Naruto Fan Fiction / InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Stains of the Heart ❯ Chapter Fourteen ( Chapter 14 )

Chapter Fourteen

 

He shifted again, trying to get feeling back into his legs as he waited. He was trying to be patient, he was, but he had never really gotten the point of sitting in one place when they could actually make the mission much quicker if they moved and looked at the same time. However, after a few more moments of seeing nothing on the horizon toward the Land of Rice Fields, he pressed his fingers to the headset on his ear. “Do you see anything?”

 

A small crackle came through the device before he heard a softly growling voice snap, “Naruto, there was nothing three minutes ago, do you really expect for Orochimaru to suddenly come bounding into view?”

 

“Well, no,” Naruto muttered, cursing Kiba slightly under his breath. “Besides, I wasn't asking you, dog-boy, I was asking Neji.”

 

“Then be more specific next time,” Kiba responded, a slight snickering coming through afterward. Naruto knew it was most likely from Akamaru, but he could not help but scowl at the fact that he was probably being made fun of. That nin-dog had always had something against him—he was always out to get him since the chuunin exams. Besides that, he found it so unfair that he was constantly insulted—or he thought so—and he had no idea what that massive canine was saying.

 

“There's nothing from my position, Naruto,” came another response—the one that he wanted. However, Naruto sighed after hearing it, knowing that if any of them saw anything it would be Neji. His family's doujutsu was a very impressive technique, or he'd always thought so, since it pretty much everything within a range of fifty meters. He hadn't actually known that until Hinata told him so, but he still thought that it was awesome, even if he had learned of the sharingan first.

 

Twitching, Naruto asked, “Well, how long do you think we'll have to sit here?”

 

“Until the mission's been complete,” Kiba's sarcasm reached him moments after he asked. Then, he continued, “Really, Naruto, do you expect for this mission to be easy?”

 

Again, Naruto heard the snickering in the background and scowled a bit deeper. “I just want to know how long I have to sit here, when I could be training and getting stronger at the village,” he replied heatedly.

 

“Tsunade-sama wishes for us to confirm the rumor she heard,” came Neji's voice, “we could very well be here for a few days.” There was a small pause, “You'll have to be patient, Naruto, since it could take Orochimaru up to a week to actually move, or longer. Until someone comes to check on us, or relieve us of our positions we really have no choice but to continue our watch.”

 

Naruto did not press the button in order to communicate with the others as he shifted again, saying, “Tsunade-baa-chan just had to give me such an easy mission.” He almost thought for a moment that he'd rather be watching that annoying Kagome, he really didn't understand what her problem was. However, this did have its advantages compared to getting snapped at, his head nearly sliced off, and constantly trying to run around in order to locate her.

 

Glancing back at the clearing that Orochimaru would most likely come through if he were indeed heading toward Konohagakure, Naruto tipped his head slightly to one side. He wondered again why Kyuubi refused to speak to him, even whenever he managed to speak with him in person, simply muttering that he would have to figure out the puzzle himself. Not only that, but it was strange that his friend, Gaara, was showing such interest in that crazy woman. He thought for a while that it was because she was covered in blood when they had found her, Gaara had thought it was his purpose—and enjoyed—to kill people before they fought after all, but he did not think it was that simple anymore. He doubted that Gaara even noticed it, but he guessed he should be happy for his friend if he was happy, even if the woman gave him the creeps and a strange prickling sensation underneath his skin to attack her.

 

Shifting once more, feeling the branch he was one move slightly in the wind, Naruto allowed his thoughts to drift away from his current ones. He wondered what it was that Orochimaru could be coming for—besides to try to hurt Konohagakure or once again get Sasuke on his side. After all, he had been recovering for a long time in hiding since Sasuke had killed him, but Kabuto had been foolish enough to take a part of him into his body, allowing Orochimaru to control him from what Hinata had explained. Orochimaru was a deadly opponent before; he had to wonder how much more he was now that he had Kabuto's combined strength, chakra, and jutsu, along with Kabuto's still intact ability to use his hands. He almost shuddered, but quickly told himself that Orochimaru wouldn't be able to beat them again, not with how much they had improved, and how many shinobi they had willing to defend their village.

