Brothers in Arms
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Rippon
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REVIEW RESPONSES
Kage Otome: AHH! HOW DID YOU KNOW! No, I'm just kidding. Well, it's sort of Naraku… SORT OF. Technically, I can't tell you who EXACTLY is in her head, or else it would ruin the story! Smart people are always guessing what I write. Like my Mother, you can't watch any mystery movies with her, because literally, 10 minutes into the movie, she guesses the ending. And she's always right! ARRG! Anyways, thanks for being a faithful reviewer!
Katsume18: IIE! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! I always love receiving reviews from such nice people! Again, thanks so much.
Gizmo369: FINALLY! Someone who agrees with me on the pathetic part! YAY! However, I have to say he wasn't ALL that pathetic in the 4th movie/book…grumbles Anyways, (back at the ranch) IIE! I LOVE YOU! (uh… this is not a form of harassment, just so you know…) You're always so nice in your reviews, though I must apologize for the confusion in the last chapter. I was trying to do that, but I know how frustrating it can be. I think though, that if you had figured out what exactly was going on, then you'd have figured out the whole story. Therefore, I'm glad my pathetic try at mystery worked. sighs I can never write mystery. I always end up getting too excited about unveiling the mystery person/s. Ah well, thanks again! And keep reading Brothers! HAHAHAHAHA! (People give her strange looks)WHAT!
DevilAngel620: Uh, thanks? No, just kidding! I really appreciate the love! I know this isn't the best story, so any nice reviews are welcome! Oh, and actually, Kagome's not paranoid. There's a reason for all this, and it's (in my sad, sad opinion) a good one too. Something very bad happened to her before, and it turns out to be the whole reason for this story. But I'll get into that later. Thanks again!
Blackxheart: It's a good thing you like cliffies , because I can tell you right now that some people are going to be VERY angry with me VERY soon. Some of the upcoming cliffhangers are going to be killers, so at least I'll have you not screaming at me to update. Thank you very much for your nice review. It's feels good to get feedback from such wonderful authors!
XxTessaraexX: Aww, I'm sorry it took so long to get this out. Dealing with finals sucks. They're not hard or anything, just really damn boring. Ah, oh well. It's almost over. BTW, confused is good. If you need an explanation, then you're gonna have ta read the review responses above. My fingers are starting to cramp, and I still have to write this chapter. Ah well, thank you so much for the wonderful review, and I hope you enjoy this chapter.
SilverRoseGoddess24556: AH, thank you! And here is you update Madam. grins
Sexy lil' Kagome: You got it dude. Here's your update. Harry Potter IS good. Thanks for reviewing! Ja Ne!
Cursed Elemental: Aww, thanks! Heh, yeah I know the frustration of writer's block… eh, I have it A LOT! Boy does it suck… For the voice in Kagome's head part… see Kage Otome's response, I'm too lazy to rewrite it… Thanks again; Ja!
Shadows Stalk During the Deep of Night: Jeez, it can't be that good, can it? Anyways, thank you very much for being so kind in your review, and thanks SO, SO much for reviewing nearly all my stories! It is much appreciated! Thanks again, Ja!
InuKag-Spellcaster: Aww thanks! And here's your update! Ja!
Raito Hana: Aww shucks! Thank you very much! Haz. And here is your next chapter! Enjoy!
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Chapter 3:
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Lies
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Kagome had not been a very happy camper as of late. Her sister's old comrades were annoying the hell out of her. And now they had to go and ask about Sakura's whereabouts.
That had to be the one question that she really, really didn't want to answer. Of course, her silence was doing almost as much damage to the anxious Ninjas as if she had come right out and said that her dearest had… died.
At the thought, Kagome sobered. Unfortunately, Naruto noticed her behavior.
"Hey," he said quietly, "what's with the sad face? Is- is Sakura okay? Did something happen?" At his words, the rest of Team 7, and Tsunade looked at Kagome, with wide, fearful eyes.
Kagome stared at them for a few moments. They looked genuinely worried. Could she really tell them of the horrible fate that had befallen Sakura? Was she really that heartless?
Kagome sighed. She knew that they deserved to hear the truth, but as much as she wanted to just open her mouth and get it over with, she couldn't bring herself to give them such pains.
No. She had to protect them from such hurt. She may not like them much, but she knew her sister had been quite fond of them. After all, they had all been comrades at one point in time.
"Sakura," she started, watching their faces closely. "Sakura is- is-"
She could see dawning covering their faces at her incomplete sentence, and she noticed how everyone's eyes seemed to tear up. No! What was wrong with her?
Lie, she told herself. Hurry up and lie!
"Sakura is perfectly fine!" she nearly screamed out. Instantly she saw the changes in everyone's demeanors. She sighed softly to herself. Thank Kami. She had almost told them the truth. She knew that the truth meant pain. She also knew Sakura didn't want them to be hurt.
However, she could help the tiny piece of guilt at how they seemed to fully trust her words, almost as if they had been willing her to say what they wanted to hear.
She pitied them.
"Well then, where is Sakura? And why hasn't she come to visit us; does she know how worried we all were?" Tsunade grumped. That girl was so going to get it when she came back to Konoha!
