind the demon attacks, then she needs to be informed” he said reluctantly. He understood perfectly her desire to keep her past hidden, but he was a Konoha shinobi first and foremost.

Said miko only nodded her head in acquiescence.

“I understand, but if it's not necessary, I'd like for it to only be made known to the Hokage. I don't want it being chatted about everywhere, and most people wouldn't believe it anyway” she requested.

Noticing her defeated tone of voice, Kakashi looked at her intently. She looked spent, as if she were terribly old within her twenty five years of life. It shouldn't surprise him, though. She'd been through more things in her life than he had, which was more than impressive to begin with, and that without counting the things he was sure she'd omitted during her story. In fact, he was rather surprised that she hadn't gone insane, or at least become as jaded and world weary as he himself was. Though, if what he was seeing now was anything to go by, she was a lot more tired than she made everyone think. She was only human, after all.

Sakura's voice brought him out of his musings.

“Don't worry, Kagome-san. I don't think Tsunade-shishou would want the story spread out to the four winds, anyway” she smiled impishly. “And I'll personally make sure that the loudmouth over there keeps the trap shut.”

Kagome laughed a little at the blond's indignant protest that he was the BEST secret keeper ever. After all, he was going to be Hokage (DATTEBAYO!).

“Thank you guys, I really appreciate it” she said, smiling wearily. “I think I'm off for a walk now, there are a lot of things I want to think about” she said apologetically, rising from her seat.

“Don't worry about it. We'll go update the Hokage on everything you've told us. Dobe, Sakura, let's go” Sasuke said, standing and turning around to leave the room.

Naruto stared dumbly at his female teammate.

“What was that?” he asked, wide eyed.

The pink haired kunoichi could only shake her head, dumbfounded.

“I think that was Sasuke-kun being... nice” she said, still not being able to believe it herself. “C'mon, let's go.”

Both of them departed after their raven haired teammate, while Kagome watched curiously. Kakashi had an indulgent look on what could be seen of his face.

“Looks like you've made quite the impression, Kagome-chan” he teased.

She shrugged.

“If you say so...” she turned to leave the house as well. Kakashi followed a few paces behind. When he received a pointed stare he gave her the happy eye crease he was so fond of.

“Looks like we'll be going for a walk, ne? C'mon let's go.”

Kagome cursed the Hokage as she followed after the silver haired shinobi. She wanted to be alone, dammit! Was it so much to ask for?

 

It was nighttime by the time Kagome and Kakashi made it home. They had spent most of the evening atop the Hokage monument, the miko immersed in her own thoughts while the masked jounin read his ever present book. It had been surprisingly peaceful for both, the silence being companionable instead of tense. Not that any of them would admit it, at least to anyone else, but over the last two months of bickering and fighting they'd developed a sort of fondness for the other.

Kakashi went straight to his room, while Kagome made her way to the small kitchen.

“Do you want anything for dinner?” she asked, opening the door to the fridge. She didn't need to hear a response, however. The few things that were stashed in the small space were, at least, three years old. There was something of a greenish brown colour that she'd swear was alive by now. Wrinkling her nose, she hurriedly closed the door again.

“Ugh, that was disgusting...” she said, grimacing.

“I guess you just got acquaintanced with my fridge, hm?” said a voice just behind her. She jumped slightly at the closeness.

“Idiot, you scared me!” she said, hitting his arm half-heartedly. “But yes, you're right. I don't know even why you bother keeping it there, you might as well throw that out before it takes over your kitchen.”

He shrugged non committally.

“Anyway... we'll have to go get some take out or something, since I guess the cupboards aren't much better...” she continued.

“Hmm, well, at least there's nothing growing in them, I think” was the answer she got.

“Oh, well. Let's go get dinner then. I'd go by myself, but then I guess you'd have to follow me so...” she eyed him, sporting a winning grin. Kakashi looked at her in teasingly.

“Actually, you'll find that the cupboards are rather well stocked and in good condition” he said, walking past her to open the door to one of them. It was surprisingly tidy and clean.

Kagome looked at him in mild amusement.

“So, what was the fridge thing all about?”

He shrugged nonchalantly.

“Well, you see, it's a rather good way to ensure Naruto isn't going to break into my house looking for lunch. Most people never make it past the fridge and into the cupboards” he answered, crinkling his eye happily.

The miko shook her head in disbelief.

“You're incredible” she said at last.

“Why, thank you very much, Kagome-chan!”

“Idiot” she muttered, punching his arm half-heartedly.

 

Once dinner was over, they went about making themselves ready for bed. Kagome was reaching for her small blanket when she heard Kakashi's voice, as he came out of his own room.

“So, what are you going to do about what the Kyuubi said to you?”

Startled by the question, she turned around too fast and hit her leg with the small coffee table.

“Ouch!” she complained. Limping over to the sofa she managed to awkwardly sit down beside the Copy-nin himself.

Rolling his eyes at her theatrics, he asked once again.

“So? Any plans?”

Kagome stopped rubbing her sore leg and leaned her back on the couch. She knew what she had to do, but she wasn't so sure of how she'd make it work.