 

Growing a little more impatient with his line of thoughts, Naruto pressed his fingers back to the headset. “Come on, there has to be something? I don't want to sit here for another seven days or more waiting!” he stated.

 

He expected Kiba to reply, but was surprised with Neji's voice came through. “Naruto, there isn't anything yet,” Neji's voice trailed off. “Wait, I see something.”

 

Kiba's voice came through next; “Yeah, Akamaru and I smell something foul in the air. It's not pleasant, and from what Akamaru and I remember, we think it might be Kabuto and Orochimaru's scents blending together.”

 

Naruto frowned, “Do you think it's because of Kabuto's—”

 

“We're pretty sure, Naruto,” Kiba's replied. “No need to remind us, especially not after the images we got after Hinata told us what that idiot did. Right, Akamaru?” There was barking that followed his statement, though it was low enough that a distant opponent would not hear it. However, it was quite clear, even though Naruto was not an Inuzuka, what Akamaru was most likely saying.

 

“Well, what do you see, Neji?” Naruto asked after a few moments.

 

Neji did not reply instantly, but after a few minutes Naruto heard the crackling in his ear again. “I think we should return to the village in order to speak with Tsunade-sama,” he said.

 

“Wait,” Naruto hissed, “what do you see?”

 

“Orochimaru,” Neji's voice assaulted him after another moment. “And what looks to be about thirty to fifty shinobi, all of which look to be from Otogakure. I cannot be for sure at the moment; they are a bit out of my range to be able to tell if they all have the Otogakure emblem or another. Though, that woman in the front does not seem to be wearing a headband.”

 

“Do you think she's some type of hostage?” Kiba asked. “Bait, maybe?”

 

“Doesn't look like it,” Neji said. “She seems to be standing there of her own free will. However, there is something different about her compared to the rest of the shinobi surrounding him.” Naruto could see them now appearing as small dots in the distance. “She holds herself differently, and seems to be arguing with him a bit.”

 

Naruto suddenly asked, “Can you hear anything?”

 

“No,” Neji replied instantly. “They're still too far away.”

 

“Hold on,” Kiba said. There was a short pause, and then he continued, “Akamaru can't hear much from the distance and the wind and everything, but he can hear a bit of what they're saying.” There was then a bit of barking and growling that came through the device.

 

“Yeah?” Naruto pressed.

 

“Akamaru says they're talking about some woman,” Kiba said after another small pause. “Something about wanting to give her a curse mark or kill her. A woman that is now rumored to be in Konohagakure, or nearby, but wasn't there before, from what they know.”

 

“A woman?” Neji asked.

 

“Ah,” Kiba paused again, “Akamaru says that it's definitely a woman they're talking about it. Apparently Orochimaru wants her as his… Hold on.” Kiba growled and barked, and communicated in a way with Akamaru that only he could at the moment. “Orochimaru wants her because of her power, to become his controlled second in command, and the chick wants to get revenge for some reason. There's too much noise between the Otogakure shinobi speaking and the distance, Akamaru can't really get anything besides most of the woman's name.”

 

“What is it?” Neji demanded.

 

“Hi—something, Kago—something. Akamaru can't hear it all that well cause they seem to lower their voices each time they say her name for some strange reason,” Kiba replied. “However, he says that that's what they're saying, and it should be enough to figure out the full name.”

 

Naruto's eyes widened, “Orochimaru's after Kagome!” The realization of the situation clicked into his head and he knew that they needed to return to the village as soon as possible. The fact that Orochimaru was after her meant that she had nothing to do with him, but did not mean that she wouldn't suddenly decide to join with him. There were a number of reasons why he could be after her, but the thing that stood out in his head had nothing to do with that. No, he was worried that Orochimaru would figure out that Gaara was interested in her, thus using that to his advantage, and the fact that Sasuke was assigned to watching over her. If the Sannin still wanted the sharingan, he wouldn't have to look far in order to find it, which put Sasuke in danger as well.

 

Kiba's voice soon responded, “Yeah, that's it!” Then he seemed to consider something for a moment, before asking, “Hey, wait. How did you know her name, Naruto?”

 

“There's no time to explain,” Naruto quickly said. “We've got to get back to the village!”

