Blood Bonds

A/N: So, there is no Uchiha clan murder and I know, some of the characters are OOC or just not in the right rank, place, or time (if you understand what I'm saying). You can comment all you want but I probably won't change it so…deal with it.

Chapter 1: Kagome Higurashi

Blood was splattered on the old and rotting wooden well, painting it a deep crimson that glistened in the shafts of morning sunlight. The weeds and vines that had once been brilliant shades of green had now turned a rusty brown color. The strong metallic stench was carried on the wind that blew furiously, causing the treetops to sway and the leaves to quietly rustle. The birds were abnormally silent, not a chirp or tweet heard for miles around. Even the forest held an eerie stillness.

Sitting on the ground was a little girl who leaned back on the well, her eyes peacefully closed. She could be no older than ten—a child, really. Her raven black hair was tossed with the wind, yet she did not seem to mind. She wore a simple navy blue yukata that covered the tattoo branded on her upper arm, the tattoo that marked her not only a killer, but a prodigy. It consisted of two elegant, but simple lines that only ANBU members had the honor of flaunting.

Her eyelids fluttered open to reveal stunning azure eyes with tiny flecks of gray. A frown adorned her petite face as the small girl took in her surroundings. While the area around her was still covered in sticky blood, she had not a speck on her. Yet in a way, she believed she could see the bloodstains on her hands, the bloodstains invisible to everyone else. She could hear the screams of those she had ripped the life from. If anything, it was the only thing she knew. While this child could not remember anything of her family, her friends, her home, she could remember the sound of her katana, Kasumi, as it sliced through the flesh of her victims.

Panic spread through the girl as she suddenly looked around, frantic to find that her only companion was lying on the cold ground next to her. She sighed in relief as her hand darted out and grabbed the katana. It felt so familiar in her hand. Her katana, her Kasumi, named after the mist. Mist was elusive, something you could feel, but something impossible to catch. Her katana was like the mist.

The only thing the girl could find comfort in was her longest friend, Kasumi. While it held her memories, awful and painful memories, it held familiarity as well. The only thing she currently knew was her katana, but she didn't mind. She would find a way to remember, she knew she could. All that she needed was time.

However, she could feel something. It was approaching, and quickly. It was like an energy, suppressed but nevertheless there. It felt like she could reach out and touch it, but she could not.

Every instinct in her body was telling her to run, but she did not.

And then, someone was watching her. How she knew, well that she didn't know.

Cautiously, she drew Kasumi and dropped the sheath to thee ground. Did she remember how to use Kasumi? No. Did she know that she could use Kasumi? Yes. Was the stranger a threat? Well, that was something she planned to find out.

"Now, do you really plan on using that?" A voice whispered into her ear from behind. With inhuman speed she twirled around to find that the owner of the voice was still standing there. In one hand he held a mask while the other was wrapped around her own small hands which clutched her katana far too tightly.

The mask. The black and gray armor. The white cloak. The katana, so similar to her own. Images flickered through her mind of herself in the same attire. A mask that hid her face, armor, a cloak, and Kasumi strapped to her back. She could see other unknown faces, people that also wore this attire. She could remember wearing her own white cloak while the others wore black ones. She could remember being different.

Kasumi suddenly dropped from her hands, as she looked up into the eyes of the stranger. He must have been around thirteen, only three years older than herself. His intense red eyes starred back, and while most would have looked away, she did not.

This boy seemed so like herself. She did not know who 'herself' was, but for some reason she was sure the boy suffered from the same hollow feeling inside, the same pressure that made her want to explode. She could see it there in his eyes, she could see that he was unhappy. She could see that he felt like a caged animal. And she could empathize with him, even if she did not know the reason why.

"What do you want?" The girl asked. Her voice was strong and unafraid, something that the boy was not used to. Very few did not tremble under his gaze while he held such an advantage.

"I am curious. What is you rank?" He asked, completely ignoring her prior question.

"What are you talking about? I do not have a so called 'rank' and even if I did, why should I tell you?" She snapped. Everything about him had her on edge. He seemed unpredictable and dangerous. While she might have been a match for him when she had her memory and actually knew how to fight, which she was pretty sure she did, she was certainly no match for him now. But, then again, why let him know that?

"You are odd. You look as if you know that of beyond your years and your chakra is captain level…who are you?" He asked, while studying the girl with his gaze, the gaze that never missed anything.

"I am Kagome, I think. And you might be?" She asked with a clipped edge to her voice. While she believed they were similar, she also knew that he was not someone she wanted to be dealing with, not in her current state at least.

The boy did not answer, however, only stepping back slightly and retrieving her katana from it place on the ground. Carelessly, he tossed it to her, and without thinking, she caught it. In the blink of an eye, metal clashed as their swords met. Kagome was simply moving on instinct, barely even registering what she was doing. Easily, she found herself able to match every blow, but then again, she knew he was holding back.

Each time their swords met, he pushed her a little harder. Every step he took was a little faster. The girl was keeping up though. She could still see his every step, she could feel the energy around him as it was channeled through his katana. Chakra, he called it. Without breaking a sweat, she shifted from the defensive, to the offensive. She let her body move naturally, and then more images flashed through her head, images of her throwing shuriken at targets, sparing with unfamiliar people, drawing blood from opponents. And then horrible memories of killing. No. Slaughtering.

Suddenly, she stumbled. The boy took this chance and easily disarmed her.

"Hn."

The images stopped, and Kagome was left barely standing, holding her head between her hands with her face contorted in pain. Not the physical pain, no. It was much worse…it was the pain that a girl of mere ten should not know, the pain of killing.

"I can feel it—the guilt, the anger, the inability to stop. Make it stop. Please, make it stop," she whispered to no one in particular as she crumpled to the ground.

"It will never go away," he replied as he silently moved towards Kagome.

He crouched down and roughly took hold of her right shoulder. She just watched as he grabbed the fabric covering her arm and yanked it downward to reveal the tattoo on her upper arm. "I thought so." He stated, and then harshly pulled her to her feet. While he did not say anything, a million question were whizzing through his mind. 'Just who is she? Why is she here? Why is she so…unsure of herself? What am I supposed to do with her?'

"Girl, I am taking you back to Konoha." He said, and then knocked her out. Slinging her over her shoulder, he disappeared in a blur as he ran stealthily, as it was a habit, back to Konoha. Perhaps they could use this Kagome to their advantage.

Okay, how's that for a start? It's not much, but I assure you that the chapters will be much longer when I get back. Well, at least my goal is to make them longer. Anyway, review. When I get back, I'll update and see where things go from there.