“I guess I'll have to go find Shippo” she said at last. “If he hasn't found me in these last months he's either too far away to have heard the rumors or too busy fighting the youkai himself to come investigate, so I'll have to go look for him. His help would be invaluable in a situation like this. And he might know where Inuyasha and the rest are, too.”

Kakashi frowned. What she said made sense, but...

“And what about the people in Konoha? If we get attacked by youkai then we'll be unable to defend ourselves” he said, his head bowed down, staring at his intertwined fingers. He clearly didn't like being so helpless. “Of course, I know you owe us nothing...”

She slapped his arm, offended.

“Don't be stupid!” she cut him off. “I'm not about to let you fend for yourselves, give me a little credit. We'll just have to figure out a way to protect the village while I'm away.”

Kakashi nodded his head, relieved. If she'd decided to leave there wasn't much they could have done to prevent it. Of course, they could hold her back against her will, but it would be useless if she decided to stop protecting them.

“We could always dispatch a search party to look for this Shippo” he suggested.

Kagome negated with her head.

“No, that wouldn't work. We're searching for a fox demon here, a master of illusions. He won't be found if he doesn't want to, so I'll have to go to sense his aura” she explained. “Of course, that would only work if he were in a rather close proximity, so we'll have to rely on luck alone for the most part. If he's searching for me, then our best bet is to spread the rumors about what's happened here as we go, so he'll be able to follow the lead.”

They both remained in silence for a while.

“So...” the masked jounin started. “How are we going to ensure that the village remains protected long enough for us to search for this youkai of yours?”

Kagome raised an eyebrow at him.

“Us?” she asked, smiling slightly.

“Why, of course, Kagome-chan! Don't forget that I'm not to let you out of my sight at any time” the Copy-nin answered, grinning through his mask.

This time the miko laughed out loud.

“Okay then, us it is” she conceded.

“But there's still the issue of the village's protection” he objected.

Sighing tiredly, she stretched on her seat.

“I guess I'll have to set another barrier around the village, one that will stand longer than the last one...” she ventured. “that'll leave the village rather isolated, but protected nonetheless.”

Kakashi nodded in understanding. It wasn't like they weren't being already isolated anyway, since this whole demon thing started.

“How long will you be able to keep it up?”

Kagome thought on the answer for a while. If she remembered correctly, the barrier she'd set back in the feudal era had stood strong for nearly a month. But then again, back then she'd been more in shape with her powers than she was now.

“I'd say three weeks, a month tops” she responded at last. “We shouldn't risk staying away that long, however, just in case I'm mistaken. I'd say we take expeditions of two weeks, so there's plenty of time to set the barrier back up before it crumbles down.”

“All right, then, we'll have to inform the Hokage tomorrow and make the necessary preparations” he said.

“Okay” she answered, considering the conversation finished. When Kakashi made no move to get up from the lumpy sofa, she gave him a curious stare. “Is there anything else you wanted?” she asked.

“Actually, “ he said “there's one more thing I wanted to ask you.”

She squirmed slightly under his intense stare, but held his gaze.

“The part of the story you omitted earlier...” he watched as she stiffened at the mention. So he hadn't been mistaken, she had omitted something.”I'm not going to ask what it was, because I believe that you've already told us more than you wanted to say, and I know that there are some things better left in the dark.”

He watched as the tension slowly ebbed away prom her shoulders, her entire posture relaxing at that declaration.

“However, I expect that if there's anything we should know, even if it's difficult for you to talk about it, you will tell us when the time comes” he concluded.

Her shoulders sagged tiredly, as if the mere mention of those memories put a heavy burden on her very soul. She remained silent long enough that Kakashi was about to leave her to her own thoughts when she finally spoke again.

“It's not something I'm too keen on telling anyone” she said looking down at her hands. “It was a long time ago, and the memories, good and foul, only make me depressed, for what I lost and what I went through. A good friend of mine told me that it's no use dwelling on the past, and he was right, you know” she looked up to hold his gaze. “However, I don't think anything I left out of my tale will have any influence on what's happening now, but if I find out it does, I promise to tell you .”

He just nodded, accepting her words for all they were worth. They were virtually strangers, for even if they had know each other for a couple of months, they knew next to nothing of each other's past up until that day. Perhaps he'd have to repay her somehow and tell her about himself one day. He hadn't missed the curious looks she threw at his mask when she thought he wasn't looking. He was broken out of his musings when she spoke once again.

“You know” she started, looking at some point beyond the open window that overlooked konoha's night, “I might tell you anyway one of these days.”

His single visible eyebrow rose in surprise at that declaration, but she wasn't finished.

“Thank you for understanding, Kakashi, you are a good man” she said, leaning into him to peck his uncovered cheek lightly. Then she got up and disappeared through the bathroom door.

Said jounin sat there, lightly touching the spot where her lips had grazed his skin and wondering why on earth his heart had decided to start making somersaults inside his chest.

 

There you have it, the sixth chapter of this story, I hope you enjoyed it! Please, be kind enough to leave a review!