 

Neji's voice came through soon after, “Naruto is correct. He can explain while we are heading back to the village. For now we need to return what we know to Tsunade-sama.” There was a sound that was obviously Neji moving from his position, as he continued, “Best we be prepared for whatever it is that Orochimaru's going to try.”

 

“Right!” Naruto replied. Then, he turned from the clearing, and with as much stealth as he could muster at the moment he raced away from the area. It would not be long before the others caught up with him, with Akamaru and Kiba's noses and Neji's eyes. However, his main concern was returning to the village and informing Tsunade that Orochimaru was after Kagome and it wouldn't take them that long to reach the village if they really wanted her. Not only that, but he was probably still after Sasuke.

 

There was no doubt in his mind that Orochimaru, if he was moving, had everything planned and would wish to get everything done as smoothly as he could. At least, if the Sannin knew anything about the woman that he was going after.

 

OoO

 

“How long have we been here?” Kankurou asked.

 

“About a week,” Temari replied, “maybe a little longer.”

 

Kankurou grimaced, “How much longer do you think we'll be here? I hate sitting around doing nothing.”

 

“You just don't like it because there aren't any girls to look at right now,” Temari huffed. She sometimes could not believe that she was related to Kankurou—actually, more than sometimes—and she felt at the moment that she would rather be related to three people with a similar personality of Gaara, Sasuke, and Naruto combined.

 

“That didn't answer my question,” Kankurou scowled.

 

“Well, I don't know!” Temari snapped. “We'll be here as long as Gaara wants to stay, or you could probably hop back to the village if you wanted to. Maybe some rouge shinobi will pick you off halfway there and we won't have to worry about you anymore.”

 

“What do you mean hop?” Kankurou asked. Temari was really starting to get at him, since he had asked the same question for about two days now, and she told him in the end to talk to Gaara, but his younger brother refused to speak with him. Whether it was because he was speaking with the Hokage, staring into the distance, or following the footsteps of that woman Temari saved, he downright refused to even acknowledge him while he was standing near him. Almost as if Gaara had decided he had better things to do as soon as he opened his mouth, which really pissed him off, since he was the elder sibling—but then his younger brother could argue that he was Kazekage and could do whatever in the hell he wanted to if he wanted to. Though, Gaara wouldn't use so many words.

 

“Hop, skip, prance about most of the way there,” Temari mocked. “What do you think I mean, genius?”

 

“I hate you, Temari,” Kankurou said.

 

“At the moment I don't care,” she replied. “Gaara came by to talk with me—”

 

Kankurou twitched. He held up his hand and was slightly surprised when his older sister stopped speaking and looked at him expectantly. “Wait,” he began, “he'll talk to you, but he refused to even acknowledge that I exist whenever I'm in the area?”

 

She gave him a stare that clearly told him his answer, before shaking her head. “Anyway, Kankurou, Gaara came by earlier. Apparently Kagome—you know, the woman we saved—told him a little bit about the scrolls that we found on her.” She sighed at how wrong she had been about three of them, “He wants me to take her out for dango, or sake, or something in order to try and coax some more information on them out of her. I don't know why, but he really seems interested in her.”

 

“Yeah,” Kankurou said sourly. “That's just great.”

 

“Don't say that,” Temari scowled. “It's good that he's starting to show interest in women. I mean, the most contact he ever had with a girl—besides myself—was with Matsuri, but even you know that she doesn't like him that way since she found out about her…” she trailed off, not wishing to relive it at the moment, “well, you know.”

 

Kankurou smirked, “That was hilarious.”

 

Temari forced down the urge to blush, and shook her head at her brother. She had thought it was great that Gaara was spending more time with a female figure that wasn't herself, even if she was supposed to be his student, but she did not think it was so great when the girl decided she wanted to show how much she liked her. Seriously, she had liked the girl, but she did not like the fact that the girl had decided to come out of the closet in that fashion. Hell, she did not even like thinking about it, and Kankurou just liked to make it worse.

 

“Oh, come on,” he teased. “You have to admit that you never saw that one coming?”

 

“No!” Temari snapped. “I did not see that coming. I thought that she had a thing for Gaara, even if he was her sensei, and that he was starting to like her back. I didn't think that she was—was secretly worshipping me behind my back!”