Kagome blanched inwardly. Damn, she had forgotten about that part of lying. One must cover all their bases, she noted glumly.
"She err- Sakura- had a mission to go on! Yeah, she was real upset about not being able to come; she wanted me to tell you that she's real sorry, and that she'll be coming home soon." Kagome couldn't remember when she had gotten so good at lying. Oh well, it was all for the best.
Right?
Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "That still doesn't explain why she left in the first place, or why she never came to visit us before now."
Kagome replied with a sharp answer, "She never had time to come see you because she had to finish her training, duh! As for leaving, that's something you'll have to ask Sakura. She never told me." Well, at least that last part had been true. Sakura had never told her why she had left her hometown in the first place.
The others seemed to accept this.
Naruto piped up, "So, we'll get to see Sakura-chan soon? Is that what you're saying?" Kagome looked at him with pity. He really believed he would see his friend again, didn't he?
Good job Kagome, she chastised herself, feeling a tremendous amount of guilt overtake her.
"Y-yes, Uzumaki-san; that's exactly what I'm saying." She grimaced at herself. More lies.
He smiled happily and Kagome could not help but be reminded of herself before she had realized the hardships of reality. An uneasy smile found itself on her lips.
"That's great! I can't wait! Hey, how do you think it will be when she finds out that I'm with Hinata-chan? I bet she'll be real excited!"
Kagome smiled softly to herself as the four Ninja babbled amongst themselves about what they'd tell Sakura when she came home again.
Well, Naruto blabbed and the others listened.
She was so caught up with her thoughts, that she didn't notice a certain Uchiha staring at her. Sasuke had easily sensed there was something she wasn't telling them. He watched her carefully. What was she hiding?
It was then that Kagome noticed her audience. She met Sasuke's gaze with a one of her own. Almost immediately, Sasuke turned away. Later he would deny any reason for it, but for now he knew that although he was extremely suspicious of her, he could not rebuff his immense attraction toward her. He really didn't want her to hate him, and he guessed that glaring heatedly at her would probably give the impression that the two of them were enemies and that he was on to her.
Kagome raised an eyebrow at him, and then shook her head. Whatever.
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Kagome watched the water ripple. She had found this little pond when she had been wandering around after she had snuck out of Sasuke's house. She had needed some space and fresh air, and this little piece of heaven was perfect for that.
She couldn't help staring at her reflection. It almost disgusted her that she was still able to see herself, when Sakura could not. She ground her teeth together. She should have been there!
Unconsciously, her eyes began to tear up. For the longest time now, she had blamed herself for Sakura's death. Of course, she knew it was an accident, but that still didn't take all the blame away from her. They had been a team for as long as they had known each other, and Kagome could not deny that Sakura had saved her life on several occasions.
Which is why, she snarled to herself, I should have been there for her for the one time she needed me! Why wasn't I there? Why couldn't I save her?
Something cold and wet slithered down her cheek; immediately, Kagome swiped it away with her hand. Only weak fools cry. She chastised herself. Sakura-chan said you weren't weak. Don't prove her wrong.
For what seemed like hours, Kagome stared into the calm waters of the pond. She looked of every fault in her face, and reminded herself of them repeatedly. This was her punishment. She no longer deserved to be happy.
At least, not until I avenge Sakura-chan. Only then will I be able to begin my repentance and start over.
"Are you just going to sit there all day, or what?"
Kagome didn't jump out of her skin, as the little Uchiha might have expected. She had known he had been watching her for sometime, and had been fine with it, because he had left her be. Now, he being a nuisance.
"What's it matter to you, Uchiha? My business is my own."
Sasuke jumped down from the tree he had been sitting in four the past half hour, and faced the cold ninja.
"What is it about the water that you find so… intriguing?"
She looked at him. If she answered him maybe, he would go away?
"Nothing is intriguing about the water. I simply can't stand the sight of my own reflection. Yet, even though it disgusts me, I cannot turn away from it. It makes me wonder how I could be such a failure."
After a few moments of standing there, staring at each other, Kagome turned away, preparing to leave, when a single question was thrown her way.
"Why?"
Without turning, she countered, "Why what?"
He answered coolly, though his annoyance was beginning to bubble up. What was with this girl anyways?
"Why does your own reflection disgust you? I can see no reason why."
She glanced at him through the corner of her eye, and just for a moment, Sasuke was completely in awe. They way her eyes pierced him- he could not deny that she was a Ninja.
"What disgusts me, Uchiha, is not something that can be seen. It is something that lives beneath the skin and hair. It hides behind your eyes, and yet is not visible even there. A parasite that lives within you forever; an emotion you cannot shake."
She was gone then, but Sasuke didn't need to further question her about this so-called parasite.
It was one he knew well.
Guilt.
Owari.
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All right people, I admit, I was behind schedule, but that stems from the fact that I have recently acquired my favorite game of all time (for PS2), Kingdom Hearts! NO! YOU CANNOT HAVE Sora! HE BELONGS TO ME! HE'S MINE, MINE, MINE, MINE, MINE, MINE, MINE, MINE MINE! (Continues for another five minutes, before realizing she's off task.)
Err…
Enjoy?
-Rip