 

Kankurou gave a small, satisfied sigh, “Ah, good times, good times.”

 

Temari twitched, “What does that mean?”

 

“Nothing,” Kankurou said. “Why would it mean anything?”

 

“I don't know,” Temari growled. “It was kind of odd that she decided to come out and tell me about her feelings that day. It was kind of odd that she just happened to seem so experienced, even though she was blushing the entire time. It was kind of odd that she whispered into my ear, `you like that, don't you?' as if she wasn't quite sure, but thought so. And, not to mention the fact that you were laughing before she even said anything!”

 

“Your point?” Kankurou asked slowly, forcing down the lump that had formed in his throat. He saw the flames burst in Temari's eyes as she stared at him, and a bunch of alarms rang in his head to run, and run far. However, he stood his ground, and allowed her to take two threatening steps toward him before he took one back. The situation was not good—but the memory was still so freaking awesome that he couldn't help the small smile that tugged at his lips.

 

“YOU BASTARD!” Temari screamed. “She spoke with you, didn't she? You—you, agh… YOU told her to say that stuff, and you were the one that helped her come up with the stuff that she did after she backed me into that corner. You—you…”

 

Kankurou bolted, knowing that since she could not seem to form a sentence anymore that he should get out of there. He heard Temari give a battle cry, and knew that she had most likely grabbed her fan in order to beat him into the ground as best she could. However, today was not a day that he wished to be beat into the ground, since he had decided that today would be the day that he would find out what was so special about that blood-covered chick that attracted his brother so much. When he heard Temari give another scream, though, he ran a little faster, knowing that he would need to outrun her—which wasn't the easiest thing to do when she was on a rampage.

 

Hopefully she would forget about this whole thing, though, and then he could go back to his happy life without brain damage. It was such a wonderful life; he did not need for Temari to ruin it instantaneously with a bash to his skull. Though, from the sounds he heard from behind him, things crashing and people rushing to get out of her way, he doubted that she was going to forget it very soon. And Kankurou was pretty positive that he would be nursing his throbbing head for the next few days.

 

OoO

 

She watched them closely, a scowl coming to her lips. She knew that she had not been this hard pressed to make sure nothing came between her and her love before, but this was completely different. It had been a rivalry between friends, even if Sakura had not wanted to admit it before, but it was a lot different now. That woman that Sasuke had been assigned to follow around as his mission was teasing her. She knew it when they walked by the flower shop, and the woman noticed her, only to walk slightly closer to Sasuke's side, while the Uchiha glanced at her oddly.

 

However, Ino felt her skin bristle as she thought about it. She knew that there was a possibility that someday a powerful, beautiful woman would come into Sasuke's life and she wouldn't win his heart, but that woman just was not right for him. She could almost feel it in her bones that somehow, someway, someone—and she was pretty sure it was Sasuke—was getting drawn into her web. Though, from what she had seen, it seemed that Gaara, the Kazekage of Sunagakure, was also being drawn into her venomous trap.

 

There was just something that was strange, almost completely abnormal about that woman. She could feel it; something about that woman was dangerous. She had almost thought about expressing her concerns to the Hokage, but she had figured that Tsunade would already have such suspicions. Someone as intelligent and powerful as their Hokage should instantly see that that woman was the type to draw handsome men from young girls, suck them dry, and then spit them back out—she was sure of it, and she usually wasn't very wrong about those types of women. But, she could not deny that there was that something about the woman that made her rethink her decision, since she was teasing her, but did not seem to actually be trying to follow through with her silent threat.

 

Ino sighed, and straightened up when the door opened with a jingle. She smiled at the woman who had walked in, a slight blush on her cheeks as she softly twiddled with her thumbs. Her thoughts flew straight to the task she had been given, as she smiled a little brighter. “Hello, Hinata. Is there anything I can help you with today?”

 

“U-um,” Hinata smiled. “I j-just wanted to get a-a f-flower for—”

 

Ino smiled just a little more, cutting in, “For Naruto, right?”

 

Hinata darkened in the face, and instantly replied, “N-no! A-ab-absolutely not!”

 

Ino could see the flicker in the Hyuuga's eyes and knew that she had considered it for a moment. So, she nodded in understanding, and said, “Alright, I understand. May I help you find what it is you're looking for today?”

 

“Y-yes,” Hinata said, hoping that her cheeks weren't completely red. She had managed to stop herself from blushing darkly whenever around Naruto, but she could not seem to stop herself from blushing darkly at the thought of buying him something. Or the mention of him whenever he wasn't in the room—or whenever his name managed to pop into a conversation without her meaning to. “I-I want to get something, um, simple f-for a new friend o-of mine.”

 

“Oh?” Ino blinked. “Is it a boy?”

 

Hinata shook her head, another blush coating her cheeks.

 

“Hm, I might be able to help you a little better if you gave me a better description of what you would like to give this person,” Ino said. “Do you want something that says friendship? Or maybe something that states similarity?”

 

“F-friendship will be fine, I-I'm sure,” Hinata replied.

 

“I'll see what we have,” Ino smiled. “Just wait right here for a moment, alright.” Watching as Hinata nodded, she went in search of something that Hinata might like to give to her new friend. Of course, it might help a little to know how the woman acted, or if she even liked a certain flower, but she was sure that what she chose would be appropriate. So, within a short time she returned to the counter, and watched as Hinata gently touched the flower she had brought.

 

“I-I think she'll like it,” Hinata smiled.

 

“It's ivy,” Ino smiled. “It means friendship.”

 

Hinata nodded, and paid for the flower. However, as she turned to leave, she was caught by Ino's question of who the flower was for. She smiled a little, and replied, “It's for a woman n-named Kagome.” She left afterward, waving lightly to Ino, though she seemed slightly stunned behind the counter.

 

Ino, after Hinata had gone, frowned once more. That woman again, since she was sure that she had never heard of a person with that name actually being apart of the village, and Hinata had said it was a new friend. It appeared that she wasn't only poisoning the minds of men, Sasuke included, but also the minds of her friends. Temari, Hinata—both of them seemed to have not a big problem with her, which was obviously from how Temari spoke of her and the fact Hinata had just bought her a flower.

 

At that moment, Ino bit her lip and remembered the way the woman had looked at her. That fierce look in her eye had stunned her to the point that she had automatically called out to the strongest in her eyes for reassurance. The woman had called her pathetic, and downright spat in her face that she was weak, while that glare seemed to burn her from the inside out. That woman, Kagome, there was just something wrong with her, something that wasn't right, that made her different from other shinobi, and in the end she felt it was going to hurt someone.

 

She just hoped that she was wrong.

 

OoO

 

Out of the corner of her eye she glanced at the Uchiha sitting in the booth with them, before sighing gently. It could not be helped, since the male refused to sit even five feet from them. When she had tried to explain that she was trying to get information for Tsunade, he had simply stated that Kagome was dangerous and he was going to complete his mission even if she did not like his methods. And, Temari was rather annoyed with the fact that he had simply sat down next to Kagome, who gave him a small, curious look.

 

“So,” Kagome finally said, “I take it that this outing has something to do with the scrolls I carried?”

 

Temari tensed, nearly dropping the teacup that she had raised toward her lips. “What makes you think that?” she asked.

 

Kagome's eyes flashed, before she glanced out the window to the small shop they sat within. “People,” she began, “have never been the type to take those they do not know very well out to places such as these. Besides, those who are around me usually wish to know something, since they find offense in the way I treat them.”

 

Sasuke gave a small snort, which earned him a snarl from the woman at his side. He glanced at her, and decided to ignore the blatant sign to shut his mouth. The woman acted like she was above everyone else, like she could control everyone with a flick of her finger, yet she had stated before that she was not raised to be a princess. He remembered, from long ago, when Team Kakashi had escorted a princess, and she acted very much like she had throughout most of the mission. Though, she had not continuously glare at him, or dug her fingers into anything so much that she managed to tear it open. He scowled; no doubt they were going to have to pay for that, and he knew that Kagome did not have any money.

 

Temari narrowed her eyes, wondering what the hidden meaning was behind those words. There was something that she had caught in Kagome's voice that signaled there was more than simply the way she treated people. In fact, if she were going to bet on anything, she would say that Kagome had never been to a place like this simply between friends. For the briefest of moments, that bet to herself almost made her wonder if she should begin to interrogate her, even if it was only going to be subtly. “You must not know many people,” Temari said softly.

 

“I knew plenty of people,” Kagome snorted. “It does not matter to me.”

 

Frowning, Temari wondered if there would ever be a moment when she thought she had solved the puzzle that was Kagome. The key word she had placed into her sentence, knew, obviously pointed to either the fact that everyone she had known was dead, or refused to even acknowledge her existence, as she had been told happened between her and her Clan. However, from the indifference in her voice, it was quite clear that Kagome did not care, or had become very good at hiding the pain the knowledge caused her. “Well—”

 

“Why don't we just get this over with?” Sasuke asked, his head turning to the side.

 

“Must you speak?” Kagome asked.

 

Sasuke was about to retort, but noticed the way that she was glaring at him. Something from the dream the night before had changed the woman slightly, and she refused to even take the smallest of jokes that escaped his lips without snapping at him. She refused to even acknowledge him when she had reawakened, until Temari had come by, stating that she wanted to take Kagome somewhere, while muttering about `idiotic brothers'. She refused to allow his words to process in her brain, even, since she had ignored everything he had said thus far.

 

“I want to know about the summoning scroll you carry,” Temari stated bluntly. “I know that you don't want to talk about it, that you think that you are safer by keeping the information to yourself. However, I only want to know what you can summon, and I won't ask you anything else about it.”

 

Kagome eyed her for a moment, a fierce look crossing her eyes before she smirked. The tilt on her lips was predatorily, and promised a cruel torture should she set her anger upon a single individual. “Dogs,” she stated at last.

 

“Dogs?” Temari asked, blinking in surprise. She had not expected Kagome to answer, but to merely tell her something about how she could not, would not, or ignore her. This new development was surprising, though she did not exactly know what to make of the look she was being given. That stare was so heated that she almost felt like if it could harm, it would burn straight through her skin.

 

“You said you would not ask anything about it again,” Kagome chuckled. “Yet you have just asked me to confirm the information I've given you. Tell me, are you going to break your word, or are you merely wishing for me to fall into a well placed trap?”

 

Temari frowned again, wondering where this change had come from. “You're right,” she said. “I won't ask again, but I do want to ask what purpose your medical scrolls are for. They may have something that could help both Konoha and Suna in their advancement.”

 

“Not much,” Kagome said, her smirk widening. “One merely patches up a nearly fatal wound, such as one to the stomach, by repairing all the tissues, organs, and the other vitals needed. Another simply helps in reducing pain. They are not the best seals, but they work so well that you are guaranteed a one hundred percent success and survival rate among the people you use the seal on.”

 

Her eyes flashed again, while she held down the urge to grip her head. She felt something, something that caused her hair to stand slightly on end as she wondered where it was coming from. She normally did not feel such things, but knew that others felt it whenever she walked into their presence. This feeling, though, was coming from one direction, and she had the feeling that she was going to encounter a being that she did not wish to encounter again. No, not because she felt she could not defeat them, but because she was sure that the encounter would weaken her to the point that she would fall completely into her need—doing so would easily cause her to get a bounty for her head.

 

Tell me, she growled, you seem to think you know more than I. Do you know where this feeling is coming from?

 

“I might,” the voice in her head chuckled. “However, I do not believe I shall tell you, stupid girl. I find it amusing to finally watch you squirm a bit while wondering when an opponent nearly as powerful as you is about to strike.”

 

Nearly? She blinked in surprise, since the voice would not normally give away such valuable information. She had learned that over the years that it had spoken with her, since it liked to keep her in the dark on most of the thing it said to her, or insult her. What do you mean by nearly?

 

“You truly are stupid, aren't you? Surely you can figure out the meaning of `nearly',” it mocked. “But, I suppose if you can't, I might as well tell you this one time. The presence I feel is strong, very strong, but not as strong as I. You may not realize it, but with me by your side, nothing will stand in our way… not even Kyuubi.”

 

Her eyes narrowed a bit more, as she quietly muttered, “Kyuubi?”

 

Sasuke's head snapped toward her, wondering if that low word had been what he thought it was. His hand fisted, knowing that if that had been what she had said, and she was after his friend, he would do everything in his power to stop it from happening. However, her voice had been so low, he was not quite sure if what he had heard was what he thought it was. That was going to make things difficult, but he knew at that moment he would need to watch her and listen.

 

Slowly, thinking over the words, Kagome reached for her sake and gently brought the cup to her lips. An opponent that strong, even if they had no hope of defeating her, would be a nice challenge. However, she knew that she would need to watch herself, for the first wrong move could end with her killing everyone and everything within a hundred miles. Though, she smirked a bit into her glass, that thought was not exactly displeasing, since the sight of all that blood would be a sure way to stir her soul, and her lust for more.

 

As long as she was not killed, she would kill.

 

As long as she did not fall in battle, she would be the one that haunted the minds of others.

 

Her smirk grew, for she rather liked that idea. She had always liked it, since she had split her first drop of enemy blood so long ago. She had liked it since the time that she had picked off the selective few who got to close to family secrets or annoyed her. She had liked it, and she was sure that she would always like it—enjoy it more than even the greatest of jewels in the world. Of that she was sure, even when she had such an annoying voice in her head, a lapdog that followed her every move, and a shadow that plagued her thoughts recently.

 

There her thoughts paused, and she did not even notice Temari staring at her as she returned her gaze to the window. The Kazekage, Gaara, had a strange effect on her, one that she was not sure if she enjoyed or hated. She knew that his presence calmed her; his scent soothed her to the bone; and his hair and eyes seemed to drown her when they sucked her gaze in. She found that a few times she felt her breath hitch as she looked at him, her lust for blood drain away as she stood in his presence, and her thoughts continued to return to him at some point in time after she had met him.

 

And she wondered what it was about him that she found interesting.

 

“Kagome?” Temari asked.

 

“Yes?” Kagome asked softly, never turning her gaze away from the window. In fact, she felt that if she did, something might pass by without her notice—something that she wished to notice.

 

“Are you alright?” Temari said.

 

Taking another drink from her cup, the sake burning a path down her throat, Kagome replied, “Yes.” There was no need for someone that might easily become her prey to know what she felt. That was one of the shinobi rules, to never show ones true feelings. The other woman might act nice now, but she had grown up with hostility thrown at her from all sides, she knew that at any moment everything could come crashing down.

 

In a way, she waited for that moment. She knew she did, but that was not what was important. No, for the ones that she wanted dead—even if they did not deserve only the gruesome deaths she gave them—were dead, and there was no need to wait for another to turn on her. There was no reason to expect them to secretly mock, insult, and question her existence behind her back; there was no reason for them to wish to kill her, yet smile and bow as she walked by; there was no reason for them to scream and shout that she was nothing but a monster as she killed them. No, for they were not the people she had killed, but that did not mean that she did not wait for them to turn out to be that way.

 

For she knew from experience that everyone else was always the same. They always wanted to hurt her, and no one would ever turn out differently. There was were no friends in the world, she knew that, which made her question her own sanity at secretly wishing, yet a tiny bit, that she had one person in the world to call her own. Her friend and companion—but she didn't, so she didn't care, and that made everything so much easier.

 

Especially once she killed them.

 

OoO

 

KibaSin: There's no Gaara/Kagome action in this chapter! I want to kick myself so badly for that, but I guess it can't be helped, since I was trying to get down the humor part of the story (which by the way, I simply wanted to get Matsuri out of the picture if no one noticed) and then add more drama, heart-felt stuff. However, the Orochimaru confrontation should be within the next three to four chapters, and then there will be a huge battle scene that might go on for two to three chapters! (Oh, I love writing battle scenes, yes I do!)

 

Hm, at this moment I'm just hoping that I'm starting to get Temari and Kankurou from Naruto II correctly, since I've only read most of the stuff off of other fanfiction and got the information from sites that I trust to tell the truth. I haven't actually watched an episode from Naruto II yet, but I'm hoping that my information is correct, and that how I twist it around a bit (and pull it into knots) isn't going overboard with anyone. Though, in truth, I really don't care at this moment if it is…

 

Anyway, thank you for reading, and have a wonderful day!

 

Kiba